"...Are you ready to be my faithful student?"
>Two possible options here, then.
>One, Twilight has gone batshit insane, and actually thinks you're magical. Maybe Celestia disowned her or something.
>Two, this is a test. Of loyalty, or something.
>Both of those are over-loading your "bullshit" meter. Like half the things in this fucking place. Which, of course, means it's time for you to shut that bullshit down.
"I'm not magical."
>"You are!"
"Twilight. I've been here for almost six months. You think I believe you're just noticing this now?"
>"No, I can explain. Look, come here."
>Twilight happily trots out of the room
>You roll your eyes, but decide to follow her
>At the very least this is going to be amusing, right?
>You expect to go down the stairs to the library, but she takes a left and starts heading up the spiral staircase
>Huh. Not much up that way, except her room and the observatory.
>"It's in here."
>Oh
>OH SHIT
>That's her bedroom
>P-Play it cool Anonymous
>You've been waiting for this for six months
>You can d-d-do it
>You take a few deep breaths, then walk in
>Twilight is standing up, levitating a book in front of her
>Oh
>You completely fucking misread that
>You're a retard
>Twilight holds the book upright, flashing the cover at you
>To your surprise, it appears to be bound in leather
>You can't make out the title. Some kind of weird scribbles.
>"The dragon ambassador gave me this. Remember her?"
>Yeah, like you fucking don't
>You almost caused an international incident when she tried to shag you
>Which, you know, you were ok with. But Celestia and Luna were totally mortified. Kept offering you grief counseling.
>Hey, sure, she was like 60 feet tall, had 3 heads, and kept talking about using you as a giant dildo, but you were down with that shit
>More arousing than disturbing, at any rate
"Just a bit."
>Twilight giggles
>"Well, it's a book on dragon magic! It works differently than unicorn magic. Different wavelength. I was reading it, and—"
"You speak drakish?"
>Twilight's eyes widen
>"How did you know this was in drakish and not draconic?"
"I didn't. I just guessed."
>"But why would you guess drakish? It's a dead language. Almost nobody speaks it."
>A voice in your head nibbles at your resolve, reminding you that the language of dragons was "draconic" in D&D and most fantasy novels you read
"I just guessed, ok?"
>"Well, I taught it to myself over the last few months, so I could read it. And, while reading it this morning, I figured out a spell to tap into draconic magical fields."
"Magical fields?"
>"Ambient magic in the air. Comes off all magical creatures. I wanted to check Spike's magical energy—so imagine my surprise when you light up like a hearthswarming tree!"
>You blink
"I have dragon magic?"
>"Powerful dragon magic! According to this book, the kind of magic I see coming off you—"
"Wait, you can differentiate between different kinds of magic?"
>"Yes. Dragon magic is... well, it's kind of hard to explain. It's sort of... on a graph with multiple axis, I suppose. On one you have the different species of magic, of which you are draconic."
"Ok."
>"And on another, you have your bloodline. Unlike unicorn magic, dragon magic is deeply tied to hereditary. There's a table of common bloodlines in the book. And you—You're of Níðhöggr!"
"What?"
>"Níðhöggr!"
>Something itches at the back of your brain, but you can't scratch it
"Is that even a real person?"
>"Of course it is! Legend has it, that many years ago, Níðhöggr was the most powerful dragon wizard of all time. Under his reign, Equestria lived in peace for a thousand years. But he was wronged by his mate, and abandoned the world, vowing never to return. Some say that he left for another world, and I think they're right: he left for your world?"
>Something clicks in your head
"Oh. Oh, Jesus."
>You swallow, trying to calm down
>You've heard the word "Níðhöggr" before, in a Nordic history class
"I've heard that before. Níðhöggr. He was a, uh, legend. Bad news, though. Signaled the end of the world, or something."
>"Well, perhaps your kind just couldn't become accustomed to him. Although some legends do claim that he dragged his mate with him, to torture her. It does seem out-of-character for him, however, so I never believed it. Either way, though, his bloodline died out in Equestria. So either his daughters never mated, or—"
"Wait, daughters?"
>"Dragon hereditary switches gender between generations. So the bloodline is through males one generation, and females the next."
"And you say he had daughters?"
>"Yes. Six of them."
"Do you think he could have taken them with him?"
>"Well, it's... very possible."
"If that dragon I met was anything to go on..."
>Oh
>Oh Christ, humanity
>You're so damn proud to be human right now
>Boldly going where no man has gone before, even back then. Or maybe "boldly cumming" was a better phrase
>"So that explains it! He started a new dynasty with your race, and, all these years later, here you are."
>You squeeze your temples, trying to clear your head
>You may be part dragon
>But that dragon was also basically fucking Nordic Satan
>Something tells you that his "peaceful reign" may be a bit editorialized
>Then again, he did technically only torture evil people, so...
>"So, what do you say, Anonymous?"
"Huh?"
>"Will you be my student?"
"Can you even teach me dragon magic?"
>"Well, not as efficiently as somebody from your bloodline. Unfortunately, when it comes to actual spellcasting, each dragon bloodline is about as common as another as unicorn magic is to dragon magic. And, unless you've been lying about living in a non-magical world, your bloodline's arcane tradition has completely died out."
>Twilight smiles
>"We can figure it out together!"
"I... Fine. Ok."
>Twilight claps her hooves
>"I've always wanted a faithful student to call my own, and I get to revive a dead magical tradition! Best day ever!"
"So how does this work, exactly? I've never done anything even kind of magical in my entire life."
>"Well, that's normal, I suppose. If your race was completely unaware of its ability, of course you wouldn't use it."
"You have any ideas on how I could start?"
>"Well..."
>Twilight drags a hoof across the floor
>"I could try to coax it out of you."
"Coax?"
>"Run a magical current through you and see if it sticks."
>That sounds like a horrible idea. Your body physically recoils at the thought.
"Eh, sure, why not."
>"Ok. This might... feel weird."
>Twilight's horn lights up. A soft shimmering noise fills the room as she hits you in the chest with a burst of purple light.
>You stand there for one second
>Two seconds
>And then...
>Something flies out of your hands. A bright burst of green energy, scorching the ground beneath you
>At the same time, you lift into the air, hovering several feet above the ground. Your vision is consumed by two green spotlights, and you quickly realize your eyes are glowing
"THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?"
>Those words exit your mouth
>But they're not in English
>They're in something... older. A series of snarls and hisses that form thoughts.
>"I—I am not she who is the knower!"
>Twilight's broken drakish screams back at you
>You, however, barely notice
>You're too busy desperately clutching at your chest, trying to prevent it from exploding
>There's—
>There's something inside it—
>With a roar that shakes the foundations of the castle, fire escapes from your mouth
>It burns a hole straight through Twilight's crystal ceiling, shooting hundreds of feet into the air
>You collapse to the ground, panting. Thankfully, that didn't hurt, but...
>Holy shit, you just breathed fire
>"That with no name?"
"I'm fine, Twilight."
>To your relief, it's English that comes from your lips once again
>"Are you sure?"
"I am. I'm... could I get some water?"
>You manage to pull yourself into a sitting position, then hold out a hand.
>Twilight places a conjured glass in it almost immediately
>You drink deeply, quenching the fire in your stomach
>"That was very good, Anonymous! Don't worry about your lack of control, I struggled with that myself."
>"Twilight!"
>Spike interrupts you before you have a chance to respond
>Jesus, you didn't even notice him come in
>"I—Celestia sent me a letter! You'd better read it!"
>Twilight tilts her head and levitates the scroll over to her, opening it up. She reads aloud.
>"Twilight. I saw it. Try not to be afraid—I've spent your entire life preparing you for this. Me, Luna, and Cadence will be fighting along with you, as well as all your friends. Use the Rainbow Power and we may have a chance. But, even if we fail, my student—know I will always love you, and be proud of you, and know you tried your best."
>Twilight looks at you with dinner plates where her eyes should be
"You should message her before something horrible happens."
>Twilight shakes her head
>"Too late. I have to—"
>Twilight takes off, disappearing out the hole you just made
>You groan and roll over, still kind of shocked from what just happened
>"Hey."
>You tilt your head upwards
"Yeah, Spike?"
>"Did you do that?"
"Do what?"
>"That torrent of flame."
"Yeah."
>Spike whistles
>"Now I see why you're so popular with the ladies."
"What?"
>"Well, I mean—that dragonness that tried to mate with you that one time. I can see why, if you make flames that big."
>You decide not to respond to that, turning back over and staring at the wall
>Well. You're a fucking dragon.
>Now you kind of regret never playing a dragonborn in 5e. Would have been apparently easy to roleplay.
>"ANONYMOUS!"
>You're up against a wall
>Not that you have any idea exactly how that happened
>One second you're laying down, then, the next—
>And HOLY SHIT YOUR LEG
>WHY DOES IT HURT SO FUCKING MUCH
>You would look at it, but your vision is kind of blinded by a shitload of blue light
>"THY SHALL TELL US WHERE THY POWERS CAME FROM, OR WE SHALL DESTROY THEE!"
>"Luna, you've broken his leg! You were always too harsh with the—"
>"Cadence, silence. If he is truly that monster, a broken leg is a small price to pay for what he has—"
>"Celestia, I told you, he's just a descendent! Why won't you believe me?"
>"THY MAGIC IS STRONG IF YOU HAVE CORRUPTED THAT ONE, NÍÕHÖGGR!"
"I DIDN'T DO FUCKING ANYTHING!"
>And, of course, you're speaking drakish again
>Fuck this, actually. Being a dragon sucks dick.
>Luna physically recoils at the words, momentarily releasing you
>You slump to the ground, and—
>OH CHRIST YOUR LEG
>You scream in pain. Or, rather, roar. It certainly doesn't sound human, at the very least.
>You don't get much time to get used to it, because Celestia immediately has you against the wall again
>Her drakish is much better than Twilight's. Grammatically correct, if a bit overly formal.
>"The prison from whence you have escaped was designed to endure for all the remaining seconds of existence. By what mechanism have you escaped, and why would you dare materialize back on this plane?"
"I have no idea what the fuck is gong on, I have a fucking shattered leg, and I'm scared as shit."
>Celestia pauses, then turns to her sister
>"This is not Níðhöggr. He was a prouder beast, unable of reducing himself to such trickery."
>Celestia releases you again, and you scream once more
>It hurts
>It fucking—
>You hear a sickening slumping sound and your eyes are magnetized to your leg
>Or, rather, your leg bone. Which has just ripped through your skin.
>You pass out
>You're not surprised to be in a hospital bed when you come too
>You're also not surprised when Celestia and Luna are staring at you
>"Anonymous. We got off on the wrong foot."
>Luna groans
>"I told you not to open with that!"
