Bush Beat’s Journey

Chapters

Chapter 1: Everypony for Herself
Chapter 2: Guilty
Chapter 3: Brightside
Chapter 4: The Week
Chapter 5: Back to Where it all Started
Chapter 6: Party Time
Chapter 7: Pioneering
Chapter 8: Not a Brony
Chapter 9: Sanctuary
Epilogue
Chapter 10: Endgame

Chapter 1: Everypony for Herself

“Hello there.”

Bush Beat grinned as the smooth female voice spoke. Slowly his half-open eyes panned to scan the scenery surrounding him as a warm breeze hushed through his light green coat and dark green mane.

“What’s up?” the same voice continued.

Suddenly Bush Beat’s eyes shot open and his head turned towards the earth pony standing in front of the park bench he was lying on. “Oh,” he said as he blinked. “Gosh, I was miles away. Who are you again?”

The amber-gray mare with the cyan mane smiled and said with her eyes fixated on him, “I think you could use a job. Am I right?”

The unicorn on the park bench turned his head away. “Who couldn’t?” he said with a sigh.

The mare continued, undeterred. “I’ve seen you around this park often. And I’ve been noticing you don’t have your cutie mark.” She tilted her head slightly. “Aren’t you a bit old to not have your cutie mark?”

Narrowing his eyes, Bush Beat countered, “So? What’s it to you?”

“Well, look,” the mare said with a tinge of apology in her voice. “The Manehattan Hotel put out a vacancy for a page. I think it sounds like an opportunity for you to explore yourself. With a bit of luck, you might even earn your cutie mark that way.”

Bush Beat descended from the bench and gave the mare a confused look. “Who are you? Why would you walk up to a homeless pony you’ve never met and just offer them a job? What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” the mare retorted without hesitation. “I’m just trying to be generous. The hotel—”

“Generous?” Bush Beat interrupted skeptically, turning his head slightly to the side while keeping his eyes on the mare. “Don’t you know it’s everypony for herself?”

The mare shook her head. “If you had met the dress designer I met, you’d think differently. I owe my current job to her generosity. Now I’m trying to do my part. Do you want a job?”

Bush Beat lowered his gaze and thought for a good while.

“Good morning, Bush Beat!”

“Morning?” Yawning, Bush Beat entered the hotel’s front lobby and approached the reception desk with barely open eyes. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s still the middle of the night.”

The earth pony mare behind the counter gave him a sympathetic look and smiled. “Come on. You’ve been with us for four weeks now. You know the procedure.” The mare picked up a sheet of paper with her mouth and placed it on the counter in front of him.

“Actually,” Bush Beat slowly shook his head, “this is the first time I’m on the early shift, so... no, I don’t.”

“Oh,” the receptionist responded as her head jolted in surprise. “Alright then. This is a list of all the vacant rooms. Go through all those rooms and work off the checklist on the back.”

Bush Beat used his magic to flip the sheet and glance at the checklist. “It’s easy,” the receptionist commented, “I’ve done it a million times. Just check the beds are all made, the bathrooms are stocked with towels and everything... you know.”

Bush Beat quietly nodded and walked towards the elevator while emitting another yawn.

More than an hour later, having completed the first three floors, Bush Beat emerged from the elevator on the fourth floor. Sleepily he squinted at the sheet hovering in front of his eyes to read the next room number. His exhausted legs carried him across the hall and towards the door bearing the number 407.

With a short application of magic, Bush Beat quietly opened the door to the room and walked inside, his head tiredly hung low and staring at the floor. As he was about to enter the bathroom on the right, he suddenly heard an unexpected voice.

“Excuse me?” It came from an elderly pony standing by a chest of drawers abutting the wall.

Bush Beat raised his head in shock as he noticed the mare staring in his direction. He gasped abruptly and stammered, “Oh!... Oh dear. I’m... I do apologize, miss. I... I thought this room was vacant. Please accept our sincerest apologies.” The last sentence came out exactly as rehearsed as it was. He rushed to turn back towards the door, jumped out of the room and closed the door behind him. The paper he had been carrying with him fell and glided towards the floor.

His heart still racing from the startle, he remained in front of the door, motionless, as he tried to calm himself by breathing. From the corner of his eye, however, he noticed another pony standing in the hallway several rooms away. As he turned his head to look at him, the pegasus had already started walking back into his room, shaking his head.

In the early afternoon, the ground floor was teeming with newly arriving ponies as well as those in the process of leaving. The lobby was filled with the noise of chatter, and the crowd of ponies was so dense Bush Beat had difficulty reaching the reception desk without bumping into any of the customers. “Excuse me,” Bush Beat called aimlessly into the crowd as he walked past and around various ponies standing and walking. “Pardon me. Excuse me.”

One of the ponies he dodged caught his attention. It was a stallion wearing a police hat. And another one right beside him. Looking up and scanning the lobby, he suddenly realized there was a sizable number of police officers mixed into the crowd.

Finally, Bush Beat reached the reception desk. He opened the barrier, walked through it and closed it again, separating himself from the mass of ponies. Bush Beat waited for the receptionist on duty to finish handling a customer’s check-in before he addressed her. “What in the hay is going on? Why the police?”

Without turning to face him, the mare responded curtly. “Somepony’s been found dead in their room. That’s all I know.”

“Dead?!” Bush Beat gasped. He stood for a moment, paralyzed from the shock. When inhaled to ask another question, he found the receptionist had already returned her attention to the next customer in the long waiting line.

Bush Beat scanned the lobby once more, keeping his eyes on the conspicuous police hats punctuating the otherwise homogeneous crowd. One pair of officers was in a conversation with a pegasus stallion not too far from the reception desk.

“I saw somepony,” he heard the pegasus say. “I saw somepony leave that room.” The pegasus looked around, but his head soon stopped turning as his eyes fixated firmly on Bush Beat. Bush Beat swallowed involuntarily. It was the same pegasus that had been in the hallway earlier.

“There!” the pegasus proclaimed as he raised his hoof to point in the direction of Bush Beat. “That is the pony I saw!”

The police officers did not hesitate to walk straight towards Bush Beat, who was now staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding.

“Sir, you are under arrest. Please come with us.”

Chapter 2: Guilty

“Your Honor. The defense is convinced that, given the entirely circumstantial nature of the scant evidence presented, there is more than reasonable doubt concerning the defendant’s involvement in the case.”

“The court agrees with the defense. If there are no further objections, I shall now hand down the verdict.” The judge stopped briefly, eying the prosecuting attorney, then continued. “I hereby declare the defendant, Bush Beat, not guilty.”

The judge’s horn lifted a gavel from in front of him and struck it against its spot on the podium. After the dull wooden knock, the courtroom erupted in chattering as everypony shuffled towards the exit.

Bush Beat let out a sigh of relief and gave the defense attorney a grateful, albeit despondent nod. The lawyer nodded back before turning to leave the courtroom as well.

Hours later, Bush Beat arrived back at the Manehattan hotel. At this late time of day the lobby presented itself very much devoid of commotion. As he stepped through the front entrance, the pony manning the reception desk looked up and mustered for him a practiced smile. “Good evening, sir. How may I help you?”

Puzzled, Bush Beat tilted his head. “Huh? Hello? I work here.”

“Oh,” the earth pony mare behind the desk replied, blinking and dropping her fake grin. “You’re... Bush Beat, right? I thought you left weeks ago.”

“Left?!” Bush Beat responded indignantly. “I didn’t leave! I was in police detention all this time! And I’m innocent!”

“Well,” the receptionist shrugged, “either way, you don’t work here anymore.” She picked up a pen and shifted her attention towards some paperwork that she had evidently been busy with before Bush Beat entered.

“I want to see the manager,” Bush Beat demanded.

“I’m sorry, Bush Beat, but we cannot employ you anymore,” the manager explained, sitting across the table in the staff backroom. “That incident a few weeks back has given us some rather bad press. We cannot take the risk of employing somepony who may be connected to the murder.”

“Connected?” Bush Beat burst out. “I’m innocent! I was acquitted! I just got back from the trial!”

“But you do have a criminal record. And you don’t have your cutie mark despite your age. Clearly the work here isn’t your special talent. Ponies are asking too many questions. I’m afraid there is nothing I can do for you,” the manager declared with finality.

Bush Beat’s head dropped as he sighed. Dejected, he turned to leave the room, and soon afterwards, the hotel.

The soft evening air did feel and smell familiar. Darkness hung over the city with Luna’s full moon hovering in the blackened sky. Homelessness was never easy, but at least it was something he was used to. Bush Beat walked across the road and into the direction of the park where he had spent many a cold and warm night in the past.

Passing by an alley on the way, he heard a quiet voice. He slightly turned his head with curiosity, but didn’t stop walking. The alley was completely dark, almost as if the street lighting had been set up so as to neglect that specific part of the city. Not even a vague shape could be discerned.

All of a sudden, a pony jumped out of the black and landed right in front of Bush Beat, forcing him to freeze in paralyzed shock. Not a second later, a solid pair of hooves dug themselves painfully into the side of his body, yanking him harshly off his legs and onto the asphalt. Then he felt a heavy blow to his head, and he was cast into complete darkness.

“Name: Bush Beat. Accusation: murder. Evidence: one witness testimony, plus hoof prints at the crime scene.”

As Bush Beat gradually came to, the voice of a stern, determined pony entered his consciousness. She mentioned his name, and not in a friendly or sympathetic tone. His head still throbbing, he decided to remain motionless and listen to what was being said about him.

“Silver Slither,” one pony said, inserting themselves into the discussion. “One witness? Is that really enough for a solid case here?”

“The accused,” Silver Slither explained, “was seen entering and leaving the hotel room that is the scene of the crime. No other pony was seen entering or leaving the same room. Forensic analysis has confirmed the hoof prints at the scene were his. Furthermore, there are no other suspects.”

“Do we have a motive?” another mare enquired.

“The accused is no stranger to crime. We have a copy of his criminal record right here. Two cases of petty theft and one attempted unarmed robbery.”

A chill went down Bush Beat’s spine as memories of those times flashed into his mind. Being a homeless stallion in Manehattan, he was occasionally desperate enough to find no other way to survive. He always knew this was going to come back to haunt him, even after promising himself to put an end to this type of activity, and he really was innocent this time.

“As usual, the proposed punishment is death. We will now take our vote.”

“Guilty,” a voice said without hesitation.

“Guilty.” The voices were going around him, each accusation sounding more crushing than the previous.

“Guilty.” “Guilty.” “Guilty.” The voices had come full circle.

“The decision has been made. Justice will be served.” Silver Slither took a deep breath. “Prepare the killing spell.”

The words hit Bush Beat like a hammer to the chest. There was no hint in any of the voices that any of their words may turn out to be a prank or in jest. They were serious. This was real. They were going to kill him.

He decided to open his eyes, jump to his hooves and intervene. Wasting not a second, he immediately turned to the direction that Silver Slither’s voice had been coming from. As it turned out, the grey unicorn mare was already staring right back at him. In the periphery of his vision, he could tell that all the ponies were fixated on him. He stood in the center of a dark room with no windows, lit only by a firefly lamp.

“I’m innocent! You’ve got the wrong pony!” Bush Beat pleaded, but the ponies surrounding him remained unmoved. “Please... don’t kill me... please!...” he stammered, as the other ponies began collectively casting a spell on him. Rays of energy shot from their horns and into the center of the room, like the spokes of a wheel, culminating in an aura engulfing Bush Beat, illuminating the room for mere seconds. Finally, Silver Slither added a ray of her own, and then a luminous blast briefly blinded everypony. The magic settled and Bush Beat was gone, leaving a star-shaped patch of scorched ash on the floor.

“It is done,” Silver Slither asserted, before they all moved to leave the room through its only door.

Chapter 3: Brightside

In an old building, a group of people of varying ages met up. Some of them wore clothing bearing My Little Pony-related motifs. Intermixed with stuffed toys, a few were sitting on a sofa, happily chatting away. Several tables with various card and board games in progress punctuated the room.

Albert Sollers was absorbed in a game of chess. After long and intensive thinking, he eventually picked up a bishop and moved it diagonally across the board. “Check,” he proclaimed. His opponent gave the board a bewildered look, but was quickly distracted by something far more unusual.

A bright light appeared in the room’s center, and soon the entire space became engulfed in radial beams of energy, stretching all across as everybody fell silent. A buzzing sound, accompanied by soft crackling, cut through the silence, until it abruptly finished in a plopping sound. The light vanished.

“Aaaaah!” The cry came from a shivering green pony that had now appeared in the middle of the room with his head on the floor, hooves covering his face.

Total silence engulfed the atmosphere, as all the humans speechlessly stared at the living, breathing pony. One of them tightened his hug around a stuffed Fluttershy toy.

Albert was the first to break the silence. He hesitantly walked towards the stallion. “Hello, my little pony,” he carefully articulated, crouching in front of him.

Bush Beat slowly moved away one leg, revealing one eye. It looked at the human with an expression of disbelief. Then he put both his hooves down and raised his body to a standing position.

“Where in the wide world of Equestria am I?” he asked.

“W-well, you’re... not in Equestria anymore,” Albert said, knowing full well it wasn’t much of an explanation. “Did you just come here from Equestria?”

“Um,” Bush Beat stammered, mentally scrambling for something to say. “Y-yes. I... I tried to... teleport! Now tell me where I am!”

Albert faked a smile in the hopes that it would calm the nervous pony. “You’re in a different world now. This world is populated by humans.” He motioned his hand to indicate the people in the room. “There are no earth ponies, pegasi or unicorns in this world, apart from...” He faltered. “Apart from you now.”

The bronies in the room began bustling as they whispered to each other.

“What the heck?”

“That some sort of animatronics, or what?”

“It can’t be real!... Can it?”

The pony asked, “So how do I get back?”

