//------------------------------// // Rendezvous. Ooo, I Sound Fancy Now. // Story: Across the Dimensional Divide // by StrawberryGamer //------------------------------// GLaDOS: "Oh, hi. So, how are you holding up? BECAUSE I'M A POTATO." ~Portal 2 (I know, something NEW) “I swear, if one more bitch starts yelling at me to buy some apples I’m going to rip that person’s throat out and feed their vocal cords to their children.” I said as we left Pike Place Market. Sure, shopping - or at least in my case, browsing - there was somewhat enjoyable, the crowds and annoying vendors made me wish I had a lot of duct tape. That way I could silence their dumb human faces. Either way, I was glad to be out of there and heading towards our destination. It was just another little walk to get to the ferry terminal now. I glanced at the sky as we entered the terminal. It was dark, but due to the clouds and light pollution, the stars were not visible at all. I frowned and looked back at my group of friends. They were all ready to go. Seeing them all so eager and excited spurred me on. Finally we could get somewhere on this tomato-forsaken adventure. That reminded me, what time was it? Luna said to meet us at 9. I glanced at a clock on the wall and saw that it said 8:56. ‘Well four minutes isn’t that long to wait.’ I thought idly. I took the lead as we walked to the far end of the terminal when I noticed the place was deserted. Vinyl noticed it too. “Hey what gives? Where is everyone? I thought these terminals were open longer.” She said. “They are open longer. Pedestrian traffic inside the terminal is closed just for us, since Luna is here.” I heard Starry interject. Sure enough, when we reached the end, I finally got to see Luna in the flesh. Just like in my dream, she stood rather tall, but she held a more regal appearance than before. Must be because she’s kinda in public. Either way, I guess it was good to see her again. She turned to us and smiled warmly. The ponies behind me bowed. I didn’t feel like it was necessary for me to bow, and Luna didn’t seem to mind. She smiled at us. “Rise, my little ponies. This isn’t a visit that needs to be dragged on, lest Celestia somehow hears of it. I’m here to introduce you to a friend I made a while back. He can help you on your journey.” She said. Luna stood aside and motioned to a chair in the back, where I noticed a small black figure sitting. I took a step closer and he focused his bright blue insect-like eyes on me. I was a little surprised by this. “Is that… a changeling?” I inquired. Luna gave a small grin. “Ah, so you do know what they are. Don’t worry, whatever false memories Twilight gave you about them-“ I cut her off. “False memories? No, I know what changelings are.” I noticed him turn his head and frown. “I also know that they are awesome.” I saw him perk back up happily. Luna looked at me, confused. “You are well acquainted with changelings already? Then it should be easy to befriend this one. He was kicked out of his hive and spent the last year in the human world. He can transform into a human and also has a driver’s license.” She explained. Ceru spoke up from behind. “So, uh, he’s a good changeling?” She asked. The changeling let out an audible groan. “Yes, I’m a good Changeling. My name’s Rain. Rain Splash. Nice to meet you all.” I swear he winked at me. “Especially you, cutie.” I frowned and blushed at the same time. “I’m not cute…” I mumbled. Luna ignored that comment and addressed the group. “Well then, I trust you all with what to do. I must get back to Canterlot before Celestia suspects anything. We’ll meet again soon.” She said. Luna’s horn glowed and in a flash of light, she was gone. Teleporting looks fun. Too bad I’ll never get to learn how to do that, being a Pegasus and all. With that out of the way, I turned back to Rain. He still had his happy smile on his face. I think I stared at him a few seconds longer than it would take for the moment to become awkward. “So… it’s good to meet you Rain. I’m sure we’ll be good friends.” I said, just a little awkwardly. I needed to make some sort of conversation happen. From behind me, I heard a low growl. I turned around to see Snowy with an angry look on his face. He marched right past me and got in the poor changeling’s face. “I’ve got my eye on you Changeling.” He said in a low growl. I frowned and pushed him aside. “Ignore him. He’s weird. Hell, he thought I was brainwashed earlier.” I reassured Rain. He brightened up again. “Oh, before I forget, I got a gift for you from Luna.” He said pulling out a blue and pink gift box. He threw it to me and Starry caught it in her magic, then set it down in front of me. I gave her my thanks then looked at the box curiously. Starry looked down at the box as well. “I feel a strange and unstable magic coming from in there. I don’t know what the Princess of the Night has bestowed upon you, but I’d be careful with it if I was