P.O.N.I.E.S.

by Kieva Lynn

Chapter Five

Author's Note:

A couple of quick points: First, not much action in this chapter (We'll get back to that next time) but a lot of important developments. Second, I've chosen to use a fictional U.S. President to avoid politics.

Chapter Five

Quarantine, Day Two. Twilight Sparkle trotted slowly into the large dark room. A small wooden bench sat in the center of the chamber, illuminated by the only source of light; a spotlight beam directed straight down from the ceiling onto it. She jumped slightly as the door behind her automatically closed.

"Hello?" She called out.

After a moment a voice answered, "Please don't be afraid miss. Step forward and have a seat on the bench."

"O... Okay..." Filled with trepidation, but determined to give the humans a chance if only because there wasn't really any other choice in the matter, Twilight hopped up onto the bench and sat. "Now what?" She called out.

"For the record, please state your full name."

"Twilight Sparkle, Apprentice to Celestia Sol Invictus, Princess of the Day, Diarch of Equestria."

"Very good. Now, Miss Sparkle, all we're going to do today is ask you some questions. We ask that you understand, in advance, that all of your Pony friends, as well as the human teens you have interacted with, will be asked the same questions, and also, that we are analyzing you with a variety of sensors to determine your veracity."

"I have no reason to lie to you." Twilight replied. "None of us do."

"Then let's begin..."

The questioning session lasted for three hours. Twilight answered inquiries related to Equestria, the nature of magic, and Discord. Most of the interview however was focused upon the unknown enemy. The questioners (Twilight noted at least four distinct voices) came back to that part of their questions over and over again. She knew, of course, that the reason why these same questions were being repeated was that she couldn't answer them clearly since she didn't know much more about the threat than they did. Still, the unicorn grew exasperated and eventually said so. The questioners were silent for several minutes before they came back.

"Fair enough. We've confirmed that you've been truthful in everything else, so provided that the other's answers also add up we'll accept your honesty on this topic as well. You're free to return to the quarantine cell."

"Wait hold on! I've got some questions here too you know!"

"Yes?"

"Well... Heatherfield... How bad was the damage?"

"We'll discuss that at a more appropriate time. Go back to the other now."

Twilight huffed at the lack of a real answer, but turned and followed the guard who appeared at the door.

XXXXX

Elyon Brown stared up in the direction the voices were speaking from. She had watched as Twilight, Taranee, Hay Lin, and Rarity were led out for questioning one by one and now it was her turn in the darkened room. "I'm sorry? I didn't catch that last question."

"It's very simple Miss Brown. Have you had any experience that would lead you to believe that you have been mentally manipulated by the aliens?"

"No! Of course not! Why would you think-?"

"Ma'am, " the voices interrupted, "By your own admission you met an alien life form and were, within ten minutes, plotting to set it free."

"She, not it. And besides, remember, I had the book by then. I knew there had to be some kind of connection between us."

"Perhaps."

"You can't really think that."

"We have a responsibility to consider it regardless of what we think. Now, tell us once again about the book..."

XXXXX

"Please state your full name for the records."

"Pinkimina Diane Pie, Element of Laughter!" Pinkie bounced up and down atop the bench.

"Can we ask you to stop jumping Miss Pie? We need you still for the sensors."

"Oh! Okay!" Pinkie landed from her final leap, and actually managed to remain still for nearly twenty picoseconds, at which point she began to vibrate in place, faster and faster, until she was visible only as a blur.

"Ma'am? Are you well?"

"No, I'm Pinkie!"

"Rrrright... Miss Pie, have you consumed a large amount of caffine or sugar today?"

Pinkie stopped vibrating long enough to think over the question. "Let's see... I've had three cups of triple expresso, five cans of Jolt, sixteen double chocolate cupcakes, two apple pies a'la mode, and half of a bundt cake... No more than usual, really..."

Over the speakers, Pinkie could hear people talking back and forth. "No wonder..."

"How is she not dead?"

"Freaky alien metabolism?"

"But none of the others are like that..."

"Let's focus... Okay Miss Pie, you say that you are the Element of Laughter... What can you tell us about these Elements?"

"Oh boy where do I start well there's six of them and they look like necklaces with our cutie marks on them except for Twilight's that one's a crown and when we all get together and face off against something evil we start floating in the air see and then there's a big flash of rainbow colored light that shoots out from us and hits the bad guy while he's all like 'NOOOOOOOOOO!!!' and then it either turns the bad guy into a stone statue like it did with Discord back when he was a bad guy or else it turns them good again like it did to Princess Luna when she was Nightmare Moon and then once the plot line is resolved the Princesses put them back up safe in Canterlot and we go back to Ponyville and celebrate with a party and you guys really should let me throw a party for you because my parties are awesome! Does that answer your question?"

The only reply was the stunned silence of people wondering just how the pony had gotten that all out in one breath...

XXXXX

"Now then, Miss Apple, we've been told by the others that you carry the "Element of Honesty" and that you are incapable of lying. Is that correct?"

"Well, I can lie... But I'm just terrible at it and can't stand doin' it. Even a little lie makes me all stressed up inside. So, I guess it's close enough that you might as well say I can't."

"Okay, good. What can you tell us about magic?"

Applejack snorted. "Magic!? Shucks, that's a question for Twilight not me!"

"Because she's a unicorn?"

"A unicorn and the Princess' star pupil."

"Are you saying that you do not have magic since you are not a unicorn?"

