The Silverfox Chronicles

Dear Toxic; you have to be the most prettiest unicorn in castle! I luvvvv you!! I totally ship ToxicxDiamondshine! Xoxoxoxoxoxoox!!

Silverfox groaned, throwing the lavender-scented piece of paper into the hearth. More junk.

With disdain, she glanced at the large pile of castle mail. She groaned again. She had shirked her work, and now she was paying the price. Her recent adventures didn't include sorting through mail.

Earlier yesterday, Embane had confronted Silverfox about her dwindling work schedule. He admitted that he did care for her, but they had a agreement. Since about three in the morning, Silverfox had been reading and writing letters non-stop. Radar hadn't been any help, dumping a load of paperwork for her to do on her desk. Yes, because she doesn't have anything better to do.

Toxic had tried to bring her a muffin, but the berry incrusted treat had been ignored for over an hour. Despite the tantalizingly sweet treat sitting next to her, Silverfox had to get this work done.

Silverfox levitated a quill and a piece of parchment, preparing to start on a letter. She was in charge of everything that pertained to writing, she even wrote official documents that Embane signed. Right now she was addressing an earth pony that grew the food for the castle.

A rapid knock on the door disturbed the mare from her work, causing her to make an unsightly streak across the page. She moaned, realizing it was ruined.

"WHO IS IT?!" She screamed, not actually caring who is was. She scrambled around her room/study, looking for more parchment.

"It's Toxic, Diamondshine, and Catfight. Can we come in?" Toxic's voice came from across the door.

Silverfox furrowed her eyebrows. Her friends were so desperate to get her into the sunlight. She trotted to the door, messily brushing her mane with magic. "Yes." She hissed.

Toxic opened the door, looking bright and happy as ever. Morning ponies, she thought with a mental hiss. Catfight and Diamondshine tailed him, the mare peppy and the stallion looking beautiful, but tired.

"What is it?" Silverfox muttered. "I have to work." She hung her head down, letting out a sigh. "Just give me the rest of this day, then we can do whatever the plot calls for."

Toxic shook his head. "I don't think the format of this story will allow that."

"I know."

"So," she said. "What did you want to do anyway?"

Before Toxic could answer, Catfight jumped at Silverfox, clearly much more enthusiastic than her friend. "Earlier today, I discovered this cool pond in the middle of the forest!" She chittered on.

"That forest has too much stuff in it." Silverfox said.

"And when I put my hoof in," Catfight cheered. "It wasn't water! It was like some kind of ripplely-squishy stuff!"

Silverfox raised her eyebrows. "So, its a good idea to go back to it?"

Toxic smiled. "It seemed really cool. Catfight was pretty hyped about it."

Silverfox threw her hooves up in the air, cranking up the drama level. "Sure, why not?" She gestured wildly to the ginormous pile of letters. "I have nothing else better to do! I don't need to WORK FOR A LIVING!"

Catfight grinned, either her friend's sarcasm going over her head or just choosing to ignore it. "Great! Lets go!" The pegasus suddenly took to the air, zooming past Silverfox. "Oh, and you should get some sleep. You look terrible." She added as she pasted.

Silverfox groaned, once again, and spit a brown feather from her mouth.

Diamondshine stopped beside her, smiling slightly. "C'mon, you can work later." He said, leaving with Toxic.

Silverfox stuck her head down, giving her desk a last look before trotting off with her friends. "Friends," she muttered. "Can't live with them, can't live without them."

The trio met Catfight in the throne room, chatting with Radar.

"Oh," she said. "Radar said he would go with us!"

Silverfox gave Radar what only could be described as a death glare.

"So.." He said, noticing the tension. "Get any of my paperwork done?"

"I'll stick that paperwork up your-" Silverfox hissed, before Toxic clamped a hoof over her mouth.

"Please excuse her," He said meekly. "Silverfox gets a bit grumpy when she is tired."

"Where are you guys going?" Said a stern voice.

Infinity, flanked by Hatchet and Ellar, trotted into the room.

Catfight fluttered into the air. "We're going on an adventure!"

"Sounds exciting." Hatchet said, hitting Infinity on the shoulder, the unicorn cringing slightly. "Can we go?"

"Me too!" Ellar whispered.

Silverfox opened her mouth to make a snarky remark, but Toxic silenced her. "Sure!" The alicorn said. "We don't mind!"

~

Trotting to a clearing in the forest, Silverfox took in the view. It was as beautiful as Catfight had described on the way there- sunlight streamed through cracks in the foliage, casting small, mottled shadows all around the circular area. Tiny flowers grew everywhere, making little puddles of pastel pinks and blues. Then there was the pool itself; it sat in the middle of the clearing, clear and sparkling. It was rather small to be considered a pond, as it was only about two yards in diameter.

The entire area was startling devoid of life, with the exception of the foliage, making it disturbing quiet. Unlike the rest of the surrounding forest, the bird's chirps didn't reach the clearing, making an eery contrast to the otherwise majestic scenery.

"Wow," Infinity breathed, pale green eyes scanning the clearing.

Catfight grinned, fluttering around the group. "Right? Isn't it awesome?" She trotted to the pool, craning her neck to stare into the water. "Anyone wanna check the water? It's weird."

Toxic came to her side, touching the tip of his horn lightly on the water. He closed his eyes, focusing.

"It's not poisonous." He stated, done with his check.

Infinity strutted to the two ponies, adjusting his glasses. The unicorn didn't seemed that pleased to be in the group, but the beauty of the clearing seemed to have cheered him up. He leaned near the water, sniffing it. Using his magic, he levitated some drops of the pool. It seemed perfectly normal, shimmering in the sunlight.

Infinity frowned. "Odd. It's texture is normal too. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"But look at this!" Catfight whined, sticking her hoof in the water. To Silverfox's surprise, it did indeed turn into ripplely-squishing stuff. It reminded her of disturbing oil; thick ripples pervaded the surface of the so called water. Catfight jerked her hoof out, and it was completely dry.

