> Music, Muscle, and the Multiverse
>  by themultiversewatcher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Birthday Surprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I suppose I should start by explaining who I am. I am Sean Cameron. I am an astronomer, but I have yet to find a proper job. You see, I live in a small town in Connecticut named Tolland, which is a town that you wouldn't have heard of unless either you live there or knew somebody who lived there. It's that obscure. I am fresh out of college with a PhD in astronomy. I own the house my parents paid off two years ago. They moved to my mother's parent's condo on the Cape recently, after renting it out to strangers. That's a little off the topic of me. I live with my sister, Sara, who is a well accomplished athlete. Anyways, I like biking. On a bicycle, not a motorcycle, mind you. I am an Eagle Scout and kind of a smartass, if you ask Sara. Oh, and I'm also amazing at singing. I tried out for American Idol, but didn't make it. Those judges were harsh.
Sara and I are bronies. She prefers pegasister, but I don't. I knew lots of people who were fans of the show, but I was really into the fanfiction. I am a member of FimFiction and read all sortsa different stories. As an astronomer, I was really into the idea that each of these stories took place in other universes. See, I have always been a fan of the multiverse theory. Well, now the hype has died down. My amazing multiverse has dried up. I tried writing some fics, but was never really successful. By the way, my birthday is today, May 10, 2020, at 11:55 PM. I am turning 25.
Now, for some stuff you should know about Sara. She is a showoffy, self-centered, tomboy athlete. Nothing is ever good enough for her, and she always has to one up everyone else. I wouldn't want her any other way. She loved Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Lightning Dust, and the Wonderbolts. If they were into speed and power, she was excited about them. Oh, and her birthday is tomorrow at 12:05. She is also turning 25. That's enough about us, I don't want to bore you to death with my life story or anything, 'cause that's rude.



Sara walks slowly to the kitchen table with a large chocolate cake with a thin layer of chocolate frosting, my favorite type. Unfortunately, because of the Noro virus and a cupcake, I can no longer eat lots of frosting. It super sucks. On top of the cake sat two candles in the shape of a 2 and a 5. The deal was that I would be able to blow out one of the candles on on the exact time of my birthday. That's five minutes away. And Sara would be able to blow out her candle on her birth time.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Sean~, happy birthday to you!" She sings.
"Cut it out, Sara," I complain, "You know I don't like your terrible singing voice."
"You're just being a sourpuss," she says back, sticking out her tongue.
Finally, the time for me to blow out the candles has come. I take a deep breath. Five, four, three, two, one. Suddenly, I freeze up. I can see fragments of shapeless blobs running away from some unknown monster. I hear a deep cackle, and a few words.
"Five score, divided by four. It took some time for me to find your weakness, but now you will pay for trying to stop me!"
After that, I find myself being shaken by Sara, who wears a frightened face.
"Sean, are you alright?" She asks worriedly.
"Yeah, Lightning, I'm fine," I confirm, shaking my head.
"Um...Sean? You called me Lightning. You sure you're okay?"
"I did? Oh, well I'm sure it was nothing."
Why did I call her Lightning? Could it simply have been a Freudian slip? And what was that vision? I find myself wondering. Shrugging the thoughts off, I blow out the candle after making a small wish.
"My turn!" Shouts Sara excitedly. She is practically jumping into the seat next to me. I decide to sing a jazzy sounding birthday song, complete with an a Capella trumpet.
"Time to blow out your candle, Sara," I say.
Sara takes a deep breath, and freezes at the last second. I stare for a minute, unsure of what to do. I snap my fingers next to her ear.
"Earth to Sara, earth to Sara, come in Sara," I say. Still no reaction. "Yo, Sara, come on, you're scaring me!" After five minutes, she decides to join the land of the living. I am relieved to see that she is at least not permanently damaged. "You zoned out for five minutes. You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," she says, unconvincingly. I shrug it off.
"Oh, hey," I say, pulling out a bottle of high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, "I was saving this baby for today. I've heard it goes great with chocolate cake." We pull out two wine glasses and pour the red liquid into them. I was never a beer person myself. My dad always drank wine, so I did, too. My sister is another story altogether. She drinks beer. Lots of beer. Her tolerance level is, like, off the charts. Anyways, back to the story.
"Yeah, thanks, Treble," she says absentmindedly.
"Uhh...Sara, you just called me Treble. I know I might sound like a hypocrite for saying this because I called you Lightning, but that's just a little weird." My nickname, by the way, is Raptor, because I like utahraptors a lot. It's sort of a running joke on my preferences.
"Oh, well, I guess I must be pretty tired for me to make that mistake," she says. I glance at the clock. 1:30. We finish our cake and wine.
"Yeah, I guess. Welp, good night Sara, see you in the morning."
"'Night, Raptor."



I run towards the sounds of that monster of chaos. All I can think of is that this universe should not have taken this awful turn. Unfortunately, he, no, it, was not even from this universe. It's my job to stop it. I had only recently left Doc and Ditzy alone, and they were probably gone by now.
Damn it. I need to find someone who can help me out.  I see a teal and orange pony standing by.
"You, help, now! No time to explain," I shout. She follows me without question. "I need you to flank him. Go!"
Damn it, damn it, damn it! Now she's gone. I've got to stop it! 
"Five score, divided by four. It took some time for me to find your weakness, but now you will pay for trying to stop me!" That thing cackles. Suddenly, everything is dark. So dark. Losing consciousness.



I wake up from that nightmare in a cold sweat. I haven't had a nightmare in ages, and this one seemed pretty real. I shudder at the thought. I walk into the bathroom across the hall and promptly barf into the toilet. Once that episode is over, I decide to take a shower to clear my head. I take off my pajamas and climb into the shower. I absentmindedly scratch at my thigh. I feel a strange sensation, like I no longer had hair there. I look down to see what the matter is. There, on my thigh, is a trio of treble clefs arranged on three invisible bar lines. My first thought is, What did Sara do to me last night. I don't remember getting a tattoo. Mom's gonna kill me.  After finishing my shower, I get out and get dressed. When I open the door, there, in front of me, is a seething Sara.  You know how people get when they're angry? Well, Sara takes that to a whole new level. She doesn't just get mad, she gets really, really pissed. Needless to say, I am terrified.
"SEAN RANDALL CAMERON! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!" she screams. When she uses my full name, I know I'm in trouble.
"I didn't do anything, Sara," I plead fearfully. Then she does something unexpected. She pulls up the side of the skirt she's wearing. "Sara! You're my sister!"
"That didn't stop you from doing this to me! Knowing you, you were probably drunk, but that's beside the point! Now, look and tell me that you put this on me!" I am forced to look. I gasp at what I see. There, on her thigh, is a lightning bolt with three stars at the tip. "You know how much I like Lightning Dust, especially after her redemption episode, but to do this is kinda cruel! Hey, Sean, you listening? Sean?" Her anger turns to worry as I stare into space. I shake my head.
"Sara," I say, "I want you to look at something, too." I pull down the side of my pants, revealing what I am now calling my cutie mark. She stares at it. We are probably thinking the same thing. What's going on? And why us? This was a birthday surprise we weren't expecting to happen. Little do we know, it'll get a lot worse before it gets better.
> Step Into the Changes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	You know, I've always wondered about the sexual implications of it being called a cutie mark, but seeing as the target audience of MLP:FIM is little girls makes up for it. Anyways, now I have one and its sort of growing on me. Its strange, it feels as though I had this mark for my entire life, as if my special talent was always music. Strange. A few interesting developments have cropped up over the last few hours. Sara and I are not really talking to one another, both of us are sort of spacing out, thinking of our predicament. I feel as though I need to assure her that everything is going to be alright, but I think we both know that nothing will ever be the same. I don't think that the entirety of what may be happening to us has sunk in. I glance in her direction, noticing for the first time that her hair has started to grow in. She prefers to keep her hair short, giving her a boyish charm. Now it is longer and has changed from being a dull brown color to an alternating pattern of light brown and yellow hair. She looks at me, and I notice for the first time that her eyes are now a yellowish orange tint instead of their vivid blue.
"What are we going to do?" she asks, "It's not like it's happening to other people."
"What do you mean?" I ask. She points to the window, where I can see Jenna Carthage outside, tending to her gardens. Her twenty fifth birthday is tomorrow. She is well known for her beautiful gardens, which are always in bloom, no matter the season. Her favorite flower is the rose. I always thought about asking her out, but was too shy to do so. I wanted to ask her to dinner tomorrow, but our current predicament has changed that. "Oh, that," I say, disappointed. Now my chances are shot to hell. "I have no idea. I think the first thing to do would be to rationalize this somehow. Oh, by the way, did you have a weird dream last night?"
She thinks for a few moments before speaking, "Yeah. I dreampt that I was a pony fighting Discord because another pony told me to. Why?"
"Nothing, except that I had a similar dream myself. You don't think that this is relevant to what's been happening to us?"
"I don't know. I'm going to take a five mile run to clear my head. I'll be back later."
"See you then. And keep a low profile, we don't want to scare anyone."

















