The Crisis

It was your average early morning in Ponyville. The sun shown brightly through the soft clouds, and birds sang their songs. It was the perfect day to try a new spell. I walked through my library, searching for the book which contained a spell I had been studying for the past week. Today seemed like the perfect day to finally test it. I know the spell hadn't been done in a few centuries, but I was curious to what it did.

I first discovered the spell in some old book I usually kept around as a paperweight. The book says how to preform the spell, but it tells nothing of what it actually does. I've tried doing research on it, and I have found that it creates something like a portal to an alternate universe. I finally found the book and grabbed it with my magic. I trotted toward the door but stopped. I looked back up to the second floor; where my still sleeping assistant still lay.

"Oh Spike!" I yelled up to him. He grunted with frustration for having to awake.

"Yes Twilight?" he asked sleepily as he rose from his small bed. He yawned and rubbed his eyes with his claws.

"If any one needs me please tell them that I shall be in the Everfree Forest," I said to him. He grunted in response and closed his eyes as he lay back down to return to his sleep. I faced towards the door once more and opened it with my magic. I trotted down the street towards the dark forest. I felt the warmth of the morning sun as it landed on my coat. I placed the spell book I carried on my back. I stopped in the street to take in the morning freshness. I closed my eyes and inhaled the moist morning air. It cooled my lungs as it filled them. Dew still clung to the tops of leaves as I continued my journey. As I passed houses, I waved to the friendly ponies as they rose to do their morning chores. I trotted across the bridge that led to the outskirts of the small town. As I passed I listened to the soothing stream as it ran over rocks. I always enjoyed passing Fluttershy's cottage for the birds sang the most wonderful songs in the morning. As I passed the cottage, I stopped just before entering the dense forest ahead of me. I looked back and gazed over Ponyville. It's beauty couldn't have made me happier. Life seemed almost perfect. I watched as a few pegasi started their duties of clearing the morning skies. I turned and faced the forest. I started my trek into the woods once more.

I walked for several minutes before coming to a small clearing. The short grass sparkled with morning dew. Perfect I thought to myself. I will use this to test my new spell. I sat myself down in a dry spot in the grass and flipped open my book. I lost track of time as my mind became consumed with reading. I knew preforming the spell would be difficult so I wanted to read the procedure for it several times over before I attempted it. After what seemed like a few minutes I looked up to the sun. It sat at it's highest point in the sky. I was surprised that it was already noon. Rainbow Dash suddenly flashed by over head. She spun around and flew in my direction. She landed softly in front of me. I closed my book and set it the grass. I noticed that Rainbow Dash carried a picnic basket in her teeth. She set it in the grass.

"There you are Twilight! Spike told me you were out here so I thought I could bring you some lunch."

"Thanks Rainbow Dash," she placed the picnic basket next to me and opened it. Rainbow Dash sat herself down across from me. We enjoyed the lunch of sandwiches and cupcakes together. We giggled and joked as we ate. Rainbow Dash told me about some of her new stunts that she was trying. I shared with her about my new spell. After a good conversation, we cleaned up after ourselves. Rainbow Dash said her goodbyes and left, taking her picnic basket with her. I thought about how nice of it was for her to do that. I saw it a little strange for that seemed like something Fluttershy would do. Oh well, who wouldn't enjoy lunch with a friend. I re-opened my book and continued my studies.

After reading over the casting process of the spell several more times, I set the book down in the grass. I looked up once more to the sky. I was now early in the afternoon. I don't understand why time passes so quickly when I read. I stood and walked to the edge of the clearing. I turned to face the center of the area. I gathered myself as I prepared for my first attempt at casting the powerful spell. I closed my eyes and focused. I lowered my head to point my horn towards the center of the clearing. I felt the warmth of my magical energy swell up inside me. I concentrated on preforming the spell exactly how it said in the book. My horn began to glow brighter and brighter. I felt the power of my magic as it exited my horn. I focused harder. I felt a burst of energy as the magic shot from my horn. I opened my eyes to see it form a dark purple sphere at the center of the clearing. It grew larger as I poured more magic into it. Suddenly the ball imploded with a silly deflating sound. I stared at it confused and frustrated. I some how messed it up. I turned to the book and flipped through the pages looking for an answer of my failure. I found nothing. I had preformed it perfectly. I decided to try once more. I set the book back into it's resting place in the grass.

I focused my horn once more toward the center of the clearing. I summoned all my energy to cast this one spell. I felt the warmth of my magic as it filled my horn. My horn began to glow brightly. I felt the force of my own magic as I once again shot the glowing orb from my horn. I was pushed back a few inches and dug my hooves into the soil to counter the recoil. The dark purple ball hovered in the center of the clearing. I felt exhaustion consume my body. I looked to the orb. It suddenly imploded again. I stared at the empty space angrily. I noticed that the sun had already begun to set. How has so much time passed? I thought to my self. Suddenly the clearing exploded from where the purple orb once was. The shock wave sent me flying through the air, only to be stopped by a tree. My head bounced off the tree and I collapsed on the ground. The world around me became fuzzy and dark as I drifted into unconsciousness...

