Redo's and Reckonings: Lost and Found

by Pinnacle Adventures

Chapters

Chapter 1: Not So Humble Beginnings
Chapter 2: Horrid Hospitals
Chapter 3: First Failings
Chapter 4: Morbid Mortality

Chapter 1: Not So Humble Beginnings

Redos and Reckonings: Lost and Found

Chapter 1

Falling.

For how long?

There was no fear in my heart.

No great rush of adrenaline to tell me I was in danger or having the time of my life.

All I knew is that it felt like a dream, but it wasn’t in darkness.

There was light, softer than a cloud.

Everywhere including within me.

Filling me with the warmth of a small fire in my heart.

Then something started to form around me.

A scene, caught in the stillness of time, phasing into reality like a fog was being burned away. Then I saw it. A pair of alicorns, one male, one female, fighting for their lives against a dragon made of pitch. Its eyes alight with a red glow. The palace was aflame and every window shattered. Mirrors, grand and alien looking lined the walls, all cracked save one.

“GO!”

Suddenly the scene was alive. Moving slowly then quickly then slowly again. The male shouted at the female once more.

“He is our only hope! Go and bring him Celestia, he will listen to you!”

(Celestia!?)

Like a dream discovered the scene faded just as the secret was revealed. Closing on the image of the dragon destroying the mirror that Celestia was galloping towards. The shattered pieces fading away into nothingness from the billowing darkness of its breath.

Then I felt it. I heard it. The wish. The wish that was filled with hope, good and pure. The war, they wanted an end to the war. I reached out and pulled myself to them. I did what no other star would do.

Then there was a meaty THUD of a landing deep in my chest as the white void went black in an instant. The force of the landing and the darkness made me groan, my voice frail and weak. I opened my eyes and shouted in pain. The brightness of colors too much to bear after so long in the void of light.

“Ugh, what the f&%#?” I blinked a few times at what my ears heard, the desire to simply cuss out my frustrations still filled me, “F&@%... B*&%^....C(@!...” My eyes squinted, the world still too colorful and bright to make out as anything but blobs, yet I still wondered why my own voice was being censored.

My frustration manifested as a vain attempt to stand. I stood up on two legs… and immediately fell face first into a pile of mud. I sputtered and spat several times. “You know… I would swear about this but I obviously can’t for some frakkin reason…. HA soft swears still work! Now about these eyes.”

I held a hand up to my brow and… wow that wasn’t a hand. I clakked it against my head a few times and deduced by the course texture it was, “A hoof? Wait… Oh Sweet Celestia, was it the equestrians? Did the equestrians finally summon me!?!”

Joyous laughter filled the glade or whatever I was in at the moment. “I’m in Equestria! I’M IN EQUESTRIAAAAAA!!!” I tried to stand again, now knowing what I was it took some doing but I managed to waddle about on four legs.

“Oh good lord above I don’t know how i got here, my memory is a little fuzzy but dag nabbit nothing's gonna ruin this moment for me… wheres a mirror, i need a mirror! I wanna know what form they gave me. Oh wait the mud, where there is mud there is water!.”

The brightness had faded somewhat but most things were still a blob, including my snout. The only colors I could make out of it were a stark contrast of white and a dark, almost black, gray. I found a puddle but it was very muddy, probably stirred up from my faceplant.

“So what can I rule out?” I touched my forehead, “no horn,” I shuffled my back about and tried to feel for any extra limbs, “No wings. So either I’m an earth pony or HO! Am i a zebra! I always wanted to be a zebra! W-where am i? Oh it better not be the Everfree.”

“Howdy!”

The shrillest, most girly scream of all time erupted out of my throat at the sound of a dainty mare’s voice interrupting my moment.

“Woah woah calm down girl, are you okay?”

I was panting for a good ten seconds before I found myself and let out a deep sigh, “Well yes and no, my good… friend?”

“Well that depends on if ur gonna explain that half eaten barrel of zap apples next to ya.”

“Huh?” I squinted at the barrel the blob pony gestured towards.

“That's a tree.”

“Oh.” I squinted harder in the other direction and saw them. The brown cylinder blob with the rainbow blobs inside that. A few smaller rainbow blobs littered on the ground around it. “Well I don't know, maybe I did? I can’t see anything.”

“Wait exactly how much can’t you see? Eating one raw zap apple is bad enough but there are like ten on the ground over there.”

“Look I… I don’t even know how i got here. I just woke up, I can’t see now I'm covered in mud. I sound like a filly and… and… I think I need help. Like really badly need some help.” My eyes were starting to get watery.

“Okay okay, it's okay, just breathe. Can you see me at least? Can you follow me?”

She was a blob, a yellowey blob with a red mane and a pink something around her neck, but I could at least tell where she was. I took a step, shaky, then one more, and another, and then another- slip bang my head on the ground as some stick in the mud caught my hoof.

Sooner than i could think i felt someone touching me, “Hey hey, you alright, talk to me miss?”

“Miss?” My eyes went wide, “I’m a mare!?”

“Excuse me?”

I started giggling. Giggling grew to laughing. Then that grew to full on maniacal laughter, “I always wanted to be one! I did, I did, I DID!!!!” Flailing my hooves in the air as I cackled and shouted whoops and hollers.

“Oh yeah she definitely sauced up.”

I didn’t care, this kinda sucked on some levels but it was still the best day of my exstence ever. My first calling, my first summoning and I was in the world I had been a fan of since I first felt it enter my imagination.

“Just uh… keep having that party i am gonna go get someone to uh… get you a… certificate of uh… stuff… just don’t move!”

“Okay Applejack.”

The blob froze, “How do you know my sister?”

I gasped, “Applebloom!? You’re not a filly anymore! Oh I wish I could see you!”

“Okay this is getting into one of those weird ‘main six elements only’ type things applejack told me about, So you Better stay right there till i get her.”

“Oh I'll stay frozen solid for best pony.” I could feel her confused stare, “Just…. Go, it's not gonna make any sense to anyone except maybe Celestia, trust me.” She stayed frozen, “Do you want me to sing you the song you sang at that talent show before you had your cutie mark? Cause I can you know.”

“I’ll be right back!” She said in a hurry before disappearing in a cloud of smoke to gallop off through sweet apple acres.

