A few hours has passed since I left Aelita and the others behind in their dimension. The passage to Equestria was certainly a long and silent one, my mind only asking more and more questions about the things I discovered. Of course, my mind wasn't prepared for what I would experience in this new world….
'So, what kind of place do you think this Equestria could be, Allen?', Yami asked me. I shook my head as I looked at the spirit that floated next to me as I said, "I have no idea. I've been trying to ask Prof. Skyfire about his home world, but every time I get close to him, the connection weakens. It's almost like he's there, but not completely there. As if he shouldn't be capable of talking to me at all." Yami Allen frowned as he looked forward into the Rift and said, "He's a peculiar one, this Prodigy Skyfire. He shows up the moment your hands get in contact with his journal that the Doctor gave you, and even that brought up some interesting facts. He has your handwriting, and he has a very detailed sketch of the Sacred Seal AND your Keyblade within its pages. Something tells me there is more going on than we realize, partner."
I nodded as I said, "It's a problem, Yami, and it is one that I don't intend to let go unsolved. Trixie, what can you tell me about Equestria?" Trixie beeped slightly as she said, "A lot, actually. This is one of the many dimensions that Lady Retsu used to frequent eons ago. As we already know, it is the home of our mysterious friend, Prodigy Skyfire. Equestria is also the home of a race of pastel-colored equines as the dominant species, and Equestria is ruled by a tetrarchy of four alicorns. The two main figureheads in charge are the twin sisters who represent the Sun and Moon alike, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Then there is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or as she is more known by her alias Princess Cadance. She is the embodiment of love within this dimension as well as co-ruler of the Crystal Empire alongside her husband, Prince Shining Armor." I shook my head in confusion as I said, "Representation of the sun and moon? Embodiment of love? Need a little more detail here, Trixie."
"Sorry about that, my mistake. In this universe, each equine is branded with what is called a 'cutie mark'. These marks describes a lot about the pony's abilities. For Celestia, she bears a cutie mark in the shape of the sun and Luna bears the moon. Celestia is capable of raising or lowering the sun at will while Luna can control the moon. Of course, both is capable of doing the reverse effect, but Celestia has more experience at doing so.", Trixie replied. "Wait, they can raise the sun and moon?! Are they goddesses of some sort?", I asked in shock. "In a way, yes. Alicorns are the most powerful entities in Equestria because they embody the magic of all three of the pony races: Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Unicorns. You can easily pick out a Alicorn by the fact that they are normally larger than most average ponies and have Pegasus wings AND Unicorn horns.", Trixie stated. My mind went back to the first time I saw Prof. Skyfire as I said, "So that's why he has a horn and wings. He's an alicorn too. But wait, you said three races. Are alicorns abnormal in Equestria?"
"Yes, they are. You see, alicorns are rare in numbers, the only ones naturally born are Celestia and Luna. Alicorns are made once someone, or in their term of speak, somepony is capable of ruling as a leader.", Trixie said. "Ok, I think I am getting it so far. So the only natural-born alicorns alive are Celestia and Luna, while Cadance was originally another species turned into an alicorn?", I asked. "Precisely. Now, continuing where I left off, Cadance represents the love within all ponies. Her cutie mark is a crystal heart. This mark showcases her leadership over the Crystal Empire and her abilities to spread love to everyone she may come across.", Trixie replied. 'Sounds to me that she is a glorified love spell in a pony-shaped bottle to me.', Yami stated, only for a loud yell to pierce through both him and my ears. "Ow! What was that for, Yami?!", I exclaimed.
'That wasn't me! I think it was the other guy! He yelled immediately at the mention of Princess Cadance.', Yami stated. "Now I wonder why that joke would set him off?", I asked before Trixie said, "I may have an answer for you two if you would let me finish." I looked back down at my arm and said, "Sorry, continue Trixie." Trixie beeped as she said, "Ok, now for the last alicorn in charge, she is Princess Twilight Sparkle, a former student of Princess Celestia at Canterlot School of Gifted Unicorns. Top of her class, she received magic lessons directly from Princess Celestia herself. Her cutie mark is stars and sparkles, which displays her love of learning magic as well as her love for astronomy. She is also the Princess of Friendship that displays friendship amongst everyone she meets. Not only that, but she is the living embodiment of the Element of Magic, a magical item that joins five other elements that are used as a protective force against evil. She is also the younger sister of Prince Shining Armor, sister-in-law of Princess Cadance, and aunt to Shining Armor and Cadance's daughter Princess Flurry Heart."
"Wow, I think I may like this pony. Smart, loves to learn more about the thing that unicorns is best at, has a love for astronomy, is royalty and is a fighting force to be reckoned with? What else could there possibly be to ask for?", I asked. "I'm not finished. The big kicker is that her full name is Twilight Sparkle-Skyfire.", Trixie stated. I came to a screeching halt when I heard that. I looked at Trixie and said, "Skyfire? As in…", I asked before Trixie showed me a picture of what appeared to be a wedding. There were a bunch of ponies and what seemed to be a dragon as well in the photo, but the one thing that stood out the most was a pair of red eyes staring right back at me from a dark blue alicorn. "So, you're saying that Prof. Skyfire is actually PRINCE Skyfire?", I asked. "Which brings another question to your ever-growing pile: what is the Prince of Friendship doing inside YOUR head and how is it that he has the Sacred Seal as his cutie mark?!", Trixie asked. "We've got to get to Equestria as soon as we can. This is definitely too weird!", I stated as Trixie said, "We're already here."
I looked in front of me as I was staring directly at a wall with Twilight's cutie mark on it, but it wasn't alone: five other marks floated around her mark in perfect unison with each other. I was in awe at what I saw, but immediately I felt an increase in the gravity as I looked down to see a giant black hole underneath me. "Oh boy, this is the one thing I really HATE ABOUT THIS JOB!", I yelled as I got sucked into the hole, Trixie immediately saying, "Quickly, transform! You're entering a dimensions where humanoid creatures don't exist! Do it now!" My eyes widened when she said that, immediately placing my hands on the wings on the Transform dial and said, "Come on luck, don't fail me now! Go, Transform Roulette!" I watched as the dial spun faster and faster until it finally stopped on what appeared to be a Pegasus shape. "Perfect! That'll do!", I exclaimed as I slammed on the dial, Trixie immediately using her magic to morph my body into a new form. As the transformation occurred, I could feel myself growing slightly leaner in form, fur covering my body as it grew more and more in the shape of an equine, but something was different: I had four hooves instead of two like Prof. Skyfire had.
"Uh-oh. Bad idea, bad idea!", I exclaimed as I looked at my hooves before noticing I had finally breached the shell of the dimension, my sight quickly being surrounded by clouds and the ground rapidly catching up to me. "Come on, Allen! Flap your wings! Come on!", I exclaimed as my wings flapped uselessly against the drafts of wind. "Come on, come on! I don't need to come into this world with a loud bang! Come on, stop!", I exclaimed as I closed my eyes for the sudden impact, only to quickly realize that the impact didn't come. I opened my eyes as I saw the ground below my hooves, my wings flapping ever so slowly to keep me afloat. I lowered myself slowly as I said, "Wow, I can't believe I didn't crash for once! Maybe this is a sign of breaking that bad habit!"
"Watch your head.", Trixie stated, but the warning came too late: I walked immediately into a wall. "Ow! Ok, maybe I spoke too soon. Where did I land anyway?", I asked as I rubbed my head feverishly with my hoof. "According to Lady Retsu's memories, the location we now stand at is called Everfree Castle. From her memories, it is said that the castle was in disrepair due to some cataclysmic event a thousand years ago, but with the efforts of Princess Sparkle and the other members of her castle, this castle that is hidden within the Everfree Forest is now being renovated.", Trixie said. I shuddered slightly, then I raised a curious eyebrow and said, "That's weird. I felt afraid for a second there. I wonder why?" Yami reformed next to me and said, 'I believe it's the Professor again. Something about this place has him spooked.' I looked at the Spirit and smirked slightly, before laughing loudly. He looked at me curiously and said, 'What's so funny?' I shook my hoof at him as I said, "You are! That voice with THAT body?! It's hilarious!" He smirked as he raised a hoof at me and said, "You forget: WE SHARE A BODY. This is the body that you are using right now."
