Nighttide Star [Rewrite Draft]

After Twilight gave me the crash course on all things Equestria, I should have been blown away. After all, Twilight spoke of pegasi, unicorns, alicorns – creatures I could barely imagine, let alone believe really existed. Yet, despite Twilight’s horn and Fluttershy’s wings, it felt more like a fairy tale than reality. It all felt so fantastical – at least until Twilight did her little magic warp thing in the cottage.

Can you blame me? Just imagine being stuck on a sofa in some stranger’s house, in a country you’ve never heard of, with two winged and one horned pony telling you tales of a magical land – provided of course you haven’t grown up with that your whole life. Surreal.

No. Surreal didn’t cut it anymore; now, everything I saw and heard came through a haze, like my life had become a bizarre play. And considering the day’s events – a failed experiment, appearing in some colorful land, exhausted out of my mind – I couldn’t exactly bring myself to buy any of it.

But as far as I could tell, Twilight was telling the truth. I mean, she had the wings and horn to prove it. Next to her, even my state-of-the-art equipment felt obsolete.

While Twilight gave me her breakdown of Equestria, I silently ran a few scans. Sure enough, Twilight’s wings and horns were completely natural. 100% organic. That just made me even dizzier. Is this seriously happening? I thought, trying not to shake. What if the warp-drive knocked me out, and this is all a dream? Or some sort of computer simulation? Ooh, I knew artificial intelligence was a bad idea…

I had no control. With a busted leg and no way to contact home, I had only my instincts to protect me. I still had some doubts about this whole thing, but I saw no point in openly rejecting the hospitality these ‘Equestrians’ had shown me so far. Twilight and Fluttershy both seemed willing to help, so the least I could do was ride things out until I regained some autonomy. At this point, all I really cared about was getting back on my hooves again and finding my way back home. I could figure the rest out later.

But that meant waiting until Twilight returned from wherever she had gone. And let me tell you: if you think my sofa-bound thoughts are boring, try living it out in real life. Especially after drinking a load of tea.

Suffice it to say, I hoped these magical ponies had bathrooms.

__________

Some time later, after being escorted upstairs to relieve myself, Fluttershy helped me limp outside to get some fresh air. The afternoon sun sat low in the sky and bathed the world in a warm light that felt absolutely wonderful on my muzzle. Being stuck inside a cottage for several hours wasn’t nearly as bad as being stuck in some frigid laboratory, but I was ready to get off that sofa and stretch my legs – much as I could, anyway.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake. As Fluttershy helped me plop down next to a fence just beyond the cottage, a red light blipped in the corner of my eye. “Crap.”

“What is it?” Fluttershy said, placing a wing over my withers to help me balance.

I looked at the mare, who stood just in the way of the sun, casting an amber glow around her long pink mane. “I think I might’ve lost the last of my fluid.”

Fluttershy furrowed her brow and tilted her head. I doubt she understood how my body worked just from the bit she overheard me tell Twilight, but she knelt down anyway to take a look at my leg. To both our surprise, the gauze was soaked. “Goodness!” she said with wide eyes. “We should rewrap the wound. I’ll be right back.”

I opened my mouth to argue the point, but she wasted no time in jumping up to gallop inside. Wrapping my leg again wouldn’t do much; no amount of gauze would replace the fluid I lost. But Fluttershy seemed determined to care for me – and much as her kindness still felt odd, it also felt genuine.

I leaned against the fence and sighed. For a moment, I just gazed upon the world – at the trees that swayed in the light breeze, at the creek that ran across the path. This late in the day, the birds sang a gentler melody, matching the lazy haze that hung across the horizon.  A couple of crickets made it clear that the end of the day was drawing near. Peaceful. Like a perfect dream.

I let my eyelids droop a little as I slumped against the fence, letting my thoughts blend together like the hazy world before me. It looked like a painting. Certainly not the sort of thing you’d see anywhere near my home. Then again, it was hard to believe there was any place left like this anywhere on the planet. Not since—

“Here we are,” Fluttershy called from behind, startling me out of my thoughts. She knelt down beside me and gently moved my injured leg to the side, propping it up on a mound of dirt. I watched silently as she pulled a line of clean cloth from a spool and tore it with her teeth before unwrapping the old gauze.

