A brown earth pony sat on a bench in the Fillydelphia train station, happily munching a sandwich. “This Filly cheesehay sandwich is really quite good,” he thought. “I bet if I introduced the rest of Equestria to this sandwich, they’d enjoy it.” He smiled as he thought of the possibilities. His cutie mark, resembling a desert island, gave no hint to his special talent, and should have looked particularly out of place as far north as Fillydelphia. But here, like other parts of Equestria, no one paid any particular attention to this pony, sitting in the background.

The train arrived, one of the older models pulled by a quartet of well-muscled stallions. The arriving team undid their harnesses and wiped the sweat from their brows. A station employee arrived with large cups filled with cold water, which the tired stallions happily consumed. A mechanic performed a routine check of the train as the new team got ready. Porters unloaded trunks and crates. “Next stop, Canterlot. All aboard!” called the conductor.

The brown stallion made no move to board the train. Rather, he observed. A pair of stallions, one pegasus and one earth pony, were among those eager to depart Fillydelphia. They weren’t particularly unusual, except for the company they kept. Seeing them off were one of Fillydelphia’s finest, and a mare who anypony would recognize as the mayor’s spokespony.

It took a mere five minutes for the exchange of passengers to finish. The train’s whistle sounded, and the team pushed against their harnesses as one. The train lurched, and slowly built speed. A routine daily event, completed again.

The earth pony frowned. He had finished the last bite of his sandwich. Reluctantly, he rose, discarded the wrapper, and joined the crowd.

Crossing Over
By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 6: Come Together

“There are few greater works of art than Canterlot Castle itself,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Let me show you around.”

The three of us newcomers followed Twilight Sparkle as she led us through the castle. The tapestries, suits of pony armor, and pottery looked impressive to me, but apparently Twilight Sparkle didn’t find them worth discussing. She didn’t stop until reaching a long corridor, both walls decorated by stained glass masterpieces. The thick carpet deadened our hooffalls as we walked.

“In this hall, you can see great moments of Equestrian history, captured in colored glass. Here, you will see representations of the founding of Equestria, the rise of the sisters, their establishment of Harmony, the creation of the Elements of Harmony, the founding of the great cities, and more.”

We all viewed the stained glass artwork wordlessly. There was a distinctive style to the images, obvious even to my untrained eye. The craftsmanship attained by the ponies was remarkable, and they accomplished this without hands. Of course, magic would make the task easier, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find these were made without magic.

I stopped by one of the windows, a familiar purple color catching my eye. The lead came holding together this window’s glass was significantly less tarnished than the other windows. “This is you, isn’t it?” I asked Twilight Sparkle.

“It is,” she said. “This window represents the defeat of Night Mare Moon, and our use of the Elements of Harmony. Further down the hall, you will see us again, in a representation of the defeat of Discord.”

It struck me just how important this Twilight Sparkle was. Her early description of herself as Princess Celestia’s star pupil could have been random bragging, or padding one’s resume. But the princess did value her opinion highly, and at that moment, I saw she’s pretty much a national hero. And she basically dropped whatever else she was doing to help me, for three days now, and today was happily playing amateur docent. That was just so… inhuman. Inhuman, in a good way.

After visiting an art gallery, with paintings resembling a Renaissance style, Twilight Sparkle took us out the rear of the castle. A massive garden stretched out before us, with a hedge maze directly ahead.

“The hedge maze has been carefully cultivated for centuries. The princesses often change the pattern. I wouldn’t recommend getting lost today!

“The gardens collect flora and fauna from all over Equestria. Together, they represent the gracious rule of the princesses, and the beauty possible when living in harmony.

“Also throughout the garden, you will find statues representing pony ideals. Look, and you will see Victory, Friendship, Harmony, Knowledge, Generosity, Loyalty, and others.”

