Partheus

Partheus settled back into his chair, trying to relax himself. "Okay, I'll explain. It's not as bad as it sounds, actually." He leaned back into his chair further, looking up at the ceiling again. "Well, for starters, 'slave' is a bit of a harsh term. The horses in Hominopolis aren't sentient like you guys are, so I'm not exactly holding it against it's will. And, unlike slaves, I feed, exercise, groom, and generally look after my horse. Like I said, my horse has about thirty acres of land to mill around in it's leisure time. How big is Ponyville? About the same area. You wouldn't give that much personal freedom to a slave, would you?" He looked back at the pony. "Also, take into account how useful a horse is to someone like me. I have to travel across hundreds of miles, just to deliver some letters. You really think I'm going to walk that distance, when I could just hop on a much faster and more durable alternative? Think of it this way; if you had to walk from here to Canterlot every day to give Celestia some cake, and there were non-sentient creatures lying around that you could ride, who were faster and more durable than you, would you still walk?" He leaned forward and pulled out a horseshoe from his satchel. "Besides, do you know how lucky having one of these on you is? I can't tell you how much more successful my travels have been since I got this thing."

"Hmph, way to put the pressure on me, Newsworthy! I can't just blurt out that I like him. You heard him; he's scared stiff of the idea of ponies fancying him!" She buried her face slightly. "To tell you the truth, the only reason why I'm doing this is because I actually want to help Partheus out a little. I'll admit, I like the guy, like, a LOT. But, as I said yesterday, so does Twilight. I don't want to hurt her feelings by nabbing her first love interest off her, but at the same time, I want to help Partheus get used to the idea of ponies liking him so him and Twilight will be happy together..." Rainbow Dash looked over at Partheus, who was running in circles on a cloud. "You see, the idea was for me to... advance on him, but do it in such a way as to be gentle and gradual. You might be able to spot the signs, but him? He doesn't even realise I'm doing anything." She looked down at her hooves. "Then, after he grows accustomed to the notion of dating a pony, we'd part ways, giving him the opportunity to go after Twilight. That way, everyone is happy, and gets what they want. What, did you think I was interested in spending the rest of my life with him? Pfft, nah! I mean he's super hot and all, but I wouldn't want to spend every day with him, you know? I'm not even interested in long-term relationships full stop. Too slow for my tastes!" She waved her hoof in the air. "Now, let's get back to training this slowpoke, eh?" She and Newsworthy flew back to Partheus' cloud. Brilliant, she thought. The cover story I spent all last night thinking of worked a charm! Now, Newsworthy is utterly convinced I'm doing this for Twilight's sake. Of course, what he doesn't realise is that I know both of them well enough to know that it wouldn't work out between them. One likes being outdoors, the other likes being indoors. Simple as that. It doesn't take a genius to figure out all of the problems and arguments this'll cause. What Partheus needs is a real mare who who shares his interests, who likes being out in the open, and who isn't afraid of a challenge. And that special somepony just so happens to be me...

Partheus looked at Rainbow Dash oddly. She's being way too eager about that for my liking, he thought. And what does she expect me to wear instead... oh hang on, I think I get where she's coming from... "Err, beg your pardon, Rainbow Dash, but uhh... humans normally wear clothes when training, and everywhere else too. We try to avoid walking around naked when we can, and to be honest..." He quickly looked around to see if anyone else was listening in. "...with me being a curiosity among the citizens of Equestria thanks to Newsworthy's articles about me, I feel rather uncomfortable about the notion of running on top of clouds in my birthday suit, knowing that there could be some deranged pony out there who would really enjoy seeing me naked..." Like Twilight, for instance, he thought. "Yeah, err, I agree. I mean, what kind of... sick pony would want to see you naked, hehehe?" Rainbow Dash panicked. Darn it, she thought. I'll have to figure out how to get those clothes off of him another way. And I still need to keep Newsworthy busy while I make my move! This'll take some real imagination to pull off... "Anyway, now you're gonna learn how to walk on clouds! First, I want you to try and stand on one. Go ahead, it isn't that bad..." Partheus slowly dismounted off Newsworthy, placing both feet on the clouds below him. He suddenly fell through, tumbling through the air, closing his eyes shut trying not to think of what would happen to him when he hit the ground. Before he had time to say his prayers, he felt something grab him by the back of his shirt. He opened his eyes and looked around to see Rainbow Dash holding him by her teeth. "Huell, how disch it feel tu schtand on a claud?" "Sorry, what?" Rainbow Dash held onto the back of Partheus' shirt with her hooves, freeing her mouth. "I said, how did it feel to stand on a cloud?" Partheus looked down at the ground below him. "Err... I felt no resistance whatsoever. I didn't even stand on it." Rainbow Dash flew Partheus over the top of the clouds he fell through. "Now, when I let you go, don't put any pressure on your feet. Treat the cloud as if it's made of hot coals. Got it?" Partheus nervously nodded. Rainbow Dash then let go of Partheus, who landed on the cloud, trying not to lose his balance. His feet were stuck about an inch into the cloud, and he dared not move. "C'mon, scaredy cat! Put a foot forward, will ya?" Partheus cautiously put his right foot forward, gently landing it on the cloud. Then, he gently lifted and placed his left foot in front of him. And so on, and so on... Before Partheus knew it, two hours had passed, and he could walk with some confidence on clouds. Newsworthy was sitting on a floating cloud nearby, making notes. Rainbow Dash was watching him casually, reading a Daring Do novel as she did. "Well, now that you've found your footing, how about you try running?" Partheus began to add speed to his walk, going from a brisk jog to a full blown run. However, as he increased his speed, his foot began to slowly sink into the cloud more and more, before suddenly breaking through to the other side. He struggled to get his foot free, but this caused him to fall through the cloud again. He didn't shut his eyes again; by this point, he had grown used to the sensation of falling. Rainbow Dash grudgingly grabbed him by the back of his shirt again, and placed him back on to the clouds. She glanced over to Newsworthy, who was still busy taking notes. "Say, Newsworthy, isn't that notepad getting full? You may want to head back to Ponyville quickly and get a new one. Wouldn't want to miss any details, now, would we?"

