It May Not Be What You Expect
The steady hum of the plane’s engines beckoned him to sleep, but the feeling of elation in his heart held it at bay. He leaned back in his seat, adjusting his hands on the small backpack in his lap. “I’ll show them that I’m right. All I need is a little more time…”
“Y’know Doc, you’re gonna make the flight attendants freak out if you keep rubbing the bag and muttering to yourself,” the occupant of the seat next to him said. One of his more determined (or demented, no one had decided which) interns, the young man scratched at his cast as he looked out the window. “Although, the chance for Gollum jokes is a tempting prospect.”
“Oh, shut up, Albrecht,” Doctor Wyatt Brown grumbled, though he forced himself to relax. “Just…” he trailed off with a sigh.
Albrecht yawned and pulled his hat down over his eyes. “Yeah, I know, it’s great that we found something this time. But… just don’t let it get you over-confident again. Don’t want a repeat of what happened in the Yucatan, do we?”
Wyatt rolled his eyes and leaned further back, though his hands remained clasped firmly over the bag. “I guess not.” He glanced down at the bag, tentatively rolling the zipper between his fingers. “Maybe we could get some initial examination done now?”
“Remember, Doc, overexcitement,” Albrecht retorted as he sat up, lifting the hat. “We’re only a short hop across the Atlantic to Harvard and the lab, we’ll have plenty of time to analyze this thing when we get there.”
Wyatt frowned, releasing the zipper. “Still, it’s almost impossible to think that I found something so intact…”
“Well, we’ll just have to see, won’t we? Though my money’s on it being standard tourist crap,” Albrecht murmured as he yawned. “Anyway, I’m exhausted. Seeya when we land, alright?”
Wyatt grumbled more, but fell silent as the droning engines finally lulled him into sleep. His hands, however, started to rub the bag again, feeling the hard-edged shape inside…
“I’m surprised Doctor Ackert even let you claim the whole lab,” Albrecht said as he opened the imaging software on the computer.
“He owed me a favor from a couple years ago,” Wyatt replied as he carefully removed the cloth-wrapped bundle from the backpack. “Start the recording.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” Albrecht replied, clicking the record button.
“My name is Doctor Wyatt Brown, professor of archeology at Harvard University. My specialty lies in Bronze Age cultures and the artifacts they left behind. However, my recent research has begun to lead me in another direction. That direction being that prior to any known human civilization, there existed something else, much more advanced than anything else previously documented.”
Wyatt began unwrapping the bundle. “For several years, the only leads that I could find were merely anecdotal, distorted by centuries of superstition—”
“Doc, what are you doing?” Albrecht asked. “There’s no one else here, and it’s just an examination, no need to go all dramatic.”
Wyatt glared at Albrecht, but sighed. “Fine, whatever. In any case, I received word that some artifacts had been found along the coast of Spain, and I secured funding to go there and study them. What I found was, quite frankly, astonishing.” He unwrapped the last of the bundle. “The amulet appears to be made of silver, not much larger than my hand. However, what is fascinating is the workmanship and design. It almost has a Roman influence, which given the location would make sense.
“The ruby set in the middle is what captured my focus. Despite my best examination, it does not appear to have any residue holding it in place. If I didn’t know better, it almost looks like the silver was formed around the ruby.”
“So, whatcha think, Doc?” Albrecht asked. “Should we take a sample, see about the purity?”
Wyatt nodded. “Alright, pass me the scalpel.” He took the blade and lifted the amulet, pausing for a second as he stared at the front. The eye of the unicorn seemed to be staring directly at him, like it could actually see him. “Alright, where to scrape…” He winced as he turned it over, the feathered edge nicking his skin slightly. “How in the world are you still sharp after all these years in the ground?” He shrugged, unable to see the slight pulse at the heart of the ruby. “Okay, here we go.” Carefully dragging the blade along, he held it up to his face. “That’s odd.”
“What is it?” Albrecht asked.
“There’s no residue on the blade.” Wyatt scraped again with more pressure, and blinked as yet again, the amulet remained pristine. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe the blade’s dull.” Albrecht grabbed the rotary tool. “Here, try this.”
Wyatt revved the tool to its lowest setting, the motor whirring as he pressed it against the back of the amulet. The bit hummed as it ground against the silvered coating, but once again, not a single flake of silver came off. “This is ridiculous!” He shut the dremel off. “Whatever this is, it’s not silver. That bit’s diamond-coated, there should at least be some abrasion.”
“Well, what do we do? It’s not like we can just walk into the laser lab and just borrow one.”
“No, but I’ll tell you what this does prove…” Wyatt whispered. “This artifact is far more than a simple amulet.” He practically leaped up from the bench. “Get me a conductivity tester, we’re measuring the conductivity right now. Maybe that can give us an idea of what this thing is.”
“If you say so, Doc,” Albrecht said dubiously, rolling his chair across the room. He grabbed one of the test units and came back. “Are you sure that you want to do this? This is starting to feel like a bad idea.”
“It’s just a simple test, Albrecht.” Wyatt attached the clamps to the wings, though he hesitated on connecting the leads. “You… might want to step back, though.”
