Tales of the Sapphire Carousel: Beyond the Bordello

by Undome Tinwe

The Storyteller of Canterlot

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Author's Note

Spoilers for The Enchanted Kingdom, but I assume if you've made it to the point of reading a sequel to a fanfic of one of Mono's lesser-known fics, then you've also read TEK. If not, then go do that first I guess.


The Storyteller of Canterlot

North Ridge had lived a long, full life.

He considered himself the luckiest man in the world to have been blessed with good health, modest wealth, and the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife. Granted, it hadn't been easy getting to this point, and that good health had been threatened far too many times for his liking, but he had grown from those experiences as well.

Granted, he could feel that good health being threatened again as his lovely wife stomped into their workshop. "Wajinga!" Frost Flower shouted, standing imperiously over him as he vainly tried to hide the markings on the floor. "I felt the Veil magic from the other side of the house. What fool thing have you done now?"

The symbols on the ground were glowing purple, and North Ridge smiled sheepishly. "Okay, so I was discussing the theory behind divination runes with Twilight Sparkle, and she had some very interesting hypotheses about how to use the Veil runes to do more than look into other worlds."

Frost Flower stared at the patterns on the floor, letting out an untranslatable curse. "We do not use those runes for a reason, husband. Even the shamans do not understand the full power they hold."

North Ridge shrugged. "Relax, my flower. I'm just trying to bring a small object over from another world. I'm sure bringing a rock over won't be too dangerous."

"Your arrogance shall be your downfall," Frost warned. "Unfortunately, I see that it is too late to stop the spell safely before it completes."

A moment later, a bright beam of light shot into the air, passing through the ceiling like it was nothing. And nothing was exactly what happened next, as the light faded from the runes with no extra-dimensional object to show for it.

"You are fortunate that did not work," Frost Flower said, shaking her head. "Some days, I do not understand why I married such a fool."

North Ridge stood up and swept his wife up in a hug, pressing a kiss against her cheek. "Because I'm charming?"

Frost sighed. "I suppose you are, husband. But that will not save you from my wrath if you ever try to play with this magic again. My people entrusted you with these secrets because we believed you would use them for good, not trifle with powers beyond your comprehension for your own amusement."

"Are you still going to hold to the promise you made that shaman to execute me if I go mad with power?" North Ridge asked.

For a moment, it looked like Frost Flower was seriously considering her answer. "We shall see, husband," she eventually said before walking out of the workshop.

"I love you!" North Ridge called out, grinning. She wasn't going to kill him. Probably.


A few days later, North Ridge was still alive, and life had gone back to normal.

Frost Flower had made sure to be present when Twilight Sparkle had next visited, and had given them both a lecture on the dangers of Veil magic. The fact that Lady Celestia's student had been taking notes the whole time was probably not going to be a problem, but North Ridge resolved to pay a little more attention to their conversations in the future to make sure she didn't do anything rash.

From what they could tell, North Ridge's spell had randomly swapped two spaces around the volume of a small room with each other, one from their world, and one from another world. The chances of anything dangerous were absolutely astronomical, given how much of the universe was simply empty space.

That being said, the risk was enough that North Ridge decided to put away the Veil runes for now.

Life continued, business was enough to keep them afloat, and then, on the fifth day after the incident, North Ridge heard a chime at the entrance. "Good morning, stranger," he said, putting on his best Mysterious Shopkeeper demeanour. "What brings you here today?"

At first glance, there didn't seem to be anyone at the door, despite it being opened. Then, North Ridge heard his own voice speaking back to him. "I seek answers, and a way home." There was a dry humour in the tone that he was very familiar with. "And now I think I shall find at least one of those here."

It took another moment for North Ridge to look down, at which point he saw what appeared to be a small pony trotting into his shop, with the same mane colour as North's hair, and the same coloured eyes as his eyes.

Years of adventuring had taught him to think quickly, especially when surprised by the impossible, and he managed to hold on to his mysterious smile. "A traveller from another world, I take it?" he asked, trying to feel out how much this newcomer knew.

