• Published 3rd Jul 2014
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Where The Heart Is At (Cancelled) - Shadowcolt



A mysterious vortex sends the mane six and the royal sisters to earth. After being saved by Alex, they will have to find a way back while living in the human world.

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Prologue

Author's Note:

"Where The Heart Is At"

written by Shadowcolt

“Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know.” –

Mitch Albom

Prologue



Swinoujscie, Poland, 23rd of December



The weather was nasty for this time of year. Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds flooded the town streets, which were still full of people as they were preparing themselves for the big day.

There were numerous Christmas decorations in almost every inch of the sidewalks. Their colorful play of lights made some ordinary and average gray streets of the town look outstanding. Then again, which city or town didn’t look nice at this time of the year?

Driving through all the familiar streets, my memories about my previous life here were making me sigh deeply. It was easy to see that Swinoujscie, my former home town, had changed a lot since my last visit.

It was almost seven pm, so as always, the last piece of radio music was interrupted by news broadcasts. Besides the obvious mentioning of the storm on the Baltic sea, Christmas fever stuff, prediction of first snow this winter in all the country, usual suspicions of corruption in the Polish government and some minor stuff, they once again mentioned a bear that had escaped from the zoo in Bialystok about a week ago. Apparently, it was a fresh specimen that was brought there to replace the old one that had died some time ago. It seems it had overslept its lessons about hibernation, or conditions of the zoo were not to its liking.

After passing another few blocks and roundabouts, I finally arrived. The small street was surrounded almost continuously by prewar tenement houses on both sides, which were slightly nibbled by the tooth of time. They were also some of the few houses that had survived the Second World War. Some of the buildings were being renovated while being covered with mesh façade.

I parked my pickup truck near the third house on the right, and started getting ready to leave the vehicle, when I noticed the worried look of my companion, who was sitting right next to me.

“I'll be right back. I’ll just give her flowers and we’ll move along. It was a long day, and now the only thing that I'm dreaming about is to hit the sack,” I said while leaving the car.

With a bouquet in hand, I walked a small section of sidewalk that separated me from the stairwell. I ran to the third floor, stumbling along the way, until I stood before the great dark wooden door.

Shortly after the bell rang, a woman in a violet robe opened the door. She was of medium build, smaller than me by a head, with long blond curly hair, and face with a few visible wrinkles. Judging by her looks, she was over her fifties.

“Good evening, Miss. Malkowska,” I said with a smile.

The woman was a little confused at first, because my poorly groomed beard and very long hair weren’t something that I used to have in the past. I didn’t care about my looks anymore, so people’s reactions didn’t bug me at all. She smiled radiantly while looking at me .

“Alex?” I nodded with a smile. “My God, what a surprise.” She didn’t wait for me to respond, and quickly hugged me with all her strength.

“Yes … I’m h-happy to see you too … ugh … ma’am,” I uttered, and somehow managed to free myself from her bone braking grip.

“Happy birthday, ma'am,” I said as I presented her with the bouquet of orchids while massaging my side.

“My dear, for you, it’s just Martha, remember that … oh my, those are lovely,” she said as she accepted the flowers. “Thank you very much. But seriously, I haven’t seen you for almost three years. Please tell me how are you doing? Oh wait … let’s talk inside, please come in.”

Miss Martha stepped aside and moved her arm in an inviting gesture.

“Thank you, I’m fine, but I’m afraid I can’t stay,” I declined politely. “My friend is waiting for me in the car. He's one of those impatient types, so I think I better get going.”

Although I was ready to turn and leave, Miss Martha didn’t feel like letting me go so easily.

“A friend? Well then, how about you bring him over and I'll make you both some tea?”

“Well, no … I mean … ugh,” I stammered while trying to figure out the way out of this, but my evasive look didn’t get passed her unnoticed.

“Alex, we haven’t seen each other for quite some time, so I believe that this is the best opportunity to make it up.”

I was in no condition for a chit-chat, but I knew that I would never out-talk this woman. Her stubbornness and determination were comparable only to my desire of life in peace and solitude. And that was no small thing. And so, without a chance to say no, I simply answered “Yes, ma’am,” and went down to my car.

