A train departs from Ponyville Station; the passenger manifesto includes two characters on a mission …
“Starlight, why is there only one rail on this line?”
“I dunno.”
“I mean, is this the only train in Equestria? Are there separate rails farther down that allow for two trains to pass? And if so, why build those out of the town?”
“I don’t know.”
“And for that matter, how do trains even exist here? Don’t you need electricity, or power lines, or—“
“Did you talk this much in your universe?” Starlight’s tone is one of annoyance.
“What? Oh … sorry. Just seems like every day there’s something new to process here.”
Starlight replies in a friendlier tone. “It’s probably best to just accept things as they are; you’ll live a happier life. I take it you haven’t spent much time around Pinkie Pie.”
“Can’t say that I have; I only saw her briefly, in my visit to Twilight’s castle … and on the way to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Those who know Pinkie well know about her … shall we say, ‘eccentricities’. And from what Twilight told me, trying to rationalize Pinkie Pie will lead you to insanity. Just keep that in mind, in case you spend any significant time in her company.”
With all the crazy I’ve already seen, how much crazier can one pony really be?
“I’ll keep it in mind. So tell me about this ‘Crystal City’.”
Starlight explains: “It’s actually the Crystal Empire. For a long time, the place was a frozen wasteland. Now, under the watchful eye of Princess Cadence, the city has been restored to its former glory. The city even hosted the Equestria Games not too long ago.”
“ ‘Frozen wasteland’?”
“It’s a long story … and if you think the trains here are too much to comprehend, it’s probably best to leave it at that. At least for now. You’ve only been here about a week, you know.”
“Fair point. So, why are we going there?”
“Remember that ‘somepony’ I had in mind? His name is Sunburst, and he was my close friend a long time ago.”
“The one who was taken from you?”
“The same. We’ve since caught up on old times. He has a knowledge of magic that eclipses anypony in Equestria, including Twilight. If he doesn’t have an idea as to what could have caused the rift in your world, nopony does.”
“He sounds like one intelligent pony.”
“He is. And he’s one of the nicest ponies you’ll meet. Hopefully he can provide a solution. But we’re a ways away, so let’s just relax and enjoy the scenery as it rolls by.”
The coyote stares out the window at the passing scenery. Slowly, he drifts away to sleep.
* * * *
“ ‘Tek! Yo, ‘Tek! Dude, get up!”
A figure crawls off a suspended makeshift cot, before it dawns on him that he’s standing on two feet.
Wha … who’s calling …
“Man, you were out for a while there. Good to see you’re coming around.”
Who’s that … wait … is it? It can’t be …
“Cheetor??? Is that you?”
The bipedal robot with cheetah markings replies, “Who were you expecting?”
“It is you. Then, that means …”
Coyotek inspects his form … he sees that he, too, is robotic in nature, but with a coyote head from his alternate form appearing at his chest.
“Man, did that vulture get you good! Nothing that a couple hours in the CR chamber couldn’t fix, though, right?”
Coyotek is still in a daze from recent revelations. “I’m … back at the base?”
“Man, you really are out of it! Good thing we got to you when we did, or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
“What about the rift?”
Cheetor is confused at the question. “What do you mean, ‘a rift’?”
“The rift! The rift into the fabric of our world that I … that I …”
“Whoa, dude. Maybe you need some more rest. Or maybe you just need to dial down those ‘subconscience processors’ of yours. Were you having more dreams about humanity?”
“No … not humans. Something else. Something very … odd.”
Cheetor’s response is stern: “The boss monkey is right; you need to reformat that part of your system. It’s not safe for you, or any of us for that matter.”
“I’m … I’ll be fine,” Coyotek meekly responds. “Just give me a few minutes to myself, and I’ll join you and the others in a cycle.”
“Sure thing. I’ll check on you in a bit, just in case you hit the hay again.”
“ ‘Hay’? What’s that about hay?”
Cheetor takes another look at Coyotek, shakes his head, then reverts to his cheetah form and bolts out the door, which closes behind him.
So was all that … just another dream? The zebra? All those ponies? More figments of my imagination?
It just felt so real. I guess all dreams do, though. Just like those dreams of humanity. Heck, those felt so real that I thought those were the reality.
Jeez, how long was I out? Guess I was banged up pretty badly. Well, it doesn’t matter now, I suppose.
