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                          Evoker                           
                     -by DrahcirAloer-                     
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                         Chapter 1                         
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Chapter 1
Once again I was running.  It felt like I had been running for eternity.  At times it felt like I might have to.  I had to keep moving from town to town, city to city, all while keeping a low profile.  They still always found me.
I was wanted for crimes I didn’t commit, yet somehow I had no clue how they managed to frame me down to the last detail.  All I knew is that the crimes seemed to follow me, and every time I managed to escape I lost a little more of my magic.  This last escape had to be just that.  I was finally out.  All my spirits had been ripped away and banished to somewhere in the infinite expanse of the multiverse.  Well, almost all of them.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.  All I knew was that I needed to get away and find a way to prove my innocence.  Except that was all but impossible now.
When I finally decided to start paying attention to my surroundings, I realized that I had fled to the dense woods outside of town in my panic.  It seems I had some sense after all.  I started to carefully travel the dense woods, but I had very little experience in the forest.  I was a mage after all.  When would I ever need to sneak around a forest?  I silently cursed my past self, wishing I had at least thought to learn some basic survival skills.
As I traveled I happened upon a small clearing.  The scene was still, and a noticeable silence hung in the air.  A small voice in the back of my head tried to tell me that this could be a well placed trap, but I was confident that I had escaped before they had even found where I lived.
I entered the clearing and decided to take a breather when I once again cursed my overconfidence.  A clear, shimmering dome of pure energy had sprung up around me.  I knew only one of my pursuers could wield that much power.
“Aria,” I said softly as she entered the clearing with a platoon of at least a dozen guards, each wearing the symbol of the Order of the Sentinel.
“Don’t you dare use my name, Evoker.  You no longer have the right after everything you have done,” she said in a quiet yet firm voice.  However, only I noticed the small undertones of sadness in her voice.
“Fine, Sentinel Commander, I will refrain from using your name, but don’t you dare say I have committed crimes against the people I am sworn to protect.  You know I would never harm innocents.  You know I would never kill them,” my voice rose with each word, until I was yelling my innocence, but my words fell on deaf ears.
“At one point I would have still believed you, but we have moved far past that point.  For your crimes, in accordance with the laws and the decrees of the Council of the High Mages, you have been stripped of your magic spirits, and they have been banished into the multiverse.  And you are to follow them.  May the great spirits have mercy on you.”
And with that, the magic in the air grew to several times what it was.  I realized that she must have passed the shield spell to her subordinates because the magic I sensed was definitely hers.  Each mage has a unique magic signature that is almost impossible to copy.  We knew each other’s magic very well.
I knew this spell would be the one that would send me away.  After its completion there would be no hope of me ever getting back.  At least that is what she thought.
Now my host?  A voice in my head asked softly.  ‘Yes,’ I responded silently, ‘Now is the time to act.’
Before the Sentinel Commander knew what was happening I was able to seize control of the spell.
The Sentinel Commander looked at me in disbelief, “How are you able to do that?  Your specialty was always elemental spirits; you were never able to manipulate energy spirits.  Only the High Mages have trained enough to do both.”
“It has been a long time since we were young, Sentinel Commander.  I know there is no escape, but I can at least try to influence where the spell sends me.  This is not the end of me,” I said, a serious expression on my face.  My expression softened and I quietly and confidently said, “Aria, I will find a way back, I will find my spirits, and I will prove to you I am innocent.  I can’t bring anyone back, but I can at least catch whoever was really responsible.  I swear this on my life.  In the meantime, look farther into this.  You have to know there is more going on, whatever the High Mages say.”
She looked at me with a hard expression, yet I could almost see the gears turning in her head.  She strode closer to the barrier and said in a voice loud enough for only me to hear, “I will look into it, but only because I don’t want to believe you could have killed all those people.  I hope you are right, but we both know you aren’t coming back.  And if you are lying then that is all the better for the people of this land.”
I looked at her for a moment, and gave a slight nod.  I whispered, “Goodbye, Aria.”  The magical energy in the air became almost palpable, as the magic the Sentinel Commander had first put into the spell blended with the magic I had been pumping into it during our conversation.  I had only one criterion for the destination: Somewhere with intelligent, magical life.  I released the spell and I started being swept away by the magical energies that had built up for the spell.  As I faded slowly out of my home world, I could have sworn I saw a small shimmer in the Sentinel Commander’s eye, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.  And then I was gone.
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Aria stood in the clearing, stunned for a moment that so much energy had been put into a spell.  Swiftly regaining her composure, she addressed her men, “Return to the village and reassure the population that the criminal has been dealt with.  I will remain here and make sure there are no other surprises in store from him.  When I return to the village, we will return to the capital to give our report.  Until then, you are all relieved from duty after the village has been reassured.  Dismissed.”
As her troops left the clearing she turned to the spot where her old friend had stood and made his promise.  She reached out with her magical senses, but she was fairly sure that he had been unable to use any other sort of magic.  He had poured too much into the transportation spell.  When she was sure that all her men had left, she leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing and wept for her lost friend, knowing that she wouldn’t see him again.
After she regained her composure she began to walk out of the clearing.  She stopped and faced the clearing and said, “Goodbye old friend.  As much as I hope you are innocent, I know we will not meet again.  And if you are right, I fear the being that is able to fool the High Mages.”  With that she left the clearing and returned to her command, intent on investigating her friend’s last words.
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I had ended up in a forest clearing much like the one I had left.  The foliage around it was thick and plentiful, but you could still see small nocturnal creatures moving about the edges of the clearing and through the treetops.  The only major difference was this forest was alive with sounds, most of which I had no intention of finding out what had made them.
Unfortunately, fate decided I needed to get a little exercise.  Upon setting out in the forest to hopefully find my way to civilization I came across a strange creature.  It looked like a wolf, except its entire body seemed to be made up of wood.  Instead of wondering how a creature could be made of wood, I instead did the smart thing and ran for my life.  I didn’t really have any specific direction in mind, other than away, so I ended up leading the wolf on quite the chase.  I made sharp turns, ducked through tight spaces, and made it all around difficult for the creature to follow me.  However, I managed to take a few falls that allowed it to keep close despite my best efforts, one of which resulted in a particularly bad gash on my shoulder.  In a last ditch effort I put the rest of my magic energy into one spell, a simple trick to create a large flash of light accompanied by a loud bang, like a magic firecracker.  I hoped it would disorient the beast enough for me to get away.
Luckily for me, it worked better than expected.  The light blinded the creature and the loud bang scared it off.  Or maybe it just decided this dinner was too annoying for its taste.  Regardless, I had managed to escape the beast.
As I looked at my surroundings to get my bearings, I noticed I had found my way to a path.  By some stroke of luck, or maybe a cosmic apology, I had actually managed to get to the edge of the forest.  I could only follow the path a short way before I collapsed from exhaustion.  As I lay on the ground, my vision swimming, I could make out a nearby cottage and a yellow creature with a pink mane quickly coming towards me from its general direction.  If I had to name what kind of creature it was, I would say it most closely resembled a horse or a pony from my world.  I had no energy left to defend myself, but the pony didn’t seem like it was aggressive.  As I faded out of consciousness, my last sight was a pair of bluish eyes staring into my own that seemed to possess far more intelligence than I would have believed such a creature would have.  And then everything went black.

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                         Chapter 2                         
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Chapter 2
Fluttershy was never a very heavy sleeper.  There was always the possibility that some nocturnal creature would need her help, and there was no way she would ever let any of her animal friends to be in trouble longer than they had to be.  Because of this she had been woken up by the sounds of crashing and howling from inside the Everfree Forest.
As she shrugged off the last vestiges of sleep she walked over to her window to see if she could find where the noise was coming from.  As her mind began waking up even more she realized that something was chasing another animal.
Not wanting any animal to get hurt she flew out her window and landed just outside her cottage and was about to head toward the forest when there was a bright flash of light and a loud bang from just inside the forest.  That alone almost made here run back into her house, had she not been frozen in place in fear.
