The Returnby SoulstringsReburnChaptersPrologue, A faded memory (rewrite)A Foalhood Friend (revamped)A peaceful flight (revamp)chapter 4 (Revamp)Chapter 5Chapter 6Prologue, A faded memory (rewrite)Jason looked over the world he was creating. It seemed to be coming together so perfectly, like many before it. to Jason, there is no better feeling than the joy of creation and the net positive of life... in most cases, anyway. Like many of the worlds before it, he planned to live out a few lives here and there, at different places and different times to stay in touch with those he created. It is an important skill that most ascended overlook, but it is important to never forget your roots, and that these creations can all become just like you. Speaking of, there was just one thing left Jason to do. That was, of course, making a species capable of rising up to the required level of intelligence to form society. The species he was creating resembled something of an anthropomorphic creature that possessed certain physical attributes that resembled a bunny. Jason gazed upon the completed world as everything was set into early motion, resisting the urge to look forward to the most likely outcomes that would branch off into different timelines. He decided it would be better to let the world run for a few centuries and then place predictions before having a proper look. After taking one final glance at his work, he decided to pop into his pocket dimension to get some sleep, not that he technically needed any, but you know, one might go insane without some. The room itself was nothing special, a 16' by 12' room with a high ceiling that had his gaming setup, a bed, a fridge, and a closet. He hopped into bed and slipped under the covers of his bed and drifted off into the world of dreams and memories. Memory A young Matthew was stumbling over his hooves, falling flat. He was young, about four at the time, and unfit for adapting to a new body. What were they called again? alicorn? yeah, he would still have to get used to his alicorn body. Physically, this vessel, which adapted to what he thought would look best, had a light teal coat, lime green mane and tail, and his signature deep brown eyes, a horn on his head and wings on his back. This world was forged recently, forged by a woman by the name of Lauren Faust. She had created a world of true beauty and opened it as a summer camp to the curious youth that wished to peruse world creation. Any who crossed over became an alicorn for the duration of their stay in this pony world, just to blend in somewhat with the native population. A daring concept to toil with, but a concept that was interesting to many, and was so cool to little four-year-old Matthew. Soon enough, he would figure out how to use this body, be taught magic, and even how to fly! but above all, he would ascend to a level of power that very few dream of, and most who do, will never achieve, becoming an ascended, the goal in mind for Matt? To become a world builder, of course. The dream cut to another memory, Matthew was doing it, he was flying. He felt the gentle breeze on his face and his mane blowing in the wind. There was a happy smile on his face as he soared through the skies. He recalled that he could lay on clouds, he always wanted to do that. Matthew found a fluffy little cloud, snuggled up on it, and went to sleep. the dream cut again, now, Matthew was now levitating small objects in the air as he practiced magic. The mere action filled him with joy, causing him to giggle. He truly was a happy child. Other spells were practiced, such as healing, Bubble shield I, Bubble Shield II, and a few defensive spells. Matthew was told it would be helpful if he ever got hurt, now or down the line. This was told to everyone who learned the spell, but it still made Matt feel special. Reality He woke rather quickly from that. How could he forget the very world that had set him upon his path? Lauren's Equestria, THE Equestria, a world that had been used as a training ground for many new ascendeds like himself. "That was my first month or so in Equestria..." he said to himself, "It seems so long ago... I wonder... How has that world been holding up? Has anyone checked on it? Maybe... I should..." Jason got up from his bed, stretched his legs, grabbed his pendant and old notebook, raised a hand, and warped to the coordinates of the world he once held so dear, in hopes that something was still left standing. A Foalhood Friend (revamped)Twilight, as per usual, was up late, she had NOTHING to write to Celestia, how could she let this happen???? No friendship problem, and too late to MAKE a friendship problem. she stared at the empty scroll in frustration, quill in her magic grasp. "AAAGGHHG," she yelled in frustration, though her attention was quickly taken away from the paper, as a bright beacon of light shined briefly for 5.22 seconds from the Everfree Forest up to the sky. Her eyes widened. "Spike, wake up!" "what now, Twilight?" the drowsy dragon asked, still half asleep. "Take a note, we have to notify Celestia Immediately!" "Can it wait? it's 1AM" "NO! Look outside, Spike!" The small drake took a look outside the window to see... nothing. "Twilight, you're hallucinating, you need to get some sleep. Now if you don't mind I am going to resume mine." "You don't understand, there was a beam of light! it came from the Everfree forest, PLEASE! We need to send something to Celestia! Spike, who had been scribbling something on a scroll as she talked, not wanting to argue, sent it off with his dragon fire and they waited for a response, after all, what else could they do? Celestia was unpleasantly woken from her slumber by a single scroll that hit her horn in a very uncomfortable way. She groggily got up to read it. It was short, sweet, and to the point. But something about it concerned her. She read it over and over again trying to figure out what Twilight could possibly mean by that. She had no explanation and decided it would be best to see for herself. With that, she took to the night sky silently towards ponyville. She hoped this was just a minor thing and not a huge problem, though she would have to prepare for the worst, because she had no idea what to expect. Twilight arrived to the Everfree forest just in time to see it vanish before her very eyes. There was no explosion, no magic pulse, no sign that some dangerous spell had even been set off, just poof, gone. There was, however, Zecora's hut in the distance in one direction, and the Castle of the two sisters in the other. There wasn't much evidence of an attack, or really anything of how this could happen at all, how could anything be powerful enough to remove a forest of Chaos magic? Even Celestia herself could not do it. Thoughts ran through her brain until she noticed the silhouette of a pony in the distance, very close to the castle of the two sisters. "Who is that pony?" she wondered, "Could they be the cause of this? How did they have this much power?" ~~~ It was a particularly warm and peaceful night upon Ponyville. Celestia noted that there were no beacons of above Ponyville. She thought it was just her faithful student hallucinating due to lack of sleep from studying some bizarre topic. That was until she noticed that the Everfree forest was missing. That was not something you see everyday. She had a clear view the Everfree castle. She landed on the edge of the now Everfree Valley. She found her royal student nearby. "Twilight, I am afraid to ask, but do you know what happened here?" Celestia asked, completely skipping all formalities due to the bizarre circumstances presented before her, "I wish I could tell you, but you know about as much as I do, Princess. Though, it looks like there is a pony over there that showed up after this happened, maybe he knows something." There was in fact a pony in the distance, a very familiar looking pony. They were observing them from a distance, but quickly started approaching towards where Celestia and Twilight were standing. Celestia recognized him. "It can't be...." Celectia nearly whispered in surprise and