Journey Into Darkness

There was something new in the air as Twilight peered through the eyepiece of her telescope, identifying constellations that she had identified a thousand times before.  She found this a quiet and relaxing activity that she practiced every night before retiring.  It helped to calm her and ease her mind, allowing her to sleep peacefully.

Behind her, Spike was already in his bed, snoring softly.  She had thoroughly overworked him today and he was exhausted but he never complained about the workload, which is why she considered him her number-one assistant, despite the grief he occasionally gave her.

She was grateful to Princess Celestia for allowing her to stay in Ponyville.  Though it really served no purpose, it allowed her to be in familiar surroundings and near her friends.  Her new-found Alicorn status hadn't really changed anything.  Despite her official “Princess” title, she was still Twilight Sparkle to the citizens of tiny, quiet, Ponyville.

The clopping of hooves caught her attention and she looked down into the street to see a group of Equestrian soldiers trot by.  They were another sign that Ponyville was not as quiet as it seemed on the surface.  This group was one of many stationed in the town by the Princess since the problems had begun.  Ponies had been disappearing, specifically young colts and fillies.  They vanished from their beds in the middle of the night, leaving only terrified parents.  There were never any witnesses to the disappearances.  It was like they had simply vanished.  The Princess was exasperated enough to send her personal guard to protect the town.  She had also assigned Twilight to oversee the investigation.  However, even with Twilight's considerable investigative prowess, no headway had been made in the case.  The Princess was stressed and had alerted Twilight, by letter, that she had called in outside help.

Twilight had never been outside of Equestria and, as far as she knew, there was nothing outside of that world but she trusted her princess and would follow Celestia anywhere.  Hence why she had not objected at this news but simply awaited this new assistance and wondered what they would be like.

A sound like thunder erupted from the air above her and Twilight immediately returned her attention to v the telescope, searching for the source of the noise.  She knew the pegasus ponies hadn't scheduled a storm this week and she saw no clouds on the horizon.  There were three more of the thunder-sounds in quick succession and she saw a flash in the sky and traced what looked like a long tongue of flame as it arched across the stars before landing with a crash more felt than heard in the Everfree forest.

Twilight continued to watch the area where she had seen the thing crash, waiting for more movement.  When there was nothing, she turned and grabbed her saddlebags.  Her curiosity was piqued and she wanted to find out what that thing was.  On her way out, she paused as Spike's bed and considered waking him but decided against it.  He was still a baby dragon and needed his sleep, she reasoned.

She left the library behind her, spread her wings, and took flight.  Her areal route ensured that she would have an easier time finding the crash site.  If she had walked, the patrols would have spotted her and insisted on accompanying her.  Having a small army following her would have made her search that much more difficult.

She searched the horizon, looking for the smoke or flames that would indicate where the thing had crashed but saw nothing.  That made her more curious, what could crash into an dense and overgrown forest at an obviously high rate of speed and not cause a fire.  Looking straight down, she noticed an odd glow beneath the dense forest canopy.  She banked her wings and turned, circling the area as she searched for a clear place to land.

There was a strip of land where the trees had been cleared away suddenly.  Something had torn through the forest at an incredible rate of speed.  She widened her circle as she came in to land on the soft, uneven, ground.  Her hooves sank into the soft, thick, mud and it was an effort to move towards the glow.

A high-pitched squeal, just on the edge of her hearing, caused her to wince.  She twitched her ears, as if trying to block the sound, but it reached her all the same.  Much to her relief, it ended suddenly as she came upon the source of the glow.

There was an odd, egg-shaped, structure partially buried in the earth.  Steam rose from the puddles of muddy water and hung in the still air, making it a little difficult for her to breathe.  The entire egg seemed to glow with the ethereal reddish-orange light.  The heat bleeding off of it was intolerable and Twilight found herself forced to back off a few steps, despite her insatiable curiosity which was only heightened by these peculiar circumstances.

There was a loud metallic thud and the egg started to hum again.  An oval of light appeared.  Twilight quickly ducked into some nearby brush and hid herself as the oval grew and something came out.  Whatever it was, it certainly didn't look like a pony.  It resembled a Minotaur in build and stance.  It walked on its long hind legs which bent back, as opposed to the norm of bending forward.  The creature was twice again her height.  Aside from that, she really couldn't see any detail.

The creature chattered in a strange tongue as it waved it's forelegs in frustration.  It kicked the egg, which sounded with a dull thud.  The creature muttered a little and disappeared within the egg, only to return, carrying a large pack and some kind of strange object that glowed with a blue haze.

