Chapter 2: A Brief History of the Multiverse
What...
Shawn felt nothing but, somehow, he knew he was floating.
Shawn could see nothing, yet he recognized the vastness of the fathomless nothing before him.
And Shawn could hear nothing above the immense, yet subtle, buzzing that pervaded the whole nonsensical place.
Static and Darkness...
Had that been his own thought? He wasn't sure... it didn't sound like him. Far too melodramatic.
For ONE THOUSAND YEARS, this was our EXISTENCE!
The voice came from all around him, smooth and feminine, yet dripping with barely restrained malice. It reminded him of Yang, but even more crazy, if that was possible.
Who are you?
Thou knowest VERY well to whom thou speak.
Shawn rolled his metaphorical eyes, suddenly very aware that he had no body.
Is this a dream? Because if it is, I'd like to skip to the part where I'm naked in a bathtub full of kit-kats and playgirls.
Such arrogance... What makest thou think that we would deign to soil ourselves by coming into contact with thine filthy mind?
This was definitely The Nighmare. Shawn had never met anyone else who spoke like that. More worryingly, though... If this wasn't a dream, what the hell was going on? On second thought, it was probably not worth dwelling on.
Hey, listen Shakespeare, if you're not going to give me my kit-kat bath then can you at least speak so I don't need to read the other side of the page to figure out what you said?
INSOLENCE! THOU ART-
I'VE GOT A LOVELY BUNCH OF COCONUTS, DEEDLEDEEDEE, THEY'RE LINED UP SO NEATLY IN A ROOOOOW. SMALL ONES, BI-
The voice stopped, palpably incredulous, and a sigh of resignation reverberated through the non-space that surrounded him.
Fine. But on the condition that you stop acting like a child.
Hey! I am NOT act-
ENOUGH
The violence and strength of the word shook everything, so that even the buzzing receded, if only for a moment.
-ing. This time, The Nightmare ignored him and continued.
I know not how you followed me into this world, little human. However, know this: I suffered in the oblivion you now experience for a THOUSAND YEARS. It stripped my mind of everything but vengeance... and when I FINALLY burst free from its hold, I barely tasted the sweetness of my own world but for a mere MOMENT before I was violently THRUST INTO YOURS!
Maybe it was the nature of the place, or maybe it was the sheer presence of the being that communicated with him, but The Nightmare's emotions were palpable. Shawn felt like sandpaper made of hatred was being shoved down his throat.
Ok, I get it. You're very angry and very crazy... He paused, wryly noting that he was holding a conversation with a voice in his head, What do you want from me?
Want? The Nightmare laughed and contempt washed over him like acid rain, There is NOTHING I seek from you. You are a bug, beneath my notice and easily crushed. However, your presence on this world will change things... Things that are vital to my VENGEANCE. The desire in that final word seethed and burned in his center.
Fine, I'll make a mental note to not mess up your plans. Are you done with the supervillain monologue? I'd like to wake up now. The emotions were becoming stronger, more painful.
The Nightmare smiled. Again, it was very disconcerting that he knew that in spite of a distinct lack of face on her part... Or eyes on his, You will not remember any of this upon your awakening. All that you will remember... All that you NEED to remember is this:
Shawn braced himself.
CROSS ME AND DIE! Rage struck him like a sledgehammer, battering away his meager defenses and sending him reeling into nothingness, the final word echoing through the darkness.
-----------------------------------
Birds chirping. Oh, no...
Water babbling over a brook. No... nonono...
The swish of trees swaying with the morning breeze. Nooooooooooo!
Shawn groaned. It was a full-body groan, that started low in his stomach, made its way up his esophagus, and shoved itself out of his mouth all in one go. It was the groan of a dying man. Or, in this case, one who would rather be dead. He valiantly lifted his hands to his temples, trying to stop the mad spinning of a world that clearly had it out for him. Someone had wrapped him up in another bandage, this one over his eyes.
"Why couldn't they just eat all of me... Why did they only take a bite outta my head?"
"W-what?"
Shawn flinched at the voice, then slowly forced himself to calm down. It wasn't like he was in any condition to run around anyway. Still, maybe he could at least manage to sit up.
"Oh my! Don't move around too much, please! You're still hurt... you might even have a concussion!"
Ok, Shawn, just... think about this for a second. Several things were fairly obvious to him by this point: One, those... mythological mini-horses had obviously not been trying to eat him. Most things don't talk to their lunch before chowing down. And they certainly don't put you in bed and treat your wounds. Two, wherever he was, there clearly weren't other people around. The pastel ponies... Ponies! That's what small horses are called, isn't it?... had been referring to him as "it". And three, this probably wasn't a dream. He didn't think people could hurt so much in a dream.
