Equestrian Voidby DJNightmar3ChaptersThe AccidentThe Journey BeginsThe First Spark, JusticeThe AccidentEquestrian Void Chapter One: The Accident The events that are about to occur are events that may be so mentally scarring, that the characters involved may wish to willingly remove them from their memory or choose to keep them as reminders to pass down to the generations to come. Our story takes place in a world in which peace is a given commodity. The place I speak of is the land of Equestria. But for this tale of inter-dimensional quandaries, we are going to focus on a quaint little town called Ponyville. In this world, the residents have faced disasters such as the return of the mythical Nightmare Moon, the summoning of the lord of chaos, Discord, and even the powerful queen of the changelings, Queen Chrysalis. For the calamities that have followed, everything has been resolved by the actions of Equestria’s leaders, along with the help of six courageous mares: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight’s assistant, Spike. Six months have passed since the events with the changelings, and for that time, the town of Ponyville has remained peaceful. That is… until one fateful day, when a regular party thrown by Pinkie Pie turned into a discovery that will change the heroines' lives forever… ~~~~~~~~~ One day, a day just like any other, Pinkie Pie decided to throw a party. Why? It’s Pinkie Pie, therefore, a reason isn’t needed. She had sent invitations to all of her friends to come over and attend it and as expected, they all had arrived, one by one, with Twilight and Spike being the last ones to show up. “Hey there, Twilight and Spikearoo!" Shouted Pinkie Pie, rushing up to greet them. “The party looks a bit bigger than usual this time, Pinkie." Said Twilight, a bit curious as to why the party was big, considering there was no reason behind the party. “Aw, come on, Twi. Does it matter how big it is? A party’s still a party." Said Spike, with reassuring confidence. Twilight had looked around and saw that the other ponies were having a great time, so her confusion slowly faded away. “I guess you’re right, Spike." Said Twilight, “As long as everypony is having a good time, I shouldn’t be such a worrywart. Twilight no longer had any worries on her mind and freely joined Spike and the rest of the ponies in the ongoing party. “This here is sure one heck of a hoedown, Pinkie Pie!" Said Applejack, as she was dancing to the music blaring from the music set that Pinkie borrowed from Vinyl Scratch. “I do agree, darling." Stated Rarity, standing near the table with the refreshments, “This party is indeed bigger and more… musical than your usual ones. “Aw, who cares?! This is still one rocking party, Pinkie!" Shouted Rainbow Dash, flying through the room kicking her hooves in excitement. “C-Calm down, Rainbow Dash…" Said Fluttershy, in a voice almost too faint for anyone to hear, “You’re going to make the neighbors worry, and don’t forget about the animals, too…" E As the ponies were having the times of their lives, seeming like no one has a care in the world, Pinkie Pie rolled into the back room, as if to get something that she wanted to either give to someone or use as a party tool. A few seconds later, she rolled back out of the room, stumbling into a wall. Only this time, she had what looked like a rolled up piece of paper in her mouth. Twilight almost immediately notices the paper Pinkie was holding and became not just curious, but also worrisome… “What’s that piece of paper you have in your mouth, Pinkie?" Twilight asked with a stumbling curiosity. Pinkie Pie quickly and clumsily stood up and responded, “Oh, this? This is something I wanted to give you, Twi! I found this while I was going through things to set up for this party. It looked like nothing but a bunch of gobbledy-gook, so I thought you could figure out what it says. I ain’t got a clue what it means." E “Thanks… Pinkie." Said Twilight in a disappointed tone. Twilight then took a moment to ponder what Pinkie had just given her. “What in the world could Pinkie mean by ‘a bunch of gobbledy-gook? Could it be an ancient foreign language? Or maybe some kind of map that leads to a super-rare treasure? Or maybe….." As Twilight rambles on about what could be in the contents of the mysterious paper she was just handed, the party continues for hours on end…. ~~~~~~~~~ Finally, the time is now 7:43 p.m. and all of the ponies are starting to leave the party, tired, exhausted, and extremely happy. Every one of the ponies says their goodbyes for now and returns to their homes. Twilight, however grabbed Spike, quickly tossed him on her back, and started madly galloping towards the Library, the place in which both Twilight and Spike reside. “Whoa, Twi! EShouted Spike, surprised at how much of a rush Twilight was in, “What’s the big rush home, Twilight?" Twilight quickly turned her head back to Spike and said, “Pinkie gave me what I believe to be an ancient scroll and I want to find out what’s written on it as soon as possible!" She then turned her head back to the front to make sure she didn’t get lost on her way back, due to her excitement. After a short time, Twilight and Spike arrive at the Library. With no haste, Twilight burst through the door, without giving any regard to Spike, who had toppled over and landed square on the floor. Twilight then took the scroll she had in her mouth and unraveled it on the podium she usually reads books on and quickly began to decipher the contents of what lied inside the mysterious piece of paper. Spike slowly recovered from his fall. “Twilight, shouldn’t you get some sleep? It won’t be healthy for you to stay up all night looking at that thing." Twilight, with hair all flustered, turned back to Spike and said, “You don’t get it Spike… Just the mere thought of what this thing can tell me gets me a mood just like the feeling I get when I get a fresh, new book in stock. I can’t WAIT to delve into the contents in which it can hold!" After Twilight’s little speech to Spike, she turned back around and was quickly bobbing her head left and right, translating letter after letter of the scroll. Spike then began to walk towards the stairs with a worried look on his face. As he began to walk up the stairs, he began to mumble under his breath, so Twilight could not hear what he was saying. “She has no idea how much she makes the rest of us worry when it comes to stuff like this… especially me. I just hope she at least gets some sleep…" With Spike off to sleep in a saddened state of mind, Twilight labors away with the deciphering with determination in her eyes. She mumbles the words as she decodes them, trying to piece them together, seeing if there’s a correlation between them… Little does she know, that she will unravel something that no one, or rather no pony, should have discovered… ~~~~~~~~~ The next morning… as Spike comes downstairs, awakened from his slumber, the first thing he sees is Twilight near her podium, looking as if she has passed out. Spike rushes over to where Twilight lays motionless. “Tw-Twilight!" Spike yells, “Are you okay, Twi?! C’mon, wake up!" Spike shook Twilight, hoping that would wake her up. After shaking her for a solid minute, Twilight had come to. Twilight had awoken, dumbfounded and mumbling to herself. “H-huh? Wha-? Spike? What’s with the shaking? You need something?" She then snapped back from her tired state, then almost immediately turned her attention back to the scroll. “Oh! That’s right! The scroll… I’ve almost got everything figured out! Just a little more…" Spike let out a disappointed sigh. “Twilight, you need to take a break from that thing. You can’t let it be your life’s work, or whatever. This is kinda getting out of hand." Spike was giving off an aura of concern, but not a strong enough aura to delude Twilight from the scroll. “Fine, Twilight. If that scroll is all you care about, I’m going to get the other ponies here to help get you away from that thing!" Spike suddenly let out with an angry voice. Spike had left the Library in a rush, but Twilight didn’t even notice that. She was still too busy and caught up with the scroll to even care… The time is now 11:24 a.m. Location: Ponyville Library. Spike comes rushing in through the door, with the other ponies quickly following behind him. Rainbow Dash is the first one to rush past Spike fast enough to be the first one to speak her mind to Twilight. “All right, listen here you!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “You need to take a break from that thing right now!" Twilight turned around with a small grin on her face. “Why bother with breaks?" She said in a creepy voice, while quietly laughing to herself, “I’ve finally figured out the whole thing… I don’t need breaks now…" As Twilight continued to laugh quietly to herself, the rest of the gang gives her a worried look. “Uhh… you all right there, sugarcube?" Asked Applejack. “All right? I’m better than all right. I’m fantastic!" Exclaimed Twilight. “In fact…" Started Twilight, “I wanted to read to you all what the scroll says. I managed to figure it all out in One. Single. Night." Everyone gasps at the thought of what Twilight could have discovered. “Well, don’t keep us waiting!" Exclaimed Pinkie Pie, joyfully, “Tell us what it says! I bet it was something old and awesome or something crazy, or maybe even a treasure, or… something like that." “Indeed it WAS, Pinkie Pie!" Started Twilight, in a sort of maniacal voice, “What I found out was absolutely shocking! It turns out the scroll you gave me was actually a highly advanced ancient spell of some sorts. Based on the language it was in, it was used to teleport objects of large mass or large quantity back in the times when magic was rare and manual labor was all too common. The spell may have even been capable of rearranging the atomic structure of the objects themselves!" “Where are you going with this, darling?" Questioned Rarity. “Good question, Rarity. What I’m getting at is that I wanted to test this spell with all of us in one spot to see if I can pull this off myself!" “Whoa, there, Twi!" Shouted Rainbow Dash, “I like adventure as much as the next pony, but shouldn’t you get some experience with this first?" “I’m trying it out NOW!" Shouted Twilight, in a sort of psychotic voice. Twilight then turned around to the scroll and prepared herself to cast the spell that was written on the scroll. “Get ready, everypony…" ~~~~~~~~~ Everyone had gulped in fright, for even they did not know what was about to happen. “Here I go..." Twilight began to read the enchantment on the scroll, and her horn began to glow as she began to conjure the spell… O great creator of all life, the one who grants us the ability to breathe, heed my precious call… Suddenly, a giant circle started forming at the center of the Library’s floor. Spike and the rest of the ponies stood in the middle of the circle, not knowing whether to leave the circle, or to stay in it… As Twilight read more of the spell, the circle started to take the shape of a rune, being filled in with strange symbols. “Uh… Twilight?" Questioned Spike, worriedly. Unfortunately, Spike’s words could not reach her… Twilight continued to read the enchantment. I call upon the great creator of all life to borrow thine power. The power to manipulate time and space, to defy the mere logic of the universe itself; To create a new dimension using the power bestowed upon me by your grace… Then, seven smaller runes had appeared inside the large rune itself, as if it was counting the number of bodies in the circle. I seek to use this power to break the barrier between god and mortal; To join the ranks of the immortals… Now, Shine down on this world and grant me passage into time and space! As the rune completes itself, Twilight slowly levitates into the air, while the color of the magic emanating from her horn changes colors from light purple to a dark, crimson red. The rune changes colors accordingly to Twilight’s horn as well, making the others worry even more about their well-being. Before anyone could yell to Twilight, suddenly, a bright white light had shown off of Twilight’s horn, engulfing everyone in the Library. After the white light had shone brightly, all that was left behind was merely soot in the shape of the rune that Twilight had made… There was not a sound being made in the Library… except for the sound of sizzling soot from the floor… ~~~~~~~~~ Time: ??? Location: ??? Day: ??? Twilight has temporarily been knocked unconscious after casting the spell… After a short while, she manages to come to her senses… and awakes to a location that she does not know of. A land of almost nothing. A world that once prospered, but now lay to waste before her eyes. As she awakes, she hears sounds of calamity. Sounds of war. “Ugh… W-where… am I?" Twilight struggled to say. Suddenly, Twilight spots something off in the distance… Something that looks like a mechanized robot… and it was being piloted by… a pony! Twilight closed her eyes and tried to pull herself up from off of the ground… ` “Thank Celestia!" Muttered Twilight, “Another pony! Maybe they can-" Twilight tried to stand, but found herself incapable of doing so… She stumbled over and over again trying to lift herself off of the ground… “W-why can’t I… get myself… to stand up?" Struggled Twilight. Then, after opening her eyes, she had discovered something… horrifying. “Wh… What happened to me?!" Shouted Twilight. Her hooves had been replaced with… human hands. And her legs… were normal human legs. Twilight managed to struggle enough to get herself up on her knees… Twilight, now in a state of panic, was trembling from head to toe, muttering to herself, “This… this can’t be happening…. Wh… What in the world HAVE I DONE?!" Twilight, now alone and separated from her friends, had let out a scream at the top her lungs, in hopes that someone would hear her… Tears now started to gather in Twilight’s eyes. ESniff* "I… What have I done?... Spike… Fluttershy… Applejack… Rarity… Rainbow Dash… Pinkie Pie…" As Twilight sits there, sobbing her eyes out, she can feel her soul sinking… When