The Twilight and Moondancer Investigationsby AandWguyChaptersThe Investigation BeginsThe Portal and other ProblemsMore Problems with a side of ChangelingsThe Investigation Begins“No doubt about it, Spike. There's definitely something strange going on at that school.” said Twilight Sparkle as she looked at her conspiracy web she had made on the wall of her basement. ARF! ARF! “I know Spike...no matter how you look at it, whatever this reading is...its not like anything I've ever seen...” Twilight pulled up a chair and sat down. She continued to stare at all of her work she had put into the conspiracy web on the wall. Twilight removed her glasses and began to clean them as she thought, 'Hmm...in all my years of studying, going to college and getting my PhDs in Science and Chemistry...I've never seen anything quite like this...it's like the readings I'm getting are something that has never been discovered before...' Twilight put her glasses back on and glanced at her dog Spike who was just standing there, staring at her after finishing his meal. “Already done Spike? Come here.” Twilight waved her hands to Spike in which he immediately ran up and jumped into her lap. “How about we go over the information again?” ARF! “Alright...first, approximately a few days ago, I began getting several strange readings, very minor at this school called Canterlot High School. According to what I have looked into, this happened after three students suddenly enrolled at the school. Their names are Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. However, the trio has recently vanished a few days ago at the same time this large reading showed itself along with a giant rainbow colored light in the sky...Not only that, according to what I've investigated, a similar incident happened a few months ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to get the reading that time...” Twilight began to pet her dog as he slowly fell asleep in her lap. “Second, there are six other students that seem to be part of both incidents, according to the official student records. Their names are Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Sunset Shimmer. The records I've found on these six are...varied at best. First is Pinkie Pie, who seems to be a party lover. She has won multiple cake, hot dog and hamburger eating contests. She has above average grades despite being a girl who participates in multiple clubs and programs at the same time. Second is Rarity, she has high grades and works at a place called the Carousel Boutique. Third is Rainbow Dash, which has to be the most opposite person of this group. Has low grades and is part of Canterlot High soccer team. That and other multiple other sport teams...Fourth is Fluttershy, she has high grades and is part of the local animal shelter.” Twilight looked down and smiled at her sleeping dog. “I bet she would love to meet you. Next is Applejack who has average and low grades...part of the Apple family who own Sweet Apple Acres. Finally is Sunset Shimmer...her records are very spotty though she has high grades as well. I could only find records of her joining Canterlot High but nothing before it. Perhaps she changed her name or something...I haven't found any other records over Sunset Shimmer except the fact that she was responsible for some property damage a few months ago. The records say it was to the front entrance of the school...didn't say how much though...” Twilight scratched her head as she continued to stare at the wall. “All my years of studying and I still can't figure this out...the biggest mystery is this latest reading I got from my machine...its like its some kind of energy that can't be regularly identified...is it a new element that has just been discovered...or could it be something entirely outside the laws of physics?” Twilight slowly got out of her chair with Spike in her hands, where she then walked over to his bed and laid him there. “Good night Spike. I think I'll try figuring out this mystery tomorrow.” A few days later... BZZT! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! BZZT! “Okay! I think its done Spike!” Twilight then gave a huge grin. ARF? “My invention Spike! It's finally done! I shall call it...the Twilight Scanner!” she said as she held up a small device that began to make small beeping noises. “If I programmed this right Spike, it should detect readings similar to that reading I got from that rainbow colored light from a few days ago.” Twilight pressed a few buttons on the device and it gave a few beeps. “Alright, time to take the Twilight Scanner for a test drive!” ARF! ARF! “Yes...I know I'm not good at naming things Spike. Don't rub it in!” Twilight put Spike up in his cage and went to her bedroom closet. 'Hmm...its been getting really chilly recently. Guess fall is coming sooner than I thought.' Twilight put on a hoodie and some jeans. She cricked her neck as she began to leave her house. “I'll be back later Spike!” Twilight slowly walked down the street as she began to look at her scanner along with a map of the town. 'Okay...first up is the Carousel Boutique since it's the closest to my house...I don't expect to get a reading there but there's no shame in covering all of my bases...' Twilight soon approached the shop. There she saw a blue haired girl talking to a purple and pink haired little girl. “So Rarity isn't here Sweetie Belle?” “Nope, sorry Coco Pommel.” said Sweetie Belle as she shook her head back and forth. “Sis said she had to meet her friends about a band gig or something.” “Oh...” said Coco Pommel as her head drooped down. “I was hoping she could give me some advice over the next fashion festival...” “Sorry.” “It's fine Sweetie Belle, I'll just come back later.” “Okay!” Twilight looked at her device. 'Hmm...no reading...well, its showing a small signal from these two but nothing significant...maybe its because these two are probably around Rarity a lot.' Twilight turned around and looked at the map again. 'Now where do I go? It looks like the high school is the closest place now...' Twilight looked around her, seeing the people walk by. 'I've only been here for about a week and it always seems lively despite it being a small town...No...I shouldn't think about that right now, I need to solve this mystery!' Twilight slowly approached the school, constantly looking at the school and her scanner. She slowly got closer to the school's statue when suddenly... BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! “What the-” Twilight slowly got closer to the statue. “This reading...” Sweat began to drip down Twilight's forehead as she looked at her invention. There, she just showed a face filled with confusion. 'I don't get it...this reading is totally different from the rainbow light reading...The reading this statue is giving is like two different energies are colliding with each other...not only that, I can't identify either energy signature!' Twilight began to press several buttons as the readings continued to show themselves on her device. 'Okay...let's just record a few of these readings...there!' BEEP! BEEP! CLICK! “And there...we...go! All done!” she said to herself. “Now...what to do next...I didn't expect this...” Twilight glanced around only to notice nobody was around. 'Well, it is Saturday...guess I should record some more readings before going home and printing these results off...” Some time later at Twilight's house... WHIR! CLICK! BZZT! WHIR! CLICK! Several pages came out of Twilight's printer. Twilight grabbed the papers and began to scan them over. “Hmm...unbelievable...do you see this Spike?” ARF? “This reading...I think it could be the key to something huge! This reading shows two energies responding in a matter that shouldn't be possible! It makes it look like the energies are flowing from entirely two different areas...could this a sign of teleportation? Or maybe a type of dimensional shift like a portal or something? Either way, these energies are something else Spike!” Twilight turned to her dog who just looked at her with expectant eyes. “Unbelievable, isn't it Spike? I mean, I went around the school and got some minor readings but...that statue gave so much.” Twilight looked back at her conspiracy web. “Now...what's my next move?” she said as she looked at the six student profiles she had put on the conspiracy web. “Perhaps I should go after one of you...then again...no matter how I look at this, I can't help but think there is just one little thing I'm missing...a seventh person perhaps?” The next day... Twilight got up and did her usual morning routine. Brush teeth, shower, breakfast, etc. She went down to her basement again, ready to stare at her conspiracy web again. She looked down at Spike, who had just woke up and was looking at her with an expectant look. “Want to help me?” she said as she grabbed and hugged him. “Thanks Spike.” She sat down and stared at the web again. “I don't get it Spike...the more I investigate this place, the more confused I become. Its like this school is connected to something...something either outside the law of physics...or something so...so unusual and hidden.” Twilight looked at Spike again, where he rose up and licked her face. “Heh heh...thanks for the help Spike...” Some gears turned in her head until a certain thought came out. “That's it!” Twilight scanned over her entire conspiracy web again. She glanced at Spike and said, “I need a second opinion! But...who could help me with this?” Twilight put Spike down and went to her computer. There, she looked over all the notes and references she had from her days at the college. 