The other Ponyville (G3/G1 crossover)

by Peace Petal

Chapter Two

Wind Whistler, Gusty, Shady, and Pinkie Pie were waiting at Pinkie’s house until it was almost noon, and Fizzy and Minty still hadn’t shown up. The balloon was repaired, and they were otherwise ready to go. They finally decided to go to Minty’s house and look for those two. Pinkie was leading when they turned a corner and ran headlong into a sprinting Minty and Fizzy. Wind Whistler avoided a collision, but Pinkie and Minty knocked right into each other faces first and ended up on the ground, rubbing their heads. “Minty!” Pinkie said, sounding dazed. Shady helped her stand.

“I’m sorry!” Minty said. “I’m so sorry!”

“Yeah, both of us,” Fizzy said. “We didn’t mean to be so late, honest.”

“What happened?” Wind Whistler said as Fizzy helped Minty stand. She noticed that Fizzy had dark bags under her eyes.

“Oh, you know, first we were painting our hooves,” Minty said, “then we were making minty, fizzy drinks, then we were talking about cute mares, and then the sun was rising! And we tried to take a quick nap before heading to your place, only it didn’t end up being so quick…”

Wind Whistler noticed Fizzy’s shiny, pink hooves. Minty’s matched. They both had green coats—more teal for Fizzy—but they also had pink in their manes. The pink hooves worked well with both their color schemes. “Minty, Minty, Minty!” Pinkie said, shaking her head. “I understand that it’s fun to make new friends. Just try to keep track of time in the future, okay? Those ponies are counting on us.”

“Okay,” Minty said. They hugged.

Wind Whistler’s mind was still on something Minty had said. “‘Talked about cute mares?’” she mumbled as the others walked away. Belatedly she turned to follow them. She hadn’t even known that Fizzy was into mares. She suddenly wondered if she had been mentioned in last night’s discussion. It was always hard for Wind Whistler to read other’s emotions, even with an expressive pony like Fizzy. She knew that Fizzy liked her, but she didn’t know if it was a friendly fondness or a different kind of attraction. As for how Wind Whistler felt towards Fizzy… well, that was secondary to finding their way home.

“By the way, I love how you’ve painted your hooves,” Pinkie said to Minty.

Minty chuckled. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“You three can head out for Butterfly Island right now,” Pinkie said. “We have to go get Rainbow Dash, then it’s off to Unicornia!”

* * *

Gusty was looking forward to meeting this Ponyville’s Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie seemed similar enough, and Rainbow Dash from the last Ponyville was Gusty’s favorite pony she had met there. Hopefully this Rainbow Dash was the same sort of bold, brave daredevil. “Here we are!” Pinkie said, stopping at a house. It had a massive rainbow arch over the door.

Right as Pinkie was about to knock on the door, it opened. The pony who was coming out nearly ran into Pinkie’s outstretched hoof, but she caught herself. “Hello, Pinkie Pie,” she said in a delicate, elegant voice. She was a sky-blue earth pony with pink, orange, yellow, and green in her mane. She wore a feminine sunhat, a yellow scarf, and dainty shoes. “What a pleasure it is to see you here,” the blue pony said. “Who are your friends?”

“This is Gusty and Fizzy,” Pinkie said. “They’re from a very distant land, and they got here by accident. We’re going to Unicornia to see if the unicorns have some magic that can help them get back home. We were wondering if you could guide us there.”

“That sounds marvelous!” the blue pony said. “I’d love an excuse to go to Unicornia! Let me just find something dashing to wear and do a bit of packing. Come in. I’ll just be in my room.” The blue pony let them in and strode off to her bedroom.

“We’ll have four ponies in the balloon, so remember to pack light,” Pinkie called after her.

Gusty stared after the blue pony. “What?” she said.

“What what?” PInkie replied.

“That’s Rainbow Dash?”

“The one and only! Why?”

“She’s very different from the other Rainbow Dash,” Gusty said.

