Blank Slateby SilvakChaptersChapter I: AwakeningChapter II: ChancellorChapter III: LimbsChapter IV: VisionsChapter I: AwakeningAugh... why does my head feel like it is gonna split? What did I drink last night? "She is finally stirring, go get Stalwart. Quick!" Who's tal—wait, who is in my room? Despite my head telling me to rest, I started to crack my eyes open, groaning at the effort as I brought one of my hands to my head. Oddly, my arm felt a bit still, though I didn't care as I needed to figure out who was in my room until my hand finally reached my head. It was at that moment I felt that there was something much more wrong with me, for instead of feeling fingers upon my head, I felt a flat surface. Not only that, I didn't even feel my fingers. Snapping my eyes open, I immediately looked at my arm, to see a dirty white furry limb in its place, ending at what appeared to be a hoof. The sight almost caused me to let out a scream, that is till I heard a gasp, causing my eyes to snap to the owner. Standing by the door, wa—Is that a fucken pony? "Umm... hello?" said a green-furred pony with wide blue pupilled eyes and pink curly hair, dressed in a brown apron over a white blouse. The voice sounded feminine as she tried to force a smile, though that quickly became strained as I kept staring at her till I noticed something on her flanks, a mark that looked to be of a feather duster. Wait, is that a Cutie Mark... Am I in Equestria? I thought as I glanced about, I could see that I was in some kind of stone brick room, laying on my back in what appeared to be a queen-sized bed, covered in what felt like cotton sheets. I then noticed a mirror to my left side, where I saw in its reflection a rather large dirty white-coated unicorn with pale blue hair, staring with silver eyes. Blinking slowly and noting what I think is my size, I slowly moved a hand... I mean hoof to my face, touching it to confirm that it was my reflection in that mirror. "Wh—" I started to say till a coughing fit overtook me as I realized just how damn parched I was. "Drink this!" said the mare as she was at my side, holding a wooden cup of water right next to my face. I was tempted to snatch it out of her... hooves, till I realized that I might not be able to pick things up right now since I was unsure of how my hooves would work. Leaning my head forward, I sipped at the water, grateful for the soothing liquid though a tad embarrassed at being so helpless. However, that came to pass when the door slammed open, startling me enough that I started to choke on the water. "By the light, one has finally awakened," said a masculine voice, and as I coughed out the water from my throat I saw in the door stood a white unicorn with a golden mane and blue eyes as he wore some kind of silver robe with a smile plastered on his muzzle. Walking over to me, he looked me up and down before saying, "Now I know you might be confused, but everything will be revealed in time. But let's get started with introductions, my name is Stalwart Hope, and this fair mare here is Blossom Brush," as said mare bowed before me. Rubbing my throat as I cleared it, I would eye the stallion before finally croaking out, "What is going on here... why am I here?" "Good question. I know things seem rather, how would you say, a surprising experience for you. Now, I can't exactly explain why, but simply put, destiny has brought you to us to be our savior," Stalwart explained, keeping that smile on his muzzle as Blossom sidled back to stand by the door. "Savior... are you joking?" I asked, shaking my head in dismay. How would these ponies think I would be able to do anything, but I did draw my attention to the mirror, then to my sheets as I moved a hoof under them and lifted them enough to see that at my sides were a pair of wings. Somehow, this wasn't too surprising to me, though that is due to being a fan of the show I saw several years ago, and this felt like some fans' dream to be one, but something felt off. Me being a savior and appearing here with no recall of how I ended up here was chief among them, as I recalled simply going to bed after a hard shift at work before I heard Stalwart clearing his throat, drawing my attention back to him. Keeping that ever-present smile, Stalwart replied, "Yes, this may be confusing to you, and you're probably wondering how you could be our savior. It's complicated, but the jist of it is that there was a prophecy about your appearance, and we have been waiting for your arrival for so long." "A prophecy? Really? I'm sorry, but I think you got the wrong... pony. There is no way I could be someone... I mean somepony's savoir," I stated in disbelief as this was just too surreal for me to accept. I have read some stories written by fans about some people appearing in Equestria as some kind of character, some with power or some without, but hell no would I be able to help anyone out. I worked in retail, not some hero. Smiling gently now, Stalwart responded, "Now now, I know you have your doubts, but we're not gonna simply thrust you into your destiny on day one. We know that you're unt—" "Wait, we. Stop, just stop," I interjected, holding up a hoof to stop Stalwart, causing his smile to drop. "I just... I need a moment to process this. And I need to know who you mean by 'we'. What is this prophecy you're talking about?" "Oh, well, when I said we I meant all of ponykind. And th—" Stalwart started to explain until we heard someone yelling causing him to turn his head towards the direction of the shouting and letting out a sigh. "Oh, another has awakened, I guess since you have woken up, the rest should follow shortly." "Another? Rest? Okay, I know this is rude, but I need some answers here," I said, trying to get some kind of grasp of the situation. "Oh um... maybe explaining the prophecy would help clear things up," Stalwart said as he returned his attention to me. "So, there was a prophecy about six alicorns, that is what you are if you didn't know, coming to our world during our darkest days, to bring us out into a golden age!" Staring at Stalwart, who had sat down to raise his hooves to emphasize this statement, I remained dumbfounded at such a thing. "I... what? Look. I don't know the finer details, but you certainly got the wrong pony here. I'm no leader, I'm no savior. I wouldn't know the first thing about helping anyone out of this dark age you told me about. Just... how about you send me back and find someone else to lead." Blinking, Stalwart glanced at Blossom, who was mouthing the word 'anyone' in confusion, before he returned his attention towards me as he replied, "I'm sorry... but do you think we brought you here? No no no, we simply found you and the others. We have no idea where you came from, or how you even got here." Stalwart's response caused my breathing to accelerate since I assumed that some ritual or spell brought me here. But another question gnawed at my mind, prompting me to ask, "Uh... wait... I have to ask. Have you ever heard of the names Celestia, or Equestria?" Some things weren't just making sense to me, such as there being six alicorns or a dark age. I know some things about the fourth generation of my little pony, but this wasn't something I saw in the show. "Celestia? Equestria? No, I haven't heard of such names before. Are they supposed to mean something?" Stalwart answered with a tilt of his head. This didn't serve to help me calm down, but maybe there was something else that might help. "Umm... how about a map? Can you provide me a map of the world, or at least of much of the land that is explored," I requested. Maybe this was an Equestria in the past, or perhaps one of the future? "Okay... if that is your desire. Just give me a moment," Stalwart replied as he left the room, but glanced at Blossom before leaving. "If there is anything you need in the meantime, Your Majesty, just ask and I'll do my best to fulfill it," Blossom said with a bow, causing me to sigh, only for my stomach to start to rumble, drawing her attention to it. "Don't worry Your Majesty, I'll procure you a meal," Blossom said as she bowed before leaving the room. Left alone to my thoughts, which may not be a good thing currently, I would let my gaze travel over the room. The grey stone walls indicated that this couldn't be Canterlot Castle, especially based on the cabinet to my right side with a cabinet to the left side of the mirror as well as a window on its right side with its shutters closed. They weren't all that well constructed, with the cabinet leaning a bit to one side. Even the sheets seem to have seen better days, with patches here and there sewn in. Maybe he was telling the truth... I wish I could see more, but I doubt I could walk anytime soon. I may need answers, but I rather not have them come back to find my face planted on the floor. It wasn't long till Stalwart came back with a scroll engulfed in a blue aura, who glanced around before saying, "I taking that Blossom went to fetch you a meal?" I simply nodded in response, causing him to shrug as he came over and opened up the map. "I do hope that would be sufficient. To qualify where we are, we're at the northeastern part of the land." Sufficient... may not be the right word in this case, at least for me as I saw that this land was certainly not Equestria. Nothing on the map resembled any of the maps the show had, and it certainly wasn't a map of Earth, though it might be hard to say for certain as my vision was starting to blur as I started to panic. Seeing my distress, Stawlart dropped the map before coming to my side, reaching up with a hoof to rub my back. "Now now, you don't need to worry. I know this is overwhelming for you, it would be for anypony after all. But we'll figure things out, and I and the rest of ponykind will be there to help you every step of the way. Nopony expects you to start leading us anytime soon, so you can take your time to figure things out for yourself. Just think of this as a new beginning for yourself, a way to start anew," Stalwart said with a smile. As much as I hate to admit it, the rubbing he was giving me was helping me to calm down. But starting anew, I still had a life back home, with friends and family that I would want to see again. "What... what if I just want to go back home?" His smile faltering, Stalwart said, "Well... I don't know if that is something I can help you with, or anypony for that matter. But don't you worry, you're an alicorn, the embodiment of magic and destiny! Surely you will find the means to travel to your home someday. You just need to master your magic and find your talent first, and then the way will be shown to you." "Wait... my talent?" I responded, before pulling my bedsheets up once more to see that indeed, I was a blank flank. "Why yes, your talent. That might be confusing to say, but we have these marks on our flanks called Cutie Ma—" "I know what a Cutie Mark is," I interjected with a frown as I returned my attention to him. "Oh, that makes things simpler then. Now how to put this... I'll be frank then. We found all six of you without any marks. Even your coats were of the same color, though some of us think that it might be tied to your destinies. You're all blank flanks waiting to discover yourselves, to find out who you're meant to be. That is why I said you can start anew, for this is a new beginning for each one of you. I'm not telling you to abandon your pasts, whatever they may be, but the six of you didn't appear here for no reason at all. Destiny has brought you here, and surely your fates are tied to this land and each other," Stalwart said as he placed his hoof on my shoulder. Staring at him, I gulped as I said what was coming into my mind. "And what if I ended up as a disappointment? A failure?" "Well, there is a saying. If you fall, just pick yourself up and try again. Things may seem rough at first, but you'll learn, and you have time on your side, for alicorns are immortal. You may think that you're not much now, but we ponies will look up to you and the others because you will be the wisest of us all in the end. And it will be that wisdom that will help bring ponykind to the golden age, and perhaps then you'll find the means to return to your home. Though, I do have one tiny request for you first. Don't worry, it is something simple," Stalwart replied as he took a few steps back and tried to give me a comforting smile. Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "And what is it?" "Can you tell me your name?" Stalwart answered. Blinking at the question, I was about to say my name before I paused as I remembered the nature of pony names from the show. Ponies had gone by names of things such as Cloudchaser and the such, so my human name would sound rather weird to them. I was about to open my mouth when he continued, "Oh, forgot to mention, but you could always change your name once you realize who you're meant to be, and if you can't recall your name, you could simply choose whatever you like." Frowning a bit at his words, I looked out the window in thought, seeing the clear blue sky and my light blue hair in the mirror. If I'm stuck in this world, and if what Stalwart said is true, there wasn't much I could do except go with the flow, I guess. Maybe I can figure something out as I learn what is going on here, but for now, I just have to do what I can for the time being and do what they say. I don't have any other options for the time being after all. "You can call me Misty... for now." "That's a nice name, Misty, matches your mane. Now, I know that this is all a shock for you, but for now, just rest, Blossom will attend to your needs. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing and even read a book. We don't have much of a selection, but if you need something to take your mind off things don't be afraid to ask," Stalwart said with his nearly everpresent smile, as said mare came into the room with a wooden tray on her back. Glancing at her, I watched as she placed it on my lap, where I could see a clay bowl of looked to be some kind of vegetable soup, another wooden cup full of water, and a few oats. Yeah... this really must be the dark ages... this is gonna suck. Chapter II: ChancellorNote to self, learn how to use hooves before trying to eat again. After consuming my meal, which mostly involved me placing my hooves onto the tray to hold it still before eating like some animal, Blossom was there with a rag, yes a rag, to clean my muzzle with. As much as I don't want to be treated as a foal, the alternative isn't much better. However, during my meal, there was even more yelling from somewhere in this place, so Stalwart left to deal with it. So it was just Blossom and I alone in the room, who looked at me nervously while picking up my tray as we watched each other in silence. "Okay... Blossom was it?" I asked, causing the mare to freeze up a moment before she placed the tray down before bowing. "Yes Your Majesty, is there something you desire?" Blossom replied as she kept her face low to the ground as I grimaced at the honorific. "Well, first you can stop calling me 'Your Majesty'. I haven't been crowned queen or anything like that, so I think it is rather silly for you to address me as such," I said, causing Blossom to jerk her head up to look at me in shock. "But Your Majesty, you're an alicorn! Everypony should be paying you proper respect at all times!" Blossom argued as I let out a sigh until an idea sparked in my mind. "Look, I'm just unused to such things, so how about we keep things informal so I can be more comfortable with all this? How about you just call me by my name, and if anyone, I mean anypony, has an issue with it, I'll clear the matter with them?" I offered with a smile, albeit a forced one. With a conflicted expression, Blossom replied, "Okay, I'll refer to you by your name, Lady Misty." Ehhh... close enough, I thought to myself as I felt my left eyelid twitching a bit. "Okay, moving on, as you can probably tell, I'm not used to my body, so how about you get me some things that I can use with my hooves to get some practice with them?" Nodding, Blossom said, "As you command, Lady Misty," as she took the tray and trotted out of the room, allowing a moment alone. Waiting a few seconds to make sure she was gone, I crawled out of my bedsheets, coming to the edge as I stared at the ground. "Okay, you got this," I muttered to myself as I lowered my forehooves to the ground before pushing off the bed with my rear ones, only to regret it as I tipped over and landed on my face. Well, more my muzzle, but close enough as I stare at the stone floor before me before giving out a grunt. Planting my hooves onto the ground, I slowly pushed myself, and after nearly losing my balance, got myself into a standing position before I realized something. Wait, what happened to my headache? I guess alicorns do recover from illnesses fast. Wait, Twilight didn't in the show, so maybe it just occurs in this world? Wait, questions later, figure out to walk now before I end up being carried around. Placing one hoof forward, I then moved one rear hoof afterward, as I started to move around the bed at first. I would like to say that I was about to get to the other side, but I would be lying to myself, especially after falling over four times with a few curses. But I made it and on my way back the door opened, Blossom entered with a box on her back as she said, "Alright Lady Mi—what are you doing out of bed‽" Putting on an awkward smile I replied, "Ummm... sorry, I just wanted to figure out how to walk by myself." "Just... Lady Misty, you could have waited and I could have helped you to learn to walk," Blossom said with a slight frown, though that raised an issue. "Wait, quick question. Why are you so accepting of an alicorn that apparently had a different life and a different form?" I asked with a tilt of my head. It was odd how she and Stalwart were so accepting of all this. Letting out a sigh as she placed the box down, Blossom answered, "Because it ultimately doesn't matter. You're an alicorn, destined to uplift ponies to a new age of progress. You could have been a minotaur or a dragon before you became an alicorn, it wouldn't make a difference. Your past doesn't matter to us, it is the present and future that you will grant us that matters." "I see... thanks for answering that," I uttered, wondering if that was sage advice or just fanatical thinking. Hard to say for certain till I see more than just two ponies, so the possibility of being in a cult was still on the table for me. "I'm glad to be of service Lady Misty. Now, do you want to use the objects I brought for you?" Blossom said as she took out of the box a wooden cube, a round stone, and a spoon. Slowly lowering onto my rear, I responded, "Yeah, best to get at it cause I think that it would be faster to learn how to use my hooves instead of using magic to take care of things," as I placed my hooves on the cube and dragged it towards me before trying, in several attempts, to latch onto it with my hooves. Blossom remained quiet as I went about this, as I focused on my hooves with each try, trying to get a feeling from them, until after the tenth try Blossom finally said, "You're going to need to concentrate on your magic in your hooves, Lady Misty." "Yeah... might need some more advice than just that, never had magic before," I replied as I had the tip of my tongue out the side of my mouth as I kept my concentration on the cube. "Well, how about you close your eyes out and feel your hooves? I'll try to guide you," Blossom proposed, causing me to glance at her briefly before nodding as I closed my eyes. "Now, focus on your hooves, try to feel them out fully. You can feel their physical presence but try to sense past that. If you didn't have magic before, try to sense anything you have never felt before and latch onto that. Once you have a hold of them, focus on attaching them to the object you want to hold, and then you should have it." Following those instructions, I would feel at my hooves, first being reminded of my lack of fingers from the hardness of the hoof itself, I kept trying to sense something, until I felt this unnatural presence in my hooves. It was also something that I could start to sense throughout my body, so I guess this was my magic as I narrowed my focus back on my hooves. I would then move them around the block, and willed the force onto the block. Opening my eyes, I watched as I lifted the block, smiling for a bit till I had it an inch above the ground before I lost my grip and it fell to the ground. Clapping her hooves with a genuine smile, Blossom declared, "Congratulations Lady Misty, not only have you started to master your use of your hooves, you also started to use your magic." "Thank you... but be honest, I'm betting foals would be able to pick things up, right?" I countered as I don't consider this to be that much of an accomplishment. Her smile faltered a bit before she replied, "Yes, but they were born with it, so it was a natural thing for them to do, while you're just coming onto it. If you think about it, being able to partly do it on your first day awake is comparable to them, so don't be too hard on yourself." "Heh, thanks, I did ne—" I started to reply till I heard a crash from outside my room, drawing attention towards my door as I heard a feminine voice shouting. "I don't care! I was the Royal Chancellor of the Queen, and now I'm just a fleshy furry thing! If you're not going to give me a straight answer I will find someone who will!" "But you don't understand if you ju—" said the voice of Stalwart as my door slammed open, where I saw a furious alicorn with an orange mane and yellow eyes glaring at me, with her size and coat color being a near match to my own. "You! You look important, restore me to my body and return me to my home, and maybe my queen won't declare war on such an offense!" the alicorn growled out as Stalwart tried to get in front of him only for her to shove him inside. Trotting in, I noticed that she too wasn't used to this form, but she certainly was doing a better job of walking around than I was. "Errr... I really think you have the wrong pony... Stalwart, where you able to explain what is going on fo—" I started to say until the alicorn came over and slapped my face hard enough to jerk it to one side as Blossom let out a shocked gasp. "I don't want answers from some peon! I demand action from someone who holds real authority, and since you are the largest one here, you have the authority to set things right befo—" the alicorn said until I stuffed a hoof in her mouth. "Look, I am in the same boat as you are! But since you don't want to listen, then listen to this! These ponies have nothing to do with how we ended up here or why our bodies have changed. But they see us as their supposed saviors for their kind and are meant to lead them out of the dark age they are currently in. So how about instead of running around in utter rage, and instead calm down and try to make good of this situation. There is nothing they can do to send you back or anything, I already asked, so just put a damper on that temper of yours!" I roared into her face before pulling my hoof out and stomping it down. The newcomer just glared at me in return, before narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head at me before looking at Stalwart, asking, "Is what she said true, peon?" "Yes... your majesty. What she said is true... you are meant to lead ponykind to a new golden age," Stalwart answered slowly as he had chosen his words carefully to placate this short-fused alicorn. Humming to herself for a bit before turning her attention towards me, the mare gave a quick nod as she said, "My apologies then. I was just... caught off guard with the change in environment and my form. Losing one set of limbs was quite upsetting to me, leaving me quite irrational. I didn't intend any harm when I slapped you, I was just acting on my baser instincts." Rubbing my cheek as things seemed to be cooling down, I replied, "It is alright, just... try to keep your cool if anything rather shocking happens to you. I have a feeling that this may just be the tip of the iceberg." "Very well then, but let me give you a proper introduction first. I am the Royal Chancellor of the Queen of the Ninth Hive," the alicorn said as she stood up straight, though she swayed a bit as she tried to maintain