A coin with a storyby arkantosChaptersIs anyone there?On the other sideA visionReturnedWho can it be now?Is anyone there?The neighbors that had known Inhio for years could almost swear that it wasn't the same person anymore. He rushed on past them like a child running for his birthday present, in complete contrast to the man who would just always impassively and slowly trudge up the stairs like a prisoner on death row, and yet, the two looked exactly the same. After shutting and locking the door, Inhio didn't hesitate to untie his shoes and simply throw them aside with a swift kick, after which he grabbed his precious sphere and jumped into the couch with it. Just as he landed his back on the comfy piece of furniture, he held the crystal ball up above his head and started talking to it. "So... whose lovely voice will I have the privilege of hearing today?" he said in a playful tone. "Do you want me to guess?" he asked after not receiving a reply for a short moment. "Very well, then... It's Rarity, isn't it? If I recall correctly, we had to cut our conversation short last time." He waited a few seconds before speaking again, "I'm wrong, aren't I? Well, then it's got to be Rainbow Dash, been a while since we've last spoken." Again, there was no reply. "I should have known... Pinkie Pie! Only you could pull off a stunt like this!" Inhio said and laughed quietly as he awaited a voice from the ball to do the same. Alas, there was no reply. "Still wrong?" he asked incredulously. After a long sigh, he lowered his tone to make it as calm and sincere as possible. "Fluttershy... You know you don't have to be afraid to talk to me, right? There's no voice I'd love to hear more than yours." Convinced that he had gotten it right this time, Inhio waited for more than a full minute before speaking again, "Well, I know it's not Twilight or Applejack. They'd never pull something like this," he said as a last resort. Hmm... must've forgotten I usually get back home around this time... Heck, I think I actually got back even earlier than usual, this time. He thought to himself as he placed the sphere back on its pedestal. "Guess I'll try again later." Inhio didn't leave the ball alone for long. After taking care of a few daily needs and donning something a bit less formal, he jumped right back at it. "Good afternoon... Ready for a chat?" Inhio's wide grin faded away quickly as silence claimed the room, once again. After giving the ball a good shake, he asked again, "Anyone there?" He held the ball up to his ear, hoping to hear even the slightest signs of life, but there was only dead silence. Must be really busy today... He put the ball back in its place. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow. Slightly disappointed, but generally still happy, Inhio decided to call it a day. After killing off the spare time he had left and attempting to contact the ponies again after slightly more than an hour, he went to sleep with an authentic smile on his face. Perhaps we've been talking too often lately. A few weeks without a single day's interval... Yeah, I guess we both kinda needed a break. Convinced that tomorrow would bring another delightful conversation, Inhio took a deep breath and fell asleep within just a few minutes. *** Another day was slowly nearing its end, and Inhio was making his way home just as enthusiastically as on the day before. He did, however, tend to his daily needs before reaching for the sphere, this time, just to make sure he wasn't too early. Nevertheless, when he finally approached it, he found it impossible to hide his excitement. "I know it's only been a single day interval, but I already miss hearing your voice," he gladly admitted and awaited the response that was starting to take way too long to arrive. "I'm talking to myself again, aren't I?" he asked himself, right before he answered himself, "Yep." With a loud sigh of disappointment, he carried the ball back to the pedestal. I guess a single day long interval just doesn't quite cut it... He told himself in his thoughts. He didn't quite feel like doing anything for the remainder of the day, so he simply jumped into his bed with his hands crossed behind his head and began counting the minutes left before the day was over. Even though Inhio was deeply disappointed by this unfortunate turn of events, he could still rest easily knowing that, sooner or later, he would still get to hear the voices he so desperately wanted to hear. He kept thinking so until the moment he fell asleep, and even all the way up to the moment he came back home on the next day and got his hands on his beloved sphere again. "Waaazzzzaaaaa!" he shouted with his tongue sticking out his mouth right as he grabbed the ball. "Sorry if I scared you," he apologized and laughed quietly. As the already familiar silence engulfed the room, once again, Inhio let out a sigh of despair. "You're not even there, are you?" With another loud sigh, he returned the object to its resting place and reclined in his sofa and began counting the minutes again. As the days went by, Inhio went to sleep with a different thought in his mind, every night. Maybe they went on a trip and couldn't take the ball with them? Maybe one of them left the ball in their closet and forgot to pass it over to someone else on the next day? I wonder how long until they realize that no one's used it in days? How long has it been since we last talked? The days have started seeming so meaningless now that I can't even tell them apart! What if something bad has happened? What if the link between our worlds is broken? What if... What if they've gotten tired of me? Tears had nearly begun to form under his eyes after that last thought. As the days turned into weeks, Inhio's neighbors could recognize him again. He was just the way he was before--impassively trudging up the stairs without so much as a speck of joy in his expression. Not only did Inhio finish his daily needs first, this time, he barely even took a glance at the sphere until the moment there was already less than an hour of sunlight left on that summer's day, and even when that moment arrived, he approached it with his head hanging low while slowly dragging his feet across the floor. He sat heavily on the couch and started staring at the ball. After a good five minutes, he finally grabbed it, although he didn't begin to speak right away. He stared deeply into it, at first, and after a few more minutes, he began to quietly whisper: "Twilight... Fluttershy... Applejack... Rainbow Dash... Pinkie Pie... Rarity... If any of you can hear me right now..." He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the sphere. "I really miss you..." At this point, Inhio wasn't even expecting a reply anymore. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from hoping for one. He maintained his current position for nearly half an hour before his exhaustion finally got the better of him. Without leaving his couch, he lied down while still keeping his eyes open. No matter how desperate it may have seemed, he still had hopes of hearing Twilight or one of her friends, if only just one last time... Hours passed, and Inhio couldn't even tell if he ever fell asleep during that time, for there wasn't anything on his mind for the whole duration. Aside from... Silence... ... Emptiness... ... Nothingness... ... ... ... "Inhio?" On the other sideThat voice... Inhio instantly jumped up from the sofa and turned towards the author of the voice. "Twilight!" he exclaimed with cordial joy. This was no dream. Not only did he hear her voice, he also saw her standing just a few feet away from him. "I'm sorry I had to come this early. I--" Before Twilight could finish explaining herself, Inhio dropped down on his knees next to her and locked his arms around her. "I've missed you so much," he let it all out, nearly bursting into tears from joy in the middle of his sentence. "It's good to see you too, Inhio," Twilight replied with a warm smile on her face. "I just wish we didn't have to meet under such horrible circumstances." "What do you mean?" he curiously inquired after releasing her and forming eye contact. "A terrible tragedy has befallen Ponyville!" Twilight replied in a nervous tone. "We've spent weeks trying to fix things, but we could find neither the cause, nor a solution!" "What kind of tragedy?" Inhio asked sympathetically, feeling as concerned about this as Twilight herself. Twilight turned her head away for a moment before speaking. "It would be much easier to show you..." she answered and walked over to the table with the crystal ball on it. She put her hoof on it before turning her head back towards Inhio and continuing, "Would you follow me to Equestria?" she asked with eyes full of sorrow. She almost sounded desperate. Is she seriously asking me this? Inhio wondered. Twilight took his silence as a sign of uncertainty. "I know it's very early and your working hours start soon, but I wouldn't be asking this if I knew of another way to solve this..." She extended her other foreleg towards Inhio. "Please... You're the only one that can still help Equestria." Even if it wasn't so incredibly important, Inhio would have gladly taken the chance to see Equestria with his own eyes, whenever offered. Without needing so much as a full second of consideration, he walked right up to Twilight and gently placed his hands on her hoof with a confident smile on his face. "I've wanted to see your world ever since the day you and your friends came into my life, Twilight... No time of day or unforeseen event could change my mind about this." "Then hold on tight!" Twilight replied with a smile just as confident as she pulled Inhio closer to herself. Just as both of them had placed their hands and hooves on the sphere, Twilight's horn began glowing brightly and creating a thick cloud of white and purple lights. Before long, the two of them disappeared into the mist that had already engulfed them completely. *** On the other side of the crystal ball, the room had also begun to shroud itself in a magical fog that faded away instantly after a bright surge of light tossed Inhio and Twilight right out of it, landing them on the floor, near the hooves of Twilight's five best friends. Overjoyed to see them, the five other ponies rushed over to help them stand up and give Inhio a welcoming hug. "It's good to see you all again," Inhio sincerely admitted. "Glad you could make it, Inhio." "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Applejack." "So sorry we had to cut our last conversation short, darling," Rarity apologized. "That was right when this recent tragedy first occurred." "Speaking of which..." Inhio turned towards Twilight. "What exactly is this tragedy you mentioned?" "You mean you haven't told him yet?" Rarity asked. She was as