Chapters View Online
Have you ever danced with Discord in the pale moonlight?
As it had been an average uneventful day like any other, aside from that I had decided to take the train downtown for a peaceful time around the strange harmonies of old brick buildings, and modern skyscrapers, I never could have expected my world would be thrown into chaos by that simple decision. It had been twilight when it happened, the moon being visible in the sky along with the sun if one were to look out past the buildings too tall to see them well. There was a light fog which rendered the tops of the buildings invisible aside from the fact that the lights from those heights shined through the fog, most noticeably the green lights of the tallest building in the area of downtown I had been in. I took in a deep breath of the fresh air, while not really the freshest being in the city, the recent rain had made the air moist, and the scent of dew still lingered on the trees. The streets were quiet aside from the trains running through the nearby station, the birds, and a relative few people bustling about. It was just as I had released that breath to enjoy the dewy ebb of the day, that I saw a girl with red, and golden hair, wearing a white and purple Camp Everfree shirt with shorts and a belt the buckle of which portrayed her sun shaped cutie mark colored the same as her hair with a downtrodden expression sitting on a bench. Processing this I turned around, and backtracked to take a seat next to her, “Hey, what’s up?” I tried not to show too much excitement or get my hopes up though it was doubtful anyone would already be cosplaying from the Legends of Everfree movie as it hadn't actually been released in my country yet.
She looked up at me slowly with her aquamarine eyes expression of despair turning to confusion as she took a moment, “Sorry, have we met somewhere?”
“Nope, first time, name’s Ivan Jonah Jostar, Nice to meet ya’.”
“I’m Sunset Shimmer, … wait, Jostar? Where am I now?” She looked around to be sure she was in the same place she had been when she sat down. Still unsure she tilted letting our shoulders touch closing her eyes so had I been unaware it would happen I wouldn't have noticed their glow, for no more than a second. “No you’re not, show me your star,” Sunset suddenly demanded.
“You caught me,” I put my hands up, “My name is actually Ian, and I’m not a Jostar, I just wanted to be sure that you were actually Sunset Shimmer, not just a really good cosplayer.
“Cosplayer? Oh, right I’m not real… I wish my friends were here.”
“One is, and he’s right here, I may not embody an element, but I still wanna be your friend. So what’s got you down, read the wrong mind?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Well, how long ago did you come through? Let’s see if we can get you home, ya.”
“It was right after we got back from camp… Rarity tripped getting off the bus and knocked me into the portal, but instead of Equestria I ended up here.”
“Hmm, well it’s good that it’s you in a way, Twilight would be freaking out if she had found out what you did, she can’t read memories, but she would be anyway. Umm, so why couldn’t you go back through? I know there was somethin’ goin’ on with magic leaking through the portal but it should have still been open.”
It wasn’t,” Sunset sadly stated in a dry tone.
“Well, I’d like to check it again if you wouldn’t mind. Where was it?”
“umm, I think it was near some place called ‘Dick’s Last Resort’, I figured I’d only try asking in there as a last resort, I don’t remember where it was.”
“Doesn't matter,” I stood up and popped my neck, “I do, I’ve been there a few times. It wouldn’t help unless the jukebox’ll activate the portal for some reason, but it’s gotta still be there, and by Discord’s beard I’ll get you home. Why didn’t I say Starswirl? Whatever.” Giving me an odd look but choosing not to say anything about it she got up and started walking.
“Well, here it is, or was,” Sunset declared having brought me to the back of the building.
“But why here?” I touched the wall with no reaction. “Have you tried using your crystal?”
Rather than reply in words she removed the pendant from her neck, and pressed it against the wall like a key to an invisible lock causing it to ripple slightly as her hand went through.”Oh, that’s odd,” sunset stated more with curiosity than anything. “Why didn’t I think of this.”
“Probably ‘cuz ya’ just got the thing. What was odd though?”
“My hand felt like a hoof when I put it through.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” I nodded.
“How? Why would the portal change destinations twice now?”
“I don’t know, I just said that. I like to pretend I’m not freaking out even though I am on the inside. Could be that that pendant’s magic is Equestrian in origin. Oh, I am so excited, nervous but excited.”
“What are you Excited about?” Sunset withdrew her hand from the portal feeling that her fingers were all there.
After a rushed trip to buy food, and backpacks to carry it in, we returned to the portal which Sunset once again unlocked with her pendant. We stepped through together, and when we did we met with a terrible fate... dark forest Sunset had to illuminate with her magic. "Where are we?" We asked simultaneously.
"Well," I reasoned, "by Murphy's law I would assume the Everfree. Yep, this is bad."
"Oh, well let's lighten the mood a little." Sunset nervously trotted into my view clearly apprehensive about where we were. "What's your name now that you are a pony?"
"Grav..." I stopped when I saw my cutie mark. "Oh, or not? That isn't what I expected, though I should’ve," I shrugged, feeling the weight of my new saddle bags on my back. "Name's uh… how about… Grimoire Dusk, the first thing I thought of," I stated looking over my light gray coat, unexpected cutie mark, and what of my scraggly long almost purple gray mane I could see," feeling for the first time an odd sensation on my forehead I looked up to see a sharp horn.
"Well that's..." Sunset paused, "Foreboding?" What were you originally going to say?"
"Something more so," I shrugged. "This is a much more helpful talent to have I'd imagine. Also, I probably would've been an Earth pony, nothing wrong with that but I love Magic so... ya."
"So, are you a writer or something?" The amber mare asked.
"No, it can't be that, certainly nothing I could get a cutie mark for, I don't generally care what other ponies think so, unfortunately, I don't give it much thought. I'd imagine it had more to do with reading or magic comprehension, or something." I paused. "Do you perhaps have some sort of compass spell?"
"I could send out a magic ping like sonar, but it might attract the things that live here," she nodded.
"Hmm, well then, I guess we are radar-less... levitate me."
"What?" Sunset stumbled.
"Levitate me above the trees so I can see over, if that's OK with you," I clarified, imitating Fluttershy a bit.
"Well, what did you see?" She asked after bringing me back down.
"Well it is night time," She stated matter of factly.
"No Sunset, this isn't just dark. It's way too dark; this is... Advanced darkness." I stated, which didn't change her expression. "I could be assuming the worst, but I think it's supposed to be day right now."
"Which would mean?" Sunset queried, now worried.
"Which would mean that this timeline isn't the one we are familiar with."
"Well, before we flip out, what makes you think it should be day?"
"I saw a light in the distance. If I am right, that is Canterlot, also the stars aren't out."
"So this might be a timeline where Twilight lost to Nightmare moon?" Sunset fearfully realized.
"More likely a timeline where Twilight never left Canterlot at all. It will be alright. As long as we have Canterlot we have the forbidden archives, and as long as we have that there are Grimoires for me to read, and possibly the original mirror," I gave Sunset an awkward little smile. "Can you take a scan of the portal's magical signatures before we head out? If we can give that information to Celestia it would be helpful."
"I haven't done that in a while," she smiled back.
"First let me send this text." "Went to Equestria with sunset. In Everfree. Don't send help ," I typed on my now gemstone phone and sent to two of my contacts. As an afterthought I took a Selfie with Sunset and sent it to them with a, "Tell no one ." message added.
After that Sunset took her scan, and we moved towards Canterlot. A few minutes into walking my crystal vibrated and displayed, "You either got real good at photoshop when I wasn't looking, or you're telling the truth. let's not forget you are too much of an ass to lie so yeah. Well, keep in touch get Maud's autograph, and flip off Rainbow Dash for me. I'm gonna go out lie Kyousuke to your family. "
"Well, " I stopped and blinked, "That's unexpected, but makes sense for who it is."
"Why Rainbow Dash?" Sunset asked looking at my rock phone.
"He doesn't like Rainbow, he's strangely OK with human Dash though."
"Uh, OK?" Sunset refocused her attention to the path. "So why would it be so dark? Shouldn't it just be night eternal?"
"Advanced darkness. 'When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals, a world without light,"' I quote not knowing how else to respond.
"Well, whatever you just said do you have a plan? You seem awfully confident."
"Do I?" I paused to consider that. "Because no, I don't. Well not really," I whispered glancing around in the darkness my eyes having adjusted to the dim light.
"Oh," she sadly whispered back. After that, we walked in silence for a ways. Sunset dimmed her light as we approached what I knew to be the Castle of the Two Sisters, knowledge which I had immediately shared.
"Oh, this is not where we want to be... or is it?" I thought aloud considering a reckless plan.
"Um, in what way could this be good?" Sunset appealed in just above a wispier.
"We could walk right up to Nightmare Moon, and I could declare that I had gone out near the beginning of her reign to find a way to get to Celestia's heart by her order and that I had found that in you. Best case we get bed, food, and a ride to Canterlot. Worst case execution."
"Are you crazy," She whispered, "She'll see right through us."
"If we don't, we risk being caught by her guards While moving toward Canterlot, in which case we would be executed for sure."
"Damned if we do damn if we don't huh?" Sunset lamented.
"I say we try it, if we fail, teleport us out as far as you can, then we run," I proposed.
"Wow, let's make camp for a bit to think it over," Sunset suggested.
After a bit of backtracking, so we wouldn't be too close, we made a small camp with blankets from the Saddlebags and a hole Sunset magically dug. We ended up falling asleep in said camp from exhaustion.
The morning following our entrance to Equestria I awoke before Sunset, and used that time to walk around getting used to walking on all fours, as well as walking on only my hind legs as I found the higher view and freedom of my forelegs more natural. I did, however, decide that to use magic for the first time in the Everfree, or as the Japanese dub puts it "The Forest Of No Return" might be a bad idea. I had read plenty enough fanfictions to be well aware of the possible consequences of magical surges, as well as the consequences of suddenly causing an uproar in the Everfree without being ready for a pack of Timberwolves, even with Bioshock references to make charcoal of them, could have. Thusly I resigned myself to the earth pony way, as I undoubtedly would have been, had my Cutie Mark been the same as my OC. During this I frequently allowed my vision to flit about watching not so much for Timberwolves as much as Nightmare Moon's guards who may or may not inhabit the trees,... Who may be patrolling the forest. The moon had just begun its rise in the sky when Sunset woke to hear and see me sitting on the forest floor, "Luna, I swear we'll save you."
"If I didn't know your contextualization of that matter I'd be out of my mind to think you right with yours," Sunset Smirked, surprising me and eliciting a jump further than I think I'd like to admit leaving my coat standing on end like a cat's and my glasses slid most the way down my muzzle.
"Sunset,... you're up... Mornin'... or night I s'pose?"
"Y'all would. Nevermind, ya I 'ain't gonna say I'm ready t' eat daisies er anithin', but we bought stuff we ponies can eat so I figure we don't need to scrounge around yet."
"What do you mean by 'Y'all would'," Sunset scrunched her face.
"Nevermind."
"What were you doing up if you weren't finding your way into poison joke?"
"Please Sunset, while normally I’d say 'Never underestimate how stupid I am,' I know well to avoid blue flowers in the Everfree, I’m not Twilight Sparkle. Sunset simply snorted climbing out of the hole she dug. Tilting my head a little, "What 'az ya' so cozy in the Forest a' Death? Celestia turn the trees t' cake when I wasn't lookin’?" I joked. The only response I got for that was another exhalation of air and a roll of her eyes. "Well, she is the Princess with the cake flank," I stated somewhat flatly.
"Never say that to her," Sunset chuckled unwrapping some of the fruit we brought, selecting from it a pack of strawberries.
"Pfff, never underestimate how simple I am, I probably won't be able to help myself from calin’ 'er Cake Flank or Sun Butt," I grinned taking a strawberry in the frog of my own hoof... after wiping my forehooves first of course, as is dictated by human hygiene without giving it a second thought. Which is why for a moment, after I realized Sunset was watching the strawberry in my hoof with a confused look on her scrunched up muzzle, I failed to understand why.
