Birthrights and Love

by Albi


4. Wonderland

Tumbling and swirling. Stretching and pulling. Up, down, left, right. This world and not. Colors and shapes of every hue and contrast swarmed around Sunset faster than her eyes could process. She screamed, her own voice sounding distorted in this vortex of chaos. Everything in her body shifted, ripping apart before sewing itself back together in some new way that felt both familiar and completely foreign. 

She spiraled on and on, the colors becoming brighter and brighter, her screams becoming louder and louder. She wanted to be violently ill. She wanted this unbelievable ride to end. She wanted to get to Twilight! Just when she could take no more, it all stopped abruptly, and she hit the cold, rough surface of a rock.

“Uuugh.” She opened her eyes, finding only darkness surrounding her. Something glowed to her left. It looked like a large crystal. A cot was rolled out next to it, and Sunset spotted an extinguished campfire and cooking utensils hiding behind a rock. Turning her head, she saw a path sloped upwards into the shadows.

Sunset slowly raised her head, still feeling woozy from whatever she had just experienced. Her whole body felt strange, but it had at least numbed the pain in her shoulder. 

Twilight’s screams echoed from somewhere deep in the cave. Sunset’s ears perked up and she scrambled to her legs, only to fall flat on her face. Her center of gravity was completely off. In fact, everything felt wrong about her body. She couldn’t feel her fingers or toes, and her arms and legs bent at different angles.

“What the…” She raised a hand, illuminated by the crystal. Only, it wasn’t a hand Sunset found. It appeared to be a hoof, beige or very light orange and covered in a coat of soft fur. 

“What the…” It came down with a soft clop on the earthen floor. She raised her other hand, finding a hoof there as well. She twisted her whole body around, finding back hooves and a tail that shared the same colors as her hair. 

“What the hell?” She was a small, vibrant pony. 

Her legs wobbled as she stepped forward, trying to evenly distribute her weight. She stepped left-front hoof, right-back hoof, right-front hoof, left-back hoof until she found a rhythm. “Hang on, Twi, I’m coming,” she said under her breath. She could have her massive freakout later. Saving Twilight came first.

Still, even as she stumbled down the dark tunnel, gaining easier mobility with every step, something about this new body of hers felt old in a way. Like an outfit she had worn once then put it in the back of the closet, it fit. Sure, it felt a little odd, but Sunset found herself quickly getting used to it. Soon she was trotting, then running, then galloping along. Her sprint didn’t last too long, however.

The tunnel turned and exited into a ventilation cavern that stretched upwards, more luminescent crystals jutting from the walls. There was no easy way up. The path before Sunset led into another tunnel that seemed to exit onto a stone bridge above her before repeating the process up to the top. 

Sunset!

Near the top of the cavern, Sunset could see the black beast scuttling up the walls. In its tail-cage was a purple pony with glasses and her hair pulled into a ponytail. Sunset also saw the horn protruding from her forehead. 

“Twilight, hang on!” She bolted down the tunnel path. 

Is she a unicorn? What kind of world is this? Sunset wanted to pause and see if she had a horn too but decided not to waste her time. She continued to charge, following the tunnel as it looped up and around, putting her on the stone bridge. She could no longer hear Twilight’s screams. She ran faster, ignoring the strain in her legs or the constriction in her chest. I can’t lose her! I can’t!

Her lungs were fit to burst by the time she reached the top of the cave. The last leg of the tunnel became increasingly small and jagged, and rubble littered the floors. Sunset squeezed her way around a large rock and slowed to a halt as her feet—hooves touched grass.

The silhouettes of towering trees with claw-like branches loomed over her, their features lost in the night. Moonlight flittered through the dense foliage and left silver spots on the muddy terrain.

Sunset shuddered at the cold wind that blew over her coat. God, that’s weird! I have fur! I’m a pony! Where the hell am I? Focus!

She squinted her eyes and strained her ears, trying to catch any sign of Twilight. Bugs chittered in the shadows, and a tingle on the back of her neck told her something larger was watching. But there was no sign of her sister.

Twilight!” Sunset screamed. The trees rustled, and a crow cackled overhead, but Twilight did not respond.

“No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Sunset whipped her head around, finding only more trees and the rockface she had crawled out of. She picked a direction and started running, stumbling over her hooves before she found her rhythm again. Her heart drummed in her chest, her stomach and throat felt tight, and she had the first pressure of a headache coming on. 

I can find her! I can find her! Just hold on, Twilight! She swatted low-hanging branches and vines out of her way and splashed through puddles of murky water and mud. “Twilight! Twilight, say something, please!”

