“But how does your world work without magic? It doesn’t seem scientifically possible!” Twilight exclaimed, somewhere between shock and thrill.
“I never thought I’d actually hear someone in real life say the lack of magic is scientifically impossible,” I grinned at her. I understood her feelings. There was a certain euphoria in a good debate, particularly one when you were pitting your knowledge against someone else’s to the benefit of both.
With the royal connections behind us, we had gotten a private car to ourselves on the night train, even with the late hour. The train was something special. I had always thought trains were something manly. This one didn’t quite fit that. It was more pretty than manly; painted in a few bright colours, hearts worked into its body in various places. And it was called the Friendship Express. The chairs weren’t the most comfortable, being made for ponies, but it had beds inside as well, so that’s where we set up.
“Okay, let me try to explain this,” I said, closing my eyes for a moment. We had been going on the topic since the train left the station. “Remember how I told you that magic only comes up in stories and ancient myths? Well, humans are pretty curious people. When we don’t understand something, there’s going to be someone who makes up a theory to explain it. The dark clouds in the sky? People used to say the god of thunder was angry, or the rain god was sending his blessings. It depends on the culture.”
“So, the stories or gods and creatures like pegasus and unicorns are considered myths? That’s amazing!” Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. “But tell me, if pegasus are myths, and the gods aren’t real, what makes your weather?”
“That I can explain,” I grinned, getting ready to flex the muscles two semesters of earth geography built. “My planet has natural laws that govern the weather and the seasons and all those sorts of things. Weather depends on the temperature, atmospheric humidity and stuff. Clouds form from water vapour collecting around bits of dust in the air, rain comes from when clouds collect large amounts of water and gravity forces it to fall.
“Our seasons come from the planet’s rotation and its axis tilt in relation to the sun. Summer comes when the region has high exposure to the sun, tilted to the sun, winter when it’s low and tilted away.” I scowled and scratched at my head. “This would be so much easier with graphs and diagrams…”
“Your world sounds so different,” Twilight marveled.
“I can say the same about yours,” I admitted. “Tell you what, I’ll try to make you some diagrams and maps from memory later, and you can tell me about Equestria. The guards weren’t very talkative, so I’m pretty much clueless.”
“That sounds perfect,” Twilight agreed, adjusting her position on the bed. I could tell she was eager, either about learning about earth, or teaching me. Maybe it was both of them. “What would you like to hear about first?”
I thought about it, looking for the thing that bugged me the most. “What’s the deal with the different kinds of ponies? I’ve seen unicorns, pegasus, winged unicorns and normal ponies.”
“Winged Unicorns?” Twilight blinked at me with those giant eyes of her. Then she started giggling. “Oh! The Princesses? They are actually alicorns, not winged unicorns.”
“Alicorns? Okay?”
“That’s right. There are only three Alicorns; Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. Their magic powers are far beyond that of typical unicorns.”
“So only unicorns and alicorns can use magic?”
“Yes and no,” Twilight responded. “All four kinds of ponies are magical, but pegasus and earth pony magic is innate, while unicorns can use the magic inside them to cast spells they learn. Alicorn have the abilities of all three ponies.”
I was beginning to think I should start taking notes on all of this. “So unicorns can cast any magic?”
“No, not really,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “It takes a lot of effort and study to learn a spell, and most unicorns only learn the basic telekinesis magic and a few spells related to their cutie mark.”
“And what’s a cutie mark?” I asked her. It was the first time I was hearing that term.
“You don’t know what a cutie mark is?” Twilight actually looked scandalized.
“Um… I’m going to guess it’s a pony magic thing?” I asked. “Because I have never heard of them before.”
“Your world doesn’t have cutie marks,” Twilight remarked again. I was going to pinch her if she didn’t start explaining what it was. She pointed to the six pointed star on her romp. “Every pony gets one when they discover what their special talent is. Mine represents magic. How do humans figure out what their talent and purpose in life is?”
“We just try different things until we find something we like and are good at,” I shrugged. Admittedly, not everyone did find their talent, but I really didn’t want to get into that one. “But back to the topic. Unicorns can work magic, but not all of them do, right?”