Silverfox's face was one of utter shock. "What-how?!"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Awesome!" Radar exclaimed, running up to the rim of the pool. "You can swim in it and you don't get wet! Don't mind if I do!" The pegasus stretched his legs, prepping to jump in.

"I wouldn't do that," Toxic said quickly, but it was too late. Radar leaped in, Toxic tackling him in the process. Both of the stallions plunged into the water, and to more of Silverfox's surprise, they disappeared without a trace.

"Toxic!" Silverfox shouted.

Ellar stumbled to the bank of the pool, aimlessly touching the surface. "Radar? Toxic? What happened? Why is everyone so quiet?"

Catfight blinked, as if trying to comprehend what had just happened. "Well," she murmured. "Now we know that the pool is defiantly something abnormal."

Hatchet came up to the pool, giving it a hard look. "I'm a good swimmer. Give me a couple minutes, and I will have them both on the bank. It shouldn't be that hard, right?"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Silverfox murmured, trying to reach Hatchet.

The earth pony shook his head, plunging into the water. Again, the oil-like substance rippled and he was gone.

Infinity hung his head over the water, breathing hard. "W-What?! This doesn't make sense! They can't just disappear, right?!"

"I'm going next." From beside Silverfox, Catfight murmured. Her head was down, her pink mane slipping out of her hat and falling into her eyes. "It's only right. I'm the one who brought us here." Before Silverfox could object, Catfight leapt into the water, yet again disappearing.

Silverfox addressed who remained- Diamondshine, Ellar, and Infinity. "We have to jump too. I have no idea what's in there."

Diamondshine frowned. "We have to jump in there? Can'twe just get Embane or Goldenbell? Wouldn't that be safer?"

Silverfox chewed her lip. "Probably, but what if the pool has some kind of monster at the bottom of it? Or a very unfriendly race of Seaponies? So if we leave, Toxic, Hatchet, Radar and Catfight are going to be left at their mercy." She frowned. "Who knows what will be left of our friends when we return?"

"But my mane is gonna get all wet... I just styled it..." Diamondshine murmured.

Silverfox patted him on the shoulder, giving him a meaningful smile. "Will you go?"

He nodded slightly, sighing. "I guess. We have to save them."

"Good!" Silverfox hit him on the shoulder hard, sending him spiraling into the pool.

"Ouch." Infinity murmured, raising his eyebrow. "Glad I didn't disagree with you. You just guilt tripped the poor stallion and shoved him on in." Before she could give a dry remark, Infinity held his breath, adjusted his glasses, and jumped in.

Ellar stumbled to Silverfox, tugging on her mane. "What are we doing? Where are we going?"

She felt awkward being this close to Ellar, as she hadn't really ever tried to be near him that much. She considered him a companion, the loosest form of a friend, but never a close friend. She bit that thought away. She had to do what she had to do.

Silverfox took Radar by the hoof, looking determined. "I have no idea."

Then they jumped.

~

Silverfox awoke, feeling rough. She was lying on bare dirt, laced with gravel. Diamondshine was lying close to her, eyes closed like he was asleep. She couldn't locate Infinity, but Ellar was curled up about three feet away from her, sides rising up and down slowly.

She pulled herself up, trying to take in her surrounds. The only way she could describe it was dark-the sky was a rust color, black clouds obscuring the rest. Around her, buildings were in shambles, pieces of brick, metal, and rock were scattered about. Far on the horizon, some kind of fort made of scrap metal stood tall. Behind her, she spotted the castle- or at least what was left of it. The once great towers were now broken pieces of stone, and most of the rest of the castle was unrecognizable.

There were no ponies she could find, but to her horror she spotted a body not far away. Upon further inspection, Silverfox saw it was a young mare, covered in cuts and bruises.

"Horrible, isn't it?" A deep voice murmured behind her.

Silverfox whipped around, ready to defend herself. Right before she zapped her possible attacker with a laser beam, Silverfox found Infinity standing in front of her.

"Careful with that," he scolded.

"Where are we?" Silverfox whispered, looking at the gristly landscape.

"I have no idea. Wherever we are, it doesn't seem friendly, though." The stallion said, straightening his glasses.

"Silverfox, is that you?" Diamondshine said, followed by Ellar, trotting up to her.

"Yeah." She murmured, confirming the obvious. "But we have a problem. Toxic and the rest aren't here. It's just us four here."

"Four? Really..? Alright, I guess I was wrong....." Ellar whispered, looking wistfully over his shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Is there someone else here?" Infinity said, confused. He addressed Ellar like a student, trying to get a straight answer of of him.

But, of course, this question was answered for the group.

The sound of gravel hitting metal alerted all the ponies. As the echoes of hooves clunking on steel surrounded them, the group formed a defensive ring, but still unsure of where the strangers were coming from.

"There!" Diamondshine screamed, pointing wildly at a tall bridge of rusted steel shielded by an outcrop. There stood about five pony silhouettes, cloaked in shadows. The one in the front, the tallest, pulled something off its leg and tossed it into the path of Silverfox and her friends.

It was a strange contraction, just a pinkish sphere with a slight indention on the top, like something had been pulled out of it. Then, it suddenly started to spew bluish smoke, and exploded in a magical pink cloud.

Silverfox was out before she hit the ground.

~

"Toxic, Radar, wake up." A sharp cuff to his side awoke the alicorn. Toxic forced open his eyes, finding that he was on top of the pegasus. The smaller, younger stallion was splayed out on Radar, legs stretched out and forelegs firmly gripping him. This is how we went into the pool, Toxic thought, crawling off the Wingblast leader.

Catfight and Hatchet were watching them, and beside him Radar was stirring.

"You were still asleep when I awoke," Hatchet murmured. "I wasn't sure how alicorn magic worked, so I didn't want to startle you and get turned into a squirrel."

"I finally convinced him you aren't as powerful as your parents!" Catfight said, skipping to Toxic's side.

