//------------------------------//
// A Journey's Start 
// Story: Pokemon: Ponies Catch 'Em All 
// by uniquecorn 
//------------------------------//

Only a dimension away, a two-story building in a metropolitan town. Sprawling on her bed was a teenager enjoying her portable. Sunset Shimmer had just bought a new game in the last fortnight; until recently, she had covered half its progress and been enjoying it. Of course, that doesn’t mean she couldn’t put her Dual Screen down, hanging out with her friends is more important, but still. 

Her new game was titled “Pokemon”, launched at the local EQ Games via cartridge. There was some effort involved to get used to the mechanics, but after a while, she became decent.

“Nice try, Raichu, but you’re no match for my stronger Arcanine.”

In a span of 3 hours today, Sunset encountered a count of 80 encounters and had won approximately two-thirds of them. She was so focused on her new game that she neglected her alarm clock.

Her eyes would’ve been bloodshot if it weren’t for her phone’s ringtone of The Rainboom’s popular. The noise made her drop her console and she immediately directed her attention to her nightstand. Its displayed time shocked her because she wasn’t aware of how much time has passed.

“Oh my gosh! I didn’t realize it’s been 3 hours, I really need to get my eyes off that.”

By touching the green circle, the screen switched to moving pixels of a lavender-skinned character the same age as her, also known as Twilight Sparkle, with glasses and a ponytail.

“Hey, Sunset. How do you feel?”

“Hi, Twilight. To tell the truth, I’ve been playing video games a lot lately.”

“You mean that game you just bought?”

“Yeah, I feel guilty about my health.”

“Really? Well, perhaps you should delay it and do something else without radioactive windows for a change. It may not look like it, but even scientists like me have to watch their health.”

“I was actually thinking about that, but thanks for the advice.”

And then, her shelf of books shimmered at Shimmer. It was the diary given to her by someone from a parallel universe, it was making a move she noticed. Finally, something is being written on a page of the book.

“Gonna have to call you back. The other version of you finally wrote to me.”

“Alright, nice to see you, and tell her I said ‘hi’.”

Twilight replied before they disconnected. Sunset approached her shelf, reached for the book and flipped the pages. Ever since her excursion to Camp Everfree, she hadn’t been receiving any updates about her world-distant friend’s life. Maybe because she had more important duties like entitling herself “Princess” for her kingdom. Maybe that’s why she wrote…

“Oh my gosh, how long has it been? It’s been forever, Sunset. I am so sorry for not updating you in so long, you know, I had friendship lessons and also princess duties. You must be worried about your friend.”

The orange-skinned human figure smiled and giggled at her friend known for being overdramatic and also their reunion. She brought the hardcover down her flight of stairs to her pen holder and grabbed her favorite ballpoint.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t worried, I can respect your duties. I am wondering about where you’ve been, though.”

A few seconds after lifting the pen off the page, new words magically fade in, forming a paragraph.

“Glad to hear. Well, we have recently fought with and won against 3 meanies and achieved world peace, well, for now anyways. I am also a few weeks away from promotion.”

“You’re getting promoted? Well, congratulations! I’ll wish you good luck.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Sunset didn’t take the hint and just shrugged it off her shoulders. Meanwhile, she pondered about something. She planned to do any activity involving being away from screens, might as well use this moment as an advantage and to meet up with an old friend. Who doesn’t love to meet an old friend?

“You know what? How about we reunite, huh? You know, we could rendezvous.”

“Sure sounds like a plan, but won’t your human friends wonder where you went?”

“Not if I told them, plus I’m off school, on holiday.”

“Great, then we can arrange the visit. It’ll be the best reunion ever.”
“See you on the other side.”

And so, Sunset’s line concluded the literary telecommunication. She closed the journal and stored it back upstairs where she found it. Then she immediately and excitedly packed necessities in her portmanteau before leaving her building to accumulate the girls and bid arrivederci.





