//------------------------------// // Battle 2: Arrival in Ponyville // Story: Ganbarizng: Equestria's Viral Rider // by Wind Typhoon //------------------------------// Battle 2: Arrival in Ponyville A day has passed since the attack on Canterlot and everything has been relatively restored to normal. On the order of Celestia and Luna, Twilight and Midnight took a chariot to Ponyville in order to protect the town of any threats. "Why do we have to take the chariot again?" Midnight asked Twilight as she looked at the Necrom Eyecon. "According to Princess Celestia, it's actually faster than the train," Twilight said as she looked at her current cards. "Makes sense," Midnight responded as she took out the Eyecons she had gotten from Necrom. "Oh, those are some of the Eyecons you got from Necrom, right?" Twilight asked as she saw the Sanzo and Grimm Eyecons. "Yes, but what's strange to me is the amount I got and the ones that were given to me," Midnight said as she put down the two Eyecons and got five more out, giving them to Twilight. Twilight looked at the Eyecons and was surprised at the ones she saw. She saw the Eyecons for Billy the Kid, Tutankhamen, Galileo, Faiz, and Kiva. "I can see what you mean and that brings up a question that has been on my mind for a while," Twilight told Midnight as she gave her back the Eyecons. "What would that?" Midnight asked. "Well, yesterday I fought the three types of Roidmudes. We also fought Decade and Necrom in Canterlot. You even have the powers of Igor's Gamma Eyecons and Necrom," Twilight explained. "So, what of it?" Midnight asked leaning back in the chariot. "Well, how did you get Necrom's powers even though you were fighting him yesterday?" Twilight responded. Midnight didn't react for a few seconds, but then remembered what Twilight was talking about. "I think I understand what you mean, and I think I know what your next question is," Midnight said. "Exactly, how am I able to become Kamen Rider Viral, a Rider that comes from a video game no less, from a belt I constructed and have a real sword that was made by myself?" Twilight told Midnight. "You bring up a good point, and until we can figure out the answer, we don't have a clue as to how this all happened," Midnight stated. "I just hope that nothing bad happens back at our dimension," Twilight said. "And, you jinxed it, good job Twilight," Midnight thought calmly. Before Midnight could chime in, she saw that they were arriving at Ponyville. "Get ready, we're almost at the castle," Midnight told Twilight. The carriage landed right in front of the castle's entrance. "So Midnight, what are you going to do about your appearance?" Twilight asked. Midnight simply looked over Twilight and snapped her fingers. Magic cascaded over Midnight and her appearance changed to look like Twilight with a few notable differences. Her hair was a different color, dark blue with a blue strip running through it. Her skin was also a darker shade of lavender and her eyes were light purple. "From now on, please call me Aurora," Midnight told Twilight. "Got it, Aurora," Twilight said as they got out of the chariot. The two walked to the front door of the castle and were amazed by the size of it. "Wow, I thought I had seen the extent of magic at the Friendship Games, but this is just ridiculous," Twilight said. "Well, it does seem fitting for the Princess of Friendship," Aurora commented as she knocked on the door. "I know, but there's something I'm wondering," Twilight said. Before Aurora could respond, the door opened and on the other side looked to be a teenage dragon. "Hello there, what can I do for you?" the dragon asked. Twilight didn't say anything as he looked at the dragon. "Hello there, we were sent by Princess Luna and Princess Celestia to deliver a letter to Princess Sunset," Aurora explained. "Well, she's not here right now, but I wouldn't mind looking at the letter," the dragon told Aurora. Aurora handed the dragon the letter and he read it. "Oh, well in that case, you can come in, she'll be home in a little," the dragon said as he lead Aurora and Midnight inside. The two stayed quiet as they walked through the castle. "Hey, can I ask a question?" Twilight asked, breaking the silence she had. "Sure, go ahead," the dragon responded. "What's your name?" Twilight asked. "It's Spike, what's yours?" the dragon responded. "I think you should know it," Twilight told Spike as she stopped in her tracks. "What are you talking about?" Spike said as he looked at Twilight. As he looked at Twilight, he started to remember who she resembled. "Are you Twilight?" Spike asked. "Yes, and in case you're wondering, I'm the one that the letter mentions," Twilight said. "Wow, you look different than the other Twilight, and what about her?" Spike said. "Name's Aurora, you could think of me as Twilight's sister," Aurora explained. "Nice to meet you Aurora," Spike greeted. "Spike, who was at the door?" a female voice called from another room. "Just some ponies sent by Princess Celestia," Spike responded. "Who's that?" Aurora asked. "A friend of ours," Spike said as he went to the room where the voice came from. When