“Right… the other Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie said, shaking her head. “Did you meet every pony in Ponyville in that other world?”

“We didn’t see a Minty,” Gusty said.

“You mean there was a Pinkie Pie but no Minty? That’s a shame; we’re best friends in this world.”

Rainbow Dash was in her bedroom a long time before coming out. She had redone her mane in a tail. She had a long, flowing, rainbow scarf and shoes that appeared to be made of rose-tinted glass. She had a large, fully loaded saddlebag.

“What was wrong with your other outfit?” Gusty said.

“That was for Ponyville,” Rainbow Dash said. “But we’re going to Unicornia. Come on.” She walked towards the door. All of them followed, except Fizzy. Gusty turned to her and realized that she had dozed off standing up.

“Fizzy, come on,” Gusty said. She didn’t wake. Gusty rolled her eyes and used her horn to direct a gust of wind right in Fizzy’s ear. “I’m awake!” she said, jerking back.

“You are now,” Gusty said. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“Minty, we traveled this path,” Wind Whistler said. “It leads back to Ponyville.”

“Are you sure?” Minty said, looking around.

“Yes, I’m quite certain,” Wind Whistler said. She, Shady, and Minty were in a grove of odd, umbrella-shaped trees outside of Ponyville. Minty was supposed to be leading them to the Rainbow Waterfall, but she appeared to be lost. Wind Whistler knew where they were relative to Ponyville, but she didn’t know where the Rainbow Waterfall was supposed to be.

Shady’s head suddenly snapped to look behind them, ears perked up. A moment later Wind Whistler noticed the sound; something was coming towards them. It was currently obscured behind a series of shrubs with bright pink flowers. A purple earth pony came around the bushes. “Oh, it’s you, Sky Wishes,” Minty said, laughing.

“Hello, Minty,” Sky Wishes said. “Who are these two?”

“Wind Whistler.”

“Shady.”

“Can you help us find the Rainbow Waterfall?” Minty said.

“Don’t you know the way, Wind Whistler?” Sky Wishes said. “You’re a pegasus, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m not from Butterfly Island,” Wind Whistler said.

“Oh, well, finding the Rainbow Waterfall is easy,” Sky Wishes said. “You just keep going uphill. I’m going there too, so follow me.” They set off up a gentle incline, decidedly not in the direction Minty was leading them.

As they walked, Sky Wishes said, “I didn’t know there were any pegasi living outside Butterfly Island.”

“Shady and I are not from your world,” Wind Whistler said. “We were transported here by a magical portal. We’re going to Butterfly Island to see if they can help us return home.”

“That’s a strange story,” Sky Wishes said. “But I believe it. A few years ago no one would have believed that there were ponies who could fly, after all.”

“Really?” Wind Whistler said. “This has me curious. It seems the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns live separately here. That’s not the state of things in our land of origin. Has it always been that way?”

“There are stories of the pegasi and earth ponies interacting in the past,” Sky Wishes said. “Everyone thought they were just myths. But even in the stories, the pegasi come from another land. So I’d say it’s probably always been this way. But it sure is great to be interacting with the pegasi and unicorns again. It’s thrilling to have friends who can fly, make rainbows, grant wishes, and… Well, you know what I mean.”

“Indeed,” Wind Whistler said. “I can’t imagine how things would be different if all my friends were exclusively pegasi. Some of my earth pony and unicorn friends have skills that have won the day in a pinch.”

“More the unicorns,” Shady said, walking with her head down.

“That is unequivocally false,” Wind Whistler said. “Do you know what I consider to be my closest brush with death? It’s the time I was transformed to glass by Porcina. And who saved me from that situation?”

“Well, it was Porcina, technically,” Shady said.

“It was you, Shady,” Wind Whistler said clearly. “Gusty told me the story. All of Dream Valley would still be a silicate wasteland, ponies and all, if not for your clever plan to make the counterfeit magic cloak.”