Only a portal away, world peace for a kingdom has been acquired. There once was the chitinous shapeshifter sovereign, the young rookie-flank pegasus and the power-hungry demonic centaur with a desire to win Equestria. However, they were unmatched against a stampede of creatures and friendship and earned imprisonment in a concrete sculpture.

Located in the middle of a village is a castle composed of crystals, historians say it grew out of the ground like a tree. The alicorn princess of friendship, Twilight Sparkle, is a resident. Time was the morning after breakfast when she concluded chatting with her bipedal friend through an enchanted book. Happy that she’s coming to town like Santa on Hearth’s Warming.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see her again. I should start by preparing the portal, she can’t portal-hop without the other entrance.”

Within 2 minutes, she fished out complex components from the closet and reconstructed the magic mirror machine in her home library. She can hope it works after having aged a year. Sunset Shimmer could emerge out of the looking glass any moment now, a matter of time. Next, Twilight wonders what to do for her in the meantime. Her lightbulb flickered.

“I know, I should call the others. You know, why couldn’t I introduce her in the first place? Ooh, maybe I could get the princesses here. Yeah. Spike!”

Now isn’t that a plan? Hesitation is not an option as the lavender equine called her young dragon assistant energetically. He came in from the door.

“Shh. You’re in a library. Wait, are you gonna summon Sunset?”

“Yes, Spike. I need you to write a letter to the princess.”

And so the winged wyvern pulled a scroll and quill from seemingly nowhere behind his back.

“Sure, but let me remind you you’ll be the next princess soon.”

“Yeah, I knew that.”

As the soon-to-be princess quoted her message, Spike noted her message.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

I am so excited to announce that the one and only Sunset Shimmer will be coming to Equestria for a reunion. I mean, it’s been a long time since we last heard from each other. Now if you would like, I invite you and Princess Luna to my castle to welcome her back. And hey, I remembered that you two have already made amends, I think you can keep it up.

From your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Upon the complimentary close and saying no more, Spike scrolled the parchment and burned it using flamethrower enchanted with the ability to teleport letters to Celestia herself. Speaking of which, Princess Celestia was one of two recently retired rulers of Equestria above the pony population spellbound with immortality. That meant she aged and governed for over a millennium, but she, and her younger sister, were considered young in alicorn years.

Meanwhile, on the morning after waffles, dethroned Celestia was playing hoofball in one of Canterlot’s many gardens with her beloved sibling, Luna. Both were wearing freestyle clothes and had only just stabbed cushions after discovering their horns are long and pointy.

“Very funny, Tia. Now I look silly. Are you sure the ball won’t be penetrated again?”

“It’s not my fault our anatomy comes with these long protuberances. These cushions will provide minimal damage to the ball and as long as you can ignore it, we can play. Incoming!”

Celestia kicked the ball in the air overhead and then it dropped to Luna’s muzzle.

“Coming back at ya.”

And as she flicked her muzzle and tossed the sphere back into the sky, some rolled-up paper appeared over Celestia. Its appearance distracted her and the ball landed through her horn, the cushion didn’t help and was instead pushed further into the bone. Luna was about to snicker when her sister replied…

“Not one word.”

The navy alicorn approached and removed the ball and the pillow that shielded her sister’s eyes. Once done so, Tia caught the letter in her vision and then levitated it in front of her, she unrolled the roll and read it.

Her favorite student, Twilight Sparkle, wrote it. A report about her former student, Sunset Shimmer, coming to Equestria and a request to arrive at the castle in Ponyville. Sunset and Celestia had an unpleasant past, they were opposites. Sunset was expelled from her class and ambitious like Macbeth and left Equestria to make her own path. They did make amends a few years later, but the question of whether she’ll keep that up is rather compelling.

“What do you think, Luna?”

Celestia asked as she presented the scroll in front of Luna’s muzzle.

“Sunset Shimmer? Why you didn’t have to ask. We can arrange a visit.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Let’s just say she and I did not make a long-lasting relationship.”

