//------------------------------// // Opening the Way // Story: The Last Crusade // by CyborgSamurai //------------------------------// Chapter 14: Opening the Way The school was in an abysmal state. Wait, I take that back. Calling it abysmal would’ve been giving it a compliment. Instead, let’s say it was in a decrepit, derelict, deteriorating, dilapidated, deformed state. Yeah, that’s about right. You might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. The windows and doors were boarded up or broken, the walls were crumbling and cracked, the fields were overgrown and desolate, and the rest of the grounds were in no better shape. Fallen leaves and branches littered the patchy grass with small piles of garbage in the corners, all in various stages of decay. The building’s paint was either peeling or faded, with only a few horseshoe emblems here and there hanging on by rusty, eroded nails. I think it’s safe to say that Canterlot High had seen better days. We pulled into the pothole-riddled parking lot and just sat there in stunned silence, staring. It was actually kind of impressive in a way. I mean, the place had been long abandoned, but instead of a few decades of decomposition, it looked like a few millennia. This wasn’t just your normal, run-of-the-mill abandoned building we were dealing with, here. This was a ruin—a shattered husk of a structure, a long-forgotten relic better suited for a post-apocalyptic setting rather than the modern day. It was Shmangie who said what was on everyone’s mind. “Wow. What a shithole.”  Scootaloo burst out laughing. “You’re telling me! I’ve seen demolition sites in better shape!” “Why the hay hasn’t this place been torn down?!” Apple Bloom reared to look out the window. “This is a residential area! There are kids runnin’ around here! Any buildin’ inspector would have a heart attack if they saw this!” “Please tell me we don’t have to go in there,” Babs whimpered. “I’m calling it now—it’s gonna collapse right on our heads.” I said nothing as I opened the van door. I doubted the school’s interior was worth exploring, but I didn’t want to make any decisions until I got a closer look. We’d come this far, after all. I wanted to at least look around a bit. A chill wind greeted me as I hopped to the ground. The stars twinkled in the night sky, the full moon was almost at its zenith, and the thick grass glistened with silvery dew. I sniffed the air and caught the scent of water, which I knew was from the Mississippi. It was hard to say where Rarity and the others would be coming in, but I guessed they’d just pull right up due to the riverbanks not being very steep in this area. “Whoa...” Apple Bloom said. Something in her voice gave me pause. I turned around and saw her shuddering with gritted teeth. “Celestia’s bones,” she said. “You gals feel that?” I frowned. “Feel?” And then it hit me. It started as an itch in my horn, then swept through my body as an involuntary spasm. “Ah!” I yelped and looked wildly around. “Holy horseapples! What is that?!” Babs and Scootaloo felt it as well. Babs reacted more or less like me and Apple Bloom, but Scootaloo was different. Her eyes became wide and dilated, her wings twitching as her lips parted in an open-mouthed gape. “What are you all—” Shmangie froze in her tracks, then squirmed like she’d touched something unpleasant. “Ooooooh.” I realized with a start it was the air. It was thicker, somehow—no, that wasn’t it. Charged, maybe? It was almost like we were in a cloud, with the moisture collecting on our coats and making our skin prickle. It felt familiar somehow, tantalizingly so, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it for the life of me. Fortunately, Scootaloo had a better memory for such things. “Aether,” she said. We all looked to her in surprise. “Huh?” I said. Scootaloo smiled and fluttered to the ground. “That’s what we’re feeling—it’s aether. It’s leaking in from Equestria around here somewhere. Looks like there really is a portal, after all.” It was almost embarrassing that I hadn’t recognized it. It’d been something I’d lived with my entire Equestrian life, after all. I closed my eyes and reached out with my telekinesis, and sure enough, I felt the ambient magic flex and twist around me like a rubber band.  “Dios,” I whispered. “Mmhmm,” Scootaloo said. She kicked at a chunk of asphalt. “Pretty obvious why the school is so messed up, now. Equestria’s magic is clashing with Earth’s and knocking everything out of whack. I can’t imagine what the weather’s like here if this is how bad the school is.” Babs gulped. “Um, should we really be around here if the aether’s making the school fall apart?” Scootaloo laughed. “We’re fine. A few hours of exposure to distorted aether isn’t gonna hurt us. A few years, on the other hoof...” I chuckled and nudged her in the side. “Look at you, using big words and sounding all smart. I’m so proud of you!” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “This is Tempulari 101, Little Miss ‘I Went To College.’ Every pegasus is taught this before they can even learn how to read.” “Sure looks like there ain’t a whole lotta control ‘round here, though.” Apple Bloom squinted at the ruined building. “Heck, I’m surprised the place is still standin’.” Scootaloo followed her gaze. “It won’t be for much longer at this rate. The building’s been exposed to large amounts of aether shifting back and forth for what, twenty-something years? Non-living things just can’t handle a lot of magic changing like this. Living creatures can, though. They just store the extra aether for later or use it right away for a quick boost.” “Think that applies to humans, too?” Shmangie asked. Scootaloo shrugged. “Probably. Humans can’t use magic, though, so I dunno they do with the excess.” Shmangie snorted. “With my luck it’ll all go to my thighs.” “Ah!” Babs’ ears perked up. She swiveled in the direction of the waterfront. “You all hear that?” We all fell quiet and listened. At first I heard nothing, but then ever so faintly, the telltale clip-clop of approaching hoofsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the river… followed by a familiar set of voices. “It’s them, it’s them!” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed with excitement. “Let’s go!” “Wait!” I grabbed on to her tail before she could run off. “They told us to stay behind, remember?” “Yeah, and we didn’t listen!” Scootaloo pulled against my magical hold. “Come on, it’ll be fine. We’ll just give them a dose of adoracute and they’ll let us tag along!” “I’m so glad I’m immune to that,” Shmangie muttered under her breath. “I dunno,” Apple Bloom said from behind me. “Might be safer to hang back for now. See what they’re plannin’ before we just barge in, ya know?” Babs tilted her head towards the river. “They're almost here. We need to decide quick.” Scootaloo looked between the four of us, but realized she was in the minority. She sighed and stopped fighting to free herself. “What’s this ‘look before you leap’ crap all of a sudden? Ugh, fine, we’ll spy on them for a little while, but not for forever! Dash is gonna get a piece of my mind whether she likes it or not!” “Yes, yes,” I said dismissively. I let her go and looked around for a place for us to hide. There wasn’t much cover to be had, but there were several overgrown bushes shrouded safely in darkness. “Over here!” I headed over for the nearest one. It was a yew, thick and scratchy with deep green needles. I wiggled my way inside and found that there was plenty of room for the four of us. “Shman’!” I called from the bush. “Stay in the van!” I heard her laugh in reply. “Sure thing. Not a fan of shrub diving, anyways.” Scootaloo and the others joined me in the bush. Shmangie got back in the van and turned off the lights. Just in time, too, because just a few seconds later, Dash, Pinkie, Twilight, Jack, Fluttershy, and Rarity came into view. Each of them had slightly damp manes and saddlebags. Dash had a smartphone attached to one of her forelegs. We watched them approach and head for the front of the school. “Uh, Twilight?” Dash abruptly said as they walked past us. “This place creeps me the hell out.” We had to stifle our snickers. Rainbow Dash, ladies and gentlemen: Master of Tact. Rarity nodded. “I must admit I’m getting an unpleasant vibe. I think it’s something in the air.” “Well, the portal is open now,” Twilight said from beside them. “This is when the town experiences the most disturbances. I think everyone who lives here can feel that, only they don’t know what it is.” “And neither do you,” I said in a bitter whisper. “What an embarrassment; the Element of Magic can’t even—” Apple Bloom smacked me. “Shh!” Speaking of Twilight, that was the first time I’d actually seen her since being on Earth. I’d avoided her before so I wouldn’t let slip about my memories, but I’d also had another reason. I’d identified with Twilight in a ton of ways when I was human, from being passionate about learning to having an introverted personality to being socially awkward. I had a very specific image in my head of who she was and what she was supposed to be like, and even after recovering the truth, that image hadn’t changed much. I feared that that image wouldn’t match up to who she was now, and if that turned out to be true… We all watched in silence as Dash and the others walked past us and up to the front gate of the school, idly chatting all the while. Once there, though, they seemed to realize something was wrong. “So, um... Twilight,” Fluttershy said slowly. “Is this the front of the school?” Twilight looked around and said something I couldn’t hear. “...statue should be right out in front of the main gate on our left. It has a white base and is made of marble, I think.” Pinkie was the one who noticed it. “Mmmm, Coach?” She waved a hoof at the front