[AiE] PPPPP 3 : Another Earth

>On a whim, an option you'd never once held possible flashes before your eyes.

"This is Earth, right?" you blurt out, earning you an incredulous look from both mares.

 

 

>Both ponies cock their head at your outburst.

>"Of course, where else would we be?" Twilight proves to be the one to answer you first.

>Truth be told, you don't know if the question you'd asked even had a satisfying answer.

"But..."

>Staring at that map just leaves you in absolute silence.

>Rather than a barrage of questions raging through your mind, only a static hum could be heard.

>If there was a way to make any sense of this, it certainly was one you did not know about.

"Equis..." you let the foreign word roll of your tongue.

>"As for your next question, I'll need a little more details on your arrival here, if you'd be so kind."

>You heard Twilight's question, but simply couldn't be bothered to answer her now.

>That glowing outline on the map drew the entirety of your attention towards it.

>Twilight claimed that you were still on Earth...

>Then why were there talking ponies? How come they didn't know what a human is?

>You down the remainder of your water, the cool sensation proving to be only a weak relief for your inner turmoil.

 

>"...got hit by lightning, then woke up in mah orchard," you heard Applejack's southern drawl.

>"Is that right, Anon?"

>Turning your gaze back towards the two mares, you faintly nod.

>If anyone held those answers for you, it'd be these two, you suppose.

>The best thing to do now would be to gather as much information as you could and see where to go from there.

"We were just sitting in the forest near my farm when it started raining. Ashy got scared by the lightning and ran off."

>You look down on the pony whose head was lying on your lap. In slow strokes, you begin to drag your hand through her mane.

>The silk-like sensation brushing across your fingers calmed you down a bit. And her too, you like to think.

"I took after her and right before I got to her, there was this bright white light and I passed out for a moment."

>A soft nickering coming from your lap causes your lips to gently lift upwards.

"Next thing I know I'm here... wherever it is, I guess."

>Twilight blinks a few times, shaking her head at the pieces of the puzzle you've given her.

>"...random teleportation..." you hear her mutter to herself.

>Her brow furrows as she gets up, making her way towards the near-endless rows of books that lined the walls.

 

>"Ya got a farm too?"

>On the other end of the table Applejack still sat, looking at you, and for what you believe to be the first time, she's smiling at you as well.

>It seemed that she shared the same enthusiasm and drive you held for your work.

"Yeah, just a little thingy, though. Run it all on my own. Definitely not the second biggest in the country, like yours."

>A small blush makes its way onto her freckled cheeks and you even seem to have managed to elicit a small chuckle from her.

>"As long as yer heart is in it, Ah'm sure yours is just as good as mine," she says with a kind smile. "So, what kind of produce do ya grow?"

>There's a slight hesitation, delaying your reply from coming out straight away.

>For just a moment, you'd felt like you'd finally found something that was still the same as it had been at home.

>Someone who shared the devotion you had for your work, if you even dared to call it work in the first place.

>But then you were reminded that you were talking to a pony. One who didn't take kindly to your methods, at that.

>Applejack had been anything but receptive towards the way you treated Ashy.

>Something tells you that the specifics behind horse breeding wouldn't quite please her.

>You'd always taken great care for your animals, but something needed to bring the money in.

>Anyone with a decent offer could buy your services.

>And, after a few consultations, you usually knew the people who were interested in your stallions took good care of their animals too.

>Given the price-range you worked in, that was kind of a given anyway.

>But trying to tell that to her seems like something that wouldn't go over too well.

"Uh... livestock, actually," you say as you scratch the back of your head. Being vague about it would be the smartest thing to do.

>You'd much like to steer away from this particular topic, lest she grew angry at you again.

>Now that you were finally on her good side, it'd be nice if you could stay there, seeing how she made up half of the people who were willing to help you.

>With a chuckle, you try to divert her attention from your shared line of profession.

"So relax, you won't be finding any competition coming from me."

>A lopsided grin spreads on Applejack's face.

>"Ah sure ho—"

>"Nothing!" Twilight yelled from the other end of the room.

>With an annoyed huff, she sat herself down at the table again.