My canine companion was already moving nervously in his seat, but very soon all his attention was focused on me. As soon as I opened the door, he jumped on me, almost knocking me to the ground. He began to lick my face, like he hadn’t seen me for months. Really now, I was gone for about five minutes, so he'd probably done something wrong. Then it hit me.

I quickly threw him aside and looked inside the interior of my black Ford Ranger pickup truck. The first thing that struck me was the pungent odor of urine coming from the passenger seat. And on the upholstery of the seat, there was a wet visible stain. I turned my head and focused my eyes on the adult German shepherd. He slightly tilted his head and hanged out his tongue, looking innocently at me.

“I bet you think that was funny ... right?” Max barked, which in my poor dog language probably meant yes.

Man, and to think that despite my hermit lifestyle, I decided to take him in. He wasn’t actually a quiet and calm being like me, but the funny thing was that it didn’t bother me so much. In contrast to humans, he didn’t flood me with streams of useless and meaningless questions. Sleeping, eating, pooping, and fun were the simplicities that made his company more suitable to my needs. I couldn’t get bored around him, as he sometimes liked to pull a trick on me.

We spent the next two hours in the apartment of my mom’s friend. You can try to imagine the shock on Martha’s face when she realized Max's true species. Priceless.

We talked about various and mostly familiar topics: my families, my present life, and my plans for the future. Although it’s been five years since my wife and child’s deaths, reaching back in time was never a comfortable subject for me to strike upon. It’s just that I never quite acknowledged the fact that they were gone.

Miss Martha knew that, and as a psychologist, she also knew how to ask the right questions without me feeling uneasy about it. I could tell her almost anything because of her medical secrecy. I knew that our personal chat would never leave the walls of her house. She really had helped me with my recovery, in fact, if it wasn’t for her valuable support, I would probably be gone by now.

While talking, I sometimes looked around the guest room, admiring the Christmas decorations. It made a fine example of typical Polish style Christmas. The Christmas tree was very beautiful with its entire decor, as well as small decorations hanging in the windows. All those things made me reluctantly remember my own family holidays.

I again gazed at Max, who was sitting by Martha’s side the whole time while resting his muzzle on the armrests of her chair. He seemed to be fond of the attention she was giving him, as she was scratching him behind his ears the whole time. Our meeting probably wouldn’t have lasted so long if he hadn’t always begged for more. That Max. What a suck-up.

“So tell me, Alex, how’s your little sister doing?” her sudden question has awakened me from my ponder.

“What? Oh … sister, yes … well, she’s doing great, although we don’t talk to each other so much right now.” My words seemed to surprise her, but just as she was going to ask about it, I quickly added “Let’s just say, we both have our own lives now, but we’re still a family.” That seemed to work somehow as her worried expression softened a little.

“I … see. That’s good to hear. Tell her I said hello,” she said with a smile, but I just nodded without a word. The sister problem was a little too complex to talk about, so I wanted to skip it for now. “Have you already … visited your family graves?”

“We just arrived, so no unfortunately,” I said and took a sip from my teacup.

“I understand. I'm sure they will be pleased with your visit.” Yeah, In their own ‘dead kind of way’ I thought, but I didn’t say it, only nodded.

My psychologist quickly changed the subject.

“You know, when I suggested that you should change your surroundings, I never would have thought that you’d actually move out permanently. The greater was my astonishment when you told me that you have settled down near some lake in Masuria.”

Yeah, it made me wonder why myself. The plan was that I had to leave for a month to a well-known spa, and be under the care of local psychologists and psychiatrists who would determine whether the screws in my head were placed properly. Strangely, however, I decided to drive around the country instead, looking for God knows what. I only knew that I needed peace and quiet, and so in the end fate had brought me to that beautiful lake.

The idea for the house came unexpectedly, when I had recalled my family’s former trip to one of those places. The local guest house built of logs was the ideal place to relax for the whole two weeks. A home like that seemed to be good enough for my needs, and so I decided to put my house building plan into action. About two years later, I had set my foot in my new home.

“I can assure you that I made the right choice. I believe that living far away from the hustle and bustle of civilization was the best choice I could come up with. That place did rise to my expectation, and provided me with ideal conditions for my convalescence. If you ever feel like it, you could visit me. It's definitely better than living in the town or city,” I said as I wrote my current address on a small piece of paper, and handed it over to her.

