K’ra crept along in the tight, narrow spaces in the ceiling, peering down in minuscule cracks to see which rooms was the war rooms or supply closets. It was his job now to list Canterlot’s defenses and supplies so his superiors would have some idea of what to overcome when they would besiege Canterlot.
So far, K’ra had no success. Every room he had peeked into so far had been either hallways or bedrooms. Sometimes those bedrooms were occupied, and K’ra had hurriedly shot his head back into the ceiling to avoid detection. Or to look away from them doing rather promiscuous acts. None of the occupants so far had been, but he looked away just in case. Lust was the last thing he needed on his mind right now.
As he lumbered along another space in the ceiling, however, he heard muttering and cursing going on below him. Curious, he maneuvered himself to a corner and put one of his six yellow eyes into a crack.
The room below him was opulently furnished to the point where even K’ra had to admit it needed to stop. Even one of the plushy chairs was worth more than K’ra had ever owned in his life. The golden bed was purple-sheeted, the pillows stuffed with goose feathers. The mirror opposite it was ringed with jewels and gilded with gold.
The inhabitant of the room was a tall white unicorn whose mane matched the color of the garish room. K’ra recognized it as the idiot prince who had attempted to face the Prophet in single combat.
The prince was, at the moment, busy kicking the feet of all the furniture in his bedroom. “Prophet,” he was muttering to himself as he smacked a goblet off a table. “I can't believe I got knocked on my flank by an ape who knew nothing about proper unicorn magic! Who does that prophet know about me?”
He ignited his horn, and he carefully set the goblet back on the table. Then he continued his rant, kicking the foot of his bed. “And Noble Blade! He thinks he’s got me by the balls! But I don't care! He hasn't gotten the best of me! I’ll show him! I’ll show everypony in Canterlot that I am not a fool!”
K’ra recoiled his head. What? Noble Blade, insulting and threatening the prince? He wasn't like that, according to the dossiers the Noxxa had compiled on him. If he and the prince had a bad history, however, then maybe... just maybe... it could be exploited.
He withdrew his head back into the ceiling’s shafts and spoke into the small speaker. “High Command, I’ve got something I could do by myself.”
“Run it through me first,” barked the earpiece. “You do anything stupid, and you'll be whipped to death.”
“The prince of Canterlot,” K’ra started. “He bears a grudge against both the Prophet and a Guardian of the Sun. I believe I can persuade him to work for their downfall.”
“You are a Nox!” hissed the earpiece. “If you show yourself to him, he will kill you on sight! And we do not work with the enemy!”
“The prince is not our enemy,” K’ra hissed back. “If he turns against his rulers, he could be an influential ally.”
“And if not?” he shot back.
“Then I’ll kill him. He’s alone, and nopony else knows I’m in the castle. I can make it look like an accident if I need to. His room has plenty of blunt objects and sharp edges.”
The silence that followed made K’ra pant with anxiety. What if he was stripped of authority for even suggesting it?
“An inside ally would indeed be useful,” the voice mewled. “Especially one as powerful as the prince.” The voice made a grunt. “Fine. I give you permission to tempt the prince. Lure him to us with a flaxen cord. Make him believe he’s safe at first.”
What’s a flaxen cord? K’ra wondered, but dared not say it aloud. He probably means to do it weakly at first. But why not say that instead? “And if he betrays us? Or is faking his allegiance in an attempt to be noble?”
“Kill him.”
And the headset cut off.
The train rattled and clanked as it pounded in the dead of night. Nopony was in the train car except for the Ten Souls and Spike, who was snoring on a sofa contentedly and crumpling his suit.
“Another quest,” Rarity bemoaned, sitting next to the dragon and playfully ruffling his green spines. “I hate epic adventures.”
“I don’t mind,” Firestorm said, disguising his emotions cleverly. “Epic adventures let you cause a lot of damage, and it isn't your fault for any of it. We can just say, 'Sorry about the destroyed aqueduct. We had a swordfight while surfing down it, and it collapsed from under us.' Ponies will understand.”
“What about you, Noble?” Twilight asked the unicorn, who was staring out the window. “What are your thoughts on this?”
