Dark Dynamic Duo

      Twilight was up late into the night again for perhaps the 19th time that month. Starswirl the Bearded may have been her hero, but that famous unicorn sure knew how to come up with a doozy of a spell.

     That being said, not even Starswirl was exactly sure what his own spell was supposed to do, making the expected result virtually anything.

     The alicorn sat down and breathed. She'd tried this spell in five different variations that night. Despite what happened that last time she tried to finish one the great mage's spells.

     With a loud yawn, Twilight looked over to the crystalline doorwar that Spike was standing in. She beckoned her sleepy assistant in with a smile, "What is it Spike?"

     "Well, I don't know about you, but there's a strange smell coming from in here." The little dragon shrugged, "Its kinda like an ocean smell with a hint of the jungle."

     Twilight raised an eyebrow and sniffed the air. Sure enough, the scent Spoke had described was there, "I wonder if it has something to do with this new spell that I've been trying to complete."

     One thing was for sure, Twilight had finally gotten somewhere. Though before she could begin to observe the phenomenon, the windows to the room's balcony blew open with a clatter.

     Spike tugged on Twilight's hoof to direct her attention before he realized that the windows had already done the job, "What was that?!" Something stranger happened though.

     A machine, likes of which had never been seen before in Equestria, formed into view, as if from a mist, and solidified. Along with the machine, a crude looking ramp formed in the same way and extended from the balcony.

     This had Twilight more curious than the smell, "I don't know what it is, Spike, but I think we should check it out." As she walked toward the contraption, a human looking thing with long, pointy ears formed and was looking it over.

     Twilight ignored the figure when it seemed that she couldn't speak with her. Well, Twilight assumed it was a her from the physique. Though Twilight could hear the strange looking human loud and clear once another two walked up with a ferret-like, orange animal sitting on the taller one's shoulder.

     Though these three were talking, the female was the only one she could hear, which raised more questions for Twilight to answer later. She decided to file those away for the next time she tried the spell.

     Once the trio had arrived, the female launched into explaining what she understood about the machine. Clearly, even she didn't really know exactly what it was even for.

     Twilight had her curiosity piqued and and felt a strange compulsion to sit next to the short, green-skinned one. Spike did the same, though he wasn't sure why Twilight had just sat down on the bench, much less why it had suddenly stretched wide enough to accommodate two more passengers.

     "Um, Twilight? Why are we sitting on this thing?" Spike was about to say something else, but Twilight shushed him.

     "Hold on Spike. I'm trying to figure out these symbols are, but they keep moving and changing." From their two jaunts into Equestria's parallel world, Spike knew that the glowing panels were called screens, but the symbols were different, even from the human world.

     "I don't think that these people are from the world on he other side of that mirror, Twilight." Spike was pointing out his own thoughts, but the look on Twilight's face meant that she hasn't thought of it.

     "Hmm... Spike, go get Sunset Shimmer's book, a piece of parchment, and a quill." Twilight held up her hoof as if she were counting, a habit she picked up in the human world, "Celestia will want to hear about this, and I'm sure that Sunset Shimmer will find it interesting as well."

     It was pointless to mention, because the little dragon was back with said items, "Kinda figured Twilight." He set the book down and prepared to write another letter to Celestia.

     The letter hadn't gotten a chance to start before the machine gave a jolt and floated upward. Twilight and Spike were thoroughly surprised and looked around to see what was going on.

     A look to the left revealed that one of the several strange things on the front panel had lifted to reveal something inside. A look behind showed that the back was moving and looking forward was to bring the sight of the strange looking ring floating on its own and spinning in opposite directions of itself.

     A portal opened in the center of the ring, and the creature that came out was monstrous. It pointed, but it too didn't emit any sort of sound. From behind the creature, dozens of insectoids flew out and disappeared as they got further from either the contraption, ramp, or ring.

     The tiny orange thing was obviously scared as it pressed everything it could set its paws on. The green one looked as if he were having a revelation, and the tall one just pressed a big red button that sent everyone under the giant monster and into the portal.

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Meanwhile, during the time Twilight was observing...

     Jak was standing on Keira's machine when Samos had gotten up to the ramp. He had a bit of a smile on his face as he took in all the hard work that went into putting all of this together.

     Samos also a smile and caught Jak's attention with his voice alone, "Today's the big day Jak! Now we'll get to see were this leads to."

     Jak nodded as Keira took the lead from there, "No kidding! Look, I'm not entirely sure how it works, bit it interacts somehow with that large Precursor ring." She turned her head toward either focus of her wording as she spoke. "I just hope we didn't break anything moving it here to the lab."