>"What? A bit of humor will help. I know Anonymous. He likes that."
>"He also, presumably, enjoyed having a non-broken foot."
>"Then it was a shame of you to rob him of it!"
>"Well, you were the one who ran to me screaming about Níðhöggr being back. What did you think I was to do? If you did not trust Twilight so much, I would have atomized him for what he did."
>"Well, then it is good that you trust my judgement, sister."
"Uh, your highnesses?"
>You sit up in your bed
"Any chance we could, you know, include me in this conversation?"
>"Oh, right. Anonymous. You are awake. I had almost forgotten."
"I am, Princess Luna. Now. What exactly is happening?"
>"Well, I recognized that breath. I could hardly forget, after all."
"Hardly forget?"
>Luna speaks this time
>"In time, Anonymous. First we wish to explain ourselves."
>"And apologize. About your leg."
"It's not that bad. Barely even hurts."
>Luna and Celestia share a guilty look
>You blink, gritting your teeth
"In fact, I barely feel it at all."
>The guilt in their eyes deepens
"...It's gone, isn't it?"
>"Well, um, yes. For now."
"For now?"
>"They had to amputate it, but you are a descendent of Níðhöggr. You can surly grow it back. Once you get your powers under control, that is."
"Awesome, great. Now I'm a magical cripple."
>You slump back in the bed, dejected
>Fucking hell, why does this kind of shit always happen to you? First you take a wrong turn on fucking I-75 and wind up in horseland, and then this fucking shit
>God dammit
>"Well, temporarily, yes. But we will personally assist in your training, as penance. For, um, breaking your leg."
"So, why did you guys freak the fuck out? I thought that Níðhöggr was a great ruler, or something. Wouldn't you want him to be back?"
>"He was. A long time ago. Him and our parents—"
"Wait wait wait."
>You wave your arms around in the air, cutting them off
"Your parents? You guys have parents?"
>"Had."
"Oh."
>Celestia and Luna both look at the ground
"Oh, shit, I'm—"
>You slap yourself on the head
>There's one explanation for their fear and anger at you
"Níðhöggr killed them didn't he."
>"In a way, yes. I was quite small, and I don't remember what happened, but Celestia..."
>"I was around the equivalent of ten years of age at the time. I remembered Níðhöggr from back when he was a kind dragon. He used to show us parlor tricks—simple conjuring, fireworks, that sort of thing. Then, one day... he became distraught. I remember a large amount of yelling, about how his mate betrayed him, and how he could no longer trust the mortal. My parents tried to calm him down, but he would not listen. Adultery is a serious crime in the dragon lands, moreso even than here. So Níðhöggr... Well, I don't know what he decided. I just remember my mom, crying, telling me to take care of Luna. Then they were gone. It took me a few days to figure out how to move the sun. For years, I thought they had died, but on further examination, they simply... left."
>Luna nods
>"Starswirl figured it out. They banished him per-emptively, along with his daughters. Of course, Níðhöggr was far more powerful than them, so it took all their energy to do so. Which is why they disassociated."
>You stay silent, hoping they'll continue talking
>But they don't. They just look at you, as if desiring a response.
>Fuck.
>You think for a moment, then speak.
>"Did Níðhöggr teach you drakish?"
>Fucking hell, you gotta get this language switching under control
>Celestia tilts her head, then speaks in the same overly formal dialect
>"Have you the ability to impose your will on your usage of this language, or has is it involuntary?"
"No control. It just keeps happening."
>Celestia nods.
>"A tradition as ancient as that of your patron will inevitably manifest itself in unusual ways. This is an especially accurate assumption when one considers the fact that my protege, a magical unicorn of uncontested and unmatched power, has personally conducted her magic through your body."
>You nod
"Well, then—Hey, English, awesome—I suppose getting control over that is priority one. Then getting back my fucking leg."
>"Yes. We suppose."
"Cool. Awesome."
>You adjust your posture in the chair
"So when do I get out of this place?"
>"In a few days."
"Great. You guys have a prosthetic for me?"
>"None, uh, for your species. Twilight is currently fervently working on designing one."
>God, you love that fucking pony
>Best friend a man could have
"Great. And where did I lose it, again?"
>"Just below the knee."
"Cool."
>You look to both of them
"Anything else you want to say?"
>"Not... for now, Anonymous."
>A few days later, you're being wheeled out of the hospital. In a cart, of course—they don't have wheelchairs designed for humans.
>Completely lacking a significant chunk of a limb is strange, to say the least, but there's not much you can do about it
>For now, you're just going to consider it leverage for later, when you need a favor from a Princess
>"I'm really sorry! Really really sorry!"
>You groan
>Twilight's constant apologies are honestly worse than the actual injury
"I'm fine, Twilight. I can grow it back eventually."
>"I know, but it's horrible you lost it!"
"It's not that horrible."
>"But it's all my fault!"
"It's the fault of sperg-horse and her mighty moon voice."
>"No, if I hadn't—"
"Twilight."
>You tilt your head to face her, glaring
"Please. For the love of god. Stop."
>Twilight nods, covering her mouth with a hoof
>Finally
>Some peace and fucking quiet
>The remaining few minutes to the castle are passed in absolute silence. Sweet, sweet silence
>You break it the instant you get in the door
"You're training me."
>"Really? Even after—"
"Only way I'm getting this fucking leg back. So yes. You're training me."
>Twilight bites her lip and looks at you for a few seconds. After considering it, though, she nods
>"Well. Perhaps we should start smaller than before, hm?"
"Yes."
>"Well. I suppose the best place to start is the most basic of all spells: light generation."
"Light generation?"
>"Making your horn into a torch. Or, at least, something similar to one."
"Don't exactly have a horn."
>"Well, yes. But, before, the magic came out of your hands."
>You hold one in front of your face
>"Most dragon magic comes through the claws. Those are your closest analogues, so it does make logical sense."
>You flex your fingers in the air
>Magic hands. Fucking... magic hands.
>Twilight's horn lights up, and the candles in the room dim
>"Let's try it now, shall we?"
"I suppose."
>"The important thing to remember is that magic is a way to manifest your will and desires."
>Twilight flaps her wings, floating lazily in the air
>"Magic is a science, but it is a delicate one. We are not like most unicorns, who can cast spells which assist in their special destinies. Our destiny is magic."
>As Twilight speaks, spirals of purple glow come forth from her horn, swirling and twisting in the air around you
>She closes her eyes.
>"This magic is best performed with careful study and contemplation. So, let us contemplate light."
>Her eyes open again
>"What is light?"
"Energy moving in discrete packets through spacetime."
>"Yes. Photons. But, on a more basic level, what does light mean to you?"
"Sight?"
>"Exactly. So what you desire is to see."
>The light suddenly completely departs from the room
>Not even the glow of Twilight's horn is visible
>"Sight is now removed from you. You want it back, yes?"
"I do."
>"So take it. Let that desire flow through you, to your hands. From your heart and mind to the physical world."
>You take a deep breath
>It's dark. You can't see. You wish to see.
>You try to feel that desire moving from your mind and out to the world
>But... nothing happens
"I don't think it's working."
>"Remember, your magic may be different from mine. It is still, of course, magic. But dragon magic is known to be more aggressive. Visceral."
>Twilight's voice moves through the room as she speaks. She's obviously pacing, even if you can't hear hooves
>"Perhaps we can try this. Let the desire to see build inside you, and explode!"
>You close your eyes
>It's dark
>You don't like that. You can trip or lose things.
>You want light
>You want light dammit!
>You open your eyes and thrust your hands forward
>...
>Nothing
>"Hm. Okay. Celestia mentioned that you keep slipping into Drakish. Perhaps that is the key?"
"How, exactly?"
>"Words of power are one of the most ancient and arcane forms of magic. Perhaps you must use them in conjunction with your desires. Can you try to speak drakish?"
"I guess?"
>Hm. Ok, apparently you can do more than guess.
>"Become the attempter."
>Jesus, her Drakish is horrible
>Still, you can tell that she wants you to try and cast something
>Ok
>You close your eyes again.
>Light. You want light.
>You let that desire build to a crescendo, then speak
"Light!"
>Nothing
>You close your eyes once more
>The wrong words, you suppose.
>Again, your desire builds
"Create light!"
>Fuck. Ok, one more—
"Make it bright!"
"Here comes the sun!"
"Lumos!"
"Light my fire!"
"Light it!"
"Light it up!"
"Create vision!"
"Let me see!"
"Remove blindness!"
"Make some fucking light dammit!"
>You slump back into your chair, holding your head with a hand
>You are the shittiest fucking wizard ever
>Fuck
>Twilight's right. That you can feel, intuitively. You need to find words.
>The right words.
>But what are the best words to create light?
>You bolt upright in your chair
>If this works...
>Again, you close your eyes
>You want light
>You want to see
>The words that come to your lips are natural, familiar. They flow off your tongue like water.
"Let there be light."
>Instantly, your hands start glowing.
>Their green light reveals a smiling Twilight, beaming a smile back at you
>"You did it! Very good, Anonymous."
"Yeah. Holy shit."
>You wave your hands around
>"I'm a fucking wizard. I'm a FUCKING wizard!"
>You jump up out of your chair with glee—
>OH SHIT, LEG!
>Your moment of triumph is quickly ruined by you falling flat on your face, extinguishing your hands.
>Fuck
>Being a cripple sucks
>"Oh my gosh Anonymous, are you alright?"
>The room returns to its normal illumination as Twilight uses magic to pick you up from the ground, setting you gently back in your chair. Or, rather, your cart-with-a-chair-in-it
>Fuck
"I'm fine."
>"Good."
>Twilight sits on the floor in front of you, smiling.
>"So, how did it feel?"
"Awesome. Just... Wow."
>You lean back, closing your eyes
>Casting was odd. Like a tingle in your hands, but also some sort of release. Like a less intense, non-sexual orgasm, if you had to describe it.
>Maybe more like a non-sexual orgasm combined with the feeling of satisfaction you get on solving a problem
>Yeah, that was it
>Awesome
>"Hm. I think we should stop there for today. I'll do some research into words of power, to try and assist you better in our next session."
"Which will be?"
>"Probably basic telekinesis. As I said, you have immense power, so I think we can move fairly quickly."
>You nod
"That sounds good. Now, if you can wheel me into the kitchen? I'm hungry."
>"Magic causes the user to burn more calories than normal. Why do you think I like hayburgers so much?"
>A day later, you're being lifted out of your bed by Twilight
>She still hasn't finished your prosthetic, and, even if she had, you'd need a few weeks of physical therapy before you could use it properly
>As a result, you're now in her care for basically everything.