"Not exactly." The farmer shrugged. "It's just different. Unicorns get the showy stuff, spells an' levitatin' an' the like. And pegasai get flyin' even though their wings are too small without it an' some weather control stuff. Us earth ponies, what we get is strength an' endurance, an' some stuff with makin' plants grow faster."

"Which explains how you were able to make plants grow into snares?"

"Pretty much. Gotta tell you though, that book made that magic way stronger an' faster than normal."

"Interesting... Though, we do need to ask about an apparent inconsistency in your report..."

"Lemme take a wild guess: Pinkie."

"Yes. You say that 'Earth' ponies such as yourself cannot use magic on an advanced level, yet we have reports of Pinkie Pie doing things that seem impossible to explain otherwise."

Applejack sighed. "I can't deny that. Can't explain it either. Pinkie, she's, well... Pinkie. Nopony gets it. I don't think even she does. And if you think what folks here have seen her do is freaky, y' ain't seen anything like what she could do back home..."

XXXXX

"Please state your full name for the record."

"Wilhelmina Marie Vandom."

"All right Miss Vandom, our primary question for you involves the crystal you found during your first battle with the hostiles."

"The world shard?"

"Yes. Explain again how you found it."

"It was pure luck." Will answered. "The giant robot thing blasted at us, we all dodged out of the way, it's beam hit the rocks, and when the smoke cleared there the crystal was."

"Was it... Calling to you?"

Will raised one brow in surprise. "Wot?"

"Did you feel any sort of mental or emotional compulsion to collect the crystal?"

"No. Why would you think-"

"Then why did you pick it up Miss Vandom?"

"Because the big guy said he wanted it. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that if the bad guy wants something you keep it away from him." Will rolled her eyes. "I mean, no offense, but... Duh."

"There's no reason for the attitude Ma'am. We're just getting answers. And, I'm not convinced 'Duh' is appropriate anyway, after all, how did you know the robot was the, as you say, 'bad guy?"

"It was shooting at us?" Will snarked. "Again, duh."

XXXXX

General Carver watched from behind the pane of mirrored glass as a pair of guards led the final interview of the day, Fluttershy , back to the quarantine cell. He shook his head, still unable to wrap his mind around the pegasus' ability to fly with such proportionally small wings. But that was secondary to more important issues. He turned and sat at the table, along with the experts assembled for the questioning. "Well... Tell me what you've got."

Davis Nichol, the deception analyst, spoke first. "General, I didn't get any indication of lying from any of them. The teen girls were certainly telling the truth, and unless the aliens are very, very different from us they weren't lying either."

"And if they are very different?" Another of the experts asked.

"We'd know it from the other tests."

Carver said "We'll take their honesty as a given for now then. But, could there be a threat from these beings without their knowing it?"

"Possible." Nichol admitted. "After all, lie detection doesn't really tell you if what someone says is true; just if it's true so far as they know."

Marilyn Foster, the biologist in the group, spoke up. "We've cultured the blood, hair, and skin samples our guests provided. There are some unknown microbes, but they're quite similar to those found in terrestrial equines, and none appear to be pathogens. Not that I would recommend lifting the quarantine early of course: Better safe than sorry. But given the current data I doubt there's a significant risk."

Nodding his understanding, Carver said "Good, good... What about other biological risks?"

"There are no parasites in their systems, if that's what you mean. All in all, the alien's general state of health is indicative of a high state of civilization. They are stressed, but it's all short term stress explicable by current circumstances."

"Physics?" Carver asked, "Any insights into this 'magic' they use?"

"None at all General..." The team physisist, Maxwell Cleaveland, shook his head. "If it was just levitation and flight I could maybe accept it as some unknown form of psionic energy, perhaps linked to a fifth fundamental force, but as it is..."

"None of it makes sense." Carver finished.

"But it has to make sense." Marilyn argued, "Even if we don't understand it yet. There has to be some underlying logic that we're not seeing."

"I hope so." Cleaveland sighed.

"So, here's the question I need you all to answer for me: How should we proceed in our interactions with our guests?" Carver looked each of the specialists in the eyes.

They were all silent for a time, pondering how to answer. It was Nicholl who finally spoke, not with an answer but a question of his own. "General, if I may repeat the question Twilight asked, what is the state of affairs in Heatherfield?"

"The city itself is mostly intact. The first round of attacks, the ones our guests handled themselves, did very little damage. The second wave was of course far worse, but localized in business and industrial districts south of the downtown area, a total of around five city blocks. That area is basically leveled..." The General rubbed his temples before continuing, "We've started letting evacuees back in, save for the battle site itself."

"Isn't that a little fast sir?" Marilyn asked. "It's been less than two days, what if the attacks resume?"

"You've not heard?" Carver asked, surprised. "The attacks never entirely stopped. We've not seen any more of the scorpion shaped creatures, it's been all giants. Nearly two dozen of them, appearing singly or in pairs in various locations all over the world. Conventional military forces have been able to handle them all thus far, but there's another mystery: No matter where they show up, they all turn and begin moving on a path that would, eventually, bring them right here to us."

"Or right here to our guests." Cleaveland said. "But... "

"Exactly. If they're able to home in on the aliens, or the books, or whatever, why appear so far away? Especially when the first two waves came right to them?"

Nicholl said "Maybe they're tracking something that grows fainter with the passage of time, at least as seen from where they're coming from. So now they just have to show up wherever, and lock on once they're here."

"That's not bad..." Carver mused. "But, back to my original question: Tomorrow morning at eight hundred hours I have to be in Washington presenting the President with a plan of action... What should I tell him...?"

