part 1: welcoming strangers
"That should be the last of em" Applejack grunted as she dropped the last hay bale onto a stack. "Thank ya kindly for helping me with the barn storage Twilight. Usually this place is a mess once Ah’m done with the storage restock, ‘specially on cider season" Applejack sat down and chugged down her mug of cider, "You and Rarity sure are good at keeping things organized. Wait... Ah meant to say, ‘Rarity is an organized mess.’"
Twilight ignoring her while she continuously looked around the barn and checked things off a checklist.
"Twilight...?" Applejack waited for her to respond, but she didn’t.
"Twi. ..?"
Still no response.
"Gosh darnit."
Applejack waved her empty mugged hoof in front Twilight, snapping her back to reality. Shaking her head and regaining her senses, Twilight looked at Applejack with a puzzled look. AJ pointed out the finished stack of hay bale, “We’re done, Twi”.
Immediately taking the look back, she sat down slightly. "Oh, sorry. I was too busy checking things off the checklist."
Applejack smiled. "Well thanks again for helping me with the storage."
Twilight tilted her head. "You thanked me before?"
Applejack just simply burst out laughed. "Yeah, when you were zoned out on the checklist. com’on Twi, you need to stop doin’ that.”
She slowly calmed down after a good laugh. “Well anyways, you were a big help today. Well, other than Spike who rested on a hay bale and acted like he was sleeping to avoid working."
Twilight giggled a little. "Yeah. That's Spike, but he kinda deserved a break after restoring the library yesterday. He didn't have to act like he was sleeping to avoid coming here; he could have just asked."
Spike, who was face down on the hay bale, lifted up a claw to reply, "Then can we go back to the library now? I want to eat that last saphire cupcake Pinkie made."
"You'll have to wait Spike. I need to finish talking to Applejack first."
Spike snared his head up and started making a face.
Applejack looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Spike, you ok?"
Spike finally belched out a letter from Celestia. "Does that answer your question?" ,he said before he dropped his face back down on the hay bale.
"Ah guess. What's it say, Twilight?" Applejack sat back down again.
Twilight cleared her throat as she prepared to read the letter:
"Dear Twilight Sparkle, if you have not heard already, a group of ponies appeared from a portal underneath the Crystal Empire castle last night. A few of them ran away before anyone could clearly see them. Six of them were still under the castle, they were alive and well, but also unconscious. As of me writing you this letter right now, only two are awake, and they are acting awfully strange. I need you and your friends to come to the Crystal Empire as soon as possible. I will give you more information then."
Both Applejack and Twilight sat and looked at the letter in confusion while Spike seemed to be ignoring everything.
"Well if Celestia means awfully strange as in: ‘WHERE THE HECK AM I’, then I know what they are thinking. Other than that i have no idea what they need."
Applejack stood up. "Well, we best be on our way if the Princess needs us."
"Okay. Spike! Come on! Lets go!"
Twilight got up and headed for the barn exit.
"Are we finally going back to the library?" Spike jumped up and ran up beside Twilight.
"Nope. We are going to the Crystal Empire."
"The Crystal Empire!? Again!? Can I ple~ase stay at the library?" Spike grabbed on to Twilight's fore leg and forced her to drag him.
"No Spike. You’re coming with us,” Twilight said as she picked up Spike and set him on her back who then started whining about being tired untill he was told to zip it.
"Pinkie..." Rainbow Dash was sitting on a train seat as she waited for the rest of her friends to come aboard
"I mean, usually you put sugar on your cereal, but I like to put some sprinkles on it..." Pinkie Pie was jumping around the cart from seat to seat
"Pinkie..."
"Not only does it make it more tasty, it makes it more crunchy..."
"Pink..."
"And it makes it sprinkly!"
"PINKIE PIE," Rainbow Dash snapped.
"Oh, hi Rainbow Dash. Did you need something?" Pinkie Pie stopped jumping
Rainbow's eye twitched. "Can you wait to have this conversation so I will not be the only pony with a headache?"
