Kind Hands

“Do you really think he will be capable of carrying this burden?”

“I do not know. But one thing is certain.”

“And what might that be?”

“It will be fun to watch.”

I awoke in a place that I struggled to fathom. The frost and ice of the footpath that I was taken from had given way to a flat, endless tunnel that looked as if it was made of starlight. The space resembled the night sky, with small smudges of light contrasting with the canvas of black.

Despite the darkness that surrounded me, I found that my vision wasn’t impaired as I stared into the unending void before me. Thin beams of light began to appear in the outside of my vision: combinations of pale blues, pinks and whites converged and diverged seemingly at random before me, creating a picture that personified inner peace. There was no life. There was no death. There was only the endless divide between.

I merely stood and attempted to comprehend the place that I was in. Even the thought of standing was confusing at that moment. There was clearly no ground below me, yet I could feel a hard, flat surface that I could move on with ease. The very tranquillity of this place unnerved me. The place was at an equilibrium that felt so thin that my mere presence could well have been enough to unravel the fragile fabric of where I stood.

I didn’t have time to consider the environment any further as two beings appeared before me. In front of my eyes were two creatures that most closely resembled horses. Yeah. However, their facial proportions were incorrect, with large eyes that were capable of much greater expression than those that an equine should’ve possessed. I reached into my mind to try and find an animal that I could relate the two figures to, but any suggestions were quickly eliminated.

Of course, they were horses of some kind, but they had a unique human aspect to them that was as perplexing as it was unnerving. Both creatures also had a horn and a pair of wings, and, at that point, I gave up on finding a logical solution to the situation that I’d been forced into.

“What the bloody hell…?” was all that I could muster as the creatures came within a short distance of me. At this distance, I was able to get a better view of them and I could fully assess how screwed I was. Both creatures stood tall and proud, almost shamelessly so, with vibrant colours that seemed to both radiate and beckon in the light that surrounded us.

The larger one led the way, the crown atop her head shimmering in the cool light of wherever we were at that moment. Her coat was a fine white, completely devoid of any impurities, aside from the strange symbol of a sun near her rear. What likely would be referred to as her mane was an iridescent mass that almost seemed to be alive in its movements, hinting at an enormous power within its owner. The colours of her mane changed without a fixed pattern, yet each strand of colour appeared to be perfectly aligned with one another, glistening in the faint light that it released.

The shorter of the two lacked the bright colours and natural radiance of her counterpart, yet the aura she gave off would likely have split me in two if I ever defied her. She had much darker, more muted colours that resembled the sky when revealed in dim light. Blacks and darker shades of blue were prevalent in her mane, the colours differing so much from her partner’s that each of the two beings seemed to be the antithesis the other. What captivated me the most as I looked her over was the way her mane sparkled with faint, sporadic illuminations, almost as if someone had sewn together the fragments of a shattered moonlight.

I had no choice but to stare in awe over the beings that filled my vision. They were the embodiment of power, though they seemed docile in their current state. Either way, they both looked like they could kill me where I stood, so I silently reminded myself to mind my manners. After a short pause, the larger of the two creatures spoke.

“Greetings, human,” was all she initially said. Despite the formality of her words, her voice had a disarming quality to it that put me at immediate ease. Or I would’ve- had I not already assumed the foetal position on the ‘floor’ of this place, trying to keep hold of my sanity. It must’ve been for about a minute or so that I rocked back and forth, staring at nothing and mumbling incoherently about lucid dreams and crazy bitches.

Once I was done with that, I picked myself up and tried in vain to look presentable. I stared blankly at the pair in front of me in disbelief as my senses were repeatedly violated and I swear my heart was close to giving out.

This felt impossible.

It was impossible.

There was no other word than ‘impossible’.

“Are we okay to continue?” one of the voices asked.

Kissing goodbye to my sanity, I answered, “Yeah. I’m good. Continue. Jesus Christ…”

This answer was hardly resounding. But it was enough for the larger creature to continue where she left off. She cleared her throat before speaking again.

“I’m sure you have many questions,” she started, stating the blindingly obvious. “But first I ask that you listen. My name is Celestia and the little one next to me is my sister, Luna,” she explained, receiving a wry smile from her sibling. “We are princesses of the sun and moon in a land called ‘Equestria’. It is a land not of humans like yourself, but of ponies much like my sister and I.”