Albrecht obliged, scooting as far back as he could. “Just be careful, Wyatt. There’s a reason they say ‘Look before you leap.’”
Wyatt nodded, “Well, here goes nothing.” He took a deep breath and connected the leads, expecting a shock, the tester to explode, or really any reaction at all. After ten seconds passed, he glanced at the readout. Then continued to stare, mouth slightly open. “Albrecht, can… can you confirm this reading?”
He rolled back over. “What’s up?” To Wyatt’s relief he left the ‘Doc’ off the end, his mouth too occupied with staring at the display. An unblinking 0.00 stared defiantly back at them, the needle not even twitching. “But that’s… ”
“Impossible, yes.” Wyatt’s mind raced as he tried to think of an explanation. He turned the amulet over, only to drop it in shock. “Albrecht… rubies don’t glow, right?” The gem in the center of the amulet pulsed faintly, a weakened heartbeat that steadily grew stronger in front of them.
“Doc, it’s sucking power out of the tester!” Albrecht shouted. He reached for it to disconnect it, only for a red glow to envelop his hands and throw him back. His chair crashed against the back table, knocking over several beaker trays.
“Are you okay, Albrecht?” Wyatt moved to help his assistant, only to freeze as the lights started to buzz angrily, flickering as the red glow continued to build. Streamers of light reached up, wrapping themselves around the fluorescent bulbs . “This can’t be happening, all I wanted was to prove I was right…” He felt his hair stand up on end as the glow washed over him, crackles of red electricity dancing across his skin.
He opened his mouth to scream, but the sound was lost in a thunderclap of noise as the amulet filled the room with light. Once it faded, shattered equipment and ruined machinery lay scattered across the floor.
Of the two men, there wasn’t a trace left.
“Twilight, it’s time to get up,” Spike grumbled as he shook the sleeping alicorn from his stool. “Today’s the day, remember?”
Twilight groaned and opened her eyes blearily. “The wha…?”
“You know, the whole ‘Reopening Day’? Opening the lower levels of the castle to serve as the new library? That day?” He hopped off the stool and made his way toward the door. “I made you some pancakes, try not to hurt yourself—” he paused as Twilight thumped to the floor in a tangle of sheets, “getting out of bed.”
“Today’s the big day, Spike!” Twilight raced past him and down the stairs, practically flying. “There’s still too much to do!”
“No there’s not!” he shouted after her as he reached the top of the stairwell. “Sheesh, everypony worked their flank off yesterday to get everything done on time. But she’ll remember that in three… two—”
“Sorry Spike, I forgot we did everything last night! No need to panic!” Twilight called up the stairs.
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Spike said, rolling his eyes as he entered the kitchen. “Hope you enjoy the breakfast, Twilight.” He grabbed the clipboard off the table. “Everypony should be here soon to get set up, there’s extras on the stove for them if they feel like a snack, and I’ve itemized and triple-checked your checklist for you already. Anything else you need?” He didn’t wait for a reply as he climbed into his chair, a plate heaped with pancakes in front of him. “Because I’ve been up since before Celestia raised the sun, and I’m starving!”
Twilight couldn’t help but giggle as bits of pancake flew everywhere as he dug into the stack. “Well, don’t slow down on my account.” She dug her fork into her own stack, humming her appreciation. “Fantastic as always, Spike. I still think culinary school would suit you. That or bureaucrat, with your talent for keeping everything on track. Unless it’s keeping your room clean.”
“Oh, do go on,” Spike said, waving his fork in a flourish as he reached for the syrup. At Twilight’s renewed giggling, he set the implement down with a mocking frown. “I’m serious, Twilight. Keep going.”
Twilight practically sneezed a pancake as her laughter intensified. Then she actually sneezed hard enough to knock her back off her cushion as her horn sparked. Her fork buried itself in the wall as she lost control of her magic, sinking up to the base of tines. “Ow!”
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked, hurriedly vaulting over the table and helping her sit up. “What was that for? I mean yeah, it was funny, but it wasn’t that funny…”
Twilight shook her head, eyes still crossed as she fought to clear her vision. “No, that’s not it at all, Spike. I don’t really know what that was.” She felt her horn tingle before another spark of magic surged along it, a torrent of sparks spilling across the floor. “Oh come on!” She gritted her teeth and clamped down on her magic, putting up the walls to reign it in. “Okay… I think we’re good.”
The thud of the castle door being kicked in echoed through the silence. “Twilight, we got a problem!” Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt, wings taking a second to realize their owner had stopped. “All the unicorns in town are freaking out and casting magic willy-nilly!”
“It’s not ‘freaking out’, Rainbow,” Rarity retorted with a grimace as she entered, “although it is certainly troublesome.” A faint blue glow played about her horn, sweat-sheen starting to show on her coat. “I’m ruining my morning brushing just trying to keep it contained. Thank Luna Sweetie Belle’s magic hasn’t fully come in yet, I dread what sort of havoc that filly could wreck.” She winced as her horn flared brighter, the curtains changing from magenta to shimmering silver. “I can fix that.”