"Really? Trixie, I need a mirror!", I asked before a mirror popped up in front of me. My eyes widened as I saw a dark purple Pegasus staring back at me with bright amethyst purple eyes. I opened my wings to see that they too were purple with dark blue feathers mixed within, and my body was covered in scars similar to the ones I had on my normal body. Alongside the body was my hair which was tied up with my red headband, Trixie surrounding my neck like a necklace with only the Millennium Eye part of the Sacred Seal fully visible. I whistled softly as I said, "Wow, that's not bad. Sometimes the forms I take for myself tend to look pretty weird, but this one I actually like. Pretty nice job, Trixie. I take it that the Millennium Puzzle and my clothes are within your confines?" Trixie beeped as her voice rang through my head and said, "Of course. All of your stuff is kept safe within me." My eyes widened as I said, "Whoa, that's cool! I can hear you in my head, just like Yami! Hopefully it won't make things too weird once we mingle with the locals."
Trixie chuckled as she said, "How do you like the cutie mark? I think you might like it." I looked around as I said, "Where is it?" Trixie beeped as she said, "It's on your hindquarters." My eyes widened as I said, "It's on my butt?!" Trixie retorted immediately and said, "Technically, it's your hip, but I'll let that one slide since everyone in our universe tends to say it is a butt tattoo." I looked back at my left leg as I saw an hourglass emblazoned on a shield flash back at me with stars surrounding it. "Whoa, that's pretty cool looking. What does it mean?" Trixie chuckled as she said, "Well, for you personally, it signifies how you protect everyone throughout time and space, but here, it would classify as your interest in timepieces and astronomy along with your urge to protect others. I have given this new form of yours the name Braveheart. I do hope that suits you." I looked back at the pony in the mirror and said, "Braveheart…..I like it. It has a nice ring to it. I still don't like the fact I am butt naked right now, but I guess this is natural. Now, let's get out of here. I want to see the world that Prodigy Skyfire calls home."
As soon as Trixie returned the mirror within her, that's when it happened: the sound of a loud bell rang within my head...
"Ow! What was that?!", I exclaimed, before hearing the bell ring again. I placed my hooves to my ears as I said, "It's so loud! It hurts!" Yami looked at me with worry as I panted heavily, the ringing bell subsided before my ears returned to the silence of the castle. "Owww….what was that, Trixie?", I asked. Trixie beeped as she said, "I do not understand what you are asking me. What are you talking about?" I looked down at Trixie and said, "Seriously? You didn't hear that? You're in my head and you didn't hear it? How about you, Yami? Did you hear it?" I looked towards the Spirit as he kept his ears covered by his own hooves. 'What?! I can't hear you! My ears haven't adjusted yet!', Yami exclaimed. "See?! He heard it too!", I said, before hearing a low growl behind me. I turned my head slightly to see what appeared to be a pack of wolves behind me. I immediately backed away slowly as the light shined down on them, my eyes widening to see that these wolves were made of tree branches.
"What on Earth are they?", I asked, Trixie immediately stating, "They are what the locals call Timberwolves. They are a race of creatures that are made entirely of tree branches that take the form of a wolf. The Everfree Forest is home to a bunch of peculiar anomalies like them. I do recommend a hasty retreat, since even with your fighting capabilities, they cannot be destroyed by brute force." My eyes widened when she said that, the Timberwolves running quickly at me as I said, "And that's my cue to LEAVE!" Once that was said, I bolted out of the doors that were in front of me, the Timberwolves keeping quick chase behind me. As I turned to see how close they were to catching up with me, my attention was immediately directed to another peculiar creature: another pony within the pack of Timberwolves, gray in color with glowing white eyes and an oh-so creepy grin. My ears rang again as the sound of the bell grew louder and louder, the sound of laughter joining alongside with the bell. I panted heavily as I ran through the forest, immediately coming to a screeching halt as I came face-to-face with the mysterious pony, it yelling loudly at me.
"Get away from me!", I exclaimed as the pony vanished, my vision going black for a few seconds as I heard the Timberwolves catching up with me. I immediately ran faster and faster as I saw a glimmer of light ahead of me, the forest's exit in full view. As I ran out, I immediately flapped my wings as I took off into the air, leaving the hellish experience behind. I panted heavily as I flew through the air, wondering what on Earth I just witnessed. 'What…just happened back there? I don't ever felt that kind of fear before….I can only imagine one time I have ever been that afraid.', I thought silently as a flashback appeared in my mind of Arufunu, before I shook my head furiously as I landed on a nearby path to town. I sighed softly as I looked around and said, "Ok, looks like all the crazy stuff has finally stopped. This world, what on Earth could be going on here for all this to happen?"
"No idea. But first, a few ground checks. Remember, the terms of speech here works differently here than it does back home. So instead of saying 'What on Earth?', you would say 'What in the name of Equestria?' here.", Trixie said. "You did say that people say somepony here instead of someone. It's weird how there is a culture difference in the speech here! Anything else I should say?", I asked. "Well, since you say Good God a lot, you should really try to remember to say 'Sweet Celestia' here. She is the one in charge here.', Trixie stated. I nodded as I walked up to the town sign and said, "I'll try to remember that. So, let's see here…..'Welcome to Ponyville.' Says the population is 458, but I can see that it used to say 459. Is that because the Professor isn't here anymore?" Trixie beeped as she said, "Ponyville is home to Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. She alongside the Elements of Harmony also reside here."
"The Elements of Harmony is some sort of magical defense mechanism, right? So, who are the other Elements?", I asked. Trixie was about to reply, but then she said, "We've been discovered. Allen, run!" My eyes widened as she said that. "Run!? What for?!", I said, looking around frequently only to see a pink blur heading straight for me from behind. "Don't just stand there! Move it or you're going to get introduced to the town's welcoming committee! And sometimes, THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING!" My eyes widened as the blur continued to speed up, heading directly for me. I took that as my cue to immediately run straight for town to find a place to hide. Faster and faster I ran, keeping out of sight as I finally ducked into a dark alley and hid inside of a nearby barrel. Luckily, no water, so that was a plus! I peeked out of the barrel as I heard footsteps getting nearer and nearer, watching as a happy pink pony hop by with a spring in her step. My eyes widened as I saw her cutie mark flash across my eyes, three balloons of different colors.
"Hey, that was the cutie mark I saw next to Twilight's mark on the entrance to this dimension. So that makes her one of the Elements of Harmony, Trixie?", I asked. "Of course! I'm the Element of Laughter, silly stallion!", a voice cried out. I looked down at Trixie and said, "Trixie, did your voice change?" Trixie beeped as she said, "I didn't say that." My eyes widened as the voice rang out again and said, "Nope! But I did!" I turned my head immediately to my left to see a pair of blue eyes staring back at me and a bright shade of pink fur, a wide grin amongst the pony's face. "Hi there!", the pony said. I yelped as I fell out of the barrel, the pink pony yelping as well. "Why did you scream?", I asked. "No idea! I thought it was some sort of fun game you were playing: Hide, Seek, and Go Yell!", the pony said as I stood up on my hooves and said, "Weird." The pony grinned as she said, "You're new around here, aren't you? My name is Pinkie Pie and I know everypony here in town and I don't know you, so you must be new!"
