The group continued backing away from the three monsters that surrounded them, nearly bunching up together as their predators closed in. Two of them were large birds with over-sized beaks, while the other appeared to be a tall and lean horse with long ears. When Pinkie caught a glance of the latter, she perked up.
"Hey, girls! Why are we backing away from a pony? Why don't we reason with them?" She offered to her friends.
"Well, fer starters, Pinkie," Applejack said warily, "Ah'm pretty sure that there pony ain't friendly. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in this pickle." She felt compelled to take another step back, only to feel something soft with her hindleg. Applejack looked behind her to see what appeared to be a battered bipedal figure laying on the ground. "What in the hay?"
Spike looked back at the being himself and flinched at its condition. He could easily identify what was laying down before Applejack.
"A human." He said, drawing the attention of his friends. The human appeared to be feminine in shape, and after inspecting its wounds before looking back at the monsters, Spike put two and two together. "We could really be in for it if we don't do something." The purple dragon added fearfully.
"You heard the dragon, girls." Rainbow Dash piped up as she hovered into the air "Why don't we show these monsters what we got?"
"Well, it beats waitin' fer them t' make th' next move." Applejack said with renewed confidence as she got into a stance. "Fluttershy. Ya think ya can stay with th' human, just in case it's alive?"
"Yes." Fluttershy said as she knelt beside the human, although was still tensed by the monsters surrounding her. "Please hurry."
"No problem!" Rainbow Dash said eagerly as she flew into the air and swooped down on one of the large birds, ramming into it and knocking it down on the ground, while Applejack quickly turned her back on the other one and bucked it square on the beak, knocking it back a couple of inches.
Twilight decided to follow her friends' example and decided to launch a beam at the tall horse, eliciting a pained whinny as it simply stood. All three monsters were then riled up as they began their counterattack. The bird Applejack had hit quickly dashed forward and hopped into the air in front of the apple farmer, then shot out its legs in a brief flurry of hits that connected with her face, slashing at her until she recoiled in pain.
The bird that was taken down by Rainbow Dash recovered and attacked with its massive beak, slamming it into the cyan pegasus and sending her back a few feet. Meanwhile, the tall horse neighed angrily before it charged at Twilight, forcing her to quickly jump up into the air as it now made a course towards Rarity, who shrieked as it drew close. A gout of fire halted its advanced as Spike protected Rarity from her attacker.
"Oh my goodness..." Rarity said before she collected herself and smiled at Spike. "My hero." The purple dragon instantly returned the smile after receiving gratitude. His heart soared any time he was thanked by Rarity.
Spike's euphoria was short-lived, however, as the horse whinnied angrily before it went to resume its charge. Twilight was about to shoot a magical beam at it, hoping to slow it down, only for it to be sent back by a fire ball. Twilight stared before smiling down at Spike, who - along with Rarity - stared with widened eyes.
"Spike, that was amazing!" Twilight said cheerfully.
"Um, Twilight?" Spike piped up, "That wasn't me..."
"Then who would-" Two loud bangs were heard as Rainbow Dash's opponent was stunned with a pained screech, confusing the cyan pegasus, along with the rest of the group. Pinkie looked over the monsters and grinned.
"Look! More humans!" Pinkie said as she hopped up and down.
A couple of feet away from the group were three beings who looked ready for battle. Among them was a female with long, blonde hair, wearing white attire that was slightly revealing. A sword was seen in her right hand while her left hand was stretched out towards the battle. Resolve was clearly seen in her magenta eyes.
Next to her was a tall male with brown hair, wearing a light brown jacket and a long black scarf with a goldenrod end on his neck. In his outstretched left hand was a pistol while he held a broadsword in his right hand, slung over his right shoulder. In contrast with the female, he seemed more seasoned and laidback.
The last one was a male with darker brown hair, although he appeared younger than the former two, wearing a unique outfit with shades of blue. Despite being seen with gauntlets covering his hands, he appeared slightly hesitant in contrast with his teammates, but was willing to fight.
The three then dashed into the fray, where they spread out and confronted the three monsters by themselves. The female made quick work of the horse with a few quick strikes, the tall male alternated between his sword and his gun when fighting his bird, while the shorter male resorted to close quarter combat to take down the other bird.