you.” She warned. I nodded and opened the box carefully. I wondered what could be inside. I didn’t know Luna that well, but maybe it was a magic talisman or something mystical. Nope, it was a letter. I read it. Dear Sunshine, Operation: Harmonize is getting ahead of schedule. The next phase is underway. This involves giving the subjects injections to increase their magical output as well as give them new abilities and talents. I’ve studied these serums intently, since I was the one who helped make them. I made this one just for you to give you a fighting chance. I don’t think Celestia’s intentions are pure anymore. I’m going to investigate into this matter further. I don’t think it’s safe to continue on your path to meet Celestia. Therefore, I recommend finding a different pony with knowledge on the portals. Though, I’m not sure where to begin. You’ll have to find out on your own. Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle PS: When the serum starts taking effect, it’s going to hurt. A lot. Serum? What serum? I moved the letter aside and found that it was hiding a syringe filled with a yellow fluid. The syringe had a sticker on it with my cutie mark on it. So this was the serum, huh? I didn’t trust Twilight on this one. Starry did say it was unstable. I decided to close the box back up for the time being. As for what the rest of letter said, it just disappointed me. How many changes to the plan will we have to go through? ‘At this rate, I’ll never get home. I need to think of something.’ Vinyl approached me from behind and glanced at the box, then at me. “So what next Sunny? What did that letter say?” She asked. I sighed and pushed the box towards Starry, who took it with her magic. “It said to find someone else who knows about the transdimensional portals. The problem is I don’t know anyone like that.” Vinyl gave a grin. “I do.” “What? Who?” Ok, I was surprised at this. Starry groaned. “Oh, you do not mean her, do you? You can’t possibly think she’d help, right? You’re crazy.” She said. Vinyl simply chuckled. “Oh she’ll help. I don’t see why she shouldn’t if you give her the incentive. Either way, who else besides yourself, the princesses, Twilight, and the scientists in Canterlot know anything about how to open the portals?” Starry didn’t respond. “I thought so.” I had no idea who they were talking about, so I voiced it. “Okay, who the flying fuck are you talking about?” I asked. They both looked at me. “You don’t know her, but she’s a unicorn with fairly advanced magical talent. They only problem is that she isn’t exactly… right in the head. If you say the right things, you can get her to do anything though.” Vinyl explained. I mulled it over a bit in my head. ‘Well, I don’t see why not. We have no other leads.’ “Alright, where do we find her?” I asked. “More curiously, what is her name?” Starry looked like she was thinking. “Honestly… I don’t know where to start looking. I know she is somewhere in this world, but I have no idea where.” She answered. Well, at least the first one. I still didn’t know her name. Snowy groaned. “Great. Just great. This world is huge! How are we gonna find one measly unicorn?” He asked, exasperated. Since no one had an idea, I decided to try and think. ‘How does one find someone in a world like this? Let’s see... Hang on a second. There is an easy way to find someone.’ “I got it!” I blurted out. All eyes turned to me. “How?” They all asked, thankfully not all in sync. That would be fucking creepy. I didn’t want to spoil the plan, so I pulled a card from Starry’s deck and decided to be vague about it. “You’ll see. We’re gonna need to find a Starbucks in the morning though. It’s essential.” I said, almost sounding like I knew what I was doing… Almost. The others gave me a weird look. “If you say so… Let’s go back to the RV then. Charcoal is waiting for us.” Starry said. I gave a chuckle at their reactions. “First rule when dealing with me. I have no sense of sanity. So expect weirdness constantly. Now then, let’s make like a potato and peel out of here.” I said, starting to walk back towards the entrance. I noticed Rain was the first to follow, with the others following soon after. Let’s just say wandering the streets of Seattle at night is not as easy as the day. It gets harder to see the street signs in the dark. On the way we decided to take turns sharing stories. Vinyl had an interesting tale about Octavia and Braeburn. Let’s just say that I now ship Octavia X Braeburn. OTP good sirs, OTP. Starry’s tale was boring as fudge. I toned out most of it. Snowy was telling a story about him and me going scuba diving. Poor fella. Imbued with false memories. In reality, I can’t even swim, much less scuba dive. Rain told a story about Chrysalis. So he was part of her hive? Wonder if he was part of the invasion of Canterlot. As for me, I told a story about a trip I took to Las Vegas. The others seemed quite interested. Ceru