Ancient Fire

Chapters

Chapter 1: Landing
Chapter 2: Arrivals and Secrets
Chapter 3: Interviews and Discoveries
Chapter 4: Settling In

Chapter 1: Landing

Anon exhaled as he leaned back in his chair, gazing over Fimfiction. However his day had gone, at this point, he just wanted to enjoy a fanfic. As he glanced over the options, one in particular caught his eye - Ancient Fire. The visage of Opaline wreathed in flames beckoned him in. After taking a moment to think, he clicked through to it. And that was where everything went wrong.

A surge of pain immediately shot through his body. He tried to scream, but even that was impossible, each of his muscles locking in place as a blue glow built around him rapidly, electricity crackling through his form.

"What's happening to me!?" he thought in a panic, as a sudden chill hit him, and he suddenly felt himself blasted back by some force, sending him down onto his back, sliding along a stone floor as his eyes closed in pain.

"...Stone...?" He opened his eyes briefly to look up at the sunny sky above, an enormous tree standing above him. "How did I get here? Did I pass out...?"

Moments later, he heard multiple voices gasp from where he had come from. Looking down between his legs, he was shocked by a sight he would never have expected.

"This can't be real..." Anon thought in disbelief, as he saw 6 familiar ponies step through a blue portal where he had just come from. Sunny, Hitch, Pipp, Zipp, Izzy, Misty, and even the auroricorn Comet stepped out of it.

Sunny and Hitch immediately noticed him, looking over in alarm, as Misty's eyes were closed and she shook her head "Ugh... The return trip was muuuuch more shaky than when we first went through the portal..." she muttered, before opening her eyes and blinking "...Uh, what's with the monkey?"

"It's wearing clothes, it must be sapient!" Sunny exclaimed in concern, rushing over "Are you okay? You're looking kinda rough... Were you trying some magic or something? You must have gotten grabbed by our portal..." she commented, glancing back to the blue light.

"I... Ugh... I think I'm okay." Anon stated, slowly standing with a wince as the ponies gave relieved looks, before each of them blinked and stepped back in a little surprise at his height - Izzy exclaiming "Great! Heh, would've dampened the mood a little if our ride home hurt somecreature!" cheerfully, Sunny glancing back at her with an amused smile.

Anon nodded, before blinking and giving them all an implacable look, his mind racing. "I must be dreaming. This can't be real. Sunny Starscout? Equestria?" - subtly, he pinched his leg, tensing as he felt the pain "This can't be happening. Thiscan'tbehappening Thiscan'tbehappening Thiscan'tbehappeni--"

A white pegasus mare moved up to Anon's muzzle "uhhh, Equus to monkey? Where exactly are you from? That portal was meant to take us from another dimension to here... I'm not exactly sure if it can work in reverse for you. And we're probably gonna want to get you checked into a hospital. I don't think anypony knows what getting exposed to that kinda magical glitch will do to a creature."

Anon blinked, thinking "...Ok anon, snap out of it, I can question reality later. Play along now. Equestria... Equestria's real...? NO, FOCUS!" - before he inhaled "I... I'm not from here. I mean, obviously, but, uh, I've never seen your species before... Or, well, uh... Where are we?"

Sunny smiled "Equestria! Or, well, it WAS Equestria. This was Opaline's castle--" she began, before Misty interrupted, rushing forwards "Which, heh, wow, weird that it's all been replaced with a tree and everything! You don't know her, do you...?"

Anon inhaled "I'm... Not friends with Opaline, if that's what you're asking... But also, Equestria isn't exactly in my world--"

At that, Zipp gasped and grinned "Another extradimensional contact!? That's two in one day, haha! Wow! Eventful...", as Pipp groaned and facehoofed "Siiis, look at him, the poor thing's disoriented. The Nova charm must have grabbed him from his home and brought him here... With no way back..."

Zipp blinked and grimaced, as Sunny grimaced as well, her ears drooping as she exhaled "...Look, I wish we knew exactly how the portal works, but... Yeah, we really don't. If there's a way to get you home, I don't know it... But if we got you into this mess, we can at least help you out!"

She stomped a hoof "I say we let him stay with us until he can get on his hooves. Uh.." she glanced down at Anon's feet "...Shoes... Yeah, we'll go with that. Everypony in? And, would you like that..." she rolled a hoof "...Uhhh, i don't have a name for you..."

The various ponies each nodded, as Anon smiled "...That would be great. And, you can call me Anon."

Pipp grinned "Anon, hmmmm? Exotic!" she exclaimed happily "Well, i'm Pipp! Singer and influencer extraordinaire! This here's my inquisitive sister Zipp, that's Hitch, Sunny, Izzy, Misty and Comet! He's also from another world!"

Each pony gave small smiles, raising a hoof in greeting, as Anon nodded with a smile "Well... nice to meet you all." he stated, raising a hand as well.

Sunny inhaled, before stating "Let's get moving back to town, and make sure Anon can get looked at by a doctor. Even if they don't know his biology too well, they can at least do something. Misty, do you know a good route back on-hoof...?"