'Hmm...' she thought, 'I could call good old Professor Starswirl, my mentor from college...but I need someone who can come here and see everything I've gathered...' Twilight sat there for several minutes, trying to think of another person. Then, something clicked. “Moondancer!” she said as she began to remember her old friend. The two had been friends since early childhood and the two had passed multiple grades together during their years as kids. However, due to Moondancer's parents' jobs, she had to move away. Twilight knew she entered into college early as well but the two had just stop communicating after a year or two. Twilight got on the internet and began to look for any information on her old friend. Soon she saw several news reports on how Moondancer had won several science fairs and other achievements. Twilight thought, 'Yeah...she hasn't changed, she obviously still loves science. According to this...she graduated early as well with a PhD in...Advanced Physics...that will do nicely...' Twilight spent the next few minutes trying to find a way to contact Moondancer. Soon, she found a way to get her email address. A few emails later, Twilight finally got Moondancer's phone number... “Let me get this straight...you found a energy reading that should be impossible at a high school?! I'm sorry but that sounds absurd.” Moondancer said in a bitter tone. “But I emailed you the photos I took. Surely you must admit the readings are something different.” replied Twilight. “I didn't say I denied it.” “So you agree this is interesting?” There was a slight pause from Moondancer. “Yeah...I agree.” she said with a huff. “So...why did you show me this?” “I need help. My current investigations have been...lacking. I need a second opinion and possibly someone else to help me create a device to understand these readings better.” “And you want my help?” “Yeah. I mean, you just graduated right? I can get you a place set up and you can help me make something extraordinary! You saw these readings, we could be looking at something beyond the laws of physics!” Moondancer took off her glasses and began to rub her eyes. She let out a huff. “I hate to say it...but you're right. But if I help you, I want you to agree on some things.” “Sure.” “This isn't some big 'let's be friends' thing. If I come over there, its to figure out this energy reading and how it works.” “That's fine.” “Two, we don't do this for some glory seeking thing. Got it?” “I'm not looking for fame Moondancer, I'm doing this because I'm scientifically curious.” “Good. Now, how do we make arrangements so I can get over there?” “I think I have an idea...” A few days later... “I say we go and interrogate those six!” Moondancer yelled as she slammed her fist into the wall. “And I say its too early Moondancer!” Twilight said as she grabbed a few papers and showed them to Moondancer. “Look at these readings! Even you said that this reading is similar to a type of energy signature that only a portal could make!” “I know it is! But it came from a statue that we've gone to for the past five nights! We need to expand our field of investigation! Why are you so against meeting these six?!” “I...I...I don't know.” Twilight said as she put the papers down, slumping down in a chair. “I just...I don't know.” “Still shy as ever huh?” Moondancer said with a cocky grin. She sat down in another chair and said, “But...I understand your pain...I'm not much into talking to others either...I just want to understand all of this though...” “Yeah...me too.” Twilight said with sad expression. “Sorry.” “It's fine.” Moondancer said as she lifted her head. “Tell you what...why don't we go to statue one more time and if we don't find anything new, we investigate those six. Deal?” Twilight stared at the ceiling for a few seconds and glanced at Moondancer. “Deal.” A few hours later, the duo left the house. The two slowly proceeded to the school under the shadow of the night. As the two approached the statue, Moondancer spoke up, “I forgot to tell you Twilight...uh...um...” “What?” “Thanks for letting me stay at your place...you didn't have to let me stay in your spare room...” “It's no problem Moondancer.” Twilight said with a small smile. “Though I am a little concerned about tomorrow though...” “What's tomorrow?” “My brother is supposed to come over for a few hours.” “Oh. I'll stay out of your way if you need me too.” “Thanks.” Twilight said as she pressed a few buttons on the Twilight Scanner. It began to beep as the two got close to the statue. Moondancer spoke up as they finally arrived. “Still nothing...just the same old readings, isn't it?” “Yeah...its kinda depressing...” Twilight said as she put her hand on the statue. She let out a yelp as her hand suddenly went through the statue like it was made out of water. She quickly pulled her hand out and said, “Whoa! What was that?!” “What was what?” Moonancer asked as she adjusted her flashlight. “What happened? What's wrong?” “Shine the flashlight at my hand.” “Okay...” Moondancer said as she shined the light on Twilight's hand. Moondancer's expression changed from confusion to pure shock as she saw Twilight's hand disappear into the statue. “How...how did you do that?!” “I...don't know...” Twilight said in a shocked tone. “I just put my hand on the statue and...” Her hand went through the statue again. “That happened...” “Whoa...no way. We've been here for the past five nights and that's never happened...right?” Moondancer said with hesitation in her voice. “I am right, aren't I?” “Yeah...I've examined every bit of this statue and...” Her hand came out of the statue again. “That has never happened before...” The two stared at each other in disbelief for a few minutes. Then, Twilight spoke up, “Hey...why don't you try your hand?” “My hand?!” “Yeah. Your hand.” “Um...er...okay.” Moondancer said as she slowly put her hand on the statue. Just like Twilight, her hand went through. “That's creepy...” she said as a shiver went down her spine. “Is thing a portal?” “I don't know...I guess it could be, though its odd that it activated now...” “Yeah...though it feels really weird...” “I agree. I'm gonna try to use the scanner in the statue, see what kind of readings we can get....” Twilight said as she prepared the Twilight Scanner. She put her hand in with the scanner in her palm. As her hand went into the statue, she quickly noticed something odd. She couldn't feel her fingers. That and her scanner immediately fell out of her hand as soon as her hand went through. Her face went pale as looked at Moondancer in despair. “Uh...we have a problem...” “What?” “I dropped the scanner...” “YOU WHAT?!” “Yeah...sorry.” Moondancer showed a pained expression. “So...uh...what do we do now?” Twilight looked at the statue for a few minutes and said, “I'm going in.” “Huh?” “I said...I'm going in.” “You...want to go into the statue? In other words, the portal...” Moondancer said in a dumbfounded face. “Are you crazy?!” “How else are we going to get the scanner?!” “Uh...um...er...” Moondancer twiddled her thumbs. “No idea...” “Okay...” Twilight turned and took a deep breath. “Um...” “Are you scared now?” “Yeah...wouldn't you be?!” “Well...” Moondancer put the flashlight down and went up to Twilight. “Do you want to...uh...” “Could you come with me?” Twilight said in a slight panic. Moondancer gulped as she heard those words and said, “Um...er...I don't know.” “But Moondancer...this is a portal. Think about it...there has to be an entrance and an exit...” “Yeah...I know. But what if we go in there and we get lost?! What if we can't get back here?!” panicked Moondancer. “It'll be fine. I'm sure of it.” “But...how can you be so sure?! I mean, you could be stuck there and not be able to get back to your dog!” “My brother's coming tomorrow and he's got a key to my house.” “Oh...” Moondancer continued to twiddle her thumbs. “But...um...okay.” “Okay?” “Yeah...let's do it.” Moondancer said as she glared at the statue. “But we're going in to get the scanner, that's all.” “Agreed.” Twilight said as she readjusted her glasses. “Alright...let's do this.” she said as the two began to enter the statue. The two felt shivers down their bodies as they slowly went into the statue. It was then that the duo began their adventure into Equestria. Author's Note Okay...finally got this out there. I've worked on this chapter since June and...I wasn't sure if I should put it out there. However, I decided to go ahead and do it. This story will be updated monthly so expect a bit of a wait after each chapter. Also, I will explain why the portal is working next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! The Portal and other ProblemsOne hours ago... “Okay Spike...according to my calculations...this should work...” Twilight said as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. Spike merely let out a groan and said, “Ugh...you said the same thing the last four times we did this...and we've been doing this all day! Can't we go to bed already?! You've been up longer than me!” “I know Spike...I know.” Twilight said as her horn began to shine. “Now, on my signal, pull the lever.” “It's not gonna shock me again, is it?” “No. I promise it won't shock you. Again.” Twilight pressed a few buttons and said, “Okay, pull the lever.” “Alright.” Spike said with some hesitation. KER-CHUNK! ZAP! “AAAaaaahhhhh!” yelped Spike as electricity filled his body and blasted him across the room. “SPIKE! ARE YOU OKAY?!” screamed Twilight as she saw her assistant go flying. She quickly ran over to him, only to see the little dragon laying on the floor, his eyes spinning. “I'm okay...I feel fiiiiinnnneeee...” Spike said as he flapped his arms around. “I feel great...” “I'm sorry Spike...” Twilight said as she picked up Spike and put her on her back. “I should have noticed the electric discharge...” Spike let out a huff of smoke and said. “Can I go to bed now? I'm tired of getting hurt...” “Yeah...I'm sorry.” Twilight said as the two went to Spike's room in the castle. As Twilight put Spike to bed, she gave him a hug. “I'll stop experimenting with the mirror for now Spike, I'm sorry I hurt you. Again.” “It's fine.” Spike said as he hugged back. “I'm okay Twilight.” “That's good...thanks Spike. I'm sorry I treat you like that.” “It's fine...I'm your number one assistant after all!” Twilight gave Spike a kiss on the forehead. “That's right Spike. Good night.” “Good night.” Twilight left the room, closing the door. She let out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes with one of her hooves. Soon, she found herself at her bedroom and opened the door. “Ugh...what a day...maybe I should just go to sleep...” she said to herself as she went to a desk. As she shuffled a bunch of papers, she thought, 'Let's see...where's the other theory paper