XXXXX

The quarantine facility had proven to be much more livable than anyone (or anypony) had expected. What it lacked in privacy (beds were cots along one wall of the single large room, and the restroom and showers were translucent-walled stalls in a back corner), it made up for with plush carpeting, overstuffed chairs, and a large media center. Ponies and girls had a space twenty by thirty feet to live in until the quarantine period was over. Along one long wall was a wide mirrored-glass window, through which they were presumably observed though nothing could be seen or heard. A full side to side top to bottom glass wall ran along a shorter wall, separating the quarantine group from the chambers housing the girl's families. They were able to see and speak with each other at will.

When everyone arrived the first day, when parents and children were reunited (And parents met ponies for the first time) emotions had run hot. Between the mix of fear and confusion, most of the girl's parents had focused on the ponies themselves to blame. For their part, the girls were just as mad at the adults, for jumping to conclusions, however understandable those conclusions might have been under the circumstances. Attempts by base personnel to calm things down only made it worse. In the end, it had been Pinkie who defused the situation. Convincing the guards to deliver comfort food to both groups, she pushed the long dining table on the quarantine side up against their side of the window, and urged the adults to do the same with their table. The result was the illusion of a single table stretching through to both rooms. With food and a place to sit 'together' everyone began to calm down and talk reasonably with each other. Now, four days later, the cakes, pies, and cookies were gone, but the tables were still pressed against the window opposite each other.

Quarantine Day Four: Rainbow Dash flopped back onto a large beanbag chair, having returned from her third day in a row of questioning. "I'm glad that's over with."

"How'd it go?" Will asked.

"Not too bad I guess." The pegasus answered, "Mostly questions about weather control and cloud walking and how I can fly with my wing-to-weight ratio..." She poked her stomache. "Were they calling me fat?"

Across the room, Taranee looked up from the magazine she was reading. "No, it's just that everything we know about flight says 'no way' without bigger wings."

"It's because of the magic right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Probably." Twilight agreed. "It is true that without a magical boost pegasai would never get higher off the ground than you could jump. Hay, with their strength, an earth pony could probably get higher up than a magic-deprived pegasus."

"Hear that Dash?" Applejack chuckled. "Sounds like a good idea for a contest!"

"As if." Rainbow snorted, eliciting a laugh from most of those present.

Everyone looked up at the sound of knocking from the glass wall. Susan Vandom was looking through the glass. "If you're finished kidding around in there," She said, "They're bringing in lunch."

"Ooo!" Pinkie hopped up from beanbag chair where she she had been laying on her back, hooves in the air, trying to do a cat's cradle, and trotted to the small 'airlock' that food and other supplies were passed into the quarantine room. Placing a large tray on her back, she crossed back across the room tot he table and unloaded everything.

"How in the world do you balance that well?" Harold Hale wondered.

"Lots of practice." Applejack replied. "Y' get used t' it when it's the only way you've got t' carry things."

"Makes sense." The man nodded. Everyone gathered around for lunch, eating and talking, and in time the conversation drifted to the question of what might be going on in the outside world.

"No one will tell us anything." Joan Lin said, "Except that the evacuation is over and most people are back in town now."

"That's good isn't it?" Susan said. "I mean, doesn't it mean the attacks are over?"

"I would think." Rarity agreed.

Elyon said "I hope you're right. But even if they have, this isn't over."

"Right." Twilight said nodding, "Whatever our enemy is, it wants us, and the world shards. I can't imagine it's just given up... And it worries me that they want us to stay in here, doing nothing, for a whole month."

"At least the shard we found should be safe with the scientists here." Taranee said.

"I'm just glad they let you keep our books." Rainbow said. "I mean, we'll be able to defend ourselves if something does show up here."

Elizabeth Hale said "Speaking of that, if those books contain all of your magic, shouldn't you all be trying to figure out how to access more of it?"

"I'd love to." Twilight said. "They've asked us not to for the time being."

"I would guess they're taking things nice and slow and cautious." Applejack said.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's true. It just worries me to think of all the time we're losing, time that could be spent finding more shards of Equestria."

Tom Lair asked "Well, as far as that goes... You lucked into finding the first one. What if all the others are buried and hidden the same way?"

"I hadn't thought of that." Fluttershy whispered. "But, surely Twilight and Taranee have...?"

"Thought of it? Yeah." Taranee confirmed. "Figured out a solution? Not so much."

Will said "On the other hand though... It wasn't just dumb luck for us. The giant didn't seem to know it was there until it was uncovered either."

"I hope that's enough to make a difference." Twilight sighed.

"Cheer up Twi!" Pinkie said, reaching around her friend with her forehooves to pull her mouth into a smile.

Shaking her pink friend off, Twilight said "I wish I could Pinkie. But think about it: Reassembling our world is going to take all twenty shards. What happens if these monsters get their hooves or claws or whatever on even one shard? What... ...What if they destroy one of them? What if we can never really get our own world back?"

From the other side of the glass, Anna Lair said "Twilight... I know it's not what you want to hear, but if that did happen... Well, you ponies seem like good people. I expect there'd be room for you here."

"That's right kind of you." Applejack said, looking down herself, "But home is home, y'know?"

"And, on top of that... We all have other friends and family in those shards. What if the one with Ponyville in it were destroyed?" Rarity asked.

"Scoots." Rainbow whispered, eyes wide.

"Spike." Twilight nodded.

"Sweetie Belle."

"Bloom an' Mac an' Granny."

"The Cakes."

"Angel."

Twilight said "And that's just us! Sweet Maker, what if the Canterlot shard were lost? How could we go on without the Princesses!?"