“That’s about right,” Twilight nodded. “Most develop a unique spell related to their talent. My friend Rarity, for example, developed a spell to locate gems when she earned her cutie mark.”
I opened my mouth, but then closed it again. As interesting a story as that sounded, I didn’t want to get side tracked. “Okay, so that’s unicorns. What about pegasus?”
“Pegasus magic works in two ways. The first lets them fly even with their relatively small wings. The second allows them walk on clouds, move them and interact with them and create the weather. It also makes them more resistant to weather effects than other ponies.”
“I’m not going to start doubting you now,” I muttered. Magic weather workers. What next? “And earth ponies?”
“Well, earth pony magic is more subtle than the others,” Twilight said, tapping her chin with a hoof. “but it is vital to Equestria. Earth ponies’ enhance the earth around them. A farm run by an earth pony will easily out-perform one run by any other kind of pony in quality and quantity. They are also stronger and more enduring than any of the other ponies.”
“And alicorns have all of the above?”
“That’s right, Caleb,” Twilight said.
“Thanks Twilight,” I said, scratching at my temple. “I might ask you again later, but thanks.”
“What about the different types of humans?” Twilight asked.
“Types of..? No, we only come in one type,” I laughed. “The only difference is phenotypical. Height, eye colour and shape, skin colour and so on. I’m dark skinned, but humans can be pale, light skinned, even darker than I am. Some people make it out to be a big issue, but it’s nothing really.”
“I see,” Twilight said. Somewhere between the start and end of my explanation she had pulled a notebook and quill, and was jotting down notes. I chuckled a bit. She was pretty studious, I had to give her that.
“My turn to ask a question!” I said cheerfully. “Tell me about Ponyville.”
-----------------------
“Caleb, wake up!” a voice cut into the haze of my sleep and someone rocked me roughly.
"Wazzu?" I said, jolting up, blinking blearily as I adjusted my glasses. The purple visage of an irritated unicorn slowly came into focus. I groaned and rubbed at the slight lump at the back of my head from the first time I'd been woken up. "Jeeze, Twilight... you're going to make me hit my head again..."
"You fell asleep again!" she snapped at me.
"I'm sorry," I said, trying to smother a yawn at the same time, "but it's late and you've been in some sort of hard core lecture mode."
"You asked me about Ponyville," Twilight huffed. "I was answering your question. You fell asleep three times!"
"J'accuse!" I said, pointing a finger at her. "I was asking about what the town is like. You went off on this lecture on ancient Canterlot courts, something called ‘Zap Apples’ and the effect of the economy on population growth and railway expansion."
"Well, all of that information is important if you want to properly understand the dynamics and demographics of the town in the current day," Twilight said firmly, batting away my pointing hand at her hoof, not in the jesting mood apparently. "It's rude to point. Besides, it's good for you to kn-"
"Attention passengers; our next stop is Ponyville. Our next stop is Ponyville. All riders for Ponyville, please prepare to disembark."
"We are here?" I asked, feeling more excitement than I thought I would, considering. I climbed over to the closest window and pulled back the curtain. My expression dropped when only the darkness of night and trees were visible. "Why can't I see the town?"
"The other side," Twilight said, rolling her eyes behind me.
"Right!" I said, switching sides, scrambling to the window across from me. From this angle, I could see the lights of Ponyville rapidly getting closer as the train made its way down the track. It was far darker than a city from earth would have been. The lack of an abundance of streetlights was the major contributor, and a large number of the houses were dark.
Considering the hour, on the down side of midnight, it wasn't surprising the people would have turned in for the day, but it was just a greater number than in an earth city. “That’s an entire town of ponies?”
“Founded by earth ponies, but it has long since become a place where all three kinds of ponies can live,” Twilight said, still a bit offended. “If you were paying attention to what I was saying…”
I gave her another look. She was really hung up on the falling asleep thing. I noticed she was still pretty standoffish with me too, standing a few feet away. If it was awkwardly or not, I couldn’t be sure, mainly because I hadn’t gotten that familiar with their body language yet. I couldn’t blame her. I was literally the alien in the room.
“But it’s a town of ponies?” I pressed.
