Deciding to give them some time, Sunset left the two royals alone in the room and met up with her friends outside to fill them in on everything.
"What happened?" Twilight was the first to ask as the girls surrounded Sunset. "You said the other Twilight would know what to do? Why are you back so soon? Who are they? Do you even know how to stop...?" AJ interrupted her by placing a hand on her shoulder before Twilight could panic.
"Easy there, sugar cube. We should let Sunset explain."
"Thanks, AJ" Sunset then took a deep breath before looking at the group. "Ok, I have good, bad, and strange news. The good news is that I found out what is causing all this mess. The bad is that it is also affecting Equestria. Our problem? He rests on the desert island we stumbled upon during the school trip and is as strong as Discord."
"Who?" Dash questioned, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"Long story. Let's say he's a very evil demon that makes the Dazzlings and all of the other things we face look like child's play."
"And we will have to fight THAT?! " AJ asked in alarm.
"Don't worry! I have a plan, and with luck, our elements will help us defeat him before things get even worse, which by the way, they are starting to get."
"Oh my." Rarity brought her hand to her mouth, "then we better get started, darling. Tell us the plan?"
"Well...Sunset slowly looked at the door. "That is where the strange news comes in, and I will need all of you to trust me on what I'm gonna tell you."
As Sunset explained everything, Blueblood and Nefertiti had calmed down enough to speak with one another.
"God, this is a disaster." The Prince commented as he gave up on contacting the other teams after trying for the fifth time, only to receive static. He planted his head on a desk in defeat. "For all we know..."
"Stop!" Nefi grabbed his head and made him look her in the eyes. "The situation is grim enough as it is Blue. We can't start assuming the worst. I need you to stay focused on the present."
Her words struck a chord with him, not only through the sudden action but also because it gave him a brief flashback of a lesson from the past, where it was told the same.
"Snap out of it, please! I saw you in action. You managed to do the impossible and overcome much worse situations than this before. You won with all the odds stacked against you over and over again. You bested a spirit in a sword fight all by yourself! A spirit that, I remind you, has the same level of power as Discord. You did in a day what your aunts struggled to achieve in months!"
She then put her hands on his shoulders. "This is not a disaster, it is a setback, and our kingdoms are counting on us. We still have the sword, our minds, and our wills. You told us how much you want to prove to the world we are more than just pawns and pretty faces, right? Then this is our chance to prove our mettle. Now more than ever, we can't give into despair. Everyone needs us, and I need you."
"They...need us" A series of images flashed within the Prince's mind as he remembered the faces of his family, his friends, his kingdom, and the promise he made to Princess Luna.
"Not gonna get a rest," He whispered to no one, confusing the princess as she let him go. "Y-You are right, Nefi" rubbing his eyes, he nodded once and looked at her with determination. "We can't just sulk here. We have a job to do, and there's not a moment to lose!"
"Thank Bastet, you are back!" She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Because I'm also freaking out with what happened to my body, and I need you to calm me down!" Her mask dropped and revealed how she was on the verge of panicking as she slowly stared at her hands. The Prince was only now taking notice of how their bodies had radically changed.
"What kind of freak show did we turn into?"
Looking at himself, the Prince was confused by how his body now resembled that of a teenager between 14 and 16 years old, maybe even reaching 17. He was above average in height with broad shoulders, and his muscle mass was more pronounced as he could feel and see his muscles move and flex underneath the white sweater with two straight blue lines that he wore. He also wore a casual set of dark blue jeans and athletic blue tennis shoes. His hands were an unnatural eggshell white, and an errant lock of hair confirmed that he was still blonde and most likely in need of a haircut as it was starting to resemble his original shaggy style, and looking at his chest, he could see his cutie mark stitched proudly on the left pectoral like a coat of arms. The appearance and garb made him feel like he was the school's star quarterback, though that visage was broken by the ornate belts winding around his form, leading to Llamrai and Hengroen still resting in their scabbards on his right hip and back. The former still with the same glowing as before
In Nefi's case, she retained her tall and regal appearance. With her dreadlocked hair styled and with the same minor purple makeup in her eyes and lips that complement her now darkly tanned skin. The Prince found that curious since she had albino fur on her lioness form. Where her ears used to be, now sat cat-like headphones, and her hands had a complicated manicure design as they were sharp and looked like claws at first glance, and if one were to notice, they even had chibi lion heads on them. She was wearing long, tight jogging pants that hugged her slender, shapely legs nicely, a dark blue sports bra, a lion belly button piercing that revealed a well defined six pack, comfortable red running shoes, and a more petite red open sweater with fur lining the neck that complete her leonine themed attire.