"Pinkie Pie? That's an….interesting name. My name is….uh….oh, it's Braveheart! Nice to meet you.", I said in reply. Pinkie looked at me with a strange look on her face and said, "Noo…..that's definitely not your name. I feel like I should know you, which is weird since we've never met, but my Pinkie Sense is definitely going haywire here. Your name is definitely NOT Braveheart." My eyes widened as she said that. 'Oh no, did I get found out already? That's not possible, is it?!', I thought to everyone within my head. 'Never underestimate Pinkie Pie and her Pinkie Sense. That's RULE ONE in Lady Retsu's memory. Apparently, she has knowledge of things that other ponies shouldn't know, and she only claims this knowledge as guesses.', Trixie replied. "Oh well, it'll probably come to me sooner or later! Buuuut, since you are new, that means I get to plan you a Welcome to Ponyville party! I've got to get cake, balloons, streamers, all of the workings for this party!", Pinkie Pie stated. As I heard that, I immediately tried to stop her, but by the time I made a move, she was already gone.
"Dang it. I don't need a party to get noticed by pastel-colored ponies at the moment!", I said out loud. "Sorry Allen, but that's her thing: throwing parties on short notice. She's not known as Equestria's #1 Party Pony for nothing.", Trixie replied. I sighed as I walked out of the alleyway to see Pinkie already running around with party invitations to nearby ponies. I walked by quietly as a few ponies said hello to me as I thought silently to myself. 'Ok, so where should I begin first? I guess it'd be best to try and walk in the Professor's hooves for a while. See where his mind takes me.', I thought to myself. At that precise moment, a sweet smell filled my nose, my stomach growling immediately as I said, "But first, I think a bite to eat is in order. What kind of diet do the locals tend to follow around here, Trixie?", I asked. "Here in Equestria, ponies are strictly vegetarian. However, sweets are a normal part of their diet too." I gagged when I heard her say that. "Veggies are quite frankly the nastiest part of anyone's diet. I guess the sweets will have to do. You wouldn't happen to have any currency for this world, would you?"
"But of course. Always one step ahead, you know?", Trixie said as she spat out a small pouch. I picked up the pouch with my hoof, surprised I could still use it as a normal hand. I opened the pouch to see a pile of gold coins within the pouch, each branded with a horseshoe on each coin. "What are these?", I asked. "They are called Bits. They are the main currency here in Equestria." I nodded as I followed my nose towards the sweet scent, coming to a small line of ponies in front of a stall, the stall surrounded by jars of what appeared to be rainbow-colored jam, apples, and apple cider. As the line got smaller and smaller, I heard somepony say, "Y'all come again real soon, ya hear?" My eyes widened as I said, "Wow, that was certainly a sweet country drawl of a voice!" I finally came up to the front of the line and inhaled deeply as I said to the orange pony behind the stall, "Wow, everything smells so good!" The orange pony smiled as she said, "Why, thank ya kindly, sugarcube. Everything 'ere is made fresh daily at Sweet Apple Acres, mah family's farm. So, what can I get ya today?" I looked around as I saw a red pony slightly larger than myself bring over a barrel full of apples while a smaller yellow pony pushed over a crate of jam next to the stall as I said, "Wow, it all looks really good, I can't decide. What do you suggest, Miss….uhhh…..I don't know your name."
"That must mean y'all are new in town! Name's AppleJack, and I'm the mare in charge at Sweet Apple Acres. That there is my little sister AppleBloom and this silent stallion here is my big brother Big Macintosh. Which makes you that new mysterious pony that Pinkie Pie was raving about earlier this morning, correct?", AppleJack stated. My eyes widened when she said that. "Sweet Celestia, you know that pink hurricane of a pony? I tried keeping away from her and she STILL found me!", I exclaimed. AppleJack chuckled as she said, "That's Pinkie Pie for ya. So, what do I call y'all, mister?" I smiled as I said, "The name's Braveheart, but enough of the introductions. What do you suggest I should get, AppleJack?" She smiled as she said, "Well, if ah had to suggest anything, ah'd suggest trying one of our famous jars of Zap Apple Jam. The Zap Apples are in season again, so we've been making Zap Apple jam every day for the last month. One taste and your taste buds will definitely thank ya! And nothing goes better with Zap Apple Jam than a loaf of fresh bread from Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville's very own bakery!" Once AppleJack said that, she raised a hoof in one direction towards a building that I could swear was a gingerbread house from where I was standing.
"Whoa, talk about a building that'll give a craving for sweets just by looking at the place!", I said, drool slightly escaping my lips as the young filly placed the jar of jam on the stall in front of me. "That'll be two bits, mister!", AppleBloom stated with a smile. I smiled at the young filly as I opened the pouch of bits, the shine of gold catching the three ponies' eyes as they whistled at the same time. "Well, I'll be plum knackered! That sure is a lot of bits! Y'all must be pretty rich, Braveheart!", AppleJack stated in surprise as I placed the two bits on the stall. I laughed nervously as I said, "Not really. I just save up my money for any occasion. Anyway, thanks for the jam!" AppleJack nodded as I turned towards Sugarcube Corner, but then the cutie marks of all three of the equines flashed past my eyes, the one on AppleJack stood out the most as I recognized the three sets of apples from the Dimensional Rift's entryway. "Wait, hold on a minute!", I said as I backed up to the stall. I looked AppleJack in the face as I said, "Your cutie mark seems familiar. You wouldn't happuen to be one of the Elements of Harmony, would you?"
"You sure know your stuff, don't ya, Braveheart? That's right: I'm the embodiment of the Element of Honesty.", AppleJack stated. "Mah big sister is the most honest pony you can meet here in Ponyville! Maybe even in all of Equestria!", AppleBloom said proudly. I smiled softly at AppleBloom as Big Macintosh looked at me with a cold stare. I tilted my head as I said, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in your sister or anything." Big Macintosh blushed embarrassingly from me finding out exactly what he was thinking. I chuckled as I bowed slightly and said, "Have a good day, you three!" With that, I left the Apple Family behind as I walked towards Sugarcube Corner. 'They definitely were a friendly bunch of ponies.', Yami said to me. "That's true, they sure are. Also, I just realized it: Prof. Skyfire knows those three. Quite well, at that fact. Remember the wedding photo, Yami? They were there, there was no doubt about that!", I replied. Yami's eyes widened as he said, 'Hey, you're right! Prodigy must be friends with them!' I nodded as I said, "That's not all: Pinkie Pie was in the photo as well. I'm only guessing that each of the Elements of Harmony members was in that photo alongside him and Twilight."
Yami nodded in agreement as we finally made it to the front door of Sugarcube Corner, walking inside to get greeted with the sight of baked goods all over the place, a blue pony standing behind a cash register as she said, "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! How may I help you?" I walked up to the cashier and said, "I need a loaf of bread, please." The blue pony smiled as she said, "You're just in luck! Mr. Cake just took out a fresh batch of bread. It'll be three bits." I nodded as I placed three bits onto the counter as the pony placed them into the cash register and said, "Say, you wouldn't be the new pony that Pinkie Pie is running around the neighborhood about, are you?" My jaw dropped as she said that. "Sweet Celestia, she gets around faster than I can run!" The pony smiled as she said, "That's just how Pinkie is. My name Mrs. Cup Cake, and I am the co-owner of Sugarcube Corner alongside my husband, Mr. Carrot Cake. It's nice to meet you!"
"Oh, nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cake. My name is Braveheart.", I said as I heard a loud cry come from upstairs. "Oh dear, guess that's my cue to tackle some dirty diapers. Pinkie! Could you please get some fresh bread for Mr. Braveheart please? I've got to deal with the children!", Mrs. Cake yelled up the stairs. "Ok, Mrs. Cake! Give me a second!", Pinkie replied. I looked at Mrs. Cake as I said, "Pinkie Pie is here?" Mrs. Cake nodded as she said, "Pinkie Pie works here when she isn't planning parties. She also rents a room here as well and works as a babysitter for my kids when my husband and I have our hooves full at certain times." I was in awe as Mrs. Cake trotted upstairs as I thought to myself and said, 'Wow, I didn't think Pinkie Pie would be a serious pony. First experience, I thought she was a crazy pony wired up on too much sugar.' My attention returned to my surroundings as Pinkie finally walked down and gasped loudly as she saw me. "Oh wow! We meet again for a second time, Braveheart! Here, let me go and get that bread for you!", Pinkie said as she hopped down the stairs into the kitchen. I tapped my hoof slightly as I waited for Pinkie to return with my bread as I heard the bell to the door ring slightly as another pony walked in, a marshmallow white pony with a curly purple mane. What stood out was that her cutie mark resembled the three diamonds from the Dimensional Rift. 'Another Element of Harmony!', I thought to myself as the pony stepped by and said, "Hello? Anypony here?"