“Haha… crap I hope I’m not freaking her out too bad.” I looked over at the zap apple barrel again, “Although I am wondering if I am just some zap apple addict zebra who wandered into town and-”

The barrel shifted.

My eyes went wide, my heart raced for a moment. Then like someone turned on a blender the barrels contents started ripping apart and firing off into the glade around myself. I shielded my head until the barrage stopped and I heard a familiar purring.

“Wait, I know that noise.” I watched carefully, and sure enough a small pink orb scuttled out of the barrel, “Oh it’s a parasprite. You guys were always so cute… and utterly terrifying.”

I heard its wings take flight and it hovered in front of my snout in moments. I started sweating slightly especially when it sniffed me… then it started to rub its cheek against my nose.

“Awwww-” then my nose twitched, “aw-aw-ah-AH!” A loud horsey snort ripped out of me that sent the parasprite into a spiraling dive to the ground, “Well i gotta get used to making weird horse noises i guess.”

Then the parasprite was at my snout again, except the buzzing was now at a much higher pitch and I could barely make out a scowl on its face.

“Look i’m sorry i didn't mean to-”

In a half second the parasprite vibrated and… let out a massive belch in my face. A belch enhanced by an entire barrel of zap apples that zapped me to my core. Oddly enough it didn’t hurt it just felt… weird all over for several excruciatingly long seconds of complete out of control full body seizures. Yet once again no pain. However I could feel my fur being charred and my mane getting spikey and staticy all at once.

The parasprite then started to hover away to another part of the acres.

(Hey wait, you’re my proof that I'm not insane!)

“Bluh bloo, bicka badda hic hoo ha!”

I blinked several times.

“Bleh bloo…. BLEH BLOO…. BLEH…. Ugh, krakka koo dissa F&#^uh yucca”

(Great, I can't talk. Sure won’t look like a drug addict with all these things going on around me. Nope. Not at all…)

I sat on my haunches and crossed my forelegs. A frown and a scowl on my face as an inflamed tongue hung out of my mouth.

On cue a trio of dust clouds, one large and red hauling what I guessed to be a cart, making headway toward me fast.

(3…2…1…aaaand)

“-and you’re sure she has Zap-apple-itis?”

“Well yeah she had like ten raw zap apples, but i think she’ll be fine as long as didn’t eat any more-”

The first one over the hill was Big Mac with the cart, and what came from him was a deep exasperated, “Holy Hayseeds!”

All i did was scowl and blow a raspberry at him while letting my eyes go crossed.

Then I saw her. That orange angel in the blobby flesh. I could feel that borderline maternal glare on me. Even if it was unwarranted I felt a bit of shame.

“Ah’lright get her loaded up Mac. She’s goin to the clinic asap. Gonna need alotta gumroot to wash that out of her system.”

Mac made a move toward me but I managed a “Nuh uh.” and got onto my hooves. I waddled my way over, shakier than a newborn foal I'm sure, but I managed to get into the cart without much of a fuss. With a bit of help anyway, but that scowl still on my face. THey shrugged, I think, and Big Mac re-hitched himself to the cart. Applebloom and Applejack watching me as we traveled along the road towards Ponyville proper. I leaned my head on the lip of the cart and managed a semi intelligible.

“Thowwy.”

And I think I saw a grin, but I wasn't sure. With Equestria being itself however, I liked to think there was some level of love and understanding in everything within that moment.

And so…

My life changing journey began. Not with a bang, or with trumpets blaring, but with a tied tongue, a weak body, and blind eyes. If I had known what was ahead I might have hid from our destiny, but looking back. I would do it all over again. It was just that needed… and it was just that awesome. For me and everypony we touched.

However…

Back at the site of my grand fall the shadows stirred. A portal of dark flame opened on the empty fields of the apple family farm and through it two figures stepped through upon two legs. Their faces and legs equine but their torsos that of a human. One wreathed in armor wrought form pure nightmare, and the other wearing robed finery adorned with runes of pure madness.

"Umbra you best not have been lying to me about your scrying of this area. The cease fire is shakey enough without us breaching it at the most critical of junctures."

The feminine pony of shadows in abyssal robes growled back at him, "Sombra if you doubted me you wouldn't have bothered. Now listen to me when I say a star did fall here. Just smell the air, it's thick with otherworldly power."

King Sombra smelled the air. She was right but there was something else in the wind. A mace, cruel and heavy, materialized in his grasp and he swiftly yet effortlessly deflected a lance of purple light that almost took off his head.

Umbra summoned a multi headed whip made of fire in one hand as her other conjured shadowed flame, "show thyself Sparkle! How dare you violate the treaty!"

"You're one to talk!" The purple alicorn of friendship showed herself after her lance darted back to her position. Still only capable of a form with four legs. "How dare you show your faces in Equestria after what you did to Cadence!"

Umbra smirked and readied her whip for a strike. Sombra however lifted his mace between them and lowered the heat of the situation.

"We simply wish to know if Celestia broke the accord and attempted to make a wish. So tell me Twilight sparkle, did your precious queen put the lives of all her subjects in danger just to chase a myth? And don't lie… I hate liers."

Twilight gauged them, then spoke carefully and slowly. "Celestia took no such action."

His eyes narrowed, his mace igniting in his hand with blood crimson flame. He closed the distance until he stood before her more than thrice her height… his aura alive and glowering with hate and fear.

"Leave… or should I tell Solaris you threatened one of his sisters students?"

Sombra furrowed his brow… then let his weapon evaporate back to the void. "The peace will keep. For now. But if one of us smells forbidden magic once more we will March on canterlot and burn Equestria to the ground." He turned and a portal of dark flame appeared at Queen Umbra's side. "We go. I have a few crystal slaves with my name needing branding upon them."

Umbra stayed for a moment. Eyeing Twilight for a time. Then followed Sombra out of Equestria and back to the Citadel of Shadows.

Twilight held her posture for a moment. Then almost collapsed onto the ground, "how did they sense it? We followed the ritual to the letter!"

A hidden equine shaped figure in a thick robe materialized from thin air and spoke, “We did, but it was foolish to think somepony wouldn’t notice.”

She almost had a panic attack but started breathing slowly until her heart stopped racing. “You’re right Dusk, i just…. That timing was too close. Another ten seconds and they would have found her.”

“But they didn’t.”

She sighed with a short laugh, “When you’re right, you’re right.”

Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A pair of saddlebags. White with black straps and sapphire blue pin locks upon them. She went to them and lifted them with her magic. A name printed upon them.

"Ellana Glacia?” Twilight said plainly, “this must be hers. we have to get them to her. Everything is important, don't forget that. Everything!”

“Let me do it Twilight, i didn’t get the chance to see her. Being in the planes between and all that.”

“Is that wise?”

“Wiser than forgetting to make your appearances before Princess Celestia to avoid suspicion when she finds out the whistle of Windy Breeze is missing? Let alone atomized from the ritual we cast?”

Twilight paused for a few moments.

“Go on, I'll cast a glamor, nopony will even suspect it's me.”

“Okay just keep that confidence in check it almost got you found out several times already.”

“Oh please, I wasn't Prince Solaris’ star pupil for no good reason.”

“And you have yet to become an alicorn for a good reason as well.”

“Lets not go there.”

“Fair enough. Now get moving, i gotta scrub the area of any magical traces before I go.”

“Good. Now remind me, was Ponyville general on the north or south end of town?”

END OF CHAPTER 1

Chapter 2: Horrid Hospitals

Redos and Reckonings: Lost and Found

Chapter 2

“Alright, miss if you would just swallow that good and quick you’ll be right as rain.”

I eyed the sludge I was being given in a sippy cup warily.

“The longer it sits the worse it's gonna taste.”

I groaned and put the cup to my lips and chugged as hard and fast as I could. Past the second gulp I had to fight the urge to vomit it all back out but I finished the concoction best I could. A few tongue tied and sputtered soft curses, I refused to hard curse on purpose around them, later it was done and the taste chased down with some water.

Then I felt odd. Very odd. Like my fur was crawling all over me trying to clean itself. Without warning I shuddered and found myself shaking for a few seconds as my tongue deflated, fur brightened with a healthy sheen, and my mane relaxed back into whatever shape it had been in before I got belched on. THen i waited for the inevitable.

“Can you see now mam?” Applebloom said to me.

“No.” I said flatly, “Unless you count blob-o-vision as sight.”

“Well she still has her sass.” The once filly said to her family, “That’s a good sign right?”

“Depends,” Applejack chimed in, taking a few steps forward, “Care to explain what you were doing on my property little missy?”

For a moment I thought about spinning a tale, then I remembered what element of harmony I was talking to, “Okay look. It's gonna sound insane but it's like I was falling, for a long time, for how long I don't know. Time didn’t mean anything. There was light all around me, heck even within me, and then just suddenly… I saw something. Princess Celestia and a dragon made of oily shadows and they… oh crap is that something that’s gonna happen!? WE gotta warn em or something quick Applejack you know i’m not lying you gotta tell her quick before that happens! Before-”

“Woah woah woah, settle down zebra girl. I think this is a little outta my league but it sounds like y'all had so many zap apples ya had yourself a vision of the past.”

“The past?”

“Yeah, probably before your time with how young ya look, or at least how young I THINK you look. Applebloom was still in middle school when it happened. The night the King and Queen of shadow appeared and went to war with Equestria. WE almost lost it all if it wasn’t for Prince Solaris showing up out of the blue with his…. Nopony but himself I mean…”

She did the face scrunch thing, even with blob-o-vision I could make out that much.

“Anyway. The dragon was Ember’s father and well… I don't want to recall what we had to do to stop him.”

Ellana’s eyes went wide, “You didn’t…. Hurt him did you?”

Applejack sighed, “Well thanks to a lot of effort no but… he’s been put to stone in the palace for well… probably forever. It's the only way to stop the corruption. Put’em to sleep, a dreamless sleep… forever.”

“Wow, well. That doesn’t sound ideal but at least… at least nopony died.”

“Heh, yeah, at least that…”

Ellana could see the dour look on Applejack’s face grow. So she changed the subject. “So um… anywhere a zebra could get a nice pair of glasses?”

She could feel the warm smile even if she was only barely able to see it. THen suddenly somepony burst into the room.

“There you are hun!”

It was a golden colored blob with even brighter hair. It galloped over to her side in nearly an instant.

“I was so worried since you disappeared last night. Did you go off your meds again?”

“Meds?”

“Oh dear the memory lapses are already kicking in? Don’t worry we’ll get you home and right as rain in no time. Here I brought some of your things from home.”

“Look dude I’m not from here, I don't HAVE anything of mine, fresh off the bus as it was.”

“Oh Ellana you’ve been off them for a few DAYS haven’t you? You promised to not do that anymore. Don’t you remember your cupcake in the eye promise?”

There was a pang of guilt and doubt in my chest at the insinuation. Maybe I was just some amnesiac Zebra from town. “Hey look, maybe you could help me out Mister?”

“Honey… oh honey… it's uh… uh… Goldie! Your coltfriend Goldie Quartz.”

That threw my suspicion radar off the charts again.

He leaned in and hugged me even though I tried to shuffle away slightly, then he whispered in my ear, “look I’m sorry for this but I gotta get you an alibi or else everything is gonna fall apart. Do you understand me? So play along. I swear I’m a good guy.”

I whispered back, “Pinkie promise?”

He squeezed me a little tighter, “A dozen cupcakes in my eye.”

I sighed, “I’m gonna take a leap of faith here dude, Goldie, whatever, please don’t turn out to be a villain in disguise.”

“Don’t worry the villains are way more obvious about tha-”

Another pony burst into the room with a voice filled with rage and fire, “Where is my DAUGHTER!”

Goldie froze with his hooves locked around me.

“Oh wow you got someone to play my dad to?”

“N-no i didn’t have anypony to-” He turned, and i noticed that when he laid eyes on the dark black and red blob his stiffness turned to pure unadulterated terror.

“Oh uh, hey dad!” I played along, “Did you remember my glasses?”

“Glasses?” He quickly cleared his throat, “Surely they are at home, now come along before-”

“Before what you abusive old sod.” A haughty almost British voice boomed from the hallway.

While they all turned to look at the doorway again I rifled through the saddlebags that Goldie shoved into my lap and found what felt to be glasses. How I was able to grab them so naturally I didn't know but it just felt natural to have odd magnetic hooves from time to time. I put them over my face and just said.

“Oh sweet Celestia finally!” The world finally coming into focus.