The complete image caught the Prince off guard, as she reminded him of a professional athlete, most likely the captain of the gymnastics team or something.
"Huh, so this is what Twilight meant with 'humanization,'" Blueblood replied, looking at his hands.
"You know what this is?!" She asked desperately, grabbing his shoulder. "Tell me it's reversible! I miss my tail!"
"Nefi, Nefi, relax" He grabbed her hands and held them together. "This is normal. Twilight told me about it. She had a long name for it, but it's basically an adaptation to the environment. This world doesn't have sentient ponies, Abyssinians, Minotaurs, and the like, so when you arrive here. Your body adapts to it—turning you into a human equivalent. Case in point." He pointed back and forth between the two of them. "It will only last while we are here, don't worry."
"Ok, Ok, thank the gods. It is only temporary" She relaxed, and she let him go again.
He chuckled and tried to lighten the mood a little "We should consider ourselves lucky. Considering how we end up here and how this could work, we might have ended up naked or as a mindless pony and lioness with the mentality of a normal animal."
"Huh?!" She looked at him with a mix of surprise and horror.
"Nevermind, just me thinking out loud." Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and looked around the lab room, noticing the boarded-up windows with chairs and desks used to barricade them. The sight filled the Prince with sorrow as the place looked like the start of a horror movie. "Right now, we need to assess our situation and see how to deal with this setback."
Smiling, Nefi nodded and stood up before slipping, and the Prince caught her before she fell. "Sorry, it... it's hard to walk without a tail."
"Yeah, I know the feeling" Separating, he notices something on her waist. "Wait, Nefi, your waist."
"What? What about it?"
"You have a belt, but it's... backward?"
"Huh?" Looking down, she saw what he meant, and when she followed it, she noticed how the belt circled her body more than once. Getting an idea, she undid the end of the belt and sighed in relief when it easily acted as a substitute tail. "Awww, much better, thanks for noticing, Bluey" Her eyes then turn sultry, and she gets closer to him. "Were you checking me out?"
Smiling, he pats her shoulder. "We can flirt later, Nefi. There is a world to save now, and Nefi, thanks for the pep talk. I need it."
"Anytime, Bluey, but I expect a lot of answers once this is all over," She proclaimed with a raised eyebrow and a sharp nail pointed at him, to which he agreed with a laugh.
"Duly noted" Opening the door, the two startled, the group huddled together moments before and looked at the two in surprise.
"Blueblood? Nefertiti?" Sunset looked at them with a mix of surprise and worry. "How are you feeling?"
He shook his head and shrugged. "As best as we can, I suppose. Thanks for giving us a moment to breathe, Sunset." He gave her a thumbs up. "We needed that, and now that we are here, Nefi and I are ready to help put our plan into action."
"Yeah, about that..." Sunset looked away with some embarrassment, but before she could say anything, Nefertiti decided to get the introductions out of the way.
"Greetings, everyone," Nefi gives the group a perfect formal curtsy. "Sorry for the delayed introductions, but my partner and I needed a moment to mourn our losses. You seem to know him to some degree already, so allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Princess Nefertiti the First, princess of the Abyssinians. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Aww, eh h-hi?" Twilight tried to reply as she and the rest weren't sure how to follow that introduction. Luckily Rarity came to their rescue with a curtsy of her own.
"Greetings, your Highness. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I speak for all my friends when I say that you two have nothing to worry about and can trust us. We will save your world in no time."
"What?" The royals look at her confused before turning their gazes to Sunset, who looked human, just like they are.
"Y-Yeah, I meant to tell you. Your Highness, I know we had a different plan. But the invasion destroyed any chance to do what we originally planned, so we developed a new idea, and well, you are powerless now." She ended with a nervous chuckle.