Pinkie hopped out of the kitchen with a basket carrying the loaf of bread I ordered saying, "Here you go, Braveheart! One loaf of bread as ordered! Oh hi, Rarity! How can I help you?" Rarity smiled as she said, "I need one dozen cupcakes, please. Oh, who's your new friend?" Pinkie smiled as she said, "This here is the new pony I was telling you about, Rarity! Braveheart, this is my friend Rarity. Rarity, this is the new guy Braveheart!" Rarity looked at me as she said, "Oh, well hello there. It's nice to meet the new pony so soon. My name is Rarity, and I run the Carousel Boutique fashion salon on the other side of town." I raised an eyebrow as I said, "Oh, so that fancy-looking place I saw is your fashion salon! That's a pretty nifty-looking place." Rarity giggled as she said, "Why, thank you. Oh, but what do we have here? That's an interesting piece of jewelry you are wearing there."
"Hm? You mean this?", I said as I looked down at Trixie, Rarity coming in close to look at her. "It looks like some sort of timepiece. But the craftsmanship of this device is beyond anything I have ever seen. It is quite a unique piece of work. I think that I may have an idea of a suit that would go well with this piece of work.", Rarity stated. "Really? That's rather generous of you, Rarity.", I replied. "But of course. I'm not known as the Element of Generosity for nothing. You should come by the Carousel Boutique a little later.", Rarity stated as I picked up the basket of bread with my left wing. "I'll keep that in mind, Rarity. See you both later then.", I said as I walked out of the door of the bakery, leaving the two mares behind. I looked around for a place to enjoy my snack as Yami materialized beside me and said, 'You've met three of the Elements of Harmony already. They all must live in the town's vicinity.' I nodded as I said, "Yeah. I've met the bearers of the trio of apples cutie mark, the trio of diamonds cutie mark, and the trio of balloons cutie mark. All that is left is the owner of the trio of butterflies cutie mark, the owner of the rainbow-colored lightning bolt, and Princess Twilight herself."
Yami nodded as the two of us crashed into another pony, a soft shriek escaped from the pony's mouth. "Oh dear, I am so sorry about that!", I said as I backed away from the pony quickly, immediately seeing the trio of butterflies I was just talking about. "I-It's ok. I-I didn't see you coming up behind me. A-Are you ok?", the mare asked. 'She's definitely the shy and quiet type. I can barely hear her speaking.', I thought silently to myself. "Yeah, I'm alright. So, who are you, if I may ask?", I asked. "Oh! I….um….I'm Fluttershy.", Fluttershy replied. "I'm sorry? Say that again.", I asked. "I-I-It's Fluttershy….", Fluttershy said, getting even quieter. "Fluttershy…..ok, nice to meet you. My name's Braveheart.", I replied. Fluttershy finally spoke up when she heard my name. "Oh, so you're that new stallion that Pinkie Pie was talking about earlier! I didn't realize that you and him were the same pony! I didn't expect you to be so nice.", Fluttershy stated. I chuckled as I replied, "I do try to be as nice as I can." Fluttershy smiled softly as I felt something push against my front leg. I looked down to see a rabbit pushing against my leg, the rabbit looking at me angrily.
"Oh, hello there. What are you up to, little guy?", I asked the rabbit, only to get smacked across the face with a quick rabbit's foot. "Oh, Angel! Don't be so rude to Mr. Braveheart!", Fluttershy stated as she picked up the rabbit with her wing, placing the rabbit on her back. I chuckled as I rubbed my cheek and said, "Its ok. I've felt punches way harder than that. I guess it's his way of protecting you, Fluttershy." Fluttershy nodded as Angel chattered angrily at me. I smiled as I said, "So, are you going to be at the party today? Apparently, Pinkie Pie is throwing me a pretty large one….even though I'm only passing through." Fluttershy looked away slightly as I said, "I don't know. I mean, maybe I'll go. I'm not too good with large crowds. But maybe. I'll have to think on it." I nodded as I said, "I know how to get on Angel's good side. How about you two join me for a little snack? This loaf of bread won't just eat itself and I just got a jar of Zap Apple jam from Ms. AppleJack's stand earlier today. Nothing cures an angry soul better than a good meal, as I always say." Fluttershy gasped slightly and looked away shyly as she said, "M-Me? O-Oh, I really couldn't! I-I mean, what would everypony else think?"
I shook my head as I said, "It's just bread and jam, Fluttershy. Nothing else." Fluttershy smiled softly as she said, "O-Ok, if you say so." I smiled as the two of us walked over to a nearby tree as we sat down next to each other. I tapped Trixie slightly with my hoof as a butter knife ejected from within her, Fluttershy immediately noticing that. "Oh, uh….it's kinda like a pocket for my things. I'd rather you didn't mention this to anyone, ok Fluttershy?", I asked as I cut the bread into slices as Fluttershy stated, "D-Don't worry, I won't tell anypony." I smiled as I spread jam onto three of the slices of bread and motioned two of the slices for Fluttershy and Angel. "Here we go. Time to dig in!", I said as I bit into my piece of bread. My eyes widened as a flashback entered my mind of Prof. Skyfire eating a slice of bread with the exact same kind of jam on it alongside a small unicorn filly and a brown Earth Pony for breakfast. 'This was his favorite snack to eat….', I thought to myself as I swallowed the piece of bread in my mouth. I smiled softly as I thought, 'I can understand why. This jam is delicious, and with the fresh bread, it is truly an experience worth remembering.'
Fluttershy looked at me as she said, "Braveheart, are you alright? You're crying." I gasped as I used my wing to wipe away the tears flowing from my eyes and said, "Huh? Get it together, Braveheart. Where did that come from?" Fluttershy looked at me with a worried look on her face as she said, "Are you sure you're ok, Braveheart?" I nodded as I cleared my throat and said, "So, Fluttershy. I believe I have met almost all of your friends. Seems like each of you are the living embodiment of the Elements of Harmony. What does that make you, if I may ask?" Fluttershy smiled as she said, "I'm the Element of Kindness. When it comes right down to it, everypony deserves a little kindness from day to day. Don't you agree?" I nodded as I said, "I couldn't agree more." I then turned my attention to Angel Bunny and said, "How about you, Angel? Are we cool now?" Angel burped slightly as he stood up and looked at me, then patted my cheek gently with a soft smile on his face. "Thanks. Now, that makes four of the Elements of Harmony I met. I wonder how quick I'll meet the last one?", I said as a voice cried out from behind me and said, "Quicker than you think, new guy!"
"Hm?", I said as I turned around to see a blue Pegasus looking directly at me and said, "Hey there!" My eyes widened as I flinched and said, "Zoinks! Don't sneak on ponies like that!" The Pegasus laughed as she turned right side up and landed next to Fluttershy as she said, "Sorry about that, but you two were so easy to sneak up on, I took the opportunity! Name's Rainbow Dash, and I am the Element of Loyalty!" I raised an eyebrow at her name and said, "Rainbow….Dash? What's the Dash for?" Fluttershy looked at me as she said, "She's the fastest Pegasus on this side of Equestria." Rainbow Dash puffed her chest proudly as she said, "Is there any doubt about that? It's my goal to become part of the Wonderbolts, Princess Celestia's personal flight squad! Don't you think the Wonderbolts are just the COOLEST ponies you could ever meet?" I chuckled nervously as Rainbow then said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Before the party begins, Twilight would like to meet you over at the castle. She feels that it is only fair for her to meet the guest of honor for tonight. And lucky you, the other Princesses are in town as well!"