Everyone was silent for a time. Rainbow finally said "Guess we kinda bought the room down. Sorry."

"It's alright." Susan said. "Not like we'd be feeling any different after all, if we were the ones in that situation."

"Don't focus on the bad." Charlie Lin said. "You have to keep your faith that things will work out in the end."

Twilight looked up into the man's eyes. "But how do we do that with things this bad?"

Charlie said "I once knew a man who insisted that hope was a negative emotion. 'Hope is paralyzing,' he would say, by which he meant that it didn't do anything to just hope, that if you were putting everything into hoping things would get better, you'd just sit there and hope away, doing nothing. He was, I think, partially correct. Certainly, the type of hope that simply hopes and does nothing about it is foolish. But... There's another kind of hope. The kind that combines hoping for the best, with getting off of your butt and doing something about it, doing something to make what you hope for come to pass. And that's what you, all of you, are going to have to do."

"But how-"

Joan quoted,

"Hope
Requires the contender,
Who sees no virtue
In surrender,
From the cradle,
To the bier,
The Heart must always
Persevere."

Twilight managed to smile slightly. "That's pretty. What's it from?"

"A tome called 'The Book of Counted Sorrows.' Joan answered.

"Well, it's true." Rarity said, standing taller. "We've got to get off our plots and act."

"But... How...?" Elyon motioned around the room that contained them.

"I think it's time to discuss just that with those in charge around here." Rarity said. She trotted up to the two way mirror, stared in at whoever might be there, and said "You've been listening. We'd like to talk."

Nothing happened for half a minute, then the main airlock door suddenly opened with a 'hiss' of pneumatics, revealing three men and two women, none of them in bio-safety suits. "Agreed." General Carver said...

XXXXX

Quarantine, Day Three. Carver stepped off of his helicopter and strode with purpose towards the Pentagon Building. As he walked, he went over the proposal he was going to make in his mind once more, making certain nothing had been missed. It was a risk. He knew that beyond any doubt. But it was also the best shot anyone had at successfully defending the world, especially with an eye towards minimizing collateral damage. Carver's career would be on the line if they didn't go for this. He had to do it anyway.

Though he was joined by a pair of guards as he entered the massive structure, the General didn't slow down. He knew exactly where he was going. At each of the five security checkpoints along the way, Carver was offered a guide. He turned them all down.

Finally, on the seventh floor below ground (which officially doesn't exist) he stopped at a nondescript door and knocked. The portal slid open, and General David Carver stepped through into a large conference room. Measuring forty feet by thirty feet, filled with a table that took most of the space, the room was empty of any sort of decorations. There were no plants, no paintings, no sculptures; The floor was bare concrete. Considering the usual lavishness of executive suites, it was an incongruous place to be meeting the President and Vice President, along with numerous other high-ranking officials. It was also the one place in the entire world where there was not the slightest risk of any sort of listening devices or bugs.

"David." The President said, rising to shake hands with Carver. "What have we got here?"

Carver returned the handshake and sat as the President returned to his own seat. "Sir, what we've got is a terrible threat and an incredible opportunity."

"Go on..."

"Sir, we've come to the conclusion that the aliens we have in custody are not hostiles. Quite the opposite in fact, the actual hostiles seem to have attacked their world first before proceeding on to ours..." Carver continued, spelling out all that had been learned.

As the General finished, Vice President Foley asked "I'm not sure I understand this General... You said there was an opportunity. But, if the horse-aliens world was already destroyed then they weren't strong enough to counter this enemy... What help can they be to us if they couldn't even save themselves?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that sir..."

"Is it? Their world is shattered."

"By this Discord as a last-ditch defense." Carver corrected. "Sir, I'm not questioning that the ponies wouldn't be able to stop the hostiles on their own. But, I doubt we can either. What I'm suggesting is cooperation. Our technology with their natural abilities-"

"Magic." Someone across the room snorted.

Carver looked towards the source of the derisive snort, a thin aging woman serving as Secretary of the Treasury. "Magic. Psionics. Call it what you want Maggie, I've seen it in action. It's real."

"Unless of course you've been compromised."

"Just what are you implying?"

"Only what I said. General Carver has been in the same facility as these aliens. He has spoken with them directly and at length. And now he suddenly says they're our friends. This troubles me."

"As it should." Foley agreed.

"Should General Carver even be here with us?"

"Now hold on!-"

The room threatened to erupt into a loud verbal sparring match. Luckily, President Whitmore knew when to make his presence felt. "Quiet!" He exclaimed with a fist slammed onto the table, and all eyes turned to him. "I'm not letting the executive branch of the United States government turn into a remake of 'The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.'"

"Sir...?"

Whitmore grinned. "Original series Twilight Zone episode. Watch it sometime. For now, the General has been through every test known to man and they all say he's clean. That's good enough for me. We're not going over the edge of paranoia, understood?"

Everyone in the room nodded their agreement, though in some cases grudgingly.

Foley then said "Alright then General. Just exactly what do you have in mind for our new 'friends?'"

Carver sat back in his chair and pressed several buttons on the tabletop, switching on a projector. "As I said, cooperation. Take a look at some of the things our guests can do..."

The gathered leaders watched as the screen showed several short videos, all of ponies using their natural gifts: Twilight levitating a stack of books, Applejack making potted plants grow rapidly, Fluttershy directing animals.

