Not Alone
Kevin had done it.
He had arrived in Equestria; on a lush grassland on the outskirts of the village. It provided an excellent vista point for not only the quaint little town he knew and loved, but the majestic mountains beyond it. And Kevin knew that, in the silhouetted castle hanging precariously off the mountainside, lived its even more regal residents. He let his jaw hang open as he indulged in the sight. It was perfect yet all too real.
It was like something right off the television.
No amount of eye-rubbing, pinching or useless mental exercises convinced Kevin that it was only a dream. Even if it was, it didn't matter to him. All that mattered to him now in his overblown elation was that he was here. He had done what any other brony in the expansive fandom could only dream of, possibly even kill for.
But in retrospect, he actually had done nothing. All he did was watch helplessly as his body almost accidentally fell into the psychedelic hole that appeared before him, one grey rainy day in the county of Sussex. As he stood there, still unable to look away from the cartoony splendor that had become a reality, he decided he wanted no explanation or reason. He just wanted to enjoy it. It appeared his walk back to the dorm had taken a turn for the better.
How long had he been staring and gaping he never knew, but after a while, he realized that there was a better way to enjoy this little miracle that he had the luck to receive. As cliched and overdone the concept was in every single bad piece of fan fiction he read, it felt like the right thing to do. After all, what could one expect from a town named 'Ponyville'?
Ponies, of course.
Kevin composed himself, wiped the sweat from his brow and straightened his school jersey. As appropriate as it felt to be jumping for joy right now, it wasn't the right time. He figured that, given how nopony would have seen a human before, he would already receive a rather mixed response on arrival.
"Alright," he said to himself, taking deep breaths, "I'm in Equestria. This is a fact. I'm in Equestria. This is not a dream. I'm in Equestria." At least he thought it wasn't a dream... and he hoped so too. Fortunately, all evidence so far was against that deduction.
"Just be cool, walk into town, and don't do anything stupid." Giddy with excitement and a sense of confidence, the unexpected visitor made his way into Ponyville with a skip in his step.
He kept a calm exterior, but it was killing him on the inside. As he walked briskly closer and closer to the village, his mind was swirling with questions and possibilities: How big are the ponies? Is there really magic? What will their response to a human be? All these questions merely fed that anticipating flame in the pit of his stomach. In the end, Kevin could not withhold the grin that spread across his face with the thought that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to meet the Mane Six!
"This is crazy." He muttered, "This can't be real. Even if it is, this is really overdone..."
As overdone as it was, what else would one do in this kind of situation? Walk towards the Everfree Forest? It also comforted Kevin knowing that sooner or later, he would have to talk to somepony, whether it was to ask for directions, to spend the night, and maybe even to find a way home. But honestly, going home was far far at the back of his frantic mind at the moment.
So on he went, droning to himself about how it could not be real and yet it was, asking himself questions and talking to himself in excitement, like a madman who escaped from the asylum. He kept doing so until he was at the edge of the town, where a row of hay-roofed houses began to dot the landscape.
Kevin couldn't believe it. The houses, the environment, the partly medieval setting! True to the series, everything depicted in the was accurately portrayed right in front of him in life size! He couldn't help but let out a little squeal, which he hated to do, even when watching the show. He spun around, as he kept on walking, taking it all in.
"Um... hello?"
He clumsily halted at the sound of this new voice. A rather girly voice if he ever heard one. His heart turned into a rock, pounding against his chest when he knew he was about to talk to his first pony. Slowly, he turned his head around to where the voice came. Down the road, which he didn't notice he had wandered into, stood a mint green unicorn. A bit of her similarly-coloured hair hung over her mellow yellow eyes, and her mane looked like the furry equivalent of toothpaste.
And Kevin knew who she was immediately.
"L-Lyra!" He exclaimed, almost yelping in delight. It was followed by a quick clasped hand to the mouth.
"I thought I heard a squeal down this way." The unicorn teased. She approached the human with a small smile on her face, unlike Kevin whose feet had decided to glue themselves to the ground.
Wait a minute, the human thought, this wasn't right. Lyra was known in the fandom for being obsessed with hands and everything human. This was her first time ever seeing a human. Why was she not clinging to him like an overly attached girlfriend?!
Not that he wanted that of course. Kevin disliked clop.