"Wow, I really am lucky.", I said. I looked at Fluttershy and said, "I hope to see you later, Fluttershy." She nodded as Rainbow flew off into the sky, I immediately followed behind quickly. As I lost sight of Fluttershy, I looked in the distance as Rainbow Dash flew towards what appeared to be a crystal-shaped tree in the heart of the town. She landed at the front steps as she said, "Here we are: the Rainbow Friendship Castle, home of our very own Princess of Friendship!" I smirked as I watched Rainbow walk inside, then my attention quickly turned to a nearby house. My breath grew shallow as Prodigy formed next to Yami and said, 'That used to be my home. It's the closest place to the castle and it was right next door to the Golden Oaks Library where Twilight used to live before it got destroyed in an attack from Lord Tirek. I see that my old roommate still lives there. See all the paintings hanging outside to dry in the sun? He did all of that.' I looked at Prodigy as I thought, 'What is happening to me, Professor?' Prodigy looked away in thought, staying completely silent as Rainbow Dash said, "Hey! Are you coming or what?"
"Coming! I'm coming!", I replied, walking in immediately after the Pegasus.
A few minutes had passed as the two of us walked side by side within the castle. Finally, the two of us came across two large doors….
The doors creaked opened loudly as it opened to reveal a boardroom with a large crystal table surrounded by six chairs, each of them labeled with all of the cutie marks of the Elements of Harmony. Within each of the chairs, the familiar faces of Prodigy's past were among them: Sitting in the chair marked with her own cutie mark was Princess Twilight Sparkle, Prodigy's wife. On both sides of her were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the rulers of Equestria. Sitting on the far right was Princess Cadance holding Princess Flurry Heart within her arms with Prince Shining Armor sitting right next to her. In the final chair was Prodigy's best friend and old roommate Arty. Standing behind Arty was Prodigy and Twilight's adoptive daughter Strawberry Skyfire, tinkering away furiously at what appeared to be a rocket-powered scooter. Twilight smiled as she said, "Welcome, newcomer! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I welcome you kindly to Ponyville." I smiled and bowed slightly as I said, "The honor is all mine, Your Majesty. However, I do think everypony is taking my little visit just a little bit too far. I'm only passing through. I'm not staying. Although, I must agree on one thing: this town of yours is certainly a gentle one. Everypony I have met today has been so nice and kind to me, it's hard to imagine that I've got to leave soon."
"Aw, that's quite a shame. My friends and I were already in search of a place for you to stay and everything. May I ask what is your purpose here in Ponyville may be then?", Twilight asked with a curious tone in her voice. I chuckled as I said, "I'm not too certain on that myself. You see, I'm a bit of a wanderer really, and my journey has brought me here this time." Arty chuckled as he said, "That sounds exactly like something the Professor would say. He always did everything on a whim and went with the idea and always surprised everypony with spectacular results." Twilight sighed sadly as she rubbed her wedding band around her neck and said, "I miss him, even now." Strawberry looked up from her work and said, "We all do, Mama. But let's face it: I don't think he is ever coming back." I looked directly to my right as Prodigy walked over to Twilight and ran a hand across her cheek and said, 'Oh Twilight, I wish you could hear me. I really miss being with you guys too. ….This is just wrong. Why am I linked to you, Allen? Why?' I frowned slightly, but then my attention was broken by a loud yell from outside. "What was that?!", Shining Armor exclaimed as he hopped out of his chair and ran out the doors beside me, the other equines following behind him quickly. I immediately followed as well, quickly reaching the front entrance to get a shock: the mysterious Shadow Pony from before was back, and was destroying everything in sight.
"No! Stop this!", Shining Armor exclaimed as he used his magic to surround the pony with a magic barrier shield. The pony laughed coldly as its already pale white eyes glowed slightly, the shield shattering around him as a giant black tree root shot out of the ground and hit Shining right in the chest. He grunted loudly as he was knocked back, he growled as he said, "It shattered my barrier as if it was nothing! This adversary is a truly powerful foe. Twilight ran out in front of her brother and looked around to see the other ponies in town running directly to the castle. "Get back, everypony! This guy is dangerous!", Twilight exclaimed. The town came to a screeching halt, but four other ponies continued to run close to Twilight, the four joining her as well as Rainbow Dash from within the castle. "I don't know who you are, but enough with this destruction! Leave this place, IMMEDIATELY!", Twilight said angrily, her horn glowing brightly with energy. The Shadow Pony laughed again as two more roots shot out from the ground, the roots immediately launching an attack directly at Twilight. Twilight stood her ground firmly as three beams of light shot from behind her, Princess Cadance, Celestia, and Luna joining the group of ponies as the beams destroyed the two roots with ease.
"This being doesn't show any mercy, Twilight. It's safe to assume that it only contains evil within its heart. Don't hold anything back!", Cadance stated. "Yes, we must attack all at once! This foe definitely spells trouble if we don't!", Luna stated. "Alright then! Combined attack!", Twilight exclaimed as her, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance shot beams of energy at the Shadow Pony, the entity yelling loudly as the beams connected with them. "Yes, I think it is working! Keep at it, girls!", Celestia replied, only for a creepy laugh to emit from the Shadow Pony. I grunted loudly as I dropped to my knees, the bell from earlier ringing once again loud and even more present within my head. I yelled loudly as I placed my hooves on my ears once again, the Shadow Pony grinning widely as it started to glow multiple colors matching the energy of the beams. Twilight looked back at me and her eyes widened as I continued yelling and flailing in pain. "Wait! Something's not right here! Stop your attacks, everypony!", Twilight exclaimed as she stopped and ran over to me, trying to settle me down. "Braveheart, what's wrong? Speak to me!", Twilight exclaimed. "Y-You can't hear it?! Those loud bells! It's so loud, it hurts! IT HURTS, TWILIGHT!"
'Bells?', Twilight thought, then looked immediately over at Celestia and the others and said, "Quick, stop your attacks! It's a trap!" Celestia and the others immediately looked at me in shock, but then came to another shock as the Shadow Pony said, "Too late." The entity yelled as a shockwave emanated from its body, knocking the three Princesses onto the ground. The Shadow Pony chuckled as he said, "Thank you, my Princesses. Walking around as a mindless husk can get so tedious, but with all four of you feeding me your magical energy, it….rejuvenated me. I feel like a new stallion!" Luna groaned as she struggled to stand on two of her hooves as she said, "It speaks. Ye were just using us as food?!" The Shadow Pony grinned as a black aura surrounded it, the pony beginning to morph into a new form as it said, "Yes, I did. And it worked well too. You should really thank your friend there, because without him being here, I wouldn't be able to get a second chance to KILL YOU ALL." I looked immediately at the Shadow Pony when he said that and said, "Me? You are only doing this….because of me? I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU! What could I have done to cause all of this to happen?!" My eyes widened as the Shadow Pony finally stopped morphing, it standing on two hooves as it brushed a hand through its mane, a bright flash of green was seen as his face contorted to one that seemed vaguely familiar.
'No! It couldn't be him! We got rid of him before I vanished!', Prodigy exclaimed as his face contorted to one mixed of anger as well as fear. The Shadow Pony chuckled as he bowed mockingly and said, "My dear equines, it is…..an honor to see you all again." Twilight frowned angrily as she shot a beam of energy at the being and said, "YOU! It's because of you that Prodigy is gone! You monster! ARUFUNU!" My heart sank like a rock when I heard that name escape from Twilight's lips. "A-Arufunu? It can't be. It just can't be him!", I said softly. Arufunu laughed loudly as he blocked Twilight's attack with his hand and sighed contently as he stated, "Such tasty magic, Twilight dear. It's a shame that…..it won't help you." My eyes shrank in horror as he grinned coldly at Twilight, a shot of green energy escaped from his hands as Twilight was knocked into the doors of her own castle. 'TWILIGHT!', Prodigy exclaimed from within my mind, her friends and family yelling in unison as they ran over to the young alicorn princess. A shadow loomed over me as I turned to see Arufunu looking me directly in the face.
