The DESTINY Exploration

by Armguard

Chapters

1: Adieu, Jonah
2: Confidant
3: Meteorite
4: Discovery
5: Melancholy
6: Penance
7: Starswirl
8: Serendipity
9: Samaritan
10: Meditation
11: Starsword
12: Giefan
##NULL##
14: Deliverance
15: Destiny
16: Gauntlet
17: Showstopper
18: Supernova
19: Release! (Part 1)
20: Release! (Part 2)

1: Adieu, Jonah

Chapter 1 : Adieu, Jonah

[GOOD MORNING, CAPTAIN]

“Good morning, Jonah! How is everything looking?”

[ALL LIFE-PRESERVING FUNCTIONS ARE OPERATIONAL]

[SLIGHT MAGNETIC SHIELD REDUCTION AFTWARD IN QUADRANT 2; PRIORITY 0.3]

[TIME SINCE INITIAL DEPARTURE: 6 MONTHS, 1 DAY]

[TODAY’S BREAKFAST: BACON, HAM, CHEESE IMITATION OMELETTE, ORANGE JUICE]

“Man, 6 months? Have to be clearing the system by now…hey Jonah, can you transfer energy to the aft from the starboard sections, please?”

[CONFIRMING ENERGY TRANSFER…ALL SECTIONS OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD UNIVERSALLY EFFECTIVE]

“Thank you, Jonah. Let’s listen to some tunes, shall we?”

Waking up every morning to the Beatles never gets old, but this experiment the United States threw me into can be rather lonesome. Project DESTINY only needed me to program the basic interfaces in the ship’s mess hall, a really simple task; yet the council in charge of the Astronautics Exploration Administration insisted on employing me full-time. Eventually, I became the chief programming officer of the entire project, which landed me on this drifting space lunchbox they called a ‘scouting ship’.

Being in space for the first time is still exciting, but seeing a gaping void for the past couple months might be getting to me. I didn’t expect them to send me in this tin can they called a ship. Not my recommendation for the heavy-hearted. At least I still have Jonah, right?

[APPROACHING SOLAR SYSTEM’S KUIPER BELT; ESTIMATED THRU TIME: 16 HOURS]

16 hours of hellish travel through an asteroid-infested brick wall. This is the only part of the journey I feared the most because our automatic piloting algorithm remains physically untested. Also concerns me that the lead nation developing it was Japan. I pray we had competent translators, and the ON/OFF toggle doesn’t actually mean LIFE/DEATH or some other metaphysical jargon.

One thing I remember when the Administration trained me for this exploration was the constant reminder of the risk involved. Granted, I was pretty frightened by the idea of becoming the first human guinea pig to be jettisoned beyond Jupiter, but the balance between life and death never dissuaded me from doing any of this. However, I was pretty stubborn to try this; the project managers had more qualified astronauts that could take up the mantle. Probably should have listened to them, now I can’t stop quaking in my bodysuit!

Jonah, however, is a different story. He may sound like a plutonium-enhanced artificial intelligence without a heart, but his sense of humor is top class!

[YELLOW ALERT STATUS: OUTER KUIPER BELT OBJECTS AVERAGE VELOCITY: 3.6 KM/SEC]

“Ha, it almost sounded like you said there were gigantic boulders moving that fast in space. I was scared for a moment.”

[CONFIRMING VELOCITY: 3.6 KM/SEC]

“YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO REPEAT YOURSELF! *ahem* Jonah, how long until our destination is reached?”

[APPROXIMATE ARRIVAL TIME: 10 MINUTES]

“Keep it up, we are almost in the clear!”

Typically, one would think that a string of closely-knit objects would be more dangerous; less room to maneuver. But for the faster objects, especially ones that can be half the size of some of Saturn’s moons, it is even more suspect. In an instant, you could be colliding with something many thousand times your size-

[EXITING KUIPER BELT; SWITCHING SECURITIES TO NORMAL]

“Thank you, Jonah, you done goo-“

A loud crash resounded from the side of the ship. “What was that?!”

[EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO STARBOARD HULL; SHIELDING DOWN TO 10% CAPACITY]

“Jonah, you said you fixed it! Why is it…WOAH”

[WARNING: ANOMALY DETECTED ON FLIGHT PATH, INTENSE GRAVITY FIELD DETECTED]

“Identify it, JONAH!”

[ANOMALY DETECTED IS IMPOSSIBLE: CLASS A SCHWARTZCHILD WORMHOLE]

“Jonah, we’ll be crushed if we go into there! Can’t we avoid it?!”

[GRAVITATIONAL PULL IS INESCAPABLE; CONFINING AIR PRESSURE TO BRIDGE, PREPARE FOR COLLISION]

“Jonaaaaaaaaah!”

“…Jo…Jonah…we lived…where are we?...”

[SWITCHING TO MANUAL CONTROLS, JONAH A.I. OFFLINE]

“Figures, he had to go and crap out on me. Let’s see…I don’t have any idea what system we are in. Uncharted, huh? This isn’t what I had in mind when they told me “the first great adventure for our race.””

I quickly figured out that I couldn’t control the ship, and I realized we were in orbit around a planet similar to Earth: land, oceans, clouds, and the computer indicated a breathable atmosphere. One moon orbited the world we happened upon, everything pointed in the direction of it being my home, but…

But something didn’t immediately sit well with me; I needed to figure a few things out.

“Ummm…Jonah, how long has it been since we escaped the wormhole?”

[…………….]

“Right…you aren’t online. I have to figure this out myself?!”

I did recall during training a hand guide containing emergency formulas in case the onboard AI kicked the bucket temporarily. ‘Approx’s Formulae’ contained all the necessary calculations I needed, to include compensating for red or blue shift, identifying the parallax of neighboring star systems…I wish I had paid more attention when I minored in Astronomy.

Using the booklet, I figured nothing out as far as location: the constellations are completely foreign to me and to the astronomical atlas. However, I did figure out a couple interesting items. Technically, it’s been a couple hours since we were ejected from the wormhole, but the computers read 12 hours. Somehow we jumped ahead 10 hours, even though physically it has been 2 hours since our collision with the anomaly.

In my peripheral vision, something flashed and caught my eye. Quickly, I ran to the starboard viewing platform to see the object approaching. It was too bright to identify, but it made a beeline for the belly of the craft!

“Jonah, wake up! Foreign object approaching us! Wait…why am I saying “Wake up!” to a friggin computer?!”

[PREPARE FOR CRASH LANDING; APPROXIMATE TIME OF CRASH: 25 SECONDS]

“Dang it, Jonah! You turn back on AFTER we get hit! Why did you…aaaaaah!”

“…hey there fella! Git yerself together!...HEEEY!”

With a jolt, I sprang up, gathering myself. Amazingly, I didn’t feel injured at all, just a slight dizziness in the noggin. I stared up at the person talking to me, but then, what I saw completely flabbergasted me.

“Hey…WHAT?! Holy crap, you’re a…oh my God, what hit me in the head?”

“Slow down, take it easy there, fella!”

I sat there staring at the incredible sight that stood before me: a talking pony. I just crash landed in the universe of a 9-year-old girl…or I’m having a really bad, coma-induced dream, and this was my natural way of coping.

“Hey, have you seen my spaceship? Where’s Jonah? I need to repair it and then fly out of here, I gotta get home!”

“Ha, what in tarnation are you jammerin’ about? Spaceship?!”

She immediately fell flat on her back, laughing hysterically, as if what I said to her was a stand-up routine by Jeff Foxworthy. That’s the only comedian I could think of at the time; her voice was strictly ‘yee-hawish’.

I glanced to my right, and saw a puddle of water and my reflection in it. I was staring at a pony with a blonde mane and a red coat. He had solid, coal black eyes and an incredible set of straight, even teeth. Not crooked at all, that handsome devil!

I then inquired further about my current situation, seeing if this pony noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“Wait, you didn’t see a crash landing anywhere?”

“Nah! All I saw was you layin’ on the dirt, sprawled out like you was hit by a lightning bolt or somethin’ scary. Are you feelin’ ok, sugarcube?”

“Not at all! I’m a pony, why am I pony?! This isn’t RIGHT!”

My screams of protest were met with a throbbing sensation in my skull. Not good.

“Because you are one, sugarcube? What else would you be? A griffon? A dragon?”

“Ha! You make it sound like this is…normal…oh God! Why…” *faints*

“…wha? Where am I now?”

Having the urge to survey my new surroundings, turns out I was in a plain room with just the bed I’m napping in, a mahogany dresser with a lamp, and a clock with a cranking alarm. The window next to the bed was cracked open to let a light breeze into the room. Wanting to know more, I climbed out of bed and stood on the floor, quivering as I tried to maintain my balance.

Looking outside the window of the guest room, I saw a vast apple orchard that probably spanned for miles every direction. A mightily-sized barn sat adjacent to the cottage I was resting in, probably containing all the equipment necessary to harvest the apples. Piles of hay were dispersed throughout the yard, so she likely did some milking on the side for their personal supply of milk and dairy.

The same orange pony from the path outside opened the door, checking in on me.

“Goodness, you gave us quite a fright there, fella! You feelin’ ok?”

“Yeah, just a bit groggy. This is unbelievable though…I won’t get used to this-“

*thud*

“Wow, you must still be tired, sir! Get back into the bed, ya hear?”

“But I’m not tired! I just fell down, and I can’t walk properly. What is this…”

I attempt to stand up, which was probably the most arduous task I’ve had to perform this entire journey. As I began to stand up, all the memories with Jonah flooded back to me, giving me the willpower to stand up and face my heroine. She kept urging me to take small steps toward the bed. My lack of coordination granted me the pleasure of introducing my face to the floor dozens of times.

After resting for a while, I rolled myself out of bed, and stared outside for about 8 minutes, watching the sunset. During that time, I thought about what became of Jonah and the spacecraft. Did Jonah and the ship survive the initial landing? And…!

Something had just occurred to me: wasn’t it strange that the orange pony laughed at my crash landing tale? Why was I so distant from the crash site? What, or WHO, placed me so far away from there, that from what I could surmise, nobody even knew that a metal lunch box descended from the clouds?

I heard the rumble of chatter downstairs, and caught the entrancing aroma of hot apple cider and apple pie. Something about that smell permitted my legs to rhythmically trot towards the staircase, but no farther. The 14 steps that loomed before my hooves mocked me, coaxing me to take the initial step towards my imminent doom.

A petit, yellow pony trotted to the bottom of the stairs, and called out to me.

“Hey there, our most honored guest! Come on down here, sir!”

She said this in the cutest, most nasally way possible. How could I say no to her request? Oh, well, there is the staircase, the only thing standing between me and delicious apple goodness.

Carefully making my way down the stairs, while keeping my natural, equestrian stride was the most awkward thing I’ve ever had to accomplish. One hoof forward, back opposite hoof up, alternate, switch hooves, repeat. Why could I do it so perfectly a minute ago? Nevertheless, natural instinct took over for once, and no falls! Basking in the glow of my accomplishment, I fist-pumped my way to the dinner table, and relaxed in a seated position, the only pseudo-human thing I’ve done all day.

Sitting around the table, clockwise, was the petit, yellow pony that called me down, a lean-muscled red pony with a heavy yoke around his chest, the orange pony who found me on the side of the path leading to their home, and a wrinkled, elderly green pony staring at me, grinning from ear to ear as though I were a long-lost friend who just surprised her with a visit.

“’Ello, young’un! How are yeh feelin’, son? The name’s Granny Smith, but you can call me…uh, whazat the kids like to call me, Applebloom?”

The elderly pony, Granny Smith, addressed the petit one sitting next to me.

“Don’t they just call ya Granny Smith…Granny Smith?”

“Oh, yea! Just call me Granny Smith, son!”

The red pony looked towards me and addressed me next.

“I’m Big Macintosh. Just call me Big Mac, eeyup!”

Finally, the orange pony who ransomed me from my dirt nap introduced herself.

“And I’m Applejack! Pleasure tuh have ya as our guest!”

The entire family beckoned me to try everything on the table. Befitting of the nature of this place, apple desserts commanded the whole army of plates across the table. Leading the charge was that scrumptious apple pie I caught a whiff of upstairs, and scattered about the battlefield were various apple-based confections: a pile of apple fritters, a pitcher of hot apple cider, a strange bowl if rainbow-colored apples (could have sworn I saw static electricity spark the bowl), three towers of cinnamon apple pretzels, and far too many caramel apples to count.

After the taste testing ended, Applejack gave me a pondering look, and began to question me.

“So, what’s yer name? You know ours, what do we call ya?”

“…I’m Tom.”

Applebloom chuckled a bit, and I wondered what was so funny. “Haven’t you ever heard that name before? I think Applebloom is a pretty ridiculous sounding name.”

The little filly suddenly teared up, something that even the strongest boned person would instantaneously melt seeing the sight.

“I’m sorry! It was a gut comment, I take it back.”

Applejack quickly rectified the situation. “No need to apologize. Applebloom! Stop laughing at our guest, ya hear?!”

“Sorry, sis! He just haaaas a funny name is all!”

“Anyways, so ‘Tom’, you were tellin’ me about finding a ‘spacecraft’. What’s that all about? You seemed real serious when you told me. Be honest with us.”

The whole family raised their eyebrows, and gave me an inquisitive stare. The question Applejack just asked would be terribly difficult to answer, much less convince them that what happened to me was the truth. How was I going to explain to simple ponies about a complex series of events that got me here in the first place?

Would they even believe anything I say…

2: Confidant

Chapter 2: Confidant

My decision was to mask as much of the truth about my origin as possible. I need a place of refuge for the time being; if I told them too much, they might mark me as a lunatic, and kick me out into the streets. It is for the best.

“Well, the spaceship was an invention of mine, and while I was looking for it, I fell to the ground unconscious. It can’t fly, but I believe someday it will!”

Applejack gave me a look of disbelief, matched by no one else in the room. Did she not believe what I said? She began to barrage me with a flurry of various questions.

“You mentioned somepony named Jonah. Who might that be, huh?”

I frantically thought of an explanation for ‘that’. “Well, Jonah is a dear, dear friend of mine that was searching for the spaceship with me. But he must have got lost out here and forgot where I went.”

“Hon, this whole pasture is pretty open. I reckon nopony would get lost out here unless you were blind.”

What she said was the truth; the dirt path could be seen a mile any direction where she found me. What could I say in my defense there? The web of half-truths kept on getting more complex each second.

“Well, we aren’t exactly…from here.”

Big Mac, at once, interjected with a question of his own. “Then where are you from?”

My palms, err, ‘hooves’ got clammy in an instant. I had no idea what planet I was on, or where I was at all! I couldn’t name any countries, cities, oceans, anything to escape from this one. I had to make a bold claim right then and there.

“I’m actually from the mountains.”

Applejack turned her face to me, visibly surprised by my claim. “The mountains, sugarcube? That’s a mighty far distance tuh travel if’un ya lost a precious item here! Are you sure you’re from there?”

Next was how I got here. I had to deceive them further, which didn’t feel great, considering how hospitable they have been to me. But I had to find Jonah, repair the ship, and leave as soon as possible.

“Well we didn’t exactly ‘walk’ to get here, you know! That would have been exhausting in itself.”

“Well, shoot, then you must have taken the train! I should have thought of that sooner!”

THE TRAIN. Thank goodness this mare filled in the blank for me. The train would be a viable way of explaining my presence in this part of the world.

“Yes! Thank you for understanding, we would never, in our condition, even fathom walking down here from up there!”

The whole apple family breathed a heavy sigh, finally satisfied with my answers. All but Applejack, who, for some reason, held a differing expression the other ponies didn’t regard. Somehow, I had not fully convinced her of who I am and where I was from; hopefully, I can get her to trust me soon.

After we concluded our dessert, it was time for me to ascend the towering set of stairs leading to my bed. The staircase presented a menacing, blank stare only stairs could give. The nailed boards grimaced with every hoof I planted, taunting my efforts at every step. The last step was accomplished, but I still needed to walk to the bed.

I recall earlier today when I fell incessantly on the floor, face first. A chilled fear crept down my spine as I began to walk. The first step. the second…*thud*

…the third step-*SLAM*

“OUUUUCH!” My back left hoof caught my front left leg, and assisted in my descent to the floor. I thought I left an outline of my face there, so that future generations could look upon it and say: “Here Lies Tom; Master of the Face Plant”.

I began to stand up and attempt to maintain my balance. At first, my legs shook like when I watched the sunset before dessert. But after a while, the quivering legs stood upright and unmoving. Taking the first few steps with trepidation, I slowly sneaked over to the bed. I couldn’t manage to flawlessly trot like I instinctively did before. I needed to learn how to move, and my mind simply couldn’t grasp it.

By moving one leg at a time, my 10-foot trek across the room, took 4 minutes, as I wobbled off-balance every other step. Finally, reaching the edge of my bed, I climbed in, and flung my legs outward, relaxing on the twin mattress.

Jonah, I hope you’re intact and safe. I need you to help me get off this world.

My thoughts were eclipsed by another set of potential problems. Even if I found Jonah, how would we get home? When I tried figuring out where we were, there was absolutely zero landmarks in the stars. No Orion’s Belt, no Alpha Centauri, nothing, zero, nada.

Constant worry haunted my sleep. There was not even an escape in my dreams; I kept replaying the Schwartzchild Wormhole event over and over, only remembering the crushing darkness and scream of the ship’s alarms…

The sunrise caught my eyelids, and tore me from my slumber. This is the second full day I’ve had on this world, and no more comforting knowing that I’m stranded, probably for an immeasurable amount of time.

Yesterday’s conversation with the Apples lingered in my brain, trying to recall all the half-truths and lies that I had told. Did I feel bad about not telling them the entire truth of my existence here? Sure, but did I feel it was necessary to get home? Absolutely. My main priority is to rescue Jonah and leave. Whatever it takes.

*clink clink clink clang* “Souuuup’s on! Come and git it!”

I could hear Applejack’s shout as if she were standing up to my ear; what a loudmouth. But soup? For breakfast? I guess the strange meal choice fits, considering how they are talking ponies who harvest apples for a living.

Regardless, the very same troubles from last night plagued my walk to the stairs: couldn’t coordinate my legs correctly. Each step felt like an eternity, but this time, I wasn’t off balance like before. At least there was some progress there. Making my way downstairs, I looked at the table to see what soup was prepared.

Or maybe “Souuuuup’s on!” is a figure of speech; french toast, eggs over easy, cow’s milk, fruit salads, and apple pie lined the table within everyone’s reach. I took my spot at the table from the previous night, collected a portion of everything, and took my time. Applebloom took the chair next to mine, and nibbled on her slice of apple pie before Granny Smith flung a critique her way.

“Now deary! Finish yer breakfast before ya cram that pie in yer gullet!”

“But Granny Smith!”

Big Mac chimed in as well. “Don’t argue with yer grandma, now. Finish yer eggs.”

It was refreshing to see the family atmosphere I missed for so long. Living in the void of space for half a year allowed me to appreciate details of life like this one. Which made me feel all the more sick knowing I couldn’t say a word about my mission. I’m a programmer who is posing as an astronaut, who made small talk with a computer’s artificial intelligence for 6 months, and I have no idea how to get home.

I motioned to Applejack so she could hear me. “Listen, is there anything I can do to help pay off my debt to you all for helping me get well?”

“Don’t you even fear nothin’ about payin’ us back. It’s a pleasure tuh lend ponies a hoof! Don’t you want to hurry on home and find Jonah?”

“Yes, but-“

“Then by golly, let’s git ya tuh the train station!”

The rush and scramble to the station left me lost for any words of protest. They must have known I was missing home, but the problem isn’t the missing it, but the where. Waiting at the gate was a large carriage made for a family of 6 ponies; our ride. The family trotted with ease to the carriage, and I was left on the patio motionless.

Applejack came back over and helped me walk towards the carriage, showing me how to alternate my legs in unison, making the journey less precarious. Hopping into the carriage, we made our way into the town nearby. It was around midday, bustling with activity that I had not witnessed before.

A mail courier flew by the carriage and up into the clouds, carrying a saddle bag bursting with envelopes. There were multiple businesses sprawled across the plaza: a quaint, pink and cream bakery, an impressive, carousel-shaped fashion boutique, various vendors selling fruit and vegetables, and an odd store that sold quills and sofas. My vision caught a library shaped like an old oak tree, and the city hall, standing in the center of town.

We approached the station, and it read “PONYVILLE STATION – CENTRAL”. On the departure list, I saw three other station names with ‘mountains’ in their names: Smokey Mountains, Foal Mountains, and Crystal Mountains.

Reading over them, my gut directed me to hover over the ticket booth that read ‘Crystal Mountains’. My slow approach towards the ticket lines reminded me of how uncoordinated I was, and my zig-zagging movements alerted Applejack to that fact. As I approached the booth, she stepped in front of me and confronted my decision.

“The Crystal Mountains? You can’t go there unless…wait, do you live in the Crystal Empire?! But you aren’t even a crystal pony!” Applejack cut right to the quick on that one; I don’t live there. But where else was I going to start? Might as well start there.

“I don’t live there, but I have to find Jonah.”

Her eyes produced the sternest look I’ve received these past two days. She must have figured something out! Then she asked the question I hoped she’d never ask.

“You aren’t from any mountains, are ya?”

“…no. I am not.” That answer completely destroyed all my credibility in a matter of seconds. The whole family was visibly distraught, knowing I was a liar and a fraud. I didn’t know what do except fall down and ruminate over my failure.

“Why did you lie to us about all that stuff, Tom? You didn’t need to do that.”

I had to rectify my words somehow, but I couldn’t speak about Jonah in too much detail, or… “I didn’t lie about everything. The spaceship search was true.”

Applebloom shouted a mocking laugh. “Spaceship? You must be silly to think we’d believe something so crazy!”

I sat there for what felt like hours not saying a word. How could I expect them to trust any words that came out of my mouth when I knowingly deceived them?

“I’m…sorry I lied. I wanted to hide the whole truth because I didn’t think that you all would believe it. What I have to say, you would consider insanity. I have trampled on your hospitality and your kindness, and I’m deeply sorry about that. But I have no idea where to start looking for him, yet I need to find him.”

Applejack’s stare quickly melted into concern, as did the rest of the family.

“Why do ya need tuh find this ‘Jonah’ so desperately? Please, just tell us the honest truth, ok?”

That was the beginning of what I thought would be the most difficult retelling of the events prior to our crash. The tale began just after the AEA Council recruited me to program for their space program. I wound up describing my role in the project as chief programming officer, volunteering myself to be the guinea pig they sent into space, soon after regretting that I took the job.

After that, I described how me and Jonah traversed nearly a day through the Kuiper Belt, describing what exactly it was: a ring of asteroids that surrounded our system of planets. The family nodded their heads, but I could tell most of those details soared past their heads. I recounted the Schwartzchild anomaly, the collision with the singularity, and our imminent crash landing in Equestria.

All of them stared with amazement at the fable I conjured up; the problem was it was all truth this time. How would they react to the uncut version of what I went through for 6 months?

“Well, golly, that’s quite a mouthful to chew on- wait a minute! Are you sayin’ yer…from space? From up beyond the clouds? That’s impossible!”

I knew they couldn’t handle hearing what I had to say, but what else could I have done? I have nobody to confide this information, and these apple ponies are the only folk I can reasonably trust. She continued to give me a menacing stare. I had to tell her something else extraordinary.

“I’m a human being, Applejack. I’m not from this world.”

She looked even more perplexed than she was previously. “A what? What’s a human being? I ain’t ever heard of them before.”

Never heard of us before? That’s a surprise. I continued pressing that I wasn’t from Equestria, or this world.

“Applejack, you definitely don’t understand this, but I am not from this world. That crash landing I told you about was my ship, with me and Jonah in it. I have to find him, I don’t even know if he’s oper-…if he’s alive! Don’t you see; it’s urgent!”

Applejack turned and spoke with her family in quiet off to the side. They were pointing hooves at each other, and at me, likely discussing how to handle me and my crazy, space fantasy novella. Intermittently, I received a few crazed looks from Applebloom and Granny Smith, though both returned to the Apple huddle each time they did.

Eventually, I was greeted with smiles and hoof pats on the back.

Applejack spoke first. “Alright, we talked fer a bit, and we know that you mean well, and your story is a bit farfetched-“

“IT’S INSANE!” Applebloom exclaimed, causing the booth ponies to peer over their desks at us.

Applejack rose her hoof at Applebloom. “But how can we trust ya after all that you said that wasn’t true?”

“I can’t promise you anything more, it wouldn’t mean anything. As far as you are concerned, you should just do away with me. You all the only confidants I have in this world, and I can’t abandon my friend. Please believe me. I can’t ask anything more.”

Applejack then proceeded to mull my words over, and responded. “It is really hard to trust ya after all that you said. You covered up the truth, and for that, I’m extremely disappointed!”

My whole body sank into a pit of its own guilt. It bubbled hot in my stomach. This was probably the worst feeling I’ve ever felt. They were so kind to me, and I returned it with deception. I was done for…

“…but how can I ignore a pony in need? You were finally genuine and true with us this time ‘round. How can I tell? I can just sense honest folk a mile away. We believe ya.”

Hearing those words produced elation in every inch of my pony body. I grinned as wide as I possibly could, and openly wept. To be able to say all that I could say, and find people…ponies willing to listen and believe it all; it was jubilance to my ears.

“HOWEVER. We will take ya up on yer offer tuh pay us back for our hospitality. You’ll need a place to stay while you go searchin’ for yer pal.”

I had no choice but to accept. “Y-yes, I will gladly help you out!”

Granny Smith looked pleased with my response. “Then git yer caboose tuh the carriage, and work them thighs! Hee-YA!” She violently head butted me into the carriage that was to take us back to Sweet Apple Acres.

[…….]

[EMERGENCY POWER ONLINE, SCANNING CRASH SITE]

[CAPTAIN’S VITAL READING UNDETECTED, LAUNCHING PLANETARY SURVEILLANCE]

[SIX PROBES LAUNCHED IN ORBIT AROUND PLANET]

[---SLEEP MODE ACTIVATED]

[…….]

3: Meteorite

Chapter 3: Meteorite

The Apples continued to be outstanding hosts while I lived on the property. The work they had me do really lent itself well to a job I had done as a college student back at home.

While I was a Computer Science major, the only hard, physical labor I had to do was an odd farming job about 20 minutes from my suburban neighborhood. Shoveling cow manure, feeding the livestock and fowl, harvesting produce such as corn, names, and potatoes, all the expected work a farmhand would do. The tasks Granny Smith gave me were very similar, but they also taught me their particular way of doing things.

It had been about a week since our arrangement was made to work for the roof over my head, but I knew that this labor wasn’t counting for anything. They considered me family, though remained cautious about my ‘reason’ for being here. The one task I never participated in was something they called ‘apple bucking’. I didn’t know what that was, but Big Mac informed me that I needed hind leg coordination, something I’ve been improving daily.

I remember the day after we returned from the train station, Applejack began training me on how to properly walk and trot.

“Alright, Tom, here’s the deal! We ponies don’t even think about when we’re movin’, so you don’t neither! Just alternate yer legs, and do like I’m doin’! Watch.”

She demonstrated what she was talking about, but I had a hard time following along. I took my first few steps, and proceeded to verify my title as Master of the Face Plant, multiple times.

Applebloom began to encourage me. “C’mon, Tom! You can do it!”

This time, I walked an entire stretch of fence line without wobbling or falling. The natural feeling of walking caused me to leap into the air with excitement. It was the best day I’ve had since the crash, a feeling of ultimate achievement.

Each day was a different challenge. Day 2 was a farther walking distance. On day 3, we practiced turning around and side-stepping. Day 4 was a review of the first three days, and day 5 introduced basic trotting techniques. Days 6 and 7 were solely dedicated to speed and agility. It was incredible how quickly I caught on to everything, but no day was without mistakes; by the end of the week, I had bruises all over my face and legs from the workout.

Today, however, they were finally going to take me out into the orchard and do their most important job: apple bucking. Big Mac led the way to my section of the field.

“Now today, we’re gonna harvest ‘these’ apples.”

“So you are going to be assisting me today, Big Mac?”

“Eeyup.”

The technique for apple bucking was, in essence, one simple motion requiring precise and immense physical strength. Big Mac, in one stroke of his hind legs, harvested the entire tree in one loud crack. His flexibility and strength frightened me; never challenge this pony to a brawl. Ever.

My attempt, however, ended with no apples harvested, and a very sore pair of hooves. A pair of bright red tomatoes appeared beneath my hoof skin, making walking back to the orchard a drain on my energy. Stepping on the patio, I reached for both of my tomato-hooves, blowing on them constantly to cease the burning sensation.

Midway through the following week, the bucking granted me enough strength to knock off at least 10 apples in a first attempt, but very few trees got harvested without the help of someone in the family. Applejack and Big Macintosh were professionals, effortlessly knocking down piles of apples from the many acres of trees lining the pasture. It was like watching two ponies trying to break a world record time, but each smack of the wood was intentional. Their speed and timing were flawless.

The entire rest of the week was spent with me practicing my precision, and most of the time, I would apply too much force on one leg, and the other leg slid off the wood, flipping me forwards back-first onto the ground. Each attempt slowly ate away at my energy, and the task grew more difficult. But every time both my hooves applied the same force, many apples fell to the ground, a sign that I was improving.

By this week’s end, I had finally been able to knock down my first full tree of apples.

“Yeehaw! I mean, yes!” I got a little carried away with myself.

Applejack grinned proudly. “That’s the way! Ya finally did it!”

I can’t wait to tell Jonah about this. Maybe now I have the strength to find him.

My thought was interrupted by Granny Smith screeching into her megaphone. “Visitor! Visitor!”

All of us gathered our belongings and headed for the gate leading to the cottage. The others kept a slow pace for me, as I was still getting acquainted with my new walking motion. When we reached the gate, I saw with Granny Smith a tiny, purple critter with scales and a green…mohawk. Applejack sped past us and embraced the little guy.

“Aw, hey there, little feller, how ya doin’?”

“Hey Applejack, you don’t have to. Squeeze. So TIGHT. Ack!”

Applejack dropped the purple monster on the ground. “Sorry, Spike, I didn’t reckon dragons were sensitive tuh hugs! Ha ha ha!”

A dragon?! The little guy was a dragon? Not the size I was expecting a dragon to be, or perhaps this ‘Spike’ is a baby. Even still, a baby dragon that talks isn’t beyond imagining in this world.

“I have a letter from Twilight for you; she wanted you to come visit. Says something big happened recently that nopony knows about yet.”

A look of intrigue conquered Applejack’s expression. “Say, what kind uh thing happened, Spike?”

“I don’t really know for sure, but she mentioned seeing something rare a couple weeks ago while she was star gazing. Normally, she’s really on top of scheduling meteor falls, but they rarely happen in our part of the world.”

“Well, golly, then what’s the fuss about?”

“She told me something actually fell and impacted in Equestria somewhere. And she wants to study it!”

My mind was racing with thoughts of Jonah, the ship, and the events that occurred exactly when this ‘Twilight’ pony had surmised. I was anticipating the possibility of going with Applejack to take a look at the supposed meteorite. Could the ship still be functioning, or was it shattered into thousands of pieces? If it is in need of repair, would it even be possible? The Twilight pony was my key to finding out.

Applejack read over the letter, and smiled joyfully at Spike.

“I can always use a lil’ adventure here and there tuh broaden my horizons. I’d love tuh travel with Twilight!”

I quickly got on my knees and begged Applejack to take me with her. “Applejack, that may very well be Jonah that’s at the crash site of that meteor! I must go!”

“Well of course yer goin’! Think I wouldn’t let ya investigate this, either?”

“Great! I’ll let Twilight know right away that you both are coming! By the way, who’s this guy?” Spike points directly at me.

“My name is Tom, Spike.”

“Good to meet you, Tom! Now let’s see…”

Spike rummages through his backpack, and pulls out a quill, a scroll, and an ink stamp. He begins to write a letter, and afterwards, stamps a notary at the bottom, and breathes a sparkling green fire, disintegrating the letter.

“There we go! Now Twilight knows the both of you are on your way to town.”

Preparing for an expedition like this one appeared to be something Applejack was already well acquainted with; she already had a pack ready to go in her closet. Meanwhile, she gathered tools and supplies for my pack, making absolutely certain I wasn’t without a single necessity. A shovel, two butane lighters, a flashlight, a two-way radio, a compass with an apple image in the center; the essentials to survive, communicate, and navigate any unmarked terrain.

Hopping on the taxi carriage we took a couple weeks prior, we headed into Ponyville again, where I saw the same shops I had seen during my prior visit. But this time, it would be my first official walk into town. I struck up a conversation with Spike about his ‘dragon’ness.

“So, Spike…you’re a dragon. Why are you so tiny, did you just hatch?”

“Me? No way, dude! That was a long time ago. Twilight hatched me when she was a filly. She’s taken care of me since her childhood, and we’ve been pals since!”

“But shouldn’t you be this huge, fire-breathing machine by now?”

“Heh, us dragons? We live to be hundreds of years old! It takes a long time for us to grow that massive. No, it’ll be many decades before I grow that big.”

The carriage ponies pulled up to the library oak tree we passed before, and stopped in front of the door.

“Thank you, gentlemen.” Applejack gave each of the ponies a couple gold coins for the ride. They rode off to pick up another set of passengers waiting at the street corner.

We then approached the door to the library, and knocked a few times. Opening the door was someone I thought couldn’t have existed, and I had to wipe my eyelids a couple times before I accepted reality. A purple unicorn wearing bifocals for reading stepped outside the library and embraced Applejack and Spike. Then she turned to me, giving me a decisive scan.

“You must be Tom! It’s always great to meet new friends.” She shut her eyes and gave me a friendly smile. She didn’t even know me, and called me a friend. Wait until she learned about who I was…

Instinct immediately informed me to whom I was talking. “Twilight, thanks for welcoming me so warmly to your library.”

“You can also call this my home. I live here.” Twilight, gazed at the old oak, longingly. It must have been her home for many years. “Come on inside, everypony. I have a lot to tell you.”

Walking inside the library, I panned my head around the lobby. Stacked about 14 feet high was an incredible bookshelf with maybe a couple thousand different books. One book caught my attention right away: a thick hardcover entitled “A History of Equestrian Magicians – Volume I”.

“Do you perform magic?! That’s not possible! That’s-“

Twilight chuckled at my comment. “Oh? I’m a unicorn; of course I can perform magic.” A lavender aura surrounded her horn, and then her gaze was directed at the book I had just seen. The aura around the book matched her horn, and it levitated to her, resting on a stand made for reading.

“Let’s see here…there! I’ll read a passage from this book. ‘Eons ago, before the three races of ponies existed, there was a powerful energy stored within the primal ponies of old. A near-cataclysmic event released the potential of the primal ponies, and immediately birthed special abilities from inside each of them. Some maintained their form, becoming the resilient earth ponies. Others grew wings, and flew in the sky as pegasi, and the last grew horns, and wielded powerful magic, becoming unicorns. Together, the catastrophe was avoided, and each of the races endured through the violent chaos of their genesis.’ “

I was completely dumbfounded once again. “You mean there are pegasuses-“

Twilight rebuked me. “Pegasi.”

“Pegasi? Holy crap! This is just uncanny, Twilight!”

“That’s how I would react in your position, Tom. But it’s the truth. By the way you are reacting; I don’t suppose you are from around here.”

Applejack entered into our talk. “That’s right. He claims to be from somewhere beyond the clouds.”

Twilight gave Applejack a confused look. “You mean like Cloudsdale? That would be silly, only pegasi actually live there.”

“No, sugarcube, I mean from way beyond, as in…” She began to whisper to Twilight. “…outer space?”

Twilight burst into fits of laughter, much like the apples had done previously. I was used to that by now; my claim was pretty extravagant at best. Even so, I had to pursue this opportunity to finally find Jonah and take my leave of this place.

“That’s…hahaha, not, haha, possible! Wait, hold on. Is that the reason you came? Applejack, you don’t think he has something to do with that meteor, do you?”

Applejack shrugged her shoulders, and began to plead my case to Twilight. “Listen, I know it sounds real funny-like, but Tom’s been working hard fer us the past couple uh weeks, and I trust his word more than I had before.”

Hearing Applejack say that word ‘trust’ in reference to me made me feel like an incredible person…pony, whatever I was. It felt awesome to be trusted by someone in a place that was completely outside of my comprehension. Twilight stared at me pensively for a long minute before replying to her friend.

“Okay, Applejack. You are the most honest, trustworthy friend I have, and I will trust your word. But I want to hear his story first, so Tom, what are you suspecting this meteorite as being? I need more information before I go through with this search.”

I began to give Twilight a condensed version of the tale I told the Apples at the train station, how I got here, where I came from, and why the timing of my crash and her meteor sighting can’t be a coincidence. One detail apparently escaped her, and she interjected during my tale.

