A/N: Hi again everyone! Sorry for the 6 month wait! I'm here with chapter 6 of my mlp fanfic. I'm really working on pace of the story still. What happens is that I intend for something to happen and then think that it needs a bit more build-up to it. Lol I've broken my word again on the alicorn meeting the mane 6...well I guess technically they did see him but they weren't formally introduced. Hehe. Buuuuuuut on nicer note I have concocted a pretty nice background on him so all you lovely readers will get to learn more about him :)
Enjoy all! :)
The next morning, Twilight and her friends found themselves quietly sitting at the grand table in her meeting room. It was in that very space where they remained after the previous events. None of the six ponies had gotten much sleep the night before. The friends found themselves excitedly talking among themselves, in hopes of finding out who the stallion was, each of them coming up with their own theories. Spike was still in shock, not being able to believe it, and then recalling what he had seen…what they all had seen. There were just so many unanswered questions. Where did he even come from? Out of the six ponies and the dragon, Twilight's curiosity was eating at her the most. She had gotten even less sleep than the rest. The young princess found herself holed up in her library in between her small naps, looking for any information that she could find about the stranger who had saved her and the little colt's life. Of course, she hadn't even been able to find that. Most of her books were about magic and history, nothing which could them find out about a specific alicorn. Most likely, she'd have to wait until they were able to meet with the other princesses. Twilight's heart thumped a bit in her chest. She wondered how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would react to the news once she had told them. Twilight remembered that last night she had broken her usual rules of etiquette, telling Spike to send a message to the castle immediately after they had all arrived at her castle in the middle of the night. She had purposely left any mention of her savior out of the message just to be on the safe side. The only point that she wanted to get across was that it was definitely something that the princesses would want to know. Princess Celestia seemed to believe her vagueness, as she had sent her back a message, telling Twilight that she could meet with them the very next day…as in today. Her eyes scanned the room where her friends had not left her side, already sure that they would come with her. Twilight turned her head slightly, seeing a shadow make its way towards her. In another moment, Rarity was standing beside her, a tea tray hovering in front of her.
"Here you are, darling. A bit of tea for the morning", the white pony said, as a cup full of the sweet smelling brew floated in front of Twilight. The princess smiled, touched by her friend's usual thoughtfulness.
"Thank you, Rarity", she said, taking a few sips. It was delicious. Rarity smiled back at her, as she placed tea cups in front of each of the other ponies' seats.
"Tea time everyone!", she called, looking over to them. Fluttershy trotted over to her as she began drinking, followed by Rainbow Dash who quickly flew over to her own seat, doing the same.
"Tea sure smells nice, Rarity", Apple Jack said, carrying a tray of sweet smelling pastries on her back.
"Why, thank you, dear. I find that nothing wakes you up in the morning like a piping hot cup of tea", Rarity said, sitting and pouring herself a cup.
"It tastes so nice", Fluttershy said.
"They'll go real good with these apple tarts too. None of us eaten anything since last night", Apple Jack said, placing the tray of pasties on the table.
"Did someone say food?", Spike asked, running into the room. Apple Jack smiled and casually tossed him a pastry wrapped in a napkin.
"Fresh out of the oven", she said, as the dragon happily caught it in his mouth, eating it hungrily. The others in the room, now feeling their own appetites grow, reached for some as well. As they began eating, Fluttershy looked around the room, realizing that they were short once pink pony.
"Where's Pink Pie?", she asked, taking another bit. No sooner had she asked, when the sound of the pony's springing hops could be heard from the entrance.
"I smeeeell breakfast!", Pinkie said, as she happily hopped her way to her own seat, grabbing at her food.
"Don't you ever run out of energy?" Rainbow Dash asked in between bites.
"That's what refills are for", the pink pony said, chewing. The friends had a light conversation, trying to keep their minds off questions that they knew they wouldn't be able to answer by themselves. At some point, the weather even crossed their minds but they were all thinking about the same thing. Rainbow Dash took another bit of her food before sighing very loudly, as if bored already. Out of all of them, she was known to be the most impatient, which is why she was the first to address the elephant in the room…or on their minds.
"So what was the deal with that guy from last night, anyway?", she asked, wiping her mouth a bit in satisfaction. The other looked at each other for a moment, all of them feeling each other's confusion.
