Dreams, Dimensions, and Dang it Yangby otakufan217ChaptersExplanations, Exclamations, And ExplosionsPlans, Partners, and PatienceTrees, Trepidation, and TravelsIntroductions, Impressions, and Another InitiationExplanations, Exclamations, And ExplosionsIt hadn’t been a normal night in Canterlot. Indeed, the castle was buzzing with little bits of activity, with conversations between princesses and theory upon theory involving magic and dimensional travel. Twilight Sparkle had theorized a few weeks prior that the souls of other beings could be brought to Equestria, and Luna had expanded on it by stating that the other beings could be an important link to the expansion of technology in Equestria. Celestia had called a meeting between the princesses to discuss their findings, if they had even found anything at all. Twilight sat in the throne room of Canterlot castle, waiting as the sun’s final light shone through the bright stained-glass windows, which cast a bright, multicolored glow throughout the room. As the moon began to rise, casting a peaceful and welcoming light around the room. The throne room doors opened with a loud bang as Princesses Celestia and Luna entered the room and quickly sat and prepared to discuss their findings. “So,” the sun princess began, “Shall we start?” “Wait,” Twilight interjected, “Where’s Cadence?” “She’s been delayed preparing for the Equestria Games,” Luna explained, “As such, she will be a little late. Now Twilight, how has your experimentation into the observation of these beings been going?” “Well, I’ve been able to find many suitable subjects if that’s what you’re asking but... ” “But what, Twilight?” “I’ve found one world in particular, as you all know, but I think we should consider trying to contact them first and at least asking if they want to participate” “And how are we to do that?” asked a voice from across the room. Cadence had arrived at the perfect time, it seemed. “Well, I have a theory that, as long as we have a connection to our world, then we should be able to use our magic and other abilities to enter their dreams without any harm done to either party,” Luna explained “But the only one who has any experience with dream magic is you, Princess Luna! Are you really saying that you’re willing to put yourself in such a risky position?” Twilight asked. Luna nodded in response. “If it shall further advance Equestria and her people, then I shall take the risk and use the dreamwalker spell to contact these beings.” “I...I see. I have my doubts, but I assume you’ve taken huge measures to avoid any accidents?” “Yes, but one must always be prepared for the worst case scenario.” “May I interrupt?” Celestia asked, stepping forward, prompting a “Yes” from Twilight. “As you know, we have been researching the travel between dimensions and the possibility of bringing other beings here,” Celestia explained, “We entrusted Twilight Sparkle with observation of our chosen subjects, which she has done masterfully. She has allowed us to see just who we’re bringing here, after all. Through your observations, Twilight, I’ve learned much about their universe despite only seeing a small part of it. And Cadence, I have seen your work on the link to their world. It is impressive, truly. The methods you’ve used, through expanding on Twilight’s magic, may just be enough to bring them here. All that’s left to do is combine the spell with Luna’s dream magic. So, before we truly start...I’d like to reflect on all that we’ve learned.” “I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the daily lives of these beings and though they may be hard, and though their world may be dangerous, I believe that the technology that their world possesses will be the most beneficial until we can study more,” Twilight said, “I’m curious, though...how exactly did that spell I did work? And why did it show me that world? You discovered a reason behind this, right?” Celestia nodded. “Indeed I did. You, by chance, found what is known as a ‘link.’ Links are gateways, it seems, to other worlds. A recent test confirmed that we cannot use this link to travel to their world. I have thought that there may be magic placed in the link, as if perhaps we aren’t supposed to head to theirs. Or perhaps it is something that we don’t yet understand about links,” Celestia explained. Twilight’s mind flickered back to when she had discovered that link. Other worlds, save for the one she had visited, had just been a thought back then. There hadn’t been any confirmation. She had discovered the link entirely by accident, in truth. It had been a complete accident, but it had been a wonderful one indeed. Who would have guessed that a small magical distortion would lead to such a discovery? Not even royalty would think it possible, and yet it happened. It happened, and it led to so much more. It had been a long winter night in Ponyville. Snow blanketed the area, covering rooftops in a thick layer of sparkling white. The local princess hadn’t wanted to go out in such weather, but there was something bugging her. There seemed to be a disturbance in the magical energy around the area, and she had intended to find out what exactly it was. Behind her, her assistant, Spike, begrudgingly followed. The young dragon hadn’t been out this late in moons, yet Twilight suddenly needed his assistance. In truth, it was because she was afraid. Twilight had been afraid of something going completely wrong, of the possibility of putting Ponyville in danger. So Spike had really just been there to reassure her. "Spike, I’m sensing something,” Twilight said, “I don’t know what it is, but I think the magical energy is a little strange over he-” Twilight had been cut off by a spark. It was a vision, one that forced itself into her mind and showed up as a flash. She could barely make anything out, all she could see was a bright row of lights, a cliff, and… Something was running up the cliff? Along the lights? She couldn’t make sense of anything, but whatever was on the cliff, it seemed to be dragging along a huge beast not unlike what one would see in the Everfree Forest, in an attempt to kill it. The vision began to clear up, little by little, as Twilight watched on. Eventually, she could make out the being. She realized then that this world wasn’t unlike the other world she had visited. But she couldn’t figure one thing out: This girl, the one with the streaming red cloak and deep red hair,l clad in black...What had she been wielding? It was definitely a scythe, or at least it appeared to be a scythe, but there was something about it that had Twilight incredibly curious. The girl now stood on the clifftop. The beast, a huge avian of some sort, had been decapitated by her. Yes, Twilight was definitely curious, though in an almost morbid way. She had been interrupted by a call from her assistant. “TWILIGHT!” Suddenly, she snapped back to her own world. What had she just witnessed? What caused her to see that? And most importantly, could she see it again? Questions raced through her mind at a mile a minute, but she was certain of one thing: She had to tell Celestia. “Tw-Twilight, you just stopped moving! A-And this circle around you, it began to glow! What was-” Twilight interrupted Spike, placing her hoof out in front of her. “Spike, I’m not sure myself,” she gasped, “So I need you to take a note. Tell Princess Celestia that I need to speak with her about this. And I’ll need you there as well.” Truly an eventful night it had been. Twilight couldn’t help but smile to herself as she recalled what had happened. “Through studies back in the Crystal Empire,” Celestia continued, “Cadence learned that the mirror that you once travelled through, Twilight, had a spell cast on it that would allow travel through the worlds, but only at certain times, due to the entry link and exit link being disconnected. I understand you’ve read Cadence’s reports from that day?” Cadence found herself zoning out, just as Twilight had, flashing back to her own contribution to this project. It had been a rather uneventful night in the Crystal Empire, despite the preparations for the upcoming Equestria Games that left the entire Empire buzzing with activity almost constantly. This night, she took it upon herself to take a brief look at a certain mirror. The mirror was certainly an interesting thing. It opened and closed at regular intervals, leading to another world for brief periods of time. Certainly something like this would have some sort of lead, some means of discovering more about what Twilight Sparkle had seen! This was what Princess Celestia had thought, it seemed, as Princess Cadence had soon been sent a letter asking her about examining it. Despite the busy life she was leading, preparing for the Equestria Games, she had no qualms about doing so. After all, this particular night hadn’t been that eventful, and since there seemed to be no more plans for the night, Cadence figured that she had found her single chance. Cadence, as she headed through the hall of the Crystal Palace that led to the mirror, took it upon herself to re-read the letter sent to her by Princess Celestia. “Cadence,” she muttered to herself, “I have received reports from Twilight Sparkle of a recent distortion in Ponyville’s magical energy. It appears as if she has received a vision of some sort, what she believes to be another world. I ask that you examine the mirror in the Crystal Palace closely in an attempt to clear any mysteries up. Enclosed are the details of Twilight’s vision, as well as the details of what her assistant, Spike, saw, and how to recreate the spell Twilight has used to uncover the magical distortion…” Her voice trailed off. That was right, she had to use some sort of spell. It was a spell similar to many observation spells, yet there was something about it that had never been done. It was, apparently, a way to look into what seemed to be another world. She arrived at the storage room and stepped inside. Now there had been another issue at hoof: Where to cast the spell. Cadence had thought of doing the obvious and casting it upon the mirror, but something had been telling her that this wouldn’t work. Nevertheless, she had decided to do it anyway, though she was completely aware that the spell could, potentially, drain her of a lot of her energy. Her horn began to glow, sending a bright blue beam of light towards the mirror, revealing a shimmering circle of light. Yet, when Cadence tried to look into it, all she saw was… All she saw was herself. Standing in the room, deep in focus, watching herself. There was one other thing that seemed to stand out, though: A second circle glowing faintly on the wall. Cadence opened her eyes, and though she felt the strain of casting the spell, she managed to bring herself to cast it again, this time on the wall where she had seen it. What she saw was unlike anything else she had seen. Were these the beings Twilight had seen? Was this what she had been for a night? She seemed to be watching as a few of them, one of which resembling the pony known as Sunset Shimmer, repaired a gaping hole in a brick wall. Though it wasn’t eventful at all, Cadence was fascinated. The vision quickly faded, however. She had no energy to keep going, plus there was the issue of leaving Shining Armor worried. This was the very reason she had never wanted to overuse her magic: It wasn’t because of her own health, it was because of his. She had to head back to their bedroom, obviously, but before she did so, she had a letter to send. “...Wow,” Twilight said as Celestia finished, though Cadence hadn’t heard much, “That’s...a lot.” “Indeed it is,” Celestia replied, “But every bit is important. So, shall we head forward, then?” A resounding ‘Yes!’ was heard throughout the room, despite only coming from three ponies. Celestia opened the door with her magic, letting the other three ponies leave first. After they stepped out, she led the way, down long hallways and into the lower portions of Canterlot Castle. Soon they arrived at the ritual site, a blank stone room underground, and quickly began to cast the spell that would send Luna on her way. “Twilight,” Celestia instructed, “You and Cadence should stand in opposite corners of the room. I’ll be standing here and Luna will be in the center of the room. Cadence will initiate the process, bringing the link into view. You, Twilight, are to provide us with our target. You’re the one who decided whose dream Luna shall visit. During this time, Luna is to cast the dreamwalking spell, which will then send her off to the dream of whomever you