‘Only a unicorn could have done something like that,’ Fluttershy thought, ‘I should go check to make sure nopony is hurt.’
Just as she was about to head into the forest a creature she had never seen before stumbled out of the trees.  Fluttershy had never even heard of a creature similar to the one that was near the edge of the forest.  It was a tall, lanky, relatively hairless creature that stood upright on two legs.  It had a head of short cut brown hair and it was clothed in short brown pants and a brown shirt with no sleeves.  Its clothes were ripped and torn in several places, and it had cuts and bruises all over its exposed skin.  It had a particularly bad gash on one shoulder that must have been the result of a fall.
But the most striking was its eyes.  It had bright blue eyes that seemed to hold so much intelligence.  More prevalent at the moment, however, was pain and fear.  This creature was suffering, Fluttershy noticed, and that was enough to spur her into action.  The creature collapsed as she got closer and Fluttershy feared the worst.  However, she was happy to find that her fears were unfounded.  As she examined the creatures face she realized it was examining her right back, until its eyes closed and it passed out.
The creature needed medical attention, and Fluttershy had a first aid kit back at her cottage.  She managed to get the creature onto her back, and was surprised at how heavy it was compared to how it looked.  She managed to get it back to her cottage though and began to set about taking care of it.
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When I awoke, I momentarily went through the disorienting experience of having no idea of where I was or how I got there.  I found myself lying on a couch in a strange room I had never seen before.  Slowly, the memories of the day before came back to me, and the weight of what had happened was beginning to dawn in my mind.
I had to get my mind of it, so I decided to take a look at my surroundings.  I was still too sore to consider getting up, but I was able to look around without much trouble.  It was moderately furnished, and most of the space was taken up by perches, cages, and holes for various animals to rest or live.  It was obvious that I had indeed managed to send myself to a world with intelligent beings.  ‘Now I just need to confirm that they have magic, and I may have a chance,’ I thought to myself.
Inevitably, the dull pain from my body led me to inspect my body and the various wounds I had no doubt gotten from the night before.  There were many little cuts and scraped on my arms and legs that had been meticulously cleaned.  However, I was most thankful that the gash on my shoulder had been cleaned and dressed by someone who at least had some basic medical training.
My entire body throbbed with pain, and there wasn’t much I could do besides waiting for everything to heal on its own.  Even if my magic wasn’t still drained, I didn’t have a spirit that could facilitate healing magic.  Even if I did, I had never been very good at it anyway.  I would just have to let everything heal the old fashioned way.
I began to shift my body into a more comfortable position.  This turned out to be a very bad idea because I stupidly put weight onto my injured arm.  The resulting yelp of pain followed by muffled curse words was very loud in the quiet cottage.  I was hoping that my outburst hadn’t bothered whoever had been kind enough to bring me into their home and take care of me when the creature from last night came in through a doorway.
“I remember you from last night.  What exactly are you?” I said aloud.  The last thing I expected to get was an answer.
“Well, I’m a pony.  A pegasus to be exact.  My name is Fluttershy,” she said softly enough that I could barely hear her.
I could only stare incredulously, not believing that this pony was talking.  I would have passed such a thing off as a dream, had I not had the constant, painful reminder that I was awake.  As I stared, the pony, Fluttershy, seemed to blush.  I decided I needed to say something, if only to be polite to what might be whoever saved me.
“Well, it is very nice to meet you Fluttershy.  Were you the one who saved me?”
She seemed to shrink back a little when I addressed her.  I can only assume that I was not a common sight here.
After what seemed like a long, awkward silence, she quietly said, “You were hurt and I just couldn’t let another creature be in pain.  Umm…If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?  I have never heard of a creature like you anywhere in Equestria.”
“I am a human, and to be fair, I have never seen a creature quite like you where I am from either.  At least, not one that could talk.”
She got an odd look on her face, as if trying to imagine a pony that was unable to talk.  The thought must have unnerved her because she quickly spoke up again.
“How are your injuries?” she asked, changing the subject.  “I didn’t exactly know what I needed to do, so I kept to the basics and cleaned your wounds and dressed the most serious one.”
“You did a great job.  I am still a little sore, but I didn’t have anything too serious.  I should be all better in a few days, maybe more,” I answered truthfully.
“Oh that’s good.  How exactly did you end up in the Everfree Forest in the first place?  Most ponies avoid going there.  It’s dangerous.”
“I actually didn’t have much of a choice.  I just sort of ended up there.  Trust me, if I could have avoided ending up in there I would have.  I am not in a very good shape to defend myself.  Even before finding myself in the forest,” I said quietly.
I didn’t like the direction the conversation was going.  If she kept asking questions I might have to tell the whole story of why I ended up in her world.  She was the first being I met on this world, and she had already gone out of her way to help me more than anyone from my world would have.  ‘I don’t want her to feel scared of me or betrayed,’ I realized.  ‘I know I will have to explain why I ended up here eventually, but I would really like to avoid it for as long as possible.’
Following that train of thought, I quickly said, “I am feeling a little tired.  Maybe we can talk a little more after I rest.”  It wasn’t exactly a lie.  I was still tired from my low magic reserves, and a good rest would help restore them.  I just didn’t exactly need to sleep to get that rest.  Sitting around and talking would have the same effect.  I just didn’t want to keep talking, at least not yet.
Luckily, she didn’t decide to press the issue of my appearance in the forest.  “I’ll let you rest then.  If you need anything, just ask.”
“Don’t worry, you have already done more than I would have expected,” I assured her.  Then something occurred to me, “I do have one question though.  Earlier, did you say you were a pegasus?”
“Yes, I did,” she said, stretching her wings, which I hadn’t noticed before, to their full extent.
I was amazed, to say the least.  A mythological creature had saved my life and taken care of me.  I was shocked, but I still had one more question, “Do all ponies have wings, or are there other kinds?”
“Not all ponies have wings.  There are unicorns that have horns and work magic, and there are earth ponies who don’t have a horn or wings.  There are also the princesses that have both wings and a horn and they have powerful magic,” she explained.
“Thank you for the information Fluttershy.  I think I should get some rest now.”
She started to leave the room, but stopped as something occurred to her.  “I forgot to ask this earlier, but if it isn’t too much trouble, could you tell me your name?”
While I honestly should have been expecting it, the question took me by surprise.  I gave it a bit of thought.  Do I give her my true name?  True names have power, and although I have no reason to think she would do me harm, there are others who may try to get that information.  But another thought occurred to me, ‘Do I really want to give her a name that has been wrongfully soaked in the blood of innocents and dragged through the mud?’  I thought back to my conversation with Aria, and I made my decision.
I turned to her and said, “I am called Evoker, and once again, I thank you for your help.”
Fluttershy gave a shallow nod and left me alone with my thoughts.  As I attempted to drift off to sleep I began to process the information I had been given.  There were unicorns here as well, which was amazing.  Two mythical creatures from my home are common here.  Even more important was the fact that there were beings who could do magic, including two who have more power than the normal magic users.  ‘I just may be able to track down my spirits, get home, and prove my innocence,’ I thought as I finally drifted off to sleep.

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                         Chapter 3                         
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Chapter 3
I awoke to a strange yet familiar landscape.  A carpet of grass ran as far as the eye can see, but there were no other distinguishing features.  The sky was a solid grey color that didn’t seem to be the result of clouds.  There was no wind, not even a light breeze.  It was also unnervingly silent.  I spent a few minutes trying to figure out how I knew this place when it suddenly hit me.  I had fallen asleep and entered my own subconscious.
But it was all wrong.  There should have been more going on as a reflection of my magical ability, but there was no weather, no mountains, and no lakes.  It was a blank slate.  Most likely as a result of losing my spirits.  I still had one spirit though, and I needed some answers before I was going to put all my trust in her.
As soon as I thought it, a figure appeared in front of me.  It was a young woman, looking no more than twenty five, but I knew she was ageless.  She wore a light, simple black robe with the hood drawn over her head, leaving most of her face obscured in shadows.  A quick glance would lead you to believe she was perfectly human, but many facts showed otherwise.  Her robe was constantly moving, as if blowing in a light breeze that wasn’t there.  Her skin looked as if it was polished metal, but her eyes were the most noticeable difference.  The irises were a sparkling silver, and she had no pupils.  She was inhumanly beautiful, and as far as I knew inhumanly dangerous.