"We don't know. That's why we have to go to Equestria and meet with the princesses. I think we should tell them in person", Twilight said.
"I wonder who he was. Or where he even came from", Rarity said, leaning on the table.
"Well, whoever he is, we know one thing for sure. He's must be good guy, seeing how he saved everyone from that terrible fire", Apple Jack said.
"Yeah. If it weren't for, him then Twilight might have…", Fluttershy began, her eyes getting slightly teary, remembering how close the young princess had come to meeting a horrible fate.
"He was really a live saver", Pinkie said, her hoofs on her cheek.
"I dunno. How do we know he really was what he looked like?", Spike asked, suspiciously.
"Um…because we saw him?", Rainbow Dash said.
"He could be shape shifter", Spike reasoned.
"I don't think so", Apple Jack said.
"Come one everypony! Are we really supposed to believe that a guy alicorn just came out of nowhere? He could be anything", the dragon said, protectively standing at Twilight's side. The princess shook her head slowly, still not forgetting the way his magic felt, how it affected everything around him.
"It's not a trick.", she said again.
"He…whoever he is...is an alicorn. I felt it. I can still feel it", she said, gripping at her chest.
"See? Twilight says so too", Rarity said.
"Yeah but …then why did he take off like that?", Spike asked, the truth now beginning to sink in after hearing it from Twilight herself. This time the reality of it all was there to stay.
"That's what I would like to know", Twilight said.
"Well, we'll know soon enough right? The princesses have to know this kind of stuff", Pinkie Pie said, sounding optimistic.
"I hope so", Twilight said, looking off into the distance, thinking of the stallion's intense amber eyes. Her head jerked in the opposite direction, hearing the sound of the loud bell from the front. Someone wanted to come in. They all turned in the direction of the bell, feeling the anticipation of finally going to the palace.
"I'll get it", Spike said, hopping off his chair and running towards hallway. Twilight tapped her hoof on the table, feeling antsy. She wanted to meet with the other princesses as soon as possible to discuss the stallion, worried that he was already out of the area. It was like Spike said. He didn't seem to have any interest in sticking around for too long. A moment later, she heard the sound of the heavy door opening and closing, and they all leaned forward, seeing if it was finally time. The six ponies sighed and relaxed, seeing the pony with the light purple coat walking beside Spike's small frame.
"Starlight Shimmer. How are you?", Twilight asked, seeing her friend.
"You didn't come to hang out with us yesterday", Pinkie Pie pointed out.
The pony smiled at them.
"I wanted to work on a few larger scaled spells, but I ended up just conking myself out. I literally fell asleep yesterday and just got up", she said, walking into the room further.
"That sounds like someone else we know too", Rainbow Dash said, peering over at Twilight.
"What brings you here? Is everything alright?", Twilight asked. Starlight looked around the room for a moment, her eyes twinkling like they always did when she was feeling inquisitive.
"Is it true?", she asked, walking closer to Twilight. Every one of them knew already knew what she meant without even asking.
"It looks that way. I still can't believe an alicorn saved all of us yesterday. A stallion too", Apple Jack said. She furrowed her brows a bit, feeling curious herself.
"How did you know, anyway?", she asked.
"That's all I've been hearing. Everyone in Ponyville is talking about it", Starlight said.
"So who is he?", she asked.
"We don't know yet", Fluttershy said. She was about to say something else when the bell sounded yet again, this time followed by three loud knocks on the heavy door. Spike ran back in the direction to see who it was this time.
"How is this even possible? I mean…I thought that all the alicorns were…", she trailed off, not wanting to say how the other mares and stallions of royal blood met their fate.
"I thought so too. But…this was somepony we saw. I felt his power when he saved me", Twilight said.
"And seeing how he's so nice, it would be nice to find him so that we could properly thank him", Fluttershy said. Twilight was about to say something else when the sound of hoofs waking on the floor made them turn their attention in the other direction. The ponies looked to see two royal pegasai guards standing on either side of Spike. Upon entering the room, they bowed, seeing Twilight.
"Your majesty. We've come to escort you to the royal palace", one said. Instinctively, Twilight used her magic to place Spike on her back. While he was still in midair, the dragon had grabbed another breakfast pastry for the road.
