Tsundere Travels

Over the 405 freeway, not far from where Ember and Limestone Pie had arrived, an empty space above the pavement began to slowly warp and ripple. At first, the effect was barely noticeable to the cars that sped by. They were distracted, after all. Many of the drivers were leaving work, and were tired after a long day. Others were heading to work and were still waking up. So one could forgive them for not noticing the effect in the air that warped the late afternoon sun. All of a sudden the ripple darkened, then OPENED.

Two purple ponies jumped out of the portal and landed deftly on the concrete. The darker one had a set of saddlebags on her hindquarters, the flaps of which showed her cutie mark of a star surrounded by five tiny stars. The other, lighter-colored mare had a cutie mark of a purple and white star with two blue streams leading up and away from the star. Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer took a moment to look around and see where the portal had left them.

“Exactly as planned, Starlight--”

“LOOK OUT!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Both mares disappeared in a burst of teleportation just before an SUV blasted through the spot they had been standing in. They appeared about fifty feet in the air, directly above their starting point. In a move that would make Rainbow Dash proud, Twilight immediately snapped her alicorn wings open and easily hovered in the air. Unfortunately, Starlight was only a unicorn and began to plummet back to the pavement below. Her screams echoed through the air as she fell. Abruptly, Starlight’s screams were cut off. The mare slowly floated back up to Twilight’s side, held aloft in a field of Twilight’s magic. The alicorn lifted an eyebrow at Starlight’s antics, and the former villain grinned sheepishly in response. A moment later, Starlight’s horn lit up. The dark pink magic that surrounded the mare changed into a light teal as Starlight’s levitation spell took over.

“Hehe, Sorry. Panicked.”

“So did I, Starlight. But you need to react faster than that. If we had split up, you could have been hurt.”

Both mares looked down at the roadway beneath them, and the speeding vehicles zipping by at an almost unbelievable speed.

“In this case, EXTREMELY likely to be hurt.”

“I can see that. Thanks for saving me, by the way.”

Twilight’s mouth widened into a warm smile.

“Of course. But no skipping Rainbow Dash’s speed lessons anymore.”

Starlight facehoofed, then groaned aloud.

“Her lessons would have really helped you here--”

“Yes, yes, Twilight. I will take her lessons more seriously from now on.”

“That’s all I ask. Now, let’s find Ember and Limestone.”

Starlight Glimmer closed her eyes for a moment, then cast her locator spell. Two beams of teal light shot out from her horn, and pointed in two directions.

“Huh. Looks like they split up for some reason.”

“Maybe they got separated?”

“Maybe. I wonder, which one is closer?”

Starlight concentrated for a moment, and one of the beams of light disappeared.

“There’s your answer, Twilight.”

“Perfect. Off we go!”

Starlight began to float off across the freeway, while Twilight flew by her side. The two followed the beam of light as they crossed over the freeway and began to fly across a residential area.

Both Twilight and Starlight stood in front of a door to a house, but had yet to knock on it.

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yes, Twilight. You saw for yourself that the spell pointed at this house every time we circled it. All ten times.”

“I know, I know. I just want to be extra sure that we have it right.”

Starlight rolled her eyes and knocked her front hoof on the door. After a few moments, the two heard some metallic clanking noises as somepony unlocked the door. It swung open, and a woman wearing a blue summer dress stood in the doorway. The mares’ heads only came up to the woman’s waist, and they gaped in wonder and surprise as they looked up and up and UP. The woman looked confused for a moment, until she looked down at the mares. Twilight barely recognized the woman as a human before she spoke.

“Oh! More ponies! You must be here for Limestone.”

Starlight opened her mouth to reply, but Dora had already turned back inside the house.

“Limestone, your friends are here!”

The sound of hooves galloping across the floor were heard. Then a gray streak dove out of the doorway and huddled at Twilight’s hooves. The alicorn looked down and recognized Limestone Pie immediately. She was surprised to see Limestone’s mane and tail braided, and both were full of colorful clips and ribbons. The rock farmer looked up at Twilight, and she saw that the mare’s face was covered in badly-applied makeup. Twilight was suddenly reminded of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ early attempts with makeup; it was that bad.

