Chapter 2: Uncanny Day.
The advent of another dawn came silently, as the morning sun beamed softly in through the kitchen drapes, warming our boy awake. He cast his hand over his eyes and grumbled incessantly, trying as best he can, the ancient ruse of the teenager.
“Just a few more minutes, Fluttershy..” He murmured, throwing his arm over his head along with the blanket. There was no insistence to wake to help with chores forthcoming, however, and the silence was bothersome. After his self-granted few minutes, the blonde-haired boy stumbled out of bed. A hastily made nest on a couch was the best he had for the time being, having given the bedroom back to Fluttershy. Despite the overall absurdity of being in a tiny cottage in the woods with a talking horse, he had been moved by her kindness and soft-heartedness.
His strength had recovered, over the last two weeks, and as he had felt up to it, begun helping his benefactor take care of things around the house, though he had yet to go beyond the fence. Perhaps it was a sort of reluctance, to see anything else, until he was ready. But the coming events would see that reluctance sorely tested. This morning, however, she seemed to be absent. It hadn’t been the first time, and he assumed she had gone into the nearby town she had talked about, to shop. That had been another stunner.
Not only were there talking ponies, there was a whole talking pony society. A whole talking pony Kingdom, if he understood it right. Fluttershy had been a little taken aback when he had started asking questions, and though she had answered to her best ability, she clammed up when he continued to press for details. In either case, he had resigned himself, for the time being, to get better and try to find a way to repay the kind little butter ball, and this morning that included feeding and playing with the animals outside.
Fluttershy kept at least twenty different kinds of food in the house, mostly for feed for her various animal companions. Hefting a bucket, the blonde lad filled it with various things kept in the house, before stepping out into the warm summer-morning air. Immediately met with the expectant stares of a veritable herd of various beasts, the boy stepped out into the yard. Several birds flocked around his feet, and a number of rabbits hopped up nearby. One particularly gruff looking rabbit was looking at him disdainfully, and holding out his paw as though the boy owed him something.
“Well good morning to you, too, Angel.” the boy said with a laugh, selecting the fattest carrot from the bucket and dropping it into the bunny’s outstretched hand. “Don’t overdo it.” He cautioned, receiving a buck-toothed grin and a thumbs up from the assuaged lapine. The big problem out of the way, it was tedious, rather than difficult to complete the task. After a number of trips back inside for more food, and an argument with a rather stubborn bear about eating his damn berries, the job was done. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and the day was proving that it was going to be a hot one, as the brilliant orb beat down on the open yard. After filling the water troughs, and retrieving a glass for himself, the boy sat down outside in the luminous summer sunshine. It was warm, but for some reason, it was just so unmistakably comfortable. Stretching out in the grass, he lay there for some time in comfortable silence.
At some point, though, he must have fallen into a doze. An overcast shadow interrupted his snoozing, as he lay on the lush bed of weeds. Opening his bleary eyes, the boy came face-to-muzzle with a new pony. Her inverted head occupied his entire field of vision, and as soon as he focused, she grinned, the light of curiousity ablaze in her eyes.
“ You must be the ‘human,” the new pony stated matter-of-factly, staring down at the teenager. Her gaze traveled to Fluttershy, a few feet away, as if searching for verification. “ Did I pronounce that right?” .
“Well, I..” he almost got a sentence started, before the over-excited unicorn immediately started gushing out her own introduction.
The purple unicorn interrupted his thoughts to continue gushing, “Hi! I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I just wanted to ask you a few questions about where you came from and ohgoshthisisso-”
“Twilight.” Came the soft-spoken voice from behind her, pulling the purple unicorn away and letting the sun fall back on the lad’s face. “ D-do you think you can help?” The butter yellow pegasus took a seat on the grass nearby, looking between her friend and the strange human that had come to stay with her, nervously chewing on a strand of pink mane.
The purple unicorn stepped away and rested on her haunches, the long horn poking from her forehead radiating a sort of pale light, before a scroll and quill popped into the air in front of her, as thought they’d always been there. “ Well, that depends on what I can find out.” She says, flashing the boy a smile as he propped himself up on his elbows. He looked at her, a bemused quirk to his lips. “ So what’s your name? Where did you come from? How did you-”
Again the mare was silenced, although this time by a protesting hand from the boy, held up in placation. “Alright, just take it easy. But first, what in the heck was that?” He said, pointing at her horn.