Ironically enough, it was that last realization that was probably the most disconcerting of all.
"Where am I?" He tried to lift the bandage away from his eyes, but something warm and very hoof-like stopped his hand.
"Please don't take those off yet," The voice pleaded softly, "It's still very bright out, so it'll be very uncomfortable if you do..." Shawn could only let out a low chuckle at being chastised like a 5 year-old. The voice was female and gentle. The kind of voice he'd expect to hear reciting nursery rhymes to nervous children. He'd been scared of these things? He'd heard new-born kittens be more threatening.
"Ok, ok. Just... could you please tell me where I am?" The voice paused to consider.
"Y-You're in my home." Shawn sighed. He noted that the speaker seemed to vacillate between gently commanding and debilitatingly awkward.
"Let's try an easier one. What's your name?"
"O-oh! My name is Fluttershy. What's yours?... y-you know... if you don't mind... telling me..."
"Fl- Wait... really? Fluttershy?"
"I-Is... Is there something wrong with it?"
"No! No no no... it's just... I guess it's just really... fitting. I'm Shawn."
"O-Oh. Th-Thank you... Shawn..."
The awkward pause lasted a moment longer before Shawn recovered himself.
"Is it ok if I take this off now?" He touched the bandage over his eyes and the speaker shuffled about.
"Oh, one moment! Let me at least shut the curtains." Back to care-taker mode. The creature whose home he'd invaded was obviously used to caring for animals, but seemed awkward around other people. She may have been having trouble settling on whether to treat him as a big animal that needed care or a person. Well, so far she's been more helpful as a nurse.
"Ok, you can take it off now..." He lifted the gauze from his eyes, giving them a moment to adjust before trying to look around. Yup... yellow pegasus... I guess I really wasn't dreaming that up. Details immediately started jumping out at him. The three butterflies tattooed on her flank. Several shadows moving underneath the closed door to the well-lit living room. Scuff marks where someone had dragged the night stand out of the room. Had they thought he might use it as a weapon? Or perhaps expected a repeat performance of what he'd done to the dining table?
He also noted his wallet and phone were gone. I'll worry about that later...
"How do you feel?" The pegasus awkwardly sat on her haunches near the bed, but just out of his reach. That had probably been planned, too. Maybe by whoever was listening in from the other room.
"I've... been better." He let out a hacking cough... milking it for all it was worth, "Listen, I really need to know where I am. I have no idea how I ended up here, but my friends will be worried about me."
Predictably, she rushed forward, putting a hoof to his forehead, then trapping an earthenware cup between both front hooves and handing it to him. She helped him sit up, all the while chattering away with her small wings fully extended.
"Oh, well, it can't be helped if your friends are worried about you. That's what friends are for you know. You're in Equestria, right at the edge of the Everfree forest... But you probably already knew that since you came from there. Still, I've lived here almost my whole life and I've never seen a creature like you before! Especially one that talks! What are you? What do you call yourself? Oh, you have to tell me absolutely everything!"
Shawn stuttered, trying to digest the rush of information. If anything, his little plan to get her out of her shell and talking had worked a bit too well. Now he was stuck with a bunch of names of places he had no context for, and a bunch of questions he wasn't sure how to answer, "Wait wait wait. I didn't exactly come from... You know what, it doesn't matter. Listen, where on Earth am I?" He'd start at a high level and narrow it down from there. If these ponies had never seen people before, that meant he'd probably been dumped somewhere deep in Los Padres National Forest. It's the only place he could think of near Santa Barbara that was big enough to hide a small colony of mutant, talking ponies from humanity.
"Earth?" She cocked her head at him in confusion as everything came together.
FLASH
Vanessa leaned in conspirationally, "This is highly classified information, you understand, but you'll need to know if you're going to catch the bastard that attacked me..."
"Uh huh..." Gus leaned in, trying to get a surreptitious whiff of her hair past Shawn's shoulder. Shawn gave his friend a horrified look, which Gus returned with a suitably indignant one. They traded various glances and hand motions for a few seconds, while Vanessa looked on in confusion, "Please, do continue, my lady Vanessa." Gus's attempt at smooth chivalry only made things more awkward.
