An unexpected turn

by starlight-stream-mlp

Rating: everyone
Tags: Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Adventure, Daring Do, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 8807

A young colt, called starlight was a pony who loved his work. He dreamed about so many things in life, about his grampa, hos family, his life, but that should change soon. A creature appeared to him despereate for help. So the journey begins.

A young colt, called Starlight was a pony who loved his work. He dreamed about so many things in life, about his grampa, his family, his life. But that should change soon. A creature appeared to him desperate for help. Together with princess Twilight Sparkle they would dive into a lasting adventure.

Published 2017-05-18 13:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-06-11 14:34:34 UTC

1 The reveal

It was not long ago when Starlight got his cutie mark. At times he would wonder when it would be finally time for him. Then, one warm spring day, luck was his friend. His family went for a picnic. Walking southwards from their home, they reached a beautiful valley with a turquoise coloured lake. A warm breeze was striving upon their heads, playing with some freshly grown leaves. Starlight’s parents settled and enjoyed the sun while he explored the area. There were some creatures coming out from the near woods, who behaved very tame and curious. Also, another one walked up to Starlight, feeling hurt from his foreleg. A frown appeared on the young colt’s face. He lowered to the creature’s level. It looked like a wolf and a cat. Starlight then carefully observed its leg. In concern, he searched around spotting for a remedy. He remembered a plant with fuzzy leaves that often was used to heal wounds. Luckily these leaves were easy to find. He took some of them and needed to chew them to a mushy texture - the leaves were very sour and bitter, so it was difficult to make a mash out of them. He gently put it on the creature’s leg and bandaged it with some bigger leaves. The creature then looked up to Starlights face. As it came closer, it closed its eyes, touching Starlight’s forehead while doing so. The small pony lit up and pushed out a light embrace. After the light was gone, he was astonished but happy and grateful. Suddenly so, the creature he helped turned into a deer. He couldn’t process it at first, but it appeared to have white fur, glowing antlers, and very long ears. The hooves were made out of pure gold and its eyes reflected the very soul of Starlight. Mesmerized by the view he did not notice, that all the creatures gathered around the deer. The noise surrounding them was very subtle at first but soon emerged into hundreds and thousands of whispers in all kind of languages. Some fragments of the pool of whispers ran into Starlights ears. It sounded like a thank you. Starlight did not move one bit. The sight in front of him nearly froze him to stone. The deer and all the creatures bowed down before him while the whispers continued. Subconsciously Starlight followed. His heartbeat was hardly noticeable, instead, he heard another one's heart. He then realized, that it was the Deer’s heart, that he heard. The deer was about to leave. The only thing left for Him was to blink one time.

Suddenly all went white. The next thing Starlight saw, was grass waving in the breeze of air flowing around and over him. After a moment the stallion stepped up and looked around. No creatures, no birds, no Squirrels, or foxes were in sight. Scratching his head he turned around, seeing his parents enjoying the sun. Looking down his flank he noticed a cutie mark shaped like a hoof in bondages. With an o formed mouth, Starlight ran towards his parents. The closer he came the more his o-shaped mouth turned into a beam of pure joy. His Parents obviously were the first ones to hear the great news.

After getting his cutie mark, Starlight was the happiest pony in Equestria. The joy of being 'mature' and finally finding out about his destiny was like a remedy somepony gave him, to heal all of his deep and hurtful wounds carried throughout his life. He cared even more about other ponies, who had a bad time like him. It was, even more, his need to give others the kind of love and comfort, which he never got from anypony besides his family. The past taught him a valuable lesson. Since he wants to execute these lessons as well as possible, Starlight always overcompensated on it being right. He also mastered to heal others emotional and physical wounds. The surprising consequence; he gets treated better than his past self. He still was the same pony though - shy, kind and a non-judgemental listener.

Life got pretty simple in Ponyville, yet he was needed by so many ponies; the responsibility of helping them was keeping him away from one of his wishes; to explore the world. Sure it is sometimes better to do what you are destined for, but change happens all the time.

The days made way for nights. They unveiled one treat, he could relish greatly - it was the night sky. The stars were so beautifully aligned every night. And even if a single star would fall down to the earth, he was one of the ponies, who had the ability to throw it up into the air again. Starlight always loved to look at the sky. Every time a star winked, he did the same, because one of the still uncounted amounts of stars was his Grandfather Moonshine. Moonshine was also his first fallen star, which got thrown back into the sky. Starlight thought very often about Moonshine since they met. He thought about the things Moonshine said and how he acted over and over again. He tried to guess what Moonshine was talking about back then, but once an answer got found, two others appeared. After weeks of thinking, Starlight got a little bit frustrated with it, so he tried asking his parents about Moonshine; unfortunately, after such a question got on the subject, they changed it, or simply didn't reply. The questions still in his mind his disappointment grew until a point was reached, where he accepted the situation he was in. Nearly getting into a state of madness would not help. While sitting on his bed, he secretly kept pounding on it. There was still something missing; something more to find out about Moonshine, a puzzle piece, that needed to be unveiled. Moonshine just kept sticking in his mind. Why did he appear at that time? Was that his way of guiding me? Why do my parents refuse to talk about him? Do they feel betrayed, hurt, or even terrified of him? Does that maybe have to do with that creature I helped? *sigh* I guess I won’t find out very soon.

