Chapters The life of a Mandalorian is a life of burden.
To many, a Mandalorian is nothing more than a myth, a fantasy used to keep children in awe as their grandparents recount their days under the tranquility of the republic, but to the few who choose to walk the path, they know that is far from the truth. Always lurking in the shadows, the silent protectors of the galaxy that are sworn to The Way and to rid the ordinary citizen from fear of meeting a criminal. It was a dangerous creed, one that was not full of glamour, and guaranteed that tomorrow was never promised.
Some, like the notorious Boba Fett, took extreme measures that often fell into the grey area of The Way, being a hired gun for criminals and often taking innocent lives when it wasn't even necessary as part of the job he was given. This led to a general feeling amongst the rest of the Manadalorians that, by letting his sense of duty cloud his judgment and morals, he was considered rogue and not a true Mandalorian; which, in turn, caused a small celebration when the news was spread that he had fallen into a Sarlacc pit on Tatooine and no body had been recovered.
However, most who followed The Way knew what limits to push, what laws could be loopholed, and how to remain hidden from sight only to collect a bounty when it was needed. Throughout the course of history, many had taken the path of the Mandalorian, but few had the accolades to be recognized wherever they went. They were the Nameless to many, and so few that they were simply a phantom concept unless you actually knew one or was one.
Yet, through it all, The Way was the absolute truth, and The Way was to always be kept. A creed that was both protector and the final judge, and if you strayed from the path you could never return. However, to one Mandalorian, even that bond was beginning to eat away at his morals.
"How could such a tiny baby get me into this mess… " Din Djarin, or simply Mando to the bounty hunter circuit, thought as he guided the Razorcrest to a region of deep space. Looking over to the peaceful, sleeping child that was seated behind him, he started reflecting on how the powerful infant had turned his entire life onto its head.
Ever since he had chosen to follow The Way, he had sworn his life to The Guild and to the Armorer who ran it as the Mandalore; however, his mission to retrieve The Child had opened his eyes to a lot of things, like how The Guild was not always pure, and was in fact seedy in its doings. In a way, Din felt that by saving The Child, who was innocent and pure, was like when he was rescued after The Night of a Thousand Tears, a simple gesture of paying forward the same chance that he had been given. That feeling took root after the Armorer had deemed him and his companion as a tribe of two, and guaranteeing that his new purpose in life was to either find The Child's family, or train him in The Way when he came of age.
"Hello," Din said, looking at The Child as he stirred from his slumber, a joyous smile on the infant's face as he looked at his helmeted caretaker. "Did you enjoy your nap?"
Even though their time together had been short, Din had been able to pick up on some of the various gestures and sounds that The Child used to communicate. High pitched with a gleeful laugh meant happy, a combination of a shriek and whine meant startled, and a whimper meant sad. Right now, The Child simply smiled at him, his necklace firmly in his three-fingered grip.
"I'll take that as a yes," Din said, getting out of his seat and heading towards the lower level. "Sit tight, I got something for you."
Climbing down the ladder and moving towards the storage area, he glimpsed around at all the things that were still down there. From the carbonite rack to the weapons storage area, nothing seemed out of place or missing besides a few trinket wares that he had used to trade with a few locals several stops ago to get some much-needed supplies.
The Razorcrest itself had taken a beating as of late, literally being put back together piece by piece after some Jawas had dismantled it back on Arvala-7, and, in the process, taught him a valuable lesson in how they made a living using the barter-trade system. Of course, much like any childhood toy that comes 'some assembly required', the ship was not fully like it had been before that encounter, with multiple wires and leads having to be crossed and shortcutted just to keep the vessel in working condition.
This included the fridge that stored the perishable goods.
"Come on you stupid piece of circuits," Din said, getting aggravated that the panel refused to accept the keypin, even after a fourth attempt. "I swear I will blast you to smithereens if you don't release the goods I need for Babu!"
Bashing his palm against the panel, it finally triggered the sequence required to open the door to the cold closet, his rage making him ignore the minor outburst and name that he had just said for the foundling that was now in his care.
The fridge, being nothing more than a glorified closet space, only had shelving and ice coating the walls, kept cool by the endothermic reaction of Ammonium Chloride and Barium Hydroxide circulating in the wall space of the makeshift area. This allowed the goods to be kept at a safe temperature without truly freezing, due to the thicker walls absorbing most of the chill. This helped, because a little treat for The Child he picked up on Sorgan would not have survived the trip otherwise.
"Still alive, good," Din said, picking up one of the carefully wrapped packages and, after a quick kick to make sure the closing mechanism activated on the sliding door, made his way back up towards the cockpit as the package began to stir from the far warmer environment than the near-hibernation cold that it had been kept in. "This is for you kid."
The Child looked at the package with a mix of curiosity and awe, only replaced with sheer glee as a slimy green head with beady black eyes wormed its way out of the package. The frog, sensing danger, did its best to free itself from the vice grip it was in, only to find itself being gobbled down like a Hutt traitor in a Sarlacc pit.
"You like those huh?" Din's tone was soft, rubbing the infant's head as he enjoyed his meal. "Well, I got a couple more in storage that should hold you off til we find another place to land. Let me check the star maps in our travel path for a good place to rest."
The command was simple, a maneuver Din had performed numerous times before without any prompt or circumstance. Pressing the button sent a signal to the ship's onboard computer and, even in hyperspace, it was able to determine what planetary systems were closest to the Razorcrest by using the gravitational lens constant from the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy to triangulate the ship's position.
However, these were far from usual circumstances.
The moment the button was pressed, the electrical signal was carried out to the circuits, but due to the makeshift, and somewhat rushed, rewiring job that had been done the signal did not go directly to the correct terminal. Instead, the crossed circuits bounced and relayed the command through all the connected transistors, causing several key instruments to fluctuate and give a false trigger. One of these was the hyperdrive terminal, which, from the sudden electrical pull, briefly dipped; thus, the onboard guidance drew more energy to counteract the problem, something that the ship was not suited for as it suddenly shuddered and rocked from the burst of speed.
"Hang on!" Din said, trying to take back control from the runaway hyperdrive. Yet, to the outside observer, all they would feel it a strong pulse ripple as the ship literally vanished from sight. "I'm going to try the emergency shut down, hope this works!"
Reaching up under the command board, Din hit the emergency shut down, delivering a 'kill and reset' command to every system onboard and fully cutting off the power. Luckily, the order worked, jolting both Din and The Child in their seats from the sudden deceleration and bringing the ship to a total, pitch-black standstill. Only the humming of the life support, which was on a remote system separate from the kill switch, kept the cockpit from being a stilled silence.
"What the world happened?" Din said, turning his head back towards the infant while using his thermal and bio functions in his helmet to check on its vitals, relieved that he was ok other than being scared. "That is the first time that has ever happened, it should have only brought up the star and planetary map. Maybe there was a frayed wire or something…"
Opening the access panel to the wiring, a wide range of emotions tore through him. Rage, anger, grief, and shock all came and went, and it was only by sheer force of his will did he manage to keep from saying some very naughty words in front of the minor.
"This…" Din finally sighed. "Is gonna take a while…"
It took a countless amount of time, the sense of seconds, minutes, and hours having long since bleed into each other like a flowing river on a mountainside, but Din managed to get the wiring to where he deemed it was suitable. Like a docile surgeon, he flipped switch after switch, hoping with his only remaining hope that he managed to correct the issue that had resulted in the hyperdrive malfunction. The systems came to life like birthing stars, lighting up the cockpit and ensuring that his repair job was in fact done as a run through the systems check returned no red flags.
"Alright, it seems I got everything fixed kid," Din said, looking to make sure The Child was still awake. "Lets see where we are."
After a brief hesitation, Din hit the button to bring up the star maps. The hologram flickered before finally solidifying, revealing a troubling sight. All of the stars, planetary systems, and even the shape of the galaxy itself were all wrong, all the IDs pinging up as 'Unknowns'.
"Did I accidentally erase the data?" Din was confused, never experiencing the map being uncharted before. "Maybe if I reset it…"
Time and time again he reset the program, and with each attempt a cold sensation started to crawl up his spine. Glancing from the star map to The Child, it was times like this he was thankful he couldn't take his helmet off, not wanting his adorable companion of mischief to see the tears streaming down his face.
"I don't know how to put this," Din's tone caused The Child to tilt his head, looking at his father figure with concern that Din could practically feel . "It seems that when the hyperactive malfunctioned, it seems not only did it put us in an unknown region of space, but also in an entirely different galaxy and I don't know how long it will be before we can return home…"
Din then pressed himself into his seat as the realization of his words hit him like a stun bolt. He knew that space was vast, the stars visible at any given point being just a tiny fraction of the amount that was in the entire universe, but to be in such an unknown made him realize that there were things just waiting to be discovered. Both good, and evil.
The Child said nothing, but through a mysterious way he knew was ancient and protective, understood every word that the metallic man had just said. That same feeling drew his attention to the star map, to one of the tinier points of light that to a normal observer would be insignificant. It wanted them to go there, but he still needed to get his friend to know as he reached for the flickering light.
"What’re you doing?" Din said, observing his companion trying to grasp a star point in his tiny hand. "Do you want us to go there?"
The Child simply smiled.
"Alright then," Hitting a few controls, Din isolated the star that The Child had been trying to grab, but due to it being an unknown system the result was not instantaneous. However, when the scan came back, what he saw intrigued him. "Ten planets, but only one seems to be in its' star's Habitable Zone… I say it is at least worth a shot, and is better floating here waiting for our inevitable demise from starvation."
The Child was happy. Not only had he managed to have his guardian understand him, but he also knew that the feeling that had guided him to that world was also content. As he watched the points outside the windows turn into streaks from the hyperdrive, eagerness and excitement took hold and banished sleep to the darkness where it resided. It wasn't long before both he and his parental figure dropped out of hyperspace, and the view shook both of them to the core.
Against the darkness of space, a beautiful world stood before them. Roughly the size of Coruscant, it had all the features that made Alderaan such a wonderful tourist destination. A vast, deep blue sea covered a majority of the planet's surface, accompanied by glistening ice caps at the north and south poles with low altitude clouds rolling with the breeze. Other than a very intense cyclone in the middle of the ocean, almost like it was locked in place by surrounding high-pressure zones, it was like a flat plane of stillness only broken by numerous tiny islands closer to the continental shelf.
As the land rotated into view, Din could make out swamps, a volcanic rift field, numerous grassy plains, and several tall mountains. It was like it was a wildlife preserve, barren of any noticeable technology that he was accustomed to during his travels, but the ship's scanner was picking up on a wide variety of lifeforms.
"Seems that whatever is here is most likely primitive, but clustered in herds," Din said, looking for the best possible place to land as he observed the full moon overhead, its crater-pocketed landscape void of life from its thin atmosphere and the intense streams of an unknown, invisible plasma. "However, the planet's air seems breathable, so I say we land and see what we can find to eat."
Prepping the landing sequence, the Razorcrest began to slowly lose altitude, the distant stars soon becoming masked by light reflecting off the outer layers of the atmosphere.
"Hang on tight kid, things are about to get bumpy…"
To a foreign dignitary, Equestria was viewed as a simplistic nation. Vast, empty plains covered much of the area, and the few villages not named Manehatten, Ponyville, or Appleoosa were often overlooked due to being deemed as 'too far back in the times'. However, far to the southeast of Canterlot, the Baahamas sat like an outcrop in the vast
It's lush landscape and beautiful coastline, unique and far different than the murky waters of Horseshoe Bay or the Horseton Gulf offered visitors a chance to have prime snorkeling conditions, see the reef microbiome, and see the rare and native Baahamian Marlien in its' natural habitat as it chilled in the shallow coastal water and let young fillies and colts slide on its smooth back.
As a result, multiple resorts opened along the pristine beaches, turning the remote island into a budding tourist destination; however, far away from kiosks selling 'I was a temporary seapony' merchandise, deep in the heart of the island was a different kind of resort. This one was fortified in solid gold, with a large crystal clear pool in front scattered with different playing gear and a diving board. It was a place where delegates of all nations went when they retired, able to enjoy the rest of their days in pampered seclusion.
