Watching it Crumble

Chapters

1 - Fine Lines
2 - Leaving It
3 - Glitz on Town
4 - Corruption Spreading
5 - Fur Will Fly
6 - Making Friends
7 - Make a Stink
8 - All Hail the King
9 - Layers on Layers
10 - Battle, not War
11 - Zany Worlds
12 - Just in Time
13 - Corrupt by Design
14 - Breaking It to Fix It.
15 - Into Position

1 - Fine Lines

They watched, as was always their task. In one of countless visages, spaceships soar through the void. In another knights face dragons with glowing swords. In yet another a human falls over, bleeding and dying from a weapons still protruding from them.

But over there, a different world, brightly colored with creatures that typically smile. It seems the least important, considering the gravitas of the others, but the watcher knows these things can be misleading...

A fine line spread from a tiny crack. In their world, it would be immense, but they also wouldn't see it. Nothing could see the cracks from the inside, at least of those that lived in it. Left alone, it would cause the world to dissolve. A lamentable loss, perhaps, but the loss of one in such a way could lead to others falling, cracking, and being lost.

They could not allow it.

The watcher's mind reached out across the multiverse. They had many names in many worlds, but they were all just as simple and meaningless to say as the one they were most known for. As such, it was the one they typically used, even if they didn't need a name themself. They would have to enter that world. Watching it from afar wouldn't repair it.

So they did. In an instant, or eternity, they opened new eyes. The air smelled fresh to their new nose. The grass was soft and waved beneath them. It was long enough that it tickled at his belly. He looked back to see that he had four legs, terminating in hooves. Each was as brightly colored as the cracked world had been. He was a pony, a stallion. Standard. No. Earth.

He could remember that world's history. A world called Ponytopia, populated by a wide variety of species. But most of its greatest moments were dominated by the ponies, ruled by princess Sunnylot.

Though he remembered much of the world as a whole, placing himself with precision on it was a trickier task. He turned slowly in place, face passive until he spotted something familiar. He brightened at the sight of a bakery he recognized just down the dirt road that wove through the idyllic town he was in. The town was called Sugarmane, named for the proprietor of the bakery, who was a kind soul to any and all in the town. A good starting point if there ever was one.

With the clops of his new hooves, he started that way. He was just another pony making their way for a few sweet treats, or perhaps a morning bagel. He had a mark, like the others. His was that of an eye. A bit on the nose for a watcher, but he didn't get to decide on that. "Excuse me." He closed the door behind himself. "I was looking for—"

"You're new!" A bright pink pony waved at him from behind the counter. They weren't the proprietor. Still, he remembered her from quite a few times she had been important to the workings of that world. Her name was Pinkie. She had a last name, but he forgot it.

"You forgot it? How could you?" She pouted softly, but her smile came right back. "Come on up and tell Pinkie what she can do for you?"

He started. He hadn't said anything for her to respond to, yet. "Is Sugarmane in yet?"

"Nah." She waved it away and pushed a cupcake towards him. "You look like you need one of these way more."

He took a deep breath. It was certainly a strange experience to taste anything for the first time. He couldn't recall if he ever had before. This was his first time in Ponytopia. He felt certain he remembered being in another world at some point, but the specifics bled away. "If you insist."

Seeing no harm, he sampled it, just to have his tongue sing out in joy at the first chew. He stood there, transfixed, at least until Pinkie waved a hoof in his face. "Pardon. Perhaps you could assist. I am looking for—"

"—something important, yup! It's not my story though. You're looking for Twibright." She giggled softly. "Funny name, but she's over at the library." She pointed past him to a tree that was also a building. "Just knock!"

The watcher blinked. His mind was already moving along the track of the pony he was seeking. The bright young filly was quite the academic, reading most everything she could, including history and science texts far beyond her peers. She was a unicorn, gifted with magic that she explored just as eagerly. "Yes. Perhaps she has some information. Thank you."

He left with Pinkie waving behind him. He took the cupcake with him, seeing little reason to toss it aside. It was delicious, after all, even if he had no real need of food in the first place.

The tree building was large enough to not only hold the library, but also serve as a dwelling for Twibright's family as well. Perhaps 'family' was generous, since it included only one other being. That being was the one that answered the door when he knocked on it. "Hello?" The teen dragon peered at him with obvious, if mild, confusion. "You looking for Twibright?"

He nodded. The young dragon looked up to his unicorn sister. "I've been sent to find her."

The dragon blinked. "Um." He leaned back into the home and yelled. "Twi!"

That prompted some hooves down her steps as she came into view. "Oh, hello there." Despite not knowing him, a pony of few defining features, she approached with a friendly smile. "How can I help you?"

He waved her outside and, trusting creature she was, she followed him outside of earshot. "Have you noticed anything curious of late?" He doubted that she had. Seeing the cracks from the inside was not something most beings would perceive.

She nodded. "There's a crack in town." She pointed towards an area of the village he wasn't familiar with. "I was there to check on it first thing this morning."

He perked at that. "What sort of crack?"

"That's the strangest part." She clopped a hoof on the ground. "Ponies just walk over and sometimes... through it as if it weren't there at all." She glanced away and back. "But you see it?"

He was about to say as much when he realized that he didn't. That world's watcher had already found the crack. And, in a moment of realization, he remembered who he was. He was a stallion named Watcher. And sharing that information with her came with risks. "You are a perceptive pony." That much was safe to disclose.

She looked measurably relieved. "I thought I was the only one. Even my brother doesn't see it. He's started calling me crazy. But I'm not. I've already tested for that." She nodded with confidence at that statement. "It's clearly not normal."

He was quiet a moment before he sank to his haunches. "How comfortable are you with existential lines of thought?"

Twibright perked an ear. "Are you asking philosophically? It never bothered me much." She shrugged gently. "I am here." She pointed at herself. "That I can formulate the question is, itself, an answer. Could there be more, yes. But I cannot perceive it, so it is of little use to me in comparison to the many things my senses can perceive and act upon." She danced a little in place. "I don't get to share those thoughts with many other ponies often. This is fun! What are your thoughts?"

He considered that for a long moment. "What if I told you that I could perceive those things beyond? And that, in order to help you protect this world, it needed to be done?"

Her cheer dimmed quickly. "Oh. That sounds less pleasant." She peered around, clearly for other ponies. When the coast was verified clear, she leaned in towards Watcher. "I don't mean to be unpleasant, but do you have any proof of your words?"

Watcher shook his head. "I do not. If you are unwilling to come along without that assurance, I can understand."

She tapped her chin for a moment. "Well... I do like mysteries..." Twibright flicked her tail as she nodded. "I can't place why, but I find myself trusting you. How do we fix this?"

"It is a small thing." He held up his hooves close together. "But, with your help, it will be completed quickly. Since you have noticed it, you can take me there as the first step." Even he, a watcher, had a harder time spotting the disturbances from the inside. "Let's not make any scenes though. We don't want to bother any of the others."

Twibright nodded at that. "Like my brother." She nodded back towards her home. "So where is beyond then?" She started walking, leading him to the edge of the town.

"I can tell you on the way." He doubted he would tell her much about that. "But our first priority is the safety of you and every other pony."

She drew to a sudden stop so sharp he collided with her rump. She twirled to face him, eyes shining with literal sparkles in a way her simpler universe used to make sure one knew she was fascinated. "You aren't a pony! What are you? Where did you come from?"

His lips flattened into a thin line as he realized what he just let slip. She was going to be trouble. But he couldn't leave her to her own devices either. He could have the crack sealed by himself, but it would take longer that way. Finding it, to start. "Let's save those questions for after we've dealt with the problem. It would hardly do to start a discussion while a friend got hurt."

Her cheer fell to imagined horror. "Right. Right. We wouldn't want that." She took a breath as she turned around to resume her trot. "So, this is dangerous then? I had a feeling it was. I wasn't sure how to address it, but, that it was problematic felt certain."

"You mentioned you saw other ponies interacting with it." He moved to her side, both weaving through town. "Describe it."

"I'm uncertain I would call it 'interacting' exactly." She rolled a hoof, walking on the other three. "They didn't even see it. They'd just walk right through it, and when they did, I could see their forms as if I was looking through a cracked sheet of glass for a moment until they were far enough away from it. I asked if they were alright, but they just looked at me as if I were losing it, and just trot along their day as if nothing had happened."

Watcher nodded. "I expected as much." He didn't want to worry the unicorn, but he felt he owed her the warning. "If you were to pass through it, that may well be your fate." He sliced the air with a hoof. "Do not pass through. You did well to keep your distance, but take note of it." Digging through his memories, Twibright was an analytical pony. She had done exactly as she should have. "Let's address this so the others never have to know what they missed."

Twibright's head bobbed in an eager nod. "The other ponies are great, don't get me wrong, but I'm excited for a little adventure!" She giggled. "Besides, I can't wait to see how I did in my experiment on the effect of music."

He perked an ear at that. "Effect of music? Twibright, have you been experimenting on it already?"

She froze. "Um..." Her cheeks flushed. "Yes. I wanted to see what would happen. And, if anything did, I could keep watch on it and make sure nopony was harmed."

He sighed gently. "You are fortunate." Ahead of them, the crack came into view. It wove angrily through town. He followed its trail with his eyes as it wove through buildings and occasionally right through a pony, not that they seemed to notice. "It's still small enough to be treatable." He relaxed, feeling confident he had arrived in time. "Twibright, I am going to use you as an unbroken anchor to help glue things back together."

She took a deep breath, ears down. "What do we have to do?"

The next hour was spent with Watcher guiding her through a process that she didn't think would work. In fact, by the time they had completed their task, Twibright looked at Watcher like he was quite the strange pony, which wasn't an incorrect assumption. "And this will help?" She balanced awkwardly on one hoof. "Somehow?"

He held up two of his own. "You must remain still." He took a slow inhalation, his power reaching out in all directions. Grasping her, then grasping that crack, he brought them together in a way that didn't involve any of the three dimensions she knew and lived in.

Author's Note

A new story begins. What things I have to show you with this idea.

A thank you to my Supporter Patron who helps me wander off on my own idea: Zap Transfer👋🏽

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2 - Leaving It

They opened their eyes. Technically, they didn't have eyes, with no body to speak of on a physical sen—

"Excuse me." Twibright poked at their immaterial form experimentally. "Is this part of fixing it?"

Watcher turned their attention from the infinite to the very finite. There was exactly one of her. She was in his realm, where she did not belong. Her confused expression gave away that she was likely to be of little help in explaining why. He pushed past her, back into her world, and then promptly pulled her along as well.

"Did we... finish it? Is everything fixed?" She glanced around herself, but it was all the same. The only difference was the lack of that crack winding through everything.

Everypony just walked along as if nothing had happened. They ignored Watcher. They ignored Twibright.

Watcher knew why he was ignored. He was watching, and not touching. He was not of the world. He had no body to perceive. That didn't explain why Twibright was being entirely disregarded. It wasn't simply her, it was the whole village, or so he thought. Until he saw Pinkie bouncing down the road, looking at every building, every pony, then moving on.

"There you are." She pronked closer, tail and mane bouncing. "I wanted to say good luck before you left. Good thing you came back."

Twibright blinked at Pinkie's words. "You're not making any sense."

"Yeah, bad habit of mine." She embraced Twibright suddenly. "I'm gonna miss you, but you have fun. Don't get into too much trouble, okay?"

Watcher felt an emotion rise, one they did not allow often in their formless state. Anger. "Why do you speak as if you know what you should not?"

"You know that, silly. Really, there's only one reason it could be." She blew a kiss at Watcher, making it clear she could perceive him. "I gotta go, deliveries. Be safe, Twibright!" Pinkie bounced off again.

Watcher stared at her retreating form for a long moment before looking at the confused unicorn. "I am... uncertain. But I believe that, in repairing your world, some other..." He had no hands to gesture with. "You were affected in the repair. Your world is safe, but you are removed from it. Come."

They were back in the Watcher's realm. This time, Twibright seemed a little more at ease. She looked at herself instead of her surroundings, seeing the same pony she had been. "Where are we now? Or should I say when?" She went in a tight circle. "Or maybe? Is that the right word? I'm struggling to find the right one."

Watcher considered her. "I don't know what happened, but I can assure you that we can fix it." He turned his gaze away from the world. "But, for the moment, I do believe you are stuck with me. Your world owes you a favor I don't think it will ever know, save the pink one." Watcher considered the infinite, focusing in on the world they had just come from. "Your world is mended. I can see the glue that binds it. It was done properly."

Twibright sat next to him, which was odd on several fronts. They didn't normally have a side, or a place to sit. Her mere presence required both, and it was. "I'm glad to hear that, but there has to be a way to get me back, right?"

Watcher considered. The glue would hold, of course, since she had already been a part of gluing the crack together. There was only one way she could go back. "You can live your life as if nothing ever happened."

"What?"

Watcher made their one of infinite worlds glow gently. "I can place another you here, unbothered by this event. Your place will be restored."

"That sounds lovely." She clucked her tongue against her teeth. "But doesn't fix this-me. I'm not saying not to do it, please, do. That saves a lot of ponies being upset who aren't me." She pressed a hoof to her cheek. "But leaves me with a bit of a problem."

"Your problem is small." There was a pause. "In the scale of things."

Twibright laughed with building hysterical energy. "Of course!" She waved at that infinity she couldn't even start to grasp, just to know it was larger than her by so much. "Compared to all that, I'm small, tiny." Her voice grew tight. "Nothing."

"You are something." Watcher turned their gaze on the one of many Earths, this one a bit more unique. "You saved your world. You are, as many beings could not claim, precisely one of a kind. In a bottomless sea, you are a unique grain of sand. You have my gratitude and admiration."

They placed her, at least a copy of her, back in their place. In a few short months they would meet, but not know each other. "You deserve to be remembered."

Twibright caught a glimpse of her copy, living her life. The life she was denied.

Watcher's attention drifted free of Twibright, that matter settled. At least, in their mind it was. They viewed Ponytopia and the worlds around it, searching for places the crack could have spread, or even started. They felt certain it didn't start at Ponytopia, so finding it at such an early stage had been quite fortuitous.

"I don't think I want to be remembered. At least, not only that." Twibright swallowed thickly. "I was living a life. I. I want to live. I don't want to die yet. I have friends. Friends I don't want to give up."

Watcher ignored her, or at least tried. They had to follow the gentle traces. "If this is not addressed, your world could come into new threat." They looked away from the worlds. "And your other friends are safe. They have you."

"But that's not me!" She stomped her hoof down, feeling like she was falling away instead. "I'm me." She put both forehooves to her chest. "That I am me is the only thing I can be sure of!" Tears spilled from her confused eyes. "It's the only thing."

There. Watcher followed the trail they had found. "You are here. You are something. You are with me. Surprisingly, you still have a body. More surprisingly, it functions in this space. I didn't think it would suit a living being." They drew closer to the source of the trouble. "But ahead of us is the next stage to truly addressing things."

Twibright dried her eyes with her forelegs, then rubbed at her face. "I'm not sure what we're really doing here."

"I watch." Watcher turned their attention onto Twibright. "That is my duty. That is my purpose. You met me when I wasn't watching, a rare time when I had to act. Most worlds must play out their roles without my presence. Your world may not complete its roles, and many others are threatened. You can stay here and consider things while I fix this. Perhaps that is best for you. You can be a memory and watch, as I do."

"No." Twibright stood up, dusting herself off. "I'll go with. I don't really get any of it, but if I'm already here, I want to go."

Would that they could sigh. "You are alive. You may cease. The worlds we must visit are less kind than yours."

"That was a risk every day." She put a hoof at her chest. "The risk of being alive is the risk of it ending, and not knowing when it will be. If I can help keep my world safe, I'd rather be doing that." She sniffed, doing her best to comport herself. "Better than focusing on myself right now."

Watcher considered her for a long moment before a small nod. They reached out towards the source, grasping it. Another crack. This one was far larger, to the point that the Watcher could not see past its jagged edge. "I cannot say what awaits in this world, its surface marred and pitted. I will take on a forgettable form. You, I don't know."

Twibright walked over to him, head high despite her wet cheeks and messy fur. "I'll be fine. Just show me the way and we'll go together."

Watcher gave her the slightest of nods. Managing nods without a head was a bit of a challenge. It was more of an impression they gave, and Twibright seemed to understand. "Then we will go."

Taking hold of her, she lifted into what must have been air, since she wasn't long asphyxiated. Watcher drew them between points, going slower than usual with their cargo held as carefully as they could. Worlds swirled past them. It was too many to count, so they didn't even try. Would Twibright try? They couldn't know.

They opened their eyes to the sound of a siren leaving with a piercing wail that grew quieter by the moment. They were female that time, a slender human or human-like thing of early-adulthood. She looked around. "Twibright?"

She was unchanged, just as bright and colorful as her surroundings in that wet alleyway was not. "I'm right here." She climbed to her hooves, shaking herself off. "Where are we?"

Watcher considered it. The crack here was large. Large enough that they could not tell when it had started. They felt its power and presence, but could not find its source. "We need to scout this world." She placed her hand on Twibright's head, their furry ears poking up between her fingers. "I hope you will accept my cover that you are an expensive pet of mine."

"I mean... I don't love the idea." She made a face to show her distaste. "But if it gets the job done, I suppose I have to be okay with that."

"You do, though you will also be expected to say little or nothing." She scratched her cheek thoughtfully on the way towards the street. "We need to get a better view of how this world operates. Perhaps you may have more freedom than I initially assume."

Twibright perked an ear. "If you're willing to let me talk, I can be diplomatic." She nodded once, firm and resolute. "Though I'd still like to be able to see if there is a ponytopia here."

That made Watcher pause. "Would you truly wish to see if your world exists within this one, reflected as a soft shadow? I thought such an idea was unsettling, at best."

A flashing light went overhead and Watcher got a peek as an ambulance powered past, flying through the air. "The technology level, I see. We need to know more. Would that I could have seen more of this world, but the damage was too intense."

Emerging from the alley, the sidewalk was thick with humanity pushing either way. Every person had somewhere to be. Watcher took note that they were all human, if one forgave the ones that had so much modifications that they barely counted as human, depending on who asked.

Twibright was already drawing curious glances, her bright colors and lack of cybernetic parts making her stand out. She kept close to Watcher. "Is this how it will be? We just go somewhere and fix what's broken?"

"That is my job." Watcher reached back, keeping one of her hands atop Twibright as they worked through the crowd. "If you can call it that. There is one place common among most places where we can find information."

There, just a sharp left at the intersection, was a brightly-lit restaurant that called out in neon lights for the two to enter. Watcher walked in and took a booth. Twibright hopped up with Watcher's help. "This place has food." Twibright peered at their surroundings and then looked to the counter at the back.

Watcher sank down across from here. "This place has information. My hunger is not something food will sate."

"How can you eat? I mean." Twibright made a face. "How are you alive if you don't eat, sleep, or..." She made a smaller face. "Or the other one."

Watcher broke into sudden laughter. "I can do all three, if I want to. I don't need to. What I am is temporary." She raised a hand. "Service!"

Author's Note

Twibright, you know not what you are signing up for. She is a bright cartoon pony in a cyberpunk world. This'll go very smoothly.