So much thinking made tired. So tired, that Starlight fell into his soft bed to sleep.

Another day began; another chance to help ponies. Luck on the other hoof was not his companion. As the daylight met his eyelids, Starlight opened them to realize, that he was already late for Work. Darnit! He muttered. Not again. When do I learn to set my alarm for Celestia's sake? Finally, he pushed his Daring Doo Blanket out of the way and got up. LIke in a washing street, he took the toothbrush, applied some toothpaste on it and cleaned his teeth, while walking downstairs. Once in the kitchen, he spits the oral liquid into the next sink. Carefully cleaning the brush, he looked in the mirror above the sink to find a strange zombie-like creature staring back at him. *sigh* Well then. Starlight turned up the cold water tap knob and held his head into the stream. The cold water instantly lets Starlight awake. While a shiver ran over his entire body, he turned the knob shut. Before leaving through the door, the stallion took a towel right next to it and rubbed his face dry.

The Place where he helped others - his practice - was not very far away from home. There was always so much going on in front of the entrance. Countless ponies, gryphons, and dragons kept buzzing around. All of them had so busy days. Nearly automagically the crowd managed to walk around without causing any accidents or bumping into one another. All the other houses were pretty close together, sometimes built in a circle around a tree, or a statue. In front of the practice, a big acorn tree stood pride and filled to the brim with leaves. A small stall also stood right in front of the entrance on the other side of the circular Street. The tree was right next to it. The stall’s sweet smell quickly gathered a little crowd around to get one of those tasty treats. That or the cool shade of the tree would do the trick. Nearly every hour a small helicopter flew over the town, causing a noise to be heard. The helicopter nearly seemed more reliable than the clock hanging over the practice entrance.

His first patients were the kind of daily appearances he had to deal with. Some had just plain headache, others were dizzy and again others just felt sore on all sorts of places. He anyway didn’t mind it though. Normally those patients were easy to handle, which in return decreased the waiting time for impatient patients. As always Starlight stepped into the waiting room to already see some patients, thirsty for some help. His assistant and best friend Starfall Dawn awaited Starlight with a wide grin.

How was your Breakfast Starlight?<<, she cheered. >>Normally you are always punctual. Did you get caught up in traffic?<<

No no. I just simply forgot to set my alarm for today. My Breakfast? Which breakfast? << He replied.

As she remembered, that Starlight wasn’t in his office yet, she playfully motioned a head palm, >>Oh, right! Silly me.<< She proclaimed before chuckling. >>The breakfast is in your office. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy this day.<< Bouncing up and down she nearly fell off her chair.

Finally, he got to sit in his office. >>Sheesh. Such a strange day. First the missing alarm, then my assistant and her breakfast. Guess what might also happen soon, is that I miss my Head if it wouldn’t be on my body. I am really grateful sometimes when she reminds me of certain things though.<< Munching on one of the sandwiches, that Starfall provided, he checked his Mail. After having eaten the delicate meal, Starlight waved for the first patient to come in...

Midday time. Finally some rest for me.<< He stretched his hooves before getting out of the practice into some fresh air. He wandered down a specific route. The route was very familiar for Starlight - it was the route he ran, after one of the worst harassments he ever had to experience. - It was back when he was a little school filly. These three bullies treated him like a piece of trash. With smashed feelings, he ran out of town while crying. His body unharmed, yet his feelings still fuzzed up, he reached a forest. - The same forest was in vision. At the end of it, a rock peaked out of the grass nearby an old tree. The Rock was there, a long time ago. Starlight remembered it being there vaguely. The tree stood very close to the Everfree forest, which was one of the oldest parts of Equestria. The only visible border to it was a little fence connected between the rock and the tree. Some Birds sang their Songs and some Crickets chirped all over the place. Looking on the Rock, something was written on it, "This is a memorial for the first fallen star and the pony who was kind and strong enough, to throw it up into the sky again. We are thankful for what you have done.” The text got graved in by a sculptor after Mare Mare heard what had happened. It was important for him to go there once a day for two reasons – He was thankful for the good acts of the other ponies after they heard what happened, and to suck up the magic which this place seemed to spread out. - It is still hard to describe, what had happened when he was there. That invisible force pulled Starlight towards this place like there was something,… or someone. He could always say that it is the forest, that is doing these kinds of things to him, but that would be a lie. This thing felt more powerful than magic, scarier than Timberwolves, or chimaeras and yet so invisible, so unnoticeable.