"All set, everyone?", Twilight asked, turning to her friends. Her six friends looked at each other for a moment, as if making silent decision on their own.
"Maybe it would be best if we stay here", Rarity said.
Fluttershy nodded.
"That way we would all be able to keep a lookout for him in case he comes back", she said.
"He came from the area. He could still be close by. No point in all of us going", Apple Jack said. The princess scanned the rest of her friends' faces, who nodded in agreement.
"Does that go for you too, Starlight?", she asked. Her friend smiled at her again.
"Well, as much as I want to go with you to deliver that message, the thought of actually seeing him for myself this time is too good of a chance to pass up", she said.
"You go. And we'll all keep a lookout for him", she said.
"Guess it's just me and you then, Spike", Twilight said.
"Sounds good to me", the dragon said, eating some more of his breakfast.
"We'll see you when we get back. Keep us posted, ok?", the princess said.
"You too", Rainbow Dash said.
Twilight and Spike waved one final time before exiting the castle. A few feet away, the large chariot was waiting for them. She saw one of the guards begin to make their way over to it to open the door. That was something that she had still not grown used to, despite officially becoming royalty. Instead, she quickly teleported her and Spike into the chariot, making sure to close the door for herself.
"I've got it this time", she said. The guard bowed again before both of them went in front. They flapped their wings, quickly raising the chariot off the ground and into the sky. Below them, the buildings grew smaller and smaller, before they were finally completely in the clean sky in route to the castle. Twilight wondered how she would tell the princesses of the other alicorn that they had come across, or if they would even believe her. It was like Starlight had said, there really wasn't supposed to be any more of them left. She wondered if they would be able to find out where he came from. Her mind flew back to the way he had saved her, how his magic stopped the flames from spreading on command. It was like he ruled over them just by speaking. She knew he must have some of the most powerful magic out there. There had to be something that they could find out about him. There had to be. As the wind blew through her mane, Twilight had a feeling that even with the mystery that surrounded the stallion, they would be able to find out soon enough.
In Equestria, the sun shined brightly down on the palace. It had only been up for a few hours, but its warm rays were already beginning to make the day feel sunny and optimistic. Guards were stationed at all entrances to the castle, as always, despite there being no indication of any real threat. If they didn't know any better, they all would have felt like they were on a vacation. At the highest point of the castle, overlooking the entire kingdom, Celestia peered out at the beauty she and her sister ruled, something that had taken many years to solidify. As she walked back inside to the comfort of the castle walls, she thought of how many times it had come into danger over the years since then, and how many of those battles were not fought by themselves. Twilight and her friends were some of the brave ponies who had helped them maintain such peace. Celestia had already begun to feel concerned that there may have been something wrong, especially considering the fact that Twilight had sent a message so late in the night. She wondered if there was something dangerously amiss. Not only was the late massage very out of character for her former pupil, but it was also very vague, as though what needed to be discussed could be detrimental to all of them. Celestia was brought out of her thoughts by the shadow of one of the guards suddenly standing in front of her.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight Sparkle has been reported to be within our air space", he said. She nodded and the guard soon walked out. Celestia took a final look out into the balcony, her mind once again beginning to think about what the matter Twilight had to talk to her about was. She quickly walked down the halls of the castle, guards respectfully nodding to her as they passed. She wasn't heading straight to the throne room, however. Instead her legs were making their way towards Luna's sleeping quarters. Celestia knew how hard her sister worked to manage the night and dreams of everypony in the kingdom, and was well aware that she must be weary from such a task every night, but something in the back of her mind was telling her that her sister had to be there with her. She quickened her steps, setting forth to wake her sister.