choose. I’ll be providing energy to the spell, as well as use my own magic in case of an emergency. Do we all understand our roles?” Twilight and Cadence were already standing in the corners of the room, with Luna standing in the center. At that moment, Cadence’s horn began to glow brightly. A beam of bright blue light shot through the room, striking straight through Luna’s body, not ending as it hit her. Luna closed her eyes, concentrating hard. Twilight began to cast as well, though her mind was racing. The question had been running through her mind and would be answered through a spur-of-the-moment decision: Whose dream would Luna be entering, anyway? For some reason, as she thought long and hard, Twilight could only think of one being she had observed: The girl in white. All she could think of was how this girl had changed quite a lot during her observations. Her experienced would make one heck of a letter to Celestia, that was for sure. She cast her part of the spell, sending a beam of light forwards into the link. Suddenly, Luna was passed out, though she looked to be at peace. “She’s in a dream now, isn’t she?” Cadence asked, “We’ve succeeded, right?” “Absolutely,” Celestia answered, “And now, it’s all up to her. Though I do have something to ask.” Celestia turned to Twilight. “Whose dream did you choose, anyway?” Luna found herself in an almost empty white space when she arrived. Though a lone creature lay in front of her, she could see almost nothing else, save for fleeting darkness. Was this her doing? It had to be. She knew that, on certain rare occasions, nightmares had to be sent away by force, since the fears were often too strong. This fear was definitely too strong. The being in front of her was similar to the ones Twilight had encountered, yet her skin seemed much less...colorful. Her hair, however, was a striking white, which likely stood out amazingly against the darkness that may have filled the room just moments ago. This girl, though for a fleeting moment Luna had thought she was wearing a white dress, among other things, was now dressed in a nightgown. “E-Excuse me,” Luna said, trying not to make his introduction awkward, “I realize this is a dream, and you may not believe that I am actually real, but I assure you, I am, and I wish to help you.” The being turned around slowly, shuddering violently. A look of horror had been on her face, which was soon replaced with a look of pure confusion. “Who or what are you, exactly?” “My name is Princess Luna, I come from… far away and I wished to talk, but in your current state, we may have a problem with that.” “W-well, Princess, my name is Weiss Schnee. I would love to know what you wanted to talk about but, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a battle, so unless you’ve got some mystical macguffin with you, stay down and stay out of my way!” “But this is a dream, as I said,” Luna replied, “I have driven away the battle for now. We may talk freely.” “What, but that’s im...possi...ble,” Weiss trailed off as she realized that the sounds of battle had suddenly vanished. “Uh, what?” “I am princess of the night, after all. I must watch over dreams, as they are part of the night. However, this dream in particular is unique, as it is the first time I have entered a dream outside of my own world.” “Wait,” Weiss interjected, “Outside of your own world?! What do you mean?, What’s going on? And why, in all the academes in Remnant, did you pick my room at Beacon?” “While I am not sure why you in particular were chosen, I believe it may have something to do with your potential. You see, the reason I came to your dream is because I have a request for you, as well as your team.” “Alright, it’s official, I’ve died and this is some crazy god’s way of messing with my mind.” “Perhaps, but I did dispel your nightmare,” Luna stated, “So perhaps you could at least listen to me.” Weiss sighed. “Alright, fine. What do you want?” “I would like to ask this of both you and your team. We have been studying travel between worlds in my world. We would like to ask you all: Would you be willing to come to our world for a short while?” Author's Note A Take Two of sorts, as me and my co-author believed we could do better than we did. Special thanks to anyone who gave criticism on the last chapter we did, and while I have re-written the chapter, constructive criticism is always appreciated. EDIT: Hello, co-author Feathersparkle here! Along with the updates I've made in hopes of removing the walls of text, I've come here to announce something: We're seeking pre-readers! Please shoot a message to myself (It's just feathersparkle on here) or Otaku if you're interested! Plans, Partners, and Patience“Miss Weiss Schnee? I have returned.” The second meeting between Weiss and Luna was expected to proceed much more smoothly. After all, Luna had managed to get this far, and she refused to leave without at least one ambassador. (In reality, however, as cruel as Luna knew it was, Weiss would likely become more of a lab rat than ambassador. Albeit an incredibly well treated lab rat, but still, in many senses of the phrase, a lab rat.) The dreamscape looked exactly as it had the previous time, but with a faint breeze flowing through the area, occasionally bringing snowflakes. Weiss herself looked much the same as well, save for a small amount of blood dripping from her shoulder. Luna refrained from asking about it, as she knew that these dreams happened. Obviously they were a regular thing with this girl. Luna had realized that she was dealing with an iron-hearted being, one who wouldn’t be fazed at all by any of Equestria’s terrors. Were she to agree, the princesses would be striking gold. Weiss jerked back in surprise as she noticed Luna once more. “Y-You’re back?! Wait, so that wasn’t just-” Luna cut Weiss off. “It wasn’t,” she explained, “I am the princess of the night, as I told you. Your lucid dreams are my powers at work. Obviously, this is essential to our plan.” “I don’t trust you, you know,” Weiss replied, “Even if you helped me last time I heard you out. So, since you’re real and from somewhere else, why don’t you go back there and stop trying to recruit me into some hair brained scheme?” “Listen to me, please. It may not seem like it will be any good for you,” Luna said, “But it will be a chance to test yourself. To train yourself harder. And furthermore, I could even bring your friends along if they so choose. Both of us will benefit from this, I am certain.” “Really now,” Weiss said dryly, “Because from where I’m standing, you and your people seem to be the only ones who would benefit from this plan of yours.” “Well…” Luna mused, “I thought anybody would leap at the chance for an adventure like this. Actually…” Luna’s horn began to glow as she focused her magic into the entirety of the dream. Her eyes had shut in concentration at first, but eventually she opened her eyes ever so slightly at the sound of protests from the human. She had lifted Weiss into the air by now, which she assumed meant that she would now see just what this girl looked like as a pony. With what she was planning with the spell, pony forms would be perfect. “J-Just what are you even doing?!” she screamed, “Stop what you’re doing, this instant! I will fight back, you know!” “I’m sorry for this...It won’t hurt, I promise,” Luna said, attempting to reassure Weiss in the final moments of the spell. In one bright flash, the dream was a perfect recreation of the Everfree Forest. The smell of fresh rain filled Luna’s nostrils, combined with decaying leaves and moss. Huge-leafed plants surrounded the area, painting the land between the thick trees in deep russet and green. The ground beneath the princess sank slightly underneath her hooves, having been left soft from the rain. And, as it was the Everfree Forest, it was perpetually dark. In front of Luna lay a pure white unicorn mare, lithe in build and delicate in her features. Her mane was, as expected, long, possibly long enough to reach the ground, and her tail was no better. Her cutie mark was a symbol closely resembling a snowflake. This, along with the scar above her eye, was one of her most defining features. There was no mistaking it. This was Weiss, just as a pony. “All right,” Weiss hissed, “Any deal you may have planned on proposing to me is off. Whatever you did, turn me back. NOW.” “Wait,” Luna replied, “I must show you something. Please, try to stand. It may be hard at first, but at least try to.” Weiss did so, begrudgingly, though her legs were visibly trembling. Her first attempt failed; her knees had given out on her almost instantly. However, she was not about to let a new form get the better of her, and she continued to attempt to stand until she finally managed to stabilize her own footing. Delicately, she began to walk. Though she was slow, she was clearly taking to this new form quicker than expected. Luna led the way, stopping on occasion to let Weiss catch up with her. She knew she had focused part of her magic to one place in particular, and if she was right, perhaps Weiss could be convinced to go through with the plan. A voice could be heard nearby. “...What just...I…” Weiss’s ears perked up immediately at the sound of this voice. It was one of the most familiar voices to her, one that she had to put up with on a daily basis. This voice was indeed the voice of her leader, the one known as Ruby Rose. Luna smiled to herself. Exactly as she had planned. “...Ru...Ruby?!” Weiss gasped, “L-Luna, was it? Get her out of my dreams! She’s not supposed to be here!” “Weiss?! Wait, why are you here?! I thought this was my dream!” Ruby clumsily dashed out from behind a few bushes, barely stopping herself from tripping. Luna wasted no time in taking a look at her. She was a thinly-built unicorn, certainly, but slightly larger than Weiss. Her mane was a deep maroon, marked with slightly brighter tips, and the rest of her coat had taken on a deep charcoal color. Though her mane and tail were both short and wispy, the style seemed to fit her perfectly. Her flank was branded with a rose-esque symbol in the same striking silver of her eyes. She looked on at both Weiss and Luna, giving them one of the most genuinely confused looks Luna had seen in her entire life. “I apologize for leaving you so stunned,” Luna told Ruby, “But what I am about to say is important. We ponies are seeking ambassadors from other worlds, having discovered a means of travel between worlds. I will tell you now, you will only visit our world at night. It will feel much like this. By day, we shall return you home. Did you understand that?” Ruby stared on in silence. “Ahem. Let me explain this one. It’ll get through to her if I say it,” Weiss explained, though there was a hint of something else in her voice. Malice? No, it wasn’t that. Luna had figured it was a sort of begrudging hateful friendliness, the sort almost never seen back in Equestria. Truly, these two would at least be entertaining. “So, Ruby. This pony calls herself Princess Luna, and she appeared in my dream recently. I thought nothing of it, of course, until she returned just a few moments ago. And now, we’re ponies thanks to her magic, or something. Listen, I’m not even sure what happened to us, but Luna has a plan, and she wants to take us to her world. There. That’s what she just said to you.” Ruby had obviously understood Weiss’s explanation much more than she had Luna’s. It had come as less of a shock, Luna assumed, to hear this from her own partner. “I understand this is quite a lot to take in at once, but-” Luna was cut off by a question from Ruby. “Will we be able to continue our life here as if nothing happened?” the red and black mare asked. “Yes,” was Luna’s only answer. “Will we still be ponies in your world?” “Yes.” “And most importantly...Even if I doubt they’ll work that well while we have hooves, will we get to keep our weapons?” “I will try to arrange that.” Ruby’s face curved into a smile. “Well, I’m in on this!” she chirped, “Come on, Weiss, it’s not going to hurt our personal lives at all, right?” “Wait, what if she’s lying, Ruby?!” Weiss argued, “What if we won’t actually come back?! Are you absolutely sure you want to trust her?! You just met her!” “Listen, she’s with you, Weiss. Anybody who you willingly allow to travel with you automatically earns my trust,” Ruby replied. “She does have a point,” Luna interrupted, “I can sense, even if you said you didn’t, that there is at least some trust in you towards myself.” The snow-white mare sighed. “F-Fine. I give in. Take me to your world