Little Ponies Lost

by Al-1701


Chapter 4: "Home" Again

          Magic Star looked to the northwest and the orange sun hanging just above the mountains.  She expected it to just suddenly dip out of view like in Equestria when Celestia lowered their sun to end the day, plunging them immediately into a starry night.  However, this sun just slowly but steadily sank towards the horizon.  She began to think no one had governance over its movements or the movements of the two moons for that matter.  Both of them were later compared to the sun today than they were yesterday, and while the smaller was even slimmer today, the larger was finally appearing in the sky and seemed fatter.

          She was getting worried as the last minutes of daylight ticked away and there was still no sign of any of the pegasus teams.  There was no telling what was out there, and that gnawing feeling they could have sent those young mares to their deaths grew stronger as the sun got closer to disappearing.

          “You don’t wear worry well,” Blueflower said in a calm voice.

          “I don’t know how you can’t be worried,” Magic Star said.  “They were supposed to return before dark.”

          “It’s not dark yet,” Blueflower replied.  “You need to have a little faith in them.”

          “It’s not them that have me worried,” Magic Star said.  “It’s this world.  It feels odd, like nothing works as it should.”

          Magic Star had a sense for magic, something that proved useful for finding and studying the magical artifacts she was so fond of.  They were much like a large boulder in the bed of a swift flowing river, disrupting the natural flow of magic.  She was so sensitive to magic, that she did not realize she was constantly sensing it until she found herself here.

          Equestria was rich in magic, every living being from ponies to rabbits to trees were overflowing with it.  That was why ponies needed to take care of everything, because nature’s magic needed to be constantly kept tame.  However, the plants of this valley seemed devoid of magic, and if they found any animals she suspected the same would be true of them.  If fact, while they were finding plants exactly like those in Equestria, there were none of the plants defined by their magical properties.

          There was magic in this world—this particular fjord seeming to have a strong magical signal—but it was different.  If she could touch them and describe how they felt, Equestria’s magic was like a sheet of fine silk laid out neatly over the land while this world’s was like an uneven bed of needles coming from deep under its surface.

          The world itself seemed untrustworthy, familiar in some ways and completely alien in others.  Just a peaceful valley was enough to send a chill down her spine, and the pegasi had gone past that to possibly even more hostile terrain.

          “You’re assuming Equestria is how things should work,” Majesty said.  “We’re in a different world, and it’s arrogant presumption to assume it must follow the same rules.”

          “We have incoming!” Bow-Tie yelled from the east perimeter wall before Magic Star could respond.  “It’s Firefly’s group from the northeast.”

          “Thank Celestia,” Magic Star sighed in relief.  At least some of them made it back.

          “We’re far beyond her providence,” Blueflower commented.

          Blueflower disappeared in a shower of blue sparkles and reappeared in the front courtyard in a similar fashion.  Magic Star mentally instructed her wand to transform and took it in her mouth.  She thought of being down in the courtyard, and the world dissolved away in a shower of purple sparkles to emerge again with her standing next to Blueflower.  She let go of her wand and it returned to a hairpin before taking its normal place.

          The three pegasi spiraled down and landed in the thick grass.  Firefly stepped forward.  “Well, the main fi-yord is big.  It’s kilometers wide and goes at least two hundred inland.  Many of the branches are pretty big too.”

          “Anything else?” Blueflower asked.

          “We saw several communities along the shores, some of them pretty respectable cities,” Skydancer answered.  “Nothing Manehattan-sized but the largest might be home to a million.”

          “I also think we know why this fjord is uninhabited,” Medley added.  “When we reached the mouth, it’s lined with rocks.  Some of them poke up through the water, but most lie just below the surface.”

          “Making it almost impossible for a boat to get through,” Magic Star finished the train of thought.

          Medley nodded.

          “And yet someone built a huge castle here,” Magic Star thought out loud.

          “Castles were originally built to protect things,” Blueflower said.  “This would be the perfect place hide something of value”—she paused—“or perhaps what was being protected dictated the castle’s location.”

          “That underground chamber?” Magic Star asked.

          “I doubt the entrance being hidden was done for aesthetics,” Blueflower said.

          “What about the cloud?” Medley asked.

          “Cloud?” Magic Star asked.  “What kind of cloud?”

          “Just your ordinary fair weather cumulus cloud,” Firefly said. “Or at least we thought.  We were getting kind of tired and were looking to rest out of sight.  I saw a comfy-looking cloud and thought it would be a nice spot to sit and look around.  Well, it ended up being a lot higher and a lot bigger than I thought, and when I went to rest on it, I fell right through like it wasn’t even there.  I just got wet for my troubles.”

          “But pegasi live on clouds,” Magic Star said.

          “In Equestria,” Medley said.  “The clouds we make have magical properties woven into them to make them solid for winged creatures.  Apparently, the clouds here don’t have that.”

          Moondancer appeared in a shower of blue sparkles.  “Heart Throb’s team is coming!  Only it looks like it’s tripled in size.”

