Chapters Life on a rock farm was simple to the untrained eye. All you had to do was move rocks. How boring is that? Yet there are several intrinsic facts that most ponies don’t get. There’s evaluating the land, knowing the strength of the stones, and countless other factors that take years to master. Yes, the life of a rock farmer was tough on both the mind and body. The very family that called this land their home was a testament to that. If you were to ask them, they would tell you that they loved their line of work.
All except one of them.
A little dull pink filly nudged along a stone. Her long, straight mane fell past her eyes and she was lucky it wasn’t long enough to drag on the ground. She never really cared for having straight hair, but her sister’s liked it so she wouldn’t complain. She usually stuck to her twin sister, Marble, but today she was out on her own.
This filly was bored out of her mind. She wanted something more than what she had to live with, but she was afraid to say it. Her parents would never beat her or anything. They were good folk. It was just that she didn’t want to disappoint anyone. So she kept working. Day in and out. Nothing ever changed. She could feel something was wrong. None of her family knew what to do.
Maud, her elder sister, was a good shoulder to cry and talk to but even she was at a loss on how to help her little sister. So the little filly anguished as her heart felt like breaking every time she woke up.
This little filly was none other than Pinkamena Diana Pie. Pinkie for short. This is her story and the amazing tale that happens to her just about…. Now.
“What’s starting now, mister sky voice?” the little filly asked.
….Little filly, I’m trying to tell a story. Could you please ignore me? Not trying to be rude here, but the good people reading this might get a little confused with this fourth wall break.
“I don’t know what a fourth wall break is, but okay.” And then she went back to pushing her stone.
Yes, many wondered what sort of voices she sometimes talks to are. I would wager that some are rather dashing myself, but uhem… It was another concern for her that her family had. None of my doing, but what can you do?
Pinkie kept pushing her stone all the way back to the house till it got stuck in a hole. No matter how much she pushed, she couldn’t budge it. It was at that moment she envied her big sister’s strength. So she started to dig around the stone to nudge it out. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best of ideas. The ground under her started to crack open and all she could do was scream as she plummeted down into the depths of the earth.
She fell down what could only be called a chute of some kind until she smacked her little booty onto the ground. She sighed in relief. Earth ponies are especially tough so the fall didn’t hurt her much. She was a little sore, but that could wait to be addressed later. Right now she had some place new to explore. Afterall, she needed to find a way out and see if there were any good rocks down here.
Just as she turned the corner, she bumped into something. Falling backwards on her rump, she cutely snorted. Picking herself up, she looked over what she had bumped into. It wasn’t actually a thing but it wasn’t alive either. ‘Maybe it’s a statue,’ she thought to herself. It was a strange statue. It was black and fanged. There were holes in its legs. She didn’t think anything of it then it looked silly in a nice way. There was of course the metal plating that covered the left side of it’s face.
Pinkie did the one thing she could think of. She booped it’s nose, “You’re funny.” She giggled.
She then noticed that the room had a shining glow to it and let her eyes roam. Then they widened. Right there in the middle of the room was a large and glowing sickly green sphere. “Ooooh, shiny.” She smiled and walked on towards it. As she got closer, she couldn’t help but want to touch it. It was like something was drawing her in. It wanted her to touch it and it seemed friendly. She couldn’t help herself. That stopped when she heard a yawn.
Turning around, she saw the statue get up. “Ahhh, a statue!”
“Oi'm not a bleedin statue,” he, the voice was obviously male, said. It had a strange accent that she had never heard before. He didn’t seem completely black now that she looked at him better. He seemed to be graying and slight blue flames licked out from the metal plating covering half of his face. “A pony? What’s a pony doin’ down ‘ere?”
She gulped as she looked up at the funny looking creature. “I… got lost.”
The creature sighed, “T'be sure yer did. you're lucky dat oi'm a nice changelin', so i'll jist take yer on home.”
“Changeling?” Pinkie asked with a tilted head. “I’ve never heard of you before.”
“You’re lucky den,” the changeling nudged her away. Before he got far, he started to hack and cough. His body shook and the flames grew larger from the metallic sides.
“Mister changeling,” Pinkie gasped and held his leg like that would help. “Are you okay? Do you need my mommy to kiss your booboo?”
The changeling’s hacking stopped and he calmed down, “Nah, it’s fine. Just an ol’ war wound acting up.” That’s when the sphere’s glow started to brighten. “Oh what now?”
Suddenly, a spectral figure popped into existence. She was tall and elegant but still clearly the same species as the changeling with little Pinkie. Even if it was just an image, it radiated immense power. Her fanged filled mouth leered down at Pinkie, “I sensed it.”
The changeling looked down at Pinkie, “Ah bleedin’ Tartarus, ye don’t mean dis pony do ye?”
“I mean exactly that,” her voice still carried the same accent, but it was more refined. Chrysalis smiled down at the little filly. “Yer the chosen one.”
“Really?” Both Pinkie and the changeling said at the same time. The former was in awe, the latter was slightly agitated by this.
“What does that mean?” Pinkie asked.
“It means ye will take yer rightly place as a changelin’ monarch,” the large changeling grinned.
“About dat,” the changeling piped up. “She’s a pony.”
“And we will change her,” the large changeling snorted. “Do ye doubt yer queen, Crascius?”
Crascius bowed his head, “Never, but about this whole ‘chosen one’ bit. I don’t rightly recall us ever havin’ that before.”