The creature's eyes glowed a bright red, shedding light on the forest around it and it lumbered directly toward her hiding place.  Twilight panicked and bolted, running as fast as she could back to the clearing, where she would have room to take flight.  The mud and uneven ground made running difficult for her but not, apparently, for the creature, which spotted and pursued her.  It rapidly gained ground on her.  Her front hooves slid some but she corrected herself, breaking into an evasive pattern to make herself harder to catch.

Finally, she saw starlight and spread her wings.  Her pursuer put on a burst of speed and she only got a few inches from the ground before she felt the creature leap onto her back and ride her to the ground.  She tried to push it off but couldn't get her legs under her properly.  The creature barked in it's odd language as it pawed at her, finally grabbing her head and pushing it up, exposing her throat.

She instantly regretted traveling out alone and not telling anypony where she was going.  She was going to die here, in the middle of the Everfree forest, and nopony would ever know what became of her.  She thought of Spike, who still needed her, and wondered who would care for him.  She wept with fear as she struggled against her attacker, “No!  No, please, don't do this.  Please, for Celestia's sake, don't hurt me!”

The creature paused but didn't release her.  For a horrifying moment, She was unsure as to whether or not it had understood her pleas.  She heard and odd click and it shifted slightly.  She could see, out of the corner of her eye, that it was holding something above her head.  She doubled her efforts to free herself, “No!  No!  No!”

A bright light flashed in her eye, nearly blinding her.  She whimpered, trying to move her head to bring her horn around in an effort to cast a spell and defend herself.

The creature began to gently stroke her neck and she found herself soothed somewhat, “You're okay.  You're okay.  Calm down, now.”

She froze at the voice.  It was deep and soft.  The creature was no longer speaking in it's own language but speaking in her's.  She could understand it but could it understand her, “Please.  Please don't hurt me.  Please just let me go.  I won't tell anypony about this, I promise.”

“No.  No, I won't hurt you.  Don't worry.”  It climbed off of her and allowed her to get back to her hooves.  She stood and backed off a few feet, putting some distance between her and the creature.

“Please, don't leave.”  It said, “I know I scared you but I promise, I mean you no harm.”

“That wasn't the best introduction.”  She said, stomping a hoof in irritation.”

“I know.  I'm truly sorry but I didn't know what you were.  What are you?”

Twilight snorted, “I'm a pony.  An Alicorn.”

The creature was silent as it stared at her, “I've seen ponies before but they didn't have wings or horns, nor were they able to speak.”

She blinked, “You've seen ponies before?  Where?”

“On my world.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Your world?  What are you?  Where did you come from?”

“I'm a human, kind of.”

Twilight wrinkled her muzzle, “Hu-man?  What's a human?”

The human set a small cylindrical object between them and turned it on.  The blindingly-bright white light hurt her eyes and she groaned as she turned away, allowing her eyes to adjust slowly.  When she turned back, she was pleasantly surprised that she could see this human in clear detail.

It possessed legs that made up roughly half of it's actual height and it's girth was twice her own.  It's mane was tiny, covering only the top of it's head and the back of it's very short neck.  It's muzzle was tiny and it's face, broad and flat.  She saw that the red light's she had seen on it's head were not, in fact, it's eyes, which were lower down, set on each side of it's tiny muzzle.

She realized her mouth was hanging open and slowly shut it.  This was beyond anything she had ever seen in her extensive studies, beyond anything she could even conceive.  This creature, this human, was the strangest thing she had ever seen and she desired to study it further.  She decided to go out on a limb, “Listen, we can't very well discuss here in the middle of the forest.  Why don't you come back to Ponyville with me and we can continue talking?”

“That sounds like a fine idea.”

She smiled, “Well then, come with me.”  She paused and her ears drooped a little, “I don't know how we're going to get you into Ponyville without causing a panic.  You're somewhat noticeable.”

The human frowned as he thought for a moment.  Finally, he smiled, “Turn around, please.  This might be a little disturbing.”

Twilight cocked her head curiously before complying.  Behind her, she heard strange popping and cracking sounds punctuated with the occasional pained grunt.  Finally she heard a sigh, “Okay, you can look.”

She did so and gasped.  The human had turned into a massive unicorn stallion.  His coat was completely black, save his white face and fetlocks.  The pack had become saddlebags and the strange object he had been carrying had vanished.  Presumably, he had hidden it in the bags, “How did you do that?”

He smiled, “I have some abilities, Twilight Sparkle.  Among these is the ability to disguise myself as anything.”

She blinked, “How do you know my name?  I didn't tell you my name.”

His smile grew, “I know a lot about you and more than just your name.  Wrap your brain around that.”  He took a few steps towards her, “After you, my dear.”

