Chapters "Horror Score? Tell me. Am I the bad guy?"
Lethal Aurora asked, as she sat upon her broken throne in boredom. Her red assistant looked up at her with an equal look of boredom on his face, headphones on his ears and an episode of "Pony.Mov" on the screen of his Ipod.
"I hardly see you or any of us as 'bad guys', more like...rebellious protesters."
he said, his smooth, accented voice doing little to comfort Lethal Aurora.
"Then WHY is it that we always LOSE?"
she asked, her strange, claw like fingers curving into a fist.
"No matter WHAT we do. Those of the Rift Empire ALWAYS stand in our way! ALWAYS foil our plan! ALWAYS...send us back HERE!"
she complained, gesturing to the rundown warehouse around them.
Horror Score rolled his eyes as he removed his headphones, the antics of '.Mov' not amusing him anymore.
"Perhaps Dusty will return with some news. Perhaps a way we can get the upper hand?"
he replied, making Lethal Aurora grimace.
"I doubt it, but thanks for believing it. Belief is all we can hold onto right now."
she muttered, pressing her cheek against her fist once more.
As if on cue, the worried, shy face of a certain Dusty walked into the room, the orange jumpsuit adorned on his body making him hard to miss.
"Uh...I have good news?"
Dusty spoke up, confidence absent in his voice.
"Yes yes WHAT IS IT?!"
Horror Score spoke up, making Dusty cringe a bit. Clearing his throat, he held up a piece of paper, which Lethal Aurora levitated in front of her out of curiosity.
"A-apparently...Antony had been experimenting with a way to cross over to an...alternate universe."
Dusty stammered, bracing himself for a possible punishment. Instead, he heard the familiar cackle of his boss' laughter, which put a look of confusion on his face.
"This is BRILLIENT! Looks like you aren't a complete idiot after all."
she complimented, putting a grateful look on Dusty's face into one of offense.
"So, Mr. Antony had thought of a way to cross universe's? Interesting."
she purred, as she looked out a cracked window toward the barricaded city of the Rift Empire.
"So, what do you propose we do with this info?"
Horror Score asked, an excited look on his face. Lethal Aurora rolled her eyes in amusment.
"And YOU were supposed to be the smart one. We USE IT! We've tried and FAILED to rule in our OWN universe...so how about we try a change of scenery."
she cackled, holding up the paper, which turned out to be blueprints for the device.
"But...we don't KNOW what's out there."
Dusty pointed out, earning a shrug from Horror Score in response.
"So what? We're MORE powerful than any dangers we'll face there."
he answered, doing little to calm Dusty's frazzled nerves.
"Come along gentlemen. We have a universal portal to build."
"Are you sure about this Wolf? The prototype is still a bit unstable."
Antony protested, pushing his glasses up his nose. Wolf turned to him with an un-amused expression, removing his sunglasses as he did.
"If it were unstable, Lethal Aurora, Horror Score, and Dusty would've been blasted to smithereens when they entered the portal they made. But they didn't. Using YOUR blueprints, they hopped into an alternate universe."
Wolf spat, as he placed his sunglasses atop his headband wrapped head, some of his spiked fur falling into his eyes as he adjusted his leather jacket.
"Are you still blaming ME for all of this? Silver was in charge of guarding the vault!"
Antony pointed out. The pony with eagle talons for back legs simply shrugged and pulled the hood of his black hoodie back up, his mouth not opening at all to give an explanation.
Wolf simply facepalmed.
"Yes. EVERYONE is sorry! But the more time we spend apologizing is more time those three have to wreck havoc on that other world! Is OUR version of the universe portal done yet?"
he asked, earning a meek nod from Antony.
"Alright. K.P, Bloom. You're with me." Wolf called, bringing the two, camoflauge clad pegasai to attention.
"Finally. Something to DO!"
K.P voiced up, her monotone voice showing little emotion. Bloom simply shrugged as she clicked a pistol into place.
"Just so long as I can kick some butt I'm good."
she said menacingly, sending chills down even Wolf's spine.
"Alright. Antony, Silver, you're coming too."
Wolf said, gesturing for the two to follow.
"What? WHY?!"
Antony asked, as he pulled the edges of his lab coat closer to his chest.
"YOUR prototype. YOUR problem. You and Silver need to make up for the mistakes you made and get those three back here!"
Wolf replied, making Silver simply roll his eyes.
"Alright everyone. We have a universe to save."
And with that, the 5 soldiers ran into the portal, not knowing who they'll meet on the other side.