"Uhhh... right. Anyway, this project was originally cutting edge research into teleportation. However, it incidentally ended up confirming the multiverse aspects some fringe forms of string theory. It's still in its infancy stages, but many of the top physicists on the project are already speculating on the possibility of artificially violating some of the basic laws of nature..." She trailed off, noticing that Shawn had managed to fall asleep on Gus's shoulder. Gus gave her an apologetic look before shoving him awake.
"Huh, what now? Yarn theory and natural laws, got it."
Vanessa sighed, "Ok, I get it... Short story is, we think we've built a machine that could allow us to see and eventually explore new worlds, universes, and dimensions! Each with its own set of physical laws!"
Shawn clapped his hands, while Gus shot him dirty looks, "Right, impressive, ok! How does that help in catching the bad guy?"
"Well... It's possible that some group of extremists caught wind of what we're doing and are trying to shut it down. A lot of ideaologies would fare badly at the confirmation of an infinite number of possible universes..."
"Terrorists... wonderful."
FLASH
Vanessa's voice replayed over and over in his head: Explore new worlds, universes, and dimensions! He suddenly felt very ill.
"I didn't know you could change colors..." Fluttershy, one hoof on the bed, put her forehead right next to his, "You don't feel feverish... You do look a little green though... is that normal?" He shook his head. Slowly.
"Oh my... let me get you some more water." She picked up the empty cup with her mouth and started to leave.
"Fluttershy, wait!" She stopped to glance back at him, "Look... I'm not entirely sure how to say this..." Shawn paused and rubbed his face, "I... I don't think I'm from this world at all..."
"WHAT!?" The purple unicorn he'd seen before burst through the door, ogling at him. Fluttershy, startled, squeaked and dropped the cup, which shattered on the hard wooden floors. The sliding of ceramic shards along wood was the loudest thing in the room as Fluttershy shot a reproachful look at the newcomer.
"Oh no! I'm sorry, Fluttershy, it's just... I mean... sorry..." The purple unicorn finished lamely.
The yellow pegasus only shook her head and tapped at one of the ceramic pieces, "Oh, no... It's ok, Twilight... That cup was getting old anyway... Why don't you keep Shawn company while I go get him something else to drink... You know... If you don't mind..." The meek, little personality was back and Shawn suspected it would be a while before he could coax the pony into relaxing again. Twilight blushed through her fur as her friend walked past, but seemed to recover quickly as she remembered where she was.
"So... Shawn, right?" He nodded, as more details leapt out at his practiced eye: Another flank tattoo, this one a purple star with five smaller white ones around it. Multiple voices speaking in hushed tones coming from the other room as the door closed. A distinctly bedraggled, deep purple mane with a lighter purple stripe.
"Now... you said you don't think you're from this world. What did you mean by that?" Shawn paused to consider. The only first-contact scenarios he was familiar with usually involved either chest-busters, phasers, or lightsabers. On the one hand, he didn't want to screw his chances at a good first impression. On the other hand, he was Shawn Spencer... And it's not like there are other people to compare me to around here anyway. The idea of a blank slate appealed to him, but lying about anything at this point might only set him back. He decided to throw caution to the wind and be himself... doing so had rarely let him down before.
"I'm from a world kind of like yours... but different. Filled with people like me." Shawn grimaced. He could repeat back most of what Vanessa had said verbatim, but that probably wouldn't help at all. These ponies didn't even seem to have refrigerators, so advanced physics would probably go even more over their heads than his, "Some very smart people were experimenting with something that would allow someone to go from one place to another instantly. Except, there was... an accident... I got caught up in an explosion and now I'm here... in what I think may be a different universe... or dimension." Twilight's eyes got wider with each word.
"A whole new universe! That's amazing! Tell me, are there ponies where you're from?"
"Erm... sort of... they don't talk, though."
"That makes sense. Monkeys don't really talk here," Shawn would have taken offense to the comparison, but considering they'd never seen anything like him before, he figured it was a fair comment, "So, you call yourselves people?"
"Humans, technically... but that too, yeah."
"Fascinating. So, your... people... are still perfecting teleportation magic? How did you manage to do something like pierce the Veil Between Worlds by accident when your magical theory is so primiti-" She stopped, seeming to realize what she was saying, and, again, blushed deeply, "I... What I mean is... You see..." Shawn, however, wasn't listening to her stuttered apology at an imagined faux pas. Instead, the content of her previous sentence bounced around in his head.
Magic... He wondered at the concept, And why not? That explains how I'm suddenly able to speak their language. There are unicorns here, why wouldn't there be magic, too? And maybe that's my ticket home! Shawn coughed, interrupting Twilight mid-apology, "Listen, Twilight. Can you use your magic to get me home?"