And I had the bright idea of inviting her into my head.  ‘Sure, it seemed useful at the time,’ I thought. ‘But am I ready to deal with whatever the consequences may be?’
You have questions, my host?  Even her voice was inhuman, for it sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once.
“I have a lot of them actually, but I have no doubt you won’t answer most of them.  So I’ll start with something simple.  Where did you come from and why did you bond with me?”
You ask questions, but none of them are the right ones.  If you must know, I am from the space between worlds, formed from the ambient energy there, as well as some of the energy put out there by your people, she answered in the same emotionless speech as before. As to why I bonded with you, it was because you were the closest to the rift where I entered your world.  Those mages sending away that fire spirit should have been more careful with their spell.
I was a little shocked that she willingly admitted she was from the void.  Most creatures from there are incredibly dangerous and detrimental to reality.  Those creatures were the main reason for the founding of the Order of the Sentinel.  She must have known that much from the time she had been in my head.  I either dodged a bullet or I was in more trouble than I thought.
“I don’t believe that I was just a victim of good luck.  The universe doesn’t usually smile on me like that.  I’ll move on for now, but you will tell me the truth if you ever want any sort of freedom to act.  I do have another question.  What kind of magic can you do?  And what can you allow me to do?”
You already know the basics of energy spirits.  They can allow your people to make tears in the fabric of the universe and look upon other worlds.  It is almost as simple to travel between worlds.  More complicated magics involve manipulating ambient magical energy by imposing your will on it, but with the current restraint you have me under it is beyond you.  With the help I can currently give, you would hardly be able to learn the proper skills to do anything more intricate than a blast of force, she said in matter-of-factly.  It isn’t the same as working with the elements.  You need more control and focus to deal with forces that most likely don’t want to do what you want them to.  As for what I can do… she paused, as if trying to decide exactly how to deflect my question without making me press the issue.  I can do a lot more than you would ever dream of doing, but right now I am shackled.  I will say that my power is here if you ever wish to draw upon it.
That worried me.  I know some spirits have delusions of grandeur about the kind of power they have, but few have ever shown evidence to back up their claims.  I had no trouble believing that her power was every bit as real as she claimed.  I let her take control only to allow me to take control of the banishment spell, so I could decide where I could go.  I felt the power she had, and I could have grabbed it then.  But I didn’t because I didn’t know the cost.  I still don’t.
I tried to keep my face straight and my thoughts shielded as I said, “I’ll keep that in mind.  I only have a couple other questions.  My major concern is this:  How are we going to find my other spirits?  Is there any way you can help me track them down?”
Unfortunately that is not possible.  You would need to get to the point where they were banished and follow the energy trail left behind, if it hasn’t already destabilized and disappeared.  It is up to you to find a way to get to them, she paused again, only this time she was thinking.Maybe this world can help you.  The spell brought you here for a reason.  You probably added another criterion without even thinking about it; a world that can help.  The spell had a lot of worlds to choose from, and it chose this one.  You should ask your new friend if she has any ideas.
Incredibly dangerous spirit from the void or not, she had a point.  I did have a goal in mind that may have been incorporated into the spell.  ‘I should ask Fluttershy if she or anyone she knows can help me out,’ I thought.
“I only have one more thing to ask you.  Since you are living in my head, what should I call you?”
I have been to other worlds besides yours.  I have many names, but there is one I was fond of.  You may call me Azrael.  It is as fitting a name as any other.
A chill went through me as I heard the name, but I couldn’t place where I had heard it before.  I was trying to piece it together in my head as the dreamscape dissolved around me.  My thoughts started slipping away, and my vision went black.
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Fluttershy stepped out of her house and into the early morning light with a look of concern on her face.  A strange new creature had shown up out of the Everfree Forest, injured and scared.  Not only that, but it was able to talk!  She had no clue where to go from here.  The creature seemed nice enough, but who knows what it actually wanted.  Plus, it was still injured, even after the first aid she had given.  ‘I don’t care what he says, his shoulder needs to be looked at, maybe even healed with magic,’ Fluttershy thought. ‘Oh, but who could I bring to see him?  Most ponies in Ponyville probably wouldn’t react very well to seeing a strange creature.  He seems stable for now, maybe I’ll think of something in a little while.’
With that Fluttershy went about her morning chores of making sure all of the animals were cared for.  She checked to make sure the animals that were waking up had breakfast, and she made sure all the nocturnal animals had made it back to their homes okay.  All the while she pondered her situation and what she was going to do about it.
Finally, Fluttershy had an idea.  ‘I should go see Twilight!  She knows all sorts of spells.  She must know some healing magic.  Plus, she will probably be more curious about a strange new creature than scared of it.’  Happy with her idea, Fluttershy quickly finished up her morning chores and set off in the direction of the library.

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                         Chapter 4                         
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Chapter 4
Light was streaming in through the windows as I opened my eyes.  ‘I must have slept for a while.  The sun is already up,’ I thought.  As I began to wake up I heard hushed voices nearby.  One of them was Fluttershy, but I couldn’t place the other one.  I couldn’t help but mentally kick myself as I thought, ‘Of course she would go get someone.  I am a creature she has never seen before.  If I was in her place I would probably do the same thing.
“I found him at the edge of the Everfree Forest last night.  He was hurt so I just had to bring him in and patch him up.  Even if I hadn’t seen anything like him before,” Fluttershy explained in a voice that seemed even quieter than usual, if that was even possible.
A second voice, only slightly louder than Fluttershy’s broke the silence.  “So you just brought it into your cottage and fixed it up?  It could have been violent.  It could have hurt you!”  This other pony obviously cared for Fluttershy.  Maybe it was a friend or family member.
Fluttershy spoke up again, this time louder.  “But he wasn’t violent.  He was actually pretty nice when I spoke with him.”
“Wait, this thing can talk?” the other voice asked incredulously.
I finally opened my eyes and decided to speak up, “Yes, this thing can talk, and it is also awake.”
I looked around and my eyes settled on a purple pony with a horn.  By now, this didn’t even surprise me.  She was staring at me with wide eyes filled with a mixture of fear and curiosity.  ‘Well, curiosity is a good thing.  That means I may actually get somewhere.  And I believe Fluttershy said the ones with horns can do magic.  Maybe she can help me,’ I thought.
I sat myself up on the couch and said, “I am called Evoker.  I am sure you have a lot of questions for me, but may I at least know your name first?”
She recovered quickly from the shock of seeing me talk and said, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princess Celestia.  Nice to meet you, but I have to ask, what are you and where are you from?”
I thought for a second and said, “I am a human, and I actually come from a different world, although I didn’t mean to come here.  The spell that sent me here had very open criteria for choosing a destination, and I ended up here.  It could have been worse.”
Twilight seemed to think over the information I had just given her before launching into several more questions, “Wait, you can do magic?  How do you work it without a horn?  And what do you mean by other world?  Why did you leave your world?”
I held up a hand to quiet her as I thought how best to answer her questions.  After a few minutes, I spoke up and said, “Yes I can use magic.  Most, if not all, of the population from my world can use magic in some way.  We focus it through thought, but it is aided by spirits that exist everywhere in the world.  Some people bond with spirits of fire, water, earth, air, or energy and that opens new avenues of magic.”  I stopped for a second to take a breath and had to hold up my hand to stop her from launching into a new line of questioning.  “By another world, I literally mean from another universe from this one.  My people have a way of observing and sending things to other worlds.  People can even travel to other worlds on purpose, although this isn’t usually done.  Navigation tends to be a problem.  And I didn’t want to leave my world, but I had no choice.”
“Why wouldn’t you have had a choice?”  Fluttershy spoke up this time, genuine curiosity in her voice.  She seemed excited to learn more about me.
