In The Doghouse

In hindsight, destroying an object that was infused with inordinate amounts of magic was one of the stupidest things that Twilight had ever done. When the wood snapped, a concentrated burst of magic had smashed into her. Luckily she had enough of her senses to perform a hastily made shield spell, a sphere that had covered every portion of her body. She had rolled and tumbled in it, ramming into the sides, like a purple hamster in its ball. Sent forth by the explosion, the shield had rocketed into the air, flying for several hundred feet. It had impacted into the middle of an apple orchard, ripping up trees and leaving a long, smoking crater.

Twilight groaned, every part of her body throbbing with a dull pain, with the exception of her broken nose, which still stung and was bleeding heavily. Bruises from head to rump were beginning to form, a shade of purple deeper than that of her coat. Slowly, wincing as she moved, the mare shakily stood, legs quivering and quaking. A gasp left her throat and the shield fizzled out, withering away like ice dissolving in hot water. Her hooves hit the ground beneath her, and she yelped, the ground heated by the impact. Twilight hurriedly scrambled backwards, pulling herself from the crater.

She flopped onto the grass outside the massive scar on the ground, all four legs splayed out in exhaustion. The grass was cool and soft, soothing to the aches and pains. A hasty check was done, flexing and shifting all four legs. She poked the tip of her horn; no cracks or breaks, thank Celestia. More prodding followed, along her barrel and sides. A sharp hiss of pain leapt from the confines of her throat when she brushed against a particularly painful spot. Besides some bad bruises, and what might have been a lightly cracked rib, she was relatively uninjured. Twilight started a bit when something warm and wet hit her foreleg. A splotch of red blood marred her coat. Oh yeah, she also had a broken nose. Stupid Nokto. She doubted that was even his real name. He may have been a changeling disguised as a Diamond Dog the entire time. There was no way those mutts could build a civilization. Preposterous!

Groaning, Twilight resisted the overwhelming urge to lie down and sleep. Right now she was in unfamiliar territory, maybe on a different continent, and she needed to establish her location, and obtain food, shelter, and medical care. And beat the tar out of whoever ponynapped her.

She was in the middle of an apple orchard, judging from the hundreds of apple trees, branches thick with the fruit. Almost like she was back at Sweet Apple Acres. Stretching over a hundred feet was a scorching, deep furrow, carved from a magic bullet. Twisting clouds of smoke danced in some spots, like black snakes slithering in the grass. Broken, shattered remains of once great trees were scattered around and in the crater, wood smoldering, looking like a contingent of soldiers hit with a mortar round.

It was a struggle to stand, but Twilight worked against gravity’s wishes and won, observing her surroundings for any landmark. In the distance was a silhouette of a city, not one that the scholar knew. Though Twilight had never left the country she was well versed in geography and most major cities. What was before her was something unfamiliar. Most cities had tall skyscrapers, or at least towers of some sort. What was in the distance looked like squares surrounded by a wall. Two structures loomed above the rest. One was a palace or castle, spires jutting from a massive stone base. The second had a few towers, spaced farther apart, and was a compound of some sort, a tall wall hugging the border.

Twilight continued to observe the city for a few moments, drinking in the tiny buildings with roads branching off and heading in her direction or off into the distance. She decided that it would be best if she found some shelter and medical attention. A grimace crossed her face at the prospect of snapping her nose back into place and casting a healing spell. Healing magic was never her forte, and the most she had ever done was fix up a cut or two.

Her ear twitched as an eerily familiar accent broke through the quiet. Twilight hobbled over and hid behind a tree, crouching low and leaning slightly on her side, eyes wide and curious. The voice sounded so similar, but it couldn’t be, could it?

“Ah saw it land over here, Applejack!”

No. It couldn’t be. Out from the trees came two Diamond Dogs, both running fast. One was about twice as tall as Twilight. Her coat was a light shade of orange with a streak of yellow running down her neck. She wore a pair of blue shorts and a faded plaid shirt. Atop her head was a light brown Stetson. The other dog was also female, and Twilight’s jaw dropped at the sight of a bipedal Winona, only a head taller than the pony. Same brown coat, same white splotch on the face, near identical attire to the Applejack dog, without the hat, but in place a red bandana wrapped around her neck.

