//------------------------------// // Reintroductions // Story: The Infestation of Equiss Prime // by Jest //------------------------------// Twilight groaned, opening her eyes to reveal a cold, steel ceiling which she stared at for several long moments as she processed what had happened. Glancing around the room, Twilight found that she was in a small cell, though it at least had a bed large enough for her frame as well as a toilet and sink. Sitting upright in the narrow bed, she discarded the surprisingly warm blanket that had been atop her before looking down at her appearance. Only the white undershirt and pants remained, the clothes smelling surprisingly clean, alerting Twilight to the fact that she had likely been undressed in her sleep. Brushing aside that small bit of discomfort Twilight realized that not only did her clothing smell good, but she did as well. She wasn't certain if she should be unnerved by the fact that someone had given her a sponge bath or relieved that she no longer reeked of sweat and blood. Either way, those were considerations for another time, for right now nature called, and after a bit of struggling with her lethargic limbs, she managed to get that out of the way. Now slightly more awake than she had been a minute earlier, Twilight noticed that the collar was no longer around her neck. Though initially a relief, Twilight found that both her magic and her psionic abilities felt distant, and the white noise at the back of her mind was far more oppressive. Lying back down on the bed, Twilight sprawled out as much as she could, her gaze focusing on the ceiling as her thoughts began to drift. Her mind immediately went to Celestia and what had happened, a sharp jab of guilt shooting through her. With that feeling came anger, frustration, and dark, unpleasant thoughts that threatened to consume her. Pushing them down took effort, but with the memory of her friends fresh in her mind, Twilight reminded herself why she was here. All she needed to do was find the forest Celestia had mentioned and then locate the pond where her mentor had hidden the other entrance. From there she would be back in her own world and from there she could… Her thoughts fell apart as a deep sadness welled from within her. This time the emotion would not and could not be quelled no matter how hard she tried. She crumpled into a ball, pulling the blankets tight about her body as she began to sob. All at once the pain and grief she had bottled up deep in her soul overflowed, swallowing her thoughts amid a rising tide of agony. She had lost so much, seen so much hurt, and now had been set back even more. Could she even come back from this? Should she even try? Nightmare Moon was a monster stronger than any entity on Equestria, eclipsing even Celestia by several orders of magnitude. Not only that, but the Nightmare also had an army, a city, and now she had the worst thing possible, time. Time to rebuild, to fortify Canterlot, and potentially assert her dominance over most if not all of Equestria. Twilight wondered how long it would take to get back home, and if she should even bother with the effort. It was a dark thought, one she wanted to push away but couldn't help but contemplate it. At least there were zerg she could usurp the control of, and beyond that this land had no magic while she had retained her own. Evidently the mirror had made some sort of error when it came to altering her, or her unique physiology had allowed her to retain her abilities. Either way, Twilight was potentially the most powerful being in this entire world, and if she stayed, she could potentially alter it however she willed. Pushing that thought out of her mind took effort, but after a few labored breaths, the infested woman managed to do just that. “Hey there, don't cry,” called a familiar voice, though it had an odd warbling tone to it. “I know it doesn't look like much, but they really are trying to help you.” Wiping away her tears, Twilight cleared her throat. “H-how so?” “They are trying to cure all the nasty little bugs in our systems,” replied the voice. “And hopefully fix whatever she did to us.” Untangling her limbs from the blanket, Twilight rose into a sitting position and glanced over to the source of the voice. “Who are you? You sound familiar.” “And you sound pretty familiar too!” replied the other person. “The name’s Pinkie Pie, and it looks like we’re cell neighbors for the time being.” Twilight sighed and trotted up to the bars, glancing to her left. “How many cells are down here? Looks like hundreds, but most are just strange black walls.” “The black cells are for those of us who pose dangers to the others, but don't worry about them, they have a TV and stuff.” Pinkie Pie paused. “The big meanie infested a whole bunch of people when she was trying to fix her command structure problems. Though it's weird that you ended up down here, she stopped doing that a while ago,” “That's probably still true. I’m not from your reality, after all,” Twilight remarked. “Oooh, an alternate world, neato!” Pinkie Pie excitedly replied. “Let me guess, you’re the good Twilight Sparkle?” “I don't know about good, but I am certainly nicer than what I assume