"Uh, it's just... hooves you seem really used to them... that is weird even if you've seen ponies do it." For a moment I blankly stared into her eyes before slowly realizing that what I was doing at that moment shouldn't be possible.
"Oh... right, uh well ponies just, can pick things up right? Isn't it just a natural magic ponies have 'n don't think about?"
"what?" I blinked looking between my hooves and the golden mare.
"Bipeds shouldn't just adapt to walking with hooves as quickly as you did," Sunset deadpanned.
"Oh, uh... I don't know what you mean," I looked away as we continued trotting towards Canterlot. "Not that it wouldn't have been more convenient had I been human, but I did consider the possibility of anything up to including Draconequus, and actually, to be honest, I was just a little surprised I didn't become one."
"Sure, whatever," Sunset stated in a half annoyed half bewildered tone.
Soon thereafter I stopped walking entirely, and without notice fell over, lye on my back, and stretched my limbs. Then I sat up popped my shoulders, and stated as fact in an all too high pitch from what Sunset had become accustomed "I'm gonna roll around on the floor for a bit, k."
Sunset looked away from the gray pony rolling around on the forest floor, with all the grace of a pegasus foal, suppressing a chuckle. "Why?" Was all she asked.
"I can not, and even if somehow the Heart Song magic of Equestria would make it possible, will not sing, and it is important to giggle at the ghastly... not the Pokemon, that doesn't seem like the best idea," I stood up responding less than seriously.
"Hmph, that sounds like something one of my Canterlot High friends would say."
"Yep, Pinkie Pie said it in this forest... the Giggle at the Ghastly part, not the rest of it, well sung it but that doesn't matter," I bubbled with just a hint of Pinkieishness, before deciding blandly. "Ya know what, screw it," and standing slightly shakily at first on only my hind hooves, "I'll take the more human view here to keep my forehooves free." Although odd with the anatomy I put myself into, the view range and not having to keep two sets of legs in sync with each other allowed me to be more comfortable... Feeling less like pray and more like an Omnivore in the dark forest was also definitely a factor in the decision... the main factor.
"Well, now you've done something that makes sense in a way," Sunset stated a smile threatening to find her face. "What's up now?" Sunset frowned realizing I had a serious expression.
"It is nothing, Sunset," I started seriously following with a sigh before whispering “Act natural we’ve got a tracker,” while trying to discern who it was. In the moment the tracker’s heightened hearing picked up my whisper they tensed and the reflection of their cutie mark became visible in a puddle on the damp forest floor for a second before they moved higher forbidding sight of any more of them self.
"Oh, alright," Sunset sunset followed the shift, "So I've noticed we have not only passed the castle but gone completely off path to run into it," Sunset questioned, "Are we not going to talk to Lu- Nightmare Moon?"
"No. Not yet. Her Highness need not be bothered with us 'till we've accomplished our mission!" I stated in a much firmer tone and higher volume than I had previously, continuing to walk with my hooves behind my back as Iron Will had stifling a laugh at how silly I sounded.
"So, you think it best we do it all first even though we are here now?" Sunset picked up following a short breath of silence passing through the forest.
"Yes, although it has been quite some time I can't say I imagine her responding well to being informed of a half-done job," I slowly enunciated carefully considering the words.
"True. Then onward we go," Sunset suggested attempting to ignore how suffocating the forest had suddenly felt.
"Yes," I stated blankly to the forest before us. After another 15 or so minutes had passed, I first noted that my sense of time seemed to have improved in this form, then slowed my pace to be half of what it had been taking in a deep breath. "Silver Cresent, show thyself. You have been following us for some time now." As soon as Sunset had turned, a pony with a very dark gray coat wearing what I had already recognized as the uniform of the Night Guard as I had seen in the finale of season five, who had on his flank a silver half crescent like a newly waxing moon, stepped hesitantly from the foliage.
"You caught me? The name is, Waxing Crescent though, Silver Crescent is my sister," the pony stumbled. "Who Are you two though?" The new arrival squinted at us with a scathing gaze.
Composing myself from guessing the name, I snorted as intimidatingly as I could... which was very much so as it turned out. "Apologies, I mistook your figure for a that of a female. Tell me," I gave pause both to compose my follow up as much as for effect, "Dost thou in truth know not who I am? Art thou new in service of the night?"
"N-no?" The dark-coated pony shifted uncomfortably, "Should I know you?" The Armored Pony stepped back to prevent me from hovering over him.
"No. You should though, have Sir at the end when answering my direct questions," I cracked my joints standing taller imitating Iron Will again to intimidate the smaller pony.
"Y-Yes Sir!" Waxing Crescent shook.
"Good," I squinted in a calmer voice backing away enough to slam my forehooves back to the ground putting myself in an aggressive stance face to face with the pony before me as hard as I could without feeling pain from it. It should be said that amount is higher than it should be, enough so in fact that both the pony in my line of sight and Sunset flinched thinking I'd hurt myself. The darker of the two stepped away looking me up and down as I had landed before him. "What?"
"You uh, that didn't... hurt... sir?"
"No. I have spent a lot of time with minitours and griffons after all, and grown a fondness for meat. Meat has to be tenderized if one lacks a griffon's beak and claws. Personally, I use my hooves and a stone to beat it against,... marble if you care," I elaborated purposefully adding to the questions. Though neither of them verbally responded, both backed away. "I don't eat ponies, both of you can calm down," I dryly deadpanned adding, "Usually,... I don't make a habit of it," and licked my lips purely to moisten them although the true intention must have been lost to both Crescent and Sunset. "Anyway, why were you following us," I continued to glare with the rage of Gordon Ramsay.
Gulping down his fears waxing Crescent finally replied, "I heard a sound like hooves and followed it. I am currently on guard, Sir."
"Well then," I paused considering how seething the tone of voice should sound, "Shouldn't you be watching for threats rather than stopping us," I more demanded than asked.
"Waxing built his courage and turned on me to say in standard Skyrim guard tone, "I don't yet know if you aren't a threat."
With a groan, I introduced Sunset and I not bothering with creating alias names as neither would be known, “I am known as Grimoire Dusk, and this mare is… My partner, Sunset Shimmer.”
The names gave Crescent pause. “Oh? I don’t think I have heard of you, again should I have?”
“No, it is unlikely even Nightmare Moon herself bothered remembering me, I wasn’t much back then… Now though,” I grinned, “I’ve found what I set out for.”
“Which was?” Crescent skeptically egged on.
“Her. A way to get under Celestia’s fur so to speak, and set her off her guard,” I stated with a plain expression of boredom waving a hoof Sunset’s way.
“What’s so special about her?” Crescent asked yet another question which was honestly grating on my nerves at this point.
“You ask too many questions,” I mumbled with an incoherent addendum. “But, what the hay, if thou art so curious then I shall tell you but you wouldn’t want to be found away from your post only to have to report that you had run off on a foals errand would you?” With that the smaller, but more muscular pony went wide eyed before galloping back toward the castle of the two sisters.
Sighing and slumping my shoulders I trotted sluggishly up next to Sunset, “Finally!”
Sunset stared at me for a moment. “So you don’t actually eat ponies do you?”
“Eww no! I don’t even eat marshmallows if it wouldn’t be weird not to. Well not after your experience with them in a lighthearted fanfiction I read especially.”
“I am going to try not to read too far into what you just said.”
“Do what you want, as for me I hate lying, and that was really hard… that was a lie, it was hard though, I don't like being loud or under pressure.”
“Out of curiosity could you tell me what of that was a lie, and what wasn’t?” Sunset tilted.
“It isn’t even real Marble, so I can hit it harder,” I put shortly. “Silver Crescent is still following us by the way, only Waxing went back,” I whispered to sunset a minute or so later, still seeing the outline of a pony I was barely able to make out in the light of Sunset's horn. Sunset responded to this by sending out a wave of the magic radar she had mentioned earlier continuing on as she had been. To anypony unable to hear her words it would have looked as if she had tried, and failed to cast a spell, when in fact she had located not only Silver Crescent but a nearby pack of Timberwolves as well, “Timberwolves, 1:00, pony 1:30.”
“Then we ignore her, she’ll run into the Timberwolves and both of our problems will be solved,” although I’d said that I quickened my pace.
“Wait, Grimoire! Don’t just run into danger!”
“I do not run, I jog briskly!” I corrected. “But I’ll admit it I can’t be that cold. Tell me when she’s at our 3."
“She jumped forward when we moved she’s at 1:15 now!” “... She’s too close!”
Coming to a halt I moved back the direction we had come from but told sunset to stay only within whatever she felt would be a safe range for spells either way. This turned out to be both closer than I’d expected and Further than I’d like, as she hurled a spell near my hooves engraving in shallow letters the words ‘She Follows’ in the dirt. I stopped, collected myself and allowed Sunset to close the gap between us. Once she had I asked, “Where is she?”
“3.”
With that as a cue, I walked straight towards where Silver Crescent should have been. “Silver Crescent we know you’re in there! Please go home!” A Pegasus mare with similar features to her brother we had encountered before Lept down towards me.
“Above you!” Sunset shouted in just enough time for me to roll to my right and avoid the Mare, dropping my saddle bags as I did so.
“There you are, Silver,” I scolded with a concerned condescending tone of voice. “Go home, you’re too old to be playing foalish games like this.”
“You won’t trick me like my brother I’ll find out what you’re really up to if I have to capture you to do it!”
I smiled, “Ponies and their threats,... as I told your brother next to the monsters of my home you can’t rightly threaten me.” To which she bared her fangs, and charged. I dodged left, and rose again to only my rear hooves. “Really go home, I don’t want to fight you, Silver Crescent!”
“Why is it because I’m a Mare!?”
“Y- yes it is! Also because it would be pointless and stupid, there was a pack of timberwolves not 20 hooves from you and you hadn’t even noticed, had you?”
“You’re lying!” She accused.
“He isn’t,” Sunset interjected, “I'd say: 'Go ahead cast a positioning spell they chased you chasing us!' but obviously I can't.” Just as Silver had turned, a look of realization dawned on her face, and 3 Timber Wolves leaped towards us. First to action was Sunset who had readied a concussive spell which slammed into the center wolf sending it careening back into the forest. Next to action was me who in losing all inhibitions about attracting predators begun to weave a spell of unknown properties while charging headlong towards the wolf furthest to the right, locking it into a bear hug with the smaller creature I was, thanking whoever decided Equestrian anatomy ought to be somehow similar enough to human anatomy although equine to make that possible. Sunset cast another concussive spell wayward of the third wolf which missed but allowed Silver’s instincts to return to her as she leaped to grapple the wolf from its back with her sword gripped in her teeth.
“Sunset, use Fire! They are wood!” I yelled over the roars of the Timberwolves trying to escape Silver and my grips.
“Are you an idiot!” Both mares yelled.
“Yes!” As I yelled this Sunset turned catching fire to the wolf she had hit earlier as it pounced from behind her, and I wrestled the pile of wood in my own hooves to the ground refusing to let go. All through Sunset and I had some level of success in managing our wolves Silver Crescent had been thrown off by her’s which now bared its fangs down at the unarmed pony. Sunset’s burning beast had become enraged like a rodeo bull. In the moment of distraction, I had let go of both the wolf and the spell so that whatever spell I had put together was fired into the jaw of the tackled timberwolf, until moments later its grip loosened and it fell apart. It just fell apart. “Oh, well it makes sense that’d be what I’d get ‘ah s’pose.” Looking over while massaging my now sore withers I saw that Sunset had apparently had the same train of thought about her’s as she had conjured a large red cloth egging it to charge making her way in a zigzag pattern to Silver Crescent eventually causing her flaming wolf to crash headlong at full speed into the one assaulting Silver obliterating the both of them into a single pile of burning and charred wood. As I watched this I looked to Sunset with concern realizing the spell I’d cast, “Sunset I think I did something very wrong!”
