Strangers in a Strange Land (Part 1)
A flash of light exploded out of a back alley. Three ponies stumbled out of the alley, coughing. The first was a young purple unicorn colt with a gamboge mane with a single pink stripe, and a strange device strapped to his foreleg. Following him was a mint green Unicorn stallion with a white and green streaked mane, and a cutie mark in the shape of a harp. The last pony was a tall red Earth mare with a Gamboge mane, and a cutie mark in the shape of a green Apple.
“I told you not to do that, Pomace.” The mare scolded the colt.
“Sorry mom.” The colt looked down at the box, “I don’t think it’s working right yet.”
“…Paula, where are we?” the unicorn looked around, “It looks like Ponyville but…”
“Well I assume it’s Pomace’s Ponyville, Manny,” Paula looked at Pomace, “Is it?”
“Um… I don’t think so,” Pomace shook his head, “That pony over there looks like Mr. Merrimac, but she’s a mare.”
“…Wait, wait?” the unicorn stallion looked at Pomace, “Where?”
“There,” Pomace pointed a hoof as Cheerilee walked by.
“Pomace, I told you it ain’t polite to point.” Paula scolded the colt, before looking up at Cheerilee, “…My word, she does look like him.”
“…That one looks like Sucre,” the unicorn noted, “Didn’t Wild Seed mention he was from an alternate universe where Zicoro was… Zecora or something like that?”
“Mmhmm,” the mare agreed, “he said something about a… Cheerilee and a Bonbon being their counterparts.”
“So this means…we’re stuck in some cockamamie alternate universe?” the unicorn slapped his forehead, “Oh Solarus…”
“I’m sorry Mr. Mandolin,” Pomace apologized.
“It ain’t your fault kid,” Mandolin sighed, “I hope the others made it back alright, though.”
“Well, Cyclone’s and Cumulus’ devices were acting odd, but they seemed to be working normal again,” Paula replied, “In the mean time, we better figure something out.”
“Eeyup.” Pomace agreed.
The three started down the street, passing Carrot Top. The carrot farmer paused and frowned before looking behind her at the trio.
“Is… no, that’s not Macintosh.” Carrot Top shook her head, “Doesn’t look like Lyra or Cider either…”
---
Paula sighed as the waiter left.
“Alright, so let’s see if we got this right…We can’t go the library, because if their… what did Wild call her? Twilight Shimmer?”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Apple Pomace corrected.
“Right, we can’t go to the library because if Twilight Sparkle is anything like Dusk Shine, she’ll go crazy and do something for science,” Paula sighed.
“We can’t go to whatever Elusive’s counterpart’s shop is called, since that means she’ll be with whoever Bolt Alley’s counterpart is, along with Earligold and Vista’s counterparts.” Mandolin took a sip of his coffee.
“Sugarcube Corner’s out.” Paula shook her head, “I’m not touching that mess, especially if their Berry is anything like ours.”
“…Butterscotch’s cabin?” Pomace suggested.
“No,” both adults shook their heads.
“If Butterscotch is bad, I’d hate to see his counterpart,” Paula added.
“…Carson’s place?” Mandolin suggested.
“…Might work,” Paula shrugged, “There would be… Carson, and Gold Spike. Maybe Dopey, Demi and Jeannette if we’re unlucky.”
“There’s always Sucre’s.” Mandolin offered.
“No, there’s a chance they could be there and then things would get awkward fast,” Paula argued.
“Blitz, Rain Dancer, and Spitfire’s aren’t options. Neither is Presto, Eris, Helios, or Baroque.”
“What about Zicoro’s counterpart?” Mandolin took another sip from his cup.
“That’s not an option either,” Paula shook her head, “I like Zicoro, but the stallion enjoys his privacy.”
“…So that leaves… the farm.” Pomace concluded.
The three fell silent as the waiter returned with their food.
“…This isn’t going to end well, is it, mom?” Pomace sighed.
“…Eenope.” Paula sighed, “Well, we’ll figure something out.”
---
CAROUSEL BOUTIQUE
The door creaked open as Carrot Top, Cheerilee and Bon Bon filed in. Rarity trotted in, smiling.
“What can I do for you all today?”
“Rarity, is Cider or any of the kids here?” Cheerilee inquired.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Rarity gave the three a puzzled look, “Why?”
“We… well, I saw this pony walking through town and I could have sworn it was Big Mac and Cider,” Carrot Top responded.
“I saw them too,” Bon Bon added, “But Mac is still at the farm with Lyra.”