"Hey, guys, where are we?" Radar said, green eyes looking around him.

Toxic understood Radar's confusion. All around them were small,broken down houses, windows shattered and stone street cracked. Dried blood could be seen on one of the pitiful "porches". Toxic had never really ventured that far from Eclipse, but he assumed that this was what the slums would look like.

To his right, a foal climbed out of a shattered window. It was a young earth pony, terribly thin and a rag wrapped around his head.

Catfight slowly fluttered to the foal, walking the last few steps to her. She held out a hoof, trying to get the small mare to approach her.

"Come here. Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We just want to know where we are. Can you tell us that?" She said, probably slower she had ever spoken in her entire life.

The foal went still, grey eyes wide and blinking. Suddenly, she started screaming, her raspy voice breaking the odd silence that had covered the area. Catfight jumped back, nearly into Toxic, startled by the foals sudden outburst.

"INTRUDER ALERT!" The foal finished her fit, leaping into a nearby pothole and disappearing.

"What was that about?" Toxic asked, cocking his head.

Suddenly, a figure rose from a storm shelter, the cracked wood threatening to break. A unicorn trotted toward the group, horn facing then. He was blue, mane streaked with green and brown.

"Infinity?!" Hatchet gasped, trying to walk to him, only to be held back by Toxic.

"That's not Infinity!" Toxic hissed, pointing at the switchblade locked between the stallion's teeth.

"How you know my name does not perturb me. Students, attack position alpha!" The Infinity lookalike snarled.

Small shadows from all directions surrounded them, forming a circle.

"Don't attack them!" Toxic screamed, after getting a good look at one of the attackers. "They are just foals!"

Radar pulled back his leg, canceling a kick. "What?"

Five of the foals lunged at Radar together, wrapping around his neck and covering his eyes. To Toxic's surprise, they had the stallion to the ground in seconds.

"You're not very smart," The blue unicorn murmured. "A smart intruder would have ran, a smarter one would fight, no matter how the attacker looked."

Toxic tried to reply, but a dirty rag was stuffed into his mouth. He heard the frenzied cries of Catfight, then silence, and assumed they had her too. Near him, Hatchet was quiet, too.

"Bring them to my master's lair." Toxic heard Infinity's doppelgänger's voice as he was dragged across the ground.

~

Silverfox groaned, trying to pull herself up, but unsuccessful. Her legs were tied to together in a uncomfortable manner, but she assumed this was the point. She was in a dark, damp, but very large room, lit only by a few lights from the ceiling. It was empty and appeared to be made of stone, and the room had a certain pressure to it that alerted Silverfox she was underground.

Beside her, Diamondshine squirmed in his restraints, obviously furious at being on the dirty floor.

Ellar and Infinity were close, similarly tied up, but Ellar had his wings tied to his chest.

It was made very clear whoever had captured them did not have pleasant intentions.

Silverfox heard the sound of wing beats, and she searched the poorly lit room for any sign of a pony. A figure dropped down from the ceiling, kneeling when he hit the ground. She heard Diamondshine and Infinity gasp, and Silverfox herself felt fear.

The figure trotted out of the shadows, and Silverfox gaped in shock.

It was Ellar!

Well, in a way. The stallion was taller, mane trimmed and head held high. He had his trademark white fur and bushy red mane, but he was no longer deathy scrawny. This pony was lean, in an attractive, healthy way. Silverfox couldn't help but to find him hot. His muscles flexed as he walked, the ones in the wings the most defined. This stallion was also armed to the teeth. He had a massive sword strapped to his side, lightweight, miniature blades attracted to his wings, ninja stars on his legs, and several small daggers holstered on many parts of his body. He was a walking armory.

"Fox, is this who you have brought to me? The intruders?" The stallion said, his voice echoing around the cavern.

"Ah yes." A female voice cackled. To Silverfox complete surprise, the mare that strutted out of the shadows looked just like her. The only differences was that her brown mane was chopped off,right eye covered by an eyepatch, and the long machete strapped to her hip. She wore a tight, black catsuit, which made Silverfox a bit uncomfortable, seeing as she was her doppelgänger.

"S-Silverfox? Is that suppose to you be you?" Diamondshine whispered beside her, the stallion's eyes glued to her leather-covered butt.

"My eyes are right here." Silverfox snarled back, hitting him in the ribs.

"Ophelia, do you have a brother?" Fox murmured, giving Ellar a hard, one eyed glare.

Ophelia, the Ellar look-alike, narrowed his glazed eyes. " I am the only foal my parents have. Why?"

"Because one of the intruders looks just like you," she said, poking Ellar's slightly protruding ribs. "Only pathetic and more ill."

"And you," Fox hissed, rounding to Silverfox. "I have a sister, but she looks nothing like me. There is something odd going on here. Where did you come from?"

Silverfox crawled nearer to her friends and started to discuss.

"Should we say anything?" She whispered.

Infinity shrugged. "We are at their mercy. I believe we should just spew everything so we can find out where we are."

"It's not like we can really do anything in our current position." Diamondshine murmured, trying to clean his mane.

"Why was that Fox lady poking me?" Ellar whined, looking concerned.

"So it's agreed- I tell them everything, right?" Silverfox said, nodding. They all mumbled a yes.

Silverfox dragged her restrained body toward Fox and Ophelia, the armed mare looking slightly confused.

"My name is Silverfox. The pegasus's name is Ellar, the older stallion's is Infinity, and the last one is called Diamondshine. We come from Eclipse, where the castle and royal family is located. I have other friends too, their names are Radar, Toxic, Hatchet, and Catfight. My friends and I have come into a bit of a mishap, we all went through some kind of portal disguised as a pool of water. We mean no harm, I would just like to know where we are and who you are."

Contrasting Silverfox's serious calm, Fox and Ophelia were visibly shocked, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

"Ellar..." Ophelia whispered. "I haven't gone by that name in a long time. And about Eclipse, you are there right now. I'm not sure about what you were saying about the royal family, there hasn't been one since the Sun and Moon Princess."

