New World, New Lifeby Locomotive PegasusChaptersPart 1: BeginningsPart 2: AwakeningPart 3: Doubt and UncertaintyPart 4: PowerPart 5: Start AgainPart 6: LeadsPart 7: Square OnePart 8: Angel LeapPart 1: BeginningsHow many hours are in a day when you don’t keep track? How many people REALLY care for you? Keith couldn’t answer these questions. At a young Age he had been Diagnosed with ADHD and something called Aspergers... He didn’t know what it was... Only that it gave him a warped view on reality. This wasn’t a flaw; he saw it as a great bonus. He looked at things differently, past the cold dark veil of human perception... He didn’t have too many friends... And the ones he did have, well... They just fought... Summer, 2011... Keith had been having a rough week. His girlfriend had brutally dumped him, his parents just kept SCREAMING at him... His only escape was the internet. He found people were much more diverse on the internet. He felt that the people he knew online were like snowflakes, no two were the same, though, and many were very similar. He spent hours upon hours online, doing whatever was popular with people... Little did he know, one trip to MemeBase... Would change his life forever... He did his daily routine, Check his Emails, Facebook, Youtube and Memebase... But, He kept on seeing these strange images... Ponies? Yes, My Little Pony. Keith didn’t understand what these GROWN MEN saw in a TV show for little girls... He decided that he would give it a try... for the laugh... And it was glorious! Its charm was amazing, the characters, the animation, the music, the sheer power of the show, It was simply one of gods greatest creations. Ever since that fateful day... Whenever Keith felt sad, he just thought of ponies... Months had passed, Keith had become even more immersed in the show, and it was simply amazing... People never understood why he liked it so much; he was beaten up and verbally abused by people who barely knew him... School was starting up again... Keith would see all his old friends again, If they didn’t kill him first. They were SERIOUSLY Pony-phobic... He walked in through the door, getting a few looks from his classmates. He heard some mutterings about him like “Faggot, Gay,” All the usual stuff. He sat in Geography, People throwing scraps of paper at him. He didn’t care. He was happy doodling ponies. He hears the class go silent. “Crap, this isn’t good...” He thinks to himself. He hears a loud THWACK as the teacher slams her fist down on his desk. “KEITH! STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!” She screams. Keith tries desperately to retract himself from this situation. He mutters a feeble apology as she grabs his drawing copy. He makes a grab for it. She holds it up for the class to see. He was doing a drawing of Twilight Sparkle Levitating the Ursa Minor. The class laughs. Keith tries his hardest to ignore it all... But his will was broken. He jumps up and Tears the drawing copy from his teachers grasp. “YOU DON’T TOUCH THIS!” He shouts. The teacher screams at him to sit down. But he doesn’t listen. He walks towards the door, but she grabs him by the arm. Before he can even think about it, he cracks his fist into her face, she slumps against the wall. Blood running from her nose. His classmates stared at him in awe. He looked over his shoulder and gave them a smile. Then walked out the door, and out the front of the building. “Today, I start standing up for myself” He was at home, Barricaded in his room, His parents banging at the door. They had received a call from the school to say that he had assaulted a teacher. He didn’t care. He finally stood up for what he truly loved, and it felt great! He spent the day watching his entire pony collection, completely happy... Not for long... That night, He had the strangest dream... He was surrounded by ponies of all shapes and sizes... The mane six, OC’s, Background ponies, they were all trapped in a void of darkness... Screaming for help... The void got closer... And closer... And closer... He awoke with a fright, dripping with sweat. “Whoa... That was weird...” he says He rises from his bed and goes to his Mini-Fridge. He had stocked it in preparation for his long stay in his room. He pulls out a Dr.Pepper and Twists off the top. He Drinks it bottom up until a single drop remains. He goes to the window and pushes it open. He lets the night breeze blow back his hair, cooling his sweat. He sighs. He turns walks back to his bed and flops down on the covers. “That was a weird dream... Let’s hope I don’t have it again...” He says, before slowly drifting back to sleep. The next few days were okay. Eating Doritos and drinking Dr.Pepper... A bit of XBOX, a LOT of Facebook. It made him happy, Happier than he had even been before. But, that dream... It kept coming back to him... And every time, the void got closer. It scared him. It scared him beyond words. He sat on his bed, playing Grand Theft Auto IV. He hears a beep from his phone. Someone had sent him a message. He opens it up and reads it aloud. “Be patient, Young brony... The day is nigh... Soon... You will enter the realm...” Keith got a bit worried. He started to type a response, but his phone battery just died, even though he just charged it yesterday. He sits on his bed, starting to freak out a little. He just lies down on his bed and closes his eyes. He begins to slowly drift asleep... The Void. It grew larger every time he saw it. He looked around. All the ponies were still there. But this time, they were staring at him, a look of hope in their eyes. He smiles. Light bursts forth from his chest. It wraps itself around him. It felt warm. Like 10 million fireflies, all hugging him at once... The light fades. Keith looks at his hands. Or, at least, what WERE his hands. They had been replaced, replaced by hooves. Keith had transformed into a pony. He didn’t know how. He didn’t know why. He just knew that it had happened. He lowers himself, staring hard into the void. “Let’s dance.” He charges, galloping at full speed towards the void. He feels the darkness of the void brush against his coat. He lets out a vicious battle cry as the void lunges at him. And then. Nothing. All he saw was darkness. He feels the life being torn from his body. He closes his eyes. Knowing this was the end. Keith opens his eyes. “NO!” He screams. The darkness retreats a little. He lets out another cry, Light billowing from his chest, fighting off the darkness. The darkness fades, nothing left of it. Keith saw a vivid blue sky, with rainbows. Not a single cloud in the sky. He begins to fall. He screams, frantically waving his hooves. He spots a farmyard beneath him. It races up to meet him. He braces himself for impact. WHACK! Meanwhile, Twilight had been working in her library, sorting her books by category. Spike was SUPPOSED to be helping... But instead, he just napped in the corner. She sighs and steps down from the book shelf. She hears a frantic knocking at her door. “Twilight! Twilight! Let me in!” Twilight races to the door and pulls it open. “What?! What is it!?” She shouts. She was a little bit frustrated from all the hard work she had been doing. Fluttershy stared at her. Slightly distracted by the unexpected shouting “Uhh... Something crashed behind Sweet Apple Acres! We need your magic to help determine what it is!” She said. Twilight thought she probably wanted her to run a Bio-Scan spell or something. Fluttershy takes off; flying towards Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight follows closely behind. A Short gallop later, and Twi and Shy were standing at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight could see the smoke from behind the barn, she could smell it too. She races towards the barn. She sees her friends standing around a massive crater in the ground. “Whoa...” exclaims Dash. She was hovering over the crater, peering deep into the bowels of the earth. Applejack calls out to Twilight. “Twilight! Ah’m so glad y’all came to help.” She says, shaking Twilight’s hoof relentlessly. “Honestly, AJ, It’s no trou-“ She is cut off by Dash grabbing her by the shoulders. “Hey! I think someone’s down there!” She says. Fluttershy gasps. “Oh no! I hope they’re okay!” She says. Dash flies down the crater, you can hear her rustling around at the bottom. “DUDE! There’s a stallion down here!” She shouts. Twilight runs to the edge of the crater and peers down. “Are you sure?” She says. Dash makes a weird sound. “I THINK so... It’s really dark...” Twilight was amazed a single stallion could have caused this. “Heh... Okay! Bring him up!” Rainbow Dash drags up the colt. He was battered, bruised and dripping with blood. He had a snow white coat, with a long, dark blond mane. Rainbow lays him down carefully on the ground. Twilight stares at him. “Did... HE cause THIS?!” she says, pointing at the crater. While everyone was arguing, Fluttershy slowly trots up to the colt, eyeing him carefully. “S-Sir, are you okay?” she says. The stallion shuffles a little. “Ugh...” he moans. Fluttershy gasps. “Guys, he’s alive!” she shouts. Twilight whirls around. “Really?!” she says In a quick flash, she already had him scooped up onto her back. “Quick! We need to get him to Nurse Redheart!” Pinkie stops her. “She’s out of town, visiting some family in Manehatten.” She says. “We’ll just take him to the library, then!” she says, galloping towards the library. Rarity sighs. “Why must we have ONE nurse in all of Ponyville?” Part 2: AwakeningKeith awoke. He felt groggy, his vision blurred. He tries to roll onto his side. He can barely move. He can hear voices from across the room. They sounded... Familiar... He feels a hoof press against his cheek. “The poor thing... He’d look dazzling if it weren’t for all this blood...” says a voice. Keith uses all his willpower to make himself rise. A purple hoof tries to push him down, but he pushes back and raises himself into a slouch. “Whoa, you really are made of tougher stuff...” says the mare with the purple hooves. Keith looks up. “Twi-Twi-Twi....TWILIGHT?!” says Keith. Twilight gives him an odd look. “Have we met?” She says. She tries to put her hoof on his shoulder, but he pulls away. “Why am I here?!” he says. Twilight seems a little frightened. “We brought you here...” Keith pauses. He tries to think. Fluttershy walks up to him. “What happened to you, how did you fall from the SKY?” She says. Keith begins to retell his tale, the void, the transformation, and the light, all of it. The 6 stay silent, they all stare at Keith. After an uncomfortable 5 minutes, Twilight was the first to speak up. “How did you “transform” into a colt?” He didn’t know. “How do you explain the light?” He couldn’t. “Is there anything you can offer that we may be able to use to help you?” Keith laughs.”A place to stay?”| Twilight gives him a warm smile. “I don’t have any problem with that.” She pats him on the shoulder. “You’re free to stay as long as you like.” Keith gives her a cheesy grin. “Thanks!” he says. He spies a bag on the table he was lying on. “Oh yeah, we found that with you in the crater.” She says, Handing him the bag. He takes the bag and pulls it open; it contained his phone, a bag of Doritos and a Dr.Pepper. He pulls off the cap and lets the smell wash over him. Twilight stared at the bottle in curiosity. “What is that?” She says. “It’s just a beverage we have in my home land... Would you like some?” he says, offering her the bottle. She reluctantly takes a sip. She blushes deeply. “My, my... This is... FIZZY.” She says, taking yet another sip. “Do you not like it?” Keith says. Twilight shakes her head. “This is delicious!” She says. In one quick movement, she had the bottle drained. Keith decided to hang onto the Doritos... He hears a beep from his phone. He had received a text. He opens the text and reads it aloud. “This is but the beginning to your adventure...” Everyone stares at him again. Still, so many questions had been asked, with so many remaining. Some shuffling is heard from the other side of the room. Spikes head pokes up from his blanket. “Wha... What’d I miss...?” Keith lay in his bed. Twilight had given him the spare room. He lay in bed, thinking over the day’s events. He had been given questions and answered them truthfully. He told them about his world, his bronyism, all of it. Twilight had told him something about cameras... Floating around the town... Truthfully, It was an insane concept. Who was behind all that? To be perfectly honest, Keith didn’t care, He closed his eyes, knowing that the full effect of today’s events would be unveiled tomorrow. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK Keith wearily raises his head, it was swimming. He gives his head a shake and his vision returns to normal. He sighs. “Still nothing” He says, surprised that he managed to remain calm... Maybe he just needed some coffee. Twilight opens the door. “I hope I’m not disturbing you...” She says. “Not at all” Keith says. It was something about this place... It... Felt like he was home... Keith got up out of the bed, trotting towards the door, he and Twilight trot down the stairs to the library/living room thing. Keith observes his surroundings carefully, It was as if he had walked straight onto the set, knowing completely there was not a “set” since it was an animated show... Or, at least... He THOUGHT it had been an animated show... Keith had no idea what to believe anymore. He just let this change in life wash over him, cleansing him of his dark past. Twilight opens the libraries front door. Keith trots out in the morning sun; He could see Rainbow Dash in the sky, moving the clouds... It’s funny... All of the stuff about weather that he had learned in school... It meant nothing in Equestria. He spied all the happy ponies, trotting around, doing regular Equestrian things... It was strange... Normally, He expected to be completely lost... But, he knew just where everything was. The library, The farm, The bakery... Where to go first? The Bakery... He was hungry. He trotted down the street, his hooves crunching against the ground, it was a pleasant feel. He felt so alien, one human, masqueraded with some sort of magic... He wondered what other kinds of magic he could cast... Twilight trots up behind him, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She didn’t find his story too convincing... She’d need some proof sooner or later... Keith pushed open the door to Sugarcube Corner, the smell of the many baked goods washing over him, it was mesmerizing, the aroma of the many batters, sugars and... stuff. He slowly trots up to the counter “H-Hello?” he says. Suddenly, A Pink mare explodes from behind the counter “HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI!!” She shouts, seeming totally ecstatic. Her pink mane flying around furiously as she bounced around the counter top. After a few minutes of bouncing, the mare seemed to stop, and she stared deeply into my eyes. “So, you’re Keith, right?” she says, a manic, but still comforting smile spread across her face. Keith being a bit intimidated, gives a quick nod. “Uh... Y-yeah...” he stutters. She tilts her head a little. “Is something wrong?” Keith blushes a little. “Wha? N-Nothin’... Could I get some cupcakes?” he says, blushing furiously. Pinkie hands him a box of multi-color cupcakes from behind the counter. “Here! These are on the house!” she says, rubbing his mane. “T-thanks, Pinkie!” He says, before quickly trotting outside. Why was he so nervous around women? He really needed to work on that... Twilight had gone back to the library, her mind racing with possibilities... Where had he come from? How is he not dead? Why is he HERE? She slams her hooves against a table in frustration. She has no idea why this was eating away at her... All kinds of crazy magic was possible these days... But, Transformation? Teleportation was possible... But from different WORLDS? That was just Bat-shit crazy. “BEEPBEEPBEEP” Twilight turns her head. It was coming from the bag. She knocks it open, a small light eminating from the bottom of the bag. She rummages around and pulls out Keith’s phone, a notice on the screen saying “1 New Text” She presses her hoof against buttons until she found the one to open the Text. “You’ll realise your mission soon.” Twilight sets down the phone, her heart racing. Keith had wondered around Ponyville, the many Pegasi, Earth ponies and Unicorns had long gone home. He was getting tired... and cold. He turn, looking back at the way he came. He saw the library, the lights were on. It wasn’t that far, maybe a 20 minute walk... He slowly trots back towards the library. “Spike, Spike, Wake up!” Says Twilight, shaking Spike furiously. He swings his claw at her. “I’m sleeping... Come back later...” he says. Twilight pulls him out of bed. “I need you to take a note!” she says. Spike sighs. “Fine...” he says. He grabs a Quill and some parchment off a nearby table, “What do you want me to write?” Twilight grabs the parchment off him and tears it into 5 pieces, writing a name on each of them. She throws them back and says “Quick! Just say to meet at the library as soon as you can!” Spike quickly scribbles down the message on each piece of parchment, He then opens his mouth and breathes his magical dragon fire on them, they disappear in a flash of light. “Can I go back to sleep now?” He says. Twilight breathes a sigh of relief. “Yes, yes you can.” She trots downstairs and sits on the floor. Soon enough, all secrets would be spilled. Keith was still trotting back towards the library, taking it at a slow pace, so he can take in all the scenery. He found the architecture of these buildings fascinating. “Huh... Never would have even thought stuff like this was possible back home.” He says to himself. He feels something brush against his shoulder, He whirls around... But nothing was there. He turns cautiously and quickly trots towards the library. He feels something else brush against him. He whirls around again, only to fall. “WHO’S THERE!?” He shouts into the night. No response. “IF SOMEONES OUT THERE, COME ON OUT AND FIGHT ME! I’M NOT AFRAID!” Still nothing. Keith quickly scrambles to his hooves and starts to gallop towards the library, fear beginning to seep into him. SWISH. Something pulls his legs out from underneath him. He tumbles multiple times, scraping his entire body along the hard gravel. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” He screams, more angry then scared. Suddenly, Tendrils of darkness emerge from the night, like giant snakes. Keith bolts up and gallops towards the library. “Almost there” He thinks. He spots the door opening, and Twilight sticking her head out, looking around. She spots him dashing towards her. “Keith?!” she says. “MOVE OUTTA MY WAY!” he shouts. Twilight ducks as he takes a dive, flying over head through the door. He slams the door with his hoof in mid-air, narrowly missing Twilight. He crashes to the floor, covered in blood and little bits of stone. He jumps up and looks out the window. The tendrils were gone. He stares out the window, he did NOT think those tendrils up... Twilight puts her hoof on his shoulder “Keith, are you okay?” she says. Keith stands up and wipes the blood from his scrapes, he takes a deep breath, his adrenaline leaving him. “Something was after me” he says. Twilight takes a worried look out the window. “Keith, I didn’t see anything, all I saw was you running.” Part 3: Doubt and UncertaintyKeith sits down. “Something was out there... And I’m going to find out what.” He says, starting towards the door. Twilight grabs him by the shoulder. “Keith, wait. We have to talk” she says. Keith sighs. “Fine” He says. Twilight hears a knocking at the door. She goes to open it. She looks worryingly at the mark from where Keith kicked the door. The door is hit by a gust of wind and blown open, Keith must have damaged the lock when he kicked it, in walks Rarity, follow by Applejack, Fluttershy, all of the mane 6. They all crowd around Keith, They all stare at him with accusing eyes. Twilight walks tight up to Keith’s face. She gives him a cold stare. “Keith, you told us you just FELL from the sky, into this land?” she says. He nods. Twilight laughs. “Keith, your story hasn’t made any sense from the start. You claim we’re part of a TV show. Do you have any proof to back up your accusation? I think you know so much about us... Because you’re a spy!” She says, pointing a hoof at him. Keith doubles over, laughing. Twilight slams her hoof into the ground. “I’m SERIOUS!” She shouts. Keith gets up and wipes his eyes. “A Spy, seriously? What is this, Team Fortress 2?” he says. Spike, who had been asleep in the corner until about 5 minutes ago taps Pinkie Pies shoulder. “Hey, what’s Team Fortress 2?” He whispers. She shrugs. “I don’t know, Spike. It sounds fun!” she says. Twilight points her hoof at Keith. “Give us a better explanation, NOW.” She says. Keith sighs. “What is there to explain? I told you I don’t know why I’m here, only that someone brought me here. You guys ARE a TV show! You said yourself something about cameras following you around the place, maybe this could be something to do with someone higher up?” he says. Twilight seems to be mulling this over. Applejack puts her hoof on her shoulder “Y’all shouldn’t fret about this, sugarcube. This guy seems pretty darn trustworthy, Ah should know.” She says. “You should know because you are the Element Of Honesty” says Keith. “Exactly” says Applejack. Keith takes in a big breath of air, preparing him for the long speech he was about to give. “Look, I came from a land of war, drugs, violence and many, many bad things. This place is a haven, all I ask is that you give me the benefit of the doubt. I’ve done nothing to cross you, I WORSHIP you guys! Honestly, this is a land of opportunity for me, a new beginning! All I ask of you, is that you trust me...” He says, panting a little. He outstretches his hoof to Twilight. “Friends?” He says. “Friends” she says, shaking his hoof. Rarity puts her hoof on Keith’s head. “I say, darling, how ever did you receive those HORRENDOUS cuts and bruises?” she says. Keith brushes more blood from his scrapes. “Something was after me... Something... with Tentacles.” The room went a bit silent. “Tentacles? Pff... No big deal, I have to weave my way around monsters every time I go to the Everfree Forest for obstacle training!” Says Rainbow Dash, jabbing at the air. “Oh... Um... Maybe it was an octopus?” says Fluttershy. Keith gives her a look. “Why would an octopus be walking around the town square?” he says. Fluttershy blushes and lowers her head, making Keith feel a bit bad. Keith shakes his head, sending small splatters of blood around the room. “I don’t know what it was... I just hope it doesn’t come back...” Keith stared out the window, towards the moon, knowing that things wouldn’t be that simple... Hours has passed, the late night becoming the early hours of the morning. Twilight lay in her bed, tossing and turning. She couldn’t stop thinking about Keith. He had this feel about him. She could learn SO MUCH from him. His world... His life... She needed to know, now. She slithers out of bed, being careful not to wake Spike. She trots out the door, the still breeze from the open window blowing back her mane. She taps on his door. “Keith?” she says “Are you awake?” She pushes open the door. Keith lay in bed, snoring loudly, his face still covered in cuts and bruises. Twilight felt sorry for him, He had been through a lot days. She found herself staring at him, unable to look away. He seemed so... MYSTERIOUS. He shuffles a little and rolls onto his side, facing towards Twilight. “Uhhh....” He moans, his eyes flickering. His eyes shoot open. In a quick movement, he had flung the covers into the air, landing on Twilights face, and in a split second, he had her down on the ground, pinned to the floor. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING CREEPING ON ME?!” He shouts. Twilight instantly regretted her decision to learn more about Keith. “I’M SORRY! I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS!” She shouts, scared. They both stay silent for a few seconds. Keith rolls off her and offers her a hoof getting up. “Sorry about that... You scared me.” He says, blushing Magenta. The next few minutes were nothing but awkward silence. “So... You...Wanted to ask some questions?” he says, still blushing. Twilight nods, her brain was telling her to run, she had started this on the wrong hoof... But her heart made her go for it. “Y-yeah... I-I wanted to know more about where you... Y’know, came from?” she says, not catching his eye. He takes a deep breath, a futile attempt to escape the awkward tension between them. Twilight starts towards the door. “I’ll go make some coffee... We can start then.” She says. Keith wasn’t sure why... But he wanted to tell all his darkest secrets to that mare... Keith sat in the kitchen, Twilight was in the kitchen. He could hear the clink of mugs as she made coffee. He could spy a portion of Twilight from a gap in the wall. She had always been has favourite of the mane 6... Her expert magical skill... Her masterful skills of organization. Her utterly fascinating knowledge of literature... And now he was in her house, talking to her about his life over a warm cup of coffee. This almost made Keith forget about his attacker earlier. Almost. Who... Or WHAT was that dark beast that had assaulted him? He had never heard of those kinds of monsters of Equestria before... At this point, he was almost hoping it WAS an Octopus... Twilight came trotting in, a tray of coffee cups, a kettle and many assorted biscuits and cakes levitated by magic in front of her. She sets it down on the table. She sits down in the seat opposite him. “So... Keith, tell me a bit more about you?” she says. Keith’s brain went white for a moment. He wasn’t sure what he could and couldn’t say, he couldn’t say where he was from, she probably wouldn’t have even heard of those places. Twilight senses his distress. “Haha, alright, let me make this easier for you... How old are you?” “I’m 13” He says, smiling confidently. “13? How young... You seem much older.” Says Twilight. Keith laughs. “Yeah, I get that a lot. I’ve always been slightly more... MATURE then typical people my age. In the sense that I’d never Drink or do drugs or anything... But, since I got here, My thoughts have become more... Sophisticated?” he says, not even sure he was making sense anymore. Twilight nods like she understood what he meant. “I admire that. Age is just a number, it’s the person BEHIND the number that sets their own standards.” She says. Twilight and Keith talked away into the night, the coffee growing cold. Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking the library, a stallion stood on the very tip, staring at Keith and Twilight talking away to each-other. “Hah, that pathetic young worm is supposed to be able to stop me?” says the stallion. “He isn’t even brave enough to face my lowliest pawn...” He puts his hoof against the chin of a creature, a massive creature, it’s legs and arms were 5 feet wide, his torso seemed to be covered in a metallic like substance. The creature raises it leg and scratches behind his ear. “Woof Woof!” goes the creature. The stallion smacks him with his hoof. “QUIET, Patches” he says. The stallion turns and begins to walk away. “You better prepare yourself, Keith. I don’t take it easy on children.” Part 4: PowerThe morning sun stabbed at Twilight’s eyes through a crack in the curtains. She rolls onto her side, pulling the covers up over her head. “Morning...” Twilight sticks her head above the covers. “Uh... Where you watching me sleep?” she says, slightly creeped out. Keith shakes his head. “Nah, you hit your head while we were talking. I thought I’d make sure you were okay.” He says, smiling a little. “How in the hell did I hit my head?” she says, slightly confused. Keith laughs. “You slipped on a banana peel” he says, barely able to contain his laughter. “Ugh, I TOLD Spike to STOP leaving banana peels everywhere!” says Twilight, growing irritated. Keith looks at her and tilts his head. He squints at her, like he was trying to read her mood. “You seem tense” he says. Twilight rolls her eyes. “You think?” she says, sarcastically. Keith trots over to the other side of the room, where a tray lay on her desk. He tries to grab a mug from the table with his hooves. No luck. “Dammit. I seriously wish I was still human sometimes” he says. Twilight uses her magic to levitate the mug, she pulls it over to her mouth and daintily takes a sip. “Hmm... What is this?” she says, intrigued. Keith smiles. “Cherry Soda” he says. Twilight studied the mug. “Never heard of it.” She says. Keith pulls his bag out from under the table. “This thing must be enchanted.” He says. Twilight throws her covers off and jumps out of bed. “Want me to take a look?” she offers. He tosses her the bag. “You seem to be getting more adjusted your hooves, Keith” says Twilight. Keith shuffles his hooves along the ground. “I’ve seen all of you walk around enough to get a few pointers” he says. It hits Twilight. “That’s right, MLP:FIM” She says. Keith nods. “But, it still doesn’t make any sense. Why are we so popular?” she says. Keith sighs, It felt like he was at home, trying to explain ponies to some ignorant mother-fucker, only it wasn’t an ignorant motherfucker this time. It was Twilight Sparkle. Her horn begins to glow, surrounding the bag with a pink-ish aura. “Hmm... It seems someone has enchanted this bag with a “portal” spell, they can put an object in one portal and have it appear in your bag” she says. Keith giggles. “Now THAT’S thinking with Portals!” he says. Twilight gives him the blankest of stares. He blushes. “Uh... Who do you think is behind it?” he says Twilight pauses for a moment. “I think the spell is originating from Canterlot.” She says, slightly surprised. Keith absorbs this fact, whoever gave him the bag must have something to do with his arrival to this land. Canterlot... Could it have been...? Her? Keith’s eyes go wide. “Princess Celestia.” He says. Twilight scoffs. “What would Princess Celestia want with a regular pony like you?” Keith sighs. “Regular? Twilight, I fell from the sky into this land, I am a HUMAN. I SHOULDN’T BE HERE.” I should be at school, studying for my summer exams. We can throw “normal” straight out the window.” He says. He gestures for the bag, he hitches it over his shoulder and starts towards the door. “Well, looks like I gotta talk to the Princess.” He says. Twilight’s horn glows, holding Keith in a Force-Field spell. “WHOA, you CAN’T just trot into the castle!” she says. Keith laughs. “Then I’m going to need you to escort me.” Twilight stomped her hoof. “No way! I have things to get done!” she shouts. Keith’s face drops. “Twilight, please, for me.” He says. She looks into his eyes. He had a look of fiery determination in his eyes. “...Are you sure it’s her?” she says. Keith grits his teeth. “Damn sure.” Princess Celestia sat in her chamber, all on her lonesome. She was tired. Very tired. Ruling over all of Equestria wasn’t something that could be done before tea-time. But, what about the other realms? How did they cope? One person. One simple person. That was all she needed. She had prayed night and day, hoping that she would get to meet a visitor from another realm. Maybe even a HUMAN. Humans were a strange race. Ravaged by war, poverty and hunger. But none of them seemed to care. None of them that mattered, anyway. But there are good humans, righteous people who would fight for what they believed was right. She needed one of these valiant fighters. Such power, such... She had to stop these delusions. No matter how much she prayed. She couldn’t make it happen. She sighs. Shining Armour was one of these fighters. So was Twilight. It ran in their blood. Such power, such bravery. How many other ponies could compare? Celestia sighs. “One single person.” Keith trotted through Ponyville, closely following Twilight. “Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?” He says Twilight doesn’t answer. “Twi-“ Keith feels a stinging pain in his head. “AHH!!!” he screams, slumping to the ground, writhing in pain. Twilight rushes to Keith, shaking him. “KEITH! WHAT’S WRONG?! A blazing light surrounds Keith. It swirls over his body, forming into a cocoon. Twilight jumps back, she fires a ball of energy from her horn, but the cocoon just absorbs it. Keith’s screams could be heard from inside. BOOM. The force of the explosion sends Twilight flying, with such a force it should have killed her. But it didn’t. She was floating. Centimetres from a brick wall. She drops. The world around her felt different. It felt... Warm, like a summers day. She felt happy, she couldn’t refrain from smiling. She turns around. There was Keith, Floating. Only, It wasn’t the Keith she knew. His mane had frown longer, More tidy, while still retaining its long, shaggy awesomeness. He had grown a horn, not just any horn, but a magnificent royal horn. Sharp as a dagger and brimming with magic. Wings had sprouted from his back. Wondrous, Angel like wings, light bouncing off them with every little movement. But, something was wrong. He seemed in pain. Twilight tried to call out, but nothing happened. Blood ran down Keith’s horn. His perfect wings grew black and withered. The world around him began to die. A little spark flutters from Twilight’s horn. She could still cast magic. She fires a volley of magic blasts at Keith, having absolutely no plan B. The rounds burst against him, turning portions of his black, frail body back to its glorious white. Round after Round after Round, she wouldn’t stop. Slowly, The world around him began to change, life flowing back into it. Twilight concentrates. Her horn glows ferociously. BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM A chain of high velocity rounds smack into Keith, sending him sprawling. There, just like that. The world was normal again. The Wind blew, the birds sang, the grass grew. But Keith lay in a slump. Twilight began to gallop, he was hurt, bad. She had no explanation for what happened in the last five minutes, and he probably didn’t either. Keith began to shuffle, he was battered, beaten and bruised. What was this mysterious light? What kind of extraordinary power did he possess? He shakily rises, his body looked scolded all over. His mane had remained long, with its shaggy awesomeness. His eyes were a dazzling shade of blue, as if someone had carved them from sapphires. His coat (Well, the parts that weren’t burnt) were a dazzling white, as if it was absorbing the sun-light itself. His face scrunched to form a pained expression “Oh god, my fucking body...” he says. His face grew angry, he was sick of all this magic bullshit. Couldn’t he have ONE normal day?! He stomps his hoof into the ground, as small amount of electricity discharges from him, scorching the earth around him. Twilight jumps up “Wha! Watch it!” she says, relieved Keith was okay. Keiths burns didn’t hurt, not even a little. He looks around, there were ponies looking at him, he didn’t blame them. “It’s okay, people! Go back to your duties!” he addresses. Surprisingly, it works. Twilight puts her hoof on Keith’s shoulder. “Keith... What WAS that?” she says, worried. Keith thought about this, it was a blinding light, the same light that turned him into a Stallion. Could they