I had...I know I'm close...just a little more and I should be able to see other worlds with the mirror...' Twilight found the paper she was looking for and let out another yawn. “I'm so sleepy...maybe I should do this tomorrow...but I have to turn off the portal...and turn...the lights off...” Before Twilight knew it, she fell on her bed, fast asleep. The Present... “AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” yelled Twilight and Moondancer in unison. A few seconds later, the two flew out of the mirror. The duo fell onto the floor, both faces kissing the floor. “Owwwww....” moaned Moondancer as she tried to lift her head. As she did, she looked around only to see nothing but blurs. “Uh...what the...” Then it dawned on her, “My glasses! Where are my glasses?!” “Your glasses?” said Twilight as she lifted her head as well. “Did they...WHOA!” she yelped as she saw Moondancer in pony form. Twilight just stood in disbelief as Moondancer responded. “What?! What happened?!” “I...uh...er...” Twilight stuttered as she watched Moondancer look around, squinting her eyes. “Twilight?!” “Uh...Moondancer?” Twilight asked with a gulp. “Yeah...what's wrong Twilight?” “Why...why are you a unicorn?” she said slowly. “A unicorn?! What are you talking about?!” Moondancer said as her head continued to shift around, still trying to see where she was. “It's just...you...uh...I think you've become a unicorn...” Twilight said as she pointed her hoof at Moondancer. Twilight then looked down and saw her hoof. “WHOA!” she yelped as she stared at her hoof. She began flailing them around and said, “What happened to my hands?!” “Okay Twilight, you have stop panicking over whatever you're panicking over and help me find my glasses!” Moondancer said in a disgruntled tone. However, Moondancer's words fell on deaf ears as Twilight continued to wiggle her hooves in front of her. “What is happening?!” she said, “What am I?!” As this was going on, Moondancer began crawling on the floor, her hooves tapping the floor. 'Why can't I feel my fingers?' thought Moondancer as she continued to crawl. 'Something is definitely wrong here...' Twilight took a deep breath. 'Okay...stop panicking Twilight...' she thought as she tried to compose herself. But didn't work. “AAAaaaahhh! What is happening?! Why is this happening?!” Despite her screams, the other two in the castle were still fast asleep. It was then that Moondancer finally found her glasses. As she tried to put them on, Twilight finally calmed down. Twilight tried to stand on two legs, only to fall over. 'Okay...' Twilight thought as she looked at the rest of her body. 'Okay...I'm a pony, er...unicorn...I think...and I still have my jacket and glasses on...' Twilight shook her head and got up on all fours. 'Right...a pony is a quadrupedal. That means I need to be on all fours...' Moondancer finally put her glasses on. She found it extremely hard to do since she couldn't feel her fingers. As her eyes began to focus through her glasses, her eyes began to grow in shock of what she was seeing. Her body shook as she looked at Twilight and then herself. “Uh...Twilight?” “Yeah?” responded Twilight as she turned and looked at Moondancer. She saw the now frightened face Moondancer was wearing and tried to give a comforting face back. It didn't work. Moondancer began to shake her hooves up and down as her body shook all over. Twilight tried to walk over to Moondancer to comfort her, only to fall over. “Ow...right...on all fours...” “Aaaaahhhh! Why is this happening?!” yelped Moondancer as she kept staring at her shaking hooves. “What is going on?!” “Wait Moondancer...oof!” Twilight’s face kissed the floor again. “I panicked as well but...ow!” As Twilight finally got to Moondancer, she suddenly stopped. Moondancer just stood there, adjusting her glasses with her hoof. “I'm fine now.” she said in confident tone. “Uh...you sure?” Twilight asked with a confused face. “Yeah...I'm sure. I'm not much into panicking, unlike you.” “I'm not into panicking Moondancer.” Twilight said with a disgruntled look. “I was freaking out because I somehow turned into a pony...just like you!” “I know...I know...” Moondancer said as tried to steady herself on four legs. “Now...how do we get out of here and turn back to human beings?” “Well...” Twilight said as she began to look at her surroundings. “We need to find the scanner and...” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she saw the next sight in front of her. There were books upon books around her and she felt so embarrassed that she hadn't noticed yet. “Moondancer...look at all these books...” Twilight said as drool began to fall out of her mouth. “So many books...” Moondancer chuckled as she saw the drool come out of Twilight’s mouth. She looked around as well and was significantly impressed with the amount of books around them. Then, she saw something that impressed her more than anything. She saw the mirror and the mechanical apparatus around it. “Twilight...look at that...” she said as she pointed her hoof. Twilight turned and saw the machine with the mirror. Her jaw dropped in astonishment. “Amazing...” “I know...” Moondancer replied as she began to scan every inch of the machine. “Twilight...this machine...is it what I think it is?” Twilight looked over it as well and said, “If you're thinking this is the portal back...yeah, I'm thinking the same thing.” “Looks like the apparatus is designed for some power source into this...looks like a mirror...” Moondancer said as she scratched her chin in thought. She turned to Twilight. “Is this machine being powered by a book?” “Uh...” Twilight looked the machine over again. “I don't think so...it kinda looks like the machine is using the book as a sort of signal instead...perhaps the book has something that connects itself to other worlds...” “You mean...you think the book is connected to...where we live?” Moondancer said with some skepticism. Twilight just gave a shrug. “I'm not sure...but that's my guess.” “Well...I won't deny the possibility...especially considering what has just happened to us, anything is possible...” Moondancer still showed a skeptical look but gave Twilight a nod. “Now, let's get the scanner and get out of here.” “What?!” yelped Twilight. “But...but...look at all this Moondancer! Look at this place!” “Yeah...I see it. But we agreed to get the scanner and leave, remember?” “But Moondancer...We finally found something!” Twilight pleaded. “We finally found out why it always gave that signal! We know its a portal now!” “Yes. We do. Now let the scanner collect the data and we can process it back at the house.” “But...” Twilight racked her brain, trying to find some way to make Moondancer listen. Then an idea hit her, “Wait! What if this is are only chance to explore this place?” “What do you mean?” “Well...we've been examining the statue for days, remember?” Twilight said as she sat down, twiddling her hooves like they were thumbs. “What if the portal stops tomorrow?” Moondancer sat there, thinking for a second. She glanced around at the equipment, only to notice a lever was pulled down. She pointed at it and said, “Perhaps that's why we were able to get through.” Twilight looked at the lever. “Someone left it on? You mean...this was someone's mistake?” “That...or its their experiment. Perhaps they're testing how long it can stay on.” “Maybe...” Twilight said as she began to look around some more. There, she saw a chalkboard that covered in diagrams and calculations. Moondancer saw Twilight staring at the chalkboard and soon followed. As the two looked it over, Twilight spoke up, “Um...Moondancer? Is this what I think it is?” “Well...are you thinking this is an experiment about going to different worlds?” “Yep. That's what I was thinking...” Twilight said as her eyes began to shine again. “Amazing...whoever made this...wow...” “Twilight...you're drooling again.” “Oh...sorry.” Twilight said as she wiped her mouth. “Now...what do you think we should do now? We can't just leave, we might never be able to get back here.” “Then let's use the scanner and collect all of the data we can. After we print it off of that house, we can go from there. After all...” Moondancer glanced over the machine and the mirror again. “I've memorized most of the parts of this machine...I should be able to replicate it.” Twilight looked at the machine again. “I've memorized it too Moondancer but...” Twilight looked at the chalkboard. “Based on these calculations...I think the mirror is more important...” “What do you mean?” “Looks like this mirror...I think it was already a portal, or at least a portal device.” Twilight said as she rubbed her chin. “Besides, if we want to replicate this...we also need the book.” “But we can't leave if the book isn't in the machine?” Moondancer responded with a sly tone. “Is that what you were about to say?” “Well...yes.” “Then don't worry about it.” “Why not?” “Think about it Twilight, why does this mirror portal thing need the book?” “Uh...” A lightbulb turned on. “Ah! There must be another book! It's using the book to connect to our world! Or...at least I think this is another world...” “Yeah...” Moondancer looked back at the notes on the chalkboard. “Say Twilight...could I propose something?” “Sure.” “Why don't we try using the mirror without the book?” “Without the book, huh? I guess that could work...but why do you want to try that?” “Well...if the book is what connects to our world...I would like to see what it connects to without the book. Perhaps it connects to some singular point of space...” Twilight eyes turned to stars at the very mention of the idea. “Oh wow! What a wonderful idea Moondancer! Let's try that immediately!” “But...what if it doesn't work?” “Doesn't matter! Half the fun of being a scientist is doing the unknown!” “Okay...I'll agree with you there...” Moondancer glanced at the machine again. “But...how are we going to get the book down? I mean, there's no way the two of us can reach it up there.” “Yeah...we're a bit smaller in this unicorn form...” Twilight said as she looked over her body. “Oh, I know! Maybe there's a ladder somewhere around here...after all, whoever made this had to put it there somehow.” “Okay...should we both go look for one?” “Well...I wanted to explore this place anyways, so I'll go look. You stay here and look over all of this again. Make sure we don't miss anything before turning this thing off and removing the book.” “Okay Twilight.” Moondancer said as she turned back to the chalkboard. Twilight began her venture outside of the room, looking down the dark hallways. 