//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: In Dire Need 
// Story: Getting Extra Help 
// by PrinceMoonDustLight 
//------------------------------//




We start off on the night of Starlight being bombarded with the semi-tired, pleading faces of Trixie and Thorax, both burdening the light-lavender unicorn on the common decision of what to do next.

Starlight, "I-I don't know." She proclaimed. She had more experience with smaller problems, the occasional medium-sized friendship problem here and there as well. She had even helped with the Crystalling to save the Crystal Empire from returning to a snowy grave, but that was her first and only experience with a big threat. "There has to be somepony else who can handle this."

Trixie intervened with the most obvious fact to Starlight's panicky and pessimistic response, "There is NO pony else! Everypony with powerful magic is already GONE!"

Usually, a rather large draconequus would appear to snap them straight to the answer they were waiting for and have that of a more successful and ON-AIR episode for all to see. Here though, Starlight had the chance to choose another route, and formed a thought from a memory she had from a small while back. After the Crystalling had been finished, they said their goodbyes to the newly appointed baby Alicorn. On the train ride back to Ponyville, Starlight overheard one of Twilight and Spike's solo adventures to a different land, where a pony had already made an enemy of Twilight before she herself could. Supposedly from what she eve's dropped, she had stolen Twilight's crown that held the element of magic, but was effectively stopped and befriended afterward with the help of strange two-legged versions of her Ponyville friends. The tale sounded so unbelievable at the time as to where it had almost sounded like a fever dream to her. A few days later she had followed up with Twilight on a different subject entirely with why she had left in such a hurry after her introduction to the rest of Ponyville a few hours later, where Twilight had responded, "After your introduction, I realized I had lost contact with one of my other friends due to the time spell you used, which I do still forgive you for using. When it was deactivated though and our contact had been restored, she sounded in dire need of assistance. So I had no choice but to bolt straight to the castle to see if the magic from our realm interfered with theirs." Again though, Starlight didn't understand what she meant by other realms and such, where to actually read deeper into the lines of her dialogue.

"But wait-", Starlight had thought to herself, "What if they were recanting actual adventures they had together? That means if I could get to that mirror portal thingy, we could effectively have a second line of defense against the changelings, along with that of surprise on our side!"

With that in mind she turned to her two only other friends with a determined look on her face, "I know how to help, and I got a plan."

Trixie and Thorax were thrilled to hear of a potential line of hope for the whole of Equestria, almost having a hint of light shine from both of their eyes in excitement.

"The plan is risky, but we're already at risk of being found by other changelings at this point. So, my plan is to call for some back up that the changelings don't know about. With that being said though, the problem is I need to get back into the castle and snag a book to call for help." Starlight explained in vague detail.

Trixie started off, "I'm sorry, but didn't we already just dodge those changelings in the castle!", while Thorax also added to Trixie's argument, "and how would a book be able to call for help ?"

Starlight sighed from the "Keeping it Vague" strategy not working for cover fire if a changeling would try to disguise themselves as either of them, so she opted for the secondary approach of "Explain Everything".

"That book, from what I know, is connected to another dimension. Where another pony close to Twilight could be able to help us in our predicament right now. From what I can tell, she's kind of like how I was with her, before we got on better terms." she half painstakingly chuckled, "But from how Twilight had described her, it sounded as though she went through a similar reform as I have too. So, it shouldn't be a factor to rule out that this friend of Twilight's, even from another dimension, could also be of some potential help to us."

Trixie and Thorax looked at Starlight half conceptualizing what they had just heard from her. Other dimensions? Calling from books and not letters? That sounded absolutely irrational to the both of them, but they did have the literal embodiment of Chaos and Disharmony in their universe, so they both humbly nodded on the idea.

Trixie, "Okay starlight, we'll help you out with this confusing plan of yours."

Thorax, "Same here, but what do we do to help out?"

Starlight, "From what I know the book should be either in the Library or riskier, Twilight's chambers. If all comes to the worst, and I'm forced to take an even bigger risk than I'd rather reveal, then I want you both to find the book instead of me and run out of there as fast as you both can and find Zecora from the Everfree Forest. She should be our main escape plan, along with a double back up plan to ask Discord for help while at Zecora's shack. Just be careful of the poison joke flowers, I heard Twilight had a run in with it before she was an alicorn and her horn became all wiggly jiggly."

"Very well.", Trixie started off calmly, only to have her showmanship shine through. "The Great and Powerful TRRRRRIXIE will high hoof it out of the castle in a dazzling vanishing act to cover our tracks if all goes wrong."

