//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: When Worlds Collide // by Biker_Dash //------------------------------// The day dawned with clear skies and crisp temperatures. Though she would have loved a cloud to lay upon as she watched the dawn, Rainbow Dash was content watching as she glided several hundred yards above the treetops. She was starting to wish for that cloud more now, due to the exertion of flight. It had to be the weaker magic of this world. Rainbow had never given it much thought on just how important magic is to flight, but she thought about it now. She was finding herself relying on the physical work a lot more than she normally would, and the higher she went, the more difficult it became for her. There would be no sonic rainbooms performed here. Setting those thoughts aside, she resumed her scans of the area. It was her duty to be watchful for any signs of any potential threats that might approach. After the incident that trapped them here, it became clear to her that this little adventure could end up being her last adventure. Every now and then, she notices things much higher up in the sky pass over. She guess them to be maybe six or so miles above her altitude, and even though they look small from here, she realizes that they much actually be pretty huge. Her sharp eyes tell her that they seem to be shaped like long cylinders with wings. The wings do not appear to move though, so just how they push themselves through the air would be anypony’s guess. Still, they are something which she watches for, just in case they become threatening. After a little while, she heads down to join the rest of them in their makeshift camp. Most of them are finishing up a breakfast consisting of various berries and other edible plant life. Sitting down next to Spitfire, she grabs some food and digs in. “How does it look this morning, Dash?” asks the leader. “See anything we should be concerned about?” Pausing her breakfast consumption, she tells Spitfire about the morning flight. “Saw a few more of those objects flying over. They don’t appear to be threatening in any way, but just the same, it’s better to watch them. While I was up there, I followed what appeared to be a road. After a while, it connected with another one that was much wider, and appeared to be made out of some sort of blackish stone. And there was something else. You know that weird, wagonlike thing you and Fancy explored? Well, I saw a few things similar traveling on it. They had lights on the front of them that lit the roadway pretty far. None of them turned up this way. So I guess we’re still safe for now.” “Tell me, how is flying here for you? You're the strongest flyer I know, and you were looking a bit winded when you landed. I know I have found flying more difficult, and so has Cloudkicker. And poor Fluttershy can barely get herself off the ground for more than a few moments. The unicorns are telling me that they are having similar issues using their magic, and the Vigilance tells me that the connection earth ponies have with the ground and plants seems to be considerably weaker.” Spitfire’s questions are interrupted by Faber plopping down next to her. “Tell me aboot it, lasseh! Me sword Claire weighs a ton naow. In Equestria, it felt light as a feather ta meh, but everypony else aboot kills ‘emselves trying to lift it.” Pulling the big broadsword from his back, he tosses it down before Spitfires hooves. “Go ahead an’ try liftin’ that, lass!” Not thinking much of it, where it looks as if it would weigh five to six pounds at the most, Spitfire attempts to lift the sword. She strains, and is just able to lift the hilt off the ground, but thats it. She lets go, and it falls with an audible thump. “What in Tartarus is that thing made of?” she asks in bewilderment. The damn thing weighs a ton. “Maybe Big Mac could carry it, but I don't think anypony else would be able to do so! “Eeyup. Ah could carry it, but that’s about it. Ain’t no way Ah could wield that thing,” says the red stallion, who had walked up behind them. “How is it that you can wield that sword of your’s when it is so heavy?” Faber replies to this question with a smug grin, saying, “She’s enchanted ta me, an’ me alone. It allows meh to wield it as if it were a wee twig.” He spits in dissatisfaction before continuing, “Unfortunately, tha weaker magic of this world makes tha ‘er heavier for meh. Claire weighs aboot a hundred pounds, but feels but as a feather to meh normalleh. Naow, she feels ta be aroun’ sixteh. Ah was talkin’ with Fancy Pants, and ‘e estimates that tha magic ‘ere is only about forteh percent o’ that in Equestria. Ah could wield ‘er, barely, but she’d be very clumsy when Ah do so.” “So, the question is, do we have enough magical strength to be able to effectively fight, if something happens that we are threatened? Our magic is under half the strength we normally have, and we have no clue whether or not the inhabitants of this world can use magic, or if they may be resistant to a unicorn’s magic attacks. There are too many unknown variables here, so it is in our best interest to stay concealed until Princess Sparkle can retrieve us.” Dash speaks up after finishing her breakfast. They had been sent here for a purpose, and although it looked like they may be here a lot longer than they had planned, they should do at least what they came to do. “What of the job