• Published 24th Dec 2017
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Little Ponies Lost - Al-1701



Wind Whistler awakes to find herself and ponies from across Equestria in an alien world with an alien sky, alien creatures, and alien magic.

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Chapter 15: "We Are Here"

Hera watched as the oracle walked down the carpet leading down the length of her long audience chamber. Although males had mental powers for seeing the unseen in the present, the oracle of the harpies was always female. The gods granted her with the power to see into the future.

The current oracle was a young one, maybe a few years of prognostication behind her. Unlike the black leather most harpies wore, she wore a flowing gown of white silk. Her inexperience showed in her coming to Hera. The oracle was meant to make her prognostications in her temple where the powers the gods gave her sight beyond the bounds of time. She would have to use her fallible memory rather than her actual visions. However, she would learn.

The oracle came to the stairs leading up to Hera’s throne and bowed. “Supreme Alpha, my predecessor’s visions of Alecta’s fate have to pass.”

“She took the Bifröst?” Hera asked. She was shocked to hear that madwoman actually succeeded. Then she realized something. “What happened afterward?”

“That is not within her power,” the oracle answered, holding her head lower.

Hera turned to her male, Chronis. He had actually served many Supreme Alphas. He was ancient, males living several times the length of females, and his mental powers were unsurpassed. Nothing on this planet could escape his sight. “Where is Alecta, Chronis?”

Chronis opened his normal eyes, but barely. “She and her followers have been marooned on an island on the other side of the planet by the very thing she sought.” He closed his normal eyes again.

Hera smirked. She knew that one did not rush into a prophecy that never told the whole truth. She looked at the harpies in her audience chamber. “Let me tell you a story, my harpies.”

They all stopped what they were doing and gave her their full attention.

“Once, humans created wings made of wax so they could fly like us,” Hera explained. “They flew through the air and took in the majesty of traveling the skies. However, they looked up at the sun and believed it was made of gold.

“They flew higher and higher to try to reach the sun. They had grand plans of how to use the gold once they got their greedy hands on it. However, the sun is not a mere lump of gold for the taking, but the chariot of the god Helios. He was insulted by their arrogance and greed and used the heat of the very sun they coveted to melt their wings and send them crashing back down to earth. Those who lived and all who bore from their bloodlines were forever cursed to never fly again.

“Boreas and its fantastic legends are like the sun to harpies. Alecta flew too close, and she has paid for her pride. She believed she could force her destiny without knowing the true nature of it. We will remain here in our warm homelands where there is plenty of treasure and resources for us. Anyone else wish to object?”

The audience chamber was silent. “That’s what I thought,” Hera said.

* * *

Get-It walked up to the massive door to the vault and pushed a button the panel next to it. “You still alive in there?”

“I’m in here specifically to remain alive,” Wantall’s voice came from the speaker. “Heard anything from the harpies?”

“No,” Get-It answered. “It’s been a day and half. I think you’re safe.”

The wheel of the door turned and the large slab of metal pushed out. Wantall hopped onto the ground and looked around. He grinned and stretched.

“So, what now, boss?” Get-It asked.

Wantall chuckled. “I have some plans in the works. Though, I’ll wait on the ponies and their castle. Revenge is a dish best served cold, as they say.”

* * *

Seashell trotted across the drawbridge to the shore of the inlet. The inlet flared from the river and stream before proceeding down the fjord. It was kind of hard to believe all of that water was now home to six little sea ponies.

She tapped her hooves on the surface of the water. It took several seconds, but the six sea ponies breached.

“Shoo be doo, shoop, shoop be doo,” they sang.

Sea Winkle covered her mouth with her fin as she yawned and stretched. “Good morning.”

“How are you doing?” Seashell asked.

“We’re doing perfectly fine,” Sea Winkle answered. “The water is a little brackish for our tastes and will take some getting used to. However, it’s plenty salty a few meters down.”

“Okay,” Seashell replied. Sea life had always fascinated her, and she always wanted to meet she ponies. However, if they were acclimating, she should give them time. “How’s the fjord?”

“It’s gorgeous down there,” Sealight answered. “It’s nice and deep, crystal clear, and loaded with tasty water grasses.” She licked her lips and rubbed her belly. “It’s also the perfect temperature for it being almost summer.”

