• Published 17th Jan 2015
  • 3,276 Views, 223 Comments

Shimmering Sunsets - Evowizard25



Have you ever wanted to go to a different world? Well, our characters probably didn't, but they went anyways. Now they're going to have to try and live with their new worlds until they can return home...easier said than done.

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This is Ponyville {Sunsetverse}

Quickfix groaned as she regained consciousness. “Ugh, me head.” She slurred in her thick accent. She shuffled about on the bed, trying to get back to sleep. “Terrible nightmare…” She sat up, rubbing her head with a hoof. She noticed something quickly. “What the hay?”

She wasn’t in her bed. Quickfix huffed. She was in a hospital. “So ah skelped me head a bit hard. Must have tripped er somethin’.” She looked down at the needle in her foreleg. “The hay is this?” She looked up to the bag it was attached to. “The hay is that?” She looked back and forth and her eyes widened. “What the hay are they puttin’ into me?” She tore it out with her teeth, not wincing at the pain. She was a Northerner, tough as nails. They didn’t flinch after stuff like that.

Quickfix snorted. “Crazy doctors…” She threw the covers off of herself and tried to stand. Unfortunately, she was still really weak so she fell to the ground. “Damn it.” She tried to raise herself up and she did after a couple of minutes. “Why the hay am ah so sore right now?....Did Fiddlesticks put somethin’ in my….” Quickfix remembered everything that had led to this point. ‘Ah am gonna kill that mare.’

Using her newfound hate to fuel her actions, she made her way over to the door slowly but surely. She had a mission. She was going to find that mare if it was the last thing she would….

And then her face met the door.

“Quickfix?” Fiddlesticks trotted into the room. “Ya alri….Where are ya?!!” She checked under the bed. “Not under there...ah ha! She’s in the wardrobe.” She frowned. “But she could be in there for years by now?” She rubbed her chin. “Ah got to find somethin’ to help her remember.”

Quickfix pushed the door closed, scowling at Fiddlesticks.

“There ya are,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “So...remember me?”

“Yes….” Quickfix’s scowl grew deeper. “Ah remember.”

“Yes,” Fiddlesticks hoofpumped. “Things are lookin’ up for Fiddlesticks.”

“No they aren’t,” Quickfix stormed up to her. “Ye trapped us here because ye couldn’t help but press that button.”

“It was red and big!” Fiddlesticks defended herself. “Ya have to push it.”

"That's correct." a bright pink earth pony, wearing glasses and a lab coat, stated. Neither of them had seen her come in, she just seemed to be there. She was also really short, her head only coming up to Fiddlesticks's shoulders. "It is an indisputable fact that the redder, bigger, and shinier the button in question, the more imperative pushing it will be."

“See,” Fiddlesticks gestured to the pink mare. “She gets it.”

Quickfix face-hooved. “Ah don’t care if she gets it. Yer both morons."

”Oh really?" the pink pony asked, looking rather offended. "Do you have a PhD granted to you in person by Princess Celestia?"

“........No,” Quickfix grumbled. “But me papa’s her leadin’ scientist. Yer lookin’ at the future owner of Aperture Industries.”

"Why do I suddenly want cake?" the pink pony mused. "Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Pie, welcome to Ungula."

“Un-what now?” Quickfix asked.

"Ungula, that's the name of our planet." Dr. Pie explained, smiling.

“So that makes us aliens!” Fiddlesticks started prancing around, giggling. “Aw Yeah! I’m an alien!” She stopped in mid-air...and held in place. “Wait, ah haven’t thrown a party yet?” She was at Quickfix’s side immediately. “The locals are gonna get a bad impression of us. Ah mean, several hours and no party? That’s terrible. We have to fix this!”

"Hold it!" Dr. Pie shouted. "As your host, I cannot allow you to throw a party...first because I totally call dibs!"

Fiddlesticks shook her hoof up at the sky. “CURSE YA DIBS!” She roared.

"Sounds like they've met Dr. Pie." a voice from outside the door noted. "I told you we should have kept it quieter for a bit longer Masquerade."

"She was going to find out sooner or later." came the reply. "Better to get it out of the way now."

“Better to get what out of the way?” Fiddlesticks’ voice asked from outside.

"Why, my party of course!" Dr. Pie responded from outside. "My Welcome to our Dimension party! Party hats for everypony!"

"Including you!" Dr. Pie said as she plopped a hat onto Quickfix's head.

Quickfix groaned. “Of course,” she huffed. “Might not make it though. Gotta make a portal device.”

"...there's that craving for cake again." Dr. Pie muttered. "Anyway you should relax. You're still recovering from mana burnout."

“A what now?” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow. “Ah’m just tried...fer some reason. Damn Everfree Forest.” She huffed. “Probably stepped in somethin’ or another. Ah’ll be usin’ my magic in no time. Sides, ah’m from the North. We’re the toughest ponies ya can meet.” She smiled with pride.

"I don't know." Dr. Pie said, rubbing her chin in thought. "Pegasi are pretty tough too."

