//------------------------------// // Ch5. First giant leap. // Story: Restoring a wasteland. // by Aiwhisper //------------------------------// “Ug, this just can’t be right.” Twilight groaned as spike walked along her side. She had decided to take him on a walk while tracking the strange energy readings in town. “First there’s three signals spread out, then there’s one massive signal near this high school, and now there’s two signals, one stronger and one still moving around.” Spike rubbed against Twilight’s leg and she let out a sigh. She was currently standing outside of Canterlot High the rival school of her own Crystal prep “You’re right spike now isn’t the time to give up on science!” Twilight began following the stronger signal since the other looked to be converging on it anyway. Spike was just happy for the long walk. “Dusk, we’re here.” Sunsets voice rang out through the warehouse. I got up from where I was resting in the break room and entered the main warehouse. “Welcome back and hey there girls.” I said the the three arrivals. Only Rainbow and Fluttershy had decided to come along for a visit. “So just you two tonight? That’s probably for the best since I won’t be able to really show you around the castle.” “You live in a castle?” Fluttershy got even more excited than she already was. “Yep. It was my mom’s but…” Sunset spoke up. “Anyway the plan is for Dusk to show you both around a bit as he brings back supplies as I set up the wards on this end to protect this place.” Sunset cracked her fingers. Rainbow and Fluttershy shared a look but didn’t ask further questions as they both became excited and nervous about the trip. As Sunset stepped away to find a good place to start her warding I turned back to the girls after watching her walk off. “Alright you two follow me.” I led them into the portal room, as I was now calling it. “Rainbow you already saw it but Fluttershy this is the mirror portal.” I gave it a quick flourish with my hand. “All you have to do is step through and it will turn you into pony in Equestria. Just a warning you will be naked.” “Naked?!?” Rainbow blushed. “Um, we will have fur right?” Fluttershy meekly asked. “Of course. Your fur and tail will cover everything important and it’s not like I’ll be staring.” I nodded. Fluttershy nodded as well while Rainbow looked nervous still. “I’ll go through first. Wait ten seconds then one of you follow behind so we don’t stumble into each other, okay?” I waited for them to agree then stepped through. Twilight sparkle was walking through the warehouse district when the signals she was tracking spiked again. Typically no young woman should be walking alone in this part of town at night but Twilight’s scientific curiosity had a tighter hold than her common sense. “Look spike we’re almost there.” Spike began to whine. After I got to my hooves I then stretched out my wings and pinged the moon with my magic. It feels so relieved that I’m back. I didn’t have to wait long for a butter yellow Pegasus to show up next looking dizzy. “That was so colorful.” “Hello Fluttershy welcome to Equestria.” As soon as I spoke her eyes went wide and she tripped trying to rush over and look me over. “You’re so tall for a pony or am I short? You have wings just like the glowing ones and your flank mark looks like your emblem back on earth.” She continued to speak as she walked around me. “Well It looks like you have no trouble with your hooves also it’s rude to stare at somepony’s emblem especially a prince’s since it is on our flank.” I winked. She immediately “epped” then looked at her own body. Sunset had a good idea about dropping the ‘Cutie’ part and using the human term. “Oh my.” she stretched out her wings and was entranced by her own new body. I watched her check herself out before Rainbow came flying out of the portal. “Ouch.” She was sprawled out along the opposite wall. “I guess I didn’t need to run into it did I?” I laughed as she tried to stand. She was no where near as graceful as Fluttershy. “Stupid hooves, stay in sync.” I eventually lifted her onto her hooves with magic, causing her to squeak, and she managed to stay standing. “Well then you two. Welcome to Equestria let’s head to the kitchen first to unload the supplies then Ill answer your questions after you acclimate a bit.” I took the lead while Fluttershy helped Rainbow out into the hall by sticking to her side. “Huff.” Twilight and spike were currently running for their lives. A group of shady people had spotted her walking alone and would have managed to jump her if not for spike barking. “Oh spike I should have waited until morning.” Twilight lamented as she tried not to trip. “Get back here pretty.” One yelled out. Instinctively she had continued to follow the tracker she was holding in her hand and eventually