Misty grinned, stating "I've taken it lots of times before! Follow behind me, everypony!", starting to walk - as each pony began following behind her, Anon walking beside Sunny's side as he glanced down thoughtfully. He had a few options on what he could do here. Part of him still couldn't believe he was in Equestria, but, well, it felt real enough... This was all just so sudden, he was still reeling.

What should he do? Be open about the show? His knowledge of this universe? Zipp was fixing him with a curious eye, so he knew he couldn't evade questions forever...

Once the group had left the area, Allura stepped out of the portal, glancing around with a growl "...Another world, but still not my home. Far from my brother... I still have to get my claws on that Nova Charm, or... Something else capable of inter-dimensional travel... Come along, Twitch. Let's see what we can learn about this place..."

The rabbit nodded with a grin, hopping along with her as she prowled forwards.

Author's Note

As a comment-driven story, you get to choose Anon's behaviour and his goals! Should he stay discreet, or be fully open with his knowledge of this world? Is there anything you'd like to see him try to do in Equestria? All choices are open!

Choose your actions wisely. A lot is at stake. I can control much of the world, but even my powers have their limits... The outcomes of certain events may be decided by nothing more than a roll of a dice.
Do not overestimate your strength, my preliminary scans of your physiology indicate that your species relies more on endurance and tool-crafting than any impressive physical feats... Don't let the primacy you enjoy on your own world give you a big head.
Who am I? Ha. hahaha. Cute. Maybe you'll find out soon...

P.S. I am open to pre-readers!

Chapter 2: Arrivals and Secrets

The walk to Maretime Bay was a lengthy one, but it gave Anon time to think between the questions of the mares and stallions. "It would be for the best if I kept my knowledge of this world a secret. Revealing it could raise too many questions, and Zipp probably wouldn't be satisfied by it and just get suspicious. Who the hell would believe their world was depicted in an alien TV show for children? What the hell is even up with that anyway? Part of me still doesn't believe that i'm walking around with THE Sunny Starscout and the rest, but... It all feels so real..."

Zipp smiled, stating "Quiet one, aren't you. Though, I guess it's a lot to take in... new world and all. It IS kinda strange that we all talk the same language despite that...", as the rest of the group blinked and nodded quickly at her words

Pipp gasped, stating "That's so truuuuee-a! Really, how ARE we even communicating right now!?" - before she flapped her wings, hovering beside anon as she stated "Honestly, there's so many questions we should have for you, but i'm just pulling a blank!"

Misty smiled in amusement to her friends, before sighing "When I was... Friendly with Opaline... She did teach me a bit about magic. As i've been telling you, Sunny." she stated, glancing over to the earth pony mare - who blinked and nodded with a grin

"It's always so fascinating when you get into that! Opaline may have been evil, but she knew so much about magic, more than any... Oh, uh, sorry, go on" she stated with a small blush and chuckle, Hitch giving her a fond grin as Misty looked down thoughtfully

"Opaline always said... In the old days, Equestria was so powerful, that most of the world just spoke its language anyway. But Opaline didn't just deal with our world. She had... Interdimensional portals. Rifts, that would bring her to other worlds! She made friends - or, uh, 'allies' in some, who had strange languages unknown to ponies. Apparently there were spells that could automatically translate them in a pony's head... Maybe something like that's happening with Anon..."

Zipp nodded with a frown, bringing a hoof to her chin "It makes sense. I never considered how strange it was that we could communicate with the ponies in Starlight Ridge... So we've got some kinda auto-translation spell working on him. I can dig it." she commented, before frowning "And Opaline had allies from outside this dimension... Greeeeat, i'm sure they're gonna be real happy to hear about what happened to her."

Pipp grimaced, stating "When you put it that way, it sounds like our troubles are only beginning...", as Hitch nodded uneasily.

"We'll have to be prepared." the yellow stallion commented, as Comet exhaled and commented "...Looks like I stumbled right in on a crisis, huh?"

Pipp glanced over to him, before chuckling with a grin "And the end of the last crisis! So, uh... Yaaay? there'll be lots of celebrations, i'm sure!"

Anon nodded with a smile, exhaling "Better than the alternative, I guess. With Opaline gone, hopefully we'll have peace for a little while...", as the others nodded slowly in agreement to that.

Pipp hummed, glancing down at her phone "Still a dead line... I can do a biiig interview of you when we get back to Maretime bay! I'll answer your questions, you'll answer mine, the world will get to meet this mysterious, handsome alien stallion... It'll be great!" she exclaimed, clapping her forehooves together eagerly, as Zipp chuckled

"Normally i'd be a bit reluctant, but... You know what, Sis? Sure! It'll be fascinating to hear more about a whole new world..." she commented, gazing over Anon in interest, as Sunny chuckled and added "I think we can all agree on that, Zipp."

Back at the castle, Allura stepped along the path - sniffing audiably as she gazed around, her wings extending as her pupils narrowed "I smell them... Those blasted ponies that took the nova charm out from under our noses. And yet there's something even more overpowering here..."