He got there, sat down in front of the rock and put one of his hooves on it. Every time doing so, a warm feeling built up in his belly. The energy was streaming from the rock through his hoof into his belly. The longer he touched it, the warmer it got, yet never really hot. It felt like an embrace of pure love and acceptance, unlike anything of any creature in this world. That rock and its abilities were a secret for Starlight. Nopony else knew about its existence. It is nearly a wonder itself, that nopony, even by accident, found out about its abilities. For them, it just seemed like any other normal rock. I wonder if maud already knows about this rock. At a specific point, he pulled the hoof back and felt in peace and harmony. During the time Starlight touched the rock, it nearly seemed, like he got into a type of trance. Knowing that he could stay there as long as he wanted, he knew, on some days work was a bit more important. - He kept a good balance out of working and rest. On the other hoof, he just enjoyed what he did so much, that he ignores the signs of exhaustion. Unfortunately, Starlight saw too many ponies do the same thing and collapse because they were working all the time. They truly seemed to get harmed by their jobs, maybe just like him. Telling them over and over again to reduce the stress and the amount of work, he tried to reach them, but they didn’t listen, took the remedies like junkies and continued working. It felt like the remedies were their personal drugs, to compensate their stressful life. He will keep trying to reach their minds, that’s for sure and he knew it would be hard, knowing that he as well needs to learn to stop working at times. Working 24/7 would never be a good idea. - Back awoken, a flexure into the direction of the rock was made. This way, Starlight thanked for the magical time and warm feeling. Every now and then he kept thinking about what happened on that rode. The thought at first left a heartbreaking feeling, yet what happened there prepared him for his later life.

Suddenly, a hiss caught his attention. Sweat started to run down his coat as he looked around in stress and fear. That was not the kind of noise, you normally hear from the Everfree Forest. Moreover, it sounded like a scream of an old ghost, trying to talk to you. It nearly felt like something else is present in that empty area. What was that? Was that a ghost? Did the rock try to talk to me? Where is this sound coming from? I can't spot it! He started walking home but was all the tenser than before. His ears still perking at any sound he heard, Starlight went back to the small village. Fortunate enough, he relaxed the farther away he got. Well, that certainly was one of the weirdest things I have seen in a longer time. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean anything. Coming near his practice, a load of patients was facing him. They all needed help. He took a deep breath and stepped into his house.

After helping one patient at a time, the last one, a pony with splitting personality, was waving from outside. He knew Shatter Speach already. Good enough to be his friend. They had a little chat, Shatter told him what was wrong and Starlight gave Shatter his daily remedies. Before Shatter stood up in order to leave, another noise was heard. No, it couldn’t be. Please make this Stop. Starlight thought. Suddenly a half transparent “Something” got into Shatter’s body and misused him as a medium.

2 The journey

Chapter Two - The Journey

The hiss noise now was directed to Shatter. Flowing like a levitation spell, yet with its own will, the spell entered his mind invading it. Shatter squealed and winced in pain. He tried to fight it off but lost relatively quickly. His face frozen, some tears ran down his cheek. His expression was dull and lifeless. In a burst, both, eyes and mouth brightened; his hair floating. His heart started to glow and his brain did the same. Then it started to speak.

"Greetings, my subject. if you allow me to introduce myself; I am called Termio. You might have heard of me in the past. I am afraid there is something bad coming to all that lives. I was not strong enough to stop it on my own. Now, I am here to inform you that you have to leave this place. With your help, I can assure, that these dangers will be defeated. I don't have much time to explain everything. The connection to your world won't last forever. Please hurry! Find the one with the most knowledge, the one with the most wisdom and go through the thin portal of time, space, and matter. I will tell you everything there..."

Starlight heard another hiss, as this Termio went out of Shatter’s body, the levitation spell fading into nothingness. Then silence returned, followed by a thud. Shatter’s body collapsed on the practice bed right next to the exit. A few seconds later, Shatter heard a bell ringing. He growled and pressed his hooves against his temples, to compensate the pain which was running through it. Shatter asked where he was and what happened over again. Having a remedy from a well-known zebra, he gave it to him. Shatter felt better after a few moments. Starlight observed him until his headache was gone entirely. Feeling better, Shatter Speach could leave the practice. Still processing about what happened, Starlight put everything important into a saddle-bag and locked the house for the rest of the day. Starfall was happy, to get some extra free time.

"Thank you, Starlight. Now I can finally buy a new saddle from Rarity. You know that I desperately need a new one."

she cheered while hugging him tightly. In a wave, she left the practice, excited about her new saddle. Standing in front of the doorstep to get back on track with Starlight's thoughts, his neighbour, Mister Cure, who surprisingly worked as a doctor, started laughing and yelled,

"What’s up Nolor? Can't pay the bills anymore?!? Hahahaha!!!!! I knew you would surrender someday!"

Annoyed about the comment, Starlight gave him an irritated, but at the same time slightly disgusted glance and continued walking. Some ponies even looked at Cure with their heads cocked to the side in confusion.

"*groan* Why does such an idiot have to be my neighbour...? Ok, what was he saying again? There is not much time and I have to find a wise one. Why in Equestria do I need to do that? There is Celestia, Luna, or even the fresh baked princess Twilight...."

As time went on, he didn't notice that the door of Zecora’s house was facing him.

