Etheria's Sunsetby Wanderer DChaptersInvitation to PartyTruth and LiesAcquaintancesMissionFiguring Things OutInvitation to PartyEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Invitation to Party "Uh, what are you doing?" "Gaah!" Adora whipped around, looking over from her preparations to her friends with a guilty smile. "Nothing!" Glimmer and Bow—who had just walked into her room without knocking— were looking slightly confused and worried at the packed bags and equipment organized neatly on the side of her bed. "Are you planning on going somewhere?" Bow asked, eyes wide. "Without us?" he added with a small voice. Then small tears formed on the edge of his eyes, threatening to become actual water fountains. "And you were not going to tell us?!" "Oh… uh, hehe… yeah, about that…" Adora laughed with a little self-conscious smile as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah. I uh, was invited to this event and well…" Glimmer's eyes narrowed. "Let me see the invitation. I didn't get one." Adora cringed. "Yeah, I don't think you would have been invited, you see—" "GIMME!" "Right. Right." Sighing, the former Horde Captain picked up a nearby scroll and handed it over. The Princess of Bright Moon snatched the scroll from her hand, giving Adora a mock look of disapproval before she opened it. She gasped in horror, joined by Bow, who had crowded in behind her to look at the contents. "As you can see, it wouldn't' be appr—" "I can't read this!" Glimmer said, waving the invitation in the air. "It's not even First One writing! How do you even know this is an invitation? Just how many languages can you read?! Are you going to get new powers out of this?" With a half-lidded look of annoyance, Adora snatched the scroll back and opened it the rest of the way before passing it back to Glimmer. "Ooooh!" Bow said, a look of dawning understanding crossing his face. "It's in several languages! That's very considerate!" "Seriously though, am I the only one that thinks some of these look like doodles?" Glimmer asked. Bow studied the spot where Glimmer was pointing. "Nope. Those are doodles." "Pictograms." Adora rolled her eyes. "Huh. Well, they could have put more effort into creating actual words. Now… where is good ol' Etherian… aha! Found it!" She cleared her throat. "Hello—why is the handwriting on your name different than the rest of the scroll?" "Your name looks really funny in Pictorgam, Adora." "Thanks Bow. Glimmer, I think it's because it was a generic scroll and they just added the name later?" "That seems rather impersonal," Glimmer said, frowning in disapproval. "It's not that strange," Adora said with a shrug. "The Horde did that when they were sending invitations to a large number of people." "Figures an evil empire would do that kind of thing!" Bow hissed, shaking his fist angrily at the heavens. Adora rolled her eyes. "Right." Glimmer noted. "Anyway. It says: Hello, Adora of Eternia! It is my distinct pleasure to invite you to the "Former Super-Villain Par-tee, which will be taking place in some castle I will borrow at the appropriate time, and possibly let the owners know. Maybe. I'm sure you know how it is, being a former villain yourself. Make sure you bring enough clothes for a couple of days, a fun-loving attitude, and an open mind! It is a convention/ball/something full of former villains, after all! Things can get quite chaotic. In a good way. Once you are ready, punch the rabbit. No time will pass in your world between the time you leave and when you return. You may bring one guest with you. "Former Super-Villain Ball?!" Glimmer half-demanded, half-asked. "Guest?!" Bow cried. Adora blinked. "Wait. Adora of Eternia? I didn't see that!" "It's right here, but you have to touch the black blob on top of it to read it." "Huh. I wonder what that means?" Adora frowned. "Anyway, what rabbit?" Bow silently showed her the bottom of the invitation, which had a picture of an angry-looking rabbit. "Huh," Adora said. "I'm sure that looked like a little blue guy before." "Hello? Bright Moon to Adora?" Glimmer spoke up, shaking the invitation. "Why exactly weren't you going to tell us about this?" "Well, yes," Adora chuckled. "Since it's full of formerly-evil people I was thinking I might skip on taking anyone with me this time around?" Adora replied with a nervous smile. "You know. Scout the event first. Make sure it's safe? Bring someone next year?" "Nope!" Glimmer hissed. "You're taking us with