also told a story about her first day in the human world. It wasn’t much. Eventually we found our way back to the RV and I knocked on the door. It took a few seconds, but Charcoal opened the door for us. “Wow. This place is awesome. You got quite a ride here. I’ll be happy to drive it.” I heard Rain say. With a yawn, Vinyl plopped onto one of the beds. “Welp, I’m bushed. Too much walking today. G’night.” She said then only light snoring came from her. The only movements coming from her were the light rising and falling of her chest. I heard Starry give a chuckle behind me. “Well, you better get some sleep as well. It’s been a long day.” She said. I looked back and saw her consulting a spellbook. Well, I had spent a lot of the day walking and flying. My legs were pretty tired at that point. With a shrug, I set my bag down and took the top bunk. Lying on the bed, the full brunt of my exhaustion hit me and I was out within minutes. Celestia stepped onto the balcony just outside her bedroom. Looking out onto the city of Canterlot, and beyond towards her beautiful land of Equestria, currently covered by a dark, moonlit sky, she could see the many centuries she had put into bringing peace and harmony into her country. Now she had a chance to bring peace to a new world. One filled with chaos and violence for all of its time, never knowing true peace. The plan was perfect. Absolutely foolproof. Only one little bump lied in the way of her beautiful plan. Sunshine. Ironic that the one thing standing in her way was named after the very thing she commanded. It had been through pure luck that she hadn’t been taken back to Canterlot and successfully harmonized along with everyone else. She had recruited followers, with a renowned Canterlot musician being one of them, and that crazy roommate of hers still with the revolting Pegasus. Twilight said that she might have been making friends, but she replied at once that Sunshine would leave them to die to save herself if given the chance. It is only human nature after all. Celestia grimaced at the memory of her last meeting with the American dignitaries. She had seen better manners from the Griffons, and they actually ate their prisoners during the Griffon-Equine War all those years ago. At least the humans complied with her requests the first time around, rather than waging war. Then again, it helped that their human minds were easy to manipulate to her will, having never been in contact with magic before. Things were moving along ahead of schedule. In about a week, she would meet with the UN and unleash the final step of the operation, and then nothing would stop her from harmonizing their world. All she had to do was at least keep Sunshine occupied until then. However, it would be much more efficient to stop the pestering mare ASAP. The princess of the Sun turned around and went back inside to her room and levitated a scroll and quill in front of her. This would stop Sunshine in her tracks. Besides, the poor mare was waiting for this chance for a while now. It’s time she gave it to her. Celestia started writing. “Dear Rainbow Dash…” Twilight paced back and forth in her room anxiously. “Oh, where are they? What could the princess possibly want with them?” She wondered aloud. A minute later, the door opened and Rarity walked in, followed by Spike and Rainbow Dash. “Darling, whatever are you doing up? You should be resting. Princess Celestia said so.” Rarity said with concern. Twilight looked at the three with a bit of exasperation. “I know, but I can’t stop thinking about what Celestia has planned for the operation and why those serums are needed. What would ponies need with powers like these?” Rarity’s look of concern grew to worry for her friend. “Twilight, I really do think you should take it easy. You take a rest. Go back to Ponyville or to the Royal Archives. A little light reading always calms my nerves on a quiet day. Rainbow and I have this covered. The princess has sent us to apprehend our little ruffian.” She said calmly. This did nothing to help Twilight’s mood. In fact, it only seemed to worsen it. “Wait, she’s sending you?” Oh nononono! You’re in danger! I gotta do – wait… Reading. Yes, that’s it! I know what to do! Come on Spike. I’ll need your help.” Without hesitation, Twilight grabbed her bag and dashed out the door. Spike looked in the direction that she went. “I better follow her and make sure she doesn’t hurt herself.” He said. As if on cue, a distant thud and a crash sounded from down the hall. “Now I gotta make sure she didn’t hurt herself too badly. Catch ya later guys. Girls. Whatever.” Spike then left the room and started jogging down the hall, leaving Rarity and Rainbow Dash alone. When Spike got to the Archives, he found Twilight creating a large stack of books on a table. She looked at Spike as he entered. “Oh great, Spike. You’re here. Quick, help me find a copy of Advanced Weather Control