"Now…..who are you, I must ask?", Arufunu said coldly. Before I could answer, he grabbed me tightly around the neck and lifted me into the air, I struggled violently within the grip as he said, "I don't recall ever seeing you in this world. Although, there is something there…..something familiar about you." Twilight weakly looked up towards up and said, "L-Leave Braveheart alone, Arufunu!" Arufunu looked over at Twilight, then back at me as he looked me directly in my eyes and said, "Braveheart…..huh? …..Your eyes. They remind me of…..could it be possible?" I gasped slightly as I continued to struggle in Arufunu's grip, the twisted alicorn looking at me even closer as he spotted Trixie around my neck. He chuckled softly, then laughed maliciously and loudly for everypony to hear. "Braveheart?! That's a good one! You always were terrible at giving nicknames to people! Even Prodigy Skyfire was an awful name and yet you accepted it as your own!" Everypony went silent as Arufunu said that, their attention directed back at me as he said, "So, you survived, dear Professor. Looks like I get the chance to kill you all over again. You and the real you….ALLEN HENEGAN, THE AELITATRIX BEARER!"
As he said that, he threw me across the field into Prodigy's front door, a loud yell escaped from my mouth as Shining Armor said, "The Aelitatrix Bearer…..no way. He's actually here, in Equestria?" Twilight stood to her hooves as she said, "If that is true, then we cannot let Arufunu have his way! Come on, girls! We've got to stop him!" Rainbow Dash and the others nodded as their bodies glowed slightly, taken on new forms to challenge The Amaria Shadow. As he walked nearer to me, I stood back up to my hooves as I said, "You cannot be here. I sealed you away! How could you be here, Arufunu!?" Arufunu smirked as he said, "You think you can get rid of me so easily? You and I are one and the same. Wherever you go, I am one step behind you. Sealing my body is one thing, but my ESSENCE! The very thing that keeps me going and keeps me coming for you, tormenting you in each dimension you land in, shall always be there! And this time…..this time…..I WILL KILL YOU!" With that, Arufunu lunged at me quickly, his eyes marked with the intent to kill his target. As he grew closer and closer, my legs froze in place on the fact that he was still a problem in my life, and maybe, just maybe, my life should've ended that day eight years ago. My attention returned to me as Arufunu got kicked in the face by Rainbow Dash, who was sporting some new colors in her fur.
"Braveheart, you ok?!", Rainbow Dash asked. I shook my head as I said, "What in the name of Celestia is up with your fur, Dash?" She smirked as she said, "Rainbow Power, new guy! Just leave this monster to us!" My eyes widened as I was surrounded by Twilight and her friends, all of them sporting similar color patterns as Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow…..Power…..", I said in unison with Prodigy, more memories of the day he vanished flooded into my mind. Arufunu frowned as he rubbed his cheek and said, "So, you bitches can use that power willingly? I'm impressed." Rarity frowned angrily as she said, "Mind your tongue! You do not call a lady that!" Arufunu laughed as he said, "Lady, huh?! Where is one?! All I see are pastel-colored freaks who think they have a chance on beating me!" He waved his hand tauntingly at the six ponies and said, "Your move, little girls." Twilight frowned as she said, "Let's get him, girls!" As the six charged at Arufunu, the alicorn laughed as he began to fight the six, showing that he was definitely not going to be taken down easily. With each passing second, feminine yells were heard from each of Twilight and her friends as I thought, 'No….I can't let them do this! They're just going to get themselves killed this way!' Prodigy growled as he said, 'If only I could fight too, I could help them! But I'm trapped inside you!' I shook my head as I thought, 'I know, I know! This is our fight! Only we can stop this!'
'This is my home, and I will not stand to let this pass any longer! SO LET ME OUT OF HERE!', Prodigy exclaimed loudly, Trixie beeping frantically as she said, "Malfunction! Malfunction! Something is wrong!" Both Prodigy and I yelled as we said in unison, "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Arufunu and the others looked back at me as my body glowed brightly, Trixie still frantically exclaiming, "Malfunction! Malfunction! Malfunction! Celestial Error Corde 0549787-Alpha Beta 1! Activating Code: Paradox Sever! Eject! Eject! EJECT!" Once she said that, a loud explosion rang out from my body, the light glowed brighter and brighter as my own body shot out from the light, landing down nearby Celestia and the others. The light dimmed slightly as two red eyes emerged from the light, a loud yell was heard as it said, "ARUFUNU! Your problem is with me, right?! You want me, is that it!?" Twilight's eyes widened when that voice was heard. Her attention was quickly diverted as Pinkie Pie said, "Ooh! I feel all tingly! Twilight, it's that feeling again!" Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie as her body morphed as well, returning to an anthrofied version of herself. And she wasn't the only one: her and everypony else nearby was changing as well. I felt my shoulder get shaken as I regained consciousness, my eyes meeting those of Princess Celestia's. "Oww…..that definitely was painful.", I said softly, realizing that Celestia had a more humanoid body now. "Say, what happened?", I asked.
"You and him happened, Mr. Henegan. It's nice to finally meet you, but that'll have to wait. You got some work to deal with.", Celestia stated as another yell was heard from the light, the light dimmed even more as a chain and cufflink emerged around Trixie. "Wait, what's this?!", I exclaimed as the chain connected to the light, the light finally vanished as Prodigy stood where I used to stand. He inhaled deeply as he looked at his surroundings, then back to himself as he said, "I….I have a body. I HAVE A BODY!" Strawberry's eyes watered as she saw Prodigy checking his body over before saying, "Papa, look out!" Prodigy immediately looked to his right as he got punched in the face by Arufunu, getting launched directly at me. "Excuse me, Princess!", I exclaimed as I stood up immediately, catching Prodigy before he got harmed. Prodigy opened his eyes as he looked at me and said, "Oh. Hello there. Looks like we finally meet outside of your head." I chuckled and said, "That's true, we do. So….what does that make you?" Trixie beeped as she said, "A paradox remnant." Prodigy looked at Trixie and said, "A paradox remnant? What is that?" Trixie beeped as she replied, "Later. Incoming!"
Both Prodigy and I looked up in the air as Arufunu hovered over us and said, "The Aelitatrix Bearer and Prodigy Skyfire, both amongst the world of the living at the exact same time. I get to kill you both this time!" Prodigy stood to his hooves and flexed his hand as a glimmer of light appeared around it, my eyes widened as my Keyblade formed within his hand. "Not this time. You couldn't defeat me before! What makes you think you can beat two of me now?", Prodigy stated. "Hey, that's mine!", I exclaimed, looking at my Keyblade in Prodigy's hand. "Huh, I guess you're right. Here, you can have it.", Prodigy stated as he placed the Keyblade into my right hand, the blade shattering as it reformed again, but this time, in both of our hands. Arufunu frowned as he said, "Two Keyblades?!" I grinned as I said, "Let's get him. Everyone, get back! This might get out of hand!" Twilight looked at Prodigy with a concerned look as Prodigy said, "Do as he says. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Twilight nodded as she said, "Everypony, get away from here! As fast as you can!" As that was said, everyone in the nearby vicinity evacuated the area, leaving Prodigy and I alone with Arufunu. Arufunu motioned his hand at us and said, "Your move." I frowned as I looked at Arufunu coldly and said, "Well, Professor? I'm open to suggestions. How do we take down this guy? Beating him wasn't easy in his normal form, and now there is another one!" Prodigy shook his head and said, "We don't beat him. We kill him, right here and now. We tried sealing him off too, and it was my idea. It worked, but apparently, it wasn't a permanent fix. Death is the only answer to this problem." I frowned and sighed as I said, "I wish there was a way to give this guy a chance, but let's face it: he is just plain evil. If that is the only case, we do need to take of these first." Prodigy looked at me with a confused look on his face as I lifted my wrist that had the shackle and chain on it and said, "Why do you think these are here anyway?" I shook my head as I tugged on the chain and said, "No idea. It may have to deal with the fact that we are linked. But now…..let that link be broken." I tugged hard on the chain as the Sacred Seal flashed on my forehead, the Seal also appearing on Prodigy's forehead at the same time. I growled loudly as I pulled harder and harder, hearing the cuff crack and shatter slowly before it finally ripped off cleanly around my wrist, Trixie finally being completely freed from it. As that happened, the remainder of the chain shattered and broke in front of me, the reaction ending with the cuff around Prodigy's wrist, it shattering as well.
