Destination Equis

Twilight approached me, cautiously at first. Reassurances from Luna that i'm not hostile evidently comforted her enough to allow her to casually walk up to me. A Spool of parchment that was seemingly endless takes flight from a table in one of the few dark recesses of the room. With one end finally making its its way to Twilight's front, The rest of the paper rapidly flaps through the air across the room, spooling up into a scroll in-front of the lavender Princess. Two quills along with black and red ink also find their way to the air besides the princess.

Mumbling to herself whilst she study's me, the sound of quills against paper soon fills the room. Looking up from the Lavender pony stalking circles around me whilst being followed by the various supplies, i give Luna an uncomfortable smile. She returns with her own warm gesture.

"Twilight." Luna mumbles with amusement. The princess ceases her current notes and sit upright. I had to repress a chuckle, the way Twilight sat up so quickly, she looked like a puppy that just had her name called. "I Do believe that your making our guest uncomfortable."

Twilight looks up to me before giving a sheepish giggle, hanging her head she just mumbles. "Sorry...I get carried away sometimes..." 'Dawwwww. She's using the cutes! . . . It was super effective!' Luna chuckles to herself whilst i drop of my knees and bear-hug the now partially freaked out Twilight.

"Y-you weren't kidding about her being friendly." Twilight stammers. Releasing Twilight, i raise to my feet once again. Looking to the scroll i'm disappointed, Twilight can only see me as a shadow... but at least she can see me i guess...

Luna notices my expression and moves over to join me and her fellow princess. "Twilight, As you've been informed. Jackie here recently died. But her consciousness lingers around in the grey area between our world and the dream world... Shes scared that shes doomed to wander around aimlessly in an invisible space... I Brought her here. Because, if anypony can find out a way to give her options it was you." Twilight smiles at Luna's compliment and trots over to the table she was seated at upon our entry.

Walking over to her side, i look down and see the three books she has sprawled out over the table are books about paranormal legends and creatures. "Well, after hearing a short description of what Luke told me about the eyes of the humans outside. I thought it sounded familiar, but i couldn't remember where i learnt it... Until l i remembered that i put all the books i couldn't prove or though were nonsense up here in the attic where my secret lab is. After a short dig through the bookshelf on paranormal myths and legends i found the copies i was looking for." Twilight gestures to the three books facing us on the table. "These two are different copies of this same book-" Pointing to an ancient looking leather-bound tomb with deteriorating iron edges and filigree. A huge lock that looks to me made of meteorite iron or tungsten prevents over two thirds of the book from being read. A single obsidian looking gemstone with a purple burning flame within itself sits in an iron setting in the center of the books spine. "-This is the original, the many ages haven't been kind to it. Even with a preservation rune protecting it...-" As i place my hand on the coin sized gemstone, Twilight starting tapping the dirt encrusted gemstone with her hoof, she recoils slightly as the book shocks her. "-Thats new..." Twilight says with a pained expression, whilst rubbing her hoof she continues with. "Its never done that before-"

Before Twilight can finish her words the book lets out an unholy screech, Akin to that of someone running a cheese grater down a chalkboard. I feel an immense amount of power suddenly surge through me, and the book levitates off the table and tendrils of magical energy touch Twilight's and Luna's horns. Twilight is greatly worried about this, and flares her horn, summoning a fireball. Luna's yell for her to stop causes the fireball to shrink, before imploding.

"This is most interesting... It appears to be draining magical power from us and transfusing it to itself and Jackie... Let us see where this leads." After a moment of staring through Luna, Twilight nods with an unsure expression.

The 'Preservation rune' as Twilight called it glows with a black light that is somehow so bright it begins to blind me. after a few seconds the runes black glow dies down to a barely noticeable aura. Still levitating mid air the book turns to face me... The locks keyhole glows purple before it dissolves away to dust and forms rings around the tomb. The rings of black metal are sucked into the gem set in the books spine. And what happens next surprises everyone in the room...

The book bursts into purple flames. Once they die down, its fully repaired... Twilight stares in amazement at the display before her. Shes left utterly speechless as her jaw hangs agape.

The book levitates towards me... And as i gets closer i can hear shallow whispers... All directed at me... Calling to me... To say that this experience was leaving me on edge and uncomfortable was an understatement... As i begin to backpedal the book simply follows me all the while seeming to randomly flick through pages.

After nearly a dozen steps and changing directions multiple times during my retreat from the very persistent book. I stopped and held my arms out in-front of me. With inconceivable speed the book darts across the six foot gap between us, and lands in my waiting arms. The gem glows a bright violet as the book flicks through its many hundreds of pages.