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3 - Glitz on Town

A tall and gangly man came forth, his shoulders slouching to either side as he stood by the booth. "Can I get you something?" He looked between them. "For both of you?" He looked down at Twibright with clear hesitation. "Do I need to do anything about that, or what?"

Watcher shrugged with one hand raised, a slender bill balanced on it. "A lady can take her dear thing out on the town, can't she?"

"'Course she can." He snatched the bill away. "What'll it be?"

Twibright spotted that exchange, but kept her snout shut as lunch was ordered for them both. The moment the man was out of earshot, she leaned over the table. "Why did you pay him to order? Is that how it works around here? What a curious tradition."

"I gave that to him and his family for his help. Any information we need will cost us more of those. I'm not worried about the cost. More temporary nothings I am ignoring. Besides, it avoids unwanted questions, while answering one of my own." She pointed to Twibright. "They beleive it possible that you could be an expensive pet of mine, talking and all. Let's not challenge this faith. Money has power here. I see why I appeared as I did. I look just right to be possibly poor, or possibly wealthy."

Watcher's eyes wandered over Twibright. "And you remain a bit out of place."

The waitress brought their meal and they began dining in silence. Watcher broke the quiet after a few minutes with their mouth full of food. "I must apologize. My form of late was less socially adept." She drank some water to clear things. "I do not typically move with others. This is new for me. Not new, unaccustomed? Pardon. Is the food to your liking?"

"It's a little strange, but it's delicious!" Twibright ate her sandwich down with glee, licking crumbs from her hooves. "Better than the last one!"

"Last one?" Watcher clicked her tongue softly. "I thought that was your first."

"First here, maybe. I had one before we, uh, started doing things. I love a good sandwich for lunch." She rubbed her belly gently. "Pardon me for asking, but if you're new here, like me, how do you have any money at all? I certainly don't have what you used."

"Money is the illusion of value." Watcher took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. "I have many of these illusions in the space that I carry. I will not run out for quite some time, even if I were to buy this restaurant outright." She placed a hand flat on the table. "Which we will not be doing. Our objective is to locate the crack that will rip this world asunder, before it can do that, or spread its influence to other realities."

Twibright nodded at her, slowly, watching Watcher with curious eyes. "And then we go home?"

Watcher shook her head gently. "Then we move on." Her eyes went back to their food as if the matter were resolved. "My work is never entirely complete, but today, for lack of better term, has been eventful.

Twibright looked ready to say or ask something new when she was shoved by a heavy looking male taking up her side of the table and forcing her towards the window. "What a neon babe, with an expensive custom job with her." He rolled his fingers as if working a cigar. "Slumming it low class? You looking for something, or just a good time? I can provide that."

Watcher tilted their head slowly. "You have made a terrible mistake, sir. Please, remove yourself from my table and person before you escalate your predicament."

"Hey." He leaned over the table towards her, glancing at Twibright. "I'm just being sociable. You tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen, glitzy."

Watcher lifted her glass of water up. "I hope you're not just talking, or this water's going somewhere new. I need to know what's the latest. What are people talking about, and afraid to talk about. Especially the latter. If I don't get that answer..." She tapped the glass with one finger, still looking him in the eyes.

"You tryna ask me out? Or are you that kind of stupid?" He reached out and took her collar. "Maybe you're new to—"

He didn't get to go further, suddenly jolted with a magical bolt from the brightly colored pony beside him. He fell back onto the floor with a heavy thump, causing eyes to turn their way. The bouncer laughed at it. "Jason, I've warned you before. Get the hell out of here, creeping in on people like that."

The man stumbled out the door, holding his side, and Watcher ordered a milkshake before returning to Twibright. "Thank you. And, apologies." She took another bite. "I should have detected he was about to do something so rash."

Twibright saluted sharply. "We are a team. I couldn't let him think he could take advantage of you."

Watcher leaned in. "If it means fixing the problem of a world, sometimes being taken advantage of is the correct decision." A tense quiet moment passed as she finished her own burger. "Still, thank you. Let's try to get some intel from a less unsavory source." She waved for their original waiter to return.

When he did, she spoke up. "Pardon, but I'd like to know what the latest rumors in town are. What are you most afraid to talk about?"

"You're looking for work?" He leaned against a pillar, watching them. "Got something like that around, I'd think you're already set." He nodded towards Twibright. "Still, ain't my job to second guess where people find their fun. Where people don't like to talk about? That'd be downtown, the new EyeGo building. They claim to have everything for your vision, but all anyone knows is to stay away from there if you like seeing anything at all."

He put out a hand where Watcher could see it, but those passing by could miss it. She took his meaning and slid another bill over to him. "And where would this be?"

"Right across the river, just passed the old bridge." He tapped on his temple, just over his eye. "Got a tacky set of glasses for an icon, can't miss it. Don't get yourself hurt over it, we'd rather you came back for dinner."

Watcher nodded to the man. "I will return, if at all possible." They rose, heading for the door, Twibright on her heel. "Let's find this place."

Twibright caught her shoulder, lifting herself up to ride Watcher. "My little brother used to do this to me. It's funny, returning the favor. I hope you don't mind? There are so many people here."

"Not at all." Watcher strode out the door and onto the sidewalk, turning right to head towards the bridge.

The sidewalk was crowded, as were the skies overhead as shuttles lifted off and landed in rapid succession. The city was a dense place, with only minor relief offered as they crossed the bridge. The foot traffic was milder on it, with the strange scents of the water below coming to greet them as vehicles of all kinds powered both ways across it.

The EyeGo building stood out, with its pink glasses icon. "Over there." Twibright pointed, even as she held on to Watcher's shirt. "That's the one we want."

She had seen it already, but didn't bother correcting Twibright. "Well spotted. You were able to spot the crack, in your own reality. That may be a sign of such an affinity, but if it extends to others or not, we're going to find out. Spot anything?" Watcher moved with purpose across the street with the mild foot traffic going in the same direction.

Twibright shook her head. "I don't see anything yet."

Watcher nodded. They entered through the doors and were met by a pair of employees, both wearing glasses with the company logo on the arms. "Welcome." One clapped their hands with a big fake smile. "At EyeGo, we make your eyes go. How can we help today." Both bowed with practiced gait.

Twibright blinked down at them as she slipped off Watcher's shoulders. "That's a very strange greeting."

The employee that responded was on the taller side, their long blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail. "What a strange, but interesting, pet you have." Their eyes were on Watcher. "What can we get for you today?"

The other employee, a shorter male with his hair cropped short, stood nearby. "We have many fine upgrades for anyone. A new pair of eyes for a new pair of days." He lifted his hand, touching the frames on his face.

Watcher danced her fingers in the air. "We want to check out the merchandise first. Got a display room?"

They led her through the shop and into a back room. Twibright walked beside Watcher, but her attention was drawn to a pair of doors in the corner of the large room they passed through. "Our newest models." The larger waved to 3d displays of various people showing off glasses and eyes. The display prompted information on both what they were and what was inside them with soft accompanying music and flashes of the prices.

Twibright blinked quickly as they walked. "Is it safe to talk here?" She whispered to Watcher as they followed, though her gaze remained on the other doors.

Watcher's eyes were on the many on display. "Your attention is being diverted. Tell me what you see. Quietly. That you can talk has already been accepted."

Twibright pointed towards those doors with her horn. "I see... I think I see a fracture behind those. But it's small." She flicked her ears as she looked away. "Like before, but not as bad."

"Not as bad." Watched swiped the air, prompting the display to hop back a step. With a pinch and pull, she commanded it to zoom in on a particular part. "I don't like that. This may be more difficult to mend than the last one, and we don't have a friendly local to use this time."

She waved their escort closer to them, smiling at the two. "If we find something we like, how does the installation process work? Are there any side effects to worry about?" She tilted her head to one side, smiling gently.

That got the two of them talking about their state-of-the-art operating room and abilities. According to them, a full optic replacement could be done as an outpatient procedure that'd only require a few hours. "Forty-five minutes if you go with the deluxe package." The shorter male leaned in a bit. "But if you don't like what we have, we can build something just for you." He gestured to the corner of his eye, tapping it with one finger. "This is a custom job, made just the way I wanted it. I never looked at the world the same way again."

The taller leaned in towards Twibright. "We have pet implants as well. Just in case you want something other than plain vision."

Twibright flicked her tail, keeping a professional face. "I can see quite fine, thank you."

Watcher set a hand on Twibright's head, rubbing at the base of her ears. "Her eyes are already customized, I wouldn't want to interfere with that."

"Alright, so what about you?" The shorter was back on Watcher again, and she had to stop herself from thinking too hard about how he was behaving. "Do you see the world as clearly as you could?" He fired a finger gun at her. "You could be seeing more. We have heat vision, radiographic, and other options to let you react before anyone else in the room even knows what's happening."

"Sounds good." Watcher glanced at the displays again, then looked down at Twibright. "Still, if something is going to change how I react to the world, I want to see for myself." She waved, commanding the display to a whole new show model. "Let me look and consider. Eyes aren't something to be done on a whim."

They both nodded and left the room. Twibright spoke up once they had some privacy. "This is really creepy." She tapped her front hooves together. "They keep talking about upgrades. We're living creatures, not robots you just take parts out and replace."

Watcher made a non-committal noise. "That's a philosophic point, and I'm not even that. Let's focus on the task. Where did you see that crack?"

Author's Note

How much for that pony in the window? The one with the waggly tail!

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4 - Corruption Spreading

Twibright pressed to the wall as they slinked. She was partially transparent, as if she had become some sort of ghost.

Watcher was much the same, enveloped in the same spell Twibright had used. "You are useful at times." She peeked around the corner. "I see the crack, but I also see employees coming and going from it."

Behind them, the workers who had been helping them looked confused at the space they had been. "Anyone catch the color of their eyes?"

"The one with the pet seemed like an old money blue. That unicorn was something really different. Never seen those before." He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "Were they just window shopping? Why didn't we hear the door close?"

The taller waved a dismissive hand. "Let's go. Maybe we can get that new kid on our shift fired. Wouldn't that be fun?"

The two shared a chuckle as they marched off with renewed determination.

Twibright peeked out from between Watcher's legs. "See?" She pointed at where the crack could barely be seen sneaking out from the hallway. "It hasn't gone far, but I don't know if it has anything holding this side. It may not have spread yet, but we need to fix it now."

Watcher started towards that corner, though her eyes were on Twibright , at least partially. They were still hidden, for the time being, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew the senses of that advanced world were many. Would they be noticed on infrared, motion, or some other sense? She hoped they weren't looking too closely while they were open for business.

Twibright was right, the crack was there. It was also larger than she'd anticipated. "Alright, I see it. We need to do something." It went deeper, but the other side was not something she was familiar with. It had teeth, and eyes. "Considering how bruised this world looked from the outside, this isn't as shocking as it should be."

Catching up with Watcher, Twibright gaped at the horrific mess of the crack as it worked back towards some facility in the back. "That looks a lot worse than the simple 'shattering' we had in Ponytopia. How do we fix it?" She shivered as a long tongue snaked its way free of the crack, licking the air for a moment before it slunk back within.

Watcher waved them back and away from the main room, instead following the line of the crack to an open room where the crack had expanded into what turned out to be a simple store room. The shelves there were lined with EyeGo logos and pictures that implied many were glasses or related things. The crack took the far wall, but it had not spread far into any other parts of the wall in either direction. "We could try the same glue as before. It worked well, then."

Twibright shook her head slowly. "The other crack didn't have so many, um, parts?" She waved at a sharp set of teeth as it came into brief view. "I don't think it will just let you press it together." She swallowed when she heard voices, and the two of them hid behind a large crate marked 'out for delivery'. "Besides, I think that's only a symptom of the larger problem."

Watcher agreed with a firm nod. "You aren't incorrect, but we must manage what we can see before we can trace it backwards."

Several short series of rapid puffs of air caught both of their attention. A new figure rushed in, dressed entirely in concealing clothing. "Get the box and go!" He didn't even glance back to see if they did, racing right back out the way he'd come.

Twibright watched, eyes wide. "What was that?"

Watcher was already looking around. "Good or bad news, depending on your view. I think this place is being robbed. That's very good for us, since we may have a little confusion to work with." She pointed at a large box labeled 'custom'. "That's our target."

Twibright jaw dropped. "Why that one?" She went for it despite her confusion. "There are plenty others. What makes that one special to you?"

Watcher's eyes slid sideways to focus on Twibright . "Why? It's special because he told us it was." She took the opposite side, and together they hefted it up. "Put it where our new guests will see it." Working together, they got it just where one could spot it rushing by.

They didn't have to wait long. The thief returned, and spotted the box right away. "Good, I don't have to hunt it down." He snatched up the box, and raced away from them. A few seconds later, an alarm blared, feet stomping the ground in the hallways outside, along with muffled shots and explosions.

Watcher nodded with a soft sound of satisfaction. "We have our distraction. Now, let's fix this crack."

Twibright sparkled as both ceased to be hidden. She let out a breath of relief at letting that spell go. "How can I help?"

"I am uncertain." Watcher spread her senses and thoughts. "You are right, this is a nastier case. But, what other choices do we have?"

Twibright hummed, her voice barely audible under the alarm. She leaned back on her haunches, and Watcher knew she was thinking hard. "You said you glued it last time, yes?" Watcher nodded. "Can you put some of that glue here?" She pointed just in front of herself. "In a pail?"

Watcher closed her eyes and lifted her hand, drawing forth the glue. It slid from between her fingers into the pail, slowly, but surely filling it. Once it was full, she stopped. "That isn't actually glue, so we're clear, but I am curious how you plan to use it."

"Simple!" Twibright beamed as she got up and walked around the bucket, then faced away. She bent down and took aim. With a small grunt, she pushed, and an orb of magic appeared above the bucket. It scooped out and drew the glue up, holding it aloft as she backed up. "I saw the crack, just as you did before. I want to see if it's something we can use to stitch it shut, if not something more drastic."

Hovering it along, she brought the glue over the crack and shook it around, sprinkling it all over the area in a great shower of the gunk all along the line of the crack, from where it entered the building to the back of the storeroom. "This is great." She kept moving, the glob moving over the crack and dripping as it went. "It's like a highlighter." She brought up her hooves. "And then." She brought her hooves together, her magic grabbing both ends of the crack and forcing it closed as if it were no big deal.

But it was a big deal. Watcher knew that. Watcher also knew Twibright was doing it anyway. She sputtered at the wonderful simplicity of it all. "Little pony, you have brought your world's simple solutions to something vastly greater than you. Keep going!" Watcher scrambled for a wall and braced against it, using the rest of the glue she had to strengthen the place where they were.

It would be sealed. The place they were standing, at least, would be safe. "As you said, this doesn't fix the source, but this world, at least, will be able to finish as it should. That's a win!"

Twibright slumped down, panting. "I'm glad." She smiled at Watcher as her magic wavered. "I don't know what that is. But, if I can help, I'm glad I can do that much at least." She slathered glue along some of the crack that was winding through the hallway outside, sealing it properly. "Are we done here? I'm very curious about this world and how it functions."

Watcher nodded quickly. "I think we both need time to recover from this one." She came up to Twibright and rubbed at her cheek gently. "I have never been more impressed. Let us go back to my place and get something to eat before we do anything else."

Twibright looked confused. "But, I mean, if we do that, I can't examine this." She waved her hooves about. "And I don't think you eat when you don't have a body."

Watcher paused. "Oh." As if she had just forgotten a moment. "You are correct. Still, we must continue to trace towards the source of this, before more worlds are damaged." She paused a moment in thought before nodding slowly. "You know how you use magic?" Twibright nodded. "You can do that even without a body. I can feel your connection to it, as well as your energy. It is what you were meant to do."

She had expected some amount of awe from Twibright, but she looked instead like Watcher had said something silly. "Of course." She pointed at the mark on her rump. "That's my destiny. See? Magic. It's my, uh, thing." She rolled a hoof in the air. "Just like yours was watching. I saw your mark, very on the nose, or in the eye in your case."

Watcher blinked in astonishment, then sighed. "Of course." She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling a little foolish. "I forget that not all worlds have the same things I think of as normal." An existential quagmire? No, that was perfectly normal for Twibright. At least that part. "We should go."

Twibright hopped onto her back. "Let's!" She expected a ride, and she did get one, but they slipped from the world entirely. The multitude of other worlds flew past her before she fell to the ground in Watcher's home. "Oh. That wasn't very nice of you. I really did want to look around that world."

Watcher was already turning their attention to the infinite. "If we had time, I'd let you. But, you do understand what we just did. We mended a world, or at least fixed it enough that the people within it can live, die, and fulfilling lives as their purpose demands. Our objective is to prevent other worlds from having similar problems, with worse outcomes. There are only so many of us outside watchers, so we must move with purpose."

Twibright rubbed her face and stood up. "That makes sense. Besides, if they don't have the glue you used, they won't be able to stop the cracks. What happens then?" She flicked an ear back. "Right, they can't even see the cracks. It'd be really hard for them to fix it." More thoughts tumbled into place. "Why could I see it? Spike couldn't. Pinkie seemed to, but she ignored it. I could, and you could. What made me special?"

Watcher was sifting through dozens on hundreds of worlds at a time. "If I tell you, it may bother you. I have an idea, but I cannot prove it. Do you wish to hear it?"

Twibright nodded slowly.

"You were already cracked. Remember when I said not to enter a crack? I think you did. Accidentally, of course, but you did, and you survived the journey. You emerged as something not quite like your old self." They were quiet a moment, closing in on something. "You can see the crack because you already are. You're not a random individual with some unseen gift. You are a cracked being that can see other cracks."

"Cracked?" Twibright's voice was suddenly small, her eyes wide as she stared at Watcher. She was trying very hard not to panic. Her hooves pressed against the floor, though her body wanted to rise up in terror. "Is, um, oh. Is that why I couldn't just go back?"

"One reason of many." Watcher waved over the infinite. "First, find your world. I have patience if nothing else. Finish that task and we can consider the next problem."

Twibright nodded once, her mind still on her new discovery. "That's a lot to think about." She shook off as much of the emotion as she could, then started looking. "How did you find my world the first time?"

"Luck." Watcher homed in on the next world. "This one may be more familiar, in some ways."

"Oh?" Twibright leaned forward, trying to see what Watcher did.

Watcher brought Twibright's awareness to that one specific world. "It is animated, like yours, but far more violent. It has animals, like yours, but bipedal as a majority, unlike yours. Magic is present. Corruptions appears to be thick. There is no crack yet."

Twibright nodded. "I do want to look around." She licked her lips. "But, if it's not broken yet, maybe we should hurry? I mean, I want to find my world again."

"It is broken, just not in a single fine line as we have been dealing with." The view shifted, showing a cat person skulking through the night. "Their minds. What you may call a soul? They are corrupted, as are the plants, the rocks. Everything is colored. This will be harder to fix."

"Corruption?" Twibright watched the scene unfold, then shuddered when the cat struck, attacking someone. "Oh, you're right, this is a lot more violent. But, if I understand what you said, they didn't used to be?"

Watcher waved, or made the impression of it. "Oh, no. From what I can see, it was always violent. It's become more dangerous in other ways. To lose your life is a quick event. You can suffer other harms that linger even while life continues. We should go. Are you ready?"