"U-Uh... yeah... um...." He was lost for words, talking to his first pony. He took a second to examine the pony close up. It turns out they were a lot bigger than the show wanted you to think. They were smaller than regular ponies, standing at shoulder height with Kevin, who was five feet nine. But she still had the appearance of a cartoon character! Her hooves weren't hooves, they looked like cut-off blobs! Her mane was way too nice for any earthly pony he had ever seen. And her eyes -by god, her eyes- could be best described as small dinner plates. Accompanied with her stubby snout, it made her look cute. But no doubt that such huge eyes could look crazy if it wanted to.
"Is something wrong?" She asked with genuine curiosity.
"Uh, erm, no! Everything's fine. Hi." He pulled out his hand and waved it, a little too closely, at Lyra. This helped Kevin confirm that he didn't in fact turn into a pony too. But this confused him further.
Why wasn't she going crazy?! She's not even surprised to see a human!
The sight of a human hand did not get the response that Kevin had expected. Lyra instead took a step back, having been made uncomfortable by the hand that was shoved right in her face. The moment hung for one awkward moment.
"Well... if nothing's wrong, I'll best be on my way then." She turned to leave, revealing the cutie mark of a golden lyre on her flank.
This caused the human to be frustrated. He was confused, upset even, that the first pony he had ever seen showed little interest in him.
"Wait wait wait wait." His excitement had been tossed aside, replaced with a stern confusion that needed answers. Lyra didn't seem to mind giving them.
"Yes?" She said, turning her head.
"I gotta know. Why aren't you going crazy seeing me? Aren't you supposed to be obsessed with hands or human behaviour or-or something?! I figured you'd be flipping your sh-coat right now!"
Lyra considered his statements for a moment with a blank expression. Then bursted into laughter. Now Kevin was not only confused, but a tad irritated. There was something going on around here, and he didn't know what it was. And this -a pony that looked like she was laughing at him- was not exactly the kind of welcome he was expecting. He seethed in his own bewilderment, waiting patiently for Lyra to compose herself.
She wiped a tear from one of her ridiculously big eyes, and went on a lot more cheerily this time, "Well, sir, I don't know how outdated your information is. But I got over that phase long ago!" She giggled, "I guess that explains why you acted a little a weirdly. I figured all of you guys would've known by now."
This answer made no sense to the human whatsoever. 'Got over that phase'?! 'All of you guys'?! What?!
"Anyway, I really gotta run. Always a pleasure to meet a human though!" And with that, she hummed a tune to herself as she trotted around the corner.
Kevin was left standing there again. And yet again, with his mouth open. But not with amazement this time, it was more disbelief. The first pony he met, and she passed him off like a normal acquaintance. That was far beyond what anyone he thought could wind up in Equestria and expect. Nonetheless, he did not let this little 'setback' slow him down. That was only the first pony he met today. Maybe he would get a different response from the others? Maybe even answers?
He trudged onward, adding these new statements from Lyra to his long list of mysteries of Equestria.
The further he walked into Ponyville, the more disorientated he was. Not because he found out that everypony around him was not surprised to see him, but because everything in three dimensions made it hard to navigate. It took the young man a few moments to get his bearings, learning for himself that a two-dimensional representation of something made it feel so much smaller. And he carried on this way; wandering the town, getting disoriented again, saying hi to background ponies expecting a response and then getting confused again. It would have all been rather tedious if Kevin did not remind himself that there was a whole new world out there. A world of magic, mystery and adventure! He figured he'd probably get to that soon enough, but right now things weren't exactly going as he expected them to. Maybe he had read so many stories that he expected it to always go that one way. Sure, they were friendly and nice and equine, but their lack of astonishment really astonished the human in this situation.
Having thought the whole thing over, Kevin gave up on that inflated idea. He decided to appreciate that he was even here in the first place. Better yet, he became aware of the second most sensible thing to do that would almost make it worthwhile.
"If I were a pony with a lot of questions, and needed some kind of magical yet logical explanation, who would be the best pony to ask?" He also became aware of how he had been talking to himself more. And without a single doubt in his mind, he tried to map a way from memory the route to a certain purple unicorn's library.
The thought of being able to see at least one of the Mane Six brought renewed energy to this two-legged creature. There was a bounce in his step, especially after he spotted the dark green top of the large oak tree in the distance. As he neared his destination, he began to think about how he would act around her and what questions he could ask without sounding too silly. Not that Twilight hadn't had her own share of crazy characters.
Unfortunately, that encounter never had the chance to occur.