possibly a bit of fear. "What is it Princess? Do you know them?" Jason was close enough where Celestia could see him clearly. Same lime green mane, though it was a bit more curly than she remembered, same teal coat, same deep brown eyes, but his right forehoof was metal. She noticed how it seemed to function exactly like a normal forehoof, and how Matthew didn't seemed bothered by it. A genuine smile formed on his face when he noticed Celestia. Celestia didn't have time to react as the figure shifted into a full sprint, tackle-hugging her to the ground. "Tia, is that really you? You have grown so much " Jason inquired in a chipper tone. Celestia took a moment to recover from the initial shock, but quickly replied in a similar tone, "You seem to have grown too, Matthew. It has been too long since I've last seen you!" "Yeah, but I must say it is great to be back. Last time I saw you, you were a little foal, I remember that I could hold you in my arms. Anyway, I'd love to see how much the kingdom has grown over the years. Also, I want to know what happened to the Everfree kingdom, is there an explanation on that?" Celestia thought about telling him, but decided just to say, "that is a story for another time." Jason chuckled "Fair enough." Twilight decided to bud in "Celestia, who is this? And why are they an Alicorn like you? I thought only Princesses could be Alicorns. Celestia and Jason (Matt) shared a glance, and then shared a laugh at that statement. Jason replied with, "Princes can be alicorns too, it is just a little more uncommon. believe me, there are quite a few of us. Anyway, who might you be? he quickly gave a knowing (he did not know) glance at his sister, assuming this purple alicorn was her daughter. Twilight proudly introduced herself, "I am Twilight Sparkle, personal Student of Princess Celestia." "Wow, that makes a little more sense," he said, hiding his light embarrassment from his original assessment, "so you are the personal student of my younger sister here?" Twilight didn't know how to respond to that. She froze, her mind was racing with thoughts again such as, "Celestia had another sibling? Why have I never heard about this? He is older than Celestia?!" "I think I broke her" Jason (Matt) joked, "I think she's lose it if I contacted some of our other siblings, ah, sis?" That sentence broke Twilight even more, she could not find the words to say or thoughts to think. Celestia nodded slightly and made a noise that con only be described as "mm." Celestia thought about something for a moment. "You will stay with me and Luna in the Canterlot castle if those terms are acceptable to you. "Sounds good Tia, is that nearby or will I get to stretch my wings for a bit?" Jason had asked "It is a large distance from here, but I am sure you are capable of flying with me" Celestia confidently stated. "Sounds good. By the way, when I left Equestria, Luna was only a few months old, so do you think she'll remember me? You know her better than I do, so..." "Well, brother of mine, there is only one way to find out. Come along, I'll show you the way," Celestia said, spreading her wings and preparing for flight. A peaceful flight (revamp)Jason and Celestia were flying away from Ponyville and heading towards Canterlot. Jason noticed a few lights still on in some of the structures below, most of which were houses near the edge of town. Jason couldn't help but smile. The cool night air felt refreshing on his face and wings, the sky was decorated with stars that ponykind would never get a close up of. He began to wonder if astronomy here had actually gotten that far yet. With the amount of time that passed, there was so much about this world that had changed, many of their advancements were unknown to him, and it filled him with wonder of what these ponies had achieved. Celestia noticed a look of wonder in Matt's eyes. 'He must be filled with so many questions, after all, it has been ages since he was last here, I wonder what's primarily on his mind.' Jason (Matt) snapped back to reality. glanced over at Celestia and gave a smile. Celestia smiled as well, before going back to focusing on the flight path ahead of them. The quiet was noticeable, but warm. A sense of comfort fell over Matt. This world was safe, nothing here could really do any harm to him. Threats were easy enough to dispatch, and the inhabitants were always cheerful and colorful. Hopefully that still held true. Canterlot After about an hour or two of flying in a cozy silence, they were over Canterlot. What Jason (Matt) saw reminded him of a fairytale. It was a grand city of gold and ivory, gleaming on a mountaintop. For what this world was, he found the architecture fitting, and he appreciated it greatly. Though he kept those feelings of awe to himself and just continued flying close to Celestia. Jason (Matt) could instantly spot where the castle was but couldn't quite locate where they planned to land. Jason (M) slowed his speed as they were approaching the perimeter of the Castle. He stuck a little closer to Celestia as they descended to land at the castle. Author's Note I know this was quite short, but I am still trying to find out the direction I want this story to go, but I still wanted to post something chapter 4 (Revamp)Author's Note I meant to post this months ago, but never got the chance. Sorry! chapter 4 (Revamp) Jason (Matt) stuck close to Celestia as they walked through the halls of the castle. Jason noticed how many guards there were. In fact, they all look like copy+paste of each other, some of them eyeing him as they walked. The hall itself was eerily silent, the only noise that could be herd was the clopping of hooves on the marble floor. They arrived at one of the spare bedrooms, and Celestia ushered him inside. It was a decent size bedroom, 16ft by 14ft, with opal-colored walls. The ground, carpeted, had a nice velvety feel on the hooves, or really whatever one could have had for feet at the time. a queen-size bed, a desk and chair, and a lamp, basic essentials. It also had its own private bathroom. Celestia turned to face Matt, “This is where you’ll be staying until we can make better arrangements.” Jason nodded, meeting her gaze, “Alright” Jason walked further into the room, wasting no time, and hopping right into bed. He was instantly unconscious before he could even get under the covers. In truth, he had not slept in about a week, divine power can only do so much to keep an ascended mortal awake. Meanwhile Celestia stood there, witnessing the whole thing, and shook her head. “Some things never change” she giggled, turning to leave as she quietly shut the door and headed for her own chamber. It was a peaceful night for Luna so far. Since her return, she had worked her flank off, making up for lost time. At first, the nightmares were overwhelming, but it seems her subjects subconsciousess slowly got used to the idea that Luna would be there to save them, and as such nightmares became less frequent. Luna had already solved about 3 nightmares tonight and was keeping vigilant for more. She enjoyed calming ponies down and getting to know them better. She looked around again, ever vigilant. Her eyes eventually settled on a door she didn’t recognize. It seemed too developed to be a foal, but yet, she had never seen a door of an adult's dream just materialize like this. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it, only to find it was blank. Or at least it seemed that way. She tried to enter the door but found that she couldn’t, as if something was preventing her from doing so. She struggled with the door, even resorting to scratching at it like a sad puppy before she finally gave up, deciding just to stare at the door. It was taunting her, laughing at her. Well, not really, but it bothered her a lot. Luna wasn’t even sure if it was out of frustration or curiosity, but she knew that something was up with this door. Morning, 8:30AM Celestia went to the balcony she always went to in order to raise the sun. It was routine for her by this point, Luna lowers the moon, she raises the sun, and vice versa. Speaking of Luna, that's exactly who she bumped into on the balcony, lowering the moon, but Luna has a look on her face that Celestia recognized as somewhere between annoyance to frustration. Heck, it seemed like Luna didn't even notice that Celestia was there with her. “Dear sister, it seems something is troubling you” Luna snapped directly to the source of the noise, as if she had been snapped out of a trance, taking a minute to process the question. “We would rather not speak of it. But if thy wish to know, then we shall inform thou. While we were dream walking, there was a new door that we did not recognize. Any attempt to enter the door has resulted in failure, and we cannot see in.” “A new door, you say? Well, I may have an idea of whom the door belongs too, but I cannot figure out why you wouldn’t be able to enter it.” “Pre-tell, sister, who might this door belong to?” “One of our older brothers has returned recently, so I would assume it would be his door.” “You mean to tell us that we have... several other sibling?” “Most of them left Equestria when you were very young, I doubt you remember most of them” “Where is this supposed sibling now?” “He is currently still asleep in one of the guest bedrooms I believe. I can escort you to his temporary living quarters if you wish.” Jason was lying in bed, still out cold. Luna walked into the guest room and found Jason. It was time to test what Celestia had told her. Earlier, Celestia had mentioned that “Matt” was an alicorn. There was a horn on his head, that was for sure, Luna pulled back the covers Jason somehow found his way under, and sure enough he had wings too. His teal coat and lime green mane both shined in the sunlight from the nearby window. His cutie mark was a clock if some sort. It was blue around the sides and had an inscribing on it in language she didn’t recognize. That’s when she noticed the metal foreleg. It wasn’t like the other robotics seen in Equestria, in fact, Equestria didn’t even have the technology for cybernetic limb replacement. Just then, the gaps in the limb, probably made to allow for joints to move, lit up with a sky-blue light, and Matt began to stir. Luna panicked and casted a spell of invisibility on herself. Jason stretched out his organic limbs and checked the joints on his metal foreleg, then he proceeded to yawn a yawn that would make a bored businessmare jealous. He got out of bed and pulled a notebook out of his mane, quickly taking a seat at the nearby desk and writing in it with the feather and inkwell that was conveniently placed on said desk. -Journal Entry 83,578 “I arrived in Equestria again last... night? It’s hard to tell with the time difference. Everything seems peaceful, which is a good sign. I am currently staying in the Canterlot Castle. It seems Tia and Lulu have grown a lot since last I’ve seen them. I wonder if word will spread of my return. Anyway, that’s all for now, catch you on the flip side!” -Matt Jason paused for a moment. It had been a long while since he signed anything as "Matt." Maybe this was a way of his subconscious telling him that he was safe and comfortable in a way that he hadn't felt in a very long time. "Meh," he responded to his inner thoughts before stuffing the journal back in his mane. He stretched out his wings one more time before leaving the room. He grabbed the doorknob with his metal hoof and pulled the door open. He walked out and closed the door behind him. Luna was still slightly in disbelief that they had another sibling. That and the cybernetic foreleg. It just put her on edge slightly. Jason was about to go set off to find Celestia so he could ask her where the cafeteria was but instead bumped into her the moment he began walking in a random direction. “Mornin’ Tia.” “Good morning, Matt.” “I was just about to go get some breakfast, but I have no idea where the cafeteria is.” Celestia chuckled a bit, “oh, I nearly forgot to show you, follow me.” “So, I was thinking about the old village that was near the Everfree castle and camp and umm, I was hoping I could repair and renovate the castle and raise a new city around it, but uhh, it seems that the original castle is... very deep underground and I don't know if I can resurface it.” “That sounds like a wonderful idea, brother, but it seems like it would take a long time, not to mention the help you would need to re-erect the old castle.” “Well, I can do without the old castle if need be, the main thing I'm concerned about is the Tablet- hey wait, was that a pun based on my ability?” “Oh, I didn’t even realize it. But do you think you have the dedication to achieve your goal?” Celestia had asked, her facial expression bearing a look that pretty much translated to light sibling teasing. “Yes, I can definitely do it, I might enlist some help and we may have some shenanigans along the way, but yeah, I can get it done.” Celestia nodded approvingly. “On another note, did Lauren ever tell you that we aren’t biologically-,” “I am aware of this, but I still consider you and everypony else from back then as family. Just... don’t tell Lulu.” Jason chuckled “Alright, consider our "family" secret safe with me.” Jason smiled, and Celestia smiled too. “I still don’t believe that, Twilight. There is NO way that Celestia has another sibling that she didn’t tell you about! I mean, like, you are the closest pony to her other than Luna, and that’s her sister! “I know that, Dash. That’s why I am trying to find a book about them. So far, nothing has turned up. Princess Celestia seems to recognize him, though, so if I can’t find anything, I will have to send a letter to her, asking about his origins.” “Whatever, Twilight. I’m just saying, it seems kinda weird that another Alicorn, a stallion no less, would just show up.” “Dawwww, he showed up in Ponyville and I didn’t even get the chance to throw them a party!?” PinkiePie exclaimed in disappointment. “Gah, PinkiePie, where did you come from?!” “Well Twilight,” she explained, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with Dashie and just had to know more! Do you know his favorite flavor of cake? Do you know his name? Do you-“ PinkiePie was cut off by Twilight, who closed Pinkie’s mouth with her magic. “All that I know is his name, and even then, it’s not like any name I’ve heard before. What kind of name is Matthew, anyway?! Ugh, this is just so frustrating, how can there be NO documentation of him?!” *** Celestia and Jason were exiting the dining hall. Both of them seemed quite content with the meals they had. As they exited, a scroll appeared Infront of Celestia. She opened it and read: Dear Princess Celestia, Upon hours of research, I have concluded that there is no information of your brother, Matthew, and would like to discuss his origin with you.” -your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle Ever inquisitive, Matt put the nosiest look he could muster on his face before inching closer to Celestia, “What does it say?” Celestia, who was trying to read the scroll, snorted at the gesture before pushing him back a few inches, “It is a letter from my faithful student. She wants to discuss with me about your origin.” “Well, that seems kinda silly, why doesn’t she just ask me personally?” “I am not certain, though I have a feeling that she might not trust you just yet. Hopefully my suspicions are wrong.” “That’s fair, after all I did just show up last night with no explanation. Anyway, are you gonna write back to her or should I?” Jason joked, inching closer to Celestia again. “Hmm... You know, as much as I would like you to personally write back to her, dear brother, I think I should do it for now just to prevent her from losing their sanity.” “Aight, Tia.” Jason complied, backing off a bit. While Celestia wrote back, Jason looked around. It felt like they were being watched. Watched by a silly, fun-loving entity. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw it. A pink blur heading right for him. He had no time to react before- “Hi, I’m PinkiePie, what’s your name?” Now Jason had dealt with weirder and more dangerous stuff than a fluffy little pony. He took a deep breath, mustering the energy to match hers before answering. “Hello, PinkiePie, my name is Matthew!” “Matthew, hmm? That’s an odd name for a pony, but that’s okay! You must be new around here, I’ve never seen you before. I saw you appear in Ponyville and you left so soon, I didn’t even get to throw you a party! “Not exactly new here, just haven’t been here in a long while. Definitely gotta make up for lost time, ya know?” “That’s okay! I get to throw you a welcome back party! What kind of cake do you want? What flavor cupcakes do you like? What is your favorite color?” “Red velvet cake, vanilla cupcakes, and my favorite color is somewhere on the scale of cyan to aquamarine, that sort of bluegreen color.” Those answers seemed satisfactory. PinkiePie smiled before starting off to Faust-knows where. Jason turned back to Celestia to find that she watched this whole thing. “Oh, you finished the letter?” “Yes, but I must ask, was that PinkiePie?” “It was. She seems nice. I wanna talk to her more, but she kinda dahsed off to only-mom-knows-where.” “I would question how she got here, but I think I must ask how you reacted so well. Most ponies take a bit to adjust to her.... personality." “Tia, I know when something is a threat to me or not. That pony has nothing but good intentions, and maybe ADHD. She's just like me fr.” “ADHD?” “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, it is something that I also have, but not at the same level, it’s just a slight mental disorder.” “A mental disorder, what does this disorder entail?” “Hyperactivity, inability to pay attention for too long, easily distracted, sometimes makes someone with the disorder ramble on and on, makes it hard to sit still, that kind of thing.” “That... describes Pinkie a little too well.” “Seems I already have something in common with one of the elements then, Neat.” The two continued in silence until they reached the castle entrance/ exit. “So, we going on a tour of the kingdom? We going shop to shop? Interaction with the people and the culture?” “Yes, dear brother, that is what I had planned for you.” Jason squeed at that. That little squeaky pony noise he learned how to do from some of the village kids a long time ago. From there, they flew down to Canterlot. Spike produced a scroll and handed it to Twilight. She snatched it out of Spike’s claw with her magic and began to read it aloud. To my faithful student, If you wish to discuss about my brother, then I implore you to come to the Canterlot castle by tomorrow. Princess Celestia “What’s it say, Twilight?” RainbowDash asked “It is a letter from Princess Celestia. She wants me to meet with her tomorrow at Canterlot Castle to discuss about her brother!” Twilight had a sharp inhale before letting out a squeal of joy. Twilight then started writing a list of questions so she wouldn’t forget them. She had so much to ask her mentor. ~To be continued Chapter 5Canterlot was beautiful, to say the least. Celestia and Jason had a spell on that made them look like normal ponies. Jason was dark blue in coat, pink and orange in the mane, and looked like a normal unicorn. He also had a notebook as a cutie mark. Celestia was a Pegasus with a pink coat, white mane, and a scroll as their cutie mark. Canterlot was beautiful. It was like a miniature New York, except clean and vibrant. There were shops, ponies, plant life, and restaurants. All things you’d expect to see in a city. Celestia began, “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to your world, but-“ “It’s still amazing. Also clean, very clean compared to the cities I am used to.” “Clean?” Celestia inquired, “Are the cities where you’re from not clean?” *sigh* “There was a reason Lauren had a filter that only allowed the pure of heart into this world, ya know. Most people just don’t care, and the cities just get worse and worse. Also, I guess they are a lot bigger so it’s harder to maintain.” “Ah. I see…” “… I miss Lauren.” “I do too.” Celestia agreed Celestia stared out in the distance. There were ponies walking down the sidewalk, some stores and restaurants bustling with business, some ponies who were clearly tourists taking pictures, all that stuff. “Let’s continue our trip.” “Yeah, let’s get back to touring Canterlot.” Jason (Matt) agreed. They wandered through the streets of Canterlot, Occasionally stopping to see the sights or look into store windows. Eventually they stopped at a small hat store. They decided to go inside. Soon enough, Jason (Matt) found a solid pink baseball cap. Tia noticed him staring at the cap. “Find something that caught your eye?” “Yes.” The hat itself looked like a standard baseball cap. No logo, and a hole for a horn to poke through. He didn’t know why, but he felt like getting it. “Are you sure, dear brother?” He placed the cap on his head and looked in the mirror. “Yes.” Celestia giggled, “Oh, alright then, if you are sure.” “I look great with this hat.” Jason declared They purchased the hat and continued on their way. The two wandered through the streets of Canterlot for the next few hours. They made occasional stops at certain shops and browsed the wares. The two were enjoying themselves. They finally stopped at a small cafe for some tea. “I do hope you are enjoying your stay so far.” “I am most definitely enjoying my stay, Tia.” The two sat there in silence, drinking tea. After a long pause, Jason broke the silence. “So, how has life been over the years?” Celestia stopped for a moment. She reflected on all her troubles, the nightmare moon incident, and having to banish Luna all those years ago. She also remembered the sweet times, between helping earth pony settlers create Ponyville, taking Twilight under her wing, helping Cadence ascent to allicornhood, and Luna’s return. “I do not believe we can go over everything at this time.” “Alright.” They continued to drink tea in silence for a while. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason caught glimpse of a very familiar purple mare and her friends. Jason silently got Tia’s attention and pointed at Twilight and her friends. “What is she doing here?” Jason whispered “I am unsure, our appointments as scheduled for tomorrow.” “Think we could eavesdrop in on their conversation? “Brother, I am uncertain if that is a wise decision.” “Relax Tia, I got an invisibility spell.” Before Celestia could get another word in, Jason had already cast the spell on himself. Tia could only sigh in disappointment of her brother. ~~~ “And yer’ sure Princess Celestia has a brother and ya didn’t jus’ dream it?” Applejack asked “Yes, I am certain.” “I dunno, Twi, seems kinda unbelievable.” “Yeah! That’s what I said!” Rainbow dash exclaimed. “I received a letter from Princess Celestia confirming that he exists and when we would meet to discuss about him.” “Regardless, ya said yer visit to Canterlot was supposed’ to be tomorrow.” “I know, but I feel like we need to start sooner. There is no official documentation of him, and yet Celestia recognized him as her brother. This means that there is too much information to collect in just one day, not to mention the other siblings that Matthew mentioned. Twilight declared, determined to ask as many questions as possible. They looked at one another just to confirm they were all hearing this right. “Hold up there, sugarcube, yer sayin’ that there are more of em’?” “That’s what I want to find out, Applejack.” Twilight replied with a little venom in her voice. “Alright, Twilight, I was just askin’” “This becomes harder to believe with every word you speak, darling.” Rarity budded in. “I know, it’s just… ugh, I want to get answers as soon as possible and get the whole story straight.” Matt quickly and quietly rejoined Celestia at the cafe and took off his invisibility spell, making sure that the disguise spell was still on. Celestia gave him an inquisitive look. “Twilight is heading towards the castle with the intention to interview you about me early.” Jason explained. “Well I do believe that Twilight and her friends are going to have to wait. As of now, we are in the middle of drinking tea.” “Agreed.” The two sat in