          “How would they get three times as big?” Magic Star asked.

          Moondancer stared at Magic Star like pure idiocy had just escaped her lips.  “I mean there are nine ponies approaching.”  Magic Star realized her assumption was pure idiocy.  “The new ones look like crystal ponies if the shimmer off them is any indication.”

          “So, more ponies showed up here?” Magic Star asked Blueflower.

          “It would appear so,” Blueflower replied.  “Would you lower the draw bridge for our returning pegasi and their new companions?”

          Magic Star walked up to the motorized winch and pulled the lever down.  The winch let out chain along with the other on the opposite side of the walkway to keep them balanced.  The drawbridge slowly lowered and reached the opposite bank of the stream.

          “They’re coming up the south side of the castle,” Moondancer said.

          Heart Throb, Lofty, and Surprise flew in with two new pegasi.  Two earth ponies and two unicorns galloped across the drawbridge shortly afterward.  Even in the low light, their crystal coats and manes shimmered and sparkled.

          “I said we would make it back before dark,” Lofty said to the pink, crystal unicorn.

          “I must admit, I had my doubt in that last mountain pass,” the unicorn replied, catching her breath with the others.

          “Look who we brought home!” Surprise cheered.

          “I see,” Blueflower said.  “Who might you be?”

          “I’m Galaxy,” the pink unicorn said, getting her breathing back to normal.  “Your scouting team invited us to stay in your castle.”

          “You’re certainly welcome to stay,” Blueflower replied.

          “Awesome, I’m going to find a bedroom and lay down until dinner’s ready.  I hope you have something good planned because I’m really hungry.  Though, I’m so hungry I’ll eat just about anything as long as it’s edible of course,” the pink Pegasus said so fast the words almost muddled together.

          “Sweetie and I can help in your kitchen,” the white earth pony said, drawing the pale blue earth pony into an embrace before she knew what was happening.

          “Cupcake could use the extra hooves,” Blueflower said.  She motioned to the doors into the foyer.  “Please, make yourselves at home.”

          “This castle is beautiful,” the green unicorn said as they walked passed.

          “I wonder why it’s in the middle of nowhere,” the yellow pegasus commented.

          Magic Star watched as the crystal ponies and the six pegasi disappeared into the castle.  “That just leaves North Star’s group.”

          “Then we’re all present and accounted for because here they come!”  Bow-Tie pointed west.

          The three pegasi looped in and landed.  North Star had what looked like a giant longbow slung over her body so it wouldn’t interfere with her wings, and Wind Whistler had a red, heart-shaped charm on a strap around her neck.

          “You can go in, you two!”  Blueflower summoned her magic and pulled the lever on the winch up.  The motor of the winch came to life, whirring as it drew in the chain and pulled the drawbridge back up against the opening.  Bow-Tie disappeared into the southeast tower and Moondancer trotted into the foyer.

          “Those are some interesting trinkets,” Blueflower said.  “How did you come about them by just observing?”

          “Please forgive us, but we violated your orders to avoid contact,” Wind Whistler said.  “However, we did encounter two sapient races and learned much about this world.”

          “Then come inside and we can discuss this in my office after some dinner.”  Blueflower turned to the door.

          Magic Star stopped and looked to the walls around them.

          “What’s on your mind now?” Blue flower asked at the threshold.

          “I was just thinking of one time I went shark diving,” Magic Star answered.  “They put you in a cage of metal mesh so you can watch the sharks while being protected.  Being in this castle reminds me of that cage.”

* * *

          The upper floors of the keep were where the castle was at its most luxurious.  The bedchambers would easily hold eight of the servants’ quarters, but that included the high ceilings in that calculation.  The second to top floor—where Blueflower had turned one of general purpose rooms into an office—had floor to ceiling windows facing east.  Blueflower took Galaxy in first, likely wanting to know more about these new ponies and what they had discovered since arriving.  Wind Whistler sat there and waited with North Star and Paradise, taking in the view from through the windows.

          Wind Whistler watched as the light gradually faded, and the last orange glow off the tops of the mountains lifted up until everything was in shadow.  The sun never accelerated to dip below the horizon, instead just maintaining a steady speed as it disappeared.  There was still a glow to the sky as light blue became salmon.  A deep pink band followed by a deep bluish-purple band rose up from the eastern horizon, something she had never seen when Celestia lowered the sun.  Perhaps because she lowered the sun so quickly the processes she was witnessing went by faster than anyone could tell.

          It had been at least a half hour before Galaxy and Blueflower emerged.  They were apparently finishing a conversation about astronomy as Blueflower said she would join her in watching the stars come out.

          North Star and Paradise’s times with her were shorter and they simply left, but North Star hung her head lower when she finally emerged and without the longbow.  No doubt she had to answer for making contact against their instructions.

          “Come in, Wind Whistler,” Blueflower said as Paradise stepped out.