“We got pegasi up North,” Quickfix frowned. “They’re tough like us….Wait, are ye bein’ tribalist?” She narrowed her eyes. “Ah may be a unicorn, but ah can best ye just the same with my own hooves.”

Dr. Pie looked at her for a few seconds. "...oh right, tribalism. Forgot about that. Not what I meant. I meant that our pegasi are pretty tough, so you'd have to work extra super amazingly hard to be the toughest pony I've ever seen."

“Ah like to see ‘em kill a Crystal Raptor in a frozen tundra,” Quickfix snorted. “Then talk to me.”

Dr. Pie tipped her head in confusion. "I...don't think we have those. Hold on a second." Turning to the door, she shouted "Hey Sunset, do we have Crystal Raptors!?!"

"I don't know, I'm not a creature expert!...why am I answering from out here?!" Sunset then sauntered into the room.

Quckfix jumped backwards. “What the hay?!!!” She pointed a hoof at Sunset. “She’s half Prench! Why is she half Prench?!! There’s only two of ‘em.”

"Alternate Reality." Sunset deadpanned. "I'm not your Sunset I'm the local one. Now then, if that's out of your system, how are you feeling? Do you need more rest? Some food? Are you up for walking?"

“Ah’m a feelin’ a lot right now,” Quickfix said. “Confused because this apparently is another reality, angry because ah want to strangle Fiddlesticks….”

“Hi~” Fiddlesticks smiled, waving from behind Sunset.

Quickfix glared at her. “Really, really angry...and even more confused. Are ye askin’ how ah’m feelin’?” She asked Sunset.

"Well..yes." Sunset nodded. "You were unconscious and suffering from having no mana left. I was rather concerned. That's why I teleported you straight to the hospital."

Quickfix looked around herself. “So this is what an alternate reality looks like...Where’s the fancy machinery?!! Oh come on, ye have to have a little.”

"Well..." Sunset looked a bit put off by the sudden outburst. "There's not too much in a hospital rest bed. It's not like they'd use a heart monitor or an EEG in here."

Quickfix’s eyes shone with glee. “What are those?”

"Uhhhh, they monitor heart rate and brain activity." Sunset explained. "I'm not a medical doctor, so that's really all I know."

“We have spells and stuff for the heart thin’,” Quickfix hummed in thought. “Some fancy gear for the brain, but ye could have somethin’ new….” She frowned and looked up at her horn. Her brain was firing off signals and nothing happened. In fact, her brain felt jumbled. “Okay, why can’t ah use magic? Ah’m a little weak, yes, but somethin’ should be happenin’.”

"What?" Sunset looked worried. "Let me see." Running a quick magical scan, she frowned. "That's odd, you mana reserves seem to be well recovered, and I'm not detecting anything that could be with your energy flow. You should be able to cast just fine."

“Then why can’t ah feel anythin’?” Quickfix scowled. “Ah should feel it….The hay is wrong? Ye have some kind of block on me or somethin’?” She stomped her hoof. “Take it off.”

"There is no block." Sunset said, shaking her head. "You should be able to tap into your internal energies just fine."

“What are ye talkin’ ‘bout?” Quickfix snorted. “Ah can’t feel any magic! Ah’m cut off from that realm….” Her eyes widened. “Ah can’t feel it?...Ah can’t feel it.” She squinted her eyes, concentrating. “...Ah can’t feel it.” She started breathing in rapidly. “What’s wron’? What’s happenin’? WHAT DID YE DO TO ME!” Quickfix shouted. Her mind was in shambles as all sort of little signals and sorts went unanswered and connections remained broken.

"I didn't do anything, just calm down." Sunset said, taking a step back in fear. "Panicking won't solve anything. Now then, why don't you walk me through the steps you are trying and we'll figure out where it's going wrong, alright?"

Quickfix was pacing, not paying her any attention. “Ah should be able to feel it. Ah’m a unicorn. It should be there. It’s always been there. It has to be there. What the hay is wrong with me?” She glanced around nervously. “Somethin’s wrong….Ah can’t feel it….” Her whole body shook in fear. “No, no, no, no!” She shook her head, stomping the ground with her forelegs.

"CAN'T FEEL WHAT?!" Sunset shouted, trying to catch her attention. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on!"

“Just tell her what’s wrong, Quickfix.” Fiddlesticks walked up to her friend. “She’ll help.”

“Stay back,” Quickfix growled, but her face showed obvious fear. “Ah’m warnin’ ye….” Her back hit the wall and she slid down. “Ah’m a Northern unicorn….” Her breathing was irregular. “Ah’m a unicorn….” She held herself in a ball, covering her face. “Ah’m a unicorn….”

"...should I get my therapist in here, or are you going to be okay if I give you a few minutes?" Sunset asked, laying herself out on the floor. "Because if you need some time I can give it to you."

Quickfix whimpered. “...Where is it? Where’s the magic?”

Sunset sighed. "I already told you. You're mana looks fine. You should be able to draw the power from inside you no problem."