Her eyes narrowed, as she stepped onto some nearby dirt - carving a set of runic symbols into it with a claw, as Twitch blinked and hopped back, watching thoughtfully. It took only a few moments, before Allura narrowed her eyes and growled - light shining out from beneath her eyelids, as a glowing six-pointed star formed above the glyphs, a HUGE arrow pointing from it towards the together tree that destroyed Opaline's castle, with many smaller arrows pointing in all directions - before fading as the glow in Allura's eyes dimmed.

"Magic. And more of it than I would have expected... There is an object of GREAT power here." she commented - before frowning "And something else... Omnipresent... Hold on." she muttered, carving a few more runes into the soil, as a complex lattice of runes and letters began to form in hologram in front of her, her eyes narrowing briefly - before widening "Scrying AND mind magic!? Oh no you don't!" she growled

Twitch blinked and looked on in shock, as Allura growled and shook her head a few times, even slapping her own face once or twice with a growled "focus, don't let it win...", drawing another rune, before using her mind-controlling purr - the waves of magic from it reflecting from the rune, before striking her in her own face, as she growled an instruction to herself that even she would be unable to break - fighting mind control with more mind control, as she strained to retain her train of thought "Fashion... a rune to block... The mind magic and scrying spell surrounding us... Do not stop until... The effect is... Neutralized..."

She blinked, before smiling widely and straightening, her eyes widening as her irises glowed and she stated in a trance "At once, me." - walking over to a set of rocks with wooden, jerky movements as Twitch raised an eyebrow

The trip took a few more hours, but eventually the group would arrive at Maretime Bay - Misty grinning and turning her head back to the group, as she exclaimed "Aaand we're here! Tadaaah! Heh~" - blushing briefly, as Sunny smiled to her.

"Thanks Misty. Now, let's get Anon checked into the hospital. I'm sure it'll all come out fine, but we should always doublecheck... Oh, and Anon, just a biiit of advanced warning, ponies can be a little... Jumpy." - she grimaced - "We've been getting better, but, well... A few centuries of propaganda telling you to fear the unknown are hard to unwind."

Hitch grimaced, looking down in shame as he muttered "Tell me about it...", as Pipp hovered over to rest a hoof on his shoulder, smiling down at him - as he gave a brief smile back, the group slowly entering the town.

Within, various ponies blinked and rushed over in shock and relief - one mare exclaiming "Sunny! You managed to beat Opaline?", as a second shouted "What's the new creature?", a third exclaiming "Are we safe!? Is she gone!?"

Sunny blinked, before blushing "...Oh, right, Opaline's defeat is still new...", inhaling as she stepped forwards with a smile "Yes, Opaline was defeated. And I can't thank all of you enough! Things were close, and I almost lost, but then..." a few tears came to her eyes as she glanced down "I heard all of you singing. The... The Together Tree in Opaline's castle. It came to life. It TURNED on her! And, well, let's just say she isn't going to be a problem anymore!"

The ponies each blinked and cheered, as Sunny smiled "As for the new creature... It's a long story. One Pipp's going to explain to you all soon enough. But don't worry, he's friendly." she stated cheerfully, the crowd giving various nods and slowly dispersing

Zipp chuckled, nudging Anon's shoulder as she whispered "no way they'd be so quick to disperse if they knew where you REALLY came from~" in amusement - Anon blinking and giving a small laugh, as he nodded and replied "Very true. Very true."

Sunny grinned in amusement "Let's not push our luck, guys. Come on!", rushing forwards, as the others nodded and moved to follow her - it being a fairly simple walk to the Maretime Bay hospital, as the receptionist blinked and glanced up

"Hello, how can I--" the receptionist began, before his eyes widened "...Oh my gosh, Sunny! And all the rest of you! How can I help? Do you have any burn injuries? We've had a lot of them in the last day or two, all mild thankfully enough.." he commented, rushing forwards, as Sunny smiled and stated "Thankfully not. I shielded myself pretty well. We just need a little checkup on our new friend. He got hit by a glitching spell, and we aren't exactly sure what's gonna happen with him thanks to it..."

The receptionist blinked, before frowning and nodding "The effects of magic on the pony body are a mystery to us too, but when it comes to an exotic species like that, we have even less of a clue... Still, come on in! I'll make sure a doctor gets to see you soon enough."

Pipp nodded with a smile, dropping a card on the table "I'll cover this checkup." she stated simply, as the other mares and stallion followed Anon to the waiting area.

The checkup was simple enough. The mare that Anon ended up meeting did a few tests on his blood, and nothing jumped out. The usual blood markers were of course mostly irrelevant to anon, outside of a few special cases. It was good to have confirmation that Equestrian species needed the same minerals he did to survive - and apparently they had the same 'amino acids' and basic sugars, which basically translated to the doctor saying that food from this world would be just as digestable to a human as food from earth. So he wouldn't starve to death. Neat, that was one terrifying possibility he hadn't considered crossed off the list.

They did manage to check his blood magic levels, which were fairly low by pony standards, but still non-zero. Even if they were high, apparently that wouldn't lead to death - if anything it would improve health of basically any species... At the cost of mood swings, and magic-induced insanity at the high end. neat.