Noble didn't say anything, although he did wipe the window absently to see out of it better.
“Noble?” Twilight asked again.
“If she had told us sooner, we could have done something sooner. Now that the Noxxa are on the move, we have a limited timetable to find the elements we need.”
“Well, the time wasn't right,” Applejack told him. “When Scorpan came in and warned us, that was the time Celestia needed.”
“And if he hadn't come, then what?” Noble asked. “We would still be blissfully unaware of the destiny written out for us. I would be a stupid little pony who didn't know the divine role appointed for me. Twilight, when it comes to plans, I prefer to have the plan be told in advance.”
“And what about the times when there is no plan?” Twilight said. “Remember when you rescued me from the Noxxa?”
“We knew what we had to do--rescue you. How we went about doing it--that, I didn't care about. I would have liked to know what to do about these elements earlier. What we did in response to that, I wouldn't have cared.”
“Maybe there was a reason why you didn't know earlier,” Pinkie Pie offered, digging through her mane and throwing out materials she didn't need anymore, like saws, nails, and the occasional cupcake. “Maybe if you were told earlier, it would have turned you into somepony different. Maybe you would have gone off in search for these elements on your own.” She gasped, then zipped over to Noble and stared him in the face. “Maybe you wouldn’t have met Fluttershy! Maybe you wouldn't have met any of us and made friends with us! And you would have known about the Elements, and we wouldn’t!”
It made his stomach lurch. Pinkie Pie was right. If Celestia had told either group--the Guardians, or the girls--before they were together, neither of them would have met to combine the Elements together, rendering the Elements useless. Worse, he wouldn't have met Fluttershy, and Firestorm with Rainbow.
Noble took the opportunity, while his thoughts were on her, to look at Fluttershy. She was lying down on the train’s sofa with her head curving up, in a gown that matched perfectly the color of her turquoise eyes, which were looking back at his with realization at Pinkie’s words.
“Whoah.”
“What, Firestorm?” Pinkie asked, turning to him.
“I didn't know you were so... well, profound!”
“Of course I’m profound!” Pinkie declared. “I’m Pinkie Pie, remember?”
“You’re the Blood of Life,” Firestorm corrected her. “Which sounds scarier than I think it's going to turn out, but it still sounds scary.”
“That’s worth talking about,” Twilight said. “Our eternal names. Which ones were they?”
“Nobley Bladey’s name seems the most complicated,” Firestorm remarked, jabbing a hoof over his shoulder at him. “Knight Protector. The name just seems so confusing and ambiguous.”
“Enough with the sarcasm,” Noble Blade muttered.
“I’m rarely taken aback by anything,” Rarity spoke from the sofa, “but my name makes no sense to me.”
“You’re not a rarity?” Pinkie Pie asked in bewilderment.
“Of course not, Pinkie. There’s only one of me. But I’m no huntress. Why did Scorpan give me that name?”
“Maybe you’re hunting a boyfriend,” Firestorm suggested.
“I’m going to ignore that immature and callous remark,” Rarity said casually, adjusting her mane with a hoof and patting it down. “But who does Scorpan think we are? Warriors? Fluttershy isn’t a dreadful bear, for one thing.”
Fluttershy nodded mutely and fiddled with her hooves. The name Scorpan had given her was disturbing enough to make her even more silent than she usually was.
“And Rainbow Dash is technically already a stormkeeper, but he said it like she was a gladiator. Rainbow isn't a gladiator!”
“I don’t care,” Rainbow Dash said simply, flapping lazily in the air. “It sounded awesome.”
“So did my name,” Firestorm added. “Raging Inferno? I can already infer a lot about that. I get to burn things!”
“You already burned things,” Starlight flatly said.
“Good! I don’t need to change anything!”
“So what are we going to be doing?” Twilight asked. “We know our eternal names. Now what?”
“Why, it’s simple, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie declared. “We fester in that knowledge and do nothing about it until events come up that force us to see the true meaning of our names!”
“Ah’d hate ta agree with a statement like that,” Applejack said, shifting her eyes to the side. “But what else can we do ‘bout ‘em?”
