Wish Gone Awry. Enter Equestria! Enter New Life!

Eyes fluttering slowly open, Julius awoke. A soft scent of lavender filled the room as warm pulsing breathing cushioned Julius's head. Turning his head to a side, Julius nuzzled his cheek against the soft belly lavender-scented fur tickled his face as he subconsciously kissed a pert nipple.

"A bit early in the day for that, don't you think?" Luna teased while giggling.

"Mhm, maybe, but it's comforting," Julius moaned, half awake. Nuzzling deeply into Luna's belly, Julius hovered between being awake and asleep. "Where are the others?" Julius sleepily groaned, relaxing softly in Luna's warmth.

"Zecora is harvesting some herbs. Twilight is in Ponyville, sending a letter to her brother. Rainbow Dash, however, she's off scouring the Everfree Forest trying to find your stalker," Luna explained with a slightly amused huff.

"A brother, great, I suppose I'll have to deal with him at some point," Julius slightly grumpily remarked as he slowly got up. "So what kind of brother is he?"

"While I haven't seen much of him, Shining Armor seems like a decent enough stallion," Luna starts to explain as Julius starts chuckling, "last I've seen of him, he and Mi Amore Cadenza were getting close."

"His name is Shining Armor, really Shining Armor? Oh, please tell me he has a fedora-wearing friend named White Knight," Julius laughs while sitting up. "And Mi Amore Cadenza, that sounds vaguely Latin to me. I think that's My Love Song or something like that," Julius absentmindedly said, much to Luna's confusion.

"I'm not sure what this Latin is, but Mi Amore Cadenza is a descendant of the Crystal royal line," Luna explained as she got out of bed.

"Oh, was that out loud? My bad ignore that," Julius lightly laughed as he got up out of bed. "Can you get whatever's left of breakfast together? Zecora always left a good bit left for me, so there should be something left," Julius asked as he got his clothes, "I would do it myself, but I need to find something."

"I take it this thing you need to find is the thing you were going to show us last night?" Luna asked as she left the room.

"Almost I'm looking for a lockbox; the thing I want to show you is locked inside," Julius clarified as he got dressed. After he got dressed, the first place Julius checked was Zecora's dresser. Tribal-looking clothing, jewelry, and accessories littered the dresser, but the lockbox wasn't there. The second-place Julius checked was the closet. Dark, messy, and cluttered could describe the closet if one felt nice. Many long minutes passed of Julius ruffling around in the closet until finally, he found a small oaken lockbox with Zebrican script inlaid in brass. Grabbing the lockbox, Julius walked out to the kitchen. Eyeing the kitchen table, Julius saw what looked like bowls of oatmeal. Placing the box on a clear spot on the table, Julius sat down and picked up a spoon.

"That is a gorgeous box," Luna remarked upon seeing the box, "I'm guessing you have something locked inside," Luna guessed as she ate a spoonful of oatmeal.

"Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I can never remember the combination to unlock it. So unless you know an unlocking spell, we gotta find Zecora," Julius jokingly laughed as he started to eat. As Julius raised a full spoon, he heard the telltale sound of a lock being unlocked. "You know an unlocking spell? I was joking, you know," Julius laughed before eating a spoonful of oatmeal.

"I know many spells. As far as my magical education goes, I am very thoroughly taught," Luna explained as she opened the lid of the box. "So what is it that you have in this box?"

"One second," Julius said as he swallowed a mouthful of oatmeal. Reaching into the box, Julius rummaged around inside the box. Fine Zebrican jewelry made with yellow gold and brilliant emeralds filled the box. It'd be impossible to tell by touch alone what Julius was looking for to one unknowing. To Julius, though, he knew what he was looking for, a seemingly plain ring. After a few moments, Julius found the ring. Pulling his hand out of the box, Julius held out his hand. In his palm alone, out-of-place ring. Unadorned, no engravings, and seemingly a glowing white-silver instead of yellow gold, it seemed like it didn't belong in the box. "This is titanium," Julius told Luna as he presented the ring to her.

"That ring is a thing of true beauty!" Luna exclaimed, looking over the ring. "That must have been expensive," Luna remarked as she looked at the entrancing ring.