“It ain’t just unicorns, Twi,” Applejack trotted in, dragging a trussed Pinkie Pie behind her. “I was bucking apple trees, and broke one. In half.” She glanced down, ears flat. “Don’t ask about Big Mac’s tree.”
“What happened to Mac’s tree?” Spike asked before he could help himself.
“And why is Pinkie Pie tied up?” Twilight asked, eyebrow raised.
“I’ll let you know when we find it, Spike,” Applejack replied somberly. “As for Pinkie, well, y’all can guess. Everypony’s natural abilities amplified, Pinkie Pie on the loose…” she glanced back as a massive cloud of balloons drifted into view.
“Ooooooooooooh…” everypony said at once.
“What? I couldn’t help myself, it’s the twin’s birthday today and I wanted to make them something they’d never forget and I thought balloons! Lots and lots of balloons, and do you think you can untie me now AJ I’m really feeling better…” Pinkie said rapidly, finally having to stop to catch her breath.
“I think you’ve achieved that, Pinkie,” Twilight replied as she started for the door. “And in any case, we’ve got a bigger problem on our hooves. There’s no telling if this is confined to Ponyville, or if all of Equestria is affected. Spike, I want you to take a letter—”
And that was when everypony went blind.
It was like riding in a bullet, Wyatt decided. A bullet that was also spinning on its axis in a fashion designed to induce the most amount of nausea possible. He felt the energy released in the blast swirl around him and braced himself for the end.
Getting slammed face-first into grass was not the end he expected, though his face certainly disagreed as the rest of him tumbled head over heels. Finally, he felt the spinning and tumbling stop, and took a few seconds to marvel at the wondrous sensation of sitting in one position. “Well… that was… something…” He felt his stomach twist and heaved up the meager airport food he’d eaten prior to driving to the lab. Somewhere nearby he heard Albrecht doing the same and opened his eyes. Shielding them from the light, he rolled onto his side, away from his pile of sick. “Are you okay, Albrecht?”
“What? My ears are ringing like a rock concert, Doc!” Albrecht shouted as he staggered to his feet. He stuck his fingers in his ears and yawned, sighing in relief as they popped. “Ahhh, that’s better.” He felt another heave coming and stumbled for the nearest tree, bracing himself on it as he threw up again. “Remind me to get the name of that truck that hit… us…” He felt his knees go weak as he realized what his hand was touching. “Doc…”
“I see it, Albrecht,” Wyatt replied, scooting away from the treeline as he got to his feet. “I’m just trying to decide if I want to believe they’re real, or if we’re just dead.” He pinched himself experimentally. “Well, I guess not dead, unless you can feel things when you die.”
Albrecht didn’t reply, looking around in awe. The clearing they were standing in looked straight out a nature guide or park postcard, the sun shining brightly down on the grass. The forest surrounding it was pretty thick, the light dim as they looked further in. Above them, a storm of birds took flight, squawking indignation at the disturbance to their day. “You sure we’re not dead?”
Wyatt frowned as he stopped mid-turn, spotting a familiar shape in the center of the clearing. “I’m fairly sure,” he said as he walked over and picked up the amulet. The gem in its center now shone quietly, almost matching the sunlight beaming down on it. “It’s a guess, but I’d suspect this thing has something to do with it.”
“So now what do we do? I don’t think we’re in Massachusetts anymore.” Albrecht dug his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up. “Weird, I don’t get any reception… pay friggin hundred bucks a month for 4G… Nationwide coverage my ass…”
“Well, let’s see…” Wyatt walked slowly around the edge of the clearing, listening carefully. “There! I hear water! Come on Albrecht, we can at least follow it, maybe find a bridge or a road to tell us where we are.” He set off, still holding the amulet firmly with both hands.
“Right behind you, Doc,” Albrecht muttered, still waving his phone around as he looked for a signal.
Picking their way through the foliage, the sound of the river grew louder until they finally spotted it beyond a field of flowers. The blue petals waved gently in the breeze, a sparse cloud of dust rising above them.
“I’ve never heard of or seen flowers like these…” Wyatt knelt down, staring curiously at the pattern. “What do you think, Albrecht? These almost look like they’d be right at home in the Amazon… but the environment doesn’t even come close to supporting that kind of flower.” He reached out, “Maybe take a sample with us?” He pulled his hand back as a bird darted into the dust chasing after a frog. “Well, at least the animals are right…” he trailed off as the two animals emerged, only now the frog was… flying, flapping its arms vigorously. The bird, meanwhile, was now bounding like the frog had been, squawking indignantly. “Or maybe not.”
“I really really want to go home, Wyatt,” Albrecht whispered. “Like, right the hell now.”
“I can’t really argue with that, Albrecht.” Wyatt got to his feet. “Let’s follow the river, get the hell out of here.” They gave the flower patch a wide berth, and started along the river, moving with its current.
“What in tarnation was that?” Applejack asked, rubbing at her eyes. “Twilight?”
“I don’t know, but it came from the direction of the Everfree Forest.” Twilight shook her head, blinking rapidly as her vision returned.
“Not just that,” Rarity gasped. “Fluttershy’s cottage is that way!”
“Then what are we sitting here for? Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and rocketed out the door, bleeding her signature rainbow trail.