The mare, white with a bright pink mane at the door froze when I said those words. I wasn’t sure who it was but I had a feeling I knew where it was going.

“Hey mom!”

Her frozen stance eased, “Yes… honey. How about you come home with me and we’ll get you all sorted out.”

“No she’s coming home with me you old manipulative B-... bothersome mare!” The black and red unicorn with well slicked and oiled mane and tail said. He was wearing a suit of great refinement with an over-cape covering him from shoulder to flank and stood a good half a head taller than anypony else in the room… and did he have fangs?

“Oh so you can just strong hoof her into doing what you want again!?” The mare was wearing far less regal clothes, but was also a unicorn. Just a neckerchief and a skirt, yet wore some pink horn rimmed glasses as well.

Pieces were starting to fall together in my head. I was going to have to take a chance or two, but it felt like this was about to turn into some kind of god battle in the middle of Ponyville if I didn't intervene.

“Dad, mom. That’s enough.” I adjusted my square line silver glasses, “I’m not going home with either of you. Goldie here is perfectly capable of taking care of me especially after how the two of you have been treating me and each other all these years.”

“I am?” Goldie said as four very intimidating eyes glared at him, “Oh uh, uh, I am!”

“If you really want me to come home for a visit… and get what you want… what you really, REALLY, WANT! You’re gonna have to earn it. Ya feel me?”

“I would WISH for nothing more my dear.” The black and red one said.

“OH and what a SELFISH WISH that would be!” The one I suspected was Celestia said.

“Like you’re controlling, CONNIVING, LYING WISH WOULD KNOW WHAT A-”Nopony else noticed it but the windows and glass of water i had started to shake.

“ENOUGH!!!” My voice boomed with an otherworldly power that I didn't even register at the time. I turned toward the mortals in the room, “Sorry guys, family meeting, would you mind?”

“Not at all,” the trio said at once, the doctor included. As everypony save Goldie, black and red pony, and suspect Celestia left the room.

“Alright,” I said, stern and rather angry, “I’m lost, dazed, confused, and god D&$^IT I need an explanation or five. So i don't know what the F&#^ is going on but i want answers right now or i’m gonna snap my fingers even if they don’t exist and just END THIS WHOLE DEBACLE HERE AND NOW!” That time I actually felt reality quake a little, but I tried to not let it go to my head… completely.

“Celestia,” The pink and white mare said in a thick British tone. “Call me Tooth Seer, I’m a dentist.” She lifted her skirt and showed off a tooth under a magnifying lens cutie mark.

I glared at the other god in the room, and he glared back, so all i did was stand up and get off the bed and make steps towards him until i was right in his face and i demanded, “name… TRUE NAME or i’m going home with her RIGHT NOW!”

His lip quivered to pull back and reveal a sharp fang for a moment as he growled, “Sombra… KING Sombra.”

“Got a good cover name oh KING?”

He stopped for a minute, as if he never expected his plan to go awry, “U-umbral-”

Celestia chimed in, “Based on that half assed cutie mark you have I would say you’d make a good Lawdly Diamond.”

I checked his cutie mark, it was a diamond with a gavel hammering on it. So I chimed in, “That's Lord Lawdly Diamond.”

Somba looked at me oddly, as if he didn’t expect me to stick up for him like that.

“Alright, so obviously you two want something pretty bad if you pulled me out of the void to give you whatever the f&$^ it is you want. So please somepony tell me your wishes so i can judge em fairly.”

Celestia spoke first once more, “I want to rid the world of darkness and shadow, let it become a land of light and hope. Ruled over with benevolence for all eternity.”

I nodded, “Okay okay, not bad. What about you Sombra? Hey, HEY, no snapping back, this isn’t the time for it!”

He held back his forked tongue and spoke plainly, “Freedom.”

“From?” I chimed in.

“From everything. From restraint. From demands. From contracts and obligations. I want the shackles on everypony and everything GONE! Especially from lying manipulative harlets like HER!”

“Oh you’re one to talk about control!”

“Shall we put this matter to bed right now then?”

They’re eyes started to glow. They were about to go god mode, I could feel it. So I instinctively flicked my right wrist and heard a loud SNAP bang out of the air in front of me. The two gods wincing like someone just slapped them, HARD.

“God mode off.” I said plainly.

They looked at me, then each other, then they strained and grunted and flexed and nothing happened.

“Look, if you’re going to put lives in danger with this spat of yours I'm leaving. If you really wanna earn my trust you gotta do it THE RIGHT WAY. the HARD WAY. Which means…. Being good parents. Show me you have that good parental love in you and tell you what I'll grant that wish… but it’s going to take time. Maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe a month, maybe a DECADE. But if you REALLY, TRULY, want your war to end you gotta do it MY WAY or you can just have this spat till the end of time and nobody is going to be happy.”

The two of them looked at me, then each other again, and finally harrumphed and turned up their noses at each other.

“How do you expect me to impress you without my powers?”

“For once he speaks intelligently.”

I groaned, “You know what, fine. Two wishes for each of you, SMALL WISHES. The first is two advisors for each of you, and it can’t be your counterparts. No Solaris, no… whoever you have Sombra. Somepony has to run your empires while you're doing this. Second, you get a home here in ponyville. Whatever lifestyle you want. Just don’t make it too grand. I only got so much power with this botch job of a summoning somepony pulled off.” Did I really know how much power I had? No. But I had to sell it or else they might try something desperate.

Celestia spoke first, “My sister Luna, and current captain of the guard Bully Bravado. I wish to live a humble but sustainable life as a dentist here in ponyville.”

“Granted.” When I said the word I felt strange, like something was being pulled out of me. It made me woozy, and nauseous, but I was able to hold onto my brave face yet I had to sit down. “And you King Sombra?”

The use of his title made him smile, “Unlike some ponies I relish a lavish lifestyle. I wish to be a noble, a JUDGE. Richly deserving of an even richer home. I shall never want for anything, and as for my advisors… My head consort Shady Quartz and my spymaster Zippy Feathers.”

