Us and Them

by Patches

Chapters

An Exciting Day
Party Hardy
An Enlightening Talk
In-Flight Movie
A Privileged Audience
An Age-Old Enemy
Off on the Wrong Hoof
Picking Up Ponies
Mrs. Moonlight
Everfree Far
Striped Strategizing
Forward in Time
Medallions
The First Step
A Day on the Town

An Exciting Day

Chapter 3

An Exciting Day

Part 1-

Tycho

“You’re just not getting it!” Rainbow Dash cried, her voice laden with exasperation.

“Well maybe you’re not a good teacher!” I countered. These lessons were getting me nowhere. One hour in and I still had next to no clue what I was doing.

“Are you saying you don’t think I can fly?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“That’s it!” She barreled at me. Not quite full speed I guess, but it looked like it would hurt. I dodged as soon as I saw her coming at me. She stopped a few seconds after, when she noticed that there wasn’t somepony- namely me- lying on the ground, then turned and came straight back at me. I dodged again, but this time grabbed her tail in my mouth and threw her to the ground.

“How are you doing that?” She asked. She didn’t seem hurt. At least, not too bad.

“I dunno, just instinct I guess.” Then I noticed something felt weird. “Holy hay, I’m flying!”

“See, you just needed a little... motivation. Still, those moves were cool. What else you got in ya?”

“Let’s find out.” We sparred for a while. Rainbow never touched me. Every time she got close, even at some of her highest speeds, I would dodge her attacks, or stop her with one of my own.

“Wow. You’ve got some good moves. I think we could be real good friends.”

“Rivals, more like. Race you to Sugarcube Corner?”

“You’re going down so hard.”

For the record, I lost so hard. We got juice and waited for the party to begin. I guess making friends with these ponies wasn’t as horrible as I thought it might be.

Part 2-

Dusty

I had one hour to get to Ponyville, something that should take me a few hours, according to the gentlecolt from The Halfway Inn. I honestly didn’t expect to make it on time. I was a little worried I would miss the party entirely. I knew what I needed to do if I wanted to get there in time.

I turned left down the road, and began to pick up my pace. I went from a trot, to a canter, before reaching a full gallop. But even when I was galloping, I still felt like I had a lot to give. And I knew that if I didn’t give my all, there was no way I was going to make it to the party in time.

I kicked it into overdrive. My hooves were pumping like mad, but I wasn’t getting tired at all. I kicked overdrive up a notch. I figured I must’ve been moving about three times my normal gallop speed when I hit my top speed. But for some reason, this felt like a normal speed for me to gallop at.

The adrenaline rush this gallop brought was incredible. I felt like I could do anything, and judging by my speed, reaching Ponyville in an hour was going to be simple. I just kept going, running past other ponies at my ultra-high speed. I hoped I didn’t blow any of them over as I went by.

Everything became a blur. I was moving so fast that all the things I passed blended together. It was a strange sight to see, but I imagine it would probably be stranger to see me streaking by at that speed.

Finally, Ponyville appeared before me, coming up fast. The clock tower read 6:45. I made it. I had no idea how, but somehow I kicked it into gear enough to get my flank back to Ponyville in time for the party. Of course, now I actually had to find the party, but that should be the easy part, right?

Part 3-

Lyrica

I stared at the crowd. Okay, so it was just the three ponies judging and whoever happened to be walking by. But I kept staring anyways. The white unicorn on the right looked bored, but I couldn’t see her eyes through her reflective glasses. “Today, please.” Yep, she was bored.

I focused, and let my voice come out. I don’t know what I expected, but I just sang from the heart. The words came out easily, but I don’t know where from. Like a story my mother would have told me as a filly, I couldn’t remember the words, but they came out anyways.

“Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely wo-orld. She took the midnight train goin’ aaaannnyyyyywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train goin’ aaaannnyyyyywhere.” I didn’t know what I was singing, but I was sure as heck singing it. My voice could contest Sweetie’s. Full-bodied, confident, and melodic.

“A singer in a smoky room. Smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night, it goes on and on and on and ohh. Strangers. Waiting. Lookin’ down the boulevard, there’s shadows. Searchin’ in the niiiiiight.” The white unicorn’s jaw dropped. The gray pony was bobbing her head with the beat, not that there actually was one.

“Streetlights, people. Living just to find emotion. Hiding, somewhere in the niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Workin’ hard to get my fill. Everybody wants a thrill. Payin’ anything to roll the dice. Just one more time. Some’ll win. Some will lose. Some are born to sing the blues. Oh the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on and ohhh.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Historia walk past. She must’ve seen that I was singing, because her jaw dropped and she ran right up to the fence. I never stopped singing, but I thought of waving.

“Strangers. Waiting. Lookin’ down the boulevard, there’s shadows. Searchin’ in the niiiiiight. Streetlights, people. Living just to find emotion. Hiding, somewhere in the niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.”

My voice hit maximum volume. I somehow knew that I loved this part, even though I still didn’t know what I was singing. “Don’t stop. Believin’. Hold on to that feeeeeling. Streetlights, people. Don’t stop. Believing. Hold on to that feel-ay-ee-aying. Streetlights, people-oh-oh-ohhhhhh.”

With that, the song ended. The crowd was incredulous. And I had gathered quite the crowd. On top of the judges and Historia, a number of other ponies had gathered to listen. When they had recovered, they all began cheering and stomping.

“Well? How did I do?” I asked the judges.

“That performance was unbelievable. I’ve never heard anything so magnificent. Ten. Easily.” The gray pony said.

“I loved your singing, and that song was so catchy. Ten!” Cheerilee said. Now I just had to impress the white unicorn.

“Look, I’ve heard some good songs in my time. I’ve heard lots of voices, and you’ve got some serious talent. But I’m afraid…” Everypony was hanging on her word, and it sounded like I was going to lose the contest. “I’m afraid I have no choice but to give you a perfect ten.”

The crowd went wild. A perfect score meant I won. I won. I won! I sat on stage, letting it soak in, before Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo dragged me back behind the curtains.

“Aw. I was sure this would get me my cutie mark.” Scootaloo complained.

“Are you kidding? You got a twelve. I’m the one who nearly got her cutie mark here.” Sweetie countered.

“Don’t worry, try again next time. I promise I won’t enter and upstage you.” I said with a wink, before going to see the MC. I picked up four vouchers for a trip and stay in Canterlot, and took them with me outside as I went to meet Historia.

Part 4-

Historia

I was walking back to Sugarcube Corner to meet the other three when I heard singing. I recognized the song. It was “Hush Now, Quiet Now” being sung by Sweetie Belle. I heard it coming from the school yard, so I decided I might as well walk by. Sadly, Sweetie’s song was over before I could get there. What would’ve been disappointment quickly turned into shock and amazement, as I began to hear a song even more familiar than Sweetie’s.

Much to my surprise, I saw an all-too-familiar red pony standing on stage singing. Even more surprising was what she was singing. Whether she knew it or not, she was singing Journey’s ultra-smash-if-you-don’t-know-this-song-you-are-legally-dead (at least for humans. I’m pretty sure nopony else had heard this song) hit: “Don’t Stop Believin’.” My jaw dropped like- well like if I were in a cartoon (comedic takes work even better when the world is a cartoon).

After the song ended, everypony cheered. She had gathered quite a crowd. She got a perfect score, and was declared the winner of the contest. She was so surprised that she won that she had to be dragged back behind the curtain by two other fillies that I recognized too well. A few minutes later, she came out carrying a few pieces of paper in her mouth.

“Hey Hiforia! Gueff wha! I won da conteft!” She said, still trying to hold the papers as she talked.

“Again, without the papers please.” I said as I took them out of her mouth. I would’ve levitated them using magic, but apparently you don’t just “abracadabra” things and they start floating.

“I won the contest!”

“So I see.” I had put the papers on my back for the time being. I had some talking I wanted to do before we went anywhere. “What did you sing to win?” I was probing to see if I could get any answers about her past. There was no logical explanation why she would sing a human song unless she was a human, like I was.

“See, that’s the funny part. I don’t actually know. The words just kinda… you know, came to me as I was singing.”

“mmhmm. Well, we’ve got a party to go to, so let’s get going.” It was a bit past six. We still had time to make it to the party and still be early.

We kept talking as we made our way to Sugarcube Corner. “So, what did you win? What’re these papers?” I asked.

“Apparently they’re vouchers to get the four of us a free ride and stay at some place called Canterlot.”

“CANTERLOT!?!?!?” I nearly screamed. I couldn’t help it. She had pretty much unwittingly solved our problem. Or, well, my problem. I still wasn’t completely sure I could say our problem yet. I couldn’t honestly say the other three (okay, I was pretty sure about my red friend here) were human or not.

“Y-yes. Is… is that a bad thing?”

“No, no. It’s a great thing. Good job winning. You deserved it.”

“Thanks!”

As we approached Sugarcube Corner, I recognized not one, but two pegasi sitting outside of it, enjoying what appeared to be apple juice. Remembering the “Brony’s Curse” I had discovered earlier, I elected not to shout out to Rainbow Dash, as was my instinct, but to simply walk up and say hi to the one I was already acquainted with.

“Hey there, ready to party?” I asked my still-unnamed friend.

“Yeah I am.” He responded.

“Who’s your mare-friend here?” Rainbow blushed, but then quickly tried to hide it and spoke up before my red friend could say anything.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash. I’m the best flier in all of Ponyville. One day, I’m gonna join the Wonderbolts, and then everypony in Equestria’ll know who I am.”

“Right. Well, party’s about to start. Wonder where that big fella is.” I pondered aloud. The answer came mere seconds after the cue. You’d almost think that a sandstorm had come out of nowhere and hit Ponyville. In a matter of seconds, we went from clean air to a thick cloud of dust. When the air cleared seconds later, there was one more of us than before.

“That was… uncanny.” I coughed out. Somehow, the big colt had managed to suddenly appear out of nowhere and bring this cloud with him. All seconds after I asked where he was.

“I guess that’s all of us then. Is the party starting yet?” I asked.

Apparently, ponies only listen to me when I don’t talk to anypony, because this time Pinkie heard me and slammed open the doors. “Of course it is, silly fillies. Now come on in.” As if she expected us to say no and walk away, she managed somehow to stretch her arms out to grab all five of us (Dash included) and drag us in. The party was on, and I was ready. Or at least, I hoped I was.

Party Hardy

Chapter 4

Party Hardy

After being paraded around the party by Pinkie, She happily brought the five of us to a table that already had cake around it. She bounced off to go enjoy the rest of the party, probably play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony. The party was great. It was well attended, but not crowded. I could see why parties were Pinkie’s special talent.

“Well, I’d love to hang with you guys some more, but I’m gonna say hi to my friends. See ya later!” Rainbow said. As she left, I thought I saw her brush her tail on her new colt-friend (jeez, I made that joke but apparently she’s set on it). I saw the pegasus follow her with his eyes as she walked away.

“Over here, Casanova.” I called to his attention. He snapped his head back our way, a little embarrassed. “Right. I’ve got a few things I want to say.”

“OHMYGOSH SO DO I.” The little mare butted in.

“I had a pretty cool day too, I guess.” The pegasus added. The last one yet to speak, the colt, looked like he was considering saying something, but decided against it. I was wondering why when we were suddenly interrupted. I realized that he was keeping quiet while he waited his turn, and was letting the lovely mare that had walked up talk first.

“I heard one of you ponies was looking for me?” Just the voice I wanted to hear. A certain purple pony. A certain master of magic. A certain student of a royal princess.

“Twilight Sparkle! I’ve heard wonders about you! My name’s Historia, and I would love to ask you a favor.” I had everything in my head ready to go.

“Oh, well... okay. What do you need?”

“I... ummm...” I started to get second thoughts. Not because I was unsure of what I was doing, but I suddenly became very aware of where I was. “Ah, this is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. I’d love to discuss the matter with you at the library tomorrow, however.

“Oh. Okay, sure. Now you four should really get up and meet everypony. It is a party for you after all.” That’s what I figured. I didn’t want to break news of my thoughts until after the party was over. I didn’t know how they would react, but I didn’t want three sad ponies walking around at their own welcome party.

We stepped away from the table, and Twilight walked us to meet with her friends- the Mane 6. We began introductions with her friends.

“Hi I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party for all of you!” almost exactly the same as her first (coherent) words to Twilight. I think she had a script she memorized. If I asked, knowing her tendency to ignore the fourth wall, she’d probably pull it out and show it off.

“Mah name’s Applejack.” Said the orange pony with a respectful tip of her hat.

“Oh, my name is Rarity, although I do prefer Miss Rarity if it’s not too much trouble.” I was keeping it Rarity. The pegasus wouldn’t care, the mare probably wasn’t listening, but I expected the colt to play along.

“You know, me. I’m Rainbow Dash!” She apparently couldn’t say her name without sounding excited.

“Oh, you’ve already met?” Twilight asked, apparently surprised at the fact.

“Oh, you could definitely say they’ve met.” I responded, shooting a quick glance at the pegasus to look for a reaction. He glared at me for half a second before averting his eyes. Score. This will be fun.

“I-I’m Fluttershy.” She was still timid around new ponies I could see, but at least she could be heard now.

“And I’m Twilight Sparkle. So who are you? Why don’t you tell us your names and cutie marks?”

I started. I knew for a solid fact that none of them would. They couldn’t even answer the questions. “My name’s Historia, and my cutie mark’s an hourglass. My talent is the ability to remember history really well.” I felt bad answering the questions knowing none of the other three could, so I added changed the question for them, hoping I could get a bite.

“Also, I wanted to say that none of the other three can remember a name, or really much of anything for that matter. So if there’s any special talents you have that you found today, why don’t you just say that?”

“Ooh! Ooh! Why don’t we make names for them!?!?” Pinkie asked.

“That was my point in this whole ordeal, Pinkie. Let’s start with you, Mr. Pegasus.”

“Skills, huh? Well, when I was getting a flying lesson from Dash here, she kinda flew at me. We were, uh... sorta fighting. But whenever she got close, I would dodge or hit back. She never actually touched me. So yeah, apparently I’m a pretty good fighter.”

It all started to fit together. That black ribbon on his flank wasn’t a ribbon, it was a piece of black cloth. Specifically a black belt. His skill was fighting. I decided to name him after my favorite martial art- Tae Kwon Do. Now how could I make that into a name... Ah- I knew it! “Tycho. Your name is Tycho.”

“What? I like it- sounds cool. But, what? Where did that come from?”

“Well, you said you’re good at fighting, and the black belt on your flank symbolizes mastery of a martial art, like Tae Kwon Do. Shorten it up, and you get-”

“Ty-K-O. Tycho. Hmph. I like it.”

“Alright. So your name is Tycho, and your talent is fighting.” Twilight said matter-of-factly. I was almost surprised she wasn’t taking notes. “What story do you have, big guy?”

“Well, I was walking around, letting my mind wander. Apparently I walked for a really long time, because I ended up halfway to Canterlot.”

“Really? It’s a six hour trip from Ponyville, so that means you were walking for three hours.” Twilight stated. “How could you have not noticed?”

“I guess I, uh, don’t have a good internal clock. But yeah, I turned around at about six.”

“An hour ago?”

“Just about, yeah. The weird part is, when I started galloping back to town, I was moving way faster than I ever thought I could move. I mean, I was moving like, three or four times as fast as my normal gallop, and I wasn’t even getting tired.”

“So just before the party, that giant cloud of dust you suddenly appeared in was actually dust you kicked up while running?” I asked, the gears in my head turning as I simultaneously tried to process this information and connect the dots to get him a name.

“Yeah. Apparently the dirt in the roads gets kicked up really easy when I’m moving that fast, so I had a big cloud of dust behind me as I went.”

Well, I about had nothing. He sure didn’t give me much to work with. Speedy? Nah, that name was too boring. What else could I do?

“H-How about Dusty? I mean, if-if you don’t think it’s that bad of a name of course.” Fluttershy ask-pologized (a talent only she could do. She says something, but immediately turns it into an apology).

“Dusty... Hmm, Dusty sounds pretty good,” replied the newly christened colt.

