Probe: Canterlot receiving.
The camera focused on Princess Celestia and the chimera-resembling creature named Discord floating on a cloud a few metres from the floor of Celestia’s office. The voice sensors were switched to maximum, the background noise being blocked out by the advanced filters. The pair was within the safe confines of the castle, deliberately not disturbed by other Equines.
“Why, Celestia, I’ve no idea what’s the reason you’d summon me,” said Discord. His form sprawled lazily on a cloud couldn’t show a greater lack of care.
Celestia looked out the window. From afar, one could guess there were a few enormous metal icicles hanging in the sky, with insects buzzing about them. Not only above Canterlot, though. Over every major city in Equestria and the Griffin Islands there was an icicle looming in the skies, blocking the sun.
“These ships,” Celestia pointed at the nearest icicle, “can wipe out the whole nation. Griffins are facing the same problem. There’s nothing we can do at this point. Not fast enough.”
“And you presume I could help? Oh, I’m delighted you’d score my abilities so high, although I believe you might overestimate them a bit.” He popped out some cotton candy out of thin air and as he ate, it grew back.
“Do you enjoy your picnics with Fluttershy, Discord?”
Discord’s cotton candy popped back into nonexistence and he got up from the cloud. “You creepy stalker—“
“Discord, there’s no time for fights. Fluttershy has mentioned that fact repeatedly in her letters. You see, if you don’t help, there might be no Equestria to have any picnics in. We don’t know how mortal ponies will survive this war.” Celestia held her breath for a moment.
Discord sighed, and finally, nodded. “Let it be then. But what do you expect me to do? Pop them into nonexistence? Do you want me to be the cause of a genocide on the whole nation? I doubt I could even do that. With their Inhibitors and whatever else.”
“We must do something. Though we don’t yet know what. And we can’t wait. Every second seems to bring us to an orbital strike and mass extermination of our species. Luna should be here soon. Twilight too. We must have something, anything, before they arrive.”
Celestia stirred.
Picking up psychic signal.
“I can’t arrive, sis,” translated the Mothership computers from Luna’s psychic message. “It’s too far gone at this point, they need a leader and some workforce of mine. You’ll have to do this one on your own. Did Discord agree?”
Celestia’s horn glowed. “Yes. Twilight should be on her way as we speak too. May the stars be with you, sister.”
“You’re getting dramatic, sis. Let’s get it over with already. For Equestria!” With that, Luna cut the transmission.
A ghastly howl of a horn thundered through the air. It echoed against the walls, sneaked into corridors, barged through the open windows and shattered the closed ones. If months ago the Equines learned they weren’t alone in the universe, today they learned they weren’t safe anymore.
The silence that was left after the howl deafened, terrified.
“They’re calling,” said Celestia. “For war, or for negotiations. We can’t wait for Twilight. She’ll arrive soon enough. We’ll contact her then.”
“Oh, Canterlot we can save. Or we can force them into negotiations.” Discord looked up as if he saw through the ceiling. “Who gets to their ship first wins a cookie!”
Instead of thinking the idea over, Celestia reacted. Right after Discord popped out of existence in a flash, her horn glowed brightly.
There was the familiar non-presence of the Warp, as the Unicorn scientists described it. It lasted too short to be remembered clearly, but long enough to be perceivable. As Celestia herself remembered her early attempts, they felt “as if being turned inside out and back again.”
Next thing she saw was the one of the many chambers of an enormous Kushan ship. Glass eyes gazed at them from each direction.
Discord was beside her, thankfully. “I got here first, so I get the cookie.” He popped himself a small cookie with bits of chocolate baked into it and gingerly, piece-by-piece, ate it.
Celestia eyed the cookie hungrily before shaking her head and looking around. “We are Princess Celestia, and Discord, of Equestria. We demand your attention, Kushan Fleet!”
There was a silence, as no Kushan could be seen in the vicinity. The room crackled with sound of static.
“Fleet Command at your service. Welcome aboard the Augury,” spoke the voice that every Kushan adored, but Celestia dreaded. “The negotiations shall be held by the ambassador unit’s advisor. I believe he has far more experience in that field than I do.”
A nearby screen flashed into wakefulness. The first thing Celestia saw was the figure of the advisor with his arm pointing one of their deadly blasters at...
“Twilight!”