//------------------------------//
// A Portal to Love 
// Story: Pony Tales 
// by Li_Time 
//------------------------------//


A Portal to Love


“Applejack, are you listening to me?” the pink party pony asked. I looked up at Pinkie Pie and shook my thoughts together.

“What was that, Sugarcube?” I asked her.

The pony gave me a pout. “Applejack, what’s wrong with you,” she said. “You’ve been all spacey lately.”

“Sorry, Pinkie,” I said. “I’ve just been thinkin’ a lot lately.”

“Is it your boyfriend?” she asked, givin’ me a sly little grin.

I felt my cheeks heat up. The young stallion...man had been on my mind for a while now. Honestly, he had been ever since Discord brought me back to Equestria.  As the months went by, I wanted nothin’ more than to see him again.

“Alright,” I said. “I’ve thinkin’ about Hero. It’s been several months now and I want to see him again.”

“Then go see him, silly,” she said.

“And how am I supposed to do that?” I asked.

“Well duh, Discord,” she said.

“I’m sure Discord has better things to do than to keep takin’ me back and forth to Hero’s realm,” I said.

“Then ask Twilight,” she said. “Twilight might be able to figure out how to get you there. Oh, she might be able to make a portal like that one she uses to go to that other realm. Or maybe she could figure out the spell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to send us to...where did we go again?”

“Chicago,” I said.

“Oh, right, Chicacult!” she said.

“Not Chicacult. Chicago.” I had told her this many times before, but they were so similar in name that she always forgot.

“That’s what I said. Chicacult.” She smiled, givin’ a proud squeak. She then frowned. “What were we talking about again?”

“Tryin’ to get me back to Hero’s realm,” I said.

“Oh ya,” she said with a smile. “You should ask Discord.” I let out a sigh.

Many moons ago, we had a visitor from another realm. His name was Hero and even though I only known him for a short time, we had a connection. Then, several months ago, we had a chance to go to his realm. We had found ourselves in a city called Chicago, and made some new friends there. It was only after we were leavin’ that I was reconnected with Hero. I had missed the portal to take me back, but I wasn’t bothered by it. A month later, Discord came and got me, and I was thankful to have the time with Hero. If only I could go see him again.

…

The day dragged on and I found myself thinkin’ about him again. Maybe Pinkie was right. Maybe I should ask Discord. Heck, even Twilight might have an idea. It was so nice spendin’ time with him in his world. Why did we have to be from two separate realms?

I reached Twilight’s place after leavin’ the Cakes’ shop. I was pretty sure Twilight was there, though she could be out doin’ something. I let myself in and headed towards the library. She was there, organizin’ her books. Honestly, I don’t see what’s so fun about doin’ that all the time.

“Hey, Twi,” I said.

“Oh, hey, A.J.,” she said, lookin’ over at me as she placed a book on the shelf with her magic. “What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted ta ask ya somethin’,” I said. “I’ve been wantin’ to go see Hero again and was wonderin’ if you had a way to send me to Chicago.”

I saw her give me a smile. “Wow, you two are really in love,” she said. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit. “It’s okay, A.J. There’s nothing wrong with it. We all know you two are in love.”

“Twilight, could ya please help me?” I asked.

“Oh, right,” she said. “Well, I could do some research, but I don’t know if there’s a way to send you there.”

“What about the spell Discord taught Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” I asked.

“Well, I had talked to them after we got back about it, when you were stuck in Chicago,” she said. “They even tried to send me back but the spell wouldn’t work. I think Discord had made up the spell to work the one time.”

“Oh,” I said. Then I remembered a conversation Discord had with our friend from that world, Harry. “Oh ya, Discord mentioned that he used the spell to make us appear near those he marked. I guess the spell doesn’t work ‘cause no one is marked anymore.”

I sat down, thinkin’ for a moment. “What about that portal ya have to that other realm?” I asked. “Couldn’t ya work it to send me to Hero’s realm instead?”

“Maybe,” she said. “But that portal was something that was made a long time ago. The only reason I can use it anytime now is that I have that book that connects to the other realm. I’ll look into it. I can’t promise anything though. Oh, but I’m sure Discord would be able to send you back.”

“Ya, Pinkie told me the same thing,” I said.

“Did somepony call?” I heard a voice. I looked around and saw a pair of yellow eyes lookin’ down at us from the ceilin’.

“Discord,” I said. “Where did you come from?”

“Oh, I always go where I’m needed,” he said. The eyes disappeared and there was a small flash next to me. I looked to see the creature standin’ next to me. He wrapped his paw around me. “My dear Applejack. If there’s something you need to ask me, just ask.”

“Discord,” I said. “Could you send me back to Hero?”