surprised about it as the rest of Twilight's friends, who all started staring at her with wide eyes. Twilight shook her head. "I thought it would have been easier to just show him." "I suppose it would be..." Rarity partially agreed. "But you could have at least given him a hint about what he'd be getting himself into." "It's all right," Inhio interjected. "I've been wanting to visit this place for some time now... and I must say," he said while gazing around the throne room of the castle they were in. "I'm loving every bit of it, so far." Twilight giggled. "That reminds me." She took a quick bow before Inhio. "It's an honor to welcome you into my castle." Without much thinking, Inhio knelt before Twilight. "The honor is all mine, Your Majesty." Twilight laughed modestly with a slight shade of red on her cheeks. "Oh, stop it, you." The current sight inspired a different feeling in all of Twilight's friends. Rainbow Dash seemed to be the least entertained one. She leaned closer towards Applejack and whispered through gritted teeth, "Getting off topic here." "Khe Khem..." Twilight immediately cleared her throat after overhearing her grumpy friend. "Right... I'm afraid the formalities are going to have to wait." Twilight started leading everyone outside her castle. "Come on. We've no time to lose." *** As the company made their way through the castle corridors, Inhio couldn't stop gazing at all the amazing sights before him. Little did he know that the best part was only about to follow. After the door to the outside world had been opened and all seven of them had left the castle, Inhio was left inspecting every inch of the town of Ponyville. Witnessing this happy and simple little place made his heart feel much warmer than the concrete jungle he was so used to seeing every day. "Welcome to Equestria, Inhio," Twilight said in a voice full of sorrow. This should have been a cheerful event, and yet, something was clearly wrong. Something even aside from Twilight's saddened tone... Even Inhio was beginning to notice it. "Where are all the other ponies?" he asked after looking upon the silent and empty streets. The houses looked empty, and the only audible sound in the streets was the sound of wind slamming some of the house doors open and rolling tumbleweed around. "The six of us are the last ponies still left in the town of Ponyville," Twilight explained and hung her head. "And to be honest, I'm not sure how long will it be before one of us..." She paused for a moment, too afraid too speak the words she had in mind. "Vanishes..." "Vanishes?" Inhio repeated. Twilight nodded. "A few weeks ago, the residents of Ponyville simply started disappearing, one after another, and we've been trying to find a solution, ever since. That's why we couldn't afford to take the time to chat with you," Twilight clarified. "I see..." Inhio acknowledged. "And you haven't had any luck, whatsoever?" With eyes full of sadness, Twilight looked upon Inhio and shook her head. "Not even Zecora or the other princesses could make any sense of all of this." As the company moved forward--through the streets of Ponyville--Inhio looked into each and every house he passed by along the way. Indeed, the entire town seemed devoid of life. "I am glad you thought of me when looking for allies..." Inhio paused for a short moment, after which he looked into Twilight's eyes and regrettably admitted, "But I'm not sure how I could be of any assistance here when not even your most powerful magic users could find any leads." Twilight instantly broke eye contact and started rubbing her right hoof against her left foreleg. "There's something I've neglected to mention." "Oh?" Inhio seemed intrigued. "Something that made me think of you the very instant I saw it... Something that I was hoping I could avoid showing you unless there was no other choice." Twilight hung her head. Inhio dropped down on one knee next to the saddened mare. "This must not be easy for you if you've been trying to avoid it for so long." He gently placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head upwards to face him. "For all it's worth, I'm sorry it had to come to this... but what could possibly be so unspeakable that you would choose to hide it from me, even under such circumstances?" Inhio was as curious as ever. Twilight shifted her eyes away from the man. "Whatever it was that was causing the ponies to vanish, every time it took one of them, it left behind a certain... object." She reestablished eye contact. "We were hoping you could try your powers on these objects to see if they show you where they came from." Something isn't right here. Inhio thought to himself. "Is that all?" he asked in a surprised tone. "Why didn't you come to me right away? You know that I would never turn you down like this." "The thing is..." Twilight slowly extended her foreleg, revealing one of the objects in question. "We weren't sure about how would seeing one of these make you feel." Inhio gazed at the object on Twilight's hoof with both his eyes and mouth wide open. It can't be... He said in his thoughts. He immediately grabbed the object and turned it around. It is... He told himself, still unable to believe his eyes. For the object he was holding now looked exactly like the object he had carried in his pocket for longer than he could remember, all the way up until the day he gave it to Twilight, just a few weeks ago--a coin with a sun embedded on one of its sides, and a moon on the other. "How can this be?" the man asked in disbelief. "That coin was one of a kind!" he stood up and shouted. "We thought so too..." Twilight said as she revealed several more coins that looked exactly like the one Inhio was holding. All of her friends also extended their forelegs, each showing several more coins. Impossible... Inhio told himself as he witnessed the sight that made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever. "Will you do it, then?" Twilight asked, breaking the man out of his stupor. "Will you try and see what left these coins?" Still a bit dazed, Inhio took a few more seconds to process this information, right after which his face lit up with serious determination and his hand gripped the coin tightly. "Gladly," he said and held his fist against his head as he focused his mind on the object. In his short vision, the history of the coin became clear to him, but his mind was still uneasy. "This can't be good..." he admitted and sighed loudly. "You had better not lose those coins if you ever hope to see all the ponies return." "You saw what left them?" Twilight inquired. Inhio nodded. "The ponies themselves." "What!?" All six ponies shouted out at once. "But how could all of them had possibly had coins like these? I thought I was the only one with a coin like that!" "The ponies didn't have the coins," Inhio clarified, only inducing more uncertainty in the crowd. "They are the coins." "What!?" The ponies shouted again. "Are you certain?" Twilight asked, continuing after seeing the coin master reply with a firm nod. "What could have possibly caused this?" "I'm afraid I can't answer that," Inhio sadly admitted. "I can only see the history of the coin itself, and it won't show me anything beyond the point where a certain pony simply vanished into a cloud of magical energy, leaving behind this small, metal object." After a brief moment of silence, all seven of them hung their heads in sorrow. The last hope the ponies still had was just erased. All of a sudden, Twilight lifted her head and asked, "But what about the one you gave me?" "What about it?" "Where did you get it from?" Inhio paused for a moment before answering, "I..." He paused even longer than before. Something was clearly bothering him as he tried to recall the history of the talisman that he had carried with him for most of his life. "I don't remember..." A vision"Huh?" Twilight uttered. "But how could you possibly forget something like that? It's been your most prized possession for most of your life!" "I know," Inhio replied sadly. "I thought I knew, I always thought that I knew the history of that coin like the back of my hand, and I never bothered trying to remember it because I was assured that I always knew it... Turns out I was wrong all this time," he explained, slightly ashamed of himself. "Do you still have it?" "Of course!" Twilight exclaimed. "I would never lose something like that." She handed the man his lucky coin back. "I kept it separate of the rest of the coins." Inhio smiled at her. "I am happy to hear that." Just as before, he tightened his fist around the coin and focused his mind on it. The vision he saw this time lasted barely any longer than the last one. "That's... odd," he whispered. "Please don't tell me you can't see its history..." "I'm afraid so," the man reluctantly admitted. "It's as though there's a different vision blocking my mind from seeing the coin's history." "A different vision?" Twilight repeated. Inhio nodded. "A certain object at a certain place. Luckily, I happen to know of its whereabouts." "Do you think that this object could be of some use to us?" "You got any better leads?" Inhio asked slyly. Although the responses of the six ponies contained no words, their answer was rather obvious. "In that case..." He started walking back towards the castle. "I'd best be on my way back home." "Wait!" Twilight exclaimed, stopping the man from advancing further. "Let me come with you." Inhio looked back at her. "You want to come with me? To Earth?" he asked with his eyebrow raised. The purple alicorn nodded. "Yes. Chances are, the history of that coin has something to do with what's happening here. Even if it doesn't, it's just like you said--we simply don't have any better leads right now," she explained her motive. "And if it does have something to do with it, then I want to be there to help, if I can." "Well, I'd certainly welcome the company," Inhio gladly admitted and urged Twilight to follow him. "Two heads are better than one." "Wait a second," Rainbow Dash interjected. "She's not going anywhere without us!" The cyan pegasus flew over to her purple friend and placed her foreleg over her shoulders and drew her closer towards her. The rest of Twilight's also joined her side. "I kinda figured the five of you wouldn't want to just sit this one out." "You betcha!" Applejack confirmed. "Mmhm!" The rest of them also uttered a sound of approval. "Thanks, guys." The six ponies joined together for a warm hug. "I knew I could count on you." Inhio gladly waited for them to finish. "Ready?" he asked after a short while. "Ready!" Five of them answered at the same time. Rainbow Dash simply saluted and darted off. "Last one to the castle is a rotten egg!" she shouted from a distance and kept flying. Upon reaching the door, she bumped into Pinkie Pie. "Hi!" "Pinkie Pie! How did you--" Before Rainbow Dash could finish her sentence, the remainders of the company rushed past her, making her spin around a few times and leaving her a bit dizzy. "Guess you're the rotten egg, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie giggled and went inside. "Uugh..." Rainbow Dash moaned as she sprawled to the ground. *** Since all of them already knew the drill, the whole process went significantly faster. Before long, the six ponies were already disguised as common Earth girls and the company was already on their way outside. "So where exactly is this certain place?" Twilight asked while following Inhio. "Not too far," the man replied in a casual tone. "It's in a forest. Bout half a mile to it, and then about half of that through it." "That doesn't sound too bad," Twilight added, satisfied with the journey ahead. "I wish I had my wings." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. "Would've already been there." "W-what kinda forest is it?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "Nothing like your Everfree forest, at any rate." Inhio laughed. "It's a peaceful place where people go to relax, have a little jog and get away from the fetid city air." "Phew." Fluttershy wiped her forehead. "Sounds like a wonderful place." "Sounds like a downright boring place to me," Rainbow Dash said in a sulky tone. "Beats walking through these crowded streets and constantly jumping aside to not run into anyone," Applejack added and did just as she had said. "I hear that." The outskirts of town soon became visible, and the forest in question was just a single red light and one stone's throw away. "It's been so long since I've last had a reason to come here." Inhio took a few steps into the forest and inhaled loudly. "I had even forgotten just how much better the air around here feels like." As the company made their way deeper into the woods, the city behind them started fading from view, along with most of the people constantly brushing against them. "Finally, some room!" Rainbow Dash said with relief as she stretched her arms to the sides. "I feel like running!" "You sure you can run with those? You could barely walk the first time you had to do it on just two legs," Inhio said in a playful tone, making most of the girls giggle. "Hah!" the rainbow-haired girl laughed. "I bet I still run faster than you, even with just two legs!" "Try me!" Inhio blurted out and started running forward. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash ran after him. The other girls had no choice but to follow their lead. Rainbow Dash could beat just about any pegasus in a race back in Equestria, but she had considerable difficulties keeping up with Inhio on unfamiliar ground. "Come on!" Inhio shouted from afar. "I thought you said you were the fastest in Equestria!" "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash panted. "When I had wings!" After a split minute of cheerful running, Inhio suddenly stopped and held up his palm, urging the others to stop as well. "No fair!" Rainbow Dash exhaled those words heavily after finally catching up. "You had a head start!" She kept on panting loudly for a while. By the time the rest of the girls had reached them, she had just finished catching her breath. "I totally would have beaten you if you hadn't stopped so early," she smugly insisted. "By the way, why did you stop?" "We're here," Inhio replied, directing everyone's attention towards a pathless section of the forest. "I think..." "You think?" Twilight asked with her eyebrow raised. "I haven't seen this place in over two decades... It's gotten a bit... overgrown." After taking a more thorough look at the sight, the girls couldn't blame Inhio for not being certain. In fact, they couldn't even figure out how could he have known that it was here. The current section of the forest looked no different from all the other parts of it that didn't have a clear path going through them. "Come on!" Inhio descended into the forest. "It's not much farther now." Although the road was short, it was not easy. They had to lift their feet up high on every step to avoid tripping over roots that couldn't be seen through the tall grass, and they also had to constantly keep their eyes up, as well, otherwise they would've gotten slapped in the face by a branch that the person in front of them had bent forward and then sent flying back at them. Fluttershy seemed to be getting the worst of it. After getting her sight impaired three times in a row by a few particularly leafy branches, she failed to spot the next one coming straight towards her. She could only gasp loudly and cover her face. Oddly enough, she didn't feel the hit. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Inhio had stopped the branch right before it reached her. "Thank you," she said in her usual soft and quiet voice while smiling at the gentleman. "You're welcome." Inhio smiled back. He kept on holding the branch until the moment all six of the girls had passed by him. "This is it," he declared after releasing the branch. "This is the place." There was something of a clearing in the place they had just reached, but none of them seemed to notice any object of significance upon inspection. "But... there's nothing here," Ignoring Rainbow's remark, Inhio walked up to a small pillar that seemed to consist purely of vines and moss, but as he began clearing away the growth, it became clear that it was a small, stone structure. Something like a pedestal. All doubts got cleared away when they noticed that it had a tiny opening on top of it, just big enough to house a single coin. Oddly enough, it seemed incredibly well intact for something that had spent so many years under a veil of earth. It was almost as though there was something magical keeping it preserved. "I remember now..." Inhio whispered. "This was where I got it from." He gripped the coin tighter in his right hand and placed his other hand on the altar. "But there was more to it than just that... If I could just--" Before he could finish, Inhio's mind got swept away into another vision. In this vision, he saw himself from over twenty years ago. Just an ordinary kid, wandering around the forest without a care in the world. He was playing a game of hide and seek with some of his friends, and he thought that he was about to find the perfect hiding spot, but there was something in this certain spot that caught his attention and made him forget about the game. It was the same pedestal they just saw, only with a coin residing in what was now just an empty hole. Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, he did as just about any kid in his shoes would have done--he picked up the coin. Just as he did so, a vision got seeped into his mind. A spell, an incantation... a warning. Listen to me, creature of unnatural lands, You now hold great power within your hands. The power to perceive what the world has hid, The eyes to see it the way I once did. You may use this power as you see fit, As long as you promise to forever guard this gift. Should this coin one day leave your pocket, You are to retrieve it and return it to its socket. For this kind of power can only know one master, And would turn the pretender's life into a disaster. And now, go. Show me the path that lies ahead. For the pony inside this coin is not yet dead. You shall carry me with you now. Me... Inhio said the last words of the incantation out loud. "Star Swirl the Bearded..." ReturnedTwilight nearly lost consciousness when she heard Inhio say that name. "What did you just say?" she asked with both hey eyes and mouth wide open. "Star Swirl the Bearded," Inhio repeated. "I take it you're familiar with the name?" With her mind a bit numb and her knees still shaking, Twilight answered with a slow nod. "I am, but the better question is--where did you hear that name from?" "Just now, in my vision," the man explained. "Whoever that magician was, he now lives inside this coin and has been seeing what I see, all this time." "What!?" Twilight exclaimed. "B-b-but how?... Why... W-w-what..." Twilight grabbed her head and was just about ready to start pulling her hair out from the overwhelming revelation. "I don't know who he was, how did he get here or why he did what he did... but there is one thing I know for certain." Twilight refrained from tearing out her hair and looked to Inhio for answers. "And what might that be?" Inhio lowered his head and gazed at the coin in his hand. "This power was never mine to begin with. I was only able to see things the way I did because this powerful magician lent me his powers... but I fear they must now be given back if your world is to be spared from becoming a living treasury." He started stretching his hand forward to place to coin back in its resting place. "But..." Twilight quietly interrupted. "You didn't know..." She looked at Inhio with sympathy. "Ignorance is no excuse, I'm afraid." "But you won't even have a job anymore..." "Do you really think that is what I'm worried about?" Inhio shifted his sights directly towards Twilight and furrowed his brows. "My only regret is that I will never be able to use the sphere to talk to you, ever again." He looked upon each of the six girls. "The last few weeks have been the best of my life, and it was only because the six of you had become part of it." He stared at them with a heartfelt smile on his lips, and was immediately requited with the same kind of gesture. "And I put all of your lives in danger..." His smile faded as he turned his head away and reached for the altar. Twilight had already extended her arm to try and grab Inhio's hand before he could place the coin, but it was already too late. The moment he placed the coin on the altar, his mouth opened and let out a loud, ghostly breath. It looked as though some invisible entity left his body at that instant. After that, he collapsed to his knees. "Inhio!" Twilight rushed over to help the man get up. "I'm fine," he replied and helped himself get up by pressing his hands against the altar. "It is done," he declared and turned away from the stone pillar. "Oh, Inhio." Twilight sympathized for the man. She closed her eyes and hugged him. "How will you live now?" Inhio smiled. "I'll make do." He placed his hand on Twilight's shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes with an expression that really did make it seem like everything was going to be all right. "Come on, we need to get you back home." He started walking back the way they came. Apart from Twilight, all of the girls followed him right away, even though none of them looked too happy about how things had turned out. "Twilight, you coming?" Applejack shouted from a distance. She then watched as Twilight squatted down near the altar. "Star Swirl..." Twilight whispered. "He didn't know..." "Twilight?" "Coming." Twilight stood up and followed her friends. And so, the coin was left without a master. As the company left the vicinity, it was left completely alone, possibly to never be owned again. For a brief moment, the coin was lit up with a magical spark. *** With a slow walking pace and long faces, the company eventually made its way back to Inhio's apartment without saying a single word along the way, and after saying their farewells and joining together for one last hug, the time for departure was at hand. "So..." Inhio broke the silence. "Here we are again... same way we were last time." "Almost the same..." Rainbow Dash muttered. "Aww, cheer up, Rainbow," Inhio said in an amused tone. "You'll still come and visit me again some time, won't you?" He smiled at her as she lifted her head up. "Besides... I still owe you a fair race." "Hah!" Rainbow laughed. "Are you sure you wanna see me beat you at your own game?" she asked in an overconfident tone. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Dashie," he replied with a smirk just as cocky. "Oh, you are so on!" she said in a tone that was somehow both serious and silly at the same time, making herself and all her friends laugh. After the laughing had ceased, the room filled up with sincere smiles. "Take care." Inhio waved to them as they began placing their hands on the sphere. "Don't worry. We promise to come visit whenever we get a chance," Twilight happily declared and waved back. "Looking forward to it already." The sight that was about to follow was one that Inhio had already grown accustomed to. Just as he saw the magical energies engulf them and make them disappear into the sphere, he began walking towards his favorite lounging spot. However, just mere seconds before he could jump into the sofa, he heard a knock on his door. "Huh?" he uttered and approached the door. "I wonder who could that be..." Who can it be now?As soon as the ponies had returned to their homeworld, the first thing they did was run out on the balcony to check on the town. The sight they witnessed then made them all sigh with relief. Life had been restored to the town. The shops had their shopkeepers, the gardens had their gardeners, and every other pony was just walking around the town with a smile on their face and acting as if nothing bad had happened over the last two weeks. "Glad that's over with," said Rainbow Dash. "Yeah..." Twilight agreed, but sadness still lingered in her expression. "If only--" "Twilight?" a voice called out from behind them, making them all look backwards. "What?..." Twilight whispered in a bewildered state. "But... it can't be..." She started walking towards the table with the crystal ball on it. "Can it?" "Anyone?" the same voice called out again. Twilight slowly approached the object and spoke in a quiet and trembling voice, "I-Inhio?" After a short pause, the voice answered, "Well, I'll be damned." "Inhio!" Twilight and her friends cheered. "Does this mean..." "Indeed, it does," Inhio answered without waiting for Twilight to finish asking the question. "But how?" "Someone came to visit me right after you left... You're not going to believe who it was." *** "I wonder who could that be..." Inhio said to himself as he approached the door. He peeked through the looking glass and saw no one. He opened the door, just to be sure. "Hmm... just kids pulling pranks, I guess." He convinced himself and began closing the door, but right before he could finish doing so, he gazed downwards and locked his sights on something. "What?..." He squatted down and picked up the small object left near his door. He recognized the object without even flipping it around -- it was the same coin he had just parted with, less than an hour ago. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder... He thought to himself as he went back inside. He inspected the coin meticulously, making sure there wasn't anything different about it. "Eh, what the heck," he said in a casual tone and attempted to focus his mind on it. Just as he did so, he got swept away into another plane, one without so much as a solid floor to stand on. He found himself standing on thin air in a room that resembled open space. He looked around, at first, but then he stared straight forward and noticed another presence within the plane. It was a unicorn. One that looked exactly like your stereotypical wizard. Long, white beard, pointy wizard hat, blue cloak, complete with some some ornaments and constellation drawings. Given his recent experience with the coin, Inhio could only make one conclusion about the pony's identity. "Star Swirl the Bearded, I assume." "You assume correctly, Sir Hellbridge," the unicorn answered in a stern manner. Not knowing what else to say, Inhio simply awaited the wizard to explain everything by himself. "I can see in your face that you have questions," Star Swirl deduced. "By all means, Sir Hellbridge, feel free to ask any one of them and I shall answer them as best I can." "Very well, then," Inhio replied. "Lets start from the beginning, shall we? How did you find our world and end up the way you were?" "As a coin on a pedestal?" Star Swirl took over the sentence. "While young Twilight's idea of using the crystal sphere as a means of transportation proved to be an ingenious idea, there was never really a need for so much effort in order to travel through dimensions. All it required, really, was the right spell to be cast at the right time and the right place..." The wizard paused while dwelling in his thoughts. "A place that most likely no longer exists, and a time than comes around about once every century... Mmm, yes, perhaps Twilight's plan would be a more stable way of traversing worlds... but that's beside the point!" he exclaimed. Inhio could only grin at the the sight of such a wise wizard acting so childishly. "As I was saying -- I was always quite the explorer. There are simply so many things that a pony can learn if he would only not spend his entire life in one place. Oh, but there is only so much that Equestria could offer. I simply had to find out more about the universe we all inhabit! And the planets happened to be aligned perfectly, I simply couldn't let such an opportunity pass by!" Star Swirl had gotten a bit too excited while explaining his motives. After a short moment, he calmed his tone and continued, "But this planet, this Earth, these humans that inhabit it... Their ways were simply too much for me to comprehend. How have you all even survived this long after having spent centuries waging war over trivial matters is simply beyond me... I couldn't risk getting caught by these creatures that seemed like neanderthals to me, at the time, so I chose to disguise myself and instead see the world through their eyes." "Quite the tale..." Inhio quietly added. "And it doesn't even end here! Ho ho ho, no!" the wizard laughed. "I've seen so many things through all of their eyes... Many of which I wish I could forget, but a whole lot more that were simply mind-bending! I've seen people wiser than kings being treated like dirt, just because they were born on a farm! I've seen kids die of starvation before even getting a chance to find out who they were meant to be! I've seen parents burying their children, and I've seen the evilest of tyrants living among common people without anyone even lifting a finger to try and stop them!" As the magician spoke on, his tone only got more fierce. "Justice is dead in your world!" After those words, Star Swirl finally calmed his voice and hung his head in sorrow. "After everything I've seen... I just want to go home." Nothing of what the pony had just said seemed to faze the man in front of him, since Inhio was already used to the cruelty of his planet... Still, after having heard so much about Equestria, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Star Swirl for being exposed to such harsh events. After a brief moment of silence, Inhio started walking closer to his conversation partner. "You know... there's a good reason why I've always feared immortality," he admitted and squatted down to match the wizard's eye level. "But it's not because I'd have to see countless gruesome acts forever change the world I live in... No... It's because I don't know how would I be able to live with myself knowing that I'd have to bury every friend I ever make." Star Swirl lifted his head and stared into Inhio's eyes. "You are a good man, Inhio Hellbridge... I may not be able to undo the injustice that your people have inflicted upon this world, but I can certainly undo the injustice I've shown you." He presented his coin to Inhio. "It is no wonder you could not remember where you got it from, all those years ago... and I apologize if I scared you, back then." "There's no need to apologize," Inhio happily answered. "After all, I don't even remember it." Both of them let out a cheerful laugh after that statement. "Take care, Inhio Hellbridge." Star Swirl placed the coin in Inhio's hand. "I will," the man replied and gripped the coin tightly. "And I promise you, you will have a chance to see your home again as long as this coin stays with me." The wizard smiled at Inhio and wiped a tear of joy from his eye. "Nothing would make me happier." *** "And here I stand," Inhio finished retelling his story. "Wow..." Twilight uttered. "I... I just don't even know what to say to that." "Why say anything?" Inhio asked. "Just smile." Twilight giggled. "I'm glad you're back the way you were, Inhio." "Likewise." Inhio smiled. The enjoyable silence eventually got interrupted by a loud yawn from Rainbow Dash. "It's getting kinda late, Twilight." "All right, I get the picture." Twilight rolled her eyes. "See you all tomorrow, girls!" "Bye Twilight! Bye Inhio!" The ponies started leaving the room. "See ya, girls!" Inhio said his goodbyes for the day, but for some reason he still held onto the ball for a while longer. A series of humming let him know that Twilight was still nearby. "Hey, Twilight?" "Hmm?" "How do you live with it?" Inhio asked, his voice suddenly losing its liveliness. "Live with what?" Twilight asked, confused by the question. "...Nevermind," Inhio replied after a short pause. "Forget I said anything." Twilight stared at the sphere with a raised eyebrow for a moment longer. "Oookaaay..." she uttered and went about her business. After releasing his hold on the ball, Inhio dived back into his sofa and let out a loud sigh. He placed his hands under his head and waited for the long day to finally end, but before he went to sleep, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his beloved coin and took one last glance at it before putting it back. "One day you will have to find a new owner," he whispered to the coin. "I think I've got the perfect one in mind for you."