"It was a gift from my uncle. Though to be fair, he did pay a lot for it," Julius cleared up for Luna. "Here, let me see your hoof." Obliging Luna held out her hoof. Taking Luna's hoof in his hand, Julius slipped off the silver finery adorning it, and in her bare hoof, he placed the titanium ring.

"It's light!" Luna gasped in shock. Sure she wasn't expecting it to weigh much, it is a ring after all, but it was much lighter than when she thought it would be. "And you say that this is stronger than ĉiela metalo?" Luna asked as she felt the ring in her hoof.

"Very much so," Julius confirmed as he ate his breakfast. "So, do you think it can be duplicated?"

"I don't see why not," Luna said as an ethereal blue glow engulfed the ring. Luna started to lift the ring with her magic before the glow dissipated, making the ring fall to the table.

"What just happened?" Julius asked with some concern.

"I-it slipped!" Luna said in shock. "Are you sure the ring is not enchanted in any way?" Luna asked as she lightly tested the ring with her magic.

"It was made in my world with metal from my world. My world doesn't have magic, so yes, I am very sure it isn't enchanted," Julius told Luna as he watched Luna test the ring.

"There might be a problem then," Luna said as she tried her magic on the ring. It would seem like this metal is naturally magic resistant," Luna said as she focused hard on the ring. With an amount of focus and energy she wasn't expecting to use, Luna could levitate the ring and move it around before setting it down before Julius.

"Well, it can still be affected by magic, so how resistant is it?" Julius asked as he grabbed his ring with his free hand.

"With such a small amount and such limited testing, I cannot say for sure," Luna said as she put her silver finery back on. "But if I had to guess, it's exceptionally resistant. Comparing it to other things, I'd guess that it's about the third or fourth most resistant thing I've come across."

"Ok, so what's more resistant, and how much more resistant are they?" Julius asked as he rolled the ring around his fingers.

"Well, the most resistant would be the Changeling Black Stones. They absorb all non-Changeling magic. I've seen a small one destroyed by magic when I was a filly, but Starswirl did it, and the stone was no bigger than your ring. The second and third most resistant thing is the hide of Ursa Majors and Maulwurfs. It's hard to say which is better at resisting magic, but both are immune to all but the strongest unicorns," Luna explained as Julius shot a look at her.

"Ursa Majors? Is that the name of that colossal starry bear? Are there more of them?" Julius asked in some exasperation.

"Yes, and did you run into an Ursa Major?" Luna asked with great concern.

"Accidentally, yes. Deep in the forest. It started to rain heavily one day, so I took shelter in a cave. I heard some hefty breathing once I was inside. I looked behind me and saw a large starry bear lying down next to this massive starry bear. I backed up slowly out of the cave; then after I was out, I ran like hell," Julius explained to Luna's shock and somewhat amusement.

It's a good thing that you did," Luna told Julius. "The only ponies I know that could take on an Ursa Major alone are Celestia, and even in my weakened state myself," Luna said as she resumed eating her breakfast.

"So enough of giant starry bears," Julius chuckled lightly, "can the titanium be duplicated?"

"It might be possible," Luna said, swallowing a mouthful of oatmeal. "Either Celestia or I would have to work right next to the Alric brothers. It would likely take up a large amount of magical energy, and you wouldn't get too much," Luna started to explain, "that is assuming that Celestia allows it."

"Well, why wouldn't she allow it?" Julius asked with a bit of annoyance.

"This titanium seems to be naturally resistant to magic. Materials that have natural magical resistances are very heavily controlled in Equestria. There is a chance that my sister won't allow it, or she will allow it but only a small amount and even then only if she knows what it will be used for," Luna explained as she ate her breakfast.

"Not sure it'll help, but I can offer her some alone time," Julius jokingly laughs.

"I'll keep your offer in mind when I ask her about it," Luna chuckles as she finishes her oatmeal. "After we finish here, I'll fly off to Canterlot to talk to my sister about it," Luna tells Julius, "may I take the ring with me?" Luna asked.

"As long as I get it back, and as long as it's needed, sure," Julius told Luna as he placed the ring on the table. "How will you take it with you? Want me to slide it over your horn?" Julius jokingly teased.

"Thank you, but no, that'd interfere far too much with my magic. I'll take it with me in a saddlebag," Luna told Julius as she levitated a spare saddlebag over to her.

"Ok, just don't lose it," Julius told Luna. "In my world, it's valuable; here, it's one of a kind."

