Stephen’s whole body went numb as his vision faded to blindness. For a few frightening seconds, he remained in darkness, unsure of what was happening and unable to move. Relief came in the form of oversaturated, softly focused shapes appearing in the darkness. Bit by bit the shapes and definition came into focus, revealing a familiar cottage living room decorated predominantly by homes for small animals. He was now looking forward while lying curled up on his stomach as opposed to looking up at a ceiling while lying on his back. Stephen knew he was no longer in his air conditioned home when the warmth of high noon on a late spring day washed over his body.
A high-pitched, low-volume shriek brought his attention to his left, where Fluttershy was standing stiff with wide eyes and erect wings. After a moment she seemed to register what happened and relaxed. “Oh…Hello, Stephen. You startled me.”
“Sorry about that. Are you alright?” Stephen asked.
“I’m alright,” she said, moving some of her long mane out of her face. “I just get a little scared when somepony appears from nowhere like that.”
“I could imagine I’d feel the same way.” Stephen climbed down from the couch, minding his left hind leg. Setting it down last and slowly, a small sting emanated from the ankle but it was barely noticeable compared to Sunday night when he acquired the injury.
Minding the leg seemed to garner Fluttershy’s attention. “How does your leg feel?” she asked.
“It’s better but it’s not completely healed. I think I walked a lot of it off last night.”
“Would you like your brace?”
Stephen lifted the hoof up and set it back down, noting the light pricking sensation upon contact with the floor. “Some extra support wouldn’t hurt.”
“Then relax and I’ll get it for you.” Fluttershy made her way to the other side of the room. “This will only take a moment.” Using a wing, she opened a low cupboard and stuck her head inside.
“How did your investigation go?”
Fluttershy came out of the cupboard with the brace in her mouth and walked it over to Stephen. After passing it to him, he sat up on the couch and tried to put it on. “The investigation didn’t go well at all,” Fluttershy sighed. “We got to Canterlot and found out that all the statues we were looking for have been stolen.”
“Any idea who did it?” Stephen asked as he fumbled his first attempt to strap his brace with hooves.
Fluttershy shook her head. “All we know is that we might be able to find out what the thief is trying to do with the artifacts.”
“That’s sounds lovely,” said Stephen as fumbled with the brace again.
“Here, let me help.” Fluttershy bent down. Using her hooves, she wrapped the brace around Stephen’s leg and then pulled the velcro straps tight with her mouth.
“Thank you.” Stephen stood back up on all fours. With the brace, the sprain was hardly noticeable. “So what’s the plan now?”
Hard knocking came from Fluttershy’s front door. “Hey, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called from outside. “You ready to go?”
Fluttershy moved over to the door and opened it. Her friends were on the other side, each wearing packed saddlebags. Rainbow Dash was hovering a few feet off the ground. “We’ve got to get moving. The train leaves in an hour.”
Fluttershy’s ears went flat. “But…Stephen’s here. Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed here with him…where it’s safe?”
Twilight spoke up. “We have the Elements of Harmony in case we come across dark magic, remember? They won’t work unless you’re with us.” Suddenly, Twilight’s eyes went wide and her ears pointed forward. “Wait a second, did you say Stephen is here?” Fluttershy nodded and stepped to the side, letting the other ponies into the cottage. “Stephen, where have you been?”
Stephen, who had been walking towards the door, stopped when Twilight posed the question. His eyes lowered and he took a deep breath, realizing the story was too long and the wounds still fresh. “It’s probably best if I don’t talk about it,” he said quietly. “But I’m here now because of it.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” said Applejack. “I thought you could only be here if you fell asleep in your world. But it’s the middle of the day. Are ya’ll alright? What happened?”
Hoping to get off the topic quickly, Stephen gave the simplest answer he could think of. “I consented to the Spirit Traveller spell.” Stephen resumed his path to the door. He stopped at the doorway and raised his head to looked back at them. “You said we’re going soon, right?”
Everyone filed out of Fluttershy’s cottage after Stephen. Twilight picked up her pace until she was trotting by his side. “I’ll explain everything along the way,” she said before turning to the rest of the group. “I’ll need all of you to go ahead of me to the train station and get the tickets. I’ll meet up with you after I get Stephen to the library like we originally planned.”
“Actually,” said Stephen. “I want to come with you.”
The whole group halted and took a moment to absorb what was just said. “Weren’t you worried about getting hurt a couple days ago?” asked Rainbow.
