//------------------------------//
// Futures 
// Story: Futures 
// by Dai Kirai 
//------------------------------//

6/23/35 9PM Atlanta, Georgia, Earth
        Twilight stood at the edge of the street, beige cloth covering her lavender fur. The only things showing were her head and the tip of her dark sapphire tail with the pink and violet stripes hidden, as she surveilled the area. Atlanta had changed much since her last visit, a tour a major cities in the United States; the streets were bustling with humans and ponies moving about their business. Things really have changed since the war. The mare thought as a human and a pony walked by talking to each other. It was supposed to be us or them. A tear ran down her cheek.
“Princess, we really should move you off the street.” A voice said from behind. “Or at least find our contact.”
Princess Twilight Sparkle turned around to look at the guard Luna still required her to take everywhere. The guard’s dark gray fur and violet-grey mane was a product of the dark violet armor that covered her chest, as were the yellow cat-slit eyes. The Lunar Guards weren’t her favorite ponies; they tended to be effective but very ‘aggressive’. It was hard to tell them apart, but this one’s personality seemed familiar. “It’s ok Shikaishi, he already knows we’re here.” 
The guard looked around, her horn lighting up with a cream colored aura, the only indication of which pony was truly under the armor. Hoof reflexively going to her back looking for the weapon normally kept there. 
“They aren’t a threat; not these ones at least.” Twilight tried to calm the guard, but it didn’t seem to calm her down. No one passing them by seemed to even pay attention to the pair. It had been over a decade since the First Contact War had concluded. While most humans and ponies got along fine, those that had been on the front lines and witnessed the atrocities first hand still had trouble trusting each other. Four years. All it took was four years and a change in their government for a war to start. 
“Why’d you pick that name anyway?” The princess tried to get the guard talking some. Guards had names, they rarely took on codenames. 
“It’s personal.” Shikaishi flatly stated, ending that line of questioning. 
“It doesn’t sound Equestrian. Can you at least tell me where it’s from?” Twilight inquired, killing time until her contact felt safe enough to meet. 
“Nihon. Nihon kara kimashita.” Was all Shikaishi would say. 
Ok. Don’t ask personal questions.  Twilight’s wings ruffled slightly at being rebuffed by her own guard. Sounds human. She hadn’t had enough time to study the less useful human languages since becoming a princess. Her short tenure had been a trial by fire with her current objective being the elimination of two terrorist groups. The PFF, Pony Freedom Foundation; and the HLF, the Human Liberation Front. Both were extremists groups on both worlds with only one objective, the end of peaceful relation between humans and ponies ending with the shutdown of the inter-dimensional gateway located outside of the old Area 51 research base. 
“Ok, he’s ready.” The mare said, the patterns at her target had finished being constructed. Twilight’s horn lit up with a pale lavender light as she wove together her most familiar spell. When the spell was ready, she released the energy and both Twilight and Shikaishi disappeared in a flash of white light, finally catching the attention of the passing throngs of life.
The two ponies reappeared in a small grey cube about 10 feet across. Each of the surfaces contained a large white circle enclosing mathematically precise designs; human alchemy. The one under her hooves was designed to catch anybody teleporting to within 100 feet of this precise location, the other five were designed to keep magic contained inside the room. There were no visible doors. 
“Where the hell did you teleport us?” Shikaishi accused. 
“Ponyfeathers. He was supposed to be here.” Twilight was unconcerned, her magic may not have matured yet; she was in the same position as Princess Cadance, their manes still quite corporeal. She cast about the room with her magic. This isn’t proper procedure. There were no signs of any life other than the two ponies, and her magic was contained in the room. Her hoof scraped at the design on the floor, but the designed refused to budge. 
Twilight let out a sigh of defeat. “Okay Jethro. Come out before I have to blast a hole in these walls.” She doubted it would be easy to blast an exit with pure force, the patterns were designed to deflect magic, based off of the science of the gateway. The gateway would reduce any spells that came in contact with it, or it would randomly change it into a different spell; some that were still considered impossible. But, the princess did have access to certain spells from the Canterlot Archives now, and the spells Celestia had kept hidden from everypony else for Millennia. 
“That’s not how we play this game.” A disembodied male voice stated, it was impossible to tell what species it came from. 
“Don’t” Twilight stated to Shikaishi who had been charging a spell. “It’s not what it appears.”
“Very good Princess Sparkle. But, all I have to do is keep you here.” The voice chuckled. “After a few hours, your government might start thinking the U.S. did something.”
Twilight laughed. “Maybe if you were part of the PFF. The HLF wouldn’t have tried taunting me; they would have gone straight for the kill or just tried launching me into space.” She kept looking about the room. You have to be here somewhere.
