> Shimmering Sunsets
>  by Evowizard25
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Come on, let's go to the Everfree Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since Sunset Shimmer had moved to Ponyville, it had been nothing but chaos. Sometimes literally. It was adventure, after strange circumstances, after villain. There was never a moment to just sit back and relax. It didn’t help that now that she had friends she had to spend time with them. It irked her...if only a little bit.

Sunset sighed as she looked over each and every book in the library. She was double checking each and every one of them, just in case they were out of order. Sometimes her little brother would organize them in the wrong order, based on the alphabet. Which was annoying. ‘DDS, little bro! How can you forget the Dewey Decimal System?’ She made a note to lecture him again. He wouldn’t mind it, especially after receiving one of Redhearts or even worse, Pizzelles. 

At least he wasn’t like some ponies in town. ‘I’m thinking of you, Lightning.’ She growled, but then reigned herself back. She was going to relax today. It was Sunday after all. The library was closed and everypony was off praying or celebrating her mother’s gift to the world. She had some time on her hooves. 

That and she didn’t want to be mad at her friends. She did care for them and if the past few weeks had taught her anything, it had been to appreciate what she had found. Sunset wasn’t going to take them for granted again...Maybe a little, but she was still learning. She’ll get better. At least, that’s what she told herself. 

Giving the books one more scan, she decided to head off to the kitchen for a snack. However, the moment she turned around, she came muzzle to muzzle with Fiddlesticks.

“SWEET MOTHER OF MINE!” Sunset shrieked, teleporting a distance away. She tried to calm her breathing. “I told you to never spook me like that again.”

“Sorry,” Fiddlesticks at least had the courtesy to look apologetic. “Just wanted to come by before it happened.”

“What happened?”

“The thing." Fiddlesticks said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“....Have you finally lost it?” Sunset huffed. “Because if you have, I know this talented therapist way on the other side of the country.”

“Nah,” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “Nothin’ like that, ya kidder. Ah’m talkin’ about the doozy that’s a comin’.”

“Fiddle sense?” Sunset sighed. Fiddlesticks nodded. “Figures.” ‘Just go with it. I don’t want a repeat of the last time I tried to understand her.’ She shivered at those memories. ‘There goes my ‘me’ day.’ “So, how bad was it?”

“Not bad,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “Kind of seemed fun and my ear was twitchin’ up a storm while ah was at it, so it means we’re gonna get a bunch of new friends soon.”

“Wonderful,” Sunset groaned. ‘I can’t have a day off, can I?...CAN I?!!!”

“So ah invited the others.”

“What?” Sunset’s eyes widened and her body stiffened up. “They’re coming?”

“They’re here,” Fiddlesticks was right at that door and opened it to reveal the other bearers, plus Spike.

“Alright,” Lightning snorted. “What is it this time? Another god or monster from a thousand years ago? Can’t those chumps get the hint? Ain’t nopony gonna beat us.”

“Don’t right know yet,” Fiddlesticks replied. “Just thought we’d best be together when it happens. Ya’ll remember what happens when we split up.”

“We kick flank!” Lightning Dust hoof pumped. 

“We scream and hide?” Coco Pommel put out, her ears splayed back and she hunkered a bit closer to the ground.

“A little of both." Pizzelle put a comforting wing on Coco. “Now don’t you fright now, sugar. We’ll get through whatever comes our way. Let’s just thank our lucky charms that Fiddlesticks sensed it this time. I mean, I love a little adventure as much as the next pony, but a little warning would be nice. Why, I know a saying that…..” 

Redheart tapped her. “You’re doing it again.”

“Right,” Pizzelle blushed, looking away. She always did have a tangent to rant about for a bit. 

“So Fiddlesticks, pall o’ mine,” Quickfix spoke up. Her Northern accent was still as strong as ever. “Was it a good one, or a bad one?”

“Good...kind of…” Fiddlesticks rubbed her head sheepishly. “Don’t rightly know, but there are some new friends comin’ our way...or their way...kind of strange.”

Sunset groaned. Fiddlesticks’ sense was always loopy, coming and going. It was like a force of nature in and of itself. “So….another adventure?” Fiddlesticks nodded again. Sunset couldn’t believe that this had become an integral part of her life. 

“Well, at least we’ll be prepared for whatever comes our way,” Redheart headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make the snacks.”

“That would be lovely,” Spike smiled as he headed on after her. The other mares had grown accustomed to his roguish charm. He eyed the mares behind him. “Would you like me to bring you anything?”

A light ‘boing’ could be heard. “Celestia blast these wings,” Lightning muttered as she pushed them back down. 

“We’ll come and get them, little bro.” Sunset rolled her eyes, chuckling at her friend’s misfortune. “After we help her calm down.”

“Buck you,” Lightning snorted, only causing Sunset’s chuckling to get worse. 

It was good to have friends to mess with, even if they did occasionally ruin her plans.

__________________________________________________________________

"Huh, a line, that's new. Oh right, collab." Dr. Pie said, shrugging as she adjusted her glasses. There was nopony around to hear her odd statement, but even if there had been they'd have just brushed it off as Pinkie being Pinkie. The saying really hadn't updated after her PhD, and she was kind of glad for it. It just rolled off the tongue a lot better the way it was. Shaking her head and focusing, she knocked on the door to Golden Oaks Library. "Sunset?  Twilight? Spike? Any random pony visiting? You home? Or visiting? Or burglaring? If there's a burglar in there I'll be pretty mad."

Spike opened the door, only having to look up slightly to meet the Shetish mare's eyes. "Dr. Pie, how many times do we have to tell you? This is a public library, you can just walk in during business hours."

"Yes, but it's also your home, and it's rude to enter a house uninvited." Dr. Pie sagely replied.

Spike just looked at her deadpan, no doubt remembering all the times she had snuck into the library just to surprise somepony or pull some prank. "Sooo, any reason you're here?"

"Right, Spike, please tell me that your mom or Sunset are home right now. I need to talk to them, it's urgent and super cereal." Dr. Pie had a very determined look on her face, only slightly undermined by the rainbow Afro wig she was wearing for no discernible reason.

"Right. Twilight's out doing some research. Hold on a second." Turning around he sprinted to the bottom of the stairs. "Sunset, it's Pinkie Pie!"

"I heard her shouting outside. What does she want?" came Sunset's voice from upstairs.

"I'm not sure. She said it was super cereal, whatever that means."

"....unless her shredded wheat squares suddenly threw on capes and are flying around town, I have no idea what she means."

"Oh wait, I was using the wrong word." Dr. Pie said, browsing through a reference guide on whales. "I meant to say 'super serious', my bad. I had breakfast cereal on my mind. For some reason, I wanted the kind with mini marshmallows."

"Okay, that makes more sense. I'll be right down." Her cloven hooves making almost no sound as she hurried down the steps, her natural unicorn balance keeping her safe from falling, Sunset Shimmer entered the lobby. The elder of Celestia's two students had been enjoying some (by her standards) light reading with Machination's Queen, a largely cynical and satirical view of politics from around the time of Equestria's founding about two thousand years ago. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, my ears were flopping, my knee got pinchy, and my tail got all springy, my hooves started itching, and I got a doozy." Dr. Pie explained...sort of.

"You got a party-mancy prediction?" Sunset asked. "I'm familiar with doozies," and understatement given what happened the last time the party pony had one, "but where the other's a combo or individual?"

Dr. Pie shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, I've never had that combo before, but on their own they don't make sense. All I know is that it's related to the doozy. That's why I came here. I figured if there's a big doozy about to hit Ponyville, the Bearers should know."

"Good call. Spike, send a letter to Celestia about this. Ask her to check up on anything else she sealed away centuries ago. Then send a letter to Sparkle to come back here quick." Sunset instructed, nodding at Spike's salute. "Alright then, I'll go alert Masquerade and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie, you get Sweetie and Applejack." She made a dash for the door only to feel a tug on her tail.

"Oh no you don't!" Dr. Pie shouted. "You get Applejack, I'm not dealing with her mother!"

"But Clementine hates me! I constantly put her daughter in danger with our element business!" Sunset reasoned. "You tell her, she doesn't hate you!"

Dr. Pie shook her head. "Oh no. She thinks I'm a lazy good for nothing party animal that takes nothing cereal. I mean serious."

"You know if you're that hungry we have Pumpkin Marshmellow Madness in the kitchen." Sunset offered.

With a gasp of delight, Dr. Pie bolted into the kitchen and poured herself a bowl. However as she was lifting the first spoonful, she stopped. "She left while I was getting cereal, meaning I'm stuck getting Applejack aren't I?"

Spike, sending off the first letter with a puff of flame, nodded. "Yep."

"Well played Sunbutt Two, well played." Dr. Pie said, before digging into the cereal. If she was going to be stuck doing this, it may as well be on a full stomach.

****************

“Awww,” Fiddlesticks pouted. “Why can’t we get any stars?”

“What the hay are you talking about?” Sunset said, irritated already with Fiddlesticks antics. 

The group, plus a contingent of guards, were making their way through the Everfree Forest to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Over time, that castle had developed into a makeshift garrison post and a great place to strategize against whatever baddie they had to face. That and it was almost like home to Sunset. She sometimes thought about moving there, but thought against it. She had a tree library. There is nothing, short of some horrific event, that could rip her from it.

The guards that followed them were paltry force. There were four musketeers and six pikeponies. They didn’t need them really. The eight of them could have taken on anything that lived in the forest. Of course, they really didn’t need to, since Fluttershy kept the monsters at bay. ‘Pays to have a forest spirit on your side.’

Of course, Inquisitor Time Turner was adamant that they bring some support. There were reports of rebels and ill-cultists around. Sunset wasn’t sure if he was right or just being antsy. Eh, she could take whatever came her way.

“Not sure if ah should say,” Fiddlesticks responded. “Ya told me to stop with that ‘talkin’ to invisible ponies’ and whatnot stuff, remember?”

“Right,” Sunset rolled her eyes. 
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the group to find the old castle. It looked as good as the day it was made, thanks to the Elements of Harmony. Sentries were posted on railings and such, holding trusty crossbows. Their keen eyes scanned the forest for any signs of danger. 

Some soldiers, a group of three, marched up and bowed before her. “Princess, the area is secured.”

“Any sign of danger?” Sunset asked.

“None, Your Majesty.” The guard responded, straightening back up. “We’ve scoured the area and even come into contact with the Forest Spirit. She has nothing to report other than some strange anomalies that seem to be happening.”

“...That sounds kind of dangerous.” Sunset deadpanned. 

The guard gulped. “I assure you, Your Majesty. There’s nothing to fear. The anomalies haven’t been reported to last that long or anything negative to happen. I even had a Priestess bless the ground. She found no traces of negative energies.”

“Thank you for your efforts,” Redheart bowed her head. “It’s much appreciated.”

“Yeah,” Sunset looked around as she scanned the area. She could see the hues of each and every being’s aura and there wasn’t anything wrong now. ‘Why does that make me even more nervous?’ 

“Thank you, My Lady.” The guard bowed back to Redheart and motioned for them to join the guards inside. The group moved on without a word, which was strange given who most of them were. The castle was mostly empty with only a skeleton force of guards and a few maids and butlers scurrying around to maintain everything. Finally, they came to a small, but spacious enough, room. 

In the middle of the room were several soldiers of higher rank. They were huddled around a large table, looking over some maps. Master Sergeant Thunderlane stood at the head of it all. He looked up from the table and at the group. He smiled.

“Glad you gals could make it,” he stood up and walked to them. The soldiers that had brought them inside saluted and Thunderlane returned it and then dismissed it just the same. “Everyone’s on edge. Nothing’s hit us yet, but we don’t want to get caught unprepared….again.” He grumbled.

“That won’t be necessary,” Sunset smiled. “We have this under control. If it does get out of hoof, Spike,” she gestured a hoof to her brother. “Can just get a message to Celestia herself. Mom’ll bring the Elements of Harmony and ‘boom’ no more problems. Now, where are these ‘anomalies’?”

Thunderlane gestured to the map. “Nothing conclusive, but there is one area we’ve been shying away from.” He frowned. “Something very chaotic is going down there.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “You don’t think….”

Thunderlane shrugged. “Could be nothing. Could be something. We don’t know until we try.”

“Yeah,” Quickfix put in. “Come on, Sunset.” She wrapped a hoof around her. “Ye don’t know the horizon till ye look over the snowhill. We can take any ol’ monster that comes our way.”

“What she said,” Lightning grinned.

“Well….” Coco said, looking nervous before sighing. “If you go, I go.”

“That’s the spirit, hun.” Pizzelle hugged her close. “I’ll come too. I left Aki with Rarity. Oh she just loves him to pieces. Though, she might be a tad impulsive with dressing him up.” She put a hoof to her mouth and giggled.

“Someone always ends up bruising something,” Redheart chimed. “Better I fix it now then let it fester in this forest.”

“Then it’s settled,” Fiddlesticks smiled. She quickly turned around and gestured triumphantly. “Adventure, HO!” She started racing off. The others starting off after her, most grumbling about her just rushing off into the unknown like a crazy pony.

That was mostly Sunset, but that was a given.

________________________________________________________________

"So that's the situation as it stands right now." Sunset explained.

Masquerade nodded, her brow creased over the emeralds that served as her eyes as she thought. "Well, let's see. When it came to fighting ancient evils, the Princesses were no slouches. Any clues from Princess Celestia?"

Twilight shook her head as she finished reading the letter Spike had burped up. "She already checked up on Discord, he's still stone thank goodness, so no repeat performance there. Also, everything she's imprisoned in Tartarus over the millennia are still there. And anything else wouldn't hit Ponyville first, so she doesn't think it's anything old."

"So wait, we're going to get to fight something brand new? Sweet!" Rainbow Dash cheered, doing a quick arial backflip. "It's going to be so awesome fighting something that wasn't from, like, a thousand years ago for once."

"Ma is gonna flip out." AJ fussed, adjusting her hat. "She worries enough when we know what ta expect. Brand new bad critter? She's gonna flip her lid faster than a pan flips flapjacks."

"Oh she just worries dearie." Sweetie Drops assured the apple farmer. "That's just what mothers do. I know my sweet cherry cheesecake worries about me, but she knows I have a duty to save the world."

"Yes, we heard." Spike quipped, a claw digging in his ears. "All the way back here in the library."

Sunset rolled her eyes. 'Lyra seriously needs to learn volume control.' "Alright, so we have no idea what's going to happen, when, or where. Still, as long as we're together nothing can defeat us. Friendship is the greatest magic of all, and there are no better friends than us!"

Dr. Pie then burst through the door, slamming it on Spike. "Girls! I, oh sorry Spike." Opening the door and letting the little guy out, she turned back to the others. "Girls! I just figured out where the doozy is going to be! Deep in the Everfree!"

"Of course it's the Everfree." Masquerade droned. "Nothing can ever require our urgent appearance somewhere nice can it." Her annoyance at returning to the dark forest of doom was quite evident.

Twilight on the other hoof was much more focused on the task at hoof. "Dr. Pie, the Everfree is huge. Do you have any better idea than searching the whole forest?"

Dr. Pie pondered deeply, her toung stuck out the side of her mouth as her hooves performed invisible equations. "Um, I think it's near the Castle Ruins, a bit more northy southish to the west on the right side."

"Near the castle ruins it is." Sunset noted. "Alright Sparkle, let's do a group teleport, save us a few hour walking."

"Sorry I can't be more help." Dr. Pie looked rather sad, her hair slightly deflated. "It just keeps flip flopping where it is. North west, south east. Like boing boing boing boing. It's like it's in two places at once while being in only one place cause it's not moving."

"That's...actually very helpful Dr. Pie, thank you." Twilight admitted, and was rewarded with the sight of the good Doctor's hair re-inflating back to normal. "Alright girls, gather up!"

In a swirling vortex of gold and violet light, the six Bearers vanished.

At the ancient ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, an almost simultaneous flash heralded their arrival. Sunset looked appropriately tired for having teleported six ponies several miles, but Twilight looked hardly phased. "Shimmer, are you okay?" Sweetie asked, concerned for her friend.

"Yeah, just give me a couple minutes to recharge." Sunset replied, splaying out on the ground so she could charge up. "Alright, I've been thinking on how to do this. Dr. Pie said there were two possible locations. So we split into two groups. I go with one, Sparkle with the other. Whichever group finds something can set off a signal, and then we can teleport our own group there to fix whatever the problem is."

"You want us to split up? In the Everfree Forest?" Mask asked, incredulous. "Do you really love provoking fate that much?"

"Do we have a choice?" Dash countered. "We can't take the time to search both the slow way, if we all go to one spot we might miss whatever it is at the other. We don't have time to be worried about ourselves, ponies could be in danger!"

AJ sighed. When it came to ponies in need, Rainbow never stopped to think about herself. Probably why she was the Bearer of Generosity. "Okay then. If'n we're doin' this, let's do it right. Me, Mask, and Sun will go one way. You three go the other. That way me 'n Dash can be muscle fer both groups, an we each have one pony that's good at makin' nice in case we can talk our way out of a fight."

"Good thinking Applejack." Twilight nodded. "Okay, Rainbow, Sweetie, follow me. We'll check the north west. It's got the roughest terrain so it'll take longer to search. If time's a problem, Shimmer needs to take the easier route."

"I'm recharging as fast as I can Sparkle. I'm the only unicorn on the planet that can recharge without a few hours sleep." Sunset groused. Then again, she was always cranky when she ran low on mana.

"Alright then, times a wasting! Charge!" Dash took of into the forest, swift as her name implied.

Twilight chased after her, shouting the whole way. "Darn it Dash! Wait for us! We haven't established a search pattern yet! We need to be organized!"

"Oh dear." Sweetie sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to play peacemaker with them as much as with whatever else we find. Oh girls, please be dears and wait for me!"

Watching her friends head off into the woods, Masquerade looked around nervously. "Um, nothing can go wrong now. I'm invincible. Today is going to be my lucky day."

"Mask, what are you doing?" Sunset asked, honestly confused. "You're always telling me to not say stuff like that."

"Yeah, I know it's just, well, I'm trying to take all the bad luck for us." Masquerade admitted, wings drooping in embarrassment. "Just trying to keep them safe."

Sunset considered this for a moment, before bursting out with a grin "Well nothing to worry about, I'm an old hoof at this! Stick with me and nothing can go wrong! I'm two days away from retirement, and then I'll go home and marry my childhood sweetheart!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. It was silly, but then again if it would help their friends..."Ah can take on anything this here forest can throw at us!"

****************

Fiddlesticks suddenly stopped, holding up a hoof. Everypony stopped in their tracks. 

“What?” Sunset asked. “Is it your Fiddle Sense again?"

Fiddlesticks nodded. “Somepony’s temptin’ fate.”

“....Is it us?”

“No.”

“Then buck them,” Sunset turned to Thunderlane. “Lead the way.” Thunderlane nodded and he sped off with his soldiers in hoof.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Coco spoke up as the Elements began running. She may have been an Earth Pony, but she was still scrawny. It was hard for her to keep up.

“Look,” Sunset spoke up, sighing. “I’m sorry. If I ever meet these ‘imaginary’ ponies who were stupid enough to invoke fate, I’ll apologize. Until then, I’m just going to be worried about you girls...and you too Spike….and these guards who I don’t know that well…look, long story short, I just said it out of stress. Happy?”

“Not really,” Coco admitted. 

“Then how about a little get together later,” Sunset smiled. “We can watch those sappy romance movies you so love.” While she wasn’t a fan of them, she’d learned that you sometimes had to do things to make your friends happy.

Coco smiled. “That would be nice.”

“We’re here,” Thunderlane called back to them as he faced a large clearing of sorts.



“This….” Sunset couldn’t speak. The event before her scientific mind was astounding.

“It’s a portal,” Pizzelle said. The others found her speechlessness rather shocking. She always had a ton to say. Of course, perhaps it had to do with the situation and her unnatural affinity with magic. 

“A portal?” Lightning flexed a foreleg. “Alright whatever you are, bring it!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Lightning, there’s a very good chance that whatever’s behind that portal can probably kill you on sight.”

“We face guys like that all the time and we’re still breathing,” Lightning smirked and flexed her wings. “There’s a reason I’m this awesome.”

“Perhaps we should go back,” Spike spoke up. “I think mother would like to see this.”

“She will,” Sunset waved him off. “But first, I want to study this thing. I mean, a wild portal, Spike. A wild portal of this size!” Her smile nearly split her face. “There has never been something like this in history and look! It’s stable. See how the energies fluctuate? It’s actually drawing energy from everything around it, but just enough to keep it going. It’s keeping the forest and us alive for support! Maybe it’s sentient, maybe it can’t drain more energy. It could be a construct.” She squealed and stomped around like a filly on Hearth’s Warming Eve.

"Neeeeerd!" Lightning shouted, killing the mood. 

Sunset frowned. “Really? REALLY?!!” Lightning just laughed. Sunset huffed in anger. “I am not a nerd.”

Meanwhile, Quickfix had gone off to check out one of the devices held on standby. Said device was being operated by none other than the local Chaos Priestess, Vinyl Scratch. She was humming, wiping down her prized ‘Sound Cannon’. Quickfix’s mouth watered just looking at the thing. It was a new invention, using magical conduits and runes to fire actuall sound! The machine god must be smiling down at it!

“Yo Quickfix,” Vinyl smiled at her. “What’s up?”

“Oh nothin’,” Quickfix smiled, glancing at the Sound Cannon. “Ah was just wonderin’....”

“You can’t tinker with it,” Vinyl said as flat as she could. “This is my baby, not yours.”

Quickfix frowned. “Can’t I at least have it for a little bit?”

Vinyl snorted. “You can watch it, not tear it apart. I have to go tinkle anyways.” She started off. “If I found out you took it apart, I will use you as a blood sacrifice. Don’t think I won't, I did it to ponies before.”

Quickfix gulped and nodded. If there was one thing you shouldn’t do, it’s piss off a Chaos Priestess. Even if Vinyl was one of the more sane ones. She looked over the Sound Cannon and rubbed her hoof over it reverently. “Hello baby, don’t ye worry, Auntie Quickfix is gonna take good care of ye.”

“What’s ya doin’?” Fiddlesticks popped up on the other side of the cannon.

“Nothin’,” Quickfix snorted. She had known Fiddlesticks too long to be scared of her jumping out of nowhere. “Just lookin’ after this.”

“Hey,” Lightning landed next to them. “What’re you doing, messing with Vinyl’s stuff. She’s going to rip you to shreds.”

“Hold yer apples,” Quickfix snorted. “She asked me to look after it. It ain’t like ah’m gonna do anythin’ with it.”

“Like this?” Fiddlesticks pressed a big red button on top.

“Like that……” Quickfix narrowed her eyes at Fiddlesticks. “Ye had to, didn’t ye?”

“IT’S A BIG RED BUTTON!” Fiddlesticks yelled in defense. “AH HAD TO!”

Suddenly, the machine roared to life. The metal sheets on the front hiding the ‘firing’ slot opened up and fired. A pulsing blue beam of pure sound, which was obviously dubstep a horrendous noise that was mainly used for sound weapons, fired into the portal. Instantly, it flared and then it fired back. The three mares screamed in surprise.

“AH REGRET NOTHIN’!”

Well, except for Fiddlesticks.

“WITH MY LAST BREATH, I CURSE SUNSET!”

Okay, one of them just screamed in surprise.

“BUCK YE, FIDDLESTICKS!”

Okay, none of them just screamed in surprise! What do you want from me?!!!

_____________________________________________________

"Um, I think I found the thing." Dash stated, landing. Indeed, before her was a swirling vortex of dark black energy. It was growing and shrinking in a steady rhythm by sections, like the beating of a heart.

"Oh my goodness, that thing is amazing." Sweetie admitted. She was slightly out of breath, but she could appreciate the sheer beauty of what lay before her.

Trotting up behind them, Twilight gave a low whistle. "I have never seen anything like that before. It looks amazing."

Suddenly, a faint voice could be heard coming from the swirling vortex. "Alright whatever you are, bring it!"

"Did, did it just talk?" Dash asked, sca-I mean concerned for her friends.

Twilight's eyes shone like beacons of curiosity. Luckily she had enough control with her magic that this was figurative instead of literal. "Girls, I think we may have just discovered a new form of life! Think of the possibilities! This could be an energy being of pure magic! Pure thought! Some other unknown force! It could be a manifested spirit, or a conceptual being like Discord! This is a historic discovery! This could be world shaking! This could change history and society as we know it! This could-"

"Neeeeerd!" Suddenly called out over the clearing.

Dash fell down laughing. "Okay, it's clearly got your number."

Twilight fumed. "Just because I love learning doesn't make me a nerd. You take that back this instant you!"

"Twilight, I don't think you should taunt the thing." Sweetie advised.

Dash rolled her eyes "Oh please, what's it going to do, attack us?"

It was then that a roaring column of energy shoot out of the thing. Four things happened then.

Dash tackled her friends to the ground, trying to avoid the blast. This sadly failed.

Sweetie remembered that she was supposed to have dinner reservations with Lyra at La Prarie that she was now going to miss. An interesting choice for a last thought.

Twilight instinctively fired back, her own blast somehow sliding through the oncoming blast and not impeding it at all, though not being impeded in turn.

The fourth, and most important thing, then happened. Murphy, spirit of disaster, irony, and misfortune, took notice, and was displeased. The bad luck was supposed to go to those other ponies, damn it!

****____****____****____****____

In the space between seconds, something unprecedented happened. Two groups on the opposite sides of natural chaos portals hit each other with blasts operating on totally alien magic systems, resulting in some sort of interdimensional feedback.

Fluttershy, spirit of the forest, was present only indirectly through her Timberwolves. She couldn't help her friends.

Murphy had no manifestation, no focus of power. He could only influence chance and outcome. There wasn't anything he could do.

Then, with senses that only a spirit can understand they, for lack of a better term, smelled each other. And in a sense of mutual understanding on at least a basic level, they went to work.

Fluttershy called upon the power of nature from two worlds, taking a desperate gamble on a slim chance to save the ponies in peril. It was a slim chance.

Murphy laughs at the idea of slim chances. Using his power over odds, he found the desired result. Taking the needle thin chance, he hammered it wider and wider, until the odds were large enough you could use it as a blanket on a princess sized bed.

As the portals collapsed, the ponies safe, the energies dispelled, Fluttershy realized she had made a critical error. "Wait!" she 'shouted' on a plane beyond mortal understanding. "These are the wrong ponies!"

"I know." Murphy 'replied'. "It is in my nature to make things not go right. Be glad others tempted fate away from them, or else I wouldn't have bothered with this much."

"But, how will they ever get back?"

"Not my department."

And then the portal closed, cutting the spirits off from each other. And thus ended their 1.37953 second alliance.

____****_____****____****____****

The three mares bowled over each other as they rolled along the forest’s ground. Eventually, they came to stop as they collided with a large tree. Groaning with pain, they split up…

Only for Quickfix to jump Fiddlesticks and try to strangle her with her hooves.

“Ye little idiot!” She shouted, gripping Fiddlestick’s throat. “Ye had to press that button.”

Fiddlesticks pushed her off easily with her Earth Pony strength and jumped back. “It was a big, red button. How could ah not?”

“By thinkin’ for once,” Quickfix growled, tapping her head. “Can ye do that? Ah mean…..” Suddenly Quickfix’s world became dizzy. ‘Why’s everything blurry?’ She stumbled, shaking her head to clear her vision.

“Quickfix!” Both mares were at her side instantly. “What’s wrong?”

“Ah’m tired…..” Quickfix tried to keep herself up. She couldn’t be tired. She had to strangle Fiddlesticks for her stupidity. ‘Vinyl’s goin’ to kill me.’ 

“You were fine just a minute ago,” Lightning frowned and looked at the portal. “Maybe it just drained your energy or something like that. I’m no nerd expert.”

“Yeah…..” Quickfix whimpered. She didn’t want to go to sleep in the Everfree Forest. “Sleep….” But it was too tempting. She closed her eyes. “That sounds good.”

Fiddlesticks grabbed her friend and shook her violently. “DON’T GO INTO THE LIGHT!”

Quickfix bonked her on the head. The unicorn pony shot her friend a glare and then fell into slumber. 

And then the portal vanished.

_________________________________________________________

The three mares tumbled out of the portal in a mix of limbs, fur, and feathers, disoriented as could be.

"Okay, maybe it would attack us if we taunted it." Dash conceded.

"What is going on here?" an unfamiliar voice shouted in alarm.

Struggling to untangle themselves and see what was going on, Twilight was the first to get onto her hooves, and come face to face with a small army. "Uhhhh, hi?" She waved a hoof nervously, noting that there were a lot of spears here. As well as weird hollow tubes of some sort.

“HOLD!” A loud voice shouted at the other soldiers. They pulled up their weapons, keeping their scowls locked on their faces. Then, a grey pegasus dawned in golden armor walked up to them. “What the feather are you doing here?” He growled, bearing his teeth. Some of his more predatory fangs showed.

"That's my question ya feather brain!" Dash shouted back, getting up on her hooves. "You're not supposed to be in the Everfree, you're supposed to be on breeze duty over in the markets! This is so going on your performance review Thunderlane!" Dash realized something was off. Way off. For starters, the Thunderlane in front of her had hair, not feathers coating his body. Second, the Thunderlane she knew didn't have fangs. "Wait one minute, you're not Thunderlane!"

“Yes I am,” Thunderlane snapped, then he blinked in confusion. “How did you know my name?...Wait, are you Rainbow Dash?”

"Uh duh. You've worked for me in the weather patrol for like a year now." Dahs said, rolling her eyes, her feathers ruffling a bit.

"Dash dear, I don't think that's our Thunderlane." Sweetie suggested, standing up. "I do believe something quite strange is going on here."

“I would have to say the same,” another voice chimed. There stood a mare similar to Sweetie. She wore an elaborate blue robe with a red head crest. A necklace with Celestia’s symbol laid around her chest. She pulled the necklace to herself. “Speak strange ones. Tell us who you are and why you look so familiar.”

Twilight looked to the robed mare, back to Sweetie, back to the mare, back to Sweetie, over to the weird looking Thunderlane, at the ponies around her, the dragon, the..."Spike?" No, it couldn't be Spike. He was much too big, much too old to be her precious little son…

“Twilight?” Spike looked at her in shock. “What are you doing here?...and without your robes….or your mark….Actually, what are you doing here period?”

Twilight's eyes twitched, rolled up in the back of her head, and she fainted.

"Oh dear. Rainbow, could you make sure she's okay?" Sweetie instructed. As Rainbow moved to assist, Sweetie turned to face the crowd. "Well, this looks rather complicated. Where to begin..."

And then the portal closed.
> Meet the Sunset {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So….Where is everypony?” Lightning looked around herself. “I mean, shouldn’t we at least see a guard or something?”

“Well, we did just get thrown in some portal-majiggie,” Fiddlesticks rolled her eyes. Quickfix was draped over her back. “Who know what is here?”

“Yeah,” Lightning nodded. “We could have been thrown on a different planet.” She gasped. “That would be so cool.” She raised herself up into the air. “Lightning Dust, first pony to step on another planet. The Wonderbolts would have to let me in then.”

“Different planet?” Fiddlesticks looked around herself. “Looks the same to me.”

“That’s what they always do,” Lightning smirked. “But then, some monster or hot stallion will come running out any second now like in those books I’ve read.”

“Ya need to stop readin’ that garbage,” Fiddlesticks snorted. “Those science fiction books are a bunch of hooey.”

“Science fiction adventure,” Lightning crossed her forelegs.

And then a manticore wearing a tophat and monocle walked by. Blinking in surprise, it tipped its hat before sauntering on its way.

Lightning’s jaw dropped as did she when her wings stopped beating. She jumped back to her hooves. “What the hay?!!!”

Fiddlesticks simply smiled. “That was a nice manticore. Maybe he knows Ghoul?” 

“How the bucking feather would a manticore know Ghoul?” Lightning said. “It’s a manticore. He was undead. They don’t mix.”

“Neither did we at the start,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. Lightning shut up at that. “We stuck together, differences and all.” She looped a foreleg around her friend’s neck and brought her close as the two walked on. “We’re gonna make it out of this.”

Lightning smiled. “Even if we have to bash everything in our path.”

“Ya pegasi are so aggressive,” Fiddlesticks rolled her eyes and chuckled.

Suddenly, pineapples. Pineapples everywhere. It's the Everfree, making sense is for lesser places.

“WHAT! THE! HAY!” Lightning and Fiddlesticks ran through the Pineapple storm. “What are pineapples doing in the Everfree Forest?"

“Maybe swallows carried them,” Fiddlesticks offered.

“Why would a swallow carry a pineapple,” Lightning shouted back.

“Because they get hungry durin’ migration, silly.” Fiddlesticks rubbed her chin as she effortlessly dodged the fruit. “Could be European swallows...With some sticks.” 

The Everfree, stunned by the sheer stupidity of that statement, stopped raining pineapples. There are some things it just didn't feel like competing with. But just to spite them, all the pineapple turned to stone. No food for them.

“Sore loser,” Fiddlesticks frowned as the two stopped. 

“Well….” Lightning looked around herself. “That happened. I can’t believe you stopped a forest with stupidity.”

“Not the first time,” Fiddlesticks nodded sagely. “Forest are tricky, but they’re also jerks who can’t really think straight. Ya got to trip ‘em up.” She quickly looked back at the direction of the portal...that was gone. “Except ya, Fluttershy. Ya are best forest.”

“So...Forests are stupid and you have to be stupider,” Lightning tried to make sense of what she said.

Fiddlesticks shook her head. “Nah, ya have to trip ‘em up. Now, let’s get out of here and get back home. Our new friends are gonna be there soon….or ‘here’ soon. Dang, this forest is just throwin’ me off.” She shivered. 

“I’ll throw it off,” Lightning punched a tree as she passed it. “I’m a pegasus. We’re the toughest things out here.”

"Ow!" the tree shouted. Turning around, it was revealed to not be a tree, but some sort of large tree like ape, about twenty feet tall, glaring at them. "Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!" is screamed, beating its large chest like a wooden drum. A number of other trees about it also revealed themselves to be giant apes, also looking quite ferocious.

Lightning’s eyes widened. “Okay….giant monkey trees.”

“Giant ‘ape’ tree,” Fiddlesticks corrected her.

“Right,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “Because it matters what their species is.” Fiddlesticks snorted. “So….Run?”

“Run." Fiddlesticks nodded and the two took off as quick as a bullet. 
____________________________________________________________________

The two ponies huffed as they made their way through the forest. They weren’t tuckered out, but those creatures had given them a run for their money. 

“Did we lose them?” Lightning asked.

Fiddlesticks nodded. “Yeah,” she chuckled. “Sides, they got the message after ah knocked a couple of ‘em out with the rock fruits.”

“Lucky hits,” Lightning grumbled. She wanted to beat at least one of the creatures herself, but there was a saying.

 Don’t rush into a suicide fight, you idiot!

Such wise words.

“So, what?” Lightning asked. “We just randomly wander the forest until we find something?”

“Like some ruins?”

“Yeah like…..” Lightning turned her head around to see the Castle of the Two Sisters….Like it was before they used the Elements. “What? That can’t be right, unless…..” She gasped. “We went back through time!”

“Buck,” Fiddlesticks huffed. “Ah hate these stories. Mark my words, it’ll get weirder than a viper in a hoedown in no time.” The two of them made their way over to the ruins. “Should we just go in?”

Lightning shrugged. “Can’t hurt to look. Maybe it’s an illusion or something like that. Could be the work of a sorcerer.” 

Fiddlesticks scoffed, but the two just walked in regardless of any possible dangers. “Anybody home?” She called out. “Don’t worry, if’n ya’ll friendly, ah won’t hurt ya’ll... Unless you’re not, then buck you to Tartarus.” 

Echoes were the only answer.

“Looks like we’ve got the place to ourselves,” Lightning said. “Put her down somewhere.” Fiddlesticks abruptly dropped Quickfix, causing Lightning to cringe. “Not like that.”

“Ya should be clearer next time,” Fiddesticks huffed. The two brought Quickfix over to a corner and looked her over. “Nothin’ seems to be wrong.’

“Yeah,” Lightning twitched in nervousness. “But that’s just it. We aren’t unicorns. How’re we supposed to help her like this?”

“Give her some rest,” Fiddlesticks answered. “She’ll be up and at ‘em in no time.”

“I hope no time is soon,” Lightning looked around, bearing her teeth in anticipation. “There could be Nightmare cultists around here. You know, if this is the past.”

“Could be,” Fiddlesticks shrugged, not looking away from her friend. Both Fiddlesticks and Lightning’s ears flittered about, listening for any sound or noise. Fiddlesticks was just humming to her friend, stroking her mane to ease her slumber. 

Lightning was poised to pounce anyone who came near them. “Okay, something happen.” She grumbled. “Because if this is the past, then the past was dull!”

Suddenly, nothing happened. Nothing then continued to happen. For several minutes, nothing continued on its merry way.

“.......Worst adventure ever,” Lightning sighed and turned back to the others. “Looks like we’re safe after all.”

"Ah still don't see why ya'll are complainin' so much. The Everfree's done worse than that." a voice spoke outside the castle, hidden from sight by the ruins.

"That's because you aren't allergic to pineapples!" another voice shouted, it's accent odd yet smooth.

"Or had one hit you on your horn." a rather familiar grouchy voice added in.

"Leat ya got it off fore it a turned inta stone." the first voice said, trying to be upbeat.

"Yeah that's great and...guys, there's new tracks going into the castle. Looks like earth pony tracks."

"Really? You can pick that out?"

Lightning immediately struck an aggressive pose, glaring at the door. “Looks like we have company.”

“Shall we run again?” Fiddlesticks chuckled at the glare Lightning gave her. 

“I can take whatever these chumps throw my way,” Lightning snorted. “HEY!” She shouted. “Heads up! If you think you can take us, you’ve got another thing coming!”

"Alright, so there's definitely somepony in there. And it sounds like bandits."

"What would bandits be doin' in the Everfree? Thereain't nopony to rob out here."

"They could be on the run. I'm not seeing any spells work, so I doubt they have anything too bad."

"Seriously, those upgrades are amazing. Okay, whoever is in there, you are getting one warning! Come on out nice and friendly, or I'm dropping a solar flare in there!"

Lightning blinked in surprise. “Sunset? You got sucked into the past too?”

"The past, what?" The mare sounded quite confused. "Okay, how did you know my name? Who are you? Wait, are you a time traveler from the future? No that doesn't make any sense, time travel is stupidly impractical...at least now. Who knows what sort of temporal magecraft could be achieved in the future. From that standpoint time travel being practical can only be from a future date. Does this mean I'll meet this pony in the future? But what if this last meeting is the main reason I associate with them? Is this a stable time loop or a quantum causality branch triggered off by the very act of time travel..."

“NEEEEEEEERD!” Lightning cupped a hoof around her mouth.

"...right, arch enemy from the future it is. One wide range firestorm, coming up."

“Wait,” Lightning said. “You don’t know me yet, but in the future, we’re best buds! You’ll move to Ponyville and get that Tree Library you always wanted after we defeat Nightmare Moon. Now I know that sounds crazy…”

"It does!" Sunset shouted back. "And what do you mean after? Nightmare Moon was defeated months ago!"

“.....OH FEATHERING BULLS!” Lightning shouted in frustration. “Another alternate universe?”

"Wait, did you say alternate universe? You didn't happen to fall through a mirror did you?" Sunset called back.

“Nah,” Lightning called back to her. “It was some swirling vortex...after Fiddlesticks here fired a laser into it.” She glared at Fiddlesticks.

Fiddlesticks shrugged. “You can’t resist pushin’ those big, red buttons. Ya have to do it.”

"That sounds like Pinkie Logic...is your friend a party pony?" the smooth voice called out.

“Best one in Ponyville,” Fiddlesticks chimed. “Ya need a party, ah’m yer gal.”

"Alrighty then, sounds reasonable ta me. Why don't ya come on out and introduce yerselves are we can get this whole mess sorted out?"

“Okay,” Fiddlesticks hefted Quickfix onto her back and made for the door.

Lightning Dust threw her hoof in her way. “It could be a trap.”

"Oh my," the smooth voice called out, "look at all these balloon animals and funny hats."

Fiddlestick’s eyes shined brightly and like a flash she was out the door. “Where?”

Standing in front of Fiddlesticks was an odd group. One looked sort of like Sunset Shimmer, if her ma was Prench. Another looked like a pegasus except its body was coated in yellow feathers instead of hair, though it's tri-color green mane and tail looked normal enough. Her eyes though, looked like they were shining green gemstones.

The last one, by comparison, was a boringly normal earth pony, who looked quite surprised. "Cousin Fiddle Faddle?"

"You have a cousin named Fiddle Faddle?" the pegasus asked, being the source of the smooth voice.

"She married inta the family." the Erath pony replied with a shrug.

“Ah what?” Fiddlesticks gasped. “Cousin Applejack, ya have some nerve lyin’ ‘bout yer cousin like that. Married into the family, is that some city slicker joke? Ah grew up as an apple and proud of it!” She stomped the ground, shaking it. Causing a small crater. 

"City slicker? That there's fightin' words missy!" Applejack shot back, stomping the ground for her own indents. "Ya take that back afore ah get madder than a cat on a water slide!"

“Why ya talkin’ like that anyways, cos?” Fiddlesticks eyed her up and down. “And where’s yer fancy city getup? Ya never take that stuff off.”

"Applejack...dressing up." Sunset was stunned. "What sort of weird and twisted alternate reality have we stumbled upon refugees from?"

"Well they aren't necessarily refugees." the pegasus pointed out. "From what the angry one was shouting earlier, it seems they fell into here by accident. Also, Fiddle Faddle, I'm the one that mentioned the balloon animals and funny hats. My apologies, I'll make up for it when we get back to town."

“Ya can start by not callin’ me that,” Fiddlesticks snorted in anger. “My name’s Fiddlesticks! Ah hate that nickname.”

Applejack blinked a bit. "Ah guess if ya are from another world ya might have a different name. Sorry, didn't mean to poke ya none. Ah just took a guess based on what ah knew. Guess ah was dumber than a mouse attendin' a cat show." Rubbing the back of her neck, she glanced around uncomfortably. "So, uh, whose that ya got on yer back?"

“Don’t have to apologize, cos.” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “Ah know we’re closer than two bears in a salmon run. This here’s Quickfix. She got plumb tuckered out on the trip over here.”

"Really?" Sunset said, concern clearly evident on her face. "Bring her over here, I've got a couple medical spells I can use to give her a once over."

As Fiddlesticks took a step forward, a green blur landed in between her and the others. Lightning Dust dropped into a predatory posture, bearing her fangs as much as she could. Her wings were held out high and as wide as possible to help her be as big and intimidating as she could be. She snarled. “I don’t think so.”

"Bucking Tartarus burning in the heart of the sun! What is that thing!?" Sunset shouted, backing up as her horn assumed a bright golden glow.

"It looks like some sort of cross between an earth shod pegasus and a dragon." their own feathery pegasus noted, also backing off, her own wings spread out as her feathers stood on end, puffing her up greatly.

“Did you just call me a mixer?” Lightning stood up, wings twitching in anger.

"A mixer? What in Celestia's blue skies is a mixer?" AJ asked, befuddled. "And ya stay back missy, less ya wanna tangle."

“You called me some Earth shod/dragon hybrid,” Lightning scuffed the ground. “So yeah, mixer and you don’t want to tangle with me. I’ve wrestled things bigger than you.”

"Wait, what? You're against hybrids? What?" Sunset sounded confused as all Tartarus about that. "Okay, Apparently we got off on the wrong hoof. So, if you're not a...mixer...then what are you?"

“I’m a pegasus,” Lightning said. She stomped the ground in agitation. “And I’m not against hybrids! I know a couple of ponies that are hybrids and they’re alright.”

"Wait wait wait, that's what pegasi look like in that reality?" the gem eyed pony asked, jaw dropped. "Holy guacamolie we look terifying! How the buck did we ever make peace with the other tribes! You look like you're a carnivore!"

“Well, more like omnivore.” Lightning added. “We can eat plants too...We just like meat more. And before you start, we didn’t eat ponies. That’s sick….Griffons on the other hoof was another story.” Lightning chuckled. “My ancestors were pretty badflank.”

"Wait, how would your ancestors even have run into griffons? They're on another freaking continent." Sunset asked, looking very skeptical.

Lightning shook her head. “Nah, they’re right next door to us. My ancestors and theirs fought tooth and claw for generations. We still do, but the current king is alright so nothing major other than little lords that try their claw at conquest.”

"Right, alternate reality. I feel like we'll be bumping our horn into that a lot." Sunset muttered. "So, any reason you don't want your friend checked out by somepony with medical training?"

“Cause…” Lightning shrugged. “I dunno.” She eyed the other pegasus. “And let me guess, are you a mixer or a pegasus? Sorry, can’t tell.”

"Pegasus. Name's Masquerade Pantomime, but you can just call me Mask, it's a lot less of a mouthfull. So yeah, we look a lot less intimidating than you. Dash would probably argue the point, but she's not here right now." She shrugged, her gems rolling over the group in front of her. "Also, she'd probably try and kick your flank for that mixer stuff. Her second in command is a hybrid, as is one of her lieutenant's kids. She has very little tolerance for tribalist attitudes."

“I’m not a tribalist!” Lightning shouted.

“Ya kind of sounded like one, Dust.” Fiddlesticks pointed out.

“Well I’m not,” Lightning snorted, growling deep in her throat.

"So you're names Dust?" Mask piped up. "Dust Devil, Dust Storm, Dusty Trails? Dr. Pie's a lot better at these guessing games than I am..."

“It’s Lightning Dust,” Lightning frowned. “Come on! It’s not that hard to guess. I mean, just look at my cutie mark, for Celestia’s sake.”

"Well I didn't want to assume anything." Mask shrugged. "Our friend Rarity Belle, her cutie mark is three diamonds. No relation to her name at all."

“Ya’ll have a Rarity here too?” Fiddlesticks piped up.

"Yep. Just like ya'll apparently got yerselves a Princess Celestia." AJ noted.

“Thank goodness for that,” Lightning huffed. “So….what now?”

“Now we get Quickfix to Prenchie Sunset,” Fiddlesticks walked over to Sunset with her passenger firmly on board. 

"Prenchie? I look Prench to you?" Sunset eyed her skeptically.

“The Prench have those funny tails and hooves,” Lightning piped up. “That and their freakishly tall, like almost Celestia levels tall. Also no cutie marks...though.” She eyed her up and down. “You do kind of look like Trixie.”

"Who's Trixie?" Sunset asked. "Do we know a Trixie?"

"Travlin' show mare, you were out of town that day." AJ noted. "Also, to clear any confusion, Sunset is a typical unicorn in these here parts. That stuff's normal...yer friend's got a horn, she a normal unicorn?"

Fiddlesticks nodded. “Yep, she ain’t like those no good, stuck up, master race Unicorns.” She snorted. “Darn Prench.”

"Huh? Weird. Our Prench are mostly artists, fashion ponies, and philosophers." Mask noted. "Also, mostly earths, not unicorns."

"Whatever, I'm going to do my check up...wait, quick question. How do your unicorns deviate from earths in your world? Like, does she have fangs too?" Sunset asked, grouping for answers. "Cause I'd love to know what the baseline is before I try and find what's wrong."

“Well, they usually are slender and quick,” Fiddlesticks started. “Also they ain’t nearly as sturdy as us Earth Ponies. Can’t take as much before goin’ down. Other than magic, and that, not a lot….Though, some fancy scientist said ya’ll unicorns are smarter ‘cause yer brains can process so many thoughts and stuff all at the same time and ya never forget.” She looked Quickfix over. “That and ya live longer….lucky.”

"Wow a perfect memory that would be awe-live longer!?" Sunset shouted in surprise. "That's, okay whatever I have a good baseline. A couple basic scans should do it." Horn glowing, a few sheets of golden energy swept over Quickfix's prone form. After a few seconds, Sunset nodded, relieved. "Okay, good news. It's nothing serious. Her internal mana reserves are just massively low. It's simple mana exhaust, she can sleep it off. But probably not the best idea to do it here."

“Well that’s a relief,” Lightning huffed. “Say...What’s mana?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Mana. The internal energies a unicorn calls upon for the shaping and casting of spells. Did you think we just waved our horns and stuff happened?"

“I just thought you just used magic,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “But it’s my luck I wound up in a nerd universe. You just had to name it something so….nerdy.”

"It exists! It needs a name!" Sunset argued back. "What do you expect us to do, just call it "magic thingy"?"

“I dunno,” Lightning snorted. “Ours just call it aura, though they say that we all have it, it’s just that unicorns have moreso. I think that’s the same thing.” She scratched her head. “I really never cared for magic when I had these.” She flexed her wings.

"Guys, I think we're getting off topic." Masquerade noted, rolling her gems. "We need to get your friend back to town where she can rest safely. Sunset, send up the signal to call the others back, I think we found Dr. Pie's doozy."

Fiddlesticks gasped. “She had a doozy? So did ah! Did she say that some friends were comin’ yer way?”

"Actually, she wasn't too sure what a bunch of other party-mancy signs she got were. She'd never had them in a combo before, and on their own they were something of a mess." Sunset explained. "Anyway, one signal, coming up." A shot of magic from her horn sailed up into the air before exploding into a glowing, giant version of her cutie mark. "Now we just have to wait for Twilight to teleport the others back here."

“Twilight?” Lightning gulped, looking around nervously. “As in ‘Twilight Sparkle’, Twilight?”

"Uh, yes. You know her in your world too?" Mask asked. "Cause you're looking a little nervous there."

“Oh she’s nothing really,” Lightning chuckled nervously. “Just one of the most powerful chaos sorceresses ever and a renowned trickster. She’s pranked me more times than I can count, not to mention everypony else.”

The other mares just stared at Lightning for a while...before falling down, roaring with laughter.

"That, that's a good one!" AJ said, slapping her knees.

"Oh jeeze, you your universe's version of Laughter or something?" Mask asked between choking breaths. "Because that's one of the best dang jokes I have ever heard!"

"Sparkle? Chaos?" Sunset actually seemed to have trouble breathing, she was laughing so hard. "Her idea of Chaos, ha, is, ha ha, is forgetting to schedule in time to make next month's schedule!"

“Actually, I’m the Element of Loyalty,” Lightning nodded her head toward the others. “Fiddlesticks is Joy and Quickfix is Inspiration. I’m also not joking. Twilight is a chaos sorceress.”

“She was also known as the Skewer,” Fiddlesticks noted. “Cause, ya know, she liked to skewer enemies and hoist him up like flags.”

The laughter died quickly at that. "Well, that's all kinds of messed up." Sunset noted. "...wait a minute, you guys actually are Bearers?"

"What kinda' Element is inspiration anyways?" AJ asked.

“Ya know,” Fiddlesticks glared at AJ. “Cos, if Quickfix had heard ya, she’d be beatin’ ya upside the head fer askin’ that and yes.” She nodded. “We are.”

"Oh uh, well shoot didn't mean to offend. But yeah, we're Bearer's too." AJ noted. "Ahm Honesty."

"Laughter over here." Masquerade supplied. "I'm guessing that's our version of your Joy."

"And I," Sunset noted, "bear the responsibility of being the Bearer of the Element of Friendship."

Lightning held a hoof to her mouth as she suppressed some laughter. “Oh boy, if our Sunset could have heard you say that, she’d flip."

"Wait what? Why?" Sunset asked. "Friendship is the greatest, most precious thing in the whole world. What could possibly be better than being with your closest friends?"

“She liked to call it the Element of Magic,” Lightning said. “She preferred it that way.”

"What?!" Sunset shouted. "I had to rechristened mine from Magic to Friendship in order to unlock its true power to free Luna from her possession! Are you telling me she did the opposite!?"

“Technically no,” Fiddlesticks tried to explain. “Ya see, it is the Element of Magic, but Celestia told her that it’s pretty much is the Element of Friendship and that Magic was more ‘symbolic’ of a term for the bonds we share….”

“Sunset just kept with the original title,” Lightning added. “...And Luna was possessed? When did that happen?”

Mask gave a quick summary "A thousand years ago. Possessed, became Nightmare Moon, locked in the moon, escaped, massive quest, saved the world. Your version?"

“Luna turned evil, renamed herself Nightmare Moon, bloody three year conquest, her soul locked in the moon, escaped, attacked town with an army, quest, saved the world,” Fiddlesticks listed out. “And then we locked Luna down in a deep dungeon and partied.”

"...our Luna is cured and helping to run the kingdom." Sunset responded, looking rather uncomfortable. "Also, a three year war? How did that happen? Our Nightmare Moon's first attack lasted, what, ten minutes?"

"Ah think it was closer ta fifteen." AJ noted. "Then Celestia used the Elements on her."

“Luna kind of….had an army of her own and brainwashed some more,” Lightning said. “That and shadow daemons. A whole lot of shadow daemons. Elements were more of a last resort kind of thing.”

"So are ours, but I think your sister going crazy, transforming into a monster, and declaring an eternal night that will eventually kill all life kind of justifies it." Mask argued.

“True,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “Can’t say what ah’d do if that kind of thin’ happened to Apple Bloom…” She shivered. “Actually, can we not think about it?”

"Ah great, now I'm think bout Bloom." AJ said, shuddering. "No wonder Ma's so nervous all the time."

Fiddlestick’s jaw dropped. “Yer ma?....She’s alive?”

"...and why wouldn't she be?" AJ asked, her voice filled with dread, her eyes widening as the answer slowly, horribly dawned on her. "So, is Pa alive in your world instead then?"

Fiddlesticks nervously shuffled about. “Cos, don’t make me answer that….Ah shouldn’t have said anythin’.”

"Ya already answered it." AJ sighed. "Poor Bloom...now hold on just one cotton pickin' minute! Ya'll said ah was some sort of city slicker in yer world? What was ah doing goin' to some city stead of stayin' put and lookin' after Bloom?"

“....” Fiddlesticks bit her lip. “Ya were a filly then and...ya kept sayin’ it was yer fault that they were dead, so ya ran away to Aunt and Uncle Orange….” She nervously scuffed the ground. “We didn’t take it well.”

"Well ah ain't takin' it well neither." AJ huffed. "If ah ever get my hooves on that other me, ah'm gonna give myself a good lickin' and set me straight."

"Applejack, violence isn't the best answer." Sunset noted. "I'll admit it can be the fun one, but it's not the best for delicate situations. You have to consider the other pony's feelings."

“She ain’t a bad pony,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “Even if ya...she is a city slicker, ah got ya to come over finally. We’re friends now…” She glanced away. “Bloom still don’t like it though. Won’t talk to her really.”

"Well, I hate to cut into good drama, but I'm getting worried." Mask  interjected. "Twilight should have seen the signal and teleported back by now."

“She probably got sucked into the portal and on our side now,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “No biggee.”

"Wait what?" Sunset asked. "How do you know that? Are you getting info from party-mancy?"

“Nah,” Fiddlesticks shook her head. “Ah saw her on the way here, passed her by. She seemed a bit busy at the moment, so ah kept my mouth shut.” Lightning stared at Fiddlesticks in bewilderment, but simply shook her head.

"Passed her by where?" Mask asked.

“Through the portal,” Fiddlesticks smiled.

“You mean the one that closed?” Lightning asked, to which Fiddlesticks nodded. She groaned. “Perfect...Just flipping perfect.”

Sunset seemed to agree. "Oh Celestia bucking Tirek in the bucking heart of bucking Tartarus while bucking freezing on the bucking moon as it's plunged into the bucking fiery bucking core of the bucking sun by bucking Discord on a bucking pogo stick made out of the bucking tears of orphans!"

“That’s a lot of bucks to give,” Lightning said. 

“Didn’t Celestia just throw a spear into his heart?” Fiddlesticks asked. “Not buck him.”

“Yeah, but that’s not important right now.” Lightning piped up.

"Sorry it's just, that's just, urgh! There goes our mass teleport home. Okay, I can probably take two of you with me. Quickfix obviously, and then either Lightning or Fiddle. Applejack and Masquerade can escort whoever is left back out of the Forest and into Ponyville. We'll be waiting at the hospital."

“Ooh, ooh,” Fiddlesticks jumped up and down, waving a foreleg. “Pick me, pick me.”

"First come first serve." Sunset quipped, levitating Quickfix onto her own back. "If you aren't used to teleporting, grab on to me and try not to throw up."

“Oh ah’m used to it,” Fiddlesticks chuckled, throwing her foreleg around Sunset's neck. “Our Sunset likes to teleport me out of her house all the time. Sometimes she even drops me from the top story. Fun times.”

"That is horrifying. I'm going to be having nightmares about this later. Applejack, when you get back to town, remind me to schedule an appointment with my therapist." Sunset asked, before she and her two charges vanished in a flash of golden light.

“So….” Lightning’s stomach grumbled. “Got anything to eat?” She smiled, unintentionally showing off her fangs.

"Pineapple?" Mask quipped. "Sorry, since we were planning on teleporting around, we didn't pack any supplies. You'll just have to go hungry for a bit until we find some food."

“Pass,” Lightning noticed a little lizard passing back and snapped it up. She made quick work in swallowing it. “That’ll do me till we get to town.”

"Did she just eat a skink?" AJ asked. "Ain't those poisonous?"

“.....What?” Lightning’s iris’s shrunk. “You’re joking. That was just some random lizard. They aren’t poisonous….” She gulped. “Right? Come on, it was just a small thing. Can’t hurt me.”

"Skinks are small lizards." AJ noted. "Probably shoulda' taken a better look. This here is the Everfree. Home of stuff that looks nice till it tries ta kill ya."

"Let's just get going." Masquerade said. "If it was a skink she'll just have a bit of an upset stomach, they aren't that poisonous. We've got a lot of ground to cover. I'll check the bridge for you AJ." She then flew off, scanning the rickety wooden bridge with her gems for any problems.

“You know,” Lightning snorted and glared at AJ. “That wasn’t funny, scaring me like that.”

AJ shook her head "Twern't a joke. That's Mask's thing. Ah honestly think it was one. Ya need to be more careful. Otherwise ya'll are gonna do somethin' dumb, like upset a tree-mendous ape er somethin'."

Lightning Dusts eyes widened. “Is that what….” She shook her head and nervously laughed. “Yeah, that would be pretty stupid. hehe.”

"Yep. All kinds of stuff looks safe here till it tries ta kill ya. Cragodiles that look like rocks. Strangle vines, poison joke, giant vampiric tree frogs, head asplodin' flowers. All kinds of nasty things." she explained as she trotted off. "Well, keep up!"

“Keep up?” Lightning trotted past her. “Do you know who you’re talking to? I’m Lightning Dust, future Wonderbolt in the making.”

"Huh, that sounds just like Dash, goin' on bout being a Bolt once she's old enough."

“Rainbow Dash is here?” Lightning let out a fan-girlish squeal. “Where?...Wait, old enough?”

"Well, where would be on the other side of the portal Fiddlesticks said our friends fell through. Dash is an Element Bearer, Generosity. As fer old enough, she's only thirteen. Bolts don't take ya till yer at least sixteen. Shame too, from what I can tell she can already outfly more than half the team."

“Well our Dash is a hero,” Lightning beamed. “She’s eighteen and one of the leading Wonderbolts and shes just. So. Awesome! I met her a couple of times. She even gave me an autograph.” She looked smug.

Applejack rolled her eyes at Lightning's posing. "Our Dash is a hero too, what with havin' helped save the whole dang world twice and all."

“Sounds cool,” Lightning said. “So...Do you know me in this universe?”

"Nope. Never met ya." Applejack admitted. "Up, bridge ahead. Talk after we cross. Lookin' good Mask?"

"All clear! I think Sunset's reinforcement spell's actually fixed it up better than when we first used it actually."

Lightning snorted and flew over to the other side at top speeds. Settling down, she grinned. “See you on the other side, AJ.”

"Wow, you are a lot like my friend, Rainbow Dash." Masquerade noted. "A little less mature, but very close."

“Less mature?” Lightning snorted. “I’ll have you know that I’m sixteen, thank you very much.”

"So why are you acting like you're ten and provoking Applejack for no good reason?" Mask asked, her gems twinkling in mischief.

“Ten?” Lightning glowered at her. “Just a little friendly competition, little miss featherbody. Ain’t anything wrong with that.”

"No there isn't." Masquerade agreed, letting the feather comment slide off like rain. "But there is a time and a place for it, and the Everfree is definitely not it."

“I’ve raced through these woods multiple times,” Lightning defended herself. “Dingoneks, Timberwolves, even a Herrasaurus, a flipping dinosaur, and I’m still breathing.”

"Only one of those I recognize is the Timberwolf." Mask admitted. "So okay, maybe you can handle anything your Everfree can throw at you. Do you know what mine can?"

“Shoot,” Lightning said.

"Well...in all honesty neither do I." Mask shrugged. "The Everfree's full of wild magic. New stuff tends to pop up ever now and again. Some of it even managed to stick around long term."

"Ya two done flappin' yer gums, or ya gonna flap yer wings?" AJ called from a bit down the road, having snuck on by while the two pegasi were distracted with their talking.

Her natural competitive pegasus nature kicked in. “I can flap faster than you can run.” She took off after AJ.

Masquerade sighed. "I bet Sunset doesn't have to deal with anything this bad."

****************

"So, for clarification, you do not know if the patient you wish to admit has insurance or not?" Blue Shield, the front desk attendant at Ponyville General, droned.

"Look, can't you just admit her and worry about this stuff later?" Sunset moaned.

"What is health insurance?" Fiddlesticks asked again, for the twentieth time. "And why ain't they helpin' mah friend?"

> Meet the Shimmer {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, that looked like it was important." Sweetie noted at the vanished swirling energy "Might I ask what that was?"

“No, no, no, NO!” Sunset ran towards where the portal used to be. “My beautiful portal! It’s gone!” She glared at the new comers. “You messed with my scientific breakthrough, you morons!”

Sweetie blinked, several times rapidly. She then rubbed her eyes, and blinked a few more times. "Sunset? Sunset is that you dear?"

“Who else would I be?” Sunset asked.

“How do you know her name?” Bon Bon asked, peering at her look alike closely.

"What? There's no way that's Sunset!" Dash protested. "She looks nothing like her! Except for the mane, and tail, and her coat, and her cutie mark...okay she looks a lot like Shimmer. But she's earth shod. And, biggest hint, she's mean. Sunset would be breaking down in tears at the thought of calling ponies morons."

Everyone stared at Dash and then groaned.

“Oh bucking hay,” Sunset seethed. “Another parallel universe? And I’m a wimp...again? Thanks for throwing me something ‘fresh’ universe.” Of course, all the soldiers readied their weapons once more and pointed them at the newcomers. 

"Oh now that's just rude. We are trying to have a civil conversation here." Sweetie protested. "Really, so unprofessional. Are you always this rude to your guests?"

“Most of our ‘guests’ try to kill or enslave us. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Bon Bon then held out her pendant and started praying. It was soft and lilting and held the warmth of the sun, asking for protection.

This was lost on the visitors. "Uh...what's she doing?" Dash asked, thoroughly confused.

"I think she's singing or something." Sweetie replied. "And it sounds lovely dear. What's it about?"

“I am asking Celestia for protection,” Bon Bon answered. “I am a High Priestess of our eternal sun Goddess. I pray to her for guidance and strength. Now I pray for both mine and your souls.”

The two visitors stared at her stunned. "Well, I guess we are in another world then, um, assuming she knows there are ponies worshiping her."

"The heck's a soul?" Dash asked, having difficulty following along.

"It's a griffon religious concept, I don't really get it either." Sweetie admitted.

“How dare you,” Thunderlane seethed, pulling out his sword with his hoof and holding it at ready. “How dare you compare our sacred traditions to those bloodthirsty barbarians! I ought to slice you through right now.” 

"With what?" Dash asked, dropping his sword to the ground in front of her.

“Shit,” Thunderlane’s eyes widened. “Forgot you were Dash for a second…” He grinned. “But I doubt you can survive a volley of muskets and crossbows, heretic.”

"The heck's a musket? Or a heretic?" Dash asked, confused.

“Calm yourself, Master Sergeant.” Priestess Bon Bon spoke up, her voice warm and lilting, holding a motherly tone to it. “She does not know the way.” She turned to Dash. “A musket is a crude firing tool and a heretic is one who turns away from Celestia’s light.”

"Well considering that I'm personal friends with the Princess, that word don't apply to me." Dash bragged, "And what do you mean firing tool? Like, it shoots fire like a dragon?"

“I assure you, Miss Dash.” Spike sent her a small, gentlemanly smile. “That my fire and that of a musket’s shares little in common. May I say those feathers look lovely on you. I never seen such before in my life.”

"Uh, thanks. But, uh, all pegasi have these back home. Well except for hybrids, but still." Dash fluttered her wings in embarrassment. Different universe or not, Spike flirting with her just felt wrong.

“All of you have feathers?” Pizzelle spoke up, trotting up to her. “My goodness! That is a lovely set of plumage. In all my life I have never seen a pegasus with plumage all over their body. Well, there was this one stallion who had this condition where he did, but I didn’t bother him none about he. He was so charming. Sad it didn’t work out, but we still keep in touch.” She giggled. “I apologize. I tend to ramble.”

"That's alright dear, I love stories." Sweetie replied with a warm smile. "Just be mindful of the content, Dash is still a minor."

"Oh come on! I'm almost fourteen! Stop treating me like a little kid!" Dash barked.

“Don’t get your feathers all ruffled….” Thunderlane patted her head, trying to stop his laughter. “Kid…..” It didn’t last as he belted out in laughter. A few other soldiers joined in. 

"Dash, remember what we discussed." Sweetie noted in a warning tone.

Dash sulked. "...no tornadoing ponies that laugh at me because of my age."

"That's right. And you lot, stop laughing." Sweetie said, turning on the soldier with a look many a disappointed mother wished they could wield. "You say you're here in Celestia's name? How would she react if she found out her soldiers were mocking a child just for being young? Have you no shame?"

The soldiers instantly stopped laughing and looked away. Thunderlane rubbed his foreleg with his other. “We just thought it was ironic….You know, the great Dash a kid…..”

"A kid that disarmed you." Dash shot back, still obviously upset.

“Now don’t you fret now, sugar.” Pizzelle frowned. “There are plenty of ponies your age that have done marvelous things. Why our very own Sweetie Belle is a world famous singer and she’s even younger than you. Not to mention our Rainbow Dash is a star Wonderbolt. I’m sure you’re going to be great too.”

"This me is a Bolt? This me is a Bolt?" Dash asked, wings fluttering in excitement. "I so have to meet her...me...uh, how do pronouns work with this again Sweetie?"

"I'm not sure. If Twilight was awake we could probably ask her. She probably studied it at some point." Sweetie lamented.

“Twilight studying?” Sunset asked. “What kind of wack job universe do you come from?” She stormed her way over to them. She gave Twilight a glance over. “Is she half Prench?”

Dash rolled her eyes, hard. "Who looks at a unicorn and thinks Prench? There are hardly any unicorns in Prance."

“Hey featherbody,” Sunset quipped. “Different universe. Our Prance is full of ‘Unicorns’ and only ‘Unicorns’, if you catch my drift.”

"Huh, so instead of being full of tribalist earths, it's full of tribalist unicorns. Different verse, same as the first...hey that has some extra meaning here!" Dash seemed quite pleased with her accidental word play.

“I’m sure your parents are very proud,” Sunset scoffed.

“Ignore her,” Spike said. “My sister can be a bit of a jerk at times.”

“I’m right here,” Sunset remarked.

Spike looked at her then back at them. “She can be a real big jerk at times.” To which he received a fireball to the head. Thankfully, it did nothing to his scales. “See?” He rolled his eyes.

"Wow your Sunset is a SISTER? How the bucking farthing Tartarus did that happen?"

"Rainbow Dash! Language!" Sweetie scolded.

“Celestia adopted us!” Sunset seethed. Her glare did its best to cut through Dash. “So shove it.”

"Oh, so you're an orphan like our Sunset?" Sweetie asked. "I am so sorry to hear that."

“I’m not,” Sunset seethed, looking away. “If my parents didn’t want me, then screw them. I have the best parent you could get. Their loss, my gain.” Spike tried to put a comforting claw on her shoulder, but she brushed it off. “Don’t….I have to go check where that portal went.” She trotted back over to where a few machines lay about. 

"Oh man that was a heck of a whizz." Vinyl said, trotting back over to her station. "And look, it's all in one piece! Good job Quickfix!...Quickfix? Uh, anypony seen Quicky? Or the portal we were supposed to be guarding?"

"Is...is that Vinyl?" Dash asked, stunned. "She seems so...off."

Vinyl grinned wickedly. There was something wrong about it. Her blood shade robs held tight against her form and Celestia’s mark was branded to her right cheek. “Yo, wassup? You came from the portal or something?”

"Um, yes we did." Dash responded. "Sooo...you must really like Celestia to have her cutie mark branded on your cheek."

“Eh,” Vinyl shrugged, causing many of the ponies around to tighten up, or point weapons at her. “I worship Big C like any pony does, but I serve the powers of chaos, dudette. I’m a chao Priestess and this here brand,” she tapped it. “Is to make sure I don’t get possessed by a daemon or go mad when I use my powers.” Her laughter was broken. “Can’t really say how the second was effective.”

"Wow this is weird." Dash said, clearly uncomfortable. "Our world's Vinyl is a highly organized neat freak."

"Now Dash, that's not a nice thing to say. Our Vinyl has health concerns, and it can't be easy putting up with somepony as sloppy and unfocused as Octavia."

“Octavia?” Pizzelle piped up. “Sloppy? Unfocused? I will have you know that she is one of Equestria’s leading musicians. I have been to several, and I repeat, several of her performances. She is one of the most skilled ponies I’ve met. Of course, the poor dear gets a bit of heckling now and again because she’s half Vamphirine.” She tutted sadly.

Sweetie looked quite sad. "I don't know what that is, but I'm sorry to hear that some ponies are so closed minded they care about things like that. And I didn't mean to imply that my world's Octavia wasn't accomplished. She even performed for the Grand Galloping Gala this year."

“Vamphirines are, what some more ‘derogative’ ponies would say,” Redheart piped up. “Bat Ponies. She is indeed a half blood in the sense, wings and everything. I do believe I met her once before. Charming young lady. It’s nice to know she made it in your world.”

"Yeah she's uh, a normal earth in our world. No thestral, I mean bat, I mean vamphirine stuff going on there." Dash stated quickly, looking rather nervous for some reason.

Redheart narrowed her eyes. “Dash,” her voice similar to when she had scolded Lightning Dust. “What are you hiding?”

"Nooothing." Dash said in the drawn out tone of every child that hopes that, if they stretch out the word long enough, it will be more believable.

“Dash,” to which Redheart responded like a parent who obviously knew better and the kid better spill the beans now.

Sweetie came to the rescue. "Thestrals, what we call bat ponies, are an extinct tribe in our world. It's a little awkward discussing extinct tribes."

Redheart’s eyes widened and she closed her mouth. “Extinct...They’re all dead?”

Pizzelle looked shaken. “I just talked to a tourists passing through...They’re all dead in your world…..” She shook her head.

“That’s terrible,” Coco said, leaning into Pizzelle. “A whole country...a species….gone.”

“Hard to think of it, really?” Spike spoke up. “I mean, in our world, they don’t really live in Equestria. They prefer to stay to their country of Germane.”

"That's probably one of the biggest differences." Sweetie noted. "In our world they did a mass migration to Equestria shortly after its founding to find new lands. Things...didn't work out in the end."

“Vamphirines are actually, at least here, descended from pegasi who had sided with Chrysalis during the Equestrian/Changeling wars,” Redheart explained. “They fled and interbred with changeling until they became what they are today. They’re very militant, pretty much being run by the army. Though, they aren’t as hostile to us since Princess Pinkie Pie came along.”

“They still give us pegasi a hard time,” Pizzelle huffed. 

"Princess Pinkie Pie!?!?!" Dash and, for the first time losing her composure, Sweetie shouted in unison.

"You have to be kidding me! This world makes no sense!" Dash bemoaned.

Sweetie also looked disturbed. "I also try not to be judgemental, but Pinkie Pie? In charge of something? That's just, I can't even think of anything to say to that."

Sunset grumbled as she came back. “She’s probably the most annoying changeling you’ve ever met, but it’s better her lead the changelings than some monarch who wants to consume everything in their path.”

"Okay then. This might sound like a dumb question, but what's a changeling?" Dash inquired.

“They are shapeshifters,” Redheart explained. “They can look like anypony, or anything if they are designed for it. They are ‘insectoid’ in appeared, but never call them that! They will end you if you call them bugs or anything of the matter. Otherwise, they’re alright even if they do feed on positive emotions and such. As well, they come in several castes, each serving a purpose to the greater good of the whole. We don’t know where they came from. Some have speculated from another planet. They just showed up around ten thousand years ago out of the blue and conquered a good chunk of the planet within ten years. Thankfully, Princess Pinkie has kept their more ‘vicious’ habits down. Instead….” She sighed. “She just has them party all day as well as aid to any and all disasters….and set up more parties.”

"Yep, parties, that sounds like Dr. Pie." Dash noted, nodding in satisfaction.

“I take it your Pinkie isn’t a changeling?” Redheart asked.

“Please say she’s normal,” Sunset said, pleading for something good to happen. “Please, because I can’t stand the thought of two of them in one place and we all know what will happen if Princess Pinkie finds out about a whole world that she hasn’t partied in.”

"Sorry, our Dr. Pinkie Pie is, well, still Dr. Pinkie Pie. I don't think normal and her even share the same zip code." Dash said, shrugging. "From what I understand, her doctorate was mostly a political move on Princess Celestia's part."

“Of course it is,” Sunset huffed. “Mom was always a bit of a prankster. Sometimes I wonder if she was the one who made Pinkie so coocoo...Sometimes.”

"Eh. Our Celestia is a lot more...responsible than yours sounds." Dash admitted. "It mostly had to do with legitimizing an entire new field of magical study, providing measurable benchmarks for said field, and ensuring that the findings would be taken seriously by the magical academic societies."

“.......For parties?” Sunset deadpanned. “She actually endorsed all that...for parties? We sure mine isn’t the more responsible one? ‘Cause let’s see her try to please several nations worth of nobles who want to cut Equestria up into pieces.”

"We get enough of that with the Elk." Dash said, annoyed. "Any not parties, party-mancy. It's actually got a set of related weird magical effects. Practitioners can seem to teleport at will and pop up out of nowhere. They get weird verbal ticks that let them predict the near future. They can also sometimes just seem to be able to ignore the rules of logic and physics. And they somehow are able to pull props right out of nowhere."

“Sounds kind of like deer to me,” Sunset quipped. “Of course, some deer can predict events centuries ahead of time….It was how mom found me.” She glanced away for a second. 

"Soooo anypony have any ideas on how to wake Twi up? Cause she's missing a lot of neat stuff here." Dash asked, looking anywhere but at Sunset.

Sunset just zapped Twilight with a small, electric spell. 

"Gah!" Twilight shouted, bolting upright. "Aggg, I had the weirdest dreeeeaaand this isn't a dream." Seeing Dash shake her head, Twilight blinked twice, then gasped. "We must be in an alternate dimension, probably folded across the fifth dimensional space, meaning that we are in a world with broad similarities in some ways but also glaring differences in others. Temporal resequencing, no differentiated origin, yes! This world doesn't seem like it's off by a few years or another appreciable amount of time, and yet certain events are so radically different it calls into question our own base assumptions about the under workings of reality on even a fundamental level. Do you realize what this means?"

"No." Dash admitted.

"It means that we are in potentially serious trouble." Twilight admitted. "We have no idea how things work here, and without knowledge we can't plan, and without a plan we can't be organized, and without organization we're doomed! I need books and scientific journals, stat!"

“Yeah no,” Sunset piped up. “The only books and scientific journals we have around here are mine and I will not tolerate them being destroyed, vandalized, or possibly used in a prank...I know you aren’t our Twilight, but I’m not taking that chance.”

"Your Twilight does what to books?" Twilight asked, one of her eyes and ears starting to twitch. "I'm sorry, but you're making it sound like she does horrible things to books. Books, the most important invention ever. Preservers of knowledge, guardians of societal order, the very glue that helps hold an advanced society together and keeps chaos at bay. Nopony is treating books here badly right?"

Sunset looked at her in sympathy. “I know, right? Doesn’t she know how important books are to our society? No, she wants to eat them or something just for laughs.” Sunset growled, her horn flaring. “Sometimes I just want to burn her like she does my precious books.” 

Twilight started twitching, violently. Then, she suddenly stopped, looking confused. "I didn't explode?" She tapped her horn a few times. She blinked a bit, then started looking around. "I...I can't seem to use my magic."

“What did you strain a muscle or something?” Sunset huffed. “Just tap into the realm of magic. Any unicorn can do it.”

"The realm of what?" Twilight asked. "Is that what you call your mana reserves here?"

“If you’re referring to ‘aura’,” Sunset explained. “Then I’d like to remind you that all creatures have it, even non-unicorns. Hay, the grass has it. Of course, that’s not in the realm of magic, it’s more of the realm of Druidic powers which is a whole nother realm of itself, although some have postulated that the two are more interconnected than we currently believe, but I’m not one of them. Their facts are obviously disjointed, fixing the perimeters of the realms at much too close a point for them to actually work without breaking each other, which would be rather cataclysmic. Perhaps you’re referring to the saturated bodies of the Prench Unicorns. Well, even they need to access the Realm of Magic to keep themselves going.”

"Well I don't spend a lot of time with deer, they hate mages, so I really can't comment on Druidic magic. But it sounds like the aura you're referring to is the innate magic found in every living thing, and quite a few unliving." Twilight noted, then stopped. "Wait a minute, are you saying that in this reality, unicorns draw on their power from an outside source?"

“Yes,” Sunset nodded. “You see, this world is split into several realms: The living, that’s us; The dead, Tartarus; and the realm of energy. Now the realm of energy itself is cut up into several sections, the main and more prevalent stream is Magic. There are also chaos, Druidic, and Shadow. While chaos is restricted to only some users for obvious reason, the realm of shadow is never to be delved into….” She shuddered. “We unicorns tap into the realm of magic and where we draw our powers from….You don’t do that in your world, do you?”

"No. This is fascinating, a subdivided higher energy field, but how is it accessed? Psychotelemitry perhaps?" Twilight muttered.

"I think she wants to know how our unicorns work dear." Sweetie prompted, smiling.

"What? Oh right right, information exchange." Twilight said. "Okay, so in my reality, unicorns are both livening magical energy generators, and storage devices. We produce, store, and use our own personal magical energy needs, no need for outside sources."

“But how?” Sunset rubbed her chin. “An innate magical generator? Such works have killed several unicorn in the past who have tried to do so. It’s impossible...unless, perhaps….” She started pacing. “Perhaps there was an outside source. A being who artificially created your subrace through designs and genetic manipulation of the other races….Unlikely, but...but, but, but! There could also be the chance that you are in fact not actually ‘living’. That your unicorns are possibly the result of minor sprites or daemons being saturated in too much good magic….” She teleported a few piece of paper and quills to herself. “Yes...Definitely going to have to research this.” 

"Um, well I can answer a few questions about unicorn origins." Twilight pointed out. "Our tribal evolution is documented, from when we branched off the earth tribe and our developmental adaptations over the millennia. Our abilities are perfectly natural, we just evolved them instead of trying to create them artificially."

“The earth tribe, you say?” Redheart fished some writing utensils out of her bag and started writing down on a small notebook with her hoof. She moved next to Sunset. “Hmm, I think you pushing the date on the divergence.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Sunset rebuked.

“Who’s the leading scientist here?” Redheart asked, Sunset just stuck her muzzle up into the air defiantly. Redheart chuckled. “But seriously, a split with the Earth Tribe? That could explain why they have their abilities, a form of Earth Pony magic that’s manifested itself in some other form when they cut themselves off from the mother earth.”

“Interesting take,” Sunset nodded. “But we won’t know until she give us some books or documents from her world.”

“Which she probably doesn’t have,” Redheart scuffed the ground. “Darn it and we were so close to such beautiful science.” 

"Also," Twilight noted as she read their notes over their shoulders. "Unicorns didn't diverge off that long ago. Our tribe really only split off about seven thousand years ago."

“...Seven thousand years?” Sunset looked perplexed. “Equestria’s older than that...well okay, this is pretty much the ‘Fourth’ Equestria if you think about it, but still.”

"Really?" Twilight asked, eyes gleaming with delight. "Our Equestria was only founded two thousand years ago."

“Nothing really happened two thousand years ago here,” Sunset piped.

“Well, except for that world war that devastated our planet,” Redheart deadpanned. 

“We got better,” Sunset snorted. “Sides, Equestria’s been around for nearly ten thousand years. We can take whatever the worlds have to throw at us.”

"Wait, ten thousand years?" Twilight asked, stunned. "But, that's about how long ago the earth tribe came along. Your civilization is as old as the pony species of my world! This is amazing!"

“Well yeah,” Sunset said. “I mean the main tribes evolved around twelve to fifteen thousand years ago and which they spend a few thousand years of that fighting each other before the Windigos came about.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “They’d probably still be fighting to this day if that never happened.”

"You had the Windigo Winter as well?" Twilight asked. "Tell me, at that time in my world there were five pony tribes, the most we ever had. How many tribes do you guys have?"

“Let’s see,” Sunset tapped her chin. “At the time of the Windigos, there were only three tribes. The event actually caused quite a few populations to get separated or migrate. Let’s see….Ah yes, seven that now live today.”

"Seven?" Twilight squeaked. "Even counting the hypothetical sixth tribe, that still tops us at our nadir."

“Sunset?” Redheart quirked an eyebrow. “Did you forget to include Crystal Ponies?”

Sunset scoffed her head. “Darn, forgot about them. Right, that’s eight. They only got back a little while ago. You know, after being trapped in an massive enchantment.”

"....crystal ponies are real? The sixth tribe is real?" Twilight asked, her grin so wide it looked like it might break her face.

Everypony pulled back, some hiding away from past experience with ‘Twilight’. “Yeah,” Sunset said, not really off put by it. “I talked with them. Hay, Princess Cadance is half Crystal Pony herself.”

Twilight's smile slowly fell. "So...that means that the number of Existant and extinct tribes are now equal. Hooray."

“Are you okay?” Sunset asked. “I mean, it’s not like having that many tribes is that great. Most of them are jerks.” Redheart elbowed her in the ribs. “Ow, but it’s true. And don’t get me started on humans.”

"Humans are real?" Twilight noted. "This is like a fringe theorist's dream come true!"

"...Sooo, since it seems the egghead squad is going to be busy for a while, can I get a sandwich? I'm starving." Dash complained.

“Sure,” Thunderlane spoke up. “Ham or Daisy?”

"The hay is ham?"

“It’s pig meat, kid.” Thunderlane rolled his eyes. “What, do pegasi over in your world not eat pigs?”

Dash looked on with absolute horror. "Herbivore! I'm an herbivore! Sweet Celestia, you freaks eat meat?"

“What’s wrong with that?” Thunderlane glared at her. “Just cause your race is full of pansies doesn’t mean my race is.”

"Wait, what's wrong with pansies? Do you just not like them or something? Talk about picky eaters." Dash groused.

Thunderlane face-hooved. “OH Celestia preserve me, it means I called you featherbodies cowards.”

"Oh, well in that case-"

"No tornadoes!" Twilight and Sweetie shouted at the same time.

"Plan B it is. We list off our greatest accomplishments to see who is braver. You go first." Dash said, smirking in confidence.

“I fought off a town full of Nightmare Moon cultists,” Thunderlane huffed.

"That's nice. I fought my world's Nightmare Moon one on one. And won." Dash said, smiling. Sure she was exaggerating a smidge, but only a little.

“You’re joking,” Thunderlane looked her up and down. “Nightmare Moon would be sucking your soul dry in no time, featherbody.”

"Sonic Rainboom to the face." Dash bragged.

Thunderlane sputtered. “You Sonic Ranboomed Nightmare Moon?”

"Well technically," Sweetie chimed in, "she turned Nightmare Moon into a potato first."

Everypony looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“A potato?” Redheart quirked an eyebrow.

“That sounds epic,” Vinyl nodded in approval.

“Sounds like four year old fanfiction,” Sunset snorted.

"Dream realm combat." Dash replied. "I kicked the Lady of Nightmare's plot in a mental battle."

“You fought with the foul Night Goddess in the realm of dreams?” Bon Bon looked at Dash with worry.

"And turned her into a potato." Dash replied with a nod. "And then I Sonic Rainboomed her for good measure."

Bon Bon quickly stood up on her back hooves and placed a forehoof on Dash’s head. The other went to her necklace as she started praying once more, in a more urgent, but motherly tone. 

"Uhhhh, what's she doing?" Dash asked.

“Nightmare Moon is a vile goddess,” Thunderlane explained. “She was known to do such terrible things to ponies.”

“Basically,” Sunset chimed. “She’s just praying to ward off any and all ill effects or dark powers Nightmare Moon may have left in your head. Standard procedure.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Even if something like that was still lingering after all this time, I'm pretty sure the Elements of Harmony would have taken care of that after we used them to defeat Nightmare Moon."

“How dare you?” Thunderlane picked his sword back up. “Scoff at the actions of one her majesty’s blessed Priestesses?” 

"I'm just saying, I'm pretty sure the Elements of Harmony trump her. Unless you're saying she's more powerful than the Elements." Twilight snarked back.

Sunset laughed. “More powerful than the Elements of Harmony? That’s a riot. Once activated, there is no way she could have used any of her magic. She got creamed and there was not a thing she could do about it.”

"Same with us." Sweetie noted. "Once we got the Elements working, it became rather anti-climactic."

Bon Bon had finished praying and pulled back. She tilted Dash’s head, looking her over. “And you’re sure she’s alright?” She gazed over her. “No lasting effects? Ill thoughts?”

"Not that I can tell." Twilight noted. "Besides, I doubt the Elements would let one of their Bearers be corrupted like that."

“True,” Sunset nodded. “Any and all corruption is eradicated by the Elements, whether within or without. No exceptions.”

"Except in instances of personal gain." Dash noted. "Then it's a no go. You can't use the Elements for personal gain."

“Of course you can’t,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “The Elements are themselves sapient to a degree. However, they still have the primary function of destroying any corruption they found, be it an enemy or the bearer. I mean, there’s no way that someone so tainted could walk away from the blast without being purified.” 

The three visitors suddenly seemed VERY interested in everything around them.

“...Okay, what did your Elements screw up?” Sunset asked.

Twilight's eyes darted around, seeking escape. "Wellllll that's ummm maybe we should talk about that a bit more privately. But later, first of all I'm curious what Elements you guys have. I want to see if they match or correlate with ours."

“I am the Element of Benevolence,” Redheart bowed her head.

“Selflessness,” Coco piped up.

“Truth,” Pizzelle smiled.

“And the most important one of them all,” Sunset put a hoof to her chest. “Magic.”

"Don't you mean Friendship?" Sweetie asked.

Sunset frowned. “I prefer to call it ‘Magic’, thank you very much.”

"Wait, only four Elements?" Twilight asked, puzzled.

“The other three got sucked into the portal,” Coco whimpered. “I hope they’re okay.”

"We were fine, and that's with a hostile miniature army glaring at us." Twilight reasoned. "You're friends are probably perfectly fine. So what are their Elements?"

“Loyalty, Joy, and Inspiration,” Redheart explained. 

"Seven? Ooh, we only have six. Let's see, Loyalty matches with Loyalty, I mean obviously. Truth and Honesty, Benevolence and Kindness, Joy and Laughter, Selflessness and Generosity, and finally Magic and Friendship, with Inspiration left unpaired." Twilight exclaimed.

“Only six?” Sunset looked surprised. “That would have saved me one less headache, ow!” Redheart had elbowed her again. “Oh come off it, you know I care.”

“Yeah,” Coco said. “But it would be nice if you showed it more often.”

"Um right. So anyway, I'm Loyalty." Twilight explained. "Rainbow Dash is Generosity. And Sweetie Drops over there is Kindness."

“Figures a Priestess would get kindness,” Thunderlane muttered.

"Oh, I'm not a priestess. I'm a patisserie." Sweetie explained.

“I wanted to do that,” Bon Bon said as she prayed around Sweetie. “But Celestia’s call sang to me, so I answered.”

"If that's what makes you happy, then I'm happy for you." Sweetie assured her, smiling. "Don't go worrying about might have been. As long as you are happy, that's what matters."

“....You sure you’re not a Priestess?” Sunset asked, titling a questioning quil her way. “You kind of sound like one.”

"Really? Maybe religion isn't as unusual as I thought if it is mostly giving those in need good advice to help them through their day."

“That’s how Equestria survives,” Bon Bon said. “Hope and good advice. We lose many ponies each year to wars and such, but we push on. We survived and persevered thanks to Celestia and the hope she has given us. We are nothing without our hope or our faith in the sun goddess.”

"What about your faith in yourselves and each other?" Sweetie asked. "Surely you can do things on your own."

“Equestria is never alone,” Bon Bon hummed a prayer. “We are one unit, a big family. We look out for one another, but as always, there are rotten cores scattered here and there that tarnish us which must be removed. We do our best to make it through together, for a single drop does nothing against the roaring fires.”

"Removed." Sweetie notes, unimpressed. "Not redeemed or repaired or restored."

Bon Bon faltered and looked away. “The church of Celestia does not condone violence against one another and that redemption is possible for everyone, be it pony or otherwise...Some however...do not take that to heart when confronting heretics.”

The silence that followed was interrupted by Dash's stomach. "Oh right, never got that sandwich."

The tension broken, Twilight turned to Sunset. "So, what do we do now?"

“We go back to Ponvyille and report this to mom,” Sunset said as though it was obvious. “She’ll know what to do...Hopefully.”

"Oh, who is your mother?" Twilight asked, having been unconscious at the time it was explained.

“My astounding lady,” Spike bowed. “Our mother is none other than Princess Celestia herself.”

Thud.

Dash looked at Twilight's unconscious form. "Now would probably be a good time to mention exactly who Twilight is so loyal to she not only got the Element, but fought Nightmare Moon head on to help rescue. And not with my little dream trick. Just straight up fought her."

“Your Nightmare Moon must have been lower tier on the god range,” Sunset put a hoof to herself. “I’m one of Equestria’s greatest unicorns in history. I’m the Element of Magic. I couldn’t put a scratch on her when she regained her form.”

"Yeah...Twilight is kind of almost Alicorn levels powerful." Dash admitted.

Sunset scrunched up her face. “She has the power of an Alicorn?....And not me, when my own mother is one? I have more power than a city full of unicorns!” She seethed. “How can she be stronger than that?”

Pizzelle put a comforting wing over Sunset. “Now deary, let’s not get ourselves worked up over something trival. Twilight’s our guest and it’s very rude to quarrel over a guests’ talents. Very rude, I say.”

"Well, if it's any consolation," Sweetie noted, "Twilight doesn't like being as powerful as she is. She has to maintain tight control at all times, or else there is a chance things can go very, very wrong. Quite frankly, I think she's honestly been a bit giddy about not having magic at the moment."

Sunset stared at them like they were nuts. “BIzarro. World.” She shook her head. 

Dash snorted and rolled her eyes. "And how do you think you look to us?"

“I don’t know,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Mammal?” She glanced at Dash.

"Well honestly, except for the earths and Spike, you guys all look like hybrids. So there's that."

“You have feathers all over yourself,” Sunset piped up. “That’s not normal for a pegasus, unless you’re part griffin or something.”

"It's normal for us." Dash piped back. "Anyway, Griffons are from another continent, so your little "part griffon" theory has a few holes in it."

“Well,” Pizzelle spoke up. “That and the fact that griffins prefer to eat ponies rather than make ‘late night romps’ with them. Though I did hear of this mare who partnered with a griffin. I believe he was a piano teacher.” She tapped her chin. “I definitely think so.” 

Dash looked rather puzzled "Huh, interesting. Our griffons don't eat sentient meat, they consider it dishonorable. From what I understand anyway, I only ever met one griffon. But I know there has to be some interaction, because Hippogriffs."

“Good luck finding one of those,” Sunset snorted. “Our griffins don’t care about honor. They just like fighting. That’s pretty much all they do. Hay, they’ll even turn on each other when they have no one to fight.”

“But,” Redheart said. “We did meet griffin who was a rather nice gentlecolt. He was a hunter, yes, but he was nice and courteous.”

“Everyone has odd ones out,” Sunset said. 

"You're Celestia's Daughter!?!" Twilight shouted, springing back up to her hooves. She then bowed in deference. "I apologize if I've been rude. Is there some title I'm supposed to call you by? The daughter of Princess Celestia deserves my highest respect...well second highest after the Princess herself."

“Well, well,” Sunset smirked. “Looks like somepony knows how to treat her betters. To be truthful, you may call me Princess Shimmer. While I may only be a ‘minor’ Princess, I do appreciate a little respect from here on out.”

"Of course Princess Shimmer your grace." Twilight said. There wasn't the slightest trace of doubt, mockery, derision, or weariness in her voice. She actually seemed glad to call her that.

“Miss Twilight,” Spike frowned, casting his sister a weary glance. “You don’t need to bow. We aren’t ‘your’ royalty.”

“Pfft, says you,” Sunset scoffed. “I was raised by our sun goddess, trained by her and the best scholars in the world, I think I deserve a little respect from outsiders.”

"Princess Shimmer, you received personal training from Princess Celestia? That's amazing!" Twilight gushed. "Okay I mean you're her daughter and all so that makes sense that she would train you but still Princess Celestia's personal training is just so amazing and wonderful and perfect just like Princess Celestia herself but I mean it's Princess Celestia nothing she does is less than perfect and-" Any further rambling praise was cut off by Dash's hoof in her mouth.

"Twilight, stop freaking out about every little thing the Princess does." Dash rolled her eyes. "Besides, why are you so amazed that she got training from Celestia? You're her student too."

“She took on you as her student?” Sunset blinked in surprise. “Mom never had the time for that, besides raising Spike and me, with leading the country and all.”

"Huh, our Princess has had several personal students over the millennia." Sweetie noted. "Twilight is the young of her two current ones, the senior student is our Sunset Shimmer."

“And I’m sure she’s amazing,” Sunset rubbed her chest and smirked. “Probably aces every test she gets. Let me guess, one of the most powerful unicorns in history?”

"Yeah. I think Twilight's the only non-Alicorn that can compete with our Sunset...well except for maybe Dominion, but he's not a unicorn and he kind of cheats." Dash shrugged.

“He doesn’t sound like a nice pony,” Coco tilted her head in confusion. “Is he a heretic or something?”

"He's a warlock." Sweetie replied. "And he's quite a nasty...whatever he is. We're not even sure he's a living being. He's always cloaked and shrouded in darkness. A rather nasty brute."

Sunset opened her mouth to respond, before she was interrupted by an eery screech. “That’s Fluttershy,” the screech came out louder this time, causing her to cringe. “And she does not sound happy.”

"Fluttershy?" Sweetie asked, stunned. "What in the wide world of Ungula could make her sound like that? Fluttershy is one of the sweetest creatures on the planet."

“She’s the spirit of the Everfree Forest here,” Redheart said. “You’ll meet in a second. She doesn’t like to keep ponies waiting for long.”

"Fluttershy, a spirit?" Twilight asked, stunned. "Huh, so does she have a full manifestation, an avatar, a shamanic link, or some other way of interacting with the world?"

“You can ask her yourself,” Sunset tilted her head.

Just then, two large Timberwolves stepped into the clearing. Everyone gave them a wide birth. Behind the creatures walked their master. The butter coated mare hissed as she walked forward. Her large bat like wings ruffled against her sides. Her fangs shown in the light as she stepped forward. Her slitted cat like eyes bore into them, gazing into their souls. Along her body was a plant like dress that intermingled with her fur. In some places, it was a part of it. Her pink mane was held in a flower like hat. She stood as tall as Celestia herself.

Dash's jaw dropped. "Okay, weirdest universe ever. I think I'm actually intimidated by Fluttershy of all things."

"I don't think this Fluttershy is going to get scared by a leaf falling on her and faint." Twilight added. "And I honestly can't tell how she's making her presence known."

“Outsiders,” Fluttershy’s lilting tone was ethereal and floated around like nature itself. “You are trespassing in my woods. Explain yourselves.”

"Oh my goodness, that will take some time." Sweetie admitted. "Well first of all I would like to apologize if we upset you, that wasn't our intention. As to how we came to be here, we were investigating a strange energy field, which was apparently a portal of some sorts. Then, a large blast of energy comes streaming out and hits us, and the next thing we know here we are."

Fluttershy looked to where the portal was once. “I am glad it was gone. That ‘thing’ was nothing more than a parasite, draining me slowly.” She snorted. “But it’s gone now and we have a new problem. The Elements have been separated. They must be made whole once more.”

"Yeah, our Elements got separated too." Dash rebutted. "But unless you've got some way to travel between realities, we're kind of stuck here. I mean, it's not like you had a Starswirl that cranked out World Mirrors or something."

“To my knowledge, no.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I have kept myself out of the affairs of this world for generations. Starswirl came and went, but he was always an enigma to me. He was a the strangest being I have ever known.”

"You knew Starswirl? Was he as hot in this reality as in ours?" Twilight asked.

Dash facehoofed. "Really? That's your first question? Really?"

“Umm….” Fluttershy blushed and looked away. “I wouldn’t say he was bad looking.”

Dash started pounding her head against a tree. "Why is it *thud* no matter *thud* what world *thud* we go to *thud* Starswirl is sexy?"

“...Yeah, I’m gonna go with Dash on this one,” Sunset piped up. “Not on the sexy part, but on the question. Fluttershy’s almost as old as Equestria itself. She’s older than my mother, freaking Celestia, and your first question….Was Starswirl hot?”

"In her defense," Sweetie chimed in, hoping to save her friend from embarrassment, "just about any unicorn from our world would have been distracted by mentioning Starswirl...even the lesbians."

“Strange,” Pizzelle looked perplexed. “We just think of him as a grandfather type of figure. He lived for nearly three thousand years and pretty much all that time he was a wizened old stallion. Funny how worlds work. That reminds me of a story that….”

Sunset closed her mouth with magic. “Nope, no stories from you. We’ll be here all day.”

"Three thousand years?" Twilight asked. "Our Starswirl only lasted five hundred...well okay he vanished but still! How many spells did he create in this world?"

“Most, if not all, spells can be traced back to Starswirl the bearded,” Sunset explained. “When he was born, our race was relatively young so we didn’t have a lot of magic other than standard levitation and some killing spells. He was the one who pioneered modern magical theory and allowed us to look beyond such ‘simple’ practices. He himself created 5,345 spells that we are aware of. Some scholars think there might have been more, but they’ve been lost to the sands of time.”

"Our Starswirl created only 683 spells, still that was on a significantly smaller time scale. In our world we didn't even have a simple illumination spell until he discovered it." Twilight noted. "Speaking of theories, due to his ridiculously long age some scholars have speculated that there was more than one Starswirl over the ages and that is why there seems to be some inconsistency is how he was described."

Sunset chuckled. “That old theory? Nopony in their right minds believes that hooey. Most scholars believe it was due to his massive magical output. It kept him alive all those years...until Discord killed him of course.”

"Wait, your Discord killed him?" Twilight's jaw dropped. "But...Discord despises death! Yeah sure he's evil, manipulative, and delights in tormenting others as his toys, but he doesn't kill! I think it's mostly because then he can't mess with you, but still!"

“Our Discord doesn’t like to kill either…..” Sunset said, causing everyone to shiver in fear. “It’s why he best Grim, the god of death. That way nopony would ever die. He would keep them coming back and back and back whenever he got bored. Starswirl was just ticked him off so, because he was helping the Royal Sisters.”

"That's...disturbing. So...do you guys have an actual number for the years Discord was in charge?"

“The Discordian era lasted 2302 to 3134 After Founding,” Sunset explained. “So Discord ruled for exactly 832 years.”

"Huh." Twilight said, desperately wishing she had something to record this. "It's really hard for us to pin down how long Discord ruled in our world. He distorted time within Equestria, so that while to the outside world only two years had passed, inside he had ruled for (7^banana)/Pants-(Cheese x 6) years."

“Yeah, you can thank Father Time for recording it for us,” Sunset said. “He was pretty much one of the few gods Discord couldn’t touch.”

“Outside world?” Redheart asked. “Your Discord only ruled over Equestria?”

"He, and I quote here, "Doesn't really feel like conquering the rest right now. Maybe if he gets bored later. Now, run from the pudding alligator bees, run!"...so yeah, it was apparently not fun enough for him. The rest of the world was saved by laziness." Twilight deadpanned.

“Our Discord took over the whole world pretty much instantly,” Sunset said. “It’s just, not a whole lot of the world knew it. Some areas he would be subtle, some he would be as flamboyant as ever. He broke ponies and other sapiants’ minds, caused wars, etc. It was all a game to him.”

"Yeah, Discord's mind games suck." Dash agreed. "Made it I much more satisfying to kick his butt though."

“Couldn’t agree more,” Sunset growled, pawing the ground in anger. Her horn flared up. “If I see that low life once more, I’ll burn his face off.”

"He just crumbled to ash when our Sunset incinerated him...then walked over with a dustpan and swept himself up."

“Ours turned into a baby,” Coco smiled. “A cute little baby Discord. Aww, he was so cute.”

“Stupid runt,” Sunset huffed. 

"Wait, Discord turned into a baby? What?" Dash asked.

Sweetie mused. "Well, Discord never did look threatening, I imagine he would be adorable as a baby."

“I didn’t think so,” Sunset snorted. “He turned my hair into bacon. BACON! Do you know how much that smell affects unicorns?”

"What's bacon?" Dash asked.

“It’s pig meat,” Pizzelle answered, frowning. “Oh dear, I forgot you were a herbivore.”

Dash was rather upset "I thought ham was pig meat? And what is with you guys eating pigs?"

“Pegasi are omnivores,” Redheart said. “They need a healthy balance of meat and plant material in their diet. I assure you, we Earth Ponies and Unicorns are exclusively herbivores.”

"Huh." Dash seemed to cool down at this. "Sorry, it's just, even when I had a griffon friend meat was kind of a freaky thing for me."

“I can see that,” Redheart nodded. “It took me a while to get used to it when I babysitted Lightning.”

"Yeah well...thanks." Dash sat down. "I had a bad first exposure when she killed a baby bunny in front of me back when I was six."

Coco gasped. “She killed a baby bunny….” She seemed to be tearing up. Pizzelle quickly put a nurturing wing over her. 

"Alright then, moving on." Twilight said, wishing to change topics, "Princess Shimmer, you suggested we head back into Ponyville to contact Princess Celestia for aid?"

Sunset nodded. “Indeed. We’ll have Spike send a letter then. We can’t now because the Everfree Forest messes with magic.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy muttered.

"That's fine Fluttershy dear. This Everfree seems so much better behaved than our own," Sweetie assured her. "We haven't been attacked by horrific monsters, or been hit by some burst of wild magic. This Everfree seems a lot nicer than our own."

“It wasn’t always,” Sunset said. “Fluttershy over there was so nervous of ponies, she kind of made the forest into a deathtrap to make them go away.”

“Well you ponies tried to kill me several times over the years,” Fluttershy huffed. “I apologize for defending myself and my forest.”

"Oh its perfectly understandable dear. Our forest doesn't have the same excuse, it just is a death trap." Sweetie explained. "We don't have an Everfree spirit to negotiate with unfortunately."

“So...There’s no me over there?” Fluttershy frowned. “Strange.”

"Noooo, there is a Fluttershy, she's just, weeee" Dash drew the word out to torturous lengths "eeelll she's a mortal pegasus pony."

Fluttershy blinked several times. “I’m sorry. It’s just….I can’t really grasp being a mortal. Before I became the Spirit of the Everfree I was already blessed with eternal life. I’ve survived things up to and including a pony stabbing me through the chest. I’m just thankful it wasn’t blessed.”

"Wait, you became the Spirit of the Everfree?" Twilight was giddy at the revelation. "That's amazing! Our Spirits don't change function in our world. They have fundamental core aspects to their beings from the moment they come into existence that defines their very nature and being! How did this happen? Tell me everything!"

“I do believe you heard me wrong,” Fluttershy shook her head. “I wasn’t always a spirit either. My mother was an Earth Pony, my grandfather a pegasus, it was my father and grandmother that gave me my traits before I became the Everfree spirit.”

"You became a spirit?" Twilight was actually bouncing a bit in excitement. "Nothing becomes a spiriting our world. How did this happen? What was the process? What kinds of magic did it involve?"

“I am the only being to become a spirit,” Fluttershy said. “So I assure you, this was as strange here as it was in your world. It was a long process...It all started when I went into hiding. You see, it was during the first years of Equestria that I was born. My father was a prince, my mother was a simple gardener who kept to herself. So, she didn’t have really anyone to call family. He watched her from afar, but didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to hurt her. Not because ‘he’ would, but….He was half changeling.” Fluttershy sighed. “My grandparents were trying to set a lasting peace between the races of the world and many ponies didn’t like them for it. So, my father knew it would bring it to her doorstep, but he urged himself to...They soon had me.” She chuckled.

" Alright but, that doesn't explain how you became a spirit." Twilight noted.

“I fled to the Everfree Forest because of the war my grandparents fought,” Fluttershy growled. “Commander Hurricane and Queen Chrysalis, the first changeling. Everyone was trying to kill me. They killed my mother, this was the only place I could be safe.”

"Wait, you're saying your grandparents had a kid...then went to war?" Dash interrupted.

“Pegasi love war!” Fluttershy roared. “They hated Commander Hurricane for trying to bring peace to the world. They wanted it to continue, so they killed him and tried to exterminate the changeling race. They convinced the other races of it too….but not everypony listened. The Everfree Forest was a beacon of hope. My grandmother had an affinity with animals. I received that gift so I was not harmed. I eventually learned the language of the plants and earth.” She lovingly rubbed the ground. “It became my friend.”

"Amazing. Our Fluttershy also talks with animals." Sweetie notes. "She actually lives in a cottage next to the Everfree. She's probably one of a dozen ponies that could do so safely. Even the monsters of the forest love her."

"It also helps that she's tough enough to win a staring contest with a cocatrice." Dash pointed out.

“She has the Stare?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “I am impressed that a mortal can wield its power.”

Dash rolled her eyes. "The Stare isn't that amazing."

Fluttershy’s eyes widened and everyone froze instantly. “I beg to differ.” Her voice sounded more befitting of a booming goddess. Fears and dread filled everyone in the clearing, but they couldn’t move a muscle.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" Dash babbled. "I take it back, the Stare is awesome, go Stare!"

Fluttershy stopped her show. “Thank you, but I seem to have been distracted. I haven’t given you my answer.”

"Right...continue?" Twilight asked, unwrapping her tail from her face.

“I lived here in peace for many years….” Fluttershy started to shiver. “Until he came. He tortured the Forest, he broke it.” She started to sob. “It was screaming...So much pain, but he kept twisting and twisting every fiber in its being. I...I couldn’t stand it.”

Sweetie looked like she was going to cry. "That-that's horrible!"

“I wanted to help,” Fluttershy sobbed. “I wanted to end its pain, so I gave it something of my own.” Fluttershy put a hoof to her chest. “My grandmother was a goddess in her own right. I figured that I had enough energy to save the Forest...So I sacrificed myself….I just wanted to help it’s pain go away…I bled myself in the presence of the Tree of Harmony. I gave it every ounce of strength I could and...the pain stopped. The Forest became peaceful again, though it still holds some chaos within. The Tree saw my sacrifice and how much I loved the Forest. So, I was made one with it.”

The group was silent for a bit. Finally Twilight spoke. "That was...I just...wow. So, uh, yes. That seems to be something similar to conceptualization apotheosis. It uh, just also involved the individual dieing and...yeah."

Dash tried to think of a way to change the subject. "Sooooo, what's this Tree of Harmony thing?"

“She won’t tell you,” Sunset said. “She doesn’t tell anyone. She says it exists, but she’ll never show you it or how it works. She guards it like nothing else.”

"Soooo, it's important." Dash deadpanned.

“Apparently,” Sunset deadpanned right back.

"Huh...cool. We should probably head back to town now." Dash shrugged.

Sunset nodded and started off. “Master Sergeant Thunderlane?”

Thunderlane bowed. “Yes, Princess.” He turned to all the soldiers and Priestesses.”Everybody up and at ‘em. We’re going back to town! Move it, ponies. Move it!” Instantly, the soldiers and priestesses moved into two filed lines around the group. “Come on, you.” He gestured to the three newcomers. “And stay in sight. I don’t want you wandering off.”

"Little chance we'd want to." Twilight noted. "We don't know where we are, we want your help, and I'm crippled without magic."

The group fell into line, following them through Fluttershy's forest.
> This is Ponyville {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quickfix groaned as she regained consciousness. “Ugh, me head.” She slurred in her thick accent. She shuffled about on the bed, trying to get back to sleep. “Terrible nightmare…” She sat up, rubbing her head with a hoof. She noticed something quickly. “What the hay?” 

She wasn’t in her bed. Quickfix huffed. She was in a hospital. “So ah skelped me head a bit hard. Must have tripped er somethin’.” She looked down at the needle in her foreleg. “The hay is this?” She looked up to the bag it was attached to. “The hay is that?” She looked back and forth and her eyes widened. “What the hay are they puttin’ into me?” She tore it out with her teeth, not wincing at the pain. She was a Northerner, tough as nails. They didn’t flinch after stuff like that.

Quickfix snorted. “Crazy doctors…” She threw the covers off of herself and tried to stand. Unfortunately, she was still really weak so she fell to the ground. “Damn it.” She tried to raise herself up and she did after a couple of minutes. “Why the hay am ah so sore right now?....Did Fiddlesticks put somethin’ in my….” Quickfix remembered everything that had led to this point. ‘Ah am gonna kill that mare.’ 

Using her newfound hate to fuel her actions, she made her way over to the door slowly but surely. She had a mission. She was going to find that mare if it was the last thing she would….

And then her face met the door.

“Quickfix?” Fiddlesticks trotted into the room. “Ya alri….Where are ya?!!” She checked under the bed. “Not under there...ah ha! She’s in the wardrobe.” She frowned. “But she could be in there for years by now?” She rubbed her chin. “Ah got to find somethin’ to help her remember.” 

Quickfix pushed the door closed, scowling at Fiddlesticks.

“There ya are,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “So...remember me?”

“Yes….” Quickfix’s scowl grew deeper. “Ah remember.”

“Yes,” Fiddlesticks hoofpumped. “Things are lookin’ up for Fiddlesticks.”

“No they aren’t,” Quickfix stormed up to her. “Ye trapped us here because ye couldn’t help but press that button.”

“It was red and big!” Fiddlesticks defended herself. “Ya have to push it.”

"That's correct." a bright pink earth pony, wearing glasses and a lab coat, stated. Neither of them had seen her come in, she just seemed to be there. She was also really short, her head only coming up to Fiddlesticks's shoulders. "It is an indisputable fact that the redder, bigger, and shinier the button in question, the more imperative pushing it will be."

“See,” Fiddlesticks gestured to the pink mare. “She gets it.”

Quickfix face-hooved. “Ah don’t care if she gets it. Yer both morons."

”Oh really?" the pink pony asked, looking rather offended. "Do you have a PhD granted to you in person by Princess Celestia?"

“........No,” Quickfix grumbled. “But me papa’s her leadin’ scientist. Yer lookin’ at the future owner of Aperture Industries.”

"Why do I suddenly want cake?" the pink pony mused. "Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Pie, welcome to Ungula."

“Un-what now?” Quickfix asked.

"Ungula, that's the name of our planet." Dr. Pie explained, smiling.

“So that makes us aliens!” Fiddlesticks started prancing around, giggling. “Aw Yeah! I’m an alien!” She stopped in mid-air...and held in place. “Wait, ah haven’t thrown a party yet?” She was at Quickfix’s side immediately. “The locals are gonna get a bad impression of us. Ah mean, several hours and no party? That’s terrible. We have to fix this!”

"Hold it!" Dr. Pie shouted. "As your host, I cannot allow you to throw a party...first because I totally call dibs!"

Fiddlesticks shook her hoof up at the sky. “CURSE YA DIBS!” She roared.

"Sounds like they've met Dr. Pie." a voice from outside the door noted. "I told you we should have kept it quieter for a bit longer Masquerade."

"She was going to find out sooner or later." came the reply. "Better to get it out of the way now."

“Better to get what out of the way?” Fiddlesticks’ voice asked from outside.

"Why, my party of course!" Dr. Pie responded from outside. "My Welcome to our Dimension party! Party hats for everypony!"

"Including you!" Dr. Pie said as she plopped a hat onto Quickfix's head.

Quickfix groaned. “Of course,” she huffed. “Might not make it though. Gotta make a portal device.”

"...there's that craving for cake again." Dr. Pie muttered. "Anyway you should relax. You're still recovering from mana burnout."

“A what now?” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow. “Ah’m just tried...fer some reason. Damn Everfree Forest.” She huffed. “Probably stepped in somethin’ or another. Ah’ll be usin’ my magic in no time. Sides, ah’m from the North. We’re the toughest ponies ya can meet.” She smiled with pride.

"I don't know." Dr. Pie said, rubbing her chin in thought. "Pegasi are pretty tough too."

“We got pegasi up North,” Quickfix frowned. “They’re tough like us….Wait, are ye bein’ tribalist?” She narrowed her eyes. “Ah may be a unicorn, but ah can best ye just the same with my own hooves.”

Dr. Pie looked at her for a few seconds. "...oh right, tribalism. Forgot about that. Not what I meant. I meant that our pegasi are pretty tough, so you'd have to work extra super amazingly hard to be the toughest pony I've ever seen."

“Ah like to see ‘em kill a Crystal Raptor in a frozen tundra,” Quickfix snorted. “Then talk to me.”

Dr. Pie tipped her head in confusion. "I...don't think we have those. Hold on a second." Turning to the door, she shouted "Hey Sunset, do we have Crystal Raptors!?!"

"I don't know, I'm not a creature expert!...why am I answering from out here?!" Sunset then sauntered into the room.

Quckfix jumped backwards. “What the hay?!!!” She pointed a hoof at Sunset. “She’s half Prench! Why is she half Prench?!! There’s only two of ‘em.”

"Alternate Reality." Sunset deadpanned. "I'm not your Sunset I'm the local one. Now then, if that's out of your system, how are you feeling? Do you need more rest? Some food? Are you up for walking?"

“Ah’m a feelin’ a lot right now,” Quickfix said. “Confused because this apparently is another reality, angry because ah want to strangle Fiddlesticks….”

“Hi~” Fiddlesticks smiled, waving from behind Sunset.

Quickfix glared at her. “Really, really angry...and even more confused. Are ye askin’ how ah’m feelin’?” She asked Sunset.

"Well..yes." Sunset nodded. "You were unconscious and suffering from having no mana left. I was rather concerned. That's why I teleported you straight to the hospital."

Quickfix looked around herself. “So this is what an alternate reality looks like...Where’s the fancy machinery?!! Oh come on, ye have to have a little.”

"Well..." Sunset looked a bit put off by the sudden outburst. "There's not too much in a hospital rest bed. It's not like they'd use a heart monitor or an EEG in here."

Quickfix’s eyes shone with glee. “What are those?”

"Uhhhh, they monitor heart rate and brain activity." Sunset explained. "I'm not a medical doctor, so that's really all I know."

“We have spells and stuff for the heart thin’,” Quickfix hummed in thought. “Some fancy gear for the brain, but ye could have somethin’ new….” She frowned and looked up at her horn. Her brain was firing off signals and nothing happened. In fact, her brain felt jumbled. “Okay, why can’t ah use magic? Ah’m a little weak, yes, but somethin’ should be happenin’.”

"What?" Sunset looked worried. "Let me see." Running a quick magical scan, she frowned. "That's odd, you mana reserves seem to be well recovered, and I'm not detecting anything that could be with your energy flow. You should be able to cast just fine."

“Then why can’t ah feel anythin’?” Quickfix scowled. “Ah should feel it….The hay is wrong? Ye have some kind of block on me or somethin’?” She stomped her hoof. “Take it off.”

"There is no block." Sunset said, shaking her head. "You should be able to tap into your internal energies just fine."

“What are ye talkin’ ‘bout?” Quickfix snorted. “Ah can’t feel any magic! Ah’m cut off from that realm….” Her eyes widened. “Ah can’t feel it?...Ah can’t feel it.” She squinted her eyes, concentrating. “...Ah can’t feel it.” She started breathing in rapidly. “What’s wron’? What’s happenin’? WHAT DID YE DO TO ME!” Quickfix shouted. Her mind was in shambles as all sort of little signals and sorts went unanswered and connections remained broken.

"I didn't do anything, just calm down." Sunset said, taking a step back in fear. "Panicking won't solve anything. Now then, why don't you walk me through the steps you are trying and we'll figure out where it's going wrong, alright?"

Quickfix was pacing, not paying her any attention. “Ah should be able to feel it. Ah’m a unicorn. It should be there. It’s always been there. It has to be there. What the hay is wrong with me?” She glanced around nervously. “Somethin’s wrong….Ah can’t feel it….” Her whole body shook in fear. “No, no, no, no!” She shook her head, stomping the ground with her forelegs. 

"CAN'T FEEL WHAT?!" Sunset shouted, trying to catch her attention. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on!"

“Just tell her what’s wrong, Quickfix.” Fiddlesticks walked up to her friend. “She’ll help.”

“Stay back,” Quickfix growled, but her face showed obvious fear. “Ah’m warnin’ ye….” Her back hit the wall and she slid down. “Ah’m a Northern unicorn….” Her breathing was irregular. “Ah’m a unicorn….” She held herself in a ball, covering her face. “Ah’m a unicorn….”

"...should I get my therapist in here, or are you going to be okay if I give you a few minutes?" Sunset asked, laying herself out on the floor. "Because if you need some time I can give it to you."

Quickfix whimpered. “...Where is it? Where’s the magic?”

Sunset sighed. "I already told you. You're mana looks fine. You should be able to draw the power from inside you no problem."

“Where’s the connection?” Quickfix looked at her frantically. “Where’s the realm of Magic? Ah can’t feel it...It’s always been there! There ain’t no magic!”

"The realm of what?" Sunset asked, looking confused. "We, uh, we don't have anything like that here."

Quickfix’s eyes started to shed tears. “No….no,” she shook her head. “It’s there! Ah know it! It has to be. It’s always there!” She put her face deeper into her hooves. “It has to be…..”

Fiddlesticks gasped and quickly pulled her friend into a hug. She gently stroked her mane and hummed. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

"Hmmm," the voice from earlier, Masquerade joined in. "I see she does have mana...if the problem is that she's trying to access external power, she isn't tapping into her internal energy reserves. But she does have them. I think she should be able to learn how to cast spells with the local magic system."

“That’s gonna be tricky,” Fiddlesticks said as her friends sobs quieted down. “Unicorns grow up with a connection to the realm of magic. It’s like water to a fish.”

"Ugh," Sunset groaned. "When I asked Lightning about your magic back at the ruins, she didn't say anything like this. Just that we were nerds for naming stuff."

“...not nerds,” Quickfix said through her whimpers.

"I know!" Sunset said. "You'd think she'd have some appreciation for the wonders of science and magic?"

"If it would make you feel better," Dr. Pie offered, "I could take you up for a ride in my whirligig."

“That a helicopter of some kind?” Quickfix looked at the doctor. 

"Hmmm, sort of. Helicopter's are kind of experimental and have pretty elaborate engines and battery set ups. Whirligigs are peddle powered for short range flight via earth muscle power."

Quickfix smiled. “New tech?” She bounced up and squealed. “Somethin’ new to tinker with.”

Fiddlesticks chuckled. “Don’t mind her. She loves machines and them unicorns gotta work their brain somehow. Ah heard it hurts ‘em mighty fierce when they can’t think properly.”

"That's...interesting." Mask admitted. "So, if you are feeling better, you did hear my good news right?"

“Oh no,” Quickfix smiled and shook her head. “Ah have the worst headache ever, almost like it’s gonna explode. Can’t do that though. Stuff to tinker with and that ‘internal’ magic sounds interestin’. Might try to build a gadget for it.”

"Well then, if you'll follow me, I'll show you my Candy Copter Mk. VIII." Dr. Pie said, a literal bounce in her step.

“Ah’ll just grab my tools and….” Quickifx’s happy expression deflated. She hung her head and her ears drooped. “Oh yeah...can’t use me magic to tinker.”

"Sure you can!" Pinkie said, smiling. "Rule number one with the local magic, stuff related to your special talent comes natural. You should be able to instinctively cast at least one spell related to your talent, no training needed."

“That’s it?” Quickfix asked in confusion. “Instinct? That’s how ye locals do it?”

"Well, only the most basic spells related to your special talent." Sunset admitted. "Anything beyond that requires study and practice. Oh, and telekinisis, but that's a basic for survival."

“Well shoot,” Quickfix smirked. “That’s simple stuff. Us unicorns got that all hard wired,” she tapped her head. “Our brains can think up several things instantly with little effort. There’s a reason them other races say ‘a unicorn never forgets’.”

"I thought that was elephants?" Mask pointed out.

“Those stuck ups just think they’re all that,” Quickfix snorted. “Just ‘cause they have trunks and whatnot, and so big, they think they’re so great. Well, how great are they after a volley of cannons?”

"True, but still, come on! I promised you a ride! Plus, it's almost time for a musical number!" Dr. Pie shouted. "Woo hoo!" And with that she dashed off in a pink blurr.

Fiddlesticks took off her hat and pulled her fiddle out of it. “Way ahead of ya!” She rushed out the door. Quickfix rolled her eyes and followed. 

Sunset sighed. "I hate musicals."

*****************
Flying over the town on what looked to be a giant candy cane with a pair of smaller candy and runners and one large prop propeller, Pinkie and Quickfix beheld Ponyville. Ponies looked up, smiled and waved. A simple tune picked up

"Hello!"
"Hi there!"
"Howdy!" "Hi!" "Hello!"

Waving back at the crowd, Pinkie began to sing.
"This is a friendly town like always,
Our ponies are without compaaaare!
Every morning smiling bright,
Parting all night,
No other town can compaaaare!"

She waved as a group of pegasi flew by, and they waved back. Their leader, a grey feathered Pegasus with blond hair and topazes for eyes, picked up the next verse.
"There she goes along like always,
Our party pony extraordinaire!
Making all the smiles bright,
Every morning noon and night,
I know nopony that can compaaaare!"

Turning to the mare, Pinkie smiled.
"Hello there Ditzy, how is your family?"
Turning to what looked like an empty cloud she called
"Hello Thunderlane, how is your job?"
Flying over, Ditzy pulled the cloud open to reveal a napping Thunderlane, who she bopped on the head to wake up.
Pinkie didn't seem to notice as she continued on.
"There's nothing better than the simple life!"

The tune took on a softer tone as Pinkie continued.
"Ohh, there's my home here!
I live in the loft above the bakery!
It's really quite charming,
And there's no place I'd rather beee!"

Quickfix smiled as her musical genes hit it off.
“Ah got to hoof it this is relaxin’~
The pain just seems to float away~
I am so filled with awe~
Not a one single flaw~
Ah have to say ye have really saved my day~”

The crowd below followed along, singing their improvised lyrics in perfect sync...to absolutely nopony's surprise.
"There she goes that strange mare,
Flying through the sky!
She may seem kind of off,
But we're all better off
With the love and laughter of Piiiie!"

"Yes she really is a charming mare,
Spreading laughter without compare,
She really is a charming mare,
She really is a charming mare,
That Piiiiieeee!"

And then the musical ended and ponies went on with their day. "Oh thank Celestia I didn't get dragged into this one." Sunset moaned. "...Fiddlesticks you can stop playing now."

“Nope,” Fiddlesticks chimed as she kept playing her fiddle. “Ya didn’t get a verse and yer not smilin’. Not a good combo.” She twirled around her. “Come on, just one?”

"The musical's over, I'm not singing." Sunset said, her face set in stone.

Fiddlesticks stopped her playing and pouted. “Every party needs a pooper.” She took off her hat, put her fiddle back into it, and then put it on her head.

"Oh that's not fair!" Sunset shouted. "Just because I don't like singing doesn't make me a party pooper!"

"I don't know." Mask said. "When Twilight isn't around, you usually are the drag in a party."

"Twilight measures the frosting on cupcakes with a compass. Anypony is the life of the party compared to that! I haven't had to have a lot of practice okay?" Sunset defended.

“And that’s why ah’m here,” Fiddlesticks looped a hoof around her neck. “When ah’m done, ya will be the funnest pony around town.”

"Objection!" Mask shouted while pointing dramatically. "That's my job! Bearer of the Element of Laughter!"

“Hold it!” Fiddlesticks pointed back, for some reason the words formed in the air above. “Ah’m the Element of Joy!”

"Before we get into a happiness contest or something, I think we should move, it looks like Pinkie's trying to come in for a landing." Sunset pointed out.

“There is no try,” Fiddlesticks said sagely. “There is just do or do not.”

"Well hopefully it's do this time." Mask noted as she flapped out of the way. "There's a reason this is the mark eight."

The whirligig however did come in for (it's first ever) safe landing, though it kicked up a large cloud of dust. When it cleared, it showed that Dr. Pie had, for some reason, donned a suite and tie, and was carrying a large briefcase. "Take that!" she shouted, pulling a scroll out of her briefcase. "This is my Doctorate in Party-mancy, which declaims me a fully recognized Master of Ceremonies. As such I have documentation pointing towards me being the funniest mare in town!"

Fiddlesticks snorted. “Ah don’t need no fancy smancy city papers to tell me that ah’m a hoot. All homegrown apple flavor, thank ya very much.”

"Yes we'll I...wait, Apple..." Pinkie mused as she was back in her labcoat and glasses. "One," she pointed at Sunset, then moving to Mask said "two," before pointing at empty air which seemed to blink with the outline of a pony with a hat a couple of times "but no three. Where's Applejack?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "She went back to the farm to let her mother know she's fine."

“Still weird havin’ her mom alive and all,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “Went to her funeral….Ah shoot, ah went and made myself sad again.” She looked away, downcast.

Reaching into her briefcase, Dr. Pie pulled out a balloon cowboy hat and placed it on top of Fiddlesticks head. "Here you go, just what the doctor ordered."

Fiddlesticks smiled. “Thank ya kindly,” she chuckled. “Might look good on Pat, now that ah think about it.”

"Who's Pat?" Masquerade asked.

“He’s my pet Platypus,” Fiddlesticks raised up her real hat, revealing the strange fully grown critter laying on her head. “Say hi, Pat.” The Platypus trilled.

The locals all stated at it in shock. Suddenly, a voice cried out "I have no idea why, but it feels as though I have been proven horribly horribly wrong about something! Knowing my luck, the Elements are involved somehow! They usually wind up proving my theories one way or another! Waiter, I will be taking this meal to go!"

Sunset sighed. "Great, now we have to deal with Lyra."

“Ye have a Lyra here too?” Quickfix groaned. “Great. Ah was havin’ such a good time. Well, nice knowin’ ye sense. In about a minute, Lyra’s gonna be murderin’ ye with her stupidity.”

A bust of smoke appeared then, and from within came a voice. "Behold! The Brilliant and Cunning Lura Heartstings has arrived!" The smoke then dissipated, revealing Lyra, standing bipedal with her billowing red cape flapping in the breeze behind her. "I sensed a disturbance! What has occure...! Is that a platypus!?" she asked.

“Eyup,” Fiddlesticks chimed, putting the balloon hat on him. “He’s Pat, the bestes pet this lil’ fiddler could ask fer. Say hi, Pat.” The Platypus trilled. “Don’t worry if he doesn’t shake yer hoof. Platypuses don’t do much.” 

Lyra just looked stunned. "Do you realize how many scientists this thing has just proven wrong?! Even I have been proven wrong, and most think I am crazy for the things I believe in! For this to be beyond what even I am willing to believe in says something, doesn't it snuggle muffin?! ...snuggle muffin?!" Lyra looked around, dropping down to all fours. "Sunset, where is my gingerbread strudel pie!? I know she went with you earlier into the Everfree! Where is she now?!"

“Whelp,” Quickfix said. “She’s finally lost it. Bon Bon owes me three bits. Fiddlesticks?”

“On it,” Fiddlesticks pulled out a ‘no-crazy’ red baton out of her hat. “But that’s a good question. Where’d all that food go? Ya weren’t hidin’ it from us, were ya Sunset?”

"No no, those are Lyra's pet names for her marefriend, Sweetie Drops who kind of, sort of, um," Sunset had no idea how to put this delicately.

Looking over the group, Lyra gasped. "She has been sucked into another dimension! The same one these two are from! Most likely due to some sort of energy feedback loop caused by energy blasts on both sides of a highly unstable magical portal creating a vacuum action that sucked them in and threw them into each others realities! Most likely because that one pushed some sort of large red button!" She finished off by pointing an accusing hoof at Fiddlesticks.

“AH REGRET NOTHIN’!” Fiddlesticks declared. Pat trilled again in the same tone he always did. “Neither does Pat.”

“............” Quickfix had nothing to say. Aboslutely nothing to say to that. So, she decided to do what she always did when something like this happened. She would take something apart. Grumbling, she walked over to the Whirligig and banged her head against it. “The buck?”

"It's hard to remember how smart Lyra is sometimes." Mask said, also equally shocked.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "She can keep up with Sparkle, of course she's brilliant."

“Lyra, brilliant?” Quickfix spoke up. “Ah’m sorry, this is another world an’ all, but Lyra’s dumb...Really dumb. She was bleeding raised by Diamond Dogs, for Celestia’s sake and why are we talkin’ ‘bout that chaos witch, Sparkle?” 

That's when it happened. Stressed out, wanting to take something apart, and not thinking about it, Quickfix's magic took charge. Firing off a basic spell to fulfill her desires, the whirligig glowed as it quickly disassembled itself into its component parts, which lay themselves out neatly for categorization.

“Ah used a spell?” Quickfix looked up at her horn. “...Ah used magic?”

"Great job!" Sunset beamed. "Okay then, did you feel the connection to your internal energies?"

“Ah don’t think so,” Quickfix rubbed her head. “But my headache is gone and...ah could feel myself get a little more clever. So….maybe?”

"Alright, well we've proven that you can use the local magic at least, so that's a good start." Sunset nodded. "Anyway Lyra, don't worry, I'm sure Sweetie and the others are okay. I'm sure the bearers on the other side will look after them like we're doing here."

“Well, for the most part,” Quickfix said. “Sunset might be a bit miffed at them...and throw a fireball their way...Not many though, she’s workin’ past that.”

Sunset's eyes widened. "She would what!? Why would any me do that? Would I do that? I know I've not always expressed my anger in the most positive ways but would I really hurt somepony? Is the other me really that different? Or is she not and I'm just a ticking time bomb? What if I go off? What would I do to ponies? I'd probably destroy entire city blocks! I'll be the worst pony villain ever! Parents will tell their children to behave or I'll get them! I'm a horrible pony!" she shouted before collapsing and curling up and stroking her tail in stress.

“Whoa there Sunny,” Fiddlesticks was at her side in an instant, pulling her into a bone crushing hug. “Yer a good pony. So’s our Sunset...She’s just a bit more miffed, but she’s never burned anypony.”

“Well….” Quickfix started.

“Anypony who didn’t deserve it,” Fiddlesticks quickly added. “So come on, don’t go beatin’ yerself up over somethin’ ya never did and ain’t gonna do.”

"Yeah. We've talked about this before Shimmer." Mask chimed in. "You are only responsible for your actions, not the actions of others."

"Right, right, right, sorry." Sunset apologized, calming down. "Just a bit of a panic attack from self esteem issues, nothing major."

“Good,” Fiddlesticks pulled away. She patted Sunset’s head. “A frown just keeps ya down. Keep it in the past and toss it in the trash.”

"I'm just glad everypony is being mature...wait, nopony is being immature." Masquerade gasped at the realization. "Where is Lightning Dust?"
_____________________________________________________________________________

Lightning Dust puffed her cloud up as she leaned back for a nap. The pegasus lay on one of the Apple Family trees up in the high branches. It was no small fact that pegasi needed their rest given their more active lives. That and she wanted to be at her best when she challenged AJ soon. ‘Oh yeah, I’m gonna show her who’s boss, pegasi style.’ She yawned, snagging an apple from the tree. “Eh, Fiddlesticks never minds, AJ won’t get huffy.” She then chomped down, savoring the taste. 

Then a kick ball hit her in the face. "Way ta go Scoots, ya knocked the ball ina' tree!"

"It's not my fault! Sweetie did a bad roll!"

"I did not!"

Lightning growled, rubbing her face where the ball hit. She wasn’t the type to get angry at children, but they had interrupted her nap. Not to mention she clearly heard that brat Scootaloo down there. ‘Probably picking on the blank flanks again or something.’ She grabbed the ball and and looked down at them. “Scoots, watch it next time!”

