Author's Note

Chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I intended, but I saw few ways if dividing it up.

Chapter 53

Before going to the dorms or touring the school, the priority was seeing Professor Newman. She wasn't present at the school but was instead at the castle.

The guards informed us that while my parents and I were expected, my friends were not permitted to see Professor Newman. They wished me luck and went their separate ways. Fortunately, the guards didn't make my parents wait in the long line—they'd already been given descriptions of my parents, as Newman had that information readily available.

A guard led us deep into the castle and downward. There was only one staircase that descended, but the next level seemed to curve downward as we walked the halls. The elegant decorations and paneling gave way to solid blocks of stone, and there were no windows. Lit globes gave off light, and I wondered if they were filled with glowmoss from Mountainshade. Wooden doors appeared occasionally but were infrequent.

"Are you leading us to a dungeon?" Mom asked, smiling as if unsure whether she was making a joke.

"Canterlot castle has no dungeon," the guard replied. "Although, if there were a dungeon, it would probably be around here somewhere."

"These are living quarters?" Dad asked skeptically.

"These are where the human, Charlotte Newman's, living quarters are," the guard answered.

Mom's smile slipped. "Turnip, how much further is it?"

"I don't know," I answered. "I've never actually been here. I went to see her here once, but I got sent to the princess instead."

"Just a little further," the guard informed us.

We walked in silence for a while longer, the path still curving. We came to a door that looked like all the others, and the guard took up station next to it.

"Just knock. I will guide you back when you are ready to leave," the guard informed us.

My parents looked at me. I guess it was my responsibility to knock. I went up to the door and made three quick knocks which echoed loudly.

"You may enter," Newman called out. "Mind your step as you enter. Raven hasn't been allowed to do what she wishes in my quarters as she did in my office."

"What's that mean?" Mom asked.

"It means it's a mess," I answered as I pushed the door open.

"It is not a mess. Everything is where I can find it," Newman protested as the door opened.

There were books scattered everywhere in piles. I didn't see any furniture at all, nor any sort of decoration or window. There were two additional doors, both closed. The room was about the same size as a classroom back at school. Newman was lying on her back, a book held open above her head, reading.

"This is worse than your office," I said as my parents followed me in. I had my back to them, so I couldn't see their reaction to the room.

Newman set the book aside and looked at us. "I'm old enough that I don't particularly care what people think about my housekeeping. Close the door and take a seat anywhere. Please, don't knock over any of the stacks of books. They are arranged as they are for a reason."

I didn't look around much. I found the first clear spot I could and sat down. Mom and Dad looked around disapprovingly. This probably wasn't giving them a good first impression. It took them nearly a minute to find somewhere to sit, primarily because Mom took up extra space and they wanted to sit together, but they eventually settled.

Newman sat up and then stood. "Mr. Jones's parents, welcome. I have a question—not a very important one, just a curiosity. Neither of you had the last name Jones before choosing your current names, nor did any of your parents when they were human. The first Jones in either of your lines was five generations back. So why did you give your son the last name Jones?"

Dad blinked. "You dig deep for information. I didn't even know I had anyone with that last name as a great-grandparent."

"Me neither," Mom agreed. "How did you even find out? Why look into something so trivial?"

"There's no such thing as a trivial detail. Only details that are harder to contextualize and use," Newman replied.

"Then our answer isn't just to satisfy a curiosity," Dad reasoned. "What do you get out of knowing?"

Newman chuckled. "Truly, just curiosity sated for now. It also helps me fill in the psychological profile I've put together of you. Whether it has another use down the line, I don't know."

"I think we prefer to keep that information to ourselves then," Dad replied. "Never good to give the person you're dealing with every extra they want. They come to expect it."

"As you wish," Newman replied. "Forgive my lack of accommodations. My quarters are fairly simple. This is my main space. I also have my bedroom and another room that doubles as both kitchen and bathroom. These quarters were never designed to be living quarters, but they had few places in the castle that could both accommodate someone of human size and give me the privacy I prefer."

"What was it built for?" Mom asked. “It seems a miserable place to stay.”

"It's a location of historic significance," Newman explained. "This entire hallway used to house the Night Guard and their offices before Luna returned and they built proper barracks in the city. Twilight Sparkle's mother actually got dishonorably discharged from the Night Guard in this very room—failing to follow orders and endangering her squad with reckless behavior was the given reason. Twilight Velvet was always quick to jump into any fray, quite passionate about taking initiative when defending others. Admirable, but not very good for following orders when told to hold back and maintain position during a monster attack. You can see where the Princess of Friendship gets her adventuring spirit despite seeming at first just a bookworm. You can learn much about a person based on the character of their parents."