Only ambient noise responded. A shadowy creature rustled in a passing bush, but Sunset paid it little mind. She broke into a small clearing and came to a stop, her lungs too tired to carry on. 

This isn’t happening! What is evening happening? What was that thing? Why did it attack us? Where’s it taking Twilight? Why am I freaking pony? Sunset raised her head to the sky. “Where am I?

She panted and stared at the full moon hanging overhead. It was much larger than normal. Sunset ground her teeth. More weirdness. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She let out a sob, then a snarl, then another scream.

Her headache intensified, the pressure building in the center of her forehead. The warm tingle of her powers washed through her and coalesced not where her hands should have been, but at a spot just off her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed again as something hot blasted out of her and into the sky.

The pressure relieved itself, and a faint hiss drifted into Sunset’s ears. She lifted a hand—hoof to her forehead and felt the grooved spiral of a horn, still hot from her release of energy.

“Great!” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m a unicorn! I’m a unicorn in Wonderland! Because nothing else makes sense!” 

She fell onto her back hooves and stared at the grass. What did she do now? Did she go back into the cave and back through the statue to get help? Would anybody believe the wild story she had so far? Could she go back through the statue? Even if she did get somebody, how much help would they be? She herself didn’t understand anything that was happening. But she couldn’t stumble blindly through this place. 

“But… those things said something about an empress. So, someone has to live here, right?” But would they be willing to help Sunset? 

Her ears twitched involuntarily. The twinge at the nape of her neck returned, and she got to her hooves. “Who’s there?”

The bushes rustled, and a pair of narrowed, brilliant yellow eyes appeared in the darkness. Sunset automatically raised her arms to get into a fighting stance, then fell onto her face. She looked up to see the beast stepping into the light.

Its snout was a darker shade of brown than the rest of its coat. It was unusually lean, almost anemic, with very slender forelegs and a visible ribcage. Branches and twigs stuck out of its back fur.

Then, as it stepped closer, snapping its jaws in hunger, Sunset saw it for what it truly was. Those weren’t twigs in its fur; they were its fur. Its teeth were made from dagger-sharp woodchips and dark leaves acted as eyebrows. Its entire body looked like someone had built a model using only spare branches and twigs.

It was a wolf made from wood.

Before Sunset could think another sarcastic thought, the wolf pounced. She rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding its claws. It made a swift turn around and pounced on her again. Sunset screamed and threw her hooves out in desperation. The world took on a teal hue again, and the wolf stopped just above her, digging his teeth into whatever wall stood between it and Sunset.

Sunset twisted her head around, finding the teal surrounded her on all sides like a bubble. Curiosity led her to push a hoof against it. It felt like hard plastic.

Okay, it’s holding. She watched the wolf desperately claw at it. Come on, think of something.

A cartoonish idea came to mind, but because nothing else made sense at the moment, Sunset decided to roll with it. She got to her hooves and charged forward. The bubble shield moved with her, spinning as she ran forward and bowled the wolf to the side.

She looked over her shoulder as she rolled away, seeing the wolf get back up and howl in anger before giving chase. 

Please hold, please hold! Sunset charged through the forest, smashing through the underbrush as the wooden wolf gave chase. It stayed right on Sunset’s metaphorical heels, clawing at the bubble every chance it got. Sunset made a sharp turn, then another to avoid smashing into a thick tree. She dove into a thick cluster of bushes that obscured her vision completely in a shroud of green hues. She twisted and turned inside the emerald maze until she could no longer hear the growls of the wolf.

Bursting free, Sunset paused and took a deep breath. The inside of her mouth tasted like copper from all of the running she had done today. Looking over her shoulder, she appeared to be in the clear. The teal bubble fell, and Sunset yielded a sigh.

The bush burst open, and the wolf lunged at her, maw wide open. Sunset jumped to the right, avoiding the teeth but was raked across the arm by its claws. She broke into a run, ignoring the sting from the open wound.

Leave me alone!” But the beast persisted, snapping at her exposed tail. She tried to will her unicorn horn to do something, but it was hard to run and think at the same time.

She banked around another tree and immediately slammed into a brown, fuzzy wall. She looked up into the face of a very unhappy grizzly bear. 

Fu—

Rooooaaar!” Spittle flew from its mouth and it raised its claws to strike.

Sunset threw a hoof over her eyes. Instead of feeling sharp claws tear into her, she heard a hard smack and a yelp from just over her shoulder. Lowering her hoof and looking back, she saw the thorny tail of the wood wolf disappear into the shadows of the forest.