***

I awoke late into the night. My head pounded with a massive head ache. I rubbed the lump on my forehead with my hoof. I look around at the clearing. Nothing seemed different. I used my horn as a source of light to search for my book. It lay near the edge of the clearing. I looked to the center of the clearing. It was pitch black. I took a step towards it in curiosity. It remained dark even as I approached it with my glowing horn. Turning to face the outer edge of the clearing, I moved to the woods and found the trail I had taken into the forest. I followed it out of the creepy forest and continued my journey towards Ponyville. I looked upon the sleeping village. It was quiet with the calming sound of crickets. I followed the path into the streets of the dark town. As I found my way home to my library, few lights remained on and shown brightly through the windows. I opened the door and walked in. I placed the book into it's place in the book shelf and walked up stairs to find my way to my bed. I looked to spike. He lay asleep in his small bed. He let out a soft snore. A small smile made its way across my mouth as I blew out the last candles. I made my way to my bed and crawled in. I laid there and let my eyes drift close.

I awoke around noon. I sat up in my bed and looked around the room. Spike wasn't in his bed. I got up and walked down stairs. Spike was nowhere in sight. I wondered around my home looking for him as I started to worry a little. I trotted to the front door. A note from spike stuck to it.

Twilight,

Went to help rarity with gem searching,

-Spike

I smiled with relief and opened the door to walk outside. The bright sun blinded me briefly as my eyes adjusted to the light. I looked around the busy streets as ponies went this way and that. Something caught my eye in the distance. The top of a dark ring protruded from the Everfree forest. It appeared to be were I had been practicing my new spell the day before. Without thinking to grab the spell book I had used, I sprinted in the direction of the forest. I ran through the streets and over the bridge at the outskirts of the town. I ran as hard as I could passed Fluttershy's cottage. As I followed the trail to the clearing, the forest seemed quiet. Almost too quiet.

As I entered the clearing, I stopped to catch my breath. It was hard to breath since I was not athletic. As my heart rate began to slow, I looked to the black circle. It was large with a diameter of maybe ten yards. I walked up to the large circle and looked into it. I saw nothing but black. It seemed as if the light was sucked into it never to return. It must have blended in with the night. There's no other way I would have missed this. I have to try to figure out what it is. Should I tell Celestia about it? More and more thoughts raced into my mind. I backed away from the black thing. Something suddenly began to form from the black mass. I ran to hide in the shadows, behind a large tree. I peeked around from the side of the trunk of the large tree. It appeared to be some kind of a creature that came through. My heart raced as it stepped into the clearing. It raised a black metallic...         ....stick thingy to where it's upper leg was connected to it's torso. It stood on it's back legs. The creature looked around the forest. It's glass eye's scanned for something. It wore strangely patterned clothes much like a dessert camouflage. It wore a heavy looking vest with various pouches. The creature's face looked more of a mask. On it's head, it wore some kind of helmet. Fear crept over me as I wondered what this monster was. Behind it, another creature appeared from the black mass. Then two more rose after them. These creatures were different from the first. Instead of that weird vest, camouflage, and helmet; they wore white suits. They didn't carry stick things either. Instead they wore saddle bags on their backs. A hood from their white suites covered their head around their strange face. The three white creatures scattered around the clearing. They pulled grass and picked up rocks and looked at the insects. A fifth creature appeared. This one looked like the first one. It looked around the clearing, then turned back to look at the black ring it came from.

A white creature pulled off it's saddle bag and pulled out some kind of gauge thing. I heard a muffled voice from the creature as it spoke. As in response, all the creatures dropped to their knees. The white ones pulled down their hoods and pulled off the metallic face mask they wore, reveling a fleshy face with hair on its head. They reminded my of a mutated monkey. The other two with the metal sticks took of their helmets and laid them into the grass. They too pulled off their metal faces. They all dropped some sort of tank they carried onto the ground. The two with the sticks replaced their helmets. They must be some kind of soldier I thought to myself. I looked around at them. The white ones continued to investigate the clearing as the soldier creatures scanned the woods. Are they friendly? I asked myself. I hesitated to take a step forward. I twig cracked under my hoof. All the creatures turned to face me immediately. The one closest to the black ring spoke.

"I've got movement  to the left."

"Copy that," the other soldier creature said. They both aimed their stick-weapons directly at me. I swallowed hard as I stepped forward to reveal myself...