The New World

Chapter Three

    Twilight Sparkle and the others waited patiently by the side of Applejack’s barn.  The group had shrunk considerably since the ponies had brought the unconscious creature to Sweet Apple Acres.  Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had each gone off to take care of their own personal business that day.  Rarity obviously to open the boutique and Fluttershy to care for her animals while Rainbow was likely napping somewhere or simply performing flight tricks.

    Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Applejack, however, had stayed behind.  Twilight and Spike were waiting for the Princess’ letter, while Pinkie Pie was straining to do the same.  Applejack had busied herself with chores on the Acres, though she was still interested in their discovery she also had much to do.  As such she had moved away from the barn to check the orchard and harvest what fruit was ready.

    This had left the other three to their own devices while they waited.  Twilight had pulled a book from seemingly nowhere and started to read, while Spike settled down to take a nap on some nearby straw and Pinkie had started to bounce around the barn.  Circling like a bird of prey waiting to dive on its victim.  This had continued for a good twenty minutes until Twilight had finally had enough.

    “Pinkie!” she had called, sharply, when the pink mare bounced by again, “what are you doing?”

    “Oh, Twilight, I was just waiting for the letter to come!” Pinkie Pie replied, “I got bored and you had a book to read and Spike went to sleep and I didn’t have anyone to talk to and then my legs got tired of standing so I decided to move and wait at the same time!  It was great!  Has the letter come yet!?  I really want to talk to this thing!  I welcome everypony and it would be rude if I didn’t welcome this… thing?  It might not like me then!  What would I do~”

    By that point Twilight, feeling sorry for interrupting her friends relatively quiet bouncing, had pushed her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth.  Then spoke again to the mare, “Pinkie, I can tell you when the letter gets here.  Why not just sit down for a bit and wait patiently?  I mean, it can’t very long now.  The Princess is always quick to write a response.  She was probably just held up by a midday meeting with some nobles or something.  She should be done with that at any time now.  So come on!  Walk over here and we can sit for a few minutes until the letter gets here.”

    While Twilight walked back to her book, Pinkie stared after her.  It had never occurred to the baker that sitting may be a way to pass the time.  She thought to herself: Hey!  Maybe sitting is fun!  Oh, I think I should try, Twilight really wanted me to, and she sits a lot!  Okay, I will sit until the letter gets here!

    Now, with the duo sitting near the sleeping Spike, they waited.  Little did they know that the Princess had indeed just left a meeting with some nobles, though in a strange manner, and was planning on writing the letter.  However, she had just gotten caught up in her memories.  Something that can take some time for a pony like Celestia to come out of.

~About half an hour later~

    Twilight had made great progress on her book since Pinkie had decided to be still.  The pink pony had distracted her every time she came around the barn, which had been surprisingly often, and had limited her progress to only about a quarter of the book.  After Pinkie had sat down and become surprisingly still, however, Twilight had been able to nearly finish the book.  She looked at the number of pages she had progressed and estimated that they had been at ease for about half an hour now.  This brought something to the unicorn’s mind, though.

    She thought: How strange, I didn’t know Pinkie could even sit still, much less for nearly half an hour!  Had she dozed off while waiting?  Or did she possess a greater discipline than I had previously thought and seen?

    Twilight looked over to the mare to check on her, and was taken a bit aback.  The pony had become a vibrating mass of pink.  Scant bits were identifiable on the extremities of the shaking object.  Maybe a bit of hair there, a flash of a hoof, nothing more was discernable though.  Twilight began to wonder what should be done with this when Spike suddenly sat up.

    The dragon belched, and out came a letter.  He groggily picked it up and broke the seal.

    “To my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

        I received your letter and was indeed puzzled by the creature which you described.  However, you don’t need to worry because I do know what it is.  This creature is something that used to live in our world thousands of years ago.  Something called a Human.  He should be perfectly harmless, but I would still recommend that you be careful.  He may be slightly startled by the new surroundings and could act a bit like a cornered animal.  Humans can also be dangerous if provoked.  Just be nice and make sure that he is looked after.  I would enjoy to meet with you, and your friends, about this matter sometime soon.  I will schedule some time for us next week, when there are less nobles needing my assistance.