          Wind Whistler entered the room which had two sofas around a long table in the center and a large, oak desk near the opposite wall.  Blueflower sat in a large chair behind the desk.  The longbow leaned against the wall next to the door, almost reaching the top of the jam even on an angle.  The chandelier above and the lamp on the desk provided the only light as the windows to the outside had gone dark with just the black outlines of the castle’s towers the distant mountains under a purplish-blue sky.

          “Please have a seat, Wind Whistler.”  Blueflower motioned to a much simpler chair in front of the desk.

          Wind Whistler sat on the chair which was designed more for bipeds like the humans.  However, she managed to get into a position where her body was comfortable.

          Blueflower leaned forward.  “Now, tell me, what did you find to the west?”

          “North Star and Paradise have probably told you everything already,” Wind Whistler replied.

          Blueflower nodded.  “They have, but the two seem to have a pension for embellishment.  You, however, strike me as a pony more interested in the facts.  So, give me the facts.”

          Wind Whistler gave her debriefing.  She described the non-sapient horses, the humans including what Daniel had told them, and the harpy.  Blueflower nodded, not asking much as Wind Whistler was as thorough as she could be.  She showed her the locket and explained how it was at the center of whatever conflict there was here.

          “Why did you bring the locket back here?” Blueflower asked to interrupt Wind Whistler for the first time.

          “Magic Star knows magical artifacts,” Wind Whistler answered.  “I thought she could divine what if any magical properties this locket might have.  Knowing that, we could perhaps determine the motivation for the harpies abducting his daughter.”

          Blueflower leaned back in her chair.  “What concern do we have if it does?”

          “It could be the reason we are here,” Wind Whistler said.  “The youngest child said she prayed for it to save her sister at approximately the same time we appeared here.  That is a very strong correlation, stronger than any other lead we have at the moment.  Saving the eldest child might be the key to returning to Equestria.”

          Blueflower lowered her brow.  “So, you think we should help this Daniel Williams and his family out of self-interest?”

          Wind Whistler was taken aback at Blueflower’s summary of her plans.  “I did not mean to sound so cold.  While I do feel for them, I—”

          She needed to stop and think of how she wanted word this.  “We’ve only seen this world through a pinprick.  We don’t know everything about this situation, and while I side with the humans more than the harpies on an emotional level, I cannot completely justify that preference logically.”

          “Not every judgment needs to be completely logical.”  Blueflower leaned forward.  “Logic doesn’t necessarily inform moral decisions.”

          “I know,” Wind Whistler replied.  “But, how do we know what is objectively moral in this situation?  We have no understanding of the context.”

          “Allow me to worry about that.”  Blueflower threw herself back in her chart to make it lean and support her body more.  “I’m the leader, not you.  Though, I believe you’re over-thinking everything.”

          Wind Whistler rubbed her front leg with the inside of her other.  “I have been accused of that frequently.”

          “I can imagine,” Blueflower said.  “Can I ask you about something, Wind Whistler?”

          “I suppose,” Wind Whistler said meekly.

          “Are you the kind of pony who doesn’t socialize with others?”  Blueflower asked.  “I picture you keeping to yourself in the lunch room like you were going to do at dinner last night.  You go straight from home to work to home or wherever you absolutely have to go without diversion.  That’s assuming you have a job, because you have a hard time holding one down despite your intelligence and ability.  You have very few friends if any.  Ponies fear you because you seem cold and unapproachable.  We might even catch a murmur about your asocial tendencies, and how you don’t understand the ‘magic of friendship’.”

          Wind Whistler felt her skin prickle as Blueflower had basically written her biography.  “Yes.  I’m…not normal.  That’s how the counselors put it.  I’m very intelligent and can absorb facts readily, but interacting with others is very hard.  It’s like everyone else can read minds and they expect me to as well.  There is some context that escapes me, and others make the wrong assumptions from me even if I did not mean it.  Coworkers are scared of me, thinking I’m dangerous for some reason.”  She frowned.  “Ponies can just be so illogical for reasons I don’t understand, and they get mad at me for not understanding.”

          “It must be hard,” Blueflower said.

          Wind Whistler frowned.  “I don’t understand why socializing is so important.  I’m smart and capable.  So what if I don’t feel like being social if I’m getting the job done?”

          “Socializing has been an important tool of our kind since the earliest protoponies galloped across the plains,” Blueflower said.  “‘Strength in numbers’ is the credo of our race.  A pony who doesn’t want to be a part of the crowd is seen as odd, and odd might be dangerous and therefore feared.”

          “That is an irrational line of thinking,” Wind Whistler said.  “Think of the talent that is turned away because of it.”

          “Well, it’s not a concern of ours now.  Equestria is impossibly far away for the moment,” Blueflower replied.  “However, if you think your life was hard in Equestria, it’s going to be even harder here.  It’s possible to be alone in a crowd of a thousand, but we’re now thirty-seven ponies living in one castle.  You cannot even attempt to live anonymously here.  Some of the ponies are already building friendships, and—for the sake of your sanity—I suggest you follow suit.”