It crosses the iron page that kept most of its knowledge sealed away for several millennia. The pages in this section are made of some sort of thin black fabric, the edges are golden, and the text on the pages are white.

Once again voices begin to speak to me from all around. As Twilight notices my shadow looking around, and nervously recoiling from seemingly nothing, she begins to look even more nervous if such a thing was possible, however the princess of friendship continued to document what was happening onto another scroll.

Luna can also hear the voices and appears to be confused initially, as they're speaking in only whispers and they're of many languages... But i somehow understand them...

"Tḩe e̷ḿp͢re͞ss̀.̡.̡. S̶h́e'͜s̶ a̵r̛r͏iv̵e̢s..̨."

"T̨he c̷hosén o̕nes̸ ͠h̴er̵e!͞"

"Sav̡e ̴us̕..͢.͟"

"H͝e͟l̨p̨ us!"

"Y͟oưŕ sub͘jec̀t͝s̸ ̵suf̧fer͞.̸.͜.̷ "

"We'v̶e be͟e̵n̨ ̨f͡órgot͠ten.̷.̴. The͜y p̷r̢o͏m̸ise͠d̡! ̛T̡h̴ey̨ Prom̸ìse͢d̸ ͜u̸s͡ ͘th͘at th͟ey ̷wo̴ul̸dn't͏ ͢f̛or͟g̡e̛t̨!̢ ͢"

"We'͝ve b͟e͘eņ ͠maki͝n͞g ̷t̷h̛e̸m̕ all PA͏Y ͢fo̡r͞ th́e̕i̧r̛ m̵i͏stakes..͡.̧"

"Ţhey Desèrv̴e̵ ̀D̨E̡ATH̕!"

"T͘h́e͢y bŕo̡ķe͜ ̀t̡h̵eir p͝rom͞ise ͜t́o us̕.͜.̨.̧ ̕Now̢ w̕e br̵e̸a̛k͢ th҉ęi͠r͟ ̕BONES͞!̧"

"T͟h͢e̡ỳ'l̶l a̴l̸l ͡su̷ffe̡r ̡as ͘wȩ ͏h͡av͟e t̨he͘se̴ ͝p̕a̡s̴t̕ m̛il̸le͠ǹnia͘..̧."

"I ̸hát͡e͡ them a̵l̢l͘..͟.͢ T͏h̛ey for̨go̴t͝ u͡s... ̶L̶e͞ft us̛ to̧ f͝àde ͢a̡w̶ay̡.̢.̛."

Turning my head to face Luna and Twilight i ask the Princess of the night a simple question. "What. Did. You. Do?"

Greatly confused Luna asks a question of her own. "What do you mean? We have done nothing."

"There are others... Just like me... The forgotten ones... I can hear them... Thousands of them..." I said returning my gaze back to the book.

"Y̵ou a̧r̶e͟ ̴o̵u̷r͞ r̷u͟l̶er͞..̧.͜ it́s y͜our d͘es҉t͘in̛y͢."

"Yo̸u̸ com͝m͏and́ ̕us...̛"

"Y͜óu ̛w͟i̧ļl ma̛ke us ̶s̛éen͞ ̷a͟gai͝n..͞. ́W̕ę sh̵an't be f̡or̶go͢t̶t͝e͟ń ͡no̢ l̀o͡nger̸!̕"

Twilight jumps as she averts her gaze to the dust falling from the ceiling. In the foyer below the 25 pounder's had all started firing.

=WHUP= =WHUP= =WHUP-WHUP=

"Thé ́H͘u͏m̴an͝s!͢ ͠O̢u̶r ̛b̡r̵ethr͏e͝n͡!͘ They ͘ne̢ed͞ ͠u͟s̀!"

"So ͘mànỳ ͏dead͜ a̵nd dy͢in͘g̀.͞.̡."

I began addressing the voices but to Twilight it looked as though i was talking to myself. "I know... Theres all this death and destruction and i'm powerless to stop it... powerless to stop what happened to us from happening to more people..."

Twilight looks up to Luna. "Princess! Whats going on? Shouldn't we stop this? I Can feel it still draining us." Twilight is silenced by Luna mumbling.

"Fascinating... Jackie is communicating with others of her disposition... I can hear them as well as she can... The 'Lost ones' as they call themselves... Apparently our 'kind', Ponies i'm assuming they mean. Made a promise several millennia ago to never forget them... It appears our ancestors were bad at keeping promises back then..." Luna said with a pain filled expression.