“Of course it is, Caleb,” Twilight said, getting confused. She tilted her head to the side, ears twitching. “What else would it be? Didn’t you see Canterlot?”
“Saw it? Yes. From out the window,” I asked blandly. “I never had a chance to leave the Castle, not with everything that happened.”
“Oh, right,” Twilight said, realizing. “I was caught up in the research efforts.”
Silence stretched on for a while as the train hit one of the last curves before Ponyville. Twilight shuffled behind me, probably wanting to say something but unsure of what she could say. I was pretty enthralled by what I could see. The darkness meant I couldn’t really make out much of the town, or the detail of any of the buildings, but it was still enrapturing.
“Twilight… what am I supposed to do?” I asked her suddenly.
“What do you mean, Caleb?” Twilight’s hooves tapped lightly on the cart’s floor and she appeared in my peripheral vision. “You are going to be staying in my home. The Princess has arranged for a stipend for you from the Royal Treasury.
“A scroll was sent to Mayor Mare earlier today. You and I will be meeting with her tomorrow. Did you want to do something else?”
“I’m in another world. It really hits me sometimes… I’m in another world. So far from home it’s not even funny.” I pressed my hand against the chill glass of the window, feeling it tremble slightly from the wind buffeting it, looking vacantly at my fingers. I had the only set of fingers in this place. “What am I supposed to do? Just sit around twiddling my thumbs and waiting for Princesses to figure something out?”
“Oh…” was all Twilight could say.
The train station drew ever closer, and for some ridiculous reason it felt like it represented another tipping point for me. “I appreciate what the Princesses and even you, are doing for me, but I don’t know what to do for myself… I’m… ”
Twilight placed her hoof on my shoulder. I looked over at her and only found concern in her eyes and a soft smile on her face.
“I can’t exactly say I know what you are going through, but can I give you a little advice?” Twilight asked. She continued without waiting for my response. “Take it one step at a time. I’ve gotten carried away with things a lot of times before, and generally regretted it afterwards. If you don’t know what you can do, you can slowly figure it out. For now, let’s get you to my home so you can rest.”
She smiled a bit sheepishly. “I guess it is pretty late, so I can’t blame you that much for falling asleep. Tonight, you can get some rest, tomorrow we can worry about the other things, okay?”
I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “Okay…”
-----------------------
I took a hit to my manliness when Twilight got the three boxes in nothing more than an aura of her purple magic. I consoled myself with the fact that she wasn’t actually carrying the boxes, merely transporting with her skills. It was petty, yes I know, but sometimes the little things bothered a guy.
The station was more or less abandoned this late in the night, which could just as accurately be considered these wee hours of the morning. The air was cool, with only a faint wind, Luna’s sky hung lovely above us and the typical night sounds abounded; which meant it was mostly quiet aside from the occasional insect. Still, I was curious, wanting to look around the station before Twilight caught my attention.
“It’s late; but there is a chance somepony might be awake and see you,” Twilight told me. She apparently put a lot of thought into things since we got off the train.
“No biggie, though, right?” I shrugged, cutting into her statement. “If I’m going to be living here, what’s one or two people seeing me early?”
“Ponies can be very prone panic,” Twilight said, flicking an ear when I said ‘people’. “How would you react if you saw a strange creature walking around your community at night?”
“Er…” she had me there.
“Not to mention that your bipedal stance is uncommon,” Twilight said, her posture shifting a bit, her hoof making a soft tap on the wooden floor. “Most ponies would associate it with a griffon or a diamond dog, neither of which being a creature they would want to see wandering near their home at night.”
“I can see how that would be bad,” I said, eying her cautiously. The last time she got that look was when she started her discourse on the founding of Ponyville.
“If we want to settle you comfortably in the community, we need to do it with the minimum about of disruptions as possible. Causing a panic in the night is distinctly contrary to that goal!”
“I get it, I get it!” I said quickly. I made a mental note of the warning signs of Twilight’s lecture mode. Maybe I should come up with escape tactics. It would be like dealing with my Dad all over again. The Three Es; Evade, Endure or Engage. A slight twinge of sadness struck at the reminder. I brushed it aside. “Okay, so what’s your plan?”
“I’ll teleport us instead,” Twilight responded with a little smirk.