'Gee...I wish we didn't have to do this at night...' she thought as she roamed the next hallway. 'These halls sure are creepy looking in this darkness...' TINK! Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard the sudden sound and she slowly turned around. There, she saw a pair of glowing eyes. “Uh...hello?” Twilight said to the eyes. “Grrr...” it said with a hiss. “What the...” Twilight said before the creature attacked her. “Aaah!” Back at the portal... Moondancer continued to look over the machine and chalkboard. “Perhaps I was wrong...now that I look at this again, it looks like the mirror might already connect to our world...” She looked at the mirror again. “Could that book just be there to help the portal?” Moondancer let out a yawn. “Ugh...I hope Twilight comes back soon. Its so late...I need a nap...” Meanwhile... “Hello my minion. Did you get that blasted Twilight Sparkle?” said a voice as the creature delivered an unconscious Twilight to her. “Yes my queen.” the creature said as she put Twilight down. “Here she is my queen.” “Yes...well done my little changeling.” she said as she poked Twilight with her hoof. “Hmm...I thought she had become an alicorn now...strange...” “Did...did I fail my queen? Should I be punished Queen Chryalis?” “No. This is her, odd that it might be. I recognize that blasted purple pony anywhere...Put her in a cocoon. She's just the beginning of my plans for Equestria." "Yes my queen." Author's Note I know I had said this would be monthly but...I wrote this up suddenly. I going to try to do this story a chapter a week, but I can't guarantee it. It may be every two weeks until I get a better plan for it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! More Problems with a side of Changelings“Good grief! What is taking Twilight so long?!” moaned Moondancer as she continued to sit inside the portal room. It had been fifteen minutes since Twilight had left to get a ladder and it was fifteen minutes too many for Moondancer. She frantically paced around the room during the wait, though she fell over a few times due to her new pony body. More veins appeared on her head until she had finally had enough. “That's it! I don't care anymore! I wanna go home and get some rest! We have the data on the scanner...I'm going home and Twilight is coming with me!” Moonancer stormed out of the room and proceeded down the nearest hallway. Moondancer had to squint her eyes as she went through the castle at night. “Twilight?!” she yelled repeatedly. “Twilight?! Where are you?!” She then turned her head and saw a door, Moondancer glanced around and said to herself, “Guess I better start checking every room...” As she opened the door with her hoof, a chilly wind blasted through. “Whoa! Brr, that's cold...” Moondancer quickly noticed she was on a balcony now and a grand view was in front of her. She looked outside, seeing a small village a little bit away. There were a few lights on, but they were barely visible in the cloak of the night. 'Huh...' she thought as she stared at the sight before her. 'So...I'm in some rural country? Is that where this portal sent me?' Moondancer turned and looked up, seeing the Crystal Tree Castle behind her. 'Amazing...I'm in some sort of...Crystal Tree? Certainly a strange design, though it does make me feel like I'm in another world.' She soon went back into the castle, still yelling Twilight's name. As she wandered down another hallway, a door suddenly opened right beside her. SLAM! “Whoa!” she yelped as she fell over from the surprise. Moondancer tried to keep her glasses on as she stumbled to get up. “What the heck?! Don't just slam doors like that!” What came out of the door was Twilight Sparkle, her horn shining from a light spell. Her eyes were half open as she yelled, “Okay, who is...Moondancer?!” “Twilight! I have been searching everywhere for you! What took you so long?!” screamed Moondancer in a fit of rage. “What took me...what are you talking about? And why are you in my castle?” “What am I...” It was at this moment that Moondancer noticed something a little different about the Twilight in front of her. “Uh...when do you get wings? And why is your horn glowing?” “Why is my...uh, I'm using a light spell Moondancer.” Twilight said in a deadpan tone. “And I have wings because I'm an alicorn, remember?” Moondancer's head turned sideways in confusion. “What's an alicorn?” “What do mean what's a...” A lightbulb went off in Twilight's head. “Uh-oh.” Meanwhile, in a secret evil lair... “Wake up!” Chrysalis yelled at the cocoon that Twilight was now in. The purple pony slowly stirred as her hooves tried move. “I said wake up Twilight Sparkle!” “Okay...okay...” moaned Twilight as her eyelids tried to move. “Geez...what is...” Chrysalis did not see the next moment coming. She was expecting Twilight to lash out in anger or yell at her. Instead, she got this: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!” screamed Twilight as she began wriggling in the green gooey cocoon. “Uh...” “What is this?! Where am I?! Why is this happening?!” Twilight yelled as her head starting throbbing up and down. Then she showed a face filled with fear and disgust. “Eeeewww! What is this stuff?! It's all gooey and gross!” “Er...” Twilight yelled for a few more seconds and suddenly stopped. She took a long deep breath. “Okay...got that out of my system...Sorry about that.” “Yeah...” Chrysalis said in a confused tone. “Now...where were we?” “I don't know. Who are you?” “Who am...wait. You don't know who I am?” Chrysalis said as she pointed to herself. Twilight shook her head. “Are you serious?” “Yeah. I've never met you before.” Twilight said as she looked Chrysalis up and down. “Though I must admit...I've never seen anything like you before...what exactly are you? Some sort of pony-bug hybrid?” “I...” Chrysalis opened her mouth, only for it to just hang there. A small changeling walked up and closed her mouth. Chrysalis just there in pure shock, not sure what to think. A few moments later, she finally spoke up, “Okay...so you're not Twilight...that's why you don't have wings.” “Hey! I am Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight barked back, only to put on a thinking face. “Though...why do you think I'm supposed to have wings? I've never heard of a unicorn with wings before...” “You've never heard-” Chrysalis stuttered as she displayed a dumbfounded look. “WHAT?! Who are you?!” “I told you before! I'm Twilight Sparkle!” “No you're not! If you were, you would know who I am!” “Well I don't! I've never seen you before till now!” “Why you little-” Two changelings watched the queen and the unicorn continue to yell at each other. One of the changelings turned his head and said, “This is gonna be a long night isn't it?” “Yup.” Back at the castle... “Okay...let me get straight...” groaned Moondancer as she rubbed the side of her face in frustration. She pointed her hoof at the alicorn and said, “You're the version of Twilight Sparkle in this world.” “Yes.” Twilight nodded. “And the mirror is a portal to my world and you've been experimenting on it.” “Yes.” “And you're a princess...which is why you have wings. And you can use magic through your horn.” “That's correct. Oh, and you can use magic through your horn as well. You are a unicorn after all.” “Yeah...” Several veins on Moondancer's head began to twitch. She then flailed her hooves in the air in anger. “That's it! I'm done!” “Huh?” “I'm leaving. I am too tired for this.” Moondancer said as she got up and walked over to the mirror. “Other world where I turn into a unicorn...this is so crazy it hurts.” “But it's the truth Moondancer. Besides, it's best we...uh...find the other 'Twilight' and have you both go through the portal. You said she wouldn’t leave without the scanner right?” “Yeah...we agreed to get the readings and go home but...she never returned from getting a ladder.” “You needed a ladder? Why?” “To...reach the book.” “But you could just levitate it with...oh. Right. You don't know how to use your horn yet.” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “Well...it is getting late. Do you think this version of me would go into town by herself?” “No. She's not much into interacting with others. Maybe she's lost in this maze of a castle.” “Yeah...I still get lost in it myself.” Twilight responded with a slight blush. “Though I just got it a little while ago.” “Hmmm...” Moondancer grumbled as she tried to think of what to do next. Twilight stood there in thought as well. After a little bit, Twilight clapped her hooves. “I've got an idea!” “Huh?” “Why don't I move some of my spare room beds down to the portal here? You said earlier you were sleepy, so you could just lay down and wait for her here. I'll even make us some coffee to help you stay awake if you want to do that instead.” “Well...that's not a bad idea...but she's been gone for like an hour! Doesn't that worry you?!” “It does...but we won't be able to find her in this darkness. Right now there's barely any moon out. Best to wait it out. If she doesn't come in the next hour...we'll do something else.” “Okay.” Moondancer replied with a nod. “Don't have any reason to argue with you there.” “That's great!” Twilight said with shining eyes. “Oh, while we're at it, you can tell me about your world! I've already been there before but only for two or three days! There's some parts of that world I want to know more about it! Well...except the part where I turn into those weird human creatures...” “I...uh...sure.” Moondancer said with hesitation. 'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' Author's Note Remember when I said this was gonna be monthly? Yeah...its gonna be that from now on. I honestly wanted to write more in this chapter but I couldn't think of an ending besides this one. The next chapter will be the second day in Equestria. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
