Chapters Reliquiae Chapter I
I yawned loudly after a good night’s sleep, stretching my arms and legs across the bed. I opened my eyes, thinking about my plans for the day.
Hm, what day is it? I clicked my tongue. Ah, yes. Saturday. Heck yeah, no classes! I paused. Oh. Well, I guess I don’t have anything to do, then. Maybe I’ll get up and call Eli...
I rolled out of bed and onto my feet, immediately losing my balance and falling flat on my behind.What the what?! ” I yelled, scurrying away from them.
Unfortunately, they only followed me as I scooted backwards into a dresser, bumping the back of my head as I crashed into it. “Ow!” I reached up to rub it with my hand. One of the furry appendages moved as I did so, and when it reached the top, I could feel it caressing my head.
Hold on a freakin’ minute, I thought.
I commanded my hand to float in front of my face. The appendage moved exactly to where I wanted my hand to move. I then commanded it to move right, and it did. I willed it to move all the way to the left, and it happily obliged.
Wait, this is my arm? Where did my hands go? I brought my arm closer, inspecting it. There was a short, flat nub at the end of it. I cautiously brought up the other one, which I soon found to have an identical nub. Were they amputated? The thought of my hands being amputated suddenly made me want to throw up.
I held back the contents of my stomach the best I could as I eyed the rest of my body, suspicious that something else had happened to me. True to my fears, it was completely different. I was covered in blue fur all the way down to my feet which, by the way, also seemed to be missing, with nubs very similar to the ones on my arms in their place.
I need a mirror.
I slowly stood up, awkwardly trying to walk over to the bathroom on my two legs.Walking through the open bedroom door and into the hallway, I fell down yet again as I entered the bathroom. I crawled over to a wooden crate I used to store magazines and pushed it over towards the mirror, propping myself up on it. I looked at the mirror. A blue unicorn with unusually large green eyes looked back, its mane a lighter shade of blue. I felt more and more light headed as I stared at my reflection, eventually fainting off of the crate and onto the bathroom floor.
***
“Ugh,” I groan, opening my eyes. “What happened?”
I looked around. I was still in the bathroom.
“Some weird freaking dream, that was.” I began to rub my eyes, but immediately stopped as a familiar blue object entered my vision. “Or… I’m still dreaming.” I quickly sat up onto my haunches and slowly placed it against my elongated face. I then drew it back and slapped myself as hard as I could.
I expected to feel myself lying back in bed, but all I felt was an unpleasant, stinging pain across my face. Just my luck – it wasn’t a dream at all.
How was I going to explain this? My friends, my peers, even my family would never believe I was who I am. I had to call somebody. I ran to my room, hopped onto my bed, and grabbed my cell phone. I managed to press the home button with the edge of my hooves and open to the main screen, I shuddered at the realization of my lost fingers.What a start to a day, I thought. I managed to unlock my front door with my mouth and somehow managed to lock the door with my hoof and my keys in a surprisingly easy manner. My hooves seemed strangely capable of manipulation. I made my way to the elevator and pressed the first-floor button. The doors closed and the elevator descended slowly.
Author's Note
Thanks for the read, I hope you enjoy, like, and comment! See something i messed up? Tell me and go check out LoyalRenegade my editor for this chapter
Chapter 2: Uncertainty
“Jeezus,” I yelled.
“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.”
I stared surprised at who I assumed was the new Eli. A coffee-colored pony stood in front of me staring unamused, but unlike me he had no horn.
“You look like a friggin’ clown horse Zach, why are you blue?”
“You look a piece of toffee.”
Eli smiled, “it is good to see your all right. Of anyone to survive the end of the world with, I wouldn’t mind doing it with you, dude.”
Eli wore his new body awkwardly, like a man wearing high heels. His coffee-colored fur was a stark contrast to his jet-black hair and dark eyes. I, on the other hand did slightly look like the rainbow horse from the Wizard of Oz. I mean of all the luck I had to turn out blue.
“It’s good to see you too Eli,” I said returning a slight smile.
Eli rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“Well, now that all that garbage is behind us, what are we going to do now that we’re apparently the last people on Earth?”
“You have a point. We only have so much time before everyone else who is left--assuming there’s anyone left—decides to either riot, panic, or create anarchy and steal everything. So, our first order of business should be to find some supplies and get them to a reasonable base of operations.”
I tapped my chin with a hoof and thought for a moment. “We could hold up in the university, or perhaps the museum?”
“Guns,” I said suddenly. “We go to Walmart, they have guns.”
“...Agreed.”
