Magical Harmony Spec Ops Friendship

by totallynotabrony

CH9: Arson and Mall Crawling

Twilight sat on a park bench beneath a street light and read Northern Equestria Geography volume 2. The sun was down, but she wasn’t in any hurry to get home. With her current priorities, it was mildly remarkable the things that didn’t bother her anymore. No parents to impose a curfew. She didn’t even think about getting mugged.

She’s here, noted Spike. He was somewhere high up in the night sky, carrying a pair of binoculars to survey the meeting area. Chrysalis had shown up after all.

Okay girls, thought Twilight, getting up from the bench. She glanced around, seeing nopony. If all the Elements had stuck to their plan, they should be in place around the park. Twilight focused, and teleported.

She was already in her Element guise when she arrived at the other end. It wasn’t the easiest thing to transform while simultaneously teleporting, but she wasn’t the Element of Magic for nothing.

Her book was gone, but she didn’t question it. The Element magic seemed to “store” whatever personal effects she had until she changed back. All the more reason Twilight was convinced that somepony had intentionally designed the magic that went into the Elements. Considering what else the magic did, such as the outfits, that pony must have also been insane.

Chrysalis jumped a little when Twilight arrived out of thin air. She was still wearing Twilight’s face, the real Twilight was cross to note, but put it out of her mind for the moment.

“I’m glad you came,” said Twilight.

“Are you really going to help me?” said Chrysalis.

“That depends on how much you help me.” Twilight glanced around pointedly. “Are you alone?”

“And who would have come with me? Part of being an infiltrator is that nopony knows.”

That wasn’t a straight answer, but Spike hadn’t identified anypony with Chrysalis and the other Elements were just a moment away. “Alright. Tell me everything you know about this so-called Commander.”

“They wield quite a bit of implied power,” said Chrysalis. “As I said, I’ve never met them, but considering who all they command, I should say they are powerful enough in their own right.”

“How do you communicate?”

“Cut-outs and go-betweens. Usually through the village.”

“You mentioned it before. Where is it?”

“It’s not on any map. Northeast of Canterlot, west of Manehattan, at the foot of the northern mountains.”

That was exactly why Twilight had been reading the geography book. She didn’t remember very many towns in that area, which likely made it a great place for a villain to lie low. “What’s it called?”

At this point, Chrysalis’ previous willingness to talk began to falter. “I don’t think it has a name. Everypony who lives there just calls it ‘our town.’ It’s...not natural. And this is coming from somepony who grew up in a cave.”

“What do you mean?”

Chrysalis hesitated. “Everypony has the exact same cutie mark. It’s an equals sign. They’re all equal.”

Twilight blinked. “What? How is that possible?”

“I wouldn’t know, changelings don’t have cutie marks. And aren’t you the Element of Magic?”

Twilight wanted to anchor on the topic and demand more information. How could an entire village have the exact same cutie mark? What kind of special talent was equality, anyway? But that wasn’t the most important thing here, she reminded herself. “You mentioned everypony the Commander commands. Who are they? Are they all the villagers?”

“Just as I haven’t met the Commander, I don’t know how far their network spreads.” Chrysalis smirked. “But I wouldn’t be Queen of the changelings if I didn’t have my own ways and means. I’ve heard whispers of the Commander through the underground. Dangerous magical items. Potions. Surviving fragments of Nightmare Moon’s army. Individuals with too much power and no cause.”

“Do you have any actual names?” Twilight prompted.

“They have a mayor that seems to manage things in the village. Many of the townsponies are actually my changelings, living there by arrangement to collect love. That gives me insight and ears to hear gossip.”

“So you must know of a few others, then.”

“Well, I’ve heard that a particular stage magician named Trixie recently started missing scheduled performances. Did you have anything to do with that?”

Twilight forced her face to remain impassive. Chrysalis smirked again. “There were a few magic-wielding griffons she had associated with. A hoofful of others.”

“Names?” Twilight stressed again.

“Your name isn’t ‘the Element of Magic,’” Chrysalis pointed out. “My name isn’t Twilight Sparkle. A name isn’t everything.”

“Well, what else have you given me so far?” said Twilight. “A town I still have to search for?”

“I think you’ll understand that I have to hedge my bets,” said Chrysalis. “And I can still get word to my changelings that you’re on the way.”

“Don’t you trust me?” Twilight snarled. “Don’t you trust the Elements?”

“I trust power,” said Chrysalis. “You may have defeated Nightmare Moon, but how many of your number did it cost? What have you done since then? I’m with the lot that is actually doing something.”