>She holds you up in the shower, being sure to look away so you can keep your modesty
>She helps you get dressed, then carries you down the stairs, and sits you at the breakfast table.
"Thanks, Twilight."
>You glance downwards and ravenously dig into the eggs Spike made. You didn't want to tell Twilight, but you were up half the night, making your hands glow and turning them off again
>The actual ability to do magic has reduced some part of your brain to that of a child in a candy store.
>"Somebody's hungry."
>Twilight smirks in a playful way
>"You weren't spending all night playing with your magic, were you?"
"Maybe a bit."
>You shove another forkful into your mouth
>Jesus Christ, you're starving
>"Well. Hopefully I can get you one more spell to use for today."
"Hm?"
>Twilight lifts the sugar bowl off the table
>"Telekinesis."
>You smile, still chewing some eggs.
"I'd enjoy that."
>"Great! Just tell me when you're ready."
>It takes you a while to finish eating. Specifically, six plates full.
>All in all, you've consumed a dozen eggs. Which is pretty impressive, if you don't say so yourself.
"Ready."
>"Good. Let us begin."
>Twilight gently clears the table of its breakfast implements, placing them all on various counters or in sinks. The only thing she leaves is a small metal ball, which was previously hidden behind a box of cereal.
>She picks it up with magic.
>"This spell is similar to the last. Once again, you must let desire flow through you. Know what you want, then let that want flow into reality."
>Seemed simple enough
>"You, of course, will also need an incantation."
>You nod, exhaling
>Time to figure out what to say again
>Twilight sets the ball down in front of you. It makes a gentle clank as it hits the crystal table.
>Telekinesis. You want the ball to be in the air. Lifted up. Floating.
>You exhale, then speak
"Lift."
>Well, shit, that's English
>You try to think dragon-ey thoughts
>Leather wings, scales, fire breath.
"Lift!"
>There we go.
>Or, rather, there we try. Because the ball remains in the table.
>Hm.
"Twilight, is telekinesis direction-agnostic?"
>"What is what you say?"
"The sample type of spell regardless of where you want to move an object."
>"Yes."
>Ok. So "lift" isn't the right word, then.
>Lift implies an upwards movement. You don't need that. You just need some kind of movement.
>You think back to physics in high school
>Technically, you want to apply an impulse. So...
"Impulse."
>To your glee, the ball floats off the ground
>Twilight claps her hooves, speaking (mercifully) in English
>"Very good, Anonymous! Now, try to move it around."
>You hold up your hands and gesture sideways
>It follows exactly where you want it
>Holy shit, this is awesome
>"Ok, Anonymous. Let's try a new spell."
>Twilight gently takes the ball from you with magic, holding it in front of her
>As you watch, she changes its color from a silvery sheen to a matted orange
>"Changing the appearance of objects is a magic normally reserved for those unicorns with related cutie marks. Me and you, however, are not bound by such rules."
>Twilight floats the ball back to you, and you pick it up with your mind.
>"Magic of this variety is more complicated. You must know how you are to change, as well as the why. In my studies, I typically read from great wizards before me, to understand how a spell may be cast. Now, of course, I am beginning to write magic of my own, but the vast majority of my talents are learned."
>Twilight projects an image of a dragon on the table in front of you. From his strange hat and beard, you guess that he's some kind of historical figure she's read about. A replica of the ball in front of you floats in front of him.
>"Dragon wizards are different. Their magic is less delicate and more visceral, far more based on honor."
>The projection shows the dragon leaning back and screaming into the air, then thrusting his claws forward.
>"Of course, your specific tradition makes use of incantations, an art that's all but lost completely. It's possible that this magic is unique among dragons or ponies."
>The projection in front of you dissipates
>"We are forging new territory, my faithful student. So far your commands have been simple, but so have your spells. It's difficult to tell what this task will require."
>You hold up a hand, gazing at it
>"Try to change its color."
>You nod, exhaling
>Ok, so. Let's see, then...
"Change Color."
>You're quite surprised when it works
>Simple words, and yet...
>By this time, you're getting used to the feeling of magic flowing through you
>Twilight smiles brightly
>"Wow. I didn't expect that to actually work!"
>She giggles
>"Maybe this will be easier than I thought."
>You shrug
>"Hm. Now, I—"
>Twilight's sentence is interrupted by Spike, who comes clamoring through the door holding a scroll in his claw
>"Twilight! Letter from the Princess!"
>Twilight snatches from his possession and flattens it on the table
>You glance downwards at it as Twilight reads aloud
>"My faithful student, I am pleased to announce that I will be visiting you in approximately five minutes. I have re-scheduled all of your previous appointments already. I will arrive by teleportation. I apologize for the short notice, but this is a rather urgent matter. Please inform nobody but Anonymous and your assistant Spike of my coming."
>Twilight looks around, breath increasing in frequency
>"I—I have to get—"
"Twilight."
>You tap a finger on the table, getting her attention
"She knows it's short notice. She can forgive anything that's out of order—not that anything is."
>Twilight nods, taking a few deep breaths
>"I suppose you're right. Yes. Thank you, Anonymous."
"No sweat."
>Twilight sits down, eyes closed.
>Her breathing is regular and spaced apart.
>...
>Man, she really is beautiful
>Not even necessarily in a romantic way. In the way you might look at a painting.
>You shake your head, stopping yourself from staring
>The remaining time to Celestia's arrival passes in complete silence, both of you lost in your own thoughts
>Eventually, though, that silence is interrupted by a loud pop as the Princess materializes in front of you
>"Anonymous. Twilight."
"Princess."
>"Pri—Celestia."
>"I regret not giving you warning, but something has happened. Something quite... unusual. Tell me, Twilight, have you heard of the world tree?"
>You freeze
>That...
>That's from Norse mythology
>That's what your ancestor was supposed to gnaw at the roots of, feasting on the blood of the evil.
>Twilight shakes her head
>"No idea, Princess."
>Celestia turns to look at you
>You try to put on a neutral expression, but aren't quick enough
>"He does."
"It was a, uh, story from back home. They called it Yggdrasil. In one culture it was very important—a place where the Gods met. Níðhöggr was supposed to be at the roots of it, uh, punishing evil-doers."
>Celestia looks to her student, then back to you
>"It is not just a story."
"You guys actually have a world tree?"
>"Yes. It connects us to the other worlds."
>"Other worlds?"
>Twilight's accusatory tone surprises you
>"You said there was no way to get him back! That he was stuck here, never to return home!"
>You sink in your chair
>Twilight's talking about your first day there. Her desperately trying to return you to your life and family.
>You appreciated the effort, but you didn't really care about Earth. It wasn't horrible, but there wasn't much for you there.
>Twilight, however, had taken her failure extremely personally. Maybe she was projecting how she would feel if she was separated from her friends.
>Either way, there was a lot of crying and apologizing the first few weeks.
>"There was not. The tree has been dead for many years. Until... yesterday."
"What?"
>"It grew. A single leaf, but... growth. Perhaps Anonymous can return home after all."
"No."
>You shake your head, folding your arms
>"I've been here for half a year, and I've made better friends than a lifetime back there. It's a great place, don't get me wrong, but... I'd like to stay."
>Twilight lets out a soft gasp.
>Celestia raises an eyebrow, skeptical.
>"An awfully fast judgement."
"I'd like to go back. But not permanently. I don't want to lose the people here."
>"Thank you, Anonymous."
>You nod in Twilight's direction, but turn back to the Sun-Princess
>"It may not be permanent."
"Hm?"
>"It may be... different, then you expect. The tree is the most ancient and powerful object in Equestria. From it spawned Discord and Chrysalis, my parents and the Windigos."
>"And Níðhöggr?"
>"No. He existed before the tree."
"Before?"
>"As far as I remember. He may have been the only thing older than it."
>Celestia taps a hoof on the table
>"You are the source of its growth. I know that. If we could revive the tree... I know not what will happen. But I desire to find out."
>Hm.
>Sun-horse is a bit more aggressive about this than normal
"What do you want me to do?"
>"Train. With her."
>Celestia nods in the direction of her student
>"I will provide you with any materials you need. I have contacted the King of the Dragons, and he is going to send you a convoy of his oldest and wisest mages. You must master your magic."
>Celestia turns away from you and leans down to Twilight
>She whispers something in her ear
>Hmmmm...
>"Amplify"
>The Drakish word escapes your mouth in a breath, too low for her to hear
>You, however, are able to hear her
>"...more powerful than him. Should he become out of control, you are responsible for containing him. I know he is your friend, but there is a monster inside him. You may have to quell it."
>"But why train, then?"
>"Because that tree... It must grow. I know this. My sister knows this. If you look inside, I know you will know it too."
>Twilight gives a tiny nod of her head
>"I trust him, Celestia."
>"And I trust your judgement, Twilight. You just need to be aware."
>Celestia stands up, and you cancel out the spell
>"Thank you, Anonymous. If you need anything, please, ask."
>You nod
>The dragon mages arrive a day later, much to the shock of 90% of ponyville
>All of them, thankfully, are powerful enough to cast a size-reduction spell on themselves. So they fit pretty comfortably inside the castle.
>You, however, are the opposite of comfortable.
>The dragon mages sit in a wide circle around you in the castle's foyer. They come in various shapes and colors, and their gender ratio is about 1:1. They don't appear to have arranged themselves in any particular order. There's ten in all.
>All of them stare at you. Most are fixated on your hands, although a few eyes keep wandering to your leg—or lack thereof.
>Fucking hell.
>Twilight's lecture is a dim hum in your head, background noise to your impending performance.
>"It is without further ado that I wish to give a minor demonstration. Anonymous is a beginner as of yet, having only cast one or two spells beyond the innate magic of all magic-users. Still, his progress is rapid, and his power immeasurable. If the crowd could possibly make themselves sensitive to magic, so that they could properly observe his casting?"
>Instantly, the claws of all the dragons light up
>A few dragons breathe fire into their claws and catch it, the flames swirling around their digits
>Some seem to just naturally let the magic flow
>One, a (strangely attractive) female to your left, continually moves her arms in little circles
>"Anonymous. If you would?"
>You take a deep breath.
"Let there—"
>You groan when you hear English come out of your mouth.
>This entire language thing is annoying as fuck
>OK. Dragon-ey thoughts. If you were a dragon right now, what would you be doing?
>Instantly, an image of that female spread out on a pile of gold, seductively staring at you enters your mind
>Yeah. That'll work.
"Let there be light."
>"Incantations?"
>A purple dragon to your right can't contain his excitement, the exclamation flying out of his mouth before he can stop it
>"In drakish, as well."
>The female from before speaks
>"How long did it take you to learn the ancient tongue?"
"Zero seconds."