The walk to the nearest Walmart was filled with a strange silence, much like my walk to the park had been. I reflected to myself while we walked. It was unlikely we’d ever be able to use a car again, the pedals had been intended for humans, and as such they had no pony compatible options. Were there even other people left? If so, were they ponies too? Why did I have a horn, but Eli didn’t? Was this reversible?
I forced myself to focus on the now when we finally reached the nearby Walmart. The parking lot was mostly empty, only three cars were parked in it and all of them were locked and empty. The actual door to the store was unlocked and they slid open as we approached them. The store gave off a creepy air as we entered, it was even quieter than outside had been. It was bizarre, a uniform sat on the end of one of the lines bearing the name Dwight. Whoever Dwight had been, he was gone now. Eli managed to stand on his hind legs and pull a shopping cart away from the rest. He pushed it with his head until I found some rope and tied it to the handles, which was not easy to do with my mouth. I tied the other end to Eli and he pulled the buggy as we clip-clopped along. We grabbed canned foods, books, and cold weather clothing for young children that accommodated our new bodies for when it got cold.
Once we hit the gun section things changed. The bigger arms were all stacked beautifully in a row on their shelves behind the glass display full of smaller arms, so I reached out to grab one. Then the gun clicked against its wired lock. All the guns were under lock and key. I pulled the wire and even tried chewing, but no dice. Finally, frustrated, I wrapped my front hooves around one of the guns on the wall and pulled with all my tiny pony strength. I strained for a moment before a blue glow seemed to come from in front of me. The lock on the safety wire glowed blue and then suddenly melted. I stared wide eyed as the lock melted away to a metal slag.
I pulled the wire out from around the gun and lay it on the counter behind me as I stared at the melted and still sizzling lock. Eli spoke up behind me, “dude, you just melted that thing with your mind.” I nervously scoffed in response.
“That freaking horn! Your horn glowed blue and then the lock had the same blue light around it... and it melted.”
“That’s one thing to call it. I know according to traditional ‘lore’ that unicorns use their horns for magic. It only makes sense that in this crazy world of blue horses and abandoned cities there’s friggin’ magic.”
“...Am I a god?”
Eli smacked the back of my head with a hard hoof making me yelp. “No, you’re not a god,” he said flatly. “Far from it. It just means you can use ‘magic’, supposedly.”
As he said “magic” Eli tried to make the air quote motion with his hoof. I rubbed the back of my head, imagining a welt the size of a grapefruit swelling up and rolled my eyes.
“Ok, ok. I get it, but what does that mean?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you can make things float like with telekinesis or read minds. Either way it basically means you have a very large advantage over anyone else who’s not like you.”
“You still think there are others?”
“Of course. If the two of us made it, who’s to say that half of the rest of the world didn’t also make it?”
“...Do you think this magic had something to do with all of this?”
“I don’t know. But we’ll find out.”
Meanwhile in an unknown place...
A mysterious form watched the world turn, a perfect new playground for ponies and all others. A new world for them to explore, completely abandoned. Discord sat watching. How bizarre, he thought. A world where the moon and sun move alone and the planet rotated around the sun? Very bizarre. He liked it, very much. And he was very sure that his pony friends would like it too. A way of making up for old times. A new start.
But, the one thing that concerned him was that the planet appeared inhabited by a very advanced race, but there was nothing sentient on the surface. He’d looked, but seen no sign of the makers of these grand designs. It left him with a feeling he hadn’t felt in many centuries.
Uncertainty.
Chapter 3: Survivor
I was fiddling with an old radio I found lying on a bench when I heard it, Eli jumped as well when a loud squeal penetrated the world around us and then a loud crash. I dropped the radio back on the bench and ran towards the noise, where there was noise, there were people. Eli followed close behind until we came to a terrifying sight. A car had wrapped itself around a telephone pole and caught fire, inside the car were two shapes I couldn’t quite make out until one moved.
“Eli,” I shouted. “There’s someone in there!”
Eli nodded at me and the two of us tried to pry open opposite doors, I had the passenger door and Eli got the driver’s door. I couldn’t seem to pry the door the door open, so I tried using my apparent magic to pull open the door.
I didn’t want to break whoever was inside’s back so I reached into the car and grabbed the shape in the passenger seat then pulled them out. I looked down at who I’d rescued and was a bit more surprised than I should have been at the sight of another pony. The pony, who I assumed was a guy, due to his muscular build had light-grey fur and a contrasting orange mane and tail, but no horn. The pony was knocked unconscious and he had a gash on his forehead, but seemed to still be breathing, his chest rising steadily and strongly. I had no idea if he had some sort of internal damages and cursed myself for not choosing to become a veterinarian.