Limestone’s eyes began to tear up as she wrapped her forehooves around Twilight's neck.

"Save me! Save me, princess!

“Save me from THEM!"

"Now now, my daughters aren't THAT bad. Would you two ladies like to come in for something to drink? Perhaps tea or coffee?"

Twilight’s eyes went wide, and she smiled at Dora.

“Ooh, I would love to have some tea!”

Dora turned to Starlight.

“Coffee for me please.”

Dora backed up out of the doorway and held the door open for her new guests.

“Certainly! Please come in.”

Twilight picked Limestone up in her magic and quickly trotted into the home, with Starlight following close after. Limestone’s panicked eyes were the last thing to be seen before the door closed after her.

As twilight gave way to evening, in an apartment not too far away, Travis and Ember were cuddling on his loveseat. Travis was dressed in his usual pants and a t-shirt, while Ember was wearing one of Travis’ t-shirts that he hadn’t washed yet. She said it was because the shirt smelled like him, so who was Travis to disagree? The dragoness had even managed to tuck her wings under the shirt somehow, instead of ripping them through. An empty pizza box sat on the coffee table next to a couple empty beer bottles and a mostly empty glass of milk.

As usual, Travis was holding on to a game controller while he played a video game. The dragoness suddenly smirked up at the male, then grabbed the controller out of his hands in a claw. For some reason, Travis didn’t resist; he only smiled. Ember casually tossed the controller away, then snaked her way up to straddle her man’s lap. She placed her hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes until she had his attention. The dragoness then leaned down to kiss Travis hard on the lips.

The male leaned up into the kiss, then slid his hands over her warm thighs. Their kisses became more passionate once he slid his hands over her scaled buttcheeks, and gave them a tender squeeze. The two began to pant between their impassioned kisses. Ember reached down to tug Travis’ shirt upwards. Her claws slid under the material, and came to rest up against his chest. The dragoness began to slowly buck her hips against her lover, telling him without words that she needed him and she needed him NOW.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Ember broke the kiss and pulled away, a thin line of saliva briefly connecting the two. She tugged Travis’ shirt up, and the man lifted his arms up into the air to help her out. The dragoness flippantly tossed the t-shirt behind her, then leaned down to his chest and wrapped the tip of her tongue around a nipple. Travis gasped, then slid a hand behind his lover’s head.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“Hello? Anyone home?”

Ember growled softly as her annoyance grew. She leaned back while still straddling Travis, tucked her muzzle and horns through the neck of her t-shirt, then grabbed the material with two claws and lifted it off of her body. Now naked in front of her lover, she tossed the t-shirt over her shoulder and leaned down to kiss him again.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“Are you sure she’s in there?”

“Absolutely. Maybe she’s asleep?”

Ember snarled in anger, and pushed herself off of Travis’ lap. She stomped over to the front door, turned the handle and yanked the door open just enough to see outside.

“GO AWAY!”

“Oh! We’re so sorry. We’re looking for a dragon named Ember.”

“What?”

The dragoness finally focused upon the intruders, and saw three ponies standing there. She recognized Princess Twilight Sparkle and Limestone, who was standing behind the princess, but the third pony was a stranger. Actually, the dragoness realized the third pony was nearly identical to Princess Twilight; so much so that if she had met the strange pony alone, she would have thought she WAS the Princess. Ember opened the door all of the way, revealing herself to the visiting ponies.

"Princess?! How did you get here?"

“Well, after dealing with Draco it was a simple matter of tracing yours and Limestone’s magical signatures. Since it had been less than twenty-four hours since you disappeared, I was able to use Star Swirl’s ‘Where Did They Go’ spell and determine your eventual destination. Unfortunately, we discovered that you had not only been sent off-world, but to a different dimension altogether! For that reason, it took much longer to calculate a safe way of traveling here AND a way of getting back. Without careful study, Starlight and I might have been trapped in this world like you--Hey!”