the other version of myself has been,” Twilight concluded. “Provided she was the cause of all this.” “Yupperdoodle!” Pinkie Pie answered. “Last I heard she's taken over a good majority of the western seaboard and totally mucked up the rest of the world with her virus bombs. I’m sure Sunset will tell ya more about that later.” Twilight shuddered. “That sounds terrible. Tell me, what happened to you?” “Oh, you don't want to know,” Pinkie Pie replied in a sad tone. “Let’s just say that I’m something of a lost cause.” Twilight snorted. “One of my best friends is ninety percent hydralisk, and the other is some sort of slug-like amalgamation of a zebra and a zerg corruptor.” There was a long pause before Pinkie Pie spoke again. “You have some strange friends,” she remarked. “They have taught me a lot, and no matter what they look like, I know they are good people,” Twilight explained. Pinkie Pie sighed. “Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you.” “You underestimate the things I’ve seen,” Twilight replied. A second later a mirror held by a tentacle slipped from the bars of the cell to Twilight’s left. The fleshy appendage was mostly pink, though it had a mixture of twisted purplish-green flesh intertwined within it. The mirror itself was small, little more than a handheld one usually reserved for someone to check their makeup in. After some slight shifting it revealed a strange hooded figure a foot shorter than Twilight herself was. Which was an achievement, given that the woman guessed that she was nearing eight feet tall in this form. The figure wore a custom white hoodie with three balloons on the front, hiding the majority of her face and much of her torso. What Twilight could see was that the other woman had the bottom half of a hydralisk and that the front part of her body was covered with pink organic plates. Her tail was long, and though not spiked like the hydralisk Twilight had seen earlier, it looked strong enough to support Pinkie Pie’s weight. Unlike a hydralisk, the former human had only a single scythe-limb while the other arm had long, clawed fingers. The only even slightly unnerving part of the woman, at least in Twilight’s mind, was the mass of tentacles poking out from the hood. The human lacked a nose or visible mouth though Twilight assumed the latter simply lay beneath the half a dozen wrinkly pink appendages sprouting from Pinkie’s face. The rest of her features seemed normal enough, though her eyes glowed a maleficent red, and her flesh was a mix of her natural pink as well as the purple-green combination like that of the zerg Twilight had already seen so far. “I’ve seen worse,” Twilight remarked. “That's great, but wowee, are you tall,” Pinkie Pie marveled, shifting closer to the bars. “And you look super strong too!” Twilight blushed. “T-thanks. In my world I’m bigger than most but usually not by such a large margin.” “Well, I’m glad you aren't spooked out by my appearance,” Pinkie Pie remarked, relief palpable in her voice as she returned the mirror. “My other friends try not to show it, but they are scared of me.” “In that adorable hoodie? You’re about as scary as a house fly,” Twilight remarked dismissively. Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh, you are way better than that other Twilight.” Twilight leaned against the bars. “Speaking of which, what can you tell me of what happened here?” “What do you want to know exactly? ‘Cause that's one long story,” Pinkie Pie asked. “Well, my Pinkie Pie had a habit of summing things up quite efficiently, and I assume you do as well,” Twilight replied with a shrug. “Hmm, the short version of everything then,” Pinkie Pie murmured. “Well, it all started during the Friendship Games when other Twilight came to town and opened some crazy wormhole thingies. We managed to close 'em all before something bad could happen, but she vanished before we could ask her what had gone wrong.” “Wormholes? Fascinating,” Twilight muttered. “More like scary,” Pinkie Pie corrected. “There were some really crazy places in those hole thingies, and I think something got through during all the chaos.” “Evidently,” Twilight murmured. “I wonder if there is some sort of dimensional constant that keeps certain events but ignores others. Or perhaps since a wormhole traversers both space, time, and potentially dimensions, it could have interacted with my own world in some manner.” “I don't know about that, but what happened after that has been a bit of a blur I admit,” Pinkie Pie remarked. “We fought, found these cool geode thingies that give us powers, and Twilight has been steadily taking over the place.” “Wait, if the infestation started here, then why hasn't the entire town been taken over? You said she has conquered the majority of an entire continent,” Twilight pointed out. “She stinks at keeping control of her minions, and I know the others don't agree with me, but I still think there is still some part of her fighting back,” Pinkie Pie whispered. “Fighting back? Like resisting the zerg influence?” Twilight questioned. “Uh huh! What other reason could there be for the fact that she hasn't found this base despite owning like a dozen states and half of Canada?” Pinkie