Equestria, Ponyville
"...and place this here...perfect!"
Twilight Sparkle smiled and dusted off her hooves, looking at her newly organized Castle Library, newly renovated. She looked back at her daily To-Do list and her smile turned into a frown.
"And...nothing." she sighed. "I'm done for today. I've ready everything in the library, organized the library, made and eaten lunch...GAH! There's nothing to do!"
As if someone had heard her, a letter from Princess Celestia appeared in front of her. She opened the scroll and began to read.
Dearest Twilight,
Though I don't wish to disturb your weekend, I have a private matter to confide in you about. I believe a temple exists in the Everfree, to a deity long forgotten. If found, it would provide a wealth of archaeological knowledge, beneficial to Equestria. Using the enclosed map, head to the temple and see what you can find.
However, that area of the Everfree is dangerous, so go with the Element Bearers. And do be careful. There is a power there that even I can sense, and it certainly does not want to be disturbed.
Princess Celestia
Twilight took the enclosed map, sent her reply, and grabbed her saddlebags. As she walked outside, she was soon met by Applejack.
"Morning." she said. "What are you doing, Twi?"
"Celestia asked me to investigate a temple in the Everfree." Twilight said. "As I had no other duties, I felt it best to go now. Care to come?"
"Why not?" Applejack replied. "Everything's handled at the farm."
Soon after, all of the Element bearers joined them, and they entered the Everfree.
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"Surely this isn't the path Celestia asked you to take, Twilight?" Rarity asked, pulling her hoof out of a patch of mud.
"It's the one on the map." Twilight said. "Besides, I do think that a little mud isn't a problem."
As they continued to walk, the mud-covered path turned into a proper stone road, and then the six of them stood at the gate of a stone temple carved into the mountainside.
"Wow." was all Rainbow could say. "How long has this been here?"
"Can't say for sure." Twilight replied. "I've never been here before. Speaking of...I don't think anypony has."
"Well, if it was me, I sure wouldn't want to be here." Applejack said. "The Everfree is mighty scary, even in the daytime."
"Let's just go inside." Twilight said, entering the temple, and followed by her friends. They found themselves in a large hall, with extinguished candelabras lining the walls. Broken swords, great axes, and lances peppered the floor, and smoldering burns covered a good amount of the area near an altar. Behind the altar was a ring of cracked and shattered stone, inscribed with glyphs in an unfamiliar language. The inside bore an air of gloom and death.
"What happened here?" Fluttershy squeaked.
"Looks like a fight." Rainbow said, picking up a sword.
"Maybe…" Twilight said. "These glyphs aren't in Equestrian, or any ancient dialect of it that's known. And these weapons weren't shaped for a pony's hooves."
"Meaning?" Applejack asked.
"I think we're dealing with a forgotten civilization here." Twilight said. "Let's go."
As they turned to leave, there was a low rumble.
"The door!" Pinkie squeaked in fright. "It's closing!"
True to Pinkie's word, the doors were slowly closing. Rainbow attempted to keep them open long enough for them to escape, but her strength was not enough. The doors slammed shut, and there was darkness.
"What now?" Applejack asked Twilight, who cast an illumination spell, lighting up the area.
"Well, we wait." Twilight said, walking over to the portal, and with a deep breath, touched the keystone on the center of the ring. Then, the glyphs glowed blue, and the scattered stones flew off the floor and reformed a solid ring. A white vortex appeared, and Twilight felt herself being pulled into the portal.
"AHH!" She yelled as Rainbow grabbed her outstretched hoof and did her best to hold on.
"I can't hold on!" Rainbow cried. "NO!"
Twilight's grip broke and she went flying into the portal, and the white vortex vanished. Then, there was a bright light, and the Element bearers fell unconscious.
Twilight groaned and opened her eyes. She looked around and saw she wasn't in the Everfree anymore. She was in a grassy field, the sky was a magnificent blue, and there wasn't anyone in sight. Twilight shook her head to clear her vision and she gasped. She had changed into her human body. Instead of her school clothes, she wore a light shirt, pants, leather boots, and a small cloak. She stood up, and looked around to find a trace of civilization. Then, she heard voices.
"Hello there! You alright?"
Twilight looked to her left to see two men approaching. One was wearing a purple robe with some gold markings. He had pale brown and white hair with brown eyes, and his face was kind but sharp. The other was a bit taller, and he wore white and blue clothing with armor, and a golden shield on his arm. A teardrop-shaped mark was present on his left shoulder. He had blue hair and eyes, and he carried an ornate sword on his waist.
"Yes, I'm alright." Twilight said. "Though I am rather lost, so where am I?"
"You're in the Halidom of Ylisse, near the Southern road." The ash-blonde said. "Are you a traveler?"