“We’re thinking of exploring the main fjord too,” Sand Dollar added. “Though, we’ll wait on it.”

“That’s all good to hear,” Seashell said. “If you need anything, just ask.”

“Sure thing,” Sea Winkle said.

“Shoo be doo, shoop, shoop be doo,” they sang and flipped back to disappear below the water.

* * *

Wind Whistler turned the screwdriver to get the last screw out of the cover on the new piece of the Bifröst. The panel came off to the sound of something winding down and the control at the top going dark. She saw the various wires and tubes tucked inside neatly with connectors at their ends.

Twilight Mist took off the panel of the main control panel causing it and the panes to go off as well. There were slots with different shapes to accept the wires and tubes from the new component.

“It looks there is a specific place for everything determined by size and shape,” Wind Whistler said. “Equestrian electrical engineers could stand to learn much from these Ancients.”

“Let’s just connect these things together.” Twilight Mist used her mist hands to take two wires and plug them in. Wind Whistler plugged in a wire that looked like a bunch of tiny wires in a line. They made quick work of the connections, and the two pieces of the Bifrost were once again a single machine.

They pushed the new component into the other until they clicked. Wind Whistler looked up at the blank panes and the dark and control panel. “I guess we just need the locket to reactivate it.”

A chime sounded and the doors to the elevator opened. Megan stepped out along with Sundance. Megan ran her fingers smoothly with her long ponytail, her blond hair now clean and fine. Her attire was a denim jumper over a white blouse with red hearts on it. Sundance wore a denim cloak with a pocket and fringe made of the heart pattern material and held by a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck.

Sundance pranced up. “Check it out. We match.”

“That’s very nice,” Twilight Mist said, not bothering to hide her disinterest.

“You two look lovely,” Wind Whistler said, wanting to at least be polite and thought the look and coordination was aesthetically pleasing.

Megan held out her skirt and looked at her outfit. “Buttons did a great job.” She tapped the toe of her shoe on the ground. “She even made shoes and underwear in just one night.”

“She used the leftover material to make a cloak for me,” Sundance said. “We were thinking we could make matching outfits so we go together.”

“Uh huh.” Twilight Mist sat down in her chair and faced forward. “We have everything hooked up, so if you could kindly use your locket to bring it back on line.”

“Right.” Megan took the locket from around her neck and placed it in the indent on the new part of the panel. After a couple seconds, the panes came back on line with a latitude and longitude map in the main pane and the text in Common characters and words. The labels of the controls morphed into Common and lit up again.

The message pane also filled with messages labeled technical specs, formulas, and resource location.

“It seems we have it all,” Wind Whistler said.

“This is what my ancestors saw,” Megan said. “I still can’t believe I’m descended from the Valkyrie Queens.”

“Actually, there are almost certainly several lines that have descended from them over the last millennium,” Wind Whistler replied. “However, you represent the line that has gone from eldest daughter to eldest daughter all the way through.”

Megan picked up the locket and looked at it. Her mouth bent down in a frown. “I wish my mother was here. She told me some things about the locket before she died, but I feel like there’s way too much I don’t know.”

“I can relate to that feeling,” Wind Whistler said. They were torn from their world and plopped down here with absolutely no knowledge of this place. “Hopefully, with the harpies dealt with, you will not have to call upon its power as a weapon again.”

Megan placed the locket around her neck. “I certainly hope so. It’s kind of scary to tell you the truth.”

She stood, silent for several seconds.

“Are you all right?” Sundance asked.

Tears welled up in Megan’s eyes and she wiped them away. “Sorry. It’s just hard to believe I’m free of the harpies. There were times I never thought I would get out of there alive.”

Wind Whistler searched for words of comfort. “Well, you did. I know the saying is ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ but I’ve always found that to be an over simplification. It’s not the evasion of death that makes you stronger. It is what you do with your life from that point that can make you a better person.”

Megan looked to her and grinned.

“What?” Wind Whistler asked.

“It’s just weird to hear awkward advice from a candy-colored pony with wings,” Megan said.

“And it’s definitely awkward advice,” Twilight Mist added.

Wind Whistler shot Twilight Mist a glance.

Megan wrapped her arms around Wind Whistler. Having cleaned up, her natural smell—quite pleasant—was what greeted Wind Whistler’s nostrils. Her hair was soft and her body was warm. Despite typically refraining from physical contact, Wind Whistler relaxed and accepted the embrace.