“But Tia, I know that you’ve made amends already, so you can persist in that. Why don’t you just ignore your past? And who knows? Something good may come from seeing her.”

Why consider when she could just go for it?

“Alright, then I accept Twilight’s request. Let me write a response to her.”

And so, Celestia materialized a pen and paper out of thin air using magic and started writing.

“My faithful Princess, Twilight Sparkle

I have read your letter and accepted your request. That would be wonderful, bringing Sunset Shimmer from the human world and letting her stay for a while. My sister and I will come very shortly and I hope we can leave the past behind and smooth each other’s friendship.

Yours truly, Celestia.”

By end of the page by a remark, the paper was rolled into a cylinder and then sealed with a ribbon and emblem, Canterlot’s seal of authenticity. The no-longer princess waved her osseous wand and vaporized it from existence to send on its way to her promoting protege.

“Shall we bring anything to our visit for the visitor, sister?”

“Bring anything? I don’t exactly know what to take with me. Do you?”

“Hmm.”

And then, something in her mind clicked as if she developed an ingenious plan.

“Eureka! Wait here, I’m going back to the castle.”





Within the village of Ponyville, a neighbor of the neighborhood neighbor alicorn neighbors to labor a favor as a baker. Her bakery was triple-layered and flavored with cake, her wit’s favorite taste. Pinkie Pie was babysitting her months-old P twins owned by her C employers. Even though Cup and Carrot had no extra limbs, Pound sprouted wings while Pumpkin grew a horn.

In the lobby, Pinkie and the infants played Chutes and Ladders with double the number of dotted cubes and triangular spaces. All their pieces landed on area 51, a dozen and a half midnights would cover the rest disregarding the chutes and ladders.

“My turn.”

She gripped the dice and tossed them and received two quincunxes for ten pips.

“I’m up by ten, so 61 has a chute to the meaning of life. Shoot! Oh well, down the well.”

Pinkie’s pawn could just go straight down to 42, but instead, she stamped its bottom on every square leading to the peak of the slide and pushed it down like:

“Weeee! It’s your turn, Pumpkin. Let’s see if you can get to 64!”

But before the young unicorn was able to release the ankle bones from her magic aura, the telephone on the wall was beeping. Usually, that caller was used to record orders from where they can’t arrive and then deliver to the addresses.

“Keep playing, I’ll be right back.”

Pinkie approached the wall, examined the phone and sanctioned the call.

“Sugarcube Corner, at your service.”

A voice came out and it’s a female monotonous in note F2. Somepony familiar she knew and loved: Ash coat and lavender mane wearing navy clothing, Maud Pie. Too, born on rocky acres and a passion for geology, but she loved her heterogeneous sister most of all.

“Actually, I’m not here to order.”

Of course, hearing the dryness fueled up her amygdala with dopamine, until she could not contain the emotion. So in order to not make a horrific impression, she closed the transmitter with a hoof and unleashed her excitement on her foals.

“Guys, it’s Maud!”

She expanded her lungs and released the energy and turned on serious mode, but not too serious.

“Hi, Maud. What brings you on the phone?”

“I want to let you know that I’m coming to you soon.”

“Really? Wait, but you don’t have to call me. You moved to Ponyville and you could just walk from your cave to here.”

“No, I’m actually at Griffonstone with Gabby after she invited me over and I haven’t packed my saddlebag yet.”

“Oh, you didn’t tell me you went there. Can you tell that griffon I said hi?”

“She replied hi back. I’ll see you soon, Pinkie.”

With the remark, Maud hung up the call and Pinkie hung up the phone on the wall. It’s simply impossible to hang up her impressions, she couldn’t hang up on the visit, hung up to be with her favorite sibling going downtown. Her cheers were hung up when the phone has rung up.

“Maud?”

