Chapters From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
When your life gets turned upside down, you really are never the same again. I'm not complaining, though. I went from class nerd to practically royalty in no time at all. And guess what? It's all thanks to a TV show. A cartoon, even! Granted, it's a wonderful show, but who knew it could change someone's - or should I say somepony's - life forever. My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic. Who'd a guessed it?
If you've ever been to school, you'll know that everything is always the same. Classes, lunch, more classes, homework, even more classes, and finally, the bus ride home. When you're in high school, you don't even get field trips very often. The only thing that ever changes is the lunch menu. I don't know what was worse, the monotony of the whole thing, or the fact that the teachers choose the most boring topics to teach us.
So as you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of school. Well, except the English department. Reading and writing are my passions, but I guess not even that topic is perfect at my school. We've only got two high school teachers that teach that. Mr. B and Mrs. Y. Mr. B is great. Probably the best teacher I've ever had. his classes are fun, and he makes everyone excited. Mrs. Y, on the other hand, is not my favorite. Not at all. She's mean, boring, and worst of all, the only reason she got the job, is because her husband is the principal.
Of course, the reason I'm telling you this is because I had Mrs. Y the year it happened. The year that my life got about 120% better. That wonderful, yet sometimes terribly horrifying year that led to the amazing life that followed it. My amazing life. A life that I'd never even thought possible.
Now I know this may seem a bit off topic, but have you ever read "To Kill a Mockingbird"? If you have, I'll have you know that that must have been the worst, most boring, most horrible book I have ever read. If you liked it, that's fine, but I most certainly did not. Mrs. Y was making us read it, and I know that over half the class hated it. Maybe it was just because she was one that gave it to us, but we didn't like it.
I despised that book, and I despised Mrs. Y. Now I understand why all my siblings hated her. She was a monster. I was looking forward to next semester when I would have Mr. B. I always looked forward to his classes. I would take just his classes for a whole year if I could. At least I would have some English teaching where I actually learned something for once. It would be Christmas break soon, and I was looking forward to spending time with my sisters during the holidays.
There was a surprising lack of snow this year. Almost none, really. My sister Lizzie was a little upset that we probably wouldn't have a white Christmas. Instead of staying glum, though, we sat down in front of the TV and watched Hearths Warming Eve. My sister and I were both very avid My Little Pony fans, and my little brother liked the show too. My older brother never suggested to us that he liked it, but I'm sure he would if he actually watched it. My older brother was a little on the girly side but he never wanted anyone to know. I don't blame him though, I mean, you can't help it if you grew up watching girl shows because all three of your older siblings were girls and one of your younger siblings was female too.
"I wish Equestria was real, Lizzie," I sighed, watching Pinkie Pie devour a ginger bread house, "I wish we were ponies. Their lives seem so much simpler." I wished Santa could grant my wish, but I knew he couldn't. I was old enough to know the truth about Santa Claus. When we went to bed that night, I found myself wishing more and more that Equestria wasn't just part of a TV show.
Suddenly, a voice came to me. "It's not, my little pony. It's much more than a TV show." That's funny. It sounded like Celestia. I laughed at myself, I must be really tired. I closed my eyes and slept, not noticing the magic that began to flow around me and inside me. I didn't notice the stub of a unicorn horn that bumped up under my hair, barely a noticeable spot. "Soon, my little pony. Soon."
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
Normally a happy time, Christmas was a blur of celebration and presents. I don't even remember what I got. All I really remember about that day was brushing my hair. No, Christmas wasn't as dull as that. I just clearly remember what I discovered when I brushed my hair that morning. The tiniest bump was sticking through my skin. It was rather hard, but not quite like a rock, and I could feel the nerves when I touched it. It was a part of me, this...this thing. I didn't know what it was at the time. There was an odd blueish tint to it, but other than that, I didn't think it looked noticeable. My hair covered it rather nicely actually.
It was that odd discovery that kept me from fully appreciating that Christmas. I remember distinctly going outside and running all the way to the big hill across the road. I lived on a farm, you see, and this hill was my favorite sledding place. It was so big that it took quite a while just to walk up it. I went alone to do some sledding on the very thin layer of snow that had accumulated over night.
After a while, I felt an itchy feeling in my back, right below my shoulder blades. I ignored it for a while, but then all the sledding and having my coat pushed against my back made it turn to aching. I went and sat down for a little bit, pulling my coat off my back to see if I could figure out what was wrong. There were bumps. Two bumps on my back. When I got to the house and looked in the mirror, I found that they were the same blueish tint as the one on my forehead. What was going on?
I did not get an answer to that question for a little more than a week. The bumps never changed, and I never mentioned them to anybody. At least, not until the last day before my big sisters and brother were leaving. Lizzie was brushing her golden blonde hair when I saw it. A bump. Right on her forehead in the exact same place as mine. Hers was green tinted.
"Lizzie, you've got a bump on your head," I whispered to her. She felt her head. Intrigued, we went into the bathroom, hoping to solve this mystery. "See it? It's a weird green color." I parted the hair above my own bump, only to find that it was bigger than it had been, and was now a solid blue. Still not big enough to notice with my hair covering it, but it was pure blue . "Look, Lizzie! What d'you think they are? I've got some on my back too." The bumps below my shoulder blades were pure blue too, but they didn't seem to have gotten any bigger. "Today is our first school day after Christmas break. We'll figure this out when I get back." I threw on a loose shirt and some jeans and ran down to the bus with my little brother.
I was so excited about having Mr. B as a teacher again that I completely forgot about the bumps. I had his class first hour, so I hurried there for class. I had this odd feeling about me though. Not a bad feeling, just odd. I'd never felt like this before. I figured that I must've just been excited.
Mr. B welcomed us into his class and we started our first lesson talking about dreams. He said that some dreams could seem prophetic and that sometimes our dreams could be caused by stress or other emotional factors. I guess I dazed off for a while, because he had called my name twice before I looked up. "Huh?"
"I asked what you were daydreaming about," he said, a frown set on his face. I hoped I hadn't missed much. His stare made me blush and look down at the ground. My eyes found one of my notebooks to stare at as I talked.
"Oh, sorry, I just..." My eyes widened. There was this weird aura around my notebook. There was only one thing I had ever heard of causing something like this. "I just..." I kept my eyes on the notebook, but reached up and touched the blue bump under my hair. I concentrated hard on the notebook, willing it to move. I smiled and lifted it up magically, to everyone's astonishment. "Woah, that's cool." Suddenly, felt the bump on my head grow. The ones on my back too. Wings bulged under my shirt.
A surge of magic rushed to my horn. It and everything around me glowed blue. The people in the room changed first, in all colors of the rainbow. Wings and horns appeared on some of my classmates. The bubble of magic expanded out. I don't know how far it went. I felt myself being lifted up by my magic, and I could see my new blue hooves in front of me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was looking just like my alicorn OC. I closed my eyes, trying desperately to picture a few of my friends as ponies. I was not about to overlook this chance if I had it. Chance... I needed to do Chance too... Him and Sam... Mal... Who else? My eyes opened, glowing a bright white. Well, too late now. I cast the spell, everything exploding in a flash of white light.
And both Earth and Equus would be changed forever...
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
A Man with a Foolish Grin
I think I passed out. I think everyone passed out. No, scratch that. Everypony passed out. I recognized the ponies around me as my classmates and teacher. They were all still unconscious. I flexed my wings gently a few minutes before the realization dawned on me. I looked back at my rainbow feathers. Just the way I had imagined them. They were so soft and silky, but that isn't what I was thinking about at the moment.
I was a Pegasus, or at least part Pegasus. I could fly! I tested my new wings with a short little flight over one of my classmates. I stumbled as I landed, ending up in a heap on the floor. I stood and brushed myself off. These hooves were weird. I stumbled over to my teacher as he stirred, and I folded my wings neatly at my sides. The top layer of feathers were blue, so I just looked like a normal...alicorn...except that alicorns are not normal.
"What happened?" Mr. B asked rubbing his head with his hoof. He touched his unicorn horn and blinked uncomprehendingly. "What's on my head?" I giggled slightly, and he looked over at me for the first time. He jumped in surprise, stumbling on his own deep blue hooves. His glasses skewed. "What am I? Carmen? What are you? What is everyone?" It was just like Mr. B to react like this.
"We...We're all ponies. You're a unicorn, Mr. B." I looked around at the ponies around me. A few of them were starting to regain consciousness. "This doesn't look like Equestria, though." He stared at me.
"Equestria? Where on Earth is that?" I smiled.
"Equestria isn't on Earth, Mr. B. It's on Equus." He stared at me, his expression mixed with horror and wonderment at the same time. Then he fainted. I suddenly remembered my friends, and wobbly left the classroom as my classmates began to awaken. I didn't want to explain things to everyone. I wanted to find my friends. To see if it worked. I burst into Sam's room. I recognized the grey coated alicorn as my friend. It had worked for Sam. She was awake, trying to walk properly. "Sam!" I stumbled over to her, still unable to properly use my hooves. "Oh, thank Celestia!" I knew that none of them were going to understand that, but if I was a pony now, I might as well talk like one. I ran back out of the room, eager to see what had happened to my other friends. I was getting better at using my hooves.
After checking on Mal, as well as a few other friends, I only had one other pony to find. Chance. I knew he'd seen My Little Pony. He even liked the show. I finally found him, his golden curls poofing out around a face adorned with the most Pinkie-like smile I had seen besides Pinkie Pie herself. I had made him an alicorn. I had to. His coat was a chestnut color with deep brown on his hooves. His horn and wings were visible, and I was kinda proud of the job I did on his feathers. They were a shade of cream that blended into the chestnut layer by layer. It was a nice color scheme for him.
He saw me standing there and squealed, and I mean actually squealed . Like a little school filly. Then he hugged me. I stood there, statue still, as he hopped up and down.
"We're ponies! We're ponies! This is so great! I'm an alicorn! Oh, so are you! This is so great! It's like a miracle! Carmen, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me!" I laughed as he released me, and he cocked his head, the same foolish grin piercing through my eyes into my soul. He was so happy.
"I'm glad, Chance, but I don't think everypony is as happy as you." I trotted out of the room, with him on my heels. "This is my fault, you know. I cast the spell that did this, but I don't know everything that it did. I mean, this still looks like our school."
"It is, my little pony. This is your school. It and several towns around this one have been transported to Equestria." Chance and I bowed quickly, recognizing the Solar Princess. Celestia laughed. "There will be no need for that. We are all of equal stature, as you can see.
"So we're really here? In Equestria? Oh, that's amazing! Oh, wonderful! Just wonderful!" I jumped up and down. "But we're really not of equal stature, Princess Celestia. You're way older than us. We don't even have cutie marks! We're still kids." I looked at my blank flank, wondering what on Equus it might be adorned with in the future.
"But, where are we, exactly? This is still our town. It's not Ponyville or Canterlot or anything, so where are we?" Chance asked. The thought struck me as well. He was right.
"This town is only a few miles from Ponyville. I'm sure that you can get some help if you need to go anywhere else. I must get back to Canterlot. Good luck, my little ponies, and I hope to see you again soon." Celestia disappeared in a flash of white light. I didn't even hesitate to run for the nearest door outside. I heard Chance following me, but his hoof steps faltered a lot and I got quite far ahead of him. I opened any doors I came to with magic. It got easier each time. Finally, I burst through the front doors of the school and stopped. I didn't know what direction to go. Chance caught up to me in a minute, tumbling over me.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked. I didn't answer. I just opened my wings. He stared at the multicolored pattern below the plain blue feathers. I gave them a test flap before take off into the sky.
Flying was easy for the pegasi. Most of them were born with the know how, but just had to wait for their wings to develop. Mine were already grown and ready for my first real flight. The feathers seemed to catch the Sun's rays, causing a rainbow of light, and I could feel...something. It was as if the Sun was there with me. It was odd. Little did I know that Celestia was watching me. Watching the Rainbow.
Watching true color return to Equestria.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
Is Sitting Perfectly Still
Flying is amazing. I mean seriously, it is the most freaking amazing thing in the entire universe. The wind rushing past your face and breezing through your feathers. I circled the school a few times, unaware of the crowd of people that had gathered outside. When I finally noticed them, I could clearly make out the forms of five alicorns. Sam, Mal, Chance, Carissa, and Jacob. I landed in front of them, folding up my wings to mask the bright colors.