“Thank you very much, dear, I’m looking forward to it. And it's good to hear that you’re happy.” Miss Martha suddenly turned her attention back to Max, who never got bored of all the affection she was giving him. “You know, the small fortune that you and your sister have gained really was a blessing. I still remember the times when you were working your hands to the bone, trying to make a living while helping your sister with her studies. That’s really something you should be proud of.” I accepted her words with a smiled which she cared to return. “You have proved that you’re devoted to those whom you hold most dear. The love for another person really does allow us to move further beyond our limits.”

Her words made me think for a while. Was it really that big of a deal? I did what I had to, to help my sister carry on with her life. Luckily, the lottery money came just in time.

“Alex?” once again, I was brought back from my deepest thoughts.

"…"

“I know how much you two have gone through. Especially you, my dear. Losing that many close people in such a short time is not something that many manage to endure. Yet, you have stood up to it all.”

“Martha, you do realize that if it wasn’t for your help, I wouldn’t even be here, and we wouldn’t be talking right now. It was you who helped me walk again …”

“No, my dear, I had only called out to you. It was you who had to take all the steps. Besides, you weren’t alone. There were people who supported you. Believe me, I have witnessed many people who went beyond return. Sometimes, regaining one’s faith can only be achieved with love and determination.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” I replied shyly.

“Your sibling love helped you overcome many circumstances. That’s why I need to tell you this.” Martha stopped for a moment, while I waited patiently for her to continue. “The world can take everything from you: money, houses, cars, false friends, and even faith. But true love and friendship will always be by your side. Never close your heart for them, because in time of hardships, they will always be there for you. Remember that.”

“I … “ I felt weird talking about all this, because I already lost two families. Allowing fate to have a cruel play with me for a third time wouldn’t be a wise thing to do. As for friendship … I just didn’t feel like I needed it that much right now.

“Just give it some time, Alex. Some day the wounds will be healed, maybe they will even turn to scars, but when the time comes, you will understand it yourself.”

“Thank you Martha.” I replied with a smile, when I noticed that it was already past ten pm. “Well, it’s getting late, so I think we will be going. We have a long way behind us, and we definitely need some sleep.”

She just looked at her watch and smiled.

“Oh my, is it that late already? Very well then, I won’t stop you. Are you staying at your friend's house or the hotel?”

My old family’s flat, as well as the apartment that me and my wife had bought together, were sold shortly before I had moved. I knew that I couldn’t keep them, because I wasn’t visiting these parts too frequently anymore. My sister and I had made that decision together, since she already had decided to settle down in Warsaw. Luckily, my home town has various hotels, which are kind enough to accept my canine friend.

“Yeah, we will be staying in one of the hotels. Nothing too fancy, it’s just for one night. We will leave tomorrow morning, right after I pay my respects to my relatives.”

“What about the Christmas eve? Are you celebrating it alone, or with friends?” she had to ask, didn’t she? I didn’t have any contact with my old friends, and so far didn’t care to make new ones. Christmas was, and always will be, a holiday made especially for families. Since my parents, wife, and daughter were long gone, with my sister being too busy with her new life and work, celebrating it was a total waste of time.

“No, actually I stopped celebrating it long ago, ever since ... well, you know.” Martha didn’t say anything, just nodded. “For me, it’s just a normal day, like any other.”

“I see ... I’ll respect that, but just to let you know, if you ever change your mind, my door is always open for you.” Somehow I felt that she would give me an invitation. It also made me realize something. After her husband’s death, she has lived alone all these years, but unlike me she never allowed sadness and sorrow to bring her down. I really admired her determination and strong mind.

“Thank you very much, Miss ... ah, I mean, Martha.” I turned my gaze to my canine friend. “Come on, Max, we're leaving.” Shortly after we were both standing on the threshold of her apartment.

“Good luck, Alex, and remember that you're always welcome here,” she said while giving me a last friendly hug.

“Thank you. Once again, happy birthday and Merry Christmas, Martha,” I said and started walking down the stairs.

She just answered it with “Merry Christmas, my dear.”

I felt relief that she didn’t ask me if I still blame myself for the death of my loved ones. I couldn't lie to her about this, so it would've ended up in a therapy session, which would last until morning.