“Rainbow, wait!” Twilight shouted. “Come on girls, hurry!” She lit her horn and removed the ropes from Pinkie before hurrying out the door. “Spike, send a letter to Celestia, let her know what’s happening!”
“You got it Twi!” Spike shouted as the others raced after her. “Just be careful!” He crossed his arms, huffing a jet of smoke. “You know, someone ought to ask how come it’s always Twilight and her friends who have to run off to save Equestria.”
“Whoo.” Owlowiscious agreed as he landed on Spike’s shoulder.
“You got that right, buddy. Anyway, let’s get that letter written to Clest—” He shuddered as his gut burbled. “Hold on, just gonna—” He belched, a cloud of smoke and sparkles escaping and forming into a scroll. “Or… she could send me one first…” He opened it and read the first few lines before dropping it. “Oh man, that’s not good. I gotta tell Twilight!” He snatched the scroll back up and ran off after the others. “Owlowiscious, watch the castle, okay?”
“Whoo.” Owlowiscious rolled his eyes and flew back to his perch. He never did understand ponies’, or dragon’s, need to go rushing about everywhere.
As Twilight raced through the village, she wracked her brain, trying to come up with some kind of explanation. The ambient magic emanating from the Everfree felt familiar, but she couldn’t put her hoof on it. Shrugging it off for the moment, she cast a spell to amplify her voice. “Rainbow! See if you can see anything when you get to Fluttershy’s!”
“You got it!” Rainbow tensed the muscles in her back, and blasted forward, the buildings blurring by as she saw the cottage in the distance. Angling in high, she rolled over and dove for the ground, throwing dirt and grass everywhere as she thudded to the ground. “Fluttershy, where are you?”
“I’m right here, Rainbow,” Fluttershy called, coughing as she peeked out the window. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you see or feel that big light show from the Everfree?” Rainbow shook herself off and trotted inside.
“Well yes, but that’s why we’re all hiding in here,” Fluttershy replied, gesturing to the multitude of animals crowding her home. “Although I still need to get my chickens inside. Can you help?”
“Alright, let’s go. Though that Elizabeak better not start making fun of me again,” Rainbow grumbled.
“Oh no, I had a good talk with her yesterday about that. She said she won’t do it again.” Fluttershy glanced outside again, nodded once she was sure the coast was clear, and flitted across the yard, Rainbow following. “Alright girls, let’s hurry up and come inside the house for a bit, where it’s safer.”
“Well, if nothing else, this is a nice walk,” Albrecht observed, snapping another picture with his phone. “Although, the animals here seem… a little too alert, don’t you think?” He pointed at a flock of sparrows, which were all staring at him. He waved his arm, phone held up as the birds followed the motion in eerie unison. “Okay, now I’m freaked out again.”
“Albrecht, just calm down,” Wyatt said as he pushed aside a branch, his own phone out and recording as well. “I think the trees are thinner up ahead, maybe we can get a better sense of where we are. Also, don’t over-use your phone, we need to conserve power.”
The vegetation steadily thinned out as they approached the edge of the forest, and both men breathed a sigh of relief as they finally stood in the open. “Okay,” Albrecht said as he stretched, “I used to like being in the woods as a kid, but that was entirely too… weird…” He took a disbelieving step forward, managing to hold his phone up to keep recording. “We’re really not in Massachusetts anymore.”
In front of them stretched an almost unbroken expanse of rolling hills, the occasional stand of trees visible here and there. A perfectly clear blue sky only accentuated the view, clouds drifting lazily on the breeze. But what rendered them speechless was first the cluster of buildings just to their right, seemingly plucked right out of medieval Europe. Beyond this town out of time, a towering range of mountains loomed over the horizon, what appeared to be a castle-city perched impossibly on the side.
Wyatt gaped. “This… that’s it. We have to be dead. That’s the only way any of this makes sense anymore.”
“Doc, I hear voices,” Albrecht suddenly said, pointing to their left, where a cottage that looked to have been formed right out of a tree stood. A veritable horde of animals swarmed around it, some blatantly predators of the others. “Come on, let’s get a better view, maybe there’s someone who can help.”
“Abrecht, wait!” Wyatt hissed, cursing as Albrecht hurried off. “We have no idea what kind of people live here.” He moved as quietly as he could, stepping back into the forest slightly to remain hidden. He spotted Albrecht crouched behind a bush, staring intently at something just around the corner. “What do you see?”
“I’m… not sure.” Albrecht whispered. “Well, I am sure, but… just look for yourself.” He scooted to the side a little, and Wyatt joined him.
“Albrecht, I don’t see…” It seemed life wasn’t finished trying to make him insane, as he stared at the simple backyard. There wasn’t anything particularly out of the ordinary about it: A small vegetable garden, a chicken coop, a large tree with several birdhouses hanging from it. Everything seemed fairly ordinary, actually… except for the two beings next to the birdhouse.
They appeared the be the same species, both equine in shape; one was a soft shade of yellow, with a long, flowing pink mane, while the other was cerulean with a mane styled in the colors of the rainbow. Adding to their bizarre appearance, their heads were overly large, with equally large eyes. And on their flanks were emblazoned what looked for all the world to be tattoos. And finally, and Wyatt almost laughed at the absurdity, each bore a pair of large feathered wings.