"Termio said something about a pony with wisdom; was Zecora the pony he meant? ...well, there is only one way to find out."

Right before him stood a big oak door, covered in wine twigs. They covered every spot of the door. Moving his hoof in a searching motion for the knock hammer, the twigs moved and made way for the pony limb. That way the oak slabs and a wooden bar with black engravement “Lady Zecora” got visible. Having found the skull-alike knock hammer, he knocked on her door and asked if anypony was in. Slowly, the door opened. Nopony seemed to open the door, or at least stand in front of it on the other end. On the other hoof, however, stood the fact that Zecora’s house was a ‘special’ place. Everything could happen when she was working - even her house getting alife. In a sudden motion, some roots shoved Starlight into the tree house. Snaring at the sudden movement, he perked his ears flat in a disobedient manner. Even though he was used to it, Starlight never liked to be pushed around by anything, or anypony.

Being pushed into the main room, the door then slowly closed, accompanied by an old filthy squeak and the loud thud of the door's lock.

"So much for that."

Small dirty windows let a bit of light through them shining on Starlight's cheeks. The warmth also brought some comfort to the young colt. Moving around, searching for Zecora, he smelled an intriguing, yet harmonic scent of herbs drifting in the air. This playful smell came from a boiling and blubbering poison, inside of an old boiler. The boiler appeared to have engravings in a foreign language on its outside. It also inherited a small scene of zebras praising their highest priest. A desk nearly containing out of books was in the centre of the room. Also, a quill and some scattered pages were laying around. The pages were filled with sketches and drawings of Zecoras latest recipes for remedies, poisons, or even venoms. Some pages were hanging from the edge nearly falling to the ground. Above hang some wind plays and ancient relics of her time in Zebrica, her home. Looking at the other well sorted herb boxes, -glasses, -jars and -books embedded in the wooden walls, Starlight heard a bump noise. He scanned the ground and quickly found a boarded up trap door inside of the book filled desk. As Starlight moved the boxes in front of it away, in order to properly access the trapdoor, it seemed to be placed neatly into the big desk. Nothing made the impression that this trapdoor was added a short while ago. A faint

"Come in"

slipped through the cracks, in the rotting wooden boards. Starlight obeyed the offer and opened the door. One root slapped Starlight's hoof and managed to open the door.

"Ou! Hey!"

A cringing squeak injured his ears. Two teal eyes blinked out of the dark, looking at him. It was Zecora’s eyes.

“Come downstairs Mister Stream. Do you want to tell me about your latest dream?”

Hesitantly, he replied:

“N-No. A strange creature was in my practice and told something about dangers, and that I have to find the pony with the most wisdom. Can you help me, please?”

Confused about the trapdoor he added,

“Did you got trapped in your own house?"

Zecora was smiling and indicated to follow her downstairs.

"Too silly is what you think. No, a meditation in blue and pink is what I've waited for."

After looking at the boxes, he noticed invisible strings connected to the trap door, before moving on. He followed her with a sense of dread inside. The earthen walls and the old torches sticking out of them did not look trustworthy, but with Zecora near him, it was not that frightening. Nopony needed to close the door. Zecora’s house, well, more her roots did the job of closing the door and moving the boxes to their original place, by pulling the strings. Starlight knew something would happen, if not sure what exactly.

“I knew that you were coming, my friend. Termio visited me, trying to tell what happens in the end. He was vague with his description, but you know what was his prediction.”

Heading downstairs, they went deeper and deeper into the ground. Every stair was soaking wet and slippery. Starlight was able to see roots holding back the earth around them. All the roots built up the corridor downstairs. Some of them seemed to hang down, like a chandelier. Water ran down until the very end. The liquid built clear water drops, which were falling down on the stairs. All combined, a never-ending water orchestra played its soft melody accompanied by the rhythmic steps both ponies took. Starlight's heart beats faster with every step. A little cave was in vision. He was not sure what would lay upon him down there; what type of role he would play. This was completely new land for him, though he felt a little tingle in his heart. It was....determination. Focused on his thoughts, Starlight replied,

“I’m so confused. That Termio thing was so cryptic and scary to me.Not even my worst nightmares could create such a creature. It also told me to visit a wise one. I know you are, despite to Luna and Celestia herself, one of the wisest ones I know of and one of my best friends from an early age on. That was probably the main reason why I came to you. I still have so many questions about Termio. I...”

“Zecora? Hello!? Is anypony here?”

Another familiar voice joined the two-pony-group. They immediately recognized Twilight’s voice. The pink light-spell of Twilight got in vision.

“There you are. Have you heard the strange noises as well?”

“Yes; we probably heard the same things you did. Did you know about the trap door? ”

Starlight replied. Twilight continued,

"Yes I knew about it, but that is not important right now. Even more important is Termios appearance. I can’t explain who he specifically was, or why he came to us. I mean I read his name in one of my books but never got to get more information about him. Still, the fact that Termio appeared around this time makes me wonder what this is all about. He also mentioned a zebra I should go to and speak with. Since you are the only Zebra I know, I obviously ran to you."