This had to be a wind-up. Like one of those hidden camera pranks. Has anyone else heard of that documentary where that guy got a spoilt kid to think that he was one of the only people to survive the apocalypse? It was like that. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing- although, that was probably a given at this point.

“We have called you here today to ask you to carry out a great deed for my land and its subjects.”

Celestia waited for either Luna to elaborate or for me to interject. It seemed that neither of us were in a rush to do anything. As a result, the alabaster princess took it upon herself to ask, “Is there anything you wish to discuss?” to my quivering form.

I did my best to process the information that I was given- really, I did. I briefly considered returning to the foetal position, but I decided against it. There was a long moment of silence between us before I found some of the words that I was looking for.

“I have a few questions. No, actually, I have every question,” I mumbled, every word that spilled from my mouth increasing in volume until I was practically shouting. I listened to myself think for the first time in what felt like generations before faltering again. “I’m sorry, but I just…” I trailed off as my eyes began to water due to the unbearable mental fog that overtook me.

“I don’t know…”

It was at that moment that a gentle warmth enveloped my body. Control was taken from me as I was gently lifted into the air and moved to within inches of the princesses. Whatever was coming, I accepted it, hanging there limp and lifeless, until I felt a different warmth: forelegs were draped over my neck and shoulders as the princesses embraced me in a hug devoid of malice and cruel intentions. Despite how hard I tried, tears flowed freely from my eyes as I buried my face into the thick fur of one of the sisters- it didn’t really matter whose fur it was at that moment.

“This is a lot to take in, I am sure,” came the slightly firmer voice of Luna. Her voice rang loudly in my ears, meaning that I was likely buried in her neck. “But I am sure that we can offer you respite, even though you are clearly overwhelmed.” Her voice, combined with the embrace she was giving, began to shift the mental fog out of my mind and get my brain moving again.

When I was ready, I pushed myself away from Luna, taking a moment to breathe and to think again. I looked off into the distance and considered where I was. I didn’t even entertain the idea of lucid dreams or drug-fuelled hazes; this was far too real. Hell, I didn’t even know where I could get LSD, so that was out. I looked off into the void behind me, then to the sisters, then back to the void again.

I had nothing better to do than shake my head before asking, “Where are we? I know you mentioned ‘Equetsria’ or something but where are we now? This doesn’t feel like a place requiring sun and moon goddesses.”

Celestia showed off a small smile at that. “This is the Celestial Plane,” she stated, gesturing to the space around her. “It is a place of my creation that I can summon when I need to discuss private matters with my subjects.”

That should’ve helped me more than it did, but I shook my head again. “So, what, then?” I inquired. “What’s this ‘private matter’ and what does it have to do with me being taken from my home?” I heard irritation seep into my voice as fear began to be replaced with frustration.

Luna stepped forward and raised a hoof apologetically. She closed her eyes before replying, “We do profusely apologise for the manner in which you were transported to this place…”

I raised an eyebrow at this response- not that Luna could see it.

“…but you humans can be unpredictable, and this was deemed to be the solution that would achieve the easiest journey for you,” she stated matter-of-factly. She opened her eyes again, faltering slightly once she caught my glare. “Is that… not enough?” she half-mumbled, stepping backwards and averting her gaze.

My expression softened after seeing the bizarre sight of such a powerful creature showing humility. I sighed. “No,” I answered, shaking my head once again. “Absolutely not. But I suppose that doesn’t really matter now, does it?” My eyes scanned over the princesses, who waited patiently for me to begin speaking again. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

There was nothing else to say, was there? There was nothing I could’ve done in that moment that would’ve made things any better. I was fucked, to put it bluntly- but sooner start, sooner finish.

Although the reluctance was clear in my voice, Celestia resumed from where she left off. “You see,” she began, “The land of Equestria is a wonderful place of relative peace where my subjects can live their lives and prosper. However, there are ponies and other creatures who seek to destroy that peace and exploit the ponies of this land. That is where you come in.”

She looked up at me, and I gave her a nod to show that I was following along. “I have… acquired you because I can sense great potential in you. A great potential for magic.”

For obvious reasons, I felt the need to interject, but before I could, Luna spoke up to offer her reassurance.

“We are well aware, my friend, that your kind does not have the capacity for magic, so my sister’s proposal may be difficult to comprehend. However, I have sensed it too. With training- which we will happily provide- you will be able to harness that power and use it effectively in combat. With this training, we require you to bring down those who seek to upset the harmony of our land, of our subjects, and you will be rewarded with riches and comforts far beyond what you could expect from your own world.”