Now, the voice was a male stallion, spaghetti western Ponish. He, too, was recognized not as a sibling but as a compadre: Hue of cheddar orange skin and chocolate orange locks with a yellow polo and named before his flank mark; a combination of an accordion and a grilled cheese sandwich, Cheese Sandwich. Self-proclaimed great and powerful party connoisseur.

“I’m not Maud and I’m definitely not Trixie either.”

“Cheese? Wait, how did Trixie fit into this?”

“Not a clue. Hey Pinkie, guess what? I scheduled a schedule out of schedule. I’m gonna visit you in a few minutes.”

“You’re kidding.”

While Pinkie kept speaking joyfully on the phone, Twilight and Spike forced the entrance open. They perceived Pound plus Pumpkin prevailing Pinkie’s playing piece provided pink pony’s presence preoccupied. Pleased at how precious these preteens came out. She came to recruit the Spirits of Harmony starting with Pinkie. Once she noticed she was on the phone, wouldn’t want to be rude, therefore she waited. Until…

“Alright, I’ll see you around.”

“Can’t wait.”

Sparkle thought she was free to talk, but her friend beat her to it and shouted in her face.

“CHEESE AND MAUD ARE COMING!”

Rude. She practically spritzed her spit on the lavender mare’s muzzle, causing her to look displeased. Ashamed, she immediately took a rag and innocently wiped the alicorn’s countenance.

“Oops, how rude of me. How am I gonna make a good impression on my guests like this?”

“Maybe you should try to bottle it up? Try thinking about neutral thoughts.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good, because you’re gonna need to do that for our guest, Sunset Shimmer. She’s coming back from the human world.”

“Sunset Shimmer? Um, why couldn’t we be introduced properly?”

“Exactly my question.”

“So this is gonna be my first time meeting her?”

“Yeah, basically.”

And then, Spike’s throat fired up and fired a fiery eructation. The green flame morphed into a scroll fastened with a ribbon and a C token. It’s definitely from Celestia, one could guess that she responded to Twilight’s request. Thinking positively and anticipating affirmative, the ex-princess’s boolean answer ended up being…

“Yes! She approved, Celestia and Luna are coming.”

Maud, Cheese, Celestia, Luna and Sunset. Everypony, well not everypony, is coming like a gigantic group gathering. However, little did anypony know, something else is incoming into the party. 10 minutes away from Equestria something is approaching Equestria, in orbit and will enter its Roche limit.





Twilight managed to make everypony volunteer gather inside her castle. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike and herself were seated on thrones detailed with their respective cutie marks around a round table that typically serves as an atlas of Equestria. They were waiting for the princesses. Hopefully, they’ll arrive before Sunset. In the meantime, they were discussing that visitor and pondering her first proper introduction.

“Wasn’t she that pony who stole your crown?” Dash asked.

“Yes, but probably don’t blurt that to her,” Twilight responded.

“Of course, darling. You made friends with her, right? I understand.” Politely established Rarity.

“She must be vulnerable after what she’s done. I know how she feels.” Fluttershy also conceded.

“Recovered from her burden? Ah reckon she recovered better than me.” Applejack too, confessed jokingly but without further explanation.

“But seriously, why haven’t we been introduced yet? I mean, we feared the confusion of meeting our doppelgangers, but what about the pony who doesn’t have a clone? She had visited Equestria a few times, right? So, why must she hide from us?” Pinkie queried every query that needs to be queried.

“Look, we get it. But today will be the day. Today, us will meet her together for the first time. Once the princesses arrive, we will rendezvous in the room with the portal until Sunset leaps through it.” Twilight answered.

Nopony here had any complaints about the ex-villain’s visit, which is pleasant. On that occasion, the sun and moon former monarch dropped in at the castle, they knocked on the correct door to where the six were located. Sparkle called to the knocker.

“Come in.”

The doors were thrown wide as they exposed the appearance of two alicorns. Should the young equines bow to the wise godlike figures? No, because they’re not queens anymore, and neither should the future mare of friendship.

“Celestia and Luna. You’re just in time.”