“Yay! Myturn-myturn-myturn!” The red mare eagerly spat out. “Okay, so I was running around the town, and I ran into this tree, and a paper fell on my face, and –GAAAAAAAAASSSSSSPPPP- I read it, and It was showing this singing competition, but I wasn’t really reading it, so I entered this competition, and –GAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSPPPP- I realized I didn’t know any songs, so I was scared that I’d look stupid, but when I came up, I suddenly started singing some song I never heard before, but –GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPP- I sang it really well, and I got a perfect score, and I won, and now we get to go to Canterlot.” She seemed more excited about the day’s events than Pinkie was when she first met Twilight, but I mean really, who can top that?

“Okay. Your special talent is singing, for those who couldn’t follow the story. Specifically, she sang a song without knowing the lyrics to it. Hmm… Lyrics… How about Lyrica?” Somehow I felt like I could’ve named her “Poopy McStupidhead,” and she’d still be thrilled.

“Lyrica? AWESOME!” Man, I should really go for the low-hanging fruit next time.

“Okay, so our new ponies here are Historia, Tycho, Dusty, and Lyrica. Great to meet you all!” Twilight said with a smile.

“And it’s great to meet you all as well. I hope we can become good friends,” I said as I turned my gaze towards a pair of pegasi who had moved together during the introductions. They quickly took a step away from each other. Jeez, it was like being with sixth graders again.

“Yay! Now that everypony knows everypony, LET’S PAAAAAARRTAY!” Pinkie shouted.

DJ-PON3 (Vinyl Scratch when she’s not at her tables), who was in town for a certain competition of a musical variety, kicked the tunes up a notch so we could “shake our flanks,” as Pinkie put it. I still had no idea how long it would take me to get used to “ponyisms,” namely, everypony, flanks, hooves, and the like. It seemed like I wouldn’t be headed home anytime soon, so I should have plenty of time to learn them, at least.

Lyrica, unable to contain herself for more than ten seconds (I counted, she made it about seven and a half seconds), dragged me out onto the dance floor. If I were a human, I might’ve taken over and torn up the floor like I were a tornado. Sadly, as a pony, I had a tough enough time walking, let alone dancing. So I just did a little bit of easy dancing. It was fun though. Lyrica, on the other hand, danced like no tomorrow, despite the fact that she actually had two... four... (what would the saying translate to?) left hooves

Rainbow and Tycho, as expected, started dancing together, but they eventually started to show each other up, which started a small quarrel. Twilight and I dragged the two apart from each other until they had a chance to simmer down. Then they went right back to being inseparable. It was a funny cycle to watch.

Dusty tried to hang back, but a mysterious pink shadow pushed him into Fluttershy. Apparently the mind behind that hoof thought they would be adorable together. This action just ended with the two of them endlessly apologizing to the other for bumping into the other one. Adorable, indeed! Thank you Mysterious Pink Hoof of Fate, you bring me laughs and warm fuzzies a-plenty.

As Lyrica danced until her lungs started to come out, I looked around at the party around me. Rainbow and Tycho were… whatever they were (Friends? Lovers? Rivals? Who knows.). Fluttershy and Dusty were… well, I think they were becoming friends. Lyrica seemed to know Sweetie and Scootaloo, as they said hi to her when they saw each other at the party. I had made friends with Twilight, and received a brohoof from Lyra.

In a matter of a day, each one of us had made a friend in Ponyville. We were already seen as friendly neighbors, not strange amnesiac outsiders. I smiled gently as I dragged a collapsed, gasping Lyrica off the dance floor.

“Everypony here is a friend now.” I thought to myself as I got a pair of cups of punch for Lyrica and myself. “It’s like we’ve been here forever. This must be what Twilight felt like when she made her friends here.”

I stayed with Lyrica for the rest of the night. I felt like I needed to keep an eye on her, in case she danced her way into a heart attack next (would CPR work on a pony? Things to wonder). My fears seemed unfounded, as she spent the rest of the evening recovering from her one dance session.

More than once, ponies walked up to us to welcome us to the town, and recommend themselves and their skills. Berry Punch offered us some of her famous juice as a welcome gift. Carrot Top insisted that we stop by and pick up some of her carrots, free of charge. They all made me feel welcome, and I thanked them for their offers.

As the party began to wind down, I decided it was time to head home. “Aw jeez, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” I muttered to myself. “I don’t have anywhere to sleep. Come to think of it- none of us do.”

I walked up to Twilight, who seemed to be making her way for the door herself. “Say, Twilight, you think you could help my friends and I with a little problem?”

“Uh, sure, what do you need?”

“Well, we don’t actually have anywhere to sleep, so I think we’re gonna need to stay at somepony else’s house for a while.”

“Oh, well, I could probably have you and Lyrica over, but Dusty might be a bit too big, and Tycho already left with Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be- That’s great, thanks. Is Fluttershy still here?”

“Yes, besides Rainbow, all of us are going home now. Well, Pinkie’s not going anywhere, but you get the picture.”

“Right, let’s go then.” I picked up Lyrica, who had long ago fallen asleep, and placed her across my back. She was surprisingly light. We then made our way out the door. Waiting outside were four ponies- Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Dusty.

“So Dusty, do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?” Twilight inquired.

“Oh man. Come to think of it, I don’t.”

“My boutique is simply too messy for any guests- I’m in the middle of a large order of dresses for Hoity Toity you see.” Rarity responded. I wondered how “dirty” she could mean. With her, it could be one thing out of place, or something even I could consider messy.

“Well, the harvest a apples’r takin’ up most a the space in the barn, so ah don’t think y’all can stay at mah place.” Applejack said. I’d seen the size of the buckets they filled with apples. I believed her. Her being the Element of Honesty helped too.

“Oh, I think I have space if you need somewhere to sleep.” Fluttershy replied. I noticed that she wasn’t nearly as timid around us anymore. I guess that was as good an indicator as any that we were friends now.

“Okay, so Dusty will stay with you, Fluttershy. Lyrica and I will stay at the Library with Twilight. Is Tycho with Rainbow then? I want to make sure they’re doing alright. Can we stop by her place before we head home?”

“Sure, it’s on the way to the library and Fluttershy’s cottage, so we can go,” Twilight answered.

“Great! Let’s go then, I could really use some sleep, and it looks like I’m not the only one,” I said with a laugh as Lyrica stirred in her sleep. This pony was either bouncing off the walls or out like a light.

With that, the group left to head home. Rarity and Applejack went in the opposite direction as Twilight, Fluttershy, Dusty, and I (still carrying Lyrica, mind you. I’m not exactly a big strong colt, nudge nudge, Dusty) went towards our first destination, Rainbow’s cloud-house. It wasn’t as far as I thought. I guess I never noticed it because it was, well, clouds.

“Could you fly up there and make sure Tycho’s up there? And that he’s not sleeping too close to Rainbow? He, um, tosses around in his sleep really badly. I wouldn’t want him to hurt Rainbow.” I asked Fluttershy. The bit about the tossing in his sleep was completely made up, but I didn’t want to tell them what I was afraid they might be doing (illogical? Yes, but a guy mare has irrational thoughts sometimes).

After she flew up to check on them, Fluttershy reported back in. “Yes, Tycho is up there. I don’t think you need to be worried though. It seems like Rainbow Dash got a separate cloud for Tycho to sleep on.”

“Oh, they probably got into another one of their fights just before they went to sleep. Well, it’s good that Tycho made a friend. Let’s head home.” With that, we went to our destinations for the night. Fluttershy’s cottage was past the Library, so she and Dusty went on after we went inside.

Spike was asleep upstairs, but Owlowiscious was cleaning up some papers that Spike had neglected to clean while he was awake. “Hi Owlowiscious, could you help me set up a place for our two guests to sleep?” Twilight asked.

“Hoo?” Owlowiscious replied.

I knew better. I really did. But in this case, I couldn’t help myself. “Us. Me and my friend here. We’re the ones staying tonight.”

“Hoo,” Owlowiscious (re?) stated.

Twilight went into the basement, and emerged levitating blankets and pillows a-plenty. This just reminded me that I still hadn’t learned to use magic yet. I considered trying some out, but I was too tired. “I’ve got tomorrow,” I thought to myself as Twilight quickly laid some bedding out on the floor. She had some pony-sized pillows which she used as mattresses, and she added a pair of blankets and pillows to each makeshift bed.

“Alright, I hope you don’t mind, but this is the best we can do. Owlowiscious, if these ponies ask for anything tonight, make sure they get it.”

“Hoo.”

“Goodnight everypony,” Twilight said as she sleepily stumbled into her bedroom

I set Lyrica on one of the beds and tucked her in. She was sleeping so deep, I probably could’ve dropped her on the floor and not gotten a peep out of her. Then I went to bed myself. It had been a long day, and a good night’s sleep was just what the doctor ordered. I thought back upon everything that had happened, from waking up on somepony’s lawn, to meeting the other three, hearing Lyrica’s song, and the party. I would sleep well tonight. It had been a great day.

An Enlightening Talk

Chapter 5

An Enlightening Talk

When I woke up inside the next morning, I thought for a moment that all I had just lived through had just been a very long, vivid dream. “Mmm... that was nice. I’d like to have more dreams like that.” I muttered groggily to myself as I slowly began waking up.

“Ooh! What did you dream about?!?!?” Well that voice woke me up pretty dang quick. The reasons were as follows:

1: The “voice” happened to be just short of a scream, and originated dangerously close to my ears.

2: The “voice” belonged to a character from the “dream” I had supposedly just woken up from.

“Oh. Sorry. Did I scare you?” Lyrica stood in front of me now. Welp. That certainly wasn’t a dream, then. “I was scared when I woke up. I didn’t know where I was, and I didn’t know what was going on, and there was this purple dragon, and I, and I... I was scared.” She looked close to tears. Jeez, this pony was a crybaby on the inside.

“Sorry, we didn’t have anywhere to stay for the night, so I took you to Twilight’s to spend the night. That purple dragon you saw is named Spike. Don’t worry about him, he’s nice.”

“We already told her that, but I’m sure Spike doesn’t mind the compliment.” Twilight’s voice came from behind me. As if she knew that I would be waking up that very moment, she was carrying breakfast. We sat down to eat, Spike joining us, but electing to have a jeweled snack rather than eat our breakfast hay.

Hay tastes... dry. I had a daffodil and daisy sandwich earlier, but this was entirely different. Hay, unlike the sandwich, is just... hay. It tastes like dry grass, no hidden surprises. Maybe I’d stop by the kitchen later to make something... flavored. For now, I politely said I was still full after the party, and didn’t eat much.

“So you said you wanted to ask a favor from me at the party last night.” Twilight began.

Before I could respond, Spike interjected. “Oh yeah, you’re the pony who came here looking for Twilight yesterday.”

“Right, um, do you have any plans for today?” I asked. I didn't want to dwell on that encounter, for fear that Twilight think any worse of me than I already had. Let me tell you, my track record around town at that point was less than stellar.

“Well, I sent off my weekly letter to Celestia last night, so I can spend all day with you if you need. Why?”

“Well, I have a... a few things I’d like to discuss with you, and I feel like it’ll take most of the day. I wouldn’t want to pull you away from any other plans you have.”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine. I can always make time for a friend.” Yep, I am officially friends with Twilight Sparkle. I resisted the urge to squeal with sheer joy and continued.

“Well, let’s find something for Lyrica to do, I’d rather it just be the two of us for the talk.”

As if the Royal Sisters themselves were smiling down upon me, I heard a mix of laughing and arguing characteristic of a certain group of fillies outside. Lyrica jumped out of her seat, flew (literally flew, she did it without touching the floor. I don’t know how she did it.) to a window, looked out, and then dashed outside. The entire movement took about three seconds, which was also the time it took for her to yell “OMIGOSH! Is that the Cutie Mark Crusaders?!”

“Well that was... convenient.” I said after being shell-shocked for a few seconds.

“Spike, why don’t you clean up. I’ll take Historia into my room. Let me know if you need anything.” We walked to her room, and sat (technically, we were lying) on the bed upstairs.

“So what do you want to tell me?” She asked. She was smiling gently. She really wanted to help. I thought of where to begin.

“Well, there are a few things, actually. First off, um... could you teach me how to use magic?” She tried to hold back, but even the tallest dam can’t hold back a wave the size of Mount Everest. She laughed. She laughed hard. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone laugh as hard ever before.

After a few minutes (yeah, it lasted minutes. Imagine how it made me feel) she calmed down enough to ask “Really? That’s what you wanted to ask me?”

“Look, I was one of the four who woke up knowing just about nothing yesterday. Except I did know some things. More on that later, though.” I said with a wave of my hoof. “Either way, I don’t really remember anything about being a pony, including how to use magic.”

She made the connection, and instantly began apologizing. “Oh right, I’m so sorry, I forgot. You seemed like you knew so much, I figured you would at least know how to use magic.”

“It’s alright, I do put up a facade, I suppose.”

“Well let’s start with the basics. Magic is all around us. When we cast spells, we don’t create magic, we just focus it and then manipulate it. So let’s start by finding magic. I’m going to focus magic in the air on one side of you. Try to feel where the magic energy concentration is higher, and then hold up your hoof on the side where the concentration is higher.”

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”

She began to focus the magic. Remarkably, when I closed my eyes to focus, I could see and feel a sort of... energy on my right side. It felt like there was a cloud of electricity in the air, just hovering. I held up my right hoof, remembering the directions.

“Good, now I’m going to turn it down bit by bit, until you can detect normal magic levels.”

She kept lowering it. Every time I correctly found the concentration of magic.

“Wow, you’re a natural. The last time somepony did as well as you was... well, when I was going through this. Now, can you feel magic all around you?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Now try to focus the magic energy inside your body into your horn. It’ll act like a magic magnet, drawing magic from the air automatically.”

I tried what she told me. I just tried focusing on my horn. Nada. I focused on the magic around me, and then focused on myself. I could feel that electrical sensation I felt in the air when I was sensing magic coursing through my body. I did something I can only describe as “reaching out” to grab the magic energy. Imagine an invisible comb brushing the energy, bringing it along as it goes. I moved the magic through my body, slowly working it towards my horn.

When I reached it, I felt the magic in the air automatically being drawn to my horn. I felt the magic levels increasing and increasing. Twilight broke my concentration to stop the process.

“Woah, there. That’s good.” My concentration lost, the magic dulled down.

“How did I do?”

“You’re definitely a natural. I haven’t seen many ponies with that much raw power. Now you just need better control. When you focus the magic, instead of keeping the magic in your horn, focus the magic around an object like-” She looked around, looking for something I could levitate. She found an old doll (I recognized it as a Smartypants. Thankfully her enchantment wore off long ago), and decided to use that. “Like this. Focus the magic around this, and then you can use the same techniques you used to focus the magic into your horn to levitate it. Make sense?”

“I think so.” I did as she said, focusing the magic in my horn was easy. As I felt the energy building, I switched my focus onto the doll. As I stared intently at it, focusing on the magic surrounding it, I saw a soft lavender aura- the same color as my coat- begin to form around it. I began to “drag” the magic around it up, and it took the doll with it. Happy to see it working, I started to send the doll flying back and forth across the room. I set it back down on the bed before saying “I think I’ve got the hang of it now.”

“Wow. You’re a fast learner. I think that’s pretty much all I can teach for now.”

“What about your other spells? I know you know at least 25.”

“Each spell is different. Just try to imagine what you want to have happen, and focus the magic where you want it to go. That’s the basics of any spell. Some will require more magic to be focused in your horn, or more concentration on what you’re doing, but the basics are about all you need to know.”

“Thanks a bunch. Now then, I have something very serious to discuss with you. It’s about who I am, who the other three are, and our stories. Let’s start off with this: What do you know about us?”

“Well, I know your names and your skills. Other than that, I don’t know much. I’m pretty sure nopony knows much about you four.”

“And I think I know why. I think that the four of us aren’t actually from Equestria.”

“What? Do you mean that you come from a land beyond Equestria? I know a zebra named Zecora who comes from a land beyond Equestria.”

“No, I come from another planet, or existence, or... something. I come from a place called Earth.”

“What... or Where, is ‘Earth?’”

“Earth is a planet, not unlike the one you’re on now. But instead of ponies like there are here, there’s another race called ‘humans’ that live on Earth. I was a ‘human’ before I woke up in Equestria yesterday.”

“What in Equestria are you talking about?”

“Well, more like what on Earth, because I, as well as my three friends, are originally humans. Or at least, I think so. Either way, I have memories from when I was a human, and the three ponies who came at the same time as me all seem strangely similar to three of my friends from Earth. The only thing that bugs me is that I’m the only one that can remember anything from back then.”