that we were sent here to do? Just because we can’t get back home right now, that does not mean we should just cower here like scared rabbits. We were sent here for a purpose, and even if the situation has changed, the purpose has not,” she tells them. Standing, she walks over to them, and the remaining ponies, stand up and follow, wondering where this will go. “We were selected because we are among the best that Equestria has to offer. All of us have a reason to be here, and if we ignore that, then we dishonor the ones who gave us this opportunity to do something that NOPONY has ever done before. Yes, we will need to be careful, but we still have a job to do.” “I agree with Rainbow Dash,” says Dusty. “Granted, being cautious may make it so we explore less, but we can still do so.” Turning to the rest of the ponies, he continues, “Fluttershy, you have an incredible gift with animals. I am certain that you would want to catalog all the wildlife you see. Big Mac and Caramel have already collected a ton of the flora here, and thats just from within the wooded area here. Rainbow and Cloudkicker, you two probably know more about weather observation than anypony around. Lets not waste this opportunity.” Lyra stepped forward to voice her own two bits. “I too agree with Rainbow. Though my reason for being here will be severely hindered by caution, I can still help the others study. Besides, who wants to just sit around twiddling our hooves while waiting for Twilight Sparkle to get the portal back open and get us home?” “Speaking of which,” asks Dusty, “why has she not gotten the portal reopened so we can go home?” It was Trixie who answered this one. “My guess is that something happened during the collision that sent Captain Armor back through the portal. Maybe the equipment was damaged somehow. The equipment was not built to be knocked around, and if Shining Armor and whatever it was that hit him damaged it, it will have to be repaired before the portal can be activated. Also, what if something happened to the amulet? If that was damaged, then it will take six months for Twilight to synthesize another. To be honest with everypony here, we could be trapped here for a while.” Spitfire was not happy about all of this. She did not enjoy having her authority challenged. The only pony she allowed to do so was Soarin, but he had the advantage of being married to her. When others did it though, it pissed her off. Still, she did have to admit that Rainbow Dash had a point. And if the others agreed with her, then there was not a whole lot she could do. She could enforce her rule and be a dictator, but that would just cause bitterness among the team and could cause a rift. Or she could concede the point and go with the team’s wishes, at the same time directing them to follow as safe a manner as possible. Yes, that would be the best solution. “Okay. We will explore, but with caution. Before we do that, I suggest that we take stock of the situation. We need to know just where we stand here before we go any further.” And with that, she started asking for the reports from the various team members. * * * * * Two days have passed since Roger had initially awakened to the sight of the strange creatures in the room with him, though he did not know that such time had passed. He knew that there was a voice talking to him in his dream. A voice in a language that he had never heard before, but for some reason, he could understand just as clearly as if the person talking to him was speaking English. ”Can you understand me, Roger Huffington?” asks the voice. A woman’s voice. She sounds nice. ”Yeah, I do understand you, though I am uncertain why I do. Who are you?” he asks. ”My name is Luna.” Okay, Luna, where am I? And what were those creatures I saw? And why do I feel so relaxed right now?” ”All of that will be explained to you. I just wished to make sure that you would be able to understand us. I should let you know though, what you see when you wake up may shock you. Please understand that none of us wish you any harm. Now, it is time for you to waken.” Before he could reply, the dreamlike state that he was in faded, and he slowly returned to the conscious world.The first thing that he noticed was that he had a mild headache. That and he was incredibly thirsty. When he opened his eyes finally, he discovers that he is in what would appear to be a hospital room. But certain details were different. Where there were words, they were in some completely foreign language. Yet, like in the dream where he could understand the woman’s words to him, he could understand what was written. Looking down towards the foot of the bed, he sees something that should have him terrified, because there is no way such a creature could exist. What this creature appeared to be was a unicorn. Not quite the same size as a full grown horse, and the color was not what one would expect either. The unicorn’s coat was colored navy blue and her main and tail could only be described as looking ethereal, like the nighttime sky. Furthermore, she appeared to be wearing some sort of chest plate with a representation of a crescent moon upon it, and a crown, both black in color. For some reason, this did not shock him like he would have expected. He could not understand why he was not panicking right now. It was unnatural. Then again, everything seemed to be unnatural right now. Then the unicorn