"Not by choice," the pony replied. "I am North Ridge. I trust that name means something to you?"

North Ridge laughed. "When I hear that name from my wife, I know I am truly in trouble, and that many apologies will need to be made."

For a moment, he saw the pony's smile falter, but he recovered quickly enough. "In her defence, you likely deserved her scolding if it comes to that."

"Perhaps, but I would be a fool to admit it, no?" They shared a good laugh at that, and North Ridge calmed. Whoever this pony was, it seemed they were more alike than different, and he could work with that. "So, how did you come to find my shop?"

"I traced the Veil magic that brought me here to this place," the pony replied. "It seems that you also learned the ways of Rune Magic in this timeline. I guess that's not a surprise if you married Frost Flower as well."

"The parallels are quite fascinating," North Ridge admitted. "I do apologize for bringing you here, then. My spell was meant to bring an inanimate object over, but there were some miscalculations." He opened up the latch that led behind the counter. "Would you care for a cup of tea while we try to sort this out?"

"That sounds lovely," the other North Ridge replied. "Sapient ponies do not exist here, from what I have gathered, so it has been difficult getting anything to eat beyond grass."

"I'm guessing it's not your first time living off the land." They made their way through the back door and into the sitting room of North Ridge's home. "Though I will admit it's never a pleasant experience."

"No, it is not." The pony took a seat on the couch, his legs curling under his barrel, which worked well enough, North supposed.

North Ridge disappeared to the kitchen, quickly putting the kettle on the stove before returning to his guest. "I made us some Earl Grey. It's my favourite, so I hope you'll be partial to it as well."

"Interesting," the other North said. "I never developed a distinct preference for it. It's a fine tea, but just like all others, in my mind." He tapped his chin with a hoof, an odd equine mirror to North Ridge's own habit of doing so. "I wonder if this difference is significant?"

"Hmm, I believe I learned to love it upon my return to Canterlot," North Ridge replied.

"Then perhaps this is a glimpse into my future instead," the other North said. "You seem quite established here, but I have only just returned to Equestria."

"Well, Frost was the one who fell for it first." Warmth filled North's tone at the mention of his wife. "Perhaps you'll return to your world to find your wife waiting for you with a cup."

The pony's eyes widened in shock at that. "Wait, your Frost Flower—"

His sentence was cut off by the sound of the back door opening. "Husband, I spoke with Twilight Sparkle, and she informed me that—" She, too, cut off when she saw him. "Oh, do we have guests?"

North Ridge cleared his throat, a sheepish smile on his face. "Ah, yes, my love. A guest from another world."

"Frost Flower?" There were a multitude of emotions in the other North's voice as he said the name. Unimaginable pain and grief blended with hope and joy as he stared at her, enraptured.

Frost Flower glanced at the pony, then at North, and her eyes narrowed. "What have you done?"

"It seems my spell brought over another version of myself who happens to be a horse," North Ridge quickly explained, his eyes fixed on his guest. Tears were streaming down his eyes, and a creeping suspicion was beginning to sneak into North's mind.

The other North smiled through the tears. "It is an honour to meet you," he said, bowing respectfully. "And it is good to see that some things do not change, even between worlds."

Frost Flower recovered quickly, smiling back. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well," she replied. "I am sorry that you were pulled away from your own world."

"It's okay," the other North replied. "I'd already played my part in the stories of my world, and..." The tears were flowing freely now, but his smile only widened. "I think this might have been the best thing that could have happened to me."

It was quite obvious what was going on, but North still needed to confirm. "Your wife, she..."

"I buried her beneath the Great Fruit Tree," the other North said softly.

"I'm sorry," North Ridge knew how little that statement meant. He couldn't imagine continuing to live without Frost Flower, and even the knowledge that another version of his wife had passed cut deeply through his heart.

"It's alright." There was peace in the old stallion's eyes. "There is no such thing as a good death, but Frost died for a good cause, and I must respect her sacrifice."

"Did you repay the debt in your world?" Frost Flower asked, her voice stern.