"Powerless?" Blueblood repeated with a quirked eyebrow
A teen that resembled Rainbow Dash sighed and stepped forward. "Look, dude, we are trying to be gentle here, and it's cool you want to help and all, but I think you should leave this to the experts." She showed them her pendant before disappearing and reappearing behind him, startling the two. "Maybe in Equestria, you had magic and that fancy army, but here you are no different than anyone else. No offense, but you would only get in our way."
"Dagnabbit Dash! Could you be any blunter in your delivery?!" The one that had a striking resemblance to Applejack scolded her friend with a glare.
"What? It's true!" Dash shrugged and looked at her, confused, making AJ sigh and causing the situation to grow tense.
"I'm sorry, but after everything we shared. You want us to step aside and do nothing while you go and risk your lives without any backup?!" Blueblood demanded with a glare of his own. His eyes focused on Sunset, who squirmed under his gaze.
"Please, darling, don't take this the wrong way. The magic here can be tricky, and we wouldn't want to risk getting you hurt if it can be avoided." The Rarity look-a-like mentioned, trying to defuse the situation brewing.
"Avoided?! Our bravest soldiers quite possibly gave their lives so we could be here. They put their trust in us, believing we can save them and the rest of the world, and you are just going to tell us to relax in some panic room while everyone ELSE...!" He stopped when Nefi grabbed his shoulder, and looking back, he saw her shaking her head and glaring at him. The pointed look was enough to reduce some of his anger and let them talk.
"Look, we appreciate your concern, but we are trained and can take care of ourselves," The princess tried to negotiate. "We can still be of use to you."
"And we appreciate the offer, b-but m-maybe you could be of more help if you don't help us?" Fluttershy suggested shyly before backing away. "If that is ok with you, that is."
"WHAT?!" The Prince exclaimed, feeling insulted right now.
Watching Fluttershy flinch in surprise made Blueblood realize what he was doing and snuffed out his indignation. It did not help when AJ and Pinkie consoled their friend and glared at him.
"We are just wanting to help partner, simmer down." AJ scowled at him
"Yeah, there is no reason to be a meanie either," Pinkie added.
Taking some deep breaths, the Prince closed his eyes and repeated the breathing exercises Cadence taught him.
"Pinkie...all of you, for that matter. They are our people, or family, or friends."
"All the more reason for you to stop complaining and let us just do our thing!" Dash pressed, earning a glare from both royals as they slowly growled at her.
Not wanting to make things even tenser, Sunset gets in between them.
"What we mean is! That we get it, you are worried sick! But, and here me out, what we are saying is nothing personal. It's just, well...While I wouldn't use the same words, Rainbow Dash is right. You have no magic; you don't know how our world works; you don't even know how to walk properly." Sunset started to list off, and Blueblood realized that he and Nefi had to rely on each other to unconsciously retain some of their balance. Something they begin to notice and help them relax and see what she means.
As much as they hate to admit she was right. They were useless at the moment.
"But, what about Llamrai, my sword? What about...?" Blueblood remembered and looked down at his waist at the enchanted item
"We were discussing that too," Twilight intervened, surprising Blueblood with her similarities with Twilight. "May I see it?"
"T-Twily?"
Sunset tapped his shoulder and shook his head. "Not the same, remember Blueblood? They are counterparts."
"Right, right, she isn't her. Just her equivalent...another version of the family I need to save..."
"Blueblood?" Sunset repeated, snapping him back to reality. "Are you ok?"
"Y-Yeah just...just shaken. I'm apprehensive about my cousin, so seeing her like this is...oh right, right, the sword. You wanted to see it, right?" He turned and carefully unsheathed Llamrai for this Twilight to inspect closely. "Careful with that. It's a bit heavy and very sharp."
He warned, and when Twilight tried to grasp the hilt, the sword's weight made her almost drop it and put the edge on the floor. "No joking there. How do you carry this thing?!" She asked, impressed, and he chuckled briefly
"Tons of practice and daily exercise" He flexed his arm for emphasis.