"Well, that went a bit longer than expected."
Dr. Wolf said, as he and several others left the zero room of the Rift Cafe, all of them satisfied with the outcome of a podcast they just hosted for their latest holiday collab.
"And Silver Quill managed to not get hurt this time!"
Sweetie Bloom pointed out, just as Silver ran into a potted plant.
"Sweetie...you DO realize that once you say that...the universe takes it upon itself to release cold, dark kharma on me."
he replied, the plant now atop his head making everyone laugh.
"It was still a pretty good podcast. There were some...questionable statements in the chat...but all and all it was pretty good."
DustyKatt said, as he helped Silver back up.
"Did you SEE the comments? They were ROLELAYING before we even got there. They were probably just poking fun. Just like we do. Don't be uptight Dusty."
K.P answered, calming Dusty a bit.
"And I have to admit...it was nice to take a break and get back to what really matters...friendship, magic and all that junk."
Antony said, causing everyone to nod in agreement.
"Well, I don't know about you all, but I for one am gonna turn in for the night. I got a whole line of appointments scheduled tomorrow and a whole afternoon of recording ahead. Good night all!"
Dr. Wolf waved, as he walked back to his apartment, the others soon giving their goodbyes and returning home as well.
As soon as Dr. Wolf walked into his home, he couldn't help but sigh in content. It felt good to relax a bit and have a conversation with his followers and friends all in the same place. As he draped his jacket over his chair, a picture on top of his desk of him with his brother Terek caught his eye. He smiled as he picked up the picture, thoughts of the family filled holidays coming flooding his vision. It had been several weeks since he'd seen his brother, and it would actually be kinda nice to take a break from his usual schedule to relax for a bit. Despite all the fun he had with what he did, the thought of relaxing for a bit was quite inviting.
His thoughts were interrupted however, when he felt the ground beneath him begin to shake.
"What the?"
he questioned out loud, his paws already moving to see what was going on. As he opened the door to his home, he noticed others doing the same, all with confused or scared looks on their faces.
Dr. Wolf immediately thought of his friends. It had only been a couple moments since he left them. What if they hadn't gotten to their homes yet? They could be in danger! With these thoughts in his head, he began to run down the halls of the Rift Cafe, much to the protest of the people around him. The shaking in the halls threw him left and right, the rocking floors making it hard to move, but Dr. Wolf ignored it, the safety of him friends the only thing on his mind. He HAD to make sure they were okay.
"WOA! Holy hot shots Batman!!! What the FUDGE is going on?"
Dr. Wolf couldn't help but sigh in relief at the sound of Antony's voice. He was close. He turned the corner to see DustyKatt and Antony sliding across the floor, the winged members of the group trying to fly down to help, only to be hit by flying furniture. Dr. Wolf could see several scenes like this around him, and he too began to feel the effects.
"Is...WOA...everyone alright?"
he asked, his paws sliding across the floor.
"DOC?! What are you doing out here? It's not safe!"
Silver said, a book hitting him in the head.
"I...AH...didn't know if you guys were still out here or not! I had to...OH MY...make sure you guys were okay!"
he answered, as he dodged a couple pieces of furniture.
"The earthquake seems to be getting stronger! Anyone have any bright ideas?"
Sweetie Bloom asked, as she struggled to help Silver Quill back into the air after his hit.
"Um...pray for Da Lancie senpai?"
K.P voiced up hopefully.
"That's your answer for EVERYTHING!"
Dusty replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Well what ELSE are we gonna do? It's not like MAGIC'S gonna save us! There aren't any unicorns around!"
K.P spat back.
"Well, isn't THAT convenient!"
Antony spoke up, as he slid against a filing cabinet.
"EVERYONE! We don't have TIME for this! All non-fliers try to get into doorways! That's the safest place we can be right now!"
Dr. Wolf ordered, pushing against a nearby door frame to demonstrate.
As Antony and DustyKatt did as they were told, the earthquake took an unexpected turn. A blue and purple vortex began to form in the hallway, making everyone squint in the light.
"What IS that?"
Sweetie Bloom asked, bringing a hoof to her face to shield her eyes.
"Barren Tall Tales? Isn't it a bit LATE for a Halloween game?"
Silver questioned.
Dr. Wolf's eyes widened as the light grew brighter.
"I...don't think that's the case Silver Quill."
he answered slowly, his paws clutching the edges of the door frame in fear. With a scream from the 6 friends, the light became blinding, the sound of an explosion making their senses lose control for a couple minutes.
