"You absolutely sure you don't want to go, Spike?"
"Positive, Twilight. I mean, it's cool over there and all, but I'm not exactly a fan of being a dog."
Twilight Sparkle sighed as she paced in front of the mirror portal that she had brute forced into working at any time. "Well, in that case, be sure to stay safe while I'm away, okay?"
Spike offered a small salute. "You can count on me, 'Princess'!"
Twilight giggled at the mock formality, and turned to face the mirror.
On the other side of that mirror, was an alternate version of her own world, complete with its own versions of all her friends. She had been there twice before, but the last time she went was about two years ago. During that time, her former enemy and now friend, Sunset Shimmer, had kept in contact with her via magical letters, but they started slowing in number, until they stopped altogether a year ago.
However, Twilight took that as a sign that she was finally making friends in the other world, and as such couldn't find time to send letters back. Still, it had been a while since she had visited, so the moment Twilight was able to get a few days off from princess duties, she planned to spend them in the other world, with her other friends- though, technically, they were still the same friends.
Just before she walked through the mirror, which seemed to ripple in response to her proximity, she turned to wave goodbye to Spike one last time. "See you in a few days!"
On that note, she took one more step forward, and instantly felt herself get pulled through, where she underwent the disorienting process of traveling across dimensions.
After what simultaneously felt like an eternity and no time at all, Twilight felt herself emerge from the other side of the portal. Just like the last two times she came here, she almost flew out of the other side, crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Unlike last time, no one was waiting for her, not that she expected someone to; she didn't send word ahead to Sunset about her arrival, in order to surprise her and the others.
Once she got used to her human anatomy again, Twilight pulled herself to her feet, and looked around. Like before, she was standing in front of a statue positioned in the courtyard of a large building: Canterlot High.
However, something seemed a bit off about her surroundings. For one, even though it should've been the middle of the day, the sky was unusually dark. Not only that, but the school looked completely abandoned.
Before she could question what was happening any further, there was a noise growing in the air not too far away. The noise gradually got louder and louder, until just as it became deafening, she saw the source of the noise.
Two large aircraft of some kind sailed overhead, almost too fast to see. Twilight whirled around to follow their path through the sky, where she saw them slow down slightly, turning in a mild circular orbit around each other.
Now that they were moving a bit more slowly, Twilight could see that the two aircraft had different emblems of some kind on the wings: the one in front had something that looked like a triangle, and the one chasing it had a circle of some kind.
Suddenly, the pursuing aircraft started firing some sort of weapon at the other, which made a rather loud buzzing sound that Twilight didn't understand, though she saw small sparks leap off the other plane.
The craft then fired a projectile, which was launched from the underside of its body, which flew straight at the other craft. It managed to avoid it, though, and when it hit the ground instead, Twilight jumped as the sound of an explosion reached her ears.
Now aware that, whatever was going on, this was incredibly dangerous, Twilight moved to a nearby vehicle (a car, if she remembered right) and took cover as she continued watching the aerial battle.
The two aircraft began to climb high into the sky, where the chasing craft once again fired a missile. This time, it connected, and the fleeing plane was engulfed into a large fireball as it exploded.
Twilight could only watch, dumbstruck, as the now-destroyed craft fell back down to the ground, where it impacted right into the front of the high school.
The other aircraft circled around, likely confirming the kill, and Twilight suddenly realized that the reason today was so dark was because there was smoke in the air.
Faced with this realization, along with the scene she just witnessed, Twilight started panicking, and ran.
She didn't know where she was going, she just knew that she had to run. Whatever was going on, people were actually getting killed- and she didn't want to join them.
As she ran, she heard the sound of distant explosions, along with a number of unfamiliar cracks. These sounds barely processed, however, as more aircraft flew overhead. Unlike the other two she saw, these seemed to be focusing on the ground, as they launched their missiles at various buildings that were out of her sight.
Twilight started running down different side streets and alleyways, but she had no idea where she was even going. To her fear-stricken mind, the only thing she could do was run.
Eventually, as she came across a group of mostly destroyed buildings, she swore she heard voices coming from inside one of them, which was right next to a stadium of some kind. In her panic, Twilight blindly advanced towards the voices.
As she got around the destroyed husk of the building, she froze as she spotted a rather large group of what looked like soldiers, all of whom were carrying weapons of some kind, though only a few of them actually held them in their hands. As she looked, she also noticed that they had the same triangular emblem that the downed craft from earlier had.
Her small gasp of surprise was noticed, even over the sounds of battle filling the city, and the soldiers whirled around to face her, weapons at the ready. However, they lowered them just as quickly upon seeing her.
"It's a civvie!" one of them from the back said.
"Wait, I thought they were already evacuated?" another added.
One of the soldiers started to approach her, weapon put away, and despite feeling an overwhelming urge to run, Twilight couldn't bring herself to move.
She could see the soldier's faces clearly now, or at least what wasn't covered by masks that some of them wore, but she didn't spot any familiar faces.
"Come on, we'll get you to safety," the one walking up to her said, and he put an arm around her shoulder and led her into the gathering. Twilight just let him, still in shock over everything that was happening.
Meanwhile, she could overhear another conversation taking place nearby.
"We need a medevac, we got wounded men and a civilian here that need immediate exfil!"
She could hear a slightly garbled voice talk over a device mounted on their helmet, but she couldn't make out what exactly was being said.
"We got Eruseans all over the airspace, and the only transport we got is a gunship! We'll be shot to pieces!"
