Today is the day I make history...

Those were the words flying through my mind as I began packing for the greatest scientific achievement anyone could ever achieve—Proving Interdimensional Travel, Teleportation, and Wormholes, possible. No, not only possible but re-creatable within the twenty-first century.

My heart raced as I stuffed my backpack with various scientific equipment; Geiger counters, energy spectrometers, enough radio equipment to fill a small military base in my van, infrared cameras, and everything else anyone could need when dealing with magical portals. Even underwear. You can never go wrong with spare underwear. Once I finished packing, I quickly grabbed my smartphone from my desk in the corner of my small bachelor apartment, acquired my keys for my 2006 GMC Savanna, and rushed out my apartment.

Why was I in such a hurry? Well, many years ago I discovered something amazing a few miles into Kootenay Valley while hiking with my family. In the valley is a cave due west of Mount Sinclair. The cave itself isn't all that notable or out of place, on the outside. Inside the cave, however, is a wall of perfectly flat stone in the shape of a mirror. And several years ago when I touched this wall, my hand phased into it, but when I brought my family to show them my discovery. The wall was rock solid.

Of course, they thought it was my imagination. I was eight years old at the time, so why wouldn't they? But I knew what I saw and felt! So every year when my family and I make our annual camping trip into the valley. I would always visit the mirror to see if the portal would open again. And every second year, the gateway would open and remain accessible for three days.

I didn't tell my family, especially my Aunt Velma, in case they would tell the government about my discovery. I wanted to be the one to receive all the praise, the admiration, and money. Yes, I'm that vain. Can you blame a nerdy bachelor that studies theoretical quantum physics and the occult? And one that tried to summon a succubus for clearly moral and non-sexual reasons in the name of science? We all have fantasies, and you can't enjoy them all that much while broke.

With my gear all packed up in my van, I began driving out of Edmonton to the valley...after I grabbed a coffee from Timmy's. A true Canadian doesn't leave the house on a road trip without a delicious cup of coffee. I wondered what it would be like to venture through the portal? Well, I'll find out soon enough.

A few hours passed, a lunch break, followed by a quick stop to use the bathroom later, I pulled into a service road next to Banff-Windermere Hwy. I drove far enough down the service road so that no one would be able to see my van from the highway. Sometimes a patrol officer would come by, usually Sergeant Miller, Johnson, or Jalal. They were family friends and former members of my dads unit and made sure I was alright...and not illegally building an underground bunker to take over the world with my mad scientist experiments. Of course, I wouldn't do something like that...yet.

Anyway, after parking my van, I noticed another vehicle pulling in behind me in the shape of a white and black and heavily reinforced 2019 Dodge Charger; An Interceptor in street slang. They drive fast, hit hard, and the only one that I know of that drives one is Sergeant Miller. Oh! He brought donuts. Nice.

Shutting off the engine for my van, I grabbed my cell before jumping out the vehicle to greet Uncle Miller. The six-foot-ten behemoth of Canadian muscle did the same with his signature smirk that never leaves his face. Even when angry. His grin is very unsettling at times. And in one hand was a box of donuts, and the other rested on top of his standard issue Smith and Wesson 5946. 'I think he sees my Beretta 92FS. Never leave home without it. Dad would kill me if I did. Same with Mom...after she revived me.'

"Hello, Officer!" I greeted with a straight face while keeping my hands in full view. "These are not the droids you're looking for."

"Sure kid," he snorted before pointing at my van with his free hand. "And I don't see military grade radio equipment poking out the roof of your van either. What did I say about making a secret underground laboratory? Do you want to lose your scholarship for Harvard? Where did you get that crap anyway?"

I waved dismissively, "Through perfectly legal means, and I'm not making an underground lab. I don't have the cash to make one. I'm just doing a few experiments in a cave nearby."

"You stole it from Aunt Velma, didn't you?" he frowned slightly.

"No, I just got into contact with her supplier. I don't want anything to do with that research thief. And stealing from that cunt would give her a legal reason to jack my thesis on Quantum Wormholes and Portals," I frowned back with a bit a venom in my voice. Velma may be my Aunt by blood, but that bitch can jump in a fire for the amount of stuff she stole from the scientific community. She literally ruined several peoples careers through either sabotage or claiming plagiarism in court. I really don't want her anywhere near me when I announce my discovery to the world. She'll only shove her face in the camera and proclaim herself the "research lead" of my project. 'Fucking bitch.'