silence once again, drinking tea. ~To be continued Chapter 6Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Prologue, A faded memory (rewrite)Jason looked over the world he was creating. It seemed to be coming together so perfectly, like many before it. to Jason, there is no better feeling than the joy of creation and the net positive of life... in most cases, anyway. Like many of the worlds before it, he planned to live out a few lives here and there, at different places and different times to stay in touch with those he created. It is an important skill that most ascended overlook, but it is important to never forget your roots, and that these creations can all become just like you. Speaking of, there was just one thing left Jason to do. That was, of course, making a species capable of rising up to the required level of intelligence to form society. The species he was creating resembled something of an anthropomorphic creature that possessed certain physical attributes that resembled a bunny. Jason gazed upon the completed world as everything was set into early motion, resisting the urge to look forward to the most likely outcomes that would branch off into different timelines. He decided it would be better to let the world run for a few centuries and then place predictions before having a proper look. After taking one final glance at his work, he decided to pop into his pocket dimension to get some sleep, not that he technically needed any, but you know, one might go insane without some. The room itself was nothing special, a 16' by 12' room with a high ceiling that had his gaming setup, a bed, a fridge, and a closet. He hopped into bed and slipped under the covers of his bed and drifted off into the world of dreams and memories. Memory A young Matthew was stumbling over his hooves, falling flat. He was young, about four at the time, and unfit for adapting to a new body. What were they called again? alicorn? yeah, he would still have to get used to his alicorn body. Physically, this vessel, which adapted to what he thought would look best, had a light teal coat, lime green mane and tail, and his signature deep brown eyes, a horn on his head and wings on his back. This world was forged recently, forged by a woman by the name of Lauren Faust. She had created a world of true beauty and opened it as a summer camp to the curious youth that wished to peruse world creation. Any who crossed over became an alicorn for the duration of their stay in this pony world, just to blend in somewhat with the native population. A daring concept to toil with, but a concept that was interesting to many, and was so cool to little four-year-old Matthew. Soon enough, he would figure out how to use this body, be taught magic, and even how to fly! but above all, he would ascend to a level of power that very few dream of, and most who do, will never achieve, becoming an ascended, the goal in mind for Matt? To become a world builder, of course. The dream cut to another memory, Matthew was doing it, he was flying. He felt the gentle breeze on his face and his mane blowing in the wind. There was a happy smile on his face as he soared through the skies. He recalled that he could lay on clouds, he always wanted to do that. Matthew found a fluffy little cloud, snuggled up on it, and went to sleep. the dream cut again, now, Matthew was now levitating small objects in the air as he practiced magic. The mere action filled him with joy, causing him to giggle. He truly was a happy child. Other spells were practiced, such as healing, Bubble shield I, Bubble Shield II, and a few defensive spells. Matthew was told it would be helpful if he ever got hurt, now or down the line. This was told to everyone who learned the spell, but it still made Matt feel special. Reality He woke rather quickly from that. How could he forget the very world that had set him upon his path? Lauren's Equestria, THE Equestria, a world that had been used as a training ground for many new ascendeds like himself. "That was my first month or so in Equestria..." he said to himself, "It seems so long ago... I wonder... How has that world been holding up? Has anyone checked on it? Maybe... I should..." Jason got up from his bed, stretched his legs, grabbed his pendant and old notebook, raised a hand, and warped to the coordinates of the world he once held so dear, in hopes that something was still left standing.
A Foalhood Friend (revamped)Twilight, as per usual, was up late, she had NOTHING to write to Celestia, how could she let this happen???? No friendship problem, and too late to MAKE a friendship problem. she stared at the empty scroll in frustration, quill in her magic grasp. "AAAGGHHG," she yelled in frustration, though her attention was quickly taken away from the paper, as a bright beacon of light shined briefly for 5.22 seconds from the Everfree Forest up to the sky. Her eyes widened. "Spike, wake up!" "what now, Twilight?" the drowsy dragon asked, still half asleep. "Take a note, we have to notify Celestia Immediately!" "Can it wait? it's 1AM" "NO! Look outside, Spike!" The small drake took a look outside the window to see... nothing. "Twilight, you're hallucinating, you need to get some sleep. Now if you don't mind I am going to resume mine." "You don't understand, there was a beam of light! it came from the Everfree forest, PLEASE! We need to send something to Celestia! Spike, who had been scribbling something on a scroll as she talked, not wanting to argue, sent it off with his dragon fire and they waited for a response, after all, what else could they do? Celestia was unpleasantly woken from her slumber by a single scroll that hit her horn in a very uncomfortable way. She groggily got up to read it. It was short, sweet, and to the point. But something about it concerned her. She read it over and over again trying to figure out what Twilight could possibly mean by that. She had no explanation and decided it would be best to see for herself. With that, she took to the night sky silently towards ponyville. She hoped this was just a minor thing and not a huge problem, though she would have to prepare for the worst, because she had no idea what to expect. Twilight arrived to the Everfree forest just in time to see it vanish before her very eyes. There was no explosion, no magic pulse, no sign that some dangerous spell had even been set off, just poof, gone. There was, however, Zecora's hut in the distance in one direction, and the Castle of the two sisters in the other. There wasn't much evidence of an attack, or really anything of how this could happen at all, how could anything be powerful enough to remove a forest of Chaos magic? Even Celestia herself could not do it. Thoughts ran through her brain until she noticed the silhouette of a pony in the distance, very close to the castle of the two sisters. "Who is that pony?" she wondered, "Could they be the cause of this? How did they have this much power?" ~~~ It was a particularly warm and peaceful night upon Ponyville. Celestia noted that there were no beacons of above Ponyville. She thought it was just her faithful student hallucinating due to lack of sleep from studying some bizarre topic. That was until she noticed that the Everfree forest was missing. That was not something you see everyday. She had a clear view the Everfree castle. She landed on the edge of the now Everfree Valley. She found her royal student nearby. "Twilight, I am afraid to ask, but do you know what happened here?" Celestia asked, completely skipping all formalities due to the bizarre circumstances presented before her, "I wish I could tell you, but you know about as much as I do, Princess. Though, it looks like there is a pony over there that showed up after this happened, maybe he knows something." There was in fact a pony in the distance, a very familiar looking pony. They were observing them from a distance, but quickly started approaching towards where Celestia and Twilight were standing. Celestia recognized him. "It can't be...." Celectia nearly whispered in surprise and possibly a bit of fear. "What is it Princess? Do