“I didn’t make it up if that’s what you were thinking,”the large changeling said rather quickly. At the raised eyebrow, she snorted. “Maybe a bit, but it’s kind of true…. I got bored!” She then realized Pinkie Pie was still there and cleared her throat, “Now then-” her accent was missing this time and she was speaking clear Equish. “Who are you?”
“Pinkamena Diana Pie,” the little filly gulped.
“Well Pinkamena Diana Pie,” the large changeling hummmed in thought. “I’m going to call you ‘Pinkie’ for short. I don’t have the time to deal with such long names at the moment. Don’t start on the whole ‘I have all the time in the world’ thing since I’m dead. I’m not exactly dead, but you get the picture.”
“Okay,” the filly smiled. She seemed nice enough. “So… what now?”
“We change you,” the large changeling said. “It will be long and arduous,” she didn’t notice the filly go towards the orb as she started to talk, since her eyes were closed for this bit of exposition. “But I, Queen Chrysalis, do promise that-”
*phwoom*
Upon touching the orb, green fire burst over the little filly. Within an instant, there stood Pinkie Pie, the new changeling queen. The changeling filly giggled, “This feels funny.”
Chrysalis and Crascius stared at her in shock, “That’s… not supposed to happen. That can’t happen. I… huh… what?” Chrysalis muttered.
“Well this calls fer a celebration, don’tcha think?” Crascius smiled up at Chrysalis.
“A celebration?” Pinkie blinked in confusion.
“A party,” Crascius said, to which the filly was still confused. “Bloody Tartarus, haven’t ye been to a party before?” Pinkie shook her head, “That needs to change now! No filly is going to be partyless on my watch. Isn't that right, my queen?”
Chrysalis was still trying to process Pinkie Pie's action just a minute ago, "Filly... changeling... but...."
Crascius sighed, "This is goin' to be one of those type of days."
_________________________________________________________________
Cloud Quartz hummed a little rock farmer song as she washed the dishes. It had been a rather long day, but they’d been able to find some rather good hauls. They were good enough that they didn’t have to worry about food for quite some time. The markets would pay out the noses for them. Of course, that didn’t still her nerves completely. Her daughter, Pinkamina Diana Pie, wasn’t back yet. It wasn’t unusual for her family to stay out late, but Pinkamina was always early. The little filly just didn’t seem to like working on the farm.
Cloudy couldn’t help but feel her heartbreak as she watched her daughter trudge along like a zombie. ‘I’d give anything to have her smile and be happy.’
That’s when her little Maud came walking in. She was a rather… stoic filly. It was worrying at first how she never did emote that much, but now the family knew she just did it her own special way. Her family was strange and her husband had to get used to it. She had her own special senses and quirks after all.
“Mother, Pinkie is at the door.”
Cloudy blinked in confused, “Pinkamena?” Maud nodded. “Then let her in.”
“She brought friends.”
Cloudy furrowed her brow, “Who could she have met all the way out here?” She put down the dish and dried her hooves. Walking to the door, she opened it up….
“Hi mommy,” her little girl was a pink changeling.
“‘Ello,” a changeling with metal plating over half his face and light blue flames licked out from the sides. He wore strange green clothes and a green top hat.
“It is nice to meet the mother of my new temporary replacement,” and… a changeling queen ghost…..
Cloud had only one response.
She fainted.
Author's Note
Well this is a long time coming. I'm not sure if I'm actually happy with this chapter myself, but I hope someone likes it. I'll see who comes next, but I'm aiming to do the main six as they come. Applejack's might wait till her story is over with, but for now, I'll do some of the others. Hope you enjoyed this and please leave a comment.
Cloudsdale. It was one of Equestria’s oldest cities. The floating city had been in place since long before the formation of Equestria. If one were to actually study it, they’d be hard pressed not to call it anything but a flying fortress. It was nearly inaccessible by most species and guarded by the finest pegasi warriors the lands had ever seen. The outer walls were lined with Magi Cannons large enough to down a dragon in one shot. It was a safe and secure place to live and one every pegasus looks on at with pride.
To live here was an honor in itself. That’s how a little rainbow maned filly thought. Well if she really cared to think about the city. She was too busy at the moment trying to think of anything fun as she groaned, “Daddy, why do we have to go to this stupid meeting.”
Her father was an older and darker blue stallion with a rainbow mane as well. He was currently wearing a military dress uniform befitting the more militarized pegasi. “This meeting is not stupid, Rainbow Dash. This meeting is to discuss the future of our people. When you’re older, you’ll appreciate what I’m doing for you.”
“That I won’t have to deal with ground pounders?” Rainbow Dash quirked her head. Her father didn’t have the highest opinion of them, if she had to guess.
“Something like that,” Rainbow Blaze snorted as he glanced down at his beloved daughter.
Rainbow Dash grumped. All her father ever did at those meetings was bemoan the ground pounders and talk about ‘ruling ourselves in the skies’. It was so boring. It was the same stuff over and over again, like just talking would change things. ‘Why are ground pounders so bad anyways?’
Her father had said that pegasi didn’t need to listen to them, but her mom said they were just like pegasi. Well, except they can’t fly. Rainbow flapped her wings, unsure of what it would be like to live without them. ‘It’d be pretty not awesome.’