spoke. “Hello Roger Huffington, I am Princess Luna. Welcome to Equestria.” Roger is a bit dumbfounded. This is the voice he was hearing in his dream. Well, she is not a woman, per say, but she seems friendly enough. “Yeah... this is crazy. Where the hell is this Equestria, and why am I talking to a unicorn?” he asks. Standing up, luna turns sideways towards him, and flutters her wings a second. “An alicorn, actually,” she tells him, smiling. “I am here to help you understand what you are experiencing right now. I am certain that your mind is filled with questions, and I am willing to answer all that I am able.” The first thing that came to his mind to ask was to ask if he could have some water, because he was very thirsty. * * * * * Evening time has Roger being visited by four alicorns now. Being in the presence of four princesses would have most sentient creatures, pony or human, feeling intimidated, but thankfully, Princess Cadance’s calming spell has done wonders for him. Unfortunately, due to subtle differences between human and pony minds, the spell also made him feel slightly wonky. “So, all the ponies that appeared in front of me were there as an exploration team. I hope for their sake that they stay hidden. Sad to say, but Earth can be a pretty rough place. Where they are at though, I should imagine that they are fairly safe. The valley does not get too many people traveling there, though there may be the occasional hunter to worry about...” Twilight pauses in her note taking to ask a question. “Excuse me, but what exactly is a hunter? I would assume that it would be a pony that hunts or searches for something, but I am guessing that in this context, it means something different.” When Roger explains to Twilight just what a hunter on earth does, she blanches, with a queasy and slightly scared look on her face. To think that a sentient creature would kill another creature for the purpose of sport was so alien to her, she just could not conceive it. “Do not look so surprised, Dear Twilight,” Celestia tells her. “It was not too long ago that the Gryphons still hunted in a similar manner. Some still do, from what I understand, though the practice is not looked upon as being civilized even amongst themselves. Yes, to us ponies, it seems barbaric, but that is only from our perspective. You need to remember that different cultures will have different rules and moors which they follow. As an example, the Gryphons consider the earth pony practice of burial after death to be most horrifying. They are most like the pegasi whereas they prefer cremation upon death.” “I’ll try to remember that, Princess,” Twilight tells her. “I’m guessing that ponies do not eat meat either,” Roger says offhandedly, to the regret of Twilight’s stomach. “For the most part, no,” says Celestia. “Though, Pegasi used to eat fish, and there are a few who will still do so on occasion. There is no law, per say, against it, but culturally, it is considered to be revolting to most. Gryphons still eat meat, though not as much as they used to in the past. And other races do so as well. I would guess that your race does eat meat, Roger?” Roger hesitates for a moment, afraid of offending the princesses before him. Considering that they are most likely very powerful, it would not be a good thing to have them thinking poorly of him. Still, dishonesty would probably have even worse results. “Yeah, we do eat meat. Granted, there are some that choose to not do so, but they are not in the majority. And, yes, I am one who does eat meat.” Twilight gasps in disgusted shock at this revelation. To her, it was one of the most abhorrent things she could conceive of. Even worse than burning books or... wait, nothing was worse than burning books, but still! “How can you do something so revolting?” she exclaims. “It’s just... inconceivable!” “Twilight, calm down,” chides her sister-in-law. “You have to remember that he comes from a whole different world from ours, with completely different social moors and values. We do not have the right to judge him for following what is considered perfectly acceptable in his own home. Now if he were to choose to do so while here, then that would be something that we would have to have concern for. Not that it would be evil, but more of the societal ramifications that would come from that. Turning to Roger, Cadance asks pleasantly, “Would you mind telling us more about a human’s typical diet, so that we can make sure that you can enjoy a good meal, but not offend everypony in sight?” * * * * * It was a good afternoon to be in the skies, thought Warrant Officer Edwards as he was manning the equipment in the back of the helicopter. Granted, the reason for the flight was work, but he did not mind. Any chance to be airborne was looked upon as a gift. The work he was doing was looking for signs of a strange energy phenomenon that happened a few days ago. The energy surge detected just happened to be of the type that they were doing research on. Needless to say, Everyone in any position resembling authority was scrambling for answers to what was detected. And everyone without sufficient was driven like slaves by those who did. Fortunately, he was just high enough on the totem pole that he scrambled more than he slaved. They were now over a valley heading at an upwards climb towards a smaller mountain. More like just a hill in this state. As