suddenly, a strange, dark, and shadowy figure stands before her. It almost looks like a human, from what she had studied back home… Twilight, still in tears, asks the strange person, “Who… Who are you?" The Shadowy figure smiles evilly and replies… “I art Thou… and Thou art me…” The Journey BeginsChapter 2: The Journey Begins Twilight had just been separated from her dear friends, only to wake up in another universe, taking the shape of a human, and being approached by a shadowy figure that bears striking resemblances to herself, only uttering these words: “I art Thou… and Thou art me…" ~~~~~~~~~ “Wha… What are you talking about?..." Stuttered Twilight, “A-are you supposed to be… me?" “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." Replied Shadow Twilight, “Well, really, I’m your true self." Twilight stumbles and manages to barely stand up. “My… my true self? What in the hay is that supposed to mean?!" She shouted with what little energy she had remaining from struggling to stand. Shadow Twilight begins to slowly walk towards the weakened Twilight. “It means that I am your subconscious. Think of me as that little voice in the back of your head that says your true feelings on something." Twilight begins to back away from her shadow, panting shockingly as she is now starting to grasp the reality of the situation. “So… you’re the… real me?" Shadow Twilight begins to laugh quietly in an evil, ominous tone. “That’s right, you little smart-ass! I’m you, and you’re me! Isn’t it obvious by now? Well, I guess if your stupid friends weren’t in the way, you could study up even more about what’s going on right now!" Twilight gasps in fright. “Wh-what?! That’s not how I feel about my friends! You… You’re lying." Shadow Twilight still continues to laugh. “Oh, come on! Didn’t you hear me the first thousand times?! I’m you, and you’re me! All of those so-called ‘friends' you made are nothing but a bunch of idiotic morons that would abandon you the first chance they got!" Twilight now stands in a state of shock, now questioning what the shadow was saying. “No… Stop saying things like that…. You… YOU’RE NOT ME!" What Twilight did not realize was that by saying those three words, she would unleash an unspeakable chaos upon herself… Just then, Shadow Twilight started to levitate off of the ground, while starting to laugh hysterically. “You have NO idea what you’ve just done! By rejecting your inner self, I have no choice but to MAKE you accept it!" Shadow Twilight had then transformed into a giant monster in the shape of a crimson, six-winged dragon. Twilight, now terrified, frantically thinks of what to do. “Wh…. What can I do?! Wait!" Twilight then tries to extend her arms out towards the dragon, with her hands shaped as if she were trying to cast a spell. “Come on…. Focus, Twilight!" She whispers to herself, “I have to do something, or else it’s the end…" Twilight concentrates all of her remaining energy into her hands, hoping that something would happen… But nothing came out of her hands. Twilight then looks at her hands, in a confused manner. “What? Wh- what’s going on? Why can I use magic?!" Twilight then fell to her knees, unable to do anything against what her shadow self has transformed into. “I… I can’t do anything against it… Is this… really the end for me?..." “You’re DAMN right it’s the end!" Proclaimed Shadow Twilight, “Now give me your soul!" Shouted Shadow Twilight as she dashed toward Twilight with her mouth gaping open, ready to devour her. As Shadow Twilight began her charge, normal Twilight slowly raised her head and closed her eyes, filled with tears of remorse. Twilight, with her voice cracking from crying, began to speak. “Everyone… I’m sorry for doing this… I… I’m sorry…" ~~~~~~~~~ Just as Twilight was awaiting for her final moment of life, an unexpected miracle occurred… Out of nowhere, a voice shouts, “Watch out, lady!" Twilight quickly opens her eyes to see… a human dashing towards the dragon holding what appears to be a giant sickle! “You’re not taking this one too, you damn shadow!" Shouted the mystery man as he swung his sickle at the dragon, throwing off of its path towards Twilight and into the ground. Twilight, still teary-eyed and her voice still cracking, asks the mysterious man, “Wh-Who… Who are you?" The mysterious man turns to Twilight, with a fierce, yet welcoming expression. “Me? The name’s Zack. Zachary N. Ryuusei, Second-In-Command of the World Peace Syndicate. Call me Zack for short." Zack started to walk toward Twilight, with his sickle behind him, as to not show hostility to her, and offered a hand to help her up. Twilight took Zack’s hand and managed to stand up on her legs, but immediately hung her head down, contemplating what Shadow Twilight was saying. “Are you all right, ma’am?" Zack said in a calm voice, “You seem shaken up…" Twilight slowly raised her head to speak back to Zack. “I… I don’t feel that way about my friends… I just don’t… I…" Twilight pupils then shrank in an instant. Twilight points to behind where Zack is standing. “Look out!" Shouted Twilight, “That thing’s getting back up!" Zack quickly turns around, with his sickle in a battle ready stance. The Dragon that was once Shadow Twilight gets up from off of the ground and charges full force at Zack and Twilight! As the creature gets closer to Zack and Twilight, Zack’s sickle becomes engulfed in a green flame… “Bind the threat to save the weak… Kibono Shiru! (Seal of Hope!)" Shouted Zack. Zack’s sickle then splits apart into three separate parts and quickly binds the dragon to the ground! Twilight stands in amazement at what she just witnessed. “How… did you do that?!" Zack turns his head to Twilight, still holding the dragon down with his detached weapon. “Never mind that for now! Right now, you need to accept your true self!" Twilight then steps back, gasping. “What?! N-no way! I will never accept that… thing!" The dragon starts to move, trying to break free of Zack’s chains. Zack, struggling to keep the dragon under wraps, quickly shouts to Twilight, “If you don’t, this thing will just keep attacking until you’re dead" “Until I’m… dead?..." Twilight then begins to think deeply about what course of action she is going to take… “Ugh! Anytime now, lady!" Shouted Zack, still trying to keep the dragon from escaping. Twilight had an epiphany, and now knew what she had to do. Her facial expression had turned serious, and began to walk towards the dragon with the best of her abilities. She then began to mumble to herself. “If I need to accept that thing if I wanna live, then so be it!" Twilight stops walking the second she reaches Zack’s distance from the dragon. “You say you’re the real me, right? Well… fine. I guess, in a way, you… are me." The dragon grunts in confusion. “You’re right. There may be times that I question why I made friends… I just treated it as a side assignment from my teacher… and even though they may have flaws, that’s what I like about them." The dragon then begins to go into a state of panic. Zack, now able to grasp the dragon under his chains, cheers Twilight on. “Keep going, lady! It’s getting weaker!" “I may even delve into emotions that I hardly ever use to sometimes find the logic behind my friends' actions, but throughout my lessons, I’ve learned one universal truth: Flaws are what make us unique. And I accept them, despite their flaws! They are dear to me, and that will never, I repeat, NEVER, change! You hear me?!" Overwhelmed by Twilight’s speech, the dragon lets out a shout of pain, then disintegrates back into its original form. Now standing in front of Twilight and Zack is the original Shadow Twilight. “Heh. I’m glad to be the true self of someone who holds their friends so close to herself. I’ll see ya around, girl…" Suddenly, a white light engulfs Shadow Twilight, then the being disappears, only to have a small card take her place. “What in the world is this thing?" Questioned Twilight. Zack walked up to her side and promptly told her, “It’s your Arcana." “Ar… cana?" Asked Twilight in a puzzled way. “Think of it this way: It’s a special card that’s a physical representation of your true self. We all have one, even me. Just hold out your hands and let it fall into them." Twilight follows Zack’s instructions and holds her hands out. The card then begins to fall into Twilight’s hands, then it shatters, leaving behind glittering white lights. “Wh-what’s this weird feeling I have right now?" Said Twilight after the card shattered. The strength to face one’s heart has awakened the potential within you… Twilight gasped in shock. “I… I can hear a voice inside my head!" Zack stood beside Twilight and placed a hand on her shoulder and his eyes shut. “Good. Now just listen to what it has to say." Twilight also closed her eyes and continued to listen to the voice inside her head. You, chosen one of heart, shall be blessed with thine divine power of The Priestess Arcana. “Priestess… Arcana?" Mumbled Twilight in confusion. “What does it all mean?" ~~~~~~~~~ Zack began to take off his large overcoat, with his eyes still closed. “I’ll explain what it all means later, but here." Zack handed his jacket to Twilight. “Cover yourself with this and follow me." Twilight opened her eyes and looked at Zack with confusion. “Why are you giving me your coat?" Zack, now beginning to blush a little, said to Twilight, in a somewhat sheepish voice, “Because… you’re not… wearing..." Twilight cupped one hand around her ear. “Speak up! I can’t hear you." “I’M TRYING TO SAY YOU’RE NAKED!" Shouted Zack with his eyes still closed and his head hanging down. “Naked?" Wondered Twilight. “What does that mean? Where I come from, we don’t wear clothing unless it’s a special occasion. Or unless it's from Rarity" Zack’s nose started to bleed a bit. “Oh, for the love of-" Mumbled Zack, “Just put the damn coat on!" Twilight, sighing with a bit of disappointment, decided to cover herself with Zack’s jacket. “There, is that better?" Said the now covered Twilight. Zack slowly raised his head, wiping the blood off from underneath his nose in the process, and opened his eyes. “Much better. Forgive me, but the battlefield is the least place I expect to see a naked lady, so sorry if I seemed a little hostile." “But, wait a second…" Started Twilight, “What about just a while ago when you were fighting that dragon thing?! How come you didn’t shy away from me then?!" “In a fight, the battle itself is the only thing a fighter must focus on if they want to live." Said Zack very seriously to Twilight. “I can’t get distracted by something as trivial as a woman’s naked body." Twilight, now feeling a bit of regret, decided that she needed to get back on track to the topic at hand. “Oh, I-I’m sorry for asking. Anyway, can you explain to me just what in the hay is going on here?!" Zack crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and slightly lowered his head. “I would. If only you’d tell me your name first." “My name is Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." Zack’s eyes suddenly opened up wide. “Excuse me?" He said in confusion. Twilight repeated herself, only in a louder tone. “Twilight Sparkle! My name is Twilight Sparkle!" Zack began to look up and give Twilight a surprised look. “Twilight… Sparkle… Why does that name seem familiar?" He mumbled to himself. “I’ve got to consult the chief on this one." “Um, hello? Mr. Zack? Are you okay?" Questioned Twilight. Zack shook his head in a quick manner. “It’s nothing to worry about. Anyway, I’ll tell you everything on the way to HQ." Zack then places two fingers in his mouth and lets out a loud whistle. The ground suddenly starts to shake violently. So much that Twilight is having trouble keeping her footing. “W-W-Whoa! What’s going on?! An Earthquake?!" Shouted Twilight in a panicked voice. Zack turned to her and let out a small chuckle. “Earthquake? Please. It’s just our ride." Suddenly, as if in perfect synch with Zack’s comment, a giant machine came out of the ground behind him and transformed into a mechanized battle-ready robot in mere seconds. “Th-that’s the vehicle we’re taking?" Stuttered Twilight. The pilot’s hatch to the mech opened revealing a pink pony with a blonde mane and a flower in her ear. Twilight gasped in shock. “You! You’re the pony I saw earlier!" Zack raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Pony?" He turned to the mech. “Oh, you mean Rosebud? It’s no ‘pony' as you call it. That thing’s an android." “An… Android? As in a machine with life-like qualities" Twilight asked, still in shock. “Yep. That’s the kind." Zack stated. “The Chief at the WPS made it himself. We asked him about the look and he just told us that the idea came to him in a vision." “Anyway, come on!" Said Zack, walking toward the mech, motioning for Twilight to follow. “We got a long trip ahead, so I’ll answer your question on the way there." The mech lowered itself and created a staircase to two seats behind the Android Pony in the pilot’s seat. Twilight quickly followed behind Zack, boarding the mech and sitting in the seat next to him. The hatch then quickly closed. A robotic voice then came out of nowhere. “Destination?" Twilight was surprised and jumped a little in her seat. “Where did that voice come from?!" Zack chuckled a little. “Relax, it’s just the Android. Or the ‘pony' if you wanna call it that." “Rosebud! World Peace Syndicate HQ!" “Confirmed, Master Zack." Said Rosebud in a monotonous tone. Rosebud then shifted both of her hooves forward and started moving the mech, now on their way to the headquarters that Zack spoke of. Zack turned to Twilight. “So, you want the whole story, now that we got time?" Twilight turned to Zack and nodded. “Yes. I want to know everything. Starting with what that thing that proclaimed it was my 'true self.'" Zack let out a big sigh. “Sadly, that thing wasn’t kidding. What you saw, and what I held back, was the physical manifestation of your true feelings. Only certain people are capable of facing their true selves. There are only two ways to go about dealing with those: Either accept it or deny it." “What would happen if you denied it?" Asked Twilight. Zack motioned