When Rainbow Blaze and his daughter finally arrived at the spot, which was a large courtyard, he nudged his daughter. “You can go to the playground over there and play, but I want you to stay there. Don’t go wandering off or no ice-cream for a month.”
Rainbow Dash pouted, “Fine, daddy.” She had only done that once… or twice. She trotted over to the playground, but before she could start to play, she saw something. It was none other than the Wonderbolts! They were her favorite flyers and a couple of them were flying over the playground.
She gasped, “The Wonderbolts? Here?” They kept on flying. She narrowed her eyes as they passed the playground. She wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. She was going to talk to a Wonderbolt today. She’d be back before her daddy would notice. HIs speeches sometimes went on for hours anyways.
Flapping her small wings, she zoomed off. She was rather fast for her age, something her daddy never stopped saying to everyone they met. He kept telling her that she was even good enough to be a Wonderbolt. She grinned, ‘Daddy’s real smart so he has to be right. Once I show those Wonderbolts how awesome I am, they’ll make me one on the spot.’
It took her a few minutes, but she finally caught up to them at a large open field of clouds. The two Wonderbolts hadn’t noticed her yet.
“I can’t believe Captain Thundercloud just sent us away like that,” the mare of the duo said. She had an orange striped mane. “I was just offering a few flying tips.”
“You basically called him an old goat,” the stallion remarked. Looking closer at the duo, they looked to be teenagers.
“Well he’s acting like one,” the mare snorted.
“Look, I know he’s a bit rough.” The stallion said. “But he does mean well and you were being a bit of a jerk back there.”
“Oh so now I’m the jerk?” The mare prodded his chest with a hoof. “I was just giving him some tips. The old stallion’s too rigid. I could fly circles around him easy.”
‘Fly circles around Captain Thundercloud?’ Rainbow gasped. ‘But he’s the bestest Wonderbolt ever. If she can fly better then him, then I just need to impress her and I’ll be a Wonderbolt.’ She pranced in place as her smile almost split her face. With a flap of her wings, she flew right over to them. “Hey, can I be a Wonderbolt?”
The duo looked down at the little filly that landed next to them. Then they looked to each other and sighed.
“Of course we end up with a fan,” the mare snorted. “Why a kid though? I suck at talking with kids.”
“That’s because you act like one,” the stallion chuckled before she struck his shoulder. “Ow, well it’s true.” He grumbled as he rubbed his now sore shoulder.
The mare turned to the filly, “No, you’ll have to wait till you're older.”
“I don’t want to wait,” Rainbow angrily pouted. “I want to be a Wonderbolt now!”
“And she’s a brat,” the mare rolled her eyes.
“Just like…” The stallion did his best to shut his mouth at her glare.
“Listen kid,” the mare turned to her. “We’re busy right now. Go bug somepony else, okay?”
“No, I want to fly circles around you so I can be a Wonderbolt.” The filly grinned up at them. ‘Flying circles around her is easy. I do it with daddy and mommy all the time.’
“...You think you can fly circles around me?” The mare’s eyes narrowed. She snorted when the filly nodded. “Very well, prove it.” Her wings spread out. “Beat me in a race and I’ll make you a Wonderbolt. First one to race around Cloudsdale wins.”
“Spitfire-”
“Shut it, Soarin.” Spitfire snarled, bearing her fangs at him. “This filly wants to race, so I’ll race her. You can clean up her tears when I’m done.”
“...You really suck at dealing with kids,” Soarin sighed. “This is on your head if Thundercloud finds out.”
“Oh like he’ll find out,” Spitfire spread out her wings. “Ready kid?”
“Ready!” Rainbow spread out her wings too. She was shaking with excitement. ‘Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!’ With that, they both took off.
Spitfire kept her pace in front of Rainbow, “Don’t fret it when you lose, kid. Us Wonderbolts are a tough bunch to beat.” She cockily smirked.
Rainbow gave her a challenging smile, “And don’t be a meany when I beat you.”
Spitfire snorted, “You wish.” With another beat of her wings, she soared further ahead of Rainbow.
Rainbow’s eyes widened at the speed and she pushed herself further. No matter how hard the little little tried, she couldn’t get fast enough to pass her. At most, she almost caught up on occasion, but Spitfire just took a sharp turn or put more ‘oomph’ into her wingbeats. The little filly glared at the other flyer. ‘I’m not going to lose. I’m going to be a Wonderbolt!’
“You’re too slow~” Spitfire cackled.
“That’s it!” Rainbow shouted and tried to push herself even faster. Something sparked inside her at that moment. It was something powerful. Something she had never felt before. A cone of light seemed to form around her as she sped up and then… it broke. With an explosion of rainbow so strong that it shook the neighboring city and land, Rainbow was propelled forward.
Spitfire yelped in surprise as a rainbow blur shot past her, “What?!!” Her eyes widened, before the shockwave finally caught up to her and sent her tumbling in the air.
“HAHA!” Rainbow laughed as she kept on racing. She never felt so alive. The wind passing through her mane. The adrenaline racing through her veins. She liked it. A lot. Looking back, it was almost like her mane and tail were shifting about like Princess Celestia’s own mane. That just sent another tremor of ‘awesome’ through her.
She finally did start to slow down several minutes later, when she landed back at the starting point. “I WON!!!”
Spitfire snarled as she landed as well. It was obvious she took another shorter way there. “You… you… what did you do?”