The Applejack dog surveyed the damage, awe and shock written on her face. “What in the name of all that is good and holy did this?”

Winona gazed around before walking towards the end of the crater. “Ah saw that glowy purple ball thing land over here, but it’s gone.”

“What if it was Nokto? That explosion came from his hut, and if’n he cast a spell to shield himself he could’ve landed here,” Applejack said, some worry creeping into her voice.

“Wouldn’t Nokto have stayed here, sis? He’d probably be injured, so I doubt he’d get up and leave,” Winona replied.

“That’s what Ah’m worried about. If he smacked his head he could be confused and be wandering around here.”

“Well, whatever it is that landed here, we should try and find it. Look around here and see if you spot anything,” Winona said.

They split off, making their way in opposite directions around the crater. One would occasionally bend down and sniff at the ground, trying to find any sort of scent. Twilight, in her position behind the tree, was panicking, her breathing erratic. She needed to get away; it was only a matter of time before they found her. Simply running wouldn’t do; she was too exhausted to run, anyway. Magic was out, too. That shield had been a strong one, and her magic reserves had been drained. Beyond a few simple spells Twilight was out of options. Unless…

Applejack and Winona had circled the crater when they both heard a noise. It sounded like whimpering. They exchanged looks before tiptoeing to the direction of the sound, about twenty feet away. A bunch of fur, black with a red streak, was sticking out from behind a tree, like a tail. Arriving on the other side, they laid eyes on what appeared to be a purple ball of fur with a tail sticking out. Its head was curled under both front legs and it was shaking, tiny infinitesimal cries radiating from it.

“What do ya think it is, Applejack?”

“Ah don’t know, but Ah think it’s hurt,” she said, whispering, her voice low to not scare the thing. Crouching down the bitch reached a tentative paw out. “Come on. We ain’t gonna hurt ya. Did ya wander in from the Everfree or lose yer owner?”

The purple thing lifted a head up, revealing the broken nose and two big, round, watery eyes. Twilight had a simple plan, act like an animal and hope they think she’s one, get some medical treatment, and find out where she was. Part of her still wondered if these dogs were just changelings in disguise, but decided to let luck decide. Something strange was definitely going on here. A brief twinge of guilt ran through the mare’s mind about her treatment of Nokto, but she quickly dismissed it. Nokto recognized her as a pony while these dogs didn’t and with his knowledge of pony history, warped as it may be, meant that he probably either knew or was the one that brought her here.

Twilight shrunk back, trying to look as pitiful as possible, letting out another whimper. The Applejack dog gently scratched her behind the ears, and Twilight leaned into her paw, like a dog or cat would. This is so degrading.

“Aw, you poor thing! Let’s get you back to the house and fix you up,” Applejack said. With great care the bitch reached under Twilight’s forelegs and pulled her up, laying the mare across her shoulder and holding her bottom. Applejack turned to the other dog. “Winona, you go see if Mac learned anything about Nokto. Ah hope that fool of a mage ain’t hurt none.”

Without a word Winona shot off in between the trees, a brown blur against the emerald of the grass. Applejack patted Twilight’s head and headed off in another direction, presumably to the house. They passed tree after tree that looked nearly identical, the only difference being the color of the fragrant apples hanging from the branches. Twilight ran through all the different possibilities of how she got into this situation.

I was at the wedding reception and had just finished dancing some. I went with Rainbow and Applejack to the wine table and we started drinking. I had three glasses, I think, before I cut myself off. I can’t quite remember what happened after that. Did I cast magic while drunk? Or did something else bring me here?

Twilight’s ears folded back flat against her head in shame. What if Nokto was just telling the truth? I’m so stupid! He may be dead because of what I did!