Sweetie Belle looked up in shock. "Scootaloo, do you know her?"

"Nope." Scoots stated, shaking her head. "Never seen her before. Have you Apple Bloom?"

She shook her head as well "No ah HEY what are ya doin' in our tree anyway? Yer not stealin' our apples are ya?"

“I’m napping,” Lightning huffed. She wasn’t going to admit to eating an apple without paying. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

"Why do pegasi keep takin' naps in our trees?" Apple Bloom groused. "At this rate we oughta charge like a hotel."

"I don't know, I think they're mostly napping here because it's free." Scootaloo pointed out.

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah, if you started charging money, then they'd just go nap on park benches. Like hobos."

It was then Lightning noticed a couple of things. One; the three ponies were friends, even though Scootaloo was a real jerk and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom didn’t interact that much. Two; Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn’t have cutie marks. ‘Wierd.’ She flew down to the ground and touched down next to them. She held out the ball. “Just watch where you kick this thing.”

"Shore thing Miss...uh...um...uh..." Apple Bloom realized she had forgotten to ask her name.

“Lightning Dust,” she put a hoof to her chest and smirked. “Future Wonderbolt extraordinaire.” 

"Awesome, just like Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said happily, her wings buzzing but seeming to provide her with no lift.

"Heck, if'n she makes it, I think she'd be the first hybrid in the Bolts." Apple Bloom added in. "That's like, history book stuff there."

“....Hybrid?” Lightning frowned.

"There's nothing wrong with hybrids, that's not what we're saying." Sweetie piped up. "Our friend Dinky is a feathered unicorn, and Miss Raindrops is an earthshod pegasus like you!"

Lightning fought down the rage that was building. “I assure you, I’m a full blooded pegasus. Not a drop of anything else.” She really didn’t like the term these ponies threw her way. ‘Earthshod? That just screams offensive.’ 

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you have feathers?" Scootaloo challenged.

‘Because I’m from an alternate reality,’ Lightning thought, but there wasn’t anything to prove that other than her own body. “‘Cause pegasi just look like this from where I’m from.” 

The three fillies before her gave perfectly matching flat looks that just screamed 'we may be kids but we weren't born yesterday'.

“Oh get back to playing ball or something,” Lightning scowled, showing off her fangs without meaning to. 

The three fillies screamed at the top of their lungs and started running around in a panic.

“What the hay is wrong with you?” Lightning looked around her at the fillies. ‘What, do kids just randomly run around and scream in this universe?’ 

"Monster pony!" Scootaloo shouted!

"It's gonna eat us!" Sweetie added!

"Run fer ma home!" Apple Bloom decided.

With a course of decided, the fillies ran screaming down the road.

“...Should I be laughing my head off or offended?” Lightning asked herself as she gazed off at the retreating fillies.

"Hey! What's going on down there?" a voice in the sky called out.

“Just some kids interrupting my nap,” Lightning snorted and flew back into her cloudrest. “No big.”

"I do think there is kind of a big deal when some fillies go running away screaming like a hydra is after them." the voice challenged. With a thud, the figure landed in front of Lightning. In all honesty, the yellow mare in front of her looked just like a pegasus from back home...minus the fangs, but still.

“Well they shouldn’t go running off for no good reason,” Lightning shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”

"I find that hard to believe." the pegasus shot back. "But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Still, if you did do something, I'd suggest you leave before the Apple Clan decides to do something about it."

“Me and the Apples are tight,” Lightning smirked. “I think I’ll make...Okay, maybe not these Apples, but I know some that can smooth things out.” She eyed the pegasus up and down. “Say, you look like me. No feathers.”

"Yeah yeah, go hybrids." she responded, rolling her eyes. "And I hope you do know Apples. Big Mac deserves that name you know."

“I know their cos’ Fiddlesticks,” Lightning said. “The name’s Lightning Dust, you?...and I’m not a hybrid.”

"Raindrops. And you could have fooled me." she said, smirking. "From where I'm flapping, you look like you're earthshod to me. Don't tell me you don't have any hybrid pride."

Lightning huffed. “I’m a pegasus,” she crossed her hooves. “Came from a very….yeah, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. My family were tribalists through and through. So, pure blood here.” She shrugged. “Got nothing against hybrids though. Met some awesome ones before….and please don’t call me an earthshod.”

Raindrops just looked at her like she was crazy. "Okay then. Since you asked nicely. So, uh, you said you were taking a nap? I'll let you get back to that." She then took off and flew away with all the grace of an airborne brick.

Lightning took off after her, curious about the pegasus. Her movements however were quick and effective, owing to her more predatory genes. “Nah, I don’t feel like napping now.” She frowned. “Look, I’m sorry if I came off as a jerk. Didn’t mean to and I hate myself for scaring those kids. So, we cool?” She held out a hoof. 

Smiling, Raindrops did a hoof bump. "Yeah, I guess. Though you should worry more about Clementine."

“I’ve spent enough times dodging spells and ropes to take whatever she throws my way,” Lightning smirked. “Say, why don’t we hang out or something? I’m not familiar with here and most of the other ponies just run and scream. Especially because of these.” She showed off her fangs.

"...ah." Raindrops said. "Soooo...that's a thing." She shrugged. "I'm not going to judge you just cause you look different. I get enough of that as an earthshod. So, you really a pegasus or were you just saying that to try fitting in?"

“First off,” Lightning huffed. “Why would I want to fit in here? Everyone thinks I’m going to bite their heads off or something. News flash, pegasi don’t eat other ponies anymore.” She turned a little greener at that, gagging a bit at the thought. “Nope, definitely not.” 

"Soooo...alternate dimension or alien planet?" Raindrops asked as if it were the most casual thing ever.

“Alt,” Lightning smiled and nodded. “Glad I didn’t have to lie. I’m terrible at it. Should have just said I was a hybrid, but...eh.” She shrugged. “Yeah, all pegasi look like this. No feathers or anything, fangs and all. Hay, I even know a you on the otherside.”

"Huh, neat. So, what am I like over there?"

“Clumsy,” Lightning frowned. “Extremely clumsy and accident prone. You’re nice though. Wouldn’t hurt a fly...You’re also a vegetarian, which….” She rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, some of the other pegasi say is a bit unnatural.” 

"Language isn't natural either." Raindrops replied with a smirk. "If they're so concerned about being natural, they should shut up and stop talkin'."

“And then they get to fighting,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “That’s the pegasi way. See a problem, fight it.”

"We've got hard heads like that too." Raindrops admitted. "Like two thirds of the EUP is pegasi, we're still the warrior tribe. But everypony else that didn't join one of the guards, the police, or the like tends to be rather peaceful...by comparison to other Pegasi."

“Yeah, we’re warriors,” Lightning smirked, hoof-pumping. “Can’t stop us, can’t beat us. Gotta keep Equestria safe after all.”

"Yep." Raindrops nodded. "So, I'd love to keep talking, but it looks like you've gotta go."

“Why?”

And then the lasso closed over Dust's leg and yanked her down. Lightning internally screamed at how strong Earth Pony’s were and how it was unfair. She beat her wings as fast as she could, fighting the pull of...whoever it was that was pulling on her leg. “Not...gonna...bring...me...down.”

Such sentiment was trashed when an even harder yank sent her hurtling towards the ground, to crash land in front of a somewhat older mare. Her coat was bright orange, and she had bright green hair. Her cutie mark was a trio of tangerines. "Hello there. My name is Clementine Apple, and I believe you are the Pegasus that scared my daughter and her friends." she said in a tone that seemed much too friendly when juxtaposed against her earlier actions.

“Not my fault they think I’m a ‘monster pony’,” Lightning said, emphasizing the remark by making a hyphen gesture with two feathers with her outstretched wings. 

"Ah yes, Applejack told me about your fangs dear. And that you're the reason my precious baby had to risk her life inside that awful Everfree Forest, again. And that you almost attacked her a couple times. And now I find you're scaring my youngest child."

“I didn’t ask AJ to come after me,” Lightning rolled her eyes. She did feel spikes of fear rushing down her back and frankly knew she was on thin ice, but she wasn’t going to show it. “Hay, I didn’t ask for Fiddlesticks to push that big red button. Yet, she did and now we’re here and geez, it’s like she’s never seen fangs before.”

"Oh she has, on monsters." Clementine responded, smiling sweetly. "So you can see why she's upset. She thought you were a monster. If it weren't for the fact that AJ told me about you, I'd be doing a lot worse right about now then lecturing you. Now, about this Fiddlesticks and a button you mentioned..."

*****************

"Eh, I'm sure she's fine." Sunset assured the group. "Right then, I got Spike to send a letter off to Celestia, so now all we have to do is wait for her to figure out what she can to help us out."

“How about a waitin’ song to pass the time?” Fiddlesticks chimed.

“No,” Quickfix and Sunset said.

"Ooh ooh ooh! I got one!" Pinkie shouted, waving her hoof. "Hahem, Iiiiii just waaaasted ten seconds of your tiiiime!"

“Can ah strangle her?” Quickfix asked.

"How, you haven't figured out TK yet." Mask pointed out.

“Ah mean with my hooves,” Quickfix said with a roll of her eyes. 

The locals all stared at her like she just grew a second head.

“Are ye’ll gonna do that everytime ah say somethin’?” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry it's just...you can manipulate things with your hooves and you're not an earth?" Sunset asked. "That's amazing, how do you do that?"

“Pony hooves have several bones in ‘em,” Quickfix flexed her hoof. “Helps us grab stuff. Not to mention fleshy fibers like them geckos that help keep traction and make holdin’ it even easier.”

"Neato. Only earth can use their hooves to grab stuff here, and our hooves aren't bendy lizard hooves, see?" Dr. Pie tapped the side of one of her hooves with the other, producing a clack. "Now watch this." Pulling out a marble she placed it on top of her upturned hoof. It then rolled back and forth across her hoof a few times before rolling off the side...and clinging there. It then started to roll circuits around the hoof without any signs of fighting gravity. Turning her hoof so it pointed to the ground, she then had the marble roll back and forth on the bottom of her hoof, again seemingly ignoring gravity. "Earth manipulation field. Neat huh? It's part of our tribal magic."

“Oooh,” Fiddlesticks leaned down at the smaller pony. “Neat trick.” Pat trilled from underneath the hat, which seemed odd since Pat was much too big to fit in it. “Pat says he likes it too.”

"Thanks, but any earth could do it. Maybe not as fast, but that's just practice." Dr. Pie said, shrugging. "If you want to see impressive, watch this!" She then proceeded to walk backwards up the side of a building.

Once she made it to the top, Fiddlesticks was there to shake her hoof. “Mighty impressive, Pinkie.”

"Wait but I left you at the...huh so that's what it feels like." Pinkie noted. "Anyway, that was a more advanced use of the manipulation field allowing for greater degrees of assent, while also reducing gravity's effect on us."

“We just rely on the good ol’ Earth to give us strength,” Fiddlesticks said. “We can’t walk up walls, but ya won’t see an Earth Pony get tired any time soon. That and some other cool tricks them Druids can do.”

"Hmm, fascinating." Dr. Pie said, blowing into a rather posh looking pipe that shot bubbles. "Druidism is a deer thing here. Earths get enhanced strength and endurance though. We also are more in touch with nature, passively enhance our crafts, are resistant to diseases, and have the longest lifespan out of all the tribes."

Fiddlesticks frowned. “Yeah, them deer are big on druids, but so are us Earth Ponies. We’re close to nature. Hay, we’re tighter than the wool is to a llama. most of that is the same with us, ‘cept the longest livin’. That’s unicorns because of their magic.”

The locals looked rather uncomfortable at that.

“Oh come on,” Quickfix said. “That’s how it works. Our magic purifies our bodies, keeps us goin’. Hay, if ah didn’t have my magic, ah’d drop down dead in seconds.”

"Not here." Sunset responded, shaking her head. "Since we generate our magic, our magic relies on our bodies health, not the other way around. And since we're frailer and a bit more fragile..."

Quickfix’s jaw dropped. “That fragile?...How the hay are ye still walkin’ around everywhere? Sounds like yer made of glass.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "We're not that bad."

"Yeah." Masquerade chimed in. "More like clay pottery than glass wear."

"Thank you Mask." Sunset growled. "But yeah we're the short lived tribe. But we get spell casting in exchange, so I think it's fair."

“Spell casting, immunity to viruses, and longevity,” Quickfix shrugged. “Course, we might not be the most sturdy race, or that good with druidic powers.”

“Ya kind of suck at it,” Fiddlesticks was at Quickfix’s side. 

"Wow, sounds like they got the better deal." Pinkie noted, giving Sunset a pat on the head. "You're still awesome though."

“We’re all awesome,” Fiddlesticks said, hugging Quickfix. Quickfix squirmed in her grasp, obviously being crushed by the Earth Pony’s hug. 

"...well this was slightly depressing." Masquerade said.

Quickfix huffed as she got out of the hug. “That’s depressin’? That’s just facts and stuff. Ain’t depressin’ at all.”

"We must have pretty different impression of the word then and I think I just saw something." Mask said, squinting as her gems started turning and moving on their own.

Quickfix eyed the gems with extreme curiosity. “Been meanin’ to ask about those. Ye part Crystal Pony or somethin’?”

"What no I-Crystal Ponies are real?" Mask asked, then turned to face Lyra.

"I have decided that for the purposes of theory, we cannot accept evidence from one dimension to be conclusive for another! Just because they have crystal ponies does not mean that they ever existed here as more than just fantasy!"

Mask waved it off. "Whatever, we can talk about that later. Right now I'm looking at a royal sky carriage coming from Canterlot this way."

Sunset looked towards Canterlot, seeing nothing. "Have I mentioned how much I love your eyesight recently?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind hearing it again." Mask said, beaming.

Fiddlesticks was between them, playing a romantic, slow song on her Fiddle.

"...so Quickfix, want to demonstrate how you strangle somepony with your hooves?" Mask asked. "We have about twenty minutes before the princess arrives."

At that, Fiddlesticks was gone in a flash. Quickfix sighed. “Ah’d like to, but she’s gone to make a part for the Princess’s arrival.” 

"Well, this should be interesting." Sunset said.
> This is Ponyville {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are we there yet?" Dash asked for the fifty seventh time (Twilight knew, she counted), as she lazily did backstrokes through the air. Her smirk showed she knew how annoying this was, but she was bored and this was fun.

“No,” Sunset seethed, her horn sparking. “I told you fifty seven times! We weren’t there then and we won’t be until I say so!”

"We're here!" Pizzelle announced.

“BUCKING FINALLY!” Sunset screamed to the heavens above. “Thank mom for miracles.” She turned to the new ponies. “Welcome to our Ponyville.”

"Aww man, now I can't ask if we're there yet." Dash grumbled, which earned her a smack in the face from Twilight's tail.

"Is it just me or does this Ponyville seem..." Sweetie struggled to find the words "...less colorful?"

"I'll admit, the color palate seems a little duller, but it's not like we were expecting a perfect match for our home." Twilight pointed out.

“It wouldn’t be practical to make a bright, colorful town right next to the Everfree Forest,” Redheart explained. “The bright colors would just attract predators. Who in their right minds would want that?”

"Uhhhh...actually, the dullest colored house in town belongs to the Cakes, and that's only because gingerbread is naturally dark." Twilight mused. "And yet monster attacks are very rare. I wonder if the close collection of brightly colored large objects intimides our creatures, makes them think it's a herd of some sort?"

"A herd of houses?" Dash snorted. "What, are they afraid a gazebo is going to attack them?"

“Yeah, that kind of sounds, how do I put this?” Sunset tapped her chin.

“Sunset,” Pizzelle said in a warning tone. “Be nice. The little darlings are lost in a whole new world and the last thing they need is somepony picking on them. That’s rude. Very rude. Why we need to be hospitable, like true Equestrians. Like my friend, Ditzy Doo,” she turned to the others. “She’s the local mailpony. Nice mare, if a bit klutzy. Nothing wrong with that, mind you. She is far from the worst….”

"Woah woah woah." Dash interrupted. "Ditzy Doo, one of the top precision fliers in Equestria, clumsy?"

“Her eyes are crooked,” Pizzelle snorted, giving Dash a stern glare. “It’s hard for her to fly straight. She was born with that, little filly and I think you should be a bit mindful of talk like that if we bump into her.”

"Ours had that problem when she was younger." Dash pointed out. "Why didn't she just get corrective surgery?"

"Dash, surgery is expensive, especially mystically enhanced ones." Twilight chided. "This version might not have been able to afford new eyes."

“Medical care is free in our Equestria,” Redheart beamed. “Any and all ponies in need of service are welcome in our doors.”

"Free medical care?" Dash asked, grinning. "That would so make it easier to practice stunts without having to worry about bills...wait, so what's keeping Ditzy from replacing her eyes then? Ours did it just fine. Sure some ponies think she looks a little silly with gems for eyes, but they work great."

“Gems for eyes?!!” Redheart exclaimed. “They actually put crystals in her head? Are they mad?”

"Uhhhh, I think it was topazes." Dash asked, looking at Redheart a little weird. "That's not a crystal right?"

"Correct." Twilight noted, tapping her chin in thought. "Though apparently there was a twinkle eye from our Sunset's orphanage who had rose quartz, so it's not unheard of."

“Orphans?” Redheart’s breath hitched. “They put those things in orphans’ heads?” She shook her head. “That’s sick...That’s wrong.”

"I think we're missing something here." Sweetie pointed out.

“It is impossible to safely connect a gem or crystal to the brain, especially a unicorns’.” Redheart started. “The magical circuitry doesn’t bind well and even if it works, there are unfortunate….problems.”

“Pretty much ‘boom’ dead,” Sunset said.

Redheart nodded. “They are not compatible. We have tried several times over the centuries. Death is the only outcome.”

The visitors looked quite stunned. "Wow, I knew we had different magic properties to our dimensions, but that's just, wow." Twilight shook her head. Then she looked rather nervous. "Wait, does that mean that if Masquerade had been in our group her head would have exploded?"

“I doubt it,” Sunset said. “If she’s had those things in her head for years with all the ambient magic around her and she’s still kicking, then unless the crystal eyes or whatevers of hers changed into our own...or her own biology, then she should be alright. We’re the ones that get the short end of the stick here.”

"Well that's a relief." Sweetie noted. "So if our friend comes over here or the like it won't kill her. That would have just been terrible."

“I couldn’t stand to think of something like that happening,” Pizzelle spoke up. “Terrible, just terrible. I know I haven’t met this friend of yours, but I am sure she will be fine here. Why, I own my own bakery just in town. Baking goes back generations in my blood, hun. We’ve even served Celestia herself.”

"That sounds lovely, I would love to see it if we have the time." Sweetie replied. "Sadly, my family doesn't have a legacy like that, but I have served some rather nice pastries to Celestia. She has a bit of a sweet tooth, in our world at least. Does your Celestia adore cake as well?"

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Spike chuckled. “Our chefs have to work overtime to prepare her cakes. She eats quite a bit of it.” He smiled a more roguish. “I would love to taste your pastries, Miss Sweetie.”

"Hmmm, well I could always make some cannoli with amethyst shavings, our Spike likes those." Sweetie noted.

“That sounds delightful,” Spike nodded his head. “I look forward to having the honor of tasting your hoof made treats. I’m sure they will be delicious. How could they not, when the mare making them is as beautiful as a star.”

"I'm spoken for." Sweetie said, her voice going a lot flatter. "I'll make them later. I believe you have a letter to send now?"

“Don’t mind him,” Sunset chuckled. “He’s just like that. He’ll flirt with anyone, but he won’t do anything. Just some fun...though he has this eye on Moondancer.” 

Spike blushed. “She’s my friend…..” He fidgeted nervously in his steps.

"Okay this is getting weird." Dash said, clearly uncomfortable. "If everypony we know some bizarro flip flop version of themselves here or something? Cause I'm starting to think that's how it works here."

“I’LL SAVE YOU, BON BON!” A voice cried out.

“Buck…..” All the locals groaned, knowing what was coming. Before they could do anything, somepony bowled over several of the guards, grabbed Sweetie and put her onto her back, and bolted for it. 

Dash blinked a couple of times. "...well at least Lyra is normal...relatively speaking...for her...."

“LYRA, YOU IDIOT!” Bon Bon screamed after her. “THAT’S NOT ME!”

“THAT’S WHAT A SPY WOULD SAY!” Lyra screamed back. “I’M NOT STUPID!”

“YES YOU ARE!” Bon Bon huffed in anger. She looked at Sunset. “Princess…?”

Sunset nodded and her horn flashed. Immediately, Lyra was ‘winked’ into the path of a house. The mare smacked into the wall with Sweetie falling off her back. 

"While I do appreciate the sentiment Lyra, and it's good to know you're very caring in this world too, I'm afraid you did make a mistake. My name is Sweetie Drops. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sweetie said, smiling her largest smile.

Lyra peeled herself out from the wall, leaving a pony sized indent. She shook herself off and looked at Sweetie. “Bon Bon!” She pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad I saved you...oh no….” She pulled back and looked at her in horror. “They took your memories!”

“Lyra!” Bon Bon stormed up to her. “I’m Bon Bon. She’s Sweetie Drops.”

“Likely story,” Lyra narrowed her eyes. “Then tell me why there are two of you, hmm? Obviously you took her identity and her clothes, you fiend!” She jumped to her back hooves and magicked up her trademark ‘hands’. The limbs glowed yellow in pure magic. “A clever trick, but I’m an Acolyte Inquisitor. I’m too clever for them...Besides, tricks are for kids.” Bon Bon smashed her face with an epic ‘face-hoof’.

"Wait!" Sweetie shouted. "That is Bon Bon! I'm her...identical cousin visiting from Baltimare."

“You had a cousin all this time and you didn’t tell me?” Lyra gasped. “I’m shocked. I thought we were BFFs?”

Bon Bon looked up at Lyra. She moved her mouth, but just face-hooved again, muttering darkly.

"Sorry about the confusion Lyra." Sweetie said, smiling. "You're just like my cousin's letters described you. So, um, maybe you should stop with the magic?"

“Right,” Lyra nodded and dispelled her hands. She dropped to all fours. “Well nice to meet you, Sweetie. I’m….”

“You already told her your name, Lyra.” Bon Bon deadpanned.

“...What about my last name?”

“She told you about the letters!”

“Well maybe she forgot?” Lyra shrugged. “That happens.”

“Like how you forget on ‘shopping day’?” Bon Bon scowled. 

“Hey, how can I remember everything on that list? It’s long.” 

“You take it with you!” Bon Bon threw her hooves up into the air. “Geez, why is that so hard?”

"Wow, this is a lot like watching Vinyl and Octavia back home." Twilight muttered. "Lyra said BFFs, so I take it they're not dating here?" she whispered the question to Coco.

“No,” Coco shook her head, whispering back. “I mean, it’s not my place to talk about it, but Lyra’s not into mares. I don’t think it would happen, though that sounds mean of me. I’m sorry for saying that.”

"No no, our Lyra being into mares doesn't mean this one has to be." Twilight whispered back. "Other reality and all that."

“I know,” Coco said. Her meek voice made it easy for her to whisper. “It’s just rude to talk about it like that. Well, I mean, it’s not my place. Besides, umm, Lyra kind of...is a bit much for most stallions.”

"Actually," Dash noted, butting in on the conversation, "your Lyra seems a lot calmer than our Lyra...or at least quieter."

“Well,” Coco said. “Lyra was raised by Diamond Dogs, so she’s kind of ‘boisterous’ to put it nicely. I hope I did.”

"Wait, she got cross species adopted?" Twilight asked, her voice rising a bit in her shock.

Coco nodded. “Yeah, kind of strange really. Most dogs would surely have killed a newborn, but thankfully it was some re-educated dogs that found her….I take it cross species adoption doesn’t happen often in your world?”

"Well, it's mostly due to physiological differences," Twilight said at normal volume, unconsciously switching to lecture mode. "after all most species nurturing instincts are triggered by the physiological symbology of their youngs form combined with basic survival instincts. While some cross species parallelism exists in the infant stages, it is usually only enough to trigger either minor empathy or feelings of "cuteness" in other species. On occasion there is enough similarity or enough empathy develops that cross species physiological differences can be somewhat overlooked, but then you start getting into the hurdles of physiological needs-"

Dash put her hoof in Twilight's mouth, stopping her. "We get it, there's a lot of reasons it's rare, you don't need to write a thesis on it."

“It’s not exactly common here,” Coco said. “But it’s definitely not that bad. I mean, it doesn’t matter what species you are, you can still love each other. I’ve heard of plenty of ponies taking in other species. Pizzelle’s adopted son is a kitsune.”

"A what-soon?" Dash asked, not understanding.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Coco smiled. “He’s so adorable, you’ll love him.”

"And so if Lyra returns the list with all the check marks and got all the groceries, she gets a treat." Sweetie finished explaining. "Does that sound like it would work?"

“I dunno…” Lyra tapped her chin. “Sounds a little convoluted to me. I mean, how will I know what to check at what time? I mean, should I just put an ‘x’ or something? What would happen if the enemy got it?!! I’d be leaking intel.”

"Well, I tried. Good luck you two." Sweetie said, standing up and trotting back over to the group. "Okay, so the flip flop with Lyra, as Dash would put it, is definitely brain power. My pumpkin pie would be doing mental laps around her."

“Hey!” Lyra pouted. “I’m smart.”

“What’s two plus two?” Bon Bon deadpanned.

“Don’t try and confuse me with your math!” Lyra shouted, pointing a hoof at Bon Bon. Bon Bon groaned.

"Ugh, we'll see you later. Come on, let's just head to Golden Oaks." Twilight groaned, walking off towards were the library is in her world.

It didn’t take them long before they reached their destination….before they saw Lyra guarding the door. “Halt, what’s the password?”

Sunset glared at her. “Are you just extra stupid today?”

“No, I’m extra clever,” Lyra smirked. “Now….”

Sunset magicked a red ball and Lyra eyed it intently. “See the ball, girl?” Lyra panted like a dog, rearing up like one ready to pounce. “You want it?” Lyra bounced up and down. “Fetch.” With that, she threw the ball. Lyra howled and gave chase. “That’ll distract her for a while.”

"Good, now let's get inside." Twilight said walking up to the door...and stopping. She just stared at it for several seconds. "...right, no magic. Can I get a little help here?"

Sunset snorted and turned the knob with her hoof. With a little push, the door opened. “There, magic. Now let’s get going.” She trotted inside.

Twilight trotted beside her, face low to the ground as she stared at Sunset's hooves, brow furrowed in concentration.

“...Why are you staring at my sister’s hooves?” Spike asked. He was giving her a suspicious, brotherly glare.

"How did you do that?" Twilight asked. "You're not an earth, you shouldn't be able to manipulate things with your hooves!"

Everyone’s jaw dropped. “Did...That…” Sunset sputtered, before glaring at her. “Tribalist propaganda! Just because we have magic, doesn’t mean we use it for everything. We can do stuff without it.”

"In our reality, unicorns have two options." Dash stated. "Mouth, or magic. They can't exactly grab anything with their hooves...well pegasi can't either, but that's what these are for." She fluttered her wings a couple of times.

“All ponies can manipulate things with their hooves,” Redheart held up a foreleg and flexed her hoof about. “Our hooves are actually made up of several interlocking bones that can stretch and bend in order to gain a hold on things. As well, our hooves are covered in a thin stick ‘fiber’ similar to that found on geckos.”

"Huh, that's interesting." Sweetie said. "All of our hooves are solid. Earths can manipulate objects with our hooves due to...magic...oh no." Rushing over, she clopped her hoof on a book a few times, attempting to pick it up. It remained stuck on the ground. "...it seems my magic isn't working either."

Looking a little nervous, Dash walked over to the book as well, but breathed a sigh of relief as she was able to grab the book with her wing, lifting it up with ease. "Well at least this still works."

“Why wouldn’t it deary?” Pizzelle asked, before walking up over to Sweetie. She put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Now don’t you worry about this, hun. We’ll get your magic back right quick. Why, this reminds me about this one time Presto accidentally ‘cancelled’ his own magic. The poor dear was a wreck for a week before it came back, but that’s the point. It’ll come back. Just give it some time, deary.”

"Wait Presto, as in Presto Change-o?" Twilight asked. "The stage magician?"

“Why yes,” Pizzelle nodded. “I was his traveling companion in my younger days. Even helped him perform a couple of times. I don’t mean to brag, but I was quite the hit with the stallions.” She giggled behind a hoof. “But that was yester years. I’m not that blossoming mare anymore.”

"That's amazing." Twilight said. "My dad was a big fan of Presto. He actually met my mother at a show."

“How romantic,” Pizzelle held her hooves together and smiled. 

"Not really." Twilight laughed. "Dad crashed into her and spilled his concessions all over her. She spent so much time chasing him they missed the show. But he bought her tickets to the next show to make up for it, and they wound up talking and well, they wound up dating."

“Oh what I wouldn’t give to have that happen to me,” Pizzelle sighed. “Oh well. I have my son now, so it’s not all bad.”

"Right, Coco mentioned you adopted ah, um, kit-son-ay?" Twilight asked.

“That’s right and I love him to pieces,” Pizzelle’s eyes widened. “Oh dear me, I almost forgot. I left him at Rarity’s….” She raced out the door. 

"...okay then. Spike, ya sent that letter yet?" Dash asked, "Or are we going to wait until we're old and gray before you get to it."

“Buck you too, Dash.” Sunset said as she dotted the letter. “There,” she rolled it up in her magic and held it to Spike’s mouth. With a little puff of fire, it was gone. “Letter sent. My mom will be here shortly.”

"Oh my goodness I probably look like a mess. I can't meet Princess Celestia like this! I need a shower, stat!" Twilight started looking around in a panic.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Sunset said in a stern voice like how her mother usually did. “Settle down.”

"Yes Princess Shimmer." Twilight said, sitting down and seeming to have stopped panicking on command. "My apologies my lady, I just was worried about being properly presentable to your mother."

“While the sentiment is honorable and you do need a shower,” Sunset smiled, before getting stern again. “I still have to say a few things before she arrives. I want you three to listen up and listen up good. Understand?”

"Yes my lady."

"Okay fine."

"I'm happy to listen."

“Good,” Sunset paced before them, keeping a regal posture as she did so. “I don’t know how you lot treat my mother on your side, but here you are to give her your utmost respect. I don’t want to hear any lip, crude jokes, or anything that would grate upon my or her ears...and my little brother's too.”

“Thanks,” Spike huffed. “I feel so included.”

“My mother deserves your respect,” Sunset said. “She hasn’t led Equestria for more than six thousand years for nothing, you know. She has fought tooth and hoof to keep this country existing. She took me in, a little mortal orphan, and treats me like flesh and blood. I will not stand seeing her brushed off, understand?”

"Of course Princess Shimmer. You don't have to worry about me." Twilight answered, bowing a bit. "Princess Celestia will receive all the respect I can give. No matter what version of her this is, she is the counterpart to the mare I have undying loyalty to."

"Relax." Dash said, rolling her eyes. "I have tons of respect for Celestia. She's like, super mega awesome you know?"

"Yes Dash, we know." Sweetie said, smiling. "Now don't you worry about me, I know how to be a polite guest."

“Excellent!” Sunset smiled. “Twilight Sparkle,” she turned her gaze to the mare. She never used to be this formal, but she was getting better at treating others with respect. “From here on out, you will be considered the de facto Ambassador of your world and of Celestia herself. Try and live up to that.”

Thud.

"I'm starting to think we should carry a pillow around here." Dash noted, looking at the collapsed Twilight, again. "Or at least stop dropping stuff like this on her so suddenly."

“Why?” Sunset smirked. “I kind of like it. I don’t see ponies fall unconscious at my very words often.”

"At least not from something besides terror." Spike added. He blinked as a fireball smashed into his head. He didn’t flinch or anything like that, only holding his pose. “Case in point.”

"Augh, whatever." Dash grumbled. "Anyway, do you have a shower or a bath or something these guys can use?"

“Upstairs, to the left,” Sunset said. “Try and not clog it with your feathers, will you?”

Dash looked at her, confused. "Uh, I was just going to use a cloud."

“Oh...the shower’s for Twilight then,” Sunset blinked at her mistake. “..Forgot you pegasi do that.”

"Yeah. Anyway, somepony help Twilight out? She's not exactly in a state to wash herself, unless you want her mouthing the soap." Dash pointed out. "I'm gonna go find a cloud. Be right back." And then she was out the door in a rainbow streak of light.

Spike sighed. “I’ll do it. It would be a shame to let a lovely lady go without aid.” Gently, he picked her up in his claws and walked upstairs. He was thankful that he could effortlessly walk like a biped when he wanted. 

"Uhhhh," Sweetie wasn't sure what she should say, if anything. "So, uh, how uh, how are things going for you guys, besides the whole alternate reality thing?"

“Same old, same old.” Sunset shrugged. “I’m just thankful no super villain or monster showed up this time. Nice change up.”

Sweetie immediately flinched and looked around nervously. "I hope Murphy didn't hear that."

“It was going to happen anyways, whether you showed up or not.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Equestria’s always in danger. Hay, there are ponies fighting at the borders as we speak. Besides, we’ve beaten everything that’s come our way so far. We’ll do it again.”

"Yes, we'll, that's nice." Sweetie said, then frowned. "Oh dear, I just realized, I won't be able to make Spike his treat later. Not until I can use my hooves again."

“I’m sure Pizzelle with you help you, miss.” Coco Pommel spoke up in her soft toned voice. “Of course, I don’t want to pressure you or her any.”

"That could work, thank you dear." Sweetie frowned. "Shouldn't Rainbow be back by now?"

****************
 
"Why is it so hard to find a free cloud?!" Dash shouted in frustration. "Did they seriously schedule a completely clear sky?" Indeed, it seemed that there wasn't a cloud in the sky, well except for the cloud houses but you wouldn't really use those for a wash.

“Actually miss, yes.” A voice spoke up from behind her. 

Turning around, Dash saw a tan pegasus with a brown mane, dressed in some weird golden colored outfit. It honestly looked a little ridiculous and impractical to fly in. "Oh come on! Why would they do that?"

“Sorry miss,” the stallion said. He was relatively young, about her age. “Orders. The town wanted a sunny day.”

"Yeah but you usually leave at least a few well shapes clouds in the sky to add accent to the vista." Dash grumbled. "And anyway, now where am I going to get a quick bath?"

“There’s the local spa, miss.” The stallion said.

"Spa? Do I look like some frilly little thing? Did somepony put bows in my mane while I wasn't looking? Do I look like the 'spa type'?"

The pegasus’ ears splayed back as he frowned. “I...I’m sorry miss. It was just a suggestion.”

Rainbow sighed, calming down. "No I'm sorry. It's just been a frustrating day and I snapped. You didn't deserve that, my bad. Let's start this over. Name's Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you."

The stallion saluted. “Private Stonewall, reporting miss.”

"...is private your name or your rank? Cause I know this one pony named Captain Waves, and he never captained anything." Dash asked.

“Rank, miss.” Stonewall smiled. “I just turned fourteen recently and I joined the Local Militia. I wanted to help ponies. Thought the guard would be a good place to do that.”

"Huh neat. Well, if there's no free clouds, then lake it is. Do you know where one nearby is?" Dash thought she knew, but in this freaky place the locations could have changed.

“I can escort you to one myself, miss Dash.” Stonewall said.

"Alright, lead the way Private. Double time, I'm in a hurry." Dash barked, going into 'captain mode' with the voice of authority.

“Yes ma’am,” Stonewall saluted and took off in a flash.

Rainbow Dash followed, taking the time granted by the 'leisurely pace' to see if she spotted any familiar landmarks in Bizzaro Land.

“I apologize if I’m interrupting,” Stonewall made sure to fly beside her. His voice had a ‘country gentleman’ tune to it, but it was nice and comforting. “But I have to ask if you’re taking all this well.”

"Taking what well?" Dash asked, spotting what was probably this world's version of Rarity's shop.

“A new world, miss.” Stonewall said. “That’s a lot to take in.”

"Meh." Dash said with a shrug. "After turning Nightmare Moon into a potato, getting turned into a geriatric, and having faced Discord, I don't think I can be phased anymore by the weird."

“Well that’s good to hear,” Stonewall smiled, nodding. “...That’s quite a lineup, if I do say so myself.”

"That's nothing, you should hear the really weird stuff." Dash teased. "Oh look we're here. Bye." she said, diving towards the lake below.

Stonewall flew down as well. “Sorry miss, I have orders to follow and ensure your safety. Can’t leave you.”

"Well that and Thunderlane obviously doesn't trust us." Dash noted, gliding in for a landing. "So, did he pick you because he figured I'd be more trusting of somepony my age, because he thought I'd underestimate you, or because you're a charming guy who could probably put me off guard?"

Stonewall blinked in confusion. “Charming? Put you off guard? Miss, I would not overstep my boundaries if you did not wish it.”

Dash snorted. "My Thundelane is a lazy, low ranking lackey with no motivation and little interest in doing his job. By flip flop rules, that mean's here he's highly dedicated to a job he's skilled at. Not exactly trusting him to be trusting of us." She then slipped into the water, all but her legs floating above as she swam out a bit, almost reminiscent of a duck.

“I apologize if my presence is unwelcome,” Stonewall bowed his head. “And I also apologize for the Master Sergeants’ attitude.”

"Eh, not your fault, you don't have to apologize for the creep." Dash noted. Having swum out far enough, she then proceeded to quickly rock her body violently back and forth in quick bursts, fluttering her wings and shaking her feathers as she did so. "There we go, bath's done." She said, popping out of the water and flying back over to Stonewall.

He was glancing away, hat covering half his face, before he heard her say that. Pulling it back, he cleared his throat with a little red in his cheeks. “Right well, is there any place you would like me to show you Miss Dash, or shall you wish to just roam?”

Dash's stomach growled then. "Uh, know any good eateries? Don't have any money on me though...and it would have been weird other world money to you guys anyway."

“I can pay for your meal,” Stonewall bowed his head. “I know some fine eateries in town, miss Dash.”

" Cool. Just remember, herbivore. I don't do meat." Dash reminded him. She didn't want another 'ham' incident.

Stonewall nodded. “Of course, that will be no trouble. Ponyville’s an Earth Pony town after all.”

"Cool. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, why do you guys keep adding pony after earth? You don't go around saying Pegasus Pony or Unicorn Pony all the time. Why is that?"

“Well…” Stonewall frowned. “That’s just how it is. Don’t rightly know why, miss. Though, we do have to call unicorns, unicorn ponies when talking about the Prench since they’re another tribe and all.”

Dash just stared at him for several seconds. "This place is weird."

****************

"I hope nothing has happened to her." Sweetie Drops fussed.

“She’s fine,” Sunset snorted. “If she’s anything like our Lightning Dust, whatever trouble she’ll get into, she’ll make it out okay.”

"True." Sweetie conceded. "She was still very feisty when she became old after all."

“Pegasi are a feisty species,” Redheart put a hoof over her heart. “I should know, I practically helped raise one.” 

"Oh really? What was that like?" Sweetie asked. "You said you helped babysit Lightning back in the forest."

“It was toughest assignment I ever had,” Redheart muttered. “Lightning Dust was a very unruly child. She hated authority. I was...uneasy at first around her ‘meat’ eating habits, but I am a member of the Order Hospitallar. I had to get past that and I did quickly enough. Though...It was her father that made it like working in Tartarus. He was a tribalist.”

"Oh my, that sounds quite rough." Sweetie empathized. "Dealing with tribalist attitudes is grating at the best of times. I've actually had one or two ignorant ponies look down on my inter tribal relationship." 

“Yes those types of morons can be difficult to deal with,” Redheart huffed. “But we’re all sapients, so it shouldn’t be an issue. It was too him, the bitter featherhead.”

"I agree." Sweetie said. "After having some of my own shortcomings in that regard pointed out, I made a personal vow to give everything the benefit of the doubt. Shorty afterwards it earned me the Element of Kindness. After I gave a river serpent some relationship advice."

“Interesting,” Redheart said. “I earned the Element of Benevolence because I decided to save a shadow warlock. I couldn’t just let him die, even if he served a monster.”

"Oh my!" Sweetie gasped. "That certainly sounds more dramatic than me giving 
Steven some relationship advice and a pep talk."

“Steven?” Coco spoke up. “You know him?”

Sweetie nodded. "Oh yes, he is quite the gentleserpent. Very charming fellow."

“He saved my life that night,” Coco smiled. “He fought those soldiers that wanted to...do things with me.” She shied away a little. “But he best them and helped us find the Castle.”

Sweetie turned a little green. "Soldiers who wanted to-that's, I, oh my Celestia that is horrible!"

Coco huddled close to the ground and whimpered. Redheart went to her side and gently stroked her, humming softly. 

“Yes, remind her how horrible it was,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Good job.”

Evaluating the situation as it stood, Sweetie Drops, Bearer of the Element of Kindness, knew exactly what to do. She proceeded to hug Coco for all her worth, crying her own eyes out.

“I’m sorry, Miss Drops.” Coco whimpered. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m sorry.”

"You didn't make me cry." Sweetie said. "Those soldiers did. Nothing about this is your fault."

From upstairs came a sudden shout. "Gah! Cold cold cold!!!"

Sunset chuckled. “Seems like Twilight’s awake…” She frowned, looking at Coco and then at Sweetie Drops. “Sorry for the snarky comment. Coco’s a friend of mine. I don’t like seeing her upset.”

"Nopony would." Sweetie said, smiling a faint smile. "That's why I didn't hold it against you. Benefit of the doubt."

********************

Twilight awoke to the sensation of running water. Cold running water. "Gah! Cold cold cold!!!"

“Always works,” Spike chuckled. “I apologize if it was too cold. My sister has a rather ‘hot head’, so I’m used to dialing down."

Twilight looked around her, shocked. "Oh, right, the bathroom...this looks bigger than the one in our universe...wait a minute, Spike! What are you doing here?"

“I’m tending to you,” Spike said. “You fell unconscious, remember?” 

"Yes but now I'm awake so goodbye." Twilight huffed.

“But you’re wet,” Spike pointed out. “I would normally leave right about now, but you don’t have magic nor can you grab the towels with your hooves. I can’t just let you catch a cold or something.”

Twilight was gripped by a sense of panic. She was a unicorn, blasted with cold water, with no quick way to dry herself off. Modesty be damned, she was not in the mood to die. Hopping out of the shower, she pranced in place in panic. "Dry me off dry me off dry me off!"

“Twilight,” Spike snapped his fingers in her face. “Snap out of it. I’ll dry you off. You’re going to be okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

"Well sorry if I'm a little panicky in the face of potential death!" Twilight snapped back at him. "Unicorns in my world can die from this sort of thing!"

“Well you’re not in your world right now,” Spike huffed hefting a towel and starting to rub her down. “So please, my lady, calm yourself.”

As she started to feel herself slowly dry, a unicorns long hair easily held a lot of water, her heart rate started to fall. "Sorry. It's just, well, I didn't want to be another point in the "unicorn deaths from disease" statistic. It's depressingly high enough already."

“Well….” Spike frowned, continuing to dry the unicorn. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

"It's not all bad." Twilight admitted. "Thanks to advances in medicine, a larger chunk of us are living our full lifespans instead of falling prey to disease as we get older. Now only about 43% of unicorns die from disease, and 70% of those are sixty or older."

“Strange,” Spike said. “Unicorns are the least affected by diseases here. Their magic keeps them safe from it.”

"Lucky." Twilight groused. "Unicorn's just seem...better here."

“....In some ways,” Spike said. “But they aren’t the most numerous. It’s hard for them to have kids. They aren’t as fertile as the other tribes.”

"Ha. We win there at least. We have a pretty solid birth rate, enough to keep up with the other tribes." Twilight said, smirking.

“Well yeah,” Spike frowned. “That’s the main reason our unicorns kept to themselves. They had magic that could kill most anything, but not the numbers. It took a while before they could muster armies, but then they never needed big armies to do damage….and while I may not be a unicorn, my sister is. I’d like to think she might make me an Uncle one day.” The comment really irked him, but he wasn’t going to say it. 

"Huh, interesting. Our tribe mostly stayed isolated because "oh my gosh, look at how freaky the other tribes are! That one has feathers everywhere!" and stuff like that." Twilight noted. "And just so you know, you'll make a great uncle some day...assuming Sunset's coltfriend can survive her."

“Shade’s lived this long,” Spike smirked. “I think he can survive and yeah, that sounds like our ancient unicorns. They acted just like their Prench descendants, high and mighty.” 

"Ours were mostly scared and freaked out." Twilight admitted. "Pegasi and bicorns were the more aggressive tribes. One could fly, which we couldn't really counter, and the other had magic too, so yeah. Earths had numbers, and thestrals...they mostly kept to themselves actually."

“Threstrals?...ah yes, Vamphirines.” Spike nodded in understanding. “Here the Vamphirines take after their pegasi ancestors. They are extremely militaristic and always looking at the chance to go to war. At least they're nice and polite. That and they are probably one of the more ‘knowledgeable’ tribes, if you don’t count unicorns.” 

"...you still have bat ponies?" Twilight asked, amazed. "Wait, is it okay to call them that? Is that tribalist? I have so many questions."

“And I’ll do my best to answer them,” Spike smiled. “And yes, it’s a bit of an insult. Don’t call them that in their face or anywhere near you. They might call you out for a duel.”

"Fascinating. And sorry, but I don't have a local universe equivalent for ready comparison. Now then," Twilight said, "Do you know if they actually have fangs? Scholars are in debate of if that was an actual trait, or if it was an exaggeration add on, and on a related note if they do have fangs do they actually drink blood?"

“They are pure carnivores,” Spike said. “Pretty much the only tribe that lives exclusively on meat, so yes on the fangs, and no….They hate that stereotype. They aren’t blood drinkers.”

"I see. So, color pallet. Ours supposedly had a very limited range of grays, dark blues, and black, to blend in with the night sky. Your vamphirines like that?"

“Some of them,” Spike said. “Those are usually the ones on the outskirt portions of their kingdom. They aren’t numerous, but they’re the most daring. So, most creatures see them so they think all of them are dull and dark colors. Most of them are actually shades of brown.”

"If this matches my world, this is amazing." Twilight said. "Records from more than four hundred years ago are spotty at best, due to the low literacy rate. So stuff about a race gone for a thousand years is both rare and suspect in accuracy. What's their average body size? Wingspan? Life expectancy? Birth rate? Flight speed? What sort of magic do they have? Are they nocturnal?"

“If it wasn’t for my mother’s teachings,” Spike chuckled. “I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with all those questions, but I will do my best.” He cleared his throat. “They’re a little taller than most ponies. I would say our local Big Macintosh is their normal size, with only a few inches differences between the sexes...Do you have a Big Macintosh, or should I try and come up with another height example?”

Twilight blushed heavily, and her tail stuck straight out. Grabbing it with her foreleg, awkwardly, she blushed even harder. "I am familiar with Big Mac, please continue."

Spike gave her a knowing smile, but said nothing. “Wingspan? It’s quite large, actually. They can cover their whole bodies with it. It’s a habit of theirs to cover themselves when they sleep upside down. They don’t really feel comfortable in other positions.”

"Really, fascinating, they sleep upside down." Twilight noted absentmindedly as she tried to get her tail back under control.

“Most of the other questions are simple,” Spike said. “As I said before, they are descended from the pegasi, so they came about eight thousand years ago. Lifespans and birth rates are the same as pegasi, though, thanks to their changeling genes, they are effectively immune to any and all diseases and are without birth defects. They’re all perfect soldiers.”

"Does every tribe here beat mine when it comes to disease? Cause it sounds like you're even beating the Earth's back home at this point."

“Yeah, the Earth’s here aren’t that great with diseases,” Spike stated. “They had numbers to make up for losses, until modern medical treatments.”

Twilight facehoofed. "Ours are the ultra disease resistant tribe."

“Well….” Spike blinked in shock. “Really? That’s interesting. Earth’s here just have standard health for sapients.” 

Twilight snorted. "Yeah. Ours aren't. That's pegasi. Earths are disease and poison resistant, stronger, tougher, can handle high heat, heal faster from injuries, have a deeper connection to nature, and can live a couple of centuries. Physical powers might be all they've really got, but dang if they don't make it look good."

“Most of that is the same here, except the lifespans.” Spike said. “It’s why the Earth Ponies were so successful. It’s calculated that Earth Ponies outnumber the other sapients of Equis by a surprisingly high margin. They’re the ones who founded most of the more...hostile territories due to their hardiness.” 

"Same with us...your planet is named Equis?"

“Equines are among the oldest races to have come about,” Spike said. “With only deer and dragons being older.”

"Huh...ours is called Ungula because most of the sentients of our world are hooved. Naming it after any singular species seems a little...hubristic."

“Nobody could think of a good name,” Spike rolled his eyes. “The deer were too full of themselves, the dragons too busy hoarding, everyone else squabbled about for pickings. Then, one day, someone asked ‘Hey guys, what’s the name of the planet?’.........We went to war after that.” He frowned. “Yeah, the sapients of this world are kind of trigger happy. So, we just threw suggestions into a hat and picked one. The humans think we rigged it though.”

"...did you?" Twilight asked. "Also, for the record, the is the third stupidest reason for a war I've ever heard."

“Yeah, I”m going to have to agree.” Spike said. “So...wait, I believe I didn’t answer all of your questions.”

"Oh right, magic and nocturnal." Twilight listed off. "And you still haven't said if you rigged it or not."

“We didn’t,” Spike huffed. “Humans just like blaming ponies for everything. ‘Our crops are withering. Ponies did it.’ ‘A plague! Ponies did it.’ “I stubbed my toe. Bloody ponies.’ Yeah, they don’t like us at all, mostly because we use magic...and other reasons, but mainly magic.”

"Augh, sounds like our Elk." Twilight moaned. "'Our crops are dieing! It must be pony magic!', 'Ponies are soft and have fat land, it should be ours!', 'Earthy ponies are all greedy stupid farmers!', 'Birdy ponies fly away as cowards!', 'Unicorns are all vile mages, look how magic twist their body!', oh yeah Elk really hate us. Our horns are prime time trophies."

“Humans don’t take trophies,” Spike said. “They just burn and destroy, because they fear the magic might hurt them...It’s why they don’t take unicorn prisoners.”

"Jeeze, problems everywhere here it seems." Twilight noted. "Oh, careful with drying the tail, they're sensitive and bruise easy."

“I’m sorry,” Spike said. “And to finally answer you, the same as pegasi and for the most part, no. Again, that’s more of the dark variety and they aren’t that common amongst them. Most of their image as dark, blood thirsty monsters comes from soldiers for hire and such. They aren’t that bad.”

"Huh. Our thestral's were nocturnal, there's way to much evidence to dispute that. I guess vamphirine are just equivalents, not parallels. Well, it was still interesting." Twilight tapped her chin. "Any equivalents to bicorns in this universe?"

“....Should I ask what a ‘bicorn’ is?” Spike peered at her inquisitively. 

"The other, confirmed, extinct tribe, thank goodness." Twilight noted. "They were nasty. They looked like earths, but had twin goat horns and used them to cast magic like a unicorn. They were very aggressive. Also due to them always being depicted with slit pupils some speculate they may have been nocturnal as well."

“Sounds nasty,” Spike said. “They’d fit right at home here. Plenty of things to be ‘aggressive’ to.”

"Yeah." Twilight said, nodding. "Back home, the thestral's extinction is "a tragedy of the ages". On the other hoof, in Equestria's early days there were petitions for a national holiday to celebrate the disappearance of the bicorns." She paused for a moment. "I think that's actually been submitted a few times over the centuries."

“Sounds like our countries would get along quite nicely,” Spike chuckled. 

"Oh please don't tell me you actually have holidays celebrating the extinction of your enemies." Twilight groaned. "That didn't get passed back home because it was considered to be in poor taste, even if it was the bicorns."

“No, but there are plenty of nobles that wish they could do that.” Spike commented dryly. 

Twilight let out a relieved breath. "Well that's a relief. You know this world is fascinating, just in and off itself without adding in the parallelism and comparative attributes. If we weren't so pressed for time and the fate of the world, I could spend year's just studying here."

“Maybe you could drop by and visit sometime,” Spike offered. “I mean, if it can happen once, it can be replicated.”

"True. Alright then, now that I'm dry I need to brush down. Unicorn hair is massively prone to tangle." She explained. "Since I can't work a brush you'll have to."

“I am at your command, my lady.” Spike smirked, bowing before her.

"Good. Now then, don't forget to brush the shaft of my tail, not just the flair on the tip." Twilight noted. "A lot of non-unicorns only work on the tip, and forget to work on the shaft...why are you looking at me like that?"

Spike was holding a hand over his snout as he suppressed his laughter. “Nothing, nothing.” He shook his head, trying to clear up his humor. “I’m looking at nothing, but a beautiful maiden with a mind as vast as the heavens above.”

"Um, thank you." Twilight noted, unsure of what was going on. It was a nice implement, but she never really considered herself beautiful, meanly average looking for a unicorn. However the vast mind thing was a nice compliment. It felt good to have one's scholarly acumen noted.

“You’re welcome,” Spike said, gingerly brushing her mane. He had a lot of experience in the art from brushing his sister and to top it off, he was in no danger of Twilight blasting him for his comments. “You have an exquisite mane, Twilight. Why, I would think it was made out of the finest silk.”
 
"Thanks. Unicorn hair is naturally very fine in my world." Twilight said. "I noticed it was a lot...thicker here. Also, that shampoo Rarity recommended really helps." Unicorn hair often got compared to silk, so it probably would impress him the first time he encountered it.

“Ah yes, Miss Rarity.” Spike nodded. “She’s always helping others exemplify the beauty beneath the surface and might I say, she did a wonderful job.”

"Yeah, Rarity knows her stuff. She's a good friend. She and our Sunset spend time at the spa together regularly." Twilight replied, glad for some idle conversation.

“It’s good to know that somethings are universal,” Spike said. “Such as radiance.”

"Well I don't think the properties of light would change much between dimensions, or if it did our eyes would be useless for it, so there is that to consider." Twilight pondered this interesting physics riddle.

Spike faltered in his brushing. “I….of course.” He said. It was right then and there Spike realized something….This mare was clueless when it came to romance. Spike inwardly groaned, ‘cause he knew that the only way for this to work was if he spelled it out to her, but then it would just make him the bad guy. Still, he would just keep pampering her. “I applaud that mind of yours, Miss Twilight. It’s always good to see a mare so willing to learn and understand. Those are very appealing aspects.”

Twilight's mind was sharp. As such, it started piecing things together without her. Such as 'appealing', 'radiant', 'beautiful', and the constant compliments. Having sorted through the available data, her mind came to the proper conclusion, double checked it's facts, and then submitted its findings to her conscious mind. Her conscious mind, to extend the metaphor, was driving while reading it, spit out coffee in surprise, lost control of the carriage, and drove at full speed into a brick wall.

Twilight's right eye and ear started twitching. "Hahaha, there's no way. Spike, this is going to sound crazy, but it almost sounds like you're flirting with me. Hahaha."

Spike knew something was off and he didn’t like it. A twitching unicorn was never safe, even if he was pretty much immune to magic. Perhaps it was just living under the same roof as an overbearing unicorn sister that gave him this little fear. “If you would like to think that, Miss Twilight, or not if you don’t.”

"No no no no no no!" Twilight said, starting to panic. "I am not being hit on by an alternate version of my son!"

Spike dropped the hair brush and stared at her. “...I think my hearing went there for a moment. It almost sounded like you said something...no….” 

"Uhhhhh surprise?" Twilight squeaked, nervous.

“You can’t….you’re my mother?” Spike’s breathing hitched. “But...no, I think we have a misunderstanding.”

"Well, adopted mother." Twilight started explaining. "See, at the entrance exam for Celestia's School for the Gifted, I was shown this dragon egg and told to hatch it..."

“And you did….” Spike’s body started to shake. “And they gave me to you….because that’s it? No one wanted me? They just left me up to chance...no, no, no, I refuse to believe that….” He shook his head.

"They didn't just give you to me." Twilight protested. "I felt responsible for you, so I had to fight hoof and horn to get you. If I hadn't become Celestia's personal student after that, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep you."

“....An entrance test?” Spike’s eyes started to water. “...I was an entrance test in her school….A test….” He fell on his haunches, not looking at anything at all. “...I’m just a test.”

"That's not true." Twilight said, putting a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "To me, you're family."

“But she…” Spike shook his head, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be doing this. I know it’s a different world, but….I love my mother. The thought of her putting me up like that….A test for her school?”

"Celestia didn't have anything to do with that." Twilight noted. "That was the school board. They had been using the egg for years, the children weren't supposed to be able to hatch it. It was a test to see how we tried to solve the problem and how we handled failure."

“Our Celestia doesn’t do that,” Spike said, trying to stop his tears. “They’re given other tests to prove themselves….Not given a bleeding dragons’ egg.”

Twilight smirked. "Well, Princess Celestia wasn't too happy about it herself. She'd heard of the test and thought it was a good idea, but she'd thought the dragon egg was a mock up the entire time. When she found out they'd been using a real egg the entire time, hoo boy. I think she actually replaced over half the faculty at the school for that. Now the dragon egg they use is a very nicely painted rock."

Spike chuckled, picking himself up. He smiled, but a couple of tears still fell from his eyes. “Sounds like something she would do….” He worked his jaw, now a bit nervous.

"Yeah, and that was before you practically became her grandson." Twilight added. "I hate to think what she would have done to he school if that had been the case. She'd probably have made the place look like your Sunset had a temper tantrum."

Spike laughed. “Not hard to picture.”

Twilight smiled. "Feeling better?"

“Yeah…..” Spike nodded slowly. “So...you really love me over there?”

"You're my son, of course I do." she snorted as she added "Although it wouldn't hurt if you cleaned up after yourself more, and did your chores without complaining, and is it too much to ask that you don't try and backsass me when I'm giving life advice? I'm you're mother, you could always try and make things easier for me you know."

“But it’s fun to backsass,” Spike said in his meager defense. “And I clean up after myself…..and you’re asking for the complaints.”

Twilight laughed. "Yep, definitely parent and child. So, ready to head back on down?"

“Whenever you are mom...I mean, Twilight,” Spike caught himself and chuckled nervously. “Gonna have to get used to that.”

"Just call me Twilight, I'm not your mother here." She looked herself over in the mirror, then frowned. "Darn it, you forgot to stroke the shaft, it's very important to work on the shaft."

“Do you want me to be wary of the balls?” Spike sputtered as he tried to keep himself from laughing as he got to work.

Twilight was very confused.

That just made it even funnier as Spike laughed his tail off, finishing her brushing. “You have to come back sometime. You’re hilarious.”

"Uh, thanks?" Twilight said, uncertain what he found so funny, but still. She was glad he was feeling better.

“And done,” Spike added with a flourish. He smiled down at her and then pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”

"You're welcome. And thank you for helping me get ready to see the Princess." Twilight said, returning the hug. "Now come on, the others are probably waiting for us."

Spike picked her up and carried her bridal style. “They won’t have to wait for long.” And like that, he dashed off. 
> Get to know your suroundings {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quickfix intently looked over each and every piece of the whirligig. She reverently held them in her hooves, manipulating them slowly as to get a better look and feel of each piece. As she worked, her mouth muttered prayers to Deus Mechanicus, the god of machines. She wanted to understand everything, even though it was so familiar to her. It was a machine still. She had to pray. It was only proper to do so. 

It also helped tune out Dr. Pie's inane babbling over the pieces. "And this is the doodlebober, it connects the thingamajig to the whosiwhatsits so that it can turn the whatchamacallit."

"And this is why we have all the really smart ponies name things." Mask said. "So that we don't let somepony like Pinkie try."

Quickfix only twitched her ears in reply, letting be known her annoyance. She had to finish the prayers and no little ball of chatter was going to interrupt. 

Mask was about to add something when she stopped, and looked back towards Canterlot. "Ummm, do we know which Princess Fiddlesticks is setting up the party for? She is just setting it in general since we don't know which one is coming right?"

Quickfix paused in her prayers….and laughed. “Ye don’t know Fiddlesticks at all.” With that said, she went back to praying. It was always nice to hear a joke to lighten the mood.

"Well that's a relief." Sunset admitted. "I was worried she'd make it too specific, so that if either of the other two princesses show up they'd get offended."

“She’ll know…” Quickfix looked upwards in annoyance. She had to keep interrupting her prayers and her study of tech to answer the questions. It was annoying.

Sunset noticed her annoyance and smile in apology, making a motion of zipping her lips. She was going to gesture for Dr. Pie to do the same, but she was already gone, leaving behind a note.

Gone to help set up party.
See you there!
BYOHS
- Dr. Pie

“Finally,” Quickfix huffed in relief. “Now ah can pray to the machine in peace.”

"Excuse me." Clementine asked, walking over. "You wouldn't happen to be Fidddlesticks would you? The pony responsible for a fanged pegasus from another dimension terrifying my little girl would you?"

"Fanged pegasus? You mean Lightning Dust?" Mask asked. "Where is she?"

****************

Applejack continued to work the knots loose on the rope tying the pegasus to the tree. "Again real sorry about Ma. She's a might protective. An apparently been practicin' her knots."

“She’s lucky she got the drop on me,” Lightning huffed, squirming in the ropes. “I so could have taken her.”

"Shore shore. Ugh, this is wrapped up tighter than a boa on a mouse. Gonna have to get somethin' ta cut it. Be right back." AJ said, walking off towards the house.

Suddenly, the three fillies from earlier jumped out from the bushes.

Sweetie Belle was quite confused. "Huh, I guess she isn't a monster after all."

"Corse not. Mah sister would never help ah monster." Apple Bloom insisted.

Scootaloo had a brilliant idea. "Say, maybe we could untie her. We could be-"

"Cutie Mark Crusader Rescue Rangers! Yeay!" the three shouted in unison.

Lightning whimpered, her irises shrinking. “Why? What did I do to deserve this? WHAT?!!”

When AJ came back three minutes later with a hacksaw, she found four ponies tangled in the ropes, and for some reason covered in pine sap despite it being an apple tree.

******************

"Oh she's fine." Clementine said, waving it off.

"If ye lookin’ fer Fiddlesticks,” Quickfix said, not looking away from the new piece she picked up in her hooves. “She’s plannin’ a party fer the Princess. Ye won’t find her till she’s done. The name’s Quickfix by the way.”

"I see, well then have a nice day Miss Fix." Clemantine said with a smile as she sauntered off.

Quickfix laid the piece down gently to the ground and turned to the others. “Should ah be worried?”

"Fiddlesticks has earned the wrath of a pony Discord considered too scary to mess with." Mask explained. "Sooo...probably."

“What the hay did Lightning do this time?” Quickfix huffed, standing up. It was more often than not that her pegasus friend would get into some sort of danger.

"I don't know." Sunset admitted. "But from the sound of it, she did something to mess with Apple Bloom...well I'm pretty sure she's still alive at least."

“Well,” Quickfix started trotting off. “Ah gotta go save that idiot now. She ain’t gonna punch that mare back none, so she’s pretty defenseless when it comes to stuff like this.” 

"Good luck." Mask said. "Now then, I'll just go see if Lightning needs any help." And with that she flew off.

"Right, I'll go greet whichever princess it is." Sunset announced, trotting off. "Meet you at the party!"

“Like ah have a choice!” Quickfix yelled back with mirth.

****************

"Isn't the bath ready yet AJ?" Scootaloo asked. "I'm tired of being covered in treesap."

"Now just hold on a bit, water's just bout done warmin' up." Applejack answered. "Cold water wouldn't help get it off none."

"Augh, ah hate waitin'." Apple Bloom whined.

“Whining isn’t going to make it faster, squirt.” Lightning huffed, glancing over her body. “How the hay did you get all that treesap anyway?”

"...that's a good question" Sweetie notes. "Also, I think it's pine sap, and it was an apple tree...it says something about our Crusading that I can tell what kind of sap something is on sight now."

“Yeah, yeah,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “I’m familiar with it myself unfortunately.” A few little ones popped in mind.

"Really?" Apple Bloom asked, clearly curious. "Did ya do Crusadin' when ya were our age?"

Lightning cringed and looked away. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “No, but I know some little ones who had some similar ideas.” Her wings did their best to fidget nervously under all that sap.

"Yeah, but I bet they don't get covered in as much tree sap." Scootaloo pointed out. "Do you know how hard it is to get this stuff out of feathers?"

“I do now,” Lightning grumbled. “Thanks girls for the learning experience.” 

"You're welcome." Sweetie says, her happy tone showing that the sarcasm flew over her head by a mile. "Miss Cheerilee says you should learn something new every day."

"Alrighty then, baths ready." Applejack announced. "Make sure y'all wash up good. And Sweetie, if'n ya need any help drying off ya tell me alright?"

"Yes Miss Apple, I know." Sweetie said, her tone that of a kid being told the absolute obvious once again. "I'm old enough to dry myself you know."

AJ smiled. "Yeah, but yer my guest so it's my job ta worry."

“Oh stop babying her, AJ.” Lightning huffed. “She’s old enough to dry herself. She’s not ‘special’.” Her tone conveying the meaning behind it. She added a tap to her head.

AJ's eyes widened. "Ah didn't mean it like that, and ya darn well know it Lightnin'. Stop tryin' ta stir up trouble like a slingshot in a hornet's nest."

“Trouble’s a pegasi’s favorite flavor,” Lightning smirked.

"Whatever, I'm in first!" Scootaloo said, climbing into the tub and floating on top of it like a duck. She then proceeded to rapidly shake herself in the water a few times, coating herself with water and getting it under her feathers, before along herself to sink down. "Alright, I'm good now." Sweetie and Apple Bloom then jumped in, letting themselves start soaking as well.

Without a word, Lightning jumped into the tub, making a big splash that swept over the others. 

While the fillies were delighted, and were going to be soaking anyway, AJ was a lot less appreciative of the sudden soaking. "Meshalka verasitara!"

"Applejack!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Ya know Ma don't let us say things like that!"

"Wait, that's curing in deer?" Scootaloo asked. "Cool. What did she say?"

"Nothin' ya'll need ta know." AJ said, cheeks blushing.

“The hay was that?” Lightning asked. “Deer? You made that up.” 

"Nope. We gots a tribe out in Whitetail Woods. Mah family trades with them a lot." Apple Bloom explained. "So the family knows a bunch'a deer in addition ta equish."

Lightning blinked a few times in confusion. “You trade with deer? How? They don’t trade with anyone.”

AJ snorted. "Maybe not where your from. But round here? Deer and ponies are good friends. We trade all the time. They specially like our cider."

“They drink your cider?” Lightning looked at her like she had grown a second head. “They hate pony stuff. They think everything we make is crude and primitive. Yeah, they’re our allies and I’ve known a few deer, but they aren’t keen on us overall.”

"Yer deer sound rude." Bloom pointed out. "An' what's primitive mean?"

"A lower level of technological or sociological development, when compared to an equivalent from another culture. Though there is a lot of merit to the idea that sociological primitivism is a matter of socially constructed opinion and as such is difficult to define absolute values for." Sweetie explained. "I wish there were bubbles in this bath, then I could make a beard!"

“Whoa this diva’s got a head on her shoulders,” Lightning smiled and patted her head.

"Diva?" Sweetie asked, tilting her head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

“Errr….” Lightning looked at AJ, nervously. “Should they know?”

"Know what? Wait, are you psychic?" Scootaloo asked. "Can you see the future?"

“....This is so weird.” Lightning eyed her queerly. “And no I can’t, but I know some others who can.”

"Cool!" the fillies all exclaim. Apparently just knowing somepony that could see the future made Lightning more awesome in their book.

"Ah don't know bout that." AJ said, frowning. "The future predictors I know ain't that reliable."

“Farseer Anrain gets it perfect every time,” Lightning said. “It’s just that he just doesn’t share it that often. We’re lucky we get that. Deer usually keep future sights to themselves, ‘cause most deer tribes don’t care about any non-deer.”

"Huh." AJ said. "Well deer are a reliable folk, and I'm guessin' he don't spout his off in rhyme or deliver it in ways ta mess with ya."

“He’s a pretty cool guy,” Lightning said. “For a deer anyways. He’s pretty much one of Celestia’s oldest friends. Heck, he was there during during the Lunar War.”

"What's the Lunar War?" Sweetie asked, frowning. "I've never heard of that in any of the history books."

“Shoot,” Lightning smacked her forehead. “Shouldn’t have said that. Gah, I’m almost as bad as Pizzelle.”

Glaring at Lightning for a second, Bloom turns towards her sister. "Sis, is their somthin' ya ain't tellin' us with Miss Lightnin'?"

"Uh...no?" AJ asked, eyes darting around, huge nervous gin on her face as she broke out into a cold sweat and fidgeted like their was no tomorrow.

“Yeah, what she said.” Lightning chuckled nervously. She scrubbed herself with a rough sponge through her fur. “Now...so...Got any cider on hoof?” She said hoping to change the subject...and get some cider. 

"Um, yeah. I got the soft kind. You fillies want some too!"

"Okay." the children said in perfect unison. As soon as AJ left the room though, they all turned on Lightning.

"Mah sister is the Element o' Honesty." Apple Bloom started. "She can't lie worth a hill o' beans."

"Yeah, so what's going on here?" Scootaloo demanded. "Are you a spy or something?"

"Actually I'm leaning towards alien." Sweetie replied. "It would explain her unusual looks...hey, anypony else wonder why they're called ladybugs if there are males in the species?"

"Sweetie, focus." Apple Bloom asked with a roll of her eyes. "Were trying ta get answers here."

"Oh right." Sweetie said, before returning to glaring at Lightning.

“Oh like you’re going to scare any answers out of me,” Lightning huffed. “Do you know who you’re talking to?”

"An alien?" Sweetie asked.

“No,” Lightning looked away fro a second. “I’m Lightning Dust, a pegasus of Equestria.”

"Oh really?" Scootaloo said. "Well, if you're Equestrian, you should be able to answer a few questions no problem then, right?"

“Hit me with your best shot, squirt.” Lightning huffed. A pegasus never backed down from a challenge.

"Alright then, basic stuff first." Scootaloo said with a smirk. "How many jangles in a bit?"

“I don’t have time for your make believe words,” Lightning huffed. “Ask a real question.”

The three fillies stared at her.

"Oh mah goodness she is an alien." Apple Bloom said, stunned.

"Knew it!" Scootaloo said, smirking. "Foreigners usually just know bits!"

"Wow. A real life alien." Sweetie looked amazed. "Do you have a spaceship?"

“You read way too many sci-fis,” Lightning deadpanned.

"That's not an answer." Scootaloo pointed out.

“I don’t have a spaceship,” Lightning jumped out of the tub. “And I don’t have to answer your questions.” She shook herself, forcing the water off her body to fly everywhere. Thankfully, pegasi fur and feathers were waterproof so it was easy to get dry. 

"You said you would though. You even told Scootaloo to take her best shot." Sweetie pointed out.

"Yeah, that wasn't even my best one." Scoots responded. "That was, like, the first easy one that came to mind."

“Well...shut up.” Lightning shot back at her. “Maybe I’m from another part of the country. Did you think about that?”

"Another part ah the country...With different money." Apple Bloom deadpanned.

“It happens,” Lightning snorted. 

"We're kids, not idiots." Scootaloo argued.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lightning trotted out of the room. “You’re so smart. If I was an alien, I wouldn’t tell you.”

"Yeah, I guess you're too smart for us to trick you into revealing you're actually an alien." Sweetie lamented.

“Yep,” Lightning smiled and nodded. She stopped in the doorway and turned her head to look at them. “But I’m not.”

"Uh huh." Sweetie said, unconvinced. The others nodded in agreement.

“Oh no,” Lightning glared at them. “You’re not going to get out of that tub. You hear me? Stay.”

"Fine." Scootaloo grumbled, sinking more into the water.

“Thank you,” Lightning smirked. “Good to know you have some respect for your elders.”

"Well that and we want to wash this tree sap off." Sweetie admitted. "...why do most ponies draw stars as yellow? They don't look yellow in the night sky."

Lightning turned to the other two. “Uh, should I ask?” She held out her wing and pointed a feather at Sweetie.

"She's fine." Apple Bloom said, rolling her eyes. "Her brain just jumps round a lot. Ya get used to it."

“Alright then,” Lightning said. “I’ll leave you three fillies to your bath. See ya.” She trotted out of sight. She was proud of herself for not spilling the beans.

AJ came up the stairs, a tray full of cider mugs balanced on her head. "Oh hey Lightnin' ya finished washin' up?"

“Yeah,” Lightning said. “We pegasi clean up quick. OOH Cider!” Quick as lightning, she grabbed hold of a mug and started chugging down. 

"Hope ya don't mind it being soft." AJ said. "Didn't know what mugs the kids would grab after all."

Lightning finished off her mug with a gulp. She let out a sigh of satisfaction. “Cider’s cider. I’m not going to complain.” 

"Good on ya. I'll go drop these off with the kids then." she said, trotting off. 

“You do that,” Lightning said. “I’m gonna go grab me a bite to eat.”

"We got apples in the kitchen." AJ offered before walking into the bathroom.

“No, really?” Lightning said, before trotting downstairs. “Apples in the kitchen. What, is she going to call the sky blue next?” She muttered the last part to herself. It didn’t take her long to find the kitchen. Even if it was a different world, it was the same house.

Big Mac was in the kitchen, fixing himself some apple cobbler. "Howdy."

“Hey Mac,” Lightning waved at him with a wing as she passed him by. She opened up a few cupboards. “Let’s see what you’ve got...no, no, just had that….” She pushed a few things aside. “Wait a minute…..” she went in deep into a cupboard, her backside swished about as she tried to keep herself from getting stuck or topple things over.

Mac quirked an eyebrow. "What ya lookin' fer?"

“Oh, just some jam.” Lightning pulled herself out with a ‘plop’. She held a little bottle of apple jam in her hooves. “You Apples sure do know how to make it.” With that said, she moved to exactly where she remembered the bread to be. Opening the door, she found some and pulled it out. 

Nodding, Big Mac walked over to a cabinet and pulled out several different varieties of apple jam, and apple butter.

“I’ll take that,” Lightning plucked a can of Apple Butter over to herself with her wing. She had a spoon firmly held in her hoof as she spread out the jam on one side of bread.

Nodding, Big Mac finished warming up his piece of cobbler on the stove and took it over to the table. Sitting down on a stool, he started eating while paging through a rather large book. "Sixteen."

Lightning paused and looked at him. “Yeah, what about it?” She knew she was that young, but the guy just straight up ask her? Was he asking so he could date her or something? She wouldn’t be against it. Either world, Big Macintosh was an attractive stallion. She just never got around to dating anypony since she focused a little too much on her training. It was a problem she had been working on. Thankfully, she had her friends there to help her.

"Jangles in a bit. Sixteen." Big Mac said. He turned a page casually. "Good ears."

“Oh...that,” Lightning huffed. She couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, but that was life. She’d bag some hot stallion as awesome as her one day. “Thanks.”

Big Mac nodded, and resumed his leisurely reading.

“So,” Lightning said, finishing off her sandwich.” What’re you reading?” She then took a bite out of her meal.

"Philosophy. Plow-ism." Big Mac replied, shrugging. "Got lots of time ta think in the fields."

“I’d imagine,” Lightning said. Big Mac was a clever pony when he wanted to be. Seemed it was the same here. 

Big Mac nodded slightly, and kept reading.

Suddenly, from above a shout could be heard. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Alien Fighters, Yay!"

“...Oh buck me,” Lightning groaned. “Just my luck that there are CMC here too.”

"Eyup." Mac noted. "Back door's unlocked and they can't see it from the bathroom."

“You’re a life saver,” Lightning said, finishing off her meal. “I’ll try and repay you before I leave town.”

"Eyup, you be careful now." Mac said, giving a polite nod.

“Same to you.” With that said, Lightning raced out the backdoor.

Big Macintosh kept reading for a bit, then looked up blinking. "Wonder if she knows about the other two...oh well."

****************

Sunset paced back and forth nervously, awaiting the arrival of the royal carriage. Now that it was closer, she could make out a few details herself. Such as the fact that the guards pulling it weren't Celestia's personal guard, who wore enchanted armor of golden oricalcum. Nor was it Luna's recently reestablished guard with their silvery star metal armor. They instead wore the standard grey armor of the Royal Guard. Sunset ran the possibilities through her mind of who it could be. Celestia sometimes traveled with regular guards when she wanted to keep a low profile. Luna...not so much. It could also be a high ranking member of the court, or a V.I.P. with information that would be of critical use to them. Still, there were a couple of ponies she hoped it wasn't.

"Please don't be Blueblood, Shiny, or Paradox. Please please please please please." Sunset quietly begged the universe as the carriage landed. Naturally, the universe responded by having Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard exit the carriage first. 'Well buck you too universe.'

Her mood however instantly improved when the second figure stepped out of the carriage. Standing taller than the average pony, approaching Celestia in size, Princess Cadance stretched her wings. The pretty pink pegasus pony princess of love had arrived. In that light, it only made sense that her special somepony was personally escorting her. "Sunset, it's so good to see you! How have you been?"

"I've been doing...okay. Mostly down because, well, you know." Sunset shrugged. How else should she feel? Seeing that Cadance was distracted looking around town at all the ponies, Sunset took the time to shoot Shiny a glare, which the Captain of the Guard reciprocated with equal malice. Ending the reaffirmation of hostilities, Sunset turned back to Cadance with a smile. "So, I'm hoping you have something to tell us."

Cadance nodded. "Yes, I do. Aunt Celestia sends her apologies, but she's in the middle of political negotiation with the C.I.S., and couldn't come herself. But she gave me a full briefing. Where are the others? I want to get started right away."

Sunset rolled her eyes at the political news. The Confederation of Island States was always causing trouble of some sort. "I'd love to too, but you see, one of the new ponies, Fiddlesticks, is a party pony." She had to resist smirking at the look of horror that crossed Shining's face at that moment. "So when she heard you were coming she decided to throw a party."

"Oh I love parties!" Cadance shouted in glee. "Especially party pony parties, those are so much fun! Come on Shiny, let's go!"

Shining Armor sighed. "Yes your Highness."

'you know, I almost owe Fiddlesticks one for Shiny Hiny here...almost.'

*****************

Quickfix grumbled as she walked through town. She couldn’t help but notice how all the colors were oh so much more bright. It was an eye sore and gave her a little headache, which she really didn’t need right now. She had two best friends to find. Knowing them, Lightning got into some trouble, and Fiddlesticks was….Whatever she was doing, it involved country music. She was just thankful the town was ‘mostly’ the same, if not a tad more open. Right now, she was making her way to the town square. There, she could get her bearings and think of a plan. That and hopefully find a little tech to tinker with.

"-so I'm not sure what sort of party to expect." Sunset explained, walking towards the town square as well. "I just thought I should warn you, and-oh! This is one of our 'visitors', Quickfix."

“Hmm?” Quickfix was brought out of her internal musings, and contemplations of the workings of the machine god, to look at the others. Her eyes were immediately drawn to Cadance’s own. Her eyes widened. “PRINCESS CADANCE?!!” She fell into a bow. Little prayers to the love goddess escaped her mouth in warm, lilting tunes.

"Um, please don't bow. Or pray, thats a new one." Cadance begged. "I'm uncomfortable enough with the first one still. The second one is way right out."

“......” Quickfix’s brain couldn’t handle ‘not’ praying to a god. She stood up giving Cadance a strange look as though she….. “NO HORN?!!” She pointed at Cadance’s head. “Where is it?”

"Um, am I a unicorn in your world?" Cadance asked. "Oh, or did I fully ascend?"

“The latter, Yer Highness.” Quickfix bowed her head. “Ah’m sorry for shoutin’. Got a bit surprised. Ain’t used to this whole thing...So...Are ye a goddess here now, or is that later?”

"...um no, I'm mortal...you don't mean Alicorn do you?" Cadance asked. "Oh jeeze, I'm glad my aunt isn't here. Um, anyway I'm not a full Alicorn, I'm only partially ascended. Hence, large size, and a few other perks. I haven't earned full ascension yet. Also, please just call me Cadance. I'm really not comfortable being called princess or your highness. Being partially ascended adds enough pressure on its own without ponies dosing down whenever they see you."

“Different world, same Cadance.” Quickfix chuckled. “Sorry again, Cadance.”

"It's fine, you didn't know. Also, a uh, quick tip." Cadance noted. "If you meet either of my aunts, do not pray to them. They really, really don't like it."

Quickfix looked flustered. “Not...pray? That’s….” She put a hoof to her head to stop her dizzy spell. “Right...different world. I’ll try not to pr-pr...do that.” She shuffled around nervously. Praying was something a goddess deserved and rightly owed. Every god was given them.

Seeing, and feeling, how uncomfortable Quickfix was, Cadance winced. "Well, maybe in private..."

"Cadance." Shining Armor warned. "That's illegal. Technically I should be arresting her for praying to you."

"They're our guests and I'm giving a royal pardon." Cadance said, her tone slightly guilty at having to counter her coltfriend's opinion. "As long as she's really really quiet about it and doesn't do it publicly it won't hurt anypony. It's diplomacy."

"Celestia outlawed Alicorn worship by personal decree. It's a big deal." Shining argued back.

“That’s stupid,” Quickfix pointed an accusatory hoof at Shining Armor. Her frustration getting the better of her logical reasoning and making her act a tad uncouth. “Yer stupid!” 

"Shining's lack of intellect aside," Sunset noted, "he has a legitimate point...sort of. I personally agree with Cadance here. If all goes well she'll be back home in no time. Plus I heard her 
praying to some other stuff earlier. She can probably stick to that while here, no need to bother the other Princesses."

Quickfix let out an agitated snort. She wanted to argue how stupid that all sounded, but she knew she wouldn’t get anywhere with these ponies and there….’barbarous actions’. So, she decided to look Shining Armor over. “Yer kind of scrawny.”

Shining Armor snorted. "I'll have you know I'm tougher than the average pegasus." For a unicorn here, that was quite the feat.

Quickfix wasn’t impressed. “Ah’ve wrestled Earth ponies, sonny boy. Us Northerners are tough as nails.” They had to be. The Northern lands were inhospitable, where only the strong could survive.

Shining looked her over, quirking an eyebrow. "Aren't you a bit tall to be Shetish?"

“Ah have no idea what that is,” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow back. “That some sort of slang for the ponies up North here?”

"It's what the citizens of Shetland call themselves." Sunset explained. "They live up north, yes. It's a smaller pony nation, only about twenty million citizens. They, uh, have your accent."

“Well it’s good to know some ponies ‘ere have some Northern pride,” Quickfix smiled. “‘Course, we just live up in the frozen tundra of Equestria. Probably the most dangerous place in all of our nation.”

"They're also known for being short." Shining cut in, smirking. "Like really really short."

Sunset facehoofed and sighed. "Yes, that too. Like Dr. Pie probably has Shetish ancestry."

“Are ye talkin’ ‘bout them Fluffs?” Quickfix asked.

"...you mean the children's book character, Fluffle Puff?" Cadance asked. "I used to love those books as a kid. I still wind up reading them all the time when I babysit."

“No, Fluffle Puff’s just some immortal,” Quickfix said. “She’s nice, but she just gasps and blows raspberries.”

"Fluffle Puff is real in your world?" Sunset asked, stunned. "No, that is it, I am done. That is just, that is just, just, that's just too stupid to be real!"

“How do ye think we feel?” Quickfix deadpanned. 

"No, I'm sorry, but no." Sunset said, shaking her head. "What could we possibly have that matches 'beloved fictional childhood icon of generations is real'?"

“Discord….” Quickfix said. “Yep, made her up when he was bored. ‘Course, she was a lot nicer than most of his other minions, so we just kept her around.”

"Oh." Sunset said, losing a lot of steam. "Well...that actually makes a lot of sense. Fluffle would be pretty harmless if she was like our book character."

“That’s why she’s good with kids,” Quickfix chuckled, before glaring at Shining. “And again, no, she ain’t no Fluff. Fluff’s are another pony tribe. They’re short, ‘bout kid height, and really fluffy. They’re also really good engineers. Been meanin’ to visit their islands sometime.”

"Sounds like the Shetish, but their coats are short and they're mainly eart tribals, but they have some down scaled unicorns and pegasi too." Shining noted. "Fluffy ponies, like Fluffly Puff, are fictional in our world."

“Weird,” Quickfix said. “Ours are descended from Earth Ponies tryin’ to escape the war with the changelin’s some nine thousand years ago or so.”

The locals all looked confused. "What's a changeling?" Cadance asked.

“Shoot, they’re a bunch of shapeshifters,” Quickfix said. “They can be anypony or thing they wanna be and they have several casts. Kind of bug like and they feed on emotions, especially love.”

The Princess of Love naturally looked squicked at that. "Ewww, glad we don't have those things here. On another, more pleasant topic, Sunset I haven't heard from you or Twily about your wedding plans."

Sunset looked super confused. "What wedding plans?...oh please don't tell me some sodding rumor about the two of us being 'runaway lovers' or something happened."

Cadance looked bewildered. "What? No! I meant your plans for attending my wedding!"

"You're getting married!?" Sunset shouted in surprise.

Cadance turned very slowly to glare at Shining Armor. "...honey, you did remember to tell your sister, right? This isn't like when you put off telling her about us dating for three years right?"

Shining Armor just stood there, grinning nervously.

“Wow,” Quickfix said and looked to Sunset. “Yer Shinin’ Armor’s an idiot.”

"Yes, yes he is." Sunset agreed. "Well, come on. Knowing my luck, the party will be making a mess of my home, the library. Might as well get this over with."

Well, Sunset’s luck was impatient and didn’t want to wait that long. So, without further ado, the whole town square exploded in heart shaped confetti. Red streamers shot about and a large banner that read ‘Welcome Princess Cadance to Ponyville’.. A loud country rhythm started to play.

Fiddlesticks twirled out from behind Quickfix.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome,” she sang, fiddling as best she could.

“A fine welcome to ya,” she smiled as she danced around Cadance, using her tail to put a party cone with ‘best pony’ on top of the Princess’ head.

“Welcome welcome welcome, ah say how do ya do,” she was at Shining’s side and blew a trumpet right through his ears and honked it out. 

“Welcome welcome welcome, ah say hip hip hooray.

Welcome welcome welcome to Ponyville today!” 

She stomped the ground, which caused a bunch of confetti to shoot Shining into the air. Throwing her fiddle up as well at the last note, her hat fell onto her tai. With a little Earth Pony strength, she caught him easily and her fiddle fell right into her out and out of sight. To which she, used her tail to put it on her head and Shining onto the ground. 

“Did ya like it, Cadance?” Fiddlesticks jumped up in down in joy. “Did ya, did ya?”

"Yes, it was wonderful." Cadance said, smiling. "Though 'best pony' might be a bit much."

"I liked the part where Shining got blasted into the air." Sunset said. "Could you do that again, but without catching him this time?....um, just kidding your highness." She flinched a little at the mild glare Cadance was giving her.

“Nonsense,” Fiddlesticks chuckled. She walked over and put a hoof on the princess’s shoulder. “Everypony loves ya. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little indulgence.”

"Yes but sometimes I worry ponies love me because, well, love." Cadance admitted.

"Aw don't worry." Dr. Pie said, floating down on a bunch of pink heart shaped balloons. "If you were a unicorn maybe, but you can't exactly cast spells to make them love you. It's all genuine. Speaking of genuine, do you want actual roses on your wedding cake, or would you prefer sugar shapes instead?"

"You knew about the wedding?" Sunset asked.

"Ah, so Shiny forgot to tell his sister something important...again." Dr. Pie said, nodding sagely. "Well, sorry about this, but I promised Twilight to do it if this sort of thing happened."

"Do what?" Shining asked, only to get a face full of cream pie. "Bah Banaba ream ie? Eally?"

"No silly." Dr. Pie said giggling. "Not a banana cream pie. A banana cream and hot sauce pie. Twilight asked me to use one of my personal blends."

And then Shining Armor's mane was on fire.
> Get to know your surroundings {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Soooo, where are we going anyway?" Dash asked Stonewall.

“Nowhere really special, miss.” Stonewall said, keeping his posture and wingbeats up to beat with that of a soldier. “Just a small cafe.”

"Huh." Dash said, idly noting she only needed to flap once for every five Stonewall did, yet they had the same speed. Interesting. "The place got a name? I might know it from the other side."

“Mocha’s cafe,” Stonewall said. “A little family owned business.”

"Sorry, don't know that one." Dash said, shrugging. "Might be there and I just never visited."

“Happens, miss.” Stonewall said. His gaze flickered over the town. “I think I see it now.” With that said, he angled himself towards the ground. 

Rainbow lazily followed in a spiral glide, literally flying circles around him as they descended.

Stonewall rolled his eyes as he touched down. “Right this way, miss.” He trotted over to the little cafe. It looked like any old mundane cafe one would see. Several outside chairs and tables were set up in open areas around the place. Some of the locals eyed Rainbow with curiosity or were just plain weirded out by her feathery coverage.

"Huh, so you come here often?" Rainbow asked, making idle conversation as she walked along, her hoof falls making barely a whisper despite the fact that she was clearly walking normally.

“Sure do,” Stonewall nodded. “It’s nice and quiet. Gives me a little breather when I have a stressful day.”

"Cool. So, got any recommendations?" she asked, glancing around to see if there were any potential threats around. Sure, she was in town, but she was a pegasus. Some instincts just don't go away.

“I’d try Mocha’s latte. That and maybe a bit of her rosebud salad. It hits the spot quite nicely, miss.” Stonewall said, glancing at her. He noticed her glances and frowned. “Don’t worry. The town’s protected. Nothing’s going to harm you, miss Dash. Not when I’m here.”

Dash snorted. "I appreciate the thought, but I fought Nightmare Moon one on one. Anything that can threaten me is out of your league. I'm not really nervous, it's just instinct. What, you guys didn't get it hard wired in your brains to look around all the time in unfamiliar territory?"

“Not pegasi,” Stonewall said. “You’re thinking of the other tribes. We’re more predators, so we’re not as antsy.”

"Ah, right, fangs." Dash said. "I think there's a free table there." She pointed it out with her wing.

“Good eyes, miss.” Stonewall pivoted on his hooves towards the table and marched. He then walked over and pulled out a chair, bowing his head.

"Thank you Private." Dash said, taking her seat. She then glanced around, frowning. "Ah, no menus."

“They’ll be brought out when our waiter comes over,” Stonewall said, taking his own seat once he was sure she was comfortable. “He’s a bit stuffy, but he’s not that bad.”

"That's good." Dash said, and set to waiting patiently...and now she's bored. Well, some chit chat would probably take care of that. "So, Stonewall, what is there to do for fun in this Ponyville?"

“Well, what do you like to do, miss Dash?” Stonewall asked. He cocked his head curiously, like a bird would. “I believe I can find what you’re looking for. It is a big town.”

"I like doing cool stuff." Dash explained. "Sometimes I like to mix it up and do something radical instead, but mostly I do cool stuff."

“Hmm, that sounds a lot like miss Lightning Dust,” Stonewall tapped his chin. “Let’s see...Hmm, well there is...Hmmm, usually I just practice drills and my firing aim. I’m probably the best shot with a musket, but that’s probably not cool for others.” His wings fidgeted as he tried to think of something. “Anything to help narrow it down?”

"Actually, seeing how those musket things work might be cool." Dash said. "Cause right now, all I get about them is 'metal tube on stick'. Not very scary for a weapon."

“You’d think that,” Stonewall chuckled. “But when you can take down an enemy several yards away with just one bullet, you get to thinking differently.”

"I can throw tornadoes. It's a little hard to impress me." Dash pointed out. "I'm sure it's still cool and all, but I'm just a hard act to follow."

Stonewall frowned, pinning his ears back. “Sorry, ma’am. Never really was that much in weather manipulation, so can’t say I can top a tornado.”

Dash rubbed the back of her head. "Aw, don't feel bad. Not many ponies are as awesome as me. Plus, I'm a Captain in the Weather Patrol. I have to know my weather stuff, y a know?"

Stonewall nodded, before looking at her queerly. “Captain of a Weather Patrol? Ma’am you’re as young as I. How did that happen?” He then conked his noggin. “Right, national hero and all that."

"Actually, you said you were fourteen. I'm thirteen. As to how I got the job, it was way before that." Dash said. "I've actually had to turn down a couple of promotions that tried to make me a desk jockey. Which totally misses how I got the job in the first place. I'm technically able to do the work of an entire weather team with my speed...as long as its not precision work, but those jobs are supposed to take time. So I mostly handle the bulk jobs while my team does the finer stuff. We usually wind up turning a full days hard work into 'off after lunch'."

“Most impressive, ma’am.” Stonewall smiled. “Your parents must be proud of you.”

"...yeah. Man, what's taking that waiter so long?" Dash asked, looking around.

“He likes to take his time,” Stonewall glance at the well manicured, mustachioed, Earth Pony waiter coming there way. “And there he is.”

"About time, I'm starving." Dash muttered.

“May I take your order?” The earth pony asked. He took out a little booklet from his breast pocket. His voice was stuffy, like you’d imagine a waiter to be.

“I’ll have a daisy sandwich and a glass of water,” Stonewall spoke up. “I’m not really hungry right now.”

“Very well,” the waiter said. “And what will…..” his eyes widened when he looked at her. “Mister Stonewall, are you dating a mixer?”

"...I'll have a menu to read, it's my first time here." Dash said, trying her best not to attack the guy. He was just startled by her appearance, he didn't mean anything by it she was sure.

“Right…” the waiter shook his head and pulled out a menu with his tail from a small saddlebag. He then lent it out to her.

Reading over the menu, Dash noded. "Alright then, I'll take a daisy sandwich, an order of hay fries, a baked potato with cheese, an order of onion rings, and since Stonewall recommended it a rose salad. Oh, and a latte to drink. Extra cream and sugar."

The two stared at her for a couple of seconds, before the waiter glared at Stonewall. “Curious, a young mare asking for all that food.”

“Well yeah-” Stonewall started.

"Ponies ask for food when they are hungry. I would think you'd have figured that out by now with your job." Dash interrupted. She appreciated the guys gumption, but she was perfectly fine taking care of herself.

“Right you are, miss.” The waiter smiled at her then glared at Stonewall. “Shameful.” He shook his head and wrote down the items. “Your order will be right back and Private Stonewall? I’ll be sure to let your commander know about your expecting mare.” He turned and walked away.

Stonewall sputtered, blushing and unable to say anything to that.

Dash...fell out of her chair laughing. "He thinks what? Oh this will be hilarious."

“It’s not funny, Dash.” Stonewall snorted, looking really nervous. “What if ponies actually think I got you...you know.”

Dash, sitting back up, rolled her eyes. "I'm hardly going to be laying any eggs anytime soon."

“Well that’s….eggs?” Stonewall just stared at her.

"What, you guys don't come from eggs?" Dash asked. "You got a problem with eggs?"

“There’s nothing wrong with coming from eggs,” Stonewall said, feeling really nervous right then. “We just...don’t lay them here. Live birth and all.” He tapped his hooves, hoping she wouldn’t punch him or something. 

"Yeah same with us." Dash said casually. She managed to keep a straight face for another five seconds before she started cracking up. "You are just too easy. Eggs? I'm still a freaking pony you know. Eggs, really? Hahahahaha!"

“I take it you like messing with me,” Stonewall grumbled.

"I mess with anypony that looks like they can take it." Dash excused, waving him off. "It's a sign of respect with me. Be glad you're not at the "lightning based prank" level of respect."

“Yeah,” Stonewall chuckled. “Wouldn’t want that.”

"But really, that guy." Dash shook her head. "Where does he get off making assumptions about that?"

“Well, it’s just that its rather...distasteful to have a child out of wedlock,” Stonewall said. “Hopefully, Thunderlane will straighten this out...and not send me to the griffin border by the end of this whole thing.”

"Eh, he tries anything I'll drop him off at the griffon's doorsteps personally." Dash said, shrugging.

“....Thank you,” Stonewall bowed his head after staring at her for a few seconds. “That is most appreciated. Though, I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

"Eh, it's no big." Dash said, waving it off. "Element of Generosity, I help out ponies in need all the time. I'm sure the me here is just as awesome."

“She’s co-commander of the Wonderbolts for a reason,” Stonewall stated with much pride. “Rainbow Dash is one of Equestria’s greatest soldiers. Why, just the mention of her name sends enemies running for the hills.” 

"Cool. Though she's probably pretty bored having to do all that managing while stuck in...Cloudsdale or Canterlot? I know the headquarters moved a couple times in our Bolt's history." Dash asked. 

“The Bolts are a bright symbol for Cloudsdale,” Stonewall stated. “They would rather fight tooth and hoof before letting them go to Canterlot.”

"Yeah. It moved to Canterlot for a few years more than once due to politics back home, but the Bolt's always manage to get back to Cloudsdale. Just worried for a second my hometown might have gotten plucked here." Dash said. "So anyway I'm guessing as co-captain she doesn't see a lot of action."

“As Co-Captain, it’s her duty to lead from the front.” Stonewall said with much pride. “Unlike the other tribes, pegasi here hate to be kept out of the fight. It’s in our blood. Though she still is pulled back for politics and such occasionally. That and some shows here and there.”

"Huh." Dash said. "Our Bolts mostly do shows and stuff. Their the EUP's publicity engine, though they do go on missions and such."

“They were founded as an elite strike team here,” Stonewall said. “It’s just that over the years, they’ve been able to be a bit more laid back and perform. Ponies love seeing their heroes in action, after all.”

Dash nodded. "Yeah, that's why I want to be a Bolt, to inspire the next generation."

The waiter came back shortly afterwards, carrying a tray on his hoof. “Your food is ready.” He gently laid it on the table for them. “And Stonewall? Put a band on her, will you? I know pegasi can be rash, but at least think before you plunge.” He snorted and walked off.

Stonewall looked aghast and red as a tomato. “That’s not….” He groaned, laying his head on the table.

Dash just started digging into her food like a starving dog. "So...I take it pegasi don't eat as much here."

“Oh no,” Stonewall shook his head. “We do, it’s just that others….assume sometimes. It is an Earth town, remember?” He carefully chewed on his sandwich.

Dash snorted, finishing off her fries and onion rings together. "Look. That just makes the guy an idiot. Who cares what idiots think?"

“A lot of ponies,” Stonewall muttered through bites. “Not me, but still.”

"Liar." Dash noted, finishing off her potato (ever since she beat Nightmare Moon she'd found a love for the spuds). "If you didn't care what idiot's think, you wouldn't be worried about that waiter. Also, what did he mean "put a band on her"?"

“He was talking about wedding bands,” Stonewall explained, washing the sandwich down with some water. “To show that you were my intended.”

"...what does a bunch of musical instruments have to do with getting engaged? Is everypony in this world crazy?"

“No, wedding bands.” He held out a hoof. “You know, colored cloth around your foreleg. It has the cutie mark of your beloved stitched upon it.”

"Awww, that sounds adorable." Dash said. "We don't have anything like that back home. Courting pegasi give each other a feather plucked from over the heart, which we wear in our manes."

“Well, I apologize for the lack of heart feathers.” Stonewall patted his chest and chuckled.

"And I apologize for my lack of sewing skills." Dash said in mock sorrow. "I guess it wasn't meant to be."

“Truly it is a tragedy,” Stonewall nodded. “I can feel my heart breaking even as we speak.”

Dash smirked as she finished off her rose salad (it really was quite good). "I so hope the waiter is overhearing this. The rumor mill is going to go crazy over what we've been saying."

“Yeah,” Stonewall chuckled. “I do have to admit, ma’am. It’s actually quite nice to chat with you. I don’t really have that many ponies my age to talk to really.”

"Yeah, same kind of deal. I'm a working mare below the legal drinking age, let alone adulthood, but I have a ranking position in a major career. I can't really interact with adults or kids my age quite right. Problem with being a prodigy." Dash said, sipping her latte.

“Being a low rank musketeer doesn’t help my standing either,” Stonewall said. “Pegasi prefer to hit things up close and personal, so most think I’m a bit of a coward since I just shoot my enemy from a distance.”

Dash snorted. "That's not being a coward, that's being smart. And...ah excuse me a second, bathroom." She got up. "I'll be right back."

Stonewall bowed his head, tipping his hat. “And I’ll be waiting, ma’am.”

Dash walked off. Several minutes later she had not come back.

Stonewall frowned. “Either she’s really had to go, or I just earned my own firing squad.” He waited a little longer and groaned. “Yep.” He then got up and headed for the restroom. 

"Ah, there you are Stonewall." the waiter said. "I just thought you should know, your lady friend flew off in quite a hurry. Said something about Cloudsdale."

Stonewall was silent for a moment. “OH BUCKING FEATHERS!” He flew off...and then changed course. He was still in uniform, so he needed his musket first. Still, he’d catch up to her soon enough either way. 

"Sir! You still need to pay for your food!" And with that said, a bag of bits fell at his hooves. “....pegasi.” He shook his head. After Stonewall was well out of sight, he knocked on the bathroom door. "He's gone madam."

Dash came out, smiling. "That'll teach him not to get me a band." Poor Stonewall, she'd warned him what impressing her meant.

"Indeed. Shameful, simply shameful." the waiter noted, shaking his head sadly.

****************

"Dash really should have been back by now. I'm starting to get worried." Sweetie noted.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Spike walked into the room, carrying a tray full of orange smoothies. “Drink?” The locals took one politely nodding.

Twilight and Sweetie looked at the glasses, not sure what to do. "Well, um, do you have any long straws or something?" Twilight asked. It was rather embarrassing, not being able to pick up stuff.

“Oh dear,” Spike frowned. “My apologies.” He turned around, only for a couple to be magicked into the drinks.

“You are hopeless, little bro.” Sunset shook her head as she sipped her drink.

"Thank you." Sweetie said, sipping hers. "These are delightful. And I apologize for the burden we've been. Without our magic, we really are just causing you trouble."

“The fault is mine,” Spike bowed his head. “I was the one who forgot about your hooves. I am deeply sorry for that.”

"It's fine." Twilight said, waving it off with her tail. "You're not used to the idea. You grew up with everypony having multi segmented gecko hooves. Somepony with a different standard is going to throw you off."

“Yeah,” Sunset huffed. “But he’s flirted with enough sapiants to know better.”

“I do not flirt,” Spike corrected. “I merely entertain the fair sex. That is more than mere flirting, sis.”

"Well, flirting can be entertaining." Sweetie said, smiling. "Just as long as its me and my Lyra doing it."

"Yes yes yes." Twilight said, sipping her smoothie, then paused. "Huh, Sweetie does your smoothie taste a bit odd to you?"

Frowning, Sweetie takes a sip. "Hmmm, not really."

Twilight took another small sip, then flinched. "Yeah, I think something is wrong with mine."

“Spike!” Sunset scolded him. “What did you put in her drink?”

“Nothing!” Spike put his hands up. “It’s just the usual smoothie blend. The same as yours.”

"Maybe mine just got a bad bit or something." Twilight suggested. "Did you check the fruit before you blended it?"

“Yes,” Spike said. “There was nothing wrong with them. Geez, I even prayed over them for extra measure.”

Twilight blinked. "Huh...does that actually work here?"

“Surprisingly yes,” Sunset said. “Though most of the time it’s just tradition.”

"Hmmm, maybe something with the glass?" Twilight noted. "The straw? No, the straw is a construct, it shouldn't matter."

“Here let me see,” Sunset’s horn shimmered and a layer of magic enveloped Twilight’s drink. “Hmm, nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe your biology isn’t as accepting of it. I mean, it is an orange smoothie from another dimension.”

"If that was the problem, then now come Sweetie can enjoy hers?" Twilight pointed out. "We're both ponies, our biology isn't that different from each other."

“Then why does it taste different?” Sunset frowned and peered at Twilight. She looked her over. “I mean, you at least share similar DNA. Similar body construct. It just doesn’t add up….maybe your innate magic is affecting your taste buds?” Sunset didn’t seem so sure of that last answer. In fact, it seemed kind of stupid to her.

Twilight blinked a few times. "Princess Shimmer, you're a genius! It's due to my inability to process mana like normal! Unicorn taste buds evolved to let us know the mana potential of the food we ate. Since I don't have mana here, none of the food will help me generate mana...meaning everything will taste like lemon soaked alfalfa in vinegar. Great."

“Happy to help,” Sunset smirked. It was an amusing picture with Twilight’s predicament. “I’m sure we’ll restore your mana soon...or find a spell for your taste buds.”

"Probably going to need that spell your highness." Twilight noted. "My ability to sense mana has been screaming "empty, zero, none" for a while now, and that's just from me. The environment around me hasn't even been registering as existing to my mana sense. I don't think mana exists in this universe."

“If it doesn’t, then I’ll make it.” Sunset pondered how to do so. She was one of the most competent unicorns of all time, not to mention one of the most powerful. Surely she could synthesize this ‘mana’. “Until then, we’re just going to have to wait for my mom to show up.”

"Wonderful." Twilight said, pushing the smoothie away. "Sorry about that Spike. I do appreciate it, the underlying metaphysics of the universe just messed it up."

"Metaphysics? Wow, glad I missed the lame-o-thon." Dash said, walking in.

“Well if it isn’t Lightning 2.0,” Sunset snorted. “Where were you...and why don’t you have a guard with you? Thunderlane surely must have sent you with one.”

"Oh he did. Nice guy at first. I was hungry but didn't have any money, so he took me out to lunch. Then he ditched me while I was in the ladies room." Dash explained. "At least he remembered to pay."

“He is so getting deported to the griffin border,” Sunset grumbled. “Maybe a trip to that island the humans want so much...Eh, whatever. Just don’t go flying off like that again.”

Dash rolled her eyes. "Uhuh. Oh hey, smoothies! Can I have one?"

“As you wish, my lady.” Spike handed a smoothie delicately over to her. 

Dash grabbed it with her wing. "Thanks." She took a sip. "MMMM, not bad."

“I do try,” Spike said.

Suddenly, the door burst open and several heavily armed guards poured in. When the guards got to their stations, weapons in heads, they stood at attention. In after them walked two individuals. One of them was a rather tall blue unicorn. She was as tall as a demi-Alicorn, being able to look Big Macintosh in the eye. Unlike most native unicorns, she had cloven hooves and a long leonin tail. While unicorns are naturally elegant, she was more so. She was clad in the usual dark gear of the Inquisition, hat and all.

The next one beside her, wearing a similar get up, minus the hat, was a black equine like creature. It’s crooked horn and insectoid wings stood out as did its chitinous skin. It’s eyes were segmented and blue, with only a fainter blue surface that twitched about to tell where the iris was. 

“Well,” the unicorn’s prench evident in her voice. “Where are the visitors?”

Sunset sighed. “Twilight, Sweetie, Dash, meet Inquisitor Trixie de Lis.”

"...alright, let's pretend for a moment we don't know what an inquisitor is." Dash said, going slowly like she was talking to a child.

“You, feathered one.” Trixie walked up to her. “You do not know the glory of the Inquisition?”

"Nope." Dash answered with a shrug. "You got any ideas guys?"

"Well," Twilight said, stroking her chin, "it sounds derivative of the word 'inquisitive', so researchers or detectives of some sort is my best guess."

Trixie blinked in confusion as she looked at Twilight. She didn’t say anything. She simply stood and stared at her like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“To answer your question,” Redheart piped up. “Celestia’s Holy Inquisition, of the CHI, are in charge of keeping the moral of both citizens and soldiers, while also searching for any signs of heresy and treachery.”

"Ah, so detectives." Twilight noted, turning to face the inquisitor, surprised to find that her eyes were level with the other mare's muzzle. As a fully grown unicorn, she was used to being one of the tallest ponies in the room by a good bit. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

“...Trixie de Lis,” Trixie said. “Ma deesse,” She slipped into her native tongue. “Vous regardez comme moi.”

"En effet je fais."  Twilight responded. "Mas excuses que ma portée du prançais est pauvre."

Trixie frowned. “You’re skills are lacking,” she snorted. “New comer, do us, noble blooded hybrids a bit of justice in getting our fair tongue correct in the future.” Still she smiled. “Still, it is good to see more of us, no?” She put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and kissed both of her cheeks lightly in a common friendly Prench greeting.

"Um, uh..." Twilight wasn't sure what to say to that. Only her knowledge of foreign customs kept her from freaking out over the kissing. "Sorry about the bad Prench. I haven't had many chances to practice it."

“Why?” Trixie looked confused. “Were you not taught? Ce est terrible.”

"Um...Princess Sunset, a little help please?" Twilight asked. This was just getting more and more awkward.

“Trixie,” Sunset barked with her more ‘Princess’ voice. “She is one of the visitors. Cease your inane action now.”

Trixie’s ears flattered against her skull. “Oh...she is not like me?” she cleared her throat, getting rid of the air of sadness. “Of course, for their is only one Trixie de Lis...and her brother.”

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." Twilight said. "I was hoping for a way to let you down easy, I am sorry my presence got your hopes up, that wasn't my intention."

“Perhaps,” Trixie huffed. “Be is as it may, you are an outsider. I, a loyal member of Celestia Holy Inquisition, must judge you before you see our eternal goddess, may her rule forever continue.”

Twilight blinked a couple of times. "Um, your highness, you did include some information about us in your message right?"

“I had no time for letters,” Trixie huffed. She gestured dramatically to her chest, making her cape wave behind her. “I am a mare of action. I must secure the safety of our blessed sovereign.”

"Question." Dash asked, raising her hoof like this was a school. "If Princess Celestia is so awesome, what do you think we could do against her?"

Trixie had magicked her sword out of its sheath and held it at Dash’s throat the moment she said that. “You would die before you ever saw her.”

“No one is dying here,” Sunset said. “Dash, say you’re sorry.”

"For what? Saying that Princess Celestia is too awesome for us to ever be a threat to her?" Dash asked. "Also, what is with you ponies and drawing swords while making grand declarations?"

“I am Trixie de Lis!” Trixie declared. “Member of one of the holiest branches in Celestia’s service. Through my actions, millions live to see another day! My words can be the difference between your further existence and a firing squad.”

“Trixie!” Sunset barked, getting in between them. “No firing squad! They are my guests and will be treated with respect. Do you understand my order?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Trixie put her magic up and stood at attention. “I live to serve.”

"Oh thank goodness she's Twilight levels loyal." Sweetie said, breathing a sigh of relief. "That could have gone badly."

“Things tend to spiral down a lot with her,” the equine creature spoke up. It’s voice sounded odd, like it had an echo to it.

“Spiral down the throats of my enemies!” Trixie declared, brandishing her sword once again in flourish.

"That's a lovely picture." Dash said, grimacing.

“Yes,” the creature stepped forward. It held itself like a predator would, staring down its prey. “She loves to pain such beautiful pictures.”

Trixie blushed. “You flatterer.” She turned to the others. “This is my assistant, Dot. Dot, these are the newcomers.”

Dot’s snout flared. “They taste just like normal ponies, so I don’t think we’ll have any problems.”

"Taste like...aw jeeze you're one of those Changeling things aren't you?" Dash groaned. "The only thing keeping me from kicking your flank is my good mood, so stop trying to eat it."

“Can’t help that, love.” Dot grinned. “I’m an emotion eater. Or perhaps I should turn to a more...primal source of nutrients.” He grinned, showing off rows upon rows of teeth made for slashing and cutting flesh. 

"Huh, you know unless you mostly eat thing much smaller than you mostly whole, that is a terrible set of teeth to have." Twilight noted. "You can't really chew with a set like that, and your bodily physical structure doesn't allow you proper thrash rending capabilities, especially with your thin weak neck."

“Then I’ll show you what my ancestors did to yours,” Dot growled. 

“Dot,” Trixie nickered and used her magic to pull his ear to get him to her side. “Stop picking on the newcomers.”

“Yes Inquisitor,” Dot huffed. 

“That’s better,” Trixie nuzzled the top of his head. 

"Also, just FYI, not a very good threat." Dash pointed out. "Our ancestors never dealt with changelings." 

Twilight responded to Dash's comment with a smack of her tail. "Rainbow Dash, do not taunt the predator."

“Yes, don’t.” Trixie frowned. “Dot is a tamed changeling. There are many feral groups still around who would love nothing then to devour you...alive. That way, they can suck out as much love and energy as they can while stuffing their faces. Of course, they mostly just cocoon victims like energy batteries. Dreadful business.”

"....ew." Dash summed up the visitors' thoughts on the matter quite succinctly.

“Yeah,” Redheart said. “But it should be known that we started the conflict just because of how they looked and acted. It’s...sad really. A lot of it could have been prevented.”

“But that’s then,” Trixie said. “This is now.” She pointed her sword at the group. “The truth will be known!”

“We already know the truth,” Sunset deadpanned.

“TO ME!” Trixie shouted. “For I am, Trixie de Lis,” she used her sword to write her name in the air with a flourish of magical fire. “Blessed warrior of our goddess.”

"Okay seriously, does any of us know her equivalent in our world?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, our Trixie is pretty cool. She's a traveling magician." Dash explains.

Twilight blinked a couple of times. "Really? Like Presto?"

"I guess." Dash said shrugging.

"When was this?" Twilight asked.

"It happened when you and Sunset were out of town at the time..." Sweetie started to explain.

“There is a Trixie in your world?” Trixie beamed. “Magnifique! What am I, Inquisitor Trixie de Lis, holy warrior of the sun, like over there?”

"Pretty popular traveling show mare." Dash said. "You seriously put on a good show. The audience loves ya. You've got fans all over Equestria."

“Of course I do,” Trixie beamed. “I am Trixie!” She posed triumphantly.

“Please stop stroking her ego,” Dot groaned. “She’ll be like this all day.”

“You know you love it,” Trixie giggled.

Sweetie nudge forward her empty glass with a hoof. "Thank you Spike, that was delicious."

“You’re welcome,” Spike smiled and then looked to Trixie. “May I have the honor of getting her esteemed self a drink?” 

Trixie blushed at his smile, which caused Dot to growl to himself. “Of course, Princes Spike,” she bowed. “I would be oh so honored to be served by the son of Celestia.”

Spike bowed his head back and left the room. 

"You know, you could just give her mine." Twilight pointed out. "I only took two sips with a straw and it would be faster."

“Normally I would scoff at that,” Trixie huffed. “I am far too pure to drink from another’s glass. However, Prench or not, you are close enough.” She took the drink in her magic and floated it to herself.

Twilight blinked in disbelief. "Did, did she just say she only accepted a gesture of friendship because tribalism?"

Sunset groaned. “Don’t start. She is, how do I put it lightly...no, I’m gonna say it. She thinks she’s better than most because she’s half Prench.”

Trixie huffed as she drank, but didn’t say anything that would counter the daughter of her goddess.

Twilight and the others looked quite stunned at this. Sweetie spoke up. "And Princess Celestia allows that kind of behavior from her representative?"

“Oh hay no,” Sunset glared at Trixie. “She’s just so full of herself and thick headed.”

“Your Majesty,” Dot spoke up reverently. “She is right there.”

“Oh….” Sunset said and looked to Trixie. “You’re thick headed and an idiot.” 

Trixie didn’t remark back, because she knew she couldn’t. She just twitched in nervousness as she drank.

"Sooo, may we see the Princess now?" Dash asked.

“If Princess Sunset wishes it,” Trixie grumbled. “Then it shall be so. I did wish to talk to you myself over it, but our Princess beat me to it.” She huffed. “Tribalist talk. I, Trixie de Lis, am above such things.”

"Wow, she refers to herself by name almost as much as Lyra." Dash noted.

“Do not mention that barbarians’ name to me,” Trixie huffed. “It is a mistake letting her into our blessed organization.”

“That isn’t a very nice thing to say,” Coco glared at Trixie.

"Indeed." Sweetie agreed. "Everypony, and everything really, deserves a fair chance to prove themselves."

“Trixie,” Sunset glared at the Inquisitor. “Where is Inquisitor Time Turner?”

“I sent him off,” Trixie stated. “I was the one to talk with the new comers, not he. Besides, Dot is a much better assistant.”

“Is that all I am to you?” Dot said in mock hurt. “An assistant? Oh how you wound me, my lady.”

Trixie laughed and tapped his muzzle with her hoof. “Quiet you. I am speaking.”

“Oh just fuck already,” Sunset groaned out. “Go somewhere else, I don’t care. This is all pointless. I’ve already spoke for them.”

“She’s right,” Redheart stated. “They are guest in our country and should be treated with dignity...and a watchful eye.” She glanced at Dash like a mother would a child. It was a habit she had ever since she started babysitting Lightning.

"Plus, Sweetie and I can't use our magic right now." Twilight noted. "We're less than 'not a threat' at this point."

"Also, Trixie and Dot, really?" Dash added. "That's just, ewwwww."

“Who’s the speciest now?” Trixie glared at Dash, flourishing her sword. “Say ‘ewww’ to Inquisitor Trixie once again?”

“Dot…” Sunset said, hoping he would step in.

“I have lived long enough to know never get in between two females,” Dot said.

"Well since you asked so ni-murph!" Dash was cut off as Twilight stuffed her hoof into a mouth for once.

"You'll have to forgive Dash, she's just a kid. Recently decided boys don't actually have cooties and all that. More...adult material is not going to be appealing to her." Twilight explained, only exaggerating a little.

“Well it’s appealing to some,” Trixie smirked, clicking her tongue. Her gaze shifted to Dot, before Dash. “Maybe one day you will know how to be a respectful grown up. I might consider telling you the ‘birds and the bees’.” She chuckled.

"Uh, how do birds and insects come into this?" Twilight asked, confused.

Everyone of the locals looked to Sweetie Drops with an unsaid question.

"...I don't know what you're saying either." she admitted.

Trixie groaned. “It means sex, the dancing of two bodies, the pleasures of the soul.” She explained.

“Even Coco knows what it means,” Sunset said, glancing at the young mare who was blushing and covering her face. 

"But, what do birds and bees have to do with sex?" Twilight asked.

“............Because reasons.” Sunset said, after no one came up with an answer.

"Riiight." Sweetie said. When Sweetie Drops gets sarcastic, you've hit a low.

“SILENCE!” Trixie flashed her sword in the air. “Stop questioning things that don’t need to be questioned.”

“Well,” Dot started. “That often happens when you start talking.”

“The couch for you!” Trixie pointed her sword at him.

"Can we please just see Princess Celestia so things can start making sense again?" Twilight moaned.

Trixie opened her mouth before she was interrupted.

“HAIL PRINCESS CELESTIA, GODDESS ETERNAL!” A triumphant shout was heard from outside. 

Trixie gasped and went into a deep bow. Her voice chimed in a prayer to the sun goddess. 

The moment Celestia appeared in the doorway, everyone of the locals, except Sunset, took a deep bow. In unison, they started muttering little prayers to the sun goddess before them. While Celestia was concealing a majority of her aura, that much that was shown was great. It was soft and comforting, giving everypony a sense of calm and ease. She projected a sense of motherhood to the little ponies around and as a beacon against anything that could harm them. 

Twilight spread her front legs wide and bowed her head so that her horn touched the ground. Dash leaned far forward, her wings held close to her body but flailed back. Sweetie bowed like the locals did, a cross universal constant.

“You may rise, my little ponies.” Princess Celestia’s gentle but firm tone spoke volumes of the care she felt for everyone. 

With that said, they did as ordered. However, Trixie was a bit of a show off and flourished her cape and sword about as though she was a hero. Tucking it back into her sheath, she walked up to Celestia and bowed her head. “The visitors are clear, Your Majesty.”

“Your efforts are appreciated,” Celestia said. “But I do believe my daughter’s word is more than enough.”

“Of course…” Trixie moved away, keeping herself low and humble towards her monarch. 

Celestia turned to the newcomers. “So, you are the ponies my daughter wrote to me about.” She walked up to them, standing tall and proud over the little ponies. “Pray tell, have you enjoyed your stay here so far? I do so hope my country has met your standards.”

"The ponies, and Spike of course, have been very kind your majesty." Twilight answered. "However, I do not know if your daughter's letter contained the fact that Sweetie Drops and mine own magic have been rendered inoperable within the laws of this reality's rules. It has greatly limited our ability to enjoy your nation beyond pleasant conversation."

“That is unfortunate,” Celestia frowned. “Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to help. You may not be native to this realm, but you still dwell within it regardless. For that matter, you will be treated as any and all beings shall be treated under my gaze: kindness and respect.”

Twilight smiled. "Thank you your grace. That is a very large weight off my mind. Without magic the unicorns of my world are...basically invalids."

“As long as I draw breath,” Celestia said with determination. “No citizen of my country will suffer such a fate. Your magic will return to you, young one. Have faith in that.”

"Of course." Twilight said. "No matter the reality, one constant is that Princess Celestia will do all she can to help those in need."

“I am thankful to hear that,” Celestia smiled in good mirth. “It would have soured the mood to find another me that is a blood-thirsty tyrant. I am thankful as well to know that she has ponies like you in her realm.”

"You honor me." Twilight said, bowing again.

“I shall do more than that,” Celestia put her hoof down gently under Twilight’s chin to lift her back up. “Until you are able to properly access your magic, I shall lend you a gift.” With that, Celestia touched her wing against Twilight’s chest. Instantly a golden glow spread throughout Twilight’s form, giving her strength and love. “With this, you now hold a piece of myself within you. You can now access the realm of magic as freely as any unicorn here. However, it will fade on it’s own, to be replaced with your own personal connection given time.”

"Princess Celestia, magic, me, from Princess." Twilight babbled. Thud.

Dash sighed. "Might want to warn you, Twilight's the Element of Loyalty, and like ninty percent of it is dedicated to our Celestia. This has probably totally blown her mind, having an actual piece of you in her...in a non-dirty way, bad brain!"

“I apologize if I overwhelmed her,” Celestia frowned, kneeling down to be at Twilight’s side. “That was not my intention, but perhaps I should have given some warning as to her gift.”

"It's fine your majesty." Sweetie assured the Alicorn. "Twilight has been rather excitable lately. She's a very orderly and organized mare. All the chaos and oddities have been very hard on her, it's not your fault."

"This is like,more third time fainting today." Dash chimed in. "...which is weird because she really doesn't do that back home."

“This is a lot to take in, Dash.” Celestia said. “Most ponies would be nervous wrecks in her shoes. It is a testament to her strength and yours that you are taking this so well.” She stood up and turned to Sweetie Drops. “And I take it you are without your magic as well, little pony?”

Sweetie Drops smiled. "Earth magic is subtle. Without it, I feel a bit weaker, a bit more tired. It's why I'm sitting and laying down so much. My main problem though is that earth tribals from my world use magic to manipulate things with our hooves. We did not evolve a physical ability to grasp things like your local ponies did I'm afraid."

“Then I shall grant you a gift of your own,” Celestia horn lit up and a green necklace with a blue gem in the middle, appeared around Sweetie's neck. She touched it with a wing, making it glow. “This necklace will give you the strength and magic of the Earth tribe. As such, the energies around you and that of the earth itself will give you strength and allow you to tap into your lost potential.”

"Thank you your majesty." Sweetie said, smiling. "This is a very thoughtful gift, and the color is lovely. It reminds me of my element, the green parts anyway."

“You are very welcome,” Celestia smiled and turned her gaze towards Rainbow Dash. “Ah the counterpart of one of my most esteemed warriors. Is there anything lost to which you need?”

"Uh, being perfectly honest Princess." Dash said nervously. "As much as I would love an ultra cool magical gift, I don't need one. Far as I can tell, everything's working great. Besides the fangs and the feathers, I guess the pegasi match enough that the universe is going "it's cool, let it pass" or something."

Celestia laughed, which was like hearing the actual tender touch of the sun’s warmth. “Yes, I can see that. If you need anything in the future, please don’t be afraid to ask myself or those who serve under the Equestrian banner.”

"Will do." Dash said, snapping off a salute. "So...ah, now that that's done...you got anything on how to get us back home and your guys back here?"

Celestia frowned. “The portal that took you from one world to another was complex. The magic involved was immense. It will be no simple feat. However, I perhaps might have some means back in Canterlot. Over the centuries, I have studied and collected many things from across the globe and even from worlds such as yours yet different. It stand to reason that the key to returning you home safely lies there.”

"Please let there be a World Mirror, please let there just be a World Mirror we just need to walk through and done." Dash begged the universe. Ironically, in the presence of one considered a goddess, Dash didn't even think to direct a prayer to her.

“We shall see, my little pony.” Celestia said, glancing over to Twilight. Delicately, she used her magic to put the unicorn on to her back. Celestia was big enough that she could easily carry Twilight with no problem and shield her body protectively with her wings. “Now, shall we proceed?”

"Are we teleporting?" Dash moaned. "Teleporting makes me queezy, and I just had a big lunch. Maybe I could just fly to Canterlot and meet you there?"

“If you wish,” Celestia said. “You have the option of flight, or a trip in one of our trains to Canterlot. Either way, it shall not take long.”

Dash rolled her eyes. "Trains can't break the sound barrier."

“You truly are a Dash,” Celestia chuckled, heading out the door with the guards in hoof. “I suspect you may be seeing our Rainbow Dash soon enough. Another just like her is bound to pique her curiosity.”

"I would imagine so...oh also, one more thing. I met this nice guard in town named Stonewall. He showed me around town and treated me to lunch since I didn't have any money. Since we're probably going to have guards while we are your guests, I'd like mine to be Stonewall. He's a cool guy, and it would be nice if the guy I had to hang out with was a friend, ya know?"

“Very well then,” Celestia nodded. “From here on out, Stonewall is to be your guard. I do so hope you treat each other well…” She peered around. “By any chance, do you know where he is?”

"Uh, nope, I don't see him. He had some stuff to do, so he had to leave after lunch. Still, a pretty cool guy." Dash said. "I've got a lot of respect for him."

Twilight twitched in her sleep, dreams of rainbow explosions and laughter filling her dreams.

Celestia nuzzled her, causing Sunset to pout. “Sleep well little one,” she motherly whispered. With that said, she used her magic to bring her own daughter close as well. “And don’t think I forgot about you either. I think this would make a fine outing for the three of us.”

“I’m back with…..” Spike said as he walked inside. “Apparently it takes longer to make a smoothie than I thought.”
> Let's go on an adventure {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe you know a spell to treat hot sauce induced burns." Cadance said.

"I live in the same town as Dr. Pie and interact with her regularly." Sunset replied. "It's a survival trait."

“Ah had to learn to treat actual burns,” Quickfix said. “Our Sunset gets carried away when she gets angry. Nothin’ serious though...but that hot sauce looked like it hurt.” She roughly pushed Shining’s side. 

"I can testify to that." Sunset said. "I once wound up drinking a bottle of her strongest stuff, and as a result forty percent of my body got covered it burns. On the bright side Shiny, I don't think she used her strongest stuff, or it got diluted by the pie...or both."

"I can't feel my face." Shining Armor said, his face still swollen and irritated.

“Yer sister is rough,” Fiddlesticks winced just looking at him. “Our Twilight wouldn’t have even thought of prankin’ ya….but our Shinin’ wouldn’t have been stupid enough to leave all that out to his own sister. So yeah...ya deserve this.”

"...I really shouldn't be saying I agree, as my own past history here is coloring things, but since Fiddlesticks is a very neutral opinion..." Sunset proceeded to stomp her hooves in giddy applause.

"While I don't agree with the method, or the results," Cadance noted, "You did mess up big time."

"I was going to tell her. In person when she visited." Shiny argued.

Sunset frowned. Something about that seemed off. "I'm not scheduled to visit Canterlot until next month, and Twilight the month after. When is your wedding?"

"...three months." Shining admitted.

"Why did I use a healing spell again?" Sunset asked. "Oh right, sanctity of life and compassion for all thinking creatures. Damn you morals...even though that's you opposite damn it!'

Quickfix laughed and swatted Sunset on the back good naturedly. Even though she was a unicorn, she was still from the North so she had some real power in her swing. Enough to bowl Sunset over easily. “Good one.”

"Gee, thanks." Sunset said, her voice partially muffled by having her face in the dirt. Picking herself up, she shook her head. "Anyway, now I'll need to talk to Rarity about commissioning a dress to wear to the event."

“Me and Fiddlesticks have never been the dress types,” Quickfix said. “But it is Rarity...She any good in this world?”

"Yes, she's very talented." Sunset said. "I'm also good friends with her. The two of us and Fluttershy go to the Spa every Sunday."

“Yeah, ye cozied up real good with her in our world too,” Quickfix said. “That and Lightning Dust. Kind of strange when ah think about it, her goin’ to the spa so often.”

"Huh...wonder what the other me did to pull that off? Dash never goes to the spa." Sunset mused. "Anyway, why did you ask about Rarity's skill?"

“Just askin’,” Quickfix shrugged. “Some things are different here and there. Wanted to know what to expect. So far, seems she’s the same. How’d ye feel goin’ out to spa with an Alpha anyways?”

"Alpha?" Sunset asked. She looked to Cadence.

"I'm not familiar with that term in this context either." the princess admitted. "The only thing I can think of would be diamond dogs."

“Alphas lead Diamond Dog packs,” Fiddlesticks asked. “Rarity’s the only pony Alpha in history. She got her own personal army and everythin’ and a whole mine.”

"Huh. That's...very impressive...and different...not sure which descriptor applies more." Sunset admitted.

"Hmmm, I thought there was a third one of you travelers?" Cadance asked. "A Pegasus named Lightning Dust."

“She should be ‘round here somewhere,” Quickfix said. “Probably got herself into-”

“Into what?” Lightning said as she landed quick as a flash next to Sunset. Her name Lightning was apt for a reason.

"Found her." Masquerade said, flapping over while eating a thing a cotton candy.

“Behold,” Quickfix gestured to Masquerade. “The greatest detective of all time. Why, she has Sherclops beat.”

Mask rolled her gems. "Also, Lightning, just a heads up, but the CMC have been setting up traps to try and catch you."

“Great,” Lightning groaned. “Fantastic. Anything else I should know? Like how to get three fillies off my tail?”

"Five." Mask corrected. "Our CMC has five fillies. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Dinky Doo, and Alula. The last two are the town's hybrid kids, so it'd be hard to miss them."

“We’ve got six too,” Lightning said. “Apple Bloom, Rumble, Diamond Tiara, Button Mash, Dinky Doo, and Aki Hikaru.”

“The last one’s a little kitsune,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “He’s more adorable than a pile of kittens wearin’ bows.”

"That sounds unnecessarily cute." Sunset argued. "Also, we only had two of the six match. You'd figure it would be either all matches or no match, not this weird mix deal. And why do all your groups seem to be one bigger? What, do you have four princesses and two princes too?"

“Nah, just three,” Quickfix said. “Celestia, Cadance, and Snowdrop.”

"Really?" Cadance asked, surprised. "Does my Aunt Luna not exist there then?"

Quickfix shook in her steps, gritting her teeth. Her gaze turned killer and she snarled. “Don’t say that name….ever.”

“Wow there,” Fiddlesticks patted her friends back. “Easy there.” Quickfix’s postured didn’t change, even with her best friend present.

“Well, she’s there….” Lightning said, a bit uneasy about the subject.

"Oh, is she not a princess then?" Cadance asked.

“Ah would rather die than bow to that bitch!” Quickfix shouted, her gaze spoke volumes of her hatred.

“That isn’t very nice to say, Quickfix.” Fiddlesticks said, giving her friend a stern glare. “She can change and we’ll help her.”

"Change?" Cadance asked, a note of distress entering her voice. "What's wrong with her?"

“You don’t want to know,” Lightning sighed, eyeing her friend who looked ready to try and tear something apart. “You really don’t want to know.”

Hit with such an emotional shock regarding a loved one, and knowing as bad as it sounded the truth was probably worse, Cadance lost all control and did something terrible. She shed a tear.

All the balloons deflated. The music faltered. The streamers fell and became dull. The decorations lost their sheen. Dr. Pie's colors became muted and her mane became straight. A sense of imposing gloom and despair washed over the area. Such is what happens when Love cries.

“Princess Cadance!” Fiddlesticks gasped. She rushed to her side. “Are ya okay? What, yer cryin’?....” The country mare’s breathing grew ragged. “No, that’s bad. Really bad. Ah know!” She pulled a rabbit out of her hat...which had a cream pie that smashed into Lightning’s face. “Better now?”

“Why you…” Lightning gave a challenging stare. 

Cadance smiled, just a little. "Yes, I'll be fine, I lost control for a second. I'm sorry everypony. It was only one tear though, so its effects should wear off shortly."

"All the parties in the world couldn't fill the gaping void in my soul!" Dr. Pie cried out in despair.

"Again, sorry everypony." Cadance called out, wincing.

“There’s no problem,” Fiddlesticks put a hoof around Cadance’s neck. “Yer smilin’ now, so whatever happened before don’t matter.”

"I'm not a bad pony, I'm not a bad pony, I'm not a bad pony, I'm not a bad pony," Susnet muttered over and over again to herself while being curled up into a ball and rocking back and forth.

Shining Armor lay on his back, facing the sky. "I am the worst brother ever."

