Planar Equestrian

by Southern Ice

1. The Odd Oddities

Planar Equestrian
Chapter I: The Odd Oddities

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“The planes are like a fine woman: mysterious, alluring and unpredictable.”

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The definition of a normal day in Ponyville might be an alien concept to some, considering how unpredictable and eccentric the denizens of this town were. Adding that factor with the size of the town itself, we have a strange condensed concoction of both hilariously made accidents and bizarre occurrences barely explainable by the wisest mind of the planes.

Then again, defining normality is equally hard as defining the nature of beauty. To one, such as the (un)fortunate Sigilians, it is absolutely common to see an abishai wandering about the Hive. To another, the presence of a mere imp can cause a nationwide panic. Such is life, so full of wonders and splendor, danger and threats, with plenty of the goofiness in between.

As a wise man once said, and his words rang true no matter which plane you hailed from: “The most fantastical existence is life itself.”

So after all, was it true to say that Ponyville was a bizarre little town? By all means, yes. Yet, at the same time, it was the bizarreness that defined normality, not vice versa.

Back to the matter at hand: Ponyville. What was Ponyville, exactly?

There are many cities and kingdoms which earned their place in the memories of the planes. It isn’t hard to find one who has heard of Waterdeep and its many legends. Many others have heard of Sharn, the City of Towers, with sky piercing spires being formed in their mind. A daresay, could you find a planeswalker, a mad man, a respected scholar and those with an adventurous spirit who haven’t heard of Sigil, the center of the multiverse, with its many doors and portal leading to every corner of the planes?

And Ponyville might as well become a part of that category. Not only did this little town witness many wonders, each marked its name into their world’s history, it was also the birthplace of many legends whose deeds would echo to worlds beyond and time far away. To say that it was worthy to be remembered would be an understatement, and the same could be said of its kingdom, Equestria.

Then again, to understand its uniqueness, one must understand the world of Equestria and its many wonders. One must find its roots and study its nature to fully immerse themselves into this world, one considered bizarre even by those who came from the City of Doors.

To give you a peek into this world, here is a quote taken from the first chapter of Equestria: A Look Into The History by Tale Keeper, a local historian.

“A thousand years ago, there was a kingdom called Equestria, home to one of the most curious beings to have ever walked on the plane of Equus: Equus Caballus Sapien, or more commonly known as the ponies…”

Diz the Sigilite, Planescape: A Guide To The Multiverse Book III, Chapter V: The Equus Ring, Segment I: Of Ponyville and the Kingdom of Equestria.

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Something wasn’t quite right, she knew it as clear as the sky… which might not help much in the metaphorical sense since it was a cloudy day. But aside from that questionable comparison, she knew that something was messing with the normality of her lovely little town.

Lyra had always been like this. She was a little paranoid, a little curious and skeptical. While those traits had little to do with her cutie mark, she was well known by them. Somepony even questioned if she could have mistaken her talent by chance, a fate most horrifying. In response, she assured them that it was just who she was, and it had nothing to do with her talents and life. After all, Applejack’s cutie mark was linked to her family business, not her honesty. So why shouldn't a musician also be a little skeptical.

Still, she felt that it was wrong, whatever lurked within the town. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, which only irritated her even more. So, she laid down on the bench outside of the town fountain, eyeing the people of Ponyville.

On the surface, it was just another peaceful day. The Apples were hauling their cart back to their orchard, little Apple Bloom giggling with her sister. On another corner, or more specifically, the Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was skittering around, playing with some foals, while the shop was buzzing with customers. The town’s famous librarian, Twilight Sparkle came by, gave the unicorn a friendly wave. On the sky, the weather team darted left and right to rearrange the cloud, a gray streak crossed by, earning the attention and shouting from a particular rainbow maned mare. All things considered, it was just another day in Ponyville.

So what exactly was that feeling? What was she expecting?