His fake smile undeterred, Albert replied, “How am I supposed to know? You’re the one who teleported here. Can’t you use the same spell to get back?”

“W-well...” Bush Beat stammered. He felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead, as he clasped his lower lip between his teeth. “I-I guess I... can try...” Eyes closed, he fully concentrated on lighting his horn. The bustling from the room intensified, as everyone intently stared at him. Him, and whatever was going to happen next.

Albert laid both of his hands on the pony’s shoulders and lowered his head. Within an instant, a ball of light flashed through the room, followed by a popping sound, and the two disappeared.

The people standing around gasped. They fell silent again, looking at each other in disbelief, still trying to sort out what had just happened. Eventually, one of them cried out, “Nooooo! Take me to Equestria too!” and jumped into the space where Albert and the pony had vanished moments before. But he wouldn’t get any response. “Aw, dang!”

Another flash of light and a pop sound later, the pony and Albert reappeared.

“Woo-hoo! I’m back!” Bush Beat declared enthusiastically. Looking around however, his expression soon turned to confusion. “Wait... where am I? This isn’t Equestria.”

Albert calmly rose back onto his feet. “No, this is my apartment.”

The small one-room housing was scarcely furnished. There was a desk with a few machines unfamiliar to the pony, barely anything else resting on top. A wardrobe, a bookshelf, a table with four chairs, and a barely noticeable bed in a corner rounded off the image. A wooden counter separated the main room from a small kitchen area, as well as a door leading to what Bush Beat assumed would be a human bathroom. There was a large window and a transparent door on one side through which one could recognize not only the apartment having a balcony, but also that it was at least three floors up.

“Your... apartment?... How did we get here? How can I have teleported to your apartment?”

“You didn’t. I did,” said Albert.

“Huh?” Bush Beat looked at the human, confused. He hadn’t noticed a magical horn on any of these peoples’ foreheads earlier. But somehow, Albert had one on his forehead now, and it was glowing. Albert looked like he was preparing a complex spell. Bush Beat watched him, paralyzed.

A white, swirling aura began to surround the human body, expanding upwards and inwards. The body began to change shape. Its entire metamorphosis took no longer than five seconds, after which the bright flashing dissipated, and a unicorn pony emerged from it: a cornflower blue pony with a darker blue mane.

“The name is Brightside,” the unicorn introduced himself, holding out a foreleg. “And you are...?”

“I’m... wait a second.” Bush Beat’s hoof moved to his head. “Let me get this straight. You’re a unicorn pony?! And you disguised yourself as... as one of them?”

“Calm down,” Brightside suggested with a smile, repeating his question. “What’s your name?”

“I’m...” Bush Beat hesitated, but then gave in and shook Brightside’s hoof. “I’m Bush Beat.”

“Pleased to meet you, Bush Beat. Welcome to Birmingham.” Noticing a hint of puzzlement in his eyes, Brightside added, “That’s the name of this city.” Bush Beat nodded.

Brightside’s face became more serious. “Now. I reckon you want to get back to Equestria. I’m willing to help you, but we need to be honest with each other. And I don’t think you’re telling me the whole story. A normal teleport doesn’t send you into a whole other universe just like that. What were you really doing?”

Bush Beat sighed. There was no way Brightside would still offer his help once he learned about the trial and his history of run-ins with the law. This was one of those moments Bush Beat wished he was a better liar; situations like this one would be so much easier to get through.

“Well... I... I was going to learn to teleport. Somepony tried to teach me. I tried to do everything exactly as they said, but... I... guess I didn’t really know what I was doing. I have never actually teleported before. But you... you can teleport! Can’t you... send me back?”

“If I could do that,” Brightside responded, “I wouldn’t still be here, now, would I?”

There was a brief awkward silence until Bush Beat lowered his head and admitted, “No, I suppose not. But...” He raised his head again to restore eye contact. “But then... how did you get here?”

“It was an accident.” Brightside sighed as he sat down on his haunches. “I worked as a research assistant at the University of Fillydelphia. We were conducting some magic experiments, and one day an experiment went wrong and I found myself here.”

“Research? You mean, like, science stuff?”

“Yes,” Brightside explained. “As a colt, magic research was a fixation of mine. At the time, I thought it was going to be my destiny, or at least this was what my cutie mark seemed to be telling me.” He eyed Bush Beat’s haunches. “Speaking of which... shouldn’t you have a cutie mark at your age?”

Bush Beat rolled his eyes and promptly attempted to change the topic back. “If you’re a scientist, and you already know how to teleport, can’t you find a way to... repeat that spell?”

Brightside threw up a hoof. “I already tried that. I guess you could say I became the researcher, myself. In a sense it was a dream come true, but in a comically twisted way. I knew I had to replicate the same spell all by myself in order to get home, but I had nopony available for assistance, no literature to refer to, and no measuring devices. However, I’m very well-versed in measuring spells, and I had a lot of our earlier measurements written down in several notepads. I kept those in my saddle bags, which came along with me. After a year or so I gave up and concluded that I can’t pull it off on my own. I might be able to do it with help from another unicorn, but nopony came after me back then. You’re the first pony I’ve seen in ten years.”

Bush Beat gasped. “Ten years? I had no idea.” After a pause, he continued curiously. “Why didn’t you ask the humans for help?”

“Oh, you have no idea. Humans do not know harmony. They can be incredibly fearful and dangerous towards whoever isn’t one of them.”

Bush Beat swallowed, realizing what Brightside was saying about the world they were in. “You see, humans are the only sentient species in this world. Anything that talks and isn’t a human, is somewhere between a world-shattering discovery and a threatening danger. When I first got here, I was chased, captured and imprisoned. I tried to talk some sense into my captors, but none of them could be reasoned with. They argued it was for my own safety. And actually believed it, I think. Luckily, I was still able to teleport, and could escape them pretty easily. Still, I’m telling you, you can’t possibly go out there as a pony. You have to stay in here. If word gets out about us, we’re in trouble.”

Bush Beat nodded and fell silent. He had a rough past, but Brightside’s description provided a frightening new perspective. Suddenly, life as a homeless pony in Manehattan seemed like a walk in the park by comparison. Spending the rest of his life either wandering about an alien world full of hostile creatures or staying permanently penned up in the only single-room apartment that could keep him safe — the thought sent a chill down his spine.

“But... but... there’s something I don’t get. You made it sound like they’ve never heard of us ponies... but the humans I saw earlier had pony stuffed toys and pictures of ponies on their clothing and everything...?” Bush Beat’s expression of confusion was genuine.

“Oh. That. Right. Where do I begin explaining that...” Brightside scratched the back of his head. “You see, something happened in this world about a year ago that I don’t really understand myself. Basically, someone in this world created a TV show — it’s like a series of short movies — which depicts... Equestria. It’s surprisingly accurate. There’s earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns, as well as Princess Celestia and Canterlot and everything. It’s far too similar to the world we know — and far too different from the human world — to be a coincidence.”

“So they do know about Equestria!” Bush Beat interjected.

“Well, you see,” Brightside explained, “to them, it’s all a fiction. No-one in this world considers it even remotely thinkable that Equestria might be a real place. The humans that you saw are simply fans of the show, and the stuffed toys you saw are tokens of admiration for... fictional characters.”

There was an awkward pause before Brightside continued. “I only found out about that show and its fans very recently. At that time, it had already been on air for a while. It’s become a big thing since and made a significant impact on some of the culture over here. I honestly do fear for the future of Equestria if humans were ever to find out about its existence, or discover some way to get there. Just imagine tens of millions of humans flooding in at once—”

“Tens of millions?” Bush Beat interrupted. “Is that how many humans there are?”

“Ooh, no. No. That’s just the fans of the show. There are seven billion humans in this world.”

Bush Beat gasped and then sighed. “Well, they saw me today.”

Brightside nodded and mumbled to himself, “I can only hope that none of them recorded a video or anything.” Then he addressed Bush Beat again. “From what you told me, it sounds like you have good magic aptitude. You just need the proper instruction to foster it. If I instruct you, together we might be able to get you back to Equestria.” His grin widened. “What do you say?”

“O-Okay,” Bush Beat replied. After all, he didn’t have much of a choice.

“Good. We’ll start tomorrow morning. Good thing it’s a Saturday, so I don’t have to go to work tomorrow.” Brightside yawned slightly while he used magic to open his wardrobe. “You can use the bed if you like. I’ll use this spare blanket as a makeshift.” He pulled the blanket from the bottom of the wardrobe and spread it across the floor near the middle of the room, closing the wardrobe’s door behind himself.

“You’re... very generous,” Bush Beat muttered softly, as he walked towards the bed. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Good night.” A click was heard as Brightside turned off the lights.

“Who’s there?” a timid Bush Beat asked.

Dreadful silence permeated the empty streets of Manehattan. The grey concrete, lit dimly by the moon’s humble light, competed merely with the relentlessly shining lanterns that lined the sidewalk. A howling gust of wind blew through Bush Beat’s mane.

“I-Is anypony here?” he repeated, somewhat louder than before, simultaneously turning to look in all directions. He stood on a large junction of perpendicular identical-looking roads. His words dissolved into the bleak, sterile hollowness around.

In the distance a shadow appeared to rush across the street with startling pace, gripping the stallion’s attention. As he struggled to focus his eyes, another shadow passed by in the same direction. Bush Beat started trotting towards the uncanny presence.

Coming closer, he could make out the sound of hooves. They were galloping. And they were not alone. The reverberation sounded like dozens of ponies sprinting. Hundreds, possibly. More and more of them joined within every second. The sprint turned into a frantic race, the sound into a thunderous roar, the herd into a panicking stampede.

“Hello?” Bush Beat addressed the cold, unfaltering crowd. “Anypony?” But his voice drowned in the overwhelming cacophony of stomping hooves.

Suddenly, a silhouette of a pony emerged from the horde and launched straight towards him with alarming speed. Bush Beat scrambled to get out of the way, but the faceless form collided with him painfully, sending him falling backwards and tumbling. With eyes closed, Bush Beat felt himself rolling across the rough asphalt. Suddenly he rolled off a ledge, plunged a fair height, and finally smashed down onto a hard surface.

Groaning and aching, he opened his eyes. He found himself in a dark, rectangular room with no discernible light source. Yet somehow, a dim spotlight shone from above casting an oval illumination onto the timber floor.

“Who are you, anyway?” a stern, impatient voice demanded, coming from the pitch-black darkness beyond the cone of light. “Who, I ask?”

“I-I... you...” Bush Beat felt overcome with dread. The words refused to take shape in his mouth.

“I’ll tell you who! You’re a nopony!” said the voice with derision and contempt.

“Yeah! A nopony!” said another, younger voice from behind him. “And a blank flank!” added another.

“Nopony!”

“Blank flank!”

The voices started coming from all directions.

Suddenly the stern pony jumped into the light. It was a light blue unicorn stallion, staring at him with a rigid expression of disdain on his face. He yelled, “Go home!”

Bush Beat panicked and felt all the muscles in his body jerk vigorously while his eyes opened forcefully. He found himself lying in bed, breathing heavily, his heartbeat racing and his coat drenched in sweat.

Disoriented, he scanned the room. He was still in bed in Brightside’s apartment. Brightside himself was sound asleep on his blanket, breathing calmly. Bush Beat sighed in relief, replaced his head onto the pillow and tried going back to sleep.

Chapter 4: The Week

“Okay, see this apple?” Brightside asked, as he placed the apple onto a chair. He looked at Bush Beat, who nodded. “I need you to focus your magic on it as if you were going to levitate it. I’ll cast a spell on it for obtaining some measurements.” Bush Beat nodded again, unsure what would await him. He just hoped it wouldn’t be anything too rough.

The night’s sleep had been refreshing despite the nightmare. Brightside obviously did have a good night’s rest as well, judging from the invigorating enthusiasm in him. His dedication to the sciencey stuff felt admirable.

“What is this machine, anyway?” Bush Beat inquired, looking at the mysterious device sitting on the desk. Brightside had just pushed some button, causing it to begin emitting a steady hum.

“This? This is a computer. It’s quite a remarkable device...the humans invented it some 50 years ago,” Brightside explained. “Compared to this, Equestria is really far behind in terms of technology.”

Bush Beat looked unsatisfied and continued his questions. “Well, what do you use it for?”

“Right now, I’m planning to use it to record the measurements I just took and do some calculations,” Brightside explained. “This might take a moment since I haven't done any of this in a long time.”

“You mean you haven’t used the com... the machine in a long time?”

Brightside laughed. “Oh, no, I use the computer every day! What I meant was that I haven’t done any measurements or calculations relating to unicorn magic in a while. After all, I did spend the last few years trying to avoid it so that the humans wouldn’t find out about me. Still, I’ve got all my earlier research right here on this thing.”

Ping! The sound coming from the kitchen area was sharp and punctuated. The sudden unfamiliar noise definitely startled Bush Beat, but Brightside’s reaction was clearly one of delight. “Dinner’s ready!”

“Now, focus again. ... Yes, like that. Okay, now coagulate the spiral metric around the apple.”

“Co... what?” exclaimed Bush Beat, trying not to interrupt the spell.

Brightside giggled. “Sorry. I was talking too technical again, wasn’t I?”

Bush Beat’s horn stopped glowing abruptly as he gave Brightside a miffed look. The aura surrounding the apple disappeared, as it fell back onto its seat.

Exhausted by nearly a full day of magic training and experimentation, the two ponies sat on the balcony outside Brightside’s apartment.

“I never thought I’d be doing magic research ever again,” Brightside thought aloud while staring into the darkened, cloudy sky. “In fact, I never even thought I’d see another pony again.” Both of them raised a mug to their mouths and took a sip of tea.

Bush Beat had no idea how to respond to that. If it hadn’t been for Brightside, he might well have been at the mercy of some unscrupulous humans right now... then again, everything he knew about humans came solely from Brightside.

