//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two 
// Story: The Elements of Harmony and the Savior of Worlds 
// by RK_Striker_JK_5 
//------------------------------//

"Mom! Michelle's making weird faces at me!"

A groan threatened to erupt from Megan Richards's throat as she turned around to face her two daughters at the kitchen table. "Danielle, you're going to the University of Kentucky next year. I think you're old enough to deal with Michelle sticking her tongue out at you." She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at Danielle. "Now make nice."

Danielle, the older and a high school senior with dark hair, brown eyes, and a perpetually squinty look, met Megan's stare for a moment before looking to her sister and growling, "I'm sorry for... overreacting to your tongue sticking out." She looked back down at her plate and began shoveling bacon and eggs into her mouth.

Michelle, seven years younger with lighter hair and a ribbon clipped to a braid, shrugged. "Sure, sis. I'll make sure not to frighten you with the evil eye ever again!" she said, smirking.

Megan rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove, muttering to herself. She grabbed a spatula and, with a smirk, twirled it around in her hand before flipping a pancake over. "Still got it," she whispered to herself. The sound of heavy boots treading across the kitchen floor caught her attention and she looked over her shoulder. "About time you got here," she said, grinning as her husband walked up.

Mike Richards walked up behind Megan and wrapped his arms around her stomach, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry, just had to make sure I had everything." He pulled away and hefted a tool belt and pulled down on the hard hat resting on his black hair. "I'll be home early today. Is Daniel still coming over for dinner?" 

Megan nodded, her throat constricting for a moment. She coughed into her hand and grunted before speaking. "No way he'll miss out on my famous meatloaf." She looked Mike over and sighed. "Just be careful, all right?" She waved him off as he rolled his eyes. "Oh, you know I'll always worry about you on the site! Just like you worry about me on the ranch." 

Mike chuckled and kissed Megan again, lingering longer before pulling away. "Hey, I'm the best!" he said before turning and walking over to the table. He dropped his tool belt to the floor, sat down and looked at Danielle and Michelle. "You two ready for school? Homework all set?"

Danielle nodded. "Yeah, Dad. Report's coming fine and all the rest of my stuff’s fine." She took another bite of breakfast before glaring at Michelle from the corner of her eyes. "If someone didn't hog the computer so much, my report might be done!"

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Oh, you had no problem eating up bathroom time in the shower, did you?" She looked about as her mother and father looked to her. "Well... " She slumped down in her chair and crossed her arms. "Okay, okay! No more hogging of the computer. I'll be good."

Megan nodded. "Good." She looked to Danielle. "And no more hogging of the bathroom, either."

Danielle swallowed her bacon hard, coughing. Her eyes watered as she fumbled for her water glass. Danielle took a long gulp sip of water. "Okay," she gasped out.

Mike patted her on the shoulder. "You all right?" At her nod, he resumed eating, keeping a wary eye on his daughter.

The rest of the time passed idly by for the family as they ate breakfast, chatting a bit about their upcoming day. Mike soon grabbed his tool belt and cleared his spot at the table, followed by Danielle, Michelle, and Megan. Megan walked with them through the living room and to the front door, Danielle and Michelle with their school bags and and Mike hefting his tool belt over his shoulder. A yellow school bus pulled up and the two students boarded it, pausing and waving sheepishly to their parents as they blew kisses at them before the bus pulled off.

Mike turned to Megan and kissed his wife on the cheek. "Plans for today?" His brow furrowed slightly.

Megan shrugged and paced a bit on the front steps, organizing her thoughts before speaking. "Well, I've got the day off from the ranch and no real errands to run. So I figure I'd indulge my publisher by getting started on the next book." She rolled her eyes and looked to the clear blue sky. "Lord knows everyone's waiting with baited breath for the next installment of My Little Horsy."

Her husband shrugged and his lips quirked upward in a small grin. "Well, I dunno. I can't wait to see what happens to Firefly when the 'Sky Clans from the Peaks' come down to pass judgment on her." He leaned in and kissed her again, this time a bit deeper before pulling away. "Love you!" he half-shouted over his shoulder.

Megan blew him a kiss and waved as he hopped up into the cab of a battered, old red pickup truck and drove off. "Love you too," she said before turning around to face her house. She let out a sigh and her shoulders slumped. A full thirty seconds passed before Megan stepped back inside the house, closing the door behind. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of orange juice, gulping it down before walking back to the living room. She made a sharp right, walking up a steep flight of stairs and down a short hallway to the bedroom she and Mike shared. Inside, Megan turned on the computer and opened the walk-in closet, pulling out a battered old trunk.

She snapped open the clasps and the trunk opened with a slight tug. Megan reached inside and pulled out a bright-red feather that seemed to glow with an inner fire and a golden horseshoe. Megan's fingers brushed against a photo album with a stylized horse's head and deep leather binding before closing her eyes, settling back. Megan played with the pages and looked at some of the photos, but ultimately set it back inside the trunk. "Not now," she said to herself before grabbing the feather and horseshoe and sitting down at the desk. Practiced fingers pulled up the Microsoft Word file and Megan immersed herself in old memories...





