Rock ☾ Equestria

by Blind Gardener

2: The Susurrus of Soft Spoken Souls Sighing Shyly

7th July 1922.

Twilight Sparkle paced tightly in the other Twilight's large room. She was sick of waiting for the other hoof to fall. It had been four months since the journal and note had been stolen. Four months of stilted, formal dinner conversations twice a week, with only the servants and spike to keep her company other days. Due to her illness that first day, Shiny hadn't been permitted to take her out to see the city. Before they could get a second chance, he had left on a pirate hunting expedition.

She didn't know how dangerous pirate hunting was exactly, but the way Mrs. Velvet bit her lip whenever she spoke of it certainly implied it wasn't safe. She sighed, closing her eyes as she continued her frantic pacing. She liked Shiny, he reminded her of her brother far more than the two caricatures in charge of her new life reminded her of her parents. A tear dripped down her cheek. He basically was her brother, with all of his mischief, boldness, and care except for an undercurrent of sadness that he had been unwilling to speak of during their all-to-short times together. She wished she had been brave enough to tell him about her situation, or ask him about Cadence.

"And what exactly", her imaginary Rainbow Dash asked her, "Would you tell him? 'I'm sorry, I'm not the sister you know, but some interdimensional being who is the sister of some other Shining Armour who was slotted into your sister's place while she left to go on an adventure'. Yeah. Fat chance of that producing a reasonable result. If he didn't believe you, he'd probably tell Twilight's parents, and they'd ship you off to the loony bin! If he did believe you, what then? You'd be lucky if he reacted as well as you did when you discovered that Crysalis was replacing Cadence!"

Imaginary Applejack shook her head, twitching her ear irritably at imaginary Rainbow Dash. "Aww, don't you believe that braggart none at all. Ain't nothing wrong with the honest simple truth, hon. I reckon that if you approached him and told him yourself, he wouldn't be none too angry. I reckon he'd even be willing to help get your flank home. It'd be better than sitting here waiting for the apples to fall outta the trees on their own." Twilight pretended to glance between the two imaginary ponies, uncertain which imaginary best friend she agreed with more. She laughed harshly at herself as the absurdity of her own musings caught up with her, bitter tears roiling down her face with the laughter.

New information had come up in the search for Celestia and Luna. There were five major divinities, and four of them had forbidden names for various reasons. The twin divinities of the Day and Night sounded like Luna and Celestia, except that they never showed themselves to their followers. Also their followers generally got along in general while arguing on every specific.

The Divinity of the Forgotten Tyrant was a frightening and dark religious movement. Twilight wasn't sure if it was Tirek or Sombre. Either way, Twilight had figured it was a name to run away from very quickly. Worship of Discord was also a thing here, though the Discordians also venerated a goddess named Eris and, for some reason, rhubarb chocolate pies and a golden apple. Twilight, upon reading these facts, had shaken her head and rolled her eyes.

The final religion was the first mention Twilight had seen of Arcadia, and it was the worship of the fae, strange creatures that came from the fae-realms. Arcadia was said to be their capital island within the fae-sea. Upon reading this, Twilight had decided that this world she had come to was even less imaginative when it came to names than her own. Ponyville was badly named yes, but Fae this and Fae that showed a far greater dearth of imagination.

Every day of those four months, when Twilight woke, she had wondered who had the note, and what they were doing with it. She hadn't seen the light blue elfen maid again. The other housestaff, whom Twilight now knew by name, had explained that no one matching the mysterious maid's description had worked here in more than two years. Twilight shook her head sharply to clear out her thoughts and stared at the wood paneling surrounding her room. It was covered with carvings that at first appeared to be geometric, but closer inspection showed them to be highly stylized carvings of farms, ships, potters, castles and other elfen works.

She imagined Pinkie Pie's voice telling her "Everything's going to be O.K Twilight, really! We've been in worse situations and gotten through them alright, together. I mean, I know we're not together now, but we're in your heart helping you, so it's like we're together only we're not really! So it's the same thing, basically. Don't be sad, just imagine the things that make you happy here! Think of the things you enjoy, and laugh the icky meany bad sadness away, like Pinkie Pie!"