“Teleport?” I echoed, the implications of that simple statement making me overlook the cuteness of her smirk. “You can teleport just like that? Doesn’t that tak-” I stopped myself, holding up a finger at her, and inhaled. “Right. Magic.”
“I have become rather good at teleportation spells, actually,” Twilight said, dragging a hoof on the ground, looking off to the side. Bashful. Imagine that. “I can manage to get both of us as well as our luggage to the library. Even if I get a drained, I can head right to bed.”
My face split into a grin. Years of Star Trek, Stargate, Justice League and Doctor Who, and I was about to experience teleportation. Giddy? Why yes; I was. I didn’t even notice she said Library. “Don’t let me stop you, Twilight. Go for it.”
She did, setting the boxes beside us and closing her eyes to concentrate. The glow that had faded when she set the boxes down returned. A moment later, purple filled my vision and something of a harsh trilling blurred out all other sound. It felt like the ground fell out from beneath me for an instant, then my ears popped and I felt and sensed, rather than saw, that we were in another room.
The first sign was the air. The air was still, warmer with no wind, and held a familiar scent to it. He was about to place it when Twilight turned on the lights, the fixtures in the high ceiling casting their light down over the room.
“I just realized you said library,” I murmured. Recessed bookcases, each one flush with the wooden surface, lined the walls and curtain blocked what I assumed were windows. A carved bust of a horse head, looking something like the knight from a chess set, sat on a low wooden table. The strangest thing about the room was that the walls, floor and roof looked as if it were carved from the same piece of wood, the grain of the wood clearly visible and stained. Even the stairs and doorways were expertly crafted.
“That’s right,” Twilight said, though she did sound a bit on the wearied side. “This is the Golden Oak Library and it’s my home as well.”
“You actually live in a library? That’s kind of awesome,” I smiled at her.
“The Princess arranged for me to become the librarian here when I first moved to Ponyville,” Twilight said, yawning. “And technically, you live here as well.”
“Oh…”
“Come on, Caleb,” Twilight said, picking up the boxes in her magic and making me wonder just what a man was supposed to with unicorns around. “It is late, and Spike needs his sleep. We do as well, for that matter. I’ll show you to your room, and we will make a fresh start in the morning.”
I followed her as she made her way up the stairs. So there was someone else who lived here? The idea of living in a library was a bit strange, in an awesome way. “Spike? Who is that?”
“He’s my number one assistant. I’ll introduce you two in the morning,” She said happily. It didn’t take long to get up the stairs, though the lack of railings was as noteworthy as always. It was the same at the castle. The lack of hands is what I attributed it to. Not that I would normally use railings or anything, but it was reassuring to know it was there if I tripped. Twilight showed me to a bluish door and opened it with her hoof, trotting in and setting one of the boxes down inside. Another click and light filled the room.
“This is going to be your room,” she said, motioning for me to come in. “The bathroom is down the hall, the door on the right. I had Spike set out some towels for you. The bed might be a little small for you, but I think you should be fine.”
“Even if it is, it’s just one night,” I told her. I had to duck a little to get in, the door being just my size. There was a bed tugged in the corner near the window, covered with a blue spread, a lamp sitting on a small bedside table alongside it. The window itself looked somewhat old fashion by my standards, and the shapes rustling outside it looked to be the branches of a tree that grew nearby. There was even a dresser against one wall, though it was pony height. I could manage. Or find some planks to set it on. The towels she mentioned were sitting on the dresser. It even had its own bookshelf.“It looks like it will work. Thanks Twilight.”
“No, don’t mention it, Caleb,” Twilight said. She hesitated, looking around the room, as if searching for some flaw or issue. “There is a closet behind that door there. The windows unlock at the bottom, though it sticks a little.”
“Twilight, its fine,” I insisted, setting a hand on her head before I realized what I was doing. I had been avoiding getting physical with the ponies, not knowing how they would take it, but seeing her so worried sort of triggered it, like patting someone on the shoulder. I pulled my hand back. “Sorry.”
“What was there to be sorry about?” She asked, relaxing. “If there are any problems, we can handle them in the morning. It will be a busy day tomorrow, so make sure you get your rest.”