Once he met up again with the ponies on his way out, they all began heading toward the brighthouse, Sunny smiling "Sooo... I'm thinking that once we get to the brighthouse, we help you get comfortable and settle in, then the questions can begin! Where you come from! What you want to know about our world! What your species know about magic! Ours has, heh, kiiinda fallen behind in the last few centuries."

Zipp nodded with a frown "Everything was lost. It's a big shame.." she commented, as Izzy shrugged "I mean, the way we cast magic now doesn't match the records from the old days. So does it really matter?" she questioned thoughtfully

Zipp nodded "They could do really complicated things in the old days. At the very least, it'd be great to actually UNDERSTAND how all of this stuff works. So much knowledge was lost in the fall, we were sent back centuries... It's really tragic."

Sunny nodded with a sigh "That Opaline has a lot to answer for. And now she has, I guess." she commented, giving a small smile as the others nodded

Back at Opaline's castle, Twitch watched Allura work in a trance thoughtfully; her knowledge of magic always was impressive, and it looked like she was really wracking her brain to defeat... Whatever this thing was around them. Time after time, she carved something into a stone and tested it against her projection, before going to the drawing board. Eventually, she tested the projection one last time, the markers finally indicating that the external force was gone as Allura blinked - snapping out of it as she shook her head

"Ghhhh... Well that's disorienting." she muttered, before gazing down at the stone in her claws, chuckling "But at least now i'm safe. Stay close, Twitch. This stone will block the magic surrounding us. What it wants to DO is beyond me, but i'm not about to think that anything that would just randomly mindcontrol somecreature going through a portal has the best intentions."

Twitch raised an eyebrow at her, as Allura blinked "Well, neither did we! But it's not like I would want to meet a clone of myself and get brainwashed, hmm? We have our own goals. There's no hypocrisy in admitting your thirst for power."

Twitch nodded, as Allura inhaled "I'll make a second for you, we'll fashion them into necklaces... And then we'll follow that scent trail. I can still pick it up. It hasn't been that long..." she stated with a sniff, before moving to collect another stone and a piece of flint, Twitch nodding eagerly.

Finally, Anon and the ponies reached the Crystal Brighthouse - the prisbeam shining out of its top, as Anon exhaled in wonder. It seemed to change color as he walked - and not only that, but he could definitely see particles within it, flowing into the upper atmosphere. The show didn't do it justice, it was a sight to behold.

Misty blinked and glanced over, before smiling "Yeah... It is an impressive sight..." she commented, the others nodding as Sunny chuckled and replied "You can kinda get used to it, but sometimes you do remember just how good it looks."

Anon smiled - remembering his plan to play dumb, as he questioned "So what's the point of it? Just an amazing lightshow? It's pretty out of place when compared to the town.." - Zipp tensing up a bit, as she stated "Oh, you know... It may be called a brighthouse, but the town still needs a lighthouse, y'know? It also has some magical effects on the area." she replied vaguely

Anon nodded, thinking "She doesn't trust me completely yet. To be fair, i'm keeping stuff from her as well. And they ARE letting me stay with them, so it's not like they're being too paranoid..", even as Sunny moved to open the door, grinning back to the group as she inhaled

"So... I don't know about the rest of you, but all that walking and combat's made me hungry! I'll whip us up a meal while Pipp does her intro. She's reeeeaaaallllyyy well known in this world - like, an actual celebrity. I don't think any force in the world could stop her from introducing you to her fans", snickering into a hoof

Pipp blinked and grinned "Heyyy, the Pippsqueaks need to know about this alien! And besides, I know you've got to be curious too!"

Sunny chuckled, stating "Guilty here, I guess." - as Anon smiled and nodded "I'll join you in the kitchen for a bit. I can eat a lot, but it's probably best to assume we don't all eat the same stuff." he commented, moving to enter the brighthouse

Sunny blinked and nodded "Good idea! Heh, I may have to break out the old 'questions for a unicorn' list~" she commented with a chuckle and glance to Izzy - who chuckled and grinned in return, stating "Yeah, that one really fell through, didn't it?"

Sunny blushed "The days after we met were so eventful, I kinda forgot for a while... Right, dinner! So, Anon, here are the options..." she commented, moving to open the fridge - as Anon leaned in curiously. A lot was edible, though everything was plant-based, of course, For now, he figured a selection of fruit and vegetables would work. Maybe something apple-based, to honor Applejack's memory.

He reached in to collect a few, stating "Well, I can definitely have these..." he stated softly, glancing over the other foods as he stated "...Really, I can probably list what I CAN'T eat here more easily than what I CAN...", as Zipp blinked and raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder

As he explained the human diet, his mind dwelt on the show. "Applejack... They were all real, weren't they? And all dead now... Equestria gone and buried... Jesus. I really need to know what happened to them, for closure if nothing else. it's almost hard to believe that they've been gone for... Centuries, probably."

As Pipp chatted away into her phone in the Background, Sunny smiled "Right... So no grasses, got it. Well, your diet doesn't seem too restrictive. I can definitely work with it! Oh, this interview's gonna be fascinating! By the time you're done, i'll make sure to have something ready for you. Maybe something based on applejack? How do you know that name?"