“It sounds like you ponies have been through some scary stuff,” Sky Wishes said. “Are you some kind of heroes?”

“Not exactly,” Wind Whistler said. “We’re just trying to make a living in Dream Valley, but unfortunately several powerful forces have attacked us to take our land, to enslave us, or just out of malice.”

“And you want to go back there?” Sky Wishes said.

“We have friends there,” Wind Whistler said. “And not just the other ponies. There’s the bushwoolies, the furbobs, the stonebacks, the grundles, Porcina, Scorpan, Spike.”

“Spike?” Sky Wishes said, surprised. “You don’t mean Master Kenbroath Kilspotten Heathspike, do you?”

“No, he’s simply known as Spike,” Wind Whistler said. “The Spike we know is also a purple dragon of a similar size, but he doesn’t seem to have much else in common with the Spike you know.”

“That’s a weird coincidence,” Sky Wishes said.

“I don’t believe it’s a coincidence at all,” Wind Whistler said. “We’ve been to three separate worlds now, thanks to the fickle nature of those portals. And we’ve seen odd parallels between the three worlds, including similar locations and individuals with shared names and traits. Before you ask, we didn’t meet a Sky Wishes in the other two worlds.”

“It’s all so hard to believe,” Sky Wishes said. “Well, I wish you luck in finding your way back.”

Ahead of them, the ground dropped away sharply in a sudden cliff. There was a gap, then another stone cliff ahead, rising far above their heads. A brilliant rainbow waterfall tumbled off the far side into a pool at the bottom between the two cliffs. Colors swirled in the pool. “It’s beautiful,” Shady said. They stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the pool.

“Isn’t it?” Sky Wishes said.

“How does it transport us to Butterfly Island?” Wind Whistler said.

“You have to fly through the waterfall,” Sky Wishes said. “Instead of hitting the stone behind the water, you’ll come out of a similar waterfall at Butterfly Island.”

“How will you, Minty, and Shady get across?” Wind Whistler said. “I’m not strong enough to carry a pony.”

“I can make the jump,” Shady said.

“Only if there’s a safe landing on the other side,” Wind Whistler said.

“I don’t think I can make that jump,” Minty said.

“You won’t need to,” Sky Wishes said. “The pegasi and I have a magical connection. Star Catcher can sense when I’m near the falls. They’ll be along to pick us up soon.”

“Very well,” Wind Whistler said, locking up the stay apparatus in her legs. “We’ll wait for them and go together.”

Minty lowered her head and appeared to fall asleep immediately, still standing. Wind Whistler and Shady chatted with Sky Wishes about the differences between their worlds. It was clear that the ponies here were more numerous and had fewer enemies. Compared with here and the prosperous nation of Equestria, it seemed the ponies of Dream Valley were a small group scraping together a living in a hostile world.

The three of them were talking for perhaps half an hour, and Sky Wishes was starting to get antsy. “It doesn’t usually take so long for the pegasi to show up,” she said. “I wonder what’s happening.”

“I can find out,” Wind Whistler said, flaring her wings. She flew up to the Rainbow Waterfall and proceeded slowly, worried that she would just hit the stone behind the waterfall. Her muzzle touched the rainbow and didn’t even get wet. Soon her face was through, meeting warm, humid air. She opened her eyes and saw an island with palm trees, colorful flowers, and white beaches surrounded in blue water. Right below her the waterfall spilled into a pool. She didn’t see any ponies around.

“Hello?” she called out. There was no response. She pulled back through the waterfall. “There’s an island on the other side, but it appears to be uninhabited.”

“What?” Sky Wishes said. “It shouldn’t be. Maybe something bad happened!”

“I can go through and investigate more closely,” Wind Whistler said.

“Is there somewhere safe to land if I jump?” Shady said.

“Yes, the waterfall terminates in a pool,” Wind Whistler said.

“Then I’ll come with you,” Shady said.