“G-granted.” I said as I held back a wretchful sputter. THis time even more of my essence flowing out of me as I felt reality shifting and changing. I was teetering and they caught it. So I had to play up another lie, “I swear if I ever find out who summoned me so poorly I am going to FLAY THEM ALIVE! To grant your wish it's going to take time, A LOT OF TIME for me to build up enough power to grant it. SO until I KNOW I can grant it, you will PROVE TO ME that you are worthy of it. Now go. I want a week to acclimatize to this silly world. If you really need me you go through Goldie here. You breach that trust and I'm gone and you can STAY MORTALS FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS.” The two of them seemed to sweat at that threat, good, “he’s the only one I trust in this whole affair because I didn't have to call him out on his s&#t for him to give me some hope that I wasn't going to be used for malevolent desires.”

The two of them opened their mouths but I cut them off.

“I SAID GO!” The power that erupted from my voice so much that it pushed them back several feet without knocking them on their ass.

Thankfully they looked at one another and then left, but I heard them arguing in the hallway the moment they crossed the doorway.

I sighed, deeply, and turned to Goldie, “I wanna know your true name and form, but get me a bucket I’m gonna, URF, g-gonna-” My cheeks bloated as a bucket was hovered over to me and I barfed straight into it, hard and heavy. At least twice, I forget how long that particular episode went on.

“Dusk.” I looked up at him as his form grew a purple sheen and a familiar looking short mane and tail. “Dusk Shine, from the sixty third mirror of Equestria. It's where Solaris and the rest of us all came from. Those of us who hide in plain sight in the shadow war.”

I laughed slightly, “Sounds epic. I wanna hear the whole thing sometime. I really hope you have a place for me to stay. I feel kinda spent… and really dang hungry.”

“Well yeah after puking up half your soul like that i can understand.”

“Is that what I did?”

“You mean… you didn’t know what you did just now.”

I smiled meekly, “Not a single damn clue what I did, that was all by ear.”

Dusk stared at me for a moment before he returned to his golden form and sighed, “I don’t know if I'm impressed or concerned.”

“Why not both?” I said with a flick of my wrist. No epic snap that time, “now come on, I always wanted to try a hayburger.”

END OF CHAPTER 2

Chapter 3: First Failings

Redos and Reckonings: Lost and Found

Chapter 3

Later that same day I was taken to Dusk’s place. A modest cottage in the suburban area of Equestria. Along the way I caught words of the war. SOme tense, others with little hope, but all of them glad some kind of cease fire had been agreed to. A DMZ had been established and the frontlines ordered to be only minimally manned. Apparently the first few waves of soldiers were due home in just about a week. I also managed to learn how to trot, and it only ended in ten trips and three faceplants.

When I made it to my new home I sighed my way into the living room and flopped onto a long floor mat obviously meant for a horse to just well… flop onto.

“Dusk,” I began, “I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with those two idiots. What do they even think I am?”

“Well…” Dusk began by shutting the door and locking it, “There might be a bit of concern that you are… a wishing star. Incarnated into a mortal or possibly immortal form.”

“What? But how would they know?”

“What do you think? They sensed your magic. We thought we covered it up but-”

“Woah woah woah… covered up? YOU SUMMONED ME!?”

Dusk backpedaled toward the wall as I glared at him, “I mean.. Me and twilight.. We meant to make a wish to end the war but for some reason it just… I just don’t know what went wrong… just please don’t flay me alive!”

“What? Oh geez, no no no, that was an act. If anything I'm grateful it's just that… ugh I want to roll over and pass out for a few hours. I feel dead inside after whatever it was I did.”

Dusk brightened slightly at the threat being removed, but he seemed concerned still, “Like i said you split off bits of your soul to grant wishes and exercise your power.”

“Did I do that though? Did I wield some paracausal power, big words I know, or did I just manipulate them into THINKING I did all that and it was really just them doing it to themselves.”

“I know, grant me a wish, a tiny one.”

“Look dude I don’t know how to do it i just… I dunno it's like I lied so good I made it real or something. I don’t know if I CAN do it on purpose… not yet anyway.”

“May I have a glass of water?”

I squinted at him, “Dude it’s your house sure you can.”

My head spun and I felt lightheaded for a moment before a shimmering light appeared before Dusk and suddenly a massive barrel sized glass of water appeared before him with a silly straw for good measure.

“Ugh, what… How did I?” Thankfully I didn't feel like vomiting this time, but the dizziness was still something awful.

Dusk was rubbing his chin, then he leaned forward and sipped on the straw which took a good ten seconds to flow all the way through. With a click of his lips after a good long drink he concluded.

“Wow, that's some pretty good water actually. Thanks.”

“Yeah, no p-problem, ugh…”

“However, you need to work on your control.“

“Yeah no duh.”

“Not only did you grant the wish with a whim, you also gave me A LOT MORE than I wanted. You might have given Sombra and Celestia more than they wished for as well.”

“Oh great… well at least it’ll make‘em think i’m more powerful than they imagined.”

“And if you grant the wrong wish you might cause more damage than you meant to as well.”

“...S&@T, you’re right.”

Dusk held his head for a minute, “Would you stop with the curse words? I don’t know what they are to you but it actually HURTS to hear them spoken like that.”

“Oh F… frikk really?” His nodding and head rubbing confirmed it, “Great and I swore like a sailor back where I was from.”

“Just work on it alright? I thought my head was gonna explode when you and those two stopped censoring yourselves back at the clinic. Nopony is even supposed to know those words exist! That’s how powerful they are!”

“Wow okay, big news time for me then. I’ll try, cross my heart and hope to… fry. I guess.”

“Need to know anything else about the wide world before bed?”

“Well, how about what's in these saddlebags. The glasses are great. Where did you get’em?”

“Oh um, those manifested with you. You didn't find them before Applejack took you to the clinic so I just brought them to you otherwise I never would have encountered you. At least not that quickly.”

“So… what you’re saying is-”

“You have some kind of destined armory in there.”

I rifled through the bag and gasped, “Oh sweet a greatsword!”

“WHAT!?” Dusk said as he galloped over to my side.

“Just kidding. No it's actually some kind of-” I pulled it out slowly, “-notebook or a diary maybe? It has a lock on it.”

“Is there anything written in it?”

“I don’t know let me… woah,” I opened it up and the pages were scrawled with all manner of scribbles and ramblings that made no sense. Page after page of them. Each one sounded like a kindergartner trying to write a riddle. “These make any sense to you?”

I showed him the book’s pages and the moment he looked at it he shut his eyes and shouted in pain before swatting it away. “Agh! What… OW.” However after I even did that he was still grasping at his head, then he opened his eyes and they were turning bright white.

