The Wander Through Lands Unknown

by Tomas Lutwig

Chapter 56; Clickity Clackity Rails

Sitting on the train I watched the landscape rolling by, head propped up by my chin. 'To be fair, I should've expected that a train ride like this wouldn't be all that dissimilar to a long car ride' I thought.

Looking back where the train had come from and squinting I noticed I could still see Twilight's castle, the tip glittering in the light of the morning sun.

“Ohhh! I can't wait to see little Flurry Heart again!” I heard Pinkie squeal from the next room over, interrupting my thoughts.

'Need to start seriously trying to rebuild Celestia's trust in me though. If having an escort everywhere is what a lack of it entails.' The girl's voices were muffled through the thin walls of the train cars, but I could make out a few words of the louder voiced ones.

Looking down at the my bag I quietly wondered about how my little 'excursion' to pick up Sunset was going to go. Her reply had been little less than downright hostile, causing more sorrow to my already grief stricken friend. A small part of me was surprised that the Celestia was so concerned for her old student, though from what she had said Sunset Shimmer had been gone for many years.

'A grudge like that is going to either take time to get over for her, or I had best hope Sunset has been thinking things over while she's been gone.' I thought, concern for my friend biting at my mind. A smile formed on my face as I thought of my other friend, 'I guess I'd better hope Sundance can handle Ponyville, one of the most hectic towns I've ever seen in fiction, without the elements of Harmony.'

Despite however the feeling of levity at the thought of my friend having to deal with the extreme chaos that seemed to follow that small town, I was worried about the mare's safety. 'Least she has a squad with her' I thought looking back out the window towards the sparkling tip of the castle that shrunk more and more as the train moved down the line.

Dear Princess Celestia,

It is with my sincerest apology that I must decline your offer. My time here has not robbed me of my pride, but neither has it taken my intelligence. I know better than to believe that you of all ponies wish to reconcile our relationship, as you still without a doubt wish to hold me back from my rightful place as ruler of Equestria.

But take heart, my old mentor, I will return. When I do, I will exact vengeance on you for not only keeping me from my throne, but also for this insult that I would return under your rule.

Sunset Shimmer

I read over the message with a look of disgust and annoyance. The scrawl was significantly different from the message that Sunset had sent me, though if I had to hazard a guess I would wager it was due to anger, remembering the times I had written anything with a shaky hand.

Looking up at Celestia, I could tell the message had hurt my friend greatly. Behind the mask of calmness was a grieving mare who blamed herself. I could say with a certainty that the mask was one of the few things keeping her from breaking down in front of both Twilight and myself.

Glancing over at the violet alicorn, I saw the concern for her teacher in her eyes, seeming to override the confusion, and curiosity as to what the message said. “Are you alright Princess Celestia?” I heard her finally ask drawing the alabaster alicorn's gaze.

“I... I will be fine Princess Twilight. Thank you for your concern” She said, her voice hinting at the turmoil behind it only for a second. Celestia's gaze fell back on me after offering Twilight a practiced reassuring look, “I suppose this has little bearing on your argument for bringing Sunset Shimmer back to Equestria?”

I offered my friend a concerned look, only for her reply to be of emotionless expectance at an answer. I let out a sigh before trying to compose myself. “Not much if I'm completely honest Princess. She doesn't belong in that world, and while I'm not looking forward to having to drag her back if necessary it's what must be done”

Princess Celestia reminded me less of the friend I had made stuck in my jail cell, chatting and laughing with as we walked through the Everfree forest towards the bonfire, and more like the Princess I had met after being imprisoned in stone, cold, attentive, and extremely protective of 'her little ponies'. “Might I ask what knowledge brings you to this conclusion of possibly needing to use force to bring her back to Equestria?”

Part of me remembered what had happened, after my attempt at protecting those 'little ponies'. Anger swelled in my chest at her before being pushed down. 'She's stressed.' I reminded myself. 'Hurt from Sunset's rejection, and vow of revenge on top of it. Your friend is still there, just trying to find an outlet.' Putting the book down, I folded my hands in front of me over top of it. “Princess, as I understand it you know a bit about alternate universes.” Celestia's eyebrow raised slightly at the claim though she remained silent. “Admittedly I don't know as much about what universes you and Starswirl the Bearded visited, but I do know that you visited them with him. In those cases there were mirrored versions of everyone, the only one I know much about being the one that everyone's alignment for good and evil were flipped.”

Celestia's eyes narrowed at me as her jaw set for a moment before relaxing, “What is your reason for bringing this up?” Her voice was distant, almost fearfully so.