A cool breeze whistled through their coats.

“Seven hours?” Bush Beat blurted out. “In here?”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get you back to Equestria in just two days,” Brightside, now back in the shape of Albert Sollers, said half seriously and half sarcastically. “But it’s Monday now and I have to go to work. And you have to stay in here. Make sure no-one can see you.” He shoved his arm into the sleeve of a jacket.

“Can’t you just transform me into a human as well?” Bush Beat asked, giving the taller man a quizzical look.

“I already told you. It took me almost a year to perfect that spell for myself. It’s complex. I can only safely use it on myself.” He noticed the look of disappointment Bush Beat was giving him, though it had a tinge of disbelief mixed in. “Of course I could work on that transformation spell instead, but that would take time and detract from our progress in finding a way back to Equestria. Is that what you want?”

Bush Beat lowered his head and quietly shook it.

Albert tried to sound reassuring. “I know being alone for this long can be boring, but like I said, you can read any of the books on my shelf, and there are plenty of apples in the kitchen in case you get hungry.”

After Albert left the apartment, Bush Beat stood motionless for a good minute staring at the recently locked door.

The hours passed by slowly with Bush Beat all alone in the unremarkable apartment. He had been alone before, but right now he wished for the companionship of some other soul more than ever. Reflecting upon the series of events stranding him in this foreign world, one part of his mind reminded himself about the trial never being his fault, while another part couldn’t help but impose the feeling that he still deserved his fate somehow.

Perhaps Brightside’s suggestion of reading one of his books was worth considering to distract himself from these thoughts. He focused his magic on a book that had the most enticing-looking design on its spine, and pulled it off the shelf.

“I’m home!” Albert exclaimed as he walked into the apartment, closing the door behind himself. Bush Beat looked up from his book and got a glimpse of what lay beyond that imposing door. There was nothing but a grey, nondescript staircase. If this entire world was just as dull, Bush Beat figured he probably wasn’t missing much. And yet, he couldn’t help but wonder what else one might find beyond that staircase.

“How was your day?” Bush Beat inquired with a polite smile.

“Not too exciting,” Albert responded, “but how about you? Did you find something to pass the time?”

“I did,” Bush Beat responded, widening his smile. “I started reading this story and I do like it so far!” He chuckled. “Although I wonder whether it would be better with ponies instead of bodies.”

“Bodies?” Albert tilted his head.

“Er...” Bush Beat corrected himself. “Humans?”

Albert looked curious. “Why would you call them ‘bodies’?”

Bush Beat hesitated. “I... I just thought... it’s just, they keep saying ‘everybody’ and ‘nobody’ instead of ‘everypony’ and ‘nopony’.”

Bush Beat was straining himself with his teeth clenched. A bright ray was emanating from his horn shooting at a plant that was growing from a flower pot perched on the same chair that had previously propped up the apple.

“Keep going,” Albert encouraged him. He had a glow around the now visible horn on his forehead, himself. “Give it all you got!”

“I’m trying!” Bush Beat complained through his teeth. “I’m trying!”

Suddenly, the upper half of the plant began to glow. Just a few seconds later, the glow showed a swirling motion surrounding the plant. As Bush Beat gradually exhausted the last ounce of his magic, the glow dissipated again and both ponies stared at the plant. The stem had become twisted and the plant more erect.

Albert giggled and started scribbling notes on his notepad. After glancing over his numbers, he proclaimed, “This is looking promising!”

“... eveeeeeeeerrrrrrr!... Ta-dum, ba-dum, ba-dam-dum, tum, tum — at the gala!”

The hours of solitude seemed to stretch out longer with each passing one of them. Bush Beat finished reading the fiction books on Brightside’s shelf, though few they were. The rest were non-fiction books about human technology, which he didn’t understand the first thing about. Plus, the two had already watched all 26 episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic using the machine on the desk. There was nothing left to do in this small apartment.

When Albert finally entered through the door, Bush Beat was lying on the ground staring at nowhere in particular. “Hi,” he said vacantly.

Albert’s face changed into an expression of concern. “What’s up?” he asked.

“I’m bored, what’s it look like?” Bush Beat stated, not moving his head or his gaze.

Albert kneeled down to look at the frowning pony. “I’m sorry. I’m sure anypony would be. But I’m here now. We can do some more magic training if you like?” He tried to smile, but it only came out half right.

Bush Beat wondered if his ‘trainer’ realized that the ‘trainee’ really wasn’t enjoying the training as much as Brightside seemed to. It felt like work to him and he was eager to forget all about it once he’d be back in Equestria. But when would that be? He’d only been here for a week, it felt utterly boring and unbearable, and it was only going to get worse.

“How close are we to getting back to Equestria?” he asked the human next to him with a sigh in his voice.

“Pretty close,” Albert said with some enthusiasm. “I just need a few more measurements to...”

Bush Beat interrupted him. “Measurements. You always do those measurements. How do I know we’re making any real progress?”

Albert was slightly taken aback. “We are making progress,” he reassured the unicorn. “If you want, I can explain the measurements and the calculations to you, but...”

Bush Beat swiftly got on his hooves and faced Albert. “Explain the measurements! Ha-ha! Like that would explain anything to me!”

Albert hesitated. “What do you want me to do, then?”

“I want you to let me out of here!” the stallion exclaimed, frustrated. “You’re practically imprisoning me in this place!”

Albert raised his hands in a gesture to calm Bush Beat. “I already explained that... this world is dangerous for your kind. You could be...”

“Imprisoned?” Bush Beat interrupted, his voice growing angry.

Albert took a breath. “Imprisoned with no opportunity to explore ways of getting back! I think you should be glad that I brought you here instead of—”

“Brought me here?!” Bush Beat suddenly exploded. “You brought me to this world? To keep me locked up and run your stupid experiments on me?!” His face had turned irate.

“N-no, I mean... I didn’t...” Albert stammered. “Let me explain!”

Bush Beat’s horn started to glow. “I’m getting out of here,” he said with a determined voice. “You can lock the door, but you can’t stop me from teleporting away!”

“B-but you can’t teleport!” Albert interjected with worry. “Stop! Don’t try to teleport when you’re angry!”

But Bush Beat appeared undeterred. His horn’s glow widened and started to envelop the rest of his body. Albert had only a fraction of a second to consider his options. He quickly decided that there was only one thing he could do to prevent Bush Beat from harming himself. He had to make his first attempt of putting together the spell that would send him back to Equestria. Thus, with no time to think, he activated his own magic and cast a spell that would combine with Bush Beat’s. A ray emanated from the horn on Albert’s forehead, struck the pony beside him, and a second later the pony disappeared in a poof.

Albert blinked with bewilderment, as his horn shut down and disappeared.

Chapter 5: Back to Where it all Started

The empty, rectangular room felt familiar. Its wooden floor hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, and the bare concrete walls looked as if they were begging for some wallpaper. Although there weren’t any windows, the sole door stood wide open, letting in a fair amount of sunshine from the bright summer day outside.

Bush Beat still breathed heavily from his altercation with Brightside. He shook his head and tried to reconstruct what happened. Whether he’d cast the return spell himself, he couldn’t tell. But he most certainly knew that he was back in Equestria. Back in the room in which that gang was previously going to kill him.

Slowly and cautiously, the stallion started walking towards the door, attentively looking around for traces of any gang members. Realizing that the surroundings were absolutely quiet, he walked out the door, up a flight of stairs, and into the open.

He found himself at the edge of a tiny western-style town with wooden buildings, one of which had a large sign clearly visible from the distance marking it as a saloon. Still worried, but now also determined, he trotted towards the saloon and entered it.

“Howdy, kid!” the smiling barkeeper immediately called out as Bush Beat traversed the pair of swinging doors. Save for the mare, the room appeared completely emptied out, though.

“H-hello,” Bush Beat responded hesitantly. “Where... where am I?”

“Whatcha mean, where are ya?” The dark-brown earth pony behind the counter tilted her head, still smiling. “Yer in the saloon, o’ course! Care for a drink?”

Bush Beat noticed his dry throat and pondered his situation. He was thirsty, but he also didn’t have any money on him. “I mean, what town is this?” he asked.

The barkeeper laughed. “Why, this here’s Dodge Junction!” she said, but then lost the smile. “Are ya lost, kid?”

“Lost?” Bush Beat echoed. “I...” He faltered.

“Here,” the barkeeper said as she pulled a tap on a keg to pour a liquid into a glass mug that her other hoof was holding underneath the tap. The beverage foamed as it filled the mug. Then she placed the mug on the counter and smiled. “First one’s on th’ house.”

Bush Beat nodded gratefully, seating himself atop a barstool. “That’s very generous of you. Thank you.” He took a sip of the drink and immediately recognized it. “Mmh, apple cider,” he almost involuntarily stated.

“Finest quality from Sweet Apple Acres!” the barkeeper declared proudly. Bush Beat looked at her in surprise. He had heard the name ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ before, but only in that human-made television show Brightside had showed him.

The barkeeper looked at him and continued. “If you don’t mind me askin’, how’d ya get here?”

“Botched teleportation spell,” Bush Beat replied without hesitation, like he’d previously rehearsed the lie, and took a strong gulp of cider from his mug.

“You don’t say,” the barkeeper said with a smirk. “So where’d ya come from?”

“Manehattan,” Bush Beat replied, again without any hesitation.

The barkeeper raised her eyebrows in surprise. “That’s a mighty long way to be teleportin’ by accident!” Bush Beat looked at her. He had no idea how far Dodge Junction was from Manehattan, but more importantly, neither could he tell whether she had already mentally filed him away as a liar.

“Well,” he shrugged, “a friend was helping me.” He raised the mug once more and hastily finished the drink.

A short memory flashed past Bush Beat’s mental eye. It was when he was straining himself, trying to teleport out of Brightside’s apartment, and then looking up to suddenly find himself in the underground cellar. Something about this didn’t add up. It was obvious that Brightside was a far more capable user of magic than himself. If he could transition to Equestria while hardly even trying, why couldn’t Brightside? Could it be that Brightside had actually been the one sending him back? But if he could do that, why didn’t he follow suit?

“A friend, eh?” The barkeeper smiled. “Sounds like a friend worth goin’ back for.”

Bush Beat shook his head and frowned. “I... I won’t see him again.”

The barkeeper looked concerned. “What ya mean?”

Bush Beat just sat motionless now, absorbed in thoughts and conflicting feelings. The barkeeper examined his face for a while before returning to smile. “Well, if it helps, you’re always welcome in here for sure.”

“I need a place to stay for a while,” Bush Beat said. “I could help you out in the saloon and...”

The mare interrupted him. “Kid... Ah’m not exactly overrun with customers, y’know?”

Bush Beat paused, taking another look at the empty chairs, and sighed. “I noticed.”

“Tell ya what,” the barkeeper offered, “Ah know just the right place to go.” Pulling open a drawer, the mare picked up some oblong piece of paper with golden ornaments on its corners. She placed it on the counter, sliding it towards her visitor.

Bush Beat tilted his head to read the writing. Along the top, it read in bold capital letters, One-way Ticket. From: Dodge Junction. To: He lifted his hoof to read the text. To: Ponyville. Bush Beat scratched his head briefly until he remembered where he had heard that town name before. It was that show Brightside had shown to him in the human world.

“Go to Ponyville, try to find the Hay an’ Stay. Tell ’em that Ah sent ya. The owner, she’s an old pal o’ mine.” The barkeeper smiled again, though this time the smile appeared somehow more genuine. “Name’s Tendercare.”

Bush Beat was momentarily overwhelmed and began to stammer. “I-I... I’m... Bush Beat. You are very kind. I don’t know what to say.”

“Hey,” Tendercare said, “that’s what friends are there for!” She gave him a wink.

After a lengthy journey, the train came to a halt at its destination. “Ponyville!” the train conductor enunciated clearly. A pegasus passenger with a pale yellow coat hastily arose from her bench and hushed towards the exit, a small suitcase dangling from her mouth. Bush Beat noticed a book left behind on the bench that she’d been resting on. He hurried to pick it up with his magic and then followed the mare who was evidently its owner. “Excuse me,” he addressed her as he left the train car behind her. “I think this is yours.”

The pegasus turned around to look at the floating object and recognized it. “Oh, my!” she said while dropping her luggage. Her soft voice was difficult to make out through the noise of all the passengers leaving the train at the same time. “It...is indeed! Did I, um, leave that on my seat? I’m so sorry to trouble you...” She turned her head to the side timidly. Bush Beat was briefly taken aback as he recognized her as the character Fluttershy from the TV show.

“No trouble at all,” he said and hovered the book in front of her.

Suddenly, a very pink pony came jumping out of the commotion and euphorically shouted out, “Fluttershyyyy!” The mare, whom Bush Beat recognized as Pinkie Pie, stopped just in front of them, though she continued bouncing up and down. “Did you bring it? Did you bring it?” she squeaked excitedly. Shortly after, three more ponies homed in on the pegasus. They were Rarity, Applejack, and... the young filly named Scootaloo.

“Oh, yes, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy calmly replied, “I did bring it. Although I... I would have accidentally left it on the train if it weren’t for this kind gentlecolt here.” Her eyes moved over to Bush Beat.

Rarity stepped up to Bush Beat, addressing him. “Why, thank you so much, mister!” she said, while Fluttershy grabbed the book in her mouth, opened her suitcase, and placed it inside. Scootaloo jumped avidly beside Rarity and added, “Yeah! We need that for...” Intently looking at Bush Beat, she suddenly stopped. It seemed like she had noticed something about him that made her pause.

“For what?” Bush Beat asked, looking confused.

“Uuuh...” stammered Scootaloo as she looked at Rarity and then Applejack. “Can we invite him to the party?”

Chapter 6: Party Time

“Everypony! Please may I have your attention!” The purple mare’s voice reverberated across the room, amplified by a megaphone. Bush Beat recognized her as Twilight Sparkle, but with a noticeable difference: She was an alicorn. Apparently the show wasn’t entirely accurate after all.