She shook her head, already irritated with her guest's hints.  A strange changling-like being that fell from the sky was going to come and sleep in the Ponyville Library with her and she didn't know anything about him.  She was trusting him to not attack her in her sleep.  Had she change places with one of her friends, like Rarity or Pinkie, she would have thought they were mad.  However, something told her that she was perfectly safe with him, safer with, in fact, than without.

Because he had neglected to grow wings, they were forced to walk back to Ponyville.  Luckily, She knew where the paths leading out of the forest and she had an infallible sense of direction.  It didn't take them long to find the road that led past Sweet Apple Acres and into the town.  She trotted through the town square, casting uneasy glances at the guards that milled about, expecting them to stop and question her and her companion.  However, it seemed that Princess Twilight and anyone traveling with her had total freedom of movement to go where, when, and how they pleased.

They returned to the Library without sharing more information.  Once inside the door, she deposited her bags by her desk and cast a spell to light the lamps and the fire.  With that completed, she turned to her guest, “I suppose you'll be staying for a while.  What do I call you?”

“My name changes with the locale.  My given name is Sherloch but, since you're from around here, why don't you choose my cover name.”

“A cover name?”

“Well, if your name is any indication, Sherloch isn't a common name.  I need a common name to help me blend in with the locals.”

“Why would you want to blend in with the locals?”

Sherloch's gaze hardened, “You ask too many questions, Twilight Sparkle.”

She frowned but kept her silence.  She angled her head to stare at his flank, “Where's your cutie mark?”

“What's a cutie mark?”

She stood up straight, “A pony's cutie mark is an indication of our special talent.  We're usually named for those talents.”  She turned to show him her cutie mark, an indigo star surrounded by white sparkles, “My name is Twilight Sparkle and my special talent is magic.”

“Do I need this cutie mark thing?”

She shook her head, “Not really.  Only young foals don't have their cutie marks.  An older stallion, like you, without their cutie mark is almost unheard of.”

“I see.”

“It will help you blend in better.”

He blinked then turned to reveal a magnifying-glass cutie mark, “What do you think?”

She stared hard at the strange icon, “What are you, some kind of detective?”

He smiled that same smirk, “You could say that.”

“Why are you here?”

“I was called here.”

“Here?  To Ponyville?”

“No, not here specifically.  I was summoned to some place called Canterlot.  Do you know where that is?”

“Canterlot is my home town.  Who called you there?”

“A princess named Celestia sent the summons and, given the look of the locals, I'm going to guess she's like you?”

Twilight nodded, “Correct.”

“I was supposed to go directly to Canterlot but my ship ran into some issues while setting up a deceleration orbit so that I could land.  I lost control and landed in that forest, where you found me.”

She stared at him, not quite comprehending what he was saying.  Ship?  Deceleration orbit?  “I don't understand.”

“Astrophysics, dear Twilight.”  He withdrew from his saddlebags something thin.  She stared at it curiously, knowing, from experience with Sherloch, that it would be something amazing.  He touched it with a hoof and it began to glow.  Words scrolled across the device and he turned it towards her, “A bit of light reading.”

She read through the neat print the device presented.  It explained how things called spacecraft moved through space, using gravity to help with maneuvering and keep fuel consumption to a minimum.  She had spent her entire life deep in study about anything and everything she could but she was appalled about how little she knew about the universe outside of her world.

Looking up from the device, she stared at him, “Can you do magic?”

He seemed surprised by her question, “Magic?  No.  I do possess certain abilities but those aren't magic, it's genetics.”

Her muzzle wrinkled, “What are genetics?”

“Genetics decide everything about you, from the color of her coat to the color of your eyes to how tall you'll be when you're fully grown.  These genetics come from your ancestors but mostly from your parents.  Everypony gets half of their genetic code from their father and half from their mother.  My father was an investigator, like me, so his abilities were passed on to me.

“Because of my profession, my 'special talent', if you will, I must be able to disguise myself as anything so that I can do what I need to more easily.  The reason I knew things about you that you hadn't told me is because I can read minds.  Its another ability that assists me in my investigations.  The people I question lie for various reasons.  I can listen to their mind, their memories, while speaking with them.”

Her mind was whirling with this new information, “And this actually works?”

“Without fail.”  He assured her.

She sat down and pressed a hoof to her eye, “This is a lot to absorb.  Let me get this straight.  You're some kind of investigator that uses not-magic like transfiguration and telepathy to help you find the truth?”

“Correct you are.”

“What do you do when you have this information?”

“Whatever needs to be done.”

Twilight hunched forward, “Why are you here?  Is it because of the missing ponies?”