          “I feel like you’re asking me to learn to breathe water,” Wind Whistler said.

          “Then you might as well start growing gills now.”  Bleuflower glanced at a clock.  “It’s getting late.  We can discuss this more tomorrow when our minds are fresh.  You’re dismissed, Wind Whistler.”

          Wind Whistler bowed her head.  “Yes, Blueflower.”

          She opened the door and stepped out.  “Watch out?” a voice screamed, but it was too late.  Something large struck her from the side and knocked her clear off her hooves.”

          After the initial shock wore off, Wind Whistler looked to the mass now laying on her.  It was a unicorn with a green, shimmering coat and a large, pink bow in her curly mane of white, a couple shades of pink, and green.  The pony looked down to her with eyes like cut rubies.

          She leapt off Wind Whistler.  “Oh!  I’m so sorry!  I wasn’t looking where I was going, and you suddenly stepped out!  Oh!  Please don’t be mad!”

          Wind Whistler got her hooves under her and slowly rose to stand.  “It was an accident with no malicious intent behind it.  I am shocked, but not enraged.”

          “That’s good,” the unicorn said.  “When I mess up like this, ponies get mad and call me Airhead and Bubble Brain a lot of them time.”

          “That is not very nice or called for,” Wind Whistler replied.

          The unicorn bent her mouth up in a big grin Wind Whistler figured some would call sunny.  “You’re really nice.”

          ‘Nice’ was not an adjective Wind Whistler had been called often.  Though she always tried to be courteous, ponies seemed to ignore her gestures.  “Well, I just don’t let my emotions get the best of me.”  Typically, it was her lack of emotional expression that turned ponies off her.  Though, not being shown anger was probably welcome in this particular case.

          “You sound really smart,” the unicorn said.  “I wish I was smart.  Then I wouldn’t screw up and ponies wouldn’t be mad at me.”

          “It’s not the silver bullet you think it is,” Wind Whistler replied.

          “Well, I’m Fizzy,” the unicorn said.  “Who are you?”

          “Wind Whistler,” Wind Whistler answered.

          Fizzy giggled.  “That’s a cute name.  Do you want to be friends?”

          Wind Whistler—because of some impulse that only made sense in the most primitive recesses of her brain with no logical explanation—turned to Bluelfower sitting at the desk.  She balanced her chin on the outside of her pasterns and stared on with a knowing expression.  She set this up, Wind Whistler thought.  I don’t know how, but she did.

          A sudden pain shot through Wind Whistler’s body.

          “Are you all right?” Fizzy asked.

          Wind Whistler drew in a breath as every muscle related to flight screamed at the same time.  “I’ve just been on my wings all day, and it’s caught up with me.”

          “How about I give you a massage?” Fizzy asked.  “It’s the least I can do for running into you.”

          “I’ll manage.”  Wind Whistler tried to open her wing, but it sent an intense wave of pain through her.  “Do you even know how to massage a pegasus?  Our musculature is radically different than those of other pony subspecies”

          “I had a pegasus roommate, and we would massage each other,” Fizzy said.  “Please, let me help you.”

          Wind Whistler tried to open her other wing, but it protested just as much.  “It seems I could use assistance in recovering from today’s exertion.”

          “Then let’s go.  There’s a place right over here that’s perfect.”  Fizzy pranced towards the staircase at the other end of the hall.

* * *

          Grooming and massage was an important facet of pony society.  Even the smallest towns had a fully functional grooming parlor or spa, where ponies would have their manes and coats trimmed and conditioned, their hoofs trimmed and buffed, and their muscles massaged.  Pony bodies were too powerful for their own good, and heavy exertion led to muscle fatigue and pain that had to be massaged away.

          A new trend was also to go back to the traditional method of mutual grooming.  Ponies would groom each other as a sign of companionship whether familial, platonic, or some more intimate.  Granted, Wind Whistler had never asked such a private question, but Fizzy was the first pony she had met who had practiced mutual grooming.

          Fizzy led Wind Whistler to a room that connected the floor with Majesty’s off to the floor below.  It had a sloped floor with benches facing a platform in front of large blackboards.  As far as Wind Whistler could tell, it was some kind of briefing room.  An odd choice, but it was doubtful anyone would intrude on them here.

          Fizzy took her down to the lower floor entrance so they could stand on the platform and have plenty of room.  Wind Whistler inhaled and exhaled.  She did not like being touched by others, even squirming out of a hug from a loved one.  A strange pony making intense physical contact with some of the most sensitive areas of her body needed some mental preparation.

          “Are you okay?” Fizzy asked.

          “Yes,” Wind Whistler said. “I am as ready as I will ever be for you to begin.”

          “Okay.  Let’s start with your wings.”  Fizzy grabbed Wind Whistler’s right wing and pulled on it.  Wind Whistler winced at the pain but braced herself so Fizzy could pull.  She opened her wing, and Wind Whistler suddenly felt a rush of euphoria.

