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Another Equestria

by Lamia

Chapter 1: ~ Chapter 1: The Accident

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~ Chapter 1: The Accident ~

Let's see... I think I remember the day it all started. I was in the middle of an experiment, and it was raining outside...

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I wiped my face off, the charred fur leaving a mark on my wrist and hoof. I stuck my tongue out, but it only made things worse since I could taste the air clearly. Bleh! I quickly levitated a small mirror from the adequately-labeled Small Mirror shelf and took a look, though I was a bit reluctant.

Ugh! I looked awful! My face was entirely black and I looked like I had serious bed-mane. It felt depressing to have another experiment blow up in my face... Literally. I closed my eyes and began a spell to return my fur and mane to its rightful color and form. With the flash, I looked in the mirror again. There... Nice and tidy once more. As much as I hate to admit it, I couldn't help but turn my head and give myself a stylish expression for just a second. I felt like Rarity! Giggling to myself, I carefully set the small mirror back on the proper shelf, and took a look around my desk to check out the damage I caused.

My work area didn't exactly fare much better. My small stool was in a few pieces, the desk turned upside-down, some of the drawers open with their spilled contents all over the floor. I sighed to myself, starting to focus magic into my horn so I could clean all this up.

Scrolls, check, ink and quills, check, owl feed, check, gemstones to distract Spike, check, temporary items reorganized... There. The desk was put right-side-up again, and the stool was back in one piece. Floating the paper I was using to store my notes back over to me, I magically grabbed a quill and looked over this current hypothesis.

That combination didn't seem to work too well... I took a note on the front page of the stack: 'Very volatile; violent explosion within' I paused to think for a moment. '17 seconds.' I sighed hopelessly, drooping my head. It sure was difficult to get this just right... I'll figure out how to make bottled unicorn energy eventually. Just have to tweak the formula...

Setting the old hypothesis gently in a file folder in the desk drawer, I brought out more sheets of paper and started to write a new magical formula. If I can just get this to work... There'll be so many wonderful applications...! Anypony could use magic, making everyday life so much simpler! I smiled to myself, the reminder having reinvigorated my hope and continued writing.

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In a few minutes I heard a few knocks at the door, and I set down my writing tools and such after finishing the line I was on, having completed a few pages.

"Coming!" I turned around and trotted over to the door, opening it and getting an eardrum-busting roar of thunder in my head, along with super-speedy winds just about blowing me off my hooves! Ice-cold rain splattered my front as I heard the clop of someone's feet walk inside. Whoever they were, I was glad to get them out of this storm. I tried to push the door closed, but the winds were too strong and the increasingly wet floor made it hard to get my footing. I simply just used magic to close the door, locking it in all three places to be sure. I was feeling a bit wet... I raised a towel from the towel shelf and ran it over myself a little.

Turning my vision over to whoever walked in, I noticed a shivering, dripping yellow and pink pegasus; Fluttershy! I could hear her teeth chatter from here.

"Fluttershy, are you okay?" I quickly levitated the towel to droop on her, hoping she can get dry enough.

"I-I-I'm... F-f-f-freeeee-z-zing..." Her gentle and quiet tone was always expected. As she unfolded her wings a bit, I saw her pet rabbit, Angel, crawl out and plop to the floor, seeing that even he was soaked despite being in a bit of cover.

"Oh, Angel, let me get you, too..." A small washcloth would be enough, and I took one from the appropriate shelf to dry him myself. As I quickly scrubbed him dry, Fluttershy was slowly doing the same to herself.

"Thank you, Twilight, for getting us out of that storm..." Fluttershy smiled meekly at me, still well-mannered as ever even in a situation like this. I shook my head a bit and smiled back.

"No problem, Fluttershy! Always here to help." Finishing drying Angel who seemed a bit disgruntled at being first soaking wet then damp and poofy, I started to walk back to my desk to get back to work. Had to keep my mind flowing.

"How'd you get caught in the storm?" I asked inquisitively, folding and placing the small towel I used on Angel into the 'Color' dirty clothes hamper. I looked at my desk again and magically picked up the quill and the current page I was on. What did it need, again...? I stared at the paper in thought.

"Oh, Angel and I were getting ready to buy something for dinner..." She continued drying herself as the rabbit looked away from her, pouting and crossing his arms. It took me a moment for what she said to register, I was a bit occupied in my thoughts.

