“I will say I’m impressed, Doctor. I was certain the guards were never going to let us through the gate. I’m still wishing they hadn’t…”. Forsker admitted, ducking under a low branch before cutting a small arrow on the tree it belonged to.
“Oh, if I had my psychic paper, we would have made much better time. While I don’t much mind being a pony, I do wish I had an outfit with pockets.” He sighed before continuing, “now all we have to do is find Derpy, and get back.”
“Oh, that’s all.” Forsker rolled his eyes, “not like the guards said anyone who goes in the forest isn’t allowed back into the city, or that finding your friend and Procione is impossible because the forest goes on forever!”
“Forsker, I’m surprised at you! Being the scientist you are, I would have thought it obvious how we are going to find them both.”
“What?”
“We simply do the math, the arc and velocity of the projectile along its path, accounting for the direction of the speed and the wind.”
“Okay, you could find where they are from up above, but not down at the ground!”
“You underestimate me, my fine mammal. Once I realized where they landed it wasn’t too hard to calculate how many miles away it would be. Why do you think I had us go around the edge of the town first?”
“So you just...turned us until we were in the path of the shot relative to the conclave hall and then headed us directly away from it?
“Pretty much.”
“How do you expect to get back?”
“I believe you’re taking care of that, despite what you said about nobody ever being allowed back in. Ignoring the odds, are we?” The Doctor smirked as Forsker Scratched another arrow away from them, “We just need to look for your markings!”
“The only problem is we’re quickly losing light. Can you see in the dark, Doctor?”
“Don’t worry about me, Forsker. I’ll be fine. Ponies don’t have night vision, I’m afraid. But you do, so you can lead on!”
“How did you know that?”
“Let’s just say I’ve come across your species before, though in that case they hadn’t evolved far enough to develop a civilization.” Forsker looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he continued, “Speaking of evolution, and since there’s a good chance we’re going to encounter these chaos worshippers you mentioned, would you be so good as to explain how your race split into these two separate groups? I presume things were not always this way.”
“Your speculation is correct, but that information is rather sketchy. Difference of opinion, is the most I can say. Our world was nearly destroyed by... something; a terrible event, but there is no agreement on what that was. All we know is that our adoption of science and logic saved us from destruction. But not all of us agreed it was for the best. Some rejected the idea and said chaos was necessary, and called order an abomination. They formed what eventually became the Imbuka, who worship the Chaos Bringer--”
“Chaos bringer?” the Doctor asked.
“Their deity. They say he was the one who nearly destroyed our world, and they anticipate his return.”
“I’m guessing you don’t believe that.”
“They say the Chaos Bringer could do anything, to the point of bending reality to his will. His power was said to be infinite. The notion is completely ludicrous. Gods are just characters created to explain phenomena that have not yet been explained by science.”
“So was there actually a cataclysm or not then?”
“Oh there was definitely something,” Forsker said. We have solid evidence of it; a fine line of anomalous sediment in the rock layers.”
“Anomalous? How so?”
“It contained heavy amounts of theobromine, found in a number of foods, most notably--”
“Wait, you found a layer of… chocolate?”
“Essentially, yes. It’s a complete mystery. I’m embarrassed to say that we are unable to prove what it was. If we could, maybe we could prove to the Imbuka that their Chaos Bringer was just some kind of natural disaster, possibly even just representative of the war they caused.”
“War they caused?”
“Well of course. The divide between our two distinct cultures didn’t happen smoothly. Fighting was everywhere until lines eventually formed. The cities became ours, and the untamed wilderness became theirs. Things have been peaceful since then, for the most part.”
“So, their Chaos Bringer, where is it now?”
