//------------------------------// // Act III, Scene 5: Discovery // Story: Summer Sun, Dawning Chaos // by CTVulpin //------------------------------// “What do you mean, ‘home’?” Applejack asked. “We mean you may as well get comfortable with being human,” Soul said, taking a seat on an unoccupied bed, “You girls were out cold for about six days, but we bounced back from the inter-dimensional journey about as fast as usual. I’m not sure why it took you so long to recover, but the point is that Chell, er, that is Heart and I have had time to get reacquainted with the area and to put it simply, getting back to Equestria doesn’t seem likely.” “You and Gold Heart,” Twilight said, “what about Gale?” “Oh, she’s here too,” Heart said quickly, “Just... busy with other things at the moment. And the by the way,” she added with a look at her twin brother, “you girls are going to need to get used to people calling us by our real names: I’m Rachelle, or Chell if you need to be brief, he’s Ray, and Gale is Carmilla. Ash-” “Doesn’t matter,” Rarity said curtly, “Thank you for the forewarning Rachelle. I for one will endeavor to remember to address you properly.” “Are we going to need weird names like those?” Rainbow asked, “Well, yours isn’t too weird Ray, but…” Ray chuckled as Rachelle rolled her eyes. “I think you can get by with your real names,” the male twin said, “Most of the townsfolk are aware that you’re from another reality, and treating visitors with all possible respect is a big rule to the Valden people.” “That’s good,” Fluttershy said in her normal quiet manner, “I mean, this is so much to take in already…” “Take your time,” Ray said, “You just stick with us; we’re long overdue in paying back the favor of you helping us adjust to Equestria.” His smile was warm, but something in his eyes made it seem less than genuine. “Your report Lieutenant,” Captain Shining Armor said crisply, hardly looking up from the map laid out on the main table in the Ponyville library. “Sir,” the unicorn Guard responded smartly, “We’ve still been unable to locate even a trace of Ashen Blaze, nor any clues as to where he may have taken the Element Bearers. Also, the Apple family still refuses to comply with your request that they relocate to Canterlot along with the other families of the Bearers.” “I’m not surprised,” Spike noted sourly from his seat across the room, “Their orchard was nibbled on by parasprites two weeks ago, then pounded by gale-force winds last week and dusted with pollen from a freaky poison joak cross-breed, and then half-drowned by rain that was left on too long because evil-Ash took away our best weather pony. They’re also missing a family member and dependable worker. I’d say they’re far more worried about preventing a food shortage for the entire town than their own safety.” “On a more positive note Captain,” the Lieutenant said, reclaiming Shining’s attention, “We have been able to confirm the location of more of Miss Fluttershy’s animal charges, including the rabbit Angel. They’re in the care of the zebra herbalist of the Everfree Forest.” Shining Armor gave the unicorn a hard look of barely concealed displeasure. “You have failed to find my sister and her friends and expect me to be satisfied that you found some bunnies?” he asked in a low voice. The lieutenant stammered for a bit before falling silent when the captain raised his hoof and dropped his gaze. “Expand our range. I want the next search party going as deep into the Everfree Forest as they can without breaking the pattern.” “Yes sir,” the guard said, “…and the Apple family?” “Leave them be,” Shining said wearily, “We’ve been trying for days now; they obviously aren’t going anywhere.” The lieutenant saluted and left. After the door closed, Shining slumped out of his stiff commanding stance and pressed a hoof to his head with a grimace. “Where is he?” he groaned, “What is he planning?” “You need to try and relax my love,” Cadance said, emerging from the kitchen and going over to nuzzle her husband, “You won’t be doing Twily any favors if you get yourself bedridden with a migraine.” “I’m trying to understand,” Shining said, “With no warning, Ash goes bad and manages to spirit away nine other ponies – three of which are known to be able to handle him when he has a bad episode – within thirty-six hours and then vanishes without a trace for nearly a week. He has to be planning something, but what? Where will he strike next? And how do we stop him without… without the Elements of Harmony?” “We’ll find a way Shining,” Cadance assured, hugging him, “We