when you’re ready, Luna,” she muttered. “Absolutely,” Luna responded with a glowing horn and a gentle smile, “But before I do so, there are six others I must ask about this.” Author's Note WELL.... This took its sweet time didn't it? I'm sorry it did but what with HS Graduation, watching Log Horizon, and reading through the rest of One Piece, I've been busy. But now we have another chapter out and some good news, everyone! [Co-author here! We're still seeking pre-readers right now. The reason I'm mentioning this is because A) we don't have any B) I changed my username to Needle N Thread, so that's how you can contact me aaaand C) We're not smart. We're not scientists. We're not doctors. We're not even full-time employees. Where our lives went so wrong, we don't know. Point is, we need people who can give us feedback before we publish these. Please consider, and thank you for reading this! So there you go, I've hoped you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully the next one won't take as long. Trees, Trepidation, and Travels“Wait, six others?!” was Ruby’s only reply to Luna’s statement. “I have already brought them here,” Luna explained, “Please, allow me one moment to search the forest for them. They should be nearby.” Ruby looked on at the forest. Of course, there was a certain otherworldly feel to the place, as one would expect. It wasn’t just the feel of a dream, either. It was the feel of being immersed in a completely new world, the overwhelming feel of apprehension and adventure. This being a dream, there was a certain sense of awe to it. Amidst the darkness, the humidity against her new form, and the smell of decaying leaves, Ruby had to admit that she felt right at home. As she took in the environment for a moment, she heard the first familiar voices. “Wait, what the-PYRRHA?!” “I...I’m sorry! I...Wait, Jaune?!” “This is all just some messed up dream, right?! It can’t be anything else!” “Ah,” Luna said, “Right around…here!” She searched the bushes with her horn, eventually parting two of them to reveal two ponies: A well-muscled unicorn mare with a flame-red mane, her eyes a deep green and her coat a light gold, and an earth pony stallion, light and tall in his build and a bright yellow and white in color. As with all the ponies from their world, their flanks were adorned with their respective symbols. Ruby and Weiss recognized these two immediately as friends of theirs, and quickly stepped over besides Luna. The position of these two ponies was, to say the least, compromising. The mare lay on top of her partner; the two were practically embracing. On top of that, her face seemed to have been buried in the stallion’s chest just a moment ago. It was as if the dream world was playing a cruel joke on them. Luna grinned mischieviously at this sight, knowing that she may have had a hoof in said joke. For an almost eternal moment, there was nothing but staring. “I...I…” Ruby stammered. “Wow,” Weiss muttered to herself, “Just...wow.” The golden-maned stallion practically squealed in horror. Luna stifled a giggle as the mare, Pyrrha, attempted to shuffle awkwardly away from her partner, a rarely-seen blush across her face. This was the true work of an Equestrian princess, after all. Rigorous training under Celestia’s eyes had prepared her for one of many royal duties: Pranking, even if this one was a little mean. “My apologies,” Luna said, “I have been looking for you...Jaune Arc, was it?” There was a long period of complete silence, save for the repeated whimpers of “I’m sorry” from Ruby. Soon, however, Jaune and Pyrrha managed to regain their composure. “Just…” Pyrrha gasped, “Just what are you?” “Wait one moment,” Luna replied, “The others shall be coming. I will speak the-” Luna was cut off by an excited squeal, along with a crashing white pegasus to the side. “JAUNE!” As she fell to the side, the auburn-maned pegasus, now in clear view, looked away sheepishly. “Err…” was the only sound she let escape her. “Nora.” A deep green unicorn stallion, his black mane draped over his shoulders and accented by a streak of brilliant pink, stepped into the area. Luna smiled at this, knowing that if these two had shown up this quickly, then the final two ponies would be showing up shortly after. “Well, I see seven ponies and a whole lot of crazy. Someone care to start explaining?” Speaking of the devil, there they were: a yellow earth pony with a mane bright enough to give the sun a run for its money, and a black pegasus with a black mane, a purple streak through said mane and (Luna blinked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things) a second, much more feline pair of ears protruding from behind her pony ears. “Well, er, that was much faster than I had anticipated...I didn’t think all eight of you would just suddenly appear like this,” Luna said, “But it makes this much simpler. All of you, if you would, please sit down. I have much to explain to all of you.” “Wait… are you a pony?” asked Nora as she quickly stood up from choking the life out of Jaune with love “C-Can I ride you? Wait, I’m a pony too...Oh. Whoops! That just sounded WRONG, didn’t it? Never mind what I said there!” Luna clutched at her head as her mind flashed back to Pinkie Pie on the first Nightmare Night she’d spent out of the moon. Ren quickly stepped forward as he saw this. “Nora...Please don’t ever say that again.” “Yes Ren!” Nora responded, “Soooo, you were saying?” Luna cleared her throat, ready to explain everything. “As you can see, you are all ponies. Though it is obviously somewhat disorienting, I am certain you will all be used to these forms in due time. You see, I have already told everything to these two,” she explained, gesturing to Weiss and Ruby, “And I wish for all eight of you to head to my home world. Rest assured, your lives here will not change. However, your dreams...Well, in place of dreams, I shall give you all lives in Equestria.” Jaune raised his new hoof. “Uh, question. How are we supposed to have any energy for our classes or lives in both worlds?” Luna chuckled. “While you are active in one world, your body in the other is dormant. Therefore, you shall not lose any energy. So, does anybody else have any questions about this before they make their choices?” she asked. “Will this hurt at all?” asked Blake, clearly more nervous than her appearance let on. “Absolutely not. I myself have travelled between worlds, and it hasn’t harmed me in the slightest,” Luna answered, “So it shall not hurt any of you. Any more, or shall we make our decisions?” Pyrrha was the first to speak up after this. “I’ve made my decision. I’m going,” she said, “But if this is a trick of any kind…Well, I’d rather not think of that scenario.” “Rest assured, miss Nikos, I am aware of your fighting skills. I shall not trick any of you,” Luna said, “Because, even with my power, you are formidable foes.” Pyrrha looked to her team. More specifically, she looked to Jaune, awaiting his reply. He replied with an almost exasperated sigh, then spoke. “I’ll be going as well.” Ruby smiled brightly. “Okay team, pack your bags! We’re going to Equestria!” Ruby proclaimed. “Wait, Ruby, this is all so sudden, are you sure you still want t-” Weiss was interrupted by Nora suddenly grabbing her face. “ARE YOU CRAZY? IT’S AN ENTIRE WORLD OF PONIES, LET’S GO ALREADY!” Weiss quickly got behind Blake and Yang, as facing down the insanity of Nora alone was practically a death warrant. “H-Hey! Weiss, come on, you think we’re not going to agree to this?!” Yang called back to her teammate. “It sounds like a party kind of town, and besides, if it keeps Ruby and Nora happy then we can kick back and relax a little,” Blake suddenly chimed in, “And learn about this new world. And vice-versa.” “So...All that remains is the last one. Lie Ren,” Luna began, “Do you wish to join your friends in the trip to my world?” Ren flashed a small smile. “Well, someone needs to keep Nora from destroying something….or someone, for that matter.” “And as for you, Weiss...I am well aware that you have already agreed. As such…” Luna’s voice trailed off as her horn began to glow once more. A circle of light began to form on the ground below her, soon beginning to grow and surround the rest of the group. This was when she noticed that something was very, very wrong. Throughout the canopy of trees, a shimmering blue cloud had formed. It was faint, like stars under fog, but it was there. Luna had seen this cloud once before, and she knew that it was, the say the absolute least, not pleasant at all. “Everypony. Get close to me! Now!” she commanded. At once, the group was huddled uncomfortably close together. Luna focused her magic, allowing the circle of light to form into a shining cyan dome. Soon, it began to enclose on everyone, herself included. A few looks of horror crossed various faces in the group, until finally they were consumed by the princess’s magic. Then, all was still in the Everfree. Only this time, it was not a dream they lay in. This time, they lay at the entrance to the forest, just outside of Canterlot. Everyone lay beside Luna, it seemed. Just to be certain, she did a quick head count. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... She found herself in a state of panic. Had the cloud found the jet black pegasus? She looked around frantically, until her eyes turned to a tree. There, in between two forked tree branches, was Blake, her coat matted with tree sap and branches tangled in her mane. She looked to Luna with a sharp glare. “You lied to me,” she whispered. “I...I suppose I did. At any rate, we have all arrived here in one piece. Even you,” Luna responded, “And once everybody here is fully awake, I can explain why we are here, of all places, and why I had to take you all here so suddenly...Or perhaps my sister will arrive first.” “Your sister?” a voice inquired from behind Luna, “You never said anything about that. Let me guess, she’s important.” Luna looked over to see Yang, along with everyone else coming to. “Ah...This is good. You are all recovering quickly. And with that, I must explain. I believe that the dream we were all just in had a great evil dwelling within it. Though I do not know what it can do,” she lied, “I am aware that it is a terrifying being that could have attacked you while you were there. As such, I needed to transfer your new forms here as soon as possible.” “So wait,” Ruby asked, “This is Equestria? It’s...Is that, out there in the distance, on that mountain, is that a city?!” “Oh, yes,” Luna answered, “That is my home, Canterlot. We shall be staying there tonight. And on behalf of all eight of you, especially on behalf of Blake, whose world-traveling experience hasn’t been the most pleasant of things, I would like to formally say this: Welcome. I believe my sister, Princess Celestia, has much planned for you. As such...” Luna’s horn glowed bright cyan once more. In a flash, the group stood in the throne room of Canterlot, greeted by the three other princesses. “Luna! Welcome back,” Celestia said as the newcomers looked on in shock, “I take it these are the teams?” “Yes, sister, they are. We experienced some complications, but we have all arrived here in one piece. I would like to ask you to escort them to their rooms for the night, as it is almost dusk here.” “Of course. Come,” Celestia instructed to the still-stunned group, “Follow me. You must all be exhausted.” Author's Note Well... Crap this took way longer than it should have and for that Integra apologizes, now this may have taken a long time but I had a good reason. It's a six letter word starting with Finals and another called Graduation but silver lining I'm getting more time to write. So yes you will hopefully see more punctual chapter submissions over the summer and maybe a few joke chapters as well ( I get bored with the normal and must indulge my crazy side somehow) But for now this is Otaku signing off Introductions, Impressions, and Another Initiation“Good morning, Ruby. I take it you slept well?” Ruby awoke in a bed of soft silk, which was surrounded by a matching violet curtain as the sun began to rise, light filtering through the newly-formed gaps between said curtains. The white and gold of the room reflected the sun’s rays so as to make it seem as if the whole room was lit by a vibrant flame. In the doorway stood Princess Celestia, who had only just noticed that Ruby had awoken. Ruby herself was still groggy, as if she hadn’t slept at all the previous night. Celestia herself had taken note of this, noting it as a possible side effect of the transfer