>"I can't find anything that explains how you got here. It doesn't make sense at all."

>Twilight's horn flares up as the map on the table rolls itself up and flies back towards its rightful place in the shelves.

>"Maybe if I could go to the exact spot where AJ found you that I could look for some magic residue but..."

>Her gaze lowers itself towards the table, steering away from yours as she lightly presses her lips together in a thin line.

>Whether it was concern or hesitation that bothered the purple mare, you couldn't discern, but something troubled her mind fiercely, that much was certain.

"But what?"

>She looks up at you again, her violet eyes softly taking in your form.

>Her lips are still tightly pressed together, as if she were doubting whether she should answer you or not.

>"Look... I'll be honest," she begins as she paws around with her hoof on the floor, "I don't think we'll find much. I don't think we'll find anything at all, even. Magic residue fades so quickly that it's probably already gone by now."

>Though the entire idea of 'magic' still does not sit well with you, Twilight's concern was clear enough regardless.

"So you can't find out how I got here?"

>She simply shakes her head in reply.

>"I don't think so, no... Sorry."

 

>Though you're pretty sure you already know the answer to this one, you can't help but try and ask, "Can you find out how to get us back?"

>And once again, she shakes her head as she heaves a burdened sigh.

>"There hasn't been a storm here for weeks, so there's no tie relating to the weather magic. And even if there were, it's nearly impossible for a pegasus to gather enough energy for a teleportation at random. I can't even do that!"

>Twilight looks away from you again, her muzzle scrunched up as she mulls over what little she could make out of your sudden appearance.

>"Whatever it was that got you here, either it knew precisely how to do so or there was just an enormous amount of energy that burst apart at random..."

>She shakes her head, the anomaly sitting in front of her doing nothing but to confuse her.

>Twilight had always prided herself at her nearly peerless knowledge of magic, but the current situation made her feel like her first days in magic kindergarten again.

>"I-I don't know... And I can't send you 'back' if I don't know where you came from in the first place."

>Though there were many things to pick out from Twilight half-ranted explanation, there was one specific detail that you couldn't overlook.

>This world doesn't try to stop to make you feel more and more out of place, it seems.

"Did you just say pegasus?"

>Twilight looks up at you, one brow steadily raising skywards.

>"Yes?" she replies, a mixture of hesitance and confusion laced through her tone of voice.

"As in 'winged horse' pegasus?"

>The purple mare slowly nods in confirmation.

>"You... You really don't know anything about this at all?"

>A sigh rolls past your lips as you reach out towards your glass of water again, only to find that it had already been emptied by you earlier.

"Stuff like that exists where I come from, but it's all made-up. I mean, if anyone would've told me I'd be holding a conversation with a talking unicorn this morning, I probably would've laughed them straight in the face."

>Looking down on the grey pony lying on your lap with her eyes closed in comfort, a grim expression etches its way onto your features.

"It's not so funny when it actually happens..."

 

>Both mares sitting opposite you remain silent for a short while, unsure of what to do.

>Eventually, it was Twilight who decided that if she couldn't help you with your predicament, she could do the next best thing.

>She could share her knowledge with you.

>"Pegasi are... well, like you said, ponies with wings. They help maintain the weather: making it rain when there's not enough, decide when we have to shift the seasons around and all that."

>And once again, the coherency of this world just absolutely baffles you.

>Rather than questioning it though, you just nod, motioning for Twilight to continue her explanation.

>Seeing how even the most basic of things were revolutionary to you, she grew a bit more excited that she had finally found someone willing to listen to her.

>"Unicorns like me can use magic in many ways. Usually, they are specialized in a specific subject, so I'm sort of an odd one when it comes to that."

>She stands up straight and turns around, showcasing the mark of a six-pointed star on her flanks.

>"This is a cutie mark and it sho—"

"I already know what a cutie mark is," you interject.

>"Ah already told him."

>"Ah, well then," she says as she turns away again, "My special talent is magic itself, so I'm..."

>A rosy tint spreads on her cheeks as she begins to paw at the floor again with her hoof.

>"She's pretty good at anything with magic," Applejack completes her friend.