Roleplay type: Equestria Crossover RP Name: Partheus Sex: Male Age: Adult Species: Human Eye colour: Light blue Skin colour: White Hair colour/style: Dark brown, short ponytail Physique: Thin, but well defined Cutie mark: None Origin/residence: Born in Hominopolis, temporarily staying in Twilight's house, may move to Canterlot some day Occupation: Messenger Motivation: To protect Equestria and his new-found friends with his last breath Likes: Being outdoors, learning about new things, eating feed Dislikes: People touching his satchel, other humans, eating hay Character summary: Partheus was born and raised in Hominopolis, a large walled city that is the human equivalent of Equestria. Humans are normally cruel creatures that have no concept of friendship, and would rather stab their fellow man in the back than help them out. But, Partheus was different. He knew there had to be something more to life than selfish pursuits. He spent his childhood being taunted and ridiculed by people his age for thinking differently, and his parents refused to do anything about it. They hated him as much as the kids did, thinking he was some lazy daydreamer who didn't have a clue on how the world really worked. At the age of 11, Partheus was given a choice between manual labour for the rest of his days, which guaranteed money and a house of his own once he was old enough, or higher education, which didn't. Most people his age picked manual labour, so out of defiance, Partheus picked higher education, much to the disapproval of his parents, who were both manual labourers. He hoped that he would finally break free from the oppressive cycle of bullying and find solace in knowledge. Sadly, for the next five years of his life, he was once again reduced to being the local idiot for dreaming of a better world. This tragically led to him beating one of his tormentors within an inch of his life, excluding him entirely from higher education. This experience set in stone Partheus' hatred for other human beings, viewing them as unforgiving monsters. At the age of 16, a drop out from school and hated by all, he was given another choice; manual labour or the Human League, the military force of Hominopolis. Still wanting to avoid the life of mediocrity that his parents were beset with, he chose the Human League, as a last-ditch effort to escape the perpetual nightmare society had crafted for itself. The Human League was harsh, but unlike the other tormentors Partheus had met all throughout his life, the torment was cathartic in nature; there was a point to the suffering, and it made Partheus stronger both physically and mentally. After a gruelling year's worth of basic training, he chose to become a messenger, delivering letters to and from Hominiopolis and other places in the Five Realms, the five continents that make up the world. Finally, he could fulfil his childhood dream and discover what was really out there. He spent the next ten years of his life serving Hominopolis well, travelling all across the Five Realms, from the swampy jungles of Eden, to the fiery depths of Draconia, to the icy wastelands of Tundra, and even making brief stays in the mysterious and haunting Tsua Fei Islands. He was given his own house, in the countryside of Taiga, the central Realm. That way, he could be on the move faster than if he lived in Hominopolis, and he was completely isolated from humanity, whom he had grown to despise. One night, while delivering a letter from Draconia to Hominopolis, he was attacked by bandits. He managed to fight them off, but he was badly wounded, and needed to make an emergency stop in the nearest settlement. Hominopolis was too far away, so he had to make a detour into uncharted territory, and hope for the best. This uncharted territory turned out to be Equestria, who had not sighted a human in over 2000 years. He made his way to Ponyville, before collapsing in Sugarcube Corner. While recovering in Ponyville Hospital, he met and befriended Twilight Sparkle, and while he was a little thrown by the concept of talking horses, he slowly became accustomed to it. Twilight gave Partheus a basic overview of Equestria and how things worked, which left him with an insatiable appetite to learn more. When he could finally walk, he decided to travel across Equestria, using Twilight Sparkle's house as a hub to return to once in a while. Partheus is a fairly friendly man who tries his best to befriend others, but often fails due to his darker, more human tendencies. He is currently in the process of learning what friendship means from Twilight and her friends, absorbing various morals and lessons as he makes his way around this new country he had found himself in. However, the hatred and anger that has accumulated within Partheus throughout his life has taken the form of a powerful but unstable energy source within himself. If someone or something gets him angry, this energy is released as a strange red lightning that courses through his body, granting him superhuman strength and speed, at the cost of his ability to reason or think. As he learned more about friendship, it formed a more stable energy source within himself. This means that he can use it to cast magic, which is something no human has ever been able to do before. Twilight Sparkle tries to teach Partheus magic, but he often fails, leading to many accidents within her house. He normally carries a sword when on duty in the Human League, but when travelling around Equestria, he chooses not to, for fear he will scare citizens who will be already unnerved by the sight of a strange creature walking among them. However, if the opportunity arises, he will use one. He wears a satchel, which contains various tools, potions, and items that come in handy when he is travelling. It also contains the letter he was meant to deliver to Hominopolis, so if anybody tries to touch his satchel in any way, it'll get him very angry, very fast.

