The Right Place in the Wrong Time

by RunicTreetops

Inconsistencies

Bluh.

Your first instinct is to begin coughing violently. The result is a load of seawater gushing up your throat, causing you to upchuck quite a bit of fluid. You attempt to open your eyes, but they burn when you try to do so. Okay, let's try to get a grasp of the situation you're in.

Well, you're still coughing, but you're breathing, so at least you're alive. Actually, your breath feels a bit stifled... oh! You're face down on something. You attempt to grasp at the ground to pull yourself up. You do succeed in sitting upright, but the ground gave way a bit. You rub at your eyes before trying to open them again, only to find that your eyes were full of sand. Okay, now where are you?

Sure enough, sand. You seem to have washed up on a beach. And your body really hurts right now. You stretch a little bit before standing up. The beach isn't actually that big. Behind you is the ocean that you presumably fell into before losing consciousness. In front of you is a stone wall, topped with a railing. If you had to guess, you'd say this is that settlement you thought you saw while falling. You hear voices coming from above the wall, so that seems to support your theory at least. Alright, well, there's not much use in sticking around here. You attempt to cast the spell to teleport to the teleportation circle outside of Tia's room, but for some reason, your magic simply dissipates. You then try a simple illumination spell, but that one works just fine. Okay, so for whatever reason, you can't warp to the teleportation circle. Odd. Taking a look around, you don't see a staircase or anything near you, and to your right the beach comes to a rocky end, so you should probably start heading the other way down the beach.

After walking a short distance you see a crowd of ponies. Most are earth ponies, though there are a few scattered pegasi and a unicorn or two. Most of them are foals and fillies playing in the sand and in the shallow water. As you approach, one colt notices you coming and his eyes grow wide. He begins to scream, attracting the attention of everypony else present. Upon seeing you, they react in an equally terrified manner.

"Uh, hello! Can anypony tell me where I am?"

In response, the entire crowd flees as quickly as they can. The pegasi simply fly off, but the rest sprint up a nearby staircase that presumably leads into town. That was certainly not the reaction you were expecting. It actually feels a bit like when you first arrived in Ponyville. Still, your presence has since been made known to most of Equestria. This must be some sort of out-of-the-way community that isn't as "in-the-know" as you're used to. Or, maybe you're just scary. Either way, you probably have some explaining to do. You ascend the staircase, seeing as there is no longer anypony on the beach to help you.

You arrive on what seems to be a wide street. A few carts and vendors line the road, and there are tons of shops and homes on the opposite side. Behind them stretch dozens upon dozens of what look to be well-crafted buildings. A few archways stretch over the road, and you can't help but notice that the flora around here seems very well taken care of. However, what most catches your attention looks to be coming from far away. Behind many of the buildings, there seems to be a rainbow stretching endlessly into the sky. Now, you're still fairly new to Equestria, but you're confident that you are familiar with most of the major locations within its borders. You've not seen nor heard of such a rainbow.

Of course, your questions will have to remain unanswered, as the panic seems to have spread to this road. You see a few stray ponies running away from you, but otherwise the area seems pretty much deserted. You see a mare staring at you through a window of a nearby shop before gasping and closing the curtain upon meeting your gaze. Whoever these ponies are, your first impression isn't going well.

Suddenly, a siren begins to sound. You don't see anything change and you can't locate the exact source of the sound, but you know that sirens never mean anything good. Given the situation, it seems likely that those sirens are ringing because of, well, you. You understand that these ponies are probably just scared by the tall furless ape in their midst, and you really don't want to get into any legal trouble. If nothing else, it would make Tia look bad. So, despite the lack of any authorities, you decide to place your hands behind your head and stay right where you are. You need to make sure these ponies have no reason to believe that you are a threat. A few moments later, you hear the sound of somepony sprinting in your direction. They seem to be coming from farther in town, but given the lack of any movement on the street, you could probably hear a pin drop, making their approach more noticeable. Finally, the source of the noise makes itself known to you.

Before you stands a young stallion. He has an orange-brown coat with a blue mane, and he is wearing some sort of strap with a star-shaped badge affixed to it. His cutie mark looks like some kind of shield adorned with a horseshoe. If you had to bet, you'd wager that this guy is a sheriff of some kind. Unfortunately, his demeanor doesn't befit someone of such a title. He seems winded from running to you, and after getting a look at you, he seems pretty darn anxious too.

"Alright, you m-m-monster, s-stay where you are!"

...Monster? Are you really that frightening?

"I'm not going anywhere, sir. I think I'm a bit lost. Where are w-"

"Hush! I'll be the one asking the q-questions around here!"

He's trying really hard to seem tough, but his buckling knees are betraying him. Luckily for him, you hear a few more ponies approaching. From down the road you see a group of four mares quickly making their way to you.

"Ah, Sunny, everyone! Stay back! We don't know that this THING is capable of!"

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think I'm capable of much."