"...Dinner...?" I shifted my gaze over to the clock on the wall. It was the evening already! "Wow, I didn't even notice it was this late already! Time sure flies when you're having fun." I hadn't noticed at all that that much time passed... Oh well. I guess that explained one thing. Fluttershy giggled a little and nodded slightly.

"Well, I hope we're not bothering you, being here this late..." So polite. I chuckled at how ridiculous that notion was.

"It's cold and pouring rain outside, how couldn't I let you get away from that?" I furrowed a brow and she smiled again with a thankful face. "As for dinner, I have some carrots set aside that I was going to snack on. Would you like some?" Almost immediately, Angel's ears perked at attention and he came hopping my way, then jumped onto my back and hugged my neck. He was pretty sweet when he wanted to be.

"Sure, thank you. I'm sure Angel wants some, too." I looked up to the upper level where I stored snacks at, and levitated three carrots towards us. One for each of us, all equal in size. Angel grabbed his and started eating immediately, with Fluttershy merely nibbling on hers. I took a sizable bite out of mine and started chewing, looking back to my work, getting to it.

"That storm really came on fast, didn't it? Those pegasus ponies can sure be rough sometimes." After a minute or so, I looked over to her, not exactly sure what to talk about. She surely had somewhere else to be, and I was working on magical research, which would probably bore her to no end. Even so, her question broke the ice.

"What're you working on?" She noticed all the paper stacked neatly on the desk, one stack the extra blank sheets, the other being the recently written on. The shy pony seemed to be satisfied with how dry she was, now; she took the towel into her mouth and placed it into the hamper without folding it. I corrected that myself, surprising her a moment. She looked to me again as I took a book from one of the magic study shelves.

"Oh, I'm working on a way to bottle up unicorn magic!" I was very happy to share something like this with one of my best friends. "If I can figure out how to do it, then anypony could potentially use unicorn magic relative to the amount they pour on themselves... Can you imagine how great it would be to use magic?" I smiled brightly at her as I checked the cover of the book I took from the shelf. 'Magical Displacement Theory, by Viola Étoile', it said in simple gold print on a thick red book.

"Ah, that sounds wonderful... I could use it to... lift heavy things!" I giggled a bit as I opened the book to the contents, seeing her think to herself about being a strong-hooved magic user. Fluttershy's response I practically predicted. Even the response just now as she yelped from being surprised by a sudden thunderclap. I couldn't help but let out a little giggle when she jumped.

"That's one thing you could do. But there's so much more! It even might be possible to give all earth and pegasus ponies permanent magic abilities, too...!" The sound of it reminded me that I needed to look through this book again. I knew there was something in here, I had to look again, read it carefully... Something told me I'd find what I was looking for. I took another bite of carrot. I could hear Angel still eating his loudly.

"Oh, yes, it would be pretty nice..." Always the understater. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the book, flipping pages here and there. Hmm... This particular formula was really strange. It wasn't really related to containment-based magic, but it was still displacement... Maybe that was the trick to it? I'll have to give it a try, anyway. I wrote down some more parts of the formula.

After the book-guided information was combined with my latest calculations, I was feeling pretty positive at how this would turn out, setting the quill back in the ink. I held up all the sheets side-by-side with magic, looking it over one more time. I think I've got it...

"Alright, stand back. I'm gonna try this..." I brought out an empty container from the 'Jars: Small' shelf, moving it and the papers to the desk. Fluttershy complied, moving back a couple feet. Angel stayed on my back, chomping away at his carrot, but I forgot that he was there at the time. Another crash of thunder outside. It seemed pretty loud, but I needed to concentrate.

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath, then strained, focusing my mind and magic onto the formula I was working on all day. This... Yes... That... Little more... Nngh... I could hear the magic sparkling and whirring from my horn. Opening my eyes just a bit, trying not to lose concentration, I stared directly at the small jar I procured for the magic containment. Just have to gather it up enough before trying to move it...

The thunderstorm roared above my treehouse. A deafening crack in the air connected with the magical lightning rod, and it surged with power. However, something went wrong; it didn't absorb it all the way. There was a magical disturbance keeping it from doing so. It shorted out the lights in my house, and made it rumble for a moment, making Fluttershy uneasy. I didn't notice, however. I couldn't stop, not now. The jar was beginning to show a sparkle of magic as I started to apply the next part, my horn whining from the power...