Eli pulled his patient over towards me and we both stared down at the pair. The other pony, that Eli had saved, looked smaller and more compact, I assumed this pony was a girl if the exaggerated eyelashes and shape were anything to go by. I stopped myself from looking like a creep as I examined her further. Her fur was a dark green with a white mane and tail she had a few minor injuries, but surprisingly nothing serious, however what really surprised me was that she had wings! Sprouting from halfway down her back was a pair of feathery wings that matched her fur.
I guess it made sense that pegasi existed too, though until now I hadn’t come to that conclusion until now. Leaving the other ponies in Eli’s care I went to work trying to put out the flaming car. I ran to a nearby building and grabbed a hose with my mouth and used my hooves to turn on the water. The water gushed out of the hose and I ran to the car and began extinguishing the flames. The fire had seemed to have been confined to the hood until now and the gas line hadn’t seemed to have ruptured. The flames hissed as I put them out and the car groaned as the heat warped the metal.
I managed to put out the fire and all that was left of the car was a mostly burned and warped wreck. To make sure the car didn’t explode I undid the hose from the building and used it to siphon the gas out of the car and into a gas can I found in another car’s trunk. Eli and I carried the unconscious ponies to my apartment nearby. I lay the girl on my bed and Eli lay the guy next to her, it was strange, our new pony bodies were so small compared to our old ones that a twin-size bed could fit two or maybe three if you squeezed.
Eli motioned for me to step outside the room and when I did, he said, “I told you so, I knew there had to be others! The only downside is now we know how bad it’ll get.”
“What,” I asked. “What do you mean how bad it’ll get?"
“Have you ever seen any post-apocalyptic show or movie ever? This is the part where the main characters—us—find out that everyone else is running around looting and beating each other up and...” He paused. “Stealing cars. That was a Mustang they were driving. Sure, it could be theirs, but it’s unlikely.”
I frowned, “what about us? We stole who knows how much from the stores around here! What does that make us?”
I sighed, “I suppose you’re right.”
Suddenly a noise drew our attention to the room where our wards patients now lay, someone groaned. We entered the room to see the grey pony sitting up and rubbing his head with a hoof.
“What the heck happened?”
“You were in an accident,” Eli said.
The grey ponies' eyes snapped toward us. “There’s more people left? You guys are... humans?”
Eli nodded, “We are, what’s your name?”
“Russel. I’m Russel and this is--”
He suddenly looked very worried until he noticed the other pony in the bed, his friend I assumed. Russel sighed.
“This is Molly, my sister.”
“Sister,” I said surprised again. “I wasn’t sure that any siblings were left, if anyone.”
“Well, we are and I’m pretty sure that that means there must be others.”
“Maybe. Have you seen anyone else?”
“Yeah,” Russel said rubbing his head. “I saw this nutso guy jump off of a building.”
“W-what?”
Eli leaned in next to me, “I’m not surprised. Some won’t be able to cope with the changes, so they’ll take the only conceivable option. Suicide.”
I saw Russel frown, but nod knowingly, “you’ve got wisdom beyond your years boy.”
“Yeah,” Eli said with a faraway look. “I’m a survivor.”
Author's Note
Hey, guys I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Comment, share, and like! I've started accepting OC submissions in the stories description, so if you'd like to see your OC in my story just go submit, or even who you would be in this situation.
I hope this story continues to grow, so enjoy.cinos0
Chapter 4: Choices
Canterlot...
Bronze Shield didn’t get paid enough, reflecting back he realized his life probably would’ve been better if he’d taken up his father’s offer to work at his company in Baltimare, but no, he’d decided to become a guard instead of metal-working. He stood at attention, his thoughts wondering when the princess entered the room. Princess Twilight Sparkle wasn’t who Bronze had signed up to serve, but he figured a royalty was still royalty. The only odd thing was that she was followed by the lord of chaos himself, Discord.
“A new world? It’s impossible Discord, Starswirl himself said--”
“Princess,” Discord interrupted. “I’m familiar with Starswirl’s work, but he wasn’t a master of chaotic magic, was he? No, even he himself wrote chaos was the driving factor involved in crossing between worlds.”
“True,” Twilight replied thoughtfully. “What is this world like?”
“Empty, but filled with beautiful cities, advanced technology, and vegetation.”
“And who built these cities and developed this technology?”
Discord gave an uncaring shrug, “I have no idea. It was empty when I showed up, it seemed like a perfect apology gift.”
