They probably could have handled running on flat ground, but going down a hill with the extra momentum behind them turned out to be a step too far. Dash and AJ tumbled over in seconds as soon as the ground shifted into a downwards slope; Rarity and Pinkie only had time to slow down because they were quite so far behind.
Twilight hurried to catch up and slid down the hill at a more measured pace, Fluttershy in her wake. “Are you girls okay?” She asked worriedly.
“Yeah… We’re fine.” Rainbow groaned as the two got to their feet and dusted themselves off. They looked dazed, but otherwise unharmed, having come to a halt just short of hitting a big, goods-laden cart.
Their position gave them a good chance to look around the village, at what appeared to be the main, cobbled stone square. A large building – probably an inn – proved to be the source of the smoke, with a slightly smaller building with a giant bellows outside of it appearing to be a blacksmith’s opposite it. A few brick houses stretched here and there beyond their sight.
“Hey!” They all froze in their tracks. “What are you doing nosying round my cart… my cart?!”
They turned to find that the voice belonged to a human man who had just come out of the inn. He hurried across the square towards them, looking a little indignant.
“Oh, horseapples.”
“What do we do?”
“Just stay calm, girls. I’ll handle this.” Twilight straightened up and raised her voice to greet him. “I’m sorry, we didn’t realise that this was your cart. We just came out of the forest and missed the path.”
The man had grey hair with a matching moustache and short goatee-like beard. He looked weighted down by the years and was running to fat. He chewed a small leaf, twisting and moving it around his mouth as he made his way towards them.
He squinted at them, as if having trouble seeing them properly. “I haven’t seen you folks here in these parts before. Anyone from Goldshire would know to stay out of Elwynn Forest right now. Who are you… are you?”
“I’m Prin—“ Twilight caught herself with a cough before she gave her full title, realising as she had in the mirror-world before that it would be risky to give it out to people she didn’t know in another universe. “Sorry… I’m Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends,” she said as she pointed to her friends in turn. “Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.”
“Excellent to make your acquaintance.”
“Howdy.”
“‘Sup.”
“Hiya!”
Fluttershy made a little noise that half sounded like she was trying to say hello; the other half coming out as barely more than a squeak.
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Those are some very strange names. Where did you come from?”
That question stumped them for a second. Twilight quickly tried to work out something believable to say; not an easy task, given that they didn’t know the area at all. It probably wasn’t the best idea for a few of the others to try to make up for such hesitation by all answering at once.
“We… fell out of the sky!”
“We got hungry, and…”
“There was this great big… animal, and—”
“We appeared in the forest…” Applejack never had been much good at spinning a story.
Twilight hadn’t thought it possible for someone to raise their eyebrow so far above their eye, but this man was apparently capable of going even higher judging by his reaction. His gaze darted across each girl – fixing on their hair (Pinkie and Rainbow’s in particular) as he frowned deeply, as if trying – and failing – to decide what to make of then.
She realised, as their stories became increasingly out of hand, that she had to act fast – they couldn’t afford to make a bad impression on the first person they happened to meet in this world. But perhaps the damage was done.
“Sorry about my friends.” She interrupted their babbling hastily. “I’m afraid we’ve all got amnesia, and we’re a bit confused. We can’t remember very much other than that we were hit on the head very hard. We’re looking for some food and shelter. Would you be able to help us?”
The man just looked at them for a moment, as if trying to process all of the information at once had slowed him down. He certainly seemed to be thinking very hard about something, that was for sure. Finally, he nodded. “Alright. Come with me… with me.” He trudged off towards the inn again, and after a moment’s hesitation Twilight motioned for the others to follow.
“Amnesia? Really?” Rainbow Dash whispered incredulously as the man disappeared from view.
“I don’t think he would have accepted anything else.” Twilight replied. “Let’s just hope we can trust him.”
But what else can we do?
---
The inn was cosy and warm - not that it had been cold outside anyway, but it was certainly warmer inside. A door led to a backroom and a separate set of steps went upstairs. A fireplace sat in the corner and a number of benches and stools were laid out across the room in front of the bar.
Another man came up to the group as the first called him over. He had to be the innkeeper, or at least it was a reasonable assumption given the way he was polishing a glass. He looked somewhat younger than the cart-owner.
“Hello again, Remy. What’ll it be?” He asked.
“Some water, cheese and bread for these ladies please, Mr. Farley.”
The innkeeper nodded, but frowned.
“You got the gold to pay for that?” He shot over his shoulder as he went out into the back.
“Put it on Mr. Trias’s tab. He owes me.”
“What have you got on Trias?” The innkeeper’s voice came faint through the wall. He sounded genuinely curious.
“Never mind that… mind that. Just do it.” Remy, their apparent new friend, turned back to the girls. “Take your seats, ladies. I’ll be back in a minute. I just need to check on my stall… my stall.” With that, he disappeared out of the door.
They did so, and looked around. The inn appeared to be empty apart from them, or at least this main room was. It looked safe for them to speak candidly.