"This is the life, isn't It Lulu?" Celestia said, adjusting her shades as she basked in the rays of the sun. "No paperwork to file, no nobles to chase after, no threats to deal with every week…"
"No drab court sessions either dear sister," Luna said, drinking the last remaining drops of juice out of her pineapple, looking at the fruit with a foregone look that its' heavenly nectar had been depleted and making the hallowed husk obsolete. "It has been odd for me to adjust to a daytime schedule, but it is worth it considering I get to spend more time with you. For over a century we held duel rule, until my banishment that is, and even after I returned there never was time for both of us to go off on a sister bonding day."
"Something always came up, no matter how minuscule," Celestia's sigh carried the weight of an asteroid, pounding at her mental defenses that had once been corroded from guilt but now stood stronger than ever. "A stupid bill, Blueblood on a tantrum, and so many more things kept us apart Lulu, but now we can finally bond like we should and be the sisters that we should have always been. Twilight has done a terrific job keeping everything in balance so far, so I don't think there is anything that will require us to go to Canterlot anytime soon."
"Quite, and I see nothing that can possibly go wrong to make me think otherwise." Luna's statement caused a small bead of sweat to roll down Celestia's cheek, knowing the dangers of tempting Marephy far too well, but Luna was none the wiser to her little quip as she summoned two popsicles from their ice chest. "I suppose a frozen toast is in order, to sister bonding!"
"To sister bonding…" Celestia, taking her popsicle, touched her's to Luna's. The rich taste of chocolate made her worry melt away in the silky sea of flavor, but a shining object out the corner of her eye caught her attention. Even with both her and Luna being retired, she knew the star charts by heart due to carefully tending them in Luna's absence , and she knew that there was no meteor showers planned for the next few months. "Say sister, does that object in the sky look a bit odd to you?"
"Nice try Tia," Luna said, removing the cylindrical tube of flavor that was in her muzzle with a rather loud *pop*. "Too bad this isn't squid, I love the taste of calamaried tentacle, but anyway the last time you asked me that you stole my apple juice cup when we were fillies, do you expect me to fall for that again? I may forgive Tia, but I never forget."
"Oh come on, you really going to bring that up!?" Celestia said, her gaze following the mysterious object as it descended further below the atmosphere, the fireball fading and revealing a metallic object of the likes she had never seen. "You made me albino!"
"Which, I did turn you back to normal without mom and dad getting involved, and it was an accident from a puberty magic surge." Luna said, her flat tone showing she was about to deliver the parting shot. "And on top of that, you permanently turned your coat white after you gave Sunset Shimmer up for adoption!"
"W-wha," Celestia froze in place, a look of pure fear in her eyes as adrenaline surged through her body. There was a mental list of things that she was not proud of, including driving Yetis to the brink of extinction, but Sunset Shimmer topped that list of things that showed just how imperfect she was. "How do you know about that?! That took place while you were banished, and I had all evidence stricken off the record!"
"Be that as it may, dear sister, you forgot to take into consideration Nightmare's fuel." Luna said, briefly pausing as she closed her eyes. "Even on the moon, I could see nightmares, for Nightmare drew her power from them and I saw every one. Some were stupid, like a filly wetting themselves while giving a speech in front of their class, but your recurring nightmare of Sunset and the populace finding out the truth was like a drug to her. I deeply suspected it to be nothing more than a normal fantasy nightmare due to your falling out with her, but you just confirmed it to be true."
"Clever mare…" Celestia's tone was flat, like a hunter that had just been ambushed by its prey as she forced herself to keep from falling into a mental pit of anger. "Alright, you got me, but right now is not the time to go into that topic. Since you made sure to make me remember my greatest regret, can you please turn around and look at what I'm talking about?"
Luna didn't even get the chance to as a reverberating *BOOM*, louder than anything that even a collective Wonderbolt Soundbuster could reach, thundered across the sky and caused the other inhabitants of the retirement resort to clamor outside to see what the cause was.
"Is that a flying machine?" Giloubus, the former Prince of Griffinstone, said as he tried to use his aging vision to focus on the object. "It is! It is a flying machine! I told you I wasn't going crazy in the head, just look!"
"We are looking you overcooked turkey!" Meadowbrooke said, thunking Giloubus across the head. "I swear if you were any older, we would be calling you Dry Roast! Only reason you even are accepted is because you held the Griffionian Crown for five minutes before Gruff ran you out of town by your tail feathers."
"He caught me with my guard down," Giloubus muttered, ignoring the looks the others were giving him. "Anyway, what do you suppose that object is?"
"To cause that big of a sonic boom it has to be large," Queen Amethyst said, the purple changeling queen becoming the center of attention due to rarely coming out of her room. "If I had to guess, roughly the size of the Royal Zeppelins, but traveling much faster and able to withstand the atmospheric turbulence. In short, we are dealing with aliens, and it looks like it is on a collision course with Ponyville going by the angle."
"Of course it is," Celestia groaned, her sister joining in her facehoof. "Guess we need to prevent Ponyville from overreacting and making a bad impression huh?"
"It would appear so dear sister," Luna said, reluctantly putting down her tropical ware and giving herself a once over. "Funny how for once we are the ones having to save the day isn't it?"
"Now hold on," Amethyst said, causing both alicorns to look at her once again. "Before you two set off, I got a favor I need to ask of you. You know that my daughter somehow managed to free herself from her stone prison using a drone substitution spell, I still glare at that newspaper clipping by the way, but if you somehow run into her tell her that her mother sees her as an unfit ruler and-"
There were many languages that Celestia had seen be born and die out over the course of her rule. From Ancient Roam and Fleece, to Olde Equish, each held a special place in her heart for the wonderful melodies that had been written during those times. However, there was one tune that conquered all the others.
Vespin was the ancient language of the changelings, its unique blend of chirps strung together in different rhythms and pitches made Celestia want to learn it just so she could mentally hum a ballad to push her through Day Court. Even though she herself lacked the ability to chirp, there were times she wished she could just to be able to join in on the glorious symphony that used to be heard all across ancient Canterlot. It saddened her when the Chloroflu Epidemic wiped out most of the hives of the time, which not only allowed Chrysalis to rise to power, but also brought an end to her favorite pastime. When Amethyst showed up at the resort, Celestia's heart surged with hope as the relic queen taught her what each chirp meant, how to decipher the words and use it in Equish. So, when Amethyst whispered in Vespin something that Celestia would never see her own daughter as, the alicorn could only stutter.
"I-I will give her the message…" Celestia said, visibly shaken by Amethyst's remark. "If I run into her that is."
"Good to know," Amethyst said, her pleased smile showing a little too much fang for anyone's liking. "Now, I think you better get going before all of Ponyville escalates into a full blown riot."
With a glowing teleport, Celestia and Luna vanished, but Meadowbrooke had something else entirely on her mind.
"Will you ever tell them Amethyst?"
"Maybe one day Meadowbrooke… Maybe one day…" Amethyst's tone was softer than any she had used since her return from the Frozen North, and deep in the recesses of her mind the memories of two fillies, one yellow with a pink tail and the other navy blue, tucked against her barrell burned brighter than ever before.
Author's Note
I just want to clear somethingg up.
While doing final editing, I did a site search for any MandoxMLP fics and came across This Is The Way . I noticed several key similarities between that story and my original concept, so the latter half of this chapter was done on a whim to keep from being a copycat fic (so sorry for pacing!). I am tracking that story, that way I can prevent any possible reoccurring clashing concepts, and to keep the two stories separate and original.
Thanks go to my Patreons, Classy Fox, and Penalt.
"Come on you fucking piece of junk, keep it together! Come on, come on altitude 15 kilometers, almost there almost there. Ok, we just went subsonic, good, now the difficult part is to make sure I don't nosedive and blow us up..." Din was not happy, not only was he in an unknown coordinate, heading towards an unknown planet; the moment the Razorcrest had hit the atmosphere, the turbulence had knocked off his guidance system and autopilot, making him rely on his altimeter, yoke, and his own two hands. "Cleared the water, so hope this landing will be soft… 10 kilometers, 5, 2… NOW!"
Waiting until the last possible moment, Din pulled back on the yoke, making the ship be more in line with the horizon and avoiding the worst-case scenario of a nose-first impact. He knew the Razorcrest was tough, having been a prize that many bounty hunters had sought after, but he knew even it was subject to wear and tear. Multiple repair jobs, battles, and one dismantling had damaged the hull to the point Din counted himself lucky they had not turned into a fireball on entry to break apart during the hyperspace jump.
Impacting a solid surface, however, was another matter altogether…
Like finding a straw of hay in a needlestack, it was only by sheer luck that he managed to land in a relatively flat meadow close to what looked like a town. The impact, although jarring, didn't seem to have punctured through the hull but he knew better than to trust a silent alarm.
"You ok kid?" Din asked, turning to face The Child when the ship finally let out a groan as it settled in place. Other than shaking with his ears down, the toddler appeared to be fine as he looked back up at his caretaker. "Good, hopefully nothing too important broke on impact, otherwise we might be stuck here for a long time."
Heading down to the storage area, Din had to pause as soon as his foot hit the ladder. The normally-sturdy bicarbonate rods flexed under his weight, their pitiful moaning letting him know that more danger lucked in the bowels of the hull. Using the flashlight on his suit, he saw the state that the ship was in, and it made his heart sink.
The floor itself was covered in the musky aroma of dirt, the metallic floor not immediately seen, but the dirt was enough of a hint for Din to realize the hull was breached at best and ripped apart at the worst. Supplies and shelving were tossed around like a child tearing up their room in a temper tantrum, and a carbonite support arm had torn free from it's bolting and rested against the dented refrigerator door.
"Well shit…" Din thought, surveying the damage and the flickering overhead lights that were on their life support currents before sparking their last spark and plunging the cargo hold, besides Din's flashlight, into total darkness. The thing that struck him as odd was The Child's carrier, which had bounced and rolled to the opposite side of the area from where it normally was stored, but there was no sign of even a scratch on it. "Tough shell, it is almost as if it is made out of beskar. I wonder-"
A temperature alarm in his helmet went off, pulling him out of his thoughts as he looked to what had triggered the alarm, and the full realization of the damage soon hit him.
Barium Hydroxide, when left on its own, is highly corrosive with the only thing keeping it from causing structural damage to the ship was the liquid being kept in constant motion to mix with the Ammonium Chloride for the refrigerator. With the pumping system down, and the radiant heat of the still-hot engine nearby, the motionless Barium Hydroxide had started to warm.
Now, normally that would not be an issue since BaOH and NH⁴CL are both solids at room temperature; however, with the radiant heat of the engine exceeding the boiling point of both compounds, Din knew he was in a race against time against the corrosive and deadly reactants.
"I got to cool them off…" Din thought, knowing the gaseous Ammonium Chloride would produce toxic chlorine gas. "If I can somehow get cooler air into the system, that will buy me some time. I know there is an exterior intake valve on the port side, but the exposed wires on the emergency escape make this risky. If only there was something I can use to cover me…"
Looking around, a moment of inspiration struck, and a smile appeared on his face.
Pinkie Pie was a mare of many talents, and that came in handy in a variety of situations. Whether it was helping her friends, keeping track of everypony's birthday or special occasion, or even bedroom activities, she made sure to put her best hoof forward and keep everypony happy to the best of her ability and the Element that she represented.
Laughter.
Yet, on this sunny, lazy day, Pinkie woke from her cotton candy cloud-filled dreams with a tired yawn. Having invited Cheese Sandwich over the previous night, it went without saying that her soreness was from activities that satisfied her to the core. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with a pink tangle of fluff that was identical to the one on her own dock.
"Morning Pinkles," Pinkie said, giving the tail a tiny nibble. which resulted in its' owner letting out a muffled grunt. "It is getting close to noon, so we have to get up."
"Don't wanna…" The voice, identical to Pinkie's own, said as she stirred. At first glance, it was as if she had cloned herself, but a keen observer would notice the color pattern of the cutie mark balloons was reversed. "Five more minutes? Please?"
"But we got to-" Pinkie's protest was cut off by her duplicate nuzzling her own tail, making her sigh in content. "Okie Dokie, five more minutes, but then we have to get ourselves in order for our super busy day. When I invited you to give my Cheeseakins a Double Deluxe Stuffed Pie, I didn't think that you would try to take him for your own."
"I-I'm not, honest!" Pinkles squeaked, her mane and tail falling flat and her colors dulling to a deeper shade of pink. "I'm just sore is all. I have never been ridden like an animal before, so my muscles are tensing in protest to shifting from my spot."