Like the stained glass, there was a common style to the statuary. The stone surfaces were clean and obviously well cared for. Twilight stopped when she came to the only non-pony statue in the garden, a chimera that looked like it was built off an Eastern dragon. Her horn glowed, and a magic circle in brilliant white briefly appeared around the statue.

“What is that?” asked Bobbie.

“Discord, the spirit of chaos incarnate,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “Like Night Mare Moon, a force defeated with the power of the Elements of Harmony. Sadly, there was no gentle soul to redeem, and so Discord will remain bound forever. I just can’t walk past this statue without double-checking the security of the magical bindings.”

The logic of keeping someone like that just outside the castle was lost on me. There’s probably some magic-based explanation.

After finishing our tour of the gardens, Twilight Sparkle escorted us through the streets of Canterlot. She showed us her old school. Young unicorns chatted, practiced magic, read, and grouped to listen to teachers. My own high school memories still fresh in my mind, I was insanely jealous of the freedom these students had. We passed by a building that was of great personal importance to the purple unicorn, the library and royal archives. The way Twilight Sparkle kept glancing back at the building, it appeared her mind was half-focused on some unfinished research.

Our next destination was what Twilight Sparkle called “historic downtown Canterlot.” The older stone buildings were set close to each other, but were clean and well-maintained. Twilight Sparkle mentioned the many uses for the buildings in the past: nobles’ residences, embassies, museums. Most were repurposed as government offices today, she explained. She’s a natural tour guide, I thought.

*CLANG*

I looked around, saw nothing, and then looked up. Above our heads, a gray pegasus was wrapped around an antenna. No, it wouldn’t be an antenna here. A lightning rod? The pegasus slid off the now-bent rod, then her wings extended, and she glided to the ground. “Who put that there?” she said.

Twilight Sparkle rushed up to the mare. “Are you all right?” she asked.

I got a better look at the pegasus. She was carrying what looked like a mailman’s pouch. She had a blond mane and a mark on her flank resembling bubbles, but her most noticeable feature was her yellow eyes. The poor thing hit her head so hard, it crossed her eyes!

The mare tried to focus her eyes. “Twilight Sparkle?” she said. “Did I make a wrong turn and end up back in Ponyville?”

“No, Derpy, you’re in Canterlot,” Twilight Sparkle replied reassuringly. “I just happen to be visiting too!”

“That’s wonderful, Twilight!” Derpy replied cheerily. “I just don’t know what went wrong there! I followed the same warm air pattern that I always follow, but that’s the first time I hit that pole!”

A creaking sound alerted us to a fresh problem. The metal rod twisted, and detached from the roof. “Look out!” I called.

Everyone scattered, just in time. The metal rod, about as long as my pony body and as thick as my foreleg, hit the cobblestone street and tilted over, rattling loudly. The harsh metallic vibration echoed off the facades of the stone buildings. The errant rod finally came to a rest in the middle of the street.

“Let’s at least get this to the curb,” I suggested. I pushed it with my hooves; the rod was surprisingly heavy. Bobbie joined in, and the rod began to roll faster. When Dan added his own strength, however, the rod glowed with a strange energy. The energy jumped from the rod to Dan like electricity from a live wire.

“Yow!” Dan screamed, and fell backwards. The fall broke the connection, and he recovered quickly.

Twilight Sparkle, who had been checking on Derpy, rushed over to Dan. “What happened?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Dan replied. “It’s like I got a shock when I touched the pole.”

“I didn’t feel anything,” said Bobbie.

“Neither did I,” I added. “Do you know what that is, Twilight Sparkle? A lightning rod?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied.

I looked closer at the rod. It didn’t look old. I searched the buildings. I didn’t see anything similar from where I was standing. “Can your magic discern anything about it?” I asked.

Twilight Sparkle nodded, and then concentrated. Her horn and the rod glowed a pale green for about ten seconds. She then looked at Dan, concentrated, and sighed. “There’s something in the rod, but I can’t sense anything about you, Dan. I just know there’s a connection, though.”