“What the buck did you do now?” Sunset surprisingly coldly cast back.
“Uh, well I think I just accidentally cast Avada Kedavra rather than a disassembly spell!”
“So what it’s dead then?”
“Seriously! I may have just disassembled a soul with one of the unforgivable curses, but this is fine?”
“It was a timber wolf their souls are artificial products of Discord anyway, they were already a sin against magic.”
“Oh,... I wasn’t, but perhaps I should have expected that reaction from you, living with my kind as long as you did.”
“Excuse me,” the very confused Silver Crescent interjected, “What is going on?”
Sunset extended a hoof to help Silver Crescent up, “Well you are the one who followed us, shouldn’t you explain that first.” Although Silver Crescent hadn’t seen it I saw sunset’s eyes flash white for a moment when she took Silver’s hoof.
When Silver Crescent took her hoof hesitantly but didn't respond to the question I posed a new one, “Inquisition: Does the name Twilight Sparkle mean anything to you? Supplemental information: She would be a purple pony with a cutie mark resembling a large star surrounded by five smaller ones, also she should be an alicorn.” Silver expressed shock shaking her head that she didn’t. “Silver if you do know of her, I can be of help explaining the events of that night.” (The styling of this question is in reference to an anime called 'The Sunday without God' or 'Kamisama No Inai Nichiyoubi')
“I told you I don’t know who this Twilight is,” Silver shrunk back.
“Then either you don’t know, it hasn’t happened, it has yet to possibly happen, or you do but you are lying… I don’t think you are lying.”
“I Think I Would Remember an alicorn showing up.”
“You wouldn’t actually,” I shrugged her off “You weren't, or at least won’t be there. I was wondering if word of her had reached you. Since this is the case she may have yet to appear. If you do see her, tell her... Act’ally I dun't know how much I can tell you more than that. Well, you don’t trust us I s’pose, do ya?”
“No? No, I don’t. How could I? You pass right by without reporting to the Princess, but claim she commands you, even though I’ve never heard either of your names.”
“That is true, you can’t trust us. All you have is our word on it. Tell me, Silver Crescent,... Have you ever danced with Discord in the pale moonlight?”
Silver at first backed away from me, but then stopped, sat on her flank and pondered, “Did you intentionally reference Bat Mane?”
“Yes, I did. Serious question this time. Why do you follow Nightmare Moon?”
“Why so serious?” Silver cast back.
Turning my head away closing my eyes I whispered to myself, “Should ’a’ve seen that coming. “Sunset, bind her with a spell, would you kindly.” Sunset’s horn lit up conjuring rope tieing Silver’s hooves as she glared at me with a sideways glance. “What I don’t know the spell?”
“Shut-up, would you kindly,” she deadpanned my way. (If you don’t understand why she is mad it’s because of the way “would you kindly” connotes as a Bioshock reference.)
“As you wish,” I became silent and walked a half circle behind Silver.
“So Silver, now that we have you captured, it doesn't matter what side we are on, so I’ll go ahead and tell you it has been years since either of us has spoken directly with the princesses Luna or Celestia. We are on both of their sides in this, in a way,” Sunset explained calmly removing a blanket from the saddlebag I had dropped to fight, and laying it out to sit on inviting Silver to do the same. Silver did with some struggle her hooves being tied and all. “We aren’t villains and at least Grimoire doesn't want to be your enemy. I would also rather make friends than enemies if possible.” Noticing Silver Crescent looking for an opening to escape to the air Sunset added, “Grimoire, hold her, would you kindly.”
I did just that pulling my forehooves up and around Silver’s shoulders to hold her against my barrel as firmly and painlessly as possible for her… well not as painlessly as possible but close to it. “I am the best at hugs.”
“This is not a hug! Let go of me!” Silver Crescent shouted.
Sunset sent out another ping but sensed nopony, “There is no pony around,” she declared more to me than to Silver.
“Well we can’t stay out here all night, either way, let’s take her with us, I can hold her, no problem.” And so we did carry on in silence Silver crescent pouting against the rope and my grip.
“Ya know, no offence, but you don't look strong enough to hold a pony in place, especially for as long as you have,” Sunset finally let out half an hour later in our walk when we had exited the Everfree and chosen that rather than walk through a town with a restrained, pony whose armor Sunset took and put on, we would take the longer roundabout route to the train tracks we would follow to Canterlot.
“Well it isn’t entirely about strength, partly is but not wholly. Is it, Silver? Am I holding too tight?”
“No, I’m fine,” Silver pouted struggling a little unwilling to admit her struggle.
“This hold, the way I do it isn’t about strength, I’m holding her so she can’t move enough to generate any force. If she struggled hard enough she could get out of it but it would pop out her shoulder joints to do so, and the psychology of most living things won’t allow them to do that. From experience, it hurts for about a month and a half if you do. Speaking of hurting I’m getting tired, we could probably get Fluttershy to let us use her guest room.” Both girls reacted to the name in much the same way, by repeating her name once, and in Silver’s case struggling harder. “Chill, I’d never threaten Shy. I know she works for Moonie now but she’s still Fluttershy. Though having you tied up could be an issue. Since we aren’t really on one side or the other yet, you have no reason to fight us, if you don't try to run away we can untie you. Hmm, yep agree to help us stay at Shy’s place and I’ll put you down.”
Silver stopped struggling. “Really, that’s all you want from me?”
“Yes, as far as I’m concerned right now, you fought timberwolves with us so you’re my friend, and as a friend, I’m holding you back from doing something stupid.”
Sunset stared at me for a moment, “She tried to kill you, no pony can be that forgiving.”
“I am. You haven’t heard any issue from me about the Elements of Harmony turning you into a demon and your enslaving of the school have you? That could be because I have a thing for girls who use ancient powers to transform into hot-headed demonesses, and come back from it to make friends without losing who they really are but, either way.”
“Wait, what!? Who are you two!?” Silver shouted.
“No one much, just a couple of ponies drifting in the ocean of time,” I said like a Jojo line, had I not been holding Silver Crescent I would’ve possed as well. “Anyway, as a friend, will you help us?”
“Just because we fought together doesn't make us friends, I still want to take you to the castle,” Silver hissed.
“Sure it does, and if you still want to hurt me that’s fine. We can still be friends.”
Sunset and Silver stared at me, or in Silver’s case tried to, “Are you an idiot?”
“Yes. We’ve been over this.”
“This is getting us nowhere,” Silver sighed. “Fine, I’ll help you, if you promise you won’t hurt Fluttershy.”
I put Silver down and brought all four hooves to the ground. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! It’s a pinkie promise!”
Silver hesitantly moved to complete the Pinkie promise, “Wait, you know Pinkie?”
“Yep, I do. Pinkie doesn't know me though… and this Pinkie doesn’t know her either. But yep we know Pinkie. It’s pinkie though I wouldn't put it past her to somehow guess.”
“Uhh?”
“Don’t worry about it, sometimes he says random things he shouldn’t like Pinkie,” Sunset gave addendum.
“Uhh?” Silver continued not moving.
“Oh, ya, so can you Pinkie promise you won’t try n’ turn us in?”
“Uhh, no?”
“Please as a friend?” I asked in the same tone as before but with a spell weaving in my horn.
Silver stepped back, “Whoa, friends don’t threaten friends!”
“So will you do it?”
“Uhh,” Silver twitched. “Wait… I’m free now. Bye, losers!” Silver took to the air only to be pulled down by Sunset manipulating the rope still tied to her hooves.
“Fail,” I told the crashed pony, before discharging the spell towards the forest, not knowing how to disengage it. The spell hit a tree and made it sparkle as if it had been covered in multicolored glitter. “And Fail,” I added. “I hate glitter.”
“That you can do magic at all already is impressive, and a high-level spell like the soul disassembly you cast before,... How is it you can do that?”
“Sunset, don’t give away information like that to Silver yet, nevermind I don’t care.”
“Sorry, but I’m sure she doesn't want to try and escape with your magic as random as it is.”
“Alright so,” Silver interjected, “Why shouldn’t you be able to do magic, you’re a Unicorn after all?”
“Ya, I’m new t’ it th’o. I’ve only had magic for two days now, first day casting.”
Silver’s Eyes seemed to become 20% bigger. “How can this be your first day, please don’t use any more magic ‘till you understand it! I may not be a unicorn, but I still know how dangerous that can be!”
“Don’t try an’ get away; I won’t use magic.” Silver shook her head slowly, yet immediately in agreement. I added, “My talent is in readin’ magic so I shou’d get some reading material first I s’pose, or at least that’s what my Cutie Mark is telling me.” After that, we walked to Fluttershy’s place, sill where it always is. Upon arrival, I knocked on the door as Sunset continued to hold Silver’s bonds.
“Umm, just a minute… oh, if that’s ok with you,” We heard a small voice from the other side.
“Take your time, no rush,” I said in no effort to be heard by anypony. When Fluttershy opened the door cautiously we had positioned ourselves so that Silver Crescent would be the only one she immediately saw, injured and without her armor. It wasn’t until the door had opened all the way that she saw Sunset, and I. “Hey Shy, we got hurt fighting Timber Wolves in the forest; I know animals are your thing, but would ya mind checking up on us?” I pleaded.
“Oh, of course, I wouldn’t come right in Silver, and … who are you two? I’m sorry I can’t remember you,” Shy meekly invited.
“It’s fine, they are with me,” Silver protested not herself entirely convinced.
Sunset disengaged the rope from Silver as we entered before Fluttershy could take notice. A few minutes later Fluttershy had looked over the three of us. “Thank Goodness, you all look mostly unharmed, Just a few scrapes on you,” Shy said putting a bandage on Silver Crescent. “Whatever you did… um, Grimoire was it?” She waited as I nodded in confirmation. “Um, please try not to do it any more ok, there’s bruising on your ribs, um it’s not too bad but, you really should be careful, i-if that’s ok with you.” Soon as Fluttershy had said it Silver was already glaring at me.
“Thanks Shy, I’ll be sure not to try an’ crush anymore Timberwolves with hugs,” I smiled.
“It did work though,” Sunset added, ” Well it sort of worked.”
When Fluttershy expressed surprise to that Silver Crescent put in, “I’m fairly certain death hugs are his real talent not reading dusty old books,” glaring my way all the while.
“Sorry, you know I had to.”
Soon thereafter, we had reached the end of the night. “Um, it’ll be dark soon. So I’d like to get to bed early, if that’s ok with you.”
“Of course, wouldn’t want ya turnin’ vampony on us out'a the blue,” I smiled at shy with a tired but joking expression.
“EEP! H- how did you know?” Shy hid behind her mane.
“Uhh, What? Shy, are you saying you’re a vampony?” Silver jumped.
“Oh, um I didn’t know actually… sorry,” I apologized.
“Oh, I’m sure you don’t want to stay in through the day with a somepony like me. I’m sorry,” Fluttershy tried to hide behind her mane.
Walking up to Fluttershy face to face I told her, “Even if you are the kinda’ vampony that needs blood, you can have some of mine, it’s fine. I don’t mind if it’s you.”
Silver whispered to Sunset just loud enough Shy, and I could still pick up her words, “What is wrong with him? You have to know, right?”
Sunset shrugged, “He is an enigma.”
“Never overestimate my reactions.”
“No, I think your normal phrase fits better here actually,” Sunset rolled her eyes.
“Well then I’ll quote Fluttershy instead, ‘Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness.”’