“Where’s the connection?” Quickfix looked at her frantically. “Where’s the realm of Magic? Ah can’t feel it...It’s always been there! There ain’t no magic!”

"The realm of what?" Sunset asked, looking confused. "We, uh, we don't have anything like that here."

Quickfix’s eyes started to shed tears. “No….no,” she shook her head. “It’s there! Ah know it! It has to be. It’s always there!” She put her face deeper into her hooves. “It has to be…..”

Fiddlesticks gasped and quickly pulled her friend into a hug. She gently stroked her mane and hummed. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

"Hmmm," the voice from earlier, Masquerade joined in. "I see she does have mana...if the problem is that she's trying to access external power, she isn't tapping into her internal energy reserves. But she does have them. I think she should be able to learn how to cast spells with the local magic system."

“That’s gonna be tricky,” Fiddlesticks said as her friends sobs quieted down. “Unicorns grow up with a connection to the realm of magic. It’s like water to a fish.”

"Ugh," Sunset groaned. "When I asked Lightning about your magic back at the ruins, she didn't say anything like this. Just that we were nerds for naming stuff."

“...not nerds,” Quickfix said through her whimpers.

"I know!" Sunset said. "You'd think she'd have some appreciation for the wonders of science and magic?"

"If it would make you feel better," Dr. Pie offered, "I could take you up for a ride in my whirligig."

“That a helicopter of some kind?” Quickfix looked at the doctor.

"Hmmm, sort of. Helicopter's are kind of experimental and have pretty elaborate engines and battery set ups. Whirligigs are peddle powered for short range flight via earth muscle power."

Quickfix smiled. “New tech?” She bounced up and squealed. “Somethin’ new to tinker with.”

Fiddlesticks chuckled. “Don’t mind her. She loves machines and them unicorns gotta work their brain somehow. Ah heard it hurts ‘em mighty fierce when they can’t think properly.”

"That's...interesting." Mask admitted. "So, if you are feeling better, you did hear my good news right?"

“Oh no,” Quickfix smiled and shook her head. “Ah have the worst headache ever, almost like it’s gonna explode. Can’t do that though. Stuff to tinker with and that ‘internal’ magic sounds interestin’. Might try to build a gadget for it.”

"Well then, if you'll follow me, I'll show you my Candy Copter Mk. VIII." Dr. Pie said, a literal bounce in her step.

“Ah’ll just grab my tools and….” Quickifx’s happy expression deflated. She hung her head and her ears drooped. “Oh yeah...can’t use me magic to tinker.”

"Sure you can!" Pinkie said, smiling. "Rule number one with the local magic, stuff related to your special talent comes natural. You should be able to instinctively cast at least one spell related to your talent, no training needed."

“That’s it?” Quickfix asked in confusion. “Instinct? That’s how ye locals do it?”

"Well, only the most basic spells related to your special talent." Sunset admitted. "Anything beyond that requires study and practice. Oh, and telekinisis, but that's a basic for survival."

“Well shoot,” Quickfix smirked. “That’s simple stuff. Us unicorns got that all hard wired,” she tapped her head. “Our brains can think up several things instantly with little effort. There’s a reason them other races say ‘a unicorn never forgets’.”

"I thought that was elephants?" Mask pointed out.

“Those stuck ups just think they’re all that,” Quickfix snorted. “Just ‘cause they have trunks and whatnot, and so big, they think they’re so great. Well, how great are they after a volley of cannons?”

"True, but still, come on! I promised you a ride! Plus, it's almost time for a musical number!" Dr. Pie shouted. "Woo hoo!" And with that she dashed off in a pink blurr.

Fiddlesticks took off her hat and pulled her fiddle out of it. “Way ahead of ya!” She rushed out the door. Quickfix rolled her eyes and followed.

Sunset sighed. "I hate musicals."

*****************
Flying over the town on what looked to be a giant candy cane with a pair of smaller candy and runners and one large prop propeller, Pinkie and Quickfix beheld Ponyville. Ponies looked up, smiled and waved. A simple tune picked up

"Hello!"
"Hi there!"
"Howdy!" "Hi!" "Hello!"

Waving back at the crowd, Pinkie began to sing.
"This is a friendly town like always,
Our ponies are without compaaaare!
Every morning smiling bright,
Parting all night,
No other town can compaaaare!"

She waved as a group of pegasi flew by, and they waved back. Their leader, a grey feathered Pegasus with blond hair and topazes for eyes, picked up the next verse.
"There she goes along like always,
Our party pony extraordinaire!
Making all the smiles bright,
Every morning noon and night,
I know nopony that can compaaaare!"

Turning to the mare, Pinkie smiled.
"Hello there Ditzy, how is your family?"
Turning to what looked like an empty cloud she called
"Hello Thunderlane, how is your job?"
Flying over, Ditzy pulled the cloud open to reveal a napping Thunderlane, who she bopped on the head to wake up.
Pinkie didn't seem to notice as she continued on.
"There's nothing better than the simple life!"