they entered the room in question, they saw a female dragon wearing armor and three other ponies. "Hey Spike, these are the visitors that you mentioned?" the dragon asked. "Yes, I would like you two to meet Ember, the Dragon Lady of the Dragon Lands," Spike introduced. "A pleasure to meet you both," Ember said. "Who are they?" Aurora asked motioning to the ponies. "My name is Apple Bloom, the other two are Sweette Belle and Scootaloo," the earth pony introduced. "Hello there," Sweetie Belle said. "Hey," Scootaloo said. "Nice to meet you all, my name is Twilight," Twilight introduced. "Name's Aurora," Aurora said. As the three started to chat, Aurora moved out of the room silently and disengaged her disguise. "Thank god, I need some alone time," Midnight thought to herself as she walked to another part of the castle. After walking up a flight of stairs she found, Midnight arrived on the second floor of the Castle of Friendship. "Wow, this place is really big," Midnight said aloud. As Midnight walked through the crystal corridors of the castle, she found a door that was slightly open. Upon entering the room, she saw a massive library in front of her. "Twilight is going to freak out when she finds this room," Midnight said to herself, laughing a little. As she walked through some of the shelves, she found a shelf that was labeled, "Equestrian Myth and Legends." "Normally, I would call some form of bullshit, but this is a world I don't know yet so I'll let it slide," Midnight thought to herself. Not even looking at the books, she grabbed one at random and opened it to a random page. "Legends about Starswirl the Bearded, oh joy," Midnight said aloud. Midnight just skimmed through the pages and looked at various pictures. She saw a few different potions, a portal to another dimension, medals with various animals on them, and a couple of spell names. "Wait a second," Midnight thought as she looked back at the medals. As soon as she saw the, Midnight instantly knew what they were. "Cell Medals," Midnight said aloud. "Hey Aurora, are you in here?" she heard Spike call. Midnight put her disguise back on and went to the main part of the library. "I'm here, just decided to wander and found the library," Aurora said, still holding the book. "Oh, well I see you found something you like; may I ask what you found?" Spike asked politely. Aurora showed Spike the book, which made him give her a questionable look. "What? I actually found this pretty interesting," Aurora told him. Spike simply rolled his eyes in response. "Also, you remember that the letter from the princesses?" Aurora asked, rubbing the back of her head. "I do, why do you ask?" Spike responded. "Well, I'll explain on the way back. You came to get me right?" Aurora told Spike. "Oh, yes I did. I also came to tell you that Sunset and her friends will be here in about an hour," Spike told her. "Ok, then let's get going," Aurora said as she walked out of the library. Spike followed her and the two went back to the main hall. When the two arrived at the main hall, Aurora saw a unicorn who wasn't there before. "Oh, you must be the other representative sent by Princess Celestia," the unicorn said as she sat down in one of the chairs. "Who are you?" Aurora asked as she walked up to Twilight. "My name is Starlight Glimmer, it's a pleasure to meet you," she told Aurora. "She's the one who informed us the Sunset and the others would be here soon," Twilight explained. Aurora nodded in understanding and remembered the book in her hand. "Hey Twilight, I found something in this book you might find interesting," Aurora told Twilight, giving her the book. Twilight read the title of the book and gave Aurora a questionable look. "It's no joke, jut flip to the page that talks about Starswirl the Bearded," Aurora told Twilight. Twilight didn't complain and flipped to that page. She read the contents until she saw the picture of the Cell Medals, which caused her eyes to widen in surprise. "Aurora, where did you find this?" Twilight asked curiously. "I found in the castle's library. I'll show it to you later, but let's ask Starlight what she knows about Starswirl the Bearded," Aurora told her. The two of them walked up to Starlight with the book in hand. "Oh, did you two want to ask me something?" Starlight asked as they sat down next to her. "We do have a few things ask. Did Spike tell you anything about us?" Aurora asked curiously. "All he told me was that you two are from another world and your names. What did you want to ask me about?" Starlight responded. "Well, we were wondering if you could tell us about Starswirl the Bearded," Twilight said, showing her the book. "Starswirl, in our world, was the best unicorn of his time. He invented several spells that are still used very often today, like teleportation. He's even invented very unique spells, like the one that made Sunset an alicorn and one for time travel," Starlight explained, her voice breaking a little towards the end. "Do you know if he did anything involving alchemy?" Aurora asked. "Well, that is one thing that is unknown. There are several ponies that say Starswirl was a brilliant alchemist