"What's going on?" seemed to be the question of the day. I tried to explain to the other alicorns, but the crowd around us drown out my words. Finally, I resorted to using the Royal Canterlot Voice. It seemed appropriate.
"Ponies, be silent! We do not have all day to listen to your ask questions to those who do not know the answer! " I looked over the now silent crowd. "Now please, everypony stay calm, and let me explain to the others what is going on. They can tell you. " I turned back to the other alicorns, dropping the voice. "Now, from what I know, we've all been transported to Equestria from the show My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic. We're only a few miles from where this show normally takes place. I'm going to go check it out. I want you all to stay here and explain things to these new ponies. Chance, I hope you've been keeping up to date on the show. It might be important." He nodded. "Good. I'll be back soon." I took to the air again, soaring high up above the clouds, hoping to spot the little town from there. I saw it, just a ways over. I pumped my wings, speeding through the air with a scream of joy.
I crash landed on the balcony of a very familiar library. I heard a shout from inside and somepony walked out on the balcony with me. "Rainbow, that's the third time today that you've..." Twilight Sparkle stared at me, and I stared back. I didn't move. I didn't blink. I was petrified with excitement. This was the Twilight Sparkle! One of the Elements of Harmony! I had just crashed into her house. Twilight composed herself before I did. "Um...hello, your majesty. What can I do for you? What region of Equus are you from?"
I stayed stalk still for a moment longer, but finally spoke. "I...uh...I'm not royalty." She seemed taken aback at this. Of course, how many non-royal alicorns could there be?
"But you must be Royalty! Princess Celestia told me that all alicorns are royalty, no matter where they come from." She levitated at book out from the library. "and it says here that if a new alicorn were to up sometime, they would automatically become royalty simply because they are an alicorn. Surely you know this." I shook my head, and shuddered. Royalty? I...I was royalty? And my friends...that would make them royalty too. How are they gonna handle this in Canterlot? Princess Celestia had said that we were equal stature. Maybe that's what she meant. Oh, Celestia...I was gonna be a flipping princess ? What in the hoof was Celestia thinking, letting me do something like this? I didn't want to be royalty!
And then, for the second time that day, I fainted. I heard Twilight nearly scream. Well, naturally, what else would she do? Wouldn't you freak out if you saw an immortal alicorn faint right in front of you? I know I would.
I woke up on a bed in the library. It was Twilight's bed. She was pacing back and forth across the room. I sat up on the bed, and she saw me. She sighed with a smile and trotted over to me. "You scared me there, little princess. I didn't know alicorns could faint. Anyway, I never learned your name. Mine's Twilight Sparkle."
"Carmen," I say plainly. She cocked her head. It was obviously an odd name for a pony. I bit my tongue. Maybe I should have made something up? Something to do with...color? Rainbows? "Um...Carmen Color." My lie seemed to satisfy the purple unicorn. I suppose it made sense to have something to do with color, considering my wings. I hopped off the bed and looked up at Twilight. Obviously, being an alicorn didn't make you tall until you were older, so Twilight was still quite a bit taller than me.
"I've never seen an alicorn your age. How old are you?"
"Fourteen."
"Really? I wonder if I have any books on young alicorns...probably not. They're too rare to have books written about them. I'll check anyway, though." Twilight trotted out of the room to the main library. I crept to the balcony and took off back to the school. I was going to have to have a talk to my alicorn companions. I looked over the little town of Ponyville, and was just about out of the place's sight when a rainbow blur knocked me from the sky.
Rainbow Dash held on to me by the wings, which hurt, and sped back towards Ponyville. I kicked at her, trying to break free. I had to get my friends. "Rainbow! Let go of me!" She was startled that I knew her name and stopped accelerating towards the town. She let go of me and I flapped my wings hard to gain a little altitude. "What are you doing?"
"Bringing you back to Twilight's. She said she was watching a little princess and I was supposed to make sure she didn't run away." I groaned. Twilight probably told all her friends about me.
"I'm not running away. I'm going back." I sped away from Rainbow, but she caught up quickly.
"Going back? Where's back?" She leisurely gilded beside me. I sighed, putting on a burst of speed. Celestia's Sun cast its light on my wings, throwing a spectrum of colors across the sky. Rainbow gasped. "Hey, kid! Slow down! I got something to tell ya!" I stopped and turned around.
"What?" The cyan pegasus pointed at my flank. I turned around and squealed in delight! It was my cutie mark! It wasn't a pencil or paper or a quill, though. That's what I would've expected. No, the mark that adorned my flank was something very unexpected, though quite obvious at the same time. Like Rainbows cutie mark, it had a cloud, but instead of the trademarked lightning bolt, all I had was a simple rainbow. Even though I was a bit disgruntled at it, I was too happy to realize that I had no idea what it meant. I sped away from Rainbow, towards my school, a trail of faint chromatic light following in my wake.
Somewhere nearby, though I didn't know it, Celestia was watching me. She smiled at the sight of the rainbow trail. "It won't be long now, mother," she said to herself, "Our family is finally returning to us."
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
But Nobody Wants to Know Him
My delayed return to the school was rather spectacular. The setting sun cast rainbows off my prismatic wings, and added more colors to the deepening sunset. I must say it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Something clicked in my head. For a second I felt like I'd seen this before, but I shook my head. No way. No sunset on Earth could be as gorgeous as the one I saw right now.
I touched down on the ground in front of the school. It was completely bare. There was no one around. I heard laughter far off and spotted a group of pegasi stretching their new wings. I smiled and walked into the school, hoping to find someone inside. I checked every room. No one. Not a soul. I went back outside and wandered the streets in the growing twilight. For some odd reason, we still had electricity. Don't ask me why, I've absolutely no clue, but I was glad for it. It kept the street lights on.
Someone touched down behind me, and I just barely registered the nearly silent rustle of feathers. I turned around and stared into a pair of deep blue eyes. It was Chance. I sighed, trying not to show the fear in my own eyes, though it was hard. My eyes always seemed to look scared. I don't know why.
"What're you doing out here? What took you so long?" he asked, "I've been so excited about what happened today, but no one else understands yet so I was waiting for you." He turned to the side, and I saw the whispy white marks on his flank. They looked like wind. "I got my cutie mark...wow, that sounds girly..." I laughed.
"You're the winds, Chance. Just like Celestia and Luna are the sun and moon." The realization hit me like a slap to the face. "And...and I'm the rainbows." He looked at me.
"What?" I showed him my no longer blank flank. He grinned for a minute, but then his smile faded. "Wait, did you say, like Celestia and Luna?" I nodded.
"We're royalty, Chance. BUCKING ROYALTY!" I blushed at my language. I'd never sworn before. Not out loud. "All of us. All six." Chance cocked his head.
"What are the others?" He asked, but I didn't know the answer. It wasn't their time yet. I would be soon. And then they'd have to face Celestia.
"If I'm right, we'll know soon enough. Oh, Chance...how are we supposed to be royals? We're just kids! Not to mention that I've never acted like a princess in my entire life. Not even at Halloween...well, I suppose I should call it Nightmare Night."
"You think I want to be royalty? No way! Sure, I mean, here it's got some perks. In our case immortality and praise, but what in the hoof are we even supposed to do? I've never been close to being royalty!" I sighed.
"Closer than I ever was." He gave me a questioning look. "Chance, you're talking to the lonely farmgirl who only ever had a few friends in her entire life, and a lot of the time, they moved away." He looked at me, confused yet pityingly. It was true, I only ever had a few true friends, and it was true that they did tend to move away. Zachary, one of my first ever crushes, moved away in third grade. I was devastated. Then, later that same year, another friend, Chelbie, moved away later that year, but she did move back about a year ago in eighth grade. Finally, not even a month ago, one of my best friends, Krysha, moved away too. I barely even got to say goodbye.
"I...I never realized that, Carmen. I thought you had quite a few friends. I mean, your smart and hard working and stuff, so I don't see why they wouldn't want to be your friends." I sighed again.
"I wish everypony thought the way you do, but they don't. In fact, I never would've expected something like that from you. You hang out with a lot of the people that don't like me." I smiled sheepishly. "The only reason I thought to turn you into an alicorn was because I knew you'd seen the show so I figured you'd like it."
Lies! Lies! Lies lies lies! Granted, I did think he'd like it, but the real reason I did it was because...well...I had...taken a fancy to him... I blushed under the light of a street lamp. I had a crush on him. I always had since I first saw him. He was just...so...cute. I don't know, maybe it was just his hair, I had always had a thing for curls, and it shows, but I really did have an honest to Celestia crush on this boy, er colt...stallion? Ugh, I could never remember the specifics like that.
"Looks like there's a crowd here to meet you..." I looked up. There was indeed a small crowd, containing a few teachers even, here in front of us. They must have heard us talking.
"Wow, Carmen! You are so pretty! And I heard that you're a princess! Wow!" The crowd gathered around me. I shrank down, my face growing hot with embarrassment. Little pony girls, fillies, were gazing at me in awe.
"You know, he's a Prince." I pointed a hoof at Chance. They didn't even notice. They were too busy staring at my wings, which had fallen out of place and now clearly showed through. I raised them up and beat down hard, rocketing into the sky. I heard groans and 'aww'ing as I flew away, landing safely on a cloud. I saw the mob disband, heading back for home. Why did they crowd me and not Chance?
I felt the soft, comforting cloud below me, and lowered myself onto it. It was surprisingly warm, and it was so fluffy that I just wanted to lay there forever. I snuggled into the puffy warmth and closed my eyes, half asleep already. A whispering voice floated through my head. "She's getting reacquainted with the clouds already. Oh, mother, soon Luna and I will not be so alone." It sounded like Celestia, but the words didn't make sense to me. Mother? Did Celestia even have a mother? What did she mean alone? They were never alone. They had all of Equestria.
"Sister? What are you doing here so late?" That was Luna. "Oh, sister, what are you hiding from me?" I blocked out the rest of their words, I was too tired to listen, but if I had only stayed awake a little longer, I would have learned of my destiny. Of my place in Equestria.
But to do so would've been my end. For the corruption of such words would have led me to greater evil than even Nightmare Moon...but that is not a part of this story. That does not happen.
Sleep is bliss, especially after what happened today. I slept for a very long time. Celestia's Sun was already high in the sky when I awoke. I had completely forgotten about the conversation I had overheard the night before. I looked at the sky with a determined look on my face. I had decided, in my sleep I guess, that I was going to test my cutie mark.
I was going to make some rainbows.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
They Can See That He's Just a Fool
As it would turn out...making rainbows is much harder than it looks. Sure, there's the wing thing and the little trail that follows me sometimes, but those aren't real rainbows. That rainbow liquid concentrate that the pegasi used wasnt real rainbows either, I realized. It was just an artificial alternative. I was able to make a mini rainbow with some magic, but I couldn't transfer it to a grander scale. There was also the Rainboom option, but I wasn't ready to try that yet. I'd seen what it could do to a pony, and flying backwards uncontrollably is not my idea of a good time.
Despite the current problems, I kept trying. Little did I realize that the answer had been with me from the beginning, but I hadn't discovered it yet. Finally, when things were going especially wrong, I flopped down onto a cloud, a few on my feathers flying. I watched one land daintily on my snout. It was red. Red like no other red I had ever seen. It was so...bright. Nothing compared to this red. I sneezed unexpectedly, and the feather floated away from me, landing on the cloud. I picked it up with a hoof, examining it closely. I noticed a few spots of white on it, like the cloud had...rubbed off on it? Impossible. I pawed at the cloud. It did indeed seem to stick, almost like dirt.
Thinking back, I did recall watching a an episode where Rainbow Dash dug into a cloud. I dug into this one, making a little hole. I looked at the red feather before stuffing it into the hole. I covered it up and laughed. What was I doing? What had driven me to bury it? Just then, something poked up from the cloud. Something red. Suddenly, it burst out of the cloud. A red streak. I grinned, looking at my wings for a second before pulling out a few more choice colors. I didn't even feel it. I stuffed these into the ground as well in a row, and they joined the red in making a beautiful rainbow.
"So that's where rainbows come from," I mused, "They're grown. Huh, that's a little weird." I reached out to touch my creation, and found that instead of going right through it like I thought I would, I actually hit something hard. Rainbows were solid? I flitted over to the top of my rainbow, landing precariously at its top. Well, if clouds were solid to pegasi, why not rainbows too? I sat on top of the rainbow for a while, but it time it began to fade. I jumped sideways to avoid the hole that the section I sat on had turned into. My hooves slipped on the rainbow, and I found myself sliding down it at breakneck speed. It was fun. Ponyville spread out before me. I never realized how far this rainbow went.