Hey, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Sara Cameron, Sean's sister. Or I was. I really don't know what to think anymore. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved exercising and sports. My favorite sport is running. I like to feel my feet pound the pavement, letting the wind flow through my short, brown hair. I got into My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic when I first saw Rainbow Dash clear the sky in ten seconds flat. I love characters with attitudes like mine. Some of my favorites include, but are not limited to, Gilda, Lightning Dust (she's my top favorite, and now I'm turning into her), the Wonderbolts, and Iron Will. My least favorite character is Fluttershy, but that's 'cause she's a wimp. Pinkie Pie gets on my nerves too, but at least she's not a sissy. Sean is obsessed with Pinkie. Its always "Pinkie this" and "Pinkie that." He even calls her Pinks, but I think he's weird. Sorry, am I rambling? I tend to do that. Anyways, here I am, running. I think best when I run.
Sean is starting to look different. Gone are his brilliant blue eyes, replaced by dusty brown ones. His dark brown hair has grown in quite a bit, and has been slowly changing colors, now a mixture of red and black. Its kind of disheartening, knowing we were changing into something other than humans. I, too, have changed. I think I'm starting to stand a little taller than usual, however, its hard to tell when I am running, as I run on my toes, using my legs as pistons. My hair is a lot longer and fuller. If it gets any longer, you could call it a mane. That scares me. Fortunately, there are no bangs in my face. I hate bangs. They simply get in the way. I can feel something being pushed into my butt underneath my knee-long shorts. I would be wearing shorter shorts if it weren't for that unsightly cutie mark. I worry what it is. I am afraid I know the answer: I have a tail.
I finally arrive back home. Thankfully, Jenna has gone to her flower shop by now. The two flanking houses are empty and for sale. The families that lived there moved out after their children got out of college, so Sean and I have our privacy, for the most part. As I walk into the garage, I can hear rock music playing really loudly. I have my running, Sean has his music. I recognize the song as Anthem of the Lonely by Nine Lashes.
So I'll break it
Knowing what you said
The pain is what you make it
Sadly you are so mistaken
I will take you with a grain
And step into the changes
Throw away the empty heart
I open the door and see Sean singing his lungs out in perfect tune to the song.
Right now
Never want to leave this place
And right now
See it in a different way
So right now
Even if you take me on
I'll stand the lonely
Stand the lonely
I let him finish up. When the music stops, he looks at me, as if seeing me for the first time.
"I didn't know you were home," he says, proving that I am right on the money, "How much did you hear?"
"All of it," I say bluntly. Then, I notice that he is wearing his Mario pajamas backwards, with a tail sticking out of the fly. Apparently, he is standing on his toes, just like when he was emulating the gait of a utahraptor. He doesn't seem to notice this latest development. His mane, which is what it is now, is the same color as his tail. His toes, which were not in socks, were being dominated by a huge middle toe, which seems to have absorbed two of his other toes. I take off my shoes and socks, and lo and behold, I have the same problem.
"I think you should either find shorts with a fly, rip a hole in one of the ones you own, or wear a skirt. I would not recommend that last one, seeing as the tail you have would allow the world to see your underwear," he says. I nod. Unfortunately, I don't have any shorts with flies. However, I don't want to wear a skirt. The only option is to rip holes in my clothes. Although I don't have the same affection for clothes that most girls have, I still don't like the idea of tearing holes in them. Oh, well. Too bad. Once I do that, I am ready to stay inside for ever and ever. I'll never run again! Strangely enough, it is that thought that makes me break down crying. Not changing into a character from a kid's show, not the changes themselves, but the fact that my dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete have been shot! Oh, woe is me! Sean comes up to me to try to comfort me. The last time I cried was the time that I didn't get a five minute mile, so he has never seen me in this state. I wish he didn't have to. I don't like looking weak. "Shh, don't cry. I'm right here," he reassures me, "This must be especially rough for you since you don't like being cooped up. I'm sure that, with time, this should all blow over and we can be back to normal. Come on, stop crying. Its okay."
I sniffle. Looking into his strong eyes, I can see he's hurting as much as I am. Maybe more. I don't know why, but he seems a hell of a lot older than he is, like he's seen things that no one should ever see. I lose myself in my brother's eyes. Strangely, I see a slight metallic shine in his eyes, as though he were not entirely alive. I look up at the clock. I haven't checked it since I woke up. The time is 8:30 PM. Just then, I realize just how long the day was. I realize just how well the song Sean sang fit into our predicament. He's always been able to do that, find a song that fits the situation. I realize that I am ready to step into the changes. Right now, I never want to leave this place. Right now, I see things in a different way, and even if we are stuck as ponies for the rest of our lives, I am ready to stand the lonely. That's the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. Stand the lonely.
> The Late Bloom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hooray! Today is my birthday. I haven't seen either Sean or Sara, which is unusual. Most of the time, Sara and I cross paths as she goes on her morning runs. Its always an enjoyable time talking to her. She always had the latest on the stats of sports teams across the country, and loves to make tournament matches, like the ones used during March Madness or something. I'm a flower person myself. I have always had an affinity for knowing how they're doing. Its as if I can feel their presence and stuff.
Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I am Jenna Carthage. I have been described as a kind, air-headed girl with a green thumb. Not literally. I have been friends with the Camerons since middle school. I have always thought that Sean was cute. He has a kindness about him that you don't usually get around guys who listen to the type of rock that he listens to. Oh, there I go again, ignoring what others are interested in. Haha.
I am glad to call Tolland my home. My flower shop is famous for its amazing flowers. People come from everywhere to see me for advice, such as my secret for eternally blooming flowers. You want to know my secret: listen carefully, and you can hear the voices of the flowers telling you what their needs are. That's my secret. Not joking. Well, I bet you're bored. I know, I'm a boring person, you get used to it.