Thorax was pretty taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm of Trixie, but with that he nodded along. "I'll also do my very best. I was given a second chance to be trusted by the crystal ponies, Spike, and both you and Twilight. It's time to show my respect to both those in need and those that are my friends."

Starlight had a smile on her face, brimming with that of moonlight shining down from above and the light of friendship touching her heart in these trying times. With that, their plan went into action as Starlight teleported them back into the castle. The main problem then arose with one irritating question, where was the library again? Casting a transparency spell along with a de-odor spell to hide their scent, they all trotted quietly through the castle trying to find any and all signs of the library or Twilight's personal quarters. Starlight then, with an assuredly ready attitude opened a door, ready to find pages among pages of hardcover books, loose paper notes, and parchment, only to be greeted with the sight of the bathroom Spike had used back on her first day finding her way around the castle.

"It's to the left, sorry."

Correcting her mistake immediately, Starlight had opened the doors to the library and found the pages among pages in the room she had been looking for. Starlight had then turned to her two companions and gave them a guilty look.

Thorax, "Starlight, what's that look for ?"

"I'm going to be in the Library alone, so I'm teleporting you both to Twilight's quarters since I can remember how to get there. It's complicated how hard it is to find a bathroom from a Library let alone a book, but it'll be safer for you both to search Twilight's room without me."

Trixie, "Why are you telling us this Starlight ?"

A tall, almost skyscraper height length of books were neatly stacked one on top of the other, although pretty fragile looking to where Starlight had been staring at. Trixie and Thorax already had scared faces from Starlight's sudden foreboding tone of sacrifice, but the books helped both companions to take the hint of what Starlight's real plan was.

Trixie, "Starlight, no, wait !"

Trixie was cut off by the sound of fast hooves on the hard crystalline floor, Starlight had already charged head first to the towering structure. She then used her momentum doing a humorous Akira slide with her hind legs close to the tower, then with the willpower and strength of Applejack, and a small bit of magic to amplify the sound, kicked the books completely down to the floor, instantly teleporting Trixie and Thorax off to Twilight's chambers.

"That should drag the attention of the changelings over to me, but now to find the book. Thankfully the real Twilight and Spike aren't here to see the mess I've caused, they would've hated to see this."

Starlight swiftly swims from book to book trying to find something that isn't history, fiction, spell, or Daring Do. To her dismay and terror, the book she tried so desperately on the hunt for was interrupted by the sound of the library doors being forcefully swung open from hinge to hinge. There they were, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. If they were only the true friends Starlight knew of just from yesterday morning encouraging her to revisit her past village. No, she knew the truth and saw straight through their disguise.

Change-light, "Hey! What in Celestia's flank are you doing here ?!"

Starlight, "Enough with the games, I know you're all changelings. Your little meeting with Queen Chrysalis is already about to be exposed, and a little fyi. Twilight wouldn't ever mock Celestia as horrendously as that."

Groans and hisses from the fakers came with the instant shift from ponies and dragon, to a changeling squad ready to pounce and fight. Starlight was going to use her magic to defend against the intruders, but noticed her fatigue catching up to her for holding up her transparency spell for so long through the castle. She had no other choice but to flee and barricade herself in the next room over with whatever she could levitate with the last of her power, along with enchanting the room with a lesser ward. Bangs from the door kept ensuing with each attempt failing from Starlight's powerful magic. Whipping around to find where she was though took her by surprise to find a sight left to behold, a strange mirror fiddled with by Twilight's obvious ingenuity to be thanked for. Starlight kept gazing at the mirror, pondering if this is what Twilight had talked about so privately about, a mirror to another dimension where she could hopefully find the help they could get from the other side. Less than a minute goes by and the door is already breached by the changelings, hungry for violence, love, and possibly black licorice due to their unfriendly behavior. Without another moment to contemplate the pros and cons, Starlight made haste through the portal hoping wherever she ended up, evil wouldn't be able to catch up to her.



The changelings were effectively blinded by the sudden light of the magical mystery mirror and were already glaring at one another for who's to blame for failing to capture the little pony that ran away.

"Just great Dave, really showed her that we meant business."

Dave, "Oh, so it was my fault that she got away Dan? Why don't we talk about the lack of training you did while stuffing yourself with all the love in the area, matter a fact I think Dylan botched the whole thing up with weird observations with that liquorice stuff."

Dylan, "Okay, way unfair, it was Diane and Diana who were just cosplaying with the elemental wardrobes."