I was steadily growing closer and closer to the town, and I realized a little too late that I couldn't slow down. I hit the end of the rainbow, another cloud, and bounced off flipping head over heels over the library. I landed behind it, and laid there for a while. Suddenly, a pink blur was in front of me. It was Pinkie Pie. "WowwasthatarainbowthatwassocoolI'veneverseensuchaprettyrainbowimgoingtohavetothrowapartyohthisisgoingtobegreat!" Then she was gone, and her words left my head spinning. What on Equus had that pony just said? Something about parties, I'd expect. I stood up and dusted myself off, turning just in time to see my rainbow fade. I looked down at my wings. It didn't even look like I was missing any.
Suddenly, another pony was next to me, and I recognized his brown hooves and chestnut body. Chance ruffled his feathers. "Carmen, you okay?" I smiled a him.
"I just met Pinkie Pie, Chance. Do you think I'm okay?" I laughed, "Oh, did you see the rainbow?" Chance nodded. "Pretty good for my first one, eh?" He blinked.
"Wait, you mean that you...that was...you did that? That was amazing!" I blushed.
"We'll, it is my special talent. Haven't you tried out the winds yet?" He stared at me. Had he really not figured it out yet? Oh, the fool. Oh, how had he not thought of that? "Well, go on and try it now." He blinked at me.
"How?" I scratched my head. Wind...wind...what did I know about wind? Well, it had to do with heat distribution. If he...yes, maybe he could do that.
"Try heating that air behind us, to start." He did, and I felt the breeze. Was this really the way to go about it? He certainly thought it was. He was soaring through the air, casting warming spells. Sure the breezes were nice,but they weren't wind. Ah, the fool. He never did stop to think things through, did he? No, he didn't, and now all of Ponyville would know how foolish their knew prince was. I sighed and flew up to a cloud and watched him. He soon grew tired and started looking for me. I watched him, wondering if he had even considered the clouds. Obviously not.
"Hey, kid. I was wondering when you'd come back." I turned around. It was Rainbow Dash. "What'cha doin'?" I pointed down at Chance. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "He looking for you?" I nodded. "Is he your coltfriend?" I yelped.
"No!" Rainbow laughed at me. I blushed in embarrassment. "He's from my home. He followed me." Rainbow stopped laughing, but she gave me an evil smirk.
"I see he's an alicorn too." Rainbow scratched her head. "Is everypony an alicorn where you come from?" I shook my head.
"Of course not." Rainbow sighed.
"Good, we can't have too many ponies that are as awesome as me. What's his cutie mark?" I looked down at the small chestnut colt.
"Wind."
"What? We already have wind. Rainbows too, by the way." She pointed to my flank. "I saw an especially pretty one today." I giggled. "What?"
"That was my rainbow." Dash didn't speak. She just stared. It was awkward, so I flew away. I flitted up behind Chance and tapped his shoulder.
"I don't think that's how wind is supposed to work here, Chance. You'd have to spend all day doing that. There must be an easier way." He groaned.
"I know. Where'd you go anyway?" I smiled.
"Come here. Have you ever felt the clouds? It's amazing!"
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
And He Never Gives an Answer
Chance was amazed at the clouds. Well, honestly, who wouldn't be? Softer than silk yet strong too. The perfect balance, really. I watched him bounce up and down on the puffy surface. I smiled at him, and I felt...odd. I wanted to send time with him...I did mention my crush on him right? "Uh, Chance?" he turned to me.
"Yeah?" I blushed suddenly, nervous at what I was about to ask.
"Um...do you want to...uh...get lunch sometime? Like, together?" He stared at me.
"Like...like a date?" I nodded, my blush deepening. He smiled awkwardly. "Can't we just go as friends?" I put on a fake little smile, though inside, I was dying. Why can't we just go out on a date? What would've been wrong with that? Oh, right. Everything.
"If...if that's what you want." He hadn't outright rejected me, and I planned to keep it that way. I never had the guts to ask him out before, and that was mostly because I was too worried that he'd say no. I don't know why, but I had seemed so...care free for a moment. "I'll be right back." I left him to discover the clouds on his own, hoping that he would not come looking for me again. But where was I going to go?
I need answers. I need to talk to Princess Celestia. No, what if she makes me a princess? What'll I do? I need someone else . My eyes locked on the library. Twilight would know. She could help me. I swooped gracefully onto the lawn and trotted into the public building. "Twilight?" Nothing. No one was home. I sighed. "Guess I'm on my own." I searched through the few piles of books on the floor first, thinking maybe Twilight had been searching for a book after I left, but came up with nothing. Where was Twilight? Wasn't she always at the library? Maybe she's with one of her friends.
I left the library and went to Rarity's boutique. The fashionista wasn't home either. There was a note on the door that said something about being out for a few days and something about Canterlot. I jumped. Canterlot! I read through the letter fully. My face paled visibly. Oh, no. Nononononononon... Right there, in Rarity's neat hoofwriting, was a letter about her and her friends needing to go to Canterlot for something important. The letter didn't mention what the important thing was, but I already knew.
I rocketed towards the train station, but I found that the train had disembarked several hours ago. I didn't know how long it took to get to Canterlot, but I didn't think it was too long. I flew along the train tracks, hoping desperately that I could catch up to them before they got there. Before I had to become some stupid bucking princess. I swooped into the Canterlot station a while later, and was forced to find something, anything to cover up the fact that I was an alicorn. Something brown slapped me across the face. It was a hat. Applejack's hat. I put it on, thinking how strange it was that I was the one who had found it. I folded my wings before anypony saw the colors and walked out into the throng of ponies.
I made my way towards the castle, stopping in front of the guards. "Has Twilight Sparkle visited the Princess today?" The unicorn guard glared at me.
"No pony is allowed to know such classified information, kid. Go home." Drat! That was a rather stupid way to approach things. Maybe I should just teleport inside. That could work. But how does an alicorn disguised as a pegasus managed to teleport away without anypony being suspicious of her? I lit my horn under Applejack's hat. I guess I could just run in and explain things later. I disappeared with a yelp. Teleporting is such a weird sensation.
With a pop, I appeared inside the castle. I could hear Celestia talking. "Miss Color is no stranger to me, Twilight. Although I do not think she remembers me. You know of the others, right?"
"I saw another one, Princess. He had a blonde mane and his coats was several shades of brown," Rainbow said proudly, "He didn't even know what clouds were." I heard Celestia laugh, but it was Luna who spoke next.
"I would assume it was Chance? Oh, Tia, Chance Wind is back too?" I scratched my head. Back? "What about Stormy Sam? Have all three of our siblings returned?" At first, I didn't realize what Luna had said. Then it hit me. Sweet Celestia! Luna just called me her sister! And Chance and Sam are our siblings too? Wha...what is going on?
"Is this all we was comin' for?" Applejack asked, "Cause I just lost a very special hat fer this." I took the hat off my head and teleported it into the room. "Whoa, Princess, did y'all do that just fer me?" I heard a few whispers from the room, but the words were muffled and unclear. Suddenly, there was a hoof over my mouth. Somepony was dragging me down a flight of stairs. I didn't register what was happening to me until I was already in the cell. I looked at the pony on the other side of the bars.
"Sh-shining Armor?" Twilight's brother had just thrown me into a holding cell. "What...why...?" I spluttered. He looked at me indignantly. His eyes were like ice.
"Just because you can teleport doesn't give you free reign to go wherever you wish," he hissed, "There are many talented unicorns such as hour self, and before you try, I'd like to add that I've put a force field around this cell. You can't get out, and I can keep this up as long as I need to before Celestia and Luna are done talking to me sister." The only thing I got out of that whole explanation was 'unicorn'. He thought I was a unicorn. I flared my wings, but the colors were dulled in the dark cavernous cell. Shining was no longer looking at me. Instead becoming immersed in a book.
Fear filled my heart. Fear of being forced into becoming a princess. I liked the life of a farmer. Being confined inside a building, with little luck of going anywhere without being praised as royalty. I don't like praise. I don't like attention. I just wanted to be an alicorn because they're my favorite kind of pony. All I want is to live in a little town like Ponyville with my special somepony. A few tears rolled down my cheeks.
Silent tears dropped onto the cold hard floor one by one. I shuddered, unable to stop them. I huddled into the corner beginning to tremble violently as sobs forced themselves out of my lungs. Shining looked over at me, first annoyed, but his face automatically softened. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"N-n-no."
"Then what's with the tears? It's not like Celestia would banish you or something. Probably just scold you or something and maybe some community service." What just happened? He was mad a few minutes ago.
"I'm n-not afraid of b-being ba-b-banished." My voice hitched through my tears.
"Then what are you afraid of?"
To answer the question, I lifted multicolor wings. I cast a small illumination spell to bring attention to my horn as well. A few colors glinted off the walls. Shining Armor gasped, immediately lowering his pinkish force field and opening the cell door. "Your majesty," he said, "I apologize. I was unaware that you were an alicorn."
"Don't call me 'your majesty'. I'm not royalty. I don't want to be royalty." I walked out of the cell. "Oh...Shining?"
"Yes?"
"Celestia hears nothing of this."
"But..."
"Nothing!" I teleported out of the castle. To my relief, I was surrounded by plants. No pony saw me. I was safe from becoming royalty for now. Hopefully, Celestia won't try to look for me. She knew I was here, and Chance and Sam too. One thing made me hurry back to my home town.
If the others weren't alicorns, what were they?
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
As I rushed back to my town, past the bright happy Ponyville buildings, I wondered what I was doing. I was just told that I was, despite what I wanted, supposed to be royalty. As my little town came into view, I noticed four ponies flying overhead. Their glimmering horns let me know exactly who they were. Sammy and...the others. The other...whats? What were they? What had I done to them when I cast my spell?
I'm sure it's fine. They're probably just winged unicorns. They don't have to be alicorns. I tried to put my mind at ease as I flew up towards them, but it rebuked my calming sentences. Of course they're not winged unicorns, you featherbrain! They're probably Changelings! I shivered at the thought. "Hey, Sam!" I called. She looked over at me and smiled. She dived in my direction, becoming a grayish blur for a few seconds. "Has Chance come back yet?"
"Not yet," she replied, "Why?" I told her no reason and we swooped towards the ground together, leaving the others far behind. "Carmen, what's going on?" I gave her a quick explanation of what had happened, and then we were off, looking for Chance.
Our...our brother... It just seemed wrong for him to be my brother. Maybe it wasn't the blood related type of brother. Maybe all alicorns are 'siblings' simply because they are alicorns. I hope that's it, or my crush will end up being my brother, and I don't think the pony society would think to fondly of a brother and sister marrying...or dating...or whatever... I felt my cheeks burn.
"Don't worry. I think I know where to look for him!" I cried over the howling wind. Sam nodded in understanding. We streaked across the sky, looking for our chestnut friend...er brother... I felt a few tears come to my eyes, but the wind blew them away. If he was my brother, then we could never be...
I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head. Not important right now. Stick with your priorities. Out of be corner of my eye, I spotted a brown stallion with a spiked mane. I recognized him from the show. Doctor Whooves. Something clicked in my head and a spiraled sideways towards the unknowing pony. If he was the same as the fandom... "Doctor!"
"W-wha'?" He jumped and looked about in surprise. Going at such high speeds, I didn't have time to slow down. I hit the ground hard, causing a small crater in the soft dirt. "Are you alright?" I looked up at him. "Oh, my! You're an...oh, what are they called?...alicorn? Yes, that's it. I thought they were rare..." From the way he was talking, I suspected that he really was from Earth.
"Doctor, we need your help." I picked myself up off the dirt. "Do you know have a TARDIS?" He was taken aback.
"But, how did you..." I held my hoof to his face.
"Don't ask." He nodded and led me out of Ponyville. I looked up to where Sam was circling, searching for Chance. She'd be fine. I followed the Doctor to a familiar blue box. "That's it, isn't it?" I ran ahead and burst through the doors. I searched the levers and dials for one that corresponded to the screen on the console. It suddenly crackled to life.
"What are you doing? What do you want?" I punched some numbers into the console, hoping that it would work. The screen zoomed around Ponyville, before setting on a chestnut colored colt. I smiled at the sight of him, until I noticed who was surrounding him. White and grey guards ponies. I bit my lip and punched another button, zooming the picture out a little bit. They were inside Twilight's library. I saw Twilight herself saying something to Chance, but I couldn't hear her. I figured I had no time to lose.