be connected? Keith never got a look at himself the first time, never knew there was a cocoon. “Twi... I think... I think I’m getting stronger.” He says. “Stronger?” She says. Keith stomped his hoof as a demonstration. Lightning crashed down from the sky infront of her. “AH!” She screams, diving out of the way. Keith lets the electricity flow through his body. “I could get used to this...” he says. The Stallion stood on the hill, watching silently. “Damn it, the little bastard is getting stronger” he snarls. He bites his lip. “Let’s just hope he knows how to use this power...” He casts a cloak over himself, covering his tall, buff body. He had a mane the shade of night and eyes as red as rubies. “With great power, comes great responsiblilty.” And with a black flash, he was gone. Part 5: Start AgainTwilight found herself trotting back towards the library. She had forgotten to get ANY supplies what so ever. She hadn’t even told anyone she was leaving. This wasn’t like her at all. She was usually so organized. Something was distracting her. But, what? She found herself staring at Keith. His long mane was blowing in the gentle breeze, he catches her in the corner of his eye, he turns to her, and gives her a warm smile. She stared right into his Cobalt-Blue eyes, they looked like someone had placed gemstones in his head. The stare lasted an awkwardly long time. They both turn away, blushing. Twilight hears a familiar call. “TWILIGHT!” She looks up. It was Spike, on the balcony, eagerly awaiting her return. Twilight levitates him from the balcony, she floats him down and drops him on her back, her wraps his arms around her and gives her a big, scaly hug. “Where WERE you, Twi?” he says, a tone of relief in his voice. “Spike, I’m SO sorry, I have to head to Canterlot for a few days, I should have told you...” she says, lowering her head. Spike pokes her in the face. “Y’know, you could have just asked me to send a scroll, get a carriage ready for you guys...” he says. Twilight puts her hoof to her face. “Dammit, I keep on forgetting the simplest things.” She says. Spike pulls out a scroll and quill, he begins to scribble. “Dear Princess Celestia. Twilight Sparkle and...” Spike pauses. “Spike, what’s wrong?” says Twilight. Spike stares at Keith. “What’s his pony name? He has to have a pony name.” Keith thinks about this. “Lightning, Lightning Storm.” He says. Spike resumes scribbling his letter to the Princess. Twilight taps Keith on the shoulder. “Lightning Storm?” she says Keith shrugs. “I dunno, it came naturally” he says. Spike burns the completed note in his dragon flame, sending it on its way. “Alright, Night Twilight, Night Lighting. I’m gonna get some shut-eye...” Spike says, yawning. The late evening had turned to night, and Keith lay in his bed. Today had certainly been weird, to say the least. What was with the “cocoon”? ... He stood up and trots to the bathroom. He turns on the light and stares into the mirror. He noticed how his mane was more as he liked it, Long but tidy. He saw how light bounced off his coat, he had always liked white. His eyes, his magnificent Sapphire eyes. They intrigued him. “Oh yeah, I’m definitely changing...” he says. He thought back to that lightning bolt he summoned earlier. He began to think about all the other things he could do... The light above him flickered out. “Damn it...” he says, flicking the switch up and down. It looked like a fresh bulb... It MUST have been working. In all fairness, this was a tree. It probably didn’t have the best wiring. He concentrates. A little spark flies from his fore-head, into the bulb, filling the room with light. “How can I cast magic with-out a horn?” he says to himself. He runs his hoof along where a horn would be on a unicorn. Nothing. But, it felt a bit... Strange. No sign of a horn, though. He walks back to his room and slips under the covers, slowly drifting to sleep. He dreamt he was in the ruins of a castle, a stallion standing in front of him. The stallion was staring at something, something Keith couldn’t make out. Black sparks emanated from the stallion, striking the ground around him. Even from here, Keith could feel the aura of evil from him. A mare comes into view, a mare with Jet-Black hair and Blood-Red eyes. She stood next to the stallion, a snarling smile on her face... But, she seemed pained, like the smile was forced. Keith didn’t notice she had a horn as she casts a spell, dark orbs spout from her horn, feeding into... A cocoon, of some sort. The cocoon began to pulsate, whatever was inside was revealing itself. A pang of fear strikes Keith’s heart. He shields his eyes from what was inside. Twilight knocks on Keith’s door. “Keith? Wake up, the carriage is here.” She says. Keith kicks off his covers and steps from the bed. “Right... Right...” he says. Keith follows Twilight from the room, the fear still nagging in his mind. Spike sat in the carridge, patiently waiting for Twilight and Keith, or as he was now called “Lightning Storm”. It’s not exactly easy to just change names. Twilight and Keith/Lightning, whatever his name was arrive out the front door, heading towards the carriage. Spike looks around the carriage, Observing his fellow passengers. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all sat around the carriage, not so patiently waiting. They had all wanted to come with Lightning to the castle, none of them had a sure reason why, they all just told him “They had a feeling he might need them. It didn’t exactly make them anymore enthusiastic about the whole situation. Twilight and Lightning entered the Carriage, and it took off into the early morning sky. Fifteen uncomfortable minutes pass, the silence remaining unbroken until a sleepy Rainbow spoke up. “So... LIGHTNING, Huh? I like it...” she says. Keith blushes. “Heh, just something I came up with on the spot. Electricity has always been my favourite element, and I’m really quick and able to climb with ease, So I like to think I’m pretty nimble” he says. Keith notices Rarity staring into his eyes. “I say... Darling, what happened to you?” she says. Keith tilts his head. “Huh? What do you mean?” he says. She points at his face. “Your EYES, Darling, they’re a different color, and your hair, too.” She says. Keith shrugs, he didn’t know much about that crazy light cocoon... thing. Was there even any point in explaining it? Keith turns towards the window. “Huh, must be a trick of the light.” He says. “Just a trick of the light...” Part 6: LeadsThe carriage arrives in the Canterlot square. The streets were hustling and bustling, packed with ponies with places to be. Lightning, Twi and co. Step from the carriage onto the street, the sunlight beating down on their heads. “Jeez, Ah’ really shoulda gotten some more shut-eye...” Says a sleepy AJ. Lightning starts weaving through the ponies. “C’mon, we need to get to the castle.” He says. Lightning hears multiple moans of disappointment from his companions. “But, we’re in Canterlot! We may as well live it up!” says Rainbow, gleaming with excitement. Keith sighs. “Fine. I want to do some shopping, anyway.” He says. He taps Twilights’ shoulder. “Twi, how’s your brother doing?” he says. Twilight stops to think about this. She hadn’t heard from Shining Armour since the wedding. The wedding... Damn, THAT’S gonna be one interesting story for the grandkids... The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see her brother. Suddenly, he was she could think about. “Shining...” She mutters... Keith could hear her. “Heh, you want to see him?” he says. Twilight nods. Twi turns to her friends. “You guys can head around town, me and Lightning are going to go visit Shining and Cadance.” Her friends nod and they all run off, enjoying the City. Twilight begins to walk towards the castle. “Wait, I thought we were going to see your brother?” Keith says. “We are.” She says. “He’s on duty.” Keith kinda felt bad for him. “Jeez, does her EVER get a day off?” He says. Twilight bows her head. “He hasn’t had a day off since the wedding, and that was still a full assault on the castle.” She says. Keith was pretty surprised at that. The wedding was 2 months ago. TWO months. Keith couldn’t go a full two months without a break. Then again, he was only a Secondary School Student. He barely was able to get out of bed in the morning. “Well... It’ll be good to finally meet him... I’ve... I’ve always looked up to him.” He says. Twilight was confused. “Looked up? How?” Keith felt a pang of pain tear him up inside. “Before I came here, I had a little sibling on the way.” He says, barely able to hold back his tears. Twilight stayed silent. “After the wedding... I tried to be like him, I promised, promised to try my hardest for them. And now... There’s no point.” He says, letting his tears flow down his cheeks. Twilight felt sad just looking at him. “You would have been good at it... Lightning. But, this is a whole new world, you’re going to need to forget about your past life. Family. Friends. Everything.” She says. Keith takes in a gulp of air. “Right...” “Just need to forget...” Lightning and Twilight had made it to the castle gates, and were greeted with warm smiles. Well, TWILIGHT was, at least. The guards kept on giving Keith these odd looks. Maybe it was because he was a fresh face. Keith was feeling very odd today. Slightly pissy. Good. He worked best when he was pissy. But... Something else, too. Queasy? Yeah, probably that. “It’ll be good to see the happy couple again.” Twilight says, a warm smile on her face. Keith’s eyes wander around he court-yard. Huh... It didn’t seem as “regal” as it should have been... The place was in bad condition back here. “Twi?” Keith says “Yeah?” she says. “What HAPPENED to this place?” Twilight sighed. “The Changlings really took a toll on this place.” She says, a dull tone in her voice. “I imagine” Keith says. Keith wondered, how could so little repair be done in two months? What about back home? How long had it been? A Day? A Year? He’d probably never know. He observed the barracks more closely. It definitely was a darker part of the castle. No wonder it wasn’t in the show. He wondered if - It was probably best to stop over-analysing everything. Twilight stopped. “I think this is it...” she says. Keith thought about this, How often did she see him anymore? Did she even go to the barracks? Keith shakes his head. “Bleh, Brain, stop THINKING.” He says to himself. She raps her hoof against the door. “Shining, are you there, brother?” she says. A familiar hoof pulls open the door. Shining stepped out the door. “Twi? Twi!” he says, pulling her into an attack hug, spinning her around. Lightning ducks, avoiding the legs of the swinging mare. “Jeez... Watch it!” he says. Shining sets his sister down and turns to Lightning. “Heh, sorry about that, I -... Who’re you?” He says. Lightning Outstretches his hoof to Shining. “Lightning Storm, nice to meet you.” He says. Shining shakes his hoof. “What brings you to The Royal Castle?” He says. “I’ve requested an audience with Princess Celestia.” Shining laughs. “Hah! Good one...” he says. “I’m not joking” says Lightning. Shining rolls his eyes. “Well, good luck... You’re lucky you have Twi with you, it’s not easy to just WALTZ up to the princess and start asking questions...” he says. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do” he says. Shining didn’t know what to think of Lightning, Twilights’ friends were all respectable ponies... But, Lightning... There was something more to him. Keith turned on his hooves and started trotting back towards the main castle. “Sorry I can’t stay longer, I really need some answers...” he says. Shining turned without a word and lead his sister inside. She felt bad leaving Lightning on his own, but... He really needed those answers. Lightning stared up at the castle, he could see inside the throne room, the princess sitting there, quietly. “Well, no point standing ‘round here.” He says, slowly trotting towards the castle. The Dark Stallion stood by the castle gates, obscuring himself from the guards view. “Hehehe... So, he’s here, is he? He really thinks Princess Celestia is behind this? Simple, Simple young one...” The Dark Stallion drew an egg from his pocket, a fire red egg with black spots. He taps the egg against his horn, a slither of black energy penetrating the egg. The egg begins to shake and crack. “Let’s see if he can handle my little friend here.” The stallion says, leaving the egg and stepping onto the pathway, in front of the guards. “Hey, you! You don’t have access to this area. Leave immediately!.” Says one of the guards. The Dark Stallion doesn’t move, only smirk. “HEY! I’M TALKING TO YOU!” Says the guard, quickly trotting up to the stallion. But still, the stallion does nothing. “REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THESE PREMISES, OR I’M AUTHORISED TO USE DEADLY FORCE” Shouts the Guard. Blood spurts from the stallions mouth. A Black spike had penetrated his lower jaw, and had shot up, straight through his head. The guard slumps, blood pooling around him. The second guard stands there, stricken with fear. The stallion trots up to him. “I need your armour, your weapons and your castle pass.” Part 7: Square OneLightning had found his way around the castle, still getting odd looks from the guards. But, finally, he had found the Throne Room. His heart was pounding. Sweat drenched his fore-head. He slowly pushes open the throne room door. “Who is it?” says a voice. Lightning voice disappears for a moment. “It’s Lighting Storm, a friend of Twilights.” He says. Silence. “Ah yes! I’ve been expecting you, please, do come in.” Says the voice. Keith enters the throne room, it was a big room, covered in paintings and murals and stained glass art of the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia trots up to Lightning. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Lightning. Twilight has told me so much about you” she says, giving him an odd look, sort of like she was inspecting him. Lightning felt nervous, he didn’t know if he should bow, or speak in a formal manner. The princess could see this in his eyes. “Keith, There’s no need to be nervous. I may be a princess, but it doesn’t mean I’m nothing but classy ALL the time. The “Internet” seems to portray me like that, anyway.” Keith giggled. “To the moooooooooooooon?” The Princess laughed. “Faust, that really made my day.” She said. Keith felt much more comfortable now. “So, I’m guessing Twilight told you a lot about me, right?” he says. The Princess nods. “She really likes you, Keith”. This made Keith blush. “Y-Yeah... She’s Really nice.” He says, his facing glowing like hot embers. The princess feels this discomfort, and changes the subject. “Twi said that you think I enchanted your Satchel?” “Uh, Yeah.” Keith says. “Well, I’m sorry to say, but, I’m not the pony you’re looking for.” She says. Keith sighs. “Twilight told you why I’m here? That sort of ruined the whole dramatic vibe I was going for.” He says, disappointed. The princess laughs. “I may not be the pony you’re looking for, but I’ll still be able to help you in your adventure in a few ways.” She says. Lightning was over-whelmed with joy with this proposal. Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, was helping him find out who sent him here and why? Sweeeeeeeeeeeet. The Princess grabs Lightning’s satchel from his shoulder. “I can use my royal magic to pin-point a stronger location than Twilight’s magic.” She says. She places her horn against the bag, small spark emitting from the tip, seeping down into the satchel. She pulls her horn back. “...It’s... not working.” She says. She tried again. But, nothing. Lightning flopped back on his rump. “Dammit, now I’m back to where I started.” The Princess started thinking. It must be very powerful magic if she couldn’t detect it... But, why could Twilight detect it? She stared at Lightning, sitting on his back-side. She was doing it for him... Suddenly, the throne room door is pushed open. A guard trots in, with a lance on his back. Keith noticed something odd about him, He didn’t look like the other guards. There were a few red speckles on his armour, his coat wasn’t white like the other guards, it was black like obsidian. He walked to the middle of the throne room, and stopped. Lightning and the Princess just stared at him. “Why are you here? I told you all that I’m in the middle of something important.” Says the Princess. The guard removes his helmet. He had a mane as red as blood, and a coat as dark as night and eyes the most intense shade of sage, they seemed to stare into your very soul. He stared straight at Lightning, his muzzle twisted into a snarl. “Here we are, face to face.” He says. Lightning just stares at him. “Uh... Do I know you?” He says. The Stallion closes his eyes. “No.” The stallion pulls the lance from his back, The Princess shields Lightning with her wing. “I suggest you leave, you are dealing with a formidable force” She says. The stallion stares at the lance for a minute. He throws it to Lightning, he catches it. Lightning was lost for words, why was he giving him this weapon? “You have great power sealed within you, Power my master and I can use... To fulfil our destiny. Make the choice: Seal the Power deep inside you and many will die. Let it flourish... Well, we’ll have to wait and see.” The Stallion vanishes into thin air. Lightning held the lance in his hooves, it was slippery, hard to keep his grasp. This was the kind of weapon he’d need magical power to use. He lets the lance drop. “I... What just happened?” says Lightning He was so confused. Who was that Stallion? Who was his master? What was their destiny? Lightning just fell back, overwhelmed with all these questions. The Princess just stood there. She had a feeling that something catastrophic was around the corner. Rainbow Dash sat in a comfy hoof-chair, a cup of coffee in her hooves. She looked around; the coffee shop was hustling and bustling. Rainbow and the rest of the gang had come here after a day of shopping. Rainbow set down her cup and shuffled deep into the comfy chair. She hadn’t gotten much sleep on the carriage ride here, in-fact, neither had the rest of the group. Rarity was drinking heavily from her own mug of coffee, trying to stave off the drowsiness. They all had the same look on their face; Uncertainty, with a hint of fear. The only one who seemed to notice this was Pinkie Pie, who then spoke up. “Am I the only one who just can’t shake the feeling that something super-duper bad is about to happen?” she says. Rarity sets her mug down. “Pinkie, I fear you may be right, I feel that Lightning may be in trouble, and Twilight, Shining and Cadance too.” Applejack rises from her seat. “Guys, Ah think we should check out the castle. I have the feeling Lightning might really need our help on this one.” The gang rises and leaves the coffee shop. The castle loomed in the distance. The gang all had that feeling of impending doom. They sure as hell hoped they were wrong. Twilight sat on the couch in Shinings living room. She was sipping lightly from a cup of tea, chattering away with Cadance. It had been years since Twilight had really been able to talk with Cadance. The last time she had seen her was at the wedding, and we all remember how that turned out. She kept on wondering about that power she had showed at the wedding. “Love”. That was one hell of a parlour trick. Ever since that fateful day, Twilight had always wanted to show such power. The only problem was; she didn’t have a special some-pony. But, neither did any of her friends, so... She wasn’t missing out on anything, right? Yeah, had to be. But... then again, all her friends had tried at one point or another, and all of them failed. She vaguely remembers Fluttershy getting together with Applejack’s brother for a while. It seemed like it’d work out. I guess not. Oh, and it was obvious that Rainbow had some sort of feelings for AJ. You’d have to be blind not to notice it. She was getting depressed thinking about failed relationships, and feeling gone untold, so she decided to drop the subject. She quickly downs the rest of her tea and rises from her seat. “I’m sorry brother, but I must be getting back to my friend” she says. Shining looked disappointed. “Aw, sis!” he whines. She trots to the door. “I’m sorry, brother. I’ll visit soon, okay?” She says. She trots out the door and heads back for the main castle, oblivious to the danger that was just around the corner. Lightning stood on the throne room balcony, the lance propped against the wall. He had the feeling that... He was doing something absolutely wrong. He got this feeling that he should be running. The Princess trots up behind him. “I’m sorry I cannot offer an explanation for those recent events, Lightning” She says. Lightning just stared away into the sky. “I’d be lying if I said anything made sense since I got here.” He said. Lightning stared down into the court-yard, where a familiar purple unicorn was making her way towards the castle. “Twilight!” Lightning shouts down to her. Twilight looks up at Lightning and gives him a warm smile. She continues trotting slowly towards the castle. Meanwhile, near the castle gate, the egg had nearly hatched. This egg was nothing but a simple dragon egg, not able to do much damage. But that dragon hatchling was already being manipulated by darkness, given insane power and robbed of all free will. Slowly but surely, the egg-shell begins to crack. And the living horror inside, released.... Back in the castle, Lightning had told Twilight about the events that just occurred, the Stallion and his “Master”. She was lost for words. He didn’t blame her. Today’s events had blanked his mind at this point. He didn’t know where he should go, what he should do. Part of him wanted to go back to the library and cuddle up in bed. Another part of him wanted to get to the bottom of this. Lightning spotted his bag in the corner. Coming here hadn’t really gotten him any answers. But at least he knew he could stop with this lead. Where did he continue on from here? Twilight was out in the court-yard, a bit on edge over what she had heard from Lightning. Maybe it was just some wannabe punks trying to scare them. Maybe they did have a real problem on their hands. She was a bit scared. She hated being scared. She wanted nothing more for than someone to hug her and say “everything’s going to be alright.” She felt sick to her stomach. She barely knew why. Why was she so scared? She had some of the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, and was one of The Elements Of Harmony... She shouldn’t have to feel fear. She feels a familiar hoof on her shoulder. Twilight turns her head, and sees Lightning. The second she saw his face, her pain melted away. He had the goofiest grin, she couldn’t help but smile. She giggles a bit, then catches herself, then proceeds to burst out laughing. Lightning didn’t know why she’d been sad, he only felt good that he’d made her feel better Suddenly, out of the blue, Twilight squeezes Lightning in a great big hug. “Thanks, Lightning” she says, giving a grin of such goofiness it proved a worthy rival of his own. Even though he was pretty sure the lives of the entire country of continent or universe or whatever Equestria was, rested on his shoulders, all that mattered is that she was happy. Part 8: Angel LeapMeanwhile, on the outskirts of the castle, the rest of the mane six was arriving near the castle gates, to ensure their suspicions. Fluttershy had gone on ahead, enjoying the Flora and the Fauna. The castle had such amazing flowers and animals. She spotted something odd near the gate. It was grey, wearing... Armour... Was it a stallion? A strong wind blows it, making it shift. Fluttershy caught sight of its face, and the pool of blood surrounding it. For a moment she couldn’t move. His head had nearly been split open; brains had been splattered all over the ground. Fluttershy just turned and bolted, using every ounce of her body strength to get away from here. Back about a quarter mile, the REST of the rest of the mane 6 had taken their time and stopped for a rest. Applejack lay under a tree, hay between her teeth and her hat lowered down ever her eyes. She had let down her mane and a cool breeze was ruffling its edges. She heard a manic thundering of hooves just a little ahead of her. She brushes her mane from her eyes and half-opens one eye to see what it is. It was Fluttershy, thundering back at speeds you wouldn’t believe. She stumbles, trips and clatters to the ground, where she curls up in a ball and cries, howling and moaning. Applejack rushes up to help her, but Rarity had already blazed past, rushing to Fluttershy’s side. “Fluttershy, what’s wrong?!” Rarity asks with an obvious sense of urgency in her voice. Fluttershy cried uncontrollably, pointing back down the road. The group takes action and proceeds to gallop down the path, Fluttershy on AJ’s back. AJ led the group, and as so, was the first of them to round the corner and find Fluttershy’s gruesome discovery. She paused, staring at the hunk of meat that was once a Stallion. She puts her hoof to her mouth, trying to hold back vomit, but fails and empties the contents of her stomach on the floor. She wasn’t that close from the corpse, but the smell was over-whelming. She musters up all the breath and courage she can and proceeds to inspect the stallion closer. It WAS a guard, they knew that for sure. He had the armour, the weapons and there was a castle access pass just laying around with him. Was there an intruder? You couldn’t just waltz in... Applejack noticed something a little bit ahead, a pool of... something. It was an odd liquid, AJ dips her hoof into it and takes a lick. “Hmm... That sure is an odd taste... What is that? Maybe it’s... OH HAIL CELESTIA!” Applejack shouts, and vomits once more, all over the floor. Applejack wipes the fresh vomit from her mouth and takes a deep breath. Her mind was a haze, things were moving slowly. Then it hit her like a brick. She turns and tells the group. “The castle’s in trouble!” AJ then begins to gallop again, with the rest of the group following closely. AJ had the feeling she had missed something back there... Lightning and Twilight sat on a bench, staring at the sunset. Lightning had his hoof around Twilight, hugging her close. He barely had a clue how this happened, and part of his brain told him to walk away, but his core was screaming at him to advance. Lightning turned to Twilight and she turned to him. Twilight was the first to speak. “L-lightning...”She says. Lightning began to lean in close, everything moving at a mile an hour, his heart was racing. Was he going to do it? Would he kiss her? Their faces were merely centimetres away from each-other, he leaned in that one last time... “TWILIGHT!” Lightning and Twilight both shoot back, a bit dazed now that the adrenaline of the moment just vanished. Twilight quickly turns around to see AJ running towards her. “Huh, you guys took your time, It’s okay we ca-“ Twilight is cut off by AJ. “Forget that, you guys are in serious trouble, there’s an intruder in th-“ Lightning stops her. “Oh, took care of him.” He says. AJ stops in her tracks. “Oh, alright then...” She says. “...” The group was very quiet and tense after that... Inside, Lightning felt a bit shameful. Was he about to kiss her? She seemed a bit emotionally... unstable. Was he taking advantage of her? He felt like a bit of an ass, and kept his head low... No sound was being made by anyone. Things were turning fairly awkward. To say the least. BOOM. The entire ground shook underneath them. “What the hell was that?” Lightning says. BOOM. The sound was getting closer. BOOM. GROOOOOOAAAAAAGHHH!!! A massive roar could be heard from an alarmingly close distance. The stomping continued, getting closer and closer. The group eyed the hill in front of the gate, the source of the sound. Slowly but surely, something began to make its way up the castle. Twilight hid behind Lightning. “Wha- What is that!?” She asks. Princess Celestia shouts from the balcony. “GET IN! NOW!” They didn’t see any reason to object. The group bolted for the door. Lightning looked back to see a big, black, scaly head looking at him, with its piercing red eyes. He watched in terror as it opened its mouth, so he ran with all the strength he could muster. He was so close to the door. He could see his friends egging him on. He begins to feel a searing heat behind him, so he dives. Lightning sails right through the door. The Yellow-haired pony flies straight over his friends and crashes to the floor in a heap. “Ugh...” He moans. Thrashes and crashes could be heard against the door, but Princess Celestia had cast a magic barrier across the door, buying them some time. “QUICK, GET UPSTAIRS!” The Princess shouts. The group quickly charges upstairs, barricading themselves into the throne room. Lightning dropped to the floor, panting. “Huff... Huff... I hope she’ll be okay.” He says. A crash could be heard, a splintering of wood and a snapping of jaws. Lightning ran out onto the balcony. The dragon had thrown Princess Celestia off a castle wall. She was soaked in blood and struggling to move. Lightning was struck with fear. The worlds most powerful, generous and kind leader was about to die in front of him and it was his entire fault. To makes matters increasingly difficult, his pain strikes were coming back in spades. He was unable to help him. He lay down and closed his eyes as the group watched in horror as the dragon advances on Celestia. When Lightning closed his eyes, he could see a face, barely recognisable. He could barely make it out... But... It was speaking to him. “You have to try, embrace the pain and make it your power.” Power... It all happened so suddenly, Lightning jumped up and just dived off the balcony, flying through the air, aiming for the dragon. His head was pounding, he could barely take it. Embrace the pain and make it your power... “Alright... Let’s go.” Lightning explodes in a blinding flash of light. Light billows from every portion of his body and proceeds to cover his body, forming a cocoon. The group was watching in awe. Twilight had seen this all before. She hoped he could do it... The cocoon explodes, revealing Lightning. But not the same Lightning. This Lightning was taller, more majestic, with the signature royal horn, angel wings and long blonde hair that came with this form. So did a new found power. The dragon bellows at lightning and proceeds to charge straight at him. He fires a volley of magical blasts straight at its head. Blood explodes from the howling creatures face. Lightning jumps back, flares his wings and readies his horn. With all his might, he charges at the dragon. THWACK! The dragon counters and smacks lightning against a wall. Although, Lightning barely even recognised the hit, bouncing straight from the wall back into the battlefield. Lightning flared his wings once more and took off towards the skies. He soared upwards and upwards, rising as high as he could. Then he dropped. At once he began to pick up speed, cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter. He eyed the dragon, preparing to finish off Celestia. He aimed for its head. Closer and closer her got. The dragons head was inches away. SCHLICK. Lightnings horn had cut straight through the dragons skull, penetrating its brain, killing it instantly. All at once, Lightnings power began to fade, his horn begins to shrink, wings began to seep back into his body, his body shrinks. The dragons corpse topples over, Lightning coming with it. Lightning cracks off the ground, completely limp and lifeless. “Lightning!” Twilight cries from the balcony. She charges down the stairs and out the door. She charges to his side, smacking his face trying to get a response. Lightnings eyes flutter. “What the fuck just happened?” He says. Twilight heaves Lightning up and they go to help the princess, who was standing propped against the wall. The princess was burnt, bruised, torn and broken. Yet she still managed to stand. Her horn glows and a wave of white magic washes over her. The wave vanishes and the princess is standing there, good as new. “I thank Faust for the royal magic.” She says. Lightning turns and looks at the princess. “Now, I barely remember what happened, but I DO know you could’ve just used royal magic and stop the dragon.” He says. The Princess Lowers her head. “Alas, I have not yet fully recovered my powers since the changeling incident...” She says. Lightning remembered that incident well. It was truly a good episode. “Don’t worry, Princess, I’m sure you’ll get your powers back soon” He says. The Princess smiles. “Thank you, Lightning.” The Princess got that wide-eyed look that people get when they remember important things. “Lightning, did you ever use that lance?” She says. That lance, Lightning thought. That dark stallion had expected him to use it. He expected him to need a weapon. But he didn’t. Lightning knew he must be quickly accelerating in power. But what that stallion said lingered in his mind... “Seal the Power deep inside you and many will die. Let it flourish... Well, we’ll have to wait and see.” God, it made him shaking just thinking about it. Princess Celestia shook Lightnings hoof and promised him that if he ever needed anything, all he needed to do was come to the castle and request an audience. It had been an eventful day, lightning just wanted to go home. As they reached the castle gates, AJ retold the events of the corpse they had found. Twilight had informed them that the body had been transferred to the Canterlotian Medical Ward, where the top scrolls and magical spells were being used in his revival. This amazed Lightning. “Wow, there’re resurrection spells?” He says. Twilight then began to tell him all about the ancient Canterlotian spell archives and how many of these spells were recently discovered, and only Celestia and Luna has access to them. Lightning was truly fascinated by Twilights vast knowledge of this world, he always got lost in her words. After a good walk, the group found themselves trotting through an evening market, stalls set up selling various different goods. Twilight stopped in front of a cute little jewellery stall and began to browse its wares. One necklace in particular caught her eye. It was an intertwining silver chain, with an angel’s wing on the end. It glistened softly in the evening sun. “Excuse me, how much for that chain?” Twilight asks. The shopkeeper gives Twilight a deep smile. “Three bits” Says the shopkeeper. Twilight pays for the necklace and trots quickly to catch up with the group. “Lightning!” She calls. Lightning turns around, giving Twilight a happy smile. “Oh hey, Twilight, what’s up?”He asks. Twilight puts the pendant around his neck. “I got you something, a thank you for stopping that dragon and helping the princess.” Keith blushes. “Wow, thank you, Twilight.” He says. Twilight gives a crafty smile. “Oh, and there’s something else, too.” She says. Keith looked confused. “What is it?” He says. Twilight presses her lips against his cheek. “That.” She says. With that, Twilight gallops ahead and rejoins the group. Lightning stood there, a bit baffled. He laughs. “That girl is something else...” He says, And with that, he catches up to the group, gets back in the carriage and it takes off into the sunset. What an eventful day today had been...