Diane, "You're one to talk, you were already in the role of Rarity back when we were at the hive, just sooo obsessed with looking like a multi-holed twink for all to see ."

Dylan, "THAT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND UNFAIR TO BRING UP!"

Richard, "Enough! We can't just be staying here arguing when one of them knows our plan! So, somepony is going in that portal mirror thingy there, with no arguments, got it!"

The changelings look at Richard, since he was the one that imitated Spike, the other six changelings all nod in agreement that the short angry one would be the best test subject for the mirror portal. So, they slam him head first into the portal for daring to act like some leader and bark orders at the rest of them. The mirror, though, only acted as a full solid wall to their idiotic idea of a ramming post. Mainly because there aren't any changelings in the human world, and also mainly because comedy doesn't always come from a 4th wall breaking pony or draconequus trying to make a skit, it can also be the writer's baby! Joking aside, the loud crash from the portal cuts to Trixie and Thorax both in Twilight's room as both of their heads shoot up by surprise, Thorax using his hoof to stop Trixie from screaming, but only causing her to scream more from the fact that they just met tonight and she's already got a reason to be frightened by the potential abduction of her closest friend.

Thorax, "Shh, screaming louder isn't going to help, just breathe slooowly."

Following through with Thorax's kindness, Trixie slows her breathing to a gentle calmer breath. "Thank you, Starlight was right about you being very reformed. Sorry for freaking out a lot more."

Thorax, "Pretty much used to it, but apology accepted. Now where do you think Princess Twilight would leave a super important book?"

Trixie, "Well if I was princess, I'd hide my diary and such someplace private, somewhere no one else can reach it, and strictly out of sight."

Thorax, "Not to be rude, but all of those things mean the same thing Trixie."

Trixie, "Yes, well, um... reestablishing the same goal thrice makes the method more effective ?"

Thorax, "Mhm, what about this drawer ?"

Thorax was just about to reach for one of Twilight's clothing drawers, and although his intentions are well meant, Trixie had to stop him there before he looked even more foolish. "What're you doing? You can't just look around in a full grown mare's wardrobe, much less a princesses."

Thorax, "Trixie we need to find this book, who cares what I find in there if I'm only looking for a book."

Trixie, "Look, I know this is very important to the fate of all Equestria, but even I feel like a mare's privacy comes before saving the world just a tiny bit more."

Thorax, "That just sounds like nonsense."

Trixie, "Look I'll look through her wardrobe, you can look near her bed and such okay."

Thorax, "Fine, but this still doesn't make any sense at all."

Trixie now satisfied from the metaphorical bullet they just dodged, swept through Twilight's many dresses and clothing items she stored in her dressers and wardrobes, finding not that many signs of the book from where she's been looking. Thorax checked under and over each corner of the room, making sure to hover silently enough to not make more of a sound than needed be, but alas also finding nothing. They checked wardrobes, dressers, spaces between furniture and spaces above said furniture, with all results coming to a failure. With that, Trixie got pretty riled up for thinking the future for Equestria could've been already torn to shreds within the library at this point, and face planted into one of Twilight's pillows. Not expecting a flat covered pillow to be as hard as a book.

Trixie holding her mussel, "Ow, how does she sleep on such a brick?"

Thorax corrected her excitedly, "No, not a brick. A book!" as he took off the pillow sheets to find a book with a red and yellow sun on the cover. Successfully finding their objective, Trixie made her way to the exit when Thorax had to pull her away. "What're you doing ?"

Trixie, "Starlight needs us, and I'm not going to leave my best friend in the care of a bunch of meanie changelings that aren't the same as you Thorax."

Thorax, "I understand how much you love your friend, but we stand a better chance of escaping than to risk capture for all of us at the same time."

Trixie, "But I-"

Thorax, "No but's, we need to follow the plan and respect Starlight's wishes. Now get on my back."

Trixie, "Uh what ?"

Thorax, "Can you teleport or do you need another way to get down?"

Trixie, "Um...fine but please do warn me when we're about to take off."

The both of them were paired together, Trixie completely strangling Thorax to grip his neck to try and calm herself down. Thankfully, Thorax had enough room to breathe or else maybe Trixie would rather be a better show pony in wrestling rather than magic shows. Then, they set off into the night, where Trixie was successfully holding her screams as hard as Fluttershy would've been, along with Thorax's saved hearing if she really hadn't held herself back from screaming.



The light of the moon shone onto a passed out lilac skinned human, with a hairstyle of purple with teal streaks hidden behind a fluffy white starry beanie, laying in front of a giant statue of a horse.