A Stranger Among Them
Chapter 5: Jack Thomas

Hello everyone! Nice to see that I've garnered some love while I was gone. The story finally broke 1k hits (literally, overnight after I posted chapter 3, but then again, I had 904 hits when posting it). Well, this chapter will officially mark the end of Act I. Rest assured, the story is far from being done. In traditional three-act stories, the first act ends with typically some form of revelation, as well as the protagonist deciding to do something about the current state of things. Anyway…

Remember, try to find an extended version if you can; non-extendable tracks are marked (N-E). The music for this chapter:

A. The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past "Lost Woods"

B. Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy "Into the Darkness (Final Fantasy IV)"

C. The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword "Get The Master Sword" (N-E)

D. Pokemon Black & White "N Battle"

I found an extended version of Music B, under the name "Let's Listen: FF Dissidia 012 - Dungeon, Cave Theme ~ FFIV (Extended)." Also, if you can, try to find an extended version of Music A done by Zelda Reorchestrated. I think it fits the environment in which it is going to play a lot better.

Finally, I submitted the story to Equestria Daily, like I said I would. Sad to say that the story was rejected for several reasons, most notably dull writing (no argument), wish-fulfillment (even though 90% of writing is wish-fulfillment in its entire technicality), and some Gary Stu traits (I beg to differ, since based on the time it took for them to read it, they may have only delved into the first chapter and that alone, so they would not have delved into Flare's persona as deeply as he is as of now). Now, let's be clear, because I have had some little troll do this in the past, just to give me a bad name. Please do not resubmit my story to Equestria Daily for me, or for that matter, don't worry about Equestria Daily at all. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Well, I submitted a story elsewhere in the past, which was rejected, but this one guy hated my story, so he decided "Hey, I might try to give him an even worse name by claiming he had his fans flame them!" so he went and flamed the site, telling them I told all the fans to do it. Well, he was ousted, my story ended up getting published by them in the end (so, thank you, Troll), and life continues.

Anyway, all is not lost, for I will finish this story, and its sequels for you all to enjoy. Yep, I decided on a trilogy. I was thinking of a plot to write about for both of them that would continue off of this one, and be built on it, and one came to me in a stroke of genius. However, more on that when I get to writing it.

Well, enjoy Chapter 5!


The walk to the Everfree Forest was longer than I thought it would be. I thought it was somewhere close by, and in a way, it was. But still, I thought it would be closer to Ponyville than about a mile's trot out there.

On the way, we were interrupted by the passing of the Doctor, whom I personally had to thank for helping me alert the townsponies to Tenebrae's most recent attack. However, the Doctor waved it off. He did, however, seem to be a little more interested in something else.

"You're a ginger! How come I never get to be a ginger?"

Celestia and Luna laughed, but I felt rather sheepish about it. After saying our goodbyes, we parted ways and continued.

We passed by Fluttershy, who was busy making sure all of her animal friends were safe. I didn't feel like interrupting, so we passed on by without a word.

I couldn't help but notice that Luna seemed a little uncomfortable. I knew why, too. I wanted to get our talk over with as quickly as possible, now that we were out of harm's way, but unless Celestia left us alone for the time being, we simply couldn't.

But it seemed Celestia did notice. She caught me looking over at her a moment later, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small smile appear on her face.

"Luna, I believe you know the way to the Old Castle, right?"

Luna looked at her sister inquisitively.

"I do, but why do you ask?"

Celestia looked back toward Ponyville.

"There are some things I need to make sure of in the town. Not the least of which is that everypony and everything is alright in the town. Also, I think you two could use some time to yourselves."

I said nothing. Luna went a little pink, but she too had no reaction.

"I'll be at the Old Castle by the time you get there, but in the meantime, no flying. Not only are you both too exhausted to be doing that, but Flare, you're in terrible condition from your most recent bout. And Luna, your… other self… took a lot out of you. I would teleport all of us to the Old Castle, but my magic's rather exhausted at the moment, and I'd rather not risk it."

I groaned. Not being able to fly sounded almost as bad as being locked up.

Eager to get moving again, I shuffled my wings, groaning a bit as the bruises all over me seemed to finally have feeling. Celestia got the message, spread her wings, and took off.

Luna and I stood, watching her go for a moment, before I turned around and started walking to the forest. It took her a moment to notice, but she caught up quickly.

Unlike our walks to and from Magic Class, she did not seem to be in a hurry to say anything. I, however, felt the silence was growing more and more awkward the longer it got.

Finally, as we strolled past Lyra and Bon-Bon, who cheerfully waved at me as I walked past (I nodded at them to acknowledge), I couldn't take it anymore.

"Luna, we need to talk," I said rather quickly.

She looked at me, a slightly annoyed expression creeping into her face, and she blinked.

"I thought you said it had to wait, Flare."

She knew where I was going with this.

"It did have to wait. But Tenebrae's not here anymore. He said he won't be back for a few days. I think this is the perfect time to talk about…" I searched vaguely for the right term to use, "about… well, us."

She blinked again.

"What's there to talk about? I love you, and if you were being honest back there, you love, or at least like, me. It's quite simple, really."

I rolled my eyes.

"No, it's really not that simple," I said.

And now she rolled her eyes.

"Then tell me why it isn't simple. Go on, I challenge you to find a good reason," she said, obviously bristled by my rebuttal.

I sighed heavily."Listen Luna, you seem to be going at this with a gung-ho attitude, and while I would normally be all for it, after today… well, let's just say it's not for me I'm worried about when we get into this."

She facehoofed.

"You are so dense, you know that? Do you honestly think I don't know the risks? Do you think I haven't considered them? I know what kind of danger I'll be in. And I don't care about-"

"The physical danger is not what I was talking about," I said sharply, cutting her off.

She froze, her mouth forming a slight "o," then closed it and looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"Continue," she said flatly.

I exhaled slowly, letting all the air from my lungs empty, and then refill completely before continuing.

"There are a lot of things to consider before we get right into this. First and foremost, I'm not from this world, and I'm a completely different creature than you. Is it even possible for two entirely different species to be together? If and when I get my memories back, am I going to have to be sent back to my world? If I am, will you ever get over it? I don't know. I know that I won't ever be able to get over it, considering you are my entire life right now. Are you willing to take the risk of me having to leave Equestria forever?"

She opened her mouth to object, but stopped for a moment, and closed it again with a slight kept walking, and I noticed we had finally made it into the Everfree Forest, but we had been too caught up in our discussion to notice it. We followed the path for a slightly long distance before coming to a fork in the road, and there we stopped.

"You're right," she finally said, and she did not sound happy with herself for saying it. "Those are things to consider before we go ahead with this. Now, hear me out. I want the approval of two individuals before we continue."

"Two?" I asked, curious. I think I may know who one of them is, but the second…?

"First, my sister. While it appears she seems to have no problem with us, it would still be proper to ask her what she thinks on this issue," I knew it, "and second, from Lux. She's the one who brought you here. She's the one who upholds the laws of this place. She would have a better idea than I would about this, and she would need to be one to approve also."

I considered it. I had no problems at all. I knew Celestia wouldn't see anything wrong with this, but what about Lux? She was a wild card.

I felt a wing drape over me. I looked over to see Luna with a tender smile on her face, her eyes slightly wet. She seemed emotional just from saying whatever it was she was going to say.

"Hey, for the time being, we should just enjoy the fact that we both have feelings for each other. We can worry about the nuances later."

I smiled back at her, then stopped and offered my front right hoof to her. She looped her own hoof around it, like we had on the way to Harvest Festival, and we continued.

But I still didn't know how to walk on three legs and it was really pissing me off!

Luna did not seem to be in any hurry to get anywhere. She seemed to simply be enjoying the fact that I was falling on my face every time I tried to take a few steps forward, not to mention the fact that we were taking our sweet time in getting to the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

We kept following the path.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" I asked Luna after fifteen whole minutes of following the path. No forks, no turns, just a straight line for fifteen straight minutes.

"How should I know? Any time I want to go to the Old Castle, I just fly there. Sometimes I just teleport."

"Why would you ever want to go there?" I asked.

She removed her hoof from mine and glared at me.

"I'll forgive you for that one. You know that blue sapphire in my room? The one I keep right above my bed's headboard?"

It took me a moment to remember it. A crescent-shaped sapphire, obviously cut with magic. Very old, very valuable, and Luna almost sent me to the sun for so much as touching it.

"Yeah, I know the one. What about it?"