"Yeah, right, come on, Twilight, let me hold it." Dash offered herself up and took the sword, only to be surprised when the same thing happened, but even worse since she was now having trouble keeping the hilt upwards, confusing the Prince a little into why that was happening, not remembering his sword being THAT heavy either. After a couple of seconds, AJ approached her friend and crossed her arms with a smirk.
"Need a hand?"
"Just...take it already!" Dash demanded, struggling and about to drop the sword making Applejack chuckle and shake her head.
"Ok, ok, just step aside and let me..." AJ tried to pick it up without a care in the world, only for the weapon to drop altogether, clattering to the floor and leaving everyone speechless "What the...?" Shocked, AJ used both hands and tried to lift the sword, but it didn't budge an inch, gaining the attention of everyone. "What in tarnation is this thing made of!" AJ yells, not wanting to give up.
Blinking Blueblood kneels down and carefully grabs the edge, lifting Llamrai without issue and, by accident, making AJ trip and fall on her butt.
"What is with you guys? This isn't that heavy." He mentions with a raised eyebrow before noticing the cracks in the floor. "...Right?"
"We should be asking you that question! How come you can l-l-lift...?" AJ and the rest turned pale when the shadow of Blueblood expanded, and from it, giant blue-green reptilian's eyes glared at the group, causing them to gulp in terror before say eyes disappeared once the Prince turned back, looking at what they were staring at.
"Ah... Blueblood, where did you find this sword exactly?" Sunset asks with a worried edge in her voice.
"Oh, I didn't find it. Discord made it for me, or rather found a blacksmith that made it for me. Using the remains of Nightmare Moon," He explained with pride, freezing Sunset with his words, while Dash raised an eyebrow.
"Vice Principal Luna's stage name during her heavy metal phase?" She asks out loud
“....I’m sorry what?” The royals could only blink in confusion at that statement
“I bet Nightmare is a bit different in their world. Dash," AJ reminded her with a deadpan tone as she nodded.
"Pretty cool, right? Maybe it only works for Equestrians?" He suggested offering the handle to Sunset, only for her to back away!
"No! I mean...no, thanks. It is clear that it is enchanted and has a sort of... owners-only lock." She sighed, calming down. "See? This is what we meant? Magic works differently here. And it appears that in the case of your sword, it means that only you can wield it. Can you hold it and let us examine it?"
"Sure?" He held it forth with both hands, and Twilight got closer to inspect it, seeing the faint glow emanating from the sword. "Fascinating, yes, we could use that. Blueblood, I think we know how you two can help us" She looked at the two with a smile.
"Really? How?"
"Come with me," She instructed, and all of them returned to the lab as Twilight approached the portal, which the royals now paid close attention to. In the middle of the room was a small circular metallic stage with long, thick cables connected to it, a big spherical glass was held together by a metallic frame attached to the stage, and in the spheres center was the rip in space, occasionally discharging energy in the form of electricity.
A couple of meters from the contraption was a podium with a control panel and a cable connected to the machine.
"This is the portal to Equestria we improvised," Twilight began to explain, approaching the control panel.
"Impressive, right?" Rainbow beamed with pride. "We build that baby with our bare hands while dealing with those sand freaks all over the place."
"Which are still a pressing problem, and that is how you could help us out." Sunset explained while motioning for the two to get closer so they could see a computer screen in the room. They could see an aerial view of a city, with small red circles drawn everywhere.
"These are the locations where breaches are spawning, based on the level of mana output, the rate of propagation, level of electromagnetic interference..." Twilight began to explain the technical intricacies until Sunset intervened.
"Short version is that we manage to pinpoint where, when, and how many tears will be on this established radius," She resumes circling the screen. "This is good because we have determined a pattern with when and how new tears appear. For example, if one appears here," She points at one in the mall, "three smaller ones appear ten minutes later around it."
"So far, we have been lucky. that the first ones appeared sporadically and far apart." Twilight continues. "But if my calculations are correct, we are running out of time, and they are starting to form a pattern and follow an increasingly short timetable." She started to work on the computer before highlighting the school's area with a transparent green circle. "This is where we are now, and since we close this tear, we are relatively safe for now."
"The bad thing is that the sky keeps ripping open everywhere," AJ explained with a frustrated sigh and looked away. "We thought we would close those holes using our magic, but it never ends."