“Ascertain their meaning?” Noble asked from the window.
“The only way we’ll know for certain is when events come up to make us prove our titles,” Fluttershy said timidly. “Not to say that any of you are wrong, you know. But, um, I don't know why I’m a dreadful bear. I’d rather be somepony else.”
“Like what?” Noble asked her.
“I think it might be nice to be a tree.”
Noble jolted his eyebrows until they got lost in his mane. “A tree?”
“Because then you don't have anywhere you have to be, or anypony you have to please. Animals can just come along and roost in your branches, and you can be around them all day. Leaves can keep you warm, and foals can climb in the branches, and you can keep other ponies shaded, and you can see for miles. If you're a tall tree, I mean.”
“Dang,” Firestorm whispered. “Now I kinda want to be a tree.” He flapped over Fluttershy’s head. “How do you do it, Fluttershy?”
“Um... I don’t know…” Fluttershy admitted, a hoof to her chin.
“I need to try. Ooh! I’ve got an idea!” Firestorm settled on a nearby bed and spread himself on his back. His wings and limbs were out from him like he was at the center of a starburst. He made absolutely no movement.
“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked, coming near him after ten whole seconds elapsed.
“I’m vegetating,” Firestorm explained simply. “That’s how you turn into a tree, right?”
Rainbow burst into laughter. “Nohoho, Stormy, that’s not how it works!”
“I need to see first. I have faith this’ll work. Check back on me in a few days, and see if I've got any leaves sprouting out of my ears or something. Remember, water me periodically. And if you could turn one of those lamps to shine on me, that’d be appreciated.”
Rainbow Dash moved in the air until she was directly above her boyfriend, and spread her arms while closing her eyes.
“Dashie?” he asked, looking up. “What’re y-oof!”
Rainbow Dash had stopped hovering and had belly-flopped atop Firestorm. After she landed, she pushed her head off his chest and looked directly at him with wide, innocent pink eyes.
“What was that for?” he asked, grinning lopsidedly.
“Just felt like it,” she simply said. She flipped her mane to the other shoulder with a toss of the head. “You were right there.”
“The next chance I get, I’m doing that to you,” Firestorm vowed.
“No!” Rainbow Dash cried. “I’ll never even get off your chest! I ain’t moving an inch!”
“You know what?” Firestorm said, abruptly shifting his tone. “I’d like that.”
And he wrapped his arms around her and relaxed his movements. Rainbow Dash made no more attempt at speech and instead just slumped down on her boyfriend’s warm chest and let out a contented sigh like the purr of a cat.
Applejack was watching the whole thing with a satisfied smirk. “Well, well, well.” She shook her head in amusement. “Guess Ah was able ta help ya pretty well after all.”
“Well then,” Noble murmured to himself, smiling at the two of them. “Looks like I was the love expert for you after all. I knew you could do it.”
The silence that followed was somewhat of a sacred silence. Knowing what each of them felt, no speech was necessary.
“Hey!” Pinkie Pie broke off, shattering the silence. “Has anypony seen Freedom Fighter?”
The simple question made all of them perk their heads up and swivel them about the train car. Freedom Fighter was sitting in a faraway corner of the train car, and he wasn't talking to himself. Instead, he had on a pair of cheap yellow earphones plugged into a small blue rectangle. He was bobbing his head to the music, but was keeping his gaze down.
“Freedom?” Twilight called down the train car, but Freedom Fighter didn't answer. The music he was listening to was too immersive.
Finally, he took out the headphones and looked up. “What do you want?”
“Where’d you get the music?” she asked.
“From a friend,” he said. He made a motion to put his headphones back, but stopped before they were fully on. “Why do you ask?”
“I just wanted to know.”
“Vinyl Scratch,” he said slowly. “Her name’s Vinyl Scratch.”
“The mare with her earphones in all the time?” Rarity asked for clarification.
“Well... yeah. I haven't seen her wear them around me, though.”
“That’s strange,” Fluttershy whispered. “Normally she seems so antisocial. What made it so she enjoys talking with you?”