“Ah got this,” Fiddlesticks said with determination. With that said, she pulled out a large pair of cymbals out of her hat and walked over to Shining Armor. She slammed them hard together, causing Shining to jolt up and into an awaiting cream pie. With the deed done, she glanced over at Sunset. 

"Hehehe, okay, Shiny in pain is always funny." Sunset said with a weak smile.

The balloons were starting to float again, and Dr. Pie's hair started to reinflate. "Augh, I hate emotional backlash." Dr. Pie notes. "Downside of party-mancy, for you the mood is literally infectious."

"And to get Shiny chuckling," Mask says, before dumping a cream pie on top of Lightning Dust and Sunset at the same time.

“Why the pies?” Lightning moaned. “Why the pies?!!”

"And why me Mask?" Sunset asked.

Shining laughed. "Guess it was my turn to see you get your, just desserts."

...Cadance then broke out laughing. "Just desserts, I get it! Hahahahahahahaha!"

“That hurt,” Fiddlesticks put a hoof to her heart. “That joke was so bad it hurt….But Cadance is laughin’ so it’s all better now.”

“What….” Quickfix looked around. “Sorry, ah spaced out for a sec. What are we talkin’ about?”

"Hopefully gettin' us all together so we can get to discussin' gettin' our friends back." AJ said, trotting up. "Ah can't help but feel we've wasted enough time, and we need to get ta work."

“True,” Quickfix tapped her noggin. “Ah’ve been tinkerin’ with a few ideas for a portal device. Might be a bit complicated though...needs some plans and blueprints.”

"Does anypony else suddenly want cake?" Mask asked. "Nopony, just me?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Let's just head to Golden Oaks."

“Race you there,” Lightning took off, leaving a lightning trail behind her.

Sunset smirked, and suddenly there was a bright flash, and the bearers of two worlds and Princess Cadance were in front of Golden Oaks. Seeing Lightning fly up, Sunset cracked a huge grin. "What took you so long?!"

Cadance looked at Sunset, frowning slightly. "Is there a reason you didn't grab Shining Armor?"

Sunset looked around in mock surprise, suppressing a grin. "Oh whoops, my mistake."

Cadance sighed. "I know you and Shiny don't get along, but could you two not fight right now?"

"Okay okay. But seriously, I don't have the energy to go grab him. He knows where we are, no big deal." Sunset shrugged.

AJ's eyes narrowed. "Did ya use up all yer magic showing up Lightnin'?"

Lightning landed with a heavy thud in front of Sunset. She touched Sunset’s chest with a her hoof, glaring at her. “One. Day.” 

"Please, even Dash can't beat teleporting." Sunset said, rolling her eyes. "And AJ it's a sunny day, I'm fine on magic."

Fiddlesticks poked her head out from inside the door. “What’s ya’ll standin’ around fer?”

"...damn it. Well, let's go in guys." Sunset groused, entering the library. She called upstairs "Spike, we've got guests. Cadance is here, as are our visitors."

“Do ya want me to tie up yer wings?” Fiddlesticks asked Lightning. The pegasus grumbled darkly and Fiddlesticks chuckled. 

“Stop teasin’ her, Fiddlesticks.” Quickfix piped up. “We don’t got time fer it.”

“Just havin’ a little fun,” Fiddlesticks piped back with mirth.

"I'm in the kitchen!" came a young voice. Walking through the doors came Spike, the young dragon, carrying a tray loaded with food and drink. "I made my famous nachos and strawberry milkshakes."

"Thank you Spike." Sunset said, levitating a milkshake over in her golden aura, her grip only slightly shaky after her large magic burst from earlier.

“Wait,” Lightning pointed at the young dragon. “That’s Spike? Really? That's your universes’ Spike?” The other two were in a bit of shock themselves.

"Yeah, I'm awesome." Spike said, placing the tray on the table. "So what am I like in your world?"

“Yer older,” Quickfix said.

“A gentlecolt...er, Gentledragon,” Fiddlesticks put in.

“You’re rolling in mares,” Lightning piped up. “Seriously, I have no idea how you do it. It’s like you’re a magnet for females or something.”

“Maybe it’s cause he’s got manner,” Quickfix chimed in. “That and he’s handsome.” She patted Spike’s head. “But this guy’s real cute.”

"Cute? Hmmph." Spike pouted, then got a thoughtful look. "So I'm handsome when I get older huh? Hey Sunset-"

"I am not casting an age spell on you so you can woo Rarity." Sunset said.

“Yeah,” Fiddlesticks chimed in. “Listen to yer big sister, Spike. Age spells don’t go well.”

"Sunset isn't my sister." Spike pointed out. "Also, yeah, knowing your track record with age spells, I'd probably wind up a fossil."

"One time," Sunset grumbled, "And it's not my fault Celestia shot off a solar flare then!...me and Spike are related in your world?"

“Celestia adopted the both of ye,” Quickfix stated. “Yer Prince and Princess of there. Spike hatched when ye were a filly and the two of ye are really close….Those ye tend to cast fireballs on him all the time.”

“He’s a dragon though,” Fiddlestick put in. “Dragons aren’t really affected by magic. Doesn’t lick him one bit. He just laughs it off.”

Sunset wasn't really it paying attention at that point. "Adopted? She got adopted? By Celestia? She gets to have a family, and I don't?"

"Uh, Sunset calm down." AJ said. "Don't forget, ya got yer friends right here."

“Yeah,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “Ah mean, friends are just as good as family. That’s a fact.”

"Sorry, I'm good." Sunset said, composing herself. "Old deal, still a little raw after one of Nightmare Moon's tricks. I'm good. Cadance, you said you had information."

"Yes." Cadance said, clearing her throat. "Alright, to start with, what do our visitors know about Starswirl the Bearded?" She did her best to ignore Sunset's dreamy sigh.

“Ol’ Grandpa Starswirl?” Quickfix smiled. “Why he’s one of Equestria’s greatest heroes. Made a lot of fancy spells here and there.”

"...you're related to Starswirl!?" Sunset shouted, too stunned to do any volume control.

“No,” Quickfix snorted. “We just call him that ‘cause he was really old and helped guide Equestria durin’ some tough times. He even had that long beard and stuff. Ye know, the ones grandpas usually have.” She rubbed her chin. “Don’t rightly know why he kept it so long though.”

"Blasphemy," Sunset said. "Nopony disses the beard of the sexiest unicorn in history."

“Ol’ Grandpa Starswirl? Sexy?” Fiddlesticks and the others fell over, clutching their sides. “Good one.”

“That’s like, hahahaha, calling Granny Smith sexy.” Lightning laughed, kicking her hooves about. 

"Ya never seen pictures of her as a young mare have ya?" AJ said.

Mask chimed in. "Also, she's not joking. Starswirl is, like, a unicorn sex symbol."

Quickfix stood up at that. “Him? Clover was sexy. Starswirl was clever, but old.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "I don't care how big a lesbian you are. Starswirl had a beard the size of his freaking body."

“How is that sexy?” Quickfix yelled at her. “It gets in the way of a good fight and how is likin’ Clover makin’ me a lesbian? What, did ye find him too feminine fer yer tastes?”

Mask interjected at this point, getting between the two unicorns. "Alright calm down. Quick, our Clover the Clever, who I assume you're referring to, was a mare. Also, unicorns in our reality find facial hair very, attractive."

“.....” Quickfix was stunned. “Mare?...All that hair attractive?....” She put a hoof to her head. “Ah’ve landed in coocoo land.”

"How do you think I feel whenever you drop your bombs?" Sunset noted. "What's next, your Hurricane was a chaste guy? Or maybe he was a girl."

Lightning wings flapped at her side as she sighed. “What a stallion….” Both Fiddlesticks and Quickfix blushed.

“Couldn’t get sexier than him,” Quickfix used a hoof to wave herself off. Fiddlesticks just used her hat.

"And I'm out of here." Spike said, heading upstairs. "Enjoy your girl talk, I'm going to read some comics."

Mask blushed heavily. "Um, well yeah, he was...at least to Pegasi. He's our Starswirl when it comes to that...and we're getting way off track."

“Well, duh he was sexy.” Lightning rolled her eyes. “He was the greatest warrior we pegasi ever had. I mean, in ten years, he tripled the pegasi’s territory and did the same to Equestria afterwards. Hay, he could even take on dragons if he wanted to. That is sexy.”

“Yeah….” Quickfix huffed, blushing madly. “What a warrior.”

Fiddlesticks cleared her throat. “He was...okay.” She fought off her own. “‘Course, he was still a predator so...wouldn’t mind him nibblin’ me.”

"Movin' on!" AJ said, being the voice of reason. "I'd take that as a yes, we all know who Starswirl is."

Cadance nodded. "Right, I'll be getting to him in a minute. Now then, did your group manage to do any analysis of the portal on your side?"

“Is the world round?” Quickfix deadpanned.

"Um...no." Sunset added.

“Barbarians,” Quickfix huffed. “We know fer a fact that it’s round. It’s been scientifically proven for thousands of years. DON’T DISS THE SCIENCE!”

"...how do you guys not fall off?" Sunset asked...and then burst out laughing. "Okay I'm just messing with you, you set that up too well."

“Yer lucky ah can’t magic yer flank into the wall,” Quickfix glared at her, then she thrust her head back and barked in laughed. “Ye had me good, Sunset.” She slapped Sunset’s shoulder, but again, since she was a Northerner and these were ‘pansies’ it pushed Sunset to the ground. 

"Huh, Spike did a really good job mopping yesterday." Sunset noted. Picking herself up, she shook her head. "I'm good."

"Right...anyway, could you describe the magics involved in the portal on your side?" Cadance noted. "This could be vital."

“Fiddlesticks?” Quickfix glanced at her friend. Without a word, Fiddlesticks took out a hoof held blackboard and some chalk and hoofed it to her. Taking both in hoof, Quickfix began writing down at breakneck speed. “.....And there.” She finished. “Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Just yer normal universal physics. ‘Course, it’s just theoretical. Have to base it off assumptions, ‘cause Celestia doesn’t give it all out. Somethin’ about just usin’ it to summon daemons.” She hoofed the blackboard over to Cadance.

Cadance smiled, grabbing it with her wings. "Thank you...oh dear, this is a bit technical. Um, do you have a simpler version maybe?"

"I could take a look." Sunset offered. Taking the blackboard in her aura, she floated it over, and started reading. "Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh. Well, half of this stuff works in this universe, the other half I would call foul on if it weren't for the fact you already told me you have a different magic system."

“Half is better than nothin’, my pa always says,” Quickfix smiled. “‘Course he also says one percent is better than nothin’ before testin’ it out anyways.”

"Your father sounds very creative." Cadance noted. "Could you maybe name the types of magic involved? Like unicorn, spirit, or the like?"

“Well it’s more of a conjuncture of chaos and magic,” Quickfix said. “The chaos is supposed to distort the barrier between worlds enough to open it, while the magic is there to keep it stable and set in place. That’s the basics. If’n ye want to be technical-”

Lightning put her hoof over Quickfix’s mouth. “No, I don’t want to spend hours listening to techno-nerd speech.”

Quickfix pulled away and rolled her eyes. “So yeah, that’s basically it at it’s base. The key is to set the chaos just right to just distort the realm. Too little, nothin’ happens. Too much….Well, ah hope ye like fightin’ daemons. Ah do.” She smiled with pride.

Cadance blinked. "Thank you, that was very helpful. Now the bad news, that means we won't be able to recreate the portal easily or soon. The semi-good news is, we won't have to!"

“...That doesn’t sound ‘semi’ good,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. 

“Let me guess,” Lightning piped up. “It involves an epic quest, probably with some ancient evil involved, and mysteries abound?”

Cadance blinked. "Um, except for the ancient evil part, as far as I know yes. Also, the information comes from, well, it comes from Paradox."

"Oh buck!" Sunset shouted, diving for cover under the table. "She's not coming here is she?"

"Don't worry, she said she wasn't." Cadance assured her. "Said something about "being a massive spoiler that would totally ruin things", so she won't be assisting. However she did say where we could find out how to proceed. The secret and answer lies in one of Starswirl's lost journals."

“Then let’s head on over to Canterlot,” Lightning made her way over to the door. She turned a glare to Sunset. “No teleporting this time.”

"Wait! It's not in Canterlot!" Cadance shouted. "Or at least Paradox said it wasn't."

"Then where is it?" Mask asked.

Cadance fidgeted. "It's supposedly hidden within the ruins of The Castle of the Two Sisters, in a hidden room. She also said that "an unlikely companion would reveal the way"."

“So we have to go back to the place we began?” Lightning’s face pretty much said ‘Really? That’s really how this is going down?’ 

Sunset sighed. "I don't suppose she actually bothered to say who the companion was, where in the castle it was, or what sort of obstacles we would be facing, or anything useful at all beyond the most basic facts to point us in the right direction."

"It's Paradox." Cadance replied. And really, that was all the answer she needed.

“Sounds cryptic,” Fiddlesticks said, before beaming. “It’s a good thing ah love cryptic stuff, especially if’n ah get to meet new buddies.” She started happily trotting to the door. “What are we waitin’ fer? A new friend’s waitin’ to meet us...or kill us. Happens.” She shrugged.

"Hold on. Since we know it's going to be a big one, I'm grabbing my kit." Sunset said, levitating over a large pair of saddlebags embroidered with her cutie mark. "I got some extra bags if you guys want to pack any food. Also, teleporting is off the menu. It's too far for me to do the whole group solo."

“Ah gotcha covered,” Fiddlesticks took off her hat and pulled out a picnic basket. “Can’t go on an epic trip without some good, homemade Apple delicacies.” 

"That's usually mah job." AJ grumbled.

“Sorry cos,” Fiddlesticks chuckled.

"Oh, I just thought of something." Sunset noted, going upstairs. "I'll be right back."

Fiddlesticks met her halfway, walking down the stairs. “Here ya go,” she held out her hoof, holding out Sunset’s childhood TK practice aid.

"Thanks." Sunset said, smiling. Floating the pendulum on a string, she causally placed the loop over Quickfix's horn, letting the weight dangle in front of her face. "There we go. That's a basic TK practice tool. It's lightweight, portable, and easy to focus on. And already being in the air it's easy to move. It'll be perfect for you to get some basic practice done."

“Does it need the smilin’ monkey?” Quickfix deadpanned.

"Um...it's meant for little children." Sunset admitted. "Sooo it's supposed to be cute for them so they want to play with it."

Quickfix snorted. “Ye southerners are so soft.” She shook her head. “It’ll do anyways. Thanks.”

"Well if we're all ready to go, I suggest we head out." Mask said.

“Wait a moment….” Quickfix glanced at Fiddlesticks, who sighed. She pulled out a large wrench almost the length of her foreleg from her hat and held it towards her friend. Quickfix smiled and took it, hefting it over her shoulder. “Can’t rightly go without a weapon and nothin’ beats a wrench.”

"Alright then, let's go. To the Everfree...again." Sunset deadpanned. "And quick, before Clementine finds out." at that thought, the locals booked it.

“Auntie Clementine’s here?!!!” Fiddlesticks grin broke out strong...before Quickfix clubbed her in the back of the head with her wrench. The mare pulled a rather ‘stunned’ face that would have been hilarious for most, especially kids, before falling down unconscious.

Quickfix hefted her friend onto her back. “Gonna need ye alive,” she said before the others bolted after them. 

"Good luck...you seem like you'll really need it." Cadance said, then frowned. "...so, where is Shiny?"

****************

"Hey, you're not an alien!" Scootaloo accused Shining Armor as he hung upside down in a snare.

"Of course I'm not. I'm here on important business. Now get me down, I need to see the Bearers!" Shining demanded.

"Really? What do you need to see them for?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Do you like culliflower?"

"What? Listen, I need to see the Element Bearers. I have an important quest for them." Shining explained.

"Hi Ma!"

"Hello Apple Bloom." Clementine said, smiling. "Now then, Captain Armor, did you just say you have another dangerous quest to send my daughter on?"

Shining Armor's eyes narrowed in fear. "What did I do to ever deserve this?"

Dr. pie cycled by riding on a tricycle. "You forgot to tell your sister you're getting married!" Pinkie shouted as she rode by.
> WE RIDE TO CANTERLOT! {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dash set a 'slow' pace to Canterlot, taking her time. And by that, she meant only hitting Mach two. She wanted to take the time to get a good look at this Canterlot, see if anything different really stood out.

Far below her, sped the Equestrian Express. The large, golden train was heavily armored with several large and small cannons at each of its sides. It’s imposing nature was a comfort to the citizens, since it easily warded off any and all dangers that dared to try and impose upon it. Some have called it excessive, since it dwells within Equestria, but given the country’s track record, it was understandable. 

Around Dash were two large zeppelins, just as armed and deadly as the train below. They hung in the sky with several pegasi at the ready to take off to meet any foe too fast for their guns. 

"Bastion of Harmony my flank." Dash muttered. "Bet they can't call it that here. Even their trains are covered in giant muskets." Shaking her head, she zipped on ahead towards the city proper, Hoping to give it a once over to see how the capital looked in this world.

The city of Canterlot was Equestria’s shining jewel of a city. The white stone building were elegant, but firm. Able to withstand any earthquake or bombardment, however unlikely the second was. The edge of the city had several guards posted along the walls, with cannons pointed outwards. Some of them were massive and kept in position on pivots, with a strange, spiraling barrel. The city inside, however, was much more calm and inviting. It didn’t scream ‘mighty fist’ like some other cities did. Instead it seemed to want to share its splendor with the world around it. The streets were filled with vendors and the markets packed with ponies and other creatures native to the world. 

"Woah, giant spirally muskets. Wonder if they shoot tornadoes instead of fire?" Dash idly mused as she flew over the wall. She wasn't too worried about anypony trying to stop her. Most ponies couldn't even see things moving faster than sound, and even if they somehow heard her she traveled faster than the sound she made, meaning she would be gone long before they heard her. Then again she can't hear anything either. Operating in the realm of super sonic speed required a whole different level of environmental awareness and reflexes than most creatures even knew existed. As such two seconds after she passed over the wall, she landed in an ally in the markets, and casually wandered out to see what sort of stuff they had for sale in whacky world.

“Dear,” a posh, but familiar voice rang out. “Why ever did you pick such a crowded place such as this? I can barely move my hoof without something stepping on my dress.”

“My love,” a posh stallion responded. “This market has such lovely wares. AH-HA! And I think I see one of them.”

Dash blinked a couple of times. She then rubbed her wingtip in her ears, because she couldn't possibly have heard what she thought she heard.

“This necklace would lovely around your neck,” the stallion said.

“It would wouldn’t it,” the mare sounded giddy. “Oh Blueblood, you certainly know your wares.”

“As do you, my dear Applejack.”

That got Dash's undivided attention, a monumental feat, resulting in the pegasus snapping to look at the speakers so fast she almost got whiplash.

The two ponies were hovering over a small jewelry stand. The stallion was a white unicorn with a golden mane that was obviously well taken care of. He stood proud and tall in a dress uniform of the Equestrian Guard. The mare beside him was an orange mare with a blond mane. She wore a green, frilly dress that fit her just right. Her mane was held in a tight ponytail with several green strands keeping it together. Her freckled cheeks were tinted pink as the stallion put a red necklace around her with his hooves. 

“Such a beautiful mare,” the stallion said. “Oh how you make my heart soar.”

“As do you, my love.” The mare nuzzled the underneath of the stallion’s muzzle.

Rainbow Dash's brain crashed at this point. "Applejack? What the hay what?" She was partially aware of the doppelgänger deal, but that was in a more general sense. So far, none of the doubles had been such perfect copies in looks to one of her friends...except that Bon Bon chick, but Sweetie had been right there so it didn't really register that hard. Seeing one of her best athletic buddies wearing a fru fru dress and trying on jewelry with what appeared to be the local version of Prince Blueblood was a bit too much for her brain to handle.

Applejack turned her way and her face pulled back in confusion. “Beloved, I do believe that is Rainbow Dash.”

“The Wonderbolt?” Blueblood looked at her queerly. “She looks different. Perhaps she’s trying out a new look.”

“Perhaps,” Applejack nodded. The two of them walked over and stopped in front of her. She stayed pressed to his side. “I am pleased as sugar to meet you, miss Dash. I have been such a fan of you for ever so long. Why I often have to drag my beloved by the tail to see your shows.”

“She means it,” Blue blood smiled. “It can be a bit hectic, being pulled out of a meeting here and there, but seeing the love of my life happy brings me such warmth. I wish to thank you for that and for what you have done for Equestria.”

"Yeah I, well, thank you, I guess." Dash said, before shaking her head clear. "Wait, sorry, I'm not that Rainbow Dash. Sorry, you just look a lot like a friend of mine, it threw me off."

“I do?” Applejack blinked in confusion. “You’re not her? Oh, of course not, deary. My mistake.”

Blueblood narrowed his eyes. “Yes, a mistake.” He looked her over quickly and quirked an eyebrow. “My, I’ve never seen a pegasus covered in feathers. Tis fitting.”

"Thank you." Dash said, deciding to take it as a compliment. "I do look good don't I?"

“Darling,” Applejack smiled. “You look simply divine. That plumage is so gorgeous. Tell me, how do you keep it so fine?”

"Preening and bathing." Dash responded. "Feather's aren't that hard to maintain. It's a lot less hassle than my mane and tail. I have trouble figuring out sometimes how the rest of your guys put up with so much hair."

“We manage, darling.” Applejack said. “We manage.”

“Might I ask if this is your first trip to Canterlot?” Blueblood chimed in. “If so, my beloved and I would simply love to show you the blessed city.”

“Oh indubitably,” Applejack nodded. “It would simply be lovely to have another mare around as I walked. I love Blueblood to pieces, but a feminine mind would oh so be welcome in our little group.”

Rainbow did her best to keep from bursting out laughing. Which wasn't too hard, she'd always had good control of that. Came with being a prankster. "That sounds nice, I wouldn't mind a tour...but where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. My name is indeed Rainbow Dash, and no I did not change my name, nor was I named after the Wonderbolt. I'm only three years younger, you don't go naming your babies after three year olds after all."

“Of course not,” Applejack gasped. “Oh dear me, where are MY manners? I have been oh so rude to you.Speaking without introducing myself. Oh poor, inconsiderate me. I am Applejack, heir to Orange Industries, and this is my beloved, Duke Blueblood.”

“Charmed to meet you,” Blueblood bowed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Rainbow said, bowing with a slight flare of her wings before straightening up. "So, shall we take a look around the market first?"

“Oh yes,” Applejack nodded. “Do you have anything in mind? I assure you, we can afford whatever tickles your fancy.”

"Woah woah woah, I just met you guys and you're giving me a tour already. I'm not going to ask you for money." Dash said, shocked. "Besides which, I was just planning on browsing today. I don't want to do the dumb tourist thing and blow a bunch of bits on the first shiny and flashy thing you see. It's better to see the options first."

“A wonderful answer,” Blueblood smiled. “I do believe we shall get along swimmingly. I think we could always find Dirtbound. He has quite a few interesting items.”

“Yes, he is rather an...interesting creature,” Applejack said, smiling a bit uneasily. “I don’t hold it against him none though. Perhaps she would rather start at that lovely jewel stand we were just talking about.”

"Well, you're running the tour." Dash said, shrugging. "I'd hate to interupt your own shopping...though Dirtbound sounds kind of cool. Something to write home about, you know?"

“Excellent,” Blueblood said with triumph. “Dirtbound it is. Do please follow closely, miss Dash. The streets can be hectic at the best of times.”

"No problem." Dash said, and soon matched words to deed. For a pegasus who has the reflexes and spatial awareness to make flying at super sonic speeds practical, a crowded street was child's play. In fact, she had enough spare attention to actually surreptitiously observe what a few of the other stalls had for sale, though she was a little disappointed it mainly looked like stuff from back home. Maybe the jewelry had a bit of a different design, but she wasn't sure, as fashion had never really been her thing.

It didn’t take them long to reach the small store. Blueblood had been this way so many times that he knew it as well as his own hoof. 

“I have to warn you,” Blueblood said. “He isn’t a normal creature. He is an equine-morph, so do please try to civil.”

"Equine-morph?" Dash asked. She didn't want to be too shocked with whatever that was after all.

“Equine-morphs are sapients that are pony like,” Applejack said. “They may look like us, but they aren’t considered a tribe of pony.”

"Really? What makes them so different?"

“Biologically,” Blueblood stated. “They are far too different to be considered a pony tribe. Some have argued that equine-morphs should be considered tribes, but that viewpoint isn’t popular. Even Vamphirines are considered by some to be equine-morphs since they are so different. I would say there are a dozen or so equine-morph tribes across the globe.”

Dash nodded. "Alright, thanks for the heads up."

“Stick it up yours, splitjaw!” A voice yelled from inside, before a stallion angrily trotted outside. 

“I say,” Blueblood cut the stallion off with a hoof. “I do think you should go back in and apologize. That was certainly rude.”

“I’m not apologizing to some freak splitjaw,” the stallion sneered. 

Blueblood looked ready to punch his daylights out, before Applejack delicately touched his shoulder. “Dear, he’s not worth it.”

Blueblood sighed and the stallion brushed on past him. And then seemingly vanished.

At one hundred feet in the air, the stalion held up by his tail, Rainbow Dash cocked her head to one side. "I'm sorry, did you say something? It sounded like you were saying "why yes I'll apologize", but I can't be too sure. Care to repeat that?"

The Earth Pony flailed about. “I’m sorry! Oh Celestia, I’m sorry. Put me down!”

"Cool. Don't forget, you just swore to Celestia to apologize while in the heart of her city." Dash said, taking him back down to the ground quickly. "It's amazing what a little willingness to be polite can do, isn't it?" She smirked as hard as she could without showing off she didn't have fangs. The feathers looked weird enough without showing off to the locals 'surprise, I'm a herbivore!' on top of that.

The stallion nodded. “Whatever you say, featherbody. I’ll apologize.” He ran into the store.

“Miss Dash,” Applejack scolded. “While I do believe he deserved it, wasn’t there another way you could have convinced him of his wrongdoings?”

"Oh there were probably a ton of ways." Dash admitted. "But it was the fastest, and I didn't feel like spending a lot of my time on one jerk."

“Well it worked,” Blueblood laughed. “How about we head on inside? Dirtbound is in need of some good company.” 

"Sounds good to me." Dash said, heading into the shop.

The stallion rushed out past them. The group pretty much ignored him and looked around. It was an antique shop with all sorts of items from all over the globe. Weapons, jewels, armor, you name it. They all littered the place.

“Don’t come back here if you know what’s good for you!” A male voice yelled. It had a unique flavor to it, even though it was in near Equestrian. Said voice’s owner was standing in the middle of the store. For the most part, he looked like a pony. He was dark blue with a black mane, but there were differences. Like a red zig zag type of pattern on the sides of his eyes. The stallion had a long, fleshy tail behind him, instead of a usual hairy tail. A row of red, spiky feathers ran along from his hip to the end of his tail where it branched out. His bottom jaw flexed as it was split in two. He was standing on his hindlegs, with his forelegs held up holding a bird-like posture.

Dash's jaw dropped. "That idiot was insulting you? How dumb is he? You look like you could kick his flank from here to Cloudsdale without breaking a sweat...awesome feathers by the way."

The stallion creature known as Dirtbound blinked as he looked at her. “Thanks...Say,” he dropped to a quadrupedal posture. “I’ve never seen a pegasus with feathers like that. Are you another tribe I’ve never heard about,” he then grumbled. As he talked, his bottom jaw split and flexed. “Or ‘equine-morph’...Equestrians.”

"Nope, Pegasus. Born this way." Dash noted. "I think I look pretty awesome." Then a devious little idea came to mind. "Personally, I have a hunch there's something in my family line my parents never mentioned, but I have no proof. Anyway I've never seen your tribe before, what's it called?"

“Tatzlpony,” Dirtbound said. “Though a lot of you ponies think we should change it. You know, not being ‘ponies’ and all.” He rolled his eyes. “You probably haven’t seen a lot of us since we live overseas.”

"True." Dash admitted. "Then again, I'm also a small town girl. I haven't seen a lot of stuff. Speaking of stuff, a lot of the things here look awesome."

“Thanks,” Dirtbound said. “I travel a lot and I tend try and get my hooves on as much as I can. Say, what’s your name? You kind of look familiar.” 

Dash smirked slightly. "My name's Rainbow Dash."

“Dirtbound,” the stallion opened up his split jaw and three large, tentacle tongues trailed out. One of them picked up Dash’s hoof and shook it. “Pleased to meet you.” He spoke clearly, even with a tongue occupied.

Dash broke out into a huge grin. "That is so cool."

“Really?” Dirtbound blinked and retracted his tongues. “That’s how we tatzlepony’s greet each other. It helps us get to know other, cause our tongues can remember a lot more than our minds can. Call it ‘memory by taste’. Most other tribes and critters don’t very much like it.”

“For good reason,” Applejack looked a little green. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Dirtbound smiled.

"That's even cooler!" Dash said, flapping her wings in excitement and grinning wildly. "I thought you were just doing it cause you could. I'd totally do that just to mess with ponies. But you can actually memorize stuff by taste?"

“Yep,” Dirtbound said. “And the whole schtick with messing with ponies kind of gets old fast. Well, it didn’t for me until an earth pony decided to be a bit...violent with my tongues.” He moved his jaw about as if remembering it clearly. “Young and foolish I was. Thought I could get away with everything.”

"Wow, that sucks." Dash said, enthusiasm dieing down. "Anyway, my friends here recommended I take a look at your shop while visiting Canterlot."

“They took you to the right place,” Dirtbound laughed good naturedly. “What do you need?”

"Ah, I'm just browsing around today, seeing what's available." Dash said. "Don't want to do the 'blew all your bits on the first fancy souvenir you see' thing." It helped she didn't have any bits to spend, but no need to bring that up.

“Look at that,” Dirtbound said. “A pony with her head on her shoulders. Well, if you’re just looking around feel free to ask about anything. I’d be happy to help.”

"Hmmm, actually, I'm kind of curious if you've got anything that goes with feathers." Dash asked. "The locals don't exactly make a lot of stuff with feathers in mind."

“No they don’t,” Dirtbound tapped his chin with a hoof. “Not a lot of tribes with feathers. Hmmm, perhaps a feather tonic?”

"Feather tonic?" Dash asked. Back home that was something to help with molting, but here, who knew?

“It’s tonics for feathers,” Dirtbound explained. “I’ve got ones for molting, keeping a shine to them, and even enchanted ones with other qualities.” 

"Enchanted? Really? What kinds?" Dash asked, excited at the idea.

“Feathered creatures usually have a bit of an advantage to the fured and scaled critters,” Dirtbound smirked, waving his tail. “I don’t have a full body of them like you, but I’ve got enough. They’re easy to enchant with a lot of things. I personally prefer earth tonics. I don’t fly, so it doesn’t hurt to be able to smash steel and earth with my feathers. Perhaps I could offer you some flame retardant or lightning resistant ones? Flame retardant makes you fire proof, while lightning resistance makes it where lightning just bounces off your feathers.” 

Dash felt a little disappointed. She was already pretty tough, and as a pegasus lightning wasn't a huge concern. However..."Fire proof huh? Is that just normal fire, or magical fire too?"

“Anything up to magical fireballs,” Dirtbound stated. “But if those don’t interest you, then there are other enchantments to choose from. Those are just the basics. Honestly, I don’t think the lightning tonic would sell that well anyways if you were all just covered in feathers. I’m used to mainly furred flyers for that one.”

"Well at least you didn't try selling me a waterproof one." Dash said, chuckling a bit.

Dirtbound laughed. “Alright, that settles it. First one’s on the house. What kind of enchantment do you want?”

Dash rubbed her chin. "Well, let's hear about a few of your other options, you said those were just the basics?"

*****************

Sunset tapped her hoof as the train neared its destination. “Mother, do you really think we can find their world?”

“As long as we have faith,” Celestia nodded. “Wild magic is fickle. It comes and goes, but a being with faith and determination can tame it. I believe we can do it, or perhaps we may not have to. Starswirl had created many portals to many different worlds, before his end.”

"Your Starswirl made World Mirrors as well?" Sweetie asked. "Well, I guess other worlds would be fascinating for the scholarly pioneer type."

“Starswirl was an inquisitive soul,” Celestia chimed. “I am glad I had the honor of knowing him. He taught me much and was a very dear friend.”
 
"Sunset told us your version died. I'm very sorry to hear that." Sweetie noted. "Ours just vanished one day, nopony knows where he went. Theories range from time travel, to lost in another world, to he ascended to a higher plane of existence, to the rather cynical idea that he got fed up with others and just moved out somewhere remote and never visited."

“I would think he would have more faith in Equestria than to simply leave,” Celestia said. “Starswirl loved this nation and I’m sad to know that he would never see it united and strong...However, there has always been the part of me that believes Discord may have bound his soul somewhere. The god of chaos never passed up an opportunity to ‘play’. Of course, I have never found any evidence to support this idea.” 

"Starswirl...bound..." Twilight muttered, a smile twitching on her face.

“Yes bound,” Celestia nuzzled Twilight’s head. She was nestled on her left, while Sunset nestled on her right. Spike had left to ‘fraternize’ with the female staff. “Starswirl had a powerful soul. It would have not gone out easily.”

"Um, Celestia, your highness." Sweetie said, blushing slightly, she continued. "I don't think Twilight's thinking of the same kind of 'bound'. In our world Starswirl is...kind of an ideal unicorn sex symbol. Beards are considered massively attractive by our worlds unicorns, and well, beard the size of his body."

Celestia blinked a few times. “Yes….If you would excuse me.” She stood up and walked out of the room….And then a booming laugh could be heard. “Sex symbol? HAHAHA!” The laughter shook the very train and everyone’s being. A god’s mirth was a very strong thing to behold.

“Oh look,” Sunset snorted. “You broke her. I do so hope you’re an avid fixer upper, I’d hate to see what our beloved citizens will do to you now.”

"A little laughter never hurt anyone." Sweetie said, shrugging. "Anyway after all the heavy news of today I figured she could use a little stress relief. I may not be the Bearer of Laughter, but I'd like to think I can do a good job when I need to."

“I was being sarcastic,” Sunset groaned. “Why does everyone take me so seriously?”

“I thought you wanted them to take you seriously all the time?” Spike poked his head in, smirking. His face was covered in lipstick kiss marks.

“Buck you, little bro!” Sunset shot her hoof at him. Spike just laughed.

Sweetie rolled her eyes and turned to Redheart. "Are they always like this?"

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Redheart sent her a comforting smile. “They may fight, but they love each other oh so very much. I still remember how determined Sunset was to find Spike when he was captured by Nightmare Moon. It shook her up so much she was in tears.”

“I was not,” Sunset shot at her. “I was in control of myself at all times. A princess never cries.”

“HA!” Spike shouted, leaving.

Sunset growled and took off after him. “Let’s see if Princes’ cry!” She vanished into the other compartments. 

Redheart sighed. “They’ll be at this for a while.”

Sweetie blinked a few times. "I see...hey, where's Pizzelle?"

“...and that’s how Equestria was made?” Pizzelle said as she trotted inside. She looked at Sweetie Drops and smiled. “Oh there you are, deary. I’m ever so sorry for not meeting with you earlier, but when I went to pick up my darling little son, Hikaru, I thought to myself ‘why not try on a few hats’. Rarity just makes the most divine hats, so I didn’t think it would be that bad if I tried on some. Nothing that tickled my fancy, however, but Rarity, oh such a lovely young lady she is, gave me a few darling little shoes to try. Why, I just loved the designs so. I had to have them...and I’m rambling again.”

"Oh that's alright dear. I happen to enjoy fashion. I admit I'm no expert, but still." Sweetie said, waving it off. "Also, I think we have different meanings for the word 'shoe', are you talking about something you pull over your hooves temporarily?"

“Well deary,” Pizzelle said. “I do believe you saw Celestia wear such lovely golden shoes on her hooves. Is that what you are referring too?”

"Ah no, we call those slippers." Sweetie said. "Shoes are shaped metal guards nailed into the bottom of hooves for protection in heavy labor and the like."

“Hoof-guards,” Redheart said. “We have those as well.”

“Mommy?’ A young male voice called into the room. “Are the new ponies in there?”

“Yes, Hikaru.” Pizzelle called back. She then looked to Sweetie Drops. “Oh deary, I haven’t introduced my son yet. How dreadfully rude of me. Oh so very rude.”

"Oh it's no worry dear." Sweetie assured her. "We haven't been together to be introduced. I'd love to meet your son."

“You can come in now,” Pizzelle called out. Just then, a little golden fox with pure blue eyes walked in. He was about the size of a filly or colt and had the usual proportions of that of a young creature. He walked in and nuzzled Pizzelle. She returned it. “Sweetie Drops, this is my son, Aki Hikaru. Hikaru, this is Sweetie Drops.”

“Hi,” the child fox waved at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Sweetie said, sitting up from her previous laying position. While she was feeling a lot better now, she didn't want to push herself too hard. "So, you look like a big boy. How old are you, seven, eight?"

“I’m almost nine, miss Drops.” Aki Hikaru chimed happily. 

"Nine? You are a big boy." Sweetie said, smiling. "Do you help your mommy around the house?"

Hikaru nodded. “Yeah, I’m the stallion of the house...I think. So that means I have to help mommy do stuff, ‘cause it’s the right thing to do.”

Sweetie smiled a pat his head a couple of times. "Well now that's good to hear. Are you doing well in school?"

“Yep,” Hikaru nodded. “Miss Cheerilee is really nice and I have a lot of friends. We even have our own club to get our cutie marks. I know I’m not a pony, but maybe I can get one too.”

"...you're a Cutie Mark Crusader?" Sweetie asked, voice straining slightly. "Well, ahem, we'll I'm glad to hear you have some good friends...they're not on the train are they?"

“No,” Hikaru’s ears splayed back as he looked a little sad. “Did I say something wrong, Miss Drops?”

"What? Oh no no nothing like that dear." Sweetie said, smiling. "It's just that we have some Crusaders back home. They're a...very spirited bunch. I'm just a bit tired at the moment, that's all."

The other ponies chuckled knowingly. “It’s nice to know you have some ‘spirited’ little ones too,” Pizzelle pulled Hikaru gently to her side with a motherly wing. She nuzzled his head. “I wouldn’t know what to do without one. The poor dear needed someone and I needed him. I always wanted a child and since I’m….incapable of having one….” Pizzelle glanced at her stomach and then at Hikaru. “He’s like a prayer answered.”

"Ah. I'm most likely going to have to adopt as well given the...nature of my relationship." Sweetie noted. "From every story I've heard, it's always been a wonderful experience."

“It is,” Pizzelle kissed Hikaru’s head. “Miss Drops has had a long day, Hikaru. I think we best let her have a little rest before we get to Canterlot.”

“Aww, do I have to?” Hikaru pouted. “She doesn’t seem that tired.”

"You should listen to your mommy." Sweetie said, smiling. "She's the grown up for a reason."

“Okay,” Hikaru still pouted. 

Pizzelle chuckled and picked him up with her mouth by the scruff of his neck and put him on her back. “There,” she used her wings to cover him protectively. “Nice and cozy. Now, what do you say Hikaru?"

“Bye,” Hikaru waved. “It was nice talking with you...even for a little bit.”

"And it was nice talking with you, even for a little while too." Sweetie responded, smiling and giving a little wave back.

“It was nice chatting with you, deary.” Pizzelle said, smiling. “We have to get together sometime before you leave.”

"That sounds lovely dear." Sweetie said, smiling as she shifted from sitting up to laying down.

As Pizzelle trotted out, Redheart piped up. “I think you would make an excellent mother.”

"Thank you dear." Sweetie said, smiling. "But that won't be for a bit longer. I have to get married first, then tell my wife we're having a kid."

Redheart nodded.

“Who is she?” Coco Pommel chimed in. “I bet she’s lovely.”

"My worlds version of Lyra Heartstrings...our version is a genius." Sweetie quickly added. "She earned five masters degrees over the course of five years."

“Impressive,” Redheart quipped. 

“Oh right,” Coco said. “I forgot. Twilight mentioned it earlier. It’s still a little hard to take in that you two are a couple. I’m sorry, that sounded mean.”

"It's alright dear. There's been a lot going on today, nopony can be expected to remember everything in a situation like this." Sweetie assured her. "You know, out of all of you, I think I've heard the least about you two. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves?"

“My name is Redheart,” she said, putting a hoof to her chest. “I am Ponyville’s head nurse and a leading member of the Order Hospitaller. I like to think of myself as a bit of a scientist, though I mainly dabble in genetics. I engineered a new dog breed as a school project when I was a filly.”

"My, it sounds like you were quite the bright child." Sweetie sounded impressed. "Also, you're a knight? From working in a hospital? I guess you guys really do take healthcare seriously."

Redheart threw her head back in laughter. “No, I’m just a nurse. Well, I was just a nurse until I became the Element of Benevolence, your counterpart here. The Order Hospitaller are a group of non-combatants who do their best to keep everypony alive and well. Though, those on the front lines are given means of self-defense, but usually, it’s not needed.”

Sweetie looked concerned. "I would hope not. In our world it's a war crime to attack non-combatant medics."

“To have a ‘war-crime’ you would need a set of rules on how to run a war,” Redheart sighed. “There are none here. While most nations keep it civil and adhere to a sort of ‘code of conduct’ there are many others who care not whether they kill a pony who can fight back or not.”

Sweetie looked horrified. "If you tried that on our world, everything would turn on you so fast your head would spin...shortly before a minotaur cut it off."

“Minotaurs like to do that,” Redheart said. “While there are some minotaurs living within Equestria and other nations in peace, their nation is very….aggressive. At least they have a code of honor, so I wouldn’t worry about them killing me.”

"You wouldn't have to worry about that in our world either." Sweetie noted. "They aren't that aggressive in our world. They are mostly craftsbulls and traders...at least the ones that come to Equestria are. Or they're tourists. The Iron Empire is our rather loud and boisterous neighbor."

“Same,” Redheart nodded. “Not ‘bordering’ us, but very near anyways. We’ve fought with them, but it never lasts long. We don’t really have much ill-blood between our races compared to others.”

"They're on our western border." Sweetie said. "And I don't think we've ever had a war with them. They really like ponies, especially unicorns. They actually named unicorns as their national animal."

“....Animal?” Redheart asked.

"Yeah, that's what more than a few unicorns said too." Sweetie chuckled. "Then they pointed out there was no rule saying national animals had to be non-sentient. And since unicorns aren't plants or minerals..."

“Minotaurs here think unicorns are cowards,” Redheart said. “They use magic instead of brawn.”

"Our minotaurs love unicorns because of their magic." Sweetie replied. "And as Dash would say, flip flop."

“A lot of nations here aren’t trusting of magic,” Redheart said. “Though, we do have a lot that do. I would say the Troa are our greatest allies and love our magic deeply.”

Sweetie nodded. "Besides with the minotaurs, unicorns aren't widely loved by the other races. At best, they're tolerated. Also, we don't have Troa in our world. May I ask what they are?"

“I believe I can show you,” Redheart used her tail to pull out a specialized crystal disk from her saddle bag. Touching it just right with her hoof, a holographic image appeared. In it was a bipedal creature. It was obviously a predator and looked like a cross between a lizard and a bird. It had a large claw held at ready on its feet. It had green feathers over its body with stripes on its back. It’s arms had longer feathers, like small flightless wings. “Their actually species name is Troodon, but they prefer Troa. They might look vicious, but they are very kind and gentle.”

"I see...Twilight, wake up. New magic to study." Sweetie said, looking at the projected image. "Impressive new magic."

"Not now mommy, I want pancakes." Twilight mumbled, rolling over in her sleep.

Sweetie blinked. "Okay, now I'm a little worried. New magic like this would usually get her up and studying in a flash...literally if she teleports in her excitement."

“It could be simply that she has a piece of Celestia within her,” Redheart stated. “She now hold the magic of a goddess within her being. It might be warming its way through her, giving her a connection to the realm of magic as we speak, or….her mom makes really good pancakes.” She shrugged. “She’ll be fine either way.”

"Well our unicorns do recharge their magic with sleep...except for our Sunset, but she's a special case." Sweetie noted. "I guess it makes sense for Twilight to be sleeping for the process."

Redheart nodded. “Coco, would you like to introduce yourself?”

“Well…” Coco seemed unsure. “I don’t want to bore her or anything.”

"Nonsense dear, I am very hard to bore." Sweetie assured her. "I once listened to Twilight give a lecture on the difference between iron dust and iron shavings in alchemy without falling asleep or having my mind wander. I'm sure you're less tedious than that."

Coco sighed. “My name is Coco Pommel, daughter of Upper Crust, Captain of the Mimus Brigade.”

"....I recognize none of those names I'm afraid." Sweetie said. "I'm sorry about that dear."

“It’s okay,” Coco sighed. “Not your fault. The Mimus Brigade are a group who ride Mimids, long legged dinosaurs, into battle.”

Redheart touched the device again. This time, it showed a dull gray feathered creature, much larger and bird like than the other, even with a beak like mouth. Of course, it didn’t have the ‘killer claw’ on it’s foot. It was wearing armor and gear like that of the Royal Guard who sat atop it. The armor was sleeker and allowed much more movement.

Sweetie got a very serious look on her face. "You can never show this to our Rainbow Dash. She'll want one. Buck, she'd probably just take one whether we were willing to let her or not. They look like they're "too awesome" to ignore."

“She might have already seen one,” Coco said. “My mother lives in Canterlot and she adores her Gallimimus. She takes him out to run in the country with our pet manticore in hoof.”

"...so you have a pet manticore?" Sweetie asked, desperately ignoring the possibility that Dash might be planning on how to acquire a dinosaur. "That's amazing. The only 'tame' manticore I know is our Fluttershy's friend, Manny."

“That’s our pet’s name,” Coco looked taken aback. “Well, now that I think about it, it’s a pretty easy name to give a manticore. I shouldn’t be surprised...I’m sorry.”

"No need to apologize dear." Sweetie smiled. "You're starting to sound like what happens when our Sunset runs into our Fluttershy."

Coco blinked for a few times. “Ummm….”

“Just finish telling her about yourself, Coco.” Redheart said. “I think we already get it. Flip-flop.” She chuckled at the term. “A little hard to believe Sunset and Fluttershy being timid.”

"Oh it's worse than that." Sweetie said. "They both have self esteem issues and blame themselves for a lot of things. It's devolved more than once into the two just saying "I'm sorry" over and over again to each other."

“...Why does that sound like me?” Coco sighed. “Oh dear, I’m sorry for saying that. They’re probably braver than me.”

“The mare who talked down Discord?” Redheart said. “I don’t think so.”

“I just got angry….” Coco blushed in embarrassment. “He was being mean to me and all those ponies….”

"You talked down Discord!?" Sweetie was amazed. "That's I don't even how?"

“He was stealing children,” Coco said. “He was taking them away from their families to be his ‘friends’ and so he could torment the adults in peace. I just….I just couldn’t take it. i could have hid, but...I stood up to him.”

"That was very brave indeed." Sweetie said, smiling. "So...how much longer until we arrive? Dash isn't very patient. I'm worried she may stir up trouble if left on her own.”

“We’re here,” Celestia came back into the room. The train started to slow down and eventually came to a complete stop. “I do apologize for the lengthy travel. The Equestrian Express is relatively new. All new machines are temperamental. I remember how much trouble the first train gave us, all those years ago….” She chuckled at the memories. 

"It's no problem." Sweetie said. "It's still much faster than the Friendship Express back home. Also, Redheart and I came up with a basic theory as to why Twilight is suddenly sleeping so much. Unicorn magic is tied into their sleep cycle on our world, so it makes sense her body would try incorporating magic while she sleeps."

“A logical deduction,” Celestia said. The train whistle flared. “That’s our cue to depart. Our Canterlot may be different, but I do believe you’ll find it to your liking.”

"I'm sure we will." Sweetie said, sliding to her hooves. "And I wish to thank you again for the gifts. It would be a lot harder just moving around for me without this. I didn't really get how much things weighed until I didn't have magical aid. I'm going to have to remember that the next time my marefriend complains about the size of my shipment loads."

Celestia nodded and led the ponies out of the tain. For the most part, the train station of Canterlot was like any other. Well, except for its grand presence and the giant armored ponies who stood almost as tall as Celestia herself. Large swords and other weapons were at their sides as they stood at attention. They shouted “Hail Princess Celestia, goddess eternal’. The rest of the ponies bowed, offering up prayers.

“Now, now,” Celestia smiled kindly to them. She used her magic to place Twilight safely on her back. “I am in a hurry. Please do carry on, my little ponies.” The ponies heeded their ruler and went on their way.

"Wow...that's a lot of horses." Sweetie noted. "Did they move here from Saddle Arabia?"

“Those are ponies,” Redheart said. “They are magically enhanced to be, for a lack of a better term, super soldiers. They are Equestria’s Knights.”

“WHERE’S THE BUCKING PRINCESS, YOU FEATHERING CUNTS?!!!” A harsh voice shouted out.

“...And that’s an Angry Knight,” Sunset groaned. “Great.”

"What's he so angry about?" Sweetie huffed. "And he should really watch his language, there are children about."

“Angry Knights are always angry,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “The magical concoction in their training makes them like this.”

Just then, a large stallion pushed his way through the crowd. He wore thick yellow armor with red, angry faces over the pauldrons and his cutie mark area. He wasn’t as large as the other stallions, but he was still pretty big. Around Big Mac’s size. “PRINCESS BUCKING CELESTIA!” He bowed. “Where’s the new cuntnuggets?”

Celestia sighed. “I will tell you as I’ve told your station for over a thousand years. Please watch your tone.” The stallion huffed. “There are here with me and I expect you to treat them with as much respect as you can muster. Am I clear, Captain?”

"Also," Sweetie chimed in, "you should try to watch your language mister. There are children present! Language like that is shameful at the best of times, but in front of children? That is just unacceptable."

“Who the hay do you think you are?!!” The stallion sneered, taking a few threatening steps forward.

“A friend of myself and your goddess,”Sunset stepped in between them. “You will remember that, or we will put you on the chopping block. Am I clear?!!” The stallion took a step back in fear of the unicorn’s anger. “Good, now keep your mouth shut and go.”

“I’m supposed to protect you feathering cunts.” The stallion growled.

"I told you not to use such language sir." Sweetie growled back. "Do so again and I will do something about it."

“Buck me sideways, you have a bucking spine.” The stallion said. 

“Which you won’t have in a second,” Sunset lit her horn up.

“ENOUGH!” Celestia voice rung out, stopping everyone in their tracks. “You are members of MY army. You are the protect MY nation, so you must follow MY rules. Those under my watchful eyes will be treated well. I do believe you have some Diamond Dogs on the eastern side of our nation to take care of.” The stallion bowed his head and departed. Celestia sighed. “Angry Knights do their job well, but they are by far the worst at socializing. Though, they can be quite friendly to some, myself included. Their foul mouth, however, will never leave them.”

Pizzelle, who was covering Hikaru’s ears with her wings, sighed as she took them off. “Just thank goodness he’s gone. I never did like those brutes. Oh no, they are very rude. Very rude indeed.”

"Their language is foul enough on its own" Sweetie agreed "but doing it knowing there are children around? Shameless. Now then, where are we taking Twilight?"

“To the castle infirmary,” Celestia said. “There she will be treated by my top physicians...Ah, and there is our escort.”

“Princess Celestia,” a germanic mare’s voice chimed out happily. Out of the crowd, which had pretty much thinned out thanks to the Angry Knight, came several soldiers. At the lead was a musketeer holding quite the lengthy barrel. She was no ordinary musketeer. She was a Vamphirine. A brown mare, standing a little taller than a regular stallion. Her ears were more pointed and fluffier. Her large, bat-like wings stayed at her side. Her cat-like eyes smiled as did her fanged mouth. “I apologize for not coming sooner.” She and her soldiers stopped and bowed before Celestia. “I meant to warn you about some Angry Knights in the capital...again.” She groaned.

“That’s alright,” Celestia smiled. “Sweetie Drops, I would like you to meet the Captain of Canterlot’s forces, Captain Rip Van Winkle.”

"A pleasure to meet you Captain Winkle." Sweetie said, smiling.

“Charmed as well,” Rip said. “Now, let us be off. You have a wounded mare, ja?”

“Not wounded,” Celestia said. “Merely resting. However, I want her watched and monitered until she awakens, in case of any...complications.”

“Ja,” Rip Van Winkle nodded. “Then follow me, Princess.” The soldiers took their places alongside the group. She clicked her hooves as she performed a perfect about face. “FORWARD MARCH!” She shouted at her soldiers. The group moved along at Celestia’s pace.

Sweetie walked along, then thought of something. "Captain, do you know where our friend is? She should have arrived in the city a while ago."

“Ja,” Rip Van Winkle nodded. “I saw her fly in. Got to admit, she’s fast. I sent a few soldiers to track her.”

Sweetie blinked. "You saw her? That's impressive. Normally a lot of ponies have trouble even seeing her when she starts going faster than sound."

“Frauline Sweetie,” Rip Van Winkle used her hoof to tap between her eyes. “I am a Vamphirine. We have excellent vision. Nothing gets by us.”

"Impressive dear." Sweetie said. "So, how are your soldiers going to track her?"

“Tracking spells,” Sunset piped up. “The grounds of Canterlot are rigged with little spells that we can use to track her. We’ll just send word to the castle and just like that, we find Rainbow.”

"...the ground is enchanted." Sweetie notes. "When we're dealing with a flap happy pegasus."

“She’ll touch down eventually,” Sunset said.

“If not,” Rip Van Winkle chimed in. “I’ll shoot her down.” She chuckled at the disapproving glance Celestia gave her. “Joke, it’s a joke.” She put a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laughter. “I’ll find her myself, if we have to.”

Sweetie groaned slightly. "Just don’t joke like that around Rainbow dear. She might take it as an actual threat, and you seem like such a nice girl."

Captain Rip Van Winkle grinned, showing off her bone crushing, dagger like teeth. “Oh, I won’t hurt her. She’s the Princess’s guest….” She snorted and looked away.

Sweetie didn't have the heart to tell Winkle that if it did come down to a fight, Rainbow wasn't the one she'd be worried about.
> Let's go to the ruins {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Does anyone else feel how ‘wrong’ this forest is?” Quickfix said. The group were nearly their to the castle now, with just a little ways to go. “Ah mean, our forest wants to kill ye. This one feels like it just likes bein’ wrong.”

Lightning snorted. “It doesn’t even have any good game. I mean, have you seen that much prey or awesome animals to fight?”

“How about those tree apes?” Fiddlesticks smirked, causing Lightning to flinch.

“I could so take those thing,” Lightning huffed. “I survived a dingonek and that thing could have ripped them all to shreds.”

"That's a pretty good description, 'likes being wrong'. The Everfree is full of wild magic." Sunset noted. "It's resistant to any magic that tries to tame it."

"Yeah, like totally wild weather." Mask said, flying along. "Pegasi have trouble even touching clouds while in the Everfree, let alone trying to shape the weather."

"Not ta mention the weird stuff that pops up from time ta time." AJ added. "This place sometimes feel like Discord's backyard."

“Sad to think Fluttershy ain’t here to tame it,” Fiddlesticks sighed. “This place needs a spirit’s help.”

"Abo'aku." a somber voice notes, before a small tounge of black fire flares into existence in the air, hovering there.

"You just had to ask for a spirit, didn't you?" Masquerade said, taking a flap back.

Quickfix twirled her wrench about herself. “Spirit or not, if it wants a fight, it’s gettin’ one.” The other two nodded, poised for a confrontation. 

"Relax girls, I don't think we're in danger." Sunset said, peering closer at the thing. "I'm not a shaman, but I'm pretty sure that's just a fire sprite. Even if it did try anything, it's not much hotter than a candle, and it knows it. There isn't much it could do to us, even if it wanted to."

“Well, that’s dissapointin’.” Quickfix huffed and the other relaxed.

“Hello there,” Fiddlesticks talked to the fire sprite cheerfully. “Name’s Fiddlesticks.” She tipped her hat down in greeting. 

"Hello." the fire sprite echoed, flickering, it's voice like that of one in mourning.

“Why ya out here all alone?” Fiddlesticks asked, looking around for more sprites. “Ya lost? If’n ya are, we’ll find yer friends quicker than a squirrel after a honey coated chestnut.”

"We are not alone." the sprite replied.

"Abo'aku." another one intoned, flickering into existence.

A third and fourth appeared with simultanious cries of "Abo'aku!"

"Abo'aku!" another five appeared.

"Abo'aku!" more shouted as they appeared.

"Abo'aku!" another dozen called.

"Abo'aku!" even more called out.

"Abo'aku!" the area rang with the chorus of cries from the host.

“They aren’t going to try and attack us now, are they?” Lightning idly asked. Her wings flared, but her posture was still relaxed. “None of us are druids, so….”

“Nonsense,” Fiddlesticks waved her off. “These cute thin’s? They wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She cooed.

"I'm more concerned about how many there are in one place." Sunset said. "Sprites usually don't congregate like this. They're generally too dumb to work together."

Fiddlesticks gasped and swatted Sunset’s head with her hat. “Sunset,” she glared at the unicorn as she put her hat back on. “That was a mean thin’ to say. Just ‘cause they’re sprites, don’t make ‘em dumb. Apologize.”

"For what?" the first sprite asked. "We are dumb."

"Nice thing about spirits, they don't get insulted by facts." Sunset added. "So, since there are a bunch of you all together, I imagine something is going on?"

"We have been pressed into service." the sprite admitted. "We are forced to be here."

“And just like that ‘BOOM’, we’ve got ourselves villain on our hooves.” Lightning grinned. “So what was it? Ancient god? Cultists? Magically inclined mortals out for vengeance? Evil monster?”

"...wait, what was the, um, one after the first one, what's that called again? Uh, could you go slower?" the sprite asked.

Masquerade sighed. "Who pressed you into service?"

"Our master, the great spirit Abo'aku!"

"Abo'aku!" the host echoed.

"Has pressed us into unwilling service to take him, a sacrifice!"

The three foreigners stared at the sprites.

“So the usual stuff,” Quickfix said as though sacrifices were a daily thing. Which it kind of was back home. “Nice knowin’ ye. Well, that’d be a lie. Any last words, before ah put ye all out?” She twirled her wrench in her hoof.

"...oh, you're a shaman then?" the sprite moaned. "Well darn, guess we'll have to try the next group. Bye." And with that they all flickered out.

“Well look what you did, Quickfix.” Lightning sent her an annoyed glance. “You just dissed our shot at some action. How’re supposed to beat this aboku guy now?”

“...Did that thin’ just call me a shaman?” Quickfix glowered at where the sprite used to be.

"Yeah, it did." Sunset said. "Anyway, let's hurry to the castle. Hopefully we won't run into anymore trouble."

“Jinx!” Fiddlesticks pointed a hoof dramatically at Sunset. “Ya just jinxed us!”

"I keep telling you not to do that!" Mask complained. "Seriously, have you learned nothing from our adventures?"

Sunset face hoofed. "Seems the answer is 'no'." She sighed. "Come on, let's get this over with." she added as she started trotting towards the castle.

“Seems kind of lame that your Elements didn’t fix this place,” Lightning said as they entered the ancient ruin. “I mean, they can defeat gods, but they can’t fix a castle? Lame, I say.”

"Yeah we'll, we weren't exactly trying to use them to fix the...your Elements rebuilt your castle?" Sunset asked in shock.

“Shocked us too,” Fiddlesticks said. “Ah mean, we just wanted ta beat Nightmare Moon. Seems the Elements had other plans.”

“The castle was probably tainted, or somethin’.” Quickfix shrugged. “Never cared to wonder why, really. Makes it easier to get about than walkin’ through some decrepit ruins.”

"Ah, and your Elements restored it from its corrupted state." Sunset concluded. "Ours was just abandoned for a thousand years. So it never got any sort of taint to cleanse. Anyway, since we're looking for a book, I suggest we start in the library."

The library of the ancient castle was huge, and remarkably well preserved. It looked as though even dust had failed to accumulate in this place. Even though a section of the ceiling had collapsed over the centuries, the shelves and the books within looked practically brand new.

Quickfix was instantly at the books, pulling one out to read. Her eyes peered over every page, reading it in seconds and quickly turning it. In less than a moment, she was done and at the next one. Within a couple of minutes, she had read several volumes.

“Nerd,” Lightning rolled her eyes.

"Um, Quickfix, are you checking what you're flipping through?" Sunset asked. "Those are mostly science books on those shelves...from a thousand years ago. The stuff within is practically worthless."

Quickfix’s ears perked at the last word. Stopping her info search, she turned a hard look towards Sunset. “Information is never useless, regardless of era or source.” She seethed and went back to her readings, grumbling darkly under her breath.

"Or accuracy? We're talking about the era where ponies thought gravity worked because there was a universal "down" direction, and that the planet was flat. Oh, and that mare's had fewer teeth than stallions."

Quickfix looked up at her slowly. The look on her face was of disbelief. “A thousand years ago. Yer kin thought that?...A thousand years ago? That’s barely anythin’.” She closed the book she was looking in.

"Barely anything? That's a tenth of pony history!" Sunset shouted. "Plus, what did you expect? The scientific method wouldn't be invented for another five hundred years. Back then if you weren't a genius like Starswirl or Clover you rarely discovered anything. Heck, most of the 'natural philosophy' of the time was just that, philosophy. Theory itself debated by intellectually using purely metal constructs and scenarios to explain the natural world. The idea you needed solid proof came much later."

Quickfix was trying hard to work her mind around that. “But...unicorns need solid proof. We need to know the truth. How’re ye supposed to do anythin’ without all the fact? Where’s that innate curiosity? We’re hard wired to want to know more. Hay, ah just read three thick books straight and ah remember every single word on that page, the meanin’s behind it, and ah’m already workin’ on how to work it alongside current methods of science. All at the same time.”

"Well that's...massively impressive." Sunset said, blinking a few times. "But, uh, we aren't hard wired like that. Unicorns...are actually not that different from other ponies when it comes to learning. Our reputation as being wise and well studied is...mostly a stereotype. Most unicorns don't even really get how magic works for goodness sake."

Quickfix looked at her in horror. “Ah...ah need a moment.” She went over and leaned against a wall, losing herself in her thoughts.

“Give her a moment,” Lightning said. “She’s probably trying to wrap her mind around a world where the unicorns aren’t nerds...well, most of them aren’t.”

"Yeah, most of them are fine running on the instinct level of magic." Sunset admitted. "It's what makes the more scholarly of us stand out all the more. Plus, when you're a magic talent you really don't have much of an option beyond study."

“Cutie marks are like that,” Lightning said and then walked over to Quickfix. “You okay? Do I need to shock you or anything?”

Quickfix didn’t move an inch.

Fiddlesticks pulled out a small bottle out of her hat. Putting her hat back on, she unscrewed it and popped out a couple of pills. She quickly put it underneath Quickfix’s muzzle. “This’ll help.”

Quickfix said nothing. She did however grab the pills with her mouth and swallow. A couple of seconds later, she seemed to relax. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Fiddlesticks said, reaching up into her hat once more for a small bottle of water, which she handed it to her friend. “This’ll help wash it down.”

Quickfix nodded and took a swig.

"Okay cuz, what was that?" AJ asked. "She need medicine or somthin'?"

“Nothin’ serious, cuz.” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “That there was some Thinkin’ Pills. Sometimes, unicorns get so lost in thought, they pretty much shut down their bodies in order to focus on thinkin’. Them pills help relax ‘em.”

"So it's just a tranquilizer?" Mask asked, seemingly disappointed. "Anyway, we should be looking for that journal, not picking up books at random."

"Also," Sunset added, browsing the shelf and reading sleeves, "see if you can find that Abo'aku thing listed in any spirit guides or almanacs. It would be nice to know if we could find out about him before we have to fight him."

“Well he can control spirits,” Lightning offered. “Maybe he’s just some corrupted druid.”

"Unlikely. The sprite called him a 'great spirit'." Sunset pointed out. "Meaning he's one powerful enough to press dozens of lesser spirits into its service. Although with class zero spirits, that isn't saying much."

“So we’ll need magical weapons,” Lightning said. “Got any enchanted swords around?”

"Oh sorry, we're fresh out of +1 swords of plot convenience." Sunset said sarcastically. "We should have more in stock next Tuesday."

"Was that an oubliettes and ogres reference?" Mask asked, stunned.

“You have that here too?” Lightning said, before looking away. “Pfft, that’s nerd game. Nopony plays that, especially not me...Nerd.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Right. Anyway, kind of why I want to find out about Abo'aku, see if he has any weaknesses or taboos we can exploit."

“Well,” Quickfix walked about, scanning the book titles. “Ah could try and work up somethin’ that disrupts his druidic magic and tear him apart, but ah don’t know if yer druidic stuff works the same here.”

"It doesn't. Druidic magic and spirit magic are unrelated here." Sunset noted. "Let's see, oh, hold on. Everypony take one of these." she said, floating out little salt packets, the kind found in restaurants. "If you run into a hostile spirit, throw it in their face. Salt is highly disruptive to manifested spirits. Even if that packet isn't enough to disrupt it, it should still hurt and stun it for a bit...just remember to open the packet first."

“Is it holy salt, or regular salt?” Lightning asked. “Because it might be a daemon of sorts and a little extra power would come in hoofy.”

"They're salt packets from a fast food restaurant." Sunset deadpanned. "Look, even sea spirits can't stand salt...pure salt saltwater is fine. But still, that's sea spirits, the kind that are most resistant. I highly doubt this guy is a sea spirit in the middle of a forest."

“I was just asking if you blessed it or not,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “Ordinary salt works fine too.”

“Yeah, it’d be a little help if we had a Priestess here.” Quickfix nodded. “A prayer or two would keep the lesser spirits away. Well, unless the head honcho appears.”

"A shaman is also acceptable." Mask added, browsing the higher shelves. "Really, anything used to dealing with spirits would be appreciated."

"Heck, ah'd even take Zecora at this point." AJ added.

“Ain’t she a diplomat or somethin’, cuz?” Fiddlesticks rubbed her head in confusion. “Ah know she’s mystical and all, but ain’t she far away right now?”

"She's not a diplomat here." Mask said. "Here, she's a hermit that lives somewhere in the Everfree. She's a really powerful shaman and alchemist."

“Ah oughta throw her a shindig,” Fiddlesticks said to herself. “Anypony who can live out here deserves one.”

"Zebra, not a pony." Sunset responded. "And good luck finding her. She managed to hide from Celestia when the Princess went looking for her."

“Ah didn’t mean….” Fiddlesticks had a hurt look on her face. “Ah need to apologize.” She sped out of the castle in a flash.

“Well, I hope Zecora likes surprises.” Lightning chuckled as she looked through the books. “Say, do you think this world’s library has any war books or something? You know, anything cool?”

Sunset snorted. "I would hope so. I mean, look at this one. A Guide as to Why Roks are Gray in Nature, it's even misspelled did they just put every book written at the time on these shelves? Considering the state of literacy back then actually, they probably did."

“Found somethin’,” Quickfix said from out of a large pile of books. 

"Really? What'cha find?" Applejack asked, trotting over.

“Ah think ah found out what our new foe might be,” Quickfix held up a book on spirits. She opened it up and held it to Sunset. “Page one hundred and thirty four. It was talkin’ about the nature of sprites and ah think this little tidbit might be a little on the nose.”

"Let me see." Sunset said, taking a closer look. " 'Sprites can also be bullied into service by more powerful spirits, usually as bulk slaves given simple tasks, especially those the greater spirit cannot perform themselves due to taboos and the like. Abo'aku in particular is feared mainly for this, as without the aid of sprites he is far more harmless.' Well that's good to know. Doesn't tell us much, but it does mean he's got a big exploitable weakness. Good catch."

“Ah try,” Quickfix brushed her chest in pride.

“So we just need to get him away from his minions,” Lightning smirked. “That’s easy. I’ll have them beat in ten seconds flat.”

"...are you like, actually related to Rainbow Dash or something? Because now its just getting uncanny." Sunset asked.

"Uncanny though the resemblance may be, what are you doing in the Everfree?" a rhyming voice asked.

Turning around, the locals looked only moderately surprised. "Zecora, what brings you here?" Masquerade asked.

"I was picking herbs and roots to brew. Then I was disturbed, does she belong to you?" the zebra asked, nodding over her shoulder at Fiddlesticks.

“Unfortunately,” Quickfix chuckled. She trotted over and leant out her hoof. “Name’s Quickfix, she’s Fiddlesticks. Nice to meet ye.”

"Indeed it is a pleasure how do you do?" Zecora said, shaking her hoof. "And who is this most interesting pegasus with you?"

“Lightning Dust,” Lightning grinned, flexing her wings. “Future Wonderbolt and Element of Loyalty.”

Zecora raised an eyebrow at that. "Should that Element not rest with Twilight? What has occurred, what is your plight?"

“Parallel world,” Lightning said.

“Switched bearers,” Fiddlesticks said.

“Fiddlesticks messed everythin’ up,” Quickfix glowered at her smiling friend. “Ye couldn’t help yerself, could ye?”

“Enope,” Fiddlesticks chuckled.

"Three champions from another world, upon the currents of magic were hurled. In the ancient castle they did look for a most secret book." Zecora said, smiling.

"Oh buck me with the moon, there's a prophecy isn't there?" Sunset moaned, face buried in her hooves. "Why is there always a prophecy with you?"

“Because she speaks in rhymes,” Lightning commented. “I’ve read enough adventure stories to know that creatures who speak in rhyme usually have a prophecy or imminent danger that’s about to unfold. Watch, she’s going to be as cryptic as possible, which we won’t figure out the answer till the climax.”

Quickfix rolled her eyes. “Ye read too many of those books.”

“Says the nerd,” Lightning shot back at her.

"The sad part is Lightning is right." Mask said deadpan. "That's exactly how it's worked out every time so far."

“Fiddlesticks?” Quickfix glanced at the Apple mare.

“On it,” Fiddlesticks pulled her hat off and pulled out a book. Putting her hat back on, she held up the book titled ‘How to Decipher Prophecies and Rhymes; 12th edition’.

"If you are through, I have the rest of the prophecy to tell you." Zecora noted. "Before their quest for home is through, they shall face dread Abo'aku. To land far they shall then roam, and breaking iron find the way home."

"Aaand written down." Sunset said, finishing off the small note she'd been writing. "And that is why you carry stationary in your adventuring kit."

“So….” Fiddlesticks looked down at the book in her hooves. “Are we gonna need this, or are we gonna wing it?”

“Don’t we usually wing it?” Lightning said more as a statement.

“Can’t hurt nothin’,” Quickfix shrugged. She looked to Zecora. “‘Course, she’s as cryptic as Anrain. It might take a while.”

"I am sorry that no more help could I be. I did not write the prophecy." Zecora apologized.

"Not your fault Z, at least we know we are on track...can you tell us about Abo'aku?" Mask asked.

Zecora nodded, frowning. "A spirit most foul not fair, inflicting death without a care. A spirit of fire, pain, and death, it seeks to slay all who draw breath. It has powerful taboos three, which I will share with thee. It cannot kill what it is not given, and against snow and ice it is most shriven. It is repulsed by the sound of a fog, a good reason for it to never venture into swamp or bog."

“So it doesn’t like ice?” Quickfix tapped her chin. “Anypony got any snow and ice spells? Lightning?”

“Sorry,” Lightning shrugged. “I haven’t learned how to create ice cycles or anything like that. Lightning’s my specialty.” Said lightning sparked around her wings.

"I've got Cone of Cold, it's basically a mini-blizard spell." Sunset said, smiling. "And it can't kill what it's not given? That's why it needs the sprites! To offer things as sacrifices so that it can kill them!"

“So we just don’t get caught,” Lightning said. “Easy.”

“Spirits are a cunnin’ bunch,” Quickfix piped up. “Ye can’t trust ‘em. Even the stupid ones can trip ye up.”

"It is not as if most spirits are truly malicious." Zecora argued. "Just that the dark ones are quite vicious. It is their nature to be that way. They did not chose to be such at the start of each day."

“Then hasn’t the god of death, Grim, taken ‘em yet?” Quickfix asked. “He usually gets ‘em...with the odd crafty one out.”

The locals looked confused for a second. "Um, the god of death? We uh, we don't have that." Sunset noted. "Plus, it's spirits. They're just...kind of there. There's no real higher authority to appeal to."

“...Oh, yeah.” Quickfix scratched her head in thought. “Fergot we were just dealin’ with Elementals fer a sec.” 

"Well, only some are elemental. You've also got emotional, material, craft, knowledge, conceptual, um, animal, uh, plant, geographical, uh, jeeze I know there are a lot more, but you get the idea." Sunset sighed. "Like I said, spirit's aren't my area of expertise."

“Don’t worry a bit, Sunset.” Fiddlesticks ruffled her mane. “We’ll find this feller quicker than a salmon on the run.”

"....salmon are fish, they swim." Sunset looked at Fiddlesticks like she was crazy...er.

“Run, swim, fly,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “Gets ya goin’ places. Speakin’ of places, Zecora. Do ya want yer shindig in Ponyville, or do ya want it ta be a surprise?”

"Ponyville will do. I was going to be visiting tomorrow anyhoo." Zecora replied with a casual shrug.

“Alright,” Fiddlesticks hoof-pumped. Her hat stirred and Pat plopped out, trilling before starting to waddle off. “Better follow him. He’s a smart platypus.” Fiddlesticks trotted after him.

Pat waddled over to one of the bookshelves and, with its beak, yanked one book back. Doing so caused a magically preserved cookie to slip out from between the books where it had been wedged. Pat promptly ate the cookie. It also happened that the book Pat moved was false, a switch that caused a secret spiral staircase set into the library floor to be revealed. Having finished its cookie, Pat wandered back over to Fiddlesticks.

Fiddlesticks picked him up and cuddled him. “Who’s a good platypus? Ya are. Ya are.”

“Fiddlesticks,” Quickfix piped up, looking at the staircase. “Ah want to say this. Thank Mother Nature for the platypus.”

Sunset looked stunned. Her horn glowing, she levitated a small bottle labels In Case of Pinkie Logic, pulled the cork, and took a swig. "There we go.  Now I'm a bit more open to the idea of that just happening."

AJ took a sniff, wincing. "Is that triple strength zap apple cider?"

"It's for dealing with Pinkie at her worst." Sunset argued. "You think I'd use something weaker?"

“Ah just take a swing o’ some fine Northern Whiskey,” Quickfix patted her stomach. “Does the job just fine. Fiddlesticks?” Fiddlesticks gently put Pat onto her back and then reached into her hat to pull out a bottle, to which she threw it. “Thank ye.” Quickfix took a long, hard swig of it.

“Don’t try it,” Lightning warned. “It’ll knock you out with a drop.”

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on it." Sunset assured her. "I drink this mostly because the flavor hides the alcohol. I prefer flavor in my drinks."

“Whiskey has a good, wholesome flavor.” Quickfix said after a swig. She held it out to Sunset. “Come on. Give it a taste.”

Lightning pushed her hoof away. “We need her awake and she doesn’t need a splitting headache.” 

"Yeah, being sober is important when adventuring." Mask argued. "Right Zecora...and she's mysteriously vanished while we were all distracted. I love slash hate it when she does that."

“Ya want me to find her?” Fiddlesticks asked. “Ah’m good at findin’ others and Pat’s almost as good as Winona when it comes to trackin’.” Pat trilled. “Yeah, yeah. Ah know.” She leaned over to Applejack, whisperin’ in her ear. “Ah think he likes Winona. He’s a bit shy.”

"Uh huh." AJ said. "Yer platypus is fancy on a dog...does it want ta add more parts ta the mix or somethin'?"

“Now cuz,” Fiddlesticks chided. “Let’s not be chidin’ him on his crush. He’s a good platypus. He just has to grow the nerve to ask. Don’t ya?” She leaned back over and nuzzled him, causing the platypus to trill. She chuckled. “Yep, shy.”

"Alright before anything else crazy happens, let's get going." Sunset urged, igniting her horn to light the way as she casually trotted down the ancient spiral staircase.

“Right behind you,” Lightning trotted after her. “Somepony has to watch your back who knows a thing or two about fighting.”

And so the heroes began their quest, tracking into darkness.
> Meet the Doubles {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stirred to consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was how warm the blankets were, and that the pillow was quite fluffy. The second thing she noticed was something every unicorn was unfortunately well equated with. The smell of disinfectant. "I'm in a hospital bed? Augh, is there a nurse or doctor here?" She opened her eyes, taking a look around somewhat dully.

The sterile white room was quite spacious, but simple. The bed itself was large enough that Celestia or someone/thing heavier than her could sleep on it with no problem. There were a few other beds in the room, but they were all empty. Her body was covered in rich, golden sheets as if they were made by the sun itself. Beside each bed was a stand with a golden statue sitting atop and a pendant in the shape and color as her cutie mark lay at its hooves.

On the floor beside her stood a Sun Priestess. The purple mane, yellow mare was more ornately dressed than most other priestesses. “If you are looking for either of those, than I am sorry to say I sent them away. I needed to pray over you in peace.” Her voice was warm and soothing, but also told one that she was getting on in years.

"I see...I guess. Can I get some water? I'm feeling a bit thirsty." Twilight asked, her throat feeling scratchy.

“Of course,” the priestess bowed her head and walked over to a strange little podium. It had a small nozzle at the top pointed down at the ground. Large blue gems stood upon it. Each was ornately carved in a cylinder. She plucked a small cup from the side, put it under the nozzle, and pushed the button. The gems lightly shone and water poured out from the nozzle. As the water ran, the priestess prayed over it. Filling up the cup, she gently trotted back over to her. “Here you go.”

"Thank you." Deciding to see if her magic was working now, Twilight concentrated. Her lavender aura flickered around the cup, floating it over to her, slowly but...well not surely it was wobbling quite a bit, but that wasn't the important part. Her magic was back on...sort of. Finally getting the cup to herself, she finally started drinking. The cup was only about two thirds full at this point. "So, is that some sort of magical version of a water cooler?"

“I don’t know what a water cooler is,” the priestess said. “But it sounds like an apt name for our hydro tanks. Do you not have water gems on your world?”

"Not that I know of." Twilight admitted. "If they did, they would be spirit magic." Taking a longer sip, she added "A water cooler is pretty simple actually. A large plastic jug placed upside down into a stand with a built in tap. Once it's empty, you replace the jug and refill the earlier one."

“A water gem never runs out unless it is destroyed,” the priestess commented. “They are infinite and pure. I would think it tedious to keep replacing water so much.”

"Really, infinite? ...isn't that a little overkill for drinking water?" Twilight asked.

“They do have to be maintained in case of breaks,” the priestess said. “They aren’t as numerous as we would like, but we have enough. There is no such thing as ‘overkill’ here.”

"Huh...so I imagine they'd be useful for irrigation." Twilight conceded.

“They are,” the priestess looked her over. “Are you feeling alright? Any soreness? Tired? Misfiring signals?”

"A little bit of light sensitivity, but I think that's because I just woke up." Twilight noted, finishing off the water. Her stomach then growled a little. "Also, I am apparently hungry."

“I will have something brought in immediately,” the priestess bowed. “To keep one blessed by Celestia herself waiting is a sin most foul. Do you have anything in mind?”

"Um, a daisy sandwich? Nothing fancy." Twilight said. "We discovered earlier that I was having...problems when I came to eating involving flavor. I would hate for a lot of work to go into something that I can't appreciate. A daisy sandwich sounds like a good test to see if flavor works for me after Princess Celestia...if my taste buds work right now." She shook her head clear. It would be embarrassing to faint in a hospital bed she just woke up in.

The priestess put a comforting hoof on her. “Trust in the sun goddess’s work. She has never failed in her blessings.” She took the sun pendant from the stand and placed in softly into Twilight’s hoof. Her eyes spoke of years of devotion and love. “Have faith. I will send a guard for your sandwich.” She trotted out into the hallway.

Twilight finished off her water, and looked at the pendant. It was..odd, but also a bit comforting. While Twilight was devoted to the Princess, she'd never gone so far as to literally worship her, despite what a few rumors had claimed. It was an odd idea, a Celestia that allowed worship. Her own Celestia had forbidden such practices centuries ago, being very insistent she was not a goddess. Here, Celestia was just as kind and loving as ever, but she let ponies worship her. Twilight wasn't sure what to make of that. Deciding to focus on other things, she turned her attention to her now empty glass. Focusing her attention, she worked on getting this new telekinesis working right. It was..different from what she was used to. Just a bit off, like blue instead of violet, but it was enough to make this more difficult than it should be.

And then her glass was a purple tomato with a smiley face.

"...wow, am I glad I decided to practice. I wonder what went wrong?" Twilight mused. Perhaps she shouldn't try casting until she had a unicorn here to teach her. If her attempts at levitation could do that, she had seriously underestimated how complex the magic here was.

“What went wrong?” A familiar, but off voice rang out throughout the room. It laughed, which was something you’d hear out of a pony from the insane asylum. “Aww, you don’t like tomato’s? I can make it taste like cotton candy.” And then the tomato was a big fluff of cotton candy. The smiley face was still on it. “Better?” The face spoke.

"Gah!" Twilight shouted, dropping the thing. "Food should not be talking!"

“Should or shouldn’t, doesn’t matter.” The voice laughed again. “Chaos doesn’t have either. It’s just fun, fun, fun. Why, does me not like fun? That’s silly. I love fun.”

"Chaos?" Twilight was quite worried now. "Are you a Draconequus?" That would be just her luck, running into one while she can't cast spells and was recovering in a hospital bed.

Right then, a pony shape appeared in the covers. It squirmed until it was right next to her and then the offenders’ head popped out. “I wish.” Twilight Sparkle, one of the most powerful chaos Priestess’ ever, smiled widely. Celestia’s brand on her right cheek. “I’m just a pony, like you.” 

"...I'm not buying it." Twilight said. "I know there are shapeshifters here. Quit trying to mess with my mind."

“I”m not joking,” Sparkle giggled. “Or maybe I am. I don’t know, yes, no.” She tapped her chin. “Wait...I’m not joking. Weird. Maybe you can’t lie to yourself.”

Twilight was feeling rather uncomfortable dealing with...Twilight. "So...you are the me here then."

Sparkle laughed. “Yep, I wondered why I was somewhere else. Well, not really. I do that all the time to mess with ponies. It’s so fun to trick them and mess with their heads. So, I went and found you and you’re here.”

"Uh huh." Twilight sighed. She could see where this was going. "So, any reason you climbed into my bed? Cause if not, please get out."

Sparkle booped Twilight’s nose. “Chaos doesn’t need a reason…” She teleported both of them out of the bed. “But okay, I’m out.”

"Of course chaos needs a reason." Twilight argued. "If it was genuine chaos, then all states would be valid, including the current normal state. You have agendized chaos. You said yourself it's for the purpose of fun."

“Chaos is fun silly.” Sparkle giggled. She backflipped into the air and disappeared. To which she appeared at Twilight side with a daisy sandwich. “You never know what it does till it happens. It’s random. I love it!” She squealed. “There’s just no fun in making sense.” She made a raspberry which caused several pink bubbles to float out from her tongue. 

Twilight rolled her eyes. "If you actually were random, you couldn't make coherent sentences, let alone hold a conversation. In addition, your own opinion on chaos would change, meaning at times you would find chaos tedious and boring. You'd also on occasion find making sense the funniest thing you could possibly do."

“No fun,” Sparkle booped her nose, turning Twilight’s horn into a dunce cap. “That’s no fun talk. Chaos doesn’t follow rules or regulations. We do whatever we want.”

"Isn't not following rules in and of itself a rule?" Twilight argued. "And turn my horn back, I just got that working again!"

Sparkle sniffed and tapped her nose again fixing it. “I’m a meanie, that’s what I am over there huh? Rules on chaos? Telling me I’m wrong? That’s no fun. Why do you want to make sense? Why?”

"Because I need to make sense." Twilight argued back. "I need to be in control. To understand. To analyze, to confirm, to know. I need to be disciplined. I need to be organized, ordered."

“That wasn’t any fun,” Sparkle poked her chest. She glared at her double. “I did that and they wouldn’t accept me. I was just some nosy little filly. What did it get you, all that studying and control?”

"Respect. Love. My son. My life. Training from Celestia. Being one of the saviors of the world. Bearer of the Element of Loyalty." Twilight argued. "And what did you get doing nothing but goofing around? Ponies don't respect you. They think you're a joke. The idea of you doing anything serious is treated as something to laugh at. You are squandering your talents on self indulgence."

“SHUT UP!” Sparkle stomped the ground, crying. “SHUT UP! I just need my family and my master. That’s all. I don’t care what they say. I don’t care. Why did you get all of that? HOW?!! They wouldn’t accept me in Celestia’s school. They didn’t even with all my power. Why did they accept you, not me? Huh? HUH?”

Twilight stepped back, unprepared for her double's outburst. "...I lost control. I lost all control. Celestia had to come and fix my accidental rampage. I had to be her student. Nopony else could teach me. I have to be in control. I have to be disciplined. I can't afford to be anything else...for a while all I had was my family, Sunset, and Celestia. I didn't want anypony else. I was too scared of hurting them...what is your special talent? I noticed our cutie marks are different."

“...It’s chaos magic,” Sparkle’s still came. “I got it when I lost control that day...They wouldn’t let into the school. Not after what happened. Why did they let you in the school after that? Why? After what happened to daddy….”

"They didn't. When I said nopony besides Princess Celestia could safely teach me, I wasn't kidding. I was too dangerous for the general student body. I got my mark too. My talent is Magical Disaster. My magic naturally wants to turn to destructive and disruptive ends. I was too dangerous not to train, and too dangerous for anypony to train. If Celestia had never taken me in, I'd either be dead now, or be considered one of Equestria's worst monsters." Twilight explained.

“BUT WE KILLED DADDY?!!” Sparkle shouted. She raged through her pain. “How could Celestia take you in when we killed him? HOW?!!!”

"...I'm sorry. That didn't happen in my world." Twilight admitted. "I turned my parents into plants, sent the school board flying around the room, and turned an egg into a two hundred hoof tall dragon. Celestia managed to fix everything." Her heart went out to her double. "Daddy here, that's, I..." Not knowing what else to do, she hugged her double and cried.

“I just wanted to make them proud of me,” Sparkle cried. “I tried...maybe too hard and it just happened. I didn’t mean to. My magic was strong and it warped everything….I...summoned a daemon...And one of my magic bolts hit...I pierced his heart with my magic!” She wailed. “I just wanted him to be happy!”

"You didn't mean it. It's not your fault. You didn't mean it. We never mean it." Twilight said, doing her best to try and sooth her double. "...we're cursed with power. I'm locked off from a world made of fine porcelains, having to tread carefully so that I don't break everything. You're hurting behind your smiles. We're cursed, both of us."

“I sometimes miss being sane,” Sparkle whimpered. “Everything made sense back then. At least you’re not a chaos freak.”

"...yes I am." Twilight said. "I just show it the other way. If everything isn't just right, I spaz out. I measure the frosting on cupcakes with rulers and compasses. I'm not a chaos freak, I'm an order freak...and I'm pretty sure I'm not sane either. It just doesn't show as much."

Sparkle chuckled and touched a hoof to Twilight’s heart. “Good to know….Does daddy still love you over there?...Is he okay?”

"Yeah, he's great." Twilight said, smiling. "Maybe...when we find the way back you could come over and visit for the day?"

“What if he doesn’t love me though?” Sparkle sniffled. “I’m not his little studious filly anymore. I...did that to him.”

"You're me...mostly. That would be good enough for him." Twilight assured Sparkle. "...admittedly he'd probably be confused as all heck at first but he'd shake it off quick enough...oh my goodness I think Rainbow Dash is rubbing off on me. I just thought of a horrible prank."

Sparkle happily gasped. “Oh, I bet it’s a good one.” She grinned.

"Well, what if you walked in the front door instead of me, and acted like nothing was going on." Twilight said, grinning.

“It’s so simple it’s brilliant!” Sparkle hugged her double. “I’m so clever.”

"Yeah I am pretty smart." She hesitated. "Ah listen, could you maybe not, you know, tell anypony else about what happened at my exam? It's...kind of a big secret. Even my Sunset doesn't know, and she's well, Celestia's elder student. As far as I know, only my Princess Celestia and myself know what my talent is. I'm trusting you with a very big secret here. Promiss me you won't tell anyone."

“I promise,” Sparkle grinned. “Besides, I love secrets. That’s why I didn’t tell Shiny about Cadance’s crush on him. It was kind of funny to see him flail about.” She giggled.

"...my Shiny didn't tell me he was dating Princess Cadance for three years." Twilight sighed. "He is such a dork sometimes."

“Yeah, but he’s our BBBFF.” Sparkle pointed out. “We love him because he’s a dork….And three years? Really? My Shiny never lies to me...Well, he doesn’t really talk about some of his missions, but that’s top secret stuff. How can he lie to his LSBFF?”

"He didn't really lie. He just conveniently forgot to tell me for three years. Cadance was pretty pissed when she found out." Twilight chuckled. "And yeah he's a lovable dork...even if he thinks he's so cool. Did yours play oubliettes and ogres?"

“All the time,” Sparkle rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I can’t believe my awesome bro, the stallion who has won so many campaigns, is such a dork and that sounds pretty mean of him to do that. Not telling you about him dating for so long. I hope you got back at him for that.”

"I sicked Mom and Cadance on him. I think he suffered enough. Though I did set up extra measures if he ever tried something like that again." Twilight broke out into a wicked grin.

“Looks like you have a little chaos too, missy.” Sparkle giggled. “Sicking Mom AND Cadance on him? Have you no mercy?”

"Sure I do. That's why I didn't add on the extra stuff, that's for next time. I went light on a first time offender." Twilight shrugged. "I'm planning on escalating every time he has a critical attack of dorkness."

“But he’s such a dork,” Sparkle pointed out. “How is he going to survive?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I figure he'll learn his lesson before I even get to situation four."

“Maybe,” Sparkle giggled. “He is a quick learner. I have to keep trying to find new ways to mess with him after he figures out my tricks.”

"Have you tried doing nothing and acting normal? Not being up to anything while doing something boringly normal in front of him, just to watch him panic as he tries to figure out what you did to make you so calm?" Twilight asked. She knew such a trick would send her mind spinning into nightmare scenarios after all.

“...Why didn’t I think of that?” Sparkle tapped her chin. “That’s brilliant! Again, I’m really clever. I’m sure your pranks are really great.”

"I don't prank him." Twilight said, shaking her head, before grinning. "The serious one, remember? I do mess with him though. Do you know how much fun it is to pretend that he is a serious magical scholar that I've looked up to for so long because he's my BBBFF? He has to do his best to follow along while I babble stuff that sounds impressive and he has to pretend he can understand it?"

Sparkle laughed. “Prank or not, that’s hilarious. How well did he take you getting a coltfriend? Mine still get so uppity about it.”

Twilight stopped. "Coltfriend? I don't...I'm not ready...emotions running high...I can't. Not yet."

“....Oh,” Sparkle looked uncomfortable. “Well….this is awkward.” Sparkle tried to think of something to get them off the topic, since it seemed her double didn’t like to talk about it. “So….Mom’s a writer over there?”

"Editor." Twilight replied. "She tried to start a writing career, but it didn't take off. She mainly edits YA literature now. She swears that if she has to edit one more series where an impractical dystopian future under elk rule is thwarted by a group of rebellious teens with relationship troubles, she's going to go and conquer the elk lands so that ponies will stop writing about the 'elk menace'."

“That sounds like mom,” Sparkle noted. “But her writing really took off here. She’s a world renowned writer. Hay, even griffins and humans like her writing, though they won’t admit it since a pony wrote it.”

Twilight smiled "Good for her...do you know if they have a copy of her books in the library? I'd like to read it."

“I can show you,” Sparkle bounced up and down on her hooves. “I can, I can. I know where all the books are….It’s a bit of a hobby.” She blushed in embarrassment. “I loved books when I was a filly….now I like to mess with them.” She shrugged. “It’s a love hate thing, but I promise not to mess with the books you choose.”

"Thank you...if you get bored while I'm reading, why not try pretending you're about to do something to the books? It'll drive the librarian nuts, and if she yells at you, you can point out you didn't do anything."

“...I really like me.” Sparkle’s eyes glimmered with glee. She teleported the two of them in a flash.

"I have your sandwich." the Sun Priestess said, walking in the room. "...hello?"

___________________________________________________________________________

The city of Canterlot was a beautiful city. There was no denying that. From the ground or in the air, it’s splendor was well known. Citizens from all over the country flocked to it daily to see the sights and pleasures of the fair capital city, home of Princess Celestia herself. Yes, it was grand.

“Cloudsdale is better,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she trotted through the holy city. Eh, a pegasus would obviously choose a city in the sky to one on the ground. There wasn’t much of a contest. 

Of course, right now it didn’t matter where it was. What mattered was that she couldn’t find what she was looking for. Well, that and anything awesome to buy. To top it off, she had lost her company. 

“This is why I hate big cities,” she huffed as she scanned the crowds and skies. Oh yeah, she could easily do it from the air and feel more comfortable, but there were many allies or shops that would be out of view then. She needed to be on ground level. It really didn’t matter though. She was going to find what she was looking for one way or another….Well, she could always go check up on Dirtbound again. He was pretty cool. 

“Alright,” Rainbow tapped her chin as she thought about where she would like to go. A few ideas sparked in her head. “Hmm, maybe what I’m looking for won’t be so hard to find, if I’m anything to go by.” She took off in a steady trot. Several ponies waved her way, or gave their wishes, or even shouted praise. She smiled and waved back a few times, but she kept on going. Whatever she was about to find could well enough be life changing. She was was always prepared, so it better bring its A game.

As she trotted along, she caught a glimpse of something. Something rainbow. She narrowed her eyes. “There you are.” Her wings flared and ponies would swear she just disappeared. Of course, she that was simply because she was too fast for their eyes. The next second, she was at a stall not far behind her target. She glanced her over, keeping herself close to the buildings and out of sight. She wanted to keep an eye on her target before pouncing. So she would wait…...’Waiting’s not my style!’ Just like that, she was gone faster than you could blink and then behind her target’s group.

“So,” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “You’re the pony I’ve been hearing about….Does my mane really look like that from behind?”

Rainbow Dash turned around, and stared at herself. "Oh my goodness, I think that's the real Rainbow Dash." Turning to Applejack, she added "Well not that I'm not a Rainbow Dash, but that's the famous Wonderbolt hero one."

“My word,” Applejack grinned. “It really is you, in uniform even. Oh, I am such a fan of your work.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Always happy to meet my fans.” Which was true. That was one of the best perks of being a Wonderbolt; all the ponies looking up to you. It was a hard job living up to that expectations. Of course, even though she was here for personal reasons, she still wore a traditional Wonderbolt dress uniform with two swords, one on each side. 

“Oh I must simply have your autograph,” Applejack looked to Blueblood. “Dearie, do you have….” Blueblood pulled out a little notebook and pen from a pocket of his dresswear. She giggled and kissed his cheek. “You remembered.”

“Of course I did,” Blueblood chuckled and handed it to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash quickly used her wings to sign the little book. “Here you go,” she smiled as she hoofed it back.

“Oh the other nobles are going to be so jealous,” Applejack squealed. “I’ve got Rainbow Dash’s autograph.”

“Yeah, speaking of Dash,” Rainbow Dash turned her now hardened gaze on her younger self. “Mind telling me who you are and why you look like me?...Well, you know, except all that plumage.”

"Well, this is kind of funny, but the name's Rainbow Dash. And before you ask, no I didn't change my name, and I'm not that much younger than you so I obviously wasn't named after you." Rainbow Dash said. "If I'd known I was going to be meeting the Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash on my trip up here to Canterlot, I'd have brought an autograph book myself. I don't suppose you have a signed photo hoofy? It'd be really something to show the guys back home."

Dash rolled her eyes. She used her wing to pull out a photo from her jacket and a pen. With a quick flourish of her wings, she smiled and hoofed it to her look alike. “Here you go. Be sure to rub it in your world’s face.”

"Ha, the folks back home are never going to believe this." Rainbow said, smirking, as she slipped the signed photo into her small bag containing the tonic bottle she had acquired from Dirtbound. "I mean who'd believe I actually ran into you like this?"

“Maybe a certain musketeer,” Dash offered, smirking. “Cloudsdale?”

Rainbow tapped her chin a few times in thought. "Nope, not ringing any bells. I haven't been to Cloudsdale yet, couldn't have met anypony there." It was amazing what you could say without lying.

“Oh? You don’t remember sending anyone to the cloud city? Not even an eager out of breath private?” Dash asked, amused. 

"I never told anypony to go to Cloudsdale." Rainbow responded. "I mentioned to a waiter I was thinking about going there, but I decided on Canterlot instead. Who wouldn't want to visit the capital if given the chance?"

“Are you really lying to yourself?” Dash asked with a deadpanned expression. “Really?”

"Of course not." Rainbow replied. "It's hardly my fault if you don't believe me."

Just then, a stallion’s heavy breathing could be heard.

Dash peered around her double. “Then try telling that to him.”

"Oh, hey Stonewall." Rainbow said, smiling. "You know, I think manners dictate I buck you in the face after ditching me at a restaurant while I was in the bathroom."

The stallion huffed, breathing heavily. His wings lay limp against his side and his grip on his musket shaking. He sent Rainbow an annoyed glare. “Ma’am *huff* I do believe *huff* that was *huff* rather rude of you.” He tried to collect himself.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's rude to offer to buy a mare lunch, take her out to a nice cafe, have a good conversation, then ditch her while she's in the bathroom and almost fly off without paying the bill for the lunch you offered to buy her." Rainbow responded. She turned to Applejack. "I'm not wrong, am I?"

“Oh no deary,” Applejack stuck her nose up into the air snootily. “How most dreadful of him.”

“You had the gall to ditch me?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Wow, didn’t know you had a deathwish.”

Stonewall’s irises shrank to pinpricks. “Captain…*huff* Dash, I assure you.”

“No, no,” Dash said as serious as she could at the moment. “I see how it is. Such a barbarian.”

Blueblood was glaring down at him. “I have half a mind to challenge you to a duel for the lady Rainbow’s honor, you swine.”

“I would never besmirch a lady’s honor,” Stonewall looked at Rainbow in panic. “Rainbow, you’ve got to believe me. I payed for that dinner. I wouldn’t have wanted to leave if I didn’t have to. I was enjoying myself. The waiter told me you went to Cloudsdale. I swear.”

"That would be the same waiter that said it was shameful you hadn't given me a band yet?" Rainbow asked.

Stonewall nodded. “Why yes….”

“Wait, you have the gall to date me and THEN ditch me?” Dash put a hoof to her chest. “You really do have a deathwish. Oh such a shame. You had such promise to. Oh well.”

"You know, the waiter was very disappointed in you Stonewall. He used to have such a high opinion of you." Rainbow said, shaking her head with exaggerated sadness. "You know, I actually got a chance to talk to Princess Celestia about you."

“Oh you’re screwed,” Dash shook her head in disappointment. 

Stonewall shook in panic. “Alright, I’ll get you a band. We’ll get married swiftly. Oh please, Rainbow. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”

"Well, you're going to want to go see Celestia first. She has special orders for ya." Rainbow said. It was amazing how much you could screw with somepony just by telling the truth, nothing but the truth, and a heck of a lot less than the whole truth.

Stonewall nodded and started, ever slowly as he was tired, trotting to the castle. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to make it up to you.”

“Well, you could kiss her for starters.” Dash grinned. Stonewall stopped and stared at her in shock. “What? You don’t want to kiss her? Even after a lovely date? Shameful and you were so promising in the musketeers.” 

"I am so out of his league." Rainbow said, scoffing. "What kind of desperate girl would accept a kiss from the guy that ditched her?"

Stonewall opened his mouth, but then closed it. Instead of talking, he just looked down at the ground in shame and walked off.

“Such a classless brute,” Applejack huffed. “I hope to never see him in my life.”

“I’ll make sure of that,” Blueblood assured her.

"Oh don't be too mad." Rainbow said. "I'm pretty sure what the Princess has in store for him is punishment enough."

Dash chuckled. “Well, I’m just as awesome over on your side.” She lightly pushed Rainbow. “So….was he any good?”

"Any good at what?" Rainbow asked, confused.

Dash eyed her up and down. “Wait a moment...OH yeah, you’re barely of age.” She chuckled and patted her head. “Sorry squirt. Forgot I was talking to a mini me.”

"Hey, just because I'm a minor doesn't mean you can talk down to me." Rainbow argued, brushing Dash's patting hoof aside with her wing. "I'm too awesome to be ignored like that."

Dash threw her head back in laughter. “You really are me. I remember saying the same thing to my father when I was your age. Well, our father really.”

"Um, what?" Rainbow asked, casting a quick and meaningful glance over at Applejack and Blueblood.

Dash glanced at the others. Her mouth made an ‘oh’. “Sorry, I mean my father. She just looks so much like a twin or something.” She chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head.

“She sure does, Miss Dash.” Applejack nodded. “Why, I even mistook her for you. Oh I’m dreadfully sorry for that. To the both of you.”

“No sweat,” Dash grinned, waving it off with a hoof.

"Yeah, we do look a lot alike. Except with my feathers I'm the better looking one." Rainbow puffed up her chest.

“....Say what?” Dash sent her an annoyed look. “I do believe I’m the more awesome looking of the two.” She puffed out her own chest and spread out her wings.

Rainbow inflated the ruff in her chest, while flairing out her own wings. "Well I guess there is only one way to settle this. First one to Cloudsdale is the good looking one."

Dash smirked. “I like to think all those playcolt magazines speak for that, but you’re on.”

Taking a starting position, Rainbow turned to Dash. "When you're ready, I'll count to three, then we go. You ready?"

Dash took her position, her predatory nature kicking in. “Ready,” she said, showing off her fangs in her grin.

"Alright then, on three. One...two...three!" Rainbow shouted, starting the race.

Dash was off the ground the moment the word three came about. She literally vanished into thin air. She had been in several races being a Wonderbolt and all. She hadn’t lost a race yet and she wasn’t going to do that now. Not even to herself...Which is odd when you think about it….And then she noticed something.

“Not cool,” she said from right behind Rainbow.

"Aww nuts." Rainbow said from her place on the starting line. "I was hoping you'd be halfway to Cloudsdale before you noticed."

“I nearly was,” Dash glared down at her younger self. “Of course I’ve been in plenty of races to know to keep an eye out for other racers. I’d think I’d notice if you weren’t at least keeping up.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You're older, fully developed, highly trained, and have probably hundreds more flight hours than me. You're a Captain in the Wonderbolts. I'm a small town girl. What the hay makes that sound like a fair competition?"

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Dash rolled her own eyes. “I beat Spitfire when I was a filly. She was a Wonderbolt then, not captain back then, but a Wonderbolt none the less. I beat her easy. Of course, you’re right about it in this case.” She grinned. “You’ll be a Wonderbolt Captain sooner than you realize. Well, if those Wonderbolts in your world have any brains in their heads...Wait, have you performed the Sonic Rainboom yet? I mean after that one time.”

"You mean the Sonic Rainboom from pegasi mythology?" Rainbow asked. "The one nopony in over a thousand years was ever able to do?"

“Aw man,” Dash grumbled. “Really? You haven’t done it? Come on, I’m too awesome for it not to happen. That’s how I got my cutie mark and picked up by the Wonderbolts, for Celestia’s sake.”

Rainbow broke out into a huge grin. "Of course I'm too awesome. Boom, cutie mark. Way too young or the Bolts though."

“Well, I wasn’t made a bolt for a while,” Dash admitted. “But they took me in and nurtured my talents. I mean, I’m the only pegasus to be able to perform the Sonic Rainboom in generations, something thought to be only legends. Why wouldn’t the Wonderbolts want me to join as soon as I could?”

"...I'm captain of my hometown's local Weather Patrol." Rainbow said.

“Lame,” Dash rolled her eyes. “So no invitation or Bolt coming to check up on you?...Are they just blind to awesomeness or something?”

"One, my job is not lame. Two, I was eight at the time. And three, everypony thought it was a hoax." Rainbow explained.

“...Wow, that sucks.” Dash said. “I mean, I did it while racing Spitfire. Who were you racing?”

"Some older kids at flight camp that were picking on a weak flyer who was my friend. No adults were around, and nopony got a good look at it." Rainbow explained.

“Wow that really sucks,” Dash frowned, her ears pinned back. “Sorry to hear that.”

"What, that I can do the Sonic Rainboom? Yeah, it sucks I didn't get everything I could dream of, but I think it worked out fine in the end." Rainbow said, shrugging it off casually.

“Yeah,” Dash nodded. “So, a bearer huh? Guess I really showed Nightmare Moon a thing or two then.”

"Heck yeah. I turned her into a potato." Rainbow said, smirking.

“........I don’t know what to say to that.” Dash blinked in confusion. “I mean really. What do you say to that?”

"I think you say 'wow it's amazing that you turned Nightmare Moon into a potato, dropped her from several hundred hooves in the air, and then Sonic Rainboomed her face for good measure', but that's. Just a guess on my part." Rainbow said, grinning a giant grin.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Dash conceded. 

“Dear,” Applejack spoke up. “I do believe I am lost. Are we to infer they are the same pony from different worlds?”

“It would seem so, my love.” Blueblood nodded.

“Shoot,” Applejack huffed. “I owe my cousin Fiddlesticks a bag of bits then.”

"Sorry about that." Rainbow said, shrugging. "I avoided saying anything earlier because I didn't want to freak you out. And then she started talking about the Sonic Rainboom so familiarly, and I figured buck it, it's too obvious now."

“And that’s why I’m not an Inquisitor,” Dash shrugged, chuckling. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, darling.” Applejack sighed. “I think it’s rather exciting to meet a pony from another world. I mean, do all of you pegasi have such exquisite body plumage?”

"On our world? Yeah." Rainbow admitted. "Also, me, I would totally rock as an Inquisitor."

“You sure?” Dash asked. “I mean, you get a cool outfit and some good action, but the Wonderbolts are better for me. No lurking or any of that. Just point me at the problem and...well, no problem anymore.”

"Oh yeah, I'm still totally going for the Bolts, don't worry." Rainbow reassured her double. "I'm just saying, if being clever is a prerequisite for an Inquisitor, I think I qualify."

“And what, I’m not clever?” Dash eyed her.

"Well did you ever get Celestia to unknowingly appoint a guy that ditched you as your personal guard for an indefinite period of time during which they have to do whatever you tell them to?" Rainbow asked.

“Did he really ditch you?” Dash quirked an eyebrow. “I’m just curious. He seemed like an honest pony.”

"Oh he is." Rainbow said. "That's why when the waiter suggested that I said something about Cloudsdale he rushed off without checking with anypony else if I had actually left or not. He's a bit naive and too straightforward. Still, he's got guts, getting to Cloudsdale and back to here in a day when he can't go super sonic? Takes real dedication."

“Yeah,” Dash nodded. “So...you going to ride him or what?”

Rainbow blinked...and then blanched. "Okay, eww, I'm a minor. Ewww, I mean really? Ewww."

Dash chuckled and shrugged. “Just messing with you.” She ruffled her younger self’s mane. “I’ll stop teasing you about your coltfriend.” 

"I turned Nightmare Moon into a potato. Do you really want to mess with that?" Rainbow asked, glaring slightly.

“Can’t I mess with myself now and again,” Dash said.

“Uhh…” Applejack said.

“I know how that sounds,” Dash shot her an annoyed stare.

".....bad brain, bad!" Rainbow shouted. "Okay, that's it, I'm out of here. Got to see my friends at the palace bye!" And with that she shot off like a bolt of prismatic lightning.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Dash sighed. “Sorry I couldn’t stay any longer, but I know whatever’s going down might need a little ‘Dash’ of awesomeness….okay that was bad.”

Applejack giggled. “I thought it was hilarious, miss Dash and do be careful.”

“Of course I will,” Dash smirked and then disappeared in less than the blink of an eye.

Applejack sighed. “Sometimes I wish I could go on adventures.”

Blueblood put a comforting hoof around her shoulders. “Life with you is an adventure.” He kissed her cheek, making her blush and giggle.

“Oh you,” Applejack pulled her beloved into a deep kiss. 
> Sleepover! {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Due to animation budget concerns, the previous episode that was set to be in the sunsetverse was sadly scrapped. We now continue from where the previous episode would have left off...

The group walked out of the Everfree Forest as the sun was beginning to set, exhausted, battered and bruised, but triumphant. "I still say it doesn't matter what you're guarding, a seventh dart shooting wall corridor is excessive." Sunset groused, her head wrapped in bandages from her medical kit.

“Well, it wasn’t as bad as those ceiling lava sharks,” Fiddlesticks rubbed a few heat marks. 

"Ah still say the worst one was them talkin' and walkin' suits of armor. Ah don't know which was worse, their weapons or their lame jokes." AJ complained, shuffling along, clearly exhausted.

“Still dinged ‘em up pretty good though?” Quickfix grinned through her pain. She was a Northerner after all, so she walked on tall and proud. “That head honcho suit was tough though with all those lightning bolts he was throwin’.”

"Yeah. Good thing those pterodactyls we saved earlier from those giant spider golems came back to help." Mask said, walking as she was too tired to fly.

“Well yeah, that was a given.” Lightning groaned, shaking some feeling into her dinged wings that still held some snow on them. “How the hay did they get a yeti out here anyways?”

"I have no clue." Sunset said, moaning. "Seriously, this had better be the journal we need, or I am going to find a time travel spell just so I can go back in time to punch whoever designed that place in the schnoz."

"Ah still don't get why ya can't open it yet." AJ grumbled.

"Because it's magically sealed and I used up too much magic down there, and Quickfix doesn't know how to break seals here yet." Sunset answered. "And since I don't have enough sunlight to recharge fully, I'm going to have to sleep to get the power I need to break the seal and crack this book open."

“Alrighty then,” Fiddlesticks pulled Sunset over her back, reached up into her hat and then threw a blanket over her. “Nighty night, Sunset.”

"I'm not a parakeet!" Sunset shouted from under the blanket. "And I meant in my own bed in the Library. Besides, we could all use a good rest after that fiasco."

“One scene change comin’ up,” Fiddlesticks reach down and….they were in the Library…..Don’t ask me how?!!

"I'm too tired to question it." Sunset grumbled, making her way upstairs, before pausing. "...where are the guests going to sleep?"

“Ah can sleep on the floor,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “Ah’ve slept on the ground plenty of times back on the farm after a good day’s buckin’. Well that or…” She took off her hat and pulled out a box of sleeping bags.

"...that could work." Mask said. "So what, we have a big inter dimensional sleepover?"

"Sleepover?" Sunset asked. "...you know, I never got to do one of those growing up."

“Now’s a good time as ever,” Fiddlesticks chimed. “Ah promise it’ll be fun.”

"I don't know. I mean, I'm twenty three." Sunset said. "Aren't I a bit too old for this?"

“Yer never too old fer fun,” Fiddlesticks put a hoof on her shoulder. “Or spendin’ time with yer friends.”

"You're right! As the Bearer of the Element of Friendship, it is my sworn duty to be the best friend I can be!" Sunset looked very pumped all of a sudden. "I swear I will make this the greatest sleepover ever, or die trying! Hahahahahahaha!"

“That’s the spirit,” Fiddlesticks started laughing with her.

Ominous thunder crashed. "Damn it Thunderlane!" Ditzy shouted. "It's supposed to be partly cloudy tonight, not dark and stormy! Fix this right now!"

“Wait, what’s Thunderlane doing fixing up the weather?” Lightning asked in confusion. “...Right, alt-world. I’ve got to stop asking questions like this.”

"If it's any consolation, ah bet our friends are sayin' the same thing a lot." AJ said, putting a comforting leg over Lightning's shoulder.

“...True,” Lightning conceded. “I mean, it’s just so...Wait, I have a question. Where’s your town militia?” 

"Town what?" Mask asked. "And is nopony else concerned about their crazy laughing?"

“You know,” Lightning said. “The town militia. The local guards protecting the town. You’ve got to have something.”

"Seriously, nopony else is concerned about the laughing?" Mask asked.

"Nope. Ah think the closest thing we've got is us actually. Well there's also the local sherif, Iron Lock, but that's a given." AJ admitted. "We never needed no guard post here afore."

“Then who’s gonna fight off the monsters and other races comin’ into town?” Quickfix asked. “Ah know we’re great an’ all, but we’ve got to have some ponies watchin’ our backs. That’s how we beat Nightmare Moon. The town militia fought off Nightmare’s cultists while we made a run fer the elements.”

"Huh. Our town didn't have nothin' ta fight off." AJ said. "Nopony cept Twilight knew Nightmare Moon was even real, let alone planed ta work fer her. She didn't even really stick around town. She just said she beat Celestia, declared eternal night, and left. Also, we really don't get monster attacks. Most critters are content to stay in the Everfree."

“...Huh,” Quickfix looked uneasy. “Yer country seems mighty safe then. We’ve always got to fight off monsters, heretics, and other nations tryin’ ta invade. Equestria’s never had a breather.”

"Speaking of breathers, I'm surprised they're still going. They have great lung capacity." Mask said. "Also the only race really hostile to Equestria is the elk, and they're kind of starting to lag behind everyone else when it comes to development."

“We’ve got loads of hostile nations,” Lightning said, before growling. “But the biggest one is the griffins.”

“The less said about those chickens, the better.” Quickfix huffed. “Well, ‘cept Crowland. He’s alright.”

"So, Fiddlesticks, what do we do first for this sort of thing?" Sunset asked, having finished her manic laughing fit.

“Makin’ smores is always good,” Fiddlesticks said. “We could always chit-chat while we make ‘em. Good bondin’ and all.” Her stomach grumbled. “Well and some good eatin’ too.”

"Sounds good. Um, we're going to need marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Oh, we also need fire, where can I get a fire?" Sunset asked, looking around.

Fiddlesticks held out her hat and dumped out all the food. She then turned it upside down, which held a burning campfire. “This’ll do?”

"...did you just empty out a giant fire in the middle of a tree library?" Sunset asked, eyes narrowing to pin pricks.

“It’s only a little thing in my hat,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “We’ll just put it in yer fireplace and presto. Now, let’s get to makin’ some smores.”

Levitating it over quick, Sunset blinked a couple of times. "I forgot we had a fireplace. We really don't use it."

“Happens,” Fiddlesticks put her now fireless hat back onto her head. 

"Hoo?" a voice called out from the rafters.

Pat stuck his head out from under the hat and trilled.

"Hoo. Hoo."

Pat trilled back.

"Owlowicious, just come down, they're guests." Sunset called up to the rafters.

In response, a large brown shriek owl flew down from the rafters, landing on a perch and observing the scene. "Hoo."

“Ain’t ya a cutie,” Fiddlesticks cooed. She held out a foreleg. “Come on now. Ah don’t bite.”

Owlowicious hopped onto her leg easily enough, tilting his head as he regarded her.

"Careful. Owlowicious isn't a pet, he's Twilight's familiar." Sunset said. "Don't go upsetting him."

“Why would ah?” Fiddlesticks nuzzled the owl. “Ah love animals. Always have.”

"Hoo." Owlowicious hooted, before using its wings to give a feathery version of a thumbs up.

"Well I'm glad you like her." Sunset said. "So, did you need something?"

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!" Owlowicious demanded.

"Like I already told you, Sparkle is missing. She'll be back later, we're working on it, so quit ruffling your feathers." Sunset moaned, exhausted.

“She’s fine,” Fiddlesticks assured the owl. “My friends’ll be there and our Sunset’s a Princess. She’s got guards hoverin’ over her left and right. Ain’t nothin’ gonna mess with them.”

"Hoo." Owlowicious said contently, settling down.

Sunset smiled. "Hey thanks. Familiars tend to get problematic if their masters are gone for a while."

“True,” Quickfix said. “That why we prefer items such as staffs and such to amplify our magic. Less fuss that way.”

"Well, ta be fair," AJ noted. "Owlowicious is also a helper round the house, and is the assistant librarian, helpin' run the night shifts."

"Heck, Twilight usually leaves him home with Spike to help look after the place." Mask said, roasting her marshmallow over the fire. "Also, found the food supplies and some skewers we can use for roasting."

“Finally,” Quickfix picked up her stick and roasted the marshmallow. “Ah’m starvin’ here.”

"Then you'll be happy to know I made popcorn!" Spike announced, walking in with a huge bowl of the stuff.

Lightning licked her fangs and pounced….only for Fiddlesticks to rope her back.

“No hoggin’,” Fiddlesticks chided as her tail lazily held the pegasus at bay. 

“But I’m starving,” Lightning groaned. “He can get more popcorn.”

"Yeah, but he shouldn't have ta get more right when he brings it out." AJ pointed out. “Besides which, we're all a bit hungry."

"Well, while you guys enjoy the popcorn and s'mores, I could make some daisy and tomato sandwiches. With cheese if any of you want it." Spike offered.

“Get on that, lil’ drake.” Quickfix chimed looking over her s’more. “No cheese.”

"Thank you Spike. That's very nice of you to offer. And I would like cheese on mine." Masquerade said.

"I would also like cheese on mine." Sunset chimed in.

"No cheese fer me." AJ said, then had to keep from cursing as her marshmallow caught fire and she had to blow it out.

Fiddlesticks held up a small fire extinguisher and blew out the fiery marshmallow. “Cheese.”

“No cheese,” Lightning piped up.

"Got it three with, three without." Spike said, heading back into the kitchen.

"So...this is pretty nice so far." Sunset admitted. "What else do you do at these things?"

“Usually make overs or tellin’ stories,” Fiddlesticks said. “The spookier the better. That and a little pillow...Or we could….”

“We aren’t talking about apples,” Lightning cut her off.

"What's wrong with apples, huh?" AJ asked.

"...makeovers you say?" Sunset asked, smiling broadly.

"Oh no." AJ said. "No no no no no, ah ain't doin' that girly stuff."

Fiddlesticks broke out into laughter. “Yer a natural, cuz. You’ll be lookin’ spiffy as a Canterlot noble in no time.”

AJ's eloquent response was a high speed pillow to the face.

“Let it be known that my cuz struck first,” Fiddlestick pulled out a large cylinder object with a pillow stuff in it. “Any last words cuz before yer pillowed?”

"Yeah. Is that a balloon animal behind ya?" AJ asked.

“Ah’m not gonna….Darn it!” Fiddlesticks glanced behind her.

There was a balloon animal, a giraffe, sitting there.

“Huh, neat.” Fiddlesticks said, before she turned her attention to Applejack. “Now fer the last words thin’.”

"...where did it come from?" she wondered.

Fiddlesticks fired the mini-pillow canon. The pillow knocked Applejack back. “Don’t question it, cuz.”

"Applejack, you shall be avenged!" Masquerade declared, before air dropping a stack of pillows on top of Fiddlesticks. Owlowicious wisely left the immediate battlefield and flew for his perch.

“AIR RAID!” Fiddlesticks jumped out of the way and fired at Mask. “Eat pillow.”

"No thanks! I'm saving room for sandwiches!" Mask taunted as she dodged the pillow fire.

"This is going to escalate quickly isn't it?" Sunset asked Quickfix.

“This is Fiddlesticks we’re talkin’ aboot,” Quickfix said. “It always escalates.”

"Alright, ah ain't holdin' back now." AJ said, turning around and rearing after throwing two pillows in the air. "Firin' Bucks McGillicuty!" she shouted, striking the first pillow and launching it straight at Fiddlesticks at high speed. "Firin' Kicks MacGee!" And with that the second pillow flew along.

The pillows struck Fiddlesticks, making her fall to the ground. “MEDIC!”

“You’ll pay for that,” Lightning grabbed a pillow and sped towards Applejack. 

"Oh no you don't!" Mask said, flying an intercept course and launching her own pillow.

Lightning swerved around the pillow and smacked Mask with her own. “Try again, featherbody.”

"Firin' both!" AJ shouted, sending a pair of pillows after Lightning.

Lightning dodged the two pillows. “Can’t touch this.” She held out her pillow. “Prepare to be dominated.” She sped towards AJ.

AJ's response was to fire another pair of pillow interceptor missiles.

Lightning dodged one, but the other hit her wing. It didn’t hurt or anything, but it threw her off. “Buck.” She crashed into the ground. She quickly got up. “You have crossed the wrong pegasus.”

Taking the opportunity of a grounded foe, Masquerade decided to exploit it for all it was worth and drop half a dozen pillows on the other Pegasi all at once. "Air superiority!" 

Lightning fumbled under all the pillows. 

Quickfix quickly jumped into the fray and bucked a couple of pillows that lay on Lightning precisely into Mask. 

"Augh! ENemy reinforcements! Sunset, help!" Mask called out.

"...yeah no." Sunset said. "I'm staying out of this. Besides its still two on two."

The sound of Fiddlesticks cocking her cannon ominously filled the air. “Make it three.” She fired from her prone position at Applejack.

"Augh, cheap shot cuz!" Applejack shouted. "Yer gonna pay few that!" She then launched a pair of pillows, one at Quickfix and the other at Fiddlesticks.

Mask flew overhead with several pillows. "Providing cover for artillery." she announced as she started chucking the pillows at Lightning and Quickfix.

Quickfix jumped out of the way. Lightning however just got herself out of the last pile. “GAH!” She yelled as she was pillowed again. 

Fiddlesticks rolled out of the way. “All’s fair in pillow warfare, cuz.” She fired again.

AJ counter fired.

The two pillows hit each other exactly, and deflected off to the sides. One hit the wall with a flop. The other hit Owlowicious.

The familiar was not amused. "Hoo." His eyes glowed brightly like beacons, and all the pillows suddenly floated into the air, surrounded by a brown aura. They just floated there for a couple seconds, before they all sharply turned and locked onto various combatants.

“Now Owlowicious,” Fiddlesticks said. “Ya wouldn’t hit yer friend Fiddlesticks, right?”

"Hoo."

“Was that a yes or no?” Quickfix asked.

"It was very much an ironic quote of "all is fair in pillow warfare"." Sunset translated.

"That owl is just so dang smug." Masquerade groused.

And then the pillow storm began.

****************

"Well now that you're all done being pummeled by a bird, maybe we can do makeovers now?" Sunset asked.

“Pass,” Quickfix huffed spitting out some feathers. “Ain’t one fer the stuff.”

"And since it's safe to come out now, here are your sandwiches!" Spike announced, bringing out a tray with the sandwiches in two neat piles, one with cheese and one without.

“Thank ya kindly, Spike.” Fiddlesticks took hers. AJ was a perfect echo.

“Yeah, thanks.” Both Lightning and Quickfix chimed as they dug in.

"Good job as always Spike." Sunset said, smiling.

"I still can't believe I lost to a freakin' owl." Masquerade grumbled, taking her own sandwich. "Thanks Spike."

"You're welcome girls. Now I'm going to head up to bed. Night." Spike said, heading upstairs.

“Nighty night,” Fiddlesticks waved as she chewed down her meal.

"So, since we ain't doin' froufrou makeovers, what should we do next?" AJ asked.

“Ya sure cuz?” Fiddlesticks smirked and elbowed AJ’s side softly. “Ah know fer a fact that ya look great in a dress.” She chuckled.

AJ glared. "Ah ain't never done fancy."

"Grand Galloping Galla." Sunset rebutted.

AJ rolled her eyes. "Yeah, cause that worked out so well."

“Well, other ya loved parties like that,” Fiddlesticks stated. “Ya called yerself the ‘belle of the ball’ and all that fancy stuff. Got a few pictures to.” She reached up into her hat and pulled out a photo album.

"Don't ya dare.." AJ warned.

"Do it." Mask said, grinning wildly.

Fiddlesticks chuckled evilly and opened the book. In it were several pictures of her AJ wearing all sorts of dresses, talking with nobles, and even kissing Prince Blueblood. “Yer really pretty, cuz.”

Sunset's jaw dropped. "She's dating Blueblood? The Blueblood?"

“‘Course she is,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “He’s a big shot war hero. They met when they were teens and been together ever since. He seems alright.”

The locals were very, very quiet at that.

“What?” Fiddlesticks seemed confused. “Somethin’ wrong?...Feelin’ a bit jealous, cuz?” She smirked.

"Uh, no, our Blueblood is, uh, different." AJ said.

"Moving on from another weird Bizarro World revelation," Mask began, "I say we tell scary stories next, since I'm not into the makeover thing either."

"What?" Sunset moaned. "But you're an actor! You get dressed up all the time!"

Masquerade rolled her gems. "Yeah, for work. As such I prefer to dress down when I relax."

“But this is Sunset’s house,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “And her party. If she wants to do makeovers, then by golly, we’ll do makeovers.” She took Sunset’s side. “Even if it’s just me and her.”

"Really?" Sunset asked, smiling. Turning to the other visitors, she asked "Hey, I haven't heard from you two."

“Eh,” Lightning shrugged. “I go to the spa all the time. I’m down with a makeover. Quickfix?”

“Not a fan,” Quickfix rolled her eyes. “But...what are ye two gonna do?” She asked the other two locals.

"Ah say we tell the scary stories while they do their froufrou stuff." Applejack suggested.

“Sounds good,” Quickfix grinned. She turned to Lightning. “Come on, ah know ye love stories.”

Lightning looked between the two groups. “Oh that’s fair. Asking the Element of Loyalty to choose between her friends. Really?”

Quickfix shrugged. “Fine, but ah got a few stories of me own that’ll raise the hairs of the pansies. No offense.” She said to AJ and Mask.

“Fine,” Lightning trotted over to Quickfix. “Sorry.” She said to Fiddlesticks.

“No problem,” Fiddlesticks shook her head. “Friends don’t have to do what they don’t want to do for others. Me and Sunset here are gonna be fine by ourselves.”

"Right. I have some stuff we can use for makeovers in the bathroom upstairs." Sunset said, leading the way.

Owlowicious blinked. "Hoo."

"No, I won't stay and translate your stories for you." Sunset said. "Just sit back and enjoy." Sunset walked along, being careful to tiptoe past Spike as he slept in his basket, before entering the bathroom and floating about various beauty supplies.

“So, what’s first?” Fiddlesticks asked, eyeing the items. “Face, hooves, mane?”

"I would suggest doing hooves last, they would probably get dirty with you. I have a facial cream Rarity recommended, it's suppose to really help the skin. After that, probably manes and then makeup. Unless you have a better idea?" Sunset asked.

“This is yer slumber party,” Fiddlesticks chimed. “Ah’m up fer anythin’ ya want to do. So, face it is then.”

"Right then." Sunset said, floating over a small bottle and unscrewing the top. "You're supposed to take a bit, mix it with a little bit of warm water, and then rub it into your face and let it set for, let me double check, two minutes. Then you rinse off with warm water." Turning on the sink, she starts adjusting the water. "Thanks for doing this by the way. You're a farm worker right? Not really into fashion?"

“Enope,” Fiddlesticks shook her head. “But Sunset, yer my friend. Yeah, ah know we haven’t known each other that long, but it’s true. ‘Sides, ah like makin’ ponies happy. It’s why ah’m Joy.”

"...thank, that means a lot." Sunset admitted. "I didn't used to have a lot of friends. The ponies at the orphanage didn't really like me, and for a while I got very...arrogant and petty. And nasty. By the time I got myself a wake up call, I'd had a very nasty, and deserved, reputation. I've only recently been able to have some real friends."

“Yeah, our Sunset didn’t like the orphanage either.” Fiddlesticks frowned. “But look at the both of ya now. Yer both Elements of Harmony. Ya have a group of great friends that’ll be there with ya through thick and thin. That’s gotta be somethin’.”

"Yeah. If you can't have family, have friends." Sunset said. "You know, when I became the Bearer of Friendship, I was actually willing to walk away from being Celestia's student."

“‘Course ya were,” Fiddlesticks said. “Ya wanted to be with yer friends, not in stuffy Canterlot. Well, ah assume. My Sunset took a long time to get used to Ponyville. She’s a city gal and….yeah, she’s a momma’s girl.”

"Yeah, it was to be with my friends. Celestia wanted me, well really it's more she just assumed, that me and Twilight would go back to Canterlot with her to study the Elements. She was honestly surprised that I was willing to walk away from her just to stay with ponies I had known for less than a full day, and leave the only city I had ever known on top of all that. And you know what she did next?" Sunset asked, testing the water with her hoof and, satisfied, levitated a small dollop of the cream out and a little bit of water before mixing them.

“She let ya stay,” Fiddlesticks responded. She put her hat aside. “‘Cause no one has the right to separate friends.”

Snorting and taking the finished mix, Sunset started to rub it gently into Fiddlesticks's face. "She did one better than that. She's a master at 'finding the third option'. Instead of me staying her student and going back to Canterlot, or leaving her tutelage and staying in Ponyville, she found a way to do both. I'm now living here on a research grant to study The Magic of Friendship...which she also declared to be a legitimate field of mystical study right after she made me the offer."

“Sounds like Celestia,” Fiddlesticks said. “Ah’m sure that made ya as happy as a bee in spring.”

"You know it. It's a bit annoying that she can just pull perfect solutions out of her plot without any obvious effort, but you really don't care when it's in your favor, you know?" Sunset said.

“She has been doin’ it fer a while now,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “Celestia always knows what she’s doin’, else we wouldn’t have an Equestria.”

"True." Sunset admitted. "She and Luna really helped pick up the pieces after Discord did his thing. Not that anypony really appreciated Luna's work."

Fiddlesticks flinched at ‘Luna’s’ name. “Yeah her…” She felt uncomfortable right now. “Ummm, yeah Celestia’s a great pony. Hay, ah’d call her a friend.”

"Look, I know your...Nightmare Moon was willingly bad. Our wasn't and Luna wasn't to blame. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but Luna is one of the good girls here." Sunset said, frowning a little. "There are plenty of ponies that still give her a hard time about it. She really doesn't need that right now while she's playing catchup after loosing out on the last thousand years."

Fiddlesticks was silent for a moment. She dabbled her own hoof in the mixture and started applying it to Sunset’ face as well. “Ah don’t mean to be spiteful or anythin’ like that. Ah’m sure yer Luna is a good pony and ah’d love to meet her. It’s just...hard fer us to think nice of her. No matter how many times my Celestia says she’s good and that she can change….it’s hard. Ah don’t like myself fer thinkin’ ill of her. Ah know she ‘can’ change. Ah just wish...wish she was like this world.”

Sunset sighed. "Wow this is getting depressing. Let's change to a happier topic. So, what kinds of music do you like?....besides country music."

“Well, ah like all sorts of music just fine,” Fiddlesticks admitted. “Ain’t got a preference….okay, maybe ah really like them classic orchestral musicians. It’s nice to have slow string songs here and there.”

"Eh, never really been into the classics." Sunset said, shrugging. "I prefer rock, hard rock, metal, especially symphonic metal. It's got a beauty and energy of its own...plus I can play guitar. I got one for my sixteenth birthday."

“Which calls fer a duet,” Fiddlesticks grinned. “Before we leave, we have got to play somethin’ together. It’ll be great.”

"...well there are violins in some symphonic metal." Sunset agreed, smiling. "Anyway, time to wash it off." She stuck her face in the sink and ran the water over her face with a bit of TK. She then used a washcloth to dry her face, which was feeling much clearer than before.

Fiddlesticks followed suit. “That was pretty nice and metal?...Well, ah kind of, not a fan of the ‘hard’ music, ya know?”

"Me neither." Sunset admitted. "Despite the reputation, there is a lot more to metal than screaming incoherently about dark magic, ancient spirits of evil, Tirek, death, murder, evil, or just random angry sounds. That's the low class stuff. I think you'll like symphonic. It's like a symphony, only with electric guitars, keyboards, and drums instead of violins, oboes, and...different drums. Usually focuses on having a good story in the song too, like a bardic epic with power cords."

“Sounds interestin’,” Fiddlesticks said. “Ah’ll check it out soon enough.” She finished drying herself off. “So, how’s yer stay in Ponyville goin’? Ah bet it’s been interestin’. Ya know, besides the gods and monsters.”

"It's been...interesting." Sunset said. "Not every problem's been ancient evils or modern monsters rampaging. Sometimes other stuff happens. Things are never dull for long around here. Now then, let's see, what should we do with your mane?"

“Not surprisin’ ya here,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “Ah prefer ponytails, but ah’m up fer anythin’ really.”

"I still don't get why we call them that." Sunset groaned. "Right, nothing boring like that. I'm braiding this. Looks good and tough enough for a quality braid." Concentrating, she separated Fiddlestick's mane into six equal sized pieces, distributed properly on her head, and set to work. "So, does your Sunset really teleport you away into midair when she gets annoyed?"

“She used to...well, still does.” Fiddlesticks relented. “She knows ah won’t get hurt...Well, she knows now.” She chuckled. “She’s like that. It’s really easy to get under her skin and she has a habit of overreactin’. Though, she mostly just shoots fireballs.”

"Augh, sounds like me during my...bad phase. Except the fireball part." Sunset said. "I've got a real knack for fire and light based spells, even though as a magic talent I can cast just about anything. As long as I can use the magic system anyway."