a finger across his neck. “It would kill you. Plain and simple." Twilight swallowed in fear out of what could’ve happened if Zack hadn’t shown up when he did... “So what was the whole deal with the… ‘Priestess' thing?" “Ah, here comes the fun part." Proclaimed Zack. “After accepting your true self, your shadow will turn into something called a Tarot Card. On that card will be something called an Arcana, which will grant you magnificent abilities. There are 22 major arcana, and there’ll be one of them on the Tarot Card you got. Try bringing it up." “How?" Questioned Twilight. Zack sat up from his chair. “Hold out your hand like you’re receiving something from someone and focus. Concentrate and call out to your inner being to bring it out…" Twilight held out her hand, sighed, and began to focus. Suddenly, bright white lights started to come from her hand, and then the lights turned into a card… The card just slowly floated in Twilight’s hand and rotated at an angle… “I-I did it…" Twilight said in amazement. “Ah, The Priestess. That’s a rare one." Said Zack as he leaned closer to Twilight to observe the tarot card. “What’s ‘The Priestess' supposed to mean?" Asked Twilight. Zack pulled himself back into his seat to explain. “To sum it up, The Priestess is number 2 of the Arcanas and signifies the quest for inner knowledge in ones self." “Quest for inner knowledge, huh?" Said Twilight. She sat there, staring at the card in her hand, and began to think to herself. “What abilities were given to me from this? And more importantly, can I use it to find my friends?..." Twilight makes the card disappear, then turns toward Zack. “So what’s your… Arcana?" “Mine?" Zack sat up and held out his hand. Sure enough, there were bright white lights in his hand, then a card emerged from the lights and floated down to his hand. “Mine’s number 1, The Magician." “The Magician? Meaning you can use magic?" Asked Twilight in a confused manner. “Hell, far from it, Twi." Chuckled Zack, “The Magician just means I like to take action the second I can. It also represents Immaturity." Twilight giggled a bit. “At least it’s right about that." Zack blushed and quickly turned opposite of Twilight. “Sh-shut up! Jeez…" After Twilight finished giggling, she turned back into a serious mood. “So, now that I know more about this power, what the hay is going on in this world?" Zack’s expression suddenly turned dark. “You really want to know?" “Tell me. I want to help in any way I can." Twilight said with a stern look on her face. Zack let out a huge sigh and prepared for a long speech. “Twilight, right now, we are at war. And by we, I mean the entire World Peace Syndicate." Twilight gasped. “With who?" “The enemy force we’re fighting against call themselves the ABB. I have no clue what it stands for; You can ask the chief when we get back to the base. At first, it just started as small things: Crude remarks against our team members, petty thievery, etc. But then, at one point, they crossed the line..." Twilight grew curious now. “How did they do that?" “By mass murdering our members. 112 in total." Twilight, almost immediately after hearing that, cupped her hands around her mouth in shock. “Yeah. It was pretty messed up. At that point, the ABB had officially declared war on us. We had no choice but to retaliate." Zack let out a depressing sigh. “We’ve been fighting for over 3 years now… When will the damn carnage end..." Zack hung his head in sadness, while clenching his fists tightly. “That’s why… That’s why I decided to fight. I want to help end this madness as soon as possible, and stop those bastards from hurting anyone else! But I can’t do it alone…" Twilight gently placed her hands over Zack’s fists. “You’re not alone. You have me to help you now" She said confidently, with a smile on her face. Zack looked back up from his depression and smiled. “Thanks, Twilight…" From that point forward, Zack and Twilight awaited their arrival to the World Peace Syndicate HQ in the mech piloted by the android/pony, Rosebud. What will be awaiting Twilight at the base, and is she sure that she can trust the people there? One thing is for sure: She is indebted to Zack for saving her life, so she must endure whatever lies ahead of her in this war against clashing ideals…. The First Spark, JusticeChapter 3: The First Spark, Justice After being told what was going on in the world that she had awoken in, Twilight now knew that the world she was in was at war, and that she had befriended a strange, but helpful, man named Zack. Twilight knows nothing about the layout of this world, so, in best interest of her survival, she decides to accompany Zack back to the place he calls the WPS Headquarters. What awaits Twilight at the base? Can she trust Zack’s words about everyone at the base? And, more importantly, will she be able to find the locations of her lost friends in this world? Only time will tell… ~~~~~~~~~ After what had seemed like hours, the trio of heroes start to approach a silhouette of what looks like a small town on the horizon. Twilight squints her eyes in order to get a view of what lays on the horizon. “W-What is that?" Asked Twilight questioningly. Twilight had awoken Zack from what seemed like a power nap. “Huh? Oh, that? That’s HQ." Zack said to Twilight. She had quickly turned to Zack with dismay and disbelief. “You can’t be serious. That place? That place is your home base?" Asked Twilight. Zack quickly started to sit up in his seat. “Hey, don’t judge a book by its cover, Twi. Once we get closer, you’ll be amazed." Zack said assuringly. “15 minutes until arrival at destination, Master Zack." Stated Rosebud in her monotonous, robotic voice. “Ah, wonderful." Zack stated. Zack then turned to Twilight with a big grin on his face. Zack then let out a small chuckle, as if he just heard a joke. “What in the world are you laughing about?" Twilight questioned. “Oh, nothing. I just can’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces when they see you, is all." Twilight was confused, but didn’t pry any farther, at risk of making Zack angry. “I just hope that the people there can help me with what I need help with…" Muttered Twilight in a soft voice. Zack then took a sudden interest in what she had just said. “What exactly are you doing here?" Questioned Zack. Twilight had looked at Zack, now with her expression changed from questioning to saddening. “Truth be told, I have no idea. All I know is that I need to find my friends and get out of here as fast as we can. We have to get back home…" Zack then sat on the edge of his chair, with his gaze fixed on Twilight, as if trying to read her mind. “Find her friends? I didn’t know that she wasn’t alone." Zack thought to himself. “Maybe they can-" All of a sudden, the robot had come to a sudden halt, interrupting Zack’s thought process, launching him face-first into the back of Rosebud’s seat. With no notice of the impact from her chair, Rosebud began to speak. “We have reached our destination. The WPS Headquarters." After struggling to get his face out of her seat, Zack shouts furiously. “I wish you would’ve given me a warning or something first! Geez." Upon seeing Zack like this, Twilight lets out a giggle. Zack turns to Twilight and says, “Oh, ha ha, laugh it up." After his little rebuttal, he stands up and regains his composure and looks sternly at the base. An average sized house, just as Twilight had seen from far away. Twilight unhooks herself from her seat and stands alongside Zack, also staring in the same direction. “This is it." Zack stated in a serious tone. “The second we enter that base, there won’t be much time for messing around." Zack then turned his head toward Twilight, and she did the same. “Are you ready for what you’re about to see, Twi?" Now filled with confidence and determination, Twilight clenched her fists and looks at Zack with passionate eyes “I’m ready. More than I’ll ever be." “Good." Zack replied. “Rosebud, go ahead and let us off here. Twilight and I will walk from here. Go ahead and go back to Docking Bay C and recharge." Upon hearing his command, the latch beside Rosebud had clicked and the door next to Zack had opened. “Yes, Master. I will also report our findings about the unknown enemy we encountered upon finding this woman to the Headmaster." “Good idea." Replied Zack, as he took a leap out of the door onto the ground. Just as Twilight had approached the door, she took a few moments to gaze at the one Zack kept calling Rosebud. She had noticed that the way her body was built looked too much like a pony, like what she herself had looked like before coming to the unknown world. “There’s no way it can just a coincidence. There has to be a reason for this." Just as she was beginning to finish her focus, she heard Zack yell at her from the ground. “Hey! What’s the matter, afraid of heights?" Upon inspection, the jump did seem awfully high. “N-No! I’m not afraid." Twilight said in a shaky voice. “Don’t worry! Jump! I’ll catch you, I promise!" Zack replied to her. With that not-so-promising statement in mind, Twilight leapt out of the vehicular robot, ready and braced to hit the ground. After falling for what seems like an hour, she was suddenly stopped. “Gotcha!" Said Zack. Twilight opened her eyes to see that Zack had caught her. “See? I told you I’d catch you. You can trust me." Zack said to Twilight. After hearing him, Twilight turned her head, with her face being somewhat red. Zack then started to put Twilight down, as she started to regain her footing. “T-Thanks." Twilight spoke. “I’m still not afraid of heights, just a reminder." Zack chuckled and started to walk towards the house, with Twilight following closely behind him. “Don’t worry. You’ll get over your fears eventually. Hell, you overcame that monster earlier, so you’re fine." “Yeah, I guess you’re right." Replied Twilight. “Come on, it’s just a little farther to HQ. Just follow my lead. After a small walk, Zack and Twilight approach the house. “I’m still having second thoughts about this being your base." Stated Twilight. “Oh, don’t worry." Replied Zack as he unlocked and opened the door. “The real surprise is what’s inside." Twilight had glanced inside from where she was standing, and looked at what the contents of house held. “Go ahead on in. Ladies first." Zack had said in a relaxed voice. Twilight had slowly made her way inside the house, making sure not to step on anything. To her surprise, the house was filled to the brim with technological gadgets and gizmos that would make a scientist scream in excitement. “I-I can’t believe what I’m seeing… This is amazing." Twilight said with astonishment. Zack followed Twilight inside and closed and locked the door behind him. “Like it? It’s some samples of what our scientists are able to cook up in the labs. Actually, the stuff in here are the things they don’t have room for in storage." Zack placed his hand on Twilight’s shoulder as she was gazing at the tech. “You’ll have plenty of time to inspect this stuff later. Right now, we need to get down to the real HQ." Zack stated as he headed into another room. Twilight nodded her head and quickly followed behind. Zack then took the top off of a nearby light switch that revealed a sort of keypad. “Wait, what in the world did you just do?" Twilight questioned. Zack turned his head to Twi, while imputing a code into the keypad and stated, “Just stand close to me and watch the magic happen." With a raised eyebrow, Twilight stood close to Zack, waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds, Twilight had heard a quiet beeping sound. “What was that sound?" She asked Zack. Suddenly, the floor had slightly shifted. “That, Twilight, was the sound of progress." Zack replied. Suddenly, the floor was now moving down at a slow and steady pace. “See? This room is merely an elevator. The real lab is underground." Twilight now wore a face of relief to hear that from Zack. “Good," She said as she sighed, “I thought that something was wrong and the house was sinking or something." “Don’t worry, Twi. It’s only a matter of time now." Stated Zack. “A matter of time until what?" Twilight replied. “Until we can find your friends. And get you home." Zack said in a determined tone of voice. Twilight looked at Zack and replied in a thankful voice. "Thanks, Zack." Now that Zack and Twilight are now heading to the inner sanctum of the Headquarters, with her head held high, questions begin to fill Twilight’s head. What awaits her down at the bottom of the elevator? What kind of people are waiting for her? Will they be able to help her with finding her friends and safely getting home? Alongside the only person she’s trusted until now in this unknown world at war, these thoughts fill her head as the elevator slowly descends into the underground abyss below… ~~~~~~~~~ As Zack and Twilight ride the elevator deeper underground, their surroundings began to change significantly. The pit in which they were descending down was no longer showing dirt, but rather some sort of futuristic translucent glass that was surrounding them. The view of the base then became clear to the two, and Twilight couldn’t help but gaze in amazement. “I… I don’t believe it. This whole facility was built underground?" Questioned Twilight. “Yep. From the ‘ground up' I should say." Answered Zack as he chuckled a little at the pun he made. “The whole place you’re looking at took months to build. Matter of fact, we just put the finishing touches in here not too long ago." As Zack finishes his statement, the elevator slowly comes to a halt and the doors in front of them open. Zack begins to walk out of the elevator, grabbing Twilight’s hand as he walked past her. “Come on, follow me. We need to visit the chief so we can figure out what to do next." “All right. Maybe he can answer a few of the questions I have about this place." Replied Twilight. “Don’t worry, the chief’ll take care of anything you got to throw at him." Said Zack confidently. After their short walk out of the elevator, Zack pulls Twilight onto a device that started to glow underneath them. “This’ll get us to the chief in a jiffy. Just don’t let