The Investigation Begins“No doubt about it, Spike. There's definitely something strange going on at that school.” said Twilight Sparkle as she looked at her conspiracy web she had made on the wall of her basement. ARF! ARF! “I know Spike...no matter how you look at it, whatever this reading is...its not like anything I've ever seen...” Twilight pulled up a chair and sat down. She continued to stare at all of her work she had put into the conspiracy web on the wall. Twilight removed her glasses and began to clean them as she thought, 'Hmm...in all my years of studying, going to college and getting my PhDs in Science and Chemistry...I've never seen anything quite like this...it's like the readings I'm getting are something that has never been discovered before...' Twilight put her glasses back on and glanced at her dog Spike who was just standing there, staring at her after finishing his meal. “Already done Spike? Come here.” Twilight waved her hands to Spike in which he immediately ran up and jumped into her lap. “How about we go over the information again?” ARF! “Alright...first, approximately a few days ago, I began getting several strange readings, very minor at this school called Canterlot High School. According to what I have looked into, this happened after three students suddenly enrolled at the school. Their names are Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. However, the trio has recently vanished a few days ago at the same time this large reading showed itself along with a giant rainbow colored light in the sky...Not only that, according to what I've investigated, a similar incident happened a few months ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to get the reading that time...” Twilight began to pet her dog as he slowly fell asleep in her lap. “Second, there are six other students that seem to be part of both incidents, according to the official student records. Their names are Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Sunset Shimmer. The records I've found on these six are...varied at best. First is Pinkie Pie, who seems to be a party lover. She has won multiple cake, hot dog and hamburger eating contests. She has above average grades despite being a girl who participates in multiple clubs and programs at the same time. Second is Rarity, she has high grades and works at a place called the Carousel Boutique. Third is Rainbow Dash, which has to be the most opposite person of this group. Has low grades and is part of Canterlot High soccer team. That and other multiple other sport teams...Fourth is Fluttershy, she has high grades and is part of the local animal shelter.” Twilight looked down and smiled at her sleeping dog. “I bet she would love to meet you. Next is Applejack who has average and low grades...part of the Apple family who own Sweet Apple Acres. Finally is Sunset Shimmer...her records are very spotty though she has high grades as well. I could only find records of her joining Canterlot High but nothing before it. Perhaps she changed her name or something...I haven't found any other records over Sunset Shimmer except the fact that she was responsible for some property damage a few months ago. The records say it was to the front entrance of the school...didn't say how much though...” Twilight scratched her head as she continued to stare at the wall. “All my years of studying and I still can't figure this out...the biggest mystery is this latest reading I got from my machine...its like its some kind of energy that can't be regularly identified...is it a new element that has just been discovered...or could it be something entirely outside the laws of physics?” Twilight slowly got out of her chair with Spike in her hands, where she then walked over to his bed and laid him there. “Good night Spike. I think I'll try figuring out this mystery tomorrow.” A few days later... BZZT! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! BZZT! “Okay! I think its done Spike!” Twilight then gave a huge grin. ARF? “My invention Spike! It's finally done! I shall call it...the Twilight Scanner!” she said as she held up a small device that began to make small beeping noises. “If I programmed this right Spike, it should detect readings similar to that reading I got from that rainbow colored light from a few days ago.” Twilight pressed a few buttons on the device and it gave a few beeps. “Alright, time to take the Twilight Scanner for a test drive!” ARF! ARF! “Yes...I know I'm not good at naming things Spike. Don't rub it in!” Twilight put Spike up in his cage and went to her bedroom closet. 'Hmm...its been getting really chilly recently. Guess fall is coming sooner than I thought.' Twilight put on a hoodie and some jeans. She cricked her neck as she began to leave her house. “I'll be back later Spike!” Twilight slowly walked down the street as she began to look at her scanner along with a map of the town. 'Okay...first up is the Carousel Boutique since it's the closest to my house...I don't expect to get a reading there but there's no shame in covering all of my bases...' Twilight soon approached the shop. There she saw a blue haired girl talking to a purple and pink haired little girl. “So Rarity isn't here Sweetie Belle?” “Nope, sorry Coco Pommel.” said Sweetie Belle as she shook her head back and forth. “Sis said she had to meet her friends about a band gig or something.” “Oh...” said Coco Pommel as her head drooped down. “I was hoping she could give me some advice over the next fashion festival...” “Sorry.” “It's fine Sweetie Belle, I'll just come back later.” “Okay!” Twilight looked at her device. 'Hmm...no reading...well, its showing a small signal from these two but nothing significant...maybe its because these two are probably around Rarity a lot.' Twilight turned around and looked at the map again. 'Now where do I go? It looks like the high school is the closest place now...' Twilight looked around her, seeing the people walk by. 'I've only been here for about a week and it always seems lively despite it being a small town...No...I shouldn't think about that right now, I need to solve this mystery!' Twilight slowly approached the school, constantly looking at the school and her scanner. She slowly got closer to the school's statue when suddenly... BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! “What the-” Twilight slowly got closer to the statue. “This reading...” Sweat began to drip down Twilight's forehead as she looked at her invention. There, she just showed a face filled with confusion. 'I don't get it...this reading is totally different from the rainbow light reading...The reading this statue is giving is like two different energies are colliding with each other...not only that, I can't identify either energy signature!' Twilight began to press several buttons as the readings continued to show themselves on her device. 'Okay...let's just record a few of these readings...there!' BEEP! BEEP! CLICK! “And there...we...go! All done!” she said to herself. “Now...what to do next...I didn't expect this...” Twilight glanced around only to notice nobody was around. 'Well, it is Saturday...guess I should record some more readings before going home and printing these results off...” Some time later at Twilight's house... WHIR! CLICK! BZZT! WHIR! CLICK! Several pages came out of Twilight's printer. Twilight grabbed the papers and began to scan them over. “Hmm...unbelievable...do you see this Spike?” ARF? “This reading...I think it could be the key to something huge! This reading shows two energies responding in a matter that shouldn't be possible! It makes it look like the energies are flowing from entirely two different areas...could this a sign of teleportation? Or maybe a type of dimensional shift like a portal or something? Either way, these energies are something else Spike!” Twilight turned to her dog who just looked at her with expectant eyes. “Unbelievable, isn't it Spike? I mean, I went around the school and got some minor readings but...that statue gave so much.” Twilight looked back at her conspiracy web. “Now...what's my next move?” she said as she looked at the six student profiles she had put on the conspiracy web. “Perhaps I should go after one of you...then again...no matter how I look at this, I can't help but think there is just one little thing I'm missing...a seventh person perhaps?” The next day... Twilight got up and did her usual morning routine. Brush teeth, shower, breakfast, etc. She went down to her basement again, ready to stare at her conspiracy web again. She looked down at Spike, who had just woke up and was looking at her with an expectant look. “Want to help me?” she said as she grabbed and hugged him. “Thanks Spike.” She sat down and stared at the web again. “I don't get it Spike...the more I investigate this place, the more confused I become. Its like this school is connected to something...something either outside the law of physics...or something so...so unusual and hidden.” Twilight looked at Spike again, where he rose up and licked her face. “Heh heh...thanks for the help Spike...” Some gears turned in her head until a certain thought came out. “That's it!” Twilight scanned over her entire conspiracy web again. She glanced at Spike and said, “I need a second opinion! But...who could help me with this?” Twilight put Spike down and went to her computer. There, she looked over all the notes and references she had from her days at the college. 