"As you already know," Luna started to speak. Everypony, and Spike, had gathered at a special room inside the castle. It had taken a while to get to here as it was hidden deep within the bowels of the castle. She stood beside a large mirror. "This is no ordinary mirror. It is one of Starswirl's magical mirrors created to link between our world and another. It was said to open every thirty moons."
"We do not know if it will stay open for long," Celestia continued talking with the ponies. "Or if Sunset has found a way to keep the portal open. Who knows what spells my former pupil has found on the other side."
"Be as it may," Luna said. "We must act as if the mirror will only stay open for a week's time. While normally Starswirl would only keep these open for two or three days, it would seem that this world's own magic is sufficient enough to allow larger spans of time. This will be perfect for you."
"Why wasn't I told about these mirrors before?" Twilight asked.
"I did my best to hide them," Celestia responded before grimacing. "They are far too dangerous to keep them out in the open. Most of them were destroyed but this one…' She closed her eyes and tried to collect herself.
Twilight had never seen Celestia so distraught before. She was actually shaking as if she was scared of something. To think something actually scared her. She had been scared yes when Discord came back, but she was able to keep herself collected. But now? This unnerved her unlike anything else.
Luna trotted over and nuzzled her sister, "Be still my sister." She turned to the others, "This one is special. My sister decided to keep this one active. It was moved here to the Crystal Empire when it came back. The location was perfect since it would seem that Sunset's knowledge of this mirror was one of the reasons she fell off the righteous path."
"I had hoped she would come around and see things my way," Celestia opened up her eyes, her shaking stopped. "That she would see reason. I had first showed this mirror in hopes of guiding her down the right pathway but it would seem I was too careless. Not to mention she has not come back to my warm embrace. Instead she has chosen the fate of the wicked. I want you, Twilight Sparkle, to bring her back from this fate she has forced upon herself."
Twilight nodded, "I will."
"However the crown should be your first priority," Luna narrowed her eyes. "It does not belong in that world. We cannot know what effects the magic of the humans will do to it or what it will do to them. In either case, Sunset Shimmer could inadvertently cause great harm to many citizens of that realm."
Cadance walked over and nuzzled Twilight, who returned it. "We trust you absolutely, Twilight. Only a pony as smart as you could pull this off."
"Thank you, Cadance." Twilight smiled.
"Are you ready?" Celestia asked. When Twilight nodded, Celestia continued. "Then do not hesitate. We will stay here and watch over the portal. Make sure no one knows of what you really are or our world. Bring Sunset and the crown back to us and also," she tapped Twilight's nose with a wing feather. "Make some friends."
Luna rolled her eyes, "A friendship lesson? At this juncture? At this point in her mission?"
Celestia smirked, "Yes. Perhaps the humans could teach my student a few things or her them. You never know. Besides, more friends wouldn't hurt."
Twilight smiled, "I won't let you down, Princess."
"Don't you worry, Twilight." Pinkie Pie waved at her. "I'll be sure to get your return party up and running. Be sure to bring back a lot of friends."
"And do be careful, Darling." Rarity spoke with concern. "I don't know what we'd do without you."
"If you're in trouble, call us." Rainbow said as she flared her wings. "We'll come over to kick their butts."
"Darn tootin," Applejack nodded.
"Umm, just try not to get hurt." Fluttershy meekly said. "I put some medical supplies in your pack just in case though."
"And I'm grateful," Twilight said. She looked over her friends. Her heart swelled to think that she was lucky enough to meet them all. "I'm grateful to have all of you. I won't fail." With that she turned back to the mirror. Steeling herself, she moved forward and entered the mirror.
Spike was behind everyone quivering. He had always been by Twilight's side. Ever since he was born, he was with her. In all that time he knew he was one of the things keeping her stable since… Twilight wasn't the most sane ponies around. Still she was like a big sister and the last thing he wanted to see was her getting hurt. So he did the only thing that came to mind.
He raced on after her.
"Spike," he idly heard the girls shout out before he jumped into the portal.
The sensations racing through the pair were tremendous. Moving from one dimension to another wasn't so simple. It wasn't like just walking from one room to another. It was as if the body was stretched thin and tight as if it was made of taffy. It wasn't painful but it was extremely uncomfortable. Twilight couldn't help but scream at the sensation, although she was inwardly taking notes. She loved learning new things even if they were… strange.
Except for some of Rarity's more… mature romance novels. Some of the stuff in them were just off.
This was off but in an way that made her sick to her stomach. She hated the fact that she would have to go through with this again, but to save her country, no, to save both worlds she had to endure it. This was her duty as a princess. She failed once. She would not fail again.
She let out an 'oof' as she fell to the ground. It would seem that she'd have to get used to being thrown out of these portals. Perhaps she'd have to figure out a way to make them easier to cross over. She had completed one spell of Starswirl's before. One more wouldn't hurt.
She started to open up her eyes when she heard a familiar voice.
"Twilight?"
"Huh, Spike? You're not supposed to-" Trying to clear her head from the sensations plaguing her, she turned her head. She blinked in surprise, finding herself staring at a purple dog with green ears and a spike collar. "Spike? Are you… a dog?"
Spike turned around, looking at himself in dismay. "I think so?"
A thousand things ran through Twilight's mind at that moment. Why was her number one assistant a dog? Did something go wrong in the portal? Did she accidentally use a spell? How could this have happened and so casually. What sort of magic did Starswirl use to have this effect. She'd have to study this for sure.