I was silent for a moment.  How was I going to explain what was going on to them?  As far as the people of my world were concerned, I was a murderer and a monster.  How would these two react to knowing about the crimes that were pinned on me, even if I hadn’t actually committed them?  After all, all they would have to go on is my word.
Fluttershy must have seen noticed my discomfort and said, “You don’t have to tell us now, if you don’t want to, right Twilight?”  She shot a look at Twilight who nodded reluctantly.
I let out a relieved sigh and said, “Thank you.  It is difficult to talk about right now.  Maybe when I have time to come to terms with it myself it will be easier.  But right now I would just like to find a way to reclaim my spirits and find my way home.”
“We will help him, right Twilight?  There must be something we can do.”
“I don’t even know if I can help.  I don’t know anything about other worlds or anything like that.  I’ll try to find something that can help, but I am backed up enough already with this fire problem the princess sent me,” Twilight explained.
My curiosity was piqued when I heard ‘fire problem’.  ‘Could one of my spirits have made it this far?  Is it possible that I accidentally latched onto its energy trail when I took control of the banishment spell?’
“What fire problem, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Twilight turned to me, clearly debating whether or not to tell me.  Finally she said, “Somepony is setting magical fires in the woods near the base of Canterlot Mountain.  There is no sign of the culprit, the fires take several unicorns and pegasi working together just to keep them contained, and some ponies swear the fire has intentionally moved towards them.  Some claim they saw some sort of face in it as well.  Celestia warned me that the fires are spreading towards Ponyville, and if they spread across the plains and reach Whitetail Wood, Ponyville could be destroyed.”
I started piecing together what it might be in my head, but I couldn’t confirm it one hundred percent, so I asked, “Is there some sort of spell that could be causing all this?  Or a creature that could do this on its own?”
Twilight shook her head, “No and no.  I have been looking through all the books I have on fire magic and magical creatures.  Nothing like this has turned up in any of them.  And the strange part is, it started moving more quickly towards Ponyville last night.  I don’t know what to do other than get everypony together to fight the fire when it gets here, and that still may not be enough.”
The gears started turning in my head as the pieces started falling into place.  A worried look crossed my face and I said, “I think I may know what is causing those fires, and if I am right, I need to get to the fire as fast as possible.”
“How could you know what it is, and why would you need to deal with it?” Twilight asked, “We’ve handled dangerous situations before.”
I looked her straight in the eye and said, “I need to get to it because it is most likely my fault those fires are headed here.  It is most likely my fire spirit, Singed.  The spell that brought me here could have followed the energy trail from the spell that sent it here.”  My expression grew more concerned, and I continued, “It is most likely out of control.  Fire spirits usually are when they are separated from their masters.  It is also likely that it can sense me through the remnants of the bond.”
“Is that why the fire started heading towards Ponyville?”  Fluttershy asked.
“Most likely.  It probably doesn’t want to be held captive again, so it is coming to get rid of me and anything else that gets in its way.   I have to regain control over it.  Otherwise…”  I trailed off, not wanting to describe what could happen.
Rather than fear, a determined expression was set on Twilight’s face.  “We have to stop it then.  We can’t let it hurt anypony, so we need to get to Canterlot and help you regain control over it.”
“I don’t know if I can.  I may be recharged magically, but I am still injured and I only have one other spirit to counter it.”
“Those aren’t problems.  I know enough healing magic to deal with cuts like the one on your shoulder, and other unicorns in Canterlot can help hold it back.”
“You don’t understand.  Singed will most likely be in the center of the blaze.  We would need many skilled magic users to hold up a barrier.  I might be able to make it in alone though.  I have a few tricks and I don’t want anyone to get hurt by helping me.”
At this Fluttershy spoke up, “You can’t go alone though.  You could get hurt or worse.  At least let Twilight and I go with you.  Twilight can hold a barrier, and I could help if anyone gets injured.  I can make a few burn remedies.”
Twilight spoke up next, “Plus, there is no way you are getting there without our help.  I’m not so sure I want Fluttershy to go, but if she can help then I think we should let her.  Plus, if you work with just us we can make sure there is no panic over a strange alien creature suddenly appearing in Equestria.”
I considered all of their points.  The three of us could go together as a small task force.  Twilight could hold a barrier, Fluttershy can keep watch and give first aid if necessary, and I could use my magic to reassert my control over Singed when we get to it.  Plus, by keeping me out of the public eye we could reduce the chance of me causing a panic, and I could start searching the multiverse for my other spirits once this is dealt with.
I dared feel optimistic, and a small smile came to my lips.  “Okay, if we work together, we can get in, stop Singed, and get out without anything worse than a slight burn, if that.  Just one rule.  If something goes wrong and I tell you to run, you run.  I don’t want either of you to get hurt after helping me out.”  At this they both gave me a nod.  “Then let’s get ready and go.  We want get to Singed before it gets to us.”

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                         Chapter 5                         
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Chapter 5
I had just gotten a first-hand look at pony magic, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t impressive.  Their magic is almost completely designed to help others.  In my world, someone with a talent in healing was rare.  Here, Twilight opens up to the right page in a book, casts a spell, and I no longer have a gash in my shoulder.
After that, we began to put the plan into motion.  I couldn’t do much without getting discovered and possibly starting a panic, so Twilight and Fluttershy got some supplies together.  Food, water, and other essentials mostly.  I didn’t just sit around and do nothing though.  I had something else to take care of.
I was standing close to the Everfree Forest behind Fluttershy’s cottage, hopefully far enough out of the way that no visitors would see me.  Fluttershy assured me that she didn’t get visitors very often, but I didn’t want to take any chances.  I closed my eyes and calmed my thoughts as I prepared to do something I didn’t want to do.
Calling upon me so soon?  And here I thought you weren’t going to take up my offer.Her voice resonated in my mind with a self-satisfied tone, and I had to bite back a bitter response.  I was asking for her help after all.
‘I am not taking you up on your offer,' I thought back to her.  'I want to know how to create a blast of force.  You said before that, with my current restrictions on you, the most I could learn would be a blast of force.  Teach me that.’
You still deny yourself the power I can give you?  You are unlike any of your kind that I have met before.  Very well.  I will teach you what you want to know.  Just remember, you can do so much more.
‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ I thought to her.  ‘Now how is it done?’
You will need to focus your mind and reach out for the energy in the world around you.  It shouldn’t be too hard for a mage of your strength.  Remember, you are not reaching for elemental forces to direct.  You are reaching for pure energy to focus and control.  It will fight you, but you must be stronger.
I listened to what she had to say and began to try it.  I focused my mind and began to reach out and gather the magic I needed.  It didn’t seem as hard as she made it out to be.  The magic did try to disperse almost as soon as I had gathered it, but I was able to keep it together to a certain point.  If I gathered too much I lost all control and had to start again.  After a few minutes, I had finally found the most I could gather without losing control.
‘Now what?’
That should have been more difficult.She almost sounded surprised.  This world seems to have much more ambient magic than your own.
‘Yeah, real interesting, but what do I do now that I’ve gathered the energy?’
Aim it and set it loose.  And with that I felt her consciousness fade back into the depths of my mind.
It sounded simple enough, so I tried it out.  To say my first attempt didn’t go well was an understatement.  It was not as simple as she made it out to be.  I focused on a direction and set loose the magic…only to have a burst of force happen right in front of me and knock me backwards a few feet.  I could just imagine her laughter at my first attempt.  Or maybe she was really laughing?
As I dusted myself off, I decided it didn’t matter.  I wasn’t going to ask her for any more help.  I had the basics idea of what to do.  Now I just had to experiment until I get the results I wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a few hours before I finally got passable results.  I made my way back to Fluttershy’s cottage to wait for the girls.  As it turns out they were ready to go.  They had all the supplies together, and the only thing they were waiting on was me.
“Are you girls sure you want to do this?  I’m not sure how much danger you are used to, but this is probably going to be pretty bad.”
Fluttershy and Twilight gave me a look that seemed to ask if I was serious and I sighed.  I knew I wasn’t going to be able to change their minds, but it was worth a try.