“It sure sounds like Shy, but when did she say that?” Silver tilted her head her silver and blue mane bobbing with it.
“In the beginning,” I vaguely stated as if it should've made sense.
“We have odd histories, don’t worry about everything we say, most of it won’t make sense, and shouldn’t,” Sunset interjected before either could form a response, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s withers as one would to comfort somepony her eyes glowing once again.
With that out of the way the four of us soon went to bed to wait out the harsh dark of day. I slept on the couch to allow Silver and Sunset to take the bed in Fluttershy’s guest room upstairs.
To go gently into that good night
By star rise, I had already given up on the lull of dreams, in fact actively avoiding it, as I knew Sunset whom had seen my memory of Luna invading the dreams of fillies would as well. Something I knew because although she had gained the ability to read the memories of another she could not hide from them what memories she saw as the target of her reading, in this case, myself, would still revisit the memories albeit without knowledge of why unless aware one was being read. Being such the memory of Sweetie Belle's dream and of the Tantabus had been the ones I brought to mind when she did, being the one I remembered most clearly of the three. Thus being awake as I was, eliminated the commotion of Sunset having to wake a slumbering pony beyond shaking me from my thoughts. “We head north by train for as far as it runs,” I condensed my monotone thoughts in a whisper to Sunset.
“You don’t look so good Grimoire, couldn’t sleep?” Sunset Yawned in reply.
“Same to you, you ought to see if some pony can spare a cup a’ coffee. After that I’ve got a bit of light reading I’d like to pick up at the library.” While saying this I realized my body was stiff and hurt terribly just from rolling to my hooves. “My everything hurts, I sure hope the train can get us to Filly Delphia,” I groaned stretching slightly enough as not to strain myself.
Before Sunset could get a word in Silver’s hooves clicked on the wood under the archway from the stairs, “Filly Delphia? Wasn’t your story that you were getting to Celestia?” Silver stumbled over her hooves stabilizing with her wings. One look at Silver crescent showed that she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep beyond Sunset and I, no doubt up all night watching us for suspicious behavior. “You two don’t look like you slept at all,” Silver squinted stifling a yawn herself.
“Honestly,” I raised a brow, “well it hasn’t actually been 48 hours yet for me so I should be fine till we get there.” Remembering Silver’s presence I looked to her adding verbal addendum, “No time for sleep in Griffonstone.”
Again before Sunset could speak Silver’s hooves clacked across the floor. “Why were you in Griffonstone anyway?”
“You did better than I did.”
“Na’ that was just recklessness on my part, ahh, there we go I got the feeling back in my rear legs. Hate when that happens.”
“So,” Silver Crescent slowly started with a contemplative pause, “you weren’t a pony when Nightmare moon sent you out, but you are now? That’s still the story you want me to believe?”
“It’s complicated, long story short, we were, then we weren’t now we are again. She trained more in magic though, so she remembers it better, while I can do it but my results aren’t always what I want anymore,” I lied, having considered the question during the sleepless day. “Just another of the crazy things that happens when some pony ventures too far out. Seems to come with a bit of an amnesia spell on the other side too had to write everything down. It’s awful. Still havin’ a bit of an effect actually.”
“But you talk as if you know things about ponies as if you’ve already seen the events unfold? Look at me and tell me that’s not suspicious,” Silver demanded, while Sunset had contented herself to open her pack to grab a snack from it and enjoy the show.
“But it is suspicious,” I stated blankly blinking as if she had spoken a foreign language. “Do you want me to tell you it isn’t? Suspicious-ness though, doesn't make it any less true.”
Silver just stared at me, while Sunset continued to fish for snacks. Soon after Fluttershy came in with her mane untamed, but clearly more rested than the rest of us. “Oh, everypony is up. Well, um, I’m going to report in after I wash up, you three should too everypony must be worried about you being gone so long,” She cutely fumbled hiding behind her mane during the last part.
“Well they are headed north and I’m really worried about their mission so I’m gonna go with them they’ll need a trained guard like me, especially with the shape Grimoire is in,” Silver finished by shooting a distrustful glare my way. “Anyway I’ll write up a report before you leave so if you could, I’m sure my idiot brother is panicking by now.”
Holding the door to Golden oaks open far longer than necessary I thought aloud “ol' Golden Oaks, I sure have missed you.” And a moment more I waited before casting the monotone announcement “Well Silver, are you gonna get in here and help us, or not?” To which she emerged from the hay bale she had hidden in; as if no pony would notice a single conspicuous Hay bale tailing them, or generally being out of place.
I did in traversing the place, find it interesting to note that Ponyville didn’t actually look nearly as different as I would have expected, though some places had been hastily and amateurishly patched up, others one would have to be actively looking for signs of destruction to see. It was still early star rise though, so the lack of activity in the usually colorful place failed to come as a surprise. As the three of us looked around the Library which I had fed Silver a lie about being a past dweller in the living quarters of, as far as Silver knew we were looking for basics of magic so I could ‘regain’ my magical ability during the journey before confronting Celestia. Sunset and I, however, were actually looking for more advanced, and offbeat spell books, in my case looking for a few specific particularly dangerous spells, Persuadere, Similo Duplexis, Accelero, and so forth which had been cast by Starlight in the episode I had most recently seen. This search, unfortunately, found that most of the books on magic had actually been brought in by Twilight therefore still being far from Golden Oaks, safe from us giants with those things we call hands.
Having scoured the shelves Silver had come up with two books about teaching young unicorns about their horn and how to control simple magic they would need such as levitation and writing with an implement such as a quill as exampled within. The second of the two had clearly been targeted at slightly older but still young ponies as it was less of a picture book and more informative regarding responsibility with magic, taking care of one’s horn, and magical fluctuations every young unicorn has at a certain time. As well as the Golden oaks copy of ‘Predictions and Prophecies’, a book which I instructed Silver to promptly burn, sad as I was to give up the opportunity to own such a historic piece and see it burn again as it had when Tirek returned in the original timeline. Sunset had found the book holding the cure to poison joke, one on advanced magic, and two books regarding Equestrian history where the rest of the subject seemed mostly to contain the histories of Ponyville, Dodge City, and Appaloosa, as well in one case a bit about a certain rock farm to the south-west. I had found one book on theoretical and uncommon magic, which for reasons I believe obvious I stored in my saddlebag without revealing to silver, and a survivor’s cookbook supposedly containing recipes that can be foraged from around Equestria. Once Silver had gone to dispose of 'Predictions and Prophecies' ridding Ponyville of record concerning the only thing that had brought down Nightmare Moon in recorded history, I scanned the table of contents of the magic books Sunset and I had found for a specific spell I had read about in an adventure one unfortunate Sweetie Belle endured. Unfortunately, the spell to expand the usable space within the bags without physically having them altered was not present. The spells Accelero, and Persuadere, curiously along with the incredibly dangerous and evidently also incredibly complicated want it need it, however, could be found in its pages.
“What are you looking at over there,” Sunset paused as she had still been looking back over the shelves for more useful books, and glimpsing over the page to which I had opened the book I found.
“Something dangerous that I would under normal circumstances say should be illegal to cast,” I rolled as an off-hoof comment attempting to analyze the page.
“Let me have a look,” Sunset strutted over, before glancing at the page and nickering a small sound. “You can’t expect me to believe you understand what that says it’s 5-dimensional psychological spell casting.
“Five? Well, I won’t claim to know what any of the numbers are, but I will say that it looks to be mostly a mix of geometry as most magic is, at least as far as I’ve seen in these books and Psychology, which is the part I don’t know how to read. Now that you tell me there was a fifth plane to look at the geometry part makes more sense somehow, still don’t really know where it’s supposed to be though,” I gave only slight apathy to the page. “Unless the fifth plane is in-constant and actually is dependent on a tangent or cosine, or… well, this one I don’t think is a parabola anyway? I’m only any good at the geometric part of math, the rest of that nonsense that’s usually useless in the other world, I’m just lost,” I snorted trying to close the book in resignation. The book did not close immediately however as Sunset stopped it with a hoof, glanced over the page, let go, and shrugged.
Packing only the books that most interested us, Sunset conjured fakes of the books we were taking that would disappear after a few hours, then we attempted to sneak out while Silver Crescent was still managing the flames. We got as far as the station before Silver had tracked us down.
“Don't Think any pony I find suspicious can get away,” Silver Crescent panted hovering across the platform from us.
“Oh, I love games!” I began weaving one spell I had specifically looked at for this scenario having decided Persuadere looked too complex for now. Without so much as the time to blink twice, I turned my head and struck her with it right in the face. “At such short range though even I can hit you,” I added as her wings suddenly stopped and she fell in the empty station like a pin drop. Hearing Sunset’s reaction I added, “It was just a small concussive spell, she should wake up soon enough to keep pursuing us, but we can lose her or cast a bit of Persuadere her way by the time we reach our switch point, I just want a bit of peace and quiet. Or another possibility, I guess, is that she’ll come with help and we can have an action movie style fight on top of the train cars for some reason, even though being inside is far more to our advantage as unicorns. Also, I don’t like heights, I don’t fear them but moving at high speed on the outside of a train is not my idea of safe, also that timber wolf hurt.”
We quickly hid Silver’s unconscious body and waited for the train to arrive from where we could stow away without the notice of the conductor, putting a scarecrow we had quickly fashioned with Silver’s armor at the station so the train would stop, and a note apologizing to Silver for knocking her out.
During the train ride, I practiced Telekinesis by floating bits of rock, something I found myself incapable of without the book open to the page detailing the geometry and physics of the spell. Even though I only knew what some of it meant, the ‘logic’ I suppose it’s fair to call it, of the pages seemed clear while the spell was being cast as it had been when the concussion spell was cast. It hadn’t been long into the trip that Sunset suggested I remove the paper band wrapped around my left foreleg on which I had transcribed a few elements of the spell I had prepared to remind myself. A thing which I considered but quickly waved off in continual preparation for unknown events. Eventually I got bored of playing with rocks, and adjusted the book again, put it open on the floor and focused on the parabolic arc the pages would take and a slow starting velocity, considering the points in the arc in which the direction of the page might change or environmental factors were there any that would influence the page being moved aside from gravity. Concluding that it had been placed so that the inertia of the train itself would not hinder, or assist, I focused the magic mostly on the edge of the page as one would with a hand and turned the page. Slowly I made my way through turning at higher speeds as I went 'till I had reached a speed with which I found comfort, not too slow, not too fast, just ri… well, it was a bit slow but I was new to it so I was content. Well as content as I could be having not found a caffeine spell anyway. Finding myself able to manage the basic ability to turn the pages in the book I returned to moving the rocks around telekinetically now including tossing them as hard as I could manage, much to Sunset’s amusement.
“I’ll get it,” I sighed in frustration.
“Are you sure you don’t want some help?” Sunset teased.
In reply I picked one of the rocks back up in my magic, giving it a purple glow. This time however rather than try throwing it like a ball I took a deep breath focusing a small cone of magic behind it sucking the rock into the vacuum that created and released the breath inverting the cone, like one of those pop dome toys, launching it hard enough to indent into the train’s wall. “Ya! I did it!”
“Not too loud Grimoire, you’ll attract attention from the other cars,” Sunset scolded. “Way to go though,” she smiled.
“Alright that’s enough magic practice, for now, I might need something in reserve, besides that I don’t want my magic pollution to go an’ cause another Dark Water incident.”
About three hours had gone by the train came to a slow stop, and inspectors boarded before letting any pony off. Sunset teleported both of us out of the train to an alleyway in a dazzlingly blinding flash of light, from which both of our tired minds took a moment to recover. After said action sunset conjured black cloaks over us to hide our identities until we had lost our trackers who had given chase upon being alerted to teleport magic having been used.