"Okey dokey." Pinkie sat down on a seat and didn't move. After about seven seconds, she started shaking and sprinted out of the car to the next one.
Rainbow planted herself in the face with her hoof and told herself, "What a ride this is gonna be."
The rest of her friends boarded the train. "Finally! Now I can go back to taking a nap without Pinkie Pie waking me up to have a crazy conversation and eventually forgetting I am here.
Twilight was first to get on, followed by Applejack and Rarity. Fluttershy was absent.
"Hey, where’s Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked as she laid down on a seat.
Applejack sat down on a seat in front of Rainbow Dash.
"She said she needed to feed her critters before she left."
“Oh, what about Spike? Wait nevermind, there he is.”
Spike was just boarding the train dragging his feet with each step and just fell onto a random seat and started to fall asleep
Rarity sat down next to Rainbow Dash and tried to look out the window, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie who was sitting right next to her. Rarity screeched and jumped out of the seat and rushed next to Applejack.
"What if Fluttershy was abducted by Spanish speaking penguins or fell through a portal to alternate dimension?"
Rainbow Dash jolted her head up. "I thought you were on the other side of the train!"
"I was, but then I heard Applejack and Twilight and Rarity so I came back."
"On the other side of the train? What are you!?"
"Isn't it obvious? A pony. Or maybe I'm a walrus. Or a-" Pinkie Pie began before Rainbow Dash placed a hoof over her mouth, attempting to make her stop. She could only muffle what noise Pinkie’s making as she goes on.
"Please be quiet, Pinkie,” Twilight asked. Pinkie stopped her talking which was a relief for Rainbow Dash to rest down her hoof . ”Thank you, Pinkie,”Twilight said, “ Now, I'm trying to concentrate.”
"On what," Rarity asked.
"Well, the reason we are going to the Crystal empire is because last night a group of ponies came out of a portal from another dimension."
Pinkie Pie leaned forward and raised a hoof. "Ooh, ooh! Was it the one you visited to stop sunset shimmer?"
"I don't know. The letter from Princess Celestia didn't say"
Fluttershy boarded onto the car and stood in the doorway looking around confused. Rainbow Dash notices Fluttershy as she looked around, scared and confused.
"There you are,” Rainbow Dash yelled, ”Now we can go!"
The look of confusion immediately ceased. "Oh good. This is the right car."
Fluttershy flew over and and sat next to Rainbow Dash. "Sorry I was late. Angel really wanted a special meal before I left. Picky eater, he is."
Outside the train a whistle blared signaling the train departure. The rest of the ponies who were traveling boarded the train and sat down, leaving the six in a mixture of strangers.
They all sat there, drifting off to do their own thing without the solitude of themselves anymore.
Rarity exited the train first when they arrived at the Crystal empire and notices a particular shop. "Oh good. They still have the snow globes at the gift shop. Now Sweetie Belle can stop bugging me about them."
Twilight was the next to come off, after which everyone else came off except Rainbow Dash and Spike who were still sound asleep on the train.
Twilight looked at everypony and didn't see Rainbow Dash, Spike, or Rarity. "Can one of you get back on the train and wake up the sleepy heads? And does anybody know where did Rarity go?"
Fluttershy turned around and started walking back towards the train. "I'll get them."
Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked around to see if they could see Rarity. "Nope, don't see her"
Pinkie Pie gasped, "Maybe she was abducted by Spanish speaking penguins!", and started running around like mad.
Rainbow Dash came sprinting off the train and halted next to Applejack. "What’d I miss!?" she said as she looked around exited as was Pinkie.
"Nothin’ much. Have you seen Rarity?"
Rarity came up right behind Twilight holding a bag. "But I'm right here, darling."
Twilight whipped her head around and wondered when she saw her holding the bag. "What did you buy now?"
She pulled out a snow globe through the bag with her magic.
"Oh, just a snow globe for Sweetie Belle. She wouldn't stop bugging me about them."
"Is there anything else in that bag?"