More static came in from their devices.
The soldier swore loudly. "Alright, but we need someone to cover us from the enemy air support! Send me whoever's closest, ASAP!"
By now, Twilight had been led into the actual stadium, where another aircraft of some kind, with blades on its roof, was setting on the grass, surrounded by a number of other soldiers. They were loading other soldiers, who had wounds of varying severity, into the craft. When the soldier leading her brought her to the entrance to the craft, he pointed her to a place where she could sit. Wordlessly, she did so, and shortly after she was given a blanket to drape over herself. She wasn't cold in the slightest, but she took it, anyway.
The soldier left her after that, and soon after another came in. This one had a red cross on his helmet.
She shied away slightly when he approached, but he held up his hands. "Don't worry, I'm just gonna make sure you're alright. Any injuries?"
Despite the confusion and panic still flooding her system, Twilight shook her head.
"Alright, that's good. Listen, we'll take you back to base with us, then we'll get this all sorted out."
He started to walk away, and as he did, Twilight overheard him talking into his earpiece. "No injuries, seems like she's suffering pretty heavy shock, though..."
The sound of more aircraft flying by overhead made her jump, and apparently the other soldiers felt the same way. Her seat was next to a simple window, where she could see the soldiers scrambling to load up the craft with more wounded, though there wasn't much left.
As soon as the last one was on board, she heard the craft start up, and she couldn't help but shiver as the engines started roaring to life, and the blades overhead started spinning, loudly chopping the air as they gained speed.
From what she assumed to be the cockpit, she could overhear more voices.
"Command, what's the ETA on that air support?"
"Friendly aircraft en route, should be there any minute now."
"Look out, enemy chopper coming towards the stadium!"
Nearly everything they said was lost on the former princess, but she understood that, whatever a chopper was, an enemy one was approaching.
Turning to look out her window again, she saw the soldiers scrambling to cover, and soon after, the ominous shape of another aircraft, very similar to the one she was in, appeared over the edge of the stadium. It started to hover in place, before turning to face her, and the craft she was in.
Suddenly, a missile slammed into the flying vehicle, knocking it to the ground in a ball of fire. Just a second later, another aircraft zoomed into view, circling back around the downed craft.
She spotted that same triangle emblem on its wings, along with an oddly familiar symbol on its tail fin...
Back in the cockpit, she overheard the voices on the radio continue. "This is Storm 1, at your service!"
"Thanks, Storm 1, now keep us covered! We got a civvie on board!"
Twilight's eyes widened. That voice over the radio... It couldn't be, could it?
She almost fell out of her seat as the craft suddenly lifted from the ground, and kept ascending. She saw the city fall out of view out her window, and she couldn't help but gape at the sight.
Large amounts of the city were either on fire, or in ruins. She could see a large amount of aircraft flying over it in the distance, and occasional explosion going off below them.
She was caught in the middle of a full scale war.
Now, Twilight was no stranger to the idea of war- in history, Equestria had fought a few, after all- but this was something almost entirely different.
As she watched, the craft she was in started moving forward, drawing the view of the city across the window. The friendly aircraft drifted into view, where Twilight got a better look at the logo on the tail.
It was a picture of a cloud, with a lightning bolt coming out of it.
Shocked, she looked at the cockpit of the craft. At this distance, she could see that there was someone inside, but the most she could tell was that they were wearing a full face mask, along with a flight suit, hiding any details that could tell the identity of the person.
As she watched, the other craft suddenly banked away, revealing the missiles ready on its underside.
"Got three bandits closing in on your 6 o' clock, moving to intercept."
"Copy that, Storm 1."
By now, they were out of sight, and Twilight flinched as she heard the sounds of distant explosions coming from far off.
"That's two down, last one's making a run for it!"
Suddenly, another craft came into view, followed closely by the friendly one. The two twisted around each other, just like she saw when she first arrived here, until a missile launched from the friendly craft.
"Fox two, fox two!"
The missile collided with the enemy, making it explode into a shower of fire and metal. The allied craft flew through the wreckage, before righting itself again and coming to a cruise alongside the craft Twilight was in.
"Got no more enemy contacts on radar, good work Storm 1."
"Hey, once we get back to base, I wanna meet that civ you picked up, alright?"
"Roger that."
The rest of the flight was uneventful, which suited Twilight just fine. Her mind was abuzz with recent realizations, anyway.
At some point, she must've nodded off, because she was shook awake by the craft halting it's forward flight, and it was no longer daylight outside. The other craft seemed to have gone, too.
The craft came to a shuddering halt as it landed on the ground, and Twilight was somewhat relieved at the sound of the engines turning off.
The back of the craft opened up, and suddenly Twilight was surrounded by activity, as soldiers started getting the wounded out as fast as they could. She was also escorted out, and sent to what looked like a hospital waiting room, but with almost no decor of any kind.
"Stay here, we'll bring someone in to check on you," the soldier escorting her said. She nodded, and he left, probably to help with something else.
As the panic from earlier started to die down, it was replaced with incredible amounts of worry. Just what exactly was going on? Where was she? Would she be able to get back to Equestria?
What about her friends here?
Well, the rest of them, at least; as much as she didn't want to think about it, she more or less knew where one of them was.
The door to the room opened, making Twilight jump. "Alright, let me just get your name and everything, and we'll see about getting you back to-"
The voice suddenly stopped, as its owner stared wide-eyed at Twilight. She did the same, because she finally found a familiar face.
"Sunset Shimmer?"
"Twilight?"