Once the gauze was off, Fluttershy placed a hoof over my leg and carefully spun the new cloth around. She was surprisingly good at this, which made me wonder where she learned to do such a thing. I thought about asking her, but instead, she raised a question of her own. “So, what’s it like where you come from?”

I looked over her shoulder, out at the clear amber sky. “Well, it’s…” I paused to think of a good word to describe home. It didn’t take very long. “It’s wet.”

“Wet?”

“It rains a lot.” Nearly every day of the year. “And it’s warm.”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Can’t the weather team do something about that?”

“Weather team?”

Fluttershy blinked. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t have pegasi where you come from?”

I nodded. “Or unicorns, or… well, I don’t think we have earth ponies. They have magic too, right?”

“Right,” Fluttershy said with a nod. “Their magic helps to grow plants and food.”

“Twilight mentioned that,” I said, shifting more upright. “Still, I don’t think ponies from my home would be considered ‘earth ponies’ since we don’t have magic.”

“No magic at all?”

“None that I’m aware of,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, who knows? There’s no telling how far I am from home, but if you ponies have magic, then maybe we do too.” Really, I was just thinking out loud; I highly doubted there was any chance our ponies could have magic without us knowing about it – not to mention the lack of unicorns, pegasi, and… “Hey, isn’t Twilight an alicorn?”

“Why yes, she is,” Fluttershy said, tying off the end of the gauze in a knot. “She was recently crowned princess as well.”

“I was just about to ask that. She mentioned there was a process to becoming an alicorn, and that it had to do with princess stuff and things she kind of glossed over.” I looked down the path, which I assumed led back to town. “So, does that make her Princess of Ponyville?”

Fluttershy giggled. “Not exactly. I think she could explain it better than I can.” Sitting down beside me, she said, “Well, besides the rain, what else is your home like? What do you do there?”

I pursed my lips. To be honest, I didn’t have much of an answer; I had no hobbies, no pastimes. Rather, I let other ponies run my life for me. When the military commissioned DIRE for something, typically they’d outfit me or one of the others with some new fangled thing for a test run. High-tech stuff. Nothing Fluttershy would understand.

“Well, I help with research,” I eventually settled on as an answer.

“Oh, Twilight likes research as well!” Fluttershy chirped. “I bet you two must have had an interesting conversation earlier.”

Interesting. Yes. Definitely the right word. “Yeah, we did. I’ll admit though, I’m surprised she didn’t ask me more about where I’m from. She seemed more interested in explaining Equestrian stuff than hearing my story.”

“Well, Twilight likes to teach others new things when she can,” Fluttershy explained with just a hint of a smirk. “But she’s probably more interested in getting you help first.”

So kindness is an inherent trait to these ponies? “I suppose.”

“By the way, was she able to help you figure out how you got here?”

“Actually, no. She said she was going to look for a spell that might help with my leg, then meet with somepony about getting some fluid.”

“Do you know if she plans to come back today?”

“I believe so.” I glanced over at the setting sun. “Though I’m not sure when.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Well, if you need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome to stay here tonight.”

I had to sigh at that. This pony had already done so much for me, the last thing I wanted was to waste anymore of her time. But more than that, much as I enjoyed her company, I needed to find a way home – or at least a way to contact DIRE. “Thank you, Fluttershy. I really appreciate all you’ve done. But hopefully when Twilight gets back, I’ll be able to—”

“Find your way home?” somepony said from nearby. “Don’t count on it.”

Fluttershy and I looked down the path to find Twilight walking our way with her saddlebag now packed to the brim. “As it turns out,” she said, “I couldn’t find anything on Roanne, Tanis, anything you mentioned.” She strode up and lifted her saddlebag off her back with her magic, dropping it between us. “But I think I found the right spell for your leg.”

Not the news I was hoping for, but it was something at least. “How about the fluid?”