"Welp, I can agree with you on your Mom's sister being a thieving cunt. There isn't much I can do about that," he sighed in annoyance, followed by pinching the bridge of his nose. "Trust me. I've tried. Her claws are practically in the throats of all the courts, and pulling them out will only do more harm than good at the moment."

"Really? You can't do anything like contact your friends in the military to leave some incriminating evidence on Velma?" I questioned with crossed arms and a raised brow.

"Anything legal that won't come back to bite us in the ass," Miller groaned.

"Whatever," I relented. "Anyway, is there anything you need, and can I have a donut?"

"Well, I just came to check up on you since you've been showing up in the valley every two years and six months and coming to this very spot since you got your van. I might as well see what you are doing and, you know, do my job? Which, by the way, what are you doing with the military grade gear in your van?" He gave me a Boston cream donut to munch on with his question.

"As I said thousands of times before: I'm studying a local phenomenon that's emitting strange and unknown energy emissions from one of the caves located at the base of Mount Sinclair," I replied dryly. Not even the donut will make my tone sound enthusiastic at the prospect of becoming world famous. I hate repeating myself.

"Weed doesn't count," Miller chuckled. "And do you need some help carrying your stuff?"

"Don't you have a patrol route to follow?" I asked back with a chuckle of my own. I even pulled out a joint, lit it up, and began inhaling the plant of dopey calming. Thank Cthulhu pot became legal last year. Why take anti-anxiety and anti-stress medication when you can smoke dope? It's a cheaper alternative to pharmaceutical drugs, and I can grow it on the roof of my apartment in a greenhouse without issue. I only have to share some of my profits with Jill, the apartment manager. My funding had to come from somewhere, so why not exploit the multi-billion dollar marijuana market that opened up in Canada?

"Meh, chasing motorcyclists through the winding highway between Banff and Vancouver is more dangerous than people realize," he shrugged. "Besides, I want to make sure your minions hiding in your secret laboratory are being properly fed and cared for."

"For the last time! I'M NOT BUILDING A LAB OF DOOM!"

His grin only deepened. "Lab of Doom you say? I can't wait to see it."

I threw my arms in the air in defeat. My donut flew with my arms. Rest in peace donut-sama. Your sacrifice will not be in vain.

With the help of Uncle Sergeant Miller, I managed to get all my essential equipment inside the cave. The rest stayed in the van connected through a satellite link and the computer I have remote control over. I still had to set up a few fold-up tables, boxes, a couple cans of diesel and kerosene, a generator, an industrial heater, and some camping equipment. Oh! And food for the three days I'll be staying in the cave. I can't forget about that. Uncle Miller wouldn't let me forget with his constant remarks of there not being enough biomatter for my non-existent minions. 'Fucking douche. An awesome douche, but still a douche.'

I didn't waste time setting up my equipment. I only paused to eat and use the bathroom. Not having a lot of time, (three days to be exact), to prove the existence of a dimensional portal to the world required a lot of evidence, and I had a minuscule window of opportunity to acquire said evidence. With that in mind, the second I finished all my unpacking and prep-work, I began my study on the portal.

"Today on the 21st of June during the year of 2019. I—Gry Solana—make one of the grandest discoveries in Human history," I mused to myself with a camera recording everything I'm doing. "When Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon, saying his famous words, he inspired millions to take the impossible and make it a reality. Its only fitting that I say something inspirational as well." I scratched my head with the probe I was holding in deep thought for a moment. Then shrugged when I couldn't come up with something epic and decided to use whatever was on my mind.

"Furries are hot, and I would totally bang Artica, Shiira, Zoe, Naomi, Kisha, Pumzie, and Selene." And with those words of grand intelligence. I stabbed the probe into the portal, placed a weight on it, and jumped towards my laptop to check the data coming from the probe. However, before I could begin my analysis of the hundreds of terawatts worth of energy emitting from the portal, I noticed a figure standing at the mouth of the cave.

The figure in question was female. The girl wore a midriff black leather coat, a white midriff tank top, blue denim short-shorts, black leather combat boots, fingerless gloves, and a large sheath hidden behind her attached to her belt. A large, empty, sheath to be exact. As concerning as the missing dagger was. Her eyes and hair held my complete attention.

Her narrow aquamarine eyes glared pure death at me. Her long, thick, rose-red and gold-yellow hair shone like fire in the light. Both looked completely natural, which was strange since neither were natural on a human unless she dyed them or used contacts. And both were positively stunning. Oh! I found the dagger. It's an eight-inch, black, Bowie knife, and it's in her right hand. That's not good.