Luna didn't speak for a moment. And when she did, her voice was thick.

"It… it was one of the only things I could salvage from what had been my… my room… and it was undoubtedly my favorite…"

Oh damn it, I did it again. How could I possibly forget that the Old Castle was Tia's and Luna's old home before Canterlot, and Nightmare Moon?

Number of times I have opened my mouth and inserted my hoof in a manner that have upset Luna: 2.

Number of times I have opened my mouth and inserted my hoof period: Too many times to count.

I draped my wing around her and gently said, "I'm so sorry."

She wiped a single tear away before raising her head and continuing on. I followed, still with my wing around her. The fact that she didn't brush it off heartened me. Good to know she still prized "us" more than me not thinking before I spoke.

Something however was making me struggle not to laugh, or smile, and my willpower and facial muscles were fighting a losing battle.

"What is so funny?" she finally asked.

"What about your abacus? I mean, you set that thing on a mantle!"

She did a double-take. I don't think she expected me to know about the abacus. She never brought it up.

"Oh, you mean Abby? Well, that too, but it-"

"You named your abacus?" I asked incredulously.

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I named my abacus. At least I didn't name a boulder and carry it with me wherever I went."

"Huh?" I asked. I had never heard this before.

"It's a long story," she said, sounding irritated.

"We've plenty of time," I retorted.

She blinked, then asked, "Remember when I told you about how Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeated Discord?"

I nodded.

"And remember when I told you how Rarity carried around a giant boulder for most of the time she spent corrupted?"

"Yeah- NO!" I interrupted myself. Rarity! Naming a boulder!

Luna nodded, smiling in spite of herself.

"She named it Tom."

I burst out laughing, and I just could not stop. The idea was just so… absurd! RARITY! NAMING A BOULDER!

It took several minutes before I was able to get my composure back, and by then, we were now deep within the Everfree Forest.

[A]

Another few minutes passed, and once again I stopped.

"Okay, I know I've seen that tree before," I said, cantering over and clopping a tree with a very distinct O-shaped trunk.

"We've been going in circles? But how? The path has been absolutely straight!" said Luna, looking perplexed.

I know I'm not supposed to be flying, but I just had to see what was going on. I took off and flew high above the trees… and promptly dropped out of the sky when I saw trees all the way to the horizon on every side.

We were lost.

I felt Luna catch me before I hit the ground with her magic, and I was gently lowered.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I- I don't know! There's trees everywhere! I mean, I know the Everfree Forest is big, but I don't think it's as big as it looks from up there!"

Luna furrowed her brow, then took off also. She soared up about a hundred feet, then looked around.

She did a better job of staying airborne than I did, since she was able to land quite easily. However, she was just as stunned by this turn of events as I was.

"What the hay?" she immediately asked. I laughed humorlessly.

"The forest housed the ruins that held the Elements of Harmony for a thousand years. I bet some of the magic started to affect the environment."

We continued straight, but then we came to a crossroads. There was a straight path, but there was another path that crossed perpendicular to ours.

A man stood at a crossroads, with paths facing north, south, east, and west. Rather than wander aimlessly, the man traveled along the north path, which led him back to the same crossroads. He then went west. When he arrived again, he ventured south, and as expected, he came to the same cross. Finally, he journeyed west again, and the crossroads did not appear. He was free to continue his journey.

"Which way do we go?" Luna asked.

I risked another venture into the sky. It was still morning, and the sun was raised in the east, and would set in the west. At the moment, the sun was high in the sky, though slightly more in the direction we were travelling from.

"We need to go north," I said.

"How do you-"

"I know this is going to sound weird, but I had a… vision. I don't know how to describe it. Like, I saw a guy at a crossroads like ours, and he went north first. Then west, then south, then west again. I don't know where that's from, if it's my memory, or just a hallucination, but I'm inclined to follow it."

She tilted her head as she studied me, as if trying to determine whether or not I was trolling her. But she ought to know better than that. If I was trolling her, I'd probably be smiling while I did it.

After a long look, she sighed heavily.

"Well, we're no closer to getting out if we don't move."

We turned right and started heading north. When we came to the crossroads again, we turned left and went west. Then south, then east. Finally, we didn't meet the crossroads again. Instead, we came to a place where the earth seemed to have collapsed. Looking down, I saw some rocks, as well as a path heading into some woods. A sea of dark green stretched to the horizon from where I stood, but I saw some greyish stone formations in the far distance, as well as a blue river that snaked its way through the green blanket.

"I know where we are now," Luna said, smiling. "We've finally hit the main path. I don't know why, but it seems we came in from a side-path. In any case, follow me."

She led me down a makeshift narrow path that she used magic to blaze down the side of the cliffs we stood on. We continued on, past a small clearing where a sleeping manticore was lying down for a nap.

We passed through a small grove, and soon found ourselves facing the river I had seen snaking its way through the forest. Luna looked slightly surprised at a small bridge that had been erected.

"What's up?" I asked.

Luna just shrugged.

"I didn't know they put a bridge here. Last time I came here, a sea serpent resided in this area. Of course, I just flew over, back then. Now, however, I'm rather glad I don't have to meet him. He was rather strange."

We continued on, and finally came to a small cliff, with a rope bridge connected across the way. Beyond that stood an old structure, made of stone, and crumbling in various areas.

/[A]\

With redoubled effort, I took off for the Old Castle. I was halfway across the bridge when I saw a flash of brilliant white light. Celestia had teleported here, and right on time, too. She stood with her back turned to us, and almost immediately started to explain why she was there at that time.

"I apologize that it took me… so…" she trailed off, then looked back at us.

"Aaaand you just got here too. What took you two so long to get here? Enjoying the moment?" she asked, raising her visible eyebrow, but there was no hint of a smile. She must have thought we took our sweet time because of each other.

"In a manner of speaking," Luna said as she cantered across. "There was a repeating crossroads that I didn't know about, and we kinda got lost in it for a while."

"Oh. It seems you fell prey to the Lost Woods. It only recently started to do that, probably thanks to the constantly fluxing magical influence now that the Elements of Harmony are no longer kept here. How did you get out and get here without flying?" Celestia asked.

"I had some kind of flashback," I said, and I proceeded to explain to her what I stared at me for a moment.

"Hmm... Well, when I was treating one of my dear friends from Canterlot for his memory loss, he started to see those kinds of visions as well. It seems your memory may be returning to you, little by little."

At the same time as that made me feel hopeful about finally remembering who I am, it also made my heart sink. One more thing keeping me and Luna together, and it's about to be out of the question.

That reminds me…

"Princess, I need to ask you something."

She had turned around to go on inside the ruins' courtyard, but stopped and looked back at us. Luna looked over at me, watching me intently.

"Yes, Flare?" she asked.

"Well, you know how you kinda teleported in and saved our flanks from Tenebrae in the middle of the battle?"

Celestia nodded.

"Well, when you teleported away with him, Luna and I, we…" I stopped, feeling my throat go dry. It's hard to talk about this stuff! "We kinda…"

Luna decided to finish the statement for me.

"Flare and I are in love."

Well, when you say it like that…

Celestia arched her eyebrow again, her expression unreadable.

"Are you, now?"

Luna nodded, a determined look on her looked from her, to me, then back again, and finally broke into a small smile.

"Well, it's about time, you two. I was wondering when you two would just fess up to the other."

Luna blinked, but looked at me and smiled. I grinned back.

"So, we have your approval?" I asked.

Celestia nodded.

"You do. I daresay, I think it's about time Luna found herself a special somepony.

Luna went pink, but I smiled somewhat resumed walking toward the courtyard. I hustled on up by Celestia.

"So, why me? Why not somepony else?" I asked.

She considered the matter, but she did not take long to respond.

"When I first asked you to help Luna adjust to normal life here, I knew the two of you would become good friends, but I'll be honest. Back then, I didn't expect this. But after about that first month or so, I noticed you two had really taken to each other, and I had learned enough about you to know that you were someone I would trust my sister's life with. But when I saw the two of you out practicing cloud-moving, and I saw the look on her face as she watched you struggle to move one at an average speed, it just sort of clicked that you were just… well, right for her. And that's not to mention the constant bickering. You two argue like you're already married."

"Hey! He starts it!" Luna piped up from behind us.

"Do not! You chip in your fair share a lot of the time," I said back to her.

"See what I mean?" Celestia asked, giving me an amused, and yet annoyed look.

Luna cantered on up to us as we made our way into what I assumed was once the Entrance Hall.

