A day after the three had arrived in Equestria, Marcus was allowed into the Crystal Palace, so long as he was supervised by Jacob or Sierra. Jacob due to him being able to translate current Equestrian English, and Sierra due to her being trusted by Cadenza.

As such, the three were now in the guest dining chamber, having lunch in an awkward silence. “So. . .,” Marcus said, trying to break the ice, “when do you guys think we’ll be able to get home?” Jacob scoffed. “What is it, Jacob?”

“The fact you think we’ll be able to go home,” he said, taking a bite from his salad.

“What about it?” Marcus replied. “You don’t want to go home?”

Jacob shook his head. “No. I want to go home, I’m just being realistic about it.”

“Oh, here we go,” Sierra muttered.

Marcus sighed. “The Multiverse theory bullshit?”

“We’re in an anthropomorphic-though technically, even one exactly like the show in anatomical terms would be anthro- version of Equestria where they speak Shakespearean English and use magic,” he pointed out.

“So?” Marcus said.

“So,” Jacob replied, “if the multiverse theory is true-of which there is evidence of for us- than there is no way in fucking hell we’ll find our home universe before we die. Hell, probably not before it dies.”

“Can you two cut it out before you even start?” Sierra asked. “Can’t you go a week without arguing this?”

“Evidently not,” Jacob sighed.

“Jacob, our universe will keep going for, what, trillions of years? I’m relatively sure we’d find it before then if we found a way to become immortal.”

“Then what?” Jacob asked. “Earth will, at best, be a cold, lifeless rock in space. At worst, it’ll be either part of a star after entering its atmosphere, be on a collision course with another planet, sucked into the gravity well of a gas giant, or become black hole food! Humanity, as we were, will be extinct, possibly even its genetic descendants, but definitely forgotten. What do you propose then? Become gods to a primitive race?” Jacob shook his head. “I had a week to think over this, Marcus. Trust me. The odds of us finding home, as it is, without it being a universe so far behind our home that we arrive just as we left, are so. Fucking small. That they may as well be nonexistent.”

Marcus scoffed. “Better than being here,” he said. “What are we going to do here? Create a harem-” at this, Sierra look at Jacob, who replied with a shrug, which in turn got a glare from Sierra followed by a hand raised gesture “-become gods? Villains? Heroes?”

“You wouldn’t on the latter and second?” Jacob asked.

“Only if it meant going home,” he said.

“You’d make for a fucking terrible hero, then,” Jacob replied. “A perfect god, though,” he muttered. Sighing, he put his forehead in his left hand, elbow resting on the table. “Seriously, though, Marcus, the odds of us finding home are so low, it may as well be one in infinity.”

The two were silent for a time, Sierra awkwardly eating her salad, before Marcus spoke up. “Can we at least agree this is moot without a way to leave here, at least?”

Jacob scoffed, and looked at Marcus, a small smile on his face. “What’s this? Marcus Shay having sense? Are you sure you came from the universe as me?”

Marcus chuckled. “Oh, fuck off,” he said, a similar smile on his face. “So, you’re the closest thing we have to an expert on what the hell’s going on here, Jacob-”

Jacob scoffed. “You flatter me.”

“-and while your A.I. told me a short form of everything, I want to hear it from you: the fucking hell is going on?”

Sierra looked at Jacob, annoyance in her look. “So do I, Jacob. You’ve only told me when we are, where we are, and what you just said.”

Jacob rubbed his forehead. “Guys, I don’t even know the full picture,” he said. “All I know is what you know.”

“Then we go ask Celestia if she can help us go home,” Marcus said.

“Or not,” Jacob muttered. “Okay, look. There’s only one thing I know for certain: that we’re in a world where the characters are far more anthropomorphic than the show. Anything beyond that is pure speculation. For all we know, the Celestia of this world could be dead. She could be a fucking xenophobic ruler who will kill us on the spot. She could be brain dead and be under the control of an eldritch abomination.” He rubbed his temples. “The absolute best I can provide is telling you who is important in the show, but that may not amount to much. The one who threatens to destroy the world in one universe could be its greatest protector in another.”

The others were quiet for a time. “Right,” Marcus eventually said, multiple emotions in his voice. “So, what about the things that got us here?”

“The eldritch abominations, or the weapons?”

“The weapons.”

Jacob nodded. “In short, they should work like their game counterparts. Since we haven’t used ours, I don’t know what the battery capacity is for ‘em, but they’re bound to be equal to the in game versions in terms of damage.”

“Hope we don’t have to use them,” Sierra muttered.

“Agreed,” Jacob said, sighing. “That said, it wouldn’t hurt to train with them in case we have to use them.”

“Or is it because you just want to look cool?” Sierra asked, a small smirk on her face and left eyebrow slightly raised.

Letting out a single laugh, Jacob exclaimed, “Bitch, the only to not look cool with an Energy Sword is being impaled by it!” And even then, there’s exceptions, Jacob added silently, grin on his face.

Unknown to the three, outside their dining room, there were two crystal unicorns listening in on their conversation. “Alert the Captain,” one said to his cohort. “The creatures wish to train with their weapons.”

Elsewhere, on the balcony overlooking the city, two rulers stood. One leaned against the railing, looking down upon her city, wearing a flowing dress that sparkled in the morning sun. The other stood near the entryway, wearing her night blue armor, arms crossed.

“Why are you still here?” the leaning one asked.

“You know the agreement-”

“Yes, I know the agreement,” was the rebuke, venom in Cadenza’s voice at the word agreement. “As I told you last month, and the month before, and the whole year before that, there are no elements of our tradition left, only the facade of one your queen lets us have.”

Luna narrowed her eyes at Cadenza. “My sister is not a queen,” she said. “And nothing of our agreement suppresses your traditions.”

Cadenza laughed, and turned to face Luna. “And yet, my daughter lives in your city, protected by your sister’s guards, not yours nor mine, being taught by Celestia in Equestrian ways instead of by her people in ways sacred to us. We are no longer allowed to have our festivals beyond the one to keep our only city safe.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “Your other festivals summoned beasts of disharmony-”

“Leave it to you Equestrians to fear a little cold,” Cadenza growled. “I’m surprised you aren’t shivering in your armor in fear.”

Luna opened her mouth to retort, but her reply died before it left her mouth as a cloud of smoke drifted down in front, and transformed into a scroll. “What, is your sister ordering her dog back?” Cadenza growled.

Luna ignored her as she opened the scroll, and read it, her face turning from annoyance and anger at Cadenza to one of shock and fear. “One of our seers has had a prophecy.”

“Oh, what now? Another one leading to Equestria’s victory in an upcoming tragedy?”

“A death prophecy.”

Cadenza’s body language transitioned from anger to fear as she backed up from Luna. “How bad?”

“My sister requests both of us and the savior of the Empire at Canterlot as soon as possible.”

“I-I’ll tell them they are needed with us in Canterlot,” Cadenza said before teleporting away.

Author's Note

At this point, I'm sure if any of my stories got a TVTropes page, chances are any of the prophecy tropes will be on that page.