Prodigy shook his hand as he said, "The link is broken. I'm free. Which means YOU'RE DEAD, ARUFUNU!" As he said that, the blue alicorn launched into the air and a loud metallic ring was heard as Arufunu summoned the Dark Resign once again, it clashed with Prodigy's blade as he said, "I'm dead? I beg to differ. What's so different this time that makes you certain you can cut me down?" Arufunu yelled as he got attacked from behind, his attention being directed at me as he saw a string of blood on my own Keyblade. "Last time, he was at half power. Last time, he didn't have ME!", I exclaimed as I began an onslaught of attacks on the corrupted alicorn, Prodigy doing the same as Arufunu tried to black and dodge each attack that was thrown at him. He pulled away from us as he said, "Impressive! You two have some bite in your attacks this time around! However, you're still too weak!"
"No. Things are different this time around!", Prodigy exclaimed as his horn glowed a pale white. Arufunu smirked and laughed loudly as he said, "Magic?! You think that you can use MAGIC against me?! You and I are the same person, Prodigy! That broken horn of yours can't channel magic properly and you know it! Why do you think everypony lives in the anthrofied state they do?!" Prodigy growled as his horn glowed brighter and brighter, his Keyblade starting to glow in the same shade of white his horn was. "Wait, what are you doing?", Arufunu exclaimed. "You kept torturing me all my life. I have had enough of you! If my horn can't channel magic, then I'll use my blade to do so!", Prodigy exclaimed as he cut the air in front of him, a shockwave escaped from the blade as it headed straight for Arufunu, the alicorn barely dodging the attack as a large cut appeared on his face. My eyes widened as I said, "The Sonic Slash. You were able to use one of that Keyblade's techniques in that kind of way?" Prodigy chuckled softly as he said, "I didn't know what would happen, but I had to try."
I smirked as Arufunu yelled loudly at us. My eyes widened as a dark cloud of smoke escaped from the cut on his face. "Look what you've done!", he exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow when he said that. Why would an insignificant attack like that anger him? 'What is going on with him? It's almost like that attack actually damaged him more than the attack you gave him on his back!', Yami exclaimed from within my mind. 'Yeah, you're right. I wonder why? …..Maybe…..yes, that might be it! That could work!', I thought before saying, "Arufunu! You want to kill us? Then go ahead! Use every last bit of energy you can to take us out! Go on! I bet you couldn't hit us, even if you tried!" Prodigy looked at me and said, "Allen, do you think it is a wise idea to taunt a guy that has actually made an attempt to kill you and almost succeeded?"
I shook my head as I said, "Trust me, this'll work! Go on then, Arufunu! You think you can take us?!" Arufunu grinned madly as he said, "I'm going to enjoy killing you, Allen. DIE!" Arufunu groaned loudly as he lifted his hands into the air, lightning sparked around him as his own horn glowed a bright green as more and more lightning built up around him. He looked at his hands as he said, "You remember this one, Prodigy? I'm sure it'll zap your memory and more of that away this time! LIGHTNING FLASH!" I grinned as I tossed my Keyblade to Prodigy and said, "Now, Prodigy! Do what you did with your magic earlier, but this time, use it on HIS MAGIC!" Prodigy's eyes widened when I said that. "Oh! Now I get it! Alright then, you asked for it!", Prodigy exclaimed as he flew into the path of Arufunu's attack, the lightning clashed with both Keyblades as Prodigy's horn glowed violently in the seven colors of the rainbow.
"W-What's happening!? I can't stop my attack! What are you doing, Skyfire?!", Arufunu exclaimed. "The one thing that puzzled me the most when I read Prodigy's journal was the fact that he couldn't use magic properly, despite being an alicorn with a broken horn. A broken horn shouldn't be capable of making it impossible for an alicorn to use magic. Sure, it would've been tricky, but he should be fully capable of using magic naturally. But then, I saw what Prodigy could do with his own magic on his Keyblade and it hit: Prodigy doesn't produce magic. He absorbs it and transfers it into other objects, similar to how a wizard cannot use magic without a wand! And all he needed was the proper power source, which in this case, is the energy that was given to you by the Princesses that you absorbed!", I stated. "N-NO!", Arufunu exclaimed loudly as I said that, his hands emanating the same smoke that was escaping the scar on his face, his hands flickering between that of hands, hooves, then the hands of his own skeleton.
"Let him have it, Professor!", I exclaimed as Prodigy's horn continued to glow violently as he said, "You got it!" As he said that, he launched at Arufunu, he slashed at the being violently and rapidly, Arufunu yelled loudly as more smoke escaped from his body, his body being destroyed with each attack. As Prodigy came to a stop, Arufunu fell to the ground and coughed up blood violently as he said, "T-That….still….ISN'T ENOUGH TO DESTROY ME!" Prodigy frowned as he pointed both blades at Arufunu and said, "I wasn't finished. Celestial Technique: HARMONY RUSH BLAST!" As that was said, the full force of the energy he absorbed escaped from the twin Keyblades in a radiant blast of rainbow colors, Arufunu yelled loudly as the attack hit him dead-on. "You think you this is over?! Not by a long shot! I will return once more, and the next time we meet, I WILL END YOU!", Arufunu yelled before his body got eradicated by the energy blast. When the blast dispersed, a crater was left in its wake, with Arufunu being completely destroyed. Prodigy chuckled softly, then smiled widely as he said, "I-I did it! He's gone!" He sighed as his wings gave way, his body plummeting to the ground as I caught him and said, "No. WE did it, Professor." Prodigy chuckled as I carried him towards the castle and said, "So, PRINCE Prodigy Skyfire, huh?" Prodigy blushed slightly and said, "Sorry I didn't tell you. Are you upset?" I looked towards the castle and said, "Nah. After all, I can understand you not telling me about it. It would've been painful to talk about your wife since you couldn't be with her. But now, now you can. You can be with her, your family, your friends, everypony you know and love once more." Prodigy smiled softly as he said, "Yes. Yes, you're right. By the way, we still didn't get an answer: what IS a paradox remnant?"
Trixie beeped again, but I stated, "Let me, Trixie. I think I understand it all already. A Paradox Remnant is what is created when the Living Paradox is influenced by the Final Absolution transformation, yes?" Trixie clicked slightly as she said, "Yes, it is. It's not SUPPOSED to happen though, but it did. I guess that means you finally understand, right Allen?" My eyes narrowed slightly as I said, "In a way, I guess it was just me trying to run away from the obvious truth. The Living Paradox….a being who lives yet shouldn't. I was supposed to die all those years ago back in my home dimension, yes? That's why I was the perfect choice for being the Aelitatrix Bearer?" Trixie replied and said, "I am sorry." I shook my head and said, "Don't be." Prodigy looked at me and said, "You're not upset? You shouldn't be alive. For that matter, neither should I." I shook my head again and said, "It only means that we are two special individuals, Prodigy. Look around you. Tell me, what do you see?"