“Especially considering the fact that you technically can’t talk?” Starlight Glimmer added.
“Dgah, I... dunno.” Freedom Fighter ran his hoof along the handle of a blade sheathed on his chest. “Maybe she’s insane. Maybe she’s just tolerating my presence. Or maybe it could be that she just... doesn’t care.”
“What could possibly make it so that she doesn’t care about the, um, quirks you have?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he snapped. “Maybe it’s because we’re friends or something.”
Pinkie Pie leaned in super close to his face. “Do you liiiike her?”
“NO!” he roared at the girls, and slammed his left hoof into the brass railing next to him hard enough to warp the shape with a mighty clang.
The girls all shrunk back. Even Firestorm and Rainbow, cuddling atop each other, froze and twisted their heads to stare at him.
Freedom Fighter made a derisive snort and looked down. “I mean, she’s a friend I made. So of course we have to like each other. But if you mean, like like her, then... no.”
“No?” Noble Blade mildly asked.
“You forget,” he said in reply. “What I look like is nothing she’d be attracted by. And I don’t have the special parts to ensure we have a good future together. The Noxxa went snip-snip on that issue. I’m not prime boyfriend material. She…” Here he paused. “She could do a lot better than me. I won’t give her the option and have her regret it.”
“Are you sure there is somepony better than you?” Pinkie Pie asked him cheerfully.
Freedom Fighter looked her in the face, but said nothing in his mind. Instead, he just looked into her eyes to admire the swirl of color it had, then looked down again and put his headphones back on.
K’ra had to spend the night in the dusty ceiling. It had taken much of his willpower not to sneeze and alert attention to himself. After a lot of time had passed and his only option was to wait, he peeked into the room from the corner.
The Prince was sleeping soundly below him in the purple bed. The room was darkened, adding a tint to the golden furnishings.
“Now... is the time,” he whispered.
He gently pried up the ceiling tile and moved it aside. Then he squeezed all of his six legs through the hole and latched onto the ceiling, his head exiting last.
He scuttled onto the wall and, one by one, quietly put his six claws on the marble floor. He could see his reflection in the shiny tile he stood on, and only his six yellow eyes stood out from his silhouette.
The Nox then crept through the room slowly, maneuvering between the tables and chairs like a sailor through a narrow strait. Once he got close enough to the prince’s bedside, he intentionally knocked over a tray.
Blueblood sat bolt upright as the clatter woke him up. “What? Who is it?” he sleepily called out. K’ra could see his head swivel from side to side in the darkness.
“Be not afraid,” the Nox said calmly.
“AAAUGH!” Blueblood scrambled backwards and hit his head on the back of his bed. “Who is that?! Where are you?”
“Down here,” the Nox whispered. “And I told you, don't be afraid. I won't harm you.”
Blueblood followed the voice until he was looking at the Nox’s six shining yellow eyes. The eyes were wide and circular, instead of narrow and thin, and made him appear vulnerable and weak.
Blueblood started to shiver. “What are you? Y-y-you foul creature! Please don't hurt me!”
“I am your friend,” K’ra said, inwardly cringing at the notion of friendship.
“Are you a demon?” he whispered in fright.
“I am no demon,” the child of Tartarus reassured him. “There is no such thing.”
That seemed to make him stop quivering. He pulled his sheets to his chest. “You’re sure? What kind of creature are you, then? You look absolutely horrid!”
“I am--was once a pony,” K’ra said to him, low and smoothly. “I came to you for help.”
“Really? That’s terrible!” Blueblood said sympathetically. He relaxed imperceptibly in his bed. “What happened to you?”
“Because of a creature called the Prophet, I was turned into a hideous abomination of nature.”
“The Prophet?” Blueblood asked in surprise. “You mean that foul beast that entered the castle tonight and spouted nonsense? That Prophet?”
“He came into the castle?” he said, and put on an expression of rage. “How did he do that?”
“He just walked in like he owned the place! I own the place, not him!”
“Prince Blueblood, let me tell you something about the Prophet Scorpan. He is an enemy to Equestria,” K’ra hissed in pretend anger. “He wants to only lead them into hysteria with his tales of nonsense in order to gain influence over the ponies of this fair land. Lies! Lies and propaganda are what he spreads. Like a disease that corrupts and destroys.”