In spite of myself, I listened and waited patiently for my turn to speak. The proposals these ponies put forward were… ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Even after all that had already happened, this bloody ‘potential’ that the sisters spoke of was far-fetched at best. Still, I went over what I’d been told, where only one word floated to the forefront of my mind.

“Combat, eh?” I wondered aloud, a sardonic smile overtaking my face. I could tell where this was going- and I didn’t like it. “I can’t say I’m particularly happy about being taken from my home and forced to fight mythical creatures, but it’ll at least be a hell of a story to tell- provided I’m not detained under the Mental Health Act. I’ll be going home after this, right?” I turned towards the princesses, fully expecting only one answer.

Well, I was- until Celestia gazed up at me sympathetically.

“This is where issues begin to arise…”

I knew damn well what that meant.

“…You will be permitted to return home once you have fulfilled your duties, but the time scale for this is uncertain. You may be kept here for a prolonged period of time…” she trailed off before beginning again with renewed vigour. “…But rest assured: You will live in this land in great comfort- far beyond that which you would experience in your home world.”

I wasn’t particularly happy about the princesses slandering my world. Yeah, a lot of the UK is a bit of a shithole, but steady on. Combining that with the fact that I’d been kidnapped only to wake up in… death, my glare had barely softened, regardless of the princess’ poxy promises.

“Do you realise how ridiculous this sounds?” I asked the sisters while rubbing at my forehead. I was annoyed by the lack of a response as both of them looked back at me with neutral expressions. “This feels like a ‘Heads: you win, Tails: I lose’ sort of situation. Like, I either abandon my world and play as a brave adventurer or I tell you to bugger off and probably get torn to pieces. Either way, I don’t feel like I really have a choice.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself. Diamonds are made under pressure, you know. I should’ve ranted at those buggers until I dropped dead, but my mind was still numb from everything that transpired. Whether that was intentional or not is up for debate, I certainly didn’t know. Either way, I did what I probably shouldn’t’ve done and gave in to what they asked- anything to get out of this damn void. “So, fine. I’ll do it.”

Celestia let out a deep sigh of relief upon hearing this. Seemingly receiving the answer that she had been looking for, both she and her sister lowered their heads to the ground and closed their eyes.

A faint whirring noise emanated from the ‘ground’ in front of me as it opened up, revealing a bow of some kind. I’m not even going to pretend that I know what the parts of a bow are called, so bear with me. Well, the bow was small in size and silver in colour, looking as if it was made from platinum. Its body was sharply curved in a way that made it look more striking than practical.

Looking over it further, I noticed a crudely-attached scope and a strong grip that looked perfect for human fingers. I couldn’t think of an animal other than myself who would’ve been able to use something like this, but it looked good enough for me. “…Is this for me?” I looked back at Luna after an uncomfortable silence.

“Oh, yes, sorry,” Luna answered awkwardly. She stood beside me and scanned her eyes over the weapon herself. “This is one of our gifts to you. Go ahead- reach out to it.”

Gingerly, I did what the princess asked of me. Once the bow was in my hands, I recoiled slightly as I felt a brief flash in my mind, like an electric shock. “…What the hell was that?”

“It was… a binding of sorts,” Luna explained. “That weapon has begun to ingrain itself into your mind. When your mind longs for it, it will appear. When your mind has no need for it, the weapon will dematerialise and retreat into your mind, waiting to be called again.”

That sounded like fun. Without needing to be asked, I focused my mind and tried to banish the bow into my head. In a swift movement, the bow collapsed in on itself, leaving behind faint whisps of air. At that moment, as I witnessed the thing disappear before my very eyes, my mind felt as if it was planning to collapse in solidarity with the weapon.

“Fuck- I can feel it!”

I placed my hands on both sides of my head to try and alleviate the sudden sensation. “I can feel it actually in there, like, its… fuck, I dunno… ‘soul’, I guess,” I elaborated in the only way I knew how at that moment, suddenly feeling rather breathless. I felt a hoof on my shoulder as Luna came to offer me some words of comfort.

“I can assure you, that sensation will pass. Take good care of this, now- it is as much a part of you as your heartbeat; it is yours and only yours. This is a weapon that has been lost to the sands of time; it does not exist anymore. I see it as the perfect gift to start with.”

I tried to pay attention to what Luna had to say, but I was too busy repeatedly summoning and de-summoning my new bow. It was more interesting than listening to the princess continue her little speech, at least.

