//------------------------------// // 8: Plot-thickening-agent // Story: Lost Crusaders // by Diloboi //------------------------------// 15 minutes earlier... "Are you sure you want to do this Rainbow?" Twilight looked over her multicolored friend with apprehension. Her, and the rest of her 5 friends, stood in the now brightened basement, the place filled with lanterns and the old furniture and artifacts pushed aside. Rainbow Dash made to speak, but was beat by Applejack, "Twi, mah sister's been gone for a good few hours, and ah'm worried. If what you said about spike seein her and her friends come here is true, then ah'm darn sure that they've gone in that mirror." Twilight tried to Argue, "But it could be dangerous! We have no idea what could be on the other side! It could be a whole different dimension that is so completely foreign to us that we couldn't-" "Which is why we should stop talking and get on with it!" Rainbow Dash cut in. "If they're in trouble, then we've gotta hurry." Twilight glanced between the two, eyes meeting both of the duo, before they quickly darted to rest of her friends. Rarity, despite doing her best to hide it, was struggling with the thought of her missing sister. Fluttershy rest a hoof on her shoulder, offering comforting words. Perhaps the most troubling, however, was Pinkie Pie, who wore a small frown upon her face, looking dead at Twilight. The pressure of her friends was to much to bear. Sagging, wings drooping to the floor, she sighed. "Sorry girls. I just don't want anypony to get hurt..." "And nopony will Twi. Rainbow will make sure that our sisters are all right." Applejack glanced over at the rainbow pegasus, "Right?" "Yeah! I'll get those fillies home in a jiffy!" Rainbow Dash boasted, but it still earned smiles from the rooms occupants. Twilight gave one final look over her friends, their confident smiles being the tipping point, "Fine... But I want you to be extra careful. Don't raise any attention to yourself, and if there is something over there that see's you, hide or get away. Okay?" Twilights demeanor changed rapidly, but Rainbow Dash still nodded. "Alright. Now I've got to go get somepony." "Alright Starlight. On the count of 3, I want you to cast the stabilization spell while I cast one that will open the portal." Twilight paused as she turned to face Rainbow, "The Portal will only be open for about 8 hours. I want you to go in, take a look around, and head back." "Uh Huh" Rainbow stared ahead at the mirror, now propped up and standing straight. "Rainbow! Pay Attention! Go in, look around, and come back. Okay?" Twilight barked. "Okay, okay! I got it." Twilight gave one last look at Rainbow before refocusing on Starlight, "On three." Starlight gave a nod, her horn already charging. "1" "2" "3!" Simultaneously, their horns flared brilliantly in light, before it flew forwards and met the mirror. It cackled and hissed as the surface changed from a hardened surface to one reminiscent of rippling water. "Its ready! Go Rainbow!" Twilight yelled as her horn strained with magic. Said pony quickly darted forward, crashing through the mirrors surface, disappearing from Twilights view in a flash of blue light. As the mirror rippled, Twilight breathed a heavily for a couple seconds. She then turned to her fellow unicorn, "You think she made it through?" "I'm sure she did." Starlight replied with a smile, before it turned into a quizzical look, "Why did she need to go in there anyway? You hardly explained anything other than you need help with a magical artifact." Twilight sighed heavily, "It involves three trouble making fillies..." A flash of understanding crossed Starlight's eyes. "That makes sense..." Rainbow dove headfirst into the magic mirror... ...And promptly crashed head first into a solid wall. "...owww..." She moaned, prone on the floor beneath a newly cracked tiled wall. She rubbed a hoof on her head, already feeling what may soon be a bruise, before slowly getting up to her hooves. Once she did, she glanced around the room, taking in the surroundings. It was a bathroom. It had two strange objects with metal tubes on a wall, and what looked to be a set of strange toilets, but it was clear that it was a bathroom. A single stall stood at the back of the room, and several hanging sinks with mirrors above them hung from a wall. "...Weird..." She noticed that the sink tops were just bellow eye level, about at her chin, and that the strange toilets were to high to be any use to ponies. "The creatures here must be taller or... something." Suddenly, a thud on the door shook Rainbow from her investigation. Quickly glancing towards it, it seemed to move in slow motion as it