While the mare simpered in her self-pity, Applejack exited the orchard and walked into a wide field. In the distance was a farmhouse, tall and wide, made from wooden planks. Many windows with red shutters were open, giving sunlight an air entry. A porch with a similarly red roof shaded the front door. A rocking chair sat empty to one side. A few hundred paces adjacent to the house was a barn, painted a bright obnoxious red. Plots of land, the soil a deep, earthy brown from a fresh tilling, were ready to be planted. Pens of animals like chickens and pigs sat beside the plowed land. Behind that was a wide, almost endless pasture. Specks of black and white, cows in all likelihood, roamed about, searching for the best grass.

Applejack approached the house in a hurry, pushing open the door with a single paw. A main room greeted the two. Very few pieces of furniture sat around, just a few chairs and a couch, placed in a semicircle around a fireplace. One chair had an occupant, an elderly, gray dog wearing an apron. Her head drooped low, a snore like a saw through wood droning into the room. A few framed pictures hung from the walls, showing happy, smiling dogs. A staircase led to an upper floor, a banister of polished wood following the steps.

Applejack took a right and stepped through a doorway into a kitchen. Wall to wall cupboards covered the place, painted white. A sink and an oven were side by side, the oven having four stove burners on top. Polished oak countertops reflected the light coming from the open window. An old table, rectangular and sturdy, held court over four chairs of the same wood.

Placing Twilight gently down on the table, the Applejack dog gave a toothy smile. “Now don’t you run away. Ah’m gonna fix you up.”

She rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a tin with a red cross on the front. It opened with a click, and the bitch took out a bottle of iodine and a… wand? It was several inches long and slightly curled. Three runes were engraved on the side, glowing much like Nokto’s staff did. Applejack grabbed a rag and poured some iodine onto it. “Now hold still, ‘cause this might sting.” With that she began to gently wipe at Twilight’s nose, cleaning away the blood and disinfecting any open wounds. Twilight cringed and pulled back, but Applejack held her close, cooing and shushing her.

Once the nose was clean Applejack picked up the wand. “Ah may not be as good with magic as Nokto or Mac, but Ah can at least fix a broken nose.” She leveled the wand at Twilight. Runes glowed with a pale orange light. Twilight’s nose started to tingle, and she felt the broken cartilage move around, though it didn’t hurt. It was strange, in a way. Applejack had started to pant, like she had just run a few miles nonstop. Thirty seconds passed before the wand stopped glowing. Applejack plopped hard into one of the chairs.

“Woowee. That sure took a lot out of me. Guess Ah should practice magic a bit more. Ah haven’t felt like this since last harvesting season when Mac was injured.” Applejack poked at Twilight’s nose, looking for anymore breaks or fractures. Finding none she smiled and scratched the mare behind her ears, which Twilight would begrudgingly admit felt kind of good. “See, good as new. Now just what are ya?”

Applejack began examining Twilight, running her paws through the lavender fur. They stopped at her cutiemark, and the bitch raised an eyebrow. “What’s this thing on yer butt? Is it some kinda identifying mark? Like how we brand cattle?”

Twilight was a tad horrified at the concept of branding a cow, but stopped herself when she considered that cows might not be sentient where she was. Still, branding an animal was in direct opposition with her morality, and the mare blanched at the thought of what Fluttershy would do if she found out.

“Yer coat and hair are cared for and trimmed and ya don’t seem scared of me, so ya gotta be a pet.” Applejack took one of Twilight’s forelegs in her paw and twisted it around, observing the appendage. She poked at the bottom of the hoof, finding it to be a bit soft. Twilight nearly giggled; her hooves could be a bit ticklish.

“Now are ya a dog or a bitch?” Applejack leaned her head down and took a peek at the mare’s nether regions, causing a rampaging blush to attack her face. “Yer a bitch, then.” Applejack patted her head and picked Twilight up, setting her down on the floor. “Now then, are ya hungry? Let’s find you something to eat.”

