Painted Horses

by Alaborn

Chapter 2: Arrival

Painted Horses

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 2: Arrival

---

The door to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle opened on its own as Special Agent Sweetie Drops approached. Once again shedding her cover as the local candy maker, the mare had hoped to arrive unseen. But nothing within reason could protect her from being spotted by the magic of the princess.

Once inside, Sweetie Drops’s black bodysuit was counterproductive to remaining stealthy, given the vibrant purple crystal of the castle walls. It didn’t matter much, as she heard Twilight Sparkle’s cheery voice. “In here, Bon Bon!”

Sweetie Drops entered, seeing four figures in the room. There was Twilight Sparkle, of course; a unicorn mare she didn’t know; a young pegasus stallion she didn’t know; and a griffon hen she did know. “Hello, Greta,” she said coolly.

“Hello, ‘Bon Bon’,” the griffon replied.

Sweetie Drops circled the griffon. “How’s the long distance courier business? Going good? Because I heard you’ve been stuck in Canterlot for weeks. Must be hard, not having any deliveries to earn you money.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Greta in turn circled Sweetie Drops. “I would have thought you’d be too busy in your candy shop to come out. To think, all of those poor foals, without their favorite candies....”

“All right. Knock it off, you two,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Right now, I don’t care what ‘Miss Courier’ and ‘Miss Candy Maker’ did in the past. Today, we’re all on the same team, and if you want to save everypony, and everygriffon, then you’ll do good to keep that in mind.”

The squabbling earth pony and griffon sat on their haunches and looked at Twilight Sparkle. Their eyes returned to each other once Twilight Sparkle looked away.

“Ponies have been disappearing,” Twilight Sparkle started. “Sadly, that happens far too often, but with the efforts of the Guard and local police, most of these crimes can be solved. If their efforts fail, powerful divination magic can reveal the truth.

“One day, nearly two years ago, one pony disappeared, a gym teacher from Cloudsdale. From the start, it didn’t resemble a normal missing pony case. The stallion wasn’t particularly important, he had no enemies, and hadn’t been in any recent altercations. The police investigation revealed nothing. The initial divination revealed nothing. And no further divination revealed his location. That includes level five divinations personally performed by me and by Princess Celestia.

“Around seven months after that, another pony disappeared, a doctor who splits his time between Ponyville and Canterlot. Again, there was no reason to expect foul play, and both the investigation and spells turned up nothing. More unexplained disappearances followed. A travel writer based out of Manehattan. A fashion designer from Manehattan. A musician who lives right here in Ponyville. And Greta has confirmed a native of Griffonstone has also disappeared.”

“Her name is Gilda,” Greta interrupted.

“I know. I met her once. I personally know many of the missing ponies, and the most recent pony to disappear is one of my old friends. I’ve even tried to create a level six divination spell in order to find them.

“But now, we might have the answer. What you’re about to hear is beyond secret. It’s something that sounds like the fevered delusions of a crackpot conspiracy theorist, and officially, it is. But unofficially, it’s real, very real.

“And don’t even think of talking about it to anypony outside this room,” Twilight Sparkle warned. “I have created a level six memory removal spell.”

“Get on with it,” Greta said.

“Right. We think the missing ponies have been taken to another world, a world without ponies and magic.”

Greta laughed.

“Stop laughing! It’s true! I’ve met the ponies from the other world,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Didn’t you say there were no ponies in that world?” the pegasus stallion said.

“Yes, there aren’t. We don’t have time to discuss the magic behind dimensional portals, but crossing over into another world changes you into a form native to the world. In this case, these.” Twilight Sparkle concentrated, creating an image of a human. She had to rely on memory, from the photographs in the books John Lockhart had brought on his two visits to Equestria, but she thought she did a good job.

The picture drew curious looks and a scoff from Greta. “They look weak.”

“I can’t speak to their bodies, but their minds are incredible. They are creative and inventive, with technology I estimate to be hundreds of years ahead of ours,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And they are the only sapient species on their world.”

“Can you get to the rest of the mission briefing, Princess?” the pegasus stallion said.

“Yes. We fear the involvement of an entity called Malice, which you can think of as all the worst aspects of Discord. Distill his cruelty and viciousness, and let it boil for centuries of imprisonment. That is Malice. Malice was the first to breach the barrier to this human world, pulling in a number of humans to try to nullify the powers of the Elements of Harmony. But he underestimated the ability of these humans to pull together, to find their own harmony.

“When his plan failed, Malice was banished to this human world, where it was thought the lack of magic would keep him locked away forever. But just because a world doesn’t have magic doesn’t mean magic can’t exist. It just needs to be linked to a world with magic, one like ours.”