          Spending so much time flying—especially the frantic climb to get away from the harpy—had torn her flight muscles slightly.  It was the case of any exercise and how muscles grow.  By stretching, the muscles rebuilt tissue length-wise, remaining thin and not bulking up.  Also, by stretching and massaging, the aches from it could be soothed with gentle stimulation.  However, her muscles needed to be opened up to maximize their exposure.

          Fizzy moved to the other wing.  Again, it was painful until the wing was fully opened and then felt good.

          “How does that feel?” Fizzy asked.

          “A slight improvement,” Wind Whistler replied.

          “Great!”

          Fizzy inspected the primaries of Wind Whistler’s open wing, wiggling a couple.  Before wings were massaged, they had to be preened and any damaged or loose feathers needed to be removed.  However, both wings were in perfect shape, Wind Whistler having preened them in the morning in preparation for the flight.  Fortunately, no others had become loose or broken despite the entire day on the wing.

          Fizzy moved to the massage, spreading a cloth over the right wing and mouthing the outer most muscles.  She applied just enough pressure to gently rub her teeth on the muscle to massage it.  Wind Whistler suppressed the urge to shudder in disgust.  She found the use of the mouth to be a particularly unbecoming attribute of mutual grooming.  It was mostly for pegasus wings which were too delicate for hooves—and they did not have the preferred tools like texture balls—so she just sat there and bore it.  At least Fizzy had grabbed a cloth so she was not bringing her mouth into direct contact with her wing.  This was more out of concern for Fizzy because her wings had been touched by those horses among other particulates and her own perspiration.  Hopefully she did not intend to mouth groom her coat too.

          Although disgusting, the mouth massage was effective as her tight muscles loosened from the stimulation.  She started with the muscles outside the elbow joint and then moved to the biceps and triceps.  Once one wing was done, Fizzy pulled on her wing, bracing herself on Wind Whistler’s side for more leverage.  With the muscles loosened, her wing could stretch out more.  Fizzy pulled a few times to the full extent, each time feeling euphoric.

          Fizzy then spread the cloth on the other wing and copied the process.  Once she released after the final pull, Wind Whistler let the wing go and it spread out to lie from her side.

          “How’s that?” Fizzy asked.

          Wind Whistler raised her wings and flexed them.  The wings themselves felt wonderful, but her core muscles still complained.  “Better.”

          Wind Whistler held her wings up to give Fizzy access to the joints where they merged with her barrel.  She was a tad nervous about this part, because that part of her body was particularly ticklish.  Sure enough, Fizzy touching her hoof to her side caused her to close her wing and back away from the odd nervous response.  She managed to stifle a giggle.

          Fizzy giggled instead.  “Are you ticklish under there?”

          Wind Whistler cleared her throat.  “Please do not tell anyone else.”

          Fizzy gave her a sincere grin.  “Don’t worry.  You’re secret’s safe with me.”

          Fizzy tried again, and Wind Whistler braced herself.  A few giggles managed to make it out as Fizzy massaged where her supracoracoideus and avial pectorialis emerged and connected to her avial humerus.  These sections of her core flight muscles bore the lion’s share of the strain, so they needed a deep massage.  She paid special attention to the second set of shoulder blades the supracoracoideus were slung over like a rope over a pulley.

          Fizzy finally finished on both sides and could move to the bulk of the flight muscles in Wind Whistler’s prominent chest.  Her chest in fact held three layers of muscles over her powerful heart and large lungs.  Her traditional pectorialis major, avial pectorialis major, and supracoracoideus were layered one on top of another and attached to her large and heavy sternum.  Fizzy pushed into her chest hard to make sure the pressure reached all the way in.  She kneaded outward, not missing a square millimeter and going over the muscle group multiple times.

          Being this close to Fizzy, Wind Whistler realized she was noticeably younger than the other ponies.  She was just past that vague threshold between filly and mare.  Such a young pony working on her flight muscles should have concerned Wind Whistler, but Fizzy seemed well-rehearsed on how to treat each muscle.  And ponies call her an airhead and bubble brain? she thought.  They just don’t give her enough of a chance.  Ironically what she felt about how she was treated with her social skills and lack of emotional expression.

          Wind Whistler had also picked up her scent.  Ponies’ ability to detect pheromones was a vestigial sense, their cavity for the organ that processed them being much smaller than in fossils of their evolutionary ancestors.  They identified more by sight with eyes geared towards discerning colors on the detection end and the vibrant spectrum of their coats and manes as well as the symbol—still called a ‘cutie mark’ by some traditionalists—decorating her haunches on the display end.  A pony would be hard pressed to notice the pheromones of others in passing.  However, being this close to a pony for this long allowed her to pick up Fizzy’s pheromones which reminded her of a root beer float.  Fitting since her symbol was a collection of pink float glasses with large heads of white foam and pink straws.