“Thank you so much for saving me,” Megan said softly.

“Your gratitude is unnecessary but gladly accepted,” Wind Whistler replied.

Megan let go of her and looked to the map dominating the main pane. All of the main landmasses were connected together in what Wind Whistler assumed was the ‘Pangaea’ she heard of a couple times. There were also islands grouped together in archipelagoes like the one they had marooned the harpies on. She realized few maps in Equestria showed much beyond its borders. The fringes of other landmasses would appear on the edges and corners, but Equestria seemed to be all that mattered to pony cartographers.

She remembered when they first stepped outside the castle and how huge just this fjord branch seemed. Then there was traveling to the west to the next valley system where Megan’s family lived on their farm. Now those distances, which seemed so huge, could be bridged in seconds. Though, the ease of travel did not take away the sense of wonder to it all. Life in this world seemed more vibrant and productive than that of Equestria. She wondered what other creatures, sapient or otherwise, inhabited the supercontinent, the islands, or even the vast ocean surrounding them.

“Are you ready to go?” a voice asked.

They turned back to Daniel, Danny, Molly, Charlotte, and North Star among other ponies standing behind them.

“We need to see what’s left of our home,” Daniel said.

North Star trotted up to the panel. “The coordinates are positive forty-five degrees fifteen minutes and thirty point six seconds of latitude and negative fifty-six minutes and two point nine seconds of longitude.”

Twilight Mist formed hands of mist and tapped in the coordinates. “It’s nice to be able to actually read these things even if I’m still getting use to Common runes and Draconian numerals.”

Wind Whistler descended the stairs with the Williams family and Sundance. The vortex filled the tunnel and they stepped through to the plain and right front of the farmhouse of the Williams’ ranch. Everything seemed to be as it was the day they escaped the harpies. The house was standing with the barn behind it. The fences had no signs of damage.

Daniel jogged up to the porch. “It’s still standing! I thought the harpies would have burned it to the ground out of spite.”

He went to open the screen door, but it came off in his hand. “They still did a bit of a number on it.”

He walked back down and to the fence. Polaris galloped over to stick her head across. She whinnied and stamped her hooves. “And you’re all here too, old friend.”

Polaris nuzzled Daniel as he petted her snout. “You made sure everyone stayed in line, right?”

Polaris snorted in response.

Daniel pattered her. “That’s my girl.”

She turned away and galloped out into the pasture again. The other horses were standing or trotting, eating grass or drinking out of troughs they had to dip their heads deep into.

Daniel planted his hands on his hips. “Well, we seem to be better off than I thought we would be. Replacing a few doors is better than replacing a whole house.”

Megan sat down on the swing on the porch and sent it into motion. It was the first time she could do that in days. Sundance trotted up onto the porch and nuzzled her, and Megan hugged her in response.

Daniel turned to Danny and Molly. “Now that we’re back home, we have a few days of chores to catch up on. Those water troughs are almost dry, and I suspect the weeds have had a field day since we left.”

The two groaned and trudged to the barn.

“If you have things sorted out here, I’ll be heading back with the ponies so I can reconnect with my band,” Charlotte said. “May the trail ahead be straight and level, Little Brother.”

Daniel tipped is had. “For you too, Sis.”

* * *

Majesty sat in her throne, an improvement from the last couple of days where she had to remain in bed outside of the few times she insisted on leaving. Though, she still slumped, and she was visibly tired.

Wind Whistler watched as the Moochic stepped forward and bowed in front of her, taking his hat in his hands. “Greetings, Queen Majesty. I am known as the Moochic.”

“Welcome to Dream Valley and Pony Land, Mr. Moochic,” Majesty said. “I heard you and your companion were instrumental in defeating the harpies and rescuing the Williams girl and the Bifröst. I don’t know how we can repair you.”

“There’s no need for that, you’re…majesty,” the Moochic replied. “I was just a drifter who happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

“I think everyone here can relate to that,” Majesty said. “So, you have no place to call home?”

The Moochic stood up and placed his hat on his head again. “I left my village after a younger man took over as the resident earth mage. Emmett and I have traveled Pangaea aimlessly ever since.”

“If your feet are weary, we can give you a home here,” Majesty said.