The tune took on a softer tone as Pinkie continued.
"Ohh, there's my home here!
I live in the loft above the bakery!
It's really quite charming,
And there's no place I'd rather beee!"

Quickfix smiled as her musical genes hit it off.
“Ah got to hoof it this is relaxin’~
The pain just seems to float away~
I am so filled with awe~
Not a one single flaw~
Ah have to say ye have really saved my day~”

The crowd below followed along, singing their improvised lyrics in perfect sync...to absolutely nopony's surprise.
"There she goes that strange mare,
Flying through the sky!
She may seem kind of off,
But we're all better off
With the love and laughter of Piiiie!"

"Yes she really is a charming mare,
Spreading laughter without compare,
She really is a charming mare,
She really is a charming mare,
That Piiiiieeee!"

And then the musical ended and ponies went on with their day. "Oh thank Celestia I didn't get dragged into this one." Sunset moaned. "...Fiddlesticks you can stop playing now."

“Nope,” Fiddlesticks chimed as she kept playing her fiddle. “Ya didn’t get a verse and yer not smilin’. Not a good combo.” She twirled around her. “Come on, just one?”

"The musical's over, I'm not singing." Sunset said, her face set in stone.

Fiddlesticks stopped her playing and pouted. “Every party needs a pooper.” She took off her hat, put her fiddle back into it, and then put it on her head.

"Oh that's not fair!" Sunset shouted. "Just because I don't like singing doesn't make me a party pooper!"

"I don't know." Mask said. "When Twilight isn't around, you usually are the drag in a party."

"Twilight measures the frosting on cupcakes with a compass. Anypony is the life of the party compared to that! I haven't had to have a lot of practice okay?" Sunset defended.

“And that’s why ah’m here,” Fiddlesticks looped a hoof around her neck. “When ah’m done, ya will be the funnest pony around town.”

"Objection!" Mask shouted while pointing dramatically. "That's my job! Bearer of the Element of Laughter!"

“Hold it!” Fiddlesticks pointed back, for some reason the words formed in the air above. “Ah’m the Element of Joy!”

"Before we get into a happiness contest or something, I think we should move, it looks like Pinkie's trying to come in for a landing." Sunset pointed out.

“There is no try,” Fiddlesticks said sagely. “There is just do or do not.”

"Well hopefully it's do this time." Mask noted as she flapped out of the way. "There's a reason this is the mark eight."

The whirligig however did come in for (it's first ever) safe landing, though it kicked up a large cloud of dust. When it cleared, it showed that Dr. Pie had, for some reason, donned a suite and tie, and was carrying a large briefcase. "Take that!" she shouted, pulling a scroll out of her briefcase. "This is my Doctorate in Party-mancy, which declaims me a fully recognized Master of Ceremonies. As such I have documentation pointing towards me being the funniest mare in town!"

Fiddlesticks snorted. “Ah don’t need no fancy smancy city papers to tell me that ah’m a hoot. All homegrown apple flavor, thank ya very much.”

"Yes we'll I...wait, Apple..." Pinkie mused as she was back in her labcoat and glasses. "One," she pointed at Sunset, then moving to Mask said "two," before pointing at empty air which seemed to blink with the outline of a pony with a hat a couple of times "but no three. Where's Applejack?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "She went back to the farm to let her mother know she's fine."

“Still weird havin’ her mom alive and all,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “Went to her funeral….Ah shoot, ah went and made myself sad again.” She looked away, downcast.

Reaching into her briefcase, Dr. Pie pulled out a balloon cowboy hat and placed it on top of Fiddlesticks head. "Here you go, just what the doctor ordered."

Fiddlesticks smiled. “Thank ya kindly,” she chuckled. “Might look good on Pat, now that ah think about it.”

"Who's Pat?" Masquerade asked.

“He’s my pet Platypus,” Fiddlesticks raised up her real hat, revealing the strange fully grown critter laying on her head. “Say hi, Pat.” The Platypus trilled.

The locals all stated at it in shock. Suddenly, a voice cried out "I have no idea why, but it feels as though I have been proven horribly horribly wrong about something! Knowing my luck, the Elements are involved somehow! They usually wind up proving my theories one way or another! Waiter, I will be taking this meal to go!"

Sunset sighed. "Great, now we have to deal with Lyra."

“Ye have a Lyra here too?” Quickfix groaned. “Great. Ah was havin’ such a good time. Well, nice knowin’ ye sense. In about a minute, Lyra’s gonna be murderin’ ye with her stupidity.”

A bust of smoke appeared then, and from within came a voice. "Behold! The Brilliant and Cunning Lura Heartstings has arrived!" The smoke then dissipated, revealing Lyra, standing bipedal with her billowing red cape flapping in the breeze behind her. "I sensed a disturbance! What has occure...! Is that a platypus!?" she asked.

“Eyup,” Fiddlesticks chimed, putting the balloon hat on him. “He’s Pat, the bestes pet this lil’ fiddler could ask fer. Say hi, Pat.” The Platypus trilled. “Don’t worry if he doesn’t shake yer hoof. Platypuses don’t do much.”