they came over the valley, Edwards noticed a black Dodge Ram parked down there. The passenger door was open, but there was no sign of an occupant. Strange, and noted, just in case it is somehow related to the incident. He turned his head to check the equipment when he saw something strange on the monitor. He could have sworn he just saw some animals down there. Weird animals though, maybe the size of deer, but colored very unnaturally. Calling to the pilot, he asks that he make another pass. * * * * * Cloudkicker was the first to hear it. The noise was a thumping sound, unlike anything they were accustomed to hearing. “Do you hear that?” she asks the other three with her. Maybe it was her formal training from West Hoof that was kicking in, or maybe it was just fear, But she was thinking that it might be in everypony’s interests if they suddenly got really well hidden. “I hear it as well,” replied Fluttershy Before anypony else could say anything, some strange machine flew into the valley from over the treeline opposite of them. It was big. It was loud. And it was coming right at them. “INTO THE TREES, NOW!” screamed Cloudkicker at the ponies with her. She had no clue what this was, but she was afraid that they may have been discovered. She jumps behind a boulder and crouches, only to have a big, red earth pony just about flatten her as he picks the same spot. Fluttershy and Lyra find hiding places as well, and Lyra pulls some brush over them all with her magic to conceal them. “Ah think we need ta get back to the others. Do ya think it saw us?” asks Big Macintosh. “I don’t know, but I think I hear it coming back,” Lyra informs them, trying to make herself more hidden. The mysterious object makes another pass over them, flying low enough that the thumping sound rattled their teeth. After a moment, it was gone. “Mac is right. We need to get back to the team. Double time it, ponies!” Cloudkicker commands and starts off towards the camp. When they got to the camp, they find out that the thing had passed over here as well. Rainbow Dash had spotted it coming first, and had warned everypony at the camp, and they believe that they were not seen. “Still, this is a bad sign,” Vigilance tells everypony. “Whatever it was, I think it was searching for something, possibly us. I hope that Princess Twilight can get the portal opened back up and get us home. I don’t like this one bit,” he adds. The silence seemed tangible as each pony delved in their own thought of family, home, and whether or not they would ever see them again. * * * * * Twilight was lost in her own thoughts as she went through the equipment that needed replacing. She knew she had a job to do here, but she could not get the things that she learned today out of her head. The fact that humans eat meat was bad enough. Just the thought turned her stomach enough to wish to vomit, but the fact that humans would also hunt other creatures just for the fun of doing so sent a cold chill down her spine. It was utterly barbaric! And the fact that it was her inability to protect her friends from getting trapped on such a world made her all the more angry. She felt fear for all of them. Would they end up hunted down and brutally killed just to please some sick and twisted thrill? As of now, she hated humankind, and all it represented. Pushing those thoughts aside, she focused on finishing up the order list for all the parts she would need. Surprisingly, it looks like the equipment could be repaired fairly quickly. Most likely two weeks tops. Still, it is the gemstones that will be the most time consuming. No matter what, it would take six months to get them made. This time, Twilight decided that she would be making multiple amulets. Enough that she should have plenty to go around. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice the entrance of the Princess of the Night. “Are you still troubled by what Roger told us today, Twilight?” she asks softly. “Yeah.” “Would you like to talk about what is bothering you?” “No. And I see that you are apparently on a first name basis with him now,” Twilight says with unconcealed distaste. This displeased her greatly that he would be treated as if he was an honored guest here. That creature’s collision with her brother got them into this mess, and the whole race was likely to be trying to eat their friends by now, so she was not feeling all that friendly towards him. “Twilight, you need to take into consideration that you cannot compare two completely alien cultures. And the accident was not his fault. He could never have guessed that the exploration team would have suddenly appeared in front of him.” Gently turning her around with her hoof, Luna looks Twilight in the eyes. “Tell me, what is it that is bothering you. Not only are you my friend, but family as well,” she tells the smaller alicorn before her. “Talk to me, Twilight. Please.” Twilight slumps dejected, with tears forming in her eyes. “It’s all my fault that they are trapped there. If I had better prepared this mission, then they would not be trapped there. I should have made more amulets, and made sure that every unicorn on the team could use them. I should have built tougher equipment. Hell, even placing the equipment out of the way would have helped.” She cannot hold in her frustration and anger any longer, and she breaks down, crying softly. When Luna wraps her forelegs around