Twilight Sparkle turned to Derpy. “I have a letter for the princess. Could you deliver it right away, Derpy?”

“I sure can!” she responded.

Twilight Sparkle summoned a scroll and quill, and rapidly scrawled a note. Magically rolling the scroll, she passed it to Derpy. The gray mailmare stuffed the scroll in her bag, gave Twilight Sparkle a quick salute, and flew off.

“I apologize for interrupting the tour, everypony, but I think the Princess needs to learn of this development,” said Twilight Sparkle. She concentrated, and the metal rod rose in the air.

We headed back to the castle, retracing our steps. Although Twilight Sparkle wasn’t doing anything physically, the strain of lifting a heavy object was wearing her down.

“Need any help, Twilight?” I turned, and saw the rainbow-maned pegasus I met on my first day here.

“Rainbow Dash!” exclaimed Twilight Sparkle. “How did you get here so fast?”

“I flew. Of course.” She flew into a vertical position, puffing out her chest. “If the Princess needs me, I’m not going to sit in some stuffy train car! I’m going to fly here. And nopony flies faster than Rainbow Dash!”

“And yes, I could use some help,” said the exhausted unicorn.

Rainbow Dash flew under the levitating pole, and carefully balanced it across her back. She looked unsteady for but a moment as Twilight Sparkle released the magic holding it aloft. Then, Rainbow Dash instinctively balanced the movements of her body and wings, and the pole didn’t budge. “Piece of cake!” she said.

With Rainbow Dash helping us, we were able to return to the castle at a faster pace. As soon as we arrived, Twilight Sparkle spoke to one of the guards. “Please inform the Princess that I have returned, and have urgent business to discuss, as mentioned in the letter I sent minutes ago.” The guard nodded, and trotted off. Another guard escorted us to a conference room.

Rainbow Dash twisted her body slightly, causing the metal rod to roll onto the table. She then stretched, popping her shoulder and wing joints. “Ahh… better.”

Two pegasus guards opened the door to the conference room. Without the fanfare from this morning, Princess Celestia entered the room, followed by one of her unicorn advisors. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, whatever is so important?” She spoke warmly, but I wondered if she was suspicious of her student’s motive.

“It’s this,” Twilight Sparkle said, motioning to the rod. “It may not look like much, but I sensed an unusual energy that may be tied to our visitors. Dan reacted rather strangely when he touched it,” she explained.

Princess Celestia lowered her horn. If she was using magic, it wasn’t showing the normal visible effects I had seen with unicorn magic. She raised her head, and said, “I think your conclusion is right, Twilight Sparkle. And that there may be…”

“…six other of these things!” said Twilight Sparkle, finishing the thought.

The princess nodded. She turned to one of the guards. “Lieutenant Silverwing, inform the guards to ready as many chariot squads as possible.” To the unicorn, she said, “Bring the professors. I want them to study this item, and look for similar magical signatures throughout Canterlot.”

“I’m going to go with one of the squads. You know, in case they need any help,” announced Rainbow Dash.

“Of course, Rainbow Dash,” said the princess, smiling.

Twilight Sparkle looked ready to say something, but Princess Celestia was ready. “I know you want to help too, Twilight Sparkle, but you wouldn’t want to miss your dinner reservations at the Aerie, would you?”

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes, well, sparkled. “The Aerie? How did you know?”

“I’ve seen you cast your gaze upon the restaurant, my pupil. And besides, what better place to go for a group of visitors who want to see Canterlot?”

Twilight Sparkle was bouncing around like Pinkie Pie as she described the restaurant. “The food’s great, but you can find great food all around Canterlot. But this restaurant, it’s up high, and it SPINS!”

“I take it you’ve never been there?” said Bobbie.

“No,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “My parents talked about taking me there when I graduated, but then I left my formal schooling to study in Ponyville, so I don’t know if I’ll ever go there, and the restaurant is so expensive….”

