Pete Powell in Equestria

It was a week after Hearth's Warming, three weeks after Pete moved to Ponyville, when a Twilight Sparkle came to his house with a letter from Celestia. The reigning princess of the land had called all of the humans as well as the Elements of Harmony to Canterlot. Some terrible thing had happened and apparently they were all involved. Twilight gathered Rarity and Xander, Pete went to Sugarcube Corner for Maxwell and Pinkie, while Rainbow Dash went to the far locations of Fluttershy's cottage and Sweet Apple Acres. They all convened at the train station within an hour, each of them bundled up for the cold weather and light snowfall.

Some magic kept the inside of the train warm, which pleased the group as they sat, some more comfortably than others, in the coach seats. Pete took note of the humans and their hosts, almost as a second nature. Rarity and Xander were sitting next to each other, but that only seemed odd because Lance and Applejack were on opposite sides of the train, two ponies between them total. Jake and Twilight had no issues sitting next to each other, and they were both quietly discussing what the issue could be. Pinkie was looking over Maxwell's shoulder at something he was drawing, and strangely Lucy and Fluttershy were almost pressed into the same area of the seat. He couldn't tell if it was nerves or what but there was something strange with them too.

“What if it's another god like being, like Discord? Or something worse, like an eldritch horror!” Jake pondered loudly, getting the attention of everyone on board.

“Calm down,” Twilight scolded, gently thwacking the human's shoulder with her hoof. “Do you want to cause a panic?”

“Uh, Twilight?” Pete looked around and then back to the unicorn. “There's no one else on this train. Celestia sent it for us special for some reason.”

“Well there's a conductor somewhere,” she retorted, “Somepony has to drive the train.”

“Whoever is driving the train is probably busy driving the train. Jake brings up some, well not good, but interesting points. What could this problem be that's so big it needs all twelve of us?”

A look of inspiration dawned on Jake's face. “Wait, there's six Elements of Harmony, and there's six of us humans! It's like we're balanced or something.”

Pete groaned, “You just realized that?”

“Hey, my mind has been occupied by things other than that.”

“He has a point,” Twilight conceded. “I've been bouncing some ideas about magical theory off of him and, well, he's been studying.”

“That's surprising. I wouldn't have thought you were the type.”

Jake scoffed at the accusation. “I'll have you know that I can be very studious, when the subject matter is as interesting as magic.”

“Never would have guessed,” Pete admitted. “So, beyond that, seriously, can anyone think of what problem needs the Elements of Harmony, plus five non magic humans, and one magic human that can't do jack without an evil sword?”

All of them were quiet. Some simply shrugged, others seemed to give the idea some thought, but no one spoke up. It was a mystery to Pete as well. Jake and the others had virtually no power, especially compared to a unicorn or alicorn. Whatever problem was waiting in Canterlot had to be unique to warrant their presence.

As the train pulled up the mountain something strange became apparent. A wave passed over the group causing them all to shudder, and the sun seemed to change position. After confirming everyone was fine, Twilight and Pete looked out the window at the sun. It was directly overhead. Roughly two hours back from when they started the trip. Celestia could have done it, but why?

“Or maybe it's related to whatever this problem is,” Jake offered.

Twilight didn't like the idea at all, but she had to confess it was possible. Chronomancy, or time spells, did exist after all. Things didn't change once they reached the station. The sun remained locked in the middle of the sky, and adding to the weirdness there were no ponies in Canterlot. More accurately there were none outside.

Moving up the street to the castle, the city eerily silent for midday, Pete noticed a few eyes looking out from the houses. Stores were closed and doors were locked. Nothing nefarious seemed to be going on, however. His training in the guard wasn't kicking in, and Twilight claimed there was no magic afoot. Something had stopped the sun, but only in the area around Canterlot.

Inside the castle walls a pair of guards approached and led the group to a room in one of the towers of the castle. It was circular, with one large window overlooking the city, the walls were lined with books, and there was a strange arcane symbol carved into the floor across from the one window. Most important though was the presence of both princesses, their faces grave.

The guards shut the door behind the group and the twelve spread out in a semi circle, each looking at the alicorns with a face of confusion.