With Sunset’s knowledge of the streets, we quickly made our way through the city, our saddlebags each now sporting Celestia’s cutie mark emblazoned on their sides by a spell sunset told me contained a code Celestia would recognize from her magic lessons that they had used before, boldly stating our allegiance to everypony. We, while still tired, looked better than we had now that we had brushed our manes since arriving in the city, and Sunset had figured out a Caffeine spell. Hungry though we were, being without bits we made our way past restaurants and food stalls to the castle where we were met at the gates by two guards whose names I did not know. After a considerable amount of deliberation and an agreement to have inhibitors placed on our horns and all belongings searched and separated from us during it, Sunset and I gained an appointment to meet with Celestia, partly due to Celestia’s own curiosity when word had reached her that a pony claiming to be Sunset Shimmer had arrived at the gates.
We, Sunset and I had found a couple of bits some pony had lost and were now sharing a two-bit cucumber sandwich and the snacks we had left, as I continued to pour over the basics of magic, and Sunset pondered what to say to her once mentor while we waited as the hours ticked by.
“You know Grimoire, most unicorns don’t actually pay much attention to the specifics of magic, you could try learning it that way.”
“Most ponies can use telekinesis, illumination, and whatever their special talent is, unicorns like us who have a talent in magic can and therefore should expand that list. That’s an excuse; I feel like I’m meant to do it this way though, given my mark. Oh! That reminds me,” I jumped wincing in pain from my earlier exhaustion when I did, and sat back down. “I haven’t actually told you what I plan to propose to Celestia for us to do, have I?”
“No, you have a plan now?”
“Oh, ya. I’m not really sure what order we should do it in or even where everypony is now, but the idea is that basically, we are gonna travel around Equestria gathering the most powerful unicorns who aren’t already military, six or seven of which including ourselves have a talent in magic, it’s more common than one would think.”
“Oh, well you’re going to need more than that for Celestia. Do you have a list?”
“Yep. The two of us, this world’s Twilight Sparkle, an underclassman of Twilight's, her name’s Moon Dancer, a mare who we should be able to find if we travel northeast who has started her own community without cutie marks, to clarify she actually created a spell to remove cutie marks, the whole system she’s got going is misguided and terrible but she’s a good pony at heart, just her moral compass is a bit… a lot off, her name is Starlight Glimmer. There might be a pony named uh…,” I checked my list, “Sunburst, who was a foal hood friend of Starlight’s. He isn’t really so good at practical application though, more the realm of theoretical magic is his thing I think. He could be in the Crystal Empire again if Celestia has claimed that from king Sombra again. I don’t know. And finally Trixie Lulamoon, who goes by The Great and Powerful Trixie. She isn’t actually all too powerful, but she, like Starlight is creative, unlike Twi.”
“I’m not sure about a lot of those ponies, but you mentioned Twilight do you know where she lives? Perhaps we should start with her?”
“Kind of. I have seen Moon Dancer’s house, so it's probably similar, not that it matters Celestia will, and I do know Twilight’s study tower.”
“Study tower? Oh, is it the same one I was using before I left. Would you happen to know?”
“It could be, never saw you in it. Do you know what the weird red contraption in the back is, I’ve been trying to figure that out?”
“The what?”
“The thing by the window, I have no idea what it is, it’s just there.”
“Oh,” Sunset realized. “That was mine. It’s essentially an over-designed to the point of being useless tea kettle. I bought it on a whim, though I can’t imagine why,” she clarified.
“Finally, I know what it is! I have been waiting 6 seasons to find out what that was.”
“Sure Grimoire, I didn’t know any pony would care so much about that thing.”
“Well, it’s a conversation starter and a bizarre piece of art. You don’t have to use all those syllables every time though, just call me Grim if ya’ want.”
“Well that will be one less syllable I guess, but if I’m calling you by a nickname won’t that be,” Her sentence was cut short when I interrupted.
“It’s fine, I’ll just call you Sunny, or Sunny bunny if you like.”
“Please don’t,” she immediately responded with a hard expression despite being exhausted.
“I wish we could go sleep someplace while we wait.”
“It won’t be too much longer we may as well go on over now,” Sunset shrugged looking up at the cloudy sky.
Silver Crescent shook herself as she returned to the waking world, only to find that she was tightly between the ground and a low wooden platform. Crawling out from under said platform she came to realize it was actually the boarding platform for the train and that a paper had been tied to her hoof.
When she unraveled the note it read:
Silver Crescent, Sorry I had to knock you out. The pony we are meeting with, in Filly Delphia is distrustful of unscheduled guests, and we are already late as it is.
-In hopes, we can still be friends
“Who signs a letter without a name?” Silver brought herself to her hooves, dusted herself off re donning her armor, and took off towards Filly Delphia.
I gulped as we trotted through the white halls of the palace keeping pace to stay between the four guard ponies that had been assigned to escort us, not to the large double doors of her court as I had expected but to the single still oversized door that led to Celestia’s personal chambers.
As soon as we stepped in I bowed my head as far as I could ignoring the pain still present from fighting the timber wolf, feeling on my entire body a heavy pressure like walking from air conditioning out to a particularly hot and humid day. Celestia slowly approached us from across the room with an even methodical pace slowly lessening the pressure with each step of her hooves against the soft carpet. Although the pressure was lessening I didn’t dare stand or speak before she spoke.
When she did no malice met her tone, only love. “Sunset, I’ve been waiting.”
Sunset and I both paused a moment. “All this time, you were waiting for me,” sunset spoke first in a low volume confirming to herself what she had heard.
“Sunset gets a reset then,” I spoke softly rising slightly but remembering it actually hurt to do so.
“Of course Sunset, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well Celestia,” I started at a normal volume picking myself up to a normal height. “You, not to be rude but you could’ve given a bit more attention to Sunset, and Luna, and probably Twilight. I may as well tell you that I’ll be asking about her latter so you can prepare for that. Sorry, I know you have a lot to do being the princess and with Luna I know there was a lot going on 1000 years ago too with Sombrero and whatnot, so don’t beat yourself up over it. Ah, how rude of me! I should introduce myself formally. I am Grimoire Dusk. I spent many years as something of an observer watching from two days before the stars aided in her escape, to present day of a timeline in which the Elements of Harmony had been restored, and Luna returned to rule beside you, as well as many other versions of reality. I tell you this not because it is particularly useful information, but because it is interesting, and in hopes that you can find some comfort in that a reality in which harmony returned does exist. I know a lot about this land including the reality of the wendigos and the draconequus. Although I, in all honesty, want to make myself easier to understand. Now Sunset, I know you both missed each other go give your mom a hug.”
“Mom!?” Sunset & Celestia shared their surprise.
“Well, she raised you after all didn’t she? I mean I know that for as much as she loved you she couldn’t show it, so it doesn't seem that way, but there’s no reason you can’t make up for that now. Anyway, I’d like to leave you to that and get some much-needed sleep now that we are out of your sister’s territory, if I may in your graces find a place to lay my head Princess,” I bowed again to Celestia.
Celestia trotted up to sunset, but looked over to me for a moment, “Go my little pony, rest,” Celestia pointed a hoof to a door through which I exited after thanking her and bowing again. “Your coltfriend is… interesting,” Celestia commented in a surprisingly light-hearted tone.
“He pfft what, he’s not…” was the last thing I heard before closing the door and falling immediately asleep as soon as I had flopped onto the sun princess sized bed.
When I stirred from my slumber I first realized I was in a soft, and warm yet powerful embrace. Then I realized it was because Celestia was laying between Sunset and I on the bed covering us with her wings. Coming to this realization I decided that for now all was right in this small part of the world, and returned to the embrace of sleep with no reason to stay awake. Sunset, had apparently done a better job than I had at explaining our situation, not that I had ever been good at summing up events in a logical, or convenient way. “I’ll go gently into this good night,” I yawned snuggling up to the big pony princess like a big fluffy carnival prize.
until the sun rises over the moon
The soft light of the midmorning sun streamed through the open window and past the curtains, with the fresh scent of dew from last night’s rain on the wind as I lie awake in Celestia’s bed. Pushing myself through slow difficult movements I eventually dropped from the bed to my hooves onto the soft give of the carpet. After taking a considerable amount more time than usual to stretch and go through breathing exercises, as the pain in my chest and limbs forced me into smaller slower movements, I brought myself to the door and tried my magic to turn the knob. Finding I could conjure none given the presence of the magic dampener I wore, I raised my hoof and opened the door letting out a small but long yawn. Through the portal frame I found Sunset and Celestia sitting opposite each other at a small round lightly stained wood table, which bore upon its surface the weight of a single tea kettle glowing at its bottom the color of Celestia’s magic, two mugs with hot tea poured into them, and a third unfilled at place before a third pillow identical to the ones the mares were on.
“Ah, morning girls,” I smiled. “Oh, uh I’ll join you in a moment, but um, first, uncomfortable question where might I find an uh, a bathroom?”
The bathroom connected directly to Celestia’s bedroom was, like the bedroom, abnormally large for the amount of space it should be capable of filling. I would even say this bathroom was as unnecessarily huge inside as Araragi Koyomi's, which was only as big as it was for artistic reasons. Although none of the walls connected to the outside they all portrayed beautiful imagery of pony history and fairy tales in stained glass illuminated from the other side, providing the only illumination in the room aside from evenly spaced ringed spheres of dim light floating in slow rotation above ornate marble pillars, as I made my way across the white reflective tile.
Returning to the room I took a seat on the third cushion, taking in my hoof the teacup Celestia had filled when I re-entered the room. As per its usual style, Celestia’s mane covered half of her face. I wasn’t sure if it had been my imagination or not, but in the moment she was putting the mug before me; the eye under her mane was visible and had a mild scar over the lids that blinked around her one bright green eye. “Thank you,” I said this carefully with slight apprehension looking her over for other signs of how she had changed since that day. “Celestia.” I watched closely but saw no unnatural reaction in her eyes, nor twitch of her hooves. Celestia, like I was with her, had been taking a measure of my character, looking for reactions, and such abnormality. Her mane flowed with perfect consistency and its usual candy box of colors in ethereal winds. She had not yet put on her crown or any other sign of royalty, giving her a surprisingly smaller appearance sitting on her cushion with the cup of tea in her magic. The only thing truly out of place I noticed was that her wing opposite the one which had surrounded me in the night, but faced me now twitched once, and her tail hadn’t moved at all. Though the observations from my point of view were skewed as I acknowledged in my mind by having so-called ‘normal’ being based on Fluttershy, a pony with a tail articulate enough to use it to play ball at a competitive level and Rainbow Dash who can’t wait to take to the air. Given my bias to these observations, I drew from them no conclusion. “If you don’t mind, would it be alright for me to ask what happened to your eye, Tia?” In asking I put forth no effort towards a poker face, from years of games I had come to learn a poker face shows the most important thing that no emotion does; a poker face shows that one has something to hide. Celestia knew this as well retaining her usual genuine smile, as I brought to mind things that made me sad, namely the recent death of Chiaki Nanami in Danganronpa, a thought which brought me a despair I showed in my expression stopping just short of breaking to tears, though my breathing had been interrupted by the emotion, and Celestia caught it. Sunset, in recognizing the atmosphere as similar to that of when Celestia had met with the diplomats of other lands when Sunset had been in her care, looked between us and sipped her tea. “Ah, apologies, I must have been mistaken, imagination getting to me and all that,” I pseudo tried to back out with a look to Celestia only somepony as experienced as she would recognize so immediately as dishonest.
“It is quite alright my little pony,” Celestia said in her usual tone continuing the smile she always had. “Hunger can cause a pony to imagine things especially in the haze of recent dreams, the same I’ll assume is why you called me by the name that pony did.” Physically she showed no sign of anything out of place entering her mind, nor had her magic holding the teacup faltered as it raised to her lips.