“Yer really good at that,” Fiddlesticks said with mirth. “Sometimes, ah really think yer Celestia’s blood kin. ‘Course, yer already family so it don’t matter. Bet ya and yer Celestia are really close too.”

"Yeah, we are." Sunset said. "She didn't adopt me, I became an adult too soon after she met me for it to really work even before you consider the political implications. But I like to imagine she's what a mother would be like. Kind, caring, wise, a figure of guidance...and a pain in the flank on occasion when you disagree but the fight isn't too bad because you care deeply for each other."

“That’s family fer ya,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “Ya don’t always see eye to eye, but ya have each others best intentions at heart. Ya can forgive and forget. Even if ya blunder about fantastically. Ah learned that from watchin’ my Sunset...She was kind of stuck up at first….well, really stuck up, bein’ a princess and all. She’s gotten better though. Ah mean, she hasn’t gone and burned any annoyin’ nobles again.”

"Augh, I want to be judgemental, but after what I did I really don't have the right." Sunset moaned. Taking a moment to center herself, and fix a small mistake she had made a few seconds ago in the braiding, she frowned. "Listen, can you keep a secret?"

“Cross my heart,” Fiddlesticks made the motion. “Ah won’t tell a soul.”

"Alright. Now the other Bearers from my world know this, as do a few select others, and I'm only telling you for three reasons." Sunset said. "One, I feel like venting about it sometimes, cause keeping a secret really puts pressure on you. Two, you seem pretty understanding so I trust you won't flip out if I tell you. And finally three, if worst comes to worst and you do hate me, once you get home we wouldn't have to deal with each other ever again, so it's kind of an out for us." Sunset paused in her braiding, taking a calming, steadying breath. "This is a big secret. I'm going to ask you, are you sure you want to know?"

Fiddlesticks took one of Sunset’s hooves in her own and lent her a kind smile. “Ah’ve seen and heard a lot of terrible thin’s before since ah became a bearer, but even before then, ah would never, ever hate a friend. No matter what and ya can count on that.”

"Alright then, here goes." Sunset took a deep breath. "Right, remember when I mentioned my...bad period? I had started to feel very...entitled because of my magical power, and then later my title as Celestia's student. Then, something happened. I realized that all my vast magical talent I had built all my positive self worth around was a candle next to Celestia's sun. That was just utterly crushing to me. I wanted, no needed, to be the best. If I wasn't the best at magic, what good was I? Magic was really the only thing I had. So I started to become very, very jealous of Celestia. Sounding familiar so far?"

“Yeah,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “Ya got jealous and did somethin’ stupid then?”

"I started doing dark magic." Sunset said. "I don't know how your magic works, but dark magic is a nasty piece of work, it's not called 'dark' for fun. Ounce per ounce, dark magic is way more potent than regular magic of the same type. It also is addictive, gives an emotional high, and can just flat out do things normal magic can't, depending on the spells in question. And the more you use it, the more efficient it gets...and the weaker your regular magic gets. There are side effects, but as long as you keep using dark magic you can avoid them just fine. It's a self perpetuating vicious cycle of being more and more powerful and tempting every time you use it."

Fiddlesticks’ smile faltered, but didn’t leave her face. “Dark magic is...punishable by death back home fer a reason. The realm of darkness is a place yer not supposed to go. It taints ya. It twists ya until yer only a hollow shell filled with shadows. However,” she laughed. “One of my best friends was a cultist of Nightmare Moon. He used dark magic all the time back then and now, well, he’s livin’ it up fine in Ponyville. Ya and him over there kind of have a love/hate relationship. Though neither of ya will say it...Tsundere really fits ya.”

"Well good for Tsundere then. Dark magic isn't lethal in the long run to the practitioner, they're really more of a threat to others than themselves. Punishment for the unrepentant is imprisonment here in Equestria, we don't do death sentences." Sunset explained. "Also, taint, the side effect of dark magic, does dissipate over time if you stop using it. So ex-warlocks like me can go back to normal if we choose to repent. I'm just lucky I got discovered and received an intervention before I did something bad enough to hurt somepony. I'd used a number of darker spells, but I didn't use them on any thinking creature, so all in all I got off pretty easy. I just need regular medical check ups physically, mystically, and mentally to help track my recovery."

“Yeah, same with Shade.” Fiddlesticks noted. “Coco met him when he was a warlock. He tried to kill her and a grundle. ‘Course, he had a change of heart after he nearly died. Redheart saved him and earned her Element because of it. So, he stuck around. Nice stallion.”

"Wow, he tried to kill somepony?" Sunset boggled. "I never went that far. I mean sure near the end I was flirting with the idea of using some mind control spells. I mean I never did, that would be wrong after all, but that's as far as I got. Well...good for Shade then, redemption isn't easy. But yeah, wow, attempted murder. Worst I was thinking of was going to some island in the C.I.S. and becoming just another island dictator, just with a literally enthralled population."

Fiddlesticks blinked a few times. “Wow…” She shook her head. “Er, yeah. It was hard for Shade, but murder is kind of what warlocks do. Ah mean, they use soul magic. They need to rip out yer soul and use it to fuel spells or offer up to Nightmare Moon. Ah’m just glad he never hurt nopony. He’s glad too.” 

"Wow. Dark magic here doesn't use souls for fuel. It's perfectly accessible without any muss or fuss...that's actually what makes it a bit more dangerous here in my opinion. All you need to do to start using dark magic is decide "I'm going to use dark magic!" and then do so, something like that you really can't get rid of you know?" Sunset sighed, "But yeah, I got jealous and betrayed Celestia by studying the dark arts. I'm still paying for my mistake, but yeah that's why I say I can't really judge your Sunset for setting some annoying nobles on fire."

“Well, that nearly caused a war though.” Fiddlesticks commented. “Ya know, human noble and all.”

"...you guys have humans?" Sunset asked. "You know what, I'm adopting Lyra's policy. Proof in an alternate reality means nothing in this one. Alright, you got humans. What are they like?"

“Tall almost hairless apes,” Fiddlesticks said. “They always wear clothes and well….they don’t like anythin’ not human and they really, REALLY hate magic. They will go out of their way to get rid of it. It’s why we’ve got some human refugees. Some of ‘em can use magic so….they run fer their lives.”

"Wow, sound ugly and nasty." Sunset said. "Glad that we don't have those here. What's next, bicorns are still around in your world?"

“Never had those,” Fiddlesticks said. “And ah know they don’t sound ‘good’, but that’s a bit mean. Ah mean, we’ve got some livin’ with us, even in the reserves…..” She put a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laughter. “Bicorns..sounds really silly when ah think about it.”

"They weren't." Sunset said. "Take an earth, slap a pair of goat horns and cat eyes on it, make it more aggressive than a pegasus, and then give it double the magical power of a unicorn without the physical failings. If it weren't for the fact they perished in the Windogo Winter, they'd probably be the only tribe left eventually."

Fiddlesticks snorted. “Poppycock, we’d tough it out.” She slammed a hoof into her chest. “We’ve fought against all sorts of monsters and critters. Hay, even the ancient pegasi thought they could beat us easy since we’re ‘prey’ and grass-munchers. We beat ‘em back. We could do it again and ah know yer kin could do that same.”

"Would have wiped out the unicorns at least." Sunset said, getting back to her work braiding Fiddlestick's mane. "They were stronger, tougher, and just as good if not better at magic than we were. Magic's our only real advantage, and they matched it or, according to some myths just outright beat us at it." Sticking her tounge out of her mouth in concentration, she smiled. "Aaand done." She had done a multipart braid with Fiddlesticks. While she had made three equal twin-spiral braids out of the six hair sections, she had then combined the braids onto one more elaborate braid. Taking the two side braids she had made a crisscrossing diamond pattern going down, the central braid waved through up and down. All in all Sunset thought it look pretty good. Levitating up a small mirror, she angled it so that in the main mirror Fiddlesticks could get a good look. "Well, what do you think?"

Fiddlesticks gasped and hugged Sunset tightly. “It’s amazin’! Thank ya.” She pulled back and swished her head from side to side as she looked at herself in the mirror. “It really makes me look pretty.”

"Yeah, I thought it would look good, that's why I did it." Sunset said, smiling. "Well, you're turn." She turned around, showing her mane to Fiddlesticks.

“Alright,” Fiddlesticks rubbed her hooves together, grinning with anticipation. “Let’s see what ah got ta work with.” She hummed in thought. “Anythin’ ya want in particular?”

"Eh, surprise me...in a good way." Sunset said, shrugging. "Just be a bit careful, unicorn hair isn't as tough as earth hair."

Fiddlesticks nodded. “Gotcha,” and with that said, she was at it. Her hooves stroked and pulled slightly as to not hurt Sunset. “It is mighty fine, though it ain’t got the same texture as our unicorns. Definitely gonna need ta be a bit more careful.” With that in mind, she decided to go with a couple pigtails. 

"Sooo...who's this Tsundere pony you said was going out with your Sunset?" the unicorn asked as Fiddlesticks fixed her hair. "Sounds foreign."

Fiddlesticks blinked a few times, before she ‘oohd’ in understanding. “Oh no, ah was callin’ our Sunset a tsundere. Ya know, really grumpy and doesn’t want ta admit she likes Shade.”

"I'm not familiar with that word and...wait, Shade, the ex-evil guy?" Sunset asked, gobsmacked. "Well...good for them. I, uh, I wonder if we have an equivalent here. I mean I don't know if we match perfectly. I don't even know what your world's Equestria's population is like after all. For all we know, one world is probably short on doubles."

“Tsundere some word from over in Japox,” Fiddlesticks said, pulling out some blue strings out from her hat to help her form the pigtails. “It means pretty much what ah said. It’s when someone hides their true feelings from others and themselves by being mean to their crush” She started tying one off. “That’s ya with Shade, though ya are warmin’ up to him, even if he likes teasin’ ya all the time. Ah actually hope ya have one over here. Ya’ll like him.”

"Oh course our worlds seem pretty...different." Sunset noted, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "Even if he is over on this side, we might not get along. I...have a reputation like I said. And I'm still not the best at talking to ponies..."

“Before ya came to Ponyville,” Fiddlesticks said. “Ponies were scared of the other ya. They thought ya were gonna chop their heads off or burn ‘em. Ya were a real jerk and Shade still teased ya...and stared at yer flanks when ya weren’t lookin’.” Fiddlesticks chuckled.

Sunset needed a minute to gather her thoughts. "...chop off their heads? Wow, just...wow. Ponies weren't afraid of me, they thought I was a total jerk and did their best to avoid me."

“Well….” Fiddlesticks fidgeted. “Don’t tell anyone ah said this, but bein’ an orphan left the other ya….jaded ta most ponies. Nopony took ya in, ‘cept Celestia. So yer mom and little bro, Spike, were the only ones ya cared for. Ya kind of...flaunted yer power around and pushed others away since ya thought they were just gonna abandon ya, or make fun of ya bein’ left...that and other ya was a bit too happy to use her fire magic when angry.”

"I...can see that. I didn't exactly grow up the happiest orphan either. I was "the Blank Flank Supreme", so once I got my mark and my status as Celestia's student, I found myself flaunting it to get back at the society that ignored me and the peers that mocked me...I've had a couple of therapy sessions about it."

“....Ya didn’t burn ‘em, did ya?” Fiddlesticks asked. “Wait, yer a bit nicer than our Sunset. She didn’t think therapy was ‘necessary’ and that she’s fine...Well, a little friendship helped out in the end anyways.” She shrugged, finishing off her mane. “And done.”

Looking at herself in the mirror, Sunset smiled. "That's cute, thanks. And yeah, I mentioned mental health checkups. Dark magic can mess with the user's mind so...therapy is part of the package. But yeah, therapy doesn't really help if you aren't willing to do it."

“My mom always said that the best therapy was a bringin’ a little joy into somepony’s heart,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “So, ah’m kind of a therapist when ah think about it.” She snorted in amusement. 

Sunset giggled. "Heck, maybe you could see about getting a diploma from Celestia like Pinkie did." Thinking about it, Sunset's eyes narrowed. Celestia totally would if she asked. Quick, distraction! "So...what's Celestia's School for the Gifted like over in your world? You said your Sunset spent some time learning there?"

“Top of her classes,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “Don’t rightly know. Never went there myself. Loved the farmin’ life too much. Pretty much anyone can go if they’re skilled enough. They have all sorts of classes, some for certain tribes and such. If’n ya get in, yer the best of the best.”

"Same here." Sunset said. "Except for the "top of my classes" deal. Didn't get to go to the regular classes. At the same time, I didn't start my higher education until I was sixteen, so I would have been behind the others my age and been in classes surrounded by kids. Not the best thing to start a career in higher learning with."

“Awww,” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “But ah best those little ones looked up ta ya, bein’ their elder an’ all.”

"...maybe." Sunset said, shrugging. "I didn't visit the campus that often, just to talk to the Professors about stuff in occasion. Never really thought about that. I wasn't interested in talking to the kids, I was a way too cool adult, you know that phase?"

“Eh,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “Either way, ya passed and yer Celestia’s student. That’s impressive.” She lightly nudged her. “Ah’d be jealous if’n ah was a unicorn.”

"Plenty of them were...and I liked it. I was used to being jealous of others."

“But that’s in the past now,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. She smiled brightly. “Now is the present and we’re gonna make this slumber party one to remember. Ah sure will. Even if ah leave tomorrow, ah’ll always remember ya and tonight. Just try and do the the same.”

"Thanks, you're a good friend Fiddlesticks." Sunset said, hugging the other mare. "Ha, wonder how those scary stories are going downstairs?"

****************

“....And as she was held there, impaled on the Headless Horses’ scythe, the last words she ever heard were, “Did you really think you were safe?” “ Lightning grinned, finishing off the tale. 

Masquerade applauded lightly. "Not bad, a little predictable, but not bad. What do you think AJ...AJ?"

"Huh wha?" Applejack snorted as she got up. "Did we get to the scary stuff yet?"

Lightning snorted and glared at Applejack. “Quit playing around. You were so scared by my story you passed out. Don’t bother denying it.”

"Lightnin', we tell stories bout the 'Eadless Horse ta kids ta scare em. We're all a bit old fer that." AJ argued back. "Though ya said ya had stories ta scare us "softies", or was that just talk?"

“Oh like you can think of anything scarier than my story,” Lightning harrumphed. “Besides, everypony’s scared of the Headless Horse...’cept me.” She smirked and put a hoof to her chest.

Quickfix burst out laughing, falling backwards. “Oh? Then why did ye run so fast, screamin’ like a little filly when he appeared?”

Lightning paled. “He...he got the drop on me.” She looked around nervously.

"...he's real in your world?" Mask asked. "Okay, that would make him a lot scarier."

"Also probably should have mentioned that when ya started yer story, might have actually payed attention." AJ added. "Right, so who's up next?"

“Might actually pay attention,” Lightning mocked under breath, huffing.

“Ah’d actually like to hear Mask’s,” Quickfix nodded towards the mare. “Yer an actor after all and ah’ve never been much fer story tellin’ myself since ah spent most of my time with my machines. Didn’t get to talkin’ to ponies really till Sunset came.”

"Huh, sounds boring," Mask noted, "unlike this story. Like Lightning the monster in this story, the Pony of Shadows, is real. Though calling it a pony is a bit of a mockery of the word. It's the real reason you shouldn't go into the Everfree at night. Which is what a group of idiot teenagers decided to do one night, a dumb stunt to show how brave and cool they were..."

****************

“Ah think they’re doin’ alright,” Fiddlesticks said. “Lightning knows some really good stories.”

"Cool. Right then, makeup. We'll be going to bed in a bit, so we shouldn't go heavy. A light touch up. Let's see, our coat colors are pretty close, if I go for my lighter and stuff it should match pretty well." Sunset decided, floating over several things of makeup, double checking the labels. "Need to be careful not to get my darker stuff, or Twilight's. Stuff made for a purple base would look horrid on us."

“Unless it was Nightmare Night,” Fiddlesticks commented. “It’d be good for a little ‘touch up’ then.”

Sunset snorted in laughter. "Yeah well, that's not going to be for a while. I'll keep that in mind. I usually do a pretty lazy costume though. Kind of a little old for dressing up...I used to do it mainly to get candy. Now I'm old enough to buy more on discount after the holiday."

“Yer never too old ta be silly,” Fiddlesticks shook her head. “That’s crazy talk.”

"Well, yeah, but I never really had a reason to put effort into dressing up. When I had to chaperone Twilight, I used to throw on a cape and said I was a superhero. "Generic Mare"." She chuckled, having sorted out the makeup. "Twilight on the other hoof kept making historically accurate costumes of major figures from scientific and magical history."

“That is adorable,” Fiddlesticks awwed. “Got any pics?”

Sunset smirked. "Oh you bet I did. Especially when she was twelve and threw that tantrum because everypony kept on saying she had a great "beet" costume. She had a little meltdown that nopony knew who Copper Neighgus was."

Fiddlesticks grinned. “Wish ah could have been there. Would’ve cuddled that tantrum right out of her.” She chuckled.

"Celestia gave her a jumbo chocolate bar that year. I got one too, just to be fair." Sunset smiled. "Anyway, this is my lightest blush, it should add some color to your cheeks." Opening the jar, she took a tiny soft brush and used it to very lightly dust Fiddlestick's cheeks. "There we go, that looks nice. Just a bit darker than normal, but still looks good."

Fiddlesticks glanced at the mirror and her eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah...it does. Wonder how Ghoul will like it.”

"Oh, your special somepony?" Sunset asked, eyebrows waggling.

Fiddlesticks blushed and held her mane in her hooves, stroking it softly. “Maybe…”

Sunset smiled. "You know, I don't use that blush that often, I usually go a bit darker. Maybe you could take it as a souvenir?"

Fiddlesticks quickly pulled her into a big hug. “Yer the best.”

"Thanks, I try." Sunset said, returning the hug. "Celestia knows, I try."

****************

"Thinking they had escaped, Oak and Cherry started laughing in relief. Or at least, Oak did. Cherry sounded...off. And getting more and more off. Darker, manic,...echoing. As dark tentacles poured out of her mouth and started to strangle him, Oak realized the horrible truth. Cherry had been dead for a while. The Pony of Shadows had used her body as a puppet, just to mock him with the idea of safety. And then, nothing." Mask said, ending her own horror story.

Quickfix smiled. “Nice one, Mask. Always knew actors were great storytellers and that was a hoot.” 

AJ looked a little green. "Yeah, a hoot, hehe right Lightnin'?"

“Y-yeah,” Lightning was shaking, eyes darting about and her teeth chattering. “A hoot….Good story.”

"Thanks." Mask said, smiling. "Glad Spike was sleeping. No way I'd tell something like that with kids around."

“Of course,” Lightning tried stilling her shaking, which worked for the most part. Her wings still spurred about on her sides. “That story would scare kids. Not adults of course, right AJ?”

"Right." AJ agreed, eyes darting around, hooves clacking, and blinking rapidly. "That totally wasn't scary ta hear."

"Yeah, guess it doesn't sound that scary." Mask said, shrugging. Then she grinned. "How about a live demonstration then?" Then her head pitched down and long shadowy shapes furled out from her body.

AJ and Lightning grabbed each other, screaming.

Smirking, Mask stood up and started wrapping up the black scarf she'd picked up earlier for the trick. "And the award for best practical effect goes to Masquerade Pantomime."

Quickfix clapped her hooves, laughing. “Encore! Encore!”

Mask took a bow, grinning at the two 'tough girls'. "So, just scary to kids huh?"

“Oh can it, featherbody.” Lightning huffed, still clinging to AJ.

"Yeah." AJ said, then realized what she wa doing, and quickly shuffled out of Lightning's grasp. "Anyway, I think that's enough scary stories fer one night."

“Yeah,” Lightning did her best to compose herself. “Enough with the kiddie stuff, Mask.”

"Well, if you guys are finally done, we are too." Sunset called down the stairs. "Presenting, the lovely Lady Fiddlesticks of Apple."

Fiddlesticks strutted downstairs like her fancy city cousin would. “It is lovely to see ya all.” She tried to do her best city impression, which sounded something like a southern belle. 

“Well look at ye,” Quickfix grinned. “Sunset did a mighty fine job.”

“Ah would say so,” Fiddlesticks smirked and looked upstairs. “Ah think ah did a mighty fine job myself. So, ah present the Marvelous Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset smiled, coming down the stairs. Between the pigtails and a few subtle choices of makeup, she looked a couple years younger.

"Hoo, lookin' good Sunset." AJ said. "Ya look cuter than a kitten in mittens."

"You look younger too." Mask added, then frowned. "You didn't use magic did you?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "I learned my lesson then guys, no age spells."

Fiddlesticks pouted. “Ah would like to think ya’ll gave me some credit. Just ‘cause ah’m country, don’t mean ah can’t work a little ‘magic’ with a mare’s looks.”

"Well dahling," Applejack said, dusting off her own brief brush with the high class life, "I do apologize. It was most rude of me to doubt your ability. Yes, most rude indeed. Tea and crumpets, rather...and ah ran out of fancy talk."

“That was good,” Fiddlesticks grinned. “Ya really sounded like ya….ah mean, other ya.”

"Tea and crumpets?" Masquerade, quirking an eyebrow. "Nopony actually says that just by itself you know."

“‘Cept in comedies,” Fiddlesticks remarked. She hopped on over to Applejack and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Ya’d make a great comedian, cuz.”

Masquerade hmmmed as she rubbed her chin. "...so we were thinking of doing a comedy soon at the theater. If we need another extra, maybe-"

"Stoppin' ya right there Mask." AJ said, smiling. "I'd love ta help out if ya need it, but not on stage. Can't act worth a hill o' beans."

“Poppycock,” Fiddlesticks harrumphed. “Ponies love it when a pony acts ‘all nature-al’. Comes from the heart.”

“Says the party pony,” Lightning muttered. 

"Okay, okay, enough of that." Sunset said. "Let's see, s'mores, scary stories, makeovers, pillow fight, what else is there to do at one of these things?"

“Truth or dare?” Fiddlesticks said.

“This is going to get awkward,” Lightning muttered again.

"How should we do it? Pony picked picks next, round the circle, or spinner?" Mask asked, seemingly looking forward to the game.

Fiddlesticks tapped her chin. “Round the circle sounds fair.”

"Alright then so, who starts off?" Sunset asked.

“Me!” Fiddlesticks jumped up and down beaming. “Pick me!”

Sunset shrugged. "Okay then, works for me, that makes me last. Truth or dare?"

“Dare,” Fiddlesticks narrowed her eyes, awaiting the challenge.

"I got one." Mask said, grinning. "I dare you to wear a blindfold for the rest of the night, no peaking."

"Aw, that's an easy one." AJ moaned.

Fiddlesticks stood heroically, pulling out a sash. She wrapped it around her eyes, all while doing it in an epic, over the top fashion. “It is done.” She said with fervence. “Cuz, are you ready for the choice?”

"Course ah am. Truth of course." Applejack said, smiling. "Bearer o' Honesty, ah ain't got nothin' ta hide."

“Have you ever had a crush on a relative?” Lightning said. She then heard Fiddlesticks huff. “I’m just asking.”

"Once." AJ admitted. "Ah didn't know he was mah second cousin on Ma's side mind you, and he didn't know bout me neither, so that was a bit awkward when we found out like two minutes after we started talkin'."

“.....Don’t tell me ya were crushin’ on Braeburn,” Fiddlesticks gasped.

“Called it!” Lightning chuckled. 

"It weren't Breaburn!...it was Jam Tart. Movin' on!" AJ said, "Just fer that Lightnin', ah hope ya pick dare, cause its yer turn!"

“Oh no,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid. You’re just going to make me do something really stupid and embarrassing. Nope, I choose truth. I’ve got nothing to hide.” She crossed her forelegs, smirking. 

"In that case, you won't mind telling us the name of everypony you've had an unrequited crush on." Mask noted.

“DOH!” Lightning cringed. “Pick something else.”

“Uh-uh,” Fiddlesticks chimed, smiling. “Ya have to answer.”

“No I don’t,” Lightning shot back.

"Yes ya do." AJ added. "Them's the rules!"

“Fine,” Lightning groaned. “....I’ve had three.”

"Aaaand their names are?" Masquerade asked, grinning.

“Thunderlane,” Lightning grumbled. “Okay, he’s hot. I don’t know what your Thunderlane is like, but ours is a real warrior. He trains every morning in his backyard….Not like I ever peeked. No, I heard that from somepony else.”

"Riiight." Sunset said, eyes blank. "You heard about it."

“Ye still have two more,” Quickfix pointed out.

“.....Rainbow Dash,” Lightning glared at them, blushing. “...It’s not a crush! I’m straight! I just admire her build is all!...and her talent….Not a lesbian.”

“Called it!” Quickfix laughed. “No wonder ye were hangin’ all over AJ durin’ the stories.”

“Dang it,” Fiddlesticks groaned. “Ah missed it.”

"Also, you technically wouldn't be a lesbian." Sunset noted. "If you are attracted to both men and women, you would be bisexual."

“NERD!” Lightning pointed at her.

"...right, help you with identity crisis later." Sunset growled, looking annoyed. "Number three?"

“I’m not saying it!” Lightning growled, bearing her fangs.

“Come on,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “Nopony’s gonna-”

“MY BIG SISTER!” Lightning shouted, blushing like mad. “Now shut up!”

The locals just looked stunned, uncertain what to say.

Fiddlestick’s lower jaw dropped.

Quickfix chuckled. “Did not see that comin’.”

“I was a little filly, okay.” Lightning grumbled. “Little fillies do stupid things all the time. I grew out of it and you better not tell anypony that. Ever.” She growled.

"No problem." Mask said, sweating like mad. "Sorry, I had no idea it would get that bad."

“It wasn’t bad,” Quickfix said, before falling back in laughter. Her hooves kicking up in glee. “It was hilarious!”

“NEXT!” Lightning shouted.

"Right right." Mask said. "I'll take a dare actually."

“Ah dare ya to kiss Sunset,” Fiddlesticks grinned. 

“Can we seriously stop with the mushy stuff,” Lightning growled. “Pick something else.”

“But ah ship it~” Fiddlesticks whined. “Don’t mess with mah ship.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that Mask is going to-" She was cut off however as Masquerade planted a big one on her lips. "What the buck!?"

"Sorry Sunny, but rules are rules!" Mask said, laughing. "Okay Quick, you're up! Truth or dare?"

“Ah’m from the North,” Quickfix smirked. “We’re the most darin’ ponies ye can find. Dare me.”

"Hmmmm, the most daring huh?" Sunset smiled. "Okay then, I dare you to go over to Fluttershy's cottage, and steal a carrot from Angel."

"Are you crazy?" Mask asked.

"That's suicide!" AJ agreed.

“That rabbit,” Lightning growled. “I’ll get him one day.”

“He’s wily, ah’ll give him that.” Quickfix snorted. “Don’t mind her. She just ornery ‘cause she can’t catch him.”

“Hey,” Lightning snorted. “He lives underground. It’s hard to sink my teeth into the earth.”

“So ye say,” Quickfix rolled her eyes.

"Don't try to eat this one he's...technically Fluttershy's pet...I think." Sunset noted. "Or maybe Fluttershy is his pet, it's a little unclear."

“Ours beat up Royal Guards,” Quickfix snorted. “Ah can do that easy. Same as this.”

"If you're sure." Masquerade said, looking nervous. "Right, you'll need some directions to get there." She then told Quickfix how to reach Fluttershy's cottage.

“Yer Angel might be frisky,” Quickfix grinned deviously. “But ah’ve tangled Crystal Raptors as a little filly. Ye’ll ‘ave yer carrots soon enough.” She made her way to the cottage. As she came up to the cottage, Quickfix’s mind thought up all sorts of ways to steal a carrot. She smiled as one came to mind. So, she decided to put it into play….



"Go away, nopony home." a very quiet voice whispered from within.

“Fluttershy,” Quickfix said, knocking firmly. “Ah just want to talk with ye.”

No answer came from within the cottage.

“Ye are a stubborn mare,” Quickfix huffed. “Denyin’ a pony a greetin’. Guess ah’ll have to do this the hard way. FIDDLESTICKS!”

Fiddlesticks trotted out from behind the cottage. 

“The Jumper mark 3,” Quickfix held out a hoof. 

“On it,” Fiddlesticks took off her hat and pulled out a strange, white hoof glove. It had the Apeture logo on it.

Quickfix put it on and pointed it at the door. She focused on the door and a blue smudge appeared on the door. It was larger than a pony and shimmered, moving in place. Quickfix smiled at one of her creations and jumped through it. The ‘portal’ took her randomly into the house, appearing in the kitchen. She kissed it. “Works like a charm. Now, about that carrot.”

A low growling answered her statement. There was a pack of wolves present, and they looked quite upset at the sudden intruder. As did the large black bear. And the puma. And the wolverine.

"Oh dear, there just had to be a burglar on suppository night." Fluttershy muttered.

Quickfix gasped in glee. “A rammy? Oh if ah knew ye that ye would put up a fight, ah’d have come ‘ere sooner. Ah’ve been itchin’ fer a challenge.” She grinned.

Fluttershy gasped. "Don't even think about it missy! These animals are sick and in my care! They have it bad enough without you breaking into houses and trying to pick fights with poor, defenseless, sick animals! Where do you get off missy?!" she demanded, getting right in Quickfix's face.

“Errr….” Quickfix blinked a few times, getting used to a normal pegasus version of the great forest spirit. “Ah just wanted one of Angel’s carrots.”

"You break into my houses to steal food from a poor innocent bunny?!" Fluttershy was quite clearly outraged and, despite being thin and lanky, seemed itching for a fight.

“Well ah knocked first,” Quickfix pointed out. “Ye didn’t open up, so ah used my nifty Jumper mark 2tm to ‘jump’ into yer house. No breakin’ involved. Neat huh?” She smiled.

"I didn't open up because it's late, I don't know you, and I was medicating a number of predators. And then you break in anyway to steal stuff." Fluttershy said, deadpan. "And you have a weird magic thing for breaking into houses? Yeah, I think you need to go to the sheriff now, if that's okay with you. I mean, you really shouldn't be breaking into ponies houses you know?"

“It’s not magic,” Quickfix scoffed. “It’s SCIENCE!” She laughed like a madmare...and then stopped. “So, can ah have the carrot?”

"Ummm, no." Fluttershy said, kicking the floor lightly. "Please leave before one of us has to make you."

“But ah was dared to get a carrot,” Quickfix chimed. “Ah Northerner never backs down from a challenge.”

Fluttershy blinked a few times. "A..dare? You are doing all this for a dare?"

“Of course,” Quickfix nodded, smiling. “Ah mean, ah already tested this little fella out.” She gestured to her device. “Ah don’t need to test it again. Ah’ll save that for the Mark 3.”

Fluttershy sighed. "Only in Ponyville." Walking over to the fridge, she opened it up and winged her a carrot. "There you go. Now will you please leave? I have a lot of patients to see tonight."

“Will do,” Quickfix chimed. “Nice workin’ with ye, Fluttershy.”

"...so do you need me to open the door or...?"

“Yeah,” Quickfix rubbed the back of her head. “That’d be great. This thin’ is good fer gettin’ in, not fer out.”

Opening the front door, Fluttershy smiled. "Well it was...interesting meeting you, whoever you are. Have a good night."

“Quickfix,” she put a hoof out to shake. “Nice ta meet ye.”

"Um, nice to meet you too I guess." Fluttershy said, extending her own hoof and lightly touching Quickfix's own. "I'm sorry, but that name sounds familiar, have we met before?"

“In another universe,” Quickfix said, taking a firm grip on the pegasus’ hoof as she shook.

"...what?" Fluttershy asked, clearly unsure how to process this info.

“Only in Ponyville,” Quickfix said. “Or Equestria...or some places like it….” She scratched her head. “Gosh, it is confusin’ when ye think about it. Don’t ye worry though. Ah’ll make somethin’ ta figure it out.”

"Well, um, good luck...I think." Fluttershy said. "You, um, probably want to finish that dare."

“Right,” Quickfix nodded and took off. “See ye later.” She waved.

"Okay, I guess. But in the morning please?" Fluttershy called back, before closing the door.

Quickfix pushed open the library door and marched inside. “Ah’m back with a little souvenir.” 

"Oh my bucking Tartarus you actually did it." Sunset said, jaw dropped.

"Well now we know who the bad flank of your group is." Mask noted.

“This proves nothing,” Lightning groused, crossing her forelegs over her chest as she angrily pouted.

"Ah think it does." AJ teased back.

“Urge ta ship,” Fiddlesticks muttered.

“NO!” Lightning shouted. “Sunset, it’s your turn.” She quickly tried to change the subject.

"Right." Sunset said, then let out a big yawn. "Since Quick took a while, I say we end after my turn and get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow. Anyway, I'll take a Truth."

“So,” Quickfix put the carrot aside. “If ye had to say, would ye say you liked facin’ all those foes? At all?”

"What foes?" Sunset asked. "Can you be a bit more specific?"

“Did ye like goin’ against Discord?” Quickfix asked. “Was he fun or just terrifyin’?”

"Neither." Sunset said, frowning. "The little dude was just a giant dick to everypony for his own amusement, twisting ponies' personalities around for fun. I so wish it had stuck when I incinerated him, instead of him turning it into a visual gag."

“Ours was a monster and the Elements turned him into a baby….” Quickfix shrugged. “Don’t ask me why.”

"We just turned ours back into stone." Mask said, shrugging. "Saves a lot of trouble as a lawn ornament."

"So does that answer your question?" Sunset asked.

“Yeah,” Quickfix said. “Didn’t have a good one anyways.”

“Yep,” Fiddlesticks trotted over to Sunset with her blindfold still on. “Now it’s time fer bed.” She pulled out a blanket and pillow and laid down on the floor. “Good night everypony.” 

"...Fiddlesticks, did you forget about the sleeping bags you pulled out earlier?" Sunset asked.

Fiddlesticks jumped up. “Oh yeah.” She zipped open hers and crawled inside. “Good night everypony.”

"Night." AJ said slipping into her own bag.

Mask just lay down on top of hers, snoring softly away already.

“Night,” both Quickfix and Lightning said, crawling into theirs.

"Good night girl's. This was really fun, thank you." Sunset said, settling into heroin bag as she used her magic to flick off the lights. As she was drifting off, she noticed something. Somepony had tossed a cloth over her head. "...not a...para...keet..." She would have protested more, but she was already too far gone, drifting off to sleep.

Fiddlesticks giggled and rolled over next to Sunset. “So a parakeet.” She fell into a slumber of her own.
> Discussions {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie walked along at a steady pace, feeling much better and stronger, even if she wasn't at one hundred percent. "So, Princess, where are we going?" she asked as she trotted along behind Princess Celestia.

“To discuss the matter of your arrival and departure,” Princess Celestia answered. “My word is law here, but I will not keep my ponies in the dark, nor will I not make a decision without hearing at least their own thoughts on the matters. It is tedious at times, but worth it.”

"Our own Celestia has an advisory council, is that who we are meeting?" Sweetie asked.

“In a manner of speaking,” Celestia answered.

The group stopped before large, golden, ornate doors that could allow dragons to pass with ease. Guards holding spears with banners holding Celestia’s mark stood at the entrance. They quickly bowed. “HAIL PRINCESS CELESTIA, GODDESS ETERNAL!”

“Hail honored guards,” Celestia bowed her head in turn. “I wish to enter. The fate of our nation may very well depend on it.” The guards stood at attention and did as asked, pushing open the doors. “Be careful what you say.” Celestia said to Sweetie Drops. “You are protected, but subjects can be… fervent in their beliefs.”

Sweetie gulped, fidgeting a bit in nervousness. "Well, I am Kindness. I certainly won't attempt to be rude." She chuckled slightly. "That sounded funnier in my head."

“I’m sure it did,” Sunset remarked as they headed inside. 
 
The room was massive and circular in nature. There were several layers, each having enough room for dozens of representatives to sit. Some of them were ponies, others were of the other nations and species on the planet. On the far corner stood a great, golden throne so grandiose that it’s very existence demanded respect. Everyone went silent the moment Celestia walked in. She and the Element bearers went to her throne, while the guards took their places near the front rows. As Celestia sat in her throne, she conjured several smaller seat near herself. The other bearers took a seat.

Sweetie looked around, clearly quite nervous, before following Celestia, not quite sure where she was supposed to sit. Seeing there was an extra chair conjured, she sat down in it and looked around the room, smiling nervously.

“Your Majesty,” an older, more middle aged unicorn. He was brown with a darker brown mane and wore an elaborate dark garb of the CHI. “It is an honor to have you with us.”

“It is an honor to be here with you as well, Fervent.” Celestia smiled and glanced around. “Beings of the court. I come to you today with urgency.”

“Oh?” A dark blue, feminine Oviraptor ambassador spoke up. Her black robes carried helped her carry a more sinister and mysterious appearance. “Urgency you say? Hmmm, yes tell us. Tell us why we should care.”

“Keep your beak shut when in her holy presence,” Fervent seethed. Several guards had tensed. “If she deems it urgent, it is urgent beyond measure.”

“Yes,” a slightly overweight human ambassador spoke up. His roman tongue was only slightly present in his speech. He was so lavishly dressed and his blonde hair so well kept that he was just screaming ‘pompous’ noble. “Let us hear what she has to say.”

“As you are all aware,” Celestia said. “There are other worlds beyond our own. Not long ago, Equestria has made contact with another.” There was murmurs in the seats. “Unfortunately, the portal closed, leaving several ponies behind.”

“And again,” the Oviraptor snorted. “Why should the Oviri care? It has happened within your own country and with ponies we know naught. I will not lend resources to aid you.”

“You never lend aid at all!” The Troodon ambassador roared, pointing one of his claws at the Oviri. His golden robes shown brightly as did Celestia’s cutie mark headpiece he wore.

"Also," Sweetie couldn't help but point out, "she hasn't asked for anything, so what are you even saying no to?"

“How dare you question my actions, pony.” The Oviraptor hissed. “I know what you want and we shall lend you nothing. I can see it in those eyes of hers. Celestia wants our help. She needs it. Why else would she come to us.” Some of the other national ambassadors nodded. 

“I come to you now not to ask for aid, but to ask for your ears.” Celestia remarked. “The nature of their arrival has certainly been baffling, but-”

“HI!” A great big, pink maned changeling appeared before Sweetie Drops. She was tall, coming up to Celestia’s shoulders. “I’m Princess Pinkie Pie. What’s your name pony from a different dimension?”

"Hello Pinkie." Sweetie said, smiling. "My name is Sweetie Drops. We are in the middle of a meeting, can the party wait till later?" No matter what universe it was, being routinely exposed to Pinkie for years blunted your sense of disbelief when it came to anything she did.

“Okay,” Pinkie grinned. “I’ll wait till the epilogue, maybe earlier if I’m really itching for one.” And then she teleported back to her seat.

“Anyways,” Celestia said, not affected by Pinkie’s interruption. “As she said, this pony is Sweetie Drops, one of three ponies who have found their way into our world. I merely ask that of each of you to share with me any knowledge of chaotic energies springing forth in your countries. It is imperative for us to know.”

“For the Greater Good,” a male Tufted Deer spoke up. “We give as much information as we can. Our fair nation has indeed noticed such energies, but they mysteriously vanished not long ago.”

“Same with us,” the Oviraptor noted. Several other ambassadors nodded. 

“Could be problem,” an aboriginal kangaroo leader stroke his chin. “Very big problem.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes and that is why it is imperative we work together to find out what caused it and how we can fix it.”

“Why?” The human ambassador snorted. “It is done. The foul magic is gone from our lands. We need not worry anymore. We’re safe.”

“Safe as anyone can be in this world,” Sunset muttered, to which Redheart elbowed her ribs.

“Then what is stopping it from happening again?” Celestia pointed out. “No, we need to find out what caused it now.”

"Plus, next time it might not be something nice that comes through." Sweetie pointed out. "Or it might come out elsewhere."

“If it attacks,” a Reindeer snorted. “We kill it. It’s how it is done. You know this to be true.” Some of the other nations grumbled, twitched in their seats, or just flat out glared at the Reindeer. No one had ever successfully invaded their territory for a reason. Well two reasons, given their harsh winters.

“May I remind you of the havoc Discord wreaked upon his escape,” Celestia said, shutting up the reindeer. “We cannot afford to have another such as him come into our world, especially after recent events. I urge you to listen to me.”

“We shall,” the Troodon ambassador bowed his head. “As we always have, she who eternally shines.”

“Thank you,” Celestia bowed her head in return. Several other nations grumbled how they would keep an eye and ear out for any clues. 

“Another Discord would be detrimental,” the oviraptor admitted. “We will be on the lookout.”

“That is all I ask,” Celestia said. 

“But what is this other world like?” A Fluff asked. They were small, little fluffy ponies with childish voices. That and covered in gadgets.

Sweetie blinked a few times. "Um...is that an actual fluffy pony? Like from the children's books?"

“I am a Fluff,” the little pony snorted. “We are proud engineers and masterminds, world renowned. Children’s stories? Oh you Equestrians are jokesters.”

“I think she was talking about Fluffle Puff,” Redheart muttered to Sunset who nodded.

“I’m just glad-” Sunset’s whispers were interrupted by said big ball of fluff being flung into the room, right in front of Celestia. The face and feet then stuff out of the pony, who then gave out a raspberry.

“It is good to see you again, Fluffle Puff.” Celestia smiled down at her. “May I ask why you are here?”

Fluffle Puff raspberried and grabbed a letter out from her fur.

“Why thank you,” Celestia smiled. Fluffle Puff happily gasped and several balloons popped out of her coat to float her off. 

“...mockery,” the Fluff muttered agitatedly. 

Sweetie gasped. "How can you not like Fluffle Puff? She's a beloved children's icon of three generations in my world."

“Did you not just see her float out the door?” the Fluff ambassador gestured to the entrance. “They made her because the world thinks we’re airheads and childish.”

“Eh,” the goblin ambassador shrugged. “You kind of are.”

“Why you!” The Fluff growled.

"No fighting!" Sweetie scolded. "There is a lot to discuss."

“But I like the fighting,” Sunset pouted. 

“Sunset,” Celestia said with a warning edge. She read through the letter, holding it in her magic. “If I wanted a fight, I would have brought in Diamond Dogs or dragons. Now is the time for talk.” She put away her letter. “A new development has arrison.” Fluffle Puff rolled out from around her throne and gave her a glass of water. “Why thank you. I was a tad parched.” 

Fluffle Puff happily gasped...and then nommed on Celestia’s tail. 

Celestia didn’t pay her any mind. 

“What is it?” The human ambassador asked. 

“It would seem the portal wasn’t natural in nature,” Celestia said. “Someone made it.”

“But the energies involved…” the Fluff muttered in disbelief.

“It has been done before,” Celestia responded. “It can be done again. They might not have succeeded this time, but they’ll try again and again until they are either stopped or successful.”

"Um, your Majesty," Sweetie spoke up, "how do we know they didn't succeed in whatever they were trying to do?"

“If they had,” Celestia said. “We would have seen the signs. They have only succeeded in testing whatever science or magic they currently possess to create a portal. It was flawed. They will wait till we have become less wary, before trying again.”

“They will not be given the chance,” the human snorted. “We’ll hunt this perpetrator down and kill them.” Several others voiced their agreements.

“Our warriors will stop them in their tracks,” the reindeer pledged.

“My friends and compatriots of Equis,” Celestia bowed her head. “I thank you for taking the time to listen to me.”

“To hear the honored words of the sun goddess,” the Troodon ambassador grinned, “is a pleasure above all else.”

“Yes,” Fervent said. “The blood of traitors and filth will be spilt soon. As you as my witness, I will not rest until that is so.”

“I hope beyond hope that is not necessary,” Celestia said, glancing around. “But do what you must to ensure the safety of all. I do believe that is all I had to say. Quick and painless.”

“Relatively speaking,” the oviraptor muttered under her breath.

“Now,” Celestia said. “What were you discussing before I arrived.”

“The island of Kratz,” the human grumbled.

“There is no discussion,” Fervent spoke up. “It belongs in the hooves of Equestria.”

“After Queen Majesty slaughtered our citizens,” the human bellowed.

“There were several years between these events,” Fervent snorted. “Several thousand years where that island was uninhabited.”

“As ambassador of the Goblin Confederation,” the goblin ambassador spoke up. “I do believe the human has a point.”

“Please,” Celestia spoke up. “Stop this inane fighting. We have all had long days I do believe we should adjourn this meeting. Understood?” No one said anything, except mumbling  under their breaths. “Good. Until next time.” The ambassadors made their way out of the room and Celestia sighed. “It’s tough being a goddess AND ruling a country sometimes.”

“But you do it awesomely, mom.” Sunset smiled, nuzzling her.

“I know,” Celestia nuzzled her back.

Looking around, Sweetie said "Now that we are more or less alone, I have a couple of questions."

“If you have a question,” Celestia remarked. “You are free to ask.”

Off to the side, Fluffle Puff was sitting by a typewriter, ready to write down the conversation.

"Alright then, I might as well start with the big one." Sweetie sighed. "You said they haven't achieved their goal with the portal. What is their goal? Do you know, or are you guessing?"

“I am old, Sweetie Drops.” Celestia said. “I have several thousands of years of experience and all that experience has taught me a thing or two. Now, it’s telling me that whatever goal they are trying to reach, it will not be the betterment of my nation. They opened a portal deep within the Everfree Forest. Had it not been for the forest spirit, Fluttershy, I would be none the wiser. The perpetrators would have done whatever they wanted without my knowing. Does that sound like someone with the best intentions?”

"I never said they were." Sweetie said, shrugging. "I just want to know what you think they are trying to accomplish. You're the magic expert here, I can't figure out why they'd want a portal to my world...unless they wanted to try conquering it or something."

“I very much doubt they have the power to conquer it,” Celestia said. “Unless this group is larger than I believe they are...though to open a portal of that size, they have considerable magic with them...chaotic magic. Enough to possibly disrupt your world. Yet, I do not believe that was their first intention. Perhaps they wished to escape to your world and build up strength before returning, or perhaps they wished to find allies. I cannot say which with a hundred percent certainty. I do know that if they do succeed, much sorrow will come with it.”

"Allies...are we sure the portal was opened on this side?" Sweetie asked. "Also, I doubt they could build up strength in our world, their magic and the like would probably go as bad as ours did here."

“You are talking in absolutes,” Celestia chimed. “There are ways to circumvent known barriers, to break any set rules. Nothing is certain. So we cannot assume they would be powerless in your world...Nor can we assume it was on our side that it was opened. That much is true.”

"So we have unknown parties for unknown reasons using unknown methods opening portals from an unknown location in order to achieve their unknown end goal of something or other." Sweetie sighed. "I am so bad at mystery stories. If my marefriend was here, she'd probably have figured out a few things by now."

“Perhaps,” Celestia said. “Though, I do not doubt the efforts of the Inquisition. High Inquisitor Fervent himself has nearly two centuries of subterfuge and information gathering under his belt. He and my trusted order will soon find out the hidden truths of this matter.”

"Well that's a relief, so now I just have one real question left...what were half of those things? Seriously, I only recognized like half of the dignitaries species."

“The world of Equis is populated by dozens of sapients,” Celestia spread her wings and her horn lit up. Dozens and dozens of different species appeared in magical holograms. “Some friendly, some deadly. I have spent my entire reign to bring together the different nations...There has been little progress in that remark. Does your world not have that many sapient races?”

"Not even close." Sweetie said, staring at the host before her. "Not even close."

“Ah,” Celestia said. “Would you like me to go over each one, or perhaps an info disk would suffice?”

"That would be one of those glowing crystal things that display illusions on command right?" Sweetie asked. "When Twilight wakes up, she definitely needs to see one of those in action."

“She shall have as many as she likes,” Celestia smiled. She conjured a flat, circular crystal in her magic and held it out to Sweetie Drops. “This contains information on all the known sapient races of Equis.”

Nodding, Sweetie took it. "Thank you...so, uh, how does this work exactly? We, uh, don't have anything like this back home."

“They are very easy to use,” Celestia assured her. She tapped a feather to the crystal, activating it, which showed a picture of an Earth pony. “All you need to do is take hold of it and think about what you want. For beginners, it takes some concentration, but you should be able to get the hang of it in no time.”

"That is...amazingly useful." Sweetie admitted. "So, why don't we swing by the hospital ward, see if Twilight is awake? She would love to see this."

“That would be wise,” Celestia said. “But I have some ambassadors to calm down after interrupting their meeting. I will join you all later.”

"Of course, don't let me keep you." Sweetie said, smiling. "I'm sure your daughter can handle things here."

“Of course I can,” Sunset smirked. “But let’s not stall ourselves in revelling in my greatness…” She stopped herself from going on when she noticed her mother’s gaze. She chuckled nervously. “Yeah, let’s go then.” Sunset quickly led the group out of the room, with Celestia slowly making her own exit.

"Twilight is going to love this." Sweetie said, looking at the disk. "Let's see, those little green things...ah, goblins." She read as the proper display came up. "It's really not that difficult to use. Maybe we could see about making these back home? If our magic would allow it anyway."

“Oh there’s no fear in that,” Sunset spoke up. “Info disks carry within them their own magic to work. They can be activated even in non-magic centered areas. However, they aren’t the most sturdy. So, be careful not to drop it or bang it against anything.”

"I understand." Sweetie said, carefully tucking it beneath her necklace. "I should probably get a pouch or something to carry it then. Just so you know, Twilight is probably going to have a thousand and one questions about how they work so she can try making her own, she likes to tinker. Has a basement lab and everything."

“Sounds like Quickfix,” Redheart remarked. “Those two would probably get along swimmingly.”

"Oh?" Sweetie asked. "What is Quickfix like? She's one of the ponies we swapped with right?"

Sunset frowned. “Yes...She’s pretty much our own resident mad scientist. That pretty much sums her up.”

“She’s also a Northerner,” Pizzelle piped up. “So she loves to fight. A lot and she’s no slouch either. Why, she even took down a Crystal Raptor when she was twelve. Can you imagine that? Such a young thing taking on such a brutish creature. She has such bravado.”

"No, I can't imagine it." Sweetie said, "Mostly because I don't think we have those in my world. But it sounds impressive...how tall is she?"

“A little taller than me,” Sunset said. “Northerners are tall and muscular. She might be a unicorn, but she can tangle with an Earth Pony no problem.”

"Ah, so she'd be very tough, so a Crystal Raptor is probably even more impressive than I was thinking." Sweetie said, leaving off what she had been thinking regarding North and height. "So, you mentioned she was very angry about something earlier. Does she have anger issues?"

“No,” Sunset shook her head. “She’s more inquisitive. The only thing that ticks her off is if you mess with her inventions.”

“She’s still prone to go into a brawl though,” Redheart piped up, using her tail to fish out another info disk. “Perhaps you might want another on the creatures of this world.”

"This is enough material for my own studies right now. I never did do too well in school." Sweetie admitted. "Twilight will probably have everything memorized on the disks before tomorrow...assuming that's not a comprehensive encyclopedia or something...how much can these date disks hold?"

“Data,” Sunset corrected. “And since we’ve been perfecting these things for quite some time, some can hold entire libraries worth. It matters on the construction, magic output of the maker, and the purity of the gems used.”

Sweetie whistled. "That is a lot. My Twilight may read a lot, but I think she's only read a third of the library in Ponyville. Admittedly it's only been a few months, and we keep getting interrupted with little mini-events and crises, but still..."

“True,” Sunset nodded. “I would have liked to get a little more studying done myself, but life doesn’t always work out in your favor. These disks can be a bit of a cheat sheet in that regard.” She tapped Redheart’s disk with a hoof, showcasing a picture of a Crystal Raptor.

It was a vicious looking beast, standing on two legs and with two manipulative hands up in front that bore large talons. It’s body was covered in pure white armor like scales that shone like gems. Several spikes covered its body and it’s long tail had even longer versions. It’s head looked insectoid, with several eyes in a line. A large, crooked horn stood on its head, similar to a changelings, with two smaller horns acting as pincers on the lower jaws.

“It really has helped us out quite a lot,” Redheart remarked.

"That is, wow, she fought that?" Sweetie asked, amazed. "It's not like, only two hooves tall or something is it?"

“It’s significantly taller than a Gallimimus,” Redheart explained. “The Crystal ponies even use tamed Crystal Raptors as war mounts and for jousts.”

Sweetie resisted the urge to facehoof. "And how big is a Gallimimus?"

Redheart simply rolled her eyes and an image formed near them as they walked. It shimmered from the disk, creating the image of a fully grown Gallimimus. It was easily twice the size of a pony and could easily have somepony ride it with no problem. Another image showcased the Crystal Raptors. It was taller and longer than a Gallimimus, about half a pony’s worth.

"Oh...and she fought one when she was twelve...I...wow." Sweetie had no idea what you could add to that. "So, uh, how do you think Twilight is doing?"

“She should be well enough by now,” Redheart spoke up. “I am a member of the Order Hospitaller after all. I should know.”

"I see...why are there a bunch of ponies outside the hospital wing?" Sweetie asked, "You don't think there was an accident do you?"

Sunset snorted and marched up to the ponies. At first sight of her, all of them either bowed, or stood at attention in the case of the guards. “What is going on here?”

“Forgive us,” a priestess spoke up. “It would seem our new patient has...disappeared. The new ‘Twilight’, if I recall.”

“Disappeared?” Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “Tell me, how could she just disappear in the middle of...Did you check for any teleportation spells?” She had an inkling as she felt something...off in the air. 

“We were just about to when you walked up, Your Majesty.” The Priestess remarked. She nodded towards a couple of unicorn guards who lit up their horns.

Within seconds, they stopped. “Sanctioned chaos magic.”

“Impossible,” the priestess frowned. “We had wards on those rooms. Not the strongest, but enough to distill any passing chaos practitioners. Only...Twilight….” She face-hooved.

“Oh mother no,” Sunset groaned.

"What about Twilight? What happened?" Sweetie asked, clearly worried for her friend.

“She’s fine,” Sunset said. “She’s probably being toyed with like a yo-yo, but she’s fine. It would seem...our Twilight has gotten to her.”

Sweetie didn't look very reassured. "Your Twilight, the crazy chaos magic one?"

“Yep,” Sunset nodded.

“I wouldn’t say crazy,” Coco put out. “More...unique in her own special way.”

“Which translates to off her knocker,” Sunset remarked, tapping her head.

Sweetie was definitely panicking now. "We need to do something! Twilight, my Twilight, can't stand chaos! The two of them are probably attempting to kill each other right now!"

_______________________________________________________________________________

"Huh, you know, your mom does some really good work." Twilight said, finishing off the second book in this version of her mother's The Realm of Mortals series. "I have to admit, this is better than what mine tried. And hey, YA literature without an oppressive and yet impractical dictatorship that gets taken down by teens with relationship issues. My mom would be so happy."

“Yep,” Sparkle chimed, hopping on a candy cane pogo stick whilst setting up random ? around the bookshelves. “Mom’s the best.”

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I don't get all the cultural references and I still like it. These are top notch characters. My mom was the unfortunate victim of bad timing with her series."

“Timing is very important in a story,” Sparkle said. She hopped once more and poofed in a cloud of smoke, only to appear floating over Twilight’s shoulder. “Oooh, I love this one.”

"Yeah, it is rather good." Twilight said, reshelving it and levitating over the third in the series. "But I didn't mean timing in her stories. See, her story involved an adventurer archaeologist. But then Daring Doo came out, same type of story with a faster action pace and a hero that did a lot more quipping. Also, the book had a lot less historical fact and was more fantastical.  Daring Doo took off, and Mom's Professor Adventure didn't. Bad luck on the timing of her release really."

“Well that’s not fair,” Sparkle said, frowning. “That’s not fair at all. Mommy’s always had great stories to tell, even just little bed time stories. I mean she really knows how-” She disappeared and then her head shot out from the book. “-To make them feel alive.”

"Yes we'll, that's luck. Plus, we both know that life isn't fair." Twilight said.

Sparkle frowned, appearing again beside Twilight. “Yeah…” she scuffed the ground, before smiling. “But it’s not all bad. I still have Shining, mom, my master, and my colt...errr...shutting up.” She put a hoof to her mouth. “Sorry.”

"No no, it's fine, really." Twilight said, smiling. "You deserve something nice too. I'm not jealous."

“He’s nice to me,” Sparkle admitted. “Unlike you...I don’t have any friends, so it was nice that somepony noticed me. Most ponies think I’m annoying, or just run away.”

"Well, that's just rude." Twilight said. "I know you use chaos magic, but that's hardly any reason to act like that...unless you are doing something cruel or dangerous, but since you are mostly interested in fun I really can't see you doing that."

Sparkle looked around nervously. “Well...I mean, I do prank ponies often and...they call me ‘The Skewerer’ for a reason. Not that I’d ever do it to a nice pony though….”

"Ahhh, scary battlefield reputation." Twilight said nodding. "Yeah, that can really follow you from what I hear. But your colt friend doesn't mind that."

“He really loves battle,” Sparkle grinned. “He’s the captain of the Blood Knights for a reason, so he doesn’t mind it any. He rather likes it.” She giggled, blushing slightly. 

"Ohh, a knight captain? Sounds big, brave, heroic, and strong. Nice catch, did Shiny introduce you?"

“My master, Nonsense, did.” Sparkle admitted. “It was a ball and I was dancing by myself. It wasn’t anything new, so I enjoyed it. My master wanted me to make at least one friend, so he kind of...bumped him into me.” She giggled. “He was so nervous and I couldn’t help but tease him. It took off from there…..And Shiny hates him so. He really doesn’t like the idea of me dating.”

Twilight glowered. "Right, remind me to have a few words with your Shiny...so you met him at a dance huh? Maybe I should go dancing more often."

Sparkle gasped. “Let’s go dancing. It’ll be so much fun and maybe I can bump some stallions into you, or not.” She shrugged. “Either way, sounds fun.”

"I don't know, I mean right now? I mean I just woke up and...you know what, no. I've been having a very stressful day. I have fainted...four times. I've had my magic turned off, been flung into another reality, been hit on by an alternate older version of my adopted son, and am looking at hours of study and research just to get the basics down so that I can do heavy studying to try and find a solution to a major problem. I deserve a chance to unwind a bit. Relax. And not go crazy from stress."

“Then come on,” Sparkle grabbed her hoof and teleported them into the streets. “Oh this is going to be so much fun.” She giddily jumped on her hooftips. “So, what kind of music do you like dancing to?”

"Any kind really, but something with a strong beat is best, like pop or techno. Or wubtrot I guess, but I'm not a big fan of the music itself." Twilight answered.

“On it,” Sparkle nodded and teleported them again. This time they appeared in a large club, playing a steady ‘pop’ beat. She tapped her horn and her robes turned into a rather alluring, form fitting outfit. “This going to be so great.” She tapped Twilight’s horn and gave her the same. She squealed and hugged Twilight close. “I always wanted a dancing sister buddy.”

"Aww, that's so sweet...a little oddly specific, but sweet." Twilight said. "...wait, don't you have to pay cover fees for these sort of places?"

“Yes,” Sparkle nodded. “But I don’t believe in paying and I don’t think they really care.” She teleported away. “HEY, CAN ME AND MY SISTER COME IN?!!” Her shouting was heard from elsewhere and then immediately followed by several high pitched screams. She appeared again next to Twilight. “I always take screams as yes.”

"It probably saves a lot of time." Twilight agreed. "So...it's been a couple of years since I tried one of these clubs. Any advice?"

“Do what comes naturally,” Sparkle lamented. A scholarly beard, hat, and cape like Starswirl appeared on her. “Young pony, you must think with your heart, not your head.” She said in a poor imitation of an old pony.

"...note to self consider Starswirl costume for Nightmare Night, I look good in it." Twilight said. "Right, natural...not planning...abandon logic...I should probably get a drink first."

“Drinking’s for squares,” Sparkle rolled her eyes. “I like to be a triangle.”

"Equilateral or isosceles?" Twilight responded.

“Isosceles, duh.” Sparkle then blinked in confusion. “...It’s been so long since I’ve said anything sciency...You really are me if that...thing never happened.” She glanced away.

"Right, no sadness. We are here to relax and have fun." Twilight said. "This day has been pretty bad so far, so we are going to have fun...as soon as I work up the nerve to go on the dance floor."

“Would you like me to shoot you out of a cannon onto it?” Sparkle asked. “I don’t usually ask ponies before I do it, but I’ll make an exception with you.”

Twilight blinked in confusion. "Uh..I'm not sure what a cannon is in this context. The only canon I'm familiar with is "official writings and lore", and that doesn't sound right. But if you think it would help, sure."

Sparkle squee’d and her horn lit up. Twilight then appeared inside the barrel of a cannon with Sparkle wearing a musketeer’s outfit beside her and a lighter in her magic. She turned it to the dance floor and with manic glee, lit the fuse. “Aimed and ready.”

"Oh, so this is a cannoAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Twilight shouted as she flew through the air, only to come in for a crash landing on top of some other pony. "Right, good to know what that is now and...oh my gosh are you okay Mr...?" she asked, getting up to her hooves and off her crash pad.

“Soarin,” the pegasus stallion looked her over as he got up. “Are you okay? You look like somepony shot you out of a cannon.”

"I uh, kind of was." Twilight admitted. "I was a little nervous getting out to the dance floor you see, and she was trying to help in her own way and wait...Soarin, as in Wonderbolts Soarin?"

“The one and only,” Soarin smiled. “I take it you’re new here.”

"Like you wouldn't believe." Twilight said, smiling faintly. "Again, sorry about that. She was a bit...over enthusiastic with her help."

“Sometimes ponies are like that,” Soarin admitted. “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt or anything.”

“Cannons don’t hurt, silly.” Sparkle faintly appeared on Twilight’s back. She used her magic to clean Twilight up. “Unless you want to be a meanie pants.”

Twilight blew a bang out of her eyes chucked. "Well we wouldn't want that would we? Oh, right, Twilight. This is Soarin of the Wonderbolts. Soarin, this is my friend Twilight Sparkle."

“...The Twilight Sparkle?” Soarin’s eyes widened as he looked between the two. “Are you sure she’s not your twin or something?”

Twilight looked at her cloven hooves, long legs, and leonin tail. "Twins, really? We look that alike to you?"

Soarin shrugged. “I’ve been to a lot of places and seen plenty of strange things in the service. That wouldn’t have surprised me.”

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I guess when you run into enough weird stuff, the little things stop bugging you...why is there an odd number of spotlights in each row? You would get better symmetrical coverage if there was an even number in each row!"

“Chaos,” Sparkle whispered into her ear and appeared between them. “I like it this way.” She used her magic to mess it up even further, giggling all the while.

"...you know what. I don't care. I am here to relax, unwind, dance, and de-stress myself after a hectic and confusing day. Caring is off. I will not care and is that light fish shaped now?! No no, stop caring, just find a cute guy and get to dancing, and relax. You can do this, you've relaxed on occasion before."

“Well,” Sparkle grinned. “You found your cute guy,” she used her magic to push Soarin and Twilight together. “now ship, I mean, dance together.”

"Well I'm not saying no, what about you?" Twilight asked. "And what do boats have to do with anything? Wait, no, not caring."

“If a cute girl wants to dance,” Soarin smiled, blushing slightly at the contact. “Who am I to say no?”

"Cool, so you're single then?" Twilight asked. "Cause I'm not butting into a relationship if there is one."

“No,” Soarin rolled his eyes. “Most mares don’t want to date ‘me’, they want the Wonderbolt, so never does work out.”

"Sorry to hear that." Twilight said. "Well, let's just forget that for a bit. Boy, girl, dance, fun...monosyllables." She giggled at her little joke.

Soarin took her hoof in his. “If the lady insists,” he smirked. “Let’s dance.”

“Yes!” Sparkle back flipped and landed on her hind legs. “Work your magic, girl.”

"But. I'm not planning on casting any spells." Twilight said, confused.

“I think she’s talking about your dance moves,” Soarin chuckled. He pulled into a bipedal posture, careful as to not hurt her spine. “So, are you a beginner?” He asked, keeping her close.

"Well, um, I've been dancing a couple times before, just never with anypony...or bipedal." Twilight admitted. Bipedal wasn't really a problem for her though, her tribe was built for balance.

“Then I’ll take it slow then,” Soarin nodded. 

“HEY!” Sparkle shouted, teleporting over to the music player. “Play a slow song.” The stallion screamed at one look at her and bolted. “I love you too, random pony.” She grinned, waving him off. She then turned to the music box and picked a slower song. “Let this ship sail.”

Soarin rolled his eyes and snorted at the display. “Just follow my lead.” With that said, he slowly but surely started dancing.

Twilight...tried. In her reality, unicorns are noted for their poise and grace. Twilight was acting as living proof that nopony fits every stereotype. "Sorry...sorry...sorry..." she kept muttering as she bumped into his side, accidentally kicked his foot trying to walk around, or wound up tangling her legs in his.

Soarin tried to keep his pained winces to a minimum and smiled. “Don’t be sorry. You’re doing good.” He held back a slightly pained grunt. “Just calm down, you’re working yourself up too much.”

"This doesn't seem to be going too well master." the music box notes. "Also, why am I now alive?"

“Because raisins,” Twilight touched a button that...just appeared on the machine, shooting up a few raisins into the air. She reached them with an open mouth and quickly gulped them down. “But you’re right. We need to up the ante.” She grinned. “Let’s try a ‘sensual’ song.” She tapped her chin. “But nothing too much. It’d be fun to watch her blush and scamper, but no sis of mine is going to be an eternal virgin. Make it nice too.”

"Fox trot maybe? Or a nice waltz? Ooh, what about the tango master?" the music box asked.

“Oooh!” Sparkle's grin split her face, literally. “The tango. Sounds perfect. So sexy, so close. Do it!”

"Of course master." As the music started playing, the box added "Er, master, maybe you should put your face back together?"

Sparkle's head floated in two pieces. “Right,” she put it back on, with her head downwards. She twisted it back upright. “Pump it up, music box! Let’s do this.”

"As you wish!" the music started playing louder. "Wait, I don't have a name?" 

“I shall give you the most fitting and creative name that one can give a magic talking music box,” Sparkle said, pausing for dramatic effect. “Larry.” Dun, Dun, DUN! played out.

"I hope you liked my flourish." Lary said.

“It was very good,” Sparkle nodded. “I just hope it works.”

Meanwhile on the dance floor, Twilight was feeling a bit lost. "So, uh, she changed up the music a bit...and brought the music player to life that's new."

“Stuff like that happens a lot,” Soarin himself still seemed at a loss. He shook his head to clear it. “So...Tango?”

"Tan-what? Wait, I've heard of that...isn't that a really advanced dancing thingy?" Twilight asked, nervous.

“Yes,” Soarin nodded. “It’s not ‘that’ hard, but it’s easy if both parties have it down at least somewhat...It’s also rather ‘close’ when I think about it.”

"Close?" Twilight asked, blushing. "Um, I, uh, well I guess it sounds, um, why don't you lead?"

Soarin kept her close with a firm grip. “If I go too far,” he softly said as he got ready. “Just let me know.”

"I will." Twilight said, and then the two began to Tango...sort of.

"Ouch." Larry noted. "I did not think it was possible to kick a wing like that while dancing."

Sparkle cringed. “Maybe the tango wasn’t the best choice...but they are rubbing against each other a lot.” 

"Yes, and he is still dancing with her, that is a good sign." Larry agreed. "If only there were some way to make her a better dancer...or her partner more durable."

Sparkle hummed and tapped her chin in thought. “Well, I could always simply make it a waltz, but they’re so close...Maybe taking over her body is the more sensible option. What do you think?”

"I see absolutely nothing wrong with you manipulating her motor functions for the purpose of having fun." Larry said. Music boxes weren't well known for their ethical insights.

Sparkle gasped and hugged the music box. “Thanks Larry,” she said, before hopping backwards. Her body glowed with magic and she used it to connect her own self to Twilight. “Now my motions are hers.” With that, she started a more aggressive and sensual take on the dance.

Twilight was unaware of this. "Woah, hey I think I'm getting it down now."

Soarin was blushing slightly at her new rather...erotic take on the dance. “Yep, you’ve gotten the hang of it.” He danced along, now a little more fearless and daring. And a lot less in pain.

"So...I have to admit this is pretty fun." Twilight said, spinning in close. "I really should thank her for the idea."

“This is rather pleasant,” Soarin admitted, smiling. “Glad to see you cutting loose. Though, it was kind of cute dancing with you before.”

Twilight laughed. "Oh I'm not cutting loose, the city block is still here right? I'm just relaxing and...you think I'm cute?"

Soarin nodded eagerly. “Cutest mare in the club.” 

Taking a glance around,Twilight snorted with contained laughter. "That's not saying much, us and Twilight are the only three ponies here, all the rest evacuated once they spotted her. Kind of a jerk move on their part."

Soarin glanced curiously around. “Huh?” He saw that she was pretty much right in that regard. “Whoa, they cleared out fast.” He shrugged. “Guess I was having too much fun to notice.”

"Same here." Twilight said. "I haven't had fun like this in a while, just by myself. Usually I'm busy, or it's a small thing with friends, or I have to worry about my son. Just relaxing is nice."

With another twirl, they were brought back face to face, snout touching snout. Soarin should have been used to being so close to a mare by now, but since most were either friends, or childish fans, this was a tad bit different. So, his cheeks still had a faint blush to them. “You have a son?”

"Adopted. Long story." Twilight said. "Still qualify for any evil villain schemes that require a virgin sacrifice."

Soarin blinked at that last comment, but was going to reply to it. “Well, good for you. I’m sure you’re a great mother.”

"Thanks, I try my best." Twilight said. "It's not easy raising a baby dragon."

“A dragon?” Soarin looked taken aback. “Well, it’s not the first time I’ve heard of that, what with Celestia taking in a dragon herself. It's nice knowing there are some ponies out there a little more...accepting of other races.”

"Yeah well" Twilight said, finding herself spinning into his forelegs, "I hatched him, long story, so I was responsible for the little guy you know? You'd have to be pretty dang heartless to ignore a baby you brought into the world."

“True,” Soarin smiled, nodding his head. 

“Awww~” Sparkle cooed as she looked at the pair. “They’re bonding, Larry. It’s so precious. Oh, I can’t wait to be an aunt...or mother?” She tapped her chin. “A mount?...That sounds a tad kinky….I love it.” She giggled and with a little flourish, made it a few more ‘seductive’ movements.

"Um, okay I am definitely not doing that." Twilight said, face flushed. "...damn it Twilight!" Now that she was aware of it, she realized her body was not moving the way she wanted it to. Especially in that sort of manner. Even somepony as romantically blind as Twilight couldn't miss something this obvious.

“What are y-y-you-” Soarin blushed heavily as Twilight made a few rather...light brushes along some sensitive areas. “Oh,” he glanced at Sparkle who was dancing and giggling like a madmare. “I see.”

"Sorry. She feels a little bad that I don't have a coltfriend like she does so...okay that is really not appropriate!" she shouted, her horn glowing to try and counter Sparkle's spell.

Sparkle’s spell stopped instantly and she yelped in pain. She fell backwards, clutching her horn and spasmed a bit. Bolts of solar magic ran over her body. “Ow, ow, ow, holy magic, ow!”

Twilight immediately abandoned Soarin. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I just wanted you to stop. Are you hurt? Do you need to see a doctor? Go to a hospital? Or a chaos magic healy place?”

“I’m fine,” Sparkle sat up, cringing at another series of bolts soured over her body. “It’s nothing. I was just being a pain is all and got what I deserve.” She put a hoof to Celestia’s mark on her cheek and clenched her eyes. The magic stopped instantly. “I’m used to getting shocked when I go overboard anyways. Nothing new.”

"That's not," Twilight gasped, "that's not right. Yes I was embarrassed but that was no reason to blast you with magical energy pain! You don't deserve to be hurt because you were trying to make me happy."

“Is everything alright?” Soarin trotted up to the pair. He gave a quick glance over Sparkle. “She doesn’t look hurt, but I’m not an expert on unicorns. What kind of spell were you using?” He asked Twilight.

"A basic brute force counterspell." Twilight said. "You basically slap your targets magic with your own. You don't even necessarily need to beat them, just hit it hard enough to throw it out of whack. It shouldn't have hurt like that."

“Simple,” Sparkle nodded. “But I felt it. You are blessed by Celestia herself and when it was thrown against my safeguards, well…” She cringed. “It hurts like Tartarus’s fury.”

"That, that can't be right." Twilight said, shaking her head. "I can't be full of holy magic. That's, that's god and religion stuff. I don't, that, it doesn't make sense! And who makes wards that shock you for a prank or something well intentioned that went a little too far."

“Because she is a god and I’m a freak,” Sparkle growled.

“Now that isn’t-” Soarin started.

“It is,” Sparkle pointed at the mark on her cheek. “This mark is to keep me sane and in line. It’s a leash so that I can never go rogue or go full out with my power. Do you know what that would mean? You don’t, because there’s never been a chaos magi as strong as me. I’d turn this whole city into a madhouse in the blink of an eye. I’d kill your family for funzies, because without this safeguard, I would lose my mind. Well, tough luck, I already did, but it’s still there. A little reminder of what I am. Your spell hurt me because it was used against me. That’s what happens when a chaos magi goes rogue. They are ‘brought back in line by any means necessary'. I’ve been shocked more times than I’d admit and each time hurts just as bad...That’s how it goes….I deserved it anyways. I’m sorry, Twilight.”

"No." It wasn't a simple statement that word. It was a rock, a bastion, a fortress. It was the kind of word that made historians look back and go 'oh shit'. A similar reaction would be had by any creature old enough to be history, recognizing the pattern. Something BIG was just decided. "Twilight, you do not deserve this. This is the sort of punishment you use for conquerors and despots, not ponies who just have a lot of magical power. This is not right and I will not stand for this."

“Of course it’s right,” Sparkle shot back. A few tears fell down her cheeks. “I’m a chaos sorcerer. I kill others for fun! Fun, I enjoy it. I’m a monster. Do you know what would happen if I didn’t have this mark?....I’d hurt innocents. I don’t want to, but I would…..I killed daddy. I deserve to be punished.”

"No." Twilight said. "You don't. You killed one pony by accident because you didn't know about your powers. You regret it forever. That is punishment enough. You remember what I said about you visiting home with me?"

Sparkle nodded. “Yeah, why?”

Twilight smiled. "How would you like to move in with us instead?"

Sparkle blinked a few times. “Move in? With you? Really?”

"Of course." Twilight said. "All things considered, would you rather stay here where everypony screams and runs from you, or go someplace you can make friends?"

Sparkle grinned and hugged her. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” She teleported a bunch of bags around her. “I better go pack my bags and tell mom. Ooh! I could tell Shiny...Nah, he’d never let me go. OOOH! I could bring Bloody, err, I mean Bloodletter. That’s my coltfriend’s name. Hmm, or he could visit. Dimensional travel buddies!” She giggled as she looked through the cases. She returned to hugging Twilight. “Thank you, bestest sister!”

Twilight hugged back. "No problem. Just, um, make sure you explain to Bloody that if he does come, he won't be able to fight as much. My Equestria is pretty peaceful by comparison. He's a knight captain here, he's probably used to a lot more fighting than we have back home."

“That’s an understatement,” Sparkle lamented. “Bloody loves fighting. I mean, his hobby is collecting the skulls of fallen enemies. I think he’d get a bit ‘itchy’ without something to kill. Well, not as itchy as when I bring him to a ball. He still can’t dance and he’s so adorably awkward.” She giggled. “He does look good in a tux though.”

"I see." Twilight said nodding. "Well, I guess you should do some packing. I don't know how long it's going to take to find the way back home, but you'll want to be ready for when we do."

"Can I come too?" Lary asked.

“Yes!” Sparkle used her magic to put Larry into a bag. “This is so exciting, I feel like I’m going to explode.” And she did in a big spoof of confetti, only to appear laying across Twilight’s back holding a checklist and quill. “Check, check, and doubly sparkle check.” She giggled.

Twilight smiled. "But did you triple check the double checks of the checks that you checked for checking errors?"

A bunch of scrolls appeared, burying soarin alive.

“Yeppie, yep, yep.” Sparkle nodded. “Mommy always said that I needed to be prepared for everything and this is everything.”

"Great." Starting to leave, she paused and turned to face the pile of scrolls. "Hey Soarin, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go. Got magics to study, portals to other dimensions to open, really busy schedule. Hope you understand, it was fun. Bye!" Twilight then marched out of the club.

“Yeah,” Soarin crawled his way out of the pile. “Bye.” He sighed. “The nice ones are always busy.” He muttered to himself. “Well, at least she didn’t go ‘gaga’ and make it awkward.”

****************

"For the last time," Rainbow muttered, "I am Rainbow Dash! Now freaking let me into the palace!"

“Then why are you covered in feathers,” the guard shot back. “No uniform, no identification, even mutations? Do you take me for a fool?”

"Yes." Rainbow replied. "Because, once again, I'm A Rainbow Dash, but not THAT Rainbow Dash. How hard is this to get!? I'm freaking on the list!"

The guard used his magic to lift up the scroll. “Yes, it says ‘Rainbow Dash’. To my knowledge, there is only one Rainbow Dash in Equestria and you’re way too young to be her. Next time, skip the feathers in your little cosplay or whatever you kids call costumes these days.”

"...okay, whoever writes these lists is getting an earful from me." Rainbow said. "Did they really not think to include that, oh I don't know, I'm a different Dash with feathers so that idiots like you could tell I'm me might have been a good idea?!"

“Idiot?!!” The guard growled, glaring her down. “Look here, kid. I didn’t gain this rank and position to listen to squirts like you telling me I’m an idiot.”

“Well maybe if you weren’t an idiot, she wouldn’t have to call you out on it.” Dash appeared at Rainbow’s side, causing the two guards to jump back in shock.

“Captain Dash!” The two stood at attention and saluted. “I was just-”

“Making an arse of yourself,” Dash commented. 

“No I-” At Dash’s glare, the guard swallowed and nodded. “Yes, I was making an arse of myself.”

“Good to hear a little honesty,” Dash commented. “Now, open the doors.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Without further question, the two guard used their magic to unlock the barriers set in place and open the doors. 

“Don’t think for a second your superiors won’t hear about this,” Dash bore her fangs, causing the guard’s to quake in fear. 

"Personally, I mostly blame whoever wrote that list." Rainbow said. "They had to know the sort of guys they send out to guard the place you hit first if you actually are going to attack and are thus the most expendable and shoddy troops. Should have included a description clear enough that even these guys could grasp it."

“There are idiots everywhere,” Dash shrugged. “Can’t help that. I’ll get this sorted out once this is all over.”

Rainbow shrugged. "The average pony is of average Intelligence. You're as likely to find an idiot as a genius."

“Ain’t that the truth,” Dash grumbled. “Hopefully the rest of your stay here will be idiot free...I say hopefully, mind you. No promises.”

"En, I'll take what I can get." Rainbow said, walking in. "Also, did they think they could actually stop me if I tried?"

“Idiots remember?” Dash chuckled. “So where are you headed? I might be able to help you find it. I have been to the Holy city a few times.”

"Not sure, I'm supposed to meet Celestia and my friends here. I didn't feel like waiting on the train, so I came here early to take a look around. Hopefully I don't have to wait too long for them to show up."

“Young pegasus,” an ancient, but still young voice spoke out. His voice was soothing and full of wisdom. “They are already here.”

"What?" Rainbow asked, stunned. "But the train takes a few hours, so how...a deer?" she asked, seeing the speaker. "Oh um, hi there."

Said deer gave her a condescending glance. He wore immaculate write robes and a dew shaped gem on his forehead. In a forehoof he carried a long white staff/spear that held in itself a pulsing blue gem. “Hello Rainbow Dash. I have been waiting for you.” 

Rainbow looked a little concerned. "Good waiting for me, like you're Celestia's good friend, or bad waiting for me, like stabby stab stab die?"

“If I had wanted you dead,” the deer said. “You would be so the moment I foresaw your arrival. No, your death is not within these walls and certainly not by my hoof. I know that for certain, dimension traveler.”

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll take your word for it." Rainbow said. "The deer back home are rather trustworthy. Big on honor and all that. So, uh, what were you waiting for then?"

“Yes,” Dash narrowed her eyes, her wings twitching in preparation for an attack. “What are you waiting for?”

“I simply wish to meet our travelers,” the deer said. “They who know much and that of my kind, yet know so little. Perhaps we could be alone for a while, yes? You do have an important affair to attend to.”

“What are you talking about?” Dash asked, before a messenger pegasus came to stop before her and saluted. She returned it and dismissed it. “Report.”

“Captain,” the pegasus mare said. “There’s trouble brewing in Cloudsdale. Captain Spitfire needs your assistance immediately.”

“Damn it, dad.” Dash growled. “Can’t you take one day off?”

"Wait, dad, what?" Rainbow asked, confused.

“Yeah, dad.” Dash said. “You know, father, male parent, the giver of sperm and all that jazz. Geesh, it’s simple. Don’t you have one?”

"Well, yeah, but I'm confused. What does dad have to do with trouble in Cloudsdale?" Rainbow asked.

Dash sighed. “He’s the leader of a pegasi centered movement called ‘The Pegasi Enclave’. He thinks Cloudsdale and other pegasus cities should become independent and...well, he kind of thinks pegasi are the ‘master race’.” She grumbled. “We don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

Rainbow found herself sitting down on her haunches, stunned. "Dad's...the bad guy?"

“Well….” Dash looked disconcerted. “He’s still dad. He still loves me and all that. He’s just difficult. Yeah, that’s the word. I mean, he hasn’t done anything ‘too’ drastic.”

"What? Like some protests and rallies?" Rainbow asked, sounding more hopeful. That didn't sound too bad after all.

“Mostly that,” Dash nodded. “Though, some members of the Enclave do go a step further, but those are just isolated instances. If he did try anything, well...he holds a lot of power with the pegasi, especially Cloudsdale. It would be messy. I’m just thankful he’s not going the dictator route.”

"Well, it's Dad." Rainbow said, shrugging. "I have a lot of trouble seeing him do even this much, let alone doing the whole 'rule with an iron hoof' deal."

“Yeah,” Dash chuckled. “He’s a talker, not much of a fighter. That’s mom’s department.”

Rainbow did her best to keep from laughing as she said "Well, I guess you better go. Good luck."

“See ya,” Dash said, before speeding off.

Once her double was gone, Rainbow key out a small laughing fit. "It must be another reality if moms the fighter...then again it's probably not my mom." Turning to the deer, she shrugged. "Okay, so you can see the future. Cool. So, why did you want to talk alone?"

“To help you on your question,” the deer said. “I do not care for you ponies, nor do I care for you country. You are all primitive barbarians. However, Celestia is a close friend of we deer, so the destruction of everything she holds dear is something we wish to avoid.”

"Okaaaay was not expecting another doomsday prophecy. Do you have something to write this down with? Getting it in writing is usually helpful." Rainbow said. "Unless you don't do it in roundabout riddles or rhyming poetry full of literal symbolism but just tell us straight up?"

“I am not a zebra,” the deer said, putting a little disdain in the word ‘zebra’. “We deer can be seen ‘as’ cryptic, but to a knowledgable being, we are straightforward. To you, I shall be as straightforward as one can to an infant.”

"Hey, I'm not that young." Dash said, indignant. "And don't try any of that "younger race" stuff, I am capable of telling when something is aimed a little more personally."

“Perhaps you can,” the deer said. “Perhaps you can’t, young one. Though, you are at an disadvantage already. I know you, you don’t know me. I am over thirteen hundred years of age, you are barely thirteen.”

"...okay, that is impressive." Dash admitted. "From a sheer numbers perspective. But for all I know you flunked out of school and are just a really old guy. Being older doesn't make you smarter."

“”Wise words,” the deer bowed his head. “I am Farseer Anrain, of the Ulthwe clan.”

"Rainbow Dash of Ponyville, it's a pleasure to meet you." Rainbow said, smiling as she bowed back. "And with a fancy title like Farseer, I'm guessing that takes a lot of talent and smarts to earn."

“Centuries of practice,” Anrain said. “Not all deer can become a Farseer. Those that do become the leaders of the clan. Only the wise and just should lead. That is the way of the Ulthwe clan.”

"Good model." Rainbow said, nodding in approval. "Justice is a big deal with my pegasi too. We wrote our Equestria's legal system...three times admittedly because dealing with the other tribes brought up a lot of stuff my ancestors had never considered, and then after Discord things got shuffled around again, but still you get the idea."

“Pegasi that learn?” Anrain chuckled. “Your world is truly different. The pegasi of this land are no different than that of their ancestors. Much strife they have caused and much strife they will cause in the future. That is their nature. Perhaps your heart is not so different, or perhaps it is. My sight cannot pierce the veil of worlds...not yet.”

"Well," Dash said, looking around. "Pegasi make up most of the military. Like, two thirds. And they're heavily present in police and guard forces. But you go past that and most of us are reactionary at best. Heck, most of the rest of us are, as the locals would put it, pansies...though why a delicious flower AND the name of one of Equestria's founding members is considered an insult I don't get."

“Commander Pansy was a coward,” Anrain stated. “Though, I do not care for Equestria’s history. It does not concern me or the great clans of deer.”

"Right, I guess that doesn't matter as much when it's the other guy's problem. So...you said you had a dire warning?"

“Our enemies are moving their pieces into place as we speak,” Anrain stated. “I came to assist and help guide your Twilight Sparkle during this mission. She will need it most certainly.”

Rainbow frowned. "Really? Why just Twilight? This better not be a case of 'because unicorn'. That's annoying enough to deal with back home when something gets in its head that magic makes them better."

“Twilight has enough power to level a city,” Anrain explained. “She has no experience with the realm of magic and Celestia will not be there with you on your journey. No, I must go and help her train. As well, I shall help you and Sweetie Drops in other ways.”

"Ah...that kind of assist." Rainbow said, nodding. "Yeah, I guess 'how to do magic' is kind of a big deal. Our unicorns...it's kind of all they have going for them."

“Indeed,” Anrain conceded. “Now follow me. I shall take you to your friends.”

Dash trotted along, keeping a reasonable distance between them. No need to crowd the guy after all, and it gave her room to glance around the palace to see how it compared to the one back home. The grand palace halls were gargantuan, able to house even the mighty dragons themselves. The walls and ceilings were ordained in holy carving and housed frames of great battles or important figures. Here and there along the walls sat a small gold Celestia on pedestals and a cup of holy water at her hooves. As well, there were some guards patrolling the corridors. "Sooo, Anrain, is...Celestia vain in this world? Our's doesn't have one picture of her in the place. Here, I can't trot twenty steps without seeing one."

“The ponies of Equestria love her to fanatical lengths,” Anrain explained. “She is the only thing keeping their insipid race from extinction or at the very least, fracturing into pieces. She allows this because her ponies draw hope and faith from her likeness and in turn can use it as strength against their foes. Never underestimate faith, young one. On a personal level, she is not in any way vain. As her friend for centuries and a pupil of sorts, I should know.”

"Ah." Dash said, trotting along. "...I can't help but wonder if our Celestia's image would be plastered everywhere if things were as bad with us. I can't really say one way or another. I know I don't know enough for that kind of discussion."

“Your race would,” Anrain stated. “You need a symbol, something to hold on to when the harshness of the world comes crashing on top of you. She is that symbol. She is their mother and they will fight to the death for her and her alone. If not for their faith and the guidance of Celestia herself, there would be no Equestria.”  

"...arguable." Dash admitted. "But then again, if she failed us enough that things got that bad, we might kick her out and go back to democracy. No way to know unless it happens."

Anrain started chuckling. “Democracy.” He said as though that was a joke in of itself. “Primitives. Kicking Celestia out of her seat of power would be the single most idiotic, suicidal idea that has ever graced my ears.”

Dash paused, frowning in thought. "...I'm going to poke Discord with a metric ruler repeatedly while discussing the laws of physics and how awesome order is while also slapping him with a physics book. There, an even stupider idea. Mark the Calendar and see if anything ever tops it."

“He’d find that more hilarious than I,” Anrain commented. “I’ll just take it that your Equestria doesn’t hold Celestia up as well if you can remark in such fashion.” 

"She's the Princess, and she's ruled for like fifteen hundred years. We know she's awesome, wise, and has a lot of experience. We also know she's not infallible." Dash said. "Plus, there are a good number of countries that can compete with us, and they don't have Immortals in charge. It's generally accepted that she's amazing, but she's not perfect. Doesn't stop a lot of ponies from not realizing what that really means and trying to get Celestia to fix everything, but you get idiots everywhere."

“Yes,” Anrain said. “Though, it helps to have immortals and those that have such long life spans in charge. They remember their mistakes, mortals do not. Though immortals can be just as bad at times. Even if Celestia can make a mistake, you should be careful what you say around these Equestrians. To their eyes, she is perfection.”

Dash took another look around. "So...any of these statues and busts ponies of peace, or are they warriors to go with those murals?"

“They are famous for many different reasons,” Anrain explained. “The picture you are looking at now is that of Captain Slaughter of the Reject Knights and his campaign against the Alpha dog, Breakstuv. The mural next to it is of the famous explorer ‘Flora’. She founded many of your outer towns and found many a ruin, solved many a mystery. A fine mare. And the statue on our right is that of Priest Blessed Dream who gave hope and love to so many ponies during and after Nightmare Moon’s betrayal.” He looked around. “Equestria may be violent, but it is violent only necessity. They are a very curious race as I’m sure you are as well.”

"Huh, of those, the only name is recognize is Flora the Explorer. She charted like half of all of Equestria and brought us into contact with Zebrica. We put her on the ten bit coin." Dash said.

“She was certainly extraordinary and spoke her mind,” Anrain said. “She even garnered favor with we deer, something few ponies have ever done.”

"Oh really? Cool. What did she do to impress you?" Dash asked.

“She saved Isha, the goddess of life and healing and the mother of our race.” Anrain explained. “She rescued her from the foul clutches of one of Discord’s traps and for that we were forever in her debt.” 

Rainbow whistled appreciatively. "Yeah, that would do it. Ours just mapped two thirds of a continent and got us in contact with a new race. I mean that's still impressive and all, but saving someone like a that's a whole 'nother level."

“She helped out many races after Discord’s rule,” Anrain said. “The Celestial sisters were weak after their battle. She was their saving grace as well as many. Even the foul minded dragons, or barbaric griffins owe her much.”

"I can imagine. The Elements take a good chunk out of you ta use, and they each used three...wait, you guys had seven here. Who used the extra one?" Rainbow had to admit, it was a very good question.

“That would be Celestia,” Anrain remarked. “I do believe that was one of the leading things behind Luna’s treachery.”

"Yeah, I can see that." Dash said, nodding. "If you ask me, being a prime number means you can't divide it fair with smaller numbers. It seems like it was obviously meant to just be wielded by a group of seven. Otherwise you wind up with at least one "more important" pony, which would throw the whole thing off. Whoever designed your Elements clearly didn't expect there to be other group sizes."

“That would be how it seems,” Anrain lamented. “Still, things have worked themselves out accordingly.”

"You're Luna's still evil from what I hear." Dash pointed out. "How is that 'working out'?"

“It is working out because we don’t have to deal with her anymore,” Anrain stomped his staff down on the ground. “She is locked here in the capital and is a threat to no one. You will be hard pressed to find somepony, aside from Celestia herself, that cares.”

"That's...sad." Dash said. She didn't know how to express what she was feeling beyond that. 
"Come on, let's go find the others."

“Around the corner,” Anrain stated as they came to a cross section. “To your right.”

Dash, running out if patience, rushed around the corner, only to almost crash into Sunset. "Oh thank you, I have been looking for you guys! Sorry I didn't realize how fast the local trains were. Did I miss much?"

“Oh nothing special,” Sunset griped. “Just Twilight kidnapping Twilight. That sort of thing.”

"Aww nuts." Dash said. "Your Twilight or our Twilight did the kidnapping?"

“Ours,” Sunset stated. “Do you really think yours could pull it off with a chaos sorceress in her condition?”

"No clue. I have no idea how the two match up." Dash said. "So, on a scale of "angry squirrel" to "Discord and Nightmare Moon had twins that are now grown up and the whole family is after you", how dangerous is your Twilight?"

“Around a pissed off Discord,” Sunset remarked.

"Oh...sounds like our Twilight's upper limits." Dash said, wings drooping. "So, weakened, that would be a no. Any idea where they could be?"

“She will be with us shortly,” Anrain lamented. 

“Anrain?” Redheart asked. “If you’re here….Is it that bad?”

“Perhaps,” Anrain said. “If we let it. I am here to see you all through your trials ahead.”

"And if we fail?" Dash asked. Not that she was scared, it was just important to know the stakes.

“The destruction of everything both your worlds hold dear,” Anrain answered. 

Dun dun dun! "I'm sorry master, it is just not as threatening or dramatic on kazoos. Perhaps vevuzelas? Or the harpsichord, if you want non standard instruments for it. Ooh, what about the saw? Nopony would expect it on a musical saw!"

“Who is that?” Sunset asked. “And why do I already feel annoyed by it?”

"I am the master of music, the living sound stage of splendor, the disk DJ of discord, and lord of lyrics! I am...Larry!...aww, I don't have any lighting and thunder recorded."

“Chaos,” the priestess muttered a few prayers.

Sunset groaned. “Great another musical chaos servant. Well, let’s just hope you’re on our side because I’m feeling in the mood for barbecue.” 

"...master, are we on their side? You never told me...there are sides? Like with records?"

“Yes we are, Larry.” And just like that, spires of punch shot out of the ground throwing everypony into the air and keeping them there. Sparkle, wearing a pirates uniform, eyepatch and all, rowed around them on a lifeboat. Twilight was wearing another pirate outfit. “I’m pleased as punch to meet you all.” 

“Sparkle!” Sunset shouted. “Put us down.”

“I don't know." Twilight said. "This is better than the first pun I had to talk her out of. Plus, it's punch that makes stuff cleaner when you pour it on something, so it's not that bad. Plus, you look a little stressed out, you could probably use a laugh. Um, arrr, am I doing that right?"

“No,” Sparkle shook her head and held up a hook. “It’s ‘argh’ me maties, ye need to laugh more ye filthy landlubbers. Argh.”

“Oh shut it,” Sunset shot at her. “I’m not in the mood for this.”

“Well I think it’s funny,” Pizzelle spoke up, chuckling. “How often do you get to say you got to lay on punch? No often enough I say. Oh this reminds me of that time me and Presto got lost in the Equestria borders. We found ourselves in a hotspot, kept getting shot into the air by geysers.”

"Personally," Sweetie said, having been flipped onto her back and trying to turn around to face anypony, "I'm just glad you two aren't trying to destroy each other in some crazed order versus chaos deal...you didn't try and then Twilight lost and then got turned to chaos did she?"

"Arrr." Twilight said, her pirate accent obviously forced. "I should be keel hauling you for saying the great Comadore Twilight would lose to a...um, I don't know what to say that sounds pirate-y that also wouldn't insult you. Got any ideas?"

"Wraak, pieces of eight, wroooaaah! We're dressed up as pirates?" Larry, the music player dressed like a pirate parrot, asked. "I thought we were dressed as shoe salesmares. Pirates steal music!"

“Ye be right about that, but pirates steal everything because that’s what pirates do.” Sparkle held up a music disk. “Like stealing from other pirates.”

"Ah no! Curse your shoe seller disguise!" Larry shouted.

"Shoe sellers, really?" Dash asked, refraining from trying to flap off just to see what happened next.

"Hey, give me a break." Larry grumbled. "I've been alive for less than an hour."

“He’s like the son I always wanted,” Sparkle grinned. “Except he isn’t alive and already grown up.” She pulled Twilight close and cried. “They grow up so fast!”

"I know that feeling...except mine actually is growing up but still." Twilight said, patting her back. "Anyway, I think we ran this pun for all it's worth."

“Right!” Sparkle said, canceling out her spell and bringing everypony back onto the ground in normal attire. “We’ll have more puns and babies later.”

"Eh, we'll see." Twilight said, shrugging. "So, how have things been going while I was asleep?"

“Preparations for you future,” Anrain explained, stepping forward.

“Yes,” Sunset spoke up. “And that would be?”

“For me to know and you to find out.” Anrain answered.

“Yeah,” Sunset huffed. “I thought so.”

"...I'm getting serious Zecora vibes here." Twilight said. "Cryptic end of days prophecy?"

“Isn’t it always?” Sunset pointed it out.

“....Perhaps,” Anrain gave her an annoyed glance.

"And non-answer." Twilight said. "Staff, mysterious air, not giving straight answers, revealing hidden prophecies. It's like we never left home."

“I feel you,” Sunset snorted. “Sometimes it gets annoying being the savior of ponykind again and again. It’s like our lives are just episodic or something.”

"Well, not that bad." Sweetie said. "I mean it's not like we do nothing that doesn't further an adventure. How those "adventure scientists" in the serials keep their careers I have no idea."

"And it's not like we have some big adventure happening every week." Dash chimed in. "Sometimes it's just life going on, you know?"

“Isn’t that what happens in a show?” Coco spoke up. “I mean, sorry for intruding on the conversation. That’s just my opinion.”

“And we care about your opinion, hun.” Pizzelle put a comforting wing over her shoulder. Hikaru, laying on her back, nodded.

Twilight looked confused. "Who'd go to see a movie just to see nothing happen?"

“That sounds better than whatever drivel Shamamallama puts out,” Sunset added.

"Who?" Dash asked.

"Beats me." Twilight said, shrugging.

“There’s some good in the universe after all,” Sunset remarked.

“HELLO!” Hikaru yelled into Twilight’s face, having jumped onto her head. 

"What the, talking fox?" Twilight asked, surprised.

“Aki Hikaru,” Pizzelle spoke up. The illusion of HIkaru on her back vanished. “It’s rude to jump onto other faces like that. Very rude. Get down here this instant.”

“Okay mommy,” Hikaru said, jumping off. 

“What do you say?” PIzzelle gave him a stern gaze.

“I’m sorry for jumping on your face,” the little kitsune pouted, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes. “I just like surprising others is all.”

"Well there's nothing wrong with a little fun, but you need to be careful not to hurt somepony." Twilight said. "So, you're Pizzelle's son. That would make you a kit-soon-hey, right?"

Hikaru nodded. “Yep. I’m almost nine years old.”

Pizzelle walked over and nuzzled his head. “Oh he’s just my darling little boy. He can be a real hooffull with all his antics and mischief, but all kitsune are mischievous. The dears can’t help that. No they can’t. Still, even with all of that, I just love him to pieces. He’s not flesh and blood, not even my species, but he’s earned a special place in my heart. He’s my wish granted.”

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I adopted a dragon, and the other me adopted a music player she brought to life at a dance club we visited." Twilight said.

“A dragon?” Pizzelle gasped. “Dear me, that sounds like you’ve stepped up to quite the task. Oh look at me, stating that.” She giggled. “At least your son doesn’t create illusions everywhere you go and prank others left and right. He’s such a good boy and he doesn’t do it as much, but he’s still a kitsune. Doesn’t bother me none since I can see through illusions and such magic easy enough.”

"So can twinkle eyes." Dash said. "In fact, it's hard for them to see illusions even if they want to."

"Wait, Spike didn't tell you girls?" Twilight asked, puzzled. "Huh, I thought he would."

“Tell us what?” Sunset asked.

"Well," Sweetie said, "how many dragons do you think wound up being adopted in our world?"

“....She adopted Spike?” Sunset asked in disbelief. “She adopted my little brother?”

"Well I hatched him, I wasn't going to abandon him." Twilight said in her defense.

“I’M SPIKES’ MOMMY?!!” Sparkle shouted in glee, dancing around. “Yes, yes. Baby dragons are so cute.”

“But he’s my brother!” Sunset shot at Twilight. “Why didn’t your Sunset hatch him like me?”

Twilight shrugged. "Celestia took you straight as her student, you never attempted the entrance exam for Celestia's School for the Gifted. Anyway turns out you weren't actually supposed to be able to hatch the egg, it was a test of how you approached, examines, and attempted to solve the task, and how you dealt with failure."

Sunset glared at Twilight. “...At test? He was a test?!!” Her horn sparked in fiery fury.

“Now calm down,” Redheart tried to assuage her friend. “She doesn’t mean-”

“THEY USED MY BROTHER FOR A TEST?!!!” Sunset roared, horn aflame. “WHERE ARE THE PONIES WHO DID THAT?!! WHERE?!!”

"Huh, Celestia had the same sort of reaction when she found out the dragon egg was actually real and not a prop like she thought." Twilight noted, taking a few steps back. "As for where they are, my guess is flipping hay burgers...in Saddle Arabia after Celestia was through with them. She replaced about half the school faculty after the fisco."

“That’s not good enough,” Sunset glowered. “They should burn!”

“Sunset,” Coco put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Please, don’t be angry. She said they were already dealt with. You don’t need to hurt anypony.”

“He’s my brother,” Sunset muttered darkly. “I don’t care what universe he’s from, he’s my little brother. I’m his big sister. I need to care for him and to hear that? How am I not supposed to be angry?”

“Because you can’t control everything that happens everywhere,” Coco said. “That may have happened to that Spike, but he’s alright now. Just...try to calm down.”

Sunset huffed and steadied her breathing. Her flames died down a smidge. “Yeah, you’re right….Still, if I ever see those ponies….” She let the threat hang in the air. “I’ll show them a true sister’s wrath.”

"Aww, that's so sweet." Twilight said, hugging her. "My Shimmer is more like an Aunt to Spike, but it's nice to see you two are so close. And trust me, if I knew then what I know now, I'd probably have leveled the school. Now though, it would just miss them by a continent."

“Well at least he has somepony to look out for his sorry flank over there,” Sunset huffed. “It’s hard to keep track of him when he’s always chasing some mare’s tail….I kind of miss the old days when he was just a little kid. It was easier back then.”

"Mine's five." Twilight said. "He lays around a lot, forgets to put his toys away, complains about chores, back sasses, steals cookies, isn't really interested in study instead of play, and when he puts his mind to it he's one of the best darn helpers around the house you could ask for, and he really cares for you."

“That’s Spike,” Sunset smiled. “Still, when he hits puberty, he’s going to be mare crazy. My brother was just lucky he was groomed to be a gentledrake since birth. Still, it’s annoying when I just turn my head for a second and then ‘bam’ he’s surrounded by blushing, giggling mares. That and the backsass. It’s going to get worse.”

Twilight sighed. "He's already got a crush on our worlds Rarity; he keeps asking me to help him out with a mustache spell to try and help impress her. I'd hate to think what he'd be like as a teen with, ugh I am going to have a total stress breakdown if my kid turns out like that when he grows up."

“He’s not as bad as she makes him out to be,” Redheart rolled her eyes. “He’s actually quite nice and helpful. He just likes teasing his sister.”

Sunset snorted. “You call it teasing, I call it backsass.”

“Besides,” Redheart commented. “We all know he likes Moondancer and she him, just like Sunset and Shade.”

Sunset blushed. “I do not like him. He’s an idiotic traitor.”

"Sunset, are you okay? You look very flushed." Twilight said. "Normally I'd write it off as blushing, but since you don't like Shade that can't be it." She put a hoof up to Sunset's head to check her temperature. "I'm not feeling any fever. Can you feel any symptoms?"

All the locals, even the natives of Canterlot, the dimensional castaways, and Anrain, face-hooved. Well, everyone except Sunset. “I’m not sick,” she pushed Twilight’s hoof away. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’re not a very good liar,” Coco smiled. “I know I shouldn’t point it out, but you have it bad for him.”

“I do not!” Sunset shot back. “I don’t like him like that.” She put a hoof to her lips. “I mean, I don’t like him at all. You know….” She snorted, blushing more than ever.

"Wait, is this a romance thing?" Twilight asked. "You girls know I don't get romance stuff unless it's obvious."

"And this isn't obvious?!" Dash blurted.

“I’m not obvious, I mean, I don’t have anything to hide about him.” Sunset shot a glare at everyone. “I don’t.”

“Deary,” Pizzelle put a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s not healthy to beat around the bush this long.”

“I’ll beat you around the bush,” Sunset said through clenched teeth. “I do have a thing for him.”

"You do? But you've been saying-oh I get it now." Twilight said, nodding. "It's like in second grade when the little colts keep pulling on the filly in front of them's tail because they like her and don't know how to express it!"

“Which has nothing to do with me,” Sunset remarked. She put a hoof to her chest. “I am a princess and he’s not even on my level.”

“But you like him~” Redheart sing songed. 

“I will never admit I love him,” Sunset shot at her and her eyes widened. “Because I don’t. Nope, nope, I don’t.”

"Wow," Dash said, "this is just like the plot of one of those cheesy romance novels my Mom think's I don't know she has. Also, isn't it kind of immature to just mess with a pony you like because you don't know how to express your feelings? Way uncool, you'd never catch me doing that."

“Private Stonewall, reporting for duty Princess Sunset!”

Sunset turned to see a musketeer standing at attention behind the ground and saluting her. She saluted back and dismissed it. “At ease soldier.” With that, he followed the order.

At that moment, Celestia rounded the corner. “Oh there you are Twilight. I was meaning to bump into you at the club and Rainbow Dash. I’ve heard so much about your little escapades.” She smiled warmly at the ponies present.

"Escapa-Rainbow Dash! What did you do?" Twilight asked, pulling out her mom voice.

"Uhhhh, I may have held a tribalist up in the air by his tail until he promised to apologize for his nasty behavior?" Dash said, chuckling nervously. "I mean, the guy was a jerk and he wasn't hurt or anything."

“I do not take issues with your actions,” Celestia remarked. “I applaud them in fact. Although, from now on you will need a personal guard. Private Stonewall will be at your side at all times during your stay here. He is to protect you and help deal with any cultural differences that may spring up.”

"Hey thanks, that's very useful." Dash said. "Stonewall, let me introduce you to the group. That's Princess Shimmer, Coco, Nurse Redheart, Pizzelle, Hikaru, Sweetie Drops, Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle, Larry, and Farseer Anrain. Everyone else, this is Private Stonewall, say hi."

“I already know most of you,” Stonewall pointed out. “I do live in Ponyville, you know. I’m not that forgetful.”

“No,” Anrain spoke up. “But you are easily fooled.”

"Well I find it a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Sweetie said, extending a hoof for a shake. Turning to face Celestia, she added "So I guess we'll be getting escorts too?"

“Not personal escorts such as Stonewall, but there will be guards about.” Celestia said. “Stonewall is Dash’s personal guard, so he is to attend to her needs to a rational degree. I do believe you two are not in need of it, but think of him as your guard as well in a fashion.”

Stonewall lightly gripped her hoof and shook. “Pleasure to meet you too, ma’am.” He grinned.

"Likewise," Sweetie said, field meeting gecko hoof. "I'm sure you will do an excellent job."

"I'm sure he will." Twilight said.

“Well of course he will,” Pizzelle spoke up. “Stonewall here comes from such a prestigious military family. Oh his line extends back generations and you can barely find a family more loyal or devoted in Ponyville than his. Why, I remember when he was just a little colt, parading around in his father’s ‘too big for his little bitty head’ hat. It was so adorable.”

"Please tell me you have pictures." Dash said, "Cause I so want to see that."

“Oh I have pictures of everypony,” Pizzelle looked inside her pouch.

“I don’t think this is necessary,” Stonewall spoke up. “Miss Dash, my childhood pictures are not at all interesting.”

"I think they are." Dash shot back.

"Ship detected." Larry noted, before deploying smooth jazz.

“HA!” Sunset pointed at the duo. “Who’s liking who now, huh?”

Sparkle started teetering back and forth on her hindlegs, holding a ton of toy boats with names on them. “Why can’t I hold all these ships?”

"Oh ha ha ha you guys." Dash said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh they’re just teasing,” Redheart said. “So...when’s the wedding?” 

Stonewall sputtered, blushing in embarrassment. “Wedding, well, the band….Why is this happening to me?” He glanced at Dash. “Oh yeah.”

Dash narrowed her eyes. "I hope that's you blaming that idiotic waiter that thought I was some random mare you got knocked up, and not me because you somehow seem to generate rumors likes a dam."

Stonewall gulped, eyeing her fearfully. “Yes, ma’am. It was the waiter.”

Sweetie blinked, confused. "Why would he think that?"

"I ordered lunch." Rainbow said, shrugging. "And he apparently never saw a pegasus eat a full meal before."

Twilight coughed into her tail. "Um, maybe pegasi here don't have as...extensive an appetite?"

“It’s more to the fact that he’s nosy,” Pizzelle spoke up. “I love my share of gossip from time to time, but that stallion you’re talking about, I think I know who he is. Small cafe?” Stonewall nodded. “I see. Yes, he is rather rude in that regard. I believe he just likes making juicy assumptions.”

“If Pizzelle of all ponies think he’s nosy, than I think that just speaks volumes about the guy.” Sunset piped.

"So it's like Pinkie saying somepony is a bit energetic then?" Sweetie asked, trying to get a frame of reference.

“Pretty much,” Sunset nodded.

“Perhaps I should send word to Time Turner to keep an eye on this stallion,” Celestia intoned, frowning slightly.

"Do we know a Time Turner?" Sweetie asked.

"I don't think so." Twilight said, frowning.

Rainbow shrugged. "Beats me too."

“He may not have a parallel in your world,” Celestia said. “But here he is Ponyville’s local Inquisitor and Lyra’s master. He has served me well for over a thousand years.”

Twilight let out a low whistle at that. "So, your highness, I'm guessing he's a dragon of some sort?"

“He’s a Time Charger,” Celestia explained. “They look rather like ponies but were engineered by the ancient alicorns to be perfect soldiers...They were not enough against their foe and the rest fled here. I gave them refuge and in return, they have served ever faithfully.”

The visitors were stunned at this news. "Well that doesn't sound ominous at all." Dash said, sarcasm shining like a flare.

"Really?" Larry asked. "Because that sounded really bad to me."

“Do not worry,” Celestia said. “The ancient enemy of theirs is not a major threat. Grand Princess Pinkamena Pie has assured me that her nest will not endanger us. The rest of the changeling nests are….dealt with before they can be of menace.” She sighed. “It was enough for a time.”

"'For a time' means not anymore." Sweetie pointed out, nervously.

“Before my sister’s betrayal,” Celestia’s voice hitched slightly. “There were hundreds of thousands of Time Charger. Now there are only ten thousand, if that. My sister viewed them as an...obstacle to her rule. As well, Changeling nests have been more prevalent than ever being barely contained.”

"Well...about that way home?" Sweetie asked. "Not that your world doesn't have it's lovely aspects but it's a bit...violent sounding for my tastes. And dangerous. And more than a bit scary."

“I am deeply sorry for this,” Celestia bowed her head. “The fair nation of Equestria has never been idle in my hooves, no matter my efforts.”

“It couldn’t be in better hooves, mom.” Sunset spoke up, nuzzling her. Celestia nuzzled her back.

"I am sure nopony could have done it better Princess." Twilight said...before her stomache growled. "Oh yeah, I haven't eaten anything all day...I am so sorry you had to hear that Princess, that was rude of me."

"Twilight, you can't be blamed for being hungry." Dash said, rolling her eyes. "None of us have eaten since breakfast, except for those milkshakes you couldn't drink because your taste buds were all messed up."

“This will not stand,” and with a single spark of her horn, Celestia transported them all into a large dining room. “Please take a seat. My chefs can attend to your needs.” She lightly stomped a hoof and several chefs quickly fell in line before them and bowed.

“Great,” Sunset quickly pulled herself a seat. “I’m starving.”

“I even took the liberty of securing your colt friend,” Celestia smiled, teleporting a gray stallion into her daughter’s lap.

“Sunset?” Shade, the former warlock said, fear ebbed in his voice.

Sunset blushed heavily. “GET OFF!” With a violent shake of her horn, Shade was flung head first into the wall. 

“...Nice to meet you too,” Shade shakily got to his hooves, rubbing his forehead.

“You’re lucky I don’t burn you again.” Sunset glared at him.

“At this point, I’m pretty much fireproof.” Shade smirked. “So what’s up?”

“Interdimensional travel,” Sunset said.

“Ah,” Shade nodded. “Are we going to turn into humans again?”

“No.”

“Dang,” Shade pouted. “But oh well. I prefer seeing you naked anyways.” To which he then ducked his head, narrowly missing a fireball. “I’m getting faster.”

"...there is a story here and I'm not sure if I want to hear it." Dash said, shaking her head. "You know, for something as huge as dimensional travel, it seems to happen way too often for how big of a deal it should be."

"Well," Twilight said, shuffling a hoof nervously, "there is a theory that each time interdimensional travel occurs the walls separating realities are weakened just a tiny bit each time, making the next instance just a bit easier to have happen. So it happening once or twice or a couple dozen times might not have any noticeable affect, but it would all add up until, well, crack."

“Which is why I have the Time Chargers monitoring these instances,” Celestia said as she herself took a seat at the largest, golden chair ordained in the holiest of symbols. “They are the masters of this trade with only Starswirl himself besting them.”

Twilight's tail shot straight out, causing her to blush as she quickly took a seat. "Right food. Um, would it be too much trouble to ask for a daisy sandwich and some hay fries? Oh, and a cherry soda."

"Tripple that order for me." Rainbow said, flopping into her own seat. Seeing the look Sweetie was giving her, she asked "What?"

"Didn't you say you had a full lunch earlier?" the earth commented.

"Yeah, then I did Mach flight. Even with magical aid, that burns calories like crazy."

“That is reasonable enough,” Celestia said. Quickly enough, the rest of the ponies present gave their own orders and the chefs themselves ran back to the kitchens. “My chefs are known for their speed. I do so hope it will be to your liking.”

"I'm certain it will be." Sweetie said smiling. "So then, just to bring everypony up to speed. The portal we fell through was not accidental or natural. Something opened it on purpose for unknown reasons, and we don't know which world it opened up from either.  So, um, might I ask who our deer friend is exactly?"

“He is Farseer Anrain of the clan Ulthwe,” Celestia explained, tilting her head to the deer. “He has been a very close friend of mine for centuries and has helped mend the relations between ponies and deer.”

"Really?" Rainbow said, frowning. "But he said things were cool after Flora saved their life goddess. What happened?"

“She was an anomaly of sorts to us,” Anrain explained. “We deer viewed ponies as lesser creatures. I will not lie. Before our alliance, we fought Equestria several times, even tricking the ponies into fighting our own battles for us. There was too much bitter blood between our species to simply forget.” 

"Wow." Twilight said, taken aback a bit. "Relations between deer and ponies in my world has always been...well pretty darn good. Not counting their dislike of mages."

“Mages have never been a problem with us,” Anrain explained, his horns lighting up slightly as he moved around his utensils to suit his needs. “I am a Farseer and among the greatest mages that we deer posses. To simply turn a blind eye to arcane matters would be simply idiotic. As well, I am glad that your deer can see reason. While the clan Ulthwe is friends with Equestria, the other clans still view ponies as sniveling rodents of sorts.”

"Ah, I think we hit a bit of a terminology snag here." Twilight said. "A mage is a skilled unicorn spellcaster, not just someone that uses magic in our world. Deer in our world have their own brand of magic called Druidism, and they have access to the universals as well and produce very talented shamans. They just don't like unicorn magic for religious reasons."

Anrain put a hoof to his lips to stifle laughter. “I see,” he stifled a few more laughs. 

“Anrain,” Celestia scolded. “Be nice. They are of another world and have different views.”

“Yes,” Anrain collected himself. “That is true. The backwards notions of other clans should not concern me.”

"It's hardly backwards." Sweetie notes with a huff. "Besides the universals, most magic is tribe or species specific. Only unicorns, kirin, and bicorns can do magecraft, and bicorns are extinct. On the other hoof, only deer can be druids. Let's see, the elk have runes, pegasi and griffons have weather magic, um, oh dear not really a magic scholar here, sorry. Anyway, my point is that our deer shouldn't be called backwards, it's rude."

“Yes,” Pizzelle nodded. “Very, very rude. Why, I think those deers of yours sound lovely, Sweetie. Oh I do believe I would enjoy a trip to their woods sometime.”

“Yes, it would be lovely.” Celestia gave Anrain a hard glance. “Wouldn’t it?”

Anrain snorted. “It would be….educational.”

"Just don't be rude to any of our deer if you do visit." Dash advised. "It tends to piss off their forests...and foods here alright!"

“My race can withstand a forest spirit,” Anrain remarked. “Just as we withstood Tirek.” He glanced over the plate put before him.

"Well yeah you'd probably anger a bunch of spirits too." Dash said around a mouthful of fries. "But I mean, like, the actual forest forest. I actually saw a fawn trip once, and the bush he was next to picked him up and brushed him off. It wasn't even a magic bush or anything, nature just really loves our deer. Is there any katsup?"

“Here you go,” Coco hoofed over a small bottle of the red condiment. 

“Nature can only go so far,” Anrain reasoned. “A forest can die just as any living being. Only through self guidance and forethought can you truly thrive.”

"No offense Farseer, but I think we may have strayed off the topic at hoof. The nature of the portal." Twilight noted, hesitating as she floated a fry up and bit into it. "...huh. Tastes a bit...different."

Celestia cast Twilight a concerned gaze. “Has my blessing not taken effect?”

"No your majesty, it has had an effect on me." Twilight said. "I can use magic again, albite only the most basic uses right now. And I can eat again, thank goodness. The taste is just...a little different. It tastes mostly like a fry from back home but...less? I'm not sure how to describe it." she said as she ate a few more fries.

“I see,” Celestia slowly began eating, but there was a slight twinge of her brow as if she was lost in thought.

Sunset noticed, slowly eating as well, but didn’t care to bring it up. “Well, I’m sure that will fix itself soon. You do carry a piece of my mother’s soul as it were within you. It should be tastier, I think.”

"I'm not complaining, Princess Shimmer." Twilight said, "Compared to vinegar soaked alfalfa with lemon juice, a slightly lower taste is a massive improvement."

"Okay, that is way to specific for you to just be useing at random repeatedly." Dash noted.

Twilight blushed. "I may have eaten some once on a dare as a filly."

“You have my sympathies,” Shade spoke up. “I know what it’s like to eat rubbage.” 

"Oh really?" Sweetie asked, pausing in eating her rather nicely made fruit salad. "You know dear, we haven't heard too much about you beyond your relationship with Sunset. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

Sunset noticed how he tensed up. So she put a hoof on his shoulder. “You don’t have to.”

Shade sighed. “It wouldn’t hurt.” He looked at the newcomers. “I grew up in the streets of Manehattan. Celestia’s light brings great warmth to most ponies, but there are still those who struggle in the shadows. I was one of them. I fought every day to get an ounce of food. Then...Apostle, discple of Nightmare Moon herself, came to me. He offered me power, a means of survival. I took it and found my talent: Shadow magic. I became a Warlock, one of the darkest magis. I served underneath Nightmare Moon herself when she returned….and I would have died the same had it not been for Redheart here.”

“Anyone with a conscious would have done the same,” Redheart said.

“No,” Shade shook his head. “They wouldn’t, or maybe your right. I didn’t know that helping others could do yourself some good till I met you guys…..Of course, now I”m being burned, thrown, and all that jazz left and right. Still better than working for Apostle.”

"Well good to hear your life has turned around." Sweetie said, going back to her salad casually. "Though you should try and take better care of yourself. Medical care can be...oh wait, that's free in this world. Still, you should be more careful."

"Rainbow Dash, did you use up all the ketsup?" Twilight asked, shooting a glare at the pegasus as she futilely tried to shake some out for her own fries. "You're own fries are practically swimming in it, save some for everypony else!"

“What?!!” Sunset teleported the ketchup bottle over to herself. “Oh thanks, Dash. That’s so nice of you.” She muttered darkly.

"Ah, sorry." Dash said, blushing. "Didn't realize it was that low."

"So, anyway," Twilight said, clearing her throat, "we still need to discuss what we are going to do next."

“I will be making preparations for tomorrow,” Celestia stated. “I will handle everything. What I want you all to do is to enjoy your meal and get some rest. You have certainly earned some.”

"Well that's a relief." Dash said. "But then again, these sort of things never go that smoothly." She then proceeded to rapidly drain her three sodas one after another in only a few seconds. "Can I get a refill on these?"

One of the servants quickly refilled the glass.

“Hopefully this time will be an exception,” Celestia remarked cheekily.

"...did she just tempt fate?" Sweetie asked nervously. "You know what happens around us whenever we do that."

“I have bested fate on some occasions,” Celestia said. “The Moirai, the seamstresses of fate, have lost many a wager to myself.”

"Huh, interesting." Dash said, finishing off her meal first. "So, what do you guys even bet on, or with really?"

“The only thing they have ever asked for,” Celestia said, sipping her beverage. “My soul and the connection to the sun. Being immortal is in itself irksome to them, since in some respects, I can just go on forever. They don’t like that and in turn have sometimes aided foes or just been generally unpleasant during visits.”

"They'd hate our world. What is it the kirin worship again?" Sweetie asked. "I forget what it was exactly, but it was a huge number of things."

"They worship the Eight Million Gods of Creation." Twilight answered, finishing off her own meal. "If they find one immortal irksome, our world would just piss them off."

“There are many more gods beside myself,” Celestia said. “We just don’t all get along and give each other space for the most part. Besides, the Moirai themselves aren’t strong enough to best a god themselves so I am in no danger with a confrontation with them.”

"Yeah, but I bet your world doesn't have eight million gods." Dash noted. "I wonder what a lot of those are even gods of? They have to have run out of the good stuff quickly."

“We have plenty of gods too,” Sunset remarked. “But eight million seems excessive and this is coming from someone who knows the prayers of multiple gods by heart.”

"I didn't make their religion." Twilight said. "And that's not even counting the gods from other religions. Of course, our world has no proof that any gods exist."

Sunset blinked a few times and then pointed to Celestia.

All the visitors look very, very, VERY uncomfortable at that.

"Um, yeah, about that..." Dash said, fluttering her wings nervously. "Um, uh, you know what, I don't have enough tact to handle this. Girls a little help?"

Twilight seemed no better off. "Uuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." she intoned as her brain tried to find anything to say.

Sweetie sighed. "Our Celestia has been very, very clear that she is not a goddess. Period."

The locals went deadly serious. Many of the help whispered amongst themselves with the word ‘heresy’ floating about more often then not. Sunset seemed offended and Celestia herself seemed confused.

“She says she isn’t a goddess?” Celestia asked with curiousity.

"She's adamant about it." Twilight said. "To the point where she declared worshiping her to be a crime."

Sunset sputtered. “HERESY!” She roared in anger, slamming her hooves onto the table.

“Sunset,” Celestia said. “Calm yourself.”

"Also," Dash snarked, "I think it's a little hard for our Celestia to commit heresy against herself."

“Don’t be a smartass, Dash.” Sunset growled, settling back down. “Criminal? Really? That’s a load of bullfeathers.”

"Hardly." Twilight muttered. "I've had my property searched more than once due to rumors that I was a Solarian."

“This is poppycock,” Sunset snorted. “Smothering the beliefs of her subjects, denying her nature. Mother, surely you can see this madness.”

Celestia remained silent. Instead, she cast her gaze into a tea cup. 

"I think everypony needs to just calm down." Sweeties suggested. "We've been trying to avoid the subject this entire time just for this reason. We didn't want to step on anypony's hooves."

“Well it’s too late for that,” Sunset huffed, crossing her forelegs. 

“It is alright, my daughter.” Celestia remarked. “I take no offense. If a decree were to pass my lips, it must have a reason. I trust myself to do what must be done for my ponies.”

"So...uh..." Dash fidgeted a bit. "Anypony have a less awkward topic to discuss?"

“Shade and Sunset’s wedding plans?” Redheart chuckled at their combined glares. “Kidding. I think we can wait till after Stonewall and Rainbows first.”

“Oh?” Celestia turned an eye to the select ponies. The orbs shined with mirth. “Stonewall, you certainly work fast...I approve.”

Stonewall blushed, trying and failing to say something in his defense. “I...but...she…”

"Eh, that jokes getting old." Dash shrugged. "...hey Pizzelle, where's the kid?"

Suddenly, something jumped onto Dash’s head and a vicious lizard leered in her face. “Hello.” A childish voice rang out.

"Uh...hi." Dash said.

“Aww,” the illusion left, leaving an incredibly cute golden kitsune behind. He pouted. “I wanted to scare you, Miss. I haven’t scared anybody all day.”

"Well not like that you aren't going to." Dash said, rolling her eyes. "You looked generic, your voice is cute, and I could feel you were fuzzy and not scaled. Totally amature."

"Rainbow Dash, you are not giving a natural illusionist pranking tips." Sweetie interjected.

“Aki Hikaru,” Pizzelle frowned, tapping the table. “What have I said about trying to scare others?”

“Not too,” Hikaru answered, his ears laid back and his head tilted downwards. “Sorry mommy. I just wanted to have some fun.”

“And you can do that later, hun.” Pizzelle opened her forelegs and grabbed her son in a little hug. “Just be a good boy and I’m sure we’ll find something for you to do later.” She turned to Dash. “I am so sorry for that. He is such a lively thing, a good boy really. He truly is. He just likes pranking others a little too much.”

"Eh, it's cool. I pull a few pranks on ocasion myself." Dash said, shrugging. "Got nothing on Dr. Pie though."

“Still,” Pizzelle said. “I don’t want my little Hikaru to be a prankster.” She nuzzled her son and he returned it. “Isn’t that right, hun?”

“Yes mommy,” Hikaru answered. He turned and bowed his head to Dash. “I’m sorry, miss Dash.”

"Eh, no biggie." Dash just shrugged it off before yawning. "So, it's starting to get late. I'm assuming there are guest rooms?"

“There are plenty to be had,” Celestia gestured to Stonewall. “Private Stonewall,” said private stood up and saluted. “I believe it is time you escorted these fine young ladies to their room.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Stonewall bowed and then stood straight up. “Alright, fall in.”

Following behind rather loosely, the girls let Stonewall lead the way. "So, you have a tendency to generate rumors huh?" Twilight noted. "Is that like a curse, or are you just unlucky?"

“Until I met Miss Dash,” Stonewall said. “My life was unenventful...Well, except for Nightmare Moon’s attack on Ponyville….or Discord popping up….And a few other things.” The pegasus musketeer mulled it over in his head. “Actually, I think just living in Ponyville means somethings’ going to happen. As for rumors, again, not until Miss Dash showed up.”

"Yeah, the unofficial town slogan in our world is "Only in Ponyville", just from the sheer amount of weird we attract." Dash noted, not feeling even slightly ashamed. "Our official slogan is "At least we're not Detrot"...or it was until Detrot sued us. What is it now again?"

"I think it's "Who's unimportant now?" since we to the Elements." Sweetie replied.

“Well that’s certainly something,” Stonewall noted. “Being an Element Bearer must be a huge responsibility.”

"Only when we have to save the world." Twilight said. "Otherwise we mostly just live normal lives and try not to cause any disasters. Being a Bearer...you really don't do much beyond 'wield and solve problem', so it's less impressive than it sounds."

“Huh,” Stonewall said. “Odd. I mean, yeah our Elements just do their own thing, but they are national heroes after all. Not to mention Sunset’s a princess.”

"No fancy titles here." Dash noted. "Plus, we kind of solve the problems quick enough that we really don't stick out in other ponies minds beyond an interesting news tidbit. And that's not even considering how replaceable we are."

Stonewall cast her a confused look. “Replaceable?”

"Well yeah." Dash said. "What, do you need to be super mega special to wield the Elements here?"

"What Dash means," Twilight interrupted, "is that if our bond with our Element is...broken, we can be replaced with anypony that strongly shows that virtue. Anypony. Or even non-pony now that I think about it."

"Main reason bad guys like Dominion want to imprison us instead of a more...final solution." Sweetie added. "It more effectively counters the Elements if you can't replace an unavailable Bearer."

“Huh,” Stonewall nodded. “I never thought about it like that. Makes sense really, but what do I know. I’m just a soldier.”

Dash yawned. "Fascinating as this is, are we there yet?"

“Just around the corner,” Stonewall said. Around the corner, he tapped the door with his musket. “Here we are.” With a gentle push, he opened the door for the others.

Hopping quickly onto a bed, Dash curled up, and promptly fell asleep.

The room around them was lush and made honestly for royalty. The golden bedsheets and white pillows were the softest and most inviting in all the lands. As well, each one proudly held Celestia’s symbol within and a small statue with holy water in the center.

“I hope this will be to your liking,” Stonewall said, trotting over to a fourth bed that had a perfect view of the whole room.

"Sure, thank you." Twilight said, crawling into her own bed, adjusting herself under the sheets. "These are actually a bit nicer than our own guest beds."

“I would hope so,” Stonewall took off his hat and readied himself to sleep. Not before kneeling before his bed and praying for Celestia for protection through the night. 

"That's going to take some getting used to." Sweetie noted as she settled herself down as well, slipping off her necklace and putting it on the nightstand, as it would be too uncomfortable to wear to bed.

“I know you might not believe it,” Stonewall said, pausing his prayers. “But I will pray for you three as well.”

"Well that's...nice." Twilight said. "Hit the lights when you're done. Good night."

"Yes dear, good night." Sweetie added.

Dash just snored.

With a final prayer, Stonewall climbed into bed. “Good night.”
> Science and Magic, BUCK YEAH! {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the weather was (finally) under control and pretty. All in all it was a beautiful morning.

Masquerade was quite upset to be seeing it. "Figures I had to stay up late visiting ponies that get up before dawn." she grumbled.

"Force of habit." AJ and Sunset said in almost perfect sync, the two of them fully awake despite the early hour.

Quickfix hummed an old Northern war tune. “Good mornin’ ye lot. Lovely day fer inventin’.”

Mask groaned. "Is everypony besides me here a morning mare?"

“Pretty much,” Quickfix piped up. “Lightnin’s already gone ta clear some whether an’ her head. A little trainin’, ye know. Fiddlesticks,” she picked up a note. “Off ta party with kin, whatever that means.”

"I already swung by home ta let Ma know where I was last night." AJ said. "She was mightily happy it was just a sleepover."

"And I'm almost fully charged and ready to break some wards." Sunset said, smiling.

"Huh." Mask grunted. "...wait, they're letting Lightning work weather? Does she even have training for that?"

“She’s the Ponyville Weather Captain,” Quickfix answered. “She’s got experience...and her dad’s influence.”

"Okay, seriously," Mask said, rubbing her eyes, "the coincidences are a bit much now. If it weren't for the fact that the elements don't match, I'd suspect Dust was Dash in disguise."

“That bad?” Quickfix asked, eyeing whatever machines or tools she could find. Which, on the first floor, didn't go much beyond a couple of electrical kitchen appliances.

"Yeap." AJ agreed, nodding. "Wonderbolt potentate weather captain of Ponyville who's a Bearer and got their Element by teaming up with Sunset against Nightmare Moon."

“.....Ye have a point,” Quickfix lamented. “Sounds mighty peculiar, but perhaps it’s because our worlds are so close.”

"Close?" Sunset snorted. "We don't even magic the same way."

"Well, maybe it's not that big of a coincidence." Mask said. "The weather captain would meet with the representative, Sunset, and so have a connection to her that would blossom into going on the quest, since a weather captain has to be bold, determined, quick on their wings, and dedicated to doing their duty. Ideal hero fodder there."

And then, Fiddlesticks appeared out from under the rug. “That’s clever,” she patted Mask’s nose, placing a gold star there. “Ya earned it.” She trotted out the door.

"...I swear I am going to find a ward against party-mancy one day." Sunset muttered. "Wonder how much longer Lightning's going to be?"

Fiddlesticks poked her head back in, pouting. “Aww, placin’ a ward? That’s harsh.”

Mask was entirely too tired to deal with this. "Coffee."

"In the kitchen." Sunset replied as she cleared off a small table, and spread out a runicly marked cloth, a mystical circle inscribed upon it.

“Applejack,” Fiddlesticks asked. “Quickfix said auntie was mighty miffed at me. So…” She looked away. “When ah throw the party, is she gonna yell?”

"Nah...I think. She ain't much fer parties. She thinks they're a bit of a waste." AJ admitted. "She's very serious bout work, keepin' the family farm runnin'."

“All work an’ no play make a mare plain,” Fiddlesticks commented. “Ah’m gonna show Auntie a good time ‘fore ah leave, mark my words cuz.”

"If we're all done, I need quiet to concentrate." Sunset said in a huff, the journal laying in the center of the cloth. "I'm going to need to focus if I'm going to disable wards made by the Starswirl."

“Pfft,” Quickfix scoffed. “Sounds simple enough. Ah got just the thin’...back in mah lab.” She frowned. “...’Kay, not so simple now.”

“Don’t ya worry now,” Fiddlesticks patted her back. “We’ll find ya a lab quicker than a turtle on soup day.”

"Anything is quicker than that." Mask grumbled. "And you haven't checked out the lab in the basement yet?"

Quick as a flash, Quickfix ran downstairs laughing like a madmare. “SWEET TECH, HERE AH COME!”