'Okay, strange girl in the middle of nowhere, armed with a military-grade knife, and she's glaring at me. She obviously doesn't want me in the cave. What to do?'

"May I help you?" I asked cautiously, while never taking my eyes off the girl. Her glare sharpened at the tone of my voice, and I can see her hand grip the blade even tighter. Not good. 'Gotta' reach for my gun without showing I had one. I have to distract her. The question is: How?'

"What are you doing here?!" replied the girl with a menacing growl. I took a step back, hands raised in the air. I absentmindedly noted that I now stood in front of the Portal.

"I'm a Quantum Physics Major studying this—" I pointed to the cave wall. "—Portal. Can I ask why you are pointing a knife at me? Am I being mugged? Everything in this room is being recorded and uploaded to a private server by the way."

"Get out, delete everything you learned here, and never come back," the girl warned. She took a step forward, her knees slightly bent, legs evenly spread apart. Her blade sat in a fencing "rest" position, while her free hand sat slightly behind her. She wasn't an amateur with her knife, so I only had, at most, two seconds to draw my gun. I took another step back.

"I can't get out with you blocking the way. Not only that, but why would I erase years worth of research just for a random girl with a knife?" I snarled back while taking another step towards the portal. She also took another step forward, her eyes never staying in one spot. 'Smart.'

"If you don't do what I ordered you to do, then I'll kill you," the girl took two more steps forward, causing me to do the same backward. I now stood almost directly in front of the portal. Any more steps towards it would force me inside it, and that's something I didn't want to do at the moment. Well, not with a girl threatening my life anyway. 'I need to act sooner rather than later. Fuck. I may have learned martial arts and how to properly use guns from my family, but I didn't think I would need it. Frankly, I would rather count the number of free particles in a box the size of the empire state building than having to fight for my life, even if it would be insanely boring. Monotony is greater than survival in my opinion. That and I have to keep my stress levels low or else I will have seizures. Several neck injuries will do that don't you know?'

'Welp, seizure or fall into a Quantum Portal? An hour on the ground twitching sounds better than dying at the moment. It's now or never. I just hope this girl is easily distracted.'

Taking in a deep breath, I lowered my hands, stared directly into the girl's eyes with DETERMINATION!

"Kill me? With an RCMP Officer behind you? Go ahead and try."

"What?" she gasped, eyes wide in fear. She even, much to my surprise, turned around to see if my bluff was true, giving me enough time to draw my Beretta, turn the safety off, but I couldn't get into a good firing position in time. The reason? Simple! She saw my laptop, which was connected to all the cameras in the room, noticed what I was doing, and charged at me.

I took one more step back in shock and fired at the ground by her feet by accident. She gasped, dropped her knife, but didn't stop her charge. I tried to bring my weapon to bear. The girl had other plans.

She tackled me. I fired once more before dropping my gun. We both fell into the portal. Everything else was so sudden and chaotic. I couldn't comprehend what was happening as we both flew through a rainbow tunnel reminiscent of the Rainbow Bridge from Thor: Ragnarok. And like scene during the movie when Loki, Thor, and Hella did battle. The girl and I fought. And by fought? I mean mildly struggle for a second.

She gripped my neck with her hands in a desperate attempt to choke me to death. I responded by kneeing her crotch as hard as I could. Her face contorted in pain, and she lost her grip but didn't scream. I didn't waste any time to make my counter-attack. I brought both my legs up, placed my feet against her stomach, and kicked her as hard as I could.

Fear determines if you fight or flee, but Hesitation determines whether you live or you die.

The girl's eyes went wide in terror as she flew towards the wall of the rainbow tunnel, and just like in the movie when Hella threw Loki. The girl collided with the wall, it collapsed like liquid glass, and the girl disappeared into the void. Never to been seen again. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and looked towards the white light rushing towards me. Want to know what my final thought was when I passed through the white light and lost consciousness due to a stress-induced seizure?

'Fuck! I dropped my weed!'

Celestia-POV

Princess Celestia knew something was wrong. She could feel it, hear it, and possibly taste it. Her heart raced, pounded, painfully so in her chest. Her large, alabaster wings twitched in agitation, edging the worried Aetherial to take flight and fly towards the cause of concern. But she didn't. She couldn't or else her worry would become the nation's worry. Celestia must remain unmoving like a mountain, calm as a pound, but the mask she wore could only hide so much of her true, innermost emotions.

