Part 2
At the castle....
Princess Celestia paced back and forth in front of her throne.
Bright sunlight filtered through the tall stained glass windows, dust motes dancing in the light.
The princess looked up at the scene of Twilight and her friends and their defeat of Nightmare Moon.
She was apprehensive about what she was about to ask of her student and her friends.
She had been to the place she was to send the Element bearers once.
It had been a traumatic experience, so different from her homeland of Equestria.
"I can only hope they are up to this task", she muttered to herself.
A noise in the hallway caught her attention.
She looked around as Twilight and her friends entered the room.
"Greetings Princess" started Celestia.
"Princess Celestia", replied Twilight, "you summoned us?"
"Yes Twilight", continued Celestia ,"as I stated in my letter, an item has come to my attention which could prove invaluable to the defense of our home".
"That there letter of yours didn't say a whole lot else though princess", put in Applejack, her accent making a mockery of any attempt to keep the mood formal.
Secretly, this was one of the reasons Celestia enjoyed the company of Twilight and her friends.
It made a pleasant change from the constant formality her daily duties required.
"I had my reasons for that Applejack", answered the Alicorn. "What I am about to tell you is a matter of utmost secrecy. It must not leave this room".
All six element bearers immediately replied with "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye".
Celestia just barely managed to stop herself collapsing in laughter at this, and her next sentence carried a distinct tremor of subdued humor.
"I shall be...", She coughed and tried to regain a little composure.
"I shall be sending someone else with you on this trip". She looked to the door. "ENTER".
A nervous figure emerged from the gloom of the hallway.
"LYRA?!" exclaimed Twilight.
"Um...you...sent for me...princess?" said the mint green unicorn.
"Good grief"' snapped Rainbow Dash, "we expect this kind of behavior from Fluttershy! Get over here!"
Lyra trotted over to the group.
"Lyra Heartstrings is one of my undercover operatives", started Celestia.
"ARE YOU A SPY?" butted in Pinkie, her bulging eyes barely an inch from Lyra's face.
The unicorn looked down and scraped a hoof nervously from side to side, then looked through her fringe at Pinkie.
"Um...yes".
Pinkie's face lit up in a crazed grin just before she started a tirade of nonsensical questions which all other attendants to this meeting completely ignored.
Celestia, however, waited for the pink pony to calm down before continuing.
"A brief lesson is required to explain the importance of what I am asking you to do".
"You probably are not aware of this, but our magical powers are actually gained from another dimension. It is a place of pure energy, shaped by emotions. All the magical creatures of this world gain their powers by...tapping in to the energy of this realm".
Twilight's eyes couldn't have gone wider.
"So, without this realm all unicorns would have no magic?"
"You are correct, my student", answered Celestia ,"there would be no magic at all without it".
"However, negative emotions combine together, and eventually manifest as....creatures, or entities for lack of a better word in that place, that are the stuff of nightmares. They can take control of those who use magic".
.
The seven smaller ponies stood in silence. Celestia's reasons for keeping this a secret were becoming obvious.
"Equestria is protected from the attentions of these terrible beings by a magical shield which was in place long before even I was born"
The princess paused, and gazed up at the image of Nightmare Moon's defeat again.
"However, it seems to be weakening. What happened with princess Luna all those years ago, Discord's escape, and the Tree of Harmony were just the latest signs".
"I fear for what may happen if the warding shield were to fail completely with so many magical creatures here".
"So..this item you want us to find is linked to this realm?" asked Twilight.
"Indeed it is", answered Celestia, glancing sideways at her student."The item in question is a staff once used by a powerful mage of another world".
"There's...other worlds..with creatures like us?", asked Fluttershy.
"Yes Fluttershy, and no", came the reply ,"other worlds have creatures far different from us...Which reminds me".
Celestia lowered her horn at the group, and an aura surrounded them for a few moments.
"You..cast a spell on us?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"If you are to go to this world to retrieve the staff, it may prove useful if you can communicate with the creatures you meet there. The spell I just cast on you will allow you to speak with them".
"So, princess, how do we get there?", asked Twilight ,"and what can we expect there?"
"The world I am sending you to is a war torn realm. You must be careful. As for the how, you may remember this magical mirror?"
"Will we...change when we cross over?" asked Twilight with a shudder at the memories of her last foray through that mirror.
"My operative, who has informed me of the staff, has stated that her appearance did not alter in this place".
Celestia cast a spell at the mirror, and the image changed to a bleak trench, smoke drifting lazily across the scene.
The expressions on the gathered ponies said far more of what they thought than words could.
The princess didn't react to this show of disapproval, knowing as she did exactly what lay over there.
"One last thing", added Celestia, "the operative I sent to gather information has remained to reconnoiter the area. She has not reported back to me recently however".
"Looking at that dreadful place I fear something terrible could have happened", stated Rarity, "who is she, if you don't mind me asking?".
"The operative?", Celestia's answer was cryptic. "Let's just say I chose someone who wouldn't stand out in that place".
"But it's so dark and icky", said Rarity.
"Exactly", replied Celestia ,"look at the colors of yourself and your friends. You are going to be quite easy to spot".
The princess looked back to the mirror.
"According to my source, the staff I need you to find has an eight pointed star on the top. Ironically, this is one of the symbols of the very realm we are trying to keep at bay. It's power should call to anyone with magical ability, so Twilight, Rarity and Lyra should be able to home in on it".
"So that's why ya called for Lyra is it?" Applejack's response was more of a statement than a question.
"Partly Applejack", Celestia answered ,"she also has combat and survival training which could prove useful out there".
"But....why me? Surely there are royal guards who could do the job better?" Lyra butted in.
"The Element bearers know you much better than my royal guards. And I believe out of the operatives in Ponyville, you are the best qualified".
Lyra blushed at this compliment. "Thank you princess".
"Princess", piped up Rarity ,"I have just one question".
"And what is that?" replied Celestia.
"Erm, if your operative has knowledge of the whereabouts of this staff you want us to find, why did she not return with it herself?"
"A good question", came the response,"apparently, she did attempt to get to the staff, but could not remove it from it's location due to a powerful shield of some kind. Also, she did state that there were many soldiers fighting across that land, and trying to get back carrying the staff would have been impossible even if she had managed to acquire it".
"I understand", answered the white unicorn ,"So this is why you requested Twilight, to break the barrier and help the operative escape".
The princess nodded.
Celestia lowered her head to the group in respect. "Good luck my little ponies. I pray for your success".
And with that, the group stepped through the mirror and in to another world.