The Moochic chuckled. “Thank you, but castles really aren’t my thing. I’m a mushroom gnome, and we prefer places that are moist and decaying to make our homes.”

Wind Whistler stepped forward. “There is this area of swampy lowlands near the foot of the valley. They’re certainly moist and filled with decaying plant material.”

“Excellent thinking, Wind Whistler,” Majesty said. She turned to the Moochic. “Mr. Moochic, if you wish, you can have these wetlands as your home. You will have to build your own house, of course.”

The Moochic waved his hand in a dismissive matter. “That’s no problem at all.”

“Also, you would become a citizen of Pony Land with all of the privileges and responsibilities of that status,” Majesty continued.

“As long as you don’t require me to walk on all fours and whinny, I think I can manage,” the Moochic replied.

Majesty through back her head in a mighty laugh. She was definitely feeling better. “I like you, Mr. Moochic. I look forward to talking with you when I’ve completely recovered my strength.” She turned to Magic Star. “Please take Mr. Moochic to his new property.”

“Yes, Queen Majesty.” Magic Star left her side and descended the stairs.

The Moochic bowed and turned to walk away with Magic Star. Emmett followed behind them and as they walked up to the balcony and out of sight.

Wind Whistler noticed Spike cowering behind the rim of the fountain. Majesty must have noticed him too as she said, “I can’t give an audience to someone who will not face me.”

Spike slunk away from his cover along with his six brothers. They came to stand in front of Majesty, but their wrung their claws. Even Fiery, who seemed to run on rage and bravado, was making himself as small as possible with Majesty looking down at them.

“What do you wish to say to me?” Majesty asked gently.

Spike swallowed. “Well, Queen Majesty, we lost our mother to the harpies.”

“I am aware of that,” Majesty said. “Now that the Bifröst is fully functional, we can take you to the homeland of the dragons. Do you know your extended family?”

“That’s just it, Queen Majesty,” Spike said. “Our mother never took us to the Draconis. She was a nomad who spent all the time we have been alive in the north. We even slept through the winters up here rather than going south.”

“What Spike is trying to say is we have no family we know of anymore,” Fiery interjected. “We have no home.”

Majesty heaved a heavy sigh. “So, you wish to live here.”

“If it’s not too much of a burden,” Spike added.

“Our kingdom seems to be where those with no place find a home,” Majesty said. “I supposed seven little dragons would fit in just fine.” She looked to Spike specifically. “In fact, I have been considering how any queen worth her crown should have a pageboy. Would you want that position, young Spike?”

Spike pointed at himself. “Me?”

Majesty looked around the ballroom. “I don’t see anyone else named Spike here.”

“I—I—” Spike choked.

“Just say you accept and thank you,” Majesty instructed.

“You accept and thank you,” Spike said hastily. “I mean I thank and accept I. I mean—”

“Close enough,” Majesty said to stop his fumbling for words. She turned to Galaxy. “I think you can find things seven young dragons could help with.”

“Of course, Queen Majesty.” Galaxy descended the stairs and the dragons followed her to the balcony.

Majesty slouched in the chair. “I think that ties up just about all the loose ends.”

“Aside from how we ended up here and how we can return to Equestria,” Wind Whistler pointed out. “The machine shows no ability to link worlds and we were not instantly teleported home once the girl had been saved, so I guess my hypothesis of its link to our arrival and return has been proven false.”

Majesty grinned. “Yes. There is that. Though, after all that’s happened, do you really want to go back there?”

“I can imagine you wouldn’t want to return, my queen,” Wind Whistler replied.

“True, but not for the reason I believe you’re insinuating,” Majesty said. “Even if I was the lowest of the low here, I would still prefer to be in this world. Because I believe we can make a difference here. Why would I give that up to go back to standing around and smiling in Princess Celestia’s court?”

“You’re right, Queen Majesty,” Wind Whistler said. She was not looking forward to going back to finding where she fit in Equestria. There was so much to discover and learn in this world. “So, what now?”

“The question on the mind of every conquering hero,” Majesty said. “You’ve traveled to the castle, vanquished the monster, and are bathed in the spoils of victory. Where do you go from there?” She sat up. “What do you think, Wind Whistler?”

