Chapters Wanderlust
I awoke early in the morning, by which I mean 10 AM, due to the sunlight streaking in through my window. I had done my best to ignore the thing but waking up cannot be put off forever. I blearily squinted my eyes, rolled over and hopped out of bed, stretching as I landed on the floor to be rewarded with some resounding pops coming from my spine. Entering the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and saw the face of an exhausted griffin staring back at me. Dark circles and bags under the eyes, messy feathers, everything out of line. I stepped into the shower and gave the cloud anchored above me a hearty smack, scrubbed myself down, then dried off by opening the hatch above, flying out into the morning sky, and grabbing a new cumulus to replace the one I had just used. Haphazardly running a comb over me, I left the bathroom and headed downstairs.
"Mornin Seth." Dad was already up, reading the paper. "Ready for today?"
"NNnnnnnnrrgg.... coofffffeeee." I replied, animating my shadow to grab hold of the pot and a mug. I drank it black, downed it, then poured a second one to have with my breakfast. I cracked two eggs into the pan on the stove then stared intently at the thing, willing it to heat up. I threw a fillet of fish on it as well, while I was at it. A few minutes later, the sizzling breakfast was unceremoniously dumped onto a plate and I started to eat.
"Late night?" Dad asked, drinking his own cup of the life giving elixir.
"Yeah, excited... couldn't sleep much."
"Seth are you sure you want to do this?" Mom asked ask she entered the kitchen of our island home.
"Ya." I replied.
"Gilda it's the wanderlust, just the same as when we were younger. If he sits around anymore he'll go nuts."
The wanderlust, the great journey, whatever you want to call it. Some people get bored if they stick around the same place for too long. I'm one of those people, so are they. Griffins, in general, feel the need to travel more strongly than others, probably something to do with migratory instincts. I had already been all over the New Dominion and my curiosity demanded more.
"Yeah, It's just hard to think that my little boy is all grown up." Mom sighed. Mom and Dad are... weird. Everyone on the island acts strangely around them, like there's some big secret they don't want to talk about, something about 13 years ago that people don't want to bring up. Dad works as a teacher at the school, and also with the council, while mom works with the weather crew. Whenever I'd ask Dad about it he'd always say 'Well, your mother and I used to be pretty important back in the day, but things have calmed down since then. We prefer to take it easy now.' It's still strange that just about everybody knows him, and there's a kind of deep respect there. Sometimes I get a faint memory of back then, a sense of meeting with important people.
"Ugh, mom." I groaned as she gave me a hug. "You're going to spill my coffee."
I finished breakfast then packed the few things I would be bringing with me into my backpack. A few textbooks, my own personal notes, some clothes because even though most people don't wear them I do, some inkwells, combs, nail files for my claws, and a number of other personal effects and basics for travel.
Once I had everything ready I prepared so say my goodbyes. Mom was emotional, while dad just watched with hidden anxiety. Mom always said he was a worry wort, and he's clearly doing his best to hide it.
I also said goodbye to my friends. I didn't put much emphasis on having relationships but I still had a couple acquaintances. Capca the changeling, colorful little bug horse that he is, wasn't too happy to see me go. He had always valued our friendship, though part of that was because it was literally food for him. Apparently changelings used to be weird black bugs, but a fiasco with the queen about a decade ago changed that. Dad had been extremely upset about it, he told me he knew her as well and questioned 'why wasn't it enough?'
Having said all my goodbyes, I took to the air and headed west to Baltimare. I could have taken a ship but that'd be too slow for my taste. As I traveled I'd occasionally take a rest on a cloud before moving on though, when I saw a striped blue and green one. I knew I had to stop and investigate.
"Hey Uncle Discord!" I shouted into the candy cane nimbus. Sure enough, he poked his misshapen head out, licked his snaggletooth to get some confectionery that was stuck on it, then flew next to me, flitting about in the sky haphazardly as is his usual method.
"Seth! It's been years my boy!"
"I saw you two weeks ago Discord." I deadpanned. I was accustomed to his antics. Also, does anybody else think having the spirit of chaos as an uncle/godfather is strange? It's been that way my whole life, so I'm used to it, but still.
"Riiiight, when you told me you'd be taking this little trip. I honestly had forgotten. I certainly didn't know you'd be heading this way and intentionally put myself in your flight path so we could meet up." He turned his head and looked at me with one eye.
"No, of course not." I replied with a small smirk.
"So you're heading to Equestria, where do you plan to go when you get there?" Discord inquired.
"Well I'm thinking I might explore a bit, then I'll probably apply to a school once I get the lay of the land."
"I know, you should apply to Princess Sparkle's magic school." He suggested.
"Nah, not really interested in learning pony magic."
"Who said you'd be learning? I was thinking less of a student and more of a troublemaker , really get her mane frazzled."
"Hmm... tempting." I replied with a sinister grin. "I'll have to think about it."
"In any case, where are you staying?"
"Oh, I've got a place in mind."
Before I reached Baltimare, Discord got bored of flying with me and went off to do his own thing. Probably for the best that he doesn't cause a scene. As soon as I drew near I could tell. The scent changed from 'ocean' to 'city' almost like crossing a line, sudden and distinct. I landed, got myself a map. Truth be told I knew exactly where I was going, I didn't want Discord to know. As much as I like him he tends to cause problems wherever he goes. First things first, It was approaching night, and I'd need a place to sleep before I continued my journey. I found a large river outside of town.
Going to the shore I stretched and strained, feeling a satisfying pop in my joints.
"Alright, this seems to be good." I dipped my claws into the water, poured my magic into it, then exerted my will upon it. Steam began to rise and form clouds. Using my wings to control the air currents, I condensed and shaped the clouds until I had formed a small house. Well, less than a house, it was just a bedroom. I had done this dozens of times before back home and would often sleep in a little cloud room when I felt like I needed to get out of the house. It was a nice house but it being on the ground just felt wrong . I used a small rope of cloud to tether it to a tree, that way it wouldn't drift away, then poked a small hole facing east so I'd be woken by the sun before flopping onto a cloud bed and heading to sleep.
