Story
Homeland
“So tell me again why Celestia sent you away from the academy you love?” The speaker was a blonde woman. She wore a vest and had her cowboy boots propped on the desk in front of her. Her blue eyes stared at a visitor that had come into her office.
Sitting in a chair across from the desk, Twilight Sparkle replied, “Principal Celestia told me that I had an important task to take care of at her other school, Canterlot High. I’ve never been there. She says I’m too good a student for a public school like that, even an above average one. So anyway, Megan, Principal Celestia said I should come see you. After I’m finished here, I’ll be writing a report about what I learned.”
The blonde woman nodded. “Celestia told me what I need to help you with. I wish she hadn’t put this whole thing on me, but she was at least nice enough to say that it’s because I’m the best at what I do.”
Twilight ran a hand through her straight purple hair awkwardly. “What is it exactly that you do?”
Megan thought for a moment. “I solve problems.”
“I’m not really sure I understand,” Twilight replied.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Megan asked, getting up. “This is going to take a little while.”
“No, thank you.”
Going over to a nearby filing cabinet, Megan retrieved a folder and walked back to the desk. She tossed the file down in front of Twilight. It fell open to reveal a few pictures. They were worn with age, clearly having been handled often. Twilight didn’t focus on the condition, however. The images were too riveting.
A younger Megan posed with small colorful horses, or perhaps rather radiant ponies. The creatures’ faces seemed quite expressive, and each appeared to have some sort of detailed symbols on their rumps. As Twilight’s eyes moved further, she noticed that a few of the ponies had wings or horns – pegasi or unicorns.
After carefully inspecting the old photos for any evidence of tampering and finding none, Twilight looked up. “Is this a joke?”
“Celestia is famously tight-lipped, isn’t she? I take it she never told you about the other universes inhabited by ponies.”
Twilight had to agree; her mentor certainly did not tell everything she knew. But this… “I still find it hard to believe. And Celestia is also famous for her jokes.”
Megan shrugged. “No, it’s not a joke. The idea of sapient ponies living in the universes next door does take some getting used to. There was a time when I went to those places nearly every day. I was a peacekeeper, pretty much doing it all by myself. Then we started discovering the different ways to connect with other worlds. Sometimes there were rainbows involved or mirror portals or whatever. We started discovering more worlds. Each new connection had different variations; the different generations, if you will; and I told Celestia I was going to retire and stay home. There’s only so much a person can stand.”
“Only so much you could stand of these crazy technicolor ponies?” Twilight asked. “They don’t seem dangerous. They’re kind of cute, really.”
“For every pretty pony you see, there’s an ugly monster that wants nothing more than to destroy the world or something.” Megan sighed, fingering a necklace that hung inside her shirt. “I personally intervened on the ponies’ behalf more times than I can count. They weren’t willing to put up a strong enough defence to ensure their own security. They didn’t put enough stock in protecting themselves from internal threats and groups that would do them harm. Eventually, I got tired of it all and set up some magic artifacts to leave behind so the ponies would help themselves.”
“So you’re some sort of interdimensional warrior-slash-cowgirl?” Twilight asked, still looking skeptical.
Megan considered that and shrugged. “Either way, I have a little problem to take care of and Celestia sent you to help me.”
Cautious now that her mentor’s name had been mentioned, Twilight asked, “What problem?”
“They figured out how to cross into our universe,” Megan replied. “This would be less serious if one of them wasn’t here to raise an army through mind control. We are not going to let something like that happen, especially not here at home.”
Twilight stared at Megan. Megan stared harder, making it perfectly clear that she wasn’t kidding. Glancing away, Twilight nodded hesitantly. “Okay…but why does this involve me?”
“Because this particular variant of the pony universe is a close analogy to our own,” Megan told her. “Almost everyone has a duplicate, as it were. And pony Twilight Sparkle has come here. Some sort of magic has put her in human form.”
Mouth gaping, Twilight stared at her. “I…what?”
“We’re not exactly sure of the situation, but she’s currently at Canterlot High.” Megan went on. “And so is the evil one that we’re after.”
“And who is the evil one?”
“Celestia reports that her name is Sunset Shimmer.”
Twilight frowned. “Wait…Sunset Shimmer. That’s kind of like my own name, Twilight Sparkle. Both refer to the sun setting and something shiny. So…she’s like the anti-me, in addition to being an equivalent from another universe. But if everything has an equivalent, and she’s here, then where is the Sunset Shimmer from our own universe?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Megan said. “We can sort it out later. Right now we’re focused on the external threat that’s coming to our world.”
“Well, okay,” Twilight agreed. “But where do we start?”
“Celestia says everyone will be gathering at Canterlot High tonight for the Fall Formal dance. We’ll set up in the area and be ready.”
“What are we going to do?” Twilight asked. “You said this was magic that was somehow coming from the other universe? How are we supposed to counter that if we don’t have magic of our own? I don’t even see anything like witchcraft books or wands or anything around here.”