“I... I’m not sure if I believe you.”

“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t. I know it sounds kind of weird, but it’s the truth. If you want proof, ask me anything you want about humans or Earth.”

“What do humans look like?” I joked about her taking notes the night before. Now she really did pull up a quill, inkwell and some parchment, and waited for a response.

“Hmm... Well, actually, let me try something.” I took a quill and inkwell from the desk below (she always had several on her desk, all neat and tidy) and a parchment from her stack, and set them in front of myself. I almost surprised myself with how easily I managed to levitate three things at once. I dipped the quill into the ink, and began drawing.

Now, I am a fair artist. Not amazing, I’m no Van Gogh, but I could knock out a drawing in ten minutes or less, and it would at least resemble whatever I was trying to make. I started to draw what a human looked like. Drawing with a quill using magic was very different from drawing with a pencil using my hand. My drawing didn’t come out perfectly, but I was close enough to say out loud, “Yep, that’s about right.” I instinctively signed my human initials, and floated the parchment to Twilight.

“Wow. Humans look... silly.”

“Yeah, well, if you asked the average human, they’d probably say ponies look pretty silly too. We walk on two legs, use our front legs- which we call arms- for manipulating objects, and at the end of those arms, we have hands that we can use to grab things very well.”

“Okay, but what does ‘Earth’ look like?”

“Well, it’s tough to say. Parts of it look like Ponyville, some of it looks like Appaloosa, there’s all kinds of environments on Earth. The thing is though, humans can’t control anything like ponies can. We can’t control weather or things like that. It works a lot like the Everfree Forest, to put it in terms you can understand.”

“Hmm... I think I see what you mean. What kind of magic can humans use?”

“Humans never learned to tap into magic, I suppose. We can’t use magic, so we rely on our size, strength, and brains to do things.”

“Hmm... for something that doesn’t make any sense, you’re explaining this pretty easily. So either you’re telling the truth-” My eyes lit up and my mouth curled into a smile. She believed me! She actually believed me! “Or you’re completely insane.” Or maybe not.

“Look. I’m telling you the truth, but if you have your doubts, I know of a pony who would definitely know the truth behind this situation. Somepony you know very well.”

“Applejack?”

“Somepony who’s taught you countless lessons.”

“Rarity?”

“You’ve known her for a long time...” I was starting to get a little annoyed. I thought she was smart.

“Fluttershy?”

“No, I’m talking about Princess Celestia!” I facehoofed. How could she not have gotten that sooner?

“Oh, that makes a lot more sense.”

“Right, so here’s what I’d like to ask you. Being her faithful student, could you arrange an audience with her for us when we go to Canterlot?”

“Only on one condition. I need to be there to see what happens, if it turns out you’re not as insane as you sound.”

“I promise you I’m not.” I then remembered something I could use to lighten up the mood, as well as get Twilight on my side. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I drew a laugh out of her, and with that I said goodbye.

“Oh, Twilight, if you don’t mind? Could you not tell anypony else? I think I want to wait to let them know.”

“Alright. Whatever you want. Now go have fun, crazy pony.” She joked. At least, I hope she was joking. Jeez, I just can’t catch a break here.

In-Flight Movie

Chapter 6

In-Flight Movie

“Alright. Is everypony ready to go?” I called out. It was mid-morning, and I was waiting for the remainder of the group to board the chariot to Canterlot. We had picked up a few extra passengers on top of the four humans- Tycho, Dusty, Lyrica and myself. Twilight had pulled some strings as the princess’s personal student, and managed to get a free ride. Rainbow Dash had decided that if there was going to be an adventure, she wanted in on it. Either Lyrica blabbed and said that we might be going on some epic adventure, or she was just looking for an excuse to stay with Tycho.

When everypony was on the chariot (sans two pegasi who insisted on flying next to the chariot), we went on our way. I let everypony get their oohs and ahs in before I told them my thoughts. Admittedly, I looked over the side of the chariot, and just let myself stare in wonder at the Sun, still hanging low in the sky.

Not long into our trip, Tycho landed on the chariot, saying that he still wasn’t used to long distance flying, and needed a break. His break happened to be my lucky break (ha ha double meanie. Get it? It’s funny rite?)

“Now that you’re all on here, I’ve got something I’d like to talk to you all seriously about.”

Everypony turned their heads to look at me with various degrees of concern. Tycho was being himself, saying “this better be good” with his eyes alone. Dusty simply stared at me, waiting for me to say whatever it was I wanted to say. Lyrica looked at me, surprisingly enough, without smiling. I was amazed that she could show an emotion other than excitement. Twilight looked at me, then looked back at the rising sun. She didn’t want to be a part of the conversation, and I honestly didn’t want to be either.

“I’m now more certain than ever that the four of us are originally humans, like I proposed earlier.”

“Hey, we’re not... pony stalkers like you.” Tycho quickly spat out.

“I told you, it’s not like that.” Twilight was going to ask me about that endlessly, even after I explain it, I just knew it. “In fact, I think you originally didn’t like the concept of these ponies at all.”

“Now what do you mean by that?” Tycho shot back. I knew he was worried about his relationship with a sky blue pegasus that might be hearing every word we were saying.

“When I was a human, I had three really good friends. One was a really good fighter who... didn’t have the best manners.” I said, pointing a hoof at Tycho. “One was quiet and polite, and loved to go fast.” I added, moving my hoof to Dusty. “And the third was really hyper, but loved singing.” I finished, with my hoof lining up with Lyrica’s confused stare.

“See, my three friends didn’t share one interest with me. I watched a show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, a show about a purple pony who learns lessons about friendship from her five friends.” Twilight stared slack-jawed at me. She knew who I was talking about.

“I watched the show because I loved these ponies. I loved everything about them. I learned a lot from them, and I wanted nothing more than to live in their world. But my friends refused to watch the show. I couldn’t convince them. Then I woke up to find myself a pony with three other ponies who ended up resembling my friends strangely well. I know you’ll all think I’m crazy, but that’s the truth, at least as I see it.”

After several seconds of silence, the least likely candidate spoke up. “I believe you.” Dusty said with a straight face. “We all woke up with out any idea who we were or anything. So anything’s possible. You’re the only one to have had an explanation for this all, and if you let it sink in, it starts to make sense.”

“The only thing I don’t know about this is-” I started

“Why. You’ve been over this already, don’t waste your breath repeating yourself. So I suppose you haven’t found the ‘strongest magic’ or whatever the hay you were looking for?” Tycho interrupted.

“That’s what I’m working on. Thanks to our special guest here, we have a meeting with royalty while we stay here. Hopefully we can get some answers out of her. If not, we can ask for access to the Vault of Harmony to get the Elements out and magic ourselves home.”

Tycho sighed. “I don’t know if I want you to be right or wrong, but I hope whatever you are, you don’t get us in trouble. Or worse.”

Canterlot began to enter view as Tycho finished. I hoped that I was right. Or did I? If I was right, would I really leave this world? Did I have to? There was only one pony who would know, and the sooner I met her, the better.

A Privileged Audience

Chapter 7

A Privileged Audience

As we landed at one of the docks at Canterlot’s airport, everypony finally began cheering up again. They were too distracted by the magnificent sights to think about their situation. I decided this was best, and joined in with the gawking. We were such tourists.

Twilight, the only one of us to have really seen the capital, snapped us out of our trance. “C’mon everypony, let’s get something to eat before our meeting.”

“Please not hay, or grass, or flowers, or anything like that.” I thought to myself as we went on our way.

It turns out there are only two types of food in Equestria: plants and sweets. If it’s not green, it’s covered in some form of sugar. I didn’t complain as we walked into Donut Joe’s store. Donuts are my favorite food. Well, aside from pizza, hot dogs, spaghetti, bacon, and well... they’re still one of my favorites (I like food).

The six of us chowed down on donuts like we were starving ourselves. In fact, I just about was, because I needed flavor in my diet, and hay just wasn’t cutting it. I kept stopping by Sugarcube Corner to pick up food that actually had flavor to it. I couldn’t keep it up without losing my figure, but gaining a few pounds was worth eating something flavorful in my book.

Somehow, Tycho and Rainbow got into an argument over who could eat a donut faster. This, of course, devolved into a full on donut-eating war. Tycho won in two bites. Rainbow finished just a second afterwards. I just shook my head, wondering what to think. These two were certainly made for each other, whether they realized it or not.

After our Brunch, we made our way to the castle. I was a little scared when I saw the Royal Guards standing outside the castle, but Twilight walked up to them, told them who she was, and they let us pass. Man, I really wish I was Celestia’s star pupil. Maybe Luna had an opening.

We walked into the lobby, and started our tourist-esque staring once again. Ahead of us was the Grand Staircase where Celestia and Twilight spent the last Grand Galloping Gala. Atop those stairs on the right I knew was the Ballroom, but I figured the other side would be the Throne Room. A Guard escorted us up the staircase, and took us to the left. I was right. I always am with this kind of thing (Okay, so it was a lucky guess).

It was actually a fair walk to reach the Throne Room. We stayed quiet for the walk. Well, Lyrica was back to her wall-bouncing old self, but she was still quiet.

Finally, we reached a huge pair of doors being guarded by two unicorn guards. “Hey Keymaster, Hey Gatekeeper. I got a couple ponies who have an audience with the princesses. Care to open the door for us?” Our escort half-shouted. That’s when I noticed that the guards were actually asleep at their posts. I guess with the security in place, they didn’t have much to worry about.

The unicorns, now awake enough to see they needed to open the doors, stuck their horns in the key hole in each door, casting a spell to unlock the doors. They then pushed them open, and our escort allowed us to go into the room ourselves. Apparently he figured we wouldn’t cause any trouble that Celestia couldn’t handle. We walked in, and the doors closed behind us.

“My Little Ponies, what seems to be the problem?” A voice came from nowhere. It was Princess Celestia’s voice, but I couldn’t see her anywhere in the room.

“Princess Celestia, my name is Historia, and I come seeking an answer to a question I believe only you can answer.”

“Oh do you? But why do you call yourself Historia, John?” Okay, Trollestia. Quit knowing everything. Like my human name.

“Because I’m not John any more. If I were John, I’d be on two legs right now. As you can clearly see, I’m very much a pony. Now that you answered my question before I asked it, could you explain why you’re doing this? Or at least where you are?”

“Oh, I’m right behind you.” She said with a chuckle as I turned to see her standing behind us. Okay, I’m liking this “benevolent princess” less and less each second.

“Alright. So you know I’m human. What about my friends here? Not Rainbow or Twilight, of course.”

“Oh, them? Yes, they’re human too.”

I sighed. I was right. For better or for worse, I was right. “Alright, so why are we here then?”

“That’s a little harder to explain. I’ll get into it after Derek finishes his rant.”

“Hang on one second!” Tycho, Derek- I made the connection long ago. Doesn’t look like he had yet though. “You think I’m just gonna believe you? Who do you think you are?”

“Uh, Tycho, she’s the princess of Equestria, and the one who sent us here from Earth.” I tried to reply. He just kept going. I decided to start timing how long it would take for him to say something stupid.

“I mean, I spent these last few days meeting all these ponies, and you just tell me I’m not a pony? I don’t care what you say! I met the most awesome pegasus ever, and you’re telling me I’m just gonna have to leave her behind when I leave? Heck no! I don’t care about whatever you say!” Wow. Five seconds. I expected him to last at least eight seconds. Rainbow was blushing, I don’t know if it was from being called “the most awesome pegasus ever” or being called that in a rant to Celestia.

Twilight butted in with her zip-a-da-lip spell (okay, that’s just what I call it) to get Tycho to shut his mouth. “Thanks Twilight. Now then, you were going to tell us what we’re here for.” I said.

Celestia giggled a little. Normally I don’t mind getting a laugh out of Tycho making himself looking stupid, but I was in no mood for that today. “Well, there’s a dangerous pony who’s returning from... somewhere else, and we need your help to defeat him.” She replied, her voice suddenly taking a cold, serious tone.

“Who?”

“His name is Epoch.”

“Epoch? I don’t remember anypony named Epoch in all the books I’ve read.” Twilight mused.

“That’s because I made sure that Epoch wouldn’t be remembered in any history books. His story is a dark one. A pony who turned to hatred, malice, and violence.”

“Just like Nightmare Moon.”

“Worse than that, I assure you.” Came a new voice from the other side of the room

I heard the voice, and teleported myself to where it originated from. No, I don’t know how, but I did. I had to see for myself. In front of me was just the pony I had hoped to see. Luna, in all her magnificent, royal, not-Trollestia glory. I instantly hugged her around her neck. Unsurprisingly, she picked me up with her magic, and floated me in front of her as she trotted over to join her sister.

“Why did you just do that?” Luna asked. I’d be confused if I just got ninja-hugged too, I guess.

“Sorry Luna. I’m a huge fan, and I couldn’t help myself when I heard your voice.” Satisfied to hear I liked her and wasn’t trying to strangle her, Luna gently set me down. “So are you going to tell us the story of Epoch then?” I asked Celestia.

“No. You are.” She said with her horn glowing green. I noticed a green glow around my body and the I began to feel... strange. It’s hard to explain. I felt like I was... learning. I suddenly felt memories I had never had flowing into me. The entire history of Equestria was entering my head, flashing before my eyes.

“Ow. Tell me before you do that next time.” Let me tell you. Learning the history of an entire civilization in the span of ten seconds gives you four of the worst migraines ever. “Right, Epoch. Let’s see. It might take a second, I happen to have a couple thousand years of history in my head now. There we are. Woah. I see what you mean, this guy was bad. Well, let’s get storytime started then.”

An Age-Old Enemy

Chapter 8

An Age-Old Enemy

I began the story of Epoch. He was somehow related to our presence, and all I knew about him was that he was coming back, and that he would be mad.

“In the beginning, there was one pony who controlled time itself. His name was Epoch. He was lonely, and began the pony civilization to keep him company. However, he was sad to see that most of his time was spent moving the sun and moon in order to keep time moving. He rarely had the chance to spend any time with the other ponies.

“In order to help, he created two other ponies to help him control time. One would move the Sun across the sky during the day, and the other would guide the Moon and stars through the quiet of the night. And for a time, the three of them were happy. Epoch treated his sisters, Celestia and Luna with love and respect.

“But soon, he began to distrust his sisters. He saw their faithful control over the Sun and Moon as a tyrannical rule where they did not belong. His distrust began to fester within him, increasing with every passing day. Before long, he stopped speaking to them entirely. When they tried to talk with him, his harsh words struck them like swords, hurting worse than anything they could have imagined.

“Finally, Epoch could no longer stand to see his sisters control what he believed to be rightly his. He confronted his sisters and told them to stop moving the Sun and Moon. They replied by saying that they didn’t want to stop moving them, as it could only lead to disaster for the citizens of Equestria.

“Epoch had grown blind with rage, and had his guards take Celestia and Luna into the dungeon, where they were to be locked up. Neither had the courage to break out, as they saw time itself fluctuating out of control due to its mad ruler. After days, weeks, possibly years, Celestia and Luna managed to break through the wall separating their dungeon cells. They began to talk.

“They talked about Epoch. Who he was and who he had become. They talked about Equestria, how they loved it more than they loved each other. They then talked about how they could help the ailing nation to return to normalcy. They knew what they had to do. They knew it would be hard, perhaps impossible. But each knew that it was necessary, and that they were the only ponies who could put an end to this.

“They broke out of their cells together, and fought their way to the throne of Epoch, where he lay waiting. They began a fight that would be the greatest in history. The strongest Alicorn versus the second and third strongest. Magic bolts fired off, traveling for miles before they dispersed. The battle was becoming dangerous, and the Sisters realized this.

“They created a distraction that occupied Epoch just long enough for them to reach what they needed if they were to have any chance of defeating him. The Elements of Harmony. Epoch soon followed them into the hall, and declared that he would finish them then and there. He prepared to fire off his strongest spell.

“Whoever got hit by the spell would be trapped in time for five thousand years. He aimed his horn at Celestia and Luna, rage filling his eyes as he charged his spell.

“The sisters could only cry as they did the only thing the could to stop him. They called upon the power of the Elements of Harmony. Unable to harness the full power of the Elements, they put up a wall to stop the spell. Hoping the spell would exhaust Epoch enough to give the Sisters an opening, they hid behind their magic shield, bracing for whatever was to come.