“A week ago the sun ceased its movements in Canterlot,” Celestia said outright. “The combined strength of my sister and I have failed to move it, but we have confirmed that it continues as we direct outside of the city.”

Twilight blinked and stepped forward, “Princess, what does that mean?”

“Something is interfering with time in a localized area, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna explained. “We have continued to move the sun and moon for the rest of the world, but we have realized the field is growing. Every day that passes more areas become like Canterlot. Within a week Ponyville would also have this frozen sun.”

“That definitely sounds like a magic problem. Uh, your majesties,” Jake added with a sheepish look.

“It is,” Celestia nodded, “But it unfortunately concerns you humans.”

“How does it involve them?” Twilight looked at both princesses.

“My sister and I have discovered the source of the problem. It lies with the humans.” Luna looked at the group as a whole as the shock rippled through them individually. “As we noticed upon returning from Pete's world, time moves differently for the humans there as it does for us. Why this is so we cannot say, but it is fact.”

Celestia turned and addressed the group as well. “There is something about the humans that is causing this. What it is we don't know, and we do not have the time to study it. Luna and I have shielded Canterlot from the ill effects we would face from constant sunlight, but it cannot hold forever. The citizens are in a panic and rightfully so.”

“We have a decision you all must make.” Luna looked at Celestia, who nodded in return. “Either we can send you back to your own world... or we can attempt to make you into ponies.”

“There is something unique about you, perhaps the change wouldn't solve anything, or perhaps it will. However the only other recourse we would have if it fails is to send you back.”

Xander crossed his arms, “And since time moves differently between these worlds, there is no telling what we would go back to. Grieving family, lost homes and jobs. We have spent so much time here it would not be an option.”

The other humans locked up upon hearing the observation. He was right of course, and Pete knew it. Rainbow Dash had told him they had returned after living a month in his world less than a week after leaving in their own. If a week in Equestria was a month in the human world, and the humans had been in Equestria for seven months.

“Twenty eight months,” Twilight mumbled just loud enough.

“Two years,” Xander simplified.

“We've been gone that long?” Lucy looked almost terrified.

“That's about how long we were gone,” Twilight said. “At least roughly. Almost one week passed here after living with Pete for almost a month.”

Jake stepped forward, moving between the alicorns. “Sounds like we don't have a choice then. Pony me up!”

The alicorns were clearly taken aback. His decision was rather sudden after all.

“He is right,” Xander said, stepping forward. “If this is what must be done, then it must be done.”

Lance was next, nodding affirmatively.

“Can't go back,” Maxwell muttered, almost to himself. “Don't want to.”

Lucy looked at Fluttershy, then at the alicorns and nodded as well.

“Guess that settles that, princesses.” Pete ran his hand through is hair and chuckled. “Didn't think this was where thing would go but, hey, maybe it's for the best?”

“We will do this one at a time,” Luna said, her voice unsteady. She was losing the human race a second time.

“The strain it will put on us is rather extreme,” Celestia explained, “We will also need to rest between changes.”

The group nodded and stood back. Jake, already between the sisters, was the first. The alicorns chanted in unison, an old tongue even Twilight didn't recognize. Magic poured forth from their horns almost tangibly, like water, and enveloped Jake's body. A look of surprise, and maybe pain, washed over his face as his body slowly altered. Legs and arms became hooves, the head changed, mass seemed to vanish as he grew shorter to the usual pony size, and a horn sprouted from his head. His fur came in as a dark reddish brown, and his mane and tail retained his hair color. The process took a half hour, and when it was over he stumbled away, eyes rolling. Celestia and Luna sat, breathing hard, and watched him.

“This is weird,” Jake said, tripping and falling over having four legs. Twilight caught him with her magic and stood him up, adjusting his spacing so he could at least stand. “Guess those magic lessons are going to pay off now though.” He chuckled and tried to look up at his new horn.

The humans entered the circle flanked by the alicorns in the order they had stepped forward in. Xander came next, becoming a half earth pony half zebra perhaps due to his human lineage. His coat was a light shade of blue, but it was also marked by many dark stripes.

“I suppose I should have expected this,” he sighed and stepped down, taking it slower than Jake had.