"Sorry, gotta go! Thank you so much, Doc!" I gave him a hug and hurried away, pumping my wings hard to get to the library. I noticed that Sam wasn't flying around anymore. I figured she might have already found him and I just didn't see her. I burst through the window in a Rainbow Dash like fashion and turned to help Chance, but I found myself face to face with the last pony I wanted to see.
It wasn't Sam.
It wasn't Chance.
It wasn't Twilight or any of her friends.
It was none other than be regal princess of the Day, ruler over all that is bathed in light. It was Princess Celestia.
"Hey...Sis?"
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
Celestia stared at me with a regally disapproving air. I shrank away from my...older sister with a sheepish smile. The corners of her mouth turned up in a playful grin. "It's been a while, younger sister." I frowned a bit, remembering my thoughts from earlier. "What troubles you?" I smiled again. That could wait until we weren't surrounded by guards.
"Nothing, sister," I lied, "I just wasn't expecting you to be here... Where's Chance?" I looked behind the Solar Princess. There he was, staring at Celestia and myself. I smiled at him, but frowned deeply when I remembered why I was looking for him. "We'll, actually, there is something we need to talk about. All five of us. Alone." Celestia seemed taken aback. "At once, sister. This is important. Chance, could you go get Sam? We need all of us." As if on cue, the grey alicorn burst through the door.
"Carmen? Are you-" She stared at the mass of guards and the three alicorns at its center. "What's going on in here?" I sighed.
"I'm only going to say this once, Celestia, so we'd better go see Luna. She needs to know this too." She nodded, and all four alicorns and the group of royal guards left the library. A purple unicorn ran over to us.
"Princess Celestia! I was wondering if you would mind if I came with you." Celestia glanced at me. I nodded ever so slightly. Having one of the Elements of Harmony there could be a big help. They went up against the Changelings once, even if Cadence and Shining Armor were the ones who got rid of them.
"Of course, Twilight."
We all got into the Princesses carriage. It was a bit tight, but it was the fastest way to get to Canterlot. I sat on the edge, next to Chance. I didn't look at him. I looked at the grund far below us, watching the trees and roads go past. A few stray tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn't wipe them away. It would be too noticeable. I sincerely hoped that Chance and I weren't blood related. I don't even know if he would ever agree to go out with me, but I'd rather it was an option than not. I felt his wings open in a quick stretch, a feather floating down in front of my face. Nonchalantly, I reached out and grabbed it with my hoof. I pressed the brown feather against my chest, another tear rolling down my face. This time, I wiped it away. Canterlot was coming into view, and it wouldn't be good for anyone to see my tears. I dropped the feather off the edge of the carriage and watched the wind carry it away.
The carriage touched down in the castle courtyard, and we all got out. Twilight whispered something to Celestia and ran off. I gave my oldest sister a questioning glance. "She has gone to get Luna and to ask her brother to keep the guards away from my chambers. It will be private enough for our conversation, I believe." I nodded and bit my lip, remembering what happened the last time I saw Shining Armor. I hoped he wouldn't mention my snooping anytime soon.
We made the short track to Celestia's room, where Luna was already waiting with Twilight, and the pastel colored room was beautiful, and somehow, though they never showed this room in the show, it seemed familiar to me. I really was Celestia's sister. "Carmen, little sister, what is it that you wanted us to talk about?" Celestia asked. I hesitated, not wanting to tell them what I had done.
"Well, when we were brought to Equestria, I had been thinking about making Sam and Chance alicorns. I was also thinking of a few others too, and...well, I don't know what they are. They look like alicorns, but they can't be. I...I think that they're either winged unicorns, so they don't have the Earth Pony element, or they're...Changelings." I noticed how Twilight reacted to the word, her eyes growing wide and her ears falling flat. "They're not bad ponies. I don't think they know what they are. I don't know what to do."
Celestia put a hoof on my shoulder. "Little sister, I am as unsure as you are about this. Perhaps we should sleep on it, and work on it tomorrow." I nodded, saying that I thought it would be a good idea, and yawned, making everyone, including myself, realize just how late it was getting. "Luna, I must prepare to lower the sun. Take Carmen and Chance to the extra room. Their quarters are not ready yet. Sam's however, was the first one cleaned, so she may sleep in her own room tonight. I wish you to take her there as well, sister." Luna nodded. "When you are done, you will be able to raise the moon." Luna led us out of Celestia's room and down a hallway.
"Carmen Color. Chance Winds. This is where you will stay. Welcome home." She magically opened the door to a large room with two beds.
"Luna, are we all actually related?" I asked quickly, "Or are we all just 'siblings' because we're alicorns." Luna smiled. I think she knew what I was thinking.
"Celestia and I are related. You three are not blood related to us or each other. You are indeed our siblings because you are alicorns." I sighed, relieved. Luna was smiling mischievously at me as she began to usher Sam further down the hall. I closed the door with my magic and walked over to the large glass window, watching the sun sink lower and lower into the sky. I marveled at the beauty of the sunset for a while, until some pony sat down next to me.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Chance asked. I nodded, not breaking eye contact with the crimson display. "Not as beautiful as your rainbow though." I blushed, hoping that he couldn't see it. He must have. He laughed. "It really is beautiful, what you do. I hope everyone can appreciate the wind as much as their going to appreciate the rainbows."
"Of course they will." I trot over to my bed and lay down. "Everyone's going to love it, once you figure out how to do it." I yawn loudly, blushing a bit. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get some sleep. I'm tired."
"Yeah, me too." Chance climbed into the other bed. "Good night, Carmen."
"Good night, Chance."
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
I was floating far above the world. It was just him and me. He seemed...special. Different. Unlike any stallion, or boy, I had ever seen. I don't know why he seemed so much...better than everyone else. As we stared into each other's eyes I felt...complete. I leaned towards him and he leaned in in response. We were so close. Coming closer and closer together until...
I woke up.
"Chance!" I yelped, tumbling up of bed. I lay sprawled on the floor, unsure of what was going on. Some pony was shaking me. Not hard, just gently. I opened my eyes to see him standing next to me.
"Hey, you okay? You kinda screamed."
"I...wha'? Oh...I uh...Sorry...just a dream." I stood up and blushed, turning away from him. It was just beginning to get light out. "I...I need some air." I walked out of the room and trotted down the hall until I came to a balcony. I sat out in the night air and let tears leak from my eyes. Years of tears. From him. From waiting for him. Now he was here with me and I couldn't tell him. I couldn't say those three little words. I couldn't say... "I love you." The words were whispered. Quiet. Unheard. "I love you, Chance." I little louder that time. Sobbing overtook me and I could say no more. I wept quietly on the balcony until I heard a voice.
"Do not lose hope, Color. You used to be as regal as my sister and I. Chance and Sam too. When we were all young, you went by the names you now have." I looked up at princess Luna, who smiled. "When Tia and I were young, we were Sunny Sue and Mary Moon. We changed our names to the regal titles we own today, just as you did before."
"But what happened? Why did we become human?"
"I'm afraid that a thousand years ago, while I was Nightmare Moon, I banished you all to Earth. I did this because my corrupted self saw you as a threat, so I disposed of you. i could never get rid of Celestia though. You only returned now because I am no longer the monster I once was. You are all young, because the Earth has a odd way of figuring things like that to happen like they do."
"Why are you telling me this, Luna?"
"Because, the first time you all grew up, when Carmen Color became Chroma, and Chance Wind became Gale, you each had a ring on your horn. It is your destiny to be with him, Carmen. You cannot destroy your destiny, or you destroy the world as it was to be."
"Wait. We got married?" I was shocked, but exceedingly happy. This is what I wanted. What I had always wanted. Nothing could be better than what was going to happen to me. I had wanted this ever since I first saw Chance, and now... It was actually going to happen. Or, it actually did happen. Hmm, how would that work exactly? "But what if he says no?"
"Carmen, if he says no, I don't think he'd mean it. He loves you almost as much as you love him. He's probably just afraid that he'll do something he'll regret."
"But sister, if he says no, I'll break. He's the thing that's been holding me together for years. I can't live without him there. I can't survive knowing that he rejected me. I'll die."
"Little sister, alicorns can't die. We are immortal."
"That's not what I mean, Luna. I mean that if he rejected me, I would die inside. I wouldn't be me, just an empty body with no spirit. He's my true love, Luna! I can't be the same if something like that happens."
Luna eyes grew sad. "What is it that you love about him?"
"Everything," I said, "His eyes, his smile, his personality. He's just perfect." Luna placed her hoof on my shoulder.
"Then you should always know that he is perfect, and that you will be able to marry him someday. You cannot lose hope on this, little sister. It is imperative that you strive to be with him."
"Why? Why is it so important?" I eyed Luna suspiciously. "Why would us getting married make an difference?"
Luna didn't seem to answer my question right away. "Do you know how the rainbows work, Carmen? I know you made one with your feathers, but I don't think you truly understand how it works."
"What does this have to do with-"
"When the spirit of color and rainbows is joyful, the rainbows will spread that joy." Luna conjured up a mirage of a town of happy little ponies. I could hear their laughter as a colorful little rainbow appeared over the town. "But," Luna continued, "If sadness or depression should take hold of your spirit, it too takes hold of the rainbows..." An off colored rainbow appeared to replace to other one. I heard screams and crying. I cringed. "...causing chaos and misfortune for every pony."
"Then...then I won't make anymore rainbows..." Luna shook her head.
"It does not work that way. If any rainbows are create by any pony, they will still spread distress to our subjects, sister. Be strong, sister. For them."
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
See the World Spinning 'Round
I needed to be strong. I needed to stop being a filly and start being who I was. A princess. But how? I don't know anything about being a princess... Maybe...maybe I'm not the same as I was before. Well, I know I'm not exactly like I was, but...what if I'm too different? What if he really doesn't like me? What if we cause Equestria to sink into darkness and despair? I can't let that happen. It's my responsibility.
Isn't it?
Maybe Luna is wrong. Maybe it doesn't actually matter. Maybe I'll meet someone new. I tried to reassure myself, but, as it always does, my mind decided to give me a slap in the face. How will I be able to love someone else when he's right there all the time? Who would be able to distract me from the person...er, pony that held my attention for years?
I know in my mind that nopony could possibly replace him. He is the only one I will ever love. I've known since I met him, but I've never had the nerves to ask him out on a date or even talk to him, really. I did my best to act naturally when he was around. Now he was going to be around forever. What was I going to do?
Well, I need to be honest with him. I need to come outright and tell him. I tried to feel confident as the door to the spare room came into view, but when the door opened and he stood there, all confidence withered. "There you are. I was wondering how long you were gonna--have you been crying?" I froze. Buck.
"Eh heh... Sorry, got something in my eye," I lied. He cocked an eyebrow.
"Aw, come on. That's just cheesy. I'm not clueless." I blushed at that. I'm normally pretty good at lying, but whenever he's around, he throws me off. I mess up. I just can't concentrate. "So what's wrong? You can tell me. I promise I won't laugh."
I stared at him, contemplating whether to change the subject or just tell him. Before I could decide, however, some part of my brain toke control of my body, and I found my snout pressed against him. Why in Tartarus am I doing this? "I..." I fumbled for words as our lips came apart, "I... I love you..." He stared at me, and I felt a deep crimson settling in my cheeks. I just prayed this wouldn't end badly.
"I love you too." I blinked in surprise. Had he really just said that? I saw pink coloring in his own cheeks. Is he serious? I stared at him in shock, confusion, and maybe judge slightest hint of suspicion. "I really do. I never talked to you because... I didn't think you'd like me."
I laughed, "We have more in common than I thought." I wrapped my ore legs around him in a hug I'd been waiting to give for years. Suddenly, I felt a little dizzy, woozy even, maybe from all my sobbing and then... This. I looked up at Chance before the world began to spin around me. I tried to hold onto my consciousness, but it slipped away from me.
Did I just pass out? The question swam through my foggy brain as the veils of unconsciousness slowing lifted. I mentally chastised myself. Of course not, idiot. You're just waking up. You probably passed out hours ago. After you kissed Chance. I was suddenly wide awake, kicking away the covers of the bed I was in. Nopony was around. I jumped out of bed, feeling much better than I had a few hours previously. With a little shout of glee, I hopped off to tell Sam the good news, or at least, the good news for me.