Pie answered confidently. “I suppose that makes sense,” Twilight admitted. The sudden grinding of rusty metal gears drew Twilight’s attention to her right. “The girls must be back! That was a quick one this time. I wonder if they found any new friends,” Pinkie Pie openly wondered. Twilight remained silent, watching quietly as the grinding gears came to a halt and were replaced by the sound of wheels turning on the cold stone floor. “Hey, Pinkie! Got someone new for you to meet!” yelled the voice of Rainbow Dash from further down the hall. “She ain't the friendly type though, so ya might want to give her some space,” added the gruff voice of Applejack. A second later a heavy cart appeared before Twilight, atop which rested an unconscious and heavily bandaged infested creature. Twilight instantly recognized the underlying entity as a siren due to the prominent teal fin atop its head and its fish-like bottom half. The top part of her body should have resembled a serpentine horse, but that was where the infestation was most visible, and only its muzzle appeared normal. Its forehooves were replaced by the scythe limbs reminiscent of most zerglings while its head was too large for its body and was half-covered by a bony crest of some kind. Its light blue skin was mostly untarnished on its bottom half while almost its entire top half had been replaced by twisted purple flesh. It was an unfortunate sight, and Twilight silently hoped that the creature was not in any pain due to its forced alterations. “Hold a moment,” Twilight called, sticking out a hand. “I must speak to whomever is in charge around here.” Rainbow Dash appeared before her a second later, defiantly glaring up at the towering infested woman. “And why should I let that happen after you nearly killed my whole team, huh?” “If I had wanted you dead, your bodies would already be cold,” Twilight retorted, kneeling down before the diminutive human. “For instance, I could have turned your blood to vapor or simply crushed your windpipe like a wishbone.” Rainbow Dash looked sickly for a moment before coughing. “Nah, I’m too tough for that.” Applejack appeared a second later, revealing that she was the one pushing the cart. “Face it, tough girl, if this one hadn't been trying not to kill us, we would have all been goners.” “Thank you for that, by the way,” Fluttershy meekly added. “Being merciful, I mean.” “And don't worry, I’ll have that talk right now,” Sunset Shimmer intruded, stepping up to the bars. “You girls can situate our newest guest while I handle this.” “Aye, boss,” muttered Applejack before trundling further down the line. Rainbow Dash stuck around for a moment longer in order to shoot Twilight a dirty look while Fluttershy gave a meek chuckle and an apologetic shrug. Rising back to a stand, Twilight looked down at the much smaller being, noting that other than being a little more sweat-stained than earlier, she seemed no worse for wear. “How long was I out?” Twilight asked. “Not long,” Sunset leaned to one side. “How long ago did we drop her off here, Pinkie?” “Three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and thirty-nine seconds ago,” Pinkie Pie cheerfully replied. “We honestly expected you to be out for a lot longer. Seems you’re tougher than most of what we fight,” Sunset Shimmer explained, her tone remaining neutral. “You have not faced anything like me,” Twilight declared. “Unless there is a third dimensional mirror around here somewhere.” “Wait, third? Hold on a second.” Sunset Shimmer massaged her temples. “Don't tell me you're the other Twilight Sparkle.” “I am indeed,” Twilight declared. “I told you it was magic!” shouted Rarity from somewhere further up the hallway. “Okay, you were right, I admit it!” Sunset Shimmer yelled back. “And you are Sunset Shimmer. Princess Celestia’s power-mad former pupil,” Twilight continued, eyes narrowing. “After what she’s told me, I’m surprised to see that it wasn't you Pinkie Pie speaks of in hushed tones.” “It very well could have been,” Sunset Shimmer admitted. “Things have changed since then, and I’ve become a better person thanks to the amazing friends I’ve made.” “I know the feeling,” Twilight added pointedly. Sunset Shimmer took a step back and raised her hands. “Alright, I’m fairly certain you are who you say you are, but to make sure, I’m going to ask you a simple question. What is Celestia’s favorite kind of tea?” “She says it’s green tea, but really it's raspberry zinger with four cubes of sugar,” Twilight replied quickly, smirking slightly at Sunset’s astonished look. “You aren't the only student of hers, you know.” Sunset Shimmer chuckled. “So she still thinks green tea makes her look distinguished.” “It's fairly well-known nowadays. Before the world went to pot, there was even a brand of tea called Tia’s Secret that dealt in exclusively sugary varieties of tea,” Twilight continued. “I have so many questions,” Sunset Shimmer declared. “As do I. First of which, when are you going to let me out of this stupid cage?” Twilight demanded. “Right,” Sunset Shimmer muttered, turning back towards where they had come from. “Rarity, can you get the science team down here asap? I want this Twilight scanned and cleared within the hour. Oh, and get those cleaners to move their butts, Pinkie Pie’s room should have been done hours ago!” “I am on it, darling, just let me finish catching up with Sweetie Belle, and I will get right to it!” Rarity yelled back. Twilight frowned. “How long will this scanning thing take?” “Like I mentioned, about an hour or so,” Sunset Shimmer replied. “Then we have plenty of time for me to explain everything that's happened.” Twilight sighed. “Be warned though. Things have taken a dark turn since you left.” Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms over her chest. “If it's half as bad as it is here then we may have more than just Celestia in common.” “You don't know the half of it,” Twilight muttered. “I can't believe she's gone,” Sunset Shimmer murmured, standing up from the floor and covering her mouth with a hand. “I think I need a minute to be alone.” “Woah, that was a hell of a story,” Rainbow Dash murmured, the girl having ditched her armor and weapons sometime during the tale. “To think Sunset’s talk of magical pony land was real and also hella dark.” Applejack grunted, the woman seated on the floor next to Rainbow Dash also having lost her helmet and gun during the long explanation. “And every word of it was the whole unvarnished truth. What a sorry bunch of nitwits we were.” “It's fine,” Twilight murmured, shifting uncomfortably on the sagging bed. “In the end no one got seriously hurt and as soon as you let me out of here, all will be forgiven.” “Not too long now, Twilight,” Fluttershy whispered, the girl having donned a white lab coat shortly after arrival and was now standing in front of a towering mass of sensors as well as screens. “It's almost done.” Pinkie Pie sniffed. “How are you girls not crying? That was so sad!” “It was a bit of a tear-jerker, I must admit,” Rarity murmured, patting the corners of her eye with a handkerchief. “Such love, such loss. You’d think it was written by Shakespeare himself.” “I don't know about that,” muttered Twilight. “So what do you plan on doing now? You said something about a mirror before, is that anything like the one Sunset used to get here?” Rainbow Dash pressed. Twilight nodded. “It was a secret back door Celestia installed in order to ensure no one got stuck here. It's a one time use thing though, so I’m afraid I can't return with help.” “Things may look desperate, but I’m sure the eggheads up top are just days away from cracking this thing wide open,” Applejack declared confidently, rising from the ground. “They've been researching magic since Sunset popped up and have been trying to figure out this whole zerg mess for a while now.” “Oh really? Well, that is interesting,” Twilight mused. “Were they watching over you during this whole Friendship Games fiasco?” “They helped as best as they could, but no one could have anticipated that the device Twilight had constructed would do such harm,” Sunset Shimmer explained, stepping back before the infested woman. “To think that a simple magical detector could do all that.” “Speaking of which,” Twilight interrupted. “How effective was this device exactly?” “It could locate pretty much every magical source in a ten mile radius and pinpoint its exact point of origin within ten metres,” Fluttershy answered, blushing slightly when the attention turned to her. “The other Twilight was quite open about her discoveries.” The infested woman hummed thoughtfully, stroking her chin. “Do you have a copy of this machine handy? Celestia’s directions were all based on landmarks and without those, I’m not sure where the mirror is.” “I’m afraid not. Twilight was leagues ahead of us in this regard, though perhaps the boss lady can strike a deal and maybe help us capture one of the things in return for your assistance,” Sunset Shimmer began. “That would be nice,” murmured Applejack. “We’ve been stuck in a holding pattern for a while and provided you can go out and about without the other Twi stealing yer brain, you’d be a big help.” “Which I don't think will happen,” Fluttershy murmured, a small square object now held in her hand. “Sunset, come look at these readings.” The former pony did just that, narrowing her eyes at the black rectangle. “Well, would you look at that. Her brain chemistry really is different from a base human’s, and a zerg’s for that matter.” “They won't be able to control me. I promise you that,” Twilight declared. “I’m beginning to agree with you,” Sunset Shimmer muttered before tapping the screen. “What are these readings here?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I’m not sure. It seems to act a lot like magic, but it permeates her body in such a strange way.” “Isn't that the same-looking stuff on that mirror thing?” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “‘Cause it sure looks like it to me.” “Indeed, it does,” Sunset Shimmer admitted. “If this is true, then it would mean that harmonic magic has infused your body despite the fact that you aren't an alicorn. Which is the only pony type whose base biology is capable of meshing with such powerful energy.” “Strange, I’ve never heard of such a thing before,” Twilight murmured. “Our geodes are concentrated pockets of the stuff,” Applejack remarked, lifting hers in emphasis. “Or at least that's what the running theory was last I heard.” “It is true, but regardless, I think it's this harmonic energy that has allowed you to keep your mind while in town. So long as it doesn't go away, you should be fine,” Sunset Shimmer finished. “What do you think, Fluttershy?” “I think so too. This magic is very potent and is likely why your biological systems work in such perfect harmony with one another,” Fluttershy muttered. “Heh, good one, Flutters,” Pinkie Pie pointed out. Fluttershy giggled. “Pun not intended.” Twilight however, wasn't paying attention and was staring off into space while stroking her chin. “Perhaps if I were to artificially create more of the stuff, I could somehow make my friends’ bodies more harmonious for lack of a better word. Maybe even recreate that rainbow wave I saw somehow.” “What was that, sugarcube?” Applejack questioned. Twilight shook her head. “It's nothing. Just musing about some plans I had for when I return to my own world.” “Well to that end, I think we should go see the director. I’m pretty sure she’d okay the offer I made you, and if all goes well, we can both get what we want,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed. “How quickly exactly are we talking about?” Twilight questioned. “Because I would like to return to Equestria as soon as possible.” “It shouldn't take more than a few days,” Sunset Shimmer declared in a dismissive tone. “I did plan our attack on her tower already, so-” “Augh, you cannot be serious,” groaned Rainbow Dash. “That plan is terrible, and you know it.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “It's not that bad, now come on. Why don't you girls escort Pinkie Pie back to her room while I bring Twilight here to the boss lady.” The bars shook briefly before sliding out of the way, allowing Twilight to step out of her cell and stretch. “Thank you, Sunset. Now if only we had this conversation in the first place, maybe we could have avoided all that unpleasantness,” Twilight pointed out. “Right, that's probably my fault. The other Twilight tries to trick us all the time, and I wasn't willing to take any chances.” Sunset Shimmer sighed. “I’m sorry about that.” “It's fine.” Twilight stuck out her smaller hand. “Are we good?” “We’re good,” Sunset Shimmer declared, shaking the offered limb. “Right, well for what it's worth, I’m sorry as well. Even if ya did bust my pride pretty good back there,” Applejack added. Twilight chuckled. “No hard feelings.” Rarity scoffed. “Well, I for one am still quite angry with you. Those were my favorite gloves, and now I have to coat my delicate hands in that foul-smelling burn ointment for an entire week!” Twilight chuckled. “If that weird white noise at the back of my head wasn't so loud, I’d just heal you with magic.” “I’m so jealous, by the way,” Sunset Shimmer added. “I’ve been trying to do magic since I got here.” “I am rather unique,” Twilight remarked with a smirk. “Well, the psi-damping field is only used in the lower levels, so you should be able to cast once we reach the main hangar,” Fluttershy pursed her lips. “Though I’m surprised it's affected your magic. It should only suppress your psionic powers.” “Well compared to the field you guys deployed when we first met, this one is like a suffocating ocean that makes it hard to think,” Twilight bitterly announced. “Perhaps it's the frequency,” Sunset Shimmer murmured. “Fluttershy, make a note to run some experiments on this topic.” “Will do,” Fluttershy replied. “Everyone else, let’s go. I’ll meet you in the dorms for debrief in an hour or so,” Sunset Shimmer declared, turning to the others. All five gave some manner of affirmation to the command before Sunset turned and strode away. Easily catching up to the much smaller woman, Twilight couldn't help but be amused by the sight of black uniformed guards standing next to the large vault-like door barring the exit. “You know, I’m rather surprised that you would join up with a secret human government organization, considering your psych profile,” Twilight pointed out. Sunset Shimmer sighed as they walked down the hall. “Of course you would have access to that. To answer your question, it's simple, they proved they were good. Not all of them of course, but the director runs a tight ship and everyone serving under her is worthy of respect.” The guards seemed to stand a little straighter after hearing Sunset’s comment. “Clearly much has changed,” Twilight mused. “You seem lighter than I expected. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who has learned the value of friendship.” Sunset Shimmer smiled and glanced back to the humans and infested following behind them at a much slower pace. Rainbow Dash was recounting their recent mission in great detail while Pinkie Pie stared wide-eyed in rapt attention. Rarity was waving goodbye to an orange-eyed little girl, and overall they seemed strangely happy given the circumstances. “I’m glad you understand,” Sunset Shimmer murmured. “If it wasn't for them, well… I don't know if I would have made it.” The red-haired girl coughed suddenly upon reaching the door. “Right, open ‘er up. Let's go see the director.”