Dad fixed her with a hard gaze. "No trivial details?"

Newman nodded. "No trivial details. What kind of things do you think your son inherited from each of you? You are two very different people. What did your marriage forge?"

"A mouthy, disobedient colt who refuses to respect his parents," Mom grumbled.

Newman chuckled. "And I believe your husband has a history of disobedience as well. What did his parents say about you?"

Mom stepped back, knocking over a stack of books. "How do you know about that?"

"What can I say? I dig deep," Newman answered. "Would you like some coffee?"

Mom turned around and started trying to pick up the books. "Sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Please, don't do that. You'll only disrupt the order further," Newman said. "I can get us some coffee, and I believe I have some danishes. Please, just relax while I get those."

Newman exited through one of the side doors, and I heard the sound of running water in the other room.

"What exactly does this professor teach?" Dad asked me.

"She teaches fundamentals and magic theory—the whys of how magic works. She also heads the chess club," I answered.

Dad chuckled. "Of course she'd head the chess club."

Mom made a disgusted look at the door Newman had gone through. "The bathroom and kitchen are one? Why?"

"If this is an old guard station, she might not have much choice," Dad answered. "I imagine trying to remodel this place would be a nightmare, especially anything involving plumbing. That room is probably her only water source, and she needs water for both the kitchen and bathroom. It likely was the garrison bathroom back in the day."

"Lucky she gets to have meals at the school then. We're essentially in their old locker room," I muttered.

Professor Newman returned, holding a tray with two steaming mugs and a third non-steaming mug, along with some cheese danishes. She set it down on the floor by my parents and walked back to her previous spot.

"Two cups of coffee and a glass of orange juice, along with some snacks," she announced.

"Nothing for you?" I asked.

"I ration my own food. I also try to avoid eating around certain times," she explained. "Have no fear, I'm not trying to poison you. Such a thing would bring me no benefit, and I'm actually too ignorant about most poisons to employ them. There's also one of the princess's guards sitting outside who would have serious questions for me if I poisoned my guests."

"You poisoning us wasn't even something we would have considered," Dad said as he looked at the danishes.

"Forgive me. I was assuming Turnip might have informed you about my former profession, and you may have had some wild ideas as a result when I didn't take any food or drink myself," Newman apologized.

"You were Sunset Blessing's spymaster?" Dad asked.

"I prefer to say aid, and my duties covered a wide field of things. My former employer was always very interested in knowing what was going on beyond her walls. Information is power, after all," Newman answered.

"Yet you continue to operate as an information gatherer. If she's your former employer, who are you gathering information for now?" Dad asked.

"The school's interests, of course," Newman answered calmly. "I'm committed to assembling the best student body to meet the school's goals. That requires vigorous research."

"And what are the school's goals?" Dad asked, pressing forward with the questioning.

Newman chuckled. "Yes, I see where Turnip gets his habit of asking questions. I'm guessing he hasn't been fully forthcoming with you, since he has asked these questions to myself and Princess Twilight and been answered."

Dad looked at me, and I didn't flinch from his gaze. I would have told him... sooner or later.

He looked back at Newman. "I prefer to hear it directly from you."

Newman nodded. "As you wish. Equestria is faced with a dual crisis. On one hand, we have magical stagnation. The old ways of education only focus on learning the same old spells and the same old ways of thinking. This must change. On the other hand, we face a crisis, not only in Equestria but on Earth as well, of growing threats that the stagnant old guard of leaders are frankly ill-equipped to face. Starting this year, we have dismissed the majority of the student body so we can focus on the students who can innovate, lead, and think outside the box. We need to train the new wave of leaders, researchers, and mages with the tools to think and adapt to rapidly changing situations and escalating challenges. Every student I picked to be at this school is someone I think can make a difference. I have no time for followers and drudge workers. I need leaders and thinkers."

"And you think a farm colt from Kansas fits into these big plans of yours?" Mom asked skeptically.

Newman grabbed a very large book from beside her, opened it, and pulled out a large folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and revealed its contents to us.

"I'm quite confident," Newman said.

It was a drawing. There were several ponies in it, but only two had visible cutie marks—mine and Hannah's—and there was a visible kirin. We looked a little bigger than we actually were, and we were all staring up at something out of sight in the sky. I didn't know what the drawing was supposed to be about, but I knew what this kind of drawing meant. Newman had never shown me this before.

"Sunflower Smiles made a drawing of me, Hannah, and Summer?" I asked in disbelief.