“Well, Twilight, my student. Why wouldn’t we be?” Celestia declared.

Luna levitated a yellow gift box secured in red ribbon near her using her magic. Pinkie Pie immediately recognized what’s gonna happen.

“Whoa, Luna. Is that for Sunset Shimmer?”

“Just a little souvenir I received during my superannuation. I couldn’t be more proud to deliver it to her to take with her.”

“Well, now that everypony’s here, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow suggested as she dismounted from her throne.

Everypony else followed suit and followed the pegasus to the library, all but two. Twilight stayed so that Celestia could chat privately with her student.

“To tell the truth, although I seemed to know what is wrong and right, I was skeptical about seeing Sunset for the second time. I’m nervous that I might start a misjudgment.”

“Why would you be nervous? You’ve reunited before and come to an understanding easily, so there shouldn’t be a problem reconnecting with her. Besides, you’ll have plenty of time to make amends after parting for moons. And she also got used to absorbing memories of the past, what I’ve heard from her.”

“Well, thanks for the reassurance, Twilight. I needed that.”

It’s showtime, they were desperate to be in the room where it happens through the atheneum’s entrance. The ponies inside not only anticipated Sunset, but they also anticipated Twilight.

“Where were you, darling? We were worried you might miss your friend coming through the portal.” Rarity informed.

“Um, I slowed her down,” Celestia confessed.

“No worries. I’m here now, aren’t I? Any minute now, we should see a pony Sunset Shimmer surfacing out of the mirror.” Twilight notified.

She got comfortable sitting on a spot on the floor next to Spike while the aurora-maned alicorn placed her flank next to her sister, taking breaths to relieve anxiety about meeting this pony for a second time. For a few minutes, they all engaged in a variety of fascinating conversations and dialogues regarding everything that has happened so far and what is going to happen soon.

Among topics like opinions about this upcoming pony, who’s gonna return to Ponyville and Luna’s present that Pinkie was constantly nosing at, time flew by quite quickly. At some specific point in time, the machine activated and the speculum began to grow purple swirly patterns as everypony watching gasped. Very quickly, lo and behold, equine Sunset Shimmer came out standing on her hind hooves before falling on all fours. She came to her senses and just noticed the crowd.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting a crowd.”

Twilight ran up to embrace her in her forehooves like two adults meeting since they’d parted from kindergarten.

“Sunset! How long has it been?”

“It’s been forever. Long time no see to Equestria’s Spike.”

“Oh right. I have a puppy counterpart in Canterlot High, ha.”

Whenever Spike the wyvern hops through the egress, he transforms into a canine because dragons would never exist in the world of humans, a world omitting fantasy. After greeting Spike, she observed some familiar colorful faces who she met in the other universe.

“Let’s see, yellow Fluttershy, orange Applejack, blue Rainbow Dash, white Rarity-”

“-And pink Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie Pie blurted out.

“Did you also notice us at least?” Celestia interrogated when Sunset was surprised to see her up close.

“Celestia and Luna? I didn’t think you would make it.”

“But why wouldn’t we? We wouldn’t want to miss this reunion.”

“Sunset, I’ve marshaled a little tchotchke in a little box for you.” Luna proudly presented as she presented the present which made Shimmer feel highly excited.

“For me? You didn’t have to, but thanks.”

Once the mustard unicorn pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid off with Pinkie hyperventilating anticipating the content inside the box, Sunset inserted her muzzle into the mouth of the container and gasped. She used magic and pulled out what looks like a plastic card until she read its text, the picture of an orange fire-breathing and flying dragon. Only she knew what it is.

“No way! It’s a holographic Charizard! Wait, these are only sold in the human world, how did you get this, Luna?”

Even everypony else was stupefied by this fact, including Celestia. Meanwhile, Luna was smiling.

