SE-1: Awakening

by Metro A-5

(Chapter 3.5) Deleted section:Luna's Flashback

WARNING!!!! This has not been pre-read by anybody so it may not make sense and/or jump around. What happened was that the flashback became too complicated to write into this chapter and I didn't exactly know how to work it in. So some things may not match up with the 3rd chapter. As I said in my author notes, chapter 3 went through some big cuts and idea, this one of the bigger ones...well whats left of it anyway.

The memory refreshed itself in the General's mind. The day the Stargate worked. She was up in the control center overlooking all the activity and signing papers off a clipboard using magic. While she was working a guard approached from behind.

Luna's flashback of the Stargate

"Excuse me General Ma'm?" Luna turned around and the guard saluted.

Luna placed her clipboard down. "Is there something wrong?"

The guard shook his head. "No Ma'm Princess Celestia is on the phone and wishes to speak with you on your office phone."

Luna nodded her head and thank the guard. She walked in her office and closed the door. The "call waiting" light was flashing on the phone. Luna composed herself and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

Celestia's voice came through the phone. "Oh good I see they were able to get a hold of you. I just wanted to check on how things are going."

"I don't understand. I've already sent the progress report to you."

"Its just that I want to know what you think, these reports only show the progress, not the personal opinions of head staff. I want to know where you think this project is going."

"Ummm.......Well...." Luna had never been asked a question like this when she was involved in secret Equestrian projects. A minute nearly passed by before Luna thought of an answer. "Well if you want my opinion, We've spent months looking at this ring and nothing has come out of this. I don't think we can learn anything more from this."

"Well if you like I could send someone to help you study the ring." Luna heard the eagerness in her voice.

"Celestia, I don't want that prized pupil of yours involved with any of this."

"Why not Luna? Twilight is an excellent student and a scientist at that. She could be valuable to this.....what was they scientists called it?"

"It's called the Stargate."

"She might be able to figure out if the device is workable or not."

The General sighed. "Celestia I don't want to take any chances that she might get her hurt."

"Luna its been several months since you found the Stargate and nothing has happened, and also you mentiioned that the project looked like its going to go nowhere."

"Alright, I'll see if I can arrange a trip for Twili-,"

ERRRRR!.......ERRRRR!.......ERRRRR!

"Luna what's that noise?" Celestia quickly asked.

"I will have to call you back sister, good-bye." Luna's heart began to race. She slammed the phone down and ran to the control center. A few Techntions were sitting at the controls, pushing buttons and flipping switches. Luna looked over to see what the rush was all about. "What's going on and why is that inner circle on the ring, spinning on its own."

The techntions didn't look up to talk to the General. But one spoke out. "We were about to scan the ring with x-rays when the computers began to pick up high energy fluctuations. Then the gate started to spin afterwards." The noise reached to control center. The lights on the ring began to light up and everypony cleared the gate room.

Luna approached the loudspeaker and announced. "All science personal Evacuate the Stargate room. All armed personal report to the gate room immeditetly!" Soon the gate room was filled with ponies, all eyes fixed on the Stargate. They all aimed their weapons at the ring. Luna came back on the speaker. "Attention! Everypony in the gate room, be prepared for anything! We don't know whats going to happen!"

Soon all the lights around the Stargate filled up. The center filled with the water-looking substance and sprung out then retreated to the center. Then silence filled the room. A voice boomed through the wall of water inside the ring. "Ponies of Equestria!" Everypony in the room looked at each other. The voice continued to talk. "We have your Stargate address! Surrender your land and your rule, and the lives of all who live here will be spared!"

A pony at one of the computers looked at Luna. "General are you going to respond?"

Luna thought who could have power to challenge Equestria? And who had the right to claim someone else's home? She stared at the loudspeaker microphone and tried thinking of a reply. She pushed the talk button and announced to the voice in the gate. "We do not wish to go against you, but you have no right to say what goes on around here!'

The voice responded in softer tone. "Oh. Are you their leader?"

"I am," said Luna with as much authority as possible.

"As I said before surrender Equestria and nopony shall be hurt."

"I refuse to do such a thing!"

The voice began to yell again. "Then so be it! May the power of the changelings be the end of all Equestria!"

Luna announced to the troops in the gate room."Whatever comes out of that wall, blow it to hell!"

A sound began to come from the gate. All the soldiers readied their weapons. The noise shifted into a low gurgling rumble. Soon a big moving force of darkness squeezed through the gate. The darkness broke of into tiny creatures. Luna tried to get a close view but all she saw was that they had fangs and wings. Her thought process was broken by the consisting firing in the gate room.

"Ma'm we need to close the shield doors!" One of the ponies called out from by a computer.

Luna looked out the window. It was nothing but flashes of light and flying patches of darkness. However she knew that she had to keep the security of Equestria intact. She stomped on the ground and ordered that all the gate room exits be sealed off.

A voice over the intercom came on. "General the creatures are in the halls! I repeat they are in the halls!"

Something had to happen, these creatures could not leave the base at the risk of possibly losing Equestria. "Activate contingency plan!" A thick smoke soon filled the room. Everything became fuzzy to Luna. She started to lose focus and collapsed on the floor.

Hours later when everypony awoke from the knock-out gas. They began to search for the creatures, but nothing was found. Even the shield doors covering the exit were still sealed shut. Everypony kept looking, but Luna took a scientist back to the control center.

"Dr. Hooves, do the computers show anything?" Luna asked, still puzzled about where the creatures could have gone.

The doctor began looking a records of the past hour until he notice something strange. "General Ma'm, look at this." Luna looked at the screen. The doctor began explaining. "You see these waves? These came up when the gate activated and the creatures came through. However when you look 30 minutes after you ordered the gas to be dispersed throughout the base, the same energy readings are back on the screen."

Luna's head was still dizzy and didn't completely understand it. "Doctor what exactly are you getting at?"

Dr. Hooves got excited. "What I'm saying is the creatures used the gate to get back, so this device must be a portal between here and wherever these creatures live," He raised his hooves in disbelief. "Ma'm we have a portal sitting in the room right in front of us!"

Luna ran her hoof through her mane. "I'll inform Princess Celestia after the lock down is lifted.

End of Flashback

"Um General, are you okay?" asked Lightning Dust.

Luna was lost in her mind she forgot that Lightning was in her office. "Oh I'm sorry where was I?"

"The creatures that came out of the gate."

"Thank you lightning, but that day we realized that a powerful force threatened Equestria. We eventually figured many things out since then, but to you that information is classified. Unless you decide to join this project."