"I can't actually confirm that the kirin pictured is your friend, but that is definitely you and Miss Moonbow," Newman said, folding up the paper and reinserting it in the book. "It isn't very informative or revealing, but you two are definitely pictured, if a bit older."

Mom stomped a hoof. "I'm sorry, can we back this up? I'm confused. What's with the drawing?"

"Sunflower Smiles is a Storyteller. She tells her stories with drawings," I explained.

"And has been mentoring your son, since he has begun to manifest visions as well," Newman added. "I hope he has explained this already."

"If Turnip is getting himself into something dangerous—" Mom began.

"We don't actually know that based on the drawing," Newman quickly interjected. "These types of foretelling are extremely vague, and it is best not to read too much into them. What we can safely read is that Turnip will be involved with something of significance in the future. I would rather have him equipped to deal with whatever that situation is than not."

"Do you have any guesses or theories as to what it is?" Dad asked.

Newman shrugged. "Staring at the sky is a bit too vague for me to guess at the meaning. He already has had one episode with something in the sky, but it wasn't whatever this has pictured. Has your son told you about the rainboom incident?"

Both my parents looked at me. This time I did flinch.

"I'll take that as a no. Honestly, I'm quite encouraged by your son's tight lips. Keeping information close and not blabbing it about are important," Newman said. "I will leave it to him to tell you about the incident, but I will say it doubles down on the fact that he, along with the others, are people of significance. I would rather have such people trained to think, adapt, and be prepared with as many tools as I can provide. He isn't going to get those tools and experience plowing fields. He also seems to need his friends, based on the drawing and the rainboom. They happen to be here."

"Along with Prim," I muttered.

Newman sighed. "You and that filly, your bickering tests my patience. She was impacted by the rainboom, which could be a fluke, but it could be important. You two should try to get along."

"Well, she starts it each time. Tell her," I said defiantly.

"Is some filly bullying my son?!" Mom demanded.

Newman sighed again. "While Miss Tape is often the primary instigator, both are guilty of saying and doing unacceptable things to one another, and both have served detention for it. At least both are at the point they respect one another's capabilities, which I'll claim as a victory. Not everyone is going to like everyone else, and kids will have their fights. If they can at least respect one another on an academic and professional level, even if they detest one another, that will be good enough and a valuable lesson about life. I advise you let your son manage his own affairs with the filly, and I will continue to discipline them whenever either gets too far out of line with the other."

She looked at me. "I don't particularly like Miss Tape either, Mister Jones. Listening to her for more than a minute gives me a strong desire to smack her, but you know as well as I that filly has the strongest work ethic and drive to succeed in your class. I chose her to be admitted, and even I was pleasantly shocked at how much of a hard worker that filly is. I believed her mutual rivalry with her brother would push both into new heights, but she has blown me out of the water in terms of response. If I can manage to break her of her more loathsome traits, Equestria will be receiving a great asset to their nobility. They probably are getting an asset even if I can't break her of her classist views."

I flicked my tail. "She's still a snot-nosed bi—"

"Language, Mister Jones. Do you want to start the new semester off in detention?" Professor Newman interrupted.

"Mouthy little colt, behave yourself in front of your teacher!" Mom scolded.

"Turnip feuding with another student isn't our priority, dear," Dad said firmly. "The more pressing issue is what our son has gotten himself into. This woman is saying she wants to involve our son in dangerous things because of a drawing of all things."

"I never said there would be any danger. Only that he has some significance," Newman clarified. "Sunflower only draws things of significance, but the drawings are always cryptic about what that significance may be. I don't take too much time trying to figure out the significance of visions, I only note there is some and move forward."

"And now you have this Sunflower pony filling his head with this vision nonsense?" Dad demanded.

Newman shook her head. "No, I have Sunflower helping him cope with his own visions. He has been having visions of things he should have no way of knowing about on and off for the past few months. These can be troubling, and it helps to have someone close by who can empathize with his situation since they go through it themselves. For the record, I was all for creating an artifact to block these visions, but Turnip is opposed, and there are some complications that make making such an artifact problematic at best. I'm still not happy a thirteen-year-old is having visions. I think they are an unnecessary distraction, and they can become a problem if he tries digging too much into their meaning. Trying to interpret visions leads to nothing but trouble. It is better to just note something as significant and monitor accordingly. Sunflower had a vision of your son. I'm monitoring him accordingly, not trying to dictate or influence what will happen involving him. My focus is completely on his education."

"And what has our son been having visions of?" Dad asked, turning his attention back to me.