“Epoch fired off his spell, and it contacted the wall with unbelievable force. The shield held, however. Even more amazing, the shield reflected the spell back at its caster. Epoch was hit by his own greatest spell, and was forced into a limbo realm, existing, but not in our world. He would remain there for 5000 years.

“That was four thousand, nine-hundred ninety-nine years and three hundred sixty-four days ago.” I finished. “Do you mean to tell me that the most powerful and hate-filled alicorn in all of history is returning tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid so. We think he’ll return at the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, as that’s where he was originally banished.” Celestia responded.

“So you want us to go there and wait for him, and stop him when he gets there?” Tycho asked. He seemed anxious. I think he just wanted to see some action.

“No, that’s why I’m having you stay here for the next week, at least a few days.” She quickly replied. I imagine she anticipated the question, and had an answer prepared. I hate you, oh All-Knowing-Trollestia.

“Why the hay are you doing that?” Rainbow was the one to speak out this time.

I summed it up for her. “Think about it Rainbow, if you were trapped for five thousand years, wouldn’t you try to flex a bit, work out the kinks in your muscles? Well Epoch flexes by destroying everything. He’s not exactly a happy pony. I wouldn’t want to be there when he comes back.”

“In at least four days, when our scouts should have returned with a report, I am sending the four humans, as well as the six Elements on a journey to stop Epoch. I will also be sending a pony I trust more than anypony else, someone who is strong, capable, and kind. My sister.” Celestia stated. She was deadpan serious, as I suppose she should be, considering the fact that she was sending eleven ponies, one of whom was her own sister, on a mission that could end in nopony surviving.

“We won’t let you down, Princess.” I said.

“Alright, I’m game for some action.” Tycho added.

“Maybe if I save the world, the Wonderbolts will finally let me join!” Rainbow excitedly said to herself. One-track mind much?

“Yay! We get to go on an adventure!” Lyrica shouted.

“Well, if everypony else is going, I don’t see any reason not to.” Dusty had this feeling about him. He would only do something if he felt he really had to, but then he put his full effort into it.

“Are you sure this is the best idea, sister?” Luna worriedly asked Celestia.

“No, but it’s our only hope if we are ever to save ourselves from whatever Epoch brings. These ponies are our only hope. I don’t know if they can succeed, but it’s all we have.”

“Hey Celestia. Don’t worry about it. We’ll kick Epoch’s butt so hard, he’ll wish he were locked away for ten thousand years.” I said reassuringly. Whoever I was trying to fool, it didn’t work. Even I still had my doubts. But we couldn’t let Epoch take over Equestria. I wouldn’t let that happen, so long as I lived.

Off on the Wrong Hoof

Chapter 9

Off on the Wrong Hoof

The four day minimum on the grace period before Celestia let any of us go anywhere felt agonizingly long. We weren’t allowed to move from Canterlot, and Celestia wouldn’t even bring the remaining four Elements to Canterlot in case Epoch noticed their movement. All we could do was sit in the Court Gardens, getting to know each other, as if we hadn't already been together for our entire lives as ponies.

Each of us were doing our own activity to keep ourselves from getting bored. Dusty was walking through the gardens, sniffing flowers, and occasionally whistling. Twilight was reading a book that I imagine she had taken out from the library. Lyrica was off in a corner singing. At the moment, the song was "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top (that mare could sing anything). Rainbow Dash was practicing her flying tricks, flying around the gardens while performing flips and rolls.

The pristine gardens, with their vast selection of plants, were a calming place. One could come here and be alone with their thoughts. One could be at peace here. Or, one could disrupt all of that to get in an argument.

“Look. All I’m saying is, I don’t really think that just because you’re a princess, I should listen to whatever you say.” Tycho was at it again, the only one to resist the possibility of originally being a human. Now he was arguing with Luna and I as we sat on some benches in the middle of the garden. He was probably the reason why there weren't any animals near us.

“Listen Tycho. This all just makes too much sense. I have memories from being a human, Lyrica sang a song from Earth, all three of you act just like my friends, if it got any more human, we would be back on Earth already. I know you don’t want to leave, I sure don’t, but we’re here to do a job.” I tried to talk some sense into him. It was like trying to talk to a brick wall. A brick wall that had a short temper and bad manners.

“Yeah, I know. That’s all you’ve been saying. I’m saying that I don’t think I want to help if it means I have to leave here.”

“What if we find some way around that? Is that possible Luna?” I shouldn’t call out to others who aren’t paying attention, it’s embarrassing for all parties.

“Hmm? What did you ask?” Apparently Luna's thoughts were elsewhere, despite her sitting with the two of us.

“Could we find some way not to head back to Earth when we finish here?”

“Well, Tia said that the spell was unstable and would only last three weeks at most, so I’m afraid there’s not much we can do.” Side note. Oh My Celestia, She actually calls her Tia.

“But we could find some way to circumvent that, right? A- I don’t know- a strengthening of the spell to make it permanent?”

Luna was about to respond when Celestia walked into the courtyard with a pegasus guard at her side. It was pretty clear this guard was one of the more important guards, as he was wearing much more “functional” armor than the normal guards- a helmet that covered the entire head, a much more solid breastplate, and it was all covered in scratches and dents- most likely from training exercises (or maybe he had seen some combat). The armor looked like it could take hits in a fight, as opposed to the fancy gold plates that most guards wore.

“Alright ponies, we’ve gotten our report back from the scouts we sent to the ruins.” He said loudly enough that everypony in the courtyard (and I felt like all of Canterlot) could hear.

“What’s the word, pony-bird?” I asked. Have I ever mentioned that I can’t bring myself to respect authority?

“The scouts have confirmed that there is a large black alicorn walking the halls of the ruins. He has not made any aggressive moves yet, but we’re staying on high alert.”

“Does this mean that we can finally go somewhere and do something to stop this guy?” Tycho asked.

“Yes. Your first stop will be Ponyville to pick up the remaining four Elements. After that, you will venture into the Everfree Forest to reach the ruins. From there, your ultimate goal will be to subdue Epoch. If he surrenders peacefully, take him here. If not, it will be up to you to decide what to do.”

“Right. Pick up Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Then we head to the ruins. Stop Epoch, and bring him back here if he’s feeling nice," I repeated. "Sounds easy enough. Shall we get going?”

“No. It’s a six hour walk for most of you, so you will leave tomorrow.” General Fancy-Pants responded.

“Couldn’t we just fly?” Twilight asked. I was wondering the same thing. The trip was a lot faster and easier by air.

“Epoch would no doubt see any motion in the sky. I don’t want anypony in the skies. We are putting a ban on all airspace travel until further notice. That includes you.”

“Well, you do have a point,” I conceded. “It’s best that we try and lay low if we can.”

“Okay. We will make our leave for Ponyville first thing tomorrow morning” Luna confirmed. Celestia and General Fancy-Pants (nothing will stop me from calling him that) left the courtyard, leaving our gang of seven alone in the courtyard again. Tycho, Luna, and I got back to our previous discussion.

“Anyways, I’m just saying that there had better be some way to come back here. I’m not going back without a fight.” Tycho started, raising his hooves to accentuate his willingness to fight for his right to spend time with Dash.

“I’m just not sure it’s possible to do that.” Luna admitted. “You’re talking to the wrong princess.”

“Look, Tycho, I know how you feel about this, but I don’t think it’s worth-” I began.

“I DON’T CARE WHAT EITHER OF YOU THINK!” Tycho shouted before flying off- probably to find some clouds to rest on while he simmered down.

“Should I talk to your friend before he gets into more trouble?” Luna asked.

“No, I don’t think that’d help. It’d probably make things worse, in fact. I think he just needs time to cool down and get his head back.”

“What just happened?” Twilight asked as she and the others approached Luna and me. Rainbow Dash was towards the back, looking embarrassed. I could tell that she was well aware of the fact that whatever Tycho had done, it had somehow involved her.

“Oh, Tycho was just being Tycho. Don’t worry about him. He just needs some time to cool off, if I know him” I responded.

"Oh, well... okay then" Twilight said as she went back to read the book she had taken from the royal library. Rainbow went off on her own, Dusty continued calmly walking the garden, but Lyrica lingered, choosing to strike up a new conversation with me.

"So are we really gonna go on a big adventure and fight bad guys?"

"Yep, and we're gonna kick the pants- uh... We're gonna show him who's boss," I responded (nope, still not used to living or speaking as a pony).

"Are we really, or are you just saying that to cheer us up?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. We're facing someone who could be stronger than all of us combined. But like Celestia said, we're Equestria's only hope. I don't want to think what would happen if we don't win."

Lyrica didn't take this news well. Her lower lip started to quiver, and her eyes widened and began to shimmer with wetness. Oh Celestia save me, she's starting to cry.

"Nonono! Don't cry! Don't- Oh no, you're crying." I begged as she broke out into a full-out bawl. All I could do was hug her to calm her down, an act that made Luna chuckle. "Don't you dare. Don't say a word." I commanded, though if I hadn't said it in such a stern voice it would've been begging.

"Oh I won't say anything, I wouldn't want to interrupt the two of you."

"You're worse than your sister. When this one calms down, you're gonna get your just desserts."

"Yay! I love dessert!" She exclaimed with a laugh before flying away to avoid whatever wrath I could unleash upon her.

"WE ARE NOT THROUGH HERE!" I shouted back at her. Great. Tycho hates Luna and I, Luna's making fun of me, and Lyrica's using me as a crying pillow. We haven't even started our journey and we're already getting into fights. How could this get any worse?

Oh right. Epoch.

Picking Up Ponies

Chapter 10

Picking up Ponies

The next day, we departed for our first destination, Ponyville. There was no fanfare, no parades in our honor. Heck, we didn't even get a guard to escort us out of Canterlot. Just the seven of us.

The six hour trip felt like it took a day. Rainbow and Tycho were being their usual selves: flying, fighting, and arguing the entire way. Lyrica kept running ahead of us, running out of breath, falling behind, and running to catch back up with us.

I kept myself occupied by practicing my magic. I levitated a rock, and I would throw it from side to side, trying to catch it using magic before it hit the ground. It was pretty obvious I needed practice. By the time we reached Ponyville, I was able to "juggle" one rock at a time. Progress, nopony said it had to be fast.

Dusty and Rainbow volunteered to gather up the ponies, being the fastest ones in the group. The remainder of us went to the library to wait for them to arrive.

Within fifteen minutes, our group of five had grown to eleven ponies. Twilight pulled out the Elements of Harmony and passed them out to the others.

"I'll explain in a minute," She said as she handed them out, "But I don't know when we'll need these, so the sooner you get them, the better."

After the five ponies were wearing their stylish jewelry (Twilight wasn't wearing hers, just holding onto it. Can't say I blame her), I broke down the story of Epoch for them. They were all struck with disbelief (Can't anypony just trust me when I say something?). Fortunately, Luna and Twilight backed me up, which helped convince the others.

"So yer tryin' to tell us that there's some big mean pony who's tryin' to take over Equestria, and we have to stop him?" Applejack asked.

"That's the gist of it, yeah." I replied. "So Celestia wants us to go to the ruins where you fought Nightmare Moon, and capture or... well stop Epoch."

"I... I don't know if I want to go back there. It's scary in the Forest," Fluttershy timidly said.

"If we don't stop Epoch, there's no telling what he would do to you. Or your animals." Each pony had something they worried about. Fluttershy was pretty easy to handle.

"Oh my goodness, I don't want anything to happen to Angel! Oh alright, I guess I'll go." You didn't need a psychology degree to know she was still scared out of her adorable pony mind.

“Well we need everypony to beat him, so we either go there together, or go down together.” Everypony stayed silent after I said that, letting what I said sink in, as the realization that this could be life or death came up. “If you don’t want to go with us, the door’s right there, you can go ahead and live like this never happened,” I offered with a gesture towards the door.

The entire group said nothing, and nopony even looked at the door. Nopony except Tycho, who stared at it, scrunching his face. After a few seconds, he turned back to me, not saying a word. He knew he didn’t have to. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Okay then. We spent most of the day actually getting here, so I think we should set out tomorrow. Let’s meet at Fluttershy’s cottage at ten tomorrow. Sound good to everpony?”

Everypony nodded silently. They were to anxious for words. “Alright then. Tomorrow we leave. Try and get a good night’s sleep everypony.” They slowly filed out of the library, leaving Twilight, Luna, Lyrica, and I still inside.

“It’s starting to get late, I’ll make some dinner and we can go to bed.” My stomach turned at the thought of forcing another bowl of hay down my throat. I had to find some way to stop her. Some way, any way.

“Ummm, how about I cook? I used to be a pretty good chef, I think I could work something out. Besides, I’m uh... I’m trying to, uh, work on levitating multiple things at once.” I threw in a smile for good measure, hoping to convince her that I wasn’t doing it to avoid traditional pony cuisine. Thankfully, she accepted and left me to cook at my leisure in the kitchen.

The kitchen was well stocked, for a library (I guess it still is a house). The hard part was making a meal without my favorite food group. Meat. Guess I’d just have to make do without anything I normally use as a main dish. Wonderful.

I elected to make a salad instead. I found some oil and vinegar (apparently, ponies stock everything but meat. I’m not complaining), threw in some herbs, and mixed up some Italian dressing. I found some bread and cheese too, so I decided to throw some bruschetta together too. I put it in the stove, and called Spike to light it. Within minutes, I had a beautiful side for a delicious-looking salad. Altogether, it took me forty-five minutes of toiling in the kitchen with no assistance (aside from my pilot light) to make a dinner I could consider edible.

“Dîner est servi,” I called as I brought the food to the table, calling upon the French I still remembered. It’s the fancy language, just ask Applejack!

“Oh, that salad looks delicious! But um... what’s that?” Twilight inquired as she pointed vaguely at the dishes I was levitating.

“What? This? It’s salad dressing. You put it on the salad to give it a different taste. This one’s Italian. It’s got a kind of sour, tangy taste. If you’re asking about this, bruschetta’s just bread with cheese and tomatoes on it. I drizzled a little of the dressing on for flavor though.”

“You ‘humans’ sure do have weird eating habits.” Twilight mused as I set the food down

“Hey, we don’t eat hay, so I wanted to make something I could eat. Don’t blame me if-”

“Both of you, stop this nonsense!” Luna interjected. “Finish this senseless bickering so we may eat.”

“Right. Sorry.” I apologized to nopony in particular before serving everypony there. I demonstrated the proper manner of applying salad dressing, since apparently Twilight thought you were supposed to drink it (It may be new to her, but you gotta think she’d know better). She actually thought that both the salad dressing and the bruschetta were good. Score one for the humans.

With dinner finished, we adjourned to our beds. Twilight and Luna went upstairs into the bedroom, and Lyrica and I returned to the cushions in the main room. I lay my head on the pillow, and within minutes heard heavy breathing. Lyrica was already asleep? Did she even realize we were going on a life or death mission tomorrow? Shouldn’t she be a little nervous and restless?

Jeez, that’s one pony I look up to for all the wrong reasons.

Mrs. Moonlight

Chapter 11

Mrs. Moonlight

About ten hours into my sleepless night (okay, so it was probably only like an hour or something, time just doesn’t actually pass when you’re sitting in bed), I decided to get up and get a drink. After grabbing a glass of water, I stepped outside silently, trying to avoid disturbing anypony who might take offense in any audible noises at ungodly hours of the night.

I stared at the night sky thoughtlessly. Number one way to calm myself down: Sit outside and watch the stars. I would sit out in the middle of winter just to watch stars. You don’t know how beautiful the night sky is until you’ve really given it a fighting chance.

I took a sip from my glass and wondered, evidently aloud, if they were the same stars that I saw from Earth every night.

“Most likely yes,” a voice responded from the balcony above. Luna was apparently up as well.

“Luna? What are you doing up at- right, Princess of Night. Duh.” She flew down to the ground to continue the conversation at my level (to be fair, she was still a good hand or two taller than I was).

“You are concerned about our mission. Perhaps too much.”

“It’s... I... Yeah, I probably am. It’s just, for the longest time, I wanted to be a pony, and now that I finally am, suddenly I’m expected to fight off some guy that’s supposed to be stronger than any pony ever. And since I’m still the only human with any memory from before six days ago, I feel like I should be in charge here.”

“And you have done well as a leader thus far, but a good leader knows when to avoid involving themselves too deeply in the mission.”

“Yeah, but I still feel like I’m responsible. A good leader should put the group’s needs before their own.” I sighed, taking a long swig of water.