defeated the Changelings. Compared to that, what’s one unicorn?” The doctor arrived shortly, although his scruffy-looking hair and thick beard didn’t quite mesh with Twilight’s concept of what a doctor should look like, even a human one, and some of his methods, such as holding a lit candle close the face of the girls as he examined them, seemed odd, but he carried himself with the confidence befitting his profession. He began with Applejack, whose bed was closest to the door, checking her for bruises, broken bones, concussion, and other such wounds. As he worked, Twilight took the time to get a more detailed look at each of her friends. While their hair was their most familiar feature, having retained the colors and similar styles to the original, they were all different in several subtle but noticeable ways. Applejack looked every inch like the strong, seasoned farm worker she was, all firm, toned muscles with a plain honest face and tan skin. Rainbow Dash also had a sense of strength about her, but she was thinner, more pale-skinned, and wiry, apparently built more for speed than heavy lifting. Fluttershy was a waifish copy of Dash, with similarly toned skin but merely skinny-looking where Dash was wiry, and her trademark shy kindness was written all over her partially hidden face. Twilight herself seemed to fall somewhere in the middle, not as dark as AJ but more so than the former pegasi, and while she had more weight on her than Fluttershy it wasn’t a developed kind of weight. With only Rachelle’s opinion and the present company to base her own upon, Twilight decided that Rarity did seem to be the most naturally “beautiful” of the six. There was something elegant and refined about the shape of her face and the curves of her figure, which made Twilight think of an hourglass for some reason. Finally, there was Pinkie Pie, whose appearance was disconcerting. It wasn’t due to any inherent ugliness or abnormality, although she seemed far more plump than the others, but because of the uncharacteristic slump of her shoulders and sad, far-off look in her face, which was made worse by the fact that her hair hung straight and limp and was far shorter than it should have been, not even reaching her shoulders. Twilight tried to speak to her, but as she opened her mouth to do so, the doctor came to her bed and stuck the candle in her face, his eyes watching hers intently. “Any pain or dizziness?” he asked. “Just a headache,” Twilight answered, holding back a wince as said headache flared for a moment. Something must have shown on her face however, as the doctor frowned in concern and started gently poking and feeling over her skull. “You don’t have any bumps or cracks,” he concluded, “and your eyes dilate fine. Are these headaches common?” “No,” Twilight said, shaking her head, “I was working with a spell recently. That is… before I ended up here.” “Ah, you’re a magus,” the doctor said, “That might explain it: you’ve built up potential energy while you were unconscious. Cast some simple spells and see if it goes away.” “Um… right,” Twilight said, rubbing the spot where her horn should have been self-consciously, “but…” “Magic works differently where she comes from,” Ray said, coming to her rescue, “She… the focus she always used didn’t make the trip with her.” “Well, then I’d suggest she start re-learning as soon as possible,” the doctor said, “or those headaches will just get worse. Other than that, she’s in perfect health too.” He moved on to Fluttershy and the twins came over to Twilight’s bed. “There are a few magi in town who should be willing to lend you a hand,” Ray said, “but it may take a little time to set things up.” “I can wait,” Twilight said, “It’s annoying, but nothing I can’t endure.” “Just let us know,” Rachelle said. “You’re fine,” the doctor said to Fluttershy, “but you might want to eat more, skinny little thing.” He moved on to Pinkie and frowned at her blank expression. “Are you hurting?” he asked as he began his examination. “‘mfine,” Pinkie mumbled. “Somehow I doubt that,” the doctor said flatly, holding her chin up to see her eyes better, “Any pain?” Pinkie simply shook her head. The doctor frowned and finished his check-up in silence. “Well, there’s nothing physically wrong,” he concluded, casting a glance at Ray and Rachelle, “At least not that I can find.” He blew out the candle and stowed it away in a pocket as he left the room. “Out of bed and solid foods for everyone,” he said before he was out of sight. “Right then,” Rachelle said, “Ray, get out.” “Come again?” her brother asked. “The