“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” asked Spike. “I don’t remember seeing nearly as many ‘KEEP OUT’ signs the last time we went to Fluttershy’s house...” It was true. Every tree that lined the path had several angry messages nailed to it. At least every 10 feet or so there would be another sign in the ground, usually stating “TURN BACK” or “YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE.” The path itself was overgrown in places, and Twilight had to use her magic more than once to clear the low-hanging branches that occasionally blocked the way.
“Trust me, Spike.” said Twilight. “I’ve been to Fluttershy’s house more than a few times. I think I know how to get there.” As they walked, Twilight noticed a distinct absence of noise. The woods near Fluttershy’s house were usually full of chattering animals, who knew to stay near the loving pegasus in case they became injured. Today, the silence was only broken by the sound of Twilight's hooves trotting along. The woods began to clear, and the path ahead started to twist back and forth up the side of a hill.
“See? I told you I would find it...” Twilight’s voice trailed to silence as Fluttershy’s home came into view. Her usual quaint cottage was remarkably different than usual. There were no birdhouses and nests perched in the grassy roof, and not a single window on the entire structure was open. A large smokestack protruded out of the left side, belching various different hazy colors at random intervals. All the windows were a slate grey with large metal bars implanted vertically to block entry, as well as having shutters that were locked from the inside. The front door had been replaced with a massive metal gateway, and a small intercom was mounted to its right. Twilight and Spike approached the steel aperture cautiously.
“Are you sure we’re at the right house?” asked Spike, as his eyes traveled up the height of the metal door. Twilight nodded.
“This has to be Fluttershy’s house. Who else would live out here in the woods?” Twilight reached forward and pressed the large red button on the intercom. It buzzed sharply, and a few seconds later, a sharp crackle of static came out of the speaker, followed by a familiar voice.
“Yes? Who is it? What do you want?” asked the voice through the intercom.
“Uhm, Fluttershy?” stammered Twilight, “It’s me, Twilight.”
“Fluttershy...” said the voice. “Nopony has called me that in years...”
“Well, that is your name.” said Spike. “We’re here to see you.”
“Very well, I’ll be right up.”
The static resumed from the speaker, before stopping completely. Silence rang out for several seconds, until Twilight heard movement from behind the door. It sounded like somepony pushing a large box around, followed by a crash and some muttering. Finally, several loud clicks and twangs came from the door itself, which then began to slowly move sideways. A yellow hoof popped out of the opening, and beckoned Twilight and Spike inside. The door slid back behind them, and closed with a loud bang.
“Fluttershy!” exclaimed Twilight. “It is you! But...what are you wearing?”
Fluttershy stood before Twilight and Spike, looking somewhat different than her usual, peaceful appearance. She wore a white lab coat that trailed all the way past her flank, and a pair of tinted goggles were secured to her forehead. Her usually flowing pink mane was frizzy and unkempt, and there were dark circles under her eyes, denoting an apparent lack of sleep. Fluttershy smiled.
“Judging by your surprise,” she said, “I find it safe to assume you have seen me before?” Her voice had changed as well. She spoke at a normal volume, instead of the timid whisper Spike and Twilight were accustomed to.
“Well, yeah!” said Spike. “You’re one of our best friends! At least...you were.”
“What happened to you, Fluttershy? Where are the animals? Where’s Angel?”
Fluttershy sighed, annoyed. “Please.” she said. “Call me Doctor Flutter. Or just Doc for short. I haven’t been called Fluttershy in a long time.”
She turned away from them, and for the first time, Twilight looked around at the room they were in. If the outside of the house had been strange, it was nothing compared to the inside. Piles of boxes and books were scattered all around the room. It was completely devoid of furniture, save for a small end-table that was sideways on the floor, apparently having been knocked over recently. The only light was from a single, bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. A pathway had been made through the clutter to another metal door on the far side of the room.
“Now,” Doctor Flutter said. “Your sudden appearance here has confirmed my suspicions. If you will please follow me, I will be happy to answer your questions. But first, what are your names?”
“I’m Spike...” said Spike, “and this is Twilight.”
Doctor Flutter nodded as she walked across the room to the other metal door. She pressed the button to the left of it, and the door slid open to reveal a large freight elevator. Doctor Flutter walked inside, and motioned for Twilight and Spike to follow. Once inside, Twilight was about to begin questioning Doctor Flutter again, when the elevator dropped like a rock. She and Spike screamed, while Doctor Flutter glanced at her watch. The elevator stopped just as suddenly as it had started, and Doctor Flutter made a small hmph of displeasure.
“I need to recalibrate this thing.” she said. “It was 0.0371 seconds slower than last time.”
The elevator doors opened, and Twilight’s jaw dropped. They were staring at a cavernous space, at least 10 times the size of the room upstairs. The walls were covered in circuitry, metal panels, and flashing lights. Massive pipes and wires snaked across the ceiling, twisting in and out of each other like jungle vines. Opposite the elevator was a massive computer, whose databanks climbed up the walls and through the floor. A monitor, easily four times bigger than Twilight, was mounted to the wall, and an oversized control panel with an array of buttons sat beneath it.
“Welcome,” said Doctor Flutter, “To my laboratory!”