At last, after having walked and gotten lost a couple of times, Kevin made it to the base of the large oak tree! Well... the back of it anyway. Somehow he managed to circle half the town at one point, blaming it on how the average houses looked quite the same. He imagined that Twilight was just beyond the circumference of the professionally hollowed tree. And having already seen a good amount of ponies, he could picture what Celestia's star student would look like. But seeing it for real was what really built the anxiety. Suddenly, the sound of her voice, ridiculously similar to her voice actress, rung through the Kevin's ears.
"... and everything you asked for should be in that bag, but you might want to check again because I only checked it three times."
Kevin found himself plastered against side of the tree. Her voice sounded a lot closer than expected.
"Ah, we'll take your word for it." It sounded like another pony. A stallion as it were. "After all, if we're missing anything, we could always come back. It's not that hard, really."
Kevin settled on revealing himself there and then. It's not as if he was going to get a worse welcome, and everypony was generally kind anyway. On top of that, he thought he looked a little ridiculous hugging a tree like this.
With a deep breath and more questions than answers, he walked round to the door of the library. He was confident that he would have to be noticed then. Maybe she could explain the reason why he was here.
How wrong he was.
Indeed, Twilight was not along at the library entrance. Just the sight of her made Kevin's stomach flip, like the reaction of seeing your favourite celebrity. Indeed, she was talking to someone, and paused mid-sentence when she spotted the human. But that wasn't the end of it.
Kevin's jaw dropped for the umpteenth time that day. But this time, it was sheer shock. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who Twilight was talking to. Standing there, a lot taller than the small horse and a few meters from Kevin stood...
Another. Human.
The thick silence was held by the three of them, two of them gazing startled at the third, and the third gazing startled at the second. Kevin's racing mind managed to take note of a couple of things in that moment.
One. He was not alone in this world like he had imagined. Which explained to him why other ponies were not surprised to see him.
Two. For some reason or other, this other man was wearing wings. Worn over a white long-sleeved shirt and strapped to his body, folded onto the man's back.
The second made so little sense, Kevin decided to concentrate on the first two before he went insane.
"Oh..." The word escaped the other man's mouth, huddling a bag of scrolls on one arm. "Well... this is awkward."
This stoic and humorous response was the last thing Kevin heard. A hard thud followed.
"Oh geez..." The words echoed in his mind.
WIthin a few minutes, they were gathered inside the library. Twilight swiftly flipped a library sign to 'closed', and diverted her attention to this new situation at hand. She walked up to the group before her, and was visibly more concerned than either of them.
"Damn it, Addy!" The man that this new human had spotted said, "You didn't have to hit him so hard!" He caressed the lump that had appeared on the back of the unconscious being's head.
The third human was a young lady, clad in a casual hoodie and jeans. She sounded typically american. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm still getting used to my gloves here!" She reasoned, "But we don't know how much he's seen or how long he's been here. I have no sedatives for this kind of situation!"
"Twilight," the man asked, "have you seen this guy around before?"
"No, Chris, he looks new." The purple unicorn gently pushed pass Chris, the apparent winged man, "And with a knock like that, who's to say he won't be forgetting it."
Kevin's body was limp, but was put upright in a chair. Nobody knew how long he would stay out. The three other conscious creatures assessed the situation. Even though humans were around now, it was not every day a new one would show up like this.
"Asian," Addy commented, "but school jacket is from the UK."
"Oh, Ben would love that."
"A teenager in the upper bound, a little chubby if you ask me."
"Teenager?" This caused Chris to be alarmed, "Addy, we can't have kids here for too long. They have families that will be worried as hell!"
"Sounds like a typical HiE fanfic, don'tcha think?"
The two humans chuckled at this little joke. They knew what they were talking about. Twilight on the other hand, was not as amused.
"So what do we do now?" Twilight was the one to ask the important question.
"You don't have to do anything, Twilight." Chris kept his calm composure, allowing a little grin, "With luck, he'll be out for a couple of days. But we'll sedate him-"
"What?!"
"-harmlessly, of course, so that we can get him to PC safely."
"And what then?"
"When he wakes, he'll decide." Addy finished, "Just like everyone else."
"And what choice does he have?" Twilight poked, relaxing into the situation, "He might just end up like one of you guys!"
"Hey! That's not a bad thing." Addy playfully retorted.
"Well, that's his decision." Chris put his hand on the limp body's shoulder, "If he wants to leave, the portals are always open. If not..." he ruffled the hair on Kevin's head.
"... then we have ourselves another Peacemaker."
