//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Tales of home // by Peace Petal //------------------------------// Shady waded to the shore and shook herself off. After the tropical weather of Butterfly Island, this place felt cold, especially since she was wet. She, Gusty, Wind Whistler, and Fizzy stood at the shore, unsure how to proceed. “I don’t understand,” Wind Whistler said. “We know that the Rainbow Waterfall could act as a two-way portal. We know that Rarity’s wand can influence the Rainbow Waterfall, otherwise we would be near the outskirts of Ponyville. In theory we should be able to walk back through to Butterfly Island. What did we miss?” The seven fillies had gathered on the other shore. They were talking about Shady and her friends, and Shady couldn’t help but overhear. “They didn’t know where they were,” the white filly said. “They’re not from around here. We have to show them the way back to Ponyland.” “I don’t know, Sweetheart,” the pink one with yellow hair said. “They’re strangers, aren’t they? Are you sure we should trust them?” Shady turned back to her friends. “There’s more going on here than a miscalculation,” Wind Whistler said. “We still don’t know what caused the first portal that led us to Equestria. We have evidence that at least two more portals formed, one that delivered an aggressive flying creature to Butterfly Island, and another that led Ribbon, Posey, Galaxy, and Whizzer to wherever they were when Ribbon contacted me telepathically. And this isn’t the first time that a portal has behaved in an unexpected way. The portal formed by Twilight Sparkle went out of control and took us to another Ponyville instead of Dream Valley like it was supposed to.” “It seems like something bigger is going on,” Gusty said. “And whatever it is, it’s like the portals are trying to keep us from going home…” She sounded despondent. “Whatever’s going on, Wind Whistler will figure it out!” Fizzy said, bright as ever. “She always does!” Shady, for her part, was just trying to keep from panicking. They would have to start over again with trying to find a source of magic strong enough to transport them home. And even if they found one, the last two times they had gone to yet another world rather than their own. What could they possibly do differently this time? And anyway, none of that mattered as long as they were lost in this forest. While Wind Whistler and Gusty reviewed the magical theory they had used with the Rainbow Waterfall, Shady jumped back into the water to check the portal one more time. But no luck; it was just a wall of rock behind the waterfall. “Excuse me,” one of the seven fillies said, the pink one with yellow hair. She had crossed the stream to stand closer to the four adult ponies. They ended their conversation and looked at her. “We’ve decided to show you the way back to Ponyland, if you need our help.” “Yes, please,” Fizzy said. “Thank you!” “Sweetheart also pointed out that you are probably quite far from home,” the pink pony said. “If you need somewhere to stay for the night, we have a friend who might be able to help.” “I’m sure Lancer will say yes,” the cyan pony called from across the bank. “And his house is huge. You’ll have plenty of room.” Shady looked at the others and quietly said, “Should we go with them?” “We have no other options besides an astral ceiling,” Wind Whistler said. “We’ll gladly accept your offer, with gratitude.” The seven fillies and the four Dream Valley ponies introduced themselves as the fillies put together a few belongings and headed out. The pink filly with yellow hair was Starlight. She looked to be the oldest and seemed to be the leader among them. However, a peach pony named Patch led the group down the trail. She was very quiet, and she kept staring at Wind Whistler in particular. Something was odd about her, but Shady couldn’t figure out what. The trail was narrow enough that the ponies traveled in a line two or sometimes only one pony wide. Shady ended up in the middle of the line with Wind Whistler and the cyan filly, Bright Eyes, in front of her. Bright Eyes prodded Wind Whistler with eager questions about their world. Judging by her ability to understand Wind Whistler’s verbose answers, she was an intelligent filly. However, it was almost immediately clear to Shady that Bright Eyes had never seen any kind of magic before. That made her worried, since they would certainly need magic to get home. She decided to deliberately tune that conversation out, as it was making her nervous. Behind Shady were Fizzy and two fillies, the dark pink one named Melody and the chubby yellow one named Bon Bon. “Oh, this is amazing!” Melody said with a squeal. “We’re hiking through the forest with magical ponies! Um, you are magical, right?” “Sure thing!” Fizzy said. Shady heard the whir of Fizzy’s horn, and bubbles spouted out, briefly filling the forest before they all popped on various branches and leaves. “That’s definitely going in my diary,” Bon Bon said. “Say, where did you get that necklace from?” Melody said. “It’s dazzling!” “A pony named Rainbow Dash gave it to me,” Fizzy said between bites of a muffin that Bon Bon had shared from her bulging saddlebag. “She bought it in Unicornia.” “The carnation pink matches your tail bow and complements your coat, and the crystalline appearance of the rose quartz emphasizes your eyes,” Bon Bon said excitedly. “Uh, I mean, pretty necklace…” “We all know you’re into fashion, Bons,” Melody said. “There’s no sense in trying to hide it anymore.” Gusty had stopped on the side of the trail. She appeared to be drinking from a pool. But she didn’t dash to take her spot alongside Patch at the front. She had been quiet since their failed attempt to go from Butterfly Island to Dream Valley. Shady decided to check and see how she was doing. They were all under a lot of stress, after all. She slowed down, gesturing for Melody, Fizzy, and Bon Bon to pass her. Behind them were Clover, the lavender filly, and Sweetheart, the soft-spoken white pony who had insisted that the seven fillies needed to help Shady’s group. Sweetheart looked like she was the youngest of them. Gusty had taken her place all the way at the back of the group. As Shady tried to let Clover and Sweetheart pass, Clover tripped and landed on her face. “I’m sorry, did I get in your way?” Shady said. She offered a hoof to help Clover up, which Clover accepted. “No, it wasn’t your fault,” Clover said. “Luckily, I didn’t hurt myself.” She brushed off some dirt and continued. Shady matched Gusty’s lethargic pace, walking alongside her. “Are you alright?” she said. “I thought you’d stay in the front.” “I’m fine, Shady,” Gusty said curtly. “I’m worried,” Shady said. Gusty snorted and kept walking. Shady walked alongside her in silence. Apart from their noisy group of eleven ponies, this forest was a peaceful place. She kept spotting green-winged birds that sang beautiful melodies. Little yellow flowers sprang up amongst the dull shades of leaf litter like jewels. The fragrance of leaves and moist soil wafted up from the ground. Several minutes later, Gusty said, “I’m worried too, Shady.” “It’d be strange if you weren’t,” Shady said. “Did you hear Bright Eyes talking with Wind Whistler? She had never seen magic before. Any kind of magic, Shady. They have nothing here. How are we going to get home now?” “I don’t know.” “And it’s all my fault…” Gusty sighed, head down. “Huh?” “You remember,” Gusty said. “When that first portal appeared, I ran right through it, full of bravado. Wind Whistler said it was a bad idea. We should have tried to study it, think it through, and tell the others. But you three had to run after me because I was so headstrong.” “Oh, I didn’t think about that,” Shady said. It seemed like it was so long ago, although it had only been a few days. “But Gusty, you shouldn’t blame yourself. You didn’t know that the portal was one-way. And anyway, you’ve done so much to help us stay safe and get back home since then. You helped me be brave in the Everfree Forest, and you’ve gotten so good at magical theory. We never would have figured out how to use the unicorn princess’s wand without you.” “None of that would have been needed if I just hadn’t ran through that portal in the first place,” Gusty said. “It’s not your fault, Gusty,” Shady said. “You’re being illogical. If you could look at your actions from an unbiased viewpoint, you would see your own merit.” Gusty blinked and looked at Shady. “What?” “It’s something that Wind Whistler said to me,” Shady said. “It makes no sense,” Gusty said. “But I appreciate the thought. When did you become so positive?” “You’ve always been an inspiration to me, Gusty,” Shady said. “That’s nothing new. You’re heroic, talented, and clever.” Gusty’s cheeks flushed, the color popping out against her white coat. “Thanks, Shady,” she said. * * * The seven fillies took Wind Whistler and her friends to a large mansion. It was at the edge of town, and the fillies seemed to be watching for and trying to avoid any crowds. These ponies had really never seen a single pegasus or unicorn before, so there was no telling how they would react. True to Bright Eyes’ prediction, she was able to persuade her friend Lancer and his parents to let them stay there for the night. However, Wind Whistler couldn’t help but worry about the next night, and the night after that. If there was truly no magic here, they might be stuck here forever. However, as the sun was setting, glowing orbs lit up in the house. Wind Whistler turned to Bright Eyes and said, “If there’s no magic here, then what do you call that?” “That’s not magic,” Bright Eyes said. “It’s just electricity.” “And could we somehow use electricity to get us back to our own world?” Wind Whistler said. “I don’t think so,” Bright Eyes said. “I’ve never read of anything like that.” The ponies had gathered in the spacious ballroom. Bon Bon had gone to the kitchen to bake cookies, and Melody had left saying something about gathering the “Rockin’ Beats” to perform a song. It seemed the seven fillies were happy to stay the night at Lancer’s house, as well. “So, you’re trapped here?” Patch said. She had been quietly watching Wind Whistler ever since they met. “Yes,” Wind Whistler said. “We came here by accident.” “But last time you were… Do you know a pony named Brightglow?” Patch said. Her friends all turned to look at her, confused. “Who?” Starlight said. “No, I don’t,” Wind Whistler said. “Oh, then you’re not here for me,” Patch said. “What are you talking about?” Starlight said. All her friends seemed bewildered. “I’ve seen ponies like you before,” Patch said. “Flying, magical ponies. They rescued Bon Bon and me when we took a ride in a hot air balloon and we were going to crash in the sea. But she wasn’t looking, and she didn’t believe me when I told her what happened. One of them, named Brightglow, said we might see each other again.” “So there is magic in this world!” Gusty said, hopeful. “Yes,” Patch said. “I don’t know if they could get you back to your own world, but they certainly have magic.” “How can we meet these ponies?” Wind Whistler said. “That might be hard,” Patch said. “They rarely fly over Ponyland. They’ll show up on radar as a UFO, and you might even see them as a sparkling streak in the sky. You could try to fly after them if they appear.” “Wait, they were the UFO?” Bright Eyes said. “Yes,” Patch said. “They’ve passed by the cliff overlooking Ponyland more than anywhere else. But they’ve only come here a few times. You’d have to be incredibly lucky to just happen to be there when they show up.” Suddenly all six of the other fillies turned to look at Clover. “Wait, why are you all looking at me?” she said. “Your uncanny luck never fails,” Starlight said. “If you go with the four of them and wait at the top of the cliff, I bet the flying ponies will show up.” “I suppose it’s worth a try,” Clover said. “You’re lucky?” Fizzy said. “So am I. With the two of us there, we’ll have good fortune, I just know it!” “I’ll come too!” Patch said. “Maybe if Brightglow sees me, she’ll come over.” Wind Whistler wasn’t exactly comforted. She didn’t believe in luck. But it was the only plan they had, for now. “Cookies!” Bon Bon said, coming into the room. She had a tray full of chocolate chip cookies, and Wind Whistler noticed a smear of chocolate on her lip. The ponies all eagerly grabbed a cookie. Wind Whistler gratefully took one once the more eager ponies had already had theirs. The cookie was expertly crafted with a pleasant texture and balanced flavor. Shortly after that, Melody’s “Rockin’ Beats” friends arrived. They squealed and gaped in amazement at the magical appearance of the two unicorns and the pegasus. “I thought we were trying to avoid attracting too much attention,” Wind Whistler said. “Yeah, but this is different,” Melody said. “Since you’re staying in Ponyland, you might as well get the best of our culture. So we’re going to perform our hit single for you!” Her friends were bringing in equipment. Some of it was musical instruments that Wind Whistler recognized—drums, for example. Other pieces were completely foreign to her. Maybe more of this electricity. They set up their equipment, introduced themselves, and launched into their song. Indeed it was musical equipment, used to produce a sound and style that Wind Whistler had never heard before. Melody was the lead singer. Sweet music, ooh, sweet music That’s what I hear when you appear Sweet music, ooh, sweet music Life is in tune when you are near When you are gone The song just isn’t there But then I see your face again And music fills the air, fills the air! Sweet music, ooh, sweet music I love the sound when you’re around Sweet music, ooh, sweet music Beautiful harmonies abound I know our song will never die, yeah! We make sweet music, you and I You and I, yeah! We make sweet music, you and I! The ponies applauded, stomping on the wooden floor. Melody bowed, seeming fully pleased with herself. The ponies started getting situated for the night, with the four Dream Valley ponies sleeping in two guest rooms in the mansion. By Fizzy’s request, she was with Wind Whistler, leaving Shady and Gusty in the other room. The seven fillies all gathered together in another room with sleeping bags. “We can head to the cliffs tomorrow morning with Clover,” Patch said. “Very well,” Wind Whistler said. “If the pegasi don’t show up, I want to look more into the technology available in this world.” “Alright, we can take you to the library if they don’t show,” Patch said. “But I think they will. They have a knack for showing up at just the right time.”