He jumps every time you talk. The mares finally reach the two of you, all but one breathing heavily. The first is a tall, thin pegasus with a bright white coat. Her mane is quite striking, appearing mostly pink with some blue streaking through it. Her wings look strong, and they're tipped with purple and blue feathers. Her cutie mark is a crown-tipped lightning bolt, and it reminds you quite a bit of Rainbow Dash's. She's the only one that doesn't seem winded by the apparently sudden trip here. Next to her is another pegasus. This one is very short, and a bit pudgy. She has a pink coat with a well-kept purple mane. Her head is adorned with a tiara, and her wings look very poofy. Her cutie mark looks like a musical note containing a crown. In contrast to her thin pegasus compatriot, she seems the most out of breath from the trip here. The next mare is the only unicorn of the group. She has a light purple coat with a soft-looking blue mane. She wears an adorable little bracelet on her left forehoof, and her cutie mark looks like some kind of pincushion. Not counting the stallion, she has the largest overall build of the group. Unlike the other mares, there isn't an ounce of worry on her face. In fact, she seems really excited. Finally, the last pony is a bright-orange-coated mare. She wears a blue saddlebag, and her cutie mark looks like a shooting star. Her mane is mostly purple, though it has streaks of blue, yellow, and orange flowing through it. It reminds you of Twilight somewhat. Actually, you could say that about her whole demeanor. While her gaze isn't completely worry-free, she does appear more quizzical than anything. However, her attention seems split between you and the stallion, made more clear when she finally speaks up.

"Hitch, is this the 'emergency' that has everypony in Maretime Bay all freaked out?"

"Why yes Sunny, I would say that a monster emerging out of the ocean and attacking beachgoers is an emergency! A monster that, might I remind you, is standing right there!"

He gestures toward you. Your hands are still behind your head, but you give the mares a little wave.

"Hello. I'm a human, just so you know."

"Sunny" seems a bit surprised, but she gives you a small smile.

"Uh, hello. My name is Sunny Starscout. I'm sorry about all this, but do you mind explaining why a 'human' came out of the ocean and attacked a bunch of innocent ponies?"

"Well to start, I didn't attack anypony. I walked up to some beachgoers and they all fled in terror before I could say anything at all."

Before she could respond, the small pink mare excitedly interrupts.

"OH. MY. HOOFNESS. Are you all seeing this, Pippsqueaks?! We're face-to-face with a real life sea monster!" She seems to be ignoring the conversation you're having as she... wait...

"Uhh, is that smartphone?"

"Huh?" She lowers the device to look directly at you, a bit surprised by your question. "Well, yeah."

A smartphone? No, that can't be right. Ponies don't have smartphones. They don't even have computers! Or televisions! It was a bigger adjustment than you thought it would be while adapting to Equestrian life, but over time you found that you didn't miss them one bit. Everything feels, ironically, more connected without them. Plus, there's no stress of notifications, no obligation to keep up with everyone all of the time... In all honesty, seeing a smartphone leaves a bit of a sour taste in your mouth. Where did she get it?

"Look, I'm sorry that I'm a big scary sea monster to you all, but can somepony please tell me where I am?"

The taller pegaus responds. "You're in Maretime Bay. I mean, where else would you be, considering you emerged from the ocean?"

Maretime Bay? You've definitely never heard of it. "Yeah, I have no idea where that is. Also, I didn't 'emerge from the ocean,' I think I washed up here."

"Do you 'wash up' places often?"

"No, there was an accident involving some kind of magical artifact and I- hold on. What happened to my friends?"

Last you saw of them, they were getting pulled into Spike's comic. Before you could help them, you got sent here. Or, more accurately, the sky miles above here. The orange mare seems particularly invested after that comment.

"Oh no, you lost your friends? Are they 'humans' like you?"

"No, no. I'm the only human in Equestria. They're six mares, all pretty different from one another. Oh, and Spike. Love that little dude."

Hitch spoke up once more. He seems a lot calmer now that his friends are with him. "Look, whoever you are, I sympathize with wanting to help your friends, I really do. But we still don't know anything about you! And even if we did try to help, we would need a bit more to go off of than that. Oh, what am I saying? We can save this conversation for later! For now, just who are you, and why are you here?"

Sunny seems aggravated at his comment. "Hitch! Haven't we learned by now not to judge others based on appearances? This whole freakout was unnecessary! Look at them! They're clearly just as confused as we are!"

"But if they're actually attacking ponies, I can't just let them go!" He turns to look at you. "Why did you attack those kids on the beach?"

"I already told you, I didn't attack anypony!" This is going to take a while.

---

It has been about twenty minutes. By now the sirens have long since stopped. Ponies have returned to the street, but most are keeping their distance from you. Some stop briefly to take your picture with their phones (still not used to that), but none dare speak to you. You and the five ponies you've just met are sitting at a few nearby benches. You already learned Hitch and Sunny's names, but you were also formally introduced to Izzy Moonbow (the unicorn), Pipp Petals (the shorter pegasus), and Zephyrina "Zipp" Storm (the taller pegasus). Since then, they've been quietly listening to you tell your story, from you and your friends' attempts at restoring the Castle of the Two Sisters to your strange appearance here in Maretime Bay. You figure everything prior to that, like you being the only human in Equestria, would just complicate things. The lot of you sit in awkward silence for a few moments after you finish your tale until Sunny starts to speak.