'Hmm...' she thought, 'I could call good old Professor Starswirl, my mentor from college...but I need someone who can come here and see everything I've gathered...' Twilight sat there for several minutes, trying to think of another person. Then, something clicked. “Moondancer!” she said as she began to remember her old friend. The two had been friends since early childhood and the two had passed multiple grades together during their years as kids. However, due to Moondancer's parents' jobs, she had to move away. Twilight knew she entered into college early as well but the two had just stop communicating after a year or two. Twilight got on the internet and began to look for any information on her old friend. Soon she saw several news reports on how Moondancer had won several science fairs and other achievements. Twilight thought, 'Yeah...she hasn't changed, she obviously still loves science. According to this...she graduated early as well with a PhD in...Advanced Physics...that will do nicely...' Twilight spent the next few minutes trying to find a way to contact Moondancer. Soon, she found a way to get her email address. A few emails later, Twilight finally got Moondancer's phone number... “Let me get this straight...you found a energy reading that should be impossible at a high school?! I'm sorry but that sounds absurd.” Moondancer said in a bitter tone. “But I emailed you the photos I took. Surely you must admit the readings are something different.” replied Twilight. “I didn't say I denied it.” “So you agree this is interesting?” There was a slight pause from Moondancer. “Yeah...I agree.” she said with a huff. “So...why did you show me this?” “I need help. My current investigations have been...lacking. I need a second opinion and possibly someone else to help me create a device to understand these readings better.” “And you want my help?” “Yeah. I mean, you just graduated right? I can get you a place set up and you can help me make something extraordinary! You saw these readings, we could be looking at something beyond the laws of physics!” Moondancer took off her glasses and began to rub her eyes. She let out a huff. “I hate to say it...but you're right. But if I help you, I want you to agree on some things.” “Sure.” “This isn't some big 'let's be friends' thing. If I come over there, its to figure out this energy reading and how it works.” “That's fine.” “Two, we don't do this for some glory seeking thing. Got it?” “I'm not looking for fame Moondancer, I'm doing this because I'm scientifically curious.” “Good. Now, how do we make arrangements so I can get over there?” “I think I have an idea...” A few days later... “I say we go and interrogate those six!” Moondancer yelled as she slammed her fist into the wall. “And I say its too early Moondancer!” Twilight said as she grabbed a few papers and showed them to Moondancer. “Look at these readings! Even you said that this reading is similar to a type of energy signature that only a portal could make!” “I know it is! But it came from a statue that we've gone to for the past five nights! We need to expand our field of investigation! Why are you so against meeting these six?!” “I...I...I don't know.” Twilight said as she put the papers down, slumping down in a chair. “I just...I don't know.” “Still shy as ever huh?” Moondancer said with a cocky grin. She sat down in another chair and said, “But...I understand your pain...I'm not much into talking to others either...I just want to understand all of this though...” “Yeah...me too.” Twilight said with sad expression. “Sorry.” “It's fine.” Moondancer said as she lifted her head. “Tell you what...why don't we go to statue one more time and if we don't find anything new, we investigate those six. Deal?” Twilight stared at the ceiling for a few seconds and glanced at Moondancer. “Deal.” A few hours later, the duo left the house. The two slowly proceeded to the school under the shadow of the night. As the two approached the statue, Moondancer spoke up, “I forgot to tell you Twilight...uh...um...” “What?” “Thanks for letting me stay at your place...you didn't have to let me stay in your spare room...” “It's no problem Moondancer.” Twilight said with a small smile. “Though I am a little concerned about tomorrow though...” “What's tomorrow?” “My brother is supposed to come over for a few hours.” “Oh. I'll stay out of your way if you need me too.” “Thanks.” Twilight said as she pressed a few buttons on the Twilight Scanner. It began to beep as the two got close to the statue. Moondancer spoke up as they finally arrived. “Still nothing...just the same old readings, isn't it?” “Yeah...its kinda depressing...” Twilight said as she put her hand on the statue. She let out a yelp as her hand suddenly went through the statue like it was made out of water. She quickly pulled her hand out and said, “Whoa! What was that?!” “What was what?” Moonancer asked as she adjusted her flashlight. “What happened? What's wrong?” “Shine the flashlight at my hand.” “Okay...” Moondancer said as she shined the light on Twilight's hand. Moondancer's expression changed from confusion to pure shock as she saw Twilight's hand disappear into the statue. “How...how did you do that?!” “I...don't know...” Twilight said in a shocked tone. “I just put my hand on the statue and...” Her hand went through the statue again. “That happened...” “Whoa...no way. We've been here for the past five nights and that's never happened...right?” Moondancer said with hesitation in her voice. “I am right, aren't I?” “Yeah...I've examined every bit of this statue and...” Her hand came out of the statue again. “That has never happened before...” The two stared at each other in disbelief for a few minutes. Then, Twilight spoke up, “Hey...why don't you try your hand?” “My hand?!” “Yeah. Your hand.” “Um...er...okay.” Moondancer said as she slowly put her hand on the statue. Just like Twilight, her hand went through. “That's creepy...” she said as a shiver went down her spine. “Is thing a portal?” “I don't know...I guess it could be, though its odd that it activated now...” “Yeah...though it feels really weird...” “I agree. I'm gonna try to use the scanner in the statue, see what kind of readings we can get....” Twilight said as she prepared the Twilight Scanner. She put her hand in with the scanner in her palm. As her hand went into the statue, she quickly noticed something odd. She couldn't feel her fingers. That and her scanner immediately fell out of her hand as soon as her hand went through. Her face went pale as looked at Moondancer in despair. “Uh...we have a problem...” “What?” “I dropped the scanner...” “YOU WHAT?!” “Yeah...sorry.” Moondancer showed a pained expression. “So...uh...what do we do now?” Twilight looked at the statue for a few minutes and said, “I'm going in.” “Huh?” “I said...I'm going in.” “You...want to go into the statue? In other words, the portal...” Moondancer said in a dumbfounded face. “Are you crazy?!” “How else are we going to get the scanner?!” “Uh...um...er...” Moondancer twiddled her thumbs. “No idea...” “Okay...” Twilight turned and took a deep breath. “Um...” “Are you scared now?” “Yeah...wouldn't you be?!” “Well...” Moondancer put the flashlight down and went up to Twilight. “Do you want to...uh...” “Could you come with me?” Twilight said in a slight panic. Moondancer gulped as she heard those words and said, “Um...er...I don't know.” “But Moondancer...this is a portal. Think about it...there has to be an entrance and an exit...” “Yeah...I know. But what if we go in there and we get lost?! What if we can't get back here?!” panicked Moondancer. “It'll be fine. I'm sure of it.” “But...how can you be so sure?! I mean, you could be stuck there and not be able to get back to your dog!” “My brother's coming tomorrow and he's got a key to my house.” “Oh...” Moondancer continued to twiddle her thumbs. “But...um...okay.” “Okay?” “Yeah...let's do it.” Moondancer said as she glared at the statue. “But we're going in to get the scanner, that's all.” “Agreed.” Twilight said as she readjusted her glasses. “Alright...let's do this.” she said as the two began to enter the statue. The two felt shivers down their bodies as they slowly went into the statue. It was then that the duo began their adventure into Equestria. Author's Note Okay...finally got this out there. I've worked on this chapter since June and...I wasn't sure if I should put it out there. However, I decided to go ahead and do it. This story will be updated monthly so expect a bit of a wait after each chapter. Also, I will explain why the portal is working next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
The Portal and other ProblemsOne hours ago... “Okay Spike...according to my calculations...this should work...” Twilight said as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. Spike merely let out a groan and said, “Ugh...you said the same thing the last four times we did this...and we've been doing this all day! Can't we go to bed already?! You've been up longer than me!” “I know Spike...I know.” Twilight said as her horn began to shine. “Now, on my signal, pull the lever.” “It's not gonna shock me again, is it?” “No. I promise it won't shock you. Again.” Twilight pressed a few buttons and said, “Okay, pull the lever.” “Alright.” Spike said with some hesitation. KER-CHUNK! ZAP! “AAAaaaahhhhh!” yelped Spike as electricity filled his body and blasted him across the room. “SPIKE! ARE YOU OKAY?!” screamed Twilight as she saw her assistant go flying. She quickly ran over to him, only to see the little dragon laying on the floor, his eyes spinning. “I'm okay...I feel fiiiiinnnneeee...” Spike said as he flapped his arms around. “I feel great...” “I'm sorry Spike...” Twilight said as she picked up Spike and put her on her back. “I should have noticed the electric discharge...” Spike let out a huff of smoke and said. “Can I go to bed now? I'm tired of getting hurt...” “Yeah...I'm sorry.” Twilight said as the two went to Spike's room in the castle. As Twilight put Spike to bed, she gave him a hug. “I'll stop experimenting with the mirror for now Spike, I'm sorry I hurt you. Again.” “It's fine.” Spike said as he hugged back. “I'm okay Twilight.” “That's good...thanks Spike. I'm sorry I treat you like that.” “It's fine...I'm your number one assistant after all!” Twilight gave Spike a kiss on the forehead. “That's right Spike. Good night.” “Good night.” Twilight left the room, closing the door. She let out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes with one of her hooves. Soon, she found herself at her bedroom and opened the door. “Ugh...what a day...maybe I should just go to sleep...” she said to herself as she went to a desk. As she shuffled a bunch of papers, she thought, 'Let's see...where's the other theory paper I had...I know I'm close...just a little more and I should be able to see other