gate. “We have a problem, then. We have no statue.” A chill ran down my spine. “Uh-oh…” “Wait, what?!” Dash said. She walked up to the front gate proper. “It’s supposed to be here!” Twilight sank back onto her haunches. “It’s… gone?” Pinkie scoffed. “Oh, come on! Who steals a statue!? Honestly, now.” They all stared for a few seconds. Then, Twilight galloped to the shallow impression in the ground, her voice rising with panic. “No… no! It’s supposed to be here! The disturbances, the town, the portal, everything! The statue has to be here! It can’t be missing! It... it just has to be here! It’s our only way back!” “Sweetie,” Babs whispered in my ear. “You said Cadance’s vision showed the statue inside a building, right?” I nodded. That was a good point. They’d probably want to know— “It’s been moved inside the field house due to repeated attempts at vandalism,” Jack said calmly. —or maybe they’d figure it out on their own. Twilight froze mid-panic attack. “Wait, what? How do you know?” “I’m guessing that’s what it says on the plaque that she’s reading.” Rarity gestured to a bronze plaque at the base of where the statue once stood. Jack nodded. “Yep. Says here it was moved in 1993. I’m guessing that’s the field house over there.” She pointed at a large, blocky building across the road with the school’s name across the top. “Phew.” Twilight wiped the sweat off her brow. “Well, hehe, that was an unnecessary scare. Though I suppose it’s good to hear they had to move it due to vandalism. That fits in with the theory that people are drawn to this location.” “Well, duh,” Scootaloo grumbled. “It’s only natural that people would be interested in something that makes them feel funny. You don’t drink alcohol for the taste, after all.” “Would you all be quiet?!” Apple Bloom hissed. “I suppose we should be thankful it’s been moved,” Dash said. She grimaced and looked around. “This place is exposed as all hell.” Twilight giggled. “Yeah, you’re right. I’d rather not toy with the fabric of reality while in clear view of an entire residential area.” Dash started trotting towards the building. “Great. Let’s get—” Apple Bloom sneezed. The noise caught me off guard and made me lose my balance, causing me to tumble out of the bush with a loud rustle. Dash stopped and turned her head at the noise. “Shit!” I dove behind the bush and out of sight before she could see me. My heart thundered in my chest as I lay stock still, cursing my white coat all the while. “Dash?” I heard Jack say. “Let’s get what?” An eternity passed. I held my breath the whole time, not daring peer around the corner. Finally... “It’s nothing,” Dash said. “Just thought I saw something. Let’s get moving.” I let out a sigh of relief. I took several deep, calming breaths, trying to dilute the adrenaline rush. Looking back on it, I suppose it wouldn’t have been a big deal if she’d found me, but still, I didn’t want to reveal ourselves just yet. “They’re gone,” Babs said. She stepped out of the bush and helped me up. “You all right?” “Yeah,” I said. I turned and gave Apple Bloom a dirty look. “Gesundheit.” Apple Bloom blushed. “Sorry.” Scootaloo started heading for the field house. “Let’s follow them.” “Right.” I went over to the van to get Shmangie, but as I approached, I saw that she was on the phone. She met my eyes and shook her head. I felt a touch of annoyance, but let it go. I left her to it and followed after the others. *** The field house was basically an oversized pole shed with a concrete floor. There weren’t any lights on in the place, but Dash and the others were still clearly visible in the center of the room thanks to the glow from Rarity and Twilight’s horns. They’d found the statue—a large, tacky thing depicting a horse rearing up on its hind legs. “Psst!” Apple Bloom whispered as I stepped inside. “Sweetie!” I looked to my left and saw that she and the others were crouched underneath a cart of old sports equipment. I crept over and squeezed in beside them. “I miss anything?” I asked. Scootaloo shook her head. “They’re trying to figure out how to activate it.” Just then, Twilight’s horn glowed brighter. She reared up and started smacking the statue with her hooves. “Come on, open!” we heard her say. “Open, you stupid thing! Unblock yourself, I know you can do it! Work with me, statue! Come on!” Dash and Jack started to move toward Twilight, but stepped back again when she started firing spells off at random. “OPEN UP!” she screamed. “I KNOW YOU’RE HERE, PORTAL! JUST OPEN UP!” Dash and the others dove for cover. I didn’t blame them one bit. Heck, one of the spells ricocheted and came dangerously close to hitting us all the way back by the entrance. Scootaloo cringed. “Maybe we should—” BOOM A sound like cannonfire echoed off the walls, and the room abruptly became filled cyan light. We all covered our ears and shut our eyes, and it was several seconds before the light and noise