you, and that's final." Adora blinked. "It says here, very clearly—and in many languages—that I can take a plus one. You both would be a 'plus two', unless the Rebellion does math differently." "We don't do math differently!" Glimmer took a deep breath. "Look, former villains can sort of stretch the rules, right?" "No? The point of former is t—" "Right. So. As your sponsors and personal friends (as well as legal representatives of the Bright Moon Kingdom personally held accountable for your compliance and loyalty to the Rebel cause), it is our pleasure—no." Glimmer cut herself off, shaking her head and raising a fist to the air. "It is our responsibility to accompany you in this unique—and life-changing—event." Alora took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "I'm not going to win this, am I?" "Nope!" Bow said, crossing his arms and glancing at Glimmer with pride. "She's been practicing her arguments just in case we need to corral the other princesses again, or if her mom decides to—" "Right." Adora interrupted. "Look, I was about to head out, so why don't you two run, get your things, and meet me here in ten?" "Okay," Glimmer said, "we're all set!" Adora had cleared the center of her excessively big room, figuring that—since it was ridiculously, unnecessarily and decidedly uncomfortably big—she might as well actually use the extra space to limit the amount of possible destruction that could come out of using a scroll of dubious magical origins in a way that it wasn't intended to be used. "According to the instructions, my plus one would simply have to be in contact with my body for this to work," Adora said, "so I think you guys can just hold on to my arms or something." The other two nodded, placing their hands on her shoulders. She gave them a dubious look and shook her head. "Well, I guess we'll find out if this works! Here we go!" She touched the rabbit. The trio waited patiently, but nothing happened after a few seconds, so Adora looked at them. "Seems like it won't work for three people." "Aww." Glimmer sighed, looking dejected. "I don't think that's the problem." Bow narrowed his eyes, looking at the parchment. "You forgot to punch the rabbit." "Oh." Adora shrugged and punched the critter. Immediately rainbows exploded out of the scroll, wrapping around the three of them. "Why does it have to be rainbows?!" Adora shouted in frustration. "Why can't it be a blob of dark energy?! Crackling red lightning?" "But rainbows are cute!" Glimmer countered. "I KNOW!" With the sound of an oiled pig escaping capture, the trio materialized in a burst of energy a few feet off the ground. They gasped and let go, seeming to hang in place for a few seconds before gravity took hold of them and they fell into a heap on the cold, stone floor. "My, my. What have we here?" a slightly amused voice said from somewhere above them. "Ugh. Come on guys, get off of me." "Right, right…" Bow groaned, rolling off to land on all fours. Glimmer stood up, then offered her hand to Adora, helping her up. The trio then turned to face the source of the voice… and gasped. It was like nothing they had ever seen before. It had a face that looked like a mixture of a goat and a horse, mismatched eyes, horns, appendages, and a twisted smile with one large fang showing... and it was wearing a tuxedo. "So glad you could make it!" it said. "Can I please see your invitations?" The two Etherians and Adora immediately stood straight. "Uh, yeah! Here it is!" Adora said, sweating a little. The creature took the scroll, then, instead of unscrolling it, it proceeded to tear it to pieces. The shredded parchment then fell into a blender, where some sugar, spice and rainbows mixed it into some sort of green goo. The creature drank the concoction, then frowned. "It says here that you had a plus one. And here I see plus two." "Well," Adora shifted in place, "that's—" "We're with the Rebellion!" Glimmer interrupted. "We do math differently!" The creature's eye narrowed. "I see." "Y-you really do!" Bow stammered, staring at the giant, yellowish eye circling them. The eye blinked itself out of existence and the creature clapped. "How delightful. If you're willing to push the boundaries of what is allowed, I can hardly blame you!" It leaned across the desk and winked at them. "We are "former" villains, after all!" He said, giving three little badges that looked just like his face to them. "Keep those close and don't lose them!" It then motioned with