"What?!" Silverfox gasped, losing her calm. "That can't be possible! What about Embane and Goldenbell?"

Ophelia laughed bitterly. "Those 'saviors'?" Nightmare already killed them, he's been our ruler since I can remember."

Silverfox heard Ellar gasp, Diamondshine taking a sharp breath, and Infinity narrowed his eyes.

Ophelia bit his lip. "I believe we are experiencing a bit of a parallel universe problem. If I am correct everyone in your world must have a double in ours. For example, you speak of Radar, despite him being in the other room."

"Really?!" Ellar cried. "Radar? Can I see him? Pleeeaaseee?" He bounced up and down like a impatient foal.

Ophelia sighed. "Alright. I'm going to warm you- it's probably going to be very different." He looked at Fox. "Fox, undo the restraints and lead the prisoners to his room."

The unicorn nodded, going to each pony and cutting the ropes with magic. The four ponies followed the leather-clad mare out of the large room and down a dark hallway. They arrived at a simple door, which Fox curtly knocked on.

"C-Come in......" A weak voice came from the room.

Fox lead them in, it was completely dark, except for a solo candle illuminating the corner of the small room. A tan-colored pony was hunched in the shallow light, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Ellar smiled brightly, running to the pony.

"I wouldn't do that-" Fox began, but it was too late. Ellar pulled the blanket off the other Radar's back, revealing what was underneath.

Silverfox gasped, feeling bile rise in her throat.

Radar's body was heavily scarred, fur missing in places where scar tissue sealed his skin. He turned his head, one of his eyes was gone, the injured eyelid forced closed by old wounds. His ears were notched and missing fur, and his neck bore a noticeably large scar across it. But worst of all were his wings-or at least what was left of them. Radar's wings had been sliced off until just two stumps remained. The remnants bore no fur, just pinkish skin. Thin white bones protruded from the stumps.

Diamondshine's eyes widened, locked on the other Radar's gristly form. Infinity stumbled back, in shock. Ellar, not sure why everyone was so afraid, simply tried to hug Radar, only for the stallion to scream and shove the seer off. He ran unexpectedly fast, diving into the shadows, making him completely unseen. Silverfox could hear him sobbing from his hiding place.

"What happened?" She said, finally finding her tongue.

Fox shook her head. "A while back, we had a bit of a battle with some of Nightmare's soldiers." She sighed. "They were relentless. Those unholy creatures ignored us and ganged up on poor Radar. They nearly ate him alive, and Ophelia and I barely managed to drag him out. He stayed in our make-shift infirmary for months, mostly due to the shock of losing his wings. After that, he was never the same. He had every bit of bravery and boldness in him devoured out of him that day. He has been a nervous wreck ever since." Fox scowled. "Nightmare was smart, siccing his minions on one of our strongest fighters. We are running out of good, courageous fighters."

Infinity frowned. "Why exactly do you need fighters?"

Fox flicked her short bangs, rising her lip in disgust. "We can't stand Nightmare's way of ruling. So, I met up with Ophelia one day, and we started forming a resistance. Radar offered to join us, and we gleefully accepted, as we needed as many fighters as possible." She glared. "Of course, there are other resistances formed, such as the biggest one behind us, the one run by Merlin. Can't stand those ponies. Merlin is too gentle to be a leader while his second in command is too much of a pervert."

Cringing at the sound of Radar's frenzied sobs, Fox shook her head. "We should get back to the main room. Ophelia is going to be expecting us back."

Leading a confused Radar away, Silverfox and her friends followed Fox out of the room and down the hall.

~

Toxic blinked in the bright light as he was dragged into a wide, tall cathedral-like building. Toxic would have assumed it to be more beautiful, but instead it was grey and looming. It was illuminated by mystical, floating balls of light that were goldish in color.

Toxc followed the orders of a particularly vicious foal, plopping down on his haunches as he watched Infinity's doppelgänger lounge in his chair. Mares were laid all over him, cooing and petting his fur. Infinity watched them with an absolutely smug look, occasionally stopping to gaze at Catfight lecherously. Catfight scooted closer to Toxic in reaction to this.

"Where are we?" Hatchet snarled, backed by Radar. "Tell me, you creep!" The Infinity clone laughed. "Don't get your saddle in a bunch. My master should be here soon. He should be done with his studies soon."

"Arithmetic, are these our guests?" A gentle voice called down the narrow passage to the unicorn's chair. A figure walked into through the door, and Toxic's eyes widened.

The unicorn that came trotting down the passage was clearly Diamondshine, but he looked very different. His mane was much longer that it usually was, trailing across the dull, carpeted floor. He was missing his signature bracelets, only wearing a simple amulet around his neck. The unicorn's legs were decorated with runes made of black paint and he wore a long, velvety cloak that dragged along the floor.

"Greetings," the stallion said, bowing deeply. "My name is Merlin. I must offer my apologies- Arithmetic can be rather brutal. But I'm afraid me must apprehend any pony who comes into our land. Can you state your names and reasons for coming here?"

Radar shoved toward Merlin, malice glinting in his eyes. "I'm Radar! And who exactly are you? Your name doesn't tell us much! Why do you look like our friend?"

To Toxic's surprise, Merlin touched Radar's face with his hoof, wonder in his eyes. "Amazing..!" The unicorn murmured. "After being that injured, you made a full recovery, even with no problems to your psyche! Please, sir, tell me what kind of magic was used for this! I must know, there are so many victims I could heal..."

"What? The only massive injury I have ever had was along my side, and Cross healed that easily, only with about a week of bed rest." Radar said, pointing at the scar that ran along his side.

Merlin's ears went down, confusion flooding through him. "Hmm? Cross?" He sighed. "It's been a long time."

Toxic pushed Radar aside, eyebrows raised. "What happened to Cross?"