I was surprised she was so excited about one meal. On the other hand, I wasn’t going to turn down a fine meal. It beats cold pizza and fast food any day of the week.

We arrived at a tall tower. Near its top, there was a wider disc-shaped room. We entered the tower, and a uniformed unicorn maître d' acknowledged our group. “Miss Twilight Sparkle and guests? Please follow me.” He escorted us to the center of the tower, a glass-walled cylinder stretching up the length of the tower. Another uniformed unicorn, resembling an old-fashioned elevator operator, opened the glass door, and we stepped onto a cylindrical lift.

The elevator operator’s horn glowed, and the lift slowly rose. Twilight Sparkle was smiling and enjoying the sights. To me, it just felt like any other elevator. Finally, the elevator broke through the ceiling of the tower, and we entered the restaurant.

The circular dining room featured about two dozen tables alongside the windows, with what I assumed to be a kitchen occupying the room’s center. The rotation of the restaurant couldn’t be felt. The restaurant itself might be nothing special to someone from Earth, but the view was astounding. Again, the brightness of this place was evident. There was none of the grayness of old, crumbling stone, like in Europe’s old castles. The predominant color was gleaming white, with bright pastels from roofs, pennants, flowers, and decorative trim.

The meal was something I’ll never be able to forget. I lost count of how many courses were brought out over the evening. Several dishes were prepared tableside, including a salad, a pasta course, and their version of cherries Jubilee for dessert. The courses were well-portioned and spaced out so that I didn’t feel particularly full until it was all done.

The service was incredible, too. The wait staff made sure our water glasses were full and not a crumb was left dirtying the tablecloth. And they never showed any sign of noticing what had to be terrible table manners from us transformed humans. The unicorns serving us all had marks on their flanks related to food service, such as cloches and silverware. I wondered what they thought about finding out their special talent was waiting tables. I know I don’t want to spend my life delivering pizzas, and to have someone say that’s what I should do?

There were a lot of questions I still had about this place, but my sincere hope was that I wouldn’t stick around long enough to have the chance to ask them. Twilight Sparkle directed our conversation over dinner, focusing mostly on Dan. He repeated his story about his life, how he got here, and his passion for Dungeons & Dragons. She asked familiar questions about humankind, friendships, relationships, and harmony. Dan, having lived through the end of the Cold War and having witnessed humankind not destroy itself, also had a more positive outlook on our species than Bobbie had.

Twilight Sparkle seized on one comment Dan made. “You said you don’t normally talk about your hobby, even though it’s your special talent. Why is that?”

“Special talent? I don’t know about that,” mused Dan. “I mean, how can you quantify something done for fun, seen by few people? It’s not like it’s my job, where I get an annual review.”

“That’s the whole point of cutie marks,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Even if no one judges you on it, it’s very important to you. Why don’t you share it with everypony?”

“Maybe people are different here, but it’s just not socially acceptable to a lot of people in my world. Fundamentally, what I enjoy is a game, and games are something adults aren’t supposed to do,” explained Dan.

“Well, that doesn’t make any sense,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Then what are adults supposed to do?”

“Watch television,” said the three of us, almost simultaneously. We laughed.

“Everyone has hobbies,” says Dan. “This may sound cynical, but how acceptable a hobby is can be determined by how many people do it. Almost everyone watches some television, so no one will think twice if you mention watching last night’s episode of Friends. In fact, because they probably watched it too, it gives you something to talk about in the break room. Yet move from passively watching some fictional world to actively creating one and sharing it, and suddenly you’re weird.”

“Do you all feel this way?” asked Twilight Sparkle. We looked at each other, and nodded.

“That doesn’t seem like a good way to live,” said Twilight Sparkle. “For me, magic is such an important part of who I am that I can’t just not be magical!”

I thought for a moment. “Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, what’s your favorite type of magic?”