For the first time in my life...
Well, before the last time I was a pony, but that doesn't count. That was a thousand years ago and I don't remember any of it.
Anyway, for the first time that I could recall.
I had a coltfriend.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
As I came to Sam's room, I became a little apprehensive. What was she going to think? It's not like she knows about what is going on, unless Luna told her... I was about to leave when I heard something coming from the other side of the door. I pressed one ear up against the woodenly structure. Music. It was music. I raised my hoof and knocked on the door. Sam opened it. "What? Oh, hey Carmen." She let me in, and I stared in awe at her room. Her bed was a grey cloud high above, close to the ceiling. A few trickles of rain seeped from the bottom, falling down into a contraption underneath. It seemed to create a mini water cycle.
"Whoa." Everything was colored with the shades of grey from a thunderstorm, but there was tinges of blue and purple. The windows were blocked by curtains that looked like rain. Like a sheet of rain, it seemed to move and flow. I watched it for a minute before Sam snapped me back to reality.
"Yeah, yeah. It's pretty. I know," she deadpanned, "I know that is not why you came. What'd you want?" She grinned. "Chance came by a while ago..." I gulped, blushing, "He said you kinda passed out or something. You okay?" I nodded.
"Did he say anything else?"
"Just that he was going to tell Celestia, if he could find her. Why? Was there something else he might've forgotten?" I looked away sheepishly. "Carmen, what is it?"
"I...I'll tell you later." I galloped out of the room, trying to get out of telling her. I had realized that it could potentially be really awkward and I would be uncomfortable. I'd just wait until Chance told her. He was a lot better at things like that.
Once I was sure I was far enough from Sam's room, I slowed my pace to a light trot, trying to figure out where I was. Sam's room had only been a little ways from the extra room, but now I was much farther away. I had turned a few corners in my escape from Sam's questioning, and now I was lost. Everything looked the same. How was I supposed to find my way back? I would ask some pony, but there are no guards here.
Where is every pony? My hooves clacked against the polished marble floor, a sound that was somehow familiar, yet I had never walked on polished marble in my entire life. Not that I actually remembered anyway. I must have walked through halls like this as a pony... Maybe that's why it seems familiar.
A door caught my eye. It was different than the others. They were all heavy oak with the same intricate carving in the front. This one was simpler, with only a slight border around it, and there was something else different too. The wood, though it was still oak, was odd. The more I looked at it, the more I saw the reds, yellows, and blues dyed in the wood. The colors mixed and crossed in a weaving colorful pattern, and then another thing caught my eye. I looked up the the top of the tall door. A tiny golden label stuck to it, and I flew up to it so I could read the tiny engraved words:
Chroma, Princess of Color Loving Wife of Gale, Prince of the Wind
This was my room. Celestia had said it hadn't been cleaned yet, hadn't she? Well, it couldn't hurt to take a look. I pushed open the subtly multicolored doorway, gasping as I caught sight of what lay inside.
It was beautiful. There was a wardrobe and dresser with the same dyed wood as the door. The walls were every color of the spectrum, from reds, to greens, to blues. The bed was similar to Sam's, a cloud floating above the room, but this one was not grey. It was a fluffy pure white cloud with a couple of multicolor blankets and pillows resting upon it. A large tinted crystal light hung from the ceiling, casting even more color around the already colorful room, but that wasn't even the most amazing part.
It was a waterfall. An actual waterfall. It condensed in a light fog around the bottom where water was flowing down a hole in the floor. I wondered what point this had in my room until I saw the light in the dark corner next to the waterfall. Using my magic to flick it on, I watched for a rainbow to reflect off the waterfall, or maybe the fog, but I wasn't expecting what I got.
It was breathtaking.
I looked over at the light, and saw a nearly invisible clear crystal shade. It cast the light at just the right angle for it to refract the light in such a way, that it seemed as if I was flying high above Equestria during one of Celestia's most beautiful sunrises. Among the reds and oranges of the sun, there was also the blues, greens, and purples of the rest of the rainbow adding just the right amount to each color to make it the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
That's when something inside me cracked. Broke. My locked memory of the life I had before I was a human. My life as a young princess, my time growing up, becoming who I was, the princess of color itself. More memories came like a flood. My time as a mare longing for a stallion, and my time realizing just who that stallion was. Chance Wind. Gale. My husband. Now he was just my coltfriend. It seemed like such a step down, but I knew I wasn't ready to be married quite yet anyway.
A memory stood out from the others. A very happy memory. My...my wedding. I saw Chance, dressed in a very light grey tux, to symbolize the winds he controlled, and a multicolor rose, probably to symbolize his wife-to-be. To symbolize me.
I myself, I knew, wore a beautiful dress, it was a pastel rainbow, not too gaudy, and must have been made by someone related to Rarity. The train was lined with grey fluff that looked like clouds. I felt the calm in my body at seeing him. At knowing that he and I were going to spend the rest of our everlasting lives together.
I opened my eyes. I didn't remember closing them, but I must have. I watched the prismatic display for a moment longer befor turnings off the light. I flew up to the cloud bed to get a better view of the room. I looked out of the single giant window to the sunset. Sweet Celestia, it's dusk already? How long was I out? I yawned despite the fact that I had been unconscious most of the day.
"I might as well sleep here. It's my room, after all," I said to myself. Stretching out on the cotton-like cloud, I covered myself with blankets and drifted off into a peaceful, easy slumber. I don't remember what I dreamed about, I just remember it being beautiful yet saddening at the same time, like listening to the last note of your favorite song, because then you know it's over.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
A Bad Start
I woke up refreshed after a good night of sleep, and decided to do something productive instead of passing out again. Setting off at a brisk trot, I left my technicolored bedroom and started down the hallway. I realized that despite how similar each hallway looked, I could always tell them apart somehow. I suppose the memories of my past and figuring these halls out the first time probably helped some with that.
I came to another door that caught my eye, and I didn't even have to read the little golden label to know who's room lied behind the pale door. I really wanted to see his room, but I didn't look. Chance probably wouldn't appreciate it.
I made my way to the dining hall, my stomach growling. Celestia was there and Luna too. I collected a tray of breakfast foods and made my way towards them. "Sisters," I called, "It's good to see you." They both smiled.
"Good to see you too, little sister," Luna said, "I heard that you talked to Chance yesterday." I blushed, smiling sheepishly. "Ah, so I take it he said yes as well?" She gave me a playful grin before returning to her...what meal was this for her? I wasn't sure, but I didn't think it mattered right now.
"He has been looking for you," Celestia said, "He wandered the halls for hours. Where were you?" Celestia's hard yet kind gaze made me look away.
"I was...in my room..." I said quietly, "I found it last night and figured it couldn't hurt to look inside. It was beautiful, and...and I think I had some sort of flash back thingy. I remember my life before I was on Earth." Celestia and Luna both started in surprise.
"You are able to remember what happened before I...banished you?" Luna asked. I nodded slowly, taking a bite of my scrambled eggs. I thought of the banishment. It was just Noghtmare Moon talking and then...nothing. After that was my time on Earth.
"This is most exciting, sister," Celestia said, "We now know that it is possible that you all will be able to remember your roles in our world. We will need to push you less to fit your parts." She looked at me. "I expect that you know your part?"
"Sister, I've known my part for years," I said, "Just not exactly how I was supposed to work out." Celestia smiled knowingly.
"Does he know?"
"We'll, s-sorta. Not exactly..." I grinned awkwardly. I finished my breakfast and started to go. "Oh, Celestia? Do you know where he is?"
"In the extra room, sister. Unless he went looking for you again." I galloped off, quickly reaching the room and opening the door as I slid inside. I looked around. Empty. Drat! Where is he? I trotted back of of the room, wondering where he'd go. Well, if he's looking for me, then he must be trying to figure out where I would go, so...where would I go? I started off down the hallways, unsure of where I was really going. I came to his room.
"Well," I whispered to myself, "It couldn't hurt to check..." I pushed open the grey door with my hooves, noting the smooth quality of the wood. The room inside was dimly lit. A large curtain hung over one wall. I pushed it aside, letting the sun's light stream in. There was a balcony behind the curtains. A glass door slid open as I approached it. Surprised, I jumped back, but I soon recovered an trotted bravely out onto the balcony.
Chance was there, his horn blazing with a soft auburn glow. The wind whooshed through my hair, and loose leaves brushed against my fur. He's figured it out.
I tried to make myself look more presentable as I approached him. I rustled my feathers, trying to straighten them, but to no avail. Frustrated, I opened my wings so I could pump them once or twice to calm me down a bit, but I realized too late that it was a bad idea.
A strong gust of wind pushed against my feathers, sending me toppling over the edge of the balcony. I cried out in alarm and flapped my wings, panicked. I tumbled towards the castle gardens below, desperately trying to straighten out. I was coming in fast. Twenty feet. Ten feet. Five feet. One...
Suddenly I was floating upwards on a gust of wind. I rose all the way back up to the balcony. I was set down gently, but I still stumbled and fell. He was standing there next to me. "Are you okay, Carmen? Or...is it Chroma? I...I don't know anymore..." I smiled up at him. He must have had the same memory thing as I did.
"Just Carmen, Chance." I nuzzled him gently. "Chroma isn't til I'm older." He looked over at me.
"It happened to you too?" I nodded in answer. "Wow, we really are rulers of Equestria. This is so cool." We stood on the balcony overlooking Canterlot for a while, content with just standing there. Together.
"Come on, the others are probably wondering where we are." I led him down the hallway to the dining hall. Celestia had left for her duties, and Luna was probably asleep by now. Chance grabbed something to eat and we headed for Sam's room. We were both eager to see if she remembered her past life too.
I opened the dark grey door to reveal something neither of us was expecting. Her beautiful room... All the furniture... Averythng just...destroyed. Demolished. We stood in incomprehension at the sight before us as a black shape stirred in the corner.
"Sam?" I asked. The pitch black pony stood to full height. It stood over twice either of our heights, probably even taller than Celestia. It's mane was etheral, but it was black with a deep, sickly green running through it. Two massive black wings extended from its back, and a long, razor sharp horn spiraled from its forehead. It's eyes were black. Black as Luna's night. "S-Sam?" I asked again, my voice cracking in fear.
"Not anymore, Carmen Color," the monsterous thing said in a voice not unlike that of Crysalis, "Not anymore."
Author's Note
Another short chapter. Dear Lord, I suck.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
The demented form of what used to be my best friend walked confidently towards me and Chance, an eery smile gracing its face. I looked over at Chance, noticing how he looked ready to pass out. I grabbed his hoof and pulled him back through the door, slamming the door. We ran as fast as we could.
"Celestiaaaaa!" we screamed, pushing her door open with a slam. Our sister was not in her room. We ran back out, scrambling around terror. We needed some pony to help us. We galloped at full speed towards a pitch black door and threw the door open. Luna was in bed, sleeping. Reluctantly, I ran forward in sync with Chance and howled, "Luna!"
The older alicorn started in surprise and fell off the bed. She glared up at us. "What do my little siblings require that they could not talk to somepony else about?" I opened my mouth to answer, but a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.
"Nothing, Luna. Go back to sleep," Sam's sickly sweet voice emanated from the creature, but I couldn't believe that this was actually her. Luna stood in front of us, but she looked dwarfed by the shady form of the monster.
I panicked, my horn igniting in a colorful aura. In a rainbow flash, Luna, Chance, and myself found ourselves in the throne room. Celestia stared at us, surprised and confused. "Sister!" I cried, relieved, dizzily taking a few steps towards her, "We...might have a bit of a problem." Celestia was on her hooves in an instant, and I stumbled, still dizzy from casting a teleportation spell on not only myself, but Luna and Chance as well.
"Luna, what does she mean? What problem?" Celestia addressed the princess of the Night. As the dizziness subsided, I saw Luna frown gravely.
"I do not know much, my sister, but what I do know its that Sam has been...taken..." Celestia gasped. "Yes, sister. The Nightmare has returned, and had taken control of Sam. I do not know anything else."
"The...Nightmare?" I asked, shaking slightly. The name was familiar. I delved into my recently received memory, trying to recollect what Luna was saying. I closed my eyes, willing it to come to me. A moment later I found myself on Celestia's balcony, the princess of the Sun next to me...
"Sister, what has happened to Luna? Why has she refused to lower her moon? Does she not know the consequences?" I asked. Celestia turned to me gravely.