The ponies and Spike quickly stepped away from the battle when they noticed how easily the monsters were being handled by the newcomers, watching in awe at their combat experience. They noticed how the female stood still and was surrounded by what appeared to be a magical aura as she muttered something, focusing on the horse before she held out her left hand.
"Splash!" She shouted, as a small torrent of water appeared and bombarded the horse, making it disappear.
Meanwhile, the tall human shot at the first bird a few more times before it, too, disappeared like the previous monster, smirking smugly as he spun his pistol. The shorter male demonstrated graceful martial arts and managed to take down his own target, dispatching it just as efficiently as his fellow teammates. After they had finished, the three humans looked over at the ponies and dragon that stood near the injured human, and the female held up her blade.
"It seems there were more monsters than we thought." She said with a mature voice. "Let's hurry and dispose of them."
"Wait, stop!" Twilight shouted instantly, holding out her hooves in a placating gesture. "We're not monsters!" The lavender alicorn's plea instantly surprised the humans.
"Whoa, did that horse just talk?" The tall male said in confusion before he cast a pensive glance towards them. "Actually, come to think of it, I've never seen these types of monsters around these parts..." He said as he sheathed his weapons.
"Hey! We're not horses or monsters." Rainbow Dash said as she hovered in the air, offended by the assumption. "We're ponies, plain and simple." She then looked down at Spike before pointing a hoof at him "Oh, and he's a dragon."
"I see." The female said as she lowered her blade. "If anything, they're some kind of anomaly that even I'm unaware of."
"I'm just as surprised as you two are." The shorter male said as he examined the group before his eyes fell on the injured human, to which he perked up "Oh, right! We have to help her." The shorter male made his way over and knelt beside the downed human, holding his hands out on her body. His hands then began to glow as some of the injuries seen began to disappear, intriguing the ponies and dragon as they watched.
Afterwards, there was a tired moan before the human began to pick herself up, revealing that her face was covered with a mask and goggles along with her hood. She held her arm as she looked over at the three humans.
"Thanks." She said, sounding as if she woke up. "A little longer and I would've been dinner. You guys look like you know how to fight. Just don't let your guard down like I-huh!?" The female noticed the other ponies and dragon and jumped back "There's more!"
"There's no need to worry." The blonde female reassured. "We can conclude that they mean no harm, especially since they're capable of speech. It's best that you hurry to the seahaven so you can recuperate before your next journey."
"Hm..." The hooded human stared at the odd group for a moment, noticing how any of them didn't make any attempt at a preemptive strike. "Well, you don't have to tell me twice. Today's just not my day." She said as she decidedly headed off into the wilderness. After she was gone, the blonde focused back on the others.
"Now...We know that you're not monsters, can speak like other humans, and yet you just don't fit in this world. What exactly are you? Spirits?" The blonde asked, to which Twilight stepped forward and donned a friendly smile.
"Not exactly. We're just ponies and nothing more." Twilight placed a hoof on her chest "We would like to thank you for stepping in and saving that other human. My name is Twilight Sparkle." She then pointed a hoof at the others. "These are my friends Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy."
"Wow, what a colorful assortment of names." The tall human said in amusement as he crossed his arms. "You're definitely not from around here, are you?"
"No, we aren't." Twilight said as she shook her head. "In fact, we hail from a different world, tasked to help this world with stopping something called the Lance of Kresnik. Do you know about it at all?" She asked.
"Wait a minute, how do you know about the Lance of Kresnik?" The blonde said in surprise. "Of what world do you all hail from?"
"We're all from a land known as Equestria, where we thrive with magic, friendship, and harmony." Twilight explained.
"That sounds like quite the place." The short male said in intrigue, with a friendly smile. He then knelt down in front of Twilight and held out a hand "My name's Jude. Jude Mathis." Looking at the hand briefly, Twilight smiled before she met it with a hoof.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jude." Twilight said warmly.
"Well, I should introduce myself, too." The tall male said before he held up a hand with his middle and index finger pointed up "Name's Alvin. Nice to meet ya."
"And I am Milla Maxwell, otherwise known as the Lord of Spirits." Milla said as she placed her left hand on her hip. "This Equestria you speak of sounds very different to the world of humans. Are all ponies civilized individuals that live in peace?"