“Then why are you talking to me now?”

“Maybe I want to believe. You just haven’t convinced me yet.”

What could Twilight say? She could ask the girls via Spike, but she already knew how they would vote: probably half in favor of playing the game, and the other half in favor of caving in Chrysalis’ leering mug.

Doing something was better than doing nothing.

“What can I do to earn your trust?” Twilight asked.

Chrysalis may have been an underdog, and knew it, but she also knew when somepony was willing to come down to her level. She flashed that maddening grin again. “You just have to even the balance of power. Kill the Commander’s top enforcer.”

“Who is named…?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “I’m not giving you that. What I’m going to do instead is let slip that I know something about the Elements, but I’ll do you the favor of helping me choose what I say. The Commander’s lieutenant will find you, and you may even be able to influence where and when.”

This was going to require thought and planning. “I’ll get back to you,” Twilight decided.

“Don’t take too long.” Chrysalis gave her one last simpering smile and turned away.

---

Cadance came through the front gate at the castle often enough that the guards knew her. Well, recognized her assumed identity, anyway. She had written her own name on the list of those killed in action during the Battle of the Everfree, right beside Shining Armor.

Princess Celestia was waiting when Cadance came into her office. She had just lowered the sun and appeared to be finishing up some paperwork. Her mood appeared to improve considerably when she saw that Cadance had brought cake.

“Bringing Pinkie Pie on full time was an excellent decision,” said Celestia. “Though I’m sure there have been other benefits besides on-call baking.”

“Certainly,” said Cadance, setting the Café Cadenza gift box down on Celestia’s desk. “Though it’s been Twilight who has moved the group forward, as we hoped. In fact, they’re out tonight running an operation to move forward as we speak.”

“Would you like some?” Celestia asked, gesturing to the cake as she opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out two forks.

Cadance shook her head. “I’m in close proximity to Pinkie on a daily basis.”

Celestia touched a button on her intercom. “Sunset, come in here and have some delicious cake.”

Sunset appeared, looking at least as weary of a long day as Celestia. “What’s this about cake?”

“Pinkie Pie made it,” said Cadance.

“Well, if it’s half as good as the cake the Pinkie Pie in the other world makes, then count me in.” Sunset accepted a fork from Celestia, but waited until the Princess had taken the first bite.

“I’ve never been quite clear on how this other world works,” said Cadance. “Do I understand correctly that there are duplicates in personality between us here and the creatures in the other universe?”

Sunset nodded as she chewed. Swallowing, she said, “I think Cadance the human is a dean at a private academy.”

That didn’t sound so bad, Cadance thought. She wanted to ask about Shining Armor. She stopped herself.

“You said the group was moving forward?” Celestia prompted between bites.

Cadance nodded. “They discovered that Chrysalis, a Queen of changelings, was impersonating Twilight at school on orders from this mysterious Commander. They’ve gone to meet her and gain information. We think we have some leverage, but we’re waiting to see how the night plays out.”

Celestia frowned, even as she continued to eat cake. “It’s good to hear of the success, but I’m worried about the implications.”

“You have a country to run,” said Cadance. “Leave the worrying to me.”

“So you’ve always said. And in that case, Sunset has a proposal for you.” Celestia gestured.

“I wanted to help the Elements understand more about the other world,” said Sunset. “I know Twilight refused to consider exporting the magic, but you’ve been able to convince her of things before. I know she’s a mare of science, so she’s willing to change her opinions based on new information.”

“What are you suggesting?” Cadance said.

Sunset grew even more reluctant. “Well, I don’t know if she would agree to it...but I want to show her that world.”

“I’ll ask her,” said Cadance. “But you may want to think about how you sell it. Also, depending on how successful tonight is, we may have a lot on our plate.”

“As long as you can keep coming by with full plates,” Celestia said.

---

“I still don’t like it,” said Applejack as she and Twilight prepared for bed.

The group hadn’t had time to find Applejack her own place yet. For now, she was spending another night on Twilight’s couch.

“Chrysalis has information we need,” Twilight said.

“And between the group of us, I’m pretty sure we could get it out of her without playing any games.”

Twilight paused, shamed that she had actually considered it. “We’re better than that.”

“She is a criminal by Equestrian laws,” Applejack pointed out. “Not to mention what her changelings have done.”

“And what is torture? Chrysalis isn’t...well, evil. Not on the scale of Nightmare Moon. Not on the scale of anypony we’ve faced in the last week.”