“But if you do not tend to your own needs, then you will not be able to effectively lead the group.”

“Alright, you win, I’ll think about myself some.” I conceded with a laugh. I sighed again, staring up at the stars. “The sky is beautiful. Did you arrange them yourself?”

“No, the stars are too far away for my magic to reach. Few say that the night is beautiful, why would you say such a thing?”

I sighed again, this time a happy sigh. “Ah, what’s not to love? The darkness has this mysterious comfort to it, the stars always look beautiful, the silence is unbelievably calming, and the cool breeze is strangely invigorating. Daytime is so drab in comparison.” I wasn’t even trying to score any pony points with her, it’s the honest to Cel- actually, the honest to Luna truth.

“It’s nice to hear somepony finally recognize the beauty of my night.”

“I’d love to be better friends with you, you’re actually a lot of fun to spend time with. I don’t find many people who can beat me in a verbal spar, and who share my love of night.”

“Maybe we could get together after this is over. Perhaps have a cup of tea and have a chat.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” I sighed deeply. I ran out of water a long time ago, but my throat was suddenly feeling rather dry. “Maybe, someday... When this is over...” My voice trailed off as I finished. All I could think was someday. Someday never comes. I felt something on my back, and looked to see Luna resting a wing on me.

“Didn’t you promise to stop worrying? Live now, not later. There’s no point worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet.”

“Heh. That’s one for the quotes page.” I sighed again. Tonight was a sighing kind of night. “I know you’re right. All this worrying’s just unnecessary stress, but I can’t help myself. I just want what’s best for everypony, and it’s hard to do that and think about myself at the same time. I... I just don’t know what to do. Do I take care of myself, and leave the group without a leader who has a good grasp of the situation? Or do I stay in charge of the group and drive myself crazy...er?”

“Why don’t you do both? The group may need a leader, but they can care for themselves. They’re not fillies, they can make conscious decisions for themselves.”

“A balance in all things. Heh, I wouldn’t have taken you to be a philosopher, Luna.” I yawned, the first sound other than words or sighs I had made the entire conversation. “Thanks for the advice. You really are a great friend. But what were you doing out here anyways?”

“Oh, Twilight snores like a manticore. I couldn’t sleep, so I came out here for some nighttime air.”

I responded with some strange laugh-yawn hybrid, which only made me laugh more. Even Luna got a chuckle out of the strange sound I had made. “So are you going back up then?”

“I came out here for peace and quiet, I don’t think I’d find any if I went back in there. I thought I might lie out under the stars and sleep on the grass.”

“Ah, I remember waking up... a week ago this morning, on grass. It’s actually really comfortable. Those cushions I call a bed just aren’t cutting it. Mind if I join you out here?”

Luna let me sleep out under her night sky with her. I felt closer to her than any other pony I had met in my time in Equestria. As I lay down on the dewy grass and began to get comfortable, Luna moved close.

OH GOD, SHE’S SNUGGLING. THIS IS NOT RIGHT! RED LIGHT! RED LIGHT! WE HAVE A CODE PINK ON THE FRONT LAWN! Was all I could think, but my body refused to move. Apparently ponies weren’t meant to stay up until early morning, because despite my mind’s desperate cries to get some separation with Luna, I felt myself slipping into sleep.

“Good night Historia,” were the last words I heard that night.

Everfree Far

Chapter 12

Everfree Far

You know what the worst sound to hear waking up is? No, it's not an alarm clock. Giggling. When you hear giggling, something bad will, or already has happened, and you're about to get it. Badly.

I was slowly waking up, but I could hear the sound of giggling from above. What is it that they find so funny? I lifted my head off my “pillow,” and- suddenly finding myself much more awake after remembering what (or rather who) my "pillow" was- shouted at Twilight, who had broken out into a full-on laugh.

"That is NOT what it looks like!"

Twilight struggled to make a comment that I was sure I didn't want to hear, but she was still laughing. Luna was still asleep somehow, so I stormed off to go confront Twilight.

When I finally reached her balcony, she was just beginning to calm down. Then she saw me again and started laughing all over again. I used my magic to force her mouth shut.

"Finally. Jeez." I held her jaw in place until she got over her laughing fit. After a minute or so, she calmed down to a point where I felt I could explain my piece. “That was all Luna. She’s the one who cuddled with me.” She started giggling after I said the C-word. I charged my horn to show that I was willing to use force again. She stifled her laugh quickly.

“Alright. You pretend that this never happened, or so help me, I will make a massive mess out of your room. I will make it so that no cleaning could ever sort it all out.”

“You wouldn’t. You couldn’t.” Twilight growled through gritted teeth. Hah. Weak point discovered.

“I can and I will. Don’t make me prove myself. So, is this staying secret?”

“Alright.” I may be a killjoy, but when it’s at my own expense, I’m willing to be a jerk.

I went downstairs to escape Twilight and to get ready for the day. One thing I could not stand in the least about being a mare was that I had long hair. Back in my days as a human guy, I just had to make sure that my hair wasn't too messy. Now if my hair was out of place, I had to brush it back into place. A pain and a waste of time, but it's something I had to deal with.

As I ran the brush through my mane, my mind began to wander. How have I gone this far? I thought. Just a week ago, I was a normal human. No hooves, no snout, no stupid mane to brush. And look at me now; I've got a lavender coat, a blue mane, and a horn. I'm not even the same gender anymore! I mean, this is great and all, but I should be on Earth, with humans. I placed my hairband back on my head, the only way I could keep my hair out of my face. I'm sure that there's some easy way to do it, but as someone who never has hair past his eyes, I'm afraid I've never learned.

I went out to see that everypony else was awake. I walked in, only to hear Twilight point out something that- honestly- was not my fault. "Historia, your tail's a mess. Did you forget to brush it?"

I responded with a groan and a turn. I can't help it if I've only had a tail for a week now! How am I supposed to remember these things? It probably didn't help that I got way too little sleep last night, or that I slept on the ground.

After I returned, we shared a somewhat awkward breakfast, though the heavy sleepers couldn't understand why Twilight and I were refusing to talk to each other. It was getting late in the morning, so we gathered our things and left for Fluttershy’s cottage to meet the others.

Fluttershy and Dusty were out front, tending to animals. They were looking bright and chipper as ever. Fluttershy was singing softly to herself as she poured seed into a bird feeder. Dusty was having a playful race with some of the bunnies in the yard. Applejack came from behind the cottage, with Rainbow’s tail in her mouth. From the other side of the tree (can I call it a treehouse?), I saw Tycho float into sight, without moving his wings. When I saw Rarity following behind him, I realized that Tycho and Rainbow must have gotten into another one of their trademark fights, and AJ and Rarity were in the midst of breaking it up.

“Don’t tell me we missed the excitement! Twilight, I told you we should’ve left sooner.” I pretended to whine as we walked over the bridge into Fluttershy’s yard. And I had tried to get Twilight to go faster, but she insisted on bringing a saddlebag full of paper, quills and ink. She even made me carry a saddlebag with one of her books about the Forest in it. Honestly, I kind of expected it to get completely soaked in water or mud along the way, but she was adamant. After she had spent an eternity and a half packing, we finally left.

“Ah, Twilight! Historia! How good to see you! I’m ever so glad to have assistance dealing with these two!” Rarity exclaimed after noticing the four of us approaching. Her loss of concentration also caused her to drop Tycho suddenly. Hopefully his flank wouldn’t be bruised after that fall, not that I would really care one way or the other (I just didn’t want him complaining about it along the way).

“Those two up to their usual shenanigans?” I asked with a slight chuckle as I peered past Rarity to see Tycho rubbing his cutie mark. He looked to where his captor went, and took flight as he saw me. He approached us and butted into the conversation.

“Finally you guys show up. We’ve been waiting forever. Let’s get going already!” Tycho said without the slightest attempt to hide his boredom. This drew the attention of the others, who gathered up with us.

“We going?” Dusty asked. Short and sweet as always. And he, unlike I, actually seemed to have gotten a full night’s rest last night. I’ll admit, I was jealous.

“I think so. Everypony ready?” I called out. They all nodded their heads. It was a slow and somber walk to the edge of the Forest. Fear and responsibility weighed heavily on our thoughts as we trotted along the dirt road. Except for Lyrica and Pinkie Pie, who were both equally thrilled to be going on a "fun" adventure to save Equestria. I think they were made for each other.

Finally, we reached the entrance to the Forest. The trees stood ominously before us. The Forest had a feel to it, a dark, terrifying feel. I could tell why most sane ponies wouldn’t get close to the forest without a good reason. But we weren’t most ponies. And we had a good reason. And, arguably, a number of us weren’t even sane.

As soon as I took my first step into the Forest, I knew whole-heartedly that this wasn’t going to be a fun hike. The Forest emanated pure terror. My hair stood on end, I felt a bead of sweat dripping down my snout, my heartbeat sped up, and I began to feel it pulsing in the back of my throat. This place was bad news.

“Twilight, tell me you remember how to get to the ruins. I really don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to.” She responded by opening my saddlebag and pulling out the book. She opened it right to the page showing a path to the ruins. Apparently, there was a time when Everfree Forest was less dangerous, and ponies would make pilgrimages to the old castle and the Elements of Harmony.

The path was largely the same as how the gang had reached Nightmare Moon, but I figured it would involve far less issues. Or, well, one could at least hope. Somehow I doubted that we would have to deal with the Shadowbolts.

Instead of falling down a cliff, we found an easy slope to descend, but at the top, we could see the ruins in the distance. Despite its semblance of civilization, the ruins felt even more unnatural than the woods themselves. At the bottom of the hill, a manticore lumbered out of a nearby cave and went straight for Fluttershy. Tycho reacted as soon as it came out of the cave, but Twilight and I reacted just as fast, holding him back with magic.

The manticore hugged Fluttershy tenderly, letting out a purr uncharacteristic of most feral beasts its size. Fluttershy responded with her typical words of love and care, treating an animal ten times her size as though it were a kitten. After a few minutes of this, the manticore returned to its cave, leaving us to continue through the Forest. I began to hear the sound of running water from ahead of me, which could only mean one thing.

“Oh my goodness! Rarity, could that be you?” Came a high-pitched voice downriver. Yep, it was him.

“Oh Mr. Magnet, could that be you? Oh it’s been far too long!” Rarity yelled back as the purple sea serpent came into view. It appeared as though his moustache had returned in all its glory. And I must admit, he did look pretty impressive with a full moustache.

“Oh it is you! How have you been doing? Oh did you do something with your mane? It looks simply fabulous!" Her mane looked the same as always to me. But then, I'm a guy, so I really shouldn't be able to tell.

"Oh, you noticed? The fine women at the spa taught me a trick to keep my hair even more beautiful. I simply must teach it to you." How much longer would this last?

"Oh, that would be marvelous! Ever since I met you, I've been looking for new ways to style my hair. You are quite the inspiration, my good lady. Do you like how it looks?" Okay, this could last much longer. Time to pipe up and put an end to this.

"Mr. Magnet, I think your hair looks amazing. Now, we've got to go past this river, so if you'd just excuse us, we should really get going."

"Oh, but of course. You need only ask. Anything for a friend of Rarity."

He lowered his body into the water, creating a living bridge for us to cross. What a nice guy. Rarity bid him farewell, and we were on our way once more.

Finally, we reached the bridge before the ruins. Once we crossed the canyon, we'd be on Epoch's doorstep. The bridge was even shakier than it seemed. We were afraid to send more than one pony across at a time.

As we approached the ruins, the oppressive feeling of the Forest I was finally adjusting to was magnified tenfold. Something in there was very evil, and very, very powerful. Epoch.

"Alright, let's go" Tycho encouraged with a wave of his hoof. Apparently he really wanted to fight. We slowly approached the ruins, but we were stopped by a sudden earthquake.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" A deep voice boomed from all around us. "A group of ponies, come to stop me? And is that you Dear Sister?" The voice hissed.

"Epoch! Reveal yourself!" Luna shouted. The earthquake intensified, knocking many us off our hooves.

"Be careful what you wish for, foal!" The ground opened up with a deafening crack, like a hundred thunder crashes at once. The chasm consumed the old ruins with ease, the spires of the decrepit castle falling endlessly into the black abyss. Seconds later, waves of magma began crashing against the walls of the chasm. The massive pit was filling with scalding,, crimson magma.

Once the massive hole had been filled to the brim with magma, the ground began shaking again, as a new structure began to emerge from the pool of magma. A massive stone tower, covered in terrifying spikes rose from the magma. It began to slow down as an entrance leveled off with the ground, letting out a terrifying sound, loud enough to knock branches off trees nearby, to show that it had finished moving.

“Do you foals see this? This is but a small fraction of my power! Behold, the Bastion of Eons! Enter if you dare!” Epoch's disembodied voice gloated.

“Guys, I think we should go. Like, now.” I wasn’t ready to go in there. A tower sitting a hundred feet tall, with a moat of magma, inhabited by an alicorn who opened up the ground and raised the tower up seemingly effortlessly? Thanks, but I’m reworking the strategy of “go and stop him” before I take another step closer.

They agreed without any hesitation, and we ran until we were at what we thought to be a safe distance from the Bastion. The top was still visible above the treeline. No doubt Princess Celestia had already seen it. We needed to get in contact with her.

“Ah, my pony friends! Is this Equestria’s end?” rang a heavily accented voice through the Forest.

“Zecora! Oh thank Celestia it’s you!” Twilight responded. “We need to go to your hut. Now.”

“You are always welcome to visit. But I feel that this is not to talk and sit.”

“We can explain when we get there. But let’s get there first.” I responded. I really didn’t feel too good hanging around in the thick of the Forest, especially since Epoch had just shown that he was a force to be reckoned with.

And so we began a hike to reach Zecora’s hut. It wasn’t fast-paced, but that was out of necessity, rather than concern. Zecora knew a path that was far more direct than any Twilight or the others knew of, but it cut straight through the woods. The path was tight, jagged, and filled with hazards for the group. Finally, Zecora’s hut came into view, a welcome sight after everything we’d been through today.

Our job hadn’t begun, it was just beginning. We needed a new playbook though, and Zecora would be helping us with that.

Striped Strategizing

Chapter 13

Striped Strategizing

The situation was dire. Epoch had just shown that he would not go down without a fight. We had no plan of action. He had a massive tower, and raising it out of the ground didn't even get him out of breath.

Our small gang entered into Zecora’s hut, a safe haven from the many dangers that inhabit

the Forest. Twilight, always about business, cut right to the chase and began to talk business.

"Zecora, we need to contact Princess Celestia." Twilight began. "Do you have a spell that could do that?"

"My people make potions and brews, though I feel I have just the spell for you." Zecora responded, before pulling out a book titled The Magic of Communication. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She gave the book to Twilight so she could cast the spell.

"Okay, this doesn't seem too hard. Stand back everypony." Her horn began to glow brightly as her face started to strain. After a few seconds, a magical hologram of Princess Celestia appeared before us.

"Celestia, can you hear us and speak to us?" I eagerly spat out before Twilight could get the chance. I wanted to see if this spell actually worked. This kind of magic looked awesome beyond words.

"Yes. Quite an impressive spell you've learned, my faithful student." She responded.

"Thanks. Our zebra friend Zecora taught it to me." Twilight said with a motion towards Zecora.

Zecora introduced herself. "My Princess, how good to meet you. I fear that there are important things to do."

"I've heard a good bit about you from Twilight and her friends, and you are right, there is much to discuss. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the situation is steadily getting worse. I saw the tower rise out of the Forest."

I interrupted her briefly. "Yeah, that's the Bastion of Eons. It's Epoch's home base. He rose it out of the ground as soon as we got close to him."

"Right. I fear he may be nearing his full strength. The sunset should happen soon, but the Sun refuses to follow my magic, as though it's being controlled by somepony even stronger than I am."

"Epoch." Tycho growled.

"Precisely. And if sunset doesn't occur, then Equestria will-" Celestia was interrupted by the strangest coincidence to have ever occurred.

As soon as she said sunset, the Sun dropped out of the sky, leaving the moon now high in the sky. In a matter of seconds, time had jumped from early evening to midnight.

"Sister, it's happening again." Luna said, distress filling her voice.

"What is? What's going on?" I asked, desperate for an answer.

Celestia was willing to provide answers. "While Epoch imprisoned us, time ran rampant. Days could last years, and years could last seconds. We were imprisoned for an entire era, yet it lasted only a month.