>You shine a beam of light upwards, where it reflects against the crystal ceiling and projects little pinpricks of color everywhere around the room
"Was innate, apparently."
>"Hm. You are lucky."
>The dragon switches languages, talking at you in Drakish
>Her accent is almost unnoticeable, although some of her Diphthongs are a bit off
>"It took me a hundred years to become fluent."
"And fluent you are. Very little accent."
>She smiles, nodding
>"Thank you."
>"His magic is powerful"
>A new dragon interrupts your conversation—a green-scaled male, taller than most of the rest
>"Extremely so. Even this basic light spell has more energy behind it than most of my students use when casting complex transfigurations."
>Twilight nods
>"I noticed that too. He seems to scale differently than most magic users—starting off by using a lot of energy, then continuing to go up from there."
"Uh, if I—"
>Fucking drakish
"If I'm using a lot of energy, doesn't that mean I'm less efficient?"
>"Not necessarily. It could just be that you aren't using the full potential of the spell."
>You bit your lip, glancing down at your hands
"I wanna try something. But, uh, I think... There's a chance it's going to do something really dangerous and bad."
>Half the dragons around you grin as opposed to looking concerned
"Can somebody take me outside?"
>You feel yourself being grabbed by magic, and look down
>The female from earlier is rapidly swirling her claws in a large triangular shape as she picks you up and sets you on her back
>You grab onto her neck and she takes off, lazily flapping through the castle's huge main doorway
>The other dragons and Twilight follow you
>The female takes you high into the air above the everfree, tilting her body sideways
>"There. Nothing but trees. It'll be safe."
"You seem to know what I want to do."
>"I can guess."
>You take a deep breath, looking down at your hands
>Light. You're making light.
>Which is really electromagnetic energy in the form of a photon.
>If you're using a lot of energy, that means that you could theoretically...
>You jerk your hands forward, trying to channel as much energy as you can
>Instantly, your hands stop visibly emitting light
>At first, you're disappointed
>Until you notice all the trees in a small cone below you dying
>You quickly stop casting, extinguishing the magic running through your hands
>The female turns to you
>"Was that what I believe it was?"
"Gamma rays. Pretty sure, yeah."
>You whistle
"That shit's gonna come in handy if Tirek or anybody gets any funny ideas."
>"Indeed. Shall we return?"
"I suppose."
>You grab onto her neck again as she spirals downwards, soaring on the air currents below her
"I didn't catch your name."
>"Decima."
"Hm. A nice name."
>"An old one, but yes."
>She touches down, claws digging into the dirt
>Twilight instantly snatches you off her back, holding you in front of her
>"What kind of radiation was that?"
>Her voice is far more excited than it is angry
"Pretty sure it's gamma. Felt that high-wavelength, at least."
>Twilight sets you down in your cart
>"Well, please, warn me before you do stuff like that. I doubt Zecora is going to appreciate you destroying half an acre of her forest."
>You shrug
"Just wanted to try."
>"And what a try it was!"
>The larger green dragon from earlier steps up to your cart
>"That kind of spell being a part of your basic illumination spell suggests all kinds of things for the nature of your magic. Things which we should, ah, discuss inside, yes?"
>Twilight nods, glancing behind her
>You look around her head to see a rather sizable crowd of ponies, trying to get a look at all the dragons
>Twilight rolls you into the foyer again, the dragons following behind you
>"Well, I think that demonstration provided us with some areas to explore."
>"Indeed."
>The green dragon steps forward, next to Twilight
>"Being able to increase the energy levels of a light spell suggests that he may have magic which operates on the physical machinations of the universe, rather than the desire of the user. So his light spell is not a spell that helps illuminate, but simply one that produces photons."
>Twilight nods, continuing his thought:
>"This, of course, could suggest that his complex spells are merely a composition of the simpler ones in his arsenal."
>Decima glances at you
>"But how would this tie in with his incantations?"
>Twilight thinks about it for a moment
>"Assuming his magic is truly compositional, the words could act as an easy method to recall specific combinations. My magic—and, I suspect, the magic of many here—has no fundamental building blocks. Each spell I learn has its own effects, and while they might be similar to that of other spells, they are very clearly separated. If his magic is truly compositional, he may use the words to avoid having to mentally perform all the combinations inside of his head."
"Makes sense enough to me."
>"But how will this effect his training?"
>A new voice—an orange male from your right. He speaks in a deep, rich tone, like melted chocolate.
>"Well, I suppose we will have to think more about the fundamental processes by which he can accomplish something, rather than what he wishes to accomplish. Reverse-engineering the magic, I suppose."
"That sounds difficult."
>"Perhaps. But, if what you just did was any indication, the amount of power you gain could be worth it."
>"More than worth it."
>The orange dragon speaks again.
>"If he could truly bring back the powers of his ancestors, peace could reign once again."
>Twilight tenses visibly. You suspect you do as well.
>The next few days are spent determining your base spells
>The complete list—or, at least, as complete a list as you can get at this point—is surprisingly short:
>You can manipulate photons with your light spell, including changing their energy levels and speeds
>You can bend, weaken, or create electromagnetic fields with a different spell
>You learn that you levitation spell is actually in two parts, one which removes the force of gravity and another which applies physical impulses
>You have similar spells for manipulating frictional coefficients, fluid density, and various other physical properties of matter
>Today's meeting is supposed to be a bit different than the rest. As opposed to a real training session, it's trying to be a time to regroup and discuss findings
>You're honestly looking forward to it. All this magic has been exhausting.
>The green dragon from earlier, who you'd learned was named Nebuchadnezzar, speaks first
>"I think we have a slightly vexing issue, fellow warlocks."
>Twilight raises an eyebrow
>"And that is?"
>"I believe that we need to determine the base interactions of the entire universe to determine the full measure of his magic."
>He clears his throat, and it's obvious he's about to launch into a lecture
>"You see, we currently believe that his spells are component-based, composed from a small subset of innate spells. It makes logical sense, then, that this subset of innate spells would work on the innate forces of reality. Think, however, of his magical feats. He has managed to cast more than one spell that is clearly compositional without thinking about the actual composition—namely, his levitation. This suggests that there is a more fundamental level, which we may be missing. Since it is difficult—if not impossible—to determine what level of composition he is acting at for any given spell, we must look to another source of information."
>"If it were possible to determine, independently, the smallest granular level the universe interacts at, we could have him attempt to cast spells that only effect those interactions."
>Twilight shakes her head
>"That would take decades! Everybody else here may be long-lived, but Anonymous' livespan is only a bit longer than that of a normal pony."
"Uh, excuse me, but—"
>Decima clears her throat, beginning to speak as if she didn't hear you
>"Are you sure his lifespan is that short, though? Perhaps his unlocked magical talent has allowed him to live longer?"
"Guys, I–"
>"Do you really wish to take that risk?"
"Guys."
>"We may have to. Knowing his base spells would allow him to directly manipulate their composition—who knows what effects that may have!"
"Guys."
>"But he can cast spells anyway! Surly a composition of two spells which are themselves composed is—"
"GUYS!"
>The other members of the room finally notice that you've been trying to say something, all turning their heads towards you
"Assuming that our worlds work the same way, I know those interactions."
>They stare at you, blankly, in silence. This continues for a good five seconds before Twilight breaks it.
>"What?"
"We, uh, we were pretty sure we had those mostly figured out."
>"...Are you joking?"
"No. Dead serious. I'm not, uh, an expert, but I can sort of describe them."
>"This entire time, you knew the..."
>Twilight's ears droop on her head
>"And you didn't tell anybody?"
"Look. I didn't..."
>You groan
>Fuck, this shit is hard to explain
"I didn't think about it, ok?"
>Twilight closes her eyes and nods
>"Well, tell us, then!"
>Nebuchadnezzar's voice is significantly more positive than Twilight's was.
"So there's four, basically."
"There's Gravity, which is when two bodies with mass are attracted to each other. That's incredibly weak, though, so you only see it with very large objects. Or, at least, you only see visible effects."
"Then you have electromagnetism, which is light and, uh, magnetism. I don't really know how they're related but they are."
"Then there's the strong force. This one's kind of confusing—from what I remember, it's really strong, but only at a very short range. It keeps protons from repelling each other when they're in an atom."
"Then there's the weak force, which... well, I don't really know what it does. I think it kind of overcomes the strong force and causes atoms that are big enough to decay? Again, not an expert."
>"That's... it?"
"Yeah."
>Twilight blinks
>"Hm. I think I should relay that information to the Royal Physics Laboratories."
"Eventually."
>"For now, though, let's see you try to cast a spell effecting just one."
>Decima is leaning so far forward in her chair it looks like she's going to fall out
"I could try, I guess."
>And for the next few hours, you do. To, sadly, no avail
>No matter your words, you can't seem to break it down to a general effect. Your manipulation of photons and your manipulation of electricity and magnetism seem to be entirely separate, and you can't manipulate the weak or strong forces at all, as far as you can tell
>The only thing that you can do for sure is gravity.
>The other members of your group are a bit disappointed, but Twilight reassures them that it's not a setback. Even if your spells aren't that fundamental, you still have enough building blocks to do almost anything
>Two months later and things are moving along swimmingly.
>You've lifted extremely heavy objects, turned foods into various other foods, and even made plants grow back lost branches
>It's the last point that is of the greatest interest to you
>Your leg is, of course, a hell of a lot more complicated than a branch
>But you can't help but wonder...
>You voice your concerns at the next meeting
"I'd like to try and grow my leg back."
>Nebuchadnezzar makes a little "Hm" noise. Twilight does as well.
>"I don't know if that's a good idea, Anonymous."
"Hey, I've been working along fast, haven't I?"
>"Yes. But not fast enough for you to—"
>"I think he should do it."
>Decima cuts the pony off, earning herself an annoyed glance
>"What's the worst that could happen?"
>"He could kill himself!"
"It's a leg, not a major organ. Worse-case I just fuck it up worse and have to get more lopped off."
>"That's a pretty bad scenario!"
"So is being wheeled around all day long."
>Twilight crosses her front legs, glaring at you
>"I don't think this is a good idea, Anonymous."
"Let me try. Please."
>Twilight glances at Nebuchadnezzar, who shrugs
>She sighs
>"Fine. If you must."
>You close your eyes
>As much as your magic was, on a technical level, a compositional science, it still had much of the same ethereal properties of normal magic.
>Or, at least, it felt like it did when casting it.
>You try to find the right words. So far, more powerful spells have required longer incantations. You guess that this must be fairly complicated.
"Make me like a salamander, who cares not for what he has lost."
>OH JESUS
>You find yourself screaming
>This fact, of course, barely registers over the pain that takes up almost all the available space in your brain
>Creatures around you are saying words that you're deaf to
>There's nothing in your life right now but—
 
>And then it stops. Just as suddenly as it started.