Recall
The room was dimly lit, even as the rising sun began to shed its orange light on the little town and its residents.
The hard wood door creaked on its iron hinges as it slowly opened, revealing a man drowsy from his waking hours, who strolled into the expansive study, lined with shelves of scrolls and books. However, the man knew that what was scribbled on those pages was not what anypony would expect to find in an ordinary library. He acknowledged this everyday, every morning when he would walk past those neatly organized bookcases and plop himself down at the equally wooden table in the center of this organized mess.
The man wore a fitting long-sleeve shirt and black jeans; something he wore almost everyday if not for a varying colour scheme. His black hair was still wet from the shower, shedding droplets of water onto his sweatshirt. His shoes were plain black high-tops that he had worn for the past five years. Even his watch was black and white, with only the strip of the red clock hand to break the colourless monotony. To the average human being, he looked as normal as the next guy; a stranger walking down the street that you could forget in a minute. That was as long as he didn't show what made him truly stand out.
However, given the circumstances that he had put himself under, he was far from an average guy.
The man rolled up his sleeves, seeing the little stack of scrolls that wasn't there yesterday. Like every other morning, this was an administrative duty that had to be carried out. He liked to compare it to the mountain of responsibilities of the princesses and remember how fortunate he was. With a small smile, he pulled something from under his shirt. Tied around his neck was his most valued possession: a golden circular pendant, decorated with six vibrant gems of six different colours in the formation of a star in the center. It was a gleaming medallion that symbolized many things, with stories that had been hidden away.
In his lethargy, the man slumped back in his seat, staring at the medallion that reflected what little light that entered the room. It gave the impression that it was glowing, and whose to say it wasn't? And without it, none of this would have been possible.
Having finally realized how dark it was in the big room, he pulled himself up and made for the door to the balcony, swinging it open to allow the light of Celestia's sun to fill the study. A nice breeze befit for that day's weather gushed in as well, and the man barely noticed his paperwork as it rolled lazily onto the floor. He was too busy enjoying the view of the village below. Every day, he would be greeted by this view, and every day he would be reminded of what he was thankful for. Of course, it was no Ponyville, but it was good enough for him.
After all, it was his idea.
"Sir?" A quiet voice came from the room.
The man turned around at the sound of the voice, and peeking through the door was a young cobalt pony, with large cyan eyes that the man had grown used to.
"Good morning, Millie." The man took one more glance at the rising sun before returning indoor, "Is something up?"
"Good morning, Sir." The colt said shyly, "Chris and Addy have returned from Ponyville. They've got the scrolls and books we asked for."
"That's great! Give him my thanks and put it in the library for me, will you?" The man said in a cheery voice, even after he became aware of the scrolls that had dropped and was stepping on.
"Um... I think you can tell him that yourself, Sir..." Millie's eyes glanced over his shoulder sheepishly.
"Why's that?" He asked, picking up his now-crumpled paperwork.
Just at that moment, a man with wings swung the door wide open. Sweat dripped from his face as he gasped for breath.
"Hello, boss."
"Chris?" All paperwork was thrown onto the table as the man went to assist his fellow human. "Wow, when I said said 'ASAP', I didn't actually mean it."
"It's not that..." Chris panted, "We've found... something..."
"Chris, we find things everyday." the boss said cockily but calmly, "You didn't run all the way from the train station to tell me that did you?"
"I flew, actually... from Ponyville." Chris began to catch his breath.
"You what?! Then where's Addy?"
"On a train. We couldn't leave him alone."
"Take a rest, buddy, the train doesn't arrive in another-"
The room fell silent, if not for scrolls that fell to the floor another time. The man paused, letting Chris' words sink in.
"I'm sorry," he said, leaning on to the table, "Did you say... 'him'?"
Chris nodded solemnly.
"Is he... one of us?"
Chris shook his head.
Another pause filled the room.
"Oh boy..." the boss muttered under his breath.
"It's a day's travel by train." Millie added, "They'll only be here by sundown."
"I've already told Trotter to prepare the hostel. We haven't had anyone in a long time." Chris smiled.
"Indeed we haven't." the man smiled too, but it wasn't necessarily a happy one, "Well, this'll definitely make this week more interesting. Millie, I'm going out. Take care of the Keep while I'm gone." The pony nodded and trotted off.
"But, Conway, what about everyone else? Should I let them know?" Chris asked in concern.
