Hello, Vehemence here. Just a heads up before reading the new story, you might want to read my other story 'Scorched' if you wish to get some of the references in the story. It's not recommended, exactly, but encouraged. If not, then continue reading.
The train ride from Baltimare was quite pleasant, to say the least. It was early in the morning, with the sun's bright beams splitting through the once dark night sky. The air, or the air inside the tram at least, lingered a fresh crisp air that meshed well with the brisk weather outside. These were the early weeks of the year, after all. The sun has been shining bright and cloud-free for quite a while, so there wasn't a bitter cold in the air; nothing but a simple but pleasant chill. Not necessarily weather to wear a jacket, but I always preferred to wear mine. It's not exactly a jacket, but more like a suit, but you get the idea.
The grassy fields from outside the window began to slow in pace as the wheels beneath the train began to screech. Almost by instinct, many of the the passengers, well, the few of them, began to check their belongings. I saw them finish their small-talk conversations they had started to pass the time along the ride. An attendant had came in through the door in front of me. In a spiff blue outfit with gold trims, he declared the train was coming to it's halt, and that the next station was drawing nearer.
"Please take all belongings with you and don't forget any luggage of yours. And always, thank you all for riding!" I didn't have any luggage or bags with me. I hardly ever needed them; this suit had an innumerable amount of pockets, most of which were concealed within the interior or inside the sleeves themselves. I could carry a vast amount of items in this suit and still carry more; my packs of cards, prop coins, invisible string, even this weird device that ran a tube from the inside of my right sleeve to a small sack of water underneath my armpit, along with the magic fueled battery power motor needed to make it work (it was a little something I had picked up on my trip to Manehattan). I also kept a few smoke bombs in the cuffs of my shirt.
The doors slide open, followed by a blow of the conductor's whistle. A large huff of smoke shot from the front of the train, followed by a deep hissing sound. One by one, ponies exited through. Some stayed seated, still waiting for a couple of more stops. I waited until those who wished to get off did, then I trailed.
The conductor wailed out, "All aboard', permitting the train's newest passengers to get settled in. A couple of goodbyes were said, a couple of hugs, and I think I spotted a kiss somewhere along the line. With that, the train revved up, charging the pistons inside to moderate speed. It was nice seeing this view. People actually caring for one another when they went somewhere far off, never truly sure when they will see each other again. I must have been overthinking things, of course they'' see each other again.
i fixed the creases in my suit and fixed my cuffs; you always want to look presentable when you meet new people after all, even if you might never see them again. New faces, new places, I wondered what this little town had to offer. Although there was this particular thing I was hoping to get by coming here, but hey, hope for the best and expect the worst.
Well, Ponyville, let's see what you got!
It was a small town compared to all of the big cities I would visit. Most of the homes and buildings had this strange nostalgic architecture design to them, resembling Equestria in it's colonial period, an old-timey feeling that made it feel quite comfortable. There were busy ponies all about. Some running shops that also doubled as their homes. A couple of pegasi kicking the few clouds that sprinkled the sky. And a couple of unicorns practicing their trade. They were all joyous, happy to see one another, almost like one big family.
After a little aimless wandering, I decided I needed a place to stop and just take in this town. A couple of 'hello's' and 'hi's' to strange faces, I came across this little cafe. The tables outside were bustling with couples sharing a milkshake in the middle, and groups of friends laughing and talking it up over their meals. I suppose this would be a good stop, maybe a time to think of what I'm going to do here in Ponyville.
I walked near the entrance, where I was greeted by a nicely dressed waiter.
"Hello there. Party of one, I presume?" The waiter greeted and asked. He had a strange foreign accent, sophisticated yet friendly.
"Yes, please," I responded with a modest nod.
"We have plenty tables open, would you like to pick one, sir?'
I looked around the establishment for a place to settle down. Outside, to my left, I saw this one mare. She was sitting by herself, drinking what I presumed was cider. She had an orange coat, along with a radiant blonde mane. She had some freckles on her face, along with her mane and tail tied up. The cider she drank had a deep color and thick foam on top, so it was safe to say that was hard stuff.
"Mind if I sit next to her?" I asked the waiter.