Merlin groaned. "He was a star in a resistance. Cross could convince anyone to join out movement. That is, until Nightmare got particularly frustrated with him. That evil pony had his soldiers string him up by his back legs and rip open his stomach. It was terrifyingly disguising, and we lost most of our members right then and there."

"Resistance?" Toxic inquired. "What are you talking about?"

Merlin cocked his head. "How could you not know?"

Toxic sighed. "You see, Radar and I fell into a strange pool of water. My friends followed after, and we just woke up in this strange world. What happened?"

Merlin's eyes looked troubled. "Ah. I thought I sensed a magical disturbance a couple hours ago. There is a portal here, a little ways from this location, but I have never dared to emerge myself in it. I assumed there is a portal in your world too, that must be what you fell in. I'm afraid you have entered another dimension. There is an alternate version of everyone you know. Here, Nightmare is our ultimate ruler. It's been like that for hundreds of years. My group tries our best to save bystanders and resist Nightmare's leadership but-" the rapid sound of running ponies cut him off. "Oh dear, Arithmetic, call the soldiers to the room. I believe we have trouble."

Arithmetic threw up his horn, letting out a magical blast that radiated through the doors of the grand building. Armed ponies of species ran into the room, looking around wildly.

Merlin turned his head toward the main entrance. "They should be coming through there. Be prepared."

Right at that moment, the doors were knocked down, and an army filled into the room, knocking down the pews that taken up the empty space. It was led by a catsuit-clad Silverfox, who was armed and had her bangs chopped off.

The mares around Arithmetic jumped down, joining Merlin's fighters. The foals that had taken them down previously joined them. Merlin himself skipped to the back, ushering Toxic and his friends with him.

"What are you doing?" Radar hissed.

"Ah, I am a sheer magic fighter. I can't be up in the front. Too dangerous. And for you, you must protected. You don't want to fight, do you?"

"Yes!" Radar said. "That's the only thing I want to do in this weird world! Right, Hatchet?"

The earth pony nodded, drawing his weapon.

"I'll join too!" Catfight shouted, jumping in the air.

"Will you?" Merlin asked, looking at Toxic.

The alicorn nodded. "Yes sir."

"Get in your ranks! The fight is about to begin!" Merlin said, throwing his head toward the lines of ponies.

Toxic nodded, he join the group of combat unicorns while Radar and Catfight went straight to the pegasi rank. Hatchet went proudly to the front lines.

"FORCES, FIGHT!" Merlin screamed, and both armies surged toward each other. Horns clashed against horn, pegasi crashed into one another, and weapons cleaved into either side.

It was complete chaos. Toxic wasn't even sure who's side was who's- there were no specific markings or uniforms. Toxic just blasted whoever came within three feet of him with a malicious face. Hatchet was having a lot more fun, slicing everyone in his path. Oddly, ponies just fled from Catfight, screaming while she chased them. Radar took to the skies, dropping on unsuspecting enemies on the ground.

It was a terrifying sight, ponies trying to kill each other in a grand cathedral. Some didn't even fight with weapons, ponies just threw their opponents into pews and then just started kicking and punching them. It was sheer bloodshed, more than Toxic had ever seen before, even during the New Pony Movement. He assumed older, more experienced ponies like Radar and Hatchet were used to this, but he certainly wasn't.

Toxic dodged a knife wielding earth pony, hitting him with magic blast. He tried to keep his magic use at a minimum, since too much at one time could be dangerous, despite not having full alicorn power. Having a talent in poison tended to do that.

A sudden series of screams alerted Toxic, and he dove out of the way. Just at that time, a huge beam of fire blasted through whatever ponies were in its path. Toxic look for the cause, and he spotted Merlin with his horn raised, eyes glowing.

After a grueling twenty or so minutes, Merlin's forces chased the last enemy out the large doors, the Silverfox look alike. Ponies were strewn around the room, some brutally injured, others just having some scratches. Merlin went from pony to pony, healing injuries and placing sheets over the dead. Toxic joined his friends on a short pew, and was glad to see his companions weren't one of the unlucky ponies. Out of the four, Hatchet was the only one injured, but it was just a scratch across the chest.

Merlin finished healing his soldiers, walking over to Toxic and his friends.

"Ah, I'm sorry you had to experience that. Ophelia just doesn't know when to stop. It can get rather terrifying at times, never knowing when you are going to be be attacked." The unicorn murmured, looking troubled.

Arithmetic trotted up to Merlin, grimacing. "I'm afraid while we were fighting, some of Ophelia's scouts raided our storage."

Merlin's face dropped. "Oh dear. What was stolen? Anything important?"

Arithmetic shook his head. "Just some jugs of fresh water, medical supplies, and a couple pieces of fruit. Nothing we can't replace."

Merlin closed his eyes. "Alright. They must have been desperate for supplies, judging by what they stole. I dearly hope they enjoy their stolen goods and use them wisely."

~

Silverfox took a deep sip of the soup a rebel pony had served her. It was just broth seasoned with some vegetables, but good nonetheless. She hadn't realized that she was that hungry. Silverfox regretted leaving that muffin on her desk now.

Ophelia had told them he was sending out scouts to look for supplies, and that he advised them to wait for them to return in his private room. The room was more like a box than a actual room, a simple four post bed was biggest attraction. The pegasus had laid out some pillows for her and her friends to sit on, but they weren't very comfortable.

As Silverfox finished her bowl and gently placed it beside her, Fox came into the room.

"Sir, we have successfully captured some supplies from Merlin." She stated.

"'Captured'?" Inquired Infinity, gazing quizzically at the unicorn.

Ophelia nodded, eyes half closed. "Yes, we had to steal them. You see, due to our surplus of members, we constantly run low on necessary objects, like food and medical supplies. We have been reduced to petty thieves for the most part, though we try to nab stuff from Nightmare's place for the most part. Either way, we have to fight for the stuff we steal. I'm pretty sure out medics are going to go through the majority of the bandages we got just healing the raiding party."