"I know, and we are animals so what we got rode with was normal" Pinkie said, giving her duplicate a boop on her shoot, causing it to scrunch up. "I was just teasing you, you silly filly, because I have no issues at all. Me, you, and Cheeseakins all had a good time, and as busy as we all have been recently it was a much-needed break."
"No kidding," Pinkles said, arching her back like a large, fluffy cat."Between making sure Sweetie didn't burn down her house during Rarity's fashion expo, raising the extra funds for the Filly Scout's trip to the Bucky Mountains, and planning the Fall Formal I am totally wiped. That is why as soon as I got your invitation, I made sure my weekend was cleared. You making Cheese a dragon was a nice surprise I had not expected, and I feel like I owe you two a debt of gratitude for that."
"Every Pinkie knows a Pinkie my dear Pinkles," Pinkie said, putting a hoof around her human counterpart and giving her a hug. "It was nothing really, me and Cheeseakins had a long talk about it after you told me your Cheese Sandwich left town to go on tour and told you to stay with your friends. Me and Cheeseakins both have been heartbroken by previous relationships before we got together, so we knew what you were going through. It was just a matter of timing and Zecora mixing the potion, but I must say I love the results."
Pinkie gave a blissful sigh as she looked to her coltfriend, who at the moment was a peacefully dreaming dragon. The way his wings and strong, lean muscle made his form look more intimidating and powerful had sent more than one kind of shiver through her body the previous night, but she had insisted Pinkles had first go with him as a dragon.
"So peaceful," Pinkie said, stroking Cheese's back with a hoof and causing him to purr growl. "Now Pinkles, how do you suggest we wake him? Nothing lewd can be the answer."
"Dwww…" Pinkles said, looking slightly disappointed before scrunching her muzzle up into her thinking face. Pinkie thought it was cute, and couldn't help but wonder if her dear Cheeseakins thought the same when he saw herself do it. "Well, why not throw cold water on him? You said he was an Earth Elemental, right? So it shouldn't hurt him."
"Hmm…" Pinkie thought the idea over, remembering that Zecora had said something about blue liquid and the potion, but at the moment her tired mind could not connect the dots. "Okie Dokie Loki, besides, it will be a good prank getback for him replacing my soda with Fizzy Flier Seltzer."
"You know, before I do, I am curious why we add 'Loki' behind 'Dokie'," Pinkles said, trotting across the hardwood floor as she spoke. "Wouldn't 'Okie Dokie' be satisfactory enough? I mean, some first-time customers at the Corner complain to the Cakes that it annoys them and that I need to take mood stabilizers for my ADHD, ADD, OCD, and my Walking Hyperactive Integral Party Planner Extraordinaire Disorder. Do I even need to say there is no pill for that last one?! Anyway, why do all us Pinkies say it?"
"In honor of our many-times-great grandmother," Pinkie said, sighing as if she had this conversation many times before. "Now, how about you get the water while I move the covers off the bed?"
With a satisfactory nod, Pinkles disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Pinkie alone as she tossed the blankets off the bed. She was not going to say anything to Pinkles' face, but she had a tiny amount of remorse and guilt towards her counterpart about the circumstances involved. She had heard from Sunset what had gone down, with Cheese giving Pinkles their engagement band back to her because he wanted her to continue fighting with her friends instead of being sucked into 'being a fantastic wife who was the target of the paparazzi'. It truly made her feel bad, but also thankful she had her Cheese as a coltfriend who was more than willing to lend a helping hoof to her human counterpart.
"I got the water!" Pinkles said, taking the bucket handle out her mouth and briefly assuming a bipedal stance. "Time for Mr. Sleepyhead to be wakey wakey!"
The moment the water was tossed they both felt their Pinkie Sense hit them like a current.
A full-body tremble.
"Oh no…" Both party ponies said, watching in horror as the water made contact with the target, hitting him square in the torso and instantly waking him up.
"Gah!" Cheese said, rolling out of bed as his whole body started to shake. "What the heck was that for?!"
"It was to wake you up…" Pinkles said, taking a few steps back after bucking the bucket out the window. "But if our Pinkie Sense is correct, that is about to be the least of our worries."
"What do you-" Whatever question Cheese had was lost as his stomach lurched, causing him to curl up in a tight ball while his spasming wings started to recede back into his shoulder blades. "It didn't hurt this bad the first time, do something you two!"
With the bed soaked through the box spring, and the pillows along with them, the best the two Earth Ponies could do was roll up the softest towels that were still clean and use them as a makeshift pillow as Cheese's body continued its regression.
His tail became shorter, all his diamond-hard scales softening and fusing back into skin as his normal pony coat started to overtake his shrinking form. A shuddering *CRUNCH* filled the room as his spinal plates and hips readjusted back into being in a quadrupedal stance, and his claws balled and clinched as they once again became hooves. As his head and equipment returned to that of a pony, Cheese thought that his ordeal was over with…
But it just so happened Marephy Law, Esq., was in a pissed off mood from her marefriend dumping her that same morning.
"S-something is wrong," Cheese said, an unbearable heat starting to survey through his body like a fever from a severe case of the Germane Sneasles. "I-I feel-"
A high pitched moan escaped his lips as his body shook, losing a couple of inches in height as his mane and tail both lengthened and increased in volume. His muzzle rounded off as his eyelashes and face shifted, leaving the two identical pink mares starting at the face of an absolutely adorable version of Cheese's. The changes progressed downward, his fur softening and covering his hooves, which he felt change into a daintier version that he had seen on numerous tours across Equestria. It was then the full realization of what was happening hit him, making him silently beg to Celestia to make the changes stop as he felt his systems flip outside-in and his plot jut out into soft pillows.
"What the hay?!" Cheese said, her eyes widening and her hooves covering her muzzle as she heard her new voice. It was soft and joyous much like her marefriend's, but held a slight edge that showed she knew how to have a good time after foals turned in for the night. Turning in front of Pinkie's full-sized mirror, she saw how beautiful her new body was, but that didn't distract her from the fact she was now a mare in the first place. "Why am I a mare?! Zecora didn't say anything about side-effects after changing back, you two sure we followed the directions correctly?"
"I am positive," Pinkie said, pulling the instructions out the waste bin. "I poured the first power into your water, then coated the enclosed quartz with the crystalized potion, just as she wrote!"
"Let me see that Sweetums," Cheese said, using Pinkie's nickname to show she wasn't truly angry at the mare, just confused as to how it happened. As Pinkie was roofing over the paper, she noticed something all three had overlooked. "I'm, dear, did you bother to check the reverse side?"
A collective facehoof ensued as Pinkie read the reverse side out loud, each mare feeling like an idiot.
"With these pieces you'll have fun, But your venture can't be spun. For a dragon's power needs great control, Like carbon being pressed into coal. Just as each piece fits together, The reverse will undo the tether. To return the dragon into a pon, The potion's effects must be gone! But beware the power of cool liquid blue, the taker's life will be birthed anew. This potion will make him see a mother's reason, Until the stars return to this exact season…"
"Crabapples," Pinkles said, her mane deflating with guilt. "Now you are going to be stuck like this for a whole year!"
"Um, actually, no," Pinkie said, drawing a confused look from the other two mares. "We both know time flows differently on the sides of the mirror. For example, we are younger there, but older here. That is because while both planets are in relatively the same point in dimensional space, and thus linked, their orbits are slightly different. Solaris is a slightly smaller and cooler star than Sol , so to maintain the same biosphere Equus has to orbit slightly closer. That is also why we can still have eclipses, because our moon is larger and closer than the human Equus.
"In addition, the universal constants here differ because of the fact Solaris ' solar wind also contains raw mana that exerts a force and causes Equus to bob up and down in its orbit. Now, the ebb and flow is rhythmic, and occurs in cycles of one year, one month, and one day in relation to human Equus' own orbit time. I remember from school that two ebbs and two flows equal to one seasonal cycle. So for the stars to be in the exact positions…"
"Four years, four months, and four days," Cheese said, slumping onto her natural cushions and wrapping her tail around her barrel. "Four years a mare, boy this is going to be awkward to explain to my tour manager and clients."
"We will cross that bridge later," Pinkie said, wrapping her gender-bent coltfriend in one of her patented cuddle hugs. "Right now, we need to help you adjust. Me and Pinkles owe you that at the very least for having caused this fiasco. Since I am now wide awake, I remember Zecora saying about 'liquid blue', but I thought she meant the stuff DJPON3 uses at her ragers!"
"Don't worry about it Sweetums," Cheese said, giving Pinkie a loving kiss. "I am not mad at you two. Lets just use this as a learning experience, ok? From now on, we are more careful with potions, and you two have a lot to teach me about being a mare. We are all in this together, and we will get through it together, and that includes you Pinkles."
"M-me?" Pinkles squeaked, blushing like she had read through Rarity's 'personal magazine stash'. "I don't want to be a burden or come between you and Pinkie. Look, I appreciate what the two of you did, but if this was just a one time party I would be content with that too."
"You really are like my Sweetums," Cheese said, giving Pinkles a small boop on her adorable snoot. "But I am serious with my offer. You deserve happiness too, and Sweetums told me your Rainbow Dash is trying to help fill the void, but if she is anything like the Rainbow I know she is nothing like me. It will be like replacing sugar with artificial sweetener, they both have the same purpose but they are not the same."
"Hey," Pinkie said, giggling at the simile Cheese had used. "That is something I would normally say, it seems you have picked up a few of my quirks."
"If it means spending the rest of my life with you? It is well worth it." Cheese said, nuzzling Pinkie before looking at Pinkles again. "If you don't want to continue going forward, I understand. I know the Cheese on your world hurt you where it would the most, but I am willing to include you to show I am not him. Hay, I will even write a list of things for your Rainbow that will 'help' her with private party time. Whatcha say?"
"Hmmmm…" Pinkles paused for several long minutes as she weighed her options, during which Pinkie started to get a hooves-on look at the finer details of Cheese's new body. "Well, if it means better playtimes with Dashie, I guess I really can't say no to that… Okies, I'll do it, we have a deal."
"Glad to hear," Cheese said, trying to ignore the fact she was feeling increasingly hot under the mane from Pinkie's gentle caressing. "Now, how about we get those sheets into the wash and then we head to Quill and Sofas for us to pick us out a new bed set?"
"Or we just toss it all and get all new stuff," Pinkie said, drawing an uncertain look from Cheese and Pinkles. "I mean, I got some bits in an emergency party supply find, but I think this is a more important circumstance. We need a bigger bed so all three of us can fit, super duper comfy absorbable box springs and mattresses, and all new pillows and bedding. I also need to make a stop by the store to triple the amount of mare health products I have on hoof so we don't have any complications in a few days."
"In a few days?" Cheese said, confusion filling her tone as she tried to think about what time of the year it was. Realizing what Pinkie meant, she instantly paled. "Oh no…"
Equestria, with it's 4-1 stallion-to-mare ratio, had an unusually high concentration of Earth Pony magic that was ambient in the environment. While Canterlot scholars blamed it on the fact Earth Ponies were the dominant tribe population-wise, Celestia knew that the Tree of Harmony also played a major factor.
Back during the YakYakistianian Wars, running out of farmers was often seen as a major problem. Before the war, the gender ratio of Equestria, and the tribes in general, was about even; however, with the farm helpers off to serve the Solar Empire, the Princess of the Sun knew that food shortages were going to spring up and cause chaos. Eventually, she had an idea, and by infusing her own Earth Pony magic with the Tree of Harmony, Earth Pony mares could have foals more often at the cost of a more frequent estrus. While it proved to be a blessing during wartimes, time had ensured Celestia forgot about her spell so it was deemed the norm.
Now Cheese Sandwich was a mare, with the Summer Heat knocking on the proverbial door.
"BUCK!" Cheese's shriek caused the Cakes downstairs to briefly look at each other in concern, but passed it off as normal Pinkie business. "I can't be with a stallion! I'm a stallion! Me doing it with Big Mac or Time Turner will be wrong on so many messed up levels…"
"Interesting choice in stallions if I must say," Pinkie said, her teasing making Cheese go rigid. "Oh come on! I am just teasing you Cheese Doodle, so turn that frown upside down!"
"Cheese Doodle?" Cheese said, both her and Pinkles looking at Pinkie like she had grown a second head. "That is a new one Sweetums. If you don't mind, why did you just call me that?"