"If she is alright with it, then I suppose so."
With that, I walked to her. She had a hat laid on the table, brown and worn. It was scuffed and abused, but also had a slight burn mark on the back of it. A pony with obvious manners if I do say so myself.
"Hello mam, may I sit here?" I asked her. She seemed nice and all, but something tugged at me that something was troubling her. She looked around to see the other plenty of tables open, then she looked at me.
"Uh, sure, mister." She said. I know, it was a bit strange, and maybe even the slightest bit creepy, but I couldn't stand by and watch somepony go by without a smile. I pulled up a chair and sat down. She tensed up a bit, I could tell. She didn't really want to be bothered at the moment, I understood that, but still.
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Elyl." I stated as I brought a hoof out for her to shake. She was a bit hesitant, but she offered her hoof in return.
"Elyl?" She questioned. "Strange name." I only chuckled as a reply. The waiter came by with a pad and pen, stopping the slow conversation between me and the mare.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
"Hmm, I guess just an iced tea will do it."
"I will return momentarily." and with that, he left.
It was back to the conversation with the mare, hopefully it would go a bit smoother since she knew my name. She looked at me, as if she just remembered something.
"Oh, the name's Applejack," She said. I could tell she was loosening up a bit, which was a good sign.
"Lovely name, miss Apple-" My recalling of her name was cut short by a sudden cough. I didn't know where it came from. Maybe the brisk weather was a bit too brisk. I don't know. "Sorry about that, miss Applejack."
"Don't sweat it none." She reassured. She was comforting, which was better than her previous neutrality.
"So, miss Applejack, if you don't mind me asking," I started. I turned my body a bit so it wouldn't seem as if I was a tad too confrontational, having my torso face left while my face still at her direction. "What is somepony like yourself doing here alone while everyone else seems festive?"
She eyed me with a hint of suspicion. "What are ya up to, mister?" She asked, taking another long swig at her mug of cider. She wiped off the excess foam from her mouth with her hoof. She was tensing up a bit. Did she think I was, nah, she wouldn't think I was trying to... nevermind. I had to steer this conversation into the direction I wanted for it to go. With my body turned, I knew she couldn't see my left hoof. With slow and sly movements, I carefully reached into my suit's pocket for a couple of bits. The third principle of magic; steal, to secretly obtain a needed object. The waiter was coming with my iced tea, so that was perfect timing. I made sure I had enough bits for my drink, and enough for her's as well, and maybe even just a little left over.
"Here you are sir," he said as he place the cold-beaded glass on the table. "Shall you need anything else, you'd need only call."
"Hey, thanks," I stated. He began to trot away, until I called him back. He turned back to pay his attention to me. With a swift patting, I reached into his pocket. I dropped the bits in his pocket, and began to swipe at the cloth surrounding it.
"Excuse me sir?" The waiter asked, rather stunned.
"Sorry, you had a spider on you." I rebutted, hoping that would suffice as a good excuse.
"Oh, um, very well." With that, he left.
Principle number four of magic; load, to secretly move an object to where it is needed.
I now turned my body to the mare, who was still looking at me like I had problems or something. I know just the thing to cheer her up.
"Listen, miss Applejack. I'm going to make a deal with you." That got her attention. She stopped sipping on her glass and set down the mug.
"What kind of deal?" She questioned with a slight squinting of her eyes. Boy, was she intimidating.
"Well, the deal is..." I began to conjure up, "If you were to put that hat of yours over my drink, completely covering the glass.." She began to lean in closer listening to what I had to offer. "If I can drink that glass of tea without landing a single hoof on your hat, then I'll pay for your cider. If I can't, however, then you pay for both of ours."
"Now what kind of deal is that?!" She argued. She was starting to become irritable.
"So what do you say?" I asked. The look on her face was priceless. She hesitated a bit, but she went for it. She placed her hat over my drink, allowing me to do this trick. With a slight bit of showmanship, I hovered my hooves over the hat like I was preforming some sort of magic ritual. I took exaggerated gulps, making it look like I was actually teleporting the tea from the glass into my mouth. She rolled her eyes in a fit of bemusement. Principle number five of magic; simulation, to give the impression that something that hasn't happened, has. I did this for a good twenty seconds, making sure to drink every imaginary drop. I stopped, put my hooves down, and smiled.