between worlds. “Where… Where am I?” Ruby asked as she sat up in the bed and began to remove herself from her warm, very comfortable nest of blankets. Celestia raised her hoof to silence Ruby, allowing her a moment to get her bearings. “Oh, yeah, wait a minute...That’s right, I’m a pony,” Ruby recalled, “And this is Canterlot Castle, right? I mean, I didn’t exactly hear everything last night…” “Yes,” Celestia replied, “You are now within the world of Equestria, and your friends are waiting for you to meet them outside. Before I send you all out on a test, so to speak, I’d like to allow you all to enjoy the basics of pony society...Even if it is much higher-class than where I hope you’ll stay in the future.” “Wait, wait, are you saying I overslept?!” Ruby practically screeched, “A-And you say we’re going to be tested?!” Celesta was utterly perplexed as she was blown aside by Ruby moving at inhuman speeds, watching in awe as the unicorn donned the single article of clothing that hung in the closet: Her cloak. “Y-You brought this here!?” Ruby gasped between movements. “Yes, I did, now if you-” Celestia was cut off by Ruby dashing away. “I was going to say that you could go through the hallway left of here for breakfast…” she mumbled to herself as she walked away. Ruby dashed through the halls of the castle, diving over and under guards and castle staff before realizing the simple fact that she had no idea where she was going but her thought process was interrupted by a collision with a soft, pink-coated alicorn. “S-Sorry!” said Ruby as she helped her up. “Oh it’s fine, really,” the alicorn replied, “Could you stay here a moment, though?” Ruby allowed herself a moment to stop completely. “First of all, my name is Princess Cadence,” she began, “And you must be Ruby, right?” “Y-Yes,” Ruby replied. “Well, I was just talking with your friends. I gave them the funds that Celestia entrusted you all with,” Cadence explained, “When you didn’t show your face at breakfast, I realized that you had likely overslept, so I was heading over to your room to give them to you.” Cadence’s horn glowed a bright cyan, and her saddlebag opened. She took out a bag of sparkling golden coins and handed them to Ruby who, having no other means of carrying the bag, gripped it in her mouth. Her head jerked downwards from the weight of the bag, but she quickly pulled it back up to look at Cadence once more. “I understand that Celestia has given you each 2,500 bits. It should be enough for you all to at the very least rent houses out in Ponyville,” Cadence said, “And it should cover your cost of living for around a month. Hopefully you’ll all be able to get jobs by then, though.” Ruby nodded, then set her bag of money down. “So, wait, I have a question. Where’s everybody now?” “Oh, that!” Cadence answered, “They all finished eating ten minutes ago. They should be outside, waiting for you, I believe.” “S-So was the money all you needed to tell me about?” Ruby asked. “Yes,” Cadence answered, “You should find your friends sparring with the royal guards and my husband, Prince Shining Armor.” “All right,” Ruby gasped, “Outside, right?” “Yes,” Cadence said, “In the courtyards. You’ll find them if you turn right at the next hallway.” “Thanks!” Ruby called to Cadence as she ran off, bag of money in her mouth once again. As it turned out, Ruby didn’t need to turn right to know where her friends were. As she turned, the great windows of the castle allowed a perfect view of the castle courtyard, each stone carefully placed years ago by Equestria’s greatest workers. Hoofbeats echoed throughout the area as two ponies were locked in practice. A stark white unicorn stallion, his imposing figure and midnight blue mane visible even from a distance, and a black and purple pegasus mare with a bow on her head were each clearly trying to defeat the other as a crowd of guards and future hunters watched on. Indeed, though the unicorn was unfamiliar, the pegasus was one of Ruby’s closest friends: Blake Belladonna. Blake made the first strike, leaping forwards with almost no sound, her body appearing as a blur and striking out with a powerful kick towards the stallion’s head. As Ruby watched on, the stallion quickly ducked under the blow and countered with a right-hoofed punch, but with almost impossible speeds, Blake dodged back, leaving an illusion of herself behind and immediately dashed forward once more and, getting inside the stallion’s guard while he was still confused, reached under his front leg and flipped him onto his back, then jabbing her hoof into his chest to pin him down. Ruby had stared on in awe the entire time. Even in such a new form, Blake was a force to be reckoned with, and she could only assume the same for the rest of her team. She decided to move down to the courtyard to greet her team. When she stepped into the crowd of ponies, she was immediately noticed. “Hey, look who decided to show her face! Morning, sunshine!” A familiar bright yellow earth pony galloped to her and grabbed her in a massive bear hug. This was exactly who she thought it was: Her older sister, Yang. The rest of her team soon walked over to greet her, though they were both exhausted from sparring. “Did you see Weiss out there earlier, by chance?” Blake asked, “She actually used her magic and, well...It was somewhat impressive.” Despite Blake’s reluctance to show that she was impressed at all, Weiss was clearly reveling in the praise. “Yes, yes,” Weiss replied, “It was impressive, I know, I know. And honestly, seeing that little spark made me realize that I may very well be a lot stronger than I thought and I, for one, am ready to see more of this.” “All I saw was Blake,” Ruby admitted, “But that was incredible! I’m still not sure what this horn is even good for...I mean, I heard about magic, but…” “Hey, guys, one sec,” Yang interrupted, “I have to ask something: Ruby, have you even eaten? You weren’t at breakfast, so…” Ruby’s stomach chose that moment to let out an enormous growl. Yang chuckled in response to this, then nodded to Weiss. “Ehe...S-Sorry, I was in such a rush this morning that I-” Weiss cut off her partner. “Argh…You can be so hopeless sometimes. Follow me, Ruby,” Weiss said, leading Ruby out of the courtyard. “Hey,” Blake said to Yang, “Looks like Jaune’s team is about to practice. This should be interesting.” It was obvious that the royal guard’s captain had wanted another round of practice. However, though he had enjoyed his fight with Blake, his eyes were fixed on another pony. Indeed, even if he had wanted to fight the leader of Team RWBY, he had found somebody who struck him as an equally strong leader. Not only that, but Cadence had asked him to fight this pony earlier. Team JNPR knew this from the moment he looked at their leader. Indeed, the yellow-maned stallion knew that he couldn’t back down from this, and after an encouraging nod from his partner accompanied by a quick recap of the various things she had been teaching him, he stepped forward to face the pony called Shining Armor. “You’re Jaune, right? Team JNPR’s leader?” Shining Armor asked, “I never got to see you in action, but this morning...Well, Cadence told me that she wanted to see us fight if possible. I’m glad to see you’re not backing down.” Jaune swallowed hard, trying to hide his apprehension. “Yes. I-It’s an honor, sir,” Jaune replied. “Just call me Shining,” Shining said in response, “Now then...Actions speak louder than words, so shall we start?” Jaune nodded in response, looking to the crowd of guards once more. His teammates were watching intently, Nora barely able to contain her excitement for the battle, Ren sitting still and observing, and Pyrrha gesturing for her partner to look back to his opponent. With a few hoofbeats against the stone, yet another round of sparring began. Shining ran forward, aiming to break Jaune’s defenses before anything else. Jaune, however, managed to dodge the first attack, noting that it had been somewhat predictable and delivered from a pony who was clearly not meant for speed. Quickly, he moved out, trying to take a defensive approach to his battle with Shining. Soon, they had both taken a defensive stance, each awaiting the other’s attack, ready to block it whenever it came. Jaune was the one who took the chance to attack. He moved from side to side, dashing behind Shining as soon as he made an attempt to parry the attack with his horn. Then, he struck, but was met with resistance in the form of a swift kick of the unicorn’s back legs. He fell to the ground, though he quickly rolled back into a standing position. Indeed, unarmed combat was not his forte. This round had been going surprisingly well, however. Shining struck as soon as Jaune had recovered, knocking and pinning the earth pony to the ground. In an almost instinctive reaction, Jaune kicked forward, shoving his back hooves into Shining’s torso. Both ponies were exhausted now, with Jaune barely managing to get himself to stand and Shining having to force himself to continue doing so. However, Shining smiled at his opponent. “That was impressive, I have to say,” the unicorn gasped, “Especially that last move. I’ve never seen anypony do that so quickly!” Jaune’s team quickly appeared at his side to help him up. “Wow, Jaune,” Nora chirped, “That was freaking AWESOME!” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that sort of reaction out of you,” Pyrrha added, “That last move was impressive, to say the least. Though I would like to add something...You allowed him to attack you when you were behind him. Then again, it must be a part of being in equine form...We’ll have to adapt in combat.” “And our semblance,” Ren added, “I noticed Blake usig hers, but I still don’t know how to use my aura in this form…” “At least I don’t need a horn for that,” Jaune said, “Or...wings.” Shining Armor interrupted their conversation. “Hey, you guys. The other team’s looking for you.” Jaune nodded, walking out into the crowd, followed by his team. It was sunset before anything else notable had happened. Before anybody retired to their room for the night, Celestia had many words for the group of eight. Indeed, her mention of a test earlier had not been a lie. It was time to reveal the plan she had to the ponies she had brought to Equestria. The group sat in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, awaiting her words. “My dearest subjects and visitors from Remnant,” she began, “You may dislike what I am about to tell you, but please understand that I have very good reasons for what I am about to do to all of you. I am about to tell you everything about your test tomorrow.” Nervous glances were exchanged. “There is a cave, one that runs deep under the mountainous regions of Equestria. I shall send you to the deepest part,” Celestia continued, “Rest assured, if anything goes wrong, I will save you. However, I trust that all of you shall succeed with your task. It’s a simple task, too: All eight of you must emerge from the cave.” “Whoa, WHOA,” Jaune interjected, “You’re sending us on this now?! Without any training, or-” “It’ll be just like initiation, won’t it?” Ruby sighed. “Indeed it will,” Celestia replied, “But as I said, I will arrive there to save you if anything goes truly, horribly wrong.” Pyrrha rested her hoof on Jaune’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. “This’ll be no sweat, guys!” Yang said, her partner nodding in agreement. “Ren! You know exactly what to do if we’re separated!” Nora chimed in, prompting a chuckle from her teammates. “Of course,” Ren replied, “The signal.” “I trust you’re all in agreement, then?” Celestia asked. There was a resounding agreement. “You’re all dismissed, then,” the princess told them, “Good night, all of you.” As soon as the group had fallen asleep, Luna and her sister sat together, gazing at the night view of Canterlot. “Indeed, this is not just about Twilight’s destiny anymore, is it?” Luna asked. “I sense great power in each of those ponies,” Celestia answered, “And I look forward to seeing their potential in action. In fact...You could say I’m just as excited to see what will happen to them as I am to see what Twilight will do.” Author's Note Hello, co-author here! Thank you all for reading this! As you've noticed, the chapters are getting longer! The next one will be the first part of a two-part-thingymabopper called Methods, Madness, and Miracles. So yeah, next chapter's preeeeetty big. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy what we have so far! I haven't written many fight scenes, so those sparring rounds were practice for me as well! Also, expect art for the next chapter. I've been in a pony-drawing mood.