Twilight sighed, “Yes, I know you're trying to make up for... past deeds, but--”
“Well, that’s what friends do, isn’t it,” Discord said batting his eyelids innocently.
Twilight had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes, “alright Discord, we’ll see if this ‘new world’ is all that you say it is, and if it is, then it could be very prosperous for the kingdom.” Realizing the possible profits and help an entire new world had directed Twilight’s decision, but Discord would not sway her so easily, she didn’t care for the money, but the kingdom needed new funds after the “Tirek incident.” Discord grinned in his own unique way and snapped his fingers. The two figures disappeared in a flash.
Bronze Shield stood still attention. His thoughts running wild, a whole new world? Think of the diplomatic issues that would cause. Who would rule it? It wasn’t any of his business, so he resolved himself to waiting at his post like he had every day for years. He made a quick glance to his right, his partner Quick Fletcher seemed wide-eyed at the princess’ words. He nodded at Bronze and slowly, but surely, slunk away out of the room. Bronze didn’t care, ponies would find out one way or another. So, he went back to thinking about Baltimare and what his future held.
* * *
Later...
Twilight popped into existence on top of a huge building in a beautiful city of stone and metal buildings, the sight reminded her of Manehatten with its soaring skyscrapers, much like the one, she realized, that she was standing on now. Discord stood beside her taking in a deep breath and then letting it out. “Ah, I do so love the smell of chaos in the morning,” he said grinning. Twilight found her stomach doing flips, though she had long known how to use a transport spell, and over long distances nonetheless, she had never moved between worlds. Not to mention this wasn’t the work of her magic, Discord himself had performed the task of taking her to this new place and his chaos magic felt all so... wrong.
Speaking of magic, she thought. It feels rather bizarre here. Twilight focused her magic and pulled it from her core to perform a simple light spell, one she’d done hundreds of times before when she read late into the night or found herself engrossed in research with no candles. Yet, when she pulled the magic through her horn and released it, it fizzled out. Dumbfounded she tried again with the same results. Nothing. Discord began to chuckle, “I’m afraid that won’t work my dear princess. This world, unlike our own, possesses no harmony magic, only chaos magic.” Twilight felt herself step back in shock, “that’s impossible! How could there be no magic?”
Discord clicked his tongue, “I didn’t say no magic, I only said no harmony magic. Chaos magic is still very much at play in this world. In fact, it’s probably what drew me to this one in the first place.”
“How is that possible though? What keeps everything together? How do they raise the sun and moon?”
“They don’t,” Discord said bluntly. “The sun and moon raise themselves. This planet is far different from our own.”
Twilight felt herself begin to breathe quicker, she had never thought it possible for something to have no innate magic, let alone an entire planet. Who lived here, she wondered, how did they build these beautiful cities without magic? Twilight slowed her breath and stood straight, like a princess should. “Discord,” she said calmly. “What technologies were you referring to earlier?” Discord smiled and chuckled to himself, “I thought you’d never ask. Now I'll show you what chaos magic can create.”
Author's Note
Well, I finally brought 'em in. I know you guys are happy to see Discord again, and now Princess Twilight! Humans around the world remain, now as ponies, but still kicking.
Chapter 5: The Gathering
I finally got to meet Molly once she woke up and regained her composure, she seemed nice enough and had a pretty good sense of humor despite the practical mass extinction of our species physically. Apparently, the duo didn’t even live in the city, they said they were actually from Massachusetts. They said though, that they hadn’t been able to get in touch with any family there though. Molly suggested we try the internet, while Russel tried to build a radio beacon, apparently, we still had luck, because Russel and Molly lived in Cambridge... in MIT student housing. We had gotten two geniuses by complete chance, because they were attending a convention nearby. Molly was a computer engineer and Russel was a technician, together they were unstoppable. Though apparently Russel couldn’t broadcast without more equipment, he was able to pick up the national emergency broadcast, which sounded like it hadn’t been updated in twenty years. Molly had more luck and I felt like a caveman for not thinking of it sooner, she jumped onto an online forum and found out that there were other people!
Only a few people were active on the forum, but we learned that this whole incident was worldwide. One guy was from Toronto, another from Phoenix, and a girl in Ireland among others. All of them reported the same thing that had happened to us, they’d all been turned into cartoon-like colored horses and most of the people around seemed to have disappeared. The girl in Ireland said though that there was actually a large number of people left in her country, the government had retained its stability, but things were insane. Riots daily and murder and suicide rates were skyrocketing. Overall by th time I got to sleep that night things seemed grim.