“He. All known writings give the Chaos Bringer a masculine form. But nobody knows. The Imbuka think he went back to his own world, but there aren’t even any mentionings of it. Everyone agrees that this explains how the Chaos Bringer is nothing more than symbolism. Think about it. We gain control and save our world by embracing Science, and the Chaos Bringer conveniently vanishes from the world, never to be seen again-- but… that was something I wanted to ask you about. You’re not... aware... of the existence… of any such entity where you came from? Something that looked as if some racoon hacked random creatures up and stitched parts from each one together to create a new life form?”
“I have witnessed such things being attempted and even accomplished.. I’ve even seen beings who try to pass themselves off as gods, but none with the technology to wield the kind of infinite power you’re describing. Why do you ask?”
“Well,” he paused, looking down at the ground, “I have studied Imbuka mythology, rather extensively.”
“Why do you look ashamed? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Very few see the value in mythology. It isn’t taken seriously. The Conclave stick their noses up at it. Those who study it do so with their free time, with no support.”
“Well I say that’s a load of rubbish. Don’t let anyone shame you for that. It harms no one, you enjoy doing it, and you can learn a great deal about a culture and its history by studying its religions and the gods they worship. ”
Forsker nodded. “Part of why I am fascinated by it. But back to my point, one piece of literature describes the Chaos Bringer explaining to us where he came from. He was very frustrated that he couldn’t convey it effectively to our simple minds. He said he came through a hole, but not like a hole in a wall would be.”
“A Black Hole?”
“No, that would have destroyed our world in an instant. It was as if a hole could just hang in the air, and by jumping into it, you’d suddenly be somewhere completely different.”
“As if three-dimensional space were a piece of paper, and by folding the paper you could make two distant locations connect,” the Doctor said.
“Yes, that was my deduction. And... it was this idea that made me wonder if such a thing could be possible. It inspired me to formulate a hypothesis proposing the existence of four-dimensional space. It was well-received, and eventually led to the creation of the device that brought you here.”
“You invented a device that could fold space, based on an idea proposed in a fairytale? Oh, Forsker my good sir, that is absolutely marvelous. Well done!”
Forsker looked like he didn’t know whether to feel embarrassed or proud.
The Doctor added, “Surely you’re not suggesting that Derpy or I are the Chaos Bringer though...”
“No, no, no. The Chaos Bringer looks nothing like you. But something else does, and it’s... unsettling.”
“What do you mean?”
“After detailing how he arrived, the Chaos Bringer went on to describe where he came from, and it has been playing on my mind.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you and your companion, the first creatures to come through my Quantum Teleporter, accurately match the Chaos Bringer’s description of the inhabitants who populated his world.”
The Doctor stopped walking for a moment and stared at Forsker. “That… is very… very interesting.”
Forsker silently nodded.
The Doctor asked, “What do you make of it?”
“First I dismissed it, but now that my invention, inspired by the Chaos Bringer, has led your companion, and by extension, both of us, into the territory of the Chaos worshippers from which there is no logical chance of return, I am having trouble continuing to treat it as a mere coincidence.”
The two became quiet and walked on as they absorbed and analyzed the information. In the quiet of the evening, the Doctor listened, “it’s strange. I feel like I’ve seen this planet before, but I know I haven’t. It’s like Deja’vu.”
“I’m not sure I understand your meaning.”
“You know, like when something happens to you and you feel like you’ve lived that very moment before?”
“That sounds absurd.”
“By that as it may, the feeling is very scientific. I’m sure you would love looking in-“. He stopped, “Forsker, I want you to remain very very calm, do you understand?”
“Why?” Forsker froze as uneasiness clenched his heart.
“There is something following us.” The Doctor whispered. He took a breath, turning, “Ah-Hah!” He yelled and froze. He stared at the slime giant slug-like creature with a mouth full of carnivorous teeth. It let out a rumbling roar. “Run! RUN!” The Doctor pulled Forsker, and both ran as the vicious slimy creature slid toward them. “What is that thing?”
“From the size and nature of it, I think it’s a sluggeen. They come out in dark and rain to eat small creatures. They never attack groups, going for several small meals.”
“And now we’re on its menu?! That’s just- Wait...Did you say sluggeen?”