“I don’t know,” Wind Whistler said. She thought of that world map, all of which was now within their reach. It was a little much to take in. “Maybe we should carve out a little piece of Equestria here. This hemisphere will reach its summer solstice in about a week. Maybe we should have some ceremony like the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Majesty nodded. “Excellent thinking. I should be fully recovered by then too.” She leaned back.

* * *

Fizzy soaked in the happy feelings around the castle. Everyone was working on preparations for the Summer Solstice Celebration. After the sense of dread when facing the harpies hung over their heads, preparing for a party was a terrific change of mood. While ponies would be in their own little corners planning and scheming for the battle just over the horizon, they were now so at ease they could pause to say hello to each other.

“Hello, Fizzy,” Paradise said as she passed by her.

She exited the castle where Shady was sitting on the walkway. She winked out and back in on the battlement next to Shady. “Hey!”

Shady turned to her with a start. “Oh! It’s just you, Fizzy.”

“What are you doing?” Fizzy asked.

“I was just thinking whether or not we should get umbrellas,” Shady said. “Pegasi clear the skies before the Summer Sun Celebration back in Equestria, but we can’t do anything about the weather here. What if it rains on the morning of the solstice?”

Fizzy thought about that. “You’re right. Maybe we can get umbrellas that match our ribbon or coat colors and decorate them with our symbols. That way we have personalized umbrellas for whenever it rains.”

“I guess we could do that, but we wouldn’t see the sun rise even if it’s just cloudy,” Shady said. She paused for a second. “Maybe, since we can go anywhere, we could technically hold the celebration somewhere else. Though, whoever has to run the Bifröst would be left out.”

“And who says it’ll be rain or be cloudy?” Fizzy asked. “And the fact the weather does its own thing is what makes living here so great. Every morning is a surprise.”

“Yeah!” Surprise shrieked in the distance. “Surprise weather rocks!”

“Maybe.” Shady slowly formed a grin. “You know, you’re right. This is the world that refuses to be perfect. It makes me feel better for not being perfect. We should celebrate that.”

“So, you’ll get the umbrellas?” Fizzy asked.

Shady nodded. “Next time they go out for a supply run. Thanks for listening, Fizzy.”

“What are friends for?” Fizzy asked.

“Should we go for ribbon or coat color?” Shady asked.

Fizzy stopped and thought. She really wanted a pink umbrella, but a green one would look better with her symbol painted on it. She noticed Gusty walking across the drawbridge. Her symbol would not be visible on a purple umbrella at all. “I would say coat color.” That was the natural background of their symbols after all.

“Okay,” Shady said.

Fizzy winked out and winked back in on the ground near where Gusty had come to sit. Gusty drew in a breath, puffing out her chest, and slowly exhaling it. Fizzy slowly came up and sat down next to her. She wanted to say something, but did not want to disturb her.

“What do you want, Fizzy?” Gusty asked in a gentle tone.

“I was just wondering what you were doing,” Fizzy answered.

“I’m just taking a moment to cool down,” Gusty replied. “After all the excitement, I need to let go of my aggressions and be at peace.”

“Oh.” Fizzy sat there.

Gusty levitated an envelope with wax seal stamped with Majesty’s symbol in front of her. “I also have an invitation to the Moochic. Want to come?”

Fizzy jumped to her hooves. “Sure!”

* * *

They traveled down the path along the inlet that took them across several steams and beside waterfalls spilling into it. Dream Valley was an apt name for their new home because it was a like a dream. The water was crystal clear and the plants were lush and green. Fizzy realized she was thinking of this place as her home rather than the Crystal Empire. She looked up at the rings between two peaks and thought of it being just a part of the sky for the rest of her life along with the two moons which had switched getting fatter and thinner. She could deal with that.

She looked to Gusty. “What do you think of staying here?”

Gusty was silent for a second. “I couldn’t stand the idea at first. I wanted to get back to my neighborhood. However, having been here for a few days and literally faced death here, it feels like home. Besides, you’re all okay in my book.”

“Just okay?” Fizzy asked.

Gusty grinned. “Some of you are better.”

The reached the edge of the swampy area and passed under a tunnel made by the thick, tangled branches of trees growing on either side of the path. At the end of it was a wall of massive mushrooms. The mushrooms sank into the ground to reveal a large clearing with mushrooms of every size and color scattered all over amongst the bushes and more of the tree-sized mushrooms forming a circle around them.