"Well, our world isn't entirely made up of ponies, but it is rather peaceful most of the time, without the occasional problems that usually rise." Twilight then paused before her eyes lit up. "Maybe we can use this as an opportunity to swap knowledge of our respective worlds!"
"Hey, you're right." Jude chimed in with nearly as much enthusiasm as Twilight. "If we manage to learn more about each other and build off of that knowledge, perhaps there can be a way to make Reize Maxia a better place."
"Oh boy, looks like our little honor student found a kindred spirit." Alvin chuckled. Pinkie Pie tilted her head at the tall human.
"Umm, I don't know if you heard us, but we're not spirits. We're ponies." She then pointed at Spike "And one dragon." Alvin stared blankly at Pinkie's response.
"Well, while we're aware that we share the same goal, perhaps we can vacate to a more safer area?" Rarity voiced herself, looking around at the vast landscape. "It's nice to know that we've possibly developed a friendship, but I'd like to converse in a place where I know we won't be ambushed by monsters again."
"Me, too..." Fluttershy said as she shifted her eyes around at the many monsters that were seen in the area.
"An excellent point." Milla said with a nod. "We'll talk more at Aladhi Seahaven." She then rubbed her chin as she stared at Twilight and her friends. "Although, you'll undoubtedly attract unwanted attention."
"Not a problem." Twilight said to Milla. "I just so happen to know a spell for such an occasion, but I'll need a volunteer." She then looked up at Milla. "You'll make for a good base for my spell, since you're the only female human around here."
"Human?" Milla parroted in bemusement. "Clearly, you're mistaken. I may appear human, but I've already made it clear that I am Maxwell, Lord of Spirits."
"Oh, so you're basically assuming the form of one?" Twilight said as she examined her body. "Fascinating...Although, now I wonder if my spell will even work."
"I was unaware that you ponies are even capable of magic. Are all ponies born with a mana lobe like other humans?" Milla asked inquisitively.
"Erm, I'm not familiar with that term, but we are born with magic, if that's what you're saying." Her horn glowed. "Unicorns and alicorns channel it through their horn. We can talk more when we reach this Seahaven you speak of, but I'm gonna need either Jude or Alvin's help with this."
"I'll gladly volunteer." Jude said as he stood up. "Will I need to focus my mana in conjunction with yours?"
"Not at all. Just stay still and let me take care of my spell. Spike, girls, gather around!" She called to her friends as they complied to her request. Twilight then focused her magic until a bright light covered her and her friends. It then subsided to reveal that humans now stood in place of the previous group. Each of them had similar hairstyles in their previous forms, and they had peach colored skin much like the humans they had met, wearing bikinis that matched their former coats, with the exception of Spike wearing purple shorts.
"Gah!" Jude said before quickly covering his eyes. "I didn't think that would have been the result!"
"What would?" Twilight asked innocently before inspecting her new body and purple bikini, yelping before she covered her chest and waist with her arms. Rarity instantly followed suit out of instinct.
"This is weird..." Applejack said as she inspected her body.
"Yeah, I'm with you on that." Rainbow Dash as she examined her arms and legs.
"Oh my..." Was all Fluttershy could say as she tried wrapping her head around her transformation. This was entirely different from when she was transformed into a breezie.
"Wow. So this is what being a human feels like?" Pinkie asked before she hopped up and down, giggling as she bounced. "This is fun!"
"I'll say." Spike said as he inspected his features. He had green and spikey hair, and came up to Jude in height. "Definitely beats being a dog, that's for sure."
"Come again?" Alvin asked, befuddled by Spike's words.
"I'd rather not talk about it." Spike instantly responded. He then noticed how Twilight suddenly fell to her knees, eliciting shock from him and the other former ponies as they surrounded her with concern.
"It's-...It's alright." Twilight reassured her friends as she took deep breaths. "The spell just took a lot out of me is all."
"Well, it won't do to linger out here like this, especially since you've used up so much of your mana. Let's make for Aladhi Seahaven and talk there." Milla said as she took point and began to walk away, with Jude and Alvin following her.
After Spike helped Twilight up, the group began to follow Milla back to their desired destination, only to have Twilight's friends lag behind with haphazard movement. The former alicorn only giggled at the sight.
"You'll get used to it." She said as they followed their new friends towards civilization.