          Fizzy finally finished and stepped back.  She exhaled and wiped some sweat from her brow.  “How does it feel now?”

          Wind Whistler raised and lowered her wings and folded them and unfolded them.  Not only was there no pain, but her wings had not felt this relaxed and refreshed in years.  She tended to avoid even grooming parlors and would stretch her wings and core muscles herself with weights.  However, it never made her wings feel this good.

          “They’re in excellent condition,” Wind Whistler answered.  “Thank you.”

          “What are friends for?” Fizzy asked.

          Wind Whistler paused at that thought.  Fizzy stood there with a wide, sincere grin.  She must have honestly thought of Wind Whistler as a friend or potential friend.  Wind Whistler felt the odd sensation that it was right.  It was hard to explain, but she liked Fizzy and looked forward to spending more time with her.  Maybe it was out of curiosity regarding her more optimistic attitude or something else.  Perhaps, just going with it, this was what it felt to meet someone you wanted to form a genuine friendship with.

          “What are friends for?” Wind Whistler repeated.  “I am not nearly as well trained as you in mutual grooming, so I’m afraid I cannot return the favor.”

          Fizzy flicked her hoof.  “That’s no problem.  I can teach you if you want.  Just consider this making up for running into you.”

          Wind Whistler gave her wings one more flex before folding them against her sides.  “This has more than made up for that.”

          “So, what’s next?” Fizzy asked.  “Maybe we could do something with your mane covering your eye.”

          Wind Whistler thought of that field of pink haze.  Her forelock had always falling over her eyes, and attempts to wear it shorter had never looked good on her.  The headband she wore was to keep the body of her mane back, the times she tried to hold her forelock back with it felt like it was being constantly pulled and more of a distraction than it falling over her eye.  “My mane is not a significant obstruction.”  She then added.  “But the suggestion is appreciated.”

          “Okay,” Fizzy said.  “To tell you the truth, I think it makes you look beautiful.”

          Wind Whistler felt her cheeks flush.  That was not a compliment she had been given very often either, especially by another mare.

          She suddenly felt an urge to yawn and gave into it to draw in more oxygen.  Now that her body did not feel like it was tied up in knots, the general fatigue from exertion was letting itself be known.

          They exited through the door leading onto the upper floor with its large windows facing east.  Wind Whistler had spent the previous evening looking for a room to sleep in and subsequently sleeping in it, so she had not watched the evolution of the evening sky.  After all the excitement, sitting there and watching things unfold would be a good way to calm her nerves and help her sleep more soundly.

          The sun was long gone, and the sky was the black of pine tar, not deep purple like the night sky of Equestria.  The rings were a ghostly gray, and larger of the moons was rising high in the sky and noticeably fatter than when she first saw it the previous afternoon.

          The fatigue was pushed back by curiosity at this unusual sky.  She ran over and pulled down the switches to close off the crystals and plunge the hallway into darkness.  Her eyes adjusted after a couple seconds, and she could see many more stars, especially away from the rings in the northern side of the sky.

          “Taking in the night sky?” a voice asked.

          Wind Whistler turned back and saw Galaxy step into the moonlight, her coat shimmering in the silver light coming in from the window.  “Did you see the blue band just after the sun went down?”

          “Yes,” Wind Whistler said.

          “That was the shadow of this world,” Galaxy said.  “Night here is being in its shadow, and it and day constantly move around it.”

          “Tell her about how the stars spin,” Fizzy said.

          Galaxy nodded and stepped up to the windows.  “I periodically looked at the stars over the course of last night.  The stars rotated around a focal point.  The larger moon, Luna Major, followed them.  While stars towards the focal point spun around it, most rose towards the east and set towards the west just like the sun.”  She turned back to them.  “I think the sun of this world is fixed, and it is it spinning that causes the cycle of day and night.”

          “The moons seem to move independently from the sun,” Wind Whistler said.  “Their phases seem to be changing, waning as they approach the same region of the sky as the sun and waxing as they depart.”

          “The moons appear to be moving around this world, and their light is actually light reflected from the sun like the rings which are still illuminated.  Though, I expected the world’s shadow to fall on them but they somehow escape it,” Galaxy said.  “The change in Luna Major also seems to be more dramatic than Luna Minor, though I will have to observe an entire cycle of both to determine the length of their phases.  I also think this world is traveling around the sun, but I need to watch the stars more to be sure.”

          “Did you see green auroras last night?” Wind Whistler asked.

          Galaxy nodded.  “I did see them.  They are much different from the auroras of the Crystal Empire, much higher in the atmosphere and far larger.”

          Wind Whistler looked outside.  There was no sign of the aurora tonight.  “I wonder what caused it.”

          “Unfortunately, I do not have an answer for that,” Galaxy said.  “What I’m concerned about at the moment are the constellations.”

          “Constellations?” Wind Whistler asked.