Part 1: BeginningsHow many hours are in a day when you don’t keep track? How many people REALLY care for you? Keith couldn’t answer these questions. At a young Age he had been Diagnosed with ADHD and something called Aspergers... He didn’t know what it was... Only that it gave him a warped view on reality. This wasn’t a flaw; he saw it as a great bonus. He looked at things differently, past the cold dark veil of human perception... He didn’t have too many friends... And the ones he did have, well... They just fought... Summer, 2011... Keith had been having a rough week. His girlfriend had brutally dumped him, his parents just kept SCREAMING at him... His only escape was the internet. He found people were much more diverse on the internet. He felt that the people he knew online were like snowflakes, no two were the same, though, and many were very similar. He spent hours upon hours online, doing whatever was popular with people... Little did he know, one trip to MemeBase... Would change his life forever... He did his daily routine, Check his Emails, Facebook, Youtube and Memebase... But, He kept on seeing these strange images... Ponies? Yes, My Little Pony. Keith didn’t understand what these GROWN MEN saw in a TV show for little girls... He decided that he would give it a try... for the laugh... And it was glorious! Its charm was amazing, the characters, the animation, the music, the sheer power of the show, It was simply one of gods greatest creations. Ever since that fateful day... Whenever Keith felt sad, he just thought of ponies... Months had passed, Keith had become even more immersed in the show, and it was simply amazing... People never understood why he liked it so much; he was beaten up and verbally abused by people who barely knew him... School was starting up again... Keith would see all his old friends again, If they didn’t kill him first. They were SERIOUSLY Pony-phobic... He walked in through the door, getting a few looks from his classmates. He heard some mutterings about him like “Faggot, Gay,” All the usual stuff. He sat in Geography, People throwing scraps of paper at him. He didn’t care. He was happy doodling ponies. He hears the class go silent. “Crap, this isn’t good...” He thinks to himself. He hears a loud THWACK as the teacher slams her fist down on his desk. “KEITH! STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!” She screams. Keith tries desperately to retract himself from this situation. He mutters a feeble apology as she grabs his drawing copy. He makes a grab for it. She holds it up for the class to see. He was doing a drawing of Twilight Sparkle Levitating the Ursa Minor. The class laughs. Keith tries his hardest to ignore it all... But his will was broken. He jumps up and Tears the drawing copy from his teachers grasp. “YOU DON’T TOUCH THIS!” He shouts. The teacher screams at him to sit down. But he doesn’t listen. He walks towards the door, but she grabs him by the arm. Before he can even think about it, he cracks his fist into her face, she slumps against the wall. Blood running from her nose. His classmates stared at him in awe. He looked over his shoulder and gave them a smile. Then walked out the door, and out the front of the building. “Today, I start standing up for myself” He was at home, Barricaded in his room, His parents banging at the door. They had received a call from the school to say that he had assaulted a teacher. He didn’t care. He finally stood up for what he truly loved, and it felt great! He spent the day watching his entire pony collection, completely happy... Not for long... That night, He had the strangest dream... He was surrounded by ponies of all shapes and sizes... The mane six, OC’s, Background ponies, they were all trapped in a void of darkness... Screaming for help... The void got closer... And closer... And closer... He awoke with a fright, dripping with sweat. “Whoa... That was weird...” he says He rises from his bed and goes to his Mini-Fridge. He had stocked it in preparation for his long stay in his room. He pulls out a Dr.Pepper and Twists off the top. He Drinks it bottom up until a single drop remains. He goes to the window and pushes it open. He lets the night breeze blow back his hair, cooling his sweat. He sighs. He turns walks back to his bed and flops down on the covers. “That was a weird dream... Let’s hope I don’t have it again...” He says, before slowly drifting back to sleep. The next few days were okay. Eating Doritos and drinking Dr.Pepper... A bit of XBOX, a LOT of Facebook. It made him happy, Happier than he had even been before. But, that dream... It kept coming back to him... And every time, the void got closer. It scared him. It scared him beyond words. He sat on his bed, playing Grand Theft Auto IV. He hears a beep from his phone. Someone had sent him a message. He opens it up and reads it aloud. “Be patient, Young brony... The day is nigh... Soon... You will enter the realm...” Keith got a bit worried. He started to type a response, but his phone battery just died, even though he just charged it yesterday. He sits on his bed, starting to freak out a little. He just lies down on his bed and closes his eyes. He begins to slowly drift asleep... The Void. It grew larger every time he saw it. He looked around. All the ponies were still there. But this time, they were staring at him, a look of hope in their eyes. He smiles. Light bursts forth from his chest. It wraps itself around him. It felt warm. Like 10 million fireflies, all hugging him at once... The light fades. Keith looks at his hands. Or, at least, what WERE his hands. They had been replaced, replaced by hooves. Keith had transformed into a pony. He didn’t know how. He didn’t know why. He just knew that it had happened. He lowers himself, staring hard into the void. “Let’s dance.” He charges, galloping at full speed towards the void. He feels the darkness of the void brush against his coat. He lets out a vicious battle cry as the void lunges at him. And then. Nothing. All he saw was darkness. He feels the life being torn from his body. He closes his eyes. Knowing this was the end. Keith opens his eyes. “NO!” He screams. The darkness retreats a little. He lets out another cry, Light billowing from his chest, fighting off the darkness. The darkness fades, nothing left of it. Keith saw a vivid blue sky, with rainbows. Not a single cloud in the sky. He begins to fall. He screams, frantically waving his hooves. He spots a farmyard beneath him. It races up to meet him. He braces himself for impact. WHACK! Meanwhile, Twilight had been working in her library, sorting her books by category. Spike was SUPPOSED to be helping... But instead, he just napped in the corner. She sighs and steps down from the book shelf. She hears a frantic knocking at her door. “Twilight! Twilight! Let me in!” Twilight races to the door and pulls it open. “What?! What is it!?” She shouts. She was a little bit frustrated from all the hard work she had been doing. Fluttershy stared at her. Slightly distracted by the unexpected shouting “Uhh... Something crashed behind Sweet Apple Acres! We need your magic to help determine what it is!” She said. Twilight thought she probably wanted her to run a Bio-Scan spell or something. Fluttershy takes off; flying towards Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight follows closely behind. A Short gallop later, and Twi and Shy were standing at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight could see the smoke from behind the barn, she could smell it too. She races towards the barn. She sees her friends standing around a massive crater in the ground. “Whoa...” exclaims Dash. She was hovering over the crater, peering deep into the bowels of the earth. Applejack calls out to Twilight. “Twilight! Ah’m so glad y’all came to help.” She says, shaking Twilight’s hoof relentlessly. “Honestly, AJ, It’s no trou-“ She is cut off by Dash grabbing her by the shoulders. “Hey! I think someone’s down there!” She says. Fluttershy gasps. “Oh no! I hope they’re okay!” She says. Dash flies down the crater, you can hear her rustling around at the bottom. “DUDE! There’s a stallion down here!” She shouts. Twilight runs to the edge of the crater and peers down. “Are you sure?” She says. Dash makes a weird sound. “I THINK so... It’s really dark...” Twilight was amazed a single stallion could have caused this. “Heh... Okay! Bring him up!” Rainbow Dash drags up the colt. He was battered, bruised and dripping with blood. He had a snow white coat, with a long, dark blond mane. Rainbow lays him down carefully on the ground. Twilight stares at him. “Did... HE cause THIS?!” she says, pointing at the crater. While everyone was arguing, Fluttershy slowly trots up to the colt, eyeing him carefully. “S-Sir, are you okay?” she says. The stallion shuffles a little. “Ugh...” he moans. Fluttershy gasps. “Guys, he’s alive!” she shouts. Twilight whirls around. “Really?!” she says In a quick flash, she already had him scooped up onto her back. “Quick! We need to get him to Nurse Redheart!” Pinkie stops her. “She’s out of town, visiting some family in Manehatten.” She says. “We’ll just take him to the library, then!” she says, galloping towards the library. Rarity sighs. “Why must we have ONE nurse in all of Ponyville?”
Part 2: AwakeningKeith awoke. He felt groggy, his vision blurred. He tries to roll onto his side. He can barely move. He can hear voices from across the room. They sounded... Familiar... He feels a hoof press against his cheek. “The poor thing... He’d look dazzling if it weren’t for all this blood...” says a voice. Keith uses all his willpower to make himself rise. A purple hoof tries to push him down, but he pushes back and raises himself into a slouch. “Whoa, you really are made of tougher stuff...” says the mare with the purple hooves. Keith looks up. “Twi-Twi-Twi....TWILIGHT?!” says Keith. Twilight gives him an odd look. “Have we met?” She says. She tries to put her hoof on his shoulder, but he pulls away. “Why am I here?!” he says. Twilight seems a little frightened. “We brought you here...” Keith pauses. He tries to think. Fluttershy walks up to him. “What happened to you, how did you fall from the SKY?” She says. Keith begins to retell his tale, the void, the transformation, and the light, all of it. The 6 stay silent, they all stare at Keith. After an uncomfortable 5 minutes, Twilight was the first to speak up. “How did you “transform” into a colt?” He didn’t know. “How do you explain the light?” He couldn’t. “Is there anything you can offer that we may be able to use to help you?” Keith laughs.”A place to stay?”| Twilight gives him a warm smile. “I don’t have any problem with that.” She pats him on the shoulder. “You’re free to stay as long as you like.” Keith gives her a cheesy grin. “Thanks!” he says. He spies a bag on the table he was lying on. “Oh yeah, we found that with you in the crater.” She says, Handing him the bag. He takes the bag and pulls it open; it contained his phone, a bag of Doritos and a Dr.Pepper. He pulls off the cap and lets the smell wash over him. Twilight stared at the bottle in curiosity. “What is that?” She says. “It’s just a beverage we have in my home land... Would you like some?” he says, offering her the bottle. She reluctantly takes a sip. She blushes deeply. “My, my... This is... FIZZY.” She says, taking yet another sip. “Do you not like it?” Keith says. Twilight shakes her head. “This is delicious!” She says. In one quick movement, she had the bottle drained. Keith decided to hang onto the Doritos... He hears a beep from his phone. He had received a text. He opens the text and reads it aloud. “This is but the beginning to your adventure...” Everyone stares at him again. Still, so many questions had been asked, with so many remaining. Some shuffling is heard from the other side of the room. Spikes head pokes up from his blanket. “Wha... What’d I miss...?” Keith lay in his bed. Twilight had given him the spare room. He lay in bed, thinking over the day’s events. He had been given questions and answered them truthfully. He told them about his world, his bronyism, all of it. Twilight had told him something about cameras... Floating around the town... Truthfully, It was an insane concept. Who was behind all that? To be perfectly honest, Keith didn’t care, He closed his eyes, knowing that the full effect of today’s events would be unveiled tomorrow. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK Keith wearily raises his head, it was swimming. He gives his head a shake and his vision returns to normal. He sighs. “Still nothing” He says, surprised that he managed to remain calm... Maybe he just needed some coffee. Twilight opens the door. “I hope I’m not disturbing you...” She says. “Not at all” Keith says. It was something about this place... It... Felt like he was home... Keith got up out of the bed, trotting towards the door, he and Twilight trot down the stairs to the library/living room thing. Keith observes his surroundings carefully, It was as if he had walked straight onto the set, knowing completely there was not a “set” since it was an animated show... Or, at least... He THOUGHT it had been an animated show... Keith had no idea what to believe anymore. He just let this change in life wash over him, cleansing him of his dark past. Twilight opens the libraries front door. Keith trots out in the morning sun; He could see Rainbow Dash in the sky, moving the clouds... It’s funny... All of the stuff about weather that he had learned in school... It meant nothing in Equestria. He spied all the happy ponies, trotting around, doing regular Equestrian things... It was strange... Normally, He expected to be completely lost... But, he knew just where everything was. The library, The farm, The bakery... Where to go first? The Bakery... He was hungry. He trotted down the street, his hooves crunching against the ground, it was a pleasant feel. He felt so alien, one human, masqueraded with some sort of magic... He wondered what other kinds of magic he could cast... Twilight trots up behind him, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She didn’t find his story too convincing... She’d need some proof sooner or later... Keith pushed open the door to Sugarcube Corner, the smell of the many baked goods washing over him, it was mesmerizing, the aroma of the many batters, sugars and... stuff. He slowly trots up to the counter “H-Hello?” he says. Suddenly, A Pink mare explodes from behind the counter “HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI!!” She shouts, seeming totally ecstatic. Her pink mane flying around furiously as she bounced around the counter top. After a few minutes of bouncing, the mare seemed to stop, and she stared deeply into my eyes. “So, you’re Keith, right?” she says, a manic, but still comforting smile spread across her face. Keith being a bit intimidated, gives a quick nod. “Uh... Y-yeah...” he stutters. She tilts her head a little. “Is something wrong?” Keith blushes a little. “Wha? N-Nothin’... Could I get some cupcakes?” he says, blushing furiously. Pinkie hands him a box of multi-color cupcakes from behind the counter. “Here! These are on the house!” she says, rubbing his mane. “T-thanks, Pinkie!” He says, before quickly trotting outside. Why was he so nervous around women? He really needed to work on that... Twilight had gone back to the library, her mind racing with possibilities... Where had he come from? How is he not dead? Why is he HERE? She slams her hooves against a table in frustration. She has no idea why this was eating away at her... All kinds of crazy magic was possible these days... But, Transformation? Teleportation was possible... But from different WORLDS? That was just Bat-shit crazy. “BEEPBEEPBEEP” Twilight turns her head. It was coming from the bag. She knocks it open, a small light eminating from the bottom of the bag. She rummages around and pulls out Keith’s phone, a notice on the screen saying “1 New Text” She presses her hoof against buttons until she found the one to open the Text. “You’ll realise your mission soon.” Twilight sets down the phone, her heart racing. Keith had wondered around Ponyville, the many Pegasi, Earth ponies and Unicorns had long gone home. He was getting tired... and cold. He turn, looking back at the way he came. He saw the library, the lights were on. It wasn’t that far, maybe a 20 minute walk... He slowly trots back towards the library. “Spike, Spike, Wake up!” Says Twilight, shaking Spike furiously. He swings his claw at her. “I’m sleeping... Come back later...” he says. Twilight pulls him out of bed. “I need you to take a note!” she says. Spike sighs. “Fine...” he says. He grabs a Quill and some parchment off a nearby table, “What do you want me to write?” Twilight grabs the parchment off him and tears it into 5 pieces, writing a name on each of them. She throws them back and says “Quick! Just say to meet at the library as soon as you can!” Spike quickly scribbles down the message on each piece of parchment, He then opens his mouth and breathes his magical dragon fire on them, they disappear in a flash of light. “Can I go back to sleep now?” He says. Twilight breathes a sigh of relief. “Yes, yes you can.” She trots downstairs and sits on the floor. Soon enough, all secrets would be spilled. Keith was still trotting back towards the library, taking it at a slow pace, so he can take in all the scenery. He found the architecture of these buildings fascinating. “Huh... Never would have even thought stuff like this was possible back home.” He says to himself. He feels something brush against his shoulder, He whirls around... But nothing was there. He turns cautiously and quickly trots towards the library. He feels something else brush against him. He whirls around again, only to fall. “WHO’S THERE!?” He shouts into the night. No response. “IF SOMEONES OUT THERE, COME ON OUT AND FIGHT ME! I’M NOT AFRAID!” Still nothing. Keith quickly scrambles to his hooves and starts to gallop towards the library, fear beginning to seep into him. SWISH. Something pulls his legs out from underneath him. He tumbles multiple times, scraping his entire body along the hard gravel. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” He screams, more angry then scared. Suddenly, Tendrils of darkness emerge from the night, like giant snakes. Keith bolts up and gallops towards the library. “Almost there” He thinks. He spots the door opening, and Twilight sticking her head out, looking around. She spots him dashing towards her. “Keith?!” she says. “MOVE OUTTA MY WAY!” he shouts. Twilight ducks as he takes a dive, flying over head through the door. He slams the door with his hoof in mid-air, narrowly missing Twilight. He crashes to the floor, covered in blood and little bits of stone. He jumps up and looks out the window. The tendrils were gone. He stares out the window, he did NOT think those tendrils up... Twilight puts her hoof on his shoulder “Keith, are you okay?” she says. Keith stands up and wipes the blood from his scrapes, he takes a deep breath, his adrenaline leaving him. “Something was after me” he says. Twilight takes a worried look out the window. “Keith, I didn’t see anything, all I saw was you running.”
