About an hour after leaving school, Jack and his mother arrive at home, and their car pulls into the driveway.

When the car is in just the right spot, out of the road and completely on the driveway, and in front of a house that is a story high, Mom turns off her engine, everything in the car turning completely off with the twist of the key. Then, she opens her door.

Jack follows suite by opening his door and hopping out of the car. "Hey, Mom. I talked to a girl at school, today."

"You did?" Mom asks, "Who is she?"

"Emily Ridley." Jack opens the back seat and grabs his backpack. "She asked me if I could visit her home tomorrow. Can I?"

Mom sighs. "Jack, I don't want you to hang out at someone else’s place alone."

Jack closes the doors. "Mom, Emily's a nice girl. She would never bully me."

"I just want to make sure that you're safe with mommy," Mom says. "Unless of course, you have your cell phone so that we could keep in contact.”

Jack smiles upon hearing that because it just so happens that he has his own flip phone, which his mother gave him for Christmas.

"Okay. Thanks, Mom." Jack says.

“You’re welcome.” his mother responds.

Jack and his mother walk to the door. Getting out her keys, Jack’s mother unlocks the door before opening it. Mother and son enter the house, at last, Jack closes the door behind him since he’s the last one to enter.

With his backpack on his shoulder, Jack walks through the hallway. "I'll be in my room, Mom.”

"Alright. Don’t forget to take a shower." Mom calls.

"Okay."

Jack opens his bedroom door and takes a look at his bedroom as if it’s the first time he’s ever seen it. His room is filled with dinosaur posters and decorations, and he has a pet gecko inside a tank on top of a drawer. He steps inside and closes the door behind him.

Jack pulls out the book, and his stuffed Twilight Sparkle, out of his backpack before he drops it next to his dresser.

"Hey, Rex. I'm home from school." Jack says to his lizard as he put the book on the bookshelf and his stuffed toy on top of it. "Oh, what's that? Did I forget to feed you? Pft! Nah! Of course, I didn't forget." He walks to the drawer and he pulls out his extra clothes: his dark blue sweatpants, a green T-shirt, and midway brief underwear. "But I'll feed you after I shower. Just kidding."

Jack grabs a jar full of crickets. He opens the lid and pulls out four crickets before closing the jar back.

Then, he put the crickets in the tank and closing the tank lid, his gecko looking as thought he’s definitely hungry. "There you go. You enjoy your food.”

And just like that, Rex feasts on the crickets, his tongue catching them one at a time lightning fast.

“I'll be in the shower," Jack tells Rex.

Finally, Jack walks out of his bedroom and into his bathroom, an extra change of clothes in hand, as Rex continues feasting on the crickets.

Little does the gecko notice while he’s eating, however, as well as Jack not noticing because he’s in his bathroom, that on the dresser where the book is sitting, the T-Rex icon on the book itself briefly glows bright gold.

Meanwhile, Twilight and the gang are running through the forest from the dreadful Changelings. Unlike Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in this world, the changelings have the ability to fly, but only for short distances, an example being right now where the first one looks like he’s flying perfectly, but then...he collapses face first onto the ground, the other changelings running ahead of him. But, that doesn’t stop him from picking himself up and keep going after his quarry.

"Can’t you do something with the ring on your horn, Twilight?" Spike yelps.

"Do something? I’m not even sure what we can do with it without magic," Twilight says.

Suddenly, a blinking light activates on the ring, slowly increasing as they travel like it’s a GPS. It gives Twilight an idea. "Keep going this way. We’ll follow the beeping.”

"But how do we ditch those guys?" Pinkie asks, pointing out their enemies relentlessly chasing them.

"I got this!" Spike climbs on top of Twilight's back, standing up while holding onto her mane, and turns to the creatures chasing them. "Get toasted!"

Spike breathes in, and blows his breath, but...there’s no fire. Instead of fire, it’s just Spike blowing his breath out, with only a small spark of fire leaving him like one would a lighter.

“What the...?" Spike says, completely shocked by this.

"So much for traveling." Rarity groans.

The ponies run across an old bridge over the rapid creek, but Fluttershy, who is behind, trips over on a crooked plank completely out of place of the others.

Rainbow stops for Fluttershy. "Fluttershy!"

Not wanting to leave her friend behind, Rainbow quickly runs over to her.

The rest of the gang stop upon noticing what’s happening.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Twilight exclaims, before running towards Rainbow.

Fluttershy rolls over on her back, dazed from the hard trip she just had. But, when she looks up, she suddenly wishes she hadn’t because the three changelings stood in front of her menacingly.

"Well, well,” The leader of the changeling trio says. “It looks like we have ourselves a straggler.”

Scared beyond anything else, Fluttershy covers her face with her mane and shakes like a leaf, while the changeling leans himself closer to her. But before any further action could take place, Rainbow jumps over Fluttershy and stands between her and the changelings.

“Nobody messes with any of my friends!" She exclaims with a defensive pose.