[B]

"Where do you suppose Lux is?" she asked, looking sighed as she said, "I honestly haven't the slightest idea."

Luna spoke up, sounding somewhat impatient.

"Let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way. If one of us finds something, we'll teleport to the other, and let them know."

"Umm, I can't teleport," I said, irritated by her forgetting this.

"Right. So, who are you going to stay with?" asked Celestia.

I rolled my eyes. Didn't we just get finished having a conversation about how her sister and I were in love? I cantered on over by Luna, who gave a bit of a satisfied smile, but she quickly turned around and cantered on toward a crumbling tower. I saw brief concern flash over Celestia's face before I turned away to follow her.

I didn't know where to go, so I simply let her lead on. She led me up a flight of stairs, which came out in a room where the wall had crumbled outward, letting the sunlight illuminate it. As I took a moment to look around the room, I saw that the placement of all of the objects looked strangely familiar…I looked over at a ruined bed, and I had a brief thought of a dark blue blanket draped over it, followed by me looking up to see a small crescent-shaped hole in the wall, right above the headboard.

She had led me to her room.

When she saw that I had figured it out, she walked up next to me.

"My room in Canterlot was made to replicate my room here. Everything is in its exact place, just like it had been. However, there are a few notable differences. For one, the sapphire used to shine brilliantly whenever I was still fit to wield the Elements of Harmony, and now it is little more than an ordinary gemstone."

I looked over at a large space over by where my absolute favorite part of her room normally sat, and I noticed there was nothing there.

"What about your pipe organ?" I asked.

It's true; she has a really nice and large pipe organ in her room. More than once, when her duties permitted it, I would visit her room in the night when she wasn't on her throne. She would often be found playing it, and she sounded good.

There's this one song she plays that I immediately seem to associate with "Haunted House," and she seems to have had a lot of time to practice, because there are no mistakes, as far as I can tell. She had sheet music sitting on the stand above the keys, and I took one look at it, and I learn I can read music.

Back to the pipe organ…

She giggled.

"I knew you'd ask that. I had that brought in a few weeks after I moved in to Canterlot. See, back when I…" she stopped for a moment, "back when I was banished, I had to find a way to occupy myself for a thousand years. Nightmare Moon couldn't control me for long periods of time, so she would often leave me on my own. I needed something to do, and Nightmare Moon had built a castle on the moon, and had a pipe organ in the Royal Bedchamber, so I just sort of started playing by ear. Then, Cognitum showed me how to read music, so I started learning based on what sheet music she provided. My personal favorite was Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, written by Johoof Sebastian Bach. It's that one you constantly find me playing."

Oh. Catchy name for an organ song. "Haunted House Music" still sounds more fitting.

"Did you just want to show me your old room?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I didn't mind spending time with her, but I'm kinda anxious about meeting Lux, and I really want to hurry up and meet her.

She looked sheepish, but she nodded.

"I thought it would be something you'd like to see," she explained, sounding a little disappointed. "Well, that's part of the reason. The second is…"

She cantered over to where I was standing, by the moon-shaped hole. Her horn flashed, and there came the sound of stone moving against stone underneath us.

"Back before the Elements were moved outside, and back before the Fires of Friendship were sustained in the sky," she continued, "we had to safeguard them from potential threats while Equestria grew. The Fires of Friendship grew more powerful the longer the land survived, considering how many ponies continued to live here, until it became too powerful to contain in one place, so we set it loose in the skies, and there it remains. Up until just before Nightmare Moon took control, the Elements of Harmony were kept in another basement. Tia kept guard over them, and I over the Fires."

With a great crunch, the wall with the crescent-shaped hole collapsed away, revealing a long, dark pit.

"Now then, you first," she said, giving me a trollish grin.

I peered over the edge cautiously, all too aware of the fact that it is DARKER THAN BUCKING TENEBRAE! and I had no idea how far down it went.

/[B]\

*Shove*

And now I'm freefalling down the hole in the ground. Note to self: clop Luna to the back of the head when we get to the bottom of this pit.

Funnily enough, she zoomed right by me, diving at a tremendous speed. As much as I trusted her to know where she was going, I still hung back a few meters.

Good thing too. She pulled out of the dive a tad too late, and she ended up hitting the ground in a completely ungraceful manner, if you catch my drift.

I landed quite lightly on the hard dirt and raised my eyebrows at her, a smug grin on my face. She gave me an irritated stare and blinked.

"I've grown since the last time I made that jump," she said, getting to her hooves, and avoiding my eye.

"Uh-huh."

"I suppose I flew down faster than I was used to—"

"Yeah."

"-and I pulled out too late because I was too used to-"

"Whatever helps you sleep."

I cantered on by her, then clopped her to the back of the head on my way past.

She gave an agitated groan, then glared at me while I still grinned smugly at her. However, despite her supposed agitation, she couldn't keep a straight face.

"It was still lots of fun! I don't remember the last time I did that!"

"Yeah, it was fun watching you face-plant harder than I would have on that wall if Rainbow Dash hadn't caught me."

She gave me another annoyed look, but cantered on beside me and slipped a wing around me. An aura shone around her horn, and a beam of light filled the hallway we were now exploring. The hallways were made of stone, like the castle, only these seemed much less decayed than the ones above ground.

The hallway was not as long as I thought it would be. However, much more interesting in the hallway were several small murals along the wall that detailed many of the threats to Equestria. One mural depicted several black, insect-like creatures, which Luna explained had been the Changelings (I hadn't the time to study Equestria history, so when it coincided with whatever weather magic I was going to learn, Luna would provide a crash course). Another mural depicted a strange, serpentine creature with an antler, a horn, and several different features on his skin. Luna called him Discord and told me about what he had done during her lecture the night we met.

But then I turned and saw the third of the murals. This one depicted several normal ponies. Some were Earth ponies, some were Pegasi, and some were unicorns. But all were being struck by the Elements of Harmony as the two princesses used them."Those were the Insurrection, led by a particularly troubled firebrand of a leader, a unicorn by the name of Storm Tumble. That's him, there," she added, indicating a crème colored unicorn with a red I had another vision appear to me.

A man dressed in a leather jacket, wearing a black, white, and grey cross-stitched bunnet was staring at me with green eyes set in an unreadable expression. He had long red hair that reached down to his shoulders, and he-

"Flare? Are you alright?"

I shook myself out of my reverie.

"I'm fine. I just saw something else. A man. A human, and he kinda stood and acted like Tenebrae. Also, why am I seeing these things?"

So as we continued down the hallway, I told her what little of the man I had been able to pay attention to, as well as some speculation.

"I think my memory's starting to come back."

She said nothing, but she kept moving. We soon found ourselves at a sharp, ninety degree turn to the right.

And suddenly, let there be light!

A very bright light filled a round room, and thanks to us being in a dark hallway for the past few moments, my eyes had adjusted somewhat, and I had to look away for a moment.

When I looked back, I beheld Lux standing there, looking at the two of us with a blank expression, but her eyes seemed focused on the wing draped over me at the present. She seemed indifferent by it, if a little surprised by this recent turn. It was hard to tell from her unreadable expression.

The wing vanished suddenly, and with a pop, Luna teleported as she went to go and retrieve her sister.

"We meet again, Flare Dancer," she said simply, still staring at me.

"Uh, hello there," I said. What else was I supposed to say?

Lux stared at me for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"We have little to discuss today, not the least of which is that little matter of you and the Princess of the Night having developed a certain amount of affection for each other. And I am aware of the fact that you are aware of the potential risks that can come from this sort of relationship. However, what little we have to talk about is of great importance."

Well, so much for waiting for Luna to get back with Celestia.

"Well, since you seem aware of all of what we talked about on our way here, what do you have to say about it?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

With a pop, Luna and Celestia appeared in the room. Lux gave them the briefest of glances before looking back to me.

"I am not one to meddle in the affairs of a romance, but I advise caution, which you seem to be taking very seriously, despite your obvious aversion to being serious about things."

I blinked rather rapidly. Was I acting that blatantly out of character?

"However, I have no objections. Now then, to our main orders of business. The first thing that must be addressed is quite simply the situation that exists between you, Flare Dancer, and my brother."

I rolled my eyes.

"No, I think that can wait until after we talk about why you made me a black pony with a red mane," I quickly remarked in a normal tone of voice, however the undertone was dripping with sarcasm.

Luna elbowed me.