Partheus suddenly felt very uncomfortable at the sight of a colourful pony standing almost as tall as he did, staring him down with a venomous gaze. Wow, he thought, when these guys want to be threatening, they do it much better than I thought. Still, not as scary as Twilight when you disturb her during 'study time'... "Err, if you can just settle down, I'm sure we can talk about this like men... ponies... whatever."

Partheus was grabbed by Newsworthy by his arms, letting him dangle helplessly as he gazed fearfully at the ground far below him. "don'tlookdown, don'tlookdown, don'tlookdown..." His heart was pounding fiercely, and he was beginning to feel light-headed. He hoisted himself up on to Newsworthy's back, and raced off after Rainbow Dash, who was still cruising across the sky like a blue bullet. After a while, they eventually caught up with her, still grinning maliciously at her prank. "What the heck was that for, Rainbow Dash?!" She turned around, only having just noticed they had caught up with her. "Just wanted to see if you're scared of heights or not. Are you?" "Well, not to a ridiculous degree, but..." Rainbow Dash laughed out loud. "Oh really? Is that why I heard you scream like a little filly when you fell?" Partheus grunted. "What?! That was Newsworthy!" Rainbow Dash waved her hoof dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever..." That should get his adrenaline pumping, she thought. Now he'll be more open to suggestion, meaning when I make my move on him, he's more likely to accept it. A huge smile formed on Rainbow Dash's face, and she chuckled to herself at how her grand scheme to take Partheus for her own was coming along swimmingly... Partheus' heart was still beating from earlier. "Well, Newsworthy, I assume you aren't just here to make sure I don't die..." He looked down at the ground below him. "...though I do greatly appreciate the gesture. What other reasons do you have following me and Rainbow Dash to Cloudsdale?"

Partheus was fast asleep in his bed, snoring heavily. He suddenly jerked upwards at the sound of Rainbow Dash banging on his door. "Yeah, I can hear you. I'm coming right out!" Loudmouth, he thought. He reluctantly get out of his bed, changed into his day clothes, walked over to the door, unlocked it and opened it. "Good morning, Rainbow Dash..." He yawned and stretched at the same time, and noticed that Newsworthy was behind Rainbow Dash. "Why is Newsworthy here?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "He's only here to make sure I don't work you to death. For now, we're heading off to Cloudsdale to teach you a thing or two about agility!" Partheus may have been half-asleep, but he wasn't stupid. "Sorry to ruin your plans, but I thought only pegasi could go to Cloudsdale? Wouldn't I just fall through the clouds?" Rainbow Dash grabbed Partheus by the ear and dragged him down the hallway outside his living quarters and down the large staircase, Newsworthy following closely behind. "No time for questions! Now, we train!" Partheus tried to break free from Rainbow Dash's grip, but he lacked the fine motor skills to grab on to her hoof, having only just woken up. "Oww, come on, Rainbow Dash! I haven't even eaten anything yet!" Rainbow Dash walked past a table that so happened to have Celestia's breakfast on it, consisting of a bowl of the finest feed, two apples, and a warm cup of milk. She swiftly grabbed the bowl of feed from the table, and gave it to Partheus. "There, Your Majesty! Eat up. We're flying soon!" Partheus was dragged by Rainbow Dash to the open court outside the palace. He was hastily stuffing uneven handfuls of the fine feed into his mouth; even though he was being rather unfairly rushed, he could still appreciate how much nicer this feed was to the standard feed he was used to at Twilight's house. Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped, let go of Partheus' ear, and spread her wings. "I didn't have time to arrange transport. You'll just have to ride me." Partheus finished off the bowl of fine feed, set the bowl on the floor, and hopped on to Rainbow Dash's back. Being smaller than the horses Partheus was used to riding, it was a little uncomfortable. But, after a shaky lift-off, he became accustomed to the strange sensation of riding on top of a slightly thinner and rounder back... while flying. Partheus and Rainbow Dash flew over Canterlot, soon a colourful blur from way up high in the sky. Newsworthy was following behind, looking slightly tired himself. So, Partheus thought. No questions. I wonder why she's being so uptight about it? Is it some form of secret training? And she still hasn't explained how I'm supposed to walk on the clouds in Cloudsdale. Unless there's some technique involved, I can't see how it can be done. Oh well. If this technique helps me become more agile, then I guess I have no choice. At least I'll be safe from Twilight and her advances on me...

