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// Chapter One: Twilight has a joy ride 
// Story: Marvel Mash-Up 
// by FacelessFawks 
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	MLP: FiM Team up… with MARVEL!

You know that feeling you get when you do something right? Not the feeling when someone in front of you drops ten bits and you kindly return it. That feeling of hundreds of hours of research finally paying off, finally getting the spell you have been trying to master for months perfect. That’s the feeling I’m talking about. And that’s all I feel right now. Times a thousand… NO…. ten thousand… yea, ten thousand sounds about right. Well, that feeling and excitement…. Oh boy, it’s a lot of excitement. When going through some of grey beards scrolls, I found out how time travel was possible. Which was a question that perplexed me for quite a while until I found the answer. You see, time is a boundary that even magic cannot hurdle. But here’s the kicker, space isn’t. I know right? It was RIGHT under our noses, staring us in the face, so close we couldn’t even see it. Teleportation spells are nothing, any pony in third grade magic school can cast some type of teleportation spell, while it is a given that at that level of magic casting a spell on a living creature if far more difficult, but simply casting a… oh, uhm… sorry, got side tracked. 

Back on point, For the purpose of this spell, we can think of space and time as the same thing. I was once told that time is a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff, but I’m getting side tracked again… for magical “time travel” try picturing a body full of cells. Got it? Ok, now try and imaging that each of those cells holds a point in time. A point in time can be as little as two seconds long, or it can be 10000 years long, really as long as the “event” the point of time is holding takes. And the “event” keeps being replayed over and over and over. If something different happens, which is bound to happen, the cell splits, creating a different version of what happened. Each of these cells is extremely close to each other. And I mean TOUCHING. All one has to do is pass though the borders of the current universe there in and they will simply pass over to the next universe over. And if my theory is correct, which is all it is at the moment, the closer the cell is to your own, the more likeness they share.

Which is why I am going on this little expedition today, to try and prove greybeards work correct (you would think me going back in time to see myself would be enough proof, but that only proves it IS possible, not how.) 

“Twilight, why are you talking to yourself in front of a mirror?” Asked Spike in a mocking tone. I froze. Well, this is embarrassing I thought. 

“Never know Spike, I may have to give a speech as the castle when I’m famous for solving the time paradox.” I said trying to brush the awkward moment aside with a joke but it came out a bit serious then I wanted to, making it sound like I meant it. “Ok Spike, how’s that check list coming? Oh, and make sure that my spell book is embroidered in silver. I NEED to make sure that gets through the space barrier or else I won’t be able to get back.” I reminded Spike for about the millionth time. But hey, it’s never a bad time to nag Spike.

“Yea, everything is checked off, now tell me again why only your spell book is in silver? Like, don’t you need food? Or first aid?” Spike asked drudgingly. He doesn’t want me to go, which is understandable, the chance of me not coming back DOES exist, while very small, it’s there. But I already ran the numbers. In the 30 minute span that I’ll be traveling the Astral Sea (When someone teleports, they aren’t simply disappearing and reappearing, they move through the Astral Sea which is like a dimension between dimensions. Though most teleportation distances are close enough to make it seem instantaneous, going far enough to get to another universe will be taking some time.) I have a higher chance of being crushed by a meteor in my own home then something wrong happening. Dark, I know, but I needed something that Spike could grasp. 

“Because silver is the only known item that can cross the Astral Sea WITH a living being. The other stuff is just in case. I’m not expecting to use them at all.” I explained with the best know it all voice I had, and it seemed to work a little. He face wasn’t so tense. Maybe it was the fact that I didn’t need to prepare so much for my journey.

“Ok, but you promise you're just going to get there, and come RIGHT back right? No side tracking? No seeing what the locals are like?” Replied Spike.

“Yes, I promise.” I said, getting a little annoyed. It literally had to be the fifth hundredth time that I promised Spike I wouldn't do anything weird in the last week alone.

“Pinkie promise?” 

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cup cake in my eye” I said, raising my hoof to meet my eye. He took a deep breath and said ok, which for Spike for the last three or so months, was the closest thing you were going to get to care free.

“So then you won’t mind if you had company right?” he said as he walked over to the door.

“What do you mean spike?” I asked, wondering what Spike could be up to too. He opened up the door and there stood my best friends in the whole world. He must have told them to come… oh Spike.