The weather outside was rather calm now, as the wind was definitely weaker and the rain was long gone. We got into the car and departed for our hotel, enduring the smell of urine that remained inside.

After less than ten minutes, we had arrived at the required destination, and we have registered ourselves in. The hotel room was quite decent, and it suited my taste just fine. I quickly took a shower and, without any hesitation, sunk myself into the warm bed sheets.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere in another reality


The full moon was already shining brightly upon the Equestrian kingdom starry sky. The citizens were slowly preparing for sleep, and were about to leave their dreams in the hooves of the princess of the night. There wasn’t a single soul remaining on the streets of Ponyville, and only a few lights were piercing through the windows of local homes.

Meanwhile, the Everfree forest was slowly waking up again as the night animals began to leave their lairs. Their various growls mixed together and echoed throughout the woods. Amongst all of it wandered a mysterious hooded figure.

The mysterious individual moved soundlessly, not at all caring about the threatening sounds, or the current appearance of the hostile nature. Looking back and making sure that no one kept track of him, he soon reached the end of his journey, as he stopped suddenly a few meters before the entrance to a dark cave. Not moving or making any sounds, he waited patiently for further developments.

Suddenly, the sounds of heavy footsteps came from inside the cave as they were becoming louder each passing second. A dark being appeared in the cave’s abyss as its glowing red eyes were flashing ominously at the newcomer. When its muscular figure emerged from the darkness while stepping into the moonlit glade, it was easier now to conclude its origins. A huge manticore came before the newcomer, accompanied by two much smaller, but equally dangerous-looking ones.

The mysterious individual observed everything with stoical peace. Then he gently pulled the hood off his head, revealing a dark yellow mane and orange horn which matched his coat color. The largest manticore spoke first.

“Speak.” Its exceptionally low voice could make anyone feel respect for it. The stranger smiled and bowed unexpectedly as he answered.

“Everything is going according to our plan, your highness. All the important posts in the castle have already been occupied. We are all waiting for your signal.” The stranger looked up again and gazed into the eyes of the mighty lion with horns, bat wings, and scorpion-like tail with a venomous stinger.

The powerful manticore came closer while grinning evilly, “Excellent. Is the potion ready as well?”

The stallion, without losing any of his confidence, replied, “As you wished. We have tested it, and I can assure you that the effects won’t take long to kick in”.

The bigger manticore suddenly began to change. Its muscular body was slowly giving way to a sleeker and dark gray figure. Powerful paws began to change into hooves, while the red hair and the scorpion's tail into a long jade mane and a long hairy tail. A sharp horn sprouted on her forehead while her teeth, although they didn’t differ much from her previous incarnation, became smaller to fit her slender face.

“Finally, I’ll have revenge on that rotten kingdom and its cursed inhabitants. Their pathetic love will forever feed me and my subjects.” Queen Chrysalis let out a loud sinister laugh, which was quickly undertaken by a huge number of changelings that had gathered near the cave, taking every possible free space of the field.

The only one who didn't join the joyous bustle, was the visitor. While the queen was getting happy that her sinister plan was going smoothly he decided to continue with his report.

“Unfortunately, not everything goes as it should, your highness,” he said making the queen suspend her devilish laugh and look at the pony with a disapproving expression.

“You said that everything is ready, and now you’re saying otherwise ... ARE YOU TOYING WITH ME?” She stomped her hoof on the ground, causing a large crack to appear, which made her gathered subjects withdraw slightly with fear.

The stranger, however, remained with stoical peace. “No, my queen. As I said, everything is prepared properly. There’s still the matter of the royal couple of the Crystal Empire. It seems they won’t be present at the Grand Galloping Gala, cause as they have stated in their letter, there are some urgent matters they need to attend to.”

Queen Chrysalis, who was listening to his explanation while walking around him, stopped suddenly behind his back and looked at him with disdain.

“Ahhh.” She let out a single sound of displeasure, but quickly regained her pace “oh well, you can’t have everything ... immediately.” She began to laugh softly to herself. “Time will come for them as well and when the news of our triumph reaches the crystal palace, they will come for their fate eventually. Once we feast ourselves on all the love in Equestria, there will be nothing standing in our way, even that pitiful love of theirs.”