A knock on the door snaps Coyotek out of his thoughts. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute,” he calls out, before reverting to his coyote form and turning to the door …
An explosion from the hallway blasts the door to the back of the room and sends Coyotek flying backwards, crashing into a wall. Amidst the rubble, a shadowy figure approaches the prone coyote.
“EMERGENCY!!! WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!!! MAXIMALS, COME QUICKLY!!!”
“We’re here … Coyotek, we’re here …”
The figure emerges from the smoke … it’s Starlight Glimmer.
“Wake up … we’re here.”
The coyote blinks … and suddenly, he’s on a train with many brightly-colored ponies. Starlight appears worried.
“Is everything OK? You looked like you were ready to scream.”
“I’m OK, I just … had a strange dream.” … I think.
* * * *
“OK, explain to me exactly why that little dragon with the crush on Rarity has his own statue here.”
“It was before my time,” Starlight replies, “but Spike has performed quite a few heroic deeds here in the Empire. He told me all about them the last time I was here.”
“Really! Care to fill me in?”
“Maybe on the train ride back, but we shouldn’t delay. After all, you’re the one who wants answers, right?”
More than you can possibly know. “Yeah, you’re right. So, how much further?”
“Not far. That’s his place up ahead.”
The two approach a stately cottage. Starlight knocks on the door, which then opens. An orange, spectacled pony greets them.
“Starlight! It’s wonderful to see you again!”
“It’s great to see you again too, Sunburst. It’s nice to meet where there isn’t a catastrophe in the works.”
“Catastrophe?” the coyote asks.
“Well, last time I was here, the empire was nearly thrust into another ice age after Flurry Heart shattered the Crystal Heart.”
“Aaand, ‘Flurry Heart’ would be …”
“Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s alicorn baby.”
“I see.” Don’t ask, don’t ask, don’t ask, …
Sunburst turns to the coyote. “So who is your companion? Some sort of familiar?”
Familiar?
“Actually, he’s the real reason I’m here today. We have a few questions regarding a particular spell.”
“Hopefully I can help. Follow me.”
Sunburst leads the others into his study. Bookshelves of tomes filled with ancient and mystical lore line the walls.
“Impressive,” the coyote remarks. “It’s like a miniature library in here.”
“Well, don’t get too impressed; I’m better at researching spells than actually casting them.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short, Sunburst. Or have you forgotten how you saved the empire.”
Another savior of the world? Who’ve I made friends with, the League of Extraordinary Ponies?
Starlight continues: “Certainly, Princess Cadence hasn’t forgotten your deeds.”
“And Flurry Heart is such a treasure,” Sunburst adds. “Things have worked out well for me since you came back into my life, I must say. So … what spell did you have in mind?”
“You might remember my little … ‘tirade’ … last time. And you might remember that time-travel spell I cast.”
“I do. Surely you haven’t been—“
“No, not at all. I’ve learned my lesson from that. But about that spell. I must admit that I did not study up as much on that spell as, perhaps, I should have. Do you know if that spell has any particular side effects?”
“ ‘Side effects’? Like what?” The coyote answers Sunburst’s query:
“Like tearing a rift in the fabric of another universe, creating a portal that would allow someone to travel between dimensions?”
Sunburst turns again to the coyote, inspecting him more closely now. “You’re not from this world?”
“No. And that’s what I’m trying to figure out. How did I get here? What brought me here? And is it possible for me to return to where I belong?”
Sunburst muses for a minute. “Interesting. So tell me: how long have you been in our world?”
“About a week, I think. Not longer.”
“So the spell that Starlight used could not possibly have been the cause,” Sunburst concludes. “She had used that spell weeks ago. Even if there were some latent effects, I don’t see how those would cause any …”
Sunburst suddenly goes into quiet contemplation.
Starlight breaks the silence: “Sunburst? Is everything OK?”
“We’re all friends here, right? And by that, I include Princesses Cadence and Twilight.”
“Twilight? What does Twilight have to do with any of this?”
“Nothing by herself,” Sunburst continues, “but Cadence has been tapping my brain regarding information Twilight shared with her. Information gained from Sunset Shimmer.”
Twilight Sparkle? Starlight Glimmer? And now Sunset Shimmer? So when do I meet Daybreak Twinkle?