"But I have no idea what you?" Spike looked at her as if she was a circus freak.
"Spike, why would you-" Twilight lifted up her arms. For a moment, she stared at them. They weren't hooves. They were spindly, non-pony arms with hands that had little fingers. They were like the minotaur's own hands. Was she a minotaur now? HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!
What if this was permanent? What if she had to live the rest of her life without hooves and now little fingers? Could she still use magic? Would Princess Celestia still teach her? Twilight could only do one thing with this all coming down on her.
She screamed.
Shirou Emiya always wanted to be a Hero of Justice. His adopted father helped shape that dream and he wanted to finish it. To make him proud. It also helped that he actually really did enjoy helping people. Seeing a smile on other's faces always brought him a little bit of joy and knowing he had made someone's life better was just an ecstatic sensation. He would do whatever it took to help anyone in need.
So when he heard someone screaming, he ran as quickly as his feet could take him. He didn't stop to question or think about it. He just ran. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find out who was screaming. Right beside the horse statue, which was something planted there by the founder of the school a long time ago, was a rather strangely dressed girl.
She wore a blue shirt similar to a girl's uniform, buttoned up and ready for school with a red bow tie around her neck. However her skirt was strangely colored. It was purple with a lighter purple star like signature on the side. Her high purple boots were splayed at her side as she screamed. Her long, luxurious hair was several shades of purple, probably used highlights to get that done.
Still now, he couldn't just stare at her and let her scream. Then he started to see her wave her hands around as if they were monsters. He had enough when she started to pull her fingers and looked really freaked out. So he stepped forward, "Hey, are you alright?"
The girl immediately stopped screaming and looked at him. He could already tell she was beautiful. No, beautiful didn't do her justice. She was otherworldly. As though there was something more to her. Her purple eyes were ones he was sure a guy could drown in. She gulped and fidgeted, "Ummm, sorry. I just got frustrated is all."
"Are you sure that's all?" Shirou asked as he took a step forward. He heard a little growl and looked down to see… a purple dog. "Eesy boy, I'm not going to hurt her."
"Spike, shush." Twilight quickly pulled him into her arms. She chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm new here so I don't know how to act around people."
Shirou nodded. It wasn't uncommon to get transfer students. He was just thankful she could speak fluent Japanese. He had some trouble with past students who only knew some of the language. "Alright, if that's the case." He held out his hand, "I'm Shirou Emiya. Nice to meet you."
The girl smiled and it was actually rather pretty, "I'm Twilight Sparkle."
Shirou raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it. She was a foreigner after all. He could tell that easily by her face. Obviously European. "So did they not tell you about the dresscode?"
Twilight's eyes widened, "Dr-Dresscode?" Her voice stuttered.
Shirou frowned and nodded, "Yeah, I know that's not a thing in most of the west but this school is rather traditional." When he started to see her shake and start to panic, he held up a hand. "I know where the school keeps some spare dresses. I can pull a few strings and get you a couple to wear."
Twilight's smile widened, "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you right now."
Shirou scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I'm just trying to help is all." He reached his hand back down to her which she took again. She let out a little yelp as he helped her stand up again.
Twilight looked down at her two long legs and gulped, "Uhhh, I guess we walk on two legs here right?"
Shirou was honestly confused by that, "Yes?"
Twilight then chuckled nervously, " See? I'm a foreigner. We say strange things." She took a step forward. Actually, it was more like a terrible attempt at a step. She almost fell over but Shirou pulled him against himself to steady her.
"Are you alright?"
Twilight looked up at him. He idly noted her cheeks were red as her eyes shimmered, "Umm, yeah. My legs just are… off right now."
Shirou nodded, "Then let me help you." He could hear her gulp before she nodded. Slowly but surely he walked to school. His arms were around Twilight, keeping her stable in her gait. He sometimes had to stop to help her get used to walking again.
He was thankful that by the time they got inside, she could at least walk well enough on her own. She smiled over at him.
"Than you, Shirou."
"Again, I just wanted to help." As he looked at her smiling and relieved face, his wish was as strong as ever. He would be a hero of justice.
Hate.
Pure hatred flowed through the people in the restaurant as three individuals sang. Arguments boiled over. People got up from their chairs as they shouted. So much energy flowed through the air.
Three individuals were unaffected by the discourse. Their hoodies kept everyone from noticing them. They rocked back and forth, melodies springing from their mouth that sounded incredibly beautiful. One could get lost in them. Only they could see the green mist that coiled around the people before it went up into their red gems.
"Perfect," one girl purred. Her large puffy orange hair was the hardest to hide inside of her hoodie. It was a good thing they had magic or it would have been impossible. "That should be enough."
"I don't see why we have to do this," a gruff feminine voice said from another one. She crossed her arms. "We've got a ton of magic already."
"Yeah," a bubbly voice giggled. "People are, like, literally throwing themselves at us. It's great."
"And did you forget the magi?" The puffy haired one spoke up. "We may be stronger then them, but they are persistent. We lost them once two centuries ago. I will not go through another witch hunt so we must grow stronger in order to face them. Besides, we all can feel the build up of magic. Something is going to happen. I want to be prepared for it."
"Oh we'll kick their butt like we've done everything here," the purple haired one smirked. "What more could it throw at us?"
"Tacos," the blue haired one said seriously. The other two glared at her, "What? I could go for some tacos. I'm starving."
The orange haired one sighed, "Fine, we'll order some tacos. Then we prepare."