She seemed startled at his use of her name, "How did..."
"Fluttershy called you that when you came in."
"Oh! Oh, right!" She let out a nervous laugh, "Anyway, I suppose... technically, it's possible. I've never heard of a pony ever having managed to actually pierce the Veil, though. And all actual experimentation with the spells was discontinued centuries ago by a royal decree from princess Celestia. She said it was too dangerous and limited the royal mages to theory."
Shawn hadn't quite followed all of that, but he understood enough, "So... no... is what you're saying."
"Well... not necessarily. I could try to ask the princess to make an exception to the ban on experimentation." Shawn grunted. Home was still a possibility, but not one for the near future. Twilight seemed to sense his sullenness and tried to change the subject, "So... if you don't mind me asking, how far along are your mages in terms of magical theory?"
He stared at her for a moment, before remembering his previous resolution about sticking to the truth, "They aren't. In fact, most people back home don't actually believe in magic at all." An ironic statement coming from a self-proclaimed psychic.
Twilight went through what appeared to be a heart attack, a panic attack, and sudden-onset apoplexy all at the same time, "B-But... but then... h-how did... it isn't... how do you... what?"
"Ummm, look, I'm probably not the best person to explain this... I'm not a scientist... but back home, we build machines to get things done that you probably use magic for here."
She calmed down, "So... machines... like a steam engine?"
"Yeah, like that! Steam power's kind of old hat, though..."
"Amazing... who would have ever thought that tinkering could go to such a high level as to do something nopony has yet to accomplish with magic..." She looked at him with a fire in her eyes that bespoke of many questions to come. Shawn almost began to regret having said anything when Fluttershy quietly floated back into the room, steaming cup of something in... Hand? Hoof?... hoof. Adjusting to that's going to be tou- Did she just say anypony? He stifled a laugh, Maybe I imagined it...
"I-I hope I'm not interrupting, but I thought you might like some warm tea."
"Thanks." Shawn gratefully accepted the drink and took a sip, relishing the sweet, raspberry undertones, "This is really good!" The pegasus smiled shyly at the compliment.
Twilight looked mildly annoyed at the interruption, until Fluttershy took her aside and whispered in the purple pony's ear. Shawn could only take a guess at the contents of the conversation, but considering the abashed look on the unicorn's face, he could take a very good one.
"I'm really not all that tired, Fluttershy..."
They both looked up, startled. Fluttershy looked nonplussed, while Twilight seemed to reevaluate his hearing range, "I-I'm sorry... but I really do think you should get some rest..." Right on the money.
"It's ok, I actually feel a lot better now." He really did. Maybe the tea had curative properties. Maybe it's magic. The thought was only half-joking. In either case, the headache had faded to a dull throb, easily ignored. Stretching, Shawn set the cup down, slowly got to his feet, and glanced pointedly at the door,"So... when do I get to meet the rest of your friends?"
Both fillies gaped at him, unsure of what to say. Twilight managed a stuttered "H-How...?"
"I'm psychic. Didn't I tell you?" Shawn grinned.
"W-wait... really!? I've never met a true telepath before! How does it work? Do you read all thoughts or ju-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, I was just kidding! I'm not really psychic." It'd been hard enough to keep up appearances in a world where there weren't real ones running around casting spells, "I was a detective... sort of. Well, I was a consultant for the police department." They both gave him blank stares, "Uhm... I helped people solve crimes."
Twilight looked worried, "Is there a lot of crime where you come from."
"Well, if you consider bad reality TV a crime, then yes." Shawn's chuckle trailed off at the continuing blank stares. Dammit, this is gonna be hard, "It... depends... I guess..."
Twilight shook her head before turning towards the doorway, "Let's save that for later. Right now, why don't we formally introduce you to everypony else." There it was again: Everypony. I guess I heard that right, after all. He knew he probably shouldn't laugh. They might think he was strange...er. Twilight lead the way, with Fluttershy walking along next to him in case he needed support, one eye trained on his unsteady movements from beneath a forelock of pink mane.
The living room was just as he remembered it, only this time it was filled with a veritable rainbow of ponies sitting in a semi-circle in the living room. They ran the gamut of emotions from excited, to expectant, to worried, to downright petulant. If this lot was any indication, it seemed like ponies had a tendency to wear their emotions on their sleeves... hooves? Shawn sighed, the only one even wearing clothes was sporting a large cowboy hat. Actually, that is a really cool hat.