I shied away. "Well... there was this creepy hallway with a bunch of statues. There was an undead filly singing children's songs. There was this big brass mechanical spell thing... and there was a squirrel."

"A squirrel?" Dad asked in confusion.

"A very scary squirrel," I clarified.

"Two of those four have been identified and are being monitored," Newman said calmly. "That would be the filly and the squirrel."

Dad raised an eyebrow at her. "You know exactly what squirrel to monitor?"

She smiled. "Surprisingly, yes. It is a particularly nasty little thing that I would not want to be trapped in a forest with. I won't give the details, those are classified, but I will confirm it is a very scary and very mean little squirrel that wants nothing more than to kill. It's no global threat. It is only threatening to anyone who gets close to it—a very simple creature that has an understanding of see a thing, kill a thing."

"So... just some rabid animal?" Mom asked.

Newman shook her head. "Oh... rabid is not the word. This is far worse than some diseased animal. I personally think it should be destroyed. I don't like destroying anything—I feel destroying something loses you all potential value, including knowledge of how to counteract similar things. However, I see no value in keeping that little monster around, but I don't make these calls. It just wants to hurt people. I already know how it functions, and we have more passive subjects that can be studied. It isn't an effective weapon because... well... it's a squirrel. It isn't a good test subject. It doesn't provide any benefit. It is just a blight on existence. At the end of the day, it is essentially a murderous squirrel, only capable of what a squirrel can do."

"It's still scary," I muttered.

Newman nodded. "Oh, I agree. I wouldn't want to be caught out in the woods with the thing hunting me. People underestimate how intimidating something small can be, and how much harm they can do. It's agile, and can climb trees. It is small enough it is hard to hit, and still has claws and teeth. It can do some serious damage in a short period of time if you aren't ready for it. Luckily, it is too stupid to be an ambush predator. After the first attack, or if you know it is coming, it is easy enough to prepare for. It's when it takes you by surprise that it is really deadly. However, Turnip is already at a significant disadvantage on a squirrel's turf, considering he has severe dendrophobia. On the plus side, that phobia makes it much less likely Turnip will ever go wandering into that squirrel's territory, making it so the vision isn't representing any danger to him."

"Dendrophobia? What's dendrophobia?" Mom asked in confusion. Oh no, I didn't want her to know about that!

"Turnip, is that true... about the phobia?" Dad asked cautiously. Was he trying to hold back a laugh? I couldn't tell.

I looked away.

"That would be my answer," Dad said, and he sighed.

"What's dendrophobia?" Mom asked again, stomping in frustration.

"I'll tell you in private, dear. Telling you in front of Turnip would be an unnecessary and cruel blow to his pride," Dad said. "It's a phobia. Phobias are irrational fears, but the fear is real. He doesn't want to feel judged."

"So... he's afraid of spiders or something like that?" Mom asked.

"I'm not afraid of spiders," I quickly stated.

"Is it heights?" Mom asked. "I'm afraid of heights. I don't think it is irrational. Earth ponies should have their hooves safely on the ground."

"I'm not scared of heights either, Mom," I said in exasperation. I was a little nervous about heights, but not like I was about trees.

"Dear, he's embarrassed, and he'd rather you not know," Dad firmly said, touching a hoof to her side. "I promise to tell you later. Let the colt have his pride."

Mom settled. "Fine."

"Speaking of preserving his teenage pride, I think we should focus back on why you are here," Newman said. "While having him leave would be very damaging to his pride, which you seem to have some concern for, the more pressing issue would be that no one else can provide what we can in terms of his education. I have secured him a mentor for his visions, and while I will document his visions, I'm not going to try to use him for anything regarding them. Only one other school can provide such a mentor, and they will try to use him for his visions. Second, he is an alchemy student, and we have the best alchemy teacher available. Earth doesn't even have a proper alchemy program. Wabash Manor has... something... but I think we would all agree Wabash is not the safest place to be."

I looked up. "Why is Wabash unsafe?"

Dad visibly grit his teeth. "It's your professor's old employer's old home. She was there for a long time and she had so much security around that place that something had to be going on there."

"The security is still there," Newman said with a smirk. "A lot of security for a school with less than forty students total."

He looked at her. "Did things go on there?"

"I can't very well tell you that. My reputation would be ruined if I told you," she replied. "Anyway, alchemy is Turnip's path to being a mage, the only real path he has, and this is the best place for it. Crystal Prep is the only other school with a legitimate program, and I doubt their very conservative headmistress will be admitting earth ponies any time soon. That leaves letting him attend here or telling him to go back to the farm, when it is clear that isn't his ambition. I put a lot of effort into assembling the student body here. I'll fight for it, and each individual student."