opened. Acting quickly, she pumped her wings and launched herself towards the mirror, silently hoping she picked the right one that wouldn't be a solid surface. Her gamble paid off as her head effortlessly passed through it, leaving a flash of blue. Before she fully passed through, her wing clipped the side of the mirror. As she disappeared from view, the door fully opened to reveal a man, with tanned skin and black hair, who stepped in. He looked over the room for a few seconds before they drifted over to the wall opposite of the mirrors. "Dammit. These kids are so rough on shit..." He mumbled to himself, sighing and stepping back out of the room. Neither the pony nor human noticed the wide eyes through a crack in the stall. 16 minutes later... "I still can't believe there is three little ponies in our kitchen." Pat mumbled, before sipping on a glass of water. He had woken up about four minutes ago, and promptly stumbled his way up into the kitchen for a glass of water. I had spent the last couple minutes introducing the trio of fillies, and he still hadn't accepted the fact. "What's so hard to believe about this? They're literally right there." I gestured over to a chair behind me next to a small table within the kitchen. In said chair, three fillies quietly munched on some apple slices. All three were covered with band-aids covering cat scratches and had shaggy fur and manes, but they were mostly content on letting us talk. Apple Bloom mumbled something about the apples being bland, but otherwise still ate them. "That doesn't mean anything!" He chugged the rest of the water quite messily before continuing, "Nothing can be that cute dude! They have to be like... I don't know... but something isn't right here!" I raised an eyebrow, and began to speak when Scootaloo spoke from behind me. "I'm not cute..." She said, crossing her forelegs and beginning to pout. "Yes you are... and stop doing that, it's too much." Pat said, pointing towards the orange filly, who glared at him. "Come on Pat. They're right there, they talk to you, they can touch stuff... what more do you want?" I crossed my arms, exasperated. "...I don't know. But I can't just believe this. This is right out of some 2000's CGI movie or some poorly written story on a writing website..." He turned around facing away, speaking quietly, "...I just can't..." I sighed to myself, looking from my brother to the floor beneath. For I few a seconds, I just stare idly, trying to think of some way to convince him, when I hear the shuffling of hooves. Turning to look behind me, I watch Sweetie Belle scoot rear first of the chair, landing on the floor with a small thud. She slowly trots towards Pat, who glances towards the little filly. She stops just before his leg, lifting a hoof and resting it on his leg. "Please Pat?" She gives him a pleading look, with the biggest eyes I've ever seen. He stares down at the little unicorn. I know he can only stand that look for so long. I'm nearly going to become paralyzed myself if I keep looking. "...Fine..." He says begrudgingly, eyes snapping away from the fillies. "Oh thank you, Pat!" Sweetie Belle rears up, hugging her hooves around Pats leg. She has a wide smile and her eyes are squeezed shut. I chuckle, grinning at the cuteness. I glance up at him, but he is just staring with wide eyes down towards the white unicorn. "Pat? You okay dare bud?" I wave my hand in front of his eyes, but he doesn't respond. Slowly he begins to sink downwards and towards the counter behind him. I catch him halfway, and lower him to the floor. "Not again... I think you broke my brother Sweetie Belle." I turned to look to her. She looked at the unconscious form of my brother nervously, before she looked at me. "I'm sorry..." Her ears droop down. I give her a disarming smile. "It's okay Sweetie. It's kinda funny really." I stand from my brother, and look back towards the other two ponies, who have finished the Apple slices. "How about I make you guys something to eat, and we can watch another movie? There are 8 other star wars ones!" Scootaloo instantly stands up, a large smile crossing her muzzle, "Hay yeah!" She yells, her wings buzzing by her sides. "Language Scoots." Apple Bloom scolds her friend, before turning and smiling at me, "Ah think that's a great idea." "Alrighty!" I say, stepping over my brother to the fridge, swinging it open. "What do you fillies want? I can make ramen, or mac & cheese, or-" Suddenly my brother snaps up, breathing heavily with sweat forming on his forehead. We all look at him, but he seemingly doesn't notice. After a few seconds, he shakily raises a finger towards Sweetie. "She needs to be classified as a weapon."