Stephen turned around to face them. “I am,” he retorted. “But now I just want to find whoever is doing this so I can get them to reverse it. The sooner, the better, which will be easier if I’m with you. So which way are we going?” Rarity pointed west. Rainbow Dash shrugged and flapped off in the direction while Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight trotted after her.
Stephen attempted to follow them but found his path blocked by one of Applejack’s front legs. “I don’t think this is a good idea, you comin’ along with us,” she stated bluntly with a pinch of worry in her voice.
“Why’s that?”
“No offense, but you ain’t exactly the most athletic of ponies and you don’t handle trouble so well. It won’t be good for anypony if you’re trippin’ up or turnin’ yellow.”
“Not to worry. Pinkie taught me how to be coordinated and I’ll do anything if it means getting my life back to normal.” Applejack stared back at him with an expression somewhere between stern and confused. The last time she saw him perform, he didn’t keep himself composed or follow instructions very well and it almost cost her a sister.
The difference was now Stephen knew about his shortcoming and could mentally prepare for whatever this mission may throw at him. Plus, if he was going to get this ordeal behind him as quickly as possible, he’d have to be determined and willing to take actions he’d never have taken before. This time would be different. He would not allow himself to fail again.
After a couple long seconds, her expression softened and she placed a hoof over Stephen’s shoulder. “Alright, I can see where you’re comin’ from. I promise we can get this fixed up for ya’ll so I just want to make sure you really want to come with us this time.”
Stephen nodded. “Like I said, I’ll be fine.” With that, Applejack set her leg back on the ground and they started walking towards the group.
Pinkie appeared next to Stephen and bounced along his side. “I think it’s a great idea!” she said with excitement. “Having one extra friend to travel with just makes it even more fun! Plus it’s another set of eyes to watch each other’s backs when we’re on super secret spy missions. Oh and the train doesn’t stop very often the further west we go so make sure you use the little filly’s room before we leave. Or in your case it’d be the little colt’s room, wouldn’t it? That wouldn’t be good if you made that mistake. Did I ever tell you about the time I made that mistake?” Pinkie continued to rant as they made their way to the train station. Listening to her and watching her antics allowed Stephen to get his mind off his problems for a moment.
Pinkie was finishing up her story when they arrived at a small wooden building with a colorful locomotive docked on some tracks outside. “…So after I convinced Scootaloo that her scooter wouldn’t make a good hang glider, she put the signs back on the doors. You should have seen how red Big Mac was! Of course he’s always red but still!” Rarity grabbed Pinkie’s attention by tapping her on the shoulder. After passing Pinkie and Stephen their tickets, they boarded the train.
The first thing that Stephen noticed was the cars had been furnished with bunk beds and outfitted with beige blankets and navy blue curtains. Was this world trying to mock him? Each of the seven ponies found a spot they were comfortable with and unloaded their saddlebags just before a bluish-gray pony with a handlebar moustache, monocle and conductor’s uniform came through the car. A couple minutes after punching their tickets, the whistle blew and the train began to move.
Stephen opted for the bottom bunk near the back of the car so he could watch the scenery go by while attempting to nap. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the events of the last twenty hours and their implications on what his future held off his mind. The occasional bits and pieces of the others’ conversations sneaking into his ears provided momentary relief from the grim predictions that plagued his thoughts. Regardless, he continued his attempts to ignore them and to clear his mind so he could rest.
“Hey, Stephen!” Rainbow called out with her head lowered from the top bunk. “Want to play some card games?”
Stephen sighed. “Not right now, Rainbow. Thanks though.”
“Okay but we’re not getting into Appaloosa until tomorrow morning so let me know when you get bored.” With that, she flipped herself over. Dropping to the car’s floor, she searched for someone to play with.
I should probably close that curtain, Stephen thought to himself. Ultimately, he couldn’t find the motivation to move. A few minutes later, the sound of a hoof knocking against the car’s wooden interior brought Stephen’s attention up. He cranked his neck around to see Applejack at the side of his bed.
“Hey there, buddy,” she said with a sincere tone. “You ready to talk about it?”
Stephen turned his head back around and looked out the window. “What do you mean?” he responded quietly.
“You ain’t foolin’ me, sugarcube. You’ve looked lower than a rock in the mirror pond since you showed up. Why don’t you tell me why?” Stephen remained silent. After a moment, Applejack continued. “This whole thing did a number on you back home, didn’t it? Is that why you’re suddenly so serious about comin’ with us?”