A shudder threatened as I remembered her like this before only to dig a thumbnail into the palm of my hand as subtly as possible, trying to keep my eyes locked on hers. I managed to focus on the space between them. “There is a similar situation in that universe. A mirrored version of Equestria with a Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie...” I trailed off.

“Ah, you're insinuating that there is similarly another Sunset Shimmer in this world”

I nodded, “Admittedly, I don't know for fact. Though I would be willing to place a bet on the fact that there is. There's probably similarly other versions of the three wayward sirens as well, though the fact behind wishing to collect them being a remainder of their magic is causing havoc.” I said motioning out with a hand, “And to a world in which magic doesn't naturally exist-”

Princess Celestia held up a hoof to silence me. “I understand your point. Though I believe that it may be better left to ponies.”

“Normally I wouldn't fault you there, Princess. However as I said, natives to this universe are mirrored over there.” I offered, trying to stay calm.

Twilight's voice nearly startled me, reminding me that the mare was present. “So you're trying to say that you're the only option to send?” She asked, an incredulous tone finding it's way into her voice.

“If you don't want to increase the possibility of Equestria being discovered and causing more problems over there, and a good number over here as well, then yes. In the case where you went over there the Pinkie Pie from that universe almost immediately recognized you saying, and don't quote me here 'Do you have a twin sister that lives in the city?'” I decided to leave out the part about Spike, I don't know how to explain how the portal would turn a dragon into a dog.

Twilight looked at me confused before glancing at her mentor, who wore a similar puzzled look. “I've never been through that portal though. What are you talking about?”

I blinked for a moment before shaking my head. “Admittedly there have been, minor differences from the knowledge I have. For instance that Sunset Shimmer never came back through the portal to steal the Element of Magic. I think that it might have something to do with my arrival here that disrupted things, but...” I stopped, pulling at the beard on my chin.

“So your knowledge of our world isn't perfect.” Princess Celestia said, her voice less distant, though still unnerving. “How sure are you of what you'll find on the other side of the mirror, if I did decide to send you?”

I rocked my head back and forth for a second mulling over her question. “At least ninety eight percent. Given what little interaction I've had with Sunset Shimmer, I can't say for absolute certainty, but everything else falls into place and fits with what happened perfectly, with the exception of the element of magic being stolen of course.” 'At least I'm pretty damn sure. I wouldn't think there would be anywhere else for the mirror to send her if everything else was the same.' I thought.

Princess Celestia looked me over, her eyes feeling like they bored into me trying to discern if I was being honest or not. After a moment she turned back to Twilight who could only shrug. After a moment Celestia sighed and looked back at me. “I will be willing to trust you on this James. Perhaps it's wishful thinking on my part that you can bring Sunset Shimmer back, and the fact that I think of you as a friend may cloud my better judgment, whatever it may be I will allow this.” She said, allowing me to let out a mental breath of relief. “However.” she started again making the worry return. “If you betray that trust, I will go there myself, find you, and drag you back here to be returned to your stone prison. Regardless of it's effects.”

My eyes went wide as they focused on Princess Celestia's. 'She's serious about this...' I thought, a tremble running through me as I remembered what that was like. “Understood...” I finally offered in reply as she continued to bore into me with her eyes.

I shuttered in my car's room, trying to not remember what being turned into a statue felt like. 'Good Lord, I hope I get through this alright.'

The muffled voices of the ponies in the next room over found their way to my ears making me wonder if the lack of trust was the only reason Princess Celestia had asked the girls to come along, seeing as how she gave express instruction that I was the only one to go through the mirror.

'Probably to talk to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Give my story a bit more credibility. Makes more sense than this big hornless minotaur looking thing showing up and saying “Oh yea, Princess Celestia told me to go through that magic mirror she gave you guys to guard to get her old student back. Lead the way!”' I thought chuckling quietly.

A knock on the door to my room grabbed my attention making me look over. “Uh, come in?” I said, confused. The door slid open to reveal the violet alicorn herself, Twilight Sparkle. “Ah, Twilight. How can I help you?” Confusion still biting at the back of my mind as to why exactly she'd want to speak with me rather than her friends.

“Well I was wondering if you could tell me more about how exactly you got your magic,” she said stepping inside the room. “From what I remember you were saying that there wasn't any magic in the world you're from.”