What had happened?
As soon as Dr. Wolf got control in his limbs again, he began to get up, thankful the earthquake was over.
"Alright, that was unexpected. Is everyone okay?"
he asked, adjusting his glasses as he did. Everyone responded with a yes or a sorta as the smoke began to clear, but doing little to bring vision to the hallway.
As murmurs and thank you's for help to feet or hooves were carried out, Antony was the first to notice extra sounds, or to be more accurate...echos.
"Um, guys? Did you hear something?"
he asked, shuddering as a more nervous, but almost identical voice spoke with him.
"Woa, that's weird!"
K.P voiced, bringing hooves to her mouth when a monotone version of her voice spoke with her.
"What the heck is going on here?"
Silver voiced up, pouting slightly when no voice was heard with his.
"Well, that doesn't sound normal."
Dusty replied, raising an eyebrow when he too didn't hear a voice sounding with his.
"Hello? Is anyone here? This isn't funny!"
Sweetie Bloom said nervously, her nervous tremor heard to sound alongside a more aggressive but familiar voice.
"Look, the important thing is that we're all okay, so let's try to make sure that no one else got...OOF!"
Dr. Wolf's words were interupted when he bumped into something, or rather...SOMEONE!
"Oh, my apologies..."
Dr. Wolf muttered as he got up, bringing a paw down to help whoever he bumped into to their feet. What he heard instead sent a chill down his spine.
"Ugh, no need. I can take care of myself."
answered the other victim, the voice sounding a bit gruff, but almost identical to his own.
He couldn't speak a word as the victim got up, the nearly cleared smoke giving a clear view of who it was. Dr. Wolf's eyes widened as he looked upon a grey wolf wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and a black headband around his head, spiked fur acting as hair and sunglasses on top of said head completing the look. But no matter what the wolf was wearing, the fur and eyes said it all. Somehow, in someway, this wolf...was HIM?
The possible doppleganger turned to him and gave Dr. Wolf a once over, a look of clear annoyance on his face.
"Well, looks like this is an alternate universe after all."
"I-I don't understand? Y-you're me!" Dr. Wolf stammered, backing away slightly at the sight of the wolf in front of him.
The wolf rolled his eyes. "Did the words 'alternate universe' not answer it for you? Geez, I thought I'd be better understanding of things in this universe. At least I have better dress sense." he muttered, staring at Dr. Wolf with an unamused look on his face.
"HEY! That wasn't very nice!" Sweetie Bloom cried, as she rushed toward the alternate Dr. Wolf.
She was stopped however, when a pink pegasus in a camoflauge uniform and messy blonde ponytail landed in front of her, a pistol clicked and pointed toward Sweet Bloom's chest.
"Take one more step and you DIE!" she threatened, making Sweetie Bloom give a small "eep!" as she backed away quickly, ducking behind DustyKatt in fear.
"DUSTY! I'M TRYING TO KILL MYSELF!!!"
As soon as the sentence left her lips, the alternate Sweetie Bloom flew over and pinned Dusty to the ground, much to the surprise of everyone around them.
"You TRAITOR!!! It's all YOUR fault this happened! You're gonna DIE for this! Do you HEAR me?! DIE!!!" the pegasus threatened, the pistol pointed at Dusty's head.
As if by some invisible force, the two Silver Quills immediately rushed over and worked together to get the pegasus off of Dusty, who hid behind SWEETIE BLOOM once he was freed.
"SWEETIE BLOOM! YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME!"
The alternate K.P gave a facehoof at the situation.
"Bloom, you got the wrong Dusty." she said in a monotone voice, making the other K.P's mouth widen in shock.
"Oh god! I'm MAUD!" she cried, making the alternate K.P roll her eyes.
"And I'M Pinkie Pie." she answered, no sign of emotion showing on her face. K.P turned away in a huff.
"I'm not Pinkie Pie. I'm the Discord princess-ship and wish to be addressed as such."
"Tomato tomauto." the alternate K.P replied.
"Oh, will you two just cut it out already! We have bigger fish to fry right now!" both Antonys said at once, causing them both to turn to each other in shock.
"JINX! You owe me a soda!" Antony said with a grin, as he poked the alternate Antony's shoulder with his hoof.
"Um...excuse me?" the alternate Antony asked, genuine confusion in his voice.
"Geez, aren't I just a little ball of sunshine." Antony said sarcastically, a look of disappointment on his face.