"Without any training at all, lost and confused, these ponies and their human partners handled the giants as well as our best troops. And all indications are that those books contain even more powerful skills waiting to be unlocked by the bonds the pairs share. Now, we can handle the giants pretty easy. We can handle the scorpions, barely. What happens when something even stronger shows up? And then something stronger than that? Another tier or two and we'd have to resort to the nukes to stop them. And even that won't be the end of it: Whatever's at the top of the food chain destroys entire planets. So... Do we try to go it alone? Or do we take whatever help we can get, and maybe together put an end to this?"

The room was quiet for several minutes as everyone processed what they had seen and heard. "He's right Tom." Foley whispered to his boss.

Whitmore nodded. "I agree. But, General, it sounds like you're planning to send teenagers into combat zones. How can we allow that?"

"I don't like it either. But what choice do we have here? The girls are with the ponies and the ponies will be targeted even if they don't do anything. Better to train them, armor them, and give them back-up."

"Can we at least get deniability?" Secretary Jacobson asked.

Carver resisted the urge to throttle the man for worrying about politics in these circumstances. Instead he simply said "I'm sure it can be arranged."

"Good." Whitmore said, "Then we're finished here. General, I'll leave the rest of this in your hands..."

XXXXX

Quarantine, Day Four: At the General's orders, quarantine procedures were lifted. He now sat at the head of another conference table, along with everyone who had been sealed away and several members of his staff. "Um, not that I'm complaining, but I thought we had to stay locked up for a month." Cornelia asked.

"It's a calculated risk. Nothing showed up in any of your tests, and the way things are going I doubt we'd be able to keep things secure here another month anyway..."

"Have there been more attacks?" Susan asked.

"There have been constant attacks Mrs. Vandom, scattered all around the globe." Carver answered, "All giants since the last attack on Heatherfield."

"This is terrible..." Fluttershy whispered.

Taranee asked "What did you mean when you said we might not be safe here much longer?"

They listened as General Carver explained what had been happening. How no matter where the giants appeared, they turned to move towards Fort Wyvern. How he was certain that it was only a matter of time before stronger foes began to attack. How he had spoken with the President, and gotten approval for his plan.

"I still hate this last part." Joan Lin said. "You're asking our children to be in harm's way."

"Mom there's not a choice!" Hay Lin countered.

"There's always a choice." Joan insisted.

"Maybe, but what is it?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, we can't do much without them right now!" Rainbow agrees.

"But still..."

Carver shook his head. "I know. I'm a father myself, I really do understand Mrs. Lin. But we're facing down the end of the world here. These girls are in mortal peril no matter where they are or what they do, just like the rest of us."

Will said, "Except... We can maybe do something about it."

"They'll have training?" Anna Lair asked.

"Absolutely. Training, army back-up, and the best advanced armor and support technology available, some truly amazing things." Carver looked across the table to the ponies. "You too, of course, though what we need most from you is whatever else is in those books."

Twilight said "Assuming the books contain all of our natural gifts, there should be some very useful tools waiting to be unlocked. My best guess is that further abilities will come the same way the first set did: By forging closer friendships with our partners."

"One other thing though," Applejack said, "We've still gotta find the missing pieces of Equestria."

"Yes, the more of it we recover, the more help we'll have." Rarity agreed. "Especially if we restore the Princesses."

The General smiled. "As it happens, I have some good news for you there..." He nodded to one of his aides, who sat a large metal case on the table, removed a pair of padlocks, and swung the lid open. A faintly glowing fist-sized crystal sat nestled within.

"Another world shard!" Twilight said excitedly.

"It was recovered from Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. A maintenance worker went to replace a burnt-out light bulb at the top of a skyscraper and found it in the socket of all places. I understand you can access them by having any three ponies touch it together."

"That's what Discord told us, yes." Twilight looked at her friends. "Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy... We got the first one, would you three like to do the honors?"

"Hooray!" Pinkie exclaimed, hopping in place.

"Based on what happened the first time, this won't just pull in the three who touch it." Twilight said, "It'll take everyone in the room. Are you okay with that General?"

"Go ahead."

"Ladies, shall we?" Rarity asked.

Three hooves touched the shard together. And with a blinding flash of white light, the room was emptied of occupants...

XXXXX

The sky was bright, free of clouds, and a brisk wind blew across the high plataeu, ruffling the hair and feathers of the group of beings that had appeared seemingly from nowhere. Nearby, the flat ground abruptly terminated in a sheer drop, and beyond could be seen a chain of tall mountains that continued to the edge of sight. "Brrrr... It's cold!" Irma announced, shivering.

"Where are we?" Tom Lair asked. "Is this Equestria?"

"It must be a part of our world..." Twilight answered, "But not a part I recognize. Girls? Do any of you know this place?"

A chorus of negative answers came back.

"Nuts. I had so hoped this shard would be Canterlot. Instead it's just some wilderness in the mountains."

"I guess it's not that surprising." Taranee said, "I mean, if Equestria is as big as the Earth, the odds are pretty strongly against showing up in a place you know."

"Yes, I hadn't thought of that either," Rarity said, "But now that Taranee mentions it, I suppose we're fortunate that we didn't show up in the middle of the ocean... Maybe we should start carrying supplies before activating future shards."

"Wise." Elyon agreed.

Rainbow said "Well... If this shard is just the middle of nowhere should we just turn around and go back?"

"Not too fast now." General Carver said. "It's still possible that there could be something worth finding here."

"You want me to fly up, get a good look around?"

"Good idea." Will said.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow started to fly straight up, but but didn't get far before everyone heard a voice calling out "Hello!?"

"What?"

"Where?"

"There!" Applejack said, "Comin' in from the north!"