I get out of bed at 8:00 sharp, as I do every morning. Thankfully, its Sunday, so I don't open the shop today. I go outside to tend to my flowers, not even getting dressed to do so. I don't need to get dressed today, anyway. But I will shower, because its gross not to. The flowers don't like the one caring for them to smell like the manure that gives them nourishment. They like her to smell like flowers. I talk to my flowers. It helps them grow, despite how strange it sounds.
"Good morning, my babies," I say to them, "Its mommy's birthday, so I hope you don't mind me picking you. Now, which one wants to be picked to make a beautiful bouquet?" I pick out three tulips, four petunias and five roses, my favorite. I put them in a vase that compliments their natural grace and beauty. I remove the old, dying plants and put them into the compost pile in my backyard. See, flowers love compost. It helps them grow and bloom. The old flowers will provide the wonderful nutrients that make my new flowers beautiful.
I was born at 9:00 in the morning, which is why I am a morning person. Oh, yeah, I like morning glories because we both bloom each morning and close up at night, however, nothing beats a bright red rose. By the time I finish tending to the flowers, its already 8:50. Luckily, I made my cake last night. Its carrot cake. I love carrot cake. I quickly put the single candle into the middle of the cake. With just a minute left, I get ready. Thirty seconds. The anticipation is getting stronger. Five seconds. I get ready to blow out the candle.
Aaaand...I freeze. My vision unfocuses. All I can think of is a flower stand in a small town. Some beast is trying to destroy my flowers. I am startled by the flowers wrapping around me. The creature opens his mouth, and all I hear is five words.
"Five score, divided by four."
Suddenly, I am back in my kitchen. I look at the clock and am startled to see that five minutes have passed. I shake off the dizziness. Hope it doesn't happen again. I blow out the candle after wishing . I'd tell you that wish, but then it wouldn't come true, would it? Anyways, back to me. I put the cake aside after that, not really feeling up to food at the moment. I decide to take that shower now instead of after. I suppose I could ask the flowers, but they only really care about their needs. Other than that, they aren't very talkative.
So, I take off my pajamas and climb into the shower. I suddenly notice that my thighs are slightly itchy. I look down and see that there is a rose there where there wasn't one before. I am not the type of girl that goes out to get tramp stamps. I try to stay away from tattoo parlors. Besides, the closest tattoo parlor is over on the UConn campus, and I rarely need to go that far to do anything. If I need garden supplies, I'll go to the local hardware store. If I need to get groceries, I simply need to go to the Big Y down the highway. If I need to get to my flower shop, I need to go to the town green. I rarely eat out, anyway. Oops, off topic again.
Well, I must tell you, although both Sean and Sara are bronies, I am not. I didn't really care for the show or the fan base, but I knew enough to recognize this tattoo looks like the one on Roseluck, the only pony I ever identified with. In fact, the only MLP merchandise I own is a small, plush Roseluck, given to me on my twentieth birthday by Sean. I had a feeling that he wanted more, but stayed in his shell. It was too bad, I would have said "yes". Who could say no to a nice guy like him? It was unlikely that ether Treble or Lightning...um...Sean or Sara...would have the heart to pull a prank like this, and nobody else I knew even liked the show, so it certainly wasn't one of them.
I shrug off my thoughts about that, and finish my shower. I walk downstairs to go outside and tend to my gardens, when my plants in the vase seem to tell me to come closer. As I approach, I feel as though the plants are speaking to me. Now, this isn't the normal speech, its as if they could literally talk. What I hear sends a wave of dizziness through my head.
Five score, memories sore,
Friends in need are friends indeed,
Go to their place and show a friendly face,
You will be their saving grace,
five score, divided by four.
As abruptly as it began, it ends. All I can think about is Treble and Lightning, and how scared they may be, although I don't clearly understand why. I leave the house slowly, as though in a trance. I notice that their cars are still parked outside. I haven't seen anyone outside, so I assume they are still inside. I walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. Ding-dong...no answer. Ding-dong...still no answer. I try the doorknob. To my complete surprise, it opens. I walk slowly into the house.
"Hello? Treble, Lightning, are you home?" I shout.
I hear a fear-stricken voice from the living room, "Don't come in! I don't want you to see us right now! Go away!"
I mentally prepare myself for something scary. It still does not prepare me for what I walked in on. There, in the place of my friends, are two anthropomorphic ponies. One pony I recognize immediately as Lightning Dust, (I am only sure of this because of pics that Sara has shown me), if she looked like a pony-human hybrid. The other eludes me. He is an amber pony with a red and coal black striped mane and tail.
My entrance seems to have stopped them cold in their tracks. I feel a scream coming on, and I just barely hold it back. "Wh-who are you, and what h-have you d-d-done to my f-friends?" I ask, fear taking over my voice. Without waiting for them to answer, I faint.