Twilight looked over her shoulder. “About that…”

 I arched an eyebrow and leaned over to see the shadow of somepony cantering around a grove of trees beside the path. When this somepony came into sight, my eyes shot wide.

Striding across the bridge was a rugged pony-like creature with a grey coat covered in black stripes. The creature had a coarse mane, the same color and pattern as her coat, and around her neck sat what had to be a painfully heavy set of gold bands. A similar set looped around one of her legs, and a matching pair of rings hung off each of her ears. She also had a cutie mark – a spiral sun, from what I could tell – but the tone and definition made it look more like it was painted on rather than etched like Twilight’s or Fluttershy’s.

Twilight must have caught my curious expression, because she gave me a smirk like a schoolfilly standing up for show-and-tell. “Nighttide, this is my friend Zecora,” she said, gesturing to the mare now walking up to us. “Zecora, Nighttide.”

“Hello there, friend!” Zecora greeted in an exotic voice that matched her appearance and equally exotic scent – like, wow, you could smell this mare a mile away. “Welcome to our wonderful land!”

“H-hello yourself,” I stammered, extending a limp hoof.

For a second, I worried she might reel back like Twilight did upon realizing it was metal. But she didn’t even flinch – instead, she just gave it a firm shake, firm enough I worried she might break something inside. “Some simple help I heard you need, for your wounded leg does bleed?”

“Uh, yes, actually. I lost a lot of hydraulic fluid from a busted line.” Turning to Twilight, I said, “Were you able to find any?”

“Well, sort of.” Pulling out a book from her saddlebag, she said, “Zecora was able to mix something together based off the sample you gave me.”

“What you need now I have brought,” Zecora said as she untied a flask from her barrel. “In here is the fluid you have sought.”

Hmm. System note: Striped ponies speak in rhyme. Apparently phonics vary among races. “Thanks. Could you set it down beside me? I’d grab it, but…” I lifted two limp hooves. “Kinda what I need the fluid for.”

Zecora sat the flask between me and the fence. I twisted open the cap and bent over to look inside, allowing my sensors to do a scan of the substance. A green line of text lit across the bottom of my vision a second later: 83% correlation. “Looks like it should work.”

“How can you tell?” Twilight asked, skimming through the book with her magic.

“Uh… computer magic.”

Twilight glanced over the brim of her book and shot me a smirk. “You know I still have several questions for you, right?”

“You and I both.” Slumping a little, I said, “I guess if you couldn’t find anything on Roanne, I might be around long enough for you to ask them.”

Twilight’s smile faded. “Let’s get your leg fixed, then we’ll figure out where to go from there.”

“That’s nice of you,” I said, pulling open a flap with a nozzle along my side. “But… well…”

Well, what? I had no idea where to go or what to do once I was on my hooves. As far as I knew, I could be a thousand miles away from home in any given direction.

“Well, what?” Twilight echoed.

All I could do was shrug. “I don’t know. I just…”

Twilight stared at me for a moment before placing her book on the ground. “Listen. From what I’ve gathered, it sounds like you’re pretty lost. You might as well let somepony who knows the area give you a little help.”

“Twilight’s right,” Fluttershy added from aside. “If you don’t know how to get home, we’d be more than happy to help.”

I looked between the two, trying to figure out what to say. Zecora decided for me. “You, my friend, indeed seem lost. To refuse our help could come with great cost.”

It looked like they were going to decide for me at this rate. Just like home.

I still found myself wary about accepting help from these ponies, but like I reminded myself earlier, I didn’t have much of a choice. Though I would probably make a better decision after I got some real rest. “Well, is there a hotel nearby that accepts credit?”

Twilight and Zecora raised a brow at me, though it was Fluttershy who replied. “You’re still welcome to stay here, Nighttide.” Rubbing a hoof against another, she added, “That is, if you want to.”

I had totally forgotten she invited me to stay. “I really don’t want to be anymore of a bother than I’ve already been. Are you sure there isn’t somewhere in town I could stay?”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Fluttershy insisted with a sincere smile. “I promise.”