“The Sonic Rainboom,” a baritone voice spoke up. Looking over, they saw a yellow maned, purple stallion walk over. He was wearing a Wonderbolt’s outfit, but the headpiece was removed at the moment.
“But Captain Thundercloud,” Soarin spoke up. “That’s just a myth.”
“But I saw it and so did many others on this very day,” Captain Thundercloud lowered his head down to her. “What is your name, little one?”
Rainbow Dash’s mouth fell open. This was the Captain of the Wonderbolts: Thundercloud. He wanted to know her name. ‘He wants to know my name!’ “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.” Her wings fluttered on her back.
“Oh My Gosh is a very strange name,” Thundercloud chuckled.
“I mean, it’s Rainbow Dash.” The filly spoke up. “I’m a Wonderbolt now.”
“Are you now?” Thundercloud smiled and quirked an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
Spitfire cringed.
“Spitfire said that if I beat her in a race, she’d make me a Wonderbolt.” Rainbow explained.
Thundercloud frowned, “Did she now?” He looked over at Spitfire.
“I didn’t think she’d go for it,” Spitfire shrugged nervously.
“Of course you didn’t,” Thundercloud sighed. “We’ll talk about this later. As for now, Rainbow Dash. I can’t make you a Wonderbolt yet.” The little filly frowned, “But I can train you to be one.”
“What?” Spitfire piped up. “She’s a filly.”
“That performed a Sonic Rainboom,” Thundercloud spoke up. “By all accounts, I can just give her the uniform now. I’m not one to stick to tradition though, so we’ll wait a few years to make it official. I’ll just train her to be better.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it. This was a dream. It had to be. It was too good to be true. Her little wings fluttered excitingly as she pranced around the adults, giggling as she did.
“Rainbow Dash!” Her father shouted. “WHERE ARE YOU?!!!”
“I’m over here, daddy!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
Rainbow Blaze sighed in relief as he raced over to her and pulled her into a hug, “I’m so glad you’re safe. There was a quake of some kind and I had to make sure you were alright and…” He stopped when he saw Thundercloud. “Thunder.” He glared at the Wonderbolt.
“Blaze,” Thundercloud held a neutral expression. “Your daughter is exceptional. She just performed what could be the first Sonic Rainboom in generations.”
Rainbow Blaze was silent for a moment, before smirking. “Of course she did. She gets her speed from her mother.”
“And I’m training her,” Thundercloud spoke up. “She’ll need someone to do so, especially since she wants to be a Wonderbolt.”
Rainbow Blaze opened his mouth to protest before his daughter cut him off.
“Daddy!” Dash nuzzled his chest. “I want to be a Wonderbolt.”
Blaze was a hard stallion. Most everyone could attest to that. Yet, he had two weaknesses: his wife and daughter. He sighed in defeat. No one could say no to that cute face, “Fine.”
“Yay!” Dash hugged him. “I love you, daddy!”
Blaze hugged back and smiled, “I love you too, Dashie.” He looked over and glared at Thundercloud. “Don’t you dare put any bad ideas into her head.”
“That’s your job, apparently.” Thundercloud muttered, earning a snarl from Blaze.
“I’m going to be a Wonderbolt.” Dash pronked around them. ‘Best day ever.’ “I’m going to be a Wonderbolt.”
“And no ice-cream for a month,” Blaze spoke up. “You ran off. I don’t care if Celestia herself awarded you for being a national hero. If I say you stay in one area, you stay in one area, young lady.”
“Awwww,” Rainbow Dash pouted in despair, her wings and little ears drooping. ‘I guess it’s not the best day ever.’
"Oh cheer up, kid." Thundercloud smiled and poked her flank. "You got a little something extra for your display."
Rainbow Dash turned her head to see a cloud and rainbow lightning cutie mark. She gasped in delight, "I've got my cutie mark~!" She squeed. 'Never mind. Best day ever... but no ice cream... darn it.'
Author's Note
I'm much more proud of this one, though I wasn't sure if I wanted to include Rainbow Blaze's political speech. I decided not to since this chapter didn't need one. Hope you all enjoyed it and please leave a comment.
High Inquisitor Fervent always did his best to stay calm in any circumstance. Whether during a time of war or a family outing, he was always calm and collected. At least, he thought so. “And you are sure that the human civilians will not give us trouble if the Romans invade?”
The Inquisitor that stood before him nodded. The duo were seated within a private room within Canterlot castle, “The humans of our colonies are loyal to Celestia as any pony would be. If the human Romans invade, they will not find solace with their species there.”
Fervent chewed on the thought for a moment, “Still, send a few Inquisitors and a Priestess or two to make sure that the humans remain loyal to Equestria. I want you to send your best. One’s that won’t anger the locals. We need to remind them that they are still Equestrians, no matter the species.”
What the duo were talking about were the Folkland Islands. A series of small to large islands that laid themselves down between the nations of Equestrian Empire and the Roman Empire. They had originally been Roman territories thousands of years ago, but were somewhat abandoned when Queen Majesty had invaded and conquered them. Ever since, Equestria had kept a presence on the islands and marking them as part of the Equestrian Empire. Thankfully for the humans that resided there, Queen Majesty had never tried to exterminate them the same way she tried to do with the mainland. They weren’t numerous to worry about at the time.