faded. I opened my eyes, blinking several times to get the dots out of my vision. Once I could see again, though, I questioned whether or not my sight was working right. “What the...” Standing in front of the statue was a hologram—well, technically it was a spell called Conditional Image, but just think of it a hologram for simplicity’s sake. That wasn’t the surprising bit, though; it was who the hologram portrayed that made me pause. “Sunset Shimmer?” I said. “Who?” Babs said. I realized she and the others had no idea who she was. I gave them a rundown as quick as I could. “Villain from Equestria Girls, stole Element of Magic, fled to Earth, turned into a demon thing, got hit by rainbow of doom, did a heel-face turn, happy ending.” “Got it,” Babs said. Unfortunately, we were too far away to hear what Sunset was saying. We could see that she was clearly in a hurry and very much on edge, but that was it. Her message lasted for a minute or more, then suddenly, she blinked out and left us all in darkness. “That was interesting,” Apple Bloom said as Twilight and Rarity turned their horns back on. “What’cha think that was all about?” “Dunno,” I admitted. “Could’ve been anything, really. It’s hard to even say where or when she made that message.” “Could any of you hear what she was saying?” Babs asked. We all shook our heads. “Maybe…” Babs paused a moment. “Maybe we should get closer, then? I mean, we can’t even hear Jack and the others from back here. We can’t help if we don’t know what’s going on.” She had a point. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo murmured their approval, as well, so I started looking around for a closer place that we could sneak to. And that was when Dash turned around and bellowed at the top of her lungs. “SWEETIE BELLE! SCOOTALOO!” Stupid, stupid, stupid white coat. “The hay?!” Apple Bloom hissed. “How’d she know?” Babs groaned. “She must’ve seen Sweetie when she fell out of the bush. So much for being Cutie Mark Crusader Stalkers.” I smiled despite myself. “That would’ve been a lousy cutie mark, anyways.” “Come on, the jig’s up.” Scootaloo crawled out from under the cart. “May as well go to them.” We all followed suit and walked as a group towards Dash. *** “Were we really that obvious?” Apple Bloom asked once we we’d gotten in range. Dash rolled her eyes. “Please. Even if I hadn’t seen Sweetie fall out of that shrub, I half-assumed you all would’ve been here anyway. I mean, the CMC not following us and getting into trouble? Come on, now.” Had us dead to rights, there. My eyes flickered briefly to Rarity, whose expression was unreadable. I laughed nervously before turning my attention back to Dash. “So, you’re not mad?” Dash waved a hoof. “A little, but forget about it. You might be our only key to getting back.” So this was what Cadance had seen in her vision. I was about to tell them what Shining had told me, but before I could… Dash decided to be a bitch. “You told me before that you somehow have your memories from your old life in Equestria, right? You don’t by chance remember any mirrors in Ponyville, do you?” “She has WHAT?!” Twilight screeched. Oh, if looks could kill. I swear, I was so mad that I would’ve hit Dash with a spell if I’d known any. She was the one who’d said not to tell Twilight about our memories, and then she goes and casually mentions it right in front of her? Element of Loyalty, my ass! Twilight ran over to me with wild eyes. “How? When? Why didn’t anyone tell me?!” Jack nervously wet her lips. “Look, Twilight, it’s complicated. Can we not get into this right now? The portal timer’s counting down.” I have no idea what Twilight’s expression was. Probably some variation of shocked, but I can’t be sure. I was too busy trying to make Dash spontaneously combust. “Right, right.” Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, I just... wow, that means... okay, right! Focus on one thing at a time, got it! Sweetie Belle, we need your help to open the portal. Can you clearly... remember... any mirrors?” The strain in her voice was almost painful. I hated doing this to her, but the truth wasn’t something I could easily explain. I finally stopped giving Dash the stink-eye and instead focused on Rarity. “There were lots in them in Carousel Boutique… er, if it hasn’t been destroyed, anyways. The big vanity in the basement is probably the best bet. It was on the wall in the very back next to some old dresses and mannequines.” Rarity and the others exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them. Their silence stretched on and on, until at last, Apple Bloom spoke up and added to my declaration. “The rest of us all have our memories, too, ya know. If Carousel Boutique don’t work, then I remember one or two at Sweet Apple Acres. I’m sure Babs ‘n Scoots know a few, too.” Scootaloo and Babs nodded. All eyes fell on Twilight, who just yawned and flicked one of her wings. “Hey, don’t