“Well, let’s analyze that, shall we?” he said. “For starters, I can’t just send you to Hero. I don’t know where he is exactly.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Hello, Hero doesn’t live in Chicago,” he said.

“Then take me to where he does live,” I told him.

“I would if I could,” he said. “But I don’t know where that is. And even if I did, he might not be there. He could be off on some crusade.” I saw him frown and look at Twilight. “Royalty still do crusades, right?” Twilight responded with a confused look. “Oh, right, this realm doesn’t really do the whole crusade thing. Sometimes I forget which realm I’m in.”

That was hard to believe. How many realms were there with ponies like us? “Then just send me to Chicago,” I suggested. “I could have Harry reach him.”

“You could do that,” he said. “But you’re forgetting one thing. My powers are limited. At the moment, I can’t send you there.”

“That’s a lie,” I said. “You were able to send us there and back durin’ Nightmare Night and you were able to get me a month later.”

“It’s all about the timing,” he said. “Their Halloween has some magical properties to it, allowing it to be easier to travel between realms. Plus, it helped that someone else summoned my brother during that time, allowing a path to be easier to make. I also prepared the magic on both sides.”

“And when you came back to get me?” I asked.

“I slept since the day we returned until I went and got you,” he said, and he sounded a little irritated about it. “And I slept for several weeks after. Besides, the rift between the realms hadn’t completely patched up. Now it’s been months. I wouldn’t be able to do it if I tried.”

I stumped a hoof in frustration. “There’s gotta be something you can do,” I said.

“Discord, is there a way we could make a more permanent portal?” Twilight ask. “Like turning a mirror into one that she can activate when she wants?”

He thought for a moment. “Hmm, I’m sure there’s a way to do it,” he said. “But I would have to set one up on the other side also. And they would have to be made within a window of time.”

“So make the portal here,” Twilight said. “Then you go over there and make the other side.”

“The problem with that is that it’ll take a lot of energy to do,” he said. “I could make one portal, but I wouldn’t have the energy to make the other.”

“How about I make the portal on this side?” Twilight asked.

He thought about it. “It could work,” he said. “After all, I was able to have Celestia and Luna use the spell. And it’s basically the same thing.”

“Then we’ll do that,” Twilight said. “Teach me what to do and we’ll have A.J. visiting Hero in no time.”

“What should I do in the meantime?” I asked.

I saw the two of them look at each other, thinkin’. “Find a mirror?” Twilight suggested.

“Or just do whatever you want until we’re all set up,” Discord said. “This will take some time.”

“Oh, right,” I said. “I’ll come by later then.”

They nodded and turned to start talkin’ to each other. I turned and left, wonderin’ what I should do. I guess I could get a mirror that they could use. It was for my use, after all. I headed to one of the shops in town that would have a mirror.

…

Later in the day, as Princess Celestia was lowering the sun, I headed back to Twilight’s place with a decent size mirror. The place was a mess with papers everywhere, books open, and Twilight runnin’ around.

“You alright, Twilight?” I asked.

“Oh yes, perfectly,” she said, comin’ to a halt. “Just researching this spell. This is one interesting spell. I wanted to understand it more. Oh, you have a mirror. We can move on to the next step. Discord thinks this should work, but we’re not 100% sure.”

“Where is Discord?” I asked, realizin’ he wasn’t there.

“In the other realm,” she said. “He’s going to find something we can use for the other side and a location for it.”

I didn’t think about that part. I couldn’t just walk out anywhere. From my understandin’, the humans were weird about magic, even though it’s around them. And havin’ some strange person appearin’ out of a mirror would probably make them question me. Still, where would he put it? I guess our friend Molly’s place would work. If I knew where Hero was, that would be best.

I sighed, sitting down and lowering my head. It was all I could do, sit and wait. I guess I looked a little pathetic since Twi came over and sat next to me.

“It’s alright, Applejack,” she said. “We’ll get you to Hero.”

“I know,” I said. “I just don’t know what else I can do while I wait. I didn’t even think about where I’ll go or how to contact Hero.”

“Well, you don’t have to wait too much longer,” came a voice that made me jump. I spun to see the seat I was sitting in start shiftin’ and changin’ shape. After a moment, Discord stood where the chair was.

“What the hay, Discord?” I demanded. “You nearly scared me out of my cutie mark.”

“Well, you know me,” he said. “Always have to make an entrance.” That was true, but it wouldn’t be somethin’ he would admit. He has really changed since Chicago.

“So, is everything ready on the other side?” Twilight asked him.

“It is,” he said. “Met up with that woman who helped you last time. Molly was it? We set up a mirror in her place. She’s there waiting for you to get there.”