"Haven't you ever tried to just, you know, work together? Like with Merlin or whoever?" Silverfox asked.

Ophelia and Fox laughed in unison. "Ha," the pegasus snickered. "You really think I should put myself down low enough to even associate with that scum Merlin?"

Diamondshine shrugged, curtly sipping at his soup. "I don't see why not. You are doing this resistance thing for the ponies of Equestria, right? So if joining with Merlin would increase your chances of winning, why wouldn't you just bear through it for some time for the well being of your country? Maybe, after that, you could find other resistances and they could join with you. The more ponies you have, the better your chances of taking back Equestria get."

Silverfox looked at Diamondshine in surprise. The stallion had been kindly quiet during the entire misadventure, despite not even wanting to go to begin with. Now, him saying something that deep took Silverfox for a loop. She really didn't expect that out of him. I should probably have higher expectations out of him, Silverfox thought with a frown.

Ophelia blinked, clearly shocked also. "I-I never thought of it that way. I always thought if I went to Merlin's we would start fighting."

Ellar chimed in. "Just come in with cake and waving a flag of truce!"

Ophelia looked confused. "Why cake?"

"Everyone loves cake!" Ellar said in a sing-song voice, his tail swooshing back and forth.

Ophelia sighed heavily. "Alright. I will try to make peace with Merlin and his goons." He narrowed his eyes. "But if it doesn't work, I'm beating the crap out of them."

"Could we come? I am looking for my other friends; I thought we many be able to find them along the way." Silverfox murmured.

Ophelia nodded, turning to Fox. "Fox, assemble the remaining troops and have them meet me outside. During that, find something that can go as a flag of truce." The unicorn said a sharp "Yes sir!" and ran out the door.

Ophelia turned his blind eyes toward Silverfox and her friends. "Get ready. It might get dangerous out there."

~

"So," Catfight said. "What is alternate universe me like?"

Since Merlin had retreated to his study room to look for more information about the mysterious portal, Toxic and his companions were left alone with Arithmetic and his cooing harem. They had took this time to learn more about the world they were in.

"Catfight, eh?" Arithmetic murmured, reaching out to touch the brown pegasus's face, only to be stopped by a cold glare from Toxic. "Well, I hate to say it, but you are on the villain's side."

"What?" She cried.

"Yup. Ice-hearted killer working directly for Nightmare. She calls herself Bast and barely ever walks- she usually flies or lounges on one of her wildcat pets. Bast also has a sick fascination for knifes, it's her preferred method of slaughtering ponies."

"That's terrible!"

Radar shoved her aside. "What about me? Am I awesome?!"

Arithmetic smirked. "Far from it. You're a nervous cripple that Ophelia keeps locked away."

"Who is this Ophelia everyone is talking about?" Toxic finally asked.

Fear entered Arithmetic's eyes. "Next to Merlin, he is the strongest pony I know. Despite being blind as a bat, he practically makes his enemies crap themselves when he decides to fight."

"Decides to fight?" Toxic inquired.

"Yeah," Arithmetic mumbled. "The stallion barely fights. He's pretty prideful, so he considers himself more important than his soldiers. I heard that's really his only flaw." The stallions shuddered. "Either way, he looks terrifying when his white coat gets covered in his enemies's blood. His mane is even blood red!" He leaned in and whispered. "Some have even said he can see the future!"

"Wait a second..." Radar murmured.

Hatchet caught on. "Blind? White coat?"

"Red mane? Can see the future?" Finished Radar, ears slanted down.

"Hold crap, Ellar is Ophelia." Catfight said, stating everyone's assumptions.

"Pretty symbolic code name," Toxic said, impressed.

Before Arithmetic could comment on this strange development, Merlin burst through the door, running to them, scroll levitating beside him.

"Guests! Guests! I have great news!" Merlin cried, stumbling over his cloak and falling right at Arithmetic's hooves.

"What is it?" Toxic said, bending over to see him.

Merlin waved the scroll up and down with magic. "This portal, its called the Mirror Pool! It sends the ponies who enter it to an alternate universe!"

"Alright, but how does this help us?" Hatchet said gruffly.

Merlin smiled, pulling himself up. "It was in one of my books. How long as it been since you fell into it?"

"Uh, about a day or so." Toxic said.

"Great! The magic in it had recharged! You can go back home!" Merlin said, excited.

"But we are missing the rest of our group. That's the reason we haven't tried for home yet." Catfight murmured.

"Once you arrive to the pool, I will send scouts to look."

Toxic nodded his head rapidly, shaking Merlin's hoof. "T-Thank you!" He stuttered. "That's so kind!"

"It's dangerous out here." The unicorn said in response. "I don't want to take the chance that you are injured, or even killed, here and are unable to go home.

"When should we go?" Hatchet asked.

"Right now. As soon as possible." Merlin said quickly. "I'm afraid if we don't, Nightmare's soldiers swarm the area. Or, even worse, Nightmare himself will notice to amount of magical disturbances." He looked at Arithmetic. "Go gather some fighters. Just a couple, we still need some ponies guarding the base." The blue stallion murmured a yes and ran off, leaving his harem.

Several ponies of all species came into the room shortly after, and during this, Toxic and his friends were preparing to leave. When everyone was ready, Merlin headed the party and they trekked into the outside.

It was just as grim as Toxic remembered, with its reddish sky and grey clouds. However, they were at least out of the slums, now just a wide, open field. You could see for miles, and Toxic assumed that's why Merlin made his base there. To his north, Toxic could barely make out a cluster of trees, and possibly a glimmer of water.

The Mirror Pool.

Merlin had a new look of seriousness to him. Contrasting to his usual gentle smile, the stallion was completely concentrated, constantly looking around him and sending scouts whenever something didn't look right. This deeply unnerved Toxic, and clearly the rest of his companions too, as Hatchet and Radar were walking close together and Catfight's wings frequently brushed against his.