Looking in the indicated direction, the group saw a trio of specks in the sky, growing larger as they flew closer. "Pegasai?" Harold wondered.

"No, I don't think so." Fluttershy whispered, "The wing beats are wrong. In fact, I think..." Her eyes went wide. "Gryphons!"

"Gryphons!?"

"Guess that's why none of us recognized this place, this shard must be Gryphonica."

"Is this a threat?" Carver asked.

"More so than other ponies would have been. Gryphonica and Equestria have been at war in the past, and Gryphons have something of a warrior-themed culture. But we've been allied for nearly a century." Twilight replied.

"Let's hear them out." Rainbow agreed, "But be careful just in case."

The flight of Gryphons drew nearer, and began to circle widely around the ponies and humans on the ground. At their current distance, they could be seen more clearly and it was evident that they were wearing military uniforms, with armored pauldrons over their shoulders, articulated metal gauntlets on their claws, and wingblades affixed to their wing's leading edges. After circling for several minutes, they grouped back together and descended, landing directly before everyone.

"What Ho! I am Grendak, First Admiral of the Gryphonican Seventh Expeditionary Force! What business have you in Gryphonica?"

"We come as friends." Twilight answered stepping forward. "My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Grendak raised a feathered eyebrow. "First apprentice to Celestia? An honor." Here he bowed. "What purpose has your visit?"

"Are you yet aware that something terrible has happened to our world?" Twilight asked.

"We know of some manner of disturbance, yes. Something is preventing any of our people from leaving the area, a white mist that none can pass. How did you manage to pass through?"

"I'm afraid we have some very bad news Admiral..."

It took a full half hour for the ponies to explain everything they knew about what had happened. Grendak and his guards were incredulous at first, but by the end had accepted the tale as truth. "What then shall we do?" The Admiral wondered. "We Gryphons will see no honor in failing to offer our strength in this battle."

Carver said "We're still figuring the broad strokes out ourselves. But considering the nature of our enemy I'm more than happy to accept more allies."

Applejack said "We all will."

"Do Gryphons have any kind of magical gifts?" Will asked.

Grendak answered "We do. Like Pegasai, we could not fly under our own power without a magical boost, which also enables us to walk upon clouds as if they were solid surfaces. Unlike Pegasai, we cannot sculpt clouds or control weather however. Instead, our gifts tend more towards a form of magical artificing, embuing non-living materials with a semblance of life."

"Golems!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Precisely."

"That could be very useful in a fight." Taranee mused.

"Indeed it is. During our last conflict with the Minotaurs, combat golems made up the backbone of Gryphonica's army, sparing Gryphon soldiers from the front lines."

Twilight said "Admiral, these humans have impressive technology. Golems made with their armor would be much harder to destroy than those you've used before. That might be a good niche for your force's involvement."

"Assuming we can leave this place." Grendak replied. "You got in. I'm guessing you can get back out?"

"We can. Would you like to see if it's possible for you to come with us?"

"Yes, but not immediately. I must return home and tell of what I have learned." The Gryphon leader shook his head. "Even the most terrible news, such as this, will dismay and frighten my people less than not knowing anything at all. Can you return here in two week's time? We will try then."

"Of course!"

"We take our leave then. Safe passage to you." The Gryphons rose on their great wings and flew back the way they had come.

"Well that was interesting." Anna Lair whispered.

"Absolutely." Tom agreed. He looked down at Twilight. "Did he mention Minotaurs?"

"They live to the southwest of Gryphonica." Twilight said.

"And they tend to be kind of jerks." Rainbow added.

"Minotaurs... What's next, dragons?"

"Yeah... About that..."

XXXXX

The training program for the ponies and their partners began early the next morning. Under Carver's orders, a specialized set of exercises, essentially boot camp modified to take into account the girl's young age, was created and implemented. The visually-focused might want to imagine a training montage here, filled with scenes of classroom work, weapons training, gymnastics exercises, and grueling cross-country runs.

As one would expect, Irma and Will did the best among the humans of the group, while Applejack and Rainbow excelled among the ponies; At least until Rainbow was caught flying through a part of a course she was supposed to run. With her wing power banned from those exercises Pinkie managed to pull slightly ahead of her.

On the evening of the tenth day of training, Susan and Joan went to the dorms to check on their daughters. What they found was nearly everyone passed out asleep in whatever positions they had hit the mattresses in. Only Applejack was awake, and even she seemed exhausted. "But, working on a farm my whole life, I've got a little bit of an advantage over the others." She explained.

"This still seems so wrong." Joan sighed.

"That's 'cause it is. Much as I hate 't say it, though, but all we can do here is go for the lesser of the two evils."

"I suppose you're right."

Susan asked "So what did they have you all doing today?"

"The usual. Three mile cross country run, ten laps around the big pool, jumpin' jacks-"

"Jumping jacks!? Surely that was just the girls..."

"Nope, us too. Not so easy when you're not used 't balancing on two legs." Applejack chuckled. "Anyways, that was morning. Spent the afternoon learning all about weapons and tactics and such... They say we're all gettin' fitted with our gear in the morning."

"Gear? The armor?"

"Eeyup. 'T tell you the truth, I get the feeling the General's gettin' antsy, like he's afraid we won't be ready in time."

"He might be." Joan said. "I don't know if any of you have heard, but there was a scorpion attack today."

Applejack sat up straighter at this. "That's the first one since the ones we fought isn't it?"

"Yeah. It attacked Taipei in China. Chinese army took it down, but not easily."

"How bad?"