She puts the snow globe back in the bag. "Ah yes.It’s just some stuff for my designs."
Rainbow Dash groaned. "So there’s nothing exciting happening right now? I keep missing the action!"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “There wasn’t even action, sugercube.”
"Well once we get to the Crystal castle things would probably heat up. Is Spike up yet?" said Twilight as she leaned sideways to try and look at the train.
Fluttershy came out with Spike on her back who is sleeping harder than a rabbit in hibernation.
"He wouldn't wake up."
"It’s alright. Let’s just get to the castle. Maybe along the way Spike will wake up from this."
Twilight turned around and started walking down the street towards the Crystal castle. The rest of her friends followed.
Applejack caught up to Twilight.
"So why did Celestia call all of us here?"
"I don't know. Usually she doesn't need all of us unless it is imperative."
Pinkie Pie came up from behind as well. "Do you know who they are?"
"No"
"Where they came from?"
"No"
"...What their favorite color is?"
"NO!"
Everyone stopped moving. Twilight sighed and continued walking.
"I don't know anything yet. All that Princess Celestia said was that some ponies came through a portal and were knocked out and that she needed us immediately." Twilight said with much irritation, and everyone followed.
Rainbow Dash leaned to Applejack and whispered, "It's like she’s taking a test or something."
Twilight flicked her ear when she heard this comment but continued walking.
Rarity moved slowly, looking at all the crystal buildings as she walked. "I've been here so many times, but I still can't believe my eyes when I look at this place. I mean crystal everything!"
Twilight yelled back to Rarity. "Come on Rarity, we are almost at the castle and you're back there window shopping. We don't have time for-" Twilight came to a halt under the castle and stared at something on the ground.
Fluttershy came up beside Twilight and saw what she was staring at. "Oh my goodness, is that... is that blood?"
Twilight couldn’t move, all she could do was look at the massive spot. She snapped out of her trance and looked at it closer and then up at the bottom of the castle. "Yes, but it's dry. This must have been where the ponies landed."
Rainbow Dash came up, saw the stain, and shivered at the sight of it. "That's a long fall. Did one of them die from the fall?"
"No. Come on we need to see the princess." Twilight headed into the entrance, and the rest followed.
The Crystal Castle was always a maze to find the throne room but tiny spots of blood on the carpet led Twilight to what she hoped was where the princess was. Walking down the hallways, they could see all these other rooms with artifacts and things they couldn't even name.
"This place... is so... awesome," Rainbow Dash amazed as she sees a huge glider in one of the rooms.
As they approached the throne room, two of the guards stopped them in their tracks with a "Halt! State your business!"
Twilight took a step forward and cleared her throat.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am here on the account of Princess Celestia’s summoning.
"Ah, Twilight Sparkle,” one of the guards confirmed, “The Princesses has been awaiting your arrival. Princess Cadence is not here today. She was called to help with a riot issue in Las Pegasus."
“thank you," Twilight said as she quickly and then continues to walk into the throne room.
Twilight has been to the crystal castle numerous times. Usually her attention is brought to the princess who was sitting at the throne watching from afar, but there were other ponies in the room that caught Twilight's attention first.
Two groups of ponies were on each side. On the left side, there was a dark-blue stallion with a dark-gray mane and a caramel orange pegasus mare with a shady yellow mane. Both of which were sitting next to a light gray unicorn stallion with a minty looking mane who appeared to be having trouble breathing.
On the other side they saw Luna, a nurse, and another unfamiliar pony, a dark-brown stallion with a black mane. They were all sitting around something, but they were at a poor angle to see.
Looking at all the strangers more closer, Twilight noticed something awfully strange. Even though the other ponies did not look too much younger than Twilight, they were missing their cutie marks.
Princess Celestia noticed the six approaching and stood up to greet them.
"Hello Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for responding to my letter."
Twilight nodded. "I came as soon as you sent the message"
In the room further Twilight got a better view and could see what Luna and the nurse were sitting around, and the sight of it was terribly disconcerting. There lie two unconscious ponies: A black stallion pegasus with a double shaded red mane, whose wing looked broken, and the other, a light blue mare, also had a red mane and was bleeding terribly from the forehead and left rib.