Twilight in a hug, the young mare grips her tightly in her own hug. “I should have gone with them, Luna. It’s my damn fault they are stuck there, and because of me, they all could die!” Luna says nothing, but instead, chooses to continue holding her friend close, comforting her the best that she can. * * * * * The sun was heading towards the horizon when William walked into the valley. He doesn’t often get out of work before nightfall, so he was taking advantage of this opportunity to get a little hunting in. He was hoping to bag a coyote or two, and his 7mm Remington Magnum was perfect for the job. After a moments walking, he sees a truck sitting there. It’s strange though that the door seems to have been left open. Why would the owner have left it open like that is beyond him, and he briefly feels a mild concern for the owner, hoping that everything is ok. Pulling out a small set of field glasses, he scans the treeline up the hillside. He sees something that just does not look right. There are four of them. They appear to be roughly the size of a large German Shepard, but resemble no dog he knows of. And it looks like two of them have wings even. What the friggin hell? Switching from the glasses to his rifle, he cranks the magnification on the scope and gets a closer look. Yes, the light blue and orangish yellow one definitely had wings, and so did a third one. The biggest of them, a red one, lacked them, but that did not make him any less strange. William makes a decision right there. He was going to try and bag one of them, and then he would bring it to the Sheriff’s office. They would know who to contact about this. Probably the military, as unusual as this seemed. Cycling a round into the chamber, he sights in on the light orange one with wings, and pulls the trigger. * * * * * “Are you certain that this is the best choice of action, Spitfire? Ah mean, what if the machine flies ova’ again? Ah don’t wanna get caught out in the open if it does,” Big Macintosh asks the pegasus leader. Some may not think of him to be very bright, but that is only those who do not know the stoic earth pony of few words, but wise thoughts. “Don’t tell me that you’re getting scared, Mac,” Rainbow Dash jokes. She has known the big stallion for years, and was really close friends with his sister, Applejack. She often would use joking around as a way to disguise her own personal fears, and Big Mac could tell that this was one of those times. “Eeyup. And you are as well, even if ya don’t care to admit it,” is his reply to her. “Ok, you two. Can the idle chit-chat and lets investigate this wagon down in the field. We need to try and get every clue possible about the indigenous beings here. Someone, after all, was operating that flying machine, after all,” Spitfire tells them. “And when you get there, you will find a wheel inside the thing. Do NOT touch the center...” Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh and Cloudkicker stared in shock as something seemed to hit Spitfire in the left shoulder, and virtually explode out the right shoulder, quickly followed by a sharp boom from off in the distance. The projectile that had gone through her had shattered both shoulders, and had transversed her lungs. She never stood a chance, and collapsed immediately. The three quickly snapped out of the initial shock, and rushed over to her. There was not a thing that could be done. Spitfire looked up at them and tried to say something, but all that came out was a gurgling gasp. One more faint gurgle, and a couple twitches, then nothing. “S-S-Spitfire?” Rainbow asks in disbelief, as if by saying the fallen mare’s name, it might bring her back. She does not notice the native on the far end of the field lift something to his shoulder. Neither does Big Macintosh. Cloudkicker does though. “Get down!” she yells at the remaining two, and Big Mac complies immediately. Rainbow is in too much shock to respond, and Cloudkicker tackles her to the ground. As she does, a bullet penetrates the meat of her neck, just above the spine. This is also followed by the same sharp crack boom that had caused the Wonderbolt leader to fall. The big stallion sees the pegasus get hit and hurries over to her. “Dash, help her onto my back! Hurry!” he tells the prismatic mare. They get her onto him, and they gallop off into the woods. They run for maybe a half a mile before Rainbow Dash suddenly comes to a halt. “What are ya doin’?” Big Mack asks in a panic. “We need to get the hell away from here!” “I’m goin’ back for her. We can’t just leave her behind,” she informs him. Without giving him a chance to respond to that, she takes off back the way they came. The big stallion is split on what to do, but realizes that Cloudkicker needs him to bring her back to the camp. He continues towards the camp, where he hopes that the wounded pegasus can get help for her wound. When Rainbow got to the edge of the woods, she cautiously approached the clearing, only to stop when she saw some creature standing over Spitfire’s body. It walked upright like Spike does, and seems to have claws like the little dragon too. She also notices that it wears a lot of clothing. She continues watching from her hidden position as he picks up the dead pegasus, and carries her off. With that, Rainbow Dash turns around and heads back to the camp. The team is now without it’s leader, and they are in serious trouble.