          Galaxy nodded.  “The stars are the exact same as Equestria except the rotation brought more stars into view over the course of the night.  I identified many constellations visible during the mid-spring early in the evening and ones that would not be out until the cusp of autumn were rising just before the sun rose.  I even used the edge of the plow to find the North Star which was at the center of the rotation.”

          Wind Whistler lowered her brow.  “How is that possible?” she asked.  “Constellations are a two-dimensional interpretation of a three-dimensional star field.  They should be unique to a particular coordinate.  If we’re circling a star somewhere else, how could the constellations be the same?”

          “I don’t know,” Galaxy said.  “I will continue my observations over how long we are here to see if the later fall, winter, and early spring constellations appear.  That could confirm our world is circling.

          “Then there are the bright stars that are not a part of Equestria’s sky,” Galaxy said.  “They also seem to move independent of the other stars as the one that appeared this even was out of place slightly.  I will have to monitor them as well.”

          Wind Whistler felt the return of fatigue.  “We can think about it more tomorrow.  It’s been a long day.”

          “You said it,” Fizzy said.  “All this stars and spinning stuff is making my head spin.  At least you’re going to be busy, Galaxy.”

          Galaxy nodded.  “Good night.”  She stepped away, back into the darkness.

* * *

          Wind Whistler and Fizzy made their way to the ground floor and towards the servants’ quarters Wind Whistler had claimed.  Fizzy had yet to find a room and there were plenty still vacant in the northwest building.  Just as they reached the spur, Magic Star called out from behind them, “Hey!”

          Wind Whistler turned back to her.  “Beg your pardon?”

          “You’re still up, good,” Magic Star said.  “Could you go down into the underground chamber real quick?  Twilight Mist went down there after lunch to investigate it, but hasn’t come back up.”

          “We were just headed for bed, but I suppose we can take a momentary diversion,” Wind Whistler replied.

          “Thanks,” Magic Star said.  “I suggest you be careful, though.  Twilight Mist seems a bit…off.”

          “We’ll take that under advisement.”  Wind Whistler turned down the spur and stopped in front of the fake panel.

          She pointed to the sconce in the column.  “That fixture is the switch to a secret panel.  Pull it down.”  She then remembered. “Please.”

          “Ooh, a secret panel.”  Fizzy summoned a pink aura around her horn and a similar one surrounded the sconce and pulled it away.  The panel pulled back and slid away.

          It took almost a minute, but the doors opened with the sound of a chime.  Wind Whistler stepped into the elevator, followed by Fizzy.

          “What’s below us?” Fizzy asked as she stepped in.

          “A chamber with a defunct machine of some kind,” Wind Whistler said.  She struck the button and the doors closed.

          They started to descend.

          “That’s a pretty locket,” Fizzy said.  “Where did you get it?”

          “We barrowed it from a farmer on the other side of the mountains,” Wind Whistler answered.  “It belonged to his late wife, and it was what the harpy was after.”  She looked down at the locket.  “They claimed it was magic.”

          She then remembered she wanted to give it to Magic Star to study.  That could wait until morning when her mind was fresh.

          “Magic lockets and secret chambers,” Fizzy said, staring off into space.  “It sounds like the stuff of a great adventure.”

          The elevator slowed and eventually stopped.  As the doors opened, a cloud of pinkish-purple mist rolled in and hung around their legs.

          “What’s this?”  Fizzy picked up her legs and flicked at the mist.

          “I don’t know,” Wind Whistler said.  The mist seemed to have no feeling of temperature change or moisture to it.  “It wasn’t here the last time I visited.”

          The stepped outside into an even thicker cloud of mist.  There was a slight current to it, moving from the center to the edges where it circled as swirled as the walls kept it from spreading further.  Wind Whistler looked to the vents wondering if it was coming from the surface but the vents were neither emitting nor extracting the mist.

          The source of the mist was the chair in front of the panes of glass.  It cascaded down from behind its tall back to join the rest.  As Wind Whistler cautiously approached, she noticed it was a pony sitting there.  However, she was translucent, objects being visible through her.

          She was a lean unicorn with a light pink coat and a streak of dark purple running through her otherwise white mane and tail.  Wind Whistler took a second to remember her name was Twilight Mist, which seemed rather apt given the present situation.  Her eyes were closed and her lips were ever so slightly parted.

          This was the pony Magic Star had mentioned, but Wind Whistler was not exactly sure how to get her attention politely.  She settled for clearing her throat and saying softly, “Twilight Mist?”

          Twilight Mist’s purple eyes opened, but she merely slid them to the side to focus on Wind Whistler without turning her head.

          “Not to intrude,” Wind Whistler said, “but is this mist your doing?”

          “Sorry,” Twilight Mist said, her voice sounding ethereal and like it came from all around them.  The mist quickly drew back towards her, and her form became solid.  Now solid, Wind Whistler could see how lean she was.  She was not malnourished or emaciated, but she could just make out of the outline of her ribcage in her barrel.