“Of course, my queen,” answered her servant.

“I almost forgot, have you managed to capture that pesky maggot named Discord?” asked the queen. Her servant pursed his lips into a mischievous smile.

“As you ordered, I managed to trap him in a magical artifact and hide him deep under the palace caves. Unfortunately, he didn’t forfeit without a fight. If it wasn’t for my devotion, surely he would now be standing here, instead of me. But I have to admit, however, that this draconequus has a lot of potential. His powers of chaos could serve our cause pretty well. From what I know, he doesn’t yield to Celestia, or anyone else in the whole kingdom, so we could ...“

“NO ... I will not risk it,” refused the queen. “From what I know, he is too unpredictable and duplicitous, and so in the final battle he could betray us. He cannot be trusted.”

“I believe that for the right price ...”

"ENOUGH!!!” she screamed. “Don’t you dare question my orders, you worm. That maggot can rot in there until the end of the world, and if you stand up to me ever again, you’ll share his fate.” She drew up in front of him, their faces only inches apart. “Is that clear?” Her last words were spoken with a dangerously low voice.

Her servant swallowed hard, and bowed once more. “As always, my queen.”

“Good, now return to the castle and wait for further orders,” she spoke with cold firmness. “You know what fate awaits you, if you let me down?”

The stallion simply lifted his head. “I do, my queen,” replied the stallion. As he covered his head with the hood, he slowly began to walk back into the dark forest.

Chrysalis looked around at her gathered subjects. “Go back to your lairs and rest, as tomorrow you all will get to feast upon the remains of the great kingdom of Equestria.” Walking towards the cave she quickly added, “and I assure you, it will be a marvelous feast.” Her laughter clearly carried around the area, announcing a future disaster.

Her servants quickly scattered, hiding in numerous burrows, which were carved above the entrance to the cave. Soon, the clearing was deserted, without any single soul remaining.

Meanwhile, the hooded pony, making sure that he’s not being followed, hid himself in the shade of a big tree while sitting on his rump.

“Phew,” he gasped and began to change. “Our tempered queen has an appetite for some love, I see.” His body adopted a serpentine figure, becoming a combination of several types of animals. He then stretched out lazily, slowly massaging all of his limbs.

“Really now, walking on four legs is really tiring.” He snapped the claws of his eagle paw, making a small glass bubble appear before his face. The draconequus looked at its contents, and then said with a devilish smile, “But what won't you do for fun, right?”

He tapped his lion paw fingers over the glass vessel, clearly irritating the creature that was trapped inside. The small changeling was hitting the glass walls with full force with his head and rear hooves. While at it, he was changing its shape between his recent incarnation of the pony spy, the God of Chaos, and his real self. Discord was clearly amused by the incompetent attempts of the creature.

“Trying to capture the king of chaos wasn’t a very deliberated move on your side, my dear friend. You really thought that it would be so easy? I learned quite well from my last two imprisonments. To think that if it wasn’t for my knowledge of the truth spell, I would have never learned about your huge surprise party, which no one cared to invite me to. Thank you, my little friend, for your great sincerity,” he said with a sneer.

With the help of magic, the ball rose higher and then gently landed on the extended eagle claw. Smiling lazily, Discord began to rotate it around its own axis like a basketball. There were intermittent sounds coming from inside, stating a growing sense of discomfort ... and nausea.

“Would you believe that your queen rejected such a fine offer as mine? I’m really shocked. And I was so hoping for a fruitful cooperation. Of course, there’s a possibility that I would refuse, especially after all those horrible things she said about me. Like who knows, maybe I would even turn her into a big black maggot cheese? Oh, what a sight that would be.”

When the ball suddenly stopped, the creature inside began to wobble on its own hooves, until he collapsed unable to maintain balance. Discord, maintaining his smile snapped his fingers, causing the vessel to disappear into the thin air, along with its contents.

“But wait, it seems that our beloved kingdom is in danger! My sweet Celestia, whatever are we going to do now? I believe I should now go to the castle, warn the princesses, alert the royal guards and ... oh yeah, our beloved elements of harmony, and prevent this tragedy.” Discord snorted loudly and then his face was broken with his characteristic devilish smile. ”But where's the fun in that?”