"Hard to say. Even in this, the Chinese government isn't very forthcoming."

Across the room, Will stirred and opened her eyes. "I guess we'd better keep pushing ourselves then..." She muttered. "It's only a matter of time now."

"Will, sleep!" Susan exclaimed, crossing the room to her daughter's side. "Pushing too hard will only get you hurt in the end."

"She's right." Joan and Applejack agreed.

Will started to argue, "But-" but she was interrupted by a voice from the next bunk.

Rainbow Dash was talking in her sleep: "Quintuple Platinum Medal... 'Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!' Oh Soarin you shouldn't have..."

Everyone who was awake chuckled, and then Susan pointed to the pegasus and said "Sleep, before you end up acting like that when you're awake."

"Fair enough..." Will grinned, and was out like a light again as soon as her head hit the pillow...

XXXXX

Morning. Ten solid hours of sleep (And copious amounts of coffee upon waking) had prepared the weary team for another day of work. Everyone was seated around a table next to their partners, exchanging small talk and wondering what they'd have to do today.

"I hope it's more book practice!" Pinkie said around a mouth full of doughnut.

"That's just 'cause y'all like dressin' up as Batmane."

"You've revealed my secret identity!" Pinkie reared back in mock horror, to which Applejack simply stuck out her tongue.

"I wouldn't mind book practice either..." Fluttershy whispered. "It's nice talking to all the little animals of this world."

"But wait... The animals here aren't as smart as the ones back home." Rainbow said. "What do they talk about?"

"Food mostly. And sleep." (The group laughed) "It's all they seem to know, but they're so earnest about it, those things are serious business to them."

"I guess it would be, if it was all you knew." Elyon said.

"Yes, exactly!" Fluttershy smiled. "The dogs are better conversationalists, they add playing and their guard duties to the discussion. The cats just snub me." She frowned.

"Earth cats tend to be jerks." Irma said, "I wouldn't worry about it."

Rarity said "Equestrian cats can be 'jerks' as well. But I still miss dear Opelescence."

"Yeah I miss Tank. But, he's okay! There's not even any time passing back home 'til we find the Ponyville shard."

"I still can't believe your pet is a turtle." Cornelia chuckled. "It just seems so out of place."

As the breakfast conversation continued, General Carver entered the room, and took an empty seat. "What's the word Davie!?" Pinkie asked, still insisting on using the man's first name.

"The word is good news. You're all due for fitting with the new uniforms in thirty minutes. Once that's done, we're giving you the rest of the day to rest up." The group cheered at this news.

"What about the attacks?" Will asked, "I heard last night it was getting worse again."

"It is, but you're no good to us too dead tired to move. So, unless something comes up that requires your involvement right away, it's time to recoup."

"I'm certainly glad to hear that." Rarity replied.

"Good. So finish up your meals, and we'll get the fitting taken care of..."

XXXXX

Carver hadn't been kidding about equipping the team with the best gear available. The uniforms consisted of three layers. The first was similar to the underlayer of spacewalking suits for astronauts; designed to wick away moisture and maintain a stable body temperature. Next came a layer of some black fabric no one recognized. "It's a kevlar/nomax blend on the inside," A technician explained, "And woven Carbon-60 on the outside."

Taranee's head swung to look at the man in disbelief. "Carbon-60? I didn't think that stuff could be made more than a few inches long yet."

"Officially it can't." Carver interjected, "Unofficially, well, let's just say each of you is now wearing a noticeable portion of the national debt."

As everyone present regarded the suits with a new respect, another tech said "This stuff will stop any bladed weapon imaginable, as well as anything short of a fifty-caliber round. It's also extremely insulating." The woman slipped on one of the spare gloves, then turned on an acetyline torch and, to several yelps of fear and shock, waved her hand right through the flame. She pulled the glove off to reveal undamaged flesh.

Twilight practically jumped forward and grabbed the hand in both front hooves, staring at it closely. "It's not even warm..." She turned her attention to the glove, but before she could reach out Taranee stopped her.

"I wouldn't touch the outside of that for awhile. Acetyline burns at nine thousand degrees."

"Just how bad are you expecting this to get General!?" Irma asked.

"Bad enough to take no chances. And we're not done yet; there's one more layer to go."

The third layer consisted of thin, rigid armor plates that interlocked with each other while leaving full flexibility of movement in the joints. "These are titanium ceremic composite. Best armor on earth. Inside the helmets, you'll find microphones and speakers, and the gauntlets, or hoofguards for you ponies, have motion activated flashlights on the left and a similarly activated shock taser on the right."

Rainbow asked "Not that I wanna add any more weight, but I don't suppose you could make wingblades?"

"Give us the specs and I'm sure we could do something." The first technician said. "But for now let's see how well you can fly in what we've already got."

"Yeah, good call." Rainbow agreed. Not wasting any time, she lifted off and flew in a slow circle around the high-ceilinged room before flying higher and doing some simple loops. "Well there's no missing the added weight," She answered after landing, "But I can adapt."

"Good. And you miss?"

"Oh! Let me try." Fluttershy answered. After completing her own circuit of the room she said "It's a bit heavy for flying. But, I don't fly as much as Rainbow Dash anyway. I'm sure I'll be okay."

"Excellent." The techs turned to Twilight and Rarity. "Now, as for you two, we originally intended to make your helmets with horn covers, but there was some concern that doing so might somehow restrict your abilities..."

"It's not impossible." Twilight said, "Most metals wouldn't impede magical energies, but there are materials that can."