“He isn't even a pony!” Blueblood agreed, being swept up in the Nox’s rant until his other questions and doubts about the creature in his room evaporated. “What does he know about me?”
“You hate him as well?” K’ra asked in faked surprise.
“Of course I do!” he vehemently stated. “He ruined the gala! And he embarrassed me!”
“No!”
“Yes! He doesn't belong in Canterlot. He’s the brother of Lord Tirek!”
“This is terrible!” the Nox declared, coming closer to his bedside. “He dared to insult and demean you? You are the crown prince of Canterlot! You deserve better respect than what you got! Your actions can determine the future of Canterlot itself!”
“You’re right!” Blueblood agreed energetically. “I need more! I deserve better!”
“And I can give it to you, my prince,” he said, biting back the revulsion that came to his throat.
“You can?” Blueblood could still not see the Nox in the darkness, but that suddenly didn't matter.
“I am not the only one of my kind,” the Nox said, and this time, it was true. Then he descended into lies again. “The Prophet was so displeased with our village’s reception of him that he angrily turned all of us into spiny, black bugs. But we have not lost our sense of honor. I can sense the honor that you deserve. The rest of my friends and comrades will give you what you deserve.”
“You will?” Blueblood excitedly asked. He had not taken his gaze off the six large, innocent eyes near his bedside table.
“And much more,” K’ra promised. “I can help you take your revenge on the Prophet.”
“And everypony else that crosses me?”
“Who else was it that dared harm you?”
“A mare called Rarity,” he said. “She bears a grudge against me for whatever reason. I am just trying the best I can to be a gentlecolt to her, and then she goes around and she... rejects me! What did I do? Did I do something? If so, I'm sorry, but what did I even do to her?”
“Would you like me to kill her?” the Nox viciously asked.
“What?” Blueblood recoiled. “No, I don't want you to kill her!”
“Oh. Right.” K’ra cursed himself for appearing bloodthirsty to him. “How do you feel about just... making her treat you with the respect you deserve?”
“Yes! Yes, that’s it!”
“Is there anypony you would like me to get rid of for you?” K’ra asked, anticipating the answer.
“There was this one other pony,” Blueblood admitted, a hoof to his chin. “At the gala, somepony decided to throttle me and threaten to use a Black Blade on me!”
The Nox recoiled. The mention of a Black Blade made him shrink back in fear for only a second. Then he collected himself. “What did he want?”
“He wanted to let me know that he was now watching me, and so was somepony called Faust. I don’t know who she is, though. Do you know who Faust is?”
The hated enemy of the Noxxa and the most powerful entity in the universe. “No,” the Nox lied between his jaws.
“Oh, well. She’s not important. What’s important is that there’s another pony out to get me.”
“Who was he?”
“Noble Blade,” Blueblood growled. “He’s the cousin of Princess Cadence as well, so he probably got off scot-free for threatening me!”
“Noble Blade,” the Nox muttered. “Really?”
“Absolute crap, I say,” Blueblood spat. “It’s a ruse to help him ascend in political stature! With another heir, I’m now not the first choice! This is all part of a scheme to push me aside and for him to snatch the crown! He’d go after Auntie herself, if he really wanted to!”
“How dare he,” the Nox agreed. “What if I told you... That I could help you get rid of him, the Prophet, and Rarity for you?”
“Why do you want to help me?” Blueblood asked.
“Why is meaningless, Blueblood. It is a shadow of the past; a whisper from the future.”
“How can you help me?” Blueblood shrewdly asked.
“How is only a glimpse into the future. All that matters is what is here in the present, and that means what, and where, and who. If I could give you the support to get rid of your enemies, then would you accept my help?”
“What do I need to do?” the prince asked, a devious smile spreading across his muzzle.
“All I request is if I ask you a question, you need to answer. And in return, I can promise you riches. Fame. Glory. Love. All that you can ever ask for, and all that you desire, lies with me.”
“How do I know I don’t need your help?”