“Can you afford bein’ such a white knight?” said Applejack. “Puns on Rarity aside, this is a war in everything but name, a war the public ain’t seen yet, but if we don’t do everything we can to solve this, they might.”

“What’s the alternative?” said Twilight. “We go survey Equestria until we find that village, and then fight and capture everypony there, some of whom are changelings? That could be dozens, or hundreds. If we work with Chrysalis, she can give us intel and get noncombatants out of the way.”

“She can also feed us a load of hooey and get us all killed.”

“I acknowledge your concern.”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Sugarcube, I ain’t tryin’ to reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ if this goes sideways. I’m tryin’ to keep that from happenin.’ How many deaths do you want on your conscience?”

Twilight looked at her. “As many as it takes to save Equestria - which is a number we can choose. I didn’t become an Element wanting to kill anypony. I don’t want to kill anypony. I don’t want to throw friends’ lives away for a goal, either. When taking a life is the easiest way to do something, then we aren’t any better than evil, we’re just the ones in power.”

There was at least one lesson Twilight had taken from Chrysalis.

Applejack sighed. “You always could pull out the speeches when you needed to. Alright. But please, Twilight, don’t be contrary on everything just because you can. Evil’s evil and good’s good, but there’s a grey area in the middle we all live in. Sometimes you have to settle.”

“When you’re right, I wish you didn’t have to be so depressing about it.”

---

Spike headed back to his place beneath the eaves of Café Cadenza. It had been a productive night. While Chrysalis hadn’t spilled as many beans as they all hoped, it was a start.

He slipped through the peak vent of the building into the attic. The space below the roof was small, but he was a small guy - though he preferred the term “cozy” for both.

Spike liked to joke that his nest was an “open plan loft,” which was technically true. Though, as a spirit guide to the Elements of Harmony, he didn’t exactly get out much. Being a semietheral being composed primarily of magic, and being busy besides, there wasn’t a lot of dating going on. Well, that just meant more time for chilling.

His bed was a particularly nice dog mattress that Cadance had bought for him. His breakfast, lunch, and dinner were day-old pastries from the café, plus a handful of gems now and again that Rarity treated him. All in all, life was pretty good.

He lay down and pulled his blanket over him.

The building exploded.

---

Fluttershy jerked awake. Hard to miss a boom so loud it raddled her windows. She sat up in bed, turning to look at the skyline. A faint red glow rose between darkened buildings.

She threw off the covers and grabbed her first aid kit, and then flew out the window. Ponies from all around the city were at their windows, looking, trying to see what had happened. Most of them weren’t doing anything.

As Fluttershy got closer, a feeling of dread built in her stomach. It reached full crescendo as she arrived at the shop - or what was left of it.

A bystander or two were already there, but keeping their distance from the flaming wreckage. Fluttershy debated internally, but decided to leave her disguise off. No need to cast this as Element business, at least not yet.

She landed and brandished her medical kit. “Is anypony hurt?”

There were no replies from the onlookers, so she turned and trotted closer to the fire. “Hello?” she shouted into the flames. There could be nopony left alive in that inferno. Nopony.

Fluttershy saw a dark shape in the fire and continued around the corner of the building. Spike came stumbling out, blackened scales steaming in the cool night.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy gasped.

“Whaaat?” Spike replied. He shook his head, patting his ears. “What happened?”

“You would know better than me. Were you home at the time?” Fluttershy said.

“Sorry. My ears are still ringing,” Spike said, after making Fluttershy repeat herself. “But wow, this was the best time for me to be fireproof.”

He seemed to have cooled enough that Fluttershy could touch him gently with her hooves and she did a through examination, even through his protests that he was fine.

“Fluttershy? Spike?” It was Cadance, wearing a housecoat. She looked with incredulous eyes at the burning building. “What happened?”

“No idea,” said Spike. “I was just about to go to sleep when all of a sudden the place blew in. It was…” He frowned, eyebrows furrowing. “...blue.”

Cadance and Fluttershy traded glances. Cadance said, “We need to secure everything before the fire department arrives.” She looked at Spike.

He sighed and waded back into the fire.

Spike, if you have time, could you tell the girls what happened? Fluttershy asked him.

I could show them.

Morbidly curious, Fluttershy took a peek through Spike’s view. As fascinating as it was to see inside a fire, she decided that she was glad it was him, not her.