"If they ask, why hide it? If they wanna know, let 'em know. Just tell them not to scare the guy off. In the meantime, carry on as per normal and I'll meet you at the hostel at sunset." Conway took a deep breath. He hardly ever showed real stress to the peacemakers.
"Yes, Boss." With an informal salute, Chris broke into a sprint heading for the balcony.
Hardly does anyone see a grown man running at a ledge with full intention of going over it. Usually, a person would scream in shock or try to stop him.
Conway just stepped out of the way.
He dived over the railing as if the open air below was water, and disappeared from the view of the study.
As soon as his friend left, Conway returned to action. He hastily pulled an empty scroll from the cupboard, an inkwell and quill and began to write a letter. However it was not a formal or official letter, like all the others. It was quite the opposite...
Dear Twilight Sparkle...
Kevin woke up with a start. A pounding headache throbbed at the back of his head, and he groaned as he rose from his bed. He cussed under his breath at the hammer he was so sure had hit him. And while doing so, he failed to notice his new surroundings for a moment. His next thought was remembering that he did not have in fact have a bed with him before.
And as he recalled the events before he had lost consciousness, he was less surprised to see the two men watching him, across the small and unfamiliar room.
"Hey there, buddy." One of the men was sitting in a chair, casually rocking it on two legs. The other was standing, leaning on the side of an open door.
Kevin ignored the greeting, he was getting to grips with this new environment. Indeed, he was a little frightened on the inside, but being a former drama student had its benefits. That, and he thought it would be best for him if he did not get up and try to escape. Being in a small room with two grown men sounded dangerous enough, if not questionable.
The room Kevin was in was nothing special; a plain white rectangle with only a bed and nightstand, and a spinning ceiling fan that looked like it was made a century before such things existed. On one side of the room was the open door, and a blinded window that took up the rest of the length of the wall. Only the natural orange light of either a sunrise or sunset flooded the room.
And that's when Kevin saw him again. The last human entity Kevin had seen before he was knocked out. This time, it looked like he had been plucked of his wings, and no longer had it with him. The light shed on his longish features, accompanied with a stubble beard and light moustache and brown hair. Kevin made sure not to forget that face, in case he had to call the police.
"Hello?" The man that was sitting down spoke again, "You alright, Kid?"
Both men looked rather young, and Kevin began to wonder what kind of situation he had wound himself up in. In doing so, he began to doubt that he had even gone to Equestria. If it was the kind of situation he was assuming, he had to wonder why he was not bound or gagged.
"Some trick you guys pulled." Kevin muttered to them bitterly, "What kind of weird drug did you put in me?"
"Realistic." The man at the door said amused, "I like that."
"Kid, we swear to Celestia and Luna that we have not used any kind of drug on you." The other man leaned forward in his chair, revealing his face. He was asian, with black hair and a roundish clean shaven face. Kevin took note of the small mole on the right of his face, between his mouth and nose, just in case he was being tricked.
But there was something that this man said that caught Kevin off guard. Did he say 'Celestia and Luna'?
"Well, I'm within my rights to know where the hell I am, and why the hell I'm here." Kevin decided to keep playing it calm and collected, but slightly aggressive.
"Relax, buddy. We'll get to that soon enough. Just know that you're safe, and we're not out to hurt you."
"The hell you are." Kevin found himself clenching his fists, pressing his sweaty hands into the bed.
"Let's start over shall we? What's your name, Kid?"
"You first."
"A little cocky." a small chuckle escaped his lips, "I like that."
The two of them looked rather normal; both were dressed in regular shirts and jeans, without any indication of weapons of harmful intent for that matter. Kevin thought they looked too sincere for the situation.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves." The one sitting down said cheerily, gesturing to himself and his friend, "My names Keith Conway, and this man that brought you here is Christos Gorgias."
Chris waved a hand, "Sorry about yesterday. Actually, that wasn't me. It was my partner who was with me in Ponyville."
Kevin took note of the fact that he had been unconscious for a day.
"Last I remembered, you had wings." Kevin commented dryly.
"I did, didn't I?" He grinned, "I left them at home. You can only wear them for so long before they get heavy. Also, Keith insisted that we look as normal as possible so as not to alarm you subliminally... or something."
"We've given you our names, buddy. Your turn." The one known as Keith leaned back into his chair.
Kevin hesitated for a moment. They seemed friendly enough, but was it really a facade? In all his optimism, Kevin clung to the hope that he was really still in Equestria, and that these people were actually helpful. It was a risk, but it felt worth it.
"Kevin." He looked at the ground as he said it.