I shut the book quickly and clasped it shut. The moment I did his eyes ceased lighting up and he gasped a few times like he had been drowning.

I plainly asked, “What… what was that?”

“I don’t know… I don’t know if I want to know what's in that book. My head… I felt like I was going to explode… twice”

I looked at it, “Is it a weapon?”

“Perhaps?”

I had to make sure of something. I opened the clasp, easy as pie, then I closed it again, “Try to open the clasp. Don’t look in it though.”

He hovered it over with his magic, and I saw the aura focus on the clasp. It struggled, shook, even creaked a bit, but ultimately even as his horn flared a secondary aura around itself he sighed, “Thank goodness it's not budging at all. I think it's safe as long as YOU don’t open it.”

“Good, the gun has a safety.”

“The what has a what?”

“Don’t worry about it, just glad they don’t exist here. So what else do we have?”

One saddlebag was empty, so I went to the other. Inside there was an mp3 player, “O wow a... trotman? Really is that what it's called?” The logo said as much.

“A whatman?”

“It uh, it plays music. But I don't see a jack for headphones. How is it supposed to-” I clicked the oversized play button and shivered when I suddenly felt live music playing clearly and plainly in my head. “Woah… hey you hear that?”

He shook his head.

“Wow it’s beaming songs directly into my head.” I thought of another song, and boom suddenly it was playing in my head instead, “But wait what if i want something new to listen to-” Just like that a song i never heard before was streamed directly into my audio brain center.

“Okay definitely gotta put this one down for later.”

The next thing I pulled out was a silver necklace with several sapphire gemstones socketed into it, “Huh. I wonder what this thing does.” I looked at Dusk and he was rubbing his chin again. “You got an idea over there dude?”

“Put it on, I wanna try something.”

I did as he said.

“Okay, grant me a wish. Ready?”

I nodded.

“I wish I was ten legs tall.”

“You wish is my comma-ah-ah-AAAAA-” the necklace brightened for a moment and I horsey sneezed out a pure silver dust out of my nose. “Ugh…” He said gesundheit to me, which I giggled at, then I realized, “hey I don’t feel like I just ripped a part of me out of myself!”

“So it looks like we found your training wheels.”

“BUCK YEAH!” I said excitedly, “But wait what if someone forces it off of me?”

Dusk hmmed, then wrapped his aura around my necklace and tried to lift it, nothing, messed with the clasp behind my neck, nothing still. Then he came over and tried to manually lift it over my head and not only did he have a hard time getting his hooves to grasp it he couldn’t make it budge an inch.

“So it seems only you can decide when it's time to grant a wish.”

“Oh thank goodness. Was afraid someone would take advantage of me like this. Never gonna take this one off.”

“Probably best if you didn’t. Not until you know how to not subconsciously grant wishes.”

“Right.” I then rifled through the saddlebag for the last remaining item, “Oh! A camera! Old one too, the old click click snap kind! Oh and it's a polaroid! The memory maker 9000, ay? Ha look it even has the little mechanical arm hooks on it like the paparazzi have so I can snap pics without using my hooves.”

“Anything special about it?”

“I dunno, want me to take your picture? Not everything has to be super magical right? I mean the glasses are just glasses right?”

“You know why not? Oh but I better keep the glamor up in case someone sees it later.”

“Good idea!” He stood up straight and reinforced the golden coated false form he had. “Say cheese!”

“Cheeeeese~” he said with a smile and a snap of the camera.

Moments later the polaroid came out and I grabbed it and shook it about a few times to get the picture to come out quicker. When I looked at it I paled. “What the?”

Dusk didn’t like the look on my face, “What do you mean what the?”

“Well i mean… wait… Dusk do you have a sister? White coat, blue mane?”

“Well yeah Gleaming, but she uh… she passed on a while ago in the war.”

“Well… you might wanna take a look at this.”

I showed him the picture, and his eyes went wide. The picture was of him standing proud as he had been, with a smile on his face. His glamor was gone however, and standing next to him with her hooves wrapped around his shoulders, was Gleaming with tears in her eyes as she smiled too.

“I… but… how…”

“Do you… want to keep it?”

He seemed on the verge of crying. Then he jumped and looked over his shoulder.

“Dude you okay? I mean, obviously you're not but like, you good?”

“Yeah… yeah I just swore I felt somepony touch my shoulder.”

“You want me to take another?”

He seemed to consider it, then shook his head, “No… no I don’t… I’m sorry Twilight that wound is too fresh for me.”

“Sorry, I just… Can I ask how it happened?”

He became even more somber, “It was Sombra and Umbra… the day they took the crystal empire down and made it their capital city. It’s called the citadel of shadows now. Gleaming and Cadence… they gave their lives to teleport over half the population out of there. They didn't save everypony, but they got every colt and filly under the age of twenty five out so they wouldn’t have to suffer the rule of the shadow court.”

“I… I understand… If it’s okay with you I think I'm ready for dinner then bed.”

“Yeah… but let’s end it on a happy note. You want a hayburger? Oh I know the best joint in town, heck in all of Equestria and it's right down the street I’ll be right back.”

I smiled, “Hurry back!”

Three days later…

There was a knock at the door.

“Oh, is that the pizza!?” I said excitedly as I half galloped over to the door. Then suddenly Dusk held a hoof out to me to make me back up.

“It's… it's Zippy and Bully.” He looked out the porthole again as the knocking returned more insistent.

“Wait, aren't those some of the advisors they asked for.”

‘Yes… but they hate each other. Why are they together?“

“Delivering a message maybe?”

“Whatever it is… I don’t like it.”

“Well open the door, I’ll get over on the couch and look regal and annoyed.”

“Okay.” He waited a moment then opened the door with practiced care, “Look what do you want she said to not be disturbed for at least 4 more days and-”

“My deepest apologies,” Zippy Feathers, the dark and almost midnight blue pegasus from King Sombra with a stark white mane began, “Our benefactors simply wish to express their concern over the well being of the wishing star. You see, they-”

The deep brown and green maned Bully Bravado hammered in, “They don’t trust you Dusk, especially Celestia after she figured out what you and Twilight did, so we’re here to make sure YOU’RE not making your own wishes! Or worse yet, manipulating her!”