“My sister’s student has done a wonderful job converting some creatures with the power of friendship. But we know that this will not work for everypony; there are some that cannot be changed and must- for the sake of Equestria- be… removed.”

“Jesus. That’s rather dark.”

She drew me back in with this new twist, so much so that I sent the bow back to my mind and kept it there. And so, I listened as the princesses took turns explaining about my training and where I was going to rest my head. Turns out, I’d be staying in big ol’ castle in a city called ‘Canterlot’. Awesome. Also, the mention of a ‘student’ earlier piqued my attention as I was eager to meet somebody who’d worked with the princess before. It’d be a good way to gauge what kind of people passed through the princess’ clutches.

Celestia told grand tales about this student; of how she and her friends brought down a centaur, outsmarted a madman and fixed problems that she herself caused, if we’re being honest. She certainly seemed powerful; I wondered if she was insane or simply lucky in order to get away with stuff like this for so long. Celestia didn’t mention any names in her explanations because that’s what she’s like, apparently. Except for one.

“…Starlight Glimmer? What kind of name is that? Are you having a laugh?”

She didn’t fully elaborate regarding the identity of this pony, simply stating that there would be time to explain once I’d gotten settled in. I expected as much. She only mentioned that Starlight would need to be brought to Canterlot for something. Something that undoubtedly included me.

The princesses and I spoke for a considerable while longer. They asked me questions about myself: small things like my diet, my aspirations and what I liked to do in my free time. Despite my anger towards my separation from my world, I found the princesses to be very disarming; the shorter one was even quite charming.

“Oh, yes. Before I forget, I believe this is yours,” Celestia suddenly blurted out, levitating… my mobile phone. I immediately grabbed it and tried to call my dad, my sister, or anybody at all. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to hear that it didn’t work.

“Apologies for tampering with your device. You humans really are an advanced species if you are able to create machines such as this without the use of magic. I did enjoy taking this apart and observing it.”

Did she have to be so condescending? With as deadpan a voice as I could muster, I replied, “It’s a phone, mate.”

“Maybe so, but it is incredibly fascinating. This phone accepts ‘calls’, yes?”

I gave a quick nod, unsure as to where this was going.

“Then, I have adapted it to respond to Equestrian magic.”

I opened my mouth to speak, mind full of questions, but I was quickly shut down by the princess.

“Do not ask because I will not explain. I have adapted this phone to respond to the individual magic of unicorns and alicorns. Upon interacting with it, they can access the phone at any time to call you directly. My sister shall now demonstrate.”

She did just explain it, but that was irrelevant because Luna was on her way. The short one took the phone from my grasp and fired a short burst of magic into it before disappearing in a flash of light. The phone didn’t seem to respond to the attack but started to ring soon after her disappearance. I was appalled at how quickly and easily my phone had been violated by the two sisters, but I proceeded to answer the call.

“GREETINGS, YOUNG HUMAN,” came an unnecessarily loud voice from the other side of the phone, unfortunately clear as day. “WE ARE MOST PROUD TO BE ACCESSING YOUR WAYS OF COMMUNICATION IN THE STYLE THAT YOU HUMANS POSSESS AND FLAUNT WITH SUCH RECKLESS ABANDON. MAY YOU RECIPROCATE OUR ENTHUSIASM AND RESPOND IN KIND WITH YOUR-”

“Off,” was all that I said as I ended the call with a slight huff. “What the hell was that? Christ, my ears hurt,” I muttered as I placed a hand over my left ear.

At that, Luna reappeared, sporting a large grin that was soon replicated by her sister. “Apologies, young human,” she announced with a laugh. “But I could not resist- it is not too often that I am allowed to play with my subjects without instilling fear.”

On a more positive note, it appeared that my belongings had survived the journey- everything from the shirt on my back (which I was oh-so grateful for) to my rucksack and the numerous miscellaneous items kept within. I nearly cried from the relief; simply putting the rucksack on made me feel a little bit safer.

There wasn’t much else to discuss after that, and our conversation had largely petered out when I heard a familiar voice calling out in a slight panic.

“Hmm… what…?”

I let out a long sigh; my day just got a lot harder.

“Eve…? Eve, wake up…!”

What followed was a brief pause, which gave way to muffled sobbing. I knew exactly who that voice belonged to, so, not wanting to keep a lady waiting, I asked Celestia to take me to the lost little girl.