'She's home. My little Sun is home,' Celestia thought with a kaleidoscope of emotion. Fear, Hope, Joy, Sadness, Anxiety, Mirth, Happiness, Love. Especially Love. A single tear fell down her cheek. Her face entrapped with a sad smile. Both confused the guards escorting her through Canterlot Hospital.

The rapid "click-clack" of Celestia's diamond heels echoed throughout the halls of the hospital and nothing else. All doctors and nurses paused in their duties to make way for their Princess, and all remained silent at the sight of their Goddess weeping tears of joy. Celestia didn't care what they saw or what they hear. Her little Sun. Her shimmering Light. Her daughter, Sunset Shimmer, has returned home, and there is nothing in the world that will keep Celestia from making sure her little girl was alright!

Celestia continued to follow the nurse leading her to Sunset. Of course, she didn't need to. She could sense her daughter's mana-signature from the castle. Sunset's aura had a unique flicker of hot and cold, raw power, free as the wind, calm as a still pond, an unmovable mountain, and very energetic. However, that's all surface information anyone could read. Celestia knew better, knew deeper, of who Sunset is. The Sun and Moon blessed her daughter with their light. Sunset's Mark of Destiny tied her to those two celestial objects. Making Sunset the only one in history capable of becoming not only Princess Celestia's true heir but Princess Luna's as well.

Sunset Shimmer, the Twilight Princess, that's her Destiny. But on that fateful day all those years ago, when Sunset disappeared through the Crystal Mirror over an argument so trivial. Celestia thought, no, she believed she'll never see her daughter again. Celestia abandoned Sunset, but now that she has returned. She'll never, ever, push her daughter away again! Not now, not in a million years.

'I promise to make you a Princess, but I need to make sure you're ready. The Ascension Ritual requires a deep and intimate connection to an Aspect of the Universe, and having two makes such a connection extremely difficult to form,' Celestia thought sadly. She should have told that to Sunset in the first place when she asked her about becoming a Princess but in her divine wisdom. Celestia continued to be vague and frustrating to a girl that learned best with blunt direction. Her other student, the one who'll wield the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle, excelled with her hands-off approach. If only that were true with Sunset, which in hindsight with how angry she got over Celestia's lessons. Celestia really should have figured that little detail out a long time ago. Celestia steeled her gaze with motherly determination. 'It will take some time to master Solar and Lunar Celestial magic, but once you've completed that training. You'll be ready, Sunset. I only hope the world can accept another Aetherial so soon after my sisters return.'

Celestia slowed her pace once she reached the room her daughter was resting in. Her hand shakily hovered over the handle. Hesitation destroyed her determination, allowing fear to fill her heart. She shook her head in a desperate attempt to banish those feelings before opening the door, and there sleeping peacefully on an elevated bed; Underneath a cotton blanket, was a young, beautiful, teenage girl with rose-red and gold-yellow hair, aquamarine eyes, long, pointed ears, and a fair complexion.

"Sunset," Celestia choked joyously. All her fear vanished, and a maternal protective need to comfort the girl filled its place.

Celestia's mask crumbled like sandstone with tears forming rivers down her angelic face. She shakily strode to Sunset's side and with tender, loving care. Celestia moved some of Sunset's hair away from her face before caressing her cheek longingly. "You're just as beautiful as I remember you."

Taking her gaze of her long-lost daughter for a moment, Celestia acknowledged all the other people in the room with her. Most were Magi—They have long, pointed ears with a Foci Crystal embedded in the middle of their foreheads—With a few Terrans—Who only had round, chimp-like ears—And Valkyries—Who have feathered wings and short pointed ears—Watching the sight of their weeping Goddess with worry and confusion. At the center of the group wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard was a calm, brown-haired Magi with hazel-colored eyes. Doctor House was his name and Celestia's personal Physician when she needed him. Celestia cleared her throat.

"How is she, Doctor? What happened?"

Doctor House calmly looked over his clipboard for a moment before replying, "According to our initial analyst: She suffered from an acute seizure no doubt caused by her sudden arrival back into our world. Her brain couldn't handle suddenly being able to use magic again and, in layman's terms, "shut down," to cope and adjust to the magical pressure of our world. Princess Sunset Shimmer will be fine once her body reacquaints itself to the magical field."

The others in the room could only look at the girl sleeping on the bed in utter shock at the revelation of her being a Princess. Celestia, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief.

"Is there anything else I should know about in the meantime, and how long until she regains consciousness?" Celestia asked while wiping away her tears. "I want to make sure my daughter is as healthy as she can be now that she has returned home."