* * *
I woke up with a tired sigh, my head felt heavy, the bone-like horn sticking out of my forehead didn't help either. I now found that a lot of the time when I turned my horn caught against the wall nearest to me or door frames when I walked through them. It was annoying, but it had done me good twice now and I was determined to make the best of it. That was why I was walking up the stairs towards the roof, pulling a box of recyclable glass bottles behind me. I had tied a rope around the box and looped it around my neck, so far so good. Stairs were a bit bizarre with four legs and hooves, but once I got the hang of it I was moving up in no time. I finally reached the top floor and sighed as I rested myself. Behind me I heard a ding as the elevator doors opened and Russell stepped out. “You know we still have power for now,” he said smugly.
“Yeah yeah, I know. But, my body feels so weird now, almost like I spent the last eighteen years of my life pulled taut on a stretching rack. My whole body feels so… tight. I need the workout.”
Russell nodded knowingly, “Yeah I had the same feeling at first, like I’d been in a cramped box.”
I motioned towards the door, “do you by chance wanna join me?”
“What are you doing exactly?” He said eying my box of glass bottles.
“Practicing my shooting.”
Russell”s eyes lit up, “yes, I’d love to see that, you keep telling me about your ‘magic,’ but I’ve yet to see it first hand and I am very interested.”
I shrugged and pushed the bar on the door to the roof open, it whined and squeaked as it opened and the two of us stepped out onto the cool roof. I shivered, “I’m glad we have fur coats, at least the cold has less of a bite.”
“One word, windbreaker. Also, you’re literally wearing a jacket right now.”
I looked down at myself, I was wearing a grey hoodie I’d gotten when Eli and I had got our supplies from the Walmart. I looked back up, “be that as it may… I rock this hoodie.” Russel just chuckled and shook his head. I chuckled myself and pulled the box of glass bottles towards the middle of the roof. I’d recently found out and explained to the others that if they focused on their hooves like hands and “moved” their imaginary fingers the hoof would flex and could hold onto things.
So,taking a bottle out with my hoof, I flipped my leg upwards, flinging the bottle into the air. The bottle did a lazy somersault as I watched its flight. Focusing myself I took aim and concentrated. I felt the now familiar sensation surround my horn as my magic flowed through it, noticing Russell watch in awe as my horn began to glow I resigned myself to make this a show for him. With a large pulling feeling in my horn I focused hard and pushed out with my mind, sending a beam of pure magic spearing up at the bottle. The bottle exploded upon contact with the beam and fell back down as melted bits and pieces. The beam however, didn’t stop and instead kept going upwards before exploding into a shower of blue light in the air high above.
Well , I thought. That was a show. Russell stood awed at the light shop before eventually picking up his jaw and turning his attention back to me. “How… did you do that.” he said excitedly. “It was amazing, you’re like a battery of energy! Has the energy run out yet or does it regenerate itself?” Russell kept asking questions as I stood there almost as stunned as him. I hadn’t tried to make the energy explode like that, maybe I shouldn’t have used so much. Russell kept going on about something to do with the laws of physics and other things I’d never even thought of. Waving a hoof I finally responded, “calm down man, I can’t keep up with you. To answer your first question, no, I haven’t run out of energy yet, and yes, I think it regenerates.”
Finally regaining his composure, Russell opened his mouth again to say something, but stopped as a bright flash suddenly appeared to our left. A bright purple light appeared and then suddenly disappeared, standing in the place of the light was the strangest pony I had seen yet, the pony, obviously female, was a lavender mare with a darker purple mane that had a pink stripe in it. She had a horn, but looking again I realized she also had wings, bizarre , I thought. Finally, on her head she wore a golden tiara that bore a bright pinkish-purple crystal at its crest.
Even more bizarre was the creature that stood next to her, a monster if I’d ever seen one. It looked like Dr. Frankenstein had a few pieces left over and made this thing, it had the head of a pony and that’s where the similarities between the two ended, the head had two different horns and was on a sleek body with two different wings sprouting from its back and ended in a red scaled tail with a tuft of hair on the end, it had the arms of a lion and an eagle, and it stood on a leg like that of a goat and the other seemed like that of a dinosaur or some other large reptile. In a way it was like a strange piece of abstract art.
The purple pony seemed just as surprised to see us as we were to see her. She spoke with a surprised tone at the creature at her side, “Discord, you said there was nopony here! Is this another one of your games?”
The creature, “Discord” seemed unsurprised, but still curious as it spoke with a male voice, “yes, that was what I thought, it seems that somepony else was here, but it has nothing to do with me Twilight, that I assure you.”
Now, I knew both their names, Twilight and Discord. It was my turn to start asking questions.
