Guardian

CHAPTER 15 – INFINITY

“Ugh...” Eiza sat up from his laying position on the gray floor. He rubbed his head, suddenly jumping at the feeling of a hand rather than a hoof. He quickly held his hands out in front of him, looking down at his attire. The robes he had become accustomed to were there. He stood up and walked to a wall in the square room, tapping it and watching a portion of the surface take on a mirror-like sheen. He looked at his reflection, the one of himself that he remembered from a day ago before becoming a pony, and sighed.

“I don't like this place, Eiza.” The silver-haired man turned and faced a black silhouette of a male figure that looked back at him from over the center of a large hole on the floor. “Everything is unnatural. Intangible. Nothing makes sense.”

“You're floating over a hole in the floor as if there were no gravity. You think that makes sense?”

“No, but this is a fake world where I can do whatever I please. Not reality. Those beings can do things that do not use Psi.”

“I know that. It's magic.”

“That's a horrible excuse. Magic is a term used by people who cannot explain scientific truths.”

“So? We're in a different universe. Who's to say that magic isn't real here?”

“I still don't like it.”

“Mokushiroku, did you bring me in here for any useful reason or are you just using me as a vent for your griping?”

“I was getting to that. That shadow that threw you off of the tracks with the train a few minutes ago. He's an Emata like you.”

“What? No he's not. He's made of shadows... Or clouds... Something.”

“No, he's a Photomancer. He bends the light so that he looks that way. It's an intimidation tactic.”

“Okay. How does any of this affect me?”

“You noticed that the bubble you were in couldn't be broken by you.”

“It broke when I used Psi-”

“Shut up. I have been inside of your mind taking notes on things since the moment you arrived in this universe. I've noticed two things: One – The magic here is actually natural in this universe, whereas it is not natural in ours. It is able to coexist with Psi, but not occupy the same area. The two forces repel each other like same-poled magnets.”

“And what's the second thing?”

“The second thing I've noticed is in regards to what the orange man told you before throwing you into this universe. He said that he would put you in a place and universe that he deemed fit. He got the place right.”

“So I'm meant to be a horse?”

“No, you are not meant to be a horse. I read some of the orange man's thoughts before he threw you into that portal. He intended for you to arrive on a planet called 'Earth.' This is indeed Earth, but the timeline is incorrect. This is some time in the future. I think.”

“And why do you think that?”

“The orange man had a layout in his mind that I caught before he threw you into the portal. This world has the same layout. The same continents, the same creatures – but no humans. What this means is that the humans here, like the humans on Monaris, screwed up. But unlike on Monaris, their kind was run straight into the ground. By what, I don't know, but I do know that something happened to them. I know this because I caught some of that Emata's memories as well. He was asked a question shortly before he came to the train: 'Are you a human?' It seems that the humans he knew were vile as well, because he did not take kindly to being called one.”

“Did you catch anything else from him? Like... What he's done to irritate all of these ponies so much?”

“No. But I did steal some knowledge from that unicorn. Twilight Sparkle? Apparently that Emata has been running amok in the northern region of this world. He's stolen powers from a few ponies already, as well as something called a 'draconequus.'”

“That doesn't make sense... How can he steal magic if you say that Psi and magic can't exist in the same place?”

“His DNA is strange. It allows both to inhabit his body. However, it appears that he does not use them both at once. He either uses magic or Psi. He appears to be proficient with both. However, the reason that these ponies have such a huge issue with him is that their magic is useless. All he has to do is create a thin Psi membrane over himself, which he does at all times with that spectral shroud of his, and magic does nothing to him. Then if he wants to use magic all he does is turn the shroud into a cloud of black magic stolen from one of the ponies he has attacked.”

“And they don't even know this, do they?”

“No. The ponies have no clue. They apparently do have Psi present in the world, though. They have a few devices that can harness artificial Psi. Those are considered the most powerful magical items on this planet. They are unaware that the items aren't magical at all, but no other magic can stand before them because Psi doesn't follow the same principles.”

“So the shadow guy who's causing all of the problems just has to be hit by one of the objects, then? That seems like a simple fix.”

“Again, no. I looked into Twilight's head quite a bit since she seemed like an intelligent individual. Apparently the objects they rely on the most are a set of six devices called the 'Elements of Harmony.' They don't work for squat if they're used alone, but together they can bestow artificial Photokinesis and Geokinesis on the wielders. The only problem is that they're garbage. Artifacts left behind by the humans before they went extinct. The Psi output seems impressive, but it is nothing in the face of even just a slightly-skilled Emata.”

“So the ponies are at the mercy of this guy?”

“Pretty much. And he doesn't seem to be offering much of it. He's quite a devil.”

“That's no good.” Eiza turned and stepped up unto the wall, walking up until he stepped onto the ceiling, standing unhindered by gravity. “I don't want this world to get destroyed.”

“Why? It's not like it's any problem of yours. You'll just be sent to another universe eventually anyway.”

“I've seen the kindness that the ponies here have. They're simple, much simpler than the humans and Emata from Monaris. They live in a simple, carefree, innocent world. To have a member of my kind trying to take that away from them is disgusting. It makes Emata look bad.”

“So you're going after him, then?”

“Yup. I can't let him pervert this world with evil. And besides that, he threw me off of a moving train into a thousand-foot gorge. I didn't exactly enjoy that.” Eiza turned and looked down at Mokushiroku, then smiled.

“Before you go, I would suggest you make your first plan of action into finding something to eat. You almost killed yourself trying to stop that train from falling. You're going to need to refuel if you want to face that specter.”

“Right-o. I'll have this settled soon.” Eiza stepped into the scrying pool in the middle of the ceiling and sunk in slowly.

“Until we meet again, Eiza Borealis.”