“Goodness, are you all right?” a gentle voice asked.

Sunset looked back at the bear. It had a less angry expression but still looked perturbed at Sunset. She looked around a little more, for there was no way such a soft voice came from the hulking creature. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” From over the bear’s head came a cream-colored pony with wings and a basket of plants over her arm—front leg. Her mane and tail were cascades of pink, and her cyan eyes were comically large and filled with concern. The more Sunset looked, the more she felt like this pegasus was vaguely familiar.

“Umm… yeah. Thanks,” Sunset said, getting back to her hooves.

The pegasus smiled in relief. “I’m glad. Thank you very much, Harry. You did a good deed today.” She stroked the bear on the head, getting it to… smile? That was definitely a smile on the bear’s face. Sunset didn’t know they could do that.

“Right then. Uhh…” There was a talking pegasus petting a bear. Sunset didn’t know where to go from here. She raised a hoof to her head and winced at the scratches the wolf had left.

“Oh my!” The pegasus fluttered down and took Sunset’s hoof into her own. “It doesn’t look too deep, but you should get that cleaned and dressed. Do you live nearby?”

“Not exactly?”

“Then we can fix this up at my cabin. Um, if that’s fine with you. I don’t want to impose.” She hid half her face behind her curtain of hair.

“No, that’d be nice. I’m actually very lost right now, so I’ll take all the help I can get.”

The girl reemerged from her hair with a shy smile. “Well, I’ll help as best as I can. My name’s Fluttershy.”

Sunset’s ears involuntarily twitched again. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘Fluttershy’?”

She pulled back into her hair a fraction. “Um, yes? I-is something wrong?”

This has to be a coincidence. But Sunset knew the pony looked familiar for a reason. She even had the same demure demeanor. Just go with it. “It’s nothing. You just… remind me of someone I know back home. Don’t worry about it. My name’s Sunset Shimmer.”

This time, Fluttershy’s ears twitched, and leaned back from Sunset, staring at her like she was a ghost. “S-Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset arched an eyebrow. “Yeah. Why?”

Fluttershy stared a few seconds longer before vigorously shaking her head. “Nothing! I’m sorry! I just… mistook you for another pony for a moment. I’m sorry.”

Sunset knew a lie when she saw one, but dropped it for now. She would have plenty of time to grill this pony later. “Sure then. Which way to your house?”

Fluttershy pointed to a line of trees. “It’s not far from here. I never go too far into Everfree Forest. Follow me.” She flapped her wings and headed off, only hovering two feet off the ground. Harry the bear gave Sunset a small growl before following after. 

With a roll of her eyes, Sunset trudged after the two of them. Hang on, Twilight. I promise I’ll find you.

******

Raven kept her composure. She didn’t have a choice.

She stood beside two police officers and a middle-aged woman who lived across the street from the school. The four of them were gathered beside the statue, their attention fixed on a patch of dead grass. Trickles of black ooze were slowly dissolving, but not before it touched and decayed any blade of healthy grass it could spread to. Thin curls of smoke rose from the ground as the infected lawn died.

One of the officers took a large step back. “Some sort of chemical spill?”

His partner shrugged, looking mystified at the goo. “I don’t know. Go get some tape so we can section it off. We’ll bring a sample to the lab boys.” He then turned to the woman.

“So, you heard two young women fighting and when you came out to look, you saw one of them run behind the statue and she disappeared?” he asked.

The woman wrung her hands. “Not exactly. I was in the kitchen making tea for my grandfather when I looked out the window and saw two girls arguing. One of them had purple hair and glasses and the other was a redhead. I didn’t think much of it, but when I went to give him the tea, I started hearing yells and screams. I ran outside and saw the girl with red hair lying on the ground. She got up and ran behind the statue… but she never came out the other side.”

Raven swallowed the lump in her throat.

The officer nodded, though he didn’t hide his skeptical expression. He walked along the base of the statue, nudging the corner with his boot. When he finished his round, he turned his attention on Raven. “And what did you see?”

Raven took a composing breath. “I was in my office, so I didn’t see anything, but I did hear rather concerning screams. When I came out to investigate, I didn’t see any signs of either girl.”

He nodded. “Does their description remind you of anyone?”

Keeping her voice even, Raven said, “There’s a few possibilities, but I believe the red-haired girl was Sunset Shimmer, meaning the other girl was most likely her sister Twilight Sparkle.”

“I see.” The officer pulled out a notepad and began jotting down names and details. He made a soft ‘tsk’ before saying, “Oh boy, Shining isn’t going to like this.”

His partner paused his setup of orange cones and caution tape. “Should we start a missing person report?”

“We can’t confirm if either of them is missing yet. We can give him a heads up, but that’s about it until their parents call in.”

As the officers continued to discuss, Raven quietly took a few steps toward the statue. She paused when she thought the middle-aged woman was looking at her. One of the officers started questioning the woman again, and Raven took another step backward. When everyone had their backs to her, Raven took one last step and leaned back into the marble base. 

It was like falling into a pool of water, cool and refreshing until the magic took hold and yanked her into the swirling vortex that linked the two worlds. No matter how many times Raven crossed over, she never quite got used to the head-spinning, body-tingling, rollercoaster sensation the portal gave her.

She was thankful the journey was short. The portal spat her out on the marble dais, and she scrambled to her hooves. “Sunset?” she yelled. 

There was only the usual ambiance of the cave. She gave a quick aside to her campsite. Nothing look disturbed. She shook her head. She crossed over. I’m sure of it.

Raven had indeed heard the screams of Sunset and Twilight, and she cursed her luck of being held up by a bystander. Still, she had always known this was a possibility. She took off in a gallop, illuminating the tunnel with her horn.

Don’t worry, Sunset. I’m on my way.

******

To Sunset’s annoyance, it had taken them precisely twenty seconds to step out of the undergrowth and onto the main road. Just over the hill, she could see the lights of a small village. 

So these ponies have a whole society? Sunset could feel the shock value lessening with each discovery she made. If it wasn’t for the stinging cuts on her arm or the constant pit of dread in her stomach, she would have believed this was all a very lucid dream.

Fluttershy didn’t say anything as they walked. She stayed ahead of Sunset, keeping Harry the bear company instead. Sunset couldn’t help but noticed the trio of pink butterflies tattooed on both sides of her flanks. She was compelled to ask about it but decided to hold off. They were barely on a first-name basis.

As the village drew near, Fluttershy turned off the main path and led Sunset through a gap in the trees. Sitting on top of a small hill was a quaint cottage with a roof that looked made from yellowing grass. Birdhouses were hung everywhere, chickens pecked at the front lawn, and a buzzard that sounded like it was actually buzzing was perched on the roof. It eyed Sunset cautiously as she approached the front door.

Fluttershy looked back at her. “Don’t worry, none of them will hurt you. They’re all friendly.” She pushed her door open and walked inside. 

Harry the bear paused and looked over his shoulder at Sunset. He pointed from his eyes to her, then walked inside.

Sunset shrugged it off and followed suit. Even more animals were scattered about the house:  cats, dogs, ferrets, parrots, and what looked like a baby lion with a scorpion tail. They climbed around furniture Sunset expected to find in a normal human home, including a nice sofa and a full dinner table. In a corner was a stone fireplace, where a bunny stood on a stool and watched over a bubbling pot.

I swear, if that thing pulls out a watch…

“Hi, Angel. Thank you for watching dinner while we got the herbs.” Fluttershy set the basket down and pet the rabbit on its head. It frowned and waved her hoof away, then returned to stirring the pot.

Fluttershy looked to Sunset. “You can rest on the couch. I’ll go get some medicine and bandages for that.” She fluttered up the stairs and left Sunset to get settled.

Like the bear, the rabbit eyed her with suspicion. Sunset met his glare before climbing onto the couch and trying to sit down. She first tried to sit like normal, yet her new anatomy made it uncomfortable. She then tried to lie on her stomach, but that lasted ten seconds before she felt uncomfortable again. She tried tucking her hooves in, but the cuts and her bruised shoulder made it disagreeable. 

“Screw it, I’ll stand.”

Fluttershy returned with a medicine kit half her size. She opened it up and pulled a bottle out, unscrewing the top with her teeth. 

That can’t be sanitary.

She took a cloth, dabbed some medicine on it, and held it up to Sunset’s leg. “This might sting just a little bit.”

Sunset winced at the burning sensation but stood strong. “Thank you for helping me, Fluttershy.”

“Of course. I’m glad I found you before that mean Timberwolf did.”

“Timber… wolf… uugh, of course it’s called that.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.” Sunset shook her head. “Listen, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Fluttershy screwed the cap of the medicine back on and picked up a roll of bandages. “Not at all.”

“Cool. This is gonna sound weird but, where am I?”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “You… you don’t know where you are?”

“Listen, it’s a long story that I don’t have time to explain and that you probably wouldn’t believe. I tumbled down a rabbit hole and ended up here, let’s leave it at that.”