Part 3: Doubt and UncertaintyKeith sits down. “Something was out there... And I’m going to find out what.” He says, starting towards the door. Twilight grabs him by the shoulder. “Keith, wait. We have to talk” she says. Keith sighs. “Fine” He says. Twilight hears a knocking at the door. She goes to open it. She looks worryingly at the mark from where Keith kicked the door. The door is hit by a gust of wind and blown open, Keith must have damaged the lock when he kicked it, in walks Rarity, follow by Applejack, Fluttershy, all of the mane 6. They all crowd around Keith, They all stare at him with accusing eyes. Twilight walks tight up to Keith’s face. She gives him a cold stare. “Keith, you told us you just FELL from the sky, into this land?” she says. He nods. Twilight laughs. “Keith, your story hasn’t made any sense from the start. You claim we’re part of a TV show. Do you have any proof to back up your accusation? I think you know so much about us... Because you’re a spy!” She says, pointing a hoof at him. Keith doubles over, laughing. Twilight slams her hoof into the ground. “I’m SERIOUS!” She shouts. Keith gets up and wipes his eyes. “A Spy, seriously? What is this, Team Fortress 2?” he says. Spike, who had been asleep in the corner until about 5 minutes ago taps Pinkie Pies shoulder. “Hey, what’s Team Fortress 2?” He whispers. She shrugs. “I don’t know, Spike. It sounds fun!” she says. Twilight points her hoof at Keith. “Give us a better explanation, NOW.” She says. Keith sighs. “What is there to explain? I told you I don’t know why I’m here, only that someone brought me here. You guys ARE a TV show! You said yourself something about cameras following you around the place, maybe this could be something to do with someone higher up?” he says. Twilight seems to be mulling this over. Applejack puts her hoof on her shoulder “Y’all shouldn’t fret about this, sugarcube. This guy seems pretty darn trustworthy, Ah should know.” She says. “You should know because you are the Element Of Honesty” says Keith. “Exactly” says Applejack. Keith takes in a big breath of air, preparing him for the long speech he was about to give. “Look, I came from a land of war, drugs, violence and many, many bad things. This place is a haven, all I ask is that you give me the benefit of the doubt. I’ve done nothing to cross you, I WORSHIP you guys! Honestly, this is a land of opportunity for me, a new beginning! All I ask of you, is that you trust me...” He says, panting a little. He outstretches his hoof to Twilight. “Friends?” He says. “Friends” she says, shaking his hoof. Rarity puts her hoof on Keith’s head. “I say, darling, how ever did you receive those HORRENDOUS cuts and bruises?” she says. Keith brushes more blood from his scrapes. “Something was after me... Something... with Tentacles.” The room went a bit silent. “Tentacles? Pff... No big deal, I have to weave my way around monsters every time I go to the Everfree Forest for obstacle training!” Says Rainbow Dash, jabbing at the air. “Oh... Um... Maybe it was an octopus?” says Fluttershy. Keith gives her a look. “Why would an octopus be walking around the town square?” he says. Fluttershy blushes and lowers her head, making Keith feel a bit bad. Keith shakes his head, sending small splatters of blood around the room. “I don’t know what it was... I just hope it doesn’t come back...” Keith stared out the window, towards the moon, knowing that things wouldn’t be that simple... Hours has passed, the late night becoming the early hours of the morning. Twilight lay in her bed, tossing and turning. She couldn’t stop thinking about Keith. He had this feel about him. She could learn SO MUCH from him. His world... His life... She needed to know, now. She slithers out of bed, being careful not to wake Spike. She trots out the door, the still breeze from the open window blowing back her mane. She taps on his door. “Keith?” she says “Are you awake?” She pushes open the door. Keith lay in bed, snoring loudly, his face still covered in cuts and bruises. Twilight felt sorry for him, He had been through a lot days. She found herself staring at him, unable to look away. He seemed so... MYSTERIOUS. He shuffles a little and rolls onto his side, facing towards Twilight. “Uhhh....” He moans, his eyes flickering. His eyes shoot open. In a quick movement, he had flung the covers into the air, landing on Twilights face, and in a split second, he had her down on the ground, pinned to the floor. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING CREEPING ON ME?!” He shouts. Twilight instantly regretted her decision to learn more about Keith. “I’M SORRY! I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS!” She shouts, scared. They both stay silent for a few seconds. Keith rolls off her and offers her a hoof getting up. “Sorry about that... You scared me.” He says, blushing Magenta. The next few minutes were nothing but awkward silence. “So... You...Wanted to ask some questions?” he says, still blushing. Twilight nods, her brain was telling her to run, she had started this on the wrong hoof... But her heart made her go for it. “Y-yeah... I-I wanted to know more about where you... Y’know, came from?” she says, not catching his eye. He takes a deep breath, a futile attempt to escape the awkward tension between them. Twilight starts towards the door. “I’ll go make some coffee... We can start then.” She says. Keith wasn’t sure why... But he wanted to tell all his darkest secrets to that mare... Keith sat in the kitchen, Twilight was in the kitchen. He could hear the clink of mugs as she made coffee. He could spy a portion of Twilight from a gap in the wall. She had always been has favourite of the mane 6... Her expert magical skill... Her masterful skills of organization. Her utterly fascinating knowledge of literature... And now he was in her house, talking to her about his life over a warm cup of coffee. This almost made Keith forget about his attacker earlier. Almost. Who... Or WHAT was that dark beast that had assaulted him? He had never heard of those kinds of monsters of Equestria before... At this point, he was almost hoping it WAS an Octopus... Twilight came trotting in, a tray of coffee cups, a kettle and many assorted biscuits and cakes levitated by magic in front of her. She sets it down on the table. She sits down in the seat opposite him. “So... Keith, tell me a bit more about you?” she says. Keith’s brain went white for a moment. He wasn’t sure what he could and couldn’t say, he couldn’t say where he was from, she probably wouldn’t have even heard of those places. Twilight senses his distress. “Haha, alright, let me make this easier for you... How old are you?” “I’m 13” He says, smiling confidently. “13? How young... You seem much older.” Says Twilight. Keith laughs. “Yeah, I get that a lot. I’ve always been slightly more... MATURE then typical people my age. In the sense that I’d never Drink or do drugs or anything... But, since I got here, My thoughts have become more... Sophisticated?” he says, not even sure he was making sense anymore. Twilight nods like she understood what he meant. “I admire that. Age is just a number, it’s the person BEHIND the number that sets their own standards.” She says. Twilight and Keith talked away into the night, the coffee growing cold. Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking the library, a stallion stood on the very tip, staring at Keith and Twilight talking away to each-other. “Hah, that pathetic young worm is supposed to be able to stop me?” says the stallion. “He isn’t even brave enough to face my lowliest pawn...” He puts his hoof against the chin of a creature, a massive creature, it’s legs and arms were 5 feet wide, his torso seemed to be covered in a metallic like substance. The creature raises it leg and scratches behind his ear. “Woof Woof!” goes the creature. The stallion smacks him with his hoof. “QUIET, Patches” he says. The stallion turns and begins to walk away. “You better prepare yourself, Keith. I don’t take it easy on children.”
Part 4: PowerThe morning sun stabbed at Twilight’s eyes through a crack in the curtains. She rolls onto her side, pulling the covers up over her head. “Morning...” Twilight sticks her head above the covers. “Uh... Where you watching me sleep?” she says, slightly creeped out. Keith shakes his head. “Nah, you hit your head while we were talking. I thought I’d make sure you were okay.” He says, smiling a little. “How in the hell did I hit my head?” she says, slightly confused. Keith laughs. “You slipped on a banana peel” he says, barely able to contain his laughter. “Ugh, I TOLD Spike to STOP leaving banana peels everywhere!” says Twilight, growing irritated. Keith looks at her and tilts his head. He squints at her, like he was trying to read her mood. “You seem tense” he says. Twilight rolls her eyes. “You think?” she says, sarcastically. Keith trots over to the other side of the room, where a tray lay on her desk. He tries to grab a mug from the table with his hooves. No luck. “Dammit. I seriously wish I was still human sometimes” he says. Twilight uses her magic to levitate the mug, she pulls it over to her mouth and daintily takes a sip. “Hmm... What is this?” she says, intrigued. Keith smiles. “Cherry Soda” he says. Twilight studied the mug. “Never heard of it.” She says. Keith pulls his bag out from under the table. “This thing must be enchanted.” He says. Twilight throws her covers off and jumps out of bed. “Want me to take a look?” she offers. He tosses her the bag. “You seem to be getting more adjusted your hooves, Keith” says Twilight. Keith shuffles his hooves along the ground. “I’ve seen all of you walk around enough to get a few pointers” he says. It hits Twilight. “That’s right, MLP:FIM” She says. Keith nods. “But, it still doesn’t make any sense. Why are we so popular?” she says. Keith sighs, It felt like he was at home, trying to explain ponies to some ignorant mother-fucker, only it wasn’t an ignorant motherfucker this time. It was Twilight Sparkle. Her horn begins to glow, surrounding the bag with a pink-ish aura. “Hmm... It seems someone has enchanted this bag with a “portal” spell, they can put an object in one portal and have it appear in your bag” she says. Keith giggles. “Now THAT’S thinking with Portals!” he says. Twilight gives him the blankest of stares. He blushes. “Uh... Who do you think is behind it?” he says Twilight pauses for a moment. “I think the spell is originating from Canterlot.” She says, slightly surprised. Keith absorbs this fact, whoever gave him the bag must have something to do with his arrival to this land. Canterlot... Could it have been...? Her? Keith’s eyes go wide. “Princess Celestia.” He says. Twilight scoffs. “What would Princess Celestia want with a regular pony like you?” Keith sighs. “Regular? Twilight, I fell from the sky into this land, I am a HUMAN. I SHOULDN’T BE HERE.” I should be at school, studying for my summer exams. We can throw “normal” straight out the window.” He says. He gestures for the bag, he hitches it over his shoulder and starts towards the door. “Well, looks like I gotta talk to the Princess.” He says. Twilight’s horn glows, holding Keith in a Force-Field spell. “WHOA, you CAN’T just trot into the castle!” she says. Keith laughs. “Then I’m going to need you to escort me.” Twilight stomped her hoof. “No way! I have things to get done!” she shouts. Keith’s face drops. “Twilight, please, for me.” He says. She looks into his eyes. He had a look of fiery determination in his eyes. “...Are you sure it’s her?” she says. Keith grits his teeth. “Damn sure.” Princess Celestia sat in her chamber, all on her lonesome. She was tired. Very tired. Ruling over all of Equestria wasn’t something that could be done before tea-time. But, what about the other realms? How did they cope? One person. One simple person. That was all she needed. She had prayed night and day, hoping that she would get to meet a visitor from another realm. Maybe even a HUMAN. Humans were a strange race. Ravaged by war, poverty and hunger. But none of them seemed to care. None of them that mattered, anyway. But there are good humans, righteous people who would fight for what they believed was right. She needed one of these valiant fighters. Such power, such... She had to stop these delusions. No matter how much she prayed. She couldn’t make it happen. She sighs. Shining Armour was one of these fighters. So was Twilight. It ran in their blood. Such power, such bravery. How many other ponies could compare? Celestia sighs. “One single person.” Keith trotted through Ponyville, closely following Twilight. “Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?” He says Twilight doesn’t answer. “Twi-“ Keith feels a stinging pain in his head. “AHH!!!” he screams, slumping to the ground, writhing in pain. Twilight rushes to Keith, shaking him. “KEITH! WHAT’S WRONG?! A blazing light surrounds Keith. It swirls over his body, forming into a cocoon. Twilight jumps back, she fires a ball of energy from her horn, but the cocoon just absorbs it. Keith’s screams could be heard from inside. BOOM. The force of the explosion sends Twilight flying, with such a force it should have killed her. But it didn’t. She was floating. Centimetres from a brick wall. She drops. The world around her felt different. It felt... Warm, like a summers day. She felt happy, she couldn’t refrain from smiling. She turns around. There was Keith, Floating. Only, It wasn’t the Keith she knew. His mane had frown longer, More tidy, while still retaining its long, shaggy awesomeness. He had grown a horn, not just any horn, but a magnificent royal horn. Sharp as a dagger and brimming with magic. Wings had sprouted from his back. Wondrous, Angel like wings, light bouncing off them with every little movement. But, something was wrong. He seemed in pain. Twilight tried to call out, but nothing happened. Blood ran down Keith’s horn. His perfect wings grew black and withered. The world around him began to die. A little spark flutters from Twilight’s horn. She could still cast magic. She fires a volley of magic blasts at Keith, having absolutely no plan B. The rounds burst against him, turning portions of his black, frail body back to its glorious white. Round after Round after Round, she wouldn’t stop. Slowly, The world around him began to change, life flowing back into it. Twilight concentrates. Her horn glows ferociously. BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM A chain of high velocity rounds smack into Keith, sending him sprawling. There, just like that. The world was normal again. The Wind blew, the birds sang, the grass grew. But Keith lay in a slump. Twilight began to gallop, he was hurt, bad. She had no explanation for what happened in the last five minutes, and he probably didn’t either. Keith began to shuffle, he was battered, beaten and bruised. What was this mysterious light? What kind of extraordinary power did he possess? He shakily rises, his body looked scolded all over. His mane had remained long, with its shaggy awesomeness. His eyes were a dazzling shade of blue, as if someone had carved them from sapphires. His coat (Well, the parts that weren’t burnt) were a dazzling white, as if it was absorbing the sun-light itself. His face scrunched to form a pained expression “Oh god, my fucking body...” he says. His face grew angry, he was sick of all this magic bullshit. Couldn’t he have ONE normal day?! He stomps his hoof into the ground, as small amount of electricity discharges from him, scorching the earth around him. Twilight jumps up “Wha! Watch it!” she says, relieved Keith was okay. Keiths burns didn’t hurt, not even a little. He looks around, there were ponies looking at him, he didn’t blame them. “It’s okay, people! Go back to your duties!” he addresses. Surprisingly, it works. Twilight puts her hoof on Keith’s shoulder. “Keith... What WAS that?” she says, worried. Keith thought about this, it was a blinding light, the same light that turned him into a Stallion. Could they be connected? Keith never got a look at himself the first time, never knew there was a cocoon. “Twi... I think... I think I’m getting stronger.” He says. “Stronger?” She says. Keith stomped his hoof as a demonstration. Lightning crashed down from the sky infront of her. “AH!” She screams, diving out of the way. Keith lets the electricity flow through his body. “I could get used to this...” he says. The Stallion stood on the hill, watching silently. “Damn it, the little bastard is getting stronger” he snarls. He bites his lip. “Let’s just hope he knows how to use this power...” He casts a cloak over himself, covering his tall, buff body. He had a mane the shade of night and eyes as red as rubies. “With great power, comes great responsiblilty.” And with a black flash, he was gone.