“Indeed I misspoke, and used Luna's words,” I said this without breaking the air I held, yet soon as it had been said I tensed almost reflexively having said something quite possibly wrong, and forced myself to relax again.
“Sunset has avoided the subject of who you are, or where she was. I was hoping you would be easier to get that from.” Though I knew she had Celestia showed no sign of having noticed my tension.
To try getting a reaction from her, and for no greater reason but to see the expression, I decided on a response I doubt she was accustomed to. “You were wrong.” Receiving the desired result as the gears turned in her thoughts, I continued, “Just joking, what do you wanna know, Princess Cake Flank?”
That received the response of Sunset sighing and putting her head down on the table. “Grimoire, you said you wouldn’t.”
“What I couldn’t resist, I have to know if the thing about Celestia’s cake addiction is true,” I shrugged with a slight smile to the pony Princess.
“It is not an addiction,” Celestia replied in an even tone.
“Yep, it’s really Celestia,” I concluded.
“Why would you think I would be somepony else?”
“Well, I omitted mentioning any knowledge of the changelings for a reason, you know. Even you only know what you know, so even you wouldn’t know what I don’t. That aside, I don’t see any harm in telling you where Sunset was, or what I plan to do. My history though, will be best kept as it is. For that, it’s best to tell you the truth that I told you last night. I was an observer of another version of this world, and as an observer is not meant to do, I have now begun to interfere in this one for the sake of fulfilling Sunset’s wish. Being an observer I may have a considerable amount of insight, however, knowledge is something I still lack. In Order to solve that I do have an unreasonable request.”
“Which is?” Celestia had not brought her tea to her lips a second time.
“Trust me,” I declared, taking my first sip of the tea.
“Is that all?” Celestia returned her magic to the teacup’s handle.
“I wonder if you will. I wonder if you can. Trust is hard, forgiveness is harder. If the both of you can forgive each other, is what I want to know. Though we are talking about Princess Celestia, and the bearer of the element of Forgiveness here so it shouldn't be too hard. Anyway, I’d like to have a walk about the castle, may I have my magic back, your highness?” I lowered my head in a soft bow.
“Be safe my little pony,” Celestia removed the dampener from my horn, cast a simple spell, and I left the room.
In wandering about the halls many guards had moved to stop me but returned to their post without a word taking notice of the shimmering gold band of magic which read in clear print Library b. Which I assumed meant I had basic library access. Whether she knew I would have an interest in that by inference given the contents of our bags, or something Sunset had told her made no difference thus I gave no second thought to it. Showing the band to one guard in particular whom I recognized, I told him, “I was told to show you this Flash.” Which of course was a lie but gained me entrance to the library, though the band undoubtedly would have done so alone. In the library, I found there to be a great multitude more books to fit my interest than had been in Ponyville. Ignoring the books on magic I found one book in the fiction section clearly targeted to young adults, and brought it to one of the large library’s tables and began to read. By the time a guard had come to retrieve me I had reached the end of the fourth chapter. That guard as well I recognized, but was surprised to see doing such a task as finding somepony in the castle.
“The princess has sent me to…” He trailed off for a moment noticing the reading material when I closed the book. “Hmm, my sister likes those books.”
“Twily? Really, that’s unexpected of her? I honestly thought she only read non-fiction and sciencey stuff. Oh sorry, I’m sure Celestia wouldn't have warned you, I am a bit odd. I’d like to meet with Twilight Sparkle soon, and I doubt Celestia will actually prepare her for the situation when it is scheduled to happen. Not that it has been scheduled yet, but if she could know that if Celestia calls her in to meet with some pony, that that pony, although we’ve never met, is quite curious about her. Oh, uh n-not in a weird way, Sunset is the pony who has caught my eye, in an academic way is how I meant that.”
“Okay? Well, the princess has asked me to bring you to the dining hall. Follow me.” I did so checking out the book as I left with Shining Armor’s help. “You were right Celestia did not warn me about you, how do you know my sister?” We continued to trot through the halls.
“Long story that I’ll leave up to Tia to share if she thinks it wise,” I replied. “In short though I’m from an alternate Equestria, that I would prefer Twilight not ask any questions about. You know how she can get with those things.”
Shining Armor nodded looking ahead so I couldn’t see his expression.
The dining hall was empty aside from Celestia, Sunset, and I, as the guards had all already taken breaks in shifts for the midday meal. Our possessions had been returned to us and we were to take residence in Sunset’s old room at this day’s end. Though Sunset protested at first Celestia stood firm that somepony needed to keep an eye on us, and had for some reason decided we should watch each other. That and bunk beds having been put in that room at some point suggested either that Celestia already trusted us enough from Sunset’s magic on our bags or through talking to us. Though I thought, it could also be the opposite of that. This is what I had been thinking about as I forked greens into my mouth while taping on the crystal screen of my new computer/phone tablet like thing that my phone and laptop had strangely merged into upon entrance to Equestria. Though it’s form held no significance till now, the importance of a few alterations had become clear to me during the train ride, when I had in taking a break from magic practice, set all of the files to ‘hidden’, the icons to invisible, the brightness to as low as possible, the background to a blank screen, startup screen to a picture I had taken with it of Sunset and I on the train, and putting in an incredibly long password I only remembered because it had been the Elements of Harmony’s original bearer's names listed in the order Twilight called them on that night. As such the guards had come to the conclusion it was a picture frame of some sort with an out of order alphabet that for some reason slid from it’s back. Though to be fair that is somewhat true. Unfortunately, my analysis did reveal that it had lost any sort of input/output ports and that computing power, as well as battery life, had been unfortunately reduced. It did remain able to play music, I had been very pleased to find out.
“Sunset, is he alright? He’s been staring at that picture of you for a while?” Celestia asked with genuine concern.
“What? Oh, no Celestia, he’s fine, that’s not… hey Grimoire, is it alright if I tell her what it is?” Sunset asked.
In response, I scrolled through my pictures and brought a fanart of sunset as a human playing basketball to fill the screen. “Your, wrong Celestia.” I spun the device around pushing it towards her. “It isn’t just one picture of Sunset.”
“Oh,” Celestia exclaimed. “So this is the species Sunset said she became on the other side of the mirror?” Celestia’s smile grew.
“W-wait, what are you showing her?” Sunset nervously reached a hoof to pull the crystal to see for herself. “Oh, um I don’t remember this?”
“It’s one of those alternate realities I was talking about. Well art of one rather, but all the same.”
“I do have a question though, not all of the pictures are of me are they,” Sunset asked. “I mean they can’t be right?”
“Of course not,” I answered simply returning the image to my side and closing the window. “Oh, I suppose I’ll ask about the crystal empire now, insert obvious questions here.”
“Our army overcame Sombra, the empire has been reclaimed. Was there anything more specific?” Celestia put in between forks of greens covering her mouth with a hoof.
“No that was it.” I pushed the empty dish to my side, secretly missing the taste of meat. I sighed putting away the computer and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl in the center. "Ya know there is one thing that I miss about being an omnivore. It’s being an omnivore.”
“Oh, humans are omnivorous? Sunset didn’t mention that.”
I just shrugged, “ya, though meat, and bread was admittedly most of my diet, even though I like fruit, especially bananas and strawberries. But ya, I really liked meat I’ll miss being able to eat it, but hey I knew that coming here would have that consequence.”
“Yet you did anyway,” Celestia stated not as a question, but still inviting an answer.
“For Sunset, I gave up all my favorite things, meat, the games I played, and the shows I watched. Again though, I still say I would give it all up to be here. I don’t regret it, if you were wondering.”
“Well, that’s rather… cold? Don’t you miss your family?” Celestia asked.
“Some, I miss my friends though. But they know as well as I, the decision to chose Sunset took no more than a heartbeat.”
“Oh,” Celestia said, leaving the table in silence for a time while Celestia, and I filled our appetites with the food servants kept bringing to the table while Sunset watched in amusement at somepony keeping up with the alicorn's appetite while as thin as I was. “I wasn’t expecting you to try keeping up with an alicorn’s appetite. Don’t force yourself my little pony,” Celestia hummed.
“I’m actually about at my limit here,” I said taking another spoon of soup, “But soup, is soup, and I like soup.”
Sunset, and Celestia chuckled. then Sunset declared, “I think I’ll go to revisit my old room, don’t make yourself sick trying to keep up with her Grimoire.” Sunset then got up walking from the room.
“Now that we are alone, there is something very serious I need to talk to you about Celestia.”
Celestia covered her mouth with a hoof, swallowed, and put down her fork before speaking. “Which is?”
“Dark Magic. I’m not stupid, looking at my cutie mark, the black-bound purple book that it is, and my own interests as they are, I can only assume I will end up using dark magic eventually. As I said though, I understand what using dark magic means, the consequences of a non-alicorn using it, consequences which I would most certainly like to avoid. So, Celestia, I ask you to watch over me as I study magic, and when you say I am ready, to guide me in safe and proper use of dark magic. Though I expect that to be no time soon, I ask that when the time comes, you watch over me in that. I don’t want it to do to me what it did Sombra, or cause some quarantine area as is present in the place of the battle of Discord in the south. Oh, also we shouldn’t tell Sunset about this yet, she had some very bad experiences with dark magic in that other world. I don’t want to hurt her.” When Celestia’s only reply was a slow nod, I brought myself to my hooves, and bowed. “Thank you, Princess Celestia, I will do my best to bring you honor.” Rising to my full height I left the room and asked Shining Armor who had been standing by to show me to the room Sunset and I were to share. He did.
Upon entering it became clear that Sunset had claimed the bottom bunk, as she was laying there reading a book of fairy tales from the bookshelf across from the bed onto which the books she and I had brought had also been deposited with the exception of the dull silver crystal book I carried in my magic, focusing on it constantly to keep it in the air as I walked to the bed’s ladder. Once there I stopped, floated it up, forward and released the magic dropping it on the bed along with the book I had checked out. Sunset lowered her book to look at me. “Hey there, how’d the contest go?” She asked in a tone that suggested she was genuinely curious, but also didn’t really care to hear about it.
“I don’t like sweats, so she won when we got to dessert.” I climbed the ladder to the top bunk and rolled under the covers.
“You aren’t going to sleep already are you Grimoire?”
“Ya, I need to focus on healing, the timber wolf fight still has me hurtin’. Nothin’ like an afternoon nap,” I said fluffing the pillow before laying my head on to it, and closing my eyes.”
“Ooff!” I woke up to a book being tossed up and hitting me in the stomach. “Ow Sunset, why’d you throw a book at me?” I asked with only an ounce of anger.
“Sorry,” she winced. “It wasn’t supposed to hit you that hard.”
“It’s fine, what’s up?”
“Dinner time, though I doubt you can eat much since you haven’t done anything since lunch.”
“Can, and should are different.” I climbed down the ladder leaving the crystal book where it was and joining Sunset on the floor.
Exiting the room we found another guard I didn’t recognize outside the door, she didn’t say anything the whole way to the dining hall, just ruffled her feathers in a gesture for us to follow at first remaining stiff and silent the rest of the way. Once we reached the destination she gave a curt bow and went to join some other guards at a table. Sunset and I easily spotted the tallest most obvious pony in the room, and joined her. Although my companions at the table had been brought normal pony food, the pony who brought the food to our table put before me a grilled fish seeming unsure if he was being pranked. Celestia gave the stallion a nod, and I’m sure my expression further convinced him that I did, in fact, intend to try eating meat as a pony. Celestia, and Sunset both along with every pony who had taken notice of the meal before me gave me curious looks as I eyed it. “Well,” I wondered in just below a normal volume, “can I digest this properly? Let’s find out everypony.” Taking my fork in hoof I sampled a small bit and recognized it. “Salmon! So I can still taste it huh? Well, I wonder what consequences it’ll have then.” I then used my magic to levitate a salt and pepper shaker to my place, shook a small amount of each onto it along with the potatoes it had been paired with, and returned them to their previous positions before continuing to the vocalized amazement of the castle workers watching. “
“Wait, Celestia, I know he mentioned it before but, you actually got meat for him already? He is a pony now he won’t be able to digest it,” Sunset worried.