It's Discord! We're all doomed! This is at least three times worse than that bunny stampede a few years ago! I must protect my home! I run around to the front of my shop as I am being chased by rogue sandwiches, grabbing as many flowers as I can. Finally, the last one. The box of my precious roses. Suddenly, the roses wrap themselves around me. All I see is the beast, Discord, standing over me.
"Five score, divided by four," he says before casting a spell that makes the world disappear around me. Everything fades to black.
> New Discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Treble
Wow, I had a rough night. The dreams kept on coming. There were many dreams that took place in what seemed like science fiction movies. If I didn't know better, I'd say that they were memories, but I dismiss the idea as ludicrous. There were dreams that took place in Star Wars, Adventure Time, My Little Pony, etc., all bunched up. Some of the dreams almost woke me up with the shock of seeing someone die in some horrible death or creatures that would scare most people witless seeing. Some of the dreams showed things more beautiful than anyone has ever had the fortune to see. Needless to say, I woke up feeling only slightly rested.
Upon waking up, I have a huge shock. On my back are wings! Granted, they are severely underdeveloped, but still. Wings! Another development is that where my feet were are now hooves, covered in amber-colored fur. The hooves look more like a mare's than a stallion's, but I digress. I also feel strangely lighter, as though my fat reserves were diminishing.
Sara and I slept on the couch because we were too distraught to move. Yesterday, watching Sara, the strongest woman I know, in spirit as well as body, break down and cry made me realize that the problem was more than just physical, but psychological. The crushing of our hopes and dreams is so much worse than the rest of our problem. To help us deal with these changes, I have decided that Lightning and I will write down our thoughts and feelings into these journals. It will be a little difficult to write with our mouths after our hands disappear, but I suppose we will have to make do.
As I get down off the couch, Lightning, argh, Sara, wakes up.
"Treble?" she asks, "What time is it?"
I glance at the clock, "6 o'clock."
I help her up. Her eyes are still red after crying late into the night, and she wobbles as she gets used to the hooves. They are growing the teal colored fur of Lightning Dust. As I watch, I can see the fur advancing up her legs rather quickly. Pretty soon, she'll look like a half-human-half-pony, and as such, so will I. I realize that I hadn't eaten anything yesterday. I walk up to the fridge and open it. Inside, I see eggs that could be scrambled (my favorite style) and a box of instant bacon. When I look at the bacon, I suddenly feel sick to my stomach. Then it hits me, ponies don't eat bacon. However, the show had shown them eating eggs. I pull those out and get to work.
Fifteen minutes later, I have two plates of scrambled eggs all set. I call Lightning...Sara...forget it...over, and we sit down at the table. She looks at me expectantly.
"What?" I ask.
"Treble," she begins, "We never asked to become ponies. I don't think we did anything wrong. I doubt that we will be able to change back, and I think that, when we are done changing, we need to find out where we go from here. I get the feeling that this is happening at a larger scale than just us. Take a look at this news report in the newspaper."
I don't pay attention to the news much, except for travel conditions every once in a while. Lightning pulls out a newspaper. It is labeled for Saturday. On the front page is a fuzzy picture that looks kind of like a pony. Under the picture is a question. Ponies: Real or a Hoax? I read the story.
Reports in from across the country have indicated the possibility of ponies from the hit children's television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are appearing quite real and alive. Many people claim to see "ponies that look like they belong in a cartoon" wandering out and about. More on this story in Section 3-B. I open the newspaper to the indicated page. States such as Iowa, California, Connecticut, and places like Canada are churning out pony reports at an alarming rate. The cause is unknown and the reports are vague. All possible pictures are fuzzy and unclear. We asked a citizen of East Hartford who claims she saw one. 
She said, "I looked out my window, and thought I saw a colorful tail sticking out of the bushes. I walked outside and I saw a blue pony thing eating my flowers. It escaped before I could take a picture of it.  My neighbors seem to think I saw a dog, but no dog is blue. I know what I saw, whether or not other people believe me."
The woman wanted to remain anonymous. It is unknown whether or not these are real reports or just works of fiction, but more investigation is underway.
I put down the newspaper. Its kind of relieving, knowing that we are not, in fact, alone in our situation. Lightning and I finish our eggs in record time. Now there's nothing left for us to do but to wait. We sit there for some idle chit-chat, such as Lightning's favorite sports teams. I, myself, pay attention to football mostly. She watches everything. Anyways, a few hours pass. While we were talking, the fur covered our bodies completely, and the wings grew in full. We are talking about the hockey playoffs this week when the doorbell rings. We jump.
"QUICK," I yell, "To the living room!"
We run into the living room, which cannot be seen from the street. I pray that whoever is on the other side doesn't come in. Then I realize that the door is unlocked. I hear the door open.
"Hello? Treble, Lightning, are you home?" says a voice from the front hallway. I panic.
"Don't come in! I don't want you to see us right now! Go away!" I yell.
From the hallway, in walks Jenna Carthage, the one woman I really did not want to see us this way. She looks at us with fear in her eyes. I stand there like a deer in the headlights.
"Wh-who are you, and what h-have you d-d-done to my f-friends?" she says, and promptly faints.
I run to her side, panic replaced with concern. I pick her up and carry her to the couch.
"Now what?" I ask.
"Now, we wait for her to wake up."

















Lightning
Well, this is unexpected. I know that usually Jenna sees me in the morning, and that didn't happen today, but she isn't the kind of person that worries way too much. She's more the type of girl that would wave something like one missed day off. It is interesting that she came over today.
The journal that Trebs gave me is really helping me to cope with our situation. He is full of really good ideas. Most people are in a panic in these types of situations (though I'm not sure what this one qualifies as), but he thinks about these things a lot, and so everyone just takes his advice. Well, now that Rose is on the cou...wait, Rose? Oh, no.
"Treble," I say, my voice filled with concern, "I just realized some thing. I just thought of Jenna as Rose. You know, as in Roseluck? I think that she's going to turn into a pony too. That means two more days stuck inside. I don't know if I can take that."
"Neither do I," he says, "I think that we should take turns leaving and getting exercise. We can use the woods behind the house. Just make sure to not be seen by anyone. Maybe we can see if anyone else has turned like us."
I nod. That sounds just as good as anything. I leave the house out the back door. I head straight for the path that Mom used to walk the dog along. Unfortunately, my body decides it doesn't want to stay upright. Figures. When I fall forwards, I realize that my hands are no longer hands, but hooves. I know that just a few minutes ago, I had hands. The change was a lot quicker than I had expected. Everything else took a long time to change, but, nope, not the hands. Cool, now I look exactly like Lightning Dust. No, that's not true. Now I, officially, am Lightning Dust. Wow, that sounds weird to say. I can't help but to feel like I am an imposter in her horseshoes, but I also think that she and I are one in the same at the same time. It sounds more complicated than it is.
While I enjoy running, I have always wondered what it would be like to fly. Now that I have wings, it might be important in my development to try. I unfurl my wings, running as fast as I can. Soon, I reach a clearing and start flapping. I feel my hooves leaving the ground quickly. I look down and see the tops of the trees. I can't believe I got that on the first try! As I fly higher, I meet some resistance in the form of clouds, but, hey, I'm a pegasus now right? I spin around and kick the cloud as hard as I can. It disintegrates just like depicted in the show.
I turn around, heading in the direction of my house. All I see is a brown roof of the building. It is then that I realize I don't know how to land! I decide to experiment. I stop flapping, angle myself towards the ground, and start gliding. When I was flying, I was moving at approximately forty miles per hour. Now, as I am gliding, I am picking up speed. Fifty, sixty, seventy, 100, 120, and still accelerating. I decide that it isn't working the way it's supposed to. I somehow rotate my wings forward, so that they catch the wind. Then, I start decelerating. Fast. I feel the strain on my wings as the wind blows against them. Finally, I am moving slow enough to land safely. Unfortunately, as I reach the ground, my hoof drags on the ground, causing me to trip and crash land.
I sit there, dazed. Soon enough, though, I stand up with a big smile on my face. I have never had so much fun in my life. Now that I know what flight feels like, I don't ever want to leave the air. I laugh as the adrenaline courses through my body. I suddenly feel like pulling a Snowflake.
"YEAH!!!" I scream.
I walk inside the house to find Treble curled up on the couch with Rose. The two look so peaceful I just want to d'aw. So I do, and it wakes Treble up.
"Hey, Lightning," he says, yawning, "Back from your run?"
"Treble," I say excitedly, "I flew! I really flew!"
"Lightning," he yells, "What were you thinking! You could have been seen!"
"You're just jealous you weren't the one out there flying," I say, unconcerned. Treble always was a worrywart. "I probably flew ten times faster than you ever could."
He responds by giving me a look. A really long look. I don't know what his problem is. I was just having fun. All of a sudden, the lack of adrenaline causes me to yawn. I look at the clock. 6:00. I normally stay up late, but I cant keep my eyes open. I curl up on the floor, and let sleep take me.



Flying fast, I feel the wind under my wings. The exhilarating feeling of flight. I missed you so much. Here I am, flying with the Wonderbolts, the fastest flying team in Equestria. I look over to see my Captain, Rainbow Dash. She is the real reason I am here. It was her that helped my earn my wings. I used to hate her. She did, after all, get me kicked out of the academy. I am just glad that I am here. I am Lightning Dust, the happiest mare in the air.

