Lyra just looked stunned. "Do you realize how many scientists this thing has just proven wrong?! Even I have been proven wrong, and most think I am crazy for the things I believe in! For this to be beyond what even I am willing to believe in says something, doesn't it snuggle muffin?! ...snuggle muffin?!" Lyra looked around, dropping down to all fours. "Sunset, where is my gingerbread strudel pie!? I know she went with you earlier into the Everfree! Where is she now?!"

“Whelp,” Quickfix said. “She’s finally lost it. Bon Bon owes me three bits. Fiddlesticks?”

“On it,” Fiddlesticks pulled out a ‘no-crazy’ red baton out of her hat. “But that’s a good question. Where’d all that food go? Ya weren’t hidin’ it from us, were ya Sunset?”

"No no, those are Lyra's pet names for her marefriend, Sweetie Drops who kind of, sort of, um," Sunset had no idea how to put this delicately.

Looking over the group, Lyra gasped. "She has been sucked into another dimension! The same one these two are from! Most likely due to some sort of energy feedback loop caused by energy blasts on both sides of a highly unstable magical portal creating a vacuum action that sucked them in and threw them into each others realities! Most likely because that one pushed some sort of large red button!" She finished off by pointing an accusing hoof at Fiddlesticks.

“AH REGRET NOTHIN’!” Fiddlesticks declared. Pat trilled again in the same tone he always did. “Neither does Pat.”

“............” Quickfix had nothing to say. Aboslutely nothing to say to that. So, she decided to do what she always did when something like this happened. She would take something apart. Grumbling, she walked over to the Whirligig and banged her head against it. “The buck?”

"It's hard to remember how smart Lyra is sometimes." Mask said, also equally shocked.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "She can keep up with Sparkle, of course she's brilliant."

“Lyra, brilliant?” Quickfix spoke up. “Ah’m sorry, this is another world an’ all, but Lyra’s dumb...Really dumb. She was bleeding raised by Diamond Dogs, for Celestia’s sake and why are we talkin’ ‘bout that chaos witch, Sparkle?”

That's when it happened. Stressed out, wanting to take something apart, and not thinking about it, Quickfix's magic took charge. Firing off a basic spell to fulfill her desires, the whirligig glowed as it quickly disassembled itself into its component parts, which lay themselves out neatly for categorization.

“Ah used a spell?” Quickfix looked up at her horn. “...Ah used magic?”

"Great job!" Sunset beamed. "Okay then, did you feel the connection to your internal energies?"

“Ah don’t think so,” Quickfix rubbed her head. “But my headache is gone and...ah could feel myself get a little more clever. So….maybe?”

"Alright, well we've proven that you can use the local magic at least, so that's a good start." Sunset nodded. "Anyway Lyra, don't worry, I'm sure Sweetie and the others are okay. I'm sure the bearers on the other side will look after them like we're doing here."

“Well, for the most part,” Quickfix said. “Sunset might be a bit miffed at them...and throw a fireball their way...Not many though, she’s workin’ past that.”

Sunset's eyes widened. "She would what!? Why would any me do that? Would I do that? I know I've not always expressed my anger in the most positive ways but would I really hurt somepony? Is the other me really that different? Or is she not and I'm just a ticking time bomb? What if I go off? What would I do to ponies? I'd probably destroy entire city blocks! I'll be the worst pony villain ever! Parents will tell their children to behave or I'll get them! I'm a horrible pony!" she shouted before collapsing and curling up and stroking her tail in stress.

“Whoa there Sunny,” Fiddlesticks was at her side in an instant, pulling her into a bone crushing hug. “Yer a good pony. So’s our Sunset...She’s just a bit more miffed, but she’s never burned anypony.”

“Well….” Quickfix started.

“Anypony who didn’t deserve it,” Fiddlesticks quickly added. “So come on, don’t go beatin’ yerself up over somethin’ ya never did and ain’t gonna do.”

"Yeah. We've talked about this before Shimmer." Mask chimed in. "You are only responsible for your actions, not the actions of others."

"Right, right, right, sorry." Sunset apologized, calming down. "Just a bit of a panic attack from self esteem issues, nothing major."

“Good,” Fiddlesticks pulled away. She patted Sunset’s head. “A frown just keeps ya down. Keep it in the past and toss it in the trash.”

"I'm just glad everypony is being mature...wait, nopony is being immature." Masquerade gasped at the realization. "Where is Lightning Dust?"
_____________________________________________________________________________

Lightning Dust puffed her cloud up as she leaned back for a nap. The pegasus lay on one of the Apple Family trees up in the high branches. It was no small fact that pegasi needed their rest given their more active lives. That and she wanted to be at her best when she challenged AJ soon. ‘Oh yeah, I’m gonna show her who’s boss, pegasi style.’ She yawned, snagging an apple from the tree. “Eh, Fiddlesticks never minds, AJ won’t get huffy.” She then chomped down, savoring the taste.