Part 5: Start AgainTwilight found herself trotting back towards the library. She had forgotten to get ANY supplies what so ever. She hadn’t even told anyone she was leaving. This wasn’t like her at all. She was usually so organized. Something was distracting her. But, what? She found herself staring at Keith. His long mane was blowing in the gentle breeze, he catches her in the corner of his eye, he turns to her, and gives her a warm smile. She stared right into his Cobalt-Blue eyes, they looked like someone had placed gemstones in his head. The stare lasted an awkwardly long time. They both turn away, blushing. Twilight hears a familiar call. “TWILIGHT!” She looks up. It was Spike, on the balcony, eagerly awaiting her return. Twilight levitates him from the balcony, she floats him down and drops him on her back, her wraps his arms around her and gives her a big, scaly hug. “Where WERE you, Twi?” he says, a tone of relief in his voice. “Spike, I’m SO sorry, I have to head to Canterlot for a few days, I should have told you...” she says, lowering her head. Spike pokes her in the face. “Y’know, you could have just asked me to send a scroll, get a carriage ready for you guys...” he says. Twilight puts her hoof to her face. “Dammit, I keep on forgetting the simplest things.” She says. Spike pulls out a scroll and quill, he begins to scribble. “Dear Princess Celestia. Twilight Sparkle and...” Spike pauses. “Spike, what’s wrong?” says Twilight. Spike stares at Keith. “What’s his pony name? He has to have a pony name.” Keith thinks about this. “Lightning, Lightning Storm.” He says. Spike resumes scribbling his letter to the Princess. Twilight taps Keith on the shoulder. “Lightning Storm?” she says Keith shrugs. “I dunno, it came naturally” he says. Spike burns the completed note in his dragon flame, sending it on its way. “Alright, Night Twilight, Night Lighting. I’m gonna get some shut-eye...” Spike says, yawning. The late evening had turned to night, and Keith lay in his bed. Today had certainly been weird, to say the least. What was with the “cocoon”? ... He stood up and trots to the bathroom. He turns on the light and stares into the mirror. He noticed how his mane was more as he liked it, Long but tidy. He saw how light bounced off his coat, he had always liked white. His eyes, his magnificent Sapphire eyes. They intrigued him. “Oh yeah, I’m definitely changing...” he says. He thought back to that lightning bolt he summoned earlier. He began to think about all the other things he could do... The light above him flickered out. “Damn it...” he says, flicking the switch up and down. It looked like a fresh bulb... It MUST have been working. In all fairness, this was a tree. It probably didn’t have the best wiring. He concentrates. A little spark flies from his fore-head, into the bulb, filling the room with light. “How can I cast magic with-out a horn?” he says to himself. He runs his hoof along where a horn would be on a unicorn. Nothing. But, it felt a bit... Strange. No sign of a horn, though. He walks back to his room and slips under the covers, slowly drifting to sleep. He dreamt he was in the ruins of a castle, a stallion standing in front of him. The stallion was staring at something, something Keith couldn’t make out. Black sparks emanated from the stallion, striking the ground around him. Even from here, Keith could feel the aura of evil from him. A mare comes into view, a mare with Jet-Black hair and Blood-Red eyes. She stood next to the stallion, a snarling smile on her face... But, she seemed pained, like the smile was forced. Keith didn’t notice she had a horn as she casts a spell, dark orbs spout from her horn, feeding into... A cocoon, of some sort. The cocoon began to pulsate, whatever was inside was revealing itself. A pang of fear strikes Keith’s heart. He shields his eyes from what was inside. Twilight knocks on Keith’s door. “Keith? Wake up, the carriage is here.” She says. Keith kicks off his covers and steps from the bed. “Right... Right...” he says. Keith follows Twilight from the room, the fear still nagging in his mind. Spike sat in the carridge, patiently waiting for Twilight and Keith, or as he was now called “Lightning Storm”. It’s not exactly easy to just change names. Twilight and Keith/Lightning, whatever his name was arrive out the front door, heading towards the carriage. Spike looks around the carriage, Observing his fellow passengers. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all sat around the carriage, not so patiently waiting. They had all wanted to come with Lightning to the castle, none of them had a sure reason why, they all just told him “They had a feeling he might need them. It didn’t exactly make them anymore enthusiastic about the whole situation. Twilight and Lightning entered the Carriage, and it took off into the early morning sky. Fifteen uncomfortable minutes pass, the silence remaining unbroken until a sleepy Rainbow spoke up. “So... LIGHTNING, Huh? I like it...” she says. Keith blushes. “Heh, just something I came up with on the spot. Electricity has always been my favourite element, and I’m really quick and able to climb with ease, So I like to think I’m pretty nimble” he says. Keith notices Rarity staring into his eyes. “I say... Darling, what happened to you?” she says. Keith tilts his head. “Huh? What do you mean?” he says. She points at his face. “Your EYES, Darling, they’re a different color, and your hair, too.” She says. Keith shrugs, he didn’t know much about that crazy light cocoon... thing. Was there even any point in explaining it? Keith turns towards the window. “Huh, must be a trick of the light.” He says. “Just a trick of the light...”
Part 6: LeadsThe carriage arrives in the Canterlot square. The streets were hustling and bustling, packed with ponies with places to be. Lightning, Twi and co. Step from the carriage onto the street, the sunlight beating down on their heads. “Jeez, Ah’ really shoulda gotten some more shut-eye...” Says a sleepy AJ. Lightning starts weaving through the ponies. “C’mon, we need to get to the castle.” He says. Lightning hears multiple moans of disappointment from his companions. “But, we’re in Canterlot! We may as well live it up!” says Rainbow, gleaming with excitement. Keith sighs. “Fine. I want to do some shopping, anyway.” He says. He taps Twilights’ shoulder. “Twi, how’s your brother doing?” he says. Twilight stops to think about this. She hadn’t heard from Shining Armour since the wedding. The wedding... Damn, THAT’S gonna be one interesting story for the grandkids... The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see her brother. Suddenly, he was she could think about. “Shining...” She mutters... Keith could hear her. “Heh, you want to see him?” he says. Twilight nods. Twi turns to her friends. “You guys can head around town, me and Lightning are going to go visit Shining and Cadance.” Her friends nod and they all run off, enjoying the City. Twilight begins to walk towards the castle. “Wait, I thought we were going to see your brother?” Keith says. “We are.” She says. “He’s on duty.” Keith kinda felt bad for him. “Jeez, does her EVER get a day off?” He says. Twilight bows her head. “He hasn’t had a day off since the wedding, and that was still a full assault on the castle.” She says. Keith was pretty surprised at that. The wedding was 2 months ago. TWO months. Keith couldn’t go a full two months without a break. Then again, he was only a Secondary School Student. He barely was able to get out of bed in the morning. “Well... It’ll be good to finally meet him... I’ve... I’ve always looked up to him.” He says. Twilight was confused. “Looked up? How?” Keith felt a pang of pain tear him up inside. “Before I came here, I had a little sibling on the way.” He says, barely able to hold back his tears. Twilight stayed silent. “After the wedding... I tried to be like him, I promised, promised to try my hardest for them. And now... There’s no point.” He says, letting his tears flow down his cheeks. Twilight felt sad just looking at him. “You would have been good at it... Lightning. But, this is a whole new world, you’re going to need to forget about your past life. Family. Friends. Everything.” She says. Keith takes in a gulp of air. “Right...” “Just need to forget...” Lightning and Twilight had made it to the castle gates, and were greeted with warm smiles. Well, TWILIGHT was, at least. The guards kept on giving Keith these odd looks. Maybe it was because he was a fresh face. Keith was feeling very odd today. Slightly pissy. Good. He worked best when he was pissy. But... Something else, too. Queasy? Yeah, probably that. “It’ll be good to see the happy couple again.” Twilight says, a warm smile on her face. Keith’s eyes wander around he court-yard. Huh... It didn’t seem as “regal” as it should have been... The place was in bad condition back here. “Twi?” Keith says “Yeah?” she says. “What HAPPENED to this place?” Twilight sighed. “The Changlings really took a toll on this place.” She says, a dull tone in her voice. “I imagine” Keith says. Keith wondered, how could so little repair be done in two months? What about back home? How long had it been? A Day? A Year? He’d probably never know. He observed the barracks more closely. It definitely was a darker part of the castle. No wonder it wasn’t in the show. He wondered if - It was probably best to stop over-analysing everything. Twilight stopped. “I think this is it...” she says. Keith thought about this, How often did she see him anymore? Did she even go to the barracks? Keith shakes his head. “Bleh, Brain, stop THINKING.” He says to himself. She raps her hoof against the door. “Shining, are you there, brother?” she says. A familiar hoof pulls open the door. Shining stepped out the door. “Twi? Twi!” he says, pulling her into an attack hug, spinning her around. Lightning ducks, avoiding the legs of the swinging mare. “Jeez... Watch it!” he says. Shining sets his sister down and turns to Lightning. “Heh, sorry about that, I -... Who’re you?” He says. Lightning Outstretches his hoof to Shining. “Lightning Storm, nice to meet you.” He says. Shining shakes his hoof. “What brings you to The Royal Castle?” He says. “I’ve requested an audience with Princess Celestia.” Shining laughs. “Hah! Good one...” he says. “I’m not joking” says Lightning. Shining rolls his eyes. “Well, good luck... You’re lucky you have Twi with you, it’s not easy to just WALTZ up to the princess and start asking questions...” he says. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do” he says. Shining didn’t know what to think of Lightning, Twilights’ friends were all respectable ponies... But, Lightning... There was something more to him. Keith turned on his hooves and started trotting back towards the main castle. “Sorry I can’t stay longer, I really need some answers...” he says. Shining turned without a word and lead his sister inside. She felt bad leaving Lightning on his own, but... He really needed those answers. Lightning stared up at the castle, he could see inside the throne room, the princess sitting there, quietly. “Well, no point standing ‘round here.” He says, slowly trotting towards the castle. The Dark Stallion stood by the castle gates, obscuring himself from the guards view. “Hehehe... So, he’s here, is he? He really thinks Princess Celestia is behind this? Simple, Simple young one...” The Dark Stallion drew an egg from his pocket, a fire red egg with black spots. He taps the egg against his horn, a slither of black energy penetrating the egg. The egg begins to shake and crack. “Let’s see if he can handle my little friend here.” The stallion says, leaving the egg and stepping onto the pathway, in front of the guards. “Hey, you! You don’t have access to this area. Leave immediately!.” Says one of the guards. The Dark Stallion doesn’t move, only smirk. “HEY! I’M TALKING TO YOU!” Says the guard, quickly trotting up to the stallion. But still, the stallion does nothing. “REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THESE PREMISES, OR I’M AUTHORISED TO USE DEADLY FORCE” Shouts the Guard. Blood spurts from the stallions mouth. A Black spike had penetrated his lower jaw, and had shot up, straight through his head. The guard slumps, blood pooling around him. The second guard stands there, stricken with fear. The stallion trots up to him. “I need your armour, your weapons and your castle pass.”