Starlight cocked his head in thought,

"He appeared to me as well. He talked about something that threats all that lives and that I am supposed to help fix it, whatever the issue is. Why should I be helpful? I am nopony special."

Twilight interrupted Starlight with a grin,

"That is not entirely true. You do have special abilities. Remember? You threw a star back into the sky. Only princes Luna would be able to do that, but you?You did that by your own hooves. Not to mention your expertise in healing others which comes in really handy. There is always such a need when you travel. Besides, I was searching the rest of the day for what I have brought to you."

Twilight brought a saddle bag packed with books and old rolls of paper. Some of them looked very old. Searching for the oldest paper in there she unrolled it to reveal a small tale.

“A long long time ago, a time, where not even a single Pony was breathing, there was just dust and a huge empty space. A few bigger chunks drifted around, collided and built up the ground we are walking on. Some other chunks got into a simple form, a pony form. But this form seemed to be empty and without life in it. There was still one ingredient missing. The empty body drifted through some more dust. It didn’t collide with it though; it scratched the surface until a spark jumped over to its head. A light blast flurried through every single chunk of dust. Another blast came. Then it opened its eyes. What it saw first was no solid body. It was a loose ordered ‘something’. It was not happy with it though, so it left the form. A light and half transparent aura got out of the pony form. It saw the huge ball of dust and tried building Seas, Lakes, rivers, grass trees and much more. These creations also took its toll. A long time after, it still saw its old pony form drifting in space. Sad about that, it tried to form something else out of the dust chunks. It stayed a pony form but this time there were 3. It started concentrating on the dust chunks. It concentrated more and more until another little spark jumped to all 3 chunks. The same light blast flurried through them. It wasn’t satisfied with it, so it concentrated on it even more. Three ponies evolved out of the light blast combined with the dust. Happy about what it made, it thought about a name for the 3 ponies and itself. It called itself Termio. The other 3 Ponies, were called Discord, Galactus, and Solaria……..Termio couldn’t ………...and so he disappeared.

From this point on, the other pages got burnt. Celestia told me, that Galactus and Solaria were her and Luna’s Parents. I haven’t heard of them, but I trust Celestia enough to believe it. Since then I searched for any other documents. I searched in the golden old library, in the Canterlot library and in one of the oldest paper rolls, protected by Celestia herself including this one. She didn’t know much more either, but she believed, that Termio needs help. Our entire world, like we know it, it seems to crumble. In addition to that, Termio appeared to me a second time and told me, about these dangers. That we need to travel - I guess into another universe. Maybe into his realms."

Zecora drew everyponies attention towards the centre of the hall.

»There is not much time to lose. Termio needed to choose. He trusts you his life. Don't disappoint, because it could be our last journey, so start to strive."

Inside of the cave, they built a little circle. 4 torches enlightened the little hall. Right above their heads was the central root system, of Zecora’s house tree. The roots held a massive gem from falling to the floor. The floor contained out of moss and old stone plates. Some of them had engravings, others were too damaged to read.

So, the only thing left for us is to go through that thin portal he was talking about, right?

“Sumbria lumda, sumbria lumda, sumbria lumda, sumbria lumda…”

“Um…...Is everything alright?”

Zecora pointed her hoof towards Starlight’s face. What she wanted was silence. The mumbling turned into a ritual dance. She circled around the centre of the hall in a dancing motion. Twilight intuitively joined Zecora; her eyes glowing in the progress. Zecora took some dirt and mixed it with oil. Even though she was in a trance, she knew where to search for that oil. It was in a dark spot in the cave. Right next to it was a bowl. Once the oil and dirt combined to a paste, Zecora applied it in stroking motions on Twilight's face. Once done with her it was now time for Starlight. Closing his eyes, Zecora applied stroke after stroke with a careful hoof. The oil settled on his face. The more time passed, the less he could seem to hear. Opening his eyes, the young colt's vision was blurry. The only things he could make out were a grey spot (Zecora), a purple blur (Twilight) and a bright illuminated portal. Seeing Twilight disappear into the bright surface made Starlight realize, that he needs to go into there now too. So he went there but closed his eyes before entering. What he saw after entering into the portal baffled his mind.

3 You are not alone

An unexpected turn - Chapter three - You are not alone

The portal swallowed Starlight. It felt like diving into a pool of light. He pinched his eyes and tried to keep the light away from him with his hooves. As comfort replaced fear, Starlight's face softened. Slowly opening his eyes he saw...beams. They dashed past him, but when beams came directly in his way, they curved around his body, so they were hardly touching him. These beams also filled the space with a cosy, comforting warmth. At first, everything overwhelmed the young colt. Stunned he kept looking at him and his surroundings. Later on his way, Starlight tried to understand what was going on. This space felt surreal, even more, overwhelming and yet familiar. The journey would come to an end soon. A little dark point grew bigger and bigger. His heartbeat increased, fearful sweat built up with every yard he went forward. He could recognise an entrance. A stone fundament built the solid base. Stone on top of stone was placed precisely, embedded in cement. The very top of the entrance had a bust of a goat with faun horns and crow wings neatly emplaced behind its shoulders. The creature looked like it was complete and graceful. The edges were sculptured beautifully with twirled forms and shapes and a familiar aura. Was that Termio? After passing the arc, he abruptly felt the ground under his hooves again.