and there are others who say he wasn't involved in alchemy. The only ponies who would know for sure are the princesses, but they've said very little regarding Starswirl," Starlight explained to the best of her ability. It was as that point that a letter appeared in front of Twilight. "What the heck?" Twilight exclaimed. "That must have been sent by a unicorn or one of the princesses," Starlight explained as Twilight grabbed the letter and opened it. "So magic can be used to send letters over long distances?" Aurora asked as Twilight read the letter. "Not all unicorns are able to do that, only really skilled unicorns or the princesses are able to send letters with magic," Starlight explained. "So, are you able to send letters?" Aurora asked curiously. "Not yet, but I'm almost there," Starlight told Aurora. Twilight then immediately got up out of her seat and dashed to Spike, leaving the letter on the table. "Why did she go so urgently?" Ember, who was sitting across from them, asked. In response, Aurora grabbed the letter and began to read it. "Dear Twilight, I wanted to let you know that me and my sister are going to be arriving in Ponyville in about an hour. We don't expect anything ceremonies, just to meet with Sunset and the others and explain the situation to them as well. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining will also arrive soon. From your mentor, Princess Celestia." "Wait, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are coming here in about an hour?" Starlight asked nervously. "According to the letter, that's what is happening," Aurora told Starlight in a calm tone. When Aurora looked towards Twilight, she saw her being comforted by Spike. Aurora got up and walked over to the pair. "Is everything alright?" Aurora asked Spike. "Well, after she told me that the princesses and Shining were coming she started to have a nervous breakdown. When I asked why, she just kept getting worse," Spike explained to Aurora. "Let me take care of her. Is there anywhere where the two of us can talk privately?" Aurora told Spike as she took a hold of Twilight. "Follow me, I know the perfect place," Spike said as he lead Aurora and Twilight to the third floor. When the three of them arrived at the third floor, Spike leads the pair to a room that was separate from the rest. "Here, I'll need to go back downstairs, but this should suffice for privacy," Spike told Aurora as he opened the room. The room itself was rather nice as it had two beds, a balcony with a view of Ponyville, and various other things. "Thanks Spike, I really appreciate this," Aurora told him. "Don't mention it, I'll come for you when either Sunset gets back or one the princesses arrive," Spike said, closing the door as he left. Soon after making sure the coast was clear, Midnight dropped her disguise and walked up to Twilight. "Hey Twilight, are you ok?" Midnight asked Twilight in a concerned tone. Twilight in response suddenly hugged Midnight with a lot of force. "I'm worried about them Midnight," Twilight told Midnight, her voice incredibly strained. "Worried about whom, Twilight?" Midnight asked. "My family and friends In our dimension," Twilight said. Midnight suddenly remembered Twilight's friends and family in their home dimension. "Oh, I see," Midnight said simply. "I'm worried about what they'll do if they find out I'm gone," Twilight said. "They'll try to get you back obviously," Midnight reassured Twilight. "But what if they can't get the portal open again?" Twilight asked. Midnight said nothing in response as she hadn't considered that happening. "We'll be stuck here, with no way back home," Twilight said. "Don't be like that, they will find a way to get you back," Midnight said. "BUT WHAT IF THEY CAN'T!?" Twilight yelled, tears flowing freely from her face. Midnight said nothing because she was shocked at the force Twilight showed. Twilight hugged Midnight tighter as she started to openly crying. "I'm scared," Twilight said, a hint of fear in her voice. "Don't be," Midnight told her as she started to hug her back. This display of affection surprised Twilight, but she kept on crying. "Why are comforting me?" Twilight asked through her tears. "Well, you seemed like you needed comfort, so I comforted you," Midnight explained. "That's not what I mean. Aren't you supposed to be my evil side?" Twilight questioned. "Now that's a bad way to label someone. Just because I look evil and did bad things, you consider me evil?" Midnight inquired. Twilight simply nodded her head in response as she looked at Midnight. "Well, that's the wrong information in that case," Midnight told Twilight. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Twilight asked as she calmed down. "Well, to be honest, the only reason I acted the way I did at the Friendship Games is because of that device," Midnight explained. Twilight recalled the necklace she had and what exactly it did to her. "From what I remember, it transformed me into you and caused me to go on a rampage," Twilight sais as she remembered the event. "Not exactly. You see, it might sound weird, but I'm what is known as a guardian angel," Midnight explained to Twilight. "You know, I would call bullshit on that, but it's magic, so I'm willing to suspend my disbelief a little," Twilight said. Midnight laughed at that comment. "Well, since you accepted it so easily, can you also guess what happened to me?" Midnight asked. "What do you mean?" Twilight responded. "Well, let me tell you this, do you think I was always like this?" Midnight asked Twilight, motioning to how she looked. "Well, not really," Twilight admitted. "That's where your right, I didn't always look like this. I looked like a stereotypical angel," Midnight told Twilight a ton of sadness appearing in her voice. "So, one with white wings and a gown?" Twilight questioned. "Close enough, I was there for you since you were born," Midnight told Twilight. "Wait, so you've watched over me my whole life?" Twilight asked in amazement. "That's right," Midnight said simply. "Then why didn't you protect me?" Twilight asked. It was at that point that Midnight walked over to the window. "Well, it's not that simple. While I did end up protecting you when you were younger, that all changed when you started to attend Crystal Prep. You see, since I'm a guardian angel, I usually protect your emotions. However, at Crystal Prep, something strange happened," Midnight explained. "What exactly happened to you in that case?" Twilight asked walking up behind Midnight. "Well, as more negative emotions started to come in the more time you spent at Crystal Prep, I started to become overwhelmed. To stop your emotions from going out of control emotions, I had to essentially sacrifice myself. A better way to describe it is that I had to become a fallen angle in order to obtain the power to protect you," Midnight continued. "A fallen angel? What exactly is that?" Twilight asked. "A good way to describe a fallen angle is to think of Heaven, or Paradiso to angels, is an angel that has sever its ties with Paradiso. This means that they will be unable to return to their family and home," Midnight said simply, a tone of sadness noticeable in her voice. "Wait, so you're not able to return to your home?" Twilight asked. "Not ever since I became a fallen angel," Midnight said. Twilight held back her comfort for the moment because she wanted to find out more. "What happened to you when you became a fallen angel?" Twilight asked nervously, even though she didn't want to hear the answer. "Well, I fell into what I would describe as a coma. While I was in the coma, I was constantly absorbing the negative emotions that you were giving off with your positive ones behind a strong barrier. The coma lasted pretty much until the start of the Friendship Games. When I awoke, I discovered that I had a lot of negative emotions in me," Midnight explained. "Let me guess, while the games went on, you continued to absorb the emotions that popped up during my time there?" Twilight asked. "Not only those emotions, I also absorbed some of the magic from that necklace," Midnight told Twilight. This surprised Twilight and told her to let Midnight explain. "When I first absorbed some of the Equestrian magic, I became entranced by it and wanted more. When you released all the magic, it was less of a transformation and more of a position. I loved the magic and how powerful it made me. I thought I could finally help you," Midnight continued to explain. "What do you mean when you say you could finally help me?" Twilight asked. "Well, to be honest, even though I held so much anger and resentment towards your class mated, I always wanted to keep you safe," Midnight explained. "So , you always kept being my guardian angel, even though you became a fallen angel?" Twilight asked. "I have an always will be your guardian angel Twilight. No matter what happens to me, no matter where I am, know I'll always be there for you," Midnight said as tears started to flow down her face. Twilight couldn't take it anymore and hugged Midnight tightly, comforting her. "I appreciate that, and I have a favor to ask of you," Twilight said "What is it?" Midnight asked through her tears. "Would you mind keeping Sunset and her friends safe while we're in this dimension?" Twilight requested. This request surprised Midnight a lot. "Why?" Midnight responded. "Well, we might be stuck here a while, so I want to keep them safe," Twilight said. Midnight stayed silent as she thought of an answer. "I accept, after all, might as well make some use of our time here," Midnight said. "One more thing I wanted to tell you Midnight," Twilight said suddenly. "What is it Twilight?" Midnight asked curiously. "Well, your words made me reconsider the situation. After some thought, I came up with something," Twilight told Midnight. "What is it?" Midnight questioned. Before Twilight could answer, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Midnight said as she put her disguise on. The door opened and Spike entered the room. "Hey, Princess Celesta and Luna are here," Spike told them. "Ok, we'll be down in a little," Aurora said. "By the way Twilight, are you ok?" Spike asked in a caring tone. "I am better, were you worried for me?" Twilight responded. "Yes, you looked