“Right now, I’ve been researching improvements to teleportation magic. It’s my current area of interest,” she replied.”

“Tell us about your research,” I continued.

“Well, where to begin? I think the exclusion principle is a fascinating topic,” started Twilight Sparkle. “For those few unicorns who choose to study such a difficult school of magic, they start with the simple personal line-of-sight teleportation. The exclusion principle is ingrained into the basic theory of the magic, due to its importance. Teleporting oneself and oneself alone, and not the nearby ground or other living creatures, is paramount to both safety and reliability. Yet these two subjects are completely distinct! With modifications to the exclusion principle, it is possible to teleport much more than oneself. The complementary exclusion principle can allow one to teleport physical objects, although it must be further altered to allow for the teleportation of two distinct ponies at the same time. Each pony is unique, and magic will react differently in each pony’s presence. It takes a simple awareness to….”

Twilight Sparkle continued speaking, despite the confused expressions on our faces. It wasn’t until the next course was served that she realized she was talking about matters way over our heads.

“Sorry about that,” she said.

“That’s exactly how I feel when discussing real music with someone whose ears are closed,” said Bobbie.

“Or me, when I talk about Harry Potter with someone whose only exposure is through reading the books once, or , God forbid, just watching the movies,” I added.

“All those unicorn waiters, would they have understood what you were saying?” asked Dan.

“I doubt it,” replied Twilight Sparkle. “As Rainbow Dash might say, I was being a super-egghead right there.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe that’s another consequence of you being from such a large world. If ten thousand ponies know something, then I probably know at least one of them. If ten thousand humans know something, you may never meet one of those people.”

It was at that moment that the dessert preparation began. “I don’t know about you, but I think everyone can agree that dessert is the best part of a meal,” I said.

On the way back to the castle, I asked Twilight Sparkle, “How was the meal?”

“Not as good as I had imagined it,” she replied. “But wonderful anyway. It’s just that I’ve built up this place in my mind since I was a filly, and it’s hard to live up to that kind of unrealistic expectation. I would recommend this place again, but it certainly helps if the Princess is paying the bill.”

Once we entered the castle grounds, a rainbow blur streaked across the courtyard, catching the dying rays of the evening sun. The blur faded as a blue-green pegasus stopped, hovering over our heads. “Today was a total success!” crowed Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, you have good news?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“Yep! We found all those metal things you said we should be looking for. And we found something else. Or, rather, somepony else!” said Rainbow Dash.

“Who?” replied Twilight Sparkle.

“No idea,” admitted Rainbow Dash. “Just go check it out. Bring your friends, too.”

With a bit of dread, we walked down several flights of stairs into what I assumed was a dungeon. Armored guards, both unicorns and pegasi, stood vigilant. Finally, Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof into one of the cells. “There!” she shouted.

Around the cell stood several guards, along with the ponies I had already met in Ponyville, including Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. One pegasus broke from the crowd, grinding his hooves into his temples. “I can’t take this anymore!” he cried.

I raised my head, peeking into the cell. There was a pink pony with a blue and white mane in there, her front hooves bound in a straitjacket. Despite being unable to fly, she was bouncing around the cell, flying with the aid of the propeller on a beanie. Her cutie mark featured a screw and a baseball. I thought looking at her would make me crazy. Then she spoke.

“Azoic concupiscence elutriates glycosidic inelasticity! Metonymy poniards sanative uremia!”

I felt a migraine coming on.

“Crepuscular eponymy fusillades lotic metaplasia! Oncogenesis photolyzes recoupable tortoni!”

Rainbow Dash, who had what appeared to be pieces of cloud stuffed in her ears, turned to Rarity and said, “See? I told you it was a good idea to bring the straitjacket!” Rarity harrumphed.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the bizarre pony curiously. “I can’t help but feeling I’ve seen here before. Rainbow Dash, where did you find her?”