"As we were afraid. Still, we didn't want to leave something that important unprotected if it could be avoided. So we made these attachments." The woman produced a series of horn covers made from different metals, all threaded to attach to the helmets.

"Shall we try them and see what happens?" Rarity asked.

Twilight nodded, and the technicians knelt down and began screwing in the covers. As they worked, Cornelia asked "So, what would happen if a unicorn's horn was damaged?"

Both of the unicorns winced visibly at the mere thought, and Rarity explained "It depends. If, Celestia forbid, a unicorn were to entirely lose her horn, it would eventually regrow... But she would be without magic until it was completely restored, and that can take over a year."

"It sounds like that would be like losing both hands to a human." Elyon said.

Twilight nodded. "Yes. And it's not the worst outcome."

"No, it's not." Rarity agreed, "Far worse is a horn that is damaged but not destroyed. In that case, the damaged horn continued to attempt to channel magic, with unpredictable, even dangerous results."

"Just in case we have something bad happen," Carver asked, "What should we do?"

"The only recourse for a damaged horn is to remove it so a new, intact one can grow in it's place." Rarity said.

Twilight added "But if you ever have to do that, be very cautious. There can be seriously powerful magic flares during the hornectomy."

"Well, there you go." The technicians had finished attaching the first set of covers. "See what happens..."

XXXXX

An hour later, the entire group was back in their shared quarters. There was no slight amount of razzing, from Irma and Rainbow, towards the unicorns who had discovered the hard way what could happen when one charged a horn with magic, found the material surrounding said horn blocked the magic, then removed the cover letting the magic free. Carver was going to have a hard time explaining the new ten-foot wide holes through five back to back walls.

"But the look on Twi's face was the best part!!" Rainbow hooted.

"Nah, Carver's face was the best!" Irma disagreed.

"Will you two stop it!?" Twilight shouted, "It wasn't funny it was terrifying! For a while there I thought I could've killed someone!"

"Yes, it was most distressing." Rarity agreed.

Rainbow waved this off. "Oh come on! No one was hurt! And we did eventually find stuff that'll work for a guard."

Will said, "Not to mention, and I know you probably don't want to hear this just now, but it occurs to me that effect could be weaponized."

"Huh?"

"She has a point." Taranee said. "Make a cover of the stuff that holds in magic, with an irising port on the end, build up some power, then open the hole to let it out in the direction you mean for it to go..."

"I don't believe you're agreeing with this." Twilight huffed. "I need a distraction..." She trotted towards the entertainment center at the end of the room, only for Rainbow to zip there ahead of her and grab up a game controller.

"Oh no! Every time you get the game thing you put in Tetris!"

"What's wrong with that!?"

"Boooooring....."

"Someone help me out here eh?"

"Sorry Dash, I like Tetris." Elyon said.

Pinkie said "Although it would be nice to get a turn in. How many lines did Twi get last time?"

"Forty-three hundred." Everyone else said together.

Twilight blushed. "Sorry... Guess I do get a little intense..."

"That's why we love you egghead!" Rainbow answered, noogieing her friend's mane.

"Sorry I got so mad at you. I just, I was scared when it happened you know. And then you two were laughing..."

"And the laughing got your mind off what scared you by making you mad at us instead, right?"

"Wait that was on purpose?"

"Well duh."

Chuckling and shaking her head, Twilight said "Thanks I guess."

"Yes, but don't ever do it again." Rarity grinned.

"Okay, okay... So, Call of Duty?"

"Tetris!"

"Neither." Everyone looked around to see Carver had entered the room with a hard look on his face. "Sorry to interrupt your day off, but we've got a problem..."

"Time to suit up?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, and quickly."

"Giants or Scorpions?"

"...Worse..."

Comments

[badninja]

So we get a new enemy at the end. I wonder just what it is? Hopefully the next shard has something the mane 6 are looking for, like Twilights library or Sweet Apple Acres!

[Seeking Dusk]

Worse. Lovely. Because why wouldn't they want worse?

The armour sounds epic and awesome though. Personally, I think hoofblades would be better than wingblades.

[Silentwoodfire]

Interesting story you have here. I am rather enjoying it.

Best of luck

[Greatazuredragon]

"Rrrright... Miss Pie, have you consumed a large amount of caffine or sugar today?"
Pinkie stopped vibrating long enough to think over the question. "Let's see... I've had three cups of triple expresso, five cans of Jolt, sixteen double chocolate cupcakes, two apple pies a'la mode, and half of a bundt cake... No more than usual, really..."

That's our living sugar rush for you.

"There's no reason for the attitude Ma'am. We're just getting answers. And, I'm not convinced 'Duh' is appropriate anyway, after all, how did you know the robot was the, as you say, 'bad guy?"
"It was shooting at us?" Will snarked. "Again, duh."

Yeah you can't get more literal than that regarding being the Bad Guy.
Save for a dance and song number of course;

Awesome chapter, great work.

[badninja]

I am wondering how the next chapter is progressing? It has been awhile since you put out a new chapter for this story.

[Jlargent]

Update when?

[sunset-starlight]

"But it has to make sense." Marilyn argued, "Even if we don't understand it yet. There has to be some underlying logic that we're not seeing."

DON'T BE A TWILIGHT!!!

[sunset-starlight]

Both of the unicorns winced visibly at the mere thought, and Rarity explained "It depends. If, Celestia forbid, a unicorn were to entirely lose her horn, it would eventually regrow... But she would be without magic until it was completely restored, and that can take over a year."

Tell this to tempest

[Ariel Schnee]

Hoping to see an update sometime soon!^_^