"Is that drawing the only reason you chose my son?" Dad asked.

Newman frowned. "That drawing is the only reason I kept your son after I saw him betray your trust. The offer to attend had been extended before I came into possession of the drawing."

"Then why?" Dad pressed.

"I extended the offer because he is someone who has everything working against him but he still has the drive, mind, and audacity to push through. My old employer was among the weakest of unicorns. She didn't even start learning magic until her forties, and she wasn't even a unicorn or pony before then. Yet, despite having every factor against her, she rose from that to become one of the most renowned mages of the era. I have to respect an underdog with a mind and the gall to see seemingly insurmountable challenges and say they're going to figure out a way. Both Equestria and Earth may face challenges in the future that seem insurmountable. We need people who see insurmountable challenges as problems that can be overcome, preferably smart people, like your son.”

Newman paused and looked at me. "And you still have something you need to give your parents—an apology. I know you wrote a letter, but you need to say it directly. Your father is trying to preserve your dignity and pride, but failing to apologize directly diminishes your dignity and your credibility—your integrity. The blow to your pride is worth preserving that."

I looked at my parents who in turn looked expectantly at me, and my ears sagged.

"Mom... Dad, I'm sorry for the things I said about farming. It isn't for me, but it was unfair of me to say that only people who are happy being insignificant could find it appealing. You aren't insignificant. I'm also sorry I forged your signatures and ran away from home. It was beyond stupid on my part, and it caused you a lot of worry and hurt. On top of that, I wasn't brave enough to make my case to you about attending here and didn't give you a chance to say yes or no... I just assumed the worst. That reflects on how I think of you, and it was wrong. The fact that Professor Newman's agent was able to convince you to sign them for real shows how misguided I was. I have betrayed your trust, insulted you, and been ungrateful for your love. I see how wrong I was, and I'm sorry."

"That sounded sincere," Newman said, not giving my parents a chance to respond. "Now, you must tell them about the one other matter that requires you have a specialized education—the other matter they will like the least. You have my permission to speak of it with them."

"What thing we will like even less than the matter of your visions, your forging our signatures, and running away?" Dad asked darkly. "Have you done something to get in trouble here?"

"That's one way of saying it," Newman confirmed.

Mom strode over to me and stared down at me, burying me in her shadow. "What did you do, mouthy colt?"

I turned my face away from her to look at Newman. "Do you have the authority to give me that permission?"

Newman blinked and frowned. "That is actually a very good question. Hmm... I may have overstepped myself."

"But now I have my parents wondering and there's no getting out of that without telling them," I grumbled. She did this on purpose!

Dad pushed in underneath my Mom. "What have you gotten yourself involved in?”

I took a deep breath. "My friends and I followed a colt somewhere we shouldn't have gone, and we came in contact with something we shouldn't even know about. When I did... it formed a bond with me. They are keeping it away from me, saying I'm not ready for it. They are going to let me have it eventually. I'm its owner. It chose me and that can't be undone, and they need every one of these things to grow strong with their owners. They haven't told me why, exactly, but there are big things coming."

Mom tilted her head. "That was a lot of things, somethings, its, and theys."

"I got that you were involved in something big that you have no business being involved with," Dad said in an emotionless voice. He looked at Newman. "Something that Turnip cannot get out of, and being involved with is dangerous."

"Tell us what you got yourself caught up in!" Mom demanded with a stomp.

"They aren't going to tell us," Dad said, not responding to her stomp at all, despite the heavy leg coming down right next to him. "I actually respect Turnip doing his best to stay vague. He might have stumbled into this responsibility, but he is taking it seriously." He stared at Newman. "And you aren't the one in charge of whatever this is. Turnip questioned whether you had authority to let this slip, which means there are others above you calling the shots. I'm not going to ask you to betray their trust, but I am going to ask if my son is in danger."

"If the wrong people became aware of his connection, he would be. We have no intention to let anyone find out. We're going to do everything we can to keep him safe. It is harder to do that when he isn't close by for us to watch. A farm in Kansas likely has very little security," Newman explained. "And don't think he can just choose to separate himself from this. If his name drops to the wrong parties, he will be sought out, regardless of whether he is studying magic or plowing fields. I'm sorry that I can't undo your colt's mistake, but the damage has been done and we must accept the consequences."

"And are these visions connected to that as well?" Dad asked.

"Our current belief was Turnip was already going to start having them, one way or another, but contact with... the thing... jump-started his visions, making him start having them years before he normally would," Newman answered. "It's possible the thing sought him out specifically because he had that potential. We honestly don't know why the bonds that form happen, only that they are unbreakable."