The look Fluttershy had when Sunset gave her name returned, but she said in her kind voice, “You’re in the Lunar Empire, in what used to be Equestria.”

Equestria. The name made Sunset’s brain go fuzzy and the world swooned for a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut and gave her skull a gentle tap. “Equestria…” she said aloud. It sounded so familiar, so natural. Yes, she had been here before. 

No, this can’t be it. This can’t be where I’m from. I’m a unicorn talking to a pegasus! She gave her head a vigorous shake. 

“Okay. I’m in Equestria. Sure.” She opened her eyes. “If someone wanted to take someone prisoner, where would they go?”

Fluttershy nibbled on her lip. “Well… there’s a lot of prisons really. But… a lot of the time… Nightmare Moon just….” She gulped. “Executes them.”

Sunset’s blood turned to ice. No! “Okay,” her voice grew more urgent, “if this ‘Nightmare Moon’ wanted to execute someone, where would it happen?”

“In her castle I assume.”

“And where is that?”

Fluttershy flinched at Sunset’s increase in volume. “In Canterlot. To the north of here.”

Canterlot?” Sunset asked, her confusion reaching new levels. “As in, the city?”

“Um, yes?”

Sunset massaged her head again. There were no forests this large next to Canterlot, nor was there some hamlet outside the city limits. Or talking animals for that matter. It had to be some sort of weird coincidence. Although that made two coincidences now.

Fluttershy wrapped the bandage around Sunset’s leg. “Um, is it okay if I ask a question, Sunset?”

“Sure,” she said, looking out the window and tapping her back hoof.

“Well, um… do you… um…. Who are your parents?”

Sunset looked back at her. Fluttershy was looking very intently at the bandages. “Twilight Velvet and Night Light,” she said slowly. “Why?”

Fluttershy finished the wrap and stepped back. “Um, well… it’s just… how should I put this? Um, actually… that is to say…”

“Spit it out already!”

“Eeep!” Fluttershy dropped to the floor and hid her face behind her hooves. In the same instant, every animal turned its eyes on Sunset and snarled.

“Or not!” Sunset said, quickly forcing a smile. “Take your time, it’s fine!”

Harry the bear advanced on her, teeth bared. Sunset looked toward the door, her path blocked by two ferrets and the lion with a scorpion tail. A parrot divebombed her, and Sunset threw herself against the floor.

“Fluttershy, call off your animals, please!”

Fluttershy poked her muzzle out from behind her hooves and gasped. “Stop! Behave, all of you!”

Every animal instantly backed down and returned to their docile manner. Harry growled threateningly at Sunset but took a seat at the dining table.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, standing back up again. “They can be a little overprotective sometimes.”

“You don’t say.” Sunset got to her hooves as well. “Well, I’ll get out of here before I give them another reason to attack. Thanks again for the help.”

“Wait!” Fluttershy jumped over Sunset and stood in front of the door. “What are you going to go do?”

“What do you think? I’m going to Canterlot to save my sister before she gets executed.”

Fluttershy gaped at her in horror. “You can’t just go to Canterlot Castle! You wouldn’t even be able to make it into the city! More than that, you can’t stand up to Nightmare Moon! She’s invincible!”

Sunset snarled. “I don’t care! I don’t care if I have to fight an entire army! I’m going to that castle, punching anyone who tries to stop me, and saving Twilight so we can go home!”

Fluttershy held her hooves in front of her mouth, fixing Sunset with huge eyes wet with terror and hopelessness. “I know I don’t know you very well, but please, listen to me! I don’t want to hear anything bad happened to you! If you go up there picking a fight with the empress, you’re going to die!”

“What else am I supposed to do?” Sunset marched up to her. Fluttershy wasn’t very big but neither was the door. If Sunset wanted to get through, she’d have to push past the pegasus. “I am not going to stand around and do nothing!”

The heat from her powers circulated through her body again. And like before in the clearing, instead of channeling to where her fingers should have been, Sunset felt her new horn thrum with power. A crackle and snap of electricity came from it, and she heard a few of the animals growl. She didn’t care this time. If she had to blast a bear to get out of here, she’d do it.

Her display of power was enough to make Fluttershy shrink away from the door, ears bowed back. “I… I c-can’t stop you, but p-please, just be careful.”

Sunset gave her a curt nod. “Thanks.” She pushed the door opened and stepped out into the cold night air again. The moon hadn't moved since Sunset had last seen it, hanging ominously right over her head. 

She steeled herself and took off for the main road, hoping she could reach this version of Canterlot before dawn.