//------------------------------// // 2 - The Conduit // Story: Against The Crowd: Twilight Sparkle // by RowanSkie //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle woke up in a Ponyville-like house. But she knew she was not in Ponyville. Her confusion turned surprise when Opal showed up. Surprise turned annoyance when Opal explained what happened. Surprise turned fear when Opal said that it's a warzone outside his house. "But... why?" asked Twilight. "It's my new "home" universe, after that attempt..." Opal simply shrugged. "Hope nothing else happens. Where's the girl?" "She... gave me this, thing." Twilight raised her hoof and it was surrounded by neon light before lowering it, "then she vanished, same way how Starlight vanished." "Starlight Phoenix was a pony raised by humans," Opal said, "and she took name of Elizabeth Rose." "Huh. Can you tell me then who is Jane Numero Frost?" Twilight asked. "She's... a Founder. Founded a council in a 20-sectored city, considered as leader to the other universes... except for this universe, and yours." "She's a pegasister, too." Twilight added. Opal flinched. "How?" "How could she know me?" Opal started taking notes. "How could she know what would happen in the midst of a normal day? How did she recognize my world... universe after they open a vortex in my library in my new castle?" "Wait." Opal stopped. "You said opened a vortex in your castle?" Twilight nodded. "The Yeltor's first Convergence and the middle is..." Opal calculated in his head, "Oh, buck." "Ok..." Twilight looked at Opal, surprised. "Equestria. Right.?" "Yes..." Opal said, "which means a thousand universes opening up in your world. But I can't see your world get destroyed!" "What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "Twilight 'Ask-A-Lot' Sparkle, there are universes where they are on war. Killing. Most of them want to kill ponies. I just had to stop a war between ponies and humans when i started!" Opal explanations were true as he looked. "Oh, dear..." Twilight tried to stay calm. "When?" "Next... year." Opal said, "and by year I mean the next Summer Sun Celebration." Twilight decided to faint for the situation. Opal groaned in frustration. "I swear I was better back mining my own gems~!" He angrily cursed. Trixie looked at the Mane 5 nervously while in front of Princess Celestia. "Trixie says that there will be... a lot of universes, worlds, clashing with us... with us next Summer Sun Celebration!" she finished. [Trix, calm down. I'm still here, you know, still loving your illusions...] a voice whispered in Trixie's head. 'But Trixie's scared after nearly getting killed by a WIZARD!' Trixie thought back. 'Do you even know what that means?' [If Red was still here, he'd answer!] The voice roared back. 'Very funny.' Trixie looked at Princess Cadence, before looking back at Princess Celestia. "And, according to your conversation in your head, it's very dangerous," Princess Celestia said. "I can feel her in your head." "Who, who?" Trixie asked, trying to cover Victor Blue out. 'I hate you.' "A magic same as Opal's. He calls it Victors while I'm calling it, 'Spirits.' You have one, do you?" Princess Celestia asked. "Do you?" Trixie asked back. Victor Blue, a mirror of Trixie's magic, took over for a while. Princess Celestia nodded. She then summoned a mirror and placed it right near them. "Why mirror?" Applejack asked. "They can show those Spirits and I can tell that Twilight nearly had one." Princess Celestia walked closer to Trixie. "What do you see, Blue?" Victor Blue, or Trixie flinched. "Uh..." A certain vortex suddenly opened, interrupting the events. "Fetch! What now?" A voice familiar to Celestia said. "It just opened, remember what the pony said?" a female voice replied, "convergence? Universes merging? Delsin, you're part of this group that MAGENTA pony created!" "Um... hello?" Celestia said. [Ah, great. Delsin Rowe and Abigail Walker.] Blue said. 'Ok, Trixie must run. Now!' Trixie ran to the vortex, shape shifting midway. "Oh, hey, Trixie. Anything else?" The female voice asked. Celestia facehooved, then laughed along with the other giggling ponies. After a while, Trixie returned as the vortex closed. She has learned another trick. "Hmm. Leave us alone, for a while." Celestia said to everybody in the room except for Trixie. Afterwards, the Princess looked at Trixie, "What did Delsin told you?" "Oh, Princess." Trixie pulled out a letter from her mane. "Here, and The Great and Powerful Trixie is always at your service." Celestia read the letter which only contained two words. Twilight's coming. Celestia and Trixie looked at each other before Trixie left as well. Princess Celestia crumpled the letter and burned it in the air. She knew what was coming. She knew what to do. "Shining Armor!" Celestia called, "Double the security; and send Trixie and the Element bearers some secret bodyguards!" "Yes, Princess!" Shining shouted back. "Now, to retrieve dear Twilight..." Celestia walked outside the throne room. ~Oh don't you dare look back Just keep your eyes on me. I said your holding back, She said shut up and dance with me!~ Twilight woke up again. This time, behind Opal who had put up a shield around Twilight. Twilight was about to ask until gunshots tried to pass the barrier. "DON'T YOU ALL DARE TO ATTACK!" Opal roared. Twilight looked around the shield, and found an MP3 player. She put on the earbuds, and played the song that was present. A battle theme, and Opal put the shields down. "Work with the music," Opal said in a rhythmic fashion, "and look the world around!" Twilight listened, and clipped the MP3 player in her mane. The music, it was a dance type. But she can't dance. Opal knew it. Twilight lit up her horn as she avoided a few bullets and fired back. The spell made wounds on the gunners, but kept them alive. The blood that dropped, that snapped Twilight into realising what she'd done. "Look, I know," Opal said normally, "we're going to jump through a vortex after this." "I'm going to train my Neon powers, how about where that first?" Twilight requested. "Aha, meet my comrade, Delsin Rowe as well!" Opal created a shield that surrounded the two, then he opened a vortex, and on the other side, a man with a vest looked at Twilight, his hands being surrounded by smoke. "Delsin! Remember how I set your universe as Turn-All-to-Human?" "Yes, why?" Delsin asked. "Train Twily here, with your Neon girl!" Opal shouted, before pushing Twilight to the vortex and is turned into a human. "I'll follow!" The vortex closed. Twilight fainted again. Opal ran to his house and setted up a defense. Then, he followed.