>You open your eyes to find the world sideways. So you probably fell out of your cart, like the genius you are.
>Fucking awesome.
>Your leg feels surprisingly good, though. It doesn't—
>Holy shit, it feels
>You can feel it
>"Anonymous, are you ok?"
>Twilight lifts you up with magic, pulling you closer to her
>A series of gasps echoes throughout the room as she does
"I'm—I'm fine."
>You take a deep breath, inhaling as much as you possibly can
>Twilight scans over your body, checking for any other injuries
>She stops right when she gets to your lower half, eyes slowly growing in size.
>You glance downwards, bracing yourself for the worst
>What you find is nowhere near as bad as you expected. Although it's still not your definition of ideal.
>Your leg has grown back. Or, rather, something has grown where your stump used to be—because that sure as fuck isn't your leg.
>It's a claw. The lower join of a hindclaw, to be exact. As far as you can tell, it's the same width and length as your leg used to be, which is nice
>Your foot, however, has been replaced with a freakish animal approximation of a human foot. Larger toes with talons.
>Twilight releases you, letting you sit down.
>You lit up your new foot
>The scale pattern swirls continuously with color, changing from green to black to blue to red and back. Thankfully, the movement is slow, so it doesn't look like you have a rave on your foot. It's almost pretty.
>Decima whistles
>"A color-changer. Didn't know those actually existed."
>Twilight taps you on the shoulder with a hoof
>"Told you to wait."
"Hey, foot's a foot."
>You stand up. Or, at least, try.
>You wind up doing a faceplant.
>Walking with a prosthetic for all that time makes you unused to having a real limb. You groan, mutter a few words in drakish, and lift yourself up with magic
>You slowly put the weight back on your limbs, and are surprised when you remain upright
>Ok. So this is working.
>The next month and a half pass quickly
>You learn spells with surprising frequency, adding a number to your arsenal.
>Things are smooth. With one notable exception.
>One you don't bring up at the meetings. And one that, presumably, nobody else could notice.
>Casting spells that destroy things is easier.
>You hardly noticed it at first, but as your spells grew in complexity and difficulty, it became more obvious
>Huge explosions are as easy to cast as tiny little growth spells
>It's... disconcerting, to say the least.
>Thoughts of this fact are swirling in your head at this particular meeting, mimicking the colors on your leg
>"...So today, we should start with more fine-grained physical manipulation, in order to properly—"
>"TWILIGHT!"
>Spike, who's never interrupted one of these meetings before, bursts through the door, scroll aloft
>You stand up in response. You have no idea what's on that scroll, but there's no way it's good.
>Twilight snatches it from his hands.
>"My faithful student, do not read this—"
>Twilight quickly shuts her mouth, reading the rest of the letter in silence
>As she reads, the color slowly drains from her cheeks
>It's bad enough that you can notice it through her fur
>"Anonymous. Come—come with me, please."
>You follow her as she trots out the door, standing only a few feet back.
>She slams it behind her
>"Grab my horn."
"What?"
>"Place a hand around it. It makes it much, much easier to teleport another being."
>You swallow, doing as she says
>The world goes fuzzy for a second
>When it solidifies again, the first thing you're aware of is the temperature
>It's freezing
>Like, literally. It has to be 0 degrees or less.
>The next thing you notice is how bright it is. After squinting, you can make out a sheet of snow.
>Snow coating a crystal wall
>You turn your head thirty degrees, looking at Twilight
"Where are we?"
>"Crystal empire."
"Why is it snowing?"
>"Because—"
>A loud "SCRAW" fills your ears, drowning out Twilight
>You instinctively spin to look at the source of the noise
>A massive, translucent blue centaur gallops through the air.
>Its torso is unmistakably human, but its face is closer to a dragon than anything
>Something hits you from the side
>Something soft
>And, you suspect, purple
>You find yourself pressed up against the wall from earlier as a shockwave goes through your body
>Something... probably just exploded next to you
>"Get up! Get up!"
>You obey Twilight's command, jumping to your feet
>When you glance at her, however, you see that she has a more advanced definition of the word "up", hovering several feet in the air
>Right. Ok.
>You take a deep breath, then mutter something in drakish
"To the sky."
>Instantly, you're at her altitude
>Flying was, of course, one of the spells you mastered first
>"INCOMING!"
>You propel yourself to the last, avoiding another shockwave
>God dammit, if you could just get a look at one of these projectiles...
>You float yourself back to Twilight, who's doing a zig-zagging pattern in the sky
>You try to follow alongside her
"The fuck is that thing?"
>"I don't know! It looks like a windigo, but..."
"But it has a human-dragon on top."
>Twilight doesn't respond, continuing to zig-zag
"That came from the tree."
>"Yes."
"Fuck. So how do we get rid of it?"
>"I have no idea—"
>You glance up at the creature, which seems to have started ignoring you
>Instead, it's sending projectiles—which you now realize are massive snowballs—at random houses and buildings
>They destroy the places on impact
>"I would say the fires of friendship, but those are burning. Brighter than ever—pony-dragon collaboration, pony-human collaboration, dragon-human collaboration—"
>Twilight swerves left, and you struggle to follow her
>"It doesn't make sense!"
"Well, not much about this situation makes sense!"
>Twilight ducks left, doing a barrel roll mid-air. You keep going straight and she swerves back to meet you
"I have a fucking dragon leg and I'm flying through the goddamn air!"
>Twilight isn't amused, shooting you a surprisingly nasty glance
>"We need to get rid of it, somehow."
"Well, yeah. Got any ideas?"
>"A symbol of human/pony friendship?"
>It takes all your willpower not to make a sexual joke
"That could work!"
>"Well, then, let's, uh... hug near it?"
"Twilight, that's retarded."
>"I know! But I don't—Oh no."
>Twilight stops abruptly
>You keep going, having to do a loop over backwards to meet her again
>Twilight flutters in mid-air, staring forward
>"We-we have to stop it."
>You quickly follow her gaze. The creature is heading straight towards the castle.
>The castle in which—
>Oh shit
>She takes off, moving faster than you've ever seen her
>You eat her dust, barely moving at a third her speed
>While flying, you watch her engage the monster
>She hits it with huge beams of magic, but it shrugs them off, continuing its slow trek to her brothers' home
>Fuck, fuck, fuck
>You gotta help her
>But you're so damn slow...
>Suddenly, a new color of magic hits the creature
>Pink
>Then a light blue
>You quickly surmise that's the royal couple attacking it, an assumption which is quickly confirmed by a glance at the balcony
>But it's still not doing anything
>The creature keeps moving, still steadfast in its purpose
>Fuck
>FUCK
>You actually notice yourself slowing down
>This—FUCK
>You scream aloud in frustration
>Magic, and you're still fucking useless!
>And this shit's all your fault!
>Twilight and the others keep blasting beams at it, but nothing happens
>The creature opens its terrible mouth
>You scream some unimportant obscenity
>And it fires a blast at the balcony
>The explosion is significantly larger than before, covering an area at least the size of a football field
>At first, you think they're dead
>Then you see a blue force field
>Shining Armor. Thank god he's so good at those.
>Your view is blocked by another explosion
>Shining's good, but—
>You push yourself harder, flying through the air just a bit faster
>You're so close
>So
>Fucking—
>Another blast
>And another
>Ten in rapid succession
>Twilight hits it with magic again, but nothing
>You form your hands into fists, then jerk them forward
"Begone!"
>One of your blasts hits the side
>But it's effect is just as non-existent as before
>Twilight darts around, hitting it with magical beams twenty times the size of yours
"Be buffeted!"
>Another one of your explosions does nothing
>Fuck!
>The monster keeps firing blasts at the royal couple, over and over
>It's not even noticing you're here
>Man, why does this shit have to happen to you?
>Fucking—Things are starting to get good!
>You have a chance to make something of yourself!
>And then this shit happens?
>An unstoppable monster is just going to tear up the crystal empire like Godzilla in Tokyo?
>You glance down at the shield Shining's projecting just as the monster hits it again
>Cracks form in its surface
>And it's going to kill them
>It's going to kill—
>You barely know either of them, of course
>But they both seemed nice
>Shining had been one of the few ponies that weren't scared of you at first. All it took was one word from Twilight, and, shit, he was a downright bro!
>Cadence wasn't really your speed, but you could tell how caring she was
>And, most of all, you can tell how much Twilight loves both of them
>Fuck it, you might as well admit to this fact: you have a crush on Twilight
>A massive, pathetic, borderline creepy crush
>If they die... man, that would destroy her
>And, again, it would be
>Your
>Fucking
>Fault
>You scream
>Fuck this, actually, fuck it
>You hate this thing
>You hate this monster so goddamn much that—
>The words flow on their own
"All of your matter is but dust—"
> Your hands light up, but it's not green anymore
>It's red
>Bright red
"Particles ethereal and not your own—by the legacy of my race, I command you—"
>You thrust your firsts forward
"RETURN!"
>Several things happen at once
>One, Twilight darts forward, trying to get a better position to attack the monster
>Two, a pillar of flame flies out from the monster's skin, spreading rapidly in all directions. It doesn't go very far, but it goes just far enough to clip the purple pony on the side.
>She falls downwards, heading in a straight line towards the ground
>Three, a pink flash escapes from the balcony, heading directly at Twilight
>And, four, you start to fall
>Well, first things first, you suppose
>You're no good if you're dead
>And you are definitely fucking dead if you hit the ground from this height
"To the sky."
>Nothing happens
>Panic wells in your throat.
"TO THE SKY"
>Still nothing.
>Your stomach seems to stop moving, and you feel the rest of your body fly past it
>Ok
"TO THE SKY! TO THE FUCKING SKY! PLE-"
>Oh, Jesus, you're not speaking Drakish
>You fucking retard
"TO THE SKY!"
>Your motion stops gradually. It's a fast process, but not fast enough—you slam into a snowdrift
>Thankfully, nothing's broken
>Except for maybe a rib fracture, or something
>You manage to get yourself to your feet, adrenaline making up for how sore you are
>That pink flash had to be Cadence, right?
>Something to catch her
>Catch—
>Oh, Jesus
>You take off into a sprint, mismatched foot awkwardly scratching the ground below you
>You—
>No, can't think about that now
>You're 90% sure you saw her go this way
>And, at this point, you're just desperate to get close
>You dodge around buildings, more than once slipping and falling on the icy ground.
>She has to be somewhere
>Somewhere—
>And then you see her
>A hand flies to your mouth, involuntarily
>She's... not well
>An entire half of her body is charred to hell. Not just burns, but skin that's physically black. The air reeks of burning fur.