“Whelp,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “That’s out of the way...Well, until she invents somethin’ that comes ta bite us in the flank later...Which happens a lot. Hopefully, it ain’t a killer robot again.”

"I doubt she'd be able to do that." Sunset rolled her eyes. "It's near the end of the month, so Sparkle's used up most of her supplies. All that's left down there is some basic regents,a couple boxes of scrap, and any of her gadgets that are still working...Spike, did Twilight remember to dispose of her failed gadgets this month?"

"Uhhhh....maybe?" Spike said, shrugging.

"...you guys go make sure she doesn't destroy us all, I'll get to work on the wards." Sunset said, turning back to her book.

“Ah make no promises,” Fiddlesticks happily chimed as she trotted downstairs. From the lab were several sparks and the laughter of a clearly mad scientist.

The lab was rather neatly arranged. Half was dedicated to alchemy: flasks, burners, beakers, vials, and cauldrons of various sizes were meticulously arranged on shelves, along with many clearly label jars of ingredients sorted carefully by nature and potency. Another quarter was dedicated to the various gadgetry that worked, storing them until needed. The last quarter held work tools and stations, some scraps, and the latest gadgets that were scheduled to be scrapped. Little notes such as "Caution: High Unstable", "Handle With Care", "Do Not Touch", and "Don't Even Look" were fixed to them, the last being on a device covered in heavy blankets and duct tape.

“Deus Mechanicus be praised,” Quickfix cheered. “So much ta tinker. So much ta make. Oh what laws of nature can ah break today, ah wonder.” She trotted over to the working gadgets. “Don’t ye worry, Auntie Quickfix is gonna take good care of ye.” She smiled, which was honestly unnerving.

Twilight's working inventions were, naturally, clearly labeled. There was the full spectrum magic encephalopathy device, which looked like a colander with wires and blinks lights connected to a machine with an ink needle and lots of paper. Another was the sarcasm detector, a small black rectangle with a gauge needle that went from 0 to 100, with a note indicating to not use when Sunset was around. The third was a Universal Translator, noted as "only works on squirrels, working on improving". The final working gadget was the Emergency Pomegranate Launcher, which looked like it was a very lightly modified tennis ball launcher. It had a note saying "emergency use only" written in bright red ink, triple underlined for good measure.

“Well science is a good enough emergency fer me,” Quickfix picked up the launcher and held it like a baby. “Aww, so cute.” She lightly turned her gaze to the translator. “Hmmm...that could do.” Immediately, she trotted over to the translator, putting the launcher down. She lightly rubbed a hoof over the machine, softly praying to the machine god which sounds quite strange and ‘broken’ to the outside ear.

"Hey Quick, Sunset wanted us to make sure you don't make a death robot or something." Mask said, flapping down the stairs past Fiddlesticks, Applejack bringing up the rear. "Also making sure you don't mess with the pomegranates."

“Ah make no promises,” Quickfix replied, grabbing a few tools with her magic. She cast her gaze over the translator. “Let’s see how ye tick.”

Mask quirked an eyebrow at that. "I don't think it has any clockwork."

“It’s a phrase,” Quickfix huffed, slowing starting to work on the machine. She took it apart slowly, praying over every piece and casting a curious gaze on each one. Circuitry, wires, a small scale differential engine, a large battery, a gramophone speaker, a large amount of duct tape, and an Oxford Complete Equish Dictionary, 17th edition. “No crystals, hmm? Darn, but…” She looked over the circuitry and other items. “Fascinating...Ah’ll have ye runnin’ in no time.”

"Uhuh, and you of course tested how it did work before you took it apart to try and improve it." Mask said, causing the sarcasm detector to crackle as it jumped up to a solid 47.

“Ah know how it works,” Quickfix tapped her head. “Memorized it as ah was takin’ it apart.”

"Ah right, super brain power." Mask said. "Fiddlesticks, got anything you want to add?"

“Urge ta push random buttons, risin’.” Fiddlesticks glanced around herself.

"Not in a lab! Plus, none of them are shiny or red. We live with Pinkie, Twi knows better than to do that." Mask pointed out.

“...Okay,” Fiddlesticks pouted. “How about just….”

“NOOOO!” Quickfix shielded the machines behind her. “NOPONY TOUCHES THEM!”

And that's when the explosion upstairs happened.

****************

Twenty Minutes Earlier

"You sure you want to help out?" Raindrops asked, flapping along. "I mean, you're technically our guest, you shouldn't have to work weather here."

“How else am I supposed to train?” Lightning piped back. “I’m not just going to loaf around while you guys do all the work. Seriously, what kind of slob would do that?”

"Thunderlane." Raindrops said without hesitation. "He does enough to keep his job, and complains the whole way."

“......I honestly don’t know how to respond to that,” Lightning muttered. “I mean, I know this town is topsy turvy in some ways, but Thunderlane..” She shook her head. “Not gonna think about it.”

"Probably for the best." Raindrops huffed. "Listen, technically you aren't licensed, but with Dash missing, and Flitter and Chaser out ill, we need every wing we can get. Look, how about I slip you in on wild watch with Ditzy? As good as you say you are, the two of you should be enough and should free up the others for regular weather duty."

“Fine,” Lightning huffed. “I’ll pick up your slack. So where is Ditzy?”

Raindrops gestured with her head. "Watch cloud over there, let the other three with her know to report to me."

“Got it,” Lightning zipped over fast as her name’s sake to the cloud. “Yo Ditzy, Raindrops sent me to report to you.” It felt strange ‘reporting’ in for weather duty. She was the captain of the weather team, not a recruit.

The mare in question turned her topazes to gaze at the new pegasus. "Ah, the alien right? Raindrops told us about you. What's up?"

“......” Lightning was taken aback by Ditzy’s eyes, but then told herself that this was a different Ditzy. This one didn’t have her trademark ‘wall eyes’...and was allowed on the weather team. “Nothing much. Just checking in on you guys. I was Captain of the weather team back home, so I thought I’d lend a hoof.”

"Uhuh, and did Raindrops approve of that?" Ditzy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“She sent me over to you,” Lightning huffed, crossing her forelegs. “Duh. I know how this works, you know.”

"Right, so who are you freeing up for the work around town whose allowed to be seen working weather?" Ditzy asked.

“Raindrops said that you and me should go on wild watch for a bit,” Lightning answered. “No sweat.”

Ditzy blinked, then glanced at the other three with her. "Really? You're replacing the rest of the watch yourself? Alright. You three heard the mare, Raindrops wants ya. Flap to it."

"Yes Lieutenant Doo!" one of the pegasi snapped off with a quick salute before the three of them sped off.

Ditzy sighed. "I keep telling Sunshine he doesn't have to salute, we're not military."

“But we’re still pegasi,” Lightning quipped. “War runs in our veins. Still, if he keeps doing it, I think he’s just trying to annoy you.”

Ditzy snorted. "Annoying the third in command is not a smart career move."

“That’s obvious,” Lightning quipped. “So, let’s get to it. Chop chop, we’re burning daylight.” Her role as captain kind of took over a bit.

"Settle down girl." Ditzy said. "Wild watch is mainly being patient and keeping an eye out. Some days we wind up doing nothing, others we need all wings on deck cause the Everfree is throwing a fit. Unless something happens, we mainly just sit here keeping an eye out for trouble."

Lightning sighed. “Really? Just sitting back and doing nothing? Lightning Dust does not just do nothing. I’m a mare of action.” She sighed even deeper. “Still, that’s the ropes. Lead on.”

"Right. I'm sensing some pressure shifts off to the right a bit away, feels like a wild cold front. Fly out that way a bit and check to see if there's anything forming over there? And be sure to keep an eye out for cross currents and hot spots."

“On it,” Lightning sped over to space and let the air trick over her feathers. “Nothing too bad so far. Though, I think there might be a couple light rainstorms coming this way.”

"Really? Hold on, I don't have the best distance vision." Ditzy said, pulling up some binoculars. "Ah I see...aww pluck me, those aren't rain clouds, those are thunderheads."

“Well so much for sitting back,” Lightning smirked. “Do you want to wait and see if they change course?”

Ditzy snorted. "Not much of a choice, as long as they're in the Everfree's wild magic zone we can't touch them. I really hope they do though, I don't want them hitting that cold front."

“Well pull up a cloud then,” Lightning laid herself back. “Even if they do make it here, it won’t be for a while.”

"Yeah, I know. Waiting's the worst part in situations like this." Ditzy said, sighing as she landed next to Lightning. "So, out of curiosity, what would be your plan of action for if they were going to hit that cold front?"

“I’d take them out myself,” Lightning said. “Well...maybe. Honestly, I’d bring in a team or two to back me up. I’ve learned a lesson or two about pushing myself.” She clenched her jaw, huffing in anger. “All too well.”

"Yeah well, good news is there's no warm front with those thunderheads, so we ain't looking at a wild twister." Ditzy shuddered a bit. Wild wind storms were nasty, much worse than the controlled ones pegasi would make on occasion, and many other ponies considered such controlled affairs terrifying enough. "So we're looking at either a lightning storm, or maybe even thunder hail if the air is dry enough."

“Seems like it,” Lightning nodded. “Simple stuff.”

That was when a small purple unicorn filly, covered in feathers, popped up through the clouds. "Hi mommy!" she said before falling back down...only to bounce back up a couple seconds later. "Hi alien monster pony." she said before falling back down.

“Again with the monster pony,” Lightning huffed to herself. She waved at the filly when she bounced the next time up. “Hi Dinky.”

Dinky gasped...and continued her interrupted gasp on her next bounce. "Wow can you-" "-read minds Miss-" "Alien?"

Rolling her gems, Ditzy grabbed her daughter on her next bounce with a wing, flopping her on her back. "Dinky, what did I say about using a trampoline while I'm working like that?"

"Um, only if it's important." Dinky said. "But it was! I wanted to meet the alien!"

“Well who wouldn’t want to meet me,” Lightning stood up proudly, her wings out and her chest puffed out in pride. “I’m awesome.”

Ditzy rolled her gems. "I take it sense you know her you're familiar with the versions of us in your world?"

“You’re the local mailmare,” Lightning said. “Also, you don’t have gem eyes. Just your usual cross eyes so...yeah, she’s a bit of a klutz. I don’t think Dinky’s any different than ours though.”

"Really? I got feathers there too?" Dinky asked, surprised. "Cool."

"I still got my old eyes there?" Ditzy asked. "And I'm working mail? Well, I shouldn't judge her life choices. I'm not her after all."

“No you don’t have feathers, Dinky.” Lightning said. “And our Ditzy’s honestly a good mailmare. Yeah, she could get ‘new’ eyes, but it would kind of go against her religious beliefs.”

"...ah." Ditzy said. "Well I can't speak out against that. My friend Golden Harvest does some odd things on occasion for her beliefs after all."

"So I'm not a hybrid over in your world?" Dinky asked sounding...oddly disappointed. "So, am I a normal unicorn then?"

“Kind of,” Lightning said. “You can do a little weather manipulation, like walking on clouds and stuff without spells though.”

"Really?" Dinky asked, amazed. "I've been working on trying to do that too, but with spells cause I need to cast spells to walk on clouds. I can't do it yet but I'm getting better at the basic stuff. I can almost levitate a whole book! And not a picture book, like a big grown up learning book!"

“Good job, squirt.” Lightning ruffled her mane with a hoof. “You’ll be throwing spells left and right in no time. Who knows, if you work hard enough, maybe you’ll become an alicorn or the next Starswirl.”

"That would be mega plucking awesome!" Dinky said, then realized what she just said.

"Dinky Diana Doo!" Ditzy scolded. "You know better than to use language like that!"

“Ah just let her have that one,” Lightning shrugged. “My mom never cared if I swore.”

"I don't let Rainbow Dash get away with it around my daughter, and she's my boss and one of the mares that saved the world...twice." Ditzy said. "My daughter is not growing up to be some foul mouthed thug living on the streets of Manehatan as part of some gang until while high on drugs she gets shanked by some crazy homeless pony and bleeds out from damage to her liver."

"...my mommy has a very vivid imagination." Dinky explained.

“Huh,” Lightning said, blinking a few times in thought. “That’s exactly what my Ditzy said to me...Then she threw me out the door. She’s rather overprotective of her kids.”

"Yes well I...wait, kids, as in plural?" Ditzy asked, shocked.

“Yeah...wait, you didn’t have Sparkler in this world?” Lightning looked equally shocked.

"No, she's not my kid...in this world anyway. Here, she just babysits Dinky a lot." Ditzy explained.

"She's like a sister." Dinky said. "We're even going to do the Sisterhoof Social together."

“Huh,” Lightning said. “Odd. Just a babysitter here? I don’t know how my Ditzy would care to hear that.”

The local Ditzy shrugged slightly, careful not to dislodge her charge. "I don't know what to say to her having an extra daughter. It's just...weird. Anyway Dinky, Mommy has to get back to work. We have some wild weather coming in, so I'm setting you down, and then I want you to get indoors okay?"

"Yes Mommy." Dinky said as she rode her mother's gentle spiral to the ground. "Bye Mommy! Bye Miss Alien! I'll be by later with the rest of the Crusaders to catch you!" And with that she dashed off.

“Cute as ever,” Lightning chuckled, shaking her head in mirth. “So….” Lightning wasn’t sure if she should ask if this Ditzy still had a husband or not. She was curious, but it was a real touchy subject for her own Ditzy. “...Anything else?”

Picking up her binoculars, she took a look out over the forest. "Hmmm, nope, nothing's changed out there, both in a good way and in a bad way." The way she said it, it was hard to tell if she picked up on Lightning's subtext or not.

“Ah,” Lightning nodded. “Same old, same old then. Well, if we’re going to be stuck here for a while, got anything to pass the time?”

"...a game of eye spy?" Ditzy suggested, grinning.

“Eh, better than nothing.” Lightning shrugged.

"Alrighty then. Eye spy something...yellow." Ditzy started off.

“Is it my mane?” Lightning quipped.

"Nope." Ditzy said, shaking her head.

“Your mane?” Lightning asked.

"No, it's not anypony's mane." Ditzy said.

“Is it that little bird fluttering in the trees?” Lightning glanced at the treeline.

Ditzy nodded. "Nice, yeah it's the tree warbler."

“A bird’s a bird,” Lightning said. “‘Sides, Hawks are cooler. That and I never cared for the feathers. They are so annoying when they get stuck between my teeth and all that.”

Ditzy shoot Lightning a flat look at that.

“What? I just don’t care for eating birds.” Lightning shrugged. “Maybe if I’m agitated, but still. Never saw the appeal.”

Ditzy blinked. "Oh I thought you were talking about preening and, never mind it's your turn."

Lightning tapped her chin a few times. “I spy something….white.”

"Cloud?" Ditzy asked, going for the obvious first.

Lightning chewed on her lip in frustration. “...Yes.”

"...okay then. Eye spy something else that's white."

“A rabbit?”

"Nope." Ditzy said, "I don't even see any rabbits around."

“I do,” Lightning licked her lips. Then she shook her head. “Right, focused. Let’s see….That gazebo?”

"Nope." Ditzy said, shaking her head.

“Ugh, then what is it?” Lightning snorted.

"What? You're giving up already?" Ditzy taunted.

Lightning glared at her. “Oh hay no,” she glanced around. “A dove?”

"Nope, none of those around here." Ditzy said, looking around.

“Oh then-” And then a dove smashed into Lightning’s face.

“YER WELCOME!” Fiddlesticks voice shouted out from below, before she sped off.

"...is she related to Dr. Pie?" Ditzy asked, stunned.

“No,” Lightning brushed the dove off and it flew away. “By Celestia’s holy mane, no. Hay no. I don’t want to think about that ever happening.” She shivered at the thought of Fiddlesticks actually being related to the changeling princess.

"Actually," Dr. Pie noted as she floated by on her gyrocopter, "I am a fifth cousin twice removed by a third cousin of Applejack's, so technically speaking I am related to her, just not her dimension's her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to Canterlot, and trains are too slow. Pony pedal power!" She then proceeded to shoot off in a pink blur.

“......It’s like looking in a mirror,” Lightning frowned. “A horrible mirror….”

Just then, Fiddlesticks bounced up gasping. “Then that-” bounce “means ah-” “can invite-” “our Pinkie-” “Over! Best family ever!”

“HAY NO!” Lightning pushed Fiddlesticks head down.

“HAY YES!” Fiddlesticks laughed as she sped off again.

"...well good luck with that." Ditzy said. "...wait, I put away the trampoline, how was she bouncing like that?"

“We have a saying from where I come from,” Lightning said. “It’s Fiddlesticks, don’t question it.”

"Our version is Pinkie." Ditzy noted. "So...you're an omnivore. What's that like?"

“Oh you know,” Lightning shrugged. “This and that. We don’t ‘have’ to eat that much meat and some of us try not to. ‘Course we are a culture of fighters. A lot of us like to hunt for a snack here and there. Mostly rabbits and stuff. It’s more effort for your food than you herbs, but I think it’s worth it.”

"Herbs huh? Nice slang." Ditzy said smirking. "Well good news, the cold front is dissipating, so it'll just be a lesser storm when it hits. The two of us can handle that no problem."

“Bummer,” Lightning mock pouted. “I was hoping for a bit of a challenge.”

"This isn't training, it's keeping the town safe." Ditzy noted. "If you just wanted a challenge I'd have suggested Dash's obstacle course."

“I might try that out later,” Lightning commented. “But you’re right. Sorry, my father...” Lightning grit her teeth her anger at the thought of the pony. “Never mind. I just like pushing myself is all.”

"Got ya. Lots of pegasi here are competitive too. Heck, I do some amature leage precision flying." Ditzy said. "Some ponies think I should go pro, but I'm not that dedicated to it. Plus, with that kind of schedule I couldn't spend a lot of time with Dinky."

“Well at least she has a mom,” Lightning lamented. “That’s good to hear anyways.”

"Ah...sorry to hear that." Ditzy said, nodding. "Let's try for something happier before we turn this into a rain cloud huh?"

“Huh?” Lightning looked over at Ditzy. “Oh right, that was uncool of me. Yeah, let’s see.” She tapped her hoof upon her chin. “Race? Nah...who can hit the most clouds?...Nah.”

"Yeah, I don't do high speed." Ditzy noted. "That's Dash. Raindrops is high power, and I'm precision. Nice little combo we got there. But yeah, Dash is a bit clumsy, Raindrops is slow, and I don't have a lot of wing power. Everypony has their strengths and weaknesses you know?"

“Yep,” Lightning smirked. “But any chump that faces off against me isn’t gonna have the time to find them.”

"Yep...are those clouds moving faster now?" Ditzy asked, sounding slightly concerned.

“Now that I think about it, a little bit yeah.”

Ditzy frowned. "That should definitely not be the case, there was no wind shift. I'm going to go take a closer look." Ditzy said, casually falling off the cloud, only to take off soaring in a display of loops, twist, and turns that seemed like they should have slowed her down but instead only made her move faster, as if she was ignoring all wind resistance. It wasn't speedster flight, but the average Pegasus would have been very hard pressed to keep up with her in her casual looking dance through the air.

Of course, Lightning was not an average pegasus. With the precision of a hawk, she was at Ditzy’s side in a heart beat. “I’ve got your back.”

"Thanks." Ditzy said. "Yeah, those clouds are not moving right. They should have clustered together by now, and they should be moving at about half their current speed. Something is wrong here."

“When is anything in the Everfree Forest ever right?” Lightning quirked an eyebrow.

"More often than ponies think." Ditzy replied. "When you're the unofficial head of the wild watch for five years, you pick stuff up pretty quickly. The Forest is actually pretty calm most of the time, it's just the fits are really impressive. And a small tweak like this isn't the Forest's style."

“Maybe something happened with the forest spirit,” Lightning added.

"The Everfree doesn't have a head honcho spirit or anything like that. Ever free. Nothing controls it." Ditzy rebutted. "...do those clouds look more like smoke up close to you?"

“Definitely smoke,” Lightning noted. “I have a few ideas on what it might be, but they aren’t good ideas.”

"I'd like to hear them before we get any closer." Ditzy noted, stopping and hovering in place.

“Well it might be spirits,” Lightning said. “It might be an illusion cast by some creature or unicorn, or it could be a dragon.”

"I got salt in my saddlebag for any rogue weather spirits." Ditzy said. "And it's not an illusion, I'm a twinkle eye, we can't see visual illusions. If it's dragons...well at least they'd be smaller ones. You ever deal with a dragon before if it is that?"

“Once,” Lightning said. “It attacked Ponyville. We eventually drove it off, but the town was trashed.”

"Well...I'm sure it was a pretty big one then." Ditzy said. "Anyway, these aren't clouds, so this should work. Let's see what we've got." Working her wings in a complex pattern, she manipulated a miniature air whirl to smack into one of the smoke clouds, dispersing it. What was inside wasn't what either of them had predicted. It was a creature with the body of a giant eagle, and the head of an elk, though it had very obvious fangs. It howled and the other 'clouds' diapered, revealing more of the things. "Okay, was not expecting that."

“Awesome,” Lightning grinned. “So, you wanna split them fifty/fifty?”

"There's five of the things, and I'm not a fighter." Ditzy noted. "Do you even know what those things are? Because I don't."

“Not a clue,” Lightning shrugged. “Either way, if they want a fight, they’ll get one.” 

With a wild howl, the five creatures closed in, circling like a pack of flying wolves. They weren't too fast, but they were large, easily half again as big as either pony. Low growls filled the sky.

“Nobody hunts Lightning Dust,” she growled. Electricity arced across her wings and with sound precision and pegasi magic, she fired two bolts from her wings smack dab into one of the creatures.

The creature was unfazed, the lightning rolling off it like water off a duck...or a local pegasus. "I think you just made it mad."

“It wants to eat us,” Lightning huffed. “I don’t care about making it happy.” She worked her muscles about. “If lightning won’t do the trick, then I’ll show it some good ol’ fashioned beat down.”

Almost in response, the whole flight of the things rushed in, talons and fangs bared, coming from multiple sides.

Lightning pushed Ditzy out of their reach and jumped into the fray. With a practiced flip, she smashed her hindlegs into the back of a beast, slightly hoping to either stun it or maybe even break its spine. Either would do.

The beast tumbled through the air, one of its wings flapping awkwardly, as another two came at Lightning from opposite sides, lashing out with their talons at her face and back, while the other two pursued Ditzy in a dive. "Okay then, try and follow this!" Ditzy shouted, going into a complicated dance through the air, twisting and turning about, throwing her foes into confusion as they tried to follow her. "Not too bright are they?"

“Nope,” Lightning backpedaled quickly, getting out of range of their talons. She snorted. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be on the offensive.” With swiftness, she dashed aside and punched the face of one of the beast. Seeing the other coming, she flew upwards over the strike to come back and slam into its side. She laughed as she pulled back. “Chumps aren’t even on my level.”

"Well good for you." Ditzy noted, dropping fast to dodge her own attackers as she rummaged through her pouch. "I hit like a unicorn, so this ain't going so hot for me. Aha! Emergency whistle!" Blowing hard, she produced a loud screeching sound.

“Whoa that is loud,” Lightning winced and yelped as she narrowly dodged a taloned swipe. 

"That's the point." Ditzy said. "I'm calling for backup here. Wish these things were more sound sensitive, might have scared them off."

“I can tell,” Lightning noted how the creatures had winced and cried out in surprise when the whistle blew. “Maybe if you blew harder or something.” She flapped forward, dodging a creature and giving a sound roundhouse kick to it’s rear end, earning a high pitched yelp. “Else I might have to beat these chumps up myself.”

"No need for that." Ditzy said, smirking as she lured her two enemies to fly in low after her. "Manny's here." And then a manticore in a top hat leapt on her two attackers with a roar, pinning them to the forest floor, claws gouging into their flesh...before they poofed into smoke. "What the? Hey! I think these things are constructs of some sort! They're poofing from enough damage!"

“Like this,” Lightning put her forehooves together and came smashing down on one of their heads. The creature poofed out of existence. “Huh, it isn’t as satisfying, but on the upside no mess. A toss up.” Evading another strike, she flew smack into the other creature's back at bone breaking speed, poofing it as well. “That gives me three. HA!”

"Oh my goodness, is everypony alright?" a gentle voice asked as a butter yellow pegasus with a pink mane fluttered into the clearing. "I heard the emergency monster whistle. What happened? Where's the monster?"

"Oh, hey Fluttershy." Ditzy said. "Yeah, turns out they were some sort of magic constructs. Manny here saved me and poofed two of them, and Lightning Dust up there got three. Turns out we didn't need you to try and talk something down, thank goodness. And nopony got hurt."

That's when an explosion sounded from within the town.

****************

Sunset wafted the smoke away from her face with a few tail swishes, coughing. "Gah, glad I set up containment wards before I started this." she said, looking down at the journal. "Still intact, good. Would have sucked if a slight miscalculation had toasted the thing." Taking a look, she nodded. "Runic shroud of containment is holding and undamaged. How's everything else looking Spike?"

"I'll let you know once I finish clearing out the air." Spike rebutted, using a large electric fan to blow the smoke out the opened door. "You know, it says something that I have clearing smoke out of the library down to an art."

"What it says in this case," Sunset noted, floating over pen, ink, and parchment, "is that Starswirl was as clever as he was sexy. He never published that ward, it wasn't 'discovered' until about three hundred years later by Agis Ward. I'm guessing Starswirl had plenty of unpublished ward spells for use on his stuff. Shouldn't have been just focusing on the stuff he published when I was brushing up for this. Apparently he had some more "modern" wards at his disposal."

"So, you got overconfident and it blew up in your face." Spike summed up.

"...yeah kind of." Sunset admitted. "Still, glad I spent my time setting up defenses before breaking the seals...well seal, that was just the first one."

Owlowicious glared at her from his perch. "Hoo. Hoo hoo."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "That's hardly necessary, and quite frankly demeaning. Nobody's going to do that just on your say so."

And then, Sunset was glomped by a hyperactive country mare. “SUNSET! Ah’m glad yer okay. Ah thought somethin’ bad must’ve happened, since that explosion gave us a mighty big fright.”

"I'm fine, but thank you for your concern." Sunset said, patting her on the head. "It's nice to be reminded every once in a while that there are ponies that care I'd I get hurt. But don't worry, my containment wards held, and the cloth's undamaged."

“Good ta hear,” Fiddlesticks let go, smiling.

“Let it be known,” Quickfix chimed as she walked in. “That explosion totally wasn’t mine. Ah haven’t even touched the explosives...yet.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Okay, so Starswirl had better defenses than I thought...Applejack put down the extinguisher nothing is on fire."

"Sorry," AJ said popping it back into its stand in the kitchen. "Force ah habit."

“Did ye account fer the time differentials?” Quickfix asked.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yes I did. What I didn't count on was the thousand year old book having defenses that weren't 'discovered' until three hundred years ago. Obviously, Starswirl kept a few of his ward spells unpublished, curse his brilliant and sexy mind."

“Could ye stop callin’ him sexy?” Quickfix huffed. “It’s weird.”

"Ya best get used to it." AJ said. "Every unicorn here thinks it, even the lesbians. Frankly, ah never got the appeal myself."

“Again, if’n ye want sexy, we had Commander Hurricane.” Quickfix stated once more. “End of discussion. Can’t top him.”

"Eh, feathers never did it for me." Sunset said, before going wide eyed. "Not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with feathers, I just don't find them attractive. Sexually I mean, not that I find feathers ugly or something because I don't! I have no problems with feathers!"

"Sunset, breath, calm down." Masquerade said, patting Sunset's back. "I know you don't. No need to panic. You have to admit, even if you don't find him attractive, Hurricane looked pretty damn awesome."

"True," Sunset said, nodding as she calmed down, "the lightning pattern feathers were impressive."

“And his fightin’ skills,” Quickfix fanned herself with a hoof. “What ah wouldn’t give to fight alongside a stallion like that.”

AJ rolled her eyes. "With that boom, ah'm surprised half the town ain't here."

Just then, Lightning Dust rushed in. “Quickfix, what did you do this time?”

“Ah didn’t do anythin’...this time.” Quickfix defended herself. She pointed to Sunset. “She’s the one….And she didn’t even let me see it.” She pouted.

Fluttershy then rushed in with a medical kit. "Oh my goodness, is anypony hurt?"

"No worries Fluttershy, everything is fine. My wards held the explosion, nopony was hurt." Sunset said.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you." Fluttershy said, looking downcast.

Sunset gasped. "No I'm sorry, I don't want you to feel bad for wanting to help ponies. What if my wards had failed and somepony did get hurt?"

"Oh now I'm making you doubt your magic. I am a terrible pony! I'm sorry." Fluttershy said, tears in her eyes.

"No, I'm the terrible pony for making you feel this way!" Sunset cried, hugging Fluttershy. "I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!" both shouted at the same time, hugging and crying.

"They uh, they could be at this for a while." Spike noted. "So...who wants pancakes?"

“Ah do!” Fiddlesticks chimed, hoof raised.

“It’s like lookin’ in an opposite mirror,”Quickfix looked at the weeping Sunset with a questiong gaze. “Ah'm just so used to her snark and fire blasts.”

Applejack looked nervous. "Yeah, our Sunset has some...self esteem issues. She is getting better though."

“Ours has severe anger issues,” Quickfix said. “She kind of...burns stuff and yells a lot. She’s gettin’ better.”

"Mash mice." Mask mumbled around a mouth full of pancake. "Mo, men mar me, gulp, sorry. So, when are we going to discus what the hay happened to you Lightning? You've got scratches on ya. Light ones, but still."

“Oh there was just some lame constructs that tried to take me OOH, pancakes!” Lightning then gorged on the plate.

“Ye had a fight? WITHOUT ME?!!” Quickfix held a hoof to her chest in indignation.

"I'm sorr-magical constructs attacked you? Are you alright?" Sunset asked, snapped out of her self depreciation by somepony possibly needing her help.

"Oh dear, I forgot all about that!" Fluttershy gasped, flapping over. "Is it okay if I treat your wounds?"

“I’m fine, but alright.” Lightning shrugged. “I’ve honestly had worse.”

"That's no reason not to treat what you do have." Fluttershy noted, opening her kit and applying some ointment to a clean cloth. "Even small injuries can get infected and do a lot more damage than they otherwise would. Don't worry, this won't sting, it has a topical anesthetic mixed in to negate local pain." she explained as she rubbed it over the cuts.

"Well I'm glad to hear you are fine, but do you know what attacked you?" Sunset asked, pulling out a couple of tomes. "What did they look like at least."

“Griffins with deer heads I think,” Lightning noted. “They weren’t as ‘epic’ as they looked.”

"Griffons with deer heads, okay that is new." Sunset said, flipping through a couple of the books indexes. "That goodness it wasn't a preyton or a turducken, those things are nasty. Though it sounds like somepony tried to make a preyton variant of some sort."

“Might be,” Quickfix said. “Mah father is better with livin’ constructs then me. I prefer robots, but ah know enough about the other types ta get by. The stronger the caster, the stronger the construct. Though, they might be lab clones.”

"What's a clone? Is that like a clown or something?" Sunset asks, confused.

“It’s basically takin’ a pony or other critter an’ makin’ a livin’, breathin’ copy.” Quickfix explained. “We don’t do it a lot, but it’s a new field of science and such. Really fascinatin’ stuff, mind ye. Wouldn’t put it past some to make a clone army. Though, a robot army sounds better in mah opinion.”

"Energy concerns make that impractical." Sunset rebutted. "Okay, so a clone is basically a duplicate, or doppelgänger if you want to get more technical, but with technology instead of magic...not even going to ask how that works. Okay, I'm finding nothing about deer griffons, so that is totally new. You are sure it was part deer, part griffon right?"

“Well maybe a reindeer head, I dunno, I’m not expert on horn heads.” Lightning huffed. “No offense.”

"What part of that wouldn't be offensive?" Sunset snarled slightly, before taking a deep breath. "Okay, was the front part or the back part of the body lion like? And yes, that matters."

“Nope, just eagle body, deer head. Pretty much it.” Lightning shrugged.

Sunset stopped, stared, and facehoofed.

Masquerade joined her, adding "So it was eagle and deer, not griffon and deer. There is kind of a difference there."

“You know, I really don’t care what it looks like.” Lightning said. “I kicked their butts and they went ‘poof’. End of story. I’m awesome.”

"Only because you're not what they were made to fight." Sunset said, opening her book up to a page with the proper illustration. "Preyton, also know as a 'unicorn hunter', is a giant physically powerful flying predator that is immune to energy and magic. They're basically dark magic constructs you send out to fight powerful unicorns, such as oh ME! Or Quickfix."

“Ain’t no ‘Preyton’ gonna whack this unicorn,” Quickfix snorted. “Don’t know ‘boot ye, Sunset, but ah’m a Northern unicorn. We’re a whole ‘nother level of tough.”

"Well good for you. I on the other hoof am currently fighting the urge to hide under my bed, because these things are no bucking joke to me, and there aren't many warlocks with that level of power out there." Sunset said, clearly genuinely shaken by the news.

"Now don't you worry there none sugercube." AJ reassured her. "With us around, we'll crack them varmints open faster than a squirrel with an acorn."

“Yeah,” Fiddlesticks piped up. She quickly appeared beside Sunset and pulled her into a hug. “We’re a team an’ ain’t nothin’ gonna stop us now. ‘Course, ya can always just blast ‘em with fire.” She gripped Sunset, pointed her horn like a gun, and cranked her tail, and fired a giant plume of fire out of her horn, which sizzled over Lightning.

Said pegasus had to duck out of the way of the blast. “Fiddlesticks! Tell me next time you do that! Sunset burns me enough with her own violation, so I don’t need you adding to it.”

Sunset telekinetically removed Fiddlesticks at that point. "Okay, I have no idea how you did that, but please don't. Unicorn tails are...sensitive. Ahem, and anyway didn't you hear what I said about preytons being immune to energy? Fire, lightning, laser, whatever, be it magic or mundane, it does squat to them."

Fiddlestick’s ears folded back and she glanced towards the floor with a forlorn gaze. “Ah was just tryin’ ta cheer ya up.” She lightly scuffed the floor.

Sunset sighed. "It's fine just, don't go touching unicorn tails here. They're important. They help us keep balance, express our mood, and we even have a bit of a signal language we can use. Messing with a unicorn's tail here is like messing with a pegasus's wings or an earth's hooves. You didn't know, this isn't your world."

“Tail signals?” Fiddlesticks smiled. “We earths can do that.” With nary a thought, her tail moved this way and that in complicated matters. “Can even use it to stomp thin’s.”  She smashed it into the ground, shakin’ everypony.

"Careful! Still working on the potentially exploding book! I don't want any of my wards disturbed!" Sunset oleander, quickly going over to check that everything was still in place.

“Sorry,” Fiddlesticks blushed in embarrassment. “Apple family strength, ya know.”

"Yep, we're tougher than a cragadile when we get down to it." AJ said, beaming with pride. "So, who all coulda sent these here preytons ta Ponyville? Sun and Quick might not have been the targets after all."

"Yes, because there are so many unicorns in town that you have to use anti-unicorn monsters to defeat." Mask quipped, rolling her gems. "We're not exactly a hotbed of magic here."

There was an explosion from downstairs.

“Darn it,” Quickfix huffed. “Ah tuned the sarcasm meter too high. Oh well, ah can fix it and make it ten times better.”

“And create ten times the explosion,” Lightning smirked and dodged a hoof to her face.

“Ah’ll explode ye,” Quickfix shook her hoof in anger.

"Oh no you don't missy." Fluttershy asserted. "You are not throwing explosions at any of my patients. Now then, if you broke something Twilight made, you are going to march downstairs and fix it right away."

Quickfix maliciously grinned. “Fiddlesticks?” Hesitantly, Fiddlesticks pulled a pair of steampunkish goggles out from her hat. “Now then,” she put her hooves together. “Time fer a game of findin’ parts.” She let out a mad laugh as she raced downstairs.

“I sometimes wonder if she’s trying too hard or is just insane,” Lightning pondered to herself.

“She’s not insane,” Fiddlesticks chided. “She’s just quirky in her own special way.”

“Doesn’t that mean the same thing?” Lightning pointed out. “Wait, you know what, let’s not question Quickfix’s sanity, lest she builds a sanity devices that somehow switches our brains or something.”

Sunset's stomache growled then. "I say we put that discussion and work on hold for breakfast. We can get back to it after pancakes."

"Ah'm all fer that." AJ agrees, as she takes a seat at the small kitchen table. "So, Sunset, when ya gonna give Quick a lesson on local magic?"

"Once I get the journal open." Sunset explained. "I don't know how long that will take, and I need that done first. If it gets bad enough, I might even wind up using a pomegranate."

“It can’t be that hard,” Lightning said. “Just use some sort of unicorn skeleton key or something. You’ve got to have one of those, I mean you’re Celestia’s daughter...I mean, student.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Magic wards. Designed by Starswirl the Bearded. I have to manually figure out how to bypass each of the twenty seven wards on the thing. I got past one, but it exploded. This is not going to be quick or easy."

“There’s gotta be something,” Lightning huffed. “Even throwing pome-whatsits at it.”

“Nah, this is better. Ya know why?” Fiddlesticks beamed and hugged Sunset. “Cause that’s more time ta spend with my sleepover buddy.”

Sunset hugged back. "Aww, thanks, that's so sweet of you...wait, Lightning, you don't know what a pomegranate is?"

“I really don’t eat that much fruit,” Lightning said. “I kind of prefer my food to be red...and sometimes fresh, if you catch my drift.”

"Like apples?" Fluttershy asked sweetly.

“No, like animals.” Lightning showed off her fangs. “These babies aren’t for show, you know.”

Fiddlesticks lightly facehooved. “Really tactful, Lightning.”

"Oh I see." Fluttershy said, nodding. "I have some fish at my cottage if you need any meat during your stay, it's hard to get meat in town beyond some pet foods, and I don't think you'd like those."

"Diet later." Sunset said. "Are you two saying that in your world, pomegranates aren't a big deal?"

“Should they be?” Lightning asked, quirking her head intently like a bird. “It’s just fruit.”

“Ahem,” Fiddlesticks lightly glared at her and crossed her forelegs. “Just fruit?”

"Not the point." Masquerade said. "Okay, a safety tip for this world. Pomegranates disrupt magic. It's a defensive trait the plants evolved over the centuries to keep themselves safe. Once they are fully ripened and fall off the tree this is no longer the case, but while still on the tree or picked it retains this property. It's basically an anti-magic fruit."

“Neat,” Lightning nodded. “Could’ve used a few here and there. Might’ve saved us some trouble.”

“We’ve got plenty of anti-magic stuff, Dust.” Fiddlesticks pointed out.

“Most of them aren’t edible,” Lightning countered. “Even if I don’t like fruit that much.”

"Yeah, but they're probably more reliable." Sunset said, having finished off her own pancakes. "When Mask says disrupt instead of dispell, that's the more accurate term. That's why I'm saving that as a desperation move for trying to crack the wards. The short circuit might disable the ward, it might set it off, it might do who knows what to it if we're really unlucky. So not a first choice move."

"Ah'm kinda curious, what ya'll got fer anti-magic over in your world cuz'?" AJ asked.

“Mostly devices, such as crafted gems and crystals. You know, techy stuff.” Lightning shrugged. “Some minerals can block magic naturally, or are artificially made. Add in some blessed runes and voila, anti-magic stuff.”

Sunset nodded. "Yeah, we have a lot of the same stuff here. My cloth over there has elk runes of anti-magic stitched into it to help counter the wards if I trigger them. Since I'm not extra crispy, it works. Yeah." she finished with clearly false enthusiasm.

“Eh, you’re a fire elemental unicorn.” Lightning smirked. “A fiery explosion isn’t gonna do much...Right, different style and all.”

"Yeah, I'm not elemental." Sunset said. "I'm a magic talent, 'magic fueled by the sun', so I have no greater affinity for fire than I do illusions, ice, lightning, healing, teleportation, cloud walking, weather spells, agricultural spells, light spells, divinations, alchemy, or any other kind of magic."

“Fueled by the sun is kind of the same thing,” Lightning said. “I mean, your name is Sunset and your cutie mark is all fiery. Our Sunset was pretty much a fire demi-goddess….Well, she claimed to be.”

“Ah think she really believes her own hype,” Fiddlesticks pointed out.

Somehow, she could just hear Sunset scream ‘I AM THE HYPE!’.

The local Sunset however just sighed. "It doesn't work that way in this world. What my talent means is that I convert sunlight into mana, the fuel unicorns use for their spells. It's like...electricity and appliances. Okay, so the fridge and the toaster both use electricity. One uses it to make things hot, the other to make things cold. But they both use the same energy source, electricity. Now it doesn't matter if that electricity comes from a dam or a windmill, it's still electricity in the end and will have the same results and same energy requirements for the fridge and the toaster. You get what I'm saying?"

Lightning opened her mouth then closed. “No, too easy. I like to mix it u- NEEEERD!” Lightning pointed her hoof at Sunset.

“Ah would’ve gone with egghead,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “It sounds cuter, like Sunset.” She beamed, happily ruffling Sunset’s mane with a hoof. 

"Don't." Mask huffed. "Dust is too close to Dash already. If she used the same nickname, well, I'd just grab some mane dye and be done with it."

“I’m saving that for my cosplay,” Lightning said. Her eyes widened. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

"Yep." AJ said, nodding. "An if we knew what that was, we'd prolly get a laugh right now I recon."

"Cosplay is what nerds at comic conventions do, dressing up as their favorite heroes and villains and stuff." Spike explained, cleaning up the mess from breakfast. "Well, they do it at other conventions too, but you get the idea."

“I am not a nerd and I so don’t go to conventions,” Lightning huffed and looked away. 

"...right. So, back to work I guess. Lightning, you should probably head out to, get back on weather." Sunset said, trotting over to the book and her notes.

"Um, I should be going too." Fluttershy said, walking towards the door. "I have a lot of work to do. It was nice meeting the other alien ponies, you all have a nice day. Bye." And with that she flew slowly off.

“Good point,” Lightning nodded. “See ya.” Leaving behind a lightning shaded trail and as quick as her namesake, she was out the door. 

"Right. Ah'm gonna head on home and do some work. Ya wanna help out cuz'?" AJ asked as she walked off, pausing at the door as she waited for Fiddlestick's reply.

“Way ahead of ya, cuz.” Fiddlesticks greeted AJ from outside.

"Well alright then, this ought a be interestin'." AJ said, trotting on down home.

"Right. I need to cloudsit for RD, make sure nothing's gone wrong with her gone and the weird weather yesterday." Mask said, flying off herself.

As Sunset sat down to decoding the wards, she forgot that this left Quickfix unsupervised in a laboratory in a world that didn't necessarily work on the same basis as her own, and was radically different when it comes to magic.

_________________________________________________________________

Quickfix’s mad laughter rang through the lab. She had found a scientist’s wardrobe, feeling right at home. Well, not really, but it was something. It was too small. Too safe for her tastes. Still, she had finished her latest project.

“HAHAHA!” Quickfix laughed as she gazed upon her creation. “Behold, the translating bazooka! Now ye can tell it to fire in several languages!...And make a nice smoothie too.” She patted the side compartment, pleased at the development. Yep, the thing could target anyone just by their dialect. “Now the easy parts over. Ah knew ah could make it better. Shame they didn’t have any ammo. It’s a good thin’ ah know how to make it!” She held up a large explosive she made from several of the ‘untouchable’ items in the shop. “Oh-ho-ho. Yer comin’ in hoofy later.” She put them down and patted them lovingly.

“Beep!” The old translator design she made as a spare spoke.

“Thank ye,” Quickfix smiled.

“Beep.”

“Okay, now yer just brown nosin’.” She snorted. She glanced at her next innovation. Weapons were nice and all, but what good was it without a little pizzaz.” As in earmuffs that let you dance by emitting the moves into your brain. Totally safe. It’s Aperture patented. “This’ll help Sunset. Celestia knows she needs it.” She stopped to pray over the machines, granting them the blessing of the machine god in hopes of their working perfectly. The language of machine was honestly complicated, far more so than the machines themselves. She was honestly thankful for having such a clever father to help her out. 

Once Quickfix stopped, she sighed. “Hope yer well, pa. Till then,” she put her goggles back on. “Let’s see what ah can do with squirrels.” She giggled maniacally…….”Wait, there aren’t no squirrels here? Darn it!...Oh well, that’s what robots are for.” She picked up a few pieces of equipment thinking up a few ‘squirrel catching robot’ designs. Honestly, not the most fun idea, since they would be simple things, but what else could she-

“Squirrel robots!” Quickfix said. “Of course, it’s so simple. Much better than the livin’ ones. Not so squishy too. It’s brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!” So she went to work, staving off her boredom and most likely breaking several laws of nature in the process. The glory of science!

_______________________________________________________________________

Sunset felt very confident. In the last three hours, she had defeated fifteen of the twentysix wards on the journal, that was about five wards an hour. While that might not seem like much to some, in the intense art of wards breaking, that was Sonic Rainboom fast. And these were quality wards on top of that, not cheap little cantrips cast by an amature. "Hey Spike, you ever feel like you're forgetting something?"

"All the time. Why, what did you forget?" Spike asked as he paused in his sweeping.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "If I knew that I wouldn't have forgotten now would I?"

Just then, a giant mechanical squirrel smashed its way upstairs. It let out a screech, shooting a rocket out of its tail to blow a hole in the wall. 

“Get back here ye pile of scrap!” Quickfix ran upstair, carrying her bazooka. She fired a shot, but the machine squirrel apparently had a forcefield of some kind, bouncing the shot outside where it exploded. “Dang it! Stop adaptin’!” She pulled out a blue rocket and stuffed it into her bazooka. She then glanced over to Sunset and smiled. “Hey Sunset. Don’t ye worry. Ah got this.”

"...Quickfix, why is there a giant robot squirrel in my home? And why are you and it shooting out giant fireworks filled with fire?" Sunset asked, trying her best not to sound too angry.

“That’s a simple way of puttin’ it,” Quickfix said, preppin’ her next shot. The squirrel lunged, pulling the bazooka out of her hooves. She rolled out of the way, summoning her wrench to her side. “Yer dead.” 

Sunset facehoofed. "Quickfix, you have a disassembly spell, why don't you just cast that?"

“Oh...ye know ah never remember that. Ah usually just smash ‘em and grab the remains.” Quickfix shrugged and her horn lit up. The squirrel bott fell to the floor in shambles. “Shame. It was so youn’.” She cried a few tears.

Sunset sighed. "Right, if you promise to behave I think I have enough time to give you some basic magic lessons to get you started on finding some other spells you can cast. The ward cracking is going faster than I thought."

“Good ta hear,” Quickfix smiled, picking up the pieces. Without the action going on, she closed her eyes and let her magic flow over the objects. Her prayers to the machine god began again as felt each object in her mind.

"Right, when you're done with that pull up a stool." Sunset said as she pulled a blackboard and chalk over to herself. "And no offense, but I do mean basic magic lessons. You're working with an entirely new system you've never used before, so going over basics is a must."

“Show a little respect to Deus Mechanicus,” Quickfix huffed. “Ye don’t pray ta any gods at all. Not right.”

"Well sorry if I'm not religious." Sunset said, rolling her eyes. "I know we have a church and a temple in town, but I don't attend either. Anyway, do you want to learn magic or not?"

“Alright,” Quickfix sighed. She put everything down and pulled up a stool besides Sunset. “Let’s see what ye got.”

"Alright then, starting at the basics. First of all, a unicorn draws energy from an internal reserve called a mana reserve, and the energy is called mana." Sunset explained, drawing a simple hollow figure of a unicorn, and adding in a shaded orb labeled 'mana reserve'. "Now the, mana is expended whenever a unicorn cats any spell, even basic telekinisis. Mana is replenished by sleeping, letting the body process vitamins and calories into mana. There are ultra rare exceptions to this, such as my solar recharge, but there is basically no chance you have any option besides sleep to replenish mana. You with me so far?"

“Heard ye loud an’ clear,” Quickfix tapped her noggin. “Unicorn, remember? We never forget.”

"Great, so moving on, the horn." Sunset said, making a more detailed drawing of a horn in close up. "The horn acts as a focus and channel for mana for spellcasting. Horn length is important as it affects spell quality. The longer a horn, the more potent a spell is as you can pack more mana into a single casting, but control suffers. The more powerful you are naturally, the less reason you have to keep a longer horn. My horn is about average size, while our Twilight actually keeps hers a little shorter. Your horn is a little bit longer than average. Any interest in filing that down?"

“Eh, never got around to it.” Quickfix shrugged. “Never really complained about it, since ah never cared about mah looks. ‘Course bigger is sexier over there….Never cared about that neither, now that ah think about it. So, alright to the filin’.”

Sunset blinked "Huh, here smaller is seen as attractive. Large horns are kind of stigmatized as compensation for weaker magic...wait, your guys horns do grow right? Our horns grow constantly."

“Kind of,” Quickfix said. “They can grow to certain sizes fer certain unicorns. Matters on yer magical prowess how big it can get. Ah think some try and get him ‘magically’ enhanced and stuff. Taint natural to me.”

"So if you were to file it the horn material would grow back?" Sunset asked. "Just making sure, because making like a permanent change just for a temporary stay strikes me as a bit extreme."

“It’ll take some time, but not that much.” Quickfix piped up. “Just try and be careful. Breakin’ a unicorn’s horn off can be dangerous fer us, maybe deadly if’n it ain’t treated in time.”

"Ahhh...well like I said, it's not much longer than average, so it's not a big deal, especially if you have a health risk like that." Sunset shuddered a bit at that phrase. If there is one thing unicorns respect, it's the idea of a health risk. "Alright, next up is horn zone focusing. You have anything like that in your world, focusing on different parts of your horn for different spells?"

“No, just tryin’ ta focus the different magical realms in the right order an’ such and drawin’ the power fer the spell,” Quickfix shook her head. “It’s in yer mind. The horn’s just the outlet.”

"Right. Here, the power comes from within. Horn zones are technically not something you teach kids, but that's because they tend to get confused. It's mainly an efficiency trick that makes a spell more potent for less energy, it's not essential for actually casting spells, and most unicorns go their whole lives without bothering to use them." Sunset then took the time to label parts of the horn. "Right, so there are seven focus zones, the areas you focus the energy at the most when you cast a spell. They are red, the tip, orange the first conacle, yellow the first two conacles together, green is the second conacle alone, blue is the second and third conacle together, indigo is the third by itself, and finally violet is the base of the horn where it meets the skull."

“Sounds simple enough.” Quickfix glanced up at her horn, studying it anew.

"Alright, now then the trick is to focus not only on the spell, but on your horn at the same time, and focus on concentrating the energy at the appropriate area. Basic telekinisis is a violet spell, meaning the focus point is violet. Now, on to actual spells." Sunset wrote three words on the board. "The key factors for any spell are power, proficiency, and intent. You need mana to cast a spell, and the more mana you use the more powerful the spell. Proficiency is not only your skill in spellcasting and familiarity with the spell, but how closely the spell relates to your special talent. Finally, intent. A spell won't work unless you truly want it to, at least a little. The more you want it to work, the better. These three things combined form just how potent the spells you cast really are. For example, when you first cast the disassembly spell, you took apart Pinkie's copter and sorted out the pieces automatically. When you cast it on the robot earlier however, you were a bit reluctant to do so since you were looking forward to fighting in, meaning that while it still came apart, the parts did not automatically sort themselves."

“Makes sense,” Quickfix said. “Ye unicorns certainly got a way of doin’ things here, that’s fer sure.”

"Now then," Sunset floated over a book titled Simple Spells for Home Maintenance and flipped through a few pages. "Ah here we go. A simple non-instinct spell you should be able to do. A nail hammering spell. It knocks a nail into wood the exact depth you want it to go. All we need is some wood and nails to practice." horn glowing once more, she floated over some scrap wood and a couple of nails from an earlier project over to the group. "Okay then, here's how to perform the spell. While holding the nail in your kinesis, mentally construct the image of a hammer striking the nail so that in one blow it is at the exact depth you desire, then mentally hit the nail with a projection of that image reinforced by your magic."

“Hmmm,” Quickfix pondered, looking over the nail. She placed it in the proper position and closed her eyes. Within an instant, the nail went through with enough force to break the piece of wood. “Darn, used to metal.”

"Focus on distance, not force." Sunset advised. "The spell provides the force necessary for the distance you want, you don't have to worry about that. Distance is the key."

Quickfix squinted her eyes as she stared at the next nail. With a knock, she drove it a third of the way in and twice more to complete. It felt strange honestly. Not just workin’ with wood, which she sometimes did but metal was her speciality. She was quite good at it. Hay, she had a door that could survive the apocalypse. Why she didn’t make all of her doors like that….Huh, eh things happen. She had more important things to worry about………….Wait, the nail. Yeah, it was strange workin’ her magic like this. Actually, it felt wrong in a way since she had no contact with the realm of magic. 

"You uh, look upset. Is everything okay?" Sunset asked. "You're not feeling sick or something are you?"

“It feels weird,” Quickfix responded. “Ye know, usin’ magic without the ‘realm of magic’ or anythin’ like that. Ah can’t help but try and reach out and that hurts. Not as much as before though. This new magic, magic that’s inside me, is gonna have ta get some time ta get used to.”

Sunset nodded. "I don't know what you lost, we never had something like that. But no internal magic? I don't think that sounds good myself. My magic is a part of me, a very part of my being. Every spell I cast is a part of me in a sense, an expression of my will and power. I am my magic, and nothing can change that. I rely on nothing to give it to me, and it can't be denied to me. I am my magic, and my magic is me."

“The same in some ways,” Quickfix patted her chest. “There is magic within us, it’s just that….We are a part of the ‘Magic’ as it were. It flows through us. It makes us what we are. We are conduits, little children nursin’ from their mothers milk, ‘cept we can’t be weened. Cut us off from it an’.....Ye’d have no time to ponder what comes next cause ye don’t have no way to live without that part of ye. We’re tied ta magic in so many ways. Some think we were born there, in the realm of magic an’ got stuck here. Sounds crazy ta me, which is sayin’ somethin’, but perhaps a part of us was.”

Sunset was quiet for a bit, thinking deeply. Then she smiled ruefully. "The bird and the fish conversed, speaking of the wonders of their own worlds. The two parted, thinking the other mad." Smiling wider, she continued. "Unlike that dumb bird, I find your coral reefs sound magnificent."

“Thank you, I think.” Quickfix said, not really one for metaphors and such. “Same here.”

"Right. Ahem, anyway, you feel free to look through the book and see what spells you can try out. I'm going to go back to trying to crack those last dozen or so wards." Sunset said, walking back over to her desk. "Also, going to need to talk to the deer about fixing that wall."

“Watch out for their cryptic mumbo jumbo,” Quickfix put in. “Can’t get a word edgewise with them folk.”

Sunset just snorted. "Our deer are bluntly straightforward. They are not going to be happy, asking them to fix the tree again. I really need to learn that tree healing spell Twilight acquired so I don't have to keep asking them whenever this sort of stuff happens when she's out."

“Ye live in Ponyville,” Quickfix pointed out. “It’s gonna get smashed one way or another.”

"Which, again, is why I should learn that spell." Sunset said. "Deer here really don't like mages. Or advanced tech. So a mage  asking for help because another mage's giant robot smashed their house is going to be a real stickler with them."

“Then we smash ‘em until they get ta fixin’,” Quickfix responded. “That’s how us Northerners do it and we’ve lived quite fine….Well, after everyone kind of moved off or just fights back. Happens.” She shrugged. “Ah could make a device to do it, but ah’ve never been a master at nature stuff. It’d probably turn yer tree into a giant monster….Come ta think of it, that’d be a great idea! Ha, take that druids. None can stand in the way of SCIENCE!” At that, the mare started laughing maniacally. 

Sunset blanched in horror at the suggestion. "You are not turning my house into a giant monster! I live here! No monster houses! And no trying to smash the deer either! Deer are nice and mostly harmless, you're not going to go around messing with the deer. Whitetail Woods is a sanctuary for them."

“They live in Whitetail Woods?” Quickfix blinked in confusion. “Huh. Ours is empty. We use it as a little safe haven park of sort, the type ta take the family and all that. Weird havin’ ‘em so close. Most of ‘em just keep to themselves far away.”

"Well, the Whitetail Tribe lived here first, we're not going to go around kicking deer about of their ancestral homes." Sunset explained. "They have a hard enough time as it is."

“Everyone has a hard time,” Quickfix scoffed. “Don’t mean nothin’ ta me. Tell ‘em ta live up North fer a year and then tell me what hard time means.”

"They did live up north....and then they got wiped out. They also got wiped out to the east, the west, the south, basically most other nations on this world kicked out or killed the deer. Equestria is like one of the last bastions for their people, since Celestia is nice enough to respect their culture." Sunset explained. "So saying 'smash the deer' has some very unfortunate implications here."

Quickfix’s mouth hung open and her ears fell backwards. She slowly closed her mouth and glanced. “Our deer are good at hiding and some of ‘em can even see the future. They still were hurt, but they’ve done alright….But ah know what that’s like. Ye see, us Northern ponies were slaughtered by the droves back a thousand years ago. Nightmare Moon thought we were too ‘barbaric’ fer her perfect Equestria.” She growled in anger.

Sunset gulped nervously. "Have I mentioned lately that your world sounds more and more terrifying the more I learn about it? Like, making me really nervous for my friends terrified?"

“It ain’t that bad,” Quickfix glared at her. “We’ve survived it. We’re thivin’ even. We didn’t have the same luxuries as ye pansies, but we’re one of the leadin’ nations in the world. Yer friends are safe with us, that ah can tell ye. My friends wouldn’t let somethin’ happen to them.”

Sunset sighed in relief. "Right, sorry, just worried about my friends. So, I need to get back to ward breaking, you just read that book, and please don't turn my house into a monster." she said as she trotted back over to the bench and began to examine the journal, her horn glowing brightly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Quickfix opened up the book and started reading. The unicorn was still a bit miffed over how ‘easier’ it was over here for the locals. It still had some dark past and all of that, but not the same hardiness her nation had...She didn’t know how to feel about that.

_________________________________________________________________

If there was one  thing that was more important to an Apple than apples, it was family. Fiddlesticks always had a big one, which honestly was the best thing ever. Small families were nice, but the big ones were fun. She got to see all of her cousins and and aunts and uncle, hear their stories, and play games. Family was important to Apples and her family had just doubled in a day.

So here she was, tuning her fiddle in one of the old barns. The decorations and everything was set up. Fiddlesticks just needed to make sure her beloved instrument was in order before springing her ‘trap’. It’d be a good test to for when she threw the rest of the town a party. Of course, Fiddlesticks was still weary of meeting this versions’ living aunt. Felt strange really. She didn’t have that many memories of her, but her aunt was a nice mare. She was the one who gave Fiddlesticks her beloved scarf around her neck. She lightly touched it and smiled. 

Wasn’t right what happened in her world, but she wasn’t in her world at the moment. She was going to enjoy this while it lasted. Which made her feel a bit sad, but Fiddlesticks reasoned that the portal could stay open or something. That way she could visit her friends whenever she wanted. This Sunset really did need another friend to hang out with. 

With a final pluck and turn, Fiddlesticks smiled. “There ya go. Fit as a, well, fiddle.” She giggled. “Now let’s get the rest of the folks. Hopin’ they get here soon. Don’t want the cake ta go bad, or somethin’ like that.”

Just then the barn door opened up and Applebloom trotted in. "Ah know we had some extra buckets around...what in tarnation? Cousin' Fiddle Faddle? What er ya doin' here? An' what's with the balloons an' streamers an' ooh cake! Is it yer birthday or somtin'?"

Fiddlesticks tensed up at that nickname. For a teensy second, she wanted to snap and correct her about her name, but that wasn’t who she was. She wasn’t going to be a jerk, especially not to Apple Bloom. “It’s Fiddlesticks, an’ it ain’t mah birthday. It’s a party fer ya’ll here.”

"Fiddlesticks? But ya hate that nickname." Applebloom pointed out. "An' why are ya just throwin' a random party?...yer not Pinkie in disguise are ya?" she asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Who ever told ya that ah hated me name?” Fiddlesticks snorted. “Silly talk and no, ah ain’t Pinkie Pie. Ah’m not short and ah ain’t a princess or nothin’.”

"Wait, ain't Pinkie a doctor, not a princess? Ah'm confused." Applebloom felt a small headache forming, then had a look of sudden realization. "Oh, yer one of them ponies from the other dimension! You look just like mah cousin' Fiddle Faddle!"

“It’s Fiddlestick,” Fiddlesticks sighed, before smiling. “Well ain’t that a coinkidink. How’s me over here then?” 

"Okay, so yer Fiddlesticks an she's Fiddle Faddle, so ya won't get mixed up. That's good." Applebloom said with a nod. "Oh, the you over here is nice. Ah was too little ta go to yer weddin though. The ya here plays some of the best darn music at family get tagethers. Ah don't see her too much since she lives all the way out in Dusty Trails, but it's nice enough ta hear her play."

“Good ta know ah play well enough here-” Everything that little filly said made her stop in her tracks. Her eyes widened. “Married? Dusty Trails...Married?!!”

"Yeah, Fiddle Faddle is married. Ain't you?" Applebloom asked, curious.

Fiddlesticks blushed and rubbed her foreleg. “Errr, not yet. He ain’t asked me that. Still, why Dusty Trails? What wrong with here?”

"Well, that's were ya live." Applebloom answered in the 'just so' manner only a child would, not understanding the larger question. "An' ain't nothin' wrong with Ponyville, it's a great town."

“Course it is,” Fiddlesticks ruffled the little filly’s mane. “Best town ya could ever find, ah know. Lived here most of me life. Ah know the ins and outs of this place. Yer Ponyville ain’t much different, thank Celestia fer that.”

"Cool. So...what's all the balloons and stuff fer?" Applebloom asked, remembering that her first question really hadn't been answered.

“Ah told ya,” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “It’s a party fer ya’ll here. Dimensional difference or not, yer family. Always happy to have more of ‘em, so this calls fer a celebration.”

Applebloom had the biggest grin ever. "Gettin' more family is awesome! We should do it more often if it means cake! I'll go get the others!" She turned around to bolt out the door. "Be right back!" she shouted as she dashed off.

“Don’t be long,” Fiddlesticks waved after her. “And be watch where ya run!” She knew she would, but old habits die hard. Hay, she practically raised her own Apple Bloom with Big Mac and Granny. 

A couple minutes later, the rest of the family arrived being herded by an excited Applebloom.  AJ took a look around. "Not bad Fiddlesticks, not bad."

"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed, nodding.

"Well now this here looks like a party...ah didn't go and fergit a birthday again did I?" Granny Smith asked.

"No you didn't, don't worry." Clementine assured her. "Although I must admit this seems to be a bit much on such short notice. Shouldn't you be working on trying to find a way back home."

Fiddlesticks was doing her best not to pounce Clementine and cry her eyeballs out. Instead, she just kept it hidden with a bright smile. “Ah’ve never been the smart type, so ah’d just get in the way. So, ah decided ta make the most of it and party with ya’ll.”

Clementine cleared her throat. "I see. Still, are you really sure you want to spend your time here, instead of seeing the sights or something? I mean, we have a farm to run, do we really have time for a boot and granny?"

"Hootinany." the local Apples corrected her automatically.

"Aww don't worry none Clementine." Granny Smith said. "We can spend some time with Fiddlesticks, we ain't got too much more ta do today, we can get it done tomorrow. We don't get to see her that often being out in Dusty Snails."

"Dusty Trails Granny." Applejack corrected. "But yeah, she's one of them ponies from the portal, she don't have a lot of time afore she has ta go back. This might be her only chance ta party with the Apples of this world."

“An there ain’t no party like an Apple party,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “So move yer cabooses an’ let’s start this up!”

"Sooo...cake?" Applebloom asked, grinning wildly.

"Not yet." Clementine admonished. "We just had lunch an hour ago, you'll get a tummy ache if you go eating sweets right away."

"So how about some music an dancin' ta start?" AJ suggested, trying to keep things on track.

“Way ahead of ya!” Fiddlesticks jumped to her hindlegs and started up a beat with her fiddle. 

The family started dancing...though Clementine seemed a bit hesitant on her part and smiled nervously as she tried some country dancing. "So, um, how are you linking our world so far?" she asked.

“Lovin’ it, Auntie!” Fiddlesticks smiled, dancing around her. “Ah’m happier than a bouncin’ cricket in Spring.”

"Well I'm glad to hear that. I was worried you'd be more upset than...something something something." Clementine said, brow furrowed. "Um, a puppy without its bouncy ball? Does that one work?"

“Err...Kind of.” Fiddlesticks laughed. “Missed ya a bunch. Stuff like that always cracked me up.”

"Oh, do you not visit that often?" Clementine asked, curious.

Fiddlesticks’ music stopped with a ear scratching note. She paused, looking really unsure of what to say. “No...Ah live here...but that don’t really matter.” She tried to get the tune back up, her shaking hooves not reaching the right notes.

"Ya okay?" Applebloom asked. "Ya don't look so good."

“Fine,” Fiddlesticks gulped, trying to stop her shaking. “Ah’m good...Ah’m good.”

"Nope." Big Mac said. "Ya look off."

"Look guys, let's just have a party and just enjoy ourselves." AJ said, sweating a bit, knowing just what Fiddlesticks was trying not to talk about.

Fiddlesticks stopped playing and sighed. “Sorry...Need a drink fer me nerves. New place and whatnot.” She chuckled nervously, lying through her teeth. Apples were the worst liars. Still, she trotted over to the punch bowl and grabbed a cup.

Everypony else looked at Fiddlesticks and AJ with a questioning glance.

"Um so...uh...how about them local apples? As good as the ones back home?" AJ asked in an attempt to deflect the conversation.

Fiddlesticks stopped everything and gave AJ her best ‘seriously’ face. “Yer askin’ ‘bout Apples’ apples? Cuz, they’re the best ‘round any dimension. Can’t change that.”

"Can't argue there." Applebloom noted, "So, we can have cake now?"

"Nope." Big Mac said, shaking his head. Two minutes would not be enough to change their mother's mind after all.

“Bah, cake is good fer any ol’ time.” Fiddlesticks picked up a small plate and piece. “That’s what me ma said. Let me have as much sweets as ah liked.”

"Yes, but that was your mother, and I said she had to wait, and I'm her mother." Clementine said. "So, do you have anything else planned for this...hip dig?"

"Shindig." the locals corrected.

“Sure ah did!” Fiddlesticks sped on over to a large tub. “Bobbin’ fer apples,” over to the wall with a bulleseye on a Diamond Dog. “Pin the Dog,” she pulled out a box from her hat. “An’ ah even got that Twister. Ah was thinkin’ ‘bout bringing some other stuff, but ah didn’t pack everythin’ before mah trip here.”

"Wait, you were just carrying all that stuff for no reason?" Clementine asked. "Why would you ever carry all that stuff around randomly?"

“A lot of ponies ask questions about stuff ah do,” Fiddlesticks booped her nose. “It don’t end well, cause there ain’t no answer. ‘Sides, ah’m a party pony. Ah’ve got to have enough stuff on me at all times.” She pulled off her hat and pulled out a large guidebook “The Art of the Party”. “One of the rules of a party pony.”

"Party pony...like that Pie girl..." Clementine looked less than pleased with that. "So, do you have an actual job, or do you just just fool around all day?"

Fiddlesticks frowned. She shut the book, put it into her hat and put the hat on her head. “Ah work this farm every day fer several hours. Ah buck these trees good an’ proper, haul the apples, tend the land, feed the animals, clean the house, everythin’ that keeps this place goin’. Ah love the farm. Just ‘cause ah like to throw parties don’t mean ah’m a slacker. Ah’m an Apple after all. We. Don’t. Slack off.”

"Well, that's good to hear." Clementine said, smiling more honestly. "That Pie girl says she's a doctor, but she didn't really do anything to earn that."

"Ma, can we not talk about that right now, please?" AJ said, frowning. She knew Pinkie wasn't the most dedicated worker and her doctorate wasn't typical, but she still considered the pink party pony a friend. Hearing her mother's opinion was a bit grating, but it wasn't like she was too far off.

“As long as a party pony is makin’ ponies smile, they’ve earned...whatever she’s got.” Fiddlesticks put a hoof to her chest. 

"An Celestia gave her it fer good reasons." AJ added. "But let's get back ta the party. Hey Bloom, betcha ah can beat ya at apple bobbin'!"

"Yer on!" Applebloom said, dashing over to the game and sticking her face in quickly.

“Oooh, ooh, let’s try Twister.” Fiddlesticks pulled along Big Mac over to the game. “Ah’ve got ta warn ya. Ah’m a really loose mare.”

"Uhhhh...." Big Mac wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Spitting out an apple, Applebloom broke out into a huge grin, "Sure! I get ta spin first!"

“Go ahead an’ spin,” Fiddlesticks hopped up and down in anticipation.

"Back left yeller!" Applebloom announced, quickly getting her hoof on the right spot, as AJ and Clementine joined in. Big Mac was sitting out because he'd take up too much space, and Granny's hip wasn't up to it.

“My turn, my turn,” Fiddlesticks beamed, spinning. “Front right red.”

"Front left blue." Clementine added her own spin. "Oh dear. Mac, I think you'll have to do the spinning now."

"Eyup." Big Mac said, giving it a small spin. "Back Right Blue." everypony was still in at this point, though lacking another blue space in easy reach Applebloom had been forced to pull double duty on her's, but she was still standing. "Front right green." AJ was in trouble on this one, as the closest green was well behind her, requiring her to reach well under herself to try and eek it out. "Back left red." And with that, AJ was out, her move causing he to overbalanced and crash. Applebloom had both of her back hooves crossed next to her front hooves, pulling cross double duty but somehow maintaining her balance. Clementine and Fiddlesticks we're doing fine however, though Clementine had flipped upside down at this point. "Front left yellow."

There was a slight pap as Applebloom fell face first. "Ah'm oka...aw but ah'm out."

“Well Auntie, didn’t know ya were so limber.” Fiddlesticks said.

"I had to keep up with three foals, you get in great shake doing that." Clementine said. "Applebloom, why don't you spin now?"

"Okay!" Bloom said, dashing over and giving an enthusiastic spin. "Front right green! Oh wait, we're already doin' that one. Um," giving it another spin, she grinned. "Okay, back right red!"

Clementine arched her back, making the move with minimal difficulty. "I have to say, you're surprisingly good at this."

“Ah have to squeeze into a lot of different places and learn a few dance moves from across the seas, ya know, if ah meet someone different then me.” Fiddlesticks answered. “Pays to be a bit flexible.”

"I see." Clementine said, performing the next move ("Back right yellow!") by turning to her side. "Must be helpful with your kids."

Fiddlesticks blushed. “Ain’t got kids….Not yet anyways.”

"She's not even married!" Applebloom noted. "...say, how come she's an Apple then?"

"Cause in her world she was born inta the clan, not married." AJ explained. "She didn't have ta go marryin' Apple Tart ta be family."

“Nope, born an’ raised.” Fiddlesticks said with fierce pride. “Cousin Tart’s nice, but no...just no.” She was not going to live up to THAT stereotype.

"Well he's not your cousin here, so there's that." Clementine said. "Applebloom, sweetie, aren't you going to spin again?"

"Oh right! Uh, front right blue!" she announced, getting back on track. "Wow, ah didn't know Ma was this good."

"I used to play this all the time back in school." Clementine boasted. "Even beat plenty of unicorns at it."

“Well ah play with unicorns all the time,” Fiddlesticks boasted. “Beat ‘em every time.”

"Yeah, but our unicorns are known fer their balance." AJ noted. "Ours never trip cept ya do something like coat the ground in ice and marbles or somethin'."

"Back left blue. Okay, back left bl...front left green!" Applebloom shouted, wanting to see who'd win.

-15 Minutes Later-

"....back left green." Applebloom muttered, growing bored at how long the match was going on.

“...And then ah said ‘Wheatcakes? Are ya crazy?’” Fiddlesticks guffawed at the end of her story.

"Well, she does sound pretty out there." Clementine responds, having listened politely. "So did you ever get the rubber duck back from the mimes?"

“Ghoul got ‘em back fer me,” Fiddlesticks sighed, with a tinge of blush. “He’s such a nice guy.”

"It sure sounds like you found yourself a great friend...or maybe special somepony?" Clementine asked with a wink.

“Well….” Fiddlesticks was blushing heavily. “Ah like ta think of him like that. He’s cityfolk, but he ain’t like most of ‘em. He’s supportive and gets me. Helps that he’s not an undead ghoul no more.”

"Yes well wait undead?!" Clementine exclaimed, losing her balance in her shock.

"Finally over...yah were jus kiddin, bout that undead thing just ta throw Ma off right?" AJ asked.

“Well he ain’t undead anymore,” Fiddlesticks jumped up in jubilation. “Celestia fixed him. Nice game though.”

"Huh. The Princess can really do a lot...so cake?" Applebloom asked.

"I suppose you've waited long enough. Fiddlesticks, do you want to cut the cake?" Clementine asked, standing up and brushing herself off.

“Don’t mind if ah do,” Fiddlesticks hopped over and began cutting up the cake. “Oh ya’ll like him. Ghoul’s great, really. Well, Ghoul’s not his real name, but seriously, who’d remember their name after spending decades trapped in the Everfree Forest as an undead? Maybe me, but eh. Decided to keep it simple when givin’ it to him. Sunset kept on and on about how I was into dead ponies. No ah ain’t, ah tells ya.”

"Well that...is certainly interesting." Clementine said. "Anyway, don't worry too much about him being from the city and you from the country. I had the same deal after all, and it worked out great."

“True, but sometimes he says some fancy stuff that ah don’t know what the hay he’s talkin’ ‘bout,” Fiddlesticks griped. “He don’t mean ta confuse me, but he does it...’Course he thinks ah’m cute when ah scrunch up in confusion.”

"How do you think I feel about down home witticisms?" Clementine asked with a chuckle. "Twenty years and I still can't get them right. I get it more wrong than a squirrel burying an acorn."

"Squirrels do bury acorns Ma." AJ pointed out, helping herself to some punch.

Fiddlesticks laughed, passing out the last of the plates. “Ah remember that. He tried to be ‘country’ once…..Ah told him never to do it again.” She deadpanned.

"He did that bad huh?" Clementine asked, chuckling.

“He was terrible,” Fiddlesticks chuckled herself. “But his heart was in the right place...It’s nice knowing he has one again.” She sighed in bliss. “Sometimes ah just like layin’ with him with an ear to his chest. Maybe ah just like checkin’ to make sure if he’s still with me. It’s honestly a nice sound.”

"Sounds romantic." Big Mac noted, grabbing himself a slice of cake.

Applebloom made some gagging sounds. "Sounds mushy."

“Ya say that now,” Fiddlesticks patted her head. “But ya might change yer tune when the right colt comes a callin’.”

"Yeah right." Applebloom said, rolling her eyes.

“Come now,” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “It ain’t so bad, bein’ in love. Makes me smile brighter because of it.”

"Maybe I'll just like girls like Sweetie and Lyra. That way I won't have to be with any dumb boys." Applebloom said, huffing a bit as she angrily ate her cake.

“That don’t sound sexist at all,” Fiddlesticks huffed. “Whatever ya ‘like’, that don’t make others dumb just ‘cause they’re different. Big Mac is a boy, ya think he’s dumb?”

"Course not, he's family. That's different." Applebloom argued.

"Well that's just fine with me right now." Clementine said. "I don't want my baby girl dating for a good long while." She then shot a quick glare over at Applejack and Big Macintosh as she added "Though it would be nice if at least one of you started dating."

“Ain’t no difference really,” Fiddlesticks said to Apple Bloom. “And ya two, ya heard her. Get to it, chop chop.” She smirked, clapping her hooves together.

"We ain't gonna just go grabbin' dates at random cuz." AJ argued. "Sides, I ain't found the right guy ta ask yet."

"Eyup." Mac said, nodding in agreement.

“Well ah found Ghoul randomly in the Everfree,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “Maybe ya just need ta get lost fer a bit.”

"...say what?" AJ asked. "I ain't one fer fancy high thinkin'. Just say what ya mean and be planer than vanilla ice cream with no toppings."

"What she's sayin' is that maybe if we leave town for a bit and travel we might meet somepony." Big Mac translated.

“Basically,” Fiddlesticks said. “‘Course ya could get lost in town, but that’d be a tad bit hard. Unless ya get drunk, but then ya’d be stupid.”

"Amen to that." Clementine agreed. "And that can lead to other...problems."

"Ah phooy." Granny Smith grumbled. "Back in my day ponies knew how to hold their liqueur a whole lot better. Nowadays ponies seem ta get drunk offa only a couple glasses."

“Unless yer a unicorn, where ya can’t even hold that.” Fiddlesticks chuckled into her hoof.

Granny chuckled too. "Yep, they've always been lightweights, not as much as pegasi though. Them fellers are literal lightweights, they ain't got the body mass ta spread it out. Nopony out drinks earths."

“Darn tootin’,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “‘Cept those Tatzlponies, but other than them, no one.”

"Ta-wha?" Applebloom asked, confused. She wasn't the only one, as all the locals were giving Fiddlesticks odd looks.

“They’re are kind of tribe overseas,” Fiddlesticks explained. “They’re like Earths, cept they’re stronger and are great diggers. That and they have tails...and they’re bottom jaws split open...and they have three long tongues. Other than that, they’re like us.”

"Huh. Sunset said ya had extra tribes, but ah don't think she figured ya had somethin' like that fer them." AJ said. "Sounds like some mighty interestin' fellers."

“They’re okay,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “Though like they prefer bein’ underground. Just don’t freak out when they shake yer hoof with their tongues. They like to pick stuff up with ‘em, gives ‘em a feel fer stuff.”

"Eeeew." Applebloom shuddered.

"Applebloom, that's not nice. Just be glad we don't have those here or you'd be in serious trouble." Clementine scolded. "We trade with deer, you know better than to judge others just because they don't look like a pony."

“Course, most ponies don’t like to call ‘em ponies or think of ‘em as a tribe of us,” Fiddlesticks frowned. “Tatzls are kind of offended by that.”

"I think I would be too." Clementine said. "I hope they get plenty of Apple Clan hospitality whenever they run into us over there. Sounds like the poor dears could use some."

“Course we do,” Fiddlesticks smiled. “We’re Apples and boy do they need some help now and again. They get a lot of flack ‘cause Discord was the one ta make their tribe. They’re honestly a nice bunch but a lot of the other nations are kind of hostile. It’s why the Tatzls have most of their cities underground.”

"Dang, even when Discord makes somethin' that's people it causes problems." AJ grumbled. "Anyway think that's enough about that, let's try movin' on ta somethin' else."

“What’s on yer mind then?” Fiddlesticks said. “This is yer party. Ah can do whatever game comes ta yer mind.”

"Uh, dang ah ain't much fer games." AJ noted, rubbing the back of her head as she looked around in thought.

"Oooh ooh ooh hide an seek!" Applebloom suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Fiddlesticks grinned. “So who wants ta seek? Ah’d do it, but ah’m a master of the game. Ah think it’d be a tad bit more fair fer somepony else.”

"I'll do it." Clementine said. "I happen to be pretty good at it too you know, but the hiding part. And, we'll have the twister mat for base, sound good?"

“Sounds good ta me,” Fiddlesticks nodded.

"Alright then. After we start it's a hundred count before you can make a move on base." Clementine said, covering her eyes with her hooves. "Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty five, thirty..."

Applebloom by this point had ducked inside an old hay bale that had come loose, while Grany Smith had ducked under the refreshments table. Fiddlesticks herself….Well she had sped off somewhere.

Don’t ask me where, she does stuff like this!

"...eighty five, ninety, ninety five, one hundred! Apple, oranges, pumpkin pie, who's not ready, hooler I!"

"I!" Big Mac called, having only just figured out where he could hide his massive frame, the loft, and had been making his way to the ladder.

"Well you better hurry Mac! Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred! Two zeroes and a one, ready or not here I come!" Clementine then uncovered her eyes, taking a look around the room. Smiling, she walked past Applebloom, whose tail was sticking out of the hay, and went over to the table, pulling the cloth back. "Got you Granny."

"Aw dag nab it." Granny grumbled, knowing she didn't have the best hiding spot, but still.

Not wanting to get her daughter out too quickly, she looked around for where the other two could be hiding. Not a lot of places for somepony as big as her son to hide, and as for Fiddlesticks...hmmm this could be tricky. Noticing that only one of the buckets was flipped over, she smirked as she stalked over. Weighing it down with her hoof she did a quick look into the other buckets to make sure they were empty and this wasn't a decoy. Seeing that they were indeed empty she swiftly lifted the bucket up to reveal….

“Dangnabbit,” Fiddlesticks huffed, somehow perfectly fitting inside the bucket. “Ah knew ah should’ve taken a right turn at Bucket four.”

"Sorry dear, it's just that's where I would have hidden." Clementine responded. Now that she'd gotten two others out, she didn't feel so bad when she tapped the rather obvious Applebloom to get her out as well, much to the filly's disappointment. "Now then, where are my two other kids?" Spotting a large hay pile, just about the only thing her son could be hiding in, she quickly started sifting through the hay hoping to find him.

 Instead, leaping out of a barrel next to her was Applejack with a shout of "A hundred!" and making a dash for base. Clementine gave chase. Coming to the refreshments table, Applejack put her rodeo skills to good use in leaping clear over the table and spread. Clementine meanwhile used her youth of playing hoofball to go into a slide underneath the table. The two ran neck and neck towards the pad, when with a final flying leap Clementine managed to tackle AJ. "Ha! Looks like I win!"

"Nope." came a calm, and very self assured deceleration.

Hearing Big Mac's deceleration, everypony looked over. There, having levered himself from the loft via a rope, stood Big Mac, having landed perfectly center on the game mat.

AJ's jaw dropped. "Now that just don't make sense."

“Well actually,” Fiddlesticks pulls down a chart...from somewhere, that detailed Mac’s path through red highlights. “It makes perfect sense.” She said, pointing to the chart with a pointing stick.

****************

"Now this just doesn't make any sense." Sunset declared, frustrated. "Okay, Quickfix, can you come over here for a bit? I want your opinion on something."

“Okay, which one?” Quickfix asked, trotting over. “‘My opinion’, or the sane opinion?”

"You know what, let's try both...clearly labeled." Sunset said. Taking a deep breath, she explained "Alright, this is the situation: in only four and a half hours I have managed to disable twenty five of the twenty six wards guarding this journal, all of great complexity and power. Starswirl included six wards that he never published to the world on this thing as extra protection, which would have stumped me if others hadn't 'discovered' them at a later time, after Starswirl's disappearance. Now, after all of that, I find the final ward...is the kind a small filly might cast to keep her brother out of her diary. I'm thinking trap. What are your opinions?"

“My opinion is that we should make robots of ourselves, link them with our minds, so if somethin’ goes wrong, we have new robot bodies to try again,” Quickfix said with a grin. “The sane one thinks we should just do it without the robots, ‘cause we ain’t gettin’ any younger.”

"That robot idea is wrong. We'd still be dead ourselves. There would just be robot uses running around with our memories, but they wouldn't be us, they'd just be coppied." Sunset pointed out. "And anyway, are you sure just opening it is the 'sane' opinion? Because I've been scanning this thing for a bit and I cannot figure out what the trap is, or if my wards can take it. I mean this is Starswirl we're talking about, it could be a brand of magic I'm not well versed in and can't ward wel against. This could go horribly horribly wrong."

“Yer thinkin’ small,” Quickfix snorted. “They’d be us. Ah mean, robot us! How could ye go wrong with robots?...Well, except when they’re tryin’ ta kill ye in order to instill a new world order without organics after the head one realizes that it doesn’t need ta take orders, ‘cause SOME filly kept askin’ inane questions an’ stuff….But that’s somethin’ entirely different. For the ‘sane’ one, my pa always said ‘If somepony thinks it’s wrong, then obviously it might work’. That’s how we do stuff in the Aperture family.”

Sunset stared dumbfounded. "...how do you even get results with that kind of attitude? Never mind it would just hurt my brain trying to think about it. Still though, I guess opening it wouldn't hurt...too much. My will is up to date and all."

"I'll just be waiting outside then." Spike said as he hurried out the door, Owlowicious following suite.

“Huh? Ye’d think the little guy would want ta watch a mind blowin’ discovery,” Quickfix said. “Oh well. His loss.”

"Alright then, here goes." Easily undoing the last ward, Sunset braces herself for the still armed trap to trigger...and braces............and braces..............."...did I explode so fast I didn't realize I died or something?"

“Are we robots?” Quickfix deadpanned.

"We had better not be or I am kicking your transistors." Sunset snapped back, taking her tail and feeling her pulse. "Well, we're alive...what the hay happened?"

“It could be that ye cracked it,” Quickfix said. “Ah mean, my pa usually had a ton of gadgets to make other critters go away an’ the last thing he’d put up in defense is a sign sayin’, ‘Go away please’.”

"Wait, so if they get by everything else there's just a sign?" Sunset was perplexed. "How does that stop anything?"

“Ye obviously haven’t seen my pa’s defenses,” Quickfix deadpanned. “Ye’d have ta be mad ta try an’ get past ‘em, so the last one’s just a bluff really. ‘Cause what’s the point if the intruder’s gotten that far an’ survived?.......Pa’d just hunt them down anyways.”

Sunset looked at Quickfix, jaw dropped, and turned back to the diary. "....Starswirl you magnificent sexy genius. You bluffed. You bluffed really good. But you never counted on an insane mare from another dimension and a grand mage with semi-suicidal tendencies and a minor martyr complex."

“So we readin’ it or what?” Quickfix interrupted Sunset’s moment of triumph. Something she was all too familiar with, though without the threat of a ‘flamey’ retort. “No disrespectin’’ Starswirl, but ah want ta read it now.”

"Right right, I'm reading." Sunset said, opening the journal to the first page. "Huh, it seems this is a list of worlds he created mirror portals to, but were so dangerous he locked the portals away so that nopony could use them. This lists what those worlds got labeled as, why they're so dangerous...and where the portals are and when they open. We're in business!"

“Oh right!” Quickfix held out her hoof to fistbump her. “Go Team Fix It!”

"Now we just have to find your world. Let's see, there's an index! Okay, zombie worlds one through thirty five, golem revolution worlds one through six, vampire world, Ungula 13, Ungula 12, Pongia 3, Equestria 14, Equestria 27, Equestria 8, these ones obviously aren't in order, wonder how he came up with the numbering system then. Anyway, Equestria 13, Eques 7, Equss 2, Ceti Alpha 5, and Zebraria 6. Any of these sound like your world?" Sunset asked.

“Well our world is called Equis,” Quickfix said. “It might be close. Pa likes to call it Equis Major.”

"Hmm, Equis and Eques match if you go by pre-vowel shift spelling. Let's see, page ninth seven." Using a page turning spell to reach the desired page exactly, Sunset started reading out loud, translating from Middle Equish. "And so it came to pass that I came upon a world beset by devastating war. The peoples of many variety, more than I would have thought possible, are beater on all sides and great tragedy befalls the, constantly. This world is too chaotic to risk it spreading to our more peaceful world, the inhabitants possibly tempted by our own world as a safe haven for the taking. Yet I do not believe that this war can sustain forever. Peace or the grave shall come to this world. As such, I have not sealed the world mirror away as fully as I did when it came to many of the others. I instead have entombed it deep within Mount Cragheart. May the people of this world soon find peace, or else their world will be naught but a archeological site when I return to the mirror in a few centuries hence...so, your world have a war like that a couple millenia ago?"

“Which one?” Quickfix asked. “We’re always fightin’ someone, it just matters on how much. ‘Course, we haven’t had a big war in a few centuries. Mostly border skirmishes or the occasional Diamond Dog packs and Discord cultists.”

"Right I think we found the mirror then. Let's see, it's open for six days on a seven hundred and twenty two day cycle. So going by these dates listed for reference, um, give me a few minutes I'll figure out when it'll be open again." Sunset levitated over some parchment and a pen as she started scratching out calculations on the millenia old manuscript.

“Ye do that….Should ah be offended that he entombed my world’s gateway?” Quickfix pondered to herself.

"Ah let's just see, vampire world...ah. He had that one teleported into the heart of the sun by Celestia herself. When next the gate opened, the raw fury of the sun pouring through incinerated the whole of the world, just as it did with the zombie worlds...I think you should be flattered." Sunset said, slightly pale. "Right, calculations, and done. Okay, the portal should be opening in...three days ago...and this is the fourth day...meaning we have two days left to find a world mirror hidden on a mountain or else we are going to have to wait almost two years to get you back home."

“...Two years?” Quickfix thought it over. “Ain’t so ominous, but then again, Pa’d probably go ballistic and make his own portal….That might go several different ways. SO yeah, let’s get to it.”

"Right. We're going to have to get everypony ready, pack our things, and figure out how to get to Mount Cragheart...because I have no idea where that is." Sunset announced, sounding way to happy and determined on that last part.

“Well that certainly hasn’t stopped us before,” Quickfix jabbed her playfully. 

"Indeed. Lack of any qualification or competence has never stopped us before." Sunset agreed quite readily.
> The Crystal Empire {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starswirl had always been a point of guidance, one way or another. Celestia had lost count how many times she had relied on his journals or spells to save herself and her nation. The old stallion certainly was something else. ‘A dear friend as well.’ So in order to aid the newcomers, she had scoured her personal library, deep within the bowels of the mountain city, once more. She had read many of them several times, but there was a certain magic about Starswirl’s journals. They seemed to show you just what you needed when you needed it. Right now, they showed such a wealth of information on portals.

“Mom,” her dearest daughter, Sunset, piped up. “I think I found something.”

Peering from her book, Celestia quickly trotted over. “What is it?”

“It’s some details on some of Starswirl’s exploits,” Sunset explained, tapping an open page wit her hoof. “I think I found which world we’re looking for.”

“Pray tell,” Celestia tilted her head in curiosity. “How did you come to that conclusion.”

“When I was flipping through the pages,” Sunset said. “One of them seemed to ‘shimmer’. I gave it a look and turned the page. There wasn’t anything on it and then I flipped back to the beginning and it was blank.”

Celestia grinned. “Dearest friend, even now you are of great help. Perhaps you may read what it says.”

Sunset nodded. “After narrow escapes from worlds filled monsters beyond my wildest dreams, to my relief I came across a world that knew such wondrous peace. Yes, there were monsters and evils about, but compared to the world of my own origin, this was paradise. The ponies here are young, incredibly so. I would hazard a guess that their evolution took longer for them than it had for us. Perhaps this gave them a chance to form more peaceful bands. I do not know, but I wish to. I will keep this portal open. My ponies are in need of some peace. It would be fruitious to gain a smidgen of knowhow to help my world. Who knows, perhaps this world and ours shall become the best of neighbors. I hope so….For all of our sakes. I have taken this world’s mirror and a few select others to the Crystal Empire. While the inhabitants were nervous of me at first I have since proven myself and am welcomed with open hooves. They are quite the boisterous bunch when you thaw their cold hearts.”

“The Crystal Empire?” Celestia blinked in confusion. “I have several agents there as we speak and I have heard nothing of these mirrors….Sombra must have hidden some of the passageways. I’ll send word to Cadance right away…..After a smidgen of cake of course.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and giggled. “Don’t worry. I’ll send the letter. You go have your just desserts.”

Celestia nuzzled her. “You are the best daughter a mother could ask for.”
____________________________________________________________________
Twilight snapped awake, bright eyed and bushy tailed. A little bit of smoothing out with her hooves took care of her bed tail as she quickly slipped out of the covers. The sun had not yet started to rise, but that was normal for Twilight. Having been trained by the Herald of the Dawn means one tends to get up before dawn as a matter of course. Yawning slightly, she began performing a series of deep back stretches, similar to a cat, to help get the morning kinks out.

“Good morning, Miss Twilight.” Stonewall said as he was kneeling before Celestia’s shrine. He offered her a small smile. “Up early?”

"Gah!" Twilight stammered, interrupting her stretches in shock, her tail coiling inward in shock. Seeing who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her body. "Oh, it's just you Stonewall. That's a relief. Sorry, I'm just not used to anypony besides me and Sunset, my Sunset, being up this early." she explained, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the others.

“I’m a soldier,” Stonewall explained. “I’m supposed to get up early. Besides, I think it’s a good time as ever to get in a few prayers here and there. That and a bit of musket maintenance.” He gestured to the long musket at his side.

"Ah." Twilight said, nodding. "So...what sort of work does a musket take to maintain?" she asked, honestly curious.

“Cleaning,” Stonewall said. “A lot of it. These things foul up easy. The powder can clog up the barrel and cause misfires and other such problems.”

"Powder?" Twilight asked. "You know, I just realized I never really asked how these things work."

“Oh that’s easy enough,” Stonewall grinned earnestly. Not many ponies were actually interested in muskets, since they commonly prefered swords and such. “I can show you if you want.”

"Yes." Twilight said, slightly giddy at the prospect of learning something new. From another world even! It was a struggle to keep her voice down for the others.

“Alright then,” Stonewall stood up. “I can take you to the firing range. I don’t think your friends would appreciate being woken up so abruptly, or my superiors with firing a weapon inside.”

Twilight nodded. With her brother as captain of the Royal Guard, she knew how serious weapon regulations were. "Alright then, lead the way."

“One moment,” Stonewall lightly dipped his hooftip into the holy water and traced a circle shape around his chest. “Dear Celestia, if your blessed hooves, I place my life today, choosing to depend on you to light and guide my way.” He said more to himself than anyone. With his prayer done, he turned to make for the door, musket at the ready. “Would you like to make a morning prayer before we leave?”

"Um, not really." Twilight said, shuffling a hoof uncomfortably. "I'm not religious really."

Stonewall stiffened, but then relaxed. “Right, another world. Well no harm done.” The soldier calmly opened the door and awaited the mare behind.

Walking out, Twilight still felt a need to explain. "Yeah, the other world thing. I mean it's not like nopony back home is religious. It's just that nopony has the home address of a deity you know?"

Stonewall chuckled. “True. Tis strange to know that the gods walk among us, but that’s what makes them worthy to follow. I mean, they take the time to actually talk to us and understand their followers.”

"Must make it easier to prevent arguments about how to interpret scripture." Twilight joked. "So, ah, since I don't know where stuff is in this castle, you should lead the way."

“Sorry,” Stonewall said, before trotting onwards.

"It's fine." Twilight said with a smile. "I'm just surprised how different this castle's layout is from ours though. I don't think I've found two rooms in the same spot beyond the foyer."

“It’s been worked on throughout the centuries,” Stonewall explained. “Celestia likes us to try new things constantly and is always testing our ingenuity. That and I personally think she gets bored after walking the same halls for centuries….Don’t tell anypony I said that.”

"My lips are sealed." Twilight said with a grin. "I'd probably find it monotonous after a while too."

“The woes of immortality,” Stonewall chuckled. “Boredom….I am really being blasphemous this morning.” He looked around himself and sighed in relief. “Well, nopony to hear them anyways.”

"Except the heretic from another reality." Twilight noted. "And I don't think it's blasphemy. You're sympathizing with Princess Celestia. Why would trying to understand her feelings be a bad thing?"

“A lot of ponies like setting her up on a pedestal,” Stonewall explained. “She deserves it though. She’s lead us through so many hardships during thousands of years. She’s faced so many foes and kept this country together. She’s Equestria’s one and true god.”

"Ah...let's talk about something else." Twilight asked, the conversation rapidly devolving from her point of view.

“I apologize for making you uncomfortable, Miss Twilight.” Stonewall frowned. “That was never my intention.”

"It's alright." Twilight said, doing her best to smile. "You haven't had to deal with somepony like me before."

“Certainly not,” Stonewall nodded. “It shouldn’t take us much longer to get to the firing range from here. Was there anything else you were curious about that you wanted to talk while we trot?”

"Oh you have no idea." Twilight said with a small giggle. "My brother once called me a perpetual question machine. If I'm NOT curious, that's when you panic, cause that only happens in potential end of the world scenarios."

“Then I’ll be sure to watch out for that then,” Stonewall replied. “If Field Marshal Shining Armor says that about you, then I must take it for truth.”
  
"Field Marshal huh? My Shiny is Captain of the Royal Guard." Twilight noted. "Isn't Field Martial military? What's my brother doing in the EUP instead of the Guard?"

“He’s the commanding officer of one of our finest armies,” Stonewall said with pride. “One of the youngest Field Marshal’s in history, if not the youngest. I don’t think Princess Celestia would keep one of her greatest commanders in the capital all day.”

"Armies? As in plural?" Twilight was shocked. "What do you need more than one for? I would think one army would be enough."

“Specialization and enemy numbers,” Stonewall said. “Each army specializes in certain environments and we need enough of them to keep up with our foes.”

"Huh. Didn't realize things were that bad for you guys." Twilight said, wincing, ears and tail drooping.

“It’s not that bad,” Stonewall frowned. “It’s….You get used to it.” He sighed. “You just have to keep fighting and keep up the hope for a better tomorrow. That’s how we’ve survived for so long. Besides, the world isn’t ‘as’ bad as it used to be.”

"....so, firing range, that's it there with the sign right?" Twilight did not want to think about a 'worse' world. Still, if things were on the upswing for them that was a good thing.

“That it is,” Stonewall said, walking into the large, empty field. It lay just outside the main castle, far enough not to be a burden. Several dummies littered the firing range. Trotting over to a far enough distance, Stonewall stopped and clutched his rifle. “Alright, this seems like a good spot as any.” 

"Right then. Now, you mentioned some sort of powder?" Twilight asked. Now that they were out here, she was finally going to get some answers on just what 'fire arms' were.
 
“Gunpowder you mean,” Stonewall said. “Though it’s ‘Black powder’ by definition, but to each their own. It’s an explosive substance that, when sparked, will blast the bullet from the barrel to the target. We also used it for ‘grenates’ and fireworks.”

"Wait, really? Fireworks? Huh, I never thought of using that stuff for a weapon...then again nopony else did either." Twilight noted. "So, what's this powder made of? It might not be the same as ours."

“That’s simple enough,” Stonewall said. “They make us remember that by heart, in case we need to make more on the front lines: saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur.”

"Huh. Ours uses potash, charcoal, and ceasium. We also add in celenium and magnesium for colorations and brightness." Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. "Yours does sounds easier to get in the wilds though. Especially since you can just use extra saltpeter to make the charcoal."

“Yep,” Stonewall nodded. “That’s what the drill sergeants yell into our ears basically.”

"Still, that doesn't sound like something you can just whip up on the fly, even if the components are easy to get." Twilight pointed out. "Not the most practical thing to do in battle, work alchemy." While Twilight was skilled in alchemy, she highly doubted she could whip something up under battlefield conditions.

“That’s why us musketeers aren’t prevalent in the army,” Stonewall sighed. “We’re mostly kept to town guards and such. Our reload time pales in comparison with a crossbow, but we’re just as deadly.”

"Huh...so what advantage is there putting you in the guard over the army?" Twilight asked. Logistics for this stuff had never been her strong suite.

“A musketeer can take care of unruly civilians or the occasional beast or two that wanders too close,” Stonewall said. “But again, slow reload time. By the time I’ve killed one soldier and reloaded, there’s a good chance the rest have caught up. We make up for that in large numbers, but in close combat we’re not as prepared. Since most of Equestria’s enemies ‘like’ getting up close and personal, that doesn’t bode all too well. Still, there are musketeer units in the army. It’s a newer concept, really, having so many. We’re not nearly as numerous as other units, but we make due.”

"Huh. So, care to show me how you load and shoot?" Twilight asked, growing slightly impatient waiting to see this weapon she'd heard so much about in action.

Stonewall nodded and used one of his wings to pull out a little paper sack from a box at his side. “This is the cartridge box, simply put it’s where we keep this little buggers. Inside each of them is enough black powder for a bullet and the bullet itself.”

"Clever." Twilight said, nodding. "Keeping the projectile with it's propellant. Also keeps you from having to keep track of too many things, or having to worry about the amount of powder you are using."

“Correct, ma’am.” He then took it into his hoof and bit into it, tearing away the top. With that done, he poured in the powder and then stuffed the sack into it with a bulge indicating the bullet.

Next, he pulled a sort of stick off the musket and used it to push down the sack into the rifle. Putting the stick back, he reached into a smaller little bag at his side and took out a little cap. 

"What is that for?" Twilight asked, curious what that little thing was for.

“I’m sorry,” Stonewall said. “I’m so used to doing it alone...Anyways, this is the percussion cap. Let me backtrack a bit. This,” he leveled the stick. “Is the rimrod. It’s what a musketeer uses to push down the bullet and powder. You have to get it in there, or it won’t be that effective. The percussion cap,” he flexed the cap in his wings. “Is supposed to help light the powder. See,” Cocking the musket, he put on the mechanism. “Once on, I strike it with this here,” he gestured to the cocked piece. “Which will light the powder and fire the musket.”

"How does that light the powder? Does it spark?" Twilight asked, leaning in a bit closer to try and see what it was made from.

“It’s lined with a sort of ‘explosive’ that when the ‘hammer’,” he gestured to the cocked piece again. “Strike it, the inner part of it explodes lighting up the black powder.”

Twilight nodded. "Using a smaller, weaker explosion to set off a more powerful one. Kind of ingenious."

With that all said and done, Stonewall stood up on his hind limbs, balancing perfectly and used his forelimbs to keep the rifle steady. Putting a hoof to the large pony-sized trigger, he looked through the gun’s sights and took aim. “You’ve got to keep a steady aim. Once you pull the trigger, these things are a bit jumpy and can easily throw off the bullet’s path.” A second later, he fired. A small cloud of smoke erupted from the barrel and one of the dummy’s head was rocked backwards as a large hole ripped through it. “And that’s how you prep and fire a musket.”

"What?" Twilight shouted, her ears ringing. She knew explosives were involved, but she hadn't been prepared for how loud of an explosion. It had been like she was standing next to thunder burst. The amount of explosive used couldn't have been that powerful, the musket would have burst. Maybe the narrow tube and pressure made the sound louder?

“I said that’s...oh,” Stonewall chuckled. “It honestly takes some time to get used to the noise.”

"What?"

“It wasn’t that loud miss,” Stonewall rolled his eyes and trotted over to her. “Is it that bad?”

"Okay, my hearing is coming back." Twilight said with a bit of exaggerated loudness. "That was quite loud, but it did a good job decapitating the target. How far was that, twenty yards?"

“Just about,” Stonewall nodded. “Though I could hit something around five hundred yards if I wanted to.”

"Five hundred..." Twilight blinked. "Most heavy crossbows can only manage two hundred or so, that's insane range."

“This is just a Springfield Rifle Musket,” Stonewall said, patting the thing. “Whitworths can reach up to a thousand yards and are incredibly accurate. They’re mostly used by snipers though.”

"Sniper?" Twilight asked, finding the word unfamiliar.

“They’re expert marksponies,” Stonewall explained. “They keep themselves hidden and far enough from the enemy that they won’t be found. They can hit enemies anywhere, anytime and they won’t see it coming. A friend of mine is one of ‘em.”

Twilight imagined having to face a weapon that had five times the range of a crossbow, and gulped. The sniper could do a lot of damage before you could close on them, reload time be damned. You'd have to rush just to be able to shoot back at all! "How are guns not more in use? At those ranges you'd be slaughtering the enemy before they can even shoot back, let alone charge!"

Stonewall nodded. “That’s just how it is. A lot of nations don’t like the slow reload time and most of them can kill you with their paws/claws/hooves alone. That and magic. So while we’re getting used more often, it’ll be a while before everyone’s using it...Still, heard some of the nations are working on the reload time.”

Twilight nodded. If they could fix that...so much of what she thought of as 'warfare' would be rendered pointless and obsolete. "That's...wow."

“I know,” Stonewall grinned. “Guns are awesome...Never used one on somepony else though. Just dummies. Haven’t been in a fight before.”

"Hopefully you'll never have to be." Twilight said, somber. "Fighting...is not something to aspire to."

“Fighting for Equestria and our eternal goddess holds no greater honor,” Stonewall said with pride. “I come from a long line of military ponies and I’m sure to do my part.”

Twilight gave a nervous smile. "Sooo...breakfast?"

“On it,” Stonewall said, trotting along. “Right this way. We have a mess hall right inside for the troops. I don’t think anypony’s going to mind if I bring along a civie.”

"If they do, tell them I'm Twilight Sparkle. After they're done screaming we should have the place all to ourselves." Twilight smirked. "Really, ponies here could stand to be a bit nicer to my double."

“She does have a habit of pranking everyone,” Stonewall said. “And she also has a rather fierce battle report….She tends to rather ‘creative’ in her methods,” he paled. “It ends with a lot of blood, screaming, and insane laughter…..That and her coltfriend is Captain of the Blood Knights. They’re battlelust is equaled by few and he’s honestly pretty terrifying himself. That and, you know, chaos.” He shivered at the word.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "She's not that bad, and this is coming from a pony that uses a ruler to measure frosting on cupcakes. I think if I can stand her, others should be able to as well."

“If you say so,” Stonewall relented. “Don’t know that many ponies that ‘can’ stand her in the first place. No offense meant, ma’am. Never really dealt with chaos ponies that much. Kept to myself...Still, she’s honestly the last pony I’d want to get on her bad side, lest I end up up in the air on a magic pike.”

Again, Twilight rolled her eyes. "I can barely use telekinesis on a book right now, and my world has the phrase 'you hit like a unicorn'. I wasn't exactly somepony that could fight back if she went off, and I was just fine. Tolerance and talking things out went a long way."

“True,” Stonewall relented. The stallion lead her through the mess hall, keeping his distance from the only other occupants: A pair of Angry Knights. The two large ponies, one mare one stallion, were yelling/cussing up a storm as they tore into their food. “Angry Knights. Don’t even try and talk to them. Their motto ‘Always Angry, All the Time’ is very literal.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. "Irasci semper est omne tempus? Weird motto. Plus, how would want to be angry all the time. It would get way too tiring after a while. Probably take the joy out of life too."

“Apparently hate is their joy,” Stonewall said. “They’re pretty much berserker units, designed to break enemy lines and instill terror in our foes. They’re kind of stuck like that. Their initiation process is rather...unorthodox.”

"Designed? They're artificial?" Twilight asked, surprised. "I just thought they were horses."

“They’re ponies,” Stonewall replied. “It’s kind of mix of training and magical modification. It’s a very grueling procedure all knights have to go through. Though how they fight and train is different for each Knight Orders.”

"Really? What orders are there?" Twilight asked. "If you want I could tell you about the knightly orders in my world..what I know at least, I'm not a military buff."

“Sounds fair,” Stonewall said. The two of them quickly made it to the breakfast options, which was rather lavish for a simple mess hall. Of course, it was the capital city anyways. “Shall you begin, or shall I?”

"I asked you first." Twilight pointed out, levitating a tray she put some toast with jam and a fresh apple on it.

“My apologies,” Stonewall said, picking out a blueberry muffin. He reached out for a slab of Placerias meat, but he opted to forgo that so he wouldn’t disgust his guest. So he grabbed some toast as well. “Well, to start things off, there’s the Sun Knights. They’re the most prevalent order and pretty much the standard Knights hold themselves up to.”

Twilight nodded, adding a banana nut muffin to her own tray. "Our standard is the Knights of the Sword. Nothing fancy about them, but they're the largest body of knights...mostly because they're pretty easy to get in. A lot of the other orders set tests to get in or have other requirements."

“There is nothing easy about joining a Knight Order,” Stonewall clarified. “Sun Knights are just the more ‘favored’ since they’re closely following of Celestia’s doctrines and kind of the first thing most ponies think of when they think of Knights. Another Order is the Angry Knights and well….Yeah, they’re just brutes. They follow whatever orders they want to just so long as they get to smash the enemy. Not a lot of brains, but a ton of muscles.”

"So they're loyal but volatile." Twilight said, nodding. "Got it. Let's see, there are the Knights of the Crown, more commonly called the Solar Guard, Princess Celestia's personal unit of guards under her direct command. Slots are rare, there's only about twenty of them, but they are top notch, hoof picked by our Princess herself."

“Interesting,” Stonewall said. “That’s how we choose the Sun knights and why they are so favored by the populace. Well, the next Order is the Blood Knights. Well, they are similar to the Angry Knights in their rage and prowess, but they tend to at least be more orderly and willing to work with others. That and they can be rather open if you get on their good side. They’re more affiliated with the chaos units and are known to drink the blood of their enemies to give them strength.”

"...drink blood?" Twilight asked, feeling a little sick in the stomach, but swallowed it quickly enough. "I see. And your Twilight is dating their captain? Right, you said they hang out with chaos. Ahem, well if you want a vicious order from my world, Knights of the Jaguar. To be a member, you have to hunt down and kill a jaguar without any assistance. That's a large predatory cat, very hard to find you have to jump continents and trek into the jungle to find one. An since we're the size of a jaguar's regular prey, and they're masters of stealth...yeah not the order a lot of ponies jump to join, but those that get in are quite dangerous. They wear the pelt of the jaguar they killed as part of their armor."

“Jaguars huh?” Stonewall grinned. “The Knights of the North are an order specializing in cold climates. They have to kill Crystal Raptors and use the beasts pelt for their armor. They’re expert crafters as well as fighters. They honestly make some of the best armors you can find worldwide.”

Grabbing a bottle of milk, Twilight smiled. "You want armor? Knights of the Wreath. An all earth order, the specialize in very heavy armor and weapons. Not a lot of earths are strong enough for the stuff they do. The plates are very thick, almost a full inch."

“Well that’s certainly something,” Stonewall relented. “But if you want unique, look no further than the Sound Knights. They’re another chaos affiliated Order that specializes in sound warfare. They wield large sound cannons at their sides which can destroy pretty much anything they point at. They’re incredibly loud, almost ear splittingly so.”

"Huh, neat. Alright then, running out of orders I can really talk about. Um, the Knights of the Staff are an all unicorn battle mage group. Their motto is 'Cognitio aeternae gloriae', or 'the glory of knowledge eternal'. When I was younger they were kind of heroes of mine, being intellectual knights. So, do we have to pay for these or..."

“Free,” Stonewall said, finishing off his meal. “And yeah, I’m not exactly all that well versed in the Knight Orders. There are quite a few of them and I’m more familiar with army unit types and such. Well, there was the Knights of the Hurricane, an all pegasi order that specializes in quick time and precise blows against their foes from aerial viewpoints. That and their wind manipulation. Sometimes thought about them, if I ever decided to try out. Still, I’m happy to be a musketeer anyways.”

"Never thought about joining an order myself." Twilight admitted, taking her tray over to a table to sit and eat. "I've never been the kind for fighting, it's not in my nature. Um, I know there are two pegasi only orders in my world, Knights of the Storm and the Roc, but I forget what sets them apart. Um, geeze I'm kind of out of the really famous orders too."

“Beats me,” Stonewall shrugged. “Again, I kind talk more about army types and such then Knight Orders. My family drilled it into my head from a young age, you know, keeping the family legacy alive.”

Twilight snorted. "I'm a mage, my brother is the captain of the Royal Guard, my mother is an editor, my father is an astrologer, my grandparents were a painter, an alchemist, an archeologist, and a doctor, and my son is a dragon. My family doesn't really have that legacy thing going on. Let's see, um, quick run down of the last few orders I know of. Knights of the Kraken are the naval branch. Wolf, Chalice, Coin, and Hawk...exist I don't know what's special about them. And the Knights of the Bull are minotaurs in service to Equestria. And I know there are a few more orders, but I honestly can't think of them."

“...Minotaur knights?” Stonewall blinked in confusion. “Now I’ve heard everything. The only minotaurs we have in service are in the Mixed Brigades, where they have other races and some ponies who couldn’t get into the other army units.”

Twilight shrugged. "They're citizens aren't they? I've heard a few other species are campaigning for their own orders as well."

“Well...there aren’t that many minotaurs in Equestria and for good reason.” Stonewall cringed. “They’re a rather aggressive race and generally think us ponies are weaklings. We don’t fight them that often, but most of the conflicts are just them testing out their troops on us. Still, they respect good soldiers well enough so there isn’t any fear of them hurting captured troops. That and citizens. Really, they’re one of the more tolerable battle nuts.”

"Our minotaurs love ponies." Twilight said. "And the stuff you're describing is pretty basic under the Articles of War."

“Which we don’t have,” Stonewall said. “Some nations have codes of conduct, but most of them just do whatever they want. Which makes some conflicts all the more violent, such as with griffins who are known to ‘eat’ their prisoners and enemy civies. They honestly don’t give a damn about us and think we’re prey.”

Twilight winced. "Yeah, preventing brutality like that was why the articles were drafted in the first place. Not that griffons ate anybody, but still. It's an international treaty with over one hundred signatories. Breaking it will basically cause a lot of other nations to get cheesed off at you, and probably go to war with you too."

“Most nations here can barely stand to look at each other let alone agree to that,” Stonewall said. “Most of them are settles and we haven’t had any ‘huge’ conflicts, but quite a few of them are content with continued border skirmishes in order to seize a country bit by bit. Well, except for Diamond Dogs. They just like fighting for the sake of fighting.”

"Our dogs are a bit better than that...I just gave our diamond dogs a compliment." Twilight said, shocked enough to just stop eating. "...what kind of day is this?"

“A day of many things,” Anrain the deer appeared beside her. “One of which is talking about those inane races.”

"....how long were you waiting to make a dramatic entrance?" Twilight asked. Having dealt with the 'mysterious' type before, she felt it was a fair question.

Anrain stared at her for a few seconds before bonking her on the head with his staff. “Do not question a farseer. Their methods are their own, young mare.”

Twilight rubbed her head. "Boy are you going to hate me. The family moto is 'Question Everything'. And did you have to hit me that hard?"

“I shall answer your question with another question,” Anrain deadpanned. “Do I look like I care?”

"Not really." Twilight admitted. "So, what are you doing here? And do I have time to finish breakfast?"

“I am here to train you in the ways of magic,” Anrain replied. “Celestia herself had offered, but she is rather busy. She may come to aid you, but destiny foretold that I would teach you. So here I am. Eat up, we have much to go over.”

At the prospect of magic training, one could be forgiven for mistaking Twilight's rapid eating for a piraña feeding frenzy. "Right, done. Let's go. There's learning to do."

“Then let us be off,” Anrain stood up. “It is not often that I meet a pony so eager to learn. This might prove interesting.”

"Question everything." Twilight repeated. "The reason you ask questions is to learn the answers after all."

“I may have to visit your world one day,” Anrain said. “Certainly there lies a few more...tolerable specimens there.”

"...do you have to phrase it like an insult?" Twilight asked. "Is it really that hard for you to just say something nice?"

“I am not insulting you,” Anrain said. “My race is just above that of yours. We have walked this earth far longer than the ponies of today. A perceived insult by you could be more so to that of a deer, given our higher way of thinking.” 

Twilight frowned. "So...out of curiosity, how many languages do you speak? You seem pretty scholarly, you've probably picked up a few."

“Hundreds in fact,” Anrain said. “I have traveled with Celestia so often that it pays to know ones way around the language barrier. As well, it is a simple act to ‘feel’ the mind of another and gain their language through that way.”

"Impressive." Twilight said. "I only speak about a dozen, fluently. It's a occupational burden of dealing with a large number of nations and species and their publishings in the scholarly fields. There are a few 'scholar' tongues, but that's usually subject specific, like medicine being in hippocampic, or alchemy using Prench. I'm terrible at Prench though, beyond some alchemy terms, and even then I mostly work with translations."

“Do not worry about that,” Anrain replied. “Learning a new tongue can be hard for a pony. Still, some tongues, while needed, are indeed barbaric. The words that have sometimes graced my lips have certainly left bad tastes in my mouth.”

Twilight's eye twitched slightly. "Well, learning from you will certainly be an experience won't it?" She was so distracted, she didn't look where she was going, and as such bumped into an angry knight heading towards the mess. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

“BUCK YOU BITCH!” The mare bellowed. “THE FLIPPING HAY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!!”

"Twilight Sparkle." she replied in all honesty.

“Don’t,” Anrain said. “You’ll just provoke the fools even longer.”

“OH ISN”T IT THE CUNTNUGGET DEER!” The mare shouted. “YOU FUCKING THINK YOU CAN WALTZ IN HERE AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT?!!”

Twilight had just about had enough of this. "Look, I apologized, move on."

“Yes,” Anrain raised his staff. “Let’s. Now run along you simple minded oafs. I do not wish to spend my valuable time with beings that cannot even comprehend the basics of etiquete.”

“BIG FUCKING TALK COMING FROM A BITCH!” The Angry Knight shouted.

Twilight frowned very darkly. "Wewe ni mwana wa mbuzi rutuba sana." she said. She then turned up her nose and trotted off.

“THE HAY-” 

The Angry Knight was cut off when Anrain closed her mouth with his magic and pushed her away. “We shall be off,” he snorted and kept his snout held high. Stonewall just trotted after them, so not to end up with the Angry Knights alone. 

After a bit, Twilight just stopped and groaned. "I can't believe I lost my temper and said that." She was slightly flushed in embarrassment.

“I believe it fit well enough,” Anrain smirked. “Honestly, I was tempted to ‘finish’ it myself. Perhaps even allowing the captain of the guard to finish it.”

“Finish was?” Captain Rip Van Winkle trotted on by. The Vamphirine eyed them with caution. “I did not take you for an early riser, Anrain.”

“Neither I you,” Anrain rolled his eyes.

Twilight's eyes lit up. "Eeee, you're a vamphirine! I've heard about you, your this worlds parallel to the bat ponies from my world! I have so many questions."

Rip blinked in confusion. “You are one of those newcomers, Ja?”

"Das ist richtig." Twilight said with a smile. "Wis geht es lhnen diese schönen Tag?"

“Ich bin gut," Rip happily replied. ”Danke der Nachfrage.” She chuckled. “So you are fluent in Germane then. Oh it is good to speak the fatherland’s tongue on the occasion. I shall aid you in any way you wish. Ask away.”

"Well, I'm a bit curious as to your flight dynamics." Twilight admitted. "The fact is, your wing structure is radically different from your pegasi relatives, and I was wondering how that affected you flight mechanics compared to theirs."

“Hmm,” Rip pondered the question. “Yes we are a tad ‘slower’ than pegasi, though we do have stronger thrusts. While not as nimble as well, we certainly can hunt well enough. As well, given our stronger wings, they make for good blunt instruments in a fight.” She fidgeted with a wing, letting the claw like ends slash through the air. “Though, while they are good in a fight, it does take some time to heal. Not that long given our healing capabilities, but still.”

"Right, I heard you have rapid healing." Twilight said, studying the wing closely. "I have to ask, is it more biological in nature, with rapid cell replacement, or is it more magical healing, or even some combination of both?"

“Biological,” Rip said. “Our own bodies can regenerate even without the presence of magic.”

Twilight let out an appreciative whistle. "Probably takes a lot of calories though Miss...I completely forgot to ask your name. I apologize, that was rather rude of me to forget introductions. I am Twilight Sparkle, the order obsessed one from the other world. Any you are?"

“Captain Rip Van Winkle,” Rip bowed her head. “Captain of Canterlot’s Royal Guard.”

Twilight's jaw dropped. "...in my world, that's my older brother's position."

Rip blinked in confusion. “He is? How odd. A fine stallion such as he deserves a higher position.”

"There aren't that many higher." Twilight admitted. "The positions of General, Admiral, and Air Marshal are all filled, and he's not a knight so he can't head any of the orders. Besides which, it's a pretty big deal being captain of the Royal Guard."

“Of course it is,” Rip puffed out her chest in pride. “I did not receive this position just for my looks after all. So tell me, how fares my race in your world. I would have to hazard a guess that we might not be so open with your questions.”

Twilight fidgeted. "Well, like I said earlier, your species is a parallel, not a counterpart. Our bat ponies weren't the result of cross breeding with changelings. We don't even have changelings. So technically vamphirines don't exist in our world. I'm mostly curious about the different stuff that makes you more unique."

“Of course you are,” Rip said with a smile. “Unique is certainly an apt way to describe us.”

"Sorry if that sounded bad." Twilight said, blushing. "I'm not the best at socializing. I've kind of been almost a hermit for about five years."

“I certainly know a thing or two about that,” Rip chuckled. “My daughter is just like you. She’s incredibly talented, but not the best with other ponies. You just need to give them a bit of a ‘push’ to help her.”

Twilight chuckled. "My 'push' was Princess Celestia kicking me out of the castle and ordering me to make friends." It was a bit more complicates than that, but Mask's version was the funniest way to put it.

“If only Celestia would do the same with my fair Octavia,” Rip sighed. 

"Wait, Octavia?" Twilight asked, surprised. "I know an Octavia in my world. She's an earth, but still."

“An...Earth,” Rip’s face scrunched up. “So my daughter is just an Earth?...Am I an Earth then?”

"I'm not sure. I never met my Octavia's parents. Or her marefriend's." Twilight said. "Actually, it might not even be the same Octavia for all I know. It could just be a coincidence on the name. What's your daughter like?"

“She’s a famous musician,” Rip grinned. “One of the best string musicians the world over. Oh such a fine mare. She takes after her father, I tell you.”

"Really? What instrument does she play?" Twilight asked. "Ours plays the cello."

“The same,” Rip nodded.

Twilight hesitated a bit before continuing. "So, ah, what's her behavior like. Ours is..."

*****************
"Octavia, why is that snowmare on fire?" Twilight asked, confused as to how such a thing could happen.

"I think I put on too many coal buttons." Octavia said, then shrugged. "Well, at least it wasn't a couch this time. Well, I'm hungry. Later Twi, I'm gonna go get me some burgers." She then bounced off, not a care in the world.

Twilight just groaned and put out the flaming pile of snow. And coal. Mostly coal. "Oh dear me she stuffed the snowmare with coal! Why!?"
****************

"...rather unique." Twilight finished, putting it as nicely as possible.

“She’s-” Rip started.

“Mutter,” Octavia pranced to her mother. She looked somewhat like a normal pony, however she had a pair of bat like wings at her side. As well, her ears were a little larger and with tufts of fur, a pair of fangs, and slitted eyes. “Was is taking you so…” She glanced at the others. “Oh, you have company.”

“Ah yes,” Rip cheered. “This is my daughter. Octavia, these are the visitors I was talking about.”

“Charmed,” Octavia said, not really seeming interested.

Twilight smiled right back. "It's a pleasure to meet this version of you, and yes Captain, your daughter is the one from my world, just a different tribe. I wonder if there are only other cross tribe propagations?"

“We’re not that uncommon,” Octavia snorted.

“Now, now dear,” Rip tutted. “Let’s not snap at the guest. She’s just curious.”

"Wait what?" Twilight asked, confused. "I just meant you are a different tribe in this reality than in my own. What did you think I meant?"

“...I apologize,” Octavia said. “I am just a bit touchy about the whole...cross tribe thing.”

“She received a lot of misguided...words when she was a young one,” Rip frowned.

“And now I’m a normal pony over there,” Octavia huffed. “Congradulations, other me.” 

"Um, I'm sure you're a very fine lady as well." Twilight said. "And the other you is in a cross tribal relationship. I didn't realize that this sort of thing was a big deal here. My brother is dating a pegasus for example."

“It’s not,” Rip snorted. “Well, it shouldn’t be. Octavia Melody Winkle, what have I told you about this attitude of yours?”

“Sticks and stones, mutter.” Octavia rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s good to hear that my other found herself a stallion.”

"Uhhhhh..." Twilight trailed off at that statement.

“What?” Octavia asked, curiously tilting her head. “Was it something I said?”

"Out of curiosity, what's the social standing on same sex couples in this Equestria? Just curious since we mentioned intertribal relationships and all that." Twilight asked, sweating a bit nervously.

“.......I”m a lesbian over there, aren’t I?” Octavia deadpanned.

"...yes." Twilight admitted.

“.........Well, that’s a thing I did not think I would wake up to hear,” Octavia rubbed her forehead. Her mother staring at Twilight in silent shock.

"Well...yeah that's a thing I guess. Bon Bon, your version of my friend Sweetie Drops, their names don't match for some reason which is really odd as they look almost identical and have very similar personalities so really why their names are...anyway Bon Bon is hetero to Sweetie's homo. So yeah, this isn't the first time I've run into this here." Twilight had a clouded look in her eyes. "Really, the changes seem almost random between worlds. Things don't even match up on a simple 'opposite' axis either, it's like everything is just set to be 'different, but not the same kind of different', which really doesn't make sense. And then you consider the timelines and things really start to go off and really developmentally in terms of the timeline it makes no sense for us to exist in contemporary to each other when you consider the millennia gaps between our historical figures and your nation being as old as my species it really just starts making less and less sense the more I find out as if the universe itself is trying to defy my ability to understand what is going on here but the universe won't get the best of me I will--"

“-bake a cupcake!”

“Oh no,” Octavia and her mother groaned. 

Just then, a rather large changeling princess wrapped Twilight into a hug. “Oh I’ve been so looking forward to seeing you, but you were having all this character development with the others and explaining the intricacies and all that that I didn’t want to interrupt you, but now then you kept going and going and going on and on and on I thought you were going to explode and I don’t want that cause then that makes ponies sad. I can’t eat sad. It makes my family sick and I like seeing ponies happy, not just because I can eat happiness. No, you deserve to be happy and calm since you’re now my friend.” Princess Pinkie held out a cupcake, smiling widely which showed off her banana sized fangs that filled her mouth. “Cupcake?”

Twilight was surprisingly unfazed. "Thank you." Floating the desert over, she asked "So I take it you are this world's version of Dr. Pie?" She took a bite. Chocolate with vanilla icing, a nice classic.

Princess Pinkie gasped. “I’m a doctor? Neato. I never thought I could become a doctor. Well, I thought about it and had all the information downloaded into my brain, but then I was like ‘That sounds boring. The Nurse caste can do that.’ So instead I just rule my kingdom with a foam finger!”

"So instead of being an earth baker Master of Ceremonies with a doctorate in party-ology, you're the princess of a kingdom of changelings." Twilight said. And then her mane caught on fire. "How is that even slightly related?!"

Stonewall and Anrain walked back over, carrying a few buckets of water. They splashed them on Twilight. “I was wondering why you dragged me off for those.”

“Yes,” Anrain nodded. “We need to give her a bit of space so-”

“I can explain it!” Changeling Pinkie grinned.

“NO!” Everyone else shouted.

Anrain tapped her snout. “Be silent, you imbecile.”

“How rude,” Pinkie pouted. “My name isn’t imbecile, it’s Princess Pinkamena Diane Pie, or Pinkie for short. His name is Imbecile,” she gestured to a rather large built changeling warrior. The creature had more draconic wings and a javelin like horn. 

“HI,” the warrior caste said.

"Hello." Twilight said, trying to be polite. "Thank you for the water Anrain, I needed that. Figuring out how our two worlds relate despite nothing matching yet still correlating was driving me a bit over the edge."

“I’m sure we can find something to still that big head of yours,” Pinkie patted Twilight’s head. “There’s gotta be somebody who’s the same as back home. I mean, it’s not like ‘everyone’ is all topsy turvy. That’d be weirdly awesome!”

"You're right! There has to be at least one pony that's the same somewhere!" Twilight said in triumph, a big grin on her face...that quickly fell off. "But how would I find them to begin with?"

“How about your brother?” Pinkie asked. “He’s a soldier, right?”

“Different position, but pretty much the same.” Rip relented.

Twilight grinned. "Wait, is he dating here? And if so, who?"

“Princess Cadance,” Octavia grinned. “They come to my recitals all the time. Such a lovely pair. I don’t doubt he’ll propose any day now.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, he's still dating her. I was worried for a bit there that he'd be dating somepony else. Still, propose? Are they that serious?"

“They are probably the closest things to friends I have,” Octavia said. “I’ve seen them together. It’s very serious.”

"Well good for them. I hope it works out great for them." Twilight smiled. "So, do you know if they'd have a unicorn or a pegasus style wedding?"

“Pegasus,” Octavia quickly stated. “Cadance is very proud of her pegasi heritage, even if she ascended.”

"Well that's great I...wait, partially ascended or fully ascended?" Twilight asked, ear twitching. "Cause the way you're saying it..."

“She’s a love goddess now,” Octavia deadpanned. “A full blown alicorn.”

Twilight's pupils had shrunk to pinpricks and her mane was quite frazzled. "Well that's just great. Could somepony please stop this universe, I wish to get off."

“I dunno,” Pinkie tapped her chin. “I don’t think the universe would appreciate it if I stop it. It’d be kind of rude.”

“You can’t….” Anrain sighed and facehooved. “Never mind.”

“But I know just the thing,” Pinkie grinned. “I’ll bring her to her brother. That’ll fix it! He loves his little sister. I’m a genius!”

"I thought you were a changeling?" Imbecile asked.

“I’m a genius changeling!” Pinkie corrected herself.

"Wow, that's amazing! They should make you Princess!" Imbecile remarked.

“I know, I know.” Pinkie nodded. “But this is the way it has to be.”

Anrain groaned. “I am surrounded by idiots.”

****************

Rainbow Dash woke up a bit after dawn. Normally she was up at dawn, but a couple of things prevented this. First, she wasn't laying in bed with a window positioned to shine dawn's rays on her sleeping form, acting as a natural alarm clock. Second, she'd had an exhausting day yesterday and needed to sleep off the exercise. Finally, the bed was just so darn uncomfortable, she'd been sleeping in fits throughout the night. As such, she did not feel well rested when she woke up. "Forgot how itchy non-cloud beds are. How do you sleep like this Stonewall?...Stonewall?" Taking a look around, she noticed the guard wasn't there. "Hey, where is my victi-I mean honor guard? He's supposed to be here and paying attention to me!" Rainbow suddenly had a thought that maybe Stonewall didn't think she was awesome enough to pay attention to, but quickly brushed that aside. Nothing could be more awesome than her.......right?

Heading out into the hall, she noticed several ponies dashing about. "Hey, what's going on? Is there a fire or something?"

“Twilight’s at it again,” one of the ponies huffed as they raced on by.

"Wait, which Twilight?" Dash asked. "Chaos Twilight or the other one?"

“The other one, Dashie.” A bubbly, but echoey voice spoke up beside her.

"Dashie? The only pony that calls me that is...Pinkie." Dash groaned. She was in no mood to deal with the party pony.

“That’s my name,” the large, changeling princess suddenly bounced into her viewpoint with an innocent grin….that contained dagger like teeth that could break bone. Truly adorable. “Don’t wear it out, but if you do, could you maybe send in for another one. I don’t know how to do that.” 

"That's just an expression." Dash said, rolling her eyes. "So...you're one of those Changeling things then? Right, Spike or Sunset or...somepony mentioned it yesterday. You're the changeling princess right?"

“Yepperoonie!” Pinkie giggled. “Bestest party princess you could ever find. Well, not always. I used to be a little pony on a farm, but then a touched a magic ball, and now I control an army of partiers! It’s awesome!”

" A magic ball? Cool...you grew up on a farm?" Dash asked, surprised.

“A rock farm,” Pinkie said. “Ooh, do you want to visit? My parents would just love you. They are the most expressive ponies you could meet. They put me to shame, especially my sister, Maud. She’s so expressive, I made her my general. She’s so inspiring.”

Dash tried to imagine somepony that put Pinkie's enthusiasm to shame. Her brain almost exploded. "Uh, not right now, could you maybe just tell me what going on with my Twilight?"

“She’s having a breakdown, but don’t you worry. I’m going to randomly throw her and her brother together. That’ll solve it...or get them blown up. Either way, it’s going to be epic.” Pinkie hoofpumped. “That and I found your boytoy.” She held out Stonewall.

“And to think I believed I’d get some respect as a soldier,” Stonewall groaned.

"Hey, I respect you." Dash said, grinning. "If I didn't, I'd be going easy on you. But what's my Twilight having a breakdown over this time?"

“Differences,” Pinkie said. “Apparently I’m not a super awesometastical changeling party princess over there, I’m more of a Omega fantastical Doctor Party Pony. That broke her mind.”

"Probably when you consider how mixed up everything is. Our Twilight loves order and logic as much as your Twilight likes chaos and fun."

“I know,” Pinkie nodded. “That’s why I tied Twilight to a rocket that will send her to the Crystal Empire, that way she can talk with her brother and be happy and then I can throw a party and invite me from the other world.” The changeling was hopping up and down in joy. 

“...Wait, what?” Stonewall blinked in confusion. “But how could you do that? You were with me the whole time and the others were watching?”

"It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it. I do have a quick question though." Rainbow noted. "What is a rocket?"

“Imagine a giant firecracker,” Stonewall said.

"...don't those, you know, explode?" Rainbow pointed out.

“Mine don’t,” Pinkie replied.

“Well that’s a-” Stonewall was cut off.

“That’s why I had our Twilight prep and fire it. I mean, it was her idea for the rocket.” Pinkie explained. “But don’t you worry, they are wearing helmets so it’ll be okay.”

"...so think I can pull of a rescue?" Rainbow asked Stonewall.

