Portal to Another World

by Backburner

Secrets

Pinkie had planned a surprising amount of activities for having such short notice, even if the grand majority of them involved corn. A corn shucking competition, five-legged race, corn maze, leaf-based arts and crafts, and corn eating contest to name a few. Roger made a great effort in all of them but Lilly somehow managed to lose or under perform in every event. And through every single game and corncob Pinkie presented her with she held fast to her little bag.

Twilight’s curiosity was overflowing as to what could be inside of it. Luna above if it was some kind of drug or stolen object that could lead to a visit by the local sheriff, or worse. Anything that could take Lilly away before they went home was a major cause for concern, and somehow Twilight suspected this bag could do just that. After a day of non-stop Pinkie Pie style friend-making Twilight couldn’t take it any more. Around one o’clock in the afternoon Twilight suggested a lunch break, which the others gladly accepted.

“Watching you guys run around like fillies is hungry work,” as Rainbow put it. Everypony sat around Roger’s table and waited for Roger to prepare what he called, “A personal favorite, and an Earth delicacy.” Lilly had volunteered to help leaving Twilight an opportunity to ponder what she was hiding. However as her mind swirled with every possibility from stolen gems to espionage equipment (all of which sounded absolutely ridiculous). Applejack roped her into a conversation to break the silence.

“So Twilight, ya think y’all are maken’ any progress with Lilly and Roger?” Twilight pushed away her suspicions and turned to Applejack.

“Well these things take time, and we’re not working under the best conditions due to time constraints, but if we keep making progress I think we should be ready for another attempt some time tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!” Rainbow Dash said. “Ugh dose that mean I have to sleep with Rarity again tonight? That bed is crowded with three, but four of us means I’m sleeping on the floor.” Rarity turned up her nose in mock disgust.

“For your information Rainbow, I’ll be bunking with Twilight and Pinkie tonight should it come to that.” It was good to hear her friends talk like there normal selves. Pinkie’s words had rung true all day as to the change in their party’s mood. Twilight just hoped Lilly would be the final push they would need to finally open the portal so she wouldn’t have to see her friends sink back into their docile ponysonas.

“Hey, why don’t we all sleep down here tonight?” Pinkie asked, bouncing slightly in her seat. “We could bring down some Pillows and blankets and make a fort under the table and have a SLUMBER PARTY!” Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the idea.

“Well sugar cube I reckon that’s a mighty fine idea.” Applejack said. “We can even invite Roger and Lilly to join us and help with all this friendship building and whatnot.”

“And, maybe we can watch some more of our show to motivate us tomorrow.” Fluttershy suggested.
“Well then I guess it’s pretty much settled.” Twilight said with a smile.

“YAY!!!” Pinkie nearly exploded with joy. “I haven’t had a party in four days you guys, FOUR DAYS, that’s like forever! We’re going to need cake, and cupcakes, and balloons, and streamers, and games, and music, and…”

“I think we get the idea Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight smiled as her friends bounced ideas for that night. Time quickly ate itself away and before she knew it Roger had Lilly hold the door while he carried a huge steaming pot into the dinning room.

“Fillies and gentle colts, I give you my world class, unbelievably delicious, unimpeachably tasty, indispensably nutritious, I can’t believe-able concoction of macaroni and cheese you will ever eat.” With a flourish, Roger set the pot upon the table and removed the lid to allow the steam to vent. A strange smell made it’s way to Twilight’s nose as Roger sent Lilly back into the kitchen for plates and a serving spoon.

“Either this is an exotic dish, or something went very wrong with its preparation.” Rarity said.

“What did he call this?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight. Twilight didn’t exactly know how to respond, there being no word for macaroni in Equestria.

“I don’t know exactly, but it supposedly has cheese in it.” Lilly returned with the plates before Twilight could ask Roger for more detail on the dish and before long each of the ponies had a heaping plate in front of them. Roger and Lilly sat down and immediately began to eat, but the ponies where more hesitant. Rainbow poked the food with a hoof and tried to fan away the steam still poring off it.