“He might be different, look at his teeth,” Celestia said with an impassive tone.
Now that she mentioned it I realized the teeth of an herbivore should not be ripping through even salmon as easily as this, and found another piece of evidence to a cause I may have been allowed to become involved. And like that cause, I grinned, “Ah, so I’m here then because what’s the fun in making sense. This changes nothing about my plans, but it will make things interesting I guess.” I raked my tongue across my upper teeth feeling that they were left un-dulled by having become a pony.
The rest of the meal passed rather uneventfully with only idol chatter, nothing of any real importance. Afterwards, Sunset and I returned to the room we shared and agreed to take turns in the bath. Admittedly, I proposed the idea of bathing together to… conserve water. Of course, Sunset didn’t bite. While Sunset took hers, and I waited for my turn I continued to practice with levitation. When she got out of the bath I was disappointed to see she had already fully dried her mane.
“Ah, I wanted to see you with a wet mane,” I sighed.
She moved her facial muscles for a few seconds as if trying to form words before deciding on some. “W-well, it’s your turn now. Good night.”
The relaxation the hot water brought was much needed so I lay in the bath allowing my tired muscles to relax in the bubbles. Eventually, I had been in the bath for what I guess was an unnecessary amount of time because of the event that came next. Sunset opened the door, trotted over, and shook me with a hoof. “Hey, you alive in there?”
“Huh,” I stirred. “Oh ya, I just let myself relax too much. Ah, the bath just feels good.”
“Well, Get out soon, or you’ll end up spending the whole night in there.”
“I wouldn’t mind spending the whole night in here if you join me… I’m sorry, I should get out soon this is getting to me.”
I got out, sunset lit up her horn and I was instantly dry. “Go to bed,” Sunset said unsure of the emotion to feel.
Author's Note
Hello every pony, griffon, dragon, human, etc. Thank you, for reading this story, and of course a special thanks to all ya'll who have favorited and/or liked this story.
How is the story pacing so far? The parts coming up may skip multiple days at a time like the show to get to the actual consequential events like in the show, or I can continue to take it slow day by day, as each day will have it's own events. The choice of which to do will mostly be affecting the telling of the actual act of traveling around equestria to the different places Sunset, and Grimoire will need to go, and quieter resting days in between that would be more slice of life while in the setting of adventure. So those can be ether in skipped over events as it usually is on TV, or detailed as I did with the train ride to canterlot, in some cases being more detailed if the journey takes longer. (EX: Getting to Starlight's Village.) Personally I am leaning toward the latter option, for the sake of exploring this version of equestria in greater detail. If you have an opinion on that or anything else, I'm always open to constructive criticism.
If it applies though please tag your opinions as wrong. Just kidding, opinions are opinions.
I will quietly rage my dream.
I was awoken by the room suddenly becoming bright, and Sunset yelling up at me. “You planning to get up some time?”
“No… I wasn’t,” I groaned rolling over.
“Well, are you now?” Sunset sassed swaying as she stopped before the bed, leaving the door to the hall she had entered from open.
“Well no. I would, however, like to follow you about for a bit, if I may.” I pushed myself up with a yawn and unsteadily made my way to the floor. “I can’t say I’ll be terribly cognizant at this hour. Sorry that was a weird sentence from me, wasn’t it? Never mind that; what’s goin’ on?”
Nothing really, you just hadn’t gotten up yet, and it’s been awhile since I did,” Sunset remarked as I followed her out into the hall.
In the hall the same pegasus guard from before, Iron Rose was her name, met us there and escorted us to the library where Sunset had apparently already pulled books from the shelves. Upon arrival to the library, Iron Rose took position outside with a stiff salute, and silence. Sunset led me to a table at which she had a stack of books waiting. For what was probably the first half hour she flipped through the books, though I wasn’t paying much attention, thus couldn’t tell what for. During that time I hadn’t fully woken up yet, choosing instead to watch her as she occasionally would come to something which gave her a nostalgic smile. It was then that she stopped and lit a magical fire before my face, effectively snapping me from my daze.
“Wh-oh-uh? Why would you do that?” I Grumbled rising back to the chair after having fallen to the floor. “Well I I guess I’m awake now anyway, jeez.”
“You didn’t listen to anything I’ve said this whole time did you?”
“Not a word, Would it be too late in the day to request some eggs & bacon? Though I guess the castle would only have access to hay bacon… wait a second y’all have pig pens on yer farms? What function is there for that?”
Sunset laughed, “No, it’s not that late go, but when you get back, don’t j-just stare at me the rest of the day.”
“I’ll be back soon as I can find the way back then. Don’t suppose I’ll be gone too long. Well, we shouldn’t spend the whole day in here. Let's take a walk for a bit after I come back, and listen. Oh, almost didn’t ask, I assumed you’ve already had your fill. Shall I sneak you anything back or, do ya wanna’ come with?”
“If you can get it past the guards, I’d love another croissant actually,” Sunset waved.
After having done that, I returned looked around, and levitated a croissant before Sunset, watching as the deep purple of my magic turned to the lighter hue of her blue. “Uh, thanks. I didn’t expect you would, actually.” Sunset took a nibble from it.
“How could I not?”
“How did you get it in here? There’s no food allowed in here.”
“You asked me to. It would be harder not to. Wait actually that was a weird thing to say… I’ll just stop talking.” I took the seat opposite her which had been earlier vacated.
Over the next hour, I was lectured on the basics of magic by Sunset, who excitedly displayed the principles she was covering casting simple spells to demonstrate them. Some of the simplest spells I was able to recreate during our walk about the castle’s courtyard. The spells that veered into more complex areas, even spells as simple as creating a small firework or flame fizzled out at little more than a spark, and my telekinesis remained fidgety and inconsistent.
“Well fire doesn't seem to be my thing, and water isn't working either,” I slouched.
“Hey, that’s not too bad, you are trying to learn magic for the first time. Keep it up, Grim,” Sunset encouraged.
“True but I…” I trailed off, closing my eyes to picture the concussive spell I had cast on Silver Crescent, and applied what I had learned about magic to separate its components. I didn’t know it at the time, but my horn glowed faintly as I did. Then I compared that to what the spells I had been attempting had in common. When I opened my eyes, I let out a deep breath joining the different aspects I had learned into the array of a new spell. I found a target, focused, and released the spell as I sucked in a huge breath. The spell became a small orb which floated slowly forward. A falling leaf came into contact with the orb and stopped in the air gathering frost. The frosted leaf hung in the air for the 23 seconds before I released my breath; when I did, it thawed and withered as it fell slightly faster than it had been falling before it had stopped. “I- I did it. That worked,” I excitedly whispered, but my smile disappeared when I looked down to see the dry leaf crack.
Sunset came closer looking between the leaf I had frozen, and myself. “Excuse me?” Her horn lit up causing the air around her to shimmer. “This magical residue… but you can’t cast simple spells, how did you do something this complex? I don’t even know what this is that I’m detecting.
“Well I only intended for the stop to happen, the rest I don’t know… uh but that happened?”
“That did happen. You can go read over the basics again, I’d like to study the magic residue that left some more while I can,” Sunset waved me off her eyes becoming fixated on the leaf which had by now cracked into several small parts as if it had been stepped on.
I returned to the library and sketched an abstraction of how I remembered the spell as I had been weaving it, before looking over the simple spells Sunset had bookmarked. After a while, Celestia appeared beside me silently.
“Grimoire?” Celestia asked, startling me.
“Yes, Princess?”
“Sunset couldn’t Identify the magic you cast before, because she had been forbidden to study it. Have you realized what it was?” Though her words still had a bounce to them, Celestia had become somewhat more serious than before making it clear that she was actively putting forth an effort, to give off a pleasant air.
“I think so. The answers are in the StarSwirl section aren't they?”
Celestia nodded once, slowly. “A part of it. The other part, it sounds like you have cast before, from what she told me about your Timberwolf encounter.”
“The killing curse,” I replied solemnly. “One of the forbidden magics. I think its time then that I have a look at a documentation of that kind then, I can’t recognize it when forming the spell, and It seems to just end up as a part of my spell.”
“There are no detailed records of magic that directly causes death like this. Spells that cause poisoning, or impacts, and such things exist of course, but as you said, magic like you cast has been forbidden for a very long time.”
“That’s fine I have theories. I think it's similar to crystal magic, in that it is reliant on emotion in some way, given the circumstances of both times I did it. Celestia, I don’t want to hurt somepony. Help me?”
“Don’t be afraid, my little pony.”
“I am afraid. I thought my talent would eventually be leading me to use dark magic, and I thought I could handle that. But this? I don’t know, I don’t want to kill. Celestia, I don’t want to be afraid of my emotions.”
Celestia sat, and brought me into a tight hug. “Don’t be afraid, my little pony,” She repeated.
The rest of the day had passed rather uneventfully, as Sunset, and I spent most of it in our room reading fiction. When dinner came, the three of us including Celestia, sat in silence. None of us had quite the appetites of the prior day. When we had filled ourselves as much as desired we three stood and returned to what had previously held our interests upon returning from the hall. Celestia sent a smile my way as we parted for her to resume court. Sunset had been giving me concerned glances since Celestia had confirmed what my magic was.
“Hey, we haven’t looked at crystal magic yet, I don’t even know anything about it. So, I have been wondering, how do you know how it works?” Sunset inquired returning the book she had been reading to the shelf.
“I don’t. Well, I kind of do. Funny story behind why, but essentially it's a guess that emotions fuel that kind of magic. It sorta wouldn’t make sense if that weren’t the case, so it felt like a safe bet.” I stood up from the beanbag seat I was in, and approached Sunset. “Read my memories, I’ll show you,” I brought to mind the crystal heart reacting to the feelings of everypony to push out Sombra, and with it came images of the empire, and Princess Cadence. I also, to Sunset’s confusion happened to remember a well built but younger alicorn version of herself guiding a young Cadence as she learned to control magic.
“Oh… was I an alicorn in one of those memories?”
“Yes… it’s a long story. If you want to I can download it if I get a connection to my world again. It would probably be best if you didn’t, to be honest though.” I returned to the beanbag re-opening the light novel. “Ya know, this isn’t all too different from its counterpart in my world. The lead character’s name is even the same, Evie Greene. Though the human version's full name was actually Evangeline.”
“Isn’t that book for teen mares?”
“Hey I don’t make a habit of reading these, but this one stood out to me, even if the cover made me hesitant about it.”
We soon made our ways to our beds and fell asleep with my having read the first couple thirds of the series.
Over the next few days, we did much the same routine of Sunset and I studying and practicing magic, under Celestia’s guidance as often as she could pull away to be present. This a lot of the time involved us following Celestia around, and practicing in the court or where ever she had to be. During the course of these 4 days, I had cast 7 accidental killing spells of differing variety, on plant life, and 2 in attempt to do so. Celestia, as I would never have expected mentioned it as an off hoof comment to a particularly snooty official, which prompted me to demonstrate, thus creating the situation for one of the purposeful castings while resulting in a potted plant which found a cycle of its leaves bursting into flame only to launch straight up upon ignition each time they fully regrew. Due to the abnormal life cycle of that particular one, this happened every 12 hours on the dot. Thanks to Celestia’s own castings the cycle was altered so it would happen at exactly mid-day, and mid-night each time. “Never know exactly how the spell will manifest with me,” I had added at the time, before returning to my studies. Although Celestia assured the pony that I would never cast one at a pony, it remained true in that pony’s mind that I could be the bane of gardens everywhere if I wanted.