After falling on the ground, Starlight felt hurt on his forelegs. The pain still in them, he took a look around to see, if anything looked familiar. It looked pretty similar to the Everfree Forest, yet it seemed so strange. To his surprise, Twilight laid by his side. She got little cuts from falling on the ground. Blood was running from the injuries. Starlight's first reaction would be to help her. With shaking hooves Starlight searched for bondages in his saddle bag. Since everything was organized neatly, he didn't need to think about where to search much. Questions ran through Starlights mind.

“Why us!? Why Twilight and I? What should we do now? Couldn’t it be anypony else?...”

To calm down, the stallion took a long, deep breath. Then he started to clean the wounds in order to apply the bandages. Twilight was knocked out, she barely noticed anything. Knitting both ends together he nodded in agreement about his preparation work previously at home. The next thing, which obviously ran into his mind, was to find a place to hide. He had no idea if there were threats at all. The huge boulder of responsibility, he got placed on his back was painful, yet it allowed him to stand up and pull Twilight on his back. She woke up and opened her eyes.

“Mm... Where are we? Ouch! My legs. I just can remember, that we were at Zecora’s house and talked about Termio. Is she alright? Where are we? Is that the Everfree Forest? I don’t have a clue what to do.”

Starlight looked at her. A calming sound leaving his lips.

“Look; I neither know what happened, but we have to find a safe place. This is our first priority right now. Afterwards, we can think about what happened. Do you agree with me?”

Her nodding needed no big explanation. Starlight started carrying Twilight through the darkness. Her light-spell helped a lot because the light reflected from their surroundings. Noises of creatures echoed through the forest. Neither Starlight nor Twilight ever heard such screams before in their entire life. Chills ran down their spines, as a cold breath touched their neck. It seemed like someone spied them. The moonlight’s reflection in the predator's eyes looked quite familiar, to Star’s experience with some Timberwolves. - Back in the days, Starlight Stream went into the Everfree Forest either to cry or to think about things that bothered him. Never faced with a Timberwolf these days, he was listening to them howling. He just thought they needed some comfort, but that was just a trick to get him even deeper into the forest. After he realized where he had stepped hoof in, Timberwolves surrounded him already. They haunted him, thirsty on pony blood. Starlight ran as fast as his little hooves brought him forward, but could not really get rid of them. After falling over an old root, his knee got injured. Panting in fear Starlight looked into the glowing eyes of a Timberwolf. His last thoughts were dedicated to his young life and his family. He almost accepted the fact, that it was time for him to die. Completely unaware something knocked a Timberwolf over. Like in surprise, Star saw this striped pony coming. She jumped over him and put one of the Timberwolves on fire using a torch in her mouth. After the Timberwolves got defeated, this striped Pony helped to stop Starlights blood flow and the sprained leg. He was so thankful for that day and got to know Zecora for the first time.

The screams woke Starlight out of his daydream. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and awarded him with strength. He galloped through the tight forest as fast, as his injured body let him. These screams, they seemed to haunt them like Timberwolves. Starlight continued galloping despite his exhaustion and the memories running through his mind.

Exhausted, but glad about what laid in front of them, Starlight's adrenalin rush came to an end. They reached a glade with high grass and a little cave. A lake was near it, covering lower spots of the forest. It seemed so peaceful, too peaceful. Carefully moving through the grass, Starlight was looking around tensed, to be sure no danger was facing them. The screams got quieter, the more they headed to the cave. After reaching it, he rolled Twilight off his back and tried to help her, but she seemed to need no help.

“You know a healing spell for your injured legs, don’t you?”

Twilight blushed slightly, but headed with the answer,

“I already used the spell on my legs. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t dismiss the opportunity for you, to help me.

Starlight just rolled his eyes in pity about the princess.

So, we got here to find and defeat Termio, right?”

Something in her sentence seemed to be off.

“We don’t have to immediately defeat him, just because he appeared to us as a ghost. I am sure he just needs help. I also..ouch, my leg...I also hope you remember what Celestia told you?"

Twilight used a healing spell to heal his forelegs and wounds.

"I do. But what if he tries to harm us? What if he is not the “thing”, he seems to be. I don't want to…. Uuuggggh! My head hurts. I don’t like to get pushed into such situations. I just want to get home as fast as I can. I want my ordered life back, not ‘THIS’. Even though this would mean being a bored princess again. These three cutiemap adventures with Rarity, Spike and Octavia were enough for a while."

"And I always dreamed to explore the world. But I got stuck with my job. That wasn't easy at all. I mean, I like my job and all, but when you have no time for exploring places, where are the fun and the enjoyment of life anyway?"

“I see your point, but why didn't you just tell your patients that you will be gone for a few days? Or even better, why did you never tried to teach others your practices?"