“But who says I’m human? There are plenty of other races and even ponies know how these constructs work.”
“No.” Shikaishi spoke up and started walking about the room. “These are wrong. The ouroboros isn’t used in Equestrian constructs; they avoid human semiology in the redirection of magic; going more with a sign of Celestia or Discord. And, this pattern right here,” She said, pointing to the pattern on the ceiling, “is new. The Bureau of Thaumaturgical Research only created it a few weeks ago.”
Twilight looked at her guard. How does she know that? That’s a human secret agency. Twilight had been taking royal lessons on courtly and diplomatic matters; it had severely limited her ability to study. Most of her limited time studying was on the newest research from both sides, at least when she felt like studying. The war had been costly, not all of the damage was visible to the naked eye. 
“How did you know that?” The disembodied voice replied after a moment’s silence. “I was only briefed on it last week.”
“We all have secrets. Perhaps I know your boss.” Shikaishi taunted. 
What is she doing? Twilight wondered. Then she felt a slight change in the air flow of the room. Someone’s breathing had changed, and a new presence could be felt. He IS in the room. Human ‘magic’ required concentration and precision, Shikaishi had just destroyed it. 
“Can we just get down to business Jethro? Before I have to embarrass you by making you have to walk out of here naked.” Twilight teased, this human had a sense of humor. Every time they met it turned into a game of cat and mouse. 
Shikaishi slowly walked towards the disturbance, a smile played across her lips and showed off a pair of canines unique to Lunar Guards. 
“Um, what is your guard dog doing?” The disembodied voice started to sound frantic. “It doesn’t look sane.”
Shikaishi stopped five feet from the corner and continued to grin. 
“Probably not.” Twilight answered nonchalantly. “Maybe you should come out then. This one seems a little rabid.”
The guard twitched, keeping her head straight despite her desire to glare at the princess.
“It was just a test.” The voice finally had a direction, right in front of the guard. A ripple ran through the air and a human slowly revealed himself in the corner, wrapping a small blanket around his arm. He was average height at six foot; twice the height of a pony, with shaggy plain brown hair. It was not her contact Jethro. “The PFF may have similar defensive patterns. I had to make sure you were prepared. Can you please call off your guard?”
“Only after you explain what’s going on?” Twilight stated.
The human looked nervously at the grinning guard whose horn had begun glowing. “After the PFF bombings last year in New York at the anniversary party of the signing of the First Contact Treaty, U.N.I.T. began to track all suspected terrorists with a new zeal. We believe the cell here is responsible for the bombing, they are hiding in the tunnels below this city.” He stated shakily. Sweat beaded his forehead as the guard audibly growled as she backed away.
“Who are you then? Why was I called personally?” Twilight asked. 
“My name is John Smith, this is my first mission. Jethro assigned me to you because of my knowledge of thaumaturgical technical sciences. We called you in because they are still technically your ponies and you had a right to know. We never thought you would come personally.” Mr. Smith answered. 
“Celestia always taught me to lead by example and to step in if the situation called for it.” Twilight said with sadness, of the life she had before the portal opened. “Do you mind explaining how we get out of here now?”
“Huh?” Mr. Smith asked, lost in thought already. “Yeah the wall to your right is semi-permeable, just walk through it. Be careful though, if you try to force your way through it will resolidify, it’s non-Newtonian. I just need to get my gear first and we can leave.”

12AM
The three creatures stood around the table, John Smith had put on a brown cotton trench coat duster and a blue bag sat on the ground where he pulled out a rolled up parchment.
John Smith laid a map out on the table. The map showed a network of tunnels under the city of Las Vegas. He pointed to a specific spot. “Twilight, can you teleport us to this location?”
“Of course. The only problem will if they have countermeasures in place and their quality. A redirect spell like the one you used won’t be that hard to break through.” Twilight stated calmly. “But if they have anything blocking magic like the one on the ceiling or the one’s protecting Canterlot. Then no.”
“We caught one of them last week trying to teleport in using that same room. So my guess would be no.” Mr. Smith tried to reassure. “But, this spot is still outside of what we believe is their main base.”
“How can you tell?” Twilight asked, stunned. Their technology shouldn’t be that advanced.
“Because there are no thaumaturgy signatures in that region, it’s shielded. Ponies we suspect and track of terrorism come here and just disappear without the telltale burst of energy that signals a teleport.” Smith informed the alicorn.
“That and the pony you ‘interrogated’ last week.” Shikaishi stated, it wasn’t a question.
“How did you?”
“Know?” The guard finished his question. “I know about the machine Luna gave you, and that you filed a report confirming its use last week.”