made it to the very warehouse containing the portal. She had no time to realize this as she successfully managed to open the door to the building and close it behind her. “Where did she go?” One of the women in the group asked. “She probably kept running.” The voices became more distant. “Um hello?” Twilight’s eyes went wide as someone’s voice rang out. Sunset had been working on the wards when she heard the side door open. “No one except Dusk, The Girls or I should be able to open the doors let alone notice this place.” She said to herself. “Um hello?” She asked when she spotted a girl with similar coloration to Dusk and even a similar emblem on her dress. “Oh thank goodness. Can you help me I was being chased by kidnappers.” Twilight’s legs gave out. “Woah. Um yeah you can hide out here. I’m Sunset Shimmer by the way and you are?” She held a hand out to help the girl up. Twilight took it, “Twilight Sparkle.” Spike barked, “and this is my dog spike.” Sunset’s eyes went wide as she recognized the name from when Dusk told it to her. “So Twilight what are you doing out here so late? It doesn’t look like you live or work in the area.” Twilight pushed up her glasses. “Oh right, I was following this strange signal and wasn’t paying attention to where it was leading me. In fact.” It was Twilight’s turn for wide eyes. Her device was pointed right at Sunset for being the source of one signal. “This says you’re the source!” Sunset panicked and knocked Twilight and Spike out with a sleep spell. “Fuck!” “Wow this place is huge.” Rainbow whistled. “Can you show us outside later?” “Sorry but no. Remember how Sunset told you girls what happened here. Basically the outside world isn’t safe yet until the weather stabilizes.” As if to prove his point a lightning bolt stuck outside the window. “Right now there’s a massive storm from the air currents finally starting back up after remaining stagnant for so long.” “That’s just awful.” Fluttershy sadly replied. “Yeah it’s going to take years to get Equestria back to its former glory.” I lamented. We were just about to the kitchens as I led them into the staff dining hall. “So what I still don’t get is where were you at? Sunset was with us on earth but not you.” Rainbow inquired. “Dash.” Fluttershy tried to stop her friend. “No. If we’re going to be helping full time I want to know!” She stomped a hoof. “It’s alright Fluttershy.” I stopped and sat down to face them after levitating over a few cushions from the nearby table. They awkwardly sat down but eventually got comfortable. I took a deep breath. “I was dead.” Silence hung for a moment as I let it sink in, Rainbow was about to speak but I was faster. “Yes Dash Dead, or well as close as you can get. It wasn’t until Sunset returned to Equestria was I brought back for the sole purpose of becoming a prince to rule by her side and manage the night. We aren’t romantically involved just a mirrored pair.” “You see it takes two living alicorns at minimum to keep Equis alive. So when Sunset returned to this dead world and she became the Alicorn of the day and sun, one was still needed for the night, moon, and stars so I was brought here from death’s door.” “That’s. Wow that’s heavy man.” Rainbow was flabbergasted and Fluttershy shot up to give me a hug. “You poor creature. You and Sunset have such a burden.” She nuzzled my neck. The elements actually morphed into a necklace giving her access to my chest. Traitors. They happily glowed. “Thanks but it’s not all bad. I can’t remember everything about my last life but Harmony gave me a second chance to do a lot of good, heck I’m now an immortal alicorn with moon powers.” I hugged her back. Fluttershy quickly let me go when she remembered she was hugging a naked male and blushed. I spotted Rainbow wipe a tear from her eye on the sly before she spoke up. “Well, what are we wasting time for? You have supplies to unload and I want to see more of this castle.” I smiled and got back to our task at hoof. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.” Sunset had gently carried Twilight and Spike into the break room and laid them on the old couch it contained. “Why did I nock her out?” Sunset jumped when Twilight’s phone rang. Checking it Sunset saw that it was the girls mother calling. “Great…” thinking fast she opened the message app and replied to the call. ‘Sorry mom spending the night with a new friend and couldn’t answer.’ She had no hope of that working but was surprised by the result. ‘Oh sweetheart that’s wonderful you have fun with your new friend.’ “That should not have worked.” Sunset set the phone down on the girls chest and ran towards the portal to find her partner. She didn’t even notice that’s what she was already thinking about her fellow alicorn or that the elements were playfully glowing.