her balance. "Umm... okay... but would you mind giving me your name?" I asked as I glanced at Stalwart, who just gave me a confused shrug. Frowning, the 'chancellor' said, "What are you talking about? That is my name." "Wait... your name is just... the title of your position?" I replied while recalling that she mentioned losing one set of limbs. I was starting to think perhaps my other 'alicorn kin' had origins from other species, which may just make things more confusing and perhaps even more weird than it was now. "Yes... are you saying your name is not of your title?" the 'chancellor' asked with a frown. "Yes... well... I'm fairly certain that we didn't even originate from the same species..." I answered, causing her frown to deepen. "That is... I would say surprising but given everything so far that would be an understatement. Still, I may have lost my position, but this elevation to a shared leadership role with you may turn out to be a rather fortuitous opportunity for me," the 'chancellor' responded before turning her head towards Stalwart. "Peon, you will aid me in the naming conventions of your world so I can find one that I deem worthy of my newfound position." Looking like he was withholding a sigh, Stalwart bowed as he said, "As you command, Your Majesty, but I must regrettably inform you, you are not only ruling beside Her Majesty Misty here but alongside four other alicorns who you will meet in due time." Frowning, the 'chancellor' said, "Oh, that is rather... unusual for there to be six rulers, but I will adapt. Now take me to my room, I wish to learn more about my... shell-less form," as she stepped out of the room, with Stalwart grimacing before following suit and shutting my door. With us being alone, I would look at Blossom as I asked, "I have to know, was I the first one to awaken?" "Yes Lady Misty, you were the first to arise from slumber. Do you need any medical attention to your cheek?" "No... though I rather hope that this doesn't become a reoccurring thing." Chapter III: LimbsOkay... really hope one of the other alicorns knows about plumbing or we have an engineering savant of a pony just waiting to get to work with pipes, or this is gonna be an annoying few years start, I thought to myself after experiencing what this world has for restrooms. After the 'chancellor' left, I returned to get the hang of my hooves for an hour or so till nature called. Blossom then led me outside my room to the restroom, where I learned we resided in a rather old castle being repaired. I also saw some other ponies, namely a few more of the castle maid staff, a few worker ponies, and even some guards. Though, it was hard to call them guards, since their gear consisted of a breastplate over a tunic with a simple helmet alongside a spear. Their armor looked made from iron, though poorly maintained since I could see some rust all over them. This makes me wonder if they had any actual guard training or were given the armor and told to stand still. Regardless, hoof training proceeded as normal till the late afternoon, with no sign of Stalwart in the meantime, at least till the door opened and said stallion showed up, with a forced smile as he said, "Your Majesty since you were so instrumental in placating her lady Star, you may be of assistance with your latest kin who has awakened," as I repressed the urge to groan as he was now more focused on using a title instead of my name. "Star? Wait, she must be the one that slapped me, at least I have a name now. So... umm... are you sure you'll need me? I'm certain the case with Star was more of a fluke than anything," I stated as I was working on gripping the round stone. "But you were such a natural in handling your fellow alicorn, even when she... committed bodily harm to you," Stalwart countered. "Not only that, you will have to meet the others at some point, so why not sooner rather than later? Wouldn't you want to have a good first impression instead of them learning that you may be trying to avoid them?" Giving Stalwart a stare that caused him to sweat a bit, I replied, "You're just gonna be passive-aggressive about this, right?" "Well... not really. I'm just trying to help you be the best you alongside your fellow alicorns," Stalwart said as I kept my flat look before letting out a sigh. "Fine, lead the way, but do tell me what is wrong so I don't end up going into this blind," I responded as I made my way to the door, having a bit more practice that I'm not falling flat on my face anymore, but still taking it slow. Stalwart would lead me down left from my room, passing a few doors as he said, "Well... she's just laying on her bed, not even moving her limbs, but talking about how they feel so stiff and weird. She even sounded like she was a bit out of it, but it doesn't seem like it. It's just rather confusing and being a worldly alicorn like you, maybe you can get some insight into what is wrong with her." Worldly alicorn my ass, I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes till Stalwart led me to a door, opening it to reveal another dirty white coated alicorn, this one with a pink mane, just sprawled out on the bed. Resisting the urge to let out another sigh, I walked over to the bed, and seeing that the alicorn was awake with just her eyelids half drooped over her green eyes, I asked, "Umm... hello? Are you okay?" "Oh... yeah... I'm okay. Just peachy. All these new sensations, it's a blast," the alicorn said, a dopey smile on her muzzle as she just lay there. Is this mare stoned or something? I thought with a blink before waving a hoof over her eyes, to which she just let out a laugh. "It doesn't look like you're okay... are you just going to lay down like that still? Your legs and back might get sore from doing that," I stated as I turned to look at Stalwart, who just gave a confused shrug in response. "Heh, legs and back... so that's what these stiff things are called?" the mare replied as she slowly lifted one of her legs before giggling a bit before dropping it back down. "Oh, yeah, new body. Yeah, that can be weird, mind telling me what you had before?" "Oh, nothing special, just a bunch of tentacles. Each one is flexible and great for grabbing things and moving them around all over the place. Had like twelve of them, really go at brushing with five brushes at the same time easily. These stiff things, not so much, with how stiff they are. Do you know why they're so stiff?" the alicorn stated, causing me to blink as I realized this was another one from some odd species like Star. Unless humans were the odd ones out there, but that is one can of worms I would rather not open as I focus on the matters at hand. Or in this case on hoof. "Ummm... that would be the bones inside... did the old you even have bones?" I asked as I glanced at Stalwart again, only to see him flabbergasted at the revelation. "Oh, are these bones the reason why these new tentacles are so stiff? Weird..." the alicorn said with another giggle. "Yeah... things are a bit weird for me too, but how about you get up and try out your body? Walk about a bit, I'm certain that would be a new experience for you too," I proposed. Blinking, the alicorn said, "You do have a point. Walking, never done that before," as she turned to her side and, well it looked like she was trying to crawl, but it was clear that she was trying to treat them like her old tentacles, I guess. "Ummm... maybe you should wait till a couple of ponies are here to help you learn to use your legs," I recommended, causing her to glance at me and then shrug. "Sure, whatever you say, I'll just chill and feel these bones some more," the alicorn replied as she took on a dopey smile once more. "Alright, it was nice meeting you..." I said as I turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door. "You done it once again, Your Majesty. I knew you were a natural at this," Stalwart said as I started to walk back to my room. “Hardly, I just gave a simple suggestion and she went along with it. Nothing special that you couldn’t have done,” I countered with a roll of my eyes. As we arrived at my room, Stalwart said, “Oh don’t sell yourself too short, you did well. This is alone of the signs of the reason why destiny picked you! But I must go now, Her Majesty Star may require me once again,” before he rushed down the hallway. Shaking my head, I glanced at Blossom before asking, "So... it is getting late and I have been 'technically working' all day, if you count picking up stuff and walking work. So how about you go find me a book so I can have some time to relax?" Okay, another idea on top of indoor plumbing is raising literacy rates, I thought to myself as I stared at the worn-out cover of a foal's book that Blossom found. Though the mare apologized, she admitted that she couldn't read and they didn't have many books to begin with, so I forgave her and asked to be left alone for the rest of the night. Though noting the state of the book, it made me wonder when the last time anypony wrote a book, though since I could read the title that was one saving grace out of all this. I rather not have to ask for a book on reading the alphabet after all. Figuring that it was better than nothing, I mindlessly skimmed the pages of the book, glad it wasn't a picture book and simply had stories to read to foals at night or something like that until I stopped at what looked to be a short saying titled 'The Five Elements'. "Wonder if this is tied to the Elements of Harmony," I muttered to myself as I read it. Fire warms the body, and water quenches the thirst. Earth provides the food and Wind cools the fur with Light shining the way. Together united, they drive away the dark. "Huh, no correlation to Elements of Harmony, but it's better to try than do nothing," I said with a shrug before looking out the window to see the sun setting. "Welp, this has been one crazy day, let's hope tomorrow is a better day... Yeah right, there are three other alicorns according to what Stalwart said, and if this world is anything like Equestria, those three will wake up tomorrow," I muttered to myself with a shake of my head before I turned in for the night. "So, are things proceeding as you stated?" "It is Your Holiness. The empire fell so easily to me, and these ponies are quite easy to control." "So you say, but there is still the matter of the two princesses." "Fear not, they are still young and inexperienced. They needed those trinkets to defeat their first true foe, they will pale before a user of dark magic and will be under my thrall with ease." "Don't grow too arrogant, I still advise caution. I have seen others grow too complacent with their power only to be toppled by others. I have invested too much in this endeavor for you to simply fail, and you know the price of failure." "...Very well Your Holiness, I will prepare contingencies to ensure my inevitable victory, one way or another." "Good, but one more thing that we need to address." "What is it, Your Holiness?" "I know you're plotting to use those two against me." "Your Holiness, I am no—" "Do not take me for a fool! You were chosen for your ambition, and I know what said ambition often entails. I expect you to try to betray, thinking that you have all the cards you need to do so. But lest you forget, all dark magic obeys me, and your frequent use of it resulted in it permeating throughout your body. One little thought, and you will be in utter agony. Not only that, but those two will heed my call instead of yours. So don't waste time with those pointless schemes against me." "...Yes your holiness." "Good, and remember, your magic grows stronger when fueled by your emotions. So put your resentment towards me to good use, and once this is all over, you will have the ascension you so desire, Sombra." "What the fuck‽" I shouted out, jolting awake as I looked about, seeing my room was still dark till the door opened and a brown-coated earth pony guard with a lantern in their hoof came in. "Your Majesty, is something wrong? I heard you screaming," the guard said as he came to my side. Panting in shock, I took control of my breathing as I thought about what I dreamt, before replying, "I... just had a nightmare. Nothing to worry