"Everpony-" SNRK.
Shawn hadn't been able to help it... the snigger had just slipped out. And the confused look Twilight shot him didn't help any, "I want you to meet Shawn. He's a... human... who apparently stumbled into our world by accident."
"Twilight, dear, you're telling us that his species has the power to pierce the Viel?" The white unicorn spoke up, a look of profound respect, and maybe a hint of fear, on her features.
"Not exactly, Rarity... but I'll get to that later. Right now, I think it's best that we introduce ourselves and try to make him feel at home... he may be here a while." Shawn's good humor faded a little at that. Still, I won't have it said that I can't make the best of a bad situation.
Twilight nodded to her fellow unicorn, "Rarity, why don't you go first?"
"Gladly, darling!" Rarity turned to him and struck a pose, "As you must surely know by now, my name is Rarity. As the most fashionable pony in Ponyville-" SNRKT. Ok, that one hadn't been just him. The blue pegasus had clearly emitted her own snort, though probably for different reasons than his own. Ponyville? Really?
"Ahem..." Rarity shot a glare in the cyan pony's direction before continuing, "... It is my wish to offer you a most sincere welcome to our world on behalf of the ponies gathered here." She looked him up and down, making Shawn feel somewhat like a naked mannequin, "And to personally offer my own services, which you seem to be in dire need of, free of charge."
Shawn looked down at himself, self-conscious of the recently improved airflow in certain parts of his wardrobe, "Thanks, I gue-" A bouncing, pink, overly excited snout sporting an unnaturally large grin suddenly dominated his view of the room, inches from his face.
"OH, me me! I'm next! Hi my name's Pinkie Pie but you already knew that because I told you earlier before you fell sleep again after Dashie knocked you over-"
"HEY!" The blue pegasus tried to interject, but it was like trying to stop a mud-slide with a screen door.
"-trying to say hi but then I told her that that's not how you say hi to somepony you just met and then I asked you if you liked cupcakes so I could bake some for your party because that's how you're supposedtowelcomenewponiestoPonyville-" GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP The barely intelligible tirade stopped as suddenly as it began, with the bright pink pony leaving an equally pink blur in her wake as she shot out of the room. SLAM! Her exit was punctuated by the violently closed door nearly coming off its hinges. Shawn stared after her, flabbergasted. He wasn't the only one in the room to do so, but he was the last to recover from it by several seconds.
"That was... interesting." He didn't really know a better word to describe what had just happened, but his seemed woefully lacking. The rest of the ponies nodded sagely before the blue pegasus shot forward to float right in front of him, "Hi, I'm-"
"Rainbow Dash, right?" He interrupted.
"How...?" Rainbow drooped in the air, disappointed at having her introduction preempted.
"That's what she called you, isn't it? Right after you knocked me over, remember?" The pegasus blushed, then tried to hide it, one hoof coming up to rub the back of her neck. How is she doing that!? Are they double-jointed? Suddenly, Rainbow seemed to rally herself, floating back up to his eye level.
"Sorry about that... No hard feelings?" She stuck out a hoof, which Shawn shook. The gesture seemed to confuse her, but she perked up considerably when he responded light-heatedly.
"Nah... Some people I know would barely consider that a love tap."
"Awesome!" She shook back vigorously, nearly ripping his arm out of its socket with the strength of the motion. Ok, note to self: Some of these ponies are freakishly strong. Going to have to watch out for that. Now that he thought about it, it made sense in a way. While he stood nearly a foot taller than any of the ponies here, they had the distinct disadvantage of having to walk around on four legs. He suspected that, if put on a scale, most of them would actually outmass him by a decent amount. While they seemed peaceful, it certainly was something to keep in mind. Especially since these all seemed to be the equivalent of young women... he wondered if the males got much bigger.
"You already know my name, but I bet you didn't know that I'm also the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She did a little loop in mid-air and shot around the room a couple of times in an effort to show off her skills. Shawn had to admit, the maneuvers had been impressive, considering they were indoors, "One day, I'm going to join the Wonderbolts!"
"Dashie, you realize the fellar prolly don' even know what the Wonderbolts are, right?" Rainbow deflated in realization before Shawn cut in.
"I'm guessing they're a group of famous stunt-fliers... kind of like the Blue Angels back home?" The pegasus perked up again.
"You guys have your own Wonderbolts!? That's awesome! Have you seen them in person?" Shawn shook his head, "Oh well, that's too bad... Hey! Maybe you can come to one of our Wonderbolts shows sometime! And you can tell me all about your Blue Angels, too!" She seemed exceedingly excited at the prospect as she flitted back to her perch on the miniature spiral staircase in the middle of the room. The orange pony who'd interrupted stepped up next.