“Careful, it’s hot.” Roger said as he signed the same message to Pinkie Pie. Rainbow ignored him and took a nibble from the top of the mound of food. Twilight was more then happy to let Rainbow be the guinea pig and watched intently as the cyan pony chewed.

“It’s not half bad, a little slippery but I’ve had worse.” Rainbow stuffed her face into the food and took another bite. “In fact, it beats anything I’ve had since we got here, no offence AJ.” She said between mouthfuls.

“None taken,” Applejack said taking a bite herself, followed by a mouthful. “This stuffs good enough to serve the hoity-toity’s in Canterlot.” The rest of the ponies had soon licked their plates clean and gone for seconds. When the pot sat empty on the table and everpony returned their plates to the kitchen it was almost two thirty in the afternoon. Twilight mentioned to Roger the sleep over idea Pinkie had and was able to quickly convince him of allowing it.

“Well of course we can do that Twilight, in fact why don’t I run into town and get some party provisions while the stores are still open? If I’m invited to a Pinkie Pie style party I want to get the full experience.” Twilight knew this meant little to no chance of continuing the friendship building exercises, but this was the best idea to keep up moral that had been presented so far, so…

“Alright, I’ll tell the others where you’re headed.” Twilight said.

“Actually I need to ask Pinkie Pie what she’ll want me to get, she’s much more savvy about these things than I am.” Roger called Pinkie over and asked her what he would need for “the best party this side of Equestria.” Pinkie’s face lit up into a smile that nearly split her head in half. She hopped from hoof to hoof as her fore hooves listed item after item. “That’s quite a big list Pinkie, I’m going to be gone awhile.”

“You want the best, that’s what you need.” Pinkie said while she signed.

“I don’t even know if they have mini-pudding pies in town, but I guess there’s no harm in checking.” Roger told Lilly to try and get to know Twilight and Rarity a little more while he was gone before grabbing his keys. As Roger pulled away from his house Lilly turned to Twilight and nervously clutched her bag.

“So,” she began. “Enjoying your stay here?”

“Yes, we all are.” Twilight said. “It was very kind of your father to take us in like he did, he has been very helpful in our attempts to get home. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t homesick but I’m very thankful for…”

“Great, great.” Lilly interrupted. “Why don’t you and Rare-y join me in the living room. My dad wants us to get to know each other better so why don’t we sit down and talk in there?” Twilight didn’t know which she found more rude, the fact that Lilly had interrupted her, or how she so hideously mispronounced Rarity’s name. However when Lilly left to claim a spot on the living room couch, Twilight motioned Rarity to follow her.

The living room had not been cleaned since Lilly’s arrival and thus the coffee table still lay on its side. A few books lay scattered on the floor and when Lilly entered she casually kicked them aside before setting the table back on its legs. Lilly took a seat in the center of the couch and Twilight and Rarity took a place on either side of her.

“I never really liked that coffee table,” Lilly said. “Mom bought it at a yard sale when she was young, which is why I think dad has been reluctant to get rid of it, but personally I think it’s far past dated.” Rarity made a sign in Pinkies silent language that Twilight recognized as asking what something meant. “I’m sorry I don’t speak sign language.” Lilly responded. Twilight translated Lilly’s statement and Rarity nodded her head.

“Well, no problem I suppose, as long as you don’t mind playing middle party Twilight.” Rarity said. Twilight said she didn’t mind and turned to face Lilly.

“So, what do you do in the city Lilly?” She asked.

“Well as of now I’m unemployed, I was recently laid off of work due to factory bankruptcy. Dad’s been kind of worried about me lately because of it but I think I’m doing relatively well. I’ve applied for several new jobs in town and as long as I stay afloat on the rent I should be able to work things out.” When Lilly finished Twilight translated this to Rarity.

“If you’re having trouble with money why don’t you ask your father for help?” Twilight asked. Lilly was hesitant to answer, letting the room slip into an uncomfortable silence before responding.

“I thought of doing that a few times, but I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“Why not? Are you afraid he’ll say no?” Lilly turned away from Twilight and looked at the coffee table.