"Well, Cheese Sandwich is your name as a stallion, but you are a mare right now." Pinkie said, pulling a whiteboard out her mane with several names on it that were all cheese or sandwich related. "Much like how my male equivalent is Bubble Berry, you need a name that fits your new look! Besides, I tried them on the other side of the portal and they are super yummy! Although, if you don't like it, Cheese Danish was my second pick…"
"I think Cheese Danish will be better," The newly-minted mare said, giving Pinkie a hug. "No offense, but I think that Cheese Doodle sounds like something Discord would do with string cheese and ventriloquistic marionettes for National Prank War Day."
"Why thank you for the suggestion!" A coat rack none of them had noticed said in an all-too-familiar voice before rattling and revealing the Lord of Chaos himself. "I must say, you certainly take after Pinkie in the thiccness department, for I know quite the clawfull of mares and stallions who would want a piece of your plump plot."
"Let me guess," Pinkie sighed, moving a hoof to her forehead as she shook it side to side. "Cheeseakins being turned into a mare put off enough chaos waves to draw you in like a magnet?"
"Oh, you are getting to know me so well my dear pink chaotic friend," Discord's grin made a rattlesnake's look nice, and the accompanying chuckle made Pinkles shudder whine in fear, but he only put a 'congrats on the new oven' party hat on Cheese Danish before blowing on a streamer that spread confetti. "That is the truth, but I mainly came by to do the congratulations bit since a large source of chaos waves are tugging at me from the sky like Bulk at a muscle powder convention."
"I feel it too," Pinkie said, getting a nod from her counterpart before a familiar Pinkie Sense triggered in her body. "Oooo! We’re going to meet somepony new! Quick, let's go meet them and throw the best 'new visiter, new friend party' yet!"
"Um, I think you are forgetting about something Sweetums," Cheese said, motioning to her body then the two mares in front of her. "We haven't showered, you really want to go out smelling like this?"
“I mean, you could. The hormonal chaos would be a delightful addition to the emissions today,” Discord said, chuckling as he snapped his fingers and turning the three of them into soap bars, before turning them back to normal squeaky clean. “Now have fun making chaos you three, I'll be seeing you around.”
Leaving the three mares with a poof of smoke, Discord vanished.
"That was weird," Cheese said, rubbing her chin in thought. "I mean, I have been in Ponyville long enough to know that he is a chaotic weirdo, but that was weird even for him. A simple joke, prank, then reversal? Maybe Fluttershy really is starting to have him change."
"I have known him long enough to know he goes after the biggest swimmer in the pond," Pinkie said, slightly flinching at the deadpan Cheese gave her. "Right now, he let us go because he spotted a bigger fish. Also, he is right, due to my ancestry I can feel chaos waves, and there is something heading for the meadow on the outskirts of town."
"I say we go check it out to be on the safe side," Pinkles said, earning a horrified look from Cheese. "With our 'new potential friend' radar pinging like a Geiger counter, they should be harmless."
"Is it the same radar that told you Discord is harmless?" Cheese said, making Pinkles instantly flinch at the question. "Ok, in fairness, most of his pranks are harmless, but he betrayed Pinkie and the girls in the name of chaos! If he did it before, what is stopping him from doing it again?"
"Fluttershy," Pinkie's stern tone was not one that Cheese was expecting, the yellow-coated mare backing up at the sight of it. "She is the reason why Discord will never pull that stunt ever again. He has come to deeply care about her, and she has learned how to put up with his pranks as long as they don't get too far out of control. If they do, then oh boy does she make him feel regretful afterwards. Now enough talking, we got a new friend to make!"
Not giving her marefriend a chance to have a comeback, Pinkie scooped up her counterpart and Cheese and made a beeline for the meadow. The marigolds, lilies, lavender, cornflower, and dandelions in bloom painted a lovely color pallet on the hill, but at the crest each of them stopped in their tracks at the big machine that obviously had made a crash landing and the silvery creature beating on it with its appendages.
"No way, " Cheese said, staring at the figure in shock but paused as she searched for her phrasing from her brain. "Not to be rude, but is that a-"
"Human?" Pinkles snorted, an amused smirk crossing her snorted as Cheese looked away embarrassed. "Don't worry Cheesie, I'm not offended that you were about to ask that. Based on the figure's stature, I would have to guess he is an adult male that is somewhere in his thirties because that suit is slim for someone athletic."
"You girls stay here just in case a crowd starts to gather, I'm going to go introduce myself." Pinkie said, starting off pronking through the meadow as she softly sang to herself. "My name is Pinkie Pie… and I just wanna say…"
All throughout Din's life as a Mandalorian, he had come to acquire a vast variety of skills. From being able to track a target that left the faintest of hints, to mastering multiple arts of combat, it was part of the reason he had the reputation that he had built up for himself in the Guild. As such, they all required the same tried-and-true technique of keeping a level head and staying calm under pressure or when cornered in a dangerous situation.
Right now, however, both those things applied.
With The Child safely with him outside, bundled up with his travel capsule closed, Din knew he didn't have to worry about the toddler being exposed to potentially lethal amounts of chlorine gas. It also meant that he could fully focus on trying to open the intake valve, which had clamped shut upon impact and even his beskar gloves had not managed to make a dent.
"Well, I got to give the builder credit, he knew what he was doing with these valves… " Din thought, pausing to shake off the dull throbbing in his right hand and to regather his breath. The design was meant to prevent air loss in the vacuum of space, but even with equal atmospheric pressure, the valve was not moving. "Unless some of the gas has already found its way into the pipe, that would prevent it from moving but complicate matters on the safety side of things. "
"Hi there!" A shrill, high-pitched voice, one that Din understood as a broken and battered version of his own language, caused him to nearly leap out his suit if he could. Readying his butterfly launcher, Din spun in place, but was confused by a bright pink horse-like creature looking at him with glistening blue eyes and a smile that creeped him out. "My name is Pinkie Pie, do you want to be my friend?!"
"What the?!" Din was a person who had tangled with some of the toughest outlaws in the galaxy, several of home had nearly succeeded in killing him. Seeing a talking horse, that just was a level of unnatural that he did not feel comfortable being around for an extended period of time. "Guess some fumes really did get into my head, because I swore I just heard you talk in my language."
"It wasn't fumes silly," Pinkie said, giggling a bit as she hopped in place. "I can understand you because you speak similar to the human version of this world on the other side of the portal, just a different accent. Though, considering I am a pony right now, it hurts my throat to speak like this since I got a bigger tongue and my vocal cords are different."
"Well… this creature seems harmless enough, " Din thought, considering his options as the horse rubbed its throat with a hoof. The horse could communicate, which helped matters when it came to negotiating with the locals to get his ship repaired. On the other, his scanners had picked up no signs of the level of technology needed for the repairs so it was now a matter of Survival 101. "You said you want to be my friend, right?"
The horse nodded so fast it was a blur.
"Don't hurt yourself," Din's statement caused the horse to stop, but that never-ending smile didn't cease. "Friends help friends, correct?"
Another, less abrupt, nod.
"Well how about this," Din was making the plan as he went, but he was pleased that it was going well for now. "If you help me get this valve to open, then I will be your friend."
"Okie Dokie Loki!" The horse's tone was full of glee as she caught Din off guard with a sudden hug that made him thankful he was in his suit from the sheer force it exerted, because to his horror he heard the beskar creak and dent. Letting go of it’s sure-fire death grip, the pink mass picked up a nearby rock and bucked it with a rear hoof. The momentum caused the valve to lurch open and the rock to ricochet to go murder an innocent flower. "There we go, all done!"
"Um, thanks?" Din could not believe what he just saw, but the was thankful there wasn't an accompanying *whoosh* that would have indicated pressure build-up. "Now that is-"
"OHMIGOSH! " The horse's exclamation, and ensuing squee, made a sense of dread crawl up his spine. Slowly turning in place, the dread was cemented when he saw the horse looking at The Child before gently picking him up and holding him. "HeIsSoCute!!"
"Back away from him, slowly," To his credit, Din could tell that The Child was not scared, he had only been initially startled; yet, he was not about to risk the toddler's well being to a creature that should not exist. "No offense, but I just met you and I really don't feel comfortable trusting him in your care just yet."
"Oh, it is perfectly understandable," The horse said, setting The Child back in his carrier. "But, I'll have you know that I am an official foalsitter extraordinaire! So, if you need somepony to look after him while you try to fix your ship, I will gladly do it for free!"
"Generous offer," Din briefly considered the horse to be a bounty hunter, but that was buried from the fact there were no nearby trackers going off in his suit. "I will have to consider it, since I have no clue just how badly damaged my ship is …Miss?"
"Oh! I am sorry, you probably didn't catch my name earlier because I distracted you and startled you." The horse briefly looked down, which Din interpreted as shame, but soon cleared her throat as she extended a hoof towards him. "My name is Pinkie Pie, what is your name?"
"Mando," Din was not ready to give this horse his actual name, so he was silently hoping it would be enough to satisfy the alien as he shook her hoof. "Now that introductions are over, are there more horses like yourself nearby?"
"First of all, I am a pony, not a horse," Pinkie said, pausing briefly to keep her vocal cords from overstraining. "Second, the town I live in is just over the crest of the hill there, where my two marefriends are standing. Word of warning: there is a unicorn who lives in town who is obsessed with humans, so don't be surprised if she bombards you with questions. Now come on, let me take you to the shop I work at to at least get you something to drink."
Din didn't want to leave the ship, but with The Child looking at him in anticipation he knew his choice was already made for him before he and The Child started to follow the bouncing ball of fur. When they reached the top of the hill, Din was surprised to see an entire crowd had gathered, with two larger equines standing at the front.
"Don't worry Mando," Pinkie said, somehow managing to whisper in his ear. "Leave the explanations to me."
With nothing else to do while Pinkie bounced down to talk to the taller ponies, Din started to mentally take notes of how each individual varied. Some had horns, some had wings, most had neither, but the two largest ones had both. He had been in enough remote places in the Outer Rim to know things like that were often associated as a status symbol, so he started to figure out what he could offer to get in the leaders' good graces as Pinkie made her way back over to him.
"Everything is all set," Pinkie said, subtly motioning Pinkles and Cheese to go set up the welcome party. "Just follow me to the castle and we will continue our conversation there. My other friends and current-leader Princess Twilight will be waiting there for us."
"Lead the way," However, even from his current vantage point he could see the tower of crystal that pierced the sky like a spear. Yet, as he walked through the crowd and ignored the murmurings in a language he did not understand, an unbearable, bristled itch formed on his chin. "Damn, I need to shave… "
Author's Note
I wonder what Fate and Destiny have to say about Mando dropping in?...🤔🤔🤔
Thanks to Classy Fox for editing due to Penalt being unavailable.
Space.
Each culture had a different name associated with the vast expanse of the universe. From red dwarfs to flaming supernovae, nebulas to entire galaxies, black holes, wormholes, and everything in between all waiting to be studied and gain knowledge of their processes. Fusion, Fission, core-collapse, and gamma wave bursts all caught the scientific mind, but even before then all civilizations in their remote corners of the universe all looked up at their night skies and asked themselves the same question:
Are we alone?...
As technology advanced and civilizations came in contact with one another, more than just goods became exchanged. Knowledge, language, cultures, and more soon spread, bringing different societies closer together for the benefit of all planetary bodies involved. While there were a few instances of massive, system-wide wars breaking out, those were far and few between as most chose to live in peace and take technological advances to the next level by tapping into the universe itself.
Ion drives, fusion engines, and warp speed soon became commonplace in a few universes, but the ability to see and harness the power of black holes remained elusive to all.
In the furthest, darkest corner of the universe, a primordial black hole lurked completely invisible to all methods of detection. With no star clusters nearby to use the gravitational lens effect, the only way anyone would know it was there was to accidentally be too close to the event horizon of the beach ball-sized black hole. However, unlike the normal spaghettification that would take place at that point, whoever fell in would find themselves in a place that would be like an Appalachian log cabin.
Varnished oak walls and flooring dominated the area, with vaulted ceilings engraved with different galaxies at a younger age, a snapshot into the past as hypernovae and feasting supermassive black holes carved the galaxies into their current shape. In one room, a being that resembled a human was hard at work at her station. With bright golden hair, fair skin, and a compass attached to her robe, she was the definition of a goddess to ancient civilizations.