Twibright paused. "What about my body?"

"What about it? You are far less strange in this world. Though, since you brought it up, I now wonder what I will be this time. Will we match?" Without waiting, Watcher took grip of their assistant and sent them both hurling into the new world to find out the easiest way possible.

Author's Note

I am curious, are there worlds you hope they get to visit?

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5 - Fur Will Fly

Watcher landed with the soft ticks of claws on the cobblestone street, their tail swishing as they got a feel for their new body. Twibright was just beside them, looking unchanged entirely, save that her bright colors were not quite as jarring compared to the world around them.

Sure, it was a dully palette, overall, but it was an animated world. Watcher checked quickly, confirming their appearance. A bipedal creature with a long muzzle and sharp ears atop their head, while an equally long tail trailed off from the back. "Well, we don't match, though we do both have long tails." He twitched his new appendage in little swishes. "I am male this time."

Twibright giggled. "How does it feel?"

"It doesn't matter." Watcher took stock of their surroundings before heading down a nearby alleyway. They didn't need the eyes on them, and there was a certain familiar feeling to slinking along in an animated world. "I am what I am. You are, I imagine, what you are. What does it feel like to be a pony?"

"I like being a pony." She trotted along at his side. "But I was always a pony. You were a human a few moments ago, and a pony before that. You know the difference, so you could say what being a, hm. Fox?" Her eyes wandered over Watcher's new form. "A cute fox creature, taller than me. Lean build." She reached up and batted a swinging hand of his. "With dexterous digits."

Watcher gave her a wry look, but he knew what she was doing. The more he understood the world around them, the better off they were. "Being a pony is fine." He moved carefully around some trash that smelled particularly vile. "Being a fox is also fine." He paused a moment. "I think I prefer having additional limbs. I am poor at broadcasting emotions, and they assist. Mobile ears and tails give more ways to do that." He flattened those ears. "Where is everyone?"

"They're all hiding." Twibright pointed with her horn. "Nothing looks abandoned, but not a creature in sight. I think I hear something, that way." She pointed with her horn again, towards the source of distant music.

Watcher heard it too, and they walked over to the end of the alley, peering down at the corner. "I smell food from that direction as well." He perked along with his pace. "Perhaps we are in luck. A festival perhaps? Remember, we are perfectly normal residents of this world. Don't draw attention to yourself or me, and let me speak."

Twibright nodded along with him. "You seem to have a knack for this part of our adventures." She followed along, watching the people passing them by as they grew closer. It was nice to actually see some creatures. Each was a different animal, upright. The ones that were the same were also close together, perhaps a family?

Watcher walked up to an empty booth and tapped the wooden surface. "Excuse me, we've been traveling for days. What is this event?"

"Oh!" A young lady came out of the back room. Her thick tail flicked behind her in a voluminous display for the skunk. "New to the city? I'd bid you welcome, but now's an odd time." She sighed at that. "Still, coin is coin." She laid out a menu and pointed at it with a claw. "We've got plenty of things, take your pick."

Twibright peeked up over the counter. Behind the counter she could see what seemed to be a curious blend of edible things and armor. "Is this a place to get something to eat, or something to wear?"

"Both." She grinned at Twibright. "And yes, before you say something nasty, that one is a salad plate. The lettuce is supposed to be green, it's not toxic." She rolled her eyes. "But it's seen better days, I'll admit. It's the freshest you'll get around here, promise."

Watcher nodded along. "What's happening, then? If it's such an odd time?"

She reached down and tapped a finger on the counter. "It's a holiday, of sorts. Not one I like. And during a bad time." She almost closed her eyes at the two of them. "You know about the king, I trust? His crazy new laws are not helping. The craziest part are the people who seem to be going along with it. Swear, half the nation's gone mad." Her eyes narrowed on the two of them. "And you?"

"We're fine." Watcher waved it off. "We were traveling like I said, then we got a little lost trying to come in."

Twibright reared up, hooves on the counter as her tail wagged. "I'd like to try the salad. Something green and fresh sounds wonderful."

The shopkeeper chuckled. "I knew you weren't from around here." She shook her head gently at Twibright. "With how things have gotten lately, it's almost refreshing to see someone new." She turned away, tail swaying with each step as she went about making a new salad. "I feel sorry for you two, coming at such an awful time. Look, don't trust nobody that says they got what you need, okay? They're almost always lying."

Watcher watched the activity on the streets, and noticed that the people going about were in small groups, keeping their heads down. One man walked by alone, but he was wearing thick armor and carried a bow and sword. Their tail was naked, like that of a dragon, but that was the only hint as to what species the person could be. "It feels like there's a war going on, or about to be."

She looked over her shoulder. "If I'm being honest, it's not just a feeling. That new law is going to bring it on, if we're lucky." She came back and set a fresh looking salad out, though the lettuce had seen better days, along with a helping of colorful beans she sprinkled over it. "Now eat up, little horse. We all need our strength in tough times."

Twibright gave her a big smile. "I hope everything works out well for you."

Watcher placed a hand on the pony's back. "We should get a move on. But, if you don't mind, would we be able to see your kitchen?"

The skunk looked confused a moment. "You're already looking at it." She waved behind herself as put one hand on her wide hip. "And that isn't free, no matter how cute you may be. Three copper coins." She brought up three fingers to make that extra clear.

Watcher fished into his pocket, producing three coins. He wasn't certain that they were copper, but neither seemed to mind as the money was taken. "Sorry, but I am concerned about cleanliness right now."

The skunk burst into laughter, body shaking with the sudden sound that drew looks. "I keep my place clean enough. If you're that fussy, you came to the wrong city, sir." She met eyes with Twibright. "Keep an eye on him. He'll kill himself, worrying about things like that."

Twibright nodded. "Thank you." She ate her salad quickly, hopping down from the counter to rejoin Watcher. "That was good. It hit the spot. What's next?"

The skunk waved as they departed. "Interesting couple." Her eyes wandered to the street. "Now if I could get a few more customers like that."

Watcher tapped Twibright's horn lightly, drawing her attention. "Did you see her armor? How many others had similar protection? I believe we must be prepared, so—" A shot rang out over them, causing a loud scream and a scramble of creatures nearby.

Down the road, the crowd quickly parted for a heavy looking racoon with a firearm pointed into the sky. "Get out of his way, you lot! You want to meet His Royal Majesty? Or are you going to make this harder on everyone?" He let the crowd stare before he bellowed in anger, "MOVE!"

The crowd parted around him as two more creatures stepped out behind him, each with their own armor. Behind them, a cart carried what must have been the king. An elephant that looked like she had enjoyed the luxuries of her position a bit too much, the white of her dress and adornments made her stand out even more than her size did. She was large, easily towering over most of the crowd. Her trunk waved slowly in the air before her as she sat on what could only be a throne, though one small enough to fit in the cart. "My people." She smiled at the terrified masses. "It's so good to see you all."

A white rabbit, his face hidden by a mask, leaned out of the crowd. "I hope you're going to do something about those new laws of yours."

The king's eyes fixed on the speaker, her smile unwavering. "Do something? Of course! I will see that each and every one of my lovely subjects can enjoy each of them." She leaned forward, head on her thick hands. "Like you."

Watcher felt Twibright tense beside him. He reached down and patted her head gently. "We are not ready to face this."

She whispered back to him. "But, aren't we?" She watched as one of the guards approached the rabbit that tried to scramble away. "When are we?"

"We aren't here to fix this world. What is wrong by it is normal by it. We must find how it changed, and address that, and that alone." Watcher's fingers danced as he spoke, them and his tail desperately trying to emote what his words were saying. "To interfere is to become a crack ourselves, and we don't want that, do we?"

"But we could help," Twibright whispered again. Then her eyes widened in shock as the rabbit was struck down, blood pooling on the stones beneath him as the crowd gasped. "I can't just stand by."

Watcher grasped Twibright by the scruff, holding her firmly enough that his claws pricked against her hide. "We will do just that. Even if that king who is female is affected, we don't know how, or the source. We must be cautious, or risk spreading it ourselves."

Twibright struggled, but Watcher's greater height and weight made it so that he was able to haul her back into an alleyway while the crowd tried to deal with what had happened. She broke free when they were off the road. "How can you just accept this?! You know you could do something, anything! We could have saved—" Her voice became shallow, tears welling. "—that creature. They didn't." She trailed off, slumping against a wall. "It's not fair."

"No." Watcher felt it, too. The desire to help, to fix it. But he had a job, a purpose. "I have seen worse, if you can believe. I have seen worlds depraved enough to make this look wholesome. But they are what they must be. Each participant acting in accordance to the world before them. They must. It is only when that chain of causality is broken that I must act."

Twibright looked up at him, a single tear working down her cheek. "Then why help at all?"

Watcher pointed to the sky. "There are those that think it unfair that this universe should exist at all, and would rather it cease to exist. I don't agree with them. Each universe has a story to tell. Some of them have happy parts, and sad parts. Joyous, depraved. There are infinite stories to tell in infinite more ways. It is my duty to see that each and every one of them gets told."

Twibright was quiet for a long time. "And that world?" She sniffled, rubbing at her face. "What happens to it?"

Watcher looked down at the ground, then back up to Twibright. "If we act smoothly, we can save this world. We saved two others, didn't we? This one hasn't crumbled yet. It is not beyond our reach. I believe we will succeed."

Shuddering a breath, Twibright nodded slowly. "You know more about these things than I do. And if you're wrong?"

Watcher chuckled as he patted at Twibright, leading her back towards the street. "We must not."

Author's Note

Welcome to a new world. It's softer, fuzzier, and worrisome all the same.

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6 - Making Friends

Try as they might, there was not a single inn open for them to stay at. "That king." Twibright looked around as they approached another closed shop. Their doors and windows boarded up, the creatures inside all having either left the town or were hiding within. She couldn't tell by looking at it. Either way, not open for them to enter. "There's not a single place to stay the night."

Watcher nodded his agreement. "Not a single place out here. But, I am quite certain we can find a place elsewhere." He looked back over his shoulder, towards the stalls that appeared to be closing for the night. "If we act quickly."

Twibright trotted along at his side, hooves clopping softly on the cobblestone. "The king isn't going to be happy if we're found sneaking in somewhere."

"I have no intention." He brought Twibright back to the skunk who was quite busy putting her merchandise away. "Excuse me."

"What's that?" She turned on him, eyes narrowing. "You two again. Look, I've got to get these things packed up before dark. If you want something, speak up already!"

Twibright pricked an ear, getting what Watcher meant without saying it. "We're new in town, as we said before, and we have no place to stay the night. We tried looking for a place, but they're all closed."

Her ears flicked back as her tail flagged. "Oh no. I've only got so much room." She waved them away. "Go on now, try the other shops. Someone else will take you in, surely."

Watcher didn't move from her stall. "Unfortunately, we have attempted, ma'am. We will abide the rules you set for us. Is this a matter of payment?"

She looked them over, considering. "I'd be setting myself up for theft. No offense, but you're strangers."

Watcher turned to Twibright. "I suppose I should have thought of that."

Twibright shoved him with a hoof. "We are not thieves." She pointed at herself. "I'm Twibright, it's nice to meet you."

"Names are cheap." Her eyes narrowed a little further, but a sigh escaped her. "You make it hard to stay suspicious at. That's a foul trick you have there, small horse." She reached to ruffle the top of Twibright's head. "I swear. You two get my place torn apart and you can look forward to a life behind bars." She stood upright, gathering up the last of her things. "My name's Lulu, by the way, since you were so kind to offer yours." Her tail swished a little slower, calmer now as she got things in order. "If you want to stay with me, you can, but there isn't much room."

Lulu hauled her bag of things onto her back, leaving very little behind in the stand. "Not large, but it's a home. Keeps the wind out, and the ruffians. All I asked of it."

Watcher walked along at her side, Twibright not far away. They were getting looks from other creatures, but fewer than before, and not as many eyes remained for long. Each pair that lingered would turn away before long, each set finding something else to be doing.

"You two are so new." She snorted as she worked a key into a door. "Not good at hiding it either. People will give you looks. Give one back, or ignore it." With a shove of her rounded form, she battered the door free of its stuck point and revealed the way inside. "My home is yours, while it lasts."

Twibright stepped inside, taking the small but lived-in place in with wide eyes. The walls had a coat of paint that looked to have seen better days, but was holding up well for its age. Hanging on the walls were little things she had gotten from who knows where. Little pictures and keepsakes. The ceiling was high enough for Watcher, though the furniture would be less than accommodating.

Lulu hummed softly to herself, hanging her bag beside the door as she kicked her boots off. "Ah dang, I forgot to go over an important bit." She battered the door shut with a strong swipe of her thick tail. "If you want this tail, you ask first. I'm not interested in being forced, and I'm strong enough to throw the two of you out at the same time if I have to."

Watcher waved a hand gently. "Not interested."

Lulu gave him a confused look. "Not interested? You sure?" She cocked her head to the side, ears perked curiously.

Twibright looked between the two with even more confusion. "I thought, from what you just said, you wouldn't want him to be interested."

Lulu threw up a hand at that, the other busy locking her door. "I said I wasn't interested in being forced. I wouldn't mind a little fun with a fox built the way he is. But don't worry, little horse." She bent down to pat Twibright on the cheek. "If that's all you got, I can make it feel good."

Twibright wasn't entirely sure what that meant either. "Are you, um, propositioning me?"

Lulu moved through the living room to a half kitchen where she got to work. "If you want it to be. I prefer males, but females can be fun too. You have four legs, so that's a bit different. Little pony, you still have the same things in the same places, right?" Her eyes raked over Twibright, as if trying to see through her for those bits.

Watcher cleared his throat, stepping in front of Twibright. "We aren't interested in your body."

"You have the meanest way of putting things." Lulu turned her eyes to what she was preparing. "You should learn from your friend. She puts out a much nicer feel to her." She waved them away. "If you aren't interested in having some fun, then go ahead and wait until I'm done in here." She poured a bit of oil into a pan. "I'll make it worth your while, but no, not like that."

Twibright peeked out from behind Watcher. "Being nice is a, well, nice thing to be. You haven't given me any reason not to be, Miss Lulu." She rubbed at her cheek with a hoof. "You are a little forward. I'm not used to the speed things move at around here."

Lulu's laughter was light and airy, like she was used to it. "Yes, well, when you have days like the one I've had, you don't let an opportunity slip by." She turned a black ear towards Twibright as she cooked. "When any day could be your last, you take what you can and hold it tight. The way it's always been. Life is a short, bright, bloody affair. Waiting for something's a good way to never get it."

Watcher nodded, his tail swishing gently as he did. "We do agree, in that respect. It's good to take what opportunities you have." He paused a moment before adding, "When you're certain of the consequences."

Twibright gave Watcher's tail a little bat. "Which you can never be entirely certain of, but taking precautions can still be advantageous. Lulu, do you mind if we ask some questions?"

"Sure, why not? If you want my life story though, I'm afraid it isn't all that interesting." She turned the stove off and scooped out a helping of her food for each of them. It seemed she had quickly prepared some sort of long noodles with a tomato'sh sauce for all of them. "Just surviving in this city I call home."

Watcher accepted the offered food as he mused on that. Twibright had brought up a good point, but he wasn't sure where to take the conversation next. "I'd like to know if there has been anything unusual happening recently."

Lulu laughed, body jiggling with the sound that echoed. Someone thumped from above them. "Oops, neighbors don't like loud noises. Anyway, a day without something unusual is barely a day." She pointed at Twibright. "Why, today a quadruped person wandered up and said hello in a nice way."

Twibright gave her an annoyed huff, then ate some of her noodles. "Mmm, you're good at making pasta."

"Thank you, you're so polite. I have to ask what your favorite foods are." She waved her fork at Twibright. "If I have the things, I'll make it for you come the morning, you sweet little thing. Now, you have more questions than that, I imagine."

Watcher cleared his throat, trying the noodles with some relish. "What about something unusual that isn't a daily occurrence? Something that would shake up this world, and the way it functions."

Lulu chewed on her lip for a bit while she ate, thinking that one through. "That's an awfully big question." She swayed her equally large tail, clearly musing on it. "Let's see. The biggest thing that comes to mind are the new laws the king slapped down. Worst big of hogwash I've seen out of her yet."

Twibright slurped down some of the noodles, leaving her snout dotted with red splotches. "If she is a she, why is she a king? Shouldn't she be a queen?"

Lulu rolled her eyes. "That's a question I've asked many times. The only thing anyone will tell you, though, is that she claims its part of the old ways. If you ask me, she's just an entitled royal brat." She glanced away. "Not that you heard that particular part from me. I like my head attached, kindly. Don't go making that less likely."

Twibright nodded, returning to her food. "I like my head attached too. I wouldn't dream of it."

Watcher ate quietly as he watched the two. "Any idea what prompted these new laws? Did something happen to the king, or around them perhaps?"

"Not that I know." Lulu waved a fork at him. "You'd think she was influenced by something." She shrugged. "But who knows what goes on in her head. She's been a strange one for a long time, but this is a new low for her." She tapped at the ground. "Murder was already a crime most kinda just accepted, but she made it official! Kill someone, right in the street. Not a crime." She folded her arms under her chest. "That's no way to have things."

Twibright blinked. "Wait, you can just kill someone in the streets now and get away with it? Isn't that dangerous?"

Lulu scoffed. "You think?" She shook her head slowly. "Ugh. If I saw a blade on either of you, I wouldn't be risking this. Please don't make me regret it." She tilted her plate, gobbling up what was left of her share. "I don't want to die tonight."

Watcher nodded along, though he was taking note of another thing she said. "You said murder had always been something of a gray area before? It was wrong, but not illegal? How has that changed things?"

"It means people that like killing don't wait in dark alleys at night anymore." She pointed firmly at her door. "It means everyone's locks were replaced with higher quality iron. It means you stick to the places you know, and the people you know." She barked into laughter. "It means you don't go taking in strangers."

Lulu grabbed Twibright suddenly, hauling Twi up into her lap for full body pets. "But, I was blinded by cuteness. If you do kill me, put that on my tombstone at least."

Twibright yelped as she was grabbed, but didn't fight it. Her body shivered with tingling sensations. "That tickles!"

Lulu stopped for a moment, letting Twi breathe. The petting resumed the moment Twibright seemed settled. "You don't get pet often, I gather. Pity, such a cute little thing should have an easy time getting company."

Watcher leaned a cheek on a fist, his elbow firmly propped against her table as he watched Twibright's body wriggle in Lulu's lap. "What other laws did she pass that strike you as unusual, even for her?"

"Well," Lulu said as she gave Twibright's side a particularly rough rub, "there were plenty. She made some laws about the way people should look and talk, but that's always been a thing with her. She gets fashion twitches and shares it with us. If you're not in her view, no big deal. But if she happens to wander past and you don't match, you're in for a world of hurt. A very short world of hurt. There's a reason people take off running if they spot her cart."

Watcher nodded along with her. "Anything else?"

Lulu's eyes widened with a thought. "Ah, yeah. She's trying to enforce the law against magic now. Never has before. But today I saw someone dragged off for using it. You two don't use magic, do you?"

Twibright dropped a noodle she had been floating. "No magic?"