However, the Romans hadn’t forgotten. It had been thousands of years, but they had always tried to take back the islands. For the most part, it was through diplomatic means. A war between Rome and Equestria could be devastating. They did not have the numbers of the Griffons or the natural advantages or tech as other creatures, but humans were amongst the best druids and had skills in rune magic. Celestia had done her best to pacify the Romans but Fervent could see the flames of war were being heated.
The only time Equestria had gone to war with the humans after Queen Majesty’s invasion, was when the humans had tried to exterminate the Troodon nation of Sauria. Equestria had dominated the sea engagements. Cut off from their nation, surviving Romans had been rounded up quite quickly. That was a few hundred years ago. The Romans wouldn’t be so behind in the naval category now.
“It will be done,” the inquisitor bowed his head and stood up. He trotted over to the door and stopped. “High Inquisitor.”
Fervent raised an eyebrow, “Yes?”
“You have a visitor.”
“Grandpa!” A little purple blur rushed over and smashed herself up against him in a fierce little hug.
Fervent laughed and hugged her back, “Well if it isn’t my favorite granddaughter.”
The little filly, Twilight Sparkle, giggled. “I’m your only granddaughter, Grandpa.”
“Well you’d still be my favorite even if I had a thousand granddaughters,” Fervent ruffled her mane with a hoof. He made a gesture for the Inquistior to leave. He bowed and closed the door on his way out. “So how is my studious Sparkle doing? Getting perfect grades, I hope.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded, “Yep, they’re going to advance me two whole grades. They think I’m really smart and that I’ll easily get into Celestia’s school.”
“That you will,” Fervent smiled. “No unicorn in my family has ever failed the entrance test. You’ll do fine.”
“Really?” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. “Because I ran the statistics, I could still fail.”
“Because I sense a power in you that could dwarf mine with the right training,” Fervent nodded. “That and your lust for knowledge will surely get you in. Besides, unicorns with subpar magic have gotten in. Well mostly for their grades, really. You won’t have to worry about either.”
Twilight smiled, “But just in case, can I read some of your books?”
Fervent smirked and nuzzled her, “I just got a new shipment of books you can read. Some of it is a bit advanced, but I know you won’t have any problems.” He nodded towards a wooden box.
Twilight squee’d and hugged his leg, “I love you, grandpa.” Then she took off towards the box holding all the new books.
Before he could help her sort through the books, somepony opened the door. It was her parents. They were panting, no doubt having to run after the excitable filly. Shining Armor was no doubt with a drill instructor who was assessing his capabilities at the moment. The colt was going to be a fine soldier someday.
“It’s about time you showed up.”
Night Light huffed, “You’ll have to forgive me, father. Twilight’s a bit excitable.”
“Which one?” Fervent quirked an eyebrow, earning a chuckle from Night Light.
Twilight Velvet playfully elbowed him before trotting over to her daughter, “I do hope you put away those… dark books we talked about.”
Fervent nodded, “They were moved to a more private section.”
Velvet grinned, “Good.” She went over to help Twilight organize the books in the box so she could research them better.
Fervent had to chuckle as little Twilight reminded him of Night Light when he was a colt. “Ah, memories. It was only yesterday you were that small.” He ruffled his son’s mane.
Night Light huffed and swatted his hoof away, “Yes and I hated when you did that. I still do.”
“And yet I find your mane ruffled all the time when I come to visit,” Fervent quirked an eyebrow. “That wife of yours must truly be something.” Night Light blushed causing the older unicorn to laugh.
Yes, Fervent was sure his little family was going to do well for itself.
___________________________________________________________________
The little filly nervously trotted in place. She was standing between her parents outside a room in the school as they awaited their turn to be judged. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. I’m going to fail and they’re not going to take me in and then they’ll force me back into magic kindergarten.”
Twilight Velvet rolled her eyes, “No one’s going to send you to magic kindergarten. You’re going to do fine.”
“How do you know that?!” Little Twilight Sparkle huffed.
“Because, like I’ve told you many times before, I went to this school.” Velvet explained. “Just like your father.”
Night Light nodded, “Yes indeed and you have much more magic then I did at your age so you’ll do fine.” He pulled her into a comforting hug. “We’ll be there for you so you won’t have to do this on your own.”
Twilight grinned, ‘Thank you, daddy. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Night Light smiled and nuzzled her. “It’ll be easy, I promise.”
“Exactly,” Velvet spoke up. “I mean, they allowed your father to join and his magic wasn’t that good.”
“I resent that remark,” Night Light huffed. “I was quite talented at my age.”
“With astronomy, not magic.” Velvet smirked and before he could say anything more, she kissed his cheek.
He blushed slightly and smiled at her, “Alright, I admit it. I wasn’t that good with magic. Are you happy?”
“Very,” Velvet giggled. “It gave me the chance to tutor you after all.” She nuzzled his cheek as she kept close to his side. Little Twilight’s ‘gag’ at the little lovefest made them chuckle.
The door opened up to reveal a pair of unicorns walking with a little pale yellow coated filly between them. She had a set of thick glasses and a red/purple striped mane. She was nervously hiding between them. Twilight tried to flash her a smile, but she slunk in between her parents for safety.
‘I’m going to talk to her later. Maybe she needs a friend.’ Twilight thought. Little Twilight wasn’t good with ponies, but her mommy always said she needed to be nice to others. Her daddy said the same thing, though he usually tried to bribe her with cookies to get her to do it. Daddy’s way worked more often.