ask me. You all heard the same message from Sunset. You know just as much as I do.” Celestia help me, I wanted to throw something. They’d just got done saying that this wasn’t the time for hemming and hawing, and now they were dragging their hooves on a decision! “Just tell me what to do,” I said in an exasperated voice. “Oh, um… right.” Twilight gestured to the statue. “The mirror on the other side is broken, so the portal isn’t connected to anything. We need someone to focus on a mirror in Equestria, then touch your horn to the statue. The portal should do the rest.” Well, I sure as hell wasn’t gonna stand there all night. I started heading for the statue as soon as Twilight finished talking. “I’m gonna try it.” Nopony made a move to stop me. Hypocrisy at its finest, I swear. I walked past all of them without comment, only stopping briefly to brush my tail across Rarity’s leg. Hey, I wasn't mad at her.  The statue looked even tackier up close. The base was of marble, smooth and unblemished, which surprised me due to it being the source of the aether distortion. Maybe there was some kind of spell cast on it to keep it from decaying? I had no idea. All I knew was that my horn was itching like hell and I wanted to get this over with. I looked up at the sculpture of the rearing stallion and curled my lip. “Always hated that movie.” I focused on the image of the vanity and closed my eyes, then reached out and touched the statue. Almost instantly, the itching in my horn intensified. I bit my lip and pressed harder, only vaguely aware of Scootaloo and the others cheering me on. I could feel something tugging at my mind, something small and dense, like a black hole pulling me towards its event horizon. That imagery was unsettling, but I let it guide me nonetheless. My magic activated of its own accord. I didn’t question it. I still felt like I was being pulled, so I leaned forward and touched my horn to the statue. The magic in the air increased in response, making it feel like the air was filled with static. The aether distortion became visible as waves of energy began to pour off the statue. “Almost… got… it!” And now we interrupt this story to bring you Sweetie Belle’s Fun Fact of the Day! Did you know that re-opening an interdimensional rift creates a repulsive force powerful enough to knock back a thirty-five pound object over two dozen yards? Yeah, neither did I. BA-WUMPH I got punted like a damn football. I was sailing through the air past the entire group before I could even register I’d been hit. I flew halfway back to the building’s entrance and skidded to a halt on the concrete floor, blinking in surprise and staring up at the ceiling. “SWEETIE!” Rarity and the Crusaders all rushed to me, speaking at once and voicing their concerns. My vision dimmed as I coughed and raised a smoking hoof in the air. “Portal’s open.” And then I passed out. *** I wasn’t out for very long. When I awoke, I found I’d been placed under a blanket and moved over to the side. I realized the blanket was yellow and made of feathers. I looked up and saw Fluttershy, her wing draped over me with an expression of concern. “You scared us pretty badly, there,” she said. “We were afraid that the worst had happened.” “Ugh.” I winced as I tried to move. I was sore all over, and it hurt when I took a deep breath. “Did anyone get the number of that wormhole?” Fluttershy didn’t laugh. She didn’t move her wing, either. “You’re lucky you didn’t break a rib. I want you to rest for a while so you can recover.” I was about to argue, but then her eyes hardened and drilled me with an intensity that shook me down to the core. Her stare was so sudden that it caught me off guard, and my retort died away as I quailed. I nodded meekly and resigned myself to being nurtured. And that was when I noticed that someone was yelling. “You want to talk about frights?! How about the one you gave us when we heard you were going off on your own? Did you not think we would worry? Did you even care? Or are you going to sit there and try to tell me that your feelings are more important than ours?” The voice was Shmangie’s. I looked over and saw her standing a ways away by Rarity and Twilight, her face utterly livid as she loomed over them with her hands on her hips. “That wasn’t it at all!” Rarity protested. Her back was turned to me, so I couldn’t see her expression. “We just didn’t want to put any of you in harm’s way!” “So we’re supposed to obediently sit by while the six of you play in traffic because you’re the Elements of Harmony.” Shmangie made a derisive noise. “You know, that argument might have some weight if you actually had the damn necklaces, but in case you hadn’t noticed, you don’t.” I felt my stomach drop. “Aww, poop. I was afraid this would happen.” “It’s not as bad as you think,” Fluttershy said gently. “There’s a lot going on, and they all just have different ideas on what’s best for