“We agreein’ on amnesia then?” AJ asked, breaking the silence first.
Twilight nodded. “I can’t think of anything better. Can you?”
A pause, then the others all shook their heads.
“Nah. Best if I leave all the talkin’ to everyone else then. Don’t wanna slip up.” The element of honesty decided.
“Sorry, Applejack. I know lying isn’t easy for you. Maybe once we know more about this world we can come clean, but…”
“Naw, it’s all right Twi. I know it’s necessary an’ all. We’re all gonna have to make sacrifices to get through this.”
Twilight smiled in return.
“Ooh, ooh!” Pinkie cut in, and pulled the others close to her – which meant pulling Twilight, Applejack and Rarity uncomfortably across the table. “A tender moment always calls for a group hug!”
The innkeeper, Farley, returned just as they pulled apart, carrying a board laden with a large block of cheese, some freshly baked bread and two pitchers of water, and plates that he handed around.
“Dig in, ladies.” He said as he planted it in the middle of them. “I expect Mr. Remy will be back soon. He’s always in a hurry.”
They thanked him and got to eating. It wasn’t too much between the six of them, and they weren’t full by the time they finished, but at least it took their minds and stomachs off the topic of hunger for a little while.
“Cheese might not be sweet, but it’s still deeeeeliiiiiiicious!” Pinkie opined as she consumed the last of her share.
The inn door banged open and Remy walked back in, still chewing a leaf.
“Sorry about that. I had to make sure that my stock was okay… was okay. As I reckon Mr. Farley will have told you, my name is Remy. They call me Remy Two-Times; I don’t know why… know why.” Ah, but I’m beginning to be able to make some guesses. Twilight thought.
He pulled up another seat and sat at the end of the table. It was only now that they noticed the smell of sweat and something else – probably the leaf – coming off of him; Rarity recoiled a little as he leaned forward, but fortunately he didn’t notice. “Now, lemme get this straight.
“You say you’ve all got amnesia. Now, I don’t know if that’s true,” he said, holding up a gnarled hand to forestall Twilight’s objections as she opened her mouth to speak. “But I do know that I don’t really care. You certainly seem confused or mighty stupid for wandering around the forest at the moment with all the wild animals, gnolls and all the Defias bandits running around.” Twilight had to glare Rainbow down at that remark as she seemed tempted to take offence. “Either way, I see an opportunity for a friend of mine, one that could benefit you as well. And me, as my friend’ll owe me big time. So if you’re really as lost and confused as you say… I’m bettin’ you don’t have any gold on you, do ya?”
They all looked at each other, knowing that he was right. Twilight nodded slowly.
“Well then, I’ve got an opportunity in the big ol’ city of Stormwind for you.”
First “Goldshire” and “Elwynn Forest”, now “Stormwind”. At least we’re getting some information about this world. Twilight catalogued it away in her brain for the future. They don’t sound like anything I remember from researching in the mirror-world, though…
There was a moment’s silence as the six mulled this over.
“We’re listening.” Rainbow said.
“What kind of opportunity?” Rarity asked.
“‘fraid there’s only one way to get gold in this place, and that’s work. Well, legally anyway. Best we don’t talk about that other stuff… other stuff.”
He trailed off as a sound grew closer outside the inn. The door swung open again and two figures, one male and one clearly female, clanked into the bar. They were decked out in full metal plate armour, all shining silver and blue. They had swords holstered at their hips and shields on their backs. Both wore blue tabards etched with what appeared to be a stylised golden lion covering their chests and abdomens. They carried crested helmets at their waists and stared at Remy and the gathering with suspicion and a small amount of hostility.
“Hope you’re not up to anything illegal, Remy.” One of them, the woman, said in a loud voice.
Illegal? Is this man a criminal?
The man with grey hair shook his head quickly in response.
“Not at all, officers! Just discussing business with my new friends… new friends. We were just leaving.”
The two armoured figures seemed tempted to stop them, but ultimately moved out of the way to let them pass as they piled their plates and stood.
“Stay out of trouble, Remy.” The woman from before called after them as they left.
“Of course! Wouldn’t dream of any trouble… any trouble.” He checked around as if to make sure there were no more of the same group around, then looked back to the girls. “Sorry. You make just one mistake and the guard follow you around for the rest of your life…”
Oh, okay. Former criminal. That’s so much better.
“I like following people around! It’s so much fun getting to know what everyone’s doing!” Pinkie giggled, and Remy looked at her strangely.
“Right… Well, like I said, it’s just a little job in the city. If I know my friend, it won’t be too hard and the pay should be reasonable. Are you interested?”
Twilight looked to the others. “What do you think, girls?”
Applejack and Pinkie nodded immediately. Rarity looked a little reluctant, and Fluttershy seemed unsure, but both assented also. Rainbow, however, came right up to Twilight, close enough to whisper in her ear.
“I still think we need to work on getting home ASAP. This just sounds like a distraction.”