Fluttershy saw this as well. Her wings immediately clenched tightly, her legs trembled, her eyes widened at the sight of the crimson red liquid.
"Are... Are they a-a-alright," Fluttershy asked with much difficulty.
Celestia nodded. "Yes. They are injured, but nurse First Mane and Luna are taking care of them."
"Twilight... I... I'm scared," Fluttershy said as she gave a nervous look over at Twilight.
Twilight looked over at Fluttershy and placed her hoof on her back. "It's alright, they are gonna be fine. They just had an accident when they got here." Twilight was unsure about herself, but she needed to keep Fluttershy in a stable state of mind.
Celestia walked over to Twilight. "These ponies are not from the same world that you went to when you had to stop Sunset Shimmer. The ones that have already woken are acting very cautious enough that I believe something has happened where they came from. I need you to go talk to the three ponies that are awake over there and ask them some questions. For some reason, they did not want to talk to me."
Twilight thought for a moment.
"Alright,” Twilight said, ”I will do that right away."
With that, Twilight and her friends started walking towards the ponies.
As they got closer to the strange ponies, they could make their conversations clearer than before. The pegasus was talking to the hyperventilating unicorn in a concerned tone.
"It's alright. It'll be over soon. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Did we find his inhaler?"
The other stallion was watching Twilight approach. "Autumn, look." He pointed his hoof at the oncoming ponies. The mare looked up from her friend.
"Oh hi um... have you seen a inhaler around?" She asked, looking around.
Twilight tilts her head. "Whats an inhaler?"
The mare sighed. "It's a umm... well, it looks like a small can on a pipe corner."
Twilight blinked for a second while trying to understand what it looks like, but finally said, "No I'm afraid not."
"Dangit. Come on deep breaths, it's almost over."
She looked back down at the unicorn and patted his back.
"These names, they're hurting my brain!... OH WAIT!" Pinkie Pie held something up. "Is this an inshaver?"
The pegasus looked back up and stood. "Oh yes it is, give me that."
She took it from Pinkie Pie and handed it to the unicorn. "Thank you." What was strange was that they were holding things with both hoofs like they didn't know how to pick things up properly.
Twilight whipped her head at Pinkie Pie. "Why didn’t you tell me about that?"
"Because I didn't know what it was"
Twilight's eyes drifted off. "I guess that makes sense, but where did you find it?"
"Outside the castle were the blood stain was."
The unicorn sucked into his inhaler and his hyperventilating stopped. "Thanks a lot. It's freaking hard to work with asthma"
Rarity cringed her face. "’Asthma’? Twilight is right, these ponies are strange."
"Yeah... the names Brody." Brody reached his hoof out but then pulled it back seconds later as if a plan failed.
Rainbow Dash flew up and started laughing hysterically. "What kind of name is Brody? It's like they were naming you while evacuating the hospital!"
Brody jumped up and shot Rainbow Dash an evil look. "Oh yeah? Well I’d like to ask what your name is Miss Homosexual!"
Rainbow Dash stopped laughing. She looked at Brody furiously and felt every muscle in her body tense. Quickly, she flew towards Brody and pinned him to the ground.
"What was that, hospital boy!?"
Applejack bit Rainbow Dash's tail and pulled before she mauled Brody.
"Rainbow, stop," she said with her teeth clenched on Rainbows tail.
Rainbow Dash struggles to fight against Applejack’s heavy pull.
"Tell me why I shouldn't destroy him right now!" Rainbow Dash yelled back at Applejack.
"Well, you made fun of my name first" Brody said and looked in a different direction to avoid eye contact with Rainbow Dash
Rainbow Dash grumbled something in her mouth as she stood up and walked away
The pegasus walked up.
"Well you met Brody; the sour mouth here. I'm Autumn."