Spike made his way down into the basement. He paused at the heavy door to the storage room. The sturdy metal door was slightly open. Despite the fire, the surface was still intact, except for a circle around the lock which had slagged away. Spike looked into the room. Uh, the glass jar with that fragment of shadow we captured is broken, but wasn’t that guy flammable? A couple of things are missing, including that amulet Trixie had. I don’t think they burned up, though.

This was no accident, came Twilight’s voice over the group link. Apparently she was watching, too. They know who we are.

A wave of panic crashed through Fluttershy. Whoever had done this must know the shop was a front for the Element Warfare Development Group. And if they knew that, then it wasn’t unlikely they knew the Element’s real faces.

“We need to get out of here,” Fluttershy whispered.

The rest of us might not be safe at home, Twilight said grimly.

Sleepover party at the castle!

Pinkie! That’s...not a terrible idea.

---

The morning sunlight fell through the stained glass windows. Twilight blinked slowly, too comfortable to move from the huge, plush mattress. But then she remembered why she was there.

It wasn’t so much a sleepover as a pilgrimage. She and the others had grabbed what they could and headed for the castle in the middle of the night. Considering the situation, Celestia had been willing to put them up for the night.

Twilight had spent a lot of time at the castle. She used to go to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. For a few years at least, she’d probably spent more time in the classroom and library than at her own home.

But she’d never lived at the castle. Waking up that morning in a bedroom in one of the castle towers that was the size of her old apartment, she decided that maybe she could get used to it.

Well, she better not. This was temporary, she reminded herself, until they found who was responsible for the attack. Slipping out of bed, Twilight left the room and headed downstairs to search out some breakfast. There were a few Royal Guards who remembered her from her time at school and she said hello. Fortunately, none of them asked what she was doing there. Twilight realized that she was going to have to craft a cover for her continued presence in the castle.

The loss of Café Cadenza was a significant setback. All the Element Warfare Development Group’s operatives were safe for now, but potentially compromised. The shop had been convenient as a base of operations. Based on what had been taken from the basement, and the limited details Spike could provide, it was clear that somepony had found them out.

Twilight was already mentally turning over how the information had leaked out. Rainbow was open about being an Element. Had somepony seen her? Or had it been Twilight herself? Chrysalis was impersonating Twilight as a high school student, but could it have been a coincidence and somepony saw the real Twilight working at the café? And how had Trixie gotten her information?

Twilight was still mentally designing an intelligence board with string connections to put up in her bedroom when she walked into the kitchen. She was derailed from that line of thought when she realized Sunset was already there.

The castle kitchen was primarily focused on preparing food for other dining rooms, but it did have a few small tables for busy castle staff who wanted to skip the formality. Sunset looked up as Twilight came in and gestured to the chair across from her. “Good morning.”

“Hello,” said Twilight, sitting down.

“We should talk,” said Sunset. “Not here, but when we’re done we can use my lab.”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “You have your own laboratory? That’s interesting. I’d like to see it.”

Sunset flushed. “Well, Princess Celestia gives me a stipend and I pretty much have free rein to research just about anything. It’s become especially important since...well, you know.”

Twilight nodded, also unwilling to discuss secret matters in the kitchen. The two of them made small talk until they’d both eaten and then went back upstairs together.

Sunset’s lab was in the same tower as Princess Celestia’s office, which spoke to Twilight about how much the Princess valued her research. A pang of longing went through her. If it weren’t for the Elements, it could have been Twilight.

Sunset began unlocking the door, which was secured with a greater variety of locks and wards that Twilight had ever seen before.

“Wow, at this point, it might be easier for somepony to just go through the wall,” Twilight joked.

“We thought of that,” Sunset replied.

She opened the door and turned on the lights, but even in the darkness the circular room had been lit by all manner of strange gadgets and blinking devices. Twilight felt a slight wave of disorientation, the same as she would have experienced in a flea market or crowded junk shop, so many things to look at that her vision jumped erratically across the room.

Sunset walked over to a tall, elegant mirror that stood on a raised platform in the center of the room and was clearly the focus of research. Various wires and magical devices were attached to it or spread out behind it.

“So...this is it,” said Sunset. “The portal to the other dimension.”

“Oh my gosh,” said Twilight, any other thoughts about Sunset’s lab fleeting in the face of what lay before her. “How does it work? Does it go other places besides that one world? Did you make it?” She trotted over, her nerd brain kicking into high gear as she got a closeup look at the equipment attached to the mirror.

“Well, in order: lots of magic some of which we still don’t understand; maybe, though that will take more study; and I built the auxiliary equipment.”