“It looks like Mr. Moochic wasted no time making himself at home,” Fizzy said.

The Moochic and Emmet were standing on the hill across the river from them. Stakes formed a large square and the Moochic scratched an ‘X’ with his foot. He seemed to be contemplating something regarding length.

“I think I have this down.” The Moochic stuck his finger in his mouth and pulled it out with a heavy layer of saliva on it. “Yup, we should be good.”

“Hey! Mr. Moochic!” Gusty called out. “Mail call!”

“In a moment.” The Moochic took off his coat and laid it neatly over the ‘X’. He held his walking stick and with both hands and looked from his coat to the square formed by the stakes. He hunched up and winkled his rump. He swung up the stick and smacked the side pocket of his coat.

A full-sized house appeared out of nowhere and landed right in the middle of the stakes. “Ha, ha!” The Moochic leaned on his walking stick. “Right where I planned.”

Fizzy stood there struck completely silent. She literally had no idea let alone words to describe what she just saw.

The Moochic turned back them. “What? You act like you never saw someone get their house out of their side pocket before.”

He jogged up to the front door. “It beats having to build a new one.” He opened the door and peaked in. He reared back and slammed the door shut. “Though the interior is going to need a lot of work.”

He walked away from the house. “Still, I have my house and my mushrooms. I know—I’ll call this place the Mushrump.”

“Speaking of mush”—Gusty looked around at the giant mushrooms around them—“What’s with the humungous fungus among us?”

“These came from my magic spores,” the Moochic said. “They help protect me. In fact, it’s perfect you came.”

“It is?” Fizzy asked.

“It’s the perfect chance to test my trusty mushrooms,” the Moochic answered. “Attack me.”

“What?” Fizzy asked at the same time as Gusty.

“You heard me.” The Moochic rolled up his sleeves. “Hit me with some of that unicorn magic I saw you use on the harpies. Don’t hold back either. I want you to hit me with your best shot.”

Gusty looked to Fizzy, but Fizzy could only shrug in response. Gusty shrugged herself. “All right, but you literally asked for it.”

Gusty pointed her horn forward and an aura formed around it. The aura spun up into a small tornado and shot towards the Moochic. The tornado ripped in different directions and disappeared into the nearby mushrooms.

“See,” the Moochic said.

“I see it, but I don’t believe it.” Gusty picked up her head. “What happened?”

“Within this area of mushrooms, any offensive magic directed at me will be absorbed by the caps,” the Moochic explained. “Any mushroom gnome magician worth their salt has them.”

The Moochic picked up his jacket and slipped his arms through his sleeves. “Now, why did you really come where?”

“Oh.” Gusty levitated the envelope to him. “We brought an invitation to our Summer Solstice Celebration.”

The Moochic took the envelope. “Some pony holiday?”

“Yeah,” Fizzy answered. “We stay up all night and watch the sun rise.”

“Interesting,” the Moochic said. “I didn’t realize you ponies were Sol worshippers.”

“Sol?” Fizzy asked.

“The Northern Goddess of the Sun,” the Moochic said. “Unless you come from further south and worship their sun god, Helios.”

“We don’t worship any sun god,” Fizzy said. “Celestia was the Alacorn Princess of the Sun, and some considered her a demigod. However, she could not think of her being actually worshipped.”

“It might be a bit complicated to explain,” Gusty said. “Just show up for food, fun, and staring at the sun.”

The Moochic bowed. “We’ll be happy to attend.” He looked back at Emmett. “Well, I will be at least.”

* * *

The partying through the short night before the summer solstice came to an end as the eastern sky began to glow. They filed out onto the grass in front of the castle next to the inlet. The sea ponies breached and swam close to the shore. The sky was clear, which was a relief. Shady’s beautiful umbrellas could remain inside, waiting for a day when it would rain.

The ponies, dragons, the Williams family, the Moochic, and Emmett sat and faced east. The eastern horizon was getting brighter.

Majesty walked around the crowd, looking tall and strong. She once again looked distinguished. Cheers and hoof stamping came as she stepped behind a podium and used her magic to levitate a stack of papers and straighten them. She grinned and bowed her head.

“Thank you, everyone,” Majesty said. “Now, in Equestria, we would be waiting for Celestia to come up and raise the sun. However, this world does the work for us. Instead I finally have a speech to give.”