“So by keeping a connection to this world, we’ve empowered this Malice?” the pegasus stallion said.

“Unfortunately, there’s no way to get the lightning back into that cloud,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It would take time travel....”

“No,” the unicorn mare said firmly.

“I’m not suggesting it, Minuette, just explaining the hypothetical methodology by which....”

“You were thinking about it.”

“Of course! I can’t help but think of all the possibilities!”

“Princess? The briefing?” the pegasus stallion said.

“Right. Lieutenant Lightning Shield, you are in command of the mission. Your superiors have commended your ability to adapt to adverse conditions, and it’s hard to get more adverse than this.”

“Yes, Princess,” he replied.

“Minuette, we’re relying on your expertise to deal with the magical effects within a magic-void world. I see you’re prepared.”

Minuette looked to the wands and mana crystals in her saddlebags and nodded.

“Sweetie Drops and Greta, there will be threats. Take them down.”

“I’m packed and raring to go,” Sweetie Drops said.

Greta chuckled. “My body’s the only weapon I need.

“Your mission is twofold,” Twilight Sparkle continued. “Find and rescue the missing ponies, and put a stop to whatever Malice is planning.”

“And how do we do that?” Lightning Shield asked.

“We don’t know.”

The room fell silent.

“Anyway, I will open a portal to the general area where Malice was sent at 11:00 this evening. You will meet three civilians, two native humans and a pony who is already there. They possess a magical book which allows them to communicate with me across the barrier of worlds. Once you arrive, get away from the site of the portal and follow their instructions to keep your presence secret. They know of a location of interest, a statue of an Earth equine we believe is tied to this case.”

“Wait, civilians?” Lightning Shield said.

“The very few humans who know about our world are civilians. There is no official contact between our worlds,” Twilight Sparkle said. “They will help you not make an utter fool of yourself in this new world.

“Is there anything else?”

Despite the vague goals and nature of the nemesis, the ponies and griffon were determined and ready.

“Then you have approximately 35 minutes to get ready. Good luck.”

---

We sat in Jason’s SUV with the engine and lights off. We waited on the side of the road by one of the farms outside town. Trees shielded the location from three directions, which would help if Twilight Sparkle’s portal appeared where we hoped it would appear. Of course, a glowing portal in the middle of the night would probably attract attention if anyone was looking.

“What color is this portal?”

“If Twilight Sparkle is casting it, and if it’s the same one she creates for me, it will be violet,” Jason replied.

“That won’t be suspicious at all,” I muttered.

We had ten minutes to go, according to the clock, and that brought a question to mind. “Is time the same between our worlds?” I asked.

“From what I’ve seen, time flows at the same speed, and ponies use the same units to measure time. There are sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, twenty-four hours in a day, and 365 days in a year. Ask Twilight Sparkle about it, and she’ll bring up universal constants and the theories of Star Swirl the Bearded. Me, I just shrug and accept it.”

“What about leap year?” I wondered.

“I’m not sure. I’ll find out in a couple of months.”

The third member of our group was quiet. “Rose....” I paused. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your full name.”

“It’s Rose Trellis. But everypony calls me Rose, unless Roseluck is around. Then we need to be specific.”

“She’s another pony who grows and sells flowers, but she’s more focused on sales to the public,” Jason explained.

“How are you feeling, Rose?” I asked.

“A bit overwhelmed,” she admitted. “I never thought that making that cute unicorn my coltfriend would lead to me getting magically examined by Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“She needed to be sure Rose wasn’t a changeling infiltrator,” Jason said. “She found a way to make the test less painful.”

“There was still a split second where I couldn’t feel the earth. I felt so weak and alone,” Rose said. “And after that, she explained that Stone Arch was actually named Jason, and was a creature from another world. I’m no hero, but I’m doing things that only heroes do. Like traveling to another world, and now helping to save it.”

“How many times have you been here?” I asked.

“This is my fifth trip,” she said. “The first trip was just me getting used to this body. Then we did some traveling. We went to a zoo, and then an arboretum, and then to this place called Opera Land, which is like a hotel in a greenhouse.”

“The Opryland resort,” Jason corrected. “In Nashville.”

“My parents stopped there on their way to Ocala, to see the Christmas decorations,” I said.

Jason rubbed his head. “The portal’s about to open. Let’s go.”

We got out of the car and walked into the field. “How do you know?” I asked.

“I feel a tingle when the magic starts to flow,” he replied. And sure enough, a point of violet light appeared ahead. He started to run toward it, and we followed.