Is anyone there?The neighbors that had known Inhio for years could almost swear that it wasn't the same person anymore. He rushed on past them like a child running for his birthday present, in complete contrast to the man who would just always impassively and slowly trudge up the stairs like a prisoner on death row, and yet, the two looked exactly the same. After shutting and locking the door, Inhio didn't hesitate to untie his shoes and simply throw them aside with a swift kick, after which he grabbed his precious sphere and jumped into the couch with it. Just as he landed his back on the comfy piece of furniture, he held the crystal ball up above his head and started talking to it. "So... whose lovely voice will I have the privilege of hearing today?" he said in a playful tone. "Do you want me to guess?" he asked after not receiving a reply for a short moment. "Very well, then... It's Rarity, isn't it? If I recall correctly, we had to cut our conversation short last time." He waited a few seconds before speaking again, "I'm wrong, aren't I? Well, then it's got to be Rainbow Dash, been a while since we've last spoken." Again, there was no reply. "I should have known... Pinkie Pie! Only you could pull off a stunt like this!" Inhio said and laughed quietly as he awaited a voice from the ball to do the same. Alas, there was no reply. "Still wrong?" he asked incredulously. After a long sigh, he lowered his tone to make it as calm and sincere as possible. "Fluttershy... You know you don't have to be afraid to talk to me, right? There's no voice I'd love to hear more than yours." Convinced that he had gotten it right this time, Inhio waited for more than a full minute before speaking again, "Well, I know it's not Twilight or Applejack. They'd never pull something like this," he said as a last resort. Hmm... must've forgotten I usually get back home around this time... Heck, I think I actually got back even earlier than usual, this time. He thought to himself as he placed the sphere back on its pedestal. "Guess I'll try again later." Inhio didn't leave the ball alone for long. After taking care of a few daily needs and donning something a bit less formal, he jumped right back at it. "Good afternoon... Ready for a chat?" Inhio's wide grin faded away quickly as silence claimed the room, once again. After giving the ball a good shake, he asked again, "Anyone there?" He held the ball up to his ear, hoping to hear even the slightest signs of life, but there was only dead silence. Must be really busy today... He put the ball back in its place. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow. Slightly disappointed, but generally still happy, Inhio decided to call it a day. After killing off the spare time he had left and attempting to contact the ponies again after slightly more than an hour, he went to sleep with an authentic smile on his face. Perhaps we've been talking too often lately. A few weeks without a single day's interval... Yeah, I guess we both kinda needed a break. Convinced that tomorrow would bring another delightful conversation, Inhio took a deep breath and fell asleep within just a few minutes. *** Another day was slowly nearing its end, and Inhio was making his way home just as enthusiastically as on the day before. He did, however, tend to his daily needs before reaching for the sphere, this time, just to make sure he wasn't too early. Nevertheless, when he finally approached it, he found it impossible to hide his excitement. "I know it's only been a single day interval, but I already miss hearing your voice," he gladly admitted and awaited the response that was starting to take way too long to arrive. "I'm talking to myself again, aren't I?" he asked himself, right before he answered himself, "Yep." With a loud sigh of disappointment, he carried the ball back to the pedestal. I guess a single day long interval just doesn't quite cut it... He told himself in his thoughts. He didn't quite feel like doing anything for the remainder of the day, so he simply jumped into his bed with his hands crossed behind his head and began counting the minutes left before the day was over. Even though Inhio was deeply disappointed by this unfortunate turn of events, he could still rest easily knowing that, sooner or later, he would still get to hear the voices he so desperately wanted to hear. He kept thinking so until the moment he fell asleep, and even all the way up to the moment he came back home on the next day and got his hands on his beloved sphere again. "Waaazzzzaaaaa!" he shouted with his tongue sticking out his mouth right as he grabbed the ball. "Sorry if I scared you," he apologized and laughed quietly. As the already familiar silence engulfed the room, once again, Inhio let out a sigh of despair. "You're not even there, are you?" With another loud sigh, he returned the object to its resting place and reclined in his sofa and began counting the minutes again. As the days went by, Inhio went to sleep with a different thought in his mind, every night. Maybe they went on a trip and couldn't take the ball with them? Maybe one of them left the ball in their closet and forgot to pass it over to someone else on the next day? I wonder how long until they realize that no one's used it in days? How long has it been since we last talked? The days have started seeming so meaningless now that I can't even tell them apart! What if something bad has happened? What if the link between our worlds is broken? What if... What if they've gotten tired of me? Tears had nearly begun to form under his eyes after that last thought. As the days turned into weeks, Inhio's neighbors could recognize him again. He was just the way he was before--impassively trudging up the stairs without so much as a speck of joy in his expression. Not only did Inhio finish his daily needs first, this time, he barely even took a glance at the sphere until the moment there was already less than an hour of sunlight left on that summer's day, and even when that moment arrived, he approached it with his head hanging low while slowly dragging his feet across the floor. He sat heavily on the couch and started staring at the ball. After a good five minutes, he finally grabbed it, although he didn't begin to speak right away. He stared deeply into it, at first, and after a few more minutes, he began to quietly whisper: "Twilight... Fluttershy... Applejack... Rainbow Dash... Pinkie Pie... Rarity... If any of you can hear me right now..." He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the sphere. "I really miss you..." At this point, Inhio wasn't even expecting a reply anymore. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from hoping for one. He maintained his current position for nearly half an hour before his exhaustion finally got the better of him. Without leaving his couch, he lied down while still keeping his eyes open. No matter how desperate it may have seemed, he still had hopes of hearing Twilight or one of her friends, if only just one last time... Hours passed, and Inhio couldn't even tell if he ever fell asleep during that time, for there wasn't anything on his mind for the whole duration. Aside from... Silence... ... Emptiness... ... Nothingness... ... ... ... "Inhio?"
On the other sideThat voice... Inhio instantly jumped up from the sofa and turned towards the author of the voice. "Twilight!" he exclaimed with cordial joy. This was no dream. Not only did he hear her voice, he also saw her standing just a few feet away from him. "I'm sorry I had to come this early. I--" Before Twilight could finish explaining herself, Inhio dropped down on his knees next to her and locked his arms around her. "I've missed you so much," he let it all out, nearly bursting into tears from joy in the middle of his sentence. "It's good to see you too, Inhio," Twilight replied with a warm smile on her face. "I just wish we didn't have to meet under such horrible circumstances." "What do you mean?" he curiously inquired after releasing her and forming eye contact. "A terrible tragedy has befallen Ponyville!" Twilight replied in a nervous tone. "We've spent weeks trying to fix things, but we could find neither the cause, nor a solution!" "What kind of tragedy?" Inhio asked sympathetically, feeling as concerned about this as Twilight herself. Twilight turned her head away for a moment before speaking. "It would be much easier to show you..." she answered and walked over to the table with the crystal ball on it. She put her hoof on it before turning her head back towards Inhio and continuing, "Would you follow me to Equestria?" she asked with eyes full of sorrow. She almost sounded desperate. Is she seriously asking me this? Inhio wondered. Twilight took his silence as a sign of uncertainty. "I know it's very early and your working hours start soon, but I wouldn't be asking this if I knew of another way to solve this..." She extended her other foreleg towards Inhio. "Please... You're the only one that can still help Equestria." Even if it wasn't so incredibly important, Inhio would have gladly taken the chance to see Equestria with his own eyes, whenever offered. Without needing so much as a full second of consideration, he walked right up to Twilight and gently placed his hands on her hoof with a confident smile on his face. "I've wanted to see your world ever since the day you and your friends came into my life, Twilight... No time of day or unforeseen event could change my mind about this." "Then hold on tight!" Twilight replied with a smile just as confident as she pulled Inhio closer to herself. Just as both of them had placed their hands and hooves on the sphere, Twilight's horn began glowing brightly and creating a thick cloud of white and purple lights. Before long, the two of them disappeared into the mist that had already engulfed them completely. *** On the other side of the crystal ball, the room had also begun to shroud itself in a magical fog that faded away instantly after a bright surge of light tossed Inhio and Twilight right out of it, landing them on the floor, near the hooves of Twilight's five best friends. Overjoyed to see them, the five other ponies rushed over to help them stand up and give Inhio a welcoming hug. "It's good to see you all again," Inhio sincerely admitted. "Glad you could make it, Inhio." "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Applejack." "So sorry we had to cut our last conversation short, darling," Rarity apologized. "That was right when this recent tragedy first occurred." "Speaking of which..." Inhio turned towards Twilight. "What exactly is this tragedy you mentioned?" "You mean you haven't told him yet?" Rarity asked. She was as surprised about it as the rest of Twilight's friends, who