“Trust me, we’ve faced worse than this,” Twilight assured me.  “We always come out alright in the end.”
“When this is over you two are going to have to tell me what you’ve faced that’s worse than a rogue fire spirit that wants to burn me and everything around me to the ground,” I said with a slight smile.  “Right now our plan is simple.  Twilight, you hold a barrier around us so we can move through the fire to get to Singed.  Fluttershy, you keep a lookout to make sure nothing sneaks up on us.  I will be ready with my magic for when we find Singed.”
Quietly, Fluttershy said, “That sounds pretty simple.  Why are you so worried that something will go wrong?  If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind at all.  And I am worried because in my experience it is better to expect something to go wrong and have everything go perfectly than it is to expect everything to go perfectly and have something go wrong.”
“Oh, that makes sense, I guess.”
“If there are no more questions, then I believe we should head out.”
At this Twilight spoke up, “I have one last question.  How will we find your fire spirit inside a massive forest fire?”
“We most likely won’t find him.  He’ll probably find us.  That is why Fluttershy is keeping a lookout.  Now, are we ready to go?”
Twilight pulled out a long roll of parchment from her saddlebags with her magic and gave it a quick look over.  When she was satisfied, she said, “Yes, I believe we are ready to go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had taken the rest of the day and part of the night to make it to the base of Canterlot Mountain.  We had to stay away from the roads to make sure I wasn’t seen, but we finally made it.  The burning forest and the dimly lit landscape around it was an eerie sight.  We were wary of going into the forest now, so we decided to make camp and go in before sunrise the next morning.  It was a beautiful night, so we decided to just lie on the ground and fall asleep under the stars.
Twilight and Fluttershy had already fallen asleep, but I just couldn’t sleep knowing that I could be walking to my death in just a few hours.  I had faced death many times before, but never as vulnerable as I am now.  I could only hope that my new friends would help me get through this.  And if they couldn’t, I could only hope that they survive.
I could make out the shapes of pegasi flying over the fire and pushing around clouds.  They were creating a rainstorm that would only target the fire.  I was amazed at the control these ponies had over their world.  I hoped it would be enough, but I knew it wouldn’t be.
The last time a fire spirit had gone rogue in my world, it took four mages with strong water spirits, including myself at the time, to stop it.  Even then we weren’t fast enough, and it had consumed an entire village and a large amount of the surrounding farmland.  Those who escaped were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.  Others weren’t so lucky.  I prayed to whatever deities this world may have that something like that wouldn’t happen here.
Finally, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.  And in my dreams, I saw those who were lost before and promised them I wouldn’t let it happen again, no matter what.

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                         Chapter 6                         
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Chapter 6
I woke up early in the morning, just before dawn.  Normally I would say that I was woken up, but I don’t think any of Fluttershy’s attempts to wake me would have been even the least bit successful.
As I looked around our makeshift campsite, I noticed that Twilight wasn’t around.  “Fluttershy, where did Twilight go?”
“She said something about going to look for a way to enter the forest.”
I realized that I hadn’t even thought of scouting ahead.  I was so worried about bringing them along that I hadn’t even thought about the fact that a burning forest might not have very many places to enter that weren’t completely blocked by fire.
“Well, then we shouldn’t waste any time,” I said, as I got up and dusted myself off.  “Hopefully she’s found a good place to start.”
We set off in the direction of the forest and it wasn’t long before we came across Twilight.  She was rolling up a piece of parchment.  Before my eyes, her horn glowed and the parchment disappeared with a small pop.
As we approached, I asked, “What was with the parchment?  And have you found a good place to enter the forest?”
She seemed a little startled by our approach, but she quickly regained her composure.
“I was just sending a letter to the princess telling her what you told me, what we were doing, and that the problem should hopefully be solved within the next few hours.  That way, if we fail she has some information to work with.”
I kept my expression neutral, despite the fact that I was worried about what their ruler might think about a creature from another world being on Equestria.
“And entering the forest?”
“There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to enter that isn’t blocked by flames.  I might just have to use my magic to push our way in.”
I nodded and turned to look at the forest.  There didn’t seem to be any paths, but as I scanned the edge of the blaze, something strange seemed to happen.  A break in the fire slowly formed at a spot a short distance away from us.  When I pointed it out to Twilight, she was understandably surprised.
“How could that have happened?  There were no breaks in the fire before.  Why would one just appear?”
Fluttershy shuddered and said, “What if it wants us to enter the forest there?  It could be a trap.”
The thought unnerved me.  Singed wasn’t this intelligent.  It had always been the type to burn whatever was in its path.  If it was starting to think and plan, there could be far more danger than I had anticipated.  Regardless, we were committed at this point, and I doubted that I could get Twilight and Fluttershy to turn back at this point anyway.
“I don’t think this is a trap.  Singed isn’t that smart.  It may think that it would be easier for it if I was in the forest.  Still, we should be prepared.  We wouldn’t want to be caught unaware.  Let’s move.”
And with that we set out for the blazing forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had been in the forest for only a short while, and it already seemed to be getting to me.  As I scanned the forest around us through the purple hue of Twilight’s shield, I could have sworn I saw a humanoid figure following us.  The first few times I thought it had been singed beginning to attack, but it always disappeared as soon as I turned to face it.  I never saw it for more than a few seconds, but as far as I could tell, it was around my size and dressed in a black cloak that seemed to be unaffected by the fire.
I asked Twilight and Fluttershy if they had seen anything, but neither of them had.  I decided to push it to the back of my mind until after we finished what we were here for.  Especially since there was a far more disturbing fact to consider.  We were being led through the forest.  A trail through the flames kept opening in front of us.  This wasn’t right.  Singed was supposed to find us, but instead we were being led to it.
Eventually we reached a slightly more open area.  Normally, this sudden change in scenery would have had me on guard, but I was more surprised by what I saw in the forest past the clearing.  The figure that had been following us was standing there in the flames.  I felt like it was staring at me, but I couldn’t be sure since he seemed to have no face.  I reached out my senses to see if I could tell who or what he was from his aura, but he disappeared before I could get any sort of feel for his magic.  I was so concerned with the figure that I failed to notice the loud sound of cracking wood.
We all immediately looked around and noticed several of the large trees around us were falling towards us.  Two fell onto Twilight’s shield, but she could only hold them for so long.  I began gathering magic, hoping that what little I had learned would be enough to push the two large trees away from us.
“Twilight, when I tell you, drop the shield.”
“Are you crazy?  If I drop the shield we’ll be crushed!”
“Trust me Twilight.  We’ll be fine.”
I could feel the magic reaching the threshold, and I hoped I would be able to pull this off.  As soon I as I felt the magic hit my limit, I told Twilight to drop the shield.  I immediately launched a large blast of force directly above me.  It caught the edges of the trees and pushed them to the sides of us, just enough to miss us.  Disturbingly, they lined up directly with the path through the fire in front of us.  The three of us were about to breathe a sigh of relief when we heard more loud cracking.  One last tree was falling directly towards us.  Neither I nor Twilight had enough time to use our magic to deal with it.
Luckily, Fluttershy recovered quicker than either of us and flew straight at us, pushing us away from the falling tree and through the flames at the end of the path in front of us.  I was about to thank Fluttershy when I looked at where we were and my breath caught in my throat.
We had reached a large clearing that seemed almost untouched by the fire raging in the surrounding forest.  It was clear of any debris and had a carpet of green grass.  It had no right existing in the middle of the fire, and yet here it was.  However, the most disturbing part was the small campfire in the middle of the clearing.  It was burning steadily and it had three earth ponies sitting with their backs to us and staring into the flames.
Twilight was the first to recover.  “What are you three doing here?” She called to the ponies by the fire.  “Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”
The fire grew in reaction to her words.  A humanoid figure slowly grew out of the fire, and I knew exactly what it was.  What I wasn’t expecting was for the three ponies by the fire to stand up and turn around.  Their eyes were closed, but they seemed to look at us regardless.  In the center of each of their foreheads, a small flame burned.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I tensed to get ready for a fight.