“You tried it on your own once before. Tell me, are you successful? No, my prince. You require aid that only I can provide.”
“Will I see you again?” the prince asked.
“Only in secluded areas. Alone and quietly. If the Prophet were to find out I was here, he would blast me into oblivion.”
“I can offer to hide you,” Blueblood said. “We both need each other anyway.”
“Great, then.” K’ra smiled. This was even easier than he thought it would be. The prince was so dense. “I am already arranging several of my followers to go after Noble Blade and kill him. Rarity I can maneuver into a situation where her only way out is to marry you. You, however, must create rumors in Canterlot to get rid of the Prophet yourself. Together, we can rise above any challenge as friends.”
“Done,” Blueblood said. “Auntie always said nothing is as powerful as the power of friendship.”
And that was the thing that made K’ra more nervous than ever.
The preparations had been made. The packing had been done. Goodbyes had been said to the Apple family, with many promises to return. Saddlebags had been filled to the brim with supplies. And Noble Blade and Firestorm had dressed in their respective armor. Freedom Fighter had nothing to pack; he already carried everything he owned on him.
Sixteen hours after arriving back in Ponyville, each mare went off to assemble what they needed in their living quarters. Applejack was severe in packing essentials only, and Twilight already had everything organized in her castle’s closets; they had packed first, along with Starlight Glimmer, who simply followed Twilight’s example. Rarity was indecisive about which outfits to wear on an epic adventure, and Pinkie Pie was discovered to have packed a suitcase filled with only cupcakes; they had packed last. Fluttershy had to say goodbye to all of her pets and set up a sitter; she had shown up at Twilight’s castle before Rarity. And before Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash had shown up, with a saddlebag full of awesome mementos.
Finally, all ten ponies stood in the castle's throne room, with Spike reluctantly running through one last comic book before he left with the girls.
“I’ll just say it now,” Fluttershy whispered to Noble Blade, who was right by her side, tall and regal in his overlapping chrome armor. “You look so handsome in that.”
“Did I not look handsome before?” Noble replied. “Or did I look abominable without this second skin?”
“Oh, no! No, no, no! You still looked really handsome! Trust me!”
“Kidding, Fluttershy!” He held a hoof to his chest and mimicked the bearing of a prince. “I always knew I was handsome.”
Fluttershy giggled and rubbed the top of his exposed head. “Silly knight.”
“This is a silly place,” he said softly to her, putting his head closer to the ground so Fluttershy could reach it better. “Castles are silly places.”
“Are the two lovebirds done now?” Applejack drawled from across the table. “We can all see you, ya know.”
“Oh...” Fluttershy let go of her boyfriend’s mane quickly and looked bashful at the reprimand.
“So what?” Firestorm asked lazily. “Maybe they want to be seen.”
“Enough with the talking,” Twilight said loudly, snapping all of their attention to her. “Now that we’re all here and we have everything we need, let’s go to the portal room.”
“The portal room?” Freedom Fighter wondered aloud. He had been listening to music before her announcement. “Can you explain to us poor, poor ponies what the portal actually does first?”
“All right, Freedom. We might as well.” She took a deep breath and started to move to a hallway. All the others followed. “Years ago, a thief had made off with my Element of Magic and had disappeared through a portal that looked like an ordinary mirror. I followed her into another dimension, where everyone from our world was there, but in the shape of other creatures.”
“I was turned into a talking dog,” Spike said proudly to the Guardians. “Betcha you think that’s cool!”
“Thou art the coolest dragon dog dimensional-travelling hybrid to ever exist, sir Spike,” Noble assured him with a wry smile.
“Hold up,” Firestorm said. He crawled low on all fours like a cat to Twilight. “There are other versions of ourselves there?” He gripped her face and looked deep into her eyes. “Is there another version of me? Or of you? Or any of the other girls?”
“What are you trying to plan, Firestorm?” Twilight boredly asked.
“Two things. First, meet up with my other self, smack him upside the head, and dance away. Second, meet the other copies of yourself and our friends and reintroduce myself in the most flamboyant and obnoxious way possible.”