“Before the meteor crashed, I saw a bright beam of light streak to the meteor from the northwest. It flashed when it impacted it. Do you remember anything like that happening?”

“Yes! We had been moving in orbit around the planet, and before long, a bright object pierced the hull of our ship, causing us to rapidly fall onto the surface. But I can’t remember much else; the force of the descent knocked me out cold.”

Twilight considered what I had to say for a few minutes, perusing her collection of books, under section ‘S’. I assumed she was looking through books about ‘space’ or ‘science’, but she came back empty-handed. We resolved to pack up and head for Ponyville’s Central Station, and we lined up in front of the Crystal Mountains ticketing booth. That didn’t sit well with me.

“Twilight, are you saying you saw the crash really happen near those mountains?”

She pulled out a scroll containing a jumbled mess of calculations. “Exactly, there is a 5 square kilometer plot of land where I believe the crash landing occurred. If we investigate enough, we can find the landing site.” Twilight pulled out a map of the entire landscape of Equestria, and pointed to the railroad we would take to reach the crash site.

“We’ll have to dress for cold weather; this railroad takes us just outside of the Frozen North near the Crystal Empire. If we search the coast across the tracks near Galloping Gorge, we’ll find our meteorite.”

Applejack looked satisfied with the plan. “Well, gosh, let’s git to it!”

I didn’t even have to express how important it was that I find Jonah. Yet, they were thrilled to be a part of this small expedition to the north. Without even realizing, I had labored Twilight’s heart to assist me in discovering what was there. Same with Applejack, and I was solely reliant on these two to guide me in my search. I may be physically strong, but in my mind, they’ve become my accessories for escaping this world. I am to be pitied.

Jonah, please be safe. I'll find you soon enough. Just hold on for a little longer.

[…]

[SYSTEMS ONLINE, SATELLITES IN POSITION, TRACKING]

[CAPTAIN’S COMMUNICATION SIGNAL OFFLINE]

[SWITCHING TO E.M. SCAN, BEGIN PLANETARY SWEEP]

[-SLEEP MODE ACTIVATED]

[…]

4: Discovery

Chapter 4: Discovery

Twilight had just finished purchasing three boarding passes for the next non-stop train to Galloping Gorge when I entered my typical state of worry for Jonah. I tried thinking back to the time of the crash as we selected a private cabin on one of the train cars. What was perplexing about the time after the bright object fatally damaged the hull was my lack of vision. But the bright light didn’t blind me at all!

A few seconds after the light hit was when the blindness set in, as if my vision was locked into a timer. After a certain amount of time, I became incapacitated, yet I could still feel the sensation of falling at a high velocity into the planet. Then, nothing. No crash, no explosion, no Jonah. It’s remained a mystery why I’m alive, and what could have possibly intervened to make it that way. Or who.

The train began to move forward, leaving Ponyville Central Station at a quickening pace. The attention then turned to me as I stared out the window, deep in my own worrisome thoughts.

“Hey, Tom, you said you weren’t from this world, correct?” Twilight appeared to be in a questioning sort of mood, so I acquiesced.

“Yes, I crash landed here about 15 days ago due to a strange object hitting the hull of my ship. What else would you like to know?”

She had already prepared an entire list of questions on a very thick scroll. She began to check off a couple questions on the list with her quill. This wasn’t going to be fun.

“Where did you come from, exactly?”

Here we go. “Well, the world I come from is very similar to yours: varying climates, terrain, oceans, cities, villages. Everything a life-bearing planet would normally have. But to say ‘where’ I’m from, that’s a gigantic three-headed monster.”

“You mean your planet is a gigantic monster?!”

“Oh, goodness.” My hoof smacked my face in embarrassment. “OUCH!” Smacking my hoof into my face was probably not smart; that hurt!

“I think Tom migh’ be sayin’ its difficult tuh explain where exactly he’s from, Twilight.” Applejack explained my figure of speech perfectly.

“That’s right, Applejack. The way the ship got from my world to here is theoretically impossible. We crossed through a wormhole.”

Twilight’s eyes beamed with excitement all of a sudden. “Wormhole! I know what you’re talking about!”

Shocked, I pressed further to see what she knew. “Do you, now?! What do you know about wormholes?” I sat on the edge of my seat, wondering if maybe these simple ponies had actually unlocked mysterious knowledge that has evaded human kind for centuries!

“Isn’t it like when I teleport with magic?”

“In a sense, that’s very much correct-WAIT, you can teleport with magic! Show me.”

Twilight wove together a performance of popping in and out of different locations within the cabin. The fact that she did this escaped my reckoning: teleportation just happened right in front of me, and I couldn’t say a word more.

Twilight saw my countenance and grinned. “Yes sir, teleportation is very complex magic. I think that wormhole you entered was a natural occurrence, though, not formed by magic.”

Applejack quizzed Twilight further on the issue. “So, yer sayin’ that what Tom said is actually possible?!”

“Yes, Applejack, if I can teleport with magic…” Twilight used the spell a couple more times. “…then what Tom said naturally makes perfect sense. Nothing I do works outside of what can occur in the natural world.”

Twilight began an explanation of how magic is simply using a special reservoir of strength located, in secret, inside of unicorns to enhance, replicate, or manipulate natural events. Enhanced cell growth to repair flesh wounds, transforming an object into another object, or even causing a book to levitate, manipulating the gravitational pull of the planet; all of these examples are merely ways that unicorns can cause the natural to become ‘supernatural’.

The idea of magic then sat very well with me. Initially, I thought it was just some cheat mode that storybook ponies were given to lord over others, but Twilight showed a mastery of the concept without stuttering. How was it that she knew all this?

“Hey Twilight, you sound like a sage when it comes to magic. How did you learn all this?”

Twilight smiled back at me, and pointed out the window. “There. That’s how I learned it all.”

I was gazing up at an immense castle rooted on the side of a steep, snow-capped mountain. Dozens of large and smaller waterfalls poured out the intimidating rock standing overhead. Twilight informed me of the castle and the name of its town, Canterlot.

“Canterlot is where I’m originally from, and it is also where my studies in magic began. Princess Celestia is my teacher, mentor, and dear friend, and she rules all of Equestria from up there.”

A monarch rules this land? I wonder what the king would think of an alien roaming the countryside!

“Twilight, who is the King of Equestria? Would he be furious knowing that you are colluding with an alien being?”

“We don’t have a king. Only the two princesses, Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“Two princesses?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia raises and sets the sun, while Princess Luna controls the moon and her night sky.”

Hearing her say that was a proper dig into the very foundations of systematic astronomy that I couldn’t bear to hear. But using magic to manipulate planetary rotation and lunar phases could no longer be considered out of the question. As Twilight demonstrated, magic works within what already occurs in nature.

The train went into a tunnel hollowed inside of the mountain where the city of Canterlot was erected. We soon after exited the northwest end of the mountain, and up in the sky on my left was a scattered array of clouds with rainbow falls pouring out like Canterlot’s waterfalls. Applejack informed me that was actually the pegasus city of Cloudsdale.

Both of my female companions told me about their two mutual friends, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, both of whom were born in Cloudsdale before moving to Ponyville after receiving their cutie marks. I didn’t have the foggiest idea what a cutie mark was, so better to ask than to remain ignorant of their culture.

“What the heck is a ‘cutie mark’? Do you get it for graduating from school?”

Both Applejack and Twilight gave each other smirks, as if I was a moron. Well guess what, ladies; I am technically qualified as a moron here! Applejack attempted to explain it all to me first.

“Tom, hon, a cutie mark is a pony’s special talent that they discover while they are growin’ up. Some ponies get theirs early, some later.”

Twilight asked me a pointed question next. “Didn’t you notice the marks on our flanks when you first met us and the Apples?”

That’s true, but I thought it was normal for these ponies to have tattoos stamped to their butts. Figured it was a common cultural practice, but that’s what you get for assuming, you make an as-

“Hey, Tom! You don’t seem to have a cutie mark of your own! I guess that’s a sure sign you aren’t somepony…normal…what?”

Twilight’s words cut deep into me more than it should have, because I immediately assumed the fetal position, and wallowed in my inadequate form.

“It isn’t my fault I haven’t found my special talent!” Wait, I’m not even from here!

Twilight shook her hooves left and right, attempting to console me. “Sorry, Tom, I didn’t mean to make you feel depressed! Just an observation, nothing more.”

I withdrew from my vulnerable state, understanding that she didn’t actually call me out on a reality that I couldn’t control.

“You’re fine, Twilight, I shouldn’t be theatrical like this, I’m sorry. I wonder if not having a cutie mark is going to bode ill for me in my search of Jonah.”

Applejack entertained my idea with concurrence. “That’s quite a thought, there. You really think finding his special talent is gonna be helpful in finding this Jonah feller, Twilight?”

“It’s certain an intriguing proposition. I suppose the only way we’ll know for sure is when we discover where the meteor impact site is located. If Jonah is there, I suppose it wouldn’t matter.”

The train had already crossed the plains adjacent to the Unicorn Range and arrived at Vanhoover Junction. The split in the tracks led west to Vanhoover, and north towards the north side of Galloping Gorge. After a short stop at the junction, the train began moving again and toward our final destination. Sunset was fast approaching, and we weren’t given a place to stay; the search would happen overnight.

The air inside the cabin chilled as we witnessed an expansive sheet of ice bisected by a rail bridge on the horizon. The twin lakes, Twilight said, were liquid water only four months out of the year. The lakes were also entirely fresh water, so anypony could drink from them without concern. But for eight months, the lakes were frozen solid, and in turn, chilled the air near ground-level, leaving the coastline in a state of prolonged winter cold.

The train had finally reached its last stop, with the conductor shouting his “All aboard!” for the travelers heading to what I guessed was the Crystal Empire beyond those mountains. How anyone could possibly bear to live in the ‘Frozen North’ was not something I wanted to personally experience.

Our expedition party got off the train, and began walking due east of the train station, along the northern edge of the forest. Twilight showed us the box where she guessed the meteor had landed. It encompassed part of a hillside northeast of the gorge, a section of the coastline east of the tracks, and the northeast corner of the gorge.

Twilight formed a plan of attacking this search. “Listen, we will all split up once we reach the center of this square I’ve drawn out. We will all look around the three landmarks I’ve indicated here on the map: the hill, the coast, and the gorge.”

Applejack and I took out our compasses, radios, and flashlights, and hooked them on the outside of our packs for ease of access. By now, the sun had been set for about 20 minutes, and the darkness crept into the valley between the hill and gorge. Fortunately, the landscape was lit by the waxing gibbous moon.

“Twilight, you planned this expedition two weeks in advance for the best illumination possible; good on you!”

Twilight flushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Tom, for noticing. Near the full moon stage is the best time to go on searches like these. Just be cautious at all times of your surroundings. When you find something that looks like something big crashed, inform me on your radios, ok?”

Both Applejack and I affirmed her command. “Yes ma’am!”

We began our search after splitting off from the center of our search radius. Twilight went northwest towards the coastline, and Applejack went northeast towards the hillside. I went south towards the Galloping Gorge, although never having to go up the cliff side was a relief. I still have to get used to my footing, although trotting has not hindered me one bit so far.

The flashlight became unnecessary, so I tucked it away in my pack for later, but I kept my radio handy in case things got out of hand. Periodically, out of concern for the ladies (totally not to have a voice to talk to…), I would click the radio and ask how their searches were going.

“Applejack, Twilight, find anything?”

Applejack responded first. “Nah, nothin’ out uh the ordinary, bud!”

Twilight’s radio clicked on soon afterwards. “Nothing on the coast line at all, Tom. I’m heading back towards the rendezvous point now. Keep up the Gorge search.”

Easier said than done, the bottom of the Gorge ended up very muddy and treacherous to walk. Each step felt like one of those mounds of gelatin that would stick to your hand and slowly unstick off and fall onto your plate. The descent into the bottom of the Gorge was quite the challenge; each step ate at your stamina and made the trek very slow-paced.

Applejack checked in with everyone, coming up short as well.

“Nothin’ by this here hillside. I’m headin’ back tuh basecamp, ya hear?”

“Loud and clear!” Both Twilight’s voice and mine echoed the same affirmation.

One positive from being in the Gorge is it shielded anyone from the frigid conditions closer to the coast. Galloping Gorge was warmer than the upper air temperature, so I didn’t suffer from a cold sweat.

My muscles relaxed and I kept trudging along, until I noticed a pattern of craters coming from the east. A large object appeared to have skipped across the ground a while ago.

JONAH!

My feelings betrayed my instinct, and for the first time, I composed a full-on sprint, heading towards the first set of craters farthest east. Remembering to report in to the girls, I swiped my radio from a pocket of my pack.

I then tripped on the ground, and fell face-first into the muddy grass beneath me. Picking up the radio I dropped, I sprinted again towards the procession of craters in the ground.

“LADIES! I found something big! A trail of immense craters east of the Gorge! Hurry down here!”

“We’re heading there now, Tom, stay put!”

I couldn’t just stand there; the ship might need immediate repair, and I had to find it. Each crater I saw had no trace of any aluminum casing, steel frames, or irradiated objects.

This can’t be! That crash had to have been fierce for these craters to be this huge!

Each crater returned my investigations with the same result: no evidence of a ship crashing.

Jonah, where are you?! I need to get to you now! Show me where you are!

I saw at the end of the series of craters a hill blocking my view of the Gorge. The last crater was located near the bottom of the hill. There was only one other place to look. I began my approach to the hill; there was a thick expanse of fog obscuring my vision into the valley below.

Behind me was the sound of irregular galloping which I concluded were the girls chasing me down. Both of them, gasping for air as they trotted up the hillside, called me down.

“Tom! Why are you up there? Come down and talk to us!”

“Twilight, you need to come up here. Beyond this hill is the crash site, I know it. See the trail of craters?”

Applejack and Twilight carefully ascended atop the hill I stood, and couldn’t see more than a foot in front of their faces due to the fog.

Applejack became visibly nervous. “Uh-uh-uh Tom, is it a bright idea tuh go into that valley? Looks like it might swallow us up fer good.” She stepped backwards a bit, frightened by the smoky abyss in front of her.

Twilight, however, was far bolder than her rustic companion. “Whatever is down there, we must know for certain if Jonah is there. Are you guys ready?”

I re-affirmed my earlier decision to travel into the valley to see what landed here. All three of us marched forward and down the slope into the sea of obstructive fog. After about a couple minutes of walking, the fog started to lift away from our line of sight, and a silhouette of a large, irregular sphere began to form ahead of us.

Jonah, I’ve found you at last, I-

Oh no…please…I wanted you to…JONAH!

It became very clear to us what our discovery had been. I sunk as low to the ground as I could, distraught at what I had seen. The two mares came down to comfort me as I wept openly in the suffocating valley that housed all my hopes in returning home.

Our discovery had been the remains of a large asteroid. Jonah was not here.

5: Melancholy

Chapter 5: Melancholy

I had probably wept for about 10 minutes straight. The tears continuously flowed, and I wanted them to stop, but…

I had cast my entire hope on seeing this one thing come to pass: finding the vessel that would carry me off this floating rock. I began running possible scenarios in my head if I were to remain stuck here. But that was impossible to fathom, for one very specific reason: that ship contains something of incredible value. And before long, soon, it will…

Jonah, where could you possibly be? There’s absolutely no sign of you anywhere.

Twilight left my side and began to remove all her instruments from her pack. There were various sampling tools she brandished as she examined the asteroid. Laying out four test tubes, she took a small piece of the asteroid and stuck one in each of the tubes. A vial of red liquid was tucked away in one of the bags in her pack, which she poured into one of the tubes.

The red liquid remained unchanged, and she corked the first tube, and moved on to the next. From the same bag, she poured into the next tube a blue liquid of the same consistency. Once again, no resulting changes. What was she testing for, I wonder?

“Twilight, mind me asking what exactly you are trying to find out about this meteorite?”

Twilight examined the unchanging blue liquid vial, and began to explain her methods. “These liquids are the key to discovering if these fallen objects contain latent magical power. If the liquid changes color or boils in contact with such an object, that means there is magical energy contained inside.”

Magical energy? A rock from space containing hidden powers? Sounds like that came straight out of a comic book; I don’t suppose she’s a distant relative of some Lex Luthor pony?

The next two vials contained a green liquid and a clear liquid, and like the other two attempts, neither one visibly changed at all. Her next test was to ignite each liquid by zapping the tubes with her magical energy. All four echoed a slight pop, but to no avail; each tube returned the same indifferent state. It seems the experiment failed.

Applejack breathed a heavy sigh, obviously impatient with Twilight’s makeshift laboratory.

“Twilight, dear, why don’t we just giddy on up out of here. It doesn’t seem to be workin’…”

Twilight peered at each one individually one last time, and eventually decided to withdraw from her testing. After she had decided her experiment failed, she smiled at the rock of my despair, and all of us turned around to leave. But a few paces after we had turned around, Twilight’s bag began to shake furiously.

“Twilight, your bag!” I swiped it off her back, and threw it about 15 feet away from her towards the meteorite.

The unicorn lunged at the pack and immediately opened the front pocket using her magic, and looked at each vial. The tube with the clear liquid was glowing brighter than the sun, and violently quaked within the lavender aura that caused it to levitate. The ground beneath Twilight began to shatter, and the fissures traveled beneath us, causing all of us to lose our footing and tumble backward.

“Twilight, what in the hay is goin’ on?!” Applejack scrambled back to her feet, preparing to run away from the scene.

“Applejack, stop! Its okay, this should end soon!” Twilight was beaming at the sight of her now successful experiment, but all I could see was a tiny pebble bent on our destruction!

The light radiating from inside the tube dissipated, and the quaking ceased. Left sitting there was a tiny pebble glowing intermittently every few seconds. It was incredible how much power emanated from that tiny little rock! Such power and magnitude could only be explained by the premise for Twilight’s test: discovering magic contained within the meteorite.

“This meteorite has incredible untapped potential inside of it. It would be prudent that nopony should ever discover this.” Twilight’s horn glowed, and a fan of light scanned across the entire meteorite, turning it invisible.

Invisibility magic! What can’t these ponies do?!

Applejack expressed her concerns about the pebble Twilight carried. “Sugarcube, is it really safe to be luggin’ around such a dangerous…thing?”

“As long as I keep it hidden, nopony will ever suspect me of having anything ‘dangerous’. I know we aren’t 100% certain on its origins or its power, but it needs to be investigated. That’s why the Princess sent me out here to find it.”

The Princess? So that’s why she planned this so far ahead! This wasn’t a personal quest for knowledge; it was a behest from the monarch!

“Well, gosh, Twilight, you never mentioned the Princess sending ya on a mission out here. It would make sense, though, with magic being your specialty.”

“Not only that, but Princess Luna is acutely aware of how lunar phases enhance the magic within nature the more they reflect the sun’s light. That’s a key reason why we came here closer to the full moon.”

Twilight began to walk away from the meteorite, but something was very odd about this rock. I felt my legs begin to move towards the now-invisible asteroid. I felt for the rock, and placed my hoof squarely upon it, feeling its craggy edges and crevices, giving it my personal seal of examination.

“TOM! Don’t touch it! You don’t have any idea what that thing might do to you!” Twilight rebuked me and jerked my hoof away from the alien rock.

“Sorry, Twilight, just got a little curious.”

Twilight sighed. “It’s alright, nothing happened, but you can’t just start touching things like that!”

Our party left the impact site and headed back to the train station. By the time we returned to the station it was about an hour before sunrise, and the booths began to open for business. We took our place in front of the first booth, and the departure sign said three different destinations: Vanhoover, Cloudsdale – Ground, and Canterlot.

Twilight spoke to the ticket operator. “Three, non-stop to Canterlot, please!”

Canterlot? That can’t be the right place. “Hey, Twilight, why are we heading to Canterlot, shouldn’t we be heading back to town?”

“Tom, my mission, as soon as I found and tested the meteorite, was to report back to the Princess with my news. We are going to be visiting Princess Celestia today. She might even have some answers for you about your ship and where to find it.”

That’s true! She might help in my search for Jonah!

“Thank you, Twilight, I didn’t even consider that. She probably gets news from all over the place; perhaps she caught wind of a strange crash elsewhere.” My heart felt the same joy as when I learned how to walk, pony-style.

Our train taking us to Canterlot arrived, and we boarded soon after it stopped at the station. Around the time we had shot through the Vanhoover Junction, the sun began to rise over the mountain where Canterlot stood. The peak of the mountain glowed, and the outline of the castle burst into an incredible yellow aura.

The castle that housed the Princess of the Sun wore its reputation well this morning. The corona of the castle’s glow blinded me, forcing my gaze to veer towards the Unicorn Range. After my vision returned, the sun had fully risen to the left of Canterlot’s mount, exposing the entire castle and its towering spires.

Twilight began to inform me of the customs of the castle town and its royal guard. Most everyone who lives there is related to royalty, wealthy business owners, well-accomplished ‘fashionistas’, master magicians, or well-off vacationers staying for a week or two. A reversal of the society I witnessed in Ponyville and the surrounding landowners; the thought of a crowded town of well-to-do folk discomforted me.

“Will there be many ponies that look like me there? Aside from the lack of a cutie mark…” My gaze shifted to my hind quarters, staring at that gaping abyss that was my lack of talent.

“There are not many earth ponies that live or stop by Canterlot, so you would be an uncommon sight, for sure.” Twilight poked her head outside of the window for some fresh air. “Most of the Canterlot elite are unicorns, and many of the guards for Princess Celestia are either pegasi or unicorns. Although the Princess does not regard earth ponies as lower-classed citizens of Equestria, that’s just the way the society has evolved over the past couple millennia.”

“So you mean ponies like Applejack rarely ever attain a higher status in society?”

Applejack sneered at me menacingly. “It’s not like we don’t try!” She then took in a deep breath, and continued. “We are just content with the ways we live. My special talent didn’t show UNTIL I lived with my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten.”

“Were your relatives wealthy?”

“Gosh, are ya kiddin’? They were swimming in bits! Their oranges sold big time in Manehatten. But before long, they decided that workin’ their oranges wasn’t befittin’ of their success, and so they contracted out their business, and lived a life of luxury. Not my cup o’ tea, Ee-nope!”

"But wouldn't you have preferred living comfortably with them rather than working on an apple orchard?"

Applejack offered me a kind hoof on the shoulder. "Sugarcube, I care for my family more than I care for bein' comfortable. Sure, living it up from time tuh time is nice and all, but livin' and workin' the farm brings me more joy than bein' spoiled ever did. That's why I decided tuh move back to Ponyville. Besides, I have great friends there."

She pulled Twilight in for a hug, confirming how genuinely she felt about all that she had said to me.

I see. It's the same way I feel about my family back at home. Space travel was fantastic for a while, but I don't have any joy without them in my life.

We had approached the tunnel leading to Canterlot, and the entire train sloped upwards suddenly as we began our ascent. Moving upwards, there was mild turbulence all the way until we exited the tunnel, and had arrived. The train station was located on Canterlot’s north gate, and was the only train station in the entire city.

Before hopping off the car, Twilight stopped me just before the doors.

“Tom, before we get off the train, you may get some odd looks from the ponies here. Not only do you lack a cutie mark, but you are also with Applejack as well-"

“Hey! What in tarnation is that supposed ta mean?!” Applejack snorted loudly.

“It means that Tom being with us will definitely draw attention. Just don’t feel bothered by it, that’s all I’m saying.” Twilight saddled her pack and all three of us disembarked from the train car.

Entering the capital city of all Equestria was absolutely incredible. Every single building towered over us in the town square, with restaurants, boutiques, and various clothing outlets scattered down every street! Looking around at each store threw me into a dizzy spell; Twilight warned me to keep my vision facing forward, since this was my first time here.

The cobblestone paths definitely treated my hooves well, and my walking pace grew more stable and consistent. Whenever we had to turn a sharp corner, I managed to remain in step with both mares; walking finally felt natural and ordinary.

It seemed every few blocks featured a towering column designed for the Royal Guard, Celestia’s personal security force, to monitor the activities in Canterlot. Each outlook featured an image of the Sun at the very top, most likely the Princess’ personal emblem and mark of her authority over the day. The guards in most of the towers were unicorns, and I could see the pegasi flying between each post, delivering scrolls and, a few times, food and water.

We approached a long pathway leading up to the royal castle’s main gate, and began to quicken our pace to a light trot across the road. Received by us were two unicorn guards dressed with the solar crest we saw on the various outlooks.

The left and right guard in unison issued the command, “State your business with the Princess.”

Twilight stepped forward and spoke. “I am Twilight Sparkle. I have a summons from the Princess to deliver a very sensitive item directly to Her Majesty, pronto.”

“OH, Miss Sparkle! Good to see ya!” the first guard shouted. “Your brother says hello!”

The second guard was just as elated to see her. “Hey, how’s it been, kiddo? Hope she didn’t send ya anywhere dangerous!”

“No, sirs, just a simple retrieve-and-go type request, we were fine.” Twilight motioned to the two of us standing behind her. “These are my friends, Applejack and Tom. They will be permitted to enter the castle grounds, I assume?”

“Yes, if they are on official business with you, they may enter.” Both guards gave me the odd look Twilight talked about. They looked at each other, shrugged, and stood aside, opening the gate for us to enter. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Miss Sparkle.”

“Thank you, sirs! And Mythril, you have a little ‘cabbage’ in your tooth, just warning you.” Twilight giggled and pointed out the fungus. The guard Mythril scrapped viciously at his mouth, while the other guard snickered at him.

“Obshhidian, yousshhh-cuh ih ouh!” Mythril tried loosening the menace with his tongue, obscuring his speech. Obsidian continued his laughing crusade as we stepped inside the castle grounds.

The inside of the castle hall was expected, yet shockingly massive; the roof jumped upwards to 70 feet tall, and the hallway leading to the throne room was many times as long. Stain-glass images covered every window down the corridor, and some of them even included the ponies I’ve been traveling with for the past day: Applejack and Twilight.

“Hey! You two are on these windows! Why is that?!”

Both of them approached the glass image I had pointed to; it depicted Applejack and Twilight, along with four other ponies, standing on their back legs. Above each pony’s head was a purple aura, blasting a winged unicorn in the air. The target of the blasts had a coat black as night, with sapphire chest plating, helmet, and hoof guards. A purple splotch was situated on her flank, with the crescent moon as her cutie mark.

Twilight pointed up to the mare at the very top of the glass. “That pony is Nightmare Moon. Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon about a thousand years ago, thanks to the bitterness she held for her unloved night. Princess Celestia, for the sake of Equestria, trapped her inside the moon for that same length of time.”

“She became known as the Mare in the Moon, and was forgotten as an old pony’s tale for a very long time. When she escaped, Princess Celestia disappeared, unable to stand up to her. It was around this time that I met all the ponies on the bottom half of this window, and became their friends. Eventually, we confronted Nightmare Moon, became the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and released Princess Luna from her cursed transformation.”

It was an unfathomable tale about destiny; the mares that had traveled with me this entire time were heroes! I began to see a trend with the stain glass windows; each one depicted a huge event in the history of the country, and I noticed quite a few depictions of the same six ponies in other windows. However, they weren’t always the ones responsible for resolving a crisis; one had the baby dragon I met in Ponyville, Spike, lifting a crystal heart high above him.

The throne room’s door was before us. I lifted a hoof to push the door open, but then I froze. I couldn’t move a muscle out of fear of what was in the next room. My whole body buckled and I fell to the ground, sitting and shivering. Applejack ran up to me with an expression of fear.

“Tom! You look frightened! What’s wrong?”

“I-I felt something really big in that room…who is in there?!”

Twilight giggled, despite my stupefied demeanor. “The Princess is in the next room with a couple of her guards. That’s a silly question.”

“B-b-but that energy, it’s enormous! It’s coming from HER?!”

“Yes sir, Princess Celestia has incredible power, but she would never use it to harm innocent ponies like you or myself. She’s the gentlest pony I know.”

Still intimidated by the great power I experienced at the door, I shakily lifted myself off the floor. Twilight channeled her magic, and opened the double doors to reveal the throne room. Another series of glass windows lined the room, with depictions of the sun rising and setting on one, galaxies and planets on another, and one showing the surface of the planet, the sun in the clouds, and the moon raised above the clouds. Before us was a lengthy pink carpet, leading up to the seat of power in Equestria.

There, sitting in the most powerful seat in the entire land was Princess Celestia. Her mane drifted to her side, coated with blue, green, indigo, and violet stripes. She adorned a golden crown and neck plate with amethyst gems resting on both. Didn’t need to stress how much she resembles the Sun; her white coat testifies to a future as bright and clear as the day.

Perhaps my future as well, Jonah.

“Twilight Sparkle! My faithful student, I knew you could find it for me!”

The Princess took one leap off the throne, and touched down gracefully in front of her pupil, both of them exchanging smiles and nuzzling each other’s necks. Applejack did the same, removing her hat before the exchange. Then the Princess’ gaze turned to the big elephant in the room: the blank flank third-wheel.

“And I have not had the pleasure of meeting you. I’m Princess Celestia, your servant and ruler over the land of Equestria.”

I looked up at her and couldn’t open my mouth to speak. I stood in front of the most powerful pony on this world! And I couldn’t respond to her incredibly warm greeting. I glanced at Twilight, as she gave me this impossible stare, as if trying to say “Come on, spit out your name!”

“My…my name is Tom, Your Majesty. I…”

Celestia pressed her hoof against my cheek and smiled at me. But that smile slowly dropped into a somber, pleading veneer. I couldn’t help but well up with tears; the pony that was to save me once and for all crushed my hopes with just that one look.

“Twilight, you didn’t tell me he touched that meteorite. You have no idea what you have done by bringing him there.”

6: Penance

Chapter 6: Penance

Twilight stood still, confounded by Celestia's imposition of guilt towards her.

"But, Princess, he needed to find his ship! I..."

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Ship, Twilight? What ship?"

"Tom said that he is not from this world, that he comes from a distant planet in space. He's trying to-"

Celestia shushed Twilight. “Twilight, how long have you known this Tom? And you, Applejack?"

"One day," muttered Twilight. "A couple o' weeks, Yer Highness," Applejack proclaimed.

"And have either of you determined that he is to be trusted?" The Princess intently stared at both of the mares standing next to me.

Twilight was the first to speak. "Well, Princess Celestia, I trust my friend Applejack. She told me how hard Tom has worked the apple orchard, his courtesy to her family, and his improved honesty. If she can trust him as a friend, then I will, too."

Applejack took another approach with her explanation. “Well, Princess Celestia, I will admit that when I found Tom, and our family took him in, he acted all suspicious-like. We took him to the train station, and he confessed everything. It gave us quite a shock. But we saw his heart for the first time, and I…I can’t let a thing like that go unrewarded, Yer Highness.”

Princess Celestia drew a breath, and smiled. "Girls, the reason I ask is because right now, Tom is swimming with magical energy that's not his own." The Princess directed her gaze right at me.

Twilight whinnied in alarm at her words. "MAGICAL ENERGY? You mean from..."

"Yes, Twilight; he came into contact with the meteorite, didn't he?"

Twilight's countenance weighed downward, her facial expression full of remorse.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't think that rock would be a threat somehow."

The Princess walked over to Twilight, lifting up her chin and smiling down on her.

"Not a threat, my faithful student, just an obstacle to overcome. Did you read the entire book I sent you? Read the 13th chapter. You did read that one, didn’t you?”

Frantically undoing the knot tying her pack, Twilight relinquished a staggering book entitled "Discovering Latent Magical Energies: Stellar Objects". She flipped through the pages until she arrived at a chapter called ‘Interpreting the Chemical Response of Meteorite Samples’. Once she found what she was looking for, she began to read out loud:

“Once the reaction for each ethereal object has been documented, it is crucial to understand what each color means. A reaction to the red solution denotes an object containing properties that enhance the physical abilities of creatures (see: Ironclad the Terrible, King Sombra’s right hand during the Dark Crystal Empire’s rule). A reaction to the blue solution means contact will enhance a pony’s intelligence by a significant amount (see: myself, Starswirl the Bearded)-“

Twilight stood back from the book in shock. “You mean STARSWIRL had contact with one of these meteorites?! And he wrote this book?!”

Princess Celestia smiled weakly at Twilight’s reaction. “Starswirl was never naturally as gifted as you were, Twilight. His raw magical talents were trumped by his reckless nature and half-brained decisions. Yet, he remained honest and tender-hearted, and when we touched one of those meteorites, he transformed into somepony he never would have become alone: one of the wisest unicorns in Equestria’s history.”

Twilight turned back to the book. “…The green solution will grant whoever makes contact with it perfect health, strengthening the immune response of the body to supernatural levels (see: the Griffon King, Gilgar). A reaction with the clear solution is terrifying: the pony that touches an object reacting to this will be flooded with incredible magical energy and without a way to release it, will poison the pony and die (see: Commander Hurricane, pegasi leader, pre-Equestria).”

I’m going to die?! I cannot die! Without Jonah, I cannot get home, and now this?

“I didn’t read it all, and now I’ve condemned Tom. I’m so sorry…I failed…” Twilight sobbed over top the book she didn’t finish.

Celestia lifted Twilight’s chin up and hugged her. “Twilight, you know that nothing is ever as it seems.”

The weight of the revelations I had heard were continuing to press on my heart. The thought of dying here before my time, being wrenched from my only hope of finding Jonah and getting home safely; all this was too much. All I wanted was to travel to new worlds and explore them without repercussion.

Those blasted astronomers should have done more research before sending me out here to die!

With a loud slam, the throne room’s door swung open, and three unicorns dressed in black robes sprinted in our general direction. The first one flung her robe left of her, and the other two unicorns followed suit. In the hoof of the lead pony was a massive key made of solid gold, encrusted with a single diamond. The Princess glared at the key, and then exchanged some words with the pony that interrupted our meeting.

“Soul Seeker, what’s happened in the Prophecy Chamber? Did a mirror break?”

The pony, Soul Seeker, caught her breath before speaking. “Your…*huff*…Your Highness, one of the Cobalt Mirrors shattered in ‘that’ room. It broke into hundreds of pieces, and relinquished a single scroll. But we can’t approach it without you! Please come with us!”

Princess Celestia motioned everyone to follow her out of the throne room. We all pursued after the Princess and the unicorns that informed us of the mirror.

The whole herd galloped up a flight of stairs that led to a waterfall at the very top. The unicorns and the Princess launched themselves into the falls and disappeared. Oddly, without hesitation, Applejack, Twilight, and I leaped forward, and found ourselves in a mansion-sized hall of mirrors. Each mirror hung on its own individual wall, each one with a different name and number written on them.

At the end of one of the isles was a gated area, and shattered on the floor was the Cobalt Mirror that Soul Seeker mentioned earlier. A scroll with a white bow sat on the shattered remains. Princess Celestia approached the scroll and carried it over to us to read. The scroll read “Cosmic Prophecy #5: Starswirl the Bearded”.

Twilight was dumbfounded at the scroll’s contents. “Princess, since when was Starswirl a prophet? This can’t be…he knew this meteorite would strike?”

“Not exactly; just read what it says, Twilight…”

The rock of ages past descends,

A zephyr of change blows.

Cursed is he who cannot control it,

It siphons the life from his marrow.

Release this burden from him,

And my power will be his possession.

Equestria will be his refuge, its ponies, his light.

The prophecy brought a bit of comfort to my ordeal. It sounded like I could have this curse lifted from me and that I could be saved from it. After the prophecy was read aloud, the paper burned in Celestia’s hoof, and she dropped the fragments on the ground. The whole scroll evaporated into smoke, and my whole body started to grip with intense pain.

“Aaaaaaah! What in the heck’s…aaaaaah, help!” I collapsed to the ground, writhing in torment. I felt everything inside my body moving around, as if all my organs and bones and muscles were switching places. But nothing showed that taking place on the outside.

Twilight conjured up a spell, and casted it on my face. The world began to turn dark around me.

Is this it…is she…putting me out of my misery? Oh, Jonah…I’m sorry…

“…”

“…h…wh…”

“…Twilight… something he made up to get access to the asteroid…”

“But if that were true, why would he willfully pursue it, knowing he would die?”

“Perhaps he had found a way not to die when coming in contact with the rock. If he didn’t know what it could do, common sense would say not to touch it.”

“But, Princess, nothing about it suggested it was dangerous. I had already tested it, and everything!”

“Twilight, you know what kinds of threats pop up all over Equestria from time to time…”

I kept my eyes shut as I awoke, not informing the ladies that I stirred. Did they really suspect me of wrong-doing or deceiving them? I know my tale was an unbelievable one, but I’ve demonstrated my lack of knowledge about their world and its ponies. I’m sure the Princess wants to protect her subjects, but am I really a threat, now that I have this inside me-

“Aaaaaaah! …I’m still in pain, wow.” I couldn’t believe how sharp it felt still, every muscle in my body started to flex.