Starlight had bumped Twilight with her shoulder to interrupt her, then gave her a knowing stare until Twilight got the hint. The alicorn pulled back slightly, and gave a sheepish grin to both Starlight and Ember. Limestone merely facehoofed.

“Sorry, sorry!

“So! Are you ready to go home, Ember?”

Ember stared at the ponies for a moment, until the question sank in.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Give me a moment."

Ember then slammed the door in the ponies’ faces.

Twilight and Starlight reeled back slightly, then turned to look at each other with surprise all over their muzzles. Twilight reached up to knock on the door once again, but was interrupted by a loud moan coming from inside the apartment.

“What was that?”

Starlight blushed slightly.

“Uh, I’m not sure.”

Both mares leaned in to press an ear up against the door. They quickly heard a rhythmic noise, the unmistakable sound of two bodies slapping together in an act of passion. Twilight immediately pulled back from the door, a hot blush rushing over her muzzle. Starlight stayed however, and grinned devilishly while she listened. Another, louder moan could be heard from inside the apartment. Twilight used her magic to create two ear plugs, and popped one inside each of her ears. Limestone merely rolled her eyes and looked impatient.

After a short time, two screams could be heard. Then some unidentified bumping and clunking. Suddenly, the door flung itself open and Ember was standing there. Her eyes were wide open and was panting heavily, clearly trying to catch her breath.

“Ready!”

Twilight stared up at Ember, and was desperately trying to ignore the smells rolling off of the dragoness. Had she looked, Twilight would have seen Starlight with a wide grin on her muzzle. Behind the pair, Limestone grimaced and waved a hoof in front of her nose. Twilight made the ear plugs disappear, then stammered out a reply.

“Of-of course! Get ready, Starlight.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer both lit their horns. Starlight reached out to touch Ember’s leg, while Twilight reached back to touch Limestone’s foreleg. The two magical mares touched forelegs, and a purple glow surrounded them all. In a bright flash, all four Equestrians disappeared.

They reappeared inside Twilight’s Castle inside the Throne Room, off to the side of the Cutie Map table. It would have been a horrible shame if Twilight and Starlight had miscalculated and appeared INSIDE the table, of course. Starlight looked over to the table a scant few inches to her left, and let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re back!”

Ember turned to see both Princess Celestia and Luna standing on the other side of the Cutie Map table. In front of them was Spike, who had spoken, and was smiling widely while he held on to the Bloodstone Scepter. Princess Luna walked around the table to Ember, and bowed briefly before her.

“Well come, Dragon Lord Ember. We apologize for thy unintended journey, and hope that you were not unduly troubled.”

Luna turned to Limestone Pie, and smiled.

“And to you as well, Limestone Pie. We have a chariot ready to return thee to thy home as soon as thou art ready.”

The midnight blue mare sniffed the air, then took another, deeper sniff. She then turned to Ember with a knowing smile on her muzzle.

“It seems you had a good time while you were gone."

Ember blushed furiously, the red stain of embarrassment easily visible beneath her blue scales.

"Um, Twilight - got a lava bath I can use?"

"No need, Dragon Lord."

Luna’s horn briefly flashed with magic, and Ember was left feeling clean both inside and out. Everypony (and dragon) sniffed the air, and all but one gave a quiet sigh of contentment. Starlight just pouted instead.

"Oh, that works too."

Princess Celestia and Spike had followed after Luna, and had joined the others on the far side of the Cutie Map table. Spike waved a claw in front of his nose, and complained loudly.

“Eww, what was that smell?”

“Uh...Ember just fell in some mud in the other dimension, Spike.”

“Weird. Didn’t smell like mud, Twilight.”

“Um, yeah. We’re not sure why it smelled that way either.”

Spike looked up to Ember for a better explanation, who had nothing better to say.

“Well, that part was kinda messy. But I’m gonna miss it too.”

Luna looked askance at the dragoness, but said nothing.