Rainbow Dash plucked the cloud out of one ear. “Huh?”

“I said, where did you find her?”

“She was buzzing around one of your mystery poles,” replied Rainbow Dash. “I know you’d want to talk to her, but she’s tough! She’s beating all of the Princess’ interrogators.”

“I can see why,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Look, I’m not sure it will benefit any of us to stay here. Just keep this place locked securely. I’m going to want to speak to Princess Celestia. Meanwhile, I have some friends who need rooms for the night.”

Sleep did not come easy that night. My mind kept thinking about the morning. Everyone was sure I’d be going home tomorrow, but I kept dreaming about things going wrong. I awoke with a start in the middle of the night, after a dream where I had remained trapped in Equestria. Every time I fell back asleep, I returned to the dream, twisting it each time to form a new problem. I felt myself dissolve into nothingness. Then I found myself home, but unable to be seen by anyone. Then I returned home, but to the wrong time.

My final dream was interrupted by a rapid pounding on my door. “John, wake up! Wake up!” called Twilight Sparkle.

“I’m awake,” I croaked.

“I’m going to take you to the conference room,” she said. “Everypony, or every human, is going to gather there while the Princess and the spellcasters get ready.”

I was apparently last to wake up. Bobbie and Dan were already there, along with two men I didn’t recognize. I did recognize the marks on their flanks, however. The pegasus with a light gray coat and silver-blue mane had a green lightsaber cutie mark, and the ochre earth pony with a bright yellow mane had a cutie mark that looked like those badges worn by the characters in Star Trek. I chuckled at the idea of these two meeting for the first time.

Before I could introduce myself, three other female earth ponies arrived. An orange pony with a blond mane, cowboy hat, and a mark of three apples was confidently leading two others. The pink pony with a red mane had an indistinguishable yellow-gold cutie mark. The royal blue pony with a silver-white mane bore a drama mask on her flank, and unusually, was wearing a black cloak. There was a palpable tension among the three ponies.

The orange pony’s attitude brightened considerably upon seeing Twilight Sparkle. “Twi!” she shouted; she sounded as if she were from the Deep South. “Am Ah glad to see you, an’ that’s the gosh-honest truth!”

“Welcome back from Appleoosa!” replied Twilight Sparkle. “I’d say welcome home, but we’re not home yet.”

“Glad to be back among friendly faces,” said the orange pony. “Now would ya mind tellin’ me what was so durn important that I had to rush straight here an’ spend a whole day in the train with these two… ponies?” She turned to them. “No offense, sugarcubes.” The pink pony rolled her eyes and the blue pony shook her head.

“Well, Applejack, now that you’re here, we’re going to do a briefing with the Princess and some of her advisors, plus some of the professors from Royal Canterlot University. It’ll be the condensed version, but I want everypony to have an idea of what’s going to happen,” explained Twilight Sparkle.

With that, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack departed, leaving us alone in the conference room. Two pegasus guards maintained their vigil outside. Apparently, her “everyone” didn’t include the seven of us.

“I can’t believe her!” shouted the blue pony. “I’m from a small town in the South, and I know damn well that ‘No offense’ means ‘I just offended you, and I’m going to keep offending you.’” Her accent sounded Southern, but much milder than Applejack’s.

“I can’t believe we went from the Wild West to Fantasyland in just one day,” said the pink pony.

“Wait, South, like the American south?” the gray pegasus asked the blue pony.

“Yeah, where else?” she replied.

“So what, we’re all in the same boat?” asked the ochre pony.

“I think so,” I said. “Did you all fall through a red portal, about three days ago?” Everyone nodded. “And you were human, and woke up like this?” More agreement.

I pulled a notebook and pencil out of my saddlebags. “Now that we’re all here, I’d like to see if there’s any sense at all to where we came from, when we came from, or why we might be here.”

“I’ve got nothing better to do,” said the gray pegasus.