all started staring at her with wide eyes. Twilight shook her head. "I thought it would have been easier to just show him." "I suppose it would be..." Rarity partially agreed. "But you could have at least given him a hint about what he'd be getting himself into." "It's all right," Inhio interjected. "I've been wanting to visit this place for some time now... and I must say," he said while gazing around the throne room of the castle they were in. "I'm loving every bit of it, so far." Twilight giggled. "That reminds me." She took a quick bow before Inhio. "It's an honor to welcome you into my castle." Without much thinking, Inhio knelt before Twilight. "The honor is all mine, Your Majesty." Twilight laughed modestly with a slight shade of red on her cheeks. "Oh, stop it, you." The current sight inspired a different feeling in all of Twilight's friends. Rainbow Dash seemed to be the least entertained one. She leaned closer towards Applejack and whispered through gritted teeth, "Getting off topic here." "Khe Khem..." Twilight immediately cleared her throat after overhearing her grumpy friend. "Right... I'm afraid the formalities are going to have to wait." Twilight started leading everyone outside her castle. "Come on. We've no time to lose." *** As the company made their way through the castle corridors, Inhio couldn't stop gazing at all the amazing sights before him. Little did he know that the best part was only about to follow. After the door to the outside world had been opened and all seven of them had left the castle, Inhio was left inspecting every inch of the town of Ponyville. Witnessing this happy and simple little place made his heart feel much warmer than the concrete jungle he was so used to seeing every day. "Welcome to Equestria, Inhio," Twilight said in a voice full of sorrow. This should have been a cheerful event, and yet, something was clearly wrong. Something even aside from Twilight's saddened tone... Even Inhio was beginning to notice it. "Where are all the other ponies?" he asked after looking upon the silent and empty streets. The houses looked empty, and the only audible sound in the streets was the sound of wind slamming some of the house doors open and rolling tumbleweed around. "The six of us are the last ponies still left in the town of Ponyville," Twilight explained and hung her head. "And to be honest, I'm not sure how long will it be before one of us..." She paused for a moment, too afraid too speak the words she had in mind. "Vanishes..." "Vanishes?" Inhio repeated. Twilight nodded. "A few weeks ago, the residents of Ponyville simply started disappearing, one after another, and we've been trying to find a solution, ever since. That's why we couldn't afford to take the time to chat with you," Twilight clarified. "I see..." Inhio acknowledged. "And you haven't had any luck, whatsoever?" With eyes full of sadness, Twilight looked upon Inhio and shook her head. "Not even Zecora or the other princesses could make any sense of all of this." As the company moved forward--through the streets of Ponyville--Inhio looked into each and every house he passed by along the way. Indeed, the entire town seemed devoid of life. "I am glad you thought of me when looking for allies..." Inhio paused for a short moment, after which he looked into Twilight's eyes and regrettably admitted, "But I'm not sure how I could be of any assistance here when not even your most powerful magic users could find any leads." Twilight instantly broke eye contact and started rubbing her right hoof against her left foreleg. "There's something I've neglected to mention." "Oh?" Inhio seemed intrigued. "Something that made me think of you the very instant I saw it... Something that I was hoping I could avoid showing you unless there was no other choice." Twilight hung her head. Inhio dropped down on one knee next to the saddened mare. "This must not be easy for you if you've been trying to avoid it for so long." He gently placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head upwards to face him. "For all it's worth, I'm sorry it had to come to this... but what could possibly be so unspeakable that you would choose to hide it from me, even under such circumstances?" Inhio was as curious as ever. Twilight shifted her eyes away from the man. "Whatever it was that was causing the ponies to vanish, every time it took one of them, it left behind a certain... object." She reestablished eye contact. "We were hoping you could try your powers on these objects to see if they show you where they came from." Something isn't right here. Inhio thought to himself. "Is that all?" he asked in a surprised tone. "Why didn't you come to me right away? You know that I would never turn you down like this." "The thing is..." Twilight slowly extended her foreleg, revealing one of the objects in question. "We weren't sure about how would seeing one of these make you feel." Inhio gazed at the object on Twilight's hoof with both his eyes and mouth wide open. It can't be... He said in his thoughts. He immediately grabbed the object and turned it around. It is... He told himself, still unable to believe his eyes. For the object he was holding now looked exactly like the object he had carried in his pocket for longer than he could remember, all the way up until the day he gave it to Twilight, just a few weeks ago--a coin with a sun embedded on one of its sides, and a moon on the other. "How can this be?" the man asked in disbelief. "That coin was one of a kind!" he stood up and shouted. "We thought so too..." Twilight said as she revealed several more coins that looked exactly like the one Inhio was holding. All of her friends also extended their forelegs, each showing several more coins. Impossible... Inhio told himself as he witnessed the sight that made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever. "Will you do it, then?" Twilight asked, breaking the man out of his stupor. "Will you try and see what left these coins?" Still a bit dazed, Inhio took a few more seconds to process this information, right after which his face lit up with serious determination and his hand gripped the coin tightly. "Gladly," he said and held his fist against his head as he focused his mind on the object. In his short vision, the history of the coin became clear to him, but his mind was still uneasy. "This can't be good..." he admitted and sighed loudly. "You had better not lose those coins if you ever hope to see all the ponies return." "You saw what left them?" Twilight inquired. Inhio nodded. "The ponies themselves." "What!?" All six ponies shouted out at once. "But how could all of them had possibly had coins like these? I thought I was the only one with a coin like that!" "The ponies didn't have the coins," Inhio clarified, only inducing more uncertainty in the crowd. "They are the coins." "What!?" The ponies shouted again. "Are you certain?" Twilight asked, continuing after seeing the coin master reply with a firm nod. "What could have possibly caused this?" "I'm afraid I can't answer that," Inhio sadly admitted. "I can only see the history of the coin itself, and it won't show me anything beyond the point where a certain pony simply vanished into a cloud of magical energy, leaving behind this small, metal object." After a brief moment of silence, all seven of them hung their heads in sorrow. The last hope the ponies still had was just erased. All of a sudden, Twilight lifted her head and asked, "But what about the one you gave me?" "What about it?" "Where did you get it from?" Inhio paused for a moment before answering, "I..." He paused even longer than before. Something was clearly bothering him as he tried to recall the history of the talisman that he had carried with him for most of his life. "I don't remember..."
A vision"Huh?" Twilight uttered. "But how could you possibly forget something like that? It's been your most prized possession for most of your life!" "I know," Inhio replied sadly. "I thought I knew, I always thought that I knew the history of that coin like the back of my hand, and I never bothered trying to remember it because I was assured that I always knew it... Turns out I was wrong all this time," he explained, slightly ashamed of himself. "Do you still have it?" "Of course!" Twilight exclaimed. "I would never lose something like that." She handed the man his lucky coin back. "I kept it separate of the rest of the coins." Inhio smiled at her. "I am happy to hear that." Just as before, he tightened his fist around the coin and focused his mind on it. The vision he saw this time lasted barely any longer than the last one. "That's... odd," he whispered. "Please don't tell me you can't see its history..." "I'm afraid so," the man reluctantly admitted. "It's as though there's a different vision blocking my mind from seeing the coin's history." "A different vision?" Twilight repeated. Inhio nodded. "A certain object at a certain place. Luckily, I happen to know of its whereabouts." "Do you think that this object could be of some use to us?" "You got any better leads?" Inhio asked slyly. Although the responses of the six ponies contained no words, their answer was rather obvious. "In that case..." He started walking back towards the castle. "I'd best be on my way back home." "Wait!" Twilight exclaimed, stopping the man from advancing further. "Let me come with you." Inhio looked back at her. "You want to come with me? To Earth?" he asked with his eyebrow raised. The purple alicorn nodded. "Yes. Chances are, the history of that coin has something to do with what's happening here. Even if it doesn't, it's just like you said--we simply don't have any better leads right now," she explained her motive. "And if it does have something to do with it, then I want to be there to help, if I can." "Well, I'd certainly welcome the company," Inhio gladly admitted and urged Twilight to follow him. "Two heads are better than one." "Wait a second," Rainbow Dash interjected. "She's not going anywhere without us!" The cyan pegasus flew over to her purple friend and placed her foreleg over her shoulders and drew her closer towards her. The rest of Twilight's also joined her side. "I kinda figured the five of you wouldn't want to just sit this one out." "You betcha!" Applejack confirmed. "Mmhm!" The rest of them also uttered a sound of approval. "Thanks, guys." The six ponies joined together for a warm hug. "I knew I could count on you." Inhio gladly waited for them to finish. "Ready?" he asked after a short while. "Ready!" Five of them answered at the same time. Rainbow Dash simply saluted and darted off. "Last one to the castle is a rotten egg!" she shouted from a distance and kept flying. Upon reaching the door, she bumped into Pinkie Pie. "Hi!" "Pinkie Pie! How did you--" Before Rainbow Dash could finish her sentence, the remainders of the company rushed past her, making her spin around a few times and leaving her a bit dizzy. "Guess you're the rotten egg, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie giggled and went inside. "Uugh..." Rainbow Dash moaned as she sprawled to the ground. *** Since all of them already knew the drill, the whole process went significantly faster. Before long, the six ponies were already disguised as common Earth girls and the company was already on their way outside. "So where exactly is this certain place?" Twilight asked while following Inhio. "Not too far," the man replied in a casual tone. "It's in a forest. Bout half a mile to it, and then about half of that through it." "That doesn't sound too bad," Twilight added, satisfied with the journey ahead. "I wish I had my wings." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. "Would've already been there." "W-what kinda forest is it?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "Nothing like your Everfree forest, at any rate." Inhio laughed. "It's a peaceful place where people go to relax, have a little jog and get away from the fetid city air." "Phew." Fluttershy wiped her forehead. "Sounds like a wonderful place." "Sounds like a downright boring place to me," Rainbow Dash said in a sulky tone. "Beats walking through these crowded streets and constantly jumping aside to not run into anyone," Applejack added and did just as she had said. "I hear that." The outskirts of town soon became visible, and the forest in question was just a single red light and one stone's throw away. "It's been so long since I've last had a reason to come here." Inhio took a few steps into the forest and inhaled loudly. "I had even forgotten just how much better the air around here feels like." As the company made their way deeper into the woods, the city behind them started fading from view, along with most of the people constantly brushing against them. "Finally, some room!" Rainbow Dash said with relief as she stretched her arms to the sides. "I feel like running!" "You sure you can run with those? You could barely walk the first time you had to do it on just two legs," Inhio said in a playful tone, making most of the girls giggle. "Hah!" the rainbow-haired girl laughed. "I bet I still run faster than you, even with just two legs!" "Try me!" Inhio blurted out and started running forward. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash ran after him. The other girls had no choice but to follow their lead. Rainbow Dash could beat just about any pegasus in a race back in Equestria, but she had considerable difficulties keeping up with Inhio on unfamiliar ground. "Come on!" Inhio shouted from afar. "I thought you said you were the fastest in Equestria!" "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash panted. "When I had wings!" After a split minute of cheerful running, Inhio suddenly stopped and held up his palm, urging the others to stop as well. "No fair!" Rainbow Dash exhaled those words heavily after finally catching up. "You had a head start!" She kept on panting loudly for a while. By the time the rest of the girls had reached them, she had just finished catching her breath. "I totally would have beaten you if you hadn't stopped so early," she smugly insisted. "By the way, why did you stop?" "We're here," Inhio replied, directing everyone's attention towards a pathless section of the forest. "I think..." "You think?" Twilight asked with her eyebrow raised. "I haven't seen this place in over two decades... It's gotten a bit... overgrown." After taking a more thorough look at the sight, the girls couldn't blame Inhio for not being certain. In fact, they couldn't even figure out how could he have known that it was here. The current section of the forest looked no different from all the other parts of it that didn't have a clear path going through them. "Come on!" Inhio descended into the forest. "It's not much farther now." Although the road was short, it was not easy. They had to lift their feet up high on every step to avoid tripping over roots that couldn't be seen through the tall grass, and they also had to constantly keep their eyes up, as well, otherwise they would've gotten slapped in the face by a branch that the person in front of them had bent forward and then sent flying back at them. Fluttershy seemed to be getting the worst of it. After getting her sight impaired three times in a row by a few particularly leafy branches, she failed to spot the next one coming straight towards her. She could only gasp loudly and cover her face. Oddly enough, she didn't feel the hit. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Inhio had stopped the branch right before it reached her. "Thank you," she said in her usual soft and quiet voice while smiling at the gentleman. "You're welcome." Inhio smiled back. He kept on holding the branch until the moment all six of the girls had passed by him. "This is it," he declared after releasing the branch. "This is the place." There was something of a clearing in the place they had just reached, but none of them seemed to notice any object of significance upon inspection. "But... there's nothing here," Ignoring Rainbow's remark, Inhio walked up to a small pillar that seemed to consist purely of vines and moss, but as he began clearing away the growth, it became clear that it was a small, stone structure. Something like a pedestal. All doubts got cleared away when they noticed that it had a tiny opening on top of it, just big enough to house a single coin. Oddly enough, it seemed incredibly well intact for something that had spent so many years under a veil of earth. It was almost as though there was something magical keeping it preserved. "I remember now..." Inhio whispered. "This was where I got it from." He gripped the coin tighter in his right hand and placed his other hand on the altar. "But there was more to it than just that... If I could just--" Before he could finish, Inhio's mind got swept away into another vision. In this vision, he saw himself from over twenty years ago. Just an ordinary kid, wandering around the forest without a care in the world. He was playing a game of hide and seek with some of his friends, and he thought that he was about to find the perfect hiding spot, but there was something in this certain spot that caught his attention and made him forget about the game. It was the same pedestal they just saw, only with a coin residing in what was now just an empty hole. Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, he did as just about any kid in his shoes would have done--he picked up the coin. Just as he did so, a vision got seeped into his mind. A spell, an incantation... a warning. Listen to me, creature of unnatural lands, You now hold great power within your hands. The power to perceive what the world has hid, The eyes to see it the way I once did. You may use this power as you see fit, As long as you promise to forever guard this gift. Should this coin one day leave your pocket, You are to retrieve it and return it to its socket. For this kind of power can only know one master, And would turn the pretender's life into a disaster. And now, go. Show me the path that lies ahead. For the pony inside this coin is not yet dead. You shall carry me with you now. Me... Inhio said the last words of the incantation out loud. "Star Swirl the Bearded..."
ReturnedTwilight nearly lost consciousness when she heard Inhio say that name. "What did you just say?" she asked with both hey eyes and mouth wide open. "Star Swirl the Bearded," Inhio repeated. "I take it you're familiar with the name?" With her mind a bit numb and her knees still shaking, Twilight answered with a slow nod. "I am, but the better question is--where did you hear that name from?" "Just now, in my vision," the man explained. "Whoever that magician was, he now lives inside this coin and has been seeing what I see, all this time." "What!?" Twilight exclaimed. "B-b-but how?... Why... W-w-what..." Twilight grabbed her head and was just about ready to start pulling her hair out from the overwhelming revelation. "I don't know who he was, how did he get here or why he did what he did... but there is one thing I know for certain." Twilight refrained from tearing out her hair and looked to Inhio for answers. "And what might that be?" Inhio lowered his head and gazed at the coin in his hand. "This power was never mine to begin with. I was only able to see things the way I did because this powerful magician lent me his powers... but I fear they must now be given back if your world is to be spared from becoming a living treasury." He started stretching his hand forward to place to coin back in its resting place. "But..." Twilight quietly interrupted. "You didn't know..." She looked at Inhio with sympathy. "Ignorance is no excuse, I'm afraid." "But you won't even have a job anymore..." "Do you really think that is what I'm worried about?" Inhio shifted his sights directly towards Twilight and furrowed his brows. "My only regret is that I will never be able to use the sphere to talk to you, ever again." He looked upon each of the six girls. "The last few weeks have been the best of my life, and it was only because the six of you had become part of it." He stared at them with a heartfelt smile on his lips, and was immediately requited with the same kind of gesture. "And I put all of your lives in danger..." His smile faded as he turned his head away and reached for the altar. Twilight had already extended her arm to try and grab Inhio's hand before he could place the coin, but it was already too late. The moment he placed the coin on the altar, his mouth opened and let out a loud, ghostly breath. It looked as though some invisible entity left his body at that instant. After that, he collapsed to his knees. "Inhio!" Twilight rushed over to help the man get up. "I'm fine," he replied and helped himself get up by pressing his hands against the altar. "It is done," he declared and turned away from the stone pillar. "Oh, Inhio." Twilight sympathized for the man. She closed her eyes and hugged him. "How will you live now?" Inhio smiled. "I'll make do." He placed his hand on Twilight's shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes with an expression that really did make it seem like everything was going to be all right. "Come on, we need to get you back home." He started walking back the way they came. Apart from Twilight, all of the girls followed him right away, even though none of them looked too happy about how things had turned out. "Twilight, you coming?" Applejack shouted from a distance. She then watched as Twilight squatted down near the altar. "Star Swirl..." Twilight whispered. "He didn't know..." "Twilight?" "Coming." Twilight stood up and followed her friends. And so, the coin was left without a master. As the company left the vicinity, it was left completely alone, possibly to never be owned again. For a brief moment, the coin was lit up with a magical spark. *** With a slow walking pace and long faces, the company eventually made its way back to Inhio's apartment without saying a single word along the way, and after saying their farewells and joining together for one last hug, the time for departure was at hand. "So..." Inhio broke the silence. "Here we are again... same way we were last time." "Almost the same..." Rainbow Dash muttered. "Aww, cheer up, Rainbow," Inhio said in an amused tone. "You'll still come and visit me again some time, won't you?" He smiled at her as she lifted her head up. "Besides... I still owe you a fair race." "Hah!" Rainbow laughed. "Are you sure you wanna see me beat you at your own game?" she asked in an overconfident tone. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Dashie," he replied with a smirk just as cocky. "Oh, you are so on!" she said in a tone that was somehow both serious and silly at the same time, making herself and all her friends laugh. After the laughing had ceased, the room filled up with sincere smiles. "Take care." Inhio waved to them as they began placing their hands on the sphere. "Don't worry. We promise to come visit whenever we get a chance," Twilight happily declared and waved back. "Looking forward to it already." The sight that was about to follow was one that Inhio had already grown accustomed to. Just as he saw the magical energies engulf them and make them disappear into the sphere, he began walking towards his favorite lounging spot. However, just mere seconds before he could jump into the sofa, he heard a knock on his door. "Huh?" he uttered and approached the door. "I wonder who could that be..."
Who can it be now?As soon as the ponies had returned to their homeworld, the first thing they did was run out on the balcony to check on the town. The sight they witnessed then made them all sigh with relief. Life had been restored to the town. The shops had their shopkeepers, the gardens had their gardeners, and every other pony was just walking around the town with a smile on their face and acting as if nothing bad had happened over the last two weeks. "Glad that's over with," said Rainbow Dash. "Yeah..." Twilight agreed, but sadness still lingered in her expression. "If only--" "Twilight?" a voice called out from behind them, making them all look backwards. "What?..." Twilight whispered in a bewildered state. "But... it can't be..." She started walking towards the table with the crystal ball on it. "Can it?" "Anyone?" the same voice called out again. Twilight slowly approached the object and spoke in a quiet and trembling voice, "I-Inhio?" After a short pause, the voice answered, "Well, I'll be damned." "Inhio!" Twilight and her friends cheered. "Does this mean..." "Indeed, it does," Inhio answered without waiting for Twilight to finish asking the question. "But how?" "Someone came to visit me right after you left... You're not going to believe who it was." *** "I wonder who could that be..." Inhio said to himself as he approached the door. He peeked through the looking glass and saw no one. He opened the door, just to be sure. "Hmm... just kids pulling pranks, I guess." He convinced himself and began closing the door, but right before he could finish doing so, he gazed downwards and locked his sights on something. "What?..." He squatted down and picked up the small object left near his door. He recognized the object without even flipping it around -- it was the same coin he had just parted with, less than an hour ago. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder... He thought to himself as he went back inside. He inspected the coin meticulously, making sure there wasn't anything different about it. "Eh, what the heck," he said in a casual tone and attempted to focus his mind on it. Just as he did so, he got swept away into another plane, one without so much as a solid floor to stand on. He found himself standing on thin air in a room that resembled open space. He looked around, at first, but then he stared straight forward and noticed another presence within the plane. It was a unicorn. One that looked exactly like your stereotypical wizard. Long, white beard, pointy wizard hat, blue cloak, complete with some some ornaments and constellation drawings. Given his recent experience with the coin, Inhio could only make one conclusion about the pony's identity. "Star Swirl the Bearded, I assume." "You assume correctly, Sir Hellbridge," the unicorn answered in a stern manner. Not knowing what else to say, Inhio simply awaited the wizard to explain everything by himself. "I can see in your face that you have questions," Star Swirl deduced. "By all means, Sir Hellbridge, feel free to ask any one of them and I shall answer them as best I can." "Very well, then," Inhio replied. "Lets start from the beginning, shall we? How did you find our world and end up the way you were?" "As a coin on a pedestal?" Star Swirl took over the sentence. "While young Twilight's idea of using the crystal sphere as a means of transportation proved to be an ingenious idea, there was never really a need for so much effort in order to travel through dimensions. All it required, really, was the right spell to be cast at the right time and the right place..." The wizard paused while dwelling in his thoughts. "A place that most likely no longer exists, and a time than comes around about once every century... Mmm, yes, perhaps Twilight's plan would be a more stable way of traversing worlds... but that's beside the point!" he exclaimed. Inhio could only grin at the the sight of such a wise wizard acting so childishly. "As I was saying -- I was always quite the explorer. There are simply so many things that a pony can learn if he would only not spend his entire life in one place. Oh, but there is only so much that Equestria could offer. I simply had to find out more about the universe we all inhabit! And the planets happened to be aligned perfectly, I simply couldn't let such an opportunity pass by!" Star Swirl had gotten a bit too excited while explaining his motives. After a short moment, he calmed his tone and continued, "But this planet, this Earth, these humans that inhabit it... Their ways were simply too much for me to comprehend. How have you all even survived this long after having spent centuries waging war over trivial matters is simply beyond me... I couldn't risk getting caught by these creatures that seemed like neanderthals to me, at the time, so I chose to disguise myself and instead see the world through their eyes." "Quite the tale..." Inhio quietly added. "And it doesn't even end here! Ho ho ho, no!" the wizard laughed. "I've seen so many things through all of their eyes... Many of which I wish I could forget, but a whole lot more that were simply mind-bending! I've seen people wiser than kings being treated like dirt, just because they were born on a farm! I've seen kids die of starvation before even getting a chance to find out who they were meant to be! I've seen parents burying their children, and I've seen the evilest of tyrants living among common people without anyone even lifting a finger to try and stop them!" As the magician spoke on, his tone only got more fierce. "Justice is dead in your world!" After those words, Star Swirl finally calmed his voice and hung his head in sorrow. "After everything I've seen... I just want to go home." Nothing of what the pony had just said seemed to faze the man in front of him, since Inhio was already used to the cruelty of his planet... Still, after having heard so much about Equestria, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Star Swirl for being exposed to such harsh events. After a brief moment of silence, Inhio started walking closer to his conversation partner. "You know... there's a good reason why I've always feared immortality," he admitted and squatted down to match the wizard's eye level. "But it's not because I'd have to see countless gruesome acts forever change the world I live in... No... It's because I don't know how would I be able to live with myself knowing that I'd have to bury every friend I ever make." Star Swirl lifted his head and stared into Inhio's eyes. "You are a good man, Inhio Hellbridge... I may not be able to undo the injustice that your people have inflicted upon this world, but I can certainly undo the injustice I've shown you." He presented his coin to Inhio. "It is no wonder you could not remember where you got it from, all those years ago... and I apologize if I scared you, back then." "There's no need to apologize," Inhio happily answered. "After all, I don't even remember it." Both of them let out a cheerful laugh after that statement. "Take care, Inhio Hellbridge." Star Swirl placed the coin in Inhio's hand. "I will," the man replied and gripped the coin tightly. "And I promise you, you will have a chance to see your home again as long as this coin stays with me." The wizard smiled at Inhio and wiped a tear of joy from his eye. "Nothing would make me happier." *** "And here I stand," Inhio finished retelling his story. "Wow..." Twilight uttered. "I... I just don't even know what to say to that." "Why say anything?" Inhio asked. "Just smile." Twilight giggled. "I'm glad you're back the way you were, Inhio." "Likewise." Inhio smiled. The enjoyable silence eventually got interrupted by a loud yawn from Rainbow Dash. "It's getting kinda late, Twilight." "All right, I get the picture." Twilight rolled her eyes. "See you all tomorrow, girls!" "Bye Twilight! Bye Inhio!" The ponies started leaving the room. "See ya, girls!" Inhio said his goodbyes for the day, but for some reason he still held onto the ball for a while longer. A series of humming let him know that Twilight was still nearby. "Hey, Twilight?" "Hmm?" "How do you live with it?" Inhio asked, his voice suddenly losing its liveliness. "Live with what?" Twilight asked, confused by the question. "...Nevermind," Inhio replied after a short pause. "Forget I said anything." Twilight stared at the sphere with a raised eyebrow for a moment longer. "Oookaaay..." she uttered and went about her business. After releasing his hold on the ball, Inhio dived back into his sofa and let out a loud sigh. He placed his hands under his head and waited for the long day to finally end, but before he went to sleep, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his beloved coin and took one last glance at it before putting it back. "One day you will have to find a new owner," he whispered to the coin. "I think I've got the perfect one in mind for you."