“Come on now,” Night Light gently nudged her. “It’s your turn.” He offered her a comforting smile that allowed the little filly to have enough courage to walk inside with them.
The room wasn’t that big. It resembled a simple step classroom which could possibly house about forty to fifty students. The doors and ceiling were a bit high though. On the third level of the room sat three judges. The unicorns held a clipboard and pen in their magic. In the center of the little stage sat a simple, dark blue box.
One of the judges looked down at them, “You are Twilight Sparkle, correct?”
The little filly shyly nodded, “Yes, sir.”
“Good,” another judge, a mare this time, spoke. “Now what we want you to do is simple. Open that box you see before you. You can use whatever magic spell you want to in order to do so.”
“You will have thirty minutes,” the last stallion judge said. “Make it count.”
Twilight gulped as the judges started their timer. She looked to her parents for guidance. They offered up reassuring smile. Her father gestured to the box, mouthing ‘you can do it’. She smiled and walked over to it. Taking a deep breath, she thought up a few locksmith spells she had memorized. Releasing it, she closed her eyes and focused. Her horn lit up as she channeled her magic. Around the box’s opening, it glowed slightly red. She tried to wedge it open, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried to seep into it, but that did nothing.
She tried to form a keyhole, but the box resisted her efforts. She sighed. It would seem usual locksmith spells wouldn’t work. So she tried to break it. Only slightly, so it wouldn’t damage what could possibly be inside. The box withstood her onslaught.
For the next few moments, Twilight tried a number of spells. Not one of them did anything. The box was still in the same condition as when she had entered the room. She started to growl as she glared at it. This was supposed to be her day to shine. She was supposed to make mommy and daddy happy. This box wouldn’t let her get all those new books. She wouldn’t have that. So she tried to delve deeper into the realm of magic and pool more power.
Yet it didn’t work. At most, it destroyed the cheap stool it was placed upon. She delved deeper. She opened her mind to encompass as much as she could. She would not fail. She would succeed and everyone would be happy. ‘They are going to be so happy for me. I’m going to eat a bunch of ice cream after this.’ Yet it still wouldn’t budge.
She started to sweat. She was failing. She could hear the clock tick ever closer to its final conclusion. She could hear her parents fidgeting about. She could hear the the judges tap their hooves as they waited. She wanted to cry. She sniffed as she held back her tears. ‘I don’t want to fail. I worked so hard for this.’
Steeling herself, she opened her mind even further. This was something her books had warned her of doing. There were dangers to extending your mind too wide over the Realms. You could hurt yourself and others. Yet, Twilight was willing to risk it. She was not going to disappoint anypony. She was going to succeed and everypony would be happy.
That’s when it happened. Her mind seemed to brush up against something strange. It was like haphazard ideas and thoughts were thrown into a blender. Then that strange feeling exploded inside her mind. She screamed, holding her hooves to her head as it felt like she was going to explode.
“Twilight!” Her parents yelled in fright.
Before they could do anything the environment started to warp. Objects started to twist out of shape. The box seemed to swirl into itself. Finally, it disappeared… right before a purple portal took itself place. The room darkened as the walls and ceiling started to chip away. Each piece floated towards the portal, which grew each second. The room started to shift more and more. The door disappeared as though it was absorbed by the wall. One of the judges noticed blood seeping out of his nose before he started to laugh. It was a laughter of pure insanity. He fell over, laughing in agony as his skin seemed to drag back and forth over his body.
Both the judges and her parents moved to stop what was happening, but something happened. A creature emerged from the portal. It had four long spindly legs with large claws at the end of its four fingers and toes. It was lithe with skin that seemed to shift between purple and blood red. It had no eyes in its sockets but instead had purple fire that seemed to leak out. Its snout looked like an alligator's and its tail looked like a spiked whip. It was twice the size of a regular pony. The laughing judge grew louder and he started to cough up more blood.
The beast roared and charged. It moved quick. Before they knew it, the beast had its jaws around the mare’s midsection and slicing through the other judge's skull. The mare screamed as it thrashed her around. The laughter continued, until the beast smashed its clawed foot down on the insane judge’s head.
“Get Twilight. I’ll make sure the beast doesn’t get to us.” Night Light spoke up after the initial shock had worn off. His horn lit up as he cast a shield spell around them. Velvet nodded and tried to go over and pick up their daughter, but the moment she tried to touch her, a bubble of magic burst around the little filly’s body. Velvet was sent flying into the wall, falling to the ground unconscious. “Velvet!”
The mare’s carcass smacked against the shield. The beast’s attention was on him now. Normally he would run. He wasn’t the bravest of ponies, neither was he the strongest. He was an average level unicorn. However he was also a father and husband. He wasn’t going to fail either. He braced himself for when it charged. He put more power into it, hoping it would last.
It didn’t. The beast sliced right through the magical barrier, nearly taking his head off as well. He cut off his magic and rolled to the side. The beast tried to make another swipe at him. Again he narrowly dodged. ‘Damn it,’ Night Light thought. ‘I can’t just keep dodging. I have to get rid of it now before more of those things come out of the portal.’
The best kept trying to cut into him, but Night Light was just fast enough to jump out of the way. He used the chairs and steps to dodge as they kept tripping up the creature. Given another minute or two, he was sure the creature would strike him. He eyed the portal and got an idea. ‘I might die, but it’ll work.’