Treble
I can't believe Lightning! She could have gotten us caught! We can't afford to fly because we could endanger ourselves. And yet, I can't be mad at her for long. I really want to go out and fly myself. Since its getting dark, I suppose that the chance of danger is not as present as it was. I start running. I open my wings, but I stop myself.
No. I can't possibly take the risk. The fact of the matter is that its too dangerous. If I get caught, the consequences could be dire for us. Rose was lucky enough to be in the same boat as us. As I slow down, I realize that I don't know where I am. I turn around immediately. The path I took is covered with briars, and its impossible to make out where I was coming from. The only solution is the one I am most dreading. Its not like a lot of planes fly over our town, but it does happen occasionally. I shake my head. Now is not the time to be dwelling on that.
Once again, I unfurl my wings. I start flapping. The ground moves away from me at an alarming rate. Soon, I pass the tops of trees. I will myself to fly higher. Up and up I go, looking around to see if I can spot my neighborhood. I find what I am looking for. I see the beautiful gardens Rose has been nurturing for all these years. I see the house I was born and grew up in. I start to head in that direction. I notice that flight feels really familiar to me, as though I had done it millions of times. The natural movement of my wings begins to make me move forward. Right then and there, I feel like it is the most wonderful thing in the world. Now I see what Lightning was talking about.
As I move, I also realize that I know how fast I am going. 73 miles per hour. The speed alone is amazing. I hold my wings out to the side, and glide home. As I approach, I close my wings. I drop like a rock. A rock moving at 142 miles per hour. Too late, I realize I am moving too fast to open my wings. Suddenly, I hit something hard, but soft enough that it doesn't hurt. I look down and see a cloud. I sigh, happy that I am a pegasus. Thank God for that. I sit there, thinking about how soft the cloud is. Eventually, though, I head for home. I decide that I want to take the cloud with me. I grab the cloud in my hooves and drag it in the direction of my house.
As I enter the house with the cloud, I hear both Lightning and Rose snoring like crazy. I realize that I, too am exhausted. I fall asleep soon enough.



Aaand, there. I move the cloud into the perfect spot. Sometimes I am glad to travel the multiverse, but I especially love to come home to Ponyville. My life is wrought with danger. Thankfully, I have the most luck ever. Thank Celestia that I was able to escape that crustaticon. Those antimatter creatures sure are difficult to deal with, especially their explosive-shooting claws. I stretch, feeling lucky to be alive. I am Treble Clef, best singer this side of the multiverse. Huh, maybe I should ask Vinyl to do a record with me. Later.
> The Departure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rose
I wake up with a start. How long have I been out? It can't have been more than an hour. Without looking, I reach down to pull out my phone, only to realize that I wasn't reaching anything. Then I remember that I am wearing a dress without pockets. I rise up off the couch, and the first thing I run into is the pegasus at my feet. How nice.
Wait, what? First, those don't exist. Second, it looks kind of like Lightning Dust from MLP. Third, this isn't even my house. Its the Cameron's. Then, I remember what I saw before I fell unconscious. In the place of my friends, two human-like ponies, one amber, the other teal.
I turn slowly around. There, in the kitchen, on a cloud, is another pony. I notice the wings. I could have sworn the other pony was a normal pony. Then again, I was in a panic and wasn't thinking straight. I stumble over into the kitchen, ready for anything. I suddenly hear the sound of yawning behind me. I slowly turn, and find myself face to face with the pony on the cloud.
"Hey," he says, "How are you feeling?"
I scream. The strange creature puts his hooves around me.
"Shh, its okay. Please don't scream."
I stop. Something in his voice is commanding, but in a soft spoken sort of way. I realize that this method sounds familiar, like an old friend. Like Sean. I look at him strangely.
"Sean?" I ask
"Yeah, that was me. My name is apparently Treble now. Anyways, again, how are you feeling? You look different, kind of like what we looked like yesterday."
I look down at the ground. I suddenly notice all the things that have changed form yesterday. I have hooves, a tail, a mane, fur, and everything. The fur is a soft cream color. The mane and tail are a rosy pink color. I run towards the bathroom in the entrance hall. When I turn on the light, I see pony ears on the top of my head.
I start hyperventilating. This can't be happening! I have a life! I have to run the store today! Oh, no! The store! I run out of the bathroom to look at the clock. 10:00. I should be at the store right now. Oh, God, no. Treble, as he insisted I start calling him, looks at me with genuine concern. He gets off his cloud, giving it a kick to disintegrate it. He lands next to me and I lean down to hug him. His fur is really soft, and I run my hand over the downy feathers at his sides. I start to cry. I had a life, and now I can't ever see any of my other friends ever again. I had wanted to go around the world, studying all sorts of beautiful and rare flowers. Now, I am stuck turning into a pony. This has got to be the worst birthday in the world.
"Hey, Rose," says Treble, "Breathe into this paper bag. It'll help you calm down."
He hands, or hoofs, me the bag, which I take. Or at least fumble with. I don't know why, but its hard to hold things anymore. Eventually, I get the hang of it. I breathe into the bag, finally getting my breathing under control. So many things have happened while I was unconscious, and its a little overwhelming.
"Better," the stallion says, "Now, what do you want to do when you're done with the change? Lightning and I have discussed leaving as soon as its over. According to a news report, there is one more pony we have to meet before we search for a way to revert. They are apparently in East Hartford at the moment."
I realize that I haven't thought about the end to the changes. If Treble thinks we should pursue this other pony, then I am at his side.
"Yeah," I say, "I think...I think I'd like to go. That is, only if you are."
"Great."
Just then, another yawn sounds. From behind the couch, Lightning pops her head up.
"Good m'rning," she says, a little groggy from having just woke up. She yawns again. "So, when do we leave?"
"Well," says Treble, "The transformation finished around three yesterday, and I think that staying here any longer is just a disaster waiting to happen, that's when we leave."
Lightning just nods. She gets up and walks to the cereal cabinet. She pulls out Honey Bunches of Oats in her mouth.
"Hey, Rose," she says, "Could you reach up and grab me a bowl from the upper cabinet?"
I comply, reaching up into the dishes cabinet and grabbing three bowls. She pours some into each one and we begin to eat. The flavors just burst in my mouth, as though there was nothing better tasting in the world. I let out a content sigh. I decide to look on the bright side of things, and maybe the change isn't so bad. At least I don't have to worry about not having anything to eat on the road.
We finish eating. By this time, I look like what Treble and Lightning looked like yesterday. We turn on the TV, hoping to catch a little bit of news before the change is complete. Unfortunately, the only things on are soap operas (I am still amazed that most of these are still around), and I really don't feel like watching soap operas.
"Hey," Treble says, "We may need food along the way. I know we can eat plants along the way, but we don't know which ones are edible for equines. We also could use medical equipment for cuts and scrapes and stuff. I have several first aid kits around the house from my days as a Boy Scout. Now, we need something to carry all this stuff with us. Any ideas?"
"I remember we have saddlebags in the basement from when I took horseback riding lessons," puts in Lightning, "Rose, do you think you could go down and get them?"
"Sure," I say.
I open the basement door and head downstairs. While on the way down, my body becomes unsteady and I fall forwards onto my new hooves. Unfortunately, it happens on the stairs, and I start tumbling down. I hit the wall and feel a slight pain, thanking my sturdy new body for keeping me from serious injury. I get up and shake my head to rid myself of the dizziness.
The Cameron's basement. It is an unfinished area (Treble's father had started to work on it, but had never gotten past the insulation stage). As you walk underneath the stairs, you can see all the winter equipment. Past that is Lightning's winter work-out area. All sorts of exercise machines were set up in the cavernous space. After you leave that, there is the basement door. Next to the door is the heating equipment for the house. On the other side of it is Treble's and Lightning's bikes. I believe they are Giant Defy 3's. With the bikes and the concerned gear is a large shelf that houses miscellaneous types of equipment. I find the saddlebags conveniently lying on the floor underneath it. I thank God that they are where I can reach them instead of the out-of-my-reach shelf.
I head back the way I came. Once back on the top floor, I find Treble and Lightning looking at me expectantly. I let the saddlebags slide off my back onto the floor. Next to the two of them are supplies for a few days. Apparently, they are expecting to be gone for quite a while. We place the supplies into our bags and sling them onto our backs. Alright, its three o'clock. Time to leave.

