"Chroma, our sister has become entangled in the wishes of the Nightmare. It is an evil so powerful, I don't know what we can do about it." I was surprised. Celestia looked...scared. "There is only one thing that I can think of that will be rid of her evil, but it is grim, little sister. Too grim for me to tell you about. I know you are a grown mare, but I cannot tell you what I am about to do. Maybe one day I'll be able to."
"Tia!" I cried as my sister jumped off the balcony into the dark night. She disappeared without a trace. I could not follow her.
"Chroma!" I heard twin cries. I turned to find Tempest and Gale galloping towards me. Gale and I hugged and Tempest looked around anxiously.
Suddenly, in a deep purple flash, Luna appeared next to us, but she was...different. She wore armor and her eyes were not right. Her mane was a deeper blush purple than normal. She laughed maniacally. We huddled together in terror. "No one will stop me!" she yelled, "What little foals of siblings, I have! This will be easy." A black light encompassed us, and the last thing I heard was my demented sister's evil laughter...
"Carmen?" I blinked as I was addressed, coming back to the conscious world. Luna stood over me, looking concerned. This could not have been the same Luna who became Nightmare Moon...but it was. I knew it was still her, and I knew that no matter how twisted she had become, the new Nightmare was still Sam.
"Sam...Sam is like another Nightmare Moon..." I stuttered, "Isn't she?" Celestia nodded. "But what does she want?"
"We do not know," Celestia said, "but we need to keep her away from our little ponies. Luna? Do you think you could get her away from Canterlot? Maybe to our old castle? There will be no ponies there. We will get the Elements." Luna modded and left. I smiled ever so slightly. We were going to get the Elements of Harmony. Everything would be worked out. I frowned again.
"We need to get going. Are we taking the royal carriage?" Celestia nodded, and teleported away for a second. When she returned, she had a familiar box in her hand. The Element necklaces...and crown. We hurried out to where the carriage was kept and got in. Celestia sat in front and me and Chance sat in the back.
"Are you okay?" Chance asked me. I looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"In the throne room...you just kinda went...blank and fell on the floor. What happened?" I blushed. Had that really happened.
"I was remembering something..." He gave me a look that signaled that he wanted to know what it was. "I remembered when Nightmare Moon banished us." He paled slightly.
"Oh..." He snuggled in close to me, "I see. Are you going to be okay?" I nodded.
"I'm just confused. And scared." I shuddered. "How can the Nightmare do that to an alicorn? What gives it so much power? And how can we stop it if the Elements don't work?"
"They will. You're just being paranoid," he said, slightly jokingly.
"I hope you're right," I sighed, looking out over Equestria, "I hope you're right."
Author's Note
Grr...why can't I write longer chapters?
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
I never was the most patient person, or pony, in the world. The whole carriage ride I looked over the edge, anxious to see Ponyville come into view. It was cloudy. Very cloudy. Deep black cumulonimbus clouds loomed around us, bright white lightning streaking from their dark forms. Rain soaked us. As the little town finally came into view among the dark veil of the storm, I jumped off the carriage, gliding down in front of the Pegasus Guards pulling it.
"Carmen! What are you doing?" Chance yelled, jumping as well to follow me. Celestia stared at us a moment before saying something to the guards and following our lead. All three of us headed for the library, hoping that its librarian was home.
I reached the tree-building first, folding my wings and opening the door. I didn't think to knock. It was a public building, after all. As we entered the library, all three of us soaked to the bone, a timid voice asked, "W-who's there?" Twilight peered around the corner and, noticing who it was, instantly ran for Celestia. "Princess Celestia! What are you doing here?" Another flash of lightning streaked the sky, and a roll of thunder followed it.
"Twilight, we need you to gather the Element Bearers." Celestia's voice was always so regal... Was I going to sound like that someday? Twilight admired her so...
"What? Why?" Twilight asked, confused. I stepped forward to answer her, my voice sounding...childish, but hopefully still convincing. I knew what was going on now. What she wanted. I only hoped Celestia, Luna, and Chance had all realized the same thing.
"Because Stormy Sam has been tempted by the Nightmare. Her soul has been corrupted into what she is now. Nightmare Storm. Storm cells have popped up over Canterlot and Ponyville, and I'm willing to guess that they are appearing all over the rest of Equestria as well. Twilight Sparkle, we need the Elements of Harmony." Twilight looked at me, surprised, for a second. "Like, right now, Twilight." The purple unicorn nodded in understanding and raced out into the storm, magicking a raincoat onto her back.
Chance put a hoof on my shoulder. "We should help her." I nodded, throwing a spare raincoat over Chance's back and one over myself, not that we could get much wetter. Celestia stayed where she was. Even though she was the alicorn that had stayed in Equestria after Nightmare Moon came, she didn't know Ponyville like we did. We had watched a show about this town for years.
"I'll go to Sweet Apple Acres and to Rainbow's house. You head to Fluttershy's. Pinkie and Rarity are close. Twilight will already have gotten them by the time we're done." He looked reluctant, but nodded anyway. We left the library, galloping through the rain washed streets. Spreading my wings, I took to the air, aiming for the white cloud house where Rainbow Dash lived. The pegasus was looking out the window, her face showing her displeasure.
"Rainbow!" I called through the wind. I landed on the front door and pulled myself inside. The rainbow-maned mare approached me.
"What's with the crazy weather? Did Cloud Chaser do this? That featherbrain!" Rainbow stomped a few times against the floor of the cloud house.
"No, Rainbow. It wasn't Cloud Chaser. I need you to go to the library. Celestia is waiting for you there."
"The Princess? What's she doing here?"
"We don't have time for explanations, Rainbow Dash. Just go. The others will join you soon." I flew out of Rainbow's house, and she followed. I veered off to go to Sweet Apple Acres, and Rainbow barreled towards the library. I heard a crash and rolled my eyes. Typical Rainbow Dash.
I came to Applejack's home, landing next to the barn. The earth pony's family was running around the house, probably making sure everything is closed or something, and I could see them silhouetted in the illuminated windows. I raised a hoof to knock on the door when somepony threw it open and pulled me inside.
"Land Sakes, Ms. Color! What'cha doing outside on a day like this?" Applejack looked at me expectantly.
"I need you to come to the library with me."
"What?"
"I said, I need you to come to the library with me. It's very important. I'll explain when we get there." She must have noticed the urgency in my voice, because she nodded. We both galloped through the rain. I would have flown, but I didn't want Applejack out in the rain by herself. No pony should be out here by themselves at a time like this, really.
As we approached the library, I noticed the faces looking out the windows. Twilight's, Fluttershy's, Rainbow Dash's, Pinkie Pie's, Rarity's, and my 'brother' and 'sister's'. Lightning flashed behind us, and I jumped in surprise. Jeeze, you little filly! Get ahold of yourself. Your immortal! It's not like it could kill you anyway.
We hurtled through the front door, somepony slamming it behind us. I sighed, looking around the room. One, two, three, four, five, six. Six ponies with such a concrete friendship that nothing could break them apart. Nothing. I envied their care for each other, wishing that I had friends like that.
Celestia gathered us all together and, in a ceremonious fashion that seemed quite unnecessary, bestowed the Elements to their Bearers. I watched with agonizing anxiety as the storm around Ponyville grew darker and darker. Even as I looked into the confident faces of the Element bearing ponies, I couldn't find a ray of Sunshine in this chaotic hurricane of despair.
I felt the despair and hopelessness fill my heart, and I relented to the slight depression I was hit with. Every pony else was too caught up in how to safely get the Element ponies to the old castle where they had already faught the Nightmare once. My wings, though I didn't notice at the time, grew less vibrant in their color, and the blue of my normal coat overtook the purple colors in both wings.
When I realized that the others had decided on a plan, I plastered a fake smile on my face and gritted my teeth. Looking back on my actions back then, I really wish I had told somepony...anypony about how I was feeling. It is foalish to keep emotions like that bottled up inside, especially for an alicorn, but of course, I didn't see it that way at the time.
All I knew of my predicament was that I had grown up on a farm, and we don't let things like that make us upset. Of course, those emotions do most of the time eventually boil over, but still... Alicorns can be rather...tantrum prone...when something like that happens. Despite knowing this fact from my past, I suffered my despair in complete and utter silence.
I was such a foal back then.
Author's Note
Another chapter! Oohhh, where is this going...? I actually have no clue right now, but I'm tired and lazy at updating this stuff, so your guess is as good as mine at the moment.
Weeelllll, I do have to ask. Any suggestions on making my writing better?
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
As we began our journey, I noticed how very dark the clouds were becoming. The rain was pouring down buckets. We were going to be lucky if one of us managed not to catch a cold. The wind was freezing and howled like a timberwolf. I shivered slightly, the rain and wind washing my hope away. Unbeknownst to me, the bright blue hues of some of my feathers were beginning to fade to the regular cyan of my coat.
We arrived at the edge of the forest, with me a bit behind everypony else. I was sniffling profusely and I didn't want anypony to hear me. It seems that even immortals can get sick, but it just can't really hurt them. Nopony else seemed effected by the cold, dreary rain, except Celestia. Her coat was slightly grey, maybe nopony else could notice it. I suppose if color and rainbows are your special talent, you get better insight on such things.
We entered the forest. Chance came back to walk by me, putting a protective wing over my back. I smiled, but hoped that the rain would drown out my sniffling. What would they do if they knew I might be getting sick? Send me back? Or maybe just make me go on anyway. It's not like it could really hurt me.
Our little group had walked for what seemed like forever. How long was this going to take? We came to a river. The one from the show where the sea serpent had lived. Seeing as he wasn't there, we were forced to walk through the dark, cold water. On the other side, I felt even colder than I had before, and actually had to stifle several sneezes before going on. I didn't think anypony had noticed.
As we walked, Chance at my side again, I had to stop once to sneeze. I smothered the involuntary action in one of my wings. Chance's hoof was on my shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah," I sniffled, "It's just all the water's got to me." I sneezed again.
"Are you sure?" I gave him a little smile.
"Yes, I'm sure," I replied, "You don't have to worry about me so much, you know." I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks.
"Alright, alright. I get it." We kept trotting a few paces behind the others.
Finally, we came to the castle. Luna landed next to us. "She is here, sister. The inside of the castle is like a condensed thunderstorm. I do not know how we will penetrate it." Another level of despair hit me, and the green feathers in the wings began to turn blue. My coat grew a bit greyish in color. "I barely managed to escape our old home." She looked over at me, and her grave face turned to one of shock, then horror. "Little sister!" I jumped, startled.
"W-what?" Luna approached me, concern lacing her face. She looked me up and down, before lowering her head. A sign of failure or defeat. What had I done?
"Carmen, little sister, please unfold your wings." I looked from Luna's defeated face to Celestia, who's features showed concern. I was scared. Why did they want me to open my wings. What was wrong with them? I slowly opened my wings, noticing the lack of purple and green. There was blue, but it was the wrong blue. As fear filled my heart, my yellow feathers began to turn blue right before my eyes. My breathing quickened.
"What's going on? What's happening to me?" I started hyperventilating. My head spun. I felt like I was gonna be sick. I had no clue what was happening to me.
"Carmen! Carmen, breathe! Come on, come on! Just breathe! Please, Carmen, just breathe!" I did as the voice told me, but a haziness was already creeping over my vision. "Please, Carmen. Breathe..." The conscious world slipped away from me, and my wings lost their colors. The grey tinge in my coat deepened.
_______________________________________________
"Wake up, Carmen. We need you. I need you." It was Chance's voice that brought me back to reality. He was pleading to me. My eyes fluttered open. Tears streaked his cheeks, his eyes were closed. What had happened while I was out? I opened my mouth to say something witty, like what you always see in the movies, but instead, I sneezed once. Twice. Three times. Chance's eyes flew open. "Carmen!" He nearly yelled, pulling me into a tight hug.
"What happened?"
"You let fear and depression take hold inside you and fester inside your heart. You lost your color. Celestia and Luna went in to fight Sam with the Element ponies. They haven't come back." I looked down at my blue grey hooves. What had I done?
I stood up shakily, and Chance tried to help steady me. I pushed his hooves away. "I need to help. I need to fix what I did." My coat lost its grey. Though my wings didn't have their usual colors, my coat shined its bright blue.
"Shouldn't you lay down for a bit? I mean, you did pass out." I spread my wings.