He jumped down onto the ground floor, his horn alight. The creature attempted to follow suit, but Night Light used two chairs to trip the monster. It roared in anger as it tumbled past him and back into the portal. He sighed in relief, but his attention turned back to his daughter. Twilight was still holding her head in pain. Her horn was still alight with magic. He needed to stop it or the creature would be back.
He could faintly hear guards on the other side of the wall, but they wouldn’t make it inside soon enough. So he looked around. Thankfully for Night Light, he spied a small inhibitor in the mare’s pocket. It must have been a just in case precaution if a student’s magic acted up. He quickly took the ring and walked over to Twilight.
He couldn’t rush it. He saw what had happened to his wife. “Twilight,” he spoke to her softly but with firm resolve. “Listen to me. Everything’s going to be alright. I want you to be a good girl for daddy and stay still. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Twilight’s screams seemed to die down for a moment, “Daddy… it hurts.” Blood tears were falling down her cheeks, staining her coat red.
Night Light’s heart was breaking at the sight. His beloved daughter had been reduced to this state. He was going to help get her out of it. “It won’t last, Twilight. It’s going to be alright. Trust me.” He moved closer and quickly hooked the ring around her horn. Instantly, the portal disappeared and the room seemed to bend slightly back to normal.
He sighed in relief and hugged his little girl, “There, see? I told you everything was going to be alright.” Twilight merely sniffed and hugged him back for security. A groan caught his attention. He turned his head and smiled as his wife stirred. She wasn’t hurt badly by any means, so they had made it out alright. The judges hadn’t, but he could be a little selfish when it came to family. “Are you alright?”
Velvet nodded and she rubbed her head with a hoof, “I’ve had much worse. Is Twilight alright?”
“I think she’ll be fine,” Night Light stated.
“Daddy,” Twilight croaked. “My head’s hurting again…”
Night Light rubbed Twilight’s back, “We’ll get a doctor to look at it. You’re a strong filly. Everything’s-”
The filly’s horn flared and the inhibitor ring broke as if it were a cheap toy. A curved spear made of pure reddish magic pierced his chest and went straight up through his back. Night Light’s eyes widened one last time as he coughed up blood. He could faintly hear Velvet’s scream and his daughter crying out in surprise and fear. Then he knew no more.
Author's Note
I'm sorry for taking so long. College and whatnot. I also decided to cut this into two to three parts. Hopefully I can finish this little arc by Christmas. I hope you all enjoyed it and please don't forget to leave a comment. They are very much appreciated.
Celestia loved her ponies dearly. She loved ruling them with serene grace and watching them all grow up to be such good ponies. There were of course difficulties and things she questioned or disliked in their actions, but deep down, they were all good. No matter what happened, she would always reach out to help a pony in need. Which is why she was making her way down to a detention cell within Canterlot’s dungeons, a place she rarely used since most criminals and such were kept outside of the capital. Only the worst of the worst ever stayed there.
In this case however, it was just a little filly. Which was why her steps were a lot faster paced than usual. While she was renowned as the goddess of the sun, she was also the goddess of motherhood. So hearing that something had happened to a child in her city unnerved her greatly.
It didn’t take her long to reach the dungeon in question. It wasn’t heavily guarded, with just two Heavy Infantry ponies standing watch. Of course, outside was also standing a rather tall human woman. Given that she was tall enough to look Celestia in the eye and had a godly aura to her, there was no mistaking her for a goddess. Celestia recognized her as Epione, the goddess of soothing pain.
Epione smiled slightly at her, though it was tinged with sadness. “Oh thank goodness, you’re here.”
Celestia frowned, “Is she alright?”
“Physically, yes.” Epione waved off her concern. “Her body is perfectly fine, or else they wouldn’t need me. No, that would be her mind that is the issue at hand.”
Celestia’s eyes widened, “Her mind?” The mind was a precious thing and held sacred. This is why there were several laws and practices that were put into effect to protect it from spells and other means of messing with a mind. ‘To know that a child... ‘ the thought never finished as she was too unsettled to continue. She had seen her fair share of broken children and she did not want to see more.
Epione nodded, “I have done my best to soothe her, which is why she isn’t screaming anymore. When she touched the realm of chaos, her mind was warped. I’m honestly surprised she’s not dead or worse right now. She has a magnificently strong mind, so it lasted and potential…” She rubbed her chin. “A lot of potential.”
“But she is stable, correct?” Celestia couldn’t help but glance at the door. The steel kept her from seeing the child within and that made her anxious. She desperately needed to talk with the little filly. Not just to comfort her, but find out how she was able to do what she did. There were some of the finest wards and spells placed in that room. Some of them might have been outdated, but this was still unheard of.
“As stable as she can be,” Epione chewed on her lip nervously. “It’s very hard to state what is stable when talking about the minds that those that have dealt with the realm of chaos on the level she has. I dare say, it is only her potential that has saved her in this case.”
As Celestia placed her hoof on the door, she looked over at her compatriot. “You have mentioned her potential twice and I can’t help but ponder your tone while talking about it. It’s almost like-”
“I believe she has the potential for godhood?” Epione raised an eyebrow as she interrupted her fellow goddess. “That is exactly what I am implying. Go in and see for yourself. You’ll see it too.”