"Why does closing the portals keep us safe?" Nefi queried, intrigued by the information on display.
"Because it cut off the magic supply to the sandmen" Pinkie showed them a crude image drawn on a whiteboard of a portal and humanoid creature connected by a blue waving arrow. "No portal, no monster, that just turns into regular sand" She crosses the arrow and draws a pile of sand. "See? Magic, no magic, no magic, yes, no, no? Yes," She keeps flipping the images rapidly for emphasis.
"Of course, their connection to Equestria, where they have magic, but here they must obey its natural laws," Blueblood concluded with a nod.
"Exactly, and that is what I meant, with how we are running out of time." Twilight resumed showing three big red circles around the school. "Before, they appeared sporadically, but according to my calculations, the tears are starting to form a pattern. From what Sunset told us, they are slowly forming a sinkhole around the school, just like the one on the island." She showed more tears appearing in a triangular sequence in the red zones.
"Now I understand why, and I can help you determine how long before the next breach appears and where it will appear, where we would need you to help us close them in order to gain time."
She starts a countdown clock showing a 45 minutes count. "This is the estimated time Sunset and I would need to prepare the portal" She then showed them another countdown clock with 30 minutes. "This is how much time we have before the breaches intersect, and when they do..."
The three red circles connected right at the school, and the screen is filled with breaches. "It would be beyond our abilities. We would be unable to repel or block that kind of assault from all directions at once.
"So we need to buy more time then?" Nefi asks with a raised eyebrow looking at the screen.
"We can divide ourselves into teams," Sunset nods. "AJ and Dash, as the strongest and fastest, can take the north side" They put the respective dots on each zone. "Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie can take the east, which is where the zoo is located, and you and Nefertiti could help us out going to the west using that sword of yours to close as many portals as you can. Meanwhile, Twilight and I will work as fast as we can to prepare and tell you to come back once we are ready."
"By my calculations, once we go to the island, the breaches will stop, and you can leave the rest to us," Twilight assured them.
"See? you can help too," Pinkie cheers hugging both as she appears behind the royals.
"Sounds easy enough, and what do we do with the sandmen?" Blueblood ask them
"Avoid them at all costs, and if you have to fight, do it from a distance," Dash replies immediately. "If those nasty things touch you or vice versa, you will fall asleep in no time, so just go in, close the portal, and go out."
I-If your sword can be used that way, and that is ok with you, your Highness," Fluttershy replied with concern as Blueblood glanced at his weapon before nodding.
"It seems easy enough, and I trust the elements of Equestria. I'm sure we can figure out a way to use them."
"Excellent! Then you will need this" Sunset handed her cell phone to Nefi, who looked at it in interest. "Until we can figure out a way to restore your earpieces. You can borrow my phone and call Twilight if anything happens. Our numbers are on the speed dial."
"Speed dial, noted. Just a quick question... what is a speed dial?"
"I will explain on the way," Blueblood replied before Sunset or Twilight could say anything, which only made Sunset more suspicious. "Ok, seems like we have a mission then, let's go everypony there is no time to waste" He and Nefi rush out of the room, leaving the girls blinking in confusion.
"Do they even know where to go and what to expect?" Dash asked, looking at the rest, who shook their heads, making her signs, "Can't we just send them on a goose chase instead?"
"DASH!" Fluttershy scold at her
"Hey, the princess chick might be able to help but come on, girls, that is Blueblood. Blueblood, remember? Mr. pain in the rear? Mr. I'm better than anyone? The only student, the principal herself, paid to send far away?"
"I told you already he's not the same Blueblood." Sunset reminds her. "But you are right about something. There is something weird going on with that stallion."
"Seriously, sugar cube? Didn't you see how desperately he wanted to help?" AJ pointed out, "This one is not the same person we know and hate, and this is no time to start eyeballing honest people who just want to help."
"Eh, I still would keep an eye on him. I bet all his confidence comes from that weird magic sword of his. Take that away, and he is probably the same whiny, obnoxious brat that we have."
The group stared at her and crossed their arms until she rolled her eyes. "Fine! I will give him a chance and tell them what to expect. But he better actually do some work."
They all watched as Rainbow Dash ran away in a blur.