>"Well..." Twilight halts her movements upon her friend's interruption, before setting herself back down at the table. "...Yes, more or less."

>The unicorn looks to her side at Applejack, then continues her explanation, "Earthponies like Applejack are good at—"

"Let me guess, farming stuff?"

>The orange mare smiles at you, though shakes her head. "Kinda like that."

>She looks back at Twilight, motioning for her to continue. You, as well, divert your attention towards the studious mare again.

>"Earthponies have a special connection to the earth. It's not just farming things, they've got a connection with nature and wildlife that others just don't have. And they're stronger than unicorns or pegasi, for the most part."

 

>"Fruits have always run in our side of the family, but we've got some cousins up north who keep goats and buffalosheep," Applejack confirms with a nod.

>"And the princesses are alicorns. They embody all traits of the other tree tribes. Magic, flight and strength, they— The princesses!"

>Twilight's sudden outburst caused Applejack to wince, whereas you almost jumped behind the couch, abruptly waking Ashy from her nap.

>"How could I forget about them? I-I need to send them a letter right away!"

>Ashy wildly swings her head around at the sudden disruption of her peaceful slumber, though you quickly manage to calm her down, simply by shushing her and lightly holding her in place.

>Twilight jumps up right, running off towards her desk as she yells out behind her, "If there's anypony that can help you it's them!"

 

>And once again, you are left with Applejack, who simply smirks as to shrug off her friend's most recent behavior as the most normal thing to have happened.

>"She okay?" she asks with a nod at Ashy.

>You look down on the mare, ears perked up as she watches Twilight run to and fro.

"Yeah, she's just startled easily sometimes; don't worry about it."

>Your gaze follows that of your pet and you feel your brow dropping as you watch the purple unicorn levitate a bunch of quills behind her.

"She knows royalty?"

>Nodding in compliance, the farmer pony looks past you at the unicorn running throughout the room making little effort to hide her panic before softly shaking her head.

>"The princess has been teaching her ever since she was a little filly," she says. "Don't mean she still doesn't run around like a cockatrice without a head sometimes, though."

>This time, it was you who couldn't hold out on a light chuckle, even if you didn't really know what a cockatrice was supposed to be.

>Still, it was nice to just laugh a little after all you've been trough so far.

>Though, after the hollow laughter, you were quickly brought back to reality.

 

"Do you think those princesses can help me?"

>Applejack looked away from you for a moment, a stark contrast from her usual bold attitude. Her gaze lingers on nothing in specific as she lets your question sinks in.

>With a sympathetic smile, succeeding in its attempt to instill at least a little comfort in you, she speaks up, "Ah'm not gonna lie to ya; Ah don't know that. But what Ah do know is that Twi's right. If there's anypony that can help ya, it's them."

>For the umpteenth time this afternoon, you heave a sigh, accompanied by a curt nod.

"Guess I'll just have to wait and hope for the best then."

 

>Twilight returns to the table, a stack of parchment, various quills and an inkwell all floating behind her in the familiar maroon aura.

>"Spike's still out with the other dragons?" Applejack asks her friend as she sat herself back down at the table.

>Twilight simply nodded, murmuring a hum as she frantically was scribbling away on the parchment.

"Dragons."

>Both ponies looked back up at you, though Twilight quickly went back to her letter.

>"Spike is my assistant," she said as she flipped over towards a new piece of parchment. "...approximately six foot tall... And yes, he's a dragon. I hatched him from his egg, and he's been living with me ever since... no knowledge about Equestria whatsoever... He helps me keep the library organized."

>"And he's a pretty darn good chef too," the orange mare added.

>"That he is... please respond at your earliest convenience, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle..."

>A small stack, consisting of about four sheets of parchment, float up in Twilight's magic and roll themselves up.

>In a flash, you could see that one of them contained a crude sketch of you with some approximate measurements drawn next to it.

>With a swiftness that tells you she has done this countless times, the unicorn wraps a red lint around the parchment before making them disappear into nothing with a flash and a soft popping sound.

>You blink, looking at an empty spot where but moments ago the letter that might hold your rescue in it had floated.

>A trembling hand finds its way into Ashy's soft coat again as you inwardly shake your head at the madness you've become part of.