“Wait. What device? Why am I only hearing about this now?” Twilight never enjoyed being kept out of the loop, not when her job was as a liaison between worlds. 
“Last year, after the attack. Luna gave us a device to see into ponies’ minds. But we have to file a report and get an Equestrian doctor standing by in case of emergencies.” Mr. Smith informed her. “We aren’t supposed to tell a soul. Luna’s orders.”
U.N.I.T. or United Nations Intelligence Taskforce was in fact not only aligned with the UN but also Equestria. They worked on containing any and all threats to the stability of the alliance. But only a few leaders ever knew what they were truly capable of: Luna, and the Presidents of: the North American Alliance, China, the Eurozone and Russia. 
“Luna used it during the war on a ‘suspected enemy.’” Shikaishi tried to keep her voice flat but a hint of either indignation or anger came through with it. 
How did I never hear about this? Twilight fretted. Too many evils were committed on both sides that they agreed to just ‘forget’ about them in the name of peace. All records were erased and the perpetrators never talked about it. Only a few ever saw the light of day which in themselves almost made a lasting peace impossible. 
Twilight had to swallow her guilt and her regrets. We have a mission. Just put one hoof in front of the other. “If everyone is ready. I think we can make it.” After receiving two nods, Twilight released the spell and the three sentients disappeared.

12:28AM
The three creatures appeared in the middle of a darkened tunnel, several feet in the air. Smith landed on his side, keeping his weight off the large green pack on his back. Shikaishi landed on her back and the impact forced the air out of her for a few moments. Twilight Sparkle brought her wings out from under her cloak and caught herself, slowly lowering herself to the ground. The tunnel itself was dark and almost completely devoid of light.
Out of reflex, Shikaishi passed magic through her horn creating a mild yellow light. “Everybody ok? What the hell happened, that was the roughest teleport I ever felt.”
“You try teleporting blind into a location you’ve never visited.” Twilight suggested. “And there were still reroutes to avoid.”
Mr. Smith groaned. “Ok, fine, but can you put out that light? This is a stealth mission.”
“It’s no skin off my teeth.” Shikaishi responded. “Just thought you might like to see what you landed on. 
“How did you know what I-“ Smith cut himself off. “Never mind, Lunar Guards can see in the dark can’t they?” 
“Princess Sparkle, do you have a low light spell?” Shikaishi ignored him.
“Yes, already using it. Mr. Smith, would you like some help?” Twilight offered.
Mr. Smith had just sat up, his left hand feeling wet. “I’m fine. Just let me get my glasses out.”
“Glasses?” Twilight was stunned. Low light vision goggles, their tech must really have improved.
Mr. Smith pulled a pair of thick glasses out of a shirt pocket. As he put them on, both the unicorn and the alicorn felt a new magic signature on the human. “It’s techno-magic.” He answered to the unspoken question. “It connects with a scanner in my pack that detects different forms of energy, from electromagnetic to thaumaturgical. They’re still a work in progress but at least I can see.”
“Great.” Shikaishi ‘enthused.’ “Which way?”
“The dead space is that way” Twilight stated, having already scanned the tunnels for forms of life. “About 50 feet away.”
“I’ll take point.” Shikaishi said and started walking forward. 
They slowly moved down the deserted corridor which eventually branched in two requiring Twilight to scan for the proper direction. 
“Stop.” Mr. Smith shouted abruptly. “There’s a magic signature on the wall up ahead, it could be a trap.”
“How far?” Shikaiahi asked.
“5 feet ahead, on your left.” Mr. Smith replied.
The guard walked forward slowly, looking for any signs of a gem, an alchemical seal, or a trip wire. She found a small wire running between the two walls an inch above the floor. “Trip wire, it’s designed to be stepped on. Any movement will set it off.” Shikaishi informed her protectee and continued her scan. The walls were slightly discolored over a large area that connected with the wire. 
Shikaishi sniffed the air, it smelled of paint. “They seem sloppy. The wire is too large and the paint would be a clear indicator to any pony traveling down this hallway.” The guard sat for a moment. These terrorists had snuck a magical bomb into the UN, they weren’t idiots. “Smith, do you have any meat on you?”
“Just some beef jerky in case of an emergency.” He replied, slightly confused.
“Can you give it to me please?” The guard asked.
“Okay.” He replied and pulled the small pouch out of his pack. “But I thought ponies were vegetarian.”
“We are.” Shikaishi stated. “Princess Sparkle, can you heat it up to 32 degrees Celsius please.”
“Easily, but what are you doing?” Twilight asked as she forced the molecules in the beef jerky to move, creating friction and heating up the chunk of dried cow.