“I see,” Celestia contemplated the next few moments of her life. ‘If what Epione says is true, then that means I have to be extra careful with this young filly. It would explain how she was able to do what she did, but it also means that she might be able to do it again. I know I have the right cells or casters to contain such powers, but this cell is insufficient for this.
Besides, I will not treat her like a criminal. No, I will help her through this. No child should have to go through what she has and be punished for something not of her own volition.’ Preparing herself for the encounter, she stepped inside.
The room was decorated with the sort of things she would expect a young scholar to have. It was plain and filled with bookcases. There was plenty of pens and crayons neatly placed in reach of a young foal as well as quite a few notebooks. A little bed that resembled a book was in the corner. In the center, there was a short table and there before it, sat a little filly.
She was just reading, holding onto what appeared to be an old, gray donkey doll in her hooves. Celestia could tell just by looking at how she held the doll that it was precious to her. She couldn’t help but smile at the sweet looking filly, before it faltered slightly at the rigid, posture the filly had.
“Go away,” the filly, she knew her name as Twilight Sparkle, sounded dejected.
Celestia fought the urge to hug her, “Do you mind if I talk with you for a moment? Just a moment and then I promise I’ll go.”
“...Just a moment?” The filly asked, but didn’t look up from her book.
Celestia nodded slightly, “Yes, just a moment and if you ever wish for me to leave sooner, just say so.”
“...Okay,” Twilight timidly spoke.
Celestia walked slowly to the other side of the table and sat in front of Twilight. A part of her wanted to sit beside her, but she believed Twilight needed a bit of space at first. She looked down at the book, “May I ask what you’re reading?”
“Star Gazer’s Cosmos,” Twilight simply stated.
“An interesting choice,” it didn’t really surprise her, given how much information she was given about this filly. The Inquisition was very thorough, though her grandfather wasn’t really willing to help on this matter. Fervent… had locked himself in his room. ‘That’s never a good sign,’ she thought. ‘I’ll have to keep an eye on him.’
“May I read one of your books?” Celestia asked, gaining a little nod from the filly.
She used her magic to place one of the other books before her. Just a little something on the theory of gravity and opens it up. She didn’t really need to read it since she was around when said theory was made, but it gave her something to do with the filly.
“I know Star Gazer, by the way.” Celestia idly remarked, earning an interested look from the filly. The Sun Goddess couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “He is a remarkable stallion. I think you’d like him.”
The little filly’s eyes widened, “You mean I get to meet him?”
Celestia nodded, “If you so wish.”
Twilight smiled, before frowning. “I don’t know… I’d hurt him like… like…” She sniffled.
Celestia leaned down to nuzzle the filly, “No, you wouldn’t. What happened was unusual, but trust me when I say that newfound power can be easily tamed with time. Besides, there will be other ponies there to help you.”
“There were other ponies there when I tried to get into your school,” Twilight turned her gaze back to the book. “They weren’t any help.”
“This time it will be different.”
Twilight shook her head, “No it won’t. They’ll die… just like the others…” She hugged her stuffed animal closer. “Just like… like…” She started to shake. Her horn lit up slightly and the room warped slightly. Nothing major, but everything seemed to become wavy, as though they were solid liquid.
Celestia slightly sighed, then eyed her stuffed animal. ‘I should change the subject.’ “Do you mind introducing me to your little friend here?”
Twilight blinked in confusion and the magic stopped, “She’s Smartypants. She helps me study and likes to read with me.”
Celestia smiled, “She sounds like a good friend.”
“...She’s my only friend,” Twilight hugged the doll tighter to herself. “Nopony else is going to want to be my friend after this and I don’t blame them.”
“You fear that your actions will forever mark you,” Celestia stated. She already knew the answer as Twilight predictably nodded. “Twilight Sparkle, do you believe I can make mistakes?”
Twilight looked up at her in confusion, “No, you’re a goddess.”
Celestia quirked an eyebrow, “And you believe gods can’t make mistakes?”
Twilight opened her mouth to say something then looked away, “I guess?”
Celestia chuckled, “To be divine, one has to be flawed. It is the same with mortals. No one is perfect and if you were ever to meet a being that openly states otherwise, then they are lying.” She smirked, “Or a complete idiot and let me tell you, I have dealt with both.”
“Really?”
Celestia nodded, “Yes, and just like you, I made a few mistakes.” She closed her eyes, the pain eating away at her again. ‘Stay calm for her.’ She reminded herself, breathing in and letting out. “Far too many that have cost me. One of which scared everypony in Equestria.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, “You scared everypony? You’re too nice to do that.”
“I… wasn’t very nice back then,” Celestia sadly smiled. “However, eventually everyone came to look past that and I made a number of friends. Soon, everyone will look past this and do the same for you.”
“...But what if I don’t?” Twilight gripped Smartypants and looked at her with eyes glittering with tears.
Celestia could see the pain, the anguish on display. She wanted to tell her that she will, but the words never came to her. Instead, she gently picked the filly up in her hooves and hugged her as a mother would, “You learn to live with it, Twilight. That’s all we can do.” She stroked the fillies back as the filly started to cry into her fur. She softly hummed a pleasant melody, letting her motherly aura wash over the filly to calm her. ‘That’s all we can do.’
Author's Note
A short chapter, but I honestly felt like this was better on its own and I wanted to get something out for you guys. Don't worry, I already have the rest of this planned so it shouldn't take me too much longer though I am going back to college tomorrow. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment.
