//------------------------------// // Dues Ex Machina // Story: Warriors of Ikebukuro // by Hidemain //------------------------------// Twilight and her friends met in the clearing outside of Ponyville. They gathered there for the specific purpose of trying out Twilight's new spell. She had been working on it for the year and a half after she first used the mirror portal. "Alright Girls!" Twilight paced in front of her friends. "I've done all tests and trials I can now it's time for the real thing!" The gathered ponies stomped their hooves in applause except for Rainbow Dash who raised her hoof. "Yes Rainbow what is it?" "Um... yeah what exactly are we doing?" Twilight sighed "Didn't you read the letter Rainbow? On how i'm trying to create a stable spell to travel to and from alternate dimensions?" Rainbow shook her head. "The spell i've been working my flank off for more than a year to get right?" Another head shake. Twilight glanced around at the group. "Did anypony read it?" The group responded with various forms of no. Twilight slumped to her stomach with a groan and placed her hooves on her muzzle. "Hey the thing was like twenty pages long." "IT WAS FIVE!!!" Twilight argued. "Well to be frank darling five pages is a tad much a letter." Rarity defended. Twilight got up with a sigh and began with a little bite in her voice. "Fine, Ok you remember when I went to the mirror world correct?" The group nodded "And the journal i use to contact Sunset shimmer right?" Another nod. "Well I got to thinking maybe we can go to more dimensions and worlds if I reversed engineered the spell. So exactly eighteen months ago I started this project on my free time and it was finally coming to fruition four months ago. However, Spike" she motioned to her assistant. "pointed out a very important detail that wherever we went we ran the possibility of not having magic and subsequently not having a way back. After an extra four months and testing i've created a spell to lock on and retrieve a pony from another dimension and bring them. here. So the spells will be a locate and retrieve spell while another is the dimensional travel spell." The group unnoticed by twilight was starting to fall asleep. "I achieved this by reversing the enchantment on the journal me and sunset use to communicate. This brings up the third problem of communication with the pony in the other dimension. This was actually the easiest to solve as by just using the same enchantment as the journal. Now I've tested the recall spell and unfortunately the best I can do is cast it four hours after the dimension and tagging spel-" Twilight was cut off by very loud and obnoxious snore from Pinkie pie. Twilight turned around and saw all of her friends passed out. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were leaning back to back with the cow pony's hat covering her face. Pinkie pie was asleep laying over Rarity and Fluttershy was curled up like a cat. Frustrated Twilight shouted with her wings flared "Hey!!" The group snapped out of their slumber and stared at the angry mare. Rainbow was first to offer an apology "Hehe sorry Twilight but you actually managed to make traveling to another dimension boring." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. Twilight sighed "Whatever, so who's going?" Everypony stared at her like she had grown a second head. "What?" They asked in unison. "Who. Is. Going?" The ponies looked at each other in confusion before turning back to Twilight. "I'm sorry dear but do you mean we aren't ALL going?" Twilight sighed "If you'd been listening you'd see somepony has to cast the return spell or we'd end up jumping from dimension to dimension. Thus I must remain here because I'm the only one who can cast it." Her friends started talking among themselves before Rarity asked "So how many of us can go dear." "I can only send a maximum of two because any more and I wouldn't be able to bring you home. I tested the return spell with various objects starting with small apples to large trees. And all have come back unharmed. This will be the first time with living ponies however which why I've taken so many precautions." "That makes sense. Ah' reckon I'll go." Applejack stepped forward. Rainbow Dash ran up next to her. "Not without me your not." Twilight smiled at her friends. "Alright." twilight levitated a small note pad to Applejack. "This has the same enchantment as Sunset's journal so we can keep in contact." She then levitated a camera to Rainbow Dash "And I need as many pictures as you can get ok?" Rainbow nodded. "Now then, it's important to note that like me your bodies may change once your over there deal with it as best you can should that happen but don't freak out. Now because I'm sending two of you I won't be able to cast the recall spell for roughly four hours. So your on your own until then. So stay out of trouble for Celestia's sake! Ok are you two ready?" Rainbow saluted and Applejack tipped her hat. Twilight motioned for the rest of the group to get back behind her with Applejack and Rainbow in front. Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn lit and steadily grew brighter. The two ponies were getting nervous and inched closer together. The intensity of the alicorn's horn continued to grow until it had the same brightness of the sun. The wind wipped around the area and twilight opened her eyes revealing the glowing orbs. "TWITCHY TAIL!!" Pinkie screamed as a large crate hit the ground in front of Twilight throwing her on her back. Twilight could only watch in horror as her spell went off in the wrong direction hitting Fluttershy who was hunched down with her hooves over her muzzle. There was massive flash and ball of light as the butter yellow pegasus disappeared from sight. Twilight and the rest steadily got to their hooves when a gray pegasus flew down to then "Oops... sorry."