Cadence smiled and thought for a moment. "For thousands of years, Celestia has ruled over Equestria, and has always ensured that peace came to her land, no matter the cost. She's fought and imprisoned every threat to Equestria without fail, endangering her own life time and time again, filling the empty sky with the captured beings, as a permanent reminder to those who wish to harm the peace Celestia has worked for over millennia. She even went as far as banishing her own sister to the moon..." She looked back at the encampment behind them. "Tell the people of Equestria that Celestia is willing to sacrifice everything to ensure this glorious land she has fostered remains a paradise for all ponykind, and that there will be peace hereafter, as it always has been." Cadence conjured a pink heart from her horn. "Tell them to cherish what they have, no matter who that is, be it family, friends, or that special somepony. And if they have nothing..." She turned to Newsworthy and smiled. "Tell them to seek out someone to cherish. Even if their search turns out fruitless, the searching will give them the strength to continue in these dark times..." She then blew the pink heart into the wind, watching it being carried away like a rose petal into the encampment below, phasing through the barrier around the encampment, and disappearing over the horizon. Suddenly, there came a huge pink wave of energy that washed over the encampment, clouding the inside of the barrier with pink dust. "One of my personal favourite spells of mine. I call it 'the Love Bomb'. That should keep the camp happy for the night, at least..." Cadence and Newsworthy headed back into the castle, tired from their labours... * * * Twilight giggled. "What? No, he doesn't need tucking into bed, silly! He's fine!" She climbed into her own bed, staring at the ceiling. Partheus seems a little stressed out at the moment, she thought. I'd better keep my distance from him for the time being. I don't want to upset him, or get him angry. The last thing we need is for him to blow up half the palace in a fit of rage brought on by a nagging... friend?... Mabye that's what's causing it? He doesn't view me as a friend any more. But what does he see me as, then? It can't be an enemy, he was fairly friendly to... "OH MY GOSH!" Twilight sat up from her bed. She looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was looking at her awkwardly. "What's the matter, Twilight?" Twilight grinned. "Uh, nothing, just, err... chocolate milk..." Rainbow Dash raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Okay, whatever, 'A Beautiful Mane'. You seriously need to catch some zeds before your mind explodes or something..." Twilight lay back on her bed. That's ridiculous, she thought. Why would he have feelings for me? He acts as though he's... above such things normally. He's shown no interest in starting a relationship with anyone as of yet, and seems to be a little unnerved at the idea of dating a pony... But it explains so much! Why he's so supportive of me, why he only seeks me out, instead of any of my friends... I'm actually a little flattered! But, I don't know whether it would work out between us. Heck, all of this could be just me being my delusional self once again. I'll keep my eye on him, but only occasional visits. I could be wrong, and he could hate my guts right now. Mabye once every few days? That sounds fair enough. Now, to lull myself to sleep... Twilight then recited the finer points of quadratic equations, a task so dull, she was out like a light within minutes...

Partheus looked around Twilight's house. "Twilight? You home?" There came a sudden rushing of eager hooves coming from upstairs, and then Twilight appeared in front of Partheus, looking overtly joyous. "I... don't believe it... this is..." She jumped up in the air excitedly. "Woo-hoo! They finally released you!" She hugged Partheus tightly. "Oh my gosh, this is so amazing! Please, come in! I have to know what they did to you there..." She looked behind Partheus to see a pony wearing a fez, monocle, and a bright red vest. "Who's this, Partheus?"

Partheus fought off the wolves bravely, dispatching several of them with almost military precision, as he jabbed their throats and gutted their bellies. Suddenly, he noticed Gravel fainting due to a large gash on her side. He rushed over to her, pulling out a cloth and some healing ointment from his satchel. "Come on, Gravel, stay with me here..." He rubbed her open wound with the healing ointment, making sure to be gentle with her, so she doesn't become too stressed. She slipped into unconsciousness due to blood loss. "NO! Come on! Don't give up on me!" He pulled out a bandage from his satchel and tied it around Gravel's wound, cutting off the excess material with his knife. "I'm here for you, Gravel. Just please... don't..." Partheus slumped to Gravel's side, hoping the healing ointment would take effect soon.

"Yep. Hominopolis is full of people like me. That big grey circle in the middle is where most of us live. Very few people have the privilege to live outside of the walled city. And you happen to be talking to one of them..." Partheus smirked to himself. "I'm a messenger, so I need to be able to travel across the world on demand. So, what better way to be ready to travel in the wild than living in the wild itself?" He looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, cute little cottage on a country road. About thirty acres of land to myself, perfect for my horse..." He suddenly jerked back, after realising what he just said. "Err, I mean, 'house'! Loads of land to myself, perfect for my 'house'. You know, like for a nice view?" He began to panic. Nice going, he thought. Blurt out that you own a horse in front of sentient horses. Yeah, I'm sure that'll go down a treat...

