Dear Princess Celestia,
I was most displeased just now to have a most informative dialogue with Shale Hearth Coalmare, my guest, interrupted by a pair of Celestial Intelligence agents, who tried to take Ms. Coalmare into custody. I would think you, of all ponies, would understand the need to make a good impression on our first inter-dimensional neighbors, even if the first contact was a little botched. I am currently detaining them within a warded room to keep them from doing anything rash. I'm sure this is some sort of horrible mistake, as the alternative would imply you don't trust me to handle the situation.
Your slightly miffed but still faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Dear Twiley,
Aunt Celestia (and I still feel odd writing that!) was horrified to read your letter, and wishes to inform you that arresting Shale was the last thing she wanted. We're all very busy right now scrambling to get together a proper diplomatic party to go meet Shale's fellows, which is why Celestia isn't writing this personally. Apparently the director of the CIA got it into her head that your friend had psychic powers and might be hypnotizing you or somesuch and passed an order down to have her watched. Anyway, it's been cleared up, there's a sealed order envelope for the two agents telling them to cease and desist included with the letter. Our main contingent, consisting of Celestia, myself, and a full platoon each of Royal Guards and Rangers will be heading out to intercept the other-ponies very soon, will your guest be well enough to fly?
Your BBBFF,
Shining Armor
PS,
[postscript redacted due to being a highly personal and embarrassing in-joke between siblings and the author not wanting to incur the wrath of a powerful mage.]
Shale twitched. Always armed. No matter where they were taken, whatever happened to them, these horned Equestrians were fully equipped for war. If those two had felt the need to specify they were using stun spells, that meant they could shoot non-stun spells. No added equipment necessary.
“Son of a thunderbird, where's my Authority Rapid?”
Twilight looked up from her brother's letter she was re-reading.
“Son of a what?”
“Thunderbird. They're immature Sunbirds that like to hover over the oceans and build up a gigantic storm and then fling them at the land for fun.”
“Okay, what was it you're missing?”
“Authority Rapid. .25 caliber, six-chamber double-action. My weapon. It's not in the stuff you had on the table, and it's also gone from my barding, which I saw hanging in the other roo-”
With that, Shale's vision swam, and the Eponan flopped over, passed out.
Celestia stood rigid, processing her student's latest dispatch. This complicated things. Concussive Spell Shock was no laughing matter, and with no knowledge of Eponan physiology, the Ponyville physicians were quite right in that there was no option but to keep the inter-dimensional visitor bedridden. This presented a problem.
With this Shale unable to travel, the one gesture of goodwill which would transcend any language barrier, returning her safe and sound, was off the table. Of course, the Eponan's weapon being missing was troubling as well, but there were more immediate concerns.
She, Celestia, would have to either invite these “Eponans” back to Equestria to see to their compatriot themselves, physically prevent them from returning to their own world lest they return with stories of horrible creatures that turned ponies to stone, or just accept that first contact with that society was completely botched and plan for second.
Sealing the gate was right out. After all, this lost any initiative Equestria posessed, leaving them at the mercy of the Eponan's next move. Moreover, their earth ponies apparently possessed telekinesis. Who knew what odd capabilities their pegasi or unicorns might have. With that in mind, any barriers, magical of physical, were merely stopgaps. Until Equestria understood exactly what Discord had done and could reverse it, his gate was a fixture, and would need to be dealt with as such.
Celestia sighed. One more thing to add to the infinite list of must-dos. Luna and Cadence were fully occupied covering for her, and there was still so much that needed to be done to keep this situation from spiraling out of control. At least Twilight had the foresight to attach the formula for adjusting the Diplomacy Gem spell so it'd be attuned to Shale's language. No need to jeopardize the situation further by risking something undiplomatic being said during the spell's calibration period.
She turned to her diplomatic party, assembled and ready alongside their military escorts, minus the scouts she'd sent ahead to pinpoint the target's location. Everypony who couldn't fly was crammed onto a chariot drawn by ponies that could. Altogether it was quite cramped, and Celestia had opted to go under her own power.
“Alright my little ponies, let's fly!”
There was no doubt about it. Something was wrong. It had been Blade Hair, the large dappled-roan mare, who had noticed it first. She had alerted Hard Trail, in her own quiet Arapalfrian way, that the wildlife had gone completely silent. Where before the forest had been loud with birdsong of all shapes and sizes, now only the occasional caw of a scavenger crow disrupted the quiet that had fallen.
“Tall Sand, send one of your relay birds up, we need to find out what's spooked the animals.”
The command came quietly from Hard Trail, and was not ignored. The Whisperer turned to one of the small creatures, this one a mottled blue and gray, that had settled on the perches covering his barding and gave it a look, murmuring instructions too quietly for the other ponies to hear. Then, the small bird took off, flitting among the branches of the forest until it was above the canopy and beyond sight.
It wasn't long before the little messenger returned. The other members of the expedition waited on tenterhooks as their Whisperer communicated with his charge.