Truth be told Twilight was hungry, and her stomach growled. Applejack took a bowl from a cupboard and then a bag that had a picture of a cat on the front. She poured the brown, chunky contents into the bowl and set it in front of the mare. “There ya go. Dig in.”

Cat food. Twilight was being fed cat food. It made sense if dog-Applejack thought she was a pet. Twilight gave a tentative sniff, pushing her nose into the food. It smelled like cat food. She swallowed her pride and took a bite.

She promptly spit it back out, a saliva coated glob landing on the floor. Applejack’s smile turned into a frown. “Ya don’t like it, huh? Strange, Applebloom loves the stuff. Well yer not a cat, so Ah guess you eat something different.”

Another rummage later Applejack had secreted an apple and set it on before Twilight. The mare sniffed at it, again like a common animal. She took it in her mouth and bit into it, the hard, crunchy fruit a miracle on her tongue. She ravenously devoured the fruit down to the core, before eating that, too.

Applejack smiled. “Well it looks like you enjoy apples. Ah’ll give ya some more,” she said pulling more out. Twilight ate those like a starving animal, careful to keep up appearances that she was one. Apple juice covered her muzzle and her full stomach was content. She gave her face a lick, cleaning off the fur.

A sudden meow caught the mare’s attention. From the doorway to the main room came a cat, a very pretty specimen, her fur a pale, lustrous yellow, a streak of red curving down the spine. A pretty bow, the same shade of red, was stuck between the ears. The cat gazed at Twilight curiously before sauntering up and rubbing her side against the pony, purring with affection.

“Applebloom seems to have taken a shine to ya,” Applejack said, leaning down to give the cat a quick behind the ears. Applebloom purred again. The cat’s eyes caught sight of the bowl of food and she ran to it, shoving her face down and chomping away. It was an adorable sight, and Twilight tried very hard to not smile. It was confusing as to why the Applebloom in wherever-she-was happened to be a cat. Twilight didn’t think that she was trapped by changelings, though it could be possible this was all an elaborate illusion placed on her. Another option was that she had, in her drunken antics, fallen off of a table and hit her head and had fallen into a coma, and all of this was just her subconscious mind running wild.

Something else ran through her mind, and now it seemed like a very real possibility. Starswirl the Bearded had theorized that other worlds existed, not planets in other solar systems, but entire universes that existed outside their own. Those worlds could have any number of similarities and differences. Some ponies may have never existed, countries may be different, or genders may be flipped. Starswirl had never been able to delve much into the idea, as he died soon afterward from old age. Other ponies tried to follow up on his research, attempting to teleport to other worlds or view them through scrying, but nothing had ever come up, no glimpse of another plane of existence, no opening to some fantastical realm, nothing. The research into the subject of parallel universes had died out completely, and nopony had delved into the possibility for nearly a century.

If Twilight was indeed in a parallel universe, that begged the question, how? How was it possible to just fall asleep after a night of drunken debauchery and wake up in a completely different world? A horrifying idea crossed the mare’s mind. She had been drunk and was joking around with her friends, so she may have tried to use a complex spell while intoxicated. Drunken magic was something Celestia had lectured Twilight on heavily, warning her to never use magic while impaired. Ponies had died, or sometimes undergone worse things than death, trying to perform a spell while tired or under the influence of something. One particular incident involved a stallion that, in an attempt to impress a mare by teleporting, had turned himself inside out.

Worst of all, it might be impossible to reverse the spell. Without an idea on how the spell worked, Twilight wouldn’t be able to create a counter-spell. Undoing some spells was easy; one technique was to use a spell that cancelled out all magic with the exception of ambient magic in the area. It didn’t always work, however, as was the case with Discord. It wasn’t applicable to her current situation, either.

A loud thump of a door being thrown open started Twilight and Applejack. A voice followed, calling “Sis, we’re back!”

Winona scampered into the kitchen, nearly bowling over Twilight. She paused and looked the pony over before giving a big, toothy smile. “Ya fixed her nose!”