“Oh hey, is that my Bloodstone Scepter?”

“Oh, yeah! I was holding on to it for you, so no one could take it!”

“Thanks Spike, you’re the best.”

“Aw, shucks.”

Spike handed the Bloodstone Scepter over to Ember. As soon as she touched the scepter, licks of red flame rolled all over her body to establish Ember as the owner of the scepter once again.

“Anybody see my armor? It didn’t travel with me to the other world.”

“We have it here, fair Ember. Our guards were able to retrieve it after Draco departed.”

“Oh yeah, him. How did that work out?”

“It was a long and drawn out fight, where neither side was able to gain ground on the other. It only ended when night fell, and I had to lower the moon while fair Twilight guarded me. Draco recognized the magic as the same spell Nightmare Moon used, and was able to see me in a new light. He eventually agreed to leave for the Dragon Lands and continue his slumber there. Your two drakes helped to dig a tunnel from the surface, and escorted Draco to his new home.”

Limestone sighed aloud, knowing what that last part meant.

“I bet Mom and Dad are really pissed about the new hole in their field.”

“They were displeased, yes. But once they saw all of the Dragon’s Eye gems lining the cavern below, they changed their minds very quickly.”

Luna chuckled before relaying the next memory.

“Your drakes were most disappointed that the battle had ended without their involvement. And were most distraught when they discovered that you had disappeared. Fortunately, Twilight was able to retrieve young Spike from this castle in a brief amount of time. He was able to take possession of the Bloodstone Scepter, and the drakes were willing to take his commands.”

“Yep! I went to the Dragon Lands with them just to make sure no dragon tried to take over while you were gone. Nice and easy with the Bloodstone Scepter!”

Limestone took that moment to ask a question.

“How long were we gone for, exactly?”

Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out from behind a nearby pillar, and pounced her older sister.

“Only a few days, Limey! It’s good to see you again!”

Limestone struggled to talk while her sister squished her face from the side.

“Good...to...see...you...too...Pinkie.”

The party pony suddenly let her sister go, then excitedly pronked in place.

“Ooh! You should go see Maud’s home! It’s in an underground cave and everything!”

“Yeah, I guess I can visit Maud while I’m here.”

Limestone looked up at Princess Celestia.

“When is this chariot thing supposed to take me home?”

The alabaster mare smiled one of her enigmatic smiles.

“Whenever you wish. If you would like to stay for a few days, simply tell Twilight or Spike when you are ready to head home and a chariot will be here within the hour.”

“Cool. Thanks Princess.”

Several days had passed since Ember had returned to the Dragon Lands. The dragoness was relaxing in her favorite lava pool, a private one reserved just for her and her guests. She reached over to pick up a package that had just been delivered by a pegasus courier not five minutes earlier. She unwrapped the package and threw the wrapping into the lava, where it quickly burned to ash. The box inside was made of a stiff material, which glowed blue as it got closer to the lava.

‘Must be enchanted to resist fire. Smart move by whomever sent this to me.’

Ember opened the box, and found that it contained a small bottle and a note. She pulled out the note, and when she unfolded it to read it she noticed that the parchment also glowed blue.

Dearest Ember,

Inside this box is a bottle with a special liquid, which I have enchanted with the scents I removed from thy body when you returned from that other world. You seemed quite melancholy when you thought back to your time there, thus I surmised you left a lover behind. The liquid and its scent will refill itself and never run dry, so you may leave it open to fill an entire room or you may keep it closed for a more ‘private’ reminder. I hope that this gift will give you pleasant memories for years to come.

Your friend,

Luna

The dragoness reached into the box and removed a bottle. The jar was about four inches tall and two inches thick, and was closed with a cork at one end. Ember easily popped the cork free from the glowing bottle, and took a deep sniff of its contents. She sighed deeply, then slipped a clawed hand into the lava and between her legs. The Dragon Lord began to slowly stroke her clit as she thought back to her short time with Travis.

"I will miss that male dearly. But at least I have his scent here, to remind me of my time with him."

END