Morning came and I was awoken by the sun shining on my face. I blinked the sleep from my eyes and got up. Flying down to the shore, I set my belongings by the tree I had tethered my cloud room to, flew under it, poked it, and had my morning shower dismantling the room at the same time. I allowed myself to dry off in the sun before gathering my things and continuing my journey, but not before I brewed a cup of coffee. While I prefer freshly ground beans instant will do in a pinch, besides I wanted to save the GOOD coffee for when I was settled in. I would eat later.
Continuing west I left Baltimare, crossing small rivers and streams as I went. The shoreline gave way to rolling, windswept grasslands and the smell of the city was left behind, as was the scent of the ocean that I had known my entire life. What replaced it was the smell of fresh grass, fresh air and sun. As I flew I watched the weather ponies pushing clouds from, I assume, Cloudsdale, east towards Balitmare to give it it's scheduled rain. Why they don't just make clouds from the ocean I'll never understand. Probably something to due with centralized industry, business contracts and other such nonsense.
In case it isn't obvious by this point, I'm a free spirit. People should be free to do what they want, the government sucks and should only exist as a bare minimum to ensure the safety of it's people, as well as minor organizational roles, and the state only exists because if it didn't someone would create it and then it would. Even though I know my dad works with the council, as he put it 'It's less about governing and making laws, and more about ideas to solve problems that crop up.' People listen to the council because they're in charge, but the only reason they're in charge is that they have good ideas that people want to listen to. If that were to change a council member would quickly find themselves out of a job. Of course there's still a few laws that are outright set in stone, like don't kill anyone outside of the arena, but even the arena doesn't see much use. People mostly get along pretty well besides the occasional dispute.
This meant that as I approached Canterlot, the ultimate symbol of Equestrian authority, law, order, and dullness, I tried my best to ignore those aspects and marvel at the architecture instead. The city hung off the side of a mountain, a river flowing through it caused by an underground lake being heated by the inactive volcano, rising up, making mineral deposits in the caves beneath the city, then condensing and flowing down in a near constant flow. I have to admit it's quite a marvel to look at, but I can't help but think that they're wasting a massive resource of natural steam power. Probably for the best, wouldn't want to ruin the pristine aesthetic. They must have designed it to be beautiful and interesting to distract from the dry politics that takes place there, and I can hardly blame them.
I decided that the Canterlot gardens would be a nice place to sit and have my breakfast, though it was more along the lines of brunch now. Despite the gardens being open to the public, I didn't have any company. I unfolded my map again to try and plot out my next route.
"Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone would be here at this time of day, would you mind if I joined you?" I heard a soft, smooth voice from behind me. I didn't bother to look, as I was much too concerned with deciding whether I should circle north to Manehatten or straight west through Ponyville. While I knew where I was going I wasn't certain on how I wanted to get there.
"Sure, I don't mind." I replied as I ate some cashews and dried fish. Salty. "Hmm... Ponyville would be the faster way to get to Cloudsdale but Manehatten is the scenic route and brings me through Whitetail Woods, then again I could go through Appleoosa, but then I'd have to make a stop over in Dodge Junction and I don't think I want to head through the dust. What do you think?" I asked as I turned to face my companion. When I saw her face I would have bowed except that I was already laying on the picnic blanket I had set out, and Dad had taught me not to bow because sycophancy is annoying.
"That depends on what you're looking for." Princess Celestia replied as she sat next to me.
"Well, I plan to spend my summer vacation traveling, seeing what Equestria has to offer and deciding what to do with myself, maybe make some money doing odd jobs. Then I'll find a school to go to that teaches something interesting. If I get bored I'll find something else to do until I get tired of that."
"You remind me of someone I know. Oh, forgive me, I haven't introduced my self. I am Princess Celestia. What is your name?"
"Seth North." When I said that, her face went a little pale, or, maybe really pale but it's hard to tell beneath white fur. Noticing that she was somewhat startled by that was enough for me to put 2 and 2 together. "Let me guess, you know my dad as well."
"Indeed I do."
"Seems like everybody does though nobody will explain why."
"To think he'd go that far." Celestia pondered. "Your father has done all that he can to ensure his own past isn't a blight on your future. To be honest, it really is best if you just let it go but if you're anything like he is you won't be able to."
"What is that supposed to mean?" At this , Princess Celestia abruptly got up. "If you're looking for a school to go to, I would have to suggest Princess Sparkle's School of Magic."
"You're the second person to suggest that, but I have no interest in learning pony magic." I replied.
"Well then you definitely shouldn't enroll in 'Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.' Unlike mine, Twilight's school caters to all forms of magic, not just Equestrian. Give it some thought." With that, she headed back inside.
Twice now fate has nudged me towards this school and yet deep in my soul I feel the need to be contrary if only for the sake of being difficult. Yet the Princess had given me an interesting suggestion, even if it's not what she intended.
I felt myself overcome by a wicked smile. Even if I didn't plan on attending, that doesn't mean I shouldn't apply. After all, it's quite common to get rejected from the school of your choice and apply to a different one, or get accepted to two and have to turn one down.
Vagrant
I headed to the library in the castle and looked up a directory of all the schools in the country.
"Surely nobody has ever tried applying to all of them have they?" I mused to myself. Since summer had just begun and I was planning on exploring the whole of Equestria before I settled in anyways, I figured the best thing would be applying to every school in the country, then whenever I didn't know where to go I could just head to the location of the next school on the list.
"A.... Appleoosa Agricultural Center, farm school ehh, could be alright. Bitsburg Technical Institute, interesting. Celestia's school of Gifted Unicorns, Cloudsdale Weather Central..." The list went on and on. I decided, rather than apply to EVERY school, just to pick the ones that piqued my interest, and I had NO interest in learning about rock farming.
Thankfully each application was simple. Name: Seth North. Interests: Many. Special talent:
"Hmm... I think if I put 'Shadow Manipulation' I'm going to get rejected from pretty much everywhere so 'Utility magic' it is." It's not a lie, I can do more than just manipulate shadows. Next was place of residence. Um... well, I don't live in the New Dominion anymore, and I don't have a house here, I just make a place to sleep in the clouds whenever I need a rest. I'll just put down 'varied'. If I'm homeless by choice, I guess that means I'm a vagrant. Wait, if I don't have a place of residence, how will I get any replies? This could actually be a problem. Hmm. What if I just deliver them personally, and wait for a reply? That could work.