The point of light first expanded into a vertical line, then into a rectangular plane. Through the portal, four people stepped out. And then promptly fell over.

Rose rushed forward and helped one of the people up. “Don’t fight your body,” she said. “You can balance on your hind legs and walk. Let your forelegs swing naturally.”

“And do it fast,” Jason said. “We don’t want to be around if anyone investigates.”

Fast is something we weren’t. The four transformed humans constantly tripped, and they didn’t know how to carry the goods they brought with them. But we made it to the car without anyone coming to investigate.

I helped the new humans with their seat belts as Jason started the car. The big SUV was crowded with seven people and their luggage. The one man was carrying a spear or harpoon. One of the women had a backpack, and another one of those really large duffel bags, the kind one would carry if one were transporting something like hockey sticks. That woman opened her bag, and looked curiously at what she pulled out. “What in the world are these?”

Jason glanced back. “Pants,” he said. “Welcome to Earth, everyone. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. But let’s start with introductions. My name is Jason Sedmak. I’m a civil engineer, currently employed building roads in Equestria, where I’m known as Stone Arch.”

“John Lockhart,” I said. “I have no desire to go to Equestria again.”

“Rose Trellis. Just call me Rose,” Rose said.

“Lieutenant Lightning Shield of the Royal Guard,” Lightning Shield said. “I’m commander of this mission.”

“Minuette, of the Mage’s Guild.”

“Special Agent Sweetie Drops.”

“Agent Greta of Griffonstone.”

Jason pulled off to the side of the road. “I’m going to find us a place to stay. Meanwhile, John and Rose can answer your questions.”

“What are these things on my chest?” Minuette asked.

I blushed, and then broke into an embarrassing discussion about the human body and why humans wear clothes. The former ponies, and I guess griffon, were incredulous at some of the things I said. Fortunately, Rose, who had gone through the change before, helped alleviate their concerns.

“Hey, John, I need your credit card number,” Jason said.

“Why?”

“For the room. I don’t have a credit card, and I’m pretty sure no one else here does.”

I pulled out my wallet and gave him the number. It reminded me that we still had our room in Tampa, and I forgot to cancel it.

Now that we had a room, Jason started the car and drove. Twenty minutes of more awkward conversation later, we pulled into the parking lot of a hotel, one of those all-suite places.

“I reserved a suite with two bedrooms, which should have enough room for all of us. But we can’t officially have all of us in that room,” Jason said. “John, Rose, and I will check in, and then we’ll come back and bring you in through the side entrance.”

We entered the hotel and went to the front desk. I gave them my credit card and signed the paperwork for a two night stay, wincing at the room rate.

“Your room is on the third floor. Take the elevators to your right.”

“Okay, thanks,” Jason said.

I passed him one of the room keys. “I’ll get the rest of the luggage,” I announced. He gave me the car keys in exchange.

I went back to the car, where I did pick up my luggage, but also the rest of the people. We went to the side entrance and took the stairs to our room.

The suite was a lot nicer than the cheap motel rooms I was used to, with a small kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms, each with a bathroom.

“I’m sure we’re all anxious, but we’ll be better off starting after a good night’s sleep,” Jason said.

“Wait. I have something before we sleep,” Minuette said. She started digging into her bag. “What in the world?” She pulled out a circle with a network of strings; a black feather and a blue crystal dangled from it.

“It looks like a dreamcatcher,” I said.

“Did the portal change the charms Princess Luna provided to protect and guide our dreams?” she said.

“From my experience, the portal changes items when it finds a close equivalent in the other world,” Jason said. “Although dreamcatchers don’t have any magical power in this world.”

“The mana crystals can power the spell provided by Princess Luna,” Minuette said. She pulled out another blue crystal and what looked like a wand. “Good. I sense the magic is still active.”

With that, we got ready for bed. The three newly arrived women were fine sharing the king-sized bed in one bedroom. Lightning Shield marveled at the hideaway bed in the couch, and took it. That left Jason, Rose, and I for the two beds in the second bedroom.

With dreamcatchers hung above each of our heads, we turned in for the night.

Author's Note:

"There’s no way to get the lightning back into that cloud": a turn of phrase that assumes pegasi don't put lightning into clouds, requiring the specialized machinery seen in the Cloudsdale factory.

Comments

[Boulder]

This would make a good Equestrian dreamcatcher.
ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Jh93KpXXXXaNXFXXq6xXFXXXh/Black-and-font-b-White-b-font-Handmade-font-b-Dream-b-font-font-b-Catcher.jpg

[Alaborn]

8126766 Only if they use feathers from Celestia and Luna.