Treble
Its sad to leave this house. Lightning and I grew up here, and now its going to be abandoned. How will my parents react when they find out their children are gone. They'll probably think we were kidnapped. Thinking of this, I quickly grab a piece of paper from the printer and write down a message that reads: Dear Mom and Dad, I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I feel you should know what happened. Sara and I are turning into ponies and must leave, possibly for good. I do not know how its happening, nor do I know why. I know this seems impossible, but its true. Just know that we have always loved you and always will. Please do not come looking for us, for it will only bring you pain. If I can ever find a way to see you again, I will tell you the story. Your loving son, Sean.
I read the letter over again, making sure its at least legible. I fly up to the cabinet that holds the envelopes and stamps. I put the makeshift letter into an envelope, write the address of the house and the condo. I wipe a tear from my eye. I don't want to leave this way, but its impossible to stay. Writing that letter was the hardest thing I have ever done.
We leave the house through the front door. Rose wants to grab a few flowers as food for our long trip. As we go to her house, I stop by the mailbox, put the letter in and raise the flag. By this time, Rose and Dusty (I like that nickname, its easier to write than Lightning) have returned with the plants in Rose's saddlebags. We head into the back yard of the house, taking one last long look at the place of our birth, and enter the woods with heavy hearts. I decide to sing a song, namely Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.
Singing has always helped. By the end of the song, I am feeling the sadness of our problem. The woods are creepily silent. There are no birds chirping or insects noisily buzzing. The sky is overcast and looks like it could rain any minute. I get a bad feeling that we are being followed. Sure enough, I hear a twig snap close by.
"Get behind me," I whisper.
Out of the foliage comes a deer, which seems startled to see us.
"Its just a deer," says Dusty, with annoyance clear in her voice.
The deer just turns slowly and walks away. I breathe a sigh of relief. A while ago, there was a fisher cat in the woods behind our house. It killed my dog, who was going to die of old age anyway. Anyways, we continue walking through the quiet forest. None of us say a word. After what feels like forever, we come across the first road, Route 74. Normally a busy road, it seems pretty deserted. We cross the road with no trouble at all. We start following the road North. We pass by the police barracks and several driveways. Eventually, we reach Old Cathole Road, where the middle school is located. Unfortunately for us, the area opens up into a rural setting. Being careful, we follow the road up to a relatively covered area. We cross the road and follow the rear of the school. We reach the woods at the end of the sports field. By this time, its getting dark. We decide to set up camp.
"Hey, Dusty," I say, "Could you fly up and scout out the area ahead of us?"
"Sure," she says, and flies away, leaving me alone with Rose.
"So, how far are we planning on going?" Rose asks.
"I don't know," I reply, "but its been pretty slow going."
Rose yawns, prompting me to do the same. She lies down and curls up. Pulling out three flowers, she beckons me to eat one. I comply, knowing that I needed to eat. As I lie down, I hear a quiet hissing noise. Looking down, I see that my foreleg has opened up somehow, revealing a computer-like device. On the keyboard, I see a bunch of symbols that mean nothing to me. Hovering above it is what looks like a screen.
"What's that?" asks Rose, surprisingly calmly, considering.
"I have no idea," I say, "It looks like a computer of some sort, but I can't make heads or tails of it."	
I wrack my brain for ideas. Slowly, I see a faint image of someone typing in a command using their wings. I realize that that someone is me. I copy the movement, causing what seems like a sonar system to appear. Around us, I see tiny hole-like things. A slight nagging in the back of my mind tells me that its important to our quest, but I ignore it. I see a small track around the sides, and I grab onto the fur at the top with my teeth. I pull the fur, and with another hissing noise, the computer disappears into my foreleg again.
"Well, that was weird," I say, confused.
As we finish our meal, Dusty touches down next to us.
"We are close to the shopping plazas," she reports, "We have to cross the highway first, so we need to be careful of the traffic to make sure we aren't seen or run over. I figure that it would be better to wait for awhile. It would be better for us to travel at night, when less people will be awake. So, I say that we should take a short rest, sleep if you can. One of us must stay awake in order to watch for danger. I volunteer to do just that. You two get some sleep."
With that, she turns around. Rose and I look at each other. Since its still cold, we lie down together, with my body wrapped around Rose's. Soon enough, we are both asleep with smiles on our faces.
> Nightchaser
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Treble
Its been two days since we left home. They have been the longest two days of my life. We didn't get much sleep, we almost never stopped, and I couldn't write anything down in my journal. In those two days, I have gotten to know Rose a lot better. According to her, she was the best flower salesmare in Ponyville. When I asked her how she knew that, she said that she remembers being a pony before becoming a human. All I've got to go on is that I'm a singer, and the rest has nothing to do with a pony's life.
In those two days, we have been nearly run over by four different cars, chased by dogs, had to jump fences, and nearly been seen a whopping twenty times. Finally, we've reached East Hartford.
"All right, we are looking for a blue pony," I say. Dusty and Rose nod. We set off to find the pony.
I figured the pony would not have left the area. I know I wouldn't. Although more populated than Tolland, they still have well forested areas, especially on the side we were on. I decide to take a calculated risk and take off, leaving Dusty with Rose. If I get high enough, people will mistake me for a bird.
Its nice to spread my wings once again and feel the freedom from the ground. Now is not the time to revel in it, though, as I have a job to do. Flying over a lightly forested area, I see a splotch of blue that doesn't belong. I turn around and fly back to the group, landing with much more precision than I had last demonstrated.
"Its that way," I say, pointing with my hoof.
We start to move in that direction when, in front of me, flashes the blue pony we were looking for. I take a moment to look this pony over. He is a unicorn, if the horn on his head is any indication. His mane and tail are both jet black with white motes so that they look like the night sky. His coat is a dark blue, but not nearly as dark as his mane. His eyes are greyish. His cutie mark looks like one of those long exposure pictures of the night sky. He looks around, and then charges his horn, releasing a flash. We find ourselves in the woods I just flew over.
He speaks first. Really loudly, I might add. "Yo, dude! I just saw you flyin' overhead! That was wicked awesome!"
"Um..hi," I reply, rather shocked at this pony's really enthusiastic (if you want to call it that) response to seeing us.
"So, hey," he continues, "What brings you here, bro? Oops, it appears I haven't introduced myself. The name's Nightchaser. You can just call me Chase, if you like. I've been havin' so much fun, scarin' people. You should see the looks on their faces. Priceless!"
The more time I spend around this colt, the more I dislike him. I am not one for in your face ponies. This one epitomizes that stereotype.
"Could you keep your voice down, please?" I ask, as kindly as I can muster.
"I am keepin' my voice down," he says smiling, as though nothing could go wrong. Maybe he's right, but I still don't like him. "Anyways, bro..."
"And could you stop calling me bro? My name is Treble Clef. This is my sister, Lightning Dust, and my...um...friend, Roseluck. I was hoping to help you, find out about you, and take you along, but I think you'd just get in the way."
"That's too bad, dude," he says, a little quieter, "It may be fun to terrorize the locals, but I've been alone since I finished changin'. That was about a week ago. I believe it was the first. Okay, so maybe its two weeks ago, but it doesn't matter. You go ahead, and I will stay here...alone."
Suddenly, I feel bad for the guy. He's as alone as we are, and we may be his only salvation.
"All right," I concede, "Come along, then. Oh, but first, could you tell us about your pony self. No doubt you've gotten quite a lot of you're memory back, right?"
"A little."

