“Of course you don’t.” Megan’s fingers dipped behind the collar of her shirt and she took out a red heart-shaped locket. “This is very important to me and I keep it close. It’s called the Rainbow of Light. It’s the most powerful force of good that can be contained in a small package and be used by one person. Doesn’t look like much, does it? But don’t let that fool you. Just one determined individual can make a huge difference.”
“Just like Sunset Shimmer could cause so much harm all by herself,” Twilight observed.
Megan nodded. “But it works both ways. The Rainbow of Light is also usable by just one, and this thing has saved more lives than can be counted. Its raw energy is unbelievable. I’ve seen it create tornados out of thin air and once it ripped an entire castle apart. A guy named Tirek wasn’t very happy about that, but no one cared because he didn’t live to see it.”
“It…killed him?” Twilight stammered. “Then how can something like that be a force for good?”
“Because when you merely imprison an immortal being, eventually he’ll escape. Also, his brutality more than justified it.” Megan put the locket back, hanging inside her shirt close to her skin, and got up, heading to the closet. Over her shoulder she added, “Luckily, we aren’t dealing with a situation like that here.”
She reached into the closet, coming out with a scoped rifle. Twilight jerked in surprise. “Why do you have a gun?”
“We’re human. This is what we have to work with.” Megan rolled her eyes. “Although I’ve made do with swords before.”
“What does being human have to do with it? That doesn’t answer my question!” Twilight insisted.
Megan glanced at the weapon before looking back at Twilight. “Sometimes identity is more important than you think. You saw the pictures; some ponies can fly, the unicorns can do magic. Everything in their world seems unnatural to us, and the evil creatures are more powerful than anything you can imagine. Sunset Shimmer is just a punk compared to some of those things. We won’t need anything like the Rainbow of Light to deal with her.”
“But can’t we capture her?” Twilight protested.
“Twilight, robbery or assault gets you prison time. Using mind control magic to take over a school and force the kids to act as your private army - just what kind of punishment do you recommend for that?”
Megan grabbed a padded case and stowed her rifle. In a softer tone of voice she went on. “I know it’s grim business, but that doesn’t make it less vital. I would prefer not to fight, but I’m not about to let my planet get invaded by something that wants to do us harm. Love and tolerate, but don’t take crap off evil ponies.”
“If you’re going to do this, then why am I here?” Twilight asked, almost at a whisper. “What does this have to do with me?”
“You said Celestia sent you to learn.”
Twilight shook her head. “I never expected this.”
Megan put her hand on the desk and leaned forward. “Celestia wouldn’t have sent you here if she didn’t trust you, Twilight. I think she knows what you are capable of, but wants you to find out for yourself.”
Nodding hesitantly, Twilight asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“Just come with me.” Megan straightened up and hefted her rifle case. Twilight stood, her head low and shoulders hunched. She quietly followed Megan out of the office, the two of them getting into a car.
Their drive across the city of Canterlot in the growing dusk gave Twilight ample time to think. She didn’t like violence, yet couldn’t seem to refute Megan’s points. Twilight struggled with excuses to get out of this…this mission, but couldn’t come up with any.
Megan pulled up to a darkened building and the two of them got out of the car. Carrying her case and a backpack, Megan led Twilight into the building and they went upstairs. Finding the door to the roof, the two of them went out on top of the building.
The view was good, and Twilight spotted Canterlot High on the other side of a field of well trimmed grass. A tall statue stood in front of the building, and the glass doors of the main entrance faced it.
Megan opened her backpack and took out two rolled up cloth mats. She unwound them and placed them flat on the roof, side by side. Opening her rifle case, Megan laid prone with the weapon on one of the mats. She placed a pair of binoculars on the other and gestured for Twilight to lay down.
Gingerly, Twilight got into position, eyeing the large rifle and edging away from it. Megan took the covers off the scope lenses and put the butt of the weapon into her shoulder, resting the other end on a bipod. With one hand, she placed a magazine in the bottom of the receiver, shiny brass shells disappearing into the inside of the weapon. Her other hand drove the bolt forward, chambering a round.
After giving Twilight some ear plugs, Megan got into position and looked through the scope. “Any minute now.”
Twilight nervously turned to look out over Canterlot High, putting the binoculars to her eyes. Several people dressed in fancy clothing were milling around, going into the building. There were colored lights in the windows, and everyone she saw seemed excited about the dance.
And then Twilight saw herself. The other person – pony? – was dressed up and looked nervous. She seemed to have a group of five friends, however. They all disappeared into the event hall.
As they went out of view, Twilight took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Megan, behind the rifle, took her eye from the scope for a moment. She glanced at the shaken expression on Twilight’s face.
“Is that really…?” Twilight asked.
Megan nodded. “I know; strange, isn’t it? Stay frosty, though. We’re not done here.”
“It’s just so weird that there’s a counterpart of me from another universe,” Twilight muttered.
Megan looked at her, sensing that Twilight was not about to give this particular subject up. She replied, “No, the weird part is that Celestia – your mentor and my associate – is, in the other universe, a white horse-sized pony with elegant feathered wings and a long dainty horn who is the keeper of the sun and ruler of the magical land of Equestria.”
