//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Ponies and the Ink Machine // by The Lutece twins //------------------------------// A young dragon, a baby dragon in fact, was walking down a crystal hallway. His name, Spike. Spike was bringing a tray that had two tea cups, a tea kettle that was full of hot tea, indicated by the steam rising out from the stout, and a plate full of snacks, lettuce sandwiches, apple pies from Applejacks farm, and a bowl full of gems for himself. His ears twitched as he can hear the sounds of tools being used as he opens a door, revealing a giant library, each self full of books ordered alphabetically. He looks around, looking for somepony. "Twilight, you in here?" He asks, his voice echoing by the vastness of the library, but there was no answer. "Twilight?" He asked a second time, a little louder this time. There was a bang, most likely from something being dropped, and the sound of some cursing, coming from a female voice. Spike sighs as he follows the voice and comes to another room, smaller than the one that he was in before as there was a mirror inside, surrounded by machinery as he sees a purple alicorn wearing a lab coat rubbing her head and muttering under her breath. Spike rolls his eyes and sets the tray down on a table near him. "Twilight, you got to stop working on that mirror. You've been working on it all day, you should take a break from it." He said. Twilight looks at him, her eyes looking tired as she shakes her head. "Spike, I have to figure out how this mirror works, I've only scratched the surface on how he did it and I don't want to stop now." She said. Spike facepalms and sighs. "At least stop for now, I brought food for you and me." Spike said. Yet again, Twilight shook her head. "Spike, I am no-" She began, but was cut off when her stomach growls loudly. "Maybe a couple of sandwiches." She said, taking off her lab coat and neatly folding it on the table. She yawns as she sits in the chair as she ruffles her wings. "Twilight, I think you should stop, your tired and if you work anymore you will work yourself to sleep. You've been working on this mirror since yesterday." Spike said. "But spike, as I said, I only scratched the surface of how Star Swirl opened up the mirror to the human world. I can't stop now." She said. Spike shakes his head. "At least stop for now, since your friends are coming over in a few minutes." Spike said, pouring him and Twilight's cup with the tea. Twilight's eyes shrank to pin pricks. "Oh no no no no no! I totally forgot that they where coming over today! Ohhhhh, Rarity is going to freak out over my mane and how I look!" She said as she ran out. Spike was about to say something to Twilight, but failed as she ran out the room, causing him to deadpan and facepalm for a second time. He sighed as he got up and walked out of the room to get the other tray in the kitchen. He see's another unicorn walking throughout the hallways, looking lost. "Oh, hey Starlight!" Spike said. Starlight looks in his direction and smiles. "Hey spike!" She said. "Little lost?" Spiked asked. "What, no I am not lost. I am looking...Yes... I am lost. I am looking for the room where I am going to be with Twilight and her friends." She said. Spike points back towards the room where the mirror is. "Where going to meet up there. Twilight says she has something to tell us all, after she cleans herself up a little, she's been working on the mirror since yesterday." He said. "Yikes." Starlight said, causing spike to nod. "Well, thanks for telling me where were going to meet up." She said. "Of course, Starlight." Spike said as he watches Starlight walk into the room. He hears a knock at the massive front doors and goes to open it. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" He said as he opens the massive doors. Outside where five other ponies, two earth ponies, two pegasi, and one unicorn. "There you guys are!" Spike said, smiling. "Well yea, were here." Said Rainbow Dash, a rainbow maned pegasus who is a wonderbolt and the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. "Of course, darling. We wouldn't want to miss spending time with dear Twilight, who has been cooped up in this castle all day." Said Rarity, a unicorn with a curly purple mane who is a fashionista and owner of multiple boutiques. "I can't wait to be with twilight!" Said Pinkie Pie, an energetic pink earth pony mare who looked like she had way too much sugar. "Ya darn tootin." Said Applejack, a stetson wearing earth pony who owns Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy, a shy yellow pegasus only nods as she smiles. "Well, come on in then." Spike said as he moves out of the way to let them in. "She's been working on that stupid mirror since yesterday." he said. Rarity scoffs a little. "Poor dear probably has all sorts of gunk and stuff all in her mane and coat." Rarity said in some disgust. "Well, she left to go clean