“Darling, you look exotic. Don't be upset.” Rarity was eyeing the still large, now stallion, quite aggressively.

He winced at the word exotic. “Please, don't.”

The fashionista blushed lightly. “I'm sorry, I only meant to say that it looks good on you. There is no reason to feel ashamed of who you are.”

Xander nodded, clearly not convinced, but it was nothing he hadn't dealt with before. Pete certainly felt sympathy for him.

Once again Lance followed. The transformation took slightly longer, the fatigue of the sister's showing, but the process remained the same. Almost an hour later another earth pony was deposited, coat and mane very similar shades of yellow, the coat just a little less vibrant than the mane and tail. Lance stood up, carefully and looked himself over. With a deep breath he walked over to Applejack and smiled.

“Well, if you didn't like my human self, how about this?”

The farm pony went slack jawed. “Are you sayin' you agreed to this because of that?”

“It certainly crossed my mind.”

She blushed and looked away from him. “S'all right,” AJ mumbled.

“Wait,” Pete stepped over, “What are you two talking about?”

“None of your business, Pete Powell!” Applejack shouted, the human deftly moving his foot to avoid her hoof crashing down on it.

Lance chuckled and sat. “I won't lie,” he grinned at AJ quickly, “I came onto miss Applejack a while ago and she turned me down. She said it was awkward because I was a human. Now I am not.”

The collective had to keep from bombarding the pair with questions. There were too many and AJ was right, none of their business.

“Well, hopefully that works out for you, Lance.”

After a long down time the next person stepped into the circle. Maxwell became a pegasus, surprising everyone considering most pegasi were hyper active, and Max was the opposite. His coat was a deep red that complimented his naturally orange hair, now mane. He said nothing as he slowly walked back over to the group.

“He's going to need flying lessons,” Rainbow said to the group.

“I hope he isn't afraid of heights,” Fluttershy added in her usual tone. “I mean, it would be kind of sad if he was like that and, um, didn't like flying.”

“Like you?”

Fluttershy eeped and blushed, looking at the ground. Lucy, almost naturally, crouched and put an arm around the pegasus. Things were coming to light, it seemed, that Pete felt he should have known. It had been a long time since he'd caught up with any of the humans, or the other Elements for that matter.

Lucy was next, her pony form becoming a pegasus as well, an almost bland white coat to go with her black mane and tail. Like Lance she walked over to her host pony, only she was blushing.

“D-do you remember? Y-you said it was awkward in public because I-I was a human?” she forced herself to speak. Fluttershy blushed crimson and nodded in response, and her nod was met by a sudden kiss. The recently human, turned mare, confidently and almost desperately kissed the shy pegasus in front of her. It went on for almost a full minute, the entire group frozen with shock at the forward display of affection.

Lance was the first to recover, shooting Applejack a grin that brought another blush to the mare's cheeks.

Once the kiss was over Fluttershy looked at the group, still red, and said, “W-we've been, um, dating f-for a while. I hope that's not weird.” Her sentence trailed off into silence at the end.

Pete stepped forward. “Fluttershy, I'm dating two mares. How is what you're doing any more weird than that?”

Instantly her friends were at her side, hugging the mare and congratulating them both, and even the humans turned ponies got in on it. Pete realized it probably gave a few of them hope for their own crushes and potential relationships. Strangely, he felt things would probably get easier for him too once he was a pony. Then it got dark.

The group looked up from their hug as the light returned, and it became dark again. Outside the window the sun was moving, as was the moon. The week that Canterlot had been stuck in daylight was passing by now. Whatever field of power kept the sun in place dissipated causing the astral bodies to match up with the outside world. When it finally stopped moving the sun was positioned almost for nightfall, a sign for Luna to lower the sun and raise the moon.

Pete was still human.

“Maybe the field shrunk enough with just us?” Jake proposed, trying to scratch his head with a hoof.

They turned to Celestia for answers, but the Princess of the Sun was staring at her sister. Slowly their eyes drifted to Luna. She swallowed nervously under their gaze, and then met her sister's eyes.

“I didn't know.”