you.” I leaned against Fluttershy and closed my eyes. “But I don’t want them to fight.” Fluttershy looked at the arguing trio and sighed. “Neither do I.” “Now, hold on!” Twilight said. “The Elements can’t be the only way to defeat Discord! There have to be other ways! I might even know some of them if Sweetie Belle—!” Shmangie rounded on her. “I’m only going to explain this to you once, so listen, and listen good. Discord sensed when Mage broke the curse on him—herself and the others. If she does it for anyone else, Discord will instantly know who’s been freed and where they are. We’ll be throwing up a chaos-colored beacon and painting a bullseye on our foreheads if we break the curse on anyone, so are you willing to stake all our fates on a dice roll?” Twilight paled. “He… he can sense it? Oh… oh my gosh, that’s… oh jeez, I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” Shmangie held up a hand. “No, you didn't. And it’s our fault for not telling you in the first place, so I'm not going to hold it against you. But now that you do know, you should understand why that's not an option.” “Discord’s also threatened to banish me and Angie to different dimensions if Sweetie frees anyone else,” Rarity said in a quiet voice. “It’s frustrating, but I’m afraid Sweetie can't help us.” Twilight wilted. She looked between both of them, then jerked her head away and slammed her eyes shut. “This… this isn’t fair! The key to everything, to beating Discord! It’s all right there, and you're telling me we can't use it?” I decided to make myself known. “Welcome to my world," I said in a loud voice. All three of them turned. “Sweetie!” Rarity rushed over. “Are you all right? How do you feel?” I grunted. “Like Applejack bucked me in the chest.” I heard a loud laugh from behind me. Shmangie kneeled down and grabbed my chin so I couldn’t look away. “Five. Minutes. I leave you alone for five fucking minutes, and this is what you do?!” I smiled weakly. “It worked, didn’t it?” Shmangie narrowed her eyes. Suddenly it felt like I was staring at a predator. “Er, I-I mean, I'm sorry! Yes, very, very, very sorry. I-I’m a total idiot; I shouldn’t have done something so reckless.” “Damn right,” Shmangie said sharply. “If you weren't hurt already, I'd slap you so hard that your entire face would go numb!" I gulped. "Please, don't be so hard on her," Fluttershy said. "It was our fault for asking her to do it in the first place." "But it was her decision to go along with it," Shmangie replied without looking at Fluttershy. "She's just as much to blame as all of you." This wasn't looking good. I was half-afraid that she was going to insist on going back to the farm. I'll grant that she had a reason to be angry, but her overprotectiveness was starting to get on my nerves. What'd happened was something none of us could predict, and compared to what potentially lay ahead in the future, this was downright tame. Fortunately, it seemed that Shmangie realized that as well. "Although... it's not like things would've changed if I was here." She let go of my chin and sighed with a soft curse under her breath. "I just wish I'd been in here instead of taking that stupid call. I hate it when I miss out on important things." I hung my head. "I'm sorry, sis." Shmangie exhaled out her nose and looked away. "Are you gonna be doing any more stupid things tonight?" I looked over at Rarity, who was fussing with my mane and had just brought over a pillow. Fluttershy, who was in full Mama Bear Mode, and even Twilight, who’d found an ice pack from somewhere and was putting it on my chest. I gulped as I lay surrounded by the doting mares. “I-I don’t think so, no.” “Good.” Shmangie stood back up. “You are going to lay there and do nothing until morning. Mikey and the others are getting our things out of the van. Once they’re done, we’re all going to get some sleep, and I expect you to do the same. Okay?” I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Shmangie’s eyes flickered at the address. She opened her mouth to say more, but shut it just as quick. She turned and left the field house without saying another word. My emotions were mixed as I watched her go. I wanted her to stay, but I also knew how she felt. It was probably best to let her be. “Quite the sister you have,” Twilight remarked dryly. “It’s been a while since anyone’s reamed me out.” I couldn’t help but grin. “Dealing with arguments is her job. She’s a director of human resources.” Twilight barked out a short laugh. “It shows.” “We really weren’t trying to abandon you, you know,” Rarity said with a soft nuzzle. “We just didn’t know what to expect here.” I suddenly felt very tired. Tired of the miscommunication, tired of the incorrect assumptions, tired of the snap decisions that kept putting everypony on edge. We were all assuming the worst because we wanted to prepare for it, and our paranoia was making us think that everyone