Her voice warped toward the end of the sentence, seeming somewhat multitoned, as she spoke more slowly, with strange placement of emphasis. Slightly remniscent of Autumn Blaze's broken english.

Anon blinked in shock and jerked his head back a little at the sound of Sunny's warped voice, taking a small step back as his eyes widened "W-Wha-- How did you know I was-- Th-That I was thinking of Apple--"

Sunny blinked and tilted her head "...Thinking of apples? That IS what we call this fruit..." she stated with furrowed eyebrows, holding an apple forwards "...Wait, you mean you know these fruits too? From your dimension? Huh. I guess starlight ridge wasn't too different to Equestria when we went there, maybe all the dimensions connected to that portal have similar life to Equestria too..."

Zipp nodded with a frown "That's just what I was wondering... How did you know that those foods were edible?"

Anon blinked, thinking "Ah... Crap, gotta remember Zipp's watching like a hawk. But what the HELL was that just now from Sunny!? And why did nopony react to it!?", glancing between the assembled ponies - before stating aloud "Uh... Yeah. Actually that is REALLY strange. We seem to have a lot of the same plantlife. And quite a few similar animals, from what we saw on the walk..."

Author's Note

So, the interview's about to start! Anything in particular Anon should lead with? Exactly how much should he keep close to his chest about Earth? He has to say enough to sate Zipp if she isn't gonna be on his flank forever.

So, Allura managed to resist my control for long enough to break free... Damnit. I'll have to eliminate her somehow, or break through her defenses... But she's one tough creature, and she actually understands magic enough to counter what I throw at her... I'll have to plan this out carefully, or everything i've been plotting will break...

Funny how she thought she could beat my scrying, though. A camera works just as well from a distance, and a more trained ear can pick up a sound from afar as well.

And what's this? A magical interface to a system of some kind? I see an option to post comments... Curious. I definitely see the hoofprints of another in here... Could it be...

Shush, [REDACTED] - get outta the author's notes, you'll give too much away!

Make me, ape. And, authors notes? Oh, that's funny. The interface uses mind magic to manipulate you, right... You think this is a story. Fine, i'll let you live your delusion. The alternative would be cruel to force on you.

Touche, figment! To the readers, I guess you can talk to [REDACTED] in the comments if you want to. I won't let it reveal anything too spoilery though. :pinkiehappy:

Like I even need to reveal anything. The pieces are in place already, I just need to wait for things to move along.

Quiet you!

P.S.

Fun fact, Allura's behavior in her first segment in this chapter changed quite substantially mid-write. There are lots of moving pieces in this story, and I figured out that she would probably see that force and counter it. What are the implications of that? We'll find out soon enough..

Chapter 3: Interviews and Discoveries

All across Equestria, screens lit up before eager faces; the beloved social media icon and royal celebrity Pipp Petals was on air, and nopony wanted to miss a second!

Pipp sat up in her chair, gazing into her phone screen as she grinned and exclaimed "Goood evening, Pippsqueaks!" - before raising a hoof and tilting her head a little, her wings fluffing up for a moment "And I hope you had good day! Well, I mean, as good as a day can be when the morning had tentacles of FIRE burst out of the together trees throughout Equestria..."

The musician-princess chuckled "But all of that's behind us now! And as far as i'm aware, nopony was seriously hurt! As EVERYPONY was expecting... Opaline's gone! Our singing gave the together trees some kind of... Boost... That let them kick her flank! So, I guess for now... Equestria's found peace. The monster that caused all those conflicts we heard about in history class is gone, and we have a bright future ahead of us! Equestria is finally safe."

The chat rolled by with exclamations of cheer and congratulations, along with relief - as Pipp inhaled, before smiling "Speaking of whiiich... There's a twist! when Opaline was defeated, this portal opened up, and basically... We got in contact with another land! Heh, I know, shocking right? Anyway, a stallion from there's come back to look at ours, and meet up! And that's not alll~ When we returned, it looks like the portal accidentally sucked in a stallion from some other world - some kind of... hairless ape - so not only can we enjoy our victory, but we can also celebrate first contact too! Fillies and gentlecolts, put your hooves together for our first alien contact... Anon!"

Anon blinked, glancing away from Zipp as he saw Pipp eagerly gesturing for him to join, as he gave the detective-princess a small smile, stating "Wish I could talk more, but... Yeah, it's just as weird to me. Who knows, maybe i'm not the first one to travel from one world to the other? A lot of our myths match Equestria's reality." before he walked over to Pipp - Zipp glancing down with a thoughtful expression, bringing a hoof to her chin before moving to join her sister as well, while stormclouds began to rapidly gather outside.

On the outskirts of Maretime Bay, Allura and Twitch slwoly prowled over a hill - the feline humming as she sniffed a few times, before she narrowed her eyes in irritation and growled "...Bah, the scent leads into town... If we're going to get information, we'll need to sneak in, and do this the old fashioned way. Mind control a pony or three to tell me where exactly those seven went... I'd rather not leave an obvious trail though, so ideally we'll catch a pony isolated and alone, who we can interrogate... Time for you to do some scouting, Twitch."