A pegasus scout burst into their line of sight, soaring in a fast, but clumsy, pace. He crashed in front of Merlin, hyperventilating. "HolycrapOpheliaarmyweareallgonnadiehe'sgonnamurderus." The scout gasped all at one time, trying to catch his breath.

"Hold on, hold on. Say that again. Slowly." Merlin said, the entire group put to a halt. He put his hooves on the nervous scout's shaking shoulders.

"Ophelia..is here..has an army with him...we're gonna die..." He wheezed.

Fear flickered in everyone's eyes.

"Oh dear.." Whispered Merlin as Ophelia and his troops came into view on the top of the hill. From their far off view, the ponies could still she the scarce sunlight glinting off the weapons carried by the soldiers.

"I thought this was supposed to be a peaceful mission!" Toxic said, shuffling nervously beside Merlin. Behind him, the foals started to murmured and squeak, clearly scared of their impending doom.

Merlin squinted, as if trying to make out more. "Wait..." He said slowly. "He's got something in his mouth. It's a... It's a flag of truce!"

Ripples of shock went through the small ranks of Merlin's ponies.

Ophelia had gotten within about thirty feet of them, and Toxic could identify specific ponies. A two silver figures waiting behind Ophelia caught his eye. One was clad in leather and was armed with a large knife. The other obviously his Silverfox, lacking the eyepatch the other wore and had long bangs over her right eye. He spotted Diamondshine, Ellar, and Infinity close by.

Ophelia strutted toward Merlin, alone and head held high. The white flag in his mouth slightly swayed in the wind that stirred his red mane. Despite his earlier fear, Merlin stayed completely stoic and unwavering as the leader trotted to him.

Ophelia cast the flag on the ground that separated them, blind eyes narrowed in concentration.

"I, Ophelia, would like to propose a truce. Both of our groups work together to stop Nightmare, limiting the causality due to senseless fighting between us. Do you accept?" The white pegasus said loud and clear.

Merlin smiled. "That's wonderful. But I'm pretty sure I already suggested this. Did you have your pride knocked down a couple pegs?"

Ophelia growled and snorted. "Do you accept or not?" Behind them, his troops drew weapons.

"I do. I accept."

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have trouble!" A pony in the back ranks shouted. Immediately, everyone looked back, the same face of horror coming to their faces. Hundreds of Nightmare's minions were approaching over the horizon, all snarling and hissing. The ghastly creature were advancing with surprising speed, in a matter of seconds they would be upon the terrified ponies.

"Run!" Merlin screamed to Toxic. "Grab your friends and get out of here! We will hold them off! If they reach the portal, there is no telling what would happen."

Shaking, Toxic nodded, yelling to his already present companions and plunged straight into Ophelia's group. As this happened, the Nightmare forces met the rebels. It was complete chaos, worse then the regular fights Toxic had experienced.

~

Silverfox swirled around, not sure what to do. She tried to control the blind panic that hit her when the snarling shadowy soldiers plunged into the rebels. Sure, she knew what they were, she had seen them during Embane's flashback. Back then, Silverfox had been completely safe and immune to the terror they caused just by being in a fray with them.

Finding herself, Silverfox grabbed Ellar and ran deeper into the crowd. With a quick look behind her, she saw Diamondshine slicing the soldiers in half with a magic sword. She screamed at him, and Diamondshine turned and started to follow.

Silverfox tried her best to tunnel her vision, to ignore the shouts and agonizing sounds of unlucky ponies. She stumbled over a corpse, nearly bringing Ellar to the ground with her. Diamondshine had caught up with her, helping the mare up. Silverfox waved him off, looking for Infinity.

"Silverfox! Diamondshine!" Toxic shouted, grabbing her attention. She whipped around, seeing Toxic, Infinity leaning on his shoulder. Radar, Hatchet, and Catfight trailed behind him.

The older teacher had blood running down his face, but the most serious wound she could see was a bite on his chest. Silverfox assumed the Nightmare forces had tried to eat the stallion, and shuddered at the thought of this dimension Radar.

"Merlin told us we have to get to the portal before the Nightmare's soldiers do." He pointed his head to a patch of trees far north.

Suddenly, Ellar started screaming. Radar rushed to his friend, catching him when the pegasus collapsed.

"What's wrong?!" He shouted.

"I don't know! S-Some is dying inside me! It feels like I'm being ripped apart!"

At the sound of a similar scream, Silverfox saw a gristly sight. She could make out Ophelia on the ground, surrounded by Nightmare forces. Her stomach twisted when she saw they were ripping pieces of flesh off him. She averted her eyes, choosing instead to stare at Toxic with a sickened expression.

"We've got to get out of here." She whispered.

After finishing Ophelia, the soldiers moved on toward the ponies.

"Follow me!" Toxic yelled, running north.

Radar slung the agonized Ellar over his back and ran. Catfight took to the air, flying above them. Seeing Infinity's meager attempts to walk, Hatchet helped him onto his back and ran with sturdy strides alongside Silverfox.

Silverfox gritted her teeth as pain went up and down her body. It was coming, she knew it. Her other self was gravely injured and was going to die. Silverfox prayed she could make it to the portal before the horrible aches came completely.

Judging by the self-muffled screams of Infinity, his doppelgänger was being treated to the same fate as Ophelia.

Catfight whipped around in the air, eyes widening.

"Get ready to fight!" She said, about ten Nightmare forces closing in on them.

"Get Infinity and Ellar to the portal." Silverfox yelled to Radar and Hachet. "Protect them!" The stallions nodded, rushing off.

Silverfox summoned magic to her horn, prepared to fight for her life. She wasn't going to die here, no, not so far away from her home. Diamondshine flashed her an encouraging grin, yellowish magic swirling around his horn. It was just her and her three closest friends-just like Silverfox liked it. Together, they were unstoppable. The rest of the battle was invisible.