go, got it?" Zack said as he turned his head to Twilight. “Got it!" Twilight replied as she turned her head to Zack and gave him a little smile. Suddenly, a glowing light enveloped the two of them and levitated them into the air. Twilight gasped, as if she already knew what was happening to them. “Are we teleporting?" She questioned. “Right on the money!" Zack replied. After he answered, the two of them were warped directly into the main command room of HQ. The two of them were slowly dropped down and the light enveloping them had disappeared. In front of them were a room full of workers, with two people conversing in front of what looked like a giant monitor. Zack began to walk towards the two, motioning for Twilight to follow him. “Yo, Chief Michaels! I’m back from scouting." Zack shouted. The two people in front of them paused for a moment and turned towards Zack and Twilight. “Ah, yes. Young Master Zack. Rosebud informed me that you would be here soon." Answered the chief. “Hey come on now. I feel weird when you call me that. Can’t you just call me by my first name and leave it at that?" Shrugged Zack. “Oh, come now, lad. I address everyone here that way. Old habits die hard, you know." The chief answered as he started chuckling wholeheartedly. Twilight wasn’t feeling so hospitable, as the woman next to the chief was giving her a gaze as if she wasn’t welcome here, or as if she was an enemy spy. The woman next to the chief cleared her throat and gently nudged the chief and began to whisper to him. “Sir, aren’t you going to ask the Lieutenant here about the woman that’s with him? The one from the report? ESaid the woman. “Ah, of course, Commander Dauntless. Thank you for reminding me." Clarified Chief Michaels. “So, Lieutenant," the chief started, “You say you found this woman in Sector 16, the one near the Industrial District. In the report, you stated that you felt an earthquake at around 1700 hours and went to investigate what had happened at the epicenter, correct?" “Affirmative, Sir." Zack said in a stern voice. “And when you came across this woman, miss ‘Twilight' was it?" The chief asked as he leaned past Zack and looked over at Twilight. “That’s correct. My name is Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." “Right, Right. So, after getting close to the epicenter, you said that you found her confronting her shadow. Is this true, Young Master?" The chief asked with a now serious look on his face. “Yes, sir. After a little scuffle I had with it, Twilight and I managed to subdue and defeat it." Replied Zack. “And in turn, she herself gained her own Arcana, correct? The Priestess, if I recall?" Asked the chief. “That’s correct sir. A somewhat rarity during these times." Zack stated. The chief pushed Zack aside and started to walk towards Twilight, stroking his beard as he was walking. Twilight couldn’t help but slowly back away as he was walking towards her. “Y-Yes? Is there something I can help you with?" Twilight said nervously. The chief suddenly stopped in front of her, stopped stroking his beard, and stared directly into Twilight’s eyes for a second. As he was staring, Twilight swallowed out of fear of what he was thinking. The chief quickly turned around and started walking towards the monitor in the front of the room. “So? What’s the final verdict, Chief? She a keeper or not?" Questioned Commander Dauntless. The chief stopped in front of Zack and placed both of his hands on his shoulders. “She’s perfect." Said the chief in a stern voice. Zack smiled and Twilight let out a huge sigh of relief. “…You can’t be serious." Mumbled Commander Dauntless. “But first…" Stated the chief. He turned towards Twilight and reached into his shirt pocket, but this time, she didn’t feel as much hostility as she did before, when he was examining her. “I hate to ask this of you, seeing as if all of this is still a bit new to you, but on behalf of the World Peace Syndicate, would you be willing to join us?" Asked the chief as he pulled out a small device that looked unfamiliar to her. “Join you?" Twilight asked in a somewhat startled voice. “Come on, Twi." Stated Zack. “We could always use an extra helping hand around here. You’ll feel right at home, I promise." Hearing Zack say the word ‘home' reminded Twilight of what her purpose was in following Zack in the first place. But something kept her from saying yes. She went deep into thought about what could happen if she joined. Suddenly, without warning, an alarm started to go off throughout the entire base. Chief Michaels, Commander Dauntless, and Zack, startled by the alarm, suddenly turned around to see that there was something being shown on the large monitor. “What in the blue bloody blazes is going on?!" Shouted the chief. “Commander Dauntless!" “I’m on it, Sir!" She replied back as she rushed to the computer panel that was below the monitor. “I’m locating the source of the energy spike immediately!" “Energy Spike? What’s going on, Zack?!" Twilight asked in a panicky voice. “It’s just like what happened before I found you! Suddenly, a HUGE spike in energy was found in the area right before the earthquake had happened!" Explained Zack. “T-Then it could be one of my friends!" Shouted Twilight. “That’s preposterous! Borderline insane even!" Shouted Commander Dauntless. “Ember, the reading we’re getting is exactly what happened in the scenario as Zack was in. For all we know, she could be telling the truth." Explained the chief. “Ember? Who’s that?" Twilight whispered to Zack. “It’s Commander Dauntless' first name. She doesn’t like to be called that around the chief. Gets real pissy about it if you do. Trust me. Learned from experience." Zack whispered back. A large beeping noise could be heard from the monitor in front of Commander Dauntless. “Sir! I’ve pinpointed the location of the energy spike! It looks like it’s coming from Sector 12!" Shouted Commander Dauntless. “Sector 12? Where the old Town Hall used to be?" Asked Zack. “Precisely that same one, my boy." Said the chief. “I’ve scanned the area to see if any agents are within the area, and the only one close enough is… Commander Ryuuesi, Sir!" Ember shouted. “Get him onscreen, Commander Dauntless." Ordered the chief. “At once, Sir. Opening communication channels." Said Ember as she started working the controls on the panel. “Ryuusei… Ryuusei…" Mumbled Twilight. “Oh! Zack! Isn’t that your last name, too?" “Right. The one Ember and the Chief are talking about is my father."Zack answered. The monitor in the room started to change as it had open communications with Commander Ryuusei. “About time you guys called me. I was getting tired of just wasting the weak-ass punks in this area. What’s up?" Replied the man onscreen. The chief started to speak to relay orders to him. “Ace. I have some important news for you. This is serious." “Ace?" Asked Twilight. “My dad’s first name." Answered Zack. “All right, then. Spill it. What’cha got for me?" Replied Ace. “We’ve detected a large energy spike near Sector 12 back at HQ." “And let me guess. I’m the only guy available to go and check it out, right?" Asked Ace. “Correct." Said the chief. “But be careful. It’s possible that an earthquake is likely to happen within the next few moments." “How the hell would you guys know that? You guys get a fortune-teller I don’t know about?" Ace said with a snarky voice. “We don’t. This is just the theory we got from a similar situation we got involving your son not too long ago." Said the chief in a snarky voice of his own. “My boy? And what’d he say about it?" Asked Ace. “That after the spike in energy, an earthquake had happened not too long afterwards, and when he went to investigate it, he found a woman that was confronting her shadow." Explained the chief. “Wait, her shadow?" Ace suddenly took more interest. “You better not be bullshittin' be here." “We wouldn’t ‘bullshit' you about something this serious, Ace. Be on your guard." Said the chief in a very serious tone. “All right. I’ll keep my guard up for anything that might happen and call back if I see catch anything suspicious. Ace out." The monitor suddenly switched back to the screen before Ace was called. The chief started to mumble something under his breath. “Ace, don’t do anything too reckless. We don’t want a repeat with Ruby. None of us do..." The monitor suddenly switched back on. “Yo, chief!" It was Ace, but only his voice can be heard. “What is it, Commander Ryuusei?" The chief replied. “You were right. An earthquake happened right after I hung up on you guys." Said Ace. “Looks like the impact happened quite a ways north from the energy spike. I’ll head that way and see what I can find. Ace out." After the monitor switched off, Twilight began to walk towards the chief with a look of determination. “Chief Michaels, was it?" Twilight said sternly. “After considering the possibilities, I’ve made a decision." “Oh? And what might that be, Miss Twilight?" The chief said with a bit of humor in his voice. “I’ll join you. If I’m going to find my friends, I’ll need as much help as I can get." The chief clapped his hands together with joy. “Splendid!" Said the chief as he grabbed the device from earlier. “Now, hold out your hands, my dear." Twilight did just as the chief had told her. The chief grabbed Twilight’s wrist and placed the device in her hand. “This, my dear, is a personal telecommunications device. It’s something that every member carries around with them. It allows us to track and talk to each other, as well as scan materials to send back here for our scientists to analyze." “Wow…" Said Twilight in amazement as she gazed at the device. “Now then, as an official member, we need to get you the proper attire. Ember!" Shouted the chief. “What is it, sir?" Ember replied. “Take Twilight here to the wardrobe department for a quick change up, please. Then bring her back here for her briefing." The chief ordered. “At once, sir." Ember replied with a sour look on her face. Ember walked towards Twilight and quickly pat her on the back. “Come on, follow me." Ember instructed Twilight as she was walking towards the teleporter She and Zack used before. Twilight began to follow behind Ember. “Oh, and Zack!" Twilight said as she stopped and turned around. Zack looked at Twilight as she called him. “What’s up?" “I’ll bring back your jacket after I’m done. Promise." “Hey, don’t sweat it." Zack replied as he blushed a little. Twilight smiled and got on the teleporter with Ember and teleported away to another part of the HQ. ~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile, north of Sector 12, two miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, Ace comes closer to what may have caused the huge energy spike that Headquarters had picked up earlier. “Jeez, whatever I find better be worth my while. I don’t want to waste my time with another meaningless task." Mumbled Ace. After a few more minutes of running, Ace reaches what appears to be a large crater. “Holy…" Ace says as he stands in amazement. “What in the hell could’ve caused this?" He questioned. After examining the crater, he sees what looks like a human silhouette at the center. “Is that?... No way. It can’t be." Says Ace as he slides down the crater to further investigate the center. He stops himself a few feet from the center and slowly walks towards what lies in the center. “I don’t believe it." He says. Upon closer examination, a human woman with long bright yellow hair lies in the center of the crater. “Huh. Who’da thought a person could cause this much damage to the landscape…" Ace mumbled to himself. Suddenly the woman started to groan and open her eyes. “Hey, there. You all right?" Ace said to the woman. “Where… Where in the hay am ah?" The woman replied to him in a southern accent. “You’re right outside where the old Town Hall used to be." Answered Ace. “Where it used to be? Ah don’t remember there being a new one. Did Mayor Mare make a new one?" Asked the woman. Ace raised an eyebrow upon hearing the name. “Mayor… Mare? Sorry, but that doesn’t ring any bells." Said Ace. “What? But…" Said the woman as she moved her head around and started to open her eyes even more. Upon fully opening her eyes, she was startled by Ace’s appearance and let out a shout. “Holy butter on a biscuit! Who in the hay are you?!" She shouted as she tried to pull herself back, but couldn’t. “Calm down, lady. My name’s Ace. Ace Ryuusei. I’m here to help." Answered Ace. “Wha… What’s goin' on here? Wha-" “How’s about you start with your name? Then we’ll go from there." Said Ace to the woman. “Mah name? It’s-" She looked down, cutting herself off and let out another horrified shriek. “Wha…What happened to me?! What happened to mah body?! Where are mah hooves?! And tail?!" “Whoa, warn me before you freak out, why don’t ya?!" Shouted Ace. “Wh… What’s happened to me?!" Said the woman in a terrified voice. “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know, huh?" Said a mysterious voice out of nowhere in a southern accent. “Hey, where’d that voice come from?" Ace held out his hand and a glowing card, just like the one Twilight acquired, rotated in his hand. He broke it with both his arms in an X motion, and as he did, his arms became covered his forearms with flame-like tattoos and assumed a battle stance. “Come on out, you little coward! Show yourself!" Shouted Ace. “Relax, meat bag. Ah ain’t interested in YOU. My business is with that girl behind you." Said the mysterious voice from behind Ace. Ace quickly turned around to see the same woman he saw on the ground, but as a black silhouette with piercing yellow eyes. “Who… Who are you?!" Said the woman on the ground behind Ace as she kept trying to back up. The woman started to slowly walk towards Ace and the woman behind him. “You already know who ah am… don’t you?" The woman on the ground started to shake her head wildly. “N-No… No, I don’t know who you are…" She said as she was panicking. The shadow suddenly smiled widely. “Thou art ah… and Thou art me…" Said the woman who slowly started walking towards her and Ace. “Ah don’t know what you mean… Stay away from me" “You do… DON’T YOU? Ah don’t need to spell it out for ya, right?" “RIGHT?... APPLEJACK?!"