"I will admit, that story is a tough pill to swallow. I mean, I want to believe you, but... where in Equestria is the Castle of the Two Sisters? Last I checked, Equestria doesn't have any monarchs anymore other than the ones in Zephyr Heights. Two of which are sitting right there."

Hitch spoke up after Sunny. "I have to agree with Sunny, but after listening to you, I do feel that you're telling the truth. That story was a bit too intricate to be a lie, and you just don't seem the deceitful type. That said, how do you think you ended up here? And what are you going to do now?"

"I... don't really know. To both questions, I mean. That strange magical artifact is most likely the reason why I'm here, but as for what it is and what it does, well, I have no idea. As for my plans... I need to get home."

"What about your friends?"

"If I know them, they'll be able to handle themselves just fine. Besides, I feel like what happened to them and what happened to me are two completely separate things. I should probably focus on getting back to the Castle of the Two Sisters, and hopefully we'll meet up there."

"Do you know how to get there? Because we've never heard of it."

"Well, is there a map anywhere nearby?"

Sunny speaks up again. "Oh, we have one back at the Crystal Brighthouse!"

Zipp followed up, a noticeable excitement in her voice. She seems to have taken an interest in your dilemma. "We can show you around Maretime Bay on the way there! It's a bit of a walk, but there's plenty to see if you've never been here!"

Sure, why not? You feel confident that your friends will be fine, and this place does seem strange. Why haven't you heard of it? And why do these ponies seem so... different?

The tour answers none of your questions, though Maretime Bay is a nice place. A beautiful town square, well-built infrastructure, a factory that was once used to produce anti-pegasus and anti-unicorn technology? You also pass by the police department where Hitch works as the sheriff (and only peacekeeper in the city) and Mane Melody, a salon run by Pipp. Finally, you all start walking towards the strange looking lighthouse, which you can now clearly see is the source of the mysterious rainbow you saw earlier.

"Hey, what exactly is that?"

Sunny responds with infectious excitement in her voice. "That's the Crystal Brighthouse! That's where Zipp, Pipp, Izzy, and I live!"

"No, I mean the rainbow shooting out of it."

"That rainbow represents the magic of the Unity Crystals! The five of us were able to collect all three of the crystals, and once we combined them and reunited the three ponykinds, that rainbow was the result! And with it, magic returned to Equestria."

"You mentioned that before. What do you mean it 'returned?' I don't recall magic ever disappearing, and this is the first I've ever heard of these 'Unity Crystals.' Plus, I thought ponies have been united since the first Hearth's Warming."

Zipp responded. "Without magic, unicorns can't use their levitation, and pegasi can't fly. There hasn't been magic in Equestria for hundreds, if not thousands, of moons, at least until a couple of months ago. Though, we didn't really know about the Unity Crystals either until Sunny and Izzy started their adventure to make friends with different kinds of ponies."

You look back at her quizzically. You shrug and wave your hand in a small circular motion, casting a simple spell to summon a little ball of magical energy. You twirl it between your fingers as you speak. "Well, I've been in Equestria for more than a couple of months, and magic has always been here."

The ponies gasp and stop in their tracks, their eyes trained on the ball.

"Uh, you guys okay?"

Izzy, almost shouting, says "What is THAT?!" Her eyes glimmer with excitement.

"It's a ball of magical energy. You... don't know this spell? I thought it was pretty simple."

"What do you mean SPELL? There's more than levitation?!"

What? "What?" What? "Of course there are. Levitation is the easiest spell there is, but there are thousands of other spells, and more are being discovered all the time."

"You aren't even a unicorn! This is so cool!"

You give a little laugh, still confused about the whole scenario.

"What else can you do?"

You laugh a bit harder, and you enjoy the chance to show off some of the easier spells Twilight taught you. Short-range teleportation, illumination, a magical beam. You decide to be a bit gutsy and attempt to summon a vine, like the ones you used to help fight off the Everfree Forest, and sure enough, a green, grape-covered fine sprouts from the ground and gives a wave before sinking back beneath the soil.

Sunny looks both amused and surprised. "Hey, that's just like earth pony magic!" She stomps her front hooves on the ground and a small clump of flowers immediately blooms. This time, you're the one caught off guard. You knew earth pony magic allowed them to be more in-tune with nature, but not like that! There are a lot of inconsistencies between here and the Equestria you were in just hours prior. Where exactly did that artifact take you?

"I think I'd like to take a look at those Unity Crystals."

Comments

[joElecTeen]

"It's a ball of magical enery. You... don't know this spell? I thought it was pretty simple."

Minor Spelling Error energy