He shrugged, “Ponies were not mentioned in the summons, just missing citizens.”

She smiled, “I was Princess Celestia's star pupil before I knew enough to become an Alicorn, a princess.  I'm sure, given your situation, that she would be willing to come here if I ask her.”

Sherloch presented a smile of his own as he took the device back and touched it, “To client Celestia of Equestria.  Subject:  Arrival of hired investigator.  Begin message:  To the Princess Celestia of the great nation of Equestria,  Greetings from Sherloch Holmes.  I have arrived on Equestria but have unfortunately run into some technical difficulties while in route to the assigned rendezvous point.  I am currently residing with Twilight Sparkle in the town of Ponyville and will meet with you as soon as possible.  Signature: Sherloch Holmes.  Send.”

The device beeped in response and went dark.  She stared at it a moment longer before speaking, “I don't think she has one of those.”

“She does.  She sent her summons to this and, if she can send to it, she can receive from it.”  He stood and returned to his human form.

She noticed how he was dressed and inquired, “Do you humans always wear clothes?”

“Except when we're bathing.  In the society I live in, it's considered extremely improper for a human to walk about in the buff.  In fact, there are rather severe consequences should we even attempt to.  And you, you obviously know about clothes yet you choose to walk about without them.  Why?”

“I've always found, and you'll find ninety-nine percent of ponies agree, that clothes are rather binding.  We really only wear them for special occasions when we need to look our absolute best.”

“I see.”  He replied before turning around.  His gaze roamed around the entire room and across the shelves of books.  He pointed to the flight of stairs in the corner, “Where does that go?”

“To my bedroom, which is completely off-limits.”  She warned him.

“Oh, of course.  I wouldn't go up there anyways.  Don't worry, Twilight Sparkle.  I'll respect your personal space.”  The device on the floor beeped and he picked it up, “The Princess replies that, due to the severity of the situation, it is necessary that we begin the investigation as soon as possible.  She says she'll come to me tomorrow morning.  She also requests that, since I am already with you, you allow me to stay for the duration of the investigation and give any assistance that I may need.”

She turned the device towards her and read the message for herself.  When she finished, she looked at him, “Alright but I need some information about you.”

“Ask away.”

“Where are you from?”

He looked about briefly and beckoned to her.  She followed him up to her telescope where he hunched forward and peered through the eyepiece.  After a short search, he stepped back and motioned her forward.  Taking her turn, she saw something like a small, quivering, ruby.

“That is the planet Jupiter.  Jupiter has many moons and one of them is Ganymede, where I'm from.”

“How far away is it?”

“Twenty-three light years away.”

She turned to him, “What?”

“The distance is the equivalent of twenty-three years traveling at the speed of light.”

“So you started out twenty-three years ago?  How did the princess know she would need you?”  Her ears drooped in disappointment, “How did she know I'd fail?”

“The only thing you've done is jump to conclusions.  I received the message two days ago.  Because of the Hyper-gate system, the flight time was cut dramatically and I was able to get here in time to help.”

There was a pattering noise from upstairs.  They both turned and, as Spike came down the stairs, a bolt of electric-green energy blazed across the room and blew apart one of the bookcases near him.  Twilight yelped as she ducked and Spike all but flew back up the stairs to, presumably, hide beneath his blanket.

She searched for the source of the attack, her horn already glowing and ready to cast spells in defense.  She noticed that Sherloch held a strange-looking contraption that was shaped like a horseshoe and glowed with the same green energy.  Her ears lowered, “What was the meaning of that?”

He slowly lowered his contraption before answering, “You wouldn't believe how many people want to kill me.”

“And you think Spike, my assistant, is one of them?”

“Unlikely but one can never be too confident.  Confidence is arrogance and arrogance gets people, and ponies, killed.  That would be an excellent first lesson for you, Twilight Sparkle.  If we're going to be working together, know that I won't be able to protect you at all times.  You need to learn to not be so trusting.  I could have killed you back there in the forest.”

“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now.”  She retorted, “You need to learn to trust.”

“I do trust.”

“Prove it!”  She challenged.

He smiled a cold, terrible, smile that sent a chill down her spine, “You're still breathing, aren't you?”

She watched him from the corner of her eye, “I'm not entirely sure I want you to stay with me.”

“Unfortunately, that is no longer your decision, is it?”

She frowned and  turned, “I have to go calm Spike down and, then, I'm going to bed.  Feel free to sleep on my sofa but, short of an emergency, don't you dare come past this bottom step.”  She clopped a hoof on the stair in question.  “If I catch you anywhere near hear tonight, Celestia, herself, won't be able to save you.”

“Good night, little pony.”