Twilight smiled giving Autumn a warm feeling. "I thought so. He said your name when we were coming over here." She pointed at the stallion next to Brody.
When attention was pulled to him he stood up. "I'm Axel, Axel Eckland."
Rainbow Dash jumped up. "Now that is a cool name!"
"It's just his last name," Brody mumbled loudly as he shot a look of disgust towards Rainbow Dash.
Twilight held her hoof out to Autumn.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Twilight Sparkle."
Autumn sat there looking at Twilight confused. She slowly reached her hoof out and mildly pounded Twilight's.
"Ok,” Twilight wondered,” Um… These are my friends.”
She gestures to her friends behind her.
“This is Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, excuse her action by the way, and the sleepy dragon here is Spike."
Brody threw his hoofs behind his head and fell backwards. "Those names sound so gay!"
Twilight smiled awkwardly, trying to ignore Brody’s insult.
"So... how did you ponies get here?"
"Ponies..." Axle whispered to himself while staring at the ground, then picked his head up to speak.
"I honestly have no idea how, why, or when I got here... I don't even know where I am."
"Well, you're in Equestria." Twilight raised her hoof above her head such as in an advertisement.
"Equestria? Do you know what galaxy is it in?" Autumn put her hoof on her head to relax.
Applejack leaned forward and squinted her eyes. "Beg ya pardon, but what’s a ‘galaxy’?"
Autumn shook her head. "Uhh... never mind."
Rarity moved forward and looked back at the princess. "Why didn't you want to talk to Princess Celestia over there?"
"Well…,” Axel responded slowly, ”uh... We were scared at the time and we didn't know what was happening."
After a brief moment of silence they heard someone approaching behind them.
"Guys! Seth’s awake."
The dark brown stallion was walking over from behind them. Axle, Autumn, and Brody rushed over to where Luna and Nurse First Mane was.
He had a much deeper voice than the ponies they have talked to already. As he walked over he looked at them and stopped in his tracks.
"Hello sir,” Twilight greeted,” my name is..."
Before she could finish the odd pony interrupted her.
"Twilight Sparkle, yes, I know... your Princess told me."
"Alright,” she questioned, ” but who are you?"
"I am Kevin Dion. The leader for the Baltimore 2020 rebellion."
Twilight chuckled. "I'm sorry, the Bal-a-what-a?"
"The Baltimore 2020 rebellion,” the stallion repeated,” Do you not know what that is?"
Twilight's brain blew up for a second.
"No, but don't you mean Baltimare?"
"Baltimare? It's Baltimore. Baltimore is a city."
"Oh I know that but it's pronounced Balti-mare."
"Not where we’re from!" Kevin snapped at her.
Another moment of silence. Kevin shook his head.
"I'm sorry it's the stress of this."
Kevin sat down and closed his eyes
Twilight looked at the princess, who was talking to Luna. "Why? Did something happen before you came here?" she asked, looking back at Kevin
Kevin took in a deep breath and opened his eyes to the ponies who were in front of him.
"Where we came from,” he began, ” there is a war happening. The country we lived in was destroyed. We are the only reason our land is not simply death and pain."
"What... happened?" Twilight asked, fearing that she might regret, but leaned closer in curiosity.
"We were attacked by another country. We send them off... but not in a good way."
"How so?" She backed off, but kept pushing the topic.
"We didn't defeat them…,” Kevin continued, ”They killed our most important people and destroyed our biggest cities. We were nothing after the attack."
Kevin was giving Twilight a weird look now and caused her to move back even further.
In an attempt to counter the awkward moment, Twilight looked back at her friends. They either looked dizzy, tired, or confused.
"You girls have not said anything for a while. Are you girls alright?"
Fluttershy snapped to attention. "Oh um, yes. We are fine... it’s...this is just..."
Rarity jumped in. "This is just a lot to process."
Kevin sighed and thought about what to say next.
"I see you have met Brody, our communications officer."
"Communications officer?" Applejack scratched her head.
"Yes, he keeps track of supplies and sends and receives information to other groups."
"So you're not the only ones?"