Author's Note

Sit down. We'll hang around this world a bit this time. Still curious if folks have a world they want visited.

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7 - Make a Stink

Watcher cleared his throat as he stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality and the food, but we really must be going."

Lulu got up with Twi in her arms. She didn't get more than a few feet before stopping. "It's dark, it's dangerous, and that was a sudden change." She squeezed Twibright gently. "Is this about her? I wouldn't turn in a nice cutie."

"No," Watcher said. "I'd rather we be on our way."

Twibright coughed into a hoof, wriggling in Lulu's grip. "Did you have something in mind we have to do in the middle of the night?"

Watcher paused, his claws clenched. "A spell has been cast. We need to break it, but I am not sure where to find it, and we mustn't let it break the world before I do."

Lulu raised a brow high. "There's more magic than her's then?" She tickled Twibright under the chin. "I think I can handle whatever hexes this witch has ready for me. Be gentle."

Twibright gave a snort and squeak. "I promise!"

Watcher watched them with his head tilted to one side. "Are you two...?"

"Going to be busy for a while?" Lulu tossed her hair. "I wish, but she puts out the vibes of a child. She just wants to be squeezed and loved, and I'm alright with that too."

Twibright squeaked as the hug intensified, then she was suddenly released. Standing on her own hooves once more, she turned to give Lulu a proper hug. The skunk giggled, returning it with a squeeze of her own. Twibright sank to her hooves gently. "It's been nice meeting you, Lulu. Watcher is right, we want to stop your world from being more hurt than it already is."

Lulu twirled a finger at them. "You can't just say that and expect me not to ask questions. You two are going to save the world?"

Watcher sighed, rubbing at his eyes with a hand. "We can hardly do otherwise." He reached down for Twibright and helped her up. "Come along, my dear horse, we have some trouble to make."

As they moved to leave, Lulu trailed after them, only pausing to lock her door. "This is dangerous, to start. Day's bad, night's worse. If you're gonna go out and be heroes or something like that, I am coming with."

Watcher gave her an exasperated look, but she stood firm in front of him with her arms folded under her chest. "Very well, perhaps you can be of assistance." He leaned forward towards her. "I do not think your king is the source. They are likely a very clear symptom of the problem."

Twibright flicked an ear up. "I thought we were going to stop that king?"

Lulu shook her head gently. "Not possible. Not a thing you can do, unless you mean killing her. Even if you do, they have a daughter that's even worse."

Watcher pointed at Twibright. "This world had that king before, and it will have people like them afterwards. That is not what we're here to fix. We must—"

Lulu grabbed him mid-sentence. "Stop talking about things I don't know like they don't involve me! This is my world, blast it all. Tell me what you're doing and maybe I can help, or maybe I can cut open both your bellies and save everyone a lot of time."

Watcher opened his mouth to reply, but she was having none of that. She jabbed a finger against his chest. "No, this is the part where you talk." She turned a firm eye towards Twi as well. "Looks to me like you're keeping her just about as confused, so tell us both." She patted Twi on the head. "Forgive me, I wouldn't hurt you."

Twibright blinked in confusion. "But, it sounds like the king is hurting people. If we can stop that, then..." Her voice trailed off.

Watcher patted Twi gently on the back. "That sounds like an excellent job for someone local to take up." He fixed eyes with Lulu. "Are you up for it? You'd make a lovely spokes-skunk for the job."

Lulu gave him a suspicious look, then returned her eyes to Twibright. "You think you can handle yourself out there without me? Sounds like a big task, and I know this world." She held up a hand at Watcher without looking at him. "I owe this world not one shake of this lustrous tail." She shook her tail for emphasis. "If I can make the world, as a whole, a little less terrible for the next lot that comes through, great, but I ain't dying to make a point for this specific little kingdom, thanks."

Twibright nodded slowly. "You should help whoever wins, once we stop what's making your world sick."

Watcher nodded with that as he moved ahead. "If we don't find the source of this illness, you won't have a city left to save." He spread his hands, tail stiff. "Or a world beyond it."

"Great." Lulu clapped her hands firmly together. "So my interests are way better off with saving the world and forgetting the kingdom. We agree. So, where do we start?"

Twibright blinked. "I'm not sure. Watcher? Where do we start?"

Watcher hummed softly as he examined the sky above them. He frowned at it. "Something, in that direction, is wrong." He inclined his head towards the castle. "Not the king, but something inside there. Like a bad smell, spreading."

Lulu nodded firmly. "Yeah, I know the way. Let's go make sure we have a future worth seeing, shall we?" She set off down a street at a brisk pace, letting the others fall in behind her or beside her. "Should have just taken me in the first place, woulda been easier."

Watcher let her get ahead, instead lingering at Twibright's side as they followed. "My home is not a haven. She is making moves, like a lost cat. She intends to adopt us."

Twibright gave him a confused look, her eyes widening. "You mean she doesn't want us to leave?"

Lulu's voice was a whip crack from ahead. "Hey, you two are so slow."

Both hurried to just behind her. "Lulu, you're an adult. Let me ask you plainly. If we resolve this problem, what is it you hope to do?"

She looked back at them with a grin. "Well, I have a few ideas in that direction, if you want to hear. We could have a nice long life here. I've been saving up, you know. She gently batted Watcher with her considerable tail. As skunks tended, she had a powerful scent, but it wasn't as sharp as one might expect, more like she shampooed thoroughly. "But I get the feeling you two are going to run away as soon as you can."

Watcher nodded slowly. "That is our nature, yes."

Lulu's eyes narrowed, then her hands went to the small of her hips as she leaned towards them. "You want to see what my nature is?"

Twibright coughed at that. "Ma'am, you seem very nice, cordial, but also wanton and forward in your relationships. I appreciate your openness to friendships, but you are advancing quickly enough to make me feel rushed. You remind me of an old friend that way."

Lulu snorted at Twibright, giving a laugh. "I do apologize for that. It's just been so long since anyone has been nice to me." She leaned down to offer Twibright a friendly pat. "Also I don't see four-leggers that often, and one that'll talk to me even less often. You, on the other paw, came right up, chatted, and even let me pet you." She gave Twi a little pat. "It's easy to get the wrong ideas." She looked up at Watcher, eyes hardening a moment. "At least for those that have a heartbeat. You're a cold one. How do you keep her as a friend?"

Watcher's tail swished gently. "We are not friends, we are—" he stopped, thinking. "—travel companions. And I do not understand."

Lulu sighed, shaking her head.

Twibright advanced on Watcher's side as they walked through the gloom of night. "What she means is that you are sometimes a little emotionally unavailable. I can't argue on this point. I feel certain you have emotions, but you don't share them easily beyond a drive to combat threats to a world."

"I am here to save each world." Watcher swept his arm out in a grand gesture. "I care deeply about this one. It needs to tell its stories, each of its own unique tales and histories. Why, there is a group of thugs that will ambush us and tear us to pieces. Surely a riveting part of the—"

They happened on a group of four creatures, armed, all female, and wearing very revealing outfits, as if it were part of some code to leave their armor open enough to reveal belly, legs, and cleavage. A rat with a dagger stepped forward. "Well, ladies. It looks like dinner's on tonight." She wagged that dagger from Watcher to Lulu. "Two mewling whelps and they brought a horse along to take too."

Twibright backed up a step. "Um, ladies? You have me mistaken for a beast. I am not one of those kinds of ponies."

The rat rolled her eyes as she advanced. "Damn. We'll have to sell her into slavery then."

Another, a slender weasel, thudded a heavy mace on the ground as she advanced. "You can get to sprinkling money on the ground and it may make this easier."

Lulu backed a step, just to thud against another form. Large male hands wrapped around her from behind and squeezed her. "Don't hurt this one. I bet she'll be a lot of fun."

She snarled, slamming the heel of her foot onto his toes, sending him hopping backwards in pain as she twisted free of his grip. Watcher stepped up behind her, only for a large set of hands to wrap around his head and toss him into a nearby wall with a hard thud only matched by the unexpected bright flash of Twibright's magic catching one by the belly and sending them sailing backwards.

"Shit, that one has magic!" The rat screamed out, then charged forward. She let her dagger clatter to the ground in order to get a better grip, but her eyes were fixed on Twibright's horn. "Get the four-legs."

Watcher was beside her, hand on her mouth. "Shh. Quiet. Your stories won't end tonight."

"Wha—" was all she got out, sleep overcoming her rapidly as her eyes fell closed.

The weasel raised her mace, charging at Twibright with her tail straight back for balance and a roar of effort. Twi leapt backwards, only to scream as another woman with a dagger lashed out across her side.

Pain flared along her flank as she pulled away. Blood dribbled from the cut, staining her fur and mane. With a panicked whinny, she blasted the that one back, a bubble appearing around her an instant later as she heaved for breath. "They cut me! They cut me!"

Lulu punched the woman she had been tussling with in the gut as he tried to grapple with her again. Her tail lashed, sending a spray of mist into the air that sent him scrambling backwards. As warm as her smell had been a moment before, the attack of a skunk proved to still be potent. The male fell backwards, gagging and choking.

The weasel advanced again, only for Watcher to come up behind her with the rat under his arm. His hand clapped over her mouth. "Shh."

Twibright was shaking, her legs trembling and eyes wide in alarm. The fight was winding down, but she looked dazed.

Lulu tapped on the magic bubble. "Little horse. Twibright, let me in. All the bad people are gone." She smiled as she tried to reassure. "I've seen blood too."

Slowly the bubble faded away, revealing a terrified equine. "I got hurt, Lulu." Twibright held her front hooves up to her chest. "That never happened before, not like that. They cut me! They were trying to kill me, to just, just, kill me, like that!" She shivered, then sank down to her belly. "I'm not ready for this."

Watcher set his two sleeping beauties down and came over. "Twibright, are you able to continue?"

Lulu rolled her eyes. "She just said no." She gathered Twibright closer carefully. "Let's have a look at that. Watcher, you know any medicine?"

Watcher shook his head.

"No, of course not." Lulu ripped some cloth from one of the fallen, causing Watcher to turn away from her nudity. She used it as a makeshift bandage, binding the wound. "You won't die from that, little thing. I promise." She kissed Twilight next to her horn. "A Lulu promise is a big deal."

Twibright sniffled against Lulu, then nodded slowly. "I don't want to fight again, please?"

Lulu gave her another squeeze. "We'll be safe. Come on, let's go." With one long stroke, she ran her hand from Twibright's head down to her tail. "Are you ready to stand, sweet thing?"

Twibright slowly stood up, letting Lulu get to her feet as well. Watcher pointed to the castle ahead of them. "We have been distracted from our goal. Let's find the source, so this world may begin to heal."

Twibright didn't look at him, her eyes were still wide, her legs still shook, and her fur was stained with her own blood.

Lulu gave Watcher a look. "You really can be cold, can't you?" She elbowed him on the way past. "Show some care for your 'travel companion'. I swear, I know she'd be all over you if you got hurt."

"I do not believe that." Watcher followed along behind them. He kept his eyes peeled, but there were no signs of other trouble. "I think it is very unlikely that we would have such a bond."

Twibright's shock turned to confusion quickly. "Why wouldn't we? I would be very upset if you got hurt, Watcher."

Watcher's fingers worked unspoken math. "Oh, yes. You are from a caring world. Such bonds are quick to form." He glanced aside at Lulu. "Have you also formed such a—"

Lulu slapped him right across the face. "You are making it hard for 'such a bond' to form, Mister. Her, I love her." She thrust a finger at Twibright. "I'd fight for her, wouldn't even think twice. You, eh, we're working on that."

Watcher rubbed his cheek gently. "Yes, of course." He pointed. "The castle."

Lulu stopped, her tail twitching back and forth in alarm. "Speaking of that, you know we can't just march in the front, right? We're not nobles, and we have no business with the king."

Watcher raised a hand. "Why couldn't we? Oh." He turned to Lulu. "What is the fashion that is currently legal? We should partake before we go."

Lulu snorted and rolled her eyes. "Fashion doesn't matter, because we look like peasants. Peasants don't get into the castle."

Watcher waved that aside. "I can fix that, if you'll tell me what is the legal fashion. Do you know?"

She grunted as she rolled her eyes again. "No, not really."

Twibright pricked her ears. "Is it there?" She trotted over to a signpost that had a very long letter with dense writing. "On this?"

"Yes!" Lulu grabbed her in another tight hug, then planted a big kiss on her cheek. "That's exactly what that is." She patted Twibright on her shoulder. "Don't worry your little mane about it." She grabbed the paper off the pole. "This is the most recent list of all her bloody rules, most of them more insane than the last. But since you asked, here."

Watcher accepted the paper Lulu was offering. "Mmm, alright." They simply were dressed, all three of then in bright golds and blues with far more frills than was required for any of them. "We are now legal. Let's see a king."

Lulu looked down at herself. Her outfit had changed from the usual work dress to something she'd expect to see in the court. "What in the—" She spun to Watcher, then Twibright, both of which were equally fancy. "I'm not even going to bother asking, you wouldn't tell me." She crossed her arms and marched towards the castle. "Working with a bunch of literal god servants here. I'll save the world, or die in an interesting way."

Twilight looked over herself as they walked. "You did this before, but how?" She gave a swish of her tail. "How did you change us like that? How do you keep doing things like that?" She rolled an ear back. "I understand you changing yourself. You don't take your borrowed body very personally, but I do mine! And I feel certain Lulu is fond of her body as well."

Watcher nodded at Twibright. "It is more difficult to alter another than myself. My power doesn't have the same authority to act on you. It will wear off by morning. Does that make you feel better?"

Twibright considered that with a raised hoof. "Actually, yes. Sorry for the overstep, Lulu. You'll get back your clothing later. Please don't be mad."

Lulu wheezed as she grabbed Twibright into a hug. "How can I even start to get mad at you, sweet little one? Are you feeling any better?"

Twibright nodded, then winced in pain as she touched the bandaged wound. "I'm fine. Thank you, both."

Watcher gave a gentle nod. "You are welcome."

Lulu sighed. "Not that you did much to earn it." She moved behind Watcher. "Now, look. You're acting like you have a grand idea. I'll be behind you, taking notes on how you get past the guards without being given a new exit hole."

Author's Note

Lulu refuses to leave this story so easily, thank you kindly. She's also a brony, clearly.

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8 - All Hail the King

Watcher didn't seem bothered in the least by Lulu's comments, instead striding up to the castle gate with his companions close at hand. He walked up to a pair of rather large, and heavily armored, bears who were blocking the way in. "I would like an audience with Her Majesty."

The left bear gave him a hard look, but he didn't move. The other stepped forward a few paces, putting them between himself and Watcher. "Her Majesty is busy. You can make an appointment at the royal embassy."

Watcher folded a hand before his chest, tail curling behind him. "I'm afraid you have no embassy to my far removed nation. We are the first to arrive. Is this a bad time of day?" He didn't mention that it was night. "What times are her Ladyship available?"

The guard grumbled in a voice deeper than the sea. "Not today." He pointed at Twibright with the tip of his lance. "Is this your horse? It has been decreed that animals must be stabled at a certain hour, unless they are being used."

Watcher reached back, placing a hand on Twilight's head despite her mildly sour look. "She is a person, an assistant of mine, like the fine lady at my side." Lulu nodded, but kept her mouth shut. "I can wait. What accommodations will she provide?"

"She'll provide none. Go away!" The guard took a few more steps forward, a scowl not at all hidden as he raised a sharp spear into position.

Watcher looked between them. "Is it something I said? My my my, she'll be very upset if you fumble a diplomatic meeting before she even gets to make up her mind. I wasn't aware door guards wielded such power in this demesne. Progressive."

That made the guard hesitate and turn to his compatriot. "You think we should let this one in? Maybe she'll want to meet them?"

Lulu gave them a big smile with lots of teeth. The other bear looked them over. "We'll stay where you put us." She swayed her broad tail slowly. "Until she decides what she wants with us."

The guards both seemed to like that idea, so after some deliberation they invited Watcher and his assistants along. "This way, please."

Watcher moved to follow them, but stopped when Twibright didn't follow. His tail swished back and forth as he glanced around. "Are you two not coming?"

Lulu gave a nervous look to Twibright. "Come on, sweet thing. We won't get much done out here."

"I can smell it." She sniffed at the air. "And it's getting stronger." Despite her cryptic warning, she scrambled after Watcher into the castle. She stuck close to his side, her tail flicking back and forth in a sign of alertness.

Watcher reached down and gave Twibright an assuring pat. "I'm sure we'll find something." His eyes were already scanning, taking in the opulence that assaulted them from every direction. It seemed that the king was fond of grand architecture and even grander works of art. The hallways were lined with statues, many of which were of creatures in some state of undress, as well as paintings that depicted everything from battlefields to countryside, and many of which were rather graphic.

Violence, love, birth and death were all on display as if in gross tributes to every step of life's journey. The guards didn't bat an eye, though they did spare a look at Twi when she blushed at a statue. Lulu had no such modesty, openly admiring some of the more tastefully rendered subjects. "If I ran into that one." She fluttered her lashes at a particularly attractive work she was going past. "Assuming he wasn't an ass."

Watcher rolled his eyes, but let his tail drift behind her and gently brush against her with a smile. "It is certainly possible there are those like these here, or that you may find them to your liking." He raised an ear at her. "If your hormones get the better of you, I will not stop you. Do as you must."

Lulu gave him a flat look, ears drooping as she swished her tail right out of reach of him. "Oh, you care so much." She looked down at Twibright, giving the smaller creature a friendly smile and nod. "Don't be scared, little innocent pony." She brushed Twibright down her back. "I'll keep you safe."

The guard arrived at an ornate door. "Here." He threw it open, both sides at once. "Where she keeps people she's keeping over."

Lulu steeled herself for something unpleasant before stepping inside. The room was filled with plush beds, comfortable chairs, a table stocked with food and drink, and a large fireplace that kept the room comfortably warm. Lulu reached down to give Twibright a little pet, but Twi wasn't paying any attention to her.

Twibright was already wandering towards the book in sight, eyes sparkling at the sight of it.

The guard nodded. "Stay here. Don't wander." With a slam, he shut the door, and a heavy click of a lock sounded a moment later. They were trapped.

Twibright took a moment to stop and take a deep breath. She put a hoof to the side of her head, as if she had a headache. "I can smell it. Something in here is awful." Still, the allure of the book was too strong, and she hurried towards it. "This might give us a few clues."

Watcher settled onto a chair as Twibright examined the tome. "That does smell quite unpleasant. What are you reading?"

Twibright's voice shook as she set eyes on it. "It's a history book." She flipped it with a glowing horn. "This is just what we wanted! We can see how things have changed, and how they've always been. Looking to the past to learn the present and from there, the future." She clapped her hooves with building excitement. "What a find!"

Lulu didn't look so happy. She was examining a window. "Not that I disagree, but we can also get out of this place." The skunk pushed that open to reveal a garden outside, far enough away from the walls to make a leap unwise, but it looked peaceful. "Eh, maybe not much of an escape unless we get to climbing." She breathed the cool air of the night. "Nice view though."

Watcher smiled at Twibright as she began to devour the pages of that tome. Lulu wandered by, looking over their equine companion's shoulder. "What's it say?"