“It’s either this or we wander around a forest and starve without any money.” Twilight pointed out darkly, but her expression softened when she saw Rainbow’s face. She put a comforting hand around her friend’s shoulder and pulled her closer. “I’m sorry. I know it’s really hard for you without your wings. But we have to make the best of this, and I promise we’ll do everything to get back as soon as possible.”
Rainbow Dash drew back and grinned weakly, clearly swallowing a lump in her throat.
What choice do we really have?
“All right.” The former pony Princess said, turning back to Remy with as much of a smile as she could manage on her face. “We’re in.”
---
Remy took them out of the village, but not the way they had come from. If that way had been south, and they had gone north into Goldshire, they had started heading northeast now.
“We’ll stick to the path here; don’t wanna risk any bandit attacks.” He told them as they walked down the paved-stone road. “It’ll only take about to twenty minutes to get to Stormwind… to Stormwind.”
They continued on for a little while, passing dense foliage on both sides, broken up at one point by a quaint little cottage.
“So… this Stormwind place.” Applejack broke the silence. “Is it a big town?” Wonder if it can hold up to Canterlot.
Remy looked surprised.
“Hmm? Oh, Stormwind’s no town, oh no no. It’s a city, biggest one around as far as I know, except maybe Ironforge in the north. Capital of humanity, and of the whole Alliance.”
“Right…”
Ironforge? The Alliance? Twilight was beginning to grow concerned. Oh, there’s so much we need to learn about this world. We’re going to have to be so very careful that we don’t make a mistake and pay for it… I need to find some books to read about this place ASAP!
“Sounds like one big happy family! I can’t wait to meet everyone and throw the biggest party ever!” Pinkie jumped around happily. She really had adapted well to her new form.
“…Is she always like that?”
“No. Usually she’s bouncier.”
Their first sight of the city walls took their collective breath away.
It was partly just how the brick seemed to shine in the light. It had the appearance to be marble, but it simply couldn’t have been – the material still had that effect though. Blue cloth banners hung from the walls, proudly displaying the image of the same stylised lion as before in gold trim. Openings were built into the wall, from which men kept a constant vigil.
Two massive wooden gates sat open under an arch flanked by two tall spires, and a glinting white rock lion stood sentinel on either side of the portal.
All they could see beyond was more shining stone.
Their guide chuckled at their initial reaction. “Yep, that happens to a lot of people when they first see the city. Come now, let’s get inside… get inside.”
A few people were ahead of them, and a steady stream of people were making their way out towards them, carefully watched by four guards – two on either side – equipped similarly to the two they had seen in the inn.
“Be prepared for a lot of attention.” Remy warned them quietly as they approached the gates.
“Why?”
“Haven’t you noticed? Your hair stands out… stands out.”
True, they certainly were getting a lot of stares. Heads were turning as they walked past, and the people doing so weren’t exactly being very subtle about it. Most of the people around them appeared to have shades of black, brown, or blonde hair, with the occasional red. Not pink, purple, or rainbow. Pinkie didn’t even seem to notice the attention, or at least hid it well; Fluttershy, in contrast, turned bright red as soon as she realised it.
No matter how curious the guards were, thought they didn’t try to challenge the group. They made it all the way across an inner bridge, flanked on both sides by a series of giant statues, to get to the inner city.
The statues were unmissable, and all adorned by a large plaque at their base. Twilight’s attention was drawn to two in particular, one of a short, bearded male, the other clearly of a lanky female with a bow and a quiver of arrows, holding a hawk up to the skies.
She approached the latter, splitting off from the group, and quickly read the plaque.
‘Ranger Captain Alleria Windrunner. Renowned Troll Hunter of Quel'Thalas. Lead Scout and Intelligence Agent for the Alliance Expedition that marched into the orc homeworld of Draenor. Presumed deceased.’ The rest was a quote, and she stopped reading there. So much information. There are clearly lots of races in this world. She thought, staring up at the woman’s distinctive, pointy ears and hawkish face. She’s not human, and nor is that short man. And what about trolls, and orcs? I really am going to need a book… Most importantly, the plaque had talked about other worlds. Maybe they can travel between them here? Maybe getting back will be that easy? She didn’t quite dare to hope.
They were stopped at last in front of another statue, and were given their biggest surprise yet.
“You’d better not be bringing any trouble into my city, Remy.” an imposing man with flaming hair thundered as he approached them, riding a…
IS THAT A PONY?
“No trouble, General Johnathon, sir. No trouble at all. Just on our way to see Mr. Trias about some cheese.” Remy said. The general’s eyes narrowed at the name, but he said nothing else. The girls simply gawked at the grey p- no, it had to be a horse, it was far too big to be one like them. It served – happily, apparently – as a mount for the bearded man in plate armour atop it.
Their eyes didn’t leave the horse even as they rounded a corner and made their way into the city proper. They didn’t notice the general staring equally as hard back at them.
Remy was asking them something, but what they had just seen had given them too much to think about. Too many implications.
They can’t just be beasts here…
What kind of world is this?