The commotion in the library quieted as everypony perked up their ears to listen. “Thank you all for coming. And thanks to Pinkie Pie,” she briefly pointed a hoof at the pink pony, “for putting together yet another great party to celebrate this occasion. We’re here to congratulate...” After a short pause, she pointed the same hoof at the azure pegasus who was hovering above the group. “... Rainbow Dash! For passing her History of the Wonderbolts exam!”

The room erupted in hoof-clopping applause. Scootaloo, standing in front of Bush Beat, was particularly euphoric in her appraisal, though the fillies on either side didn’t exactly spare their hooves either. Rainbow Dash flew towards Twilight Sparkle and landed beside her with a beaming smile.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight motioned to the other pegasus to come forward, and she promptly emerged from the small crowd. She was carrying in her mouth the book that Bush Beat saw at the train station, now gracefully adorned with a red ribbon tied into a bow. “We have a little congratulatory present for you here,” Twilight explained.

Rainbow Dash jumped in front of Fluttershy and stared at the book in jubilant disbelief. “It’s the newest Daring Do! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” She clasped the book between her forelegs, lifted off, and frantically circled the room trailed by streaks of rainbows in the air. “This is so awesome!”

Bush Beat felt his heart lifted.

As the rainbow-maned pegasus calmed and landed again, she looked at Fluttershy quizzically. “But... this book wasn’t supposed to come out until the next Running of the Leaves!... How did you...”

Fluttershy smiled. “A.K. Yearling asked me to wish you all the best with the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes began to water. Then she stepped closer to Fluttershy and gave her a tight hug with one foreleg. “You guys are the best friends a pony could ever have.”

With numerous ponies leaving the library, Scootaloo scurried to catch the departing Bush Beat. “Hey dude, wait up!”

Bush Beat turned his head toward the sound of Scootaloo’s voice and saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trailing behind her. “Great party, girls,” he said, “thanks for the invitation.”

“Actually,” Scootaloo explained, “the party wasn’t the real reason we wanted you to come.”

“Oh?” Bush Beat said curiously while the other two fillies caught up and stood on either side of Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom decided to cut right to the chase. “You’re the oldest pony Ah’ve ever seen who didn’t have no cutie mark!”

“Yeah,” added Sweetie Belle. “We wanted to ask you if you’d like to join our club!”

Of course Bush Beat knew about the Cutie Mark Crusaders from watching them on TV, but the whole story would be awkward to explain, not to mention implausible. He thus decided he had to feign some ignorance. “Your... club? You girls founded a club for ponies without cutie marks?”

“Yup!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “We’re—” She nodded a signal to the other two fillies, then all three bellowed cheerfully, “—the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

Sweetie Belle continued, “We help ponies find their talents and earn their cutie marks!”

“Wanna come and see our clubhouse?” Scootaloo passionately suggested, picking up her scooter from leaning against a tree.

Moved by the characteristic buzzing from Scootaloo’s wings, while pulling Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Bush Beat perched inside a smaller wagon, the scooter chugged along steadily through Ponyville. Sweetie Belle provided the majority of the entertainment along the way, retelling the events leading to her sister and her five friends earning their cutie marks. Although Bush Beat was struggling to hide the fact about being familiar with the stories already, he admired the passion with which the fillies revered them.

All of a sudden, his horn began to glow. A glow that quickly grew brighter. Bush Beat looked unsettled and panicky. The horn radiated energy in all directions, and then abruptly pulled Bush Beat sideways. He bumped against the side of the cart, causing the vehicle to swerve.

Scootaloo lost control of the scooter. The wagon tipped over and rudely dumped the fillies onto the ground. She was yanked off her scooter, which tilted and fell into the dirt. Bush Beat felt himself hurtling through the air, before he finally crashed into a hedge. The stop was painful but welcome nonetheless.

A few seconds passed while the four ponies took a heavy breath and looked at each other. Sweetie Belle finally spoke up by asking Bush Beat, “Are you alright?”

Bush Beat crossed his eyes to look at his horn and found it to have stopped glowing. Then he noticed that his landing had severely damaged the hedge, which had previously been a smoothly-cut, carefully catered-for cuboid shape. He sighed.

A sign caught his eye. The hedge was lining a walkway that led into a building that stood out for being taller than all the surrounding houses. The sign revealed that building to be the Hay and Stay hotel. Bush Beat’s heart pounded; not only was he in trouble, but with his only place to stay for the night.

He felt a flash of a memory whizzing through his mind. He remembered the moment in Brightside’s apartment when he concentrated a magic spell towards a plant. The memory felt unexpectedly comfortable, and perhaps a little inviting.

He got back up on his hooves and looked around to see if anyone came out of the hotel. There wasn’t anypony in sight. He took a deep breath and reactivated his horn while concentrating on the damaged part of the hedge. He tried his hardest to repeat exactly what Brightside had taught him.

Some branches of the hedge slowly changed shape. The Crusaders, now back on their hooves, walked closer and watched Bush Beat, who appeared totally absorbed.

“Um...” Apple Bloom hesitated. “What are you doing?”

“I think I can fix this,” Bush Beat asserted with a confidence that felt surprisingly alien to him. “Let me try something.”

Within seconds, the hedge was engulfed in a shining magic aura. Some branches curled. Some straightened. Some entwined with each other and some separated. The leaves organized themselves into arrays and constellations. The Crusaders watched in awe as the hedge transformed itself into something new.

After a while, the implicated part of the hedge had turned from looking nastily mutilated into something inspired. It exhibited two thick, twisted columns seemingly resting on a base of accentuated green, both of which propped up a green slate on top, giving their sight a sense of balance and harmony.

Bush Beat felt like he was on a roll. He continued to reshape and reimagine the plant, working his way along the entire hedge, which was perhaps a good twenty feet long. It took a minute or two to complete his task, but in the end, the hedge was unrecognizable from its initial form. It had been converted from something ordinary to an eye-catching beauty.

He deactivated his magic, still keeping his eyes on the work of art he just created, examining it from all sides. Finally, he looked at the fillies with a satisfied smile. The three stared back at him in astonished disbelief.

“Wh... what just happened?” Scootaloo asked with a tilted head. Apple Bloom exclaimed excitedly, “ Look!” Her hoof was pointing in his direction.

Bush Beat looked behind himself to see what Apple Bloom might be pointing at. There was nothing there. Just then he noticed an unusual sight. On his haunches, to be precise.

“A cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle enthusiastically squeaked. “You earned your cutie mark!”

Bush Beat was exhilarated. “I... whoa. I had no idea I could do this!”

The cutie mark was a stylized image of a plant; generic, bent in a way that was unusual and yet aesthetically appealing. Bush Beat’s smile widened.

He suspected the joy of the moment about to be marred, spotting a pony who came walking out of the hotel’s front door. She looked at the redesigned hedge with some surprise. The earth pony mare’s coat and mane sported the same colors as the sign leading into the walkway.

“What happened here?” she asked in a highbrow accent. Her gaze soon fixated itself on Bush Beat.

“I... I...” Bush Beat was at an anxious loss for words. He noticed that while he was enthralled by his experience, it hadn’t occurred to him that the hedge’s owner may have their reservations about a radical change to the scenery, no matter how aesthetic it might look.

“He did this!” Apple Bloom blurted out, much to Bush Beat’s chagrin.

“Yeah! Isn’t it amazing?” Scootaloo added with an excited smile. Suddenly Bush Beat realized that he may have misjudged Apple Bloom’s sentiment.

“It’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it!” a thrilled Sweetie Belle contributed.

“Why, I’m...” the hotel mare started before trailing off. “Wait. Did you do that all on your own?” she asked while giving Bush Beat a skeptical look.

“Um... listen, I’m... I’m sorry,” Bush Beat stammered. He pointed at the tipped-over wagon and explained. “We accidentally crashed into this hedge and damaged it and I thought I’d... try to make up for that... a bit...”

“A bit?!” The mare gasped with delight. “This is fantastic! This is amazing! It’s so... beautiful!”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle huffed and murmured to themselves, “That’s what we said.”

“My name is Inn diGo,” the mare continued. “I run this hotel. We’ve been looking for a gardener to look after our properties for a long time.” She nodded in the direction of Bush Beat’s haunch. “Judging by your cutie mark, it seems that you might be just the pony we need! Do you...” Her face changed into a questioning one. “Do you live in Ponyville? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

Bush Beat quickly recognized the parallel of taking a job at a hotel. He’d been there before, and that didn’t end well. He quietly sighed, but then rearranged his thoughts. This would be different. It wasn’t Manehattan, after all. All the ponies he’d met so far were much kinder. And in some sense, he did owe his cutie mark to this hotel.

“No, I don’t,” he thus answered, “but I...”

“You’re a hotel!” Apple Bloom interjected.

Scootaloo added, “Yeah! Can’t he stay here with you?”

“Would that suit you?” Inn diGo smiled and held out a hoof for Bush Beat to shake.

Chapter 7: Pioneering

Four weeks came and passed. Bush Beat comfortably settled into his new life working as a gardener for the Hay and Stay hotel. Here, he could make almost daily use of his newfound talent. This village sure didn’t have any shortage of laughter, kindness, or lively spirit. He occasionally thought back to his years in Manehattan, the city where ‘it’s everypony for herself.’ Back then, he had always assumed that to be the status quo across all of Equestria.

‘Humans do not know harmony.’ These words echoed in Bush Beat’s mind as he suddenly thought of Brightside. How might he be getting along in this... unharmonious world he was still stuck in? Would he ever find a way back to Equestria on his own? Could he use help? Help from... a friend, maybe? Bush Beat slowly came to realize that Brightside was, in many ways, the first actual friend he ever had. He sighed, sat down in the grass, and looked at the trees and plants that graced the garden around him.

“Inn diGo?” a voice in the background called out.

‘That’s what friends are there for!’ said the next echo in his head. Bush Beat remembered his brief encounter with Tendercare in the saloon of Dodge Junction. If it hadn’t been for her, he would certainly not have made it to Ponyville. Heck, it would never even have occurred to him to even visit the place. Yet here he was, leading a whole new life.

“Inn diGo?” As he now realized, the voice had come considerably closer.

Bush Beat stirred as he snapped out of his reflective thoughts. He lifted himself onto his legs, as he saw a grey mare approaching. She carried a bag of letters and postcards around her neck.

“Are you Inn diGo? Here’s a...”

Bush Beat interrupted her. “I’m sorry, Derpy, I... I have to go.”

Derpy looked surprised. “Go?... Go where?”

“To Fillydelphia,” Bush Beat answered with conviction. “There is a friend I have to find. He... needs my help. I need to go and find him.”

“But your mail...?” Derpy couldn’t finish the question as Bush Beat galloped past her, out of the garden and into the streets. He briefly stopped, turned around to shout, “Inn diGo is inside!” and continued on his way toward the train station.

Derpy blinked, then shrugged and trotted up to the hotel.

“Fillydelphia!” The train conductor’s voice was as enunciated as the last. The overnight train ride was long but smooth and comfortable save for all the turmoil inside of Bush Beat’s head. At least he got a few hours of sleep on the train.

“How do I get to the university?” Bush Beat asked the ticket-sales assistant across the counter in the station’s main hall. Her response was elaborate but clear and to the point. Weren’t it for all the distractions in his mind, finding his way around would have been easy from here.

After another hour laden with thoughts going back and forth, Bush Beat finally arrived at the university’s front desk.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” he addressed the clerk, slightly out of breath. The earth pony turned to face him and listened. “I need some information. There was a... a research team. About ten years ago. Here, at this university.” He paused to catch more air. “One of the researchers... I mean, research assistants... his name was Brightside. I need to know who else was on that team.” He took a deep breath.

“That’s quite an unusual request,” the older mare commented. “We can’t just disclose information about our staff. May I ask why you need this kind of information?”

Bush Beat tried to sound serious. “I have important information regarding this pony, Brightside. I need to talk to one of the actual researchers about it. Please. It’s really important.”

The clerk looked at him for a moment before replying, “Fine. I’ll see what I can find.” She turned away, walked towards the back of her space and opened a drawer to look at a series of files.

The minutes stretched as Bush Beat impatiently waited for her return.

The mare finally walked back to the desk with a file in her mouth, which she placed on the desk in front of her, then opened it. “Okay, here’s what I’ve got. Brightside briefly worked for the Department of Unicorn Magic ten years ago. He was in a team with several other ponies, two of whom are still with us today. Their names are Pioneer Rose and... hang on...”

While the clerk was pausing, Bush Beat thought about the name, but it didn’t ring any bells.

“... Silver Slither,” the mare finished.

Bush Beat’s eyes opened wide as the second name entered his consciousness. But he composed himself quickly.

“Many thanks,” he said, nodding to the clerk. “Where might I find this... Pioneer Rose?”

“Well, the Department of Unicorn Magic is in the building just across the courtyard.” She pointed out through the window. “Over there. The front door says ‘DUM’ on it.”

“Thank you.” Bush Beat tried to put on a smile, but it was overridden by a feeling of intense worry.

“Come in!” a female voice yelled from the other side of the ajar wooden door Bush Beat just knocked on. He gently pushed it open to reveal a room of desks, all stacked with a disorderly mess of books and loose sheets of paper.

Working at one of the desks was a magenta-coated pony with a dark crimson mane and tail, facing away from Bush Beat. He could see a pen engulfed in a reddish-brown magic aura that was scribbling on a piece of paper.

“Um... Pioneer Rose?” Bush Beat asked carefully, unsure whether it might have been more appropriate to wait quietly.

The aura surrounding the pen disappeared after the pen was laid onto the desk with care. The unicorn turned her head to look at Bush Beat and said, “Yes?” When she didn’t recognize the pony that had just entered the room, she turned around fully to face Bush Beat.