"I did not make you this way. It was influenced by what you were wearing when you were transported here, and now that your appearance has been set, you will always bear this form when you are in Equestria."

Damn it. While the black coat was useful, the red mane wasn't. If Tenebrae attacked me at night, I'd be able to hide just fine with the black coat, but the red mane would be a dead giveaway. Besides, I kinda wish I could have given myself green hair. That would look so awesome!

"Sarcasm and non-issue aside, he gave you a rough explanation for how the situation with you works. There was nothing you could have done to stop him from using you, and even if you were to leave in some way, you would not be able to stop him from using some other being from your world."

But I didn't want to know any of that. I wanted to know why he wanted Equestria so badly.

"Why?" I asked.

She looked at me confused.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why does Tenebrae want this world so badly? Aren't there other worlds he can have?"

Lux nodded.

"There are, but this is literally the only world where, up until now, he has had no direct influence. While he may have been able to work events to his favor in the past, he himself could not enter this world to conquer it. For that is what he desires: total control. Tenebrae and I have been fighting a cosmic battle for millennia now, and he is starting to gain the upper hand. Our father, Aequivalere, was once able to hold the two of us in perfect balance, but he is losing his power, and Tenebrae is slowly gaining strength.

"His first efforts to take a world came from what had once been a joint effort on our part. We created a world where we could nurture life and watch it grow. That world was your Earth, Flare. Through the years, I would be the one to watch over the light, the day, and all that goes with it. He, however, received the darkness as his domain. But what turned him from a once-benevolent deity into the being he is today is the same thing that affected you, Luna. He was jealous of what I had received.

"He did not mind the fact that they slept during the night, or anything, for night provides its own beauties: the stars, the aurora borealis, the moon itself, and dreams. What made him jealous was the fact that, while it was scarce in my domain, evil was rampant in his. Eventually, the overwhelming amount of evil in the darkness began to shift his view of the universe. Now, to him, darkness and evil are one and the same, and since we at the time were held in balance, I was forced to align myself with the counterbalance: good. When this happened, he began to create wars, with the intent of stamping out the good in the Earth, to make it his completely.

"He finally managed to gain total control of the Earth, but only after I left. I left and I created this world, and I made it completely free of his influence, and I erected spells and enchantments into the fabric of this world to keep him out. As he explained to you, he succeeded in breaking those."

And all this led up to him shoving me into this world, and using me as a bit of a butter-soaked rag to grease up the crevice so he could slip in.

"I am glad to see you understand the situation."

And she can still hear my thoughts.

Before either of us could continue, Luna stepped forward.

"When I heard you speak to me while I was battling Tenebrae, I noted to Flare that your voice sounded familiar. I've heard it somewhere before. Where, exactly?"

And here, Celestia stepped forward too.

"I also have noticed that, but I don't recall ever hearing it. Your voice is definitely one I know that I have heard, but I don't know where or when. Please explain to us why it is so."

Lux looked at both of them for a moment, but she broke into a small smile.

Light flashed around her, and where Lux had been standing, there was now an alicorn larger than the three of us. It had a white coat, with a silvery sheen to it, and a golden mane.

"Children, I thought you would recognize the voice of your own mother."

Cue three simultaneous jaw-drops.

"M- mother!" asked Celestia disbelievingly.

"Mama!" gaped Luna.

"Oh god, she'll be my future mother-in-law…" I mumbled.

I heard that.

She cantered down to the three of us.

"Yes, it is true. I am your mother. Not by any biological standard, no. I created you as foals when the world first began, back when the three races first started to establish themselves. You don't remember this because it has been a very long time since it happened, and nothing dulls memories like time. I couldn't just create two fully-grown beings and set them up as the rulers of this world. I had that desire to still nurture life, and so I created the two of you and raised you as my daughters."

"Got any embarrassing baby pictures?" I asked, smirking. Luna and Celestia both gave me very irritated looks.

Lux allowed herself a chuckle.

"None that I am able to share, but these two were a source of absolute happiness for me. I was so saddened to see them go, but I knew that they would have to do their duties well, and they have."

She looked back to me.

"And speaking of memories, as well as duties, it is time for me to fulfill mine. When Tenebrae tried to push you into this world, we met for the first time. Only, your name was not Flare Dancer, and you still had a memory."

I liked where this was going. Was I finally going to get it back?

"I told you personally that you were now the only one capable of stopping the one who brought you here. In the end, I was the one who took your memory from you, and I will now restore them to you."

[C]

Her horn flashed. A bright light filled the room, blinding me to all suddenly, things are flashing inside my head. Too many to keep track of!

I- I remember! I remember everything!

My hobbies, my little garage in a Boston alleyway, all the video games I played, my motorcycle, my parents-

My parents.

The poison in the cupcake

I don't have parents. Not anymore. I'm an orphan, and I had completely forgotten about one of the biggest events in my life.

The sirens of the ambulances, and the paramedics and cops attempting to sort out the situation; the throbbing scrape on my forehead and the deep, burning on my cheek; the smell of gasoline that leaked from the busted fuel tank, just moments before the the ignition spark triggered the explosion that gave my arm a severe burn that didn't heal for months; and worst of all, the doctor telling me that my parents had died, and that my sister was in critical condition, and that she probably wouldn't make it.

I had run from the scene. I ran to a near-by alleyway, close to Yawkey Way, within view of the lights of Fenway Park, and I huddled against a wall, sobbing to myself while the sounds of the oblivious fans watched the game.

And then the look on his face later that day.

When he saw me, sitting on the side of a street, sobbing to myself. That pity, and recognition, as he saw something in me that I didn't quite understand. "Wha' happened t'yeh?" he had asked, his lilting Irish accent devoid of the emotions I saw in his eyes. I had answered, explaining that my parents had died in a car accident, during the trip to a Red Sox game as a birthday present. He had been silent for a moment, but then he knelt down beside me, offered a hand, and then started to care for me himself. I had only been eleven when all of this had my birthday, of all days, on the very trip they had promised as a present.

I returned my focus to the here and now. I'll have more time to think about that later, when I'm not in the presence of a deity.

Speaking of a deity, Lux had stepped back from me, her face having reverted back to an impassive expression. She and her daughters had been watching me intently for the past few moments.

"Well, Jack Thomas, what do you remember?"

Jack Thomas… I had forgotten my own name. Isn't that pathetic? I still like Flare Dancer better, though. It's more unique. I much prefer it to Jack, since I know at least four Jacks, and three of them and I interacted on a weekly basis together.

I caught Luna staring at me apprehensively, looking very much worried. And I can't say I blame her. I know where I'm from now, but I don't know whether or not I'm able to go back.

You can't yet. At least, not permanently. There is one pony who is able to traverse the walls of each universe-

Doctor bucking Whooves!

Ah, you remember being a fan of his television show. Yes, he will be able to take you back to Earth, but you will have to return, if nothing else than because Tenebrae will find some way to provoke you into doing so, and he does not respect peoples' or ponies' wishes when it comes to leaving loved ones alone.

I didn't like the sound of that.

"Would you like to see what you look like as a human?" she asked, more to Luna and Celestia than to me, but all three of us nodded nodded.

"Right. Well, you have an ability that both I and Tenebrae have, in that you are able to regularly switch forms to fit in with a world. It is what comes with crossing over to a different world. The Doctor has this ability in some cases as well. What you need to do is simply will yourself to return to whatever form it is you want to be."

Will myself to be a human again? Sounds easy enough. Ok, I want to be a human again.

With a flash of fire, I suddenly felt my body change. I felt fingers and toes, as well as feet and hands. And being on all fours was uncomfortable, so I stood up.

All of my human nerves felt like they hadn't been used in months.

Which, I suppose, they hadn't.

I looked around myself. I was wearing a black T-shirt, and jeans, with tennis shoes. Nothing out of the ordinary, I suppose. I looked back up to see a small mirror that Lux had conjured.

I was fair-skinned, slightly darker than Tenebrae and Lux, but still rather pale, with hollow cheeks, a slightly prominent chin, and blue eyes. I had a small scar on my cheek from the car wreck, but other than that, I was unblemished. Overall, my facial structure kinda matched my pony facial structure. Well, apart from all the damage I had taken during the battle, which seemed to have transferred over to my human form as well.