>She's still breathing, but it's loud enough for you to hear. Horrible, slurping shudders.
>Cadence stands over her, tears streaming down her face
>You sprint the remaining distance to her, kneeling at her side
"I—Oh, god, Twilight."
>She doesn't respond in any way, continuing to stare straight ahead with her one good eye
>"Twilight, I'm so sorry!"
>Cadence leans down in the snow, facing her
>Twilight again remains unresponsive
>You feel tears coming to your eyes, but you squeeze them away
>These are her final moments, and you're not going to remember them blurry
>The cold wind blows in your face.
>A snowflake falls on your cheek.
>Twilight keeps making those gurgling breaths
>Cadence presses her head close to Twilight's, tilting an ear toward her mouth
>She notices you, but her expression doesn't change. Whatever she feels towards you isn't able to overcome her sadness at her sister-in-law.
>"She's trying to say something."
>You practically dive next to her
>It's unlikely that her words are going to be for you, but, well, you feel like you should hear them anyway
>Twilight's voice is soft and weak. Each word comes out between long, shaky breaths.
>"I am the sponge..."
>Your heart skips a beat.
>That's Drakish. Accent-less, grammatically correct, perfect drakish
>"P-physically broken, pulled through a sieve, but..."
>Green light flashes off the snow around you, seeming to come from her entire body at once
>"Not destroyed—Merely inconvenienced."
>Her body slowly lifts several feet off the ground.
>You realize what's going to happen just in time, holding up your arm to cover your eyes
>You throw a hand over Cadence's, just in case
>The next several minutes are filled with flashes of light bright enough to burn your skin, strange ripping and tearing noises, and, of course, Twilight screaming at the top of her lungs
>Eventually, everything goes quiet
>You slowly lower you arm
>Twilight stands before you. Or, at least, something similar to Twilight.
>Her entire burned side has been replaced, but not with her familiar fur. Instead, she's coated in scales. Two dragon's claws replace the legs on her burned side.
>Her ruined eye has been replaced by a distinctly reptilian one, and you notice that her teeth on one side are considerably sharper
>Yet, somehow, it... works
>She doesn't appear to be a monstrosity, at least
>Just a bit strange
>She ruffles out her new reptilian wing, glancing at it
>"Hm. Suppose all those spells are only designed to work on dragons."
"You—You learned it."
>Twilight gives a small nod
"All of it. And I'm barely even..."
>"I've studied magic my entire life, Anonymous. This was just a different form."
>You glance down at Cadence
>She's just staring at Twilight, mouth open.
>Well, nothing you can really do for her.
"Are you ok?"
>"No."
>Twilight's voice is barely audible
>"No, not really."
"I'm sorry I—"
>"It wasn't your fault."
"It was."
>"No. I dove too close. I didn't think you'd be able to..."
>Twilight shakes her head, still staring at her wing
>"Well, you certainly surprised me."
"I know it, uh, hurt."
>"It did."
>Twilight brings her wing closer to her head
>"It really did."
"But at least you're, you know, alive, right?"
>She doesn't respond
>You feel tears on your face, although you can't trace the exact cause
>Maybe happiness that she's alive
>Or sadness that you, you know, almost fucking killed her
>Something emotional, either way
>"You cast this."
"What?"
>"You're the one who saved me. Understand? I don't think they'd appreciate it much if they knew what actually happened."
>You nod, even though you know she can't see you
>She keeps looking at her wing, tears slowly coming from her face
"Twilight."
>The purple alicorn doesn't respond
"Twilight. Look at me."
>Nothing
>You reach out a hand and tap her on the shoulder.
"Twilight."
>She slowly turns her head
>"Yes?"
"I'm sorry. You've been a really good friend to me these last few months, and I—I fucked up."
>She glances at you, mismatched eyes boring to the back of your skull
>Then, finally, she nods
>"I accept."
"Now c'mon. Let's get some tea or something at the castle before we go back."
>You start walking, and are surprised to hear her following you
>A hundred feet of walking later, you realize that you forgot something. Namely Cadence.
"I'll—I'll be right back, I have your sister-in-law to grab."
>You turn around and jog back to her
"Yo. Cadence. You ok?"
>"Kind of."
>She struggles to her hooves
>"Lot of information to take in."
"Yeah, you're telling me."
>"So when did you first start liking her?"
>Fucking princesses of love
>No use lying
"About ten days after I got here."
>"Hm. I'd be careful about that."
>You shrug
"Let's just go. Please."
>Cadence gets up and walks behind you as you trek back to Twilight
>It takes you a few minutes to get to the castle. Thankfully, all the citizens are still cowering in their homes, so nobody interrupts you.
>The guards let you in as soon as they see Cadence
>Shining Armor stands just behind the doorway. When the doors open, he runs and pulls Twilight into a hug.
>"Twily! You're ok! You're—Wait, are you ok?"
>He pushes himself back, looking down to get a better view of her
>"Uh..."
>"I'm fine."
>Twilight brushes past him, walking further into the castle
>You wait until she's out of earshot
"She's not fine."
>"You think?"
>Shining's glare is as cold as the air outside
>"What did you do to her?"
"Blew up half of her accidentally. The dragon shit's her doing."
>"Is it hers? Because she doesn't look happy with it."
"Well, it was that, or dying horribly and slowly in an icy field. So she kind of chose the better option, huh?"
>You exhale
>Shining doesn't deserve you being an asshole right now
"Look, I'm sorry. But I just really fucked up, bad. I never meant to hurt your sister, but, well, I don't know how to time travel, so I guess the entire situation is just fucked. On the plus side, she's gone through a major physical transformation before, so she won't be freaking out as much."
>"She sure seemed like she was 'freaking out as much'"
"Yeah, I know. So I just... God dammit."
>You rub your forehead with a hand
"Look, let's go talk to her, ok?"
>You step forward, and soon hear hoofprints behind you
>You find Twilight standing at a balcony, staring out the window
"You ok?"
>"We have to get going."
"The monster's gone, there's no reason to—"
>"I want to be home."
>You bite your lip
"R-Right. Ok."
>"Twilight, there's no need to—"
>"Cadence. I appreciate it, but... I need to leave."
>"Do you want us to come with you?"
>"No."
>Shining places a hoof on her shoulder
>"Twily..."
>Twilight glances away from the window, back at her brother
>"Ok. You can come."
"We teleporting?"
>"Yes. Preferably. I'll have to, ah, borrow some magic, if possible."
"I have no idea what that means."
>You shrug
"But go ahead."
>Twilight's horn lights up. To your shock, it's not it's usual purple. It has a strange blackish tint to it.
>Something jerks at your stomach. You assume that's the magic she's taking.
>She lifts her head high, and everything whites out
>When you can see again, you're standing directly outside the Tree-castle
>Twilight looks around
>"I—I overshot."
>She sprints towards the door
>"Hurry! Inside, before someone sees me!"
>You and Shining share a look, but follow after her
>The dragon council is still waiting in the foyer. You can see that they got drinks—most of them hold some kind of mug. Curtsey of Spike, probably.
>All eyes in the room are locked on Twilight. Silence reigns.
>Decima breaks the ice
>"She's different."
>A red male from the back—Ahriman—speaks in a low whisper
>"What happened?"
>Twilight clears her throat
>"We were fighting a monster. I was injured in the blast. The next thing I knew, I woke up like this. Anon saved me."
>The dragons' eyes all turn to you
>"Uh, Twily, that's a lie."
>A wave of coolness rushes over your entire body, slowly
>Shining fucking Armor
>Twilight swore he was smart, but sometimes...
>"You cast it on yourself."
>"Does he speak the truth?"
>Ahriman's tone has gone from that of awe to anger
>"Do you know the ancient ways?"
>Twilight closes her eyes, unresponsive
>Fuck
>You step forward
"She does."
>"She has betrayed us! Equestria has betrayed us!"
>"That magic is sacred!"
>"Calm, now!"
>Nebuchadnezzar's voice is barely able to overpower the other dragon's screaming
>"Her duty is that of magic, it is only natural she would—"
>"SHE WOULD BREAK OUR TRUST? SPY ON OUR WAYS?"
>Twilight remains silent, looking at the ground
>"THIS BREACH OF TRUST CANNOT BE TOLERATED! THIS IS—I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD INVITE US AS GUESTS, ONLY TO—"
>You feel breath on your ear, then Cadence's voice a second afterwards
>"You taught her. Play along."
>With that, the Alicorn shoves you forward
>"It was not a breach of trust!"
>The dragon heads in the room slowly tilt toward the pink Alicorn
>"It was a sacred responsibility!"
"Ah, yes, it was!"
>You hope the sweat on your forehead wasn't visible
"I—taught her the ancient ways, myself!"
>"You... betrayed your own race?"
>Ahriman stands up, flames spurting from his nostrils
>"BETRAYED YOUR OWN BLOOD?"
"It was not betrayal! I, uh—"
>"WELL, UNLESS SHE IS ALSO OF NÍÐHÖGGR, I DO NOT SEE HOW—"
>"SHE IS NOT OF THE RACE, BUT SHE IS BLOOD!"
>Holy fuck, Cadence can be loud
>You kind of wonder when Shining Armor first found that out
>...Holy shit, your brain has no sense of what's appropriate for a situation, does it?
>"And how is she blood?"
>"They are mates!"
>You are going to fucking kill Cadence
>You are going to spin around, say some fancy magic words, and you are going to turn her into a pile of pink feathers
>There is no way she has—
>"Is this true?"
>Ahriman dips his head slightly, which you hope is a sign of respect
"Yes. It's true."
>You swallow
"We're, uh, mates."
>"Formally?"
>"I officiated their ceremony and oversaw their consummation, along with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia."
>Decima stands
>"Three witnesses to each event. Officiated by royalty. It is within the rites."
>Ahriman stands down
>"I apologize, Anonymous, I was merely—"
>"Out."
>Twilight somehow appears in front of him
>You don't even see a teleportation flash
>"Your highness, I was merely—"
>"You question me?"
>Twilight's voice is barely audible
>But each word somehow has more force behind it than all of Ariman's screaming combined
>"You question my intentions? You threaten my mate? Here, in my house, as my guest?"
>"I did not—"
>"Leave my estate, immediately."
>"...As you wish."
>He stands up and walks to the door, head hanging
>Twilight mirrors his walk, disappearing up the stairs
>You look after her
>Uh...
>Fuck, you need to talk to her
>Now
"Me and my mate are going to go, uh, have sex or something. I'll be right back."
>You trudge up the stairs after her, catching her just as she gets onto the second flight
"I fucking hate your sister-in-law."