The second coming of Nightmare Moon? Maaaaybe? If princess Luna was still the same mare she saw at the Nightmare Night, highly unlikely. Could it be something related to, if she remembered his name correctly, Discord? His actions left behind great consequences, some weren't quite fixed, that could be it. Then again, his name didn’t ring anything in her mind, nor did it spark any revelation about her paranoia.

“Something on your mind?” A voice pulled her out of her trance.

Standing before her was one of her neighbors and friend since foalhood, Star Quill. The stallion seemed concerned, as his lapis eyes stared intently at her.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Star. Just a little under the weather, that’s all.”

“If that is the case, you should properly take some rest.”

Noticing the paper and scrolls he carried by his side, Lyra asked.

“What are you doing here? Isn’t your shop supposed to be open at this hour?”

“I wish that was the case. But the mayor told me that I had some unfinished paperwork regarding my last shipment. So here I am.”

The stallion was clearly exhausted, even though he didn’t seem tired physically. Despite that, his voice cheered up as he pulled a catalogue out of his saddlebags.

“And talking about that shipment, I have just received a new batch of scented candles, would you like to try some?”

‘Ever the marketer, Star.’ Lyra rolled her eyes and smirked. It could be true. She might just be a little under the weather, and that’s all. Nothing was wrong about the town at all. And scented candles would be nice too.

“That sounds like a mighty fine idea, Star.”

Star Quill owned a store, a small one, so small that some even called it a stall. The Odd Oddities was a peculiar store, almost as peculiar as Star Quill. It wasn’t a pawn store as it was often mistaken to be, neither was it an occult shop despite its gloomy decor. Star sold a lot of things, some less related to the other. On a shelf were scented candles imported from Canterlot, another was stocked with miscellaneous items he gathered from the coastal cities. Bon Bon even found a fan made from griffon’s feathers there once, which was a little morbid before they learned that it was considered a traditional item, representing the unity of the many griffon communities in the past. To call the store odd would be quite the understatement.

Lyra followed Star into the store. She always found the air to be a bit mystical, something Star was famous for since he was a foal. The black stallion turned to one of the shelves and checked the boxes.

“So, tell me, what tickles your fancy?”

Lyra put a hoof on her chin and thought. “Something refreshing, a little exotic… Do you have those… What did you call it… Oh, Feywild Sunset!”

Taking another look at the shelf, Star pulled a small box out and brought it to Lyra. Within the box, six grape purple candles sat tightly together.

“You are in luck! This one sold out really fast last time. How much would you like?”

“Hmm… Two boxes please, one for me and-”

“One for Bon Bon, got that.” The stallion smirked as he turned to get another box out. Lyra blushed a little and gave him a small push while giggling.

Lyra waited for him at the cashier. Her eyes wandered around the store. it seemed that Star had redecorated it since the last time. More strange scriptures on the front, more shelfs and odd things on the walls. Was that book here last time? She wondered.

Sat on the cashier was a book, a large one too. It was rather new compared to the rest of the store, yet fitted exactly right to the overall theme.

“Planescape: Equus?” A geographical book of some kind? When did he start selling these things? Then again, it could be a book from the library, and The Odd Oddities wasn’t famous for focusing on one market at a time.

Curiously, she turned the pages and found something strange. The book wasn’t finished, far from that. She found many blank pages in the later half of the book. Beside that, it looked more like a journal, or a draft.

“Star, are you writing this book? Why haven’t you told us about your great works?” Lyra jokingly pointed at the book as she turned to her friend.

A sense of dread filled her, as Star Quill stood at the store’s entrance, blocking away the light. In his hoof was a bag, with two boxes of candles which he menacingly held while staring at her. His lapis eyes shone in the dark, while his black fur became one with the store’s lighting, giving him a freakish presence.

“You read it?” He said, almost a whisper.

“Uh… yeah? Kind of? I just skimmed over it a bit.”

A heavy weight was lifted from both of them. Star breathed out with a ‘phew’ and happily trotted to Lyra.

“And here I thought you have seen all of the embarrassing stuff already. While I am proud of my work, it is still quite amateurish.”

Lyra giggled her sudden fright away and got her composure back.