"Now, miss Applejack, you may now pick up your hat." With that, she picked up the hat from the table surface, exposing the glass, still with the same amount of tea as when the waiter put it down. She put the hat aside, but started to become red in the face, mostly because she thought she would have to pay for our drinks.
"Ya said ya were gonna' drink it without touchin' mah hat!"
"You're right, miss Applejack." As soon as I said that, I grabbed my tea and downed it rather quickly. "I managed to drink the tea without touching your hat. I kept my part of the deal. I'm going to pay for your drink."
Her angry emotion son began to fade into a smile. She began to chuckle, then to a full blown laugh. the waiter came with a bill for my drink.
"Oh, sir, I'm paying for my friend's drink as well." I yielded. He nodded in agreement, the placed it on the table.
"Oh yeah, by the way, I had already paid for the drinks; no need for the bill."
The waiter was taken back, even appalled. Applejack had a surprised look on her face as well.
"Sir, I-I-I don't understand." The waiter said with ponder. "I am the only waiter sectioned in this area."
"What? I already gave you the bits." I rebutted. Technically, I did actually give him the money, he just hadn't realized it. "Maybe you put it in your pockets or something."
"Sir, please," he begged. I guess the joke's over.
"Trust me on this. Just check your pockets."
He started patting his pockets until he hit the one I put the bits in. With a clinging and rattling sound, he dug into the pocket, astonished to find the needed money, plus some more.
"Keep the change." I said with a smile. He thanked us for the visit, and walked off, scratching his head while he still continued to ponder on how I managed to put the bits into his pocket.
"How did ya do that?" Applejack had asked, putting her hat on in preparation to leave.
"It was just a simple trick, nothing big or amazing."
She smiled, looking over me. Was she looking at the suit? Or my mane? Maybe even my coat or tail.
"Ya know, it might sound crazy, but ya kinda' remind me of somepony. Ah mean, y'all don't look anything alike, but something about y'all two... Ah don't know, seem... the same." She stated. I simply replied with a small chuckle.
"Well, it seems that my job here is done. I thank you very much for your company, miss Applejack."
"Ah should be thanking you... mister Elyl," She replied. To be honest, the whole 'mister' she put in front of my name made me blush a little. I could tell she saw my flushed cheeks; she blushed as well.
She offered out a hoof for a shake, I took it up.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, miss Applejack."
"Ah should say the same. The pleasure's all mine, mister... Pinkie Pie?!"
"Um, Pinkie Pie?"
"HI A.J!!!"
Author's Note
So? What do you think of Elyl so far? As you can tell, he's not as mean as Lathyrus, so that's gotta' be a plus, right? Also, big thanks to this handsome stud over here and this manly man over here.
Also, to my readers, I will most likely take a poll after each update as to whether a new chapter is written for 'Scorched' or 'Vanished'. That's right, you, the reader, gets to decide (most of the time) as to who gets their turn to write; Lathyrus, or Elyl. So what will it be?
It was a loud and joyous voice that boomed from behind me. I turned my head to catch a glimpse of who that might have been, but I couldn't see anybody aside from the patrons at the restaurant. I surveyed the entire area behind me, but nothing. I turned to Applejack, seeing a grin across her face as she pointed to something behind me. As I turned to look, I saw where that outcry came from. Underneath the table to our rear, under the drooping cloth of the table, hid a bulbous pink blob. A blob, with two round blue eyes, a sly smile, and a mane that looked as if it were dunked into a cotton candy spinner.
"Is that, um, 'Pinkie'?" I asked Applejack, receiving a reassuring nod from her.
Turning back to the table, I could no longer see her. Did she just... vanish? Impossible!
I altered back to Applejack, but instead, I was greeted with a pink mare glaring at me. She inched closer to me and all I could do was ease back in my seat. She was leaning her fore hooves on the table leaning in closer with every second that passed by. Applejack was still seated, but now behind where this pink mare stood.
"I, uh, take it that you're... Pinkie?" I questioned, with her leaning as if she was ready for an interrogation.