Stephen took deeper breaths and locked his eyes shut so nothing could escape. “Yes,” he forced out. “But I’ve discovered that I have trouble controlling my temper when I’m exhausted like this. So it’s best if I just sit here and try to rest up right now.”
“Well when you’re ready to talk, I’ll be around.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”
“There anything you want in the mean time?”
“If you’d close my curtain, that’d be great.”
“Alright, just be sure to rest up, ya hear?” The sound of the metal curtain rings sliding across the wooden bar was a slight relief to Stephen. He might be able to pull himself back together if he’s left alone for a couple more hours.
vvVVRROOO
“Ah!” Stephen yelped in surprise as Pinkie’s burst through the curtain with a noisemaker in her mouth. Stephen would have been startled to his feet if the bottom of the top bunk didn’t harshly stop his head and neck from straightening up.
“Oh!~ Stephen is our best friend and we love him very much!” Pinkie sang. The dizzied Stephen dropped himself back down to the bed to keep from falling off of it. “So it really always makes me sad to see him in the dumps…”
Stephen’s vision fogged up and his mind clouded as Pinkie continued her impromptu song and dance. Once his ears stopped ringing and the cabin stopped spinning, there would be punishment for this assault of unwanted cheering. But he caught himself before those thoughts got much further. Reprimanding Pinkie was not an option. He had already snapped on someone once today and nothing good came of it. Even if Damien had whatever he got coming to him for years, these ponies had been nothing but kind to him and were going way out of their way to help. Even now, Pinkie was only trying cheer him up in the way she knew best.
“There’s no need to wear a frown, your friends are here to cheer you up,” Pinkie disappeared behind the curtain again and came back holding a large lollipop out to him. “So put on a big smile and your day won’t seem so rough!”
Not wishing to seem rude, Stephen gave Pinkie the best smile he could muster and accepted the gift. “I appreciate the effort, Pinkie. I really do.” Stephen unwrapped the candy and placed it in his mouth. Its sweet taste brought a little comfort.
“Is it working?” she asked.
Stephen gave a slight nod before pulling out the lollipop. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“But helping my friends feel better is what I do best.” Pinkie hopped up and sat next to Stephen.
Stephen put the lollipop back in his mouth and thought for a moment. He wanted to rest, but all he could do is think about everything that was going wrong, which made him feel even worse. Perhaps obliging Pinkie would help get his mind off things and allow him to rest more later. Giving his mind a quick scan, he found something to talk about and removed the lollipop. “Maybe I’ll feel better if I know where we’re going and what we’re doing. Fluttershy says you weren’t able to find out anything new about my situation.”
The smile remained on Pinkie’s face as she shook her head and Twilight approached the bunk. “What’s going on over here?” asked Twilight.
“Stephen wants to know what our plans for the trip are,” said Pinkie.
“Ah yes, we haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, have we?” Twilight asked.
“All I’ve heard is that the other statues you wanted to see were stolen as well,” said Stephen.
“It’s all very strange,” said Twilight. “The only clue we had was the thief’s calling card. He stole the artifacts by taking off the museums’ ceilings and then remodeling them with improvements and artwork of the princesses. We also found out that each of the artifacts were under protective spells so they couldn’t be moved. We asked Princess Celestia if she knew anyone who could be strong enough to do that. But all she could do was guess at the culprit’s plan. She didn’t know who might be behind it.”
“So why are we on this train?” Stephen asked, taking a lick of his candy.
“I’ll show you.” Twilight’s horn lit up. A scroll hovered out of her saddlebags from across the car and floated over to them. After setting it on the bed, Twilight unraveled it, revealing a map with an ‘X’ marked in a southwestern corner and instructions written on the sides. “Princess Celestia is sending us to an Equestrian settlement called Appaloosa. From there, we’re looking for a small step pyramid around where this mark is.” Twilight pointed to the mark, which was in a section of the map marked as a desert. “Inside the pyramid is a golden key on a shrine. If the princess’ guess is correct, the thief will try to take it and then she’ll know exactly what he’s planning to do. Our job is to catch him and keep him from getting that key.”
“Back up for a second,” said Stephen. “If whoever we’re dealing with is really that strong, how exactly do you plan on catching him?”
“Princess Celestia said we might be able to do it if we catch him by surprise. I’ve been reading up on strategies that might help us do just that.”
“Where do I come in on this thief’s scheme?”
“I’m actually not sure,” said Twilight. “The princess asked what type of pony you were. I told her you’re an earth pony and she seemed worried. She didn’t say why but she did say that if this key is stolen, then Equestria might be in danger.”