about." "Are you sure Your Majesty? I could retrieve Stalwart if you need him," the guard proposed, concern still present on his face "That won't be necessary. If I need to talk to him about what I dreamt, it can wait till the morning, it isn't a pressing issue," I reassured him. Inwardly, I wondered if this was something I should confide to Stalwart, but I rejected the notion since I still didn't trust him, especially with that creepy smile of his. If anything, I need to be careful of what I reveal to him, though it would be curious to see if the guard would inform him of my nightmare. "Very well then, Your Majesty. I wish you a good night," the guard replied, some concern still present but he left the room and closed the door, allowing me to let out a tense breath. Looking out the window, I could see the moon hanging in the night sky, causing me to wonder if this moon had to be raised and lowered by unicorns or if it behaved like the rest of the known universe. Here I thought this world wasn't connected to Equestria, then I had a dream with Sombra in it... just what the hell is going on here? And who the fuck was he talking to? Chapter IV: VisionsOpening my eyes, I saw that the room was half lit as I got up and headed to the window, where I could see it was sunrise with the sun not just slowly coming up into the sky. "Okay, pretty certain that this isn't a magical sun or it wouldn't be in that position since it would be annoying to move it up bit by bit," I noted to myself as I turned towards the door just in time to see Blossom opening it and looking at the bed first before around till her gaze landed on me. "Good morning Lady Misty. Are you ready to have breakfast with the others?" Blossom asked as she bowed. "Wait, breakfast with the others? Isn't that a bit too soon for some of us?" I replied, especially since the last alicorn didn't seem to get used to things this fast when she was still processing her body. "Stalwart believes that it is best to start having meals together so you all can get more used to one another, Lady Misty," Blossom explained, causing me to sigh. "Of course, and knowing him, he would insist, so... lead the way," I said as Blossom bowed again and opened the door, guiding me down the hallways till we reached the dining room. Heading in as Blossom held the door open for me, I quickly noticed that, like the rest of the castle, the room barely furbished as it simply had a long table with some chairs. Though the table itself was three different tables pushed together and only had mismatched chairs. This may be a problem, since I saw Star sitting at the head of the 'table', looking quite displeased at the arrangement before she saw me, causing her to school her expression to a more controlled one as she said, "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Misty. I heard that a third will be joining us?" "Umm... yes, a third one wou—" I started to say until I felt a hoof on my back, jolting me to jump to my left side as I saw the stoner alicorn standing beside where I was with a dopey smile on her muzzle. "Hey there, no need to be tense, didn't mean to scare you," the alicorn said as she slowly walked over to the table, where she spotted Star. "Oh, another one, hey there, enjoying the new experience like the rest of us?" Frowning, Star asked, "New experience?" "Yeah, being in a new body, in a new world, it is just something to enjoy," the alicorn answered as she took a seat next to Star, much to her apparent discomfort. "Yes... new body... so who are you? I know Misty, but not about you," Star demanded as I took my seat opposite Star. "Oh, yeah, never told my name to Misty too. You can call me Drift," Drift said, causing both of us to eye her. "Drift... your name is Drift? What kind of name is that?" Star asked with a frown. "Oh, because before I became this, I just drifted around in the sky... though there wasn't a sky since it was just all air and we always just floated around. So that's why that's my name," Drift said with a shrug. "Makes sense to me," I said before Star could comment, causing her to glower at me till some ponies came in with wooden serving trays on their backs, placing them before us as I saw that we were being served a bowl of oats, a loaf of bread, and what looked like a mug of orange juice. However, one sip caused me to grimace a bit since it was rather pulpy. Star let out a sigh as was about to pick up her bowl till Drift just dunked her muzzle into her bowl of oats and started to loudly munch on her food, causing Star to just scowl at her. Shaking my head, I just grabbed onto my loaf of bread and started to bite down on it when I heard some rather loud stomping, which drew all our attention towards the entryway where we saw yet another alicorn with a matching coat, but amber eyes and a black mane as she had a stern expression coming in as her gaze went over the room. "So these are the ones that awaken before me... not the best examples to go by," the alicorn stated as her gaze lingered on Drift, her disapproval quite apparent to us. "Hey, welcome to the club," Drift declared after pulling her muzzle out of her bowl and waving a hoof at the newcomer. "Name's Drift, and this one is Misty and... I never got your name." "You may call me Star, and since we're going over introductions, what is your name?" Star asked as she looked at the alicorn with some interest. "For the time being, I will be known as Sarge," Sarge answered, as I widened my pupils and resisted the urge to groan. Sarge stiffly sat down beside me as one of the serving ponies provided a tray for her as well. Great... one of us has a military background, I hope this doesn't cause some of these ponies to become warmongers just to please her, I thought to myself as I resumed having my meal, before noticing Stalwart coming into the room with his smile, looking more pleased with himself. Getting up, I said, "Excuse me, I need to talk to Stalwart for a moment," as I trotted over to him as the others glanced at each other before returning their focus to their meals. "Is there something you need of me, Lady Misty?" Stalwart asked only for me to point my hoof out into the hallway. Nodding, he followed me past the doors, and after they closed he said, "Is it something about the nightmare you had last night?" Of course he would know about that. Do all the ponies report every single thing they see to him? I thought to myself as I collected myself. "Yes... it is. But I have to ask first, have you ever heard of a pony by the name of Sombra?" Frowning a bit, Stalwart shook his head as he answered, "No, never heard of anypony that went by that name. Is there a reason I should have heard of him?" "Not particularly... let's just say that I had a dream about him, and simply put, he is a rather evil po—" I started to say until Stalwart let out a gasp of surprise. "You have? This could be an insight into the future of the nation! Tell me, was this pony well known in this dream," Stalwart exclaimed as he closed the distance between us till his head was mere inches away from mine. Until I put a hoof and pushed him back. "Whoa whoa, calm down there. I would like some personal space still," I stated as he blinked and took a few steps back. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I was just excited at the prospect of you having prophetic visions into our future. But can you blame me? You could become our guiding light if you continue to have them," Stalwart stated as he bowed for a bit. "Though, can you continue regaling me about your vision?" Not being subtle about buttering me up, I thought to myself as I eyed him for a bit. "Okay... it's not much and it was a bit short, but Sombra was finished taking over an empire and was getting ready for a conflict with some princesses," I said as Stalwart rubbed his chin in thought. "Never heard of an empire forming anywhere in the lands. This Sombra is a pony, correct?" Stalwart asked, to which I simply replied with a nod. "I see, not much we can do about it for now since ponykind hasn't united under the rule of you and your fellow alicorns, but I'll keep that in mind and pass it down to any of my successors to my position so we can keep an eye out. Anything else this vision entrails, Your Majesty?" "Well, this Sombra has somepony that was teaching him dark magic..." I answered, only to see Stalwart's cheerful expression dropping as he took on a rather deep frown. "That is... rather troublesome to hear. Do you know the name of his patron? Did this patron say anything?" Stalwart asked as I could see some steel in his eyes like this hit some personal nerve. Though one could say that anyone, or anypony, would react this way to dark magic, something about his change in mood sent a shiver down my spine. "Unfortunately no, though he did call his patron 'your holiness' and it was a she. Oh, and that all dark magic obeys her," I replied, only to see Stalwart spit at the ground, causing me to take a few steps back in disgust. "What was that for?" "My apologies Your Majesty, that was just a gut reaction. The average pony would normally have a similar one to anything related to dark magic, even more so to anypony that claims to control it. Though, you could easily understand such a viewpoint since it is dark magic after all," Stalwart answered as he schooled his expression into a calmer one. "Alright, just was caught off guard. Anyways, that is all I had from my dream before I woke up," I responded, getting a nod of confirmation in return. There was more that I was tempted to say, due to my knowledge of the show, but I still find too many things off with Stalwart and the others that I'll just keep to myself, at least for now. "Thank you for your forthrightness, Your Majesty. Rest assured, I and my compatriots will look into this matter, so there is no need for you to worry about this matter. Just focus on acclimating to your situation and keeping me or any member of the guard informed about any further visions you may have. But for now, please return to your peers and enjoy the rest of your meal," Stalwart said as he went to the door, opening it for me to enter. "Alright, thank you," I slowly said as I came back to the room and took my seat, watching as Sarge and Star watched in mutual disgust as Drift chugged her mug of juice down. Noticing me first, Star asked, "So, what was that all about? Anything you want to share with us as well?" drawing the other two's attention to me. "Oh, it was just a bad dream that woke me up and drew a guard's attention. I figure that they might have informed Stalwart about it, so I wanted to nip it in the bud as soon as I can," I explained, not wanting to go into further detail. With two of them potentially being power hunger alicorns, I rather keep the idea of seeing into the future out of their heads until I know I can trust them, or if somepony ratted me out first. "Oh, bad dreams are just more experiences to behold. You have to take the good with the bad," Drift said as she smiled at me. "Bah, dreams are a waste of time. Instead, how about you regale us with your past? Sarge here was just informing us of her position of a lieutenant in an army of her original homeworld," Star stated. "Yes, it was good times to serve one's liege. Though, finding myself as my own liege will... take some time to adjust to," Sarge admitted, making me wonder if she was just a simple soldier who followed orders. Though, with a mare like Star, that could still spell some trouble. "I rather not. I didn't come from any particular background of import," I simply replied, causing Drift to let out a snort. "Oh come on, it can't be bad Misty. I'm an artist, not like soldier mare there or miss government here," Drift responded with a shrug, causing said mares to give her an annoyed glare. Letting out a sigh, I said, "Alright, I get the feeling that at least one of you would continue to pry, so this is my past. I worked in retail." "Retail, you mean like working in some shop?" Star said with a blink of surprise. "Yes, retail." "What part of retail?" Drift asked, causing me to resist the urge to groan at her questioning. "Customer service, now can you leave my past be?" "Ohh.... customer service. Sorry, that must be really a bummer..." "Oh, you have no idea..."