Some quiet groans came from the crowd.

Majesty held up her hooves. “We still have several minutes before the sun rises. Besides, it’s about how great all of you are.”

The crowd went silent.

Majesty cleared her throat. “Back in Equestria, Princess Celestia is preparing to raise the sun for the longest day of the year. It is a spectacle meant to celebrate her victory over Nightmare Moon, a battle embodying harmony overcoming greed and shortsightedness.

“It’s ironic we faced a similar battle on this world. We, a bunch of strangers, came together to stop a plot to take a great power in the name of death and destruction. We didn’t have ancient superweapons or some destiny on our side. We simply did what had to be done against staggering odds.” Majesty grinned. “Too bad we won’t get a stained glass pane in Canterlot castle for it.”

Some chuckles came from the crowd.

“We also did more than beat up on the local bully and save a captive,” Majesty continued. “We not only formed a community amongst ourselves, but made allies in this world. We made some enemies too, some of which we dealt with while others remain at large. Within a week of waking up in this world—and being terrified by even a mere hailstorm—we have left our hoofprint on it.

“There is a lot of mythos in Equestria surrounding the Elements of Harmony and the six ponies who bore them as well as the Pillars of Light who came before them. However, I believe the virtues of honesty, kindness, levity, generosity, and loyalty in each of us, pony or otherwise, have just as much power as those trinkets. We might not be able to shoot lasers from it, but we are able to do great things with our combined abilities and spurred on by our spirit. That’s much better than relying certain chosen ones given special jewelry.

“So, what now? That is the question before us. The Bifröst is ours, and wielding its power brings a great responsibility on us. Not only must we make sure it never falls into the possession of the wicked, but we must use it for the cause of good.

“With the Bifröst, this world is also completely open to us. After finding the ponies from the Crystal Empire and the sea ponies, it’s safe to assume more ponies from Equestria are somewhere out there as well. Perhaps they are forming communities like we are. Perhaps they are alone and afraid. Regardless, I have this message to them. ‘You are not alone here. We have created a home for all ponies who woke up to discover they have been taken from their families, homes, country, and world. You are welcome here.’

“I also have a message to those living in this world. ‘We intend to live here in peace. We swear to never instigate a conflict. We wish to build friendships and alliances with any willing to meet us in good faith.’ To you, I ask you try your best to live up to that ideal.

“Finally, I have this message to any who come to us seeking to cause us and those we call friends harm. ‘We will not roll over and play dead. We will fight you with every fiber of our being and every resource at our disposal.’ When we first arrived here—confused and afraid—we asked, ‘Where am I?’ We can now answer together, ‘We are here’. We are here, and we’re not going anywhere!”

As if on cue, the sun peaked over the horizon. The ponies cheered and stamped their hooves.

* * *

Discord sauntered along with Flutterbye along the all too familiar path leading up to the cottage that had been his home for more than a century. Much like him, it had barely changed. Though, the same could not be said for the area surrounding it. The bird houses had been replaced with nectar feeders for humming birds and especially butterflies. There were also large butterfly bushes surrounding it filled with massive, colorful blooms begging for anything with a proboscis. The colorful little insects swarmed the property, fluttering about to whatever met their fancy. Long gone were the birds, rodents, and other creatures Fluttershy surrounded herself with. The current owner was all about butterflies, butterflies, butterflies. However, the cottage itself was still a cozy home with a roof of thick grass with maybe more flowers.

Flutterbye, on the other manipulative appendage, was a much different pony from her great, great, great grandmother both inside and out. She was an extremely social pony, perhaps a little too social for even Discord’s taste. She was also a more boldly colored pony with a bright orange coat and a rainbow mane that made him think more of Rainbow Dash whenever he saw her at first.

She was the first to convince him to give in and go to watch Celestia’s annual ego trip. He typically found some excuse, but after more than a hundred reasons to be somewhere else even he was running out of ideas. Besides, a few seconds of watching Celestia do what she does every day only with more pomp and circumstance was not too terrible. Flutterbye was also more than willing to head to his favorite club and make a real night of it for the lead up.

He was really coming to like this latest overseer. She had the time of her life dancing and chattering with their fellow clubbers. Maybe five generations living around him was finally starting to rub off.

They entered the cottage and Flutterbye yawned. “I don’t know about you, Uncle Dizzy, but I’m bushed. Wake me up in a week.”