herself off before you guys came, but, she did it a little too late." He chuckled. Rainbow laughed for a little as they walked into the room, where Starlight and Twilight, who was looking much better looking and clean, where talking to each other. "Twilight!" the other five ponies yelled happily. "Girls!" Twilight smiled as the five ponies hugged her. Spike chuckled and stood next to Starlight. "Have they always been like this?" Starlight asked, getting a nod from Spike. "Yea." He said. "Well, let's not keep her waiting then, yes?" Starlight said. "Of course." Spike said. Spike and Starlight went and stood next to Twilight. "So, Twilight, why did you call us here?" Rainbow asked. "Ya, why did ya call me from my chores from the farm, Twi?" Applejack asked as well, while the other nodded. "Ahh, well, I was tampering with the mirror here," Twilight said, walking towards the mirror. "And I wondered, what would happen if there was more than one world." She said. "Ohh, ohh, ohh! Like if everyone here where animals, or if we where little creatures that controlled powerful abilities, or if we where robots that shoots lasers and rockets and go boom, or if Equestria was a wasteland!?" Pinkie said happily with a wide smile. Everypony in the room just stared at her, while Rainbow, Twilight, and Spike just facehoofed. "What, it's just a hunch!" Pinkie said, shrugging. "Any who, just think about it. What if the human world that I went too, was just one of many worlds!" Twilight said with a smile. She was about to say something else, when there was a beeping sound and smoke began to appear behind the mirror, causing her to gasp. She ran behind the mirror and grabbed her tools. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, this is bad, very bad!" Twilight yelled. "What is wrong Twi?" Applejack asked. "Yes, Twilight, what is wrong, darling?" Rarity asked. "The thaumaturgic array is going haywire!" Twilight yelled. "The whaty what now?" Rainbow asked, scratching her head. "The magic battery array I created and installed, the magic of the mirror is too much for the battery to handle!" Twilight said in even more panic "So in other words?" Applejack asked. "It's going to explode!" Twilight yelled. This got everypony in the room to gasp. "When is it goin' to blow, Twi!?" Applejack yelled. "If my calculations are correct, now!" Twilight said, just as there was a flash of light, and a massive boom, shaking the entire castle. Blackish grey smoke covered everypony as they coughed. "Is everypony okay?" Twilight coughed. "I'm all right." Rainbow said. "I'm doing fine Twi." Applejack said, dusting off her stetson. "Same here." Spike said. "I've been better." Starlight said. "My mane! Ohhh it's ruined! It will take me hours to get it back to its wonderful glory! And my coat, don't get me started!" Rarity cried. "I'm fine here." Fluttershy sneezed. "Wheeeeee! Can we do that again!" Pinkie squealed happily, causing everypony to look at her. Twilight looked at the mirror and sighed in relief as the mirror wasn't damaged. "I should have known that would happen, gaaah how can I be careless!" Twilight said as her she ruffled her mane up. "Now Twi, don't go and beat yourself over a failed experiment." Applejack said. "I guess your right, I'm just glad that each of of you are fine from the explosion, that could have been bad if any of you been injured from said explosion." Twilight said, getting a nod from all of her friends. "Ohhh, the mirror is doing some weird inky swirl!" Pinkie said, staring at the mirror. "What?" Twilight asked, moving in front of the mirror and her eyes widen. Instead of a clear reflected surface like a normal mirror, the entire surface was a swirling mass of black, almost like ink. "T-This is not good." Twilight said, a little panic can be herd from her voice. Suddenly the door behind them slammed shut and locked as the whole room seemed to get dark. "W-What's happening!?" Spike yelled. "I don't know, but something is wrong, very very wrong!" Twilight said. The surface of the swirling mass began to push forward. "Backup everypony!" Twilight yelled as she and her friends got into defensive stances. Spike climbed onto Twilight's back as Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity lit their horns. Suddenly two gigantic white gloves appeared out of the mirror with three fingers each appeared out of the mirror. Just as they appeared, they shot out towards Twilight and her friends. "Look out!" Twilight yelled, basting the hands with her magic, but her magic only went right through the hands as if it didn't do anything, except make the hands more angry as they balled up into fists and swung at Rarity and Applejack. They both dodged the hands as the hands raced towards Rainbow, who moved out of the way, barely getting hit. The hands seemed to only get even angrier as they split up. The hands raced after Twilight and her friends as they dodged. "Don't use your magic on it, it will only seem to make it even angrier, plus it seemed it has no affect on it!" Twilight yelled, barely dodging a hand. "Twilight look out!" Rainbow yelled. Twilight turned around, but it was too late as she was struck in the head by a fist, causing her to crash into the wall. "Twilight!" All of her friends screamed. They tried their best to try and reach Twilight, but it was not use as the hands where getting smart and started capturing Twilight's friends. Twilight's vision was a blur as she saw her friends dragged into the mirror one by one as they screamed. She tried to get up but was knocked back down as her vision grew dark. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness and dragged through the mirror, was a face , one that looked like a smile with sharp teeth, but the top part of the face was melted. ********** "Urrnnnh..." Twilight grunted as she felt herself start to come to. She opened her eyes, but everything was still blurry. But she noticed that something was, off. As her vision cleared, her eyes widen as she notices that she was in a building, a wooden one at that. She looked down and her eyes widen even more, she can see her hooves, but she saw that instead of their usual lavender color, they where a monochrome black and white color. Her breathing began to quicken a she looks at her hooves. She quickly looks around and saw her friends where next to her, but each of them where the same color as her, monochrome black and white, as if she and her friends where made of ink. "Girls, girls wake-" She stopped at the sound of her voice, it sounded like the ponies speaking from the movies, somewhat muffled. Twilight shakes her head and ruffles her wings. "Girls wake up, we have a problem!" She said as she stood up. There where groans as she heard her friends wake up. Twilight looks around and saw that they where right next to a very big box like machine with some sort of hanging tube and a very large bottle with the bold words INK on it. Twilight looks at her friend again as she can see them look at themselves with fearful looks, except for Pinkie. "What in tarnation!?" Applejack yelled as she looked at her body. "What the buck!?" Rainbow also yelled. "No, no, no, no, no! This is just horrible, monochrome isn't in season!" Rarity cried. Fluttershy was shaking as she looked at her hooves. "Twilight, I'm scared." Spike said as he was also shaking. Twilight pulls him close into a hug. "It's okay spike, I will find a way back to put us back to Equestria." Twilight said. "Well...this is..weird... I look like a cartoon from the funny pages from the newspaper..." Starlight said. "Where are we anyway?" Rainbow asked, looking around. Twilight can see desks with papers on them. She walks over to them and sees the papers had drawings on them. "I don't know, but it appears that this building is some sort of, art studio or something." Twilight said as she levitated the drawings and looked at them. One drawing caught her attention. The drawing looked like a two legged creature that had no neck, a bow tie, two pointy ears, and a permanent wide smile. Twilight looks over at her friends and spike and notices that they all have the same type of permanent smile on their faces. "What are we going to do now?" Applejack said. "I have an idea. Spike, i need you to come with me, the rest of you, i want you to stay here with this, machine of some sort. I am going to have a look around." Twilight suggested. "But sugercube, you don't know what's out there, it could be dangerous." Applejack objected. "Yes I know, but until what where dealing with, I want all of you to stay here, all right?" Twilight asked. They nod. "Please be careful Twilight, this place is giving me the heebe jeebez." Pinkie said. Twilight nods as she levitates Spike onto her back. "I will, and all of you, be safe as well." She said, to which all of them nod as well. Twilight nods one last time, then walks down the hallway. She looks around and sees large ink splotches on the walls, dripping from the ceilings, and on the floors. She saw a lot of the strange creature from the drawings, from cutouts to cans that have it's picture that say, Briar Label Bacon Soup. Twilight couldn't but help feel that she was being watched as she explored. "C-Can we hurry up T-Twilight, this place is scaring m-me..." Spike said as there was fear in his voice. "I know Spike, I'm scared as well, but we need to explore and see what where dealing with." Twilight said as they rounded a corner, only to bump into someone. "Oof." A soft calm voice said as twilight bumped into said person. "Oh! Excuse...me..." Twilight said as she looked up, to come face to muzzle with a male human sporting a dress type of shirt, khakis, dress shoes, and glasses. The human adjust his glasses, looks down and his eyes widen at the sight of Twilight and spike. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" They both screamed. TO BE CONTINUED