The other North Ridge nodded. "Frost died doing so, but the debt was paid, and peace was restored to her land."

"Good," Frost replied, satisfied. "Then it was worth it."

North Ridge winced at his wife's bluntness. "Ah, my love, perhaps a gentler touch—"

Before North could finish his sentence, his counterpart laughed, deep and rich and genuine. "Oh, you truly are an alternate version of Frost Flower," he said, a few stray chuckles escaping from his muzzle. "She would have reacted the same way." His humour faded as he stared at the two of them. "And in this world...?"

"The same as well," North Ridge said. "But Frost and I may have gotten ourselves exiled in the process of getting there, which is how we ended up in Canterlot."

"That's good to hear." The pony settled back down into his seat. "It warms my heart to know that things turned out so well here. And knowing that Frost Flower lives in at least one other timeline does provide some comfort to me." He downed the rest of his tea. "But enough about such dour topics. It's not every day I get to talk to another version of myself from another world. Tell me, what stories are there to tell in this world?"

"Well, right now, the talk of the town is Lady Celestia's protégée being seen with the Lady's estranged sister, Luna." North Ridge chuckled. "Not quite as exciting as our adventures in the West, but a little bit of gossip is good for the soul sometimes, and Twilight Sparkle is the kind of woman worth keeping an eye on."

The other North perked up at that. "Twilight Sparkle, you say?" He grinned. "Well, if she's anything like the one in my world, then she truly is someone to watch out for. I don't suppose she's a lost princess of legend in this world?"

Frost Flower snorted. "She's a mage with more curiosity than caution, like all other mages. The girl has a good heart, though. She'd have made a good princess, in another life."

"I had the pleasure of travelling with her marefriend for a few weeks," the pony North Ridge said. "I don't suppose the name Rarity rings any bells, does it?"

The room fell silent as North Ridge shared a glance with Frost Flower. "What are the chances that the worldline parallels would go that deep?" North eventually asked, trying to hide his smile.

"Your spell pierced the veil between worlds, but did not reach far," Frost replied. "And yet, you found a world of talking ponies and walking myths. For our two worlds to be so close, there would have to be many threads woven into the same pattern atop such a different canvas." For the first time that day, she cracked a smile. "That would explain Miss Sparkle's encounter with the Lady of the Night."

"I see there are still stories yet to be told here," their visitor said as he listened to their conversation. "Looks like being stuck here for a bit won't be so bad."

"We'll try to get you back to your homeworld as fast as possible," North Ridge promised. "I'm sure between the three of us, we should be able to figure this out."

"And between the two of you, I am sure I will get plenty of practice in making healing salves for burns." Despite her words, Frost was still grinning at them. "For now, you are a guest in our house, North Ridge."

The pony nodded in solemn understanding. "I thank you for taking me under your roof, and I shall endeavour to be as gracious a guest as I can be."

"You'll probably do a better job than me when I first met her," North teased.

Frost Flower sighed. "At least you are older and somewhat wiser now, husband. I can only hope your other self is the same."

"I like to think I'm still young at heart," the other North Ridge quipped. "But time does have a way of wearing down a stallion, it's true. It will be nice to have some peace here."

"Peace, yes." Frost Flower nodded. "That we can grant you. Peace and stories."

"There is little more I long for, these days." A wistful gleam shone in their guest's eyes. "Well, I cannot have that which I truly want, but I thank you for giving an old stallion some comfort in his sunset days."

A moment of shared understanding passed between them. "Will you tell me of your wife?" Frost Flower asked. "I know the shamans warned against learning of our other selves, but I am also old and finished with my work, and no longer desire glory."

"I would be honoured to share Frost's life with you. She would appreciate it, I think."

"I'll fetch the tea," North Ridge said, standing up. He gave his guest a polite bow. "Welcome to Canterlot, North Ridge. I hope you enjoy your stay here, and I apologize for dragging you into our world."

North Ridge shook his head. "I should be thanking you, my friend. You've granted me one last story to tell, and many more to listen to. What more could a pony want?"

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