The AccidentEquestrian Void Chapter One: The Accident The events that are about to occur are events that may be so mentally scarring, that the characters involved may wish to willingly remove them from their memory or choose to keep them as reminders to pass down to the generations to come. Our story takes place in a world in which peace is a given commodity. The place I speak of is the land of Equestria. But for this tale of inter-dimensional quandaries, we are going to focus on a quaint little town called Ponyville. In this world, the residents have faced disasters such as the return of the mythical Nightmare Moon, the summoning of the lord of chaos, Discord, and even the powerful queen of the changelings, Queen Chrysalis. For the calamities that have followed, everything has been resolved by the actions of Equestria’s leaders, along with the help of six courageous mares: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight’s assistant, Spike. Six months have passed since the events with the changelings, and for that time, the town of Ponyville has remained peaceful. That is… until one fateful day, when a regular party thrown by Pinkie Pie turned into a discovery that will change the heroines' lives forever… ~~~~~~~~~ One day, a day just like any other, Pinkie Pie decided to throw a party. Why? It’s Pinkie Pie, therefore, a reason isn’t needed. She had sent invitations to all of her friends to come over and attend it and as expected, they all had arrived, one by one, with Twilight and Spike being the last ones to show up. “Hey there, Twilight and Spikearoo!" Shouted Pinkie Pie, rushing up to greet them. “The party looks a bit bigger than usual this time, Pinkie." Said Twilight, a bit curious as to why the party was big, considering there was no reason behind the party. “Aw, come on, Twi. Does it matter how big it is? A party’s still a party." Said Spike, with reassuring confidence. Twilight had looked around and saw that the other ponies were having a great time, so her confusion slowly faded away. “I guess you’re right, Spike." Said Twilight, “As long as everypony is having a good time, I shouldn’t be such a worrywart. Twilight no longer had any worries on her mind and freely joined Spike and the rest of the ponies in the ongoing party. “This here is sure one heck of a hoedown, Pinkie Pie!" Said Applejack, as she was dancing to the music blaring from the music set that Pinkie borrowed from Vinyl Scratch. “I do agree, darling." Stated Rarity, standing near the table with the refreshments, “This party is indeed bigger and more… musical than your usual ones. “Aw, who cares?! This is still one rocking party, Pinkie!" Shouted Rainbow Dash, flying through the room kicking her hooves in excitement. “C-Calm down, Rainbow Dash…" Said Fluttershy, in a voice almost too faint for anyone to hear, “You’re going to make the neighbors worry, and don’t forget about the animals, too…" E As the ponies were having the times of their lives, seeming like no one has a care in the world, Pinkie Pie rolled into the back room, as if to get something that she wanted to either give to someone or use as a party tool. A few seconds later, she rolled back out of the room, stumbling into a wall. Only this time, she had what looked like a rolled up piece of paper in her mouth. Twilight almost immediately notices the paper Pinkie was holding and became not just curious, but also worrisome… “What’s that piece of paper you have in your mouth, Pinkie?" Twilight asked with a stumbling curiosity. Pinkie Pie quickly and clumsily stood up and responded, “Oh, this? This is something I wanted to give you, Twi! I found this while I was going through things to set up for this party. It looked like nothing but a bunch of gobbledy-gook, so I thought you could figure out what it says. I ain’t got a clue what it means." E “Thanks… Pinkie." Said Twilight in a disappointed tone. Twilight then took a moment to ponder what Pinkie had just given her. “What in the world could Pinkie mean by ‘a bunch of gobbledy-gook? Could it be an ancient foreign language? Or maybe some kind of map that leads to a super-rare treasure? Or maybe….." As Twilight rambles on about what could be in the contents of the mysterious paper she was just handed, the party continues for hours on end…. ~~~~~~~~~ Finally, the time is now 7:43 p.m. and all of the ponies are starting to leave the party, tired, exhausted, and extremely happy. Every one of the ponies says their goodbyes for now and returns to their homes. Twilight, however grabbed Spike, quickly tossed him on her back, and started madly galloping towards the Library, the place in which both Twilight and Spike reside. “Whoa, Twi! EShouted Spike, surprised at how much of a rush Twilight was in, “What’s the big rush home, Twilight?" Twilight quickly turned her head back to Spike and said, “Pinkie gave me what I believe to be an ancient scroll and I want to find out what’s written on it as soon as possible!" She then turned her head back to the front to make sure she didn’t get lost on her way back, due to her excitement. After a short time, Twilight and Spike arrive at the Library. With no haste, Twilight burst through the door, without giving any regard to Spike, who had toppled over and landed square on the floor. Twilight then took the scroll she had in her mouth and unraveled it on the podium she usually reads books on and quickly began to decipher the contents of what lied inside the mysterious piece of paper. Spike slowly recovered from his fall. “Twilight, shouldn’t you get some sleep? It won’t be healthy for you to stay up all night looking at that thing." Twilight, with hair all flustered, turned back to Spike and said, “You don’t get it Spike… Just the mere thought of what this thing can tell me gets me a mood just like the feeling I get when I get a fresh, new book in stock. I can’t WAIT to delve into the contents in which it can hold!" After Twilight’s little speech to Spike, she turned back around and was quickly bobbing her head left and right, translating letter after letter of the scroll. Spike then began to walk towards the stairs with a worried look on his face. As he began to walk up the stairs, he began to mumble under his breath, so Twilight could not hear what he was saying. “She has no idea how much she makes the rest of us worry when it comes to stuff like this… especially me. I just hope she at least gets some sleep…" With Spike off to sleep in a saddened state of mind, Twilight labors away with the deciphering with determination in her eyes. She mumbles the words as she decodes them, trying to piece them together, seeing if there’s a correlation between them… Little does she know, that she will unravel something that no one, or rather no pony, should have discovered… ~~~~~~~~~ The next morning… as Spike comes downstairs, awakened from his slumber, the first thing he sees is Twilight near her podium, looking as if she has passed out. Spike rushes over to where Twilight lays motionless. “Tw-Twilight!" Spike yells, “Are you okay, Twi?! C’mon, wake up!" Spike shook Twilight, hoping that would wake her up. After shaking her for a solid minute, Twilight had come to. Twilight had awoken, dumbfounded and mumbling to herself. “H-huh? Wha-? Spike? What’s with the shaking? You need something?" She then snapped back from her tired state, then almost immediately turned her attention back to the scroll. “Oh! That’s right! The scroll… I’ve almost got everything figured out! Just a little more…" Spike let out a disappointed sigh. “Twilight, you need to take a break from that thing. You can’t let it be your life’s work, or whatever. This is kinda getting out of hand." Spike was giving off an aura of concern, but not a strong enough aura to delude Twilight from the scroll. “Fine, Twilight. If that scroll is all you care about, I’m going to get the other ponies here to help get you away from that thing!" Spike suddenly let out with an angry voice. Spike had left the Library in a rush, but Twilight didn’t even notice that. She was still too busy and caught up with the scroll to even care… The time is now 11:24 a.m. Location: Ponyville Library. Spike comes rushing in through the door, with the other ponies quickly following behind him. Rainbow Dash is the first one to rush past Spike fast enough to be the first one to speak her mind to Twilight. “All right, listen here you!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “You need to take a break from that thing right now!" Twilight turned around with a small grin on her face. “Why bother with breaks?" She said in a creepy voice, while quietly laughing to herself, “I’ve finally figured out the whole thing… I don’t need breaks now…" As Twilight continued to laugh quietly to herself, the rest of the gang gives her a worried look. “Uhh… you all right there, sugarcube?" Asked Applejack. “All right? I’m better than all right. I’m fantastic!" Exclaimed Twilight. “In fact…" Started Twilight, “I wanted to read to you all what the scroll says. I managed to figure it all out in One. Single. Night." Everyone gasps at the thought of what Twilight could have discovered. “Well, don’t keep us waiting!" Exclaimed Pinkie Pie, joyfully, “Tell us what it says! I bet it was something old and awesome or something crazy, or maybe even a treasure, or… something like that." “Indeed it WAS, Pinkie Pie!" Started Twilight, in a sort of maniacal voice, “What I found out was absolutely shocking! It turns out the scroll you gave me was actually a highly advanced ancient spell of some sorts. Based on the language it was in, it was used to teleport objects of large mass or large quantity back in the times when magic was rare and manual labor was all too common. The spell may have even been capable of rearranging the atomic structure of the objects themselves!" “Where are you going with this, darling?" Questioned Rarity. “Good question, Rarity. What I’m getting at is that I wanted to test this spell with all of us in one spot to see if I can pull this off myself!" “Whoa, there, Twi!" Shouted Rainbow Dash, “I like adventure as much as the next pony, but shouldn’t you get some experience with this first?" “I’m trying it out NOW!" Shouted Twilight, in a sort of psychotic voice. Twilight then turned around to the scroll and prepared herself to cast the spell that was written on the scroll. “Get ready, everypony…" ~~~~~~~~~ Everyone had gulped in fright, for even they did not know what was about to happen. “Here I go..." Twilight began to read the enchantment on the scroll, and her horn began to glow as she began to conjure the spell… O great creator of all life, the one who grants us the ability to breathe, heed my precious call… Suddenly, a giant circle started forming at the center of the Library’s floor. Spike and the rest of the ponies stood in the middle of the circle, not knowing whether to leave the circle, or to stay in it… As Twilight read more of the spell, the circle started to take the shape of a rune, being filled in with strange symbols. “Uh… Twilight?" Questioned Spike, worriedly. Unfortunately, Spike’s words could not reach her… Twilight continued to read the enchantment. I call upon the great creator of all life to borrow thine power. The power to manipulate time and space, to defy the mere logic of the universe itself; To create a new dimension using the power bestowed upon me by your grace… Then, seven smaller runes had appeared inside the large rune itself, as if it was counting the number of bodies in the circle. I seek to use this power to break the barrier between god and mortal; To join the ranks of the immortals… Now, Shine down on this world and grant me passage into time and space! As the rune completes itself, Twilight slowly levitates into the air, while the color of the magic emanating from her horn changes colors from light purple to a dark, crimson red. The rune changes colors accordingly to Twilight’s horn as well, making the others worry even more about their well-being. Before anyone could yell to Twilight, suddenly, a bright white light had shown off of Twilight’s horn, engulfing everyone in the Library. After the white light had shone brightly, all that was left behind was merely soot in the shape of the rune that Twilight had made… There was not a sound being made in the Library… except for the sound of sizzling soot from the floor… ~~~~~~~~~ Time: ??? Location: ??? Day: ??? Twilight has temporarily been knocked unconscious after casting the spell… After a short while, she manages to come to her senses… and awakes to a location that she does not know of. A land of almost nothing. A world that once prospered, but now lay to waste before her eyes. As she awakes, she hears sounds of calamity. Sounds of war. “Ugh… W-where… am I?" Twilight struggled to say. Suddenly, Twilight spots something off in the distance… Something that looks like a mechanized robot… and it was being piloted by… a pony! Twilight closed her eyes and tried to pull herself up from off of the ground… ` “Thank Celestia!" Muttered Twilight, “Another pony! Maybe they can-" Twilight tried to stand, but found herself incapable of doing so… She stumbled over and over again trying to lift herself off of the ground… “W-why can’t I… get myself… to stand up?" Struggled Twilight. Then, after opening her eyes, she had discovered something… horrifying. “Wh… What happened to me?!" Shouted Twilight. Her hooves had been replaced with… human hands. And her legs… were normal human legs. Twilight managed to struggle enough to get herself up on her knees… Twilight, now in a state of panic, was trembling from head to toe, muttering to herself, “This… this can’t be happening…. Wh… What in the world HAVE I DONE?!" Twilight, now alone and separated from her friends, had let out a scream at the top her lungs, in hopes that someone would hear her… Tears now started to gather in Twilight’s eyes. ESniff* "I… What have I done?... Spike… Fluttershy… Applejack… Rarity… Rainbow Dash… Pinkie Pie…" As Twilight sits there, sobbing her eyes out, she can feel her soul sinking… When suddenly, a strange, dark, and shadowy figure stands before her. It almost looks like a human, from what she had studied back home… Twilight, still in tears, asks the strange person, “Who… Who are you?" The Shadowy figure smiles evilly and replies… “I art Thou… and Thou art me…”