“Oh, I do, absolutely! Do you know how much I shook during my first show? So how much is this?”
Star passed her the bag and opened his register. As she was getting the bits to pay the unicorn, Lyra reluctantly looked at the bag, then to Star. She gulped and asked him.

“Say, have you seen anything, I don’t know, out of the ordinary lately?”

“If you took Pinkie out of the list, then I can say that there’s nothing odd, around my store at least. Something on your mind?”

“I… Never mind, just being under the weather and whatnot. Have a good day!”
Lyra trotted out of the store, waving at Star. Star gave her a wave back.

“I am supposed to be the one saying that!”

The unicorn mare mood was improved, even if just by a little. She hummed an old tune and observed the ponies on the streets. Star was right, there wasn’t anything odd out there. She should really get some rest, with those sweet, sweet scented candles.

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Should Lyra turn back to the store, she would see a cloaked figure stepped into it. A familiar yet alien face to the denizens of Ponyville. She wasn’t a pony, that’s the first thing one would know immediately. She spoke in a cryptic and rhythmic way, that’s the second. And above all else, they used to be scared of her, and some would rather not make any contact with her, even then. They wouldn’t call her an isolationist, but her home being deep within the Everfree Forest made it hard to do so.

She went by the name Zecora, a Zebra from the far away land of Farasi. A potion practitioner, a witch doctor in some language and culture. She only came by the town once in a blue moon for some supplies she couldn’t gather from the forest, or for personal matters. But lately, she found herself quite fond of the little store located on the crowded commercial street, where she rarely came to before.

The bell at the door rang, noticing the owner of the Odd Oddities that one of his favorite patrons had arrived. Putting his quill and book down, the zebra came to the entrance, welcoming her in with a small bow.

“Zecora, good friend of mine. Which wonders have caught your eyes?”
Zecora responded to the bow with her own.

If Zecora was to be honest, it was lonely here, in this far away land. She had always been a traveler, with an adventurous spirit in her own ways. But it didn’t mean that she was jaded to the loneliness it brought to her. The further she was from Farasi, the more alienated she felt to the world around her. She still remembered the day she arrived in Ponyville, how much its denizens were scared of her. Even then, with new friends, she still yearned for the face of a fellow zebra. It’s always good to find a familiar face. Giving him a smile, she replied.

“Plain Walker, your gifts brought me great insight. Now I am here to respond to it in kind. Knowledgeable of forest, that I might, but I do hope that this could help your work tonight.”

From her pouches, she took out a small notebook, giving it to Plain Walker. The stallion thanked her and returned to the shelves, picking out some of his ware. Plain Walker and The Odd Oddities was still a mystery to Zecora, but a welcoming one. He was a fellow enthusiast in flora and fauna research, and a hermit in some form. Dried herbs and seeds were taken out, revealing a lever behind them. Pulling a lever, a glass case was pushed out from under the shelf. Within it, living samples of flora thrived. Bringing the case to Zecora, the stallion smiled when he saw the zebra mare admiring the strange plant. With it was another notebook.

“Eyebright, cure for ailment of sight, that they are. With it, the blinded can once more see the stars. Hard to grow, that is true. Even harder process must go through. Everfree is fertile and bright. Dedication and care should make it thrive. The brew has to be just right, you must follow these exact lines.”

Zecora focused all of her attention onto the plant and the notebook. Giving it a skim, she turned to Plain Walker and shook his hoof.

“It’s great to have a friend in the land this far. Maybe one day we could trade our arts under Farasi stars.”

“That’s a chance I would like to take. Now you should return before the timbers wake.” He replied, helping Zecora putting her things into her saddle pouches.

A short meeting, but as welcoming as any other. Zecora bid the owner goodbye and on her way back to her home. The sun would be setting soon, and as he said it, the timber wolves would wake up soon.

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All things considered, the The Odd Oddities was just another establishment in Ponyville, even when the tag itself fit the store just right. What was in its ware was rather unique, compared to what one might find in similar themed stores out there. But it didn’t spark any chant from the local residents of the burg. After all, it had always been there, and its owner was their long time friend.