"Now for the finishing touch," The being said, rolling a tiny cone with some clay as she moved it towards the main clay figure's head. "All I need to do is attach it and-"
"SISTER! " The shout from behind her caused her to drop the cone, her letting out a bitter grunt as it shattered on the floor and the intention where it was supposed to go smoothed over. Spinning in her seat towards the now-open door, she glared at the being that stood there. With almond hair and tan skin that had been just perfectly kissed by a star, her sister looked like a younger version of herself, except she had a miniature arrow in a shatter-proof case attached to her robe, the arrow itself splitting off into different directions. "Desti, how many times do I have to tell you not to bother me while I am working?"
"Don't give me that crap Fate, especially using that stupid nickname!" Destiny said, glaring at her sister. "What gives you the right to interfere with my plans, again?! You better have a good reason this time, or so help me, I will make you regret it by annoying you."
"You already are," Fate said, crossing her arms as she closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Look, I am not going to interfere with your plans for Din, because they are pretty concrete, but without a little influence, they would not have come to fruition. Consider it a minor setback on your timescale, but rest assured your plan for him will come to pass."
"See, this is exactly my problem with you!" Destiny said, and even though she was still mad, Fate could see her posture slightly relax. "You always barge into my plans and change them to your vision. I never get to have my ideas happen, even with your stupid assurances. Remember Pompeii? I had that planned out to be the center of the known world. A vast empire that was rich in agriculture and arts, with a military that would ensure it lasted for millennia, yet you decided to literally blow it sky high!"
"Which I did for good reason sister," Fate said, standing and moving to place a hand on Destiny's shoulder. "I saw in another timeline what would happen if that had worked out, and it was nothing less than horrific. That world's atmosphere would have become as thick and toxic as Venus' within 600 years, due to the Pompeiians harnessing the power of Vesuvius to tap into the planet's magma chamber. Every time a resistance formed, they would cause a volcano to build and erupt, leading to their own destruction by literally choking on the air they created. That isn't even mentioning the fact they drove the Pyroviles to extinction as a result."
"You could have still told me first," Destiny said, not moving Fate's hand as she looked at her. "I went to sleep and everything was fine, I woke up and the city was buried. Besides, didn't the Pyroviles become extinct anyway from the force of the gases expanding in the eruption?"
"For a short time," Fate said, removing her hand as she continued. "Once the eruption ended and the temperatures came back down as the pressures dropped, the dust they became was recondensed and they reformed. However, that is beside the point, have you ever thought about the things we carry on our robes?"
"Huh?" Destiny said, looking down at the arrow in the case at her hip then at her sister's compass. "What about them?"
"Our father created the universe in only seven days, but since then we both have had our tasks." Fate said, unclipping her compass to hold it in the palm of her hand. "There are only two guarantees in life, sister: birth, and death. Life may seem complicated and confusing, but in the end, it is a circle. You grow, you live, then you die. One's fate , my job, never changes; however, one's destiny can."
"Is that why my arrows split from the original?" Destiny said, holding up her own symbol. "Because an individual can have many destinies that don't come to fruition?"
"Precisely!" Fate said, giving her sister a hug. "It has another meaning too, just because it doesn't happen in this universe doesn't mean it won't happen in another. One's destiny can easily be altered by the choices the individual makes, both good and bad, but in the end, their fate remains the same. In that regard, you have a more important role than me because where I connect their circle of life together, you fill in what goes on that circle."
"Wow, never thought of it that way before," Destiny said, smiling as Fate released the hug and followed her to her work station. "So what is it that you are working on that concerns Din? This base looks nothing like him."
"For now sister, for now," Fate said, causing Destiny to give her a quizzical look. "That is what his form is going to end up being. He will keep the use of his hands and feet, and still fly, but this new form will be way more durable and have increased stamina."
"Ok, that is all well and good," Destiny said, giving the figure a closer look and noting the armor that Fate envisioned seemed lighter than Din currently had. "But I still don't know why all this is necessary."
"Know how that droid saved Din's life in that last fight he had?" Fate said, waiting for Destiny to nod before continuing. "Well, that healing it did was just a patch as it were, he would be dead in a few years before he had a chance to properly train The Child. This way, he gets a… 'fresh start' with a body that is in peak physical condition, giving him extra time before I have to step into my role with him. I also took the liberty of sending him to Eques for a reason, for where he'll train The Child in the ways of the Mandalorian…
"There is another there on the planet to train The Child in the ways of the Jedi."
"Curse this blasted itch! " Din grumbled, the sensation slowly grinding down his nerves as he and his companions arrived at the immense crystal palace. Where it had once been a minor inconvenience at the Razorcrest , it had grown into a problem he could not get rid of without risking someone seeing him without his helmet on as he turned his attention to the bouncing pink pony acting as his and The Child's 'escort'. "Say, do you know how long this might take? I got an itch that I need to take care of and it is starting to drive me nuts."
"That depends really," Pinkie said, leading her company down the hall towards the throne room. "My friend Twilight is like a walking encyclopedia, wanting to learn as much information as possible so don't be surprised if she asks a lot of questions. Then there is Luna and Celestia, who probably want to know more about the place you came from since they tended to the skies for over 1000 years. Rainbow Dash will probably want to challenge you to a flying contest since you have that jetpack, Rarity will probably have a fashion attack, and Fluttershy will probably go gogo over the infant. As for Applejack, I have no clue how she will react, but probably will want to know your strength. Anywho, we're here!"
Din could only watch as Pinkie opened the lavishly ornate doors to the throne room, and immediately nine sets of eyes were giving him a look over. He noticed three of the ponies had wings and horns, three had horns only, two had only wings, and one was like Pinkie by having neither.
"Greetings," The lavender pony said, standing up and walking around the table, stopping in front of Din as Pinkie took her seat. "I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and leader of Equestria. Allow me to introduce you to my friends Celestia, Luna, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Starlight, Sunset, and Rainbow Dash."
"Just call me Mando," Din said, waiting until everyone had finished their introductions before he spoke. "So, where do you want to start?"
"How about we start with a bit about yourself?" Twilight said, summoning some scrolls and an ink well, completely unaware at the disturbed look Din had under his helmet. "Like, maybe what you do, or what you are? Don't worry about us not understanding you, I already enchanted the room to fully communicate if you haven't realized that already."
"My job," Din began, noticing everyone lean forward in their seats as he spoke. "My job is a bounty hunter. When a target is meant to be brought back alive, I ensure that they are. When a target is wanted dead, I make sure the job is done."
"That sounds like a villain," Twilight said, pausing from her writing to look at the human. "Someone who follows orders with no heart or compassion for the families of those who you go after."
"Sounds to me like you are quick to judge princess ," Din said, making the group's jaws drop that he had talked to Twilight in such a manner. "As I was saying, I worked for years to show my worth, starting with some pretty nasty jobs in the grimmest places in the galaxy before working my way up to catching the big guns.
"Outlaws, murderers, and criminals who were wanted in multiple star systems. Once I showed I was no weakling, I was called in to handle those kinds of bounties, all while keeping a low profile when I wasn't on a job. That is, until the leader of The Guild brought me on an assignment to capture something that was of great importance to him."
"The toddler?" Fluttershy asked, Din turning his head to see The Child had got out of his carrier and was resting in her soft mane. "What is a baby that is so sweet and innocent looking worth to someone to get a bounty hunter? Was it a parent or something?"
"No, it wasn't," Din didn't like the fact The Child was in the pony's mane, but since the baby seemed to trust her, he figured not to disturb the infant. "I delivered him as promised and got my reward, but something did not feel right about the whole situation. Long story short, I turned my back to The Guild, and the rest of my Mandalorian group gave me cover as me and The Child fled. That was weeks ago, and we have been on the run ever since."
"That sounds rough," Sunset said, a sympathetic tone in her voice as her past actions surged to the surface of her memory. "I too know what it is like to flee from something, turning your back on everything that you grew up knowing and believing while running into the unknown. However, I don't have a baby to look after, so I can't imagine how much harder that makes things for you."
"It is a challenge, but one I am willing to bare," Din said, smiling a bit as The Child peeked at him over Fluttershy's head. "I lost both my parents in an attack on my hometown when I was young, so it kind of was a soft spot for me."
"Oh, you poor thing!" Rarity exclaimed, and before Din had the chance to react he found himself at the bottom of a pony huggle pile, each pony doing their best to comfort him before backing off and helping him back to his feet. "Sorry about that darling, but that is a burden nopony should ever go through."
"I appreciate it, just let me know next time before doing something like that, alright?" Din was not angry at the ponies for doing what they did, and deep down he actually felt better after the hug, but he had to resist the instinct to shoot. "Funny enough, it was some Mandalorians who saved my life, and let me join their ranks as a youngling. After that, the rest is history. They trained me in their combat skills and I swore my oath to follow The Way; however, the last encounter I had with the Head Maiden had her make me and The Child a clan of two, so I am to pass down the same lessons to him that I was given."
"Um, I-I hate to interrupt," Fluttershy said, feeling proud that she was speaking to the strange creature without hiding behind her mane. "But I am curious, what does the baby eat? I take care of a lot of forest animals at my cottage outside of town, so there might be something there that I can help feed him with."
"Two things I know he eats are bone broth and live frogs," Din said, noticing everyone except Fluttershy turned a sickly green hue. "Now, since it is guaranteed that the frogs and animals here are different than he is used to, it might take some trial and error to see if he can stomach it or his body can't handle it. Another thing he likes is hot tea, so if you have that it will be great."
"I am sure we can find something if his body can't process his normal meal," Fluttershy giggled, feeling The Child run his digits through her soft mane. "While a majority of the animals I see about are vegetarian, some of them eat meat so I know how to make bone broth since that is what I feed my pet bear when he gets sick. I myself eat a salmon patty with him on occasion just to give him company."
"You have a pet… bear," Din could not believe what he had just heard, even as the pegasus nodded at him. "That I will have to see for myself, but are there any more questions for me before I excuse myself?"
"If you need to use the 'facilities', there is a bathroom behind the first door on the right," Twilight said, pointing to a door on the opposite side of the room from where he had entered. "Feel free to take your time since it is not really designed for bipeds, and don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it."
"Thanks," Din said, moving to the door and pausing only to look back at The Child, who slightly tilted his head. "Actually, Fluttershy is it? I want you to come stand outside the door. No offense, but I don't like him being too far away from me."
"No worries Mando," Fluttershy said, happily following him out the door. "Just knock if you need me since you won't have much clearance from the top of your helmet to the ceiling."
"I will," Din said, but he noticed that when Fluttershy shut the throne room door the conversation inside sounded like horse noises to him again. "So that room really is spelled, or enchanted, or whatever… seems I need to stick to using my hands to communicate for the time being. "
Pausing at the bathroom door and holding a single finger in Fluttershy's direction, Din opened to something that looked fitting for an Empress.
Like everything else he had seen so far, the entire decor was made of the same multi-hued crystal that was the foundation of the castle itself. A large bathtub with a shower fixture took up the entire left side wall of the room, with a toilet and sink right beside it. On the right side of the room, the crystal seemed to change, becoming a clear reflection like a natural mirror. Bottles of various shapes and sizes lined a shelf above the sink, the content labels unreadable to his eyes.
"That pony wasn't kidding, I don't have much clearance at all, " Din thought, bending his knees to free his head from its metallic casing. Once free, and walking with his back bent forward to give him a little more head room, Din moved over to the mirror to inspect the beginnings of his beard but paused at what he saw. "What the?!"
Due to not being able to shave as frequently since fleeing with The Child, he was getting used to having a short stubble that required a constant cutting every few days. Yet, the fuzz he saw growing in was not completely black like his hair. Instead, mixed in were a few lighter and thicker hairs that had a more milky appearance.
"I got to be seeing things," Din said, turning his head to look in the mirror from different angles, only to see the hairs did not change color. "Must be a trick of the light or something… or maybe this are the wizards the Head Maiden was warning me about."
That last thought gave him pause as that scenario ran through his mind. Even in the short time he had been on the planet, he had seen wonders that seemed impossible. Crystal castles and talking horses were high on his list of 'unnatural', but a swift kick of awareness by remembering he was in an entirely different galaxy put things in perspective.
"So, these aren't the wizards the Head Maiden was telling me about, " Din thought, scratching the stubble on his chin as he racked his brain. "However, that doesn't mean that they aren't wizards of some sort. This will require more time before I can fully trust them, but The Child does seem to trust that yellow one so that makes things somewhat easier. That is for me to worry about later, for now I need to know if these ponies have methods of shaving."