The Princess approached my bedside with caution. “At any point, Tom, your body could erupt with magical energy, and you will pass away. There is a solution to this, but I do not trust you enough to implement it right away. I need your permission to dive into your memories and confirm your story.”

Applejack took offense to the Princess’ request. “But Princess is that entirely necessary? His mind is a real private place. Yer askin’ him tuh expose his personal thoughts to a complete stranger!”

“I know what I am asking, dear Applejack, but I cannot have another Sombra or Chrysalis roaming the countryside with incredible power, and threatening our world again. It is for everyone’s benefit that I ask this of you, Tom.” The Princess waited expectantly for my positive response.

She is about to have access to everything. She will know me personally more than anyone I have ever met if I allow her to do this. If this is the only way to gain her trust…

“Ok, Princess, I will allow it, but I have a question for you first. Who did you use this ability on the last time?”

“…I used this ability on my dear friend, Starswirl the Bearded.”

Why is that unicorn so significant all of a sudden?! Is she trying to tell me something?

Twilight had lept in front of the Princess, almost to tears. "Puh...Princess, there was no literature on Starswirl's life prior to his rise to power as a magician. Why was this never told to me?! You hid this from us! And you...you...you have a lot to explain..." She then stood aside, and Celestia shared her grim expression.

"I'm sorry, girls. Tom, I will explain after this is done. But we must hurry."

I closed my eyes, grimacing still from the pain that traveled throughout my entire body. Celestia casted her magic onto my skull, and I blacked out. Soon after, my vision changed to an expanse of darkness, and images appeared, depicting major events in my life. I could tell the Princess was filtering through each one, soaking in the memories I have collected my entire life, some that I even I couldn’t recall.

She stopped at my birth, and watching my mother and father hold me in the operating room. Both of my parents were smiling right at me, while I cried in their faces, not cognizant of my entry into the world. The image changed to the time I was 15, and I completed my first computer program for my class in high school. I went home with my flash drive, and showed my parents my accomplishment proudly.

My mind was then carried to my graduation day from college, where my core group of friends and classmates went to a huge get-together at the student union for a pizza party. All of us were enjoying talking about the various moments that stood out in our graduate careers. During that party was when I got a summons from the AEA about Project DESTINY. I had qualified for their program, and everyone celebrated my success.

The Princess shifted to a board meeting in the program’s conference room, where we were discussing the future manned mission to leave the Solar System. This part is where Celestia finally listened to the words being said...

“Gentlemen, I have called you in here today because DESTINY needs a couple pilots to man the spacecraft that will be our inaugural launch into the depths of our own galaxy. The one stipulation we received from the U.S. government, however, is that they must be in-house volunteers, no astronauts on the government payroll.”

One of my programmers spoke in protest. “But we don’t have anyone qualified yet to even attempt this mission! They are asking us to fail! We can’t do that!”

An engineer chimed in agreement. “Well said, Jim, this isn’t right!”

The entire assembly of engineers, programmers, developers and team leads threw a slew of protests in the manager's direction, citing every issue ranging from lack of funds for training to a wedding reception coming up for a family friend. Everyone had something to complain about; it wasn't anything new, the government short-handed us this year, and we had to make due with the resources we had. But this time, something within me spurred me to speak. I wanted things to change right there.

“I’ll go.” The world stood still in that moment. All my co-workers stopped and looked towards me in disbelief. I knew how every meeting like this went. It usually deferred to me to accomplish anything on this team. I didn’t like it one bit, nor was I perfect. There was a time when we needed to fix the code for the auto-pilot A.I. and somehow, I had swapped it out with the coffee maker.

The pilot had manned his seat on the bridge, and attempted to move the ship forward. But instead, a decaf vanilla latte began to pour behind him from the coffee dispenser. When he moved backward, a dark Columbian brew poured into another cup. It was definitely the most embarrassing moment of my time with DESTINY, by far.

But this moment was when our DESTINY was going to shine, and I would be the progenitor of its success. There wasn't anything stopping me aside from fear for my life. Space is relatively unknown to our race; we can observe it from afar, but going into that darkness is not for the faint-hearted. And I would say right then when I volunteered, I was pretty faint-hearted. Sometimes, you have to take that first step out of fear, right?

“Tom, you know what you are saying right? You’ll probably never come back!” Jim wore his concern well; there was that possibility, but, I didn’t care.

“Jim, this is an opportunity to explore parts of this universe never seen before! I’m freaking terrified, but I also feel like this is a cool thing to do. Sir, I would like to train to become the pilot.”

The project manager sighed, and gave me a confident grin. “Very well, Tom! But there is something else I didn’t mention. There will be two pilots on this mission, not just one. We had someone from the construction team volunteer as well. He designed the hydrogen conversion system on the ship. I think you know him, Tom.”

The door cracked open, and a man walked into the conference room. I turned my chair on a swivel to catch a look at who appeared. There he was, the man who was going to join me in our daring adventure in space. He stared right at me, and threw up a thumbs-up and grinned with intense joy at my presence in the room.

So, Jonah, you couldn’t wait to get out in the void, too, could you? Let’s rock and roll, my friend!

7: Starswirl

Chapter 7: Starswirl

Jonah walked over to the vacant seat directly across from me and sat down. It was about a few months since I last talked with him face-to-face, even though we had been stuck in the same docking bay for a few weeks. The thought of him being my co-pilot for an expedition into deep space sounded too good to be true; people would write comic strips about our struggles, triumphs, and adventure into the void.

The project manager cleared his throat, requesting the attention of the assembly in the room.

“As you all know, the government has asked us to enlist volunteers for the mission, and we have before us a pair of brave men to pilot our creation, DESTINY, our first intra-galactic manned explorer.” The director stood and paced the back of the room. “They will provide all the necessary tutorials in a period of three months. This normally takes astronauts a few years, so they will be condensing major concepts.”

Jonah and I exchanged a look of dismay at the thought of having so little time to prepare. But then he smiled, and extended a fist in my direction. I returned the action with a grin. We both knew that the trials ahead would stretch our limits, but it had been something we’d become familiar with ever since we joined the Project.

When we had first become team members, I only programmed the mess hall interfaces, and Jonah simply typed conversion formulas into the hydrogen conversion unit’s software system. Once the project team became short-handed, we were asked to do more than we had signed up to do.

Pretty soon, both me and Jonah became key leaders in our own departments, and rose to a type of fame within our circles of co-workers. But unlike Jonah, I produced friction between myself and the other programmers, even over simple fixes like our style of coding.

“Listen, Jim, whenever I look over the module you wrote for reassigning magnetic power to a specific location, your comments don’t even make sense half the time!”

“It’s really simple, Tom, so simple. It’s all abbreviated so it doesn’t clutter the code!”

“But you need to make sure people know what each section does, or we can’t repair anything!”

“But then people can’t scan the code without a wall of text distracting them!”

Whether my logic made sense or it didn’t, the programmers learned to revere my hyper-criticism with caution. The coffee machine incident still comes back to haunt me sometimes during our brainstorming sessions. I’ll often get asked “Is my coffee ready for takeoff?” whenever I make a comment on someone’s algorithm design.

Without warning, I was wrenched back into the black empty space in my mind, and I could sense the Princess filtering my memories before the launch out. The launch day was skimmed over in front of me, recalling the moments after the rockets fired on, and we were launched into outer space for the first time.

One day appeared in front of my mind, three months after our launch, and we had just passed Saturn. The rings of ice and Saturn’s moons were in sight, and the planet’s massive size was imposing. Jonah and I had just finished collecting images and samples of the rings as we made our way past the sixth planet of our Solar System.

I saw Jonah keel over the mess hall sink, ready to vomit. “Jonah, you okay, bud? Did your stomach not agree with that imitation New York Strip? Ha ha!”

Jonah loosed some of the steak from his body into the sink. Not a sight I wanted to watch.

“Blech…ugh…Tom, I think I’ll be fine. After three months, I thought I would be over this whole ‘space bends’ ordeal…”

“It’s not the ‘space bends’, it’s because of that exposure we discovered on your side of the ship. The magnetic field let in some solar radiation, and cooked your belly a bit, that’s all.”

“Whatever you say, Tom! Not a big deal if I’m still alive, right?” Jonah winked, and turned back to his only friend at that moment, the sink. He continued his one-way conversation with his emancipated steak.

I immediately withdrew myself from the memory and began to convulse in my mind. I knew what memory the Princess had spotted next, and she had no idea what was about to transpire next. But I did. I tried with all my might to sound out an alarm to her, but my thoughts couldn’t penetrate her mind.

Princess! You need to stop now! You’ve seen enough! STOP!

Then the memory came. It was a week after we had passed Saturn, and I was sitting on the bridge, whistling “Good Morning” by the Beatles. I did a sweep over all our systems and everything looked the same as they usually were.

The room darkened and the blue alert had resounded throughout the ship. I ran to the control station, and saw where the alert’s source had been: the hydrogen conversion module where Jonah had been earlier that morning. The system read the alert reason on the marquee:

“PERSONNEL INJURY REPORT; BRUISING IN LOWER RIGHT ABDOMEN, REQUIRES IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION”

I ran as fast as I could to the conversion dock one level below me. After about a minute of running, I came across Jonah crawling out of the module with his hands grasping at his abdomen, and blood dripping out of his mouth. He reached for my hand, but could not bring himself to stand.

“Jonah, can you run with me to the medical wing? We need to figure out what’s wrong!”

“*cough* …Tom, my appendix burst last week.”

“…How did you figure this out? I thought you had said it was the radiation that got to you!”

Jonah coughed some more, and the blood followed after. “I…checked myself after what you said, and the computer…called it ‘acute appendicitis’, and waived it off as insignificant. The radiation probably aggravated the issue, and now…*HACK*”

Jonah was not doing well at all. I coaxed him to ride on my back up to the medical wing, and with each step, he screamed out, trying to recoil into a ball. I knew it was hurting him to stretch out like this, but he needed surgery.

The medical wing’s doors slid open, and I laid him on the inspection table. Typing in my passcode, the physician program turned on and gave his body a couple key scans in the area he experienced his pain. The program returned this diagnosis:

“BURST APPENDIX; MAJOR ORGANS INFECTED – STOMACH, KIDNEYS, AND COLON”

This is a fatal disease right now!

“Jonah! You need surgery immediately! You’ll die if we don’t remove that thing!”

“…Tom, do you remember our training, that wall over there next to the information console?”

Jonah lifted his finger and pointed at a section of the wall that read “Suspended Animation Cell”. He was suggesting that I place him in there while he had this in him? Far from it; I asked the surgical console to perform an emergency appendix removal. The marquee then read: “APPENDECTOMY IN PROGRESS”.

While the procedure happened, Jonah grabbed my arm and said something I already knew I didn’t want to hear.

“Tom, this can’t heal my other organs…you know that, don’t you?”

His words rang too true in my head; I was hoping for something that wasn’t coming.

“But, Tom…if you throw me into that animation thing, my body might recover on its own…”

Hearing Jonah’s idea, I ran to the information console, and made my request known to the computer.

“Computer, confirm current status of patient ‘Jonah’.”

APPENDICITIS, DAMAGED STOMACH, LEFT KIDNEY, AND COLON

“Project time needed to recover in the Suspended Animation Cell…”

RECOVERY UNLIKELY, 15% CHANCE FOR ONE YEAR IN ISOLATION

“COMPUTER! What can increase his chance of survival?!”

PARTITION HYDROGEN CELLS TO ANIMATION CHAMBER, INCREASES SURVIVABILITY TO 75%

“Do it now. Confirm!”

PARTITION CONFIRMED; PREPARE PATIENT FOR 1 YEAR SUSPENSION

I lifted Jonah and his scarred abdomen to the suspension pod. Setting his feet on the platform, his body laid limp on the incline and his expression turned to fear. My face contorted into a shape of agony as my friend began to speak into me.

“Tom, promise me you will finish this mission and take me home. Do this for me and the project team; don’t concern yourself with MEEEEE-“He screamed out as another sharp pain ran from his chest upward. He gasped for breath, and relaxed again.

“Jonah, I will bring you home. Please don’t die before we get there! I…I’m sorry!!!”

“Tom…” Jonah couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. “TOM. Make it out there for me! See this galaxy of ours! See where our DESTINY is capable of taking us! Go and…”

The chamber shut, and he relaxed into an artificial sleep, no longer speaking. His vitals appeared on the glass, showing an unstable heartbeat and high blood pressure. The glass fogged, and the wall shut away my view of his body, leaving only his vitals displayed. I took a couple steps back and fell to my knees, crying out deeply for relief.

"JONAH, NO! PLEASE!"

CELESTIA, GET ME OUT OF THIS NOW! STOP IT!

She had heard me, and my eyes tore open, and I rang out the gripping pain in my heart, my body’s trembling merely a twinge in comparison. The whole group of ponies winced and galloped away from my bed, unaware of what the Princess had unearthed in my mind. Celestia jerked away from me and began to sob uncontrollably, empathizing with that moment of pure hopelessness with Jonah.

Twilight ran up to the Princess, but she extended a hoof at her, pleading with her to step away. Twilight stood helpless to comfort either of us as we shared equally in the events leading up to Jonah’s suspension.

“Twi…light. This colt can be trusted. I’m so sorry, Tom. You have been through an unimaginable time. I was a fool to dig into that, not knowing what it would bring back. You have not lied once to me, and I have been uncaring.”

I wanted so badly to just burst into a tirade against Princess Celestia. She had done to me what nobody in the world should have the ability to do. She violated my soul, my mind when she dug up that horrible day…

But I understood why she did it; her country must have dealt with incredible threats in the past. If I want to survive, if I want Jonah to live, I need to accept her authority, just as much as she needs to sympathize with my cause. I knew by allowing her access, that day was likely to return to me.

“Your Highness…how do you intend on ridding me of this pent-up magical energy? Twilight said it will kill me eventually. And I have no way to release it from my body.”

The Princess composed herself, and summoned her magic to comfort my body again.

“Tom, Applejack, Twilight, it is about time that I explain in a little more detail about how Starswirl rose to prominence in Equestria. There is a lengthy history with him that I won’t go into now, but what I will say may surprise even you, Twilight.”

With her disclaimer finished, the Princess casted her magic and before us manifested a hologram of a young, gray colt robed in cobalt blue, with a set of constellations on the hind parts of the outfit. His mage cap wore a few golden bells, with the top dangling forward just above his forehead. This was the famous Starswirl the Bearded who touched a similar meteorite to mine.

Twilight looked shocked and confused at the hologram. “But Princess, Starswirl started his career with the Equestrian Magician’s Guild in his old age. Why are you showing him like this?”

The Princess smirked and explained the image. “Twilight, this IS Starswirl in his old age. In this, he is about 80 years old.”

80 years old?! But he looks as young as I am!

Twilight rang out a protest. “But Princess! That would mean that he must have been hundreds of years old before he passed away!”

“Twilight, that meteorite not only gave him increased intelligence, but the meteorite also reacted to the green solution: the rock possessed magical attributes of both the blue and green chemicals.”

“Starswirl never received his cutie mark until I permitted him to touch the meteorite. By then, he was advanced in age, around 60 years old. After he touched the rock, his body transformed into that of his youth, and his wisdom sharpened to a degree that rivals my own. His power was nothing more than a blessing from me rather than something he worked hard to achieve.”

The Princess took away the hologram, and paced around the room, searching for words.

“…Tom, the reason why Starswirl is so important is not how he obtained his power, but what he chose to do with it. You also have a choice, and you made that choice without knowing it. You chose to touch the rock. You chose magic. Because of your choice, you have been tied to a destiny that must be worked out here in Equestria: that prophecy was about the Starswirl Meteor.”

The meteor was named after him? I don’t think any of this is an accident anymore.

I began to inquire about the meteor’s namesake. “Your Highness, why is this meteor named after him?”

“Starswirl had written that prophecy before he passed away. But before he left us, that same meteor was set to orbit our planet again before it took its long return back around. Starswirl collected his remaining blessing from the rock, and launched it at the meteor. With that, his life ended without anypony knowing what he had done, except me. I named it after him so nopony would forget him.”

The prophecy had come full circle, and the power that was given to Starswirl was passed down to me. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but if the Princess didn’t resolve the issue soon, I could perish, and Jonah would be doomed to fade away. But how did she plan on releasing the stranglehold the magic had on me?

Princess Celestia motioned the others to move away from me, and she beckoned Twilight next to her. “Twilight, lend me your magic, and I’ll channel it through mine.”

The two auras, gold and lavender, twisted together and hit my forehead. The pain that existed in me before returned, more furious that ever. I kept whimpering loudly as the energy that circulated in my body started to boil. My body lifted off the ground and hovered in the air. My entire being glowed a bright white while I was suspended in midair, and a stream of energy started to rotate around me. The aura of light set me on the ground, and dissipated.

My forehead began to swell and tear apart, and I screamed out in anguish before collapsing to the ground. The pain had left me for good, and a strange wave of calm filtered through my body. I sat up and sheepishly grinning at me were Applejack and Twilight. Both of the mares expressed great delight and began to skip around the room, apparently happy that I was suffering.

“Um, ladies, why are you cheering? I was just in intense pain, and you’re happy?!”

Applejack pointed me upward. “No, ya silly varmint, we’re happy because of ‘that’.”

Sure enough, I looked up, and the center of my vision was blocked. I couldn’t figure out what was blocking it, so I lifted a hoof up to try and move the obstruction away. My hoof made contact with the mystery blocking my sight. I doubled back, and gave a frightened stare at the Princess, and she smiled back at me. I looked back up and that’s when I figured it out what it was. The Princess then addressed me with a formal tone.

“Welcome back to us, Starswirl. Your horn is as gallant as ever.”

8: Serendipity

Chapter 8: Serendipity

Steadily, I stood up off the ground, and gathered my thoughts. My entire body was absent of the intense pain I experienced earlier, and every muscle and pore was in a state of perfect bliss. There was no trace of the ailment I suffered earlier, and so I wept and laughed where I stood. Examining my hooves and my horn, I just kept laughing.

This is incredible! I have never felt more alive and excited in my entire life! Is this what magic does? Oh my God…

My thoughts then shifted from my joyful disposition to inquisition. The Princess had referred to me as “Starswirl” moments ago. I had to understand what she meant by saying that.

“Princess, you called me Starswirl when I got my horn, but I’m not him. Why did you call me by that name?”

The Princess’ head tilted upward, and she kept a formal address. “Tom, you now not only possess Starswirl’s magic, but you also embody the ideals and heritage of his legacy. His blessing is now on you to complete the task that he never saw come to completion in his lifetime.”

“Your Highness, what was Starswirl’s ultimate goal?”

“Unity. He was in the middle of a grand, ambitious project to unite three great nations: Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and the Griffon Kingdom.”

She wants me to unite these three countries? I hardly know a thing about this world in the first place!

The feeling of peace and jubilee was disconcerting; Princess Celestia just dropped a mission bomb in my face, and I felt GREAT! Not to mention the distress that lingered about needing to find Jonah before his time comes. All of this sudden responsibility to keep me from saving my friend, it wasn’t right, but I had to work through it all.

“P…Princess. What do I need to do for you?”

Princess Celestia paced the room again, thinking intently and glaring at the ground as she moved. Applejack and Twilight watched her face twist into different expressions of acceptance, sadness, anger, and contentment. Then she had finally considered something.

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight stood forward. “Yes, Princess?”

Celestia smiled gently, and placed a hoof on Twilight’s chest. “You will return to Ponyville with Applejack and Tom, but before that, I need you all to head to the Royal Guard’s barracks, and meet your brother, Shining Armor. He has a right to know what exactly you will be doing.”

Twilight suddenly perked up and ‘squee’d in delight. “Shining Armor is here?! But shouldn’t he be with Cadence in the Crystal Empire?”

“Shining Armor has been filling in for my new captain of the Royal Guard while he is on extended leave. Every other week, Shining commands the guard and maintains the city’s security. He should be at the barracks waiting for you ponies, since I sent him a dispatch.”

Celestia walked over to me, a concerned look appearing on her face.

I stood forward and stared up at the Princess. “Yes, Your Highness?”

“Your friend, Jonah, will be on the top of my priority list of ponies to search for, and it should be yours as well. But I’m asking you, as hard as it will be, to leave the search to us for the time being. I know what your ship looks like now, so I can give a more detailed description to my guards.”

The idea of abandoning my search so abruptly, I could hardly handle her words. I started to tear up and dip my head downward, holding back my sadness. But fortune has been on my side, and this power could be the key to finding him and saving his life.

“Twilight.” Princess Celestia beckoned her forward.

“Yes, Princess?”

“You will instruct Tom in the ways of magic. Teach him as much as possible in one month’s time, and then return to my castle in Canterlot. Understood?”

I gave Twilight a grin, and she returned it. “Princess, I will accept my apprenticeship under Twilight, and leave the search to you. As a condition, however, I have to make something known. Jonah will be released from isolation in eight months…”

I choked up and forced back my sadness again. None of this was easy; I continued my response to the Princess.

“..After his release, his internal functions will begin to decay back to what they were before I stuck him in there. If you don’t find him a month before his release, I will join the search myself, regardless of your instruction. Is that fair?”

The Princess was taken aback at the authority with which I spoke. This was my friend, my dear friend, and I could not let him sit there and rot while I fooled around with magic tricks.

“Tom, your friendship with Jonah must be really strong. If Twilight has taught me anything about friendship, it is that its power cannot be abridged when it comes to life and death. I will relinquish my search to you if we cannot find him by then.”

Applejack suddenly pointed directly at my hips, and began to ask the Princess about it.

“Princess Celestia, shouldn’t there be a cutie mark, now that he’s a unicorn?”

The Princess pondered for a second, and responded. “Well, Applejack, that’s a very good question. It seems the meteorite didn’t exactly grant him that, unlike Starswirl. Maybe it has something to do with it reacting to the clear liquid.”

Not having a cutie mark like most ponies my age and over was a little disconcerting. It was a fact of this life that I had to live with, regardless of the looks I will receive. Not having your special talent at this point must be a cultural oddity, perhaps even impossible. Maybe my special talent isn’t directly related to magic?

We said our goodbyes to the Princess, and began to make our way to the opposite end of the royal palace, where the Royal Guard called home. The western gates opened to a large open field with sets of barracks lining either side. A large tent stood in the center of the pasture, with a large sun sitting on top of the roof. A blue shield with a purple, six-pointed star in the center adorned the top of the entrance.

Twilight galloped gleefully towards the tent, and flung the curtain open, with Applejack and I following close behind. Inside was a large table with a map of the continent of Equestria and a layout of the castle grounds adjacent. Standing on the far right of the table stood a colt with contrasting blue streaks in his mane, and a white coat of hair. His cutie mark resembled the shield we saw at the entrance, but with three stars above it on his hip.

The colt shot a look over to us, and jumped up with delight, seeing Twilight approach. “Twily!” he shouted. Both of the ponies caught each other in an embrace, and that’s when I noticed something important; both Twilight and this colt shared the same star on both of their cutie marks.

“Hey, are you two perhaps…husband and wife or something?”

The colt shot a look of displeasure, while Twilight giggled, and soothed the blue-haired pony. “No, Tom! This is my brother, Shining Armor. We’re from the same family!”

Shining Armor approached me at once, and turned from a look of discomfort, to friendliness. “Hello, you must be a new friend of my sister, Twily. What’s your name?”

“I’m Tom, I’m new to Equestria.”

Shining stood back a couple steps, and glanced over at Twilight, who nudged him forward to continuing talking.

“Not from Equestria?! Where are you from, exactly?” His guard went up immediately.

Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder, and he stopped his intensity.

“Shining, I think we need to have a conversation about that. Now.”

Twilight, as best she could, relayed the basic gist of how I came to be in Equestria, and what had transpired with Applejack. Applejack threw in some pieces of our time at the apple orchard intermittently. Twilight then talked about finding the meteorite in Galloping Gorge, and traveling to Canterlot to see the Princess. Finally, Shining heard the part with the Princess invading my memories, and digging up solid evidence that I had told the truth, and she had sent us here.

Shining’s jaw dropped at the revelation that not only was I from outer space, but I was a completely different species before becoming a pony. My being transformed into a unicorn proved to be the last straw for him, as he stomped his hooves in protest.

“Twilight, you expect me to just BELIEVE all of that nonsense?! That he’s somehow this destined, unrelated successor to Starswirl the Bearded? That he has a prophecy about him-“

Twilight corrected him. “About Starswirl’s Meteor, Brother, not about Tom. He just happened to be the one to touch it!”

“Whatever, Twilight! He could still be a threat to Equestria, this prophecy could be-“

“Shining ARMOR. I wrote the prophecy down, now read it.”

Shining took Twilight’s notepad from her and began to read. As he read it, his face softened, and he saw the last line.

“…’Equestria will be his refuge, its ponies, his light.’ Wow, Twily, that is the opposite of what I thought was going on. I’m sorry I doubt you like this…”

Twilight comforted him, and directed him to my horn. “The Princess has asked me to train Tom on how to use his magic, since he has never done it before. I wanted you to know what I’m about to undertake before we head back to Ponyville.”

“Well, Twilight, if that’s what she wants you to do, then by all means, go for it. And Tom…” He walked over to me, and placed a hoof on my shoulder with a worried expression. “…promise me that once you learn that magic, you will protect my sister from harm, ok?”

I smiled, and took his hoof off my shoulder. “Shining Armor, I have my own sister at home. I’m right there with you, ‘brother’.”

Relieved, Shining Armor, led us out of the tent, and he began our trek back to the train station. This time, I received more strange looks than I did previously as a few of the ponies that passed us on the way to the castle spotted us. A few of their eyes widened at me; this was a bit of a problem.

Twilight knew what I was thinking. “Some of them probably saw you walk in as an earth pony. I was afraid of this. But as long as nopony else catches on, we should be-“

A female with a diamond ring as her cutie mark charged up to our party and barraged us with questions. “Hey! I saw you all in the palace! How did you become a unicorn? Does it hurt? Weren’t you one of them ‘mud ponies’ before?”

Applejack shouted at her after that last comment. “What in the HAY did ya call us? MUD ponies?! I have my right mind to knock the tar outta you!”

The diamond ring pony bailed on us, and we started to increase our pace towards the train station. It wasn’t helping that many of the vendors caught sight of us, and started to whisper frantically as we passed. Our trot turned into a light gallop as we began to make the last stretch to Canterlot’s train station.

Twilight ran up to the ‘Ponyville’ booth, and shouted, “Three for Ponyville, A.S.A.P.!”

The pony at the booth scrambled for tickets, and handed them to Twilight. We made our way on the train just as they completed boarding, and we were on our way. The tunnel darkened the train car for about a minute until we had finally exited the tunnel, with Ponyville in the distance ahead. Applejack started to kick her legs up back and forth, looking forward to being home. The sun had begun to set to our right; its light disappeared behind the crest of what Twilight informed me was Smokey Mountain.

The train stopped in Ponyville as the moon started its glow and the stars blossomed from underneath the dark canopy of the night sky. We exited our train car, and walked through Ponyville; it was my first time being here for an extended period of time. Twilight walked Applejack and I to the library where I had first met the unicorn. I figured out pretty quickly that this was her home; must be a true bookworm, living in an oak tree library.

Twilight, turned to me immediately, and issued a command. “Channel your magic, Tom.”

“What? I don’t know how to do that yet.”

Twilight shoved me, and Applejack jumped in front of Twilight. “Girl, just what in tarnation are ya thinkin’? He’s probably exhausted.”

“Applejack, if Tom can’t find out where his source of magic is, then he can’t fulfill his destiny. Tom, channel your magic.”

“But…” I stood there motionless for about a minute, straining my eyes closed, and flexing every muscle in my body. After a while, I stopped and gasped for air, noting the completely lack of magic being passed into my horn.

What had she said to me earlier about magic’s source…? “Oh!”

“Twilight, how do you expect me to find a source that even I can’t discover by brute force?”

Twilight perked up, and a grin stretched across her entire face. “That’s your first lesson, Tom! Unicorns cannot unearth their magic by brute force. It must come from a source that they discover as they mature. Same with you; the source of your magic is unique, and only you can tap into it.”

But I already found my source: the meteorite! What else is there? I hate this philosophical soul-search crap…

Applejack insisted that I return to the farm with her, but Twilight reminded Applejack that I had a month to train before being summoned back to Canterlot

“Are ya sure he should be livin’ at yer place, Twi?”

Twilight reassured Applejack. “Yes. It is pertinent that he dedicate as much time to magic as he can; this isn’t astrophysics, you know!”

Applejack scratched her head. “Uhh, sure Twi, whatever ya say. Tom, be safe, don’t strain yerself, ya hear?!” She waved goodbye, and left the tree house.

Twilight continued by demonstrating her magical abilities; she juggled books with her magic, organized her bookshelf, turned flower buds into fruit, wrote notes with her quill, levitated me into the air as I protested. She performed a wide range of tasks, but with a limited amount of spells, usually using levitation.

She began to recount her adventures, examining how she overcame obstacles and helped her friends along the way.

“When I first came to Ponyville, Princess Celestia tasked me with an odd mission: to make friends. I later learned that making friends was the key to defeating Nightmare Moon, as it brought all the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony together. And I thank her every day for sending me here, as that is how I discovered the magic of friendship.”

Oh my God, friendship, really? Now I KNOW I’m in the mind of a little girl…

“My friends have been my power for a long time, and I know that I can count on them when circumstances seem impossible to overcome. However, your source of magic is unique to you and you alone.”

Truth bombs kept dropping from her lips as I questioned myself. I had no idea where my power was hidden, or where to begin searching. Was it friendship, as cheezy as that sounds? Or was it confidence? It had to be something spiritual or mental; it couldn’t be that I had a big lump in my knee that somehow gave me superpowers…

Jonah, I hope you are okay, buddy. I know I couldn’t do anything more, but I feel like I should have. For your sake, for your family’s sake. You have people that care for you and your well-being. I care. Jonah, I need the strength that you had. Please. HELP ME-“…WOW!”

All of a sudden, my entire body flexed, and a ring of glowing energy formed around my hooves. My eyes began to glow bright, and my horn surged with a hot, white aura. The magic I had released shook the entire foundation of the house, and Twilight leapt away. She was skipping around in a circle, shouting with joy at my success.

The magic slowly dissipated, and I returned to my normal self.

Wow! That was amazing! I felt all of that!

Twilight approached me, smiling. “Tom, what did you use to channel the magic from within you?”

“My thoughts drifted to Jonah, and I earnest sought him with my mind. After a while, the magic built up and erupted into what you saw. Jonah caused it.”

“Tom, the source of your magic is the same as mine. It’s friendship.”

9: Samaritan

Chapter 9: Samaritan

The night before was the most thrilling I’ve ever experienced; to have such power coursing through my body is humbling. Magic, at least in this world, is a reality, even if it doesn’t make sense to me. Twilight tried her best to explain the nature of the energy I now possess, but no explanation sufficed.

I woke this morning knowing that I had a short time to get ready for whatever is about to come my way. Somehow, the huge events that will play out in the next few months are going to work in my favor. They needed to; Jonah is depending entirely on me to get home safely. My only solution was to simply try hard.

The roosters outside in the town square started to ring their trademark crowing at sunrise. I lifted myself off the guest bed, and made my way downstairs. In the library lobby was the purple dragon, Spike, from a couple days ago; he was preparing a breakfast meal in his cute little chef’s cap.

“Good morning, Spike. Whatcha makin’?”

Spike turned his head to the left to look at me. “Oh, hey there! Just boiling some rubies in this pot!”

I did a double take and then looked in his boiling pot. “…rubies? Why do you eat gems, isn’t that unhealthy for you?”

Spike stared at me, and laughed. “Hahaha! A dragon’s diet is gems. Didn’t they teach ya that in kindergarten?”

“Well, considering I wasn’t raised here or anywhere around here, I guess not.”

Spike then perked up, and handed me a scroll. “Oh, Twilight wanted me to give you this message. She’s out running errands for the day.”

I pulled the tie loose and unfurled the scroll, examining its contents. It was a note engraved with Twilight’s hoof print:

Tom,

Thank you for being such a sound sleeper! Usually, Spike’s snoring keeps me up most of the night, so it’s refreshing to not hear a peep all night for once.

Anyways, I would like you to continue our training by practicing channeling your magic into your horn multiple times. Practice makes perfect, right? Use that friendship with Jonah, kindle it, and set it ablaze. But don’t set my house ablaze; that would be bad. I’ll be back around noon, so when I come back, we’ll evaluate your progress.

Twilight Sparkle

Setting the scroll down, I took my position in the vacant floor in the middle of the library. My hooves were firmly planted on the ground, and I began to channel energy into my horn. Jonah. My body surged with power, and my horn started to glow and build up uncontrollably. The power emanating from it was too intense, and I cut it off, collapsing to the floor and catching my breath.

Man, this magic business is exhausting. I don’t know if I can-

There was a knock on the front door; Spike was busy fixing up his meal, so I decided to answer it. I opened the door, and standing there was a white unicorn with a flowing purple mane that hung at her side. Her cutie mark had three blue diamonds; she seemed antsy for some reason.

She started talking as soon as the door opened. “…Twilight, I need to ask you a- OH! Um, hello there, um, stranger. Why are you-oh, silly me, my manners aren’t what they used to be, uhhh…”

“Hello, my name is Tom.” Finally got the natural greeting down... “Twilight isn’t going to be back until around noon. Can I help you?”

The unicorn continued to stumble in her speech for some odd reason. “Well, um, yes, darling! You can help me, I would like you very much…OH! I mean to say I would like you to help me very much! Uh, my name is Rarity, dear! OH for the love of Celestia…”

Rarity started to flail her hooves in the air, visibly uncomfortable.

“Rarity, what can I do for you?”

She stopped and smiled, calming her nerves. “Well, Tom, there is a fashion expo traveling to Ponyville tomorrow, and I wanted Twilight to be my model for the show. However, I have a deadline. If I don’t start on the designs now, it will be a disaster!”

Oh, crap! Model? As in…runway model? I need to flee before she-

“Tom, would you be willing to wear my designs at the expo tomorrow? I know I’m asking for a great deal of your time, but you’ll simply adore your accouter!”

Twilight had asked me to practice channeling my magic at the library, but one of her friends needed help, too. It was really hard for me to reject her request; heck, maybe I can practice over at her place instead! I heard loud crashes from the kitchen area, and Spike came walking out to check on me.

“Hey, Tom, sorry about the mess- Ra…Rar…Rarity! Rarity…” Spike levitated off the ground, without magic, and began to gaze at Rarity with longing eyes.

“Oh, Spike, darling! Can you let Twilight know that I’m taking her guest to the boutique?”

Spike simply nodded his head and sighed.

“Thank you, dear! Let’s walk to my boutique then, Tom!”

The walk took us past the bakery I had seen multiple times taking the cab into town. It was called Sugar Cube Corner, and dozens of ponies were lined up to snag a couple treats. The window was lined with an incredible assortment of cupcakes, pastries, bread, bagels, brownies; a sweet tooth’s treasure indeed. We wrapped around a corner, and off to the distance in front of us was a small cottage situated across the river, and to our right was Ponyville’s Town Hall and conference center, where all the major events took place.

Rarity pointed directly to it. “That is where Ponyville’s fashion expo is going to be held. There will be countless booths with many of Equestria’s famous clothing brands being showcased. Hopefully, after tomorrow night, mine will be one of them.” She started to clap her hooves together in excitement.

We crossed a bridge and arrived at what appeared to be a carousel. But it was actually an entire building built inside of the carousel.

Rarity motioned me inside. “This is my Carousel Boutique. Isn’t it just gorgeous?!”

The inside was open and vibrant, with dresses aplenty, hanging on life-size mannequins. One of the designs was a blue dress with a set of constellations on the flank, tailed by a thin veil of sky blue fabric. The amount of fabric scattered across the ground in the sewing room was staggering; Rarity called it ‘organized chaos’. I call it ‘a mess’.

“Well, darling, what are your impressions?”

“It’s a mess. But a very exquisite mess.”

She became super giddy, and ran to the room with the sewing machine and scattered fabric, pulling out a large blueprint from one of the shelves. She dusted it off, and it read ‘STALLION DESIGN A: THREE PIECE.'

“I haven’t worn a suit in ages! I never thought I’d say this, but…I’m thoroughly excited!” I scanned the suit, and imagined myself wearing it. I had to get my hands on it!

But something passed through my mind just then. “Rarity, what color is the suit going to be?”

She thought for a moment. “Well, my ensemble was supposed to be a very dark purple…”

“NO.” I channeled my inner fashionista. “Make it gray.”

Rarity gasped, and turned into a violent shade of red. “Whaaat?! Gray?! But purple was…going to be…wait! That’s it. Tom, you stand perfectly still.”

Rarity jumbled through her drawers and began to measure every part of my body: hip to hip, flank to nose, neck thickness, body thickness, leg length, leg thickness, and tail length. Recording all her data down, she shooed me away from the room and closed it off. I could hear her muffled voice from the next room.