"Did he get a pet?" Mom asked. "Is it like Spike the Dragon? I heard Princess Twilight got a dragon when she went to school here. We couldn't very well bring a dragon onto a farm. It would burn up the crops!"

I still didn't know what to think of what the truestone was. Was it a living thing? Was it an artifact? Was it just a rock? They said it learned from me, learning to copy my magic and make it greater, but also learning my personality and values, and copying those as well. It would always be just a rock, but so much more than a rock. Did it fit into any neat category?

"It isn't a pet... even if I agreed your example of Spike met the qualifications of being a pet," Newman said.

Mom stomped again. "Well then, I need a better answer. My husband might accept you being all vague, but I won't. Not with my son's safety involved!"

Newman blinked. "I see... I'll attempt to meet your demands, although I can't promise anything." She walked over to the entrance door, opened it, and spoke briefly with the guard in a hushed whisper.

When she returned, she sat down and sighed. "This should not take long. It is rare for any request for aid to ever take long at all. I hope she doesn't make too much of a mess."

Mom narrowed her eyes. "Who—"

There was suddenly a flash of light, accompanied by the sound of several stacks of books being knocked over.

"Huzzah! The princess of the night is quick to come to thy aid!" Princess Luna proclaimed, spreading her wings wide and raising one of her legs in triumph.

Newman looked around at her fallen piles of books in disgust.

Luna folded her wings against her side and looked around. "I see I have scattered your belongings. Fear not! After many years of observation, I have finally determined the method of your perplexing organization system—I still think it needlessly complicated, but I understand it. I will restack your books properly before I go."

Newman seemed to relax. "Thank you, that saves me a little bit of my headache. As for my main headache—" She pointed a finger at my mom. "Turnip's mother here has made it quite clear she isn't going to be satisfied with us giving her vague answers about the little item Turnip touched that he shouldn't have touched. I need your permission to tell her... or have you explain it to them."

Luna frowned and turned her head to look at my mother. My mother could have stood shoulder to shoulder with the alicorn.

"Quite the imposing figure. Turnip Jones should be grateful to have such a pony at the ready to defend him and his interests," Luna complimented.

Mom stomped yet again. "Flattery will get you nowhere! I want answers!"

"And not at all intimidated by an alicorn," Luna mirthfully mused. "I will answer your question, but I must stress this is highly sensitive information. This is something you talk about to no one, not even in the vaguest of details. You must behave as if clueless about the matter. If confronted about it directly... lie. Anyone knowing about this puts your son and your household at risk."

"Not happy about lying, but okay," Mom replied.

Luna sat and lit her horn. The area between her and my parents lit up with hundreds of small twinkling lights that seemed to float like dust in the air.

"What your son encountered is something called a truestone. Explaining what a truestone is can be complicated," Luna began. "Do you know anything about physics? I have been told trying to begin explaining it from a physics perspective helps immensely."

"Not particularly," Mom replied. Dad just shook his head. Dad was smart, but he was smart when it came to farming and doing business with the crops. He wasn't any sort of scientist.

Luna smiled. "That's alright. I will keep this as simple as I can, though I may be giving some technically incorrect details for the sake of simplification. All magic comes from something called thaumic energy. It works differently than much of the other energy types, though it still has governing rules that line up with the rest of physics. One rule that is universal to even thaumic energy is that matter and energy cannot be destroyed, only converted to one or the other. You can consider all matter to be highly concentrated energy."

The floating lights all came together in one location, forming one spot.

"Now, if you condense enough matter and energy down to a single space, you create something called a singularity," Luna continued. "An example of a singularity would be what you would call a black hole—it has such density that the very laws of physics seem to strain against it, though they are technically still in effect, just under very extreme conditions. Thaumic energy isn't as impacted by something like a black hole... for physics reasons that would be too complicated to explain. However, you can do essentially the same thing with thaumic matter and energy—condense it down until it is essentially a singularity. A truestone is a thaumic singularity."

"It's a black hole?!" Mom asked in horror. "My son touched a black hole?! How is he not dead?!"

"It is a thaumic singularity, so it doesn't have the same gravitational impact. Black holes are dangerous for their gravity, but a thaumic singularity doesn't give off gravitational force in such a way," Luna explained quickly. "What it does do is radiate thaumic energy at a very high level. It contains an enormous amount of energy potential, more than my sister and I are capable of harnessing. These truestones also form a bond with a single person each. They seem to come into existence only to interact with that one person. In theory, there is a truestone for every living person... at least in your universe."