“Eeyup. Easy as pie, too, though it sure took a lot of my energy,” Applejack said.

While the two sisters chatted giant footfalls shook the floorboards, like the house was being shaken by a dragon. In walked the largest Diamond Dog Twilight had ever seen, even bigger than Nokto. His head nearly scraped the ceiling. Muscle, hardened from years of labor, snaking and weaved across his form like armor. Arms thicker than tree trunks hung by his sides, the paws big enough to cover Twilight’s head. Red fur, thick and well groomed, the same shade as Applebloom’s bow could barely hide the musculature. Long, floppy ears and sleepy eyes gave the impression of a dunce, but his gaze, a deep, piercing look, reflected common sense and intelligence.

“This the thing ya found?” he asked, a deep, accented voice rumbling about the kitchen.

“Yep, and she’s just the sweetest little thing ever. Likes apples, too. Ah just wonder where she came from. She’s obviously used to dealing with dogs, so Ah think she could be some exotic pet. Anyway, what about Nokto? Did he get hurt?”

“Eeyup.”

Twilight’s ears folded back and she scuffed at the floor. None noticed the action, with the exception of Mac. Applejack’s face turned to a worried frown.

“How bad is it?” Her tone was soft.

“Not too bad, from what the guards could tell. Apparently he had several broken bones and a terrible shock to his internal leylines, but aside from that he’s surprisingly fine. According to them a large amount of magic was released all at once. The guards think that Nokto’s staff broke, but they couldn’t be sure. He’s being brought to the college hospital, so we won’t know much for the next couple of days. Only thing we can do is wait it out.”

“Sucks that Nokto’s hurt, though Ah’m glad it ain’t too serious. Anyway, we’re gonna gave to get down to the orchard and move those dead trees. Whatever landed in that spot sure did a number on the ground.” Applejack sighed. “It’s gonna be a lot of work.”

Mac placed a powerful paw on Applejack’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry none, sis. Ah’ll see to it myself. You can finish up the rest of your chores while Winona takes care of the, uh…” Here the dog paused, his eyes looking into Twilight’s. “We do need to figure out what this thing is. If ya found it near that crater, then it may have something to do with it. Ah wonder if it ain’t some fancy pet of Nokto’s. Winona?”

“Yeah?”

“You said whatever hit the orchard looked like a ball and kinda glowed purple, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“That sounds like magic, and Nokto’s pretty good at raw energy manipulation, so he may have cast a shield ‘round this feller before the explosion hit. Though it could’ve been somethin’ else.” Mac’s last sentence was accompanied by his eyes shifting and focusing on Twilight’s horn.

Twilight involuntarily gulped. Equestria’s Mac was intelligent, despite his quiet, reserved nature, and it was safe to say this Mac was too. Applejack had mentioned that Mac was better at magic than she was, so she assumed he had received a thorough education. That, of course, meant that dog-Mac could have knowledge of ponies. Even if it was a brief mention in a history book, he could possibly jeopardize the charade. Best make the animal part count.

Cautiously the mare walked around the kitchen, sniffing at the floor. Her head was low to the ground, observing the dogs from the corner of her eye. Right now she was acting much like a cat would, getting a feel for the temporary residence. Mac had left the kitchen, which Twilight was grateful for.

“All right Winona, Ah’m heading out. Take care of the critter and don’t let her get inta any trouble. Oh, and if Granny wakes up tell her what’s going on,” Applejack spoke.

“’Kay, sis. Don’t overwork yourself,” Winona replied without facing her sister. Instead the dog had lowered herself to Twilight’s level and was running a paw through the unicorn’s mane, marveling at the stripe of red running through the black.

“Why’re ya so colorful? It doesn’t look dyed, so is it to ward off predators? Ah remember Mac tellin’ me that some bugs have lotsa bright colors on ‘em to show that they’re poisonous. Are ya poisonous, girl?”

Suddenly a delighted smile found its way on Winona’s face. “Do ya play fetch?”

Twilight stifled a groan. This was going to be a long day.