“It wouldn’t feel right to ask for anything after what happened with mom.” What did her mom have to do with asking for help? It probably wasn’t a good idea to press the matter but that seemed like an odd reason to…

“Twilight.” Rarity said, interrupting her thought. “What are you two saying?” Twilight translated as she tried to figure out how the two fit together. Rarity seemed less concerned about it than she was and voiced a different question. “What exactly was it that happened?”

Twilight took a second to realize what she meant. Twilight hadn’t told anypony about the story Roger had shared with her before Lilly arrived, and she wasn’t sure it was her place to say.

Twilight looked up at Lilly who was still facing the table, her bag clutched close to her in her lap.

“Lilly, Rarity wants to know what happened to your mom.” Lilly didn’t say anything for a moment, but she began to rhythmically squeeze her bag repeatedly as Twilight let her think.

“Mom was going to town, I-”

“Lilly I just need to know if it’s ok to tell Rarity what happened,” Twilight interrupted. “Roger already told me the story.” Lilly turned to Twilight when she said her father’s name.

“What version did he give you? You know what don’t bother answering that I know he left out the bad parts.” Lilly leaned back on the couch and let her eyes wander around the room. “He didn’t even give me the full story.”

“What do you mean? I know how your mom… died, if that’s what you mean.” Lilly turned a hateful glare back at Twilight.
“Did he tell you who did it? It’ll surprise me more than finding you here if he did.” Twilight didn’t answer. “Figures, can’t bring himself to tell the cute little pony how cruel the world can be. When the cops caught my mom’s murderer and brought him before a court he said he did it because she was one of the nicest people in town. He didn’t think she would do anything to stop him, and she didn’t.”

“Lilly that doesn’t make any sense. If he knew she was so nice why didn’t he just ask for a ride?”

Lilly turned away and said nothing as she starred down at the floor. Twilight followed her gaze to one of the photo albums she had kicked aside when she entered the room,

“because when people want something, they often don’t let anybody stand in their way, especially people weaker than themselves. My mom made the mistake of thinking everything could just work itself out if she sat there and smiled, and I lost her because of it.” Twilight couldn’t say anything after that, but Rarity, who had remained quiet through that exchange, spoke up.

“Was that question to personal, I’d hate to think-”

“This isn’t working.” Lilly said as she stood up and started to leave. “I don’t know why dad wanted me to talk to you.” Rarity turned to Twilight with a sad look on her face, and Twilight could only stare back in response. When Lilly left the room, the two mares sat together for a moment before speaking again, but there conversation quickly ended as they both excused each other to collect there thoughts.

When Roger finally arrived home the suspicions Twilight originally had about Lilly had nearly completely subsided. She was, after all, being introduced to and associating with characters from a show thought, until now, to be fictional; how else could she have reacted? Maybe Twilight had her out wrong. Roger had found nearly everything on Pinkies list and his truck was packed with all manner of party apparel. Pinkie squealed when she saw it and managed an impressive jump into the back of the truck to sort through the bags.

Lilly and Roger carried most of the bags inside while the ponies set up the festivities. A buffet of cupcakes, pies, brownies, and all manners of sweets littered the table, as all around party games and balloons crowded the space. The corner farthest from the television became a dance space and everything had a distinctly equestrian feel. When everything was ready and Pinkie kicked off the party with a root beer drinking contest (another Earth dish the ponies adored) Twilight almost felt like she was home again.

Pinkie led the party all around the room, always followed closely by Roger who never missed a beat. Applejack and Rainbow Dash went from game to game constantly challenging each other to even greater feats of skill, including an hour-long game of 3-sided twister. Rarity and Fluttershy stayed near the dance corner and listened to the music filtering through the room while Lilly was content to stay by the buffet watching the ponies have their fun and occasionally enjoying a cupcake or two. Twilight was swept away by everything around her, the stress of the last few days forgotten as she and her friends lost all track of time.

When both Rainbow and Applejack where exhausted and Fluttershy and Rarity had heard every song they could twice, the party started to wind down. Pinkie had long since outlasted Roger as she rushed around the room, but Roger made a valiant effort to observe her antics. The sun dipped behind the horizon as Twilight turned on the television so Roger could put on their show. Pinkie put up only a slight protest.