Heart Throb and Firefly marveled as waves of pegasi flew overhead, dancing in the sky in complicated patterns. A few of them dove down at the two ponies, coming within a few feet before pulling back to the sky.

"Wow!" Firefly exclaimed, eyes wide. She looked across her withers and back at her own pegasus wings and unfurled them. "I never knew there were so many of us in the Sky Clans!"

Heart Throb pawed at the ground. "Be careful," she said, ducking out of instinct as a few more dove at them. "We don't know how they'll react to a pegasus who was raised on the ground such as yourself."

Firefly stomped the rocky ground. "Well, if they try anything, I'll let 'em have it!" she shouted, rearing back and kicking her forelegs into the air.

One of the larger pegasi landed, a stallion with a bright-red coat and a scar down across his right eye. He batted his wings a few times before trotting over to the two mares. "I am Bloodwing, head of the Sky Clans," he said. His head bucked up slightly at the pegasi still circling overhead. "All who fly do so at my command." He looked back down at—





A sudden boom shook the house, rattling the windows, the walls, and the very foundation, causing Megan to nearly jump out of the chair. She stood up and looked around, eyes wide and heart hammering in her chest. "What the hell?" She stepped away, but turned back and clicked on the mouse, saving the file before running downstairs and out the front door. She looked around, then up, and stopped, eyes widening at a sight straight out of her past.

An opaque ribbon of rainbow stretched across the sky, starting about twenty feet above her house and quickly diving into her backyard. She reared back and rubbed her forehead, leaning against the siding for support. "This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not—" she sighed “—it's happening." Megan abruptly stopped and ran through the house to the backyard.

She skidded to a halt on the deck as she looked out at the backyard. It's sometimes the things you least expect to happen that show up out of the blue, Megan thought as she stared at the bright-blue pegasus wobbling only a few feet away from where she stood. A purple unicorn stood a few feet farther back, dazed but vertical. And a small purple dragon with green fringe wobbled right next to her, scales somewhat blackened but otherwise all right. Memories of a similar dragon crowded her mind, but she pushed them away. Not now. Assess the situation. Information is vital! Megan knelt down in order to look the pegasus in the eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, eyes widening slightly.

The pegasus met her eyes and smiled. "Never better!" she said before her own eyes crossed and she keeled over. Her body made an impressive thump as it hit the grass.

Megan knelt down and checked the pegasus for broken bones. She hovered over her head and peeled open an eye to check for dilation, but leapt back as the pegasus moved her head and shot to her feet. "Hey, what's the big idea?" she half-shouted, seconds before stumbling around a bit. "Oh... why is the world spinning and why am I hallucinating?"

Megan held out a hand. "You're not hallucinating and the world's just fine—it's probably your head." She placed the hand on her chest, right above where her jacket's zipper lay. "My name's Megan," she said, smiling. "What's yours?"

"Rainbow Dash," the pegasus growled out, leaning back. She glanced away. "Thanks... for checking on me like that." She suddenly arched an eyebrow and hopped up, wings flapping. She hovered at eye-level with Megan and crossed her forelegs. Dash's head bobbed up and down as she looked Megan over. "So... what are you, some sort of clothes-wearing ape?"

A voice from behind caught both Megan and Dash's attention. "If you two are finished?" They turned to the unicorn and dragon. The unicorn coughed into a hoof, then extended it. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my assistant, and friend, Spike," she said, sweeping to the dragon. Twilight's mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened as she saw her friend. "Oh, Spike! Are you all right?"

Spike looked himself over and brushed at his scales. The black brushed off, revealing intact scales underneath. "I think I'm all right." He flashed Twilight a grin and thumbs-up. "Thanks for the warning this time..." He trailed off and glanced up at Megan out of the corner of his eye. "'Sup?"

Megan dropped to her knees and stared at the young dragon, mouth open in shock. "Sp-Spike?" She swallowed and took in a deep breath. "Are there... any other dragons named Spike where you come from?" she asked, running a shaking hand through her hair. "I mean... just out of curiosity."

Spike eyed her and took a few steps back behind Twilight, peering out at Megan over her loin and hip. "She's a bit creepy," he half-whispered into her ear. His head darted around at the backyard. "And where are we?"

"You're in the backyard of my house," Megan replied. She edged forward. "So what is it, the Smooze?"

"The what?" Spike asked. He looked to Twilight. "What's smooze?"

Twilight's brow furrowed. "Well, if I remember, it's from a long time ago. It's an ooze that envelopes you and eats you, consuming your soul." She looked up to Megan and jabbed a hoof at her. "How do you know of that?"