you know them?" Jason was close enough where Celestia could see him clearly. Same lime green mane, though it was a bit more curly than she remembered, same teal coat, same deep brown eyes, but his right forehoof was metal. She noticed how it seemed to function exactly like a normal forehoof, and how Matthew didn't seemed bothered by it. A genuine smile formed on his face when he noticed Celestia. Celestia didn't have time to react as the figure shifted into a full sprint, tackle-hugging her to the ground. "Tia, is that really you? You have grown so much " Jason inquired in a chipper tone. Celestia took a moment to recover from the initial shock, but quickly replied in a similar tone, "You seem to have grown too, Matthew. It has been too long since I've last seen you!" "Yeah, but I must say it is great to be back. Last time I saw you, you were a little foal, I remember that I could hold you in my arms. Anyway, I'd love to see how much the kingdom has grown over the years. Also, I want to know what happened to the Everfree kingdom, is there an explanation on that?" Celestia thought about telling him, but decided just to say, "that is a story for another time." Jason chuckled "Fair enough." Twilight decided to bud in "Celestia, who is this? And why are they an Alicorn like you? I thought only Princesses could be Alicorns. Celestia and Jason (Matt) shared a glance, and then shared a laugh at that statement. Jason replied with, "Princes can be alicorns too, it is just a little more uncommon. believe me, there are quite a few of us. Anyway, who might you be? he quickly gave a knowing (he did not know) glance at his sister, assuming this purple alicorn was her daughter. Twilight proudly introduced herself, "I am Twilight Sparkle, personal Student of Princess Celestia." "Wow, that makes a little more sense," he said, hiding his light embarrassment from his original assessment, "so you are the personal student of my younger sister here?" Twilight didn't know how to respond to that. She froze, her mind was racing with thoughts again such as, "Celestia had another sibling? Why have I never heard about this? He is older than Celestia?!" "I think I broke her" Jason (Matt) joked, "I think she's lose it if I contacted some of our other siblings, ah, sis?" That sentence broke Twilight even more, she could not find the words to say or thoughts to think. Celestia nodded slightly and made a noise that con only be described as "mm." Celestia thought about something for a moment. "You will stay with me and Luna in the Canterlot castle if those terms are acceptable to you. "Sounds good Tia, is that nearby or will I get to stretch my wings for a bit?" Jason had asked "It is a large distance from here, but I am sure you are capable of flying with me" Celestia confidently stated. "Sounds good. By the way, when I left Equestria, Luna was only a few months old, so do you think she'll remember me? You know her better than I do, so..." "Well, brother of mine, there is only one way to find out. Come along, I'll show you the way," Celestia said, spreading her wings and preparing for flight.
A peaceful flight (revamp)Jason and Celestia were flying away from Ponyville and heading towards Canterlot. Jason noticed a few lights still on in some of the structures below, most of which were houses near the edge of town. Jason couldn't help but smile. The cool night air felt refreshing on his face and wings, the sky was decorated with stars that ponykind would never get a close up of. He began to wonder if astronomy here had actually gotten that far yet. With the amount of time that passed, there was so much about this world that had changed, many of their advancements were unknown to him, and it filled him with wonder of what these ponies had achieved. Celestia noticed a look of wonder in Matt's eyes. 'He must be filled with so many questions, after all, it has been ages since he was last here, I wonder what's primarily on his mind.' Jason (Matt) snapped back to reality. glanced over at Celestia and gave a smile. Celestia smiled as well, before going back to focusing on the flight path ahead of them. The quiet was noticeable, but warm. A sense of comfort fell over Matt. This world was safe, nothing here could really do any harm to him. Threats were easy enough to dispatch, and the inhabitants were always cheerful and colorful. Hopefully that still held true. Canterlot After about an hour or two of flying in a cozy silence, they were over Canterlot. What Jason (Matt) saw reminded him of a fairytale. It was a grand city of gold and ivory, gleaming on a mountaintop. For what this world was, he found the architecture fitting, and he appreciated it greatly. Though he kept those feelings of awe to himself and just continued flying close to Celestia. Jason (Matt) could instantly spot where the castle was but couldn't quite locate where they planned to land. Jason (M) slowed his speed as they were approaching the perimeter of the Castle. He stuck a little closer to Celestia as they descended to land at the castle. Author's Note I know this was quite short, but I am still trying to find out the direction I want this story to go, but I still wanted to post something
chapter 4 (Revamp)Author's Note I meant to post this months ago, but never got the chance. Sorry! chapter 4 (Revamp) Jason (Matt) stuck close to Celestia as they walked through the halls of the castle. Jason noticed how many guards there were. In fact, they all look like copy+paste of each other, some of them eyeing him as they walked. The hall itself was eerily silent, the only noise that could be herd was the clopping of hooves on the marble floor. They arrived at one of the spare bedrooms, and Celestia ushered him inside. It was a decent size bedroom, 16ft by 14ft, with opal-colored walls. The ground, carpeted, had a nice velvety feel on the hooves, or really whatever one could have had for feet at the time. a queen-size bed, a desk and chair, and a lamp, basic essentials. It also had its own private bathroom. Celestia turned to face Matt, “This is where you’ll be staying until we can make better arrangements.” Jason nodded, meeting her gaze, “Alright” Jason walked further into the room, wasting no time, and hopping right into bed. He was instantly unconscious before he could even get under the covers. In truth, he had not slept in about a week, divine power can only do so much to keep an ascended mortal awake. Meanwhile Celestia stood there, witnessing the whole thing, and shook her head. “Some things never change” she giggled, turning to leave as she quietly shut the door and headed for her own chamber. It was a peaceful night for Luna so far. Since her return, she had worked her flank off, making up for lost time. At first, the nightmares were overwhelming, but it seems her subjects subconsciousess slowly got used to the idea that Luna would be there to save them, and as such nightmares became less frequent. Luna had already solved about 3 nightmares tonight and was keeping vigilant for more. She enjoyed calming ponies down and getting to know them better. She looked around again, ever vigilant. Her eyes eventually settled on a door she didn’t recognize. It seemed too developed to be a foal, but yet, she had never seen a door of an adult's dream just materialize like this. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it, only to find it was blank. Or at least it seemed that way. She tried to enter the door but found that she couldn’t, as if something was preventing her from doing so. She struggled with the door, even resorting to scratching at it like a sad puppy before she finally gave up, deciding just to stare at the door. It was taunting her, laughing at her. Well, not really, but it bothered her a lot. Luna wasn’t even sure if it was out of frustration or curiosity, but she knew that something was up with this door. Morning, 8:30AM Celestia went to the balcony she always went to in order to raise the sun. It was routine for her by this point, Luna lowers the moon, she raises the sun, and vice versa. Speaking of Luna, that's exactly who she bumped into on the balcony, lowering the moon, but Luna has a look on her face that Celestia recognized as somewhere between annoyance to frustration. Heck, it seemed like Luna didn't even notice that Celestia was there with her. “Dear sister, it seems something is troubling you” Luna snapped directly to the source of the noise, as if she had been snapped out of a trance, taking a minute to process the question. “We would rather not speak of it. But if thy wish to know, then we shall inform thou. While we were dream walking, there was a new door that we did not recognize. Any attempt to enter the door has resulted in failure, and we cannot see in.” “A new door, you say? Well, I may have an idea of whom the door belongs too, but I cannot figure out why you wouldn’t be able to enter it.” “Pre-tell, sister, who might this door belong to?” “One of our older brothers has returned recently, so I would assume it would be his door.” “You mean to tell us that we have... several other sibling?” “Most of them left Equestria when you were very young, I doubt you remember most of them” “Where is this supposed sibling now?” “He is currently still asleep in one of the guest bedrooms I believe. I can escort you to his temporary living quarters if you wish.” Jason was lying in bed, still out cold. Luna walked into the guest room and found Jason. It was time to test what Celestia had told her. Earlier, Celestia had mentioned that “Matt” was an alicorn. There was a horn on his head, that was for sure, Luna pulled back the covers Jason somehow found his way under, and sure enough he had wings too. His teal coat and lime green mane both shined in the sunlight from the nearby window. His cutie mark was a clock if some sort. It was blue around the sides and had an inscribing on it in language she didn’t recognize. That’s when she noticed the metal foreleg. It wasn’t like the other robotics seen in Equestria, in fact, Equestria didn’t even have the technology for cybernetic limb replacement. Just then, the gaps in the limb, probably made to allow for joints to move, lit up with a sky-blue light, and Matt began to stir. Luna panicked and casted a spell of invisibility on herself. Jason stretched out his organic limbs and checked the joints on his metal foreleg, then he proceeded to yawn a yawn that would make a bored businessmare jealous. He got out of bed and pulled a notebook out of his mane, quickly taking a seat at the nearby desk and writing in it with the feather and inkwell that was conveniently placed on said desk. -Journal Entry 83,578 “I arrived in Equestria again last... night? It’s hard to tell with the time difference. Everything seems peaceful, which is a good sign. I am currently staying in the Canterlot Castle. It seems Tia and Lulu have grown a lot since last I’ve seen them. I wonder if word will spread of my return. Anyway, that’s all for now, catch you on the flip side!” -Matt Jason paused for a moment. It had been a long while since he signed anything as "Matt." Maybe this was a way of his subconscious telling him that he was safe and comfortable in a way that he hadn't felt in a very long time. "Meh," he responded to his inner thoughts before stuffing the journal back in his mane. He stretched out his wings one more time before leaving the room. He grabbed the doorknob with his metal hoof and pulled the door open. He walked out and closed the door behind him. Luna was still slightly in disbelief that they had another sibling. That and the cybernetic foreleg. It just put her on edge slightly. Jason was about to go set off to find Celestia so he could ask her where the cafeteria was but instead bumped into her the moment he began walking in a random direction. “Mornin’ Tia.” “Good morning, Matt.” “I was just about to go get some breakfast, but I have no idea where the cafeteria is.” Celestia chuckled a bit, “oh, I nearly forgot to show you, follow me.” “So, I was thinking about the old village that was near the Everfree castle and camp and umm, I was hoping I could repair and renovate the castle and raise a new city around it, but uhh, it seems that the original castle is... very deep underground and I don't know if I can resurface it.” “That sounds like a wonderful idea, brother, but it seems like it would take a long time, not to mention the help you would need to re-erect the old castle.” “Well, I can do without the old castle if need be, the main thing I'm concerned about is the Tablet- hey wait, was that a pun based on my ability?” “Oh, I didn’t even realize it. But do you think you have the dedication to achieve your goal?” Celestia had asked, her facial expression bearing a look that pretty much translated to light sibling teasing. “Yes, I can definitely do it, I might enlist some help and we may have some shenanigans along the way, but yeah, I can get it done.” Celestia nodded approvingly. “On another note, did Lauren ever tell you that we aren’t biologically-,” “I am aware of this, but I still consider you and everypony else from back then as family. Just... don’t tell Lulu.” Jason chuckled “Alright, consider our "family" secret safe with me.” Jason smiled, and Celestia smiled too. “I still don’t believe that, Twilight. There is NO way that Celestia has another sibling that she didn’t tell you about! I mean, like, you are the closest pony to her other than Luna, and that’s her sister! “I know that, Dash. That’s why I am trying to find a book about them. So far, nothing has turned up. Princess Celestia seems to recognize him, though, so if I can’t find anything, I will have to send a letter to her, asking about his origins.” “Whatever, Twilight. I’m just saying, it seems kinda weird that another Alicorn, a stallion no less, would just show up.” “Dawwww, he showed up in Ponyville and I didn’t even get the chance to throw them a party!?” PinkiePie exclaimed in disappointment. “Gah, PinkiePie, where did you come from?!” “Well Twilight,” she explained, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with Dashie and just had to know more! Do you know his favorite flavor of cake? Do you know his name? Do you-“ PinkiePie was cut off by Twilight, who closed Pinkie’s mouth with her magic. “All that I know is his name, and even then, it’s not like any name I’ve heard before. What kind of name is Matthew, anyway?! Ugh, this is just so frustrating, how can there be NO documentation of him?!” *** Celestia and Jason were exiting the dining hall. Both of them seemed quite content with the meals they had. As they exited, a scroll appeared Infront of Celestia. She opened it and read: Dear Princess Celestia, Upon hours of research, I have concluded that there is no information of your brother, Matthew, and would like to discuss his origin with you.” -your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle Ever inquisitive, Matt put the nosiest look he could muster on his face before inching closer to Celestia, “What does it say?” Celestia, who was trying to read the scroll, snorted at the gesture before pushing him back a few inches, “It is a letter from my faithful student. She wants to discuss with me about your origin.” “Well, that seems kinda silly, why doesn’t she just ask me personally?” “I am not certain, though I have a feeling that she might not trust you just yet. Hopefully my suspicions are wrong.” “That’s fair, after all I did just show up last night with no explanation. Anyway, are you gonna write back to her or should I?” Jason joked, inching closer to Celestia again. “Hmm... You know, as much as I would like you to personally write back to her, dear brother, I think I should do it for now just to prevent her from losing their sanity.” “Aight, Tia.” Jason complied, backing off a bit. While Celestia wrote back, Jason looked around. It felt like they were being watched. Watched by a silly, fun-loving entity. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw it. A pink blur heading right for him. He had no time to react before- “Hi, I’m PinkiePie, what’s your name?” Now Jason had dealt with weirder and more dangerous stuff than a fluffy little pony. He took a deep breath, mustering the energy to match hers before answering. “Hello, PinkiePie, my name is Matthew!” “Matthew, hmm? That’s an odd name for a pony, but that’s okay! You must be new around here, I’ve never seen you before. I saw you appear in Ponyville and you left so soon, I didn’t even get to throw you a party! “Not exactly new here, just haven’t been here in a long while. Definitely gotta make up for lost time, ya know?” “That’s okay! I get to throw you a welcome back party! What kind of cake do you want? What flavor cupcakes do you like? What is your favorite color?” “Red velvet cake, vanilla cupcakes, and my favorite color is somewhere on the scale of cyan to aquamarine, that sort of bluegreen color.” Those answers seemed satisfactory. PinkiePie smiled before starting off to Faust-knows where. Jason turned back to Celestia to find that she watched this whole thing. “Oh, you finished the letter?” “Yes, but I must ask, was that PinkiePie?” “It was. She seems nice. I wanna talk to her more, but she kinda dahsed off to only-mom-knows-where.” “I would question how she got here, but I think I must ask how you reacted so well. Most ponies take a bit to adjust to her.... personality." “Tia, I know when something is a threat to me or not. That pony has nothing but good intentions, and maybe ADHD. She's just like me fr.” “ADHD?” “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, it is something that I also have, but not at the same level, it’s just a slight mental disorder.” “A mental disorder, what does this disorder entail?” “Hyperactivity, inability to pay attention for too long, easily distracted, sometimes makes someone with the disorder ramble on and on, makes it hard to sit still, that kind of thing.” “That... describes Pinkie a little too well.” “Seems I already have something in common with one of the elements then, Neat.” The two continued in silence until they reached the castle entrance/ exit. “So, we going on a tour of the kingdom? We going shop to shop? Interaction with the people and the culture?” “Yes, dear brother, that is what I had planned for you.” Jason squeed at that. That little squeaky pony noise he learned how to do from some of the village kids a long time ago. From there, they flew down to Canterlot. Spike produced a scroll and handed it to Twilight. She snatched it out of Spike’s claw with her magic and began to read it aloud. To my faithful student, If you wish to discuss about my brother, then I implore you to come to the Canterlot castle by tomorrow. Princess Celestia “What’s it say, Twilight?” RainbowDash asked “It is a letter from Princess Celestia. She wants me to meet with her tomorrow at Canterlot Castle to discuss about her brother!” Twilight had a sharp inhale before letting out a squeal of joy. Twilight then started writing a list of questions so she wouldn’t forget them. She had so much to ask her mentor. ~To be continued
Chapter 5Canterlot was beautiful, to say the least. Celestia and Jason had a spell on that made them look like normal ponies. Jason was dark blue in coat, pink and orange in the mane, and looked like a normal unicorn. He also had a notebook as a cutie mark. Celestia was a Pegasus with a pink coat, white mane, and a scroll as their cutie mark. Canterlot was beautiful. It was like a miniature New York, except clean and vibrant. There were shops, ponies, plant life, and restaurants. All things you’d expect to see in a city. Celestia began, “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to your world, but-“ “It’s still amazing. Also clean, very clean compared to the cities I am used to.” “Clean?” Celestia inquired, “Are the cities where you’re from not clean?” *sigh* “There was a reason Lauren had a filter that only allowed the pure of heart into this world, ya know. Most people just don’t care, and the cities just get worse and worse. Also, I guess they are a lot bigger so it’s harder to maintain.” “Ah. I see…” “… I miss Lauren.” “I do too.” Celestia agreed Celestia stared out in the distance. There were ponies walking down the sidewalk, some stores and restaurants bustling with business, some ponies who were clearly tourists taking pictures, all that stuff. “Let’s continue our trip.” “Yeah, let’s get back to touring Canterlot.” Jason (Matt) agreed. They wandered through the streets of Canterlot, Occasionally stopping to see the sights or look into store windows. Eventually they stopped at a small hat store. They decided to go inside. Soon enough, Jason (Matt) found a solid pink baseball cap. Tia noticed him staring at the cap. “Find something that caught your eye?” “Yes.” The hat itself looked like a standard baseball cap. No logo, and a hole for a horn to poke through. He didn’t know why, but he felt like getting it. “Are you sure, dear brother?” He placed the cap on his head and looked in the mirror. “Yes.” Celestia giggled, “Oh, alright then, if you are sure.” “I look great with this hat.” Jason declared They purchased the hat and continued on their way. The two wandered through the streets of Canterlot for the next few hours. They made occasional stops at certain shops and browsed the wares. The two were enjoying themselves. They finally stopped at a small cafe for some tea. “I do hope you are enjoying your stay so far.” “I am most definitely enjoying my stay, Tia.” The two sat there in silence, drinking tea. After a long pause, Jason broke the silence. “So, how has life been over the years?” Celestia stopped for a moment. She reflected on all her troubles, the nightmare moon incident, and having to banish Luna all those years ago. She also remembered the sweet times, between helping earth pony settlers create Ponyville, taking Twilight under her wing, helping Cadence ascent to allicornhood, and Luna’s return. “I do not believe we can go over everything at this time.” “Alright.” They continued to drink tea in silence for a while. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason caught glimpse of a very familiar purple mare and her friends. Jason silently got Tia’s attention and pointed at Twilight and her friends. “What is she doing here?” Jason whispered “I am unsure, our appointments as scheduled for tomorrow.” “Think we could eavesdrop in on their conversation? “Brother, I am uncertain if that is a wise decision.” “Relax Tia, I got an invisibility spell.” Before Celestia could get another word in, Jason had already cast the spell on himself. Tia could only sigh in disappointment of her brother. ~~~ “And yer’ sure Princess Celestia has a brother and ya didn’t jus’ dream it?” Applejack asked “Yes, I am certain.” “I dunno, Twi, seems kinda unbelievable.” “Yeah! That’s what I said!” Rainbow dash exclaimed. “I received a letter from Princess Celestia confirming that he exists and when we would meet to discuss about him.” “Regardless, ya said yer visit to Canterlot was supposed’ to be tomorrow.” “I know, but I feel like we need to start sooner. There is no official documentation of him, and yet Celestia recognized him as her brother. This means that there is too much information to collect in just one day, not to mention the other siblings that Matthew mentioned. Twilight declared, determined to ask as many questions as possible. They looked at one another just to confirm they were all hearing this right. “Hold up there, sugarcube, yer sayin’ that there are more of em’?” “That’s what I want to find out, Applejack.” Twilight replied with a little venom in her voice. “Alright, Twilight, I was just askin’” “This becomes harder to believe with every word you speak, darling.” Rarity budded in. “I know, it’s just… ugh, I want to get answers as soon as possible and get the whole story straight.” Matt quickly and quietly rejoined Celestia at the cafe and took off his invisibility spell, making sure that the disguise spell was still on. Celestia gave him an inquisitive look. “Twilight is heading towards the castle with the intention to interview you about me early.” Jason explained. “Well I do believe that Twilight and her friends are going to have to wait. As of now, we are in the middle of drinking tea.” “Agreed.” The two sat in silence once again, drinking tea. ~To be continued