“But I-”

I jumped in, “Do you seek to entertain the notion I am incapable of seeing falsehood and manipulations myself!”

I was ‘reading’ my unreadable diary before I clasped it shut dramatically and glared at them overtop my squared glasses.

“Ah, miss wish, a pleasure to meet you-” the pegasus slipped his way past Dusk, but before he got more than two steps in I flicked my wrist at him.

A snap like thunder echoed around the room and he froze, petrified with his eyes still moving and chest still breathing.

(good, just like i practiced, but oof that hurt a little bit. Alotta lot actually.) I just eyed the Big Mac sized guard pony who tried to enter the room with daggers in my eyes and he cowered almost immediately. I returned my attention to ZIppy.

“Shall you let me speak or do you wish to stay that way till I finish Zippy? Blink twice for being subservient to my will.”

He did so, fear in his eyes… I hated the look of it. I flicked my wrist again and gave him control over his body again.

“So… YOu wish to keep an eye on the deal then. Relay information to your superiors?”

They both nodded respectfully.

I rubbed at my chin for a while, then spoke, “You shall… but the deal shall be altered, and if they protest just tell them that this is punishment for sending you here EARLY! Understood.”

“Yes, mam!” The two trained soldiers said plainly.

“Obviously they have too much time on their hooves. So I am making them more mortal. They will need to eat, bathe, SLEEP, and have jobs.” I snapped my wrist four times, a loud bang for every one. And the windows creaked, “Opportunity will be made for them to have jobs pertaining to their falsehoods, but let them know this, this lengthens how long it will be until the true wish can be cast. If they break the deal again they will have to wait even longer and that's if i even decide to be benevolent again and give them a chance at it. Now go, go and let them know that if you are to return in four days to be their meddling watchmen we will need a bigger home. This place will not do and the neighbors are too noisy at any rate.” They stood for a moment and I let out a booming, “GO!” which lit a fire under their plots and made them really start moving.

When Dusk shut the door behind them he looked at me with pride, and then concern. I was wobbling while sitting and holding my stomach and mouth.

“You went too far didn’t you?”

I nodded and he went to get the training bucket. When he brought it I immediately wretched into it, even heavier than I did before at the clinic.

Then there was another knock at the door. I groaned. Then Dusk just smiled.

“You still wanna try that hay bacon pizza?”

I smirked, “yeah just give me a minute.” He opened the door and hovered the pizza into the apartment. Then when he turned around he saw me staring at the bucket’s contents intently.

“Everything alright.”

“Dusk… It's black… the vomit is black Dusk I think there’s blood in the vomit.”

The pizza dropped to the floor.

“Dusk what… what's gonna happen if i grant the big wish… Dusk i-i… Dusk tell me this gets easier… tell me I won’t…”

He galloped over and wrapped me in a warm hug.

“Oh god what did i get myself into Dusk!? What did I do!?”

I cried into his arms as the world just kept on spinning. Leaving me to question just how powerful I thought I truly was.

END OF CHAPTER 3

Chapter 4: Morbid Mortality

Redos and Reckonings: Lost and Found

Chapter 4

The day of the first meeting.

Celestia approached from the east and Sombra from the west. Their eyes locked and never wavered. Coming closer and closer still till their snouts almost touched. Just glaring and hating one another until…

Grrrrrrrrr-
Gruuuuu-

They tried to hold their gazes until Luna and Shady quartz walked up next to them and offered daisy sandwiches. Their eyes danced on the food until they just growled inwardly and ate while shooting daggers at each other between mouthfuls. Consuming bite after bite until their stomachs stopped protesting. They shot looks at their subordinates and it was either Bully or Zippy who knocked first I don’t recall. When they opened the door they got a surprise.

“Zecorro?”

The zebra witch doctor of some renown from the everfree looked stern and quite upset with the duo who knocked on the door. He strode past them and eyed the two once gods that seemed concerned with his approach.

“Which of you two forced the wishes upon her.”

THey looked toward one another, then back to the zebra.

Celestia spoke first, “She offered, there was no forced wish upon any party.”

“And you took that advantage of her, this newborn star. Unsure of her own powers, unsure of her own abilities or the taxes that SELFISH CORRUPTIVE WISHES bring upon herself. Now you have sickened her. She fights for her very existence right now and you have taken that which was once pure and mired it in doubt and fear and hatred and every emotion you thought you had overcome in your own divinity. I should unleash tartarus upon the two of you but that would only upset her more. I would tell you to go, go and never see her again but you have already somehow won her heart… she wishes to speak with you. But dare you even utter a wish to her and I shall cast you out into the spirit realm. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?”

There was no great boom of power to his voice like that which Ellana had, but the pure righteous anger in his tone was enough to cower the once gods now mortals to their core. They nodded in agreement, all six of them, and they were brought inside in single file.

Dusk closed the door behind them as they went down the hall to the largest room the meager residence held. Within was a bed, upon which lay a harshly breathing Ellana who seemed to barely be clinging to life.

Zecorro spoke first, “You speak short and you speak quick, the longer she is around you insufferable dolts the worse she will get. Anypony who has nothing to say leaves now.”

Luna, Shady, Bully, and Zippy all left without a word, but the two once gods remained.

“Mom?... Dad?…”

They looked at Zecorro as her words barely came with a burbling cough of black ooze into a bucket.

“Her mind is clouded, had Dusk not sought me out she would have been snuffed two days ago. I shall spare you the worst of it but before she lost her mind she bade me to bring you two to her. DO not try to speak the truth to her now, this illusion she willingly cast on herself is her soul’s body armor from the fear you put into her.”

Celestia spoke first, “Yes… honey? What is it?”

Ellana breathed heavily, “I’m sorry… sorry i yelled at you and dad at the hospital… I can’t remember what I said but I remember the looks on your faces.” She was crying black tears of anguish, “I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry I didn't mean it, I didn't mean to say you’re not my parents. I was just so crazy I thought I was a god like the princesses, I thought I could end the war with a flick of my wrist.”

“But you can!” King Sombra spoke up, to the annoyed glare of Zecorro, “Y-you can my dear all you have to do is help the war effort like you wanted to. Just… work together and it will all be over… some day.”

“Dad please, you sound just as insane as I am… don’t tell me you went off your meds too?”