"Come on...! Almost... There...!" Suddenly, there was a deafening crash of sound; a lightning bolt came from the ceiling and struck my horn. There was a blinding flash, and I was gone from my house in an instant.

I couldn't see anything, but I felt the energy from the lightning bolt. My head was killing me... I consciously stopped my spell, and opened my eyes, I think. There was nothing, it was as if I was blind. I tried to move a hoof to my head, but found I couldn't move, either. I attempted to make a noise, but there wasn't a peep. All I could tell was that I was somewhere... strange, and my ears were ringing.

I wasn't sure how long I was stuck in that void, but it ended with a flash of light. Regaining my senses quickly, I could move and see again, but... I was underwater! I held my breath and looked around to try and find the surface, and found Angel. He was just as surprised as I was right now... I took and held him close with my foreleg. Looking down, I also saw that half my desk came with me, and it was floating down slowly to the rather scary depths of whatever body of water this was. My notes, too! Oh well... I also managed to catch a glance of a shiny reflection; the jar that I used broke apart.

I'd better get up for some air, I thought, looking up at the shining surface. Just then, Angel was patting me, getting my attention. He frantically pointed downward at some creepy tentacles that were coming up from the deep darkness down there! I would have shouted if I wasn't underwater, but all that came out was bubbles, and I held my breath again. I swam up as fast as I could with new resolve, but I wasn't that great a swimmer; it was catching up quick, and my air was running thin. I closed my eyes again and prepared an easy spell to get us out.

Whoosh. We jetted up through the water, and with a splash, ended up flying through the air and towards some grass at the shore which was luckily nearby. I landed kind of hard on the ground; I probably have a small scrape. I relaxed and laid back in the grass, panting heavily, coughing up some water, and Angel did the same. I looked over to him tiredly.

"Ar... are you... alright, Angel...?" I continued catching my breath for a moment, and he nodded, panting as well. Closing my eyes, I really felt like I needed a rest. Two powerful magic attempts today, almost drowning underwater... Plus I was zapped by lightning...! Could this day get any worse?

Suddenly, my rabbit friend was pushing on my face and squeaking at me. I opened my eyes to see a wet, black tentacle up above, ready to strike! It immediately started to swing down, and I shouted in fright, jumping up with Angel and hastily going into a gallop away from the lake. It narrowly missed me, slamming in the dirt. I slowed my pace as I looked back, seeing it retreat back into the water.

Sighing again in tiredness, I looked back at the rabbit on my shoulder who was catching his breath again.

"Well, Angel, we made it." I tried to give a reassuring smile, but I remembered everything that just happened; the lightning bolt must have triggered a teleportation spell with the instantaneous-type energy that it charged me with. Looking around, I saw that I was in a large, grassy field. It was very clear out, few clouds, and there was a comfortable breeze for the sunny day. Wait... Day? Wasn't it the evening just a moment ago...? This was really strange...

"Hello!!" I called out loudly, making a slight echo. However, there was nopony in sight; only grass and trees for what seemed like forever! I drooped my ears sullenly. If only I had a map and compass... I don't have my travelling materials. I sighed again.

"Angel, I don't know where we are, but I'll get us back home." He stared back at me and sighed himself, and I looked back with concern. Hopefully I'll get us out of this... Lightning bolts have a lot of energy behind them. It's no wonder that I got sent far away from anyplace that I know. I needed to think of a way to find where I am, and I put a hoof to my chin in thought for a moment.

Charging my horn with magic, I focused on my eyes, closing them. My binocular spell should help with finding a direction to go... I opened them up again, and my vision widened and was able to zoom in on a spot. This time, I scanned the area closely, looking for any possible landmarks or details that are missed from simple skimming...

"Ah-ha!" There. I zoomed in. I could see the top tip of a kind of building over the trees. It looked like a Ponyville house, except a bit more ramshackle-looking. I blinked a bit and stopped my spell, looking back at the rabbit sitting hopelessly on my back.

"Don't worry, Angel. I'll figure this out. First, we'll head over to that house over there, and ask for information." He shrugged, climbing up my mane and perched himself on my head, using my horn to sit stably. I smiled; it was rather convenient for him.

"Okay, let's go!" I reared back a moment to gain momentum, then began galloping my way into a hefty thicket of trees.

~ Another Equestria ~

Next Chapter: ~ Chapter 2: The Status Estimated time remaining: 51 Minutes
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