“It will be about an hour, darling, before the design is complete! Don’t take one STEP into here!”

I took the opportunity to begin practicing my magic again. Twilight probably wouldn’t appreciate me leaving the house for fancy clothes without at least getting this magic thing down pat.

My thoughts drifted back to Jonah, and the energy built up again.

Now the key is controlling it! Slow down, magic, SLOW DOWN!

The energy started to crawl instead of rush to my horn.

Yes! I have control. Ugh…holy cow, this is taxing…

The hardest part of all of this was releasing that energy without blowing everything up. Luckily, Twilight informed me earlier of a couple ways to accomplish this:

“You must either cut off the magic entirely, or cast it at an object of your choice, remembering to instruct the magic how to manipulate it. Different spells require different levels of energy to pull off.”

I panned around the room swiftly, trying to find an object that I could manipulate and not distress the fashion designer in the other room. I saw a pitcher of sweet tea and a glass of ice sitting on the counter in the kitchen. My mind focused entirely on trying to pour the tea into the cup. My horn flashed, and an aura appeared around the pitcher as it began to slide off the table.

No! STOP.

The pitcher stopped in mid-air, levitating about two inches off the ground. I slowly lifted it above the counter top, and began to tilt the pitcher above the cup.

Yes, yes! It’s working! I-

The door to the boutique propped open, and I saw Twilight walk into the room. My focus shifted, and I dropped the pitcher on the counter. Tea splattered everywhere as the pitcher tumbled to the floor, carrying along with it the cup. It shattered, with glass scattered all over the floor.

“Tom! What were you doing?!”

I stuttered, trying to explain the mess. “I-I…I was trying to pour some tea with my magic, and then you walked in, and I lost concentration! I’m sorry!”

“You were using levitation on the tea? But that’s…you shouldn’t have the ability to do that yet. That’s amazing.” She cleared her throat, and composed herself. “But you lost your concentration, too. So it isn’t all good, but you’re getting there.”

Twilight glanced at the locked doors in front of us. “Is Rarity in there? I need to speak with her.”

“Rarity told me to not take a step into this room. She’s making me a three-piece suit right now for the fashion conference tomorrow.”

Twilight tripped, and stared right at me. “The fashion conference? Did she ask you to volunteer as a model?”

“Uhh…yes?”

Twilight smacked her hoof on her face. “Tom, do you understand what you’re doing? Every major fashion designer will be there to observe the new designs for the season. They harp on anyone that submits sub-par designs, and big events like this are Rarity’s weakness, trust me! You’ll get laughed at!”

From the other room, I felt a strange disturbance. Then a scream. “WHAT WAS THAT, TWILIGHT?! I’LL DESTROY YOU.”

“Rarity, that’s not what I meant! I’m saying that-“

“I don’t CARE what you meant, I will shine at this convention, and you will watch as my fashion hits the world stage for the first time!”

Twilight breathed a heavy sign. “Okay, Rarity, whatever you say. Are you done yet?”

Rarity opened the doors, and glared at Twilight. Then she turned to me, smiling, and motioned me inside. All of us stood in the room, curious as to where to find the suit she had made. A drape was cast over the mannequin that wore my new suit; it was taken from the stand and revealed the sharpest dress wear I had ever seen!

“Oh my God, Rarity, this is amazing!”

Then Twilight chimed in. “Yes, this is one of your best ever!”

Rarity blushed wildly at the praise. “Wow, I…thank you both. I had a couple more designs I wanted to showcase tomorrow. Twilight, would you be willing to stay with Tom, and help me?”

The next day was exhausting, to say the least. Twilight and I remained at the boutique the entire previous day, trying on dozens of different designs stitched together by Rarity. Apparently, I was the only stallion in her boutique in a year that had the opportunity to try on her ensembles.

Today, we were setting up Rarity’s booth at the convention. Because she wasn’t a big name in the fashion world, her booth stood in the far corners of the show floor, relatively out of sight of many of the spectators at the gathering. She had a couple of her signature dresses, including the blue, starry dress I had seen in the boutique earlier. Added to those were two suits, neither of which looked as fierce as the one she made for me yesterday.

Rarity, Twilight and I trotted over to the registration desk to check in for the runway exhibition this evening.

“Rarity, Carousel Boutique, correct?” The mare at the desk penciled in Rarity’s information.

“Yes, madam. If I may ask, what position are we in the exhibition?”

“You are the final showcase, Miss Rarity.”

Rarity screamed and ran to her booth, and slid underneath the table. The mare in charge of registration raised an eyebrow, and continued her business. But that scream caught me off-guard, and I questioned the pony.

“Hey, ma’am, why would my friend over there freak out about being last?”

She took her glasses off. “Sir, in a fashion exhibition, going last is either the best possible outcome or the worst. I assume she never has gone last at an event like this. If her ensembles are atrocious and out-of-fashion, her career is done. The last ensemble is always the one most remembered. Pray that she doesn’t screw up.”

That was a very brutal assessment, but apparently true. Rarity had this frightened look on her face as if she just confronted death. Twilight ran over to comfort her.

“Rarity, you never know! You made an incredible suit yesterday, you could blow them away, and your designs will be the talk of Equestria!”

“DON’T YOU PATRONIZE ME! This is the worst. Possible. THING that could ever happen to me! Waaah!” Rarity sobbed quietly under her booth as a few ponies walking by, looking at one another, skidded away from our area.

I activated my magic, remembering to channel it slowly, and I pulled Rarity from under the table, and lifted her onto her hooves. She looked visibly distraught, and her hair was ruffled beyond recognition.

“Listen, Rarity…” I finally found the words to speak to her. “…the suit you made me was fantastic. I’m no fashion expert, nor am I a published critic. But I would be envious of anybo…anypony wearing that suit. It is really freaking sharp; worthy of acclaim.”

Rarity gave me a huge hug, her tears falling down my backside. “Thu…thank you, Tom, that means a great deal, hearing you say that…”

After our vent circle was complete, we composed ourselves, and gathered the materials for our march down the runway. I had never been on a runway like this before, and I had no idea what to do. Rarity shoved me into the changing room, and gave me a few key instructions, telling me how to look and travel down the aisle, and what each ensemble represented.

“Now, Tom, we are the last ensemble in each rotation of twenty brands. The first style is ‘seasonal’, and it is summer, so you will be wearing this…”

Rarity pulled out a Hawaiian lei, with a cream and orange pinstripe, button-down shirt.

“The second style is going to be a unique one this year: rustic. Typically, fashion conventions don’t entertain this style, but this year, there is a wave of more modern rustic apparel…”

She handed me a Stetson, a quartet of spurred boots, and a set of mahogany overalls set over an indigo button-down with a collar.

“The final style is the most important one of the evening, as most of the crowd tonight is supposed to be from the under-crust of the Canterlot elite. Not many bigger names, but plenty of potential clients…”

The suit that she made for me was the final piece of the puzzle. It looked better than I had seen it the other day: ironed down, flourished and creased to perfection.

Both of us exited out dressing room, and we peeked out into the crowd. The main hall was packed with thousands of spectators, and the runway was lined with very posh-looking ponies, dressed excessively to stand out in the crowd. Rarity gasped, and shut the curtains tightly, gripping the fabric for dear life.

“What, Rarity, what did you see?!”

“Uhh…I made a mistake. Tom, this is a HUGE deal now. Don’t. Mess. Up. Don’t. Triiip.” Rarity kept heavily grasping for air as she rested herself on the floor.

Then she turned to me and listed names I didn’t recognize. “Sapphire Shores. Photo Finish. Fleur de Lis. Fancy Pants. Hoity Toity. And…WAIT, she wasn’t…” Rarity looked back out, and back to me and her jaw dropped.

“PRINCESS CADENCE?!”

Another Princess?! How many princesses can one country have?

I peered out into the crowd, and I saw who she had referred to; that Shining Armor pony was in the crowd sitting next to her, the both of them laughing as they had conversation with a pony wearing a monocle. This was a huge night for Rarity, and I had to be a good Samaritan in this foreign environment.

“Miss Rarity, your first entry, please. You’re on deck!”

Rarity, fidgeting, grabbed my first ensemble, and I went into the dressing room. Walking out with everything buttoned properly, I carefully trekked down the runway, as cameras began flashing in my face. Rarity had told me to focus on one spot so I wouldn’t trip and fall on my face.

The hostess sounded off the current entry. “The Carousel Boutique’s Summer Selection by Rarity.”

I gave a very slight look of contentedness as I turned to three different directions, getting acquainted with my stage presence. I received a few claps of approval, one of which came from Shining Armor, who immediately recognized me after a few seconds of staring at my face. Making my way back, Rarity looked relieved that I didn’t make any mistakes.

Hoity Toity’s entries were first in every rotation, and he received thunderous applause each time. When our rustic entry approached the stage, a few members of the crowd stood up and applauded. This piece was apparently very fetching, as I noticed Princess Cadence started clapping with Shining Armor, which started a wave of other soft claps.

I came back to Rarity, and she was cautiously optimistic. “Good job, Tom, as long as we keep our composure, nobody will mock us. This is turning out okay. But I don’t think this next piece will outdo THAT.” She pointed to Hoity Toity’s last entry, and it was incredible. Anyone would want to be seen in that.

“I’m sorry, Rarity. I’ll do my best, regardless, don’t you worry about me…”

The hostess called out the last entry.

“For our final ensemble, we have Miss Rarity’s new formal fashion, direct from the Carousel Boutique.”

I made my way across the aisle slowly, and bore a confident expression with my chest flexed out a short way. As I walked, there was a slow rise from the audience, and I could see the pony, Hoity Toity, take off his shades and stare at my suit. Was there something wrong with it? He began to point everywhere and whisper to the blue maned Sapphire Shores sitting next to him. She nodded and was grinning to him.

Oh no, I knew this was going to happen!

The next thing I hear is the whole front half of the audience cheering. I stopped at the end of the runway and stood perfectly still, looking up. The balcony roared in approval and everyone in the Canterlot elite rose and applauded the three-piece.

“Miss Rarity and the Carousel Boutique win top prize in the showcase! Congratulations!”

I stood there, with a wide grin on my face as I beckoned Rarity up front. She paced forward as the crowd’s gaze shifted to her. They shouted cheers in her direction as she gave a slight bow. Then she looked to me and started giggling with excitement, and I channeled energy into my horn. My magic suddenly erupted, as fireworks shot out of my horn, and lit the room. Rarity and I stared up at the light show above us, and I thought of Jonah.

Jonah, the magic is getting easier. I’ll find you soon, I promise. But I hope you don’t mind me enjoying my time a bit, alright? Thank you…

10: Meditation

Chapter 10: Meditation

Rarity was all smiles heading backstage, and I just couldn’t believe what had taken place. Not even an hour before, we were afraid of being mocked for our style. The crowd had applauded and honored Rarity’s creations, the polar opposite reaction we expected. Euphoria just doesn’t capture enough what we experienced; it was beyond words.

We saw Hoity Toity, Sapphire Shores, and Fancy Pants approach us backstage, making a beeline straight for Rarity. She turned to face them, and her posture was visibly shaken at their coming. Hoity Toity started raving about the show.

“My dear, Miss Rarity, we had no idea that you would be featuring such remarkable styles at this convention. Oh ho!”

Sapphire Shores shouting a big “Ow!”, and exclaimed “My dear, Rarity, I might need to get me some of your best blouses for my next photo shoot, your ensembles are just fabulous, dear!”

Fancy Pants finally sounded his praise. “Miss Rarity, it was an absolute pleasure to see your work. How are those friends of yours in Ponyville, dearest?”

Rarity was in shock, but held herself together. “We-well, Fancy Pants, they are all doing well, and we’ve made ourselves a new friend here in this gentlecolt, Tom!” She motions to me as the gathering of ponies looked directly at me.

Hoity was the first to comment. “Tom, do you have any prior experience in modeling?”

“No, sir, I do not. This was just a friend helping another in a crisis.” I scratched the back of my head, pleased with the complement.

Hoity removed his shades, and held a surprised expression. “Sir, you tore those other models apart, you held the most composed, yet fulfilling strides and countenances of anypony here today!”

The conversation continued for about an hour as we sat down outside the convention hall. Rarity and the others continued to converse about other ponies who were impressed with the show, and wanted to contract Rarity for multiple designs in the coming year. She continued to show her pleasure while maintaining her giddiness.

That’s impressive. I would be severely overflowing with tears right now; she must know herself really well-

Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder from behind; it came from Princess Cadence herself, with Shining Armor at her side, and another pony I didn’t expect: Twilight.

The Princess began to address me. “Are you Tom? You were fantastic in the show today, I just wanted to come meet the pony my sister-in-law is training. I’m Princess Cadence, the leader of the Crystal Empire.”

HOLY CRAP. She rules that frozen wasteland? I can’t handle meeting so many important people today…

My knees were knocking together, taken aback by her address. “Yuh…Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you, and…“ I turned my attention to the Sparkle siblings. “It’s good to see you both again. Do you need to talk to me?”

Twilight gestured me in the direction of the library. “We are all heading back to my house to talk, we would like you there. Is that ok?”

“Yes, Twilight, I’ll come with you guys.”

The Princess continued to comment on the fashion show, remembering how Shining Armor had recognized me, and talked of the encounter with Applejack, Twilight and I in Canterlot. She also had conversed with Twilight about the events that led up to me being trained by Twilight in the art of magic.

I learned that about a year ago, Princess Cadence became the monarch of the Crystal Empire, which turns out to be a beautiful country protected from the Frozen North by magic. She is the protector of a relic known as the Crystal Heart, a device that shares the joy and love of the crystal ponies, and uses it to power the protection spell around the country.

We finally made it to the library, and all of us had some sweet tea prepared by Spike. Shining Armor turned rather serious all of a sudden, and gave me a stern look.

“Tom…I understand that you are Twilight’s apprentice now. But there is something that is bugging me about when we met earlier: where exactly are you from?”

I was about to speak, but Twilight put a hoof to my mouth. “Shining, I think I can adequately explain this to you. What I didn’t say earlier was that Tom is not from this world.”

The Princess stood up and stepped back a couple steps. The bit of news surprised her and Shining Armor.

“Twily, are you certain?! I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Sure, Princess Luna lives on the moon, but not from this world? That’s not possible!”

I motioned to Twilight, and without speaking, requested that I speak. She relented, and I went through the same tale I told the Apples, Twilight, and Princess Celestia. After that, the two regal parties in the room looked at each other with concern. Princess Cadence quickly approached me with a question.

“Where is your friend Jonah now?”

“He is missing, Princess. There has been no trace of him for weeks. It’s been around eighteen days since I first arrived here. The meteorite we discovered had no evidence of my ship ever landing there.”

Shining shook his head, and saddened. “This isn’t a good sign. The Crystal Empire sentries and astronomers have seen nothing in the past few weeks. There is a very real possibility that your friend isn’t even on this continent.”

Not on this continent?! That’s not good! There are more lands than this one?

It was then that I remembered what Princess Celestia had mentioned when I first received my horn:

“Your Highness, what was Starswirl’s ultimate goal?”

“Unity. He was in the middle of a grand, ambitious project to unite three great nations: Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and the Griffon Kingdom.”

She wants me to unite these three countries? I hardly know a thing about this world in the first place!

I repeated the apparent mission that Celestia imputed to me to everyone in the house, and Twilight’s eyes widened.

“That’s right! She did mention that! Are you now saying that Starswirl’s ideal and Jonah’s disappearance are related?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think either thing is related, but if my friend is in the Crystal Empire or the Griffon Kingdom, it is imperative that I continue my training at once.”

The Princess and her Prince bid us goodbye, giving everyone, including myself, hugs before departing. Twilight and I made our way outside of the library and west, where a giant field spanned across the outside of town. With her was a bag containing six heavy stones, and six lighter ones; she sat the bag on the ground, and asked me to stand across from her.

“This exercise will test your stamina. This is similar to how my zebra friend, Zecora, trained me. In order to maintain your magic, you have to master a higher level of concentration…”

Oh, man! She picks something that I can’t possibly achieve. Staring at rocks for hours isn’t fun at all!

“…I want you to levitate these rocks for as long as you think you can. We will start with the lighter rocks, and then have you rotate them in orbit around you. After you master that, the heavier rocks will be next. That is all we will do today.”

She switched gears to the events from earlier the other day. “I was surprised when I saw you levitate that teapot. Not many ponies understand levitation so close to the time they receive their magic. I never mastered it until about a couple years after my magic manifested.”

The exercise began, as I lifted the six smaller stones above the ground hip-level. With my mind, I commanded the stones to rotate around me in a counterclockwise direction. The energy it took to maintain this motion was staggering, so I let small chunks of the energy return to me, and the rocks fell to the ground. I released the magic and gasped for air.

Oh my God, this is difficult. Did I really need that much to rotate them?

I resumed my previous stance and placed the rocks in orbit around my body. The same power needed to lift and move them took its toll on my body and mind, requiring my full attention. My face cringed as the energy left me and into the objects around me, and my muscles started to flex. Twilight instructed me to loosen up, and I did, keeping the orbiting bodies in check.

The orbit last about eight minutes before I released the magic; the fullness of my body shook and quivered as my energy felt all but depleted.

“Twilight…*gasp*…that was freaking intense! I thought I had more power than that.”

“You do, Tom, but it has yet to be unearthed. We are going to try the larger rocks this time. Remember, they are big, so if you feel yourself passing out, let the magic go. We don’t want you to die on us.”

“Thanks, Twilight. I’m definitely reassured after hearing that...”

Sarcasm’s the name, quick delivery’s my game. Oh dear…

The large rocks inched off the ground as I clutched the ground firmly with my hooves. It took a good ten seconds to get them hip level. The orbit moved at a very sluggish pace, but all the rocks moved, nonetheless. I closed my eyes, and dug deep into myself, when Jonah reappeared at the front of my mind.

Jonah, you might be farther away than I can imagine. I may never…Jonah, you know that I wouldn’t just abandon you in the middle of nowhere like this. I promised I would bring you home after this adventure. Please stay alive for me; this training will be the key to seeking you out, I swear it. Just…huh?

My body shut down and my vision brightened. I suddenly found myself in a white expanse with nothing around me. No rocks, no Twilight, no Ponyville. Nothing.

A figure in the distance began to walk towards me, and I started to run in the opposite direction. I turned back around after a while, and could see him closer than he was before. I gave up the flight, and stood my ground. Approaching me was an old, gray pony that I instinctively recognized.

“Starswirl.”

He stood right in front of me, examining my body from head to hoof. Starswirl kept sizing me up, walking around me as I stood still, allowing his investigation. He stopped in front of me again and gave a small frown.

“When my powers were invested into that meteor, I never expected somepony like you to receive its blessing. I’ve kept a good watch on your memories and your interactions with the ponies of this world; so far, you’re doing a phenomenal job, Tom.”

“Th-Thank you, sir. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Whatever is on your mind, Tom.”

I began my rant at once. “If you know my memories, you know you can trust what I am about to say. My friend Jonah was with me on my way to explore the galaxy, and now we are stranded here. Nopony is allowing me to look for him independently because of this crazy mission that you began. I don’t even know much about this world, much less its countries. I’m trapped between a destiny I’m incapable of fulfilling, and the ticking time bomb that is my friend’s health and well-being. I shouldn’t be INVOLVED AT ALL!”

Starswirl’s face dipped, and he turned away. “…I knew that my magic would be a blessing, but never did I think it would be a curse as well. The way I left this world long ago was very unusual, Tom. You read about it, I assume; then you must understand that I never passed away at all. Just my body is fertilizer now. My conscience is now in you, and soon this will pass away as well.”

My body was alarmed by his revelation. “But Starswirl, why would you wait so long just for this moment?”

“Princess Celestia didn’t know when this meteor would strike the planet, so I likely gave her many years of turmoil. Have there been many major events since my departure?”

“Plenty. And from how I understand it, she managed to resolve each one of them, either herself or with Twilight and her friends.”

Starswirl nodded, and grinned. “That’s fortunate, indeed. Now we have a rather unique crisis on our hands, don’t we? Tom, the reason I appear before you now was pre-planned, even if you weren’t the one that touched the meteorite. But I’m also concerned now because the meteor was originally supposed to react with the blue potion.”

“The blue potion? Then why did it react to the clear potion?”

“The answer to those two questions, Tom, is not something I know. Somepony interfered with my spell between now and the time I passed away. It could only be the work of either one of the Princesses, or ‘him’.”

Uh-oh. “Him, sir?”

“There was someone long ago during my time at the Guild, the most tenured non-Equestrian to ever be a member of our group. His name was Gilgar, and he became the ruler of the Griffon Kingdom shortly before I passed away. I’m sure he’s caused so much grief to Equestria.”

“I remember hearing about him from your book. I don’t have any idea if he is alive or not, but are you sure he could be responsible for the meteor being altered?”

“It’s within his power; even though he is no longer a member of the guild, he has contact with many rogue unicorns from our Guild that are scattered throughout the land. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is responsible for your crash landing, either.”

A griffon king, shooting me out of the sky? That doesn’t sound right, but heck, anything’s possible. Magic. Ponies. Visions. Fashion shows.

“Tom, all of this is speculation, though. Gilgar wasn’t inherently evil, but he never really liked Equestria too well after we destroyed one of his dear friends, King Sombra.”

I gave Starswirl an inquisitive stare. “King Sombra? Who was he?”

“When I was very young and became a member of the Magician’s Guild, Sombra and Gilgar were good friends, and both members of our group. After Sombra mysteriously disappeared, Gilgar became frantic, worrying for his friend’s safety. Gilgar later told me that Sombra had been poking around in the Canterlot Library one day, turning over books about the nature of dark magic.”

That sounds like how I am with Jonah. I hope he’s safe…

“His concern was validated when the Princesses received a dispatch from the Crystal Empire. Sombra had completely wasted the entire country in one day with dark magic. Gilgar was furious with his friend, but protested with Celestia and Luna to find a way to wipe his memory and return him to us. They denied his request, and promptly traveled into the Frozen North to obliterate the new king, Sombra. They failed.”

My mind went berserk. Now there’s an evil king running amok?!

“Fortunately, the Princesses had a bit of foresight, and they imprisoned his spirit under the ice for a thousand years. Gilgar was livid, and abandoned the Guild after his protests were swept under the rug by the monarchs. He returned to the Griffon Kingdom as the only one of his kind who knew how to use magic. The meteorite granted him that ability, and helped him to later ascend to the throne.”

“Tom…” He walked up to me, placing a hoof on my shoulder. “I have gifted you with tremendous power, but it comes at a price. You know that you have to carry out my wishes, and for that, I am deeply sorry. It is going to inconvenience you, but if you can unite my people with the Griffons and the Crystal Ponies, your friend will reveal himself, I promise. Please accept my blessing, and carry my burden this one time.”

I hesitated to speak, but accepted his words. Starswirl walked backwards, and lifted off the white floor of my mind. His spirit began to wipe away like the wind blowing away a pile of leaves, and he was no more.

My vision returned to me, as I saw the large rocks orbiting around me at an alarming speed. However, it seemed that I had total control of their velocity, and so I maintained their current state. Twilight was screaming at me the whole time I was in meditation, but I only noticed now what she was saying.

“T…TOM…TOM, CAN YOU HEAR ME?! Tom!” I glanced at her, easing her concern.

“Tom, I don’t know how you did this, but it’s dangerous. Are you in control?”

I nodded my head, and closed my eyes.

“Well, this is incredible. You have held this posture for about 20 minutes, and you haven’t broken a sweat!”

“Huh?!” My concentration broke, and the stones remained in their orbit as I stood and peering at the floating rocks. They were still moving!

All of a sudden, the rocks dissolved, and a white ring appeared around me as the magic slowly constricted me. It raised me into the air, and with a flash, it clothed me in a glowing aura. My hooves rested on the earth as I stared at my teacher, who looked around me and had a starry-eyed expression.

“Tom, you did it! You got your cutie mark!”

The mark on my flank was indeed there. It was a sword, with the hilt pointed upward, the blade downward, and a six-pointed gold star on top.

And I had no idea how it would shape my destiny.

11: Starsword

Chapter 11: Starsword

Last week, my cutie mark had finally manifested itself, yet I was completely lost as to the nature of my talent. Was it being gifted at magic? But it wouldn’t make sense, considering a sword and a star doesn’t really scream out ‘magic’ to me. Was it fighting with a sword in combat? Or protecting the sun, or the Princess? All these random thoughts popped into my brain, with no way of sorting out the truth.

The entire week of training was a repetition of the stone exercises, using levitation and charging my power. Gradually, the amount of energy I could maintain for extended periods of time increased. The rotation of the boulders became faster and more complex, as Twilight had instructed me yesterday to move three sets of boulders in awkward orbits around me. At first, the stones would crash into each other, and I would become bruised by the rocks falling; with practice, my timing became precise, and not one stone was cracked during their orbits.

Today was the first rainfall I had seen since my arrival to Equestria. Twilight explained to me that her close friend, Rainbow Dash, was in charge of the local weather, making sure that rainfalls and cloudy days were timed properly. It was very strange to hear that local weather events were typically planned ahead of time and controlled.

I heard a loud crash downstairs as I woke up from my slumber. It was just before sunrise, so I trotted briskly downstairs to see what the early commotion was all about.

“Hey, are you all okay down here? I heard a crash down here.”

Spike looked up and with wide, fearful eyes, he explained the crash.

“We-well, Tom, I’m sorry for waking ya! I was just…just getting dinner ready!”

I planted my hoof squarely upon my face. “You know it is morning, right? Did you shirk your chores again?”

“Sorry, Tom. I’ve been kept up all night and morning. Twilight has been studying the notes she’s taken during your training. Because of that, I’ve had to help her do all her math nerd calculations. What a bore…”

Twilight taking notes about my training? Does she have some sort of performance index or something?

Then Twilight poked her head out of her laboratory. “Good morning, everypony! Tom, I have some excellent news about your progress.”

A gigantic roll of parchment trailed behind Twilight as she climbed out of the basement lab. It had chicken scratch of all her calculations and the data she collected on me for the past week. I saw multiple graphs drawn towards the bottom of the parchment, one of them having a comparison between ‘Peak Magical Energy’ and ‘Time Spent Charging’. The graph was moving in a gradually positive slope.

“According to that graph, Tom, you are consistently improving your raw abilities. I’m also really impressed that you picked up on some of the more complex levitation techniques that we’ve been practicing. I think it’s time.”

I gave her a look of mixed excitement and confusion. “Time for what, Twilight?”

“Time to enter you into the Equestrian Amateur Magicians Competition.”

A competition? To test my abilities? That sounds really fun!

Twilight continued. “Every year, in Equestrian towns with a high concentration of unicorns, a contest is held to measure the aptitude of local magicians. Usually, this is a useful way of determining candidates for the Guild, the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns, or even candidacy for a position with the Royal Guard. But for us, it will be a way to gauge how far you’ve come in the coming weeks.”

She pulled out a letter engraved with Celestia’s solar emblem. “This is an invitation for the Canterlot branch of the competition. Many unicorns in Ponyville get extended invitations to Canterlot if they either place well in the Ponyville branch or they are originally from the city. You received a special invitation from the Princess herself, something that’s never been given before to anypony.”

Wow…that means the other unicorns will be eyeing me the whole time. At least, I hope they don’t know. I can’t stand being put in the spotlight like that…

I inquired about the competition further. “What kinds of feats will I need to perform?”

Just as Twilight was about to answer, there was a knock on the door. Twilight opened the door to reveal Applejack and Big Macintosh, with Big Mac holding an umbrella for his younger sister.

“Howdy, y’all! What a miserable day we’re havin’ here, Twi! Hey Tom, where in the hay have ya-WHOA NELLY, a cutie mark! Since when?!”

I blushed a little, and lifted my head to respond. “The beginning of this week, actually! I’m really sorry I haven’t been by to visit, Twilight has been isolating me from society for a little while. I hardly ever get a chance to just roam around.”

Twilight objected, in part. “Hey, I don’t keep you locked in here all the time.”

I objected to her objection. “Well, Twilight, I appreciate your wisdom, but could I take a day to just get familiar with the town? I don’t want to be a stranger for too long.”

Twilight’s gaze softened. “It wouldn’t hurt to go out once in a while, you’re right. I know how crucial it is to hasten your training, but one day or two isn’t going to hurt. Just be sure you get some practice in those days, though.”

My face brightened at her permission. “Absolutely! I have to be strong for Jonah, I won’t neglect your teachings!”

I recounted my training the entire week to Applejack and Big Mac, telling about the time I received my cutie mark, how difficult some of Twilight’s exercises had been to master, and the surprisingly grand cuisine that Spike made every night for us after a long day of training.

“Spike makes a mean cheddar broccoli soup! Second only to his clam chowder, it is to die for!”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Spike has been an excellent cook ever since we had the chef at Trotting Garden, Fishbone, give him lesson on food prep and some basic soups.”

Spike appeared from the kitchen, beaming. "Aw, guys, stop it! It's nothing!"

Applejack looked thrilled to hear about Spike’s home cooking. “Boy, I may need tuh swing on by one o’ these days fer one of yer soups, Spike!”

Big Mac sounded his agreement. “Eeyup. Someday, I reckon.”

Applejack started wondering about the whereabouts of my friend. "Tom, Twilight, have ya heard anythin' from the Princess about Jonah, or yer space ship thingy?

Twilight shook her head. We had not heard a peep from the castle ever since we left for Ponyville.

The pair of Apples left the library, and the rain slowed to a very tiny drizzle. Saturdays are typically busy and vibrant in the town, from what I know observing the town out the window. But for the first time, Twilight is allowing me to explore the town during the rainstorm, where it isn’t bustling with ponies.

She waved goodbye as I wore my poncho out into the chilly squall outside the oak. One place I really wanted to try was a grab-and-go called Pony Joe’s. Twilight informed me that he opened up a location in Ponyville shortly before I crash landed in Equestria. His successful enterprise in Canterlot afforded him an opportunity to expand his sphere into neighboring towns.

I walked up to the doors of Pony Joe’s, and read the sign in the window. It said “Delicious stuffed donuts here! Try a sample of our famous Razz Jelly Supreme!” That sounded delicious, and so I walked into the donut shop, taking in the smell of freshly rounded dough.

A stallion dress in a folded diner hat, bowtie, and apron approached from the other side of the counter, and greeted me.

“Welcome to Pony Joe’s, my friend! Want to try a sample, sir?”

I nodded firmly, and took the Razz Jelly Supreme sample. My eyes bugged out, and the raspberry jelly held all my senses captive.

I’ve never had a jelly donut this amazing before!

“I’ll take three of these, please! This is incredible!”

The stallion at the counter flashed a wide grin. “Just for you, sir, I’ll take 2 bits, and let you have the third donut for free!” He took my bits, and stuck them in the change drawer. “By the way, the name’s Joe, it’s a pleasure to hear such high praise in my shop!”

I stood back, startled to figure out this was the owner. “Pony Joe?! But don’t you have a store in Canterlot? Why are you here?”

“Sometimes, I like to work a few shifts at this store to make sure things are doing okay around here. By your expression, it seems these Ponyville folk are doing a bang-up job keeping this location tasty and fresh!”

“That they are! These are baked to perfection, Joe! Thanks!”

I started to exit, and Joe issued a farewell as I walked out of the store. The rain had subsided for the time being, so I took advantage of the pause and made my way to a park bench nearby. Ponies began to gradually walk outside and start their weekend activity. Enjoying my delicious donuts, I observed the ponies passing me by in the town.

A pair of ponies passed by and sat on the bench next to mine: one was a turquoise mare with a lyre as her cutie mark, and her friend was a cream white mare with candies on her flank. Both were giggling, enjoying each other’s company, and the white mare glanced in my direction. Taken aback by the sudden stare, I gave them a wave.

“Good morning! How are you both doing?”

The turquoise mare gave me a puzzled expression. “Hi. Are you from here, stranger? The name’s Lyra. This is my friend, Bon Bon.” She nudged Bon Bon sitting next to her.

“No, I’m a new resident. My name is Tom. I’m living over at the library for a short time while I’m here in Ponyville.”

Bon Bon pierced me with a look of ridicule. “Oh, with that weird librarian, Twilight?”

Lyra promptly corrected her friend. “Oh, that unicorn isn’t just a weird librarian. Did you know she battled the Mare in the Moon with her friends? That’s pretty awesome, Bon Bon.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Whatever, hon. She’s still a freaky bookworm to me. Why are you living there anyway, Tom?”

Watching how much I reveal about my reasons for being here, I revealed that I only recently got my cutie mark and Twilight was training me on how to use magic. Both of the mares gasped, surprised that I took on a cutie mark so late in my ‘life’. I shrugged off the surprise, knowing I would be collecting similar reactions from other ponies.

Lyra and Bon Bon said their goodbyes as I removed myself from my bench, making my way towards the town hall. Outside of the building was an older mare, donning a pair of loose-fitting glasses, and a scroll with a ribbon on her flank. She was directing a couple workers to where a leak had been discovered on the rooftop of the town hall.

As I made my approach, she took notice, and trotted up to me.

“Sorry, but the Town Hall is closed for renovations, you’ll have to come by another day…”

I motioned with my hoof that I didn’t come for official business. “Oh, not at all, I just came over to introduce myself. I’m Tom, and I just moved into Ponyville a week ago.”

Surprised at my remark, she began to smile. “Well, that’s thoughtful of you! I’m Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville. Sorry that I can’t talk for too long, I have to make sure the renovation goes smoothly today. I forgot to check with the weather ponies and see when the rainfall was scheduled, and a leak happened in my office.”

“Oh, well I’ll let you get back to your oversight of the renovation. Thanks for chatting with me!”

As I walked away, the mayor called out to me. “Oh, Tom! I noticed your cutie mark. I’ve never seen anything like it. What is your special talent?”

I stared at my cutie mark for a few seconds, and looked up at Mayor Mare.

“To be honest, I still don’t know what my special talent is, Mayor. I haven’t discovered it, yet it appeared. It is very strange.”

The Mayor raised her eyebrows, just as bewildered as I was about the nature of my cutie mark. She didn’t ask anything more, and we parted ways, giving each other a friendly smile. I pondered my cutie mark for quite a while, thinking about what my talent might be.

This is silly! From what I know about these ponies, whenever a pony discovers an ability or area they are proficient in, their cutie marks will surface, and their special talent is revealed to them. But mine appeared during that vision with Starswirl, and I still can’t figure out what the darn star and sword means! I have to figure this out, it might be important. For Jonah’s sake.

The mayor took an interested in my pensive expression.

"If you are considering your cutie mark, maybe you could see the town's librarian! Twilight might know something about figuring out what special talent your cutie mark signifies!"

My mind focused in an instant on that idea. That was brilliant of her to suggest that! Twilight might know!

"Hey, thank you, Mayor! I'll go see her right away!"

The Mayor shuffled her hooves. "Well, you are welcome! I hope you find what you are looking for, Tom."

Acting on my desire to discover what my cutie mark means, I made my way back to the library. When I entered, Twilight jerked her head around, surprised at my return.

“Back so soon? It’s early in the afternoon!”

I shook my head, distraught still from not knowing what the mark meant. “Twilight, what kinds of literature do you own regarding cutie marks?”

She squeed with delight, and zipped to the book shelf, levitating multiple books and scanning each title. She handed me a book entitled “Cutie Mark Symbology”.

“This helped me decipher the talents of Equestria’s famous personalities. It contains images and sketches of various cutie marks collected over the centuries. I think this stallion might interest you…”

She used her magic to turn straight to the ‘S’ tab, and stopped at Starswirl the Bearded’s profile. His cutie mark contained a purple swirl with a few gray stars scattered around the vortex. The stars bore the same shape as the golden star on my mark!

“Twilight, this is the very same star that Starswirl has, but what about the sword? Are there any ponies with a sword on their marks?”

Twilight thought for a moment, then gazed up at me. “Well, a great thing about this book is it discusses the meanings of objects that may appear on cutie marks. If we flip to ‘Sword’…there!”

She began to read the entry aloud:

“The sword, depending on the type, can demonstrate various qualities of a pony. For example, the great sword is typically a two-hoofed weapon, requiring the fullness of a pony’s strength to deal blows to his opponent. It can be said that the great sword is symbolic of somepony who gives their all for their cause, but sacrifices his defenses, or his well-being, to realize a goal.”

Twilight affirmed the excerpt. “Your sword is as described by the image in this book, a great sword.”

I thought aloud about the full nature of my cutie mark. “Based on what we know, it appears this mark doesn’t denote anything specific at all. So I have Starswirl’s star, symbolic of the ideals and dreams I inherited from his meteor; I also have a great sword, which as you said, is symbolic of sacrificing safety to put my full strength into achieving a goal. What does this mean?”

Twilight offered a possible explanation. “Maybe this cutie mark is saying that, for the sake of realizing Starswirl’s ambitions, you must give your all to make the unity of our countries come true!”