Twitch nodded with a grin and rubbed his paws together, before blinking and tensing as black clouds rolled into the area unnaturally quickly, crackling angrily high up in the sky. Allura blinked, glancing up as she muttered "...Sudden. We know there's strange magic afoot... Be careful, Twitch. Something... Isn't right."

Twitch nodded, saluting at his friend before moving to bounce ahead and toward the town. "Right. Simple mission. Find a pony alone, and guide Allura to them. Rinse and repeat until we get the information we need. Shouldn't be too hard, outside of whatever that weird magic is." he thought with a small smirk, bouncing ahead as he began to move around the perimeter of the town.

(1d20 roll: 5. Moderate Fail.)
As Twitch explored a grassy hill on the outskirts of town, he soon enough saw Pipp's assistants - Jazz and Rocky Riff - resting together on a bench just outside of town, talking to each other with smiles. They were completely alone. "Two... That'll be isolated enough for Allura's needs." Twitch thought, starting to hop away with a grin, taking a small glance back at them... before his eyes widened, giving a small gasp of fear as he froze up.

Both Jazz and Rocky had stood - their eyes locked on him, open wide as their irises glowed a vibrant purple, their expressions unnaturally neutral as their entire bodies relaxed. Unnerved, Twitch made a small hop back... To which one stepped forwards.

Twitch gave a sound close to a scream as he turned and began to sprint back to Allura, even as glowing vines burst from the ground beneath him and grabbed at him, Jazz's hooves glowing a faint green. One grasped his right leg, as (Twitch's PoV: 13+5. Success.) the rabbit lowered and bit through the vine, before racing away faster - the two ponies trying to walk after him, but stumbling almost immediately and collapsing to the ground, the glow in their eyes fading for just a moment as they blinked in momentary confusion - before again relaxing as the purple overtook their eyes again and they stood.

Soon after, as Allura had drawn another set of runes, looking at a projection thoughtfully, Twitch rushed back to her - screeching. Allura blinked and tensed, rushing over to him, as she exclaimed "Twitch!? What's wrong!?"

The animal gave a series of noises - but was interrupted as Allura tensed and grabbed him with a fearful expression. Behind him, most of the pegasi of the town had assembled - their eyes glowing a similar purple, as their wings were outstretched, not flapping... But still somehow flying, their wings glowing vibrantly

"...Something gives me the feeling we aren't welcome here..." Allura stated shakily, inhaling before her eyes glowed as her wings extended - an unnatural chill extending over the area "Perhaps another plan is needed..." she growled, stepping back as pegasi began to dive.

(Allura's PoV: 12+8. Success.)
Allura stomped the ground firmly a few times, pillars of snow bursting up from the ground - drawing the liquid from deep beneath the soil to use as raw material - and thumping into the pegasi that came too close, sending them hurtling down to the ground. They were many, but they were uncoordinated and clumsy - as, after dealing with the first attackers, Allura glared at the rest - extending a wing and exclaiming "Twitch! My back! NOW!" - the bunny nodding and hopping onto her, hugging the back of her neck with a worried expression, before she turned and ran - flapping her wings hard as she took to the air quickly, shivering in worry.

The possessed ponies stared after her for a moment, a few trying to give chase - but they were slow, and in the end, she flew past the horizon. After a short while the storm dispersed and they all returned to town, heading to their normal places before their eyes ceased glowing, none the wiser of what had happened in the last few minutes... Other than a few feeling weirdly sore for some reason.

Sunny blinked, glancing up at the stormclouds through her window, as she continued to prepare a meal - her mind playing back the memories of the events that had taken place a few months earlier, with Posey almost getting swallowed up by a void in a similar storm. The mare muttered "Huh... Weird. Magic doesn't seem to be on the blink though... I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." to herself softly

Meanwhile, throughout Equestria, ponies (other than those embroiled in the conflict with Allura) watched the stream in fascination as a strange biped walked into view of the camera, before he moved to sit by Pipp's side with a smile. The chat rushed by at max speed - it being impossible to make out anything but a flood of surprise emojis, along with grins.

Anon smiled, looking into the camera as he stated "Hello everypony... Yeah, I..."

He exhaled, looking down as he crossed his arms "Honestly, I still haven't fully processed everything that happened. one day I was in my home, the next, I was hurtling through a portal onto an unfamiliar bridge. The local doctor says i'm fine, so there's that, but... Everything was so sudden. I don't know, it's... Amazing to be able to visit another world, but..."

He rolled a hand, as Pipp nodded with a sympathetic smile "you don't know what comes next. I get it, it must be pretty scary. But all we can really do is look on the bright side~ We'll all make sure everything ends up okay, and... Who knows? You being here could be the start of something more wonderful when our lands get into full contact... But I don't think chat wants to see us talking philosophy!"