girls can’t have lunch in their nightgowns,” Rachelle said simply. “Ah, gotcha,” Ray said, sticking a thumb up in the air as he marched to the door, “I’ll be right outside then.” “I must admit I’m confused now,” Rarity said as Rachelle went over to large wardrobe cabinet in the corner. “I think you’ll love this Rarity,” Rachelle said, opening the wardrobe to reveal a multitude of shirts, pants, skirts, blouses, and other items of clothing, “Clothing is essential in human society, so there is a lot more demand for designers, tailors, and shoemakers than you’d likely ever find in Equestria.” “Oh?” Rarity said, eyes gleaming as she slid out of bed and tried to find her balance, “Then I must make sure we make a good first impression in public. Help me, would you?” It took some time for the six former ponies to be ready to leave the bedroom, for a variety of reasons. First, they had to get used to standing and walking on two legs, and since Ray wasn’t allowed in the room Rachelle had to help them along by herself. Secondly, it took Rarity a fair amount of time to sort through the available clothes – all of which were cast-offs and donations from previous guests of the Traveler’s House according to Rachelle – to put together outfits she deemed appropriate and acceptable for each girl while meeting the minimum standard of top, bottoms, and shoes. Lastly, and of greatest concern to everyone, Pinkie Pie continued to behave extremely out of character, avoiding eye contact and snapping hysterically at anyone who tried to comfort her. Out in the hallway, Ray clearly heard most of her exclamations and when the group finally emerged from the room with the sullen pink-haired girl practically being herded by Fluttershy and Rainbow he pulled Rachelle ahead of them a bit as they led the way to the stairs and down to the dining room. “Do you think Pinkie’s going to need some Spiriter intervention Chell?” he asked in a whisper. “It’s very likely,” Rachelle whispered back, “but I want to see how much we can get her to bring to the surface first. It’d certainly make things easier. On several fronts.” “Agreed.” They lead the girls into a large room on the ground floor dominated by a long table that could sit at least fifteen comfortably, although only ten chairs were set up around it presently. Serving bowls of food and pitchers of drink were set in the middle of the table, and one chair near the end was occupied by a young woman with dark brown hair that looked like it hadn’t seen more than a cursory brushing and clothes sporting a few set-in grease stains who seemed lost in her own world as she fiddled with a head-mounted computer. “Hey Carmilla,” Ray said to get her attention and identify her to the former ponies, “Look who all are ready for lunch.” “Well, lunch is ready for you,” Carmilla replied, looking up and smiling at the group, “Good to see you girls up and about. Uh, Pinkie Pie? Are you ok over there?” Pinkie mumbled a noncommittal response. “Don’t push her too hard yet,” Rachelle advised, taking a seat next to her mechanic-savvy friend, and then motioned for everyone else to sit down as well. “Well this all looks mighty tasty,” Applejack said once she was settled into her chair. She started to reach for the nearest bowl, but a sharp crack from the other end of the table stopped her. “Not yet,” Matron Maha said, having appeared from another room and smacked her walking stick on the table, “Wait until all the guests are seated missy.” “Are there others?” Twilight asked, confused, “We’ve taken all the chairs.” “Nope, there’s still one,” Maha said, pointing to the vacant seat which sat between Ray and Rachelle. Maha went to the dining room door, rapped on the door frame several times, and called out, “Lunch is served! Don’t make all these ladies wait cuz you’re too shy to face them Ash!” Six out of nine would-be diners tensed up at the name, while Carmilla sank in her seat with a sigh and the twins shared a look. Silence reigned except for the sound of footsteps descending the stairs and approaching the room. They stopped while the owner was still out of sight, but he spoke up in a quiet, annoyed, and very familiar voice. “I am not ‘too shy’ to face them Matron,” Ash said, “I’m trying not to disturb the peace of your respectable House.” Chairs fell over as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight all shot to their feet and raced for the hallway. The Order-naries jumped up as well, and by virtue of their greater familiarity with running in human form managed to beat the other four to the hall and tried