Chapter I: AwakeningAugh... why does my head feel like it is gonna split? What did I drink last night? "She is finally stirring, go get Stalwart. Quick!" Who's tal—wait, who is in my room? Despite my head telling me to rest, I started to crack my eyes open, groaning at the effort as I brought one of my hands to my head. Oddly, my arm felt a bit still, though I didn't care as I needed to figure out who was in my room until my hand finally reached my head. It was at that moment I felt that there was something much more wrong with me, for instead of feeling fingers upon my head, I felt a flat surface. Not only that, I didn't even feel my fingers. Snapping my eyes open, I immediately looked at my arm, to see a dirty white furry limb in its place, ending at what appeared to be a hoof. The sight almost caused me to let out a scream, that is till I heard a gasp, causing my eyes to snap to the owner. Standing by the door, wa—Is that a fucken pony? "Umm... hello?" said a green-furred pony with wide blue pupilled eyes and pink curly hair, dressed in a brown apron over a white blouse. The voice sounded feminine as she tried to force a smile, though that quickly became strained as I kept staring at her till I noticed something on her flanks, a mark that looked to be of a feather duster. Wait, is that a Cutie Mark... Am I in Equestria? I thought as I glanced about, I could see that I was in some kind of stone brick room, laying on my back in what appeared to be a queen-sized bed, covered in what felt like cotton sheets. I then noticed a mirror to my left side, where I saw in its reflection a rather large dirty white-coated unicorn with pale blue hair, staring with silver eyes. Blinking slowly and noting what I think is my size, I slowly moved a hand... I mean hoof to my face, touching it to confirm that it was my reflection in that mirror. "Wh—" I started to say till a coughing fit overtook me as I realized just how damn parched I was. "Drink this!" said the mare as she was at my side, holding a wooden cup of water right next to my face. I was tempted to snatch it out of her... hooves, till I realized that I might not be able to pick things up right now since I was unsure of how my hooves would work. Leaning my head forward, I sipped at the water, grateful for the soothing liquid though a tad embarrassed at being so helpless. However, that came to pass when the door slammed open, startling me enough that I started to choke on the water. "By the light, one has finally awakened," said a masculine voice, and as I coughed out the water from my throat I saw in the door stood a white unicorn with a golden mane and blue eyes as he wore some kind of silver robe with a smile plastered on his muzzle. Walking over to me, he looked me up and down before saying, "Now I know you might be confused, but everything will be revealed in time. But let's get started with introductions, my name is Stalwart Hope, and this fair mare here is Blossom Brush," as said mare bowed before me. Rubbing my throat as I cleared it, I would eye the stallion before finally croaking out, "What is going on here... why am I here?" "Good question. I know things seem rather, how would you say, a surprising experience for you. Now, I can't exactly explain why, but simply put, destiny has brought you to us to be our savior," Stalwart explained, keeping that smile on his muzzle as Blossom sidled back to stand by the door. "Savior... are you joking?" I asked, shaking my head in dismay. How would these ponies think I would be able to do anything, but I did draw my attention to the mirror, then to my sheets as I moved a hoof under them and lifted them enough to see that at my sides were a pair of wings. Somehow, this wasn't too surprising to me, though that is due to being a fan of the show I saw several years ago, and this felt like some fans' dream to be one, but something felt off. Me being a savior and appearing here with no recall of how I ended up here was chief among them, as I recalled simply going to bed after a hard shift at work before I heard Stalwart clearing his throat, drawing my attention back to him. Keeping that ever-present smile, Stalwart replied, "Yes, this may be confusing to you, and you're probably wondering how you could be our savior. It's complicated, but the jist of it is that there was a prophecy about your appearance, and we have been waiting for your arrival for so long." "A prophecy? Really? I'm sorry, but I think you got the wrong... pony. There is no way I could be someone... I mean somepony's savoir," I stated in disbelief as this was just too surreal for me to accept. I have read some stories written by fans about some people appearing in Equestria as some kind of character, some with power or some without, but hell no would I be able to help anyone out. I worked in retail, not some hero. Smiling gently now, Stalwart responded, "Now now, I know you have your doubts, but we're not gonna simply thrust you into your destiny on day one. We know that you're unt—" "Wait, we. Stop, just stop," I interjected, holding up a hoof to stop Stalwart, causing his smile to drop. "I just... I need a moment to process this. And I need to know who you mean by 'we'. What is this prophecy you're talking about?" "Oh, well, when I said we I meant all of ponykind. And th—" Stalwart started to explain until we heard someone yelling causing him to turn his head towards the direction of the shouting and letting out a sigh. "Oh, another has awakened, I guess since you have woken up, the rest should follow shortly." "Another? Rest? Okay, I know this is rude, but I need some answers here," I said, trying to get some kind of grasp of the situation. "Oh um... maybe explaining the prophecy would help clear things up," Stalwart said as he returned his attention to me. "So, there was a prophecy about six alicorns, that is what you are if you didn't know, coming to our world during our darkest days, to bring us out into a golden age!" Staring at Stalwart, who had sat down to raise his hooves to emphasize this statement, I remained dumbfounded at such a thing. "I... what? Look. I don't know the finer details, but you certainly got the wrong pony here. I'm no leader, I'm no savior. I wouldn't know the first thing about helping anyone out of this dark age you told me about. Just... how about you send me back and find someone else to lead." Blinking, Stalwart glanced at Blossom, who was mouthing the word 'anyone' in confusion, before he returned his attention towards me as he replied, "I'm sorry... but do you think we brought you here? No no no, we simply found you and the others. We have no idea where you came from, or how you even got here." Stalwart's response caused my breathing to accelerate since I assumed that some ritual or spell brought me here. But another question gnawed at my mind, prompting me to ask, "Uh... wait... I have to ask. Have you ever heard of the names Celestia, or Equestria?" Some things weren't just making sense to me, such as there being six alicorns or a dark age. I know some things about the fourth generation of my little pony, but this wasn't something I saw in the show. "Celestia? Equestria? No, I haven't heard of such names before. Are they supposed to mean something?" Stalwart answered with a tilt of his head. This didn't serve to help me calm down, but maybe there was something else that might help. "Umm... how about a map? Can you provide me a map of the world, or at least of much of the land that is explored," I requested. Maybe this was an Equestria in the past, or perhaps one of the future? "Okay... if that is your desire. Just give me a moment," Stalwart replied as he left the room, but glanced at Blossom before leaving. "If there is anything you need in the meantime, Your Majesty, just ask and I'll do my best to fulfill it," Blossom said with a bow, causing me to sigh, only for my stomach to start to rumble, drawing her attention to it. "Don't worry Your Majesty, I'll procure you a meal," Blossom said as she bowed before leaving the room. Left alone to my thoughts, which may not be a good thing currently, I would let my gaze travel over the room. The grey stone walls indicated that this couldn't be Canterlot Castle, especially based on the cabinet to my right side with a cabinet to the left side of the mirror as well as a window on its right side with its shutters closed. They weren't all that well constructed, with the cabinet leaning a bit to one side. Even the sheets seem to have seen better days, with patches here and there sewn in. Maybe he was telling the truth... I wish I could see more, but I doubt I could walk anytime soon. I may need answers, but I rather not have them come back to find my face planted on the floor. It wasn't long till Stalwart came back with a scroll engulfed in a blue aura, who glanced around before saying, "I taking that Blossom went to fetch you a meal?" I simply nodded in response, causing him to shrug as he came over and opened up the map. "I do hope that would be sufficient. To qualify where we are, we're at the northeastern part of the land." Sufficient... may not be the right word in this case, at least for me as I saw that this land was certainly not Equestria. Nothing on the map resembled any of the maps the show had, and it certainly wasn't a map of Earth, though it might be hard to say for certain as my vision was starting to blur as I started to panic. Seeing my distress, Stawlart dropped the map before coming to my side, reaching up with a hoof to rub my back. "Now now, you don't need to worry. I know this is overwhelming for you, it would be for anypony after all. But we'll figure things out, and I and the rest of ponykind will be there to help you every step of the way. Nopony expects you to start leading us anytime soon, so you can take your time to figure things out for yourself. Just think of this as a new beginning for yourself, a way to start anew," Stalwart said with a smile. As much as I hate to admit it, the rubbing he was giving me was helping me to calm down. But starting anew, I still had a life back home, with friends and family that I would want to see again. "What... what if I just want to go back home?" His smile faltering, Stalwart said, "Well... I don't know if that is something I can help you with, or anypony for that matter. But don't you worry, you're an alicorn, the embodiment of magic and destiny! Surely you will find the means to travel to your home someday. You just need to master your magic and find your talent first, and then the way will be shown to you." "Wait... my talent?" I responded, before pulling my bedsheets up once more to see that indeed, I was a blank flank. "Why yes, your talent. That might be confusing to say, but we have these marks on our flanks called Cutie Ma—" "I know what a Cutie Mark is," I interjected with a frown as I returned my attention to him. "Oh, that makes things simpler then. Now how to put this... I'll be frank then. We found all six of you without any marks. Even your coats were of the same color, though some of us think that it might be tied to your destinies. You're all blank flanks waiting to discover yourselves, to find out who you're meant to be. That is why I said you can start anew, for this is a new beginning for each one of you. I'm not telling you to abandon your pasts, whatever they may be, but the six of you didn't appear here for no reason at all. Destiny has brought you here, and surely your fates are tied to this land and each other," Stalwart said as he placed his hoof on my shoulder. Staring at him, I gulped as I said what was coming into my mind. "And what if I ended up as a disappointment? A failure?" "Well, there is a saying. If you fall, just pick yourself up and try again. Things may seem rough at first, but you'll learn, and you have time on your side, for alicorns are immortal. You may think that you're not much now, but we ponies will look up to you and the others because you will be the wisest of us all in the end. And it will be that wisdom that will help bring ponykind to the golden age, and perhaps then you'll find the means to return to your home. Though, I do have one tiny request for you first. Don't worry, it is something simple," Stalwart replied as he took a few steps back and tried to give me a comforting smile. Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "And what is it?" "Can you tell me your name?" Stalwart answered. Blinking at the question, I was about to say my name before I paused as I remembered the nature of pony names from the show. Ponies had gone by names of things such as Cloudchaser and the such, so my human name would sound rather weird to them. I was about to open my mouth when he continued, "Oh, forgot to mention, but you could always change your name once you realize who you're meant to be, and if you can't recall your name, you could simply choose whatever you like." Frowning a bit at his words, I looked out the window in thought, seeing the clear blue sky and my light blue hair in the mirror. If I'm stuck in this world, and if what Stalwart said is true, there wasn't much I could do except go with the flow, I guess. Maybe I can figure something out as I learn what is going on here, but for now, I just have to do what I can for the time being and do what they say. I don't have any other options for the time being after all. "You can call me Misty... for now." "That's a nice name, Misty, matches your mane. Now, I know that this is all a shock for you, but for now, just rest, Blossom will attend to your needs. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing and even read a book. We don't have much of a selection, but if you need something to take your mind off things don't be afraid to ask," Stalwart said with his nearly everpresent smile, as said mare came into the room with a wooden tray on her back. Glancing at her, I watched as she placed it on my lap, where I could see a clay bowl of looked to be some kind of vegetable soup, another wooden cup full of water, and a few oats. Yeah... this really must be the dark ages... this is gonna suck.
Chapter II: ChancellorNote to self, learn how to use hooves before trying to eat again. After consuming my meal, which mostly involved me placing my hooves onto the tray to hold it still before eating like some animal, Blossom was there with a rag, yes a rag, to clean my muzzle with. As much as I don't want to be treated as a foal, the alternative isn't much better. However, during my meal, there was even more yelling from somewhere in this place, so Stalwart left to deal with it. So it was just Blossom and I alone in the room, who looked at me nervously while picking up my tray as we watched each other in silence. "Okay... Blossom was it?" I asked, causing the mare to freeze up a moment before she placed the tray down before bowing. "Yes Your Majesty, is there something you desire?" Blossom replied as she kept her face low to the ground as I grimaced at the honorific. "Well, first you can stop calling me 'Your Majesty'. I haven't been crowned queen or anything like that, so I think it is rather silly for you to address me as such," I said, causing Blossom to jerk her head up to look at me in shock. "But Your Majesty, you're an alicorn! Everypony should be paying you proper respect at all times!" Blossom argued as I let out a sigh until an idea sparked in my mind. "Look, I'm just unused to such things, so how about we keep things informal so I can be more comfortable with all this? How about you just call me by my name, and if anyone, I mean anypony, has an issue with it, I'll clear the matter with them?" I offered with a smile, albeit a forced one. With a conflicted expression, Blossom replied, "Okay, I'll refer to you by your name, Lady Misty." Ehhh... close enough, I thought to myself as I felt my left eyelid twitching a bit. "Okay, moving on, as you can probably tell, I'm not used to my body, so how about you get me some things that I can use with my hooves to get some practice with them?" Nodding, Blossom said, "As you command, Lady Misty," as she took the tray and trotted out of the room, allowing a moment alone. Waiting a few seconds to make sure she was gone, I crawled out of my bedsheets, coming to the edge as I stared at the ground. "Okay, you got this," I muttered to myself as I lowered my forehooves to the ground before pushing off the bed with my rear ones, only to regret it as I tipped over and landed on my face. Well, more my muzzle, but close enough as I stare at the stone floor before me before giving out a grunt. Planting my hooves onto the ground, I slowly pushed myself, and after nearly losing my balance, got myself into a standing position before I realized something. Wait, what happened to my headache? I guess alicorns do recover from illnesses fast. Wait, Twilight didn't in the show, so maybe it just occurs in this world? Wait, questions later, figure out to walk now before I end up being carried around. Placing one hoof forward, I then moved one rear hoof afterward, as I started to move around the bed at first. I would like to say that I was about to get to the other side, but I would be lying to myself, especially after falling over four times with a few curses. But I made it and on my way back the door opened, Blossom entered with a box on her back as she said, "Alright Lady Mi—what are you doing out of bed‽" Putting on an awkward smile I replied, "Ummm... sorry, I just wanted to figure out how to walk by myself." "Just... Lady Misty, you could have waited and I could have helped you to learn to walk," Blossom said with a slight frown, though that raised an issue. "Wait, quick question. Why are you so accepting of an alicorn that apparently had a different life and a different form?" I asked with a tilt of my head. It was odd how she and Stalwart were so accepting of all this. Letting out a sigh as she placed the box down, Blossom answered, "Because it ultimately doesn't matter. You're an alicorn, destined to uplift ponies to a new age of progress. You could have been a minotaur or a dragon before you became an alicorn, it wouldn't make a difference. Your past doesn't matter to us, it is the present and future that you will grant us that matters." "I see... thanks for answering that," I uttered, wondering if that was sage advice or just fanatical thinking. Hard to say for certain till I see more than just two ponies, so the possibility of being in a cult was still on the table for me. "I'm glad to be of service Lady Misty. Now, do you want to use the objects I brought for you?" Blossom said as she took out of the box a wooden cube, a round stone, and a spoon. Slowly lowering onto my rear, I responded, "Yeah, best to get at it cause I think that it would be faster to learn how to use my hooves instead of using magic to take care of things," as I placed my hooves on the cube and dragged it towards me before trying, in several attempts, to latch onto it with my hooves. Blossom remained quiet as I went about this, as I focused on my hooves with each try, trying to get a feeling from them, until after the tenth try Blossom finally said, "You're going to need to concentrate on your magic in your hooves, Lady Misty." "Yeah... might need some more advice than just that, never had magic before," I replied as I had the tip of my tongue out the side of my mouth as I kept my concentration on the cube. "Well, how about you close your eyes out and feel your hooves? I'll try to guide you," Blossom proposed, causing me to glance at her briefly before nodding as I closed my eyes. "Now, focus on your hooves, try to feel them out fully. You can feel their physical presence but try to sense past that. If you didn't have magic before, try to sense anything you have never felt before and latch onto that. Once you have a hold of them, focus on attaching them to the object you want to hold, and then you should have it." Following those instructions, I would feel at my hooves, first being reminded of my lack of fingers from the hardness of the hoof itself, I kept trying to sense something, until I felt this unnatural presence in my hooves. It was also something that I could start to sense throughout my body, so I guess this was my magic as I narrowed my focus back on my hooves. I would then move them around the block, and willed the force onto the block. Opening my eyes, I watched as I lifted the block, smiling for a bit till I had it an inch above the ground before I lost my grip and it fell to the ground. Clapping her hooves with a genuine smile, Blossom declared, "Congratulations Lady Misty, not only have you started to master your use of your hooves, you also started to use your magic." "Thank you... but be honest, I'm betting foals would be able to pick things up, right?" I countered as I don't consider this to be that much of an accomplishment. Her smile faltered a bit before she replied, "Yes, but they were born with it, so it was a natural thing for them to do, while you're just coming onto it. If you think about it, being able to partly do it on your first day awake is comparable to them, so don't be too hard on yourself." "Heh, thanks, I did ne—" I started to reply till I heard a crash from outside my room, drawing attention towards my door as I heard a feminine voice shouting. "I don't care! I was the Royal Chancellor of the Queen, and now I'm just a fleshy furry thing! If you're not going to give me a straight answer I will find someone who will!" "But you don't understand if you ju—" said the voice of Stalwart as my door slammed open, where I saw a furious alicorn with an orange mane and yellow eyes glaring at me, with her size and coat color being a near match to my own. "You! You look important, restore me to my body and return me to my home, and maybe my queen won't declare war on such an offense!" the alicorn growled out as Stalwart tried to get in front of him only for her to shove him inside. Trotting in, I noticed that she too wasn't used to this form, but she certainly was doing a better job of walking around than I was. "Errr... I really think you have the wrong pony... Stalwart, where you able to explain what is going on fo—" I started to say until the alicorn came over and slapped my face hard enough to jerk it to one side as Blossom let out a shocked gasp. "I don't want answers from some peon! I demand action from someone who holds real authority, and since you are the largest one here, you have the authority to set things right befo—" the alicorn said until I stuffed a hoof in her mouth. "Look, I am in the same boat as you are! But since you don't want to listen, then listen to this! These ponies have nothing to do with how we ended up here or why our bodies have changed. But they see us as their supposed saviors for their kind and are meant to lead them out of the dark age they are currently in. So how about instead of running around in utter rage, and instead calm down and try to make good of this situation. There is nothing they can do to send you back or anything, I already asked, so just put a damper on that temper of yours!" I roared into her face before pulling my hoof out and stomping it down. The newcomer just glared at me in return, before narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head at me before looking at Stalwart, asking, "Is what she said true, peon?" "Yes... your majesty. What she said is true... you are meant to lead ponykind to a new golden age," Stalwart answered slowly as he had chosen his words carefully to placate this short-fused alicorn. Humming to herself for a bit before turning her attention towards me, the mare gave a quick nod as she said, "My apologies then. I was just... caught off guard with the change in environment and my form. Losing one set of limbs was quite upsetting to me, leaving me quite irrational. I didn't intend any harm when I slapped you, I was just acting on my baser instincts." Rubbing my cheek as things seemed to be cooling down, I replied, "It is alright, just... try to keep your cool if anything rather shocking happens to you. I have a feeling that this may just be the tip of the iceberg." "Very well then, but let me give you a proper introduction first. I am the Royal Chancellor of the Queen of the Ninth Hive," the alicorn said as she stood up straight, though she swayed a bit as she tried to maintain her balance. "Umm... okay... but would you mind