"I can rest later. This need to be done now." I took off and circled the castle, trying to find a good way in. Chance followed me.
"Well, at least let me come with you."
"But--"
"You are not going in there by yourself. Not after what's happened today." At that, I stopped and landed on a large windowsill. I raging torrent of wind and rain beat against the window.
"What are you talking about?" As if to explain, I turned away from him and sneezed.
"Well, that for one," he said, "Are you okay? And don't say yes if you're not."
"Well...I could possibly have caught a cold...I mean it has been raining and stuff."
"I knew it! Carmen, you need to tell us about this stuff! And even if you weren't sick, you still shouldn't be going by yourself after passing out and because you lost your color. I mean, how does that even happen? If something is bothering you, you need to tell one of us." He looked disapprovingly at me.
A couple of tears stuck to my eyelashes. I knew I should've told somepony, but I hate to make them worry or feel a need to fuss over me. I'm not one to look for attention. That's why being a princess wasn't so appealing to me before. "I-I'm sorry," I stammered. His glare softened. He reached a hoof out to me and--
--got pulled thought the large glass window. The etheral wisps of Sam's mane pulling him along. I screamed and swooped into the castle after him.
I was met with the full concentrated power of an force five hurricane.
Author's Note
What am I writing?
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
The moment I entered the castle, I was slammed to the ground by a powerful wind. How was Sam doing that? Winds are Chance's talent. Though, I suppose, not impossible for others... Then, quite suddenly, it stopped. I stood. "What-?" Another powerful blast hit me on the side, slamming me into the wall. I fell to the ground limply.
Tendrils from Nightmare Storm's mane came out to claim me. I cast a force field around myself, protecting me from them. I galloped into the next room. No winds bothered my progress.
There! Magical cages surrounded my siblings and the Elements of Harmony. I ran to them. Creepy laughter emanated from somewhere in the room. I turned around to find myself face to face, well, as close as we were going to get, with Nightmare Storm. A magical bolt hit me in the chest. "Ahhhhh!" I screamed, my hooves failing to keep me up. A grey spot appeared on my chest. Tendrils slowly enveloped me. First down at my hooves. I lost all feeling in them. I couldn't move. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" came the sickly sweet voice, "I thought you were supposed to be smart."
"Well, I figure I'm being turned to stone, but why?" I tried to slow the progress of my paralyzation, but to no avail. I sneezed several times.
"Because I can. I can do anything in this universe. It's a TV show."
"Well, it was, but certainly you must see that this is much more than a regular TV show."
"Not really. They're all the same."
"Not true! This one is actually real."
"They all are! And you know what? I can prove it."
"How?" I wasn't sure that I wanted the answer.
"You'll see," she snickered. My world faded to black.
___________________________________________________
Carmen, maybe I should tell this part. Since, you know, you weren't there.
Oh, fine! But I'm telling it when I come back in!
___________________________________________________
I watched as Carmen's body was turned to stone. Like a statue. Tears spilled from my eyes. I thought she was dead. From my magical prison, I'm sure everypony heard my sobbing. Nightmare Storm ignored me. "That was it?" she asked teasingly, "Your last resort was a powerless alicorn with a cold? Pathetic." She paced in front of our cages. "Well, now what? I've captured all the alicorns and the Elements of Harmony. Hmm, what have I missed?" I cast my winds at her in fury. She glared at me.
"Why, Sam? What good is any of this doing?" I asked her, "You just killed one of your closest friends."
"You idiot. She's not dead. Yet." Not dead? She wasn't--
I lifted the statue with my winds and attempted to bring it closer to me. Carmen wasn't dead. She wasn't dead.
"She can share with you." The statue was thrown into my prison with me. I stared into Carmen's grey, stone eyes. Not dead, just turned to stone. I hugged the statue, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Now, I must go rule my kingdom. Have fun." She spread her giant black wings and flew off.
It was a very long time before anypony spoke. It was Twilight. "So Carmen isn't actually-"
"No," I cut her off, "She still has time. What did Sam do to her, Celestia?"
"It would seem that Nightmare Storm has sent Carmen to another universe, similar to Nightmare Moon banishing you, but I think it is one from another TV series that Carmen watches."
"What?" Twilight asked.
"It would take a very long time to explain, my student. Maybe another time." We sat in silence for awhile. A mist filled the room, and I became extremely sleepy. I laid down and slept. Celestia later told me that I had been asleep for a whole week. How I had managed that, I still haven't any idea. The Element ponies were not doing so well. They were all unconscious. Celestia and Luna had attempted to bring them something to eat with their magic, but they didn't get much.
I looked over at Carmen and felt like cheering and screaming at the same time. There she was, breathing smoothly, her coat no longer grey, but blue. I raised her wings with a hoof and noticed the faded shades of her colors. They were coming back. She was back, but back only to suffer.
She slept for a whole day. It was then that I decided to wake her. I nudged her and shook her, but nothing happened. "Celestia! She won't wake! She acts like I'm no even touching her."
"Her senses are still diluted from being turned to stone. Only the most sensitive of nerves will be active."
"Like what?"
"Well..." Celestia thought for a moment, "Often nerves in the face are most sensitive."
"Did Sam not say that Carmen had a cold?" Luna chipped in. That gave me an idea. I plucked one of her feathers, whispering an apology, and tickled her nose with it.
The reaction was slightly delayed. Her nose scrunched up and she turned away from the offending feather. Determinedly, I tried again. Her eyes pressed tightly together and she brought a hoof up to rub her nose. I held both her forelegs down with my own forelegs and magically lifted the feather. I tickled her nose for the third time. She gasped in a few breaths before all of a sudden--
"Haaah-Heeeeeeh-HehTCHEW! HEHTCHEW !!! HEHTCHMPH!!!!" Carmen awoke in a flurry of sneezes.
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I was not that bad! And it's my turn now.
Yes, yes. I remember. Go on, then.
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To go back a bit, I was asleep, having had an amazing adventure of my own whilst I was stone. I had been told that when I awoke, I would be home. Suddenly, my nose began to itch. I tried to brush it away, but it seemed like my forelegs wouldn't move. It got worse and worse, until finally I couldn't hold it back anymore, and yes, I sneezed.
"Haaah-Heeeeeeh-HehTCHEW! HEHTCHEW !!! HEHTCHMPH!!! " I moaned softly, sniffling a little. When I had been turned to stone and sent away, I still hadn't gotten over my cold. I rubbed my snout and looked around. Only one thing managed to register.
Chance. Chance was here. With me. He was safe. He was okay. I wrapped my forelegs around him in a hug as tears rolled down my cheeks. I really was back, and that's all that mattered.
Author's Note
And now I can write a spin off thingy! Hee hee...
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
I awoke feeling surprisingly good. No cold, no hunger, no anything. I stood and tried to walk, but I found myself stumbling as if I had never walked as a pony before. My head hit the low hanging doorway into the next room. I stood there, slightly stunned. My head had never even come close to hitting that before. In fact, no pony's head ever came close to that ceiling except Celestia... The princess in question was standing in front of me. I looked straight forward into her eyes. Straight forward, not up. I glanced down at my feet. My long, slender legs. "W-what?"
"Carmen, the Elements of harmony have awoken you and Chance Wind. You must help them in defeating Nightmare Storm. Luna and I cannot help you."
"But why? Why us?" Celestia shook her head.
"There is no time to explain that even if I knew. They chose you for something, exactly what is a mystery to me. Now, go. Hurry. The others are waiting for you at Sweet Apple Acres." I nodded, galloping unsteadily off towards the orchards. Ponies gave me surprised glanced as I ran through town, and it suddenly occurred to me that, as an alicorn, I had wings. I could fly instead.
I spread my multicolored wings, noticing that their color had returned in full, and sped off through the sky. I soared above the apple trees, searching for the others. I found them close to the barn. I locked onto the tall, brown alicorn and dived at him, tackling him at full speed and hugging him tight. I looked him over. He looked much more regal, and I expect that I must've too. We stood and walked over to the Element ponies. "Where do we have to go?" I asked.
Twilight turned no me. "Canterlot." I was surprise slightly.
"But what if somepony gets hurt."
"Carmen, this has to be done. We can't let her stay in the throne." They started off towards the train station. I followed, an uneasy feeling growing in my stomach. Chance walked next to me, but we didn't talk.
We got on the train. Naturally, I figured, I would be sitting with Chance, but no. I looked around. Chance had sat with Twilight, and they were discussing stuff about when we got there. Every other seat in the carriage was taken. I moved on to the next one and sat by myself, watching the others through the door's tiny window. I fell asleep, curled up on the seat, for most of the ride. I woke again when the train was coming close to Canterlot.
Feeling upset that Chance had practically forced me to sit alone in the next carriage, I exited the train car and walked over. I did know that what they were talking about was important, but-- I looked around to find my group already trotting away towards the castle. They can't be serious... I don't even know what we're doing yet! We can't fight Sam like this! I galloped after them, trying to reach them, but a group of passengers leaving Canterlot kept me back. They were fleeing from the city.
By the time they were gone, so was my group. They had left me behind. How could they have done that? They must figure I'm right behind them. They'll come back when they realize I'm not. But they didn't come back, for whatever reason.
______________________________________________________
You know, I'm still really sorry about that...
I know, I know...
______________________________________________________
It wasn't too long before I realized that if they weren't coming to get me, then I would have to go find them or something. I had no idea where they were though, so the only place I could really go was the castle. As I crept along the abandoned streets, visions of my past came to mind. Walking down this very street...
Regally, I strode about the streets. Ponies bowed when I walked by, and I had to suppress a grimace every time. No matter how hard I try to fit in with the rest of the pony folk, I stick out. It's my eyes, I suppose. Their technicolored appearance gives me away every time. Even when I perform spells of myself to give myself a normal height. I can never mask my wings, but I can keep them at my side and wear a hat over my horn.
Today, however, I'm not hiding who I am. I am walking to the square to deliver a message. The ponies have all noticed how little they see of Luna, even during her night. They are worried that something is going on, and I am to put their minds at rest. Such is the task of a noble princess. I am nervous that I may not sound convincing enough though, for even now I can feel an evil at work inside my older sister. She has seemed less colorful as of recent.
As I climb up to the small square platform, feeling even more hopeless and nervous, a bright red stallion in pearly white armor approaches me. It's a member of my guard. It has to be. Celestia's guards are all white or gray or light colors, Luna's guard all are born into their stature seeing as they are all Equinocs, or Night Ponies, and Gale and Tempest's guards would never be used to contact me. Plus, none of the guards besides my own were so brightly colored.
'Princess,' he called to me through a telepathic link I had established for all my guard, 'Celestia wishes for an audience with you.' I blinked, surprised. Didn't Tia know that I was doing this today? Of course she did, she was the one who told me to!
'Right now?' I asked, 'But what about the speech?'
'She said it was urgent.' I sighed. 'Don't worry. I'll handle the crowd. Just go.' I nodded, spreading my wings. A few in the gathering crowd gaped at them in awe, but I tried not to look at them. Pumping hard, I glided up to the castle, landing on Celestia's balcony. I opened the door and entered my eldest sister's room and walked inside...
Breaking from my reverie, I found myself in front of the castle. I looked around, slightly paranoid, but didn't see anypony. My ears folded back against my head and I backed away from the looming structure. Something felt wrong. I swiftly turned around to leave, but something caught my eye and I stopped. A feather. A bright canary yellow feather. Fluttershy. They were here.
An explosive boom shook the castle. I turned, terrified, to face an avalanche of rocks from the castle walls. They were fighting her. I had to help. Deftly dodging the raining chunks of ruined castle, I galloped through the front door. I sped along the long hallway, not stopping until I was a good distance away from the hazardous falling rocks. I made my way towards a flight of stairs, racing up them three at a time. I came to the second floor landing and galloped through the hallways, looking for somepony. Anypony. But they weren't there. They must be on a higher level. I raced up another flight of stairs and repeated my searching action, but still didn't find anypony.
"Aughhh! Where are you? Where are you?" I screamed, my voice reverberating through the marble hallway. Suddenly, my ears picked up shouting and I ran for it. Up several more flights of stairs. Down the hall. Through a door. My hooves screeched to a stop on the smooth floor. A giant hole dominated the wall, hairline cracks running from it to every wall of the room.