“You see, during my retirement from being a kingdom sovereign, I secretly went and explored the human world myself. By the way, I have seen but haven’t met myself. Anyway, this one time, I visited a local store and bought a console and a few games, then the manager was like ‘Thank you for purchasing this console, have a holographic Charizard. And although I had no idea why, I decided to bring it home with me anyway, along with the video games.” Luna explained.

“I had no idea you were a gamer, but I saw your room and there was no technology.” Celestia described.

“But I was playing games, in secret.”

As soon as Luna revealed her secret identity, Celestia became unamused by the fact that she hid technology from her. Once they get back to the castle, Celestia is gonna force Luna to play with her and she’s gonna make her as uncomfortable as possible, not in an abusive manner, obviously.

“Looks like an ordinary card to me.” Rainbow pointed out.

“On its own, it does nothing but if I sell it to a local pawn shop, I could earn at the high-end almost 400 grand in human currency.”

“400 grand?!” Everypony shouted.

“Does that card mean you’re rich?”

Rainbow received a nod for an answer, jealous that she got that large amount of money for just a single card.

“Thank you so much. I’ll keep this when I leave while you’ll keep the wealthy castle, sound good?” Sunset honored Luna.

“You’re welcome. But um, actually, we won’t live in the castle in a few months.” 

“Oh right, how did I forget? I want to congratulate Twilight for her promotion, I can’t wait to be in her coronation whenever that comes.”

“Oh, then Twilight will be there to invite you when it comes. Isn’t that right, Twilight?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

Something about the future promotion and coronation caused Twilight to contemplate the future. She was just not ready to spill her legumes of sensitivities to her venerated friends. Sunset placed the wealthy card in her taupe saddlebag for safekeeping. Before the rest could befriend her in a way, they could hear loud screams and chaos from behind the crystal walls of the castle.

“What’s happening outside?” Fluttershy cognizantly questioned.

“Come on, y’all.” Applejack advised as she ran to the exit followed by everypony else.

Guess Sunset’s fathoming each other is gonna have to wait, somepony has to solve some chaos. Outside were ponies running in unpredictable patterns, but they seemed to stray from one particular spot. Some galloped the wrong way, some collided unconsciously, some almost fell but recovered themselves.

The egress of Sparkle’s castle swung open, making way for Princess Twilight and her friends plus the two post-princesses and they saw the ruckus. They analyzed the scene, having no clue why everypony is panicking. That is until they looked up and saw a flaming tail in the sky from a distance approaching the ground, it was seconds from impact.

“A meteor? Everypony, take cover!”

Twilight alerted as the group split up and ran in different directions away from the meteor. At a certain point, everypony dove to the grass, laid on and held their heads to the ground. When the comet struck the ground bare of specimens, a loud but small boom sounded and the earth quaked violently.

Once the shaking stopped, the ponies groaned and stood up with the desire to investigate what had landed.

“What in tarnation was that all about?” Applejack protested.

“Let’s go investigate then. See what has crashlanded.” Rarity suggested.

The whole town grouped close to the smoke, but not too close. Only those who were brave enough were able to get a closer look. At the base of the smoke, it was a sphere colored half-red and half-white that caused a 750mm diameter dent in poor world.

“What do you think it is?” Twilight inquired.

While the lavender alicorn examined the item, Pinkie perceived two familiar voices in unison.

“Pinkie?”

Once she heard it, she almost couldn’t contain herself. She remembered Twilight’s advice back in the bakery to bottle up her excitement, so she tried and took a deep breath before turning around. There they are, Maud Pie and Cheese Sandwich.

“Maud? Cheese?”

“I told you I was coming, but I didn’t even know another pony was coming to visit you,” Maud explained.

“Same.” Cheese claimed.

However, that wasn’t the only reunion that was gonna happen. Applejack got a sneaky tap on her shoulder, she turned around and saw her fillyhood friend, Rara; short for Coloratura. She laughed when she was noticed.

“Rara? What are you doin’ here?” Applejack giggled along.