Part 7: Square OneLightning had found his way around the castle, still getting odd looks from the guards. But, finally, he had found the Throne Room. His heart was pounding. Sweat drenched his fore-head. He slowly pushes open the throne room door. “Who is it?” says a voice. Lightning voice disappears for a moment. “It’s Lighting Storm, a friend of Twilights.” He says. Silence. “Ah yes! I’ve been expecting you, please, do come in.” Says the voice. Keith enters the throne room, it was a big room, covered in paintings and murals and stained glass art of the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia trots up to Lightning. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Lightning. Twilight has told me so much about you” she says, giving him an odd look, sort of like she was inspecting him. Lightning felt nervous, he didn’t know if he should bow, or speak in a formal manner. The princess could see this in his eyes. “Keith, There’s no need to be nervous. I may be a princess, but it doesn’t mean I’m nothing but classy ALL the time. The “Internet” seems to portray me like that, anyway.” Keith giggled. “To the moooooooooooooon?” The Princess laughed. “Faust, that really made my day.” She said. Keith felt much more comfortable now. “So, I’m guessing Twilight told you a lot about me, right?” he says. The Princess nods. “She really likes you, Keith”. This made Keith blush. “Y-Yeah... She’s Really nice.” He says, his facing glowing like hot embers. The princess feels this discomfort, and changes the subject. “Twi said that you think I enchanted your Satchel?” “Uh, Yeah.” Keith says. “Well, I’m sorry to say, but, I’m not the pony you’re looking for.” She says. Keith sighs. “Twilight told you why I’m here? That sort of ruined the whole dramatic vibe I was going for.” He says, disappointed. The princess laughs. “I may not be the pony you’re looking for, but I’ll still be able to help you in your adventure in a few ways.” She says. Lightning was over-whelmed with joy with this proposal. Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, was helping him find out who sent him here and why? Sweeeeeeeeeeeet. The Princess grabs Lightning’s satchel from his shoulder. “I can use my royal magic to pin-point a stronger location than Twilight’s magic.” She says. She places her horn against the bag, small spark emitting from the tip, seeping down into the satchel. She pulls her horn back. “...It’s... not working.” She says. She tried again. But, nothing. Lightning flopped back on his rump. “Dammit, now I’m back to where I started.” The Princess started thinking. It must be very powerful magic if she couldn’t detect it... But, why could Twilight detect it? She stared at Lightning, sitting on his back-side. She was doing it for him... Suddenly, the throne room door is pushed open. A guard trots in, with a lance on his back. Keith noticed something odd about him, He didn’t look like the other guards. There were a few red speckles on his armour, his coat wasn’t white like the other guards, it was black like obsidian. He walked to the middle of the throne room, and stopped. Lightning and the Princess just stared at him. “Why are you here? I told you all that I’m in the middle of something important.” Says the Princess. The guard removes his helmet. He had a mane as red as blood, and a coat as dark as night and eyes the most intense shade of sage, they seemed to stare into your very soul. He stared straight at Lightning, his muzzle twisted into a snarl. “Here we are, face to face.” He says. Lightning just stares at him. “Uh... Do I know you?” He says. The Stallion closes his eyes. “No.” The stallion pulls the lance from his back, The Princess shields Lightning with her wing. “I suggest you leave, you are dealing with a formidable force” She says. The stallion stares at the lance for a minute. He throws it to Lightning, he catches it. Lightning was lost for words, why was he giving him this weapon? “You have great power sealed within you, Power my master and I can use... To fulfil our destiny. Make the choice: Seal the Power deep inside you and many will die. Let it flourish... Well, we’ll have to wait and see.” The Stallion vanishes into thin air. Lightning held the lance in his hooves, it was slippery, hard to keep his grasp. This was the kind of weapon he’d need magical power to use. He lets the lance drop. “I... What just happened?” says Lightning He was so confused. Who was that Stallion? Who was his master? What was their destiny? Lightning just fell back, overwhelmed with all these questions. The Princess just stood there. She had a feeling that something catastrophic was around the corner. Rainbow Dash sat in a comfy hoof-chair, a cup of coffee in her hooves. She looked around; the coffee shop was hustling and bustling. Rainbow and the rest of the gang had come here after a day of shopping. Rainbow set down her cup and shuffled deep into the comfy chair. She hadn’t gotten much sleep on the carriage ride here, in-fact, neither had the rest of the group. Rarity was drinking heavily from her own mug of coffee, trying to stave off the drowsiness. They all had the same look on their face; Uncertainty, with a hint of fear. The only one who seemed to notice this was Pinkie Pie, who then spoke up. “Am I the only one who just can’t shake the feeling that something super-duper bad is about to happen?” she says. Rarity sets her mug down. “Pinkie, I fear you may be right, I feel that Lightning may be in trouble, and Twilight, Shining and Cadance too.” Applejack rises from her seat. “Guys, Ah think we should check out the castle. I have the feeling Lightning might really need our help on this one.” The gang rises and leaves the coffee shop. The castle loomed in the distance. The gang all had that feeling of impending doom. They sure as hell hoped they were wrong. Twilight sat on the couch in Shinings living room. She was sipping lightly from a cup of tea, chattering away with Cadance. It had been years since Twilight had really been able to talk with Cadance. The last time she had seen her was at the wedding, and we all remember how that turned out. She kept on wondering about that power she had showed at the wedding. “Love”. That was one hell of a parlour trick. Ever since that fateful day, Twilight had always wanted to show such power. The only problem was; she didn’t have a special some-pony. But, neither did any of her friends, so... She wasn’t missing out on anything, right? Yeah, had to be. But... then again, all her friends had tried at one point or another, and all of them failed. She vaguely remembers Fluttershy getting together with Applejack’s brother for a while. It seemed like it’d work out. I guess not. Oh, and it was obvious that Rainbow had some sort of feelings for AJ. You’d have to be blind not to notice it. She was getting depressed thinking about failed relationships, and feeling gone untold, so she decided to drop the subject. She quickly downs the rest of her tea and rises from her seat. “I’m sorry brother, but I must be getting back to my friend” she says. Shining looked disappointed. “Aw, sis!” he whines. She trots to the door. “I’m sorry, brother. I’ll visit soon, okay?” She says. She trots out the door and heads back for the main castle, oblivious to the danger that was just around the corner. Lightning stood on the throne room balcony, the lance propped against the wall. He had the feeling that... He was doing something absolutely wrong. He got this feeling that he should be running. The Princess trots up behind him. “I’m sorry I cannot offer an explanation for those recent events, Lightning” She says. Lightning just stared away into the sky. “I’d be lying if I said anything made sense since I got here.” He said. Lightning stared down into the court-yard, where a familiar purple unicorn was making her way towards the castle. “Twilight!” Lightning shouts down to her. Twilight looks up at Lightning and gives him a warm smile. She continues trotting slowly towards the castle. Meanwhile, near the castle gate, the egg had nearly hatched. This egg was nothing but a simple dragon egg, not able to do much damage. But that dragon hatchling was already being manipulated by darkness, given insane power and robbed of all free will. Slowly but surely, the egg-shell begins to crack. And the living horror inside, released.... Back in the castle, Lightning had told Twilight about the events that just occurred, the Stallion and his “Master”. She was lost for words. He didn’t blame her. Today’s events had blanked his mind at this point. He didn’t know where he should go, what he should do. Part of him wanted to go back to the library and cuddle up in bed. Another part of him wanted to get to the bottom of this. Lightning spotted his bag in the corner. Coming here hadn’t really gotten him any answers. But at least he knew he could stop with this lead. Where did he continue on from here? Twilight was out in the court-yard, a bit on edge over what she had heard from Lightning. Maybe it was just some wannabe punks trying to scare them. Maybe they did have a real problem on their hands. She was a bit scared. She hated being scared. She wanted nothing more for than someone to hug her and say “everything’s going to be alright.” She felt sick to her stomach. She barely knew why. Why was she so scared? She had some of the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, and was one of The Elements Of Harmony... She shouldn’t have to feel fear. She feels a familiar hoof on her shoulder. Twilight turns her head, and sees Lightning. The second she saw his face, her pain melted away. He had the goofiest grin, she couldn’t help but smile. She giggles a bit, then catches herself, then proceeds to burst out laughing. Lightning didn’t know why she’d been sad, he only felt good that he’d made her feel better Suddenly, out of the blue, Twilight squeezes Lightning in a great big hug. “Thanks, Lightning” she says, giving a grin of such goofiness it proved a worthy rival of his own. Even though he was pretty sure the lives of the entire country of continent or universe or whatever Equestria was, rested on his shoulders, all that mattered is that she was happy.
Part 8: Angel LeapMeanwhile, on the outskirts of the castle, the rest of the mane six was arriving near the castle gates, to ensure their suspicions. Fluttershy had gone on ahead, enjoying the Flora and the Fauna. The castle had such amazing flowers and animals. She spotted something odd near the gate. It was grey, wearing... Armour... Was it a stallion? A strong wind blows it, making it shift. Fluttershy caught sight of its face, and the pool of blood surrounding it. For a moment she couldn’t move. His head had nearly been split open; brains had been splattered all over the ground. Fluttershy just turned and bolted, using every ounce of her body strength to get away from here. Back about a quarter mile, the REST of the rest of the mane 6 had taken their time and stopped for a rest. Applejack lay under a tree, hay between her teeth and her hat lowered down ever her eyes. She had let down her mane and a cool breeze was ruffling its edges. She heard a manic thundering of hooves just a little ahead of her. She brushes her mane from her eyes and half-opens one eye to see what it is. It was Fluttershy, thundering back at speeds you wouldn’t believe. She stumbles, trips and clatters to the ground, where she curls up in a ball and cries, howling and moaning. Applejack rushes up to help her, but Rarity had already blazed past, rushing to Fluttershy’s side. “Fluttershy, what’s wrong?!” Rarity asks with an obvious sense of urgency in her voice. Fluttershy cried uncontrollably, pointing back down the road. The group takes action and proceeds to gallop down the path, Fluttershy on AJ’s back. AJ led the group, and as so, was the first of them to round the corner and find Fluttershy’s gruesome discovery. She paused, staring at the hunk of meat that was once a Stallion. She puts her hoof to her mouth, trying to hold back vomit, but fails and empties the contents of her stomach on the floor. She wasn’t that close from the corpse, but the smell was over-whelming. She musters up all the breath and courage she can and proceeds to inspect the stallion closer. It WAS a guard, they knew that for sure. He had the armour, the weapons and there was a castle access pass just laying around with him. Was there an intruder? You couldn’t just waltz in... Applejack noticed something a little bit ahead, a pool of... something. It was an odd liquid, AJ dips her hoof into it and takes a lick. “Hmm... That sure is an odd taste... What is that? Maybe it’s... OH HAIL CELESTIA!” Applejack shouts, and vomits once more, all over the floor. Applejack wipes the fresh vomit from her mouth and takes a deep breath. Her mind was a haze, things were moving slowly. Then it hit her like a brick. She turns and tells the group. “The castle’s in trouble!” AJ then begins to gallop again, with the rest of the group following closely. AJ had the feeling she had missed something back there... Lightning and Twilight sat on a bench, staring at the sunset. Lightning had his hoof around Twilight, hugging her close. He barely had a clue how this happened, and part of his brain told him to walk away, but his core was screaming at him to advance. Lightning turned to Twilight and she turned to him. Twilight was the first to speak. “L-lightning...”She says. Lightning began to lean in close, everything moving at a mile an hour, his heart was racing. Was he going to do it? Would he kiss her? Their faces were merely centimetres away from each-other, he leaned in that one last time... “TWILIGHT!” Lightning and Twilight both shoot back, a bit dazed now that the adrenaline of the moment just vanished. Twilight quickly turns around to see AJ running towards her. “Huh, you guys took your time, It’s okay we ca-“ Twilight is cut off by AJ. “Forget that, you guys are in serious trouble, there’s an intruder in th-“ Lightning stops her. “Oh, took care of him.” He says. AJ stops in her tracks. “Oh, alright then...” She says. “...” The group was very quiet and tense after that... Inside, Lightning felt a bit shameful. Was he about to kiss her? She seemed a bit emotionally... unstable. Was he taking advantage of her? He felt like a bit of an ass, and kept his head low... No sound was being made by anyone. Things were turning fairly awkward. To say the least. BOOM. The entire ground shook underneath them. “What the hell was that?” Lightning says. BOOM. The sound was getting closer. BOOM. GROOOOOOAAAAAAGHHH!!! A massive roar could be heard from an alarmingly close distance. The stomping continued, getting closer and closer. The group eyed the hill in front of the gate, the source of the sound. Slowly but surely, something began to make its way up the castle. Twilight hid behind Lightning. “Wha- What is that!?” She asks. Princess Celestia shouts from the balcony. “GET IN! NOW!” They didn’t see any reason to object. The group bolted for the door. Lightning looked back to see a big, black, scaly head looking at him, with its piercing red eyes. He watched in terror as it opened its mouth, so he ran with all the strength he could muster. He was so close to the door. He could see his friends egging him on. He begins to feel a searing heat behind him, so he dives. Lightning sails right through the door. The Yellow-haired pony flies straight over his friends and crashes to the floor in a heap. “Ugh...” He moans. Thrashes and crashes could be heard against the door, but Princess Celestia had cast a magic barrier across the door, buying them some time. “QUICK, GET UPSTAIRS!” The Princess shouts. The group quickly charges upstairs, barricading themselves into the throne room. Lightning dropped to the floor, panting. “Huff... Huff... I hope she’ll be okay.” He says. A crash could be heard, a splintering of wood and a snapping of jaws. Lightning ran out onto the balcony. The dragon had thrown Princess Celestia off a castle wall. She was soaked in blood and struggling to move. Lightning was struck with fear. The worlds most powerful, generous and kind leader was about to die in front of him and it was his entire fault. To makes matters increasingly difficult, his pain strikes were coming back in spades. He was unable to help him. He lay down and closed his eyes as the group watched in horror as the dragon advances on Celestia. When Lightning closed his eyes, he could see a face, barely recognisable. He could barely make it out... But... It was speaking to him. “You have to try, embrace the pain and make it your power.” Power... It all happened so suddenly, Lightning jumped up and just dived off the balcony, flying through the air, aiming for the dragon. His head was pounding, he could barely take it. Embrace the pain and make it your power... “Alright... Let’s go.” Lightning explodes in a blinding flash of light. Light billows from every portion of his body and proceeds to cover his body, forming a cocoon. The group was watching in awe. Twilight had seen this all before. She hoped he could do it... The cocoon explodes, revealing Lightning. But not the same Lightning. This Lightning was taller, more majestic, with the signature royal horn, angel wings and long blonde hair that came with this form. So did a new found power. The dragon bellows at lightning and proceeds to charge straight at him. He fires a volley of magical blasts straight at its head. Blood explodes from the howling creatures face. Lightning jumps back, flares his wings and readies his horn. With all his might, he charges at the dragon. THWACK! The dragon counters and smacks lightning against a wall. Although, Lightning barely even recognised the hit, bouncing straight from the wall back into the battlefield. Lightning flared his wings once more and took off towards the skies. He soared upwards and upwards, rising as high as he could. Then he dropped. At once he began to pick up speed, cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter. He eyed the dragon, preparing to finish off Celestia. He aimed for its head. Closer and closer her got. The dragons head was inches away. SCHLICK. Lightnings horn had cut straight through the dragons skull, penetrating its brain, killing it instantly. All at once, Lightnings power began to fade, his horn begins to shrink, wings began to seep back into his body, his body shrinks. The dragons corpse topples over, Lightning coming with it. Lightning cracks off the ground, completely limp and lifeless. “Lightning!” Twilight cries from the balcony. She charges down the stairs and out the door. She charges to his side, smacking his face trying to get a response. Lightnings eyes flutter. “What the fuck just happened?” He says. Twilight heaves Lightning up and they go to help the princess, who was standing propped against the wall. The princess was burnt, bruised, torn and broken. Yet she still managed to stand. Her horn glows and a wave of white magic washes over her. The wave vanishes and the princess is standing there, good as new. “I thank Faust for the royal magic.” She says. Lightning turns and looks at the princess. “Now, I barely remember what happened, but I DO know you could’ve just used royal magic and stop the dragon.” He says. The Princess Lowers her head. “Alas, I have not yet fully recovered my powers since the changeling incident...” She says. Lightning remembered that incident well. It was truly a good episode. “Don’t worry, Princess, I’m sure you’ll get your powers back soon” He says. The Princess smiles. “Thank you, Lightning.” The Princess got that wide-eyed look that people get when they remember important things. “Lightning, did you ever use that lance?” She says. That lance, Lightning thought. That dark stallion had expected him to use it. He expected him to need a weapon. But he didn’t. Lightning knew he must be quickly accelerating in power. But what that stallion said lingered in his mind... “Seal the Power deep inside you and many will die. Let it flourish... Well, we’ll have to wait and see.” God, it made him shaking just thinking about it. Princess Celestia shook Lightnings hoof and promised him that if he ever needed anything, all he needed to do was come to the castle and request an audience. It had been an eventful day, lightning just wanted to go home. As they reached the castle gates, AJ retold the events of the corpse they had found. Twilight had informed them that the body had been transferred to the Canterlotian Medical Ward, where the top scrolls and magical spells were being used in his revival. This amazed Lightning. “Wow, there’re resurrection spells?” He says. Twilight then began to tell him all about the ancient Canterlotian spell archives and how many of these spells were recently discovered, and only Celestia and Luna has access to them. Lightning was truly fascinated by Twilights vast knowledge of this world, he always got lost in her words. After a good walk, the group found themselves trotting through an evening market, stalls set up selling various different goods. Twilight stopped in front of a cute little jewellery stall and began to browse its wares. One necklace in particular caught her eye. It was an intertwining silver chain, with an angel’s wing on the end. It glistened softly in the evening sun. “Excuse me, how much for that chain?” Twilight asks. The shopkeeper gives Twilight a deep smile. “Three bits” Says the shopkeeper. Twilight pays for the necklace and trots quickly to catch up with the group. “Lightning!” She calls. Lightning turns around, giving Twilight a happy smile. “Oh hey, Twilight, what’s up?”He asks. Twilight puts the pendant around his neck. “I got you something, a thank you for stopping that dragon and helping the princess.” Keith blushes. “Wow, thank you, Twilight.” He says. Twilight gives a crafty smile. “Oh, and there’s something else, too.” She says. Keith looked confused. “What is it?” He says. Twilight presses her lips against his cheek. “That.” She says. With that, Twilight gallops ahead and rejoins the group. Lightning stood there, a bit baffled. He laughs. “That girl is something else...” He says, And with that, he catches up to the group, gets back in the carriage and it takes off into the sunset. What an eventful day today had been...