"Howdy there, Shawn... you prolly know mah name too already, dontcha?" They grinned at each other as he nodded once, "Well, momma always tol' me that it's pah-lite to innerduce oneself to somepony you jus' met. So," She stuck out a hoof, which he shook as well, "Mah name's Applejack."
"Let me guess... You're an apple farmer."
Applejack laughed, "Was it that ahbvious?"
Shawn had been making note of the flank tattoos. All the ponies had them, and they all seemed to relate in one way or another to what the ponies themselves did for a living. For that matter, so did their names... he wondered if that was something they chose later in life or were given at birth. Maybe he'd ask Twilight later. Right now, Applejack was giving him a disturbingly serious look. He remembered that she'd been the one frowning sullenly at him earlier.
"Shawn... ah gotta ask... why in tarnation did'ya call me a... demon donkey of all things?"
This time it was Shawn's turn to blush, "I'm sorry about that. It's just... I really wasn't expecting you guys at all. You gotta realize, right up until I met you, I thought I was still on Earth."
Applejack's frown deepened, "But... why me? Do I really look lik'a donkey t'you?" She seemed genuinely offended.
Shawn couldn't help it... the ridiculousness of the question... of the whole messed up situation he was in... finally caught up with him. And he laughed. It started deep in his belly, soon reducing him to a bent-over mass of shaking shoulders and mirthful tears. The rest of the ponies looked around nervously, while Applejack herself gave him her best withering glare. Only Rainbow Dash joined in with a chuckle, though more at his reaction than anything else.
"Sorry... Sorry..." He gasped out between breaths. Finally, he recovered himself enough to straighten up and look around at them all, wiping his eyes "I... think I really needed that." Shawn felt like himself again. More so than he had since Vanessa first came to him with the case that would lead him to this moment, "Applejack, I have some good news and bad news for you."
"What's th' good news?" She asked hesitantly.
"The good news is, I wasn't calling you a demon donkey."
"Wha... Ok, ah guess. What's the bad news, then?"
"I was calling all of you that... You just assumed I meant you specifically." Every jaw in the room dropped, while Rarity HMPHED indignantly from the back of the room. Applejack's incredulous gaping broke down into gales of laughter, soon joined by the rest of the ponies (and human) in the room. Even rarity cracked a smile behind her hoof.
The moment passed and Twilight stepped forward once more, "Of course, you already know Fluttershy..." She looked over at the eponymous pony, who was quietly sitting on the beanbag-like couch the murder-rabbit had landed on. Shawn nervously remembered the encounter and risked a quick look around the room, failing to spot the violent critter. "And I guess that makes me the only pony who hasn't formally introduced herself." Twilight smiled wryly and extended a hoof. Before Shawn could shake it, though, she spoke again, "My full name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's top student and Ponyville's current librarian. And we say 'hi' like this..." A purple glow, matched by the one around her horn, enveloped his hand and forced it into a fist, which she proceeded to tap with the bottom of her hoof.
My god... these ponies 'pound it' to say hi. Then the real whammy hit him, She really can use magic!
Shawn's barely concealed glee at these revelations was interrupted by a sudden thought, "Wait... I thought you said Princess Celestia made that one decree hundreds of years ago. Do your royalty inherit names or something?"
"Well... no. Actually, Princess Celestia is thousands of years old. She cares for and rules over all the ponies in Equestria alongside her sister, Princess Luna. Together, they're also responsible for raising the sun and moon, respectively." Twilight had naturally taken on a lecturing tone, "Actually, I was going to write her a letter about you when I got back. The princess will probably want to meet you."
Thousands... He couldn't fathom it, I've fallen into a Lord of the Ring's movie... only there's ponies instead of elves...
The nonchalant way she'd said that last bit almost made him miss something important, "Wait... I'm going to meet her!?" Sweat beaded his brow.
Twilight cocked her head at him, "Of course! It's not every day an extra-dimensional being visits Equestria. Besides, she's the only one with the magic and authority to even start the process of getting you home. Why?"
Shawn had yet to meet an authority figure that liked him... and he really needed this one to. He'd have to be on his best behavior, "No reason... just never really met a princess before." Shawn managed to nervously laugh it off, though Applejack was now giving him a weird look. Crap.
"So," Twilight continued, "Would you care to properly introduce yourself to everyone?"