Twilight excitedly waited in the throne room, anticipating the arrival of the other princesses. She could hardly wait to tell them the news. Her and her friends had actually seen another alicorn. Like Spike earlier, she was still a bit in shock even when she saw it herself. But more importantly, she still desperately wondered whether they would be able to give her any information on the stallion they had encountered. For all she knew, Celestia or Luna may have already met him already. Her dreamlike mind began to fly, recalling just how old the beautiful princess actually were. They had ruled for decades. Surely they would have to know something, or point her in the right direction. The young princess just hoped that she wasn't wasting their time by calling on them just to tell them this information. Even worse than that, she hoped that she wouldn't be reopening any old wounds by mentioning another alicorn. Twilight was already beginning to worry, as she nervously began tapping the ground with her hoof. Her eyes glanced to the right, seeing Spike curled up in dark corner, sleeping off his breakfast. She smiled. Even with her magic, she was unable to keep her old friend awake. It was best to let him sleep. She was still grateful for his company. Her ears picked on the grand door opening and the young princess quickly stood taller, waiting for them to enter. There was the sound of a few steps before the door closed again. A moment later, three princesses, Celestia, Luna and Cadence, her sister in law were walking towards her. The first thing Twilight did was run to the beautiful pink maned mare, giving her a warm hug. They took a moment to say their chant, something that they had been doing since Twilight was a small filly.
"Sunshine, sunshine. Ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake", they both sang, laughing.
"How's Flurry Heart been doing?", Twilight asked, as they both walked over to Celestia and a yawning Luna.
"Breaking anything and everything when she cries or when she's happy. The usual", Cadence said, smiling.
"I'm sorry to have brought you all here like this so suddenly. I know you must be busy taking care of your kingdoms", Twilight said, reaching the other two ponies.
"Twilight", Celestia said, giving her a quick hug.
"Think nothing of it. We got your message. Is everything all right?", she asked, as they all walked further into the throne room.
"Celestia said it sounded quite urgent", Luna said beside them. Twilight turned to them, her eyes growing a bit cloudy, remembering who had saved her.
"You didn't say anything in your letter", Cadence said.
"I didn't want to even risk someone else finding out about it yet", Twilight said.
"What is it?", Luna asked. Twilight hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Last night…while me and my friends were out, we saw something, somepony", she said.
"Who?", Celestia asked.
"We don't know. That's why I wanted to speak with you, all of you.", Cadence nodded, understanding. The young princess continued.
"There was a fire in Ponyville. It was horrible. And I ended up trapped inside a building with a colt", she went on.
"And this stranger, you speak of…he was the cause of it?", Luna asked.
Twilight shook her head.
"No…he saved us…saved everyone but…", she said, looking at them.
"You might not believe me but…he was an alicorn", Twilight finally said. She could already see the complete shock in the eyes of the other princesses. They couldn't believe either. Cadence was the first one to break the silence.
"But, Twilight…how is that even possible? The other alicorns-", she began.
"They were killed", Luna said, her face growing strained, remembering how their parents died defending the lives of others. Celestia placed a comforting wing on her back, seeming to feel the same way. It sill brought them pain to this day.
"More surprisingly, he was a male?", Cadence said.
"Yes. That made it even harder to believe when I saw him", Twilight said.
"He must be a purebred", Luna said, still in awe.
"We have not seen another one in well over a millennia", Celestia said.
"Where could he have come from?", Cadence asked.
"I don't know. He just appeared…like he knew we were in trouble". Twilight said.
"His magic…it was…amazing", she said, still not able to forget the way it felt.
"I was hoping that you all may know something about him", the young princess said.
"What did he look like?", Luna asked.
"He…", Twilight began, closing her eyes as she pictured him in her mind.
"He coat was white…and he had silver mane…like it was always changing color", Twilight said. She furrowed her brow, realizing that it wasn't much to go on.
"His horn was golden", she finished. Twilight saw the other princesses sharing an awe struck look, as if coming to some sort of conclusion by themselves. Neither of them said anything, as if not believing what they were all thinking.
"A golden horn…". Luna let out.
"Twilight, are you sure?", Cadence asked.
"Is it something important?", the young princess asked, feeling worried. She wondered if it was something good or bad. A second later, a large book was teleported in front of them by Celestia's magic. The paper text seemed to turn forever, running past so much knowledge that was still unknown to many. It must have turned over two thousand pages before finally stopping on a worn out page, which depicted an old drawing of four horses, standing on thrones, each of them having a different symbol. Their long golden horns glowed with what they all knew, was powerful magic. Twilight opened her eyes wide, staring at the picture and the text. Her eyes turned to Celestia as she heard her speak.
"The Mediean family was once a powerful lineage that ruled in faraway land for eons. They were both adored and respected by the subjects in their kingdom", she said, turning a page.