Since I was in Canterlot already, I decided that Celestia's school would be the first one I applied to. I filled out the paperwork, then handed it to the secretary, who looked at me quizzically.
"Um, sir, are you aware that you are applying for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?"
"Yes, that is correct." I replied.
"Are you aware that it is a school, for... well... " She eyed me up and down, ".... gifted unicorns? " She winced, clearly uncomfortable from this awkward situation.
"Yep. There is no mistake." The mare facehoofed, then groaned and rubbed her eyes.
"Okay then. I'll forward your application. The entry exam is in two days, Wednesday at 2:00 pm sharp."
"Thank you. Is there anything I should study?" I asked.
"No, the entry exam is more a test of general talent, rather than specific knowledge. Just show up, do what the instructors say, try not to embarrass yourself. That's about it." I thanked her again, then left. If I had two days, I might as well head to Ponyville and hand in my application to Twilight's school.
A few hours of flying and I reached the small town. The feature that stood out the most being crystal tree that sparkled and shone, and was comically oversized compared to the rest of the buildings in the town. I glid down to the front door and gave it a knock.
"Yes, I'll be there in a second." Came a deep, masculine voice, bearing some annoyance. There were some audible footsteps of someone coming down a set of stairs before the door opened, and I found myself face to face with a young, purple dragon. His height matched mine, and he seemed remarkably fit for someone who lived in what is essentially a giant library.
"Hello, can I help you?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm here to apply to this school."
"Oh, okay. Yeah, come on in and take a seat." I passed him my application form. "You know you could have mailed this right?"
"I don't have a mailing address, I wouldn't be able to get a reply."
"Ah, makes sense." He showed me to a couch, where I seated myself. "I'll go get Twilight, be back in just a second."
He opened his wings and flew up to the top of the large, open lobby we were in, then landed and walked down a passage, out of sight. About twenty minutes later he returned, with a purple alicorn in tow.
"Greetings, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and this is my assistant, Spike. I'm told you are interested in applying to my school?" She asked politely. I don't know why, but when she introduced herself, I found myself thinking of a toilet brush.
"Yes, I am, thus the application. I'm applying to several schools, hopefully one of them accepts." I answered. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Seth North." Her eye twitched a little at that, but otherwise continued normally.
"What subjects do you intend to study here? Weather manipulation?"
"Unicorn magic, and practical use of utility magic."
"It's rather, unorthodox... having a griffin study unicorn magic, seeing as how you won't be able to use it, it will make it difficult to study the thought-forms... hmm, no, it's theoretically possible..." She then tapped her hoof to her chin repeatedly, 'hmm'-ing, deep in thought. "If anything, it should be a unique challenge. Do you think you're up to it?"
"Well, that's what I aim to find out." I replied.
"Okay then, a test! We'll run through different tasks to determine your baseline ability. For starters..." She took out a book, and set it on the floor. "Open this book to page 238, without touching it."
"Alright." I reached out with my shadow, making a platform under the book which then lifted it up into the air, and floated it towards me, much like a dark lectern. A small tendril sprouted from the top of the lectern, then flipped through the pages until it reached 238. "Done."
"Okay... that's different, but, good. Next, do you know how to make a barrier?"
"Safe Space." The world went dark. The barrier severed me from the rest of reality, denying entry to light and sound, matter and energy of any kind. It would be correct to think of it like being protected from reality itself. A pocket dimension. Something a certain unicorn ghost had taught me when I accidentally opened his journal. Of course, the words for casting that spell were more akin to 'The absolute protection of dimensional severance, loosely held by the frayed threads of the cloth of reality, denied chaos by my will, granted eternity by the void', but I had mentally associated that spell and it's meanings to different words.
A few seconds later Twilight appeared inside, with an illumination spell active.
"This is amazing. You created an extra dimensional space, then pulled yourself into it. You've been gone for ten minutes before I came in looking for you. How do you have the energy reserves to maintain the spell for this long?" She asked excitedly.
"I don't. For me, it was only 10 seconds, and I can only maintain it for about four minutes, internal time. We all travel forward through time, but the theory of relativity states that the speed at which we travel through it can be different. That space doesn't follow the same rules as this universe, so its time flow can be a lot slower. Also, how did you get in?"
"I analyzed your spell, replicated it for myself, and then joined our spaces. Think of it like two bubbles merging." She joyfully explained. "In any case, this is incredibly advanced, where did you learn something like this?
"Oh, a certain unicorn mage my dad knows. He lives in a pocket dimension he created in a book. Anyway, I have the skill to use several highly advanced spells, but I lack the basics and general knowledge. It's like knowing how to do something without knowing how it works, like flying without knowing anything about air pressure or wind currents. Apparently teleportation is something similar to this, but I have no idea how to do that. That's why I want to learn the basics, then I'll be able to design my own spells." I ended the spell, as did she, and we snapped back into reality. It was now nightfall.
"Uh, oops. That took longer than it should have." Twilight grinned. "In any case, I've decided to accept your application."
"Well, that's good. I also applied to Celestia's school, and my entry exam is in two days.
"Well, given the ability you displayed here, I think you'll do fine, though I wonder, what if you get accepted to both schools?"
"Well then, I'll have to pick one."
I wasted time bumming around in Ponyville. I caught some fish, cooked em on a campfire, then flew back to Canterlot for my exam. All the applicants were seated in a waiting room, and were called one at a time to take their test. The waiting room was filled with unicorns of various ages. Some were foals, others on the cusp of adolescence, and there was even a unicorn mare my age, with a yellow coat and orange mane. Most of the other applicants looked at me strangely, but the one my age approached.
"Well heya. The name's Pumpkin Cake. I don't mean to offend but, what's a griffin doing applying to a school for gifted unicorns?" She asked.
"My name's Seth. And, honestly, I don't really know. The fact that I probably shouldn't be here just makes me want to be here. That, and a prankster friend of mine put me up to it." I replied.
"Well, good luck to you anyway."
Pony after pony entered, being called in one at a time. Each time there was some noise as various spells went off, and then the next would be called in. Pumpkin Cake went in before me, and a few minutes later, I was called in.