Explanations, Exclamations, And ExplosionsIt hadn’t been a normal night in Canterlot. Indeed, the castle was buzzing with little bits of activity, with conversations between princesses and theory upon theory involving magic and dimensional travel. Twilight Sparkle had theorized a few weeks prior that the souls of other beings could be brought to Equestria, and Luna had expanded on it by stating that the other beings could be an important link to the expansion of technology in Equestria. Celestia had called a meeting between the princesses to discuss their findings, if they had even found anything at all. Twilight sat in the throne room of Canterlot castle, waiting as the sun’s final light shone through the bright stained-glass windows, which cast a bright, multicolored glow throughout the room. As the moon began to rise, casting a peaceful and welcoming light around the room. The throne room doors opened with a loud bang as Princesses Celestia and Luna entered the room and quickly sat and prepared to discuss their findings. “So,” the sun princess began, “Shall we start?” “Wait,” Twilight interjected, “Where’s Cadence?” “She’s been delayed preparing for the Equestria Games,” Luna explained, “As such, she will be a little late. Now Twilight, how has your experimentation into the observation of these beings been going?” “Well, I’ve been able to find many suitable subjects if that’s what you’re asking but... ” “But what, Twilight?” “I’ve found one world in particular, as you all know, but I think we should consider trying to contact them first and at least asking if they want to participate” “And how are we to do that?” asked a voice from across the room. Cadence had arrived at the perfect time, it seemed. “Well, I have a theory that, as long as we have a connection to our world, then we should be able to use our magic and other abilities to enter their dreams without any harm done to either party,” Luna explained “But the only one who has any experience with dream magic is you, Princess Luna! Are you really saying that you’re willing to put yourself in such a risky position?” Twilight asked. Luna nodded in response. “If it shall further advance Equestria and her people, then I shall take the risk and use the dreamwalker spell to contact these beings.” “I...I see. I have my doubts, but I assume you’ve taken huge measures to avoid any accidents?” “Yes, but one must always be prepared for the worst case scenario.” “May I interrupt?” Celestia asked, stepping forward, prompting a “Yes” from Twilight. “As you know, we have been researching the travel between dimensions and the possibility of bringing other beings here,” Celestia explained, “We entrusted Twilight Sparkle with observation of our chosen subjects, which she has done masterfully. She has allowed us to see just who we’re bringing here, after all. Through your observations, Twilight, I’ve learned much about their universe despite only seeing a small part of it. And Cadence, I have seen your work on the link to their world. It is impressive, truly. The methods you’ve used, through expanding on Twilight’s magic, may just be enough to bring them here. All that’s left to do is combine the spell with Luna’s dream magic. So, before we truly start...I’d like to reflect on all that we’ve learned.” “I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the daily lives of these beings and though they may be hard, and though their world may be dangerous, I believe that the technology that their world possesses will be the most beneficial until we can study more,” Twilight said, “I’m curious, though...how exactly did that spell I did work? And why did it show me that world? You discovered a reason behind this, right?” Celestia nodded. “Indeed I did. You, by chance, found what is known as a ‘link.’ Links are gateways, it seems, to other worlds. A recent test confirmed that we cannot use this link to travel to their world. I have thought that there may be magic placed in the link, as if perhaps we aren’t supposed to head to theirs. Or perhaps it is something that we don’t yet understand about links,” Celestia explained. Twilight’s mind flickered back to when she had discovered that link. Other worlds, save for the one she had visited, had just been a thought back then. There hadn’t been any confirmation. She had discovered the link entirely by accident, in truth. It had been a complete accident, but it had been a wonderful one indeed. Who would have guessed that a small magical distortion would lead to such a discovery? Not even royalty would think it possible, and yet it happened. It happened, and it led to so much more. It had been a long winter night in Ponyville. Snow blanketed the area, covering rooftops in a thick layer of sparkling white. The local princess hadn’t wanted to go out in such weather, but there was something bugging her. There seemed to be a disturbance in the magical energy around the area, and she had intended to find out what exactly it was. Behind her, her assistant, Spike, begrudgingly followed. The young dragon hadn’t been out this late in moons, yet Twilight suddenly needed his assistance. In truth, it was because she was afraid. Twilight had been afraid of something going completely wrong, of the possibility of putting Ponyville in danger. So Spike had really just been there to reassure her. "Spike, I’m sensing something,” Twilight said, “I don’t know what it is, but I think the magical energy is a little strange over he-” Twilight had been cut off by a spark. It was a vision, one that forced itself into her mind and showed up as a flash. She could barely make anything out, all she could see was a bright row of lights, a cliff, and… Something was running up the cliff? Along the lights? She couldn’t make sense of anything, but whatever was on the cliff, it seemed to be dragging along a huge beast not unlike what one would see in the Everfree Forest, in an attempt to kill it. The vision began to clear up, little by little, as Twilight watched on. Eventually, she could make out the being. She realized then that this world wasn’t unlike the other world she had visited. But she couldn’t figure one thing out: This girl, the one with the streaming red cloak and deep red hair,l clad in black...What had she been wielding? It was definitely a scythe, or at least it appeared to be a scythe, but there was something about it that had Twilight incredibly curious. The girl now stood on the clifftop. The beast, a huge avian of some sort, had been decapitated by her. Yes, Twilight was definitely curious, though in an almost morbid way. She had been interrupted by a call from her assistant. “TWILIGHT!” Suddenly, she snapped back to her own world. What had she just witnessed? What caused her to see that? And most importantly, could she see it again? Questions raced through her mind at a mile a minute, but she was certain of one thing: She had to tell Celestia. “Tw-Twilight, you just stopped moving! A-And this circle around you, it began to glow! What was-” Twilight interrupted Spike, placing her hoof out in front of her. “Spike, I’m not sure myself,” she gasped, “So I need you to take a note. Tell Princess Celestia that I need to speak with her about this. And I’ll need you there as well.” Truly an eventful night it had been. Twilight couldn’t help but smile to herself as she recalled what had happened. “Through studies back in the Crystal Empire,” Celestia continued, “Cadence learned that the mirror that you once travelled through, Twilight, had a spell cast on it that would allow travel through the worlds, but only at certain times, due to the entry link and exit link being disconnected. I understand you’ve read Cadence’s reports from that day?” Cadence found herself zoning out, just as Twilight had, flashing back to her own contribution to this project. It had been a rather uneventful night in the Crystal Empire, despite the preparations for the upcoming Equestria Games that left the entire Empire buzzing with activity almost constantly. This night, she took it upon herself to take a brief look at a certain mirror. The mirror was certainly an interesting thing. It opened and closed at regular intervals, leading to another world for brief periods of time. Certainly something like this would have some sort of lead, some means of discovering more about what Twilight Sparkle had seen! This was what Princess Celestia had thought, it seemed, as Princess Cadence had soon been sent a letter asking her about examining it. Despite the busy life she was leading, preparing for the Equestria Games, she had no qualms about doing so. After all, this particular night hadn’t been that eventful, and since there seemed to be no more plans for the night, Cadence figured that she had found her single chance. Cadence, as she headed through the hall of the Crystal Palace that led to the mirror, took it upon herself to re-read the letter sent to her by Princess Celestia. “Cadence,” she muttered to herself, “I have received reports from Twilight Sparkle of a recent distortion in Ponyville’s magical energy. It appears as if she has received a vision of some sort, what she believes to be another world. I ask that you examine the mirror in the Crystal Palace closely in an attempt to clear any mysteries up. Enclosed are the details of Twilight’s vision, as well as the details of what her assistant, Spike, saw, and how to recreate the spell Twilight has used to uncover the magical distortion…” Her voice trailed off. That was right, she had to use some sort of spell. It was a spell similar to many observation spells, yet there was something about it that had never been done. It was, apparently, a way to look into what seemed to be another world. She arrived at the storage room and stepped inside. Now there had been another issue at hoof: Where to cast the spell. Cadence had thought of doing the obvious and casting it upon the mirror, but something had been telling her that this wouldn’t work. Nevertheless, she had decided to do it anyway, though she was completely aware that the spell could, potentially, drain her of a lot of her energy. Her horn began to glow, sending a bright blue beam of light towards the mirror, revealing a shimmering circle of light. Yet, when Cadence tried to look into it, all she saw was… All she saw was herself. Standing in the room, deep in focus, watching herself. There was one other thing that seemed to stand out, though: A second circle glowing faintly on the wall. Cadence opened her eyes, and though she felt the strain of casting the spell, she managed to bring herself to cast it again, this time on the wall where she had seen it. What she saw was unlike anything else she had seen. Were these the beings Twilight had seen? Was this what she had been for a night? She seemed to be watching as a few of them, one of which resembling the pony known as Sunset Shimmer, repaired a gaping hole in a brick wall. Though it wasn’t eventful at all, Cadence was fascinated. The vision quickly faded, however. She had no energy to keep going, plus there was the issue of leaving Shining Armor worried. This was the very reason she had never wanted to overuse her magic: It wasn’t because of her own health, it was because of his. She had to head back to their bedroom, obviously, but before she did so, she had a letter to send. “...Wow,” Twilight said as Celestia finished, though Cadence hadn’t heard much, “That’s...a lot.” “Indeed it is,” Celestia replied, “But every bit is important. So, shall we head forward, then?” A resounding ‘Yes!’ was heard throughout the room, despite only coming from three ponies. Celestia opened the door with her magic, letting the other three ponies leave first. After they stepped out, she led the way, down long hallways and into the lower portions of Canterlot Castle. Soon they arrived at the ritual site, a blank stone room underground, and quickly began to cast the spell that would send Luna on her way. “Twilight,” Celestia instructed, “You and Cadence should stand in opposite corners of the room. I’ll be standing here and Luna will be in the center of the room. Cadence will initiate the process, bringing the link into view. You, Twilight, are to provide us with our target. You’re the one who decided whose dream Luna shall visit. During this time, Luna is to cast the dreamwalking spell, which will then send her off to the dream of whomever you choose. I’ll be providing energy to the spell, as well as use my own magic in case of an emergency. Do