Parallel's Path

As they had been told by the conductor, Parallel, Rusty Sprocket and Midnight had been on a train ride to the Crystal Empire that could take them at least 3 days. It was up to them to decide how they would spend their time on the train, as the only thing that would be provided for them is food and drinks; anything else had to be self-supplied. Parallel occupied herself with figuring out just what all these memories she had recovered meant for her. Rusty Sprocket practiced his magic, as he realized that he has put too much of his magic efforts into medicine. Midnight spent most of her time thinking about all the friends she had made, especially Equality, who was her best friend throughout school.

It was about midday the morning of departure, and the two adult ponies had already started to become well-acquainted with each other. Parallel was in her cabin, in deep contemplation, so they didn't want to disturb her. Rusty Sprocket asked Midnight,

"So, how did you meet up with Parallel?"

"Actually, that's an interesting story. I was in Ponyville, trying to catch a train to Vanhoover, and I was told that the next one would connect from the White Tail Woods to Vanhoover. The train straight there wouldn't arrive for a few more days, and I needed to get there as soon as possible, so I decided to take the connecting train. It was when I boarded that I saw Parallel, and she reminded me of an old friend, who turned out to be her father. She was writing a letter to him, when I offered to mail it to him, since I remembered his address from when we were in school. It turns out that we were both on the same train quite a few times, giving me the chance to mail letters of hers three times. She really cares about her father, as I could tell by what she had written."

"It sounds like you two really got along when you met up. That's really nice to hear."

"Well, how did you meet up with Parallel?"

"That's actually kind of a funny story. I had taken a temporary job as a bus driver in Las Pegasus. She was on her way to the Equestria Surf Classic, when I pulled up in front of her. We talked a bit, but didn't really get into many details. I have to say, she's quite polite for a filly her age. Anyway, we met up again back in Canterlot, where I was on my way to my aunt's house, trying to deliver an illness remedy I had made. I do have a knack for making remedies with my magic, which you'd probably never guess considering my main profession is being a mechanic in Manehattan. I also ended up mailing a couple letters for Parallel, oddly enough." The mare marveled at how similar their encounters with Parallel had been.

"You know, I wonder if we've ever met before?"

"I don't think so. I really don't recognize you from anywhere else."

"I'm just asking because, well, I feel like our meeting was just meant to be."

"Now that you mention it, I'm kinda feeling the same way, too." The two adult ponies continued to talk for a few hours. They soon realized that they really liked each other. Rusty Sprocket eventually asked,

"You know, when we get to the Crystal Empire, you want to do something together? Like a date or something?"

"Well, I'm not taken at the moment, so why not?" The two then smiled at each other.

While Rusty Sprocket and Midnight were talking, Parallel was thinking about just what her past was like. She had already remembered a few important factors, such as what her parents looked like, the foretelling of bringing 6 ponies together, the fact that she comes from another world, and the fact that she was to be taken care of by six different stallions. The rest of her mind was still foggy, but she sensed a connection between all these events. She thought to herself,

"What if my purpose in Equestria has already been set in stone? Am I meant to just keep going on this journey forever? Will I stop after meeting up with the last stallion again? Do I even belong here in this world? I mean, I come from another world, as I was able to remember, but what happened to my parents? Did they really die, or was that just something programmed into my mind just so I could follow this path? Also, why do I get the feeling that I'm not exactly the pony I used to be? This is just so much to think about, and I now have more questions than answers." Parallel had been so occupied with her own thought process, by the time she had come back to reality, it had already been nightfall. She went out to see if Rusty Sprocket and Midnight were still out, but they had each gone back to their own cabins. Parallel was feeling sleepy, and yet, despite having nothing to eat since breakfast that morning, she had no appetite. She decided to just go to bed, and maybe have a more positive outlook in the morning.