Discord did disdain that pet name she had for him. He wanted to spin her around in retaliation, but the faintest sound reached his ear. A pony would never hear it, but his ears could hear a fly land on cupcake ten kilometers away. This sound was tapping of a certain typewriter.

“Go on Flutter Five,” Discord called her his pet name for her. He stretched. “The Titan of Chaos really doesn’t need sleep.”

He waved her to the upstairs and waited until the door closed. He then slithered to a hole in the wall. The hole was microscopic, only known to him. He stretched himself into a string only as wide as a molecule to pass through into the room beyond which was actually a fold in space so the house did not even show it was there.

It was a basic room with just a lamp coming down from the ceiling and shining on a typewriter on a table and a stool. Discord assumed his normal shape again and sat down.

The paper had one line on it. <Are you there?>

Discord intertwined his knuckles to crack them and typed out, <I’m here, old friend. I assume you’re calling because you found my,> he stopped and tapped out <...> as he thought of the right word, <gifts.>

The typewriter began typing by itself. <I knew these ponies were your doing.>

Discord typed, <They must have already caused quite a stir over there.>

The typewriter immediately typed, <They sabotaged the harpies’ second campaign to take the Bifrost. Do have any idea how much work went into spoon feeding them the identity of the Valkyrie Queen’s descendent while making it look like they found it on their own?>

<I would have to imagine quite a lot.>

<The harpies having the Bifrost would mean they could suppress the other races of this world. It would have made controlling it much easier. Yet your infernal ponies come in and took it for themselves.>

Discord typed, <You should just have to read that sentence and know why I couldn’t allow that.>

The typewriter was silent for several seconds before typing, <I suppose you couldn’t.>

<And it’s not like you rule that world from a throne on high. You stay in the shadows and pull the strings like a puppet master.>

<The typewriter was again silent for a few seconds. <You have me there. How many ponies did you send here?>

Discord shrugged. <I honestly don’t know. A few dozen. A few hundred. A few thousand. I just let the spell do its thing. There are not too many, and they were misfits with a freak mutation and never really fit in here anyway.>

<I’m surprised Celestia didn’t drop her sun on you for this.>

Discord chuckled. <I’ve been a good little boy for these past hundred years. Old Sun Rump never suspected me. The ponies think it was rogue group of old changelings or something and have already moved on.>

<You play dangerous.>

<That’s what makes it fun.>

<I do have to admit these ponies are an interesting bunch. A few might make for fun playmates. A light blue Pegasus is quite intelligent and logical. I will enjoy challenging her to a battle of wits.>

<I thought you would like her in particular. You know, she is a descendent of your old foe when you terrorized Southern Equestria in ancient times.>

<Somnambula’s descendent? Well, that will make my games with her all the more amusing.>

<You will have to let me know about all the juicy details.>

<I will. Remember to destroy this message.>

<I always do.>

Discord pulled the paper out of the typewriter and put in a blank sheet. He sat back and wadded up the paper to pop it in his mouth. After chewing the paper for a while, he swallowed. “Old Uncle ‘Dizzy’s’ still got it.”

Author's Note:

And this concludes our adventure. Thank you for reading and any comments.

I set out to tell an origin story for the G1 ponies here. I know this goes against the established canon of the series, but I prefer to pay homage to its spirit than the actual events.

This has been intended to be a springboard to a series of novels and novelettes about these ponies. However, I think I’m going to take a break from ponies for now. Maybe I will come back to it, but for right now I’m going to let this stand alone.

Comments ( 5 )

So it was Discord who was responsible, why am I not surprised? But who was he talking too? Grogar? Tirac? Or a more unknown villain? And Why do the get the feels the ponies will come into conflict with the rest of the Harpies? All and all, this was a great story.

Damnit Discord.

This story was a fantastic read and thanks for writing it.

Well you certainly caught my attention, and I am proud to say you have surpassed my expectations. I award you most handsomely with a post in my Silver Standard Library, where stories that are a cut above the rest take their destined place in glory. Keep up the great work and I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future. Take a like and a follow and give old Discord a smack on the back of the head for me, he keeps messing with worldly powers and it's going to bite him in the arse one of these days.

See you next time, and congratulations,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

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Thank you for the attention and I’m glad you liked the story.

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