     Dax popped up in between Jak and Keira as they sat on the machine's bench, "Easy for you to say! We did all the heavy lifting!" He obviously wasn't going to let that one go. Even though Jak was the one who did the work, Dax being the small little ottsel that he was.

     Samos had climbed aboard, but he spotted Daxter about to touch something. "Daxter! Don't touch anything." Samos then went into one of his lessons on the Precursors, "Though the Precursors vanished long ago, their technology can still do great harm!"

     Keira nodded in agreement, "Or great good. If we know how to use it." She turned back to the panel in front of her to examine it some more.

     Samos had to agree with his daughter on that one, "I have some experience on these things, Jak. I know you can make it work." The silent young warrior nodded as he pressed the big red button.

     The machine did nothing for a moment. It made Jak doubt that he did something to turn the machine on. But then, one of the artifacts on the front panel popped up and Keira looked at it.

     "It looks to be reading out preset coordinates. But where will it go?" The girl was obviously perplexed. It wasn't something that she expected.

     The machine lifted like one of Keira's zoomers a moment later and started firing arcs of energy at the Precursor ring. Dax ducked under the panel when the ring lifted itself and started spinning, "I don't like the looks of this..."

     It was then that ominous laughter filled the air all at once, "Finally! The last Rift Gate has been opened!" A giant black monster pulled itself out of the portal that had form in the Precursor ring. "You cannot hide from me boy!"

     This time, Dax leapt  behind Jack, "What is that thing?!" His entire body shook in fear at the sight of the monster that came from the rift gate.

     Samos took in the sight of the black creatures to that poured out with the giant monster as if he were witnessing a historical event, "So this is how it happened..." He was muttering to himself so that the other could not hear.

     It was after that when Dax finally screamed, "Jak! Do something!" Jak reacted instantly. He pushed the red button again, and the machine shot forward much faster than it should have been able to.

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     Once the machine had gotten through and into the portal, Twilight suddenly heard screaming coming from the orange creature. She didn't have time to think in it though.

     The ride was bumpy, and who knew what would happen next. In which case, Twilight could only look forward in anticipation of the next bad thing that could possibly happen.

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     Samos looked to his right and saw something that he hadn't noticed before. Which was saying something. It was a purple haired girl with a lizard sitting next to her.

     Jak to noticed, but Dax cut into his thoughts with another of the ottsel's screams, "I want off of this thing!" Dax turned to look at his best friend and a look of surprise was plastered onto his face.

     A powerful arc of energy smashed the machine to bits before Daxter could comment, and he was trying to find something he could hold onto for dear life. Altogether, this was not Dax's best day.

     The last things Jak had heard before a bright light swallowed him whole were Samos's words, "Find yourself Jak! We'll be waiting for you!"

     Right before the light turned everything white, Jak heard an unfamiliar voice, "Twilight! Don't let go!" He thought he heard a female voice answer, but it was lost to the wind.

     Jak landed suddenly. Hard. Hard enough to completely knock the wind out of him. At least the blinding light had died down enough to allow him to see again.

     To his right, the purple haired girl was looking around. It was obvious that she was as confused as he was.

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     After Twilight was able to recover from her fall, the first thing to cross her mind was Spike. Luckily, she'd been holding onto him for dear life. That, and she also landed under him to.

     Behind them, Spike and Twilight heard the voice of the orange thing, "That is the last I ever, EVER, touch anymore stupid Precursor crap!" Precursor. That was an interesting term that Twilight had never heard used that way before.

     Looking back at Spike, Twilight could help but smile. Of a the things he could have grabbed, Sunset's communication book was what he chose to save. That meant that Twilight could get word to at least her friend... Eventually.

     Before anypony could say anything else though, a trio of males came trooping towards them. That was when Twilight had finally gotten around to wondering just where she was.

     One of the red armored males  armed an order at the other two, "Forget the animals. The Baron wants those two!" That had Twilight kneeling down to Spike.

    "Take Sunset's book and run. You have to make sure that she knows what's going on." At least then there would two heads trying to find a way to inform the Princesses of Twilight's situation.

     Spike nodded and followed the orange thing as it darted between the guards' legs. At least, Twilight assumed that they were guards.

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     Spike turned back once he was safely away only to see Twilight get hit upside the head by the butt of the red person's weapon. "I hope you know what you're doing Twilight..." He spoke softly, for he knew that Twilight would not hear him.

     From behind, Spike heard the orange thing call out to his friend, "Don't worry Jak! I'll save ya before you know it!" That reminded Spike that he ought to follow the rodent like creature if he hoped to make it very long in this world.