All the previous applicants were seated in what were a lot like bleachers from a sporting event. Basically, whether you passed or failed, you were to watch the other applicants to see what they did differently, that way even if you didn't succeed, you could learn from those who did.
"Last one for today, Seth North. Alright, this... "The instructor held out a round, smooth looking stone. "... is a dragon egg." She set it on the floor. "Your test is to hatch it." Then she stepped back and took a seat next to other examiners.
I walked up to the egg. I looked at it. I rubbed my claws over it. I spun it, then grabbed it to stop it, quickly releasing it. It did not start spinning again.
"This..." I pointed to the 'egg' "... is a rock. It is not an egg. It is a rock. Hatching this 'egg' would require the caster to transmute it INTO an egg, then hatch it. I am incapable of doing that which is why I want to learn."
Princess Celestia stepped forward, from her own observation seat. "Under normal circumstances, a unicorn would not be able to hatch a dragon egg. This test is to see how creative the student is in their attempts, and to see how well they handle failure. However, since somepony actually managed to hatch the egg several years ago, we've taken to using rocks instead. The fact that you were able to determine that it was a rock without casting any spells on it says a great deal about your critical thinking and reasoning skills, though very little of your magical talent. I did however receive a letter of recommendation from Princess Twilight regarding you."
Celestia smiled.
"That being said, I must refuse your application. Not because you lack in talent, but rather because you would find yourself stifled and unable to advance. My school is a school of the tried and true, of the rigid and unyielding, not of experimentation and progress. That is, after all, what Princess Twilight's school is for. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors there."
"Well, thanks." I replied cheerfully. "Honestly your school seems a bit too stuffy for me anyway. I was planning on turning down the offer if I got accepted, but I wanted to take the test anyways."
With that, I left. I was followed by Pumpkin Cake.
"Well whaddya know. Looks like we'll be going to school together. I failed the test, but got accepted to Twilight's school as well."
"Well, I guess I'll see you this fall then Pumpkin."
"Appaloosa Agricultural Institute, you're next."
Revelations
While it was slightly out of the way, I headed to Appaloosa before Cloudsdale, deciding to stop at the floating city on my way back. On my way back? Had I already decided that I would be returning to Ponyville? I shook my head to clear it of such thoughts and continued. Rolling green hills gave way to dusty plains and soon the rustic town came into view. Being that I had never been to this town before, I figured I'd ask one of the locals which way to go.
"Excuse me, do you know which way to the Appaloosa Agricultural Institute?" I inquired of a dusty coated stallion.
"The wha? Oh, you mean tha farmin school? Yeah Sss right over there."
"That's.... a barn. I mean, it's a big barn, but... it's a barn."
"Well shucks, where else do ya think you're gonna learn farmin from?"
"Uh, okay, thanks."
As it turns out, the school was not in the barn, that's just where the classroom was, and the barn had been fully repurposed to serve as such. No, the school itself was the FARM, which makes sense now that I think about it, given that it was an agricultural school. There was no entrance exam for this school. You could simply apply, be automatically accepted, process payment and get to learning. In that case I decided to take the tour. They had classes about soil composition, farming cycles, irrigation, hydroponics, horticulture, as well as herbology and magical plants. It was interesting, but didn't really draw me in. It didn't feel like something I was meant for.
The next several weeks ended up much the same. I'd go to a school, tour it, then decide it wasn't what I was interested in. Manehatten Culinary College, Manehatten Fashion School, Bitsburg Technical Institute, Hoofton Textiles Trade school, every single one I'd take the tour and find myself disinterested. At this point I realized that I already had my mind set on Princess Twilights magic school but kept looking for others solely because I had been told to go there. In other words, I was being needlessly contrarian. I still enjoyed myself exploring the Equestrian countryside though there's only so many days of 'rolling green grassland' one can take in before it becomes tedious. No, It was time to head back, though I still convinced myself to stop in Cloudsdale.
"Now this is more like it!" Up in the sky, cool air, masses of puffy white clouds strewn about in pillars and arches not rigid like those in Canterlot, but more organic and windswept.
*BOOM*
"What the heck?" I raised a barrier and turned towards the source of the noise, witnessing a rainbow streak across the sky.
"There goes Rainbow Dash again. She's so cool." Dozens of young ponies, and a few griffins also, turned to the sky to view the commotion. "Yeah, she's putting on a show for the applicants of the Cloudsdale flight school."
"Ehh, she's not that great." Came a different voice.
"Just because you didn't get accepted doesn't give you any right to be a sourpuss, Melody." Another chided.
"I didn't get accepted because I didn't apply, stupid. I'm going to the Dominion Warmage Academy." The voice, belonging to a girl griffin sneered.
"Yeah yeah, you're going to be a 'legendary hero'." They younger ponies blew raspberries at her. "More like villain with your attitude." They all ran off laughing after that.
"Eh... whatever." She then turned to look at me. "Say... you're not from around here, are you?"
"How can you tell?" I asked in turn.
"Everyone around here is used to the showoffs' periodic rainbooms, but as soon as you heard it you put up a barrier. If you know defensive magic, that means you're probably from the New Dominion, right?"
"Yes, Signal actually."
"Oh cool. I'll be going there for school this year. The name's Melodious Thunder" She stuck out a claw to shake. I accepted.
"Seth North, I'll be going to Princess Twilight's magic school."
"Uh, no offense but, why do you want to learn something like pony magic? Isn't that kind of lame? Can a griffin even use pony magic?" Melody inquired.
"Dunno if I can use it, but I'm more interested in the theoretical side anyway. I already know some different protection magic, I'm more interested in learning utility magic like teleportation."
"Yeah, I guess your dad would have taught you some of his spells."
"Okay, I'm starting to get annoyed now. Why does everyone and their mother know who my dad is?" I stated irately.
"Ooh... yeah, um... just come with me."
"Mom, Dad, I'm home."
"Welcome back, did you have a good time?"
"Yeah. I met a new friend."
"Who's this? A BOY? Look Tedris, our little girl is all grown up. She'll be going off to school soon, and now she's bringing home a boyfriend!" The mother swooned.
"Now listen here, I won't have you doing anything untoward with my daughter, do you understand me?" The father scowled.