Cadence smiled at Newsworthy, recognising him as that passionate journalist she's heard so much about from Ponyville. "Oh, you want to do a story about me? Why certainly! Getting the refugees to know a little bit more about me before I go down there to cheer them up is a wonderful idea." Cadence and Newsworthy left the throne room, headed for the refugee camp together. Twilight walked over to Celestia, still wearing her massive saddlebags full of paper. "So, Celestia, if you want to sift through this information yourself, feel free. Mabye you can arrive at a better conclusion than I can..." She took off her saddlebags and dumped them onto the floor at Celestia's feet. Twilight then walked over to Partheus again. "So, what have you learned about Sagittarius?" Partheus winced slightly, but complied to her wishes. "I have learned from Newsworthy that he uses powerful magic, so I'll need to learn some form of barrier spell..." Twilight clasped her hooves together in joy. Oh no, he thought. Please don't say you know a spell like that... "I know just the person for you! My brother, Shining Armour, knows all about protection spells! You can meet up with him some time and train." Partheus sighed with relief. "Well, I also learned he can use something known as a "balefire" spell..." Twilight gasped. "Oh, that's some pretty advanced magic! The magical barrier will be useless against it. You're only option would be to avoid it like the plague, but who can help you with that? Hmm..." Twilight clasped her hooves together for a second time. "I know! Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash snapped out of her twisted fantasising. "Huh, wha? Yes, Twilight?" "How would you like to train Partheus to be as agile as you are?" Rainbow Dash developed a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Oh my gosh, she thought. Could this day get any better? Now I can spend time with him, alone, in Cloudsdale! Nobody will bother us there! I'll have to teach him how to walk on clouds, though. Wouldn't want that devilishly handsome dude to turn into a devilishly handsome stain on the forest floor below... "Yeah, sure Twilight! You better be ready to get sweaty, Partheus! It ain't easy being as awesome as me, you know!" Partheus rolled his eyes dismissively. All bravado, he thought. Thing is, she could have a crush on me, but she's friends with Twilight, and she knows how Twilight feels about me. She wouldn't hurt her friend's feelings like that, so I should be safe from any advances by her... I hope... "Finally, a story from Fillydelphia says that a powerful magic user cast a certain spell at Sagittarius, that drove him away, but at the life of the caster. Do you know any spells like that?" Twilight thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. He suddenly gasped with horror. "No... not those spells... could it be?" "What is it, Twilight? What spells?" Twilight put her hoof on Partheus' shoulder. "Forbidden magic, locked away in the Restricted Section of the Canterlot Archives. Evil wizards and corrupt sorcerers of times past created terrible spells that granted enormous power, but at the cost of something important..." Twilight began to pace up and down the throne room as she spoke. "Some drain your willpower, some deplete your capacity to love or reason, and the worst ones drain your very life essence. For obvious reasons, they are totally banned from ever being used, and only a select few, myself included, have access to the archives in which they are stored. Whoever cast that spell must have been a very respected member of the magical community to even have the privilege to read those books." Twilight leaned into Partheus' face. "You are not to learn any of those spells, under any circumstances. The effects could be catastrophic to your psyche, or even your life..." Twilight's eyes saddened a little when she said the last part of her sentence. Partheus smiled. "Hey, no need to worry. I don't plan on doing anything that foolish..." Right, he thought. I'll sneak into the Restricted Section at some point, and learn some of the spells there. If everything else fails in my battle against Sagittarius, I'll have those spells as a Plan B. He'd kill me anyway by that point in the battle if I lay down my arms and surrendered, so I might as well do him some damage before I pass on... "One more thing..." Partheus unsheathed his sword, and presented it to Twilight. "This is apparently enchanted with some sort of magical power. Do you know anything about this kind of thing?" Twilight shook her head. "You'll need to speak to Celestia if you want the... finer points of what that sword can do..." She giggled at her own joke. "Well, that about wraps up everything I know. Now, to head to my room to unpack." He walked over to Celestia, sheathing his sword back into his scabbard. "So, where is my room?" Celestia looked around for a butler. "Jeeves? Could you be a dear and put these bags in my room, please?" A short pony in a suit ran over, picked up the bags, and ran as fast as he could out of the throne room with them. Celestia held out her hoof to Partheus. "Hold my hoof." Partheus raised his eyebrow, and tentatively held on to Celestia's hoof. There was a sudden flash of light, and before he knew where he was, Partheus was in a luxurious room, complete with a king-sized poster bed for two, a harpsichord, cabinets for placing clothes and other odds and ends in, and an en suite bathroom, decked with a bathtub, shower, and sink. To the left of Partheus was a door, that presumably lead to the rest of the castle, and another door to the left of it, with two crossed swords placed on the front as decoration. "What's behind that door, Celestia?" Celestia walked over to it, and pushed it open with her hoof, smiling proudly. "You'll like this, Partheus. Come." Partheus peered inside and felt his jaw drop. The room was a large well lit hall, the walls lined with every weapon imaginable on wooden racks. There was an obstacle course, dummies for sword practise, a meditating circle for honing in on magic, a small circular arena for sparring, and a curious lever besides the door. "This room is amazing! But, what does this lever do?" Celestia smiled and raised the lever by one increment. Suddenly, Partheus felt his entire body become heavier, dragging him onto his hands and knees with a heavy thud. "Gah... what... is this?" Celestia smirked and pulled the lever down to it's original setting. "This room has been enchanted with an encumbrance spell. You have a lever here to alter how heavy things are. The higher you pull the lever, the more effort things like walking and running will take, great for building speed and strength." Excellent, he thought. This should give me an edge. "The maximum setting for this is x5. Any higher would crush your bones into dust." Partheus winced at this gruesome detail. "The lowest setting is x0.1. Perfect if you want to hone in on aerial combat without the use of levitation spells." Partheus suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes, that reminds me. You know this sword you gave me?" "Yes, the Imperial sword I had crafted for you. What about it?" "Apparently, it has magical properties..." Celestia facehoofed out of embarrassment. "Oh, of course! How could I have been so absent-minded? Yes, it does have magical properties. It can channel your inner power to increase it's effectiveness, and to ultimately be an extension of yourself, like a good weapon should be. A weapon doesn't make the man, but it certainly helps him after he is made." She smiled kindly at Partheus. "Now, if you need anything, just ask one of our helpful butlers. You'll find one almost anywhere you look, and they've been told to help you out as readily as they would help me and my sister out." Celestia walked out of the training hall and into Partheus' living quarters. "Good luck with your training, Partheus! May the sun shine brightly upon thee!" Celestia then disappeared into a bright flash of light. Partheus took off his satchel and sword, placed them in one of the cabinets, and laid out on his poster bed. Man, he thought, this is better than I expected. And to think I was considering not coming at all earlier today. He looked out from his window; it was beginning to get dark already. Well, he thought, may as well... wait a minute, my pyjamas are still in Twilight's house. What am I going to- Suddenly, Twilight burst through the door, holding Partheus' pyjamas above her head with a spell, panting heavily. "So... many... stairs..." Oh for crying out loud, he thought. Now she knows where my room is! Twilight placed the pyjamas on Partheus' bed, and sat down beside him. "So, what do you think of your new room?" Partheus craned his neck back. "Err, I love it, Twilight. Thanks for asking." Twilight frowned. "You know, I'm curious. You seem to be acting rather... avoidant of me as of late. What's changed?" Partheus didn't know what to say; he couldn't possibly tell Twilight what Rainbow Dash told him, and he couldn't possibly tell Twilight what he thinks she wants from him. "I... uhh... it's kinda hard to... umm..." "Oh don't worry. It's probably just nerves getting the best of you. I mean, you've been told by Celestia to train as hard as you can to fight a creature that now rivals her own power! I'd be pretty avoidant of everyone if I were in your hooves, because I know that everything that would come out of my mouth would be irrational and ill-informed. Kinda like what happened downstairs earlier..." She looked down at her hooves mournfully. "Hey, no need to fret about it, Twilight. You gave it your all, and that's what matters. You did all you could, and even though it may not have turned out as great as you wanted it to, at least no one can blame it on a lack of effort on your part." He rubbed Twilight's shoulder reassuringly. "Besides, you've given all of your work to Celestia. I'm sure she'll come up with something. She always does." Twilight smiled. "Thanks for the support, Partheus. You're always there to give me help when I need it most, and for that, I truly value you as a friend." She hopped off the bed, and walked over to the door. "Goodnight, Partheus. See you tomorrow!" She opened the door, and shut it behind her, leaving Partheus alone in his room. Well, he thought, she had a golden opportunity to make her move on me just then, and she didn't. She's either biding her time, or what Rainbow Dash told me isn't true. But why would Rainbow Dash tell me a lie? What could that possibly accomplish? He slipped on his pyjamas, got into his bed, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