Shikaishi wrinkled her nose as the smell from the meat increased. She then put it in her mouth for a moment, nearly gagging on the flavor. She then removed the offending substance with her hoof, picked it up in her magic and threw it down the corridor. 
As the heated meat passed the discolored areas, the paint vanished in a flash of heat, revealing two alchemic seals. 
“Shield now!” Shikaishi yelled as she ran backwards.
Without even thinking, Twilight cast a bubble around the three of them. Shikaishi was panting and looking about while Mr. Smith looked confused.
“What was that?” Mr. Smith asked. “There was an EM spike followed by a burst of heat that burned off the paint. What were those signs?”
“Don’t ask.” Shikaishi responded. “Is there another way around?”
“None I’d be willing to risk.” Twilight responded. They will all be protected and I’m not sure what defenses they have to keep us here.”
“Twilight’s right.” Mr. Smith responded. “The thaumaturgy patterns have changed.”
“Shit.” Shikaishi spat. “Can you move us closer to the first sigil without dropping the shield?” She asked. 
“No, but I can expand it.” Twilight offered.
“Ok, but whatever you do, don’t let it drop. Leave me out of it if you have to. But for all that you hold dear, keep it up.” Shikaishi warned.
“Why?” Twilight grew nervous at how serious the guard became. The bubble expanded to cover the trip wire and to within several feet of the twin circles on the walls.
“It’s nothing.” Shikaishi stated. She walked over to the trip wire, slamming her hoof down on it. Nothing happened. “Figures.” She groused and walked over to the first sigil. 
Twilight couldn’t see what patterns were drawn from her location, only that when Shikaishi put a hoof out of the shield the guardpony grimaced in pain and quickly withdrew it.
“Damn it.” Shikaishi swore. “Smith!” She called out. “Do you have any chalk or paint? Anything white with which I can modify these seals with?”
“Can you do that?” The human asked in shock.
“No clue, but it’s either that or we walk the whole way in this bubble.”
“Will you tell me what the hay that symbos is!” Twilight yelled.
“The design is to cause pain, it causes a ponies magic to attack the user.” Shikaishi grimaced, head lowered. “The more magic the user has the more pain this construct causes, and the other one is too absorb magic.”
“I don’t have magic, maybe I should try it.” Mr. Smith offered, stepping forward with a piece of chalk about to step out of the shield. 
“STOP!” Shikaishi yelled, throwing a telekinetic blast at the human to knock him onto his ass. “Humans still have magical potential or else they would be immune to all magic. I don’t know how this will affect you. There’s a reason magic tests on humans are banned.” 
Twilight was lost; there were too many key pieces she was missing. She knew that they still had to have some sort of magic but testing on humans never took place, would never have been considered. 
Shikaishi took the piece of chalk in her mouth as her hooves began to glow the same cream color as her horn. She unsteadily rose into the air, sticking only the chalk out of the shield while drawing on the seal. The chalk slowly began shrinking as it was used. 
Twilight tried to get the shield as close to the wall as she could. The hard part was to keep the shield at least an inch from the wall, so the radiant magic didn’t start to get sucked in by the sigil and being unable to use a magical aura to test the distance. Why has Luna been keeping me in the dark? One incident maybe, but no guard should know more than the Princess’ personal’ student and fellow princess.
Shikaishi finished the first sigil and fell to the floor, spitting out the chalk and grasping for breath. “Not used to extended periods of non-physical exertion.” She gasped, more tired than Twilight would have expected from a unicorn. 
“Twilight. I’ll take over; I see how the modifications are supposed to work.” John Smith stated. “Can you keep her down?”
“Yeah.” Twilight replied. Several purple straps lashed around the Lunar Guard’s hooves and midsection. “Stay down.”
“Stop. We don’t know what might happen.” Shikaishi struggled. 
“And, if you make a mistake because you were too tired and your magic failed?” Twilight asked, still able to make a decent argument and not wanting to lose another pony.
“You have a point.” The guard reluctantly admitted. “Mind if I ask you a question though? How much magic do you have? This place seems to be shrinking.”
“Oh buck. Mr. Smith, is that jacket by any chance enchanted?” Twilight asked, feeling the drain on her magic. 
“Of course, we are going up against unicorns…Oh.” The shield was shrinking, Mr. Smith’s jacket was designed to absorb magic, it was absorbing Twilight’s shield. “Leave me out of it. Look,” The human stated, half his body sticking out of the bubble shield. “No damage, no pain. I’m immune. I think it’s the jacket.”
Twilight shrank the circle so it just covered the two ponies as the human worked. And as he worked, she took the opportunity to start getting some answers. “How did you know it was a trap?”