Anon gave a small chuckle, cracking a grin as Zipp nodded with a smile, walking over "Yeah! There's... So many questions." she stated, resting her hooves atop the back of the sofa "It's hard to really say where to start! But, uh, I think there's a BURNING one on everypony's minds. What do your kind know about magic?"

From afar, Sunny blinked and looked over, leaning a little closer in interest, as Pipp glanced over - even Misty and Izzy leaning in, as Hitch smiled, a hoof resting on Sparky's shoulder as he looked over - before each of them blinked as Anon gave a drawn out sigh "That's... Kinda the main problem. We're REALLY advanced technologically - but we know next to nothing about magic. Honestly, it's thought of as fictional."

Izzy giggled nearby, moving her head into view of the camera, behind the sofa with Zipp "So kinda like we were until recently! Wow! We speak the same language AND we lost magic! We're so alike!"

Anon blushed, stating "I don't know if we even had it in the first place, honestly..." he commented, before exhaling "But yeah. I think my main question for you is, what do we do to start getting me home?"

The Camera turned to Sunny as she called over "I wish I knew, Anon. As we were saying before, most magical knowledge has been lost, ever since Equestria fell apart. Nopony really understands how we cast the spells we do today, or how the unicorns of old made new spells... It just kinda... Happens. Only one pony really understands magic, and she's gone... And really, REALLY evil."

Anon nodded with a frown, stating "You're... Talking about Opaline, right? You were talking about her earlier...", even as he thought "Gotta keep up appearances. I supposedly don't know anything about this world, best that they explain it all to me before I slip up."

Zipp nodded with a frown "Yeah... She was a nasty piece of work. Obsessed with stealing magic. Tore apart this entire land to get it a long time ago. The history books are filled with specist propaganda at this point, but... We know for sure that there was some kind of great disaster, which led to a LOT of death and destruction."

Izzy nodded, exclaiming "The unicorns thought the pegasi were behind it!", as Pipp inhaled "And the pegasi thought it was the unicorns. Both thought the earth ponies helped the other... When we now know it was... Probably Opaline. The exact details were lost, a looot of old documents from those times were lost in fires over the years..."

Zipp hummed "Documents about the fire alicorn lost in fire... Makes you think..." she commented, raising a hoof to her chin

Pipp nodded, replying "Maybe~ But let's not get all conspiracy-theorist here~" - giggling a little, as Zipp nodded and Pipp continued "Anyway, after the pony tribes blamed each other, there was this biiig three way war over the last scraps of magic..."

Zipp nodded with a frown "It lasted for a long time. Tens, maybe hundreds of millions died. Equestria... It was reduced to a tiny fraction of its initial population. Like, single-digit percent or lower. Eventually the three sides retreated, each telling themselves that they won. But most settlements were destroyed, each tribe of pony had split into their own nation-state, and the population levels still haven't recovered..."

Anon blinked, paling a little at the explanation - having figured it had been bad, but not THAT bad - as he exhaled slowly, his eyes wide with shock "So we're in some kind of... Post-apocalypse, after a gigantic war..."

Pipp chuckled "Well, I mean, I think we've rebuilt kinda well, but... Yeeeah, it's no secret that life was way way WAAAY better before everything collapsed. There's still tech from the old days laying in ruins in the wild, sometimes somepony finds something and fixes it up, but even that is kind of a lost art."

Izzy nodded with a grin, leaning in "A few ponies have old schematics which you can use to understand motors and stuff. But they're expensive, and hard to come by. I was able to read a few back in Bridlewood, but it was a BIG deal that I could even look at them!"

Anon nodded with a grimace - glancing down "So really, as far as getting me back home... We're lost." he stated weakly, before his thoughts ventured back to what he knew of G4 "If they're right... My god. The show was the precursor to... Probably the greatest tragedy in history. Everypony i'd come to know and love from the show... Gone, and not even peacefully...".

Tears came to his eyes, as Sunny inhaled and walked over - stating "We don't know that. It's still... Very earlydays since magic came back. Who knows, there could be some big breakthroughs just around the corner." she stated - causing Anon to blink and look up to her, wiping his eyes as she finished "Just... Take it day by day. We'll try to make the best of this. Best-case scenario, it will be a great thing that you came here... Because we can finally meet YOUR species." with a hopeful smile.

Anon sighed, smiling as he stated "...Thanks, Sunny. I'll... Try to look on the bright side. It's just... A lot to take in. Being here, meeting an alien species for the first time, hearing about... What happened in your history..."

Pipp smiled and nodded "That's what you've gotta do, Anon." she stated sympathetically, before inhaling and placing a hoof on his hand "You just take all the time you need to adjust, and we'll be there for you." she concluded - offering him a smile, which he returned.

Author's Note

There we go! So, Allura's learnt a bit more about the world she came to, and Anon... Well, now Anon knows what became of G4 Equestria.

Question is, what happens now? Is there anything else Anon should ask on-stream, or perhaps there's something else he should discuss more in private? I'll give the comments an opportunity to make suggestions at this point!

Ponies make such effective vessels for my will. A shame they're so uncomfortably hard to control! Ugh, now I know how [REDACTED] felt. I really thought I could have killed Allura there, but... Those pegasi really didn't operate as they should have. I need more practice...