"Well, if you really want to know, I'm from Hominopolis, a neighbouring country to Equestria full of people like me. Here, I'll show you." He pulled out a crumpled map from his satchel, showing all of the known countries to Hominopolis. Hominopolis was surrounded by a patch of green, to the north was a white patch, to the south was a dark red patch, to the east was a blue patch with green dots in the centre, and to the west was a lusher green patch. "Thing is, no one else knows where Equestria is, so it isn't marked on this map. But, guessing from where I detoured on this road over here..." He pointed to a faint white line going through the patch of green meant to represent thick woodland. "We are about here." He pointed to a blank spot on the patch of green to the south-east of Hominopolis. Partheus folded up the map, and put it back inside his satchel. "So, I bet you never knew that there were places outside of Equestria, huh?"

Partheus diverted his attention from the pony tugging at his shins to another pony asking him to sit next to him and wait for his meal. "Umm, sure. I can see the chef has had quite a busy day already, and I wouldn't want to further add to his burden." He followed the pony to his table, and sat down opposite him.

Partheus looked down to see the same pony from earlier. "What's the matter? You shy?"

Twilight smiled slightly. "Thanks. We haven't got anything else to go on, so even if this turns out to be wrong, it's our best bet at the moment." She collected the remaining plies of paper, and shoved them all into her massive saddlebags. She walked over to Partheus, who was trying to bury his face after embarrassing himself in front of everyone. "Thanks for the kind words, Partheus. They really mean a lot to me." Partheus grimaced a little at her compliment. Why did Rainbow Dash have to tell me that, he thought. Now every innocent compliment Twilight pays me is going to sound like a chat-up line! "Err, no problem, Twilight. You know I'm always here to support you..." He gulped nervously, Twilight giving him a concerned look. Just then, a pink alicorn with multi-coloured hair walked into the throne room. "Cadence! It's so good to see you!" Twilight ran over to her, hugging her while still carrying all of her paperwork. Weighed down by the unusually heavy unicorn, Cadence tried to slip out of Twilight's hold before her neck snapped. "Oh, well, it's lovely to see you too, Twilight! Looks like you've been working on something big!" Twilight blushed and giggled. "Aww, it's nothing much, just a little investigation I've been doing for Celestia." Cadence rolled her eyes cheerily. "Old habits die hard, eh?" They both laughed among themselves. Cadence walked over to Celestia and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help with this whole affair with Sagittarius." Celestia smiled thoughtfully. "Well, if you feel as though you must assist, I suppose boosting the morale of those made homeless by Sagittarius would be a fitting task for a mistress of love such as yourself." Cadence bowed again. "Thank you, Your Highness. The gesture is much appreciated." Rainbow Dash saw her opportunity to strike; she flew over to Cadence as she was making her way out of the throne room and whispered into her ear, "Hey, you see that human over there?" Cadence looked over at Partheus. "Oh, is that what they're called? Yes, go on." "Well, he really likes Twilight, and Twilight really likes him. Like, 'you and Shining Armour' like. But, they don't want to admit it to one another. I was wondering if you could cast a love spell on both of them to help their relationship get off the ground..." Cadence gasped. "Really? Twilight's finally found that special somepony? I'm so happy for her!" Rainbow Dash hushed Cadence. "You can't tell either of them anything! You've got to do it in secret, or else they'll deny that they love each other completely, which would be a total shame, right?" Cadence nodded in agreement to Rainbow Dash's terms. "Oh, I get it, one of those 'star-crossed lovers' sort of things." She winked at Rainbow Dash and chuckled. "I'll see what I can do." She walked out of the throne room, humming a tune to herself. Excellent, Rainbow Dash thought. If all goes according to plan, I'll swoop in just as Twilight makes her move on Partheus, and steal him off her! Hehehe, Rainbow Dash, you darned genius!