“Sir, she says there are squadrons of those fliers from the portal moving overhead. They are landing in clearings and other places, and seem to be looking for something.”
“No doubt it's us. Ask her if there's anyplace nearby we can hole up, be invisible to anything short of a Sweeper dragnet."
More Whispering.
"She says there's a thicket of fallen timbers a mile south of here."
"Nothing for it but to stick to the heaviest underbrush and break for there. Also, I want everypony to stay alert, I don't want anypony to get caught unawares like Pathmark was.”
Each member of the delegation moved through the portal without incident, until it came time for the solar princess to pass. Celestia walked through the gateway with all the usual grace, and then stopped in sudden shock. Her attendants looked on with concern at their ruler, who had paused as though having suddenly lost a limb. Perhaps that is close to how Celestia felt, for she was no longer receiving the raw power that normally filtered down from her sun.
“No matter,” the monarch responsible for Equestria's day thought to herself. “A moment's concentration should be enough to reestablish the connection.” So, with a power no Equestrian aside from the alicorns truly understood, Celestia reached out. However, her attempts to draw power from her distant orb were thwarted at the semicircular discontinuity.
“Odd. The magic just fizzles out as I try to feel across the portal's plane. Perhaps I need to access this sun directly?” She diverted her efforts vertically. She could feel the firey orb far above, just as it had been before she had stepped through the portal, albeit a bit closer to the horizon. Just as she was about to begin drawing power, further magical experimentation was cut off by a primal shreik, of similar depth and volume as that of a dragon, yet distinctly ornithiod in pitch. Celestia withdrew her touch, instinctively gathering her faculties in preparation for a fight. The sound reechoed with a cadence such as had not been heard before by any Equestrian ear.
All throughout the forest, animals of all shapes, sizes and universes of origin looked up, startled by the alien cry. A half-day's canter to the east, the Eponan party paused, and then redoubled the speed of their flight. At the portal, Equestrians of all four species were gazing skyward, for it seemed a great gout of flame had been launched down from the shining orb that lit Eranax.
As the firebolt descended, those Equestrians who did not turn from its blaze noticed it looked remarkably like a bird. There was a thunderous reverberation as the thing hit the ground a mere dozen yards ahead of the lead Royal Guards. The flaming avian spread its wings and opened its beak and emitted a second cry, similar to the first, but amplified significantly by the source's proximity.
Those Equestrians present who were not hardened military personnel, and quite a few that were, fled sceaming. Those that remained were either frozen in fear or hoping their princess could protect them. Celestia, for her part, was preparing her magics for what could possibly be her first battle without the ability to draw on the power of the heavens in eons.
It was Philomena, of all creatures, that saved the Equestrians from finding out which monarch of the sun would triumph in this situation. The small firebird screeched a defiance at the huge newcomer.
The Sunbird, for that was what it was, tilted its head sideways, as though to get a better look at this thing that defied its fury. Its eyes, already huge and the only parts of the colossal bird that did not glow like the heart of a pyre, narrowed and then widened. A curious warbling then emitted from the gigantic avian's chest. After it was done chuckling the titan focused an intense gaze upon Celestia, gestured with a wing at the portal, stomped its scorching talons against the ground, and emitted a firm, dismissing shriek.
Equestria's co-ruler regarded the other sun-mover carefully and then nodded, hoping for her little ponies' sakes she had interpreted the message correctly. She took a step backwards, towards the portal. The Sunbird stood there, still watching. When the princess didn't move further, it wiggled a wingtip at her, which prompted another step back.
The pattern was repeated until the last strand of pink-and-blue mane was fluttering once again in Equestrian air, and then the solar avian took off, immediately lost to Celestia's sight but soon confirmed by her guards to have returned to Eranax's sun.
When the rest of the Equestrian party had flown on, the Ranger sentinels finally relaxed. The descent of a giant phoenix and its subsequent stand-off with their leader had been the only excitement they'd had for quite some time. The wildlife had long since quieted down, and their only orders were to alert HQ if anything came through from the other side.
Now, the princess had flown back to Canterlot in the company of a token force of Guards, and the Rangers could settle back into the monotony of their constant circular air-patrol. This was not to be, as a great WOOSH accompanied the passage of a pegasus-drawn carriage, and before the sentinels could do anything, it had passed by in a cloud of dust.
The Rangers looked at each other across the diameter of their routes. Surely that couldn't have been who they thought it was? Surely someone so important would have been with the party? Perhaps some unforseen delay had prompted this unannounced rush through the gate?
It was too late now, any pursuit would involve abandoning their posts. They'd just have to let the carriage continue. After all, even if the did catch it, they didn't exactly have the authority to stop a Prince.
On the chariot, a pair of light-blue eyes narrowed. They needed him, of that he was certain. This was his mission, his duty, his right, his prerogative. After all, if Auntie couldn't be there, someone needed to represent the Royal blood, didn't they?