Shifted

“So, you’re some kinda Princess, for real?” Dave said hefting some rubble away from where they left the mirror.

“Verily.”

“And you talk like we did a thousand years ago because…?”

“It is mine speech. A thousand years ago We had been banished and recently returned. The world, our world, had moved on without Us and as such, We a-speak in the ways of what is now olden.”

“Wow, she’s a freak in so many ways,” Viv mumbled as she lifted some debris.

“Where’s this dumb mirror,” Phil asked, “I want the mirror to see how buff I am,” he grinned.

“The spell’s wearing off, dinkus. And it doesn’t affect the way you look, just how the world behaves around you.”

“Ah, We see. A spell of power. The words you use are unknown to me and my spell of language, yet the effect is the same as that which was cast upon my regalia.”

“Wait,” Viv stopped and looked at Luna, “you mean you have enchanted stuff on you?” Luna nodded absently, “I’ll buy it from ya. Twenty creds for the lot,” she extended her hand, which looked odd for a humans.

“Nay, I wouldst be remiss in my royal duties to simply sell my royal vestiges like trinkets.”

Viv lowered her hand and turned back to her moving duties with the others. “Why don’t you magic this crap away?”

“To abuse one's power is to invite a lazy existence. We will assist you by muzzle and hoof alone, as is the way thy art working.”

One of them groaned as she moved a piece of rebar and wood aside. “Stop talking like that.”

“What? Doth mine words-”

“‘We, Us, Our’. Stop it, it’s bad enough you have to talk like some old cheesy movie, but now you’ve got me thinking like that.”

Luna nickered. “‘Tis the way we speak. Thou sound like…” she paused and took a calming breath, “I understand and apologize. Mine, my sister has been teaching me how to speak in a more modern fashion. When I return to my home I shall send an envoy to assist you, if you wish.”

“Okay, that’s cool, Raul said impressed, “your modern language is our now language,” Raul spoke up.

“Shut up and get the mirror. It’d better not be broken or Horny here is stuck and we’re out of chances to get help.”

“My name is Luna!” Luna growled and stomped a hoof heavily. The ground shook causing them all to freeze for a second before it gave way, sending them all falling into a dark abyss from which there was no bottom… or so it felt as they looked around to see themselves a floor lower in the basement of the warehouse.

“Oh… shit,” Viv mumbled as weapons clicked and hummed to life. Luna cast a shield just as the first rounds began striking her compatriots. “Thanks, and there’s the mirror!”

The light from Luna’s horn reflected of the polished enchanted surface, but was outside their reach and still partly buried. “More of thy metal enemies? Can you please dispatch them as before?” Luna asked hopefully.

“How long can you keep your shield up?” Phil asked.

“As long as I am awake, lest they bring it down. However,” she chuckled, “they have no more giants to strike at me.”

“...She said it.”

“Crap… Everyone, get ready to run that way,” Dave pointed as rounds pinged off the shield and slowly came to a stop. “Get ready, Luna. We’ve gotta stay together, so don’t gillip away.”

“Gillip? Dost thou mean gallop?”

“Horny and mages,” a voice shouted from beyond the shield, “I am Sergent Page, you are hereby under arrest and will be held under trial for crimes against humanity. Lower your shield,” one of the humans in black armor that looked as skeletal as the rest, but heavier set and with a more distinct head said, walking to the front.

“Yeah, we’ll go with you after you kiss my green ass!” Viv shouted and shot a round through the shield that pinged harmlessly of the leader and sent the rest firing back. The leader shook his head and turned away, walking back into the mix of at least eight more.

“We’re leaving, now,” Viv ordered as she turned and hopped onto Luna’s back, “giddyap!”

The group looked to Viv who was sitting on a frustrated looking Alicorn. “Leave me at once,” she ordered.

“Shut it and gid- yaah!” Viv whimpered as she flew to the edge of the shield and the weapons fire died down, chuckling noises replacing the fire. “Damnit, unicorn-”

Luna winced in pain as she opened her wings fully. “I am no unicorn! I am an Alicorn. Blessed with the abilities of earth, pegasi, and unicorn ponies! A princess in the lands of Equestria and steward of the moon. Thou shalt return me to my realm at once, Viv, and cease this meaningless prattle.”

Silence befell the room as all eyes were on the regally resplendent Luna. “So, you’re not even a horse, you’re a… p-p-p,” Phil snickered inside his armor, “pony!” He fell to his knee laughing as several black armored soldiers looked amongst each other.

“Enough of this!” Luna shouted as her horn light grew brighter and the debris lifted from the mirror. It was enough to startle and begin the barrage against her shield. She planted the mirror next to her and closed her wings with a grunt. “Open the portal.”

“We don’t know how.”

Luna huffed and grunted as she channeled her magic, sending a pulse of energy out from her shield and sending the soldiers to their backs, spasming as electricity arced over them. “Then I shall! Behold the power of an Alicorn Princess.”

She channelled her magic into the mirror and smirked as a portal began to open… and a tentacle creeped through. “What manner of…” she dispelled the magic and recast it. This time a stable empty portal appeared that she didn’t hesitate to kick the tentacle remnants through. “Fare thee well,” she said as she trotted through.

A dark world welcomed her, the ground made of living wood that she could sense. There were no stars, no moon, and no mountains to be certain. For as far as she could see it was an endless landscape of the living ground below her.

An untranslated voice began to whisper in her mind, unsettling her as she slowly stepped back through the portal again to the group she was with before.

“Where is my home?” Luna asked dispelling the portal.

“That’s why we need our shifter… she ran when Phil went through and only she knows the way back to your home world.” Luna’s ears fell flat at Raul’s words. “Don’t worry, Princess. We’ll do our best to get you home… But, maybe we can get out of here before they start shooting again?”

Luna glanced over and sighed as she took the mirror and others in her magic and teleported back out front of the warehouse. “I trust thee can walk?” She said dropping the group.

“Run is more like it. Let’s get to the hideout.”

“Bad news, but I think she crushed it. It was that way,” Dave pointed towards the wreckage and area the skull-bot had been tossed.

“Then let’s see what’s left.”

“That’s suicide! You know the death heads’ll be there in no time to start salvaging their tech. I’m going with plan X and getting the hell outta here.”

“Phil, calm down. Let’s get out of the open and think this through,” Viv grumbled.

“Fine!” he shouted as he turned and ran to a nearby alley with the others following closely and Luna trailing behind, her ears low and hooves dragging, she looked to her side at the mirror and sighed.

“Celestia, what hath I gotten mineself into?”