This was the most interesting thing Twilight had ever seen. Despite her comments against exporting the Elements to the other world, that didn’t mean she wasn’t intensely interested in the implications of the technology and/or magic. Moon Dancer would love it.

Twilight forced herself back to strictly business. “If you only built the rest of the equipment, where did the mirror come from?”

“We recovered it from the old castle in the Everfree Forest,” said Sunset.

Twilight turned, and Sunset anticipated her next question. “We don’t know how Nightmare Moon may have used it. I personally don’t see any evidence that she did, or knew how. She’d been trapped in the moon for a thousand years, after all.”

“But whoever is causing this next wave of evil apparently does,” said Twilight.

“Maybe,” Sunset acknowledged. “But they don’t have access to the mirror, which is why we’ve seen evidence that they’re trying to connect the two universes in other ways.”

Twilight considered it. “Are you absolutely certain that the mirror is safe?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that? No doubts whatsoever?”

“We all have things we’re good at,” Sunset said. “I’m trusting you to find and end any threats to this mirror. Please trust me to keep it safe.”

“Alright,” Twilight said. “If the Princess trusts you, that’s good enough for me.”

“I would like to show you around, though,” said Sunset. “The other world, I mean. Just so you know what we’re fighting for.”

“You want to take me to another universe?”

“That’s right.”

There was no way Twilight could decline such an opportunity, but that didn’t make the decision easy, either. She fumbled. “Now?”

“Would you rather wait?”

“No.” Twilight stood up straighter. “Let’s do it.”

“Okay,” said Sunset, seemingly delighted, but doing her best to remain professional. She began tweaking various pieces of equipment around the mirror. Lights that hadn’t already been flashing began to blink.

Twilight tried to memorize what Sunset was doing, but knew it was hopeless without more understanding of the mirror. “Did the mirror work before you attached all these devices to it?”

“It did, though only once every thirty moons,” Sunset replied. “I’ve managed to make it a little more useful.”

The reflecting surface of the mirror seemed to ripple. Twilight could feel the magic radiating from it.

“I’ll meet you on the other side, okay?” said Sunset. She stepped up to the mirror, and then walked right through as if it were a doorway, not a solid surface. She merged with her reflection, and then was gone.

Hesitantly, Twilight followed her. She paused, reaching a hoof out, but it passed through the surface of the mirror without any feeling. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

Her eyes widened at a blast of color streaming past her, and then she was through. A sky and clouds and concrete greeted her on the other side. Twilight blinked and exhaled. She had eyes and could breathe. That was a good start.

A face came into view, though unlike any she had ever seen before. “It’s me.”

Sunset. Twilight could see some similarities, despite the sudden jolt in species. Sunset still had glasses, even. She put out a - hand - to Twilight who instinctively raised a similar appendage to take it. Sunset pulled her up to a bipedal position.

“Think minotaur, or I suppose ape would be more appropriate,” said Sunset.

Twilight wobbled but stayed upright as Sunset let go of her hand. She looked down and was surprised to realize she was wearing clothes. She touched what was clearly a blouse over a skirt. “Where did these come from?”

“The local custom is to be clothed at all times,” said Sunset. “Maybe the mirror makes the adjustment for what is ‘normal’ in each universe. Also, spontaneous clothing generation is something the Elements do, so it may be a related kind of magic.”

Twilight turned, realizing she was standing in front of a statue of a horse, which was in front of a large brick building. “Is this where the mirror is connected?”

“It’s fascinating how all the pieces of our universe are still there, but rearranged,” said Sunset. “For example, this is still the city of Canterlot, but the castle is now a high school and Princess Celestia is now Principal Celestia.”

Twilight looked at her in surprise. “That doesn’t make any sense. You’d think she’d be a little more important.”

“There’s a certain sense of scale, too,” said Sunset. “Celestia is the ruler of Equestria, from her castle. Celestia here is still the most important person around, from her position at a school. Crazier still, most of the ponies you’ll find in Equestria have counterparts that are students here.”

“But...what happens when they graduate?” Twilight asked. “Does time flow differently and four years of high school here is the same as an entire lifetime in Equestria? How-how long have we been gone in Equestria time!?”

“Relax,” said Sunset. “I haven’t figured out the why yet, but I do know that we’re fine. Understanding your concern, we don’t want to spend too much time here, but we aren’t going to come back months later in Equestria or anything. I have a theory that this school is like an analogue for Equestria, in that regular ponies pass through, while Celestia remains eternal. Speaking of time, we probably shouldn’t loiter in front of the school if we aren’t students. The mall is a good place to hang out. We’ll have a little fun, and I’ll show you more about this world.”