worlds with the mirror...' Twilight found the paper she was looking for and let out another yawn. “I'm so sleepy...maybe I should do this tomorrow...but I have to turn off the portal...and turn...the lights off...” Before Twilight knew it, she fell on her bed, fast asleep. The Present... “AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” yelled Twilight and Moondancer in unison. A few seconds later, the two flew out of the mirror. The duo fell onto the floor, both faces kissing the floor. “Owwwww....” moaned Moondancer as she tried to lift her head. As she did, she looked around only to see nothing but blurs. “Uh...what the...” Then it dawned on her, “My glasses! Where are my glasses?!” “Your glasses?” said Twilight as she lifted her head as well. “Did they...WHOA!” she yelped as she saw Moondancer in pony form. Twilight just stood in disbelief as Moondancer responded. “What?! What happened?!” “I...uh...er...” Twilight stuttered as she watched Moondancer look around, squinting her eyes. “Twilight?!” “Uh...Moondancer?” Twilight asked with a gulp. “Yeah...what's wrong Twilight?” “Why...why are you a unicorn?” she said slowly. “A unicorn?! What are you talking about?!” Moondancer said as her head continued to shift around, still trying to see where she was. “It's just...you...uh...I think you've become a unicorn...” Twilight said as she pointed her hoof at Moondancer. Twilight then looked down and saw her hoof. “WHOA!” she yelped as she stared at her hoof. She began flailing them around and said, “What happened to my hands?!” “Okay Twilight, you have stop panicking over whatever you're panicking over and help me find my glasses!” Moondancer said in a disgruntled tone. However, Moondancer's words fell on deaf ears as Twilight continued to wiggle her hooves in front of her. “What is happening?!” she said, “What am I?!” As this was going on, Moondancer began crawling on the floor, her hooves tapping the floor. 'Why can't I feel my fingers?' thought Moondancer as she continued to crawl. 'Something is definitely wrong here...' Twilight took a deep breath. 'Okay...stop panicking Twilight...' she thought as she tried to compose herself. But didn't work. “AAAaaaahhh! What is happening?! Why is this happening?!” Despite her screams, the other two in the castle were still fast asleep. It was then that Moondancer finally found her glasses. As she tried to put them on, Twilight finally calmed down. Twilight tried to stand on two legs, only to fall over. 'Okay...' Twilight thought as she looked at the rest of her body. 'Okay...I'm a pony, er...unicorn...I think...and I still have my jacket and glasses on...' Twilight shook her head and got up on all fours. 'Right...a pony is a quadrupedal. That means I need to be on all fours...' Moondancer finally put her glasses on. She found it extremely hard to do since she couldn't feel her fingers. As her eyes began to focus through her glasses, her eyes began to grow in shock of what she was seeing. Her body shook as she looked at Twilight and then herself. “Uh...Twilight?” “Yeah?” responded Twilight as she turned and looked at Moondancer. She saw the now frightened face Moondancer was wearing and tried to give a comforting face back. It didn't work. Moondancer began to shake her hooves up and down as her body shook all over. Twilight tried to walk over to Moondancer to comfort her, only to fall over. “Ow...right...on all fours...” “Aaaaahhhh! Why is this happening?!” yelped Moondancer as she kept staring at her shaking hooves. “What is going on?!” “Wait Moondancer...oof!” Twilight’s face kissed the floor again. “I panicked as well but...ow!” As Twilight finally got to Moondancer, she suddenly stopped. Moondancer just stood there, adjusting her glasses with her hoof. “I'm fine now.” she said in confident tone. “Uh...you sure?” Twilight asked with a confused face. “Yeah...I'm sure. I'm not much into panicking, unlike you.” “I'm not into panicking Moondancer.” Twilight said with a disgruntled look. “I was freaking out because I somehow turned into a pony...just like you!” “I know...I know...” Moondancer said as tried to steady herself on four legs. “Now...how do we get out of here and turn back to human beings?” “Well...” Twilight said as she began to look at her surroundings. “We need to find the scanner and...” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she saw the next sight in front of her. There were books upon books around her and she felt so embarrassed that she hadn't noticed yet. “Moondancer...look at all these books...” Twilight said as drool began to fall out of her mouth. “So many books...” Moondancer chuckled as she saw the drool come out of Twilight’s mouth. She looked around as well and was significantly impressed with the amount of books around them. Then, she saw something that impressed her more than anything. She saw the mirror and the mechanical apparatus around it. “Twilight...look at that...” she said as she pointed her hoof. Twilight turned and saw the machine with the mirror. Her jaw dropped in astonishment. “Amazing...” “I know...” Moondancer replied as she began to scan every inch of the machine. “Twilight...this machine...is it what I think it is?” Twilight looked over it as well and said, “If you're thinking this is the portal back...yeah, I'm thinking the same thing.” “Looks like the apparatus is designed for some power source into this...looks like a mirror...” Moondancer said as she scratched her chin in thought. She turned to Twilight. “Is this machine being powered by a book?” “Uh...” Twilight looked the machine over again. “I don't think so...it kinda looks like the machine is using the book as a sort of signal instead...perhaps the book has something that connects itself to other worlds...” “You mean...you think the book is connected to...where we live?” Moondancer said with some skepticism. Twilight just gave a shrug. “I'm not sure...but that's my guess.” “Well...I won't deny the possibility...especially considering what has just happened to us, anything is possible...” Moondancer still showed a skeptical look but gave Twilight a nod. “Now, let's get the scanner and get out of here.” “What?!” yelped Twilight. “But...but...look at all this Moondancer! Look at this place!” “Yeah...I see it. But we agreed to get the scanner and leave, remember?” “But Moondancer...We finally found something!” Twilight pleaded. “We finally found out why it always gave that signal! We know its a portal now!” “Yes. We do. Now let the scanner collect the data and we can process it back at the house.” “But...” Twilight racked her brain, trying to find some way to make Moondancer listen. Then an idea hit her, “Wait! What if this is are only chance to explore this place?” “What do you mean?” “Well...we've been examining the statue for days, remember?” Twilight said as she sat down, twiddling her hooves like they were thumbs. “What if the portal stops tomorrow?” Moondancer sat there, thinking for a second. She glanced around at the equipment, only to notice a lever was pulled down. She pointed at it and said, “Perhaps that's why we were able to get through.” Twilight looked at the lever. “Someone left it on? You mean...this was someone's mistake?” “That...or its their experiment. Perhaps they're testing how long it can stay on.” “Maybe...” Twilight said as she began to look around some more. There, she saw a chalkboard that covered in diagrams and calculations. Moondancer saw Twilight staring at the chalkboard and soon followed. As the two looked it over, Twilight spoke up, “Um...Moondancer? Is this what I think it is?” “Well...are you thinking this is an experiment about going to different worlds?” “Yep. That's what I was thinking...” Twilight said as her eyes began to shine again. “Amazing...whoever made this...wow...” “Twilight...you're drooling again.” “Oh...sorry.” Twilight said as she wiped her mouth. “Now...what do you think we should do now? We can't just leave, we might never be able to get back here.” “Then let's use the scanner and collect all of the data we can. After we print it off of that house, we can go from there. After all...” Moondancer glanced over the machine and the mirror again. “I've memorized most of the parts of this machine...I should be able to replicate it.” Twilight looked at the machine again. “I've memorized it too Moondancer but...” Twilight looked at the chalkboard. “Based on these calculations...I think the mirror is more important...” “What do you mean?” “Looks like this mirror...I think it was already a portal, or at least a portal device.” Twilight said as she rubbed her chin. “Besides, if we want to replicate this...we also need the book.” “But we can't leave if the book isn't in the machine?” Moondancer responded with a sly tone. “Is that what you were about to say?” “Well...yes.” “Then don't worry about it.” “Why not?” “Think about it Twilight, why does this mirror portal thing need the book?” “Uh...” A lightbulb turned on. “Ah! There must be another book! It's using the book to connect to our world! Or...at least I think this is another world...” “Yeah...” Moondancer looked back at the notes on the chalkboard. “Say Twilight...could I propose something?” “Sure.” “Why don't we try using the mirror without the book?” “Without the book, huh? I guess that could work...but why do you want to try that?” “Well...if the book is what connects to our world...I would like to see what it connects to without the book. Perhaps it connects to some singular point of space...” Twilight eyes turned to stars at the very mention of the idea. “Oh wow! What a wonderful idea Moondancer! Let's try that immediately!” “But...what if it doesn't work?” “Doesn't matter! Half the fun of being a scientist is doing the unknown!” “Okay...I'll agree with you there...” Moondancer glanced at the machine again. “But...how are we going to get the book down? I mean, there's no way the two of us can reach it up there.” “Yeah...we're a bit smaller in this unicorn form...” Twilight said as she looked over her body. “Oh, I know! Maybe there's a ladder somewhere around here...after all, whoever made this had to put it there somehow.” “Okay...should we both go look for one?” “Well...I wanted to explore this place anyways, so I'll go look. You stay here and look over all of this again. Make sure we don't miss anything before turning this thing off and removing the book.” “Okay Twilight.” Moondancer said as she turned back to the chalkboard. Twilight began her venture outside of the room, looking down the dark hallways. 