          Twilight Mist swiveled the chair to face Wind Whistler.  “I have a tendency to spread out when I’m deep in thought,” she said with her voice no longer ethereal and definitely coming from her mouth, but still cold and distant.

I hope that’s not how I sound to other ponies, Wind Whistler thought.

          “You mean that mist was you?!” Fizzy yelped.  “Ew!  I think I breathed some of it in!”

          Twilight Mist swung the chair to face Fizzy.  Fizzy instantly shrank back, making herself appear as small as possible.  “Why are you two down here?” Twilight Mist snapped.  She swiveled back around to Wind Whistler, giving her soul-piercing glare.  “I came down here because I wanted to get away from the rest of you ponies.”

          Wind Whistler tightened her brow.  “We were sent down here to retrieve you.  You were supposed to be investigating this machine somehow, not ducking away.”

          She noticed a thin mattress, pillow, sheet and blanket neatly folded in the corner.  “You were planning to stay down here.”

          Twilight Mist clapped mockingly.  “Give the filly a prize.”

          “But the castle has so many bedrooms,” Fizzy said.  “You can have your privacy up there.”

          “Because it’s not just privacy,” Twilight Mist said, “it’s distance.”

          She leaned back. “Back in Equestria, I was drifter, traveling the land with no destination in particular.  I liked the solitude and feeling of being removed from everyone else.  My magical powers make me acutely aware of…things that can be like a flash flood around so many ponies.  However, in the empty places, I can find peace and detect things most ponies never notice.”

          “Then why don’t you leave?” Wind Whistler asked.  “No one is compelling you to remain here.”

          “I stay because I face a problematic reality,” Twilight Mist replied.  She sat forward.  “Whether I like you ponies or not, staying with you is my best chance of surviving in this world.  Back in Equestria, I still had the benefit of its civilization and infrastructure even when avoiding the towns as much as possible.  Here, it’s just this castle with everything else completely unknown.  As much as I hate to admit it, I’m stuck with you.”

          She turned back to Fizzy, but she was gone.  Wind Whistler looked down and saw Fizzy was looking at a column.

          “Hey, those ruins we stayed in had columns just like these,” Fizzy said.  “They even had same suns and moons.  It’s just they were made of stone—” she tapped the column “—and these are metal.”

          “I was trying to sense the history of this place,” Twilight Mist grumbled.

          “You can’t sense history,” Wind Whistler said.

          Twilight Mist’s mouth bent up into a smirk.  “Not the history per say, but there are psychic imprints left on things by those who use them.  Their thoughts, hopes, and dreams leave an image of them.  Wishes are perhaps the strongest, when our minds are at their powerful.  We imbue them onto where we live, what we use, and even who we meet.  They are the proverbial footprints we all leave, and a very few can sense them like me.”

          “Are you saying wishes have power?” Wind Whistler asked.  Then she thought of the girl’s wish on the locket.

          “A penny for your thoughts,” Twilight Mist said, balancing her chin on her hoof.

          “A wish might be what brought us here,” Wind Whistler said.

          She turned to the machine.  The locket suddenly pulled at her neck and pointed to the panel.  An oddly bare area of the panel lifted up to reveal a lens.

          Fizzy appeared in a shower of pink.  “What’s wrong, Wind Whistler?”

          “I don’t know.”  Wind Whistler strained against the locket.  “It’s like it’s come to life.”

          The locket pulled harder and light pulsed through the seam.  It suddenly burst open and a beam of light and color so brilliant it bathed the entire chamber in its blinding glow blasted from it.  It streamed into the lens for a second or two before retreating into the locket.

          The locket slammed shut, hanging from Wind Whistler’s neck like any ordinary trinket.  It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the dimmer light again.  The lens collapsed back into the panel and the controls began to glow from blue backlighting.  The panels of glass also filled with diagrams and text in that runic language.  The tunnel in the wall also changed as lamps built into the rings illuminated.

          The two most striking diagrams was a series of concentric circles divided into wedges by spokes superimposed over a map and one of a tube that flared at either end.  The display with the map and circles also had blank boxes near it with a straight line blinking on and off near the left side of the first one.

          “What was that?” Fizzy asked.

          “I don’t know.”  Twilight Mist looked at the panel, “but, it turned this infernal machine on.”  She leaned back and bent her mouth into a frown.  “So much for this place being a sanctuary from ponies.  You’ll be poking and prodding around to figure out what this thing is.”

          Wind Whistler looked at the diagrams.  The text was the same runes as those labeling the controls.  It was absolute gibberish to her, a bunch of symbols with no meaning.  However, the diagrams were more telling.  They reminded her of diagrams in books about theoretical physics and testimonials on unicorn magic with regards to teleportation.

          She looked into the tunnel that suddenly terminated.  Its construction made more sense if it was meant to be one side of a teleportation tube of some kind.

          “What do you think it does?” Fizzy asked.

          “This is just an assumption based on a very limited understanding,” Wind Whistler said, “but I believe this world just became more open to us.”