“Are you sure, doctor? Not even a tiny head trauma? Some minor amnesia? A mild case of post magic-radiation shock? Anything?” Twilight Sparkle begged a brown horse wearing a white lab coat. It was intently looking at some image, a skull of an equine creature with a horn. Taric figured that it must have been his head, since he was the main topic of the horses' – or ponies', as they liked to be called – chatter for the last few hours.
“Physically, he seems to be perfectly fine miss Sparkle,” replied the unicorn doctor, rubbing his chin. “No head trauma, no radiation, patient aware of surroundings and responsive. I don't understand his responses, but they are there, so that's no job for a regular doctor.”
“B-But how can this be? Maybe he's joking! Of course! You are joking about being a humane, right?” shot out Twilight, her big eyes and wide smile causing the knight to back away slightly.
“I am most certainly not,” he replied slowly, but firmly. “I have no memory of ever being a horse-”
“Pony,” automatically corrected the irritated purple unicorn.
“Pony,” accepted Taric, bowing his head slightly. “I never had more than two legs, nor do I recall having a hard, digitless palm. I can clearly remember my childhood and the teachings of my masters, all of which were without a doubt human. Also, as you can see, I am not well versed in the art of standing on all fours.”
“Guuh!” spat out Sparkle, pacing around the room again. “But that is just impossible! The spell can't just change one being into another! It was meant to create, not summon and warp entities from different dimensions! It's not even in the algorithm!”
As the purple pony kept increasing the tempo of her rant, the doctor addressed Taric directly: “I guess that's all. You seem to be fine, and that bruise on your face will be gone in a day or two. That is, unless you get on the bad side of miss Dash again,” he chuckled, picking up some sheets and pictures with a glowing aura of magic. Steering clear of the flustered unicorn that kept walking in circles, the doctor bid his farewell and left the room.
“Umm, sir...Taric, was it?” unexpectedly asked the white unicorn closest to the knight.
“Yes?”
“Will you excuse me and Twilight for just a moment? We have some things to discuss regarding this unfortunate...situation. We will be right back,” she smiled, giving a curt bow and turning around. The horse stood near the path that the other one was following and gently guided her friend, who was all the while complaining and flailing limbs around, to the door.
* * *
“Twilight Sparkle, can you please stop talking and focus here for a minute?” asked Rarity, directing her friend's face at her own.
Twilight blinked a few times, only now noticing the white unicorn and change in scenery. “What is it?” she asked sheepishly.
“Twilight, what are we going to do about this new pony?” asked Rarity, pointing towards the closed doors with her horn.
“I...I don't know? Guess we'll study him, get to know how exactly he got here and send him back,” blurted out Twilight, stopping for a second. “Or wait! Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid! This is someone from a totally different dimension, right!?”
“Yes, I think,” said Rarity, a bad feeling creeping up her spine. Every time Twilight got worked up over something, it could go two ways – either it would be a fine adventure, or Princess Celestia would have to fix a whole town fighting over an old pony doll. Again.
“We'll keep him here, in Ponyville! There is so much we can learn from him!” gasped Twilight, her eyes turning into giant black orbs, the possibilities rushing through her head with the force of a tornado. “We can learn history, art, craftsmanship, magic, culture, politics, law-!”
“Twilight!” exclaimed Rarity, shaking her friend violently out of her trance. “Don't get ahead of yourself just yet darling. First, we need to get to know this pony, or humane. Whether or not he is dangerous. Can he be trusted. You know, the important things?” asked the white pony, accenting her last words with a wide and hopeful smile.
“Oh, uhhh, hm,” hummed Twilight, looking at the door with a slight frown. “Yeah, I guess that comes first. I'm not really that good with stallions. I mean, I get along with my brother, and Big Mac counts too, but other than that, I uh...”
To Rarity's surprise, Twilight lowered her head and blushed. The pristine pony knew that as far as books and the world of the mind were concerned, her magical friend was the best there was. But in the physical realm, where ponies had to interact with each other, she was still learning. And thanks to that simple fact, Rarity could go ahead with her plan.
“Darling, don't feel bad about it,” Rarity comforted, patting Twilight on the head. “We all have our strengths and weaknesses. And we all have friends who are willing to help us out.”
“Huh?” asked Twilight, cocking her head slightly.
“To put it bluntly, I'm really good with stallions,” smirked Rarity, flipping her mane. “I'll help you get to know our new friend here! This is just perfect! Sweetie Belle and her Crusaders are away on a field trip, so I have a free guest room to accommodate our otherworldly friend. While I get to know him and prepare him for your meeting, you can prepare whatever, uh, research you might have for him!”
“Are you sure Rarity? Just a second ago you said that he might be dange-”
“Oh, darling,” interrupted the mare, dismissively waving her words away with a hoof. “I am a lady, but I can surely take care of myself. Trust me, it will all be fine. The Carousel Boutique isn't that far away from the library, so you'll be able to check up on us from time to time. And I'm sure you'll be able to focus better without a strange pony poking around your precious books. Who knows what humanes do with books?”
“They do something with b ooks?” perked up Twilight, again feeling Rarity's hoof patting her on the head.
“Don't worry darling, I’ve got you covered. Take your time and prepare, like you always do, and I'll show our friend the ropes of being a pony, hmm?”
* * *
Not long after the two ponies came back and presented their proposition, Taric got discharged from the hospital. The nurses and doctors took pity on the poor, fumbling knight who still could not stand on his new legs and supplied him with a wheelchair. Rarity the unicorn pushed it in silence, accompanied by her friends.