“These PFF bastards are intelligent, that trap could be spotted by any trainee.” Shikaishi responded. 
“Who are you?” The princess accused. 
“I am Shikaishi of the Lunar Guard.” The guard replied.
“Who are you?” Twilight reiterated.
“I have no clue what you mean. I am who you see.”
Twilight stared at the restrained guard. “No you aren’t. Nopony would have thought of using meat to trick a bio reading sensor. You have never once used a phrase common to ponies.” She accused. “You have contacts in the North American Alliance. You know about their semiotics, more than just from study.” The purple mare took a step forward, ruffling her feathers. “What are you?”
“We are more similar than you imagine, we both have to work with humans on a regular basis. I’ve told you all I can. If you want more, ask the Princess.” Shikaishi coldly replied. Twilight doubted she could actually get any information out of the guard. 
“Why are you here then? You had to have volunteered; Luna wouldn’t force anypony to go on a mission like this.”
“Why are you here? We have all lost friends, some in the war and some from the after effects.” The guard informed stoically.
Mr. Smith was reaching up to modify the top of the alchemic seal when the arm of his brown duster touched the sigil. The room filled with a blinding flash and the human was thrown backwards. He was thrown through the side of Twilight’s shield and smacked into the caster’s side, sending them both into the adjacent wall. 
Twilight hit the wall hard, damaging her left wing. She screamed out in pain, losing her concentration, both of her spells dropped. 
Shikaishi braced for the agony from being eaten by her own magic, but the pain never came. The alchemic seals were changed enough to stop them from casting. Except when she looked at the seal the human had been working on, it was only halfway done. The sigil had no power though; the human’s jacket and the sigil had cancelled each other out. Something that should have been impossible. An alchemic seal had to be created with a substance that contained some sort of thaumaturgy; the magic was part of the seal. It had to be broken or changed, but the remains would still contain some trace of magic. The seal was the same, thaumaturgically, as the wall it was placed over.
Twilight stood shakily to her hooves, favoring her wing and wincing if it was moved. “We should get moving, they have to know we are here now.”
Mr. Smith was still on the ground groaning. Shikaishi moved towards the human. “We should take him with us.”
“Don’t touch him.” Twilight warned. “There’s something wrong with him.”
Shikaishi tilted her head and knit her brows.
“I can’t explain it. But he feels wrong. He’s like a void.” His aura kept shifting. It would shift from ‘normal’ to ‘dead.’ If it weren’t for the fact that his chest was still rising and falling, she would have suspected he was dead. But it would also shift from magic similar to that of a pony to the standard of a human or blank like the gateway between worlds.
“We can’t just leave him here? What would happen if the PFF finds him?”
Twilight thought for a moment. The human was lying on his side, allowing Twilight to search his pack. She was searching for the device he had used when they first met, something to keep him hidden. What she saw in the pack caused her to stop for a moment. “How can it hold this much…stuff?” The pack was holding about twice as much as it should be capable of. How much has their technology evolved with the use of magic?
Twilight began to scrounge through the pack for the light bending blanket. The cloak used technology and cameras; it wouldn’t be affected by magic. There were other items she didn’t recognize, a small metal tube of brushed metal, a ball with a single button, there was even a handgun that used small shells that reminded Twilight of the ones used in a shotgun. At the very bottom was the blanket.
Twilight lifted the blanket with her magic and quickly settled it over Mr. Smith. She then handed the gun and three shells over to Shikaishi who placed it in a pouch hidden under her armor. 
The two ponies headed down the hallway in search of any terrorists hidden in the booby-trapped tunnels. They wandered through the tunnels for another hour without running into anything out of the ordinary. Neither pony tried starting a conversation. Twilight knew she would get nothing out of the guard, but when she returned to Canterlot, Luna would have to answer her questions. 
Shikaishi’s ears twitched as a new sound became audible, the sound of hooves shuffling through a corridor. “There are a few ponies down this corridor.”
“We have to take them out, but we can’t kill them. They need to stand trial.” Twilight ordered.
“Understood.” Shikaishi accepted and pulled out the small gun, loading a round through the nose.
“Are you going to shoot them?” Twilight gasped. “Even if you can just disable them, that’s a little cruel.”
“Nothing is too mean for these degenerates.” Shikaishi hissed. “But this will only stun them. It uses a magical gem to apply an electro-magic charge, knocking out anything short of an Ursa.”
The two ponies moved down the hall, horns charged and gun at the ready. Twilight didn’t dare teleport in the middle of their base, but that wasn’t her only option. The mare decided to go with a technique Celestia had shown her many years prior but had never instructed her how to use. “Wait until you see an opening.” She ordered the guard.