"Geez, I just met him today, calm down will you? This is Seth North." Immediately Melody's parents changed their demeanor. "I'm just going to show him my room." She guided me up to her bedroom. "I swear they can be so frustrating sometimes. Anyway, take a look."
Covering her walls were posters. Images of a griffin. Some were for a concert tour, one was a page from a clothing magazine, another was a wanted poster, more still from news articles. "Griffin North." The pirate, the villain, the hero, the scholar, the king. The king?
Memories came flooding back.
"Mommy, why are they bowing to daddy?"
"Well, Seth, your dad's the king."
"To be honest Seth, I'd rather they not even bow to me. Bowing like that makes the person you're bowing to seem unapproachable, like you can't get near them. I don't like it."
"Your father carved a path through this world, giving those who were lost a way to go. He rescued my mom and dad. If not for him, I wouldn't exist. I guess you can say I'm a bit of a fangirl."
"Why... why does nobody talk about this? Why are the adults keeping it a secret?"
Your father has done all that he can to ensure his own past isn't a blight on your future.
"It was the one thing he asked for." Melody answered. "He knew the adults would never forget but he wanted the next generation to only view him as a relic of the past, consigned to the history books. Again, the only reason I have this is because my parents are terrible at keeping secrets. They kept all his memorabilia and of course, I found it. I've been a fan ever since."
"The whole time I was growing up I thought he was lame. Just a boring teacher who liked to read the morning paper over a cup of coffee, and tend his garden, he was just playing the part of a stable parent to make sure I had a good life."
"Well, I guess that explains why he dropped out of the public eye. I knew he did but I never knew the reason. Your dad must really love you a lot to do all that for you."
"Yeah. Thanks for showing me this Melody."
"No problem." With that I left and made my way back to Ponyville. Now that I knew the truth, I had a lot to mull over. Besides, if I was going to study there, I'd need a more permanent residence than a jerry-rigged cloud house. That means finding an apartment, which means money. I had some, but certainly not enough for a whole year of food and housing. That means I'd need a job.
Settled
Learning my fathers history was a significant development though the question remained, how could such a thing be kept secret? Surely people couldn't help but talk about it and they'd be overheard? I get the feeling that Melody isn't the only case. Perhaps the kids know they're not supposed to know, so they pretend they don't even though they do? A secret that everyone knows, but nobody knows that everyone knows, so everyone tries, and fails, to keep it a secret, despite everyone already knowing anyway and just pretending they don't hear you when you slip up? What kind of living paradox is my dad anyway? It does explain why I have someone as chaotic as Discord as my uncle though, or maybe Discord being my uncle IS the explanation?
Whats more, surely he knew that if I traveled the world, eventually I'd figure it out for myself. Was him allowing me to go abroad his way of telling me, rather than sitting me down and explaining it to just let me learn the truth for myself? Instead of being told, being able to see the truth with my own eyes, was that his plan? No, that doesn't make sense. If that were true why would he go through all this trouble in the first place? Maybe it was only meant to last as long as my childhood, and heading off to school by myself means that I've become an adult and am ready for the truth? How much did he plan in advance?
I don't like it when people bow, it makes you feel unapproachable
"AS IF!" I shouted aloud, drawing stares from those nearby, I sheepishly tried to lose their attention as I flew slowly towards Cloudsdale weather factory. The reason you're unapproachable has nothing to do with people bowing, people want to bow precisely because you're unapproachable. An existence that defies everything conventional, normal people cannot make sense of it.
My head hurts. Mom used to say that Dad would always get lost in thought, is this what it was like for him as well? Will I wind up just like him? Except that he let me leave and choose my own path. The tension I was feeling as I thought about it began to melt away.
"I am free to choose my own path." I get it. This was the intent. The way he went about it was haphazard, but this is the end result. Wouldn't it have been easier to do it differently? Maybe he's a flawed person and made things more difficult for himself unnecessarily. Wouldn't that just mean he's normal? Then again, I don't know how it could have been done to make it simpler so I don't have room to talk. No, no matter how I look at it, he's definitely bizarre.
I shook my head to clear it of such thoughts as I neared the weather factory. The factory had a trade school attached. They would pay for your education for you and guarantee you a job after your training was complete. Is there a shortage of weather workers?
A guide directed me towards the school section where there was an introduction session taking place. It was fairly straightforward. They explained that the training would take 3 weeks after which you could begin working. You could be a cloud pusher who moves clouds to the correct location, and bursts clouds that are way out of position. You could work in the factory itself making clouds and rainbows, you could be on wind duty, or you could do the more boring administrative work. While the admin position required an education, all the others were on the job training.
While this isn't what I wanted to do with the rest of my life I would be a good job to make some money while I went to school. 3 weeks paid training, then I could work while I studied. While Twilight's school schedule was not flexible, the potential work hours were. Perfect.
I signed up to work in the weather factory making clouds.
"Well all right then! My name is Derringer. I'll be your manager." A sky blue pegasus with a pair of crossed pistols on his flank introduced himself. "You know, cloud making ain't glorious but somebody has to do it. Now, what do you know about making clouds?"
"Well clouds are classified based on what altitude they sit at, and also what shape they take. Generally nimbus are used for rain while cumulus are used to build cloud houses. You make them out of water from a reservoir. I've been traveling for a while so I've been making cloud houses to stay in, then I turn them into rain clouds to take a shower and disperse them at the same time." I replied.
"Well, it's good that you're so knowledgeable but in the future, I ask that you don't go making cloud houses without a permit. Mind you I'm saying this for your benefit." Derringer stated with a serious tone.
"Got it, no clouds without a permit. Speaking of which, where can I get a permit?" Uuuugh bureaucracy. I made a note to hide my displeasure.
"Admin office on the 3rd floor."
"I'll be sure to stop by after work today."
"Speaking of which, I'll be observing you for the first week to make sure you know what you're doing and can fill the orders properly. If you have any questions, you come to me. I'll be handling your punch clock as well. Once the three weeks are done you can give me your shift preference and I'll set up your schedule, and get you acquainted with your permanent manager. You're young yet, so I take it you'll be going to school as well?" Derringer asked.
"Yes, I'll be attending Twilight's magic academy in Ponyville."