>Twilight doesn't respond, continuing to walk
"She, uh—that, for the record, was not my idea. I don't even know—"
>Twilight just keeps looking ahead and walking
>You notice little drops of moisture on the carpet
>Ok, crying.
>Just...
>Fuck, whatever.
>You stop talking until she finishes ascending the stairs, and enter her bedroom behind her
>She sits on the bed, facing you
>Both of her eyes are red
>"My lack of planning has not only turned me into a half-bred monster, but it now has trapped both of us in a fake relationship for the remainder of our natural lives."
>Trapped
>That stings
"Hey, c'mon, you're not a monster. It actually looks—"
>"I'm supposed to be a Princess of Equestria. I was one of four Alicorns. C-Celestia gave that to me, personally. And now I'm this."
"Hey, uh, I see four legs, two wings, one horn"
>"And ten claws, several thousand scales, and one draconic eye!"
>She buries her face in her hooves. Or, well, one hoof, one claw.
>"I'm not an Equestrian. Not anymore."
"Twilight, it's—"
>You take a deep breath
"You're different now, ok? I'm probably the person who knows best what that's like."
>Twilight looks up, and you tap your leg
"Look, I don't know, uh, exactly what you're going through. But I've had something sort of tangentially related happen to me. Where you're just—where all the sudden everything's different."
>You sit down on the floor, and she looks down at you
"I took a highway exit to try and find a place to piss. I get out of my car, step into some bushes, and find you and your friends just standing there. You, you're fighting this thing, then you're falling, and you do the only thing you can to save yourself. Now you're a half-dragon thing."
>You hold up a finger
"But you still look normal. It has kind of a nice aesthetic."
>"But... what if Celestia—"
"Celestia won't care. She loves you, c'mon. She'll be fine."
>"But my citizens..."
"Will also be fine."
>"That... doesn't change the fact we have to pretend to be married."
"Right. Uh, yeah. Well..."
>Fuck
>You used up all your speech already
>All out of speech
"We'll figure it out."
>The next few hours are... awkward, to say the least
>You tell the council that you aren't going to have your traditional meeting today, since you're too tired from the fight
>In a way, that's true. You are tired.
>Really fucking tired.
>Sadly, there isn't any rest for assholes like you—Twilight informs you that Celestia and Luna are going to visit and chat about what happened
>Which you suspect is going to involve a lot of screaming and accusations
>Hopefully not another broken foot, though
>They both enter through the balcony outside Twilight's room, touching down lightly and hurrying inside. You and Twilight both don't go out to greet them. You because you don't want to get thrown off a window, and Twilight for... well, her own personal reasons, you suppose.
>She's actually wearing a ridiculous cloak, which covers almost all of her body. You can't even really see her face. Something about "not wanting to shock them."
>Celestia closes the door behind her, trotting to the center of the room.
>"Are you sure this room is secure?"
>Twilight nods, robes bouncing up and down
>You roll your eyes
>"Good. We may speak freely."
>Celestia visibly relaxes, the tension in her neck evaporating
>Her sister speaks first:
>"Cadence told us very little. Perhaps you could elaborate in further detail?"
>You look to Twilight, but she remains silent
>Her body shakes lightly under the robe, and you can assume she's crying
>Well...
>Fuck
"I fucked up. We were, uh, fighting that creature in the Crystal Empire. Nothing was working. Twilight just kept blasting it, but it didn't even notice. I was, uh, pretty far away from it at the time—can't fly so good, I guess."
>You scratch the back of your neck
"So the monster starts trying to kill Cadence and Shining Armor. It was gettin' close, too. I could see cracks in Shining's shield. By that point I was closer, and I just got... I was enraged, I guess would be the word."
>Luna gives a slight nod
>"Understandable. Regrettable, but understandable."
"Well, I, uh, I said—I said some things, and I felt this magic go through me. It came out red, not green, like usual. Guess that was the anger. So I threw the spell at the monster and it burst into flames."
>You take a breath
"But I fucked up. I didn't notice where Twilight was going. She was right next to it, and she got—got burned up pretty bad."
>The eyes of both sisters shift uncomfortably to the cloaked student
>"Is she..."
"She's fine, now—"
>Twilight's shaking gets even harder, although she remains silent
"...because she used a spell. Turns out she'd been two steps ahead of me the entire time—copying my magic and perfecting it. So she used a regeneration spell, which, you know, it was designed for dragons."
>"And this spell had some side effects?"
"Well. Uh, Twilight, if you could..."
>Twilight's cloak evaporates, revealing her standing with closed eyes
>Her muzzle is soaked with tears, weighing down the fur on one half and dotting the scales on the other
>Celestia stares at her for a moment
>"Why are you crying, my student?"
>Twilight doesn't respond, merely shaking her head
>You sigh
"Look, she's really fucking freaked out because she thinks she trashed the body you gave her."
>"But... she did nothing to it. The damage was your doing. The restoration... hers."
>Celestia takes two steps forward and wraps her wings around Twilight, pulling her in close
>"You will always be my student, no matter the physical form you take."
>You and Luna share a glance
>A glance which communicates a mutual feeling of awkwardness and desire to be elsewhere
>Twilight continues crying, burying her face in Celestia's shoulder
>"Ssshhh. Ssshhh, it's all going to be ok. I promise."
"Yeah, uh, about that. There's... kind of more."
>"More?"
"Well, look. Initially Twilight plans on telling the dragon council that I cast the spell on her. But, uh, Shining Armor didn't get the memo and blurted that she did it."
>Yeah, ok. They get how big of a deal that is.
>Judging by their reactions, at least. Big eyes, small mouths.
"That's a problem. Dragon magic is kind of sacred to a bloodline, or some shit. So they started yelling at her for stealing. Cadence told me to say that I taught her, so I did. That really pissed them off, since it meant I was betraying my own bloodline. Dishonorable, and all that. But Cadence kind of came up with a way that it wouldn't be betraying my bloodline."
>Twilight goes from crying to sobbing, digging her face deeper into Celestia's shoulder
>"So she said you were married."
"Mates, yes. Oh, by the way, both of you were officially were present at our wedding—officiated by Cadence—and consummation."
>Maybe some humor could alleviate the situation?
"So try to look really impressed or jealous whenever you see me, so they think you witnessed it."
>No
>No it couldn't
"That was... inappropriate. I'm sorry."
>"They all believe this?"
"Yes."
>"Hmmm..."
>Celestia pulls Twilight in closer, staring straight ahead
>Luna is the first to speak
>"There is naught that can be done, Sister."
>Her voice is surprisingly tender
>"Dragons mate for life, or until the mate becomes permanently inaccessible."
>Twilight's sobs gain renewed strength
>The next few hours are pure, unadulterated torture
>Celestia and Luna discuss various scenarios for getting her out of it. None of them work. A few seem promising, but Twilight quickly pokes them full of more holes than a colander.
>The failure to come up with a solution isn't even the worst part
>The worst part is watching Twilight get more and more depressed as the night goes on
>As if being married to you is some kind of horrible torture
>And, well...
>For her, it is.
>Celestia and Luna leave at midnight.
>Twilight falls asleep at around 2:00 AM
>You don't sleep
>You can't
>Something that Luna said is stuck in your head
>"Until the mate becomes permanently inaccessible."
>You... it's a crush, you know that
>But she's been so damn nice
>And now she's so damn miserable
>You wouldn't kill yourself for her. That would be taking it too far.
>But there's another option
>An option relying on a certain tree
>You stand up, stepping into the bathroom
>You can't let her be miserable.
>Not after you fucked over her entire physical form
>Not after you almost killed her
>You take a deep breath, then speak in the language that's becoming oddly familiar
"I go where I must without traveling."
>Instantly, you're someplace else
>A large, white marble dome
>Eight pillars uphold the ceiling. Seven are carved with images of Equestrian races:
>Ponies
>Dragons
>Griffons
>Minotaurs
>Changelings
>Donkeys
>Buffalo
>The last has various monsters on it
>You recognize Discord in one corner, but most of the rest are animals
>The main attraction, however, is directly in the center
>An ash tree stands, surprisingly short, in the middle of a mound of black dirt
>It comes up to just above your head, feeble branches weakly stretching outwards
>"We thought you would come."
>You don't bother spinning around to look at Celestia
>"Cadence told us one other thing. About you and her."
"Oh, fucking great."
>You close your eyes
>"It is a noble thing you do, Anonymous."
>You step forward, inspecting the tree more closely
>The air around it feels strange. Like just before a thunderstorm.
>"To sacrifice one's own happiness for that of a friend—"
"Please. Just... shut up."
>You place a hand on the tree
>Instantly, a jolt of magic flows through your body
>This...
>Fuck, it's the only way.
>All you need now is the right words.
"Take me home."
>Magic flows through you
>Light flashes
>And...
>"Anonymous?"
>Twilight sits upright in bed
>"What are you doing?"
>You're careful to avert your eyes as you spit Drakish downwards
"I go where I must without traveling."
>You reappear next to the tree
>"Anonymous? But—"
>You don't give her a chance to finish her thought
"Take me where I belong!"
>Light flashes
>"A-Anonymous, what are you doing? Where are you—"
"I GO WHERE I MUST WITHOUT TRAVELING!"
>You're next to the tree
>Next to the fucking, shitty-ass—
>"Anonymous! Stop! You—"
"TAKE ME TO EARTH!"
>Light flashes once more
>You open your eyes
>The first thing you notice is the darkness
>It's absolute. Absolutely no vision gets through, at all.
>The second is the smell
>It's one you haven't smelt in a long time
>That of oil and gas and smog
>The industrial smells of a city
"Let there be light."
>To your surprise, your magic still works here
>You see that you're near one wall, which stretches so high that you lose sight of it
>It's covered in pipes and gaskets, some of which hiss with steam occasionally
>On the other side of you is one giant tube
>It's black—so black that it seems to consume light
>You tap on it, and it makes a dull metallic noise
>So... A pipe, then.
>You have no idea what this place is, but you're almost certain you're on Earth
>Well...
>Nothing left to do but follow the pipe.
>You start walking, lost in thought
>Well, hey, you have magic now
>That should make you a few bucks
>Fuck, a lot of cash, right?
>Maybe you can figure out that spell Twilight cast and save people from dying
>Sure, it has the side effect of turning them into a dragon, but that's fine. Hell, /tg/ will probably start a literal religion about you.
>I mean... you can get new friends, right? You had some before
>Friends that had... drifted, since you finished school
>Fuck, that's not your biggest problem.
>At this point, you have to be legally dead. It's been way too long.
>Your mom will probably be happy to see you, at least.
>Right?
>You glance at the pipe, and notice that it's slowly increasing in size
>Hm.
>You keep walking
>...Man, you're going to miss her
>You never even told her that you loved her.
