The DESTINY Exploration

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.”