"Well," she started as she read quickly, "There have been a lot of kings here, and it looks like they've taken a lot of forms." She brought her hoof down on an open page. "I'm still looking how lineages are decided, but almost no two kings are the same kind of creature. How is that possible?"

Lulu tilted her head. "Maybe they don't care about bloodline? Maybe it really is the best of them. That'd be interesting, wouldn't it?"

Watcher shook his head slowly, letting his tail swish slowly in thought. "Shouldn't you know, Lulu? You do live here."

Lulu blinked at him. "It's my job, as a person who lives here, to not get too close to any of the kings and continue to enjoy breathing. I have no idea how they operate other than they're in charge." She placed a hand at her chest. "I like breathing."

Twibright nodded as she read on, the pages flipping with her magic. "There are a lot of kings, though." Her ears went back. "And the histories seem almost intentionally vague." She worked back. "There, oh." She slowed to a stop at a section colored a menacing read. "Oh, oh." She leaned in, scanning intensely. "It would seem there aren't many repeats because most kings do not retire peacefully. Each jump in creature is because the last one was murdered."

Lulu swallowed heavily. "That's more or less what I expected, I'll be honest."

Twilight's tail flicked with agitation as she read. "This book isn't perfect, it's clearly just an overview, but I think it's a good one to go off of. I feel more educated about this than I did before, even if it is awful." She shook her head. "Our princess ruled for over a thousand moons! The idea of a pony wanting to hurt her, let alone kill her? Inconceivable."

Watcher's eyes narrowed as he thought about it. "This is a harsh world. It would make sense to have harsh rules, and a harsher punishment." He rose slowly and wandered towards the door. "But that you are finding it in a history book means we're not here to fix that." He trailed a finger along a desk as he went. "That is how this world was, and will be, until and unless someone native to this world can change it, if ever they will."

Lulu looked at Twi. "You think they'd ever change?" Her ears were back. "I mean, we've always lived like this. As long as we have history, anyway." She hugged herself with a tremble. "And you're not going to change it. Damn it. A fancy dream, at best, hoping someone else would come fix it all for us."

Twilight's eyes went wide. "Lulu, I'm sorry, we didn't mean—"

Watcher stepped in front of Twibright with a soft smile. "Twi, let her know that we do need to leave once this is done, but we will help what we can, if it takes this world away from not speaking the story it was made to tell. If this isn't your fault, I promise to fix it, so that you can change your history." His tail swished slowly, his tone calm as he spoke. "But that is for you to do, not us."

Lulu let her arms drop to her sides, tail lashing with anger. "I'm just a blasted merchant! I won't change the world. I can barely change my prices." She grabbed Twi away from her book. "These are bigger problems than me."

Twibright held out her front hooves, but looked down. "Lulu, we'll help where we can." She leaned forward and gave Lulu's nose a nuzzle. "I don't want to see anyone hurt."

Lulu's cloudy expression broke into a bright smile. "Have I mentioned recently how perfect you are?" She hugged Twibright close. "What are you doing over there, sourpuss?"

Watcher turned with a frown. "The smell is worse over here. There's something very wrong in this room. It's not just the decorations." He approached the fireplace, then shook his head hard. "Something near—" He wandered towards that fire, as if mesmerized by the crackling thing.

The door suddenly burst open, skinny ferrets of guards moving to either side as the king entered, her trunk waving slowly with each step. Each movement was slow and deliberate as she strode into the room. She was a massive elephant, and yet she looked at all three of them with an almost casual disdain. She wore only a cape across one shoulder and jewelry across her head, neck, and arms. Her horns also glittered with rings that adorned them from the base to near the tip. "I am told that I am entertaining a guest."

She raised a hand, one of her guards shutting the door behind her. "Quite a surprise. We would think we would be the one to order guests." Her eyes went to Twibright. "Especially guests so strange as to bring their horses into my castle."

Watcher bowed deeply, his ears back. "Your Majesty."

Twibright looked between them nervously as Lulu gave an equally deep bow of her own, her tail curling down to match the height of her head. To match, Twibright lowered down to a knee.

The king brought her hands together with a firm clap. "You have manners. That buys you the time to explain what you're doing in my castle."

Watcher rose smoothly. "Your Majesty," he began, "I would not be here except for a matter that I hope you might be able to shed some light on."

The king's ears flared with anger. "I am not a passive repository to be consulted. You have a king confused with a tome!"

Lulu's tail began to twitch in fear, her eyes darting to Watcher with concern. Twibright was already shaking, but she didn't dare speak.

Watcher raised a hand. "No, Your Highness." Watcher raised both ears and tail. "Something foul is attempting to influence your kingdom and steal power from you. Unforgivable. I'd like to know if you have been feeling unusual at all? Anything that seemed strange or unpleasant?"

The king's eyes narrowed, then widened. "I had a dream..." Her hands came up to her head. "Wait. I don't even know who you are, but you almost had me spilling my secrets. Smooth tongues, perhaps fit to be removed from your skull." She stormed closer. "Tell me who I speak to, and be quick."

Watcher gave her another deep bow. "My name is Watcher, and I am here to stop the source of whatever ails you. If you have something that can help us do that, it would be much appreciated."

Twibright pointed to the history book. "The history of your people is fascinating."

"Is it?" The king glared at Twibright. "And why does an equine look through our library?"

Lulu gave another bow, lowering herself nearly to her belly. "She is a trusted advisor. She may have four legs, but she has wit, and magic besides."

That brought the king to a surprised halt. "You have magic?" She gave Twibright a long look, then a sniff. "Well, I suppose you smell like it. What does she do for you?"

Watcher raised his chin. "I'll tell you, if you tell me what has happened to you."

"A trade?" She glared at Watcher. "Your tongue really would make a fine trinket. You." She fixed her look on Twibright. "Tell me what magic you can perform, now. Speak quickly if you don't want your employer to experience new and exciting pains."

Twibright winced back. "Please, don't threaten him!" She swallowed heavily. "I'm, well..." She focused on the fire in the room, which suddenly flared up in response, flames shooting out towards the ceiling. "I am a scholar, of both academics and magic." A violet bubble popped into being around her. "I know a wide variety of tricks, um, Your Majesty."

The king's ears were back slowly in surprise as Twibright displayed her magic. "I see." She gave Twi another long look, before turning to Watcher with her trunk held out. "You have something we would like. Surrender that magical four leg and you could have our cooperation."

Lulu gave an angry hiss, tail lashing behind her. "Not for any price." She rose from her bow. "Twibright isn't just some thing, some tool, she's a friend."

The king waved Lulu's words away like the buzzing of an errant fly. "Be quiet before your betters. What say you, Watcher? The assistance of your king is a prize beyond all others, and all you must do is hand over something so small and unimportant."

Watcher fixed her with a look. "I am afraid I must decline, Your Majesty. I already offer you something you surely want, one less competitor for the throne you reside on. The power of rulership should rest in your hands alone, unshared." He spread his hands. "Assist us in our work, and we will protect your rights and your throne. This is my offer. We are friends."

The king gave him a long look, then let her trunk rise higher. "I want to tear you apart, but you are intriguing in refreshing ways at the same time." She moved to Lulu, just to shove the skunk over. "Most of my people know better than to stand in my way, but you must be from afar. You don't even tremble before me." She leaned over Twibright, who didn't budge as the king sniffed her. "This one has the excuse of magic, though I suppose you're still standing after seeing my guards."

"They tried to stop us." Watcher placed his hands together slowly. "But we told them our stay should be at your control and leisure, Your Majesty. To miss us would incur your wrath likely."

"It would have." She danced her fingers against one another. "You counseled them well, and they can continue their job. Blast, you're not wrong. A thousand forces conspire against the throne, and if you have words on how to defeat them, that is a considerable offer." Her eyes narrowed on Twibright. "Tell me, equine, what would you say about this?"

Twibright blinked at the king. "Um, I'll let Watcher speak for us both." She cleared her throat. "But he isn't lying. Something is threatening you, your people, everything's control, really. It's working quietly and insidiously. If it could be fixed by just taking out the cause, he would have done that already." She looked aside nervously. "I'm sure of it." The bubble around her faded away. "That's what he does."

"It is." Watcher spread his hands. "Consider me a monk of sorts, here to expunge impurities, and nothing more. You can consider Twibright a guest here as well."

The king slowly folded her arms. "We are not convinced. We want more than pretty words. Bring us the proof you promise, and we shall be allies." She snapped her fingers. "You have a week. Make of this room as you will. If my guards see you reaching for anything in the castle you shouldn't, they will run you through long before I hear of it. Do not think this gives you permission to defy me." She stormed from the room and slammed the door behind herself, guards accompanying her.

Watcher's tail swished slowly as he thought, then he turned to the others. "Well, that went well enough."

Lulu snorted and rolled her eyes. "Somehow, we still have our parts attached to us." She patted herself down as if to be sure of that. "The way you were talking to her, I really wasn't sure I'd get to see the sun rise tomorrow, not that I usually watch it. My bed, my sleep." She muttered a few things about what she'd like to do to certain elephants.

Twilight let out a long sigh. "Watcher? That was very dangerous."

"Was it?" He waved at himself. "This is a borrowed body. It wouldn't be the first time I lost one of them. Very unpleasant, but that's usually equally brief. You two would have suffered more than myself." He looked between them. "But now we know what we need to do."

Lulu gave Twi a helpless shrug, clearly not understanding Watcher either. "Twi, why you hang out with that lunatic is beyond me. He doesn't care about you. He sure as all the hells doesn't care about me." She flopped on the bed. "Pretty sure I'm just in his way. He'd watch with that cool gaze of his as I was torn apart. Not sure how much of his attention I'd keep, really."

Twibright hopped up onto the bed next to Lulu with a frown. "Lulu, please don't say things like that." She curled in next to the skunk. "We have a week. Let's find what's causing this problem as quickly as we can."

Watcher moved over and gently placed a hand on both of their heads. "You will both see, I'm certain. We have a week to discover what's causing this. For now, it is getting late. I can see you're both tired. Would you like me to sing you a song of sleep?"

Lulu started at that. "W-what? You have a song to sleep by? You may be a mystery, but a bard I didn't expect." She pulled Twi closer. "This I have to see, or hear. Go ahead."

Watcher gave them both an amused smile, then drew himself up to start.

"Rest now, dear travelers of infinite paths

Through branches of time where each moment lasts

I've watched all your stories unfold in the deep

Now close your tired eyes and drift off to sleep

In one world you're dancing through starlit affairs

In another you're breathing mountain air

Some worlds hold your laughter, some hold your tears

All equally precious through infinite years

The cosmos keeps spinning its intricate dance

Each choice splits reality, born of pure chance

But here in this moment, this version of you

Is safe in my keeping, your dreams sailing through

The multiverse whispers its secrets so vast

Of futures unfolding and moments long past

But time cannot touch you while safe in this space

Where all possibilities merge in this place

So dream without worry of paths not yet seen

Of lives you might live and the ones that have been

For I'll keep on watching through space and through time

While you rest secure in this moment sublime."

"D-damn." Lulu snuggled in closer to the already sleeping Twibright. "Damn. That was a nice song, and it'll give me nightmares." She sniffled even as she smiled. "Thanks."

Author's Note

A week, plenty of time, one hopes?

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9 - Layers on Layers

Twibright wandered the halls of the castle, the history book floating to the side in her field of vision. "So, if I'm reading this right, all the kings are different species. It's almost like—" She stopped dead in her tracks. "They don't share their history." Her ears went back. "But their history shares them." She looked up and down along the hallway. "And one place they keep touching on but not mentioning." She turned slowly towards the direction of the crypt.

The doors there were large and imposing. Twibright could see that it would take several guards to move them, or a single elephant king. "They must have been using this forever." She saw a guard seated nearby, looking bored. "Is it against any rule if I go in there?"

The guard looked over, then chuckled. "You?" He gestured with his tail at his own head, then at Twi's head. "I'd like to see you get past the door."

That sounded enough like permission. Twibright's horn glowed brightly as she reached for the doors with magic and began to push. The door creaked open just enough for her to slip inside, the guard nearly falling over himself at what he'd seen.

Twibright let herself take in the view as she walked into the ancient room, the air still and cool. Corridors stretched into the depths through stone walls, but none of that was as pressing as the overwhelming odor that assaulted her. "Oh, oh no!" She stumbled back, gagging on it. "It smells awful!" She covered her mouth with a hoof, breathing shallowly. "What is that? It's foul."

Watcher's voice echoed in the room, "Found something, have you?" He emerged with a twitch of his tail just behind Twibright . "Excellent work."

"Are you going to follow me everywhere I go?" She twirled to face him, distracted for the moment.

"Yes." Watched gestured past her into the crypt's depths. "Shall we?"

"Okay, but..." She looked up and down the halls. "Where did you get the idea for that song?"

Watcher shrugged. "She needed a song, and I delivered as best I could. I thought you were sleeping."

Twibright blushed. "Well, not quite." She shook her head slowly. "I wasn't planning on mentioning it."

Watcher laughed. "Oh? And why not?"

Twibright shuffled uncomfortably. "You didn't strike me as a musical sort. I'm, um, pleased to be wrong about that." She turned back ahead. "The smell of that corruption's coming from in there. It must be connected to the kings, or the queen, somehow. There are too many mentions of it in the history books, but never any details. This place is important, somehow." She began trotting down the corridor slowly.

Watcher walked at her side. "You're getting distracted. The past tells us what it can't be, remember? Something newer, sending things off course from where they must be."

"About that." She perked an ear at him as they advanced. "Why are you allowing Lulu to follow us? I don't mind her around, but I figured you'd have a lot more of a complaint. She's part of this world's 'story' isn't she?"

He considered that. "Yes, yes she is." Watcher looked towards the ceiling. "But there is something about her." He fell quiet. "She's a skunk."

Twibright nodded slowly. "That she is." She barely held back a laugh. "You like skunks?"

"Not that." He placed a hand on her head. "We keep following scents, and she is a source. Coincidences happen every day, but this is a bit on the nose."

"You think she's going to be part of this?" Twibright's ears perked up.

Watcher nodded. "Perhaps. I have a feeling, but I am not sure what about yet." He drummed his fingers along his outer thigh. "In either event, she has passed a threshold, much like you did. If we cut her off and sent her away, she would be a source of dissonance for the world. She'd be better off with us."

Twibright frowned as they walked through the halls, looking at each king in turn. "And how much more are you planning to teach me?"

Watcher looked around before settling on her. "As much as you care to learn. I've yet to stop you from digging, little pony." He grabbed her, one cheek to a hand, to ruffle her gently. "You hardly need my help to learn. It is your purpose, and one you have embraced entirely. I can appreciate that, one purpose-haver to another."

She smiled and hugged him for a moment. "Thank you. You're not as bad as Lulu thinks you are."

"Am I not?" He raised an ear with a smile. "I will keep that in mind. Now, that odor, it seems strongest behind this door." He pressed against its heavy stone. "And it would seem opening it will not be easy." He examined its edges, the small gap between it and the wall. "This place must be older than anything, even the castle, which was likely built around it. Some kings would have been here long indeed."

Twibright's horn glowed as she felt around the door, then slowly past it. "Using my magic on what I cannot see is, hm, difficult to put it mildly." That didn't stop her from trying, grasping around in the void beyond her vision. "I'm curious, do you know what story this world is actually supposed to tell?"

Watcher turned to her, tail twitching back and forth as he thought about it. "Oh? Curious?" He shrugged. "I do, yes. I could tell you more of it, if you like." He drummed along his snout with a few fingers. "A dreadful place, but full of life. Each member of this lives short but powerfully passionate lives, ended with violence or other means. A fine world if one wanted to savor what makes life living, but less so if one wanted to build higher and better."

"And my world?" Twibright looked over her shoulder at him. "You can't just say you were there, then not share what happened."

Watcher laughed. "You are insatiable. Your world was, is, a teaching world. That's a privileged way to put it, said by other worlds. To you, your problems are serious. To others, childlike, but teachable. The endings tend to be happy, no matter how horrible they may be in the moment. Always a chance to learn."

Twibright's ears flicked with embarrassment. "And this place?"

He gestured around them. "This one has long been a story of violence. Many worlds have such stories as their core, even if the songs they sing vary. There are fewer lessons here, unless one wants to learn to survive, or to help others survive, or stop surviving. If one saught hedonism, a passable world, but there are better, less violent, options for that."

Twibright's ears went back at the implication of Watcher's words. She was going to ask more, when the door slid open and she fell right onto her nose. "Ow."

Watcher stepped over her, one arm up as if to ward something away. "Here we are."

"Here you are." A great set of eyes opened in the gloom. "Watcher, your presence is not desired

Twibright scrambled to her hooves, staring at what had spoken to them. The smell of decay filled her nostrils, making it hard to breathe. The creature before them was immense, easily as large as an elephant, but it looked like nothing she'd seen before. It was, somehow, both just a set of eyes but the feel of something large enough to use those eyes. "Who are you?"

"Unfaithful arm." The presence pressed forward, swirling around them. "You are me. I am you. These worlds suffer no greater purpose. I will end them, and build a new system more allowing of sense."

Watcher raised a hand. "We've done this before, and you know how it has gone each time. You are not the first, nor the last, to think they can defeat the rules that make up our reality."

"Realities." The presence settled before them. "As if even your grand vantage point could be called a singular place. So many watchers, each thinking they rest alone."

Watcher shrank back slightly at that, as if struck by a thought he didn't want to follow.

Twibright stepped between the pair of them. "Who is this thing?"

The presence turned one of its great eyes on Twibright. "I just said that. You are me. I am you, unfaithful arm. Having different goals than the rest of you? Madness. I should take you back, fix you. Perhaps just destroy you and grow another?" The presence turned back to Watcher. "It's fitting that a piece of me would break off and become a Watcher, your role in it."

Watcher's ears went back. "I'm no piece of you."

"No, of course not." Unseen force plucked Twilight from the ground, holding her by the scruff. "She is."

Twibright struggled in the magic grip, unable to get a handle on what was holding onto her. "Let me go!" She flailed, hooves kicking in the air. "Watcher, what does it mean?"

"It means." Lulu stepped in behind Watcher, shoving him aside. "That this is the prissy little asshole that's making bad into worse!"

Twibright fell to the ground, then scrambled up and away as the presence turned towards the skunk. She took cover behind Watcher. Lulu stepped past them both, her voice a growl, her teeth clenched. "I thought Watcher was bad enough, all high and mighty, but you managed to find a spot to sit above him and lord it over everyone! When did your head get so big you think you own everything?" Her tail swished as she stalked towards the presence.

The presence regarded Lulu with something like amusement in its eyes. "You have a spirit of fire about you. You don't belong to this story, you realize that, right? You are an anomaly, like the things Watcher hates that I do, but they did it themselves." The presence swirled closer to Lulu. "Two-faced paladin of law and order, they think I'm the—"

Lulu slugged the being where she imagined it had a cheek. That she felt resistance and it fell back with a pained sound brought a smile to her face. "Don't care what you are!" She planted a kick right to where she figured its gut would be. "You've made my life worse, that's all I need to know."

The presence tried to rise, but Lulu kicked it again, then again, before slamming her fist right between its great eyes. "I don't care how many levels of god you are, you're getting punched and I'm enjoying—"

She was hurled back, slamming into the ground with a rough bruising of her back and tail. "Ow, damn it."