"Dragons," you mumble to no one in particular. "Cooking dragons."

>"He's a real nice fella."

>Ashy lies her head back in your lap as you brush her bangs out of her eyes. "...Yeah, I bet he is."

>At this point, you didn't really know what to think anymore.

>Talking ponies, cooking dragons, letters disappearing into thin air, magic, ...

>If it weren't for the little mare resting her head on your legs, you surely would've believed you went insane by now.

>All you could hope for now was that the princesses Twilight and Applejack seemed to have so much faith in would be able to help you.

>If they didn't...

>You'd much prefer not to think about that for the time being.

 

 

>A flash, easily ten times as bright as the one Twilight had conjured with her spell, blinded the entirety of the library.

>Ashy lets out a frightened whinny and if you hadn't held her in place, there was no doubt in your mind that she would've ran off outside.

"Ssshhhhh girl, it's nothing to be afraid of."

>Holding her into place becomes a bit easier as the light soon dies out, leaving a single piece of parchment with a white ribbon tied around it on the table in its wake.

"This whole 'magic' thing is seriously going to be a disaster around her," you offhandedly remark as you slowly stroke Ashy's sides.

>Shivers still roll down her back as she frantically looks around for the source of the sudden light.

>You continue shushing her and with each stroke down her sides, she seems to calm down a little.

>"Sorry," Twilight bashfully speaks up as she tries to untie the ribbon with her hooves, "I didn't think the princess was going to send me a reply this soon."

>You snatch the letter off the table, quickly tearing apart the ribbon before handing the letter back to Twilight.

>Soft whimpers coming from your lap show you just how spooked Ashy had been by the bright flash.

>In the corner of your eye, you spot your backpack standing by the side of the sofa.

>From within, you swiftly retrieve your box of sugar cubes that somehow seemed to have survived the multiple crash landings it'd had to endure.

>Holding one in front of her, Ashy's ears perk and she suddenly seems to have forgotten about her fears at the prospect of the sweet treat.

>Lapping it off your hand, her warm breath brushes over your skin and you can't stop yourself from beaming a smile.

>One that quickly falters as Twilight jumps up straight before running off towards the central part of the library again.

>"She's coming! The princess is coming! And the library is a mess!"

 

>You redirect your gaze at Applejack, who now too was just shaking her head at the unicorn's behavior.

"Is she always so..."

>"Panicky? Running around with no clue?"

>You nod at the earthpony's suggestions as they aptly describe Twilight's current activities.

>Halfheartedly, Applejack bobs her head. "Well, whenever the princesses are involved... yeah, she kinda is."

 

 

>Three short raps coming from the door cause Twilight to drop the dozen books she held afloat in her aura.

>"Oh no! Nonono! I'm not ready yet!"

>Applejack exaggeratedly sighs as she gets up to open the door, walking past the unicorn running to and fro at breakneck speeds, seemingly unfazed in the slightest.

>You felt your heart pounding in your chest, knowing that if there were a way for you to get back home, only a wooden door was separating you from it.

>Still, something told you to have a little trust in the advice from the two mares, odd as they were.

>Patting your pony's haunches, she lifts her head up, allowing you to head towards the central area of the library as well.

>Once there, you saw Applejack bowing down to a pony with a bright white coat, nearly rivaling you in terms of height.

>Just like Twilight had said, the large mare had both wings and a horn.

>Upon seeing you, she quickly strode forwards and the two of you met in the middle of the library.

>For what seemed to you as minutes on end, the both of you just stood there, looking at each other in complete silence.

>You, paralyzed with the fear that if she could not help you, nothing could.

>She, entranced with the foreign being in front of her, a sparkle dancing in her eyes that knew no rivals.

>Her bright magenta orbs pierced your own and a soft smile spread upon her lips.

 

 

>Slowly, with hesitation saturating her every move, she lifts up a trembling foreleg.

>She softly places it on your chest before quietly shaking her head.

>"U-Unbelievable..."

>With a soft tap, her hoof finds its way back down towards the wooden floor of the hollow tree.

>"...I never thought I'd get to meet a human..."