“Speaking of Lyra, there was a stallion with them who looked an awful lot like Lyra,” Cheerilee cut in, “Does she have family over?”
Bon Bon responded to Cheerilee’s question with a baffled expression, “…No.”
“Wait, so let me see if I understand this,” Rarity paused, “There’s a pony who looks like Macintosh with a foal who looks like Sparkling Cider, and a stallion who looks like Lyra.”
Rarity paused as the three mares nodded.
“So that could me…” Rarity straightened out, realization striking her, “Where did they go?”
“I saw them go to the caf…” Rarity rushed past the mares.
“..fe.” Cheerilee finished.
The three sat there in silence staring at the door.
“…What did we do?”
---
“Well now, that was mighty fine,” Paula stated, “Mighty fine indeed.”
“It’s the same place we went to on our first date,” Mandolin noted.
“It’s not exactly the same,” Paula chided, “Now then, I think this is enough.”
Paula reached into her satchel and pulled out a hoofful of coins. The waiter frowned and examined one.
“Ma’m, we cannot accept these.” The waiter placed it back on the counter and pushed the pile back at the mare.
“Why not?”
“These are clearly counterfeit.” The waiter replied, “‘In Solarus we trust’?”
“…Oh crap,” Paula muttered as Mandolin slammed his hoof into his forehead.
“How are we going to get out of thi-”
“Oh there you are!” a voice called out catching the attention of the waiter, Paula and Mandolin.
Rarity trotted over to the group, beaming at them.
“I told you I would meet you at the train station, don’t you remember?” Rarity scolded Paula, “I told you we’d go and exchange your money for Equestrian bits, remember?”
“I…” Paula trailed off as Rarity shook her head.
“Play along,” the unicorn mare silently mouthed to Paula. After a few seconds she quickly followed up, “Rarity.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Rarity!” Paula broke out into a sheepish smile, as Pomace and Mandolin gave the mare a confused look, “I completely forgot. I mean, it was a mighty long train ride, and why, Pomace an’ Manny were famished.”
“Oh, that’s quite alright.” Rarity pulled a few coins out of her satchel and levitated them over to the waiter, “I believe this is enough. We’ll be on our way then.”
Paula, Mandolin and Pomace quickly got out of their seats and followed Rarity out of the restaurant.
The waiter frowned as he trotted back towards the register.
“We’ve been getting a lot of weirdos lately.”
---
“Don’t say anything. We’ll talk back at the boutique,” Rarity instructed the three.
“Thank you kindly for the save back there,” Paula thanked her.
“Not a problem, miss…”
“It’s Paula Red.”
“Not a problem Miss Paula,” Rarity replied, “I… assume that he’s your… coltfriend?”
“Mandolin Heartstrings.”
“And…” Rarity did a double take at Pomace, “…I’ll venture a guess here and say that’s your son with… a Purple unicorn who is the personal student of the ruler and the Element of Magic?”
Paula and Mandolin stared at Rarity in shock.
“How did you…”
“You’re not the only one this happened to,” Rarity replied, “Here we are, we can talk more inside.”
Rarity pushed open the door, letting Pomace, Paula and Mandolin in. The fashionista quickly spun around, turning the sign on her door from ‘open’ to ‘closed’, and closing all the curtains.
“…Alright then,” Rarity sighed, “Don’t talk. Let me see if I have this right: One day after you two went on a date, Paula, you came home to find five colts at the farm, all claiming that you were their mother, and that their fathers were the other five Elements of Harmony, right?”
Rarity paused as Paula nodded.
“Then the next day, four more showed up; one claiming to be the son of the local school teacher, one from a carrot farmer, one from a magician, and one from the captain of the Wonderbolts, right?”
“Yes…” Paula trailed off.
“Then three more showed up; one who was the daughter of the mail mare, one who’s father was…the younger brother of one of the elements, and one claiming to be th-”
“Now hold on a moment,” Mandolin interrupted, “How the hell do you know all this?”
“Do you honestly think it couldn’t happen elsewhere?” Rarity rolled her eyes, “I paid attention to what Midnight Bliss said when I had to baby sit them, she mentioned her mother was named Paula Red and that the bearer of Magic was named Harpsy Mandolin. Not an exact match, but close enough.”
“And the kids?”
“Would the names Sparkling Cider, Scarlet Tornado, Apple Pie, Garden Royale or Golden Gem mean anything to you? How about Acey Mac, Center Stage, Apple Cinnamon, Carson, Golden Sweet, Apple Jam or Novamac?”