"So these 'Lost ones' as they call themselves. Have been wandering around Equestria? Amongst us, and we haven't been able to see them... Thats terrible... I cant imagine how much that must hurt, to be longing for contact, and being so close, but to never be known of..."

Stepping forward Luna asks me the question that would change not only my life. But the lives of all the inhabitants of this world. "So, Jackie. Whats your choice?"

Looking from Luna's serious expression to the current open page of the book i see a depiction of this very scene on the left page. The right page remains blank. But on the left page of the recently unlocked section of the book i can see an image depiction of Luna standing in-front of me, Inside the loft of the castle of friendship. The wrecks Kingtiger sits outside, surrounding its wreck and the ruins of Ponyville are thousands of shadows. Humans and ponies are scattered about in-between them.

The voices have stopped... Seemingly awaiting an answer on held breath. Looking up to Luna i finally replied with. "Let us be known. I fully accept leadership of the lost ones." Upon the finishing of my words, Luna smiles as theres a stunned silence. After several seconds of me shifting awkwardly thinking that i may have broken everybody, I hear hundreds of voices call out in near perfect unison "Upon your word M'Empress!"

Twilight jumps out of shock-terror, when the deafening roar of dozens more unholy screeches fills the cavernous loft at once. Over fifty columns of pink and violet light fill the rooms various empty spaces in-between furniture. The air is filled with so much magical energy that it began to feel like water. The ambient magic suddenly accumulating in the air takes on the appearance of a thick pink gas in the air.

"Incredible..." Both Princesses find themselves mumbling at once in awe at the sheer magical presence before them.

The air in the room clears as the sudden burst in magical energy is rapidly sucked into the plumes of light. Once the air is clear the blinding light dies away to nothing, However i still feel immense power flowing through me. My ghostly body is surrounded in a blinding violet and black light. Once it dies down i hear the princesses gasp.

After opening my eyes i look up from the book to see that the room has been filled with the kneeling forms of. . . . Sixty two more humans, They all wear armour form various ages between The time of Sparta to the full plate armour of late medieval times. 'WAIT! WHY DO HALF OF THEM HAVE UNICORN HORNS AND WINGS?!'

Looking to Luna, i find both she and Twilight have adopted the same slack-jawed expression as i had. After freezing for a moment i look down my own body to my feet and discover that once again i was mortal, and wearing some bad-ass armour to boot! Letting out an overjoyed squee, i bear-hug the open book against my chest.

"Well, Someones changed haven't they?" Luna replies with an inquisitive smile directed towards... Me?

"What do you mean?" Looking down my form i find it quite difficult to see due to the purple and grey plate armour that i'm currently dressed in. Its then that i noticed a strange sensation i've never felt before. Resting the book in one arm i move to reach up to touch my head, but notice the picture on the right page had suddenly appeared sometime during recent events. Examining the image i see that all the shadows in the previous picture have been replaced with more of the same strange humans, each either looking normal, having wings, or a horn. Its then that my eyes catch myself in the image.

closing the book slowly and holding it under my left arm, i reach to the top of my head with my right hand...

My hand makes contact with my hair, and a pair of fuzzy pointy pony ears?!

My new ears flick involuntarily at every small sound and vibration they pick up on. To my annoyance i can hear Luna snickering at my reaction to the new appendages. Turning to face her i let out a growl of annoyance, but before i could yell my planned string of words, I feel a sudden pressure far outside of my body, and i head the sound of a vase being knocked off a pedestal next to me. Snapping my gaze and turning my head, i find an ancient vase frozen mid fall in Twilight's magic.

Looking further to my side i let out a gasp of surprise to find that i have wings. Grey, Fluffy, Feathery, Wings... The tips of the feathers along the trailing edge of my wings have a yellow stripe and purple tips.

Officially on the verge of a panic attack, i back pedal into the wall behind me as my wings each start randomly flapping on their own accord. Out of respect the many humans kneeling before me resist the urge to look up at me whilst i hyperventilate at the sudden series of changes to my body.

Seeing my floundering, the two princess join me by my side and attempt to calm me down. 'What has happened to me? why do i have wings and pony ears?! Why do they have wings and horns?!' was the sentence i was initially trying to speak. but what came out was more along the lines of wheezing. "Wha- Wha- Wha- Wha- Wh-wh"

After several minutes of wheezing, hyperventilating, and being hugged and calmed by the two Princesses. I finally managed to regain some of my composure. Standing back up, i catch my reflection in a row of test tubes that sit in their rack. And i have a horn sticking out of my rust brown hair... By this point i can feel an eye, wing, and ear twitching.

"WHAT IS GOING ON~!?!" I yell out towards the ceiling.