“Yeah?”
“Raxacoricofallapatorius!”
“What?”
“Raxacoricofallapatorius! That’s what this is! I mean not exactly, but it has to be! The slitheen!”
“Sluggeen!”
“The questionable moral compass.”
“Hey!”
“The names even sound alike! That means......no.”
“Doctor, I think you’ve lost it!”
“This is more than different worlds. This is a different dimension. I’m in a different dimension! I’m am so thick sometimes! It was obvious!”
“This really isn’t a good time for hypothesizing, Doctor!”
“How did I not realize? I’m a bloody pony. There are unicorns and Pegasi in a rainbow of colors, and impossible barriers, and snowglobe prisons. This is bad. This is really really bad!”
“Doctor...”
“If I’ve come into another universe, that means I’ve traveled through a dimensional rift...mid regeneration at best. Explains the hooves, I suppose. Why the rift though. How did it start? Last time I dealt with those-“
“WE ARE GOING TO DIE!!!!”
“Right! Sorry.” The Doctor grabbed several vines with his teeth as they ran, holding onto Forsker with one hoof. The vines tightened in his grip. “Hold on tight.” He said with teeth clenched, spinning around to a tree as the Sluggeen moved past, too big to stop quickly.
Forsker let out a held breath, “if we keep going in sharp turns, we’ll outrun it quickly!”
“Oh, I’m not going to outrun it.” The Doctor grinned, “we are going to ride it!”
“Wha-?”
The vines snapped back, pulling the two straight toward the Sluggeen as it slowed. The Doctor let go all the vines, quickly pulling one from the tree above them as they fell. The vine didn’t snap as much as he had hoped, and he was left with a tiny bit of vine when they landed on the Sluggeen with a sickening squish.
The Sluggeen roared again, thrashing its head as the two of them slid off its back as if on a water slide. The Doctor ran, kicking a tree to have snakes fall out and slither away, and a longer vine. The Sluggeen was turning to them now, as the Doctor ran straight to it. Forsker hid behind a tree. The Doctor dodged right, running full gallop up the slime surface, trying to lasso the Sluggeen‘s head with the vine. The vine got around its head with no trouble. The Doctor pulled back. The vine snapped. The Sluggeen threw him off with another thrash. He bit his lip, trying time and time again until he finally managed to get a vine it the Sluggeen’s mouth. He grinned, pulling the vine taught passed the teeth before the Sluggeen could chomp down. The Sluggeen fought against the vine as it had with the others, but the Doctor chose a strong one. After a time of fighting, the Sluggeen calmed down. The Doctor gave a yeehaw of triumph. “Forsker. You can come out now. See, it’s fine.”
“Why would you waste your time with something so reckless, Doctor?” Forsker asked.
“Well, it’s a way to get around, gives us a break...plus it was fun.”
“Fun?! You nearly died seven times!”
“And yet here I am.”
“How did you do that?”
“What?”
“You kicked that tree so hard that all manner of things fell from it, and then you roped the most dangerous predator on the planet, one that you’ve never even encountered before like it was second-nature.”
The Doctor paused for a moment, not even fully grasping how easily he had performed those tasks. He glanced at his hind legs, then towards the tree, then back again, and thought aloud, “Nowhere near enough muscle mass, just like Derpy’s wings. Almost like--”
“Huh?”
“Oh, nevermind, I’m just rambling. I do that a lot. Would you like to hop on as well?”
“I’d rather walk, thanks. Getting slime all over my fur that will take a week to clean out wasn’t on my agenda today.”
“Alright, fair enough. Now then, tell me, do the Imbuka light fires in the night?”
“I’ve seen tiny lights dotting the forest late at night when I’ve looked out from the roof. It’s actually aesthetically pleasing. Why?”
The Doctor looked up to the twinkling in the distance, and smiled, “because I think we may have stumbled on a bit of good fortune. Let’s go take a look!”