“Perfect,” Twilight responded, bouncin’ a bit. I swear she’s happier about the whole thing than I am. “She can help you get in contact with Hero when you get there,” she told me before turning to Discord. “We’ll all set here too.”

“Splendid,” he said. “Then give me five minutes so I can turn the mirror there into a portal. Then do your thing, Princess Twilight.”

She nodded as Discord disappeared with a pop. I don’t remember him ever makin’ a sound when he disappeared before. Than again you never know with Discord. Still, I was excited and found myself grinnin’ like a young filly on Hearth’s Warmin’ Day. The five minutes seemed more like five hours.

“Oh, the anticipation is killing me,” Twilight said.

“Why are you so excited, Twilight?” I asked.

“I get to use this new spell,” she said. “Who wouldn’t be excited? Plus, if this works, maybe I could visit too and learn more about their magic. I want to learn as much magic as I can there.”

“Let’s just take it one step at a time,” I said.

“Sorry, A.J.,” she said, forcin’ herself to calm down. “I know this is all supposed to be for you, but it’s not everyday you learn a new spell, especially from Discord.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I said.

“Ok, let’s do this,” she said, gigglin’ now. She stepped forward, facing the mirror. “Alright, Twilight,” she said to herself. “Feel the power. Know what you want and let it run through you. Now focus on the spell.” Her horn started to glow as she said this and closed her eyes. She groaned a bit. I noticed she did this a lot when tryin’ to use one of her more powerful or new spells.

Her horn glowed brightly, makin’ it hard to watch. Before I know it a beam shot out from her horn into the mirror and engulfed it. I had to close my eyes it was so bright. This spell alone seemed to last forever.

“Something’s wrong,” I heard Twilight say after a moment. “It’s...It’s not working.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, forcin’ my eyes open to look at her.

“I’m not powerful enough,” she said, lookin’ at me. Despite lookin’ at me with a look that said sorry, she was still holdin’ up the spell as if hopin’ it’ll work.

I gave her a grin as I stepped up to her. “It’s alright, sugarcube,” I said. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. I appreciate the effort, but maybe this is just somethin’ that can’t be done.” I put my hoof around her and gave her a hug. It was true that I appreciated her hard work, but I was sadden that I won’t get to see Hero. A tear ran down my cheek and fell into her mane.

The glow from her horn doubled and I recoiled in surprise. Twi also flinched, but let out a yell as power ran through her, her horn, and into the mirror. I know this because I could feel it through my body.

Then the light was gone and it seemed like I had gone blind for a moment. I blinked several times as I tried to make out what happened. I noticed Twilight first as she shook her head, her mane a complete mess and stickin’ out every which way.

“Did it work?” she asked, shakin’ her head again.

“I don’t know,” I said as I looked at the mirror. It looked like it was just a normal mirror. I looked back at her, seein’ her shake her head more. “Are you alright?”

“My head is tingling,” she said. “I feel really weird. Discord said this might happen.”

“Are you goin’ to be alright?” I asked.

“He said just relax and rest,” she said. “I should be fine after a while. I am feeling tired.” Her eyes started to droop as she shook her head again. Then she lowered herself to the floor. “I need to…” She never even finished her sentence. She was asleep.

I looked back at the mirror and stepped forward. Did it work? Can I step through it now? What if it didn’t work? What if I find myself in some other realm? I couldn’t wait for Twilight and Discord. I had to try. I took a deep breath and stepped through.

I felt the energy run over me and I felt pain over my body. Then I blinked and was in a bedroom.

“It worked,” came a voice. I looked up to see a familiar face. She wasn’t a pony. She was human with long blue hair that went from dark to light blue.

“Molly?” I asked, lookin’ up at her.

“In the flesh,” she said. “You going to stay on your hands and knees or are you going to get up and give me a hug?”

I looked down and saw my hooves were no longer hooves. I was human. I pushed myself up onto my now human feet and wobbled, tryin’ to keep my balance. Molly put a hand on me, keepin’ me from fallin’.

“Easy there, girlfriend,” she said. “You feel alright?”

“A little sore,” I said. “I might not ever get use to bein’ human or even transformin’ into one.”

“Ya, I guess it would feel weird going from a pony to human,” she said. “Is Twilight alright? Discord said she might pass out after the spell.”

“She’s asleep,” I said. “But she seems alright. Where’s Discord?” I asked, looking around. My question was answered when I spotted him in his young human form I had seen him in once before layin’ in the bed asleep.

“He went to sleep right after doing the spell here,” she said. She gave me a grin before huggin’ me, which almost knocked me down. I had to hug her to keep from fallin’ over. She gave me another grin as she looked at me. “Come on, let’s go see Hero.”

I smiled as excitement ran through me again. I just hope Hero was just as excited as I was.


-End-