She thought of the books in the library, and learning how to account for the differences in this world's magic field. She could tell, from the records she could find, that she already had far better control and understanding of magic than her local counterpart, but she had years before she'd be able to catch up with the other Twilight's understanding of machinery and tools. She also couldn't find any trace of the spell that had been used to bring her here... if it even was a spell. She was beginning to doubt that the thing that had brought her here was entirely magical, or at least entirely compatible with the magic she could touch.

There were other strands of magic in the air, strange and alien undercurrents, like new age, experimental instruments added to a classical orchestra. She had not noticed them her first night here, but were beginning to stand out darkly against the bright neon threads of the harmonious magics she normally worked. She yearned to work them, but so far could only maintain contact with them for the faintest of breaths. She was sure they were involved in whatever magics had brought her here.

The servants were not bad company, not really. Twilight had started getting to know them, something she was certain her predecessor had never bothered with.

Copper Pot aspired to be a chef, and he had helped Twilight get the nutrition she needed while avoiding red meat. She had been the first to notice Twilight had changed, and Twilight had played along with Copper's assumptions as to why. Apparently increased humility and the rejection of red meat were local signs of a person who was seeking wisdom. It wasn't too far from the truth, really, Twilight always seized wisdom with both hooves when possible. The other Twilight's parents hadn't even noticed the decreased red meat consumption and corresponding increase in the consumption of fish, cheese, and eggs.

Dusty Skies was a musician in her free time. She collected old folk songs and played them to rowdy taverns. She had even been willing to teach some to Twilight, who's favorite was an old ditty called 'the lonesome traveller'. Twilight smiled warmly, remembering the night she had spent making music together with Dusty Skies. When she left this place, she'd miss her.

Dry Clean was a bit stuffy, and acted like he had a rod of iron where his spine should be. He had served in the navy under Shiny, until he had taken a cannonball to the arm. His prosthetic worked, but not well enough to be trusted in combat. Shiny had hired him for the job here, and he had taken it very seriously. Getting him to open up to Twilight had been quite difficult, and required several applications of her beginner's distilling experiment.

Dulce de Leon was a cheesemaker, and worked the alchemical stills making healing poultices for sick and injured staff. Twilight had traded a recipe for foal formula she had learned from the Cakes back in Equestria for recipes for samples of the liniments, rubs, and the primitive antibiotics she would need for her journey.

There had also been a tugging at her heart. It was growing stronger, closer. It reminded her of the feelings she had felt in Ponyville, leading her to the other elements of harmony. It was a clue, but not one she could explore while locked up in this mansion. Maybe her friends had been brought here, and maybe they were looking for her, taking the places of the people who had once been them. Maybe the elements of Harmony existed here too, and she could use them to get home. Maybe, maybe... Maybe.

She fell back onto the carpeting, causing Spike to squeak and rusle out of his basket to fawn over her, and make sure she was O.K. He licked at her salty face, cleaning off the tears, as she imagined Spike, her Spike, speaking "Come back soon, Twilight." he told her, "We miss you."

She made up her mind. She would find a way out of this gilded prison and hunt down the other Twilight. Then she would force her to send. her. home. "Buck. This." she said, standing herself back up. Spike chirped and chittered distressedly. "I don't mean you Spike, you're wonderful really. I just... I just wish you were my Spike." Spike patted her cheek helpfully.

---

9th July 1922

Despite her declaration of readiness it had taken a day and a half for Twilight to prepare for her escape attempt, partly because she wanted to make it on a sunday. She had all the supplies together, and sat down with her imaginary friends, specifically Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, to discuss the sneaking plan.

She had already dressed for the event, wearing a simple skirt over breeches, a pair of comfortable shoes, a pair of adjustable goggles, a simple corset with hidden pockets for money in it as well as a watch, a black hat for style at Imaginary Rarity's insistence, a pair of fingerless gloves for a combination of dexterity and warmth and a leather satchel with her supplies in it, including extra underwear and the all important spike snacks.