Then a kick ball hit her in the face. "Way ta go Scoots, ya knocked the ball ina' tree!"

"It's not my fault! Sweetie did a bad roll!"

"I did not!"

Lightning growled, rubbing her face where the ball hit. She wasn’t the type to get angry at children, but they had interrupted her nap. Not to mention she clearly heard that brat Scootaloo down there. ‘Probably picking on the blank flanks again or something.’ She grabbed the ball and and looked down at them. “Scoots, watch it next time!”

Sweetie Belle looked up in shock. "Scootaloo, do you know her?"

"Nope." Scoots stated, shaking her head. "Never seen her before. Have you Apple Bloom?"

She shook her head as well "No ah HEY what are ya doin' in our tree anyway? Yer not stealin' our apples are ya?"

“I’m napping,” Lightning huffed. She wasn’t going to admit to eating an apple without paying. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

"Why do pegasi keep takin' naps in our trees?" Apple Bloom groused. "At this rate we oughta charge like a hotel."

"I don't know, I think they're mostly napping here because it's free." Scootaloo pointed out.

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah, if you started charging money, then they'd just go nap on park benches. Like hobos."

It was then Lightning noticed a couple of things. One; the three ponies were friends, even though Scootaloo was a real jerk and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom didn’t interact that much. Two; Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn’t have cutie marks. ‘Wierd.’ She flew down to the ground and touched down next to them. She held out the ball. “Just watch where you kick this thing.”

"Shore thing Miss...uh...um...uh..." Apple Bloom realized she had forgotten to ask her name.

“Lightning Dust,” she put a hoof to her chest and smirked. “Future Wonderbolt extraordinaire.”

"Awesome, just like Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said happily, her wings buzzing but seeming to provide her with no lift.

"Heck, if'n she makes it, I think she'd be the first hybrid in the Bolts." Apple Bloom added in. "That's like, history book stuff there."

“....Hybrid?” Lightning frowned.

"There's nothing wrong with hybrids, that's not what we're saying." Sweetie piped up. "Our friend Dinky is a feathered unicorn, and Miss Raindrops is an earthshod pegasus like you!"

Lightning fought down the rage that was building. “I assure you, I’m a full blooded pegasus. Not a drop of anything else.” She really didn’t like the term these ponies threw her way. ‘Earthshod? That just screams offensive.’

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you have feathers?" Scootaloo challenged.

‘Because I’m from an alternate reality,’ Lightning thought, but there wasn’t anything to prove that other than her own body. “‘Cause pegasi just look like this from where I’m from.”

The three fillies before her gave perfectly matching flat looks that just screamed 'we may be kids but we weren't born yesterday'.

“Oh get back to playing ball or something,” Lightning scowled, showing off her fangs without meaning to.

The three fillies screamed at the top of their lungs and started running around in a panic.

“What the hay is wrong with you?” Lightning looked around her at the fillies. ‘What, do kids just randomly run around and scream in this universe?’

"Monster pony!" Scootaloo shouted!

"It's gonna eat us!" Sweetie added!

"Run fer ma home!" Apple Bloom decided.

With a course of decided, the fillies ran screaming down the road.

“...Should I be laughing my head off or offended?” Lightning asked herself as she gazed off at the retreating fillies.

"Hey! What's going on down there?" a voice in the sky called out.

“Just some kids interrupting my nap,” Lightning snorted and flew back into her cloudrest. “No big.”

"I do think there is kind of a big deal when some fillies go running away screaming like a hydra is after them." the voice challenged. With a thud, the figure landed in front of Lightning. In all honesty, the yellow mare in front of her looked just like a pegasus from back home...minus the fangs, but still.

“Well they shouldn’t go running off for no good reason,” Lightning shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”

"I find that hard to believe." the pegasus shot back. "But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Still, if you did do something, I'd suggest you leave before the Apple Clan decides to do something about it."

“Me and the Apples are tight,” Lightning smirked. “I think I’ll make...Okay, maybe not these Apples, but I know some that can smooth things out.” She eyed the pegasus up and down. “Say, you look like me. No feathers.”

"Yeah yeah, go hybrids." she responded, rolling her eyes. "And I hope you do know Apples. Big Mac deserves that name you know."

“I know their cos’ Fiddlesticks,” Lightning said. “The name’s Lightning Dust, you?...and I’m not a hybrid.”

"Raindrops. And you could have fooled me." she said, smirking. "From where I'm flapping, you look like you're earthshod to me. Don't tell me you don't have any hybrid pride."

Lightning huffed. “I’m a pegasus,” she crossed her hooves. “Came from a very….yeah, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. My family were tribalists through and through. So, pure blood here.” She shrugged. “Got nothing against hybrids though. Met some awesome ones before….and please don’t call me an earthshod.”

Raindrops just looked at her like she was crazy. "Okay then. Since you asked nicely. So, uh, you said you were taking a nap? I'll let you get back to that." She then took off and flew away with all the grace of an airborne brick.