“‘Earth pony’ meaning that I don’t have a horn or wings, right?” Stephen asked. Twilight nodded in response. “And whoever this is wants me for their diabolical plan?” Stephen could almost feel his blood temperature rise. He stuck his lollipop back in his mouth and let the sweet taste work together with some deep breaths to stop himself from reiterating his ‘why me?’ rant from Sunday night.
But what if they managed to catch the culprit? As a prisoner, he wouldn’t be able to go forward with his plan anymore. There’d be no point in keeping Stephen under this spell so there’d be no reason to not reverse it. Now that he was with the group, a lot of time could be cut out between when the thief is captured and when Stephen gets to meet whoever it was that cursed him. Granted, that ideal situation might be a stretch but Stephen preferred to hang onto that rather than feel hopeless. “I like this plan,” Stephen stated through the candy in his mouth. He took it out to ask, “How long until it comes to fruition?”
“We’ll be arriving in Appaloosa early in the morning and we’ll be heading for the pyramid in the afternoon,” said Twilight. “We’ll need to stock up on provisions because Celestia told us to guard the shrine for three days.”
That time frame took Stephen by surprise. “Three days?” he blurted.
“The princess thinks if that thief is after the key, they’ll try to grab it by then if they haven’t already.”
“If they haven’t taken it already?” Stephen asked with a raised eyebrow. “What do we do if we get there and the key we’re supposed to protect is gone? What if they manage to take it from us anyway?”
“My instructions say to come back to Canterlot right away if the key is lost.”
“So what do we do in a pyramid for three days?”
Pinkie sprung up on her feet, keeping her head low as to not smash it on the top bunk like Stephen did earlier. “I brought lots of games and supplies!” Pinkie beamed as she hopped down from the bed to give Twilight an excited hug. “It’ll be like an extra-long sleepover party!”
Rainbow Dash zipped up to Twilight’s side. She eyed Stephen with a wry grin. “That is, once we get through all the dungeons and booby-traps that are waiting for us.”
Fluttershy’s ears perked up and she turned herself around on the bunk opposite to Stephen to face the group. “Do you really think there’ll be dungeons and booby-traps?” she asked with her usual meek tone and a nervous expression.
“Tons of them!” Rainbow cheered, causing Fluttershy’s ears to go flat. “It’ll be just like Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone and it will be awesome!” Twilight gave a roll of her eyes, which tipped off Stephen to think that Rainbow’s theory didn’t hold much water. However, it didn’t help Fluttershy, who was practically quaking from the anxiety. “But don’t worry,” Rainbow continued, throwing a foreleg over Fluttershy’s shoulders. “I’ll make sure we’re safe.”
“Don’t you think I could just wait outside and keep watch?” Fluttershy asked.
“So the thief can know that the key is guarded and pick you off first?” Rainbow asked with a chuckle. Fluttershy responded by shrinking back to her bunk.
Rarity appeared from the bunk on the left. “Not to worry, Fluttershy,” she consoled. “I doubt it would be so dangerous without a warning from the princess.” Fluttershy seemed to relax a little bit with this sentiment. “Although, if I were to join Rainbow’s fantasizing; I can’t wait to see what the shrine looks like. I’ll bet it’s done up with gold and jewels just like Canterlot tower.”
Stephen drifted away from the conversation as the others continued. With a plan being outlined, Stephen became slightly optimistic about what his future might hold. The quicker this was over, the easier things might be to put back together once he got back to Earth. Although he wasn’t yet sure on how he would do that. But at least he could envision a light at the end of the tunnel. Now that an end was in sight, Stephen turned back towards the window and began plotting how he would put himself back together once this was all over.
The train ride was long and boring. Stephen phased in and out of napping every few hours. While fully awake, he’d converse with the group or play a game with Pinkie or Rainbow Dash. A dinner of mixed vegetables, fruit salad, apple cider and a flower sandwich was served later in the day. Stephen wasn’t certain he liked the idea of eating flowers. But encouragement from Rarity convinced him to try it. Perhaps it was because he now had a pony tongue, but it certainly wasn’t a bad tasting sandwich. Pinkie, of course, brought desserts for everyone.
The large, Equestrian moon climbed into the sky and illuminated the wide plains the train was running across in a soft-blue glow as the scenery gradually changed to a sandy desert. One by one, the other ponies drifted off to sleep. Stephen took this time to get a perfectly long and clear-minded rest.