Doing a quick search of the cabinets turned up nothing, other than more weird looking tubes that looked like it was for sensitive areas. Frustrated, he scratched his chin fuzz once more, put his helmet back on, and opened the door to see The Child standing on the floor looking up at Fluttershy as she rubbed between his ears.
"I know you can't understand me right now," Din said, Fluttershy slightly tilting her head as he spoke. "But I need something to help get the fuzz off my face, something in this manner."
Getting down on one knee, Din took hold of Fluttershy's left front hoof and held it in his hands, causing the mare's eyes to widen and wings to go rigid. Paying no mind to her reaction, Din took off one of his gloves and started running his fingers down her leg in a simulated shaving motion, but could not help admire how soft the pony's fur was and understood why The Child had taken a short nap.
However, the pony fainting with a thud, and the throne room door bursting open shortly after, made Din jump back from being startled.
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow was at her friend's side in an instant, and after letting out a relieved sigh that she was fine, turned her attention to Din as she scowled. "What did you do to her tin can?!"
"Nothing," Din said, putting his glove back on as he spoke. "All I did was held her hoof as I ran my fingers down her leg as I mimicked a razor motion. I have a bit of stubble forming on my face and it is starting to get on my nerves and was wondering if you had anything like that here."
Din's words caused a range of reactions from the ponies. Twilight, Luna, and Celestia had their wings extended and bright blushes on their cheeks. Sunset and Starlight's mouths were hung open in shock. Pinkie shifted uncomfortably on her hooves as she looked away whistling. Applejack had her face hidden behind her hat, Rarity had a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and Rainbow was curled up in a ball laughing her head off.
"Um, Mr. Din," Twilight said, managing to compose herself as her wings relaxed to her sides. "I know you just landed here and all, but what you did was the start of a pegasus mating ritual."
"Of course it was, as if anything makes sense on this planet," Din said, no longer worried about why his beard fuzz looked different, but instead worried that he would not leave with his sanity intact. "All I wanted was to know if there was shaving equipment on this planet, nothing like what you described."
"Then this is going to be awkward when she wakes up," Celestia said, levitating Fluttershy onto her back to get her off the ground. "Considering she is in a relationship with Discord, things might get a tad messy. Luckily for you, we can all agree that since you didn't know what you were doing, you weren't trying to steal his mare."
"No offense, but no thank you," Din quickly raised his hand, keeping the others' objections at bay long enough to show he was not done explaining. "Considering where I come from you can be viewed as an exotic species, I'd rather not go down that rabbit hole of the complications that would arise out of that. Although, I noticed when the doors closed after Fluttershy came in here with me, I could not understand anything anyone was saying in the room."
"I already told you why," Twilight said, ruffling her feathers in annoyance. "I had enchanted the room so we could understand each other, so any open space connected to the room was part of the area the spell was effective in. Once she shut the door, the spell was no longer in here, since it was cut off from the room by the closed doors."
"Um, no, you didn't explain that part." Din said, glaring at the pony from under his helmet. "All you said was the room was enchanted, you didn't say anything about what would happen if I left the room."
"He is right Twilight," Celestia said, adjusting her stance to distribute the weight of Fluttershy being on her back a little better as the purple alicorn's eyes widened. "You did not tell him the spell was only for the throne room, so if anything, you are just as much to be blamed for as Mando. Granted, he could have waited until he was back in the room so he could have asked all of us, but you still failed to give that warning."
"Oops," Twilight said, lowering her head in shame before giving a slight bow to Din. "As the Princess of Friendship, I hereby apologize for my oversight. I should have warned you about all the areas the spell was in effect, and I hope you can forgive me for such a misunderstanding."
"I do," Din said, making Twilight look up at him with a slight smile. "Now, do you have a solution to my shaving problem?"
"I can help with that," Sunset said, reminding everyone that she was accounted for since she had stayed quiet since the introductions. "It will take me two days, but I think I can get what you need. Think you can manage that long?"
"Two days huh?" Din was not happy about the fact he had to wait, which was evident by the fact the bacon-themed mare flunched, but after a deep breath he composed himself. "Well, I guess that is better than nothing, but why would it take two days?"
"The portal that allows me to come between here and the world I live in," Sunset said, raising a hoof to prevent Twilight from interrupting. "It is a world almost identical to ours, except everyone on that side is the human version of the ponies that live here. Also, I can only use it once a day, so tomorrow I would have to go back and not return here until the following day. That isn't even including the fact that I don't even know how certain things would change between sides, because I can't even bring some advanced tech here without it turning into a book on binary, but I believe a razor and shaving cream shouldn't be an issue."
"Hypothetically you mean," Din said, sighing when Sunset nodded in confirmation. "Which means that you are not entirely sure if it will work. So, considering this entire place is made from crystal, think a shaving blade could be made from it?"
"I-I suppose," Twilight said, rubbing her chin in thought. "Would have to find a piece that isn't really needed, but I'm sure I could have one crafted by moonrise."
"Splendid," Din said, feeling a bit relieved that issue had been dealt with, however, another wormed its way to the surface of his brain. "Say, you said that… spell, only works in open areas connected to the throne room, correct?"
All the mares nodded, Twilight more than the others.
"Now then," Din continued. "If the party is in town, how are they going to understand me?"
"Crabapples!" Pinkie exclaimed, and before anyone could say a word a pink cloud shaped in her outline wasss all that was left where she was standing. "I got to warn the others!"
Author's Note
Mood:
Go to work, come home
In the short time that Din had been on this planet, he had already seen things that he knew if he told anybody else they would have had him committed to a prison for the insane. On the other side of the coin, seeing it firsthand, he had to open his mind to the very real possibility that he actually was experiencing the wonders that, to the natives, were just a normal daily routine. However, even that open mindedness could not believe the scene that awaited him when he reentered the throne room. The entire space looked as if a party bomb had gone off, with streamers, balloons, ribbon, and more on the ceiling and the central table now having a decorative table cloth with a full 'party food' buffet.
"How in the world…" Din said, trying and fumbling to make a remark on how fast Pinkie had livened the place up. He had seen countless festivals and celebrations in passing on his travels, but the flair that was on display outranked them all on a level he could not even fathom. "She only left a few minutes ago, how did she have time for this?!"
"Never question Pinkie Pie, it only leads to insanity," Twilight had to suppress a shudder at the violent memories that threatened to bubble to the surface, ones that made her ashamed when she reflected on them. Trying to figure out the party mare had led to many sleepless nights, for a number of reasons that she had to eventually have Princess Luna put a sleeping spell on her for several weeks until her mind recovered the lost rest."I know that from experience, so when she does something, just go along with it."
"Rightttttt…" Din said, his helmet concealing his eye roll at the explanation as he looked over the assorted party food, with everything except the chocolate cake that was outlined in the shape of The Child's head being unfamiliar to him. "So, since a lot of these foods I have never seen before, care to give me a quick explanation so that I don't make myself look like a fool?"
"You never had these dishes?" Rainbow asked, staring at the human with her mouth agape. "I may be the most awesome pegasus, and future best Wonderbolt, but she is the most awesome baker in Equestria. Why, I bet she could make mud taste like pudding!"
"She did once…" Applejack said, making all heads turn to her in bewilderment. "Well, at least Granny said so anyway, but she was dealing with ah nasty virus so take that as yah will. Considerin’ that her memory is not the best these days, the only way to know fer sure is if we ask Pinkie directly, and I do not feel like nosing my way into that business."
"Ok then," Wanting to put that imagery out of his head before it set root, Din once again thought over his options before letting out a slight sigh. “Thing is, I am unsure of how I will be able to balance between being the guest here and still hold onto my Creed. The fact I cannot take my helmet off around others really complicates matters, because I am sure there will be many who will want me to do so.”
“Well, to the fillies and colts you will be seen more like a superhero more than anything,” Rarity mused, running a hoof under her chin as her mind went to work wondering how he looked under the armor. She had read many stories featuring knights in armor, and knew of humans thanks to a mandatory portal hop from her human counterpart from an express order that had to be finished on a time crunch, but nonetheless she could not help her mind from drifting to her fantasies. “So, darling, why is it that your Creed mandates that you can not reveal your face? I am sure that your… choice of profession certainly plays a part, but is that the only reason?”
“Yes,” Din’s answer was flat and monotone, but despite the unbearable itch that his stubble was giving him, he was determined to stick to the principles that had been ingrained in him from the moment he took up the path of a Mandalorian. “You are correct that it does play a part, but that is because Mandalorians are supposed to stick to the shadows. When we do show up, you know that you have seriously got yourself in a situation that there is no escape from. This armor deflects almost all blaster types, so it is a safeguard against our foes, and our identities to be kept in secret. If a Mandalorian is seen without their helmet by another intelligent being, then they have forsaken the Creed and are no longer deemed a Mandalorian. Sure, they will keep the armor, but in the eyes of others like me they are seen as a traitor against everything we stand for. It also puts a target not only on the backs of the outcast, but should they be captured, also those they have associations with.”
“You know,” Celestia mused, a light nicker escaping her as she thought over the situation. She had years of experience in not only orchestrating treaties, but also finding loopholes around laws. It had come in handy on more than one occasion when dealing with Canterlot’s more stubborn nobility, but just as she knew how to find loopholes, she also knew how to exploit them. “There is a perfectly reasonable solution to this problem. Mando, you said that you can’t remove your helmet around intelligent life, correct? Pray tell me, when you went to the bathroom and the door was closed, what did the talking in here sound like to you?”
“Sounded like a bunch of whinnies and such,” Din said, only to pause when he realized that the alicorn had given him a crystal clear workaround. It also made him aware that the mare standing before him was knowledgeable with technicalities, something that both amused and frightened him. “I see, without the spell, you all would be seen as nothing more than normal equines. Thus, by removing my helmet, I technically would not be violating my Creed should anyone ask due to the perception. Clever.”
“Good to know that you saw where I was going with that,” Celestia smiled, a radiant smile that seemed to brighten the room slightly. “You do not rule a nation for over 1000 years and not learn how to look for ways around problems that still, by all accounts, fall within the rules. This would also allow you to not worry about dealing with that scruff irritating the inside of your helmet. Such unscratchable itches are a dread to deal with after all, why, there was this one time-”
“Alright,” Had it been years prior, Din interrupting Celestia would have been seen as pure blasphemy, the ultimate sign of disrespect to the Wielder of the Sun. Now, however, she held no power, but while most ponies still gave her the proper due, Din was of another world, and had no idea of what she was at the prime of her position. Unknowingly to all of them, they all felt the same feeling that the exchange had gone on past the point it should have, so nothing was said. “As much as I hate to admit it, you provide a valid point. Besides, with me here completely off the grid, it isn’t like anyone else is going to know right? I feel dirty doing this, but considering the circumstances, I feel that it is only proper that as a guest to your world that I go in accordance with your customs.”
“Now hang on,” Twilight trotted up to the mysterious human, placing a hoof on the smooth beskar that covered his chest. It was cold to her touch, but the scientific part of her mind ran wild on wanting to see just how durable the plating was, and if she could recreate it to help with defending Equestria. It was her sworn duty as Princess of Equestria, but such talks could wait, and promptly shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind. “We would not want you to do anything that you are not comfortable with. If you want to leave your helmet on, we will respect that decision, but Celestia merely offered a way to give you a bit of relief from your predicament. As the leader of this nation, I apologize for any disrespect we may have done towards your Creed, I just hope you can accept this apology and this does not strain our current state of affairs.”
“So, she really wants to ensure that there is no trouble between us, ” Din thought, caught a bit off guard at Twilight’s apology. It had been a long time since he had someone give him one, and the only reason he even got the last one was due to a case of getting caught in the crossfire of two feuding families on a stop on Naboo. That had been a pain to sort out, mostly due to both families thinking that the other had hired him, but this was the first time that anyone had apologized for potentially disrespecting his beliefs. He could tell that it was sincere in nature, and only served to further cement that he may have crash landed upon some unexpected allies. “Apology accepted, but I do think that your companion, Celestia, was it? Had a very compelling point, and considering how much the stubble is benign a bother, I will be taking her up on the proposal.”