The two spoke animatedly to each other as they approached the chicken coop, the blue one gesturing about with both hoof and wing. The yellow one said something back, then spread her wings and started floating across the yard.
“Okay, now I’m calling it. The plants I could almost believe, the crazy houses and the fairytale castle sure. But this, that shouldn’t even be possible!” Albrecht hissed. “Her wings aren’t flapping anywhere near close enough to keep her aloft, not to mention how tiny they are.”
“Be quiet Albrecht, they’ll hear us,” Wyatt hissed back, freezing as more of the equines came galloping around the corner. Like the two… pegasus equines, these were also a riot of colors, also bearing the same marks on their flanks. But one of them, a white one, had a horn atop her head and no wings, while two others had neither horns nor wings. He blinked, staring at what was unmistakably a cowboy hat perched on the orange one’s head.
But what really captured his attention was the purple one that led the small herd. Unlike the others, this one had both horn and wings. “Is that one some kind of leader species? In any case Albrecht, we need to get out of here, there’s too many of them.” He took a step back, only to wince as he stepped on a stick. “Oh for… of all the damned stupid things… Albrecht, did they hear that?” He looked up, cringing as he saw all six of the equines were now staring at their bush.
“I’d say that’s a yes,” Albrecht muttered as the purple one’s horn started to glow.
“Everypony stay ready,” Twilight said, readying her spell. At everyone else’s nod, she abruptly reached out and enveloped the bush in a bubble of force. It wasn’t as refined a casting as her brother’s, but it’d do for the task at hoof. Concentrating, she could feel two beings inside the sphere, and hauled it free, careful to leave the bush where it was.
As the bubble rose, everypony gasped at the creatures inside. At first, Twilight thought they were the Diamond Dogs, returned for whatever purpose existed in their furry minds. But as she brought them closer, she started cataloguing the differences. For one, their clothing was far more well-made than the dog’s had been, and they had a distinct lack of fur on what skin she could see. “Maybe a subspecies? Or they could just have mange…”
“Umm, Twilight?” Applejack said nervously.
“They’re definitely bipedal, but don’t have tails. Some species of ape, maybe?” She tilted her head, peering at the device held in the younger looking one’s hand. “But they’ve never shown toolmaking like this. I guess there could be an undocumented group out there, Celestia knows we’ve not explored all the world yet…”
“Twilight, um, you really ought to listen,” Fluttershy whispered as she hid behind Pinkie Pie.
“Oh, maybe they’ll let me name the species! That’ll be neat. But what to call them?”
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash shouted, snapping Twilight out of her train of thought.
“What is it, Rainbow?” she asked, realizing the others had all backed up a couple steps. “What’s got you all so nervous?”
Everypony pointed at the older looking creature. “Twilight, that… thing has the Alicorn Amulet!” Rarity practically shrieked.
Twilight’s eyes widened, and she swung her attention back to her sphere. Sure enough, held in it’s paws was the unmistakable shape of the amulet, its red gemstone glowing with residual magic. “But that’s impossible! Princess Celestia sealed that amulet in the vaults underneath Canterlot! How could these two have it!”
“Twilight!, Urgent letter from Celestia!” Spike shouted, wheezing as he came round the corner. “She says the Alicorn Amulet’s vanished, and to be on the lookout for anything suspicious—” He skidded to a stop as he saw the bubble, the creatures, and the Amulet. “Oh, or you could already know. Why do those two diamond dogs have mange?”
“Careful Spike, everypony,” Twilight cautioned. “While the Alicorn Amulet was designed to work with pony magic, we don’t know how it’ll react when used by something else. Spike, write back to Celestia, let her know the Amulet’s in Ponyville, and that we have the culprits in custody for the moment.” She took a step forward, wings spread and eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how you got your paws on that thing, but you have to put it down, right now. There’s no telling what could happen if you try to use it!”
“Any idea what it’s saying, Doc?” Albrecht asked as the purple one shouted at them.
“Not in the slightest,” Wyatt replied, pressing experimentally on the bubble of… whatever it was they were trapped in. “This is fascinating. Some kind of telekinetic projection? But how did it let the bush pass through? Maybe there’s a way to get out if you push on it right?” He pressed again, marveling as small crackles of purple light played over his fingers. He pushed harder, “Come on, there has to be a way to figure this out.”
The amulet suddenly pulsed, and abruptly Wyatt felt… odd. He could almost see the structure of the bubble, a sort of swirl of interlocking streams of energy, all linked to the purple one’s horn. “What the…?”
“Doc, are you okay? That amulet’s glowing again and I don’t think these things like it much!” Albrecht shouted as the equines all took a step back, the little lizard hurriedly scribbling on the paper in its hand. “They have writing?” He couldn’t but whisper as the lizard breathed a gout of green fire on it, the cloud of smoke and sparks shooting away toward the castle. “Doc, did you see that? Doc?” He turned, and almost screamed.