Chase
I sort of remember bein' a night guard. It was a hard job, you know? Stayin' up late, sleepin' durin' the day. Of course, my special talent is related to the nighttime. After that, the only thing I remember is the dream I had after the changes started. It went somethin' like this.
I was up early, well, early for me. I was walkin' past Princess Twilight's chambers when a pony, who I believe was named Shining Armor, ran past me. He rushed into her room in a panic. I followed him cautiously, and turned the corner just in time to see him disappear in a flash of light. In that room stood Discord, with a smile on his face. He looked right at me.
"Well, now," he said, "Who do we have here? A member of the night guard? One of Luna's pets? Here for me?"
I looked at him with confusion, my tired mind unable to get a connection. He smiled, a terrible smile.
"Time to work my magic!
Five score, divided by four
Hard at work, never sure
Leaving this place, returning nevermore
Unable to settle the score."
That is the last thing I remember from that encounter.
Ever since the changes finished, I have been havin' fun, but now I simply need to find my way back and get Discord for attackin' me!

















Treble
I stare at Chase. He seems like he is ready to find his way back home. Time to figure out how to make it to...wherever it is we're going.
Suddenly, a thought fights its way to the forefront of my mind. Two Discords. Two universes. I have no idea what it means. Perhaps it means that the Equestria I knew from my life as a pony and the one that Chase remembers are not the same place. Another idea surfaces. If that is true, then we are going to different places. I vow at this moment to help him before I help myself.
It is now high time we make our way. I open the little computer console I found two nights ago and type in the code for the rips. Another jolt of memory comes up, but this time it actually kind of hurts. It feels like part of my brain was melted slightly. The memory is of another code, which shows up on the weird holographic screen as "Equestria : Nightchaser."
Strangely, a direction, a place, and names are written. It says: "Waypoint to Equestria. Citizen: Nightchaser. Position: Sergeant, Lunar Guard. Related citizens: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big McIntosh, Fluttershy. Location: Muscatine, Iowa."
"Hey, guys," I say, "The place we are going is Muscatine, Iowa. Wherever that is."
"Treble," asks Rose, "Haven't you been to Iowa before?"
"We have," puts in Dusty, "But RAGBRAI didn't go through Muscatine in 2008."
Once a year, there is an event in Iowa called RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) where people from across the country ride across the state for fun. Its a huge event, and Dusty and I went with our father and grandad one summer. It was a blast. We spent the entire spring and most of the summer bicycling once a week (Dusty trained every single day, fifty miles a day. We didn't see her very often that year.)
Chase looked at the computer in awe. He stayed silent for a couple of awkward minutes, before shouting out, "Dude! That is SO AWESOME! You've got to teach me how to do that!"
"Uh...I don't know how I can do it," I say, "I just can. It opened one night while we were on our way over here. However, we don't have time to sit here. We've got to move. If we follow the map, we can get there pretty quickly. Chase, how far can you run?"
"Pretty far, man," he says, "I was a member of the Lunar Guard, and that's sayin' somethin'. Perhaps we can find a truck movin' in that direction, or somethin'. C'mon, let's move!"

















Chase
"So, I just write in it?" I ask.
"Yeah," says Treble, "You know, as a logbook of yourself and your adventures."
Um...Hey, my name is Nightchaser. I..uh...
"This is kind of strange. Who's gonna read it? I mean, c'mon dude, Kinda weird."
"You'll get used to it."
Anyways, I was a mechanic. Yeah, I know what you're thinkin', 'Dude, shouldn't you be, like, an astronaut or somethin'? Your cutie mark (weird thing to call it, dude) has to do with night time.' Yeah, but we can't always be smarty pants'. That's simply my job. I never went to college, but I have always had a thing for cars, as my father was a mechanic and so was my grandfather. My hobby, the thing that always excites me, is stargazin' and nighttime photography. But nobody makes tons of money off photographs anyways.
People have tried to make sense of my accent. I suppose it could be a mix between surfer-speak and New Jerseyan, of which I am neither. Truth be told, I was born in Texas, but my family moved to Connecticut when I was very young. I almost never watched My Little Pony. That was for little girls, not for a man like me. My ex-girlfriend Vanessa got me to watch the wedding episodes and the one about the dress maker, whatever her name was, and the fashion show. That was all. We broke up after that.
I moved from Old Lyme to East Hartford because I was a suburb kinda guy. The country never did it for me.
So now here I am, in the back of a freight truck, headed in the general direction of Iowa. I don't know what we'll find out there. I am with new friends who are quite willin' to help a bro out. That's the end of this entry, because we need to find another vehicle to ride in. Um...bye, I guess.
> The Portal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Treble
All of this riding in the backs of trucks is getting rather boring. It feels as though months have passed since I last had enough time to write in my journal. Everyone is being quiet, including Chase, who I expected to be the most talkative out of any of us. Its been hard to avoid being seen by the drivers and delivery stations, but, thanks to Chase knowing an invisibility spell, we have so far succeeded escaping from detection. I'm sure writing about the repetitive nature of our adventure would be kind of boring, so here is a brief summary of what has happened. Basically, Rose and I have become ever closer, having so much time with each other, and Dusty and Chase have done the same. Other than that, life has been pretty boring.
So, after several days on the road, specifically on Wednesday the 20th, the truck is rocked by a huge explosion. It jerks us all awake, and causes the computer to go haywire.
"What is going on?" cries Rose, "What was that?"
"I don't know," I respond, unsure of what to say. Looking down, I notice the screen is showing the outside, as a huge rainbow-colored disc shoots across the sky. "Hey, guys, look at this!"
"It looks...like a sonic rainboom," says Dusty.
"A...what?" asks Chase incredulously, "Did you seriously just call it a sonic rainboom?"
"Uh...yeah," Dusty retorts, "Its something that only Rainbow Dash can do. She breaks the sound barrier and creates an explosion that can split solid rock, and shake entire mountains! Its also useful for discovering special talents."
"Well, that sounds kinda awesome!"
"Guys," I interrupt, "That's not important right now. Something is up with this thing."
Suddenly, a voice sounds from the speakers, saying, "Power has been restored. Location update received. Magical distortion linked with a portal in Dubuque, Iowa. Proceed to location to scan energy."
"What are we waitin' for?" shouts Chase, "You heard the thing, let's go!"
"Chase," I answer, "If you haven't noticed, we're kinda stuck in here, with no way out until we stop."
"Fine, but as soon as we stop, we need to get out of here."
I close the console, and sit down to think about how convenient it is that the computer suddenly got a boost when the sonic rainboom happened. My personal guess is that, like any computer, it takes time to boot up. After being off for 25 years, it understandably would take a long time for that to happen. The magic from the rainboom gave it the energy to finish loading. Not to mention it has been off for at least half our journey. Over the past few days, I have been using it to check on things like news, weather, and current location. A while back, we crossed the border into Iowa, finally. We stopped in Davenport, and accidentally took the wrong truck and traveled northwards on Route 61. When the computer received the "update," we were on Route 20, near a little town called Peosta.
"Hey, Treble," says Rose, shaking me out of my reverie, "Whatcha thinking about?"
"Nothing," I respond.
"Come on, I know you well enough to see you're thinking about something."
I sigh, "Just about the convenience of what happened back there. Its as if something has been steering us towards a specific goal. As if, to this...entity, all we are is pawns in a much bigger game."
"And what do you think we should do?"
"I think that we should see this thing through to the end."
"Well, then, that's what we should do."
Gradually, the truck starts to slow down. We are reaching a stop for either a loading or for the driver to switch trucks. The back of the trailer creaks open. Unfortunately, we are completely exposed right now. We all line up at the door, ready to make the dash for safety. The doors fully open, revealing us to several men in the station. We make a break for it, but not before I notice a sign that says Royal Oaks Development. As we run at top speed, the surprised voices of the people grow quieter. After galloping across a thankfully empty Route 20, we stop to catch our breaths.
"Whew," breaths Chase, "I haven't had that much excitement since we left East Hartford! So, Big Boss, where are we and where are we headed?"
"Well," I answer, checking the computer, "It says that Dubuque is about twelve miles northwest of here. According to this, to get to our destination, we must cross the Mississippi."
"How are we gonna do that?" asks Rose, "It would be easy if we were human again, but we definitely can't swim across, and I can't fly or do magic."
"Actually, we can easily cross," says Dusty confidently, "There are two strong pegasi to carry you across, and one unicorn who can teleport. It should be a snap."
"Also," I add, "Our average speed is enough that we can make it there in an hour. Come on, standing here isn't going to help us any."