My heart nearly stopped as I saw who was in this room. A pitch black alicorn and six smaller ponies. The Elements of Harmony. All of them were caught in a telekinetic grip and their bodies were limp. I thought for one moment that they were dead, but no. Twilight's horn was glowing, despite the fact that she seemed to be unconscious. She didn't seem to be attacking Nightmare Storm though. I didn't know what she was doing. Nightmare Storm had not noticed me yet. She was out on the balcony on the other side of the hole in the wall.
Something in the dark corner opposite me moved slightly. I turned to it, suddenly very tense. A pair of brown wings fluttered helplessly from the corner, and I nearly cried out. I ran to him, wrapping my forehooves around him. "Chance..." The name came out in a whisper, and I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks. His wings were sticky with blood, and a cut ran along the side of his body. But it looked like the cut was hours old, which would've been impossible... A the moment it didn't really matter though.
"Carmen..." he mumbled, "Go save the others. I'll be fine."
"But..."
"Immortal, remember?" I nodded and stood. I hesitated before turning to face the hole in the wall.
"I'll be back soon." Boldly, I walk to the edge of the room and make my way through the ruined wall. Nightmare Storm...no, she's still Sam... She turned around to face me. Her eyes were all I could make out in her pitch black face and mane. "Sam, why are you doing this?"
"I am no longer Sam, you prismatic princess. I am Storm. Nightmare Storm."
"Personally, I though Tempest was a better name..." I mumbled, "That doesn't answer my question. Why are you doing this?"
"Why? Do you know what it's like to be shunned and cast away from everypony? To not be appreciated for your ability? The ponies of this land say that they love the rain, but why do they spend that time indoors?"
"So...they don't get wet?"
"No! That is not the reason, you foal. They do not appreciate the beauty of the rain and of storms. They shun them and wish them away. They love the sunshine and the beautiful rainbows, so why do they not love the rain? The thunder and lightning that I work hard to bring!"
"But Sam, these storms you have going. You can't keep this up. The plants need the sun to grow. They do need rain too, but not forever. They cannot grow without the sun. Everypony will starve."
"Why should I care about them? They did not care about me? You do not understand what it is like to be unloved!"
"Don't you dare, Sam! Do NOT go there!"
"But it is true. Ponies love your colorful rainbows and your beautiful wings and eyes. Everypony loves the color you bring the world. You cannot know of the solitude and unhappiness I go through."
"I said. Don't go there!" I howled at her, my blood boiling, "I maybe a princess here, but I spent my entire life as a human in solitude! I had no friends! No one to care about me! Don't tell me that I don't know what that is like!" Apparently, my rage had startled her, but she was laughing now.
"Yes, I know. The only reason I ever befriended you was so you wouldn't realize how much everyone hated you."
"No..."
"Everyone that ever was your friend was just doing it so you won't feel like everyone was against you."
"Sam..."
"When really, we all hated to be around you. You hear me? We. All. Hated. You."
"No!" I whirled around at the shout. Chance stood in the doorway. "We didn't all hate her. No one hated her and you know it Sam!" He approached me and stood next to me. I looked him over, finding that his wound was healed nicely.
"Chance," I say, whispering into his ear, "I'll get the Elements. Keep her busy." He nodded ever so slightly. I galloped back into the room.
"Yeah, Carmen! You better run!" Sam taunted. I ran out into the hallway and towards a flight of stairs. I raced up them and ran to the room directly above the one Sam had destroyed. As silently as possible, I opened the window. I backed up, slowly unfurling my wings. One hop, skip, and a jump later I was soaring over the scene. Sam and Chance were yelling now, and hopefully, the Nightmare driven mare would be unaware of my presence. Deftly, I tucked in my wings and rocketed towards the six ponies in Sam's grip. I grabbed them with my own magic and was just barely able to pull them away from her. I carried them to the room above. Sam was howling in rage. I just hoped Chance would be okay.
I set down the six ponies in my telekinetic grasp, taking care to set them down gently. They were all unconscious, but Twilight's horn was still ablaze. As I looked them over, finding many deep cuts and other injuries, I saw that they were healing very quickly. I looked over at the lavender unicorn and realized that it was her doing. But if she kept healing them like that, it could have devastating consequences for her.
I lit my horn and poured as much magic into it as I could. I closed my eyes and imagined the six ponies in my head. I wrapped a magical aura around them and released the magic that I had been building up in my horn. The magic washed over the ponies, healing their wounds. I opened my eyes, and Twilight's horn stopped glowing. The six ponies began to stir, and all sat up at once. Six pairs of eyes locked onto me.
"Carmen?" Twilight asked, "Oh, I'm so sorry. We didn't even use the elements. She got us before we could get her."
"Well, use them now," I replied, "Chance and I might be able to... Chance..." I ran to the open window, where I could see him soaring high above, Sam chasing him. "Chance!" He looked down at me and dived for the window. Sam followed about ten feet behind him. "Get ready." The element ponies nodded, their elements beginning to glow as Chance crashed through the window. A black shape appeared in the window. "Now!"
Author's Note
It's been a long time. Sorry I haven't been updating this much, but here's an extra long chapter for you, since I made you wait so long.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
My hope in the outcome of this was better than it was. The colors in my wings were still diluted, though, and it did dampen my spirits a little. My perpetual cold was beginning to bug me. The sniffling I could deal with, but all the sneezing does get to you after awhile.
"HehCHMPH!"
"Bless you."
"HehSSHHHMPH!!"
"Bless you."
"Heeeeh-"
"Bless you."
"TCHMPH!! Ugh, I hate it when you do that." Chance smirked for a second before looking concerned again. "Oh, come on! You don't need to worry about me. They need us more." I gestured to Twilight and the others, who were managing a little better now that Chance and I could also use our magic to get food. "Hehtchmph!!" Not that my spells were always carried through.
"Geshuntight!" Applejack called. I blushed.
I was contemplating a way to escape our magical prisons. I figured that a simple anti-shielding spell couldn't hurt to try. I gathered the necessary power at began to cast my spell. It would take a minute, but hopefully it would help some.
The spell was in full swing when I felt my nose itch. "Haaaah-Heeeeh-" Chance jumped in surprise.
"Oh, no! Not now!" I tried to hold it back long enough to finish my spell, but--
"HeeeeeeehTCHEEEWW!!!" An explosion emanated from my horn. The castle around us was demolished, as well as our magical prisons. I bet Sam felt that one. I looked around. Thankfully nopony was hurt.
"We....we're free!" Chance cheered, kissing me on the lips. I pushed him away slightly. Everypony was looking at us.
"Chance, you're probably gonna catch my cold now," I warned, turning away with a "HeeeehTCHEW!" I sniffled and rubbed my nose. "This is not fun at all to have."
"Totally worth it." He smirked at me, and I blushed. Everypony was still watching us.
"We sh-should get g-going..." I stammer, trotting towards where Ponyville would be, "Don't want Sam to come back and lock us up again..." I sneezed several times before anypony tried to follow me. Chance galloped to my side. Celestia and Luna caught up on my other side. The Elements of Harmony trotted along behind us.
"Do you feel well enough for battle, sister?" Celestia asked.
"Of course!" I replied incredulously, "It's just a cold, other I can't hand-...handle...ha-...Haaaaah-HeeehTSHEEW!!"
"Bless you," Chance said, "Maybe you should sit this one out..." I stopped dead.
"No! Last time I wasn't around to help, everypony got locked up." I sneezed several times.
"But I don't know if you'll do us much good, Carmen. With all the sneezing and such... It seems a bit distracting." I had to admit that yes, it was.
"Well, I suppose--" I sighed, "You're right. I'll probably just be a liability." Ponyville came into view. It was shrouded with rain of course, but still there. "HeeehTCHEW!"
"Bless you."
"Thanks. I-...I-...Haah....HeeehTSSHHEW!"
"Bless you. No need to thank me, Carmen."
"R-right." We entered the library, everypony shaking the water out of their coats.
"Spiike!" Twilight called. The baby dragon raced down the stairs.
"Twilight!" he cried, "Where did you go? Why were you gone so long? Do you know about Princess Storm?" Twilight hugged the little purple dragon fondly.
"Yes, Spike. She captured us. I'm sorry. We just recently escaped." She turned to the other Elements. "You should all go reunite with family and friends. I'm sure their all worried."
"Twilight Sparkle? Do you mind if we stay for awhile?" Celestia asked, "We can't go back to Canterlot. Not yet. And I'm not sure we would make it tonight. We're all very tired."
"Oh, sure! We have plenty of extra pillows and blankets."
"Thank you, Twilight."
"Yes, th-...thank-...heehtchew! Thank you." I found a tissue box levitated in front of my face as I said this.
"You're welcome. Here, you might need this." I blushed and pulled one out of the box, blowing my nose.
"Thanks again."
"No problem."
Twilight got the extra blankets and pillows for us. Celestia got the spare bed, naturally, and Luna got the couch. Chance and I curled up on the floor. He put a foreleg over me. I sniffled a little, but otherwise, our sleep that night was not disturbed. I felt so happy. So peaceful and safe.
When I awoke, I knew the sun was up. The curtains were shut, though, making it darker in the library. I stumbled into the bathroom to brush my mane. As I came into the room and closed the door, a tickle started in my nose, but I couldn't sneeze. I suffered in agony for a moment before magically turning on the light in the bathroom. I looked up at it, the light forcing the sneeze to explode from me. "HeeeeeehTCH EEEWW!!!"
"Carmen?" a slightly groggy Chance asked from the other side of the door, "You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, just some sneezes. Nothing knew..." I opened the door, revealing him, "...Oh..."
"What?" he demanded.
"Sorry," I apologized, "It's just that you...you look awful. I warned you that you would get sick, Chance." He gave me a little wicked grin and sniffled lightly.
"Well then, there's nothing keeping me from doing this..." He swept me into a kiss. I kissed him back, only pulling away to sneeze again. "Bless you, my love."
"You need to stop doing that..." I said, "It's embarrass-....embarra-...e-emba-...e-em-... Ehh-...HeeeehTSHEEW!" I sniffled. Levitating over a tissue, I blew my nose harshly and rubbed my snout. "I hope this sneezing doesn't last." He nodded.
"Me too," he agreed, "It kinda makes me feel bad to see you feel so dreadful."
We walked back to the main library, where we curled up again. "We should get some more rest. Maybe it will help." We fell asleep again in each other's arms.
Author's Note
D'aww. Cuteness. I like writing this, but I know it is awful.
From Earth to Equus: An Utterly Impossible Oddesy
A blinding flash. Rainbow light cascaded around the room and I heard a loud shriek. I knew that it was working. The hissing voice of the nightmare faded and it became Sam's voice again. The voice it was supposed to be. That voice that I always listened to when no one else made sense. The voice of my best friend.
Sam was changing, but that wasn't all that was happening. The magic inside me was diminishing. I fell to the ground, feeling weak and drained. I was no longer needed, and my awakened time was ending. Which meant that Chance's would be too. I look over at him and see the young colt that I knew from my memories. The young colt that I fell in love with. Though I felt like dropping from exhaustion, I went to him. "Chance." I laid down next to him and leaned into him.
"Carmen? Chance?" Sammy's voice called, "What happened?"
"...It's a long story," I murmured, closing my eyes. Sleep came quickly and willingly, and before I knew it, I was out.
I awoke in a bed in Ponyville. How I got there, I still don't know. Nopony will tell me anything. They didn't want to tell me. However, they did find it very important to mention that the other ponies who I thought might have been changelings were most definitely not. The Nightmare had given them horns or wings, or both in one case, because I had envisioned it as such and to distract us from what it was doing to Sam. I was so glad that it wasn't my fault. We now have several normal ponies, who were a little upset that they were not as blessed as they had originally thought. I'm not worried about it though. I'm sure that they'll grow to love their new lives, even if they aren't royalty.
As for me, with our Nightmare problem out of the way, I finally had time to relax. My room became my life, intruded only by my 'siblings'. However, there was a time, many years later, when all that changed.
I was a mere few years away from becoming the final ruler of Equestria, being the youngest of us all. I remember how excited I was and how determined I was that I had to be perfect for when the coronation day finally came. I went to my room one night, and found Chance Wind, who had been crowned a few years ago but had never truly taken his title yet, waiting for me. Before I could even say anything, he pulled out the ring. The marriage was a whirlwind of new memories and revisiting the old ones.
A few years later, on schedule, I was crowned Princess Chroma of Equestria, and Chance finally took the name Gale. There were now five rulers in Equestria, just like there still are today.
__________________________________________________________________________
And we could never be happier.
Never...