“I was gonna swing by and meet you without you knowing. Instead, I met your sister and her friends.”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made an appearance from behind the pop singer. Also known as the CMC; short for Cutie Mark Crusader. Also also known as Applejack’s, Rarity’s and vaguely Rainbow’s sisters respectively.

“Hi, Applejack.” Apple Bloom greeted.

“Hey, young’uns. Y’all better stay back from that thing.”

“Don’t worry, we’re just gonna stay here and, you know, be with you,” Scootaloo assured.

Yet again, that’s not all the reunions. Sunset got a greeting from somepony she’s met before. Starlight Glimmer came to the human world to solve a problem regarding Juniper Montage and her cursed mirror. Anyway, she also brought a familiar face with her.

“Sunset? Long time no see.”

“How could I forget, Starlight Glimmer? Hey, is Trixie your friend?”

“Obviously, Trixie is Starlight’s friend. We were even promoted together from vice president to president in Twilight’s school.”

“Twilight ran a school?”

“Yeah. Wait, how did you know Trixie’s name?”

“She had a bipedal counterpart in my world. Remember, Starlight?”

“Oh, right. I’ve completely forgotten the laws of your world.”

Back to the investigation at hoof, Twilight cautiously attempted to levitate the ball in front of her muzzle. She noticed that there is a black line around the horizontal equator of the sphere. She felt its material with her hoof.

“It has a plastic shell. It seems harmless, I mean, I don’t know.”

“I might have a feeling that I’ve seen one of these before, but I don’t remember.” Sunset clarified.”

“Fascinating.” Said a Ponish male voice.

Opposing Twilight was six more ponies, the stallion in front of her is Doctor Whooves, then there was googly-eyed Derpy Hooves, secret agent Bon Bon, lyrist Lyra Heartstrings, cellist Octavia Melody and silent headphone’d DJ-P0N3. Twilight was surprised when the stallion of science is also examining the extraordinary object. He had been noticed several times but never got the chance to know him or the other five with the same conditions.

“Oh, hi. Do I know your face?” Asked Twilight with the courage of talking to a new pony.

“You’re talking to me? Why, of course, you know my face. You’d face the same faces that appear in this village every day, Twilight Sparkle. For example, Mayor Mare, Golden Harvest over there and even your daily mailpony, Derpy Hooves here.”

“Hi, Twilight.” Derpy greeted

“Okay, so I do know your face. And I especially know the pony who dumped envelopes on my head again.”

“Did I? Sorry, I just don’t know what went wrong.”

Twilight and Doctor Whooves continued to investigate the peculiar object.

“Hmm. Is that a button on it?” The scientist explained.

“Button? What button?” Twilight questioned

Twilight held the ball in a way that a small circular button faces Whooves and Derpy and everypony else behind them. Derpy launched her hoof at the button intending to show the alicorn the button they were seeing, but um…

“This button. Oops…”

The black line at the circumference of the sphere glowed a bright red. Sparkle took fright and turned the ball and saw the button has sunk into a depth. Everypony saw it and feared what’s gonna happen while staring at the apologetic grey pegasus.

“Derpy, what did I tell you about not pushing buttons without a warning.” Whooves scolded.

“W-what’s gonna happen?” Fluttershy nervously enquired.

In an instant, the ball opened up on a hinge and puked out multiple white slithering beams and targetted everypony within a radius. The lights chose the Spirits of Harmony, the Royal Princess, the CMC, the six semi-irrelevancies and a few more.

While the ponies in the outer crowd blinded themselves with their elbows, the glowing equines in the inner crowd disintegrated and slithered back into the container. After the phantasmagoria, the outer equines saw in the inner equines vanished, leaving the mysterious sphere falling onto the ground.

“What happened to them?”

“Where did they disappear to?”

“Did anyone see that?”

“Did the princesses just leave us?”

As the events left the townsfolk to ponder the events with questions, the main question arose with compelling concerns. Can they come back? How will they come back? Somewhere out there, only a dimension away, a long journey awaits them.