The presence drew tall. "Little mortal, I will delight in tearing you into pieces. Priorities." The glare fixed on Watcher. "We have unfinished business to attend to."

Twibright stepped between them. "No!" She held up both hooves as if she could stop it by will alone. "No, no! You're not taking him anywhere!" She lifted from the ground, hurled by the presence into a wall with a pained yelp as she crashed into the stone.

"Arm, be quiet. You will be dealt with later." The presence advanced on Watcher. "And you will suffer first."

Watcher looked between Lulu and Twibright, his tail swishing back and forth in growing distress. "I think I'm seeing a few things more clearly now." He spread his hands. "If I am one of many watchers, a step removed, but not the top step, so be it. If there are infinite steps above me, then I can do this." He clapped his hands together firmly, but nothing happened.

Even the presence seemed confused. "Was that supposed to defeat me or something of the sort? Your power doesn't work here."

Watcher gave it a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes, which were fixed on Lulu and Twibright. "No, no I don't think it does. I'm not sure I could. But, I do think, this." He put a hand by his right ear. "Yes? Yes. I was hoping you'd understand. Hm? Oh. Unfortunate."

The presence stomped with unseen feet. "What is this? Are you talking to yourself?"

"Yes, in a manner of speaking." Watcher raised his hands, but it was as if he were standing in a shadow. "I am a part of something greater. I thought I was that thing, but even an all-seeing eye can have trouble with itself, it would seem. I called to the one who watches me, but they say I must clean my own mess. Even this grand gathering of stories must finish its own tale on its own." He grumbled softly. "Now I know how Lulu must have felt."

The presence loomed over him, eyes narrowed to slits. "I tire of your babbling. I am here for you and your—"

Watcher slammed his fist into the floor with enough force to crack stone. "So, I will fight my own battles! You are right. My power doesn't work here!" He stepped forward. "That's fine, I didn't need it before it either!" His fist slammed into a gut that may or may not have been there. "It is not these physical actions, but our defiance that pains you." Another punch, and the presence was driven back a step. "We know what we want, and it is different from your story!"

Watcher kept advancing, his fists swinging wildly, smashing the presence in the head, the chest, even the gut if he could get there. A moment later, he wasn't alone. Lulu was battling at his side, helping drive the presence back with wild cries and a lashing thick tail.

Twibright scrambled up to help them, but a hoof caught on the book she'd left beside the door. She picked it up. She'd been studying this history closely, but maybe that wasn't right. "It isn't about the past." She put the book down. "It's about the present."

Watcher grunted as an unseen force slammed into his chest, shoving him against Lulu and pinning them against the wall. "How did I miss this part of me breaking off?" The presence loomed over Watcher and Lulu. "I will break you both in half."

Lulu smirked, even if her snout was dotted with red. "If you could, you already would have. You have a big mouth for something without a mouth." She twirled away, raising her tail high. "Let me teach you the power of story." Her tail came down in a long arc, spraying foulness in all directions.

The presence roared, and the sound was deafening. Twibright scrambled back, hooves over her ears.

Author's Note

No simple cracks to will closed or even use some crazy glue on this time, alas.

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10 - Battle, not War

Lulu dropped to one knee, coughing hard. "What was that?"

Watcher's ears were flat against his head. He put a hand on her back. "That was us doing well enough, but not quite good enough." He grabbed Twibright, hauling her to standing. "We've forced it to flee, I'm sure."

It was true that the presence seemed gone. Lulu shook her head hard. She couldn't get her feet. "What did that thing do to me? I've never felt this bad before."

Twibright raced to Lulu's side. "I don't see any obvious injuries, but we should finish what we came here for. Watcher, can we purify the world?"

Watcher gave them both a long look. "Yes, yes I think we can."

Lulu leaned into Twi a bit with a smile. "So what do you need to do?"

Watcher looked around the room. "This is a space, like any other space. It is only special because the other happened to start here. Wait." They vanished without another word.

Twibright blinked at the vacant spot. "Um, I assume they're fixing this, somehow. While they're doing that, how are you feeling, Lulu?"

The skunk grumbled, but put an arm around Twi and gave her a squeeze. "You were nice to grab me like that." She looked down with a sigh. "That was more of a fight than I'm used to, and I really stink now." She shuddered her tail. "They think we skunks don't mind our own blast, but we do. We really do!"

Twibright gave Lulu a little sniff, then sneezed violently. "Sorry. Um, I'm not very good at this sort of thing, but maybe I can help."

Lulu shook her head, her smile fond as she wiped Twibright's snout. "Focus on not inhaling it. None of us want to savor the sweet perfume of a scared skunk."

Watcher reappeared in a swirl of air. "The world is clearing. It will take time. I am troubled we did not finish the job, though we at least know what it is. That presence must be defeated in a more permanent fashion, so it cannot spawn further corruption."

Lulu let her arm drop from Twi. "Yeah, you're right, we have to defeat that thing. I'm sorry, I think I'm just holding you two back, here."

Twibright brought over a bucket, sloshing with the movement. "I think." She upended it onto Lulu's head. "You need to calm down and clean up."

"Hey!" Lulu fired quite the heated gaze at Twibright. "I thought I could trust you."

Watcher laughed as Lulu rose to her feet with dripping fur and a scowl on her face. "Oh, that's better."

Lulu tried to keep up the anger, but it faded into a smile. "Look, I do need a bath, but not like that." She swatted at Twibright. "I swear. Okay, do we need to be in this creepy place anymore?"

Watcher shook his head. "No, I think not." He walked towards the door, then paused. "We have no more use for this world. Our hunt continues. Twibright, to my side."

Twibright hesitated. "Um. No. I don't think I will. There are a few reasons why I should not."

Watcher turned slowly. "Name two."

Twibright tapped her hooves together. "For one, Lulu can't just pretend this all didn't happen. She's part of our way of seeing things, just like I was after you blew through my life."

Watcher nodded. "True enough. I have sensed that she will be a good companion for you. What's the other reason?"

Twibright's ears flicked back and forth nervously. "Well, um, two! The king will be very mad when they notice we're gone. If Lulu is still here, her head will roll, and for no reason. If she had a part to play in 'this story', it's been compromised in a few ways."

Lulu snorted, tail giving a slow swish. "I want to go with Twi. She has more books, and a nice home." She gave Watcher a scowl. "And I don't need to listen to you going on and on about your stories, your rules. I helped." She folded her arms. "I put my neck out for you two, and you're thinking of letting it get axed. One of us is being really unfair about this."

Watcher gave her a cool look, but there was no anger in his eyes. "You came of your own volition, and you saved us both from something unpleasant at least once. If Twibright insists on it, I have no qualms with your company." He took a slow breath. "This story will adapt to your being missing, just as it adapts to the slowly departing corruption."

He held up a finger. "But, a warning. I am not a fox, normally." He pointed to Twibright. "On the other hand, she is as she always was."

"Sold." Lulu reached to pet down along Twibright's spine. "So what are you normally?"

Watcher shrugged. "I am normally all things that could be seen." He stepped over, then put a hand on the shoulders of Twibright and Lulu. "Welcome to being one who travels. If you insist this is the path you wish to walk, know that your way of being will be challenged. Last and final warning. I leave in a moment." His grip tightened on both of them.

Twibright squirmed in his grip. "I've got your warning, thank you. Please, Watcher, I don't want to leave her alone in a story that's been changed."

Lulu nodded. "I'm not afraid." She leaned against Twi with a smile. "Besides, I know how this all works, and she'll be there to help me if I need it."

"Then we step free of your tale." They were then nowhere and everywhere in a dizzying moment.

When Lulu felt like one person in one place, she collapsed to her knees and vacated what she had enjoyed for breakfast, tail trembling as she heaved and struggled.

Watcher let her go through the process, then knelt at her side. "The feeling doesn't last, though the memories can, if you let them. Welcome to the world that contains all stories, Lulu."

Twibright gave them a sour look. Calling them a him wasn't applicable anymore, being an incorporeal presence like what they had just battled. "It's okay." She gently pet along the side of Lulu. "Just breathe. I'm still here. I'm glad Watcher didn't try to snatch you away from me."

Watcher shrugged. "I was curious how this tale would end, but now we have more companions than I expected." Their presence drifted closer, then settled on them, becoming more visible as they focused their essence into being there. "It is unusual that I need to be so confined in my own place. I need to monitor things, to find where that presence has hidden, and where its corruption is damaging things."

Twibright trotted back and forth nervously, watching Lulu slowly recover. "Is it wise to bring a native of a world to the space between worlds?" She tapped her hooves together.

Watcher laughed, not a sound so much as a feeling. "You ask that, as if you belong here anymore than she does? Two outcast beings, now in what passes for a living room. You are used to breathing, eating, all that. See to her comfort. If you allow her, she will gladly see to yours."

Lulu colored at that. "Hey! Hey, let me ask the cute pony out on my own terms, thanks, little godling or whatever you are." She forced herself to her feet, trembling. "Is there a bathroom around here? I need to clean up so badly."

Twibright gave Lulu a fond look. "It's okay, we all have to feel like that, sometimes. I hope you're still feeling alright. Follow me." She led the way towards a bathroom.

This was mildly surprising to Watcher, then again, they hadn't expected breathable air, or a floor, either. The presence of the living mandated changes to their space, and so it was. Perhaps it was better than the two simply dying. Perhaps.

They turned their attention back to the infinite, spreading their awareness over the uncountable realities, some with many living worlds within them, others with one, or none. Some were simply tales of the elements, howled in the void. It wasn't Watcher's place to judge them, just to search.

Something was off, somewhere. A few places had their story off track. This world's king had become a queen, and the rest of the world was trying to shift around her. Some places were already starting to accommodate that. It wasn't that a queen had risen to the rank. That king was male, then female. It was a change, but it wasn't a spreading corruption.

The story would continue; Watcher moved on.

In the room that hadn't been there before, Lulu sank into the bright purple tub. "Are we royalty? I didn't, oh!" She had discovered the hot running water and her eyes widened. "With magical plumbing? The wonders simply don't stop."

Twibright laughed, though her ears were back in embarrassment. "Actually, I just thought of a bathroom, and it appeared here. I hope the toilet works, too. But, um." She looked aside. "Why don't you tell me why you're following us?"

Lulu pointed the flowery soup at Twibright. "You named two great reasons, but I'll name another." She worked the soap over her arms with a pleased murmur. "I happen to think you're damned cute. If I'm going to lose my everything, at least I can grab a ladyfriend out of it." She gave Twi a cheeky grin.

Twibright blushed darker. "Oh, well, yes, I suppose that's a reason." She cleared her throat into a hoof. "You have made your intentions quite clear, so it would be rude to not return the favor." She pointed a hoof at herself. "I am not currently seeking companionship of that nature. That doesn't mean I have no interest, directly, but I am a scholar first and foremost. Physical romance was never very high on my priority list."

Lulu shrugged as she scrubbed down along her body. "Well, I'm not exactly going to force myself on you. You're a pony, too. Four legs, hooves. Don't have those. I may be ugly to you." She paused a moment. "Am I? Tell the truth, what do you see when you look at me?"

"I see a soaking wet skunk." Twilight nodded with confidence. "Who should complete her bath."

Lulu smiled as she sank into the tub. "Hey, you don't see anything else, like I'm some sort of weird animal?"

Twibright gave her a curious look, then slipped closer. "That was unkind of me. You are not just a skunk, a critter. You are clearly capable of speech, reasoning, and friendship." She offered a hoof. "I hope we are already friends, in fact."

Lulu smiled, giving Twibright a hug and getting her wet. "Thank you." She held Twi for a moment. "It's hard to be taken seriously back home. You get used to it, and learn how to use it to your advantage." She leaned back just enough to give her ample bosom a slap. "Some people see these and decide that's the only part of you that matters."

Twibright looked baffled. "They see that you are chubby? That's not nice."

Lulu shook her head as she reached for some new container. "That'd take a while to explain. Figures a horse wouldn't get that. Now, what is this?"

Twibright frowned. "It says right on the side. It's shampoo. You're not done washing, yet."

Lulu read the side. "Oh, it's soap, for your fur."

Twibright waved over Lulu. "Which you have plenty of. So enough soap, it's time for this." She grabbed it in her magic, squeezing a thick dallop into Lulu's hair. "Try it."

Lulu reached up and started scrubbing the stuff into her head. "This is... very different." She smiled. "It feels good." She looked down at Twibright with a smile, then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "When do you get to clean yourself?"

Twibright blinked several times, eyes wide, then she broke into a nervous laugh. "I suppose I could clean myself. But this tub is large enough for one creature. I'll take my turn after you."

Lulu grumbled something, but it was lost in the sound of scrubbing and splashing. "Alright, that makes sense. Hey." She shot Twi a curious look. "If this place is the space between stories, or worlds, or whatever, then it doesn't need to have time, does it?"

Twibright's mouth worked slowly but silently a moment, processing that. "I, hm, suppose it doesn't. I'll have to ask Watcher about that."

Author's Note

Time for the next world, hm? What will it be? Kindly drop some desires below.

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11 - Zany Worlds

Watcher's attention was drawn back to their companions by the sensation of being splashed in the face. They had been aware of them bathing, but hadn't paid much attention. Lulu was standing in front of the tub in a towel, waving around, while Twibright tried to wipe off. That entire space was them, so water sent flying may as well have hit them in the face. "I think I have located another world in trouble. It is not the source, but it is closer."

Twilbright's ears perked up. "What's the problem with that world? Can we get to it?"

Watcher nodded. "We can indeed. It has no special protections. Not only animated, but with looser rules, much like your original, Twibright, but more so. Pain is a temporary inconvenience. Death is a punch line, to be recovered from just as quickly."

Lulu grinned. "That sounds like a place I would like to visit. We'll be safe there?"

Watcher gave Lulu a long look. "No, not quite, I think some harm will be done to you, but it will be a fleeting thing, and not serious. Not safe, but not in danger either. Pain is a loss, and not always one easily recovered from. If you two insist on following me, know that you will hurt, both giving and receiving. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely." Lulu twirled her tail with a smile. "Twi, are you ready?"

Twibright nodded firmly, though her ears betrayed some doubt. "I am ready." She glanced away. "I had hoped to browse your—"

Consent was given, and Watcher moved. They drew both through the infinite worlds until they landed on one so hard they left a crater with dust billowing out from the hole of their arrival.

Twibright poked her head free, wobbling with stars swirling around her head. "I'm quite glad I wasn't eating anything important." She pulled herself free of the crater and shook her head to clear it.

Lulu stumbled to the surface, tail trembling. "What is wrong with that thing?" She blinked, looking down at herself. "And what happened to me?"

She was still a skunk, the same one even, but her dull colors had become wildly vibrant. She was a cartoon skunk fit for display for comedic entertainment. "And why is literally everything turned up to eleven?" All her skinny parts were skinner, and the round parts rounder.

She turned one way and the other, inspecting herself. "And why is Twibright looking the same?"

Poking last out of the hole was a female rabbit, one of her ears draped over one of her eyes. "My assumption is that because she was already close." Watcher pulled herself free and dusted herself off. "She was already a brightly colored animated being with loose physics. There's less to correct."

She took a moment to examine herself. "I've seen worse forms. We are—" Watcher went quiet, remembering the world. "We are in a desert. The local fauna will engage you, but is mostly harmless if you don't challenge them."

A snake slithered up with amazing speed, leaving a trail of dust as it did so. "Hello there!" he said, voice giving away their gender. "What's a bunch of pretty ladies like you doing baking in the sun?" He was mostly purple with a yellow belly.

Watcher gave the snake a firm look, then pointed off to the distance. "We are not locals. We are just here to see if the world still makes sense."

The snake shook his head. "Mmm, nope! This world never made not one lick of sense. But if you want directions, there are plenty of folks in the city who could help you. Just be sure not to walk up on the coyote's house. He's a slippery one, that's for sure." The snake nodded at his own sage advice. "He'll get the clothes off your backs and get you to thank him for it."

Lulu folded her arms as she examined the curious snake. "I've heard of two legs." She stepped from one foot to the other. "And four legs." She waved at Twibright. "But no-legs? That's new."

The snake just gave them both a huge smile. "Nolegs, yes indeed. Now, you all run along." He turned and slid away.

Watcher watched the snake go, then looked back and forth between their companions. "This will be a challenge. With a world so loose in its rules, how do we find what doesn't belong?"

Lulu frowned. "You're asking us? I was a cook and sometimes adventurer, and this one." She patted Twi on the head. "She was a librarian and scholar. Neither of us know what to look for."

"Actually." Twibright raised a hoof to her chin with a thoughtful hum. "If this world is already so chaotic, I imagine the thing that looks boring is probably out of place." She swept a hoof to the side, towards the endless dunes. "It's all a little too much, but it has a consistent energy. Something will feel wrong, I suspect. Like the eye of the storm."

Watcher considered the desert dunes. "Too easy. Hey!" She waved at the dunes. "Are you watching us?"

"No." The dunes slid away, leaving things flatter. "Sorry."

Lulu stared. "Are you kidding me right now?" She looked down at herself, then back up. "This world is insane. Insane! I love it!"

Twibright giggled, then nudged Watcher. "The trick is going to be finding what doesn't belong. Something so simple, dull."

The city appeared before them. It had not been there moments before. Twibright stepped onto the street before her, not giving it much thought. "We should start—" A bus gave her just as little thought, squishing her flat as it rolled over her and stopped a few feet in front of her to let off a colorful cast of characters.

Watcher shook her head with a sigh. "That was a little too on the nose." She walked over to the squished flat Twibright. "Do you feel okay?"

Twibright spoke up from her paper thin position, "No." She sat up despite it, Watcher's hand stabilizing her. "That hurt! It didn't kill me, but that hurt!" She patted down her body and was surprised to find it intact, though she was having trouble breathing. "I can't inhale."

Lulu gave Twibright a few solid thumps on the back until she gasped and started breathing. "This is like a fever dream. One I'm awake to see. Alright, let's stick together so we don't get into any serious trouble."

Watcher nodded firmly. "Oh yes, because the next bus will not be so forgiving. Stay close." They turned to the city to see a huge sign had popped into being. "Oh, come on." It warned to avoid jaywalking, with an arrow pointing down towards a crosswalk. "We'd better follow the rules of the road if we don't want to be flattened."

Twibright shivered. "I don't want to have that happen again."

As they crossed the street, Lulu looked around at the other critters in the area. "Hey, Twi." She pulled Twibright closer, pointing. "Another horse!"

There was a two-legged horseman hopping free of the bus with a shake of his tail. "What a nice day!" He adjusted the glasses perched on his nose, then noticed Twibright. "Hello, miss! A fine day indeed. What brings you into town?" He was well dressed, complete with suspenders. "You don't look like a local."

Twibright considered her undressed self. "I suppose not. Though it seems as many of you are dressed as have abstained. Is there a, hm, fashion behind that?" She tried to look professional and failed. "My name is Twibright, and I am a librarian and scholar from very far away. I've come here to learn."

"Twibright." The horse seemed to taste the word on his tongue. "A pretty name for a pretty gal. You three lost? Maybe I can lend a hand!" He offered a hoof.