we all understand our roles?” Twilight and Cadence were already standing in the corners of the room, with Luna standing in the center. At that moment, Cadence’s horn began to glow brightly. A beam of bright blue light shot through the room, striking straight through Luna’s body, not ending as it hit her. Luna closed her eyes, concentrating hard. Twilight began to cast as well, though her mind was racing. The question had been running through her mind and would be answered through a spur-of-the-moment decision: Whose dream would Luna be entering, anyway? For some reason, as she thought long and hard, Twilight could only think of one being she had observed: The girl in white. All she could think of was how this girl had changed quite a lot during her observations. Her experienced would make one heck of a letter to Celestia, that was for sure. She cast her part of the spell, sending a beam of light forwards into the link. Suddenly, Luna was passed out, though she looked to be at peace. “She’s in a dream now, isn’t she?” Cadence asked, “We’ve succeeded, right?” “Absolutely,” Celestia answered, “And now, it’s all up to her. Though I do have something to ask.” Celestia turned to Twilight. “Whose dream did you choose, anyway?” Luna found herself in an almost empty white space when she arrived. Though a lone creature lay in front of her, she could see almost nothing else, save for fleeting darkness. Was this her doing? It had to be. She knew that, on certain rare occasions, nightmares had to be sent away by force, since the fears were often too strong. This fear was definitely too strong. The being in front of her was similar to the ones Twilight had encountered, yet her skin seemed much less...colorful. Her hair, however, was a striking white, which likely stood out amazingly against the darkness that may have filled the room just moments ago. This girl, though for a fleeting moment Luna had thought she was wearing a white dress, among other things, was now dressed in a nightgown. “E-Excuse me,” Luna said, trying not to make his introduction awkward, “I realize this is a dream, and you may not believe that I am actually real, but I assure you, I am, and I wish to help you.” The being turned around slowly, shuddering violently. A look of horror had been on her face, which was soon replaced with a look of pure confusion. “Who or what are you, exactly?” “My name is Princess Luna, I come from… far away and I wished to talk, but in your current state, we may have a problem with that.” “W-well, Princess, my name is Weiss Schnee. I would love to know what you wanted to talk about but, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a battle, so unless you’ve got some mystical macguffin with you, stay down and stay out of my way!” “But this is a dream, as I said,” Luna replied, “I have driven away the battle for now. We may talk freely.” “What, but that’s im...possi...ble,” Weiss trailed off as she realized that the sounds of battle had suddenly vanished. “Uh, what?” “I am princess of the night, after all. I must watch over dreams, as they are part of the night. However, this dream in particular is unique, as it is the first time I have entered a dream outside of my own world.” “Wait,” Weiss interjected, “Outside of your own world?! What do you mean?, What’s going on? And why, in all the academes in Remnant, did you pick my room at Beacon?” “While I am not sure why you in particular were chosen, I believe it may have something to do with your potential. You see, the reason I came to your dream is because I have a request for you, as well as your team.” “Alright, it’s official, I’ve died and this is some crazy god’s way of messing with my mind.” “Perhaps, but I did dispel your nightmare,” Luna stated, “So perhaps you could at least listen to me.” Weiss sighed. “Alright, fine. What do you want?” “I would like to ask this of both you and your team. We have been studying travel between worlds in my world. We would like to ask you all: Would you be willing to come to our world for a short while?” Author's Note A Take Two of sorts, as me and my co-author believed we could do better than we did. Special thanks to anyone who gave criticism on the last chapter we did, and while I have re-written the chapter, constructive criticism is always appreciated. EDIT: Hello, co-author Feathersparkle here! Along with the updates I've made in hopes of removing the walls of text, I've come here to announce something: We're seeking pre-readers! Please shoot a message to myself (It's just feathersparkle on here) or Otaku if you're interested!
Plans, Partners, and Patience“Miss Weiss Schnee? I have returned.” The second meeting between Weiss and Luna was expected to proceed much more smoothly. After all, Luna had managed to get this far, and she refused to leave without at least one ambassador. (In reality, however, as cruel as Luna knew it was, Weiss would likely become more of a lab rat than ambassador. Albeit an incredibly well treated lab rat, but still, in many senses of the phrase, a lab rat.) The dreamscape looked exactly as it had the previous time, but with a faint breeze flowing through the area, occasionally bringing snowflakes. Weiss herself looked much the same as well, save for a small amount of blood dripping from her shoulder. Luna refrained from asking about it, as she knew that these dreams happened. Obviously they were a regular thing with this girl. Luna had realized that she was dealing with an iron-hearted being, one who wouldn’t be fazed at all by any of Equestria’s terrors. Were she to agree, the princesses would be striking gold. Weiss jerked back in surprise as she noticed Luna once more. “Y-You’re back?! Wait, so that wasn’t just-” Luna cut Weiss off. “It wasn’t,” she explained, “I am the princess of the night, as I told you. Your lucid dreams are my powers at work. Obviously, this is essential to our plan.” “I don’t trust you, you know,” Weiss replied, “Even if you helped me last time I heard you out. So, since you’re real and from somewhere else, why don’t you go back there and stop trying to recruit me into some hair brained scheme?” “Listen to me, please. It may not seem like it will be any good for you,” Luna said, “But it will be a chance to test yourself. To train yourself harder. And furthermore, I could even bring your friends along if they so choose. Both of us will benefit from this, I am certain.” “Really now,” Weiss said dryly, “Because from where I’m standing, you and your people seem to be the only ones who would benefit from this plan of yours.” “Well…” Luna mused, “I thought anybody would leap at the chance for an adventure like this. Actually…” Luna’s horn began to glow as she focused her magic into the entirety of the dream. Her eyes had shut in concentration at first, but eventually she opened her eyes ever so slightly at the sound of protests from the human. She had lifted Weiss into the air by now, which she assumed meant that she would now see just what this girl looked like as a pony. With what she was planning with the spell, pony forms would be perfect. “J-Just what are you even doing?!” she screamed, “Stop what you’re doing, this instant! I will fight back, you know!” “I’m sorry for this...It won’t hurt, I promise,” Luna said, attempting to reassure Weiss in the final moments of the spell. In one bright flash, the dream was a perfect recreation of the Everfree Forest. The smell of fresh rain filled Luna’s nostrils, combined with decaying leaves and moss. Huge-leafed plants surrounded the area, painting the land between the thick trees in deep russet and green. The ground beneath the princess sank slightly underneath her hooves, having been left soft from the rain. And, as it was the Everfree Forest, it was perpetually dark. In front of Luna lay a pure white unicorn mare, lithe in build and delicate in her features. Her mane was, as expected, long, possibly long enough to reach the ground, and her tail was no better. Her cutie mark was a symbol closely resembling a snowflake. This, along with the scar above her eye, was one of her most defining features. There was no mistaking it. This was Weiss, just as a pony. “All right,” Weiss hissed, “Any deal you may have planned on proposing to me is off. Whatever you did, turn me back. NOW.” “Wait,” Luna replied, “I must show you something. Please, try to stand. It may be hard at first, but at least try to.” Weiss did so, begrudgingly, though her legs were visibly trembling. Her first attempt failed; her knees had given out on her almost instantly. However, she was not about to let a new form get the better of her, and she continued to attempt to stand until she finally managed to stabilize her own footing. Delicately, she began to walk. Though she was slow, she was clearly taking to this new form quicker than expected. Luna led the way, stopping on occasion to let Weiss catch up with her. She knew she had focused part of her magic to one place in particular, and if she was right, perhaps Weiss could be convinced to go through with the plan. A voice could be heard nearby. “...What just...I…” Weiss’s ears perked up immediately at the sound of this voice. It was one of the most familiar voices to her, one that she had to put up with on a daily basis. This voice was indeed the voice of her leader, the one known as Ruby Rose. Luna smiled to herself. Exactly as she had planned. “...Ru...Ruby?!” Weiss gasped, “L-Luna, was it? Get her out of my dreams! She’s not supposed to be here!” “Weiss?! Wait, why are you here?! I thought this was my dream!” Ruby clumsily dashed out from behind a few bushes, barely stopping herself from tripping. Luna wasted no time in taking a look at her. She was a thinly-built unicorn, certainly, but slightly larger than Weiss. Her mane was a deep maroon, marked with slightly brighter tips, and the rest of her coat had taken on a deep charcoal color. Though her mane and tail were both short and wispy, the style seemed to fit her perfectly. Her flank was branded with a rose-esque symbol in the same striking silver of her eyes. She looked on at both Weiss and Luna, giving them one of the most genuinely confused looks Luna had seen in her entire life. “I apologize for leaving you so stunned,” Luna told Ruby, “But what I am about to say is important. We ponies are seeking ambassadors from other worlds, having discovered a means of travel between worlds. I will tell you now, you will only visit our world at night. It will feel much like this. By day, we shall return you home. Did you understand that?” Ruby stared on in silence. “Ahem. Let me explain this one. It’ll get through to her if I say it,” Weiss explained, though there was a hint of something else in her voice. Malice? No, it wasn’t that. Luna had figured it was a sort of begrudging hateful friendliness, the sort almost never seen back in Equestria. Truly, these two would at least be entertaining. “So, Ruby. This pony calls herself Princess Luna, and she appeared in my dream recently. I thought nothing of it, of course, until she returned just a few moments ago. And now, we’re ponies thanks to her magic, or something. Listen, I’m not even sure what happened to us, but Luna has a plan, and she wants to take us to her world. There. That’s what she just said to you.” Ruby had obviously understood Weiss’s explanation much more than she had Luna’s. It had come as less of a shock, Luna assumed, to hear this from her own partner. “I understand this is quite a lot to take in at once, but-” Luna was cut off by a question from Ruby. “Will we be able to continue our life here as if nothing happened?” the red and black mare asked. “Yes,” was Luna’s only answer. “Will we still be ponies in your world?” “Yes.” “And most importantly...Even if I doubt they’ll work that well while we have hooves, will we get to keep our weapons?” “I will try to arrange that.” Ruby’s face curved into a smile. “Well, I’m in on this!” she chirped, “Come on, Weiss, it’s not going to hurt our personal lives at all, right?” “Wait, what if she’s lying, Ruby?!” Weiss argued, “What if we won’t actually come back?! Are you absolutely sure you want to trust her?! You just met her!” “Listen, she’s with you, Weiss. Anybody who you willingly allow to travel with you automatically earns my trust,” Ruby replied. “She does have a point,” Luna interrupted, “I can sense, even if you said you didn’t, that there is at least some trust in you towards myself.” The snow-white mare sighed. “F-Fine. I give in. Take me to your world when you’re ready, Luna,” she muttered. “Absolutely,” Luna responded with a glowing horn and a gentle smile, “But before I do so, there are six others I must ask about this.” Author's Note WELL.... This took its sweet time didn't it? I'm sorry it did but what with HS Graduation, watching Log Horizon, and reading through the rest of One Piece, I've been busy. But now we have another chapter out and some good news, everyone! [Co-author here! We're still seeking pre-readers right now. The reason I'm mentioning this is because A) we don't have any B) I changed my username to Needle N Thread, so that's how you can contact me aaaand C) We're not smart. We're not scientists. We're not doctors. We're not even full-time employees. Where our lives went so wrong, we don't know. Point is, we need people who can give us feedback before we publish these. Please consider, and thank you for reading this! So there you go, I've hoped you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully the next one won't take as long.