Twilight and Spike followed the Doctor towards the computer, past a multitude of ongoing experiments. Glass beakers of every shape and size rested on the various counters, strange liquids bubbling inside of them. What appeared to be a shrink ray was gradually diminishing the size of various bowling balls, until they resembled little more than marbles. A mannequin with a strange necklace was rapidly changing its appearance, shifting between several different pony disguises.
“Computer!” said Doctor Flutter, “Initiate Simulation A17-DX3”
“Initiating Simulation”
She turned back to Twilight and Spike. “While that warms up, I’d be happy to answer your questions.”
“Well, first of all,” said Twilight, “Why exactly are you a scientist?”
“Ah, starting with the big one, I see.” said Doctor Flutter
“Spike, write this down.” said Twilight. Spike produced a quill and scroll.
“It all started when I was still at Flight Camp. I was an extremely shy filly, and I didn’t have any friends. The bullies liked to pick on me the most, since they knew I would never retaliate. One day, when they were doing their usual routine of scaring me, another filly told them to stop. I never caught her name, but she had a blue coat and the strangest mane. Anyway, she challenged them to a race. The next day, I was holding the checkered flag to begin the race. When I waved it down, the ponies shot by me at such speed that I fell off my cloud and plummeted towards the ground. Luckily, I landed in a nearby tree. I vowed to never return to Flight Camp, and I’ve been here ever since. I decided that I would pursue a career in science, but it was to no avail.” she turned to the side, exposing her flank, which was bare. “I never got my cutie mark, and I’ve been trying to find out why ever since.”
The computer beeped loudly, indicating that the simulation had loaded. “Aha!” said Doctor Flutter. “This should help to clear things up.” She pressed one of the myriad of buttons, and began to educate Twilight and Spike.
“I have spent many years trying to explain my lack of cutie mark.” she said. “After thousands of meticulous observations and calculations, I finally had a breakthrough. I came to the conclusion that this universe should not exist. Why else would I have devoted all of my time and energy into something that would not get me a cutie mark? Because, it’s not meant to exist in this universe, and as such, neither is this universe itself. Your sudden appearance only further proved my theory. Nopony has called me Fluttershy since I was a filly, and I have never told anypony my real name.” The simulation ended, and Fluttershy turned back to Twilight and Spike.
“Exactly!” exclaimed Twilight. “We’re from the correct universe, and we were brought here by Discord after he changed something in our universe!”
The Doctor nodded. “I assumed so. From the books that I have read about Equestria’s history, I concluded that Discord was inevitably going to return. These books also foretold of six friends who would stop him, and restore order to time and space.”
“That’s us!” said Twilight. She reached into her bag and pulled out a photo of herself and her friends. Never in her whole life did she imagine such a simple picture would be so important. “Do you recognise anypony in this picture?” she asked.
Doctor Flutter studied the picture, then nodded. “Of course. That’s Rarity.”
“You know Rarity!” exclaimed Twilight.
“Of course I do. She brings me my supply of Joe-nuts every first Tuesday of the month.”
Twilight was puzzled. “What in the name of Celestia is a Joe-nut?”
“Oh, right.” said Doctor Flutter. “I forgot you’re not from this universe. Why don’t you go ask Rarity? Her shop is pretty easy to find.”
“Doctor Flutter,” said Twilight, “I’m not going to be able to fix this alone. Can you help us?”
“Certainly!” she replied. “In fact, I might have something that will be useful to you.”
As Doctor Flutter rummaged through piles of papers and scientific instruments, Spike noticed something odd. “Twilight!” he said. “Your cutie mark!”
Twilight glanced back at her mark. One of the five white stars that adorned her flank had returned, and some of the color was restored to the larger star. She smiled. “Well, we have to be doing something right!”
“AHA! Found it!” exclaimed the Doctor. She turned back to them, not noticing the slide rule that had become tangled in her mane. She handed Twilight a simple-looking pendant.
“This,” she said, “is my patented ‘Doctor Flutter’s Disguise-o-Matic.’ All you have to do is put it on, and it will transform your outward appearance into somepony who doesn’t actually exist. This one is programmed with a unicorn named Sally Scoop.”
Twilight put the necklace on, and with a flash of light, transformed. Spike held up a mirror. Twilight’s purple coat had been changed to a sky blue, and her mane was now white with streaks of purple. Her starry cutie mark had been replaced by a notepad.
“She’s a traveling newspaper reporter.” said Doctor Flutter. “Perfect for getting near to the other ponies you need to find.” Twilight smiled.
“Can we regroup here?” she asked. “You certainly have enough space for everyone to meet up.”
Doctor Flutter nodded, then turned to her computer.
“Computer! Print out document 319-B!”
A whirr of processors came from the depths of its electronics, and moments later a paper shot out of a slot in the control panel. Doctor Flutter handed it to Twilight.
“This is the code to open the door. The keypad is behind the intercom.”
Twilight took the paper, placed it in her bag, and turned back to the Doctor.
“I’ll have Spike send you a notice when somepony is on their way.” she said.
“Sounds good, Twilight.” said Doctor Flutter. “You should probably get going...”
Twilight and Spike turned and ran across the lab to the elevator. As the doors closed, Doctor Flutter sighed and turned back to her computer.
“Time is most certainly not on their side...”