"Because they would never put as much effort into their work as I do. I do not just heal others wounds. I listen to them, give them advice and give them a helping hoof."

"I see."

Suddenly, a rustle scared both Ponies for a bit. Then they headed simultaneously,

“WHO IS THIS?!”

The rustling continued, and I, a tiny pony came out of the high grass. Someone could describe me as smaller than a filly, yet I looked like a mature one. I really differentiated according to these two other “ponies”. My rump had four legs like them but they ended in two hooves for each one. The head of a pony was the only identical thing. The mane and tail were tousled, the coat had a tan brown-ish striped pattern and the ears were much smaller. Equipped with a belt for some simple tools I held a spear in one hoof. I fumbled around with it.

“Kakuyaw mga dumuloong”

was my shout. Starlight grinned.

“Aww. that’s so cute. What do you gonna do with that little spear in your hoof?”

I jumped forward and fumbled with the spear even more.

“Balik uban kanimo higante nga”

“Ok, ok. Easy. I don’t want to make trouble with you.”

“gikan”

A few dozens of mine came out, everyone has a little spear in their hooves, directed towards them. Twilight whispered,

“Starlight, I think we should follow them.”

“Do we have any other options?”

“We always have options, but when weapons are in the game, it is better to follow them.”

“Lakaw na!”

I went ahead of them, waving to follow. Behind us, 20 others were watching them, spears in their hooves. Together, we were walking down a deep and dark path through the Jungle.

4 The beginning of a new dawn

Chapter four - The beginning of a new dawn

Heading down a path into the deep dark Jungle, I, the leader of our pack, was looking over my shoulder in order to guess, if these two “ponies” were planning something. To my surprise, the surroundings of our crawling and hissing and flying and biting creatures in this part of the jungle seem to scare them more than we do. Sometimes we can relate to it, especially at a young age. It even looked, like they instantly trusted us, no matter how frightening we tried to be. We, the last of our kind, the ones who got formed by an unbelievably great force. By the one, who cared for us like a mother and raised us in good expectations like a father. Yet he was none of us. It was his so-called „special talent“ to get into one of our bodies in order to interact with others. We, therefore, introduced a ritual for the grown-ups to get used to him. It was sometimes painful, but it was a necessity.

The path we went through had a lot of twists and turns. Only creatures, who knew about it, would pass it without getting lost. Sometimes a predator plant would be waiting for its prey. Luckily we know how to avoid them as best as we can. This was one of our ways to protect our population from other predators, who might cross it on their way. Another way, was to move to another place or to let vegetation grow, so the path would be unrecognizable. We were used to moving to different places quite frequently and the skills needed to achieve such a task.

These ponies followed us without any troubles, which was unusual for me. I expected some more force against us, but they seem to have reasons to follow us without any disregard. Their scared faces were painted in pure shock. For a short time, I shared something like empathy and compassion with those creatures. The path got into a dead end. Then I spoke

Allalala! Kita ania dinh!

The plants moved away and our later called guests shrieked. As a reaction to them, all 21 of us reacted instinctively and went into their usual defence position. By lowering themselves and holding a spear in their hooves, they prepared for the worst. We would not know if they would both betray us at last, so this was our only way of reaction. The more the plant wall opened, the more relaxation came back.

“Paghulat dinhi”

Moving into our beautiful little village, I searched for our “one”. Right next to the entrance stood 3 guards covered in neatly woven dragon plates. It was a big mix out of several colours. Most of them got found by some berry pickers or hunters. Their heads were protected by dried leaves, that were hard as rocks. A colourful scenery was painted on their surface. Their legs had iron protectors with texts in a foreign language engraved. Looking on the right side, there were small tents made out of leaves and twigs, topped with moss. They looked very fragile but were sturdy enough to withstand a heavy rainfall or an occasional storm. Fireplaces were placed moderately near the tents to either keep the villagers warm or to cook food. The other side of this small place was riddled with stone plates in all sizes. Most of them were naturally arranged and looked like caves. Inside of them, some of us had set up their small workshops and even small stores, where crafters made armour and weapons. Most of the products built there were free to take, as they were needed to assure everyone survived. In front of us was the central part of our village. Stone squares were placed neatly without any gaps in between them. Together they built up a stone carpet, that leads to a well. The well had very distinct characteristics. A bust of a goat with faun horns and crow wings stood proudly above it. Accompanied to it were the shape and aura of our one. He built up this part of our village by himself. Though some stones had cracks and were dull, all of us were very concerned about that, since this whole building never appeared to have flaws. But our one assured that this was no reason to fright. The huge tent was made out of a tree. His unbelievable power morphed the biggest tree of this place into a palace-like shape. Twigs and branches were bent and woven in order for the palace to have multiple rooms and a balcony at the top. Its roof was decorated with gems in all colours imaginable. This palace was created in such an unnatural way, no one would think, that this building is still a living tree, growing and building new branches as time passes.