Lightning took off after her, curious about the pegasus. Her movements however were quick and effective, owing to her more predatory genes. “Nah, I don’t feel like napping now.” She frowned. “Look, I’m sorry if I came off as a jerk. Didn’t mean to and I hate myself for scaring those kids. So, we cool?” She held out a hoof.

Smiling, Raindrops did a hoof bump. "Yeah, I guess. Though you should worry more about Clementine."

“I’ve spent enough times dodging spells and ropes to take whatever she throws my way,” Lightning smirked. “Say, why don’t we hang out or something? I’m not familiar with here and most of the other ponies just run and scream. Especially because of these.” She showed off her fangs.

"...ah." Raindrops said. "Soooo...that's a thing." She shrugged. "I'm not going to judge you just cause you look different. I get enough of that as an earthshod. So, you really a pegasus or were you just saying that to try fitting in?"

“First off,” Lightning huffed. “Why would I want to fit in here? Everyone thinks I’m going to bite their heads off or something. News flash, pegasi don’t eat other ponies anymore.” She turned a little greener at that, gagging a bit at the thought. “Nope, definitely not.”

"Soooo...alternate dimension or alien planet?" Raindrops asked as if it were the most casual thing ever.

“Alt,” Lightning smiled and nodded. “Glad I didn’t have to lie. I’m terrible at it. Should have just said I was a hybrid, but...eh.” She shrugged. “Yeah, all pegasi look like this. No feathers or anything, fangs and all. Hay, I even know a you on the otherside.”

"Huh, neat. So, what am I like over there?"

“Clumsy,” Lightning frowned. “Extremely clumsy and accident prone. You’re nice though. Wouldn’t hurt a fly...You’re also a vegetarian, which….” She rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, some of the other pegasi say is a bit unnatural.”

"Language isn't natural either." Raindrops replied with a smirk. "If they're so concerned about being natural, they should shut up and stop talkin'."

“And then they get to fighting,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “That’s the pegasi way. See a problem, fight it.”

"We've got hard heads like that too." Raindrops admitted. "Like two thirds of the EUP is pegasi, we're still the warrior tribe. But everypony else that didn't join one of the guards, the police, or the like tends to be rather peaceful...by comparison to other Pegasi."

“Yeah, we’re warriors,” Lightning smirked, hoof-pumping. “Can’t stop us, can’t beat us. Gotta keep Equestria safe after all.”

"Yep." Raindrops nodded. "So, I'd love to keep talking, but it looks like you've gotta go."

“Why?”

And then the lasso closed over Dust's leg and yanked her down. Lightning internally screamed at how strong Earth Pony’s were and how it was unfair. She beat her wings as fast as she could, fighting the pull of...whoever it was that was pulling on her leg. “Not...gonna...bring...me...down.”

Such sentiment was trashed when an even harder yank sent her hurtling towards the ground, to crash land in front of a somewhat older mare. Her coat was bright orange, and she had bright green hair. Her cutie mark was a trio of tangerines. "Hello there. My name is Clementine Apple, and I believe you are the Pegasus that scared my daughter and her friends." she said in a tone that seemed much too friendly when juxtaposed against her earlier actions.

“Not my fault they think I’m a ‘monster pony’,” Lightning said, emphasizing the remark by making a hyphen gesture with two feathers with her outstretched wings.

"Ah yes, Applejack told me about your fangs dear. And that you're the reason my precious baby had to risk her life inside that awful Everfree Forest, again. And that you almost attacked her a couple times. And now I find you're scaring my youngest child."

“I didn’t ask AJ to come after me,” Lightning rolled her eyes. She did feel spikes of fear rushing down her back and frankly knew she was on thin ice, but she wasn’t going to show it. “Hay, I didn’t ask for Fiddlesticks to push that big red button. Yet, she did and now we’re here and geez, it’s like she’s never seen fangs before.”

"Oh she has, on monsters." Clementine responded, smiling sweetly. "So you can see why she's upset. She thought you were a monster. If it weren't for the fact that AJ told me about you, I'd be doing a lot worse right about now then lecturing you. Now, about this Fiddlesticks and a button you mentioned..."

*****************

"Eh, I'm sure she's fine." Sunset assured the group. "Right then, I got Spike to send a letter off to Celestia, so now all we have to do is wait for her to figure out what she can to help us out."

“How about a waitin’ song to pass the time?” Fiddlesticks chimed.

“No,” Quickfix and Sunset said.

"Ooh ooh ooh! I got one!" Pinkie shouted, waving her hoof. "Hahem, Iiiiii just waaaasted ten seconds of your tiiiime!"

“Can ah strangle her?” Quickfix asked.

"How, you haven't figured out TK yet." Mask pointed out.

“Ah mean with my hooves,” Quickfix said with a roll of her eyes.

The locals all stared at her like she just grew a second head.

“Are ye’ll gonna do that everytime ah say somethin’?” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry it's just...you can manipulate things with your hooves and you're not an earth?" Sunset asked. "That's amazing, how do you do that?"