Author's Note
It's happening... get ready.
Chapter 6: Questions
I cleared my throat, drawing the attention of both Discord and Twilight, bizarre names , I thought. “What are you,” I said bluntly. Both of them stared at me a moment before glancing at each other. “I believe he’s addressing me,” Discord said. I nodded my confirmation, “yeah.”
“I’m Discord.”
“Yeah… I gathered as much.”
Discord narrowed his eyes a moment before they lit up suddenly. “That’s what’s off,” he said suddenly as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly he appeared next to me, making me jump in surprise. “I do believe you are an aberration,” he continued. “You are not a pony.”
“What do you mean he’s not a pony?” Twilight interjected.
“I mean,” Discord said, snapping his fingers again. “They are the inhabitants that I couldn’t find.”
Suddenly everything around me seemed bizarre and yet normal at the same time, I got taller until suddenly I looked down at my legs and saw that instead of hooves I had something else in their place. “I’m human again!” I yelped suddenly. My toes and my fingers were back, I ran an appraising eye over every part of my body, it was all as it should be. Except I had no clothes and no fur. I quickly covered myself with a nervous laugh and looked back up.
Discord seemed interested in my reverted form and Twilight looked like a fish with her mouth gaping open, her eyes flicked back downwards a moment and I felt my cheeks get hot. I cleared my throat again and she sputtered before looking back up at me, her cheeks glowing red. Russel seemed astounded at my sudden change, then started to snort behind a hoof as he held back a laugh at my predicament. “Shut up,” I barked.
He gave another snort and then exploded into laughter. I rolled my eyes and Discord stepped up to me, examining me like a judge examining a prized breed. “Very interesting.” Before I could respond I very suddenly felt a sharp pain as once again I shrunk suddenly back down to my changed size. I looked down at blue hooves again. “Well, fu—”
“What are you? A new breed of changeling?” Twilight said, regaining her composure.
I noticed her eyes again unintentionally flick down again before her cheeks turned even redder, some things I noted thankfully didn’t change. “What do you mean, I’m a human like you.”
Twilight seemed confused then a sudden look of realization took shape, “I’m a pony, no spell changed my shape. This is how I’ve always looked.”
I felt my throat grow dry. Always? What did she mean, how could a race of intelligent ponies exist without humanity knowing? Discord, as if reading my mind, said, “we aren’t from this world, we are from another where there are none of your kind.” He snapped again, “here I’ll show you.”
The world around me flashed quickly before I was overwhelmed by a strange feeling, a sickening feeling, like I was being pulled through a tube of toothpaste, squeezed out of a hole just too small. I shuddered as the feeling ended. Discord cleared his throat, “right, so—” I interrupted him unintentionally while I retched up my lunch.
Discord frowned and looked down on my pitiful form, “is that meat?” In what had once been my lunch obvious chunks of meat stood out. Russell also seemed to be feeling the same effects I was, but he managed to keep his lunch down, “yeah, we had burgers for lunch.” When I finished my retching I looked up to see a look of curiosity on Discord’s face and a look of horror on Twilights. She stuttered out a scared question, “you’re c-cannibals?”
Through my nausea I felt a sense of confusion, what was she talking about? Did she think we’d been eating others who’d turned like us? “No,” I assured her. “It was beef, cow not horse or pony, I know some people eat it, but personally I think now is not the time to try it.” Twilight just shrunk back towards… Wait, was that a throne? I turned around, taking in my surroundings, I was in a castle throne room. What was going on here? Behind me stood several other ponies wearing strange sets of what looked like golden knight armor. They held spears and seemed rather surprised at seeing me appear in the middle of what I assumed was somewhere I probably shouldn’t be. My hunch was confirmed when they readied their spears at me and Russel and yelled at me, “stop trespassers! How did—”
“Guard,” Twilight said loudly.
Immediately the guard’s spears went back into the air. “Your highness!” They said as if just noticing her. “Is this pony with you?”
“Yes. Now if you would, please leave us.”
The guards seemed skeptical, but they bowed and left the room, shutting the door behind them. As they left I finally took in the beauty of the massive throne room. Or rather I tried to until Twilight's word broke through my ascent thoughts. “I do believe that you have a story to explain your predicament?”
“You mean the whole ‘pony’ thing?”
“Yes,” she said reluctantly. “The ‘pony thing.’”
I spent the better part of an hour trying to explain how the world hadn’t been the way it was until very recently when everyone found themselves in a strange body that didn’t belong to them.
Twilight listened intently and even began taking down notes, meanwhile Discord wandered off after about five minutes and just started playing racquetball with a ball and racket he pulled out of nowhere.