Soon after we reached the well, he came out of his slumber rooms. Floating around like a leaf in the wind, he searched for a strong and healthy one to interact with these ponies. Finally, he chose me. His aura floated around me softly. His eyes were directed to my very soul. Searching for signs only he could see, he continued to move around my body, touching me with his cold, yet soft aura while doing so. After he knew, that it was safe for him to slip into me, his eyes were darting directly into mine. With a swift move, his aura disappeared into my body. It felt really uncomfortable when he got into someone. When you weren’t in your body anymore for a limited time being. It was fascinating, yet at the same time frightening because you needed to fully let go of yourself and allow him to take good care of your soul. In hindsight, our one would preserve the soul in a special realm. A place, where your deepest desires come true in an instance. A place, more like heaven. A headache though was something we never got used to afterwards. Luckily he never used one of us more than once a day as his medium, even if we would plead for it. With a deep breath, our one directed his gaze upon the two ponies.

“Ahhh Starlight Stream and Twilight Sparkle. Seems like you got to know Saduca and her welcoming committee. I sincerely apologize, if she was overly harsh with you. I already awaited you. Welcome into my personal dimension. It is a place where all creatures, live their own lives. Where they have their instincts, their need to survive. Not like in Ponyville, where everyone is super nice and helpful. Where pegasi control the weather, Unicorns use magic in order to change their surroundings and Ponies can communicate with animals in order to create peace and harmony.”

“We will change this world for the better, Termio. I mean, how difficult should that be?”

Twilight grinned determined. Termio rolled his eyes in an exasperating sigh. He snipped, well, he let a snipping sound appear, followed by hundreds of mini-ponies, who glared at them.

“I think you see why this world needs no change."

With another snip, the ponies disappeared again.

"It survived without you. It just needed a push in the right direction, just like Equestria. The big difference is, that this dimension can’t and should not get changed by anything or anyone."

What do you mean?

Encountered Twilight. Termio sighed with a heavy heart. What should follow was very important to him.

"You see miss Sparkle; I always wanted to create such a dimension which is left on its own. Of course, I could stay in Equestria with the King and Queen and their siblings, your Princesses, but I knew they would start their own initiative and change this dimension. Therefore I needed to go. I am normally not someone who stays in one place for long. I have the great gift to travel through dimensions and control matter and time. When you aren't using it, why should you have it anyway, right? The biggest disadvantage, however, is that I'm just that half transparent aura and reliable on others. I also tried to create my own body, yet it failed with every attempt. The soul of a creature slips into it instantly, which makes it impossible for me to get my own body. And I know that you also would argue about doing what I do right now, to invade someone’s body. Well, that just works for a limited time being. The soul and the body are one entity. If I would force my will upon this body, the body would die, leaving the soul behind. I am not a monster like that. I couldn’t do that to my children. That is also the reason why I slipped into your friend’s body only for a short while. But all of this took its toll. After a long long time of creating other dimensions and worlds, my power is decreasing more and more. I figured out a way to regain my power, but it would not be easy. For this reason, I ordered you two. The dimensions we live in are in danger and need your help. I need you to reincarnate me. I have to continue to take care of the dimensional balance. Because I am currently unable to do that on my own anymore, I need your help. My aura starts to fade away. It is pretty similar to the life of a phoenix. The only problem is, that I need magic from a source that has not my magical fingerprint. This source is an artefact in the deepest of dimensions. No creature was known to come back alive again. Once this artefact got activated, I am able to create the dimensional balance again."

The purple unicorn thought very carefully.

“Everything seems so logical. The sound of your voice sounded genuine. I don’t understand why we need him. Is he really what he seems? I don’t want to be responsible for a dimensional breakdown, even if it was never my fault…..”

Finally, she encountered, “How can we know, that we can trust you? And what is this Artifact you were talking about?

You see Twilight Sparkle; I was created out of a single spark. I distributed this spark far and wide over many dimensions, including yours. Live would flurry and they would write tales about me. But these tales aren't just tales for little fillies to listen to. They are the testament of my creation. The magical abilities of every creature - yes, I also mean you, Starlight - It stems from me. But no creature yet knew, that there also was a hidden artefact completely separated from me. It got created the same time I was given birth if you could call it that. Its magical abilities were stronger than anything you could ever imagine. Unfortunately, I am not strong enough to get to this place and make the reincarnation happen. This is why I asked you for help. I know that you are the only ones brave and pure-hearted enough to complete that task.

Twilight was baffled, so she asked Starlight.

“Do you think it is a good idea to help him? I don't trust him enough to follow him on this reincarnation-thingy.”

“I do, but not because I say It would be logical. I do because I believe in what he says; I believe in what he did and I believe in what he will do. And I don’t have any other choice because I want to live my life as long as possible. This so-called PROBLEM is a big boulder in my life as well as in yours and I want to get rid of it. Even though it might mean, that I would give up my dreams for it. ”

"And you are sure about that?"

"yes. Yes, I am."

“A strange view on things, but I guess...I understand...sort of.”

"Follow me. There are still more things for us to discuss"

Together all three took a walk around the town's centre, discussing a plan for Termio's reincarnation.