"Hey, that might actually work out. If you work the night shift making clouds, if Ponyville is scheduled to have some that day we can have you haul some of them over on your way to class. Don't worry about putting them in the right place, just getting them there is enough. We'll have their weather team sort that out like normal. Just make sure to sign the clouds over to them when you complete the delivery."
"Sounds good to me."
So I spent the next three weeks making clouds in the weather factory under Derringers diligent direction, while I slept in a small, single room cloud house that I had quickly thrown together at the permitted location. I didn't come across any problems and after that time was up he felt confident shifting me over to the night manager. In that time I had also officially accepted my attendance at Twilights school, got my schedule, submitted my shift preference to make sure I would have enough time to sleep and a day off once in a while, and I got a permit for a permanent cloud house on the outskirts of Ponyville. It did have a size constraint but I could always make it bigger if I applied for a larger permit. I didn't see myself needing too much extra space anyways. One of the benefits of living in a house made of clouds is you don't need to buy furniture, you can just shape it. Cloud bed, cloud drawers, cloud tables. Some pegasi like having something more solid and are willing to pay more to have wooden furniture enchanted so it can interact with clouds, but most of the time you just make your own. In fact it is this amateurish construction that gives Cloudsdale its artistic feel with swooping archways and spiral towers that, if made of solid material, would collapse due to structural instability.
The permit specified the location and maximum size of my dwelling, a maximum of 1000 square feet wide, which would be rather small for a ground dwelling, but a vertical limit of 300 meaning I'd have plenty of living space. It was on the north side of a local apple orchard so as not to block the sunlight below, and I'd gotten permission from Derringer to use a 'clear day' to get off cloud making for a shift and help the weather control team gather up clouds for building materials, meaning I could get building materials as part of my work provided I was willing to put in the extra effort of moving them instead of just popping them. A small price to pay to avoid going to the mayors office and petitioning to use the reservoir supply.
I started by extending and reinforcing the existing cloud room to a 25x25, where I'd put the dining room. I put a smaller room attached to the front as a foyer with closets, coat racks and the like. On the second floor I placed a kitchen, bathroom, (a stylized room with a bucket, given that there's so way to get plumbing 200 feet in the sky) and a living room, and on the third floor I made four bedrooms. For 'running water' I would of course use rain clouds, and I had to get various plates, cutlery and similar items enchanted. While a little pricey it's still far less expensive than enchanting an entire kitchen counter or dining table, and much less than having all my plates fall through my house and shatter several hundred feet below. I managed to finish the whole thing in about two days and now had a permanent living space.
With that out of the way I decided to go meet my neighbours. They had already gotten the news about me moving in and I had seen them working the fields while I was building my house, but it's better to have an official introduction. So, I flew down to go say hello.
That was a mistake.
"Well howdy! I was wonderin' when you were gonna come down an say hello! Mah names Applebloom. This here is our farm, Sweet Apple Acres, this here is Big Mac, he's mah big brother strong as an ox but half as loud, this is Applejack, mah big sister, she's friends with Twilight who runs the library over in the center of town, she's a princess but she wasn't always, and then there's...." An hour later she finally finished, having given me the entire history of Ponyville. "And then there's mah friends Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo, they're..." Rather than listening intently I simply let the stream of endless knowledge wash over me, taking in only the barest portions. Names, who they're related to, and what they do. Even then I felt as though I was drowning in the bottomless well of who's, what's, and where's. While I may be wrong I am now of the belief that the Apple family is related to half the population of Equestria. Given that they are a very old family that may not be far off. It was surprising that this young mare was able to memorize it all. Even more surprising is that she didn't seem to breathe when recounting it.
"Anyhow, what's yer name?" Sweet mercy she stopped.
"My name is Seth. Recently moved here from the Dominion to go to school. My history is nowhere near as extensive as yours." When I said that she blushed, having realized whats she had done.
"Err, sorry 'bout that. Anyways nice ta meet you neighbour."
"Likewise." So long as I never have to 'meet' her again. "Anyways, I work the night shift over at the cloud factory so you probably won't see much of me, other than maybe picking up some apples now and then. I should be fairly busy between that and school." As soon as I mentioned 'picking up apples' she immediately brought out an bushel. There's no way I'd eat an entire bushel before they go bad. "I don't need them right now, I'm still setting up and don't have a place to put them. I'll pick some up at market later."
"Well alrighty then." With that I flew back up to my house. Since I had gotten settled in, I decided I ought to write a letter to mom and dad, updating them.
Dear Mom and Dad, I've arrived in Ponyville after touring Equestria. I decided to attend Twilight's School here and have a house on the outskirts, near the Apple family orchard, and I got a job at the Cloudsdale weather factory, and met the neighbours who were more chatty than I care for. Also, during my travels I've learned a bit about your past. We will discuss this.Sincerely, Seth.
Author's Note
Hey, so it's been like, what, a year and a half? Two years? No, I didn't die. I've been busy with work, and games, and other things. And, honestly, I'm kind of done with the fanfiction thing. That being said, I DO want to finish this one as leaving it hanging there doesn't feel right. The other day I found myself thinking about it again and had a bit of inspiration so I decided to make use of it while it's there. One of the issues with it is that story is driven by conflict and conflict resolution, but this is a slice of life story and that sort of thing isn't prominent.
Speaking of which I've been writing some non-MLP, non-fanfiction, original stuff, like a webnovel, except I have no idea where to post this sort of stuff online.
One of my things is a sci-fi where there's a planet that is tilted on it's axis so the north always faces the sun, and humans have colonized the equator and northern tropics, while the north is a sun blasted desert and the north pole is molten, and everything south of the equator is a frigid wasteland, and the story follows the live of a miner who travels with a crew to the north pole during intermittent cool periods where it cools off enough that it becomes solid, and miners go there because all sorts of precious minerals come to the surface and are valuable, but then local wildlife, like silicon based lifeforms that swim in lava eat the minerals, the wildlife doesn't try to eat the people, it wants to eat their trucks which is a problem because you can get stranded and when the cool period ends if you're there you die.
And Odd Kind Of Game
It was less than a week before I got a reply to the letter I sent to my parents, though the reply was not a letter, but a direct visit. Just as I got home from work I saw the familiar figured of Mom and Dad flying up to my door.
"Seth! It's been years! How have you been!" My dad joked in a very similar manner to Discord's own mockery.