"Alright girls" she whispered to Spike and her imaginary friends. Spike chirped at her, and wound himself somewhat tighter around her arm, causing her to smile. "And Spike" she added, causing him to chirrup with satisfaction, and tuck his head against her glove.

"Here's the plan" she said while grinning and imagining herself strutting around in front of her friends, checklist in hand. "Step one, I get out of this room and raid one of the cleaning supplies closets for a mop and bucket. Step two, I cast an illusion of being a maid. Step three, I start cleaning a room. Step for, I walk out at the end of the day like I'm just another of the maids going home. Pretty cool plan, right girls... and spike?"

The imaginary girls stared at her, flabberghast. "Don't you think your parents would notice an extra maid around the place, hon?" imaginary Applejack asked, mouth still hanging open

"Nah, I don't think the nobles here really notice the servants. Dry Clean, Dusty Skies, and Copper Pot were all really surprised when I started to get to know them. I don't think Twilight ever tried to sneak out by just looking like a maid and walking out."

"Now that I think about it, you might be right there hon." imaginary Applejack agreed, eyes wide.

"Awww, this plan is boring. Where's the wiz, and the biff, and the kapow, and the..." imaginary Rainbow Dash pursed her equine lips and whistled the theme to a popular spy radio drama, 'mission impossible'. With each sound effect that imaginary Rainbow Dash spit out, imaginary Fluttershy's wings cranked a notch higher into the air.

"Well, I think it's a rather nice plan. Nopony gets hurt" imaginary fluttershy said definitively, tucking her wings neatly against her side, and turning to preen at them.

"Oh. Well... Yeah. I guess ponies getting hurt is bad." imaginary Rainbow Dash agreed with reluctant bashfulness.

"So... let's do it" Twilight said, to the general concurrence of her imaginary friends. With that, she began her plan, heading to the nearest supply closet. She couldn't help but whistle that catchy theme while song though.

---

It wasn't too much longer before she was out of the walled estate that the other Twilight had once called home and on the city streets. The plan's execution had been simply flawless.

Twilight was smiling and tipping her hat at the occasional passersby as she skipped through the beautiful, lamp lined streets. Spike was curled tightly around her neck, pretending to be a piece of jewelry. The lamps were made of black iron, and all had some sort magic gem on their top that glowed softly in the thick yellow fog that clung to the city. The road was cobbled, with a raised sidewalk. Trees and shrubs sat in small planters in the middle of the sidewalk, and on the other side of the sidewalk from the roads were thick walls. The walls were slightly different around each complex, and Twilight calculated that there were probably four complexes per block.

A small spluttering cart dragged forward by a copper boiler connected to the tires hiccuped and coughed its way past Twilight, trailing a choking smell of burning pine tar. She fell wheezing against a wall to support herself. Spike uncurled himself from her neck to begin angrily chirping and screeching fairy dragon curses at the retreating car. After a moment, when she had caught her breath again, Twilight patted Spike and cooed at him until he had calmed down. He placed his head gently back against her suprasternal notch with a few more muttered draconic curses.

Many of the vehicles she had seen on the road were magic powered contrivances, that sounded like an aria in her head when operating smoothly, and a discordant jarring whine when it wasn't tuned properly.

Others had been dragged by ponies that, at first, had resembled saddle arabians. Only having read about them in books in advance had kept her from trying to converse with the horses. She had still tipped her hat politely to them. This was her first time seeing one of the steam powered cars she had seen mentioned. It didn't impress her much. The magic and horse ones seemed both cleaner and more reliable.

She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but she continued to follow the tugging she felt inside her soul. Soon she was outside what appeared to be an elaborate cathedral covered with carved granite spires that reminded her nastily of Sombre, and windows set with stained glass images of the sky at day and night. She had once believed that the stained glass in Celestia's castle was impressive, but the stained glass here put that glass to shame.

The scenes and images were made of multiple layers of glass giving them depth and warmth, making the scenes of the sky look alive. She stared in open mouthed awe, and realized that the cathedral was lighting up the stained glass from behind, to project the images from them onto the surroundings, as otherwise she likely would not have been able to see and identify the images so well from the outside.