like you were about to have a break down," Spike told Twilight. "It's just something personal," Aurora explained. "Well then I won't push it further," Spike said. "Also, only Celestia and Luna are here?" Twilight asked. "Yes, Sunset should be here soon and Cadance and Shining should be here in about fifteen minutes," Spike told the two. "Well, there are a few things we need to talk with Celestia about before everyone else gets here," Aurora said. "Now would be the best time since they asked for you two specifically," Spike told them. This surprised the two of them a lot and they got ready to go. "Come on, follow me," Spike said as he exited the room. Aurora and Twilight followed Spike to where Princess Celestia was. The three were lead to a room that looked odd to Twilight and Aurora. In the middle of the room, there was a map of Equestria and its surrounding lands with 7 chairs surrounding it. Celestia was looking at the map with a curious look. "Princess Celestia, I brought Twilight and Aurora like you asked," Spike said aloud. Celestia looked up and saw the three standing near the entrance. "Thank you Spike, I appreciate it. May I talk with them privately?" Celestia requested. "Sure, I'll make sure and let Luna know," Spike told her before he left. When Spike left, Aurora removed her disguise. "I like the disguise, but may I ask why you have it?" Celestia asked Midnight. "Well, I imagine that Sunset and her friends have dealt with their fair share of evil before, and my normal for does look like that of a evil pony," Midnight explained. "That's valid reasoning, but I sense that's not the only reason," Celestia said. "Well, you're right, but it's something I would rather keep personal," Midnight said. Although Midnight tried to seem emotionless, Twilight heard a slight hint of strain in her voice. "I understand, I won't push the topic further," Celestia said. The room was quiet and tense after Celestia said that. "May I ask something, Princess?" Twilight asked. "What is Twilight?" Celestia asked curiously. "Who are Sunset's friends?" Twilight asked. "That's right; I never told you their names. Well, you might know them in your dimension, but they are Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, and Lemon Zest," Celestia told the two. When Twilight and Aurora heard the names, they both had different reactions. Aurora was a little shocked when she heard the names, then she started to think about something. Twilight on the other hand, started to have a mini panic attack. "Are those names familiar to you Twilight?" Celestia asked. "I do, they were my old classmates at Crystal Prep," Twilight said. "Well, I'm not surprised about it that much," Celestia commented. "Why is that?" Twilight asked in confusion. "It's because we're from a different universe," Midnight told Twilight. "What does that have to do with anything?" Twilight questioned. "Well, have you heard about the Many Worlds Theory?" Midnight asked. "I've heard about it," Twilight simply said. "Well, think of universes as different timelines," Midnight told her. Twilight did as Midnight said and, after a few seconds, she realized something. "I think I understand what you're talking about," Twilight said. "Well, why don't you explain what you think Midnight meant my student?" Celestia asked. "From what I understand, there are multiple universes and dimensions out in the multiverse. Each of these universes is different from one another in various ways. Each universe might also have some alternate dimensions that are different in their own ways," Twilight explained. "That's a basic explanation, but you're pretty much spot on," Midnight told Twilight. "What you said is correct Twilight, each universe does have differences between each one," Celestia said. "So, my home universe is an example?" Twilight asked. "Exactly," Celestia said simply. Twilight stayed silent and thought about something while Midnight walked up to Celestia. "If I may ask, why did you call me and Twilight here?" Midnight asked Celestia. "That's because I wanted to talk to you about this map," Celestia said as she motioned to the map in front of them. "What's so special about this map?" Twilight asked. Before Celestia could respond, the three felt a large explosion from outside. "What the hell was that?" Midnight asked as she put on her disguise. It was then that Spike burst into the room with Starlight and Ember behind him. "Princess Celestia, there's trouble!" Spike shouted. "What is it?" Celestia asked. "There is an odd monster attacking the town, and it's not alone," Spike said in a hurry. "What or who else is it?" Celestia asked in a worried tone. "Well... it's Solar Flare," Spike said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Who is Solar Flare?" Twilight asked, turning to Celestia. When she looked at the spot Celestia was standing at, she saw the end of a teleportation spell. "We got to go now, help evacuate everyone," Starlight told the two. "What about Celestia?" Aurora asked. "She'll be fine," Ember said. With that, the five headed outside to help the town. "Please Celestia, be safe," Twilight thought as they left the castle.