for Pegasi. Then head to the Starswirl the Bearded wing and find the book on his theory of light manipulation.” She said. Spike could only wonder what she needed these for, but nodded and saluted. “Your #1 assistant is here to help.” He quickly scampered off to find the books, leaving Twilight to continue reading. Spike found the first book on the way to the Starswirl wing. When he got there, most of the books and scrolls he found were dusty, showing how few ponies ever came by. Spike realized he had not been by since he, Twilight, and Pinkie had come by looking for that time travel scroll. Strangely enough, when he found the book he was looking for, it was completely dust free, while the books neighboring it were not. ‘Hmm, did Twilight read this already, and then put it back?’ He shrugged and grabbed the book,taking them both back to Twilight. Twilight immediately started reading them. Spike knew she was “in the zone” so to speak, and further talking to her was impossible. He stayed close by though, just in case she needed him again. It was pretty late though, so he let out a yawn and quickly fell asleep. I slowly opened my eyes to see a pair of insect-like blue eyes staring back at me. I jogged my tired mind to remember why. We went to see Luna last night and she… right. She gave us her friend Rain Splash to help drive us. But at the moment, he was uncomfortably close. I scooted back a bit. “Hey… Good morning.” I said quietly. The changeling smiled at me and raised his head a bit. “Morning, cutie.” He said in a chipper tone. I felt myself blush again. “I’m not cute…” I grumbled under my breath. I stretched my now familiar feeling limbs. ‘How long has it been now? Four days? Is this my fourth? I’m losing track of time, as well as who I am. This body is starting to feel right. Like it really is my body. I really hope I can get some sense knocked into me.’ I rolled over a bit before the bed gave way to unforgiving airspace and I plummeted to the floor. “Owww…” ‘Well, I guess that counts as getting sense knocked into me. I’m awake, at least.’ Rain looked down from the bed at me. “You okay?” He asked. Starry, Charcoal, and Ceru all looked down from where they were sleeping too, wondering the same thing. I slowly got myself up on my hooves. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little sore. Nothing unusual for me.” I reassured them. I looked out the window at the early morning streets of Seattle. “Alright, we should find a Starbucks, unless this RV has Wi-Fi.” Starry looked confused for a second. “Well, actually I ran a few scans on the RV, and there is an internet access point here. It’s secure though. Why do you want it anyway?” She asked. Alright, I was joking when I said that. Seriously, Lyra has a really awesome ride if it has a Wi-Fi access point. But... WHY? You know what? Forget it. I'm done asking. I'll just chalk it up to fuck if I know. Spacey-wacey bullshit. I smiled and got into my saddlebag, pulling out my laptop and setting it on the table. I turned it on and found Lyra’s Wi-Fi connection. It was secure, so I had to know the password. I took a guess. I typed in “Humanhands” and just like that, I was in. “Lyra can be so predictable sometimes.” With the internet at my hooves, the possibilities were endless. However, I was a mare-er, man on a mission, and could not waste (too much) time playing around. “Alright, what is this pony’s name?” I asked. Starry answered my question. “Blueberry Twist is her name. Sorry for not telling you earlier.” She said. I shrugged it off. “No worries. I forget things a lot. I would have asked again by now anyway.” I sounded my best to be reassuring. I don’t think it was done very well. I typed in her name and searched it. The first result I found was a drunk looking blue unicorn mare fitting the same name. “I am guessing that is her.” Clicking on the result, I looked up her address. “Well, this is still going to be a long trip. She lives in California. That’ll be fun to drive through.” Starry looked at the computer screen curiously. “Strange. I never used a computer before. Well, I used one once. It was confusing.” She said. I chuckled. “Well computers are confusing to those who don’t use them much. It takes time to gain experience.” I replied. “So, we have a destination. That’s good. Let’s go!” Vinyl gave a groan behind me. “It’s about time we have a set place to go to. We’ve changed places so much I’m getting confused as to where we are really supposed to go.” She said, exasperated. I let out a sigh. “I know. Hopefully this will be it though. At least we haven’t gotten too far. Can we please get going now? I still hate this body and want to get my own body and home back.” I said. Rain nodded and sat down on the driver’s seat. “Right! Ready when you are cutie!” He said, starting up the RV. The engine growled or something to life yada yada. I felt my ears flatten in irritation. “I told you I’m not cute!”