Wyatt’s eyes had a decided red tinge to them, his arm now halfway through the bubble. The amulet’s light was stronger now, starting to spread over his chest, though Wyatt didn’t seem to notice. “This is incredible. Albrecht, the bubble is like a ball of yarn. You just need to pull in the right place and…” He grabbed at one of the strands and yanked, and the bubble burst with a loud pop. The two tumbled to the ground, the equines crying out in shock.
“Doc, I don’t care what that thing is, you got to get rid of it. It’s messing with you!” Albrecht shouted, throwing himself on top of Wyatt and grabbing the amulet.
“No, it’s mine! You can’t take it from me!” Wyatt retorted, his eyes glowing brighter red. “This amulet’s power needs to be studied, to be used! I’ll have all the funding I could ever need, anything I could want!”
“You’re acting crazy!” Albrecht balled his fist. “Sorry to have to do this to you, Doc.” He drew his arm back and punched Wyatt in the face. Briefly, the maniacal look in his eyes faltered, and Albrecht yanked the amulet away from him.
Writhing tendrils of red light started grabbing for him, and Albrecht swore he could hear voices whispering. They promised him whatever he desired, and for a long second he nearly considered accepting. But with a grunt he threw the amulet to the side, chest heaving as the voices vanished. “Jesus, what the hell is that thing?”
“Careful girls!” Twilight shouted as her forcefield collapsed, keeping her footing as the two ape-things wrestled with each other. “The Amulet’s starting to sync with them now!” She readied her next spell, only to blink as the younger one seized the Amulet and threw it. Altering the spell, she summoned a box of force, manifesting chains to wrap around it and secure it. Inside, the Amulet’s light hissed as it faded, before finally the light went out. “Well, that was different.”
“Well, what do we do now, Twilight?” Applejack asked. “Truss ‘em up and wait for the other Princesses to sort this out?”
“I suppose so, though I don’t think they’re going anywhere.” Twilight took a step closer, appraising the two. The younger one was still breathing hard on its back, while the older one appeared unconscious. “Just be ready if they try anything else.” She tilted her head, lifting a small black object from the grass nearby. “What do you suppose this is?”
The air overhead suddenly twisted, folding in on itself before Celestia and Luna appeared, along with a full squad of Royal Guard. They hurriedly landed, the guards moving to secure the two creatures while princesses landed next to Twilight.
“Are you alright, Twilight?” Celestia asked, not taking her eyes off the two.
“Yes, Celestia, we’re fine,” Twilight replied, limbs shaking a bit as the adrenaline wore off. “Though to be fair, it was a little frightening for a second. The Amulet gave the older one the strength to rip right through my shield.”
“I see, and where is the Amulet now?” Celestia looked the creatures over.
“Over here, Sister.” Luna lit her horn, additional chains forming to wrap around the box. “It appears that Twilight has already contained the situation.”
“Thank goodness,” Celestia turned back to Twilight. “What else happened?”
“I’m not sure how, but the younger was able to get the Amulet away from the older one after punching him. My current thought is that the Amulet still hadn’t fully attuned itself to their resonance, so it could still be removed. Once he got it off, the younger one threw it to the side, and then you and Princess Luna showed up,” Twilight finished. “Truthfully, not much really happened.”
“Well, let’s be thankful for small graces,” Celestia replied, before noticing the object in Twilight’s magic. “And just what is that?”
“I’m not sure. The younger one dropped it when they tore free of the bubble, but I didn’t see it do anything.” Twilight turned it about. “Though it’s definitely branded with an apple.”
“Not like any apple I’ve seen!” Pinkie chirped.
“In any case, we need to return to Canterlot. The Amulet must be returned to its vault, and the purposes of these two creatures ascertained.” Celestia turned to the guards. “Captain, secure them for transport.”
“Yes, your Highness.” The guards saluted, and set about tying up the two creatures. One of them gingerly took the object from Twilight and placed it into a bag.
“You are welcome to come as well,” Luna said as she levitated the Amulet.
“I’d like to,” Twilight replied hurriedly. “I’d love a chance to study them and their possessions more.”
“Would anypony else like to come?” Celestia asked.
“Sorry, Princess, but I got the farm to sort out,” Applejack said. “Just glad everything got sorted out. But be careful, Twi.”
“I got to finish the twin’s birthday party,” Pinkie blurted.
“I’m watching Sweetie Belle.” “I can’t leave my animals behind.” “I’d go, but you’re better at all that studying stuff anyway.”
“Very well, then let’s go.” Celestia lit her horn, and space folded in on itself again.
Wyatt groaned as he felt consciousness returning, and started trying to sit up. The rampaging headache convinced him that was a bad idea, and he slumped back to the ground. The hard stone dug into his back, and he cracked his eyelids open. “When did we move from grass to stone?”
“Well, let’s see. It was after you kind of went all power crazy, ripped open that bubble of whatever-it-was, and then started ranting about taking over the world,” Albrecht replied from one of the cots set against the wall. “Ooh, or let’s not forget when the big white equine, also with horn and wings mind you, showed up and talked to the little ones for a bit before freakin’ teleporting us to who knows where. And now we’re in prison.” He sighed. “Shoulda never picked that amulet up, Doc.”