Rainbow bucks the first Changeling, causing him to fall over the side of the bridge. The second changeling snaps its jaws at Rainbow, but misses by that much because Rainbow quickly evades. Then, she headbutts the creature, before throwing it off the bridge opposite the first changeling.

Rainbow turns to the last remaining changeling. "You're next!"

"Oh yeah?" The changeling is about to shapeshift, but, when he tries to use his horn, nothing happens. He tries again a couple of times, but still, nothing. “Uh, why can't I change my form?"

"You do realize that we're not in Equestria anymore, right?”

As if he’s just now realizing that, he gives a look of shock, although, that doesn’t last long.

"Foolish pony! You will never get your hooves on that book!" He exclaims.

"Hey, you got something on your face." Rainbow points with her hoof.

"Huh?"

"I'll get it." Rainbow offers, before punching the changeling in the face, and making him fall off the bridge where the second changeling is. "You're welcome!"

Rainbow helps Fluttershy up. "Um, thanks,” Fluttershy says.

"No problem, Fluttershy."

Twilight and the others run over to the two pegasi.

“Nice one, Rainbow!” Twilight exclaims.

"Just doing my best to keep my friends safe. Besides, these pesky pony-like bugs will never catch up with us."

Suddenly, the bridge shakes, the ponies and dragon shaking with it.

"That's not good." Applejack says.

Pinkie looks down over the railing of the bridge and gasps. "Look!"

The others run over to Pinkie, and they see...the changelings down below, chomping down the legs of the bridge.

"They're destroying the bridge!” Starlight says.

"Come on!" Twilight says.

The ponies and dragon run across the bridge, but by the time they get close to land...it's too late. The bridge tumbles down, carrying Twilight and the gang with it as they scream. They land into the water and drift through the current, the water carrying them as if they’re leaves until they swim to the surface. The rapids are too risky to swim, but that doesn’t stop them from trying without giving up.

Twilight climbs onto a floating log. "Everypony, climb on."

The rest of the gang swims to the log Twilight climbed onto and follow her example by climbing out of the water.

Spike holds onto the big branch at the end of it. "So, we're safe now, right?"

"Uh, not exactly," Starlight says staring at the river's following current.

They turn to the direction where Starlight looked, and they realize that part of the river is gone, and the current is moving fast. That’s when everyone realizes that they’re heading straight towards a waterfall the size of a five-story apartment.

"Everypony, hold on tight!" Twilight shouts.

Everyone does as Twilight says. With that, the log tumbles over the waterfall, and the ponies and dragon scream as they fall and into the plunge pool below.

Meanwhile, the three changelings watch the ponies fall over the waterfall, and they cheer for victory.

"We've got them good!" The first changeling says.

“Yeah. Let's go find that book.” The second changeling says.

"But how are we gonna find it?" The third changeling asks.

"We'll figure that out later." The first one replies, “C’mon, let’s get moving.”

They trot through the forest, disappearing into the trees like ghosts in a dark house.

For a moment, it would seem that the changelings are right, because they have now been underwater for longer than anyone can imagine. However...

Twilight emerges out of the surface, gasping for air as if she never breathed before, and the others follow suite.

When they quickly spot shore, they swim towards it and crawl out of the water.

Pinkie falls to the ground in exhaustion. "I'm glad...this party...didn’t lose the music."

“You mean that we made it?” Starlight asks.

“Yeah, that.”

"In that case, me too."

Twilight uses her hooves to pull out the ring, sits it down on the ground, and moves around it to measure the blinking light.

Applejack meanwhile is drying her hat, even by scrunching it up like it’s a rag before putting it back on. “So, where are we going?" She asks.

"I'm working on it,” Twilight says.

She turns the ring forty-five degrees to the right, and then...the blinking light increases before arrows suddenly ignite from it, pointing in the direction Twilight turned it.

"This way. Come on, guys." She puts the ring back on.

Twilight leads the group through the forest while she follows the beep.

"Um, guys. What about the changelings?" Fluttershy asks.

"Not to worry, Flutters, I took care of them,” Rainbow says. “At least until they destroyed the bridge.”

"Well, it's a darn good thing they thought we drowned from the waterfall bellow ‘em." Applejack says.

"That's a good point." Starlight says.

"Yeah. Applejack's right. The changelings think we’re dead, so we’re totally." Twilight says.

"But, I wonder what Chrysalis is up to in Equestria?" Starlight asks curiously, “Is anybody besides me worried that she'll do something extreme while we’re gone."

"I'm worried too, Starlight, but what she wants is that book we're looking for." Twilight points out. “Wherever that is.”

The gang emerges out of the trees, and near the hillside. When they do, they gasp upon a sight that takes them by surprise.

In the distance is a large town, but, it’s completely different from the ones in Equestria, especially by advancement.

"Wow. We’re definitely not in Equestria anymore." Starlight says.

"Yeah, but...where are we?" Fluttershy asks.

"We’ll investigate on the matter," Twilight says. "Come on.”

The gang treks downhill towards town.

Author's Note

The next chapter will be available next week or so because my editor will be gone today until the 28th so stay patient.