    Your Mentor,

    Princess Celestia”

    Spike finished the letter, and then he laid back down to continue his nap.

    Twilight Sparkle though over the letter for a little bit, and then turned to speak with Pinkie, “Well, since the Princess said it was okay… Pinkie?”

    Pinkie Pie had gone, leaving a blur in the air behind her as she raced toward the door of the barn.  Once there she threw the massive doors open knocking Randis over in the process and throwing him toward the rear of the building.  Again knocking him unconscious.

~~ Five minutes before the letter arrived ~~

    Randis came to, and thought the worse.  Oh, no. ;He thought; I must not have gotten the correct dosage of gas.  I think I must have been conscious for just long enough to scramble my thoughts because there is no way I saw what I remember seeing.  Equine forms standing over me.  One prodding me.  That hurt a little.

    Oh well, its gone now.  I wonder where I am?  At that he sat up, and fell back down.

    Still a bit woosie.  Let’s try again.  This time he sat up and propped himself up using his left arm.  Looking around he saw fairly familiar surroundings.  The barn was scarcely lit, only the occasional beam of light protruding through some hole or another in the walls provided light.  However, it was enough to see bits of equipment scattered around, like a horse-drawn plow and a few feed buckets against one wall.  There were some hay bales at the back of the building and loops of rope hung from various nails on the main supporting posts in the building.

    As he continued to glance around he found what he thought was a door.  The light showing beneath and around the rectangular chunk of wall became his guide.  He stood up slowly, and staggered toward the potential opening.  He tripped halfway to the door when his feet became tangled on a rake handle, but valiantly got up to continue his quest.  As he got to the door he reached for the wooden surface.

    Finally, to see what this place looks like on the outside!  Alright, new world, here I co~

     The door was then flung open into poor Randis and he was flying through the air.  As his thoughts again left him he caught a glimpse of a smiling pink… pony?  And then his vision again went black.

    Pinkie looked sadly at the again prone form of the human, unhappy with the bad luck that had befallen her in causing further ailment to the creature.  She heard Twilight galloping up beside her, and then heard her attempt to speak, while also gasping for breath.

    “Well *gasp* how is *gasp* our new friend?” Twilight managed to say.  Then, as she cast her gaze into the barn she found her answer.  There, at the rear of the building lay the human, facing them, with what was an apparent expression of ultimate surrender.  The two ponies moved into the barn to get a good look at the human.

    As they approached he seemed to stir a little.  As they came within ten feet he gave a bit of a groan and righted his head in orientation with the ground.  There the ponies stopped, waiting for the creature to act.

    Randis first opened his eyes, saw the colorful equines, and then closed his eyes again.  He spent a moment thinking about this turn of events.

    Okay Randis, here you are.  You live in a world, completely untouched by mankind, and it is inhabited by these.  Maybe you are insane.  Or you could have brain damage, you did just hit your head twice in what was, I think, a short period of time.  That hay was surprisingly hard…

    Randis left his thoughts at that and returned to the world, opening his eyes to see a pink face right in front of him.

    “GahH!” He shouted, the pony backed away suddenly, and he collected himself.  “Uh, hi?  How are you… ponies?  Am I insane?”

    The friendly greeting was all that Pinkie needed to move on with her plans.  “HEY!  We are GREAT!  How are you!  OH!  I bet you’re great too!  Of course you are!  You have Pinkie looking out for you now!  Here to welcome you to Ponyville and Equestria!”  the mare continued to prattle on about partying and meeting everyone, and Twilight stepped forward.

    “Don’t worry too much about her.  She is just… excited… Actually she is being completely normal now.  Anyway I don’t think that you are insane, you may have a minor concussion though.  I am here to welcome you on behalf of Princess Celestia, ruler of the Day and of Equestria.  My friends and I watched you fall from a portal in the sky and hit the ground pretty hard.  How are you feeling” Twilight asked.