"Her body placed itself under a temporary magic-coma. Though, according to our estimates, she'll awaken on her own time in a couple of days. If there are complications, we can force her to regain consciousness, but doing so might cause long-term problems. Especially with being able to process Mana. It's best to let her sleep and awaken on her own time," Doctor House explained.

"Thank you for your help, Doctor," Celestia thanked sadly. She wanted to talk to her daughter, move past their mistakes with each other, and be a family again, but if Sunset needed a couple days rest. Celestia can wait. She waited years for Sunset to return home, and now that she has? A few more days couldn't hurt.

Taking one final look at the sleeping girl on the hospital bed, Celestia noticed something missing that Sunset should be wearing. Her Focus. The little crystal all Magi wear since birth. 'She'll need it if she wants to cast magic without losing control. No matter. I'll get her another one...as a welcome home present. Yes, that sounds like a lovely idea. I hope she likes it. No Magi should live without their Focus.'

Turning back around, Celestia shooed away the crowd with a few flicks of her wrist and a stern gaze. "I'll answer all questions at a later date, but, for now, the girl on the bed is indeed my daughter, and I don't want the media overwhelming her the second she wakes up. So with that mind, unless you are the staff of this hospital, please leave Sunset Shimmer alone."

The crowd gave a respectful nod before disappearing, except for Doctor House. He stayed in the room with Celestia and once they were alone together. His face turned dour. Noticing the sudden drop in temperature, Celestia inquired her Physician.

"Is there something else, Doctor? Something you didn't want anyone else besides us to know about?"

"I don't think the others noticed, but if they did. They are rather good at hiding it," House frowned, his gaze narrowing on the girl sleeping on the bed.

"Get to the point, Doctor," Celestia glared back at the sudden hostility in the room.

"Her mind, just like her mana, is repairing itself. There were instances of Soul Magic used during our initial tests." House said darkly.

"What do you mean? And what kind of Soul Magic? Is Sunset alright?!" Celestia barked through gritted teeth.

"From what I could detect at the time, the spell Sunset subconsciously used, if my guess is correct, allowed her direct access to her Soul Memory. For what purpose? I don't know, but if her mind went under repair. Then someone either used Mind Magic on Sunset on route to the Hospital or while she was in the other world. If either case were true, then when she arrived back in our world, something triggered a defensive response, causing her Physical Memory to completely erase itself and her Soul Memory to fix the damage."

"Of course, this is just speculation, but I highly recommend security being severally tightened around the Portal and in Sunset's room. Something or someone tried taking control of Sunset, and whatever or whoever is in the shadows might still be lurking nearby," Doctor House explained in a hushed tone.

Celestia didn't know what to do about the information given to her. She was relieved that her daughter had countermeasures for mental manipulation, but her worry for Sunsets safety only worsened. "Whoever dared to attack Sunset will face the wrath of the SUN! I will NOT lose my little girl so soon after she returned home!" Doctor House backed away from Celestia in fear from her outburst and watched in awe as Celestia's multi-colored hair burned like a raging inferno.

'The rage of a mother hath no remorse or mercy for those brave enough to invoke the wrath of unending agony,' Doctor House thought as he watched Princess Celestia storm out of the room. 'I should make myself scarce until the Goddess of the Sun cools off.'

As Doctor House followed distantly behind Princess Celestia out of Sunset Shimmer's room, he felt something strange. He paused in the door frame of the room in wonder, the sounds of Celestia barking orders to have an entire regiment stationed around the hospital echoed in the distance. House curiously looked back in the room, feeling a strange warmth pulsate from within. It wasn't hostile nor gave the feeling of dread. The warmth was warm, welcoming, loving even. But it didn't last, and just as quickly as it appeared. It vanished.

"Odd," House muttered to no one in particular before leaving the room in confusion, he would investigate the event later.

If he stayed in the room for a few more seconds, however, then Doctor House would have discovered what caused the mysterious warmth in the shape of a glowing teenage girl sleeping peacefully on the bed. When the glowing ended, nothing appeared to have changed, but if one were to look at her Magical Core.

They would find a magnificent flower blooming for the first time in over two thousand years.

Author's Note

This was something I've been working on for such a long time. I literally have over 60,000 words worth of notes just for this idea. This is by far the most planned out story I've conceptualized since I've started writing fanfiction. I hope that all who are reading this enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Also, constructive criticism, please. And if you're going to point out my mistakes, please PM me so that it doesn't flood the comment section.

I'll try to update the cover art to something original to the story once an Arc if I can, but I'm broke and living from check to check. So...yeah.