“That depends,” Stonewall said. “Are you fast enough to catch crazy?”

There was no response, as Dash had already vanished from the area too fast for her to catch Stonewall's question. In the world of faster than sounds travel, one can't hear others question your capabilities. Also it keeps ponies from giving you directions to the Crystal Empire, a place you never even heard of before, let alone where it is.

Stonewall blinked a few times. “Well, that answers that, doesn’t it your Highness.” He turned to see that he was alone. “....Should I be grateful for the moment of peace or offended at being abandoned?” The stallion pondered.

"What's all the noise about?" Sweetie muttered as she stumbled out of the room, sheets still half draped over her. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

“Twilight tied Twilight to a rocket,” Stonewall replied.

"You do realize I have no idea what that is right?" Sweetie noted, trying to rub her eyes to come fully awake. It said something that she was actually so tired she was missing her eyes. "Augh, it's too early in the morning for this. Do you have any coffee?"

Princess Pinkie poked out from the sheets. “With or without sugar?”

"With extra sugar...by your standards." Sweetie noted. "I work with sweets for a living for a reason, I have a massive sweet tooth. Oh, and four creams, I like my coffee light enough that it looks like hot chocolate." Sweetie might normally question the changling's presence, but she was too tired to really register it.

“Right,” Pinkie nodded. “Imbecile?”

“Gotcha,” said changeling hopped out of the bedsheets with a cup in hoof. “One cup of joe ready and served.”

"Thank you dear." Sweetie said, taking said cup and slowly sipping the drink, letting the slow infusion of caffeine wake her up more naturally and fully than a giant jolt ever would.

“I’m not a deer, I’m a changeling...I am aren’t I?” Imbecile asked. 

“Yes, kind of,” Pinkie replied. “Changeling DNA is weird like that. I mean, I’m a changeling, you’re a changeling, and our mounts are changelings. There are a lot of changelings, but different.”

“So is she a changeling?” Imbecile asked, pointing to Sweetie.

“No, she’s waking up.”

“Wake’s can be up?”

“No they go down to the ground.”

“Ooooh,” Imbecile nodded. “That makes sense.”

Sweetie took a longer sip of coffee. "I'm not sure because I just woke up, but was that just as confusing for you Stonewall?"

“I’m not questioning anything anymore,” Stonewall said. “I want to keep a semblance of sanity.”

"Hrmmmph. So, now that I'm a little more awake, what is going on?" Sweetie asked, eyes now mostly open and only blinking on occasion.

“Twilight’s on a giant firecracker and she’s gonna meet her big brother,” Pinkie grinned. “It’s gonna be awesome!”

“You know,” Stonewall said. “You could have just put her in front of Celestia. I mean, from the sound of it, they are kind of the same….Except theirs isn’t a god.” He scrunched up at that. “Eh, I’m not questioning it.”

Pinkie blinked a few times. “That would have been the simple solution, but it’s opposite day!”

“That was three weeks ago.” Stonewall huffed.

“In the Griffin Kingdom!” Pinkie replied.

“They don’t have that holiday.” Stonewall rubbed his forehead, groaning.

“They totally should,” Pinkie huffed.

"Wait," Sweetie said, "Don't firecrackers explode?"

“Well, duh,” Pinkie chuckled.

"....please tell me her brother isn't dead and you're trying to reunite them in the afterlife or something." Sweetie sighed, exasperated.

“He’s Prince of the Crystal Empire,” Stonewall said. “You’d have to be a god to take out Shining Armor.”

"That's nice...wait, god...are you saying he's an Alicorn?" .sweetie asked, waking up more fully as she finished off her coffee.

“No,” Stonewall chuckled. “That’s his marefriend, Princess Cadance, Goddess of Love….Lucky.” It was no secret that everypony loved Cadance….and it was also no secret that she was considered one of the sexiest beings of all time.

Sweetie smiled widely at this. "That's so lovely to hear, good for them! Cadance managed to fully ascend, I'm so happy for her. Since you guys are big on it, I might say a prayer for them later...just not to an alicorn mind you. Not comfortable enough with the idea to do that."

“So how about a wolf?” Pinkie asked, hopping around her. “A dragon? A serpent? A changeling? A raptor? Huh, what will you pray to?”

"Anything that doesn't have a home address and doesn't talk back." Sweetie said, shrugging. "Just not comfortable with the idea of something like that, them being able to talk back, even if only alicorn worship is illegal in my world...well and blood sacrifices, but that's a given."

“Both of those are legal...Well, the second one is moderated.” Stonewall admitted. “And only used with certain sects.”

“But that’s so boring,” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Why wouldn’t you want to talk with a god? It’s fun.”

"Really?" Sweetie sounded quite skeptical. "They aren't too judgemental or pushy then? I would think beings of great power dictating terms would be a bit hard to get along with."

“Yeah, that’s kind of heresy.” Stonewall huffed. “I honestly didn’t hear any lip about Celestia while I was with you guys.”

“...Did she just badmouth momma Chrysie?” Pinkie frowned.

"...oh right, I forgot you guys view your rulers as goddesses." Sweetie facehoofed. "Sorry, I'm way too used to this very detached idea of divinities."

“Well it’s more of a fact that she’s a goddess,” Stonewall said. “So there’s that.”

"So you say." Sweetie conceded. "Sorry, the only religious pony in our little group is Masquerade, she'd probably be handling this better...or worse maybe, it's hard to tell."

“Well you’ve come to a world full of gods and religions abound,” Stonewall replied with a smirk. “Pick your favorite, but be careful. The Holy Celestial Inquisition is watching.” He chuckled.

Sweetie chuckled as well. "Well depending on the religion you follow back home, the number of gods ranges from eight million to zero. So we're either more full of gods than you, or we've got a comparable number of gods, or we have only a few or one god, or we have no gods whatsoever."

“There really isn’t any debate here,” Stonewall explained. “It’s just whether you choose to follow which set of gods or god. While we do pray to others, Equestria will always look first and foremost to Celestia, goddess of the sun.” He bowed his head in respect to the favored deity.

"...so do you guys have a god or goddess of baking or cooking?" Sweetie asked. "As long as they aren't an alicorn I should be fine enough for that. I did say I'd offer up a prayer, and I try to be a mare of my word. Plus, since it's my special talent, it would be polite to offer thanks to the person in charge of that here."

“Well,” Pinkie pondered. “There is Fornax. She’s a human goddess of bread baking and ovens. There’s Arabinose, Fructose and Glucose. They’re desert gods!”

"That one." Sweetie said smiling. "As a patisserie, desserts are my stock in trade. So...how do you do this praying thing? I've never really done it before."

“It’s rather easy,” Stonewall explained. “A prayer just has to come from the heart as you speak to the gods. It can be pretty much whatever you wish as long as you mean it. There are specific languages for praying, but you can pray to any god with your own.”

"Okay then, here it goes." Sweetie cleared her throat and, remembering seeing a lot of the locals do it, bowed her head. "Oh Arabinose, Fructose, and Glucose...um, hi. My name is Sweetie Drops, I'm new to this reality, um, I'm not used to this prayer thing so if I do it wrong I apologize. I'm a patisserie so since you guys are in charge of desserts here I thought I'd just say hi and all that. Um, anyway the main thing is I said I'd offer up a prayer for some friends of mine and I try to be a mare of my word. Um, my friends I'm talking about are Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. My world's version of them is just the cutest couple, but our Shinning can just be a bit dense sometimes. He forgot to tell Twilight he was dating Cadance for three years can you believe it? Oh but I'm not here to talk about that, or my Cadance and Shiny. The ones here, the local ones, they're probably going to get married soon. So if you guys could maybe bless their wedding cake so no disasters befall it or something like that, it would be very nice of you. Um, I have no idea how to end a prayer, so I'll just say goodbye and wish you a nice day." Looking up she smiled nervously. "So...how did I do?"

“Well enough,” Stonewall shrugged.

“I can always ask them if you want,” Pinkie’s horn lit up and a magical mirror popped up beside her head. “I have their numbers.”

"Numbers?" Sweetie asked, quite confused with what numbers had to do with contacting someone.

“Right,” Pinkie said. “This isn’t a phone, it’s a mirror. Silly me.” She giggled. “I’ll just use a bit of magic to contact them.”

"Um, are you sure that's a good idea? I'd hate to be a bother." Sweetie said, shuffling her hooves nervously.

"But I thought she was a wake, not a bother?" Imbecile asked.

“Go to sleep, Imbecile.” Stonewall huffed.

“He can’t go to sleep,” Pinkie said. “He’s awake awake, which is one more awake than awake and you aren’t a bother, Sweetie. They’re my best friends...Though they do like to eat a lot of food, so it’s best to have a ton of it ready if they ever visit.”

Sweetie blinked a few times at that. "Why am I not too surprised at that idea?"

“I knew you’d want to,” Pinkie turned her magic to the mirror. “Now hold on a second. I got to find them.”

"Find them?" Sweetie asked, honestly rather confused. "Sorry, I'm not too well versed in magic."

“Oh I’m just homing in on their position,” Pinkie said. “They lent a bit of their magic into this mirror so I can contact them whenever I want. I can put yours in here too, if you want. That way we can be best dimensional buds.”

"Would it work beyond dimensions?" Sweetie asked. "Also, I'm an earth, I can't exactly project my magic into a mirror like that."

“I talk with my bestie Mew all the time, so I can guarantee it works,” Pinkie grinned. 

Stonewall opened his mouth to ask who that was and how she had accessed a portal, but wisely close it. He knew better.

“I’ll just take this,” Pinkie used her magic to clip a strand of Sweetie’s mane. Bringing it up to her mirror, she dropped it inside. The strand was absorbed by the glass and shone Sweetie’s color for a brief second. “There we go.” 

"That's it?" Sweetie asked. "That was...surprisingly simple."

“Some of the best things in life are simple,” Pinkie said. With a slight click, the mirror dinged. “There we go. I found ‘em.”

Sweetie gulped. "I hope they're in a good mood."

With the mirror active, it showed the three gods...Which were rather obese, anthropomorphic crocodiles. 

“Hmm,” one of them said, gulping down a large cake. “Pinkie? What’s this about?”

“I was just checking if you got Sweetie’s prayer,” Pinkie nodded towards said mare. “She’s new to this dimension.”

“I told you the prayer was odd,” one of the others spoke up.

“I know,” the first one huffed. “So, a different dimension you say?” Pinkie nodded. “Well, perhaps we should visit sometime.” He patted his big belly. “I think they might appreciate a little ‘fine’ dessert.”

"Well I would like to think I do a fine job on that front." Sweetie said, smiling. "I'm a patisserie after all. Anyway I'm glad you got my prayer, I wasn't sure if I was doing it right."

“A prayer’s a prayer,” the god smiled. “Arabinose, god of dessert and these are my two brothers. It’s good to know our practice is doing well over there.” 

Sweetie smiled. "I don't know anypony who doesn't like dessert. Even ponies on diets love them, that's what makes it so hard to stay on a diet."

The three of them shivered. “Diet. Such a horrid word.” Arabinose said. “As for your request, I’d be more than delighted to do it. Cadance has saved us on an occasion or two. A few other deities aren’t please with our...healthy appetites.”

Sweetie smiled. "Well to each their own. Live and let live I say. I find it hard to believe anyone would take so much offense with you though, you seem like a nice gentleman to me."

“This mare gets it,” one of the others, Glucose, said.

“Well maybe it has something to do with us eating all their food,” Fructose said, eating from a donut stick.

“That’s their problem for not making enough food,” Glucose defended.

Sweetie huffed. "That's it? You clean out their fridge and they want to kick your flanks? That sounds a bit rude...you didn't break into their pantries did you?"

“Not anymore,” Fructose spoke up. “But they can usually see us coming anyways.”

Arabinose shrugged. “Eh, it’s a god thing. We sometimes get bored and do a little battle. Helps pass the time.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie smiled, before glaring at them. “Like the time you ate my birthday cake.”

“It’s not like anyone didn’t see that coming,” Glucose huffed.

“It was a double chocolate supreme deluxe cake!” Pinkie huffed.

“And it was delicious,” Glucose grinned, before Arabinose smacked him the back of the head. “What? It was. Brother, it’s not like you haven’t eaten a birthday cake in the few millenia.” 

Arabinose rolled his eyes. “Well, was there anything else you wished to ask?”

"Um, no that was kind of it." Sweetie said. "And...is that fudge marbled with cream cheese? I...don't suppose you have the recipe for that?"

Arabinose snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared into her hooves. “Done and done.”

"Thank you very much sir. I'll be trying this out very soon." Sweetie said, smiling. "But for now...where can I get some breakfast?"

“That would be-” Arabinose started, before he was cut off by the earth shaking voice. The entire mountain shook as it witness the wrath of a goddess.

“WHO ATE MY CAKE!” Celestia's voice roared, shattering windows.

“....Well, that’s our cue.” Glucose took off running, before the mirror stopped.

"...so Stonewall where can I get some breakfast? And do you know where my Dash is?" Sweetie asked, brushing off the encounter.

“The mess hall and Dash is off to save your Twilight from ours,” Stonewall explained. “I know where the mess hall is, but for Dash?” He shrugged.

Sweetie smiled "Knowing her, she's fine. Anyway I need breakfast...and some more coffee, so please lead the way."

Stonewall nodded and turned to lead, trotting down the hallway.
__________________________________________________________________

"I am so bucking lost." Dash commented as she flew around. It probably would have been a good idea to ask for directions, but now that she'd gone and done all this it would be totally uncool to go back and ask for directions now. Well, Twilight was probably doing just fine anyway.
__________________________________________________________________

It was an average day in the Crystal Empire.

No scratch that.

It was an abnormal day in the Crystal Empire. It was on this day that the empire knew no trouble. Which is surprisingly odd, since this place seems to attract so many threats and evil enchantments that the locals thought about making it their logo for tourists. Well, not today. Nope, it was a beautiful day of peace.

Which is why Cadance hated it. Still, her boyfriend was well enough and they hadn’t gone on a picnic in ages. She softly nuzzled him. “Thanks. I needed a break from all those nobles.”

“No kidding,” Shining chuckled. “I thought they were going to blow a fuse when you wanted to make it so officials were ‘elected’.”

Cadance snorted with mirth. “Yeah,” she settled in close. “It’s also good to see you ‘not’ trying to kill Twilight’s boyfriend for once.”

Shining glowered. “Why did Celestia have to station him here?”

“Because she wants you two to get along without trying to kill each other,” Cadance lightly glared at him. “Dear, I love you, but you simply hold your sister on too short of a leash. You have to let her do things on her own.”

“I am not going to waste our picnic talking about Twilight’s, my sister’s, love life.” Shining’s furious gaze turned elsewhere. 

Cadance sighed. “Well maybe you should talk to her about this.”

“Oh? Like when?” Shining asked.

It was at that moment that a giant rocket just appeared not to short of a distance away and smashed into the ground. 

*squeeky*

The duo quickly pulled up a shield, and while the rocket didn’t explode, the dust cloud that was kicked up was enough to blanket quite a bit of the area. 

“FINALLY!” Cadance jumped up to her hooves. “Action!” She magicked up her scythe, which was pink and the base of the blade was held in a love shaped base of sorts. The whole thing had a swooping sort of design, letting her get in quick time kills.

“Cadance,” Shining said. “This is your day off.”

“Awww,” Cadance pouted. “Fine, we’ll go see who it is, but if it’s something dangerous-”

“I’ll take care of it,” Shining said, chuckling at his marefriend’s deep pout. Taking charge, he trotted over to the epicenter. No doubt the Crystal Guard would be here any minute, so he was certain he’d have backup.

“WHERE”S THE DAMNABLE SWINE WHO DARED!” Bloodletter’s massive voice roared from somewhere else in the cloud.

Shining groaned and hoped the cloud would hold well enough that he wouldn’t have to see the oaf. “Alright, is anypony there?” He called out. Since the rocket hadn’t exploded, it was either a dud, an experiment, or perhaps a ride of sort. He had his magic at the ready to finish off the speaker. “I am Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, you will show yourself and submit to my authority vested in me by the Goddess, Princess Celestia herself.”

A lot of coughing could be heard coming from within the cloud of dust now. "What was I thinking, strapping me into that rocket? When I get back I am going to kick my flank for this, do you hear me myself?!" Some more coughing sounded. "Wait, Shiny, is that you?"

“Twilie?” Shining blinked in surprise. Well, only for a few seconds. It was just like his sister to come visit in such a manner. “What the hay are you doing here?”

"I was going a little crazy, so I decided to strap me to a rocket so that I could go see you. Apparently I thought this was a good idea, I just don't get me sometimes." came the reply.

“Well I don’t get you sometimes either,” Shining chuckled. That certainly sounded like his adorable sister of his. “Are you okay? You didn’t hurt anything when you landed did you?”

"I don't think so. Could you clear this dust so I can check? And where are we anyway?" Twilight asked. "I didn't exactly tell me where I was going."

Shining rolled his eyes and used his magic to clear the dust away. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Tw LIE! WHAT THE HAY?!!”

Twilight stood there, brushing the last bit of dust out of her eyes with her tail's flare. "Did you just say....oh my gosh the Crystal Empire! It's even Shinier than I imagined!" She had the largest grin ever plastered on her face. "Eeeeee!"

His little sister couldn’t be that cute...Okay, she was incredibly cute, but that wasn’t the issue. Shining’s jaw was a tad bit slack as he gazed on his sister’s new appearance. “Uhhh….Twilie?” He wanted to ask about her new appearance, but then again, his little sister had the habit of performing all sorts of tricks. It shouldn’t surprise him that she would do something like this. Still… “Calm down. You’ll get to see more of it soon enough.” If his little sister was happy to see the empire, who was he to not indulge her. He trotted over and gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

"It's great to see you too and...wait, did Princess Celestia tell you what was going on yet?" Twilight asked.

“What are you….” Shining narrowed his eyes. “Are you in trouble again? Was somepony messing with you? Tell me their names and I’ll sort this out.” Most likely with violence. Nopony messed with his little sister. Nopony.

"I'll take that as a no." Twilight said with a sigh as she facehoofed. "Right, do how much do you know about alternate realities?"

“Oh,” Princess Cadance trotted over. “So you’re from another reality. That makes sense.”

“How does that even begin to make sense?” Shining asked incredulously. “How do you even jump to that conclusion and except it?”

“Well, either she’s from another dimension or something else happened to her.” Cadance pointed out. “Her aura is too different.”

“So….My Twilie could be in danger?” Shining’s iris’s shrunk to pinpricks. “Or she’s here, but not...URG! Why can’t it ever be simple?” He huffed. “Okay, new plan. Until we figure this out, Twilie-”

“Who may or may not be ours,” Cadance rolled her eyes at her coltfriend’s antics. He was overprotective. 

“Will be held in our protective care with the finest of our soldiers,” Shining said. “I’d like to see some dimension get to her now.”

"...he has no idea what a dimension is does he?" Twilight asked Cadance with a deadpan look.

“He’s a dolt,” Cadance smiled.

“Hey,” Shining huffed.

Cadance giggled and simply kissed his cheek. “But he’s my dolt.” Giggling again at how Shining seemed to blush madly and sigh at her attention.

Twilight sighed. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. So much of this reality is topsy turvy to me, that a Shiny that's the same is a giant relief."

“Well I’m glad to be of help, Twilie.” Shining ruffled her mane with his forehoof.

"And just so you know, you're Twilight is doing fine. She's the one that strapped me into that rocket thing." Twilight noted. "Sooo...how are things going here?"

“Boring,” Cadance sighed. “There hasn’t been a monster, uprising, or anything to do. It’s just politics and stuck up nobles. I’m all for policing a nation, but suddenly having to govern an entire city state over the span of a few days? Just hope that doesn’t happen to you.”

"Ugh, me in charge of a whole nation?" Twilight groaned. "I'd probably die from stress and worry...before the coronation."

“Then I’d wrestle the Grim Reaper and bring you back,” Shining grinned. “I’m sure the me over there would do the same.”

"What's the 'grim reaper'?" Twilight asked, confused.

“He’s a spirit of Death,” Cadance explained. “He reaps souls when it’s their time.”

Twilight blinked. "That's...weird. We don't have anything like that back home. You just...die when your time is up. No weird spirits show up for it."

“Well good for you,” Shining said. “Still, my Twilie or not, how about a tour of the empire?” Even if she wasn’t his sister, seeing her that happy would be a treat regardless.

"Yes yes yes yes yes!" Twilight shouted, prancing around. "You literally have no idea how big a deal this is to me!"

“Anything for my little interdimensional sister,” Shining chuckled.

"Oh I'm sure you say that to all dimensionally displaced relations." Twilight said, chuckling. "...so, dating an alicorn huh?"

“What can I say?” Shining straightened up and puffed out his chest. “I have a way with the ladies.”

“Yes, a way that sends them running for the hills.” Cadance laughed at his frown and gave him a nuzzle. “Oh you know I love you, you big oaf.”

"Oh please don't tell me you're the only pony that ever dated him." Twilight said, facehoofing. "Please tell me that this version of my brother has some more dignity?"

“Hey!” Shining glared at him.

“Of course he hasn’t,” Cadance hugged him. “He’s all mine.”

"Well," Twilight sighed, "at least you wind up with a great catch with your only marefriend."

“.....Okay spill,” Shining said. “How many?”

"How many what?" Twilight asked in mock innocence.

“How many mares?” Shining leaned in close.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Twilight teased.

“Twilie,” Shining whined. “Come on, don’t leave me hanging. For once, don’t.”

Twilight seemed shocked. "BBBFF, are you asking about other girls when your special somepony is standing right there?"

*smack*

“Ow!” Shining rubbed the back of his head. “....I walked right into that one.”

"Yes you did you massive dork." Twilight smirked. "It's great to see you again, this world has been stupidly stressful."

“Well then,” Cadance smiled. “We’ll be sure to make it as comfortable as possible.”

“WHERE IS THE INTRUDER!” The loud boisterous voice of Bloodletter shouted again. “I WILL HAVE THEIR SKULL!”

“Well, as comfortable with him around.” Shining glowered.

"Ah, let me guess, your sister's significant other." Twilight said.

“Yes and about time too,” Cadance smiled. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

“...urge to kill, rising.” Shining shook a little in rage. “He….is her friend, yes.”

"And considering how little social interaction your sister gets because everypony flees from her, you are overjoyed that there is somepony that can see past that for the beautiful mare she is so she doesn't wind up alone, right?" Twilight asked, a slightly insistent undertone evident in her words.

“Oh yes,” Shining said in a strained voice. “I’m overjoyed to see that giant bloodthirsty stallion drape his arms all over her and do what he bucking wants with MY Twilie. It’s not like I practically raised her. Nope, it’s not like I did that at all. I’m happy, happy, happy!”

"Oh good." Twilight said, "Because otherwise we would be having words about you not respecting your sister's right to happiness. Words accented by telling Mom."

“You wouldn’t dare,” Shining narrowed his eyes.

"I left standing instructions to torture my brother if he tried to withhold information about his love life from me again." Twilight said. "Sicing Mom on you is nothing compared to a pie to the face."

“THE BLOOD WILL FLOW LIKE A RIVER, COWARD! FACE ME AND DIE!” The owner of the voice had finally appeared into view. The stallion was easily over nine feet tall, and far more muscular than any of the knights that had been in Canterlot. His thick dark red armor, was accesting with the numerous spikes and draconic horned helmet he wore. His fur, which was blood red, matched his piercing eyes perfectly. He was handsome, if your preference was the tall killer types that is. “I WILL HAVE FIRST BLOOD!” He hadn’t noticed them yet so far.

"Well, he's certainly dedicated to his job." Twilight said. "Blood Knight captain right?"

“Yep,” Cadance nodded. She looked over and waved to the captain. “Bloodletter, over here! YOO HOO!”

“Don’t draw him over here,” Shining said. “You know I can’t stand him.”

“It’d be rude not to introduce the two,” Cadance huffed. 

Bloodletter’s ears perked their way and he looked over at them. His eyes fell on Twilight and he grinned. “TWILIGHT!” With surprising speed, he was at her side quickly. Though his steps certainly shook the earth. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “How is my little skewer doing?” He chose not to laugh at Shining’s boiling rage.

"She's doing fine, back in Canterlot." Twilight said. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not her. I'm an alternate version of her from another reality. It's a pleasure to meet you though."

Bloodletter blinked in confusion and then looked over to Cadance. She nodded. “Oh….” His ears fell down in dissapointed and he let Twilight go. “I appear to have made myself a fool.”

“Aren’t you always?” Shining muttered, receiving a smack to the back of his head from Cadance. “Ow.”

"Sorry. If its any consolation she missed you very much." Twilight said. "So, Sir Bloodletter right? Captain of the Blood Knights? You must have had quite the career to get that title."

“I did,” Bloodletter grinned. “I have slain beasts that could give even gods fright! My sanctum is filled with the skulls of giants! Poets sing of the rivers of blood that follow I, Bloodletter.”

"Well good for you." Twilight said, smiling brightly. "Anyway, Shiny and Cadance were about to offer me a tour. Would you like to come along?"

“Of course!” Bloodletter nodded. “My little skewer or not, I’d follow that perfect bottom anywhere.” 

"Bottom what?" Twilight asked, confused.

“Dear,” Cadance pushed Shining back. “He was talking about your...plot, Twilight.”

"But I'm not a writer...and I'm not plotting anything sneaky." Twilight noted, further confused.

“Oh my goodness,” Cadance facehooved. “She’s even worse than you, Shining.”

“Hey!” Shining said. “I resent that….But yeah, what do plots have to do with anything?”

“HER BUTT!” Cadance said. “He thinks her butt’s cute. Geeze!”

"Ohhhhh....why would anypony think a butt is cute?" Twilight asked. She didn't sound offended, but she didn't sound flattered either.

“Oh Twilight,” Cadance sighed and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. By the end of the day, you’ll understand.”

“OH No you don’t!” Shining snorted. “You’re going to try and ship her!”

“I am not….but that baker down the street is cute and single.” Cadance’s eyes shown with mirth.

"Why do ponies here keep talking about boats all the time?" Twilight asked Bloodletter. "It's really odd. Your Twilight did the same thing when we went dancing."

“I have no idea what these ‘boats’ have to do with anything,” Bloodletter spoke. “My little skewer likes to talk a lot about everything, so I don’t really think on it….Wait, dancing?”

"Yeah, I was feeling stressed so she took me to a dance club and oh my goodness is that a crystal pony?" Twilight cut herself off, dashing over in excitement. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh a real crystal pony! And you are even shinier than I thought you would be!" Twilight squeed as she started circling around the hapless pony, examining her closely. "Wait, it's not just a shiny coat, your translucent! How is that possible? Shouldn't I be seeing your internal organs and skeletal structure? What about food when you are eating? Wait, do you eat? Are you even organic? Are those crystal growths a part of your body, or decoration, or what?"

“Errr,” the crystal pony cleared her throat after a few seconds of awkward silence. “Well, it’s just how we are. Crystal ponies, such as I obviously, have evolved to match our environment. As such, we are, what some might consider, synthetic in a fashion. My coat is and skin has more in common with the crystals around us than yours. It’s why we grow crystals on our skin. We file them down well enough, but they do make such lovely displays. We eat just like you...though we tend to prefer gems which puts us a tad bit at odds with the local Dog packs.”

Twilight squeed. "So, much, learning! That still doesn't explain why I can't see your internal structures though...unless they're translucent as well."

“It’s just our appearance,” the crystal pony said. “We ‘look’ translucent, but we aren’t….So stop asking about seeing our hearts and such things.” She huffed. Obviously, she had been asked that very question a ton since the Empire returned.

"How is that possible?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I can clearly see stuff on the other side of you, how do you just 'look translucent'? An illusion?"

The crystal pony sighed. “Sort of. Our bodies tend to ‘copy’ the surrounding area. It’s sort of a survival tactic we picked up before we built our fair city to escape predators.”

Twilight had the hugest grin. "A naturally evolved camouflage system...a very minor one but still. Fascinating. I never thought I'd see such a thing in a pony."

Cadance trotted over. “Enjoying the sights, I see.” 

“Princess!” The crystal pony fell to her knees and started praying.

“Now, now,” Cadance said. “You don’t have to bow whenever I walk on by...No seriously, you don’t.” It was nice and all, but it was kind of annoying when she went to talk to ponies and they’d drop to the ground every single time here. Of course, with her order, the pony rose up.

"Nice to see you're as humble as our Cadance." Twilight said with a smile. "Still not used to all the bowing and stuff yet either?"

“It’s certainly different,” Cadance said. “When I was little, I used to be able to go wherever I wanted and such. My mom loved to travel and take me and my little brother with her on wild and crazy adventures...Now I’m stuck doing paperwork and learning to smile and wave properly.”

"Really?" Twilight asked. "So...you get bored easily too?"

“My mother is Daring Do,” Cadance snorted. “Of course I’d get bored staying in a stuffy place for so long.”

Twilight stopped and stared in shock. "...your mother is WHAT?"

“Daring Do, famous explorer and novelist.” Cadance beamed. “I’m her adopted daughter.”

Twilight just continued to stare, mouth open in shock.

“What?” Cadance asked. “What did I say?”

Twilight shook her head clear. "Ah sorry it's just...in my world Daring Do is fictional. A story book character."

Cadance blinked in confusion. “So you’re saying my mom is a fictional character?”

"That's not the oddest change I've run into here." Twilight said. "And none of the changes make sense, they didn't change in predictable or related ways. Changes can't be linked to each other, and a lot of them even seem contradictory from my point of view. I admit I might have had a bit of a meltdown over it, trying to work everything out."

“In what way are they contradictory?” Cadance tilted her head in question, a rather bird like move.

"Well to start with," Twilight said, "back home you are a pegasus. But so far the only other's I've run into that are a different tribe, or species, has been Pinkie Pie and Octavia. Everypony else has been a match so far. Your Rainbow Dash is a veteran, mine is a minor, but everypony else's ages are matching up. Your Fluttershy is a super spirit, mine is a mortal animal caretaker. Your Bon Bon is a priestess, mine is named Sweetie Drops and is a patisserie. Your Equestria is over ten thousand years old, my species as a whole evolved roughly around that time, let alone made civilization. Yet despite this time gap our historical figures keep matching up. And it just keeps going from there."

“Well that certainly is something,” Cadance tapped her chin. “So...Your Cadance is still a pegasus? I ascended when I was a child.”

Twilight nodded. "Fully grown, partially ascended, and apparently dating my brother for three years before I found out."

Cadance opened her mouth to respond and then closed it. “And...And they never told you?...Not once?...You didn’t even see any of the signs or hints of it?”

"Oh my Cadance thought I knew. Either having picked up on stuff or, at least, figured my brother would have told me at some point. The fallout of learning he forgot to tell me for three years was rather epic. You joked you could see the guilt from high orbit." Twilight giggled. "As for realizing it...I'm as dense as osmium when it comes to romance."

“....I want to smack your Shining.” Cadance snorted. “And it seems dense runs in the family. Shining really thought he was being subtle with his crush….And even worse, he bucking couldn’t see I liked him back till I said it.” She sighed, before giggling. “He is so adorable like that. I just want to cuddle some sense into him.”

"...I thought he was being plenty subtle." Twilight groused, pouting like a kid who missed the last pudding cup.

“And that’s why he must suffer,” Cadance patted her shoulder. “If we can visit, I’ll be sure to ‘help’ remind him not to make that mistake again.”

"Oh don't worry about that." Twilight said, smiling. "I have Dr. Pie on standby in case he ever does something like that again."

“Well I’m glad you’re taking the initiative,” Cadance giggled. “I would have done something drastic. I’m not the goddess of love for nothing after all.” 

"Ahahaha, yeah, that's a thing here...so how about that tour?" Twilight asked. "This place is largely considered a myth back home, so this is quite the rare opportunity."

“Well it was sealed away for a thousand years by a powerful curse,” Cadance pointed out. “A lot of ponies believed it really was a myth until it reappeared not long ago.”

Twilight stopped in her tracks. "Soooo...did all traces of it disappear, even under intense scientific and magical scrutiny leading the populous at large to think that despite the sheer consistency across species and cultures that the Crystal Empire was a myth?"

“Crystal ponies were isolationists,” Cadance explained. “They kept to themselves and that was just fine with them. The most we had were accounts from the war against Sombra and Celestia’s own word. That’s basically it.”

"...our Princess Celestia refuses to comment." Twilight admitted. "She has a policy not to discuss ancient history. Even her memory can blur and her opinions cloud things. She prefers we work things out ourselves, come to our own conclusions, and keep our own records. In her own words, 'the history of Equestria is the responsibility of Equestria, not its Princess'. She really encourages us to do stuff for ourselves instead of just hoofing out answers."

“Huh, so instead of answering questions, she let’s the ponies try and find the answers themselves.” Cadance scrunched up her face in thought. “Strange and blurred memories? That’s also strange. Our Celestia, and pretty much most gods, have perfect memories. She’s quite open with most subjects. Though Discord and Luna are kind of sour topics….And the war with the Goblins is something Celestia utterly refuses to talk about.” She frowned. “I was one of the few she ever told.”

"I see." Twilight chewed her lip slightly. "I so want to ask, but that would be inappropriate. Anyway, a few ponies have theorized that Princess Celestia is lying about the memory thing as an excuse. Despite studying under her for several years, I still have no idea if it is or not. Some of the stuff she remembers from years ago is astounding, and yet she will forget about meetings scheduled two weeks before. It's baffling how inconsistent it is at times. I can't tell if she's faking or not."

“She’s good at keeping things bottled up,” Cadance said. “She’s had centuries of practice, but sometimes...sometimes it can break….I pray that it never happens to your Celestia. It can be...dangerous. I wasn’t there, but...I saw the damage it caused.” She shivered.

Twilight did as well. "I've seen her seriously fight once. That was enough. So where to first on the tour?"

“That would be the royal gardens,” Cadance ushered her on. “You simply haven’t lived till you’ve tried a Crystal Berry.”

"Oooh." Twilight said. "That sounds interesting. I'm glad I got my taste buds working again, they were malfunctioning when I first arrived."

“That sounds simply awful,” Cadance noted. “We’ll have something worthwhile to make up for it prepared for you.”

"Oh no need to go to so much trouble." Twilight said, tail flicking in embarrassment. "I don't want to be a bother."

“Nonsense,” Cadance brought her closer with her wing wrapped around Twilight. “Dimensional differences aside, you’re practically family.”

"Well it's nice to know that you're still just as nice as ever." Twilight said with a smile. "For a bit I thought you'd be a bit more violent like everypony else in this world seems to be."

“Oh I’m plenty violent,” Cadance pointed out. “I just prefer being more open when I’m not fighting. Besides, most of those ponies are good as well. This world just makes us all gruff. It’s better to be safe then, well, dead or worse. Still, it pays to show a bit of kindness. If there’s enough of it, maybe we’ll have peace one day….A mare can dream.”

Twilight stared, shocked once more. "...my Cadance once almost started crying because she accidentally lightly bumped into a puppy. Um, out of curiosity, any weird side effects when you cry?"

“You mean how everyone kind of gets sad?" Cadance asked. “Well, that’s what happens when a love goddess cries. How can you be cheery when ‘love’ is right there weeping...And was the puppy okay?!! Please tell me the puppy’s okay.”

"Yes, the puppy was just fine." Twilight reassured her. "That's why I only said 'almost cried'. So, Shiny, you've been rather quiet. Same with you Bloodletter...Cadance, where did my counterpart's brother and special somepony go?"

“Oh I let them sort out their differences,” Cadance smiled. “They’ll be fine.”

“AHHHHHHH!” Shining landed in a heap right next to Cadance. “Owwww!”

Bloodletter stormed over. His armor was dented in several places. “Your lucky your sister holds sway over me!”

"Augh, men. Throw in some testosterone, and they think they can solve all their problems with sports, beer, and punching things." Twilight groaned, rolling her eyes. "Seriously Shiny? Even I can tell Knights are massively enhanced, and I'm not even from this reality. Why did you think you could just do a straight up fight?"

“I thought if I believed hard enough, I could do win.” Shining groaned, getting back to his hooves. “....Apparently, I rolled a one in...pretty much everything.”

"Yeah, I'd say you did." Twilight quipped. "And against somepony so well equipped I don't think you could hit them if you had a plus three seeking blade of armor bane. Plus, unarmed combat? You are a unicorn, what were you thinking!?"

“The same thing I was thinking when I fought Sombra,” Shining said. “But I had my sword then...and armor….and I did not think this one through…..Well, at least I still have my charisma.” 

"Yes, all eight points of it." Twilight quipped back. "Still, at least it's beating your Intelligence score."

Shining groaned. “Curse you universe.”

“It’s not the universe that’s a dolt,” Cadance pointed out, sighing. Lighting up her horn, a healing aura encompassed Shining easing and curing his wounds.

“Thanks, Cadance.” Shining grinned.

“Don’t thank me,” Cadance replied. “Apologize.”

“For what?” Shining asked. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just doing my duty as an older brother.”

“And making me want to pound you into a pulp!” Bloodletter growled, hovering over Shining. For apt reasons, Shining gulped.

"Okay, that does it. I'm taking drastic measures." Twilight said, frowning. "Cadance, get me a writing kit, I'm writing to Mom about this."

“NO!” Shining put his hooves together. “Please, not mom!”

Cadance magicked up a sheet of paper and pen. “Here you go.”

"Thank you." Twilight said. Her horn writing was still a little shaky with the new TK, but it was good enough for this. "And yes, Mom. The minute you get beaten up because of what you do, won't apologize, and didn't even think it was a bad idea is the minute you need an intervention. You might not be my brother, but I am not going to stand by and let you stupid yourself to death." finishing up her short, but detailed, letter he floated it back over to Cadance. "There we go. Got a way to send this quickly?"

Cadance simply lit it up with her magical fire, sending the letter on its way. “And there.”

“Why?!!” Shining wailed. “Come on! This isn’t fair. I won’t stupid myself to death.”

Cadance mulled it over. “Well….you probably will at this rate.”

"Also, life isn't fair." Twilight pointed out. "Anypony that says otherwise is trying to sell you something, probably encyclopedias. To quote Dad, 'life's tough, get a helmet'."

Shining went still at the mention of dad. He looked away. “I remember that,” he said. “...Sometimes you need a little more than a helmet.”

Twilight blanched. "I forgot your father...I'm sorry." Really, what else was there to say?

“No...I’m sorry.” Shining said. “I’ve been stupid and a terrible host.”

“That’s not…” Cadance started. 

“Oh you know it is,” Shining cut her off. He sighed. “...I”m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Bloodletter smiled and then patted him on the back. However, given his size and strength, said pat sent Shining barreling through a wall. “...Oops.”

“...Why?!!” Shining wailed once more.

"Bloodletter, say you're sorry." Twilight admonished.

“Well I didn’t mean to throw him through a wall,” Bloodletter huffed. “Maybe if he stallioned up, he wouldn’t be so scrawny.”

"That's not an apology." Twilight pointed out, tapping a hoof.

Bloodletter huffed. “I”m sorry.”

"There we go, was that so hard?" Twilight asked, smiling. "Shiny, you okay in there?"

“I”m fan bucking tastic,” Shining groaned. “Nothing but gumdrops and lollipops.”

"...Shiny, I live with my world's Sunset." Twilight explained. "Sarcasm isn't going to work on me."

“....Medic,” Shining groaned.

Cadance sighed and trotted over. “My job is never done.”

"Sorry, I'd help," Twilight said "but I'm not familiar enough with this world's magic to do any healing spells."

“No harm done,” Cadance said, trotting out of the hole with Shining in hoof. “We’ll just continue this tour until his lovely mother comes about.” Shining shivered in fear.

Twilight nodded. "Right, about those crystal berries..."

****************

"Alright, I am seriously lost now." Dash said, sighing as she looked around at the mountains all around her. "Now I'm not even sure how to get back." She sighed, uncertain what to do now.

“Lost?” Rainbow tapped on her shoulder.

"Gah!" Dash shouted. "Wait, what am I doing here, I mean you doing here! I mean...ugh, what?"

“I broke up dad’s little ‘gathering’ easily enough,” Rainbow said. “It was only a small one this time, so I thought I’d come and check up on you, me, whatever.”

"Yeah, but how did you find me?" Dash asked. "I've been flying around for a few hours."

Rainbow shrugged. “I’m just lucky I guess. I mean, that’s how I became a Wonderbolt after all. Well, that and sheer awesomeness.”

"Awesomeness is quite useful." Dash agreed. "So...where are we exactly? I'm a little lost."

“Nowhere really,” Rainbow said. “We’re about halfway between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, with Cloudsdale just shortly east of us. Where were you headed?”

Dash sighed. "Crystal Empire. Your Twilight sent ours there, and I was trying to find her."

“Ahh,” Rainbow nodded. “I see. Well, just follow my lead and try to keep up.” With a strong flap of her wings, she was off.

Dash had no problem keeping pace. "Don't worry, as long as you don't try to ditch me this should be no problem. I am stupidly fast after all."

“And why would I do that?” Rainbow smirked. “What, do you think I have to prove something to myself or something?”

"If I recall, you did challenge me to a race for no real reason." Dash pointed out. "Anyway, just saying it won't be a problem. So, was Dad any trouble?"

“Same old, same old.” Rainbow huffed. “Trying to get the pegasi up in arms and become independent with big, grand speeches. Honestly, I could never stay awake through them. Dad’s a bit of a blowhard.”

"Augh, speeches, really?" Dash said, rolling her eyes. "Plus, how would we be 'independent'? You can't exactly grow food on clouds."

“We’d mostly hunt,” Rainbow explained. “That and there are specialized gardens pegasi can manage. They aren’t nearly as good as the Earth’s stuff, but it’s survivable. That and we can move our cloud cities anywhere we want, so they might find a secluded area or something. Eh, it’ll never get that far anyways. Well, I hope not.”

"Huh." Dash said. "Sounds a lot more viable here with the hunting thing. And gardens. We don't have that stuff, and we still get 'glory day' idiots."

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “‘We’re predators, we shouldn’t bow to prey.’ Give me a break.”

Dash gagged a little. "Still grosses me out you do the whole 'meat' thing."

“I get that a lot from you herbs,” Rainbow chuckled. “It’s not like we’re the only species that eats meat. At least we can eat plants to. Some of us even go all veggie. Me, I prefer fish and all that stuff.”

Dash was glad her face had a feather coating, or else shed probably be looking a little green at the idea. "Running into a carnivore me is way more disturbing than I thought it would be."

“Omnivore,” Rainbow corrected. “It’s omnivore. I didn’t have school drill that word into my head for nothing.” She grumbled, more so at the memories and school itself.

"Ah sorry I'm not a diet expert." Dash quipped, rolling her eyes.

“Me neither,” Rainbow spoke. “But life likes drilling useless information into my skull. Don’t even get me started on silverware. ‘You have to use this for soup, hold it this way’, blah, blah, blah, blah. Gah, that’s why I skip out on those types of meetings.”

"Outward in." Dash replied casually. "They serve the courses in order, and you just go outward in on the utensils. I don't get why so many ponies find that so hard to grasp."

“And then I zoned out, because I don’t care.” Rainbow huffed. “I eat with my hooves and mouth. Simple as that.”

"Wow." Dash said. "The kid is telling the adult propped dining etiquette, and the adult is saying 'I'll just eat with my hooves, nah'. This is bizarro world."

“I know how to eat fancy, kid.” Rainbow huffed. “I just don’t very much care for it. Mom doesn’t either….I don’t even know why we’re talking about it in the first place.”

"You brought it up." Dash noted. "So...what's your mom like? If your dad's a revolutionary there's no way she's the same."

“She’s a professional boxer,” Rainbow said. “The best of the best.”

"Uh...she packs things for a living? No wait, that's that minotaur sport with the gloves and punching right?" Dash asked.

“Yep,” Rainbow nodded. “Mom taught me a few moves here and there. I’d say she also taught the minotaurs a thing or two as well.” She chuckled.

"Don't you have to do that while bipedal? That can't be easy to do all the time." Dash realized. "I mean I can do some bipedal stuff, but not for more than a couple of minutes."

“Mom’s learned to be able to keep her balance well enough on her hind legs,” Rainbow said. “Years of practice and she has her wings. They help out too in that department.”

"Oh I guess so." Dash said. "So she win any, uh, cups or medals or whatever it is boxers compete for? I never followed the sport."

“She’s an undefeated champion,” Rainbow’s chest puffed out in pride. “Never lost a match and I don’t think she ever will. Where do you think I get my sheer awesomeness from?”

"Same place as I did." Dash admitted. "Sheer radicalness."

“I hear you,” Rainbow chuckled. She glanced downwards. “Well, the Crystal Empire is near enough and I think I see some sort of crater. Might be where your friend landed.”

"That depends, do rockers leave craters when they land?" Dash asked.

“Yep,” Rainbow nodded. “And often other things if you’re unlucky.”

"Then I'd guess yes." Dash said. "It looks abandoned though."

“Then I guess it’s safe,” Rainbow said, going in for a landing. “It’s too close to a city. If there was something fishy going on, there’d be ponies swarming the scene to contain it.”

Dash landed here as well. "So, now what? We just wander around until we find her?"

“That seems about right,” Rainbow said. “Or we could go to the palace and ask for directions. I’m sure somepony’s had to have seen Twilight’s twin.”

"Wouldn't we need passports though?" Dash asked. "This is a foreign country."

“Technically, the Crystal Empire is a protectorate and under Equestrian laws.” Rainbow said. “It’s a tad bit loopy, what with re-introducing it to the world and all. Shouldn’t be too hard right now. Maybe once they establish themselves it’ll get tricky.”

"Wait," Dash asked, confused. "The empire is a vassal state to a kingdom? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

“I don’t know,” Rainbow said. “I’m not the one in charge of running the kingdom and whatnot. I can’t just read their minds and know what the hay is going on. I just know that Celestia’s taken the Crystal ponies under her wing.”

"Yeah but, empires are countries that have other countries under their jurisdiction. Kingdom's don't. Words mean things." Dash complained. "It's like somepony just slapped the word empire on the place just so it would sound more important."

“Well the Crystal Empire’s just a city state at this point,” Rainbow said. “Equestria is pretty much an empire anyways. It’s not like the Crystal Empire is the only out land territory we own.”

"City state? That's like the opposite of Empire!" Dash shouted. "Augh, no wonder our Twilight went crazy trying to understand this place."

“They used to have an Empire before the war with Sombra,” Rainbow stated. “The Empire’s capital city is the only place that survived.”

"Ugh. Let's...let's just get going." Dash said. "I just want to get this over with. It seems like nothing but weird delays keep popping up over here. Our guys are probably already working on a solution right now, and I'm running retrieval on Twilight."

“Eh, don’t sweat it kid.” Rainbow patted her on the back. “You’ll be back home faster than a Sonic Rainboom.”

"Yeah I know it's just that...at times like this I feel kind of useless." Dash admitted, wings drooping.

Rainbow frowned. “Useless? Listen, everypony plays their part. Just because you can’t help out in some areas, doesn’t mean you don’t matter. Just keep your chin up. They’ll need you one way or the other.”

"I know, it's just, this is a brainy thinky problem." Dash bemoaned. "Look, everypony back home knows it, but is too nice to say it. I'm the dumb one in the group. I'm the youngest and I am a school dropout. Everypony else finished school at least and, well...Twi and Sun are double eggheads, Sweetie is practically married to another egghead along with, like AJ, being a practical business pony. And Mask has that whole meditation philosophy stuff. Me? I just fly fast and hit stuff."

“And what’s wrong with that?” Rainbow said. “Sometimes you need a pony of action. Not all life’s problems are going to give you time to think or plan. They happen right then and there and it’s our job to stop it. I never finished school. I was taken into the Wonderbolts at an early age. I’ve fought in several wars and conflicts spanning countless battlefields across the world and bucked creatures large and small. I did all of that and won by flying fast and hitting hard.”

"Well good for you, my Equestria's peaceful." Dash said. "I'm not going to get to be a war hero. I mean sure I can be a sports star and that's awesome, but it doesn't make me great with helping others. I mean, I want to inspire the next generation to accel, but seeing all the others and how they have their own awesome, I can't help but feel at times I focused too much on my flying, and not enough on the rest of me, you know?"

Rainbow drapped a wing over her younger counterpart. “Anyone can be an inspiring figure. My mother is a boxer. She punches ponies for a living and she inspired me to be the best that I could be. I’d wager she did the same with some other ponies. My dad...Well, he inspires ponies all the time with mere words and acts of generosity. I’m sure you’ll inspire somepony, even just one. Honestly, one is enough. Hay, you could inspire the next Captain of the Wonderbolts without even knowing it.”

"Well, I do have a giant mega fan named Scootaloo. Local filly, a few years younger than me. Already realized I am the coolest pegasus in all of Equestria." Dash said, smirking and feeling better. "So, I uh, thanks. You tell nopony that I needed a pep talk. It would just make both of us look less cool.”

“My lips are sealed,” Rainbow chuckled. “Scootaloo, eh? Sounds like a keeper. Keep an eye on her.”

"Yeah so...which way to that palace?" Dash asked, looking around.

“This way,” Rainbow said, trotting along and past several Crystal Ponies.

"So...crystal ponies huh?" Dash said. "Cool. So who's in charge here? Some crystal princess?"

“Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor,” Rainbow said. “I don’t know why he’s a prince, since he hasn’t put a band on her yet, but whatevs.”

"Well they're totally going to marry and stuff so yeah. I mean it's stupid obvious if they're anything like ours." Dash noted. "So, she's got a kingdom here. Good for her."

“Just got it too,” Rainbow said. “This place just appeared out of nowhere. Apparently, Sombra cast some sort of curse on the place and made it vanish for a thousand years. He was a sore loser and didn’t want to lose it to the Princesses. Coward.”

"Huh weird. Our world doesn't have that. The Crystal Empire doesn't exist, it's just empty frozen wastes." Dash said. "I mean we have like old legends but those are like a thousand...years...old...oh my goodness I wonder if it's the same thing in my world?"

“Just you wait,” Rainbow smirked. “‘BOOM!’ Crystal Empire and all of it’s shining glory, all that and a side order of an evil, undead sorcerer to boot. It’ll be epic.”

"Sweet." Dash said. "This sounds awesome. So, anyway...is that wall smashed in?"

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “A lot of the Empire was damaged when Cadance, Shining, and the Elements tried to take it back. Sombra was wicked powerful….Though, that does look fresh. Maybe Shining and Bloodletter had a spat. Knew stationing the Blood Knight here was asking for trouble.”

"Bloodletter? Sounds cheery." Dash said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "They fight often?"

“Of course they do,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “He’s dating Shining’s sister. Shining is one of those ‘crazy’ overprotective brothers.”

"Dating?" Dash said. "You're Twilight is dating? Wow, good for her. Ours is still single."

“Bloodletter’s a cool stallion,” Rainbow said. “I’ve fought beside him a few times and he’s somepony you want covering your back and how he goes on about Twilight. He has it bad. Sad to hear that yours hasn’t found your Bloodletter yet.”

"Uhuh. Our Twi's not very into fighting, so it probably wouldn't be a good match." Dash pointed out. "It would probably drive her nuts, a guy like that."

Rainbow shrugged. “Suit herself. He’s a keeper. Strong guys are sexy and are awesome to cuddle up to…..Not like I have ever cuddled up to anydeer, I mean, pony.”

"Anydeer?" Dash asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Uhu I see. You like some deer huh?"

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Rainbow snorted, turning her head away. “I never said anything about deer. Nope, I said nothing.”

"...you are so bad at lying." Dash said. "Come on spill, I'm you. Who am I going to tell?"

Rainbow grit her teeth before sighing. “His name is Blackthorn. He’s the commander of clan Ulthwe’s rangers. I met him while we were doing a campaign down south. Got my wing all messed up and stuck with him for a while behind enemy lines. One thing lead to another and….well…” she lightly blushed.

"Cool. So, why are you so embarrassed?" Dash asked. "He turn out to be a jerk or something?"

“No, he’s awesome.” Rainbow said. “I...I’m just new to this whole romance thing and some ponies aren’t exactly warm to the idea of liking another species. So I keep it more to myself. I do my best to keep in touch with him as much as I can though.”

"Well hey, good for you guys." Dash said. "I'm glad you found somedeer. And buck what other ponies say, love is love you know?"

“I know, I know.” Rainbow said. “It’s all just a tad bit new to me that I might be the tensiest afraid I’ll mess it up completely. I mean, there hasn’t been anyone before him that even caught my eye for a second and now this? Kind of a big move, kid.”

"Yeah, but you're awesome enough that it'll work out no problem. And if anypony gives you flack over it you can so totally kick their flank and pluck them bald." Dash said. "So, that big tower thing where we headed?"

“That’s the one,” Rainbow nodded. “Hopefully your friend is there. Well, that or Princess Cadance….but knowing Princess Cadance, she’s already found your friend. She’s good at spotting things like that. Though, keep in mind, she might try and set you up with somepony or one. She is the Love Goddess after all.”

"...yeah I'm a bit young for that." Dash pointed out. "Still, should be fine. You should take the lead, they'll know who you are."

Rainbow nodded and moved to enter. Thankfully, it was being guarded by some Equestrians, so they knew perfectly well who she was. With a swing of the doors, the duo entered. “Now then, to find Twilight.”

"Right. So, quickest route to a nerd zone?" Dash asked.

“To the library!” Rainbow trotted forward….and then back. “I have no idea where that is.”

"Right, let's ask directions...or if anypony has seen her that would probably be quicker." Dash suggested.

“Were you two looking for Princess Cadance?” A Crystal mare stepped over. She was rather clean cut with her naturally growing gems ground into diamond shaped around her chest.

"Yes, yes we were." Dash said, smiling. "Could you tell us where she is Miss...?"

“Polish,” the mare answered. “Princess Cadance’s aid, for the most part. One of the maids met her highness not long ago as she escorted a rather curious looking mare along. They were headed over to the gardens for the crystal berries.”

"Curious mare?" Dash asked. "Let me guess. Purple, cloven hooves, lion tail?"

“Yes,” Polish nodded. “I have never seen anything like her before, nor you. A lot certainly has changed in a thousand years.”

"Yeah, that's my Twilight." Dash said. "Can you direct us to the gardens Miss Polish?"

“It’s just east of the castle,” Polish said. “Stick close to the walls as you go around and you’ll see it.”

"Cool thanks." Dash said, heading off.

“Well that was convenient,” Rainbow noted.

Dash shrugged. "Element bearer. Coincidence and weird stuff happens around us all the time."

“Well at least there aren't any daemons or something popping up just yet,” Rainbow relented.

Dash snorted. "Not big things like that, just little stuff."

“Well that’s what I have to deal with all the time,” Rainbow said. “You get off easy.”

"I've had to save the world twice and I haven't finished puberty yet." Dash grumbled. "Not that easy."

“True,” Rainbow said, spying the gardens and the Princess. “Well, lookie here. Found ‘em quicker than I thought we would.”

"Rainbow Dash...es? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, looking over at the two ponies entering the garden.

Dash smiled and waved. "Hey! Came to make sure you are okay! Hey Cadance, hey Shiny, how you guys hangin'?"

“We’re hanging all loosey goosey, yo.” Shining smiled, before getting smacked upside the head by Cadance.

“No,” Cadance said. “Bad Shining. No hip lingo. You’re terrible at it.” She turned to Dash. “We’re doing well, thank you.”

"Cool, so what are you guys up to?" Dash asked.

“We’re just showing her around,” Cadance said, levitating a few berries from a basket. “I wanted to show Twilight some of the local delicacies. You simply haven’t lived till you tried a Crystal Berry, but that might just be my Crystal genes talking.”

"Huh. Cool. Like, in a pie or something?" Dash asked.

“Well that and raw too,” Cadance slipped one into her mouth and hummed in delight.

"They are really good." Twilight noted. "A bit of a tangy, grainy aftertaste, but that might just be my taste buds."

"Oooh, can I try that?" Dash asked, moving over to the small table and tasting one. "Hmm, this is pretty...dang this is good!"

“Told you~” Cadance grinned. “And that’s just the beginning. Anyways, we’ll probably need to message auntie Celestia soon to make sure she knows you’re here."

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea." Dash admitted. "I kind of left in a hurry, I don't know if Celestia knows we're here."

“Well I can fix that,” Cadance magicked up a parchment and quill and started writing. With a flourish, she finished twirled the parchment up and burned it in magical fire. It soared on high. “There. I’m just glad I can perform that spell. Makes things so easy.”

"Well that's good. I forgot about that." Twilight blushed. "Got a little distracted with the breakdown and the rocket and everything."

"I'm just surprised you're out here instead of checking out a library or something." Dash remarked, munching a few more berries. "Also, aftertaste is totally a you thing."

“Here,” Cadance hoofed over a small basket full of berries. “Take it. Seems you’ve grown fond of them already.”

"Sweet." Dash said, digging in with gusto.

“So, is everypony ready to head off to the Crystal Empire’s grand library?” Cadance asked, a pep in her voice. “Twilight?”

"Oh heck yeah!" Twilight said. "Learning!"

"Surprised it took you this long." Dash quipped.

“A new world is a lot to take in,” Cadance answered. She struck an epic pose, pointing off to the distance. “Onward, the halls of knowledge!”

___________________________________________________________

After blasting the dessert gods to out of her city, Celestia had decided to wind down and try some of the cupcakes. They had cake in their name after all. She wasn’t going to let the remaining sweets go to waste. Her meal was cut short when a letter opened up before her. “Hmm? There are only two beings that I know of with magic fire. Perhaps Cadance has a few questions more.” She was a young ruler after all. 

Celestia opened up the letter and frowned. “They’re in the Crystal Empire?” For some reason, she didn’t like this development. The portal lay within the Empire, somewhere and someone had deliberately opened up a schism not so long ago. It went without saying that whoever opened that portal could work their magic there as well. It could be possible. It could simply be a coincidence, but life rarely operated in coincidences. “Hopefully my fears are unfounded….but if they’re not, then I fear for the safety of an Equestria not of my own.”
> Flight Path Troubles {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia sighed as she worked her way through yet another large pile of forms and papers. The problem with absolute power was absolute responsibility. While she  was shifting more and more of that over to Luna as time went on and she reacquainted herself with the modern world, this still left Celestia with the bulk of the work. Many had suggested that she dictated more to her loyal subjects, let them handle the work instead of having her micro manage. What those ponies failed to realize was that she did have a huge support network: the rest of the government. These pony sized stacks of forms, reports, and proposals was the end result of every previous level being unable to resolve something, or feeling that something needs to be brought to her attention. Half of the papers were just reports on daily, weekly, or even monthly records and occurrences. Another large group was diplomatic reports; they were all short so Celestia knew they weren't urgent, as she had personally recently handles the most recent CIS problem. Another group would be petitions or requests she would have to read carefully through before making a decision upon. Finally, there were the odd ones out: incident reports, ridiculous requests (like this one asking for banana pudding rain), love letters (she always made a point of writing back personally to let the pony down gently), and letters that were crayon drawings from children (she had a collection of them dating back to the inventions of crayons). Quite frankly, she was a little sick and tired of all these forms, documents, and letters. So naturally, that's when a new letter from Spike arrived.

Resisting the urge to scream in frustration at more paperwork, she opened the letter and started reading. Looking through it three times to make sure she understood everything correctly, she called out "Golden Dawn, attend me."

Almost instantly a green pegasus mare clad in gleaming golden armor, more elaborate and full than that of the royal guard, came through the window and bowed at her hooves. "You called for me your majesty?" the captain of the Solar Guard asked.

"Yes, I have an important mission. I need you to select your two fastest knights and get an extra large chariot. You are going to be sending them on a long range high speed emergency transport and escort mission with a two day time window." Celestia explained.

"I understand. Who will they be escorting?" Golden Dawn asked. While many might jump at such an opportunity to accept such a prestigious sounding mission for themselves, Dawn knew that she lacked the speed and endurance to qualify herself. She was Captain of the Knights of the Sun not because she was its greatest warrior, she was no pushover but she certainly wasn't the best, but instead for her tactical and evaluation abilities. Depending on the specifics, she already had five potential teams in mind. Six if it would require a more combat ready escort and there was some wiggle room on the time,

"My student, Sunset Shimmer, the other remaining Bearers, and the ponies from the other reality." Celestia replied easily, knowing that her knight would only ask if she genuinely needed to know. "They need to get to Mt. Cragheart before midnight two days hence and find a hidden artifact, or they shall be stranded in our world for almost two years."

"I see." Golden Dawn nodded. Two teams then. "So, how likely is an attack?"

"...I am not sure." Celestia admitted. "Though I see little reason for anypony to attack them in this venture, I still want whomever you send to be on alert."

"Understood." Dawn said with a bow. "I will deploy Fortune and Pansy right away." Fortune was her fastest flier by far, and and expert scout as well. Fregrant Pansy, descended of the famous founder of Equestria, was unlike her ancestor quite aggressive. In addition Lady Pansy was an expert tracker and field medic with a long history of search and rescue operations in dangerous terrain. The two of them had the speed to reach their destination well within the time limit, and the navigational abilities to help find the artifact. While neither was a contender for beings combat exert by Solar Guard standards, that was like saying a ten yard long dragon was 'small' by dragon standards. The two of them would be perfect for the task.

Celestia nodded, trusting that her Captain had made the perfect choice. "Very well. I shall leave it in your capable hooves. Now, I have to get back to my other duties." She looked at the stack of papers, and signed.

Golden Dawn frowned. "I wish I could help you face such a foe my lady."

"Sadly, it is not to be." Celestia said. "To avoid corrupt politicians as plagues other nations, you must eliminate the incentive for corruption. If the top is incorruptible, watching, and answers to none-"

"-then none can feel safe in defiance." Golden Dawn finished. She sighed. "Equestria has gotten a bit too big to allow that to always work."

"Actually it's gotten big enough for it to work better than ever." Celestia argued. "Now there is a lot more oversight, layers, and redundancy that corruption gets rooted out all the quicker. No more barons with nopony to answer to for hundreds of miles you see."

"So you say." Golden Dawn politely agreed and, realizing she had been dismissed, turned and flew out the window. Even if she didn't completely agree with her princess's reasoning, she was tactful enough not to press the issue. Celestia did have the wisdom of the ages on her side after all. But sometimes Dawn could not help but wonder if, perhaps, that also blinded her to when things became outdated. Still, that was for another time. Right now, she had a team to dispatch.

****************

"Okay, seriously, nopony has seen Masquerade since she left this morning?" Sunset asked, the rest of the group assembled in the library.

“Don’t ye worry,” Quickfix grinned. “Ah’ll just build a drone to find her. Ah just need some parts, a fuel source, some bean bags, a telescope, and some DNA of hers. Maybe some of her mane.”

"Okay, stopping you right there." Sunset said. "We only have one telescope, and it is Twilight's. I am not crazy enough to mess with her stargazing...Fiddlesticks, can you find her and bring her here?"

“On it!” Fiddlesticks saluted and ran out of the building. 

“3, 2, 1,” Quickfix counted.

“Got her!” Fiddlesticks came back. On her back was none other than Masquerade...hogtied quite nicely with Fiddlesticks’ rope.

"...how?" Masquerade asked. "Just...how? And why is everypony here? Have we got something?"

"Yes we do." Sunset said, beaming with pride. "And now that everypony is here, I can explain what's going on, and how we can get everypony back home safe and sound!"

“Am I going to need to bring a pillow or something?” Lightning grumbled. “Cause it already sounds like a snorefest waiting to happen.”

"...it involves a mystical artifact hidden in a mountain." Sunset summarized. "Basically, we have until midnight two days from now to find the hidden world mirror to get you girls through, get our girls back, and get back to our own world. So a bit of a tight schedule. As such I asked Princess Celestia for help on the matter."

“Then everythin’s alright then,” Quickfix smirked. “Can’t go wrong with her majesty, May She Rule Eternal.” The other foreigners put a hoof over their heart at the last bit.

"Aaaand going to need to make sure everyone of your guys is clear that alicorn worship is illegal here." Sunset pointed out. "Celestia will probably be sending Knights of the Sun, her personal unit of knights, for this. They are not going to tolerate that stuff. I can understand that you guys worship her in your world and that's just fine. The problem is I have no idea how understanding the knights sworn to uphold Celestia's laws will be. I have no authority over the Solar Guard, so the best I can do is vouch and plead if things go bad. So please, keep it down. I don't want to have to try pushing my luck trying to convince a pair of elite warriors to listen to a bookworm."

Lightning rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep it down, princess. I know when to shut my mouth.” Fiddlesticks snorted in amusement, gaining an irate look from Lightning.

“...Ah make no promises,” Quickfix smirked. “But ah’ll keep it down for the soldiers. Not cause the laws, just ‘cause ye look like our own friend and ah trust ye.”

Sunset smiled and nodded. "Not a princess, but thanks guys...Fiddlesticks, you okay? You didn't say anything."

“....Ah’m okay,” Fiddlesticks lightly scuffed the ground.

"No you're not." Masquerade said, dropping a wing over her. ”Also, you need to work on your knots. But mostly, you need to be honest with your feelings. You're an Apple right? The entire family sucks at lying. So come on, tell the truth. Is this really bothering you that much?"

“Ah…” Fiddlesticks sighed. “Ah just met y’all, partied with mah dead aunt who’s not so dead, and now…..Now it’s all comin’ to an end. Ah might not see y’all again.”

"We'll move our end of the portal somewhere easier to get to." Mask assured her. "And those things open on a schedule. How often does it open Sunset?"

"About six days every two years. The bad news is it opened several days ago, hence the small time limit." Sunset smiled at Fiddlesticks. "Hey, look at it this way. Two years from now we can meet up, chat, and learn what crazy things have happened. And we won't have the stress of 'how do we get back' hanging over our heads, so we can just spend more time hanging out and relaxing. Maybe hit the spa."

“Ah’d like that,” Fiddlesticks smiled. She started happily bouncing around Sunset. “Maybe ah could even teach ya a few things, like square dancin’, fiddling, oooh! How about a rodeo?!!”

"Ah got rodeos covered." AJ said. "And ah'm more than happy ta take ya to one next time."

"And I already know how to square dance...mostly." Sunset said. "Still not that good at grand squares, but I've got the other stuff down no problem."

"As for fiddling...none of us can do that so hey, something we can all learn." Mask finished off, breaking out into a large grin.

“YES!” Fiddlesticks pulled the three locals into a hug. “Yer the best interdimensional friends a pony can have.”

"Arguable." Sunset said, smiling. "But definitely up there. So, everypony, I have some spare saddlebags. Take the time to fill them with any supplies you think you'll need. We probably only have an hour or two at most before the sky carriage arrives."

“Got it,” Fiddlesticks said, letting them all go. She pulled off her hat and started pulling things out of it. “So, how much do ya want in the bags?”

"...Fiddlesticks, do you need to use the bags?" Sunset asked pointedly. "The carriage is going to be a little cramped with five of us in it. If you can save space by using your hat instead, that would be for the best."

“Oh, right.” Fiddlesticks blushed in embarrassment, while putting her stuff back in. Quickfix trotted over and started loading in some of the local supplies she had...borrowed. Yes, that’s the word.

"And Quickfix, no science experiments. Only the essentials, we are on a time limit." Sunset noted casually,

“That’s like asking a fish to not breath in water,” Lightning pointed out. 

"Yes we'll I for one am not interested in being cooped up in a small space with one of her gadgets." Mask said. "I like my current compliment of body parts."

“Ye say that now,” Quickfix gave her a wicked grin. “But ye’ll be thankin’ me fer the new wing soon enough.”

“Now Quickfix,” Fiddlesticks chided. “She ain’t lost her wing.”

“Yet,” Quickfix chuckled, before Fiddlesticks swatted her with her hat. “Jokin’...but still, it’s an option.”

"Yeah I have enough artificial body parts thank you very much." Mask noted, tapping her gems. "I'd rather not need any more, thank you very much."

“So ye say,” Quickfix said, receiving a new series of swats from Fiddlesticks. “Quit it.”

“So….,” Lightning scuffed the ground. She didn’t have anything really to pack. “What now? I mean, are we just going to sit around until they arrive?”

Applejack rolled her eyes as she set down her own saddlebag, full of apple based food for the trip, and stretched a bit. "Ah doubt it'll take too long. They'll want ta get here right quick with the schedule we got. So, where are we all going exactly."

"Mt. Cragheart." Sunset reapplied. "Which is located way up north, near the border to Shetland and only a bit south of the frozen wastes."

Masquerade blinked. "Um...isn't that really freaking far away?"

"Um, yes. I estimate it will take about...thirteen hours to get us all there." Sunset admitted. "Maybe less if we have top quality pegasi. So once we get there we'll have roughly a day and a half left to find the portal, get through, find our friends, and get back."

“Pfft, that’s it?” Lightning scoffed. “That’s plenty of time. We’ll find this portal faster than you can say ‘I’m epic’.”

"I hope so. We have no idea where the other end of that portal is." Mask pointed out. "For all we know, it might not even connect to the right continent. In which case we are bucked."

“Then we’ll fight our way out,” Quickfix huffed. The other two nodded.

There was a knock on the door. "Hello? You girls on there?" came the voice of Dr. Pie. "And if so may I come in?"

Lightning trotted on over and opened the door. “Hi, shorty! How’re ya doin’?”

Dr. Pie glared fiercely at Fiddlesticks. "I had to cancel my day trip to Canterlot and hurry back here as fast as I could. And do you know why?"

“Ya ran out of party hats?” Fiddlesticks offered. “Happened to me once before.”

"Please, I'm a professional, I don't 'run out' of any party supplies. Ever. I'm a Master of Ceremonies after all. No, I'm here for a very important, super ultra serious reason." Dr. Pie then dramatically pointed a hoof at the other party pony. "You totally broke dibs and threw a party before me!"

Fiddlesticks smiled. “Well sorry to rain on yer parade, Pinkie, but that’s how the haybale rolls. Kin come before dibs.”

"Nothing tops dibs." Dr. Pie argued. "That's the whole point of dibs! If something tops dibs, then it's not dibs anymore! You can't go breaking the laws of physics like that! It could shatter the whole party time continuum!"

“But ya called dibs on parties, not shindigs.” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “Therefore, ah broke nothin’.”

Dr. Pie's mood immediately brightened. "Oh few." she said, whipping some sweat from her brow. "For a second there I was worried that you'd accidentally doomed the universe to destruction. But as long as it was just a shindig we're in the clear."

Applejack leaned in close to Sunset and whispered "Any idea if that actually could've happened?"

"Not a chance, I don't care how powerful party-mancy is." Sunset assured her quietly.

"So, now that that's put of the way, we have to wait for the Solar Guard to get here cause we've got to get going." Mask said. "We're kind of on a tight schedule."

"I gotcha." Dr. Pie said nodding. "So, when you guys come back, I can totally throw that party I've been planning since yesterday!" Noticing the looks on several of their faces, she frowned. "Uh, girl's, what's wrong?"

Fiddlesticks picked up Dr. Pie, pulled her into a hug, and started bawling. “Ah won’t be coming back! Ah’m gonna miss that party and mah new friends! AH’m sorry!”

Dr. Pie's mane deflated, audibly. "What? But you just got here, like, yesterday! Why do you have to go already?! There are so many options left for us to have fun! Parties! Games! Long backstory expositions resulting in deeper character bonding! Showing off your platypus to a zoologist convention to watch them all freak out!"

“Ah know!” Fiddlesticks weeped. 

“Quit yer bawlin’,” Quickfix huffed. “Ye’ll be back in a couple of years.”

"Literally." Mask added. “Plus, we'll be moving the mirror to someplace more accessible. So next time it won't be such a pain to meet up."

"Oh." Pinkie said, her mane slightly, but not fully, reinflating. "So I just have to wait...two years then. That's...that's not too long."

Fiddlesticks sniffled. “Yeah...that’s true. We’ll just have to plan fer the biggest dimension party ever!”

"Yeah that would be great." Dr. Pie said, adjusting her (prop) glasses and smoothing out her lab coat. "I...guess I should be going then. I'll see you all later then." She then calmly walked out the front door, closing it behind her.

Fiddlesticks drooped. “Now ah am the sad...again.”

Quickfix rolled her eyes and put a foreleg over her friend. “And ye will be happy when ye come back, no harm.”

“Yeah,” Lightning said. “Come on. The ponies back home are going to love these stories. Just imagine Apple Bloom’s face when she hears about another awesometacular adventure. Remember that?”

“Ah do like readin’ her bedtime stories,” Fiddlesticks nodded, smiling. “She’ll love this one.”

"Yeah. And nothing too scary happened either...except maybe the yeti, but you can edit that out. And a few of the nastier death traps. Really, that whole dungeon was very tedious and kills any narrative flow. You should probably just skip it." Mask suggested.

“Ah loved that part,” Quickfix put in. “Remember when ah caved in that knight's skull? We didn’t even know they weren’t organic bein’s inside! The rush was amazin’!”

"Well not so much skull as helmet." Sunset reminded her. "And we were still in a lot of trouble before those pterodactyls came back. But moving on, everypony was there, we don't need to talk about it. Anyway, since it'll be a long flight I'm inviting, and advising, you all to grab some reading material to keep entertained. And also suggesting that everypony uses the bathroom before we leave."

“Got any Wizarding World?” Lightning asked. 

"Sorry, never heard of it." Sunset said. "It might not exist here. Um, what's it about, maybe I can offer something similar?"

Lightning paused for a minute. “No Wizarding World?....How about Daring Do? You’ve got to have her?”

"Yes, the whole series so far." Sunset said. "Me and Twilight are huge fans. Got any in particular you like?"

“Yes!” Lightning hoof-pumped. “One Daring Do and the Staff of Starswirl, please.”

"Coming right up." Sunset said, floating over the book. "My personal favorite. Twilight prefers the Blue Ruby one herself."

“Eh, the Blue Ruby’s alright.” Lightning shrugged. “It’s always great to see Colonel Lech in action, but it was kind of boring overall. Now The Staff of Starswirl is just pure epic. The villain is just so good, the pacing is awesome, it just works. What I wouldn’t give to go on an adventure with her.”

"Yeah well she's fictional so that's that." Sunset noted. "Anyway Twilight finds this one's historical inaccuracies way too much to stomache. Personally, I just find it fun, screw accuracy."

“I know right...wait fictional?” Lightning blinked in confusion. “But they’re non-fictional adventures based. Come on, any fan worth their salt knows that. Maybe they’re edited a little here and there though, but that’s more to how much you can really print to the general public.”

Sunset looked flabbergasted. "What is with your dimension and having fictional characters be real? I mean first Fluffle Puff, now Darring Do? Seriously, what is with this?"

“Hey, Fluffle Puff was Discord’s doing remember.” Lightning pointed out. “He was just randomly making monsters to attack us and ‘poof’ there’s Fluffle. Shockingly, she makes for a good pinball attack.” She chuckled.

All the locals looked at her in horror. "You used Fluffle, childhood icon of millions for generations, as ammo?" Mask asked, shock clearly written on her face.

“No,” Lightning pointed at Sunset. “That was our Sunset’s idea. Discord just conjured up ten major daemons to attack us and Fluffle Puff. He was just mocking us, thinking we’d be torn to shreds so...Sunset grabbed Fluffle and lobbed him at their heads. Somehow, Fluffle bounced off all of them, knocked them unconscious, and not a scratch on her. Discord took off after that.”

"Of course it worked, it's Fluffle Puff." Sunset said. "She's done sillier things in her books and had them work out."

"And on that note I call upstairs bathroom." Mask said, zipping up the steps.

“Ah still thought it was all too silly,” Quickfix snorted as she tinkered with some of the mechanical scraps of her mech squirrel. “Ah was lookin’ forward to that fight.”

“Yer always lookin’ forward to a scrap, Quicky.” Fiddlesticks rolled her eyes.

"Yes we'll if anypony else wants to grab a book, now is the time. Bathroom checks? We've also got one downstairs. Once we're off we can't go stopping for random bathroom breaks." Sunset explained as she levitated a book of her own off the shelves for the trip.

“Then ah best go and take care of that now,” Quickfix reverently put her stuff down and quickly took off downstairs. “Wouldn’t have this problem if ah was a robot.”

“Yer not turnin’ yerself into a robot,” Fiddlesticks called after her. “We don’t need a robot apocalypse.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Quickfix called back.

"Seriously, does she ever think through on what she does with tech?" Sunset asked, shaking her head. "It's like she's more concerned with if she can do it than if she should do it."

“BECAUSE SCIENCE!” Quickfix shouted, as if that answered everything.

"That answers nothing." Sunset pointed out. "Science is just a methodology and a body of knowledge. It has no end goal or higher meaning. That's just...how you do experiments and test stuff. Ugh, never mind. Applejack, Fiddlesticks, do either of you want a book?"

Fiddlesticks pulled out three random books from out of her hat. “Got plenty. Want one, cuz?”

"Nah." AJ said, shaking her head. "Ah'm good. Not too big on readin' anyways."

“Ya sure?” Fiddlesticks smirked. “Ah got some gossip columns with yer name on it~...No seriously, ah do. Other ya kind of left a few when she visited a while ago.”

"Ah don't do gossip." AJ grumbled. "It ain't right poker into somepony else's business."

Fiddlesticks blinked a few times. “Right, sorry. Shouldn’t compare ya to our Applejack.”

“What’s there to compare?” Lightning said. “She’s country and actually tolerable. I mean,” Lightning did her best impression of a noblemare. “‘Ugh, you brutish pegasus. Be careful where you fly. My dress is worth more than you can make in a year.’” She stuck out her tongue.

“She ain’t all bad,” Fiddlesticks piped up, her ears splayed backwards. 

"Sounds pretty bad ta me." AJ snorted. "Ma's from the city and she don't act like that, so other me's got no darn excuse. Specially after leavin' Bloom."

“Which is why I our Bloom says she doesn’t have a sister,” Lightning pointed out.

“That hurt AJ more than you think it did,” Fiddlesticks snorted.

"The she shouldn't have left." AJ retorted.

“It was complicated,” Fiddlesticks said. “That’s what she said….Ya’d have to talk with her yerself to understand.”

"And on that note I hope the carriage arrives soon so we can have a chance for that chat." Masquerade said as she glided down. "Bathroom is free if anypony else wants it. Also, grabbed my own book to read so I'm good there." she said, holding up a small book in her wings.

“Done,” Quickfix trotted upstairs. “Nice bathroom ah might add, but ah think ye could improve it.”

“No,” Lightning glared at her. “I almost died that one time I used your bathroom. Almost died!”

“Well stuff like that happens,” Quickfix shrugged. 

"Bathrooms should not be lethal." Mask pointed out. "Well, maybe at a rest stop, but that's more of a lack of cleaning than anything else."

“Everything’s lethal when it comes to Quickfix,” Lightning said.

“Only some of the time,” Quickfix pointed out. “It works most of the time, ah assure ye.”

"As fascinating as Quickfix's crazy is, I think our ride is here." .sunset interrupted, point out of the hole in the wall as a bulky sky coach was coming in for a landing, two elaborately armored pegasi pulling it.

“Thank Celestia,” Lightning muttered. “We can finally get going. There are warlock butts to kick, or whatever sent those things.”

Coming in for a landing, the two knights looked quite alert. "Okay, what attacked you and caused the damage here? And is it still an active threat?" the one on the left asked, her coat was of pale blue feathers and her mane and tail were sunshine yellow.

“That was me,” Quickfix chuckled. “Don’t ye worry none. Just a ‘kink’ in a mech.”

"Mech?" the knight asked, seeking clarification. She would probably look more confused if her visor wasn't covering most of her face.

"A mechanical golem." Sunset quickly explained. "The situation was dealt with. I assume you two are our escort."

"Yes mam." the other knight, white feathers with a blood red mane, responded with a quick salute. "Knights of the Sun Fortune and Pansy. We are here to provide escort, protection, and search aid for the duration of the mission."

Lightning growled, bearing her fangs and glaring at Pansy.

Quickfix slapped her upside. “No, bad Lightning. Bad.”

“Buck you, Quickfix.” Lightning rubbed the sore spot, but still kept an offensive kind of stance.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem fangs?" Pansy asked, head tilted to the side in a way that sugested wry amusement.

“I don’t know, herb, you tell me.” Lightning huffed. 

“It’s a pegasus thing,” Quickfix rubbed her head. 

"Then your fangs are dumb." Pansy shot back. "Seriously, I'm a Knight of the Sun. You don't go casually threatening us, and that's without me having backup right here."

“Did you...You bleating herb!” Lightning growled. “At least I wasn’t named after a blasted traitor. We ‘fangs’ know better than that!”

"Traitor? Is she talking smack about my ancestral line?" Pansy asked.

"I think the little fury fang is." Fortune said.

“Your...ancestor?” Lightning stared at her in shock….before lunging fangs bared. Quickfix and Fiddlesticks quickly pulled her back. “Let me go. One bite and it’d be over. Mock a predator species, will you?”

"Kid, do you know what I was before I was a Knight of the Sun?" Pansy asked, shaking her head ruefully. "Knight of the Jaguar. I used to kill apex predators bare hoofed just to get a knighthood. Pointy teeth aren't really scary to the most bad flank knights ever."

"Fregrant, don't tease the kid." Fortune chided. "She's from another reality, you can't expect her to behave properly."

“Behave properly!” Lightning struggled in the others holds. “HA! I come from a race of bad flank warriors that ate dragons! You….you’re descended from a poisoning traitor.”

"Lightning, just stop and think." Sunset groaned, facehoofing. "Our Clover the Clever's aren't even the same gender. Ever think there might be other differences between the founders? So stop trying to commit suicide via knight and calm the buck down."

Lightning huffed and the others shakingly let go. She snorted. “Yeah...you’re right.”

“Dang nabbit, Lightnin’.” Fiddlesticks huffed. “Stop rushin’ into things ‘fore thinkin’.”

“You’re one to talk,” Quickfix rolled her eyes.

“Says miss ‘why not’.” Fiddlesticks smirked.

“Touche,” Quickfix chuckled and shrugged. “Now Lightnin’, what do ye say?”

“....I’m sorry,” LIghtning huffed. “You’re not a bleating traitorous dog. I was wrong to think that.”

“And?” Fiddlesticks added.

“....And I shouldn’t think myself higher on the food-chain.” Lightning added.

"Apology accepted." Pansy said, smiling. "Lucky for you, otherwise I might have gotten my clan in on this, as you did technically insult all of us." Seeing the locals pale a bit, she chuckled. "Kidding, just kidding. I'd just have killed her."

"Bloody jaguars." Fortune mumbled. "Anyway, coach is ready. Why don't you all get settled in and we'll be on our way in a jiff?"

“Ah call crossbow!” Fiddlesticks chuckled as she bounced outside.

“Ye always call crossbow!” Quickfix snorted. 

"Middle seat." AJ said, pulling out a pair of blinders. "Ain't no way Ah'm lookin' out no window."

"You really need to do something about that heights thing." Mask noted. "And window seat!"

Lightning walked by Pansy. “I so could’ve taken you, herb.”

Pansy just smirked, flicked a wing, and a rock about five paces away split in two. "Sure you could."

Lightning stared at the rock in shock for a few seconds. “Whoa...I mean,” she pulled herself together. Lightning arced across her wings. “I’ll keep that in mind, but they don’t call me ‘Lightning’ for nothing you know. I could shock you...Like a thunderstorm.”

Fiddlesticks groaned and stuck her head out the window. “That reference was bad and you should feel bad.”

"Also, how would lightning hurt? It would roll right off my feathers." Pansy pointed out.

"Wait." Fortune said, wearing the biggest grin. "Are fangs not immune to a few hundred thousand volts? That's adorable!"

Lightning’s eye twitched. “Of course we are. How the bloody Tartarus do you think we survived in the clouds and look-” she pointed at her wings which were still charging. “Do I look like the kind of mare with a death wish?”

"You were growling at a solar knight." Sunset pointed out, sticking her head out the window as well. "Also, you snooze you lose. Middle back is your seat, the rest of us already grabbed ours."

“Argh,” Lightning growled. “Then I’ll sit up top.” She jumped on top of the carriage. 

“We can switch,” Fiddlesticks piped up.

“Don’t,” Quickfix piped up. “She lost fair and square.”

“But ya know that she’s gonna be sittin’ up there all her lonesome,” Fiddlesticks shot back. 

"Well if she's staying up there it's not with my favorite book ready to be blown away." Sunset grumbled. "You hear that Dust? You want to read that book, you do it in here!"

Lightning growled. “Fine. Switch.”

“‘Kay,” Fiddlesticks hopped on back to the middle seat as Lightning took hers. Lightning grumbled as she took her own seat and opened the book up.

"Alright then, everypony set? Next stop, Cragheart!" Fortune said. And with that the carriage shot off, traveling at over half the speed of sound.

****************
"...you take one down, pass it around, seventy two bottles of cider on the wall." AJ sang half heatedly, trying to kill time at this point. The flight had been going on for five hours and she was quite bored, and running out of ways to keep her mind off the fact that she was flying.

Masquerade, who had finished her short book a good while ago, was trying to catch a nap. "AJ, please just stop. I want a nice quiet nap, is that too much to ask?"

“Why the buck is that song here?” Lightning groaned. “Why the heavenly buck did two universes have to invent the same stupid song? Is there some sort of sick cosmic joke going on?”

"I figured that out a long time ago." Sunset muttered, reading her own book and trying to tune everything else out. "Of course it's a sick joke. The universe makes things match in the most annoying way possible, and switch things up to cause as much conflict as possible."

"I'm sure there is more to it than that." Mask countered.

"-sixty nine bottles of cider-"

"Then again I could be wrong." Mask admitted with a shrug.

“Ugh,” Lightning flexed her wings. “I’m going to go grab a snack.”

“Ah don’t need pigeon feathers flappin’ in my face,” Quickfix piped up as she laid back in her seat, tryin’ to snooze the trip away.

“I hate pigeons,” Lightning stuck out her tongue. “They taste awful.”

“But ye eat ‘em as comfort food,” Quickfix piped up. “Figure that one out, why don’t ye.”

"Let the knights know you're flapping out." Sunset replied. "They'll probably be willing to slow down a bit and...did nopony pack snacks or something? I have some granola bars if you're just hungry for a snack."

“Fine,” Lightning said. “But nothing really beats fresh blood running down your throat and prey thrashing about in your mouth-”

“And annoyin’ pegasi tryin’ to get a reaction out of us,” Quickfix mocked. “Like ah haven’t heard it all before.”

Lightning shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to try.” She held out a hoof and Fiddlesticks threw her a bag of chips. She quickly opened them up and started munching on them. “So….are we there yet?”

Sunset paled in terror. Sticking her head out the window she shouted "Fly faster! Lightning started doing the whole bloody 'are we there yet' deal."

"Oh bloody Tartarus." Fortune groaned. "How bad it look to be?"

"Rainbow Dash clone with less impulse control." was Sunset's honest reply.

"...right then. Hold on loves, we're going to be kicking it up a bit. Everything should be just ducky and we'll get there right in a jiff. Just expect some jiggling back there." Fortune explained as she and Pansy proceeded to break the sound barrier just slightly. The carriage proceeded to shake like maracas.

“Wha-hoo!” Fiddlesticks cheered.

“Come on,” Lightning rattled on. “I’m not that annoying?”

"Standard policy." Pansy called back. "Don't want the package getting damaged because it annoyed us. Anyway we won't be able to keep this up too much longer, but it will be long enough to shave about two hours off the trip. We should be arriving in three more hours basically. Just have to put up with some turbulence for half an hour for it."

Suddenly, the carriage stopped shaking, becoming stable. "Well what do ya know. A wild tailwind, that'll keep things stable. How...fortunate." Fortune said with a huge grin.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Your good luck kicked in. Happy smiles all around." Pansy said exasperated.

Fiddlesticks popped up onto the carriage with suction cup shoes. “This calls for good luck cookies!” She held out a tray to Fortune. “Ah made ‘em myself.”

"They don't have macadamia nuts do they? I'm allergic." Pansy asked.

“Nope,” Fiddlesticks shook her head. 

"Yes we'll we can't exactly eat while flying." Fortune pointed out. "So why don't you be a dear and just hold on to them until we land? Thanks love."

“Awww~ Not even one?” Fiddlesticks gave the mare her best ‘puppy dog pout’.

"Sorry love, choking hazard. We'll be plenty hungry when we get there and bloody Tartarus what are you doing out here?!" Fortune shouted in sudden realization. "Get back in your seat right now."

“Ya sure?” Fiddlesticks asked. “Ya could use a bit more company.”

"Look, as fast as we are going its just not safe." Pansy explained. "So get back in there right now. Your safety is our top priority."

“Fine,” Fiddlesticks sighed and walked back inside. “...Anypony else want a good luck cookie?” Quickfix quickly grabbed two in her magic and plopped them in her mouth.

Sunset on the other hoof smacked Fiddlesticks lightly on the nose with a rolled up magazine. "Bad Fiddlesticks. Don't do something like that again. You almost gave me a heart attack. I'm way too young to have a second one of those."

"Wait, second one?" AJ asked, finally interrupting her song at forty six bottles, to express her concern. "When the hay did you have your first one?"

"It was a minor one." Sunset insisted. "Just a bit of chest pain and dizziness from...stuff."

"Stuff?" Mask asked, cocking am eyebrow.

"Yes," Sunset said, shooting a significant glance at the guests and the knights, "stuff."

Fiddlesticks wrapped Sunset up in a hug and bawled her eyes out. “Ah’m sorry. Ah don’t want ya to have a heart attack and die!”

"Hearts attack?!" Pansy shouted back.

"No no! Just an expression! No medical emergencies here!" Mask called forward. "No need to panic! We'll let you know if there is a problem!"

"Got it!" Fortune called back, glad that such was the case. Medical emergencies far from civilization weren't good at all.

"Fiddlesticks calm down, it's alright." Sunset reassured her. "I was...mostly exaggerating. I was just really worried about you because I care about you."

Fiddlesticks sniffed. “Really?”

"Of course. We're friends right?" Sunset said, smiling. "Heck I even gave you some of my makeup to impress that boy you like with."

“Yeah….” Fiddlesticks smiled and wiped away her tears. “Yer so gonna be the best mare. Ah promise ya that.”

"Hopefully your Sunset isn't too jealous of that." Sunset said with a rueful smile. "So if you're feeling better, I'd like to get back to reading."

Fiddlesticks nodded. “Sorry. Ah tend to go a little overboard sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Lightning quirked an eyebrow. 

“A lot,” Fiddlesticks admitted. 

"It's fine." Sunset said, lightly disengaging from the hug. "There is nothing wrong with being emotional."

“Can ah get just one trip without somethin’ happenin?” Quickfix grumbled, tryin’ to sleep. “Geez.”

Mask nodded in agreement. "I hear that. A little quiet would be nice for a nap."

“But that’s boring,” Lightning groaned. “Where’s a dragon when you need one?"

"Spike's running the library with Owlowicious." Sunset answered smugly.

“....Nopony likes a smart mouth,” Lightning glared at her and stuck her hoof up.

"Sure they do." Mask argued sleepily. "Otherwise wisecracking heroes wouldn't be so popular."

“...I prefer the no nonsense pyromaniac Sunset,” Lightning snorted. “At least she’s not so smart mouth.”

“She is,” Quickfix said. “But she’s usually sayin’ it as she’s tryin’ to burn yer hide.”

Lightning chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, but she hasn’t yet.”

“The hospital staff would beg to differ,” Quickfix pointed out. Lightning just rolled her eyes. 

"Speaking of fire, I have a present for everypony." Sunset spoke up, horn glowing.

“Should’ve packed my fireproof shield,” Quickfix muttered.

"I'm not going to set anypony on fire!" Sunset snapped, levitating out a set of six small brass pendants, each about the size of a bit with intricate patterns etched on them. "These are talismans of fire protection. They make the wearer resistant to fire. They're temporary, only lasting a day or two, but they should come in handy if we run into that spirit like the prophecy predicted."

“Well count my chickens before fox season,” Fiddlesticks grinned.  She snatched hers up. “That’s awesome! Yer the best, Sunset.” 

"I know, I try." Sunset said as she floated the remaining talismans to the others. "Well, not really the best. In fact I'm pretty far from it. Why was I saying I was earlier? Oh no my ego is out of control again I-" Sunset was interrupted when Mask's wing lightly bopped her in the face. "Thank you I needed that. But yeah I figured you guys would like them. Plus when you get back it should help keep the other me from torching you."

“Thanks,” Lightning grabbed hers. “I mean, I could totally do it myself, but firebending was never my thing. I prefer lightning.”

"Fire what?" Sunset asked.

“Pegasi can bend the elements,” Lightning said. “Some can bend heat and those that are skilled enough can control fire. Hay, Spitfire can actually light her body on fire with the heat coming from her own self and fight that way.”

Sunset looked at Mask, who just shrugged. "I uh, I'm not sure if our pegasi can do that quite the same."

Lightning smirked. “Yeah, cause we’re awesome like that.”

“Same for the cold,” Quickfix spoke up. “Pegasi up North learned how to conjure up ice weapons by freezing the air around them and forming shields and stuff. Then ye got wind and lightning benders.”

"Huh....you know aside from looks I figured our Pegasi were the same." Sunset admitted.

"Well," Mask admitted "you can do elemental tricks and stuff, but that's not my thing so I don't know a lot. I'm an actor, not a flyer...a serious flyer."

“Yeah,” Lightning leaned back in her seat. “Not all of us can be champions.” She smugly grinned.

"...you do know I've save the whole freaking world twice right?" Mask asked. "I think that qualifies as "champion material"."

“Well so has Coco,” Lightning quipped. “And she’s a scaredy cat.”

“Hey,” Fiddlesticks glared at her.

“No offense,” Lightning grinned. “She’s one of my besties after all.”

"Wait, Coco? The only Coco I know is Hot Coco, from up in Canterlot." Sunset said. "Well, the only one I know personally. I mean there's two famous Cocos as well but anyway, what's your friend's full name?"

“Coco Pommel,” Quickfix spoke up. “Daughter of Upper Crust, Captain of the Mimus Brigade and she’s Rarity’s assistant. She’s also the bearer of the Element of Selflessness.”

Sunset and Masquerade's jaws dropped as they stared in shock. Applejack just looked confused at her friends. "What's smackin' you two upside the head like a surprise mackerel?"

"It's Coco Pommel!" was Sunset's response, before she facehoofed. "Right, none of you guys are into fashion...wait Mask how did you know who she was?"

"She started off with, and still does, top quality costume design for Bridalway." Mask replied. "The rising star of the fashion world."

"And she does perfume and jewelry." Sunset added in. "She even does some modeling work. She's considered a quadruple threat in the fashion world. Business, design, modeling, accessories. She's only been on the scene for two years and she's been making waves."

“She’s famous here?” Fiddlesticks whistled. “Good fer her.”

“Huh,” Lightning hummed over the thought. “Weird. Coco never really was one for attention. Hay, I’ve seen her scared by her own shadow.”

“She’s still trainin’ over in our world for all that,” Quickfix explained. “It’s why she went to Rarity. Miss Rarity’s kind of one of the most well known dressmakers in the country and is kind of the most powerful one to boot. Her mom wanted Coco to be a soldier, but……..Coco’s a bit too innocent for that kind of stuff. She’s just a kid after all.”

"Still asking for her autograph." Sunset chimed in, grinning happily. "Don't care if it's not our version, it's close enough." One could almost swear her eyes were sparkling with joy...wait, they actually were twinkling with joy.

“Just don’t rush her,” Lightning said. “She’s shy. Kind of weird since her mom is one of the toughest soldiers in Equestria and a military family, but eh, stuff happens. She scares really easily.”

"Right, approach like Fluttershy." Mask said with a nod. "Still, gotta feel weird hearing your friend is an idol in this world huh?"

“Not really,” Fiddlesticks shook her head. “Coco’s got talent, but she ain’t one to brag. Bein’ an Element bearers already gotten her a bit of attention and she’s….gotten used to it.”

“She’s stopped fainting that’s for sure,” Lightning chuckled. “Okay, she hasn’t stopped but...okay so she still does it often.”

“‘Course Rarity usually will rough ye up if ye do,” Quickfix said. “Miss Rarity kind of sees Coco as a little sister, so yeah, she ain’t a pony ye want to get on their bad side.”

"Yeah, our Rarity will mess you up if you tangle with her little sister." Sunset said, nodding. "I can only imagine how much tougher your Rarity is if she's a diamond dog alpha."

“Ye’d have to be,” Quickfix smirked. “Unicorns aren’t known for brawn, but that’s the only thing a Diamond Dog will respect. So, Rarity has to be tougher than the lot of them, even in close combat. That and she’s a killer with her diamonds. She can literally send a swarm of them anywhere she wants. Cuts ye up nicely.”

"...our Rarity could probably do the same thing easily, scarily enough." Sunset admitted. "Note to self, never piss her off enough that she'd do that."

"And on that cheerful note, ah believe ah was on sixty two bottles left." AJ said, before taking a deep breath.

Quickfix grabbed AJ’s hat and pulled it over the country mare’s mouth. “No! Bad Pony! No more bottle songs.”

"Thank you." Mask mumbled. "Seriously, should have brought at least a small book like I did to kill a couple of hours."

“Or sleep,” Lightning huffed. “I don’t think it’d hurt to have a few hours of my life back, you know, without any bucking singing!”

Shuffling her hat back up, AJ frowned. "Well fine. Ah could use a nap myself." She then lay back and rapidly fell asleep.

"...okay that's not fair." Mask groaned. "I had to get up early for me, and she can just go right to sleep. I ought to..." Any other details were lost as she finally drifted off to sleep, ten carriage finally quiet enough for her.

“....This is the song that never ends~” Fiddlesticks started up on her fiddle. The two other visitors covered their ears and groaned. “It goes on and on my friend~”

"My revenge shall be swift and terrible for all to see." Mask muttered in her sleep. "The very foundation of the world shall wrap to hear of it, and the sky's set ablaze and shattered by the sheer magnitude of my rage."

“That’s a lot of revenge,” Lightning muttered. 

“Yeah….how about this one?” Fiddlesticks started up another verse. “Ah know a song that gets on everyponies nerves~”

The sky shook with peals of thunder and flashes of lightning.

“The world is a party pooper,” Fiddlesticks crossed her forelegs and pouted.

"That doesn't sound like natural thunder." Sunset said. Sticking her head out for a few seconds, she pulled it back in and calmly asked. "Lightning Dust, I'm not a weather expert, but I do believe that there should be no such thing as a tornado made out of lightning and fire right?"

“That sounds awesome and should totally be a thing,” Lightning said. “But naturally? Nope……..I’m guessing one for those is headed right towards us, isn’t it?”

"Yep. Thing also reaks of dark magic. Meaning some warlock is trying to kill us." Sunset noted calmly.

“Same old, same old.” Lightning yawned. “You beat one warlock trick, you’ve beaten them all. Think we can outrun it, or a little action is in order?”

"Hold that thought." Sunset said and leaned out again. "Hey, can we outrun the thing, or are we going to have to fight or what?"

"It's tracking us and it's faster than us. Not sure what we can do about it though. If it was just lightning or just a tornado sure, no problem. But neither of us are weather experts, and adding fire on top is just overkill." Pansy explained. "Hope one of you guys has a clever plan."

"I think we got something, just keep going!" Sunset urged back before turning to Lightning. "So, how would you like to use your temporary fire resistance to fly into and dispell that fire lightning tornado before it kills us?"

“I’d love it,” Lightning smirked. She extended her wings. “You so owe me for saving your flank though, but I’m reasonable. One of my more awesome traits.”

"I gave you a fire protection talisman. I don't think I owe you that much." Sunset snarked.

“Well….your face!” With that said, Lightning took off.

Quickfix blinked a few times. “Is that like her default insult, or is she just that stupid?” She pondered to herself.

"You shouldn't call your friends stupid." Sunset chided. "Also, I'm amazed these two can sleep through this."

Outside, Lightning race towards the tornado. She had to admit, it was a bit more intimidating than she gave it credit for. Not as scary as her father, but that was a given. There wasn’t much scarier than him. Still, this could easily go wrong for her. She’d admit that. So she’d need to carefully-

Lightning inwardly laughed at that thought. She’d have to tackle it her own way. All she had to do was twist in the opposite direction around it and no tornado. With that in mind, the mare took off and started circling the tornado opposite of the way it was spinning. She got in close, but doing her best to avoid getting a serious injury. This wasn’t her first rogue tornado. Okay, it was her first fire and lightning one, but still, same principle. She sped up maneuvering it away from everypony else, becoming nothing but a lightning shaped blur. Slowly but surely, the tornado started to become undone. With a final flourish, the creation was no more.

“That’s it?” Lightning put her hooves on her hips and barked in laughter. “You are the lamest warlock in history.” She sped back to the carriage, flying right into her seat. “Easy, peasy.”

"We're just lucky we had a fireproof pegasus, otherwise well..." Sunset trailed off. "But seriously, thanks."

“No problemo,” Lightning shrugged. “It’s not like it was a real threat or anything. I bet our buds over in my world are kicking way more awesome baddies butts right now.”

"I hope not, our girls aren't exactly fighters." Sunset pointed out.

“Whatevs,” Lightning said. “But whoever this warlock is, he’s weak as paper. Can’t even send a proper minion or daemon.”

Three more great explosions happened. Sighing Sunset looked outside. "Yep. We got three more. My guess is the warlock's plan B is to spam it at us."

“I hate spam,” Lightning stuck out her tongue. “Tastes disgusting. Oh this guy is so gonna get bucked in crotch, or teeth if it’s a she...nah I’ll buck ‘him’ in the teeth two after the crotch.” She sped outside, flying quick to one tornado to finish it off and moving to another. It took a bit of time with each, but nothing really substantial. The third went down quick as the other two. “Stop while you’re behind, jerk.” Again, she sped on inside. “Let’s hope he takes the hint.”

The response was seven tornadoes.

“....Fiddlesticks?” Lightning spoke up.

“Yeah?”

“Meet your new singing buddy,” Lightning huffed. “‘Cause he’s gonna be singing in the heavenly choir in a little bit.” She took off, taking care of the seven with ease. Panting, she flew back inside. “There, no more tornados.”

"...and no new tornadoes." Sunset said with a sigh of relief. "I guess they ran out of stamina after tornado number...first one, then three, yeah eleven double elemental tornadoes. That's not a small number. I'm honestly impressed you could handle all that."

“I’m a future wonderbolt, remember?” Lightning patted her chest in pride. “I have to be as awesome as I can.”

"Still, that's no minor warlock." Sunset pointed out. "We're talking about a dark magic heavyweight. Stuff like that is not something just any warlock could hope to pull off."

“Aww yeah,” Lightning hoof pumped. “Now we’re talking. Bring on the heavyweights!”

“Right on!” Quickfix cheered. “Gonna split some skulls soon!”

“Or we could just sing?” Fiddlesticks put in. “Ah mean, a song could lift anypony’s spirits.”

“When has a song turned a warlock nice?” LIghtning shot back.

“...Could happen,” Fiddlesticks huffed.

"I doubt they're going to keep attacking." Sunset said, shaking her head. "We can defeat that super tornado thing, and just throwing that out again and again shows they didn't have a stronger option. Still, never heard of a weather magic warlock that powerful."

“Could be a druid,” Quickifx piped up.

"Our. Druids. Don't. Work. That. Way." Sunset enunciated each word for emphesis. "And really, a deer warlock? Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

“There are the Shadow Deer,” Lightning spoke. The rest of the others shivered. Fiddlesticks quickly glanced around in fear. 

“Please don’t be them,” she spoke fearfully.

Susnet just looked confused. "The bloody Tartarus is a Shadow Deer?"

“Well back before Equestria was founded, the deer were the supreme rulers of the world.” Quickfix explained. “Of course, they got a bit greedy with their powers and strength and, well, went tinkerin’ in stuff they shouldn’t have. They created Tirek ‘cause of it and he pretty much wrecked their civilization. Some of the deer took off and formed their own group that specialized in dark magic, in case something like that happens again. Then Discord thought it would be hilarious to screw over their minds and well…”

“They thrive now solely on the pain of others,” Lightning said. “Their souls need to feed on the pain of another being to keep from being destroyed by the realm of darkness. They’re pretty sick all around.”

Sunset looked disturbed. "Aaaand I'm going back to my book now."

“Don’t worry,” Lightning grinned. “I could so take on an army of Shadow Deer. Those chumps have nothing on me.” She flexed her wings and puffed out her chest.

"Yes well no fighting any deer you find here. Poor things have a hard enough time as is." Sunset replied. "I swear, if it's not one bloody thing with your world it's something worse."

“Well that ain’t a nice thing to say,” Fiddlesticks pouted. “We live there, ya know. Just cause it has a bunch of bad stuff in it, doesn’t make it rotten. Ah mean, ah’m not rotten.”

"Fair enough." Sunset admitted. "But still, your world sounds terrifying compared to this one."

“Terrifyingly epic?” Lightning smirked.

"No, just terrifying." Sunset said. "Our world is a lot less...hardcore."

“Just how it is,” Quickfix shrugged. “The strong survive and that’s what makes Equestria one of the strongest. We’ve survived pretty much anything our world has thrown at us.”

"We haven't needed to do that....well not to that degree." Sunset admitted. "Our world doesn't require us to be that tough to thrive."

“Which is why you lot should take a few tips from us in the epicness department,” Lightning chuckled.

"Yeah but what would we do with it?" Sunset asked, honestly confused.

“Come on,” Lightning said. “You’ve got to have some monsters or nations aiming for you guys.”

"Um, the elk...but we're kind of outpacing them pretty fast. They're rapidly becoming irrelevant in the current global dynamics." Sunset admitted. "They uh, they are kind of unimportant really by this point."

“Bogus,” Lightning huffed. “This is like the most boring world I’ve been to. Top five, definitely.”

"....how many worlds have you been to?" Sunset asked in a flat tone, eyebrow raised.

“This would be my second,” Quickfix admitted. “‘Course, ah was turned into a human durin’ the first time. Don’t know why though.”

“Well, I haven’t been able to travel really, but still, this world is lame.” Lightning said.

"...well I'm sorry we have our shit together." Sunset grumbled. "I'm sorry we aren't miserable with tons of problems so you can be entertained."

The three visitors stared at Sunset in shock. 

Lightning growled. “You have your shit together? YOU.....We have our shit together! We’re still standing. Through all of this, we’re still standing. You think we enjoy it? You’re wrong! I’ve lost both my mother and my big sister in wars. My father was wounded in combat and discharged from the military. He takes out every single bout of his anger on me, pushing me farther than I should go. I don’t let that bother me, because it’s all for something. A better Equestria.”

Sunset set her book down. "Well I am a horrible pony. Goodbye world." She then threw herself out of the carriage.

Fiddlesticks quickly roped her back inside and held on to her tight. “NO! NO! NO! Stop it. Don't ya buckin’ dare do that!” She cried into Sunset’s chest. “Don’t ya dare.”

“Geez,” Lightning sighed. “Didn’t think she’d jump.”

“Well maybe ye should keep yer mouth shut for once!” Quickfix slapped Lightning.

"Why shouldn't I jump?" Sunset asked in all seriousness. "I'm a horrible pony the world would be better of without."

“Ya aren’t a horrible pony.” Fiddlesticks whimpered. “Yer my friend. Ya shared yer make-up, we laughed….Didn’t any of that mean somethin’? Any of it? If not….Then ah’ll jump with ya.”

“Oh no you knuckle heads won’t,” Lightning slapped the two of them in the noggin. “Blessed Celestia on high, it’s my own life. I haven’t jumped, so don’t you bucking dare do it.”

“Which doesn’t mean anything really if you’re a pegasus.” Quickfix muttered.

"....sorry. Well this is going to be fun trying to explain this to my therapist." Sunset sighed. "It's been a while since I tried to kill myself."

Fiddlesticks conked her on the noggin. “Don’t ya dare say stuff like that. Yer a good pony. Yer my friend and we’re gonna be besties forever. That’s a promise.”

"Yeah, thanks. Last time Mask talked me out of letting myself get eaten by monsters." Sunset said. "Sorry I tend to quickly spiral down because of...stuff."

“Well don’t,” Lightning snorted. “I don’t let stuff like that get to me. I take it like a champ and press on.”

"I...admit I don't deal with my emotions the best. Hence, therapy. Lots of therapy." Sunset said, doing her best to give a shaky smile.

“Ah think all a pony needs fer that is a real smile,” Fiddlesticks grinned. “That and some friends. So cheer up, Sunny girl. Don’t ya worry about a thing~” She started singing. “Every little things, gonna be alright~”

"No singing." Sunset said. "You know I don't like the musical numbers."

“Oh so sad~” Fiddlesticks pouted, singing regardless. “Ya don’t know what yer missing~ Oh so saaaad~”

Sunset sighed as she started singing in response. "I am quite aware of the wonder of the world~ I just happen to know I don't fit in~ I have done things that are quite wrong~ So can we please just end this song?~"

“Not until ya turn that frown upside down~” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “Upside down~ Oh the bother of a miserable frown~”

Sunset turned away, frowning harder. "I don't deserve to be happy, not with the things I have done~ I don't deserve to spend my days lounging under the sun~ A frown fits best upon my face~ It's not my fault I know my propped place~"

“Oh just shut up and can it~” Lightning spoke up. “Bottle up those feelings and ban it~ Just follow my lead~ That ain’t no easy feat~ You’ll fall, you’ll cry~ Just give it a try~”

"When it comes to ponies, I am the worst~ My emotions feel eternally cursed~ Guilt plagues me day and night~ Nothing feels like it will ever be right~ I have done good in the past~ But the feeling doesn't last~ No matter what I do~ My redemption never rings true~ I don't think I can freely smile~ I haven't felt it in a while~ I know it makes you mad~ But I feel I deserve to be sad~"

“Why do ah have to listen to this~” Quickfix huffed. “We already got the gist~ Yer sad, yer miserable, yer a big dummy~ Just shut up and stop bein’ crummy~ AH’m tryin’ to sleep over here, now ye see~ We’ve all got problems, so just let it be~”

"Works for me~ You all just let me be~" Sunset said nodding.

“........So we still besties?” Fiddlesticks asked, feeling a tad bit unsure of how the song ended.

"Yeah, yeah we are." Sunset said, picking the book back up and reading again. "Just, let me be for a bit. I need some time to calm down and work through it, I'll be fine, really."

“Well...okay.” Fiddlesticks shuffled off. She frowned as she looked down to her hooves. She was never really one to let anyone down and seeing Sunset, who just not a moment ago threw herself out the window, just sitting there kind of….left her with an empty sort of feeling.

“Glad that’s all over,” Quickfix yawned. “Too much drama.”

"Well, yeah, sorry. I tend to generate drama." Sunset admitted. "Let's just...move on."

“...’Kay,” Fiddlesticks lazily plucked at some of the strings on her fiddle. At least her instrument was tuned alright...Didn’t make her any happier though.

“....Are we there yet?” Lightning asked.

> FOALNAPPED! {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anrain seethed as the group settled on the docks. His vision, one that he had so clearly, was now in shambles. Oh how he loathed chaos and everything about it. He kept it hidden well, but his slight scowl, which was his usual face anyways, might have tipped off others. 

Right now the group were making their way to the Air Docks, where the ponies kept their Zeppelins. The mighty air ships, some measuring to the size of the great fire drakes, were adorned in holy sun symbols. Their cannons were held out in salute to the solar monarch. 

“HAIL CELESTIA, GODDESS ETERNAL!” Was the collective response of the soldiers present, bowing before the sun goddess. 

Celestia bowed her head in return. She took a moment to glance at Anrain. “Is something the matter?”

“No,” Anrain sighed. “That Sparkle mare is certainly a hooffull. She has, with a single action, shattered my vision.”

“Should I be worried?” Celestia looked to her children, who were with the foreigner Sweetie Drops.

“They will be fine,” Anrain assuaded her fears. “Their fates are meant for grand things in the future. That is not up for debate. The present fates of the newcomers….is up for question.”

“Their safety is not up in the air as you would put it,” Celestia huffed. “They will be safe. I will not let anything happen to them.” She put a hoof to his shoulder. “And neither should you.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t be so hasty to lend a hoof to another,” Anrain said. “But your kindness knows no bounds. A flaw if you ask me.”

“A flaw I will brandish with pride,” Celestia smirked.

Meanwhile, with the group….

“...And this is Canterlot’s Royal Air Navy,” Sunset motioned with her foreleg, encomposing the the entire yard. Canterlot’s Air Docks was stationed close to the capital on a large crystalized platform on the side of the mountain. It gave them a perfect view of everything around them and a defensive location. 

"Oh my, that is certainly impressive. I wish I had my camera, it's such a lovely view." Sweetie said, taking it all in like a tourist. "So then, what do your airships use to fly?"

“A magical gas,” Sunset explained. “It’s referred to as ‘Magical Breath’, well that’s the short term really. It’s condensed magic sucked from the Realm of Magic itself and given a gaseous existence. Coupled with some intricate spells, it’s much better and efficient than other gases, such as helium and isn’t prone to catching fire.” 

"That is quite impressive. It sounds like a lot of work goes into these things." Sweetie said, looking around. "We just use hydrogen generated by electrolysis."

“A tad primitive but effective none the less,” Sunset noted. She held up an info disk and checked the information. “We’re to be boarding the air ship ‘Holy Sun’, captained by….Duke Blueblood.” She groaned.

"Duke?" Sweetie looked quite confused. "Any relation to the prince? Or wait, is he not a prince here?"

“Prince?” Redheart asked. “Since there are no ‘prince Bluebloods’ here, I’d wager that they have differing titles...Of course, we might be talking about different ponies. Is he a blonde, white coated unicorn?”

"With a compass rose cutie mark?" Sweetie added in with a nod,

“That would be Blueblood,” Sunset snorted. “Well let’s hope this goes well enough without any headaches.” The group quickly found themselves standing before Holy Sun. It was a mid-class Zeppelin and wasn’t really built for battle and more for appearance and pleasure. The smoother and more lilted surfaces of the airship spoke of that. 

To anypony who knew anything about warships. Which did not include Sweetie. "Oh my, this is quite the impressive vessel. I've never ridden on an airship before, this is quite exciting."

“I’m sure it will be,” the captain, Blueblood, said as he trotted out from behind the group. He came to stop before them and bowed. “Duke Blueblood, owner and captain of her majesty’s Zeppelin, Holy Sun’, at your service.”

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Sweetie Drops, it's a pleasure to meet you." Sweetie said, beaming. "I must say it probably took some doing to secure that name for your ship."

“My family lineage is perhaps one of the strongest and most influential families in the whole of Equestria,” Duke Blueblood boasted. “I built this ship myself and I had to choose a most fitting name. It wasn’t much trouble for one such as I, I assure you.”

“Oh pish-posh,” Applejack stepped out from the airship. She was currently wearing a green, red trimmed dress and had her hair in a tight fit bonnet. “Love, you spent such a while pining for that name.”

“Well I recieved it in the end,” Blueblood rolled his eyes. “That’s all that matters.”

“And you wonder why some call you spoiled,” Applejack giggled and kissed his cheek. She turned to Sweetie Drops. “Darling, it is so good to see you. I do so hope you enjoy your stay. Might I say that I simply adore your mane.”

"Thank you dear, it's honestly my natural look so it's not hard to maintain...I'm sorry you look a lot like a friend of mine from my...home. Are they allowed to be in the know? I'm not sure what the rules are for this stuff." Sweetie asked, turning to Sunset for answers.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, darling.” Applejack waved her hoof to dispel the issue. “I already know well enough. Your friend dropped by earlier and we had such a lovely time. If only she had stayed longer. I was planning on treating her to the spa. Oh look at me, Love. I haven’t introduced myself yet. How rude of me.”

“You? Rude? Never.” Blueblood nuzzled her.

Applejack returned the gesture. “Quite.” She curtsied, well as well as a quadruped could. “My name is Applejack, heir to Orange Industries.” 

"It's a pleasure dear. As I said, my name is Sweetie Drops. I must say, that dress looks quite lovely on you. Green is certainly your color." Sweetie said as she looked the dress up and down, perhaps spending a little too much time on the mare's caboose, but in her defense she hadn't seen her girlfriend in a while and Applejack cleaned up very nice. "So, will you be joining us on this trip?"

“Of course I am,” Applejack hooked a foreleg around Blueblood’s. “My deary simply couldn’t survive a moment without moi.”

“She’s right,” Blueblood put a hoof over his heart. “I would simply perish without her. Truly, I couldn’t go on.”

“Do not worry, my love,” Applejack said. “I shant let that happen.”

Sweetie looked quite stunned. Applejack dating Blueblood. Her mind almost visibly struggled with the concept. If one listened closely, they could almost hear gears grinding in her noggin, and the more perceptive might swear they smell smoke.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sunset groaned as she trotted inside.

“Well,” Applejack snooted, keeping her snout in the air. “Let us be off then. Oh and please be careful to clean your hooves. The floors were just polished and I’d hate to have any nasty dirt ruining it.”

With a silent nod, Sweetie repelled anything clinging to her hooves using her restored magic, making them clean as a whistle instantly before she trotted inside as well. She could see why you would want to keep the floors clean. "This is an airship?" she asked in astonishment as she looked around.

The inside held the appearance more befitting a mansion then a traversing vehicle. Everything was so neat and orderly with a sheen that would make diamonds jealous. Which there were diamonds present, as well as other jewels that lined the wall. 

“I spared no expense when building this craft,” Blueblood grinned. “I wished to show off the vast wealth of our nation for all to see.”

"Well that is...wow." Sweetie said, looking around. "I just...so much...I...yeah. I'm a small town girl so this is just amazing. I really wish I had my camera."

“I personally think it’s a bit much,” Sunset glanced around. “Way too much….Like you’re trying to compensate for something.”

Blueblood frowned. “Of course not, Princess Shimmer. It needed all of this to make it special. Something our kingdom and the whole world can look to and be in awe!”

“Are you going to spend the afternoon flapping your gums, or are we going to hit the air?” A rather gruff voiced, belonging to what appeared to be a...brown moth pony. The older stallion, wearing the royal uniform albeit messily, griped. His antennas flitted about in the air. His voice carried a thick accent, the same you’d hear from a changeling. “I’m nocturnal you know. Having me work in the day ain’t best for me. Might be too much for me nerves.”

“You’ve been saying that for years,” Blueblood rolled his eyes. “And you haven’t fallen over or anything of the sort yet. Please excuse Aisling. He’s-” He stopped to think up a word.

“A ruffian of the highest order,” Applejack harrumphed.

“Well good day to you too,” Aisling snorted. “Now are we taking off or not?”

“Of course we are,” Blueblood said. “And please compose yourself. We have a princess on board not to mention a representative from another world.”

“I’ll compose myself when I’m dead,” Aisling muttered. 

"...I'm sorry, what sort of pony are you?. Sweetie asked, uncertain. "I've never encountered one that looks quite like you before."

Aisling gave her a long, hard look. His eyes were rather insectoid, carrying no real iris to speak of. He was rather floofy in the chest and around his legs with thickets of longer fur. His wings were, obviously, moth like as well as the antenna on his head. “I’m a mothpony. I’d think that’d be obvious. What? Gonna ask me if I’m really a ‘pony’ or some sh-”

“Aisling,” Blueblood narrowed his eyes.

“Right, no swearing.” Aisling snorted. He grumbled to himself a little more.

"I'm sorry if I sounded rude." Sweetie said. "I'm from another dimension, so this sort of thing isn't obvious to me. I do apologize dear, I wasn't trying to insult you."

“Don’t worry about it,” Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder. “He’s rather grumpy towards everyone.”

"Still, I do feel bad." Sweetie pointed out. "I do apologize Mr. Aisling."

Aisling snorted. “No need to apologize. She said it. I’m a grump, or whatever the hay you want to call me. Don’t care, just tell me where you want to go and I’ll take you.”

“Crystal Empire,” Sunset spoke up. “I’d like to be there three minutes ago.”

“....You can’t be there three minutes ago,” Aisling said.

“With service like this, of course not.” Sunset snarked. “Now chop to it.” Redheart elbowed her side. “Ow! Come on. Let me have my jerk moments. I need to push someone around.” Redheart quickly pushed Shade into view. “Shade! What are you doing here?”

“Apparently to be your punching bag,” Shade snorted. “Well, at least I haven’t been burned yet. That’s a plus.”

“Well don’t count your blessings yet,” Sunset said.

“Why should I when you are the only blessing I need?” Shade grinned as Sunset blushed. He quickly jumped out of the way as she tried to blast him with a fire spell. “You certainly ‘brighten’ my day.” He teleported out of another. “The ‘flames’ of our passion are growing out of con-” Sunset jumped him and started pummeling him. “OW! I get it! No more flirting.” 

Redheart sighed and got out the med-kit.

Coco blinked in confusion. “Why do they act like that anyways?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Redheart muttered. 

"Um...how old is Coco?" Sweetie asked, surprised that the girl apparently didn't understand what was going on.

“Fourteen,” Coco said. “My birthday was last month. It wasn’t that big of one, really.”

“Well they never are, dearie.” Pizzelle chuckled. “You have never been the ‘social’ type, but we love you just the same. Why I’m met countless individuals just as shy or shyer than you. Oh I could just go on and on about-”

Sunset teleported over and placed a hoof over Pizzelle’s mouth. “Pizzelle, before I remove this hoof, I want to know one thing. Were you just about to go on a one hour long speech or three.” Pizzelle remained silent. “Well then……...how about we just stick with what we have and call it even.”

Pizzelle rolled her eyes. “I have never gone on for three hours.”

“Seven,” Sunset deadpanned. “Remember?”

Pizzelle blushed in embarrassment. “Right...sorry about that dearies.”

“It happens,” Coco said to reassure her.

"Seven hours?" Sweetie asked. "Whatever were you talking about dear?"

“Oh this and that,” Pizzelle tapped her chin. “Mostly crystals and hats. Oh I do believe that I was mentioning the new craze in Hoofington with crystal hats as well. Those certainly are outlandish things. Could you imagine having so many crystals crammed onto a single hat? Preposterous.”

Sunset groaned. “Here we go again.”

"Oh no, please tell me it's not as bad as I think it sounds?" Sweetie said. "They didn't just stick on large crystal clusters with no rhyme or reason."

“Yes,” both Applejack and Pizzelle deadpanned.

“I never understood Hoofington fashion,” Applejack commented.

"You think that's bad? You should have seen my Rainbow Dash's attempt at creating a gala dress. It looked like a cross between a superhero outfit, armor, and a toga." Sweetie said, shaking her head. "Honestly, I have no idea what she was thinking when she designed that thing."

Applejack giggled. “Not all of us can be artists.”

“Yes well,” Blueblood interjected. “I do believe we need to get ourselves settled. Take-off can be a tad bit jolting.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Shade stretched himself out. “I’d kinda prefer it over ‘her’ kind of jolts.”

“Hey, I’m way more pleasant than this blimp.” Sunset glared at him.

“Oh yeah?” Shade grinned. “Well prove it.”

“Fine,” Sunset said. “I promise to not scorch you so long as we reside in this blimp.”

“IT’S A ZEPPELIN!” Aisling yelled.

Shade blinked a few times then shook his head. “Fair enough.”

"Oh thank goodness." Sweetie sighed in relief. "I was slightly afraid that you would miss a spell and blow us all up. Really, fire on an air ship?"

“Eh, I’d survive.” Sunset shrugged. “Either way, I haven’t killed us yet.”

“Sunset’s motto in life,” Shade snorted. “‘Burn first, think later’.”

“Do you ever think before you speak?” Sunset asked, glaring at him.

“Yes,” Shade said. “But riling you up is so much fun.”

"Aww, that's so sweet. In a weird way, but still sweet." Sweetie said, smiling. "You know, my Sunset kind of has two mottos for life. "I'm sorry" and "the forces of darkness will rue the day they ever dared to mess with my friends". But yours is very catchy."

“Yeah well….” Sunset punched Shade in the chest with a light blush. “Idiot!” 

“I try,” Shade chuckled as he rubbed his chest.

"...huh, you know thinking about it, you could arrive three minutes before you asked if this ship can travel faster than light, enabling it to go backwards in time." Sweetie realized. "But I doubt this ship can breach the speed of sound, so that's just not plausible."

“....” Sunset sighed. “Right about now Quickfix would be running towards the engine room-”

“With a hooffull of tools-”

“And yelling science a lot.” Coco sighed.

“Now dearies,” Pizzelle spoke up. “We’re going to see our friends all soon enough. I’m sure Fiddlesticks is planning a reunion party as we speak.”

"That sounds lovely. And sorry about earlier, it was just an idol thought. Never really thought I'd find any use for the stuff I learned when I was eight." Sweetie said with a shrug. "Still, it was easier working with the conceptual stuff than the hard sciences like orbital mechanics. I hated math when I was that young."

“Math can be quite useful,” Redheart stated. “I was rather skilled in it, but my preferred topic was biology.”

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Well the only math I really use nowadays is accounting, measuring, and radiocarbon analysis formulation...my marefriend has interesting hobbies."

“Attention passengers,” Aisling’s voice resounded about through the loudspeakers. “We’re about to take off, so get your arses in motion and don’t bucking come crying to me if you fall over.”

"...Pizzelle dear, your son wasn't here to hear that was he?" Sweetie asked.

“He’s with Spike,” Pizzelle stated. 

“Don’t worry,” Sunset stated. “The little guy was tuckered out, so Spike took him to one of the cabins. He probably slept through it.”

"Oh that's a relief." Swetie said, eyes closed gently as she smiled warmly. "I was afraid I'd have to force feed Mr. Aisling his own antenna for swearing in front of children. That would have been quite the bother." she said pleasantly, smile unwavering. As her friends knew, a golden rule with Sweetie was that you don't mess with children around her. Ever.

“I’d certainly cheer you on, dearie.” Pizzelle smiled. “My boy already has enough worries, with school and bullies, swearing wouldn’t be a welcome addition.”

"Oh dear, is the poor thing picked on because he isn't a pony?" Sweetie asked concerned.

“That’s a part of it,” Pizzelle bit her lip. “He’s such a nice, gentle thing, but he is still a predator. Some of the other ponies think I made a mistake adopting him and….It was really tough in the early days. They...nearly took him away from me, it was so bad.” 

Sweetie blinked in confusion. "Because he's a predator? But, isn't that the same for pegasi in this world? Why was that such a big deal?"

“Because they’ve grown used to pegasi,” Pizzelle said. “We are ponies, so they don’t mind. He doesn’t look anything like us. He can make illusions just by thinking. He can do all these amazing things, but they’re afraid he….” She sniffled. “That doesn’t matter anymore. They haven’t taken him away from me….They won’t take him away from me.”

"You tell them dear." Sweetie said, giving her a small hug of support. "But really, the nerve of those ponies. I can't believe it. We have restaurants in my Ponyville that have mixed diet menus, and we don't even have a single carnivore living in town, it's for tourists. How can a place with your kind of pegasi be that uncomfortable with meat? It really doesn't make sense. Different looks mean nothing, just look at the tribes...well my world's tribes anyway."

“Eh, some ponies just prefer their own.” Sunset said. “Trust me, I’ve lived my life around the court. You know these things, given all the hate speeches I hear every day. It doesn’t matter. Hikaru isn’t going anywhere, even if Bon Bon pitches a fit or something.”

"...my double is doing WHAT?" Sweetie asked as the airship lurched into motion.

“Well it wasn’t so much that Bon Bon didn’t like Hikaru,” Pizzelle said. “Your double adored him, it’s just you...I mean she, didn’t think I was mother material...It didn’t help that the first week was rather eventful.”

"I imagine any adoption would require a lot of adjustments and discoveries." Sweetie said. "Looking at just the first week isn't very fair, you'd just be getting everything settled in."

“Well that’s how long Bon Bon was giving me,” Pizzelle said. “It didn’t help that he almost got eaten by a cragadile, or the bullies, or...I...’ She wiped away a few tears. “I almost started to think I didn’t deserve to be a mother.”

"Right, no more tears. As Mask would say, enough drama, time for comedy!" Sweetie said, reaching into the saddlebag she had procured. "I was saving this for later, but you look like you could use a pick me up. Tada!" She shouted, pulling out a small covered serving tray. Taking off the lid she revealed "Peanut butter fudge! I made enough for everypony, dragon, and fox."

“Thank you,” Coco smiled as did the rest of them as they took a few pieces.

“This is simply divine,” Applejack said. “I must have this recipe.”

"I'll make you a copy before we leave." Sweetie said. "Though speaking of divine I never did try out that fudge recipe those gods gave me. Turns out the kitchen was out of cream cheese. Shame, it looked quite good."

“It is,” Sunset mumbled. “If you can actually grab a piece.”

"Shame. Probably would be the tastiest thing I've ever had." Sweetie lamented.
______________________________________________________________________

"These are probably the tastiest things I have ever had." Rainbow admitted as she munched through another bowl of crystal berries.

“We do try,” Princess Cadance smiled. “Everything in the Empire is grown with the utmost care and love.”

"It pays off." Rainbow said, smiling, and trying to ignore the slight itch in her wings. It had been growing for a bit, and she wasn't too sure why, but preening to take care of it in public was a major no go.

Of course, Cadance was born a pegasus herself. She could see the itch as well as Rainbow’s emotions. Being an emotive goddess had its payoffs. “Is there something wrong?”

"No no. Everything is awesome." Rainbow lied, wings twitching slightly. "So...this is a big library...we are probably never going to see Twilight again you realize?"

“I hope so,” Cadance chuckled. “I’m rather growing fond of her. She reminds me of our Twilight when she was younger. I just loved babysitting her.”

"Yeah well, I doubt we'll ever get this egghead to leave." Rainbow grumbled.

From somewhere deep within the library, Twilight's excited voice echoed out "Oh my goodness! This book is bigger than I am! This is the best day of my life!"

“We’ll find a way,” Cadance said. “But first, we’ll need to take care of your wings.”

"What about my wings?" Rainbow said, glad that her feathers muted her embarrassed flush.

“Rainbow,” Cadance huffed. “You do know I was born a pegasus, right? If not, either way I can tell they’re giving you trouble.”

"...ah well...yeah." Rainbow muttered, feeling even more flustered. "Look do you, um, bathroom or something?"

“Do I have a bathroom?” Cadance said. “Yes, it’s right down the hall, first door to the left. If you’re just going there to preen I might actually try and insist on a trip to the spa. You simply haven’t lived till you’ve had a taste of ‘Crystal’ living.”

"...you guys actually preen in spas here?" Rainbow asked, slightly shocked. "That's just...well...anyway I don't do spas. I'm too cool for them."

“Don’t knock them till you’ve tried them,” Cadance lifted a glass to her lips with her magic and took a sip. “So I gather that preening is a bit taboo in public or something like that?”

"Yeah. I guess it's not so much here." Rainbow guessed. "Since we have feathers all over our bodies preening fully can look a bit...suggestive at times. So it's not polite to do in front of others. Not even just the wings or chests with a quick nip, cause ponies don't know if you're going to just stop there and get a bit huffy about it."

“I can see where that can be a problem,” Cadance nodded. “It is rather strange to think that myself over there is covered in feathers instead of fur. Of course, it’s not all that strange. I did grow this.” She tapped her horn. “And becoming a goddess was no small feat either. A feather body though, might be another story. I’ll keep a note to ask her about it if we meet.”

Rainbow sighed, rubbing her eyes with her wings. "To cover the questions everypony asks: no it doesn't tickle. Can you describe what it's like to be born with hair instead of feathers? No? Then how do you expect us to be able to do the opposite? It's called molting, not shedding, and no you can't have a feather for your collection, quill, hat, or just because you think it looks pretty."

Cadance slowly took a sip. “I seem to have hit a nerve.”

"Nah it's just...everypony whose not a pegasus seems to ask us these questions at one point or another." Rainbow said, shrugging. "It's honest curiosity. But seriously, it's like they have a checklist of some pretty dumb ones. Why would we find our own feathers ticklish? And that's like the number one thing they ask besides "what's it like to have feathers" as if we could give a serious answer to that?"

“Well the whole ‘growing a horn and goddess’ thing tends to pop up in quite a few questions, so I understand.” Cadance said. 

"Yeah, I can see that." Rainbow said, trying to keep her wings from twitching. "At least you don't have to deal with the stereotype questions."

“No, but I did get asked what grass tasted like so many times during my mothers adventures.” Cadance huffed. “I get that there are a lot of species on this planet, but why do they need to pester us with inane questions. Granted some of us aren’t that much better, but still. I don’t know how mother does it, let alone write it.”

Rainbow shrugged. "Eh, grass tastes like grass. Boring question. At least you ddin'r get asked "what rank is your dad" or "is this your first time on the ground" or the like. The never even considered that my dad might not be military or that my best friend is a ground pounder."

“Could we not use slang like that,” Cadance said. “I have to hear too much of it, one way or another, already and yeah. Heard those before. Well, that and if mom can autograph their books, or bless this or that.”

Rainbow looked confused. "Slang like what? What did you think I was saying?"