I gave the mare a tired look. “We've been over this Twilight, Princess Celestia and I both. The amulet I got from inside Celestia's old castle had been made by the centaurs and their runeworking isn't as precise or accomplished as the minotuar. The runes binding the magic degraded, and due to the fact that I was the only vessel in the area that was acceptable for it, it took up residence in me.” I said, really just repeating what I remembered my alicorn friend saying had happened. 'Too bad I can't just send you to her, she might have more insight to what the hell happened if anything else did.'

“I know that, but are you sure that's all you know happened? I mean there's no evidence of a magic devoid creature gaining another being's magic, even during the runic collapse.” Twilight tried to press, only for me to raise an eyebrow at 'runic collapse'. “Didn't Princess Celestia tell you about when the centaurian runes started to malfunction and cease working? It caused problems all over the world where their runes just stopped.”

“She did mention that, though I was unaware they named the event.” I offered. 'Though I suppose it would make sense. The 'Industrial Revolution' was a pretty big deal, at least in the states.'

Twilight blinked at me, “Of course! It was one of the leading causes of the collapse of the Centaurian Kingdom's leaders King Vorak and Queen Haydon, though admittedly their son didn't help when he overthrew them”

I shrugged offering Twilight an apologetic look. “My knowledge of your world isn't perfect. I wasn't exactly a scholar about it. There are a few things I remember nearly perfectly, but others escape me and others still I wasn't aware of.”

“Oh” She finally said, “Well to be honest it was still pretty shocking to hear that you knew so much about us in the first place.”

I let out a stifled laugh through my hand remembering back to when I first told them about them being a show from where I was from. “I just can't believe that you all thought I wasn't insane. As far as you knew I could've been just some freaky stalker or something.” I said a stupid grin plastered on my face hidden only partially by my hand.

“Insane isn't far off. I couldn't really tell” She said offering a look edged with worry. “You weren't quite being very rational at the time. Nearly shouting at us over what you'd been through, what had happened with Tirek, all after we were informed that you had just gotten out of hoof-camp for the royal guard.”

I let out a sigh as I really thought about the rather tough day, smile effectively dead, replaced with a frown as I looked at the floor. 'Only good that came out of all that, was...' I thought feeling for the familiar cold flame in my chest, even as my hand went to where the amulet had rested for those long two years.

Silence fell between the two of us, unpleasant memories closing our mouths. The only sound being the echo of the train's wheels against the tracks and Twilight's friends in the next room over, chatting.

“What...” Twilight started breaking the silence making me look back up at her. “What exactly did Sunset Shimmer write to Princess Celestia? You two never told me.”

I blinked at her an urge to plant my face firmly into my palm. “Right, right, sorry about that. One moment” Picking up my bag I dug through it for a second before finding the journal. Pulling it out I flipped through it before showing it to Twilight. Her horn ignited before it lifted from my hand to be pulled closer to her face.

Remembering something I had thought of before, I dug through my bag before pulling out my small MP3 player. Unwinding the earphones from around it I looked it over for a second before pushing the power button. The screen lit up for a moment before offering the old 'power low, system shutting down' message.

A growl sounded from behind the floating book making me look back up to the mare holding it only to find the book shaking. “Uh Twilight?” I asked only for the book to lower enough for me to see a pair of scowling eyes.

“Can you believe this mare? The audacity! Princess Celestia was pleading with her to come back, and this is her reply?!” Twilight nearly shouted, her voice easily showing her anger.

I held a hand up towards the unicorn's glare, “I can't help but to agree Twilight. I mean her lack of empathy is easily the cause of her banishment as Celestia's student. Anger, ambition, you name it, but there's no need to become so... heated about it.”

“Heated?!” Twilight nearly shouted again. 'Maybe it was best to not show her the message...' I thought as the mare's teeth clenched shut as she looked at me, worry etching my face.

“Twilight?” a new voice sounded catching both of our attentions. Applejack stood in the doorway of my, now seemingly incredibly small, room flanked by Twilight's other friends Rainbow Dash and Rarity, most wearing looks of varying degree of worry or curiosity. “Is everythin alright sugarcube? Ya know they don' like shoutin too much on the train.”

“I know Applejack it's just...” Twilight trailed off, seeming to calm before looking back at the book and letting out another aggravated growl. “This mare that the Wanderer is supposed to bring back to Equestria is an arrogant ungrateful jerk! I mean look at this!” Twilight motioned the book to them with her magic.

“Twilight I don't think...” I started only for the glare to fall back on me with the addition a curious looks from the group of mares. The objection died in my throat as I held up my hands 'Fuck all of that, she knows what she's doing.' I thought shaking my head as their attention returned to the book and a hand rubbed down my face. 'Geeze, first Celestia and now Twilight... I need to start sticking to mares who can't magically vaporize me if I get them a little annoyed.'