Twilight slowly twisted a field of magic around herself, letting the energy flow and ebb. She was effectively in a bubble of magic that would show to an observer what was opposite of herself. Once the field was stable, she created a similar field on the inside that would redirect any stray magic back around but still allow her to cast a spell beyond it. She had become invisible to both sight and magic detection, mostly. She could still be found, but it would require somepony to actively be looking for her. 
The veil, as Celestia had called it, was more of a magic sink than Twilight had expected, keeping the spell up while moving pushed her to the limits. It was a spell Celestia had been able to use easily. How vast is the gulf between a fully mature and immature alicorn?
The room was only about 50 feet across, the floor in front of the walls covered with machines that looked completely alien to the young alicorn. There were only four ponies milling about the room. Twilight knew the next trick would expend the rest of her magical reserves, but it would give the guard a perfect opportunity to take out the entire room. 
Twilight walked into the middle of the room and dropped her veil. “By order of Princess Luna and Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, you are under arrest for the bombing of the UN building and murdering over 200 civilians of both races.” She than began to lift herself using magic, it wasn’t her usual levitation though. She created a bubble devoid of gravity and kept herself centered in it. The immature alicorn then used her telekinesis to pull out her broken wing despite the pain, the outline of an alicorn was subduing to most ponies. Next, she used a small portion of pure magic and forced it over her eyes; they began glowing white with power. It was a classic sign in a mature alicorn of anger and a willingness to use whatever means were necessary. 
The PFF weren’t deterred and rushed at the levitating alicorn. Twilight swept the bubble out towards them, expanding it to encompass everypony, but the guardpony was still in the hallway. The alicorn then moved some magic into her throat, adding weight to her words. “You try to attack your princess?” Her voice boomed as she started the last part of her plan. She brought up a second bubble of gravity outside of the first one.
‘Perceived power is the same as actual power.’ The first lesson Twilight had received from the alicorn of the night upon becoming a princess. ‘If they think you can raise the sun little one, they will give you authority. This will be needed to maintain this fragile alliance and keep Equestria together through this hardship.’
Twilight took that lesson to heart; the war had given her plenty of practice in using spells for something other than their intended purposes. Some, like the love-it need-it spell, had been at the urging of others and in her pain she used it in a fashion that still caused her nightmares. NO! She stopped that line of thought; all that was left was the job. She would outlive her remaining friends; her responsibility was to the foals that would be born in future generations.
With a solid heart and the beginning of tears in her eyes, she shrunk the first bubble back to include only her. The second bubble was the opposite of the first, gravity increased to double Earth standard. The four PFF members crashed into the floor. Twilight dropped both gravity bubbles as Shikaishi ran in. 
Only one pony was still moving, until Shikaishi threw a metal clad hoof into the side of its head. While Twilight dropped to the floor, sweat starting to bead along her forehead. 
“He’s not here!” Shikaishi screamed. “Where is he?!”
“Who?” Twilight asked.
“The bastard responsible! Their leader!” Shikaishi spotted a door in the back. “Where are you Valiant?!” She roared, moving at a gallop. 
When the fanged unicorn reached the door she turned around and bucked the door down. Shikaishi stared in disbelief. “A supply closet?” She uttered.
“You always were quick to act.” A low male voice said from behind her right ear.
Shikaishi quickly turned and cuffed the newcomer on the cheek.
The dark blue stallion tried to back up but the guard was faster, taking her forearm and slamming the stallion into the wall by the neck, his dark violet mane partially obscuring his eyes. A pale cream shape outlined her leg, a magical construct, a weapon. “I should kill you here and now for what you did.” Shikaishi bared her fangs.
“I did nothing to you, not directly.” The stallion rasped, red eyes not showing the faintest glimpse of emotion. 
“You killed everyone I cared about.” The guardpony said coldly. “You turned my husband in as a ‘terrorist’ you little shit. He was knifed; he never did anything but try to protect everypony.” She leaned forward, placing more weight against his neck. 
 “It was the most expedient method for peace.” The stallion rasped. “He did everything he was charged with. It really was treason.”
“After he took you in. Saved you from execution by Celestia.” Shikaishi started to seethe. “But that wasn’t enough for you. You had to bomb a peaceful celebration. You killed everybody I cared about in that blast.”
Twilight could see it took every ounce of control that the guard had not to snap his neck right there.
This did surprise Twilight; there were ‘traitors’ on both sides. Some only wanted money, but most had wanted peace. This added another level of complexity to the situation. There were a few ponies that had given intelligence to the United States government; some for selfish reasons, but they had paid a heavy price; the same was true of certain humans, some that hadn’t been saved. What could this pony have done to warrant execution from Celestia?