Twilight, this is both a blessing, and a curse. I’m blessed to be given such power, but at what cost? What defenses will be taken from me to realize Starswirl’s dream?

Then Twilight approached me with another thought. “Tom, that name doesn’t seem to suit you the way you are now. Ponies are usually given names that resonate well with their discovered talents. Applejack works at the apple orchard with her family, Rarity creates exotic dresses and collects rare gemstones, Rainbow Dash is a quick flier, and her mane and tail look just like a rainbow. They all have cutie marks that reflect their names.”

I took a look at my cutie mark, and understood my inheritance. The new name I would take on could not have been clearer to me. Twilight smiled up at me, understanding I had just considered a name.

“Twilight, I carry the hopes and ambition of my progenitor, Starswirl. I will battle to make his dream become a reality. From now on, you may call me Starsword."

12: Giefan

Chapter 12: Giefan

The old order has been in power for multiple centuries, and the Griffon Kingdom has remained strong through it all. Besieged by many foes, including the Changelings, Lunar Republic, and rogue griffons from the eastern nests; this Kingdom has endured through harsh climates of war and rebellion. But this time, it may not last.

King Gilgar once stood tall as a humble, gallant ruler over the land. But one day, many centuries ago, his magic corrupted him and his decisions, turning the empire from one that strived for peace through power into a nation that bloodlusts for territory and enslavement of its victims. All is not well.

I am Giefan, and I just recently rose up the ranks to become a lieutenant of the Kingdom’s 2nd Airborne Infantry Division. They used my physical strength and intelligence in the last insurrection well; the capital of the Kingdom, Grokant, is formidable. It rests in a sea of mountain tops carved out for tens of thousands of griffons to nest.

In the Serpent Valleys are toxic rivers saturated with iron and mercury deposits, making a land invasion impossible. The Grokant See is a refuge for our brothers and sisters who struggle with the conflict outside its natural walls. I am its protector, and the King has relied on my cunning and organizational skills for its defense.

But being around my lord for these past few months, I’ve begun to doubt my service to His Majesty. The corrupt magic he wields has indeed made us secure, but his escalating callousness towards our neighbors across the oceans concerns me. I fear a war might be started; in secret, I’ve discussed this with a couple of my most trusted lieutenant comrades, and all share equally in my worry. Perhaps the eastern territories had it right: the King’s mind is imprisoned by dark magic.

“Hey Giefan! Quiet down will ya? Don’t let them hear those words…”

“Sorry, Gilgamesh…I was being a bit loud there. I know your father wouldn’t be pleased to hear his son is planning a coup d’état.”

Gilgamesh was my equal in rank, but in status, he was the King’s lone heir to the throne. One day, Gilgamesh was going to be asked to make the flight atop the Mount Balcor. It was the same place that King Gilgar discovered a magical rock that blessed him with his magic. Gilgamesh was expected to receive the same blessing on his 20th birthday, and soon after, ascend to his princehood and receive training.

“Listen, Giefan, you know that I don’t want the throne. If it means turning into the monster my father has become, I want no part. Don’t let me fly up there, okay?”

I hesitated to answer, so I gave a firm nod. I didn’t want my best friend to risk his neck for me, but he’s already doing so by denying his crown. Suddenly, I hear the furious battering of wings approaching our corridor in the See. Two sentries approached us from the direction of the throne room.

“Lieutenants, the King requests your presence immediately.”

We made our way to the throne room with haste; the King never calls us away from our patrol unless there is a mission or immediate need to address. As we entered the room, the King was in a heated argument with his generals. A map of the Kingdom lay in front of the throne, with figurines of griffons scattered all over the eastern side of the map.

The king threw his claws into the air, and a burst of green light shot from his arms and shattered the chandelier above us. We braced our bodies, avoided getting scratched by the shards of glass.

“How in Tartarus did they defeat us? Explain yourself, my most elite commanders!”

One of the taller generals coughed and responded. “Well, sire, they produced smaller numbers, but were spirited and broke through our ranks like claws into butter. There was nothing we can do.”

The King’s glare grew murderous. “I have gifted my army with the absolute best training possible, and you fail?! It is virtually impossible to lose, and yet you find a way! Who are these griffons that they think they can…oppose ME?!”

The King began to charge his magic, and a dark haze filled the room. A quake shook us to the ground, as His Majesty’s eyes seeped out a purple and black smoke. The whole assembly screamed out in agony, with the generals begging the King to stop. The power subsided, and King Gilgar turned to us, the new members of the party.

“…My son and his friend. You didn’t tarry, that is good. I have a task for both of you. Something that these BUFFOONS aren’t capable in dealing with quickly.”

Gilgamesh and I bowed, then I responded. “How may we serve you, my King?”

“I want the both of you to travel across the sea.”

I looked up, surprised, then tucked my head down. “The…the sea, sire?”

The King motioned us to stand, and paced in front of the throne.

“Do either of you know anything about the continent beyond our shores?”

Gilgamesh called out his answer. “There are ponies over there, sir, all different kinds of them. The live in a land called Equestria. Their rulers are unicorns with wings, and they are very powerful.”

The King corrected his son. “Alicorns, my son. Alicorns rule over all of those ponies. The reason I am sending you over there is to enlist their aid. The eastern territory is becoming increasingly difficult to subdue. I believe that they have acquired magic.”

I stood up in shock. No griffon has the ability to perform magic but the King!

“You must go to Equestria, contact Princess Celestia, and request that she grant me a regiment of unicorns to combat this new threat.”

Gilgamesh stood in disbelief. “Father, how can this be?! Only you can perform magic, no other griffon in the Kingdom has this ability!”

“SILENCE. I know magic when I feel it. Somehow, there is a wielder of powerful magic in their ranks. As of this moment, they are traitors to the crown, and no longer associated with the empire. They are our enemies.”

“But Father, they are fellow griffons who are fed up with…”

The King glanced at his son with a penetrating stare. “Fed up with what, boy? You watch your words, or I may number you among my foes. You serve your King, or you perish.”

Gilgamesh bowed his head, retreating to his spot in the room. Then the both of us were dismissed.

Both Gilgamesh and I made our way out of the throne room and to our quarters. It was apparent that both of us did not want to leave the country, in fear of what might transpire during our absence.

“Giefan, this is a serious attempt at creating an authoritarian regime. He’s masking it as squashing a rebellion. But the eastern nests know the truth; they haven’t raised a claw against the King until he started razing villages!”

This is true. The King started this conflict, and lied by saying the griffons in the east had plotted to rebel. They only rebel now because they are being brutally assaulted!

“Gil. We should head to Equestria right away.”

My friend was dumbfounded. “Right now?! Without the King’s direct knowledge beforehand? You’re insane!”

I pulled out parchment. “We have his seal and dispatch. We can legally leave anytime. Plus…Equestria might help us deal with our mutual ‘problem’.”

“Giefan, you don’t believe that Celestia would help us take the King’s throne, would you? We don’t even know if these ponies have the strength to handle a task like that. Gilgar is practically invincible! He countered an invasion of a thousand changelings with a single spell!”

I pondered his line of thinking, but remained resolute. “You have been my closest comrade since I was adopted into the See. Without you and your father, I would still be abandoned in that ravine. But now that I see his reasons for keeping me were for a show of strength, I can no longer sit here while you and the rest of my people suffer! We must go.”

Gilgamesh nodded, and grinned brightly. “Then let’s fly!”

Both of us took off like lightning, and we traveled west towards the coast. Our contact in the port city of Gull was the lovely dove of a griffon, Gilda, Gilgamesh’s sister and, more importantly, the King’s daughter. She was the deputy governess of Gull, but her primary role was as the liaison to Equestria. Gilda knows Equestria more than any griffon in the Kingdom, having gone to school there as a child.

We approached the post at the summit of the outlook, and walked inside her quarters. We sensed no one inside, and Gilgamesh was concerned. His guard immediately went up.

“Giefan, you don’t think she forgot we were coming-“

Suddenly, a screech sounded, followed by Gilgamesh being tackled from above by his sister. They tumbled on the floor, struggling for leverage over the other griffon. Gilda planted her paws firmly on her brother’s shoulders, pinning him to the ground.

“Heh, still got the moves! You need to work on your strength, seeing how you can’t even best the hens of this town!”

Gilgamesh felt insulted, but cackled aloud. “Ha! Says the lady who got outmatched by a pegasus in the Cloudsdale 500! How embarrassing!”

Gilda’s eyes shifted anxiously. “Huh?! That was a fluke, and you KNOW IT!”

“Nah nah nah! Gilda is a slowpoke!” Gilgamesh continued to taunt his sister as she chased him around the room.

Gilda finally noticed the third griffon in the room. “Oh! Hey Chief!” She gave me a fist to the shoulder, her way of greeting me. I returned the gesture.

“What’s going on Gilda? Your father sent us on a mission to Equestria. I don’t-“

“Equestria?! Why would he send you all the way out there for? Is he planning something big? Boy, I can’t wait to hear about this one!” Gilda looked excited. She still held some loyalty to her father, even after his dark magic surfaced.

“Your father wants Gilgamesh and I to enlist unicorns to ally with our main front in the east. He seems to believe there is a practicing magician among the ranks of the rebellion there.”

Gilda shook her head and her mouth hung open. “But only dad can perform magic here, Gil! What the heck is this?”

Gilgamesh responded swiftly. “Sister, this is what father says, and he must be serious if he’s making us leave the Kingdom.”

“But, our father has never struggled against any other magician before. Not since his days in the Guild.” Gilda sat on all fours of her bed, looking down in a gloomy defeat.

I walked up to her bedside, and began to explain some of our thoughts. “Gilda, we know you love your father very much. I did as well, but there is something very strange about his dealings. We had never even heard of a rebellion brewing in the east, and we’ve traveled and dealt kindly with the griffons there. No seeds of bitterness were present. And now, all of a sudden, a civil war is breaking out?”

Gilda gave me an angry look. “How dare you question my father’s integrity, you piece of-“

“Stop this, sister!” Gilgamesh stepped forward in my defense. “Sister, quit denying reality: we’ve lost our father to his evil magic! We need to find a solution to this issue, and fast. He’s going to drive our people into the dirt, and they are innocent!”

Gilda squirmed and began to tear up, shouting, “Our father would never…oh, he is! He is! Why did he become this way, Gil?!”

“Sister, it was that damn meteor! He shouldn’t have touched that thing so long ago. Griffons were never meant to use magic, it just is beyond us. We don’t need it to be strong.”

“…you’re right, brother.” Gilda motioned to me. “Giefan, you are one of my closest friends, and I am glad that we found you. Please, take this.”

Gilda handed me a scroll with her seal upon it. She informed me it was a special summons given to her by a pegasus friend she had in Cloudsdale. It would permit me passage into the palace, and grant me an audience with the Princess herself. I took it and tucked it in my right pouch with care. We said our goodbyes, with Gilgamesh giving his sister a minute-long hug before taking off into the skies.

The ocean is huge. That’s as plain as can be said; the divide between the Griffon Kingdom and the land of ponies is vast. A consistent flight would take us about a day to reach the shores of Equestria. Sunset to sunset is how long it took to reach the coastline; our wings were strong, and the trip took about half of our energy. We landed in the city of Manehatten, and stopped into the customs office to check in, per Gilda’s instruction.

The pony at the desk fumbled his pen, and stared at the two of us. “Griffons! We haven’t had your kind in our building for almost a year! Welcome to Manehatten!”

I replied to the secretary. “Thank you, sir. We have a summons from Princess Celestia to meet her in Canterlot. Could you please show us a map, so we can fly there?”

The secretary coughed and chuckled. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that. All foreigners are restricted from air travel across the continent unless giving expressed instructions from the Princess. You have to take the train.”

I frowned deeply, but accepted his terms. “Very well, where is the station?”

Just outside of the customs office was the east station to take us to Canterlot. Both of us silently climbed onto the train car, and soon after, we departed from Manehatten. It was incredible how quickly we arrived in Equestria, considering very few griffons are permitted to leave the country.

According to the map, we exited a dark tunnel and appeared between the Neighagra Falls and Foal Mountains, and Canterlot was in the distance. The sun began to set behind the mount Canterlot rest upon, and the sun shone a dark red aura around the city. The sights in this land enchanted me, causing within me a bit of jealousy; we had nothing this grand or beautiful in our country outside of the tallest mountain tops and the beaches. Everything was magnificent and regal in Equestria, and I understood why the King kept griffons from traveling here: who would want to leave?

The train entered Canterlot’s system of mountain tunnels, and we shortly arrived at Canterlot Station. Our exit of the train was greeted by a vibrant nightlife, with ponies scattered across the city enjoying their late night activities. Restaurants were filled to the brim, stores were struggling to transact their customers; it was self-indulgence in the most radical sense.

Our trek to the castle was only stalled by the massive throngs of ponies that saturated the city streets. We finally arrived at the castle gates, where two Royal Guards blocked our entry onto the castle grounds.

“Sorry, but official business must take place during daylight hours only. I apologize for the convenience.” The two guards returned to attention in front of the gate.

I replied to them. “But sirs, it is really urgent we speak with Her Royal Highness right away.”

The sounded a similar response. “Daylight hours only. Please leave.”

I pulled out the official summons, and showed it to one of the guards. He received it, and read it over, then suddenly shook violently and fumbled with his spear.

“What’s wrong, Mythril?!”

“This-this-this-this-this-“ The other guard swiped the summons from his hand.

“Kuh…KING GILGAR. But what does he want with us?!”

“Obsidian, warn the Princess immediately!” The other guard left for the inner castle grounds in a flash.

I pointed at Mythril, the remaining guard. “Excuse me! What is the meaning of this?!”

“We haven’t heard communications from King Gilgar in over three hundred years! He is deemed a threat to the safety of Equestria, as are you two who represent that king!”

A threat?! Why did they see the King as a threat? I know that he’s evil now, but before he was merciful and just. What happened between him and Equestria that caused this?

Obsidian returned frantically, motioning the guard to open the gates. With hesitation, Mythril opened the gates to the castle, allowing us passage.

“You both go straight to the Princess, and nowhere else. You will be watched.”

Gilgamesh and I entered the palace, where we discovered an ornate array of royal artifacts and jewelry. The stained glass windows featured a history of the many conflicts in the land, and every corridor was lit with torches, helping us find our way to the throne room. The doors loomed over us, taunting our steps and intimidating us. Gilgamesh couldn’t move, and I had a hard time lifting my paw to open the doors.

“Giefan, what’s wrong?”

I stared at him, mockingly. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with you, wittle kitten? You can hardly move with quaking!”

Gilgamesh shoved me aside, and opened the doors. Inside stood the Princess, off of her throne, chatting calmly with her scribe and two guards, likely about the summons they had received. The scribe took our parchment, and blew into it, dissolving it into a green smoke. They noticed our entry, and the guards stood in front of the Princess, ready to defend her.

Princess Celestia brushed between her guards as they looked at her, fearful of her approach. She lifted a hoof at them to stop, and they relented. Then she addressed her griffon guests.

“Good evening, gentlecolts. What business does the Griffon King have with Equestria?”

Gilgamesh addressed her first. “Your Highness, I am the King’s son, Gilgamesh, and this is my friend and fellow lieutenant, Giefan.”

Princess Celestia shifted her gaze to me, and I shifted on my paws. Then she whispered, “Giefan…so you’ve come.”

I peered into her eyes. “Do…did you know I would come?!”

Gilgamesh looked as surprised as I was. “Wait, what’s going on, Your Highness?”

“Sirs, I’ve been expecting a visitation from you griffons for many centuries. Your timing could not have been more providential. It is time for Gilgar to atone for his crimes, and you two are the ones that will help me bring him to justice.”

##NULL##

13: Giwgást

Chapter 13: Giwgást

Her foreknowledge of our arrival to Equestria baffled me. One thing that I learned from Gilgamesh during our time in the Airborne is that the alicorns may be extremely powerful, but they certainly are not deities. Omniscience is not an attribute any of them possess, nor is it something that they grasp at in desperation.

But like Gilgamesh, I was not satisfied with this scenario, I needed more information.

“Princess, it is all well and good that you are calm and collected in regards to our arrival. But how could you have possibly-“

The Princess brought out a white scroll, worn from being unraveled multiple times. She began to read its contents aloud, and the words she strung together sounded like a poem.

“Sirs, this prophecy was Starswirl the Bearded’s 5th cosmic prophecy. It foretells of a ‘rock’ that will descend, bringing with it a frightening change. But the subject of this prophecy will be released from his burden, and will call my land his refuge. I believe that one of you is the subject of this prophecy.”

Gilgamesh was visibly distraught at this news. “I refuse to be a subject of ANYTHING that venomous monster wrote! Count me out!”

I went to comfort Gilgamesh. “Gil, now isn’t the time to bring up your misgivings. These prophecies aren’t to be-“

“Taken LIGHTLY? I know, Giefan, but to be named as a predestined hero by that clown is an insult to my heritage!”

The Princess began to roll up the scroll, tuck it into her scribe’s bag, and walked over to my friend.

“Gilgamesh. Your father’s condition is not your fault, nor is it his. Starswirl has already suffered enough-“

“That viper hasn’t suffered enough! My father was corrupted by that foolish wizard! It wasn’t his rock to touch!”

The Princess cried out. “I KNOW! You don’t think I’ve played that day over and over throughout the centuries?! I didn’t know Starswirl would be capable of being that reckless. I regret sending him there every day, knowing now what heartache it is causing your people. But I can’t take it back!”

Gilgamesh fell silent, crushed by the genuine pain in the Princess’ tone. I remember when Gil and I had first been assigned together at the Grokant See; his admiration for his father was to the point of worship. In everything, Gilgamesh wished to be like his father. Until the conflict surfaced with the eastern side of the Kingdom; that was when Gil, for the first time in his life, began to doubt his father’s will.

Ever since innocents started piling onto the casualty lists, his bitterness for his father’s deeds grew and boiled inside. One time, he even wanted to hasten his ascent to the meteorite, gain his power, and make a quick work of King Gilgar before his corruption deepened further. But not long after that thought, the King placed sentries around Mount Balcor to protect the rock at the top. It became inaccessible, and so the plot to usurp the throne through the citizenry began to coalesce.

Gilgamesh quieted down and addressed Princess Celestia again.

“I didn’t want this, any of it, Your Highness. I know that I can’t excuse my father’s actions, and yet…I can’t excuse the ignorance of Starswirl. His childish prodding and recklessness got my father cursed with that magic. He’s had to live for centuries as an immortal, and feel his heart slowly rot to the core. Only now has the darkness planted its roots firmly in his brain. He’s insane.”

Princess Celestia placed a hoof on Gilgamesh’s shoulder, reassuring him. “I will do my very best to ensure that he won’t have to suffer anymore, Prince. For the moment, however, we need to figure out how to approach this coup d’état that you are planning. You mentioned another magician among the ranks of the eastern griffons.”

“Yes,” replied Gilgamesh.

“Do you have any leads as to who this ‘magician’ might be? A griffon? A unicorn?”

Gilgamesh looked puzzled for a moment. “Why would a unicorn be in cahoots with a rebellion of griffons?”

I chimed in a possible explanation. “It would make the most sense. If the rock on Mount Balcor is the only source of magic in the Kingdom, then it can’t be possible for a griffon to have its power. It would need to be a foreigner who possessed magic from the get-go.”

Then Gilgamesh challenged me. “Giefan, if what you say is true, then that means Equestria has been roped into a world war!”

“Not necessarily.” The Princess walked in front of Gil. “I’ve thought about the prophecy, and remembered there was a unicorn that visited my palace a couple weeks ago. The prophecy manifested shortly after his arrival; his name is Tom.”

My gaze scattered all over Princess Celestia’s face. “You mean to say that there is another who the prophecy could be about? But you said you thought it was one of us.”

“Starswirl was never too clear in his works about the ‘who’ and the ‘where’. But it can’t be a coincidence that you arrive here very soon after his appearance. Tom hasn’t existed in the world for maybe short of a month.”

Gilgamesh and I stood back, astounded. “What do you mean?! You’re saying this unicorn is only a month old?!”

The Princess laughed out loud. “Not quite, Giefan. He is not from our world, but from the far depths of space.”

Gilgamesh threw his paws into the air, frustrated. “This is nonsense, complete nonsense! My people need me, and now some space magician is the key to my Kingdom’s future? Ha!”

I sympathized with the Prince’s agitation. “That does sound off, Your Highness. Where is this ‘Tom’ now?”

“He is under the care of my protégé, Twilight Sparkle. He is receiving training in the art of magic, and will soon join your fight.” The Princess shifted a little where she was standing.

I pressed her further. “Then what off this mysterious magician? Did you send a unicorn to the Griffon Kingdom?”

The Princess shook her head. “The only pony to have ever traveled to your lands in the past few centuries was Princess Luna, and that was shortly after she was restored to her original self. It was a diplomatic mission to reacquaint herself with the Griffons. Obviously, the society has changed; Gilda mentioned that rumors of war were spreading across the Kingdom a few months ago when she last visited. I guess that is why you’ve come; war is upon you.”

“The Prince and I were sent to enlist aid for the King in combating the rebellion. However, our consciences are in a snare. We do not agree with the throne, and intend on abandoning it once we return.”

The Princess waved her hoof in front of us. “Don’t bother trying to return.” Her magic activated, and she produced another scroll containing a dispatch from the Griffon Kingdom. It showed our images and a bounty for our deaths.

“GIL! This is US! The King found out about your coup! It even says that your princehood is up for grabs as a reward!”

Gilgamesh became flustered, and then out of breath. He collapsed and heaved his chest up and down, trying to compose himself.

The Princess hovered over Gilgamesh. “Prince, you know what this decision was going to cost you. But the reward for succeeding is a people free of his looming dark magic; a people free to act on their consciences as you both have done. Can you follow through?”

The Prince shook his head furiously, and glanced over to me. I frowned and gave him a proper glare. He hesitated, and then shook his head in affirmation. Celestia smiled, and warmly pat Gil’s head.

“Then you must make haste to the eastern shores of your kingdom immediately. I sent a sealed note to Gilda via owl. Only she knows of where I’m going to send you. I cannot guarantee that you’ll be welcomed by the rebellion.”

I shook my head in confusion. “Princess, I don’t understand. How are we going to make it to the east without being seen?”

She directed us to a wall adjacent to her throne. All three of us stood next to her throne as she channeled energy into her horn. The aura then turned into a beam, and shot into a blank panel, which gradually lit into a griffon-shaped lock. A section of the wall slid open, and Celestia motioned us inside the room.

As we climbed down the staircase, I heard my steps echo into the dark chamber we were entering. The Princess stomped her hoof twice, and the entire complex lit up, featuring nothing but a stone arch on the far end of the room. We flew down to the arch, and engraved on it was the phrase “Griffon Gateway.”

“Princess, what is this exactly?”

“Giefan, Gilgamesh, this is how you all will be traveling to the Griffon Kingdom. I have multiple gateways established throughout the planet which allow me to travel instantaneously to different places. This takes incredible magical energy to use these, which is why I fly most of the time.”

Gilgamesh stared at the arch. “Umm, where exactly in the Griffon Kingdom does this take us?”

Celestia frowned. “The eastern coastline, to the other capital city of Giwgást.”

Gilgamesh screeched loudly at the prospect of entering the eastern capital, and drew out his talons. I had to step in front of him to prevent a fight.

“Gil! This is serious! Do you WANT your father to kill any more innocents?! He doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore!”

“Shut up, Giefan! I don’t want to lay a paw in that vile place.”

“But you haven’t even been to their cities; you’ve only seen them in conflict and war! You are their Prince as much as you are mine, they need compassion now.”

“…I know, Giefan. My father has always raised me believing that they wanted nothing more than to take the throne. But I realized a while ago that all he was trying to accomplish was to protect his own claim to power. He’s ruled for many centuries, and I…it’s time his reign ended, friend.” Gilgamesh stepped forward to face the arch.

“Thank you, Giefan. I’m worried about your sister as well. She can’t have her paws in two worlds for very long. We may face her in combat soon; have you tried to convince her to leave her post as deputy governor?”

Gilgamesh struggled to speak. “I…I talked a short while to her…but she…”

I placed a paw on his shoulder. “We’ll go back there, send a courier her way, and-“

The Princess interjected. “That’s been taken care of, gentlecolts. We have a message for her being sent; hopefully, she’ll understand the predicament you all are in at the moment. But for now, it is time for you to go. Please, wear these.”

Celestia gave both Gilgamesh and I chest plates, with the crest of the sun, and in front of the suns was the seal of Giwgást. We both stood in front of the arch, fully clothed in our armor, as the Princess channeled energy into the portal. The stone arch lit up, and a vortex appeared in the entry path. Then it stopped rotating, and a wave of energy fell like a curtain, sitting still in the air. We made our way into the portal, and instantly, we found ourselves in a dark room, unable to see anything.

“…”

“Prince! Prince! Where did you go?”

“I’m near you, Giefan! This room is void of light, we can’t see a thing. If only we had a little-“

The entire room suddenly flashed into view, and we were surrounded by heavily armored griffon guards. We were standing in the throne room of Giwgást, with their council standing away from the table, all with ferocious expressions, ready for battle. The guards inched closer to us as Gil and I stood back-to-back; there was no escape from this room.

“Gil, why would Celestia send us to their THRONE room of all places?!”

“Excuse me, are you referring to ‘Princess’ Celestia?” One of the councilmen inquired, as the guards began to retract their spears. The councilman that addressed us stood in front of both of us.

I replied to him. “Yes, sir. Princess Celestia opened the portal from Canterlot, and helped us get to the eastern shores. We never thought the archway here would be in your castle, much less the throne room!”

Gil then introduced himself. “Council, my name is Gilgamesh. I am the crown prince of the Griffon Kingdom and on behalf of my father…”

The whole council’s collective hair stood on end and they squawked their disapproval before Gilgamesh finished.

“…I want to apologize deeply for his actions. We are here to assist in the destruction of Grokant and its despot.”

That’s when the council stood in awe at Gil’s words, utterly shocked that the Prince would actually be siding with the rebellion.

“Wuh-wait, son! Are you saying you both came here to side with US?! You realize that treason is a death sentence, even for you, Prince.”

Gilgamesh shook a little, but replied firmly. “Yes. I have weighed the cost, and I consider your lives and the lives of all griffons worth dying to protect. I figured out something in thirty years of living that my father doesn’t understand in hundreds of years of life: self-sacrifice bears greater fruit than sacrificing others. I won’t stand for his bloodlust anymore.”

The council looked at each other, and nodded in some sort of cryptic agreement to something. All of them motioned Gilgamesh to the table, where he sat at the head. I sat to his right, and all of us immediately began to discuss the current state of affairs with each combat regiment. But something troubled me that had not been addressed: the mysterious magician.

“Excuse me.” I motioned to the councilman, who introduced himself as Gent.

“Yes, Sir Giefan.”

“We learned from the King that among your ranks was a certain individual who possessed magical ability. Who is that?”

The council twitched at our knowledge of the magician. Gent stood up and addressed the subject.

“I see nothing escapes Gilgar. Very well. Would you both like to meet him?”

Both Gil and I nodded, and the three of us flew out of the council chamber, and out of the castle. Below us was the Giwgást castle town, very similar to Canterlot in that there were many restaurants and luxury markets to purchase goods. The city itself was void of activity due to the war, so our presence went relatively unnoticed.

Gent gave notice to our breast plates. “Say, did Celestia give those to you two.”

“Yes, sir, she did. It was meant to establish accord with the people of Giwgást upon our arrival to the city…but we ended up in the chamber.”

Gent nodded, and we flew up into the mountains. In the shadow of the tallest mountain was a wide-mouthed cave; outside of it, we saw a few tents set up with tables of food scraps. There appeared to be no occupants in the tents.

We entered the cave with a couple lit torches, and the light exposed an array of complex tunnel systems. Gent took us down the far right tunnel, and after a short walk, we appeared in an open room lit front to back with torches. Sunlight entered the room through a small crevice in the back left portion of the cave roof, and exposed in the sunlight was a cloaked figure meditating in front of a mirror.

The figure twitched at our entry, and turned to face us, his hood covering his face.

Gent stepped forward. “Sir, these two griffons wish to meet you. I have given them permission to see you.”

“…very well. What are your names?”

“My name is Giefan, and this is Prince Gilgamesh. We want to help you.”

The figure sighed. “We don’t need your help; you’ve done enough damage to this side of the empire already.”

“But-“

The figure leapt from his seated position, and fell on all fours before us. I noticed his hooves as he touched down.

“Celestia was right; you’re a unicorn!”

“So…the Princess remembered me. I’m glad I’m still in her thoughts.”

The figure removed his cloak, revealed his entire appearance to us. Gent nodded and smiled, and we stood still, taking in the sight. The pony had gray fur, a long white beard, and wore a blue mage cap and cloak with constellations and a moon. The identity of this pony was unmistakable, and Gilgamesh knew it too well, appearing ready to attack the magician.

“I’m glad you both came to Giwgást. Prince Gilgamesh, please do me no harm, it won’t help your father or yourself by starting a brawl.”

The Prince loosened his talons. “But, you are not supposed to even be around anymore! You died! You’re a dead pony; dead ponies don’t get resurrected.”

The magician stood and gave us a small grin. “What if I told you that Princess Celestia has kept my presence secret for over three centuries? What if she allowed me safe passage into Giwgást very recently? What if I never died? I can entertain you the whole day with these questions, but the reality is I am here. Prince…” The magician bowed to Gil. “…I have returned to atone for my sin. I caused your father’s despair, and I alone am responsible for his current state of mind. Please use me as you will.”

Gilgamesh started to tear up, and fell before the magician. “St-Starswirl, I was wrong about you. You are not a viper, and you are not a monster. You honor me with your words, and I can’t help but despise you inside; it’s what I’ve been taught. All of these years, and father never once described you in an endearing fashion.”

I stood next to Gil. “Gilgamesh…”

He looked to Starswirl with a beaming confidence I’ve never seen before. “Starswirl, I forgive you. We will take down my father, and save him from the darkness. Please lend me your power, and I will see this through to the end.”

14: Deliverance

Chapter 14: Deliverance

Starswirl embraced us so quickly, knowing who we were, and how much we watched the King descend into chaos and bloodlust. What shocked me even more was the returning gesture of my life-long friend, Gil; it wasn’t possible for him to change his mind so quickly after all that he had heard from his father about Starswirl. I had to confront him soon to gauge his authenticity, but not now.

After we exchanged our goodbyes, Gent, Gilgamesh and I made haste to the castle before nightfall, to avoid watchful eyes. Being fully armored would shelter our identities, and a good thing, too; Gilgamesh is seen in the same light as King Gilgar is in the eastern territories. Both are hated as vehemently; the King because of his atrocities, and his son, the heir, because he shares his blood. For them to know that the son of the ‘Blood King’ were in their midst would be catastrophic to our common cause.

Gilgamesh approached me as we landed in the throne room.

“Hey, Giefan, can we talk real quick? There’s something I’ve been considering.”

I looked at my friend with concern. “Sure thing, Gil, what’s on your mind?”

Gilgamesh stared at the ground, and dug at it with his paw. “My sister hasn’t returned the courier that the Princess sent. I’m worried that father found out about her treachery in aiding our silent departure to Equestria. We should find her.”

“But it isn’t safe for us to fly into there now! We are marked as traitors by your father. Do you understand what you’re asking me to do?”

He shifted his gaze upward and began to tear up. “Giefan, my sister is in danger if she remains over there. Shouldn’t we at least figure out if she’s okay?”

“Gil…huh?”

The sound of flapping wings interrupted our conversation as a battalion of battered griffons landed adjacent to the council chamber. Bloodied and bruised, they ran up to Gent, who hurried to one griffon’s side.

“Mas-*COUGH*…Master Gent…”

Gent laid the griffon down lower to the ground. “Rest, my brother…Marst, what happened at Grokant?”

“He…the King is DEAD!”

Gilgamesh stood up at the news, dumbstruck by Marst’s proclamation. Every emotion at once contorted on Gil’s face as he began to process the news. He started to shiver and falter in his stance, inciting me to help keep him standing.

The King is dead? That can’t be possible! He has never lost a battle, ever! Who dealt the killing blow?

Marst began to speak again. “The King…was downed by a javelin. He couldn’t dodge it in time…Bren launched it, sir!”

A griffon stood and approached Gent and kneeled. Gent spoke to the griffon.

“Bren, you’ve done well taking down this tyrant. Thank you for besting our former King for the first…and last time.” Gent touched his beak to each of Bren’s shoulders.

Bren replied to the gesture. “You honor me, Commander. It is a privilege to serve.”

“WHY. WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?!” Gilgamesh screeched with rage at the battalion.

Gilgamesh charged at Bren, launching himself on top of his wings, immobilizing the surprised griffon. Bren started to shake his body in an attempt to remove Gil, but Gil’s grip tightened, eliciting a screech from Bren. The both of them continued this struggle for about a minute, with Gilgamesh swiping at Bren’s backside, crippling his victim blow by blow.

After Bren’s legs failed him, Gent leapt and shoved Gil off atop Bren, and pinned him to the floor. The Prince shook violently to free himself from Gent’s iron hold, but failed each time. My friend softened and wept openly for the first time after hearing the bitter news; his father was gone.

“I could have SAVED HIM! I didn’t convince him, I’m sorry, dad! Aaaaah!”

I walked up to the two griffons on the floor, and tried to comfort my friend.

“Gil…it was out of your paws. This could mean your sister is safe after all-“

“Silence, Giefan! I’m your King now, and you will do as I-“

“Actually, you are not the King, sire.” Bren recovered his breathing and addressed the Prince directly.

“You do not speak to me, slave! I answer to nobody in this congregation.”

“The ‘Queen’ now rules over the Kingdom, sire. Queen Gilda is the reigning monarch now!”

Gil went still, eyes open and mouth slightly ajar; his sister is now the Queen of the Griffon Kingdom, and we didn’t know why. She never expressed any interest in the position, and being the oldest sibling, in our land, she is the rightful successor. But her rejection of the crown placed the burden of training and condition on Gilgamesh, the future King. So why did she accept the crown so suddenly?

“I…” Gil slowly rose from the ground, Gent releasing his grip. “I…need to return to Grokant. If my sister really is ruling, then she can convince the Kingdom to forfeit this blunderous purge for good. We can finally end this!”

I placed my paw on Gil’s chest. “Wait. Gil, we have no idea what kind of reception we will receive. She might still be grieving, and they’ll have her well-guarded. We are fugitives.”

Barst approached Gil and bowed. “My lord, you will find little resistance at the See. They drove us far back towards our side of the mountains, and should still be fighting the main front. If you sneak from the southern caps, you’ll reach your sister in one piece.”

Gil sighed and saluted Barst. “I’m glad to have you, Barst. Thank you for your perceptiveness.” Barst returned the salute and tended to his soldiers.

Gilgamesh and I departed southwest to sneak past the main fronts and enter Grokant. We would definitely be spotted by any sentries, but both of us clocked in as among the fastest fliers in the empire. No griffon will catch us today.

After a few hours, the capital made it into view, and a tailwind swept us even closer to our target. The outer sentries took immediate notice to our arrival, and scrambled to knock us down. Our agility out-classed the sentries as we peeled to the left, dodging their talons and bursting forward into the See. Guards lined the hall leading to the throne room, and we made haste past most of the twenty.

One of the final guards threw himself at me, and I crashed into a side wall. I screamed out, feeling my back legs slam into the stone; the guard let out a fury of scratches against my belly. I quickly elbowed the guard in the throat, relieving my stomach of further damage, as Gil took out the remaining guards. The two of us barreled into the doors and slammed them open, collapsing in the middle of the room, out of breath.

My breathing labored intensely, and the feeling of about ten spear tips nudged my body. The feeling quickly left as the royal sentries retreated from their positions surrounding Gil and I. Before us now stood a griffon fully suited in armor, her face immediately recognizable.

Gil cried out to her. “Gilda! It’s Gilgamesh!” Gil removed his helm’s mask.

“Brother! Why in the heck did you come here?! You’re an enemy to the Kingdom!”

Gil was stunned at his sister’s reply. “But…what?! We came back because we heard that father died! Did he truly?”

Gilda shuffled back and stared at the ground. “It’s true. Dad is dead, Gil. But you shouldn’t have come here, you could have died! The whole army sees you both as traitors who started all of this.”

I squawked my protest. “But you know the truth, ‘Queen’! You know we didn’t start anything! Even our closest comrades know the truth! Your father lied to everyone.”

Gilda drew her talons and pointed them at me. “You quit piling blame on my father! He couldn’t control himself, that power…it ate away his soul. That stupid wizard, Starswirl, it’s all his fault-“

“Stop this, sister!” Gilgamesh pressed up in her face. “You know very well that dad knew what he was doing! You dare excuse him of his atrocities so easily, knowing how many griffons have died in the name of this…disastrous crusade?!”