giving me your name?" I asked as I glanced at Stalwart, who just gave me a confused shrug. Frowning, the 'chancellor' said, "What are you talking about? That is my name." "Wait... your name is just... the title of your position?" I replied while recalling that she mentioned losing one set of limbs. I was starting to think perhaps my other 'alicorn kin' had origins from other species, which may just make things more confusing and perhaps even more weird than it was now. "Yes... are you saying your name is not of your title?" the 'chancellor' asked with a frown. "Yes... well... I'm fairly certain that we didn't even originate from the same species..." I answered, causing her frown to deepen. "That is... I would say surprising but given everything so far that would be an understatement. Still, I may have lost my position, but this elevation to a shared leadership role with you may turn out to be a rather fortuitous opportunity for me," the 'chancellor' responded before turning her head towards Stalwart. "Peon, you will aid me in the naming conventions of your world so I can find one that I deem worthy of my newfound position." Looking like he was withholding a sigh, Stalwart bowed as he said, "As you command, Your Majesty, but I must regrettably inform you, you are not only ruling beside Her Majesty Misty here but alongside four other alicorns who you will meet in due time." Frowning, the 'chancellor' said, "Oh, that is rather... unusual for there to be six rulers, but I will adapt. Now take me to my room, I wish to learn more about my... shell-less form," as she stepped out of the room, with Stalwart grimacing before following suit and shutting my door. With us being alone, I would look at Blossom as I asked, "I have to know, was I the first one to awaken?" "Yes Lady Misty, you were the first to arise from slumber. Do you need any medical attention to your cheek?" "No... though I rather hope that this doesn't become a reoccurring thing."
Chapter III: LimbsOkay... really hope one of the other alicorns knows about plumbing or we have an engineering savant of a pony just waiting to get to work with pipes, or this is gonna be an annoying few years start, I thought to myself after experiencing what this world has for restrooms. After the 'chancellor' left, I returned to get the hang of my hooves for an hour or so till nature called. Blossom then led me outside my room to the restroom, where I learned we resided in a rather old castle being repaired. I also saw some other ponies, namely a few more of the castle maid staff, a few worker ponies, and even some guards. Though, it was hard to call them guards, since their gear consisted of a breastplate over a tunic with a simple helmet alongside a spear. Their armor looked made from iron, though poorly maintained since I could see some rust all over them. This makes me wonder if they had any actual guard training or were given the armor and told to stand still. Regardless, hoof training proceeded as normal till the late afternoon, with no sign of Stalwart in the meantime, at least till the door opened and said stallion showed up, with a forced smile as he said, "Your Majesty since you were so instrumental in placating her lady Star, you may be of assistance with your latest kin who has awakened," as I repressed the urge to groan as he was now more focused on using a title instead of my name. "Star? Wait, she must be the one that slapped me, at least I have a name now. So... umm... are you sure you'll need me? I'm certain the case with Star was more of a fluke than anything," I stated as I was working on gripping the round stone. "But you were such a natural in handling your fellow alicorn, even when she... committed bodily harm to you," Stalwart countered. "Not only that, you will have to meet the others at some point, so why not sooner rather than later? Wouldn't you want to have a good first impression instead of them learning that you may be trying to avoid them?" Giving Stalwart a stare that caused him to sweat a bit, I replied, "You're just gonna be passive-aggressive about this, right?" "Well... not really. I'm just trying to help you be the best you alongside your fellow alicorns," Stalwart said as I kept my flat look before letting out a sigh. "Fine, lead the way, but do tell me what is wrong so I don't end up going into this blind," I responded as I made my way to the door, having a bit more practice that I'm not falling flat on my face anymore, but still taking it slow. Stalwart would lead me down left from my room, passing a few doors as he said, "Well... she's just laying on her bed, not even moving her limbs, but talking about how they feel so stiff and weird. She even sounded like she was a bit out of it, but it doesn't seem like it. It's just rather confusing and being a worldly alicorn like you, maybe you can get some insight into what is wrong with her." Worldly alicorn my ass, I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes till Stalwart led me to a door, opening it to reveal another dirty white coated alicorn, this one with a pink mane, just sprawled out on the bed. Resisting the urge to let out another sigh, I walked over to the bed, and seeing that the alicorn was awake with just her eyelids half drooped over her green eyes, I asked, "Umm... hello? Are you okay?" "Oh... yeah... I'm okay. Just peachy. All these new sensations, it's a blast," the alicorn said, a dopey smile on her muzzle as she just lay there. Is this mare stoned or something? I thought with a blink before waving a hoof over her eyes, to which she just let out a laugh. "It doesn't look like you're okay... are you just going to lay down like that still? Your legs and back might get sore from doing that," I stated as I turned to look at Stalwart, who just gave a confused shrug in response. "Heh, legs and back... so that's what these stiff things are called?" the mare replied as she slowly lifted one of her legs before giggling a bit before dropping it back down. "Oh, yeah, new body. Yeah, that can be weird, mind telling me what you had before?" "Oh, nothing special, just a bunch of tentacles. Each one is flexible and great for grabbing things and moving them around all over the place. Had like twelve of them, really go at brushing with five brushes at the same time easily. These stiff things, not so much, with how stiff they are. Do you know why they're so stiff?" the alicorn stated, causing me to blink as I realized this was another one from some odd species like Star. Unless humans were the odd ones out there, but that is one can of worms I would rather not open as I focus on the matters at hand. Or in this case on hoof. "Ummm... that would be the bones inside... did the old you even have bones?" I asked as I glanced at Stalwart again, only to see him flabbergasted at the revelation. "Oh, are these bones the reason why these new tentacles are so stiff? Weird..." the alicorn said with another giggle. "Yeah... things are a bit weird for me too, but how about you get up and try out your body? Walk about a bit, I'm certain that would be a new experience for you too," I proposed. Blinking, the alicorn said, "You do have a point. Walking, never done that before," as she turned to her side and, well it looked like she was trying to crawl, but it was clear that she was trying to treat them like her old tentacles, I guess. "Ummm... maybe you should wait till a couple of ponies are here to help you learn to use your legs," I recommended, causing her to glance at me and then shrug. "Sure, whatever you say, I'll just chill and feel these bones some more," the alicorn replied as she took on a dopey smile once more. "Alright, it was nice meeting you..." I said as I turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door. "You done it once again, Your Majesty. I knew you were a natural at this," Stalwart said as I started to walk back to my room. “Hardly, I just gave a simple suggestion and she went along with it. Nothing special that you couldn’t have done,” I countered with a roll of my eyes. As we arrived at my room, Stalwart said, “Oh don’t sell yourself too short, you did well. This is alone of the signs of the reason why destiny picked you! But I must go now, Her Majesty Star may require me once again,” before he rushed down the hallway. Shaking my head, I glanced at Blossom before asking, "So... it is getting late and I have been 'technically working' all day, if you count picking up stuff and walking work. So how about you go find me a book so I can have some time to relax?" Okay, another idea on top of indoor plumbing is raising literacy rates, I thought to myself as I stared at the worn-out cover of a foal's book that Blossom found. Though the mare apologized, she admitted that she couldn't read and they didn't have many books to begin with, so I forgave her and asked to be left alone for the rest of the night. Though noting the state of the book, it made me wonder when the last time anypony wrote a book, though since I could read the title that was one saving grace out of all this. I rather not have to ask for a book on reading the alphabet after all. Figuring that it was better than nothing, I mindlessly skimmed the pages of the book, glad it wasn't a picture book and simply had stories to read to foals at night or something like that until I stopped at what looked to be a short saying titled 'The Five Elements'. "Wonder if this is tied to the Elements of Harmony," I muttered to myself as I read it. Fire warms the body, and water quenches the thirst. Earth provides the food and Wind cools the fur with Light shining the way. Together united, they drive away the dark. "Huh, no correlation to Elements of Harmony, but it's better to try than do nothing," I said with a shrug before looking out the window to see the sun setting. "Welp, this has been one crazy day, let's hope tomorrow is a better day... Yeah right, there are three other alicorns according to what Stalwart said, and if this world is anything like Equestria, those three will wake up tomorrow," I muttered to myself with a shake of my head before I turned in for the night. "So, are things proceeding as you stated?" "It is Your Holiness. The empire fell so easily to me, and these ponies are quite easy to control." "So you say, but there is still the matter of the two princesses." "Fear not, they are still young and inexperienced. They needed those trinkets to defeat their first true foe, they will pale before a user of dark magic and will be under my thrall with ease." "Don't grow too arrogant, I still advise caution. I have seen others grow too complacent with their power only to be toppled by others. I have invested too much in this endeavor for you to simply fail, and you know the price of failure." "...Very well Your Holiness, I will prepare contingencies to ensure my inevitable victory, one way or another." "Good, but one more thing that we need to address." "What is it, Your Holiness?" "I know you're plotting to use those two against me." "Your Holiness, I am no—" "Do not take me for a fool! You were chosen for your ambition, and I know what said ambition often entails. I expect you to try to betray, thinking that you have all the cards you need to do so. But lest you forget, all dark magic obeys me, and your frequent use of it resulted in it permeating throughout your body. One little thought, and you will be in utter agony. Not only that, but those two will heed my call instead of yours. So don't waste time with those pointless schemes against me." "...Yes your holiness." "Good, and remember, your magic grows stronger when fueled by your emotions. So put your resentment towards me to good use, and once this is all over, you will have the ascension you so desire, Sombra." "What the fuck‽" I shouted out, jolting awake as I looked about, seeing my room was still dark till the door opened and a brown-coated earth pony guard with a lantern in their hoof came in. "Your Majesty, is something wrong? I heard you screaming," the guard said as he came to my side. Panting in shock, I took control of my breathing as I thought about what I dreamt, before replying, "I... just had a nightmare. Nothing to worry about." "Are you sure Your Majesty? I could retrieve Stalwart if you need him," the guard proposed, concern still present on his face "That won't be necessary. If I need to talk to him about what I dreamt, it can wait till the morning, it isn't a pressing issue," I reassured him. Inwardly, I wondered if this was something I should confide to Stalwart, but I rejected the notion since I still didn't trust him, especially with that creepy smile of his. If anything, I need to be careful of what I reveal to him, though it would be curious to see if the guard would inform him of my nightmare. "Very well then, Your Majesty. I wish you a good night," the guard replied, some concern still present but he left the room and closed the door, allowing me to let out a tense breath. Looking out the window, I could see the moon hanging in the night sky, causing me to wonder if this moon had to be raised and lowered by unicorns or if it behaved like the rest of the known universe. Here I thought this world wasn't connected to Equestria, then I had a dream with Sombra in it... just what the hell is going on here? And who the fuck was he talking to?