"There are tons of groups. From New York, Detroit, Philadelphia... Our rebellion covers the east side of our country. It's Brody's job to keep in touch with them."
More of these names caused Twilight's mind blow up again. "He's kind of rude. He called my friend Rainbow Dash gay."
"And he better watch his back for it," Rainbow Dash added behind Twilight.
"Well that's Brody. Usually he's pretty nice, it's just when you piss him off."
"Well, she did make fun of his name." Twilight said.
"The orange girl you saw was Autumn, our scout. She maintains the areas defenses and patrols the border. The big guy is Axel. He's the fighter of the team. He's got all the big guns and weapons."
"Guns? What are those?"
"Jeez..." Kevin whispered to himself and took in another deep breath. "Do you know what a slingshot is?"
Pinkie Pie pulled one out and went secret agent around the group, hiding behind other ponies and objects. "I keep slingshots all over the place in case of slingshot emergencies."
"Yeah, like that,” Kevin explained.
His voice suddenly became darker.
“Only they're mechanized and they shoot balls of ‘fire’."
Kevin held is hoofs up in an odd manor; lifting one under his chin and the other one a little in front of it.
"Sounds... lethal." Twilight shivered.
"It can kill you if you’re shot by one."
Everyone’s eyes widen.
"What about the two other ponies over there?" Twilight looked over at where the nurse was, trying to distract her from this weapon called a “gun”.
The pegasus stallion was awake, but he was panicking and leaning on the nurse for balance.
Kevin looked over Twilight. "That's Seth. He's our engineer. He creates the guns and weapons you usually don't find in a store and fixes our vehicles. Poor guy."
"Poor guy? What do you mean by that?" Twilight looked back at Kevin with a concerned look.
Once again, Kevin took in a deep breath. "Well... this place is different from where we were last and... we weren't this." Kevin looked at his hoofs. "It's not easy to pick up tools like this."
"Oh um... did you have... well... hands?" All of Twilight's friends looked at each other.
"YES! How did you know?"
"I've been to a place like that... but it sounds nothing like how you described it."
"Okay. At least you get it… hopefully somewhat. The real thing I'm worried about is the girl that is still out cold over there, Rosa. She’s our medic."
"What's a medic?"
Kevin blinked before he took in another deep breath but didn't speak this time. He just looked over at the wall until few seconds later he looked back. "A medic is somebody who is trained to deal with injuries quickly. I really thought you knew what that would be."
"Sorry, this world is really different from yours. By the looks of it she has the worst injuries."
"She was shot by a gun. That's why I'm worried."
"Not that she's your friend?"
"Sure..." Kevin's voice drifted off.
"Kevin! What the heck is going on?" Seth was limping over leaning on Autumn for support.
When he got closer, Twilight noticed his right wing was bandaged.
He sat down next to Kevin and took a glance at Twilight and her friends. "Who're they?"
"Seth this is Twilight Sparkle. Your princess didn't really tell me who your friends are; only that you would be bringing them."
Twilight Sparkle hesitated. She thought the Princess would fill in the lost ponies. Still cautious, she gestures to her friends. "This is Rainbow Dash,” she started, ”Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and..."
Pointing to each of them as she said their name, she finally came to Spike. "How is Spike STILL asleep!?"
"Cool. So you have code names," Seth said as he leaned back and adjusted to his new pony form.
Pinkie Pie raised her hoof and waved it in the air. "What are code names?"
Seth leaned forward and dropped his head. "You gotta be kidding me."
Kevin nudged Seth. "Just tell them."
"Why? Autumn said that they don't even know what an inhaler is!"
"This world is not the same as the one before! Show some respect!"
"I'm a mother fucking horse! How am I supposed to do anything like this? I have a broken wing apparently, and I can't walk properly!" Seth stood up as best he could.
"Knock it off! You don't have to be a fag-... a… what’s a good word that I can use in front you, uh, mares?"