Chase
So, we finally made it. Here in Dubuque is my way back to Equestria. Its amazin' how much I've changed. Anyway, there is still one final obstacle, the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, there is no walkin' bridge across the river, and swimmin' isn't gonna work, the current is much too fast. On the bright side, we can see the opposite shore, and all I need to teleport is line-of-sight. Chargin' up my spell, I catch a last glimpse of the far shore, takin' a picture in my mind. Usin' the image of where I want to end up, I release the spell, causin' the magical energies to wash over my form. I open my eyes to see that I have made the trip over.
Exhausted, I turn around to watch Treble, Dusty and Rose strugglin' over the river. To my horror, I see Rose flounderin' against the current, tryin' her level best to stay above the waterline. Thinkin' quickly, I prepare a powerful telekinesis spell. Now that I cast it, I can feel the magical strain on my mind. Slowly but surely, I bring her above the water and into the pegasi's capable hooves. As I pass out, I watch them arrive on the shore.
Wakin' up, all I can see is a red ceiling, and I can hear the whisperin' voices of the ponies I call friends.
"Look, he's waking up," says Rose.
"It sure did last a long time," Treble comments.
"Hey, guys," I say, still groggy from my recovery, "Sorry you had to wait for me. By the way, where are we, exactly?"
"Some barn outside someone's house," Dusty explains, "Apparently, we aren't the first ponies these people have met. They were kind enough to let us in. Oh, and what happened, why did you suddenly collapse like that?"
"I magically overexerted myself. It takes a lot of energy to teleport that distance. On top of that, I had to save Rose. I couldn't just let her die, now could I?"
"Well, don't do it again, alright? I don't think I could lose you."
"All right," I laugh, "It won't happen again."
Suddenly, the door opens. In walks a young girl, probably eleven or so. She looks at all of us and smiles. "Thank goodness you're awake!" She exclaims, "I was so worried when I saw you on the banks."
"Its all right," I say, smilin', "Thanks for your concern. Hey, Treble, don't you think its time to go?"
"Yes," he responds, "It is time. I showed the map to the farmer, and he said that he'd take us to the indicated place. Apparently, there is an abandoned school there, and some time in the '90s, there was an incident that tore the door right off the building. I have a feeling that we will find your portal to Equestria there."
I remain silent. I'm not sure about whether or not I should go back there. I want to spend more time with the group, especially Dusty. We bonded well together on the way over here, bein' into a lot of similar activities. We both love sports, are into the same music, and even have the same appreciation for hard work. Its just, I don't have any attachment at all to my home world, and all my friends will be leavin' me all alone.
"Yo, Chase," says Dusty, smackin' me in the face with her tail, "Treble said let's go! Come on!"
I blink, "Oh, sorry. Yeah...let's go."
Exitin' the building, I see a large, blue pickup truck with a horse trailer on the back. Sighin', I enter the trailer with the others. We trundle down the road, passin' one other house. I look back to see my friends standin' there. We all stare at each other, not exactly sure what to say. Its really awkward. Minutes pass, seeming like hours. Finally, the truck slows to a stop.
Followin' Treble, we enter a large building. There, in the middle of the hall, was a statue. It depicts a mare standin' on her back legs, lookin' pretty fierce. Treble's computer started to make a beeping sound. Out of a small hole in the leg, a scanner popped out. Runnin' over the statue, the beeping increases in speed. The scanner slides back under on its own.
The computer voice thing speaks up. "Portal data scan complete. Time to opening: three days. Now able to detect other Equestrian portals. Genetic scans indicate universe of origin of Treble Clef. Portal location: Dubuque, Iowa. Location of target: O'leary's Lake."
"Well," says Treble, "That was certainly interesting. Hey, Chase, now is the time to decide. Do you want to go back to your original home, or do you want to come with us? Its your choice."
"Yeah," I say, now completely sure of myself, "I want to come with you. I feel like I need my friends around me. If there's anythin' that I have learned through this it is that we are all in this together. And besides, I think you may need all the help you can get."
"Great!" shouts Dusty, rushin' over to me and giving me a hug, "I knew it! Thank you!"
"Uh...yeah...any time."
We leave the building. I look over at Dusty, and realize just how much I actually mean to her. Its kinda cute. Even though we just met, I feel like I've known her forever. We approach the truck. The farmer, a tall, tanned man, is waitin' for directions from Treble. He goes up to him and tells him. The man smiles. I just know, whatever he's thinkin', it can't be fun.









Treble
Lately, Chase has been a little withdrawn. Its not like him. Well, its almost over. I think about all the things that have transpired since the change. So far, our trip seems to have taken much longer than I had expected. Distances seem longer, time seems slower, and the world seems emptier. Since starting, we have picked up another pony, traveled half way across the country, and ran into a kind family. Luck seems to be on our side throughout our adventure.
We are traveling fast down the road. Fairly soon, we stop by a small pond attached to the river. In the parking lot there, we get out of the trailer. The computer tells me to go down the walking path to our right. Following that, we reach a clearing, and the beeping signals that we are getting closer to the location. On the screen, I can see a red dot indicating where exactly the portal was. Looking around, I don't see a thing.
"I wonder how I'm supposed to open this portal," I think out loud.
Without warning, the computer makes a loud crackling noise, and a hole opens up in the location of the dot, surprising everyone.
"Whew," breaths Chase, "That scared me."
"All right, I guess this is it. Hey, mister," I turn to the farmer, who followed us to the portal, "I have a favor to ask. Could you send this journal to the address on the inside cover? I would be extremely grateful."
"Sure," he replied, "I can certainly send this. What does it have written in it?"
"It contains the story of the past ten days. I want to be able to send the truth out into the world, starting with the people living there. Its imperative that they get that."
"I give you my word that they will get this. Now go, before that thing closes. Join your friends, they may need you."
With that, I take a deep breath, and plunge into the open portal, causing it to close behind me.