Shawn took a deep breath and looked at the ponies gathered before him. He was stuck here, at least for now, with a friendly alien culture and an entire new world to explore... it was everyone's childhood fantasy. And damn him if he wasn't going to take full advantage.
"Nice to meet you guys. My name is Shawn Spencer. Back home, I was... well, someone who helped catch people who did bad things, or find things good people lost..." It sounded like a lame explanation to him, but the ponies seemed suitably impressed. Rainbow Dash seemed especially excited as she flew over to him from her perch.
"Cool! So you were a Royal Guard?" Her eyes were practically glowing with admiration.
"Erm... Let's just say that the... Royal Guard... occasionally hired me to solve cases they couldn't." That was a gross oversimplification if he'd ever heard one.
"Aaaaaawwwwwesooooome!" Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight, "Hey, he can totally stay at my house if you don't have enough room at the library!"
Twilight shook her head and laughed, "Sorry, Dash, but I'm pretty sure he'd fall right through the floor..." Shawn was starting to get pretty good at ignoring comments that made no sense.
"Oh... right."
"Perhaps, Rainbow Dash did have one good thought there, Twilight," Rarity spoke up, "The library does have plenty of room and is in a much more central location than Fluttershy's cottage." She glanced over at the yellow pony, who was still quietly listening to the goings on, "No offense, darling."
"O-oh... None taken."
The white unicorn looked out the nearest window, observing the sun sitting low in the western horizon "...Also, it is getting a mite late in the day. We might be better served continuing our conversation tomorrow."
Shawn wondered where the day had gone, before remembering that he'd probably spent most of it unconscious. Twilight, on her part, nodded in agreement, "We certainly wouldn't want our new friend to meet the princess sleep-deprived."
"Publish the thought," Shawn piped in.
"Ummm... I think... maybe you meant perish?"
A wide, some would even say shit-eating, grin plastered itself on his face, "I've heard it both ways."
Twilight's features scrunched up as she tried to absorb this, but Shawn continued before she could say anything, "Alright, Sparky Serling, lead the way to the zone." He marched out the door, leaving Twilight to sit there, mouth working soundlessly. She shot the other ponies a panicked look before running out after the perplexing alien.
---------------------------------
Far away, under a mountain in one of Equestria's less friendly neighbors, a shadow chuckled to herself. She assumed that the time dilation she'd sensed earlier had been caused by the interdimensional portal finally spitting out the human who'd followed her here. Had it only been a year since her own arrival? Regardless, The Nightmare would receive confirmation from one of her sleeper cells soon enough.
In the mean-time, she would send a message to her lieutenants to speed up all current operations. Zero-hour was coming and soon she would bring Equestria to its knees. The princesses would be utterly defeated before they even knew what hit them. The world would, once again, be plunged into eternal darkness. Her darkness.
Ominous peals of laughter rang through stone hallways as night swallowed the world.
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New chapter! Let me know what you guys think!
Also, I apologize for not posting it sooner... Editing the monstrosity took far longer than I thought it would. You can all expect a new chapter by sometime early next week. I promise the next one will be far more action-packed.
Thanks for reading!
I cannot wait for more! Great job!
OH MY GOD.
USA... Make this happen...
Another good chapter.
I never stated this in my last comment but I never even heard of this series till i saw your story. I have seeen it now and enjoy it.
78429
You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. I'm glad you're enjoying the show. =)
I am loving this story. You seem to have captured Shawn's personality and his eccentricities perfectly. I also liked how you were able to show his awareness without explicitly stating it.
Please keep writing I must know where this goes.
If anyone knows of or has something that would make for good cover art for this story, please do let me know. I'd really like to get an image attached to this thing, so all ideas are welcome.
fantastic
I was a bit worried for a bit that Shawn didn't seem to be acting like himself, but I think I can safely say that was due to him being shell shocked from his new situation. Also, is Twilight going to be Shawn's new temporary Gus? Please say yes.
Wow, you write a really authentic Shawn Spencer. I can't find anything good in my archives that would make a decent cover image for this, but I wish you luck with your quest for a cover image.
Loving the story, and I'm definitely putting it on Alert.
81229
I agree completely with the sentiment, which is why I made 5k my goal. But, of course, longer chapters often mean slower updates. It took me about 3 days to write and fully edit 6k, so I figure a chapter a week gives me some leeway to work with without letting the story go stale.
Also, thanks! Shawn is one of my favorite characters, personality-wise, in any medium... I'm glad I was able to capture him somewhat.