"So... it gives more magic power than an alicorn?" Dad asked.

"In theory, it can eventually do that, but in practice, it doesn't reach those heights," Luna answered. "The truestone slowly reveals more of its potential over time as it continues to interact with its chosen bearer. This is a slow process, and its power is filtered through the capabilities of the individual it is bonded with. While it does provide a significant immediate power boost to the individual while in physical contact with it, one that will grow in time, it is still far short of what an alicorn can utilize. Most people are mortal, and it would simply take far too long for the truestone to unlock its full potential, far longer than their lifetime. Despite this, that is still a huge amount of thaumic power that can be expected to be harnessed, and that makes them and their bearers highly sought after by those who are aware of their existence. Because of their bonded nature, anyone who discovers a truestone's owner will seek to control not only the truestone but the owner as well. This is the danger to your son. Even if we keep him away from the truestone, anyone who discovers that he is bonded to it will seek to control him before seeking out the truestone. They need the bearer and the truestone in physical contact.”

"If something happened and the truestones were stolen and seized, those that stole them would immediately start looking for Turnip," Newman added. "Through careful study and observation, I have determined that the truestones have... let's call them strings... that link them to their owner. These only appear after the owner touches their truestone for the first time, but once fastened, they do not go away. Anyone with enough study can trace the string back to its owner. They can find Turnip no matter where he is. He put a target and homing beacon on his back the second he touched that damn rock."

"And in the meantime, we can't let a foal be running around with such a powerful force," Luna continued. "We do wish to give the truestone to your son eventually. It is actually safer in his possession because that shortens the string. Anyone can technically find the string if they know what they are looking for and trace it to both ends. If those ends are spread far apart, that means they are more likely to stumble on the string."

"Can't you like... get rid of the truestone? Destroy it?" Mom asked.

Luna shook her head. "I don't think you appreciate what being a singularity means. You cannot destroy a singularity... and if you could, I would dare say that could be catastrophic, since that means releasing all that energy at once. The only way to safely get rid of a truestone is kill the bearer... which is yet another option some may take if they learn Turnip bonded with a truestone. Your son requires more protection than you can give."

"He needs to become responsible enough to be allowed to have the thing in his possession, and he probably needs to learn how to defend himself. These are things he needs a proper magic school for," Newman concluded. "Also, most of those people who would go looking for truestones are back on Earth. Keeping him in Equestria, at least until he is ready, helps keep him safe."

This was actually far more than I had known before. I hadn't known about the string thing. That was kind of scary. Right now, there was some invisible string between me and that truestone that anyone with the knowhow could find and trace. I didn't know where they were keeping the truestone, but it probably was at least some distance away from the school by now. How far did that string stretch? How many people could potentially spot it? There were lots of mages in Equestria, at least a few of them might notice it by accident when conducting some experiment. They just had to be in the right place at the right time.

"I don't understand. If you made them you should be able to get rid of them," Mom asserted worriedly.

"We didn't make them," Luna corrected. "Their origins are... complicated. We don't fully understand their origins ourselves, or their purpose. What we do know is going to remain strictly guarded. Obtaining them is no small feat, requiring extremely advanced magic and technology to accomplish. The ones we have will be greatly sought after due to that difficulty.”

Newman grunted. "I'm guessing the effort to obtain the ones we have attracted attention of a worse sort. I wouldn't recommend another try of that for another few decades at least, ideally centuries. You don't go baiting a tiger and expect to walk right back to where you baited it safely. I don't think anyone in their right mind is going to try anytime soon, even if they figured out how. I'm betting even the old dragon is keeping her distance."

"I expect she is," Luna agreed. She looked at my parents again. "You have your answer. I know you may wish for more, but that is all I can give you."

"What's that thing going to do to my son?" Mom demanded, undeterred.

"If I had to guess, increased strength, durability, endurance, maybe a bit more plant-growing power. The truestones typically act to enhance the natural capabilities of their owner, and the owner, in this case, is an earth pony," Newman answered. "Atypically, they can be coerced to do more, but we're going to try to avoid that. A truestone gives its owner a bottomless thaumic reserve when in contact with it, and can drastically enhance their thaumic flows. We don't let irresponsible young colts run around with that kind of power. Your son needs to learn some responsibility."

"We can't disagree with that," Dad said grimly. "Dear, Turnip needs to stay enrolled in this school. We can't protect him."

"I can protect my son against anyone!" Mom protested.