"It's only been a few months. What are you doing here?"
"Well, we got your letter, and since we were coming this way anyway for one of my business trips, I thought I'd stop in. Now, I knew you'd be fine but your mother was such a worry wort that...." Mom elbowed dad in the ribs, hard. "... we've been following you since you left."
"I would ask why, but given what I found out about your past I think I know the answer." I glared. "Because of who you are, you were afraid I might be targeted. wouldn't I be better off knowing? Wouldn't I be better off being aware of the possible dangers?
"We just wanted you to have a normal life Seth." Mom explained, "Despite that, we made sure to teach you quite a few useful things, didn't we? How to control your shadow manipulation, how do use barriers and healing magic, along with other utilities. We wanted you to know how to protect yourself, being prepared for threats without looking over your shoulder in fear of them."
So, we sat down at my cloud table, poured some coffee, and they began explaining everything in detail, about how he wasn't originally from this dimension, something I'd have difficulty believing had I not known for a fact it were possible, what with Sombra living inside a book and my own dimensional severance spell.
"I'll be honest son, back then.... I was completely bonkers. A proper nutcase. Arrogance, self importance, hypocrisy. I had lived a life where I was always at the bottom, and having gotten a taste of being at the top, I got drunk on it. Took another psychopath beating the hell out of me to make me snap out of it. That being said, what I did had purpose. Being irrational and unpredictable means people can't plan around you, and making myself out to be some sort of monster or demon intimidates people, which makes them much less likely to fight. To say I didn't enjoy it would be a lie, one which I often told myself." He actually seemed a little sad when he recounted this part. To realize that you enjoy fighting and being hurt is a rather sad thing, isn't it? "For a while I even believed it. I think I came to the realization during one of my.... business trips."
Dad would go on a business trip twice or three times a year. Usually on summer vacation and winter holidays, and sometimes on spring break, when school was out and he didn't have to teach at the academy. He'd go away for a week or so, then come back looking refreshed.
"Dad, what do you actually DO on your business trips? Don't try and give me some mundane answer either."
"Well, you know I teach at the Signal Warmage Academy. You didn't think it was all theoretical, did you?" He asked.
"Obviously not." I replied.
"Well, theoretical knowledge needs practical application, and practice, and training. A sword left to rust gets dull. A great deal of the peace of the current era is based on the strength of those who maintain it. If I let myself get dull, things could start to crumble. So, how do I practice fighting on that scale without hurting anyone, or letting people find out?"
"I'm not sure." To my answer, he took out a scroll, lit a fire in his claw and burned it. Muttering something under his breath, the smoke turned to wisps that flew out the window towards Canterlot.
"Stand over here, next to me. We're going to teleport in a couple minutes."
About 10 minutes passed before a wisp of purple smoke flew in through the window and wrapped itself around father, mother, and myself. There was a loud 'pop' and we found ourselves in a barren wasteland, devoid of life. The only features of the landscape where craters, jutting, jagged rocks, and a pair of ruined castles.
"Welcome to the Badlands Seth. About a decade ago there used to be a changeling hive here, before the old queen decided to be a bitch and ruin everything. If she needed more she could have just... no... That's not why we're here." Looking around there was only one other figure in this place, one who I had not met, but recognized as Princess Luna.
"Summer is almost over! Here I was thinking you were going to skip our session!" The dark mare boomed.
"Not a chance. Oh, I brought Gilda and, you know my son Seth, right? He'll be watching as well this time." Dad replied.
"So then, I take it you've finally told him?"
"Yeah, he knows, though I don't think he knows the extent of what we did so, I figured it would be best for him to see for himself."
"He knows protection spells yes?"
"What kind of unloving, irresponsible father do you take me for? Of course he does! He'll be fine, so don't worry, we won't have to hold back."
"By all means, continue talking about me as though I am not here." I interrupted.
"Oh... my sincerest apologies. It is nice to meet you Seth, I am Princess Luna. My excitement is no excuse for poor manners. Please move to the viewing area over there." She pointed to a trench with some dirt barricades. "Remain in the trench for the entire duration, and do not falter in your protection spells." She then turned back to addressing dad. "What shall we play today?"
"I was thinking we'd start with tag, have a quick breather, then follow it up with catch. I was thinking you'd be it."
"Which 'Ball' should we use for catch?"
"Lets not do the biggest one, how about M 23?" Dad suggested.
"Sounds good."
Mom and I took our positions in the trench, only our heads poking out above ground. Dad and Luna took positions opposite one another, a fair distance apart.
"Ready?" Mom shouted. "Set! GO!" In a blur of motion, Luna darted towards dad, reaching out a hoof to strike him. He nimbly jumped to the side with grace one would not expect from someone his size, like his legs were made of springs and his entire body weighed no more than a feather. A red mist spilled off of him, leaving behind pinkish clouds wherever he traveled as he continued to dodge the ponys strikes.
"Your dad is using telekinesis on his entire body. Normally your brain fires a signal to your nerves, which activate your muscles, which move your body. He's using magic to directly move his body along with normal movement, making him faster and limiting the effects of inertia. He's also letting his magic spill out into the surrounding area. Since it's still a part of him, it increases his awareness and interferes with his opponents spells, making them expend much more effort to cast. While she tries to catch him, he's making a net to snare her."
Luna backed away and charged a glow at her horn, firing a barrage of magical bolts. As the shots entered the fog of fathers magic, he reacted to them, dodging them effortlessly.
"Are you not trying, or have you just gotten slow?" He taunted.
"It's important to warm up first. I've been sitting on my rump in the castle for most of the day, I can't just go all out from the start." She picked up the pace, then the magic surrounding her horn began to flicker. She blinked out of existence, then reappeared elsewhere. The glow returned to normal as she fired a bolt, then flickered, teleporting again, then another bolt, then teleport. The two different glows on her horn, one coinciding with the magic bolt, the other, with the teleport spell, blinking faster and faster. Soon she was teleporting so quickly that it was hard to keep track of her, and that is me from a distance. If dad could keep track in the midst of it, would be astounding.