For so long he had stuck to his Creed, even killing over the simple manner of refusing to show his face. His helmet was as much a part of him as his skin or hair, and to break that bond was akin to taking a blaster shot unprotected to the heart. He knew that, should any of his fellow Mandalorians ever find out, he would be thrown out of the order. However, as he had witnessed before, desperate situations called for a desperate response, and with the solution to the scruff still hours away he knew the only option. Reaching up and undoing the mechanism that held his helmet in place, he slowly took the symbol of his being off his head and set it on the table. Looking at the group, he could not help but hear a light gasp from one of them but chose not to question it.
“So,” Din said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the table, eyeing the display with a renewed vigor considering his stomach knew that it was going to be supplemented. “As good as all of this food looks, do you think it will be ok if I sample everything, or should I wait for Pinkie and the others?"
"Considering she is throwing this party for you , I think that she wouldn't mind," Twilight said, levitating a plate in her magic and throwing a sample of nachos, fries, a veggie taco, and a slice of cake onto it before passing it to Din with a fork. "Dig in and enjoy."
Taking the plate and giving a rather skeptical look, Din decided to start with the nachos, his eyes widening in surprise at the rich flavor that assaulted his taste buds in a crossfire of deliciousness. The chips were still crunchy, with the gooey cheese and jalapeno peppers adding both texture and kick. He had no short list of experiences when it came to cuisine across the galaxy, but the pure, to him, uniqueness pushed it over the top. Cheese was no foreign concept to him, due to having spent more time than he cared to admit surviving on rations of banta cheese, but this was different. The rich, milky texture was a pleasant surprise, one that he wanted to have more of. Cleaning off the cheese that had stuck to his fingers, he was tempted to dig in for seconds, but decided instead to try the next item on his plate.
In comparison to the complex flavor blend of the nachos, the fries were plain. Just a pinch of vinegar, salt, and pepper to give some semblance of "flavor" and texture but otherwise Din found it underwhelming. He figured that was a byproduct of Pinkie being pressed for time, so he shrugged off the feeling as he moved on to the taco. Much to his surprise, the veggies were crisp and the bean mesh had a strong spice kick that completely caught him off guard. Overall, he found the taco to be pleasing, and with a few tweaks he could see himself making it a daily meal for a work out. This, of course, left just the cake.
The sweetness of the fresh strawberry. The richness of the buttercream. Both worked in harmony with the vanilla cake base underneath, a perfect tango that did not overpower the other. He lost himself in the flavor, his worries and concerns about trying to find a way back home evaporating in an instant. It was like he got wrapped in a loving blanket, and it gave him a sense of security that he could not explain. Numerous positive emotions blossomed from the sensation, joy, happiness, and peace to name a few and soon his thoughts to The Child. He thought about the youngling growing up in the town, making friends like Fluttershy without the worry of being hunted down and needing to consistently be on guard.
For the first time since his long-distant youth, before Mandalor fell and his life was turned upside down, he felt happy. It lifted his spirits and be could feel himself soaring over Ponyville without the need of his jetpack, the wind currents guiding him higher and higher as he landed on a nice, soft cloud that cradled him like an infant. As soon as the feeling set in, he was drawn out of it by Twilight's voice calling for him.
"Mando? Mando, can you hear me?!" Din slowly opened his eyes, revealing that he had somehow ended up on the floor with the purple princess looking at him in a near panic. Another pony, one that he had never seen before wearing a red symbol on her hat, had a hoof on his neck while looking at a watch. "Oh thank Celestia you are alert, I was starting to worry that you were not going to wake up until Redheart here reassured me that you were only in a minor food coma."
"Not even that princess," The mysterious mare, who Din figured was Redheart, said as she turned her attention to him. "Tell me sir, have you ever consumed a lot of sweets in one sitting before?"
"No, not really," Din was both confused and cautious, not wanting to risk having a repeated and unexpected blackout. He had no allergies that he was aware of, but if a mere slice of cake could knock him out cold without any warning, he knew he had to be more careful with his cuisine choices as he sat up. Looking around, he saw that the room was now packed with ponies, with the identical Pinkie Pies looking at him in worry. "Most things where I come from are made from whatever is available, so having so much sweetness is something that I am not used to."
"Just as I thought," Redheart sighed, putting away her watch before looking at Din once more. "Your body is not used to the sugar content, so it overloaded your body and made you black out. As such, I suggest that you take it slow with your sugar intake until you acclimate to our sugar levels. I also request that you stop by the hospital for a proper physical, for certainty that you can even digest our food to begin with."
“I can provide information on that!” Pinkles giggled, bouncing in place fast enough that Din thought that she was starting to float in place. “Me, Pinkie, and TwiTwi all have-”
“What she means is, we all have some knowledge of human biological systems, courtesy of our friend Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight said, cutting Pinkles off before she had the chance to blow the cover on the existence of the mirror. The story spread around Ponyville was that Pinkles was one of Pinkie’s clones that managed to elude discovery and had gained her own quirky personality, something that the alicorn was deadset on keeping in place. “That being said, considering that I keep in constant contact with her, and have written extensive notations on the subject as a result, you are more than welcome to browse them to add to Mando’s case file.”
“You have my thanks princess,” Redheart said, giving the Princess of Magic a slight bow before looking back at Din. “As for you, I do expect to have that physical done, no ifs, ands, or buts!”
“Considering that I crash landed here and have no way of leaving anytime soon, I will comply.” Shifting back to his feet and using the table for balance, Din managed to force a half-hearted smile as he looked over the group. “Sorry for giving you all a scare, shall we proceed with the festivities?”
And what a party it was.
Luna’s moon had long-since passed high into the sky by the time the last pony, Lyra Heartstrings, bid farewell and retired to her abode. As for Din, he found himself relaxing in a large, comfortable bed in one of the castle’s guest bedrooms. A crystal, glowing softly from the same translation spell that Twilight had used for the party, rested on his nightstand beside a second, smaller crystal that had been crafted into a makeshift razor. He rubbed his right hand over his now-smooth chin, silently remarking how well it felt to his touch as he gazed up at the ceiling. The glowing crystal had done wonders to bring the room to life, with the glow causing a cascade of colors that danced and flowed around him in a silent dance, a screen of living color that mellowed his mind and put his troubled heart at ease.
Much to Twilight’s, and his, relief there had been no further incidents at the party, and he had to admit that it was nice to just relax without having to worry about a threat lurking in the shadows. Only once had his inner guard been raised, when he swore an Earth Pony with a green coat and sapphire blue mane and tail had their violet eyes briefly pulse green did he question if he should be concerned, but considering all the crystal and the fact he was recovering from a blackout spell he played it off as a trick of the light. In meeting the townsponies, he found himself thinking back to treks he had on numerous planets in the Outer Rim, with a wide variety of personalities coming together yet still managing to live in a peaceful coexistence. It was reassuring in its own way, that even in another galaxy, there was still a semblance of normalcy to be found as he looked at the sleeping child that took up the other half of the bed.
“You had a tiring day didn’t you,” Lightly rubbing The Child’s head, he allowed himself to chuckle at all the attention his tiny companion had been given. Everypony had complimented some degree of how adorable he was, with many looking on more in curiosity than disgust when some frog legs that had been salvaged from the Razor Crest had been presented to him for dinner. As for The Child, he was fine as long as he stayed close to Din, but a degree of antsy showed itself when Fluttershy had to leave to go home and tend to her animal friends. A ‘Pinkie Promise’ to visit the next day had allowed The Child to allow her to leave, and had fallen asleep soon after. “With as many younglings as there are in town, you should have no problem making friends.”
Even though he was currently slumbering away, Din had a feeling that The Child had still heard him, evident from his miniscule hand moving to touch Din’s left one and giving a light squeeze. It still amazed the veteran mandalorian as to how something so small possessed such a wide range of abilities and techniques, but considering he had been around magical ponies all day, he found it relatively easy to compare the two to the other. Unicorns, Earth ponies, and Pegasi, he observed and learned through various conversations with the partygoers, each tribe and pony had their own sector of magic that they excelled in with those with a cutie mark having mastered their skill. Those comparisons made him think of how the Armorer had branded him and The Child as ‘a clan of two’ and been given their own insignia, in a way, with his own weaponry skills and the latter’s abilities with his mind, he found himself believing that was their cutie mark.
This he swore there and then, would define him going forward.
A light knock at the door drew his attention, and soon the figure of Trixie Lulamoon peeked into the room. The show mare had made a rather grand entrance to the party, both fashionably late and packed with enough lights it could have been seen from the moon’s orbit. Trixie, to her credit, had caught Din’s interest from the fact she only referred to herself in third person, no different than telling The Child about an individual while recounting one of his numerous hunts while earning his reputation. Still, even with the odd speech pattern, he had found her company rather enjoyable, mostly on the account that his foundling had thoroughly enjoyed being able to ‘fly’ in the mare’s magic.
“Trixie is sorry for bothering you this late, but do you have a moment to chat?” A quick ‘yes’ caused the unicorn to enter in a way that completely contradicted her earlier composure. While the Trixie at the party moved with fluidity and grace, the Trixie that stood before him walked with a light limp and a shyness that showed her being reserved. “The little one seemed to enjoy Trixie’s tricks, but Trixie was curious what you thought of them.”
“Rather well done, if I had to judge,” Din could tell, even in the low-light environment, that answer had not sat well considering he saw the mare’s shoulders slouch slightly. Not wanting to end the day on a sour note, he decided to clarify. “Nothing wrong mind you, it is just I am not used to just observing a show in detail, so it will take some time to adjust to something of your talents.”
“Oh,” A pause, short and sudden, was explained by the faint grin that was on Trixie’s face. It was a look of joy, like when he had managed to get his first major bounty that put him in a respected view. “Well, Trixie will be sure to put extra effort in the next show, Trixie guarantees!”
“Shh, not so loud,” Din chided, pointing to the sleeping infant, the realization making Trixie’s ears droop. “It is ok, just letting you know in order to not wake him. If the show that you put on today is any indication, I am sure that you can find a way to top it at the next show.”
“Trixie appreciates the compliment,” Taking off her hat and dipping into a bow, a sense of pride filled Trixie’s chest at knowing she had impressed the alien, and a tiny part of her rejoiced at finally one-uping Twilight Sparkle. Her rival may have become a princess, but she was the first showmare to get approval from a being beyond the stars. “Trixie is also curious, why do you remove the fur from your face? Why not let it grow?”
“I have to keep it short, otherwise it starts to itch.” Din said, mentally questioning if his scruff was already starting to grow back in. Owing to exhaustion, he decided to ignore it and rested his head on his chest. “Not to mention, let it grow too long, it would be more troublesome when I go to eat.”
“Fair point,” Returning the hat to her head, she used her magic to push the door closed, opting to lay beside the bed on the warm bedside rug. Even while on the road, she longed to return to the castle to recharge, the specially-enchanted design meant to mimic a heat pad for ponies who had trouble regulating their body temperature. It guaranteed a perfect recharge rest, and she was about to take full advantage of that fact. “Though, just so you know, you are not the only one who has changed from who they used to be.”
“Oh?” Turning on his side and looking down at the unicorn, the battle-hardened warrior was perplexed at the statement. While it was true that they had swapped parts of their respective pasts at the party, he felt like it was rather soon to jump to a statement of that sort. “While I could say that suits the nature of your redemption, what insight did you gather about me from the little info that I gave you?”
“You are like a father now,” Trixie said, making Din raise an eyebrow in return. “That one trusts you, Trixie can see that much. He trusts you to protect him, and you trust him to try and stay out of harm’s way. You trusted Trixie by letting Trixie glide him in my magic. You said you were a fighter, fighters trust nopony except those close, trust no one else. Yet, you trusted Trixie, so you have changed already, even if it was not seen by you. Trixie was… not this at birth, so Trixie knows about changed and growth, and Trixie sees it from what Trixie knows.”
“Huh, guess you are right,” While Din felt that the point could have been worded different, he could find no flaw in the logic. “It is been a hard adjustment for me, considering that I am now responsible for him and never have been in this situation before. I have always been on the lookout for myself only, now I got to double that to ensure his.”
“Trixie knows how it feels,” Trixie sighed, Luna’s Land of Nod rapidly closing in around her to lead her to the comfort of her dream bubble. “But you should think about visiting Rarity, she could make you some normal clothes, and you should let your fur grow out, it looked pretty in the lights.”
“I will think about it,” Rolling onto his back once more, he could feel the lure of sleep taking hold, the last thought being about Trixie mistaking his beard for fur.