((That's why I said she was apparently following no one; it was just her.)) Partheus continued to follow Sara, eventually leading to Twilight Sparkle's house. The lights are on, he thought, but I know from sleeping in her house for a few weeks that she loves late-night studying more than anything else, so it probably nothing to do with the inmates running amok in Ponyville. I wonder how thrilled she'll be to see me again? She was there for me when everyone else was against me. She must be distraught, the poor thing... With a heavy heart, and Marbles watching him with bittersweet intent, Partheus approached the door to Twilight's house, and pushed it open.

Huh, he thought, that was weird. Gosh, it's almost as if he's never seen a human befo- oh wait... Partheus walked over to the kitchen, pushed open the door, and saw Juniper Berry grumpily preparing another fruit salad. "Excuse me, I'd like to place an order."

Partheus pulled out his knife, holding it close to his face and adopting a crouched fighting stance, ready for any threats that may come from within Whitetail Woods. "No need to worry about these wolves, Gravel. We literally ate one amongst ourselves yesterday, so we should be fine." He kept his ear out for any tell-tale sounds coming from the woods. "You do what you do best, and I'll aim for the neck. Easy peasy."

As Partheus made his way to the kitchen to place his order, he stopped to check his satchel for bits. I should have enough, he thought. I have fifty-seven bits on me, and there's no way the food can be that expensive. As he put his bits back into the satchel, he noticed a pony standing a few feet away, eyeing him cautiously. "Yes? Can I help you?"

Partheus, after waiting for the chef to get everyone else prepared, sat down at the table next to Kacey's. The chairs weren't designed for human rump, so the seats were slightly uncomfortable. The tables were too small for him as well, forcing him to hunch his back over the table like a pale vulture. He picked up a tiny menu that was propped up in the middle of the table, and gave it a casual flick through. To his dismay, everything was vegetarian; ponies are herbivores, after all. He scanned the menu carefully, trying to find something that at least resembled something edible for humans. At last, he found a dish that he recognised; tirimasu. Sadly, it was a dessert, so he had to order a main first. He glanced over to Kacey's table, and noticed the fruit salad with the juniper berries. Whatever, he thought. I'll order that, pick-eat it, and dive right into the tirimasu. He put the menu back down, and went into the back of the restaurant to place his order.

"But... but... it all fits so well... I don't... understand..." Twilight scanned her work thoroughly, tearing out seemingly random pieces of paper from the tower, reading each one carefully. "Hmm, well... err... one moment... ah... oh dear..." She pulled out papers at such alarming speeds, that the tower of paper collapsed, falling on top of her. She fought her way out of the mountain of work she was buried under, looking disappointed. "That's all I could find out. All of this is just measurements I've made, and it all points to the same conclusion." She looked morosely at the chart covered in annotations. "I'm sorry to waste your time like that, you guys..." Partheus remained silent. She's crazy, he thought. How can you track the movements of a being like Sagittarius by looking at the stars, anyway? It's absurd, even by Equestria's high standards of absurdity. I do feel bad for her though, spending all that time on something, only for it to turn out fruitless. Strange, it's almost as if Twilight was rushing her work. But Twilight never rushes her work. Why would she rush... no, it can't be... can it? Did I cause her to rush her work? She caught wind of me being in Canterlot, so she rushed her work to show off in front of me and Celestia? That'd explain why she finished so early... Gah, look at her! She's all upset now. I want to comfort her, but she still has a crush on me, and the last thing I want to do is feed that amorous fire of hers. But I can't just leave her on her own like that! Oh man, this is getting more and more awkward every second! I've got to say something, something cool and level-headed... "Err, hey, don't worry about it, Twilight. All you've got to is, err... Put more elbow grease into it, and it'll turn out great, heh! At least you haven't got stars in your eyes, am I right? Hehehehe..." The most awkward silence possible soon followed. Smooth moves, moron, he thought.