“Know what?” Pete asked, confusion obviously written on his face.

“The humans of old they didn't mix with ponies, they were too different. They were immune to our empathy, they couldn't cast magic, they were the weakest species on our planet. I had to do something.”

Celestia's face became like stone. “What did you do?”

Luna turned to face Pete, tears in her eyes. “It was the only way. You wouldn't wake up. Please.”

Pete stepped back, a tightness forming in his chest. “Am … am I dead? Did I die?”

Solemnly Luna nodded, “I made you a new body, a new form. I changed things. Adapted you to our world and placed your soul inside it.”

The human looked down at his hands and then his body. It wasn't his, not really. It was new. That was why his heart never hurt, why he was missing scars, why his eyesight was perfect now.

Luna managed a smile and took a step .towards him “But this means not all of the humans need to vanish again. There is still one.”

A sudden darkness cast over Pete's heart. One. The last human. Only one. There couldn't be any more, or at least there was no reason for them to be. If they were they would be like him. The discomfort at the idea of swapping souls into new bodies was apparent on everyone else's face. A nervousness about the concept, and perhaps a fear about the one in their midst.

Without a word Pete left the room. He ran down the stairs only to be met with Luna at the bottom, the alicorn having teleported ahead of him. She tried to reason with him again but reason was not on Pete's mind. Distorted and angry, he held out his arm and channeled. The magic built up in his finger tips. Luna's eyes went wide and she shouted for him to stop, but it was too late.

Pete screamed in agony on the floor of the Night Guard barracks, abandoned during the day. His arm was a bloody mess, more of a stump or paste. Releasing magic without a reinforced casting implement causes severe damage to the caster. What was left of his arm was in pieces, most of them on the floor. Bits of bone and flesh. But he was Equestrian made. Magic flowed within him naturally, and unnaturally his blood steadily ceased to flow from the grievous wound. He was dizzy, sick, injured, but alone. He needed to be alone. To think about what Luna had said meant.

The wound beginning to heal signaled the first course of his thoughts. He was, effectively, a human unicorn. His magic would sustain him longer than anyone else. Hundreds of years suddenly opened up before him. He would be the one to outlive his mates, not the other way around. Another realization struck him as he clung to the remains of his right arm, which now stopped at the elbow. He had cast magic without his sword. The power was his all along, the Nightmare fragment simply allowed him to use it without injury.

A whimper escaped his lips as the pain surged again. Tears rolled down his face and he rested his head against the wall behind him. He was in the office of the barracks, that much he knew, but it was all he really knew any more. Luna had kept something so massive from him, something that explained so many strange things.

His thoughts were all he had as he sat in the corner next to the pulp that had been his arm, crying. Shade or Wisp would find him soon enough, when the Night Guard shifts started at the latest. Until then he sat and tried to deal with what he had learned. After a while his thoughts slowed down and he became very tired. The adrenaline rush was ending and he began to feel the pain even more. His eyes closed as he heard the door to the barracks open and somepony began to shout, but their voice sounded far away.

He woke up slowly, dazed and blurry eyed. For a second time since arriving. His right arm came instinctively to his face and he rubbed his eyes. The room was vaguely familiar, it was the castle infirmary. A typical hospital gown had been put on him, he realized as he sat up and looked around. The gauze flanked doctor was reading a chart across the room, oblivious to her patient's awakening. And then Pete realized his arm was back.

Stunned he pulled his right arm, which he'd just used instinctively, up to his face and stared at it. Fingers wiggled on command and there was no sign of the damage he'd done at all. Then the doctor noticed him. Their eyes locked for a second and she jumped up and ran out of the room. Pete, still blurry and sore, laid back down knowing full well what would come next. Within minutes his assumptions were proven correct as Rainbow Dash practically dive bombed into his bed, forcing her way under the covers and into his arms. Followed shortly after by stamping a hoof onto his chest and knocking the air out of him.

“You idiot!”

“I know,” he choked as he struggled to breathe.

Seconds later his bed was surrounded by ponies, including the princesses. Luna was to the side discussing Pete's condition with the doctor while the rest of them looked at him with mixtures of fear and anger. Mostly though it was obvious they wanted to know what had prompted him to run away. And he began to explain.