“Well, Apple Pie’s the only one that sticks out. Said his father was Bubble Berry,” Paula replied.
“…So he’s probably Pinkie’s counterpart,” Rarity mused, “I suppose that’s better than nothing. Does the name Midnight Bliss mean anything?”
“Can’t say that it does… Oh, wait, didn’t Helios say that was… Prince Erebus and Lady Pish Posh’s daughter?” Paula turned to Pomace.
“I dunno,” the colt shrugged.
“…Wait here, I need to go get someone.” Rarity instructed them, “You may help yourselves to anything in the kitchen and the bathroom is down the hall.”
Rarity exited the shop, leaving the three behind.
“….Alright, this is getting ridiculous,” Mandolin shook his head, “What did she mean by that?”
“…I’m gonna take a guess and say something similar happened here,” Paula sighed, “Anyway, I need to find the bathroom.”
Paula left the room as Pomace frowned.
“I think
“Well…”
Mandolin trailed off as a bright flash of light blinded the three ponies. Once it faded, Mandolin found himself face to face with Golden Gem and Stratos.
“…Um… I think we ended up in the wrong house.” Stratos sheepishly grinned.
---
Sweet Apple Acres
Rarity trotted through the orchid, scanning the area for Big Macintosh.
“Where could he b-”
“Hi Rarity!”
Rarity looked up; Rumble and Applebloom waved back at her from atop an apple branch.
“Hello Applebloom, Rumble.”
“Um…” Rumble stuttered, “We’re not doing anything up here, we’re just…”
“Rumble, I’m not telling Thunderlane anything unless it is something you absolutely shouldn’t be doing,” Rarity cut him off, “Now where is Big Macintosh?”
“He’s at the farmhouse with Lyra an’ Granny. I think they’re busy jarin’ apples for winter.
“That’s wonderful. You two take care now.”
The two foals watched as Rarity continued down the path to the farm house.
“You need to work on making up excuses, Rumble.”
“…” the colt sighed and hung his head, “ I know.”
---
“So let me see if I got this right…” Paula trailed off, “You’re Golden Gem and You’re Stratos. Your father is Big Macintosh, and your mother is Rarity, and Your mother is Stormwalker.”
“Cloud chaser,” Stratos corrected.
“Right, right. And you’re both from alternate dimensions.” Paula groaned, “This means that it happened here too.”
“…Sweet Merciful Erebus.” Mandolin smashed his face into the table.
“….Are they ok?” Golden Gem turned to Pomace.
“Not really,” the colt scratched behind his head, “This happened before. I’m Apple Pomace.”
“You kinda look like Sparkling Cider, who’s your mom?” Stratos inquired.
“No, his mom would be dad’s counterpart, so we have to ask who is dad is,” Golden Gem pointed out.
“My Dad’s Dusk Shine.” Pomace informed them, “He’s a Purple unicorn with a mane kinda like mine, only Purple and pink.”
“That sounds like Miss Twilight,” Stratos responded as Golden Gem nodded in agreement.
“Wild Seed said he was from someplace where all the ponies had their genders swapped, so Mom was a stallion and Dad was a mare.” Pomace shrugged, “He talked weird all the time though, so it was hard to understand him most of the time.”
“Wild Seed?” Stratos exchanged confused looks with Gem, “Who’s that?”
“He said his mom was…Zecora?” Pomace shrugged, “You don’t know him?”
“Nope, we didn’t see anypony who claimed their mom was Zecora.”
---
Sweet Apple Acres
“…Mac, when you said we were going to do something fun, this isn’t what I had in mind,” Lyra groaned as she levitated a pot of boiling sugar syrup over jars of tightly packed together apple slices.
“Stop your whinin’ missie,” Granny Smith scolded the unicorn while she tended a pot of boiling jars, “You wanted to fall in love with an Apple, you shoulda known it ain’t all fun an’ games. Now be a dear and finish off the last of them.”
“I know, Granny.” Lyra set to work, pouring the syrup into each jar, wiping away the excess sugar and placing the cap atop each jar. Just as she finished the last one, Big Macintosh trotted into the room.
“We still got space down there Granny. After we finish up, I think we oughta jar some of the corn or soma Carrot Top’s carrots.”
“That can wait, Sonny.”
“There you all are!”
The three ponies turned towards the door, as Rarity entered.
“I’m terribly sorry, but there’s a bit of an emergency that needs Big Macintosh and Lyra.” Rarity apologized to the group.