The unicorn looked behind her, twisting her head around to rake her eyes across the sky. “What?” she questioned, before tracing a line with her eyes from his finger to the center of her face. “ My horn? All unicorns have these, what are you..? OH!” she exclaimed, smiling. “ It’s the focus of practical magic for unicorns and alicorns. It acts as a magical focus for our abilities, which cary from pony to pony. All unicorns can manage some for of magic, but the talent for it is larger in some cases than others, although no-one can match up with the Princesses. Earth ponies and pegasi have latent magic, but unicorns like me have overt control of it.” she explains, her smile slowly evaporating as she realized she was being stared at by a pair of incredulous grey eyes.
“Magic?” The boy asks. “ There’s magic, too? Not just talking ponies and flying ponies, but magic ponies?” he asked, before rubbing the bridge of his nose. Twilight simply looked confused, and Fluttershy was chewing the ends of her mane. He sat there for a minute, perhaps longer, composing himself, before nodding. “ Alright, alright. Magic. Cool. I can handle that. But to your questions.” He said, sitting up fully and brushing the errant strands of grass from his clothes. “ I don’t really understand how I got here. I was walking home, I think. But that’s all I’ve got there. I remember falling through the air and waking up in Fluttershy’s house, for which I’m immeasurably thankful.” He shook his head sadly. “ Unfortunately, that’s about all I’ve got. Whenever I try to force it, I just get a headache and get dizzy.” There’s a long, awkward moment of silence, before Fluttershy pats him on the back supportively, and Twilight cuts back in with a resolute voice.
“Well then we’ll just have to help you! You might be stuck here for a while, until we figure out where you’re from and how to get you home!” Her resolve cuts through the somber air like a knife, and the boy smiles warmly. “ But um.. firstly, we need to have something to call you. We can’t really just say, ‘hey you’ until you get your memories back, can we?” she asks. Fluttershy’s tiny voice speaks up.
“Um. Well, he’s got a really shiny mane, and he d-doesn’t remember much.” She stammers a little, not really confident. “ S-so he’s kinda down to brass tacks, i-isn’t he?” The tiny butter colored horse squeaks out the last part, sticking her hoof to her mouth as she concludes, “I mean.. if t-that’s okay.” somehow, her incredibly demure tone just makes her absolutely adorable. The boy meats her teal gaze with a cocked eyebrow, causing the Pegasus to flinch away slightly, and avert her gaze, her voice tiny. “Just a s-s-suggestion.”
She jumps when the boy places a hand on her head and smiles. “ Brass Tacks it is, I guess. I haven’t got anything better.” says the newly-christened boy with a shrug. “ If I’m gonna be here a while, I suppose it’d be nice to have a moniker. Thanks Flutters” Fluttershy’s face broke into a large smile as she accepted the compliment. Only to have Twilight break back into the conversation.
“Yay! Progress!” she claps her hooves together excitedly, although it’s clear that she’d been taking notes the whole time. Already the entire scroll looked full, and she was cribbing notes into the margins. “Now there’s just a couple more things...” she trailed off.
----Meanwhile, In Canterlot...----
The afternoon wears on in the Canterlot castle, the sun making it’s languid journey through the sky towards evening. Courtly business completed for the day, Princess Celestia, Sovereign of the Sun sits upon her golden throne. Her bright smile reminiscent of the celestial body of her station as the courtiers file out at her behest, with petition to return tomorrow to continue. There were a few grumbling dignitaries and administrators, vexed that their concerns would not be addressed this day, but they dared not show their displeasure openly in front of the Princess. As soon as the great golden doors closed, she let out a shuddering breath, and closed her eyes, before standing and stretching out her cramped hindquarters. Stepping lightly to limit the pins-and-needles feeling that was rapidly fading from her hind-hooves, she descended from the throne platform and out onto the adjoining balcony. Her regal gaze swept over the kingdom, a weary smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Another day well done.” A moment of relaxation, the warm breeze feeling wonderful after the stuffy air of the throne room, for hours on end.
Even in the brief respite, she felt a small amount of melancholy. Though her burdens had been lightened considerably with the return of her sister, and as such she no longer had to be dutiful at all hours of the day, she was still weary. A light clopping behind her signified somepony’s approach, and she held her head up high, returning to a regal bearing, and affecting her benevolent smile. Turning to see who had business with her, she relaxed immediately as her beloved sister’s teal eyes and azure starry mane met her gaze. Her smile spread a bit wider, as she greeted the Keeper of the Moon. “ Good evening, Luna. I trust you slept well during my watch?”