Trees, Trepidation, and Travels“Wait, six others?!” was Ruby’s only reply to Luna’s statement. “I have already brought them here,” Luna explained, “Please, allow me one moment to search the forest for them. They should be nearby.” Ruby looked on at the forest. Of course, there was a certain otherworldly feel to the place, as one would expect. It wasn’t just the feel of a dream, either. It was the feel of being immersed in a completely new world, the overwhelming feel of apprehension and adventure. This being a dream, there was a certain sense of awe to it. Amidst the darkness, the humidity against her new form, and the smell of decaying leaves, Ruby had to admit that she felt right at home. As she took in the environment for a moment, she heard the first familiar voices. “Wait, what the-PYRRHA?!” “I...I’m sorry! I...Wait, Jaune?!” “This is all just some messed up dream, right?! It can’t be anything else!” “Ah,” Luna said, “Right around…here!” She searched the bushes with her horn, eventually parting two of them to reveal two ponies: A well-muscled unicorn mare with a flame-red mane, her eyes a deep green and her coat a light gold, and an earth pony stallion, light and tall in his build and a bright yellow and white in color. As with all the ponies from their world, their flanks were adorned with their respective symbols. Ruby and Weiss recognized these two immediately as friends of theirs, and quickly stepped over besides Luna. The position of these two ponies was, to say the least, compromising. The mare lay on top of her partner; the two were practically embracing. On top of that, her face seemed to have been buried in the stallion’s chest just a moment ago. It was as if the dream world was playing a cruel joke on them. Luna grinned mischieviously at this sight, knowing that she may have had a hoof in said joke. For an almost eternal moment, there was nothing but staring. “I...I…” Ruby stammered. “Wow,” Weiss muttered to herself, “Just...wow.” The golden-maned stallion practically squealed in horror. Luna stifled a giggle as the mare, Pyrrha, attempted to shuffle awkwardly away from her partner, a rarely-seen blush across her face. This was the true work of an Equestrian princess, after all. Rigorous training under Celestia’s eyes had prepared her for one of many royal duties: Pranking, even if this one was a little mean. “My apologies,” Luna said, “I have been looking for you...Jaune Arc, was it?” There was a long period of complete silence, save for the repeated whimpers of “I’m sorry” from Ruby. Soon, however, Jaune and Pyrrha managed to regain their composure. “Just…” Pyrrha gasped, “Just what are you?” “Wait one moment,” Luna replied, “The others shall be coming. I will speak the-” Luna was cut off by an excited squeal, along with a crashing white pegasus to the side. “JAUNE!” As she fell to the side, the auburn-maned pegasus, now in clear view, looked away sheepishly. “Err…” was the only sound she let escape her. “Nora.” A deep green unicorn stallion, his black mane draped over his shoulders and accented by a streak of brilliant pink, stepped into the area. Luna smiled at this, knowing that if these two had shown up this quickly, then the final two ponies would be showing up shortly after. “Well, I see seven ponies and a whole lot of crazy. Someone care to start explaining?” Speaking of the devil, there they were: a yellow earth pony with a mane bright enough to give the sun a run for its money, and a black pegasus with a black mane, a purple streak through said mane and (Luna blinked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things) a second, much more feline pair of ears protruding from behind her pony ears. “Well, er, that was much faster than I had anticipated...I didn’t think all eight of you would just suddenly appear like this,” Luna said, “But it makes this much simpler. All of you, if you would, please sit down. I have much to explain to all of you.” “Wait… are you a pony?” asked Nora as she quickly stood up from choking the life out of Jaune with love “C-Can I ride you? Wait, I’m a pony too...Oh. Whoops! That just sounded WRONG, didn’t it? Never mind what I said there!” Luna clutched at her head as her mind flashed back to Pinkie Pie on the first Nightmare Night she’d spent out of the moon. Ren quickly stepped forward as he saw this. “Nora...Please don’t ever say that again.” “Yes Ren!” Nora responded, “Soooo, you were saying?” Luna cleared her throat, ready to explain everything. “As you can see, you are all ponies. Though it is obviously somewhat disorienting, I am certain you will all be used to these forms in due time. You see, I have already told everything to these two,” she explained, gesturing to Weiss and Ruby, “And I wish for all eight of you to head to my home world. Rest assured, your lives here will not change. However, your dreams...Well, in place of dreams, I shall give you all lives in Equestria.” Jaune raised his new hoof. “Uh, question. How are we supposed to have any energy for our classes or lives in both worlds?” Luna chuckled. “While you are active in one world, your body in the other is dormant. Therefore, you shall not lose any energy. So, does anybody else have any questions about this before they make their choices?” she asked. “Will this hurt at all?” asked Blake, clearly more nervous than her appearance let on. “Absolutely not. I myself have travelled between worlds, and it hasn’t harmed me in the slightest,” Luna answered, “So it shall not hurt any of you. Any more, or shall we make our decisions?” Pyrrha was the first to speak up after this. “I’ve made my decision. I’m going,” she said, “But if this is a trick of any kind…Well, I’d rather not think of that scenario.” “Rest assured, miss Nikos, I am aware of your fighting skills. I shall not trick any of you,” Luna said, “Because, even with my power, you are formidable foes.” Pyrrha looked to her team. More specifically, she looked to Jaune, awaiting his reply. He replied with an almost exasperated sigh, then spoke. “I’ll be going as well.” Ruby smiled brightly. “Okay team, pack your bags! We’re going to Equestria!” Ruby proclaimed. “Wait, Ruby, this is all so sudden, are you sure you still want t-” Weiss was interrupted by Nora suddenly grabbing her face. “ARE YOU CRAZY? IT’S AN ENTIRE WORLD OF PONIES, LET’S GO ALREADY!” Weiss quickly got behind Blake and Yang, as facing down the insanity of Nora alone was practically a death warrant. “H-Hey! Weiss, come on, you think we’re not going to agree to this?!” Yang called back to her teammate. “It sounds like a party kind of town, and besides, if it keeps Ruby and Nora happy then we can kick back and relax a little,” Blake suddenly chimed in, “And learn about this new world. And vice-versa.” “So...All that remains is the last one. Lie Ren,” Luna began, “Do you wish to join your friends in the trip to my world?” Ren flashed a small smile. “Well, someone needs to keep Nora from destroying something….or someone, for that matter.” “And as for you, Weiss...I am well aware that you have already agreed. As such…” Luna’s voice trailed off as her horn began to glow once more. A circle of light began to form on the ground below her, soon beginning to grow and surround the rest of the group. This was when she noticed that something was very, very wrong. Throughout the canopy of trees, a shimmering blue cloud had formed. It was faint, like stars under fog, but it was there. Luna had seen this cloud once before, and she knew that it was, the say the absolute least, not pleasant at all. “Everypony. Get close to me! Now!” she commanded. At once, the group was huddled uncomfortably close together. Luna focused her magic, allowing the circle of light to form into a shining cyan dome. Soon, it began to enclose on everyone, herself included. A few looks of horror crossed various faces in the group, until finally they were consumed by the princess’s magic. Then, all was still in the Everfree. Only this time, it was not a dream they lay in. This time, they lay at the entrance to the forest, just outside of Canterlot. Everyone lay beside Luna, it seemed. Just to be certain, she did a quick head count. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... She found herself in a state of panic. Had the cloud found the jet black pegasus? She looked around frantically, until her eyes turned to a tree. There, in between two forked tree branches, was Blake, her coat matted with tree sap and branches tangled in her mane. She looked to Luna with a sharp glare. “You lied to me,” she whispered. “I...I suppose I did. At any rate, we have all arrived here in one piece. Even you,” Luna responded, “And once everybody here is fully awake, I can explain why we are here, of all places, and why I had to take you all here so suddenly...Or perhaps my sister will arrive first.” “Your sister?” a voice inquired from behind Luna, “You never said anything about that. Let me guess, she’s important.” Luna looked over to see Yang, along with everyone else coming to. “Ah...This is good. You are all recovering quickly. And with that, I must explain. I believe that the dream we were all just in had a great evil dwelling within it. Though I do not know what it can do,” she lied, “I am aware that it is a terrifying being that could have attacked you while you were there. As such, I needed to transfer your new forms here as soon as possible.” “So wait,” Ruby asked, “This is Equestria? It’s...Is that, out there in the distance, on that mountain, is that a city?!” “Oh, yes,” Luna answered, “That is my home, Canterlot. We shall be staying there tonight. And on behalf of all eight of you, especially on behalf of Blake, whose world-traveling experience hasn’t been the most pleasant of things, I would like to formally say this: Welcome. I believe my sister, Princess Celestia, has much planned for you. As such...” Luna’s horn glowed bright cyan once more. In a flash, the group stood in the throne room of Canterlot, greeted by the three other princesses. “Luna! Welcome back,” Celestia said as the newcomers looked on in shock, “I take it these are the teams?” “Yes, sister, they are. We experienced some complications, but we have all arrived here in one piece. I would like to ask you to escort them to their rooms for the night, as it is almost dusk here.” “Of course. Come,” Celestia instructed to the still-stunned group, “Follow me. You must all be exhausted.” Author's Note Well... Crap this took way longer than it should have and for that Integra apologizes, now this may have taken a long time but I had a good reason. It's a six letter word starting with Finals and another called Graduation but silver lining I'm getting more time to write. So yes you will hopefully see more punctual chapter submissions over the summer and maybe a few joke chapters as well ( I get bored with the normal and must indulge my crazy side somehow) But for now this is Otaku signing off