With a quick bow to an emblazoned sun icon, and another to the emblazoned moon icon, located on either side of the massive brass studded red oak double doors, she stepped inside.

---

The inside was dark and thick with a chokingly sweet, cloying smoke. She couldn't identify the smell, but it made Spike sneeze and her eyes water heavily. She stumbled past the narrow wooden benches. The right half of the cathedral seemed to be dedicated to the moon, and the left half to the sun, and small candles twinkled at various altars dedicated to 'saints' such as Starswirl the bearded, and Clover the Clever.

Unable to see effectively through the thick grey tendrils of smoke, Twilight stumbled directly into a very tall, yellow, object. Twilight promptly fell backwards onto her plot. Spike unraveled himself from her neck to hiss at the obstruction, whirling his way up her arm to perch on the tip of her outstretched hand. He waggled his claws at the tall figure ominously.

"Oh. Excuse me" A gentle, familiar voice said, causing Twilight to gasp in surprise. "Oh my... Are you alright?" the tall yellow object bent down, revealing itself to be a towering lanky giant of a woman. Twilight stared up, and up, and up until she met the eyes of the crouching titaness.

The woman was dressed in a canary yellow nun's habit, with white edging. It had loose sleeves that draped below her hands. A number of white and yellow belts seemed to be connecting the large swaths of canvas that made up the fabric, holding it together. Two wings poked out from the back of the habit, fluttering loosely in concern.

The woman had a thin build, and excessively long legs. She was so tall that, when Twilight had run into her, Twilight's nose had impacted against the other woman's belly. Her features were thin and delicate, and long pink hair spilled from her hood concealing her tan features. A pair of long lashed turquoise eyes stared back at her.

"Oh, you have a pet too" She said with a smile as she took Twilight's extended hand, yanking Twilight firmly but gently back to her feet. "Hi little guy" she reached down to tickle the angry dragon under the chin. Spike immediately calmed down and started cooing back at her. She reached one long, thin, hand into a sleeve and pulled out a small cookie with a gemstone in it that she handed to Spike. He grabbed it and began munching it hungrily.

Twilight continued to stare gape mouthed at the serine, graceful, woman. The woman giggled, and reached down to gently press her finger against the underside of Twilight's chin, and carefully pushed it back shut. "You shouldn't keep your mouth open like that. A fly might get in, and then it would drown in your saliva, and that would be sad." she said melodiously.

Twilight continued to stare, her already teary eyes flooding with warm wetness. Water dripped down her cheeks, and she began to sob softly.

"You don't talk much, do you?" The taller woman said "Oh... Oh my, it looks like the smoke is getting to you, dear. Let's get you out of here. You must feel so lost and alone, you poor sweet little thing. Here, my name's Fluttershy."

Twilight coughed and spluttered as Fluttershy gently, but firmly, began to push her out of the Cathedral. "Oh look, I know I have a bad reputation, but I'm not that evil, really" Fluttershy said.

This caused Twilight to cough and splutter even more. She was choking on the smoke, on the tears, on the shock, and on her own emotions. She couldn't catch her breath, and felt a tightness in her chest and a sharp pain in her left shoulder. Roiling brown darkness was eating it's way in from around the edges of her vision, looking like a writhing mass of velveteen worms. She fell down slowly, losing strength in her legs and arms.

"Oh my!" the voice sounded like it was being spoken a thousand miles away. She barely felt the sharp claws pricking her cheek to make sure she was alright.

The world faded to brown, with the occasional bright yellow spark.

Author's Note:

Props, as always, to my favorite pre-reader and my friend smxsonic!

I spent a lot of time working and re-working this one. It was fun coming up with little personalities for the serving staff that Twilight knows, which I did once I realized that Twilight as she is now would certainly have tried to befriend the maids and staff.

<< I feel like this song is a good representation of who Fluttershy is. Listen to it if you're interested! It's actually a somewhat less good representation of Rock Moon Fluttershy, but it still feels very right for her.

Comments

[DJPurple3]

Wow. This is amazing. WOOP WOOP keep going!