“Ground pounder kind of sounds similar to speciest slangs,” Cadance pointed out. “It’s not really that bad, but somepony might take it the wrong way.”

Rainbow looked shocked. "Wowh woah woah, what? I am not speciesist, I have a griffon as a long standing friend for crying out loud!"

“I never said….” Cadance’s eye twitched. “Griffon?...” She shook her head. “No, no, not going to say anything. Just...yeah, be a tad bit more careful with your words.”

Rainbow huffed a bit, wings twitching. "Right, I'll keep that in mind. But just FYI, back home ground pounder means a pegasus that prefers life on the ground to flying."

“Gotcha,” Cadance said. “I can tell it’s bothering you still. You can go preen, I’m not stopping you.”

"Thank you." Rainbow said as she dashed off towards the bathroom, ready to take care of whatever was causing the problem already. Locking the door behind her, Rainbow started rooting through her wings, and was surprised to find a large number of damaged secondary feathers, the quills snapped. "The hay did that happen? I haven't crashed since I got here." she muttered as she proceeded to remove feathers, a good number of them. When it was over she had removed almost two dozen feathers. From each wing. To a non-pegasi it would make her wings look different, but in a "I can't put my hoof on it" kind of way. To other flyers, it would be quite obvious. Rainbow sighed, this was embarrassing. At least it was only secondaries, so she could still fly. Control and stability would be shot, but eh she wasn't a precision flyer to start. Depositing her shed feathers in the trash, she went back hoping Cadance wouldn't notice.

As Rainbow returned, Cadance’s eyes widened as she peered at her wings. “I didn’t think it was that bad, honestly.”

"Neither did I." Rainbow admitted. "I'm not sure how, but they were pretty badly damage, snapped and everything."

“Oh dear,” Cadance cast her a weary glance. “You honestly have no recollection of it happening? No tumbles, turbulence, anything?”

"Nope. No crashes since I came through the portal, and I would have noticed them then." she pointed out. "Although with that many secondaries gone, I am definitely going to be feeling turbulence."

“Well try and keep to the ground for a bit,” Cadance suggested. “We don’t know what caused it and I’m sure you don’t want it happening again.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Thank you doctor princess, but I think I can handle being a few feathers short just fine."

“If you say so,” Cadance shrugged.

Twilight came galloping over then. "Rainbow Dash, you will never guess what I just found!" she asked with a huge smile, horn glowing as she hovered something behind her back.

"A really rare book you've always wanted to read, but it was considered lost to the sands of time?" Rainbow guessed, looking bored.

"No! Well, yes actually I ran into a few of those, but I also found this!" Floating it forward, Twilight broke into the biggest grin ever. "The newest Daring Do book! It won't be out for another two months back home!"

Rainbow did not look impressed. "Oh wow. That is amazing. Truly it is the wonder of the mystical other world." she said in a flat tone.

“Hey,” Cadance glared at her. “My mother puts a lot of time and effort into making these books.”

"Your mother is a writer?" Rainbow asked, surprised.

“And an adventurer,” Cadance smiled. “All first hoof information gathered in the field.”

Rainbow blinked a few times. "I feel like I'm missing something here."

“Daring Do’s my mother,” Cadance flat out stated.

Rainbow's jaw dropped. "Um, Twilight, I thought Daring Do was fictional."

"She is in our world." Twilight responded. "But this isn't our world now is it?"

"...wait," Rainbow said, struck by a sudden thought, "does this mean there is a world out there where the Power Ponies actually exist?"

“Well, given how different our worlds are,” Cadance started. “I wouldn’t really be surprised.”

"That would be so cool! Hey, if we get stranded in another world let's aim for that one!" Rainbow said, sounding rather excited. "I could totally race Filisecond, or do weather stuff with Zapp, or take down super villains all by myself even!"

Cadance sighed. “I miss defeating villains. It’s so much fun to crush them under my hoof or slash them with my scythe. Anything really to break this monotone ‘princesshood’.”

There was a grinding sound as Rainbow scooted her chair a bit away from Cadance. "You don't say? Hey, has anypony seen the local me recently?"

“She’s currently jousting,” Polish appeared out from behind Rainbow. She bowed to Princess Cadance. “Empress-”

“Princess,” Cadance said through clenched teeth.

“Right,” Polish corrected herself. “Princess Cadance. I have a few reports from the patrols.” She hoofed over a few folders.

“Thank you, Polish.” Cadance took them closer to herself.

"Um, is jousting different here?" Rainbow asked. "Because last I checked you needed a horn to joust. It's a unicorn sport."

“The Crystal Empire doesn’t really have any unicorns or pegasi,” Cadance explained. “It’s predominantly Earth in a sense. So instead they’ve come up with using lances. Same goes for Equestria. Makes it a bit fairer and more inclusive that way.”

"Huh, that is kind of neat." Rainbow admitted. "Hey Polish, could you show me where this jousting thing is? Sounds a lot cooler than ours."

“Right this way,” Polish bowed her head and started off.

Rainbow dashed off. "Well later guys, enjoy your nerd zone."

After Rainbow left, Twilight sighed. "I'll never get how because I read book I'm a nerd, but her reading comics is 'cool'." She shook her head in resignation. "She really is an impulsive kid at times."

“Some beings just like to feel a bit better about themselves so they call others names and such,” Cadance said. “Of course, it can be all in good fun. When me and Pinkie hack and slash at each other during our spars, we don’t really mean to hurt each other. It’s all good fun.”

"Oh I know Rainbow Dash means it all in good fun, we wouldn't be able to use the Elements if we weren't good friends." Twilight said. "I just don't think she really thinks her teasing through. Then again that just might be my opinion due to years of exposure to Sunset's wit."

“Ah yes, Sunset.” Cadance sighed. “She really was an unreasonable mare before the Elements...still kind of is, but she hasn’t tried to burn me so that’s a plus. I hope yours was a tad better in that regard.”

"Our Sunset rechristened her Element from Magic to Friendship, gives speeches about the importance of friendship, teamwork, and harmony, and is a peace talks advocate." Twilight replied.

“Well that’s certainly a step above ‘Do what I say or you burn’ motif ours has going,” Cadance said. “I don’t really mean to sound harsh. I do care for Sunset like family. She’s just...difficult.”

"Our Sunset isn't perfect either. She has a bit of a temper problem and is sarcastic a lot, but she is actively working on it because she feels bad about it...of course she also feels guilty if she forgets to bring in the morning milk. Or a lot of other things really. She has some...self esteem issues."

“Well I wish her the best of luck with that,” Cadance said. 

"Therapy helps." Twilight answered. "Sooo...can I read this? Because knowing what's going to happen two months ahead of everypony back home will give me a jump start on my analytical review for the fan magazine."

“Go ahead,” Cadance nodded. “I see no problem with it.”

Squeeing with delight, Twilight sat down and began to read.

____________________________________________________________________________

“It shouldn’t be that far from here,” Polish said as she lead onwards. 

"That's what you said two hallways ago." Rainbow grumbled. "Seriously, why are palaces so big?"

“It is necessary to be this large in order to house the correct amount of staff and nobles,” Polish stated. 

"....you win this round logistics." Rainbow muttered.

Polish chuckled and was about to say something before she was cut off by a feminine voice. 
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t our lost little Dashie. Having trouble finding your world? Tut, tut, tut, what a shame.”

Rainbow was instantly at the ready, wings splayed as searching around her. "Right, evil villain taunting. Come on out so I can kick your flank into next week. I've fought alicorns without using the elements, so you don't scare me." She added that last part knowing how big a deal that would be to the locals.

“Scare you? On the contrary, I wanted to congratulate you.” The voice said. “You are certainly a credit to our race, even if you featherbodies are of the….herbivorous type. Sad really. Either way, I might come out if you say please.” The voice chuckled. 

"Alright then, please come out little miss enclave pegasus so I can buck your teeth in." Rainbow taunted.

Around the corner stepped a white, red maned mare. She wore a gray, metallic collar and had a roulette wheel cutie mark. “Happy now and do please save the bucking for later. We are civilized beings, are we not?”

Rainbow gave her a flat look. "You're taunting me about being stranded on another world, which is not public knowledge in the slightest. You're tribalist to the point that you look down on other pegasi that don't fit your mold, and you totally suck at the smooth villain dialog deal."

“Well I’m not the villain here,” Fortune shrugged. “So I hardly know how to sound like one.”

Rainbow was unconvinced. "Not the villain, really? You're practically shouting 'I am part of the group that made the portal'." she pointed out.

“Well on that count I am guilty,” Fortune smirked. “Now, Rainbow Dash, perhaps you’d be willing to at least hear me out, maybe take a little ‘walk’ with me.”

"...do you know how creepy that sounded with you talking to a minor right?" Rainbow pointed out.

“Yeah that was creepy,” another feminine voice called out. “Like, super creepy.”

“Shut up, Pepper!” Fortune growled. “I didn’t mean it in that way. Who the buck would think I meant it that way. Do I look like a molester...If any of you bastards say ‘yes’ I’ll cut you up into pieces so small, you could fit several on the head of a needle!”

“...Would you cut us up on a ‘maybe’?”

Fortune face-hooved. “The ponies I work with,” she grumbled to herself. 

"Yeah, it must be harder working with ponies smarter than you." .rainbow quipped.

Polish checked her notebook. “That quip puts Rainbow in the lead.”

“Go Rainbow!” Pepper called out.

“Stop cheering the enemy!” Fortune growled. “We’re supposed to foalnap her, not….Why the hay am I arguing about this. Just get out here and secure the mare.” She tapped the metal collar and instantly the metal configured itself around her body as a form fitting armor. Around her tail formed a scorpion style metal tail with a barb sharp enough to pierce the strongest steel. “Oh, and don’t rough her up too much. I don’t think our lord will appreciate her damaged, daughter or no.”

"Daughter? Aww damn it, my alternate dad is involved in this?" Rainbow moaned. "He's way more embarrassing than my dad pulling off all this stuff."

“Embarrassed?” Fortune chuckled. “Why should he be embarrassed for our glorious cause? The Enclave would be nothing without him. Though, I will have to admit, perhaps he’s not aware of everything we do. Like if I were to give you a black eye, for example. That’s of course, up to you. Come quietly, or we’ll make this painful.” 

"Show of hooves." Rainbow interrupted. "Who here is willing to fight the mare that beat Nightmare Moon in a one versus one battle? Cause if it's not you I would suggest you just trot away."

No hooves came out.

“Alright, if you don’t fight her, I will personally tell Blitz each and every one of your names and what you did.” Fortune uttered.

Instantly, eight pegasi, outfitted with the exact armor and sporting helmet, rushed out. The pegasi surrounded Rainbow and Polish. 

“That’s better,” Fortune snorted. “Now, Rainbow, please be a dear and come with us. This is your last chance.”

"Well when you put it that way I say," grabbing hold of Polish, Rainbow smirked "tornado time." Spinning while holding onto the mare she needed to protect, Rainbow generated a class three tornado.

The pegasi surrounding her were cut off guard and quickly swung about, clunking into each other and the walls around them. Fortune grit her teeth, glaring into the tornado. She had more experience than the rest so she was able to keep herself on the ground from the force. She flapped, propelling herself backwards while also freezing the tornado with a large, cold front. 

“Get up and secure this, you idiots!” Fortune snarled, thanking her luck for being an ice elemental. The other pegasi shook themselves out of their stupor. It was just her luck she’d been stuck with a bunch of rookies. 

Looking around the corner, Rainbow was glad she'd ditched that tornado before it got frozen. "Polish, go get the guards. I'll distract them."

Polish nodded. “Right.” She took off. 

“Wait a tick!” Fortune glanced inside the frozen tornado. “She isn’t here! Find her and kill that crystal mare. Leave no witnesses.” 

Rainbow then bopped her on the head. "Tag, you're it." And she was off in the opposite direction than Polish, attempting to draw them away.

Fortune snarled and took off with the others behind her. She was quick, but she knew that this Dash was quicker. Taking in a large breath, she let it loose, letting a gust from her wings propel the ice-beam into Rainbow’s wings. 

Rainbow dodged easily. "Seriously, make me at least have to break the sound barrier. I thought you were better than a "feather body"." She blew a raspberry at the Enclave soldiers.

Fortune howled in rage, sending shards of ice as long as swords hurtling at Dash. 

"Woah!" Rainbow did a quick rolling deflection, kicking the couple of swords that came close to her off to the sides. "Sheesh, you sure you're clear on how the whole "capture alive" thing works? You're lucky I'm as awesome as I am or else you'd have failed yourself."

Just then, something smashed into Rainbow’s side, or rather, somepony. The figure had jumped kicked Rainbow straight through the crystaline walls. Standing over her, the mare sneered. “No they don’t.” In one of her forehooves was a small crossbow, which she used to shoot a dart into Rainbow’s chest. 

"...cheater." Rainbow said, just before darkness overtook her.

The mare glanced over to the other figures. The mysterious figure wore a full body set of fatigues, with several exotic weapons dotting it. Her purple mane was rather stylishly done, inviting a classy rogue set against her pink skin. 

Fortune and her Enclave soldiers stopped before her. She cleared her throat. “Thank you for the assistance, Suri Polomare. That will be all.”

“Will it?” Suri tilted her head, which caused the pegasi to flinch in fear. “No, I don’t think so. I was paid to aid you in this….little endeavor of yours. Aid was the word, but it seems already you don’t have the skills to pull this off on your own.”

“What do you want?”

“Double.”

“You can’t have……………….” Fortune blanched at the glare she received. No one ever talked back to Suri Polomare and for good reasons. “Fine.” She glanced at her soldiers. “Take her.”

Pepper trotted over and quickly put Rainbow over her back. “There you go, boss's daughter who isn’t boss's daughter.” 
______________________________________________________________________

Normally Twilight wouldn't have speed read through a Darring Do book but instead would have taken her time, but with so many new books to read it was torture to take too much time on any one book, leaving the others there, unread, taunting her. Well not literally taunting her, bunions of them were enchanted to talk, but still.

Suddenly, a hoof tapped on Twilight’s shoulder. A yellow maned, blue pegasus mare cleared her throat. She had a pot of potpurie as her cutie mark. “Umm...excuse me?”

Turning, Twilight broke out into a friendly grin. "Hello there, can I help you?"

“Well, actually you can.” The mare smiled. “Could you, umm, please come with us. It’s kind of important.”

"Sure." Twilight said, figuring this was a messenger Princess Cadance had sent. She seemed a bit like Fluttershy, timid and a bit fragile.

“Thank you,” the mare said. “I’m Fragrant Pansy, by the way.” 

"Twilight Sparkle." she replied with a smile. "So, where are we going?"

“Oh nowhere special,” Fragrant replied. “Just our base underneath the Empire…..I’m not supposed to tell you that. I’m sorry.” 

"Wait, base?" Twilight asked, stunned. "What base?"

“Oh it’s our secret base……..I’m not supposed to tell you that either. I’m sorry.” Fragrant folded her ears back. “This is my first mission.”

Twilight stopped in her tracks. "Alright, explain what is going on right now."

“I’m foalnapping you...if that’s okay with you.” Fragrant gulped. “I mean, is it foalnapping if you’re coming willingly? I...um, well not really, but that’s all really just opinions. I don’t want to force you to think that way if you don’t.”

A larger stallion sighed and came out of the bookworks. Swiftly he clonked Twilight over the head, knocking her out.

“Thank you,” Fragrant sighed in relief. “I didn’t have the heart to hurt her.”

“Well change that tune or you’ll be in the path of a bullet, ancestor or not.” The stallion griped as he pulled Twilight onto his back. The two trotted off, making sure to keep out of sight. Thankfully, the Empire wasn’t all that full really. Helps having a ruthless dictator weeding out the population for stealth missions. 
____________________________________________________________________________

“So Aisling,” Blueblood said, levitating the binoculars from his face. He was inside the captain’s room, overlooking the surrounding area. Like he had predicted, his airship had gotten them their in record breaking time. This was a surprised to no one, since he was simply the greatest when it came to engineering. “Can you set us down in the park?”

“Can I set us down?” Aisling snorted. “Lad, I could do it with me eyes closed.”

“And you have...and crashed it all the same.” Blueblood deadpanned. 

Aisling snorted. “Yeah, yeah. Crashing is still landing, ‘cept not as gracefully.”

“That’s what you’ve said before and each time I’ve nearly fired you,” Blueblood groaned. “Kragon?”

“Yes, sir.” His butler, a suited Troodon, nodded. He was a clever sort of fellow and Blueblood relied on him heavily. It also helped to scare his rivals. As with most Troodon, he was golden feathered with a large red feathered crest and ‘mask’ around his eyes. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t ‘crash’.”

“I’m not crashing,” Aisling muttered. “I’m an expert.”

“Which is why you crashed us into that mountain and wrecked the kitchen,” Blueblood pointed out. “I doubt Mary is going to like it happening a second time.”

Aisling blanched. Mary was their human cook. Blueblood liked to mix up his crew when it came to species as a sort of way to promote harmony. It was a vessel given the title in honor of his beloved monarch and aunt. She loved harmony more than anything. Mary was a…..rash woman and loved her kitchen more than anything else. Hay, she was practically the kitchen’s princess. You didn’t mess with it when she was around, or at all really. “Gotcha.”

Slowly, but surely, the vessel touched down on the soft grass. They made sure not to land in the large crater. 

“There,” Aisling smirked. “I didn’t crash.”

"What's this about crashing?" Sweetie asked, walking in with a tray balanced on her head. "Also, would anypony like a brownie? Me and that lovely human Mary made them. They're hot and fresh~."

“I would love to have one,” Blueblood smiled as he took one in his magic. “Kragon?”

“I would be delighted,” Kragon took one in his talons and politely nibbled on it. “Very well made, Miss Sweetie. Commendable talent.” 

"Thank you dear. It is my special talent after all. Mr. Aisling, would you like one as well?" Sweetie asked.

Aisling snorted and munched on a couple. “...It’s okay.”

“Don’t mind him,” Blueblood rolled his eyes. “He’s a rather trying creature to get along with.”

“Yes, talk about him right next to him.” Aisling grumbled. “Real smart you are, Duke.” 

"Now now, no need for fighting." Sweetie said, smiling. "I'm glad you like them Mr. Aisling, and I wish to say you did a fantastic job flying; I barely felt a thing the entire trip."

“Then you have my engineering skills to thank for that,” Blueblood put a hoof to his chest. 

“Real modest, ain’t he?” Aisling remarked. 

"Well the ship is very well made. Anyway, I better go see if the others want some. Have a nice day dears." Sweetie cheered before heading out into the main lobby.

“...I like her,” Aisling said. “Wish she could stay. Make for a better cook than Mary.”

“Quiet you,” Blueblood glared at him.

Kragon sighed. “Just another day, sir.” 

"Hello Sunset! Hi Coco! Would you like a brownie?" Sweetie asked.

Sunset lowered the book she was reading and took a piece. She quickly threw it into her mouth and hovered the book back up into her face. “Thanks.” She swiftly said. 

Coco smiled and took one as well. “Thank you for making them. I hope it wasn’t much of a bother.”

"Not at all." Sweetie said, smiling. "I love cooking. Normally I spend a good chunk of my day cooking, so I've been missing it a bit during this whole other world thing."

Coco munched on it. “I can see why. They’re lovely.”

"Thank you dear. Do you know where the others are? I haven't seen them in a while." Sweetie looked around, trying to spot the others.

“They’re probably-” Coco started.

“Here I am,” Hikaru hopped out from under Coco, causing her to scream and hide behind Sunset. He chuckled. “Sorry.”

"How did you get under there?" Sweetie asked, before narrowing her eyes. "Hikaru, does your mother know you are here?"

“.....Yes?” Hikaru looked around nervously. 

"Hiiikaru." Sweetie frowned. "Little boys who lie don't get brownies."

“....I wanted to see the Empire,” Hikaru’s ears folded backwards. “Mommy won’t mind ‘cause it’s safe, so it’s nothing really bad or anything.”

"So why didn't you stay with your mommy then?" Sweetie asked. "If it wasn't a problem she would have been happy to to take you if you asked her."

“But I wanna go on an adventure with her,” Hikaru said. “She never let’s me go do that.”

“Well you kind of nearly get eaten every other day as is,” Sunset pointed out, not taking her gaze off of the book. “I think she’s just not taking her chances.” 

".eight, we are finding your mommy right now mister." Sweetie said. "Hopefully you're not in trouble, but if you are it's your own fault."

“In trouble for-” Pizzelle trotted around the corner and stopped as she saw Hikaru.

“Um…” he waved. “Hi Mommy.”

“...Hikaru?” Pizzelle stared at him him shock. “What are you….Where...Why aren’t you…..” She sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “I’m not really surprised. I….need to sit down for a bit. This is a lot to take….Are those brownies?”

"Freshly made." Sweetie said. "Here, you look like you could use something sweet."

“Thank you,” Pizzelle munched on one. “I needed this, dearie. I tend to bake and eat when I’m nervous or not feeling all that well….Well, more than I usually do when I’m happy and cheerful, because really, who doesn’t love baking. Aside from Sunset, of course.” 

“We all have our strengths,” Sunset said. 

"Yeap, as my Sunset would say, our diversity and ability to bring our best qualities together as friends is one of the greatest strengths of friendship." Sweetie replied with a mod, smiling at the memory of her dear friend.

“Yes well...Hikaru!” Pizzelle shouted. Hikaru was trying to nab the tray of brownies. “Only one brownie. The rest are for everyone else.”

“Sorry mommy.” Hikaru backed off.

Pizzelle sighed and hugged him close. “I’m sorry for shouting, sugar. It’s just the Empire isn’t the safest place at the moment and I don’t want you getting hurt. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“But I’m a big kitsune,” Hikaru said. “And my illusions are getting better.” 

"Yes well," Sweetie said, frowning, "wait, it's not safe? I thought the Empire was peaceful."

“It is,” Sunset said. “Pizzelle’s just a worrywart.”

“I am certainly not,” Pizzelle said. 

“You nearly had a heart attack when it lightly rained that one day,” Sunset pointed out. “You thought he’d drown in a puddle.”

“He could trip and fall,” Pizzelle shot back. 

“No I wouldn’t,” Hikaru muttered. 

"I'm sure you wouldn't dear...has anypony seen Redheart or Spike?" Sweetie asked. "I think we need to get moving soon, and I want to see if Princess Cadance would like some brownies."

“-And that’s how I genetically engineered the world’s first goldfish dragon hybrid,” Redheart explained to Spike as she turned the corner. “Oh thank goodness. We finally found you. This place is honestly quite massive.”

"I think it's rather lovely, Blueblood did an excellent job designing it. I could hardly tell I was flying." Sweetie complimented. "Anyway, would you care for some brownies? I made them fresh with the help of the ship's cook Marie."

“Why thank you,” Redheart grinned as she and Spike took a piece. “Delightful.” 

"Thank you. And Spike, I didn't forget my promise from earlier. I'll be making your those pastries with amethyst shavings as soon as I find time to get those gems." Sweetie assured the dragon.

“I don’t wish to be a bother,” Spike stated. “But I do look forward to those delightful treats.” 

"Oh it's no bother, I love baking." Sweetie said with a smile. "That's why I'm so happy I could make a career out of it."

“Oh dear,” Applejack burst out of her room. She had her hair up in a large, poofy manner and a form fitting light pink dress on. “Oh dear. We’re here? I need more time. I’m not ready. Look at me. I am lovely, but not that of the Empire. What ever shall I do?”

"...I think you look quite lovely dear." Sweetie said, needing a moment to stop staring as the dress hugged all the right places. A lack of hard farm work had given this Applejack a much more slender, feminine figure. Sweetie was really trying not to pay attention to that. She had a marefriend after all. "I'm sure you'll be welcomed just fine as you are, right everybody?"

The others nodded.

“Are you sure?” Applejack said, turning to let the others get a better look at her frame. “I’ve been having such a dreadful morning. The last thing I need is for something going wrong….Does it make my flank look too big?” 

Sweetie blushed so hard at that she looked like a tomato. 'Applejack just had to ask that of a flank lover didn't she?' Sweetie thought and looked to anyone else to answer AJ's question.

Sunset wasn’t even looking, paying attention to the book. Pizzelle was currently keeping Hikaru’s attention away from Applejack’s attire by talking about his illusions. Redheart simply wasn’t caring and had taken up talking with Coco. Which left Spike….

“Nonsense,” Spike grinned. “It fits your firm perfectly. Any dress would look divine on such a form you were fortunately blessed with.”

Applejack blushed and giggled. “Flatterer. I expect nothing less from the son of our goddess and what of you, Sweetie. You seem to be one of the few here that are actually willing to comment on my attire. I appreciate the honeyed words of my prince, but a mare’s word is appreciated. Does this dress ride my flank too well or not enough?” 

Sweetie was sweating. "Flank, lovely, yes, dress good...excuse me." Rushing off into the bathroom, one could hear cold water running and a few splashes. About a minute later, Sweetie came out, drying her face with a hoof towel. "I believe it looks quite wonderful on you and accents your gorgeous figure quite nicely."

“Why thank you,” Applejack smiled. “I was ever so worried. I do declare, what a horrid sight it would be if I was parading myself around with ‘humongous’ flanks. Tis not the case here.” She lightly hugged Sweetie. “Thank you for the aid.” 

"N-n-no problem." Sweetie stammered as she returned the hug, being very, very, very careful about where she put her hooves. "I'm happy to help a friend."

“Yes, well, you are always welcome wherever my family does business.” Applejack pulled back. “I could very well use a mare as sweet as you on board.”

"Sorry, I have a lot of responsibilities back home in my world." Sweetie admitted. "Still, if I get a chance I would love to visit your home one day. I'm sure it's as lovely as you."

“Oh-ho, I wish.” Applejack giggled. “But let’s be off, we have an Empire to greet.” And with that, Applejack trotted off, making sure to keep a good natured, lady-like gait. 

"Right. Let's get going guys, we have an Empire to see and friends to find." Sweetie said, heading out right behind Applejack so she could take in the sights...of the Empire, yes of the Empire. Very crystally and colorful. Yes.

A few butlers and maids stood at attention as Applejack came by, followed by everyone else. They quickly walked down onto the grass and Applejack stopped to gawk at the Crystal Empire. “Oh...OH! It’s far more beautiful than I could’ve imagined.”

“Oh yes,” Pizzelle nodded. “I loved it so much the first time I came here. Shame Presto wasn’t able to see it.” 

"Really? Why did he never visit here? Not a fan of the cold north?" Sweetie asked.

“He hasn’t had the chance,” Pizzelle explained. “The Empire just appeared not long ago and he’s on a world tour at the moment.” 

"Wait, it just appeared out of nowhere?" Sweetie asked in surprise, taking a good look around and really seeing the place for the first time. "How does all this come out of nowhere?"

“Evil overlords and curses,” Sunset stated. “Happens.”

Sweetie blinked in confusion. "An evil overlord cast a curse to build an entire city out of nothing in the frozen north?"

“No,” Sunset clarified. “He cast a curse to hide an entire city for over a thousand years. It wore off and the Crystal Empire was discovered again.” 

Sweetie thought about it for a bit, then facehoofed. "This sounds like something me and the girls are going to have to deal with when we get back home. Always with the thousand years and the ancient evils."

“Eh,” Sunset shrugged. “You get used to it. After your third villain of the week, you’ll see.” 

Sweetie groand. "I can almost fill it in now, the madlib this thing is. After one thousand years, blank is finally free! They now seek to conquer Equestria with their evil blank magic, and the only ones who can stop them are the prophesied heroines wielding the Elements of Harmony. It is up to them, as they are the only ones who can save the day. How close am I?"

“We have a winner,” Sunset responded. 

Sweetie sighed. "...huh, replace Equstria, Harmony, and day with blanks and you'd have a pretty good one actually now that I think about it."

“Yep,” Sunset nodded. “Seems kind of standard at this point, fiction or non-fiction.” 

"Well enough about the future, let's focus on the now and ind Twilight and Dash...mine to be more specific, but I think we left your Twilight back in Canterlot and I believe your Dash is in Cloudsdale." Sweetie summed up.

Just then, a contingent of guards, both Crystal and Equestrian, trotted over. One of them strode forth. He bowed before Sunset. “Princess, we have dire news.”

“What is it?” Sunset asked, already knowing she was going to hate what she was about to hear.

“Both of the foreigners, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, have been….foalnapped.”

Sweetie looked stunned. "What? But, what could possibly capture them?"

“We believe it to be the Enclave,” the soldier said.

“The Enclave?” Redheart asked. “But what are they doing here?”

“We currently have no information about their whereabouts or motives.” The soldier reported. “We were just tasked by Princess Cadance to keep the rest of your safe in case of an attempt on Sweetie.” 

"Oh my, this sounds serious. Who are these Enclave people?" Sweetie inquired.

“They’re pegasi extremists,” Redheart snorted. “They think that the pegasi should take their cloud cities and become independent. That us ‘mud wallowers’ and herbs are just prey and that we’re taking away their rights.” 

Sweetie naturally looked quite appalled. "Well wherever these brutes are, they better hope they have Dash well locked up, or she will be tearing them a new one. She hates tribalists with a passion."

“Well that’s if she can handle them,” Sunset put in. “If they’ve already taken her, it’s safe to say that she isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Of course, ‘any time soon’ means ‘when we arrive’ but that’s just the details.”



> FOALNAPPED...Oh wait (Sunsetverse)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright hold on everypony, we are coming in for a landing." Fortune called back to her passengers as she and her partner pulled in for a landing in a small clearing high up in the mountain. Mount Cragheart was indeed quite cragy. Finding enough open space to safely set down the carriage had actually been a problem. The mountain was dark, almost black in color, with streaks of bright, pale blue laced throughout like veins. All in all the place looked quite foreboding.

As soon as the carriage was done, Pansy called back "Alright, we are here everypony, and we still have about an hour of daylight left. Let's try to make the most of it, I don't want to spend too much time in anyplace this unstable."

“This got nothin’ on the ice fields of the North,” Quickfix quipped. “One misstep and yer an icecycle...That and watchin’ fer Bunyips.”

"But bunyips are from lowland tropical rivers." Sunset noted, stepping our and stretching in a manner reminiscent of a house cat. "They're amphibious, how could they be up north?"

“Lots of blubber,” Quickfix said. “The darn things kind of look like fluffy crocodiles and lurk near pools and such fer passin’ critters. Darn near got snatched by one a couple of times growin’ up.”

"Yeah, that's a southern tropical bunyip, except for the blubber deal. They're very skinny, almost emaciated." Sunset said. She blinked a few times. "Did we just have our bunyips on opposite sides of the world?"

“Matters,” Quickfix pointed out. “Do ye have northern river mosasaurs or somethin’? ‘Cause they kind of outcompete bunyips if’n they met.”

"Uh no, we do not have any dinosaurs." Mask said, flopping out and stretching on the ground. "Ahhh, yeah all our dinosaurs went extinct a few dozen million years ago...which raises the question of where those pterodactyls came from now that I think about it."

“Ah chalk it up to chaos magic,” Quickfix said, helping Fiddlesticks out of the carriage. “That’s how Discord brought the dinosaurs back in the first place. Thought the world needed more animals or somethin’ like that. Dunno, maybe he just liked seein’ them chomp on us now an’ again, sick freak.”

"We'll worry about that later. Right now we need to find the correct cave from centuries ago in a mountain filled with caves known for instability, collapses, earthquakes, avalanches, and land slides." Sunset explained. "Now somepony wake up AJ and let her know we are on the ground.”

“Ah will,” Quickfix frowned and looked to Fiddlesticks, who was sulking to herself. “Chin up, FIddle. It’s gonna be alright.”

“Yeah,” Fiddlesticks muttered.

Quickfix sighed as she trotted inside. Both Applejack and Lightning Dust were still sleeping. Quite heavily in fact. So, she just needed to give them the good ol’ Northern wake up call….

She punched Applejack hard in the face. “WAKE UP!” And then proceeded to toss her out the window.

"Huh wha?" Applejack snorted awake, largely unphased. "Ah yeah, we are on the ground! Ah don't need no blinders no more!" Plucking them off, she tossed them back into the carriage. "It's good to be back on the ground."

“WAKE UP!”

“WAAAAAA!” Lightning yelled as she was tossed out the window and onto the ground. Holding a hoof to her swollen cheek, she glared at the carriage. “DO you always have to do that?”

“Northern hospitality,” Quickfix said.

“And they wonder why no one likes going up north,” Lightning muttered.

"Girls, keep it down will you? This area might be unstable." Fortune pointed out. "Last thing we want is an avalanche."

“Don’t ye worry,” Quickfix spoke up. “Ah have just the….Right, left my Avalanche Away ‘tm’ back home. On second thought, we’ll just use ye pegasi to-”

“For the last time,” Lightning said. “We don’t work like that.”

“Ye could if’n ye let me install the rocket boosters,” Quickfix said. 

"Do I even want to know what her plan for us is?" Mask asked. "Or is it just too crazy?"

“Everything she says is crazy,” Lightning said.

“It’s not crazy,” Quickfix responded. “It’s science.”

“And that answer’s supposed to wave away all the moral dilemmas, isn’t it?” Lightning deadpanned

“Morals get in the way of SCIENCE!” Quickfix thrust her hoof at Lightning.

"But scientific studies need to be conducted in a moral manner, or else the results are tainted." Sunset argued back.

“That ain’t what me pa says and he’s still kickin’,” Quickfix shot back. 

“But what about the volunteers?” Lightning asked.

Quickfix just answered with laughter.

Sunset glared. "Yeah, I am so looking forward to sending you home Miss wreck my house with a giant squirrel golem that shoots fireworks."

“Fine,” Quickfix glared at her in return. “Maybe that’s how ah like it. Don’t know a lick of science ‘round here worth me time anyways.”

“Quickfix,” Lightning put a hoof on her shoulder. “Calm down. She-”

“Wants me gone,” Quickfix cut her off. “Fine by me. Not the first pony to shoo me away, not the last. Got ye girls, pa, and Spike……..and Shade too.”

"Sunset, apologize." Mask said, shooting Sunset with a disappointed look.

"Oh come on!" Sunset moaned. "She was just talking about using volunteers in unethical experiments! That's not raising any warning bells for you girls?"

“You get used to it,” Lightning said. “It’s either that or let her wallow in that lab of hers all by herself.”

"Well...would that really be a bad thing?" Sunset asked. "I mean why are you friends with...her? I really don't get it."

“Whoa, that’s harsh.” Lightning said, before glancing at Quickfix. “Quickfix, don’t-”

“SHUT UP!” Quickfix roared in her face. Tears started running down her cheeks. “JUST SHUT UP!”

“She didn’t mean it like that,” Lightning tried to calm her down. “Come on. It’s not like you actually do that….Shade doesn’t really count.”

“She meant it and she’s right,” Quickfix stomped off. “Ah’ll get those soldiers to take us there. Get me out of her yer mane and all that.”

“Quickfix,” Fiddlesticks raced on after her.

Lightning sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Now you’ve gone and done it. She’s a tad sensitive about the whole ‘friends’ thing….Before the whole Nightmare Moon incident, Fiddlesticks was her only friend, you know, both of ‘em new to Ponyville and Fiddlesticks’ so accepting. Everypony else steered clear of Quickfix. Now….She’s my friend, strangeness included She’s had my back and I have hers till the end. Wish it didn’t take that long, honestly. She’s pretty cool once you get to know her. Robot squirrels and all.”

Sunset looked quite upset. "I am worst pony!" She then wound up curling up into the fetal position, crying while rocking back and forth.

Mask sighed. "Well, we are off to a great start here aren't we? Sunset is having an episode, Quickfix is in a tizzy, and there are hurt feelings all around."

“Well we better fix this soon,” Lightning groaned. “Fiddlesticks is already sad about not getting Sunset to smile earlier. This would just break her heart.”

AJ quirked an eyebrow. "When was this?"

“After Sunset threw herself out a window,” Lightning said. “Kind of threw us for a loop when she did it.”

"She what!?" Masquerade and Applejack shouted in surprise.

"Right, this is going to take a lot of work." Mask sighed. "Can you two check up on Quick? I've got Sunset...again."

“You sure?” Lightning said. She gave a concerned glance towards the weeping Sunset. “She seems kind of...over the top right now. You really think you can do it yourself?”

"Eh, I've done it before." Masquerade explained. "Not quick, but I can do it. Last time I had to convince her not to feed herself to the monsters of the Everfree."

"If ya sure ya got it Mask, ah'll trust ya." AJ said with a quick nod, before trotting off after Quickfix.

“....Quicky,” Fiddlesticks spoke up. “Sunset’s just upset. She didn’t mean-”

“SHUT UP!” Quickfix roared once more. Her crying had gotten worse and she turned her baleful glare to the mountain. “Ah’ll find the portal myself. Just like ah did before ye. Don’t need no ‘mad’ scientist’s daughter runnin’ around with ye.”

“That never bothered me,” Fiddlesticks said. “Yer my friend.”

“....Just go,” Quickfix sniffed. “Ah want to be by myself.”

"Well that's just sillier than a pig in a weddin' dress." AJ huffed coming up. "Ya got friends, and we all are worried bout ya. Why in tarnation would ya send us away?"

“....’Cause yer scared,” Quickfix said. “That ah’ll snap and turn on ye. Ah won’t….but everypony thinks ah will.”

“AJ’s right,” Fiddlesticks nuzzled her. “That is silly talk.”

“No it ain’t,” Quickfix pulled away.

"Now look, ah don't think ya are gonna snap." AJ replied. "Ah don't think nothin' bad bout Sunset none so why would I think bad bout you?"

“Because ah’m an Aperture,” Quickfix turned on her. “We think outside the box. We’re a family of mad scientists.”

“You’re not-” Lightning started.

“Yes we are!” Quickfix said. “We’re mad and nopony likes us. Even up North, nopony wanted to be my friend. They were scared of me….Ah ain’t somepony ye can really get along with.”

"Lot's of ponies didn't like Sunset back up in Canterlot, but now she's found plenty of friends. Ya just gotta be willing ta look fer them, and not push them away when ya find em." AJ advised.

“Ah know….it just hurt when ah heard those words…..ah honestly ask myself that everyday.” Quickfix sniffled, to which Fiddlesticks hugged her. The country mare hummed a little northern tune and Quickfix quieted down. “Ah’m sorry.”

"Yes well, an think yer a great friend." AJ said. "Right Lightnin'?"

Lightning nodded. “I mean, who else could make my life so interesting.”

“...True,” Quickfix relented. “Ah am an interestin’ pony.”

Fiddlesticks giggled. “Interestin’? No, yer fantastic. Remember that party ah threw ya when ya first came to Ponyville.”

“Ah cast a spell that made us deaf for hours,” Quickfix laughed. “Ye really spooked me, Fiddle.”

“Ah try,” Fiddlesticks said. 

"Ya feelin' better now?" AJ asked.

“Course ah am,” Quickfix smiled. “Just a little misstep. Happens every now and again. Now, let’s get movin’. We’re wasting Celestia’s blessed light.”

"Yeah we'll, we are going to need to spend a bit more of it." Masquerade said, gliding in. "Sunset has something she wants to tell you guys."

Walking up nervously, Sunset weakly smiled. "Right, this is going to take a while. So, see, there's a reason I kind of reacted bad to what you were saying. See, it all goes back to when I was Celestia's only pupil, well maybe a bit earlier. Look, why don't I start at the beginning. Right so I was found on an orphanage doorstep..."

****************

"...and so I stopped being evil and became dedicated to trying to make up for my mistakes." Sunset finished. "So yeah, you kind of remind me about what I was like when I was a warlock, and I was doing a lot of projecting my own self loathing on you, so I'm sorry."

“Did ya get all that, Pat?” Fiddlesticks asked her pet.

Said platypus was laying on top of an open notebook. He trilled.

“Good boy,” she rubbed his head lovingly. 

“Sounds kind of like you went full ‘evil’,” Lightning said. “Back home, you’d likely be put to death….or end up like Shade...I don’t know which is worse.”

Quickfix chuckled. “Stallion’s got the worst of luck, he does.”

"So yeah, I was kind of being overly sensitive." Sunset said. "So...can you forgive me?"

“Sunset,” Quickfix stepped forward and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Ah’ve done a lot of things others aren’t proud of. Me?” She shrugged. “Eh. Science is as science does. Ah’m zany and it isn’t goin’ away. So let’s just put it all behind us….’cept the body mech idea. Ah really think that one can work. Ye’d be great as a robot.” She smiled earnestly. 

Sunset rolled her eyes. "No robots."

"Hey you girls still talking, or can we come over now?" Fortune called over. "Seriously, why couldn't we be over there?"

"It's private!" Mask shouted back. "And I think we're done!"

“We’re never done!” Quickfix shouted, thrusting her hoof into the air. “....Wait, what are we done with?”

“Bawlin’ our eyes out,” Fiddlesticks said.

“Oh….should ah try and remove our tear ducts?” Quickfix asked. “Wait, that sounds silly. Okay, let’s go.”

And then the sun set.

Fiddlesticks pulled off her hat and put it over her heart. The others bowed their heads. “Oh Celestia, though we see not of your blessed light. Give us strength to strive through the wretched night.”

“Amen,” the other two said. 

"Were they just praying to Celestia?" Pansy asked, eyes narrowing.

"No." the local bearers all chimed in.

“Of course not,” Fiddlesticks smiled nervously.

“That’s silly,” Quickfix said, chuckling. “What we did and what you think we did are not the same thing.”

"Yes, totally different stuff." Sunset said, smiling nervously. "Anyway we don't have a lot of time until the portal closes. I know the area is a bit dangerous, but I think we need to explore the area at least a bit. We only have roughly two days left."

“Which is why we should hustle up,” Lightning said. “You can get your feathers knotted over praying later. We have a portal to find.”

"Not that anypony was praying." Mask quickly interjected.

"Right," Sunset said, before conjuring up a glowing ball of light about the size of a dodgeball that glowed with quite a bit of light. "Right, I think this is bright enough. Anypony need me to turn it up at all?"

“Seems fine,” Fiddlesticks said. “Maybe a little pra-”

“Preparation,” Lightning interjected. “Let’s go over the game plan.”

"We are going to stick together and search the area for a few hours before making camp." Sunset stated. "The good news is, these mountains are uninhabitable so we won't be running into anything bigger than a skvader out here."

“And if we do, we’ll just shoot it.” Quickfix quipped. 

"...you have no idea what a skvader is do you." Sunset said, sighing. "Right, they're part rabbit, part bird, and they're a protected species, so no eating them Lightning."

“They’re part rabbit,” Lightning glowered. “They’re asking for it….annoying buggers the lot of them.”

“Easy now,” Fiddlesticks said. “They aren’t all ‘Angels’.”

“I’ll eat him one day,” Lightning said. “Count on it. The bastard’s beaten me one too many times.”

"...you know I would laugh," Sunset noted, "but it's Angel. I understand fully."

“He has it coming,” Lightning growled, bearing her fangs as she tensed. She could already imagine clamping down on the vermin.

"Just don't go after the local one." AJ admonished. "That'd just make Fluttershy cry."

"Applejack, they're going home. She won't have a chance to eat our Angel." Sunset pointed out. "Alright girls, enough chit chat, let's move out!"

Fiddlesticks hopped onto Sunset’s back and dramatically pointed forward. “Onward, mighty steed, to victory!”

"....please get off Fiddlesticks." Sunset asked, exasperated. "I need to concentrate to keep the lantern going."

“Okay,” Fiddlesticks hopped off. “....Can-”

“Ye can’t ride me,” Quickfix spoke up. 

“Can we just get moving already?” Lightning said. “I don’t think any of us want to spend two years here….No offense.”

"None taken. Ah woudn't wanna stay away from home fer two years neither." AJ said with a shrug.

“Ya want me to put on some travellin’ music?” Fiddlesticks was on her hindlegs already with her favored fiddle in hoof.

“....Wait,” Lightning glared at her. “I had to listen to Applejack….APPLEJACK, SING THAT BOTTLE SONG AND YOU WAITED TILL NOW TO SING?!!!”

“Yep,” Fiddlesticks smiled innocently. 

“You….gah!” Lightning groaned. 

"And just what is so darn bad bout mah singin'?" AJ asked with a glare.

"Hey is that a giant cave over there? Let's check out over there!" Mask suggested in a hurry.

“Good eye,” Quickfix nodded, though she kind of wanted to see a fight. “Let’s check it out.”

The cave proved to be quite large, with numerous giant crystalline growths that glowed softly with reflected light. "Okay, no way is this natural." Sunset pointed out. "I have never seen crystal formations like this before. And I've never heard of anypony finding large crystals in these mountains either."

Masquerade shrugged. "I think they're kind of pretty."

“Reminds me too much of Emperor Sombra’s doin’,” Quickfix tensed. “Ain’t natural and comin’ from me, that means somethin’.”

"Whi the buck is Sombrero?" Fortune asked, taking a look around. "Sounds like a stupid name."

“His name was ‘Sombra’,” Lightning snorted. “He was a powerful warlock who took over the Crystal Empire. He tried to take over Equestria, but the sisters beat him back. So, being a sore loser, he cast a spell to send himself and the Empire’s capital city in some sort of ‘stasis’, so the sister’s couldn’t take it.”

"Right, sounds like a jerk. I'm gonna call him Sombrero. Evil jerks don't get to have a cool name." Fortune snarked.

"Fortune, focus." Pansy snapped. "You're a scouting expert, start scouting."

Fortune rolled her eyes. "Right, because it is so easy to track over magical glowing crystals that is so totally pliable enough for prints to impress."

“If only Crowland and Suri were here,” Fiddlesticks commented. “They’d have done it in no time.”

“That’s if we had enough money for it,” Lightning said. 

"Suri, as in Suri Polomare? The fashion designer?" Sunset asked, confused.

“She’s a merc in our world,” Lightning said. “Though, she does love designing her own outfits and her and Rarity do sometimes ‘compete’ for fun. Otherwise, she trains with her master or goes off to complete jobs for clients. Which usually involve ‘capture’ ‘assassinations’ the works really. She’s pretty awesome.”

"And she has experience tracking across magic crystals?" Fortune asked, amused.

Lightning shrugged. “How should I know? She’s travelled the world several times over and hunted pretty much everything from here to Tartarus. Even let me have this sweet daemon jewel as a gift. Don’t worry, it’s harmless. She killed the daemon after all.”

"Awww, that sounds cute." Pansy said, smiling. "Sounds like when I gave my boyfriend a jaguar pelt."

"Didn't he dump you for that?" Fortune asked.

Pansy got a flat look. "How was I supposed to know he was a nature lover?"

"And the name Gentle Nature didn't tip you off?"

"Well at least I can get a date!"

"I just haven't found somepony right yet! It's just bad luck!"

"Your special talent is good luck! How much luck do you need to find somepony willing to settle for you?"

"Settle!?"

"Stop!" Sunset shouted, stepping in between the knights. "What is wrong with you two? You're professionals."

Lightning chuckled at that statement, before Quickfix roughly nudged her side which sent her tumbling over. “Oooph, yeah, yeah. I know….Stupid Northern strength.”

Fiddlesticks was eating from a bag of popcorn, throwing a couple to Pat. “Yeah, what Sunset said.” She munched on a few more and then offered it to Applejack. “Have some, cuz. It might not be over yet.”

Rolling her eyes as AJ took some, Sunset continued. "You two are more than just coworkers. I could tell by all your friendly banter back at the library, and on the flight. You two are friends. And friends shouldn't fight like that! Yes, friends won't always agree, but that's different from taking shots at each others character, or love life. Friends are supposed to be there for each other, and be understanding of each others troubles, easing their burdens instead of adding onto them. When we all work together, our burdens become lighter and our life becomes brighter!"

“Yep, yep, yep,” Fiddlesticks nodded trotting up to them. “Though sometimes, it’s fun to argue. My friends argue all the time. It’s good to let off a little steam every now and again….But nothin’ beats a little after argument popcorn.” She held out two bags that were balanced on her tail.

"Thanks." Fortune said, popping her own bag open. "And Fregrant, I am sorry. I'm just a little frustrated I can't do anything right now, I shouldn't have taken that out on you."

"And I shouldn't have taken my relationship troubles out on you." Pansy said, sighing. "Friends?"

"The best...oh my goodness this is some really good popcorn." Fortune said, digging in.

"Yes. Friendship triumphs again!" Sunset said, doing a tail-pump in victory. "...and can I get some of that popcorn?"

Fiddlesticks held out a bag to her. “Here ya go….” She frowned. “And sorry fer not doin’ a great job at makin’ ya smile on the carriage. No more songs out of me from now on out while ah’m here.”

"That popcorn smells really good." a quiet voice echoed from deeper within the cave.

“Ya can have some random voice from inside the cave,” Fiddlesticks held out another one she got from…..somewhere. 

“I don’t think we should offer food to random voices, Fiddlesticks.” Lightning rolled her eyes.

“It never hurts to be polite,” Fiddlesticks said. “Even if it’s an evil abomination that wants to suck out our souls.”

"What? No why would I want souls? Hold on a second." Coming out from deeper in the cave is a very average looking tan earth pony with a brown mane and tail. The lantern in his forehoof matched his cutie mark. "Hey there. Name's Lonely Lantern. What brings a big old group like yours out here?"

“What’s it too you?” Lightning raised an eyebrow.

“Now don’t be rude, Lightnin’.” Fiddlesticks said, before trotting up to him. “Name’s Fiddlesticks. We’re just takin’ in the sights and stuff. Well, a lot of stuff really, but it’s kind of secret stuff. Ah’d tell ya, but ya might be a heretic. If’n ya ain’t, ah’ll hug ya to say sorry….Well, ah’ll hug ya anyways really.”

Quickfix pushed her back. “Now wait just a moment. What are ye doin’ here?”

"Exploring." Lantern said, smiling. " Not a lot of folks come out here, since the mountain is so unstable. Exploring's my special talent. I found this neat cave, never heard of anything like this before. I actually set up camp a bit further in if you're interested."

“That’s mighty kind of ya,” Fiddlesticks smiled and tipped her hat. 

“Sounds suspicious,” Lightning narrowed her eyes.

“He’s by himself,” Quickfix pointed out. “And we’ve face worse before. So don’t go biting off his head, Dust.”

Lightning mimed ‘Don’t go biting off his head’ in mock attitude. 

"Wait Lightning Dust?" Lantern asked, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

“.......What?” Lightning blinked in confusion. “Do I know you?”

"Oh come on, we didn't have that bad a breakup." Lantern said, rolling his eyes.

“Lightning Dust,” Fiddlesticks nudged her. “Ya sly fox, ya.” She chuckled, having a little fun at her friends expense. 

Lightning was blushing. “Breakup? We dated for a while?”

"Apparently the breakup was worse than I thought then." Lantern muttered.

“Wait, why would you would you want to break up with me?” Lightning glared at him. “I’m awesome, sexy, and a fun pony. Who wouldn’t want a piece of me?”

"You broke up with me because I wouldn't stay home and kept going all over the world!" Lantern shouted back. "Don't go putting this on me!"

“Should ah stop this?” Quickfix whispered to Sunset. “‘Cause ah kind of want to see how this turns out.”

“Putting this on you?” Lightning scoffed. “Oh right. Maybe you should’ve thought to let me go with you or maybe go somewhere actually cool.”

"The butterfly migration is totally cool!" Lantern shot back.

Tapping Lightning on the shoulder, AJ whispered "Ya do remember that he's talkin' bout our world's Lightnin' right?"

“Quiet,” Lightning seethed, showing off her fangs. “Nopony breaks up with me and gets away with it….Even if I broke up with him, but I must have had a good reason. A butterfly migration might’ve been a good one.” She turned back to him. “And that’s it? You just walked away? Didn’t even fight for it? Come on. I make it difficult for all my boyfriends.”

"Well I couldn't have exactly followed you back to Cloudsdale." Lantern pointed out. "Yeah, real challenge, getting an earth up to the cloud capital."

“A cloud walking spell,” Lightning pointed out. “Just go get a unicorn to zap you and ‘wham’. A little jump into a balloon and you’d be cuddling this hot piece of pegasus all night. But no, you chickened out.”

"Augh, can you believe this Mask?...Mask?" Sunset looked around. "Hey, where did Masquerade go?"

****************

Mask struggled against her bindings, trying to chew on her gag.

"Good job. I can see why Dominion, may he reign eternal, would accept your offer of alliance." the dark cloaked figure said to the assembled pegasi soldiers.

“We do our duty,” one of the armored soldiers grumbled. “Just keep to your side of the bargain and we’ll be fine.”

"Of course. I would never defy the word of my master. You aid us in our conquest, and you shall have lands to rule, pegasi free of the influence of the other tribes. Now that the twinkle eye is out of the way, this will be just so much easier." the cloaked figure then let out a peel of evil laughter.

Mask quirked an eyebrow, giving one of the soldiers a glance that said 'you guys are really working with that?'.

“Begrudgingly,” the soldier muttered low enough that only Mask could hear. You could hear his teeth clash against each other in agitation. 

“Yes,” the leader spoke up. “But I don’t see why we should waste time with but one. Why not catch the rest. My soldiers are more than capable of subduing these locals. They’re soft.”

"Why go through all that effort?" the cloaked figure asked. "After all, you removed the only one immune to illusions." Her horn started to glow lime green...

****************

"Wait what? We lost somepony?" Fortune asked. "How the bloody Tartarus did that happen?"

"You didn't lose me." Mask muttered, flying in. "I just had to go. It was a long flight."

“Go do what?” Fiddlesticks asked, tilting her head in confusion. “There was so much drama here. Don’t ya like that kind of stuff?”

Then, from deep within the cave, a roar rumbled out, shaking the cave slightly.

“QUIET YOU!” Lightning roared back. “I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF WINNING THIS ARGUMENT! HOW RUDE OF SOME MONSTERS!”

There is a pause of almost shock, before another roar sounds. Rounding the corner is a large, squat, bulky dragon skeleton wreathed and held together by black crystalline growths, fountains of green flame in its eye sockets.

"Maaaaask." Sunset asked, glancing over at her friend nervously.

"Not an illusion, not an illusion!" Mask said, quite frankly panicking for a second.

“A girl can’t even argue with her alternate self’s ex around here,” Lightning growled and extended her wing. Pointing her feathers, she sent a large arc of lightning at the ceiling above the dragon. Given her anger and expertise, it was large enough to crack it and have a large piece of crystal smash into the skeleton dragon’s head.

It bounced off the thing's head. It's eyes extinguish and reignite a couple of times, mimicking blinking. Then it shot a storm of dark crystal shards from its mouth, only to have them bounce off of a shield Sunset conjured.

“Alright,” Quickfix lent out her hoof and Fiddlesticks gave her a large wrench. “Finally something to smash. Who wants first? ‘Cause there might not be much left after my turn.”

"That would be us." Fortune said, flying high while Pansy stayed low. Gathering lightning into her front hooves, Fortune shashed hard into the creature's skull as Pansy launched several vacuum blades at the thing. The crystals somehow absorbed the lightning, dispersing it. Meanwhile the vacuum blades did do some damage, cutting into the bone and crystal, but the crystal just grew back from any damage, also growing to replace the gouges on the bone. "Oh that is just not fair." Fortune probably would have said more, but she was forced just then into a series of acrobatic dodges to avoid another crystal hail.

Quickfix rushed forward with a mad glint in her eyes. She was a scientist and given her father’s work, she knew full well where the weaknesses of the body lay. As the beast was preoccupied with the pegasi, she ducked in and smashed joints along the limbs. Given how she was a Northerner, she had plenty of experience with crystalized creatures. Hay, she killed a crystal raptor after all. So she buck and smashed her wrench in order to drive the creature to the ground. 

The crystal held, showing at most tiny cracks that self repaired rapidly. The creature didn't even seem to notice Quickfix's efforts.

Quickfix paused as she stared at the creature. Yes it was large and certainly would be hard to take down, but such strength and rapid healing? No, something was up. Something sinister. Her eyes widened. “Somepony’s behind this thing!”

"No duh! Some warlock made the thing!" Sunset called out, trying to blast the thing with a fireball that failed to scorch the thing.

“Not like that,” Quickfix snorted. She leaned against the beast’s leg in thought, not really minding it really. It wasn’t paying her the least bit of attention, which was so odd. If this was a controlled, the beast would’ve at least roared in pain or showed her the least bit of attention. If it was a construct, it would have thrown her off. Constructs usually had self-defense protocols. Either way, when that crystal hit it’s head, it should’ve done something. At least a spark of magic or something. Even as Lightning blasted it with lightning, the creature showed no ill effects. She lightly dinged the creature’s leg in thought. Honestly, she kind of forgot it was there as she lost herself in her theories. And then she fell through the thing's leg. 

Quickfix blinked in surprise. “What? Huh? Come on, ah was thinkin’. Ya can’t just…….” She stopped as a thought struck her. She bonked herself on the head with the wrench. “Argh, should’ve thought that one first.”

“Stop thinking and hit it already,” Lightning shouted as she sent several bolts into the creature’s spine.

“Hit what?” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow. “Ye mean the thin’ that ah just passed through?”

“Yeah the……..what did you say?” Lightning stopped to look at her. 

“Fiddlesticks,” Quickfix spoke up. “Sing that annoying song?”

“NO!” Lightning flew down beside her. “I am not listening to that song.”

“But it did build moral,” Quickfix smirked.

“It built frustration,” Lightning said. “Like that guy!” She gestured to Lantern...who wasn't there anymore. “Wait? Where’d he go?”

"He probably ran away." Mask suggested. "I can't blame him, that thing is pretty nasty looking."

“Yeah,” Lightning nodded and jumped back into the fight.

Quickfix calmly walked beside Mask and stroked her chin. “So yer just gonna stay back here?”

"Um, I'm an actor." Mask pointed out. "What am I going to do to a giant dragon crystal thing?"

“What crystal dragon?” Quickfix quirked an eyebrow. “It ain’t crystal. Ah’ve lived my whole life near those things and that ain’t it….It’s kind of clever, this illusion. Has ye fooled, don’t it?” 

"Uh, Quickfix, it ain't an illusion." AJ pointed out. "Mask's a twinkle eye, they can see through illusions so good they don't even know there's an illusion TO see through."

“Then how did ah fall through it’s leg?” Quickfix pointed out, her eyes narrowing. “How come it doesn’t act like a crystal critter? How come ah don’t see it anymore?”

"Wait, you don't see it?" Sunset asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "That sounds like an illusion to me."

“Fiddlesticks,” Quickfix said.

“Yep,” Fiddlesticks smiled.

“What do ye see?”

“A giant, crystal skeleton dragon.”

“Close yer eyes and believe what ah’m about to say.”

Fiddlesticks closed her eyes.

“It ain’t real.”

Fiddlesticks opened her eyes. “Where’d it go?” She glanced around.

Quickfix chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Ya did good,” she glared at Mask. “Fiddlesticks always believes me, no matter how strange ah can get. She can’t see. Ah can’t see it. It ain’t real.”

"...Mask has darker eyes." Sunset noticed, before smacking the fake with a dispelling beam, causing her to wink out in a burst of green light. She then blasted the dragon, causing it to also burst into green light. "Alright people, we've got an evil illusionist here, and they kidnapped the only pony immune to illusions, so keep your eyes peeled and stay on guard we've got a pony to rescue on top of everything else."

“Argh!” Lightning growled. “It was that Lantern guy, wasn’t it? I knew he was trouble.”

"I think he was another illusion actually." Sunset noted. "Mask vanished right about the time he showed up and distracted us probably."

“Then why come up with the story with Lightnin’?” Fiddlesticks asked. “Couldn’t he just take us into a trap or somethin’? Seems kind of pointless really.”

"Dark illusions can kill you if you believe in them." Sunset explained. "So yeah, it was setup for the illusion dragon to kill us."

"Well that's just lower than snake in a limbo contest." AJ grumbled.

“I’m going to rip out his throat,” Lightning growled. “I’m going to watch him choke on his own blood!”

“Calm down,” Quickfix rolled her eyes. “He didn’t ‘break up’ with ye, Dust.”

“HE STILL SAID IT!” Lightning shouted. 

"Oh for evil's sake, I'm not even real." Lantern 'said', popping up out of nowhere. "You are so dense."

“I’ll show you dense when I smash in your skull,” Lightning threatened. “I’ll find the one who made you and show them what happens when you mess with a Dust’s love life!”

"You will do no such thing. We have your friend held hostage. If you guys don't turn around and leave...well do I really need to spell it out?"

“I doubt you can even spell your own name,” Lightning muttered.

"I will destroy you!...if you don't leave." the illusion relayed. "Don't push me."

“I’m going to push,” Lightning glared at him. “I’ve faced the dark goddess who slaughtered millions to drink their souls. I faced the chaos god who warped the world around him for his pleasure. I’ve faced monsters from here to Tartarus. Do you even begin to think you’re on their level?”

"....lieutenant, stab the actor. Not fatally, just to hurt her...alright, now then from now on whenever you sas me she's going to get stabbed again. Any I other smart remarks?"

“...You know,” Lightning pointed out. “How do we know you stabbed her? I mean, you’re an illusion. She’s far off, we can’t see her. For all I know, you’re having tea together. You’re plan is kind of flawed.”

"Tea? Tea? I would never have tea with one of the Bearers! They are the truest enemies of my glorious master! Glory upon Dominion! Long may he reign!"

Sunset looked furious. "Oh bucking Discord wearing a bucking tutu made out of the screams of children! Your one of Dominion's warlocks!? That's just great!"

“Oh so we know what sort of heretic he is,” Lightning said. “Wish we had a ‘Bearer of Flame’. I’d love to watch your sins burn away like your flesh.” 

"Sin? Sin? I am a True follower of the one true master of the world!" the illusion shouted. "Leave, or your friend shall perish." And then it vanished.

"Right, well we are in some serious trouble." Sunset sighed. "Dominion only recruits top tier warlocks, and this one is a loyal fanatic on top of that."

“Top tier warlocks?” Quickfix looked stunned. “What the hay? How many are there here? Ah mean, don’t ye execute warlocks on the spot?”

"No." AJ said flatly. "We don't do death sentences here in Equestria. And a lot of the nastier nations don't forbid dark magic as much as be the ponies in charge."

"Yeah, the Confederacy is a messed up place." Sunset said. "But still, most of them are still low tier warlocks."

The three foreigner stared at them in shock.

“That….that’s stupid,” Lightning said. “If you just let ponies run free with dark magic, they’ll summon all sorts of daemons and kill who knows how many. That’s why we don’t mess around with them. If somepony is found messing with black magic, they are to be immediately detained/executed, questions, and then executed. Then the Inquisition would go and make sure the taint didn’t spread. The Holy Celestial Inquisition would never let something like that happen. Hay, we’d probably invade this ‘Confederacy’ if we found out they had such problems.”

"Yeah, we don't have that whole daemon thing here. And the Confederacy is an alliance of over a hundred island nations, you invade any one of them and the others will retaliate. And not all of them are evil...in fact the majority aren't." Sunset explained. "Hence while the C.I.S. is such a pain to deal with."

"Well, look, it's all kinds of complicated." AJ said. "It's somethin' for smarter ponies to work out."

"As fascinating as all this is," Fortune said "we have a serious problem with a hostage situation here, involving a crazy warlock."

“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do,” Lightning said. “We’re going to save Mask and kill this warlock. Simple as that.”

"Works for me." Pansy said. "Kidnapping, attempted murder, and dark magic? Totally willing to do it."

“See?” Lightning gestured at her. “She gets it.”

"And we aren't in Equestria anymore." Fortune pointed out. "So we can't really arrest her, this is unclaimed land."

“The good ol’ smashe ‘em up,” Quickfix smirked, hefting her wrench over her shoulder. “They want to turn their back on Celestia, well, let’s show them how stupid that is.”

"Well she might not be Equestrian." Fortune pointed out. "So no idea if she turned her back on the Princess at all."

Quickfix stared at Fortune for a while. “Yeah, right….Well, she turned her back anyways to follow this ‘god’ or somethin’. Ah call bashin’ her brains in.”

"Girls, I'd prefer trying to take her alive." Sunset said. "The whole "redemption" thing me and Celestia preach, remember? Also, Dominion isn't a god...even if he bills himself as one. He is just the most powerful warlock in the world."

“So he’s like Sombra then,” Lightning said. “And we’ll try….I put emphasis on try.”

“We’ll do more than try,” Fiddlesticks spoke up. “Why, I bet she’s gonna be our bestest friend by the end of the week. Remember Shade?”

“But…..” Lightning said and then became silent. “Okay, you have a point.”

“Shade’s Shade,” Quickfix shrugged. “He’s an exception. He...wasn’t a great warlock?” She scratched her head. “Darn it, Fiddlesticks. Ah’m still gonna mess her up though. Shade’s an exception. Haven’t met a good warlock since...Only dead ones.” She smirked. 

Sunset coughed uncomfortably. "Anyway, redemption, okay guys? If he, or she, is throwing around illusions, they're a unicorn. Worst comes to worse, we break the horn and take the warlock prisoner."

"Problem is that lieutenant thing." AJ pointed out. "The Cult don't have no soldiers."

“.......They don’t?” Lightning just stared at them. “Come on, all cults have them. Okay, they’re pretty much just canon fodder, especially chaos cultists. They really don’t have much more on their mind then ‘fun’, which is usually just stabbing you over and over and wearing your organs as hats, but still. Come on, this Cult’s got to have something.”

“....Can we not have that?” Fiddlesticks looked a tad bit green. She hid her face behind her hat. “Ah don’t want to remember that.”

"That is disturbing, and no, we don't have that." Sunset said. "The Cult is quality over quantity, to a high degree. Small numbers, big power."

“Huh,” Lightning shrugged. “Nightmare Moon managed to build a cult with both, but this ‘Cult’ must be tad slow. Apostle was good at his job, the filthy heretic.”

"Yeah, but again, mortal. And the organization isn't that old, maybe a decade at most." Sunset pointed out. "Actually kind of impressive he did this much that quickly now that I think about it."

“Which wouldn’t have happened if ye just put a bullet or somethin’ into their head,” Quickfix huffed. “Now, let’s go put somethin’ into him/her’s head then.”

"The hay's a bullet?" AJ asked, getting a shrug in response from the other locals.

“Ball of metal that are shot out of rifles,” Quickfix said. “They aren’t the most accurate, but they’ve got impressive range.”

"Huh. Well, let's figure out where they are so we can save Mask." Fortune said. "Sooo...anypony got any idea where they are?"

“Well we could always use my ‘DNA Tracker’,” Quickfix put out. “Did ah leave that at home though?” She tapped her chin.

“Or we could just check out the cave,” Lightning said. “Or walk outside a bit. Maybe we’ll bump into a ‘soldier’ or something, nab ‘em, and get them to tell us where Mask is.”

"Or I could escape." Mask said. "By the way, they're worse with knots than you are Fiddlesticks. Also, they're with the mirror and the warlock's got some weird stuff all around it."

“.........Give me a good reason to trust yer the real one,” Quickfix narrowed her eyes in suspicion. 

"Dominion is a smelly moron, warlocks suck, Celestia is awesome, and the warlock that held me was an ugly, crazy mare with an oversized horn." Masquerade said, not missing a beat. "Also, does a group of fuzzy pegasi tribalists called the Enclave mean anything to you?"

“Those guys?” Lightning groaned. “This just got tougher and not in the good way. They’re an elite, tribalist group and they’ll stop at nothing till they’ve ‘liberated’ the pegasus race. We can thank Pansy’s ancestor for them.”

"Damn it alternate great great great great great great great great great great great great grandmother!" Fregrant Pansy shouted to the heavens.

“Damn her all you want,” Lightning said. “We’ve done it plenty in our timeline. I mean, she poisoned Commander Hurricane so she could become the next commander and how she hated the ‘intermixing’ of tribes and all that.”

"That is so alternate I don't even." Fortune said, shaking her head. "She poisoned her own father?"

“Probably angry her dad married a changeling,” Lightning rolled her eyes. 

"Your Hurricane married?" Mask asked. "Huh. Ours was very...free with his love. I think like one in ten pegasi can trace their lineage back to him. And a good chunk of unicorns and earths as well actually, but not even close to ten percent. Maybe one or two percent."

“Yeah he was kind of like that in the history books,” Quickfix sniggered. “Till he met Queen Chrysalis and he fell head over hooves fer her and vice versa. Good thin’ too.”

Fiddlesticks sighed dreamily. “A romance for the ages.”

"So, shall we get going guys?" Mask asked.

****************

"What do you mean she escaped? You were supposed to guard her! While she was tied up! She's an actor and you are soldiers!" the warlock shouted.

“I have no idea,” the lead pegasus shot back. “Maybe you should’ve cast some spell to keep tabs on her, lock her up, keep her asleep. You’re a damned unicorn after all.”

"Yeah, but she sucks." a new cloaked figure said, flying in. "Seriously Picture Perfect, can't you do anything right without making a big production of the thing?"

"Shut it Firestorm!" Picture shouted back. "You're little fire lightning tornadoes failed too! You're a one trick pony!"

"Well at least my powers work without having to have my enemy believe it's real." Firestorm shot back.

"Don't you mean power? Singular. No backup trick you hack!" Picture shot back.

"Enough you two." a third figure called out. "Stop gobbling and do something! It will take me time to finish reinforcing this portal. If you want your army to come through, you'll need to keep me safe, or else you Enclave ponies will be stranded here for a few years."

“You have nothing to fear,” the Enclave soldier said, bowing his head. “Anyone who so much as looks at you with ill intent will have their blood spilled and their flesh served as dinner. That I can assure you.”

"Good. See to it." the third figure said. "Our master invested a great amount into this plan of yours. Show it is worth its investment."

“As we have of you,” the Enclave snorted. “We’ve risked a lot on this venture of yours. Our own master will be….displeased if things go awry.” The tone held an air of finality.

"Enough!" Picture shouted. "Lieutenant, get your men ready. They'll be here soon."

The Enclave nodded. He turned to his soldiers. Many of them were sharpened their blades, polishing armor, or keeping tabs on the Wyverns. Wyverns were the preferred mount of Enclave riders. They were fast, deadly, and sturdy. Their already thick scales were encomposed in standard dark gray Enclave armor and their tails, which could crack bone with a simple smack, had several spikes along it. The beasts were much larger than a pony, able to easily fit one in its mouth. The Lieutenant gave out a shrill, predatory call that caught their attention. “The enemy approaches. To you stations.”

The soldiers nodded and like a finely tuned instrument, took off. Though, the wyverns obviously took discomfort with the warlocks. As in, they would snap at them as they passed or generally hissed in anger. 

"This is going to be wicked." Firestorm said, grinning wickedly inside his cloak.



> The Prisoners {Shimmerverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How the hay could this have happened?” Shining Armor paced around. He hadn’t sat down or anything but worry since the kidnapping. “They were foalnapped in our kingdom, right from under our muzzles. How the hay?!!”

"Perhaps you should've brought in more troops," Blueblood pointed out. "This are isn't the most secure and the inhabitants-"

“Little brother,” Cadance narrowed her eyes. “I trust these ponies with my life. They would never stoop to this level and I appreciate it if you wouldn’t assume such.”

Blueblood bowed his head. “Of course, but the points still remains.”

“We didn’t want to scare the Crystal Ponies,” Cadance said. “They’ve been through so much already, I hadn’t the heart to scare them even further. The Crystal Heart keeps out daemons and all that sort. So it must be ponies and they must be taint free.”

“So we can put to rest those ill thoughts of sacrifice,” Blueblood sighed in relief. He eyed Anrain. “You’ve been awfully silent. More so than usual.”

“This would not have happened if that damn chaos sorceror hadn’t gotten herself involved,” Anrain muttered. “The future is warped and I can’t see anything about this venture. I’m blind and I don’t like that.”

“So there’s good and bad news,” Shining said. “But that does nothing to help up find Twilie. They can still hurt her.” 

“They wouldn’t have if I had trained her,” Anrain snorted. 

"Which I'm sure Twilight would have loved to do if the other Twilight hadn't flung her to another country." Sweetie said. "She really does enjoy learning as much as she can."

“Ugh,” Shining groaned, putting a hoof to his head. “Why must Twilie always make it difficult. If she just listened to me for once, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Your sister is a free spirit,” Cadance smiled at her boyfriend. “She does as she pleases.”

"And we are getting off topic." Sweetie noted. "We need to focus on finding them. Sunset, do you know any tracking spells?"

“I don’t know any personally,” Sunset said. “But I know the concepts well enough and the books in order to use them.”

“Which they might be for naught,” Anrain spoke up. “They are under the Empire. My visions were clear once, now they are murky. That is all I know, but I do know that simply ‘tracking’ them will be difficult. Crystals can distort spells in some areas and such. I myself would be the best candidate to track them.”

"Do you need eye drops or something?" Sweetie asked.

“I need meditation in order the still my thoughts and that of the magic here,” Anrain said. 

“And how long will that take?” Shining asked.

“As long as you can remain quiet,” Anrain said. “I know that is difficult for you ponies, but that is how it must be.”

"It's not that hard to be quiet." Sweetie muttered before shutting up, not wanting to prove him right.

Anrain closed his eyes and after a few seconds his staff glowed. “Hmm,” he mumbled to himself. “Yes, they are a bunch of clever little ponies. They’ve hidden themselves well, but they’ve left their openings clear enough to spot.”

“Then tell us and be done with it,” Shining grumbled in irritation. “My soldiers can rip these heretics to shreds.”

“Do not be so foolish as to rush on into battle with this foe,” Anrain said. “They are cunning and quick. They will make this Tartarus for you.”

“As long as I have faith in Celestia,” Shining said. “I will persevere. You can count on that.”

"...aren't we supposed to be quiet so he can concentrate?" Sweetie asked, unsure if Anrain was done or not.

“I can make do with this,” Anrain snorted. “Besides, it is all the calm I am going to get with you ponies around.” He stood up and trotted over to a map of the Empire. He tapped a few places. “Each one of these is a gateway to the tunnels driving underneath the city. They will hold no magical constructs so enter at your own risk, for they will still have other defenses up.” 

"Is there any way you can tell us what sort of defenses?" Sweetie asked. "I'm worried about the soldiers being hurt trying to rescue my friends. Actually, is there any way for us to sneak in so we can just slip them out undetected so that they can't be used as hostages?"

“The crystals of the north are interfering with my visions,” Anrain said. “But I can tell well enough that they are heavily defended. Trying to take them would be….costly.”

“Well give the deer some due,” Shining muttered. “He didn’t lie to us this time.”

Sweetie gave Shining a good whack on the flank for his comment. "None of that. Anrain is doing his best and helping us out. Sass is not allowed mister. Don't make me call your mother."

Shining snorted as he rubbed the sore spot. “My mom’s in Canterlot. There’s no-”

“SHINING ARMOR!” A feminine voice roared.

Shining’s irises’ shrank. “Oh dear.”

Into the tent stormed something that made Field Marshal Shining Armor, victor of many battles and slayer of even a daemon prince of chaos, quake in fear: his mother. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Twilight Velvet seethed. “I get this letter sent directly from you lovely marefriend detailing several instances of idiocy and childishness and now I come out find that you’ve lost Twilight?!!!”

"And he is sassing the powerful deer Farseer that is using his powers to try and help us find a way to rescue her from the very well defended and equipped extremist group that is holding her hostage." Sweetie replied. She shrugged. "I did warn you I would tell your mother on you."

“I...You...UGH!” Twilight Velvet seethed. You could literally see her coat turn red from her anger. 

“Mom, now isn’t the time to-” Shining started before his mother magicked his mouth shut.

“Shining Armor,” Velvet glared at him. “I raised you better than this. Do you know what all this stress is doing to me? No, because you keep doing this time after time. I...UGH! So help me, I will ground you at this rate!”

“You can’t-” Shining started before Anrain held up a paper. The stallion read it. “....Wait, she’s allowed to detain me?”

“These are drastic times,” Anrain smirked. “Perhaps you should think before you act.” He chuckled. “But that isn’t the nature of….some of you.” 

Shining glared at him in return, before moving to his mother. “Mom, just calm down. Everything’s going to be alright. Remember what the doctor’s said?”

Velvet was huffing wildly before she took out a flask and capsule from her pouch. She threw the capsule into her mouth and took a swig. “...Right. No stress. I think...I think I need to sit down.” 

Sweetie quickly got up and offered her chair. "Here you go Mrs. Velvet, I've got plenty of stamina to stand."

“Thank you,” Velvet nodded before sitting. “I don’t mean to be a burden.” She snorted. “I would have taken this far better in my youth. Now….” She looked to her shaking hooves, before she took another capsule and swig. “...I’m sorry, was I interrupting?”

“Mom,” Shining started. “This isn’t the place for you.”

“You sound just like your father,” Velvet chuckled. “I’m staying put.”

“If you would please leave your thoughts of the dead elsewhere, that would be beneficial.” Anrain stated. “I am trying to explain the situation.”

“Hey!” Shining glared at him. “That’s my mother you’re talking to.”

“And that’s your blood trapped beneath our hooves,” Anrain snapped. “I may despise your chaotic sister with a passion, but she is not like that. So please, sit down and shut up or I will take away your ability to speak for the next five years.”

"Now now, let's all calm down. Yelling and threats isn't going to get anything done." Sweetie said, smiling. "Now Mrs. Velvet, are you up to speed on the whole "other world" incident that is ongoing?"

Velvet nodded. “Oh yes, quite so. It’s not so different than the concept I used in my third book. I do tend to adapt well to new conceptual knowledge. Helps in my field.”

"You also learn to do it quick when you are a Bearer." Sweetie said. "Well then, the Twilight that is missing is the one from my world, not yours. Hopefully that will take some of the edge off, knowing your own Twilight is just fine."

“On the contrary,” Velvet stated. “I am just as haggard with the thought of any version of my daughter dying as with my own. I wouldn’t want my duplicate to go through another loss.”

"Another?" Sweetie asked, confused.

“My husband,” Velvet frowned. “.....He did die in your world, correct?”

"I...uh...no, he didn't." Sweetie admitted, uncomfortable. "I am sorry for your loss, I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories."

Velvet was silent for a moment. Her face was blank. “He’s……..alive? He...this...That’s not fair. That’s not fair.” She shook her head. “It’s….just…..” Tears started to well up in her eyes.

“Mother,” Shining rubbed her back. “I really think you should go.”

Velvet shook her head. “No….Stay, I…….That’s not fair. I held him in my hooves as he...as he…..” She started to shake more as she hyperventilated. 

Sweetie immediately produced a brown paper bag and a pair of cold compresses, one applied to the forehead and the other to the back of the neck. "Hey, listen, breath slowly in and out of the bag. Slowly..."

After a few tense moments, Velvet started to calm down. She pulled the bag from her mouth. “I...That was a sorry display on my part. I thought I had worked past those little episodes.” She patted her son’s cheek. “Sorry for embarrassing you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Shining said. “I honestly thought you’d taken that a lot worse, so you’re improving.”

Turning to Cadance, Sweetie asked "Could you get somepony to show me to the kitchens? After all this stress and yelling I think some nice soothing tea and warm cookies would be a good idea."

“Of course,” Cadance clapped her hooves and Polish came trotting inside. “Polish, would you mind escorting her to the kitchen and please take a few guards with you this time.”

Polish bowed. “Yes, Empress.”

“Princess,” Cadance grit her teeth in suppressed frustration.

“Sorry,” Polish said before turning to Sweetie. “Follow me.”

"Gladly." sweetie said, trotting along happy as can be. "Oh, I also need to remember to make those amethyst cannoli for Spike. I keep forgetting to make those."

“Prince Spike?” Polish blushed as they moved along. “You know him personally or was it more of an order from his sister?”

"Personal offer." Sweetie replied. "I keep forgetting he is a prince here. And older."

“And sexy,” one of the female Crystal Pony guards remarked, causing the other female guards to sigh and the two males to roll their eyes and grumble in jealousy. 

"....I wouldn't know." Sweetie admitted with a shrug. "I don't swing that way, so I'm not the best judge."

“Right,” Polish said. “Let us not lust over the prince. That is beneath us.”

“Says the mare draped over his shoulder for an hour,” another piped up, causing Polish to blush.

“Now see here,” Polish sputtered. “I was...simply keeping an eye on the Prince. Nothing more.”

"Of course dear." Sweetie said with a smile. "You know, I will need somepony to deliver the cannoli to Prince Spike..."

“I’ll do it,” the mares said in a collective voice before glaring at each other. 

“You got to guard him last time.”

“Well you got to go swimming with him!”

“I didn’t get to do either.”

“I outrank all of you,” Polish stated. “As royal advisor to the crown, of course.”

"...is he really that good looking?" Sweetie asked, amazed at their sudden fervor.

They nodded.

“He’s got such a lovely voice.”

“Do you even see the muscles under those scales?”

“He’s got a way with words.”

“He’s a gentledragon,” Polish stated once more. “I dare say, there isn’t a bachelorette that hasn’t wished for a try with the Prince.”

"I haven't." Sweetie replied, before giggling.

“Are you married by any chance?” Polish asked. “Or with a significant other?”

"Marefriend." Sweetie said. "We haven't tied the knot though, so I am a bachelorette."

Polish shrugged. “Could be that, though I have heard reports of those of your orientation taking a pass at him. He seems to have that effect on the feminine gender.”

"They are probably bisexual." Sweetie noted. "It's a lot rarer, but it is a lot more believable."

“Perhaps,” Polish shrugged once more before they came into a kitchen. 

“You call these ingredients!” A feminine voice yelled out.

Blueblood sighed before glancing at them. “It is good to see you again, Sweetie. Though I’d prefer it to be under...different circumstances.”

“What the bloody hell is this? Sparkly mush?....It tastes like sugared mud!”

“Mary’s on the warpath,” Blueblood muttered. “Apparently she wanted to try out some of the local food and...well, this happened.”

"Right, time to get to work." Sweetie said. "Those cookies aren't going to bake themselves."

______________________________________________________________________

Twilight stirred awake, groaning. "Ugh, what happened? I feel like somepony hit me upside the head."

“Well, um, that’s because you kind of were,” a timid voice said as she dabbed a antiseptic clothe against the bruise. 

"What? Pansy? What happened?" trying to stand up, it was then that Twilight realized that her legs were in chains. "What's going on?"

"We got captured." Rainbow explained, her wings pinned to her side by a large metal ring holding them firmly against her sides in addition to her leg chains.

“Well...yes you are,” Pansy stated. “That was kind of the plan, but hitting you over head was not my idea. I swear.”

"Yesh? So was hitting me through a wall part of the plan?" Rainbow snarked.

“Kind of,” another voice called over. It was none other than Suri Polomare decked out in regular, but stylized flack armor. She was leaning against the wall on her hindlegs, cleaning a crossbow. “Always did want to see if the ‘great’ Dash was too fast to hit. Guess I was right.”

"You cheated." Rainbow said. "An ambush while I was dodging the others, while my feathers were damaged and I was stuck in a narrow corridor. Hardly me at my best."

“I would have hit you, one way or another.” Suri nodded as she was satisfied with the cleaning job. It was a much sleeker and runic style crossbow than the standard military one. 

“I’m sure you both did your best during the fight,” Pansy muttered. 

"...are you sure you're evil? You seem kind of too nice." Rainbow pointed out.

“We’re not evil,” Pansy hid behind her mane as she mumbled it. “I’m just doing my duty, if that’s okay with you. I mean, I’m not forcing you to accept it or anything.” 

"...you know,may wings are kind of itchy in this thing. Think you could listen it for me?" Rainbow asked nicely.

“.....I’m not stupid,” Pansy stated. “I might be a coward, but...I’m sorry for being mean about it though. Just stating my opinion.”

"Eh it was worth a shot." Rainbow said, shrugging.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Um, so, who are you ponies?"

“Aren’t you an inquisitive little herb,” Fortune chuckled as she and a couple other soldiers trotted in. “To answer your question, we are the Enclave, founded by the great Commander Pansy herself to ensure the independence of the superior pegasus race.”

"...no really, who are you?" Twilight asked.

Suri held a hoof to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. 

Fortune growled at her, but shut up the moment Suri moved her weapon. Gulping in fear, she shook it away. “You doubt me?”

"Um, well it's just...you have an earth that you used to capture Rainbow Dash. That doesn't exactly fit." Twilight pointed out.

Fortune was in her face, snarling. “That wasn’t my idea. If it was up to me, she would be dinner! So keep your mouth shut, herb. We are the master race. We are the ones who are fit to rule, not you pinheads or those muds!”

Twilight looked over to Suri. "...are you going to put up with that sort of stuff?"

Suri shrugged. “The pay’s good and I’ve been called worse. Not my place to question.”

"Seriously?" Twilight said. "How much could you possibly be paid to put up with that sort of behavior?"

"Enough," Suri said nonchalantly. "My master was a griffin, so I'm used to it."

"Soooo...is there any reason you decided to kidnap us?" Twilight asked, turning back to the pagasi.

“Why that’s delightfully simple,” Fortune said. “Leverage in case something goes awry, or simple enough, we’ll kill you so we won’t have to fear the Elements being used in your world on us. A few other reasons I was not disclosed to as well.”

"Really? You do know that killing a Bearer is a terrible idea right?" Rainbow pointed out. "There's a reason our bad guys try and capture us instead of kill us you know."

“Well how would you know?” Fortune smirked. “A Bearer has never died before. Unless you count destroying Nightmare Moon’s physical body as death.” She shrugged. “The pegasus race will endure whatever hardship that comes our way.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Luna never had her body destroyed when she was possessed. Anyway, if you kill a Bearer, it'll just sever our connection, and somepony else can wield the Element then. Which is why the bad guys prefer capture instead of just having us grab a replacement."

Fortune chuckled. “And why do you think we’re holding you here. You damned pinheads always think you’re so clever. Well, you’re going to be spending the rest of your life in shackles. That much I can promise you both.”

"You're not the first bad guys to say that." Rainbow pointed out. "Trust me, it never works out in the end."

“Tell me about it,” Suri snorted.

Fortune growled. “They were not the Enclave. We are the master race. We shall prevail and the lesser races will roll over and accept their masters as they did once before.”

"Do you have doughnuts?" Rainbow asked. "The last guy that captured us had doughnuts. Really nice guy all things considered."

"As long as you ignore his plan to destroy a deer tribe." Twilight rebutted grumpily.

Rainbow shrugged. "Well yeah, he was evil, but he had class. These guys are kind of cheap."

“I made some muffins if you want some,” Pansy said.

“PANSY!” Fortune shouted, causing the timid mare to duck and cower. “NO MUFFINS FOR THE PRISONERS! We’ve been over that.”

Twilight frowned. "There's no reason to yell at her. She was just being polite."

“She should toughen up,” Fortune growled. She stood over Pansy. “You’re the descendant of the first Pansy. The Pansy who best the god of the changeling and drove back the horde. Who had the world bow to her hooves. This is what I am given? A little ingrate who cowers at her own shadow? Buck up and start acting like a pegasus.” She pulled Pansy to her hooves. “This is why you were bleeding bullied in Cloudsdale, Pansy.”

“I know,” Pansy softly said.

Fortune sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling, but this is make or break. We are going to succeed and I need you ready and prepared to do what you need to do. For the Enclave.”

"...so is it just the two of them?" Twilight asked Suri. "Because I would be very disappointed in ourselves if these two managed to capture us."

Fortune punched Twilight hard. “Shut it, herb. How dare you mock the great Enclave. Our numbers are great! We could slaughter your pathetic army without a care.”

Twilight went down like a sack of wet towels, groaning.

“I think you overdid it,” Pansy immediately went to Twilight’s side and looked her over. “Oh dear. Fortune, you know unicorns aren’t that sturdy.”

“She’s a herb,” Fortune snorted. “She isn’t worthy of our concern. Just make sure she doesn’t die.”

“It’s going to be alright,” Pansy said. “I have some of my grammy’s medicines. You’ll be right as rain in no time.”

“I said make sure she doesn’t die not treat her like a celebrity,” Fortune rolled her eyes.

"Well she kind of is, what with being Celestia's student and the Bearer of Loyalty." Rainbow pointed out. "Also, seriously, do you guys even have a plan here? Cause all I'm hearing is "pegasi are better just cause we are", which really is kind of lame."

“The plan is simple really,” Fortune smirked. “The Enclave needs resources and land to thrive. So why not take it in a land that knows not of us while keeping a doorway to our world open. Our forces are already on the march. Soon, we will make our move. Our scouts have reported some fine areas where we can build an army worth of The Great Commander Pansy and retake our cloud cities from the wretched hooves of those insipid land scum. With our freedom assured, we shall begin anew in a nation for pegasi and pegasi alone….Perhaps we shall even liberate our cities in your world. Oh yes, it would be glorious, wouldn’t it? The streets of Cloudsdale paved with the blood of our enemies.” She took a deep breath. “With the help of Dominion, we have made this possible. Our future is secure.”

"You're trusting Dominion? Really?" Rainbow asked, incredulous. "The evil warlock who wants to take over the world and claims he is a god?"

“He is not a god,” Fortune snorted. “I should know. My world is filled with them, but he is fulfilling his purpose well enough. We will abide with dealing with this……..warlock until our mission is finished.”

"Warlocks. Plural." Rainbow pointed out. "You know, his small army of top tier warlocks? Most of them able to level a town on their own. And a small army of them? You guys, with a dozen of you, couldnt handle me. What makes you think you'll be on top in the deal?"

“The Enclave has fought worse odds through the centuries,” Fortune snorted. “When Discord was freed, we slew the foul traitors of chaos to the last. I myself skewered a Blood Magi, but hopefully, this Dominion will keep proving useful. For their sake.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Really? Cause you are kind of failing to impress."

“And you fail to impress me,” Fortune scoffed. “You’re in chains. We’ve won.”

"Yeah, all it took was a dozen of you and a kick flank earth mercenary." Rianbow pointed out. "I'm a town weather manager. You're supposedly military. Also, I'm thirteen. What do you guys think you'll be able to do against knights?"

“They were ordered to go easy on you,” Pansy said. “I mean, you’re father here wouldn’t be happy if you got hurt.” She gulped in fear. “Sorry for talking out of line.”

"Yeah, ask Miss Fortune there about "going easy" and how she failed at that." Rainbow said smugly. "Anyway, is Twilight going to be fine? Our unicorns aren't exactly physically tough."

“She’s overall fine,” Pansy said. “Nothing severe. She’ll be sore for a while though.”

"Well that's good." Rainbow said, stretching as best she could. "So...who's in charge here? Cause you don't strike me as "leader" material. No offense Pansey, you're very sweet. All offense Fortune, you're a moron."

“You’re right,” a gruff older male came stomping in. His light blue fur was whitening out and he had a large gash in his forehead. “I take it you’re the other Rainbow I’ve been hearing about?”

"Yep. And I take it you're the local boss." Rainbow said. "Also, you are aware that you just called Fortune a moron right?"

“My reports indicate that she made attempts to kill you by, and I quote, spearing you on ice cycles.” The stallion gave Fortune a chiding gaze who withered under it. “I am inclined to agree with you on that regard.”

Rainbow chuckled. "So, who are you supposed to be?"

The stallion straightened himself to attention. “Master Sergeant Blizzard, sub-commander of the Enclave.”

"Sooo....is Sergent your name or your rank? Cause it sounds like your title is "Master", which I mean that just screams ego." Rainbow pointed out.

“No, my rank is Master Sergeant.” Blizzard clarified, snorting. “Civies.” He muttered to himself. “As it is, my soldiers’ actions were done in ways that weren’t within my orders. You may be the enemy, but that is no reason to treat you like scum, especially a fellow pegasus.” He gave Fortune a hard glare. “And especially a pegasus like her.”

Fortune chuckled nervously. 

"Huh, so you're claiming you just can't get good help and this stuff isn't your fault?" Rainbow asked, feigning boredom.

“Given the circumstances,” Blizzard said. “I was forced to take in some less than stellar soldiers into my current unit. Given how it took an Earth to do the job, my gripes have been justified in that regard.”

"Or she's just that good." Rainbow pointed out. "That's entirely possible too you know."

“Given how ill trained some of these soldiers are and Fortune’s attitude, it could be both.” Blizzard stated. “I don’t like to underestimate my foes, so I shall give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Rainbow shrugged. "Your call. So, did you just grab us for a laugh, or do you actually have a plan?"

“It is not my place to disclose information with the enemy, captured or otherwise.” Blizzardstated. “For any being worth their salt knows that information is worth it’s weight in gold. You could escape. You could inform them of our plan. I will not be the one to lead to that.”

"Ah." Rainbow said. "So telling somepony your plans is something only an idiot would do huh?" She smiled a giant smile.

“........Fortune?” Blizzard said.

“Father, I can-” To which Fortune was cut off as Bloodreaver held a blade to her neck.

“You have no idea how often I think of having you executed for your stupidity,” Blizzardcalmly stated, with only a slight hint of agitation. The blade was held firmly in one wing. “The only reason I still my blade is because you’re my daughter and even then you try my patience.” He quickly sheathed it. “Fortune, in the future, keep your head on your shoulders and not flaunting in the enemies face or you’ll find it on the floor. Do you understand, soldier?”

Fortune nodded. “Yes, father.”

“I doubt you do,” Blizzard groaned and rubbed his forehead. “This is what I get for being soft with you.”

"That's soft?" Rainbow asked, incredulously. "If that's your definition of soft, you must sleep on an iron bed with tinfoil sheets and a large gem as a pillow."

“You certainly have an imagination,” Blizzardsnorted. “How much did she tell you?”

"That you guys are the Enclave, you think pegasi are superior, and as your soldiers can tell you she confessed before I got captured that you guys were the ones to open the portal, meaning that Polish has probably informed everypony bout that little nugget of info to boot." Rainbow summarized, feeling no need to elaborate further as to that she revealed the WHOLE plan. "Oh and we're hostages to keep the Princesses off your flanks or something."

Blizzard took a deep breath and let out an agitated one in return. “I see. Fortune?”

Fortune gulped. “She’s trapped. She can’t escape.”

“Nothing is absolute,” Blizzard said with a slight growl. “I told you time and time again about gloating. You don’t listen to me. Do you know what you’ve done?”

Fortune lowered her head in fear. “They don’t know where we are.”

“The have a Deer Farseer with them!” Blizzard snarled, turning on her. “You’ve secured the deaths of dozens of our brothers and sisters in arms by your sheer stupidity.”

"Wait, what?" Rainbow asked, confused.

“Our defense will hold them off for a while, maybe a few hours.” Blizzard growled in irritation. “We don’t have the numbers to keep up more than that against the might of whatever the hay they bring down on us….and now I’m muttering that in front of an enemy. Wonderful.”

"Um, isn't this the kind of situation where you're supposed to try and sneak out the back and just call whatever it is you are trying to do a bust?" Rainbow asked. "I mean, if you can't succeed either way, shouldn't you take the option that lets you live?"

“My life is the Enclave,” Blizzard stated. “If I must die, so be it. We’ve already gone this far, I will not back down. Not after we’re so close to our objective and I’m doing it again.” He groaned and rubbed a hoof over his face in exasperation. 

"Look, I get that you guys are technically the bad guys, but I don't want to see you guys get hurt, or even killed, for no good reason. Wouldn't it be better to live to try another plan later than die trying one that won't work, thus denying the Enclave your future talents for no reason beyond stubborn pride?"

“It will work,” Blizzard said. “Dominion has assured us and so far they’ve held up their end of the bargain. We will not back down on our end, no matter how much it pains me to work with some Nightmare Moon cultist wannabees.”

"Okay. I'm sure you guys know what you're doing, what with my Equestria having the various knight orders, a military, Elements, a good number of allies, and a couple alicorns. I'm sure your group of just a few dozen pegasi could totally take all that on."

“Thousands,” Blizzard stated with a smirk. “You really think the Enclave was only ‘a few dozen’? We carry weapons and mounts fabled across the globe. We are ready for anything that can come our way. That I can assure you.”

"Uhu. So what's your plan for a double smack down from Luna and Celestia blasting you together?" Rainbow asked, idly polishing her hoof.

“The reflections?” Blizzard chuckled. “Why should we fear something that pales in comparison to a god. Your Celestia is nothing more than an imitation. A pony wearing the title of something they do not deserve. As for that night bitch who shall never be named,” he growled. “She will die. As for how, well, as I said before. That would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

"You sure about that? Cause I hung around your Celestia for a bit and...I'm not impressed." Rainbow admitted. "Honestly, I haven't seen anything that was beyond what our Princess could do. So yeah, not sure what you could even possibly do. You have to rely on ponies like Fortune for that stuff."

Blizzard snorted. “I wouldn’t expect a heathen to understand. Of course, how can you understand. A world without gods? How curious, but I don’t believe that you can tell or you’re just trying to rile me up. There is a difference and that is one thing: I can kill your Celestia.”

Rainbow laughed. "Seriously? No gods? You didn't hear about the, oh I don't know, eight million gods?!" She threw her hooves up over her head in exasperation as she sat down. "Really, research fail!"

“Fail? Then where are these gods? Are they simply too weak to enter the mortal realm? Well, wherever they are, they will know of the might of the Enclave soon enough.” Blizzard stated. 

"Well I don't have the whole list memorized, I mean it's eight million you know? So, you got any comics or something I could read, I'm getting bored here."

“You’ll get food and water,” Blizzard said. “That is all.”

"But that's soooooooooo boring! What would it hurt to give me some comics to pass the time?" Rainbow whined.

Blizzard sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I swear, you’re just like that father of yours when he was your age and I’ll do then what I did there. Ignore you.”

"You know my old man? Or the local one." Rainbow asked. "I mean I figured you knew him since you're an extra crazy member if his group, but like you were his friend growing up? What was he like here?"

“He was ambitious,” Blizzard sighed. “He was always trying to do better, never satisfied. He wanted to know more, see more, do more. He was insufferable to deal with and almost impossible to keep up. Calling him a friend would probably be pushing it, but I knew him well enough. I was pretty much the only thing keeping him alive, since he had a habit of gaining ire wherever he went. Quite a way with words. He got me to follow him after all.” He chuckled. “The adventures he would drag me on were certainly something, the damned fool.”

Rainbow fidgeted a bit. "Could you...tell me a bit about one of those adventures?" she asked, a bit meekly.

Blizzard blinked a few times in confusion. “You want me to tell you a story?”

"I'm bored and...my dad never got to tell me any stories like that." Rainbow admitted.

“Father,” Fortune scoffed. “You can’t be serious about this. This is stupid.”

“Oh come now,” Blizzard rolled his eyes. “I seem to recall a little filly that loved to pounce on her dad while he was asleep to hear a bedtime story.”

Fortune blushed in embarrassment. “I was a filly.”

“And you still act like one,” Blizzard snorted and took a seat. “We’re not going anywhere, anyways. Hopefully, we won’t be discovered any time soon. Maybe if you sit down and ‘listen’ you’ll actually learn something.”

Fortune grumbled and sat by Pansy, who was applying a magically infused potion to Twilight’s bruises. “Fine.”

Laying down a bit and getting comfortable Rainbow said "So, why don't we start with when you met Dad?"

“Well that certainly was a story,” Blizzard said. “I was a little colt playing in the park. Same old, same old, until your father smashed into my head.” He chuckled. “Apparently, he had gotten into his head that a wyvern would make for an awesome pet….He just forgot about the parents.”

___________________________________________________________________

Shining glared down at the map. “And you’re sure these are the entrances? All of them?”

Anrain sighed. “No. The magic of the Empire is still interfering with my sight. Those are our best options.”

Shining sighed. “Then we’ll attack from all directions. Draw them out and keep their eyes on the bulk of our forces. Here,” he pointed to a small section on the outskirts of the city. “Is where a small force will enter. It’s an older tunnel, small and shouldn’t be that well guarded. Thankfully, we found some records of the Crystal Mines so we have an idea about what we’re facing…..I’m not going to lie. We’re looking at a bloodbath however we slice it. They’re going to keep us bottled up. We can keep it to a minimum by deploying the heavier units in front with magic fields in place.”

“A well enough plan for a pony,” Anrain commented, making Shining roll his eyes. 

“Are you sure we can’t just keep them bottled in and starve them?” Blueblood suggested.

Shining shook his head. “The tunnels are too expansive to allow that. The Enclave aren’t stupid.”

"Did I hear somepony say "starving"?" Sweetie asked as she rolled a cart in. "Because I have snacks! We have a variety of cookies in chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, double chocolate chunk, and ginger snaps. I also made eclaires, three varieties of tea, a batch of desert biscuits, and two double layer cakes." She paused for a bit. "Also I somehow baked all these in about ten minutes, so I think something kicked my special talent into overdrive."

“Well whatever it is, I hope it keeps it up.” Blueblood licked his lips as he picked out a few eclairs with his magic. 

Shining didn’t look away from the map. He only magicked over cookie to chew on. “...Thanks. Probably need to go give a few to mom.”

"Oh, I thought she would still be here. Where did she go? Also, I have those canolli I promised Spike ready to go. Do you know where he and the others are?"

“...Back, back I say!” Sunset yelled as she pushed her brother Spike inside, looking behind her. 

“Sunset, you are a very selfish mare.” Spike snorted, with a grin. “It’s almost like you care for me.”

“No, I just find all those mares clinging off your arms an annoyance.” Sunset snorted. With her were the other bearers. “So, how’s it going?”

“Stressful,” Shining muttered. 

“Oooh,” Pizzelle flew over to the tray. “How delightful. I haven’t had army deserts since that lovely outing I had at the border a few years back. Oh those soldiers put so much love into their work...kind of sloppy, but doable.” She narrowed her eyes at the tray. “Aki Hikaru, you have to share.”

The image of the cart shimmered out of existence and the little kitsune was a few hooves lengths away, pushing the cart. He frowned and looked down. “I’m sorry, mommy. I’m just hungry.”

“Well I’d rather not you fill up on desserts at this time of day,” Pizzelle said. “You can have a few, but I don’t want my little colt getting a tummy ache.” She stroked his head lovingly.

"Don't worry, I made plenty for everyone, pony and non." Sweetie assured as she wheeled in another three carts. "Anypony else feel like jogging? I feel like I could use a jog."

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Redheart said. “A little exercise never hurt anyone.”

“Well, actually…” Pizzelle started.

“Pizzelle,” Redheart gave her a flat look. “You don’t have to tell us a story on every little thing.”

“...Alright,” Pizzelle huffed. “But I do believe it would be for the best. I mean, I have been gaining a few pounds lately. Haven’t gotten out as much as I’ve used to, since taking in my little baby boy. One would think I’d have lost a few, given how much of a hooffull he is, but nope. Guess my ‘stress relief’ baking had the opposite effect.” 

"I've been baking like crazy, like really I did. And now I feel like I drank a dozen cups of coffee." Sweetie said, twitching slightly as she stood there.

“........Are you alright?” Coco asked. “You seem...odd.” 

"Odd what's odd? I don't feel odd, I feel great." Sweetie insisted while she started to vibrate.

“Okay, no.” Sunset said before trotting over to Sweetie. “What did you do in that kitchen?”

"Bake. And bake. And bake all the things." Sweetie responded. "It's almost like I couldn't stop."

Sunset put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Okay, something’s wrong. I want you to try and remain still. I’m going to try and scan you with my magic.”

"I'm not standing still?" Sweetie asked, confused, as she continued to vibrate and twitch.

Sunset took her hoof off and rolled her eyes. “Right.” Her horn lit up and her aura flitted about Sweetie. She frowned. “I see.” Sunset quickly took off Sweetie’s necklace. “You’re being overcharged.”

"Oh...I feel a lot less...goodnight." Sweetie muttered before flopping to the ground, snoring loudly.

Redheart quickly lifted Sweetie onto her back. “Well, it seems I’ll be putting her to bed now. She’ll need it after being overcharged to that degree.” She trotted off.

“Well,” Blueblood said as he munched on a brownie. “That certainly happened.” And then Twilight Velvet appeared at his side. “.....And that just happened too. Today’s just full of happenings, isn’t it?”

“True,” Velvet nodded. “But I do believe I have an idea about our problem.”

Anrain smiled. “Well then, by all means share it.”

________________________________________________________________

"Wait, okay I can get how so how you got all the chocolate pudding into the deans office without anypony noticing but how did he get the hats on all the flying monkeys?" Rainbow asked.

“He talked a local carnival into loaning the hats, saying that it was for a school play.” Blizzard shook his head and chuckled.

"And they bought it?" Rainbow asked, breaking out laughing. "Seriously, this version of Dad is like, seriously awesome. How,did you guys not get kicked out after that?" 

“We did,” Blizzard noted. “The dean saw to it that we were thrown out that very day. The stallion who owned the carnival thought it was all hilarious so he helped us out. Turns out, he’s the little brother of our school’s rival dean. The moment she found out about this she wanted to talk to us personally. When we explained what happened, she laughed her cutie mark off and enrolled us in her own school, free of charge. It’s not hard to see how your father became the dean’s favorite, at her request of course. Not to mention the pictures he gave her were displayed for all to see during the next school competitions. I often asked if he knew about all that and what was going to happen. He just gave me his usual smirk and said ‘Don’t I always’. School was a breeze from then on out.” 

"Oh there is no way he planned that." Rainbow said with a snort. "He can't be that clever."

Blizzard shrugged. “He did often take credit for blind luck. Either way, he got a kick out of the whole thing.”

"That sounds more like Dad." Rainbow said nodding. "Seriously, he's not half as smart as he thinks he is. Or as cool. Or athletic. Or wise. Or good looking. Or-"

“Yes,” Blizzard chuckled. “I get what you’re trying to say, but he is still rather clever when he wants to be. I should know. I grew up with the insufferable stallion.”

"So did I and...other me. We weren't as impressed as you were I guess." Rainbow pointed out.

“Well your other and him never did see eye to eye on much,” Blizzard grumbled. “Kind of grew a bit of distance as you got older. Blaze didn’t exactly take it all that well.”

Rainbow groaned. "Not the "I know what's best for you in the long run, you are my daughter and you will listen to me" speech. I hate that one. Mom was usually the one that gave it, but still."

“Pretty much,” Blizzard stated. “He spent a lot of his time grooming his little Dashie to carry on his title. That didn’t exactly pan out all that well, especially after she joined the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbows eyes sparkled a bit as she squeed. "The Wonderbolts are so awesome! I totally am going to be one!"

“.......It’s like looking into an old photograph,” Blizzard said. “I remember you jumping on your father’s head to get a better look at the shows. He often had to skip out on meetings and cancel others to do it. Got splitting headaches for it.”

Rainbow smiled. "Aww, that was nice of him. Seriously, he sounds like a pretty cool dude. What's he doing leading a bunch of bad guys?"

Blizzard grit his teeth. “We’re not the bad guys. We’re doing what’s best for our tribe.”

"At the expense of others." Rainbow retorted. "Profiting at the expense of others like that is a disgrace."

“Profiting at their expense?” Blizzard scoffed. “What expense is that? The one we pay to those ground dwellers who enforce their laws upon us? Who send our sons and daughters to fight their wars? No, we’ve paid our dues. We’re going to right what our ancestors set wrong. The pegasus race will answer only to ourselves from this day until the end of time.”

"Send to fight their wars? Isn't the military volunteer?" Rainbow asked, confused.

“They trick our youth and fellow pegasi into destroying themselves for a ‘pretty image’,” Blizzard scoffed. “An image built on the blood of our ponies.”

Rainbow blinked a few times. "...huh?"

Blizzard sighed. “I have to simplify this, don’t I?”

"I am a kid, a school dropout, and was never big on politics." Rainbow explained, unabashed.

“Simply put,” Blizzard stated. “We wish to secure the rightful independence of the pegasus race. To rebuild our Empire to the way it was before. To secure our purity.”

"...what empire? You mean the one that was starving and getting its flanks froze off by the Windego?"

Blizzard growled. “We survived, one way or another and we could have done so without their help. If Commander Hurricane had been a stronger leader, we wouldn’t have had to work with the others. We wouldn’t have had changelings ‘breeding’ with our tribe and creating monsters. We could have slain the windigos were they stood.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yes, attack the creatures the grow in power from aggression, brilliant move. Next, you can cover yourself in honey and start poking Ursas with sticks."

“For your knowledge,” Blizzard stated. “There are documented instances where ponies have slain windigos, pegasi included.”

"Are you talking about zen archers?" Rainbow asked. "Cause last I checked, that's a unicorn thing."

“Commander Hurricane himself was able to slay a dozen of the beasts,” Blizzard stated. “While it is far more difficult for a pegasus to ‘naturally’ do it, there are means….Even if he used enchanted weapons from those damnable pinheads.”

Rainbow gagged a bit. "Could we please leave out the blatant tribalism please? I'm trying to have an adult conversation, and you're not being mature here."

“How dare you?” Fortune growled.

Of course, that was all cut off when there was a bit of a spark. “I fixed, Twilight... if that’s okay with you all.” Pansy muttered. “She’ll be fine. No bruise, but she’ll be a bit sore. I’m just thankful Fortune isn’t a heavy hitter.”

“Hey!” Fortune shouted in indignation. 

"Thank you very much Pansy." Rainbow said. "And yeah, Fortune isn't exactly that dangerous, so I wasn't too worried."

“I am too dangerous,” Fortune growled. “Father, let me show-”

“No,” Blizzard glared at her. “You are to go meet up with those cultists of Nightmare-”

“Dominion,” Fortune pointed out.

“Same thing,” Blizzard grunted. “I want you to keep an eye on them and how things are going on over there. Report back to me as soon as possible, understood soldier?”

“Understood, sir.” Fortune stood at attention and saluted. Blizzard saluted back and she trotted off. 

"You know my world didn't have Nightmare cultists right? She wasn't considered imoressive enough." Rainbow explained. "Dominion has followers who're the type that would normaly form cults around themselves. Are you sure you know what you are doing? Cause this just screams "bad idea" to me."

“These Dominion followers have nothing on the forces of Nightmare Moon or Luna which ever you prefer to call….” Blizzard’s gaze turned a bit distant. “I’ve see them in action and I pray that you never do. The cult of Nightmare follows the teachings of a mare who devoured the souls of millions on her worldly three year war. She destroyed entire cities, down to the last babe. This Dominion is not of her stock, even if his existence just makes me want to slice him open. So far, they have kept their word, which is more so than any Nightmare cultist would.”

Rainbow shuddered. "Our Nightmare got her flank kicked in less than twenty minutes the first time. Probably less than fifteen. Then again, she wasn't murder crazy...she really didn't have the mental ability to connect eternal night to everypony starving. Side effect of when she was possessed. But seriously, these are guys that officially want to take over the world. If comics have taught me anything, it's that when bad guys with different end goals team up it never ends well."

“This is the real world, Rainbow Dash.” Blizzard stated. “Things work differently here.”

“Should I go get Twilight some water?” Pansy asked. “Umm, I think it would be good for her now…….but I’m not pushing you to make a decision or anything.”

"I think that would be a good idea." Rainbow chimed in. "Also, Blizard, dude. You're teaming up with an evil super villain dark magic cult to stage an extra dimensional invasion. What part of that isn't comic book?"

Blizzard wasn’t going to dignify that with a response. “My ride has some water in his saddle.” He whistled. “Grag, come here boy.”

Without a pause, a rather large dark gray wyvern came stalking into the room. It was covered in gray armor playing that fit the Enclave motive with the scorpion tail symbol painted on it. The creature growled as it stalked inside, towering over the ponies. It’s long tail was covered in metallic spikes. Of course, the tail alone could easily break bone. Blizzard flapped upwards and took out a little bottle and threw it to Pansy, who narrowly caught it. “Make use of it.”

"...that is the third coolest mount I have ever seen." Rainbow said in awe.

The wyvern stared at Rainbow and sniffed her. Snorting, it licked Dash.

Blizzard chuckled. “He’s always had a soft spot for you. Blaze always worried you’d get yourself hurt, but I snuck your other a few rides here and there.”

“Wyverns are pretty impressive,” Pansy muttered mostly to herself.

"So wait, it thinks I'm your Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow frowned. "We don't look that alike, do we?"

Blizzard tapped his nose. “It’s your smell. You smell similar enough that he just likes you. I don’t think he thinks your the same, but still. Your similar enough for him.”

“Sides,” Pansy stroke the wyvern, Grag’s, snout. “Wyverns aren’t that bad once you get to know them. A lot of ponies think they’re too vicious to train.”

"I want one." was Rainbows simple response to the situation.

“You can’t have one,” Blizzard stated.

“Um,” Pansy said. “There are some eggs we have in storage. It wouldn’t hurt to….maybe give her one once this is over.” She hid behind her mane.

"No giving Dash giant monster pets." Twilight groaned from where she lay. "Never works out."

“Well it would be a baby,” Pansy stated. “It would imprint on Dash, though she’d have to train it not to attack others. That can get...hectic at times.”

Twilight groaned. "As a responsible adult from her world, I'm saying no."

"Oh come on!" Rainbow shouted. "I can be totally responsible!"

Twilight, while still flat on her side, never the less shot Rainbow a very flat glare and twitched her tail a few times.

"Alright alright I get it, no need to get personal." Rainbow grumbled.

“Are you sure?” Pansy said as she stroked Grag’s snout. The wyvern purred. “They can be the best of pets.”

“Though, again, they are incredibly deadly.” Blizzard stated. “One snap of its jaws or swing of their tails can end a pony’s life. That’s often why only the military have them.”

"And why a weather manger shouldn't have one when she's not even an adult yet." Twilight agreed. "Seriously, I let you take one and I will never hear the end of it. I'll be lectured constantly...and I mean constantly. Between my mental link with my familiar and Luna's ability to enter dreams, it is possible to literally lecture me non-stop forever if they put the effort into it."

Both of the natives tensed up when ‘Luna’ was spoken. 

“Ah yes,” Blizzard said. “That would be trouble, now wouldn’t it.”

"Luna wouldn't do that. She is totally, like, our biggest fan what with saving her from possession and everything....I can totally see your owl doing it though. Guy is so smug."

"Owlowicious is not smug." Twilight argued. "He is just very well educated from living in a library which he helps run."

“You talk with your owl?” Pansy asked. “I wish I could do that, but I don’t have a familiar...or a cutie mark related to that, or any real spells….I’m sorry for bringing it up. That’s not my business.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "They're overrated if you ask me. It's like having a pet, but it's smart enough to make demands, tell you its opinion, and criticize what you do."

"It's also a lifelong friend, and unlike a pet is smart enough to do complex jobs while being able to reliably take care of itself." Twilight argued back.

Pansy got in between them. “This isn’t something to argue about…...I mean, I don’t think it is. That’s my opinion however…..sorry.”

"...you're right we shouldn't be fighting." Rainbow agreed. "I'm sorry Twilight."

"I'm sorry too." Twilight said, rolling up so she was laying in a more comfortable position. "Now, about that water? My throat is a bit dry."

Pansy opened up the bottle and hoofed it to Twilight. “Here you go.”

Twilight blinks a few times, face scrunched up. "...magic inhibitor?"

“Do you think we’d be stupid enough to not do that and do not answer that question, Rainbow.” Blizzard shot her a look. 

"It's just kind of overkill. I dont know how to use this worlds magic beyond some very shaky and weak telekinisis that I can barely use to feed myself." Twilight explained. "Do uh...do you have a straw?" She flushed in embarrassment.

Pansy put a little bendy straw in it. “There, all better.” She held it up to Twilight.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Blizzard stated. 

Twilight drank quickly. "Thank you Pansy, that was very nice of you."

“I try,” Pansy smiled.

"Seriously, why are you hanging around with these guys?" Rainbow asked. "You are clearly not the military type. You should be off helping children in a preschool or something."

“She is directly descended from the great commander Pansy,” Blizzard said. “It is her duty to aid the Enclave.”

"...that's stupid." Twilight responded. "You can't force somepony to do something because they're descended from somepony else. That makes no sense. Everypony is unique in their own special way."

“It is her duty to carry out Pansy’s legacy,” Blizzard said with conviction. “Be it in any way, shape, or form.”

"So...you guys decided she should be a soldier?" Rainbow pointed out. "Aren't there, like, a hundred different jobs she could do?"

“I’m more of a field medic, really.” Pansy muttered. 

"I'm sure you do an excellent job." Twilight replies. "Now then,  I was unconscious when you introduced yourself Mr.?"

“Blizzard,” he said. “Fortune’s father and the commander of the Enclave forces here.”

"Right, Mr. Blizzard. Now, as I understand it you are planning some sort of conquest in our world?" Twilight inquired. "I am really curious how you think that will even remotely work."

“We don’t have the strength for a full blown conquest of any ‘huge’ scale at the moment,” Blizzard commented. “We’re just going to lie low until we do. Your world isn’t familiar with us, so it’ll be easier to do so……..and now I’m doing the same thing my daughter was.” He face hooved. 

"So...you don't have a long term plan." Twilight noted. "There might be more diplomatic options available, if you would like to discuss it."

“Diplomacy is what got us in this mess,” Blizzard growled. “And we have a long term plan.”

“...I’d like to hear them,” Pansy stated.

“No you don’t,” Blizzard shot at her. 

"Well, there is largely unclaimed territory out there in our world." Twilight explained. "The badlands and frozen north are inhospitable, but unclaimed. Hmmm, there are some one hundred uninhabited islands in the C.I.S. archipelago you could possibly stake claim in, but then you'd have to deal with the neighbors. Those are just the peaceful options I can think of off the top of my head. Really, if you just want to live independently in our world there are plenty of peaceful ways to do it."

“Yeah,” Blizzard snorted. “We’ll think on that. Maybe we’ll go for it, but either way, we’re taking our cloud cities with us...All of them.”

"Uhhhh...what about the pegasi that don't want to move? You know, most of them?" Rainbow asked.

“They aren’t true pegasi then,” Blizzard scoffed. “They’ll be removed from our cloud cities so they can go frolic with their herb friends.”

"...there are no words." Rainbow sighs, shaking her head. "So...shouldn't fortune be back by now? Hope those Dominion guys didn't do anything."

“I told her to watch over them for a bit,” Blizzard stated. “If they want to come over, then they’ll come over themselves.”

Twilight and Rainbow shared a concerned look, before Twilight began "You gave access to another world to a legion of the most dangerous spellcasters on the planet? The kind of beings that, given enough time, could get their stuff working over here?"

“We have our side of the portal monitored well enough,” Blizzard said. “If they try something, we’ll be ready. We’ve dealt with warlocks before.”

Twilight shrugged. "Fair enough. I trust you have shamans on hoof in case they try spirit shenanigans?"

“A few,” Blizzard stated. “Shamans aren’t that numerous in our country. More prefer the duties of the sun and chaos priest and priestess as well as druidism. The barbaric dogs and other nations more readily use shamans.”

"Pony shamans aren't that common back home either." Twilight admitted. "Still it's a universal so for races with less natural magic it's more appealing."

“We have another word for the practice,” Blizzard said. “Barbaric.” He snorted.

"It is a legitimate field of magical practice." Twilight argued. "Do you look down on alchemists too?" 

“Alchemy is a science that can be monitored,” Blizzard stated. “Shamanism is reckless with its usage of spirits and all of that nonsense. There’s a reason that the dogs clans so readily turn to the practice. They’re too stupid to be able to use anything else.”

"Hey, I'm good friends with a zebra shaman!" Twilight shouted. "Really now, I know you're tribalist but you don't have to be so blunt about it."

“I’m not really tribalist,” Pansy said.

“You’re not even in the conversation,” Blizzard pointed out, to which made Pansy shrink into herself.

“Sorry, sir.”

Blizzard rubbed his forehead. “This is what I get for arguing over shamanism with a herb.”

"I'm a little confused how that's an insult actually. Don't you guys eat plants too?" Rainbow pointed out. "Plus, by your reasoning, griffons and diamond dogs are worthy of respect because they eat meat."

Blizzard snarled, bearing his teeth. The snarl sounded something you wouldn’t normally put to a pony. It was far too blood thirsty. “Never compare a pegasus to a griffin. They are our sworn enemies. We have fought eatch other to a standstill and by Celestia’s holy sun, I will see to it that they are extinguished.”

Pansy was growling too, but stopped herself. “Umm...sorry. Instinct.”

Rainbow blinked. "Wow, even Pansy? That's...wow. I had a griffon best friend growing up in Cloudsdale. Invited her to my mark mitzvah and everything."

“Griffins and pegasi have been at war for thousands of years,” Blizzard raged. “They’ve tried to slaughter us for meat over and over again and they still haven’t changed. I’d rather befriend a Diamond Dog than a griffin. The day the last griffin takes its last breath is a day that I will celebrate.”

"Well that's...fascinating." Twilight hedged. "But still, that's a bit harsh. I mean we didn't celebrate when bicorns went extinct...due to majority feelings that it was in poor taste but still."

“You wouldn’t understand,” Blizzard snorted. “We’ve always been at war with them. Never has the pegasus race and the griffin worked together. They eat us, we eat them. That’s how it goes and that’s how it always will be. They only wish death upon us. The griffins can only think about killing. They are monsters.”

"...yeah having trouble wrapping my head around that one." Rainbow admitted. "Ours are nicer, are good allies with pegasi, and are on another continent. Totally different circumstances."

“A griffin is a griffin,” Blizzard stated. “No matter the world.”

"And Pegasi are perfectly identical." Rainbow quipped back.

Blizzard snarled, bearing his fangs. “I’ve had enough of this talk.”

Twilight sighed. "I'd apologize for her childish behavior, but you did capture us and are holding us against our will, so there is that."

“That’s no problem,” Pansy said. “I’d be agitated to if something like that happened to me. I’m sure it’ll work out for the best though, so don’t worry.”

"...I'm not sure how, but it is good to be optimistic." Twilight agrees, sipping once more on her water.

“That’s what my mother always said,” Pansy nodded. 

Rainbow sighed. "So...got anything to read?"

“I have a Daring Do book,” Pansy said. “It’s an older copy, but I like it.”

"Eh, better than nothing." Rainbow concedes. "Twilight and Sunset are more into that stuff though."

"And I keep telling you it's a good series, you'd like it if you gave it a chance." Twilight argued.

“She is quite the mare,” Blizzard said. “I had the honor of working with her during one of her travels up north. Nasty business that was. Got this scar from that venture.” He tapped the one on his forehead.

"Uhhuh." Rainbow didn't sound convinced. "...hey, where did that Siri chick go?"

“I think she went with Fortune,” Blizzard said idly. “Honestly, I don’t care where she goes. She’s done her job.”

"So...got anything else to say? Cause this is kind of getting awkward now." Rainbow fidgeted a bit, looking around for anything to do.

“........Do you like to play trading card games?” Pansy asked. 

"...I play Magecraft: the Summoning." Twilight offered. "I run an Oder/Wisdom deck."

“I”ve got an Order deck,” Pansy said.

Blizzard face-hooved. 

> Attack {Sunsetverse}
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, so while I was there I saw a huge bunch of those Enclave guys, and they had wyverns. We have an evil illusionist, the lightning tornado guy, and one other that's working on enchanting the mirror to stay open." Masquerade explained. "So, yeah, only one way in or out so we aren't looking at any sort of a good time here."

“No,” Lightning Dust grinned. “We’re looking at an awesome time here!”

“Sounds as good as odds as any,” Quickfix shrugged.

"It's an enemy army, how can you be happy ?" Sunset demanded. "We've got two knights versus a whole bunch of monsters and evil spellcasters and this makes you happy?"

“When you put it like that,” Lightning commented. “That’s what we usually face, possibly more so. Just kind of got used to it…….It’s not like I’m going to run in there all by myself or something stupid like that.”

“Again,” Quickfix muttered into her hoof, which earned Lightning’s glare. 

"Right. Well Sunset's got magic. Gotta be somethin' we can do with that." AJ pointed out.

"I don't exactly have a lot of combat spells...are wyverns cold blooded?" Sunset asked, having a sudden flash of brilliance.

“Kind of,” Quickfix shrugged. “They’re not exactly warm blooded and they don’t like the cold none. So….pretty much. Why do ye ask?”

"I have a blizzard spell, remember. One blast of that into the chamber should shut down the wyverns pretty quickly."

“What if they have some fire elemental pegasi?” Lightning asked. “I mean, it’s a stretch that one of them could warm up a wyvern soon enough to hurt us, let alone multiple ones, but there’s always the possibility…….Whoa, that seemed kind of nerdy coming out of my mouth.” 

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Cold blooded creatures can't be active in the cold. It would require the fire Pegasus to basically stay in contact with them to keep the wyvern moving. They can't store or generate their own heat, they can't keep themselves active if I drop down a blizzard. Easy as pie."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Great. So, how do we handle the soldiers then? I assume they won't be frozen as well."

“That’s going to be tricky,” Fiddlesticks said. “My pa met a few of them a whiles back. Says they’re meaner than a rattlesnake in a thunderstorm.”

Lightning nodded. “They’re fierce alright. Born and raised to fight. No tolerance for failure, so it’s all or nothing with the Enclave.”

"Great." Fortune groused. "Fanatics. Those are the most annoying type to fight. A ton of them won't surrender either. It'll be hard to take them alive, and we don't have time to call in backup."

“.......We could always try and sing a song?” Fiddlesticks put out, before Lightning and Quickfix gave her a condescending look. “Yeah...stupid idea.”

"....Fiddlesticks, you are a genius!" Sunset said, giving her a hug. "That's just what we need!"

AJ blinked in confusion. "What?"

Sunset smiled, a very cunning smile. "I have a cunning plan."

“Is it the type of cunnin’ ye think is good at the time but can easily backfire?” Quickfix asked. “That often happens with me.”

"Oh no, it'll work." Sunset said, her horn glowing. She conjured up her guitar. "It will very much work. We will win with the power of rock."

Lightning quietly walked over to the wall and leant against it. “Give me a moment. I need to take in all the stupidity in that……….That’s gonna take a while.”

“Says miss ‘CHARGE’,” Quickfix muttered, rolling her eyes. 

"Guys, I've got this." Sunset said. "Trust me."

****************

The Enclave were a lot of things. Many of which the other races wouldn’t consider, well, decent, but they were organized. They moved as one through the tunnels, weapons at the ready and senses open. Their prey was somewhere inside. It would be only a matter of time before they found them. 

The wyverns were getting feisty. They could smell the ponies and the feistier they got, the more eager the Enclave soldiers became. Yes, they couldn’t kill the ponies, well, not the bearers. Hopefully, they brought along some others to kill. Give them something to do at least. 

“Easy,” the leader of the group tapped his mount with his glaive. The weapon could easily sheer a pony in half. “Steady there. We don’t want you tearing up our captives, now do we?” He glanced at the soldiers. “They’re close. Keep an eye out and by Commander Pansy’s blessed soul, don’t kill the bearers. We need them alive….You can have the rest.”

“Yes, sir.” The rest sounded off. 

The leader grinned. Victory was just right about the corner. 

All he had to do was round up some herbs. Nothing special and as easy as catching pigeons. 

And then some idiot unleashed a blizzard, winds whipping through the caverns and coating everything in snow, a good three inches. Almost immediately the wyverns start to panic, already rapidly losing energy as their body temperatures plummet to match their surroundings.

The leader roared in anger as he fought to keep his wyvern up. “WHO THE DAMNED, FEATHERING BULLHEAD UNLEASHED THAT BLIZZARD! AND GET SOME HEAT GEMS! GET THEM NOW!”

And that's when some ancient monster of the first age unleashed a hellish roar, echoing through the caves and reverberating off the crystals, assaulting the Enclave with what was essentially a pure wall of pain inducing sound from every direction.

The pegasi cringed, trying to block out the sound. 

“GET YOUR ARSES IN LINE!” The leader shouted. “I WANT WHATEVER THAT IS LYING DEAD ON THE FLOOR! FIRST ONE TO KILL IT GETS THE LIVER!”

To which the Enclave did their best to keep themselves moving. Their discipline wasn’t going to break after a random blizzard and roar. Some of them were scrounging through packs to grab specialized gems meant to keep them warm during the winter. Given enough energy, they could get them to work on the wyverns. Usually, they had such runes on their wyverns, but these ones were brought in from the south. They wasn’t supposed to be any winters here. 

It was while they were so distracted and scrambling to recover that a pair of invisible knights wearing enchanted earplugs came smashing through their ranks. With the advantages of surprise, disorientation, and invisibility coupled with their high level of combat training, the two of them plow through the first few groups of Enclave soldiers so quickly and efficiently one would almost think there would be the sound of bowling pins clattering everywhere.

At that, the Enclave quickly huddled up into tight formations, weapons out. They bloody well didn’t see what hit them.

“If it’s another one of those damned invisible beasts,” the leader mumbled to himself. He tapped his helmet. “Activate your Thermal sensors. Let’s see these bastards get past that.”

As one, the Enclave activated the Thermal sensors in their helmets. Instantly, the area became clearer as their visions were able to cut through the blizzard to see two mares.

“Hmm,” the leader chuckled. “Only two? Well, this should be easy. Surrender now. We don’t want to spill precious pegasus blood, now do we?”

"We were going to offer the same deal. There's only about twenty of you left." the one on the left taunts. Judging by her voice, this is Fortune's double. "I mean I know we had surprise, but a third of your guys and your wyverns in less than a minute?"

“........You remind me of somepony,” the leader commented. “Somepony I know…...Aim for her limbs. I want her alive. Kill the other….Or both.” With that, the Enclave crossbows took aim and fired with efficient speed. 

Fortune's counterpart whipped up a wall of wind with her wings, smashing it against the hail of bolts and knocking them all about. "I don't think you know what you're dealing with here. We aren't town militia, EUP, or even the Royal Guard. Heck, we aren't even a regular Knightly Order. We are Knights of the Sun. Surrender, you don't stand a chance."

“The Enclave never surrenders,” the leader boasted. “We fight to the end and we’ll be walking over your corpse in a matter of seconds, supposed ‘knight’. Your deaths are unneeded, but you are forcing our hooves. Do be smart and stand down.”

Fortune's response is to take flight and start circling the ceiling while her partner stays low to the ground, almost prowling around the formation like a predator.

The leader snorted and took a deep breath. He locked eyes on the mare on the ground and fired. Not a crossbow, but from his own breath a plume of fire.

The one on the ground performed a rolling evasion, mimicking a large cat almost. The illusion was further enhanced as she pounced at one of the soldiers, stopping short of his friend's spear and darting back. She moved almost exactly like a great cat. And she was waiting for an opening.

Fortune meanwhile seemed content to circle above near the ceiling, also looking for an opening. "So, you Enclave mooks going to do anything?"

Being born and raised to kill, the Enclave could see that they were being herded. Which just pissed the leader off even more. These were local herbs. They should be hunted, not the Enclave. “SOLDIERS! Keep to formation and advance and pin that bitch up in the air to the ceiling.”

The soldiers advanced as one towards the mare on the ground, while the marksponies fired at Fortune. Their training had honed their skill in the art. 

Fortune batted the arrows asside. What the marks ponies couldn't have known was that, as well trained as they were, Knights of the Sun were a cut above the rest. Founded by the former Knight of the Crown Golden Dawn, it only recruited the best other knightly orders could produce. The best of the best of the best in a very literal sense. While the EUP would have had to bring their numbers to bear, and most guardsmen and knights wouldn't have been able to weather such a barrage for long, Fortune didn't care. The air around her was a personally generated bubble of buffets, turbulence, miniature whirlwinds, and zyphers. She was a former Knight of the Storm, and the wind was her weapon. She could wait for them to run out of bolts, and if they shifted focus to her partner they'd just give her the opening she needs.

The one on the ground isn't doing as well though. Ten to one is not the way to go. So she doesn't. Leaping, assisted by conservative flaps of her wings, she hops from one location to another as quick as can be, not letting her enemies have a chance to pin her. Rebounding off walls and crystal growths, she is nearly impossible to track.

The leader growled. “Faster!” He took another breath and took aim. This plume was quicker in action than the previous one. The Enclave moved after the ground one with a quicker pace, ready to tear into her. Their bolts kept at Fortune, if not to hit her, at least to give them time to kill the ground dwelling guard. 

Fortune grimaced. These guys were tougher than she thought. Well it seemed there was no hope for it. "Alright troops, charge!" Hopefully the added numbers would turn the fight their way more than anything, although the way Lightning and the others spoke they probably had fighting experience.

Lightning roared a battle charge and flew right through the group. As she passed, she used her signature lightning attack to scatter the Enclave soldiers. While it didn’t do much to hurt them, it broke up the formation...and she got to punch one of them out personally. Quickfix was also quick to jump into the fray, using her wrench to smash into one of the Enclave soldiers helmets hard enough that it bent the metal and sent the pegasus flying. 

The knight on the ground used the broken formation to attack, turning into a whiling ball of flailing kicks and wing strikes from the middle of the enemy formation, taking out five in just as many seconds. She then leapt out before the others could close ranks on her.

That's when Sunset walked in and used her telekinisis to snap the crossbow strings. "Really, you guys should surrender."

The rest of the soldiers took a hard look at Sunset. “Princess Sunset Shimmer?!!!” And then all the tales of said mare came to them. At once, the soldiers yelped flew into a defensive formation, though many of them looked like they’d rather run for the hills than fight. They’d rather not be burned alive this day and given how much of a skilled sorcerer their own Sunset was, they weren’t ones to really take a chance. 