Oh, and I'm a natural ginger too, which is a perfectly logical explanation for why I had a red mane. Looks like I won't have any problems with Dementors for the foreseeable future! But it might disappoint a certain Doctor…

Oh! I forgot how big of a Whovian I was! And a Potterhead, among other things. But it also strikes me that, with all kinds of irony, I was a non-brony who found himself here in Equestria. I did know about the fandom, but I had never really felt like following it. Guess now I have to find some way to get access to the Internet and do my research. And in the process, I have to avoid all the bronies that I could encounter. Man, I bet some people aware of my situation are all kinds of pissed off.

"Just wondering, but why exactly do I have to transform in fire? That's a little cliché and Mary-Sue-ish, don't you think?" I asked Lux, raising an eyebrow.

She chuckled.

"It is directly tied to your cutie mark, a small flame. While Tenebrae and I have none, we are the embodiments of light and darkness. Naturally, that aura is what surrounds us when we transform. As for the Doctor, I have no idea. He is always in his TARDIS when he transforms, if he even transforms at all."

"I prefer your other form," Luna commented, taking us off-topic.I gave her a sympathetic smile, then decided I wanted to be a pony. I kinda preferred it, too. I mean, I can fly as a Pegasus!

And in another flash of fire, I was once again Flare Dancer.

"Well, Jack Thomas-" Lux started to say, but I interrupted her.

"Lux, my name is Flare Dancer."

She stopped midsentence, then closed her mouth with a small smile.

"Admirable, though your devotion to my daughter and this land is, you must come to terms that your name is not Flare Dancer, and in reality is Jack Thomas. And before I forget, you have my thanks for fighting Tenebrae today, despite your clear disadvantage. Your courage was admirable. For the moment, all I can do is replenish your strength."

Her horn flashed again, and I felt energy returning to me. I looked all over, and I saw that all of my scrapes, cuts, and the like were healing completely. Once the light from her horn vanished, I gave a small laugh.

"Thanks. I feel much better."

Lux nodded at me, acknowledging my thanks. She then turned to Luna and Celestia.

"Daughters, I know we have only just reunited, but until Tenebrae is defeated, I cannot suspend my duties simply for pleasure. When he is defeated, there will be time for talk and for catching up, but for now, I must bid you good-bye. However, take heart. We will meet again."

Luna had a small tear trickle down, but I reached up and rubbed it away, draping a wing around her as I did so. Celestia, however, was able to keep it entirely together. I suppose sending your sister to the moon does harden oneself to loss, although she seemed to know it would not be long before they would see each other again.

Lux raised a hoof in farewell, and she vanished into little dots of light.

Celestia immediately nodded, turned, and cantered on over to both of us.

"Let's go, you two."

And that familiar feeling of vanishing from one place and reappearing somewhere else (which now I can remember the comparison, does feel a lot like Apparition from Harry Potter) occurred, and I found myself standing on a cobblestone road.

Celestia gave a tired sigh."Mother gave me some energy back, but there's only so much a goddess can give back to a near-equal," she half-laughed in spite of herself.

I, however, had been completely saturated by that recent development, and my usual habit of constantly moving from place to place was as strong as ever, and also as usual, Luna seemed irritated. I think it may have been because I was flying in circles around her, instead of sitting down at her side with a wing draped around her. Things came to a head when we started actually climbing Canterlot Mountain on the path, where she finally lost what little patience she had.

"STOP FLYING AND STAND STILL UNTIL WE GET BACK TO THE BLOODY CASTLE, FOR BUCK'S SAKE!"

I gave her a pouty look as I flew on down to stand next to her. Suddenly I realize, Lux must have filled me up extra-full of energy. I remember what Luna said about me plus coffee earlier, and now I see what she meant.

Celestia gave me a small smile when Luna rolled her eyes.

Well, I suppose now's as good a time to have some fun as ever.

"Aww, but Woona, you neveh wet me have any fun!" I pouted, giving my best attempt at puppy-dog eyes at her.

Not even Luna could resist those. She fought the urge to smile, before finally facehoofing and giving a small laugh.

"I see that despite your memory returning, you haven't changed a bit," she commented, sounding somewhat relieved.

"What, did you expect me to be someone else after I got it back?" I rolled her eyes, and we continued ascending the mountain. It was an enjoyable walk, if a bit slow, due to the fact that the two sisters were tired, and they were taking the opportunity to canter slowly. And it was only the early afternoon.

We finally passed a small ridge on the mountain, and the town could be seen in the distance, which I immediately started to dash toward. I was craving food, and that deli I had eaten at with Celestia my second day in Canterlot was sounding really good right about now.

Only, despite how strong my wings may be, the combination of Luna's teeth and her magic was even stronger. I was yanked back to her before I had even gone five feet.

"We need to go back to the castle first. We have some explaining to do to the Royal Guard about the current situation. After that, you are free to continue your daily life," Celestia explained as I was levitated alongside the both of them, frowning all the way.

We passed the path that split off and went toward the town and walked up to the Castle (I floated). We passed the gates, and immediately, guardsponies started to shut them. Captain Squall flew on down and started cantering beside us.

"Are you alright, Princesses?" he immediately of them nodded, and Luna lost concentration on her magic. Or she purposefully stopped it. In either case, I ended up face-planting because I didn't expect it. I got back to my hooves and started to canter on inside. My "Pony-Senses" were picking up one pony inside the Entry Hall, but I paid it no mind (if it's Cordon Bleu, I am definitely in the mood for a sandwich). If nothing else, I can just take a nice, long path and relax for the rest of the day. No more fighting!

WHAM!

Suddenly, I'm tackled sideways with the force of a bullet. I slam onto the black-and-white tiled, polished, stone floor, flailing to get whatever was holding me down off of me. All I caught was a brief flash of navy-blue and-

Oh buck all kinds of duck. It's Frigoris.

I kicked him off, leapt to my hooves, and looked right at him, infuriated.

"What the hell was that!" I yelled at him. His snarl could not have gotten any deeper than it was already. He was pissed.

"The hell do you want, Frigoris?" I shouted at him.

He scoffed.

"I said I'd have some words for you, though I changed my mind. How dare you put our princess in mortal peril?"

I take back what I said about not fighting. Looks like I'm in for one here.

I shifted into a fighting stance.

"If you have something other than words planned, I think you'd best be coming and getting some," I challenged.

[D]

He pawed the ground, and that was the only warning I received. I immediately lunged to the side, missing him as he shot right where I had been, colliding with a marble wall.

He seemed to have suffered no damage from the hit. Instead, he got right back up and started to fly at me slower, but still fast enough to keep me on guard.

I had to use every bit of dodging ability I had just to avoid getting hit. And I thought Tenebrae was bad. At least he took time to enjoy the fight. It gave me time to stay away from him. Friggy, on the other hand, was giving me no time to react or to get my bearings.

I leapt to the side again as I felt a slight breeze of air blow right where I had just been. I can't keep this up for very long.

-X-

A crash sounded from inside the castle. I raised my head, alert for any signs of danger. My sister raised her head as well, as did Squall. The three of us immediately galloped into the Entry Hall, where I was met with a rather shocking site.

I knew they disliked each other, but I didn't believe for a second that Flare and Frigoris would hate each other to the point of attack!

On second thought, Frigoris attacking, and Flare simply dodging, and generally getting out of the way. The fact that he's doing this well at avoiding hits surprises me. Nightmare Moon had made the Nightmares incredibly proficient at combat, even a mite beyond normal talent.

Tia and I were about to leap into action to stop the two of them, but Squall held out a hoof, watching the fight intently.

Tia gave him a disapproving look, but I knew she valued his input. He had served Equestria, even before I was banished. He may look older than me, but he's still a few centuries younger.

"Let them blow off the steam. They're in no mood to stop. I am sure they will not cause each other any lasting damage, and if it gets too rough, I will not hesitate to down them both. But trust me when I say you'd only be making it worse by stopping this fight."

I was about to protest. I mean, Nightmare Frigoris should not be acting like this. He knows I have a higher expectation of him, and to think that he wants to at least seriously injure MY Flare! But Tia gave me a sharp look. She trusted Squall, and it's not that I don't, but it's just that's my coltfriend getting beaten up!

And speaking of Flare, he seems to be handling this rather well. I suppose the Captain is right. They both need to blow off the steam. I'm just glad he isn't attacking back.

I take that back. Now he's tackling Frigoris into the ground.

I'm going to have words for him, too. And I'll make sure they're loud ones. I know how much he loves the Royal Canterlot Voice.

We backed away from them, opting to go to the top of the mezzanine in order to stay out of the way, and at the same time, staying within range to go separate them if necessary.