“And besides,” Twilight said, “I don’t think Ponyville Inn takes foreign currency.”

Fair enough. “Well, thank you for the offer, Fluttershy,” I said with my own smile. “But unless Zecora’s fluid starts working soon, I doubt I can even make it back inside.”

Twilight glanced down at my injured leg. “Oh. Right.” She rubbed her neck with a sheepish grin. “Guess I better get to work then!”

__________

I had no idea how ‘spells’ worked – especially when it came to repairing armor – but I tried to keep close track of everything Twilight did, as she kept looking between my leg, a well-worn book, and the hologram now projecting from my back. “How long do you think it’ll take?” I asked.

“No more than a couple of minutes,” Twilight said, squinting at a particular line in her book. “Just need to make sure I got this last part right.”

Fluttershy and I watched as Twilight mouthed the text silently to herself. Zecora had left just minutes after filling my suit with the fluid, and the sun sat inches above the horizon, leaving us with only a couple dusty rays of light to work with.

Clapping the book shut, Twilight turned to me with a confident smile. “Alright. Ready to get back on your hooves?”

“More than you know,” I said, flipping off the hologram to rest my weight on the fence. “All this sitting around really wears a mare out.”

Twilight and Fluttershy shared a giggle. Standing over my bad leg, Twilight brought her horn close to the injury. She flicked her eyes up at me and said, “Before I start, are you able to feel anything in your legs?”

I shook my head. “All prosthetic, so no nerves to worry about.”

“Good. ‘Cause otherwise, this might um… you know—”

“Hurt like hell?” I said with a lazy smirk.

Twilight furrowed her brow and glanced at Fluttershy, who merely shrugged.

“Uh… nevermind,” I said, waving a limp hoof. “You’re good to go.”

“Okay. Here goes.” And with that, Twilight closed her eyes and brought her horn to light. As soon as the whistle of magic filled the air, I switched my systems over to record all activity in my injured limb.

At first, it seemed like nothing would happen. Twilight crouched over my leg with eyes screwed shut and horn glowing a brilliant violet, but my systems detected little in the way of movement. It wasn’t until Twilight angled her horn to the side that all manner of flashing lights and yellow text started filling the corner of my vision – detailed warnings of parts moving “autonomously” within my leg. My computer danced with panic, unable to determine what was causing the change, but I had already silenced the alarm in preparation for this.

Two minutes passed as Twilight continued to move the parts in my busted limb, clearly straining over the effort. Before long, she began to grit her teeth, and a light film of sweat formed along her brow. I glanced over at Fluttershy to gauge her expression, and she too seemed to be worried about the mare.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, stepping closer. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she stammered. “Just… a little more…”

I squinted at my leg and scaled the log of text over my vision. A live diagram of the damage parts shown at the top corner, which revealed that slowly, surely, the parts were being refitted and aligned to their proper place. The log continued to fill with warning after warning, but it was clear that Twilight’s magic was working.

Finally, after heaving one last set of parts together, Twilight shut off her magic and collapsed beside my leg with a groan. “There,” she said through a pant. “Try that now.”

Switching off the text, I instructed my suit to refill the leg with fluid. It didn’t take long before I was able to move each part again, from top to bottom, with no noticeable problems.

“Twilight, I believe it worked!” I said, flexing each joint slowly as the fluid filled the hydraulics. “My systems show green for that leg!”

A little dazed and confused, Twilight spat up, “Huh. Green. I guess that's good?”

“Yes,” I said, carefully standing up. Once I was sure I could support my weight, I pranced a little in place. “Very good, in fact!”

“How wonderful, Twilight,” Fluttershy quietly cheered, “she's able to walk again!”

“Uh huh. Great.” Twilight groaned long and hard on the ground. “Can I go home now?”

I giggled a little as Fluttershy and I helped my impromptu mechanic back to her hooves. “Thank you again, Twilight. I've never had anyone go this far out of their way just for me – not in a long time, at least.”

Breathing a sigh, Twilight said, “Well, I'm just glad I was able to help.” Stretching her back, she said, “Now, as for where to go from here.”