>Even if it was childish, grade-school love.
>Fuck, man. You got what you wanted and you did fucking nothing with it.
>Yeah, you learned magic. But you started no romantic relationships, never even fucking SAW pony genitalia, and barely effected anybody's lives. Not in a positive way, at least
>They're going to be glad when you're gone
>Fucking glad
>God dammit—
>"Dark thoughts, little one."
>You freeze
>The voice is deep. Deeper than any voice you've ever heard.
>And, worse, it's speaking Drakish
>You slowly turn your head to look at the pipe, shining your light upwards
>There, resting on his tail, is the head of a dragon.
>His face is marked with scars and age, scales at odd angles and drooping
>His eyes are barely open—massive eyelids draping almost all of them from the world.
>He's huge.
>His head is the size of a fucking football field.
>Just being in his presence is terrifying
>...And you think you know his name.
"Níðhöggr."
>His lips curl into a smile, revealing teeth larger than your entire body
>"Ah, that name. It has been a long time."
>You sit down on the ground, crossing your legs
>Well, this guy's your ancestor
>Might as well chat, right?
"Where am I?"
>"Your homeworld, I think. You look rather like those creatures my daughters had such infatuation with."
>He exhales, and the air around you gets noticeably warmer and more humid
>"I have not seen one of you since they died. That must have been... Oh, very long ago now."
"I bet."
>"So, human. I can smell the pony on you. Are you here to do what I could not?"
"I... don't think so."
>"Hm. You are unaware. I can see that. Here."
>The dragon shifts, raising his head out of your view
>His motions cause air currents strong enough that you're afraid you'll be knocked over
>He moves for a while, his tail slithering out of sight
>Eventually, a giant claw comes at you
>It's... more than large enough for him to squish you. But you don't really care at this point.
>You sit and wait to see what happens, with closed eyes.
>After a few moments, the tip touches you on the forehead. Instantly, you're transported to a different place.
>You're in somebody else's head. You can feel yourself talking, but you haven no control of the worlds.
"I think they are ready."
>Two ponies—both Alicorns—stand in front of you. One is tall and softly pink, thin with regal elegance. Her mane swirls with dazzling red and orange hues, hypnotizing.
>Next to her is a male, midnight blue with little white dots all over his fur. His mane is completely dark—you can't see anything in it.
"The one I have chosen as a mate has proven herself to be a capable leader."
>"But... our offspring. So young."
"I know."
>You glance over the mare's shoulder. There's two fillies there—fillies you quickly recognize as Celestia and Luna.
"But they, too, are capable."
>The male speaks
>"Our time here has been so short."
"It has been too long!"
>You feel your lips break into a frustrated snarl
"I have been through seven of the nine planes. This eighth one has taken me ten times as long as all the rest. Longer even then that of chaos."
>"It is not our fault."
"I know it is not. It is mine!"
>You tilt your head backward
"I am the steward of these planes. I must complete my task. But the ninth... I cannot feel it. There is a calling, but no inhabitants. Nothing."
>The two alicorns share a look
>"What do you mean?"
"Whatever lives there does not—does not not have a steward. Has no protectors. I fear that life is not developing. We have to leave, now! Before it is too late, and the window of opportunity closes."
>Celestia and Luna stare at you over their mother's shoulder
>"If you wish. Just... Allow me to say goodbye to my offspring."
>The mare walks away, towards them
>The stallion follows her with his eyes
>"Níðhöggr, I fail to see your plan. If the world has no inhabitants, why unite it?"
"Because it is the last! If the conditions for life do not exist, we must create them."
>"This may be harder than you think, my friend. I am risking my life, and the wife of my wife, on our ability to do this."
"And I risk my heirs."
>The stallion gives a curt nod
>"I know. I just ask that you consider the difficulties before continuing."
"Any difficulties will only get worse by waiting."
>The mare walks back, her hooves making no noise even on the tile floor
>"We go, then."
>The scene blurs, then solidifies
>You feel—ground, beneath your claws
>New ground. Fertile ground. Ground with grass.
>This isn't... this is not possible. This world has no protector. No steward.
>Life is not possible. It would freeze immediately, one half of the world—
>Your eyes snap upwards, along with your head
>The sun burns
>It burns coldly, far away. There is no magic in it. It's a large—a ball of gas. It's just a fire.
>A fire in the sky. Not a source of magical life. Just—Just fire.
>Horrible, emotionless fire.
"GO BACK! GO BACK, IT'S NOT—"
>But you're too late
>You spin around to see the mare staring upwards at the abomination, eyes filled with its fire
>No, no, no!
>She—she is responsible for that
>She's the one who must—
>But it's too late
>Far, far too late
>The thing lacks life. Lacks the magical qualities of a real sun, of something that's more than just a ball of energy
>Qualities she has
>She doesn't have time to cry out or shed a tear. No time to curse or cast a spell.
>She simply disintegrates, falling into dust. Her husband, thankfully, doesn't have to see that happen—the moon must be equally an abomination, because he crumbles as well
>You grasp at the ground, screaming
>You've been in this world for less then five seconds
>And, already, you have failed.
>The universe fades to darkness, and you find yourself in your own body.
>Your human one. Or, well, mostly human.
"...That was Earth."
>"Yes."
"Nine planes. All connected by a great tree. Just like the legends."
>"The facts, which I dictated to the members of your species."
"But why were you traveling them?"
>"To unite them, of course. It is not the nature of the tree to be fractured. It must be whole, so it can grow."
"I suppose that makes sense."
>You look around
"So where is it?"
>"The tree?"
"Yes."
>"This is it. It took on a... strange form, in this world."
>The pipes in the wall behind you hiss
"We're inside it?"
>"Of a sorts, yes. The branches grow on the walls like vines in this massive chamber."
"Hm."
>"So, tell me, young one."
>The dragon leans his head back, as if trying to get a better view of you
>"Have you come to complete what I could not?"
"No. I was... a mistake."
>"Mistakes... useful, in the right context."
"Not me. I'm useless. Unless you need somebody to fuck everything up."
>The dragon laughs, the noise echoing around the room
>"I sincerely doubt that."
"No, I am. I left Equestria because of how useless I was. All I did was ruin lives and almost kill people."
>"Perhaps in the immediate past. But... I think you were greater than that."
"Why?"
>"Because. Ever since you have entered my chamber, I have been dying."
"Oh, shit, now I'm killing you too?"
>You feel like you're going to throw up
>"No. Releasing me. I can only assume that means that my work, started when I hatched under the tree, is almost finished."
>The dragon closes his eyes, and his voice changes to a mumble
>"Your journey does not end with mine, small one. But... Look to the past, and do not lose heart. I urge you to think of the friends you made."
>You feel him leave. His presence evaporating into nothingness, even if his body stayed.
>Still, inside the chamber
>You close your eyes
>The one link you still had to Equestria—besides your leg—gone.
>Equestria
>H-Home.
>You bury your face in your hands
>A home that you ruined.
>But...
>But you did make friends, didn't you?
>You remember getting ice cream with Pinkie Pie
>Skating with Rainbow Dash
>Feeding fish with Fluttershy
>Rarity tailoring your suit
>Drunkenly singing karaoke with Applejack
>And...
>Twilight
>Reading with her
>Answering her questions about Earth
>Training magic with her
>Having dinner with her and Spike
>God, you know, he was right
>She was a friend
>The best friend you'd ever had
>Fuck your stupid crush. You don't need to be romantic with her. You just need to be with her.
>Be her friend for another second
>And, of course, you're—
>All the pipes behind you start screaming, blocking out your thoughts
>The hissing is so loud it's painful, and the cloud of steam completely blocks your vision in seconds
>Your heart rate increases, and your stomach drops
>What now?
>What could you possibly have—
>"ANONYMOUS!"
>That's—
>That's her voice
>You stand up, swiping at the air to try and see through the steam
>Where—
>Where is—
>"ANONYMOUS!"
>Left
>You take off running, barely even noticing that you're moving
>Everything is totally automated, singularly focused on finding her
>"ANON!"
>She's ahead of you now
>You made the right choice, but it's so far away—
>Fucking hell
>You keep sprinting, blindly running into the dark
>"ANONYMOUS! YOU HAVE TO—HELP!"
>FUCK
>You can't let this get away
>You can't
>You just—
>"MAGIC! USE IT! HURRY!"
>You keep running
>Ok
>You have to—
>What words?
>That's all that matters
>The words—
"Let me see my friends again!"
>The hissing from the pipes stops
>Everything stops
>Everything is still
>The only sound in the room is your own breathing
>And then...
>Reality tears in half, right in front of you
>Splits down the middle of your vision
>Through the crack comes a claw
>A purple claw
>You grab onto it
>The crack starts expanding, revealing more and more of the Alicorn princess behind it
>She's... taller than she was five minutes ago
>You notice a large scar, just missing her draconic eye
>But she's Twilight
>And she's back
>You keep holding onto her as the floor beneath you starts to rise
>The tear keeps expanding as you ascend, slowly at first, but then faster and faster
>Eventually, the tear is large enough for Twilight to step through
>She pulls you into a hug
>"I found you."
"Thank god."
>"...We're rising."
>You nod
>"Hm. Strange. I suppose anything can happen in the last world."
"You know about that?"
>"Anonymous, did you really think that I wouldn't do research? I've spent practically all the time I've been away from you—"
"Which is how long, again?"
>"...Seven years?"
"Oh, shit."
>You grab her a bit tighter
"I—not that long for me."
>"I—Anonymous, do you have any idea where we are?"
"Nope."
>"We're... Hold on—"
>Twilight switches to Drakish
>"Where am I?"
>One of her ears perks up, as if listening
>"I hope you know what New York is."
"We're in—"
>You shake your head
"Well, shit. Think Earth is about to get a rude awakening."
>Twilight grins
>"Maybe it's time for that, huh?"
"Well, hey, a fractured tree can't grow. Or some shit."
>You smile, moving so you stand at her side
"You really looked for seven years?"
>"Of course. I couldn't just abandon a friend... or a student."
"We still need to finish those lessons, don't we?"
>"Yes."
"Well. Wish we would have done that before... whatever the fuck's about to happen."
>"Unity, Anonymous. Friendship between the worlds."
>You close your eyes and nod your head
>Something above you crashes, and you feel sun on your face
>Cars honk
>People talk
>The platform stops rising
>You open your eyes to find a vast crowd of people staring at you. Many have cameras. The more aware ones take near-continuous photographs of you.
>It's fucking Times Square, and you're suddenly the center of interest
>You and your best friend in the entire world
>In any world
>A journey another started on a long time ago is finished, but yours... hey, that's just starting.
>And man, are you excited for the ride ahead.