"They used their magic to oversee the elements of wind, water, earth, and fire. Without this family line, there would have been no balance between them. They were known as guardians of the elements.", she said. Luna stepped forward, not turning a page herself.
"They were said to have four members in the family total. The father, King Amon, oversaw the element of fire. The mother, Queen Anahita ruled over water. Many believed that she would often call on the gods to bring rain when it was needed.", she said.
"There was initially only the two of them, and together they combined their magic to also rule over the elements of earth and wind.", Luna said.
"But I thought there was four of them", Twilight said, confused.
Cadence smiled.
"There was. Until their love for one another brought them their first child, Josiah", she said.
"And when he still very young, he became responsible for seeing over the earth. He formed the mountains and terrains everywhere, making places where every pony was able to build lives for themselves.", the pink maned pony said. And then they had their second child, the Prince Skye, who soon went on to rule over the winds in every land", Cadence said.
"Together, they ruled over the elements, and maintained balance", Celestia said.
"So, who we saw was someone from this family then",, Twilight said, studying the drawing done by hoof once more. She blinked her eyes. Something was off.
"Princess, are these drawings accurate?", she asked, noting the golden horn on all of them, but could see a large difference. Celestia nodded.
"Their coats looks alike, I think…", the young princess said, not able to tell if they were changing color anymore.
"Their manes aren't the same color as who we saw", she said.
Cadence turned a final page.
"There was one more child", she said, revealing another drawing. This one looked more like a family portrait. All the family members were sitting in front of a grand tapestry, their different colored manes flowing behind them. The two sons stood proudly at the sides of their parents. King Amon had his wing placed over the queen's shoulder, who looked beautiful and radiant. In her hoofs, gently wrapped in a warm embrace was a baby colt sleeping peacefully. His pure white coat and silver mane nestled safely against his mother.
"This was their youngest child.", she said. He was the only one with a silver mane.
"This must be him", Twilight said, looking closer at the drawing. His face was so peaceful and innocent…so different from the powerful and stoic alicorn that had saved them. Her eyes blinked, as a big question popped its way into her head.
"But...princess…if the king and queen and his mother controlled all the elements, what did he do?", Twilight asked. Celestia bowed her head, a somber look on her face as the book closed before them.
"No one knows", she said.
"He was still very young when the great battle began. All thought he had perished long ago", she said.
"Even such knowledge of the exact whereabouts of the kingdom have been lost. Destroyed by both time and war", Luna said.
"That's the reason not many ponies know about them. This is the only book in existence that even has any information on it. And even it has very scarce info on the family", Cadence said.
"But, whoever you saw last night must be him. The Mediean family were the only ponies known to have gold horns. It was what made them so recognizable", Celestia said.
"Do you think it's possible that the family may still be out there?", Twilight said, her eyes widening a bit. Both her and Cadence looked the other two princesses, wanting to know the same thing. The pink maned pony was nowhere near as old as them, and she would often dream and hope that there were actually more alicorns out there, waiting to be found. Luna and Celestia looked at each other, their eyes woeful. They had also once hoped something like that but reality had finally destroyed those notions after half a millennium after the deaths of King Cosmos and Queen Galaxia.
"It's not likely. When the battle for everything began…all the alicorns went to fight the great evil.", Celestia said, not wanting to mention the draconian species.
"This included the Mediean family as well, the parents and the eldest sons. They were one of the first to go into battle…and one of the last to fall", she said.
"Even after their deaths, the ponies of the kingdom stayed loyal to royal family. None of them would leave, even though most of them had no affiliation to the palace. They stayed and fought bravely, already knowing that they would perish as well. The entire kingdom…and every living thing in it was wiped out soon after", Luna said.
"That's probably why the last prince was able to survive", Cadence said.
"Somepony must have helped him escape", she said.
"That would be the most likely reason", Celestia said. Twilight held her head, her eyes stinging, as she tried to imagine the pain the prince had gone through losing everything he had known so quickly. She wondered how long he had been on his own. Somepony who showed that amount of kindness and caring deserved to have others around him.
"We…we should find him", Twilight said.
"I don't think it's right for him to be alone", she said.
"We'd also be interested in meeting with him but other than what is said in the book, we don't know anything about him", Luna said.
"He flew away so fast…I didn't even get a chance to thank him", the young princess said.