"So, at this point your dad can't keep track of her anymore." Oh. "But he can still dodge. He looks ahead. If he doesn't see her, he moves in that direction and rotates. If he still doesn't see her, he moves in one of the empty directions and rotates again, and he keeps going until he can spot her again. This entire time, he's trying to work out her pattern to predict where she'll show up next, then he'll fire a shot at that location. As her thoughts become more automatic, from the sheer speed of repeating the pattern, she becomes more predictable. At that moment your dad will take his shot."
Their dance in the sky, with her barrage of shots and his nimble dodging, continued for almost ten minutes before a heavy beam of energy fired out, lighting up the evening sky. At that moment, dad got hit in the back by a magic bolt and tumbled out of the sky, righting himself before he hit the ground.
"FUCK." He shouted. "Alright, we'll take a break now, you guys come on out."
"So, what happened? It was so fast I could barely keep track of it." I asked.
"Well, obviously, I got hit. Luna, did I get you?"
"Nope." She replied, smug.
"Are you SUUUUUURE?" Dad questioned with childlike glee. He reached out a claw and plucked a few strands of her mane that were clearly burnt on the ends.
"Oh come on, it only counts if it's a direct hit, we both know mane hits don't count." Luna pouted.
"Alright, fine, it's your win." Luna clapped her hooves in excitement. "What is that, 5/30?" Dad asked.
"No, you won 2 summers ago, it's 6/30."
"Ah! You're right. That was just luck though, I've never been able to handle fast opponents." He bopped her on the nose. "I'll get you next time though."
"Suuuuure you will."
"So.... this is the kind of relationship you have with the princessess? You come out here two or three times a year and do this?" I asked.
"Well, it's not always tag. Sometimes we beat each other up. Sometimes we make... sand castles." He looked over at one of the ruined forts. "And then we try to knock down each other's fort without losing our own. We also like to play 'catch', which you'll see shortly. So, Seth, did you know the badlands here used to have a lot of small mountains?"
"No I did not.... You didn't."
"We did."
"Well, where are they now?" Dad looked to Luna, she looked to him, they both looked at mom, who nodded.
"So... you know I told you about how a long time ago there were apocalyptic type events happening basically every week right? Well, we decided what if we made preparations to deal with them? Like, if something big were to show up, we could deal with it quickly?"
"Dad, where are the mountains?"
"So, your mother and I got to brainstorming, and we had this idea, which we told Luna, and she liked it so..."
"Dad what did you do."
"We got to thinking 'What if we could just bomb the hell out of whatever shows up? Some big nasty comes knocking, we lure it to a fairly open place and then...."
"Dad."
"..... drop a mountain on it." I facepalmed. "I mean come on, we haven't actually had to do it! We've just made preparations."
"Dad... you said you were going to play catch, and the ball would be M 23. Don't tell me M stands for mountain."
"Seth, M stands for mountain."
"YOU PUT A MOUNTAIN IN ORBIT?!?!?!!? And not just one, AT LEAST TWENTY THREE! And you're going to drop one on yourself, FOR FUN!"
"Well son when you say it like that..."
"How do you even...."
"Seth." Mom walked up beside me. "When dealing with your father, the best course of action is to throw common sense out the window. He has none, and it doesn't apply to him."
"And he's dragged the princess along with his insanity?!?"
"Hey, it's not that crazy, she moves the moon on a daily basis." Dad stated in his defense.
"I think I'm gonna go sit in the trench for a while."
And that's what I did. I sat in the trench and watched as Princess Luna pulled a massive chunk of rock, the size of a castle, out of the sky. The clouds parted and the ball of stone blazed on re-entry. Dad reached out with his magic, the red mist forming a great pair of hands that clasped the massive stone, then threw it at Luna, who caught it in her own magic. Then she and my dad would toss it back and forth, taunting each other to 'Don't drop the ball', while laughing like children, before they worked together to put it back into orbit.
After a while, they both came over, looking tired, and sat down next to mom and I.
"So Seth, do you understand now why I wanted to keep this sort of thing a secret? Do you think you could have had a chance at a normal life if you'd known that this is who, and what, I am?"
"My father plays catch with a princess, using a castle sized rock as a ball. He giggles like a child as they beat the stuffing out of each other."
"Correct." My dad replied.
"My mother is a terrible judge of character who married a lunatic"
"Also true." she stated.
"And I am?" I asked.
"Whoever you want to be son. That was the point. No matter who WE are, the point was that you get to choose who YOU want to be. You can live a normal life, go to school, have a normal job, meet a normal girl, have a normal family. Or, you can be just as bizarre and abnormal as we are. My father back in the other world was an abusive drunk and my mom was a promiscuous waitress. I am neither of those things. Your mother is the child of slaves. She is not one. We are not defined by our lineage, by who we come from, we can come from greatness, or mediocrity. While that does have some bearing on who we become, it can only do so IF we let it define us. It is our ACTIONS that make us who we are. Celestia and Luna were not born Alicorns, and yet they became them, and the leaders of Equestria. Yes, I, and you as well, are descendants of Hades, but so was my father and he did nothing with that. Many others have 'greatness in their blood' or whatever, but do nothing with it, or don't even know they have it. Someone 'being great' to begin with comes from that person DOING something worthwhile, and that isn't something you inherit. I am the king of the New Dominion not because my father or grand father or great grand father, but because of my own actions. You are the son of the king, and yet you are not a prince. The country is a democracy governed by a council of those trusted by the people. If you become a 'king' is entirely up to you and your choices, and what you become a 'king' of is also up to your choices. You could be the king of a country or, if you so choose, you could become the king of afternoon naps."
"So then.... none of this matters at all? Who you are, what you've done, your history, everything you showed and told me today is pointless?"
All three of them looked to me and, in unison, said,
"Yep!"
After teleporting home, Mom and Dad prepared for their trip back to Signal. They stayed the night at a hotel in Cloudsdale, then headed out the next morning after saying farewell. There was only a few days left before summer vacation would end and I'd begin class at Twilights school. I had began this trip to figure out what I wanted to do with my life but it was my own parents who gave me the answer.
Whatever I want.
Fin
Author's Note
I think thats a good place to leave it. I might do some epilogue but probably not. I decided to go philosophical at the end, and Seth coming to terms with who he is, who his parents are, and then realizing that none of it means anything and he can just be who he wants to be, is a good place to end it.