“Where is it now?” Wyatt asked, sitting up again. “And why does my face hurt so bad?”
“Well, you were shouting crazy talk, and starting to be lit up like Satan’s Christmas tree,” Albrecht chuckled nervously. “So I kind of punched you in the face and then threw the amulet away. The equines have it now.”
“Ignoring you punching me in the face,” Wyatt grimaced as his headache started to flare up. “Just what are we supposed to do now?”
“I don’t know Doc, my classes didn’t prepare me for being thrown in a jail cell, guarded by four-foot high ponies in Roman centurion armor!” Albrecht shouted, voice cracking a little. “I mean, we’re in a castle, practically suspended off a cliff, and they put us in a jail cell. With little pony-sized beds! And plates, with prepared food on it even!” He grabbed one and slid it across the floor. “Hope you like vegetables, they at least taste good.”
Wyatt looked down at the assortment, seeing carrots, celery, broccoli, and a few others he didn’t recognize. Tentatively, he took one of the carrots and bit into it. The rest of the carrot soon followed as he picked up a broccoli head. “This is amazing, where did they even get these? They taste like they came right off the farm.
A bemused laugh was his answer, and Wyatt looked up to see a white equine, easily twice the size of the others, standing in front of the bars. He recognized the purple one from before, and took a step back as Albrecht sat up. Holding the broccoli in front of him, he asked, “Can you understand me?”
“I wish we knew what they were saying,” Twilight remarked as the older one spoke to them. “Maybe Clover’s Talkative Translator?”
Celestia shook her head. “I believe Star Swirl’s Inquisitive Interpreter spell is better suited for this task. Clover’s was optimized to work with most equines, but had demonstrably poor results when applied to the diamond dogs, and we didn’t discover the apes until after he’d passed.”
“Hmmm, I guess you’re right,” Twilight admitted, “though I’ve never liked the headache from having to share my brain with somepony.”
Celestia grinned a little as she lit her horn. “Oh, you dive into enough pony’s heads, it gets to be fun. Just let me be the initial contact, and try not to overwhelm them. I’d prefer not to melt their brains if it can be avoided.”
“Their brains can’t really melt from the spell, can they?” Twilight asked. When Celestia didn’t answer, she stamped a hoof. “Celestia, you were joking, right? Yeah, she was joking… she better have been joking…” She lit her own horn, letting her magic ride ponyback as Celestia’s reached out to the two.
“Doc, they’re grabbing for us with their freaky light show again,” Albrecht said nervously, scooting back as the golden aura beckoned.
“I know, Albrecht,” Wyatt was torn, part of him wanted to try to escape, but he didn’t get the impression that the light would hurt him. The calm expression in the big one’s eyes finally convinced him, and he reached out, letting the light touch his hand.
With a sudden rush of motion, the aura raced up his arm to envelop his head, sinking through his eyes and up his nose and ears and mouth, and he was drowning in the light.
”Calm yourself,” a sudden voice said, a rush of images accompanying it. Wyatt saw and felt flashes of sunsets at the beach, relaxing in a chair by the fire in winter, and soaking up the sun in springtime, and felt his tension vanish.
“Who… who said that?” he asked, wavering before his legs gave out and he sat down heavily.
”It works better with your thoughts, makes it easier to understand, get context. Your words are strange to me.” the voice said again, along with images of two ponies standing at odds, still-imaging to smiling at each other. The big one smiled slightly, and he realized the voice had to be hers.
”Like… like this?” he thought.
”Yes, exactly.” Celestia said happily, tilting her head as an image of one of the creature’s hands appeared, extended like a hoofshake. ”I am Celestia.” Images of her cascaded across the link, her raising the sun, guiding Equestria, and the briefest flash of her battling the nightmarish evils that had plagued ponykind. ”I am the Princess of Equestria. May I ask your name?”
Wyatt felt his nose trickle a bit of blood as his vision swam. ”I’m Wyatt.” Images of his life flashed back as he took a shaky breath. ”Mind turning down the… umm, noise? It’s too loud…”
Celestia’s ears flicked in sympathy as she saw enormous music concerts, roaring animals and a large, cylindrical machine attached to what looked like a metal wing. She adjusted the intensity of the link, the golden light around Wyatt’s head fading to almost non-existence. ”Is that better?”
”Much, thank you.” Wyatt pushed himself back to his feet. ”My friend and I are lost, can you help us? And what was that amulet that brought us here?”
”That was the Alicorn Amulet,” a new voice chimed in, and Wyatt glanced down at the shorter pony. ”It’s imbued with dark magic, forged in hatred to grant the desires of the one who wields it. But its power corrupts the mind of its bearer, and draws them into the darkness.” The rush of images showed towns and empires in slavery and fear, a blue unicorn reveling in her newfound strength, and a coal-black unicorn stallion laughing maniacally as green and red fire coruscated about him.
”But that artifact brought us here. Surely we can use it to get back home,” Wyatt replied eagerly.
”I’m sorry,” Celestia said firmly, ”But I cannot allow the Amulet to be taken from its vault. The danger is just too great.”
”But you can’t just keep us prisoner here!” Wyatt protested.