Din was no stranger to having dreams, however what he was not used to was there being a vacant nothingness. Floating in a bubble in the vacuum of space, with countless stars twinkling around him, kept alive only by the logic of his imagination. Yet, he found his movement restricted, with a full arms reach being met with a semi-tense resistance like punching a bag underwater. It felt welcoming, like the faint fragile memories of his youth, and it manifested when Luna physically made herself known.
“Well now, this is a surprise,” Luna said, walking over to him. While in the waking world he stood a fair bit taller than her, here her presence showed she was in control. “Welcome to my domain Mando.”
“Pr- Luna?” He mentally cussed himself at nearly adding the former-loyal title, something that both Luna and Celestia had made clear at the party they wanted to be addressed only by their names. “Judging by your reaction, I assume that I am not supposed to be here?”
“Not at all,” Sitting a few feet from him, even at that closeness the Princess felt so far away. She was the master of the dream realm, and it obeyed her every command, so it knew what its wielder wanted before she even channeled the magic. “I want you to try something for me, think of something from your past. It can be anything, just try and focus on it.”
“Um, ok? Raising an eyebrow, he knew better than to push the Star Warden. Focusing on a memory, he thought about the events that occurred.
He could feel the world around him shift, and soon he could feel the air around him become dry and arid. Opening his eyes, he saw members of various alien races pilfering around the bar, some having casual conversations or others drowning their sorrows away after another brutal loss in the race dunes. Glancing downward, he could not believe his eyes, one of the first sets of armor he ever wore, just as he had remembered. Glancing around the bar, he set his sights on one straggly fellow in the corner, a leader of one of the bigger bands of spice runners. He had wracked up an insane 175,000 credit bounty thanks to his various acts, including sending the severed body of one of the crime lords to the others piece by piece as a messege.
And like an x-wing pilot straight out academy, Din was ready to get his first collect.
Standing up, he took a few steps out the door, electing for the shade of the markets to cover up the contrast from his armor. Time then seemed to move in fast forward, individuals moving past at an unreasonable speed. When it slowed down, the target in question was walking out of the cantina with an associate closing off the latest deal. His hand glided effortlessly to his pistol, and with a movement akin to lightning he had it drawn and fired the deadly shot. Raw adrenaline poured through him as he ran over, tearing off what he needed for proof of kill, and fled into an alleyway as the vision faded to black.
“Not all assignments will be so simple,” The Armorer’s voice echoed in the darkness, the scene beginning to brighten once more. ”Sometimes, you will be lucky to come back alive.”
Cold icy terror filled him as all the strength drained out his body, his bones having been pulverized. Leaping into hiding, he could only hear his death approaching.
“Oh my,” Luna ignited her horn, silencing her inner self and cutting off its food supply. “That is a very sensitive memory you triggered, but I stopped it before it would come to fruition.”
“Thank you,” Din knew exactly what that memory was, and it brought him pain every time it occurred. Luna stopping it made him relax, and knew that she would make his dreams more pleasant. “I really do not like having to relive that event, so you were a bigger help than you realize.”
“Least I can do for one who struggles with truma,” Horn aglow once more, she made the landscape change to a cliff face overlooking a pleasant valley full of flowers. “Now this is interesting, care to tell me about this place?”
“Just someplace a long time ago in a place far, far away,” Din said, taking in a deep breath of the crisp mountain air and slowly releasing it. “Never got around to getting a chance to revisit, but something about that landscape burned into my head. Every time that I am stressed, I think about that place to help settle my nerves and it normally does the trick.”
“We can see why,” Luna’s attention was soon drawn to one of the many creatures that lurked in the flowers, leaping when it caught a smaller, bee-like shape that had the unfortunate pleasure of being made into a meal. “I am rather amazed that you can recall such a stunning level of detail, it is not often I come across someone who can delve so deep into the arts of mastering their own dreams. Getting back to an earlier point, the past few dreams show that you are fully within our dreamrealm, so if you have any troubles, it will be quite easy to squash them to rest. I may have retired from my duties as princess, but I still command this realm to keep all nightmares at bay and to ensure a peaceful nights slumber.”
“Good to know that will be kept in check,” What Din did not address was the thought of being spied on in his dreams made him feel a little uncomfortable, but if it meant never having to relive a certain recurring flashback he would gladly take the trade-off. “So, how is it that I am even in your dreamrealm to begin with? You almost make it sound like not everyone is apart of it.”
“That is because they aren’t,” The scene around them shifted once more, this time to one of Luna’s own making. Taking refuge in the comfort of her former chambers in Canterlot Castle, she motioned to the study table that had a fresh kettle of tea brewing, and a couple of plush chairs that were awaiting occupancy. “Care to join me?”
“Well, guess so,” Taking the chair across from Luna, Din couple feel how soft the material was, and the smooth porcelain cup that was given to him felt no different than how it would while awake. The tea soothed his throat, gently going down and leaving his taste buds satisfied. “I am going to need the recipe for this, but what do I owe the honor of being in this setting to begin with?”
“A hunch, if you would allow it to be called that,” Taking a sip from her own cup, Luna hummed softly before continuing. “You are new to this world, a world full of arcane and magic, and as a result were a null zone. Being here, in my realm, shows that is no longer the case, you have absorbed some aspected pony magic into your body from the environment. As for what tribe? Probably too early to tell, same can be said for what degree of skills you would pick up.”
“Sounds like there is a chance that I could be able to move things then as you do with your horn, or this child does with his mind,” Din had mixed feelings at that bit of news. While one part of him was worried as to what extent the magic would change him, the battle-oriented side of his brain could not help but admit that picking up any of the tribes’ skills would be a massive secret weapon in his arsenal. “Lets say that I develop some skills, think that I could harness it into a usable form? I am not a pony like you, so would that have some degree of impact with utilizing it?”
“If there was an answer I could give now, I would,” Luna sighed, turning her gaze to the window. “Even now I feel the threads of your dreams beginning to unravel as you draw closer to consciousness, but rest assured, even if we are not physically close I will be sure to visit in your dreams to help with any adjustments you are going through during your time here.”
“Thank you,” True to Luna’s word, he could see the room they were in start to distort, he himself feeling an upward tugging motion akin to a beacon by a stormy sea. “Hope that we can stay in touch, this was a nice conversation, and could honestly get used to having these talks.”
“Then we shall continue having them,” Luna’s voice sounded further away at this point as everything faded from view, a light steadily building over him as he moved faster and faster upwards. “Until tomorrow night, take care.”
Waking up with a light yawn and feeling fully refreshed, he noticed that it was already after sunrise. The soft beams of light fluttered in through the window providing him their warmth, and the smell of something fresh being prepped waffled in the air. The unknown food source still was enough to trigger his stomach, and he could not help but notice Trixie and The Child both begin to stir as well from the smell.
“Trixie smells pancakes,” The mare said, stretching with a feline-like posture and standing, adjusting her hat and cape as The Child stood and looked at her. “Trixie thinks he wants to come with Trixie to get breakfast, may Trixie take him to the kitchen?”
“Seeing as how I got to still freshen up and get changed, be my guest,” While Din secretly enjoyed the feeling of the cotton sleepwear that Rarity had made for him the previous night, he found the notion silly of him wearing pajamas around all day and wanted to get back into his armor. “Worst case, if I get lost I can just call out and hope someone hears me, but I remember my way back downstairs at the least.”
“Then you will not get lost,” Trixie said, levitating The Child onto her back and heading for the door. “Better hurry, Spike may be a good cook, but Trixie has a big appetite!”
Once again alone in the bedchamber, Din made his way to the adjoining bathroom to conduct his morning business. It was business as usual, but after washing his hands he caught a look at his reflection in the mirror and nearly screamed in alarm. The soft fuzz he had felt the previous day was back, something that startled him to the point he ran out the room without changing out his pajamas. Speeding down the stairs and entering the kitchen, Twilight and the others jumped out of their seats at his sudden entry.
“We got a problem,” Din said, pointing at his chin in emphasis. “I shaved last night, yet this is already back. Luna visited me in my dreams last night and told me that there was a chance the natural magic of this world was starting to seep into me, but we need to start keeping a closer track of anything that occurs.”
“Luna visited you?” Quirking an eyebrow, Twilight spread her wings and raised into a gentle hover, moving in front of his face and using her hoof to feel the fuzz. “Yeah, I think closer observation is warranted, this feels like pony fur.”
“Exactly why you see my alarm,” Din, as much as he wanted to freak out, kept himself mostly composed at seeing The Child looking at him in what he felt was concern. Walking over and patting the infant’s head, the gesture seemed to calm his foundling companion. “You know, I find this situation kind of ironic. Here the Armorer warned me about evil wizards, but you all use magic peacefully, and that same magic is apparently changing me in the process. Yet, as strange as that is, I do not feel threatened at all by all of this and feel no jeopardy to my life.”
“Twilight, Trixie thinks that Harmony might be an influence,” Much to the unicorn’s glee, Twilight nodded after a moment, the lavender alicorn summoning a notebook and quill with inkwell to hastily write down some notes. Seeing the human’s confusion, she pressed on. “Trixie also thinks that Starlight will be able to assist, since she has mastered the travel spell and you are busy running Equestria.”
“I find no fault there, seeing as how I do need to return to Canterlot soon,” Twilight sighed, and while she looked forward to sorting through the backlog of paperwork that surely awaited her, what she did not look forward to was having to deal with the thorn-in-her-flank nobility. They felt that Celestia and Luna’s retirement had given them recourse to push reforms that would line their pockets more, but found that Twilight was no fool, and it led to heads clashing more often than not. “Very well, once we get your physical with Redheart done, I will head back to Canterlot and entrust your care into Starlight and Trixie’s hooves. Spike as well, and he will be able to send your reports to me quickly thanks to his dragon fire.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Din shrugged, a little unsure about the plan but it was better than nothing. His mind turned to his possible transformation, and while he wanted to try and get off the planet before he lost his hands, he knew that was likely not going to happen and had to resign himself to accepting his fate as he took a plate of offered pancakes and started to dig in. “Say Twilight, since it looks like I am going nowhere anytime soon with my ship a junkpile, is there any sort of paperwork I need to file to travel if needed? Some planets where I am from have customs and identification, but I am unsure how things work here.”
“Well, if it is honorary citizenship you are looking for, I can approve that with no issue,” Not a full truth, she knew, because more than one in the noble circuit would ask questions when word spread of a human being in Ponyville, but that was a problem for her to solve. “For now, however, I think it is best you stick to town and the surrounding areas until we know for sure the extent of how the ambient magic is changing you. Once we get a grasp of that and can plan accordingly, then we can-”
“Princess, is that a human?” A female voice, one that Din did not recognize, said from behind him in the doorway. He did not have to wait long to see its owner as a unicorn with a broken horn walked past him and stood in front of Twilight. She wore a full set of silver and blue armor, with Twilight’s cutie mark centered over her chestplate. “To my recollection, you told me that any humans from the portal are turned into ponies once they cross the threshold. Their coloration also seems off, is this individual to be watched?”
“I will explain later Fizzlepop, I promise,” Twilight said, giving the new unicorn a half smile. “But you are right, humans from the mirror world do change into ponies once they cross, but Mando here is a special case. He came from another world, and his crashed spaceship outside town is proof of it and I have deemed him not to be a threat.”
“I will trust your judgment,” Fizzlepop dipped into a bow, similar to the one Din himself often saw by soldiers responding to their leader’s orders. “Reason I am here is that you were due to return to Canterlot yesterday afternoon, and seeing as how there has been no correspondence, I came here as fast as I could to address the situation.”
“Ever my loyal charge,” Twilight giggled, giving Fizzlepop a few gentle nuzzles and a soft kiss on the cheek. “Once I get Mando here checked out by Redheart, I will be heading back to Canterlot, you have my word.”
“Good, because we both know how the nobles get when they feel you are not looking,” Turning and heading once more for the door, Fizzlepop stopped to offer a parting word. “See you soon Sparkle.”
“Oh how I love that mare,” Twilight giggled, lidding her eyes in the direction Tempest had departed and led a full Din out of the castle and towards the town hospital. Many of the partygoers from the previous day stopped to give the pair a wave, something that Din did in return out of courtesy. “Anyway, here we are, don’t feel nervous about anything because I will be right here beside you for the whole thing.”
Deep down, even that little bit of reassurance still did little to quell the raging storm occurring in his mind.