“Gimme a bit so we can clean up,” Big Mac responded.
“No, no I got this. You two run off an’ take care of whatever you gotta take care of. I can clean this up on my own,” the elderly mare chuckled.
---
CAROUSEL BOUTIQUE
“...So then Limelight was able to trick Presto into giving up the Alicorn amulet and she saved Ponyville. And she’s never going to let us hear the end of it.” Pomace concluded.
“Definitely sounds like Center Stage,” Gem nodded.
“What about Princess Luna?”
“…Who?”
“Princess Luna! She’s the one who raises the moon, travels into peoples dreams and went crazy and tried to make it eternal night.” Stratos waved his hooves around to emphasize his point.
“…Prince Erebus? We didn’t get anypony claim he was their dad or mom.” Pomace shook his head.
“…Well we didn’t get anypony claiming their mother was Zecora,” Stratos glanced at Golden Gem, “Did we?”
“Nope,” Gem shook her head.
Mandolin staggered over to Rarity’s fainting couch and laid down.
“Pomace, I’m taking a nap. Don’t disturb me.”
“Alright Mr. Mandolin.”
The door slammed open as Rarity entered. Mandolin groaned in anguish.
“I can’t get any sleep can I?”
“Hi mommy!” Golden Gem beamed.
“Oh Hello Gem, Hello Stratos. I see you already met Pomace.” Rarity smiled back.
“So what’s the emergency?” Lyra trotted in, stopping by the couch.
Mandolin sat up, coming face to face with Lyra.
“Can you keep it down? I’m trying to…” the stallion trailed off as he stared at Lyra. “…woah.”
Big Macintosh entered the shop, frowning as he noticed Pomace.
“…Don’t tell me it’s happening again,”
“No… not quite.” Rarity sighed.
Paula trotted out of the hallway, shaking her head.
“Manny, just what is all that ra…” Paula trailed off as she noticed Big Macintosh.
“……..Well ain’t that a kick in the head.”
“…Rarity, what’s goin’ on here?” the stallion turned his attention to the unicorn mare.
“I’ll tell you what.” Paula caught Big Macintosh’s attention. The farm mare trotted over to Big Macintosh and stuck out a hoof.
“Paula Red, owner of Sweet Apple Acres.”
“…Big Macintosh, owner of Sweet Apple Acres”
The stallion took her hoof and they shook.
“Not everyday you get to meet yourself,” Paula grinned.
“Eeyup.”
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Well, that's something.
This time I'll let you guys try and figure out who's suppose to be who's counterparts.
also, I was debating making an "Ask" Tumblr for the all the kids.
well, except Acey since she's not mine.
I can't draw though, so it would probably be a Text only thing like "Ask Rainbow Feather" Was.
what do you all think?
I think everything, everywhere is fun!!!!!!
That was entertaining, and I see you're taking a few ideas from the comments on Crisis and this fic.
Also:
No, that's not her name.
That's a special ship that I'm sure will show up eventually.
3189667
If I didn't have two Covert Art projects on my plate already, I'd be tempted to offer... that's a whole lotta fillies and colts, though
And then a brilliant flash of light... and all of time is destroyed. Forwards and Backwards. All that's left is a Blue police box, and a time lord sticking his head out mumbling 'Good Lord, what happened here?' XD
3190006
and then a reddish-brown filly appeared in the TARDIS.
"...Mommy?"
3190004
True.
I figured I could do some sort of cycling thing, where every few weeks or something someone else takes over answering questions.
3190022 ... Oh you magnificent bastard. ...DO THIS. XD Or at least PART of this. XD
Wouldn't it be funny if somepony appeared and claimed that Lyra was their mom, but didn't have anything to do with Mac?
Seriously, this is ridiculous. I love the story, but I have no idea who's who. I just can't keep all the names straight in my head.
3190190
I can give you a list if you want.
3190218 It'd probably help.
OK now this fic has officially stopped making sense
3195121
only now?
3195129 Actually yes, only now.
3195143
this whole universe stopped making sense after prince novamac showed up. Don't know where you've been.
3197731
fair enough.
With all the craziness going on in this universe, I'm honestly surprised by the lack of drunk ponies.
What's scary is the potential for others to 'tag along' on trips through dimensions.
3216168
Dialogue implied that they've been joining each other for dimension hops for a while now.
There might be consequences from that....
as for drunk ponies, Mac knows better than to get hammered and Lyra can't hold her liquor.