Overjoyed with his thoughts, he started to float higher and higher above the trees of the Everfree forest until he was able to see the castle of Canterlot far in the distance.

“I’m looking forward to this Grand Galloping Gala thing,” he said and while choking with laughter, he flew towards the castle, waiting patiently for the big day.

***

Swinoujscie, 24th of December


It was getting past seven am when we reached the beach, and the night was slowly giving up to another day. The sky was almost covered with clouds, but a strong gale and heavy rains, which gave residents such a rough time yesterday, seemed to be only a memory now.

Looking at the entire beach, one could easily conclude that the current waves were nothing compared to those that crashed ashore last night. The whole beach, which in some places was even 150 m wide, had been flooded up to the dunes. There was debris scattered everywhere, as the beach was now one big concentration of shells, rocks, pieces of branches, a few dead fish, and other garbage. The trash cans, which were usually half buried in the sand, were ripped out of their places by the powerful force. That view could make one bow to the uncontrollable forces of nature, and I felt relieved that I wasn’t here at that time.

But if someone asked me why me and Max were here now, I would say "because we could". Not being able to sleep at all for the last 6 hours, we ended up here. By the way, I've always liked coming here as a kid. It had something that always seemed to calm me down, and helped me restore my batteries.

Without a single soul in sight, we had the whole beach to ourselves. Usually it would be quite the opposite. During the summer season the town is always overrun by tourists. There are endless crowds on the streets, in restaurants, stores, with almost no parking spaces. Not to mention long lines to ferries, since this town is settled on an island. Fortunately, Swinoujscie is a seasonal town and for most of the year it is a peaceful and quiet place.

There was almost no soul in the sight. But I knew that it was soon about to change, as storms sometimes throw up one more thing. Something that made many amber seekers come to the beach for it. Honestly, I was always fascinated by these stones, as they had a natural inner beauty which could charm anyone. I deeply hoped that I would manage to find some nice peace before the amber hyenas would swarm the coast.

I slowly passed each meter of the shore, looking carefully for valuable stone. From what I have read once about amber, which was sometimes called the sun’s tears, it can be found in many varieties, and if we wanted to find a big specimen we would also have to look in the water. Of course, lack of professional equipment made me abandon that idea.

In the meantime, Max was having a blast with one of the huge branches that was lying on the sand. It was too big for him to carry, but he struggled with it anyway, plowing the ground along with it.

Following his actions, I noticed something in the plowed ground. It was partially buried in the sand, covered with shells and other trash, but it was still slightly visible. Intrigued, I walked closer, knelt, and began to discard any unnecessary items. When I finally got through with it, and rinsed it from all the sand, I could enjoy what I held in my hand. After the gold red color I noted that I was dealing with the truest amber. As for my first one, it was huge. My finger pads were barely visible on its rough edges. Although, the surface was not polished as those found in brooches, I still could not believe how beautiful it was.

Max's barking woke me up from my ponder, as he was now running like mad across the beach scaring the swans, gulls, and terns that have flown in for their morning meal.

I regained my senses, as my gaze went far away to the east side of the beach. There was a waterway entrance to the port, formed by two piers. On the end of the western one was a beacon in a shape of a windmill, which was also the symbol of this town.

With a smile on my face, I looked one last time at the amber, hid it in the pocket of my jacket, and started marching towards the lantern. While on the way, I hoped that this discovery wasn’t the last on today’s account.

After a ten minute journey, and no further luck in amber hunting, we arrived at the windmill. I sat on its stairs to hide from the wind blowing from the sea. It was merely past dawn, as the sun rays were reaching through the clouds. The view in my opinion was perfect, as I marveled it.

Closing my eyes, I began to inhale huge amounts of sea air, while clearing the mind of all unnecessary thoughts. It wasn’t easy, because I knew there was still a trip to the cemetery waiting for me.

As I was marveling the local view, and enjoying the morning breeze, I suddenly heard my stomach rumbling. I came to the conclusion that before we fulfill our duty, we first need to fill our stomachs. Max seemed to share the same thought.

“Well, so much for our reverie, my dear friend.”

We slowly headed back to the car, and took a ride to the nearest bakery.



to be continued ...