When I finished Twilight took a moment and just looked me up and down, “that is quite the story, and all of it’s true?” Russell spoke up from behind me, “yeah it’s all true. Personally I saw most of it.”
I suddenly had an idea strike me, “could you turn me back,” I said turning towards Discord. “You did it before, could you do it again?”
Discord stopped playing his game and put a hand on his goatee, “hmm, it may be possible, but I'm not sure why it didn’t work before. The reversal should have been permanent, perhaps the natural levels of chaos magic inhabiting your bodies have made you inherently immune to mine thus leaving you poorly prepared for an enigmatic effect by harmony magic.” Discord let out a sigh as he finished his spiel before continuing, “the universal variable seems to be an adequate explanation for the—”
“Discord,” Twilight interrupted. “Are you trying to imitate me?”
“Well how will I come to a conclusion on friendship if I don’t think like the princess of friendship?”
Twilight raised a hoof about to respond, but stopped and dropped with a relenting sigh. It kinda reminded me of how some people did the same thing with fingers instead of hooves, the similarities between our worlds were odd.
Bronze Shield downed a second cider and dropped some bits onto the bar, the bartender, an old grey-coated stallion named Pickled Mug, just grunted and grabbed the bits, putting them away quickly.
Bronze recognized a few fellow off-duty guards and made his way over to the table. “Hey, Maple Stake, how goes it?” Maple, a white-coated Pegasus smiled in return, “great Bronze me and the colts were just listening to our friend, here's an interesting story.”
At second glance Bronze realized that his partner Quick Fletcher was also seated at the table before he spoke up, “I was telling the colts here about what the princess and that beast were talking about earlier.”
Quick had never liked Discord… or Griffins, or Dragons, or Diamond Dogs, or most other races beside ponies, though Bronze knew that he made an exception for Buffalo, because supposedly his uncle was one. Though that was old news, the new news that was spreading was of a world untouched by any other sentient creature.
“You shouldn't be spreading rumors Quick. We have to maintain security.”
“Listen,” Quick said, setting down his mug. “Is it not important that if we were to claim such a place that we’d know what we're in for beforehoof? What would happen if the citizens were kept in the dark? Decisions would be made that could destroy the very nation!”
A loud sound rang through the room making the entire bar fall still. A sound that the bar's walls hadn’t heard in nearly a century, the bartender frowned and watched as Bronze’s shoe settled inches from Quick’s mug. A challenge, not seen since the early days of the kingdom, and though not illegal, they were generally unheard of in modern times. Quick looked down at the shoe just as the other at the table did.
“You don’t want to do this Bronze.”
Bronze slammed a hoof down on the table so hard he spilled more than a few drinks. “Shut your mouth! You think I don’t know a thing about protecting my kingdom? You think just because I’m younger than you that I don’t know pain? I’ve killed stallions and mares for my kingdom and I’d kill you if I was ordered to by her highness. You are an entitled pony feather eating plothole! I watched stallions, good stallions who had a family die, while you were sitting around waiting for the smoke to clear!”
Bronze was universally thought of as the most laid back stallion on the guard while still retaining the seriousness necessary to do his job, but very few ponies who knew him ever tried to fight him, or insult him. He had fought at the battle for the crystal empire and watched as Sombra was cast back into shadow, he’d helped repel the changeling invasion, and he’d fought against Tireks invasion.
Bronze was not a pony to be messed with despite his usual demeanor. The low light accented the small nearly unnoticeable scars that healing magic had been able to all but erase. “Pick up the bucking shoe.” Quick leaned forward and picked up the shined shoe and tossed it at Bronze who caught it.
The whole table stood as Bronze walked trotted out, before following him outside. As Bronze trotted along his ears turned as he heard a peculiar noise. Fluttering, from above him a single feather floated and landed on the ground in front of him. “Well are we going to fight or not,” Quick asked annoyed. “You’re the one that—” Quick never the hoof as it smashed into his face and sent him sprawling. Bronze lowered his hoof back to the ground and held up the feather. He rubbed it, smelled it and even tasted it, much to the disgust of the other guards. Unmistakable, he thought. Griffin. “Return to the castle,'' he yelled at the others. “Find the princess, now!”
Author's Note
I’m back, sorry for the delay, I hope you guys have been ok during this pandemic. I may have a sporadic posting schedule, but I’m gonna try to put out chapters soon!https://www.fimfiction.net/story/468989/passing-afternoon
Chapter 7: Bronze Shield
Baltimare, some years ago…
“Now son surely you can think about this,” Iron Tack said insistently.