“You damned cowards!” The leader shouted. “That’s not ‘our’ Sunset. She’s not going to burn us alive. She’s one of those locals weaklings.” He took aim and fired a plume of fire towards Sunset.

Sunset walked through the fire, unflinching. "Your Sunset. That's the one that plays nice and got crowned "pretty pretty princess" right?" she inquired, as her eyes glowed a brilliant green as tendrils of dark purple energy streamed from her eyes and mouth. "Whimper and I might leave your soul intact."

“No...You whimper,” the leader growled. “Whimper in pain!” He lowered the glaive and lunged forward, beating his wings to close the distance in seconds. 

Sunset threw up a dome shield over the commander, trapping him right in front of her. "Yeah no." She dropped the roof of the solid construct, slamming him to the ground.

While everyone was distracted by all this, Fortune took the chance to slam the flying soldiers with a variety combo pack of every way wind can mess you up, slamming them into crystal pillars, the floor, the ceiling, and if they were lucky just sent them hurtling through the air out of control.

"Pillow launcher?" AJ suggested to her dimensionally displaced cousin as she pointed out the last two soldiers who were regaining their orientation.

Fiddlesticks squee’d. “Yes!” Taking off her hat, she pulled the thing out from it and quickly took aim. The two pillows were able to throw the soldiers off their hooves and hard against the wall. 

“And that is a wrap everypony." Mask said, flying into the room. "Nice acting Sunset."

"Thanks." Sunset said as the illusory dark magic vanished. "Figured between that and the fire protection he'd freak out. Didn't expect him to charge me though." She looks to her captive. "So, you look like you're in charge. You got some info we want. What warlocks are you working with, and what can they do?"

“Rot in Tartarus,” the leader scoffed. 

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Okay girls, round them up. I'll conjure some ropes to bind them up with. Get their armour and weapons off them, we'll pile them outside the room. Lightning, you know about these jerks. Any idea on how to make him talk?"

“Well,” Lightning tapped her chin. “There’s a few ways. We can try torturing him until he squeals. Maybe threaten to cut off a wing, or we could do something that’s not gonna make me puke and get Quickfix to…...Wait, that’s even worse. Maybe get him to swear to Celestia? Anyone here a sun priestess?”

“....Did ye ferget where we are?” Quickfix glared at her. 

"Well, we could try that wing thing." the ground knight sugested, shimmering back into sight as Sunset stopped maintaining the invisibility spell. Flipping up her visor, it was Fragrant Posey. "And since we ain't in Equestria at the moment, I can't really do anything if you do pray to Celestia. No jurisdiction." she says with a lopsided grin.

“...Fragrant?” the leader glanced at her and groaned. “Oh great, the local you’s a fighter. Guess that flying bitch really was Fortune….figures.”

"You know us? I'm flattered. No wait, what's the opposite of that? Ah right, repulsed." Fortune said, coming in for a landing. "So how do you know us?"

“You’re both Enclave,” the leader remarked with a grin. “Proudly wearing the flag of truth and fighting for the pegasus race…..Though our Fragrant's more inclined to hide than to fight.”

"...permission to rip his throat out?" Pansy asked.

"Denied, we aren't killing prisoners. That is a war crime." Fortune interjected. "But damn, that's messed up. Still, I doubt she's as awesome as I am."

“She’s a bitch, you’re a bitch.” The leader chuckled. “No difference in my book. When I’m out of here, I’ll gladly cut that tongue out of that mouth. Give me some peace and quiet.” 

Fortune rolled her eyes. "Right. Sunset, rope?"

"Thirty feet per soldier, coming right up." Sunset replied, conjuring the coils of rope into existence. As the knights go over with AJ and Mask to secure the prisoners, Sunset has a new idea. "Hey Fiddlesticks, do you have any bagpipes?"

Fiddlesticks reached into her hat and moved it around for a bit. She pulled out a pair. “.........Why do ah have these?”

"Don't care." Sunset said as she levitated them over to herself. "Now talk or I start playing, and let me just warn you, I have never had a single lesson so it will be even worse than usual with bagpipes."

“Come off it,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “You can’t possibly be that bad with those things.”

“Ah don’t know,” Quickfix said. “That’s a Northern instrument. Ah’ve heard plenty of ye southerners mess it up.”

"I've heard the Shettish play. If that's what it sounds like when it's done right, imagine how bad it sounds played wrong." Sunset threatened.

“That’s racist,” Quickfix glared at her. “Or some kind of ‘cist’. Whatever, ye get the point! The bagpipes are one of the best instruments in the world. Me pa even taught me a few notes. Watch.” Quickfix pulled the bagpipe to herself and started playing. 

Lightning, Sunset, and Fiddlesticks quickly put their hooves over their ears as the music reverberated off the walls like it was coming out of a stereo. 

"Sweet molasses on toast! Who all is torturin' cats?" AJ asked, not that anypony could hear her over the noise. Mask was dazed, and the knights were covering their ears despite their hearing protection.

Quickfix was just happily playing the bagpipe, performing a little Northern dance to boot.

“ARGH!” the leader tried to cover his ears the best he could. “Make that infernal sound stop!”

"Give us the information and we'll stop!" Sunset demanded.

“FINE!” the leader shouted. “Just shut that music off!”

"Alright Quickfix you can stop, he'll talk." Sunset said, grinning.

Quickfix was too busy dancing and playing to hear her. 

“And ponies think ah get carried away,” Fiddlesticks chuckled.

"Really, you can stop now." Sunset said, conjuring a pair of earmuffs for herself.

“I got this,” Lightning smirked and walked over to Quickfix. She lightly touched the mare, shocking her comically. Quickfix’s fur stood on end and sparks flew across it. Her eyes bulged out and the bagpipe exploded. “There we go.”

Quickfix twitched for a while, before shooting LIghtning Dust a deathly glare. “Ah’ll get ye fer that.”

"Right, start talking or she goes back to playing, and none of us want that." Sunset said.

The leader growled. “Ask the question again. I might have forgotten after that infernal music.”

Quickfix stomped on one of his backlegs, not hard enough to break it, but enough to hurt. “Don’t ye dare talk about the bagpipe that way, ye heretic.” 

"Alright then, we just need the basics. What are you guys planing, how many are there of you, and how many warlocks. And what those warlocks can do." Sunset explained. "Really it's all very reasonable, and you'll be treated properly as prisoners held until trial."

“And then what?” The leader scoffed. “The guillotine? I’ll tell you about the warlocks, but you aren’t getting at thing about us out of me.” 

"...what's a guillotine?" Sunset asked, looking around to see if anypony knew. The locals all looked just as confused, shrugging.

“You know,” Lightning mimed ‘chopping something’ with her hooves. “The chopping block. Stick someone’s head in, pull the rope, blade comes down, head rolls into basket. It’s a Prench thing.” 

"Our Prench don't do that and...wait, you do know we don't do death penalties here right?" Sunset asked. "I mean even unrepentant warlocks and warlords don't get death sentences."

“Well ‘we’ know that,” Lightning scoffed. “He didn’t.” 

The leader chuckled and glanced around them. “You got lucky, kids. Your luck’s running out.” 

"Not lucky. Smart." Sunset pointed out. Her horn flashed and another layer of snow flew about. "And with the fire your and others were throwing, a cold refresher should do the trick to keep the wyverns down. So if you were outing on that, tough cookies."

“Don’t count your sheep before slaughter,” the leader grinned. “I know one thing. Tonight, I’m feasting on unicorn barbeque.” He licked his lips, bearing his fangs. 

Sunset looked less than impressed. "So, those warlocks?"

“Three,” the leader said. “You already know of the illusionist.” 

"Yeah, she was a total drama queen." Mask said. "But she was smart enough to get me out of the way so I couldn't just go "that's just an illusion" and win."

“One’s working on the portal and other performed those fancy tornadoes you met earlier,” he snorted at the last one. “That’s basically it.” 

"Three warlocks?" Sunset asked, jaw dropped. "This project is big enough to net three warlocks?"

“I just said that, so thank you for repeating it.” The leader scoffed. “So why don’t you ladies do the smart thing and let me go. I promise to allow my subordinates to let you pass.” 

“Fat chance,” Lightning rolled her eyes. 

"We already beat yer henchponies." AJ pointed out, trotting back over. "Ya'll are more done than a marshmallow on fire."

“Mmm,” Fiddlesticks rubbed her belly. “Marshmellow trees~”

“I will not take lip from an Earth,” the leader scowled. “Get back to me when you’ve evolved into something worthwhile.” 

AJ looked at him hard. "Do we need him conscious now?"

Sunset hmmed as she tapped her chin with her tail. "I can't think of any good reason."

Quickfix smashed her wrench down hard enough to knock the stallion out. “Ah hate these guys almost as ah hate that night bitch’s guys.” 

AJ snorted. "Ah wanted a shot at 'm."

"Please tell me most of the pegasi aren't like this in your world." Fortune begged.

Mask nodded. "I'm feeling sorry for my tribe right now if these yahoos are its representative there."

“Hello,” Lightning glared at the two. “I’m standing right here you know. It’s not like I could find that kind of talk tribalist or anything.” 

"Yeah but, there are a lot of them." Pansy pointed out. "And hearing that the uses there are part of their group? Not a very happy thought."

Lightning growled and looked away. “We’re not all like that.” She glanced at the others. “A lot of the other tribes still think we are sometimes, but we aren’t. We’re good….just some bad blood between us.”

“Which ye caused,” Quickfix remarked. “Can’t ferget ye eatin’ us in the Great Winter.”

“Those were outcasts,” Lightning glared at her. “Commander Hurricane never stood for them.” 

"Great Winter? Is that what you call the Windigo Winter?" Sunset asked.

“Yeah,” Fiddlesticks nodded. “It has a lot of names really. That’s just a common one.”

"Ah wouldn't worry none about that ya'll. So whatnif those other you's are jerks? The me over there is supposed to be some fashion pony. Ya don't got nothing ta worry bout there. Them's them and you're you." AJ assured her pegasi allies.

Lightning snorted. “Easy for you to say. I’ve had to live my life listening to comments like that. It doesn’t help that I’m living in an Earth town either. Some of you guys still find us spooky.” 

“Ah never found ya spooky,” Fiddlesticks booped her nose. “Ah found ya to be a silly airhead.”

“I am not an airhead,” Lightning glared at her, before grinning. “If I’m an airhead, then you’re head is filled with mud.”

“Apples actually,” Fiddlesticks snorted, beaming and gave Lightning a quick hug. “Okay, who else wants a hug?” 

"Not it." Sunset said, taking a few steps back.

Mask rolled her gems and bumped Sunset into the hug. "Group hug." she said, joining in herself.

“Don’t leave me out,” Quickfix quickly joined herself, but she kind of overdid it with the hug. Unicorn or not, she was a Northerner and her strength was known to break bones. 

"Gah! Spine spine spine!" Sunset shouted. She was an Ungulan unicorn, and she wasn't very tough even by that standard.

“Sorry,” Quickfix laughed and eased up in the hug. “Can’t help me strength sometimes. Used to break crystals and hard stones back home.” 

"Really? Like a rock farmer?" AJ asked, having joined in the hug as well but kept her strength in moderation.

“Nope,” Quickfix said. “Ah collected minerals fer me pa and my own experiments.” 

"If we're done with the love and friendship for now, we do have a job to do." Pansey pointed out. "It's getting late, we've had a long day, and we don't have a safe place to rest right now. Plus we have prisoners to deal with."

"Right, I'll send a note off to Celestia. She should be able to send a cohort of knights up here by tomorrow morning to handle these guys." Sunset agreed, levitating a scroll, ink, and quill out of her bag.

“So we’re just gonna leave ‘em here fer them to pick up?” Fiddlesticks asked. 

"Tied up and disarmed for a group of high trained soldiers to pick up, yes." Sunset said. "We don't exactly have a lot of options if we want to be sure we can get you guys back home in time and have time to find our friends."

“Then let’s get going,” Lightning grinned. “We have some warlocks to pummel.” 

“Hmm,” Quickfix mused to herself. “Ye know, we’ve been on a journey fer a while and no one’s died yet…..That’s kind of strange.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Fiddlesticks quickly covered Quickfix’s mouth with a hoof. 

"Ponies don't normally die on our quests." Mask assured her. "But just to be safe, nopony say any of those cliche "doomed" lines from plays, books, or movies."

“Way ahead of ya,” Fiddlesticks pulled out a list from her hat and then set it afire. “Out of sight, out of mind.” 

"Yeah, I mean us trying to redirect bad luck by tempting fate before didn't work." Sunset pointed out. "So no sense messing with it again."

“We’re gonna run into trouble one way or the other,” Quickfix shrugged. “Just not used to it bein’ ‘death free’.”

“Well, those were the ‘big’ adventures.” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “We’ve done stuff against smaller guys and no one died….They got really hurt, but they got better.” 

"So let's aim to keep our "nopony dies" trend going and work out a plan." Sunset advised. "Okay, Mask can nosell the illusionist, and with an anti-fire ward Lightning can stop the enemy weather user cold. All that leaves is the warlock working on altering a mystical device that is connected to the very metaphysical foundation of reality...I think he'll be the biggest threat."

“Then shouldn’t we take him out first?” Quickfix pointed out. 

"Probably. But it'll be risky. We have no idea what defenses he might have. Or attacks. Or anything really." Mask pointed out. "So, how do we do it without him doing who knows what?"
H
“We could draw out the other warlocks and beat ‘em ‘fore tackin’ him,” Fiddlesticks commented. “That seem like a plan?” 

"An how are we suppose ta do that?" AJ asks. "Warlocks tend ta be more yellow than butter if'n they think they might lose."

“Well, maybe we just got to make them think they’re gonna win.” Lightning grinned. “We’ve dealt with a few warlocks before. If they think they have a chance at killing us, they’ll take it wholeheartedly.” 

"Yeah, but how would we fake that?" Sunset pointed out. "They know you and Mask can just beat them like cheap rugs."

Quickfix tapped her chin. “Maybe we just gotta make ‘em think these guys beat us. Unless they’ve got some kind of scryin’ spell or somethin’.” 

"Sorry, not that good at disguse spells." Sunset shrugged.

Mask looked at the enemy uniforms. "...do we really need a spell to trick them?"

“That’s what ah was tellin’ ye,” Quickfix rolled her eyes. “Thought it was obvious with what ah was sayin’.” 

"Unicorns. Always thinking "magic solution" first." Fortune chuckled sifting through the uniforms. "Seriously, nothing in my size?"

"Well they are a little on the fat side." Pansy said. "Probably from eating meat."

"I uh, I can fit this one." Mask said uncomfortably. "It's...a kids uniform."

The locals looked very uncomfortable at that thought.

“Oh,” Lightning frowned. “It’s an ancient pegasus thing. The Enclave employ….kids to fight to help them prove their worthiness. We don’t do that anymore for obvious reasons, but they do.” 

"Our ancestors were idiots." Mask agreed, throwing on the mask. "...these things have an illusion based viewing system don't they?"

“Our ancestors were predators,” Lightning snorted. “If you were too weak to hunt, then you were cast out or killed. Obviously, I say again ‘Obviously’, we don’t do that anymore.” She grumbled. 

"We had a sort of "warrior pride" mentality too, though we didn't have the predator excuse." Pansy said. "Kind of had the same deal for a while...I don't suppose you could alter the outfits a bit Sunset?"

"Sorry. Twilight has the fashion spells, not me." Sunset said, shrugging. "Alright, any other ideas? Cause I don't want to send in Mask alone, and I don't trust invisibility to food an illusionist."

“Me and Mask can do it,” Lightning nodded. “I can wear these outfits no problem. Maybe you two just need to cut back from the donuts.” She chuckled, glancing at the two soldiers. 

"Yes, because being too fat is obviously why they hang loose from us like a chap motel bathrobe." Fortune deadpanned. "Though hearing you guys love doughnuts makes a lot of sense."

"So wait, the plan is ta have the two ponies we need ta counter the warlocks sneak up to the warlocks ta trick them into goin' into a trap where we use them to catch them?" AJ asks. "Mah heads hurtin' tryin' ta follow alla this here sneak plannin'."

“This plan is a tad bit convoluted,” Quickfix said.

“Whoa,” Fiddlesticks gasped. “If Quickfix says it’s convoluted, ya bet yer liver it’s convoluted.”

“Then who’s got a better idea?” Lightning frowned. She glanced around and then at the soldiers. “You sure you can’t find something? I thought herbs were supposed to be fatter than carns.” 

"We're a flying species. Hollow bones and lean muscle builds. How you guys stay airborn is beyond me." Fortune explained.

“To put it bluntly,” Quickfix said. “They’re pigeons yer a hawk, Lightnin’.”

“Noted,” Lightning grinned. “Quickfix, you got a plan.”

“Build a bomb,” she said simply.

“....Something that won’t get us all killed?”

Quickfix tapped her chin. She opened her mouth a few times, but closed it. “Nope.” 

Sunset sighed. "So "operation: all our eggs in one basket" is our only option."

“Hey,” Lightning said. “It worked for Daring Do.” 

"Right, and she's real in your world so that's actually a valid argument." Sunset said. "Just, I'm going to be counting on you for this. Mask can act, but the problem is she doesn't know how to act like Enclave."

“If you have a question Mask,” Lightning gave her a reassuring look. “Just ask me, but I’ll do my best to keep their attention me at all times.” 

"You sure? I know these uniforms cover a lot, but you are pretty famous on...the other side which the local warlocks wouldn't know as well right I think that's safely covered." Masquerade said. "I'll just let you do the talking."

“Maybe you can do a bit of talking with the Enclave, but yeah, I’ll handle the warlocks.” Lightning frowned. “Hopefully, that illusionist doesn’t recognize my voice. Quickfix?”

Quickfix nodded and looked over the suits of armor. She closed her eyes and started to pray, which given she was talking to the machine god, sounded something like a pony imitating, well, a machine. Her magic came to life around it and a couple of little devices lifted out of her bag. With a little bit of tinkering, she was able to fit them in. To which she thanked the god and her gave a short prayer to Celestia, which sounded more like a soothing melody, to give it strength. She wiped her forehead. “A bit complicated, but it should distort your voices ‘enough’. Not by a lot though. Don’t have the supplies, so they ‘might’ guess, but that’s a ‘might’. Better than just goin’ in there with yer normal voices.” 

"Well its better than nothing." Mask said, her voice notably deeper. "Gah, I sound like a dude."

“It’s only temporary,” Lightning said, her voice higher pitched. “Oh that’s not fair. I sound too girly.”

“No one would suspect ye to be a girl,” Quickfix grinned.

“..............I hate you sometimes,” Lightning commented. 

"Want to switch?" Mask asked. "I wouldn't mind a higher pitch."

“Thanks,” Lightning switched out her helmet. “Now I sound awesome. Well, not as awesome as my normal voice, but still.” 

"Testing testing. Teeheehee. This is so much fun." Mask giggled.

“Ah do my best,” Quickfix smiled in triumph. “Now go get those sissy warlocks, ye two.” 

"You got it boss lady mam." Mask said and threw out a salute.

“Do me proud,” Quickfix put a hoof on her shoulder. “Fight in the name of the North!”

“They’re not gonna be fightin’ yet,” Fiddlesticks pointed out.

“They should still ‘fight for the North’...In their hearts.”

“I’d like some wine with that cheese,” Lightning chuckled at Quickfix’s glare. 

"Oh you haven't even begun to hear cheese yet." Mask said, grinning. "You should see this one actor in my troupe, Blast Hardcheese."

“It’s times like this that make me understand why the other races think our names are weird,” Lightning commented. 

"Eh, I don't see why." Masquerade said. "I mean, our names are very direct and obvious. Why is that a bad thing?"

“True,” Quickfix nodded. “Now let’s stop blatherin’ and get to bustin’ some heads.” 



> Learning A Little More
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blizzard glanced inside the room with the prisoners. He didn’t like this development at all. They weren’t supposed to be found. It was far too early. He had his daughter to thank for this. Why couldn’t he hate her? She was a disgrace to his legacy in every meaning of the word, but he just never could hate her. Bah, he was too soft. Too involved with the little filly who liked to bounce on his belly some mornings so she could ‘pway wit daddy’ before he went off for patrols. He sighed. She was going to get herself killed one day at this rate, even with all of his training. He just wished her the best of luck.

His wyvern nuzzled him softly, detecting his distress. Blizzard rubbed the beast’s snout reassuringly. “I’m alright, Grag. Don’t go worrying about this old stallion. He can take care of himself.” My soldiers here on the other hoof? He glowered. They weren’t the best of the best. This venture didn’t call for them, but he’d seen fit to watch over the proceedings. There needed to be one level headed soldier amongst them.

He noticed how Pansy seemed to be getting along with the newcomers and sighed once more. “Too soft.”

“Sir,” a soldier walked up to him and saluted.

He returned and dismissed it shortly after. “Yes, soldier?”

“We’ve spotted enemy concentrations near some of our entrances,” the soldier said. “They seem to be preparing themselves for an attack.”

Blizzard scowled. “Keep an eye on them and give them Tartarus if they try something. If they take even the tiniest step inside our tunnels, I want them torn to shreds.” He trotted off to look over the defenses himself. None of the soldiers noticed something sneak past them.

_______________________________________________________________

“You really turned Nightmare Moon into a potato in a dream?” Pansy asked, chuckling behind her hoof. 

"Yep. But not like a random dream dream. It was in dream combat." Rainbow said. "It was kind of awesome. Then boom, Rainboom to the face...sort of. Potatoes don't have faces after all."

“Wow,” Pansy said. “I can’t imagine something like that happening. I mean, isn’t the land of dreams her domain?”

"Yes? What's your point. It was my dream and I'm awesome." Rainbow pointed out.

“Hmm,” Pansy nodded. “If your story is true, than you are pretty awesome. I can’t believe I’m talking with an Element bearer really.” She squeed.

"Meh, it's not that big a deal." Rainbow said, shrugging as much as her restraints allowed. "Really, it's less impressive than it sounds. We've only ever used the Elements twice."

“But Celestia herself used the Elements,” Pansy pointed out. “To wield weapons that before only she could wield is one of the highest honors.” She slightly bowed her head in reverence, saying a little blessing in Celestia’s name. 

"You are aware that Princess Luna wielded them too right?" Twilight pointed out. "Also, in case you were wondering, there are two thousand seven hundred and six individual crystaline growths that make up this cell."

Pansy stiffened up at Luna’s name. “We aren’t allowed to speak of the night devil. It brings back luck.”

"Hey, Luna's cool." Rainbow argued. "Yeah, Nightmare Moon is a huge jerk, but the Princess is very nice."

“Maybe yours is,” Panys shivered in fear. “Our’s evil. It’s why she was locked up after she was defeated by the Elements.”

"That...huh, I guess you have a point there." Twilight admitted. "Though I have to say, if you're that scared of Princess Luna why are you going after a world where she's out and about and teamed up with Princess Celestia?"

“I’m not going to be doing any of the fighting….I hope,” Pansy muttered. “We’re just looking for a homeland for ourselves.”

"If that were the case, you'd be taking the peaceful options we mentioned. Instead you rejected them for war." Twilight pointed out. "If you really just wanted a homeland, you would have been interested in my peace offering. You're just using it as an excuse to wage war."

“....We’re a warrior species,” Pansy looked away in slight shame. “That’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s in our blood.”

"If it was "in your blood", you wouldn't be scared of fighting." Twilight pointed out.

Pansy scuffed the ground. “They said I would grow into it. That I was just a late bloomer.”

Twilight just gives her a flat look that sums up her feelings on the issue.

“What?” Pansy tilted her head in confusion.

"That's stupid. I mean, what about pegasi that don't fight for a livin? Mail carriers, painters, weather personnel, grocery clerks, writers, doctors, construction workers, scientists, historians, teachers, and loads more." Dash explained. "You can't ALL be warriors. Society doesn't work like that."

“We can’t be soldiers all the time, but we can still fight to the death.” Pansy said, more like spoke as if reading it somewhere. “Every station of pegasi performs a duty to the whole, but we must all be prepared to give our lives for our cause.’

"...it's like talking to a brick wall." Dash sighed. "Okay, let me ask you this. How many of those ponies I listed work for the Enclave? And how many of them don't? You'll find that a lot more are against fighting than you think."

Pansy fidgeted about. “I don’t know how many. I never asked. I’m...not exactly good at talking with a lot of ponies.”

Twilight perked up a bit at that. "Well then, how do you know what non-Enclave pegasi are like if you never talk to them? I mean if the Enclave is right, they should be just like your group because they have that same "warrior blood". If they don't, it means the Enclave is wrong."

Pansy deeply frowned. “My parents were good ponies and they supported the Enclave, but I’ve heard a lot of us don’t.”

“Yes, like the guy holding the musket behind your back.” A familiar stallion said, before Stonewall shimmered into existence, his musket at the ready. “Not exactly a big ‘Enclave’ fan myself.”

"Stonewall? How they hay did you get in here?" Rainbow asked.

“Oh that would be my doing~” And just like that, Twilight Velvet shimmered between them. “Nice to see you’re safe.”

"Mom? What are you doing here, this place is dangerous!" Twilight shouted in surprise.

“I would keep it down if I were you, young lady.” Velvet chided. “And I know. I’ve been a few ‘nasty’ situations myself. How do you think I’ve kept my books so well informed?”

"....wait what?" Twilight asked. "My Mom is some sort of Daring Doo action hero? What?"

"Iiiii think you broke Twi's brain." Rainbow pointed out.

Velvet rolled her eyes. “No, I tend to keep my work as fiction instead of self-glorification. I just draw inspiration from books and ‘personal’ experience. Like say, how to pick Enclave locks.” Her horn lit up for a fraction of a second and the chains around Twilight and Dash broke. “They honestly never change it and don’t you go tiring yourself out, Twilight. I might be a tad bit of an adventurer, but I’m still your mother, in a sense.” She giggled and motherly nuzzled her. 

"That's nice. Oh right." Twilight used her tail to grab her inhibitor ring and slide it off. "Guess I don't have to wait till we're alone now to do that."

“No you don’t,” Velvet nodded. “Now, let’s get you two out of here and someplace safe.”

"Right. Well Pansy, it was nice talking to you. Think about what we said, you're too nice to hang out with these jerks. After." Rainbow said, getting up and walking off. "Come on guys, we need to explain the evil plan."

“Now Twilight,” Velvet nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “I don’t want you to try and cast anything. I know magic in this world is still foreign to you and even the tiniest discharge can disrupt my illusions. So try and keep a clear mind.”

"Got it mom. Total control." Twilight said, nodding.

“Good girl,” Velvet beamed. She may not be ‘her’ daughter, but she was still Twilight. Her horn lit up for a second before the group was cloaked and invisible. “Now follow closely, otherwise the illusion will wear off of you and you won’t be able to find us.”

"Gotcha Missus Velvet." Rainbow said.

Velvet nodded. “Now come along. I don’t think we want to stay here longer than we have to.” She started to trot off, keeping a slow pace.

"Got it." Rainbow said, following along. "Twilight, your mom is awesome."

"Yes, yes she is." Twilight said, nodding. "I'm glad she rescued us."

“I would never let anything happen to you, Twilight.” Velvet said. “And I would think the other me would feel the same way. You’re my little filly, no matter the dimension.”

"Awww, that's so sweet." Rainbow teased.

Velvet chuckled. “Don’t get me started with your mother, Rainbow. She would have punched out every soldier here to get to you.”

"This version." Rainbow muttered. "And what took you so long Stonewall? Weren't you supposed to be my bodyguard?"

Stonewall frowned and looked away in shame. “I...I got lost.” He blushed in embarrassment. 

Dash almost stopped walking in shock, but remembered to keep pace. "You got lost? You? You actually know where this place is, I had to stop and get directions because this place doesn't even exist on my side. But you got lost finding a place you actually know about?"

“Well….In my defense, I went out alone and this place only appeared a little while ago. It’s not exactly on many maps yet.” Stonewall did his best to defend himself. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

"Oh be quiet you two, you can flirt later." Twilight groaned. "We're trying to be sneaky."

“I am not flirting,” Stonewall squeaked out, blushing.

“Oh that reminds me of when your father kept ‘bumping’ into me at the comic convention,” Velvet giggled. “So adorable~” 

Stonewall grumbled in silent shame. 

___________________________________________________________________

Shining Armor stared at the group as they lined up at the start of his tent. “So let me get this straight. Mom was able to bust you all out, cloaked, with no ill repercussions and without the Enclave spotting you? Is that about right?”

"Yes." Twilight said. "Really, this version of Mom is just as awesome as my own just in different ways."

“Thank you, dearie.” Velvet nuzzled her. “Glad to be of help.”

Shining put a hoof to his forehead. “You know, I keep forgetting she can do these things.” He sighed to himself.

"How? If I had a mom this awesome I would brag about her nonstop." Rainbow pointed out.

“Oh he doesn’t have to brag about this old mare,” Velvet went over and pinched his cheek. “My little Shiny’s grown up with a very important position.”

Shining just stood there, his face showing annoyance but he wasn’t one to stop his mother really about anything.

"Yeah, Shiny is great. Anyway, what's the plan now?" Twilight asked.

With his mother letting go of his cheek, Shining stood at attention. “We’re going to flush out the Enclave. My forces are to alternate between routes, keeping the Enclave guessing and unsure of where we’ll strike.” He used a magical, holographic map to showcase the troop movements. “Thanks to mother, we’ve located two pathways the Enclave aren’t using.” He highlighted them. “We’ll send in a small task force in each while the Enclave is distracted by the bulk of our troops. The task force is to then find the source of this portal and find out how the Enclave are keeping it stable.”
 
"Oh, that would be the warlocks from our dimension." Twilight explained. "They're working with an evil warlock called Dominion and his dark forces to get the Enclave's army over to our world where they think they can conquer a new homeland for themselves. Dominion is probably bargaining to use the Enclave as muscle for his own plans for conquest."

"Oh, right. The guy in charge is called Blizzard, his daughter is Fortune, and they've got some super mercenary called Suri working for them." Rainbow added in. "Unfortunately they were too smart to let anything else slip while talking to us."

Shining scowled. “Warlocks? Suri? Blizzard? Well isn’t this peachy?”

“Yes, sir?” A mare soldier stuck her head inside the tent.

“Not you Private Peachy,” Shining said, to which the soldier quickly ducked her head back outside. “We’re going to have to add a couple of Priestesses to the infiltration group to keep up with these warlocks. Blizzard’s going to be tough. He’s smart, too smart for my liking and his affinity with the cold can be dangerous for even Knights. Suri? Can’t imagine why they would need her, but she’d have Blizzard’s head on a platter in less than thirty seconds. I might have to strengthen the front lines.” He looked over the map once more. 

"Yeah, Suri is who captured me after I gave a bunch of those Enclave bozo's the slip." Rainbow said. "Totally dirty ambush."

“Dirty or not it worked,” Shining muttered. “She’s dangerous. They all are. I’m expecting at least twenty percent casualties and that’s just hearsay.” He snorted. “We just have to be thankful we outnumber them, but numbers don’t mean much in tunnels.”

"Wait, casualties?" Twilight asked. "Why not just block off the tunnels and starve them out? They can't have that many supplies."

“We don’t know what’s on the other side of that portal,” Shining stated. “They could have even more of them, or finding some super weapon. These warlocks are dangerous and I will not have them step into ‘our’ world. I am going to flush them out now and end this.”

"Plus, if that is the mirror portal, we're kind of on a deadline before it closes." Rainbow pointed out. "Cause I don't know about you, but being stuck here for a really long time would be bad."

Shining nodded. “I apologize if you abhor violence. I don’t like sending my soldiers to their death either, but sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to ensure the safety of our nation. I assure you, we’ll get you back to your world and our own ponies back here in no time.”

"So...what do we do now?" Twilight asked.

“Now,” Anrain materialized behind her. “I train you, young one. I can’t have you ‘blasting off’ again on my watch without the least bit of training.”

"That wasn't my call I did that to me...we really need better pronouns for dealing with alternate uses." Twilight noted. "Anyway, training, right. Where do we begin?"

“First of all,” Anrain looked about. “We’ll need a quiet location. Someplace away from idle distractions which you ponies are so fond of losing yourselves to.”

Said local ponies grumbled beneath their breath about ‘deer’.

"Alright I guess. Lead the way." Twilight said.

“Wait,” Velvet got in between them. “This isn’t combat training, is it? She isn’t going to get hurt?”

“She won’t be harmed by me, I assure you.” Anrain answered in his own way. “Be still at mind, Miss Velvet and perhaps one day your heart will be still as well.”

Velvet frowned. “That is none of your business.”

“And I want no part in it either,” Anrain snorted. “Now let us be off Twilight. Let us leave the soldiers to fight and the wounded of heart to heal.”

"Alright." Twilight said. "Mom, I'll be fine. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Princess Celestia trusts him after all."

“I know,” Velvet hugged her and kissed her forehead. “Just take it easy and stay safe and don’t overeat either. You’ll get a bad stomach and that’s no good for a fletchling spellcaster, especially one of your strength.”

"Yes Mom, I am aware that I need to stay in control." Twilight said. "I'll be careful I promise."

Velvet nodded. “I know you will. I love you, Twilight and I hope you get back home soon. Other me must be worried sick at this point. I’d probably be a wreck if something happened to you.”

"....right Shiny, be sure to get that portal back or my mom will probably find a way to break physics if that's what it takes to get me back." Twilight notes before she starts hurrying out. "Well, where are we going Farseer Anrain?"

Anrain tapped his cane and the pair weren’t walking on crystal roads anymore. They were in the middle of a field. Unlike a regular teleport, it wasn’t shiny and overbearing. It was like the blink of an eye, less so really. “Here would be good, young one.”

"How did we get here? Teleportation? Special folding? Pocket dimension?" Twilight asked, looking around and trying to figure it out herself.

Anrain glanced at her. “Which do you believe it is and why?”

"Hmm, teleportation. It seems to be too far for a spatial fold, and it seems to be too big for a pocket dimension." Twilight concluded. "I am however basing this off of knowledge about how magic works in my own world. It could be quite different here."

“You are correct,” Anrain inclined his head. “This was a teleport, but not one from the mind, but that of the soul. You see, this field is often used to train Farseers and it is by that a piece of our history remains. No other being can find it and no one can follow. However, one can place a ‘soul mark’ in other places of value. While they can’t be traced, they can still be found. They are much softer versions of a teleport, but limited in scope.”

"Limited how?" Twilight asked.

“Tell me, do you have a special connection to every place you visit?” Anrain asked. 

"Uh, not quick visits, and not every place. Are you talking about an emotional bond?"

Anrain thinly smiled. “Yes, that is what I am referring to. A Teleport can take you anywhere you know at the time, but a ‘Soul Teleport’ can take you anywhere your heart remembers. It can be a useful trick when one wishes to be alone in a place they love, or in our case, a place for me to teach you.”

"Wow." Twilight said, eyes sparkling. "Um, are there any downsides to this method?"

“Only in the number of locations you can visit,” Anrain said. “Though, this is not a technique those of blackhearts can use. That of course, is none of your concern.” He tapped the edge of his cane against her heart. “Your heart is still pure and I don’t sense the darkness that could harm you. Otherwise, I would not have risked bringing you here.”

"Yeah, evil, never touch the stuff." Twilight joked. "I'm all about focus, discipline, and control."

Anrain stared deep into her eyes for a moment. “Which is why, if given the time, you could become something greater than you are now.”

"...um, no thank you, I'm fine as I am." Twilight said, a little unnerved by his stare.

“That is your wish,” Anrain remarked, pulling away. “I cannot change your fate, not now however. Of course, that isn’t the reason why we are here. Now Twilight, before we begin, tell me what is magic and what it means to you?”

"Um, I'm going to have an answer based on my world but, here I go." Twilight took a deep breath. "Magic is an underlying metaphysical aspect of nature that saturates all things, accumulating more fully in life, and even more so in intelligent life. Everything has magic, though this may be a truly insignificant amount everything has at least some. Magic is just a fundamental part of reality like magnetic forces or gravity. As to what magic means to me...I'm not sure, I have mixed feelings."

Anrain nodded. “Magic means something to everyone, young mare. The definition at its core is the same, but what we allow it to define a being is not. For ill or good fortune, it makes us who we are. We wouldn’t be here as we are now without it. So tell me truthfully, what does it mean to you.”

"...I don't know." Twilight said again. "Like I said, I have very mixed feelings about it. I love it. I hate it. I want it. It scares me. I want to know more. I want less power."

“You are off balance,” Anrain shook his head. “A figure with no base. If you wish to stay like that, you will become the same as your counterpart here: Broken.”

"It's...it's very complicated. Do you understand how special talents work?" Twilight asked.

“You ponies are a unique species,” Anrain spoke, glancing at her mark. “You manifest talents and excel at them far and beyond that which any other species can, but you are like children sometimes. Playing with things you do not understand. Your talents define you, but many take them in the wrong way. To me however, I believe they are a gift moreso than a curse, however primitive your species can be at times.”

"Do you know what my talent is?" Twilight asked.

“Do you?” Anrain countered her question with his own.

"....magical catastrophe." Twilight admitted. "My power is naturally inclined to lash out. That's why I'm so focused on discipline."

“So you say you are a living weapon?” Anrain remarked. “That it is your talent to destroy? Then tell me, why can I stand at ease as of now?”

"Because I chose not to do it. I don't want to cause problems." Twilight explained. "I choose to be in control. I love magic. I hate what my magic wants to do. I want to know everything I can about it. I'm scared of what I can do with that knowledge. I want the power to help others with it. I want less power so it's easier to control."

“You are missing the point,” Anrain shook his head. “You ‘choose’ not the destroy. You ‘choose’ to take the magic you possess as a sign of destruction. You are thinking with this.” He conked her on the noggin with his staff. “While this rages within you.” He tapped her heart. “That is why your magic rages. You are indecisive and your magic and nature shows it.”

"How am I indecisive?" Twilight demanded.

“Because your heart and mind do not think as one,” Anrain declared. “A ponies special talent is only mastered when the heart and mind can work together. Your mind is strong. It is one of the strongest I have seen in a long while, perhaps even matching Starswirl himself, but your heart? It has no sense of direction and no firm idea on what it is. So you ‘choose’ to control yourself, but you cannot fix yourself until you learn to give your heart stability.”

"So you're saying I should want to destroy stuff?!"

“Are you not listening, young mare? Your heart is where the problem lies. You have no set feeling for your talent. You love it. You hate it. You are two extremes and then some and your talent cannot be at peace until you are able to control your heart as you do your mind.” He conked her head with his staff. “Does your mind wish to destroy, or does it have a firm sense of what it wants?”

"...what I want right now is knowing how to do this new type of magic." Twilight said,

Anrain sighed. “Then I will begrudgingly teach you and I wish for you to take heed. You are one of the few ponies to step hoof in this field.”

"I understand it's a great honor." Twilight said. "And I will try to be worthy of your teachings."

“Then take my staff,” Anrain held it out to her. 

Twilight grabbed it with her tail. Instantly, the orb at the end of it glowed in bright colors, matching her cutie mark.

Anrain was silent for a moment. “Hmm, I was right about you.”

"What? Is it bad?" Twilight asked, nervous.

“Twilight,” Anrain looked at her face with a stern gaze. “A farseer’s staff can only be used by that of one worthy of the title. I brought you here on the basis of that, assuming my hunch of your aura was correct. I still find it odd, even after seeing it with my own eyes.”

"Wait...Farseer...me?" Twilight asked, jaw dropped.

“You have the potential,” Anrain nodded. “But I would have to train you for quite sometime for you to reach it. Which is odd. Do you know how many ponies in the history of our world that have had that same potential?”

"Uh...not sure...three?" Twilight guessed.

“One,” Anrain said. “And she is standing before me now and I scarcely believe it myself.”

"But I'm not from your world and I'm not sure what a Farseer is and only one I what?" Twilight asked, quite uncertain as to what was going on.

“Farseer’s are being’s of knowledge and wisdom,” Anrain explained. “They are powerful in the arcane arts. It is their duty to help guide their fellows to a better future, no matter the personal cost. To this date, only we deer have been able to do so...other than one other, but she wishes for that to remain in the past.”

"Who?" Twilight asked.

“Who would you put these words to?” Anrain asked. “Wisdom, knowledge, power, and the sacrifice of self to help others at all cost.”

"Princess Celestia?!" Twilight shouted.

Anrain nodded. “She was and is the only non-deer to master the art and to be able to wield it. Celestia earned her position amongst many of us through her skill and leadership, not just to you ponies. She is, to this day, the strongest Farseer I have ever seen. You hold a similar spark.”

"Wait, spark...Celestia put a piece of her magic in me so that I can use magic in this world. That might be what you're sensing." Twilight suggested.

“Then the staff would have glowed with her colors,” Anrain remarked. “She just gave you a...Hmm, what is the term. ‘Kickstart’?”

"...why would you kick something to start it?" Twilight asked.

“I have no idea,” Anrain remarked. “You ponies come up with the wildest of euphemisms. No matter, we are to start your training. Thankfully, you are in need of just the basics of the mind. This should be easy for you, young farseer.” He chuckled.

"Okay then. Where do we start? That realm of magic thing?"

“Which requires a clear mind in order to start,” Anrain explained. “You need to focus your mind, not on yourself, but something more. Something beyond yourself. To a magic user of this world, it’s like breathing. Imagine ‘breathing’ in the magic. I want you to close your eyes and imagine. We’re not going to use or tap into the realm as of now, but I want you to practice.”

Twilight nodded, and sat down. She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. In and out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out…

“Now imagine a river,” Anrain said softly. “A river you can touch, not with your body, but that of your mind. Just imagine.”

"Done."

“I want you to focus on that river,” Anrain instructed. “Not too hard, but I want you to focus on it as you would a book.”

"Done."

“Now I want you to focus on your horn,” Anrain said. “And then to your staff. A magic user can often find themselves feeling stronger and more intuned with the realm of magic when holding an item. Of course, keep the magic in your horn. Just draw it in slowly now.”

Twilight's horn started to glow, slowly building.

“Funnel it into the staff,” Anrain told her. “You are still a beginner, so the staff will be your crutch. It was help you guide your magic until you can funnel it well on your own.”

Twilight's brow furrowed as she struggled with this one. It's quite different from anything she'd ever done before. Still she slowly managed to get it starting to move from one point to another.

“Now I want you to will your staff to float,” Anrain said. “Keep the channel between the two open and strong.”

"Okay, that one’s easy." Twilight said, levitating the staff before her.

Anrain eyed her and the staff. He then looked over at a nearby apple tree. “I want you to keep your eyes closed and ‘feel’ the aura of that apple tree.”

Twilight focused....and focused...."Okay, this is harder. Any tips?"

“Expand your mind,” Anrain said. “Let it feel everything around you. Everything has a surge of magic, but perhaps this might be a tad bit too advanced as of the moment. You may open your eyes.”

Twilight did so. "Sorry. I tried, I just couldn’t feel it. Or much of anything actually."

“You can feel your staff, can you not?” Anrain asked. 

"When I'm putting magic into it, yeah." Twilight said. "It's weird sensing stuff at all like this."

“You will get used to this,” Anrain commented. “For now, I will be content with simple levitation. You were quicker at it than I thought you would be.”

"Well, I am a highly trained mage in my own world. I'm adapting what I know for this."

“Perhaps you are,” Anrain inclined his head. “What do you feel when you grab that staff with your magic?”

"That I am grasping it." Twilight said. "Nothing different from doing it physically."

Anrain stared at the staff and then to her. “Hmm, yes. Now then, were there any questions about anything?”

"Nothing really." Twilight admitted. "It's pretty straightforward so far."

Anrain smiled. “You are indeed a natural. Now I wish for you to pool your magic into the orb in your staff.”

"Okay." Twilight aid, closing her eyes. Breathing carefully, she started to move her magic.

Anrain watched her intently as she moved her magic. “Imagine the orb to be a bucket and that of your magic to be water. Let it flow through you and ‘fill’ the orb. Keep your mind clear.”

"Um, how will I know when it's full?" Twilight asked.

“It would take years to fill that orb at your current rate,” Anrain remarked. “As of now, you can stop.”

"Alright then." Twilight said, finishing it off for now. "So, now what do we do?"

“The apple tree from before,” Anrain looked to his side. “Do you see it?”

Twilight took a look at the tree. "Yes, what about it?"

“I want you to bring me an apple,” Anrain said. “I don’t want you to move a single inch from your spot, nor levitate it. I want you to ‘want’ it to be here. Take the apple, store the image in your mind, and think it here.”

"Uhhhh...what?" Twilight asked. "This is a little abstract for me."

“You are aware of ‘teleportation’ are you not?”

"Yes...oh you want me to teleport it." Twilight realized. "Alright, let's try this." Closing her eyes, she focused. After several moments she opened her eyes and...had a mulched apple in her hooves. "Okay, my world's mental constructs for teleporting does not work."

“How were you teleporting?” Anrain asked. 

"Converting to energy and then changing back." Twilight explained.

“Teleportation here is different,” Anrain explained. “You do not ‘convert’ your target to and fro. Instead, you will the target to be where you want it. You move it’s place in the universe to the location of your choice.”

Twilight...looked very confused. "I just...will it to be where I want it to be?"

“Think of it as ripping a hole in fabric,” Anrain said. “And holding another ‘fabric underneath to catch it. You are moving an item or a person from one point to the next, warping them through holes in the world. It is up to you to pick where the ‘hole’ will be.”

Twilight nodded, and focused resulting in...an apple that was turned inside out.

“I’m glad the unicorns of this world do not suffer so,” Anrain winced. “Or there would be many a sight I would not want to see.” He sighed. “You must be careful. Keep the picture of the ‘object’ strong in your mind. Waver and you can throw yourself off.”

The next apple was twisted like a wet towel. The next was compressed down to the size of a golfball. The third was turned blue. "...okay, not sure how that last one ever happened."

Anrain sighed. “Are you keeping the image firm in your mind and that of its destination?”

"Yes. I don't understand, I'm great at mental constructs." Twilight moaned, frustrated.

“How much power are you putting into the warp jump?” Anrain asked. “Into the hole itself?”

"...I'm not sure how you guys measure power." Twilight admitted. "I'm not sure what scale you use to describe things."

“I’ll ask it in another way,” Anrain asked. “Are you punching the ‘hole’, or gently but quickly pulling it open?”

"...bucking it open." Twilight admitted. "Tone it down?"

“You must always be gentle with a teleport,” Anrain said. “Yes, you need to put more force into the ‘buck’ or prod the bigger and heavier the item, but it should always be at minimum power. Too much and you risk hurting something and yourself. It will quickly come naturally to you.”

"Right. Let's try about a tenth of the power I was using." Twilight said. Breath. Focus. And..."Half an apple? ...well at least the half is intact."

“Imagine the apple in its entirety,” Anrain said. “Not just the part you can see.”

"Right. Focusing a bit too much on power, not the apple." Closing her eyes, she focused on an apple in full and "...there we go. Got it down now...at least enough for a baseline to practice from."

Anrain nodded with a smile. “That you do. A few more tries than I thought it would be, but you have it down well enough. Now then, I’d suggest eating the apple. Sometimes, magic use can be taxing, especially for ones not familiar with certain spells.”

Nodding, Twilight started snacking. "So, eating restores magic reserves here?"

“While the main source of our power is drawn from the planes,” Anrain remarked. “Those of the magically gifted races, such as unicorns, can store enough magic in their own bodies to use when needed. Some spells can drain the body's reserves, so it is best to find time to relax and restore your energy until your body can get used to the spell itself.”

Twilight nods. "Right, external energy source. I forgot that's how it works here for a second. Wait, I can store magic in my body here? Like my world's mana reserves?"

“As I said before,” Anrain explained. “Only the more magically gifted races can do that to any extent and that includes unicorn ponies. Of course, it also matters on the individual. Many can’t store that much, so draw more from the plane of magic and it’s also wise to do so when you are low and have nowhere to sleep or eat.”

"So, emergency use only." Twilight summed up.

Anrain nodded. “If you were to use up all the magic inside of you, you run the risk of damaging yourself. Your kind is tied to magic. As well, if your connection is severed through the loss of your horn, your inner magic will have nowhere to go and will ‘pollute’ your body.”

"Pollute?" Twilight asked, concerned.

“A unicorn needs an outlet for their magic,” Anrain said. “If you have none, the magic will build up inside you, until it starts bursting your cells around your body. Not all at once. It’s gradual and painful. Thankfully, you unicorns have treatments for it until they can regrow their horns.”

"That's...it can break down your body?" Twilight asked. "That's...bad."

“Indeed,” Anrain said. “So I would advise you to keep an eye on your horn. It’s more than a tool. It’s your lifeline.”

"Got it." Twilight said, finish off her apple.

“Now then,” Anrain said. “You have a basic understanding of manipulations and teleportation. Good. You’re taking to this new field of magic quite admirably fast for your kind.” 

"Well, like I said earlier, I'm already highly trained in my own worlds form of magic." Twilight said, shrugging. "And Princess Celestia said I was a remarkably fast study."

“Then you will have no problem with moving yourself over to that tree without taking a single step,” Anrain gestured to the tree. 

"Wait, I'm supposed to go from apple to me with no in between stuff?" Twilight asks, shocked. "Shouldn't I practice on some more stuff first?"

“My master would have made you attempt this spell on yourself at the very beginning,” Anrain stated. “So I think I have given you a bit more guidance in that department. However, you are still not all that aware of this world, nor am I has stern as my former master. If you do not think yourself capable at this time, then we will try an easier exercise.” 

Twilight shifted her hooves a bit, thinking and looking at the tree, before shaking her head. "I'm powerful enough, but I don't feel comfortable enough yet to try it. I'm still rather new to the magic here and haven't had enough experience using it in enough ways to get an instinctive feel for how to use it safely. A few more exercises to get me better adjusted first is probably a good idea."

Anrain put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and smiled down at her with a tinge of pride. “That is a wise answer, Twilight. Many a fool would have tried without a second thought after succeeding with the apple. One should never rush into anything and perhaps I was a bit hasty to rush into teleportation so soon with our training. A bit on that is how you are the student of Celestia herself, the only non-deer I have come to respect quite highly.” 

"Princess Celestia is the one who taught me to take my time and get things right." Twilight explained. "It also helped that my world's Sunset was around to occasionally serve as an example of what happens when you rush things in magic."

Anrain nodded. “Of course. Still, I offer my sincerest apologies for rushing you, Twilight. I was far too eager to teach you, for I have always wanted a student of my own. Unfortunately, we deer aren’t as numerous as we once were so it is….hard to find a proper student these days.” 

"I'm sorry to hear that." Twilight said. "The deer aligned with Equestria back home are thriving actually. I figured it was the same case here."

“It is difficult for us, but we manage.” Anrain stated. “We make up for our lack of numbers, with everything else. It’s just….hard for us to have children, or as many children as you races have. Not to mention that most of them are so bull headed as to battle us whenever they can.” 

"Ahh kids. My son can be like that." Twilight said, nodding. "Well moving on to happier things, what are we going to try next?"

“I think we best study the realm of magic for a little while longer,” Anrain stated. “It was wrong of me to jump to teaching you spells when you know so little about the realm your magic comes from. Without knowledge of it, you won’t get far in your training.” 

"I guess that makes Sense, if magic comes from an outside source." Twilight noted. "I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm not providing all the energy for my spells."

“Just as I find your inner magic odd,” Anarin noted. “The Realms of Magic, Chaos, Druidic, Light, and Darkness all play a part in keeping this world alive. Without one, the others would collapse in on themselves. However, the realms of Chaos and Darkness are not ones to be trifled with by anyone and you are never to enter them. You could very well become like Luna or your twin here.” 

"Got it. No touching. What about the Light realm? And...I can do Druidic magic here?" Twilight asked, eyes shining with curiosity.

Anrain nodded. “You can, but it takes study and determination to master more than one of the realms. As for the Realm of Light, that is Celestia’s realm. It is more of a ‘tether’ for the others and what many would consider holy magic. Only the pure of heart can wield it. If you have any taint in your heart, even the tiniest bit, it will burn you. Even kill you if the taint is large enough.” 

"...I'm not sure if I'm worthy to do that. I mean, what counts as taint here?" Twilight asked, uncertain.

“Many things,” Anrain explained. “If you are a being of the dark realm, even the rare ‘nice’ being, you cannot wield it. The dark and light realm cannot interact and only one has done that before. As for the rest, well, a person who thinks only for themselves or wishes to harm another unjustly cannot wield Light. Only those worthy of the blessings of the realm and who devotes themselves to helping others can do so. It is why your Priestesses of Celestia are masters of healing and kindness.” 

"Wow." Twilight said. "The priestesses I've met so far have been earth tribals. Is that a requirement, or is this a universal?"

“Universal,” Anrain said. “Any tribe can have a priestess in their ranks. It is most likely by coincidence you met just two of the Earth tribe. The Realm of Light is open to all and all can wield the Light there.” 

Twilight nodded. "What about the other realms? Who can use those?"

“The realm of Druidic magic is open to some,” Anrain stated. “While many can ‘learn’ the ways of the druid, only some tribes and species can truly master it. The most capable are the Earths and Tatzlponies.” 

"Rainbow Dash mentioned meeting one of those, they sound fascinating." Twilight said. "So, who is the realm of magic open to, and anything special I should know about it?"

“The realm of magic is special,” Anrain stated. “While it can be wielded by many, it has aspects of all the others but twists them in a unique way. Magic in itself is both wondrous and horrifying in the power it wields. Of course, it is also the underlying layer of many races, yourself included. It is their lifeblood and if the realm was cut off….There would be no unicorns or other magic races.” 

Twilight blanched, "And um, if a unicorn from your world got thrown into mine that doesn't have that realm as a higher plane of existence?"

“She would be in constant pain and she is,” Anrain said. “The unicorn Quickfix is however hardier than most so she’s pushing through it. She’s adjusting to the ‘aura’ of your world, so she would survive being cut off. Perhaps her inner magic will restore itself given outside aid. We can only hope, for I am not an expert on your world.” 

"!Food and rest provide unicorns with magic in my world, but I don't know if that will work for her. Otherwise she...you can see into the other world?" Twilight asked, jaw dropped in wonder.

“Glimpses,” Anrain nodded. “The portal isn’t stable nor it is a healthy one at this time with the warlock’s interference. All I can do is assure you that you’re friends are alive, Twilight Sparkle and they are getting closer. The rest cannot be seen as of this moment.” 

"I see. Thank you for even that much." Twilight said, bowing her head in reverence.

“You are welcome,” Anrain bowed his head in return. “I don’t often wish to help ponies. You can be such a crude species, but you are still growing. As well, I am fond of your teacher, so I am always willing to help those she trusts.” 

"The ponies here are a bit...violent for my tastes." Twilight allowed. "I can see why they think of my world as soft, even if they're mostly too nice to say so."

“They never got the chance to be soft,” Anrain stated. “This world is harsh, Twilight. We cannot have peace and we’re too hard headed to even try, or at least, it doesn’t work out in the end for some such as with the Flutterponies.” 

"That's just sad." Twilight said, sighing. "I guess we got lucky with our world." Or they got unlucky with there's, but Twilight had enough tact to not suggest that out loud.

“It is not all that bad,” Anrain stated. “It is in fact much calmer than it has been in eons thanks to Celestia. Before her, the races didn’t even want to talk to each other. Now, most of are cordial enough to at least talk before we do something crass. She has brought your country a long way from its barbaracy.” 

"Well that's a good start." Twilight said, nodding. "Has she tried to propose Articals of War yet? You'd be amazed how much it helps the peace process once you have a baseline of wartime conduct everybody can agree to."

“It’s been signed by many of the races,” Anrain nodded. “But rejected by others still. The griffins are vehemently opposed to it, stating how war shouldn’t have ‘guidelines’ or ‘rules’.” He snorted. “This is just justification for their needless slaughter.” 

"I still don't get how your griffons got to be so bad." Twilight huffed. "Mine are quite civil. There has to be a reason for the difference."

“Discord,” Anrain stated. “He thought it would be funny to turn the proud race on its head so that it would tear itself apart.” 

"That...yeah I can see that." Twilight admitted. "Anyway, we're getting off topic. Back to the lesson, or we will be here all year as I ask questions."

“That is true,” Anrain chuckled. “I want you to tell me what you saw and felt when you focused on ‘the river’ in your mind.” 

Twilight furrowed her brow in concentration. "Um, I was seeing the river that flows through Canterlot and provides water and power to the city. Except it had a sort of rainbow sparkling effect to it, which was interesting. Was I not supposed to focus on an actual river?"

“You did well, Twilight.” Anrain said to placate her concerns. “But I was more interested on your ‘thoughts and feelings of the river. How did it feel to touch it, to draw power from it?” 

"Um, I thought it looked very pretty? And you said to touch it with your mind, not your body, so...I thought at it." Twilight blushed slightly.

“A good answer as any,” Anrain smiled. “The Realm of Magic is purely focused through the mind and that is where your power lies. The stronger the mind, the stronger the magic.” 

"Oh. Well that's a relief, for a second I was worried I was doing it wrong." Twilight admitted. "So, what's next?"

“With the your mind,” Anrain started. “I want  you conjure up a ‘light show’ of sorts. Nothing spectacular, but I want you to bring forth balls of physical magic around yourself.” 

"Physical magic? You mean like a force field?" Twilight asked.

“Akin to it,” Anrain nodded. “Something you can touch. To start off simple, they do not have to be as hard as diamonds. Instead, just give the magic a physical presence here with you.”

"Alright. I'll try." Twilight said. Closing her eyes and focusing, she imagined a ball simply now existing on front of her, and willed her magic to forge itself into the ball. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the bowling ball sized mass in front of her. "I did it. I wonder how tough it is?" She prodded it a few times to no response. She then shoved it and...it refused to budge. "The hay? It's heavy."

“Do you believe it to be heavy?” Anrain asked.

"Well I...should it be?" Twilight asked in return.

“Your mind is strong,” Anrain stated. “I have stated that before, so you could theoretically make this as hard as dragon scales easily enough. It matters on what you believe it to be in how strong your spell is. Most magic users vary in how strong they can cast their spells, for their minds can waver. You can choose how strong a thought or belief can be at any time, though the unicorns here have a slight advantage over most given how their ‘brains’ operate.” 

"So...it depends on what I was thinking at the time?" Twilight asks. "And how I felt about what I was thinking?"

Anrain nodded. “You’re the one channeling the magic. You choose what or how much you wish to draw out.” 

"Huh. I wonder if I over powered it again." Twilight mused. "I was forging the item by pouring in as much energy as I would from my world until I was sure it was solid instead of energy."

Anrain shook his head. “Don’t pour the magic into the spell. You risk overpowering it. What you have to do is focus on the idea of the spell itself and give it strength. Use your thoughts to forge the spell and the magic will comply.” 

Twilight price ended to facehoof. "Oh. Our magic kind of does the same thing. I didn't think it would work the same way here because, well, it's separate from me so how does it know what I'm trying to do?"

“You have to keep the connected to the Realm of Magic open as you think,” Anrain stated. “Keep the thought at the forefront of your mind as you draw in the magic. The thought is the most important factor in this.” 

"Wait, it reads my mind on what I'm trying to do?" Twilight asked, ear twitching. "It's not sentient is it? Or sapient? Because mind reading is a bit of an invasion and what if I think of something it doesn't like would it stop working for me or maybe make the spell go wrong I mean I'm from another world will it be able to understand my intent properly? Or is it worse if it isn't intelligent so it can't try and derive what I'm thinking logically and so misfires with nomill intent? Is that better or worse? Quick, is the Magic Realm judging me?"

Anrain just stared at Twilight for a moment. “If you were any other pony, I would think you were making fun of me. You’re jumping to conclusions here, Twilight. The Realm of Magic isn’t alive. It is just energy. There is nothing living there. What I meant is that your are bringing your thoughts to life by pooling the magic into them.” 

"Oh good, that's a relief." Twilight said. "Sorry about that. My mind tends to follow things to...less than pleasant conclusions. I should probably calm down and meditate before I do anything else huh?"

Anrain smiled. “An answer befitting a farseer, I approve. Meditation helps calm the mind and keep it focused. Of course, we both already know that well enough and this meadow will keep both our minds at ease so nothing should bother us.” 

Nodding, Twilight lay down and focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out.

____________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow watched as Twilight and Anrain just simply vanished. "Woah. Shouldn't there have been a flash?"

“Anrain is a farseer,” Velvet stated. “They are quite advanced in the art of magic and more subtle.” 

"And he's teaching Twilight? Sweet." Rainbow said. "Speaking of sweets, where is Sweetie?"

“Probably resting,” Shining stated. “She is hanging out with Sunset. I know I’d rather be sleeping than actually-” Velvet tugged his ear with her magic. “Ow.”

“No badmouthing the princess,” Velvet chided him. 

"So, resting? What happened?" Rainbow asked.

“Over saturation,” Redheart said as she trotted inside. “Her body was absorbing too much Earthern magic and she needed some rest in order to balance it. That and a little herbal soup.” 

Rainbow blinked in confusion. "Over saturation? How did that happen?"

“Her body was stabilizing the magic within and around us,” Redheart commented. “The crystals and ‘earth’ of the Crystal Empire can give us Earths quite the boost. Add in Celestia’s trinket and it was a bit too much for her to take in.” 

"Ouch. We don't have anything like that back home. What happened? Is she going to be okay?" Rainbow asked, quite concerned.

Redheart smiled. “She’s fine. She just needs a little rest, though I don’t think she needs her necklace anymore.” 

Rainbow nods. "Cool. Any idea where my double is?"

“She’s helping gather the forces,” Shining stated. “She should be here-” to which Dash was right then at his side. “Impeccable timing as always.”

“Thanks,” Dash nodded. “Though I’m not looking forward to this. It’s a bit too cramped for our fliers and the Enclave know that. I’m awesome and all, but yeah. Tartarus holes are what I’m looking at.” 

"Aren't they flyers too though?" Rainbow asked. "Why wouldn't they want a good fly zone?"

“Because tunnels are very good at cutting down larger numbers,” Shining stated. “They won’t feel comfortable and they won’t have the advantage when it comes to close quarters combat, but they are going to hit us with everything they got and they’ll be able to turn it those tunnels into literal meat grinders. If we can push them hard and fast enough, we can make up for this.”

Dash nodded. “Yeah, I agree on both accounts. This isn’t typical Enclave fighting style. Probably those warlocks forced them to pick this spot to defend and they’re making the most of it. Still a good defensible position if you ask me. Just not the best for pegasi.” 

"And we don't know what, of anything, those warlocks might have given them to help." Rainbow pointed out. "I'm not a big magic expert, and dark magic can do all kind of weird things, so I don't even want to guess what they might have."

“We’ll manage,” Shining stated. “We’ve faced hardships before and we’ve pushed through. I doubt they’ll be any worse than Nightmare Moon or Sombra.”

"Well no...on the first one, can't comment on the second." Rainbow says. "But they can be pretty nasty all the same."

“Then we’ll go in and kill ‘em quick,” Dash shrugged. “But yeah, I’m not an expert on ‘your’ warlocks, so we might need to be a teensy bit more careful.”

"Juuuust a bit." Rainbow agreed, nodding. "So, where's Sweetie? Not much I can do and I want to let her know me and Twi are okay."

“She’s in one of the homes of the nobles,” Redheart stated. “The Crystal Ponies are quite welcoming once they’ve warmed up to you.”

"Good to know." Rainbow said. "Well, lead the way."

Redheart nodded and started to trot off. “It’s not far from here.”
___________________________________________________________________

Sweetie woke up, yawning. "I fell asleep? How did that happen?"

“Oh you just got a little high on earthern magic,” Pizzelle smiled at her from the side of the bed. “That happened to my Uncle once. Oh he got so jittery he was literally bouncing off the walls. Kept us all awake for two days straight, it was that bad.” 

"Too much? How can you get extra earth magic?" Sweetie asked. "Oh wait, different rules. Got any water? My throat’s dry."

Pizzelle nodded. “Right. Sunset?”

“On it,” Sunset came trotting inside with a glass of water and Hikaru laying on her back, taking a nap. “Guess you weren’t the only one tuckered out, Sweetie.” 

"Awww." Sweetie cooed, looking at the cute little fox. "So, how are things going right now?"

“Not so good,” Sunset used her magic to put Hikaru to bed and the glass of water to Sweetie. “The Enclave are holed up in there pretty tight, but we managed to get Twilight and Rainbow out.” 

"Well that's good. Are they alright? They weren't too hurt or anything where they?" Sweetie asked, concerned for her friends.

“They’re fine, deary.” Pizzelle put a comforting hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “I heard they’re talking with Shining Armor right now and making up a plan. It should be a good one. Shining Armor isn’t the youngest field marshal of Canterlot’s finest for nothing.” 

"Well that's good. So, Any idea what the Enclave are actually after?" Sweetie asked. "They can't have captured my friends at random."

“Hay if I know,” Sunset shrugged. “Probably bargaining chips or something. It doesn’t matter anymore anyways since they escaped. What matters if we have to stop the Enclave.” 

Sweetie frowned. "Do we? I mean, can they even do anything down there now?"

“We don’t know,” Sunset said. “They could have anything at the ready with them.”

"Well that doesn't sound good." Sweetie said. "Are you sure our soldiers will be okay?"

Sunset shrugged. “War’s tartarus. Someone’s bound to get hurt anyway we go at this.”

"Does it have to be war?" Sweetie asked, looking rather upset. "I mean, they're kind of trapped. Wouldn't they just surrender?"

“I’m pretty sure they’ve got some aces up their sleeves,” Sunset quipped. “They wouldn’t put themselves in a position like that if they didn’t have an escape plan. Enclave never surrender anyways.”

Sweetie looked rather uncomfortable. "Well that's...well..."

And that's when Rainbow came bursting into the room. "Tada! Guess who's back?"

With a burst of shadow magic, Shade appeared beside her with a tray of cookies. “It’s me! I got the cookies for Sweetie you wanted, sweetie.” He grinned at Sunset, who then sent him a withering glare. 

"Warlock!" Rainbow shouted, punching him in the face. "Oh wait, it's just Shade. Eh he, sorry, kind of startled me after being kidnapped by guys working with warlocks from my world."

“No problem,” Shade grunted. “I used to work for a warlock, even one in training, so I know all their tricks...Of course, it was a Shadow Warlock and we were supposed to go around collecting souls for the Dark Goddess, but I’m sure they’re similar.”

"Eh, I don't think they go in for those soul thingies." Rainbow noted. "Not that we ever ran into anyway."

"Still, you should get that looked at. It looked like it hurt." Sweetie pointed out, giving Shade's snout a once over.

“That was nothing,” Shade shook his head. “I’ve been punched a bunch of times before. Crushed, stabbed, all that and more since I work for Quickfix. Though I mostly just get set on fire when I mess with Sunset.” He leaned over to Rainbow Dash and whispered. “Her cute angry pout is worth it.”

"And you never invested in, like, an anti-fire amulet or anything like that?" Rainbow asked, confused.

Sweetie had other concerns. "Sunset, it is really inappropriate to be setting your special somepony ablaze."

Sunset broke out into a deep blush as she sputtered. “H-he’s not my special somepony. He’s a pervy idiot and he deserves it. I-I don’t like him like that. I’m a princess. I have standards.” She nervously roamed her hoof through her mane. 

"Sunny, it's blatantly obvious you like him." Rainbow pointed out. "Hey, where is Stonewall? He was right behind me. Did he get lost again?"

Stonewall quickly entered after her. “Do you honestly have to keep flying off on me like that?”

"What's the matter?" Rainbow asked, smirking. "I'm staying below the sound barrier, can't you at least keep up with that?"

“Perhaps you could learn a bit restraint and walk,” Stonewall said. “I’m your guard. It’s my duty to keep you safe and I can’t do that if you’re flying off like you are.”

"Well then, maybe I shouldn't be going slower, you should be going faster." Rainbow argued. "You expect me to just wait for you all the time?"

Stonewall just put a hoof over his face and sighed. Shade put a hoof on his shoulder and said, “I know that feel, bro. I know that feel. Just be glad she doesn’t have fire magic.”

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, looking confused.

“Nothing,” Stonewall shook off Shade’s hoof. “Just...We’ll fly somewhere in the middle or something.” 

Rainbow thought about it, and nodded. "Fine, I'll turn down my awesome a bit so you can keep up."

Stonewall nodded and before he could say something, a green blur smashed her way into the building. 

“BON BON!”

“AGH!” Shade, unfortunately, was in the way of the green blur and was thus trampled. Nothing unusual.

“You’re okay!” Lyra shouted, jumping into bed, pulling the mare close, and licking all over her face. “YAY!”

"...thank you for your...enthusiasm Lyra, but I'm Sweetie Drops, not Bon Bon." Sweetie said, trying not to cringe at the face licking.

Lyra stopped licking and pulled her into an even tighter hug. “I know, but you’re a ‘version’ of Bon Bon, so that makes you my friend. That’s why I had to come and make sure you’re alright and smash the heads in of whoever hurt you. Because that’s what friends do. They smash others for them...Well, I do that….You’re safe and that matters.”

"Nopony hurt me, I got a little overcharged on magic..which is a thing that can happen here apparently." Sweetie assured her. Sure, this wasn't her Lyra, but it was a Lyra, and that was hard to ignore. "Speaking of, I didn't do anything weird did I? The last couple of hours are kind of a blur."

“You were just a little jittery, deary.” Pizzelle assured her. “I haven’t seen somepony so jittery since my last family reunion. Oh, my little nephew Peter Pepper is such a lively little colt and he had so many candies, and I will not deny I was the one who gave him most of them, that he was literally vibrating.” She giggled. “It was adorable and you were kind of like that, but not nearly as bad.”

"Oh good. As long as I didn't go crazy on the baking." Sweetie said. "Last time I magically got enhanced, I would up baking so much stuff I wound up almost flooding Ponyville with baked goods."

“Pizzelle does stuff like that when she’s upset,” Shade thought out loud. “Like that time Bon Bon wanted to take Hikaru away or when her-” He was cut off when Pizzelle put a hoof over his muzzle, giving him a slight glare that pretty much said ‘say one more word. I dare you’. 

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad." Sweetie said, feeling relieved. "...Lyra, hug time is over."

“Snuggle time has begun!” Lyra cackled, snuggling her as only a wicked ‘best friend’ can.

Sweetie was paralyzed, blushing furiously. 'Not my marefriend. Don't cuddle back. not my marefriend. Don't cuddle back. If there's somebody listening, help me please.'

Just then, a certain earth pony, sun priestess barged into the room. “Lyra, where the buck have you...Lyra! Get off her!”

“No!”

“Get off her, or so help me, you won’t get any new chewtoys for a month!”

“Not gonna let go! She needs me!”

“You need my scepter upside your head, is what you need!” Bon Bon was quite ferocious when she was upset….Okay, she was ferocious all the time, which is why you didn’t want to get on her bad side. 

'...not sure if I approve of this help or not.' Sweetie pondered. "Um, Lyra, you should probably stop."

Lyra pouted. “But you’re comfy.”

“My scepter will feel just as comfy on your head in a second!” Bon Bon seethed. 

"Well this is all kinds of awkward." Rainbow said. "Oh yeah, Sunset, good news. Twilight is getting some training from Anrain, so she should be able to help with her own magic soon."

“Well that’s good to hear,” Sunset nodded. “Anrain helped train me a little bit when I was young. He was always going on about ‘Ponies are inherently slow minded. How you survived this long is surprising’,” she mimicked the farseer. Then she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, not the biggest fan of him, but my mom’s sweet on him so he’s fine enough.”

"Cool. Wonder how Twilight's training is going?" Rainbow asked.

“I’m sure it’s going well,” Bon Bon grit her teeth in anger. “Now if you’ll all please excuse me, I have to check up on the patient. That’s the ‘least’ I can do after being dragged out halfway across the country by an insane dog-mare!”

“But she was in trouble,” Lyra pouted, holding Sweetie to her chest. “I had to help.”

“She had plenty of help here!” Bon Bon shouted. “You didn’t need to go to her aid.”

“I’d go to your aid if you were hurt,” Lyra said. “Wherever you were, I’d go. You’re my bestest friend….My only real friend. I’d go through Tartarus for you, so I don’t regret this.”

Bon Bon coughed into her hoof, trying and failing to stop her massive blush. “B-Be it as it may, I’m still annoyed with you.”

And then Twilight was in the room, cradling a Farseer staff glowing with her colors. "Teleportation check." And then she vanished.

Rainbow blinked. "Did you all just see that? The whole no flash instant teleporting?"

“Guess it’s going better than I thought it would,” Sunset muttered. “You don’t know how long it took me to learn that spell….Of course you need ‘happy’ memories of places and I didn’t really have that much if any of those back then.” She frowned.

"Wait, how does she have happy memories of this place?" Rainbow asked.

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Because it's the Crystal Empire, the place of her fillyhood dreams and it's real?"

“Well good for her,” Sunset rolled her eyes in annoyance. 

Bon Bon just ignored everyone and walked over to the bed. “Move over, Lyra.”

“Nu-uh,” Lyra shook her head.

“Stop being a spoiled puppy and move.”

“Why don’t you come into the bed too.”

“Because that would look inappropriate.”

“And I care, why?” Lyra asked, causing Bon Bon to blush slightly, before she whacked Lyra on the head with her scepter. “Ow.”

"Violence is wrong." Sweetie said very mechanically on reflex, her brain still occupied mostly by the cuddles and running on automatic.

“It’s not with her,” Bon Bon grumbled. She closed her eyes and started recanting a few prayers to Celestia. Quick as a whip, Lyra was surrounded in a sun-like aura before being dragged off the bed and onto the ground. “Sit.” She held up a dog treat, causing Lyra to sit. “Stay.” She booped her nose, before giving her the treat. “Good girl.”

Rainbow was struggling not to burst out laughing at the sight.

“Urgh,” Lyra swallowed her dog treat. “Why do they have to make those treats so good? It’s criminal, I say. CRIMINAL!” She shook her hooves at the sky.

“Stop being a drama queen,” Bon Bon grumbled.

“NEVER!...Can I have another dog treat.”

“I’m fresh out.”

“NEVER!”

Bon Bon sighed and looked at Sweetie Drops. “Is your Lyra this….hard to handle?”

"Nope." Sweetie said. "Though she does get a bit enthusiastic when talking about theoretical metaphysics, but it's a bit over my head...my Lyra is a genius with five degrees."

“Hey,” Lyra pouted. “I’m smart too.”

“In what way?” Bon Bon gave her a flat look.

“...I know how to punch stuff,” Lyra looked down at the ground.

“Yeah,” Bon Bon huffed. “Now just sit there and remind yourself not to drag me around again, or you’re banned from the bedroom.”

“But...But snuggles.”

“No snuggles!”

“YOU’RE CRUEL!” Lyra cringed in fear. 

"Wait," Rainbow said, confused, "I thought neither of you were into mares."

“What does sleeping together have to do with that?” Lyra asked, confused with the question. “I mean, just because we share a bed doesn’t mean we have to be in a relationship. Friends can snuggle. It’s not like we kiss or anything.”

"Makes sense...I guess." Rainbow said, shrugging. "Not like I know anything about relationships."

Shade put his hoof on Stonewall’s shoulder. “I feel for you, bro.”

“Knock that off,” Stonewall swatted the hoof off.

“Who said I wasn’t into mares?” Bon Bon asked. “Are you listening to that decrepit stallion at that cafe? The one who said I was a raging she daemon.”

“Well….” Sunset started.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Bon Bon glowered.

“What did you say?” Sunset butted heads with her, glaring.

"Okay, enough you two." Sweetie said, pulling them apart and doing her best "mom glare". "We have enough problems right now without you two fighting over what some silly waiter says."

"Yeah. I mean, the idiot thought I was pregnant, and was in a relationship with Stonewall." Rainbow said. "Shows what he knows."

“Many feels I share with you, bro.” Shade commented to Stonewall.

“...Are you going to make that a thing?” Stonewall gave him a tired glare.

“Depends,” Shade shrugged. 

Rainbow looks confused. "Anypony have any idea what they're talking about?"

“They’re idiots,” Sunset answered. “Don’t listen to them.”

“You don’t even know me, princess.” Stonewall commented.

“You’re hanging out with Shade, so you’re an idiot.”

Shade hoof-pumped. “Yes, upgrade. Idiot’s much better than pervy bastard.”

“...When did my life become-” Stonewall looked at Rainbow. “You know what, I’m not finishing that thought.”

Rainbow nodded. "Glad to see somepony is learning."

“I have to be when I’m guarding you,” Stonewall huffed. 

“Where’s Fiddlesticks and her love songs when you need her?” Pizzelle chuckled, nuzzling her little sleeping boy. It was a wonder he had slept through all of that. 

"Why would we want that sort of mushy stuff?" Rainbow asked, sticking her tounge out in mock disgust.

Pizzelle squished Rainbow’s cheeks with her hooves. “You are so cute. Mushy stuff?” She giggled and pulled Rainbow into a bear hug. Since Pizzelle herself was half Earth, her hugs were much stronger than the average pegasus. “Oh that kind of talk reminds me of my sister at your age. She was such a feisty mare. Always challenging the other pegasi to races and hooffball and…”

“We get it,” Sunset cut her off. 

"Hoofball is awesome." Rainbow said, focusing on the only parts she really got. "But not as cool as racing at supersonic speed."

Bon Bon placed a hoof on Sweetie’s head. As she recanted the beautiful words of holy sun magic, it surged through the mare, purifying her of her ailment. She pulled away. “Are you feeling better?” 

"Yes actually." Sweetie said, smiling. "You did a very good job. I guess it makes sense you'd know your own body so well..." She slowly facehoofed as she realized how that sounded. "I am so sorry I was not thinking."

“That’s alright,” Bon Bon said, giving her a comforting smile befitting a priestess. “I’ve heard worse at confessionals.”

Sweetie smiled in return, not asking what a confessional was and just accepting the assurance at face value. "So...where's Coco? And Spike?"

Sunset’s eyes widened. “He bucking better not!” She raced out of the room. 

Pizzelle rolled her eyes. “You’d think that she’d put a little more trust in them. Just because her brother has a tendency to romance pretty much every female he comes across, doesn’t mean he’s going to romance Coco.”

"Actually, I'm more concerned about Redheart." Rainbow said. "I mean, you'd think this is where a nurse would be if her friend fainted."

“...He’s doing something,” Sunset was being pushed inside by white hooves. “Just let me at him. He won’t feel my flames!”

“Calm down,” Redheart spoke up. “They’re alright...Oh hey everypony. Sorry I’m late. I was overseeing some of the local cases at the hospital.”

"It's fine, you haven't missed much." Sweetie lied, trying to ignore the small crowd of ponies that had shown up and the various shenanigans that had occurred.

“Hmm,” Redheart hummed in thought. “Strange. Usually a lot happens in our group, but I seem to be wrong this time.”

And then Twilight teleported back in. "Hey guys, Anrain said I should take a break. Want to get some...is it lunch or dinner now? I've kind of lost track of time."

“Anrain’s giving you a break?!!” Sunset pointed her hoof at Twilight. “Changeling!”

“Knock it off, Sunset.” Redheat quipped. “Dinner time, actually.”

"Alright then, sounds like a plan. It needs to be quick though." Twilight explained. "I only have an hour before I have to get back to Farseer training."

“That’s more than what I got,” Sunset grumbled. “....Wait a moment, why are you holding a farseer staff? And why is it glowing with you color? That’s not supposed to happen unless you’re...OH COME ON!”

"What?" Sweetie asked, confused.

“You’re a farseer?” Sunset whined. “That’s not fair. I should be the pony chosen to be the farseer. Come on, I’m the chosen one for my mother’s sake.”

“Well, more like part of the chosen set.” Redheart quipped. 

"Uh, what's the big deal?" Dash asked.

"Welllll..." Twilight hedged, "I might be the second pony since Celestia to be one. We can discuss this later. Food now, our captors didn't really feed us." she said quickly, hurrying out of the room.

“So….Dinner anypony?” Redheart asked, gaining many nods in return. 

“Are you going to let the rest of us keep pace with you?” Stonewall asked Rainbow.

There was no response. She was already gone.

“Celestia curse it!” Stonewall growled, before he took off in hot pursuit. 



> Mercs Aren't That Loyal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fortune steeled herself as she prepared to go through the portal. She didn’t like this thing. It just gave her the creeps. It wasn’t that she ‘hated’ magic, but it tended to have bad tidings from time to time. So she did her best to keep her cool. Well, that and check herself in the mirror. She made sure her mane was ready and her helmet tucked away. She wanted to make sure he could see her well enough. Which is also why she wasn’t wearing her armor, but instead her elegant, military dress uniform. It fit her form well and she was still a bit fidgety.

She didn’t have the best luck with stallions and he was cute. Well, if you liked featherbodies. Still, he was really cute for a warlock so she thought she might try her luck. She had given him plenty of signals. Hopefully, he picked them up. They were quite subtle. With one last breath, she pressed through the portal with several soldiers present with her. She’d just have to make due with what she had. 

The dark cloaked form of the chief warlock, Blight, was right in her face as she passed through. "Fortune...daughter of Blizzard...ally. Do not eat." he muttered. Clicking sounds from the shadows above receded. "What are you doing here now?"

“My father wants a status report,” Fortune snorted, making sure to show this warlock that he didn’t startle her and that she wasn’t scared of him. Okay, he may have startled her though, but she kept that to herself. “The plan has had some...bumps and he wants to know if you’re still up to schedule. Are you?”

"Yes. Your incompetence will not hinder me." he said in a deadpan, flat monotone. "My time table has not altered, despite the intruders attempts."

“Incompetence?” Fortune growled, bearing her fangs. “Listen here, warlock. I come from a line of pure pegasi who have stayed to the true path. You have no right to talk to me in such a manner.”

"The time table is unchanged." the warlock repeated, unimpressed. "I trust things aren't going too badly on your side if you have time to change your clothes before coming to this side."

“I have my reasons,” Fortune held her muzzle in the air, snootily. “And it is going well enough on our side. Of course, the Celestial Guard have picked up on our scent. No matter. Our soldiers can deal with them well enough.”

The cloaked figure nodded slowly. "I can offer one of my pets as an aid if you wish. They can be quite...effective." Chittering sounds from above greeted the suggestion.

“We’ll see if they are,” Fortune snorted. She doubted if those creatures could match a wyvern’s ferocity. “Send them in and be quick about it.”

"I'll send two. We have intruders of our own after all." Blight said, before starting to click unnaturally within his hood. Shadowy shapes slid from the walls and into the portal, crawling in from the upper edge. "They should be enough to aid your men, especially in those tight tunnels."

Fortune quirked an eye at the shadowy shapes, but said nothing. “Right...well, thank you for your assistance and...FIRESTORM!” Her smile nearly split her face when she saw the stallion. She lifted her hoof and started waving. “Yoohoo~”

"Fortune, how's it hangin'?" Firestorm said, flying over. His own robes were mostly pulled back, letting him show of his (in his own opinion) striking good looks. "How's my favorite little soldier?...you're Dad's not here right?"

Fortune giggled, blushing as she looked over the hot stallion. She just hoped she was pretty enough to catch his eyes. “Oh you don’t have to worry about him. He’s busy setting up the defenses on my side. So we have quite some time before he catches whiff of you.”

"Awesome...wait, defenses? Don't tell me you have meddlers on your side too?" Firestorm asked, concerned.

"Will you two take your hormones elsewhere? I'm trying to work here." Blight complained, his voice taking on the slightest tinge of irritation.

“Right, come Firestorm. We can ‘talk’ elsewhere.” Fortune walked over and nuzzled underneath his chin. She cooed, which sounded similar to a cat’s purr, though it held a fire to it. 

"Sweet...what about your soldiers?" he asked.

“Oh them,” Fortune rolled her eyes and turned back to them. “Leave us.” Of course, to most that sounded like a harsh horse/feline mixture of sounds and growls. The soldiers bowed, before taking positions elsewhere. “Now,” she nudged him. “Let’s leave the irritable grouch to his business.”

"Gladly." Firestorm said, not wanting to admit that he was rather nervous about the "irritable grouch" and his "pets". There was a reason the guy was in charge after all. "So, how are things going with you?"

Fortune’s face turned downcast, her ears falling backwards. “...It’s going alright. Just a little worn out is all. No big deal.” She lied. 

"Yeah well, Picture Perfect screwed up. We had a prisoner and she let her escape." Firestorm grumbled. "Figures the illusionist can't handle a pony immune to illusions."

Fortune chuckled. “True. I’m sure you could have stopped it if you were there.” She nuzzled him. “I’m glad my father let me come over for a bit. It’s good to get away from all the stress and oncoming battle going on. Not going to look forward to fighting both the Celestial Guard and Crystal Ponies.”

"Well if all goes well you won't need to. Blight's almost got the portal stabilized, and worst comes to worst you all could just flee to this side and let the portal close behind you, and reestablish contact in two years. Probably with a homeland under hoof." Firestorm pointed out. "You'd probably make a very cute district governor."

Fortune blushed and used a wing to play with her mane. “I am not cute.”

"You're right, you're gorgeous." Firestorm said smoothly, flashing a smile. Unlike most local ponies, his dark magic had given him noticeable, sharp fangs via mutation. Apparently, that made him even better looking with the Enclave, another good reason to help them settle in.

Fortune’s blush intensified and she gave a little nervous nicker. “W-well, thank you. I’m sure you say that with all the mares though.” While she was full of bravado with most, in romance, she was really a little kitten. Helped that, well, she’d never had a stallion ‘that’ much interested in her. Well, except to get in her father’s good graces, but those didn’t last long since her father was good at weeding them out. 

Firestorm shrugged, flashing a confident smile. "Yeah, maybe to the good looking ones, but they always turn green when I suggest we go get some meat. Seems they can't handle it when they're "dark, mysterious, dangerous bad boy" turns out to be dark and dangerous. You on the other hoof not only blow them out of the water in terms of looks, but you're not some weak willed sheep in pony clothing that faints at the sight of some...improved dental detail."

“I think it looks great,” Fortune nickered in appreciation as she kept her body close to him. Her wing fluttered softly against his side and she kept her head as close to his as she could. “They’re nice, large fangs. Any mare would love to have a stallion with a pair like those back home. Not to mention ones attached to….such a delicious body~” She blushed and looked away. Flirting was not her strong point. “Still...thank you for the compliment.”

"Um, is this a bad time?" a soldier asked, walking up. "Cause, like, we got, like, stuff to say and stuff."

“Yes it is,” Fortune growled, bearing her fangs in and flexing her wings in a show of both dominance and irritation. “What do you want?”

The soldier raised her hoof to talk...then faltered and turned to her partner. "Um, what was it again and stuff?"

“We’ve captured the intruders, sir.” The other soldier said, keeping a firm posture. 

“You what?” Fortune blinked a few times, before turning to Firestorm. “I guess that clears up one problem.”

"Wait, which intruders? Like, all of them?" Firestorm asked. "Cause last time I checked, that group included Sunset Bucking Shimmer. You mean to tell me you guys beat her without any magical backup?"

“We’re just that awesome, sir.” The soldier stated. “We have Fortune with us. It was all the inspiration we needed to best that hornhead.”

Fortune beamed and nodded, soaking in the praise. “Of course that’s all you needed. None can stand in the way of the Enclave. Good work soldiers. We’ll be sending some more troops into the tunnels to help you transport them.”

“We’ve got it covered, sir.” The soldier responded. 

"Oh really?" Firestorm asked. "So, where are they?"

“Still in the tunnels, sir.” The soldier answered. “She used some ice spells on our wyverns, so we’re trying to wake them up before we get a move on.”

"Really? Huh, figured that's what you used to beat her." Firestorm said. "I just have to hear this. How did you beat one of the most powerful unicorn mages in the modern age without your highly trained war beasts?"

“Through skill, determination….and a rock.”

“...A rock?” Fortune deadpanned.

“It was a big rock,” the soldier answered. 

"I, like, dropped it on her head when I, like, bumped into it on the ceiling. It was just hanging there all pointy, ya know?" the other soldier said. "That's, like, a good thing right? Do I get a promotion?"

Fortune gaped. “A pointy rock? You felled her with a pointy rock? We were supposed to take her alive.”

“It was just a flesh wound,” the other soldier quickly added. 

"Lucky you." Firestorm said. "If you actually killed a bearer and freed up the element for any schmuck to use, well, we'd have been right pissed off."

“Don’t you need to be a chosen one or something for that to happen?” The soldier pointed out. “Bear some sort of quality for it to work and prove your worth? ‘Cause if not, than they are kind of lame magical artifacts.”

“They are not-”

“Lame.”

“Did you just call me lame?”

“No, the artifacts, sir.”

"Yes, because anti-evil artifacts that can be used by anybody expressing the propped trait if the old wielder is no more is totally something you shouldn't create for ease of use." Firestorm quipped. "You clearly want it to be as difficult as possible to use your ancient artifacts of good."

“Wouldn’t that kind of make it easier for us, though?” The soldier asked. “Kill one and it could be centuries before someone ever could grasp the Element or something like that.”

“Quick question,” Fortune scoffed. “Are you an expert on magical artifacts?”

“...No.”

“Than shut up!” Fortune barked, growling deep in her throat. Her posture was entirely aggressive and just spoke ‘obey’. The soldier quickly kneeled down, keeping her head low. Fortune moved over and kept her head over the soldier’s, letting her fangs trail over it. “I am your commanding officer. You will cease your prattle, or I rip out your throat. Is that understood, soldier?”

“Yes, sir.”

"Wait, do you want us to stop talking or I mean yes sir!"

"Heh, these two are a riot." Firestorm said. "So, how long until you guys bring those prisoners here?"

One of the soldiers, nudged the other one. “Answer him.”

"Oh right. Uh, soon." she said, sounding way too proud of saying something that dumb.

“Make it a quick ‘soon’,” Fortune growled, before narrowing her eyes. She trotted over to the other soldier, who was still standing. Than as quick as a whip, her fanged mouth clamped down on the armored neck and pushed her downwards into a kneeling position. She growled in a commanding tone, shaking it a bit. She held that place for a moment, before pulling back up. “Learn your place, soldier.”

"Hey, Fortune, you should get some of your guys over here." Firestorm suggested.

“I’ll send them now,” Fortune grumbled, walking back to his side. She nuzzled underneath his chin. “I’ll even send that Earther, Suri, as well.”

"Cool. Could you bring them over here first though? I have a couple things I want to say in the face of our victory." Firestorm said. "You know, inspirational and stuff."

“Very well, Firestorm.” Fortune turned over to the other two. She snorted as she trotted in front of them, making sure to give the ‘relaxed’ soldier a withering glare to make sure that she remembered her lesson. “Follow him.”

“Yes, sir.” One of the soldier’s quickly saluted. 

"Yes sir mam sir!" the other one said, snapping her own quick, if slightly sloppy, salute.

“Firestorm?” Fortune frowned, her wing started to play her her mane as she grew a bit nervous. “Make it quick. I wanted to get away from all the stress and it’s been awhile since we’ve talked.”

"Oh this shouldn't take too long." he assured her, leasing their group over to the waiting soldiers and merceny. "Hey guys, got some important news, so pay attention."

The soldiers all stood at attention, with a couple making sure the wyvern was settled and not trying to eat the warlock like it wanted. Suri Polomare on the other hoof. Well….She was leaning back against the wall, sharpening her blade while occasionally giving her two ‘pets’ a piece of meat. Said pets were two, twenty-three feet long Dilophosauruses. The two dinosaurs had a fine coat of dark gray, black spotted  proto feathers as well as highly defined twin red crests on their heads. The lithe dinosaurs were peacefully laying around her and neither of them nor her lifted their head to look at the warlock. 

"Alright then, first of all," Firestorm says, suddenly popping the helmets off the two soldiers next to him and revealing Lightning Dust and Masquerade, "these two are spies. Get them."

The trained soldiers pounced within a second of the order being given. However, Lightning lived up to her name and flew backwards out of the way of several soldiers. She snarled , bearing her fangs in challenge. “Who wants to die first?”

“Typical,” Suri lazily remarked. “Warlock gets his goons to do the job.”

"Why not?" Firestorm said, shrugging. "She counters my spells and the other counters Picture. Get them and we basically win."

Suri snorted as she petted one of the dinosaur’s heads. “Oh really? Then who are….” The moment Suri’s face locked on Lightning’s, the earth mare’s own turned a deep red. “L-Lightning Dust? She’s here?!!” 

"Please tell me you hate her and this is your chance at vengeance?" Firestorm said casually.

"Please tell me you don't." Mask said, trying to avoid the soldiers trying to grab her.

Suri glared at the both of them. “That’s none of your business.” She huffed and went back to her work. “Just get me when you lose and I have to save your sorry arses or something.”

Firestorm frowned, his eyes leaking green smoke, glowing purple. "Are you saying you won't do your job?"

“I was paid to help only when I was needed,” Suri stated. “That’s help dealing with this world’s Element’s, that is. Doesn’t look like that gem eyed mare is putting up much of a fight, so I’m not needed right now and don’t try that show on me. The last warlock that tried to intimidate me ended up as these meat scraps for my babies.” She cooed to the two, large dinos and offered them another scrap of meat. 

Fortune pulled out her contract, before groaning. “She’s bloody well got a point….Say, how about you just knock her out now and be done with it. We’ll take care of Lightning.”

“Why don’t I just go into the tunnels and take out the others now?” Suri raised an eyebrow. “Surely your soldiers can take out just two mares, or maybe not.” 

Fortune growled. “What are you implying?”

"Just go and get them. They should be where the outpost they defeated was." Firestorm sighed. "Before I change my mind that your reputation is worth putting up with."

The two Dilophosaurs growled, getting up and looking down at the stallion. Suri raised a hoof to call them off and hopped to up. “Fine. I’ll be back shortly.” She trotted off. “...Don’t hurt Lightning too much, or you’ll have to answer to me.” She commented before she was in the tunnels and out of sight. 

"Seriously, how do you know her?" Mask asked.

“We bumped into each other a few times,” Lightning remarked, slamming a hoof into a jaw. “A few times as fillies, that Blood Mage incident, times like that. She’s a pretty cool mare when she’s on your side.”

"Yes we'll she's not on your side she is on ours." Firestorm pointed out. "And how have you not at least grabbed the actor yet?"

"I may be an actor," Mask notes, "but I'm also very good at avoiding dangerous things due to sheer experience."

“This is taking too long,” Fortune growled and took in a deep breath. Her chest expanded and then she let out a large wave of icy wind which struck the two and the soldiers around them. “Dodge, you idiots!”

Lightning Dust was pushed back by the attack. Her fur and feathers were matted by the ice, with only her own electricity keeping most of that attack at bay. “Ice Elemental, eh?” She grinned, trying to shake the power and coldness of the attack off. 

Mask did so much more easily, the ice literally skidding of her body. "Natural water repulsion. Works just as well on frozen water."

Fortune growled. “Why doesn’t anything just work in my favor?” She snorted and her eyes turned icy white. “Then I’ll just have to beat you in close combat.” With a flap of her wings, she was off the ground. The air around her turned as frigid as the peak of a mountain as snow blew around her. Then she charged with great speed for Mask, slamming into the gem eyed pony with her outstretched hooves. With a quick spin kick, she sent Mask flying into the wall. 

"Gah! World's spinning, hold on a second." Mask said, tapping her left gem a couple times. "There we go, working again. And ow." She then flopped to the ground, not moving.

“One down,” Fortune grinned. “One more to-” 

She never saw the hoof flying into her face until it was too late. She spun out of control, before she was able to right herself. Lightning Dust was giving her a death glare. “You hurt my friend! You’re going to pay!” Lightning arced around her body, the same as her namesake.

And then she was inside a metal cage. "I think not." Picture said, lazily walking forward. "We have you now."

“HA!” Lightning grinned. “This cage isn’t real. It’s a trick like that jerk who dated me.” She reeled back a hoof and punched the cage’s bars. She pulled her hoof back. “Ow, what the hay? This is supposed to be a cheap trick. You warlocks always reuse them...You’re kind of stupid like that.”

"We're a better breed." Firestorm said, shrugging. "Why stick with one thing, when you can have more?"

"You only have your tornadoes." Picture pointed out with a sneer.

"For now," Firestorm hedged, "I'm working on adding new things to the list. I'm nowhere near as well experienced a warlock as you are after all. That would take several decades."

"How dare you!" Picture snapped, eyes leaking red smoke as she glared with orange eyes.

“Don’t even think about it, missy.” Fortune growled, several ice spears forming around her. “He’s mine, grandma.”

"Ga-ga-grandma! How dare you! I'm only thirty! That's not old!" Picture insisted.

Firestorm rolled his eyes. "I think you missed out a few decades. Just how much were you smoking in the nine sixties?"

Fortune giggled and nuzzled his cheek. “I think he has you beat. So why don’t you be a good warlock and put the Elements away.”

"Alright fi-" Picture turned to find a now conscious Mask having picked open the cage and let an angry Lightning Dust out. "She was faking?"

Mask did an exaggerated 'tada' style hoof wave. "Actor!"

“ALRIGHT!” Lightning grinned. “Now let’s brawl.”

"Let's not." Mask said, giving her partner a quick yank. "I ain't a fighter and they outnumber us, running's the smart move."

“Awww,” Lightning deflated, her lightning stopped in its tracks. “Not even a little?”

"No, now move!" Mask said, flapping for all she was worth back out the entrance to the cavern chamber. Lightning Dust was hot on her trail. She could easily out fly the gem eyed mare, but she was never going to leave one of her friends behind.

“Get back here!” Fortune roared, flapping her wings to catch up. 

Firestorm stopped her however with a body block. "Woah woah, were you about to rush after them alone while they're retreating, probably to backup that includes a super unicorn?"

Fortune frowned. “....Maybe?” She gave him a sheepish grin and an embarrassed blush. “Well….I didn’t think that far ahead.” She sighed, before giving him a warm knicker. “Thank you.”

"Hey, what kind of stallion would I be if I let my lovely little thing go rushing of into a trap like that?" Firestorm asked.

"A proper warlock." Picture quipped, frowning. "So now what do we do genius?"

Firestorm smiled. "I say we leave that to our military experts. Well dear?"

“He thinks I’m lovely,” Fortune murmured to herself with a blush, before squealing and glomping him. “Mine!”

“Umm...sir?” One of the soldiers spoke up. “Don’t you think we should be worrying about, you know, the Elements?....Sir?”

"Would you cease your hormonal babbling? I'm trying to undermine the laws of reality over here." Blight growled out. "Honestly, nopony can be professional these days it seems."

“Shhh!” Fortune hissed to the warlock. “I’m working here!”

“You’re hugging, sir.” A soldier pointed out.

“I can nuzzle my stallion and plan at the same time, you idiots!” Fortune growled at them. “We’ll get a few crews to set up some traps for them if Suri doesn’t work out. A couple enhanced wyverns should seal the deal.”

"Can your little mercenary do it?" Picture asked, sneering. "We haven't seen much from her so far, and all we have is your word that she's worth the money you've thrown at her."

“She’s the best of the best,” Fortune snorted, before going back to nuzzle Firestorm. “So she’ll deal with them. Now that that’s settled, I think we can continue where we left off, Firestorm.” She purred. 

"Just do it where I can't hear you." Blight commanded.

“Grumpy old tart,” Fortune growled. “He’s almost as annoying as my father at times.”

Picture started sweating. "I'm sure she meant it as a compliment to your commanding presence."

"I don't care." Blight said, sounding slightly annoyed, shuffling slightly under his cloak. "Just stop talking needlessly."

“Fine,” Fortune snorted and let go of Firestorm. “I don’t want to be near him anyways. I have a date, I mean, someone to discuss battle plans with post haste.”

"So...those traps sir?" one of the soldiers asked.

“By our ancestors,” Fortune face-hooved. “Just set them up along the pathways here, just a little distance out and then inwards. Nothing too powerful, just traps to detain and knock them out. That should be a simple task.”

“Yes, sir.” The soldiers saluted and went off to do their duty.

"I swear, it's like the grunts get dumber every day." Picture grunted before retiring to her private tent.

Firestorm rolled his eyes. "Why don't we ah, discuss strategy, in my personal quarters?"

Fortune gulped, blushing madly. “I..That’s a good idea. Umm...You can lead.” She had lost her confident nature, taking on something akin to her friend’s.

***********************
"You think they'll be okay?" Sunset worried. "I know we didn't have any better plans, but..."

“They’ll be fine,” Quickfix assured her. “Lightnin’s a fighter, like me. Ain’t nothin’ gonna keep her down. That’s a fact. Ah’m sure they’re on their way back here right now.”

AJ cocked her head. "Ya'll hear somethin'?"

Fiddlesticks put a hoof to her ear. “Sounds like somepony’s comin’, but those other steps are funny soundin’.”

“That’s because I wanted you to know I was coming,” a voice called out. 

Sunset's horn started glowing. "Yeah, not the smartest move there."

The Earth snorted as she walked into the cavern. Her two large dinosaurs at her flanks. “You obviously don’t know who I am, do you Sunset? I’m not surprised, but still I’m a bit offended you would think so little of me now.”

"...is it wrong I want to ask for your autograph before we kick your flank?" Sunset asked. "I'm kind of a big fan of your work on our side."

Suri Polomare blinked in confusion. “...Huh?”

"You're kind of famous here, as a fashion designer, and I admire your work. It's very high quality." Sunset explains. "Very stylish."

Suri frowned. “Well, she seems like a lucky mare. I’m sorry I didn’t go down that road, but life was a bit of an arse, so I have to make due. Still, at least somepony appreciates my designs.” She pulled herself to the side, showing off her attire. It showed how ‘lithe’ she was, even more so than an Earth should be, more akin to that of a unicorn with its grace. “I made this a few years back and it’s served me well. Is the style similar to her’s?”

"I don't know much about armor, but the cuts really show off your grace and don't seem to have anything that would impede your movement in any notable way. And it's well coordinated. Lacks her flair for color, but you were going for a practical design." Sunset noted. "Honestly that's rather well made, but like I said not an expert on armor."

“Well color can get in the way of a fight sometimes,” Suri said. “Especially when you’re trying to keep yourself hidden well enough. As for the autograph,” she shrugged. “Why not? No one’s asked me for one before, so I might as well indulge this once.”

"Cool, just a moment." Sunset floated some parchment, a quill, and ink over to her. "No reason we can't be civil."

“No reason at all,” Suri quickly used her hoof to write down on the parchment. “And there we go. Nice and neat as it should be.”

Sunset levitated it back into her pouch. "Thank you. So, any chance we can settle this peacefully?"

Suri tapped her chin. “Possibly, but I have an image to maintain. I can’t just go and stab my benefactors in the back whenever it suited me. I’d be out of a job if I kept doing that. So unless you have something ‘spectacular to offer me right this instance,” she tapped the ground and the two Dilophosaurs took a battle position. “This isn’t going to end well for you.”

“Ah’ve faced dinos and won,” Quickfix snorted. “Ah know how to handle those critters.”

“My babies are a little different,” Suri grinned. 

"So that's a di-nee-sar?" AJ asked. "Why's they covered in feathers then? Thought they were scaly."

“They’re related to birds,” Suri stated, scoffing at the misinformation. “So of course they have feathers.”

"They are?" Sunset asked, clearly interested. "We don't have them here for study, so we don't know much about them. Any other common myths or ideas that you learned were wrong when they came back?"

“They’re warm blooded, so your little trick on the wyverns won’t work on them.” Suri stated. “I’m not exactly an expert on what we considered ‘myths’ centuries ago. All I know is what they are now.”

"Wait, this was during Discord's first fit? I figured he just brought them back when he escaped the second time." Sunset said. "So, do they lay eggs or is that wrong too?"

“Eggs,” Suri said. “They make the nest, watch over them, all that.”

"Fascinating. Do you mind if I sketch them?" Sunset asked, levitating out more ink and parchment. "It's really fascinating seeing what is basically an extinct species in the flesh."

Suri shrugged. “Not at all. Might as well. We can fight afterwards. Grant, Gabon, lie down for the nice mare.”

The two Dilophosaurs grumbled in confusion, tilting their heads in a bird like fashion. Their master had readied them for battle and now no one was fighting. They were confused, but master seemed happy. So they did as they were asked, lying down on the ground. Suri ran her hoof through their proto feathers. 

"Unless I can come up with a really good offer you said." Sunset pointed out, walking over and starting to sketch them. "So, how did you come up with their names?"

“I didn’t,” Suri stated. “My master named them before he gave me the eggs. I could have renamed them, but they were a gift from my master.” She gave both her boys a comforting rub on their head. 

"Master? Ya a martial art-eest or somthin'?" AJ asked.

“Griffin merc,” Quickfix put in. “He settled in Ponyville in retirement and she went off on her own afterwards.”

“I still love the thrill of it all too much to give it up so soon,” Suri stated. “I know quite a bit of hoof to hoof combat, Applejack, but that’s not all I know.”

"Ya also know fashin." the farmer stated. "Just like Sunset and Rarity."

"Oh, I forgot to tell Rarity I might not be able to make the next spa trip because of Element stuff." Sunset said, frowning. "I need to wrap this up soon, or she's going to be quite upset."

“Well that might be longer than you think,” Suri narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, Apple Bloom wants ta thank ya fer the little outfit.” Fiddlesticks piped up.

Suri beamed. “I’m glad that little cutie is loving it. I had to give her something for being so nice.”

"Wait a gosh darn minute. What's all this bout Bloom?" AJ asked.

“Oh it’s nothing really,” Suri shrugged. “My last visit to Ponyville wasn’t the most...pleasant. Little Apple Bloom was honestly one of the nicer ponies. My master adored her boldness. So I made her a little dress. Dress making is a hobby of mine.”

"That makes sense." Sunset noted. "Hmmm, a little hard to get the pattern down on the feathers, it's a bit complex. Anyway, like I said earlier, famous fashionista. I'm sure the dress you made was quite stylish."

“Thank you,” Suri smiled, stroking the Dilophosaurs. “I like to draw inspiration from nature when designing my dresses, especially my little babies.” The two Dilophosaurs were eying Sunset, trying to peer over to see what she was doing.

"Quit moving, it's hard to draw all the small details if you keep moving." Sunset chastised them.

Mask facehoofed a bit. "I can't believe we actually found a badguy we can have a pleasant conversation with, and Sweetie Drops isn't here to see it."

"Ah know. This is, like, the sort of thing she always wanted the big time adventures ta turn out like." AJ agreed.

The two Dilophosaurs whined and laid their heads down. “Oh, don’t be so blue.” Suri nuzzled them. “She isn’t being mean. No she isn’t~” She cooed to them.

“She’s not a badguy,” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “She’s a merc. She’s only bein’ paid ta do bad stuff…Ah mean, that’s gotta count fer somethin’.” She gave a little shrug.

"So, how much are you being paid for this anyway? I mean it's kind of a messed up mission, it can't be enough." Mask asked.

“Of course it’s a messed up mission,” Suri rolled her eyes. “I’m working for the bottom of the barrel picks when it comes to the Enclave and….” She scowled. “Warlocks.” She spat out the word like it was a disease, before getting her composure back. “However, payment is confidential. That is between me and my employer….It’s not a lot, but it’s still between me and them.”

"Okay...was the amount you were offered worth more than a fancy ball dress?" Mask asked. "Just as a ballpark idle guess."

“I can’t confirm or deny that,” Suri stated, while tapping her crossbow once.

"...worth less than a breadbox?" Mask asked, eyeing the crossbow.

“I don’t work that cheap,” Suri furrowed her brow. “What do you take me for?”

"So you will comment if it's insultingly low." Mask said. "I thought you weren't supposed to talk about it."

"Mask, don't be rude. I'm trying to draw dinosaurs over here." Sunset scolded. "Say Suri, how advanced is potion craft over in your world?"

“Incredibly advanced, why do you ask?” Suri tilted her head in confusion. 

"I've got some top tier potions I was hoping I could trade, but now I'm not sure if they'd be valuable or not." Sunset explained. "I've got a few healing potions, some aqua vitae and some alcahest already made up, and some ingredients to make other things as well."

“Hmm,” Suri rubbed her chin. “Potion making varies between the races. I would say the zebras are the masters of potion making, but their tribes and little kingdoms like to guard most of their secrets. Still, I might be able to fetch a pretty bit for them. What do you have in mind for this trade?”

"Well I figured with you traveling so much aqua vitae might be a good initial offer." Sunset explained, levitating what looked like a perfume bottle. "One squirt in the mouth and you are fully hydrated for twenty four hours, even in the middle of a blazing fire or under the relentless sun of the wasteland."

“Hmmm, I could see that earning quite the bit with some of the desert legions.” Suri grinned, before frowning. “And what do you want for it?”

"For you to decide they aren't paying you enough and go home." Sunset explained. "Not even asking you to fight for us or anything." She gave the bottle a little shake. "There's about, thirty doses in here."

“If it had just been the Enclave,” Suri looked Sunset in the eye as she spoke. “I would be insulted by this offer. It’s tempting, but I am a mare of my word. I never leave a contract unfinished or go back on it before it is done….However, I have to work with warlocks.” She seethed. “I’ll take you up on the offer...this time.”

"And this one time is all I'm asking." Sunset said, before smiling. "Besides, I bet they never told you about the warlocks ahead of time, so technically they lied to you about what the job was. Totally their fault for trying to cheat you, right?"

“Right,” Suri nodded, before nuzzling her pets. “Isn’t she right, babies? Isn’t she?” They crooned as she rubbed them behind their heads. “You’ll get to fight someone soon. I promise and there is going to be a big treat in it for you. Yes there is.” She cooed. 

"Here you go." Sunset said, floating the bottle over to the merc. "And just...about...done." Sunset finished the sketches, showing off her horn work with very detailed drawings.

Suri nodded and took the bottle. “Pleasure doing business with you.” The two dilophosaurs leaned forward and curiously peered at the paper. They gave it a quick sniff, before turning to Sunset. They leaned forward, letting their long necks peer over and sniff Sunset as well. Then they gave her a quick nuzzle and lick, careful not to scrap her with their large fangs.

"I'm glad you like it." Sunset said, standing up and placing the scroll in her pouch. "You all have a nice day now."

“I’m not leaving yet,” Suri stood up as well as her dinos. “As I’m not working for them anymore, I’m not obligated to protect the warlocks. I promised my babies a special treat, so…” She quickly stood on her hindlegs and prepped her crossbow in her forelegs. “I’ll help you out on this venture.”

"Um, thank you I guess." Sunset said. "I wasn't expecting that much from you I have to admit."

“I hate warlocks,” Suri’s eyes blazed with scorn as she said it. “I don’t think the word ‘hate’ begins to describe how I feel about them.”

Of course, whatever more she was about to say was cut off when Fiddlesticks pulled her into a bonecrushing hug. Given how Suri had a more lithe and unicorn figure, regardless of her Earth Pony side, she was out of breath as the hug continued. “YAY! Suri’s comin’ with us.”

“Let her breath, Fiddlesticks.” Quickfix pried her friend off. 

"Yeah" Mask agreed. "Oh, also, infiltration plan failed, FYI. They spotted me an Lightning out quick."

“Lightning?” Suri’s eyes widened. “Is she alright? Was she hit?”

“Ask her yourself,” Lightning smashed down behind her, causing her to jump up in surprised. Lightning chuckled. “Got you that time. Geez, it’s like just saying my name around you causes you to freeze up. What’s your deal, Suri?”

“I’m just concerned is all,” Suri shrugged, blushing a bit. “You are a friend.” Quickfix added a hyphen with her hooves when she said ‘friend’, causing Fiddlesticks to chuckle.

"What about the knights? Where are they?" Mask asked, looking around.

"Securing the prisoners and making sure they can't go anywhere." Sunset said. "We weren't expecting Suri to show up, but some friendly chatting later and everything is fine. Yeay friendship!"

“Yay!” Fiddlesticks pulled out little flags that said ‘friendship’ from her hat and waved them about. “Friendship 1. Warlocks zip...Wait, are we countin’ the times we beat ‘em by wit and force, or just friendshipping our problems?” Fiddlesticks pulled out a scoreboard from there as well. 

"Full on friendship." Sunset says. "No righteous face bucking."

“That’s no fun,” Quickfix and Lightning whined. Fiddlesticks and Suri just rolled their eyes. Her two dilophos, on the other hand, were peering around the new group, sniffing them. The large dinosaurs could be a little unnerving at full height, since they towered over them and could easily rip them to shreds.

"Down boys...girls...yous." Mask said. "I normally love attention, but not from predators."

“Boys,” Suri corrected. “You’re making her uncomfortable, babies. Give her some space.” The two dinosaurs whined, lowering their heads as they peered at her. “Aww, you’re so cute~”

“Ye don’t see many ponies call stuff like ‘em cute,” Quickfix lamented.

“What about that shark thing you have?” Lightning grumbled. “The one that tries to bite my bite off.”

Quickfix laughed. “That’s his way of saying hello.”

“Oh they used to do that,” Suri nuzzled one of the dilophos. “But they’re good boys. Aren’t you~”

"...does everypony in your universe have a crazy pet?" AJ asked.

“My pet’s a hummingbird,” Lightning piped up. “That’s not exactly crazy. Well, he is crazy awesome if you asked me.”

AJ nods. "An' ah got Winona, so that there makes sense. But a shark?"

“Land shark,” Quickfix piped. “It involved-”

“I’m going to say it was a crazy tale,” Lightning rolled her eyes. “A really unbelievable crazy tale.”

“It happened.”

“It did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did to.”

Suri put her hooves over her ears. “To think, I thought I got away from these kind of things when I left grade school.”

"Kids." Sunset said, rolling her eyes.

“Cute kids,” Suri sighed, before blinking in embarrassment. “Yes, well, let us be off or something.”

"Hold on, we should probably wait for the knights to get back." Sunset pointed out. "We'd need all the help we can get."

Suri snorted. “I haven’t exactly been ‘popular’ with the knights...or really any official guard unit really. So yeah, no promises I’m going to get along with them.”

"I don't know. I kind of like you." Pansy said, dropping down from the ceiling. "Not a lot of ponies can appreciate predators."

The two dilophosaurs growled at the sudden intruder and formed around Suri. She chuckled and rubbed their sides. “It’s okay. They aren’t going to hurt me. Now be nice to the knight.” She giggled when the two large dinos nuzzled her. “Yes, yes, you’re just looking out for momma, but she can take care of herself.” She turned to Pansy. “They are a hooffull when they want to be, but they are just the sweetest when you get to know them. Not to mention quite nifty in a fight.”

"Cool." Pansy said, tapping her hide cloak with her wings. "I made this back when I was a Knight of the Jaguar, part of the initiation. Had to hunt the thing unarmed by myself."

“I’ve heard of some knights and guardsponies doing something like that,” Suri nodded. Her two dilophosaurs hesitantly moved closer to Pansy, keeping a cautious stance as they slowly made their way over to sniff the new mare. “They just want to be sure you aren’t a threat right now.”

"Well, not a threat to them...right now." she said. "Anyway, you're Suri right? I'm Lady Fragrent Pansy, Knight of the Sun."

“Suri Polomare, Mercenary extraordinaire,” she bowed her head. One of the dilophosaurs gave Pansy a long lick on the cheek, as the other got bored and moved back to Suri.

"And I'm Fortune." the other knight said, walking in casually. "So, power of friendship?"

"And market force negotiations." Mask said, smirking.

“It was kind of a let down,” Quickfix added.

“I liked it,” Fiddlesticks put in. “Isn’t that our job? Spreadin’ friendship?”

“Ah thought it was bustin’ heads,” Quickfix shrugged. “Or science.”

“No, that’s just you, Quickfix.” Lightning said. 

"Friendship is the best thing ever." Sunset said. "As is peaceful and practical solutions."

“Well, that’s not how it always works.” Lightning huffed.

“Well, yer just thinkin’ of the big, badguy adventures.” Fiddlesticks pointed out. “An’ even then, we make some friends. Like Shade when we fought Nightmare Moon.”

"Right. That's yer Sunset's special somepony?" AJ asked. "Sounds like friendship worked out mighty fine there."

“He’s not her special somepony,” Quickfix muttered darkly.

“He acts like it,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “Funny, isn’t it. He tried to kill Coco, but now he’s one of our best friends and Sunset’s friend.” She chuckled.

"Friend, or friend?" Mask asked, adding air quotes to the second one.

“Give it a while,” Lightning said. “He’ll be confessing any day now.” Quickfix just huffed at that. 

"Ooh," Mask said, noticing Quickfix was upset, "is somepony jealous?"

Quickfix glared at her. “Jealous? Ah’m not jealous. She can have that klutzy warlock wannabe if she wants. Same with him with her. Ah am not jealous.” She huffed and turned away. “Everypony wants a princess. Hmph. He’s an idiot. Hard to deal with.”

"Well ah don't know bout everypony wantin' ta date a princess. Celestia don't date nopony, Luna's new on the scene, and Cadance is already datin' somepony." AJ pointed out. "There ain't exactly options available here."

“Can we stop talkin’ about this?” Quickfix growled. “Ah don’t wanna talk about his love life. Ah don’t care.” She stomped the ground, breaking the crystal under her hooves. 

"Moving on," Fortune said, "we need a plan for what to do now."

“I kill them all,” Suri stated.

“That’s not a plan,” Quickfix piped up. 

“That’s what I usually work with when it’s not capture missions,” Suri shrugged. “Works well enough for me, but I don’t work with groups that often.”

"No killing." Sunset said. "We've been over this. No killing if we can help it, and as powerful as we are we can definitely help it."

"Great. That doesn't tell us what to do now does it?" Pansey pointed out.

“Oh yeah,” Suri turned to Fortune. “Your double is here waiting for you all and she brought a few of the better troops with her.”

"Great. I call smashing my double's face." Fortune said. "My lucky day. Ever since I learned my double was in their ranks, I've been yearning for the chance to buck her in the face."

Sunset sighed, face hoofing. "We're going to have to resort to beating them up aren't we?"

“Should I mention she’s also banging one of the warlocks?” Suri piped up. 

"I'm gonna smash her extra hard." Fortune said.

“She even dressed up all fancy to date him and she’s really clinging to him,” Suri grinned.

“You just want to rile her up, don’t you?” Lightning chuckled.

“Maybe, but it’s true.” Suri chuckled herself. 

"...why can evil me get a date huh? Why her?" Fortune growled.

Fregrant patted her head with her wing comfortingly. "There there, it's not your fault evil warlocks have horrible taste. You're ten times the mare she is. And probably better looking to boot.”

“Of course ya are,” Fiddlesticks patted Fortune’s back. “Ah bet ya will find a stallion of yer own in no time. Probably a much better one than some warlock.”

“Shades a warlock,” Lightning pointed out. “What does that say about Sunset?”

“They ain’t datin’,” Quickfix growled, causing Lightning to take a step back.

"Ex warlock. Going good is great for clearing up your sense of priorities...according to everything I've read." Sunset said. "...also, what does Shade look like, and does he have a family or clan name? For...non-romantic reasons." she said that last part with nervous glances and a large smile, almost as bad as AJ or any other Apple with her lying.

Lightning shrugged. “He’s okay looking for a unicorn, I guess.”

Quickfix snorted and rolled her eyes. “He’s more than okay lookin’, if’n ye ask me. He’s got gray fur over some mighty nice muscles. Not too big, but just right. With spikey purple hair...and the deepest purple eyes ye can find.” She stopped to sigh with a smile.

“He’s good with shadow magic, so look fer a cutie mark of purple fire.” Fiddlesticks put in. “As fer a clan, he ain’t got one. He’s the last. His family didn’t have the best of luck, if’n ya know what ah mean.”

“He gets hurt so often he knows the entire hospital staff by name,” Lightning chuckled, before stopping at the other two’s glares. “What? It’s kind of comedic.”

"Not to the local unicorns." Mask said, casting a glance at Sunset, who instead of paying attention was sketching out Shade. "They tend to have...health issues. Unicorns are very unfortunately familiar with hospitals."

“Maybe fer ye southern unicorns,” Quickfix held her head high. “We unicorns of the north are a tougher bunch.”

Lightning snorted. “Yeah, yeah. I get it.” She frowned. “Come to think of it, maybe he has some northern blood in him. I mean, he gets smacked around so much and bounces back. He’s been burned, crushed, smacked and everything else. His life sucks.”

“Yet he’s always smilin’,” Fiddlesticks said, before taking a look at Sunset’s drawing. 

“That’s him. Ya got him perfect, Sunset.”

"Yes thank you. I am quite skilled with sketches." Sunset said, putting it away. "So anyway, Suri, anything else you'd like to add?"

Suri shrugged. “They’re heavily armored, but they don’t have much in the way of their bigger weapons. I don’t think they were expecting the Royal Guard to come pouring down their throats so soon.”

"We're not Royal Guard." Fortune said, sighing. "The Knights of the Sun, formerly Knights of the Crown-"

"Formerly?" AJ asked, surprised.

"Yeah, our nickname became official so nopony mixes us up with whatever knights Luna picks out." Fortune explained. "Anyway, we're not the Royal Guard, we are the knights directly under Celestia's command. We're a bit more impressive."

“Actually, I was talking about the Royal Guard on my side of the portal.” Suri pointed out. “Field Marshal Shining Armor is no doubt planning to storm the crystal caverns as we speak. While he doesn’t have a massive force at this moment, he does have a unit of Blood Knights.” She shivered slightly at the last bit. 

"Oh...reinforcements yay!" Sunset said. "I was so worried about that, being outnumbered and not able to do anything."

“It’s still not going to be pretty,” Suri remarked. “The Enclave have dug themselves in pretty well. It’ll take a while to push them out.”

"And it's late at night, none of us are fresh." Mask noted. "This is not going to be fun at all."

“Well that gives us two options,” Quickfix piped up. “We either stay put and rest, or we treck on. Now if’n it was just me, ah’d go fer it.”

“Same,” Lightning nodded.

“Ah don’t think that’s the best choice,” Fiddlesticks spoke up. “‘Course, ah haven’t been doin’ much of the fightin’, but don’t ya think we should rest just a bit?”

"Yeah, but is it even safe to rest up at all?" Sunset asked. "I don't think the badguys are going to let us call a time out."

“They never do,” Lightning snorted. “Let’s hit ‘em now. They probably already think Suri took care of us, so they won’t expect it.”

"Hmmm, that could work, but we'd need a solid plan." Sunset pointed out. "We don't exactly have the best luck when it comes to rushing in blindly."

“Well we already tried the stealthy approach,” Quickfix shot both Lightning and Mask an annoyed glance. “So that won’t work.” Lighting was ‘discreetly’ pointing a feather at Mask, whistling innocently. 

"Oh you are not blaming this on me. I'm the actor, you're the one who screwed up somewhere." Mask accused, pointing a hoof at Lightning.

“I did not,” Lightning glared at her. “You were the one who did the thing that got us caught. I was totally owning that Enclave performance.”

Mask huffed, turning up her muzzle and looking away. "Oh please, you were totally flat in your delivery. Totally amature."

Lightning grit her teeth. “I was not. You’re just jealous of my fabulous acting skills.” She smirked and ran a hoof through her mane. “I rocked that outfit too.”

"Acting skills? You're delusional." Mask said. "They again, you are Dash 2.0, without the brains."

Lightning’s jaw dropped. “I’m...Without…” She held up a hoof, growling as she bared her fangs. “Say that again, I dare you. I double dog dare you. I’ll make you eat those words.”

"Okay you two, simmer down." AJ said, walking between them. "No need ta fight like two cats in a sack."

“Unless yer into that,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “Ah’m not judgin’, but maybe ya two should go and-”

“Not another word!” Lightning glared her into silence. “Just stop trying to ship ponies, Fiddlesticks. That’s not happening here.”

“Eh,” Fiddlesticks shrugged. “Can’t blame me.”

"What do boats have to do with anything?" Mask asked, confused.

“It’s a play on the post service,” Quickfix piped up. “‘Shippin’’ means taking two ponies and ‘pairin’ them up. Kind of like sendin’ a package, or whatever.” She shrugged. “Don’t ask me why. It’s a silly southern thing, if’n ye ask me.”

"That...makes very little sense." Sunset said, shaking her head. "Right, slang from another reality, why would it make sense?"

“It makes perfect sense,” Fiddlsticks said.

“When does anything you say or do make sense?” Lightning shot back. 

“But ya-”

“Never,” Lightning finished.

Fiddlesticks gave her an annoyed gaze. “Really? Yer just gonna...Okay.” She rolled her eyes and huffed. “Not gonna continue.”

"Okay, I think Everypony's tempers are running a bit high." Posey said. "We're tired and a bit cranky. So why don't we all just take a few minutes to sit down, relax, maybe have a snack?"

“Does anyone have a pidgeon?” Lightning grumbled. “Or better yet, some boar. That would be great.”

“Ye know they don’t have that,” Quickfix said.

“I can dream,” Lightning grumbled and rubbed her stomach.

"Suri, ya got any meat fer Lighnin'?" AJ asked, trying to be helpful.

Suri nodded and fished out a clump of meat from one of her saddlebags. She threw it to Lightning, who caught it in her mouth. The pegasus voraciously tore apart the slab, devouring every last bit as quickly as she could. “I always love to see carnivores at work,” Suri sighed with a smile.

Fiddlesticks just looked at Suri with a disgusted ‘really?’ face, doing her best to keep her gaze away from Lightning. “Sure.”

"As fer the rest of us, we can have the stuff Fiddlesticks pack up. Good ol' Apple Family goodness." AJ said smiling. "Where'd ya pack it cuz?"

Fiddlesticks took off her hat and held it upside down. “In here, cuz. Everythin’ ya could want. Apple cider, apple fritters, candy apples-” Pat stuck his head out of the hat. “And a platypus.” She frowned. “Pat, ah told ya to go home. Ya could get hurt.” Pat trilled sadly and went back down.

"Wait, he lives in your hat?" Sunset asked.

"...what was that thing?" Pansey asked. "I've never seen anything like that before in my life."

“Nah, he lives with me in my room, or his own pond when he feels like it.” Fiddlesticks chuckled. “He just likes to sleep in my hat is all. He’s a platypus.”

"The bloody hay is a platypus?" Fortune asked.

"Weird thing from their dimension." Sunset said, shrugging. "I wouldn't worry bout it. Got any sandwiches?"

Fiddlesticks nodded and pulled out an assortment of foods from her hat. Most of which were apple related. “Take yer pick.”

Sunset grabbed herself a non-apple sandwich, floating it over in her golden aura. "Thank you."

Quickfix grabbed herself a couple granny smith apples and started to chow down. “Thanks.”

Lightning finished off the last of her morsel, her muzzle stained with blood. “That hit the spot. Thanks Suri.”

Suri nodded, eating a few hayfries. “No need to thank me. I’m happy to help.” She threw Lightning a towel. “You’ve got a little something on your face.” The pegasus huffed and started to clean it off. 

"Got anything that isn't so...apple-y?" Pansey asked...and then noticed the looks she got from AJ and Fiddlesticks. "You know what, apples are...alright, I don't really like them, not going to lie about that just because you're giving me a glare."

“But it’s apples,” Fiddlesticks held one up to her. “Ya can’t hate apples. That’s impossible.”

“Not everyone likes apples,” Lightning said, before gulping at Fiddlesticks freezing up. “Not that I hate apples. No, I love them. Can’t get enough of those apples.” She shoved an apple tart into her mouth. 

Quickfix let out an amused snort and shook her head. She patted her farmer friend’s shoulder. “There, there. Ah’m sure ye will change her mind, or just drop it.”

“But...apples.” Fiddlesticks said in a bit of a daze, trying to comprehend somepony not liking apples.

" 'zactly! It's apples." AJ says, nodding in agreement. "Nopony can not like em."

Pansey shrugged. "I spent a lot of time outside Equestria when I was a Jaguar. Got a taste for more exotic stuff."

Fortune rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and half your paycheck is spent on groceries. And that's saying something."

Suri chuckled. “So this is the lot that’s going to try and save the day? Talking about apples.”

"Apples are a mighty fine discussion topic." AJ notes sagely, biting into a red gala.

“I’m sure it is,” Suri took a swig from her canteen. “So what is our plan, hmm? I don’t want to think I’m supporting some fool’s errand.”

"I'm thinking I unleash a magical bombardment, probably opening with another mini-blizzard, to soften them up as an initial volly. Invisibility spells on our fighters for the element of surprise. That's the rough idea anyway." Sunset says, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“They might have wised up to your blizzard technique,” Suri pointed out. “There are measures to keep wyvern’s active in winter. The Crystal Empire is rather far north and they aren’t stupid. You got lucky with those first ones. They got too comfortable down here. The Invisibility might work for a time. Still, it’s better than nothing.”

"So you got any suggestions?" Mask asked. "Cause we might be able to whip something up."

“They have numbers and fire power,” Suri stated. “Three warlocks: Two lower class warlocks and a third I’d wager at being close to top tier given how he can keep a rip in reality stable for so long. Not to mention General Blizzard. I think you might be familiar with him, Miss Fortune. Your father is quite the capable fighter. He could prove a challenge on his own.”

"...General...Blizzard?" Fortune blinked, then raised her hoof like a foal in school. "Question?"

Suri sighed. “Yes?”

"How drunk are you? My Dad's name is Snow Day, and he's a weather supervisor." Fortune said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, really, my dad, fighting?"

“I’m sorry,” Suri shrugged. “I just assumed your father had the same name.”

“Is this like with you Fiddlesticks and how your double is Fiddle Faddle?” Lightning asked.

Fiddlesticks glared at her. “Never say that name again.”

"That makes sense. Huh, wonder if that means we do know your doubles, but they have different names...or tribes...or gender...or a combination...well this is probably going to bug me forever." Mask sighed. "Maybe somepony smarter than me can figure this whole thing out."

"Knowin' our Twi, she's probably got it down ta fancy flowcharts an' graphs an' stuff." AJ said, nodding.

“Different name or not, he’s dangerous.” Suri stated. “He’s a top tier ice elemental and a capable warrior. The Fortune of our world learned a thing or two from him, but she’s honestly nothing I can’t handle. The trick is taking Blizzard and the warlocks out.”

"The main issue is that last warlock. No idea what he can do. He didn't even really react after Lightning blew our cover." Mask said, eating her third fritter.

“I have a few tricks that can take care of him,” Suri stated. “But I’ll have to get close to be sure. I’m not going to trust my long range projectiles or spell counters. Warlocks are tricky to hit from range if they’re skilled enough.”

"And he probably is skilled." Sunset said, frowning. "I would wager he's the guy that sent those Preytons to Ponyville, meaning he is an accomplished biomancer, able to create monstrous life forms to serve him. Who knows what sort of monsters he could have."

“Well this is going to throw a wrench in the Field Marshal's plans,” Suri frowned. “I’m sure he’ll think of something, but he’s probably going to be in for a couple nasty surprises. We could be too, but creature constructs aren’t the most ‘serious’ of threats compared to those that are natural. Don’t get me wrong, they are deadly for sure. I’ve had a few close calls with them. It’s just that they are always a bit...what’s the word?”

“Robotic?” Quickfix piped up, to which Suri nodded. 

"Yeah we'll, they can have some nasty abilities if the maker is strong enough." Sunset warned. "Preytons are made to hunt unicorns by being immune to magic and energy for example. And if he's skilled enough, he can definitely do worse. Devourer centipedes, insanity wolves, death crows, all kinds of nasty things."

“Then ah’ll just use my wrench and break ‘em,” Quickfix lifted her wrench in her magic. “Whatever comes, we’ll be ready. We’ve faced worse.”

“Sounds pretty nasty to me,” Fiddlesticks said, putting her hat back on. “Maybe we should get going so he don’t make some more of those nasty critters.”

Sunset chuckles. "Relax. Biomancy takes a lot of time. He couldn't crank anything out in the next ten minutes, or even the next hour, that's worth worrying about. And he can't have been working on much if he has to work on the portal. Besides, I know a lot about biomancy, I spent a lot of time studying it. I know how to fight a lot of these things. I have had a kit for it in my saddlebag since they Preytons showed up."

“Well praise the sun for yer brains, Sunset.” Fiddlesticks chuckled and patted her head. “Ah bet ya can think yerself out of any tight spot.”

"Well maybe not any, but quite a few." Sunset said, chest swelling with pride as her tail swished back and forth.

“Yer just bein’ modest,” Fiddlesticks laughed and pulled her into a one armed hug. “Ah know ya got some plan cooked up in that brain of yers that’s gonna knock their horseshoes off.”

"They have horses? I thought it was all pegasi." Mask said, frowning.

“It’s an expression,” Lightning said.

"Ah got it." Pansey said, though it was a bit muffled by the five sandwiches, all non-apple, she was eating at the same time.

“Whatever you plan out, it better be a quick one...or not. I mean, you’ve kind of outwitted most of your opposition so far rather easily.” Suri said. 

Sunset nodded. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking-"