"Twilight is right. No pony should be left on their own for so long", Luna said, remembering the time she had spent exiled on the moon. Loneliness like that was sickly suffocating.
"Then let's find him, already", Cadence said.
"But how? It could take days…and by then…he could be thousands of miles away", Twilight said, recalling his large wing span.
"There is someone who knows something about him", Celestia said.
"Who?", Twilight asked, feeling excited.
"You", she answered. Twilight looked her confused.
"But I don't know anything. I only just met him", she said.
"You felt his magic. Something so powerful can traced back to its origin", Celestia said.
"Really?", Twilight asked. Celestia smiled and made another book appear in front of them. It was much smaller than the older one.
"When powerful magic like that is used, it leaves a kind of an imprint on those closest to it. Twilight, you have the cutie mark of magic and you're also trained in the magical arts yourself. You can find him again if used your own magic to seek out the one you felt", she said, turning a few pages and then making the book disappear.
"We have the utmost of faith in you", Luna said. The three other ponies circled her, their eyes showing worry and doubt. By now, Spike had already awoke and walked over to them, his face showing curiosity, as he peered into the young princess's pensive face.
"What I miss?", the dragon asked, yawning.
"Twilight's going to find the alicorn", Cadence said.
"You mean you're going to actually go look for him?", Spike asked, biting his finger.
"We need to find him", the young princess said, again.
"Then I'm going too. He could be trouble", the small dragon said
"Thanks but it might be better if it was just me this time", Twilight said.
"I don't want him to think I'm up to anything", she said.
"You couldn't go anyway, Spike. You weren't there to feel the magic. It would throw you guys off his location. It can only be Twilight", Cadence said. Spike pouted, muttering a few things under his breath.
"Be careful", he said.
"I will. Don't worry. I'll be back in no time", Twilight said, hoping that she would be coming back with the strange alicorn. Celestia made her way over, her white horn already beginning to glow.
"The spell might cause you a small amount of discomfort…but it will pass shortly", Luna said.
Twilight nodded her acknowledgment.
"You have to concentrate of the feeling of his magic. Remember it and let it guide you", she said, as Luna and walked to her side, their horns glowing now as well.
"Are you ready?", she asked, as the young princess felt all their magic filling the room and surrounding her. Twilight closed her eyes and breathed out.
"Yes. More than ready", she answered, not a doubt in her mind.
A moment later, she felt Celestia's, Luna's, and Cadence's magic on her body, engulfing her hooves and then working its way up to her entire body. The room blurred and they all disappeared from her sight as colors swirled on front of her. Suddenly different terrains and places were passing before her eyes, and she felt as though she was moving faster than the speed of light. Her body tingled as the scenery continued to change. Twilight knew she was not in the throne room anymore. First there were rivers, and then grand mountains, and then a moment a large grassy plain. It was amazing. She took a few breaths in and out, remembering what Celestia had told her. She had to think about the way the alicorn's magic felt…as if she could forget. Twilight closed her eyes again, recalling how the stallion had saved her. Her own horn glowed, as it searched for any remnants of his power. It was so strong…pure like the river. The princess remembered that it was like electricity hitting everything around her. She felt her body moving faster, in another direction this time. Her mind instinctively flew to the way he looked…his strikingly handsome face…the white coat…but more than anything else…his amber eyes, ones that seemed to pierce right through her. Twilight gasped, feeling the energy in her own horn increase in strength as she moved faster. She could no longer recognize any of the scenery. It blurred in front of her. She didn't even know where she was going. Her eyes closed again as her horn stung with magic that no longer seemed to be hers. Even with her eyes closed, she was still seeing things. Images of the alicorn and what happened flew into her mind as she completely recalled the way his magic felt, a memory that now felt like it could be cut with a knife. Twilight had finally opened her eyes but was still only seeing the memories that passed in her mind. She didn't even realize that her eyes were glowing with magic. Her body flew like lightening for another minute before finally slowing. Around her, she could feel the magic of the princesses leaving her, as it dispersed into the air. The light in her eyes dimmed, until it finally disappeared completely. Twilight could see plush green grass under her hooves. The young princess dizzily looked around for a moment to see that there was a lake next to a few feet away from her. It was the last thing she saw before her legs grew weak and she passed out.
A/N: Please rate and comment ^0^