Bush Beat said, “I need to talk to you about Brightside.”

Pioneer Rose gasped upon hearing the name. She immediately used her magic to have the office door swing close. Then she inspected Bush Beat with narrowed eyes. “What?”

“Um... Brightside,” Bush Beat repeated. “Do you remember him? He was in your research team some ten y...”

“How do you know about Brightside?” Pioneer Rose narrowed her eyes even further.

“Um... I... met him?...” Bush Beat became hesitant.

“You met Brightside ten years ago?” she asked. “What do you want to talk about after all this time?”

“No,” Bush Beat contended, “I met him some five or six weeks ago. He’s...”

“What?” interrupted the mare, visibly confused. “But... that... wait. How... where...” Her eyes moved nervously back and forth as she was struggling to make sense of this. Then she looked back at Bush Beat’s face and asked, “Brightside is... alive?”

“Yes!” Bush Beat asserted. “Did you think he was dead?”

Pioneer Rose hesitated and then nodded. “We did, yes.” She gradually calmed, but still looked bewildered. “Where in the wide world of Equestria did you find him? Why did he never come back to the University?”

“That’s just the thing,” Bush Beat clarified, “he’s not in Equestria anymore. The spell that you cast ten years ago—”

“You know about the accident?”

Bush Beat nodded. “Why did you think he was dead?”

“Well, because...” Pioneer Rose’s eyes sank. “He just disappeared, and we never heard from him again.”

“Well, your spell took him to another world. He’s been stuck there ever since. I need your help to get him back home,” Bush Beat asserted.

Pioneer Rose thought for a moment. “What sort of help are you thinking?”

“All I need from you,” Bush Beat explained, “is to cast the spell again. On me. The same spell that got Brightside stranded in that other world. Take me there and I will find him.”

“Wait.” Pioneer Rose collected her thoughts. “You said Brightside is stranded in that other world. But you also said that you met him. So you’ve been there? How did you get there?”

Bush Beat inhaled to speak, but then stopped. “It’s... complicated.”

“Did somepony cast that spell on you?” Pioneer Rose insisted to know. “Who was it?”

Bush Beat paused before he nodded and answered. “It was Silver Slither.”

“Oh, well you’re in luck then!” Pioneer Rose smiled. “Silver Slither works right here at the univ—”

“I know,” Bush Beat interrupted, “but... she’s trying to kill me.”

Pioneer Rose gave Bush Beat a puzzled look. Her sudden expression of shock and disbelief was intense, but it was also short-lived and quickly dissolved into laughter. “Kill you? Silver?... That’s ridiculous. She’s my friend.”

“I’m not joking,” said Bush Beat seriously. “She used the spell on me in full belief it would kill me, just like you thought it killed Brightside. If she sees me now and finds out I’m not dead, she and her gang will try to find some other way to get rid of me.”

“Gang?!” Pioneer Rose started laughing even harder. “This is ridiculous! I know Silver, she has a sense of justice like you’ve never known! There’s no way she’s part of a gang!”

“Honestly, Pioneer Rose,” Bush Beat said, “she believes that she is serving justice.” He paused. “Perhaps I should start from the beginning and tell you everything that happened...”

“... I stayed with him for over a week, in which he resumed his research for me. In the end, it seems, he managed to find the spell. But for some reason it only sent me back. I have to return there to help him get back to us. I owe him that much.”

Finishing his short narrative, he felt a certain relief. This time there weren’t any lies to cover up. It felt freeing to tell nothing but the truth for once. He sensed an increased desire to set things right with Brightside.

Pioneer Rose was stunned. She sat back on her haunches, carefully listening to Bush Beat.

“That’s... quite a story,” she commented. She sighed and looked at the floor, eyes wide and vacant. “I would never have thought Silver would be capable of this. But I can’t deny that it fits her idea of justice. And it does explain how you know about Brightside and the accident. You wouldn’t ask to have the spell cast on yourself if you weren’t completely sure it was safe.” She waved a hoof and pondered, “What if Brightside did come back to Equestria with you, but simply wound up someplace else than you?”

“That was four weeks ago. If he’s back in Equestria, he would have come here and found you by now, wouldn’t he?” Bush Beat figured.

“That’s true, hm...” The scientist thought for a long moment, before she replied with a shrug. “Well... I would love to help you. Honestly, I would. But I can’t.”

Bush Beat blinked. “Why not? Just cast the spell from ten y—”

“I can’t just cast the spell,” she interrupted him while raising a hoof. “First, it’s been ten years. That’s a long time, and none of us have done any research in that area since. The entire project was canceled after the accident. Second, I’m a scientist, not a magician. Just because I research magic doesn’t mean I can cast any complex spell. Just like you wouldn’t expect a...” She struggled to find an example and looked around for inspiration. Her eyes fell onto Bush Beat’s cutie mark. “...floral biologist, say, to be any good at gardening. You know?”

‘Actually, I kind of would’, Bush Beat thought to himself.

“Third,” Pioneer Rose continued, “I never even cast the main spell in the first place. It was Silver. I only assisted.”

“So... um...” Bush Beat was unsure how to phrase the following question so as to not sound too demanding. “Would it be possible for you to learn the spell?”

Pioneer Rose shrugged and started to walk towards the door. “I’ll just ask Silver about—”

“No!” Bush Beat hastily interrupted her and stopped her by holding a foreleg up in her path. “You can’t tell her any of this! If she finds out that I’m still alive, she and her gang will come after me!”

“Isn’t that what you want?” wondered Pioneer Rose. “You want her to cast the spell again, right?”

“If she finds out I’m still alive, she’ll know that the spell doesn’t kill. Then she’ll try to kill me some other way.”

“Well,” Pioneer Rose pointed a hoof at herself, “I won’t be able to help you on my own. I don’t know the spell. It sounds like Silver is the only one who can take you to Brightside. Besides,” she tilted her head to the side, “if what you’re saying is true and she actually did try to kill you, shouldn’t you report her to the police?”

Bush Beat faltered. In all those past weeks, he never even thought of that; he was just glad to be back in Equestria. Slowly, the realization sunk in that throughout the last four weeks Silver Slither might have doomed other ponies to live in the human world, and he would have been in the position to prevent it. But right now he also needed Silver Slither’s help in order to rescue Brightside, and she would certainly not be of much support while in custody.

“If you can’t learn the spell, I need Silver Slither to do it. So we can’t expose the gang just yet. We also can’t just ask her, though...”

Both ponies intensely pondered for a while.

Bush Beat offered, “I guess we have to...”

“... trick her,” Pioneer Rose completed the sentence. “Somehow.”

Chapter 8: Not a Brony

Albert Sollers felt jaded. The brony convention was packed with activity and more vigorous with fan devotion than he expected. Exhaling softly, he treaded down the stairs at the venue’s front entrance, and continued walking along its side. A fervent turmoil of the conference continued into the late night hours.

These were the streets of Los Angeles, California. Ever since his encounter with Bush Beat, he kept involuntarily comparing the sights of the human world with what vague, blurred memories he had left of a long relinquished past in Equestria. The last nine years left him more or less acculturated to life as a human, albeit as one that really only pretended being one of them.

A quiet gasp left his mouth as he turned his head to take a look around the back of the building. There was a small parking lot, one row adjacent to the building, the other a few more yards off to the side. Albert stopped and settled at a corner of the building. From here, he could easily oversee most of the place.

Hardly a minute later, someone came marching out the building’s rear exit. Albert’s gaze followed the woman as she walked across the lot towards a car parked on its far side. A keychain in her hand, she pushed a button, causing one car’s lights to flash up, accompanied by a beeping sound. She then opened the door to get in.

As the car started, its lights illuminating the area, Albert carefully crouched down behind another one fairly close to the first. As the car pulled out of its slot and drove past, he quickly turned his head to look left and right of himself, then covered the horn on his forehead with both hands before it turned from invisible to fully lit. Seconds later, he disappeared in a brief flash of light. The car steered onto the main road and drove away.

After a half-hour drive, the car pulled into a private driveway and came to a halt. The engine stopped, its lights went out, and the driver-side door opened allowing the woman to step out and close the door behind her.

Knock! Knock!

The woman stopped in her tracks as she was about to walk around the back of her car. Anxious, she listened closely.

Knock! Knock!

As she realized the noise was coming from the trunk of her car, she suddenly heard a voice coming from inside.

“Hello? Anyone there?”

She quickly turned around and rushed back to the driver-side door of the car. Opening the door, she reached for a lever beside the steering wheel. Within moments, the trunk’s lid jerked ajar with a clank sound.

She walked back to the trunk and stared bewildered as the lid of the trunk opened and a man clumsily climbed out. As he returned himself onto firm ground, carefully closing the lid behind him, she opened her mouth to speak.

“How did you get in there?”

Albert scratched the back of his head. “Long story. I‘m sorry for startling you, Miss...?”

“Well, I’m glad I could help,” the woman told him before starting to walk towards her home. “Goodbye.” She pushed the button on her keychain to lock the car.

“Are you Miss Lauren Faust?” Albert asked.

“I really think you should leave,” she proclaimed without turning to face him.

“Actually,” Albert insisted, “I think we need to have a talk about Equestria.”

“Oh, I see!” she blurted out while turning around. “You’re a brony, eh? And you thought you could just hitch a ride in my car, follow me to my home and then expect to get a private interview? Really?”

Albert raised his hands in an attempt to signal peaceful intentions. “No. I’m not a brony. I’m not here for an... interview.” He motioned his fingers to form air quotes. “I’m here to find out what’s behind all this. And I think you know something. Something about... the real Equestria.”

He could see Lauren’s eyes widen. She appeared momentarily disconcerted, but then she chuckled. “Yeah, very funny. Listen, I don’t have time for this.” She turned back around and continued to walk towards the front door.

Albert decided to wait. He watched as she turned a key in the lock, opened the door, and disappeared inside. The sound of the door closing shut seemed to communicate a hint of relief.

He walked back to the car and scanned the surroundings. There wasn’t a soul on the street, but there were other houses in the neighborhood. Albert carefully selected a spot where the car would shield him from any curious onlookers who might be looking through any of the multitude of windows. He crouched, covered his horn with his hands as before, and cast another spell.
One plop and a flash of light later, he was inside the house. The first thing he noticed was the high-pitched shriek suddenly cried out by Lauren Faust as she threw her hands in the air.

Alarmed, Albert lost his balance. The keys previously in Lauren’s hand flew across the room and landed on the floor with a clunk.

For a long while, the two looked at each other. Lauren was breathing heavily while she slowly lowered her hands again. Albert sighed, giving her an apologetic look. Her eyes seemed to express some kind of realization.

Albert calmly got back onto his feet. Then he turned his head to find the dropped keys. He activated his magic to levitate the keys towards them and in front of Lauren. “I’m sorry,” he emphasized, “but I really need to know.”

Lauren opened her hand just underneath the hovering bunch of keys. “What... are you?...” she stuttered, looking at the glowing horn now visible on Albert’s forehead. “A... human unicorn?” Her face was distorted with confusion. Albert let go of the keys, allowing them to fall into Lauren’s hand.

“Not quite.” He took a step backwards to give her some space, preparing a more complicated spell. His horn started glowing fervently now, radiating with energy. A whirling bright ambience formed around him, twisting in a circular motion. Through all of it, he visibly transformed. Mere seconds later, the magic had evaporated and Albert had turned back to his pony from.

“The name is Brightside.” The blue unicorn bowed his head. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Lauren remained speechless. Brightside waited, watching as she collected her thoughts. After a while, he said, “Please, tell me how you know about Equestria.”

Chapter 9: Sanctuary

“Everypony, we have a guest,” Lauren Faust declared, walking into a large and luxuriously furnished room, immediately followed by Brightside. She made sure to close the door behind him.

The room sported two sofas, a flatscreen TV with some gaming console, tables with chairs, an expensive-looking rug, and ornamental ceiling lights. There were five pony mares of varying ages in the room. The ponies gasped and immediately started chattering once they spotted the newly arrived. “Look!” the only unicorn exclaimed. “A new pony!” one of the two pegasi added. “Yay!” a blue-coated earth pony contributed.

An emerald green earth pony walked towards Brightside and smiled. “Greetings. We haven’t seen any new faces for a while now. Welcome to our little sanctuary.”

“Sanctuary?” Brightside asked, wondering curiously.

“Rough world out there! Stay in here or you’re toast!” the other pegasus added.

Pointing at the green earth pony, Lauren explained, “Parsley Sage was the first of you to appear here, about seven years ago.” She proceeded to motion towards the other ponies in turn. “Then Nimblebrash appeared, followed by Direct Current, Gentian, and finally, about a year and a half ago, Cursory.”

“Hello,” Brightside said with a nod. “My name is Brightside. Pleased to make your acquaintances.”

Direct Current, the saffron-coated pegasus, approached Brightside and asked, “So, what was it for you? Murder? Or something else?”

“What?... What are you talking about?” Brightside looked at her, quizzical.

“Your accusation,” Cursory, the light grey unicorn, explained.

Direct Current added, “Mine was murder.”

Brightside was shocked, adding to his confusion. “You murdered someone?”

“No she didn’t, you dolt!” Nimblebrash, the brown pegasus, retorted. “We were all falsely accused!”

Gentian was the blue earth pony and presumably the youngest of the five. “Girls,” she conjectured, “looks like he doesn’t know.”

“Perhaps we should explain from the beginning,” Parsley Sage suggested calmly.

Brightside nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. How did you all get here?”

“Each of us was accused of some really bad crime,” Gentian explained. “Murder, foal abuse, that sort of thing.”

“But none of us actually did it!” Nimblebrash interjected.

“We’ve all been put on trial,” Direct Current added, “and we’ve all been acquitted.”

“But somepony wasn’t happy with that,” Cursory continued.