Fire suddenly surrounded Flare. He was shifting into his human form. I think I may understand why. Now that he remembers, he would have a much easier time fighting in styles he's used to. But it gives him the disadvantage that he can't fly.

He's in trouble either way. May as well pick the style that's helped in the past.

Frigoris launched right at him, but instead of dodging, Flare managed to catch Frigoris, fall onto his back, and use all the momentum caused by the tackle to kick Frigoris up. Frigoris was out of control, and he smashed right through a wall!

Through a wall! A marble wall!

Well, it was rather thin, but that still doesn't change the fact that Flare seems to know what he's doing and that Frigoris is striking to maim and seriously injure.

Frigoris looked absolutely shocked by this recent turn of events, but that seemed to only make him angrier. He leapt up, using his wings to jump higher than normal. At the peak of the jump, he reared a hoof back, and started to dive right at Flare, who looked like he had something planned.

But what Flare didn't see were the small sparks forming around Frigoris' punching hoof. I hadn't taught Flare those abilities yet. He was nowhere near advanced enough. I mean, he had only yesterday made it rain consistently, albeit forcefully.

Flare leapt back just as Frigoris made contact with the ground. He obviously did not expect the absolute shockwave of damage that came from the attack Frigoris had just demonstrated.

Several chunks of the ground, and mind you these were rather large ones, were sent flying into the air several feet, before raining down. Flare dodged left and right, weaving away from the boulders before they crushed him, but he couldn't dodge them all. He stepped away from one, only to have one land right in front of him, the force of which knocking him back into the one he had just dodged.

Frigoris had leapt back and watched the entire show while Flare had attempted to dodge the rocks, and when the "show" was finished, he cantered on over to Flare, who was breathing heavily on the ground, but not totally out.

Frigoris knelt down to whisper something probably a taunt or an insult into Flare's ear. However, the next move surprised me. While he was kneeling down, Flare reached up and shoved Frigoris' face into the ground, whirled himself up into a kneeling position, and kicked Frigoris into another outcropping of wrecked Entry Hall.

Frigoris hadn't even recovered yet when Flare was already down at him. Flare knocked Frigoris' helmet off, revealing Frigoris' midnight blue mane, which he yanked up to his level. Frigoris was brought up to eye level, where Flare was smirking. Frigoris swung wildly, but missed, catching him off-balance.

"Heh, you need to learn to understand your opponents, Friggy," Flare said in a slightly mocking tone of voice. "You know I'm not that great a fighter, much less able to stand up to a soldier with nearly a thousand years of combat practice and experience. So, the only logical way to solve that is to fight dirty."

Flare then tossed Frigoris away by the mane. Frigoris managed to right himself in midair, but it seems Flare already knew that would happen. Flare dashed under Frigoris and grabbed his tail.

It seems he learned from fighting Tenebrae, because he's starting to use Tenebrae's own tactics against other opponents. He started to swing Frigoris around, and around. Frigoris, naturally, attempted to fight him, but he was failing miserably. Flare then let go, sending Frigoris flying right into another pillar.

Frigoris jumped up, enraged.

"Well then, I suppose since you can only do this well on the ground, I may as well take this fight to the air," he said, grinning malevolently, and taking off.

Flare narrowed his eyes, but suddenly, they widened ever so slightly. He had figured something out.

In another flash of fire, he had turned back into a Pegasus. He flapped his wings and started to fly up-

Strike that. He just face-planted. This would be funny if it weren't my coltfriend and my most loyal servant duking it out.

"Damn it, not used to flying as soon as I transform," he commented dryly before taking off.

The Entry Hall is about a hundred-fifty feet tall, and Flare and Frigoris were hovering near the top of it.

"This technique is something I borrowed from someone else. It's called the Primary Lotus!" he announced loudly, his gaze fixed on Frigoris.

Flare motioned his hooves. "Come at me, bro," he said with a smirk. It dawned on me that he was deliberately trying to goad Frigoris into attacking him. While I know Flare has turned Frigoris' early attack on him before, this will not end well either way.

At once, I turned to Squall and told him "Get ready. We have to stop them soon. They aren't going to let up."

Squall nodded immediately.

Frigoris snarled and shot right at him. Flare stood his ground, waiting for his chance to strike. But rather than moving out of the way, he caught Frigoris, trapping his wings, and wrapping Frigoris up with his hooves and his wings. They started to plummet, but rather than abandon the flight, Flare started to barrel roll on the way to the ground.

When they were feet away, Squall managed to tackle them sideways, blasting them apart, and sending them flying to opposite sides of the room. Flare slid several feet away, before hitting another rock, while Frigoris stopped in front of the main doors. Squall chose to go after Flare.

As soon as he took off, I ran in front of Frigoris, using my magic to hold him down while he struggled to break free.

/[D]\

"Geroff me! Princess, I beg you to let me-," he started, but I cut him off.

"FRIGORIS, THAT IS ENOUGH!" I shouted at him. His struggling ceased immediately. He knew he was in deep horse apples.

"I am going to have some words for you when we're done here, and trust me when I say, you won't enjoy them."

He nodded, stiff-necked. He had reverted to his usual expression of focused indifference, bordering on apathy.

Flare, on the other hand, was putting up a monumental struggle against Squall.

"Let me at him! I'm not done with him yet!"

I looked over to where he was, not bothering to hide my disappointment in him, which didn't seem to have any effect. He kept struggling away. One moment he nearly clipped Squall under the chin, but Squall's expertly-timed dodge allowed him to avoid it.

Finally, fed up with fighting Flare, Squall turned to me. I knew what he was asking for, so I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"What are you- Luna, what's he doing?" asked Flare, still struggling.

I looked over at him and blinked, irritated by this recent turn of events. Guess who was going to have to clean up this mess? Yep, me and Tia. And our magic is rather lacking at the moment, so we're going to have to put up with this mess until at least tomorrow.

"When you wake up, we're going to have ourselves a nice little chat, understand?"

Squall raised a hoof to Flare's midsection. Flare stopped struggling for a minute.

"When I wake up?"

Squall then charged the electricity through his hoof, effectively tasing Flare into unconsciousness. Flare convulsed a bit, but he was soon out like a light.

I sighed and picked him up with magic. I was going to take him to his room and leave him there until he woke up.

Squall got off of him, shuffled his wings a bit, then cantered on over to Tia.

"I'm sorry Princess, but I'm going to need the rest of the day to myself. My recent forays against Tenebrae and now Flare and Frigoris have left me aching all over, and I regret that I'm not as fit as I used to be."

"Nonsense, Captain," said Tia, looking surprised. "You're as strong as ever, if nothing else in heart and mind rather than physically, but if you feel you need the day, take it."

Squall nodded and cantered on to his quarters. I followed him to the room where the paths split, and I took Flare up to his room, laid him on his bed, and proceeded to walk out, closing the door behind me.

This day has been nothing short of hectic. And I know what I can do to relax my currently on-edge attitude. I haven't played my organ in a few days, I suppose I could use some practice.

-X-

"Wha-? Where am I?"

I bolted upright, looking around wildly for Frigoris. I swear, that bucktard's going to get it this time.

But I behold not the Entry hall, but my own bedroom. My senses feel like no one is nearby. And my chest hurts like hell.

I fell back against my pillow, sighing heavily. The last thing I remember is being in the middle of using Rock Lee's Primary Lotus against him, and then… nothing.

A slight popping noise, the sound of rustling feathers, and the familiar feeling, like a pencil being held point-first just above the skin told me that someone had decided to pay me a visit.

"How are you feeling?" asked Luna's voice gently, and sounding slightly concerned.

I yawned, sat up again, and looked at her.

"Honestly? I feel like shit," I said, stretching.

She said nothing, merely watching me closely.

"I mean, I can't remember what put me out, and I have a really achy feeling in my chest. Care to enlighten me? You were watching the fight, after all."

She blinked, still opting to say nothing.

And it was really starting to tick me off.

"Are you mad at me or something?"

She blinked again, but this time, she felt like deigning me with a response.

"Mad? Am I mad that you couldn't keep your displeasure with my most trusted guard on cordial terms!"

Oh, here we go.

"Am I mad that you felt compelled to hurt him with your little flowery-spinny-technique! Oh no, I'm not mad! I'M FURIOUS WITH THE TWO OF YOU!"

Somehow I knew it was going to come to the RCV. I just knew it.