The stallion himself was an enigma. He had no cutie mark; his fur was a solid dark blue. The eyes were an unnatural shade of red, including the pupil. Contacts and dye! He’s hiding his true appearance! There was no way to know who either of the ponies truly were. 
“I guess you didn’t do a very good job protecting them, did you?” Valiant asked, but it wasn’t a question, it was an accusation .
The guard raised a metal-shod hoof over the stallion head, ready to strike.
“Shikaishi! Stop!” The lavender alicorn ordered. “He has to stand trial.”
“No he doesn’t. All that’s left of him is evil.” The guard replied. “Don’t worry; I’m willing to face whatever crime you and Luna charge me with. There’s a reason I chose the name revenge.”
“But it doesn’t have to end like this.” The stallion rasped, still calm despite the increasing pressure on his neck. “I bombed the UN so you would have no choice but to help me, it can be undone.”
Shikaishi took a step back, careful to maintain an attack posture in case he tried anything. 
“We made a time machine, we just need a little more time to complete it. We broke into U.N.I.T. and stole their designs. Just think, we can prevent the portal from ever opening, we can prevent a war.” Valiant Shadow promised, eyes watering with hope. “A chance to fix all of our mistakes.”
“No.” Shikaishi stared into his eyes, all traces of compassion absent from her features. “Nobody needs that much power, you die here.”
“Twilight.” He quickly called. “Just think about it. You could save all the friends you lost. You could save Rarity from her breakdown after Sweetie Belle was killed by a human while playing; everypony knows you blame yourself for that failing. How many people died in that ‘bird strike’ Rainbow caused? Did you never make sure she knew flight regulations? She would be able to fly again. Fluttershy wouldn’t have been ‘executed’ because you weren’t there to protect her.” Twilight remembered every incident. 
Sweetie Belle had wanted to play but her sister was too busy so she ran out looking for somepony to play with, she ran towards the nearest human. It was still impossible to tell why the guard shot Sweetie Belle, but from his story it had come down to an error in communication, something Twilight had been responsible for setting up. That had been the first ‘incident’ in human-equine tensions. It was also a point from which Rarity could never recover; she would forever blame herself and her dearest friend for the death of her sister. Celestia could barely even get an apology out of President Tow.
Rainbow Dash had left Bridle Lake, just wanting to fly and stretch her wings because things had been too quiet. She had never checked United States flight regulations and found herself in a heavily trafficked flight lane. The pegasus smacked face first into the wind screen of a 747. The glass severed her right wing, guaranteeing she could never fly again even with the most advanced magic. Rainbow barely slowed herself in time to keep the crash from being fatal; the passenger jet never stood a chance. It crashed in the middle of the Great Basin Desert in Nevada. It instantly turned the American public against Equestria, and led to the first instances of inter-species hate crimes which only got worse as time went on. 
Relations eventually broke off between humans and ponies, but President Margarette Tow and Princess Celestia had refused to let it devolve any further. ‘Just because we aren’t friends doesn’t make us enemies’ Celestia had told a younger Twilight. But when Senator Stephen Brent became President in 2016, everything changed. He manufactured evidence that Equestria was a threat, that ponies were trying a slow method of conquering and had power to moves suns if that failed. On December 21, 2017 President Brent made a preemptive strike on Bridle Lake and his military forced their way into Equestria. It had taken months to push them back. Eventually the battle went to Earth with a majority of the fighting occurring in the Rocky Mountains and surrounding areas. 
Fluttershy had been the hardest of these incidents for Twilight. Applejack had gone missing while out on patrol in the Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Twilight followed in search of her friend, not wanting to lose another dear friend. Fluttershy was meanwhile working at a nearby aid station and no matter what anypony said she would take care of any pony or human brought to her. While the base was lightly guarded though, an American strike team had entered. What Twilight found when she returned was an image she could never remove from her memory. It had looked like an execution. After the war someone came forward saying it was revenge for family he had lost. The effect it had on Equestria was to galvanize their desire to win; humans had become monsters, not worthy of the effort to save.
Twilight’s eyes welled with tears. All the pain would just disappear. I could save everypony. I really could save everypony. But…
“No.” Twilight managed to choke out. 
“You could save Lyra from being betrayed by the humans she was obsessed with. Who coldly murdered her after she saved their lives.”
“That’s not how it happened!” Shikaishi hissed and shoved the stallion back against the wall. “I was there.”
Valiant ignored her protests. “You could save Luna from having to kill her sister. You would no longer be a reminder to Luna of how she couldn’t do for Celestia what had been done for her. The nightmare could end.”