"We just witnessed a small time jump, only a few hours. Your time here is limited, humans. The sooner you defeat Epoch, the more likely you can return home. The spell was only meant to last two weeks."

"Wait. You mean that Epoch could just 'fast forward' two weeks, and the spell keeping us here will just fade out?"

"Yes. But I don't think that he's-"

"JESUS H. CHRIST! CAN'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT?" I screamed. I didn't mean to, but it just kinda... came out.

"No. The only thing we can do is stop Epoch and return you to Earth safely."

"'Safely?' As in, 'right now, returning to Earth ISN'T safe?'"

"Historia, calm down," Twilight soothed, "It's not the Princess's fault that-"

"No Twilight, it is my fault. I selfishly brought humans here to help defeat Epoch, but I never stopped to think about them."

"All I ask is that you find a way to get us home safely when this all ends." I responded, exasperated.

"I already have my best unicorns working on the spell."

"Good." I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. A single question had been bugging me for the entire week. "Celestia, why us? What do we have that makes you think we could do anything against Epoch? I mean, I was just your average human guy, now I'm not even a guy. Cripes, what've the rest of us got even? I mean, Lyrica can sing amazingly, but I don't see how it could help us beat an Alicorn."

"Before Epoch had us locked in jail, he spoke of a land of fearless warriors. A land where creatures would fight with zeal that could never be found anywhere in Equestria. A land called Earth. I brought you humans here because I had hoped that you would be these fearless warriors he spoke of. Was I mistaken to call upon you?"

"Well," I scratched the back of my head with a hoof. This was a little awkward. "No? I mean, I've got the zeal. I'd fight until I die to save Equestria. Heck, maybe a bit more after that, even. And Tycho's definitely a warrior, but- hopefully they don't mind me saying this- Dusty and Lyrica don't particularly seem like really big fighters." They both kind of mumbled in agreement. They really weren't going to be a whole lot of help. I saw Dusty feeding those birds, he can't fool me.

"Anyways," I said suddenly to refocus the conversation. "We're what we've got. Like it or not, Equestria's fate lies with us. A unicorn with... developing magic skills, a pegasus with a temper and limited flight skills, a tiny earth pony that can sing and bounce, and a big earth pony that runs fast, but is basically Fluttershy otherwise. Well, the odds don't look particularly great.

"Now then, we still need to figure out how to defeat Epoch. We have no idea what to expect when we go to face him. He’s easily more powerful than any one of us, possibly stronger than all of us combined. How do we fight against that?” There was no response from anypony. Even the best minds in the room could only shake their heads. It was simply too much for us to face on our own.

Zecora was the first to respond. “Ponies, why do you despair? Can you not see Epoch’s little more than a weak mare?”

“I don’t think I follow.” Tycho responded. To be fair, I feel most were with him on this.

“If this alicorn truly were of hatred and malice, I feel he’d do more than just raise his palace. You were within his grasp, and yet he allowed you to pass. Perhaps then, you should go- If Epoch’s intentions you wish to know.”

“She’s right.” I said after some thought. “Epoch could’ve done much worse than just raise a castle out of the ground. I don’t really think that we’ve got too much to worry about. At the very least, I think we could make it into the castle.”

“But then what?” Tycho asked. “So we make it into the castle. Great. What are we supposed to do if we do make it inside? Knock on the door to his room and ask him nicely if he’d come to Canterlot so we can put him under lock and key?”

With much effort, Celestia answered the question. I thought I saw a tear dripping down from her eye as she said it. “Epoch must be stopped by any means necessary. Do what you must. I do not wish to end the life of anypony, certainly not my own brother. But he has... changed. I... I can no longer call him my brother in the state he’s in. I understand what must be done. Even if...” She brushed her face with a wing, the tears now flowing freely. “Even if it means you must stop him permanently, I understand that it is for the good of the world that it happen.”

Celestia could no longer look at any of us. She was crying deeply and sobbing uncontrollably. She had just given us permission to kill her brother, something none of us were particularly comfortable with.

“We’ll do our best to make sure that it doesn't come to that. Don’t worry Celestia.” I consoled. I didn’t think it would help much, but she needed any support she could get.

We agreed that it would be best if we adjourn the meeting, and so Twilight extinguished Celestia’s image and let out a sigh. “Wow. I... I didn’t expect Celestia to take that so hard.”

“Epoch and Celestia were always close. The age gap was too great for myself, but I still remember the days when...” Luna paused to wipe her face with a hoof. She, too had a steady stream flowing from each of her eyes. “When Epoch would fly me across the sky. He would take me up to the top of the castle’s towers. He would whisper to me: ‘Luna, when you get bigger, all this will be yours. The night will belong to you. Make the night just as beautiful as you are.’ We were... we were happy back then.”

Pinkie tried in vain to cheer Luna up. “Aw, don’t be sad. Your nights are really pretty. I remember this one time, when I went out in-”

Applejack cut her off. “Sugarcube, I think it might be best if you were to let her finish.”

“I don’t know what changed. Tia and I grew up. We... we did our jobs. She took over the day, I controlled the night. When he asked, we even let Epoch raise the sun or moon. But he never seemed happy. And then he just threw us away. Treated us like we were just- just...” Luna’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t find the words to finish her thought. Instead, she simply fell to her hindquarters and stared into space. A small puddle began to form beneath Luna’s face as she clenched her teeth. A fire I had never seen came to her eyes.

“I won’t let him do that to me again.” She growled. “I won’t let him cast me aside like a piece of garbage. I’ll show him what his little sister can do.” She began to get angrier, her voice rising to a shout. “I’ll show him that I am strong! I’ll prove that I’m not just ‘the little sister’ any more! I am Princess Luna, and I will not! Let!” She stamped her hooves to accentuate her growing rage. Her voice alone was beginning to shake the inside of Zecora’s hut, yet it continued to get louder. “EPOCH! WIN!”

Luna was a mess. Her eyes were bloodshot from the tears and rage. Her mane had become frayed, strings of midnight blue streaming off separate from the rest of her flowing mane. Her teeth gritted and her eyes narrowed as she glared at nothing. She sat for several seconds before sighing. “It’s those kinds of thoughts that made turned me into Nightmare Moon. I vowed never to think bad of anypony else. Forgive me.”

“Don’t worry, Luna.” I consoled as I hugged her. “He was terrible to you. You have every right to be mad. But you know what? Right now, the only way we can get back at him is if we stop him. So take all that anger, and put it to use in stopping him before he does what he did to you to anypony else.”

“You’re right Historia. Thanks.” Luna said as she gently nuzzled me. By God, if she tries anything funny, I’ll never let myself live it down.

Zecora gave Twilight a much more detailed map of Everfree Forest, detailing paths, caves, and danger zones. She wanted to take them and leave, but everypony else insisted that we stay overnight. Nopony wanted to go anywhere until they had gotten a good night’s sleep.

We had a fun little bonfire outside of the hut after nightfall. Zecora sang us a song from her homeland. It told of a zebra warrior who faced trials and terror, becoming known as the strongest in the land. But, after he had overcome every trial set before him, after defeating any foe that would face him, he was taken down by the most unlikely opponent. His wife, sad that he never came to visit her during his escapades, set her house on fire and left, hoping to start a new life elsewhere. By chance, he had returned that very night to see the house he and his wife called home in flames. He went in to ensure that his wife was alright and vowed not to leave until he found her or died. His remains were found amongst the charred remains of the house. His wife was never seen again.

I wasn’t sure if Zecora meant for her story to apply to what we faced, but all that I really got out of it was that there are a lot of rhyming words in Zebra stories.

I called Lyrica up to do a duet. I led off with the first line, a simple backing rhythm. Something fast, something peppy, and something easy. “Ooh-ah, ooh-ah, cool cool kitty. Tell us ‘bout the boy from New York City.”

Lyrica managed to pick up the cue perfectly. “He’s kind of tall. He’s really fine. Someday I hope to make him mine, all mine.”

I jumped over and leaned in next to Tycho as I continued “Yeah, yeah!” He responded with a laugh and a lighthearted shove to get him some breathing room.

Lyrica began to saunter over to Dusty, as though she were singing about him. “And he’s neat. And oh so sweet. And the way he looked at me, he swept me off my feet” He played along and gave a pretend wink to Lyrica, getting most all of us to laugh. “Ooh-ee. You ought to come and see. How he walks. And how he talks.”

I struggled to keep from laughing as my solo part returned. Lyrica had pulled Dusty up to dance with him. The size difference was hilarious enough, not to mention how different they were as ponies. “Ooh-ah, ooh-ah, cool cool kitty. Tell us ‘bout the boy from New York City.”

“He’s really down. And he’s no clown. He has the finest penthouse I’ve ever seen in town. And he’s cute! In his mohair suit. And he keeps his pockets full of spending loot. Ooh-ee. You ought to come and see. His pretty bar. And brand new car. Every time he says he loves me, chills run down my spine. Every time he wants to kiss me, it makes me feel so fine.”

Dusty leaned in to pretend-kiss Lyrica. I couldn’t go on singing. This was all just too hilarious for me to take in all at once. I doubled over laughing, and everyone else, even Lyrica and Dusty, joined in. That song set the tone for the rest of the night. Pinkie sang a few happy songs, I brought back “Giggle at the Ghosties,” and Twilight told a ghost story.

As the fire died, we began to realize how late it was getting. Fluttershy and Lyrica had fallen asleep, and most of the others were beginning to follow suit. Not intending to take any chances of having another moonlight chat with Luna, I asked Zecora for a sleeping potion. As if she knew I would ask, she had a bottle pre-made. I downed a dose and grabbed a cup of water to wash it down with. Medicine in Equestria tastes no better than on Earth. I guess it’s just one of those natural facts of life.

I lay out on the grass outside and looked out at the stars. ‘Somewhere out there’s Earth,’ I thought. ‘Someday I’ll be... I’ll go back there and...’ The thought was lost as I fell asleep.

Forward in Time

Chapter 14

Forward in Time

Given all the possible ways I could've woken up after sleeping outside in the Everfree Forest, I guess having Rainbow Dash thrown onto me was one of the more desirable ways. Mind you, it wasn't comfortable, but comparing a full-on body check to, say, being eaten by an Ursa Major kinda puts things into perspective.

"Of all the places you had to fall," I coughed while shaking off the last remnants of a good night's sleep, "it had to be right where I was. I get no respect I tells ya." Rainbow simply responded by taking off towards, you guessed it, Tycho. Another one of their trademark fights. "Hold it, hold it, hold it!" I shouted, holding back Rainbow by the tail.

"What in Celestia's name are you fighting over?" I asked them. I was more than a little aggravated to have been woken up by Rainbow tackling me, and it was a question I had been wondering for a long time.

"Well, uh..." Tycho struggled to find an answer. Like a kid looking for an excuse, Tycho wanted something to pin the fight on. I saw through the trick, simply because I'd been in his horseshoes a few too many times.

"So you're fighting about nothing then?"

"Well, not nothing!" Tycho insisted.

"Nothing important." I corrected. Again, I knew the game. Tycho have anything to say to that. I was right.

"Okay. Next question: ARE YOU TWO IN LOVE OR NOT?" Under normal circumstances, I'd never push the issue, but if you're going into some big castle with a huge evil alicorn at the top, you don't want two not-lovers "not-loving" each other the entire way up. And they seemed rather fond of "not-loving" each other.

Their response consisted with a lot of stammering, muttering, and pausing.

“Okay. Let me say how I see this...” I waved a hoof while I searched for a good word to use. “Thing you two are doing. Each of you love the other, but you’re both afraid to admit it. Rainbow’s pride is keeping her from asking in case Tycho were to say no. Tycho’s just doesn’t like to say the hard things, so he doesn’t want to admit it. Am I right?”

They glanced at each other for a few moments, then flew into each others arms (legs? These sayings make less and less sense, I swear) in a full embrace. I read them like an open book. At least there should be a lot less bickering now.

Leaving the two lovebirds behind, I went into the hut in the hopes that breakfast would be on. Luckily, Zecora was in the midst of pouring some brown soup into a bowl for Luna. Whatever it was, it smelled good. A blend of spicy and sweet.

“Eh, what’s cookin’ doc?” I asked, taking a seat at the table next to Lyrica. Zecora, obviously the master chef here, was happy to answer.

“Ah, Historia, the pony of blue. For you I’m making ochrebloom stew.”

“Ochrebloom? I take it that’s some native plant out this way.”

Twilight spoke up, “Ochrebloom is a plant native to the Everfree Forest. It gets its name from the brown flowers that can grow to the size of a pony at full bloom. Those petals are very poisonous unless they are boiled down in a stew.”

“Twilight, stop reading books all night and get some sleep. It’s bad for your health.” Last thing we needed was Twilight falling asleep from reading too much. She blushed when I said this, clearly a little embarrassed I had realized what she did after the fire last night.

I grabbed the bowl by the horns (some puns just have to be made) and took a sip. Yes, in Equestria, the proper etiquette for eating soup is to levitate the bowl to your mouth and drink. Or, at least, that was what the other unicorns were doing. Pinkie and Lyrica seemed content to drop their heads in the bowl and drink it like that. Applejack, Dusty, and Fluttershy were all grabbing the bowl in their mouths and drinking like that. Man, if only they knew how great hands were (magic’s just as good, probably better).

The soup was fantastic for something that looked like brown water. At first all I could taste was pure sugar: the kind of sweetness that actually hurts your mouth for a little while. When that pain subsided, I began to feel an entirely new pain rise in my mouth: the pain of a mouthful of chili peppers. Before my mind could even register that my mouth was on fire, the pain subsided, leaving me with a soft, salty flavor that faded off.

“Wow.” I said with a quick jerk of my head. “That soup’s really somethin’! Is that really just from the one flower?”

“The wonders of one petal are undeniable, but also know that of risks, you may be liable.”

“Right, right. Know what it can do, both good and bad.” I dismissed, eager to get back to the soup. Painful though it may have been, it was strangely delicious, and unbelievably fun to eat, to say the least.

Once the meal was finished, there was nothing left to do but leave for the Bastion of Eons. The Forest was silent as we made our way to the tower, as though even the beasts of the Everfree were terrified of Epoch's power. It wasn't long before the Bastion lay before our eyes.

Composed entirely of solid obsidian- jet black with a glossy finish, it was a single tower, shaped like an hourglass, with spikes jutting out, forming a crown of stone at the top. Near the top of the tower, a single glass pane was visible. Clearly this was the throne room where Epoch could be found. Mother, did it need to be so high? We'll have to climb all the way up there.

Though we were at first afraid that Epoch had his tower impossible to crack, not to mention the lake of boiling lava surrounding it, a quick look around revealed that in actuality, he left a gate open on the other side, as though he wanted us to enter. Not wanting to waste time, we hurried inside before Epoch noticed his front door was open and decided to make our job harder.

Once inside, we were surprised to see a strangely familiar sight. The room we had entered looked like a copy of the grand staircase that was in the Canterlot castle, even featuring crimson carpeting and lavish tapestries. At the top of the grand staircase was a jet black alicorn with a red mane. Could Epoch really have been waiting for us here?

"Greetings and salutations, my esteemed guests." Epoch happily announced. "Welcome to the Bastion of Eons. I am your host-"

"Quiet brother, we know who you are," Luna spat back, not eager to put up with anything that Epoch wanted to try.

"Brother? Ah, you must be Luna. I do understand you and some other plebeians were supposedly approaching. Nonetheless, you are welcome to visit, explore the castle, and enjoy the amenities Lord Epoch is providing here."

I was stunned that this alicorn, who even Luna had believed to be Epoch, was not who we had thought him to be. "Wait, are you telling me that you're not actually Epoch?"

"Me? Oh, I'm not the same being as Lord Epoch. Well, that is to say, I am not the Great Lord of Time. I am Epoch in all but the title. I am what you call a "shade" of a being."

I began piecing things together based off my limited knowledge of magic and a lot of guessing. "So you're telling me that you're a sort of 'ghost' that's using Epoch's form, but you probably don't have all of his power, knowledge, et cetera. However, he probably knows all of what you're seeing as you see it." Everypony looked at me like I had PhD's in several types of magic theory and hadn't told them about it before. "What? It's pretty standard stuff for high-level magic."

Epoch's Shade simply laughed heartily at my remark, and happily responded. "You are a bright one, for someone your age. I imagine you've got a bright future at the Canterlot University."