“My goodness!” Rarity's voice sounded, surprise and disapproval sounding in her voice. “For her to write something so disrespectful back to Princess Celestia herself!”

“You're telling me! It sounds like she's just asking to be thrown into the dungeon!” Rainbow Dash said, her eyebrows furrowing. “I think I may just give her a piece of my mind when she gets back myself!”

My eyes went wide as I looked out the window, trying to keep from laughing to myself. 'Sunset Shimmer was around Twilight's magical abilities when she was still a unicorn, I doubt you'd be giving her much of anything beyond maybe a moving target.' Shaking my head I decided to focus on the moving grasslands and mountains in the distance. 'That does make me wonder exactly how I'll go about getting her back.' I thought frowning. 'My original plan was to hopefully trick her into thinking that I was some sort of insurgent, trying to dethrone Celestia. That was very promptly disrupted and any plans I might of had to try and pull it off were destroyed when Princess Celestia sent her message.'

The mares behind me continued talking though I was very politely ignoring all four of them, too absorbed in my own thoughts. 'I may still be able to talk to her, but that'll depend on what she's like when I meet her. I mean, if she's just as bad as she was in the movie, no remorse, hate driven, etcetera, etcetera, then I might have to stick to the good old kidnapping idea of duct taping her until she can't move.' I let out a tired sigh rolling my eyes. 'I almost wish I had just let Twilight and Celestia talk me into letting the ponies deal with it all.' My eyes shut tightly as my head fell forward against the glass. “That isn't even mentioning 'The Dazzlings' or whatever they're called”

“What's that?” Twilight's voice sounded towards me again, anger still edging it. Turning I offered a questioning look to the mare. “What's 'The Dazzlings'?”

I rolled my eyes letting out a sigh at my own inability to keep my mouth shut when thinking. “The Dazzlings are what those sirens referred to themselves as. I forget their names, I think it was Andigo something, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze? It's been a while.” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. “Sorry just trying to come up with some sort of strategy or something for getting those four back here without having to duct tape them together with a knife to their throats.”

A look of shock and disgust fell over the mare's faces, bringing even Twilight from her annoyed funk. “Um, darling, I don't believe that would be the best course of action” Rarity's voice sounded.

Rainbow looked over at the white unicorn before shaking her head. “I hate to agree with Rarity, again, but yeaaaa. That seems to be taking it a little tooo far.”

I offered a uncommitted shrug, “Magic isn't an option over there. It's a magicless universe with the exception being those three sirens' amulets around their necks that allow them to cause chaos and whatnot with their singing. I'm just going with what I know anyways, seeing as how I sincerely doubt I'll be able to convince Sunset Shimmer to come on back without having to resort to something fairly drastic.”

Twilight opened her mouth to object only for Applejack to beat her to it. “Wanderer, Ah'm thinking ya know that wouldn' be right.” She said, her eyes narrowing in an unsaid threat.

I nodded holding out a hand. “All to true, however she made the threat to the crown. If I'm completely honest, I'd prefer to simply be a friend to her, change her view on some things and make her understand that Celestia was doing what she did for her own good. Let's just say that ain't gonna happen, cause that girl doesn't think all that rationally about our fair ruler anymore.”

“Well ya can't know if ya don't try. Ah mean Discord mighta had some issues, an don't get me wrong, he still has some! Still ya gotta offer that hoof in friendship 'fore anypony can take it.”

I gave Applejack a tired look, finding her look to be unyielding. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh, turning to look at my bag rather than the girls. “You are right again, Applejack. I will try, though that is all I can promise.” I finally said, annoyed but submitting. Realizing that nothing I could say would change the mare's mind.

“An those 'Dazzlings'?”

I rolled my eyes, 'Want me to cut off my arm as well? Hold on I think I need to dull my knife to really make it worth your while.' Turning back to the mare I met the same unwavering look with a half lidded gaze. “I'll try. They won't be any more willing than Sunset Shimmer unless I lie to them, and we both know your opinion of that, but that's all I can give.”

Applejack's look softened, if only slightly as she gave me a nod of approval that only aggravated me more.

“Geeze. Getting captured by Queen Chrysalis made you a doormat.”

I felt my eye twitch as my gaze fell on Rainbow Dash, the other girls quickly looking at her with disbelief written on her face. “What? It did.” Was her only defense.

Rubbing at my temples I cursed under my breath Staring intently at the seat across from me. 'This is going to be a long train ride...'