Zecorro kept his glare on the king of shadows for a time as Sombra was struck silent when he saw the opened eyes of Ellana gazing at him. Black as pitch and filled with a pain and fear he knew far too well.

“I-I’m sorry my dear. I didn't mean to… please just get better my sweet, do not let your fear consume you.”

There was a gasp of pain from Celestia, a shout of anguish past her lips as a hoof went to her lips and she said, “I’m sorry Lawdly i can’t… I can’t see our daughter like this, not after what we did to her, i can’t i just CAN’T!”

Celestia fled from the room in an instant, had she the power she would have translocated herself into deep space so she could wail and scream at what she had done to another being, but as it was the living room with her sister to hold her was all she could get.

Sombra didn’t know what to do. He just stood there looking at Ellana in utter disbelief. How did a mythical wishing star become so corrupt, how could he have done something so vile and evil to a being that was purity incarnate. He started gasping and fighting back tears, gritting his teeth as hatred filled him. He watched as Zecorro fed her some disgusting looking concoction that Ellana had to choke down before she vomited up more of that foul smelling misery. He knew what it was, he hated it, he had been at war with the drug cartel that produced that vile substance and now he had inadvertently aided its production. That hatred turned inward and he proclaimed.

“I’ll find the ones who did this to you my sweet,” Zecorro looked at him but Sombra didn’t care, “The ones who convinced you to take that awful drug and I'll bring them to justice i swear it!” He rounded onto Zecorro, “YOu make sure she can stand again or i swear i’m coming back with the full might of my armies, do you understand me!?”

Zecorro looked placid, but ultimately sincerely happy, “I understand my lord, now please, she needs her rest.”

Sombra’s breathing was heavy and angry, but he ultimately left the room and into the living room to confront Celestia about what they had done to something that should have been simple and easy. While they argued Dusk cast a spell of silencing over the room and Zecorro whispered to him as Ellana fell into another deep fever dream filled slumber.

“That went better than i expected.”

“I know. I thought Ellana was mad when she said she needed to make one last wish before the darkness grasped her completely.”

“I doubted her, but I think it will work.” They both looked at the slumbering star that was fighting for her life, “We just have to maintain the illusion else she dies.”

“Speaking of maintaining it, stay with her, I need to drill it home on what we must do now.”

Zecorro nodded and went back to the bedside manner that Ellana required.

Dusk went into the living room, a shouting match of shouting matches taking place as things were being thrown about the room by magic and hoof.

“WHAT I DID!? YOU’RE THE BASTARD THAT WISHED FOR THAT CONCUBINE OF YOURS INTO THIS!”

“OH!? AND YOUR THE ONE THAT SUGGESTED WE CONTROL HER MORE AND HAVE OUR ADVISORS FUCKING BABYSIT HER LIKE SHE WAS A THREAT!!! YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING YOU VILE BITCH!!!”

Dusk witnessed the two once gods fighting with curse words and hatred. Dusk flared his horn to a triple layer glow and cast a spell of stillness and silence, “ENOUGH!” He shouted as the aura blasted outwards onto the scene, freezing it solid in time.

“The two of you have done enough to her. I thought to entertain the idea that the two of you could still have what you wanted but it's obvious you are not worthy of it in the slightest.” His face grimaced as he felt his own wish fading in his mind but truly it was selfish as well, “The wish is off and it’s not coming back! Now all you get to hope for is that fate makes you gods again! If you are even that lucky! Now I'm going to explain this plainly. She still expects that new home, she still expects Zippy and Bully, her good friends she thinks they are, to come live with us. But you two DO NOT show your faces at ALL until she wants to see you. Do you understand me? We know your mortal, we know we can STOP YOU if we need to and we WILL if you PUSH US. So you’re going to live your lives, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE, and LEAVE HER ALONE. She’s powerless now, you understand me. You literally stripped her of her powers with your vileness, not metaphorically, or poetically, or in any other way. She is no longer a star. That blackness leaking out of her? It's her power, corrupted, coming out. She’s becoming mortal, and it's going to kill her if we’re not careful.” Dusk had tears in his eyes, “SO if you give a FUCK about anypony but yourselves you won’t show your faces around here again.” Dusk huffed a few times and looked at King Sombra, “I can’t believe I was afraid of you,” then he looked toward Celestia, “And I can’t believe I worshiped you.”

He threw out an accusatory hoof to the door as he faded his spell over them, “Now go… all of you. GO and don’t you dare come back! We killed somepony, we killed a star, something good and pure, and she is never coming back because of all of us!”

There was silence, pure silence, and they left. Celestia in tears and Sombra fuming with burning anger. Dusk slamming the door shut behind them and locking it tight, as he cried openly into his hooves. “All we wanted was for the war to be over… that ALL I WANTED GODS DAMMIT!”

“Dusk.” He looked over his shoulder in fear as Zecorro looked at him warmly.

“It will be fine… her fever is breaking.”

“Oh sweet celesti-... Oh sweet stars above, thank you Zecorro.”

“But there is something you must know.”

Dusk felt a shudder of fear in his spine, but he asked at any rate, “What is that my friend?”

“Some of her power has survived, but it's… cancerous, in nature. If she starts granting wishes again it could grow and… it will kill her, but not just her. It will annihilate the memory of her from every mind she has ever touched. She will not return to the sky with the other stars; she will be gone completely, utterly… and the wish she grants might be the most terrible one conceivable. Dusk… I was not the one to summon her, you were, the original idea was yours, so you make the call… Do we dispel her now, remove her now before she can cause any harm or… or do we risk everything for one being’s happiness.”

Dusk was struck cold, he wasn’t sure, he didn’t know. He thought about everything he could, his mind racing faster than light. Then he felt a pang of warmth in his heart as he thought of every warm smile she had given him over the week they had been together, from the time of her first hayburger to the moments he held onto her when she was at her most sick.

“We take the chance… she earned that much. The war is not over but it's halted so long as the driving forces are mortal. I feel something Zecorro, something I haven't felt in years… Hope… Hope that maybe Equestria can finally have its due peace.”

Zecorro smiled, “Then we shall try, but only we may know about her powers remaining. Watch her, and maybe, just maybe, the corruption will wither, but if she is going to end reality with a foolish wish we must stop her.” He placed a vile of pitch blackness into his hoof, “We must be prepared.”

END OF CHAPTER 4