Pinkie raised her hoof again. “Ohh, ohh! How about ‘meanie pants’, or ‘jerk’, or-”
Keven raised a hoof, pointing at Pinkie Pie.
“Yes. That’s the word I was looking for.”
"I'm not being a jerk! Don't you get it!? If we can't get back to our world, I won't be able to make anything because I can't pick anything up with… with these!" Seth shoved his hoof at Kevin’s face and shook it. Slamming his hoof down, he limped away back to where the others were.
"Well, darling, you don't need to use such harsh language." Rarity said.
"It's the pressure of all this. What would you do if you became a different creature than what you were used to? It does things to you." Kevin stood up and stretched his back.
"So, uh, Kevin,” Twilight asked, “Do you know how you got here to this world?"
Kevin thought for a moment and took another deep breath.
"Well… the last thing I remember was…” Kevin said as he tries to remember, “having a gun pointed at the head of our target we were assigned to kill..."
"Wait, you had to... kill someone?" Twilight was gulped. A cold sweat fell down her cheek.
"Well yeah,” Kevin continued, ”His name was Paris Westly. He was a sergeant for the ‘American Freedom Republic’: the group that is ruining where we live."
"Oh…, ” Twilight paused, “but you have to… kill him?"
"It would make the war much easier. He was one of the leaders of the group. If I could take him hostage I would, but it's too risky."
"I, um, understand." Twilight was unsure, but she was still learning about their world as frightening as it sounded. But the Princess gave her an assignment, and she’s not going to let her teacher down.
"Anyways,” Kevin said with memories slowly coming back to him, ”I had a gun to his head and before we could finish it, he hit me with something. I felt a huge electric shock and everything when dark. Next thing I know I'm here. As a pony, might I add."
"Why didn't you want to talk to Princess Celestia about all this?"
Kevin took in another deep breath and looked down.
"I was... panicking... at the time... I didn't know what was happening."
"That's what Axel Eckland told me." Twilight stood up. "Ok.Thank you for answering my questions. I’ll see what I can do"
"No problem and thanks. I don't know what else to do anyways."
Twilight nodded and headed over back to the princesses.
Luna was sitting next to Celestia was talking to her but was too far away to hear. When Twilight got closer, Luna stopped talking to her sister and looked at the lavender pony.
"Princesses, they’ve answered my questions. I will tell you what they told me."
After explaining everything, Princess Celestia thought for a moment.
"Twilight Sparkle. Until we find these ponies a way back to their world, I want you and your friends to give them a place to live."
"What!?” the six mares yelled. It was loud enough for the strange ponies to hear. Even Spike woke up, but fell back to sleep the next.
Twilight looked back at the group of ponies who were practicing on how to walk. “I don't even know if I can trust them."
"Twilight. They are helpless and injured. I ask you to take care of them until they can leave."
Twilight sighed. She knew looked up at Celestia. "Very well then."
"Thank you Twilight." Princess Celestia turned to Twilight's friends. "Each of you will be assigned someone to host. Rainbow Dash, you will be hosting Autumn. Applejack, Axle will be staying with you. Rarity, Seth. Pinkie Pie, Brody. Fluttershy, Rosa. I will also be sending nurse First Mane with you as well until Rosa is awake and healed. Twilight, You will be taking care of Kevin. Now I trust each of you to help them recover and keep them comfortable."
"Yes Princess." Twilight responded
"Luna." Luna looked at Celestia. "Please go explain this to our guests over there."
Luna nodded and walked over to the mind broken ponies.
"Princess?" Twilight asked.
"Yes Twilight?"
"Are you sure about this?"
"No. But I cannot just throw them out on the street. Not especially like this."
Twilight turned to her friends. They each had a face of slight doubt, but also the face of agreeance. The five ponies looked at each other, knowing what’s on each of them were thinking. To a final agreement, they nodded and looked at Twilight. She nodded with their approval.
"Alright girls, lets go."
The mares all turned to look at the odd group of ponies that will soon live with them and eventually lead them to their worst nightmare.
Author's Note
many thanks to Ventan with revising/editing.