I shot him a strange look, and simply responded "Thanks, I've always enjoyed learning more about magic. Would you care to show us around? We'd especially like to meet..." I paused to swallow back the bile that I nearly spat out saying the name "The Great Lord of Time, Epoch." Saying that name felt wrong in too many ways.

Shade twitched a little when we mentioned "The Great Lord's" name, as though he wasn't prepared with a response to such a question. After a moment, he replied "Those that wish to meet with the Great Lord in private council must first pass a series of trials to prove their worth. Though you may complete the trials as a group, each will be a test of an individual's skill. Please, though, I implore you to relax for a while, enjoy what the Bastion has to offer. I'd be happy to prepare you food, offer you lodging, whatever it might be, I'm certain we could provide it."

"As kind of an offer as that may be, I think we'd just like to get on with these trials." The rest of us silently nodded our agreement, no doubt nervous about what exactly the trials would end up being.

"Very well then. If that is all you desire, then that is what I'll provide. Step through the doors behind me, and we shall begin. The massive pair of doors behind Shade began to glow red and opened with the assistance of the being's magic. Behind them lay a long hallway lit with torches. Quietly, we stepped in and began the trials.

Medallions

Chapter 15

Medallions

The hallway Shade led us down ended at a spiral staircase. After we reached the top of the stairs, Epoch stopped in front of a massive stone door and announced to the group "Welcome to the Test of Time. Allow me to explain the rules of the Test. You can attempt each room as many times as you like. Should you fail, the room will magically reset and you will begin anew. If at any point you decide to end the Test, you can simply go down the stairs and you will find yourself in the lobby. If your current party returns to the Test after giving up, you can start from where you left off. Any questions?"

Pinkie spoke up, eager to ask a silly question. "What's your favorite kind of cake? Favorite color? Ooh! Ooh! Favorite fruit! Favorite fruit!"

"Yellow cake, red, golden delicious apples. Anything else?" Shade was completely unfazed by Pinkie's bizarre questions. I actually kinda respected that. Nobody seemed to have any real questions to ask though, so he continued on to describe what was behind the door. "This is the first room of the Courage trial. You will have to collect six medallions in the next room and give them to me within 90 seconds. The timer starts when you pick up the first medallion. There will be many traps set up to impede your progress, though they should not be deadly." Shade laughed gently under his breath after saying that. "Good luck."

With that, the door behind him rose, revealing a massive chamber filled with fences, stone walls, and six pillars adorned with a medallion on each one. The room was so massive, and the paths so twisting, there was no way that just anypony would be able to navigate the maze in 90 seconds. I was also concerned with how he mentioned traps that could, in theory, be deadly.

"Alright, who's gonna give a shot at this? Should we send somepony in just to test out what the run will be like? Or just run in blindly and hope that these traps don't do anything to bad to us?" I asked.

"I say I just go in and get those medal things before those traps can even get to me" Rainbow Dash brazenly replied.

"Rainbow, we don't even know what those traps are like." Twilight responded. "I think I should go in since I can just teleport out if anything goes wrong. If I can't get them and it seems safe, maybe you can give it a shot." Rainbow Dash grudgingly agreed, and Twilight trotted up to the entrance to the trial to begin her run. As she did, a "90" made of fire appeared in the top of the room, obviously a timer to show how much time was left in the trial.

As soon as Twilight set a hoof in the maze, the flames above began ticking down. Rather than trying for a record time, Twilight was being extremely cautious in her run. It wasn't long before she ran into her first trap. The stone ceiling above her glowed with a strange insignia, and out of that insignia, spikes grew out of the stone face at an alarming rate. Twilight closed her eyes and clenched her body, as though she were trying to use her teleport spell. For some reason, the spell she was trying to cast didn't seem to be working. Luckily for Twilight, the spikes ended a short distance above her head. If she were trying to fly, she would've been mincemeat. Looks like this test run was a good idea after all. This same kind of trap kept triggering throughout the maze, the spikes always stopping just above Twilight's head.

Because she was being so cautious, Twilight hardly made it to the first medallion pedestal before time ran out. When time ran out, she suddenly appeared in the room the rest of us were waiting in, clearly not by her own spell.

"Why couldn't I use my teleportation spell while I was in there?" Twilight asked, shaking of the mental fog that tended to accompany spatial distortions such as short-distance teleportation.

"Well it's hardly a test of speed if you're allowed to jump from medallion to medallion. There's a special spell in place to suppress any teleportation magic other than The Great Lord's own ru- special spells."

We reconvened to decide who to send in. Most of the group thought it would be smart to send in Rainbow Dash, since she was probably the fastest of us all. Twilight thought that it might be risky to send her in if the spikes were just going to keep coming down from the ceiling. Dusty, in his quiet way, suggested that he'd be willing to give it a shot. We realized that as long as he kept his head down, Dusty would probably have no issue getting through the room in 90 seconds.

When Dusty lined up, the flaming timer once again blazed a bright "90" against the dark stone ceiling. When he started, all I could see was his signature dust cloud where he was standing before. Despite twists, turns, and spikes coming from the ceiling, Dusty was having no trouble running through the maze. in only thirty seconds, he had managed to gather three of the medallions. After he had gotten the third medallion, the spikes began coming out of the walls and the floor. Dusty just kept running, and I noticed that he was running past the spikes before they could even touch him.

After he picked up the sixth medallion, a stone door began to close in a straightaway leading to where Shade was waiting for Dusty to give him the medallions. In a move straight from a movie, Dusty dove under the door just before it closed, barely making it to the other side before the door slammed shut.

After allowing a moment for the dust to clear, Shade let out a chuckle and announced. "I only see five medallions. You missed one. You've failed the room and you'll have to-"

"Hey Mr. Ghostybutt!" Lyrica hollered at Shade. Sometimes I wondered how she made friends. "He dropped one when he did his cool slide thingy! It's right there on the ground!" She pointed a hoof at the ground to Dusty's side, where a gold medallion with a dark purple gem inlaid inside lay. This was the sixth medallion, a part of the set that was hanging on Dusty's neck.

"So it is. I suppose then, that you did indeed pass, very well then. Follow me to the next room of the speed trial. The medallions hanging from Dusty's neck disappeared, and Shade turned and walked towards a door that had suddenly appeared next to the staircase that led to this floor. For some reason, the purple medallion lay on the ground, unaffected by Shade's spell. Intrigued by this strange medallion, I decided I would hold on to it. After I quickly stuffed it into my saddlebags, I followed the rest of our group up the next spiral staircase to the next test.

At the top of the stairs, Epoch had already opened up the next room. It was a humongous cavern with 6 medallions hanging from the walls. Standing near the edge, I could see that there was no bottom in sight for this cavern. Sending in anything other than a pegasus was suicide. At least there would be no doubt about sending Rainbow Dash in this time. Epoch explained the rules, though they were essentially the same as before.

Dash only had 30 seconds to gather the six medallions, but it would be an easy feat for her. If it was a test of straight-up speed in the air, nopony could match her. Since I knew she would get the medallions with time to spare, I chatted with Shade while the test occurred.

"So if the Bastion of Eons is as big as it is, how can you have giant caverns like this inside it? I mean, there's no way that this room alone could even fit inside the Bastion."

"It's surprisingly simple actually. The Great Lord created ley lines to make magic-aided spatial distortion possible, even great distances underground. Each room of the Test is actually deep within the bedrock below Equestria, connected to the Bastion and each other by the magic of the Great Lord. By utilizing a simple teleportation enchantment, any one of the rooms of the test can lead to either the Bastion or the next room. Though simple, it is truly brilliant, if I might say."

"So essentially by creating magical conduits out of these ley lines you can transfer a physical object long distances using enchantments. I'll assume that there's some sort of magic spell to direct it then?" Everypony stared at me quizzically. Even Twilight looked a little befuddled, though I couldn't tell if that was because she didn't understand what I was saying or how I knew so much about magic.

"You're pretty knowledgeable about magic for someone you know. That's right. Without any magic to direct it, the stairs will continue on forever. If you go back the way you came, you'll quickly find yourself back in the room you were just in. Truly a magnificent spell for being so simple."

Before he could go any further, Dash came sliding along with all of the medallions slung around her neck. The clock read 10 seconds remaining. She was probably showboating for a few seconds anyways. Without a word, Shade waved a hoof and the six medallions disappeared. None were remaining this time, though I could still feel the weight of the purple medallion from the last run in my saddlebags. A door opened and Epoch stood before it.

"Well done my friends," he announced to the group. "You have completed the first of the three trials of the Test of Time, the Medallions of Courage. The next trial is the Stones of Power. The trial lies before you. Will you continue or would you rather rest and regather your strength?"

We shared a single glance at each other and I spoke up, reading everyone's sentiment. "We will continue onward towards the next trial." And so began the walk up the mystical stairs towards the next trial.

The First Step

Chapter 1

The First Step

It was just another day, go to school, hang with my friends, come home, go to sleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There weren’t any demons lurking outside my window looking to kidnap me, or whatever you’d expect to occur before what happened did. I honestly wonder why we always think that surreal occurrences are so- well, surreal. I felt nothing as I went to sleep, but when I woke up- man, was I in for a surprise.

Probably the first thing that caught my attention when I woke up was that it was far brighter than it probably should have been when I woke up. Naturally, the first thought that ran through my head was “CRAP, I’m late for school!!!” Instinctively, I went to jump out of bed. Halfway through, I felt like something was very wrong, and I ended up falling flat on my face.

The first reason for the tumble was easy to explain, but rather hard to comprehend. I wasn’t actually in a bed at the time. I was out on someone’s grassy yard, where I suppose I had sleepwalked to (which confused me more, seeing as how I don’t sleepwalk). The second reason was impossible to both explain and comprehend. I didn’t have my normal set of legs. Where I used to have two feet, I had a pair of hooves. Similarly, my hands had also taken on a rather blunt shape.

I found myself surrounded by a number of wooden houses topped with thatch roofs. Very uncharacteristic. I though to myself. The nearby road wasn't asphalt, or even gravel, but rather a flat dirt road. Nothing around me looked... human.

It took a few minutes to process, but finally I realized just what had happened. Somehow, I had turned into a pony, and was transported into Ponyville. Then came the inevitable reasonings behind it. Now, I’m not as crazy as you may think, but in stressful situations, like- oh I don’t know- waking up to find yourself to be a pony, my brain doesn’t stick to logic very well.

“I must be dreaming.” Well heck, this is one awfully vivid dream. I slapped myself across the cheek. My very real, apparently not dreamt up, cheek. Ow.

“Magic?” Okay, now we’re stepping into the forbidden zone here. A man of science does not say that word. Next?

“Some destiny has brought me here to defeat a dragon, and save the princesses?” Okay, I’m through talking with you, inner voice of reason, come back when you grow a brain.

“Aw...”

After that... weird talk with my inner self, I decided that rather than sit on somepony’s lawn all day, staring off into the distance, I should really start going around to see what was what. And so I stood up, and began walking. It felt kinda strange when I started walking, but it was natural, and I was going on instinct here, because I am not a professional at the pony-step.

I began to take note of my surroundings, not that I needed a lot of help with it. Most of the buildings I recognized enough from watching the show. I decided that I should keep calm, and the best way for me to do that was to keep my mind off of what was going on. When that failed, I changed my game plan, and decided to learn everything I could. I looked in a store window, looking to see my reflection. What I saw more or less floored me.

I stared back, not at a colt, as I likely would have expected, but at a lavender unicorn mare with a royal blue mane held back by a yellow headband. On my flank was an hourglass. I recognized this pony. I should, seeing as how I created her. I was staring at Historia.

I should explain. Because I have many talents and passions which lend themselves to cutie marks rather nicely, I created a whole family of ponies, each one representing a different part of me. Historia represents my love of History, and she was a teacher at the Royal Institute in Canterlot..

I felt many emotions after seeing my visage in the mirror. I was happy that I was somepony who I could recognize, and not just some random mash-up of colors. I was somewhat disappointed and confused to see that I had somehow changed genders between Earth and Equestria. Above all else, I was still in shock that I had somehow managed to do what every brony in the world wants. I somehow ended up in Equestria.

As I continued trotting through town, looking for the library, the town hall, anywhere I could find somepony sensible, I began to wonder where everypony was. My answer came in the form of a mob of just about everypony in Ponyville gathered in the town square. Tasks one and two, check.

I walked up to the mob, recognizing almost everypony in the crowd, despite all of their backs (flanks? tails?) being turned to me. The ones who I didn’t recognize were the ones up on the steps to the town hall though. And I would soon find out why.

The mayor was at the podium, announcing the arrival of three new ponies to Ponyville. She said that the ponies didn’t remember much about themselves, and that the town should welcome them as they would any other pony.

While she was giving her speech, I wormed my way into the crowd, fighting to reach the front. It wasn’t as hard as it seemed. Apparently being a skinny mare instead of a big colt helped in this case. When I finally reached the front, I gently interrupted the mayor’s speech. “E-excuse me, but there’s actually a fourth new pony here.”

“What?” Everyone gasped. I can’t say I blame them. It’s not everyday four people ponies show up out of thin air.

I got up on stage and stood beside the mayor. I told the crowd all I thought they should know. “My name’s Historia, and I just came in overnight.” I really didn’t want to deal with any explanations of how I was a human from another world, or how I just woke up in this world. That would drive me insane, and it would make me look the part to the rest of the town. I took a place beside the other three ponies, and the mayor finished off her speech.

The crowd slowly dissipated, leaving me alone with these three ponies. Closest to me was a red pegasus pony with a very short blond mane. His tail was short and frayed, I imagine he didn’t take great care of it. His cutie mark looked like a black piece of ribbon. That confused the heck out of me. What was his talent? Ribbon-cutting?

Next was a really, and I mean really big earth pony. He was a bit taller than Big Mac would be, by my estimates. He had a brown coat and a nondescript mane that was a slightly more orange tint to his brown color. His cutie mark consisted of a dust cloud being blown by wind. Again, confusing cutie mark. What, could he breathe out clouds of dust or something?

The last was another earth pony. She was the smallest of the four of us, but she had this silly grin. God, if I only knew how she could be so happy while all of us were so confused. She had a coat that I can only describe as cherry wine- somewhere between pink, red, and purple. She had a fairly long, sky blue mane. When I looked over the big pony to see her cutie mark, I found a pair of eighth notes, just like Vinyl Scratch had on her flank.

I tried introductions. It didn’t turn out well. None of them could remember anything, not even their names. We all shared one thing in common though. Each one of us remembered waking up around town without a clue as to what was going on. As the only one who knew anything about our collective situations- namely I knew where we were and I could actually remember my name- I decided that we should group up and figure out what had happened together. They didn’t argue, likely because they decided that four ponies would probably find things out better than one.

And so we set off to find out what our destinies held for us in the land of Equestria.

We didn’t get far. Our first mountain to climb was mere steps before us. It came like a fighter jet, hit like a train, and was on us like caramel on a candy apple. The Original Pink Menace™ had heard the news (she probably slept late, she wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world) about new ponies in town, and made it from Sugarcube Corner to the Town Hall in a time that would make Rainbow Dash jealous. I don’t know if it was the built up momentum, or if it was intentional, but she tackled all four of us so hard that we all flew into the wall behind us.

“OHMYGOSH! AREYOUTHENEWPONIESINTOWN!?!?! I’MSOOOOGLADTOMEETYOU!!! MYNAME’SPINKIEPIEANDI’MGONNATHROWYOUTHEBESTPARTYEVERTOWELCOMEYOUALLTOPONYVILLE!!!” She excitedly spouted out.

“Pinkie, slow down, nobody understood what you said.” I stated. Afterwards, I realised that I had just called a pony I had never met by name. I guess that’s what I get for watching the show.

“Oh. Sorry everypony.” Thank Celestia, she didn’t notice. Too caught up in the moment I guess. “I just wanted to say how happy I am to meet you, and that I’m gonna throw you a super-duper- spectacular-iffic party to welcome you all to Ponyville!”

“I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we can’t wait to be there.” Okay, I wasn’t sure. These ponies looked about 20 times more scared than I felt, and relatively speaking, I’d say I was taking this pretty well. But the last thing I needed was Pinkie feeling like her parties weren’t appreciated, and... yeah, we all know what road that leads down.

“Okay! Here’s your invitations! See you there!” She quickly pulled out a set of four invitations, and gave them to me.