“I’m afraid you’ll have to fill in some details,” Starlight asserts. “I don’t remember any Sunset Shimmer.”
“Nor will you meet her these days. Not in this world, anyway.”
Waitaminute … this must be the world that Rarity alluded to yesterday. “So there IS a portal to another world.”
“Cadence has shared this little secret with me, but if you’re friends with Twilight, then you’d probably find out eventually, anyway. Yes, there is a portal to a parallel universe. And Twilight has been to that world. The stories she has shared with us … are probably too fantastic to even begin to describe.”
The dreams I’ve had say otherwise.
Starlight inquires: “So who is this Sunset Shimmer.”
“A former protégé of Princess Celestia, much the same as Twilight once was. But her ego and sense of entitlement got the best of her, and she was eventually exiled to this alternate dimension. There is much to say regarding what she has done and been through; suffice to say, she has since come around and is now a well-respected member of her community and adopted world. It was a recent event in that world that gives me pause.”
The coyote now inquires: “This ‘event’ … you think it could explain what happened to me.”
“It’s highly improbable … but Sunset Shimmer related a story regarding the Twilight Sparkle from that world. That Twilight is as much the bookworm that our Twilight always has been, and somehow created a magic-absorbing amulet. That amulet reached a point of critical mass, and released a powerful magic that began tearing at the very reality of that world. Sunset and many others from that world could actually SEE our own world, through pockets of rifts in space.” Sunburst turns to the coyote. “Does that sound familiar?”
“It … it does. But I don’t get it. If these rifts occurred in the parallel universe, how did I end up in this one?”
“The rifts were openings into this world. It’s conceivable that some of the magic released by Twilight’s amulet … that world’s Twilight … ended up in Equestria. And if any of that magic combined with any residue from the time-travel spell; well … I don’t think anypony could truly know the full effects.”
Sunburst turns away before continuing: “But I must admit that this is mostly conjecture on my part. I could only speculate on the details of what happened in that universe. The only ones who could really shine a light on things are those in that world.”
The coyote is forthright and bold with his next comment: “So if I want to get back to my world, I would have to … enter that world.”
…
There is a brief pause, after which both ponies in the room burst into laughter.
What’s so funny? I was being serious.
Sunburst responds: “Do you know what Spike turned into when he entered that world?”
“Spike entered that world?”
“Yes, and he became a dog. A dog! And Spike’s from our world. Who knows what would happen if you tried to go in there! Besides, the portal is a heavily guarded secret. The only reason Twilight knew about it was because Sunset re-entered our world to steal one of the Elements of Harmony.”
Elements of Harmony?
Sunburst continues: “… and the only reason I know about all this is that I’m now a trusted confidant for Princess Cadence. As you are both friends with Twilight, I felt safe confiding in both of you. But the mere thought of you traveling to that world … at least for now, there’s just no way.”
I guess when you put it that way … “I suppose it was foolish to bring up the possibility.”
“I am sure that you want to return from whence you came. But so far as I can tell, that is simply not possible. It’s a wonder that you’re here at all, but I’m afraid all I can suggest is that you make the most of it.”
“I understand. And I do thank you for your insight into all this. I guess we should be going now.”
Starlight disagrees: “What, so soon? We just got here.”
Sunburst agrees: “Hey, there’s a café I’ve never tried before that I’ve been meaning to go to. What say we all grab a bite?”
* * * *
Nighttime has come. Starlight and the coyote are on a red-eye train heading back to Ponyville.
“Trixie was right; you do have poor eating habits.”
“I used to have hands. I know, it’s a foreign concept for the ponies in this world.”
“You still had a coyote form. I’m sure you ate better even in that form in your world.”
“Hey, it’s not like we had restaurants and corner cafés to go to … or anything else, for that matter.”
“Coyotek … that sounds like a pang of regret.”
“Does it? The fact is, I think back to what I’ve left behind and … I’m not so sure I really want to go back.”
Starlight is caught off-guard by the comment. “What about not belonging here?”
“I don’t even think I belonged there. Honestly, I don’t know where I truly belong now. Maybe I was destined to be here all along.”
Starlight smiles. “You could do a lot worse than Equestria, I’m sure.”
The coyote stares out the window at the moonlit passing scenery. “I’m sure I was, Starlight. I’m sure of that much, anyway.”