The Journey BeginsChapter 2: The Journey Begins Twilight had just been separated from her dear friends, only to wake up in another universe, taking the shape of a human, and being approached by a shadowy figure that bears striking resemblances to herself, only uttering these words: “I art Thou… and Thou art me…" ~~~~~~~~~ “Wha… What are you talking about?..." Stuttered Twilight, “A-are you supposed to be… me?" “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." Replied Shadow Twilight, “Well, really, I’m your true self." Twilight stumbles and manages to barely stand up. “My… my true self? What in the hay is that supposed to mean?!" She shouted with what little energy she had remaining from struggling to stand. Shadow Twilight begins to slowly walk towards the weakened Twilight. “It means that I am your subconscious. Think of me as that little voice in the back of your head that says your true feelings on something." Twilight begins to back away from her shadow, panting shockingly as she is now starting to grasp the reality of the situation. “So… you’re the… real me?" Shadow Twilight begins to laugh quietly in an evil, ominous tone. “That’s right, you little smart-ass! I’m you, and you’re me! Isn’t it obvious by now? Well, I guess if your stupid friends weren’t in the way, you could study up even more about what’s going on right now!" Twilight gasps in fright. “Wh-what?! That’s not how I feel about my friends! You… You’re lying." Shadow Twilight still continues to laugh. “Oh, come on! Didn’t you hear me the first thousand times?! I’m you, and you’re me! All of those so-called ‘friends' you made are nothing but a bunch of idiotic morons that would abandon you the first chance they got!" Twilight now stands in a state of shock, now questioning what the shadow was saying. “No… Stop saying things like that…. You… YOU’RE NOT ME!" What Twilight did not realize was that by saying those three words, she would unleash an unspeakable chaos upon herself… Just then, Shadow Twilight started to levitate off of the ground, while starting to laugh hysterically. “You have NO idea what you’ve just done! By rejecting your inner self, I have no choice but to MAKE you accept it!" Shadow Twilight had then transformed into a giant monster in the shape of a crimson, six-winged dragon. Twilight, now terrified, frantically thinks of what to do. “Wh…. What can I do?! Wait!" Twilight then tries to extend her arms out towards the dragon, with her hands shaped as if she were trying to cast a spell. “Come on…. Focus, Twilight!" She whispers to herself, “I have to do something, or else it’s the end…" Twilight concentrates all of her remaining energy into her hands, hoping that something would happen… But nothing came out of her hands. Twilight then looks at her hands, in a confused manner. “What? Wh- what’s going on? Why can I use magic?!" Twilight then fell to her knees, unable to do anything against what her shadow self has transformed into. “I… I can’t do anything against it… Is this… really the end for me?..." “You’re DAMN right it’s the end!" Proclaimed Shadow Twilight, “Now give me your soul!" Shouted Shadow Twilight as she dashed toward Twilight with her mouth gaping open, ready to devour her. As Shadow Twilight began her charge, normal Twilight slowly raised her head and closed her eyes, filled with tears of remorse. Twilight, with her voice cracking from crying, began to speak. “Everyone… I’m sorry for doing this… I… I’m sorry…" ~~~~~~~~~ Just as Twilight was awaiting for her final moment of life, an unexpected miracle occurred… Out of nowhere, a voice shouts, “Watch out, lady!" Twilight quickly opens her eyes to see… a human dashing towards the dragon holding what appears to be a giant sickle! “You’re not taking this one too, you damn shadow!" Shouted the mystery man as he swung his sickle at the dragon, throwing off of its path towards Twilight and into the ground. Twilight, still teary-eyed and her voice still cracking, asks the mysterious man, “Wh-Who… Who are you?" The mysterious man turns to Twilight, with a fierce, yet welcoming expression. “Me? The name’s Zack. Zachary N. Ryuusei, Second-In-Command of the World Peace Syndicate. Call me Zack for short." Zack started to walk toward Twilight, with his sickle behind him, as to not show hostility to her, and offered a hand to help her up. Twilight took Zack’s hand and managed to stand up on her legs, but immediately hung her head down, contemplating what Shadow Twilight was saying. “Are you all right, ma’am?" Zack said in a calm voice, “You seem shaken up…" Twilight slowly raised her head to speak back to Zack. “I… I don’t feel that way about my friends… I just don’t… I…" Twilight pupils then shrank in an instant. Twilight points to behind where Zack is standing. “Look out!" Shouted Twilight, “That thing’s getting back up!" Zack quickly turns around, with his sickle in a battle ready stance. The Dragon that was once Shadow Twilight gets up from off of the ground and charges full force at Zack and Twilight! As the creature gets closer to Zack and Twilight, Zack’s sickle becomes engulfed in a green flame… “Bind the threat to save the weak… Kibono Shiru! (Seal of Hope!)" Shouted Zack. Zack’s sickle then splits apart into three separate parts and quickly binds the dragon to the ground! Twilight stands in amazement at what she just witnessed. “How… did you do that?!" Zack turns his head to Twilight, still holding the dragon down with his detached weapon. “Never mind that for now! Right now, you need to accept your true self!" Twilight then steps back, gasping. “What?! N-no way! I will never accept that… thing!" The dragon starts to move, trying to break free of Zack’s chains. Zack, struggling to keep the dragon under wraps, quickly shouts to Twilight, “If you don’t, this thing will just keep attacking until you’re dead" “Until I’m… dead?..." Twilight then begins to think deeply about what course of action she is going to take… “Ugh! Anytime now, lady!" Shouted Zack, still trying to keep the dragon from escaping. Twilight had an epiphany, and now knew what she had to do. Her facial expression had turned serious, and began to walk towards the dragon with the best of her abilities. She then began to mumble to herself. “If I need to accept that thing if I wanna live, then so be it!" Twilight stops walking the second she reaches Zack’s distance from the dragon. “You say you’re the real me, right? Well… fine. I guess, in a way, you… are me." The dragon grunts in confusion. “You’re right. There may be times that I question why I made friends… I just treated it as a side assignment from my teacher… and even though they may have flaws, that’s what I like about them." The dragon then begins to go into a state of panic. Zack, now able to grasp the dragon under his chains, cheers Twilight on. “Keep going, lady! It’s getting weaker!" “I may even delve into emotions that I hardly ever use to sometimes find the logic behind my friends' actions, but throughout my lessons, I’ve learned one universal truth: Flaws are what make us unique. And I accept them, despite their flaws! They are dear to me, and that will never, I repeat, NEVER, change! You hear me?!" Overwhelmed by Twilight’s speech, the dragon lets out a shout of pain, then disintegrates back into its original form. Now standing in front of Twilight and Zack is the original Shadow Twilight. “Heh. I’m glad to be the true self of someone who holds their friends so close to herself. I’ll see ya around, girl…" Suddenly, a white light engulfs Shadow Twilight, then the being disappears, only to have a small card take her place. “What in the world is this thing?" Questioned Twilight. Zack walked up to her side and promptly told her, “It’s your Arcana." “Ar… cana?" Asked Twilight in a puzzled way. “Think of it this way: It’s a special card that’s a physical representation of your true self. We all have one, even me. Just hold out your hands and let it fall into them." Twilight follows Zack’s instructions and holds her hands out. The card then begins to fall into Twilight’s hands, then it shatters, leaving behind glittering white lights. “Wh-what’s this weird feeling I have right now?" Said Twilight after the card shattered. The strength to face one’s heart has awakened the potential within you… Twilight gasped in shock. “I… I can hear a voice inside my head!" Zack stood beside Twilight and placed a hand on her shoulder and his eyes shut. “Good. Now just listen to what it has to say." Twilight also closed her eyes and continued to listen to the voice inside her head. You, chosen one of heart, shall be blessed with thine divine power of The Priestess Arcana. “Priestess… Arcana?" Mumbled Twilight in confusion. “What does it all mean?" ~~~~~~~~~ Zack began to take off his large overcoat, with his eyes still closed. “I’ll explain what it all means later, but here." Zack handed his jacket to Twilight. “Cover yourself with this and follow me." Twilight opened her eyes and looked at Zack with confusion. “Why are you giving me your coat?" Zack, now beginning to blush a little, said to Twilight, in a somewhat sheepish voice, “Because… you’re not… wearing..." Twilight cupped one hand around her ear. “Speak up! I can’t hear you." “I’M TRYING TO SAY YOU’RE NAKED!" Shouted Zack with his eyes still closed and his head hanging down. “Naked?" Wondered Twilight. “What does that mean? Where I come from, we don’t wear clothing unless it’s a special occasion. Or unless it's from Rarity" Zack’s nose started to bleed a bit. “Oh, for the love of-" Mumbled Zack, “Just put the damn coat on!" Twilight, sighing with a bit of disappointment, decided to cover herself with Zack’s jacket. “There, is that better?" Said the now covered Twilight. Zack slowly raised his head, wiping the blood off from underneath his nose in the process, and opened his eyes. “Much better. Forgive me, but the battlefield is the least place I expect to see a naked lady, so sorry if I seemed a little hostile." “But, wait a second…" Started Twilight, “What about just a while ago when you were fighting that dragon thing?! How come you didn’t shy away from me then?!" “In a fight, the battle itself is the only thing a fighter must focus on if they want to live." Said Zack very seriously to Twilight. “I can’t get distracted by something as trivial as a woman’s naked body." Twilight, now feeling a bit of regret, decided that she needed to get back on track to the topic at hand. “Oh, I-I’m sorry for asking. Anyway, can you explain to me just what in the hay is going on here?!" Zack crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and slightly lowered his head. “I would. If only you’d tell me your name first." “My name is Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." Zack’s eyes suddenly opened up wide. “Excuse me?" He said in confusion. Twilight repeated herself, only in a louder tone. “Twilight Sparkle! My name is Twilight Sparkle!" Zack began to look up and give Twilight a surprised look. “Twilight… Sparkle… Why does that name seem familiar?" He mumbled to himself. “I’ve got to consult the chief on this one." “Um, hello? Mr. Zack? Are you okay?" Questioned Twilight. Zack shook his head in a quick manner. “It’s nothing to worry about. Anyway, I’ll tell you everything on the way to HQ." Zack then places two fingers in his mouth and lets out a loud whistle. The ground suddenly starts to shake violently. So much that Twilight is having trouble keeping her footing. “W-W-Whoa! What’s going on?! An Earthquake?!" Shouted Twilight in a panicked voice. Zack turned to her and let out a small chuckle. “Earthquake? Please. It’s just our ride." Suddenly, as if in perfect synch with Zack’s comment, a giant machine came out of the ground behind him and transformed into a mechanized battle-ready robot in mere seconds. “Th-that’s the vehicle we’re taking?" Stuttered Twilight. The pilot’s hatch to the mech opened revealing a pink pony with a blonde mane and a flower in her ear. Twilight gasped in shock. “You! You’re the pony I saw earlier!" Zack raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Pony?" He turned to the mech. “Oh, you mean Rosebud? It’s no ‘pony' as you call it. That thing’s an android." “An… Android? As in a machine with life-like qualities" Twilight asked, still in shock. “Yep. That’s the kind." Zack stated. “The Chief at the WPS made it himself. We asked him about the look and he just told us that the idea came to him in a vision." “Anyway, come on!" Said Zack, walking toward the mech, motioning for Twilight to follow. “We got a long trip ahead, so I’ll answer your question on the way there." The mech lowered itself and created a staircase to two seats behind the Android Pony in the pilot’s seat. Twilight quickly followed behind Zack, boarding the mech and sitting in the seat next to him. The hatch then quickly closed. A robotic voice then came out of nowhere. “Destination?" Twilight was surprised and jumped a little in her seat. “Where did that voice come from?!" Zack chuckled a little. “Relax, it’s just the Android. Or the ‘pony' if you wanna call it that." “Rosebud! World Peace Syndicate HQ!" “Confirmed, Master Zack." Said Rosebud in a monotonous tone. Rosebud then shifted both of her hooves forward and started moving the mech, now on their way to the headquarters that Zack spoke of. Zack turned to Twilight. “So, you want the whole story, now that we got time?" Twilight turned to Zack and nodded. “Yes. I want to know everything. Starting with what that thing that proclaimed it was my 'true self.'" Zack let out a big sigh. “Sadly, that thing wasn’t kidding. What you saw, and what I held back, was the physical manifestation of your true feelings. Only certain people are capable of facing their true selves. There are only two ways to go about dealing with those: Either accept it or deny it." “What would happen if you denied it?" Asked Twilight. Zack motioned a finger across his neck. “It would kill