Introductions, Impressions, and Another Initiation“Good morning, Ruby. I take it you slept well?” Ruby awoke in a bed of soft silk, which was surrounded by a matching violet curtain as the sun began to rise, light filtering through the newly-formed gaps between said curtains. The white and gold of the room reflected the sun’s rays so as to make it seem as if the whole room was lit by a vibrant flame. In the doorway stood Princess Celestia, who had only just noticed that Ruby had awoken. Ruby herself was still groggy, as if she hadn’t slept at all the previous night. Celestia herself had taken note of this, noting it as a possible side effect of the transfer between worlds. “Where… Where am I?” Ruby asked as she sat up in the bed and began to remove herself from her warm, very comfortable nest of blankets. Celestia raised her hoof to silence Ruby, allowing her a moment to get her bearings. “Oh, yeah, wait a minute...That’s right, I’m a pony,” Ruby recalled, “And this is Canterlot Castle, right? I mean, I didn’t exactly hear everything last night…” “Yes,” Celestia replied, “You are now within the world of Equestria, and your friends are waiting for you to meet them outside. Before I send you all out on a test, so to speak, I’d like to allow you all to enjoy the basics of pony society...Even if it is much higher-class than where I hope you’ll stay in the future.” “Wait, wait, are you saying I overslept?!” Ruby practically screeched, “A-And you say we’re going to be tested?!” Celesta was utterly perplexed as she was blown aside by Ruby moving at inhuman speeds, watching in awe as the unicorn donned the single article of clothing that hung in the closet: Her cloak. “Y-You brought this here!?” Ruby gasped between movements. “Yes, I did, now if you-” Celestia was cut off by Ruby dashing away. “I was going to say that you could go through the hallway left of here for breakfast…” she mumbled to herself as she walked away. Ruby dashed through the halls of the castle, diving over and under guards and castle staff before realizing the simple fact that she had no idea where she was going but her thought process was interrupted by a collision with a soft, pink-coated alicorn. “S-Sorry!” said Ruby as she helped her up. “Oh it’s fine, really,” the alicorn replied, “Could you stay here a moment, though?” Ruby allowed herself a moment to stop completely. “First of all, my name is Princess Cadence,” she began, “And you must be Ruby, right?” “Y-Yes,” Ruby replied. “Well, I was just talking with your friends. I gave them the funds that Celestia entrusted you all with,” Cadence explained, “When you didn’t show your face at breakfast, I realized that you had likely overslept, so I was heading over to your room to give them to you.” Cadence’s horn glowed a bright cyan, and her saddlebag opened. She took out a bag of sparkling golden coins and handed them to Ruby who, having no other means of carrying the bag, gripped it in her mouth. Her head jerked downwards from the weight of the bag, but she quickly pulled it back up to look at Cadence once more. “I understand that Celestia has given you each 2,500 bits. It should be enough for you all to at the very least rent houses out in Ponyville,” Cadence said, “And it should cover your cost of living for around a month. Hopefully you’ll all be able to get jobs by then, though.” Ruby nodded, then set her bag of money down. “So, wait, I have a question. Where’s everybody now?” “Oh, that!” Cadence answered, “They all finished eating ten minutes ago. They should be outside, waiting for you, I believe.” “S-So was the money all you needed to tell me about?” Ruby asked. “Yes,” Cadence answered, “You should find your friends sparring with the royal guards and my husband, Prince Shining Armor.” “All right,” Ruby gasped, “Outside, right?” “Yes,” Cadence said, “In the courtyards. You’ll find them if you turn right at the next hallway.” “Thanks!” Ruby called to Cadence as she ran off, bag of money in her mouth once again. As it turned out, Ruby didn’t need to turn right to know where her friends were. As she turned, the great windows of the castle allowed a perfect view of the castle courtyard, each stone carefully placed years ago by Equestria’s greatest workers. Hoofbeats echoed throughout the area as two ponies were locked in practice. A stark white unicorn stallion, his imposing figure and midnight blue mane visible even from a distance, and a black and purple pegasus mare with a bow on her head were each clearly trying to defeat the other as a crowd of guards and future hunters watched on. Indeed, though the unicorn was unfamiliar, the pegasus was one of Ruby’s closest friends: Blake Belladonna. Blake made the first strike, leaping forwards with almost no sound, her body appearing as a blur and striking out with a powerful kick towards the stallion’s head. As Ruby watched on, the stallion quickly ducked under the blow and countered with a right-hoofed punch, but with almost impossible speeds, Blake dodged back, leaving an illusion of herself behind and immediately dashed forward once more and, getting inside the stallion’s guard while he was still confused, reached under his front leg and flipped him onto his back, then jabbing her hoof into his chest to pin him down. Ruby had stared on in awe the entire time. Even in such a new form, Blake was a force to be reckoned with, and she could only assume the same for the rest of her team. She decided to move down to the courtyard to greet her team. When she stepped into the crowd of ponies, she was immediately noticed. “Hey, look who decided to show her face! Morning, sunshine!” A familiar bright yellow earth pony galloped to her and grabbed her in a massive bear hug. This was exactly who she thought it was: Her older sister, Yang. The rest of her team soon walked over to greet her, though they were both exhausted from sparring. “Did you see Weiss out there earlier, by chance?” Blake asked, “She actually used her magic and, well...It was somewhat impressive.” Despite Blake’s reluctance to show that she was impressed at all, Weiss was clearly reveling in the praise. “Yes, yes,” Weiss replied, “It was impressive, I know, I know. And honestly, seeing that little spark made me realize that I may very well be a lot stronger than I thought and I, for one, am ready to see more of this.” “All I saw was Blake,” Ruby admitted, “But that was incredible! I’m still not sure what this horn is even good for...I mean, I heard about magic, but…” “Hey, guys, one sec,” Yang interrupted, “I have to ask something: Ruby, have you even eaten? You weren’t at breakfast, so…” Ruby’s stomach chose that moment to let out an enormous growl. Yang chuckled in response to this, then nodded to Weiss. “Ehe...S-Sorry, I was in such a rush this morning that I-” Weiss cut off her partner. “Argh…You can be so hopeless sometimes. Follow me, Ruby,” Weiss said, leading Ruby out of the courtyard. “Hey,” Blake said to Yang, “Looks like Jaune’s team is about to practice. This should be interesting.” It was obvious that the royal guard’s captain had wanted another round of practice. However, though he had enjoyed his fight with Blake, his eyes were fixed on another pony. Indeed, even if he had wanted to fight the leader of Team RWBY, he had found somebody who struck him as an equally strong leader. Not only that, but Cadence had asked him to fight this pony earlier. Team JNPR knew this from the moment he looked at their leader. Indeed, the yellow-maned stallion knew that he couldn’t back down from this, and after an encouraging nod from his partner accompanied by a quick recap of the various things she had been teaching him, he stepped forward to face the pony called Shining Armor. “You’re Jaune, right? Team JNPR’s leader?” Shining Armor asked, “I never got to see you in action, but this morning...Well, Cadence told me that she wanted to see us fight if possible. I’m glad to see you’re not backing down.” Jaune swallowed hard, trying to hide his apprehension. “Yes. I-It’s an honor, sir,” Jaune replied. “Just call me Shining,” Shining said in response, “Now then...Actions speak louder than words, so shall we start?” Jaune nodded in response, looking to the crowd of guards once more. His teammates were watching intently, Nora barely able to contain her excitement for the battle, Ren sitting still and observing, and Pyrrha gesturing for her partner to look back to his opponent. With a few hoofbeats against the stone, yet another round of sparring began. Shining ran forward, aiming to break Jaune’s defenses before anything else. Jaune, however, managed to dodge the first attack, noting that it had been somewhat predictable and delivered from a pony who was clearly not meant for speed. Quickly, he moved out, trying to take a defensive approach to his battle with Shining. Soon, they had both taken a defensive stance, each awaiting the other’s attack, ready to block it whenever it came. Jaune was the one who took the chance to attack. He moved from side to side, dashing behind Shining as soon as he made an attempt to parry the attack with his horn. Then, he struck, but was met with resistance in the form of a swift kick of the unicorn’s back legs. He fell to the ground, though he quickly rolled back into a standing position. Indeed, unarmed combat was not his forte. This round had been going surprisingly well, however. Shining struck as soon as Jaune had recovered, knocking and pinning the earth pony to the ground. In an almost instinctive reaction, Jaune kicked forward, shoving his back hooves into Shining’s torso. Both ponies were exhausted now, with Jaune barely managing to get himself to stand and Shining having to force himself to continue doing so. However, Shining smiled at his opponent. “That was impressive, I have to say,” the unicorn gasped, “Especially that last move. I’ve never seen anypony do that so quickly!” Jaune’s team quickly appeared at his side to help him up. “Wow, Jaune,” Nora chirped, “That was freaking AWESOME!” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that sort of reaction out of you,” Pyrrha added, “That last move was impressive, to say the least. Though I would like to add something...You allowed him to attack you when you were behind him. Then again, it must be a part of being in equine form...We’ll have to adapt in combat.” “And our semblance,” Ren added, “I noticed Blake usig hers, but I still don’t know how to use my aura in this form…” “At least I don’t need a horn for that,” Jaune said, “Or...wings.” Shining Armor interrupted their conversation. “Hey, you guys. The other team’s looking for you.” Jaune nodded, walking out into the crowd, followed by his team. It was sunset before anything else notable had happened. Before anybody retired to their room for the night, Celestia had many words for the group of eight. Indeed, her mention of a test earlier had not been a lie. It was time to reveal the plan she had to the ponies she had brought to Equestria. The group sat in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, awaiting her words. “My dearest subjects and visitors from Remnant,” she began, “You may dislike what I am about to tell you, but please understand that I have very good reasons for what I am about to do to all of you. I am about to tell you everything about your test tomorrow.” Nervous glances were exchanged. “There is a cave, one that runs deep under the mountainous regions of Equestria. I shall send you to the deepest part,” Celestia continued, “Rest assured, if anything goes wrong, I will save you. However, I trust that all of you shall succeed with your task. It’s a simple task, too: All eight of you must emerge from the cave.” “Whoa, WHOA,” Jaune interjected, “You’re sending us on this now?! Without any training, or-” “It’ll be just like initiation, won’t it?” Ruby sighed. “Indeed it will,” Celestia replied, “But as I said, I will arrive there to save you if anything goes truly, horribly wrong.” Pyrrha rested her hoof on Jaune’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. “This’ll be no sweat, guys!” Yang said, her partner nodding in agreement. “Ren! You know exactly what to do if we’re separated!” Nora chimed in, prompting a chuckle from her teammates. “Of course,” Ren replied, “The signal.” “I trust you’re all in agreement, then?” Celestia asked. There was a resounding agreement. “You’re all dismissed, then,” the princess told them, “Good night, all of you.” As soon as the group had fallen asleep, Luna and her sister sat together, gazing at the night view of Canterlot. “Indeed, this is not just about Twilight’s destiny anymore, is it?” Luna asked. “I sense great power in each of those ponies,” Celestia answered, “And I look forward to seeing their potential in action. In fact...You could say I’m just as excited to see what will happen to them as I am to see what Twilight will do.” Author's Note Hello, co-author here! Thank you all for reading this! As you've noticed, the chapters are getting longer! The next one will be the first part of a two-part-thingymabopper called Methods, Madness, and Miracles. So yeah, next chapter's preeeeetty big. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy what we have so far! I haven't written many fight scenes, so those sparring rounds were practice for me as well! Also, expect art for the next chapter. I've been in a pony-drawing mood.