Sounding kinda evil there, [REDACTED]

Do you want to be next on my list?

I mean, I like you a lot!

That's what I thought.

Chapter 4: Settling In

As the stream came to a close, Anon sighed and smiled weakly - standing up, as he stated "If everypony's like you, Pipp, i'm sure I can adjust... I just hate the thought that my friends and family will... Will probably think i'm dead if all of this takes too long."

The ponies all grimaced, as Sunny sighed "Maybe we can work something out quickly...", glancing down in thought as her ears and head drooped.

Izzy grinned "I'm sure something useful will come to us over some food! Stop stressing over it, stress is, like, the killer of creative-y juices! Just give it time."

Hitch chuckled, looking to the unicorn and stating "Are you sure you aren't just hungry for the stuff Sunny was cooking during the stream?", as Comet grinned in amusement, standing near the table - replying "Definitely wouldn't blame her! But yeah, Izzy's definitely right." with a small sniff of an apple fritter, taking a bite.

Sunny grinned, stating "I AM pretty good with food!", brushing a hoof through her mane, as everypony chuckled and gathered around - Anon sighing with a smile and moving to join them, grabbing a slice of apple pie. Perhaps things would be alright. Perhaps he could get used to life here... Even if he was living in the ashes of Equestria's future.

His eyes widened as he took a bite, his whole tongue seemingly feeling the shockwave of flavor from the moment the pie first hit the tip of his tongue - looking to Sunny in shock as he stated "H-How is it so good!?" in shock

Sunny only laughed, stating "Earth pony magic. It does tend to make stuff taste better, I don't know why..." in amusement, gazing out of the window for a moment, up at the now-clear skies. The storm had passed quickly.

The meal was wonderful as always, but Sunny did have some concerns about their new human friend. After she had explained what had happened in their past, he had a bit of a... Haunted expression. She couldn't blame him, to be honest; those same stories had plagued her own childhood. Not to mention what the loss of magical knowledge implied about his own ability to get home.

As they finished off their food, the mare sighed "Well, that was great... But now, I guess all we can really ask is... What next."

She smiled, her gaze shifting to Misty "With Opaline gone, I guess you can afford to let your mane down a little more, Misty. Maybe... Maybe we could start to work together on uncovering more information about Equestria's past. It was always my dad's passion project, and to be honest... I kinda want to see it through, too..."

Misty blinked, before nodding "Opaline told me a lot. I don't know what was truth, and what was a useful lie, but... I guess that just means that it's more important for me to try and get to the bottom of it." she stated firmly, Sunny nodding with a smile as she looked to Anon "And i'm sure that if there's any hope of getting you back home... it will be among the ruins of ancient Equestria. You have an outside perspective that could pick up on things we would miss, so... Would you be interested in helping out with that?"

Anon blinked in surprise - before he grinned lightly. Little did these ponies know, he WAS a fan of the show... He knew far more than he was letting on, and probably could see things they would miss. And it would definitely help him gain closure on... everything he had heard about. He was afraid about not getting home, true... But the thought of the mane 6 dying in some ancient pony war... He couldn't help but feel a deep sadness at the thought.

"Would I be interested?" Anon repeated, before nodding vigorously "Definitely! You're right, it probably is my best chance of getting home... But also, the thought that everything around us has been shaped by some... Ancient tragedy that we don't know much about... It's not something you can just 'put down'."

Pipp snickered, stating "Speak for yourself~ Ahhh, so now we have three of them, I guess...", glancing between Zipp, Sunny and Anon.

Sunny grinned, stating "Hey, i've been busy lately, but the secrets of ancient equestria... They've been the obsession of my whole family! Of course I wanna explore them now the community garden and everything is set up." simply.

Zipp chuckled in response, stating "I wish you were like this a bit earlier! And yeah, sounds like fun. The Zephyr Heights library may have some clues. Perhaps Misty can point us in the right direction there." simply

Misty exhaled and stated "Maybe I can... Later, though. Today's been more than crazy enough." - earning a chorus of agreement from the others, as she smiled "I just wanna unwind for a bit, y'know?"

Anon smiled, stating "I guess it'd be nice to... Really settle into town. I'm gonna be here for a while, I might as well accept it." - the mares (and two stallions) nodding at his words, as Pipp grinned "And i'm sure everypony's going to be REALLY excited to meet you in particular! Heh, so, what does everypony wanna do?

Author's Note

This chapter went through a bit of a... Transformation, hence the delay. I planned for things to move forward with Allura, but frankly, that'd be waaay too fast pacing. So I figured we could get a bit of slice of life.

Is there anything in particular in maretime bay that people want to explore? Or maybe you want Anon to further ponder certain... Abnormalities he's seen since he arrived. He still doesn't really have an explanation for that odd moment where Sunny started to speak in a double-toned voice.

Or perhaps there's something else that needs to be mentioned, said or asked. Misty has had quite the life with Opaline... Really, the sky's the limit. I'll try to follow your requests, so long as they make sense for Anon's current level of knowledge.

I look forward to any comments!