“So let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves,” I said. “Say your name, where you’re from, the date it was when you disappeared—including the year, that’s important—and what you’re most passionate about. If you’re in the same boat as me, Bobbie, and Dan, it’s going to be symbolized in that mark on your side.”

“This mark?” asked the pink pony.

“Yeah, Twilight Sparkle called them…” I started, before being interrupted by maniacal laughter from the blue pony.

“Wait, wait, I’ve spent three days listening to her,” started the blue pony, pointing to the pink pony, “go on and on about a book called Twilight, with vampires that sparkle, and there’s someone here named Twilight Sparkle?” Her laughing continued, and she even started slapping the table with her hoof. The pink pony looked rather uncomfortable.

“Um, yeah,” I said, secretly embarrassed to have not noticed that. “Anyway, they’re called cutie marks, and they’re supposed to represent what you’re good at, but that seems to be a little different for us. Once you calm down, why don’t you start?” I said, looking at the blue pony.

“Sorry, I guess I’m a bit punch-drunk. That probably wouldn’t be as funny if I weren’t feeling so sleep-deprived.” She took a deep breath. “I’m Shannon Sullivan, from Dobson, North Carolina, currently a senior English major at UNC. Others might know me as Desdemona, Primogen of Clan Nosferatu, in our long-running LARP… live action role-playing game… for Vampire: the Masquerade. The creatures of the night are under my control. No secrets are unheard by my ears. And I don’t sparkle in the sun! Anyway, it was October 7, 1995, our monthly game, over in Battle Park. I was under cover of obfuscation, and approaching the site where the Gangrels were meeting, ready to spy. Except, that’s when the portal sucked me in. And I came to, looking like this, and instead of being 11 PM, it was early morning, and there was some celebration being planned, with lots of ponies and buffalo around. Then I saw Brianna, who also looked confused, and we’ve been forced together by these unusual circumstances.”

My initial attempts to take notes by hand had failed. My hoof did a fine job picking up the pencil, but any pressure, like with trying to write, caused it to pop out. I picked up the pencil in my mouth, and found writing that way felt a lot more natural.

The pink pony, Brianna, continued the introductions without prodding. “I’m Brianna Dubois, a high school student from Colorado Springs, and yes, I love the Twilight series. You can find my fan creations by looking up Allandra90 on deviantart.com and fanfiction.net. I was up late, writing, on January 8, 2007. I noticed a red light in the backyard, and like an idiot, I opened my bedroom window. I got pulled into the portal. And instead of arriving in Forks, I found myself in Dodge City, or Appleoosa as they call it.”

Dan continued. “Dan Brooks, computer geek from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and fan of real role-playing, the kind played with dice and graph paper maps. My Dungeons & Dragons campaign is older than some of the players at the local store. It was early in the morning on July 16, 1998 when I ran into my own red portal.”

Next, the gray pegasus spoke. “Tim Fitch, from Richmond, Virginia. Underwriter by day, Star Wars fan by day, night, and every moment in between. I disappeared on June 15 or 16, 1997. I’m guessing this red portal you’re all talking about appeared in my bedroom, because I went to sleep in my own bed, and woke up in Fillydelphia. I’m really hoping the portal didn’t damage any of my toys at home. My greatest fear is that time flows differently here, and I’m going to return home having missed the premiere of Episode 1.”

I made a noncommittal grunt and continued my writing. I decided not to ruin Tim’s hopes just yet.

“Star Wars! Finally, something I’ve heard of!” said Bobbie.

“And Fate apparently has a wicked sense of humor, since I almost immediately met a Trekkie,” said Tim, motioning to the ochre pony.

“Trekker, not Trekkie,” he corrected.

“What’s the difference?” asked Dan.