Direct Current completed the explanation. “They got a gang to kidnap us, and they were seriously planning to kill us. They thought they were executing justice where the court system failed. They thought we were guilty and we deserved to die for our ‘crimes’.”

“And yet, you’re all still alive,” Brightside remarked.

“The mare who cast the spell on each of us seemed to believe it would kill us,” Parsley Sage recounted, “but instead... well, it sent us here.”

Gentian looked in the direction of the only human in the room. “Lauren has been so generous as to let us stay in here so that the humans won’t find out about us.”

“They’re a barbaric bunch, those humans!” Nimblebrash interjected.

“Tell me about it,” Brightside agreed.

“Hey, cool it,” Lauren Faust said defensively. “They’re just not used to seeing colorful talking ponies.”

Brightside continued. “But to be fair, that gang you describe doesn’t sound any more civilized. Do you know who they are?”

Parsley Sage responded calmly. “All we know is that their leader’s name is Silver Slither.”

Brightside gasped. “Silver... Slither?!...”

“You sound like you’ve heard that name before,” Gentian inquired.

Brightside looked contemplative. “I have, as a matter of—”

He was cut short by a glow that emerged mid-air, and grew with rays of magic spreading throughout the room. Everyone stared at the ball of energy in stunned observation until it abruptly disappeared, making room for a certain green unicorn.

In bewilderment, Brightside realized who just managed to join them. “Bush Beat?!”

Bush Beat hesitantly scanned the room, noticing the other ponies, then gasped as his gaze fell upon the sole human.

“You two know each other?” Lauren asked in surprise.

But Brightside ignored her and addressed Bush Beat with a sarcastic smile instead. “Another teleportation spell gone awry, I suppose?”

Bush Beat, now looking apologetically back at Brightside, said, “Listen, Brightside, I’m... sorry.”

Brightside giggled and waved a hoof. “It’s all right.”

“You’re not angry after the things I said?” Bush Beat asked with wide eyes.

“You were under stress. That much I could tell.” He dropped the smile. “Though I am a bit irritated that you didn’t tell me about Silver Slither.”

“So you know, huh?” Bush Beat looked at the other ponies, then back at Brightside. “Can we... talk in private?”

Brightside narrowed his eyes slightly. “Frankly, you had the opportunity to talk to me in private when you were at my place, but you decided to tell me lies instead.”

Bush Beat hesitated, then retorted with a raised voice, “As if you didn’t! You told me there are no other ponies in this world!” He raised a hoof towards the other ponies in the room. “So who are they? Zebras?”

Brightside briefly closed his eyes to take a deep breath, then calmly responded. “I only just got here. I had no idea about any of them until just a few minutes ago.”

Bush Beat puffed, but then stopped as he scanned the looks on the other ponies’ faces and noticed Gentian was nodding. Nimblebrash was rolling her eyes.

“By the way,” Brightside said as his smile returned. He pointed a hoof at Bush Beat’s rear. “Nice cutie mark! Congratulations!”

“I... er...” Bush Beat’s eyes turned back to Brightside. “Thanks, I...” He needed a few seconds to clear his confusion. “I probably wouldn’t have gotten it without you. So thank you for that.”

Direct Current barged in abruptly. “Wait, you earned your cutie mark here in the human world?”

Bush Beat turned towards Direct Current, shaking his head. “Um... no... I was in Equestria at the time...”

Cursory gasped. “So you found a way back to Equestria from here?” All the ponies’ eyes opened wide, fixating themselves on Bush Beat.

Bush Beat pointed at Brightside. “Well, actually, I think it’s Brightside who did it.”

Brightside smiled and nodded. “With his help, yes.”

The mood filling the room changed within an instant. The former atmosphere of gloom was quickly washed away with excited chattering and cheerful celebration from the ponies.

“We’re going home!” Direct Current exclaimed.

“I can’t believe it!” Gentian laughed.

“Finally!” Nimblebrash commented.

“No!” Lauren exclaimed, loudly interrupting them. Everypony quieted down and looked at her. She paused before she continued. “You can’t go. I need you here.”

Nimblebrash reacted without hesitation. “Oh yeah? Well if there’s a way back home, I’m definitely going.”

Direct Current nodded and mumbled, “Yeah.”

“Easy there, Nimblebrash,” Gentian said, trotting past her and towards Lauren. “Lauren, please try to understand. It’s not that we're ungrateful. Celestia knows what would have happened to us in this world without you. I think I can speak for all of us if I say: we thank you for your long-lasting hospitality.”

The ponies nodded and voiced agreement.

Gentian continued, “But even so, you knew this day would come. We spent years of our lives in this one room. A comfortable room, certainly. But also one that has us confined.”

Lauren Faust turned to Cursory. “But you will stay... right, Cursory?”

Cursory gave Lauren Faust a sorry look and quietly shook her head.

Lauren Faust responded nervously, “But... what about Lyra? What will she think?”

“Lauren,” Direct Current stepped in, “I really don’t think Lyra would hold it against Cursory that she wants to return home.”

Lauren Faust frowned. “If you leave now, I will have to step down from the show after only one season.”

“Ahem,” Brightside interjected, “who is Lyra?”

Cursory kept her look at Lauren Faust for a moment longer before turning to face Brightside. “Her full name is Lyra Heartstrings. She’s a unicorn.”

Direct Current added, “Cursory tells her about the human world, and in return, she’s been keeping us up to date with news of Equestria.”

“Though mostly just Ponyville,” Nimblebrash complained, “she never gets out of that one-horse town!”

Gentian and Cursory gave Nimblebrash a reproachful look. “She did attend the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot a while ago,” Gentian commented. “And just last week she told me about the Equestria Games, and that was in the Crystal Empire,” Cursory asserted.

Brightside looked confused. “Wait, wait, wait,” he asked, “how do you talk to her if she’s in Equestria and you’re here?”

“How do I put this... hm...” Cursory pondered in thought for a moment. “We’re... in contact with each other. I discovered by chance a spell that I can use to send messages to her. And she sends some back to me.”

“That’s... impressive,” Brightside said with widened eyes, making Cursory smile and blush. “I presume you told her all about Silver Slither and her gang, then? Have they put her under arrest?”

“Actually,” Parsley Sage interjected, “we decided not to tell her about that.”

Brightside’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

Parsley Sage explained, “Well, Silver would most likely be convicted of murder, or at least attempted murder. That would likely get her banished to the sun or something, which would leave us stuck here forever. You see, nopony except Lyra knows we’re here... and she tells us that nopony believes her when she talks about the human world. So nopony was going to come looking for us.”

Direct Current continued, “So we decided to let Silver continue her game, hoping that one day she’ll send us a unicorn that can find a way back home for all of us.”

Bush Beat smiled and pointed at Brightside. “Well, you’ve got one now!”

Cursory mumbled to herself with eagerness in her voice. “I can’t wait to get back. I’m going to go to Ponyville and meet Lyra for real!”

Gentian turned to Lauren and looked at her with her head held down. “I guess this is goodbye. Lauren, you have been a wonderful friend. I will miss you.” The other ponies joined in, bade their farewells to their host and continued their excited chatter about their immediate plans for when they return to Equestria. Brightside and Bush Beat watched them in silence for several minutes.

As the talking gradually subsided and more and more hopeful eyes were turned towards Brightside, Direct Current spoke up for the group, euphoric. “We’re ready to go home.”

In a wooden voice, Brightside issued a caveat. “Just to be clear though, I can’t send you all in one go. I suggest that we try to send Nimblebrash and Gentian first.”

Direct Current raised an eyebrow. “Alright then. Why them in particular, though?”

Brightside responded, “They look like they are the two with the lowest mass.”

After the brief, awkward silence went right over his head, Brightside motioned a hoof to Nimblebrash and Gentian. “Please stand next to each other.” Gentian got up from lying on the sofa, then stood right next to Nimblebrash. Brightside then turned to Bush Beat. “Bush Beat? Go ahead.”

“Wait,” Bush Beat asked. “So what exactly do I need to do?”

Brightside explained, “You just need to focus some magic on them. You know, the same thing you did on yourself that time you tried to teleport out of my apartment?”

“Oh... that.” Bush Beat nodded, though hesitantly. “I’ll... give it a try...”

Direct Current started looking nervous and addressed Bush Beat. “I thought you said Brightside was going to do the spell.”

“I am,” Brightside responded. “But I can’t do it alone. I need extra magical energy from another unicorn before the transition will trigger.” After a pause, he added, “I guess that’s probably also why Silver Slither needs a gang to do her own thing.”

“Oh, just one last thing,” Bush Beat interjected, addressing the group. “When you were all sent here, and Silver Slither cast that spell on you, where was that? Were you inside a room with a wooden floor, concrete walls, no windows, and only one door?”

The five ponies all nodded.

“Me too,” Bush Beat replied. “And I reappeared there when Brightside first sent me back, so I’m guessing you will too. That room is some abandoned cellar in a town called Dodge Junction. When you get there, go to the saloon and find the barkeeper. Her name is Tendercare. She’s a good friend. Tell her that you know me and she will probably be able to help you out.”

“Aren’t you going to be there with us?” Gentian wondered.

“Probably not,” Bush Beat hypothesized. “This time around, I was sent here from my hotel room in Ponyville, so I’d guess that I’ll reappear there.” He scanned the group and waited to give everypony a chance to ask any last-minute questions. After nopony spoke, he nodded. “Right then, here we go.”

Bush Beat lit his horn and launched a magic ray at the pair of abutting ponies. An aura engulfed the two, fueled by the energetic glow from his horn. Then Brightside joined in and added a second ray, which caused the room to glow with a radiant brilliance. After a few seconds, the light dissolved, and the two ponies were gone.

“That was easier than I expected,” a smiling Brightside jubilantly cheered. “Well then, who’s next?”

Direct Current raised her hoof with enthusiasm. “Can I go?”

Parsley Sage looked at Cursory and paused, then suggested to Brightside, “Well, I’m alright with going last.”

Direct Current and Cursory walked into the same spot where the previous two ponies disappeared and stood next to each other. Once again, Bush Beat started the spell with a shining display of magic. Although Brightside took longer this time to complete the spell, a repeat of the feat later a flash of light was seen and then only three ponies were left in the room.

“Whew.” Brightside was starting to look exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Parsley Sage asked with concern in her voice.

“Yes... yes, I am.” Brightside was audibly short of breath. “It’s just... a bit taxing on my magic. I think I can still send you, Parsley Sage... then I’ll need some rest. Bush Beat, go right ahead.”

Bush Beat concentrated a final salvo of magic on the last earth pony. Brightside strained himself to do his part of this spell. Nevertheless, another burst of magic later, Parsley Sage too had vanished. As the aura dissipated, Brightside exhaled thickly. He collapsed onto his side, resting on the soft rug. For a short while, his heavy breathing was the only sound filling the room.

“I... I guess the two of you can stay the night here and then go home tomorrow,” a frowning Lauren Faust quietly offered.

Bush Beat didn’t hesitate to respond. “Thanks, that’s very generous of you.”

“I’d say so. Thanks, Lauren,” Brightside added, panting.

“Good night, you two.” Lauren Faust left the room and closed the door behind her.

Brightside, still lying on his side and panting, quietly thought out loud, “I’ve never done this much magic on a single day. Two teleports, one full-body transformation, and now all of this.”

“Brightside?” Bush Beat fell back onto his haunches. “There’s one thing I don’t understand.”

Brightside raised his head to look Bush Beat in the eye. “That is?”

“What did you mean when you said you ‘brought’ me here? I’m pretty sure it was Silver Slither who sent me into this world.”

Brightside thought momentarily. “Uh... oh, that. Well...” He took a deep breath, then explained with his head resting on the rug again. “Here’s the thing. For most of the time I spent here, I thought I was the only pony in this world... until I found out about that TV show. That’s when it became clear to me that there must be some others who told someone about Equestria.

“So I assumed somepony in Equestria was still continuing that magic research and accidentally sending ponies here the same way it happened to me. But I had no idea where in this big world they showed up. I did some research and I was able to put together a spell that would... ‘attract’ the transition spell, for lack of a better word, and I cast that spell on myself. That way, the next pony that was sent here, would appear somewhere nearby. Am I making sense?”

Bush Beat nodded with realization. “And that next pony was me.”

“Exactly. I’m sorry to have put you through this.”

“Don’t be!” Bush Beat shook his head. “Celestia knows where I would have ended up in this world if you hadn’t done that.”

After a pause, Brightside asked, “Why are you back?”

“Hm?” Bush Beat looked puzzled. “What do you think?”

Brightside started to sound slightly annoyed. “Come on, Bush, this is serious. We just sent these ponies back to Equestria while Silver Slither is still on the loose. I need to know why you ended up here a second time.”

“Wh...?” Bush Beat stammered, then raised his voice. “I came back for you, obviously!”

Brightside was taken aback. He propped himself up on his forelegs, looking confused. “For me? What do you mean by that?”

“Well for some reason your spell only sent me back, right?” Bush Beat reminded Brightside. “And you told me you couldn’t return to Equestria on your own. So I came back to help you so that we can find a way for both of us to return together. I came back to rescue you from this place!”

“What... but...” Brightside shook his head. “I never had any intention of returning to Equestria.”

Bush Beat was perplexed. His head tilted and his eyes blinking, he mumbled, “Come again?”

“I said, I have no inten—”

“I heard you,” Bush Beat interrupted, “but... how can you not want to return home?!”

“Home?” Brightside responded. “I am home.” He paused while he examined Bush Beat’s puzzled reaction. Then he continued, “My life is here now. I have a job and friends here.”

Bush Beat sat in bewildered silence for a while before he spoke again. Quietly, he stated, “You have a friend in me, too.”

“That’s... very kind of you,” Brightside replied.

“Do those friends of yours know who you really are?”

“No, but...” Brightside trailed off.

“How would they react if you told them?”