"You're telling ME! Not only did my ends get swapped, but I'm a mute emo in a different universe!" Silver Quill complained, as he poked his alternate self with a talon. The alternate Silver responded by sighing and pulling the hood of the hoodie back over his head, a murmur of "It's like talking to a broken record...it never shuts up." barely being heard. Silver crossed his arms.
"You know me, that wasn't very clever." he complained.
"GUYS! We don't have TIME for this! Lethal Aurora, Horror Score, and OUR Dusty are still on the loose and you're all acting like children?" the alternate wolf spat, catching everyone's attention immediately.
"Lethal Aurora? She's HERE? Man, it's been a while." Antony thought out loud, stroking an imaginary beard as he did.
"Yeah. She killed me once." K.P added casually, making everyone turn to her in shock.
"What?" the alternate wolf cried, a look of genuine fear suddenly appearing on his face.
"Antony, how long ago did Lethal and her assistants come here before we did?" he asked.
"How the heck should I know?" Antony asked.
"Not YOU! The smart one." the alternate wolf answered, causing the alternate Antony to step forward.
"OI! That's not fair!" Antony said, only to be completely ignored as the alternate Antony began typing on an unidentifiable hoof held device.
"About...10 hours before us." he confirmed, the nervous tremor in his voice being replaced with a serious tone.
"When did Lethal come here?" the alternate wolf asked.
"WOLF! I just told..." the alternate Antony started.
"Not YOU! The dumb one." Wolf interrupted, making both Antonys scowl.
"Around Halloween last year. And Horror Score around the same time." Antony answered, the look of offense not leaving his face.
"Which means that there's a time difference here. 10 hours means they're 10 months ahead of us! And if Lethal and Horror Score already got here, they must've blended into this universe somehow, especially because NONE of you have seen another Dusty?" he questioned, causing Dusty to shake his head.
"So, what did my enemies do while they were here?" he asked, making Dr. Wolf's skin feel cold. He would never use those words, and hearing his voice say them was...terrifying.
"Like I said, Lethal killed me and some others in this killer game show last halloween when we didn't agree with her. If it weren't for Mage, who now thinking about it, must be our version of Lethal, I wouldn't be here." K.P explained, her hooves moving through the air a mile a minute as she spoke.
"And Horror Score photo bombed reviews and sent vampire bats on the loose in the Rift Cafe." Dusty added, gesturing around him as he spoke.
Wolf nodded his head at those words. "Sounds like them. They must be gathering information about all of you living here. Trying to find the best way to take over. That's what they tried to do in our universe after all." Wolf said, his paw rubbing the back of his neck.
"But knowing them, they probably have thought of a plan, and if there's any way your universe is gonna be spared, we're gonna have to get some info." Wolf said, his voice showing a level of maturity...as if he's given similar pep talks in the past.
"And to do that we'll need all of you." Alternate Antony added, gesturing to Dr. Wolf and his friends.
"Wait, WHAT?" both wolves said at once, looking at eachother after they did.
"Well, it's obvious isn't it. This is a universe different from our own. We don't know it the way you all do. We need inhabitants of this universe to assist us on our mission."
"But how can we TRUST them?" the alternate Sweetie Bloom ventured, her hoof not letting go of her pistol.
The alternate Antony looked unphased by the question. "They're US aren't they. Even though there are some distinct differences, there's a 98% chance they'd respond to situations like this the way we would. We should be able to trust ourselves." the alternate Antony answered simply.
"Holy cannole! I know my STUFF!" Antony said in astonishment.
"Thank you...ME." the alternate Antony replied, a small smile on his face.
Wolf couldn't help but facepalm.
"Fine whatever. Okay everyone, we'll partner up with the alternate versions of ourselves and try to get to the bottom of things. If all goes well, we'll leave soon and bring them to justice. Let's GO!" Wolf ordered, making all the pairs leave immediately.
Dr. Wolf couldn't help but stare at his alternate self for a second.
'He's acting like someone I might have an appointment with in my office. He's anger prone, stubborn, straight forward, fast paced and seems to only focus on the goal. He seems to be the leader. But still...he acts in a way I would never imagine acting. How could this problematic character...be me?"
Wolf turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you gonna stop STARING at me like a thanksgiving turkey or are we gonna get moving? I need access to the files of this place and I need directions. Care to help yourself a bit?" he asked, not a hint of politness in his voice. Dr. Wolf rolled his eyes as he began to walk.
"Follow me."