Gilda doubled back and began to cry. “I…I…I don’t know! I don’t know anymore, Gil. He asked me to rule and finish his fight, and I…only wanted to make him happy again.”

Gil knelt and patted Gilda on her back. “Listen…I know it’s really hard to focus right now, but you need to exonerate us before everybody, and end this war. No more fighting, this is what we wanted to prevent, remember? Please…”

Gilda looked up at her brother with remorse. “I don’t want to continue this war, maybe it’s best if I-“

Suddenly, her muscles tensed and she grimaced in pain, gripping her skull. Gilda started screaming, and the room began to darken. The guards surrounding us were frightened and began to step backwards. A dark cloud began to envelop her as Gil and I stood up, watching her transformation. The cloud began to vanish as Gilda reappeared, her eyes closed and face void of any painful expression.

Gilgamesh looked over at me. “Giefan, this is really bad. If that’s what I think it is…”

Gilda opened her eyes, and they seeped black and purple smoke, like King Gilgar’s eyes when he chastised his commanders. She wailed a deafening screech and the room began to quake. Both Gilgamesh and I stood our ground, ready for an attack. Gilda then stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. Then she muttered something under her breath that we couldn’t hear.

“Sister, what is it?!” Gilda opened her eyes, and one of them appeared normal, with the other one glazed over red.

“GO! LEAVE! I don’t know how, but dad’s alive!” Gilda then shook, shutting her eyes, and continuously slammed her paws into the ground. The darkness flared up again, and she bellowed a lion’s roar, scaring everyone to the floor.

“Giefan, let’s leave, we have to get out of here, or we’ll die! Go!”

Gil lifted me off the floor, as I paced away, stunned by the show of power from Gilda. We escaped the Grokant See as the throne area of the fortress glowed and smoke poured out of the windows. Griffons scattered from the See as Gilda’s power began to shake the foundations of the See, causing sentry towers to collapse against the mountainside. We fled southward back the way we entered the capital, still reeling from our experience. I wanted to comfort Gil badly, but I myself was in disbelief by the series of events.

Where did that power come from, and why did she say her father was not dead?

“Giefan, you know what’s happened. Somehow, my father lives through Gilda, and is corrupting her even now. Soon…”

I looked over to my flying partner in distress. “It can’t be that Gilgar is inside of her…that’s just, oh…”

The entire flight back was painful, our thoughts constantly shifting between the prospects of my longtime friend being held captive by evil, and the reality that Gil’s father was beyond reformation of his lustful desire for power. What was going to happen to her and the Kingdom, now that she was in command? Would she still carry out the campaign against the rebellion? What action should we take if we see her in battle?

Gilgamesh wasted no time reaching the throne room, disregarding his appearance in the sky as numerous griffons stared at our arrival at the castle. We touched down in the council chamber once again, and all the councilmen regarded our entrance. They stood and gave slight bows toward us, and we returned the gesture. Gent approached us from his seat, noting our grave and sullen countenances.

“Sirs, what happened? You should be in the capital right now. Did something happen?”

I shakily recounted the events in the See to Gent. “Commander, when we arrived in Queen Gilda’s throne room, she was about to pardon us of our ‘treason’, and then, she started to...the King isn’t dead, Gent. He possessed Gilda, manipulating and controlling her actions. We have no time!"

Gil shook his head and began to punch the air beside him, deeply frustrated at himself. I couldn’t say a word to him in this state, knowing how I felt; I would be doing the very same thing.

“I see…so the King is using a different vessel to win the hearts of his people. That crafty wizard, he even used his own flesh and blood to carry out his crazy schemes. I’m deeply sorry, my Prince.” Gent bowed as low as he could to the ground before Gilgamesh. Gil was not fazed by Gent’s humble show.

Then a thought popped into my head. “Gent, can we see Starswirl now? He might have an answer to how we can save Gilda and end this conflict.”

“Sir Giefan, fly with me, leave the Prince be.”

Without my friend at my side for the first time in three days, Gent and I flew to the cave where Starswirl resided. We saw the entryway into his chambers glowing, and as we entered the room, his mirror stopped glowing, and I caught the silhouette of a pony in the mirror before it shut off. Starswirl turned to us, and frowned deeply.

“I felt that energy from earlier, and its stench remains on you. Gilgar isn’t dead after all. What happened?”

“He possesses the newly crowned Queen Gilda now; she tried fighting him, but by now, he should be in total control…”

Starswirl paced the room for a couple minutes, deep in thought. After a while, he stopped in front of Gent.

“Gent, may I ask you to wait outside the cave until we’re done here?”

Gent was startled by the request, but nodded and left the room.

Why does Starswirl want to speak to me alone?

“Giefan, I just finished speaking with one of my contacts in Equestria. I wanted to ask you to go on a mission for me.”

“A mission, sir?”

Starswirl nodded and channeled his magic, revealing a map of Equestria and the Frozen North.

“My contact told me about three weeks ago, around the same time the meteor containing my magic crashed in the Galloping Gorge, a second meteor fell somewhere in the Crystal Empire. But it is in the mountains, and they don’t have any pegasus who can withstand the frigid climate. That’s why I’m asking you to investigate it.”

“Why do they want to investigate this meteor so badly? What’s special about it?”

Starswirl took off his cap and set it on a table next to him, and then removed his cloak, setting it next to his cap.

“I have no idea. But the request was made by Princess Luna herself. Outside of her, only Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, and I know of this meteor. The only thing I know about it other than the timing of its fall is that it wasn’t supposed to crash into the planet. Somepony guided the meteor to land in the Crystal Empire.”

Guiding the meteor down? But why? All of these whys, and I don’t know the right question to ask!

“Listen, Giefan, this meteor might be just as dangerous as the one that both Gilgar and I came into contact with centuries ago. Be very cautious when you find it, and don’t do anything that jeopardizes this rebellion. I cannot leave this place until everything is in place.”

“You have my word, Starswirl. I will travel to the Frozen North and figure this out.”

Starswirl sighed with relief, and relaxed on the floor. But I was not finished with him.

“Starswirl, I have a question that’s been lingering in my mind: how did you come back to life?”

Starswirl readied himself for his answer. “That first meteor I described containing all the magic I possessed at the time of my ‘death’. My spirit left my body and traveled with that magic; I never intended to do this at the time. It just happened. I assume after I passed away, Princess Celestia preserved my body somehow. Otherwise, I’d be returning to a skeleton, haha!”

“So you never died at all? You went into a rock and slept there for the past 3 centuries?”

Starswirl grinned. “Pretty much! As soon as I realized what was happening, I black out, and wake up three centuries in the future. Fortunately, nopony evil found my power. This pony, Tom, touched my meteor, and received most of my power. Of course, I have my own magic, but not as much as I once had.”

That Tom guy, Princess Celestia mentioned him and the prophecy. Hmmm…

The past two days have been the most shocking in my life; Gilgar’s immortality is in his ability to possess other griffons and force them to conform to his demands. Gilgamesh abandoning his claim to the throne, and pursuing a righteous, but dangerous path by joining the rebellion, was incredible. As for me? My convictions remain, but now I don’t know if I’m strong enough to handle what is about to come our way.

Gilda is my friend’s sister and a dear friend, and right now, I am powerless to save her.

15: Destiny

Chapter 15: Destiny

Gilgamesh stood out on the balcony adjacent to the throne room when I returned. His face was expressionless as he watched the sun set in the direction of Grokant. As the glowing star sank beneath the mountains, he began to tear up and become distraught. I quickly flew to his side, and slung my arm around his shoulders. His inner despair had no match in me; his sister being held a prisoner in her own body by a former role model in his father. How can I even begin to sympathize with him?

We stood there like that for over an hour, disengaged from the world around us. Gent approached us a couple times, but made no remarks and left us to our internal seclusion. My mind drifted to the request that Starswirl made a short time ago, for me to investigate the meteor crash in the Frozen North. According to Starswirl, the only creatures able to survive in those conditions are very powerful magicians and those like the griffons who can withstand climatic extremes. It makes sense for me to go, but the mystery is why that meteor needed to be discovered; if only a few of us knew of its existence, why not leave it derelict in the snow-capped wasteland?

Even so, Starswirl must remain at Giwgást to maintain the leverage that is needed to fight the Kingdom. Now that Gilda is in power, and possesses incredible power, that leverage might be the one thing that will delay the rebellion’s defeat.

“Gil. Are you ready to talk?”

Gilgamesh stirred from his blank stare, and gave me a nod.

“Gil, Starswirl has asked me to leave for a while. I’m heading back to Equestria, and will be traversing the Frozen North.”

Gil’s expression went to immediate surprise. “What could possibly be there that’s so important to take my best warrior away from me?” The flattery took me off guard, and I beamed with crimson cheeks.

“You’ll be fine here, Prince. The east needs the rightful King to restore his Kingdom, and you’re that King. I’ll be back sooner than you believe, I wager!”

Gil gave a small grin. “I know you will, you’ve been there for me every time I needed you. Even if it was for something stupid, like that time I got my wings caught in that crevice on Mount Balcor. You know, when I nose-dived down that valley!”

I threw myself on the floor in a fit of laughter. “That was the best thing ever. You looked so smug when you sped past all those guards, and they freaked out! Classic.”

“Ha." Gil shuffled his paws and stared into me. "Giefan, I’ll be fine when you are gone. It seems we have a very trustworthy set of allies after all. My views were jaded by my father’s misplaced anger, and I’ve learned to listen and assess more than look and judge right away. The wisdom that these griffons…even Starswirl have gifted me is humbling.”

I nodded in agreement with Gil’s conviction. These griffons have poured their hearts to us even though we are from the oppressor’s camp.

“I have to make my way over to the Frozen North now. We should step into the room.”

Gilgamesh rose and walked with me into the throne room. Standing near the archway where our Equestria portal manifested were Starswirl, Gent, Barst, and the rest of the council. Starswirl channeled his magic and activated the symbols on the arch, and the portal soon after materialized. I gave each one of them a final parting glance, nodding to each of them, and walked into the portal.

Instantly, I found myself in the empty room beyond Princess Celestia’s throne room, with the portal shutting off behind me. Standing upstairs at the outlook was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, appearing expectant of my arrival.

I walked upstairs and approached Princess Luna.

“Ma’am, it is a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face. I am-“

“Giefan, Starswirl spoke with me shortly after you had appeared in Giwgást, and had high praise for your composure. I’m sorry to hear about your friend, Gilda.” Princess Luna bowed slightly and I could have sworn a tear fell from her eye. “We are trying our best to think of a solution for her ‘father’, but we may not be able to save her.”

My face dipped at the sound of that news. “I figured as much. Still, I appreciate your efforts to try and right the wrongs of our King. He must be dealt with very soon; Gilda may not be able to withstand his influence for much longer.”

Princess Celestia motioned us out of the cave, and we appeared in her throne room, the wall shutting behind us. Scattered around the room were various books, scrolls, and maps; my bookworm senses were tingling. Griffons don’t usually make reading a hobby, so theory-driven discussion is super uncommon; we are super practical creatures. Princess Celestia then turned to me suddenly.

“Giefan, there is something you need to know before we send you up to the Crystal Mountains. If you discover anything unusual in those valleys, you should send this to us immediately.” Celestia gave me a white scroll with a vial of black liquid.

“What might this be, Princess?”

Princess Luna explained the items in question. “When you write this note, dip one or two drops of the black liquid and it will evaporate the note, forwarding it to one of us immediately, depending on the time of day. Write down anything you observe during your expedition.”

Then a thought surfaced in Celestia’s head. “Better yet, take a whole set of scrolls; document each day of your journey for us for the next two weeks. This will be the first time in many years anypony has explored the valleys of the Crystal Mountains. Having information like this would be invaluable to us.”

I sighed heavily. “Is this really necessary, ladies? Can’t I just fly in, find the rock, and leave?”

Both of the princesses exchanged a look of hesitation. Something was being hidden from me but I decided not to press further and ruffle any feathers.

“…alright. I will do as you ask. But may I ask this: is this meteor like the one that Gilgar, Starswirl, or Tom encountered?”

Luna responded quickly. “Not at all. This particular meteor was not meant to hit the planet. It was forced to impact the planet by somepony deliberately. Its flight path did not collide with Equestria or any other nation.”

“Then who is responsible for this?”

Luna turned her head to the left, staring outside as rain clouds appeared above Canterlot. “Our suspicion has always been King Gilgar. He knows just as much about the prophecies and predictions as we do, since he had unlimited access to that information during his time in the Magician’s Guild. He could have anticipated it being Starswirl, but luckily, he picked the wrong meteor.”

That’s a relief to hear! Starswirl could have been destroyed, but luck is on our side; I suppose it was a 50/50 chance, anyways.

Princess Celestia stood forward to speak. “Giefan, it is time for you to make your way to the Frozen North. Starswirl said that the meteor that fell might be the key to defeating King Gilgar for good. Or rather, Queen Gilda…that’s still strange to say, I’ve known that hatchling since she was born.”

“I will find that meteor, ma’am, do not worry.”

[DAY 1]

After leaving the castle in Canterlot, I made my way to the southern border of the Crystal Empire. The mountains came into view later in the evening as I passed by Cloudsdale and Neighagra Falls. As the sun had set, I made camp near Crystal Lake, north of the falls. The water here is pure, considerably healthy to drink. I made sure I stocked up on it before my trek into the mountains; I could need it.

[DAY 2]

The mountains were trembling as I flew into the arctic cold. This time of year, it was not uncommon for brief tremors to shake the landscape; because of this, I kept watch for any freak avalanches. My time in the Griffon Kingdom definitely lent itself to my experienced caution in this mountain range. Honestly, I had no idea what exactly to look for, or where to start; everything is buried in snow and ice! Some digging into the ground needed to be done, so I started with apparently massive piles of snow. The object had to be large, so it took some time to unearth each pile.

[DAY 3]

Still nothing of interest in these mountains after a few days, but the sun is finally out after a couple days of overcast weather. Celestia’s sun is melting away much of the surface snow, and underneath is a lush field of grass that sprung up as the day progressed. This must be a rare sight, according to your replies, because for a set of valleys that never sees light, this day completely breaks that trend. Sunlight can grace these mountains after all.

[DAY 4]

The blizzard came out of nowhere, and now lightning strikes are making this journey extremely dangerous. I had to travel to a cave nearby for shelter and avoid the gusts’ threatening chills. Thus far, no meteor sightings, and I have explored much of the border between the Crystal Empire and Equestria. Tomorrow it will be time to explore the inner depths of the mountains, where more severe weather should follow.

[DAY 5]

Princesses, I’m quickly writing this so that you’ll know I’m trapped beneath multiple layers of snow and rock. Luckily, a cave is granting me a tolerable amount of space to lie down and breathe, but for the moment, the avalanches have rendered me unable to escape. I’ll keep you posted; the snow and ice should melt a bit in a couple of days.

[DAY ???]

Time feels like it has passed slowly, and the snow is now frozen solid. The storm must be persisting longer than expected, but you should not worry about me. I can subsist on my supplies for a couple days longer, and the storm should pass. I don’t know how many days it has been since I got trapped, but it couldn’t have been more than a few. Keep me in your prayers.

[DAY 10]

Thank you for the update, Princesses. The snow melted a bit, and I dug my way out and continued my search. Today, the skies were overcast, but enough light made the expedition much easier than it had been. I traveled farther north and deeper into the mighty peaks of the Crystal Mountains. I have this odd feeling that I’ll find what we are looking for soon. Something keeps tugging on my heart.

The mountains howled in reply to my every step as the winds became more turbulent on the ground. Flying was no longer an option, and the only thing keeping me grounded were my claws. It took incredible lower body strength to grip the ground and persist, moving at a slug’s pace across the frozen turf.

Gil, I will find this meteor and make it back, I promised you. I won’t let this cold defeat me. I must find it. I resolve to stay here as long as it takes.

The entire day was filled with resisting the fierce, frigid drought. Eventually, the snow stopped, but the winds persisted; my face built up ice on my cheeks and beneath my eyelids. I had trained for these conditions someday, yet I wish it was not alone. If I black out here, I may never wake up from my arctic slumber.

The shadows of the peaks grew and overtook my path, lowering the surface temperature considerably. I felt my legs start to give way, and I surrendered to their will, falling to my knees. I had reached my limit, so I frantically reached for my quill and notes to send an S.O.S. As I was writing, however…

*buzz* *crack* *spark*

What was that noise? What in the-?!

A small sparking noise came from my right as I discovered a large mound sitting about 50 feet away from me, sparking with something that looked like little lightning bolts. The mound was humming softly, and I continued to write my note:

[DAY 11]

Princesses, it has come to a close. I tried my best to find the meteor you tasked me with unearthing. But my body has finally given way to the cold, and I must resign to my fate. I cannot move anymore; I’m on my knees here ready to depart from this world. And I’m scared; frightened for my dear friend, Gilgamesh, who I’m afraid will act rash at the news of my death. So please, comfort him as much as you are able, and prevent his descent into blind rage…

…wait a second. I found something. Send a party to the location I’ve marked on the note. It’s right here, I see the meteor! I’m wiping the snow away and- I found it! Don't tarry.

After crawling over to the meteor, I wiped away the snow covering it. I felt a chilly hard substance on the surface, and it was smooth: this wasn’t like the other meteorites I had seen in the Kingdom. The surface of the meteorite was chrome and perfectly smoothed out, no dips or crevices, no valleys and craggy indentations. Not a meteorite at all from what I gathered.

What in the heck is this thing? It’s not a rock at all!

There was a piece of the object sparking, and so I wiped the ice off around the spot. There were these red, blue, and black strings with copper inside them sparking, and adjacent to the exposed sparks was a word I hadn’t noticed before. Etched on the surface of the object was one word: ‘DESTINY”.

“Destiny.” Suddenly, the meteorite shook in response to my voice, and I leapt away in fright. A piece of the object opened up and revealed an entrance inside; I hesitated, but resolved to walk inside. The inner parts of the object were foreign and void of comfort for me; the layout appeared to be like that of a ship. I was walking in the captain’s quarters, which contained a desk and a bed, with everything framed with aluminum and steel.

Walking up a ladder, I found myself in what appeared to be a bridge, with a view outside of the ship. I saw a good part of the valley I had just traveled outside of the window, with parts of the glass covered with ice. Suddenly, the bridge lit up, and the window blinked, showing a set of unreadable characters and numbers speeding across my line of sight. Then a voice sounded throughout the bridge:

CAPTAIN’S LOCATION STILL UNKNOWN - CONTINUING PLANETARY SWEEP

“I see you found the meteor.” I turned and facing me was Starswirl the Bearded and Princess Celestia.

“Sir, ma’am, what are you doing here? I thought you were sending a search party to me, not actually coming here yourselves!”

Starswirl chuckled a bit, but returned to his newfound curiosity for the vessel.

“Never in my life did I perceive this type of technology actually existed. So this must be that ship you said Tom mentioned, Celestia.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed, Starswirl, this ship is his. I remember the layout from looking inside of his memories. Which means…?”

The Princess pressed a couple of buttons on the panel in front of the window, and a door opened to our left. A set of words appeared above the door that said ‘MEDICAL WING’. All of us entered the hallway leading to the medical wing of the craft, and we entered an open room with a table and machine hanging above us. It was adorned with various instruments: scalpels, forceps, syringes and stitching needles.

A panel on the wall lit up, and the same voice from the bridge announced:

RECOVERY TIME FOR PATIENT JONAH: 7 MONTHS REMAINING

A wall became exposed, and a strange creature lay limp inside of the wall. A heart monitor showed his heart rate as erratic at best, dropping and picking up speed intermittently.

“Holy cow, what kind of animal is that, Your Highness?!”

Princess Celestia sighed deeply. “So…this is his ‘Jonah’. Tom’s friend.”

Tom’s friend, Jonah?! So he’s not a pony? But how is that even possible, I’ve never seen anything like this! What is going on here?!

“I demand answers from both of you, now. This is no accident that you’ve sent me here. Tell me everything. NOW.”

Starswirl twitched a bit and gave me a grave stare. “This creature in the casing will die in 7 months if we take too long in overthrowing Queen Gilda.”

Princess Celestia chimed in next. “That is correct. Tom is not from this world, but from beyond the stars in the sky. If he cannot master his magic and overcome Gilgar’s powers, he and his friend will perish, and we will be doomed for a very long time.”

Now I’m fighting for more than just my friends and for the griffons. This creature, these ponies, they all are counting on the rebellion to succeed and for Tom to defeat Gilgar. I see now why Starswirl said this meteor was the key to defeating the King; it is what has kept Tom alive this long from the start.

“I promise…” I started to shake and shiver as the two looked to me.

Starswirl grew in concern. “You promise what, son?”

I raised my head in tears, but shouted in confidence. “I WILL defend my Griffons, I WILL save Jonah, and I WILL give my life for all of you. That is my promise.”

Starswirl smiled with acknowledgement. “I know you will, Giefan. I will be at your side when the sky falls. That is my promise.”

Celestia sounded her support. “Thank you, Giefan, Starswirl. I will lend my aid however I can. That is my promise.”

At once, the ground shook as a lightning bolt struck the mountains. The valley echoed the crack of the bolt for miles, and carried our resolve across the land. To our left, a monitor flashed, and our attention turned to it. The room darkened, and red sirens blared throughout the ship. The screen was read aloud to us by the voice:

CAPTAIN FOUND – VOICE SIGNATURE 98% CONFIRMED – SENDING PROBES TO RETRIEVE CAPTAIN

Oh no! Tom can't leave! This is disastrous!

16: Gauntlet

Chapter 16: Gauntlet

11 days earlier…

“Hold still, Tom! It won’t fit if you keep struggling, darling!”

“I’m choking on spandex, Rarity! How do you expect me to react-GAH!”

“Sorry, sorry, sorry! Let me just…oh, sit STILL, would you, pumpkin?”

“PUMPKIN, I’m not your boyfriend, Rar-oh God...this hurts…”

“Perfect! Take a look, To-I mean, Starsword!”

I looked in the mirror, checking out the results of an insane five minute struggle to fit me with a bodysuit. The shape turned out really nice for a black bodysuit that Rarity designed to withstand intense magical energy. Twilight told me that today’s practice would involve combat training; in order to prepare for a battle against King Gilgar. Unfortunately, that experience involved absorbing energy attacks and becoming acclimated to pain.

It has been a few days since I received my cutie mark and renamed myself Starsword. The ponies who have known me for a while are finding the adjustment…difficult. Especially Rarity, who was ogling at her ‘masterpiece’; her stares were very discomforting.

Rarity clasped her hooves to her cheeks. “That’s simply marvelous, To-uhh, Starsword! The cutie mark and the suit go well together.”

“Thank you for taking the time out of your day to make this for me. It’ll be extremely helpful when Twilight completely destroys me later.”

“Nonsense, darling!” Rarity tossed her hoof to the side. “You’ll handle her just fine.” Then she gave me a quick wink, and I turned around to walk out of the boutique, blushing.

You just have no self-control, do you, Tom? *sigh*

As I made my way into town, I stopped by Pony Joe’s doughnut shop to pick up a new flavor, the Zap Apple Shocker. Chewing into the jelly monster, I instantly felt a couple jolts of electricity travel up my spine; now I was wide awake, and acutely aware of everything. That’s when I noticed a strange sensation smack me in the back of the head. And…what?

“…”

“…HEY! You there. Wake up. I have a few questions for you.”

A bright light shone into my face as I cracked my eyes open, looking around at a dark, empty room. A pony with pink curly hair wearing a bodysuit like mine, a pair of goggles, and a green baby alligator on her tail began to interrogate me.

“Where were you on the 6th Friday of last month?”

I thought about this peculiar question for less than a moment. “There is no 6th Friday on any month!”

I received a smack to the face by her hoof. “OUCH! Why’d you do that?!”

“A likely story!” the brutal pony responded. Then she directed me with another odd question. “Why have you been stalking my frie-my target, Twilight Sparkle? She’s my mission, and I can’t have anypony ruining this for me!”

“Umm…” Don’t give too much away. “I’m not stalking her, she’s my teacher.”

“Are you a spy pony, Mr. Swordstar?!”

“It’s Starsword, and how did you know my name?”

The pony smacked me again on the other cheek. “I’m answering the questions here, you fool!”

“But you’re asking ME the questions!”

The pony giggled at me. “Hee hee, silly Pinkie Spy! You’re right, you’re free to go then!” She removed her suit and goggles to reveal a pink pony with a few balloons as her cutie mark.

I pointed straight at my kidnapper. “You’re the pony who’s always working at the bakery!”

“A pony who knows me that I don’t know and have never introduced them to Ponyville with a party and snacks and a warm, warm welcome?! This is...I cannot allow this mistake to go uncorrected!” She smacked her hoof square on the other, affirming her resolve to rectify such a horrible wrong. “Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie, and I want to throw you the bestest, most spectacularific Pinkie Party in Ponyville history! Wee!”

“Uhh, Miss Pie, that won’t be necessary. I’ve been living in Ponyville for a couple weeks already. I know many of the-“

“TWO WEEKS?! How has Pinkie not known of this? I’m absolutely perfect at knowing everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville! How did you escape my notice?”

It’s time to drop all restraints, Tom. “Well, Twilight has kept me locked in that tree house of hers most of the time, so I hardly get time outside to myself. I’ve only been around town a couple times, so…”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “You mean that you live with Twilight Sparkle? And you’re receiving training on how to use the magical powers that you received when you got your cutie mark?!”

I widened my eyes at her. “Wait, how did you figure all that out about me?!”

“It’s my Pinkie sense, see?” She pointed at her back legs, as they simultaneously kicked behind her. “This tells me whenever a pony received their cutie mark recently. Isn’t that just a gem?”

No, that’s just weird…and kind of cool, to be honest.

“Well, can we have the party after the Equestrian Amateur Magicians Competition in a few days?”

Pinkie gasped again. “You mean you’re entering the Equestrian Amateur Magicians Competition? That’s exciting! I wanna go!”

Yes, that’s what I said, Pinkie. Oh dear, get me out of here…

“I need to get back to my training with Twilight right away.”

Pinkie stood aside and saluted me. “Okie dokie loki! You are free to leave, sir!”

Walking downstairs into the lobby of Sugar Cube Corner for the first, I could see why people lined up in massive numbers; everything in here was edible paradise. I took my spot at the counter, and rang the bell. An older gentlecolt approached me from the back, gifting me with a warm smile.

“Well, hello there, sir! I’m Mr. Cake, what can I get for you?”

“Do you all happen to serve…cannolis?”

Mr. Cake grinned. “Absolutely, but we-“

I wasted no time in deciding. “Give me your most delicious Florentine cannoli in stock!”

“Goodness, I haven’t even had time to prepare those; I’ll get started on it right away!” Mr. Cake scuttled off to the back, and I could hear frantic conversation happening, as a blue mare with an apron came from the kitchen.

“Oh, thank you dearie for jogging my husband’s memory! We have hardly any walk-in cannolis anymore, they’re usually ordered in bulk. The foreign minister from Ponermo received a recommendation from the Princess to order our cannolis, and we have just been so behind recently, I just…”

I gave her a thoughtful smile. “No worries, Mrs. Cake. I’m Starsword, by the way, please to meet you.”

“Oh, well it is a pleasure. You picked a wonderful flavor; glad you know your pastries!” Mrs. Cake returned from the kitchen with my heavenly treat as we waved each other goodbye.

I received a strange stare from Spike and Twilight as I devoured my precious cannoli. It was the most incredible taste of anything I’ve had since the crash; the filling and caramel was perfect, the shell was the exact crunchiness level I liked, and the chocolate chips didn’t stick in my teeth. The perfect storm of desserts was quickly decimated by my appetite. Twilight approached me, curiously pondering something.

“You took quite a while returning. Did they take that long in making your dessert?”

I shuffled my hooves, figuring out what to say about Pinkie’s ponynapping.

“Well, To-ack…Starsword? What happened?”

“Pinkie Pie happened.” I hope she understands what that means.

“Really? She would, but then again, I can’t be surprised; any new pony that dodges her gets the ‘Pinkamena’ kidnapping treatment. I’m more surprised that the Cakes and the town in general tolerate it.”

“Well, she seems nice…when she isn’t abducting random ponies from street corners. But now she knows about the competition.” It looked like the light in Twilight’s head turned on, so I pressed it further. “So, we never discussed what skills I would need in order to do well in the Amateur Magicians contest.”

“Starsword, this is a perfect time to discuss all of those. You have developed a mastery of levitation and channeling your energy already, so the next step is to train you in maintaining your power. It will be similar to channeling your energy, but instead of simply summoning it, you will be consistent in how much power is used.”

Twilight channeled her magic, and moved her cup of tea from the table to her hooves. She took a couple sips and continued. “For many spells, you don’t need a sudden burst of energy to cast; levitation is an ability that requires merely a small fraction of your power being channeled around the target object. Try it on your cup.”

Very gently, I focused on allowing a small amount of energy fill around the cup. It began to hover towards me at a snail’s pace, when her owl knocked on its wooden stand, and the cup immediately fell to the floor. I had lost my concentration, and glared at the perpetrator who shattered my tea cup.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

“Owlicious, that was very rude!” Twilight clasped Owlicious’ beak shut with her magic, and turned back to me. “Although, that was helpful in discovering how focused you were on that spell. Sometimes, there are moments where our focus gets fractured, either by a noise, an enemy spell, or even drowsiness. You have to make certain your magical energy is obedient to you at all times, or you will lose control.”

“Obedient? You are treating this magic as if it is a person- a pony, Twilight.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at me. “Starsword, magic is a projection of your willpower. If your willpower is weakened, the magic also weakens. Your will is what commands your magic, so will the magic to obey you, even if you get distracted! Try again with my cup this time.”

The magic came back into my horn as I gingerly lifted the cup from the palms of her hooves. It floated a bit quicker than last time, and then I heard a crack on the wooden walls by Twilight’s own hooves. The cup began its descent to the floor, and I screamed in my mind for it to stop falling. It hovered about 3 inches from the ground, and returned to its position mouth-level with me. I took one sip, and let the cup drop to my hooves.

“Very good, Starsword! That was much better. But you don’t have to scream to make the magic work.”

“You heard that scream in my head?” How can she just read my mind like that?

“Not precisely, but I felt your frustration that led to the magic obeying you. If you allow anger to dictate your relationship with your magic, eventually, only anger can channel it. Be gentle next time, and see what happens.”

This exercise lasted for about three days, with each day an improvement. The primary ways I kept a consistent channeling of magical energy were through contentedness, happiness, and sadness. I tried to avoid anger as much as possible, and it worked like a charm. Twilight had allowed me to start visiting the town more often each day, not merely keeping me inside the tree house or the field on the outskirts of town. Visits to Pony Joe’s, Sugarcube Corner, and other in-and-out shops became normal, as I developed a rapport with Pony Joe, the Cakes, and Pinkie Pie. But one thing stuck out in my mind after the third day’s exercises:

I haven’t visited Sweet Apple Acres in two weeks!

“Twilight, I need the day off tomorrow. I haven’t seen the apples in a long time, and they are due for a visit from me.”

Twilight scratched her chin a bit. “Well, if it is that important to you, I guess you could. Just don’t neglect practicing your magic while you are there, okay?”

I bowed thankfully at Twilight. “Thank you very much! I promise to bring back some cider!”

“Wow, really?!” Twilight bounced in place, thoroughly excited at the prospect of consuming tomorrow’s load of cider.

The ride to the apple orchard remained familiar and comfortable, as I mentally pointed to each landmark I recognized along the path. The taxi cab stallion, Carriage, waved me goodbye as he accepted his generous tip money graciously and moved on. Everything looked as it was when I had visited a couple weeks prior; all except for one feature that Applejack was fixing on the roof. The recent rains were heavier than usual, and one of the gutters came loose and bent in an awkward direction.

I trotted over to the side of the house to see what was up.

“Hey, Applejack! Down here!”

Applejack peered over the roof’s edge, and shouted down. “Tom, is that you? Well, I’ll be a timberwolf’s uncle!” She jumped off the roof and landed next to me and gave me a hug. “Mighty glad tuh see ya, Tom! How have ya-woah nelly, is that a cutie mark?!”

I gave a side glance to my backside, and turned it facing her. “Yes, indeed. I received it about five days ago after one of Twilight’s training exercises. I still don’t know what talent I have exactly, but I have a hunch.”

She took me inside of the cottage to fix everyone lunch for the day; everyone was out doing chores around the barn, but would be in soon. Big Macintosh went to the fields to do more apple bucking, Granny Smith was tending to the smaller animals and feeding them, while Applebloom was at Ponyville Elementary with her classmates.

Recounting the weeks since I left the orchard to live at Golden Oaks Library, I gave Applejack an overview of Twilight’s training. Demonstrating levitation to Applejack was simple enough, as I helped her gather dishes and sandwich items for lunch. The peace inside the Apple’s home is serene, very contrary to the labor-intensive lifestyle they practice.

Very soon after we finally set up the table, the Apples marched in, surprised at my appearance in the room. Applebloom charged up to me and leapt onto my back, furiously tapping my head.

“Hey you, where have ya been, Tom?! You haven’t said a word tuh us in weeks!”

I chuckled a bit. “Well, Applebloom, I was busy working on retiring from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” I pointed to my backside as she squeaked out loud.

“A cutie mark?! Aww, when am I gonna get one, big brother?”

“Well, maybe if ya started workin’ some more on the farm, you’d figure out your true talent. Heh heh heh.” Big Mac gave his youngest sister a pat on the head as he sat down and set up his sandwich.

“Well, howdy, son! It’s been a terribly long time since you been ‘round these part, uhh…what’s yer name ‘gain, sonny?”

“Starsword, ma’am.”

Applejack gasped a bit before responding. “Tom, is that your ‘pony’ name, I reckon? Sounds fantastic, sugarcube!”

“Eeyup.”

Tactical Applebloom incoming. “I gotta get you to appear in mah show and tell tomorrow, Tom!”

Granny Smith chastised her granddaughter. “Now listen here, Applebloom, you can’t just parade anypony ya feel like their yer property, see?”

I’m going to regret this, but… “Granny Smith, it would be a pleasure to be in the school’s show and tell, but only if she promises to call me by my new name. Deal?”

“Deal! Alright!” Applebloom and I exchanged a hearty hoofbump as we all dug into our sandwiches.

Suddenly, a knock on the door took Applejack off her seat; greeting us was the Sensei of Magic herself, Twilight Sparkle.

“Well, hey there, Twi! What brings ya here?”

“I need to retrieve Starsword. We have to leave for Canterlot tonight.”

Canterlot? So soon? Why so soon?

“Okay, Twilight, but let’s finish our lunch before we go. Want to join us?”

Twilight lifted a hoof to deny her offer. “No thanks, Applejack. I already ate. Starsword, ready to go?”

“Okay, Twilight. Thanks for the lunch, y’all!”

After my goodbyes to the Apples, Twilight and I rode the carriage back to the library. She certainly needed to explain this sudden development to us; I barely bit into my sandwich, and nobody messes with me when I have food in my mouth without a good reason.

Twilight handed me a summons from Princess Celestia herself; as if she didn’t send enough of these. Apparently, important news surfaced from the Griffon Kingdom that required our presence at the palace.

Could they have found Jonah? Did Gilgar know of my existence? Did Pinkie Pie kidnap Gilgar?

I had not thought much of my friend since the last time I was in Canterlot. It seems this training and acquainting myself with Ponyville has exhausted quite a bit of energy. Jonah still needs me to remain strong for his sake. I have a little more than 7 months to retrieve the ship and head home, but where the heck is that thing supposed to be? Maybe Celestia did find something out about where it could be located.

All these worries provided enough time to think as we arrived at the Canterlot train station. The city remained as vibrant as ever, with ponies sprawled across the landscape doing their usual window shopping and feasting on gourmet cuisine. Our walk to the castle was, for the most part, uninterrupted, aside from the occasional long lines extended outside of certain stores.

We made it to the entrance of the castle grounds, as Mythril and Obsidian greeted us by name. Showing our papers, we marched into the castle grounds, taking a hidden entrance to the Princess’ throne room. A flower garden was positioned just outside of the stained glass windows I had seen in her throne room; a piece of the wall could open behind the throne. We stepped inside to a patiently waiting Princess Celestia and her two guards.

“Good evening, dear ones. Thank you for arriving.” Celestia glanced at my flank. “I see you’ve finally received your mark, Tom. Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Giving a slight bow, I corrected the name she issued. “I am now known as Starsword, in memory of my progenitor, Starswirl. His will is mine as well.”

Celestia nodded thoughtfully, and turned to Twilight. “I expect the training is running its course smoothly, my faithful student?”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Yes, Princess, he is progressing faster than my classmates in the school when I was a filly. Faster than me.”

Faster than Twilight? Then does this mean that-

“Faster than even you, Twilight? That’s very curious. How did he manage to accomplish that?”