Dad looked up at her. "You're big and strong, but that doesn't make up for our weaknesses. We aren't prepared to deal with powerful mages or men with guns. We're just simple farm ponies. I don't like that Turnip has gone and gotten himself into all this trouble, but they have one of the rulers of Equestria here confirming it. As soon as Princess Luna showed up, I knew this was too big a problem for us."

"But—" Mom started to protest.

"How easy is it to spot that string you were talking about?" Dad asked Princess Luna.

Luna sparked her horn and a light enveloped me.

Mom gasped and covered her mouth. "What... what is all that? Why is he glowing like that, and you said one string—there's more than one string!"

I tried looking at myself, but it was hard to tell much other than I was glowing from where I stood. There was no mirror, so I had no way of looking at myself properly. What did Mom mean by more than one string?

Newman walked over to me. "This is how I see the world. Most of this glow is just the passive thaumic radiation your son emits. Every magical creature does the same, including you. As for these strings—" Newman made some gestures above my head. "These little ones up here tie your son to Harmony. Luna has similar ones when I look at her. At least part of Turnip's visions come through these." She made another gesture. "The ones that are bundled together like a rope are tied to the Story—the rest of the visions come from there. If you were to follow them, you'd see it leads to the closest portal to Earth. These strings would become less distinct once they cross the portal. The final chord that goes off in the other direction would be the one tying him to his truestone. Luna only has this area highlighted for you. but I can see these strings extend straight to the walls and through.”

“That’s Newman’s magic power. She can see all the thaumic energy,” I explained for my parents' sake.

Dad looked at me and things that I couldn’t see because I had no mirror.

“Where do those other strings end up, particularly that one you say goes through the portal?” Dad asked.

Newman shrugged. “I assume it is like Harmony’s strings. Once it reaches Earth it just kind of fades out into nothing. The Story and Harmony don’t really have locations they are at. They just kind of are. I expect Harmony’s strings would behave similar to the Story’s strings if Turnip is on Earth, only with them sending a rope of them back to Equestria. There’s no getting away from one or the other putting itself on display for anyone looking at the thaumic energy in the area. I am unsure if a Earthling crystal pony would pick up on these or not.”

“So he will still seem to be an oddity even while here. People will wonder why he has a tether going through the portal,” Dad concluded.

Newman nodded. “I am among those. The Story shouldn’t be able to do that, and it doesn’t do that with Sunflower Smiles, who has her own ties to the Story. This needs more study.”

There was an urgent knock at the door, breaking the conversation. Without being given permission, a different guard than the one that escorted us down to these room ls came in, looking distressed.

“Princess. I have urgent news. The Everfree Forest has suddenly done a massive expansion into New Eden. Plundervines, timberwolves, and hydras are flooding into the town!”

Newman sighed. “The Equestrian once a year curse strikes again. We figured it would be the Everfree. It was going to strike back at New Eden at some point.”

Luna grunted. “The Everfree is always a hassle to deal with. I hate fighting plundervines.” She looked at the guard. “I presume the Element Bearers are already making their way there?”

The guard nodded. “Yes, Princess.”

Luna spread her wings and gave them a flap. “I suppose I should be on my way to assist. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I can convince Twilight to let me figure out how to bring about a resolution, and let her and her friends be the ones dealing with protecting the populus.”

“Bored being the backup?” Newman asked.

“I just really hate dealing with plundervines,” Luna replied.

“Well. it is unlikely you’ll be able to get your way. Twilight and the others are within walking distance. If you don’t hurry, you may have nothing to do but deal with plundervine cleanup,” Newman said with a smirk.

Luna gave a long dramatic sigh. “Guard, alert my Night Guard captain to deploy a division to search and destroy any straggling monsters that may wander into surrounding areas—give extra attention to Pomyville. I presume my sister is already giving orders to the regular guard to protect the infrastructure. I will be heading to New Eden presently.”

The guard nodded. “As you command, princess.” He then hurried off. closing the door behind him.

Luna gave us one last look. “My apologies for having to make a quick departure. I hope that I have helped. May your visit to Equestria be pleasant.” She then lit her horn and vanished.

“I am going to need to attend to some matters as well—unrelated to this current crisis since I am no magic hero. So, I must bid you goodbye. If you have any further questions for me, I will be present for breakfast at the cafeteria,” Newman said. “The guard shall see you back.”

“Shouldn’t the Tree of Harmony keep plundervines at bay?” I suddenly asked her.

She waved it off. “Glad you noted that detail. I’m sure the princesses, the Element Bearers, and Starlight Glimmer have all noted it as well. Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll figure out the issue and deal with it. That’s what we have heroes for. Be on your way, Mister Jones. I shall see you at breakfast.”