"Yeah, so what if I am? What's it to you?" The pink mare aggressively replied. Applejack then spoke up in my defense.
"Now Pinkie, this here is Elyl," She then winked at me, followed with another nod.
"Elyl? That's a weird name. Sounds kind of funny."
At this point, I couldn't back up in my seat any further. this mare had me as far back as I could go. She looked over her shoulder at Applejack.
"He's not bothering you, right A.J?" Pinkie asked.
"Nope. Not one bit."
"You sure?"
"Eyup!"
"Well, he better not be a big meanie grumpy pants like the last one was..." Pinkie commented. What could she mean by, 'the last one'? Why was she so attentive?
"I'll be keeping my eyes on you..." she stated, followed with the bulging of her eyes from her sockets. How she was doing all of this, it practically eluded me. Her eyes scanned over me, almost like a machine swearing that I could almost see her retinas. She slowly eased back, still with a look of suspicion. Her eyes popped back into place with a loud... um... pop. Finally, I was able to pick myself off my seat.
"Well, miss Pinkie, I think we got off on the wrong hoof here. As miss Applejack stated," Applejack once again blushed when I said miss. She looked in another direction in an attempt to hide it. "My name is Elyl,"
As I finished introducing myself, I held out a hoof as in an offer for a shake. She examined it, surveying around it like a foreign object.
"You don't have anything up your sleeve, do you?" She asks.
I merely chuckled at her remark. Quite appropriate for what I was about to do. After some hesitation, she shook. Wow did she have a grip. She let go after such a sporadic and violent shake.
"Here, miss Pinkie. Maybe I can make up for any hard feelings you might have against me," I said.
I reached into the left flannel of my suit for a pocket containing what I need. After pulling it out, I handed it over to Pinkie. She looked at it. A bit confused at first, but with a playful grin. She then looked at me puzzled with excitement.
"A pack of cards?" I nodded my head, confirming her reply.
"Now, could you please examine the pack of cards?" I asked her. She opened the top and slid the deck into her other hoof then handed me the empty box. She studied the deck for any defect, gimmick, or something out of the ordinary. She sifted through them, looking at the sides, back, face, just about every dimension. "What about you miss Applejack? Do you spot anything estrange?"
"Nope" She says.
Pinkie then handed the cards back to me. I gave it a quick shuffle, though this wouldn't really require a random order.
"Ooh, are you going to do a magic trick? I love magic tricks!" Pinkie spoke out. It appears all hostility she had for me subsided, now turned into a childlike sense of wonder.
"Why, you are indeed correct!" I responded. It was always nice to show somepony some magic, even if it came from something simple as a card trick. I begin to hold the deck in the wrist of my right hoof, while holding my left hoof horizontally across from it. With a small tad of tension in my wrist, I slowly bent the cards inward. In a split second, they slid off the fur of my hoof and into the other, completely springing through the air.
"Did you just make the cards fly?!" She yelled ecstatically. She was now in amazement, with her mouth left agape and her eyes wide. I hadn't gone into the actual trick yet and this mare was already excited. Applejack was still seated, having a chuckle. I placed the deck of cards on top of the table. With a swift motion of my hoof, I spread the cards face down across the linen cloth. They had spread quite easily, though the deck of cards had been in use for quite a few months. They haven't lost their smooth finish just yet.
The cards were lined up in a horizontal row, with the cards on top slid to the right, while the cards closest to the bottom still in their place. A quick movement later, I reached for the bottom most card. A simple flip the bottom card, the rest of the cards in the row flipped face up, exposing their suits and numbers. On after the other, they chained like a domino trail. Pinkie's eyes were bulging just like earlier.
"Now, I want you to pick two cards of your choosing," I said. Pinkie hovered her hoof over the row of cards, searching for what she determined to be the perfect cards.
"Hmm... what do you think, A.J?"She asked while looking back at Applejack. Without hesitation, Applejack selected a card, the ace of hearts. She examined it, turning it from the back, to the front, and back again, all to make sure there was nothing wrong with the card. I held out my hoof toward Applejack as a signal to hand the card over to me. She complied. Pinkie had chosen her card as well. An ace of diamonds.