Twilight took a step forward and presented her theory. “I don’t discredit his hard work, but I propose that because the magic he possesses was matured before Starswirl gave it to him, it quickly adapted to its new master. But that is something I cannot verify.”

I hesitantly agreed. “It makes sense, I guess. I know I’ve just become a unicorn, but those exercises were serious business. Not for the faint of heart, for sure!”

Princess Celestia looked amused. “Magic certainly can be surprising.” Then she dipped her head and frowned. “That is why I summoned you both here.”

Twilight stood in front of Celestia, searching her expression. “What happened, Princess?”

“Two griffons visited my castle about 5 days ago. They brought word that Gilgar was planning a massive offensive, but wanted to enlist my aid. It was a ploy to alienate the Prince of the Kingdom, and mark him a traitor. After their return, I received a courier that informed me of King Gilgar’s death. It appeared that the rebellion succeeded.”

There’s always a but…

“But…”

Yep. Knew it.

“…King Gilgar merely possessed his daughter, Gilda, and now controls her as the new Queen of the Griffons. She is planning to calm the rebellion with force. She must be stopped!”

I finally spoke up. “Princess, what are you proposing that we do?”

“Starsword, your main objective, first, is to win the Amateur Magicians Competition. If you can’t win that, you’ll never defeat Gilgar. I guarantee it.”

17: Showstopper

Chapter 17 – Showstopper

Seven and a half days ago…

Our visit with the Princess was made worthwhile thanks to a sun that needed to set on the horizon. Twilight and I watched as Celestia gently lowered the ball and Luna raise the moon behind us. Having the opportunity to witness the simple process of transitioning between day and night before the Royal Sisters was, apparently, a rare occurrence. Hardly anypony accompanied them during this necessary part of each day.

Returning to the inner halls of the castle, Celestia motioned me to wait outside of the throne room. She told me there was some personal news that she didn’t want me to hear spoken to Twilight. I trotted out of the room and shut the doors behind me, sitting patiently off to the side of the staircase.

Ten minutes had passed before I grew anxious about what the Princess and Twilight were actually discussing. It was time to abuse the power that Starswirl gave me; a simple eavesdropping spell would suffice. I focused on making my hearing acuity increase without generating a large-scale output of energy. My horn slowly glowed and the vibrations in my head became louder and more distinguished. Pretty soon, I heard Celestia and Twilight clearly; what they had to say shocked me.

“…but Princess, are you sure? That was what I saw that night?”

Cool, I can hear them! This is awesome!

“Yes, Twilight, that meteor was shot down by a beam of light. It was not the meteor you and Tom discovered almost a month ago.”

Wait, that meteor wasn’t the one Twilight had observed?!

“So you sent me to a different one? How did you know two had fallen that night?”

“The observatory in Canterlot picked up on both occurrences that night. The strange light you observed hit an object that crashed in the Crystal Mountains. I’ve sent for one of the griffons from the eastern part of the Kingdom to investigate the crash site. Very few creatures can survive more than a week in those mountains alone, and griffons are one of them.”

“What do you think he’ll find up there, Princess?”

“…I have a sneaking suspicion that is where we will find Tom’s Jonah. For all we know, he might already be…”

JONAH! There was a second meteorite? Why didn’t they tell me?! I can’t let them hide this information from me! I-

There was a noise, and the door swung open; the Princess and Twilight walked calmly outside of the throne room. I quickly shut off my magic, and walked over to their hesitant gaze. I didn’t want them to suspect I had eavesdropped on their ‘covert’ conversation, so I gave each of them a friendly smile.

“Are we ready, Twilight? I have a Show and Tell to train for, you know.”

The Princess’ right eyebrow rose. “Show and Tell, Twilight?”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, you see Princess, Starsword promised Applebloom, Applejack’s sister, to perform for her class tomorrow. We’re using this opportunity to do a little ‘combat training’ for his journey to the Griffon Kingdom.”

“I see. Well, in that case…” Princess Celestia gave me a vanilla envelope. Written on the front was one phrase: ‘Invoice for Secret Order’

I stared at the Princess with a dumb grin. “Uhhh, what is this, Princess?”

“Give this to Granny Smith, and nobody else. It’s for my…moments of weakness.”

Okay, this is weird, but whatever.

After our goodbyes were said, we took the next train out to Ponyville and returned to the library. The night was still young, so instead of remaining at Golden Oaks, we decided to pay a visit to Sweet Apple Acres again. I did contract myself to a certain filly for a show and tell assignment tomorrow; rehearsing my ‘demonstration’ seemed like a good idea.

Applebloom’s idea for my demo was to juggle apples with my magic, which would not have been difficult by any stretch. Twilight, however, thought of this as an opportunity to train me and teach me more complex magic.

“How about instead of juggling, Starsword can demonstrate his ability to combat magic attacks?” Twilight was pacing back and forth in the living room, considering the idea.

Applebloom looked excited at the idea. “Yeah! That’ll show ‘em! Do a combat thingy, Starsword...what’s combat?”

I lifted my head up and responded. “Well, combat is basically when two or more peopl-uhh, ponies fight each other in war. I have to go into combat at some point in the Griffon Kingdom, so this would be a great way to prepare for those circumstances.”

“Ah, I see. Thanks fer the explanation, Starsword!”

Twilight stepped forward. “Okay, Starsword. I believe I am ready to train you in magical combat. Let’s head out into the pasture land to train. Applebloom…” Twilight pat her on the head. “…you can tag along if you want!”

Applebloom skipped ahead with joy as we made our approach to an open field outside of the orchard. Twilight motioned for me to stand about 30 feet from her; she channeled her magic into her horn as she talked.

“Now, Starsword, the first lesson will be on defense. You have to maintain steady levels of magic while being assaulted by projectiles or mental invasions.”

“So is this what we will demonstrate to the class tomorrow? And you are expecting me to master defensive magic by that time?”

Twilight nodded firmly. “Yes.”

What is this mare thinking?! Then again…I have continuously doubted myself this entire time, thinking I couldn’t master anything. Yet Twilight proved me wrong time and time again by instructing me. It’s time I took myself seriously for once.

“Okay, Twilight. Let’s do it!” I stood my ground, trying to picture what a defensive spell would look like. Twilight took notice of my quizzical stare.

“It’s very simple; all you need is some type of barrier to shield yourself from my attacks. I’m about to start. Ready?”

Twilight launched several beams into the air, each of the projectiles staying in place in the air. I charged up my magic and maintained control of my energy output; timing the defense was crucial, but I still couldn’t picture a good defense. The blasts that were hanging in the air shot at me with incredible speed. I couldn’t stop them; all of them made contact with my skin, as I cried out, falling to my knees. The world faded to black…

“…Starsword…”

“Tom, get up!”

I rose up slowly from my fallen state on the ground; it had only been about 10 minutes since I was hit with her first attack. She readied her projectiles again as I recharged my horn. Then I strategized.

How am I going to block these attacks? Do I simply fire at all of them? They move way too quickly for me to counterattack. Crap!

The beams began their descent again, coming from all directions.

All directions…!!!

I shut my eyes, and I felt nothing. No pain, no energy blasts, nothing. I opened my eyes to the sight of a polygonized sphere surrounding my position. The blasts then hit the sphere and exploded, disappearing like wisps of smoke. The sphere was a collection of hexagon-shaped panels, with the vibrations of the blasts washing over them sequentially.

Twilight trotted towards me with a happy grin on her face. “Great work, Starsword! You countered my magic, that’s a huge first step. I want you to continue trying that spell again and again. Can you handle that?”

“Yes! Let’s do it!”

I was absolutely pumped that I could now defend against that type of attack. We performed similar routines for the next hour, with each series of blasts focused from different directions. I eventually learned how to shift defensive power to various sides of my shield; very similar to how the EM barrier on the DESTINY ship works.

Right then, I was reminded of the blast that hit the side of the ship I commanded the computer to fix. That impact changed my life and all but condemned Jonah to a fate that I didn’t desire for him. All the emotion from that event swelled inside me; I needed to confront Twilight right here!

“Applebloom.” The little filly looked my way. “Could you please go to the cottage and grab us some water. Take your time getting there, okay?”

Applebloom gave me a weird look, but nodded and obeyed. Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

After Applebloom was cleared from our immediate area, I began my interrogation.

“Twilight, why did you and the Princess hide the second meteor from me?”

Her jaw dropped and she blushed something like a tomato red. “Tom, I didn’t know that you knew…”

“I heard the conversation from outside of the throne room. Jonah is there, isn’t he?!”

“How could you have heard us, Tom? The Princess has wards that alert her of any eavesdroppers in the throne room. She would have informed me if you did hear-“

I became very furious and loud all of a sudden. “What is there to HIDE from me, Twilight?! What, did you think I was going to just leave and try to find him by myself?”

“Well…yes.” Twilight sat on her rear, dipping her head in shame.

No…I shouldn’t be like this. That’s exactly what I would have done, and I know it.

“Twilight…I really don’t appreciate being left in the dark, especially when it comes to my friend who is rotting in an aluminum coffin!” I breathed in deep before continuing. “He could be dead, he needs me! I…I-I’m going!”

“Tom, wait!”

Disregarding everything, I ran as far as my legs would take me. I knew my way to town, so galloping to the train station was a simple task. During my sprint, I realized just how much stronger my body had become since I arrived in Equestria; moving around was effortless, galloping at high speeds was simple, and turning corners was child’s play. I felt alive and strong, perhaps strong enough to face the infamous canyons of the Crystal Mountains.

I found my way to Ponyville, and slowed to an inconspicuous trot through the town square. Making my way to Ponyville’s North Station, I stumbled a bit and fell to the ground. My knee had caught onto the leg of a squash stand and assisted in my fall. I got back up and walked up to the station. On the departure boards, I zoned in on the correct train:

CRYSTAL MOUNTAINS – BOARDING NOW – CONNECTION TO GALLOPING GORGE

My legs froze at the first step onto the platform. My body had stood still, and my heart started pounding; I couldn’t comprehend what emotion flooded my whole being as I fell to my knees. The sobbing had begun, and I just let it go.

I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home…Jonah, why can’t I just go home? Why did you have to try and fix the conversion unit? Why didn’t you just ask the computer to do it? We could have been on our way home, Jonah! I can’t do this anymore…

“Tom…” I had heard a flash behind me, and stooping low to comfort me was Twilight.

“Twi…light? I can’t do this anymore; this is too much for me! I could have been on my way home and me and Jonah could have been with our families, and he wouldn’t have been hurt from his injury, and we would be celebrating our successful mission with a feast and barbeque and everything…I want that! Please, let me just go home! Aaaah!”

It happened again. I felt like a young child who lost his dog to a freak accident. There was nothing I could do for Jonah when his appendix burst. The damage done to his body was rare; it almost felt like it was meant to happen, and in a way, it was. The prophecy, the meteorite, the magic, and the nature of my landing: all of these events are now part of mine and Jonah’s DESTINY, our mission.

How fitting a name, DESTINY. It was as if the project team knew something like this would happen.

“Tom…” Twilight rubbed my back with her hoof. “I know none of these events happened to you because of the choices you made. So stop beating yourself up…and fight. Jonah needs you to be strong, to carry this burden; not only for his sake, but for ours as well. This is something I cannot do because destiny has already selected you to accomplish the deed.”

It was something I had to accept. “Okay, Twilight. I won’t board the train. But as soon as I accomplish the last will of Starswirl, I’m going to bring my friend home. Is that fair?”

Twilight embraced me tightly. “Of course, Tom! But for now, we need ‘Starsword’ to be our light…” Then she gave me a hard slap on the shoulder. “…and that light needs to suffer some more energy blasts. Let’s get to it, soldier!”

Great, more punishment; it sounds like she’s enjoying this! Ha ha ha!

The sunrise, and the reality of my burden, came to bear on my heart. It would not be an easy task to train, fight, and strive for the unity of entire nations, but it was something only I could do (apparently). Spike’s impressive cooking greeted my nostrils, lifting me from my bunk and down into the dining area. I don’t think I felt a single stair step as I hovered down to my seat. It was then that I realized I had levitated myself to the table; anti-gravity magic spontaneously guided me to my prized breakfast.

Twilight seemed more shocked than thrilled, however. “Holy Celestia, Starsword, you used an anti-gravity spell!”

“Huh. I guess I did. Maybe Starswirl is leaking from me everyday, but I merely smelled Spike’s cooking, and thought of nothing else on the way down.”

Spike flexed his arms and stood proud. “My meals do have a knack for knocking ponies off their hooves, heh heh!”

Twilight rolled her eyes and directed her gaze at me. “So, do you feel like you can to this Show and Tell adequately? I’ll be with you in case things go south.”

“I believe I’m prepared to go through with the exercise. Let’s not go too crazy, unless you believe I can handle what you can throw my way.”

She simply nodded as we cleaned off the table and finished our breakfast.

The schoolhouse was buzzing with activity as we made our approach to the front of the building. There were multiple older mares and stallions waiting outside of the schoolhouse, probably parents and relatives here for the big day. Twilight and I walked towards a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, sitting next to a small, orange filly with a magenta mane and fail.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight waved to the rainbow-maned pegasus we spotted.

Rainbow Dash…dashed to our position and greeted us. “What’s up, Twilight?! Are you here to do some stunts for the big show, too?”

“No, my friend Starsword is here to do that, actually.” She motioned over to me and introduced us.

Rainbow Dash scanned me and presented a hoof towards me. “The name’s Rainbow Dash, but you can call me ‘Dash’!”

I gave a hoof bump in return, and she seemed pleased with the gesture.

“I’m Starsword, Twilight’s apprentice. I’m here to perform for Applebloom’s show and tell.”

Dash looked at me with a bit of apprehension. “Uhh, for Applebloom? She usually juggles apples every year, and really well, too. Why did she go with you of all ponies this year?”

Twilight shoved Rainbow Dash away from me. “Now, Rainbow, that’s not very considerate!”

“What, Twilight, I was just wondering why a stranger was suddenly doing a Show and Tell when Applebloom already does something!”

I raised a hoof and responded. “It’s fine, Twilight, I’ll explain. I had lived with the Apples for a little while, and I developed a rapport with Applebloom and Applejack. So we know each other quite well from working the apple orchard.”

Dash shrugged her shoulders. “It at least better be cool. What is it exactly?”

Twilight and I looked at each other, a bit flustered by the question. We both said at the same time: “It’s a secret.”

“Whoa, then I better back off!” Dash blew her mane from in front of her face. “Hey, if it’s that cool, don’t sweat it!”

Then she flew right up to my ears, and whispered something. “If Twilight came up with it, it’s probably something totally uncool. She’s an egghead-“

“I heard that, Rainbow Dash! Now go!” Twilight nearly cooked Dash with an energy blast to her tail.

“Twilight, don’t burn the tail, I need it for my aerial moves! I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Twilight sighed as Dash left to be by the orange filly. “Don’t get too rattled by her, she’s just been uptight ever since she’s started mentoring Scootaloo.”

“Scootaloo? Is that the young filly she’s with over there?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, that filly hasn’t had someone to look up to until Rainbow Dash started making waves as our town’s weather pony. Now they are almost inseparable, and all Scootaloo wants to do is spend every moment around Dash. It’s cute, but sometimes unhealthy…they’re working on that, haha!”

“Everyone, time to enter the schoolhouse; all adults, please file to the back of the classroom when you enter the room!” The teacher, whom Twilight informed me was Cheerilee, guided everypony into the school and began her introduction.

“Welcome to our annual Show and Tell day, everypony! I am Miss Cheerilee, and today we start off our day with Mr. Filthy’s-“

“AHEM.” An older brown pony gave Cheerilee a piercing stare as she quickly corrected her remark.

“Sorry! Mr. Rich, Diamond Tiara’s father…” Filthy Rich looked pleased with the correction as he walked forward. “…will be doing a presentation on his business, Rich’s Barnyard Bargains, and its relationship to the Apple family’s zap apple jam.”

I heard a ton of moans about how this presentation was the same as last year, with the exception of a young filly wearing a tiara clapping and cheering on Rich. I could only assume that the young one wearing the diamond tiara was, in fact, Diamond Tiara. I could be wrong, though.

The presentation had lasted for about ten minutes, and all the adults respectfully watched Mr. Rich’s exposition on how both his business and Sweet Apple Acres laid the foundation of Ponyville’s economic boom. For me, it was a very interesting look into the history of a town that was foreign to me; for the children, however, it was an opportunity to catch a nap.

I coughed loudly as all the kids simultaneously jerked their heads up and began to clap their hooves together, pretending they had heard the whole thing.

“Thank you, Mr. Rich. Now we have Sweetie Belle with her newest song about penguins in the Hoofarctic…”

The show and tell projects went on well into the afternoon as each member of the class went up one by one to introduce either themselves or a friend or relative. Rainbow Dash’s flight demonstration wowed everypony in the class, as she stitched together a complex series of corkscrews and loops, ending with a nosedive and halt before touching the ground.

A filly named Twist brought her father, Peppermint, to the front; her father was responsible for shaping the candy canes that the town ate and hung on their Hearth’s Warming Eve trees every year during winter.

I guess that’s their Christmas. Interesting…

Applebloom elected for Twilight and I to go last, as we had our names called to the front.

Cheerilee motioned for us and explained to the class the nature of our routine.

“Class, with Applebloom today is Twilight Sparkle and a new resident in Ponyville, Starsword. Applebloom informed me that because of the nature of this next show and tell, we will be exiting to the field outside of the schoolhouse, just as we did with Rainbow Dash’s performance. Please, follow me!”

The entire group made it to the field as Twilight and I prepared ourselves for the exercise we did yesterday. All of a sudden, a flood of doubt reached my mind as Twilight began to explain our routine.

“Everypony, today, Starsword will demonstrate his proficiency in using defensive magic. I will attempt to harm him using my magic, and he will block my attacks. Ready, Starsword?”

I don’t feel so good. “Ready…Twilight.” Gulp.

Her horn erupted with power as similar energy blasts hovered in all directions around me. The crowd of ponies looked upward and back at me with mixed looks of awe and fright. The beams shot in my direction, provoking me to summon my shield. Each blast exploded and brushed against the panels; the crowd received the first flurry of attacks with subdued excitement.

Twilight continually intensified the attacks, increasing in number and complexity. I kept twisting towards every direction, trying to maintain alertness for whenever a greater stress was placed on a specific point in the shield. I had moved so fast, I completely neglected how the class was reacting to the ballet of violence taking place. The crowd remained unmoved by the act, almost anticipating how this would all play out; they were yawning!

“Twilight, why don’t we give them something to remember this by?”

She gave me this odd look, and so I winked at her, raising my hoof high into the air. Her response was to create what appeared to be a giant ball of hot gas; she created a legitimate star about 50 feet above me. The crowd looked up and gave a mixture of screams and wonderments.

“Twilight, that thing is going to kill me!”

“Starsword, you asked for something they’ll remember, right? This is it!”

“But a freaking star?! It might even destroy this field and everyone on it!”

“Something this size can’t be that dangerous! Starswirl even said this was-WHAT?!”

Twilight’s gas giant started to expand, and the trees and benches right below the star were torn from their foundations and absorbed by the ball’s gravity. It began to descend towards earth, removing the grass from its roots in the soil until a barren patch of dirt remained. The star’s descent was rapid, and everyone began to scream in terror.

“Twilight, you fool! If only you knew how stars actually worked! I have to stop this!”

She freaked out and scrambled around thinking of a solution, but none came.

“I don’t know how to stop this thing, Starsword! I need more time.”

“There is no time, Twilight! It’s going to hit me-aaah!”

The star stopped dead in its tracks; the shield defending me turned into a smooth dome instead of the collection of panels it used to be. The gas giant pressed down on me, and I felt its strain collapse my legs to the ground. The ball became more volatile, whipping lashes of fiery gas onto the ground, causing a set of small earthquakes to happen around my shield.

Fillies and colts began to rise from the ground and levitate toward the star, and their parents cried out for their helpless children.

I have to stop this, or they’ll die, too! Come on…come on…oh, help me, somebody!

A purple aura began to twist around the gas ball, and it eventually neutralized the gravity it generated, sending the kids plummeting to the ground. Most of them got away with no injuries, but the problem remained. Twilight ran up to my side and casted a barrier around the aura surrounding the gas ball. She hyper-condensed the sphere and placed it inside a glass test tube, sending it with a scroll to somepony I didn’t catch right away.

After the crisis was under control, everypony rose to face Twilight and I, as we prepared for a beating. But it never came; all the children erupted in cheers, and the parents stood their half-dazed at what had just occurred.

“You both were amazing!” “That magic was unreal! “Can you both come to my birthday party and do that? Flying was fun!” “It’s just smoke and mirrors, all of it was fake!” “Diamond Tiara, then why were you crying like a baby filly?” “Shut up, Silver Spoon!”

I sighed with relief and flattened my body on the ground. “Thank you, Twilight! That was close…”

“I’m sorry I made that, Tom! I didn’t know-“

Cheerilee walked up to us and shouted to the group. “Class is dismissed! Thank you everyone for coming out.” As everypony exited the field, the teacher gave us a furious tongue-lashing. “Both of you should be ashamed that you tried this with my class! What were you both thinking?!”

I struggled to respond. “I wasn’t strong enough to stop anything, and I-“

“All the blame rests with me, Miss Cheerilee.” Twilight stood forward with tears draining from her eyes. “I-I didn’t know any better, and I created that monster. I didn’t think I was capable of doing something like this; please don’t blame Starsword at all. He didn’t know I would make a star appear out of thin air!”

She wept at Cheerilee’s feet, and the teacher gave Twilight an empathetic look.

“Twilight, my students are safe and, for the most part, unharmed. And the parents seem to believe it was all part of the show. Nothing is too extreme nowadays coming from you, dear, but that was over the line. I’m responsible for those students, do you understand?”

“Yes, Miss Cheerilee, I apologize.” Twilight joined her place next to the teacher and I, and we watched Celestia’s sun depart from the sky, towing with it Luna’s radiant moon on the opposite horizon.

18: Supernova

Chapter 18: Supernova

5 days ago…

Daybreak was well underway in Ponyville, but most of today was relaxation in the Golden Oaks Library. The strain from that star yesterday put my body under gradual pain; I felt muscles that had muscles that had muscles I never knew I had! It was very strange to feel this way, but even more strange was yesterday at Show and Tell.

Twilight’s initial excuse was to test how far my magic had really advanced since her previous evaluation. I called her out on it, but she continually dodged the issue; for her to summon a main sequence star that small is an impossible feat. Convincing her of that reality wouldn’t help, especially since ‘magic’ was involved. The record needed to be set straight for my own sake.

“Twilight, I have a question.”

“What is it, Starsword?”

“How were you able to create something as complex as a star, without even trying?”

Because magic, as defined by Twilight Sparkle, operates within the scope of natural events, this shouldn’t happen. In reality, it takes billions of years to accomplish what Twilight had done in a matter of seconds. But something else bothered me as well; the star didn’t have an intense gravitational pull, either. Its influence over the other ponies was gradual rather than immediate.

“Princess Luna presented me with a book written by Starswirl the Bearded entitled ‘The Processes of Nature Volume XX: Stellar Growth and Decay’. It appears that his theories are in severe need of reworking; this was one of his more vague publications. Regardless, the Princess had provided me with a set of basic instructions to follow for this experiment.”

“…excuse me?”

Twilight adjusted her position on the floor of the library. She lifted a scroll off her desk and sat it in front of me, rolled out for me to read.

Twilight Sparkle,

As you have requested of us, here are the molecules necessary for the formation of one ‘miniature protostar’. We know your meanderings into strange areas of research, so we’ll pretend we know nothing about it. Remember to condense the molecules if the hydrogen burn becomes too radical to control, and to allow the star time to contract from its initial state after colliding the hydrogen particles together.

We trust that you can handle these materials properly, but if anything goes wrong, hyper condense the star and place it into this tube. We will take care of it our way.

Princess Luna

This letter…

“Twilight, so Luna allowed this? Did she have any idea you were going to throw a gigantic death sphere at me?”

Twilight blushed and turned away. “No, she did not. I didn’t inform her of my scheme.”

“I could have DIED, Twilight. Do you understand the concept of a stellar core collapse?”

Twilight scratched her noggin with her hoof, frantically considering the question. After a while, she resigned her posture and shook her head.

“Twilight, when a star reaches the point where its core burns into an iron nucleus, the core is rendered unable to produce energy to heat its mass. The resulting collapse of the star can take a couple paths. Both involve a massive explosion that could have wiped this entire planet out!” I paced back and forth in the library, trying to maintain my composure. “Luckily for you, that miniature star was only large enough to wipe out half of the continent rather than the whole planet.”

Twilight stood there motionless, unable to process what I had said, and soon after I stopped, there was a knock on the door. Standing outside of the library was the entire class from yesterday. Miss Cheerilee had her left hoof held against her shoulder, appearing nervous.

“Hello, Starsword. Is Twilight here? I’d like to speak to her…if you don’t mind.”

Twilight walked past me. “Miss Cheerilee! I’m really, really sorry for yesterday, I wasn’t-“

Cheerilee tittered at Twilight’s apology. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle, think nothing of it! I was reacting out of instinct the other day, but you had the situation under control, didn’t you? We came over to discuss a rumor that has been surfacing in our class today-“

“Is it true that Starsword is in a tournament this weekend?!” A small baby blue unicorn with a ginger mane leapt out of the crowd, quivering with excitement.

“Yeah, Applebloom said you were in a competition this weekend, huh.” An orange unicorn with a blue-green mane slid next to the other colt.

The amateur competition! Why did Applebloom spread the news about that?!

Cheerilee glared at the two, and pointed them to the back of the crowd. “I apologize for Snips and Snails, Starsword, but Applebloom informed me that the Amateur Magician’s Competition in Canterlot was this weekend, and the class got all rowdy and excited.” Cheerilee turned to Twilight. “Is it possible for us to take a field trip to see it this weekend?”

“Well, Miss Cheerilee…one second.” Twilight turned towards the library and shouted for Spike.

Spike came tumbling outside with a quill and paper in hand. “I’m here Twilight, what’s wrong? Do you need another tub of frozen yogu-“

Twilight became really flustered. “No, Spike, not now! I need you to request VIP passes for the competition this weekend. Tell the Princess that Miss Cheerilee has requested them for her entire class.”

Spike wrote Twilight’s words on the letter, and blew into it, dissolving the paper with a green flame.

“There you go, Twilight. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Spike slapped a hardhat onto his head. “…Rarity needs some maintenance done on her air conditioning. I’m the only one in Ponyville with claws small enough to fit inside the air ducts.”

“Oh, Spike…” Twilight trailed off into a rant as Spike ran off towards the boutique.

Suddenly, Spike tripped and fell, burping up a scroll that Twilight quickly levitated towards us. She unraveled it, and out fell about 32 VIP passes for the competition, each of them saying “VIP Section 102: EAMC”.

The class scrambled to pick up their passes as Miss Cheerilee stood there with hers, amazed.

“Wow, I had no idea Her Highness would respond so quickly to this. Thank you, Twilight!”

“Oh, no need to thank me; you can thank Princess Celestia herself at the event this Saturday.” The class waved goodbye, and Twilight returned the gesture.

After shutting the door, Twilight breathed a heavy sigh and turned to speak to me.

“Starsword, there is a short letter from the Princess for you. Very short, in fact, only a couple sentences!”

“What? Let me see…”

Starsword,

Never forget who you are fighting for, my faithful defender. In times where you are in great distress or pressure to perform, let your dear ones strengthen you to heights you can’t imagine. Soon, you’ll need them to continue this journey. Very soon.

Princess Celestia

I placed the letter on the desk next to the bookshelf, reading it again and again in my mind.

She declared that very soon, I would have to rely on the strength of those who are dear to me in order to continue forward. But what would I need them for, exactly? How did she know all of this, anyways? She’s not omniscient, after all!

If I dwell on this, I’ll just get a headache. Maybe I’ll take up Twilight’s offer today!

“Twilight.”

She perked up and looked right at me. “Yes, Starsword?”

I gave her the widest grin I could muster. “Spa time. Grab your things!”

The one thing I was most excited for today was the opportunity to visit a day spa, and one that has the recommendation of Rarity herself. (She is one to know about these types of things after all…) Twilight had reserved a 1:00 pm appointment to receive the basic treatment; hot spring, back massage, and for the girls, a hooficure. It was just funny hearing that instead of pedicure or manicure, but Twilight never understood why I laughed at the last thing.

We arrived in the lobby area, being greeted by the two sisters than ran the spa.

“Hello, guests, I am Aloe, and this is Lotus Blossom-“

“Twilight Sparkle!” Lotus Blossom ran up to her, and both gave each other a hug.

“Hello, Lotus, how is everything?”

Lotus was too focused on Twilight being here to answer. “Twilight, the last time you were here was during that whole Cutie Pox fiasco. You never come here, ever!”

“Well…” Twilight motioned towards me. “I’m really here for his sake. He’s been through intense training this past month.”

Aloe jumped into the conversation. “Training for what, Twilight?”

“Starsword here is going to be in the Amateur Magician’s Competition in Canterlot this weekend and-“

Lotus Blossom flipped through her clipboard and her mouth shot open. “Twilight, and you’re scheduling the ‘Basic’ treatment? FOR SHAME! He needs all the spa he can get! Come with me, sir!”

“Wait, I-“ The spa sisters grabbed my front legs and dragged me through a set of double doors.

As we passed into another area of the day spa, a fragrance smacked my nostrils and my body went limp. I had suddenly relaxed like I never have before as the sisters laid me and Twilight on a set of massage benches. In what felt like a few days, the spa day began with the most pleasurable massage one could desire. Aloe conceived every sore spot of my body with her hooves and exorcised the demons that stressed me out. Lotus Blossom took me to a sauna room filled with the aroma of cherry blossoms and white lotus. Both of them treated us to a sushi lunch aside the hot spring, and fanned us while we soaked in the spring.

It was then that I took advantage of the opportunity to discuss the upcoming Amateur Magician’s Competition this weekend.

“Twilight, you said that you were a former champion magician before you moved to Ponyville, right?”

“Three times, Starsword. I was a champion three times.” At her prideful correction, she took notice to her chest puffed out, and withdrew to her relaxed position in the spa.

I chuckled a bit and continued. “What should I expect at this competition, exactly?”

“Well, there are usually three segments to it: preliminaries, the Four Pillars, and the finals. Your main concern is with the first two portions of the competition. The preliminary round is designed to slice the pool of competitors down to a small selection, while the Four Pillars will test your proficiency in key areas of magic. For me, those areas were Levitation, Endurance, Transfiguration, and Focus; for you, I would expect Levitation to be a shoe-in Pillar, but they change it up slightly every year.”

“I hope you adequately trained me enough, Twilight. I’m actually really nervous about this weekend. Princess Celestia said that winning this competition would be necessary to prove I am ready for Gilgar.”

Twilight matted her mane a bit and drew her gaze to me. “Listen, Tom…you just stay loose in this competition. If you get stressed about how well you do, you’ll only be doing harm to yourself.” She turned away from my eyes. “It is advice that I didn’t follow, and that’s how I became a three-time champion.”

“But Twilight, wouldn’t that mean I should focus on winning?”

“Tom, you have a different mindset than I do. You have something…someone you are seeking to rescue, someone who is depending on you to succeed. At the time I won those competitions, I had only myself and Spike to compete for; my goal was purely to test my limits. This competition will do that for you, but you have to discover on your own what helps you succeed. Mine was analysis, but your mind works differently.”

“I’ll try, Twilight. I know how heavy the burdens laid on me by Jonah and Starswirl are, but if I don’t remain in the now, I’ll lose track of myself.”

Twilight perked up and smiled at me. “Great! Now let’s just take this all in! This hot spring is simply…aaah…”

A simple spa visit turned into wanting more. I didn’t want to leave, but time had expired as three hours later, we left the spa area in utter disbelief and peace. Twilight and I just softly panned around the lobby wondering what the heck had just happened to us. But then we just simply smiled and each other and waved the sisters goodbye. It turned out the spa day had been complementary; just what Twilight needed to return to her senses.

“Well, that was incredible, Starsword! I can’t believe that just happened.”

I chuckled a bit. “Yeah, imagine if we had just done the simple one. Woo hoo.”

“Stop with the sarcasm!” Twilight jabbed me in the shoulder as we sat down on a park bench together.

“Twilight, remember when you sent that condensed star to Princess Luna yesterday? Something concerns me about that star; although it appears nothing happened, thankfully.”

“What concerns you about it?”

I cleared my throat and broke the news to her. “When a star collapses like that, much of the time, that event will trigger what’s called a ‘supernova’. The problem with what you did was the amount of time it took to develop its core. The core collapse happened too soon in its development, so the star should have simply exploded after you condensed it. My worry was that Luna would have become the victim of a supernova. I suppose she found a way to deal with it.”

“I suppose that would be the case, Star.” Twilight shuffled in her seat.

I laughed at her remark. “Is that a nickname for me, Twilight? That’s pretty legit!”

“Just thought it up now, do you like it?”

“It’s awesome! It’s short, simple, and easily recognized; but don’t use it too often in public, okay? I don’t want to give other ponies the wrong idea.”

Twilight blushed a bit and jabbed me in the shoulder again.

“Miss Sparkle…that’s hurtful, you know! Ha ha!”

Just then, a zap in the air crackled, leaving behind a black scroll with a purple ribbon seal. The shock startled Twilight and I; she reached for the scroll, but the parcel had levitated on its own and began to unravel. It revealed a letter from Princess Luna herself:

Starsword and Twilight Sparkle,

Your presence is requested at the Everfree Star Watch near Everfree Forest’s Black Rose Garden. We wish to discuss the outcome of Twilight’s experiment in a more conspicuous location. Please be there an hour before sunset.

Princess Luna

“Holy cow, Twilight, three letters in one day! That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?”

I stood back for a moment and thought about the contents of the note.

Did she really say ‘outcome’? So something did happen to that star! But what?

Twilight and I made our way to the Black Rose Garden, an area with a stargazing outlook south of the Carousel Boutique. Twilight informed me that the garden is famous in Ponyville and throughout rural Equestria for its fireflies. This time of year, during the twilight hours of the day, the fireflies are rumored to draw magical energy from the black roses to light their bulbs.

When we arrived, the famed bugs were in full luminescence, with the entire garden aglow and full of life. Our walk towards the outlook brought us to a hill that gave us a view of the entire town of Ponyville and Everfree Forest. In the distance was a set of ancient ruins in the shape of a castle; Twilight pointed to it and said it once was the home of the Princesses, Celestia and Luna, before Nightmare Moon surfaced.

Our ascent to the top of the hill was met with the appearance of a figure gliding towards us from the sky. The figure became clearer as we made the climb: Princess Luna touched down in front of us, standing with authority and confidence. Twilight and I knelt and bowed to her, but Luna placed her hoof on my chin, raising me up. She did the same to Twilight next to me.

“Forgive us for our lack of foresight, Starsword, Twilight. We did not know that the star would react in such a way. We apologize for the trouble we allowed to befall Ponyville’s young children.”

I was taken aback by her apology, so I immediately went to correct the dissonance.

“Princess Luna, please do understand that the lack of insight in astronomical phenomena is not your fault. I’m just happy the situation is-“

Princess Luna became defensive. “Are you saying we do not know enough about our night sky and the stars that define the heavens?! That we are not knowledgeable of such things? Let us correct this assumption at once! We know what happens when a star collapses, and that is why we took care of the issue with Twilight’s star!”

“I apologize, Princess. It was not considerate of me to berate your intelligence…”

Princess Luna returned my pleading stare with a smile. “We are most appreciative of your humility and quickness to reconcile. This is a quality we find pleasing about you, Starsword. We are glad that this is the first time we have met; your first impression is remarkable for a foreigner to this world.”

“A foreigner?” Oh! Maybe she can help me get some answers!

“Yes, nobody like you described by our sister has ever traveled here before.”

“Could I ask you what you did with the collapsed star that Twilight sent you?”

Luna raised her face to the sky. “We sent the collapsed star far away from this world, into the depths of space. It will not harm us out there.”

“I’m more concerned about what happens when it becomes a supernova. How far away exactly was it sent?”

“We have to guess about ten light years away, a safe measure from our world.”

She is very fortunate the star was a scaled down model: if that thing was even 20 times the size of their sun, it would destroy this corner of the galaxy!

Luna trotted up to the cliff side of the hill; it was time to raise the moon. Celestia’s sun dipped below the horizon as Luna activated her magic. The moon crept slowly above the tops of the trees and above the hill. The Princess flew up in front of the moon’s view, raising her front hooves vertically; the ceremony was complete, thus, she returned safely to the ground.

“Twilight Sparkle. Your experiment produced a curious result; in place of the star, darkness appeared and swallowed a star in our night sky.”