Twilight Sparkle had been scheduled to come in at precisely 11:58 and was allowed into the throne room which also served as the royal court no sooner despite her insistence on being half an hour early. When she was let in, Sunset and I had been seated on either side of the throne, and Celestia waited, and waited in silence between Twilight and herself not putting on any kind of menacing air at all, but making Twilight nervous regardless. Then just seconds away from twelve, She announced,”Twilight Sparkle!” She did this in a voice that while loud, and commanding, remained calm, and steady. Twilight had become interested in the potted plant which possessed a faint magical aura about it, it was in the very moment she returned her gaze from it to Celestia that its leaves ignited, causing her to jump as high as the incendiary compostables. Sunset, and I broke into rolling laughter seeing Twilight frozen stiff like a scared goat, while Celestia merely chuckled at the well-meaning prank.
When Twilight’s face had begun to become angry I spoke up, “Sorry Twilight that never gets old. Anyway, I’ll assume that as I created it, you are unfamiliar with at least the incendiary genius of this species?”
“Well, actually a ‘genus’ is a…” Twilight began, but Celestia cut her off.
“He knows Twilight, but that isn’t the reason you were summoned here,” Celestia held back her laughter.
“But then… What?” Twilight stumbled with her speech. “It’s an honor to be called here princess,” Twilight said as respectfully as she could while flattening her mane back out. “It won’t do that again will it?”
“No, no don’t worry about that, my little pony. Grimoire, if you would.”
“Of course Tia,” I broke script and for a moment Celestia, and Sunset’s concentration. “Good day Twilight Sparkle, my name is Grimoire Dusk,” I bowed slightly, apearifying a black hat upon my head only to move it to my chest in the bow, and have it whisk away when I threw it to the side. “And I am overseeing the creation of a special task force. You, miss Sparkle, have been summoned by her royal highness to become our third member. Our goal and ongoing mission will be to, without exception, and to the best of our abilities, spread the magic of friendship throughout Equestria by making as many friends as we can, and generally making ponies happy. Ultimately, however, our true goal is to gather the most powerful unicorns from around Celestia’s Equestria, and become directly responsible for the take-down of Nightmare Moon, and forward from that the restoration of a harmonious Equestria. While more specific goals are in place that is our official mission statement. In summary, you Twilight Sparkle, daughter of Twilight Velvet, and Night Light, as well as sister to Prince Shining Armor, have been summoned by Celestia herself to make some friends, will you accept?”
“I- I will. I’ll do it, princess. I’ll do my best this time.”
It had been, to Sunset and I, revealed that Twilight had in fact been sent to Ponyville in this timeline as well however failed to stop Nightmare Moon.
“I’m sure you will,” Celestia nodded, bringing a smile to both her own as well as Twilight’s face. “You won’t be alone this time, my faithful students,” She added giving a kind look to us each.
Twilight looked to Sunset who had remained quiet throughout the exchange, and recognized her from magic school, as well as the one who had previously been Celestia’s student before her. “Wait… I thought she… well…,” Twilight stopped without completing the statement.
“I did, but now I’m back,” Sunset simplified.
“They both have quite the interesting story to tell, I’m sure you three will get along wonderfully,” Celestia assured Twilight.
“Yes princess,” Twilight bowed.
“Yo, Tia! I’ma go grab a snack from the mess, a’ight?”
Celestia sighed in response, “Celestia, or Princess.”
Sunset stood up, and trotted up next to me, calling naturally as if she were still at Canterlot high ”Twilight, you coming?”
Twilight stopped a moment to absorb the situation, before robotically turning to follow us. When we had entered the mess hall, and picked up food to bring to a table was when she first spoke again to us rather than mumbling to herself. “So where did you two come from?”
We then proceed into a conversation which needs not be rehashed about the events between Sunset’s betrayal of Celestia, and forgiveness, as well as my story and how we had been studying and physical training over the last few days for the journey ahead. Twilight, needled to say wasn’t thrilled about the physical exercise. Thusly I directed her to, as she had before the ‘Running of the leaves’ read some books on running and more hiking. Afterwards, we discussed our next time and location to meet up, and Twilight headed home to tell her parents what she had accepted. Sunset, and I chose to spend the rest of the day outside, which included a stroll about the Canterlot gardens, and consequently a minute to knowingly appreciate the statue of Discord.
“Alright Twilight, is everything ready?” I asked.
Twilight looked over her checklist once more and nodded but then noticed one last unchecked item. “No! No, we aren’t! I almost forgot Mr. Smarty Pants!”
“Uh, who?” Sunset asked.
“Not who; Twilight don’t bring your dumb doll. There is no way that could he, lp us… oh? Hmm, I stand corrected, bring a doll you can afford to lose,” I contemplated aloud.
“It’s a doll? Really Twilight?”
“Mr. Smartypants isn’t just a doll he’s….”
“An old un-cute doll only Twilight could think of any other way,” I said interrupting her.
“Rude,” Twilight pouted.
“That was kinda rude,” Sunset agreed.
“Sorry,” I said sealing the last bag.
Once a doll of lesser importance had been procured we set out on the journey to the east.
“This is dumb, we are horses using horse-drawn carts to transport other horses. Like yo, dawg so I heard you like horses, eww old meme. Ugh, I wish I had thought about having to pull the cart myself before suggesting this. I am such an idiot. I wanna know who the hell thought one small horse pulling a couple of other small horses would be the most efficient or the most profitable way to do things. Friggin government lobbyists I’ll bet. Does Equestria do government that way? Well actually ya I know it does. I ought to at this point, I’ve heard enough crap from the weather lobby by now to complain no matter what the weather is. Rock! Tch. Friggin nature man, like why can’t there just be roads out into the nothingness like back home. A car would be nice. I miss air conditioning.” I kicked a rock mumbling to myself.
I looked back at the cart where my unicorn travel companions are sleeping, then to the sky where the pegasus guard Iron Rose is flying.
“So let’s see if I can see that star in that constellation… that means god damn nothing to me. Just go northeast like on the map, it should be easy, even you won’t get lost right? Ugh, thanks, trust the guy with getting directions, sure that’ll work!”
Nearly tripping over a rock I shook myself awake, then checked the harness to be sure the cart was still secure before continuing on.
“Do it for sunset, do it for her. I know. Don’t wake the girls, don’t wake the girls. Ugh, I’m talking to myself again.. I thought I was over this. Keep it down, you’ll wake them up. I need to wake up myself. What has it been 69 years? No idiot, try hours, it hasn’t even been 40 yet. Oh, 40 what a small number of HOURS! I’ve been up longer. Ya, and how’d that turn out fur ya? Fuck off, I don’t need this negativity. What you need is to go to sleep. Well, I can’t do that here, so shut up. Well damn, obviously, find somewhere you can. Look around do you see anywhere we can stop?”
In crossing northeast through Equestria we had come through sparsely forested hills after descending the mountains, and crossing the near desert-like savanna at the base, as we headed further on our way the temperature had been steadily dropping.
Looking up I sew Iron Rose gliding in pace with me occasionally dropping a few meters or so before flapping her wings to regain altitude and circling back.
Iron Rose looked down towards me, dived suddenly, and crashed into the ground almost comically.
“Rose, Rose, are you ok? Are you ok Rosie?” I shook her with a hoof.
Rose rolled onto her side and pointed to the south-east before drawing an arch on the ground followed by a couple of “Z” like shapes.
“Thanks, Rose we…” I shook like a wet dog. “We need to rest.”
I undid the harness and locked the wheels in place.
“Rose,” I shook her again. “Can’t, not here. In cart.” I nod off again but feel a hoof against mine. Opening my eyes I saw that it was Rose.
She yawned and pushed herself up, and tried for the cart’s harness, but fell again.
“Cart. Rose,” I pointed to the cabin where the others were sleeping. Rose nodded once, paused, and make a clockwise circular motion over her chest with a hoof, paused and repeated the motion.
I smiled back. “It’s aight, thanks for watchin’.”
I rubbed my withers and re-attached the harness. I tried to start towards what Rose saw, but the wheels were still locked. With a grumble, I turned towards the cart a spell beginning to form.
Rose’s eyes went wide as she suddenly jolted up-right, and put a hoof out in front of herself, bringing her hooves together and moving her right hoof to her temple in a panic. The signs for “stop” and “learn.”
I blinked once, twice, three times. My eyes mimic hers as I flung the spell north where it impacts a pile of rubble at the base of a small hill. The pebbles suddenly grew wings, flew towards us, and crumbled falling to the ground halfway.
“Good call,” I nodded back to Rose, but she had fallen fast asleep, one hoof hanging off the cart. “Cute,” I smiled back and sigh before properly preparing the cart.
“Oh look, it’s a cave. I’m tired, and talking to myself again. Sorry, Mr. Bear or whatever is in there, it’s mine now, screw you.”
I detached the cart, and secured the wheels, then lined up leaves at the entrance to the cave.
“Here goes,” I took a deep breath looking over a spell scroll. The leaves ignite with a faint blue light and launched into the cave fluttering like bioluminescent bats.
“Cave… clear?” I said after a moment of silence when the leaf bats had become hard to see.
In short order from then, a literally ground-shaking roar erupted from the cave rocking the cart.
“What was that?” Sunset said from inside the cart.
Stepping out of the cave an ursa major stared me down growling.
“Begone from this place you, uh… Fuck off bear,” I stumble forward.
The ursa imposes its massive size standing on its hind legs. I didn’t react to this not out of a lack of fear, but a lack of awareness, as at the time I had fallen asleep on my hooves for a moment before shaking awake.
“Oh, you’re still there? Go away please.” I yawned stepping forward again my horn igniting undirected magic.
“Oh Celestia, Grimoire! Are you stupid?” Sunset shouted pulling me away just in time before the ursa's paw came down indenting the stone.
“What? I made a friend?”
“No wonder you’ve been so against skipping on sleep,” Sunset wheezed gathering herself.
Sunset turned back to see the ursa’s claw shatter a magic shield which caused the claw to land only inches from the cart.
“Ursa!” Twilight yelled before realizing she was the only one who hadn’t left the cart.
As a logical pony, or rather as logical as any pony can be expected to be in such a situation, would Twilight teleported behind us.
“Uh, ok does anypony have a plan?” Sunset asks.
“Friendship?” Twilight suggested backing away, but tripping over a small bush.
“Bonfire, better than nothing,” Sunset looked from the bush to the ursa igniting her horn and creating a spark on the ground which erupted into a bonfire large enough to startle the ursa into stumbling over as Twilight had.
“Oh, pretty,” I said.
“Could you help out here Grimm, Twilight?”
“Pulled the cart,” I stumbled hardly conscious.
“Make it simple,” Sunset calms herself. “Grimm, make a pretty thing,” she says rolling her eyes while her magic recharged and Rose and Twilight were tripping over each other.
“Oh, oookay,” my horn ignites its magic glow fading to Sunset’s aquamarine before it dissipated as the ursa readied a charge.
“Not helpful,” Sunset began a new spell.
Suddenly a spark flickered into existence where Sunset’s had and burst into a ring which flickered into the shape of her mark igniting the ursa's fur. Now on fire, the ursa rans towards the nearby lake. When the fire faded a scorch mark was left behind.
“Pretty,” I repeated falling asleep at last.
Author's Note
Romance is an EXPLOSION!The Sunset Rises , I don't really want to do that. So not a real hiatus on everything else just me not having the time/ energy to write.