He reminded, or told if they didn't know, the humans now turned ponies that their lifespans would be different. Holding up his restored arm he explained how it had stopped bleeding on its own thanks to the magic that he now knew was innate to him. How unicorns lived the longest for the same reason, how he had been experiencing things the other humans hadn't. The realization that he was, in a strange way, alone now.

“We're still here,” Jake said, wobbling his way onto his back hooves to slam a forehoof on the bed. “We may be ponies now, and there's going to be some getting used to for that, but we were human once. You'll get through this.”

“Why do we not change him into a pony as well?” Xander inquired of the royals.

“Because my sister has already made him in tune with this universe,” Celestia started, “we don't know what making him into a pony would do.”

“If we risked it,” Luna stepped over and looked at Pete sadly, “he may not survive. The change may give him additional magic, and he already has more than he should have.”

Celestia looked at Luna coldly. “And who is at fault for that?”

The blue alicorn looked at the floor and sighed. “I have already apologized, sister. I do not know what else to do.”

Pete sighed and laid back. “I'm sorry for running off, and thanks for fixing my arm. I think that,” he sighed again, “I just need some more time to process this.”

“We understand, Pete,” Celestia nodded. “Don't do anything foolish again, please. Luna and I will see what we can do, but it will be pointless if you end up dead.”

The princesses wrangled everypony from the room, Rainbow Dash included, and Pete pulled the blanket on the bed up to his chin. Alone again with just his thoughts. Stable now, clear headed.

I knew there was something about you. The mysterious voice made Pete sit up and look around. This time he saw something. The same large figure from Chrysalis' cave. A mass of scaly darkness. No, darkness wasn't right. It was tangible, or at least it had texture. How had it gotten into the castle without being seen?

No one can see me unless I want them too, Pete Powell. I know quite a lot about you, but you don't know anything about me. So I thought it was time for some quid pro quo as you say.

Pete shook his head. The creature's mouth didn't move, it wasn't speaking aloud.

I am an Aspect. A special race the dragons tried to create with their own brand of magic long ago. We feed on the emotions of certain creatures, each of us specially tied to one individual until they pass. And you, your dark thoughts are absolutely delicious.

“Fuck you,” Pete spat.

Oh please, you embarrass me. The simple fact is I'm here, and I've been watching you ever since your trip to Ponyville. Feeding on those twisted little thoughts. Your anger, you lust, your desire for power.

“You were in the forest. You led us to those changelings,” he realized, too late now.

Very smart, boy. You see, there is a catch to me. I am bound to you, like it or not. I can't do anything to harm you, not directly. Mmm, but I can taunt you, wear you down, lead you to places and things that might.

“What's your goal? What do you want from me?”

The more you feel those emotions the stronger I become. And that is what I want. I want you to sink into the rage, the primal feelings locked inside your brain, let them out, let them be in control.

“You're like a changeling then, feeding on thoughts and emotions.”

Close, but quite different as well

The shade leaned forward and touched Pete's arm, his hand suddenly, painfully, swelling with muscles. It changed, much like it had with his sword, but it was bigger, and it looked exactly like the claw of the Aspect. Pete jerked his arm back, his flesh turning normal as he did.

I'll be around. Watching, waiting. And one day you'll be at your lowest, your weakest. When you really need power, I will be there. Then, only then, will I finally achieve what none of my kind had before.

His laughter trailed off into the air as he vanished from sight, and from Pete's mind. The human pressed his back against the wall and stared at the empty room. Another mystery, another dark shadow that wanted to control him. More monsters.

Across the castle, Celestia had finally broken the seal on the journal. She poured through it in a matter of hours, skimming details she knew, searching for something. At the end she found it. Mention of a mysterious magical artifact, made by-.

A shadow caught her attention, strange, almost with form. It vanished as she looked. Part of her wanted to dismiss it, but shadows and darkness were his specialty. They had been when he was around. How he had survived this long she didn't know, but Cadance's reports on Sombra's own journals had proven it for her. Somehow he had survived tens of thousands of years. A normal unicorn, powerful, but just a unicorn. At least he had been.