Chapter IV: VisionsOpening my eyes, I saw that the room was half lit as I got up and headed to the window, where I could see it was sunrise with the sun not just slowly coming up into the sky. "Okay, pretty certain that this isn't a magical sun or it wouldn't be in that position since it would be annoying to move it up bit by bit," I noted to myself as I turned towards the door just in time to see Blossom opening it and looking at the bed first before around till her gaze landed on me. "Good morning Lady Misty. Are you ready to have breakfast with the others?" Blossom asked as she bowed. "Wait, breakfast with the others? Isn't that a bit too soon for some of us?" I replied, especially since the last alicorn didn't seem to get used to things this fast when she was still processing her body. "Stalwart believes that it is best to start having meals together so you all can get more used to one another, Lady Misty," Blossom explained, causing me to sigh. "Of course, and knowing him, he would insist, so... lead the way," I said as Blossom bowed again and opened the door, guiding me down the hallways till we reached the dining room. Heading in as Blossom held the door open for me, I quickly noticed that, like the rest of the castle, the room barely furbished as it simply had a long table with some chairs. Though the table itself was three different tables pushed together and only had mismatched chairs. This may be a problem, since I saw Star sitting at the head of the 'table', looking quite displeased at the arrangement before she saw me, causing her to school her expression to a more controlled one as she said, "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Misty. I heard that a third will be joining us?" "Umm... yes, a third one wou—" I started to say until I felt a hoof on my back, jolting me to jump to my left side as I saw the stoner alicorn standing beside where I was with a dopey smile on her muzzle. "Hey there, no need to be tense, didn't mean to scare you," the alicorn said as she slowly walked over to the table, where she spotted Star. "Oh, another one, hey there, enjoying the new experience like the rest of us?" Frowning, Star asked, "New experience?" "Yeah, being in a new body, in a new world, it is just something to enjoy," the alicorn answered as she took a seat next to Star, much to her apparent discomfort. "Yes... new body... so who are you? I know Misty, but not about you," Star demanded as I took my seat opposite Star. "Oh, yeah, never told my name to Misty too. You can call me Drift," Drift said, causing both of us to eye her. "Drift... your name is Drift? What kind of name is that?" Star asked with a frown. "Oh, because before I became this, I just drifted around in the sky... though there wasn't a sky since it was just all air and we always just floated around. So that's why that's my name," Drift said with a shrug. "Makes sense to me," I said before Star could comment, causing her to glower at me till some ponies came in with wooden serving trays on their backs, placing them before us as I saw that we were being served a bowl of oats, a loaf of bread, and what looked like a mug of orange juice. However, one sip caused me to grimace a bit since it was rather pulpy. Star let out a sigh as was about to pick up her bowl till Drift just dunked her muzzle into her bowl of oats and started to loudly munch on her food, causing Star to just scowl at her. Shaking my head, I just grabbed onto my loaf of bread and started to bite down on it when I heard some rather loud stomping, which drew all our attention towards the entryway where we saw yet another alicorn with a matching coat, but amber eyes and a black mane as she had a stern expression coming in as her gaze went over the room. "So these are the ones that awaken before me... not the best examples to go by," the alicorn stated as her gaze lingered on Drift, her disapproval quite apparent to us. "Hey, welcome to the club," Drift declared after pulling her muzzle out of her bowl and waving a hoof at the newcomer. "Name's Drift, and this one is Misty and... I never got your name." "You may call me Star, and since we're going over introductions, what is your name?" Star asked as she looked at the alicorn with some interest. "For the time being, I will be known as Sarge," Sarge answered, as I widened my pupils and resisted the urge to groan. Sarge stiffly sat down beside me as one of the serving ponies provided a tray for her as well. Great... one of us has a military background, I hope this doesn't cause some of these ponies to become warmongers just to please her, I thought to myself as I resumed having my meal, before noticing Stalwart coming into the room with his smile, looking more pleased with himself. Getting up, I said, "Excuse me, I need to talk to Stalwart for a moment," as I trotted over to him as the others glanced at each other before returning their focus to their meals. "Is there something you need of me, Lady Misty?" Stalwart asked only for me to point my hoof out into the hallway. Nodding, he followed me past the doors, and after they closed he said, "Is it something about the nightmare you had last night?" Of course he would know about that. Do all the ponies report every single thing they see to him? I thought to myself as I collected myself. "Yes... it is. But I have to ask first, have you ever heard of a pony by the name of Sombra?" Frowning a bit, Stalwart shook his head as he answered, "No, never heard of anypony that went by that name. Is there a reason I should have heard of him?" "Not particularly... let's just say that I had a dream about him, and simply put, he is a rather evil po—" I started to say until Stalwart let out a gasp of surprise. "You have? This could be an insight into the future of the nation! Tell me, was this pony well known in this dream," Stalwart exclaimed as he closed the distance between us till his head was mere inches away from mine. Until I put a hoof and pushed him back. "Whoa whoa, calm down there. I would like some personal space still," I stated as he blinked and took a few steps back. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I was just excited at the prospect of you having prophetic visions into our future. But can you blame me? You could become our guiding light if you continue to have them," Stalwart stated as he bowed for a bit. "Though, can you continue regaling me about your vision?" Not being subtle about buttering me up, I thought to myself as I eyed him for a bit. "Okay... it's not much and it was a bit short, but Sombra was finished taking over an empire and was getting ready for a conflict with some princesses," I said as Stalwart rubbed his chin in thought. "Never heard of an empire forming anywhere in the lands. This Sombra is a pony, correct?" Stalwart asked, to which I simply replied with a nod. "I see, not much we can do about it for now since ponykind hasn't united under the rule of you and your fellow alicorns, but I'll keep that in mind and pass it down to any of my successors to my position so we can keep an eye out. Anything else this vision entrails, Your Majesty?" "Well, this Sombra has somepony that was teaching him dark magic..." I answered, only to see Stalwart's cheerful expression dropping as he took on a rather deep frown. "That is... rather troublesome to hear. Do you know the name of his patron? Did this patron say anything?" Stalwart asked as I could see some steel in his eyes like this hit some personal nerve. Though one could say that anyone, or anypony, would react this way to dark magic, something about his change in mood sent a shiver down my spine. "Unfortunately no, though he did call his patron 'your holiness' and it was a she. Oh, and that all dark magic obeys her," I replied, only to see Stalwart spit at the ground, causing me to take a few steps back in disgust. "What was that for?" "My apologies Your Majesty, that was just a gut reaction. The average pony would normally have a similar one to anything related to dark magic, even more so to anypony that claims to control it. Though, you could easily understand such a viewpoint since it is dark magic after all," Stalwart answered as he schooled his expression into a calmer one. "Alright, just was caught off guard. Anyways, that is all I had from my dream before I woke up," I responded, getting a nod of confirmation in return. There was more that I was tempted to say, due to my knowledge of the show, but I still find too many things off with Stalwart and the others that I'll just keep to myself, at least for now. "Thank you for your forthrightness, Your Majesty. Rest assured, I and my compatriots will look into this matter, so there is no need for you to worry about this matter. Just focus on acclimating to your situation and keeping me or any member of the guard informed about any further visions you may have. But for now, please return to your peers and enjoy the rest of your meal," Stalwart said as he went to the door, opening it for me to enter. "Alright, thank you," I slowly said as I came back to the room and took my seat, watching as Sarge and Star watched in mutual disgust as Drift chugged her mug of juice down. Noticing me first, Star asked, "So, what was that all about? Anything you want to share with us as well?" drawing the other two's attention to me. "Oh, it was just a bad dream that woke me up and drew a guard's attention. I figure that they might have informed Stalwart about it, so I wanted to nip it in the bud as soon as I can," I explained, not wanting to go into further detail. With two of them potentially being power hunger alicorns, I rather keep the idea of seeing into the future out of their heads until I know I can trust them, or if somepony ratted me out first. "Oh, bad dreams are just more experiences to behold. You have to take the good with the bad," Drift said as she smiled at me. "Bah, dreams are a waste of time. Instead, how about you regale us with your past? Sarge here was just informing us of her position of a lieutenant in an army of her original homeworld," Star stated. "Yes, it was good times to serve one's liege. Though, finding myself as my own liege will... take some time to adjust to," Sarge admitted, making me wonder if she was just a simple soldier who followed orders. Though, with a mare like Star, that could still spell some trouble. "I rather not. I didn't come from any particular background of import," I simply replied, causing Drift to let out a snort. "Oh come on, it can't be bad Misty. I'm an artist, not like soldier mare there or miss government here," Drift responded with a shrug, causing said mares to give her an annoyed glare. Letting out a sigh, I said, "Alright, I get the feeling that at least one of you would continue to pry, so this is my past. I worked in retail." "Retail, you mean like working in some shop?" Star said with a blink of surprise. "Yes, retail." "What part of retail?" Drift asked, causing me to resist the urge to groan at her questioning. "Customer service, now can you leave my past be?" "Ohh.... customer service. Sorry, that must be really a bummer..." "Oh, you have no idea..."