That’s right. “You said you weren’t able to find anything about Roanne, correct?”

“Right,” Twilight said with a nod. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything yet. Equestria covers a lot of land, but there’s still many places far beyond our borders.” Fluffing her wings free of dirt, she looked over at Fluttershy and said, “I contacted Princess Celestia about Nighttide’s appearance, and she wants to have an audience with us tomorrow afternoon.”

I blinked at that. Who’s the other princess, and what exactly did Twilight say about me?

Fluttershy didn’t seem to be worried, though; in fact, she smiled at the news. “That’s wonderful! I know you’ve been wanting to visit Canterlot since the coronation. Do you think you’ll have some time to show Nighttide around?”

“Hang on a sec,” I spoke up. “Who’s this princess, exactly?”

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight said, turning to face me. “She and her sister, Princess Luna, are the rulers of Equestria.”

“Okay,” I said with a slow nod. “But what exactly does she want with me?”

“Just to meet you. Don’t worry,” she said, waving a hoof, “it’s not as big of a deal as it may sound. I told her about your situation – much as you could share, at least – and she just wants to offer whatever help she can.”

Now there’s another princess pony who wants to lend a hoof? Stepping back, I said, “Listen, that’s great and all, but why exactly would royalty want to meet with me?” Narrowing my eyes, I added, “On that note, aren’t you royalty? What exactly is your role, if not ruler of this land?”

Twilight blinked. She and Fluttershy exchanged a knowing glance, which seemed strangely somber.

“About that,” Twilight said, slumping her shoulders. “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out what being a princess means for me. I was only recently crowned, so…”

I leaned forward a little and angled my head. “So, what, you don’t have a formal title or something?”

Twilight met my gaze for a moment, then quickly looked away, slouching back ever so slightly. “Not exactly.”

That… made absolutely no sense. But something about this clearly made Twilight uncomfortable. Relaxing my stance a little, I said, “I don’t get it. I’ve never met royalty myself, but from what I understand, aren’t princesses supposed to be given official titles?”

“In most cases, yes. But…” Twilight sighed. Lifting her head, she looked at me and said, “It would probably make more sense if you came with me to meet Celestia tomorrow. I could tell you a little more about Equestria on the way, and she could fill you in on the rest.”

I squinted at her for a moment, then looked over at Fluttershy. “Do you know this Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy said with an eager nod. “She’s one of the nicest ponies I know!”

I looked back at Twilight. “And you said she wants to help?”

“If I know the Princess – and I’d like to think I do, since I was her student,” Twilight said as she tucked her book back into her saddlebag, “she probably wants to get to know you and a little about where you’re from. Celestia’s been around for a lot longer than most, so if anypony knows where your home might be, it would be her.”

I hummed and nodded, letting my gaze drift while Twilight strapped on her saddlebag. “Well, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go.” Stepping off to the side, I groaned and hung my head, rubbing a hoof between my eyes. “I’m sorry. This whole day’s been a bit overwhelming. I don’t mean to come across as ungrateful, it’s just… all a little strange, I guess.”

A moment passed before Fluttershy walked up beside me. “I can’t imagine how scary it must be being somewhere you’ve never been with ponies you’ve never met. It would make sense if you were a little nervous to meet someone like a princess for the first time.”

“Hey,” Twilight said from behind, “she’s already met me!”

Fluttershy looked back at her with an arched brow. “Yes, but that’s different. You’re my friend, and I introduced you as one of my friends – not a princess.” Turning to face me, Fluttershy said, “But don’t be afraid. Princess Celestia is a sweet pony. And if Twilight thinks she can help, I do too.” Placing a hoof on my shoulder, she added, “Once you meet her, you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.”

Fluttershy gave me a warm smile. I was still a little skeptical about all this princess nonsense, but she seemed confident that everything would be okay. “Alright then.” Glancing back at the cottage, I said, “Is it alright if I take you up on your offer, then?”