    Taken aback by the fact that these creatures actually talked and what they were Randis did his best to answer.  “Well,” he began, pausing for a second before moving on, “I think that I’m okay.  My body is sore, and my head more so, but I think that I will be fine.  I guess I should introduce myself.  I am Randis Janeson, once a scientist in a much different place.  Best in my field.  I think I can say that since I don’t live there anymore.”

    “Oh, you were a scientist?  I love science!” Twilight began.  “Wait.  Before we talk science I will introduce myself and my friend here,” she gestured toward Pinkie Pie, who was still talking and had wandered over toward the side of the barn, “I am Twilight Sparkle and she is Pinkie Pie.  I live and work at the Ponyville library and she lives and works at Sugar Cube Corner.  Now, about your science…”

    “You mean my field?  Or do you mean our science in general?” Randis asked, not quite sure which the mare was implying.

    “Yes.. uh, I mean both.  However, your specific work can come first,” Twilight clarified.

    “Oh, well I-” Randis was cut off by Pinkie Pie’s sudden return to the conversation.

    “Welcoming Party!” Pinkie screamed, pulling a cannon from nowhere and firing a payload of confetti, balloons, streamers, and other party supplies upon the human and the purple unicorn.  Twilight took the sudden intervention rather well, while Randis was shocked to the point of nearly fainting.  It wasn’t every day that someone fires a cannon at you.

    “Really, Pinkie?  This isn’t the time.  … Actually that reminds me, I should probably get you back to the library.  Other ponies in the area might be more shocked by you than us, and they get a bit mobish at times.  Come on, I can teleport the three of us there if we can all sit still,” Twilight directed the last bit at Pinkie.  She had the power to easily teleport three ponies, but it would be easier if one wasn’t halfway across the room when she did it.

    “We’re going to… what?  Did you just say we were going to teleport?  How is that-” Randis stopped talking on his own when he saw the horn on Twilight’s head.  He would later recall how strange it would be to miss that obvious a feature.

    “I can explain later, first we need to get you away from prying eyes.  Need to keep you safe until the Princess can see you!”

    With that Twilight cast her spell, briefly enveloping the group in a brilliant white light and with a pop and a flash they were gone.  The building around them had changed when the light dimmed, Randis found himself on a wooden floor surrounded by shelves.  He couldn’t quite believe what had happened, and kept his mouth agape to signify such a thing.

    “Oh, it can’t be that strange!  You fell from a hole in the sky not three hours ago and us teleporting less than a mile is something strange.  Hmf!  It’s like you don’t have anything like this where you came from,” Twilight said.

    Randis took a breath, and gathered his thoughts.  Then, sighing, he said, “Well, you can say that again.  I suppose that I really should tell you about my world.  Though, I will expect the same in return.”

    Twilight assured him that she would inform him of this place, and led the trio over to the sitting area of the library, offering a chair to each.  There they would begin to tell their respective tales.

~~

    Back at Sweet Apple Acres a small purple dragon had just been awoken from his nap by the tell-tale sound of Twilight teleporting.  He sat up groggily, then, realizing his predicament, he ran toward the doors of the barn.  Seeing none inside other than the bits of party regalia he sighed.

    “She always does this to me!  It’s like no one can wait to go get poor Spike.  Nope.  Just have to make me walk all the way back to the library.  Jeeze…” he muttered to himself as he thought about the trek home.

~~

    Another incident of note occurred back near the place Randis had entered this world.  There was a small rift twenty five feet above the ground, barely large enough to fit a mouse through.  But out came… something.  A creature that was definitely hard to describe.  Which then made its way to the ground, in a much more gracious manner than poor Ranids, and off it went.  Towards some distant mountains upon which a city dwelled.  This creature had a mission, one he had waited a quite a while to complete.