“Must you give off the first impression that you’re obnoxious?” Rarity asked him.
Firestorm looked at her like she had proposed an insane plan to save the universe. “Yes,” he said, slowly. “What kind of madness is this ‘Making a good impression’ kind of thing?”
“ ‘Twi?” Applejack asked her. “D’ya think ya can take us with ya this time?”
“I feel like there’s no choice right now,” Twilight said. “Where one of us goes, all of us have to.”
“Then do ya think you can help give us a few pointers on this new dimension? Or sumthin’?”
“Yes,” said Fluttershy softly. “I’d like to have a few tips on this.”
“Well, the easiest thing is for the Guardians of the Sun to not run into their other selves,” Twilight conceded as she went into a hallway to go to the library. Everypony else followed her, walking to keep up except for Pinkie, who bounced. “They aren’t with the gang last I checked, and knowing that other world, they’d probably be police officers or something. But what seems unavoidable now is that we have to meet our other selves. This means we shouldn’t panic, we shouldn’t stare, and above all, we need to be prepared to explain to them the circumstances we’re in.”
They had arrived in the library by now, and Twilight galloped to a secret doorway hidden in the crystal near a bookshelf. Swinging it open, she poked her head inside, activated her magic, and dragged out the most confusing-looking contraption any of them had seen.
At the center of whatever it was lay an upright mirror that was taller than any of them, inlaid with gems on the horseshoe rim. Surrounding it was many strange cables and machines attached to each other and to the mirror. And above it all was a metal halo attached to the back of it.
“So,” Twilight said excitedly. “Whatcha guys think?”
Firestorm raised his hoof. “Does friendship flow through positive and negative terminals?” He pointed at the cables connected into the back.
“Um... no.”
“What is the point of this contraption?” Noble Blade asked, coming over to observe the many odds and ends sticking out of it. “The mirror portal I understand, but why must this crude machine be perpetually attached to it?”
“It makes it so we can travel between dimensions however many times we want, whenever we want,” Twilight explained. “I came up with it myself.”
“A masterful job, Twilight,” Noble complimented. Twilight blushed.
“Are you all ready?” Starlight Glimmer asked the girls.
“Yeah, yeah, fine,” Spike grumbled, pitching his comic book over his shoulder. “I'm ready.”
“Everypony have what they need?” Twilight called out.
“WAIT!” Rarity cried, and she started to unclasp the saddlebag she wore with her magic. “I can't remember! Did I pack that chiffon gown or not?”
“We’re going through the portal now, Rarity,” Spike said to her, laying an arm on her shoulder. “You can just ask the other Rarity to make one for you.”
“What?! What nonsense!” Rarity suddenly said, and the saddlebags closed. “I require no help from anypony to make a dress I want! Even myself! I can just make a chiffon gown while I'm over there myself!”
As Rarity pranced to the portal, Pinkie leaned down and whispered, “Nice going there, Spike.”
“No problem,” he happily replied.
And one by one, each pony took a brave step through the portal on the first stage of their rather large adventure.
When the last one, a black-uniformed earth pony, had departed into the portal, the Nox peering through a window of the castle signaled the rest of his comrades near the base of the tree.
These Noxxa had been sent on a scouting mission into the plains north of Ponyville directly after Twilight Sparkle had evaded capture. They had been keeping an eye on the perimeter of the town and gouging the best plan of attack for when the invasion would happen. All of a sudden, an order had been given to follow Twilight Sparkle and her friends through a magic portal in her castle.
Ponyville, however, was no exception to the rule. Almost every major city in Equestria was now being watched by Noxxa. The time to attack was not yet, but it was sooner than the Prophet had said.
The war plans had, after all, advanced in speed once Marshal Malice had realized that some creature had been spying on him when he had spoken to his Lord in Tartarus.
He was the one that had sent an individual Nox to tail the Prophet to Canterlot, without consulting High Command. He was the one who decided that the Noxxa would commence their full assault in a few weeks, rather than months. He was the one who had sent Noxxa spies across the Celestial Sea to Equestria in secret, and had given them instructions to gauge the major city’s defenses.
Everything was going according to plan.