That night, Parallel had a dream that changed her outlook on the rest of her quest. She found herself walking alone through a magical hallway. Along the hallway were several doors. Each door she opened showed her meeting up with each of the ponies she had befriended on her travels so far. She came to one door at the end, which wouldn't open. There was a note on it that said,

"Go to the other side. White door. You must go in there first." Parallel had no other ideas for what to do next, so she decided to do so. She found the lone white door on the other side of the hallway. She saw two familiar ponies. In fact, she recognized them immediately. They were none other than her own biological parents. She had never felt happier to see anypony. She walked up to them, and said,

"Mother, Father, is that you?" The mare spoke, followed by the stallion.

"Crystal Destiny would be my name. Hello, my daughter."

"You do remember me, Sacred Alignment, after all this time. It's great to see you, Parallel." The filly was nothing short of ecstatic. She had finally seen her real parents again. She asked for a hug, which she received from both of them. Crystal Destiny then said,

"I'm sure you have some questions about your past, before you met with Equality."

"Oh, do I ever. I've been confused about a lot of things. Like, for example, are you two still alive?"

"Yes, we are. You don't have to worry about us. We're completely fine. We just had to make you think we had passed in order for you to fulfill your purpose in this world."

"Wait, my purpose? You mean, I am here for a reason?" Her father replied,

"Yes, you are. However, we cannot tell you what that purpose is. For you to fulfill it, you have to discover what that purpose is for yourself. As long as you keep on your current path, and follow your instinct, you will find it soon enough."

"Wait, how about my other memories? Like the fact that I was to bring some ponies together, or that I would be taken care of by six of them? And what about everything that has happened to me in this world, including all my fortunate encounters?" Her mother replied,

"It was all pre-determined. If you recall, you also did something special for each of the ponies you have met so far. Equality needed a family member to keep his sanity in check, and you appeared. Jack Bolt needed to finish his work, and you assisted him. Island Breeze needed to be reminded of his younger self, and you did. Heraldry needed somepony to tell his story to, and you were there. Split Mentality needed assistance with his friend Melody, and you appeared. You're also going to be needed in the Crystal Empire, we just cannot say how."

"I see. Still, what do Midnight and Rusty Sprocket have to do with all this? What's their role in this quest?" Her father replied,

"That's the most important part. You see, the stallion you came to know as your father, Equality, was the one in most need of assistance. He grew up experiencing nothing but misfortune. His loved ones had all passed on, and he was alone in this world. His spark was reignited when, as if by fate, the one pony left that cared for him, the mare you know as Ms. Cheerilee, told him what he means to her. He still felt empty inside, though, despite his new positive outlook on life. You were the one pony from our world that seemed most like a daughter of his, so that's how you were chosen. By sending you to meet up with him, with no prior memory of any events before, it was made as if you were a lost filly just living on the streets. He adopted you, as we had hoped he would, and he finally had that one thing he needed to be truly happy. This is where Midnight and Rusty Sprocket come in. Midnight had already befriended Equality in their youth, so when you showed up on the train with her, the fact that she mailed your letters to him kept you two tethered. However, when she had personal business to take care of, another pony had to fill her place. This was when Rusty Sprocket came into play. He had already met you back in Las Pegasus, so he could be the one to keep you tied to your father." Now realizing that her entire quest so far had been foretold, she felt aimless. She said,

"Well, what does that mean for everypony I've met? When my purpose here is fulfilled, will I return to our world?" Her mother replied,

"If you want to find out that answer, go to the door on the other side. It will give you your answer. However, if you choose to do so, this door will be locked, and we will be finished talking." The filly, wanting to speak more, but realizing she must find out the rest for herself, gave her parents one last hug, and a smile as she walked out.

Parallel closed the door behind her, and walked to the other side. She was now able to open the previously locked door, and inside she saw nothing but two pedestals. Each had text written on it. The one on the left said,

"You can choose this path, and you will be allowed to stay in the world you live in today. You can be with your new friends and family. However, you will be unable to return to your native world, and your memories will be altered to make you believe you came from this world." She was tempted to pick this, as she had grown to love her new father, and she was still feeling gratitude for everything the stallions she met had done for her. She then read the pedestal on the right.