“I don’t own a pair of Spock ears. I have kissed a girl,” he replied. “Chris Kirk, from San Diego. Freshman at UCSD. Star Trek fan, both original series and Next Generation. I’ve attended Star Trek conventions throughout the Southwest. I’m honest enough to recognize the shortcomings of each series, and the movies, but I’m well able to focus on the best elements. It was about 3 AM on Sunday morning, March 7, 1993. I was walking back from a party—a normal frat party, mind you—and ran into the red portal. While I had something to drink, it shouldn’t have been enough for me to wake up here, that’s for sure.”

Bobbie introduced herself next. “Bobbie Jensen, from Manhattan, though my extended family is in Albany. Punk rock aficionado, scene follower, writer for a zine. And since it was 1980 when I left, I don’t even have an idea what most of my fellow humans are talking about. But it’s nice to know the world is still there in the future.”

It was my turn. I spat out the pencil. “John Lockhart, college student and pizza deliveryman, living in Indianapolis. It was April 9, 2008, around noon, when I ran into my own portal. I’m well-versed in a universe where magic works. Unfortunately, that universe is the Harry Potter universe, and not one with talking ponies.”

I glanced down at my notes. I couldn’t see any pattern to the dates or the locations. And our interests were similarly random. “Okay, I have no idea why we’re here,” I said. “For that matter, what is here? I mean, they call this place Equestria, but what is it?

“Yesterday, I heard the pony fable of Hearth’s Warming Eve. It almost sounds like an allegory for a long ago time, when leaders caused a nuclear war and nuclear winter covered the land. But it doesn’t fit with other ‘facts,’ particularly how everyone is convinced our world is a different world. And I hope they’re right, because I want to go home. Does anyone else have an idea for what this place is?”

“My first thought was Gulliver’s Travels, after a bad acid trip,” said Bobbie.

“Planet of the Apes, except with ponies,” said Tim.

“An alternate prime material plane, but no Dungeon Master would be evil enough to create a world like this,” said Dan.

“I have no idea,” admitted Brianna.

“I don’t know, but I like it,” said Chris. “It’s kind of how I imagined life on Earth in the Star Trek universe.”

“What do you mean?” I said.

“You know how there are replicators, that turn energy into matter? And there’s pretty much limitless energy? It’s hard to imagine want in a world like that,” explained Chris. “And I think all this magic I’ve seen is like the technology in Star Trek. It makes for a peaceful place.”

“I’m pretty sure this is My Little Pony,” said Shannon.

“What?” I said. The rest of us were confused as well. All of us, except Bobbie, likely recognized the name, but it didn’t mean anything to me.

“You know, the toy line?” Shannon said. “I mean, I wasn’t a fan. I liked art and books. But I had a sister, and she played with the toys, and so too many times I had to play with her. It’s primarily these unnatural colors that remind me of the toys. And I think there were unicorns and pegasus toys. But I don’t remember anything like a world for the toys. Nothing like an Equestria.”

Our speculation ended with the return of Twilight Sparkle. “We’re ready,” she said.

A large group proceeded to the gardens in the rear of the castle. Joining us seven humans were Princess Celestia, the six ponies called the Elements of Harmony, a half dozen unicorn scientists and advisors, and a dozen unicorn and pegasus soldiers. The scientists and advisors carefully scribed a large circle on the lawn, and instructed the soldiers to arrange seven metal rods equally around the circle. They gave a final review to some scrolls, before passing them to the princess. Twilight Sparkle stood protectively over a small, ornate chest, and watched the grounds nervously.

“Guards, head to the established perimeter,” ordered Princess Celestia. The guards departed. “We must have no disturbances. My visitors, please stand within the circle, near your rod, but do not touch them. The scientists will help you find the right one.” We followed their instructions. I noticed that I was standing next to the shortest rod, and Bobbie was next to the tallest rod.

“Now, please be silent. I will begin the ritual. My faithful advisors and honored researchers, please lend me your strength and guide the magic.” Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow, as did the horns of six other unicorns.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Celestia,” said an unfamiliar voice.