to impose themselves between the four angry former ponies and the dark-haired, green-eyed male who was Ash the Pragmagic. Ash took one look at his would-be protectors and pushed them aside, leaving himself open to the fury of the oncoming girls. He put up no resistance as Applejack grabbed him by the collar of the oddly cut robe he wore and lifted him up against the wall. “Gimme one good reason I shouldn’t smash your face in Ashen Blaze,” the blonde farmer growled dangerously. “I’ll give you one missy,” Maha said, coming up behind AJ and smacking her on the head with her walking stick, “I will not abide violence between guests in my House.” Applejack dropped Ash to rub at the bump forming on her head. “We could take this outside then,” Ash said in a neutral tone, “Since it’s inevitable now.” “For the hundredth time Ash,” Rachelle said, glaring at him, and the other two Order-naries joined her in a sharp, emphatic, “NO!” “We will not let you take undue blame for this,” Ray said. “To yourself or from others,” Carmilla added. “What?” Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy exclaimed. Rachelle rounded on the group, her eyes as hard and cold as steel and her voice brooking no argument. “We are going back to the dining room,” she said, “we are going to eat, and we are going to talk like civilized beings until everyone has the full story. Is that clear?” “Y-yes ma’am!” Applejack said. Rachelle nodded in satisfaction and got everyone marching back to the table. “Yeesh, I forgot how scary Chell is when she’s mad,” Carmilla muttered to Ray. “It’s always the nice ones,” Ray replied just as quietly, “I wonder, Fluttershy’s Stare versus Angry Chell?” “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that,” Carmilla said with a false shudder. Rachelle cast a glance at the two and they dropped the subject instantly. The tension in the dining room could have been cut with a knife as the group filed in and took their seats, save for Rachelle who took up a stance behind Ash’s chair once he was convinced to sit. “Now,” the Spiriter girl said once everyone was settled, “We haven’t had time to get the details, but I know you’re all here in Valden due to having a run-in with a certain grey unicorn.” “He broke Angel’s legs!” Fluttershy burst out. “I saw him attacking Fluttershy,” Rainbow shouted. “He did something to Pinkie,” Twilight put in, “and managed to overpower me.” “He… you…” Rarity sputtered, her face flushed with fury. “Ok, ok, you can each have your chance at him,” Ray cut in, standing up, “but listen first. This Ash sitting here is not the one who attacked you.” “He may as well have been,” Ash said darkly. “A hundred and one Ash: no,” Rachelle said sharply and then looked back up at the group, saying, “We’re not entirely sure what he is besides an evil copy, but-” “What he is,” Ash said, surging to his feet, “Is the culmination of Discord’s attempt to use me as his puppet to spread chaos through Equestria. He is everything I have struggled for years to contain: the darkness, pride, and desire to conquer that I was originally designed for, all brought to the surface and mixed with enough of Discord’s own power to give it life separate from my own being. He is truly and completely Meis Thamule. He’s exiled all of you here because he knows the threat the Elements of Harmony pose to his campaign. Actually, he may be convinced he’s eradicated you, since there was no way to know for certain if Valden and the other worlds still existed without passing back through the portals Tau’rin or me and the Order-naries emerged from.” “Wait, wait,” Twilight said, trying to process everything, “Didn’t you say that whenever Tau’rin succeeded in gathering the seven gems that the resulting power surge would destroy the entire universe he was in?” “That’s what we thought,” Carmilla said, “Being at the epicenter of an Ultimate Chaos explosion certainly felt like all of reality was coming undone, and we always got sent along to the next world before it ended, so we just assumed the blast was limitless. If Tau’rin knew the truth, he obviously never bothered to set us straight.” “So instead, it just opened a way into another universe?” Twilight asked, a small smile coming to her face. “That was one of the effects, yes,” Ash replied. “Well then,” Twilight said, pounding the table lightly with a fist, “We’re not stuck. If that fake Ash, Thamule, could open the portal on Equestria, then you should be able to do it on this end Ash.” “Unfortunately Twilight,” Ash said, sitting down and folding his arms, “That would be impossible.”