Everyone knew him, Star Quill the unicorn, who opened the store just a few years prior. Even though Land Tale might come off as a weird pony due to how curious he was about every nook and cranny of the town, they knew that earth pony meant well. Yes, it had been a long time since Sky Wonders joined any pegasus dedicated events, but it didn’t make him less than a pegasus he was.

Tapping his chin, the stallion smirked when he saw how casual other ponies acted around him. The effects of the Changeling Cloak wasn’t exactly what he should dice for, but it was the only option he could afford. And so far, it had served him well. As long as he wasn’t in an equally mixed group, he should be fine.

Honestly, he didn’t expect the varied conception differences between the ponies. At first, he thought they were only separated into different subraces, like the elves. But it seemed that it was the case of a high elf, a drow and an astral elf. He would look elven to them, or in this case 'pony-ish', that was certain. He just simply didn’t know how they would perceive him exactly. As he had concluded, the ponies' reaction to the Changeling Cloak varied between the three tribes in most cases. Those of the earth ponies saw him as one of them, as was the other. They called him with different tags, which could be their attempts to translate his name from the divine alphabet to their language and culture. Even more fascinating was how that little dragon (which he convinced was actually either a kobold or dragonborn subrace) reacted to him. It seemed that due to him being raised by the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, his sense of safety shifted to that of a unicorn. The same could also be applied to those who were raised by a different pony tribe. Which could also be a good topic for his next debate with the Sensates regarding the definition of safety in the mind of a creature.

Another special case was with the zebra, Zecora. It seemed that her culture differed widely from that of the ponies. Which was expected of course. Her insight in the local flora, especially the natural environment of Everfree Forest helped him a lot. At the same time, with her help, he tried to integrate some of the flora from the planes to this world to determine its environmental effects.

All and all, everything was going pretty well, and dare he say, better than he expected.

The cryptid pony put his cloak down, the illusion covering his body faded away, revealing the true form underneath. The planeshift changed him, which he speculated that it had something to do with the plane itself. The plane of Equus seemed to have been separated from the rest of the material planes, much like Eberron itself in that fashion. He had only found two portals from Sigil which connected to it. And when passing through it, his form changed greatly. He became a quadrupled creature, with equine-like features. He was a certified cryptid! Having the antlers and everything. The cutters at the Smoldering Corpse would laughed at his face should they saw his form. To which he was relief because it was just a temporary change due to the plane's laws. He stuck out like a deader on Clerk’s Ward streets, or in this case, a cryptid amid a herd of chromatic ponies. Of course, it wasn’t the first time he had to blend in with the locals. A small enchantment dazzle and the Changeling Cloak managed to help him pass as a denizen of this ‘quaint’ little burg, even though it would mess him up big time if ponies from different tribes tried to wig wag with him at the same time.

Which was why the fey tried his best to stay away from the foal trios, the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they named themselves. As much as he liked their enthusiasm, the fact that each of them came from a different tribe spelled doom to him. He would like to keep his guise as long as possible, thank you very much. This plane was isolated for far too long, how could he know if they would accept a fey anymore? Was there any fey on this plane last time he visited it? It had been so long since the last time he came to the plane, too long for him to able to grasp all of the the cultural changes happened over the course of its history.

Returning to his work, the stallion smiled. His plans were in motion, and soon, the pathway to this planes and many other would be opened. The Lady would be pleased to know that her eyes could finally be set upon this uncharted land.

A small ring in the air noticed him of a foreign presence in his store. A burglar perhaps? A curious mare by chance? He just hoped that it wasn't the Cutie Mark trio, it would be really messy and he honestly weren't the most tolerable toward children. He knew his guise would be exposed soon, much sooner than it was. Better to have a few ally before any public revelation then. Casting an invisible spell upon himself, the stallion moved out of the room without a sound, waited for his guests to come in...

Author's Note:

Planescape: Torment is quite addicting. It can drive you to the last stage of addiction: writing a fanfic, quite easily.