81245
Shellshock...ness... is a common side effect of waking up in a cartoon.
Also, Shawn will always need a Gus.
Here some questions I want to ask about your story.
Q1.Are some of chapters going be murder cases?
Q2.Is Shawn still going to fake being psychic even though Twilight and the gang know the truth?
Q3.Is Gus and Lassiter going to appear in EQUESTRIA? I would like to see how they would react in that world.
Q4.At some point of the story is Twilight and the gang going to have to travel to Shawn world?
Q5.Is Shawn going to give Twilight and the gang silly nicknames?
Q6.Is some of chapter going to begin with flashback like the show PSYCH?
Q7.Are these characters going to make a appearance in the story? :
Princess Luna
The Cutie Mark Crusaders
Big Mac
Braeburn
Zecora
Cheerilee
The Mayor
Hoity Toity
Sapphire Shore
Trixie
Gilda
Discord
Soarin from The Wonderbolts
Prince Blueblood
Derpy Hooves
Dj Pon3
Lyra Heartstrings
Fleur de Lis from the episode Sweet and Elite from MLP:FIM
83943
Q1) Considering the title of the story, I think it's safe to say there will be some criminal activity and that Shawn will be assisting. Anything more than that would be spoilers.
Q2-7) Read and find out!
I think i can help find a cover image for your story.
Here a guy some time do request and commissions you can request him to make a cover for your story
link here Not Safe for Work
and a link here
I hope it helps.
This is great! Keep it up!
Yakshemash!
I apologize to anyone who might stop by expecting a new chapter. I actually write the story within the fimfiction editor and a cat related incident caused me to accidentally hit the publish button. I'd also like to apologize for not sticking to my promised schedule. In my defense: Christmas involved about 20 hours of cumulative driving this time around. Chapter 3 (as of this comment) stands at 4500 words (out of a planned 6k or so) and I expect to have it finished, edited, and posted by tomorrow night if not sooner.
Syntax is awful.
Actions and dialogue are associated with the wrong characters frequently and is a giant distraction.
Delightful story.
107527
Yeah, I realize I'm in sore need of a pre-reader... kind of hard to tell how someone else will interpret the associations, as they are firmly set in my own head. The syntax problem is a new one, though. Any particular examples? Or is it just the whole thing? If you have the time to point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it... I'm trying to fix this story up as much as I can.
In either case, thanks for the constructive criticism! And I'm glad you at least enjoyed the story itself.
FUCKING FINNALY!! A HiE fic in which RD doesnt ask the human if he is a spy. I was getting so fucking annoyed by that :D
688924
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/296/349/ae2.gif
^ Me as I read this fic (Except that I'm not a Chocolate bear. I'm Vanilla flavoured with a hint of White chocolate.)
Nightmare moon sounds like a warlord now... thats cool.
I don't usually say this because i'm picky about my fics... but this is a pretty awesome fic.
Sitting here, reading this awesome My Little Pony and Psych crossover, when I suddenly realize that I'm eating pineapple...
This is... unexplainably awesome. You write Shawn so well, making him a really fleshed out character in your writing. I can actually almost picture this in my head actually happening.
78670 I've seen isolated episodes of this show (like 3), and one thing has me confused. Is the "I've heard it both ways" thing a running joke?
833285
yes, very much so.
I lost it there
She actually said 'Nopony'.
804911
I remember No Fear Shakespeare!
This will be like that time Shawn went to Twin Peaks... Dual Spires! I meant Dual Spires. At least, they eventually gave him Everwood to make references to.
This is beautiful. This is beautiful.
Oh shit, the Twilight Zone fits, i mean "a dimension not of sight or sound, but of mind" IT'S A FUCKING LIBRARY, sure you use sight to read but not if it's braille
Darn, I was hoping Shawn would tell them he's a psychic and then wow them by deducing various things from tiny details. But we'll see if this works.
Also, I do believe ponies shake hands... err, hooves. You can see it in the first ep and in The Best Night Ever.
4273747 Wouldn't work.
over here is a living lie detector, remember?
MY SIDES
Shawns 4 feet tall? Well that is an incredibly strange thing, he must have shrunken. He literally must be the size of a 10 year old, ponies are three feet tall according to most of the fandom.
Can't wait to see Twilight's brain break when Shaun a.) accidentally humiliates himself and/or Celestia when they meet, and b.) When she see's his detective work for herself.
I love this story. Shawn's personality is spot on!
Huh, surprised he gave up the psychic game so easily, but this is hilarious so far.