Celestia took a deep breath, wings ruffling. “I won’t,” she said, in English, albeit halting as she sounded out the words. “You free… no, you are free. I put you here for safety.”
Wyatt gaped. Albrecht gaped. Twilight gaped. Both guards gaped.
Celestia smiled slightly. “Spell works both ways,” she frowned, briefly intensifying the aura around Wyatt’s head. “As our minds spoke through the link, it allows the caster to learn the language of the target. Just sometimes take little bit to learn specifics.”
Wyatt tried to quantify what she was saying, and finally had to simply give up. The past few hours had already strained his disbelief to the breaking point, and he just had to nod. “So… assuming I believe any of this, and the jury’s still out on that point, where exactly is this ‘Equestria’?”
“Well, I can show you, though if I can be honest, I fear that the Amulet might have transported you and your friend from another dimension,” Celestia admitted. “The artifacts you have far exceed anything we have seen.”
“Wait, what artifacts?” Wyatt asked.
“Well, your friend dropped this,” Celestia said, levitating a small object from behind her.
“Hey, that’s my phone!” Albrecht shouted, his fear of the aura forgotten as he walked to the front of the cell. “Give it back!”
“Albrecht, calm down!” Wyatt admonished. “I’m sorry, he’s just stressed.”
“No offense taken.” Celestia levitated the phone through the bars. “Anyone in your situation would be stressed. However, I think that we should let you out of the cell. It’s clear to me you don’t harbor ill intent towards my ponies.” She turned to the guards. “Captain Ironhoof?” she asked in Equestrian.
The guard narrowed his eyes, but complied with the request, levitating the key over and unlocking the door.
“Thank you,” she replied. “Now, let’s go. If you don’t mind, we can give you a brief tour of the castle on the way.”
Twilight beamed. “You’re going to love it!”
“And right down that hallway is the Royal Observatory. I actually used to live there when I was Princess Celestia’s personal student,” Twilight said, practically bouncing with each step as she narrated their walk through the castle.
Albrecht leaned closer to Wyatt. “How in the world is she still talking? I think she’s managing a breath every five minutes!” he whispered.
“Well, I have been giving lectures since I was eight,” Twilight replied, with only a hint of pride in her voice. “Plus my hearing is excellent.”
Albrecht rolled his eyes, eliciting a giggle from Twilight. “Anyway, how does a city like this even exist? It’s just hanging off the side of the mountain!”
“Well, it doesn’t really hang. You see, back when Canterlot was first being built, the Unicorn Corps took advantage of the vast crystal deposits beneath the mountain to establish a foundation spell of unprecedented scale…”
Behind them, Celestia and Wyatt watched the two. “Well, I’m glad they seem to be getting along so well.”
“Albrecht’s a good kid. Just tends not to handle getting thrust into alternate dimensions too well. I’m hoping to cover that next semester.” Wyatt said, cracking a weak grin.
“Oh? You teach?” Celestia asked. “What subjects, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Archeology and anthropology. Basically, studying the past to try to understand where we… well, where my species comes from,” Wyatt said, his cheerful attitude fading.
“Don’t worry, Wyatt.” Celestia smiled reassuringly. “I’ll have Twilight and some of the scholars from the School for Gifted Unicorns peruse the Archives later. Perhaps we can figure out a way to send you home.”
“And you’re sure we can’t try using the amulet?” Wyatt asked hopefully. He shrugged at Celestia’s cool stare. “Can’t blame a guy for asking.”
“I do promise you that we will get you home. And without needing to resort to dark magic to do so,” she said firmly. As the group approached a massive set of double doors, she perked up. “And here we are, the Grand Orrery. It’s actually one of the few relics transported from the old castle in the Everfree Forest before it fell into ruin.”
“Now, that’s the forest we came out of, right? We never saw any castles in there,” Wyatt said as the guards opened the doors.
“Oh, I’m not surprised. The castle is deep inside the forest, and surrounded by some of the most dangerous creatures in the Everfree. Your technology is impressive, but I wouldn’t bet against a manticore’s sting.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Wyatt shook his head as they entered the room. “I swear, this place gets more and more fantastic the more I hear… about…” he trailed off, staring increduously at the massive globe in front of him.
Forged purely from gold, it almost resembled the famous monument from New York, though it was completely solid. Suspended on impossibly thin rods, a stylized sun made from gold and a moon of silver were frozen in orbit. It had to weigh several thousand tons, and he couldn’t even begin to estimate its value. Walking closer, he could see intricate details worked into the continents, the geography of the terrain almost perfectly formed. The oceans were equally detailed, with tiny waves barely visible to the eye.
Albrecht came up to stand beside him, equally awestruck. “Doc… that’s…”
“Yes,” Wyatt whispered, “it is, Albrecht.”
The arrangement of the continents almost precisely resembled that of the Earth… sixty-six million years before Wyatt had even heard of the amulet’s discovery in Spain.
“What do we do?” Albrecht asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Wyatt replied.
Author's Note
Many heartfelt thanks to Skeeter the Lurker and Aegis Exemplar for their invaluable help in being solid walls to contain my energy drink-fueld insanity. Seriously, you guys rock.