“I... don’t know,” Brightside confessed.

“You disguise yourself to look like them, but you know you’re not really one of them.”

“I know!” Brightside grew disgruntled. “I know that, okay? You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. I’m okay with this. I’ve lived this life for over nine years and I’m happy here.”

Bush Beat smirked and gave Brightside an unconvinced look.

“What?” Brightside asked.

“Nine years in which you haven’t done any of that science research stuff. Your foalhood dream. Your destiny. You said it was what your cutie mark was telling you!”

“No,” Brightside raised a hoof, “I said it’s what my cutie mark seemed to be telling me. I was wrong then. I found a new destiny over here.”

“A new destiny?” Bush Beat tilted his head again. “And what would that be? What new destiny is so exhilarating that you never even told me about it?”

Brightside responded resolutely. “Computer programming.”

Bush Beat paused to think, then asked, “What’s that?”

Brightside continued in the same resolute voice. “And this is why I never mentioned it. Not because I don’t think of it as interesting, but because it wouldn’t mean anything to you. It’s a profession that I can’t pursue in Equestria, with no computers there.”

Bush Beat stammered briefly, but then spoke adamantly. “Look. I don’t know what that weird cutie mark of yours means. And I admit I haven’t known you for long. But I’ve seen you in your element. I saw the twinkle in your eyes when we did all that magic. You had a passion for it that... just blew me away. I’ve never seen anypony so dedicated to some craft. You were nowhere near as passionate about your day job. And you already earned your cutie mark back in Equestria, when you were doing magic.”

Brightside retorted, “Well if you must know, what this cutie mark represents is abstraction. My special talent is that I can perform logical abstractions in my mind. It’s an abstract talent, so it gets an abstract symbol for a cutie mark. But it’s a talent that is equally applicable to computer programming as it is to scientific research. I just... hadn’t done any magic at all for years, so doing it with you was just... a welcome, refreshing change!”

“Oh, no,” Bush Beat insisted, “you had the same zeal in your voice when you told me about your efforts back when you first got here. And judging from what I saw here today, I think you’re itching to do it again. I think your destiny is in magic.”

“How would you know that? Are you an expert at magic now?”

Bush Beat giggled. “Oh, I sure as hay am no expert, but Pioneer Rose is.”

Brightside’s eyes suddenly widened. “You spoke to Pioneer Rose?...” Edgily, he wondered, “How is she? Is she still at the university?”

“She is,” Bush Beat responded, still smiling. “And she’s more than eager to see you again.”

“What? But... I...” Brightside sighed and hung his head. “I don’t know...”

“They all thought you were dead, so they canceled the project. Now that they know you’re still alive, she said it might get a reboot. I told her all about your little feats of magic here. That you can teleport. Your body transformation spell. And that you can make your horn invisible. Heck, I already knew there was some powerful talent in you when I saw you do all that. Pioneer Rose almost fainted when she heard this. She said she knew you had potential, but this totally blew her mind. She definitely wants you back on her team.”

Brightside remained silent for a good while.

“I’ve got to tell her about that ‘attract’ spell of yours, too.”

“No need,” Brightside said flatly.

Bush Beat tilted his head. “But she loves hearing about your achiev—”

“No,” Brightside interrupted, “I mean... no need for you to tell her. I’ll tell her.”

Bush Beat became elated. “You’re coming along, then?”

“Under one condition,” Brightside asserted.

“Condition? What condition?”

“I want you to promise that you will help me return here if I decide I don’t want to stay in Equestria.” Brightside’s voice was serious.

Bush Beat froze in contemplation. Then he sighed and gave in. “Alright. I promise.”

“Pinkie Pie swear?” asked Brightside, his voice still fully serious.

Bush Beat briefly accessed his memory and then made the motions. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Brightside smiled. “You remembered that well. Now, let’s get some sleep.” Brightside turned his head towards the light switch on the wall just next to the entrance and applied a touch of magic that turned the light off. Then he laid down on his side again, resting his head on the soft rug.

Bush Beat climbed onto the now-empty sofa and settled there to sleep.

“Bush Beat,” Brightside quietly stated, “you’ve changed.”

Epilogue

A slow but steadfast knock on the door pulled Albert out of his thoughts. He inserted the last book in his hand into the white-and-blue saddlebags that were perched on his desk. He quickly scanned the desk and pointed, in order, at the only three items on it — the saddlebags, a bunch of keys, and a gemstone — before he turned to walk towards the apartment door. He opened the door and smiled as he recognized the visitor. “Hello, Paul. Thank you for coming.”

“Sup, mate,” the chubby Englishman replied, as he walked through the door and into the main area of the apartment. Albert closed the door behind him and then followed him inside.

Paul Juvo paused as he looked around the apartment. To his surprise, all the shelves were empty. Even the table and window sills had all been bared of any possessions that had always been on them, and the computer was gone from the desk. Several cardboard boxes lay scattered across the floor, some of them closed up and some still open, but all filled up with various items.

“Paul,” Albert began, but found it difficult to come upon the right words to say. “We... we have to talk.”

Paul looked at Albert with anticipation, not saying anything.

“I’m leaving, Paul,” Albert declared, “and I...” His head sank and he trailed off. “I may not be coming back.”

“Where are you going?” Paul asked, surprised.

“Back home,” Albert responded in a tone of finality. “And you... you are my best friend, so I decided that you deserve to know everything.” He leaned against the door of his empty wardrobe.

“So you remember now?” Paul asked. “You remember what happened back in 2002?”

“I never actually suffered amnesia like I told you,” Albert confessed. “I made that up. Sorry.”

Paul tilted his head.

Albert motioned a hand towards a chair standing in the deserted room’s center. “Please, take a seat.” He waited until Paul sat down before continuing. “I’m not from here, Paul. I don’t belong here. I’m from a different world.”

Paul’s brow furrowed.

Albert pushed off the wardrobe to return to a standing position and took a step away from it and Paul, but keeping his eyes on his friend. He raised his hands in a calming gesture and said, “Please don’t be alarmed.” Then he activated his horn to cast the transformation spell for the last time.

The magic aura that began to surround him partly obscured his view of Paul, but he kept his eyes fixated and stayed ready to abort at any time. Nevertheless, Paul did not move in his chair, even as Albert Sollers steadfastly transformed into Brightside. Seconds later, the light had dissolved and the blue unicorn pony was looking at the human. Only now did Brightside realize that Paul had clasped his hands to the seat and his face was showing signs of panic.

“It’s okay, Paul,” he said calmly. “It’s me.”

After a while, Paul’s grip slowly loosened, while his eyes blinked.

Brightside sat on his haunches, hoping to appear less intimidating that way, and continued to explain.

“I came to this world ten years ago due to an accident. I knew nothing about the humans and their way of life. I was frightened. I was lost and none of my talent was any use here. For two long years. Then I... met you, Paul.” Brightside felt tears forming in his eyes. “You helped me make sense of this world. You taught me about this culture. You taught me programming, you helped me secure a job, and you gave me a new destiny. You are amazing, and don’t let anyone tell you any different. The last eight years of my life...” His voiced cracked. “I owe all that to you.”

With a bittersweet smile, Brightside maintained his gaze into his quiet friend’s troubled eyes. Many speechless seconds followed.

Eventually, Brightside tilted his head and said, “Paul? Say something.”

Paul slowly opened his mouth and inhaled to speak, but took a few more seconds to form the words.

“I’ll miss you,” he said.

Brightside responded immediately. “I’ll miss you too.” He raised his hind quarters and started to take slow, careful steps towards the seated human, making sure not to scare or alarm him with his approach. He stopped just in front of Paul and said, “Thank you, Paul, for being the best human friend and teacher a pony could ever dream to have. I will always remember you.” As he blinked his eyes, a pair of tears ran down his cheeks.

After another several silent seconds, Paul got up from his chair, moved the chair aside, and then knelt in front of the unicorn, bringing his head to the same level as Brightside’s. He eyed the unfamiliar shape once more. Then he smiled and opened his arms wide.

Brightside returned the smile without hesitation. He raised and spread his forelegs and leaned into Paul, who promptly wrapped his arms around the back of the pony. The two remained clasped in a hug for a good while.

After they finally dissolved their embrace, Paul got up on his legs again and Brightside returned his hooves to the ground. Paul asked, “How are you gonna get home, though?”

“Oh,” Brightside responded, “allow me to introduce you.” His eyes moved to look at the kitchen area behind Paul and he raised his voice slightly as he called out, “Bush Beat?”

Paul turned his head and saw another pony emerge from behind the kitchen counter. His head followed the green unicorn as he trotted past him and towards Brightside, while Brightside clarified, “Paul, please meet my pony friend, Bush Beat.”

Paul nodded quietly. Bush Beat returned the nod.

Brightside’s horn lit up as he grabbed the saddlebags perched on his desk with his magic. The saddlebags, immersed in a bluish glowing aura, rose, moved to a point directly above Brightside, and finally descended onto his body and came to rest on his back as the aura disappeared.

“I’m going to leave this stuff with you, Paul,” Brightside said while pointing a hoof at the small stockpile of boxes. “You can do with it however you please. It’s all yours now. I won’t need the computer anymore. Programming was a lot of fun, but Bush Beat here convinced me to return to my original destiny.”

Paul nodded again.

“Make sure you get this stuff out of here before Monday. That’s when my tenancy runs out. Oh, and when you’re done,” he pointed a hoof at the bunch of keys that were lying on the desk, “please return the apartment keys to the landlord downstairs. Oh, and you might want to take care of this plant. And you should—”

Paul interrupted him by laying a hand on Brightside’s shoulder and giving him a composed smile.

“Don’t mind me, mate. I’ll manage.”

Brightside sighed and smiled. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” After a pause, he added, “I was never very good at goodbyes.”

A moment of comfortable silence elapsed.

“Actually, there’s one last thing,” Brightside retorted, as he lit his horn once again to lift the gemstone from the desk. He floated it in front of Paul, offering for him to take it. Paul opened his hand underneath the object and Brightside ceased his magic, allowing it to drop into the hand.

“Hold on to this. To humans, it will look just like cheap, fake jewelry, but I put a special spell on it. If I ever return to this world, I will appear somewhere near this gemstone. Keep it, and I’ll always be able to find you.”

Paul nodded quietly once again.

Brightside turned to Bush Beat. “This is it, then,” he sighed. “Ready to go home?”

Bush Beat nodded. “Yeah.”

“Bush... Beat, is it?” Paul said slowly.

“Yeah?” Bush Beat responded.

Paul paused before he bobbed his head in Brightside’s direction and said, “Take good care of him.”

“I will,” Bush Beat said with a reassuring smile.

Then Bush Beat concentrated his magic on the pony duo. His horn lit up brightly and the two were quickly enveloped in a radiant glow. Then Brightside activated his own magic, and soon the room was filled with an impressive display of energy and an endearing sizzling sound. Mere seconds later, a plop sound put an end to the magic, and the ponies had disappeared.

Paul stood in awe at the empty room surrounding him that had now fallen completely silent. The gemstone still his hand, he snickered and quietly mumbled to himself. “He was a lousy programmer, anyway.”

Radio Head’s horn started glowing. The cream-white unicorn exclaimed in a sudden burst of excitement, “Lyra is back!”

“Finally!” Meghan McCarthy responded and rushed to pick up a notepad and a pencil. “What happened?”

The pony’s eyes moved back and forth, not looking at anything in particular. After a while, she started retelling. “The reason she was gone was because an evil creature stole her magic, and everypony else’s in Equestria!” After a pause, she continued. “She says the element bearers defeated him and that’s how they all got their magic back!”

Meghan scribbled on her notepad and smiled. “Awesome! How did they do it?”

Chapter 10: Endgame

In a standard-issue hotel room, there stood a normal pony-sized bed, resting beneath a sole window. A small bedside cabinet next to it was joined by a round table at the adjacent side of the room.

The bright light that appeared in the center of the room quickly grew and engulfed it in a brilliant radiant display. After a hissing sound, two ponies appeared and the magic subsided.

Bush Beat smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Back in Equestria! Back in Ponyville!”

Brightside looked around the room and blinked his eyes. “Odd.”

Bush Beat tilted his head. “This is my hotel room. Nothing odd about it as far as I can see?”

Brightside shook his head and waved a hoof. “No, I mean, odd that I appeared here. I thought I’d appear in Fillydelphia, where I disappeared ten years ago.”

Bush Beat shrugged and smiled again. “Well, if anypony can solve that mystery, it’s you, not me. As far as I’m concerned, I’m really glad you’re here. Let me see if Inn diGo is downstairs and I’ll introduce you two.”

Bush Beat didn’t hesitate to open the door, leave the room, and trot across the hallway and then down the stairs. Brightside eventually gave in and followed him.

The ground floor of the hotel sported a large entrance hall, which on any other day would have looked inviting. Today however, the impressive view was marred by a sorry sight lying on the floor near the front entrance. It was the form of a familiar bluish-violet earth pony.

“Inn diGo!” Bush Beat exclaimed with concern in his voice while galloping towards her. “Are you okay?”

As Inn diGo turned her gaze in the direction of Bush Beat, he looked into her eyes and noticed they had turned white and milky. It also caught his attention that her flank appeared without any indication of a cutie mark, even though he was certain that last time he saw her, one had been present there. She was shaky and struggling to muster the force to hold her head up.

“We’re... under... attack...” the mare said with strain in her voice. Her head fell back onto the floor with a splat.

“Who did this to you?” Bush Beat demanded to know.

Inn diGo gasped for air, then closed her eyes and fell silent. Bush Beat turned around to look at Brightside, who returned the look with dread and disorientation. After a moment, both unicorns galloped out of the hotel front door, across the street and onto the Ponyville town square.

The scene was disconcerting. The two of them noticed several ponies in their direct vicinity. All of them were lying on the ground, either motionless or barely alert, and all with their cutie marks gone.