“Princess.” I walked up to her and explained the phenomena. “That’s called a black hole. Whenever a star of those proportions collapses, a singularity forms and produces an intense field of gravity. Anything caught within a certain range of the event horizon, or center, of the black hole will disintegrate.”

The Princess looked back at me with a piercing glare. “Thank you for explaining what we already know, Starsword.”

“Oh crud, sorry! That was more for me than for you.” I’m a bonehead, for sure.

Luna turned back to Twilight. “There is also something curious about this phenomenon, Twilight. We believe that this might be related to a brightness we observed a month ago; it was around the time we discovered a strange object by our moon. Our sister believes that Starsword has something to do with this.”

A brightness? Related to the black hole-OH! It could be a white hole that ejected my ship, that makes sense!

“Princess! A white hole. That’s what ejected me to your world from deep space.”

Then Luna gave me an inquisitive glance. “A white hole, Starsword? We have never seen such a thing before.”

“It would make sense that you have not seen one. White holes are extremely rare to observe, let alone witness its propagation. The brightness you observed a month ago has to have been where my ship originated. Luna…this is a great step forward for us, because this now means we have a method to get me home.”

Twilight stepped in finally. “So what you are saying is that we can generate our own black hole to send you into that can spit you out to your own star system? That’s brilliant!”

I halted her theory. “There is a problem, Twilight. Not all black holes are practically wormholes. Some simply cause the matter than disintegrate to vanish into the singularity, leading to nothing. I lucked out in stumbling into a wormhole; that may not be the case this time around.”

The Princess made a motion to leave. “Thank you both for your insights. I will ponder ways to create this wormhole as I observe the night sky. Please be careful, you two, and Starsword…good luck in the competition.”

She quickly trotted up the hill, lifting herself off the cliff, beating her wings mightily. Her magic drew the crescent moon even higher in the sky as she vanished into the night.

19: Release! (Part 1)

Chapter 19: Release!

Today…

“Now remember, Starsword, keep your willpower clear of anger.”

“Twilight, I know. I’m ready.”

“Don’t forget to slowly channel your magic during the Focus pillar.”

“Got it. Thanks. Can we go?”

“Starsword, keep balanced and steady when you levitate whatever they-“

“TWILIGHT. SPARKLE. Can we please leave now? I got it.”

“…Tom, you don’t need to yell. That’s very rude.”

“Sorry.”

The day of the competition is finally here. Twilight drilled me on everything I learned from her within a matter of a few days. For once, I didn’t feel like an amateur as a magician: I had mastered everything that my teacher taught me and felt prepared to win this thing. Defensive spells, focusing my energy, levitating objects and even other ponies; it was as if Starswirl’s magic began to transition into something completely my own.

Not since I met with Princess Celestia for the first time have I given the old codger much thought. Starswirl may be the originator of my new powers, but in reality, there is nothing attaching me to him. No mentor relationship, no friendship, for all intents and purposes, he is simply an additional weight I’ve been predestined to carry. Not to mention Jonah, who through no fault of his own, is totally reliant on my success for survival.

Jonah…the promise I made to him is my rock, a firm foundation through this entire struggle. Making allies and friends here only helps me keep solid footing on that promise, and fortunately for me, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, and Twilight have been extraordinary in their kindnesses. They all provided encouragement and hope in a world completely alien to me.

Finally, it was time to head to Canterlot Plains, the sight of this year’s Amateur Magician’s Competition. After donning my bodysuit and jacket, we walked to the northwest end of Ponyville, where countless balloons had docked outside of town. Off to the right was a massive crowd of ponies waving to two particulars sitting in one of the baskets.

“Who are those ponies, Twilight?”

“The mare on the left with the blue and white streaked mane and shades is the town DJ, Vinyl Scratch. She’s originally from Canterlot, and was a classmate of mine before she dropped out and became a full-time disc jockey. The mare on the right with the lyre cutie mark and mint green coat is Lyra Heartstrings. I actually don’t remember her special talent, to be honest; she loves strumming the lyre on weekends, though!”

Suddenly, a swarm of kids ran up to us near our balloon basket.

“He’s here!”

“It’s Starsword, everypony!”

“Hey, can I have your autograph?”

“Do it again, do it again!”

“Silver Spoon, let me get on top of you, I wanna see!”

“Tiara, stop it-OUCH! Hey, that hurts…”

The mess of students all had their lanyards and VIP passes around their necks. Parting the sea of kids was Miss Cheerilee, walking right up to the two of us.

“Wow, I can’t believe you all waited for me. That’s awesome!”

Cheerilee gave us a warm smile. “We wanted to wish you both well in case our class doesn’t get a chance to interact with you at the competition grounds. We know you both will be busy with the hub-bub going on today!”

Applebloom burst through the crowd of ponies with Applejack and Rarity close behind.

“Tom-I mean, Starsword, I reckon yer gonna blow ‘em all out of the water today!”

“Thank you, Applebloom! I appreciate that.” My gaze shifted from the little filly to the mares standing behind her. “Hey, you both made it! But don’t you have responsibilities this weekend?”

Rarity blew her mane away from her face. “Oh, darling! We wouldn’t miss this for the world!”

Applejack cocked her hat to the side. “I promised Twilight I’d find a way tuh make it to the competition, Starsword. My brother, Big Mac, offered to take care of the chores while I’m away. What a swell brother, I tell ya wut!”

Cheerilee shouted for her class to get inside the insulated balloon adjacent to ours. Applejack and Rarity walked towards the class’ balloon with Applebloom; they are the class chaperones for the ‘field trip’. The mob of children galloped quickly inside the basket and took off in the direction of Canterlot, following the other baskets. Twilight and I walked into our basket as she explained the excitement happening around us.

“Starsword, typically, from a town like Ponyville, you are lucky to receive even one invitation to Canterlot’s branch of the competition. This year, three unicorns got invited; no town like Ponyville has ever qualified so many ponies! Although, your invitation was a matter of association rather than actually qualifying…”

So those two unicorns are my competitors, huh?

“There’s another thing you should know: a Canterlot unicorn has won this competition each of the past 20 years, with the last non-Canterlot pony to win this branch hailing from Trottgart. Beyond that, Canterlot hasn’t seen another unicorn from another city or town win for the past 200 years!”

And I have to win this competition? Is Celestia mad?! She has to know how much this stacks up against me!

“Twilight, I…I don’t need to tell you how hopeless this sounds for me! I still have to try…”

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. “That’s all we can ask of you. I can’t make you win, but I’ve adequately equipped you to perform at a competitive level. You will be fine! Let’s make our way over there, shall we?”

The balloon had taken off, giving me an opportunity to see the landscape in a different light. The Everfree Forest and Ponyville sat to my left on the ground as I turned to face south. As the sun caught my eye through a lone cloud, it glared in my face, causing me to turn away to look in the direction of Cloudsdale.

The flight was very short, but instead of landing in the castle town, Twilight directed the balloon to land adjacent to the river at the base of the falls. Around the landing site were countless balloons of various shapes; an erector set arena sat in a field a short walk away from where the balloons were parked. One gigantic banner in the arena read “405th Annual CAM: Presented by Calm Whisper’s Organic Horn Cream.”

So they aren’t above product placement, either. This must be their version of an amateur Super Bowl!

Surrounding the arena were hundreds of vendors selling food, beverages, and comforts for the guests watching the competition. Anything including seat cushions, socks, foam fingers, flags, and other fan gear were sold for expensive prices to anyone willing to squeeze their wallets clean. There were two names I saw frequently appearing on the gear being sold: Andromeda and Aries.

“Who are those ponies on the gear they’re selling, Twilight?”

Twilight gave the flags a good look, and jerked up in surprise. “So they both qualified this year! Starsword, I grew up going to class with these two unicorns. They are twin brother and sister, Aries and Andromeda; together, they’ve gained some fame as the ‘Starborn Siblings’.”

“I see…hold on a second, Twilight. Those are the very names of constellations our planet can observe during certain season of the year. How is it that these ponies have those names when we are in an entire foreign part of the universe?”

Twilight gave the question a moment’s thought. “Well, that’s a good point, Star…I guess Princess Luna would need to answer that, since she gave them the names.”

“Princess Luna named those two? Are they her children?!”

Twilight giggled at my suggestion. “Not at all, silly! They are top graduates from the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns, same school I attended. If it weren’t for Princess Celestia dropping me out to become her personal protégé, I would have been valedictorian instead of those two. They both graduated with the exact same grade point average as the other sibling. Princess Luna signed a recommendation for them to join the junior division of the Equestrian Magician’s Guild, and that’s their story!”

They are prodigies! I’ve only done this magic business for a month, and they have been doing it their whole lives! And they are graduates of a school for ‘gifted’ unicorns! How am I supposed to compete?!

*ding* WILL ALL AMATEURS MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE TESTING GROUNDS SOUTHEAST OF THE ARENA *brrpt*

“They’re calling for me, Twilight! Let’s go!”

Twilight and I hurried to the site of the qualifying round. The content of this year’s amateur competition, Twilight told me, would always be slightly different than prior years. Because I only had one month to prepare, there could be concept thrown at me that I might not be ready for; she prepared me with the essentials.

After arriving at the testing grounds, we marched into the crowd of on-lookers waiting patiently for the competition to get under way. Most of the guests were gathering inside the arena, so a good two hundred ponies were in observance where we were. A unicorn with an official’s badge and jacket walked up to the makeshift podium.

“Welcome to the qualifying round of the Amateur Magician’s Competition, Canterlot branch. I am Director Tally Mark, and it is with great pleasure that I introduce the 18 unicorns who qualified for this year’s contest. Please step forward as I call your names aloud.”

“From the city of Vanhoover: Maple Hooves.”

“From the city of Los Pegasus: Sea Spray and Sea Swirl.”

“From Dodge City: Jim Appleseed.”

“From the city of Fillydelphia: Belmont Stripes and Brave Lancer.”

“From the city of Manehattan: Morningside, Neon Lights, and Colt Rockefeller IV.”

“From the city of Canterlot: Amethyst Star, Andromeda, Aries, Beatrix Lulamoon, Racquet, and Silver Ringer.”

“From the town of Ponyville: Lyra Heartstrings, Starsword, and Vinyl Scratch.”

The competitors and I stood side-by-side, receiving the approval of the on-looking crowd. I turned my head around the Manehattanites standing next to me to get a good look at the Starborn Siblings. They eagerly waved to their section of the crowd, receiving a flurry of chants of their names.

The crowd came closer to us, giving each of us pats on the shoulder and wishes for good luck. I was startled as Snips and Snails leapt out from the crowd, running up to Beatrix Lulamoon. This unicorn was obscured by a purple hooded cloak, which also covered up her cutie mark.

“Snips, is it really her?!” “It sure is, Snails! That’s the Great and Powerful Trix-“

The unicorn pressed her hooves against the two sets of lips. I heard a stern whisper, and the two colts scampered away quickly, giving her a wink and sheepishly grinning.

Director Tally Mark stepped forward to speak again. “Welcome everypony to the preliminary testing grounds of the 405th Amateur Magician’s Competition in Canterlot! Please turn your attention to the center of the field; as you can see, there is nothing here that you can see. However, there is, in fact, a massive object that each of you must attempt to lift 200 yards into the air. Your score will either be the highest altitude the object reached, or the amount of time it took for the object to reach 200 yards. Here is what you must lift: a 2 ton boulder!”

The Director channeled his magic, revealing an invisible boulder towering over us.

Sea Swirl from Los Pegasus dropped to her knees in shock at the size of the rock.

“Tha-tha-that’s huge! How in the world are we supposed to lift that thing?!”

The siblings, Andromeda and Aries, walked over to Sea Swirl and knelt down, patting her on the back.

“Andromeda, what should I say?”

Aries’ sister, Andromeda, whispers gently to Sea Swirl. “Don’t focus on the size, but on the inner strength I know you possess. No challenge is too great if you give it your best shot!”

Sea Swirl wiped her tears away and grinned. “Thu-thanks, Andromeda! Wow. I needed that.”

The director gave a slight cough and returned to explain the preliminary round.

“Thank you… now this boulder is what every competitor will attempt to levitate to that 200 yard marker floating in the air. The best six attempts will advance to the Four Pillars in the arena. This means only six of you will advance beyond this point of the competition.”

“Here are the rules for this round:

(1) You must use telekinesis on the boulder to levitate. No space-time spells allowed!

(2) You must maintain positive velocity moving upward. If your vertical velocity drops below a positive value, we will record the height you reached.

(3) Do not tamper with the boulder to sabotage other attempts. You will be disqualified and incarcerated.”

“That is all I need to say. Are we clear on the rules for this round?”

Everypony nodded in unison.

“Fantastic! Our first randomly selected participant is…Number 8! Neon Lights of Manehattan, please step forward and begin when ready!”

Neon Lights came forward in his black suit, white tie, and aviator shades. Removing them and setting them to the side, he flexed his legs and lay prone on the ground. His magic energized and lifted the boulder from its rooted position. The timer behind him had begun, and he slowly raised the boulder. He brought it to the 80 yard mark before it fell down, not without it being abruptly stopped short of the ground by the Director.

“Very noble attempt, Mr. Lights! 80 yards is the benchmark. Next up: Number 3! Sea Swirl of Los Pegasus, at your ready!”

Sea Swirl quivered in fear of the massive rock overshadowing her. Looking for sympathetic glances, she turned to the crowd, visibly shaken and distraught. Her eyes drifted to Andromeda and her fellow mare from Los Pegasus, Sea Spray, as they gave Sea Swirl reassuring nods and smiles. Sea Swirl’s shaking ceased as she turned to face her foe.

Her magic encompassed the boulder and lifted it from its resting position on the ground. Surprising even her, the rock made its slow journey into the sky. After around 60 yards, the boulder no longer moved, and descended in the same way Neon Lights’ attempt had done. Sea Swirl turned and leapt joyfully into the air; the crowd erupted with laughs and cheers for her success.

“Great attempt, Ms. Swirl! That was thrilling! Let’s call up the next competitor; Number 12! Aries of Canterlot, please step forward!”

For the next hour, names and numbers were being called; Aries gave an incredible effort, eclipsing Neon Lights’ initial attempt by 90 yards! The benchmark had been set high, and it felt like nobody could get close, as multiple ponies gave less than inspired efforts:

12 – Aries of Canterlot – 170 yards

6 – Brave Lancer of Fillydelphia - 115 yards

7 – Morningside of Manehattan - 95 yards

15 – Silver Ringer of Canterlot - 90 yards

8 – Neon Lights of Manehattan - 80 yards

3 – Sea Swirl of Los Pegasus - 60 yards

2 – Sea Spray of Los Pegasus - 55 yards

“Next up: Number 11! Andromeda of Canterlot, please make your way forward!”

I could see Sea Swirl leaping up and down, cheering her new friend on with the rest of the crowd. Andromeda fixed her attention only on the boulder, charging her magic. The boulder fluidly ascended at a fixed pace upward. The crowd screamed their approval of Andromeda’s stamina; the rock never slowed down as it crossed the 200 yard marker at around three minutes and ten seconds!

11 – Andromeda of Canterlot – 200 yards, 3:10

5 – Belmont Stripes of Fillydelphia – 120 yards

“Next up: Number 18! Vinyl Scratch of Ponyville, please step forward!”

As Vinyl made her way to the middle of the field, I shouted out “You got this, Vinyl!” leading to a wave of cheers from her fans on the other side of the procession. She turned around and hoofpumped the crowd, rousing another eruption of cheers.

Her attempt started off ready bad. After about 40 yards, it appeared like she had used up all of her magic; that is, until someone to my right shouted “Drop the bass, DJ!” Vinyl’s horn burst into a radiant blue aura, and the rock suddenly shot quickly higher into the sky. Beverages fell to the ground, jaws dropped, and ponies bobbed their heads to an inaudible rhythm as the boulder finally stopped at 165 yards, placing Vinyl solidly in qualifying range.

The director could hardly announce the next pony’s name. “Wuh…well then! Ummm…next up is Number 13! Beatrix Lulamoon of Canterlot, please step forward!”

The mystery mare under the hooded cloak trotted to the rock and started up her levitation spell. Unlike Vinyl’s attempt, she immediately threw the massive object high into the sky at an incredible speed. Her strategy was to give the rock intense momentum to move, allowing it to naturally slow down using the planet’s gravity. The ascent lasted until the 160 yard marker before it began to fall.

“In-incredible attempts by both ladies! Wow! Next up is Number 16! Lyra Heartstrings of Ponyville, please begin!”

As she brushed past me, I gave her a nudge with my hoof, and she spun around to look at me. Her face showed a look of total surprise!

“Hey! You’re that pony I met in the park a couple weeks ago! Tom, right?!”

I shushed her a bit. “Sorry, Ms. Lyra. It’s ‘Starsword’ now, but yes, it’s great to see you again! Good luck!”

She blushed at her ignorant blunder. “Sorry, Starsword, I didn’t realize! Thanks!”

The second of the Ponyville entrants started her levitation spell. Her technique was solid, but Lyra had little endurance, and could only lift the boulder as high as 40 yards. Who would have guessed the unicorn I met in the park only two weeks ago had a high aptitude for magic?

“Valiant effort, Ms. Heartstrings! Now onto the next pony…”

The next two attempts made were by Maple Hooves of Vanhoover, and Racquet of Canterlot, both logging in distances of 60 and 100 yards, respectively. After those two, it was finally my turn to surmount this challenge.

“Next up is Number 17! Starsword of Ponyville, please step forward!”

Everything that Twilight has taught me is coalescing into this moment; I have to qualify! These ponies are aiming to achieve recognition, to prove themselves to others, to make their dreams come true. I don’t diminish their efforts by any means…but I must do this for something greater than myself. I must do this for Jonah, for Starswirl, and for the peace that Celestia is trusting me to accomplish!

This piece of earth standing before me meant more than a simple exercise in magical power; it was standing in the way of my friend’s safe return. It stood in the way of peace; it stood in the way of the lives of many ponies and griffons that need my power. I knew I could fail, but thinking like that has no place in my mind anymore!

My horn drew my magic out and encased the boulder in a brilliant white aura. Its ascent began, and the timer ticked forward. The shouts from the director burned in my ears; 20 yards, 40 yards, 60 yards.

Excellent progress! The rock isn’t weighing down at all, and at this rate…woah, crap, it’s getting heavy, aaah!

The boulder slowed to a crawl at around 85 yards, and the doubts crept back into my mind.

I’m too weak for this; it’s getting to be impossible to carry…

Tom.

“What?”

“Tom, promise me you will finish this mission and take me home. Do this for me and the project team. See where our DESTINY will take us.”

Jonah…I promised I would get you back home. Alive. I promised I would unite the ponies and griffons. So many promises made, so many depending on me…and I cannot go back on my WORD!

An incredible surge of power ran to every pore of my body; the energy output from my horn just about tripled in measure! The boulder sped up and the director fumbled announcing the altitude of the rock.

“100 yards, 105-no! 120 yards! 140 YARDS! It’s- 160 YARDS!”

I got to the point of screaming as the magic burned my horn; but I had to continue or I would risk not qualifying.

“180 yards! 185 yards! 190 yards! It’s slowing down…195 yards!”

The boulder had just hit 200 yards when it immediately stopped and made its way short of the ground, being stopped by the Director’s magic. The audience at the testing grounds went insane, a mixture of cheering and looks of bewilderment.

“Well, Starsword, my eyes in the sky are confirming the boulder made it 195 yards. Incredible score, congratulations!”

I took my spot in the mess of ponies patting me on the back, and watched the final three ponies make their attempts. Colt Rockefeller IV of Manehattan made it to 155 yards, Amethyst Star of Canterlot reached 130 yards, and Jim Appleseed of Dodge City passed the 150 yard mark. Director Tally Mark conferred with his staff before approaching the anxious crowd, and announced the names of the qualifiers.

“Thank you for your patience, we can finally confirm the names of the unicorns that qualify for the Four Pillars! They are: from Canterlot, Andromeda, Aries, and Beatrix Lulamoon; from Manehattan, Colt Rockefeller IV; and from Ponyville, Starsword and Vinyl Scratch! Competitors, please make your way to the arena!”

Twilight Sparkle charged up and gave me a tight squeeze around the neck. The Ponyville Elementary class surrounded me and shouted all kinds of encouraging cheers my way.

“Twilight, I can’t believe it! That rock flew!”

“I know, I saw! Where did you find the power to move it so quickly after all that exertion?”

“Truthfully, I think I literally felt the weight of all that I had promised I would accomplish. I couldn’t imagine giving up and not keeping my word. I’ll never give you all a reason to not trust me ever again, not like I did Applejack…”

Twilight lifted a hoof to my face. “Starsword, you’ve proven your trustworthiness to all of us by now. You work hard despite the fear of failure and losing your friend in the end. That takes incredible inner strength, and I just want you to realize how much that means to everyone watching.”

Wow…I can’t even respond to that. That’s too kind of her to say.

“Twilight...”

“I know, Star. Go to the arena, and do us proud."

20: Release! (Part 2)

Chapter 20: Release! (Part 2)

The glass screen in front of the three of us continued to flash red and yellow, alerting us to the successful location of the captain of the vessel. Tom was found by his DESTINY ship; that bore ill on our mission to usurp the throne from the Gilgar-possessed Queen of the Griffon Kingdom. Starswirl channeled his magic in accord with Celestia’s; for what reason was unknown to me until they began to speak.

Starswirl looked up to Celestia. “Your Highness, what is Tom’s status?”

Princess Celestia, with her eyes closed and focused on her magic, hesitated. “Give…give me a minute, Starswirl. I must collect the images I’m receiving. My reach is great, but it takes time. There.”

The Princess projected an image showing a large arena with tens of thousands of ponies cheering. On the field stood five unicorns channeling their magic, rotating spheres around their bodies at brilliant speeds. There was an enormous video board at the north end of the arena, showing standings in what looked like a competition of some sort.

Five ponies’ names were in green, while one, Colt Rockefeller IV, was in red, indicating he was eliminated. But Tom’s name was not on the board for some reason.

“Princess.”

“Hmm?”

“Why isn’t Tom in this competition? Aren’t we supposed to be looking for ‘him’?”

The Princess took a look at the board and blinked. “Well, there he is! And his name is Starsword now, Giefan; he received his cutie mark when he unlocked his hidden potential from the meteorite.”

Starswirl peered into the floating projection of the arena. “Well, well, well! The first Pillar was Teleportation! I wonder how he managed to pull that one off! And he avoided elimination with one of my worst technical spells, to boot.”

We could see the competition continue as a monitor in the arena displayed another ‘Pillar’, as Starswirl called it. The screen seemed to cycle through a list of names until it finally stopped: ‘Alchemy’.

Starswirl looked dumbstruck. “Alchemy?! They actually have that as an option? I’m afraid my successor won’t win this competition after all, Your Highness.”

The face of the Princess took on a distressful appearance as she paced the room. After a couple minutes had passed, she motioned both of us outside. The frigid winds of the Frozen North were not kind to explorers, and its temperament to us was unwavering. Sudden gusts forced us to bend our knees to maintain our posture outside of the ship, leaving us bracing the frosty death chilling our bodies. Celestia’s horn lit up, encompassing our trio in a transparent golden sphere. The sphere raised us from the ground and we were jettisoned upward and southward.

The Princess moved freely within the sphere. “Gentlecolts, this sphere will take us directly to the gateway to Giwgást. We will be unseen returning to the castle. Please wait for me at the gateway until I return from the site of the competition. Giefan, be ready to receive Starsword into the care of the rebellion, understood?”

“Understood. However…”

“Speak up, Sir.”

I swallowed my hesitation and voiced my concern. “Why shouldn’t we be accompanying you to escort Starsword to the gateway?”

“If I brought a wanted griffon and a deceased unicorn to an arena packed with thousands of on-lookers, what kind of incident do you think will occur? It would reach the ears of Gilda, and she would, in her possessed state, drag Equestria into an unnecessary conflict.”

Her foresight is amazing! I’ve been stuck in the Griffon Kingdom for far too long, Gil. I will definitely make it a priority to leave the country regularly, I can’t continue to be so ignorant like this!

My thoughts were interrupted by the whizzing sound of other objects passing us during our flight. Our sphere and the objects started traveling at the same velocity; there were six identical spheres with antennae on the same flight path: to Canterlot. Lights flashed on the outside of each sphere in red and yellow, the same red and yellow pattern from the DESTINY ship!

“Princess, those are-“

The Princess raised a hoof. “Yes, Giefan, they are indeed. Starswirl.”

The unicorn knelt before the Princess. “Yes, milady?”

“You will be alone at the gateway. Attempt to contact Lord Gent and place the Giwgást sentry on alert. I’m taking Giefan with me to the site of the games.”

“Yes, milady.”

The probes following us took a quick turn toward the direction of the arena. We phased through the castle walls to the gateway behind the throne room. Starswirl remained at the gateway while Celestia and I flew as fast as our wings could manage towards the site of the games. But by the time we made our appearance above the arena, the probes were already…

“Freaking alchemy?! How can I possibly compete in a field of magic I have zero knowledge of, Twilight? HOW?”

“Calm down, Starsword! I couldn’t teach you everything in a month, you couldn’t handle a curriculum decades long in a period of thirty days!”

“O Wise Element of Magic, I’m sorry for ever doubting your teaching ability! I guess I lose two ways.”

“Ugh, Starsword, you’re being difficult! Listen, Alchemy is simple-“

“You are patronizing me AGAIN, Twilight! Alchemy isn’t simple for one who knows nothing about it.”

“Sorry, I-“

The Director called out my name, freeing me from Twilight's telepathy. The task was to transform a parcel of air into water; one thing I recall about earth’s atmosphere is that breathable air is made up of more than just oxygen. Traces of argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and a good chunk of nitrogen make up the rest of the air composition. I had to assume the same was true for this planet as well.

I waved to the small portion of the massive crowd that rooted on the Ponyville entrants. If they weren’t being encouraged, then how could I? Recalling Twilight’s words, that magic is merely controlling or manipulating what occurs in nature, I put my thinking cap on and got to work.

The parcel of air was given to all five of us in the form of corked flasks. My mind hatched a plan to heat the glass flask, allowing the air to condense into water inside. Instead, my magic shattered the glass, wasting my first of three attempts…

“Dang it, what do I do now? This second flask…what if I gradually heat the glass instead of at once?”

The gradual approach seemed to work as the integrity of the flask remained strong. But nothing happened. In my impatience, I raised the temperature dramatically, and once again, glass scattered all over the field below me.

"One more attempt to go, and this isn’t good! I won’t advance like this! What can I do…what can I do…I have to isolate hydrogen and oxygen, and the only way I know how is to heat the air to ex-oh my goodness. What a foolish mistake! They are gases! Let’s give ‘em a chill!"

All my energy went towards gradually chilling the air around the flask, making certain to not drop the temperature below freezing. That proved to be too difficult, as the flask froze into a block with nothing inside the glass to show for it. I failed, but not only that, Vinyl Scratch was just as unsuccessful, shattering her glass three times.

The Director stepped onto his podium. “I’m afraid both Starsword and Vinyl Scratch are eliminated from this competition. Great effort, both of you fine unicorns. We look forward to your prog-“

High above the Director, several steel objects whizzed down into the arena and spread into a circle dozens of feet above the field. The crowd became agitated and worried as the judges scrambled to their hooves and galloped to the field. The Starborn Siblings, Trixie, and Vinyl charged their magic, preparing to attack, when the objects I at first didn’t recognize suddenly spoke.

-SCANNING FIELD FOR THE CAPTAIN-

So the DESTINY was looking for me after all! Why did it decide to find me while I’m caught in this mess?

-SOURCE OF VOICE RECOGNITION FOUND, CAPTAIN NOT FOUND-

“Jonah, it’s me!” I stepped forward to address the probes. “I’m your captain. Cease your search and return to the ship immediately.”

Aries came up to me in disbelief. “You don’t actually know what these things are, do you?”

“Yes, Aries, I do. These are search probes sent to find the missing captain of their ship. I am that captain.”

-VOCAL PATTERNS MATCHED. CAPTAIN ASSIGNED TO CONTAINMENT FIELD-

-SWITCHING TO BALLISTICS, PREPARING TO ENGAGE CONTAINMENT FIELD-

“No! Stop this!” Jonah must believe that my pony body is a prison! “Everypony, get off this field now, they are preparing to attack!”

Every pony scattered to the exits, and the judging staff was already negotiating the crowd to the exits. Chaos swept across the faces of all the schoolchildren as Miss Cheerilee herded her class to the tunnels. Twilight leapt off the seats and approached the middle of the field when I raised a hoof to stop her.

“Twilight…the probes won’t listen. They will try to destroy the body I have now. I need you to not engage these things, or they will target you.”

“Starsword, you can’t!”

“I can. That’s my specialty, isn’t it? Defense. On my application, that’s what I listed instinctively. Believe in me; I’m having a hard time doing that myself right now…”

The probes began to charge their guns as I revved up my magic, producing the familiar paneled shielding spell.

“Bring it on, you stupid drones! Fire away!”

Blast after blast came my way, and all were repelled one by one thanks to Twilight’s instruction from the beginning. As long as the shield for my spell held, however, I couldn’t burst down any of the probes.

Time to experiment. Go!

A few hexagon panels opened at will as I launched an energy wave at one of the probes, sending it flying in pieces to the opposite end of the field. Quickly restoring my shield, I returned to repelling the various energy blasts coming from the probes. After a few minutes, they began to retract their armament and replace it with something resembling a mini gun. Lasers flew in and demolished the weaker paneling, leaving only the stronger portions available.

“Twilight, what do I do?!”

“Make the shield you made when the star weighed down on you!”

The hemisphere guarded me against every single shot perfectly, but at the same time, exhausted my energy. I had found just a small enough opening to take out one more of the drones, leaving four more to destroy.

I cannot allow these drones to destroy me; I have to stay alive! But my energy…is fading quickly. Think, Tom! What if I tried dodging and hitting them after every dodge? Might that work?

My shield disappeared, and the blasts stopped coming; the drones were charging up for a killing blow! I had to try, now!

I started running towards one of the probes; their attempts to shoot me down landed behind me as I was too fast for them to track me. First dodge, I shot one down. Rolling out of the way of a second flurry of blasts, I pulled off the second dodge. Another down, two more to go as I tried to get an energy beam off without moving. One blast caught me on the hip; however, I managed to take out a third one before receiving a second blast to the horn, knocking me off my hooves. I couldn’t move after that, leaving me open for the final drone.

Twilight screamed out to me, but I couldn't respond.

No…I was so close…I’m sorry! Jonah…I can’t keep that promise after all…

The final drone charged its remaining energy and was ready to finish me off. Then a blur shot past it, leaving behind an explosion where the deadly probe used to be. It was destroyed!

What? How…who?

My vision blurred as my body began to shut down from the exhaustion. I could make out several figures standing over me saying things I couldn’t discern. Then my rest came.

“…Starsword. Please wake up, we need you!”

Who needs me? Why should I wake up, I’m already dead anyhow…

“Don’t die on us, Tom. Come on…”

But I already did! I failed Jonah! I can’t bring him home.

“Celestia, what if I pinched him with my magic?”

“Try it, Twilight.”

OUCH!

That pinch placed me erect in a seated position on the hospital bed. My hip and horn were patched up with bandages, and I could see several ponies and one lone griffon standing in the room. Twilight was accompanied by Princess Celestia and Luna, and the Starborn Siblings Aries and Andromeda.

Twilight came up to me first. “Star, you made it through.”

“…yeah, I did somehow. Who destroyed that last drone?”

“That was Giefan, Starsword.” Princess Celestia motioned to the griffon standing in the back as he stepped forward.

“Starsword, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. I am Giefan, lieutenant of the Griffon Royal Guard and liaison between the crown prince and Equestria.”

Why is there a griffon here, and from the sound of it, such an important one at that?

Princess Luna took the opportunity to speak. “Starsword, we have discovered many things since we last met in Ponyville. But we will speak of these things in due time. For now, we ask you to rest.”

“I appreciate that, Princess. Thank you…but I have one question that needs answers. Now, Celestia.” I knew I felt his presence when I woke up, but not in a million years did I expect him to actually be here.

Princess Celestia was startled by my direct inquiry. “Wuh…what might that be, Starsword?”

“Why are you hiding him from me, Your Highness? I can sense him. Somehow, he’s here. He SHOULD be dead, yet he lives?!”

*sigh* “I suppose we’ll need to summon him, Luna.”

“But sister, the other unicorns, they can’t-“

Celestia raised a hoof. “It’s okay. It will give them an opportunity to see a pony they normally couldn’t meet.”

Twilight approached the Princesses. “I’m sorry, but who exactly are we talking about, Highnesses?”

The Siblings pondered the same question. Andromeda stood there looking puzzled while Aries appeared irritated at the obscurity in our speech.

“Luna, would you mind bringing him here?”

“Oh, ladies, that won’t be necessary.” Appearing in the room was the unicorn who gave me this brand. The source of the burden I’ve had to carry just because I touched a rock from outer space. Starswirl made his appearance in the flesh.

“Stuh…Sta! Staaaar-” Twilight couldn’t believe the sight. Neither could the Siblings, as Starswirl approached my bedside.

“So, Starsword is it now? I suppose that’s a fitting name. Mine is wrought with a destiny of confusion, thoughts of life and magic swirling inside my head, ha ha! But your name is wrought with purpose, a fight needing to be one; you have a sword forged with a goal. That’s more than I could ask for from my successor, indeed.”

Twilight ran up behind Starswirl, inciting him to turn around and face her.

“And who might this be, Celestia?”

“Starswirl, this is my most gifted student in magic and the bearer of the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle.”

Starswirl’s eyes widened. “Element of Magic?! So you had to deck those gaudy looking necklaces again, eh, Celestia? Ha ha ha!”

Twilight ignored his little jabs at the Elements. “Starswirl, how…how can you be alive? You should have passed away long ago!”

The elder magician shuffled around a bit. “Well, I suppose I should explain myself, since my appearance here, according to Miss Sparkle, sounds improbable. If you know my history, you know that I placed an enchantment many hundreds of years ago on that meteorite you found. That enchantment was a projection of my willpower; basically, I placed my spirit inside of that floating rock. Did the prophecy manifest, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight stuttered, then nodded. “Y-y-yes. The zephyr of change is blowing today.”

“Very good, Miss Sparkle. Then you also know that we have the two spoken of in that prophecy in the room today.”

Princess Celestia interjected with a thought of her own. “Starswirl, from what we gathered, there was only one spoken of in the prophecy.”

“I can see where you might believe that, but that’s far from the truth. I’ll explain in detail now for your benefit. You know the ‘rock of ages past’ is the meteor that contained my spirit, but what you don’t understand…” He looked at Twilight when he said this. “…is that the zephyr of change has nothing to do with Starsword.”

Starswirl continued. “The zephyr of change is the change in the Griffon Kingdom’s leadership. A new king will be crowned someday in that land; but ‘cursed is he who cannot control it; it siphons the life from his marrow’. If Giefan over here cannot control this power struggle himself, his life will be taken.“

“The burden, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, is on Starsword to carry out the last will I gave to Princess Celestia before my ‘death’. However, the rest of the prophecy, again, has nothing to do with him. Giefan…”

Giefan stood next to Starswirl. “Yes, sir?”

“The power that Starsword has now will be yours someday. There was a connecting word ‘and’ in the prophecy. The magic I blessed him with will be given to you; you’ve also sought refuge among the Equestrians unknowingly. As I’ve also written, ‘it’s ponies, his light’; let the Equestrians who have helped you shine a light on your kingdom. My last wish was to unite the Kingdoms of the Griffon, the Equestrians, and the Crystal Ponies under one banner. You can make that happen, and you will.”

Wait, so this griffon is spoken of in this prophecy? It’s not only cryptic, but it makes no sense!

“Starswirl…” Celestia closed her eyes and chuckled. “It seems you still make little sense, even in your wisest years. We would have never guessed any of this had you not returned to us.”

“That’s why I must thank you for keeping my body intact. Nothing is coincidental here, it is all providential. No mistakes were made; the events I’ve prophesied are now set in motion. We just need this griffon and these unicorns to be faithful to carry out the mission. Starsword…”

I took off the bed sheets and staggered off the bed, causing everypony in the room to come closer to give me a hoof.

“Starsword, this is my final blessing. Your name speaks of a sword that the Royal Court has had in its possession for thousands of years. It will be given to you for the coming battle against Gilgar. Please, slay my once dear friend, and free him from his curse! Whoaaa!"

Starswirl shot his hooves into the air, and a vortex appeared above us. Thunder and lightning shot out of it, releasing from the darkness the hilt and blade of a sword sheathed in its scabbard. Princess Luna took hold of the scabbard and unsheathed the sword. On the hilt was an onyx gem and running up the blade were three words: ‘Sol and Luna’.

“Mom…dad…you’ve come back to us at last. We missed you…”