“I will, Twilight,” I said, giving her another reassuring smile.
“Well…. Have a good night,” she said somewhat awkwardly.
“You too, Twilight. See you in the morning, well, daylight,” I responded. I closed the door behind her and listened to her hoofsteps fade away. My smile faded away as they did and I leaned against the door, forehead against the wood. It was easy to fake the smiles after the actual pleasant feelings faded.
“On step at a time,” I told myself, repeating Twilight’s advice. Well, I could certainly try. Smothering another yawn, I looked around the room a bit, checking the drawers to see if they held any great mysteries (they didn’t), and fiddling around with the lamp and lights, just to familiarize myself with the way they operated. The box I ignored, dropping to the bed and massaging my feet. The lack of shoes was something of an issue. Hopefully callouses formed quickly. The sandals they had fashioned hadn’t done much in terms of being useful, aside from rocky spots.
With no further purpose in staying awake, and some apprehension about the upcoming day, I decided to call it for this wake cycle, turning off the lights and opening the window a bit so air could flow. As if accepting the thought of slumber was the trigger, weariness crashed down on me and it was all I could do to pull off my shirt. It was a bit irritating to sleep in. It didn’t take much to figure out which off the covers were too heavy and which one was just right, and sleep took me.
----------
I dreamed again. Of landscapes rushing past me, and numerous sites lingering alongside me. For some time, spindly wolves constructed from twigs and strings paces me and the platform I rode, their gait almost comical, but the splintery fangs in their mouths sharp, even if the jaw was hanging loose. Then trees; trees with trunks shaped like lightning bolts, and think canopies discharging streams of electricity like a Telsa Coil. Ponies and humans in Victorian garb paced around me, harrumphing and making sounds of haughtiness completed the haze of the dream.
In short; far more normal and less stressful than the ones I had been having.
----------
I wasn’t sure what exactly woke me, but wakefulness came slowly. First the awareness of the bed, the stiffness in my shoulder from the position I was sleeping in, the wind that was just pleasant enough that staying under the sheet was still a welcome thought. I murmured something indistinct, rolling over and drawing the covers up to my neck.
Correction; attempted to draw the covers up to my neck. Something was pinning them. A few more tugs only reinforced the futility of the action, and despite my desire to keep my eyes clamped shut so the light didn’t drive the lingering remnants of sleep away, I cracked open an eye.
The other quickly followed just to verify what the first saw. Someone, rather; somepony loomed over me. Completely pink, from her coat to the dark pink of her hair and its unnatural cumulus cloud like styling, the only variations were the large sky blue eyes that sought to stare into my soul and the wide glistening white smile that would have done the Joker proud.
Just when I thought it was bad, she leaned in closer, invading my personal space as her breath spilled over me and a strong smell of vanilla and sugar came from her like a strange perfume as her already wide grin stretched further.
“TWILIGHT!” I yelled, terrified. Pinned as I was beneath the sheets, my attempts at a tactical retreat looked more like spasms.
There was a flash of purple light and a sudden trilling as Twilight teleported into the room at my scream. She looked at the pink menace in shock. “PINKIE PIE!”
“Twilight!” a second, younger voice called as a small purple and green reptilian creature raced into the room, likely drawn by all the raised voices.
“Spike!” Twilight said, distracted from the all-important task of saving me as she look at the creature.
“SPIKE?” I yelped. That was the Spike she was talking about last night?
“Caleb!” Twilight said sternly, her head snapping in my direction. Wait, what did I do wrong? I’m the guy being held captive by this pink fiend.
“Caleb?” Spike started, sounding just as surprised as I was.
“GUMMY!” Pinkie interjected suddenly, as if she had the tie breaker to win a game, reaching a hoof into that cotton candy explosion she called a hair-do as she did, pulling out a, I kid you not, small alligator. It blinked its light purple eyes at me in turn.
Pinkie toppled over, giggling like a madman. Her giggle fit managing to roll her off the bed, and she hit the floor, her feet kicking in the air as her laughter continued. Gummy plopped down on the bed beside me and blinked again.
Faced with this absurd turn of events, I looked over at Twilight, desperate for answers. “What?”