//------------------------------// // Negotiations And A Radical Idea // Story: The Red Sun Rises: Voyages // by The Atlantean //------------------------------// Princess Celestia, in her human form, spoke to Crimson Dawn, several thousand miles away, about the war. He didn’t have very good news. “Princess, we moved Cadence and Twilight to the Everfree Castle, as you know. Unfortunately, it was destroyed last week by Sombra and his weapon. Currently, rescue crews are on site; however, I don’t believe anypony could’ve survived the blast. The Tree of Harmony is, well, ash. The Tree soaked up as much magic as it could to protect the area, but it overflowed, and half the Forest exploded as a result, with fires still burning in what’s left. And the Everfree Castle is not even rubble. It’s nonexistent.” “What about the Elements?” “We’re missing Magic because Princess Twilight was in the castle, but that’s all. Finding both princesses is our highest priority as of now.” “Good. Keep me informed.” The spell ended. Behind Celestia, Queen Atlanta sighed. She knew the importance of the Elements of Harmony, the Tree of Harmony, and the Everfree Castle. Without those, Equestria was doomed, even with the forces she had sent. But Atlanta didn’t know why this was such a high concern. Without the Tree of Harmony to help maintain magical balance, more holes between Equestria and Earth would open. More innocent lives would be at stake. It was also possible that the two worlds would physically collide, causing more mayhem and widespread destruction. The princess’s fears deepened with Admiral Robinson’s entry into the room. “Celestia! We’ve acquired a GPS fix on all ships in the Pacific Fleet and the continental United States! Hawaii is on the map, along with the country of Japan, the Philippines, and other islands of Southeast Asia!” “Robinson, we have a problem. Let’s get to Reagan.” Celestia teleported all three of them to the American carrier’s briefing room. She called Amber down to their location and spread the Equestrian map on the table, one of the Pacific Ocean next to it. Amber ran into the room, followed by the other senior officers. “What’s the issue? You said it’s an emergency.” “You all know that GPS fix on all of your friends and foes?” Everyone nodded and agreed, and she continued. “It’s because the residual magic from the Tree of Harmony is gone. The Tree was destroyed last week, and the protective ambient spell it cast between our worlds has dissolved as a result. Also, it’s safe to assume that the Element of Magic no longer exists.” Amber’s eyes widened. The Air Boss/CAG, fairly knowledgeable on the subject of Equestria, put two and two together and realized the amount of shit that was about to hit the fan. Chinese and Russian armies could be marching across the MLP world as they spoke, US carriers would disappear and reappear in a random fashion, and all of space-time could be disrupted forever. One by one, the others realized their predicament. Soon, the entire room was close to panic. They were interrupted by the Officer of the Deck calling for Robinson to the Bridge. He dismissed everyone and headed up, followed by Celestia and Atlanta, who used her cousin’s spell to become human, in Celestia’s quarters and with spare clothes on hand, of course. The three arrived on the Bridge. Robinson ordered the new video system, modeled after Star Trek’s viewscreen, activated to show the other end. The screen fuzzed with static for a moment, then the President of the United States, with military advisors at his side, appeared. Robinson instantly saluted. “Sir.” “At ease,” the President said. “Admiral Robinson, it is relieving to see your ship on the map again. How are you faring?” “Well, sir. However, we lost three cruisers, four destroyers, and a fast attack during the storm. The battleship Pennsylvania is with us, if you desire to know. Also, USS Halyburton exploded five days ago in an engagement against the Chinese carrier Liaoning. Her survivors are spread out on the Flight Deck right now.” The President bowed his head at hearing the loss of the frigate, and the disappearance of eight ships. But he had to ask something. “Admiral, was one of the cruisers USS Ticonderoga?” “Yes, sir.” “Well, I can tell you that they are not lost. Ticonderoga and the other seven ships are off the coast of Taiwan, a few hundred knots west-southwest of your position. Their main objective is to find you, and-” He was interrupted by an admiral behind him. “They say they’re providing tactical support? But Taiwan isn’t in this fight.” “Mr. President, may I speak directly to Ticonderoga?” Robinson asked. “Of course.” He signaled to someone behind him, and the cruiser’s captain soon appeared on the screen. The captain and Robinson discussed locations, and suddenly, the admiral spurred a random question. “Captain, does the local populace consist of pastel-colored horses?” “Yes, sir. We are in league with one named Crimson Dawn, trying to fight off some species they call Changelings.” “Ah. That explains exactly where you are. Mr. President, Ticonderoga and the other ships are off the coast of Equestria.” “Where the fuck is Equestria?” “My daughter’s favorite TV show - My Little Pony.” “Oh, speaking of her, you’ll have to renew your guardian permit. It expires in two days.” “What does this have to do with Equestria, Mr. President? My adopted daughter is fine; can someone just, like, renew it while I’m at sea right now? It would seriously help.” “Nothing. We felt the need to inform you.” Robinson’s eyebrows moved quickly. “Huh.” “Now, Admiral, we need to know where Equestria is exactly.” “I told you, sir, it’s in a television show. Just ask any brony.” “THAT DOESN’T FUCKING HELP, ADMIRAL!” “That’s all I’m really able to tell you, sir.” The President calmed down. “Sorry for the outburst. I’m just pissed that Carl Vinson was sunk, Reagan and what was left of the escort vanished, and is now reported to be in some TV show. Wait, the women behind you aren’t Navy. What the hell are they doing in the Bridge during operations?” Robinson gestured to the monarchs. “Oh, them? I forgot to introduce my local friends. The white one is Princess Celestia of Equestria, and the blue one is Queen Atlanta of Atlantis, where we are currently half a knot off the coast.” Each nodded deeply as he mentioned their names. “So, diplomats? I’d certainly like to get started on some sort of peace treaty.” Robinson smiled. “Mr. President, we already have an alliance of some sorts. Queen Atlanta has a deal with USS Pennsylvania, and Princess Celestia is acting as our navigator. She is looking for certain magical solutions, and I have decided to assist her in her search.” For a while, the President spoke with Robinson, Celestia and Atlanta. Then the line was terminated, with military alliances between the States, Equestria, and Atlantis. Robinson turned to Celestia. “Well, do you care to navigate on?” “I think this is about as far as you can go, Admiral.” she replied. “I must go inland to the Dominion. They may have a way to revive Luna, and I will not miss a chance to repair some of the damage done to the space-time reality. If I don’t do this, our worlds will collide and millions, maybe billions, will die.” “The Dominion?! Are you crazy?” Atlanta was extremely shocked. “They will kill you!” “Not if I don’t have help,” Celestia said. “All I need is a shallow-water boat to go upriver, and maybe some troops for a guard. I can handle it, cousin.” “I just don’t want you to die, Tia.” The queen’s eyes began welling up with tears. “We’ve already lost Luna.” “With any luck, Luna will be alive again, and we can seal this interdimensional rift.” She and Robinson began to plan her trip into Dominion territory. And he couldn’t stop locking his eyes with hers.