"Good evening, Kevin." Keith chirped.
"Now tell me where I am." Kevin almost demanded.
"I figured you'd say that. Every new person that winds up here wants to have the security of the situation before they began to feel safe." Keith fiddled with his watch, "Alright we'll explain. First off: yes, you are in fact still in Equestria."
This news brought light to Kevin's spirit, but he was still doubtful. The blinded windows showed little of the outside world to prove this statement.
"However, you are not in Ponyville anymore." Keith continued, "I'm sorry, but we can't have wandering humans messing around in this equine kingdom without knowing the full story."
"And I suppose your going to tell it to me?" Kevin poked.
"Indeed I am! But remember this: how much I tell you is how much you ask."
"And why's that?"
"Just in case you decide to go home. That way, I'll have less memory to wipe from you."
Kevin failed to respond, letting the silence hang. He left his mouth open as he slowly understood those words.
"...What?"
"You heard me right, Kevin. So I'm going to ask you a favour." Keith leaned forward, on the edge of his chair, "Will you hear me out?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"You actually do. Your response will just affect how tedious this process will be." Chris smirked at this statement.
"Then go on."
"Please, only ask the questions that you really really want the answers to, and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. Understand?"
Kevin held his blank expression, never making eye contact with either Keith or Chris. He kept diverting his gaze around the room. After a moment, he decided to play along and nodded.
"That's good. Okay then." Keith, turned to Chris, "Do you want to be around for this?"
"Of course. He's still my responsibility." Chris folded his arms, smiling cockily at the teenager as if he was his father.
"Alright then, Kiddo." Keith, turned back to the subject, "Ask away."
Kevin was handed the reins in the conversation, which he did not expect. He thought that right about now, the torturing would commence. But it turned out to be quite the opposite. He now had the liberty to ask almost anything he wanted, and if what his captors had said were true, then boy did he have a ton of questions. Nonetheless, he decided to not display his full interest in the situation just yet.
"Am I really in Equestria?" Kevin stared rubbed his hands in concentration.
"Yes. Yes you are." Keith replayed coolly.
"Can you prove it?"
"Not right now, I'm afraid."
"Then what reason do I have to believe anything you say?"
This comeback caused Keith to chuckle again, "Your stubbornness will get you far kid. Fine, I think I can convince you a little bit more. Let me ask you this... do you believe in magic?"
Magic. One of the greatest contributing factors in Equestria. Why hadn't he thought about it before? If he was really in Equestria, than there should be some form of magic around to prove it.
"Don't give me any magician bullshit." He retorted, but indirectly answered.
"Oh, don't worry. It's not." Keith smiled knowingly. He then proceeded to put his hand in his shirt.
What this mysterious human pulled from underneath it made Kevin's eyes go wide with amazement.
A shiny yellow medallion, the size of a palm, ornamented with six dazzling gems of six different colours. Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, and Magenta stones rested on a circular dish topped with three compassing points. In the center of the entire medallion was the final violet gem.
Kevin had seen it before. The only time it appeared on the show was in the books, and was never shown as a physical object by any of the characters. And now, held out to him before his very eyes, was the symbol of harmony, encompassing all of its elements on a a pendant that appeared luminescent. Kevin had many reasons to doubt that it was genuine. but he didn't. He just couldn't. Looking at it, something about it felt real. It wasn't the value of the item he had trouble believing. It was the power that it held.
And somehow, inside him, he could feel it.
"The Elements of Harmony, Kevin." Keith said quietly, "Harmony is what we live off of. It's not money or power or luxury. It's quite different from that. It's what humans have been missing for a long long time." He weighed the medallion thoughtfully before closing his fingers around it, firmly gripping it in his hand.
"And Harmony is not only with others. It's within. It's peace with yourself and what's around you. And once you understand this..."
Slowly, the six gem began to glow. They grew brighter and brighter in the hands of its holder. Kevin's breath shallowed as he backed slowly up onto the bed while Chris remained unfazed by what was about to happen. Suddenly, Kevin looked up to find that Keith's dark brown eyes were gone. They had been replaced by a bright white light. It was as if someone had replaced his eyes with two flashlights. The hand of the medallion's bearer began to shake, and the six gems now showed brighter than ever. The light from outside seemed to dim. The next supernatural thing to occur was the misty smoke that rose from Keith. It seeped out from all over his body. It wasn't hot or wet or even physical. It was just visible and it danced and evaporated above its source.