Megan opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. "Well... that's not too important at the moment, is it?" She chuckled nervously, then looked beyond Twilight and Spike. "That, however, is important at the moment."

Twilight looked around, quickly spotting the seemingly solidified rainbow. She craned her head and neck up, finally cantering back and whinnying. "What the hay is that?" She looked to Dash and jabbed her hoof in the rainbow's direction. "Did you do that? Did I do that?" She let loose with a growl and her mane seemed to... spark. "What did we do?"

Dash shrugged. "Hay if I know." She trotted over to the bottom of the rainbow and reached out with a foreleg, tentatively striking it. The rainbow shuddered slightly, but remained intact. Rainbow Dash looked back at the other three and shrugged. "I got nothing. What about you?"

Twilight scratched her forehead with a hoof and her eyes twitched. A few strands of hair from her mane suddenly stood up. "Oh, my teleportation's never done this before!" She paced a bit, eyes turned to the ground. She looked to Dash. "How fast were you going when you reached the balloon?"

"I think I was entering sonic rainboom territory," Dash responded. She looked back up and squinted. "Hey, what's that?" she asked, pointing at the end of the rainbow and a jagged tear in the sky." Is that a... did I punch a hole in the sky?" She suddenly thrust a foreleg into the air. "I did! I am so awesome, nothing can slow me down!"

There was a half-minute of silence before Twilight chuckled. "Well..." She looked to Megan. "Listen, thanks for checking on my friend. I'd love to stay and do some major research into... wherever this place is and swap life stories, but there's a dragon loose in the Everfree Forest that could come charging into Ponyville any second!" She looked up at the hole and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.. "I think... yes!" Twilight's horn glowed. "I can teleport us all through there back to the other side."

Megan's eyes widened slightly. "A dragon?" She growled softly and balled her hand into a fist, smashing it into the palm of her other hand. "Don't worry, Twilight! I'll help!" And with that, she turned and ran back into the house. "Give me five minutes!"

Dash looked back at Twilight over her shoulder as Megan disappeared inside the house. "What just happened?"

Spike shook his head. "I dunno, but she's weird, Twilight! I mean she acts like she knows all this stuff but she's not telling us anything, and she just wants to rush off to help us against the dragon?" He looked back to the house. "Think we should get outta here while she's inside?"

Twilight bit her lower lip, then shook her head. "No, Spike. There is something weird here, and I want more information from her. Besides," she looked up at the rainbow and the hole leading back home, "this dragon's a whole lot meaner than the last one. We'll need all the help we can get!"





Megan ran inside to her bedroom. She grabbed a pair of knee-high work boots and pulled them on, followed by a coat from the closet and a pair of leather gloves with skid-resistant palms. Megan grabbed a backpack and, with a bit of hesitation, grabbed the photo album from the trunk and slid it in.

She stopped at a gun safe set in the corner of the room and unlocked it, pulling out a bandoleer of .44 caliber shells and cinching it diagonally around her chest. She pulled out a Marlin Model 1894 rifle and checked the chamber before slinging it over her shoulder. Megan took a moment to check herself over in the mirror, letting old memories wash over her. "Once more unto the breach," she quoted before heading back downstairs.

Once in the kitchen, she grabbed a few more supplies and stuffed them into her backpack. She paused at her cell phone, then shrugged and unplugged it from the recharging cord. "Maybe they put up a cell tower in Paradise Estate," Megan quipped, before laughing and smiling. The expression fell away and she clutched the phone. "Why don't they know me?" she wondered out loud, glancing at the door leading outside. She peered through the glass at the unicorn, pegasus and dragon, feeling her heartstrings tug in seven different directions. "Has it really been that long for them?"

Megan suddenly shook her head. "No, questions later! Dragon to stop now!" She slipped the cell phone into her coat pocket and picked up a pen and piece of paper. She scribbled a brief note her family before hanging it from the refrigerator.

Dear Mike, Danielle, and Michelle.

If you're reading this, then I'm still gone. I don't have time to explain, but some old friends need my help. Call Danny or Molly for the full story. Tell them I've gone back. They'll understand.

Love, Megan

Satisfied, Megan stepped outside to find the three huddled together. "Sorry," she said, walking over. "Just a few things to take care of and get." She pasted a smile on her face. "Always gotta be prepared after all!"

Twilight nodded, but kept her eyes on Megan. "Just so you know, we're going to sit down after this and have a long talk." Twilight looked Megan over, cocking an eyebrow. "Also, you'd better kneel down. The top of my horn only goes up to the bottom of your mammary glands, and I don't want only the bottom half of you showing up in Ponyville."

Megan blushed slightly, but she knelt besides Twilight. Rainbow Dash and Spike huddled close to her too. Twilight's horn glowed and her eyes screwed shut. A wind picked up before all four beings were enveloped in a bright flash of light. When it faded, all four had vanished from sight.