“You can go. As long as you bring the gang, it’s safer than going alone.” Spike was completely serious, but I couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t want to get my friends involved for the same reason Spike didn’t want me to go, which I'll admit was a bit hypocritical, but you know what? And by Celestia, It feels good to have someone care enough to break the laws of physics with you. My eyes began to water…

“Thank you guys…” I grabbed Spike and swung my arms around the six of them. We held the hug for a brief moment but then I remembered that I was on a time schedule. To gather enough magical energy to open a portal to the Astral Sea strong enough to sustain longer periods of travel the portal must be opened when both the sun and moon are out. Which isn’t really a problem, but after the extensive amount of planning that went into this, it was happening TODAY. I gave a quick explanation of what was happening to them, and run down of the rules while we were on the sea. The good stuff, keep legs and hooves in the transport, don't rock the boat... Stuff like that. In the mean time I had Spike go and get the boat. Just as I finished talking the timer above my bed went off. It was time. Screaming and hollering ensued. I quickly opened the portal. The only way to describe it is a whole in the fabric of space leading into the Astral Sea. We can skip the gory details, but after A LOT of flour and honey, we got the boat into the portal. The boat was in every way, a wooden life raft, like one a filly would make in shop class except for the fact that it was encrusted in silver so that it could survive the journey and give me a way back.  It splashed into the sea, and the smell of salt filled the air. The Astral Sea was almost exactly like a normal ocean, except the water was a light purple. It about knee high waves which was good news. It meant my mental control over the spell was strong enough that I could converse and still keep the waters at a manageable state. Every now and again, you could see shadowy shapes, no one really knows what they are, but that’s for another adventure. The sky was a pinkish hue, with shades of blue. The stars were like nothing I had ever seen before, it was almost like I standing in side of an Ursa Major.  We all got onto the boat, and I reminded everyone:

“Ok guys, remember, while I’m sustaining the spell, no one talk to me, touch me, or disturb me in a way. We don’t want me exiting the trace early and getting stuck here.” Fluttershy said something about how she loves the quite game. The group had one last laugh and then the portal started to close, so I started to enter my meditation state. The Boat started to rock slower due to the waves slowly leveling down as my concentration grew. Just as the portal was about to close, a large crash occurred at the other side, forcing the whole portal to shake, a loud boom echoed throughout the sea. My concentration snapped. For a brief moment my hold on the sea broke. And that’s all it needed. Any of my attempts to regrasp my hold on the sea was futile; the sea without anyone controlling it is like being in a category five storm. 

“EVERYBODY HOLD ON. DON’T LET GO. NO ONE LET GO, DON’T GET SEPERATED!” I screamed. I had never seen their faces distorted in the way they were now. They were showing true fear. This was nothing on discord, or nightmare moon. Hope was lost, and it wasn’t finding its way back. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” it was the only thing I could say. This was my fault. I was the reason why we were going to die. It was all my fault. Tears were coursing down my face, but it was impossible to tell due to the boat crashing into waves and water spurting through the air. 

The boat was being thrown back and forth, like we were in a drying machine. Only reason we were still above water was the bouncy spell I cast on the boat. But it was going to capsize soon. And it was. All. My. Fault…. It was my fault and I had to try and fix it. “GIRLS, HOLD ON TIGHT. IM GOING TO TRY SOMETHING INCREDABLY STUPID.” I stood up and started chanting out magical phrases and the sea grew even more violent, the already seventy five foot waves nearly doubled in size. AJ was screaming something, probably that what ever i was trying wasn’t working, it was getting worse. But I couldn’t afford to listen if I broke stride with this chant we really were done for. A larger wave started to form; it made the other waves look like puddles.

“TWILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT, THIS BETER NOT GET ME WET!” Rarity yelped.  She had been using her umbrella to keep herself dry, and she was doing an exceptionally good job. “On the contrary Rarity, we are going to get vary, vary wet.” I said with a smile. I had started this one a spark. On an impulse. But my brain was putting it all together. This plan of mine could work. “WERE GOING TO LIVE!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. Rainbow Dash looked at me like I was insane, and I may have well been. Her mane was all over the place, you could hardly tell it was a rainbow, rather at the moment; it was just a random spout of colors. The tidal wave was starting break, but just before it fell upon us, one of those shadowy figured showed up in the wave, it was standing just as tall as the wave, it stood on two legs and loomed over us with a demonic figure. It was almost like staring through a window into another dimension, mostly because it probably was. A huge green claw broke though the wave and was coming right for the boat. A blood curdling roar echoed though the Astral Sea.

“Ever closer Twilight.”  Cried what I think was the beast.  What did it want with me? Who was it? If I wasn’t so focused on getting my friends out of danger, I probably would have been scared out of my mind. Just one thing after another isn’t it? 

The claw‘s humongous size encased our small boat in complete shade. It went to grab the boat, but I quickly shot off a magical bolt in desperation. It seemed to make the hand hesitate in pain long enough for the wave to crash back into the sea.  The crash of the wave threw the boat into the air. I grabbed hold of every one. Please work. Please work. Please work. My vision started to turn fade to white. We were going through the astral boundaries! 

“I’ll find you guys.” Was the last thing I managed to say before we are thrown apart from the force of the wave. We were separated. We were lost.  And we had no idea where anyone else was. But we were alive, and on the same dimension. I meant what I said… I was going to find them. It was only a matter of when and how.
--------------Twilight--------------