was a Disney villain. I reached out and put my hoof on top of hers. “Just… don’t leave me in the dark anymore, okay? I want to know what’s going on.” Rarity nodded. “Fair enough.” Fluttershy shifted beside me. “Um, you should probably know then that Dash went through the portal while you were out.” I did a double-take at that. “She already went through? Really?” “We needed someone to test it,” Twilight explained. “She’s been gone for about ten minutes now.” I wasn’t sure what to think about that. On the one hoof, it was pretty risky to just charge through without thought or preparation, but on the other, well… what alternative was there? “Well, has anyone contacted Shining and Mac yet?” I asked. “It’s going to take them a while to get here.” “Not yet,” Rarity said. “We will once Dash gets back, though.” As if on cue, the statue started to hum. Waves of magic radiated off the base again, and in a bright flash, a naked human female stumbled out of the portal and fell flat on her face. Silence. The woman didn’t move. Neither did we. My eyes swept over the stranger as I tried to identify who she was, but I’d never seen her before. However, there was really only person it could be, so I decided to take a shot in the dark. “Um... Dash?” “Urgh.” The woman came to and slowly sat up. She had long auburn hair, bright blue eyes, a lean athletic build and a generous chest. She shook her hair out of her eyes and looked around woozily. “Remind me to give this portal a bad review on Google Maps,” she said in a familiar scratchy voice. “It’s like getting punched in the gut every time you use it.” I laughed. Getting punched in the gut, eh? Bitch, please. Twilight walked over to Dash, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Holy crap, you’re…” Dash raised an eyebrow. “What’s the problem? I’m back. What, did you expect me to not return or something?” Rarity trotted over to her as well. “Dash, darling, you’re um... human." Dash stared at both of them, then looked down at her hands. The realization hit her like a tidal wave as she let out a yelp. “Oh... fuck! Wow, I really should have seen this coming.” To be perfectly honest, we all should have. We knew that the portal turned ponies into humans upon coming to Earth, after all. Why would that suddenly change? Twilight raised her eyebrows. “Huh. It looks like the portal just makes your body fit your destination.” “No shit, egghead!” Dash shivered and rubbed her forearms. “Argh! This really sucks! I’m freezing here!” I stayed quiet next to Fluttershy as Dash got used to her new body. I could’ve told her that Shmangie had some spare clothes that she could wear, but seeing as she’d been an ass earlier, I wasn’t exactly in a helpful mood. Rarity eventually took pity on her, though, and gave her a blanket to cover up. “We've all seen you naked as a pony these past few weeks, you know,” Rarity said. “I hardly see the need to cover yourself now just because you're human.” “This is different!” Dash struggled to tie the blanket around her so that it covered her chest. “It just feels creepy to be carrying around these... things... out in the open.” “Oh, come on! We're all girls here,” Pinkie said. She’d been rooting around in the sports equipment over in the far corner. “Maybe you're just insecure in their size? Ooooh, I bet my set would be bigger than yours if I go through the portal and come back out!” Dash blushed. “Pinkie!” I snickered. “Well, technically, if the fanon was correct then hers would be bigger, followed by Applejack, then Fluttershy.” Fluttershy meeped. I giggled and patted her shoulder. “Hey, don’t be ashamed. You’re practically worshipped as a sex goddess.” Fluttershy facehooved. “Not helping, Sweetie.” Dash buried her face in her hands. “And neither is this discussion.” Jack groaned. “Yeah, so I’m just gonna say right now that if it means I end up as a blonde with a big rack, I’m never going to come back through that portal.” Rarity smirked slightly. “That’s quite understandable. Breasts up on the chest? Ugh, so tacky. I don’t know whose idea it was to put them there on humans.” She waved a hoof at Dash. “I mean, just look at how silly those look on her!” Dash groaned again. “Can we just hurry up and get this suicide mission over with?” Twilight smirked. “It’s going to take a while for the backup to arrive. Better get comfy with that body of yours, woman.” Dash covered herself up completely with the blanket and curled into a ball on the floor. “Urgh, Discord, just kill me now, please.” I figured I might as well follow Shmangie’s orders and catch some Z’s, as well. We needed to plan, yeah, but it wasn’t gonna do us any good if we were sleep deprived, and we had some time until Shining and the others arrived. The others all got comfortable, and I snuggled closer to Fluttershy. I let myself drift off, trying my hardest to keep my mind at peace. For when we woke up... we would be going to war.