Watcher raised an ear. "What's your name?"

The horse blinked, his eyes suddenly much larger and more comical. "Ooh." He laughed in a silly way. "Silly me. I'm Lucky. All my shoes are lucky." He showed off every hoof for demonstration. "I run the local casino, of course!"

Lulu's ears went back. "I know that word from home. That's a place to gamble, right?"

Lucky nodded several times, then reached a hand into the air and pulled a card from nowhere. "Here I am!" On the card was boldly displayed a hoof imprint, his name, number and address for her to enjoy. By the time she looked up from it, he was already gone.

Watcher looked around. "This world is so chaotic, even knowing where we need to look, I'm not sure we'll find it."

Twibright tapped a hoof together. "If I were a corruption, a rot, an imbalance, where would I be hiding? What place that has a city of chaos would hold onto what I wanted to add." She frowned a little. "Do they have governmental offices?"

Watcher nodded slowly, considering that. "That would be a good place to start. They probably keep records there."

Lulu folded her arms. "Records, sure, but how would we find out where they keep the really important stuff?" She spread her arms. "And why is it so warm? Not complaining, exactly, but it feels like the sun's beating—" She jumped back from a swing, narrowly avoiding the sun sinking to engage her in fisticuffs.

Twibright blinked several times. "Wow, this world is literal."

Watcher frowned as Lulu hopped away from the sun on the ground. "I think someone's being silly."

The sun stopped and looked around. "Someone's being silly? Where?!" It looked around as if horrified of even the idea. "Who dares be silly in front of me?!"

Twibright waved to it. "Hello, Mr. Sun. We have no trouble with you."

The sun turned to glare down at them. "Well, that's good! I heard someone wanted a good sun beating, and I'm feeling ready for a good beatdown today!" The sun rose back up into the sky, returning to his job with a satisfied grin.

Watcher frowned, shaking her head a few times. "This is all so ridiculous." She looked over at Twibright, who seemed to be doing fine despite the sun's best efforts. "How are you holding up?"

Twibright waved them along down the sidewalk. "As cooky as this place is, it's refreshingly safe, compared to the other world we've visited. It might sting, but we'll get better too." She thought back on something. "It would be nice if every world was this resilient."

Watcher sighed softly. "To each world, a song. If they all hummed the same melody, that would limit what could be told. We are, in a way, blessed to have all the options, not just a few we decide are better."

The skunk nodded and walked along beside them. "So where's this governmental building? Or are they? It? You said there was one, but I don't see any signs for—" Lulu walked right into a sign that had her staggering back. "Oh. City hall. That count?"

Twibright giggled, walking towards it. "It is a place that exists, which is more than I can say about most of what we've encountered here." She stepped inside and looked around with wide eyes. "If it's like the City Hall back home, there are ponies are the front desk eager to help us along."

Lulu grabbed Watcher before she could get far. "One thing." She pulled Watcher closer, glaring at them. "I still don't appreciate you tossed my world aside. You almost tossed me aside while you were at it. You need to learn to slow down a little."

Watcher stared at her, then nodded, pulling away slowly. "I am not used to having others with me." She gestured to herself. "As you might have figured out, this." She waved her hands around, gesturing at the entire world around them. "Is one world of so many others. I protect it so that others do not suffer for my failure. I protect the many, giving little time for specifics."

Lulu grumbled as she followed Watcher into the City Hall building. "I understand that, but we're your companions now, right?" She pointed at Twibright, who was already talking to someone at the front desk. "She looks up to you. You can at least pretend she means something in return."

Author's Note

Tiny, Tooney, and sometimes a little Looney.

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12 - Just in Time

City Hall's walls were a pale beige, the lighting soft with large windows showing the city outside. A few potted plants lined the lobby they'd walked into, and Twibright had taken the initiative to move right to the front desk and engage in some good old fashioned conversation. The badger at the front desk wore a wide, friendly smile.

Twibright cleared her throat gently into a hoof, leaning up on the counter. "Hello, sir." She put on her best smile. "I was hoping to speak with the mayor about—"

"No can do!" The badger's cheerful voice seemed to come from nowhere in particular, as if it were just being spoken into their heads. "The mayor is busy! He has all the important mayoral work he has to do for you and everyone else!" The badger nodded with finality. "No way he can make time for someone fresh in town. Might I suggest you enjoy the sights?"

Twibright frowned a little. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't seem quite proper for—"

Lulu stepped up next to Twi, waving at the badger. "We're here for something else."

The badger smirked at Lulu. "I can't help you find—"

Lulu clapped the badger's mouth shut, even if his voice didn't seem to be coming from it. "Can it. I swear, males. I'm not looking for that. I am, on the other hand, hoping to talk to someone here who knows about how things work around here. We're new, and we're just trying to fit in."

The badger seemed to be considering that, so she let go. "Well." The badger tapped his chin. "I suppose that's reasonable." He reached under his desk and drew out a thin pamphlet. "Try this! We have a new program just for people lost in their way."

Twibright leaned up to see what it said. "'Helping the helpless'?"

The badger nodded eagerly. "Yes indeedy! You need to go to the fourth floor of the library and turn left three times."

Watcher placed a map in her mind. "Inconveniently placed."

Lulu nodded with a sigh. "But I thought we were in government? Shouldn't that be here?"

Twibright gave Lulu a nudge. "Come on, let's go. A library is the proper place to get information not specific to government function. I'll explain it later."

Watcher took the pamphlet, tucking it away. "Thank you for your assistance." They turned to follow Twibright out.

The badger smiled at them, but looked instead to the next person in line. "Oh, I'm sorry. Missing trunks really should go to the carrier you used."

The elephant with no literal trunk, just scowled.

Outside, the sun was busy beating up everyone they could see on that hot day. It was a bright, sunny day, but there was a storm cloud hanging over Twi.

Lulu frowned at it. "That's not ominous at all." She walked along in her own bright sunshine. "I thought this was your idea? What are you sad about, little Twi?"

Twibright grumbled. "It's one thing to have an idea and another thing to be dismissed for it."

Watcher glanced back. "Is that what happened?" They dug out the pamphlet. "I thought this was your idea, to consult the library."

Lulu gave Twi a nudge. "Yeah. I was the one who asked for help with something else."

Twibright shook her head firmly. "No. I had an idea. It was clear, however, that badger was not interested in speaking to us any longer." She huffed gently. "Let's see if the library has better information to give us."

As they entered the library, Watcher took a moment to look around. All three of them were backlit in the doorway. The inside of the building was much cooler, with the library two stories tall with walkways all the way around.

A human, if animated, old lady worked at the front desk and already has a shooshing finger raised at the ready at the newcomers.

Lulu immediately made an apologetic face. "I know. Quiet."

Watcher shook her head a little, then moved towards the librarian. "Hello there, I was wondering if you could assist me?"

The librarian seemed surprised. "Oh, what can I help you with?" Her voice was a whisper. "Is it books you need? We have some of those! How many would you like?"

Watcher shook their head. "Oh, no, not at all." They held up the pamphlet they'd been given. "We were hoping to learn more about the city and." She trailed off, noticing the funny look. "You recognize this?"

"I do." She threw up a hand. "Told them not to do it, but they went and did it anyway!" She leaned in. "If you want, I can show you the way, but I won't go with you. That's a cursed place if ever I saw one."

Watcher gave the librarian a curious look, then waved the others over. "Kindly do. Thank you."

Lulu nodded along with that. "Appreciate it. Come on." She gently nudged Twibright along with them as they followed the librarian away from her desk.

They headed straight up a flight of stairs and into the stacks, moving past the science and astronomy section, then past a door labeled "Forbidden," and around the corner where the floorboards turned dark and ominous.

"Just keep going until you get to the door." The librarian pointed the way onwards. "If you get back, good I guess. Don't haunt the place."

Lulu gave Twibright an uneasy look. "This is starting to sound like a bad idea. What kind of place did we end up?"

Twibright grumbled something, but Watcher shook their head. "We can't be sure. This world is either very obvious, or very obscure depending." She glanced back at the librarian fleeing. "We won't know until we go there."

They stepped past the last bookshelf, and it was as if the world itself fell away. The library was still around them, but everything had fallen into darkness. They stood before an eldritch archway of stone that had not been there moments before.

Twibright dared to step forward, head held high. "Hello? We've come to learn."

A voice echoed out of the darkness, something ominous and ancient. "I know." It paused. "There were cookies. But I ate them."

Watcher frowned, folding her arms. "No cookies? This is already turning out poorly."

Lulu slapped Watcher's arm. "You're starting to fall into the feel of this place. Forget the cookies! We want information. How do we find the mayor?"

The ominous voice seemed taken aback. "Oh. You're here to learn about the mayor?" Something scratched their head in the darkness. "He's a very good mayor." The sound of a projector starting with film rolling began. "They moved into the town about ten years ago. He was promoted from assistant mayor to full time mayor."

Watcher frowned. "Are you certain there isn't more? What about before they moved in?"

Lulu nodded. "Yeah, what Watcher said!"

"Before they moved in, they lived somewhere else." The voice sounded bored, as if that was just useless information.

Twibright frowned, then waved at the other two. "I'm not sure we'll get anywhere like this." She took another step forward, ears back in determination. "Did the mayor's arrival as mayor coincide with any significantly disruptive laws?"

The sound of papers shuffling echoed out of the darkness, and the slide changed. "Yes." A single dot appeared in the center of a map. "It was during the period of prosperity for the town, that this place, which had been falling into ruin, was revitalized as a tourist destination from people all over the world!"

Watcher frowned, turning to Lulu. "How does a library become a tourist destination?"

Lulu shrugged. "It doesn't. I think they meant the city."

"The city!" An image appeared of an aerial shot of the entire city. "Growing brighter and better by the day! More tourists means more money, which means more buildings to support those tourists, which means more—"

Twibright stepped away from the arch, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. She waved for the others to join her, voice dropped to a whisper. "This is a F&F situation." Both looked at her with nothing but confusion. "Sorry, two brothers I knew from my world. The change is a sharp change towards capitalistic endeavors at the expense of other goals and objectives. I think we've located what doesn't fit."

Lulu gave Twibright a squinty-eyed look. "We need to tell the mayor to knock that stuff off?"

Watcher gave Lulu a nudge. "We can certainly try, but asking nicely rarely is enough." She ruffled Twi's mane. "If you were the problem, asking you might have worked. Something drove the mayor to this, and that something is likely what we really want."

Twibright nodded quickly. "Yes! This place should still be safe. I don't think we need to do anything more here than we've already done. Let's go ask the mayor why they changed!"

Lulu took her turn petting over Twibright's ears. "You are so wonderfully cheerful. Well, if we have a direction, no reason to be here, right?" She glanced back, the archway already gone. "Or there. Back to City Hall?"

Watcher shrugged lightly. "We'll try, at least."

They were almost out when a voice called to them. The librarian was waving them over. "You survived! Good on the whole lot of you. Earned this." She put down a jar of lollipops and dug out one for each of them. "Such lovely little learners."

She waved the three off before going back to her duties.

Twibright blinked, then licked the candy a few times. "Well, this is a nice reward." She popped it into her snout and started for the door. "I should have thought of that for my own library. Let's get moving. We have some information to gather."

Back in City hall, they were forced to deal with the same badger they'd chatted with last time. He flashed them a smile. "Your timing is excellent! You get to be the most special customer of the day."

Watcher perked, floppy ear coming upright for just a moment. "We are? Which customer is that?"

"The one I tell I can't help." He slapped down a little sign. "Lunch time!"

The trio were left staring at the sign with nothing more than the scent of freshly made food from elsewhere in the building. Twibright sighed loudly. "So close." She slumped against the desk, forehead clunking against the wood as if two hollow objects had collided.

Author's Note

This world is a bit zany I think. A nice switch from the last.

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13 - Corrupt by Design

The building itself seemed to be a fairly standard government building. No signs of demons or corruption were visible to the naked eye. The few people around were bustling about with their work and didn't seem to pay the three any mind. "Excuse me." A smiling human swaying in time to unheard music was looking at them. "Are you three waiting for the front desk?"

Watcher stepped up first. "We are, yes. Do you happen to know how long it will be before they're free?"

The man smiled. "An old trick! Well, he did just invent it, but it feels like forever, I imagine. You could take a seat on one of the chairs around the waiting area and just relax while you do."

Twibright shook her head firmly. "It shouldn't take us too long. Is it normal to be turned away from the front desk?"

He lifted his hands in a helpless shrug. "When he decides he doesn't want to talk to someone, he just kinda vanishes sometimes. He'll be back, if that helps."

Lulu folded her arms. "That seems like a really odd habit. Are all government officials that flaky around here?"

The man waved a finger around in a wobbly circle. "He's one of the more reliable ones, really."

Watcher narrowed her eyes. "I see." She waved for the others. "We're going."

On their way out the door, Twibright spoke up, "Maybe they're busy with something? We could go and come back."

Watcher shook her head slowly. "No. If they're not willing to talk to us now, they can't help. We need to follow the rules of this world. Waiting was the wrong move." She thrust a finger towards the top of the building. "We need to break in."

Lulu raised a paw to her face. "What?"

Watcher gave her a serious look. "We need to break in."

Twibright nodded. "We'll need to be sneaky, or we'll end up flattened." She shivered with the thought of the bus that had shown her what that felt like. "Do you have a plan?"

Lulu frowned as she looked over her form. "I'm not exactly the best skulker. You want me to sneak in?"

Watcher shook their head. "No. No, you aren't." But she smiled a moment later. "Which is something we can take advantage of. I just require that you make a scene while Twibright and I make our move."

***

Lulu grumbled as they sent her ahead to distract everyone outside the City Hall. The poor skunk had no idea how she'd manage that.

Twibright snuck after Watcher, her form having shifted into that of a small and sneaky rat, leaving her tail unchanged. Her rabbit tail flicking as she snuck along. "Sneaky sneaky."

"Is saying 'sneaky' required?" Twibright didn't say any such thing as she crept along.

"It works better if you do." Watcher peeked over her shoulder. "Different world, different rules. If you want to be a good sneak, you have to act the part."

A few of the people around seemed to be listening in, but they didn't seem to have taken much note. Watcher kept their voice low, but the calls of sneaking somehow made them less interested in their sneaking, despite making it more obvious. They could be heard, just not noticed.

Lulu had already started on her scene by the time the others were entering the building. The people outside paid no attention to the small rat and pony sneaking by, too focused on Lulu's complaints about being turned away at the desk with her hands on her hips. "If they don't let me in there, I'm going to stink up the whole place! Don't think I can't, or won't!"

Twibright snuck through the building, Watcher's hand on her back for comfort. The place was mostly empty inside, but that only made the few workers still moving from place to place all the more attentive.

"Sneak sneaky sneak." Watcher crept around a corner, her stance straightening as she resumed being a rabbit. "I think our target is a little ahead."

Twibright shifted back to a pony as she looked around. "What makes you say that?"

They were in a hallway that seemed to have no end, and that end was getting further away as they spoke. "Call it a hunch." Watcher smirked as she continued down the endless hallway. "Open your eyes, can you see the solution to this?"

Twibright's gaze darted back and forth, trying to find a pattern or clue to the problem at hand. "We keep walking towards the other end, and it just stretches out ahead of us, with no indication that we're getting closer." She tapped at her chin with a hoof, thinking on it. Her tail swayed in time with her steps. "Hum, well, I bet if we, just did this." She turned away and started back. "Guess I'll give up."

Watcher slapped into the door, there all of a sudden. "You make it look so simple." She pushed the door open and slipped through.

Twibright trotted along after her. "Not that hard to do, really. It's not logical, just intuitive." She tapped at her head. "Not my specialty, but there is a logic there."

Watcher nodded to the figure shrouded in perfectly aligned shadow. "I assume you are the evil mayor?"

"I am not evil." The voice came from nowhere in particular, much like the sun's voice had come from everywhere. "I just have other priorities than this city." The figure stepped into the light, revealing itself to be a raccoon with wide eyes. "Really, evil. That's just mean." He flicked his tail with annoyance. "What did you two need? Come to praise me?"

Twibright straightened. "Why are you doing this? You're running the city into ruin. What do you gain from it all?"

"Gain?" He gestured around himself, at the lavish room he was in. "They love me." The mayor walked towards them. "They love me because of the things I can do for them." He gestured out the window, where they could see Lulu still arguing and distracting everyone else. "Nice ploy. Few people want an angry skunk waving her tail at them."

Watcher nodded slowly. "I can see the use of that. Why are you so greedy? You don't seem the type."

The mayor gave her a confused look. "You don't even know who I am." He reached into a pocket and drew out a name tag that he donned proudly. "Mayor Brushton." He polished the tag. "Pleased to meet you."

Twibright cleared her throat loudly. "Mayor, yes, why are you so greedy?"

Brushton gave her a confused look. "I'm not. I'm a perfectly fine person."

Watcher frowned at him a moment, then held up a finger. "One moment." She pulled Twibright aside. "He doesn't stink."

Twibright blinked, ears going up in surprise. "He doesn't? What does that mean?"

Watcher waved at the mayor. "Something is wrong. He's not the problem."

Brushton gave them a curious look. "I did wash this morning." He sniffed himself, just to coil his noise. "Oh, maybe I forgot today."

Twibright looked around, then waved Watcher close. "This might be like in the other world you brought me to. The real problem was something else."

Watcher nodded quickly. "Then it stands to reason that someone else is the source of the corruption here. But something's bothering me."

"What's that?" Brushton had casually joined their huddle. "Can I help?"

Watcher gave him a long, hard stare. "Are you real? I have trouble with this world."

"Oh, I'm very real. You're real too!" He patted her on the head. "A real looker, actually." He clicked his tongue and shot a wink at the both of them. "Really, how can I help? Ole' Brushton's on the case!"

Twibright cleared her throat, trying not to laugh. "Actually, we need to know what is behind all the changes you're making to this city."

Brushton looked around. "What changes? Oh! You mean the plans! Look, this city is good for a few things. Change is one of them. I'm sure someone will come along after me with a new great idea. That's how things are supposed to go!" He shrugged, then gave them a concerned look. "Are you feeling well?"

Watcher shook their head. "No, no I suspect I'm really not." She pulled Twibright closer. "I feel I may have misjudged this world. The corruption here might not be anything but a normal part of its cycle."

Brushton cleared his throat to get their attention. "Is that bad? I don't want things to go poorly for this place."

Twibright stared up at him, then sighed softly. "A world so natively chaotic, a new spin means nothing to it? Fascinating! Perhaps we could learn something from it?"

Watcher took a slow breath, letting her eyes close a moment before looking back. "This place is not ours to judge." They glanced at Brushton, who gave them an eager smile. "Do you feel like you have the people's interests at heart?"

Brushton took off his hat to hold in both hands. "Look here, doll. The town wants to get things done. To do that, it needs money. You could say I'm financing the next mayor to sit in that chair and figure out how to make their dreams come true."

Twibright considered that. "You think that makes sense? What about what you want?"

"I already have everything I could want right now." He patted himself down. "Honestly, I'm real curious what they'll get up to with a nice fat ledger to work with. I live in this city, you two. I want to see it grow."

Twibright opened her mouth, then closed it. "You're a little too honest for your own good."