you. Plain and simple." Twilight swallowed in fear out of what could’ve happened if Zack hadn’t shown up when he did... “So what was the whole deal with the… ‘Priestess' thing?" “Ah, here comes the fun part." Proclaimed Zack. “After accepting your true self, your shadow will turn into something called a Tarot Card. On that card will be something called an Arcana, which will grant you magnificent abilities. There are 22 major arcana, and there’ll be one of them on the Tarot Card you got. Try bringing it up." “How?" Questioned Twilight. Zack sat up from his chair. “Hold out your hand like you’re receiving something from someone and focus. Concentrate and call out to your inner being to bring it out…" Twilight held out her hand, sighed, and began to focus. Suddenly, bright white lights started to come from her hand, and then the lights turned into a card… The card just slowly floated in Twilight’s hand and rotated at an angle… “I-I did it…" Twilight said in amazement. “Ah, The Priestess. That’s a rare one." Said Zack as he leaned closer to Twilight to observe the tarot card. “What’s ‘The Priestess' supposed to mean?" Asked Twilight. Zack pulled himself back into his seat to explain. “To sum it up, The Priestess is number 2 of the Arcanas and signifies the quest for inner knowledge in ones self." “Quest for inner knowledge, huh?" Said Twilight. She sat there, staring at the card in her hand, and began to think to herself. “What abilities were given to me from this? And more importantly, can I use it to find my friends?..." Twilight makes the card disappear, then turns toward Zack. “So what’s your… Arcana?" “Mine?" Zack sat up and held out his hand. Sure enough, there were bright white lights in his hand, then a card emerged from the lights and floated down to his hand. “Mine’s number 1, The Magician." “The Magician? Meaning you can use magic?" Asked Twilight in a confused manner. “Hell, far from it, Twi." Chuckled Zack, “The Magician just means I like to take action the second I can. It also represents Immaturity." Twilight giggled a bit. “At least it’s right about that." Zack blushed and quickly turned opposite of Twilight. “Sh-shut up! Jeez…" After Twilight finished giggling, she turned back into a serious mood. “So, now that I know more about this power, what the hay is going on in this world?" Zack’s expression suddenly turned dark. “You really want to know?" “Tell me. I want to help in any way I can." Twilight said with a stern look on her face. Zack let out a huge sigh and prepared for a long speech. “Twilight, right now, we are at war. And by we, I mean the entire World Peace Syndicate." Twilight gasped. “With who?" “The enemy force we’re fighting against call themselves the ABB. I have no clue what it stands for; You can ask the chief when we get back to the base. At first, it just started as small things: Crude remarks against our team members, petty thievery, etc. But then, at one point, they crossed the line..." Twilight grew curious now. “How did they do that?" “By mass murdering our members. 112 in total." Twilight, almost immediately after hearing that, cupped her hands around her mouth in shock. “Yeah. It was pretty messed up. At that point, the ABB had officially declared war on us. We had no choice but to retaliate." Zack let out a depressing sigh. “We’ve been fighting for over 3 years now… When will the damn carnage end..." Zack hung his head in sadness, while clenching his fists tightly. “That’s why… That’s why I decided to fight. I want to help end this madness as soon as possible, and stop those bastards from hurting anyone else! But I can’t do it alone…" Twilight gently placed her hands over Zack’s fists. “You’re not alone. You have me to help you now" She said confidently, with a smile on her face. Zack looked back up from his depression and smiled. “Thanks, Twilight…" From that point forward, Zack and Twilight awaited their arrival to the World Peace Syndicate HQ in the mech piloted by the android/pony, Rosebud. What will be awaiting Twilight at the base, and is she sure that she can trust the people there? One thing is for sure: She is indebted to Zack for saving her life, so she must endure whatever lies ahead of her in this war against clashing ideals….
The First Spark, JusticeChapter 3: The First Spark, Justice After being told what was going on in the world that she had awoken in, Twilight now knew that the world she was in was at war, and that she had befriended a strange, but helpful, man named Zack. Twilight knows nothing about the layout of this world, so, in best interest of her survival, she decides to accompany Zack back to the place he calls the WPS Headquarters. What awaits Twilight at the base? Can she trust Zack’s words about everyone at the base? And, more importantly, will she be able to find the locations of her lost friends in this world? Only time will tell… ~~~~~~~~~ After what had seemed like hours, the trio of heroes start to approach a silhouette of what looks like a small town on the horizon. Twilight squints her eyes in order to get a view of what lays on the horizon. “W-What is that?" Asked Twilight questioningly. Twilight had awoken Zack from what seemed like a power nap. “Huh? Oh, that? That’s HQ." Zack said to Twilight. She had quickly turned to Zack with dismay and disbelief. “You can’t be serious. That place? That place is your home base?" Asked Twilight. Zack quickly started to sit up in his seat. “Hey, don’t judge a book by its cover, Twi. Once we get closer, you’ll be amazed." Zack said assuringly. “15 minutes until arrival at destination, Master Zack." Stated Rosebud in her monotonous, robotic voice. “Ah, wonderful." Zack stated. Zack then turned to Twilight with a big grin on his face. Zack then let out a small chuckle, as if he just heard a joke. “What in the world are you laughing about?" Twilight questioned. “Oh, nothing. I just can’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces when they see you, is all." Twilight was confused, but didn’t pry any farther, at risk of making Zack angry. “I just hope that the people there can help me with what I need help with…" Muttered Twilight in a soft voice. Zack then took a sudden interest in what she had just said. “What exactly are you doing here?" Questioned Zack. Twilight had looked at Zack, now with her expression changed from questioning to saddening. “Truth be told, I have no idea. All I know is that I need to find my friends and get out of here as fast as we can. We have to get back home…" Zack then sat on the edge of his chair, with his gaze fixed on Twilight, as if trying to read her mind. “Find her friends? I didn’t know that she wasn’t alone." Zack thought to himself. “Maybe they can-" All of a sudden, the robot had come to a sudden halt, interrupting Zack’s thought process, launching him face-first into the back of Rosebud’s seat. With no notice of the impact from her chair, Rosebud began to speak. “We have reached our destination. The WPS Headquarters." After struggling to get his face out of her seat, Zack shouts furiously. “I wish you would’ve given me a warning or something first! Geez." Upon seeing Zack like this, Twilight lets out a giggle. Zack turns to Twilight and says, “Oh, ha ha, laugh it up." After his little rebuttal, he stands up and regains his composure and looks sternly at the base. An average sized house, just as Twilight had seen from far away. Twilight unhooks herself from her seat and stands alongside Zack, also staring in the same direction. “This is it." Zack stated in a serious tone. “The second we enter that base, there won’t be much time for messing around." Zack then turned his head toward Twilight, and she did the same. “Are you ready for what you’re about to see, Twi?" Now filled with confidence and determination, Twilight clenched her fists and looks at Zack with passionate eyes “I’m ready. More than I’ll ever be." “Good." Zack replied. “Rosebud, go ahead and let us off here. Twilight and I will walk from here. Go ahead and go back to Docking Bay C and recharge." Upon hearing his command, the latch beside Rosebud had clicked and the door next to Zack had opened. “Yes, Master. I will also report our findings about the unknown enemy we encountered upon finding this woman to the Headmaster." “Good idea." Replied Zack, as he took a leap out of the door onto the ground. Just as Twilight had approached the door, she took a few moments to gaze at the one Zack kept calling Rosebud. She had noticed that the way her body was built looked too much like a pony, like what she herself had looked like before coming to the unknown world. “There’s no way it can just a coincidence. There has to be a reason for this." Just as she was beginning to finish her focus, she heard Zack yell at her from the ground. “Hey! What’s the matter, afraid of heights?" Upon inspection, the jump did seem awfully high. “N-No! I’m not afraid." Twilight said in a shaky voice. “Don’t worry! Jump! I’ll catch you, I promise!" Zack replied to her. With that not-so-promising statement in mind, Twilight leapt out of the vehicular robot, ready and braced to hit the ground. After falling for what seems like an hour, she was suddenly stopped. “Gotcha!" Said Zack. Twilight opened her eyes to see that Zack had caught her. “See? I told you I’d catch you. You can trust me." Zack said to Twilight. After hearing him, Twilight turned her head, with her face being somewhat red. Zack then started to put Twilight down, as she started to regain her footing. “T-Thanks." Twilight spoke. “I’m still not afraid of heights, just a reminder." Zack chuckled and started to walk towards the house, with Twilight following closely behind him. “Don’t worry. You’ll get over your fears eventually. Hell, you overcame that monster earlier, so you’re fine." “Yeah, I guess you’re right." Replied Twilight. “Come on, it’s just a little farther to HQ. Just follow my lead. After a small walk, Zack and Twilight approach the house. “I’m still having second thoughts about this being your base." Stated Twilight. “Oh, don’t worry." Replied Zack as he unlocked and opened the door. “The real surprise is what’s inside." Twilight had glanced inside from where she was standing, and looked at what the contents of house held. “Go ahead on in. Ladies first." Zack had said in a relaxed voice. Twilight had slowly made her way inside the house, making sure not to step on anything. To her surprise, the house was filled to the brim with technological gadgets and gizmos that would make a scientist scream in excitement. “I-I can’t believe what I’m seeing… This is amazing." Twilight said with astonishment. Zack followed Twilight inside and closed and locked the door behind him. “Like it? It’s some samples of what our scientists are able to cook up in the labs. Actually, the stuff in here are the things they don’t have room for in storage." Zack placed his hand on Twilight’s shoulder as she was gazing at the tech. “You’ll have plenty of time to inspect this stuff later. Right now, we need to get down to the real HQ." Zack stated as he headed into another room. Twilight nodded her head and quickly followed behind. Zack then took the top off of a nearby light switch that revealed a sort of keypad. “Wait, what in the world did you just do?" Twilight questioned. Zack turned his head to Twi, while imputing a code into the keypad and stated, “Just stand close to me and watch the magic happen." With a raised eyebrow, Twilight stood close to Zack, waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds, Twilight had heard a quiet beeping sound. “What was that sound?" She asked Zack. Suddenly, the floor had slightly shifted. “That, Twilight, was the sound of progress." Zack replied. Suddenly, the floor was now moving down at a slow and steady pace. “See? This room is merely an elevator. The real lab is underground." Twilight now wore a face of relief to hear that from Zack. “Good," She said as she sighed, “I thought that something was wrong and the house was sinking or something." “Don’t worry, Twi. It’s only a matter of time now." Stated Zack. “A matter of time until what?" Twilight replied. “Until we can find your friends. And get you home." Zack said in a determined tone of voice. Twilight looked at Zack and replied in a thankful voice. "Thanks, Zack." Now that Zack and Twilight are now heading to the inner sanctum of the Headquarters, with her head held high, questions begin to fill Twilight’s head. What awaits her down at the bottom of the elevator? What kind of people are waiting for her? Will they be able to help her with finding her friends and safely getting home? Alongside the only person she’s trusted until now in this unknown world at war, these thoughts fill her head as the elevator slowly descends into the underground abyss below… ~~~~~~~~~ As Zack and Twilight ride the elevator deeper underground, their surroundings began to change significantly. The pit in which they were descending down was no longer showing dirt, but rather some sort of futuristic translucent glass that was surrounding them. The view of the base then became clear to the two, and Twilight couldn’t help but gaze in amazement. “I… I don’t believe it. This whole facility was built underground?" Questioned Twilight. “Yep. From the ‘ground up' I should say." Answered Zack as he chuckled a little at the pun he made. “The whole place you’re looking at took months to build. Matter of fact, we just put the finishing touches in here not too long ago." As Zack finishes his statement, the elevator slowly comes to a halt and the doors in front of them open. Zack begins to walk out of the elevator, grabbing Twilight’s hand as he walked past her. “Come on, follow me. We need to visit the chief so we can figure out what to do next." “All right. Maybe he can answer a few of the questions I have about this place." Replied Twilight. “Don’t worry, the chief’ll take care of anything you got to throw at him." Said Zack confidently. After their short walk out of the elevator, Zack pulls Twilight onto a device that started to glow underneath them. “This’ll get us to the chief in a jiffy. Just don’t let go, got it?" Zack said as he turned his head