"Perfect, both perfect," I reassured. I slid all the laid out cards back into one manageable deck, holding it in my left hoof. With the ace of hearts, I placed it on the top of the deck. I handed the ace of diamonds to Pinkie. She took it, held it in her hoof. She was suspicious, but with a mist of curiosity.
"Now miss Pinkie, I want you to hold this card face down. Please examine it one last time though, that way you now that it is indeed the ace of diamonds," She flipped the card over, seeing the red diamond in the center. She turned to A.J to give a confirming nod. "Now, watch close, " I said, taking the red ace of hearts from the top of the deck. I flipped it, showing that it was the heart. I then flipped it back, that way nopony could see the face. "I'm going to switch the two aces, so fast that your eyes might not be able to detect it." Having said that, I tapped my ace of hearts, face down, on top of Pinkie's face down ace of diamonds. There isn't any switching, just a simple tap of the cards. "Without facing that card up, you now have the heart and I have the diamond. But if I switch it so fast, you will end up with the ace of diamonds again." With another meaningless tap, I touched the cards. Pinkie then flipped the card, only to find the diamond, still there. There was no switch, just a hogwash promise of one. Even then, most ponies are fully aware that it is a joke. Except Pinkie. She genuinely thought I had switched the two cards, then switched them back at lightning speed. Applejack let out a fit of laughter, all the while Pinkie was astonished. Sometimes, jokes fly over certain pony's heads.
"Wow, you switched them, then switched them back!"
She paid all her attention to her card, the one that remained the same the entire time. While she was distracted with looking at the card, however, it gave me a chance to place the ace of hearts from my right hoof to the bottom of the deck, replacing it with another card. Principle number seven of magic; to secretly exchange one object for another. It didn't matter what card it was. What matters is when Pinkie finds out her cards weren't actually hers.
"Now here's what I did; I placed my ace of hearts on top of your ace of diamonds, and took it, leaving you the heart, and me having the diamond," I did all of this while placing my diamond on top of her heart. I then took her heart from underneath as an example. However, what she doesn't know, however, is that I in fact took her diamond and left her the random card. With her and the random card, I pretended to straighten the deck. A small ruse to hide the fact that I was replacing her diamond with a card from the top of the deck this time, thus seeming as if I placed her diamond on top then to pick it up again. Except this time, ti was with yet another random card.
"Miss Pinkie, if I were to place this ace of diamonds that I have in my hoof on top of your ace of hearts at the bottom, correct?"
"Well, of course silly. Diamond on top, and heart on the bottom." With a sinister smile and an eerie grin stretching on my face, I rebutted.
"Prove it." I stated. She held a pondering expression, with a raised eyebrow and a pushed up bottom lip. Slowly, she rotated her hoof, showing the faces of the random cards. A jack of spades at the bottom, and a jack of clubs on top. Her reaction was... a tad extreme. She gasped, leaving her mouth open astonished along with eyes wider than ever. All the while, Applejack could only help but laugh. Pinkie kept flipping the cards back and forth, with every same face confusing her further.
"Oh my gosh, that was amazing! I didn't think that you were going to do anything like that!" Pinkie exclaimed.
I grabbed the two cards from her hoof and placed them back in the deck, then placed the deck back into the breast pocket of my suit. All of a sudden, Pinkie came in closer to me. She began to visually inspect me. She trotted around me keeping her eyes gazed at my seat.
"Hmmm..." She mumbled to herself. With a quick shift, she began to rummage through the front of my mane. I had no idea what she was doing, but I just let it happen.
"Strange mister. You do magic, but you don't have a horn. Or are you using your magic to make your horn invisible?" She asks.
Something about that question; something about it made something inside me... cringe. No horn, but I do magic. I must be over thinking things. Things that shouldn't concern me. Things that only certain ponies can know, and others to be blinded to.
"Ooh, I know somepony else that likes magic! You'll like her! You two will get along just fine! She does magic all the time!" Without warning, Pinkie grabbed me by the hoof and pulled, signaling for me to follow. As I was practically being dragged through the streets, I waved Applejack goodbye, she did the same, along with a smile.