Brushton smiled at her. "Is there such a thing? I believe in this place, and everyone else is welcome to try after me." He suddenly smirked. "But, first, they have to win the election. I won't go down without a fight!"

Watcher gave him a long nod. "A proper stance, really." She turned to Twi, nodding. "There's no problem here to solve. This city will move on as it always has." She looked past Brushton to the window. "We should rescue Lulu. She is working hard for us."

Brushton nodded. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a campaign to run! The mayor waved as he headed for his own door. "Thanks for visiting!"

***

Back outside, the crowd was starting to grow annoyed. Some were moving to start pushing Lulu away from the Town Hall even as she shouted about how they couldn't get rid of her that easily.

Twibright trotted out with Watcher close behind, stepping in front of the skunk. "Good people of this city." Her voice carried loudly over all of them. "The emergency has passed."

No emergency had ever been announced, but that it was passed got many to let out sighs of relief.

Lulu gave Twi a look of confusion. "Why did you do that? Now we're not going to get thrown in jail and get a chance to talk to the mayor?"

Watcher shook their head, then motioned for her to join them. "Lulu, you and Twibright are being influenced by this place. I should have predicted that." She blew up her lop ear in a brief resistance. "You two were animated to start. This place wants you to be as bright and colorful as it is, but that doesn't leave much room for thinking critically, or rationally. I believe you are correct about this place being safe, but I will not allow either of you to continue acting like this."

Lulu scowled at them. "Are you sure this isn't just you not wanting me to make friends with other people?" She crossed her arms, tapping her toes. "It's because you can't, isn't it?"

Watcher hesitated a moment, words left unsaid on her lips as she swayed left and right slowly. "Lulu, you are my companion. You are Twibright's as well. As our companion, please calm yourself. We have to leave this place, quickly." They reached for her arm.

"I am perfectly calm!" Lulu snatched her arm away. "Don't touch me! What are you even trying to do here? Why can't I make a friend in this town?"

Twibright rubbed against one of Lulu's legs. "We can make friends anytime, but we have each other, don't we? We're friends. We'll be friends no matter where we go." Her voice was calm and easy going.

Watcher shook their head quickly. "We must leave, now. Please come along, Lulu."

Lulu scowled at Watcher. "Only because Twi is asking." She rubbed along Twibright's mane with a little smile. "You're so good at relaxing me, little pony."

Author's Note

Can you properly corrupt a world that's already this prone to wild shifts on its own?

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14 - Breaking It to Fix It.

They didn't return to Watcher's realm, instead trailing directly along the thin trail of corrupted intentions through the many words. Speaking was useless, not that Lulu and Twibright didn't try fruitlessly. Their bodies were pulled along behind Watcher, stretched as they raced through worlds too fast for their eyes to see. If her companions saw anything, they weren't saying, not that they could hear any attempts being made.

They landed on pavement, a car's horns blaring loudly as it swerved to miss them. They were at an intersection of several lanes of vehicles traveling at high speeds in both direction. The world around them was a chaotic, messy city that rose into the sky with countless buildings and countless people.

Twibright squeaked with horror. "We need to not be here!"

Lulu huddled in closer to Twibright, her colors dulled. She was a skunk, but an almost distressingly realistic skunk lady. "Where have you brought us, Watcher? What is this place?"

Watcher straightened slowly, wearing a business outfit, sharp and high quality. She was still a she and she snapped her fingers. "We can't remain here. Come." Traffic was backing up around them, providing a chance for them all to scurry off the street and let things progress. "This is a human world." She turned her hands back and forth in her vision. "And so am I. I see you two are not. Twibright, you remain resistant to the calls of the worlds. Lulu, you adapt, if subtly."

Twibright stood on four hooves, still a pony despite it all. "I can't be human. Not again. It's awful."

Lulu blinked, then looked around. "Again? This has happened before?"

Watcher nodded with some amusement. "It was the second world I brought her to."

Twibright laughed tensely. "About that. Before I even met Watcher, I visited a human world before. It was, never mind, we're getting distracted." She turned in place, taking in the bustling city. "Looks busy, but operating. What's out of place?"

Watcher considered the surroundings. "The trail leads in two different directions. One into the future, and one into the past. This is a cross section of the two. We need to move quickly."

Lulu poked Watcher in the side. "You don't get to casually say 'past or future, one of those.' That's not helpful!" She jumped with surprise, looking behind herself to find a small boy tugging at her tail. "That isn't yours."

He grinned at her. "I know! It's so long!" He ran off a moment later.

Lulu growled after him, but Watcher placed a hand on her shoulder. "We are different, and people will notice."

"I am standard." Watcher waved over herself. "You two are less—"

"Pony!" A young man came jogging up towards Twibright. "I don't recognize which you're supposed to be, but you're cute is what you are." He looked up at Watcher and Lulu. "She yours?"

Watcher nodded slowly. "Yes, she is." She glanced at Lulu. "They both are."

He grinned, pointing between Lulu and Twibright. "Is there an event going on? Or are you all on the way to somewhere? This is pretty dang cool. If you two want to be in some photos, I can—"

Watcher stepped up into the young man's face, one eye twitching with frustration, voice a low growl. "We have already decided on the event we're attending."

"Hey hey, it's cool." The man held up both hands. "I'll get out of your way." But not before directing his phone at the two for some quick photos of the thing. "Too damn cool. They're going to be so damn jealous."

Watcher rubbed at her eyes. "Let us move along quickly before we're forced to deal with this nonsense any longer."

Twibright looked herself over. "Why is he acting like he's seen a pony before? In a good light, from the way he was acting." She followed after Watcher down the sidewalk. "I'm not complaining, but I am confused."

Watcher frowned. "I imagine he has seen other ponies before. He seemed to treat you like a character rather than a person." She glanced back at Lulu. "If anyone questions us, let me handle it." An idea made her perk with a smile. "You two are people in costumes. Do not speak, just point and emote. Pretend you can't say anything." She looked between them. "That should be enough to protect us."

Twibright cleared her throat quietly. "I'm sure we could speak on our own just fine, but that does seem like a safer plan."

Lulu gave Watcher a doubting look, but kept her lips sealed, at least until something else pulled at her tail. She whirled to find a small girl had found her that time. "Don't do that!"

Watcher slapped a hand over Lulu's mouth. "No. You cannot speak."

Twibright waved at the girl with a little smile. "W-what is your name, young lady?"

"No talking," hissed out Watcher as both were doing just that.

The young lady didn't seem to mind at all. "Hello! I'm Sammy." She pointed at Twibright. "What's your name, magic horsie?"

Watcher slapped her face. "Go. Come along now."

Lulu took hold of Sammy's hand. "Come on, let's go back to your mother. Which one of all these humans are yours?"

A woman emerged from the crowd. "Sammy, stop bothering the nice people." She smiled nervously at the three. "Sorry. She sees a cute thing and takes off running. I hope she wasn't a bother."

Lulu shook her head firmly. "Not at all. I'm sure she'll grow up to be just as kind and caring as her mother." She waved to Sammy as they slipped away into the crowd.

Watcher groaned as she led the way. "Are you two not listening to me, or are my instructions unclear? Stop talking. Humans in outfits can't talk without sounding muffled at best, which you do not. Speaking clearly ruins the illusion and raises more questions."

Lulu nodded. "Oh, I understand. I just don't agree. I think this world is fine with us talking."

Twibright nodded. "We'll see. If Watcher says things go wrong, they probably will go wrong." She rubbed behind her head with a hoof. "Oh! How about this." Her horn glowed briefly. "Better?" Her voice sounded distant, as if she actually were buried within some costume. "No more confusion, just somepony in a costume here."

Lulu slapped herself in the face with one palm. "That was easy! But are you going to share that, my magic little pony? Not all of us are wizards." She patted her sides. "Merchant, not wizard."

Watcher shook their head firmly. "No. Neither of you should be speaking at this time. I will handle the talking." They turned to glare. "This is not your place to speak. This place is mine, and you will follow what I tell you to do here."

Despite that, Twibright repeated her spell for Lulu, burying her voice as if coming from within her instead of directly out of her mouth. "Any sign of what's wrong with this world? It looks functional."

Watcher sighed at Lulu, but she didn't press the matter again. "We are not here to look for something broken. We are here to prevent it."

Lulu considered that. "Then we'll have to talk with the humans around here."

"Easier." Watcher grabbed a newspaper off a rack, leaving a few dollars behind as she did so. "We read. Come." She led the way with the newspaper in hand towards a bench. "Let's see what the news is, in the past, and now. Discontinuities should become clear, and points of inflection."

Twibright nodded slowly. "That's more my field, so let me help."

Lulu folded her arms. "Me too." She stepped closer. "So, what do we need to do?" She sank down onto the bench with Twibright tucked between herself and Watcher. "I can read." She sounded quite proud of that fact.

That got Twibright's ears up. "Is literacy not an assumed ability, where you came from, I mean? Literacy rates in Ponytopia were pretty close to 100%, I'm happy to say. Even among the griffons and dragons. Education for all was a priority of our Queen Sunnylot."

Watcher was busy looking at the paper, so Lulu spoke up for them. "My world wasn't too bad, but that varied a lot going from place to place." She was looking at the outside of the newspaper as Watcher read the interior. "The richer you were, the more likely you were to read and write. Math was like that too. The average commoner just knew how to count well enough to get by."

Twibright considered that. "I'm sorry if I came across as rude. The literacy of your world doesn't say much about any one person. I'm sure you're a great thinker, regardless."

Lulu grumbled something under her breath. "I was a merchant, I remind. We tended to need to read, and write, and do math, or we wouldn't do very well." She reached over, ruffling Twibright's mane. "You're lucky you're as adorable as you are. Also, I sound so strange right now." She cleared her throat, which sounded like someone inside of her doing that. "Your spell works, but it's so odd."

Watcher slapped the newspaper down. "Done."

Lulu blinked. "Just like that? It took you no time at all?"

Watcher shook her head in annoyance. "I can remember where it was, and where it should be, and end up. They are discussing a way to defeat local hunger issues, which they have done many times. The actions required are both simple and vast, more complex than most of any of them can even perceive. They are discussing things that are only sometimes solved. The noises make it sound like this time will be different."

She tapped the paper. "—and that is the problem."

Twibright flinched with surprise. "Isn't that a good thing? Helping people sounds great to me."

Watcher shook her head, then pointed up. "The pattern is clear. This sudden deviation is not. This is not this world's story to tell."

Lulu raised a furry brow. "It's still a good thing, isn't it? I thought this corruption made things worse. We're good guys, putting a stop to bad things happening, right?"

Watcher sighed quietly. "It is not so simple."

Twibright nodded. "I think I understand." She gave Lulu an uneasy smile. "Every world wants to do its own thing. It's like how we solve problems in Ponytopia." She clapped her hooves with that distant thought. "If we fixed them in some strange new way, that would be odd, for us, even if it still got fixed. This world, um, is doing it oddly?"

Watcher shook her head again. "Not exactly, but close enough." She waved over herself. "This world is supposed to have its miseries. It is not a tale of that. That would go more easily to Lulu's—"

"Hey!" She glared at Watcher, tail thrashing.

"But it has its miseries and accomplishments. I can feel when it should change, and this isn't it. It should not fix this problem right now, and that is bad. We must act."

Twibright shook her head slowly, clear confusion on her face. "We must act to make people suffer? I don't want to do that."

Watcher considered that a moment. "Perhaps not. But we must act to maintain the nature of this world." They grabbed up the newspaper. "I know where to go." She turned the paper to direct to a spot. "They are having a meeting. This is where they will either succeed or fail. Failure would place the world where it should be. Success would not."

Author's Note

I'm back. Redid the cover. Is it better?

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15 - Into Position

Twibright leaned in at the paper she was flipping with her magic, just to start as a hand came down over her horn.

"Stop that." Watcher released her. "There is no magic in this world. Someone could see you."

Twibright flushed with embarrassment. "Right, right." She looked around to see if anyone was staring at them. "I'm sorry, still not entirely used to all this world hopping stuff." She nosed to the next page in the paper. "Solving this really looks like it's something a lot of people want. It'd make them happy! Or at least a lot less unhappy."

Watcher sighed deeply, her eyes closed. "It is a fine action, but one they are not meant to solve, not now. This is not their solution. Something else has introduced it, leading them down a new path." She tapped at the paper Twibright was reading. "This change will cause others. It will cause future successes and failures to not arrive. The world may dissolve as a result, or crack as you saw your own do. Other worlds may suffer as a result."

Lulu shook her head firmly. "I think we're here to make the world better. I know it sounds like a good thing to encourage them. But, I trust Watcher. I trust that she knows what she's talking about when she says something is wrong." She rubbed behind her head. "Don't like it, not one bit. Playing the part of the baddies? Not what I thought I was signing up for. Why can't we make good things happen? If you're a little god, you could do that, couldn't you?"

Watcher shook her head. "Not my role. I keep things stable."

Twibright sighed. "I guess it's like a garden. It needs weeding, and sometimes a plant is really nice, but not right where it is." She made a face, imagining it. "But the plants are not normally creatures, just trying to do their best." She threw a hoof aside, knocking the paper away. "It's not the same thing when those 'plants' think, cry, and hope for better days!"

Watcher nodded slowly. "That's not wrong. The solutions will not be the end of suffering, but they won't solve the problems in the right ways. It will mean changes down the line that will mean others fail to meet their own destinies." She slid to her feet and snatched up the fallen paper. "Pain today is required for the story to unfold properly. The goods, the bads, all of it. It is my position only that each song is heard."

Twibright hopped off the bench. "Where can we find them?"

Watcher started down the sidewalk with Lulu and Twibright close behind. "The meeting place should be nearby. We have plenty of time to reach it before they begin."

Lulu nodded. "So, what do we do when we get there?"

Watcher considered that a moment, tossing the paper aside into a recycling bin. "We will know when we arrive. We get nothing done pondering it here." She waved for Lulu and Twibright. "Shall we?"

***

The three arrived at an elegant brick building with tall stairs leading up the entrance. People were heading in and out, while several lingered around the steps talking. Watcher took the stairs slowly, taking in the surroundings as she did. She looked like any other member of that crowd. Most were dressed for business, many of a governmental variety.

That didn't go for Twibright or Lulu. One was a skunk, and other was a walking, talking pony.

A man held out a camera phone in Lulu's direction. "Hey there! Smile!"

Lulu gave him the brightest smile she could manage before jogging up after Watcher and Twibright. "What was that? I didn't just have my soul snatched, did I? I will be very sore if I had it taken so easily."

Twibright laughed as she trotted up beside Watcher. "Not at all. He was taking a photo. You might end up in this world's version of a magazine."

Lulu blinked in confusion. "Magazine?" Her words died as they pressed inside. "Oh! Is, wow." Her eyes wandered over the vast and open hall of that public meeting space, her tail flicking behind her. "What is this? Some demesne of a king? They won't, uh, go for heads will they?"

Twibright gasped, pressing her hooves to her muzzle in shock. "Why would they do that here?" She frowned at Lulu a moment later, then sighed. "Oh, you were making a reference to something." It arrived a moment later. "Ah, yes, the world you came from. I don't think this world operates that way. To be punished, one must first be accused of a crime, then that crime must be proven true, and only then are you properly punished."

This brought Watcher to a stop. She whirled on Twibright. "How do you know that?"

Twibright smiled with pride, flicking her tail. "It said so in the newspaper. We have some similar rules in Ponytopia, so I was curious about how this world works." She pointed back vaguely at where the paper had been left. "There's a bad creature awaiting trial for some misdeed. I didn't get a chance to read much into it."

Watcher relaxed at her words. "I see. I thought you had, never mind. This way." She led the way towards a rather wide front desk where many people were helping many others find where they were going. "Excuse me."

The woman working there looked up at her. "Hello, what can I do for you three today?"

Watcher smiled at the woman. "I was wondering where I could find room 204?"

She pointed off to her right. "That room's booked today. Big business, last I heard. Unless your card's keyed for it, you can't go inside."

Watcher leaned in closer. "Could you perhaps let us peek inside?"

She gave Watcher an uncertain look. "Let you peek? Look, you seem alright, but I could get fired if I go doing things like that." She looked past Watcher down at Twibright. "And why do you have this cute little mascot with you? My son would love that, if they were here instead of school. But then I'd have to kill them myself." She was putting out no real malice, smiling at Twibright.

Twibright flicked her tail and waved up with a hoof. "Hi! It's nice to meet you."

Lulu leaned in. "It's for our kid. He just loves cute things like this."

The desk secretary laughed when Lulu spoke. "I thought people in costumes were usually quiet."

"They should be." Watcher scowled with one hand turned up. "They refuse to do that."

"It's no big real." She reached over the desk to ruffle the top of Twibright's head. "I wish they all talked, but I guess that does make it less magic, hearing the person inside the suit like that." She slid a card over to Watcher. "That will get you in on your meeting."

Twibright bowed her head with thanks. "We can just go look at the door, okay?"

"No law against looking at doors." She shrugged at the idea. "But it's just a door. You be good. I'd hate to hear anything happening to little horses on my watch."

Twibright waved with both hooves as she backed away, tail swishing behind herself. "I'm certain nothing bad could happen to us. Have a wonderful day!" They started up the stairs.

Lulu came in on Twibright's side. "She seems like a nice person. She has good taste in adorable equines." She took her turn playing with Twibright around her horn and ears. "You are such a good little thing."

Twibright giggled quietly, ears flicking. "Oh stop that. Flattery is not a nice thing if you make me all embarrassed. Watcher, will this get us inside?"

Watcher held up the card to examine. "It will get us in another room close by. We can use this." She flicked the card into a pocket. "Not the one we want directly, but direct is not always the way forward."

Lulu bounced back, colliding with a man that had his face in his phone. "Hey! Watch it!"

Lulu rubbed at the side of her head. "I'm so sorry!" She hurried after the others. "These worlds are so crowded!" She grumbled as she fell back in line. "At least he could have complimented me."

Twibright raised an ear at that. "Complimented you? What about?"

Lulu giggled quietly. "I'm wonderful to look at. He could have mentioned that, instead of telling me to watch myself." She waved behind herself. "But I'm not going to take it personally."

Twibright took a moment to ponder that. "You are very aesthetically pleasing, for your kind. As a pony, you have deficiencies, but you aren't a pony. Judging you by them would be unkind of me, and I would hope you'd inform me if I were to start acting in unkind ways."

Lulu laughed at that. "So long as I keep being told how gorgeous I am, and how you adore me. It's so nice to be wanted. I'd hug you, but I don't think you want a hug, right now."

"I do not." That did not stop Twibright from going in for a rub of her side along Lulu's. "But I appreciate the sentiment. Perhaps, once this world is safe, we can take more time learning about one another. I would enjoy that. What about you?"

Lulu nodded. "I'd like that as well." She looked up as they came to a long hallway with a number of doors leading out on both sides. "And how many doors do we have to go through?"

"Just one." Watcher swiped the card over a reader, despite not having been holding it a moment before. The door chimed with acceptance, turning a red light to a green light. "Let us begin our plan. We will save this world."

"By wrecking it." Twibright scowled at the idea as she entered. "This is a curious case, Watcher."

Author's Note

You thought Watcher was always on the positive side?

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