“Hm?” Fluttershy looked up the hill at her home. “Oh, yes – you’re more than welcome to stay the night! And I bet you’re probably hungry by now, too.”

Huh. Come to think of it, I hadn’t thought about food since I got here. Maybe that was my issue. “Well, maybe just a little.”

“How about you, Twilight?” Fluttershy looked over her shoulder. “Do you want to join us for dinner?”

“That’s okay,” Twilight said, turning for the path. “I’m going to do some more research tonight and see if I can find anything. I’ll come by in the morning to pick up Nighttide, if that’s okay?”

Both Fluttershy and I nodded. “And listen, Twilight,” I said. “Thank you, again. If it weren’t for you and Zecora, I have no idea how or if I’d been able to get back on my hooves again.” Running a hoof through the back of my mane, I said, “Hopefully I’ll be a little less on edge once I get some sleep.”

Twilight smiled. “It’s fine. Just get a good night’s rest, and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

I smiled in return. “Thanks. See you in the morning.”

As Twilight made her way down the path, Fluttershy and I walked back up to the cottage. Before stepping inside, I looked back to see Twilight rounding the bend beyond the grove of trees. Although I still didn’t get this whole Equestria business, I was thankful to have met everyone I had met since first waking up. I don’t think I could have run into a better bunch of ponies than these… well, aside from an actual mechanic, perhaps. But of course, being able to get outside the city for a bit, I wasn’t going to complain – although the whole day still felt like a hazy dream. Hopefully some food and sleep would help with that.

Nodding to myself, I turned inside and followed Fluttershy into her kitchen.

__________

After downing a sandwich and a couple of apples, Fluttershy led me to a bedroom upstairs. “Will this be alright for the night?”

“Of course.” I looked around the pleasantly decorated room, largely adorned with bird homes and plant life – just like the rest of the house. “Thank you so much for everything, Fluttershy,” I said, turning to the pegasus with a smile. “You’re really too kind.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Fluttershy said, turning back for the hallway. “If you need anything, I'll be downstairs on the couch.”

My smile broke. “Whoa, wait a sec! This isn't a guest bedroom?” Stepping into the hall, I said, “Please, don't let me—”

“Oh no, it's fine!” Fluttershy insisted, lifting a hoof to stop me. “You've had a very long day, and I want you to get the best sleep possible. You deserve it.” She gave a small, sweet, clearly tired smile before walking back downstairs.

Wondering if I should argue the point or not, I leaned back and gazed into the bedroom at the comfortable looking bed – a far cry from the sofa I had spent most of the day. Fatigue won the battle in my mind, so I decided to accept my gracious host's offer.

Enjoying the ability to move on my own again, I took a look around the small, cozy room, noticing the big butterfly-patterned comforter that lay across the bed as I walked up to one of the windows. Sure enough, the sight that lay outside was just as beautiful as the one during the day.

Crossing my forelegs on the sill, I stared out at clear night sky. Not a single light shone across the land for miles, allowing the starry canopy overhead to show in all its beauty. The logical part of me wanted to dwell on the fact there were no city lights – yet another reminder that I was far from home. But I couldn’t help but be enchanted by the twinkling stars overhead.

“It’s been a long time since I've seen this,” I muttered to myself. “My namesake. The time between dusk and dawn.”

The violet backdrop of the night sky was one I hadn’t seen in ages – if not due to clouds, then because of city lights. But it wasn’t a completely foreign sight, at least as far as I could tell. If I remembered right, I once knew of a night sky just like this one. Perhaps when I was a filly.

Resting my head on my hooves, I let my gaze drift as I tried to recall the memories.

But no sooner did I start than a headache began to form.

Sighing, I rubbed between my eyes and turned around. It had been far too long a day to spend the rest of my time trying to conjure up old memories.

Setting the thoughts aside, I pulled back the comforter and nestled in, nuzzling against the big, plush pillows that lay beneath the headboard. After today, all I could hope was that a good night’s sleep would help set me straight, and that tomorrow would prove more productive than spending a whole day on a sofa.

I sank into the mattress and allowed exhaustion to do its work.