“But we haven’t even broken the piñata yet.” Pinkie pleaded.

“I don’t think Roger got a piñata Pinkie.” Twilight said as she moved a pillow in front of the television.

“But theirs so much left to do! Please Twilight just a few more party games.” She practically begged, eyes wide. “It’s my first party on Earth, and Roger wants it to be the best Pinkie Pie party ever.” Pinkie pointed at Roger who was getting ready to start the next episode. “Don’t tell me you want to stop his party early.

“Pinkie this is you we’re talking about.” Rainbow Dash said taking a position in front of the television. “Every party ends early for you.” Pinkie couldn’t counter that one, and was thus silenced. When the ponies had gathered around the television (including the disappointed Pinkie) Roger started an episode titled The Cutie Mark Chronicles, which the ever stubborn Applejack and Rainbow Dash barely made it halfway through before dozing off.

Episode after episode played before Twilight, featuring herself and her friends, each bringing up new memories. Before long she was the only one in the room still awake, and upon noticing this somewhere in the middle of season three, she went to turn off the television when something caught her eye.

Lilly had decided to sleep down here with them as per her father’s request, and her purple bag was lying beside her held tight by her right hand. Twilight’s suspicions came flooding back to her as she forced herself to look away. This wouldn’t be the first time Twilight’s suspicion about somepony had little to no basis yet proved to be right. But Lilly was just adjusting to this situation, same as they where, wasn’t she?

Twilight turned off the television and picked a spot on the mattress between Fluttershy and Pinkie determined to fall asleep. Yet as hard as she tried to put the little bag out of her mind she couldn’t help but raise her head to look at it. Slowly, she stood and stepped off the mattress.

“This isn’t right,” she told herself. “I shouldn’t be doing this.” Drawing closer to Lilly’s sleeping form, Twilight silenced her inward protests as her suspicion gripped her. Lilly gripped the bag tightly, even in her unconscious state. Whatever was in it she didn’t want anypony to see it. Twilight used her magic to gingerly open Lilly’s fingers one by one, pausing after every breath Lilly took. When she had finally opened her vice like grip, using her mouth she lifted the bag from Lilly’s palm. “What am I doing?” she asked herself as she slowly backed away and released Lilly’s fingers.

Taking the bag into the kitchen so as not to disturb the sleeping forms in front of the television, she placed the bag on the ground in front of her. It was leathery and smooth with a clip lock at the top that Twilight took a minute to figure out. She looked at the bag for a full minute before working up the courage to actually open it, and when she did it took her another breathless period before she looked inside.

The bag was a lot smaller on the inside then it appeared to be from the outside, the actual size somewhere near two thirds of what Twilight had assumed. Twilight removed the contents one by one, a lipstick tube, a few rectangular pieces of green paper, and other objects Twilight didn’t recognize. However when the bag was nearly empty twilight found something flat against the bottom of the bag. Twilight pulled this out and realized it was a photo of a woman around Lilly’s age, at the bottom it was signed Roxanne.

Twilight was raising the picture close to her face to observe the woman more closely when she was startled by the door to the dinning room being thrown open. Lilly stood in the doorway until she saw Twilight with the bag. Rushing over, she quickly tore the picture from her magical grasp and shoved everything back in the bag.

“Lilly, I can explain-” Twilight said as Lilly franticly checked the bags contents again.

“Twilight I don’t know what you do with your other friends things but stay out of my purse. I don’t touch your stuff don’t touch mine, got it!?” Her tone was frantic and harsh as she responded to Twilight. When she finished speaking she turned a piercing gaze at Twilight who backed away slightly as her ears became plastered against her head.

“Lilly…I’m sorry I…”

“I don’t care if your sorry, I didn’t think I’d have to tell you this but this is my purse, and if I catch you with it again before you go home tomorrow… just leave it and me alone.”

“Lilly, wait…” Twilight stuttered as Lilly rose to go back to the dinning room. “I… there’s nothing really in there except a picture, is it this Roxanne that your protecting or…” Lilly snapped a hateful glance at Twilight.