Prodigy looked up as he looked at the sight of Ponyville and the stretch of Equestria he could see from the sky and said, "I see a world filled with endless possibilities." I nodded and said, "Precisely. Just because we shouldn't exist doesn't mean we can't. We do exist, and therefore, we should enjoy our existence to the very last." Prodigy nodded, but then asked, "But wait. During my travels with the Doctor, the Living Paradox was always met with bad news. Why do you think that was the case?" I frowned as I landed at the stairs of the castle and said, "Maybe there are things that are occurring in the multiverse that shouldn't because I exist? It's a bit hard to explain." Prodigy grinned cheekily and said, "It's Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey, right?" I smirked and ruffled the stallion's mane and said, "I couldn't agree more with that! And then there is…..him." Prodigy frowned as the two of us walked up the steps to the castle and said, "Arufunu's last words have you worried, don't they? I can't blame you, I'm worried too." I nodded as I pushed at the door and said, "Looks like this won't be the last time I come across The Amaria Shadow." As the two of us walked in, the lights flashed on before a loud party horn was heard. My eyes widened as I saw that the entire castle was decorated with party stuff, all the equines from town were eagerly awaiting us. "W-What's going on here?", I asked.
"It's a party, of course! You may be the Aelitatrix Bearer, but Pinkie Pie never says no to a party! So, instead of a Welcome to Ponyville Braveheart party, it's now a Welcome Home Prodigy Skyfire party! And you two are the guests of honor!", Pinkie stated as she placed party hats on our heads. I looked at Prodigy as the two of us shrugged our shoulders and walked amongst the crowd of ponies, Prodigy immediately getting swarmed by his friends and loved ones. I chuckled as I kept to a corner by myself as Twilight came over to me and said, "Thank you, Allen." I raised an eyebrow and said, "For what? All I did was caused you guys trouble." Twilight shook her head and said, "No, you brought Prodigy back to us. You brought him back to me. For that, I thank you." I smiled softly as I said, "I'll stick around to help out with repairs. It's the least I could do after all of that." Twilight nodded as Strawberry walked up behind her with a piece of cake and said, "So, you and Papa are the same person? Does that make you my uncle or something?" I chuckled as I patted Strawberry on her head and said, "If that is what you want, then so be it, kid." Strawberry smiled softly as she ran off towards a small group of kids her age, all of them sporting a similar shield mark on their clothing. I smiled as I felt someone tap my shoulder gently, my attention turning to see Princess Luna motioning for me to follow her. "Excuse me, Princess Sparkle. I am needed elsewhere.", I said to the young alicorn, bowing slightly before I made chase for Princess Luna.
A few turns down a hallway, I found myself within the throne room once again, seeing Princess Celestia and Luna sitting on one side of the table along with Princess Cadance. "Mr. Henegan, please sit down. We have much to discuss.", Princess Celestia stated. I frowned slightly as I said, "Ok, here we go. Let me guess: because of me being the Living Paradox, I'm going to have to leave this universe and never return?" Princess Luna raised an eyebrow and said, "What? No, nothing of the sort. We have been expecting to sit down with ye for quite some time, as foretold by the young Lady Retsu." My jaw dropped as Luna said that and said, "Wait, you guys know Retsu? How?" Cadance looked up from feeding Flurry Heart with a bottle and said, "We have been allied with the Dimensional Protection Unit for quite some time and wouldn't dream of casting you out. We just wanted to welcome you officially to our universe." My eyes widened when Cadance said that. "Oh! Well, uhh…..thank you. I did feel welcome when you welcomed me the first time. Sorry about the whole disguise thing, by the way.", I stated. Celestia chuckled softly and said, "No need to be sorry. You are not the first humanoid to enter our world, and I am pretty certain it won't be the last. However, I do need to say this: do be careful."
I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Be careful? Why?" Celestia looked towards the ceiling and said, "We too are blessed with the gift of the Dimensional Shout. We've been seeing a vision during the years the Professor was here: a vision of a man who also should not exist." I grinned and said, "Arufunu? No need to worry about him anymore. With Prodigy here, this world is more than capable of defending against him if he tried to return here." Luna shook her head and said, "We do not fear of Arufunu returning here. Our vision showed us that he may be up to something vile elsewhere. Be on the lookout for him, please. Also, there is one other thing." I tilted my head as Celestia's horn glowed, a medallion in the shape of the Sacred Seal appeared in front of him. I took it in my hands and heard whispers escaping from it, immediately dropping the medallion and said, "What was that?"
"Each seat of power within the multiverse has one of these medallions. The whispers you heard were the call of the Dimensional Court.", Luna stated. I noticed that when she mentioned that, the three equines all broke out in a nervous sweat. "The Dimensional Court? What is that?" Celestia shook her head and said, "You will soon find out." I frowned as I nodded, then stood to my feet and said, "Alright then, I think I have overstayed my welcome here. It is time that I return to Amaria. Lots of work to be done, you know." Luna smiled softly as she said, "Please tell Lady Retsu that we said hello and that she should come to visit us again very soon!" I nodded, then bowed in front of the four princesses and immediately left them behind, finding my way to the front room. As I crept by the partying ponies, I didn't notice that Prodigy spotted me making my way out the door. Yami materialized beside me once again and said, 'Arufunu is popping up again in the multiverse. What could he be planning this time?' I shook my head as I replied, "I haven't the slightest idea, partner. When it comes to him, trying to expect what he has planned is the worst idea we could have. Always expect the unexpected with him."
Yami nodded as a voice rang out behind us and said, "Hey! You weren't going to just leave without saying goodbye, now were you?" I looked behind me and saw Prodigy run up behind me, breathing heavily as he said, "That's not the way things are done, now is it?" I smiled softly as Prodigy held out his hand and said, "It was great to meet you, Mr. Henegan. I hope it won't be the last time." I shook my head and hugged Prodigy tightly and said, "First off, that's Allen to you, Prodigy. And don't worry, you haven't seen the last of me." Prodigy hugged me back and said, "Thank you, Allen. Thank you for everything." I pulled away from the alicorn and chuckled as I saw tears falling from his eyes and said, "Hey, there. No need for the waterworks. Everything will be alright." Prodigy sniffled as he wiped his eyes with his labcoat sleeve and said, "Are you sure?" I nodded and said, "Of course! Equestria has Prof. Prodigy Skyfire looking out after it!" Prodigy smiled softly as I turned away from him before saying, "Oh, I almost forgot!" Prodigy raised an eyebrow at me as I pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and journal from my jacket and said, "Can't forget about these. Also, you'll be needing these as well." As I said that, I fiddled with the dial on Trixie as she spat out a pair of black glasses into my awaiting hand. I handed them to Prodigy as he said, "Right, can't forget my effects."
I crossed my arms as Prodigy placed his journal and Sonic Screwdriver within his labcoat and placed his glasses on his face. I nodded and said, "That's more like it! So, what do you think you'll do now, Prodigy? No need on trying to find your memory anymore." Prodigy looked up to the sky in thought then said, "I don't know. It's good not knowing things sometimes, right?" I laughed and said, "I couldn't agree more!" I sighed softly and said, "Prodigy." Prodigy tilted his head and said, "Yeah? What is it?" I looked at the sky and said, "This world of yours is going to be the playground for many things now, you know this right?" Prodigy nodded and said, "Yeah, but we'll be ready for it all." I smiled and said, "Very well then. I leave this world in your capable hands, Professor. Good luck." Prodigy held out his hand again as I shook it and said, "Of course. Good luck on finding Arufunu too. Tell him the Professor says hello." I nodded as I turned away from him and snapped my fingers as Trixie used her magic to repair the surrounding area of the damage Arufunu dealt, then yelled, "GANGWAY!", before shattering through the Dimensional Rift, leaving the alicorn behind. Prodigy smiled as he thought, 'So long, Savior of the Mulitverse. I hope we meet again soon.' Prodigy's attention returned as Twilight said, "Prodigy! Come on back before Arty eats all the cake!" Prodigy chuckled and said, "Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Prodigy looked around at his surroundings and said, "Welcome home, Prodigy Skyfire. Welcome home."
As that was said, I flew faster and faster down the Dimensional Rift on my way for home. I couldn't help but take a few glances in the direction I came from, my mind still full of joy that the Professor found his way back home as he promised his family and friends. However, the thought of Arufunu being free within the multiverse still bugged me. How did he escape from the Malevolence Stone within the Aelitatrix? More questions, ever more questions that I hoped to find answers for very soon….
To be continued…