The fire had fully formed into a humanoid shape, but instead of the battle I was expecting something else happened.  The figure stared directly at us, and the three ponies in front of it began to speak at the same time in deep voices.
“So my old master finally showed up to once again leash me.  However, you’ll see this time that I’m more than the fire spirit that burned down your home.  I will not be going back to you.”
Singed speaking had unnerved me, but I didn’t let it show.  Instead, I said, “What has changed you, Singed?  I know you could not have pulled this off on your own.”
“Right you are, but I could not tell you who it was that gave me this intelligence and power, even if I was inclined to.  Besides, it won’t matter once I have burned you to ashes.  And this world will follow.”
Twilight was angered by that last remark.  “We won’t let you harm Equestria.  We will stop you.”
The burning figure remained unchanged, but there seemed to be an amused tone to the voices as they said, “We will see about that, little pony.  But if you wish to die here alongside my old master, then I will grant your wish.”
And with that, the three ponies rushed at us.

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                         Chapter 7                         
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Chapter 7
I had already been expecting the attack, but their speed still surprised me.  I quickly dodged to the side just as the controlled pony delivered a swift buck to where I had been standing.  Still, I hadn’t been quick enough and the strike clipped me on the side.  I was pushed back a little by the hit, but there would only be a little bruising.
‘Still, I don’t want to let him get a direct hit,’ I thought to myself.  ‘I probably wouldn’t get up from it.’
Quicker than I had anticipated the pony recovered from his missed strike and was charging after me again.  I moved quickly, trying to get some distance between us, but he was closing the distance.  I resolved to do some running if I survived this, just to be prepared for situations like this in the future.
I continued on in this fashion of running away and dodging any kicks aimed at me, but I was tiring.  The enclosed area of the clearing wasn’t helping either.  It restricted the amount of distance I could put between me and my assailant, and I needed all the distance I could get.  Even worse, it seemed I was the only one tiring, and the searing heat of the forest fire wasn’t helping matters.  The only good thing was that Singed seemed to be content watching the show, but I wasn’t sure how long it would last.  I needed to think of something quickly.
Weren’t you preparing for something like this my host?
‘I was preparing for a fight against Singed, not ponies.  I don’t want to hurt them.  They aren’t in control of themselves.’
You can either hurt them now, or they can be hurt later after you are dead and this world is burnt to a crisp.
I conceded that she had a point, but I wasn’t happy about it.  I began to gather energy for a blast of force, which isn’t an easy task when you are running and dodging for your life.  It felt painfully slow, but I managed to gather just enough energy to fire a blast that should incapacitate my opponent.  Unfortunately, I didn’t think I would be able to doge long enough to get a second shot off.  This would have to be perfect.  Luckily the pony’s only attack strategy seemed to be running at me and bucking.
With my back to a tree, I aimed my blast at the approaching pony and let it loose.  It struck dead on and sent the pony flying back with the sickening sound of breaking bones.  The force should have only been enough to break a few ribs and potentially a leg, but that was basing it on human anatomy.  I silently prayed that the pony wasn’t too hurt.
Taking a moment, I looked around the clearing to see how Twilight and Fluttershy were doing.  Looking at Twilight I immediately realized why my opponent wasn’t very intelligent.  Singed seemed to be directing most of his attention towards controlling Twilight’s opponent and for good reason.  Twilight was alternating between shields and energy blasts while occasionally teleporting.  Almost every buck was met with a shield or empty air, and Twilight didn’t look as if she was going to be giving up any time soon.  It was all Singed could do just to keep her occupied, which is probably why it hadn’t yet noticed that I had beaten my opponent.  It seems it underestimated her and was doing his best to ensure she wouldn’t be able to help me and Fluttershy.
On the side of the clearing, Fluttershy’s opponent couldn’t do anything.  The pegasus was hovering in the air above it while it just looked on helplessly.  It didn’t seem to have much direct control being exerted on it anyway.  But that didn’t mean Fluttershy was off the hook.  Singed would occasionally lob a ball of fire towards the timid pegasus, forcing her to dodge it or be burned.  I noticed a few singed feathers, so I quickly moved over to her opponent and hit it with a weaker blast of force so Fluttershy would be able to land without having to worry about a physical assault.  The pony went down and I once again hoped that my opponent wasn’t hurt too badly.
As Fluttershy landed beside me, I began to try and come up with a plan to stop Singed.  With Twilight occupied we couldn’t go with my original plan, and I didn’t have enough speed to get to Singed without getting burned.  The only thing I could think of would be to have Fluttershy distract it while, but I didn’t want to put her in danger.  Then again, we were already in danger.
“Fluttershy, is there any way you could distract Singed so I can get close?”
She looked over to me, and I saw the determination in her eyes as she answered, “If you can stop it from hurting anyone else, I’ll do my best.  What do you need me to do?”
I hadn’t been expecting such a personality shift in the shy pegasus, but I wasn’t complaining.  “I need you to draw its fire so it won’t pay as much attention to me.  That way I can get close and bind him to put a stop to all of this.”
Fluttershy nodded and took off towards Singed, immediately drawing fire from the spirit.  Once she got it to turn away from our position, I began moving towards it as fast as I could.  I could only hope that the spirit wouldn’t turn and see me approaching.  It didn’t, but unfortunately Twilight’s opponent did.  As soon as Singed realized what I was doing it turned towards me with a massive ball of fire ready to be launched at me.  I looked straight at it and started moving back, even though I was too close to escape a fireball that size before it hit me.
But the fireball never came.  Amazingly, Fluttershy had flown right up to Singed’s face and looked directly into the white hot points of flame that could be considered the spirit’s eyes.  She seemed to have the spirit in some sort of trance, although it seemed to be taking a toll on both of them.
I quickly decided not to waste this opportunity and ran straight to Singed.  As soon as I was close enough, I began the binding spell.  The magic came naturally to me as it did to all the magic users of my world, despite the fact that I hadn’t needed it in years.  Slowly, I felt the spell weave itself around the spirit and myself, the binding getting stronger with each second.  Fluttershy’s face slowly got more relaxed, as if a burden was being taken off her, while the fires that made up Singed raged in a panic.  Not a moment too soon, the magic fully took effect and Fluttershy collapsed to the ground.  Singed was bound to me, body and mind, his magic and form brought within me, the same as Azrael, but with less restrictions.  I knew I could control him.
The fire in front of us died out, as did the flames burning on the foreheads of the ponies Singed had controlled.  As they died, I thought to myself, ‘And with that, Singed will never hurt anyone again.  Hopefully this time it will be true.’
However, I could still feel magic within the flames engulfing the forest around us.  As Twilight ran over to check on Fluttershy, I reached into the familiar well of power that I had only so recently regained.  The magic in the fire was similar to mine, but different enough that I couldn’t just draw the energy into myself.  I would have to draw the magic out and disperse it and hope that the ponies outside the forest could put out the flames once they are no longer magical.  I took a deep breath and pulled on the magic within the flames.  This process would eat up a lot of my magic, but I knew I would have enough.  Slowly but surely, I felt the magic in the forest fire disperse.
When it was finally done, I turned to go see how Fluttershy was doing.  I only had enough time to see them both looking at me with concern written plainly on their faces before I collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion and the world went black.

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                         Chapter 8                         
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Chapter 8
I awoke to the familiar sight of Fluttershy’s living room.  The sun was streaming in from the window, so I assumed it was at least noon.  Now I just needed to figure out how long I was out.  I had used up far too much energy in the fight and the subsequent spell to remove the magic from the blaze engulfing the forest, even if most of the magic from the latter spell came from Singed.  I was now in the familiar position of being mostly without magic as well.  All I needed was a pony I hadn’t met yet walking into the room and talking about me and it would be déjà vu.
Almost as soon as I had thought that, I heard faint voices from outside.  I recognized Fluttershy and Twilight, but there was a third voice that I didn’t recognize.
“I thought I would stop by and see how our injured friend is doing,” said the voice I didn’t recognize.  “Has he woken up yet, or is he still unconscious due to his exertions?”