“Pony hooves have several bones in ‘em,” Quickfix flexed her hoof. “Helps us grab stuff. Not to mention fleshy fibers like them geckos that help keep traction and make holdin’ it even easier.”

"Neato. Only earth can use their hooves to grab stuff here, and our hooves aren't bendy lizard hooves, see?" Dr. Pie tapped the side of one of her hooves with the other, producing a clack. "Now watch this." Pulling out a marble she placed it on top of her upturned hoof. It then rolled back and forth across her hoof a few times before rolling off the side...and clinging there. It then started to roll circuits around the hoof without any signs of fighting gravity. Turning her hoof so it pointed to the ground, she then had the marble roll back and forth on the bottom of her hoof, again seemingly ignoring gravity. "Earth manipulation field. Neat huh? It's part of our tribal magic."

“Oooh,” Fiddlesticks leaned down at the smaller pony. “Neat trick.” Pat trilled from underneath the hat, which seemed odd since Pat was much too big to fit in it. “Pat says he likes it too.”

"Thanks, but any earth could do it. Maybe not as fast, but that's just practice." Dr. Pie said, shrugging. "If you want to see impressive, watch this!" She then proceeded to walk backwards up the side of a building.

Once she made it to the top, Fiddlesticks was there to shake her hoof. “Mighty impressive, Pinkie.”

"Wait but I left you at the...huh so that's what it feels like." Pinkie noted. "Anyway, that was a more advanced use of the manipulation field allowing for greater degrees of assent, while also reducing gravity's effect on us."

“We just rely on the good ol’ Earth to give us strength,” Fiddlesticks said. “We can’t walk up walls, but ya won’t see an Earth Pony get tired any time soon. That and some other cool tricks them Druids can do.”

"Hmm, fascinating." Dr. Pie said, blowing into a rather posh looking pipe that shot bubbles. "Druidism is a deer thing here. Earths get enhanced strength and endurance though. We also are more in touch with nature, passively enhance our crafts, are resistant to diseases, and have the longest lifespan out of all the tribes."

Fiddlesticks frowned. “Yeah, them deer are big on druids, but so are us Earth Ponies. We’re close to nature. Hay, we’re tighter than the wool is to a llama. most of that is the same with us, ‘cept the longest livin’. That’s unicorns because of their magic.”

The locals looked rather uncomfortable at that.

“Oh come on,” Quickfix said. “That’s how it works. Our magic purifies our bodies, keeps us goin’. Hay, if ah didn’t have my magic, ah’d drop down dead in seconds.”

"Not here." Sunset responded, shaking her head. "Since we generate our magic, our magic relies on our bodies health, not the other way around. And since we're frailer and a bit more fragile..."

Quickfix’s jaw dropped. “That fragile?...How the hay are ye still walkin’ around everywhere? Sounds like yer made of glass.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "We're not that bad."

"Yeah." Masquerade chimed in. "More like clay pottery than glass wear."

"Thank you Mask." Sunset growled. "But yeah we're the short lived tribe. But we get spell casting in exchange, so I think it's fair."

“Spell casting, immunity to viruses, and longevity,” Quickfix shrugged. “Course, we might not be the most sturdy race, or that good with druidic powers.”

“Ya kind of suck at it,” Fiddlesticks was at Quickfix’s side.

"Wow, sounds like they got the better deal." Pinkie noted, giving Sunset a pat on the head. "You're still awesome though."

“We’re all awesome,” Fiddlesticks said, hugging Quickfix. Quickfix squirmed in her grasp, obviously being crushed by the Earth Pony’s hug.

"...well this was slightly depressing." Masquerade said.

Quickfix huffed as she got out of the hug. “That’s depressin’? That’s just facts and stuff. Ain’t depressin’ at all.”

"We must have pretty different impression of the word then and I think I just saw something." Mask said, squinting as her gems started turning and moving on their own.

Quickfix eyed the gems with extreme curiosity. “Been meanin’ to ask about those. Ye part Crystal Pony or somethin’?”

"What no I-Crystal Ponies are real?" Mask asked, then turned to face Lyra.

"I have decided that for the purposes of theory, we cannot accept evidence from one dimension to be conclusive for another! Just because they have crystal ponies does not mean that they ever existed here as more than just fantasy!"

Mask waved it off. "Whatever, we can talk about that later. Right now I'm looking at a royal sky carriage coming from Canterlot this way."

Sunset looked towards Canterlot, seeing nothing. "Have I mentioned how much I love your eyesight recently?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind hearing it again." Mask said, beaming.

Fiddlesticks was between them, playing a romantic, slow song on her Fiddle.

"...so Quickfix, want to demonstrate how you strangle somepony with your hooves?" Mask asked. "We have about twenty minutes before the princess arrives."

At that, Fiddlesticks was gone in a flash. Quickfix sighed. “Ah’d like to, but she’s gone to make a part for the Princess’s arrival.”

"Well, this should be interesting." Sunset said.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment.