//------------------------------// // the Meeting // Story: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Pone // by the Horse Writer //------------------------------// Knock knock knock. I stared at the oaken door as Applejack removed her hoof. I wasn’t that anxious; I heard only good things about the pony behind the door, after all; Though I have to admit I was just a tad nervous. Wait a minute… I furrowed my brow. “Why’d we knock?” I questioned, “I mean, it’s a public library, isn’t it?” My companion turned to me, her eyebrow raised slightly. “The library ain’t open ‘till 10, sugarcube.” Still not 10 AM, huh? I could have sworn it’s been a day already… We lapsed to silence for a few short moments before Applejack sighed. “Prob’ly didn’t hear it the first time,” she said, reaching over to the door again. Knock knock knock. “Coming!” came a shout from inside. The voice hadn’t been what I was expecting, though. I had heard Twilight was an adult woman, but that voice had been relatively young and somewhat boyish. Applejack’s eyes grew wide as she turned to me. “Erm, I may have forgot ta’ tell you this, but Twi has an assistant, Spike.” She said, “And, well… Spike is-” She was suddenly cut off by the door opening, which revealed a- a dragon?! My pupils went wide in shock as I silently took in the new arrival’s form. It was a small, purple and green lizard, with small, round spikes all along its back. Although it had a diminished stature and lacked wings, it obviously was -to my bewilderment- a dragon, straight out of a fairytale. “-A dragon…” Finished Applejack. “Hey, guys! Whatcha doing?” said the mythical creature. I should stop being surprised, I thought as I shook off my confusion. “Hey Spike,” greeted Applejack, and I nodded in an I-probably-know-you-but-can't-remember fashion. “Oh, I should probably tell you Twi’s sleeping, so if ya’ can keep quiet, that would be great,” Spike said and moved from the doorway, motioning for us to come in. “Shucks, we need her right now. Fluttershy’s got a little problem, y’see.” Applejack said as she took the lead, me following right behind. Spike closed the door behind us. “Well, I guess we can wake her up, but y’know how she is after some late night studying…” he sighed and turned to me, “Are you sure it can’t wait?” Quickly working up the courage, I answered, “Yes, Spike, I’m sure.” The dragon shrugged. “Alright, I’mma go wake her up. Make yourself at home, or something.” as he went up the -previously unnoticed- stairs, I could hear him mutter, “Just hope it wouldn’t be like last time…” With nothing taking up my attention, I could fully take in the room I was now in. It was a library, alright- the circular wall was entirely covered with books of all kinds, only leaving room for the exit door, some stairs, and what I could only presume was the kitchen. The room had small tables scattered about, soft cushions surrounding them. My examination finished, I sat at one of the nearby tables, Applejack following me. I took a look at my companion. “So… You have dragons here.” “Eh, Spike’s a rare breed ‘round here, really. Most o’ them dragons live in the Dragon Lands.” “Wha- no- I meant, dragons exist-” I groaned, exasperated. “you know what, whatever.” “Heh, just messing with ya’, sugarcube.” Applejack chuckled at my pout. “I guess your world ain’t so magical if you’re surprised by dragons, of all things.” Rolling my eyes, I asked, “Urm… So how old is he again? Spike, I mean.” Applejack seemed a bit embarrassed. “I’m… not so sure, I hav’ta admit. About 11 or 12, ah’ thin-” she began, before being cut off by a muffled crash from above. “Ahh!” “Oh Spike, I’m so sorry!” a feminine voice I could only assume was Twilight responded. I raised an eyebrow, nodding upwards. Applejack only shrugged in return. A minute later two figures came down the stairs. One, the dragon named Spike, holding an arm to his head; the other, though, was a purple-coated unicorn, sporting bags under her half-lidded eyes. “...How about you take a day off? I’ll clean around today.” the unicorn said to her assistant. “...I should get hurt more often…” The unicorn I assumed was Twilight smirked and shook her head. Suddenly, she threw her head back, remembering where she was. “Oh, hi girls!” said the newcomer, “I’m sorry if I’m a little,” she yawned, “slow right now… I barely got any sleep last night...” “Nothing of it, sugarcube.” Spike groaned. “Eh, I’mma go make myself breakfast. You girls want anything?” “No thanks, Spike.” “Nah, ah ain’t hungry.” “Mm-mm.” I politely shook my head. “Suit yourself.” Spike shrugged and went to the kitchen. We stood in silence for a few awkward moments, before Twilight sighed. “Sooo… I heard you needed me for something?” “Yeah…” I muttered, perhaps a bit annoyed at needing to explain it for a third time today. “I’ll be direct, Twilight.” I sighed, speaking in a hushed tone. “I’m not Fluttershy.” Twilight’s eye twitched. “You’re… what?” Are those ponies a broken record? I thought. “I’m. not. Fluttershy.” I spoke loudly, perhaps a little too annoyed. A surprised shout came from the kitchen. “Wha-” a clatter of utensils, “-ow.” Twilight stuck a hoof to her forehead, eyes shut. “I’ll need a coffee for this one…” *** “All right, let’s get this started.” said the purple unicorn, cradling a steaming cup of coffee in her hooves. I nodded and sipped the tea I graciously accepted from my host. Strange, usually I’m a coffee type of guy, but… I don’t know, tea seems more… natural? We were alone now; after we had gotten past the introductions, Applejack and Spike had left to gather up "The Girls", whom I assumed were their friend group. “Well, how about you tell me a short description of what happened?” she said. “Ugh, where do I start?” I groaned, “I guess… I came home late from school -I study Biology, y’see- and just, I don’t know, went to sleep.” I sigh, leaning back on the cushion. “All of this just, like, happened; no forewarning.” Twilight's brow furrowed, her inquisitive stare scrutinizing me. “Huh,” she muttered. The unicorn hmmed. “Does your world have any magic?” “Not that I know of.” I shook my head, “Not like how it’s here, anyway. The only magic I know is simple sleight of hand.” "Well, that narrows it. It's far more likely the source of your problem came from Equestria." "Do you have an idea about what that source is, exactly?" I replied, perhaps unintentionally snarkily. "Hmm, tough question." Twilight placed a hoof to her chin, "There are plenty of creatures and artifacts who can do such a thing that come to mind." "Surely there can't be that many stuff able to traverse universes, right?" Twilight shrugged. "Kind of? I mean, only a few beings were documented with such powers, but many creatures have magic powerful enough to do this, just not the expertise." She gulped her coffee, making me remember that I too, in fact, have a drink. The unicorn sighed. "We can't really know anything without running tests. Otherwise, it's just speculation." My eyes grew large during a sip at the mention of testing. Putting my cup down, I asked, "You mean, test… on me?" "Don't worry, it's nothing invasive." She reassuringly waved her hoof. "I just want to check your magical signature." She silently “oh”ed at my raised eyebrow. “It means I’ll stick some electrodes across your body- well, Fluttershy’s, technically.” she looked me in the eyes, “You won’t feel a thing. I promise.” “Phew, that’s a relief.” I released a breath, "Any idea when these tests would take place?" "Hrm, I've got all of the necessary equipment already, but…" she trailed off, "Last time I used some of it was a few years back, so I'm not sure if all the parts work." "Would that… be a problem?" I asked tentatively. Twilight shook her head. "Not really. Luckily, all the parts are sold right here, in Ponyville. It does mean though that the tests will wait for tomorrow." I nodded and took a sip as the unicorn stood up. "I'll check right n-" she began, before being interrupted by a knock on the door. Twilight and I looked at one another. Turning to the door, Twilight called, "Come in!" The door opened, letting in the sound of a verbal, yet friendly, quarrel. "I told ya', you didn't have to drag me all the way here!" Shouted a scratchy voice, as inside came a familiar farmer. Applejack, spitting a tuft of -rainbow?- hair from her mouth, responded in kind; "Well, ya' wouldn't wake up from yer' nap! And really, you should stop nappin' on mah trees!" "Hey, I was awake for, like, half the way!" The voice retorted, as in came its bearer. "You just did it out of spite." A blue pegasus entered, rolling her eyes. The first thing that caught my eye was the, quite obviously colored, I might add, prismatic mane and tail. Seriously, she has more shades than M&M! Not that I judge, though; if I haven’t had short hair I would probably color my hair too, just… not like this… The friend’s argument, who frankly fought like a couple, returned me to the present; “Yea’, and?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Girls! It’s not a time for fighting!” Twilight asserted, taking hold of the conversation. “Yeah, yeah,” murmured the walking bag of skittles as the duo entered the library. Suddenly, though, the newcomer noticed me; “Oh, hi Flutters’.” I was rooted in place. Why did the human pulled here just had to be the awkwardest person on earth? I managed to mutter in a small voice; “Urm… hi.” Man am I not good with unexpected strangers. Perhaps unexpectedly, the pegasus just snickered, “Heh, keep being yourself, ‘shy.” The group of friends sat at the table, the farmer by my right, the familiar stranger by her right, and the unicorn a seat away from my left. “So, Applejack,” began Twilight, “Where’s Spike? and the rest of the girls, for that matter?” “Me an’ Spike split up; thought it’d be more efficient that way.” Applejack placed a hoof on the table. “Spike’s went to Rarity’s while ah’ looked for Rainbow, who I found in mah’ orchard.” Applejack drilled a stare at Rainbow, -That’s her name, right?- who was rubbing her mane with an arm behind her head, sporting an awkward grin. “Anyway,” Applejack continued, “I jus’ kinda assumed Pinkie would know ta’ come here by herself, somehow.” “AND YOU’D BE RIGHT!” Jesus fucking christ on a stick! I had the restraint not to shout at the sudden voice from above. Eyes wide, I raised my sight to the roof. Huh. There is a pony on the ceiling. For the uncountably many time that day, I had entered a state of absolute dumbfoundedness. The source of my plight, however, exhibited the exact opposite; the overly pink pony was smiling broadly, arms wide, and slowly spinning from a rope attached to the ceiling. “Hoo-wee, Pinkie, ya’ sure do know how ta’ make an entrance.” Applejack straightened her hat. “Yeah, you should do that in our next pranking session!” said the rainbow pegasus, who seemed to attempt to hide the fact that she, too, was fazed by this scare. I breathed a sigh of relief, removing the arm I unconsciously raised to my heart. Gah, those ponies will be the end of me. The pink anomaly who is apparently named Pinkie did… something with the rope, and slowly lowered herself to the table, upon which she stood. "I sure will, Dashie!" Pinkie quite literally bounced to a chair across from me. "Sooo… what are we doing here?" She cheerfully exclaimed, Rainbow nodding in agreement. Twilight and I stole a glance, and Applejack slightly shrank into her chair. "I would rather talk about it when we're all here." Twilight said. "It would probably save a lot of…" she glanced at me, "Unnecessary explanations." I subtly nodded, silently thanking Twilight. “Oh, alrighty!” Pinkie proclaimed, enthusiastic as before. I leaned to my right. "Is the pink one always so…" I trailed off from my whisper, "Exuberant?" Not to mention breaking all logic, even in this place. Applejack chuckled. "That's Pinkie Pie for you, Sugarcube." "Anyways, girls," the pink mare continued, "I'm so worried! 'Cause Gummy's missing, and he never goes missing!" "Oh my," I quietly said, "where have you last seen him?" For some odd reason, it had felt right to be worried about this Gummy, whatever it was. Not that I wouldn't usually be worried, and yet… "Hrm, let's see…" Pinkie thought for a short moment, "I gave him his food yesterday, and then I bathed him, and then I had to make some cupcakes because I forgot to earlier, so I-" "Pinks', I love ya' to death, but can you please get to the point?" Rainbow short-tempertedly said. "Oh for sure! Long story short, I went to sleep with him on my bed, and when I woke up, POOF!" She threw her hands open, "He was gone!"   As I was about to comment, the sound of the door distracted me, dropping the worry I held. “After you, my lady.” came the voice of Spike, and I turned around. “Oh Spike, you're such a gentleman.” a feminine voice returned, as in came its owner; A white unicorn, with well-groomed purple mane and tail. I assume this is the ‘Rarity’ they mentioned. Seems like a, um… It was hard not to notice the small, yet substantial amount of makeup on the white mare. Mascara, eyelashes, and stuff I didn’t even know existed- which is the large majority of beauty products, when I think about it. …Like the leader of a fashion cult, frankly. The unicorn took in the room, and quickly grew an apologetic smile. “I’m terribly sorry for being late, girls. I simply had an amazing inspiration that I just had to get out of my system.” She took a seat between Twilight and me, “I hope I haven’t missed something important.” “Nah, Rare’s,” began Rainbow, “Twilight kinda’ refused to tell us anything until everyone was here.” “Oh my. So it’s that serious?” I nodded. “I’m afraid so.” It was quiet for a few short moments, all of us seemingly readying ourselves for the encounter. I was somewhat thankful for that brief period, though it did nothing to quell my growing concern about what was to come next. "Sooo… I guess I'll go to my room?" Spike said, ruining the moment, and embarrassedly walked to the stairs. The moment gone, Twilight hmm’ed. “Well, shall we get this started?” Although the question was directed to all, the quick glance she had directed at me had given me a different idea. Everyone expressed a sign of agreement; A few nodes, hums, and an enthusiastic “Yepperoni” -I’m sure you can guess the culprit- were but some of the responses. Twilight sighed. “So, some of you might be wondering why I called you all today. Rest assured, it was for a good reason.” She looked across the group, her glance sweeping through the gathered ponies. “A reason concerning our friend, Fluttershy.” murmuring spread throughout the group- at least the half that was not currently aware of the problem. Pinkie and Rainbow talked amongst themselves, Applejack seeming to gravitate toward this conversation. Rarity, though… “Darling, are you feeling alright?” Rarity hushed by my side, concerned. “Urm, it’s complicated…” “Girls, let me continue,” Twilight said calmly yet firmly, the room quieting in response. She glanced at me, seeming to ask, ‘Do you want to take it from here?’ I Shook my head. ‘I’ve done my fair share of explaining today.’ It appeared Twilight understood my answer, as she continued; “I’ll start off by saying we don’t know many things. We do know, however, that Fluttershy, Well… She’s not here.” “Huh? She’s right there!” Rainbow interjected and pointed at me, as I shrunk in my seat. “Sorry, let me rephrase that.” Twilight said, “Fluttershy’s body is here, with us; but her mind, it’s… missing.” A dead silence permeated the room; I buried my head in my arms, and the farmer beside me tipped her hat behind her head. God, I can feel their stares… “Instead, there’s another mind. a… different mind.” The spell that fell upon us broke, as shocked gasps and shouts filled the air. At that moment, though, I could only hope for the ground to swallow me whole. Luckily for me, I had support, in the form of a farmer, holding her arm on my back in encouragement. It does appear that I have made a friend. “Fluttershy,” Rarity looked aghast, her eyes wide open. “Is this true? Are you really… not you?” All I managed was a small nod. Lowering my head, I spoke; “I’m… I’m sorry.” “You’ve got nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout, Sugarcube.” Applejack comforted me. Although I was thankful for the support, I was still petrified. I raised my head, gathered my confidence, and looked at the group. They were all rattled in their own way; Even Pinkie, who, as I got the impression, never loses her smile, had a frown filling her features. I exhaled deeply. “I’m… My name is David. Nice to meet you all.” I attempted a friendly smile. It may have came out a little awkward, though. As I looked at their concerned faces, I realized; They aren’t a threat. They are just people, anxious for their friend. And so, I told them. I told of me; of my recent escapades. I explained it all. For the fourth time that day. *** By the end of the hour, I had became familiar with them