Larry's Home, 5 PM
"C'mon, what did you bring us here for?" Josh asked impatiently. He, along with 5 other friends, had been sitting in Larry's living room. Each one knew Larry was eccentric, always modifying electronic devices, but he usually wasn't so subtle about it. His cell phone? Big enough to be a registered weapon. Laptop? Ate enough electricity to power a small town. But today's modified device...didn't look so different.
In front of the 6 curious faces and beside the resident mad tech scientist was a normal, 42" box TV. Nothing more, it seemed. Larry cracked his knuckles before finally speaking. "Gentlemen, behold! What you see before you is a seemingly normal, 42" box TV! But...in case you didn't know, it has been MODIFIED! This box TV can allow you to watch any show in 3-D! No glasses necessary!" Larry gave off his evil scientist laugh, with as much gusto as always. His friends, however, gave no immediate reaction.
"Larry, is this some kind of f***ing joke?" Ronnie asked.
"Yeah, there's no way this is a good idea at all," Matthew agreed.
"You ask me, I'd rather get the 70" flatscreen from Wal-Mart," Jared shrugged.
"You have WAY too much time on your hands," Lewis said.
"I got out of bed for THIS?" Josh asked.
"I can only see this ending in tears," Tech concluded, shaking his head.
Larry rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, don't knock it until you see it in action," he retorted. "Just let me turn it on, and you'll see that this will be a revolutionary item!" No one seemed to notice a form in the TV. Larry pulled out the remote control and pressed the power button...
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Ponyville Library's Basement, 5 PM
"So, what exactly is this thing?" Applejack asked. She, along with the other 4 Elements of Harmony, were looking at a strange plastic box. Or mostly plastic. On one side, the one facing them, was a piece of glass, black as night. Twilight Sparkle was making sure everything was in just the right spot. The power cord was plugged in, the box was facing the right way, and the antenna was pointing in the right direction.
When she was certain everything was in order, she finally spoke. "Well, everypony, what do you think of my newest invention? I call it a 'television set,' or TV for short." The looks on their faces indicated confusion more than admiration. Even Spike, Twilight's number one assistant and first friend, couldn't properly react to the contraption before him.
"It looks...scary," Fluttershy whispered.
"Totally uncool," Rainbow Dash scoffed.
"It's nothing more than a tacky box," Rarity remarked.
"Looks a bit boring," Pinkie Pie wondered out loud.
"Sorry, Twi, I just don't see the big deal," Applejack said.
"What exactly is it supposed to do, Twilight?" Spike asked.
Twilight was a little nervous. She expected a few more questions, not a beatdown of her handiwork. "What this does," she said, ignoring her friends' disapproval, "is allow us to see across different dimensions and watch what happens without directly interfering." She gave a small smile. No one really looked like they cared. "M-maybe a demonstration will help," she said. A shadow crossed the screen, but no one noticed. Twilight reached for the power button...
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Place and Time Unknown
The creature at the hub of the world fiddled with his screen some more. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Or it would be, if it had not happened before. He remembered every bit of the last time: a gecko from Hawaii bought the TV he had placed in the real world. Ate his camera bug. Been captured and made into what should have been the new mascot for his network. What he didn't count on was this lizard to fight back. He had been humiliated. Not once, not twice, but THREE times, the lizard had thwarted his plans for global domination.
But now, he watched as both creatures had readied their respective TVs. One, a human, had modified his to create "realistic" pictures. The other, a purple equine, had built hers from the ground up. Both had inadvertently created the portal needed to conquer their respective worlds. "They will do," the monster growled. He examined both sides again. They had gathered an audience. "Even better," he continued his monologue, in spite of the fact he was speaking to nobody.
As the screen split into two, the time had finally come to collect his prey. The human and pony both turned on their respective set.
"I hear a group mascot is much better than a single one. Out with the peacock finally, and IN WITH THESE WRETCHES!" As he yelled the last line, he thrust his hands into the screens, his right into the human world, the left into Equestria.
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Neither side saw it coming. As soon as their TV was turned on, it showed nothing but static. All of them crowded around the screen as their host tried to fix the problem. Then they saw the hand. It ripped through the barrier and grabbed them all. For Larry and his friends, it was the right hand. For Twilight and her companions, it was the left hand. They were all grabbed and pulled right into the screen. When they were pulled through, their TVs shut off. They were Rez's toys now. And no one was getting out.