This pink mare dragged my body through the small but bumbling town. She wouldn't give me a chance to collect myself. I'm pretty sure we knocked down a few stands on the way. "You're going to like her. She's one of my best friends. I wonder if she'll like you. Of course she will! You like magic and so does she! You two will get along just fine."
As Pinkie continued to ramble on, I couldn't help but think as to who this friend of hers could be.
"Well, miss Pinkie, could you at least explain who she is before I meet her?" I questioned in a loud enough voice I could, that way she could have a chance of hearing me from the wind rushing past us.
"Okie dokie! Well, she's really really popular. Everpony knows her. She's very special!" She answered.
I was intrigued to say the least. Somepony who is very well known and special? Then I could only wonder how Pinkie managed to meet such a pony.
"Miss Pinkie, how exactly did you come to meet this friend of yours?"
"I was actually the first pony she met in Ponyville. After that, we became friends no problem."
"Well, could you at least tell me her name?”
"Pfffft! Everypony knows her name! It's... WE'RE HERE!"
After a screeching halt which threw me to the ground, I picked myself up and dusted off my suit then looked at the structure that was planted in front of me. Literally, planted in front of me seeing an enormous tree with a door and windows scattered all over the bark.
"Um, what is this place?" I muttered, to which Pinkie replied with a gleeful smile.
"It's Golden Oaks Library, silly,"
It was very odd as to why they would make a library out of a tree.
"Does she come here often?" I asked.
"Well, she does liver here, at least I think so."
Living in a library? How peculiar town this is?
Pinkie trotted before me and with a push, opened the door. I followed, closing the door as I entered. It was small and quaint, yet so welcoming. The shelves were all along the walls instead of the usual standalone shelves, along with a ladder that hug from a rail that could roll across the assortment of books, holding their own distinctive aspect in cover, style, number of volume, and text. There were recent printings and archaic manuscripts, all collected into one area, all surrounding me. Such collections of knowledge bound within the walls of this small yet thriving library. To be honest, I myself would love to live here if given the opportunity.
"There she is!" Pinkie shouts.
I looked around the one large room. The only thing that I could see was the large pile of books on the floor in the far corner, along with what seemed like a desk from behind.
"Twilight!" Pinkie yelled ecstatically. "I got somepony you might want to meet!"
Twilight? Was she talking about the Twilight Sparkle?
"Twilight? As in, Twilight Sparkle?" I questioned. Slowly, my heart's pace began to elevate as the thought of it being her raced in my head. Sure, maybe it was just another pony by the same name, but I had to know for sure.
"Pinkie, who is that?"
"Oh, his name is... Lee? Elu? Ely?" Pinkie mumbled to herself. It's not the first time somepony was tongue tied with my name
"My name is Elyl” I said, correcting pinkie. “ It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Twilight Sparkle."
"One moment..." I heard rummaging of papers and materials being the colossal mountain of books. "Excuse me," Twilight stated behind the books. "I've been incredibly busy lately, so it's hard for my cleanliness to keep up. Well, Elyl, why don't you tell me about yourself while I get things sorted out."
I didn't know exactly where to begin. What do I tell her? That I've admired her heroism as the element of magic? That I'm a simple petty traveling street magician? That I've been traveling from town to town in search of-
"Sorry about that." She said standing before me. I knew for a fact it was her, but something inside me ticked. She looked like everything that I've heard about her. Lavender coat, purple gleaming eyes, and a smile that you only saw few times in your life. But there was more to her, things that hit me hard when I saw her in front of me. In addition to her horn that was a given, she sported a pair of wings on her sides. Large wings. she also stood tall. Taller than me...
Something snapped inside me. Something deep inside. I couldn't comprehend what it was, but it hurt. A small sliver of pain? A tidbit of emotional anxiety? Something distressing. Something small, but important.
"Is something wrong?" She asked. the sincerity in her voice only put more tension on whatever was hurting.
I soon found myself slowly backing away to the direction of the door. I couldn't stay here. I had no right to.
"I'm sorry. Very, very, very sorry. Please, I have to go." As I turned for the door to open it, Pinkie blocked my path.
"What's wrong? I thought you wanted to meet her."
To be honest, I did, above anything else. But not like this. I didn't deserve to meet her.