Toxic made the first move. The alicorn lunged at the first enemy, sickly green magic plunging into its sheer black body. Catfight caught it around the neck, punching the shadowy creature and giving the final blow. Silverfox and Diamondshine dual attacked another one, taking turns blasting it with magic.

Diamondshine didn't move quite fast enough to dodge its counterattack, receiving a bite on his back leg. He reared back, blasting it through its head with pain-fueled power. They moved on to the next one.

Silverfox was fast, kicking then retreating before the Nightmare force could attack her back. Diamondshine was creative, picking up a discarded two by four with magic and using it as a makeshift weapon. The piece of wood was a surprisingly good weapon in the hooves of the unicorn, smacking the creature back and hitting weak points. Silverfox finished it off, slicing off its head.

"That's a nice weapon you have there!" Silverfox said sarcastically to Diamondshine, who was crouched down, to relieve to pain in leg.

Diamondshine smirked, slinging blood off his horn. "All I know is that I gonna need to take a bath after this. I must smell and look horrid."

Silverfox laughed, looking at Catfight and Toxic, still locked in combat. They were fighting two at one time, with great results. Toxic gave a battle cry, slicing the Nightmare force right in half. Catfight was ducking in and out, punching, kicking, and tackling her opponent, moving out before it could attack her back. She kicked it a good time in the jaw, causing its neck to twist at an unnatural angle. It's body slumped to the ground.

Four down. Six to go.

"Toxic, Catfight you rest! Diamondshine and I will take down two more and then we can all have one a piece." Silverfox shouted, and Toxic nodded. Catfight shouted a yes back and flopped on her haunches.

Silverfox and Diamondshine galloped to the next two enemies, horns raised in attack. Silverfox zapped one with magic, only to be taken by surprise by another. She was tackled, pinned to the ground.

Fear flickered in her eyes as the Nightmare force barred its fangs in her face. Drool trickled down from its maw as a snarled escaped from its throat.

The creature leaned down, preparing to bite into her soft neck. From around the Nightmare force's spindly body, she saw Diamondshine in fierce combat some feet away. Toxic and Catfight were watching nervously, and she noticed the widening of their eyes. The alicorn and pegasus leapt up and ran toward her, Silverfox allowing herself a grin.

Silverfox hit the Nightmare force with a short distance beam of magic, knocking it straight into Toxic's path. The alicorn zapped it with magic, Catfight slamming into its neck.

Diamondshine trotted back to his friends, slinging blood from his body. Judging by the two pieces of soldier behind him, he had a successful fight.

"We will split up and take one each. If any of us need help, just yell, ok?" Silverfox said, looking sheepishly at Catfight and Toxic.

Everyone nodded, and ran into the waiting pack of Nightmare forces.

Silverfox head on tackled hers, stabbing with her horn. She was going to kill it as soon as possible, so there would be no chance of her getting trapped like that again.

The creature squirmed beneath her, throwing her off. Silverfox picked herself right up without missing a beat, the grey mare ran right back to it, horn alighting with magic.

With a well-aimed blow, Silverfox sliced the shadowy pony's head off. Blood splattered on the ground as the body fell.

Silverfox sagged with exhaustion, sides heaving as she panted. Looking behind her, she saw Catfight was resting while Diamondshine and Toxic were fighting together. Toxic was stepping tenderly on his hoof, like it was hurting him. Upon further inspection, Silverfox noticed the little bit of blood coming off it. He must have gotten injured and called for Diamondshine's help, Silverfox thought. She was a bit surprised she didn't even hear Toxic's cry, realizing she was a bit more in "the zone" than she thought.

Toxic gave the final blow, the last of the Nightmare forces following them falling to the ground.

"Let's hurry and find the others before more of this creatures find us." Silverfox said, the rest of her friends nodding.

Silverfox ran toward the patch of trees, Diamondshine- despite his injury-galloping beside her, as Toxic had to fly wit Catfight due to the pain in his leg.

Coming to a halt in front of Hatchet and Radar, Silverfox saw the Mirror Pool (Toxic had explained everything about it on the run there). It was just like it was in her world-eerily calm and strangely beautiful. Even the same little flowers grew around it.

Infinity was laying down near the rim of it, blood seeping onto the pastel flora. Ellar was crouched beside him, looking much calmer than before.

"Is everyone ready?" Toxic asked, eyes focusing on the portal that had caused this entire problem.

Radar nudged Infinity up and supported him on his shoulder. Ellar trotted closer to the pool and breathed in the air around it, for some odd reason. Silverfox was in the lead, peering at it nervously. She cringed when pain spiked around his leg and stomach. Fox clearly didn't have long to live.

"On the count of three, alright?" Silverfox said, everyone murmuring yes.

"One..."

"Two.."

Three.."

"JUMP!"

~

Silverfox allowed herself to go to bed without even attempting to do any of her work. She was simply too tired.

Embane had been shocked when they came in, bloody and exhausted, practically collapsing at the door. He had called for Cross immediately, who tended to Toxic, Diamondshine, and Infinity. Bandaged and sleepy on pain medicine, Cross helped them to their rooms, Diamondshine just staying in a guest room for the time being. Radar explained what had happened, Silverfox filling in when he wasn't sure or just exaggeration the facts. Silverfox later heard that Embane visited the portal shortly after, finding out that the portal had been destroyed from the other side, making it just a shiny pool of water now. She figured it was for the best.

Pulling the sheets over her chin, Silverfox let herself cry out in pain. This was it- Fox was being devoured, killed by the pony-eating monsters that were under Nightmare. She understood what Ellar meant, the phantom feeling of being eaten yourself. Finally, when the aches passed, she sighed in relief.

Silverfox wondered who would take over Ophelia's resistance, since both of its main leaders met the same fate. She hadn't met that many other leaders, but Silverfox was sure there was at least someone there that was fit to lead.

Drifting off, Silverfox hoped they actually succeed in defeating Nightmare, despite how bad the odds were.

End of Story 9