to Twilight. “Got it!" Twilight replied as she turned her head to Zack and gave him a little smile. Suddenly, a glowing light enveloped the two of them and levitated them into the air. Twilight gasped, as if she already knew what was happening to them. “Are we teleporting?" She questioned. “Right on the money!" Zack replied. After he answered, the two of them were warped directly into the main command room of HQ. The two of them were slowly dropped down and the light enveloping them had disappeared. In front of them were a room full of workers, with two people conversing in front of what looked like a giant monitor. Zack began to walk towards the two, motioning for Twilight to follow him. “Yo, Chief Michaels! I’m back from scouting." Zack shouted. The two people in front of them paused for a moment and turned towards Zack and Twilight. “Ah, yes. Young Master Zack. Rosebud informed me that you would be here soon." Answered the chief. “Hey come on now. I feel weird when you call me that. Can’t you just call me by my first name and leave it at that?" Shrugged Zack. “Oh, come now, lad. I address everyone here that way. Old habits die hard, you know." The chief answered as he started chuckling wholeheartedly. Twilight wasn’t feeling so hospitable, as the woman next to the chief was giving her a gaze as if she wasn’t welcome here, or as if she was an enemy spy. The woman next to the chief cleared her throat and gently nudged the chief and began to whisper to him. “Sir, aren’t you going to ask the Lieutenant here about the woman that’s with him? The one from the report? ESaid the woman. “Ah, of course, Commander Dauntless. Thank you for reminding me." Clarified Chief Michaels. “So, Lieutenant," the chief started, “You say you found this woman in Sector 16, the one near the Industrial District. In the report, you stated that you felt an earthquake at around 1700 hours and went to investigate what had happened at the epicenter, correct?" “Affirmative, Sir." Zack said in a stern voice. “And when you came across this woman, miss ‘Twilight' was it?" The chief asked as he leaned past Zack and looked over at Twilight. “That’s correct. My name is Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." “Right, Right. So, after getting close to the epicenter, you said that you found her confronting her shadow. Is this true, Young Master?" The chief asked with a now serious look on his face. “Yes, sir. After a little scuffle I had with it, Twilight and I managed to subdue and defeat it." Replied Zack. “And in turn, she herself gained her own Arcana, correct? The Priestess, if I recall?" Asked the chief. “That’s correct sir. A somewhat rarity during these times." Zack stated. The chief pushed Zack aside and started to walk towards Twilight, stroking his beard as he was walking. Twilight couldn’t help but slowly back away as he was walking towards her. “Y-Yes? Is there something I can help you with?" Twilight said nervously. The chief suddenly stopped in front of her, stopped stroking his beard, and stared directly into Twilight’s eyes for a second. As he was staring, Twilight swallowed out of fear of what he was thinking. The chief quickly turned around and started walking towards the monitor in the front of the room. “So? What’s the final verdict, Chief? She a keeper or not?" Questioned Commander Dauntless. The chief stopped in front of Zack and placed both of his hands on his shoulders. “She’s perfect." Said the chief in a stern voice. Zack smiled and Twilight let out a huge sigh of relief. “…You can’t be serious." Mumbled Commander Dauntless. “But first…" Stated the chief. He turned towards Twilight and reached into his shirt pocket, but this time, she didn’t feel as much hostility as she did before, when he was examining her. “I hate to ask this of you, seeing as if all of this is still a bit new to you, but on behalf of the World Peace Syndicate, would you be willing to join us?" Asked the chief as he pulled out a small device that looked unfamiliar to her. “Join you?" Twilight asked in a somewhat startled voice. “Come on, Twi." Stated Zack. “We could always use an extra helping hand around here. You’ll feel right at home, I promise." Hearing Zack say the word ‘home' reminded Twilight of what her purpose was in following Zack in the first place. But something kept her from saying yes. She went deep into thought about what could happen if she joined. Suddenly, without warning, an alarm started to go off throughout the entire base. Chief Michaels, Commander Dauntless, and Zack, startled by the alarm, suddenly turned around to see that there was something being shown on the large monitor. “What in the blue bloody blazes is going on?!" Shouted the chief. “Commander Dauntless!" “I’m on it, Sir!" She replied back as she rushed to the computer panel that was below the monitor. “I’m locating the source of the energy spike immediately!" “Energy Spike? What’s going on, Zack?!" Twilight asked in a panicky voice. “It’s just like what happened before I found you! Suddenly, a HUGE spike in energy was found in the area right before the earthquake had happened!" Explained Zack. “T-Then it could be one of my friends!" Shouted Twilight. “That’s preposterous! Borderline insane even!" Shouted Commander Dauntless. “Ember, the reading we’re getting is exactly what happened in the scenario as Zack was in. For all we know, she could be telling the truth." Explained the chief. “Ember? Who’s that?" Twilight whispered to Zack. “It’s Commander Dauntless' first name. She doesn’t like to be called that around the chief. Gets real pissy about it if you do. Trust me. Learned from experience." Zack whispered back. A large beeping noise could be heard from the monitor in front of Commander Dauntless. “Sir! I’ve pinpointed the location of the energy spike! It looks like it’s coming from Sector 12!" Shouted Commander Dauntless. “Sector 12? Where the old Town Hall used to be?" Asked Zack. “Precisely that same one, my boy." Said the chief. “I’ve scanned the area to see if any agents are within the area, and the only one close enough is… Commander Ryuuesi, Sir!" Ember shouted. “Get him onscreen, Commander Dauntless." Ordered the chief. “At once, Sir. Opening communication channels." Said Ember as she started working the controls on the panel. “Ryuusei… Ryuusei…" Mumbled Twilight. “Oh! Zack! Isn’t that your last name, too?" “Right. The one Ember and the Chief are talking about is my father."Zack answered. The monitor in the room started to change as it had open communications with Commander Ryuusei. “About time you guys called me. I was getting tired of just wasting the weak-ass punks in this area. What’s up?" Replied the man onscreen. The chief started to speak to relay orders to him. “Ace. I have some important news for you. This is serious." “Ace?" Asked Twilight. “My dad’s first name." Answered Zack. “All right, then. Spill it. What’cha got for me?" Replied Ace. “We’ve detected a large energy spike near Sector 12 back at HQ." “And let me guess. I’m the only guy available to go and check it out, right?" Asked Ace. “Correct." Said the chief. “But be careful. It’s possible that an earthquake is likely to happen within the next few moments." “How the hell would you guys know that? You guys get a fortune-teller I don’t know about?" Ace said with a snarky voice. “We don’t. This is just the theory we got from a similar situation we got involving your son not too long ago." Said the chief in a snarky voice of his own. “My boy? And what’d he say about it?" Asked Ace. “That after the spike in energy, an earthquake had happened not too long afterwards, and when he went to investigate it, he found a woman that was confronting her shadow." Explained the chief. “Wait, her shadow?" Ace suddenly took more interest. “You better not be bullshittin' be here." “We wouldn’t ‘bullshit' you about something this serious, Ace. Be on your guard." Said the chief in a very serious tone. “All right. I’ll keep my guard up for anything that might happen and call back if I see catch anything suspicious. Ace out." The monitor suddenly switched back to the screen before Ace was called. The chief started to mumble something under his breath. “Ace, don’t do anything too reckless. We don’t want a repeat with Ruby. None of us do..." The monitor suddenly switched back on. “Yo, chief!" It was Ace, but only his voice can be heard. “What is it, Commander Ryuusei?" The chief replied. “You were right. An earthquake happened right after I hung up on you guys." Said Ace. “Looks like the impact happened quite a ways north from the energy spike. I’ll head that way and see what I can find. Ace out." After the monitor switched off, Twilight began to walk towards the chief with a look of determination. “Chief Michaels, was it?" Twilight said sternly. “After considering the possibilities, I’ve made a decision." “Oh? And what might that be, Miss Twilight?" The chief said with a bit of humor in his voice. “I’ll join you. If I’m going to find my friends, I’ll need as much help as I can get." The chief clapped his hands together with joy. “Splendid!" Said the chief as he grabbed the device from earlier. “Now, hold out your hands, my dear." Twilight did just as the chief had told her. The chief grabbed Twilight’s wrist and placed the device in her hand. “This, my dear, is a personal telecommunications device. It’s something that every member carries around with them. It allows us to track and talk to each other, as well as scan materials to send back here for our scientists to analyze." “Wow…" Said Twilight in amazement as she gazed at the device. “Now then, as an official member, we need to get you the proper attire. Ember!" Shouted the chief. “What is it, sir?" Ember replied. “Take Twilight here to the wardrobe department for a quick change up, please. Then bring her back here for her briefing." The chief ordered. “At once, sir." Ember replied with a sour look on her face. Ember walked towards Twilight and quickly pat her on the back. “Come on, follow me." Ember instructed Twilight as she was walking towards the teleporter She and Zack used before. Twilight began to follow behind Ember. “Oh, and Zack!" Twilight said as she stopped and turned around. Zack looked at Twilight as she called him. “What’s up?" “I’ll bring back your jacket after I’m done. Promise." “Hey, don’t sweat it." Zack replied as he blushed a little. Twilight smiled and got on the teleporter with Ember and teleported away to another part of the HQ. ~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile, north of Sector 12, two miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, Ace comes closer to what may have caused the huge energy spike that Headquarters had picked up earlier. “Jeez, whatever I find better be worth my while. I don’t want to waste my time with another meaningless task." Mumbled Ace. After a few more minutes of running, Ace reaches what appears to be a large crater. “Holy…" Ace says as he stands in amazement. “What in the hell could’ve caused this?" He questioned. After examining the crater, he sees what looks like a human silhouette at the center. “Is that?... No way. It can’t be." Says Ace as he slides down the crater to further investigate the center. He stops himself a few feet from the center and slowly walks towards what lies in the center. “I don’t believe it." He says. Upon closer examination, a human woman with long bright yellow hair lies in the center of the crater. “Huh. Who’da thought a person could cause this much damage to the landscape…" Ace mumbled to himself. Suddenly the woman started to groan and open her eyes. “Hey, there. You all right?" Ace said to the woman. “Where… Where in the hay am ah?" The woman replied to him in a southern accent. “You’re right outside where the old Town Hall used to be." Answered Ace. “Where it used to be? Ah don’t remember there being a new one. Did Mayor Mare make a new one?" Asked the woman. Ace raised an eyebrow upon hearing the name. “Mayor… Mare? Sorry, but that doesn’t ring any bells." Said Ace. “What? But…" Said the woman as she moved her head around and started to open her eyes even more. Upon fully opening her eyes, she was startled by Ace’s appearance and let out a shout. “Holy butter on a biscuit! Who in the hay are you?!" She shouted as she tried to pull herself back, but couldn’t. “Calm down, lady. My name’s Ace. Ace Ryuusei. I’m here to help." Answered Ace. “Wha… What’s goin' on here? Wha-" “How’s about you start with your name? Then we’ll go from there." Said Ace to the woman. “Mah name? It’s-" She looked down, cutting herself off and let out another horrified shriek. “Wha…What happened to me?! What happened to mah body?! Where are mah hooves?! And tail?!" “Whoa, warn me before you freak out, why don’t ya?!" Shouted Ace. “Wh… What’s happened to me?!" Said the woman in a terrified voice. “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know, huh?" Said a mysterious voice out of nowhere in a southern accent. “Hey, where’d that voice come from?" Ace held out his hand and a glowing card, just like the one Twilight acquired, rotated in his hand. He broke it with both his arms in an X motion, and as he did, his arms became covered his forearms with flame-like tattoos and assumed a battle stance. “Come on out, you little coward! Show yourself!" Shouted Ace. “Relax, meat bag. Ah ain’t interested in YOU. My business is with that girl behind you." Said the mysterious voice from behind Ace. Ace quickly turned around to see the same woman he saw on the ground, but as a black silhouette with piercing yellow eyes. “Who… Who are you?!" Said the woman on the ground behind Ace as she kept trying to back up. The woman started to slowly walk towards Ace and the woman behind him. “You already know who ah am… don’t you?" The woman on the ground started to shake her head wildly. “N-No… No, I don’t know who you are…" She said as she was panicking. The shadow suddenly smiled widely. “Thou art ah… and Thou art me…" Said the woman who slowly started walking towards her and Ace. “Ah don’t know what you mean… Stay away from me" “You do… DON’T YOU? Ah don’t need to spell it out for ya, right?" “RIGHT?... APPLEJACK?!"