“Don’t call her that, not ever, and not in her house especially. She might have loved your show but she’d never let anybody call her by her full name, not even you.” With that, Lilly stormed through the dinning room and into the main hall. Twilight could hear her walk up the staircase and stayed motionless until she heard the door to Lilly’s room close. When it became clear the others had somehow miraculously stayed asleep through the exchange, Twilight went back to the dinning room and closed the door to the kitchen.

“Great job Twilight, now you’ll be lucky to get her to talk to you, let alone call you a friend.” Twilight laid back down on the mattress and shut her eyes to try and sleep, but all she could think about was the angry way Lilly had looked at her, almost as if there was something Twilight didn’t understand about that picture.

Fitful thoughts soon turned to fitful dreams as Twilight drifted into a deep sleep. When she awoke the next morning it almost felt like she had never slept at all. Roger and Applejack were already up, no doubt making breakfast. But the lack of smells from the kitchen soon disproved that theory. Twilight stretched and made her way into the living room where she found Roger reading one of the many books that lined the walls. Roger looked up when Twilight walked in and set down his book.

“Morning Twilight, sleep well?” he asked. Twilight pulled herself onto the couch next to him and yawned in response. “Guess not, nervous about the attempt today?”

“It’s not that Roger, Lilly and I are...well I...I made her real upset with me last night.”

“Oh…what happened?” Twilight retold what happened last night and how horrible she felt about invading Lilly’s privacy.

“I was just so curious about that bag. She held it so tight and had it with her all the time, I just wish I never took it.” Roger listened sympathetically, and when Twilight finished he was hesitant to speak.

“Lilly didn’t take it very well when her mother died. She was always mommy’s little girl. I think one of the reasons I don’t see her as much is because she can’t stand to think of this place without Roxy in it. I never knew she kept a picture of her though, I thought she was just being protective of her makeup or something.” Twilight might have laughed at that if she was a little more awake and had a little less on her mind.

“I don’t know much about make-up, but I don’t even think Rarity cares that much about her blush.” Roger chuckled a little at that comment and smiled down at Twilight.

“Lilly’s a good girl, I’m sure that if you apologize she’ll forgive you.” Twilight wasn’t so sure, but she thanked Roger anyway and went to get some fresh air hoping to be awake for the attempt to open the portal. A wonderful sunrise graced the horizon to meet her as Twilight opened the door. That was something Twilight was always astounded by, the beautiful scene of the sunrise you could get from Roger’s house.

Twilight thought about going home seriously for the first time since she arrived. Before, she had been trying to get home but never really thought her attempts would bear fruit. Even with the situation between her and Lilly she felt for the first time in five days that this might actually be the one to take them home.

Roger’s question finally starting buzzing in her head, how would she face Equestria again knowing what it was in this world. Rainbow had a point when she said they couldn’t tell if this was the imaginary world instead of there own, but somehow that didn’t seam right. Twilight sat herself down in front of Roger’s house and watched the sunrise. Maybe… somehow, they both were real.

Comments

[Cunt_Crusader]

' how else could she of reacted?'

*twitch* *twitch*

Did you really just use 'of' instead of 'have'?

I AM RIGHTEOUSLY PISSED.

[Backburner]

1244199

Your complaint has been receaved and the monkey on the typrighter that edits my fics will receave no bannana tonight for his mistake, I hope this satisfies your several angry Fluttershys.

(In all honesty I have no idea how Microsoft Word, Mayself, Google Docs, and my editor missed that, i went to change it though so don't worry.)

On a side note, no comment on the chapters content? usually you give me a little remark or quote or something but a complaint will do instead if I really upset you THAT much, punishment for my idiocy i supose.

[Cunt_Crusader]

1244327

Sorry, it just really rustled my jimmies. Insightful comment next chapter, okay?

[Backburner]

1244912

Alright, next chapter it is then.

[Jack-Pony]

Oh, Twilight, you dun goofed!

Also, when setting up for the party, you used 'Moral' instead of 'Morale'...