“Son, please. Even your cutie mark says that you could do this. You’re my only son, my only child. You’re all I have left.”
“Dad, I can’t. My cutie mark also says I could be a guard. I love you and you’re welcome to come and visit anytime, but I’ve already made up my mind.”
“You… you’re so headstrong. Just like your mother. I love you son, and if this is what you want. Well then…”
Iron Tack trotted over to a rack in his shop and pulled down a silver scabbard. “You go with my blessing son.”
“Dad, I can’t take that it’s—”
“Shh, it is my gift to you.”
Bronze watched his father draw the blade, a beautiful blade of bronze and iron. It had been tradition for as long as anyone in his family remembered that a father and son would craft a blade together out of their namesake, no matter the material. He remembered stories from his grandfather, Quill Scrawl, about having to make an iron sword with an attached quill. The blade now hung on the wall in his father’s bedroom. The only piece he hung in their home.
Bronze bit his lip as a tear rolled down his face, “I love you dad, but… I-I have to—”
His dad embraced him, “it’s alright Bronze. It’s ok. I understand.”
He had left Baltimare three weeks later to start his training. Under Captain Lost Gold he trained in Celestia’s day guard as a castle guard. The food was bad, the bed’s itchy, and the ponies were brutal. Bronze loved every second of it. He was first assigned to the central Canterlot patrol but was later reassigned to a special guard overseeing the royal wedding between Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor. Bronze passionately believed that this was his duty, to guard royalty. Though, he had to admit to himself he wasn’t so keen on Shining Armor. The unicorn was mostly well respected, but Bronze understood enough about him and his sister to know he couldn’t have made captain of the royal guard so young without a few connections.
But regardless it was not his job to question these things. His job was tested however when the queen of the changelings revealed herself at the wedding, though he wasn’t in the room when it happened, he’d heard enough stories later to know it must have been terrifying. He had fought in the castle and in the streets until the Elements of Harmony had saved the capital. He had a mild dislike for the Elements, it was foolish to give such power to untrained ponies, but again it was not his job to question things.
He was assigned to a special convoy in the north to the Crystal Empire to escort the Elements there and eventually he was one of the few trying to save as many as possible when the shield fell and Sombra returned to his ancient city. He was recognized and promoted, then sent back to Canterlot at which point he was assigned only to the castle. He fought against Tirek when the time came and watched many ponies die around him, it was at the end of the battle when he met Quick Fletcher, a comical stallion who reminded him of a cousin from Baltimare.
For a few years now he had guarded Princess Twilight Sparkle and it had been peaceful, until the whole “other world” nonsense. At first it hadn’t honestly seemed like that big of a deal, Tartarus was much like another world, but it was an empty fiery place. It was possible this other world would be just as desolate or dangerous, but upon learning of its potential use he had tried to suppress the spread of information, it was why he was sprinting towards the throne room, he had to tell the princess that somepony knew. No, not somepony, a griffin of all things. A dragon might even have been better, they were more… predictable than griffins.
“Your highness,” he called out loudly as he shoved open the doors to the throne room, startling the guards around him. “We have a situation.”
Twilight taken aback regained her composure before inquiring, “sir…”
“Bronze Shield.”
“Yes, Right. Sir Shield what is the problem?”
“Well, it pertains to your recent escapade with… Discord.”
* * *
“Your sure that this information is correct? We can’t have a repeat of Stalliongrad.”
“It’s legitimate. A guardsman himself attempted to actively suppress the information, and a reasonably high ranking one at that.”
“And who do you think would be interested in this information? The king?”
“Him, among others. Think bigger. Dragons, diamond dogs, I bet even the hippogriffs would be interested in this. A whole new world with no ponies around? No enemies. They would rule a huge empire.”
“And who else knows about this? Cedric?”
“No, nobody not even…”
“What?”
The informant stepped backwards slowly, “…Cedric. He has been dead for two weeks now.”
The griffin who had been supposed to be an information broker shifted in place, “well, can’t get it perfect every time.”
As the informant went to take off he was blasted in the face with a lethal spray of green magic from multiple places in the dark alley. The smell of burnt feathers and flesh filled the air. The broker turned away from the corpse and spoke to the unseen others in the alley, “inform the new queen of what we have learned here. Fly separate. Go!”
The buzzing of wings resounded in the alley, before quickly fading. The hive would live, even if Equestria fell. A whole world? All it would take is a few ponies to bring with them and they’d be fed for generations by their generations. The griffin smiled internally before being engulfed in green flames and disappearing along with the charred corpse. Even the smell disappeared into the wind.