Kevin was now backed up against the wall side of the bed with new fear. This was not the happy man that was sitting there a few seconds ago. It was a different entity altogether; an opaque specter, if he had ever seen one.
"...once you understand this, you'll realize how much more we as a race can accomplish." Light was even pouring out of his mouth when he spoke. "Of course, we can't just let it loose like that."
The next instant, the magnificent display vanished. The mist evaporated completely, the medallion no longer produced light and its bearer was back to the average man in the chair. With a sigh, he tucked the medallion back under his shirt. He returned to his original position, and looked up at the teenager, who had plastered himself to the wall.
Kevin was scared now. Not like he was before, where he thought this was a kidnapping. He was scared of this new power. A bead of cold sweat ran down his spine as he calmed himself, but remained alert in front of this man.
"Now tell me, Kevin," Keith asked, "you've seen it for yourself. Can you look at me and Chris and tell us truly that that was some lousy magic trick?"
He honestly couldn't.
"That's because those tricks only fool the eyes. But magic? Real magic? You feel it. And you felt that, didn't you?"
Kevin nodded rapidly, never taking his eyes off this creature.
"What the fuck are you?!"
"No need to be scared, kiddo. We're not going to hurt you. Hopefully, that might have convinced you a little more. Now, if you still have questions, ask away."
The boy composed himself, this action only piqued his curiousity.
"W-Where am I?"
"Your in Peacemaker City." Keith quickly responded, "But we just call it PC. It's just beyond Whitetail Woods in a valley along the coast. It's where all of us bridge-walkers live."
"What's a... bridge-walker?"
"It's a term we use. It refers to all of us humans that have access to the portals between here and Earth. Technically, all Peacemakers are bridge-walkers, except for the equines."
Kevin took a mental note of these 'portals' he spoke of. It sounded like a safe way home. The thought of it helped Kevin calm down.
"Why am I here?"
"We don't know, Kevin. Do you know?"
Kevin shook his head slowly.
"That's the thing, kid. Nobody who has ever arrived here themselves knows why they're here. Maybe it's fate or dumb luck, but magic does what it wants and we can't stop that."
"How did I get here from Ponyville?"
"You took the train." Chris answered this one, he walked from the door to where Keith sat. "My companion, Addy, was the one to knock you out and bring you here. She used a magical sedative to prevent you from waking up, but that was all. It was troublesome, but you're safer here."
"Where is this 'Addy'?"
"She has her duties back in town. Everyone does."
With that, Kevin had covered the most basic of questions. Sure he knew how he got to where he was now, but that left more important questions. Like who actually were these people? As far as Kevin had observed, nobody was typically human.
"Who are the Peacemakers?"
"Hmm... that's a good question." Keith chuckled again, "I actually don't have a solid answer. I can't tell you who we are, but I can tell you what we do."
"Christos?"
A voice called from outside, followed by the sound of clopping hooves. Then a unicorn popped round at the door of the small bedroom. A bespectacled blood-red colt with a brown mane grinned at the trio inside.
"Pardon my interruption, but Christos has been requested to return to town."
Chris gave his boss a friendly pat on the back. "You can handle this, yes?"
"Go on ahead. I'll see you later."
Chris waved a little goodbye at his captive before jogging out the door and down the corridor.
"Oh, by the way, this is Professor Trotter." Keith nodded at the pony who was just about to leave, "Don't worry, you'll be seeing more of him later."
And with that, the second and more credible piece of Equestrian proof trotted away.
Kevin was left with Keith in this plain small room. The door was still wide open, and he could make a run for it at any time. Kevin knew that the man opposite him knew this, but they both knew that there was no reason to. There was some kind of trust Keith was giving, and Kevin didn't want to abuse it.
"As I was saying, we as Peacemakers are a hybrid society. We're a mix of equine and human beings driven towards the common goal. A small experimental civilization under the watch of the Princesses, set on exploring both worlds, inventing hybrid products of both science and magic combined and discovering the secrets that once linked Equestria to Earth. You don't see us on the TV screen because we do our best to not involve ourselves with the Mane Six or any of their activities. However, we do help on the sidelines. Sometimes, there's something of deadly importance that needs to be delivered, or a dragon that's being too much of a nuisance. That's where we come in. These odd jobs are not the priority, but its what keeps this little village going. When we're not handling something for the princesses, we're unraveling mysteries that have been long lost to both races. Do you know why? Because the bigger picture is greater than you could possibly imagine; mysteries rediscovered, facts proven wrong, and myths becoming realities! Can't you see? Earth is a door with many locks, but Equestria has all the keys. And it's our job to find them."