'Gee...I wish we didn't have to do this at night...' she thought as she roamed the next hallway. 'These halls sure are creepy looking in this darkness...' TINK! Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard the sudden sound and she slowly turned around. There, she saw a pair of glowing eyes. “Uh...hello?” Twilight said to the eyes. “Grrr...” it said with a hiss. “What the...” Twilight said before the creature attacked her. “Aaah!” Back at the portal... Moondancer continued to look over the machine and chalkboard. “Perhaps I was wrong...now that I look at this again, it looks like the mirror might already connect to our world...” She looked at the mirror again. “Could that book just be there to help the portal?” Moondancer let out a yawn. “Ugh...I hope Twilight comes back soon. Its so late...I need a nap...” Meanwhile... “Hello my minion. Did you get that blasted Twilight Sparkle?” said a voice as the creature delivered an unconscious Twilight to her. “Yes my queen.” the creature said as she put Twilight down. “Here she is my queen.” “Yes...well done my little changeling.” she said as she poked Twilight with her hoof. “Hmm...I thought she had become an alicorn now...strange...” “Did...did I fail my queen? Should I be punished Queen Chryalis?” “No. This is her, odd that it might be. I recognize that blasted purple pony anywhere...Put her in a cocoon. She's just the beginning of my plans for Equestria." "Yes my queen." Author's Note I know I had said this would be monthly but...I wrote this up suddenly. I going to try to do this story a chapter a week, but I can't guarantee it. It may be every two weeks until I get a better plan for it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
More Problems with a side of Changelings“Good grief! What is taking Twilight so long?!” moaned Moondancer as she continued to sit inside the portal room. It had been fifteen minutes since Twilight had left to get a ladder and it was fifteen minutes too many for Moondancer. She frantically paced around the room during the wait, though she fell over a few times due to her new pony body. More veins appeared on her head until she had finally had enough. “That's it! I don't care anymore! I wanna go home and get some rest! We have the data on the scanner...I'm going home and Twilight is coming with me!” Moonancer stormed out of the room and proceeded down the nearest hallway. Moondancer had to squint her eyes as she went through the castle at night. “Twilight?!” she yelled repeatedly. “Twilight?! Where are you?!” She then turned her head and saw a door, Moondancer glanced around and said to herself, “Guess I better start checking every room...” As she opened the door with her hoof, a chilly wind blasted through. “Whoa! Brr, that's cold...” Moondancer quickly noticed she was on a balcony now and a grand view was in front of her. She looked outside, seeing a small village a little bit away. There were a few lights on, but they were barely visible in the cloak of the night. 'Huh...' she thought as she stared at the sight before her. 'So...I'm in some rural country? Is that where this portal sent me?' Moondancer turned and looked up, seeing the Crystal Tree Castle behind her. 'Amazing...I'm in some sort of...Crystal Tree? Certainly a strange design, though it does make me feel like I'm in another world.' She soon went back into the castle, still yelling Twilight's name. As she wandered down another hallway, a door suddenly opened right beside her. SLAM! “Whoa!” she yelped as she fell over from the surprise. Moondancer tried to keep her glasses on as she stumbled to get up. “What the heck?! Don't just slam doors like that!” What came out of the door was Twilight Sparkle, her horn shining from a light spell. Her eyes were half open as she yelled, “Okay, who is...Moondancer?!” “Twilight! I have been searching everywhere for you! What took you so long?!” screamed Moondancer in a fit of rage. “What took me...what are you talking about? And why are you in my castle?” “What am I...” It was at this moment that Moondancer noticed something a little different about the Twilight in front of her. “Uh...when do you get wings? And why is your horn glowing?” “Why is my...uh, I'm using a light spell Moondancer.” Twilight said in a deadpan tone. “And I have wings because I'm an alicorn, remember?” Moondancer's head turned sideways in confusion. “What's an alicorn?” “What do mean what's a...” A lightbulb went off in Twilight's head. “Uh-oh.” Meanwhile, in a secret evil lair... “Wake up!” Chrysalis yelled at the cocoon that Twilight was now in. The purple pony slowly stirred as her hooves tried move. “I said wake up Twilight Sparkle!” “Okay...okay...” moaned Twilight as her eyelids tried to move. “Geez...what is...” Chrysalis did not see the next moment coming. She was expecting Twilight to lash out in anger or yell at her. Instead, she got this: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!” screamed Twilight as she began wriggling in the green gooey cocoon. “Uh...” “What is this?! Where am I?! Why is this happening?!” Twilight yelled as her head starting throbbing up and down. Then she showed a face filled with fear and disgust. “Eeeewww! What is this stuff?! It's all gooey and gross!” “Er...” Twilight yelled for a few more seconds and suddenly stopped. She took a long deep breath. “Okay...got that out of my system...Sorry about that.” “Yeah...” Chrysalis said in a confused tone. “Now...where were we?” “I don't know. Who are you?” “Who am...wait. You don't know who I am?” Chrysalis said as she pointed to herself. Twilight shook her head. “Are you serious?” “Yeah. I've never met you before.” Twilight said as she looked Chrysalis up and down. “Though I must admit...I've never seen anything like you before...what exactly are you? Some sort of pony-bug hybrid?” “I...” Chrysalis opened her mouth, only for it to just hang there. A small changeling walked up and closed her mouth. Chrysalis just there in pure shock, not sure what to think. A few moments later, she finally spoke up, “Okay...so you're not Twilight...that's why you don't have wings.” “Hey! I am Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight barked back, only to put on a thinking face. “Though...why do you think I'm supposed to have wings? I've never heard of a unicorn with wings before...” “You've never heard-” Chrysalis stuttered as she displayed a dumbfounded look. “WHAT?! Who are you?!” “I told you before! I'm Twilight Sparkle!” “No you're not! If you were, you would know who I am!” “Well I don't! I've never seen you before till now!” “Why you little-” Two changelings watched the queen and the unicorn continue to yell at each other. One of the changelings turned his head and said, “This is gonna be a long night isn't it?” “Yup.” Back at the castle... “Okay...let me get straight...” groaned Moondancer as she rubbed the side of her face in frustration. She pointed her hoof at the alicorn and said, “You're the version of Twilight Sparkle in this world.” “Yes.” Twilight nodded. “And the mirror is a portal to my world and you've been experimenting on it.” “Yes.” “And you're a princess...which is why you have wings. And you can use magic through your horn.” “That's correct. Oh, and you can use magic through your horn as well. You are a unicorn after all.” “Yeah...” Several veins on Moondancer's head began to twitch. She then flailed her hooves in the air in anger. “That's it! I'm done!” “Huh?” “I'm leaving. I am too tired for this.” Moondancer said as she got up and walked over to the mirror. “Other world where I turn into a unicorn...this is so crazy it hurts.” “But it's the truth Moondancer. Besides, it's best we...uh...find the other 'Twilight' and have you both go through the portal. You said she wouldn’t leave without the scanner right?” “Yeah...we agreed to get the readings and go home but...she never returned from getting a ladder.” “You needed a ladder? Why?” “To...reach the book.” “But you could just levitate it with...oh. Right. You don't know how to use your horn yet.” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “Well...it is getting late. Do you think this version of me would go into town by herself?” “No. She's not much into interacting with others. Maybe she's lost in this maze of a castle.” “Yeah...I still get lost in it myself.” Twilight responded with a slight blush. “Though I just got it a little while ago.” “Hmmm...” Moondancer grumbled as she tried to think of what to do next. Twilight stood there in thought as well. After a little bit, Twilight clapped her hooves. “I've got an idea!” “Huh?” “Why don't I move some of my spare room beds down to the portal here? You said earlier you were sleepy, so you could just lay down and wait for her here. I'll even make us some coffee to help you stay awake if you want to do that instead.” “Well...that's not a bad idea...but she's been gone for like an hour! Doesn't that worry you?!” “It does...but we won't be able to find her in this darkness. Right now there's barely any moon out. Best to wait it out. If she doesn't come in the next hour...we'll do something else.” “Okay.” Moondancer replied with a nod. “Don't have any reason to argue with you there.” “That's great!” Twilight said with shining eyes. “Oh, while we're at it, you can tell me about your world! I've already been there before but only for two or three days! There's some parts of that world I want to know more about it! Well...except the part where I turn into those weird human creatures...” “I...uh...sure.” Moondancer said with hesitation. 'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' Author's Note Remember when I said this was gonna be monthly? Yeah...its gonna be that from now on. I honestly wanted to write more in this chapter but I couldn't think of an ending besides this one. The next chapter will be the second day in Equestria. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