"Of sorts." Twilight said. "I'm Twilight."
"Robin." The ash-blonde said.
"Chrom." The other man added. "If you'll come with us, we can drop you off at the village nearby. Maybe you can find some way to get home there."
"Thanks." Twilight said. As the three of them set out, Twilight sighed in relief.
=======
"So, Twilight?" Robin asked as they walked along the road. "Where are you from?"
"It's a long story." Twilight said. "It's really not something you'd believe."
"Do your best." Chrom said.
"Another world." Twilight said. To her surprise, Chrom and Robin didn't look as surprised as she thought.
"Another world?" Robin asked. "Like...one of the Outrealms?"
"Outrealms?" Twilight asked. "No, not like that. I'm not human."
This changed Chrom and Robin's faces from interested to pure surprise.
"Really?" Chrom asked. "That's something."
"Indeed." Twilight replied. "Can I explain later?"
"Sure." Chrom asked. "Though...the others might have a hard time."
"Others?" Twilight asked. "Who else do I have to explain to?"
"My militia, the Shepherds." Chrom said. "I'm their captain. Robin's my tactician."
"I see." Twilight said. "Anyway, are we close?"
"Not too much farther." Robin replied.
Soon after, they arrived at a large, orderly camp. Chrom, Robin, and Twilight entered the main area, and headed for the mess tent. They sat down, and a man with rather wild brown hair wearing green armor waved to them.
"Hey, Chrom!" Stahl said. "You almost missed dinner, and Gaius is cooking tonight!"
"Just in time, then." Robin replied.
"Who's she?" A rather muscular man with blond hair called.
"That's Twilight." Chrom replied. "Apparently she's from another world, and she owed me an explanation."
"Damn!" A woman with short, blazing red hair cried. "That's something!"
"Milord, are you sure about this?" An older man with blue and white armor spoke. "She could be a threat."
"I don't think so, Frederick." Chrom replied. "She was unarmed, and frankly, I trust her already."
"Milord?" Twilight asked Chrom. "What does that mean?"
"Chrom's the reigning Prince of Ylisse." Robin said. "Sorry if we forgot to mention that."
"It's okay." Twilight said, now not so sure if she wanted to reveal her own royal status to them. "So...what now?"
"We eat!" said a man with honey-brown hair, whose head was poked around the corner. "Dinner's ready!"
"Let's save the explanation until after dinner, shall we?" Chrom asked. "You hungry?"
"Actually, yes." Twilight said as she followed Chrom and Robin to the dinner line.
Twilight relaxed as she set her utensils down, sighing in relief. Gaius had managed to cook up a few alternatives to the venison the others were eating, and Twilight had thanked him earnestly. The other Shepherds had finished now, and were looking at Twilight expectantly.
"Well, I guess I should explain myself now, huh?" She murmured. "Well, I'm from Equestria, a nation on the world of Equis…"
====
"Well, any questions?" Twilight asked, with an exhausted sigh. It had taken quite a while, a few hours by Twilight's estimate, but she had given the Shepherds a brief explanation of herself and where she came from. As it might turn out, the Shepherds were quite interested in her home, though they had been slightly reluctant to believe Twilight was a princess, but that was mostly due to Frederick. Chrom and Robin had mostly listened to her, though they were interested.
"Seeing as there's none…" Twilight said. "I'm not sure what I should do now."
"I may have a solution to that." Chrom said. "Twilight, I'd like to offer you a place in the Shepherds."
"Really?" Twilight asked.
"We could use someone like you." Chrom replied. 'From what you've told us, you've seen quite a share of danger."
"That is true…" Twilight said. "...what happens when I need to return home?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Robin said simply.
"Alright, I accept." Twilight said, shaking Chrom's hand. "Where do we start?"
"For now, we'll get some rest and we'll see what you're capable of in the morning." Chrom said. "We can give you a more proper welcome later."
"Thank you, Chrom." Twilight said. "So, where do I get to sleep?"
"We'll find you a tent or you can bunk with someone else." Robin said. "Anyway, I think it's time we all get to bed. We've been up for too long."
"I second that." Gaius said, looking at the darkening sky. As the Shepherds departed for their tents, Twilight ended up with her own tent, which was placed next to Robin's. She changed into some clothing given to her from the Shepherd's storage, and collapsed onto her bedroll. She soon fell asleep, and by the fireside, Chrom and Robin spoke to each other.
"Seems like she'll fit right in." Chrom said.
"It does." Robin said. "From what she's told us, she's probably the most powerful mage we've ever met. I doubt Miriel or even Laurent could match her."
Chrom nodded and looked back at the fire.
"I'd better get going." He said. "Sumia's worried I'm losing more sleep than I'm getting."
He and Robin headed for their tents, and soon, all was quiet in the camp.