"You can choose this path, and return to your home world, as if nothing had ever changed. Your memories will be altered to make you believe you spent your life in your home world. Your friends and family in this world will forget they ever met you, but the circumstances they have faced will be the same." The other path was tempting as well, as she did want to know more about her home world. She knew that, regardless of which path she chose, either her home world or this world will entirely forget her, and vice versa, but she would have a normal life either way. There was a sign in the middle of the two pedestals. It read,

"You had a vision when you were young. The path you take will begin when you reach the point your vision foretold." She knew the vision the sign was referring to. It was her vision of meeting up with the six stallions. Her eyes then gave off another rainbow glow. The vision now showed more. Not only were the six stallions there, but also Princess Celestia, Mignight, Rusty Sprocket, Melody, and her parents, as well as all the other ponies she befriended in Equestria. She could see them speaking, but not hear anything. Suddenly, she heard a voice beckoning to her. She couldn't recognize whose it was, but it said,

"You can choose a path now, or you can reserve your decision for another time. Either way, there will come a time when you must choose. Which will it be?" Parallel had been overwhelmed with this information, so she decided to save it for the future. As the pedestals disappeared, everything around her went bright. The next thing she saw was herself, back in the train, still in her bed. However, she had no memory of anything she had experienced in her dream. Despite this, she still felt like her questions had been answered, even if she couldn't remember what the answers were. She smiled, got out of bed, put on her vest and hat, and walked out to greet Midnight and Rusty Sprocket.

Parallel saw the two talking to each other in the dining car. The two of them, who looked surprised to see her, were having breakfast together. Parallel responded,

"What's up with you two? You're acting like you've seen a ghost or something." Midnight replied,

"The thing is, we kinda thought we were. You see, you've been asleep for the past two days." Parallel laughed at this, thinking she was joking, but Rusty Sprocket commented,

"It's true. You were asleep for a long time. You hadn't come out of your cabin in so long, we thought something terrible happened to you. We went inside to check, and you were still sleeping. We thought you were in some sort of coma, and didn't want to disturb you, so we just left you alone."

"You mean, for the past two nights, I was out cold? I must have had some dream." Suddenly, her stomach growled profusely. "Wow, being asleep for so long really makes you hungry. Is it too late for me to order something?" Midnight replied,

"We thought you might be hungry after all that sleeping, so we ordered you a plate of apple & cinnamon swirls. In fact, here it comes now." A waiter had delivered the food to their table. What was presented looked absolutely delicious to the filly. She was still in public, so she restrained herself from scarfing it down right in front of everypony, but she cherished every bite she had.

"You know, Midnight, Rusty, you two really are great ponies for ordering this for me. By the way, what are you two doing together anyway?" The stallion replied,

"Well, we've been talking, and we decided that we're going to move in together when we get back. I've been meaning to sell my home in Manehattan, anyway, and Midnight has a place in Ponyville, and since we both ended up here because we met up with you at some point, we thought we could be great friends."

"Oh, so you're, like, a couple now?" Midnight replied,

"We'll see. We haven't exactly been on a first date yet." Rusty Sprocket chuckled, and Parallel smiled, feeling happy for them.  She responded,

"Well, we are going to the Crystal Empire. Why not find someplace there to go out?" They replied together,

"That's our plan."

It had been about ten minutes since Parallel had woken up, and she could see a beautiful looking castle in the distance. The conductor announced,

"We will be arriving in the Crystal Empire shortly, passengers. Make sure you have all of your belongings with you. We estimate about 15 minutes before we arrive. Thank you for riding with us." The filly was now more excited than ever. After being on a train for 3 days, despite sleeping through most of it, she'd finally arrive in the place she knew the last stallion would be located. Her quest was about to be finished, and she was feeling more anticipation than ever. She could only guess what the Crystal Empire would be like at this point, but she could never imagine just how resourceful she'd turn out to be at her next destination.