“I guess I’ll stay with Minty,” Sky Wishes said, sounding worried. Minty was still dozing off.

Wind Whistler flew through the waterfall. Several seconds later, Shady bounded through the waterfall, falling into the pool below with a colorful splash. She swam to the bank and shook herself off. Wind Whistler landed next to her and said, “We should stick together, in case there is some sort of danger here.”

They started walking, swiveling their heads and listening carefully. Wind Whistler saw at least one piece of evidence that this island had been inhabited. At the top of the waterfall was a large statue in the shape of a butterfly. Shady stopped, looking at it. “What do you think happened here?” she said.

“It’s too early to guess,” Wind Whistler said. “There should be a town on the island somewhere, if pegasi used to live here. If we find it, that might give us a clue.”

They were walking through a forest of palm trees, pushing through underbrush adorned with bright flowers. Suddenly Wind Whistler was lifted into the air by some force. She tried to flap her wings to take control of her movement, but they tangled in something. She and Shady had been caught in a trap, a net that was lifted up by a boulder tied to a tree.

A whistle pierced the air, so loud and clear that maybe it rivaled Wind Whistler’s whistling ability. Into view came a blue pegasus with a pink and yellow mane. Wind Whistler wondered if this pony was this world’s equivalent to herself. The other blue pegasus had covered herself in pond fronds, but now she shook them off. “Who are you two?” she said in a quick, high-pitched voice. “What are you doing here?”

“My name is Wind Whistler, and this is Shady. We mean you no harm. We were just trying to find the pegasi of Butterfly Island. We came to the Rainbow Waterfall with Sky Wishes and Minty.”

“Sky Wishes?” the other pegasus said, cocking her head. She walked in place for a moment, unsure. “Don’t go anywhere.” She flew off. Fizzy might have said something silly in response to that, but Wind Whistler and Shady were left in silence. Hoping on the possibility that the other pegasus would release them, Wind Whistler didn’t try to escape just yet. She did start looking around for options, however. The best she had was attempting to chew through the ropes. It wasn’t too long a fall if they succeeded.

Soon the blue pegasus returned with another pegasus. This one was white, with a mane of blue, white, and pink stripes. She had magnificent wings with long feathers that shifted from white at the base to blue at the tip. Most notably, she had swirling marks all over her body in addition to her heart-shaped flank symbol. “You’re friends of Sky Wishes?” the white pegasus said in a smooth voice.

“Not friends exactly,” Wind Whistler admitted. “We met her, and she led us to the Rainbow Waterfall. We need magic to help us get back to our homeland, and Spike the dragon told us that the pegasi of Butterfly Island might be able to help.”

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding,” the white pegasus said. “Let’s release them,” she added, turning to the blue pegasus.

The blue pegasus whistled nervously and said, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“They said they mean us no harm, and I believe them,” the white pegasus said. They flew up, untied the rope that suspended the net, and gently lowered Wind Whistler and Shady. “I’m sorry for all this,” the white pegasus said. “My name is Star Catcher.”

“I am Wind Whistler.”

“Shady.”

Star Catcher nudged the blue pegasus. “Thistle Whistle,” she said hesitantly.

“We aren’t normally so suspicious, but a creature flew through the Rainbow Waterfall this morning and attacked us,” Star Catcher said. “We drove it off, but we were worried that something else might come. And I’m very worried about Ponyville, since it’s near the other side of the waterfall. Tell me, do you have any news from there?”

“Everything was fine when we left this morning,” Wind Whistler said. “We haven’t seen any strange creatures.”

“Curious,” Star Catcher said. “I’m going to the Rainbow Waterfall to get Sky Wishes. Then we’ll talk more.” She flew off.

Author's Note:

I’m sorry about the long delay between chapters. I got all the way into Chapter Three before deciding that the story was going in completely the wrong direction. So I was stuck for a while and I finally rewrote most of Chapter Two.