Twilight took out all of the paper from her bulging saddlebags and arranged them in a stack, towering over everyone, even Luna and Celestia. "Well, you can read all of this for yourself in your own time if you want, but to sum up everything here in a nutshell, Sagittarius is going to work his way around the settlements of Equestria in a particular fashion, using the Zodiac to determine his next location." She pulled out a single piece of paper from around two thirds of the way up the stack, trying not to disturb the rest of the tower as she did. Twilight held it out in front of everyone, revealing a map of the stars, annotated in complex gibberish that no one but Twilight understood. "So, if you look here, he attacked Manehatten first, which corresponded with the rise of the sign Aquarius in the sky. Manehatten held the wingpower record for the water tornado three years in a row, which obviously relates to Aquarius being the Water Carrier. Then, he attacked Fillydelphia, which corresponded with the rising of Capricorn. The renowned minotaur-come-therapist Iron Will was making his second tour of the place when Sagittarius attacked. Iron Will is often helped by goats in his acts, which is obviously linked to Capricorn being the Goat." "This leads us to where he's probably going to strike next. It will be somewhere that has something to do with hunting, because it's Saggitarius himself, the Hunter, that comes next on the Zodiac. After that..." Twilight hesitated as she fumbled around with the chart, trying to read it. "The next sign is Scorpio, the Scorpion, which means it'll have something to do with scorpions, or something you'd normally associate with scorpions. And after that..." Twilight frowned. "What is it, my student? Tell us!" "The sign is Libra, the Scales, meaning it'll be a place of great justice and nobility. Sadly, I think we all know where that is..." Everyone else thought for a second before gasping in unison. "Canterlot?!"

Hmm, he thought, so this Sagittarius can use magic, and I'll need some form of magical barrier to protect myself. I'll need to learn some magical theory and preferably some decent magical protection spells. I'm sure Twilight wouldn't... no, the last thing I need is to spend more time with her right now. I'll have to seek out another willing unicorn skilled in that sort of thing. I'll have to watch out for his balefire spell. The last thing I need is to be slowly eaten alive by magic fire. And, I wonder what that ultra-powerful spell was? It was either a non-lethal knockback spell, or a highly intense blast of magical energy. I'd rather go for the lethal option, personally. I'll root around in the Royal Canterlot Archives and see what I can find... "So, Cassanova, where you headed?" The chariot driver was beginning to lose his patience. "Don't think you're getting a freebie, rosey-eyes. If you ain't in the air, you gotta pay the fare." Partheus went to root around in his satchel, but remembered that he left it in the trunk. "Rainbow Dash, could you be a good... friend, and get my satchel from the trunk?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, flew behind the trunk, grabbed his satchel, and flew back into the chariot. Partheus rummaged in his satchel and procured a small pile of bits. "So, how much for Rainbow Dash?" The chariot driver smirked. "Sorry, we don't sell food on this ride." "Oh, my bad, I guess I should have said that in 'chariotese'. Ahem, 'What's the fare for rosey-eyes'?" The chariot driver grumbled something nasty under his breath. "Well, that'd be five bits normally, but I'm afraid you'll have to pay two extra bits 'respect tax'." Partheus grunted something nasty under his breath too, and handed the chariot driver seven bits. The chariot flew the three of them to the gates to Canterlot, landing smoothly by a stall selling apples. "Here we are, Canterlot. You getting off here, Cassanova, or would you like a long haul flight to Tartarus? You'd fit in great there." Partheus grumbled something nasty under his breath again and handed the chariot driver ten bits. "Yeah yeah, I'm getting off here, smart guy. Keep the darn change." Partheus, Newsworthy, and Rainbow Dash all dismounted from the chariot, watching the chariot fly off into the distance. "Wow, what an ass." Rainbow Dash turned to Partheus. "Hey! No need to sink to his level!" Partheus smiled. "Oh don't worry, I was actually referring to how much he looked like a donkey." Rainbow Dash walked behind Partheus. "Wow, what an ass..." Partheus wheeled around. "Hey! That's what I said!" Rainbow Dash blushed. "Yeah, heh, totally copying what you said, mmm hmm..." Before Partheus could question Newsworthy about where they were headed, he caught a glimpse of a purple unicorn with piles of paper tucked underneath two massive saddlebags, running as fast as she could up the path behind them in the direction of Princess Celestia's palace. No way, he thought. There is no way she's done already! Oh no, what I do? Mabye she won't notice me as she runs past... "Oh, hey Partheus! Hey Newsworthy! Hey Rainbow Dash! You will not believe what I've discovered just now! It'll change everything! ...Partheus, why are you hiding behind Rainbow Dash?"

Oh no, he thought. My nightmare is becoming real. She actually does like me like that! This is just getting worse and worse. Well, at least she's busy in Ponyville doing tons of work, so she'll be out of my hair for a while. And what was with Rainbow Dash just then? 'Give us a chance'? What is she... oh sweet muffins, not her, too! What have you gotten yourself into, Partheus? If humans had cutie marks, mine would be of me jumping out of a frying pan and into a fire... Right, that's it; I'm hitting the cider once we get to Canterlot. Sagittarius can wait. Mabye if I'm lucky, the alcohol will kill the brain cells responsible for these stupid thoughts... Partheus noticed Newsworthy facehoofing when Rainbow Dash blurted out the truth. Well, he thought, at least I'm not alone in thinking this entire set-up is ridiculous. It shows that I'm still sane... I think. "Well, Rainbow Dash, we'll have to see what happens in the future. All I know is, right now, I'm not interested." He turned to Newsworthy, who was still in shock that Rainbow Dash said what she did. "So, to change the subject, what's the latest from Fillydelphia and Manehatten?"