Twilight glanced at the school and let Sunset lead her away down the sidewalk. “If the citizens of Equestria have counterparts as students in this school does that mean I’m here?”

“I actually haven’t seen you,” said Sunset.

“What about you?”

“Me neither.” Sunset shrugged. “Not everypony is part of this school. It’s not exact. There are too many variables to solve.”

Twilight fell silent, concentrating on the world around her. There seemed to be a lot of electric lights. A few humans that she saw seemed to have small electronic devices. A few moved through the paved streets in vehicles that had no obvious source of power. “They have so much technology.”

She found herself falling into a rhythm on two legs. The magically-generated clothing seemed to fit well and even somewhat matched her native coloring. She tried to figure out why her blouse was blue, though. Perhaps the accenting color was required for appearance’s sake, to make her fit in with the humans and not be all a solid color.

Magic with a sense of fashion? Twilight grumped again, still quietly annoyed at her Element outfit.

She glanced at Sunset. Even with the apparent necessity for accent color, she was surprised how much black Sunset’s outfit incorporated. The jacket, especially. It had chevrons of Sunset’s original coat color, though the way they were incorporated made the jacket seem vaguely military.

Twilight and Sunset both seemed to have kept their mane coloring. Twilight brushed some in front of her face to be sure. She looked down at her new fingers in fascination. Spotting a can in the gutter, she reached out to it, but it didn’t come to her.

She stopped walking, frowning, and tried again. The can didn’t rise up to meet her like she willed it. “Sunset?”

Sunset stopped and turned. “Huh?”

“Is there not magic in this world?”

“No. Humans don’t have magic. Or wings, for that matter.”

Twilight looked at her sharply. Sunset tapped her own forehead, where there was clearly no horn.

“But you know, with that in mind, I’m actually really interested to see how your transformation works in this universe,” said Sunset, nodding to Twilight’s fountain pen, which she just now realized was perfectly intact and still tucked behind her now much smaller ear.

“We’re here,” said Sunset, turning to open a glass door. They’d arrived at the largest building Twilight had yet seen, and as she walked inside, that assessment held up. It was a mall, alright.

“Over here,” said Sunset. She walked through a door marked women. Twilight followed her in, discovering a restroom. Sunset quickly checked each stall, and then turned to Twilight. “Try it out. Transform.”

Twilight hesitantly took her pen from behind her ear. Holding it in front of her, she removed the cap.

The magic was there, exactly as she’d felt it before, though affecting different parts of her body of course. Twilight looked in the mirror. She was a head taller than Sunset now, though some of that may have been due to the high heeled shoes she wore. The outfit was remarkably similar to what she was used to, though now tailored for a different body. The sword in her hand was the same.

The outfit seemed to have shrunk from her previous clothing, now being shorter on both the top and bottom, not to mention tighter. Twilight had a sudden, irrational flash of self-consciousness about being seen as the Element of Magic in a small restroom in a mall on another planet and changed back.

“Well, it works,” Sunset observed.

Twilight tucked her pen back behind her ear and lowered her hand. “Are you saying that right now I might have the only magic in this entire universe?”

Sunset nodded. “That’s why we need the Elements here. If evil manages to find its way in, these people will have no way to defend themselves.”

“What about their technology?”

“It might help, or it might not. You know how effective the Royal Guard was against Nightmare Moon’s army without Element power.”

“I’m feeling a little on the spot here,” said Twilight. “I might even think you brought me here specifically to make this pitch.”

“It was the best way I knew how.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, what point you’re trying to make,” said Twilight. “But I still think the best way to defend this place is to stop the threat before it makes it here. I can’t, in good conscience, let the Elements spread to another world. I know they helped me save Equestria from Nightmare Moon. But I’m not willing to let power like that go anywhere else. I hate that it exists, that it has to exist. I don’t like being the tallest tentpole of magic. It means I can’t be myself. It puts a target on my back. I can’t do that to anypony else.”

Sunset nodded, though it was more of an acknowledgement than an acceptance. She didn’t look like she was going to take that for an answer.

But Twilight saw her stuff it down and put on a different expression. “Come on, let’s go see the mall. They have great pretzels.”

Comments

[djthomp]

Starlight, I knew it.

This proposal feels like a trap.

Fluttershy saw a dark shape in the fire and continued around the corner of the building. Spike came stumbling out, blackened scales steaming in the cool night.

Good job being explosion proof, Spike.