After crossing a small bridge that ran over a lake, Taric saw a settlement. Houses of all different shapes, sizes and colours were criss-crossed by dirt roads and adorned by flowers and shrubberies. The town looked peaceful and welcoming, and there were ponies walking about everywhere, talking to each other or squabbling near food stands. The knight was taken aback by the way the creatures acted – they seemed almost like humans, some of them even standing on two legs while bartering or showing something to each other. The knight understood their language, but could not make out the symbols that were written above certain structures. The writing, if it was indeed their alphabet, looked almost runic, with lots of sharp angles and complex objects put together in a tight formation.
“Welcome to Ponyville,” Rarity said briskly, smiling at Taric. The other horses smiled along. “I'll be heading home now, girls. Come by later to check up on our friend here!” called out the unicorn, waving her friends a goodbye.
The other ponies moved on while the knight and Rarity turned towards a building unlike the others around it. Its main colours were pink and blue, with some golden trims around the edges and many decorations that seemed 'too much'.
“Carousel Boutique,” said the white unicorn. “The home of Equestria's finest garments and fashion accessories. I just hope the girls didn't leave a mess before departing, it would be so embarrassing in front of such a fine guest from another world.” The pony stopped pushing the wheelchair and faced Taric, who was taking in his surroundings with quiet contemplation. “If you would be so kind as to wait just a few short minutes...I'll just make sure that the girls didn't burn something up like last time,” giggled Rarity, swiftly hiding behind the front door.
The moment she was gone, Taric was startled by a pink blur in front of his face.
“Hi!” squeaked the equine known as Pinkie Pie. “I'm Pinkie Pie! Oh, but you already know that. What you don't know is that there is a party waiting for you at Sugarcube Corner! I made it just for you, since you are new to Ponyville and all.”
Taric opened his mouth to speak, but was again interrupted by Pinkie. “Wait! Oh no! You aren't new in Ponyville! You are new to Equestria. Ohmygosh! This calls for a totally different party! Or maybe two parties? Yes! Two! Oh, wait, I've got a better idea! You're not even a pony! So you're a new humane in Equestria that is a new pony in Equestria that is new to Ponyville! Three parties! Thisisgonnabeawesome!” squealed the pink-maned pony, jumping around erratically.
The gem knight was too taken aback by the strange logic of the creature to even respond. A party? To welcome him to this world? He had no time for celebrations. He needed out of this illusion, back to his allies that could be losing on the Fields of Justice!
“Pinkie Pie!” came a voice from the door. Both Taric and the offending mare turned to see Rarity exit her boutique. “Please, stop bothering our guest. He's tired and probably overwhelmed by all this. The last thing he needs right now is a party.”
How very convenient, thought Taric, tuning out the two mares who were now arguing the merit of partying in different states of tiredness. The sooner I get out of this ‘world’, the better. Maybe the situation isn't completely lost just yet. Maybe time flows differently in this realm, and I won't be that far behind the others. I need to focus and find a way to escape, be it by will power or brute force - as undignified as it sounds.
“Fine!” hollered the Pink mare, pointing an accusing hoof at Rarity and heavily stomping away. “I'll let it slide for now! But remember,” she whispered in a ghoulish voice. “You. Pinkie. Promised.”
Chills ran up and down Taric's spine as he was being pushed through the open doors of Carousel Boutique. Illusion or not, that was the most horrifying 'threat' the knight has heard in his entire life.
* * *
The inside of Carousel Boutique was full with clothes and materials. There was a giant stage on which several horse-shaped mannequins wore dresses of all sizes and colours. Some of them donned large, fancy hats, others had more subtle accessories. The things that caught Taric's eye the most were gems.
They were embedded in almost every dress. Sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, opals, even rare firegems or tanzanites were present. At first, the knight's temper flared. All these precious minerals were far away from home, strangled on plain pieces of cloth, or even lying in chests. Such mistreatment of holders of ancient magic would not go unpunished if he had any say in the matter.
Before righteous justice gave life to Taric's tongue however, his perked up ears made him pause. What was that sound? The knight knew the sounds of gemstones by heart – over the years he and the ancient magic had become close. At least, as close as an eternal entity governing the world can get to a mere mortal.
Why were the gems singing a song? And why did he not understand it? The knight closed his eyes and focused. Initially startled by his new ears twitching in every direction, he finally managed to focus on the colours and feelings that played out in front of his mind's eyes. Everything was alien. There were no patterns he recognized, and the magic seemed different. It did not have that hard tune of sagely might, that smooth texture of eons of events that had shaped it. The magic was much more vivid, louder, cheerful. It felt like a pebble taken straight from a brisk mountain stream. Cold to the touch, but bringing light and hope to the heart.
It was then that Taric realized something. This was no illusion. It could not have been. There was no other being, to his knowledge, that was both attuned to the ancient magic of earth as he was, and capable of casting an illusion such as this. The few entities he remembered who could, possibly, know enough about the ancient magics to add details such as the sound of gems, were incapable of illusions to anywhere near this degree. Simply put, all that he felt now could not be manufactured by anyone else. It was all very real. And different. In another plane of existence.
“Sir Taric? Hello? Are you alright?” asked a voice. It broke the trance in which the knight was in, causing him to shake his head violently.
“What?” he spurted out absent-mindedly, looking around again. Gems that sang an alien song. Pony costumes. Bright and vivid colours all around. A setting sun. A muzzle of Rarity, looking worriedly at Taric.
“I asked if you liked it here. Darling, I do believe you were in, um, another place for a teeny tiny bit. Is everything alright? How are you feeling?”
“I'm,” started Taric, pausing to look down at his body. The white body of a pony. With hooves. And a nose that obscured the bottom of his sight. And the tip of a horn that was apparently part of his skull. “I'm fine. I think. I'm a pony.”
“Uhh...Yes you are, dear,” nodded Rarity, giving Taric a reassuring smile.