"YOU TWO ARE THE TWO PONIES I TRUST MOST IN THE WORLD, EVEN MORE THAN MY OLDER SISTER! I CAN'T HAVE YOU BOTH FIGHTING EACH OTHER! WHY ON EQUESTRIA WOULD YOU ATTACK-"

"I DIDN'T ATTACK HIM! HE ATTACKED ME!"

She froze mid-sentence, before closing her mouth, and gesturing at me to continue.

"I walked inside, everything was fine, I was completely minding my own business and planning to go and relax for the rest of the day and he BUCKING TACKLED ME OUT OF NOWHERE AND STARTED TO BEAT THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ME! WHAT THE BUCK ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO! TAKE IT? SIT THERE POLITELY AND LET HIM WHALE ON ME?"

She said nothing, but she still looked pretty mad.

"AND WHEN THE THREE OF YOU WALTZ ON INSIDE, INSTEAD OF SEPARATING US, YOU, YOUR SISTER, AND CAPTAIN AWESOME JUST WATCH THE WHOLE SHOW! I WAS WAITING ON YOU TO INTERVENE! WHY DIDN'T YOU? IF THAT HAD GONE ON ANY LONGER THAN IT DID, THE PRIMARY LOTUS WOULD LIKELY HAVE OBLITERATED HIM!"

She opened her mouth, closed it, then reconsidered and started to speak again, only the RCV was gone.

"He thought the two of you should blow off the steam. He said he'd leap right on in if things started to get out of hoof."

"OUT OF HOOF? OUT OF HOOF? WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT LITTLE STUNT WITH THE LIGHTNING PUNCH? IS THAT NOT OUT OF HOOF? HOW THE BUCK DID HE DO THAT ANYWAY? I COULD USE ANY HELP I COULD WHEN IT COMES TO FIGHTING, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, I CAN'T FIGHT A CERTAIN DICKISH DEMIGOD WHO WANTS TO BEAT MY WEAK ASS! I NEED TO KNOW ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP ME FIGHT THIS GUY, AND YOU COMPLETELY IGNORED THAT ASPECT OF MY-"

"LUX DAMN IT, FLARE! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

We both stared at each other angrily for several moments, breathing heavily. While she was furious with me, I could see that I had touched a nerve when criticizing her ability to teach, or rather, her curriculum to use when teaching.

"Let's both just… calm down," I said, keeping my voice as normal as possible, but it still shook a little while I said it.

"I… agree," she said before sighing heavily and climbing up to sit next to me.

I chuckled a bit.

"Not even a day into it and we've already had our first fight," I said.

She gave a small, brief smile, and a slight sniff. I gotta admit, she is rather cute when she's angry. When she's not shouting my room into a mess that'll take several minutes to clean up.

Rest in peace, Sudoku book.

"And probably not the last, but let's try to keep them to a bare minimum in the future, alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

I, however, cracked a small smile."Sounds good to me."She crawled up to me on my bed and sat down next to me, giving me a slightly coy smile in the process. I leaned back, brushed a few hairs of my mane (which was now in full bedhead mode, and I could have passed for an anime character, might I add) out of my face.

"Did you mean what you said?" I asked suddenly, struck by something she had said in her tirade at me.

She blinked out of confusion.

"Mean what I said about what?"

"Did you mean what you said about how you trust me and Friggy more than your own sister?"

She stared at me for a moment.

"Why wouldn't I?" she finally asked, smiling slightly. "I mean, he's been my most trusted guard for over a thousand years. You, on the other hand, are the only pony who I interact with on a daily basis, apart from the other members of the royal family. But there's also the matter of the thousand years that we spent apart. Tia changed over those thousand years. I couldn't quite place my hoof on what it was, but I definitely knew there was something about her that was different from when I was still… me in the past. I still haven't quite come to terms with that fact yet."

I nodded. I suppose I didn't understand why I wouldn't trust my own sister for any reason, but I'm sure she has hers.

"So tell me, what was that technique you used against Nightmare Frigoris?" she asked, looking at me curiously.

I let out a small laugh.

"That technique is called the Primary Lotus. It's something I borrowed from a manga I once read."

"A what?"

"Graphic novel made in a foreign land, but that's beside the point. In the story, there's this guy who can use that. Part of the reason that's so devastating is because in the process of you spinning, all inner ear function gets directed outward, and unless you have excellent cognitive ability, you're not going to be able to comprehend the ground rushing at you at top speed. I honestly don't know why I used that, because it probably would have hurt both of us very seriously, but it just sort of came into my head that it would be good to use, so I did.

"Now then, how did Frigoris do that thing with the lightning punch?"

Luna sighed heavily.

"That. He should not have used the Pegasus magic like that. Pegasus magic is sacred, and should not be used for combat if it can be helped, but you need all the help you can get, like you said. So, for now, I'm going to give you the basics, so you can understand much better, but I'm not giving you explicit details. Understand?"

I nodded.

She got up, conjured her usual blackboard, and had the floating chalk start to draw certain things on the board, starting with a circle, split into three even portions.

"This right here," she said, indicating the pie chart, "is what forms the basis of magical research, and while you may not find too many uses for it yourself, it may help you to understand how it is Pegasi can do what they can, as well as Earth Ponies and Unicorns."

I sat even straighter. I'm going to learn about what causes magic! YES! This is something I've been looking forward to ever since I learned about magic existing here!

"Now then, I'm sure you have heard the expression 'body, mind, and soul,' yes? Well, that is what forms the core of magical research. Each brand of magic stems from one of these categories. I'll start here," she said, indicating one of the three indistinguishable parts of the pie chart. She drew a small symbol on there I recognized as the original symbol of the Earth Ponies.

"Earth Ponies have the brand of magic associated with the body. This is incredibly obvious if you take into account the fact that members of the Apple family, known Earth Ponies, are incredibly strong when compared to Pegasi like Rainbow Dash, or Unicorns like Twilight Sparkle. The magic of the Fires of Friendship and the Elements of Harmony directly affect their physical capabilities, and allow them to have a feel for the earth."

She indicated the second of the three pie chart portions, where she drew the Pegasi's original symbol from their flag.

"Next is the one that pertains to the Pegasi: the mind. While you normally aren't as strong as most Earth Ponies, your magic affects the mind. Your ability to sense what Earth Ponies and Unicorns cannot in terms of energy and the like is common, as is the ability to move clouds, cause rain, and cause lightning. Those are common Pegasus abilities, and it is a core requirement for a Pegasus who intends to work at the Weather Factory. As I told you in your lessons, this magic stems from the ability to sense energy and to directly affect it, though they usually require a conduit like a cloud to manipulate. I'll say more about the things Pegasi can do with their energy later, when my lessons get there. Again, you're not ready for this ability just yet."

She drew the Unicorns' sigil in the final part of the pie chart.

"Last and certainly not least, the Unicorns' magic, which stems from the soul. Their magic is supernatural, and it bends just about every known law of physics that we know of. However, just as the physics of Equestria have certain immutable laws that cannot be broken by anything other than magic, magic itself has certain immutable laws, and they do in fact sort of rely on each other. For example, while you can transfigure the matter around you into something, you cannot create something out of thin air."

I was about to interrupt (as per usual whenever I wanted to mention something snarky, like how she always conjures her chalkboard out of thin air), but she prevented me from doing so.

"Before you ask about my blackboard, I conjure it from the Canterlot Library. And to be honest, I overheard Celestia receiving complaints from Professor Grey Matter from the Manehattan University of Science and Mathematics about how every time he would try to use the chalkboard, it would vanish, turn up a few minutes later, and all the complicated equations would be erased. It's quite irritating, really, that he seems to consider himself slightly higher than me, because when Celestia told him about me taking it, he positively seemed apathetic about it, insisting that I return it."

She paused.

"I'm thinking about keeping it around, just for the fun I could have," she suddenly mused, looking thoughtful.

I started laughing.

"For teh lulz! Luna, you make an excellent troll."

ಠ_ಠ

And suddenly the above expression was on her face.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry. Just a little Internet reference from my world. It's an inside joke with us that whenever someone deliberately trolls other people, they're doing it for laughter at someone else's expense, which we call 'lulz,' L-U-L-Z. And it seems you've picked up that little trait from me while I've been here."

She furrowed her brow.

"Well, I know you're always doing things just for a laugh here and there, but when have you ever had a laugh at someone else's misfortunes?" she asked, which I immediately answered, "Yesterday, plugged Frigoris' bathtub and forced the tap to continue running, flooded his bathroom. Why yes Luna, yes I have done things for teh lulz."

"And also, what is this 'Internet?'"

Now it seems I'm the teacher. Well, while I definitely do not want her anywhere near the Internet for the time being (my only argument is Rule 34), I suppose a little knowledge couldn't hurt.

"Well, the Internet is this sort of connection between people and their little electronic devices. It allows us to share information, communicate around the world, and to pool resources. Because of that, the world as a whole got much closer in terms of relationships, and our species advanced dramatically as a whole. However, as it is with just about everything," oh how true, "some people began to use the internet as a means for exchanging resources of a… disreputable… nature, and it got so bad that when one mentions the internet, it is not uncommon for these materials to be the first thing on someone's mind."

Luna had been paying attention the whole time, seeming very interested.

"I see. So it is a double-edged sword. You grow smarter and closer as a civilization, and yet people do illegal things with it."

I nodded. While Rule 34 isn't illegal, there's still piracy and the like going on. Overall, while it would undoubtedly have its benefits, teh interwebz are not a good thing for Equestria. At least, not for now. Maybe when their species' naiveté in general is significantly less (which I highly doubt will be any time Pinkie Pie is still alive).

"Illegal and legal-yet-wrong by most moral standards. While I think you, your sister, and a few others could probably take it, your culture as a whole? Not a chance."

She suddenly got that look in her eyes as though she had remembered something important.

"I completely forgot! Captain Squall wanted me to pass along a request to you."

I raised an eyebrow, taken aback by this. Captain Amazing wanted something from me?

"He wanted to know if you would meet him tomorrow afternoon after my magic lessons were over in the Training Hall. He says to be prepared for anything."

I let out a small chuckle.

"So, it's not a request. It's a command by the Captain of the Guard, who I don't answer to and he still expects me to follow it."

Luna, it seems, saw this coming, because she immediately had a retort.

"Do you know why your torso is hurting?"

Coincidence that as she said that, the same spot had a spike of pain? I think not. I gave a non-committal grunt. I think I know where this one's going. I rolled my eyes and looked over at the bookshelf, where the pages of my completed puzzles were sitting, occasionally being moved by the wind outside the open window.

"He tased you in the chest with his hoof."

Classic double-take.

"He WHAT me with his hoof?"

Luna ruffled her feathers and blinked.

"I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't know you were deaf too. He tased you with his hoof. Charged you with lightning into unconsciousness. But that's beside the point. He says he wants to show you something, but he was mum on what that would be. Personally, however, I think Tia set this up. In any case, as soon as my magic lessons on how to make it rain are over, you're to go directly to the Guardsponies' Training Hall. Are we clear?"

I nodded, rolling my eyes.

She stared at me for a moment, and suddenly, her gaze softened.

"Are you alright, Flare?" she asked, concerned.

I nodded again. I was alright, but this recent turn of events has really started to take its toll on me. Anyway, on the bright side, I can finally chill for the rest of the day!

What a day to take a rest from. It seems impossible that not even twenty-four hours ago, I was working on Pegasus magic with Luna. Then suddenly, the Harvest Festival gets interrupted, I have a fight with Tenebrae, Luna and I become officially together, Lux tells me what is going on (though something's telling me, not nearly all of what's going on), Friggy and I have a bout of fisticuffs, and I learn the basics of magic.

Given that this all happened in one day, and coupled with Tenebrae's little remark about returning in a few days, I really wonder what my future holds.

But what will come will come. And I'm just gonna have to build a bridge, get over it, and be ready to meet it when it does.

-X-

Blackness.

A sea of blackness, with one small, well-lit area directly at the center.

This area holds nothing of true value, save for a mere game board.

An eight-by-eight field, alternating black and white tiles, and several chiseled onyx and marble pieces were arrayed across the table, the two colors facing the pieces of the other color.

Now this chess board was not set up at the beginning of play, but rather, it was set up in medias res. In progress.

On opposite ends of the board sat two figures on thrones of silver and gold. One of them was male, and the other female. The male wore black, with spiky black and silver hair, and red eyes, and he sat in the silver chair, staring intently at the female, as if gauging a reaction from her. The female wore white, with golden hair and the purest of blue eyes, and she sat in the golden sat, contemplating the table before them, avoiding eye contact with her counterpart.

"Heh, quite a few new pieces have made their debuts since our last little meeting here, sister," said the male, a small smile working its way onto his face.

The female said nothing, and merely nodded.

"Well, I brought one in, and it seems to have deserted my side," he said, indicating one of the White Knights. "Flare makes an excellent knight. The irregular movement and the near-impossibility to trap it make the Knight an excellent wild card unless you are properly prepared, which, I admit, I was not. I daresay he excels at that regard. However, I won't be making that mistake again in the future."

The female remained content to be silent, save that now she stared at the male with a mixture of distaste and some amusement.

"And, in exchange, I suppose making one of your pieces mine would be a fair trade. One of your pieces needs to return to the side he was created to be on," the male said, picking up one of the three White Knights on the board, the one which sat on his right side of the White Queen. The piece that he had indicated earlier, belonging to Flare, was on the other side.

There was a change in the piece he had picked up, and wisps of white smoke flew out of the piece as it became black. The smoke vanished, as if it had never been in the room to begin with. Tenebrae replaced the piece on the board like it had been, except it was now facing Lux rather than him.

"Funny, the effect two people on the same side have on each other, when one is convinced the other is a terrible influence, eh?" he asked, looking at Lux with raised eyebrow.

Once again, Lux remained silent, staring at Tenebrae with an impassive expression.

He held her gaze for a moment, then gave a small chuckle.

"Well then, all the pieces are in place, and the game is finally afoot for the first time in a few months. I was getting quite bored with waiting for everything to fall into place."

He leaned back in his ornate throne of silver, letting out a contented sigh, and now staring intently at his opposite.

"Your move, Lux."


And this marks the end of Act I.

The pieces are set, the main characters introduced to the story, the basic plot has been developed, and now the gambit begins.

I have a few minor things to point out.

First off, I made a minor retcon to Cordon Bleu for the purposes of future stories. He is now a unicorn, for those of you who read Chapter 2 much earlier.

Also, I went ahead and changed the names of the city in Chapter 3 from Fillyattle to Seaddle, since that is its name now, according to canon.

That reminds me. I have found a map of Equestria, and for all points and purposes of this story, it will be the one I use. It is taken from the Fanfic "Where the World Ends" (which I have never heard of, nor read). You can find it at:

Http COLON SLASH SLASH fc07 DOT deviantart DOT net SLASH fs71SLASH f SLASH 2011 SLASH 248 SLASH b SLASH d SLASH equestrian UNDERSCORE and UNDERSCORE beyond UNDERSCORE UNDERSCORE rev UNDERSCORE 7 UNDERSCORE by UNDERSCORE hlissner DASH d46wmzm DOT jpg

If you're not smart enough to figure this out on your own, replace the CANTERLOCK words with the symbols they stand for.

And did anyone else get my reference to the fanfic Progress? For those of you who do not know, Progress is a fic that stars Luna as she attempts to fit in with the new world. In the process, she comes into the possession of an abacus, and it gets to the point where she tucks it in at night, reads it a bedtime story, and even refers to it as Abacus, as if it were a name (to the point where in one fan-chapter, she wonders if Abacus would be an excellent name to call her children). Well, I decided on referencing it and calling it Abby.

This chapter took me for freaking ever. I could not get it to flow very well, and several times, I have to completely trash it and start over. However, I finally got it done.

I would also like to add that FF Net's most recent update really pisses me off. It converted my paragraphs into Great Wall of Text when I uploaded it here, and it took me another hour to find where my paragraphs were and reinsert them. Also, it removed several words that were where paragraphs went. Yeah, needless to say, I am NOT happy with FF Net's new system of document uploading.

The next chapter will be a short little interlude, with a few little short stories, which may or may not have an effect on the story as a whole (you'll just have to wait and see). Ideas for short stories (which will be in the neighborhood of 1K-2K words each) include but are not limited to: The Doctor and Flare visiting earth for no purpose other than for Flare to see his garage in Boston, a short LunaxFlare-centric story, Flare and Squall talking in their little meeting I alluded to, Frigoris and Flare having a nice little civil chat, and Luna chewing out Frigoris for the fight, while the other Nightmares watch.

No preview for Chapter 7, which is currently nameless, but it does have some semblance of a plot thus far.

Well, as always, R and R please. And you have a fantastic day. Rytex out!