"Don't worry, I won't lose it," Luna assured Julius as he carefully placed the ring inside the saddlebag. Finishing off their breakfast, Julius and Luna cleaned up and headed out. "I'll go ahead to Cantarlot. When I come back, expect my sister to me with me," Luna told Julius as she stretched he wings. "I suspect she'll want to talk to you directly about this."

"Alright, I'll prepare for a meeting with your sister," Julius said as Luna started to fly. "Good luck! I believe in you!" Julius shouted at Luna as she flew off towards Canterlot. "Alright, now to find Zecora, then Rainbow Dash," Julius said as he lightly stretched. Eyeing a few mildly hidden paths, Julius started down the one that looked to be the most recently traveled. It was a nice calm several minutes as Julius traversed the trail. Various lime green markings adorned the trees. Zecora had assured Julius that these markings were ancient Zebrican protective wards, and while Julius had some doubt, the few trails they were found on tended to be much safer than other trails. Traversing the trail, Julius emerged at the edge of a pleasant glade. Looking into the meadow, Julius spotted Zecora harvesting several different herbs. "Hey, Zecora, how are the herbs?" Julius shouted as he approached her.

"The herbs today are doing well, from the ones that can help you foretell to the ones that can aid in a potent spell," Zecora replied as she put several herbs in her saddlebag. "Right now, I'm getting those that can be made into a gel. Some could be used to repel; others could be used to dispel," Zecora told Julius as she harvested some more herbs.

"Ah, getting together some herbs to help with my invisible 'friend,'" Julius remarked as he looked around the glade in vain. "Luna has gone off to Canterlot. It turns out that my ring is magically resistant, so Luna will be trying to convince Celestia to allow the metal to be duplicated. I'm going to find Rainbow Dash before she tries something stupid," Julius says with a chuckle. "If she could temper her energy, she'd be able to do great things."

"Ah yes, an energetic one our dear Rainbow Dash is. More likely to take to the skies in a whizz than ace a quiz. The tempering of one's energy is a boon. One that we can only hope she learns quite soon," Zecora confers with Julius as she examines the herbs around her.

"Agreed. Don't suppose you know-" Julius starting to ask.

"Hey, stalker, get out here now!" Rainbow Dash's voice thundered through the Everfree Forest, causing Julius and Zecora to burst out in laughter.

"Nevermind, I think I have my answer," Julius said through his laughter.

"Indeed, I think you do. In that direction, travel fast and true," Zecora pointed a hoof towards Rainbow Dash's voice. "After some time, I suspect you'll come across the pony blue. Hopefully, she hasn't traveled far; she'd be difficult to pursue," Zecora remarked as she picked another herb.

"With her injury, she should be doing anything like this," Julius shook his head. "After I find her, I'm going to head off to Ponyville. I want to ask Twilight about a few things, and I have to help out at Sweet Apple Acres," Julius chuckled a bit, "hopefully, they've gotten over yesterday's shock," Julius lightly smirked as he started towards Rainbow's voice.

"Very well, I bid you farewell for now. Later today, we shall meet at the Golden Oak this I avow," Zecora assured Julius as he headed off to find Rainbow Dash. Humming happily, Zecora continued to pick several choice herbs, now and then pausing to caress her belly.

Julius went down another trail; this one lacked the protective wards of the herbal path, and Julius could feel it. The familiar eeriness of the Everfree loomed over him, and he could feel an all to familiar gaze rest upon him. Doing his best to ignore the gaze, Julius continued moving towards Rainbow Dash's voice.

"Idea, I could try going a way that a pony couldn't follow. If it doesn't follow me, I could rule a few possibilities out," Julius thought to himself as he came upon some dense foliage. "Well, I have a routine to keep up anyways," Julius quietly sighed as he started to run through the rough foliage. Darting through the brush, Julius practiced his movements. For the first several minutes, he lost the gaze, peace of mind started to overcome him. As he bounded over a fallen log, though, the gaze returned. It felt distant, though, as if the creature was barely keeping up. "Great, when I was starting to rule out a pony. Damnit, I hope that whatever this thing is, it's under orders from Celestia," Julius angrily thought as he got closer to where Rainbow Dash was. "At least if it's from Celestia, I can predict what it'll do. I can be sure of my safety. If not, though," Julius's thoughts trailed off a bit. "God, please help me if it's not from Celestia," Julius finished his thought as an angrily stomping Rainbow Dash came into view.