all. Who knew pouring your heart out in front of someone would make a connection form? They were all still concerned for their friend, -and understandably so- but the apprehension had left their eyes. Though each one had their own rhythm, they had all warmed up to me by the time I finished my tale. I was currently sipping on another tea I graciously accepted from my host. Cinnamon, as it turns out, was a pleasant flavor indeed. Midway through my TED talk, we had moved to a spacious piece of floor, clear of everything but some comfy cushions. Rainbow Dash, as I learned from her and the surrounding ponies, was many things. A speedster; A fearless daredevil; A hero (This one was a little of a shock, as I discovered I was surrounded by magical heroes- and inhibited the body of one, no less!). Knowing all this, it had felt odd to see her so distraught. It made sense to worry, especially for her- it appears she knew Fluttershy for much longer than the rest. And yet… Twilight emerged from the kitchen, holding a refilled teapot aloft in her magic. She entered the disarranged circle we had made, dispelling the comfortable silence that descended in her absence. The rainbow pegasus turned to her, worry in her eyes. “Twi’... I just thought about it; if Dave’s here, then where’s Fluttershy?” “Huh.” Twilight furrowed her brow. “That’s a good question. We can only speculate about it; I have as much of an idea as you, really.” Pinkie Pie, her extensive energy recharged, spoke up. “Ooh, what if they did a switcheroo, and now Fluttershy’s in Dave’s body?” “I sure hope not.” I snorted. “Earth’s not a nice place to be for someone who doesn’t know the layout.” “Oh my, I hope she’s alright,” Rarity said, “wherever she is.” Twilight pondered on it for a second. “I suppose that’s possible, but I kind of doubt it. The energy required to transport a single person across dimensions would be tremendous, not to mention two.” “Egghead,” Rainbow muttered, then broke into a grin when Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. A brief silence filled the room as each entered their thoughts. Quickly, though, I spoke; “Well, I guess we’ll know the answer anyway when we fix this mess.” I smirked in hopeful optimism, something that I admittedly lack most days. “We sure will.” the hatted farmer agreed. “Welp, ah’ think it’s time to get back to ma’ orchard. Big mac can’t cover all o’ ma’ chores, after all.” Applejack got up and went over to the door. “See ya’ gals’ later!” she said, quickly responded with a chorus of goodbyes. Slowly, one by one, they had all left the Library, until it was only me and the unicorn who had graciously answered my request for help. “Well,” I stood up, “I guess I’ll go too. I still need to familiarize myself with my new abode.” Twilight nodded. “I understand. I still have a new shipment of books to organize…” Strangely, she seemed slightly excited at the prospect of organization. Just as I turned to leave, however, she called; “Wait a minute… We totally forgot about the tests!” Oh, the tests… I was kinda hoping she’d forget about them… even if they are helpful to my current state. “Wait here, I’ll go check if everything’s working.” She announced and departed down the stairs, towards what I could only assume was a basement of some kind. I sighed and sat on a nearby cushion. Is it wrong to hope for something to be broken? Luckily, it was not long before she emerged from the underground, muttering to herself. “I could have sworn the concurrent arcane calibrator was working not too long ago…” she mumbled, then turned to me. “I’m sorry, but there are a few broken parts, so the tests will probably wait for noon tomorrow. I hope it’s fine…” I got up for the second time, intent on leaving. “Don’t sweat about it.” Phew! I walked to the door, turning around at the exit. “Bye Twilight!” I said. “Bye Dave! See you tomorrow!” She returned, and I closed the door. Finally, I was free of all those… friendly ponies. Those friendly ponies I came to know and care for, all in the span of half a day. Very untypical of me. Now, though, I was all to myself. Although my future was still in question, my worry was quite quelled. I knew I was in good hands. Or hooves. Now if only I knew the way back to the cottage…