Twilight’s mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t manage to come up with a response to that. Megan went back to looking through the rifle scope, suppressing a smirk.
Down near the statue, there was some movement. Megan pulled her weapon a little tighter. “There’s Sunset Shimmer.”
Looking through the binoculars, Twilight spotted a girl with fiery hair taking position near the statue, a sledgehammer in her hands. Moments later, two boys carrying a dog raced out of the building pursued by Twilight’s doppelganger and her friends.
Down in front of the statue, there was some kind of faceoff. The distance was too great to hear the words, but Twilight’s fingers tightened around the binoculars with the tension in the air.
And then a brawl started, apparently over the crown that lookalike-Twilight wore. Sunset wrested with her rival, fighting to hang on to the jewelry. The crown traded hands quickly, Sunset’s helpers jumping in to assist. Possession of the trinket went back and forth before Sunset got her hands firmly on it. She appeared triumphant, and jammed it on her head.
Blinding light flashed into pillar of glowing energy that shot into the sky, lifting Sunset off her feet. Watching through the binoculars, Twilight gasped as what she could only presume was magic distorted Sunset’s body into a frightening demon-like appearance.
It was at about this time the rest of the Canterlot High student body started to come out of the building to see what was going on. They ran back inside as Sunset started to throw around bolts of energy from her hands.
With a gesture, Sunset tore the doors off the building. Even from her faraway perch, Twilight could hear the screams of the students as the terrifying visage of Sunset pursed them, snaring each one with hypnotic magic.
Twilight dropped the binoculars, staring with horror at the scene. “We have to stop her!”
“I was waiting for you to say that,” replied Megan. She clicked the safety off, took her final aim, and squeezed the trigger.
If Sunset Shimmer had been expecting to be shot in the face, she might have been able to guard against it. She had probably never stopped to consider exactly what sort of retaliation that attacking Earth would inspire.
As it was, the bullet smacked the crown off her head and put a hole in her cranium. She dropped limply, a flash of dissipating magic throwing her transformed body to the ground in a wretched heap.
Twilight saw her lookalike take a hesitant step in the direction of the slain foe, looking uncertain as to what had ended the fight so abruptly. The students of the school, now free of their mind control, were also trying to figure out what had just transpired.
The otherworldly Twilight picked up the crown and turned slowly, facing her friends. Her eyes were wide with a mixture of confusion and terror, but also relief.
Megan began packing up her equipment. Twilight glanced at the crowd around the distant statue, hugging out their feelings. If friendship could blossom among a pony turned human and people she’d just met, apparently it could do anything. She turned to Megan. “Are you sure we explored all the options in dealing with Sunset Shimmer? Are you sure she couldn’t be reformed with some sort of friendship-based magic?”
“Sounds like something a pony would say,” Megan replied. “But yes, there are actually six magical elements out there that work exactly like you just said.”
“But why didn’t we do that instead? It would have been more humane than killing Sunset,” Twilight argued.
“The ponies had their chance to deal with the problem, but since it spilled over to our home it became our problem.” Megan shrugged. “Celestia – both of them – guessed that this would happen.”
“And ordered you to do this? That doesn’t sound anything like the Celestia I know,” Twilight protested.
“Were you aware that Vice Principal Luna also happens to be Celestia’s younger sister?” Megan asked.
Twilight paused and then nodded. “I suppose I remember that from somewhere.”
“Over in the pony world, Celestia and Luna are Princesses in charge of the country of Equestria. At one point, Luna became evil and tried to forcefully take over the country. To stop her, Celestia sent Luna to a prison on the moon for a thousand years.”
Twilight’s mouth gaped open in shock. Megan nodded. “That’s the simple version. The point is, Celestia knows the score. She does what has to be done.”
“And Celestia just had us mur-deal with Sunset Shimmer,” whispered Twilight. “So that she couldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I know you’re a smart kid, but I’m not going to tell you to think about it like a numbers game: ‘kill one, save many.’ Rationalize it however you want, or don’t. You have the right to refuse. But remember, Twilight, Celestia picked you for this. She believes in you.”
“What, are you trying to guilt me into this?” Twilight muttered. “I can’t say yes because I object morally, but I can’t say no because...because I know this is important to Celestia.”
Megan did not reply, instead looking out at Canterlot High, where the frightened crowd was giving the mangled body of Sunset Shimmer a wide berth. They may have been scared, but they were safe.
Twilight swallowed hard. The one bullet may have saved all of them. But the answer wasn’t that simple. She still uncertain with her choice, she turned to look at the woman beside her. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Megan looked at her. Quietly, she replied, “Not everyone can, and there’s no shame in that.”
Twilight let out a breath, her shoulders loosening. She considered the binoculars in her hands and looked out at the people near the statue, faintly able to pick out her counterpart from the other world.
“Are we going to kill her, too?” Twilight asked, her voice quiet.
Megan shook her head. “No. Someone has to go back and tell the story about why coming here is a really bad idea.”