Kevin was dumbfounded. He had to take a moment to comprehend everything this man had just said. He stared into his hands like they held the explanations, and he had to slowly make sense of it. Finally, he spoke.
"You're... you're insane!"
Keith's expression was blank. Then he burst into laughter.
"Buddy, I'm afraid that's how we all sound here!" He wiped a tear from his eye, "If you think I sound crazy, then you're going to have a hard time in town."
Kevin had no more questions. He had to wrap his mind around the concept that he had just been given. The man opposite him patiently waited. Outside, the sun was slowly going down and Luna's moon would soon take over the sky.
"Listen, I know it's a lot to comprehend right now." Keith got up from his chair and sat next to the kid, "But I'm not asking you to do that right now. Let me offer a solution, okay?"
Kevin nodded. For some reason, he trusted this stranger-turned-acquaintance now.
"Chris and Addy tell me that you came from a school in London."
Kevin nodded.
"You don't look like you're from London though."
He nodded again.
"How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen?"
"Sixteen."
"Oh god, that sounds so typically HiE." Keith chuckled. Kevin couldn't help but laugh a little at his situation as well.
"I only study in London." Kevin added.
"How are your parents?"
"They contact me occasionally, though I don't usually reply."
"Dude, right now, that's a good thing."
The conversation had turned friendly. As of that moment, Kevin saw no malicious intent in this man, though he may have a buttload of power hanging around his neck. There was another pause as Keith thought for a moment, he kept looking at his watch every few seconds. Outside, the sun was almost down.
"I'll tell you what, Kevin," Keith spoke at last, "How's your school at taking attendance?"
"Pretty shitty." Kevin grinned.
"That's good... not necessarily good, but in this case..." Keith trailed off, "How would you like to spend a few days here?"
"What?" Kevin was taken by surprise at this offer. He thought that he would have been sent home then and there if he wanted to.
"You know, have a look around, meet some of the people and ponies, get a real good look at what we do around here!" Keith smiled warmly.
"For how long?"
"Well, not too long. You still have a life back on Earth, and we can't have others getting suspicious." Keith got up and headed to the door, "Come here."
Kevin eagerly got up and made for the outside world.
It was a view that wouldn't be forgotten anytime soon. The hostel was on a hilltop, overlooking the quaint little valley that the town was built in. The valley was cut off abruptly, opening out to the sea. On one end of the valley stood a beautiful tower, placed on the cliff above the shoreline where a lighthouse would have fit perfectly. The village was right in the center of it all, and from far away, you could tell it was whizzing with life. It was far from the kind of village Ponyville was. From afar, the buildings looked more modern and artistic, almost surreal from this point of view. The hostel was a perfect vista point for it all. It seemed suited for newcomers.
"Wow..." Kevin exclaimed under his breath, "How many of you guys are there?"
"Humans? About less than a hundred. The number of other creatures is twice that."
"Only one hundred?" Kevin found it hard to believe that not more people had come here to stay.
"Not everyone who has come here has chosen to stay, Kevin. And no human has found this place on their own will. You're either forced here or invited. But either way, it's a privilege in our eyes." Keith gave Kevin a pat on the shoulder before strolling down the open corridor. "It's too late to go into town right now. Get some real rest. You can start your tour tomorrow."
Kevin's was silent, he was still gazing out into the open world of this new kingdom. It felt exciting, exhilarating, and even overwhelming. But he couldn't wait to get started.
Out of the blue, a few more questions entered Kevin's mind. They weren't important, but it was a better time to ask than any.
"Wait, Sir!" Kevin called down the corridor of other empty rooms.
"Just call me Keith, buddy." Keith turned, "What is it?"
"How old are you?"
"I'll be thirty this year."
"You don't look like it."
"Let's call it a long term effect of magic." Keith smiled, "Any other questions before we call it a night?"
"Yeah, just one last one." Kevin turned from the view of the valley, "How did this all start?"
Keith laughed heartily, turning back down the corridor, "It started with one man who had an idea. It turned into an obsession, and that obsession led to a great many things. By the time that man found what he was looking for, he realized that he was the one building it all along." His voice faded as he disappeared into the shadows. The sun had gone down, and the moon was slowly rising, lighting up a path in stars.
Like the lights of the town below, the corridor lamps flickered to life. But Kevin turned to find that the man was gone.