Rather dumbfounded, I simply stared as she began bouncing her way back to Sugarcube Corner. All I could think was “How did she already have invitations ready” to which I could only reply “Ah, it’s Pinkie. What can’t she do?”

“You know her?” The pegasus inquired. Seems like somepony listens well.

“Well... yeah. I may be new here, but... I know most of the ponies here... They won’t know me back though...” My voice trailed off as I finished that sentence, knowing what was going through their minds.

As if to slap me in the face with the metaphorical fish I had just given them, the pegasus asked “So you stalk these ponies?”

“It’s... I... Ugh... let me explain. Over lunch. I’m getting hungry.”

I led them to Horte Cuisine’s restaurant, where I ordered the daffodil and daisy sandwich. Honestly, I expected it to taste like, well, plants on bread. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. As we ate, we talked.

“Okay. This might sound weird, but we all have a pretty open definition of weird now, so I’ll just out and say it. I’m not from here” I started.

“Well, duh. You said you just came into town today.” The little red mare said.

“No. I mean, I’m not from this world. I’m not a pony. Or at least, I wasn’t until today.”

“And you expect us to believe that?” The big pony asked.

“Honestly, no. But I don’t see how making up some story would help us any. See, where I come from, this world is watched by my kind for entertainment. We watch what the ponies in this world do and learn from them, or laugh at the antics they get involved in.”

“Sounds like stalking to me” The pegasus butted in.

“Call it what you will, it’s the reason why I know so much about this town and its inhabitants. Now, we seem to be in eerily similar situations, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys were humans too. The only problem is-” I got cut off. Not surprising, seeing as how the only thing any of those ponies knew about humans is that they get dangerously close to stalking.

“SERIOUSLY!?!?! You think we come from a different world too!?!?!? AWESOME!!!!” The little one shouted. Okay, I’ll admit, I was beginning to like one pony better than the others.

“Hey. Why do you think any of us would be human, huh?” That pegasus again. Geez, I wonder if ponies created duct tape.

“What do you remember from before today, living as a pony?”

“Nothing, but I don’t see how that proves anything.”

“Look. At least I’m trying to come up with ideas. You’re just yelling at me.”

“Fine. Whatever. Keep spouting your nonsense.” “Stalker.” He added, under his breath.

I sighed heavily, and kept talking. “Right, so I think that we’ve been put here somehow. The only way back, in my experience, is either- 1: we find some mission we were destined to solve, and when it’s complete, we’ll wake up home. Or 2: we find the most powerful magic in the land, and use it to bring ourselves back home.”

“Oh come on. That has gotta be the most contrived-” The pegasus began, before he got cut off.

“DUDE! A mission? AWESOME! I hope we fight dragons!” That mare was too excitable for her own good. I hoped we didn’t have to fight any dragons. Celestia only knows what would happen to that one.

“Now, now. I didn’t say it was for sure. Either way, the welcoming party is tonight, and we need to go. I suggest you meet as many ponies as you can tonight. I’m going to try and figure out how we can meet with ‘the most powerful magic in the land.’ Hopefully I’ll get a lead, or maybe even a trip to the castle.”

“Alright, whatever you say.” The big pony said. He sure kept to himself. But at least he listened when he did.

I walked them to Sugarcube Corner, where the party was to be held. I told them to meet back here at seven o’clock, when the party was to begin. It was about two in the afternoon. We had all afternoon to venture the town and see the sights. I knew I had work to do to get me home, but I decided that it could wait until tomorrow. You only get one first day as a pony, and I might as well enjoy mine.

And so we parted ways for the afternoon, each thinking about the party, but almost none with happiness. The apprehension was unbearable as we said our goodbyes. You’d think we were never going to see each other again, but I was their lifeline. Without me, they didn’t know anypony. But that’s what I wanted for them. You don’t learn to swim without first realizing you can’t. You can’t meet friends until you’ve walked without them. A lesson I learned the hard way in my human days.

A Day on the Town

Chapter 2

A Day on the Town

Part 1-

The Curse of Knowledge

As I walked from the place where my new-found “friends” and I parted ways for the day, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to them. No, I didn’t expect any trouble but- oh who am I kidding? That blasted red pegasus was going to get somepony mad, and raise an incident. I didn’t even want to think what trouble the little mare would get into. She always seemed to be running around, doing something. At least the big pony seemed agreeable.

I headed for the library. If there was anypony in Ponyville who I wanted to meet soon, it was Twilight Sparkle. I knew where it was, and I wanted to go, but dang if I didn’t get distracted at every turn. I could learn so much more about the town now that the ponies were out and about, rather than listening to the mayor’s speech.

I saw ponies I knew, buildings I recognized, and sights, sounds, and smells I could only dream of. Heaven on Earth, I thought. Then I realized I wasn’t on Earth anymore. This did renew my resolution to meet up with Twilight, but to my dismay, when I went to the library, where I hoped to sit and have a cup of tea and a chat with Twilight, Spike answered saying that Twilight was out with her friends.

“Well, do you know when she’ll be back?”

“All I know is that she said there was a party she’s supposed to go to tonight. She’ll be back before then I guess.”

“Ugh. fine. You’ve been a real help Spike.” I said genuinely. I’m sarcastic, but when somebody’s no help, but they tell you all they can, I don’t get mad.

“Wait. How did you know my name?”

“I... umm...” Crap. I really need a quick blanket response for whenever that slips out. “I was looking for Twilight so I could get her advice for a spell I’m practicing, and when I asked somepony where to find her, they said that ‘Her assistant Spike will probably answer the door. He’s a baby dragon, but he’s harmless.’”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. I’m usually the one to answer the door.”

“Right, I’ll be on my way then. Thanks for the help!” I quickly said as I left. That was scary as all heck. Apparently my knowledge of the town is as much a curse as it is a blessing. Leaving that experience behind me, I went on exploring the town. I didn’t know what to expect. The Mane 6 were out doing some adventure, so I wouldn’t be likely to run into any of them for the day. The other three ponies I met earlier must have tried to hide from me, as I hadn’t seen any of them.

I kept wandering until I reached the park. There I found a park bench that I remembered seeing Lyra and Bon-Bon on. I decided that since I had nowhere to go and nothing to do, that I might as well sit back and enjoy things for a while.

I tried lying down on the bench, like Bon-Bon does. It felt like I was slacking off or something. Something about it felt wrong. So I tried sitting up. It wasn’t comfortable, but it sure felt natural. All I got in return were strange looks, except for a certain mint-green pony who just happened to walk through the park and gave me a brohoof for sitting the right way.

I thought of saying something, but I figured that, at least for Lyra, this was the best impression I could leave. I came to the realization that all of my knowledge on the ponies was almost useless since you shouldn’t know anything about them if you’re meeting them for the first time. This made me angry, but not at anything in particular. I just... I just wished that everypony would stop thinking I’m weird.

Part 2-

When I Learn to Fly

“Right. Go walk the town. Make friends. Woo, how exciting.” Sure, I was talking to myself. No I didn’t care. If there’s anything that know-it-all “human” Historia taught me, it’s that anytime I complain, I’m just gonna get yelled at. So, I just kept walking.

After a bit, I got bored of walking. That’s when I remembered I had wings. Not that I really knew how to use them (I can’t remember anything before today, not even my name. Do you expect me to know how to fly?). I had all day to learn. So I went off to the park to go practice flying. Or, well, I was headed for the park. I think. I dunno. Anywhere that didn’t have ponies who would see a fully-grown pegasus trying to learn to fly.

Eventually I happened upon a wide meadow. By wide, I mean freakin’ huge. It’s perfect, I thought. Nice open air, soft grass for any... failures, and not a pony in sight.

I moved my wings. It wasn’t as hard as you might think. It’s just another muscle I guess, kinda like moving your legs. I just had to give them a nice, big flap and I was airborne. I kept flapping to gain a bit more altitude, then moved my wings so they pushed me forward more. It was instinct I guess. I honestly had no clue what I was doing. And it showed.

A few feet into my glide, I realized that I was losing altitude. This made me panic and overcompensate. Now I was a good 40 feet in the air, and still with almost no clue what I was doing. I decided to tilt my body down a few degrees and slowly glide down. I figure an experienced pegasus could have pulled it off. I was certainly not experienced however.

When I tried, I went a few degrees too far, and picked up a little too much speed. I tried flapping my wings to slow myself down. Well it probably softened the landing. Still hurt though. Yeah, I crashed into the ground after a dive. Woo hoo. If you laugh at me, I will find you and buck you in the face.

“Ugh. This flying stuff’s a lot harder than they make it seem.”

“You just need more practice. Most ponies don’t get it on their first try. I mean, I did of course, but most don’t.”

“Wha- Wait! Who are you!? How did you find me!?” I asked as I turned around to get a view of my spectator and critic. It was a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. Honestly, I thought it looked kinda tacky. But I think that about most things here.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash, and I’m the best flier in Ponyville. I was headed home to avoid doing some stupid adventure-mission-thing” (she waved her hoof in the air to emphasize her apathy.) “with my friends. Today they’re going to help out bunnies or something. Lame, right?”

“Pffft. No kidding. Well, I don’t remember anything, not even a name- let alone how to fly.” I said.

“Well then. Looks like you could use a mentor.” And then she added (to her credit, she at least tried to say it under her breath and hide it) “And maybe, the Wonderbolts will see me helping train you, and they’ll think how great I am, and they’ll invite me to join them for being so great and helpful.”

“Right... So are we gonna get started, or are you just gonna sit there all day, dreaming?”

“Right! I’ll start with the basics. Taking off 101.”

Well, at least I had somepony to help me learn. Even if she does seem a little insane. But I guess being insane is pretty much a prerequisite if you want to live in this town. Maybe, when I master flying, I’ll just fly away to get away from all this insanity.

Part 3-

A Lovely Stroll

“Well the smart one said to walk around town, meet some ponies, and have a good time. Guess I should probably take her advice.” Now, I’m not dumb, I just call her smart because she sure as hay knew what was going on a lot better than I did.

I’m not shy, just quiet. When I walked through town, I knew I stood out. I was the tallest one there. I didn’t start any conversations though. When people walked up to me and said hi, I replied, but I didn’t say much. I just kept walking. I guess it just helps me stay calm. I tried to take it all in, see as much as I could, and remember most of it. I tried to remember some faces, and tried to listen in to see if I could get a name. I tried to remember the town’s layout, and where the landmarks were. I knew where Sugarcube Corner, the Town Hall, and Carousel Boutique were. I figured those places would be enough to navigate the town.

I let my mind wander as I kept walking. Clearly I got a little too lost in thought, because before long, I was walking down a road out of Ponyville. When I finally noticed, I looked around myself. The road went on in two directions, but I couldn’t see Ponyville either way. I didn’t want to be late to the party, but I had no idea what time it was or how far I was from town. It sure felt like a long time.

“Oh well, I should have plenty of time.” I just kept walking. If worst came to worst, I could just gallop back to town.

I kept my eyes and thoughts on the walk ahead of me. As if a response from some higher power, there was a building up ahead. The sign outside read “The Halfway Inn.” I stepped inside.

The person behind the counter appeared about as old as the building itself. He was aging- not quite “old” but was certainly approaching that point sooner than he wanted to. “What brings a strapping colt like yourself to the Halfway Inn, sonny?” That last word really made him sound old.

“Well, I’m looking to head to Ponyville. Could you tell me how to get there and how long of a walk it’ll be?”

“Heheh. Ponyville? Well you’re halfway there from Canterlot. That’s why I called this place the Halfway Inn.”

“Clever.”

“Yep, I like to think so. To get to Ponyville, you’ll need to turn left when you leave here. But you’ll want to leave tomorrow. It’ll take you a few hours at least.”

“A few hours? What time is it?” Just how long had I been walking, anyways?

“Oh, it’s about six.”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be- thanks for everything, sir!” I couldn’t miss this party. If there was anything I knew, this party seemed important. Besides, I was one of the guests of honor. It wouldn’t make much sense for me to miss my own party. Hopefully, if I galloped, I could make it before the party ended.

Part 4-

A Singsong Day

I was So excited to see the town! I couldn’t help myself from galloping as we went our separate ways. I didn’t get far. I was so excited as I galloped, I forgot to look right ahead, which a tree promptly reminded me I should be doing.

I must have been running pretty fast, because on top of the stares, something fell on my face from the tree. “Ponyville Singing Competition! Today at 3! Open registration! First prize is an all-expense paid trip for four to Equestria’s capital, Canterlot.”

I remembered what the blue pony said. “You should try and do whatever you can while out on the town today.” Or... well, something like that. I was too excited, and I was never good at remembering details. Whatever. It seemed like fun, so I started galloping around, looking for the school where the stage was set up.

It wasn’t too long before I found the stage. It was about 2:30 according to the school’s clock tower. “Am- am I in time to- to register for- for this- competi- competition?” I was a little out of breath. I had been running through the entire town looking for this place. In hindsight, I probably should have asked somepony.

The purple pony with pink hair looked at me and chuckled a little before saying “Sure. Let me explain how the competition works. You’ll go backstage to wait for your turn. When you get called up, just sing any song you want, and myself and two other judges will rate your singing.”

“Okay! Sounds like fun!” I was getting more and more excited as she talked, and I wasn’t even backstage yet.

“Alright, you’re number 20. When your number is called, you can come up on stage.”

“Okay!” I happily skipped backstage. When I got there, my spirits dropped like a rock. There were 19 other ponies, all warming up their vocal chords, getting ready for the competition.

each one sounded like they had been practicing for years.

“Hey, I’ve never seen you around before!” A little white unicorn called out to me. She had poofy, pink and lavender hair and a voice so squeaky, I wondered if she could actually sing well.

“Uhhh... yeah, I’m new here.”

My name’s Sweetie Belle. Are you in this competition too?”

“Yep, I’m number 20.”

“Really? I’m 19. And Scootaloo here is 18.” She motioned to another little pony, an orange pegasus with purple hair.

“Well good luck then.”

“What are you gonna sing?”

Oh Crap. It hit me like a stack of bricks. I didn’t remember my name, I sure as heck didn’t remember any songs. “I... Uh... Don’t want to ruin the surprise...” Should I just step out? But what would Historia think if I did? Oh, I just don’t know.

That’s when I decided what I’d do. I’d listen to one of the earlier contestants and sing one of their songs. That way I wouldn’t look stupid.

Contestant after contestant went up and sang their songs, but most were too complicated for me to sing. I realized that maybe I should just step out.

“18! You’re up” The MC called out

“Go get ’em Scoots” Sweetie Belle encouraged as she shoved a nervous Scootaloo through the curtains. I thought this would be the one. It had to be. If I couldn’t remember this one, I only had Sweetie’s song to memorize, and I don’t think I would have time to remember it all.

What I heard next was the most horrible, earsplitting, off-key song I had ever heard (though I guess I had only heard 17 really good songs before then, so take it as you will). Scootaloo sang the “Cutie Mark Crusader’s theme,” but it was so horrible, I hoped that the “cutie marks” they wanted didn’t need good singing.

Afterwards, She came back a little sad, saying that she got a twelve. Cheerilee gave her a ten (apparently she only gave tens) she said, but the other two both gave her ones.

“Alright,19! Your turn!”

“Alright, kick some flank Sweetie!” Scootaloo encouraged.

“It’s not a fight you dodo!” Sweetie countered.

“I told you to stop calling me that you dumb dictionary!”

“Cool it you two, Sweetie, go up there and sing.” Well Somepony needed to be the voice of reason.

What she sang was the polar opposite of Scootaloo’s song. It was apparently a lullaby, but she really put her soul into it, singing with a full-bodied voice I wouldn’t have guessed she had. I was too entranced by her amazing voice to even try to memorize the song. I listened close for the judges reactions.

“Simply marvelous. A beautiful voice indeed! I give it a perfect ten!”

“You did great Sweetie, I’m very proud of you. Ten points!” That was the voice of the purple pony from up front. Apparently her name was Cheerilee.

“Yeah, it was great, but it didn’t quite feel right with me. I’m just gonna give you a nine.”

“That score of 29 puts you in first place, with only contestant 20 left.”

“20! It’s your turn!”

I sheepishly stepped through the curtain, Sweetie slipping through when I did.

“Begin whenever you are ready” The left-most pony said. A gray pony with black hair and a purple bowtie.

I sighed, and decided it was too late to turn back. Too late to resign. I had to go through with it now. I had to come up with something to sing.