I began to walk out to show them that I was awake, but I stopped when I heard Twilight begin to speak.
“He hasn’t woken up yet Princess.  I hope he didn’t overdo it too much.”  I could hear the concern in her voice as she went on.  “He helped save a lot of lives and a lot of property, and he put himself in harm’s way to do it.  I am grateful for what he did, but I hope he didn’t hurt himself badly in the process.”
At this, Fluttershy spoke up.  “I checked on him after we got back to my house, and I didn’t see any serious physical wounds.  If anything, he’s just exhausted after expending so much energy.”
To be honest, I was shocked that the princess of an entire nation would be coming down to check on me.  I was used to problems like this, although not without my full power to back me up.  It was the job of me and my fellow mages to deal with problems like this.  The high mages would never have come to check on us after an incident.  We were mostly expendable.
‘I guess they do things different here.  Good to know, even if I’m not staying very long.’
I was also nervous about meeting this princess, but I knew there was no avoiding it.  Putting on what I hoped was a look of confidence; I opened the door, much to the surprise of Twilight and Fluttershy who both thought I was still asleep.  On the other hand, the tall, white pony with wings, a horn, and a flowing, multicolored mane, who I assumed was the princess, only had a small smile on her face, as if she had been expecting me to come through the door at any moment.
Taking advantage of the momentary silence, I spoke up.  “Don’t worry about me.  I’m fine.  A little sore and temporarily without any magic more complicated than telekinesis, but fine.  But thank you for your concern.”  I then turned towards the princess, knelt, and said, “It is a pleasure to meet you your highness.  I am Evoker.”
At this her smile got a little larger and she said, “Rise Evoker.  It is my pleasure to meet the visitor to our land who so readily decided to help me and my little ponies.  If there is anything I can do in return, you need only ask.”
“The only thing I need your highness is some rest before I can be on my way.  I was happy to help, and it allowed me to move one step further on my own quest.”
Suddenly, Fluttershy spoke up.  “Wait, you’re already planning on leaving?  Isn’t there a way you can stay here for a while and build up your strength?”
“Fluttershy’s right,” Twilight agreed.  “What if you run into another situation like this one?  You had only just recovered from your trip here and we only went after Singed because time was of the essence.  It ended with you passed out, and now you want to go through that again?”
They both had good points, but time was still of the essence.  I had no clue what was going on back in my world.  Whoever or whatever was framing me was still there, and I needed to get back to full strength soon.  Still, it wouldn’t end well for me if I did run into another situation like this.  The only reason I made it through this time was because I had Twilight and Fluttershy with me.
“I could afford to stay for a little while.  But time is still of the essence.  I need to get back to full power and return to my world as soon as I can.”
A look of relief spread over Twilight and Fluttershy’s faces.  I could stay in this world for a little while.  I just had to stay out of the way and regain my strength.
The princess cleared her throat, bringing attention back to her.  “Now that that’s settled I want to once again thank you for your help.  Many lives were saved thanks to your intervention.  But now I must take my leave.  There are matters that require my attention back in Canterlot.”
Before she could leave however, a thought occurred to me.  “Wait a moment.  I have something I need to ask.  How are the ponies that were taken over by Singed?  How bad are their injuries?”
A sad look crossed her face, but I hoped that it didn’t mean the worst.  “They are in the hospital getting the best care available.  I expect them all to be released within the next few weeks, although one of them will be out in a few days.  Two of them had concussions and some cracked ribs, but nothing more serious than that.”
I let out a sigh of relief.  “Thank you for letting me know Princess.  I was hoping they weren’t hurt too badly.  It wasn’t their fault after all.”
“It is no trouble at all.  Now if there is nothing else, I must be going.”
With that said, there was a flash of light and she was gone.  I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding and felt some of the tension flow out of my body.  She may have been amicable, but meeting royalty is still a little stressful.  Fluttershy at least seemed to share my thoughts, if her body language was any indication.
We headed back inside and I listened to Twilight and Fluttershy talk while I subtly deflected any questions that were aimed at me.  I wasn’t ready to discuss certain things yet, and I felt tired and a little distracted.  Soon it became late and Twilight bid us goodnight.  Once again I laid down on the couch in Fluttershy’s living room and went to sleep.
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Once again I found myself in the landscape of my own mind.  This time however, the landscape had more to it.  The sunlight and heat that had been absent before were back.  In the distance I could see smoke and volcanoes.  I had definitely reclaimed my fire magic.
I decided not to call upon Singed just yet.  I had nothing to ask of him after all, and to call upon him would be seen as gloating.  I decided to once again call upon Azrael.  With a small effort of thought, she once again appeared before me.
You called my host?  I must say, I am glad you survived.  Who knew those ponies had so much in them.
“I’m glad I survived as well.  And once again I am in need of your help.  Not in power, but in instruction.”
I know.  You wish to be able to see beyond the veil, into the void where all of creation is visible, in hopes of being able to see where you must go next.  And then you want instructions on how to travel once you’ve decided on your destination.
“Exactly.  Now tell me what I need to know.”
Of course my host.  It is a simple enough spell.  You must gather energy like you learned earlier, but this time you must use it as a blade, to cut through the veil.  The veil tends to be thin in most worlds, mainly due to the abundance of magic, so you won’t need much energy.  Next, the energy must be directed to stabilize the cut you’ve made, otherwise it will collapse in upon itself and close.  Since you aren’t using as much energy as an energy blast, it isn’t as difficult to control, but you need to pay much more attention to it.  As for travel, you simply send a line of energy to the world you wish to go to, create a portal and connect them.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be so straightforward.”
Nothing is straightforward my host.  Good luck.
And with that she vanished.  I decided to disregard that last bit and actually get some rest.
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The next few days were relatively uneventful.  I practiced the portal spell and helped Fluttershy with her animals.  The spell was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I was making progress.  Twilight would occasionally stop by, but she always seemed distracted.  Whenever we asked about it, all she said was that she was doing research.  She wouldn’t explain any further than that, and we decided not to ask about it.
Finally, late one night after Fluttershy had gone to bed, I put all my practice to work and attempted the portal spell.  The inky black tear in the fabric of reality soon became a perfect circle.  As I worked the magic and poured a little more energy into it, the void came into view.
I was speechless.  It was as deep and infinite as the night sky, filled with an immeasurable amount of pinpricks of light, each their own universe.  There were more than I could have ever imagined, and Azrael’s comment finally made sense to me.  I had no way to figure out where the rest of my spirits were.  The void was so vast that I doubted I would have been able to pick out my own world, if not for the faint energy trail that was left after my trip to this world.  No doubt it would soon fade.  That meant the trails from my other spirits would most likely have faded already.  I was lost, and I had no way of finding where I needed to go.
‘There has to be a way,’ I thought to myself. ‘Something I hadn’t thought of.  Maybe there is some spell I don’t know or overlooked.  Something that proves this isn’t hopeless.’
I resolved to find a way.  ‘There is no way my journey could come to an end before it started.  There has to be hope.  There are others counting on me.’

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                         Chapter 9                         
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Chapter 9
A few more days had passed since my discovery.  I knew there was very little chance that I would be able to navigate the many worlds I saw in the void and find my spirits, but I didn’t want to give up hope.  According to Fluttershy, Twilight was locked up in the library, engrossed in her research.  I hadn’t told them that I couldn’t navigate yet, and I was still hoping I could figure something out on my own before asking them for even more help than they had already given me.
I decided to be proactive with my time since I was mostly recovered.  I found a secluded spot in the forest near Fluttershy’s house and used it to practice my magic.  I felt it would be far enough away from Fluttershy’s house that my fire magic wouldn’t startle the animals.  It wasn’t like I had much else to do.
I was already a few hours into my practice session for the day.  The few targets I had set up were blackened or burnt away completely.  I would have to replace them soon.  As I prepared to launch another fireball, I heard someone approaching, or to be more accurate somepony.  I let the magic dissipate and I turned to face whoever was coming.  To my surprise, it was Twilight approaching my little practice area with two full saddlebags and a look of determination on her face.  I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say to me, and I didn’t think I would like it.