"Get out here right now, you perverted mare!" Rainbow Dash shouted into the Everfree as she stomped about. Hearing a rustling behind her, Rainbow Dash jumped around and tensed her body towards the sound. "Ahah! Trying to sneak up on me! Well, put 'em up!" Rainbow Dash challenged as she raised on her hind hoofs, punching the air in front of her as she did so.

"Calm down there, cowgirl," Julius said bemused as he came into Rainbow Dash's view. "It's really easy to sneak up on you when you're loud enough to outshout a train," Julius laughed as he flipped over a fallen log to land into the small clearing.

"Oh, you're finally awake," Rainbow Dash remarked as she got back down. "Guessing that means Luna is awake too?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked behind Julius.

"Yup. She's gone off to Canterlot. If all goes well, then Equestria will have a powerful new metal to work with," Julius told Rainbow Dash as he approached her. "A limited amount of that metal but still counts," Julius adds before resting a hand on Rainbow's head. "Anyways, do you think you could stop trying to wake up all of creation?" Julius joked as he lightly rustled Rainbow's mane.

"Hey, I'm not that loud," Rainbow Dash laughed as she nuzzled her head into Julius's palm. "Besides, we need to deal with your stalker now!" Rainbow Dash firmly exclaimed. "Hear that, you freaky pervert! We're coming for you!" Rainbow Dash loudly exclaimed as Julius rubbed his eyes with a grunt.

"Rainbow, you're trying to join the Wonderbolts, a military group right?" Julius leadingly asked.

"More or less yes, why?" Rainbow Dash asked in slight confusion.

"Ok, remember this it'll serve you well. An ambush is only an ambush if the thing you're trying to ambush doesn't know you're there. If it knows you're there, then you cannot ambush it. If it knows you're there and you don't know it knows, then it can turn your ambush into its own," Julius explains to Rainbow Dash. "Unfortunately, it knows now, too late to undo the damage," Julius sighs before turning around to look into the trees.

"Ok, sure, yeah, but this is serious! A pony can't just stalk a stallion!" Rainbow Dash argued as Julius collected his breath.

"Yeah, stalker, I know you're there!" Julius shouted, much to Rainbow's surprise. "I've known for a while now, and do you know why?" Julius asked as he pressed his fingers together, ready to snap. "'Cause ya basic!" Julius shouts as he loudly snaps his fingers, causing Rainbow Dash to look confused. "It's a human insult! It's devastating, your devastated!" Julius commandingly stated, making Rainbow Dash burst out in laughter.

"I don't think that's how insults work," Rainbow Dash says while laughing. "Besides, what happened to 'be quiet?" Rainbow Dash asked while laughing.

"Well, it already knows that I know. So might as well try to provoke it to try something," Julius told the laughing pegasus.

"And you thought that would work?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to calm her laughter.

"If I said yes, would you believe me?" Julius asked, making Rainbow Dash suppress a laugh. The pair took a moment to collect themselves, letting the eery calm of the Everfree set over them as they scanned the area for anything out of place.

"Come on, we have to go to Ponyville," Rainbow Dash told Julius.

"What why?" Julius asked as Rainbow Dash tried to pull him towards town.

"A pegasus chariot just flew by. The pegasi flying it were stallions. So that means either Celestia or Luna is in it," Rainbow Dash explained as she led Julius to town.

"Really? Already? Damn, Luna must have a golden tongue!" Julius said, impressed with the quick results of Luna's talk with Celestia. "Alright, let's go," Julius agreed as he followed Rainbow Dash back to Ponyville.

"We'll be back! You basic pony!" Rainbow Dash mocking shouted as she and Julius made their way to Ponyville, laughing all along the way.

"Basic pony, that's a new one," a vaguely eastern European voice remarked, clearly holding back laughter. "The Divine Mistress meeting with that treacherous demon, I should have heard something about that. I'll have to keep an eye on the situation. I might have to act soon," the voice said as a strange-looking pony walked into the clearing. Its black fur was seemingly absorbing the rays of light penetrating the Everfree's canopy. "I got my orders, I got the permission, I really should act soon," the voice said as it seemingly glided into the forest, following Julius at a safe distance.