Luna returned the smile as she came forward, to gaze out over Canterlot along with her co-ruler and elder sister. “ Indeed, we had a wonderful rest. Although we are not looking forward to Night Court this eve, dear Sister.” she said, her starry mane blowing in the same aetherial wind as her sister’s, the two not making eye contact as they continued their conversation. “ How were the treaty talks, with the Griffins?” she asked, casting a sidelong glance at the regal form of the Sun Princess, which, to her, looked as though it was sagging under a great weight, though others would never notice.
“ Not terribly well, I am sad to say. Our relationship is becoming strained over their incessant poaching. Though I understand that their diets require meat, I cannot overlook their hunting parties in Equestrian territory. I doubt it will come to conflict, however.” She says, recounting the severe face of the Griffin ambassador who had come to request a leniency. “ An agreement should be reached within the week on how to deal with the issue. I proposed to them that though our lands have bounty that they require, their subjects helping themselves to our resources is a grave crime. I doubted that they would appreciate Griffins being forced to pay for each pound of meat with a year of service mining crystal in Tramplevania.” She giggled. “ By the look on his face, I’d say I was right.”
Luna inclined her head approvingly. “You always were shrewd, Sister. We concur. To allow them free-reign would be to project weakness.” She smiled, “ Though we would have made it 5 years on the pound.” The Moon Princess sat her haunches on the balcony, and continued to watch the sun set, preparing herself for her own duties to raise and move the lunar body. “ Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?” she inquired.
“There was a report from the eastern regiment near Dappleshore. It seems several mares and stallions have dissapeared, and that something had fallen from the sky into the mountains nearby. I’ve received no further word, but I am concerned. I will have them continue their inquiry.” said Celestia, her tone one of worry. Despite her responsibilities, she did dearly love all of her subjects. It was perhaps this single quality that made her the most beloved ruler in all the world. A fact that did not escape Luna.
“From the sky?” Luna inquired, cutting her eyes at her counter-sovereign. “That strikes you not as an oddity? We shall have the Nightguard fly there hence!” she said, stamping a hoof. Celestia calmed her with a hoof on her shoulder.
“I too am concerned, dear Luna. But we must not act hastily. It is probable that they have simply gotten lost. I trust in our servants to do their jobs. It would behoove you to do the same. Though this new world is confusing to you, I promise that we still carefully screen for competence.” again the brilliant smile, the reassuring tone. Celestia had done much to repair their strained relationship since Luna’s return, and though the touch did calm her a little, the night keeper’s mind turned inwards.
The two halves of the Diarchy sat and watched as the golden disk of the sun began to dip below the horizon, and Celestia gave a soft sigh, her horn lighting up with a familiar golden magic, instinctual and instant after millenia of the same duty, day in and day out. Luna’s horn glowed with a dark blue, as the bright silver waning moon peeked up from the opposite edge of the sky, the brief moment that the two shone together casting a beautiful aurora across the infinite vault of the sky, before the sun dipped into sleep, and the moon took it’s dominant place atop the world. Celestia brought her foreleg to her mouth to stifle a yawn, shaking her head. “ Luna, I am greatly tired. I’m going to sleep. Hopefully your night is far more relaxed than my day.” she said, sitting up on all four hooves, and beginning to trot off.
“ We are sure it will be, sister. Rest well.” spoke the azure pony, continuing to sit out on the balcony under the dark sky. As Celestia left, and the door closed behind her, Luna let out a terse sigh. She had hoped her spell would work longer. It seemed that as the night princess, she was the only one who could feel it yet. The faint emanation of malevolent magic.
“By Tartarus, if I had my full powers back...” she spoke to no-one in particular, her turquoise eyes riveted on the faintest red glint hiding behind the corona of the moon. She had felt it not long after she had returned from the moon, the unraveling of her spell from long ago. She had thought it would avert fate, but it seemed it had not. Merely shifted a decimal point in time, perhaps, but not diverted it entirely. Coupled with that, had been a rift opened several weeks ago during her watch that she had not reported, though the Nightguard had searched the entire Everfree, and found nothing. Not even her most powerful scrying could locate what had come through, though she was sure something had, from the disturbance of mana.
Though it would not show on her face, it terrified her, and a shiver ran up her back. Still fixating her unwavering gaze on the red glow behind the moon. “We must stop it. We cannot allow it into our lands. Nay, we can give it no quarter on this world. Almagest...” fear crept into her voice like ice.
Tonight, Dappleshore would be plagued with nightmares.