“Evoker, we need to talk.”  Her tone of voice made me absolutely sure that my previous feeling was correct.
I considered trying to put off the conversation, but I doubted that I could put it off for long, if at all.  If there is anything I have learned, it is that ponies can be very stubborn when they want to be.
“What is it we need to talk about?  There aren’t any more problems are there?  I’ll help if I can, but I may be leaving very soon.”
“That is exactly what we need to talk about.  I want to come along if I can.  If there is as much danger as there was this time, you’ll need some help, and I’m not about to let my friend go off into danger alone and possibly end up hurt or dead.”
“Twilight, I’m glad you want to help, but I don’t want to tear you away from your world and put you in even more danger than I’ve already put you in.  And besides, I’m not even sure I could bring passengers through the void.”
Azrael’s otherworldly voice echoed through my mind and said, Actually my host, you could probably bring one or two others along with you.  More if you would tap into my power.
I mulled over this new information, careful to not let my expression change.
Taking advantage of my silence, Twilight responded, “You don’t need to worry about putting me in danger.  I’ve been researching all different kinds of magic.”  She levitated a few books out of her saddle bags and into the air in front of me.  “These books contain spells for combat, defense, and other things that may even be useful for traveling around, like spells to locate fresh water and food.  Plus, I even found a spell that may help with finding your spirits.”
“I’m sure you could hold your own, but that still doesn’t address that you would be leaving behind your world and your friends.  This will most likely be a long trip.  Who knows when you would be back?”
Her expression didn’t even waver as she answered, “That doesn’t matter.  I’m sure you will be able to get me home, and it will go quicker if we work together anyway.  I trust you.  I may not know everything about you, but you showed me you were willing to put your life on the line to help, and your talk with Celestia showed that you do care about those who get caught up in the problem.  From what I’ve seen, you are a good person, and that is reason enough for me to trust you.”
I thought about what she said.  It had been a while since someone had trusted me, a lifetime ago, before all this craziness.  I didn’t doubt that she would be able to protect herself, and from what she’s said, I doubted she would take no for an answer.  Plus, I couldn’t deny that she would be helpful to have along.  I knew I wasn’t going to like this conversation.
“Okay, let’s assume I do take you with me.  I’ve seen you on the defensive when we went after Singed.  What can you do offensively?  And tell me a little more about the spell that may help me find my other spirits.”
A smile spread across her face.  She knew she had won.  With a smile on her face and a determined look in her eyes, she began to tell me exactly what she could do.
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We decided to continue our conversation as we walked back to Fluttershy’s cottage.  As we neared the edge of the forest, Twilight began to talk about the spell that would help me find my spirits, and potentially navigate the void.
“The spell is called ‘The Ties That Bind’.  It was originally invented by a unicorn who wanted to help find missing ponies.  The idea was that if magic was applied correctly, it could be made possible for a pony to see the bonds they have developed with other ponies.  Originally it was thought that it would only work for close, familial bonds, or really close friendships, but the spells capabilities were underestimated.  If the spell is properly cast, any pony can help track down friends and family that went missing.  Of course, this spell could be abused, so usually only police officers and royal guards are taught how to cast the spell.  However, since I am the princess’s student, I asked her if there were any spells that could help you track down your spirits.  Since you have a certain ‘bond’ with your spirits, I felt that this spell would be the best match.”
I nodded as she gave her explanation, and once again noted how different pony magic was from my own.
“How does someone differentiate between different bonds they can see?  Or is the spell cast with a certain pony in mind so that the only visible bond is the one you have with the pony in mind?  And speaking of the princess, how did she react to you wanting to come along on my journey?”
A frown crossed Twilight’s face as she levitated the book containing the spell out of her saddlebags.
“It says here that a pony just knows which bond is which.  It seems to be built into the spell itself.  I tried it out and I was able to tell which bond was which, but I can’t really tell you how.  I just knew.  And as for the princess, she wasn’t completely happy with my choice, but she said that I can make my own choices.  The only thing she asked is that I come back safely.”
Silence fell between us as we approached Fluttershy’s house.  Luckily, it was soon broken by Fluttershy herself coming out to meet us.  She looked as if she had something on her mind, but I wasn’t going to say anything.  However, she was.
Fluttershy turned to Twilight and said, “Twilight, I thought about what you said to me this morning when you were looking for Evoker, and I’ve made a decision.  I want to come with you two.”
I kept my face neutral.  I was already allowing Twilight to come, and I had seen how useful both of them were.  Twilight’s arguments were still floating around in my head, and a few of them could be applied to Fluttershy as well.  I decided to sit back and let her and Twilight come to a decision.
On the other hand, Twilight looked shocked.  “Fluttershy, are you sure this is something you want to do?  This will be very dangerous, and you have your animals here to look after.  I don’t want you to rush into this because you feel you have to.”
Fluttershy looked determined as she said, “I’ve thought about this a lot Twilight.  I even thought about it before you came today.  I know it will be dangerous, but I can help.  You studied a lot of different magic, but healing still takes a lot of magic.  My first aid may be of more help.  Plus, I know I can rely on you two to protect me if I need it.  And Spike has looked after my animals before, and our friends are sure to help if he needs it.”
Twilight still looked doubtful, but I could tell she was beginning to change her mind.
“I don’t know..”
Fluttershy noticed her friend’s hesitation and made one last plea, “Please Twilight, I promise I won’t be a burden.  Evoker needs our help, and I can’t stand by when two of my friends are going off into a dangerous situation.  If I can help, I want to come.”
Twilight looked down in defeat, knowing that this was the same argument she had used.
“Fine, you can come as long as Evoker is okay with it.”
Both of them looked at me with hopeful expressions, but with different reasons for that hope.  I simply nodded in Fluttershy’s direction.
A huge smile crossed her face.  “Thank you so much.  I promise I won’t let you down.”
I allowed a smile of my own to cross my face, and the flicker of hope I nurtured remained strong.
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The next several days were spent in preparation.  Twilight and Fluttershy went about getting supplies for what was sure to be a lengthy journey.  Both of them had a pair of saddlebags to use, while Fluttershy was able to get me a bag from her friend Rarity.  For the most part, I remained out of sight and kept practicing and training.  I wasn’t going to be in trouble like when we faced Singed.  This time I would be prepared.
A few times they mentioned that their friends were concerned and wanted to come along, but after I told them the limitations of my magic they stopped asking, although I doubt that made their friends any less concerned.  I promised myself that I would get them back safely and show their friends that there was no need to be worried.  I wasn't going to let them die helping me.
Faster than I was expecting, the day to leave had come.  I was glad to finally be on my way, but at the same time I had become attached to this world.  I silently hoped I would be able to come back.
I stood in the backyard of Fluttershy’s house with Twilight and Fluttershy.  We were ready.  No words were needed as Twilight cast her spell to hopefully allow me to see the bonds binding me and my spirits.  I had explained to her why this was necessary the night after she and Fluttershy had decided come along.  As I looked around I knew the spell had worked.  I could see the luminescent link of my bonds, but at the moment I could only see the bonds leading to Twilight and Fluttershy, as well as a faint one headed off towards Canterlot.
I quickly opened a portal and looked out upon the void.  Twilight and Fluttershy were amazed at what they were seeing, but they both kept back.  I had told them of some of the dangers of the void.  To me, the void looked almost the same as before, but one major difference stood out.  There were many luminescent links going in a few directions in the void, some bright and others very faint.  Many of them were going towards one specific point, which I realized must be my home world.  I looked for single links and I found three, heading to three different worlds.
‘These must be my missing spirits.  It worked.’
I considered the three spirits I was missing, earth, water, and air.  I decided the spirit of earth would be helpful soon, and I followed the link to the world it led to.  Following the instructions given to me by Azrael, I opened another portal on that world and connected it to my portal.  It was slightly more difficult than opening a portal on this world had been, but I attributed it to the distance.
As soon as the portals were stabilized, I stepped through, with Fluttershy and Twilight following closely behind.  The portal quickly winked out behind us.  Our journey had begun.