Brightside approached a pair of ponies beside the fountain who appeared still conscious. He addressed the aquamarine unicorn, whose cyan mane had streaks of white in it. “What happened here?”

The mare and her companion, a light green earth pony with blue and fuchsia in her mane, both gasped as they took notice of the unicorn that had approached them. The earth pony pointed at Brightside’s rear and remarked with surprise, “You still have your cutie mark?!”

The unicorn added, “Do you still have your magic as well?”

Brightside blinked briefly while slowly nodding, but then a realization dawned upon him. “You’ve... had your magic taken away?”

“Yes,” the unicorn replied, “there’s someone running around free, stealing everypony’s magic!”

“Hide and make sure he doesn’t find you!” the shivering earth pony added.

Brightside looked pensive. Then he sat on his haunches and pressed further. “Please tell me everything you know.”

“So what are you hoping to find there?” Bush Beat was walking to the left of Brightside as they entered the Everfree Forest.

“The Tree of Harmony,” Brightside answered with confidence.

Bush Beat hesitated. “Um... okay... you’re the magic expert.”

“That centaur that Lyra described,” Brightside explained, “his name is Lord Tirek. He tried to take over Equestria before, and was imprisoned in Tartarus for it back then. I remember this from our ‘Exotic Magical Creatures’ lecture course at uni. He has the power to take magic away from others around him. Outside his prison, he could pose a serious threat even to Princess Celestia.”

Bush Beat looked puzzled. “Well, I get that, but... what’s with the tree?”

Brightside inhaled to clarify further. “Well, normally Celestia would be fine with the Elements of Harmony. But according to Lyra she returned the Elements to the Tree some time ago. From what I remember of what we learned about the Tree and the Elements at uni, it seems to me that right now the Tree of Harmony is pretty much the only thing left that can save Equestria.”

“What about Twilight Sparkle?” Bush Beat objected.

Brightside snorted. “Twilight Sparkle. Don’t get me started on Twilight Sparkle. If her portrayal in the human TV show is at all accurate, she’s squandering her talent. She could be a valuable asset to science, but no, she pursues a career in politics instead.”

“Politics?” Bush Beat looked surprised. “She’s very scientific, you know... she reads a lot of books and...”

“Who do you think wrote these books?” Brightside interrupted.

After the bewildered Bush Beat didn’t respond, Brightside continued. “Actual scientists write these books. Ponies who dedicate their lives to the study of unicorn magic. Ponies who form hypotheses, do complex calculations and design and carry out experiment after experiment to falsify them, until new knowledge is distilled, which they publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals, discuss at conferences, and only after a consensus is reached within the scientific community does the knowledge go into textbooks and popular science books such as the ones ponies like Twilight Sparkle like to read.”

He took a breath and immediately continued. “Besides, what is her objective here in Ponyville, anyway? Is it scientific research? No, Celestia sent her here to ‘study the magic of friendship’. The magic of friendship! Don’t get me wrong. I mean, of course friendship is important and even magical, but it’s not a scientific area of study! If you ask me, Celestia is deceiving Twilight Sparkle into believing that this has anything to do with her talent, or maybe Celestia even believes that herself, but it doesn’t. All that Celestia encourages Twilight Sparkle to do with her talent is to read about known spells in books — or to observe other ponies perform them — and just copy them verbatim. She does not engage in research and does not make scientific discoveries. No, her function is a political one. Celestia is shaping Twilight Sparkle to become a Princess of Equestria. Not a scientist.”

Bush Beat was stunned and speechless. He had seen Twilight Sparkle as an alicorn; Brightside hadn’t but had correctly predicted this development. Brightside was showing himself as a real scientist who had done real science. Even if he’d been on an involuntary hiatus for years... which took Bush Beat straight to his next thought. “There’s that p—”

“Oh, look, there it is,” Brightside interrupted, who was now pointing a hoof at a long and steep flight of stairs that was leading from where they were at the precipice of a gorge to the bottom of it.

‘There’s that passion of yours again’ was what Bush Beat had intended to say. But it seemed the enthusiasm was only about to intensify. As the two unicorns carefully walked down the stairs, a majestic, silvery tree moved into their view, sporting circular leaves hanging from eleven branches arranged in a radial pattern. In front of the tree was a hexagonal chest with six locks, five of which already had matching keys firmly resting in them.

Brightside and Bush Beat walked up to the chest and looked at it for a moment.

Bush Beat opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped as he saw Brightside point his horn at the chest and begin to use his magic. After a moment, Bush Beat asked hesitantly, “Um... what are you doing?”

“I want to see what’s inside this thing. Wouldn’t you?” Brightside stated, his gaze unfalteringly upon the chest.

“There are only five keys. You think you can open it without the missing key?” Bush Beat inquired skeptically.

“No, not open it... just... find out what’s in it,” he declared with unbroken focus. “If there’s one type of spell I’m really good at, it’s measuring spells, remember? I’m going to try every measuring spell I know to get some idea of what’s inside.”

“Oh,” Bush Beat responded, “I-I’ll be quiet, then.”

Several minutes passed with Brightside remaining motionless, save for the glowing aura around his horn, joined by a corresponding one surrounding the mysterious receptacle. Bush Beat occasionally looked around to scan the scenery, skimming for anything moving or out of the ordinary. Yet the gorge, and what parts he could see of the Everfree Forest, were eerily quiet.

Bush Beat rushed his head back into position to face Brightside when he heard his voice go, “Hm.” The horn ceased its magic and the aura dissipated. Curiously, and perhaps a little anxiously, he asked, “What did you find out?”

“I think it’s a... building,” Brightside responded with a disillusioned undertone.
Bush Beat looked confused. “What?”

“When this box is opened, I think it will... transform itself into a large building of some sort...”

Brightside appeared no less confused than Bush Beat, which didn’t seem a good sign.

“And that’s it? That’s no help against... Tirek...” Bush Beat’s voice turned frightened. But Brightside, still staring at the chest with the five keys sticking into it, was obviously immersed in thoughtful contemplation. Bush Beat wished he could read minds right now.

“Indeed it is not,” Brightside confirmed with a serious face. “At least not... by itself.”

“What do you mean?” Bush Beat inquired.

“Well...” Brightside displayed difficulty finding the right words to express his thoughts. “It’s... it contains... a magic catalyst of sorts. It’s like...” He hawed in frustration. “Look, I won’t bore you with the technical details. Suffice it to say that I think if combined with my own magic, this could work out. It might be just strong enough to neutralize Tirek’s magic-stealing ability.”

“Let’s give it a shot then,” Bush Beat advocated. “Nothing to lose and all, right?”

“You don’t understand,” Brightside retorted, “I would have to surrender all my magic to this box.”

He glanced at the chest with a heavy, sobering look in his eyes. “I would never be able to do magic again.”

Bush Beat gasped as the severity of the proposal sank in. “You mean... forever?”

Brightside slowly nodded. “But if I don’t do this, Tirek is eventually going to find me and steal my magic... and then I’m also never going to be able to do magic again.”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Bush Beat knew that for the sake of Equestria, it would be the right thing for Brightside to do. But he also knew he could not conceivably ask of anypony to give up the very thing that filled their life with passion. It was an unsolvable conundrum. That is, until a thought came to Bush Beat — a thought that revealed a third option.
“You can still return to the human world.”

Brightside did not twitch. It was obvious that he too had thought of this option but didn’t want to voice it out loud.

Bush Beat added, “You’ll be safe from Tirek there. I promised that I will help you return, and while I still have my magic, I’m ready to keep that promise.”

Brightside remained silent, his eyes still fixated on the box for a good while before he moved again. He turned his head, looked directly into Bush Beat’s eyes and spoke firmly.

“No.”

Bush Beat smiled.

“You were right about one thing, Bush Beat,” Brightside continued. “Equestria is my home.”
With that, he lowered his head once again to point his horn directly at the hexagonal chest. His horn started to glare more ardently than before, and soon a broad streak of shining magic shot towards the chest, carrying a flow of energy inside. Moments later, the last of his magic had left the tip of his horn and disappeared into the chest, and the radiance melted away.

After it was done, Brightside solemnly turned around to walk away from the chest.

“Um... Brightside?” Bush Beat called behind him. “What about me?”

Brightside stopped. “Why? What about you?”

“Equestria is my home, too,” Bush Beat contended.

He saw Brightside turn his head in surprise.

“I guess I don’t have much to offer,” Bush Beat professed, “but... would it help if I contributed my magic too?”

Just then, he thought to see a hint of a smile appear on his companion’s face.

Going back through the Everfree Forest, Brightside’s spirit was despondent; his head was hanging and idly observing the ground passing underneath him as he kept trotting along silently. Bush Beat, no less gloomy, looked at him in silence for quite a while until he found words to say.

“You did the right thing,” he finally got himself to say.

Brightside lifted his head briefly to look at Bush Beat, then returned it into its droop. “I know. It’s not that,” he commented.

“Oh?” Bush Beat asked, inquisitively.

Brightside sighed. “I was just thinking about Pioneer Rose. I hope Tirek hasn’t gotten to her.”

Uncertain how to respond, Bush Beat remained silent.

“All things considered,” Brightside appended, “I’m glad she was able to send you back to the human world. Without you I couldn’t have sent Parsley Sage and the others home.”

“She?” Bush Beat’s face turned puzzled. “You mean Pioneer Rose?”

“Yes,” Brightside confirmed, “she sent you after me, did she not?”

“No...” Bush Beat shook his head. “She said she couldn’t do this kind of spell.”

Brightside stopped walking and gave Bush Beat a baffled look. “Then how did you...?”

“We tricked Silver Slither,” Bush Beat replied with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Tricked?” Brightside asked, clearly interested.

Bush Beat took a deep breath. “Well. We knew that we couldn’t just ask her, because she would recognize me and realize that the spell doesn’t kill as she thought. We also couldn’t expose her and her gang, because then she’d be arrested and probably subjected to a disabling spell. But Pioneer Rose spoke highly of Silver Slither’s sense of justice, which we realized we could use to our advantage. I traveled back to Ponyville and I wrote a letter, and I still remember the words exactly:

Silver Slither,

I know about your ploy. I have seen you and your gang use magic to kill a pony.

I am willing to remain silent in this matter in return for a favor. I need you to erase a pony from the face of Equestria for me. Her name is Pioneer Rose and she lives in Fillydelphia.

If my conditions are not met within the week, I will post a full report directly to Princess Celestia.”

“So you... blackmailed Silver Slither into sending Pioneer Rose? Wait!...” Brightside gasped in alarm. “Does that mean Pioneer is in the human world now?”

“No, no!” Bush Beat motioned his hooves to calm Brightside down. “Think about it. Silver Slither thinks of herself as righteous. She wouldn’t kill somepony just because somepony is threatening her. Especially not somepony she knows. But! The blackmailer, on the other hoof, is not only threatening to expose her but is also trying to get some innocent pony assassinated. We figured that she would instead go after the blackmailer — that is, me — and that is exactly what she did.”

“But how would she have found you if that letter was anonymous?” Brightside inquired.

“Easy,” Bush Beat explained. “I sent the letter from Ponyville so that she would see the Ponyville postal stamp on the envelope. Inn diGo allowed me to use the Hay and Stay hotel’s letterhead, and I basically signed the letter with my cutie mark. I couldn’t put my name because she would recognize that; but she hadn’t seen my cutie mark, since I only got it after I came to Ponyville.”

“That... that’s really clever,” Brightside commented, visibly impressed.

“It is, isn’t it?” Bush Beat smiled. “It was all Pioneer Rose’s idea.”

“What’s that?” Bush Beat exclaimed, as he suddenly noticed something happening a good distance behind them. He lifted a hoof to point at it. “Over there! Look!”

Brightside turned around and noticed a bright sphere of magic energy ascend from the gorge they just left behind. The next thing both ponies noticed was an immensely gigantic centaur dominating the landscape by the edge of the forest, towering well above the trees and the hills that would otherwise have blocked the view from where they were standing.

Brightside gasped. “That would be Tirek,” he concluded with a mix of acrimony and dread in his voice. “Well, looks like somepony found the sixth key and opened the chest. This is the moment of truth.”

As the ball of light climbed into the air and rose above all the trees, the two ponies were paralyzed with both hope and worry as they stared and watched the scene unfold.

Suddenly, a ray shot out of the glowing ball and in Tirek’s direction. And then another, and another in quick succession. Soon there were six of them, which promptly combined into a single rainbow-colored beam of energy. To say that it gave the centaur distress would have been a massive understatement. Mere seconds later, the beast began to shrink tremendously.

Bush Beat, though still staring in disbelief, was smiling and becoming more and more jubilant as the sight of the ever-smaller Tirek disappeared behind the trees. “It worked!” he exclaimed.

Shortly after, the sky was illuminated with a wave of magic spreading out in the shape of a growing circle. As the wave passed overhead, Brightside and Bush Beat sensed an aura of healing and restoration in them. As the ponies looked at each other, they noticed both of their horns lighting up for a fair moment.

Brightside was no less enraptured by their obvious success. “It really did!” he concurred with a cheerfully beaming face. “We did it!”

Bush Beat gave Brightside a big grin. “You did it. You saved Equestria.”

Taken aback, Brightside slightly panicked. “Oooh, no, nonono. Please don’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s the truth!” Bush Beat protested, still grinning. “You deserve—” He faltered as he noticed Brightside’s facial expression turn more serious.

“Bush Beat.” Brightside exhaled. “As my friend, I would like to ask you this as a favor. Please do not go around telling everypony things like that. Things like I saved Equestria. Even if you think I deserve the attention. Please accept my humble request that I don’t want it.”

Bush Beat was confused and unsure what to make of this reaction from Brightside. This was certainly among the strangest favors he had ever been asked. But he also knew there was only one proper way to respond.

“Sure thing, my friend.”