Twilight stared off into nothingness. Celestia. The final straw for Twilight, when she stopped studying, and when her beliefs were truly shattered. 
With a blast of telekinesis, Shikaishi was thrown into a nearby wall with a sickening crack. She screamed in pain as her horn splintered against the wall. 
Twilight walked towards the stallion giddily. I can save everypony, I really can. Tears started to stream down her face.
“Don’t.” Shikaishi gasped through a wall of shear pain. 
“And why shouldn’t I?” Twilight asked, barely listening as the two ponies headed towards a machine on the far wall.
“Who says it won’t wind up worse. Are you smarter than the princesses? Do you think so little of them?”
“But I know what will happen, I can change it.” Twilight whispered.
“What about the paradoxes? Could you account for the contradictions that would pop-up in space-time?” Shikaishi tried.
“I have to try?” Twilight whispered. “For Celestia.”
The Lunar Guard pulled out the small pistol using her hoof and took aim. Shikaishi never had magic when she was younger. It was a gift from Luna for valor and risking everything for one pony. She knew how to use a gun the old fashioned way. As she aimed, Shikaishi asked one last question. “What would Celestia do? The real Celestia. The one before the war, the one that mentored you.”
Twilight stopped dead. This isn’t what Celestia would do. She believed you had to live with your mistakes, ‘that’s how you become a better pony.’ The alicorn turned around to see a gun pointed straight at her, the pony holding it mouthing a single word. ‘MOVE’
As Twilight moved to the side, Shikaishi pulled the trigger and sent a round towards the stallion. Valiant heard the hoofsteps behind him change and jumped to the side out of instinct. The round sailed past him and impacted one of the machines, causing it to spark. He seethed at his attempted attacker. “You aren’t getting out of this one. I can blow this entire place if I wanted to. Not even an alicorn could survive these traps.”
Shikaishi started to laugh. “Have you ever seen what happens when a magically imbued explosive detonates?”
All three ponies looked to the sparking machine. The gradual buildup of magic had slipped everyponies notice, but once they were alerted to it, the feel was palpable. The resulting explosion would be large enough to destroy the entire tunnel network if even half of the machines lining the walls used techno-magic. The stuff was generally safe, but the round Shikaishi fired had shredded the plating. As if it was designed to do it but, the explosion might also be large enough to cause part of Atlanta to fall into the eviscerated tunnels.
I can just teleport out. The chaos the explosions are causing will disrupt any constructs enough to make an exit. But I can’t take passengers with me, they are too spread out, and that would sentence both Shikaishi and John Smith to death. But what is a human life worth? If I die, Equestria will have lost two of its most precious recourses and another element. Would my death be the one to finally release Discord from his prison?
Twilight surveyed the room. Shikaishi looked at peace with herself, eyes closed and a small smile graced her features. The small void that was Mr. Smith had stabilized, finally starting to read as alive again. Valiant Shadow was running towards the exit. 
A small voice in the back of her mind spoke with Celestia’s regal voice. ‘You persisted in the face of doubt, and your actions led to you being able to bring the real Princess Cadance back to us. Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson to learn. What are they telling you now My Faithful Student?’
“To never give up. Just because the path is hard doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. Sometimes you must do what is best for everyone and not what is best for you.” Twilight whispered reverently. She knew what had to be done, no more sitting back. Perceived power and actual power.
Twilight grabbed the running stallion in her magic along with the sparking machine. “Let’s go on a trip my errant little pony.” She said calmly. “We must both pay for our sins.”
In a flash of light, they were gone. Shikaishi was left staring at the empty space.
Twilight locked onto a familiar building in Atlanta, one which housed six very familiar alchemic seals. There were no redirects on the way there; the tunnels were never designed to keep ponies in. When she was within 100 feet of her target, Twilight released her spell and let the radiant designs drag her in, her own magic all but spent, just enough stamina left for her to keep walking. The machine landed with a thump against the concrete floor as the two ponies landed a little more gracefully. 
“What have you done?” Valiant screamed after seeing the sigils on the walls. “We’re trapped! Not even an alicorn can get past these.” He ran up to the nearest wall and began pounding his hooves against the solid concrete.
“I have trusted my instincts. Something I should have done long ago.” Twilight stated regally from a seated position. “But alicorns are not so easily killed. We control celestial objects. A simple explosion cannot destroy us.”
The machine’s sparking had increased; the two ponies knew they only had moments left.
“You’re insane!” He screamed. “It could have all been undone.”
“Nothing is ever set in stone.” Twilight replied, truly at peace for the first time in her life. A single tear rolled down her cheek.