its lion claw to an exact copy of itself that was waiting patiently by the door. "I will take you to your room, then you can mingle!" "Um, I don't see that many people?" Glimmer ventured as they walked behind the creature's… other… it. "Oh, don't worry, everycreature is just arriving at different intervals in the time-space continuum." their guide said, waving its claw lazily as another crack of energy and pig squeal echoed behind them. "Works for me!" Adora said hastily. "Come on guys!" It didn't take long to find their way to the 13th floor of their "hotel". Which was confusing for several reasons. "Weren't we at ground level earlier?" Adora asked. "And in a castle?" Glimmer added, looking down from the wall-sized window that overlooked a vast ocean and a small beach. "This doesn't look like a castle." "What's room service?" Bow asked. "Oh," Discord—as the creature had identified himself after Adora had finally thought to ask—said, putting down their bags. Which they had left back in Etheria. "You wouldn't want to use that. Unless you had a lot of money to spend." The trio looked at each other. "Besides," Discord said, "don't forget that this is a three day convention/party. Food and drinks provided! It's so much better to mix and mingle. Cause some chaos and good fun!" he added, grinning, before pulled down a zipper out of thin air and stepped through it, closing it behind him. "Well, that's a thing," Bow muttered. "Come on guys!" Glimmer said, a wide grin on her face. "Let's go check out the party!" The ball room was surprisingly not a room at all. It would be more appropriate to say that it was a very large cavern with large stalagmites and stalactites that were covered in some sort of iridescent fungus. A tiny plate next to one read, "Courtesy of Jarlaxle". Adora noticed this absently as her eyes scanned the surprisingly large crowd of peoples in the cavern. And she meant that. There were creatures of all shapes and forms. A green, muscular guy with a turban on his head was talking to an incredibly attractive young man in golden armor. A short man with spiky black hair and a serious expression was talking to another young man who had some sort of symbol scarred into his forehead and a large gourd of some sort on his back. A man with long blonde hair and serrated teeth was talking to a dark-gray, almost metallic looking guy with also serrated teeth. "There's a lot of fangs and teeth around," Bow said in a low voice, looking at a large, muscled humanoid in slimy black with a white spider logo of some sort on his chest. "Why the teeth?!" "Oh man," Adora was grinning, "This is more like it! No frilly dresses! No formal dancing! Just badasses all around!" "Why am I not surprised that this is your comfort zone?" Glimmer deadpanned. "Oh! An arm-wrestling match!" Adora hissed excitedly, pointing a finger at another pair of odd individuals. "Let's go challenge the winner!" "I don't know," Bow said, glancing at the massive creatures currently engaged in that activity. One of them, a huge, muscular man, was missing half his face, making him look like he was grinning all the time. He scanned the crowd, "Maybe we sho-Adora! Look! Horses!" Adora immediately turned away from measuring her possible opponents and turned around, scanning the cave. "Where!?" Bow pointed. "They went that way!" "Let's go!" The trio made their way around a talking dinosaur that turned into a robot—with serrated teeth—who was currently trying to show off his moves to another attractive-looking young man in some sort of silk-like robe. They went past the sabertooth talking to the strange four armed blue creature and weaved through the crew of Discord Butlers that were in the process of offering snacks to the guests until they saw them. "Oooh!" Adora squealed, eyes shining. They were small horses of different colors. One of them, purple with a pink and deeper-purple mane, even had wings and a horn, just like Swift Wind! Adora knew the different hues probably had different names. But she didn't care about that. It was adorable! Currently, it was in the company of another horned horse, this one a much lighter shade of purple-pink, with again purple-like mane with blue highlights. "I know what you're thinking," Bow said, "and the proper definitions are," he pointed to the winged, horned, horse, "I'd say… mulberry coat, with purple and raspberry mane?" he pointed at the horned horse, "and pale heliotrope coat, with light purple and aquamarine on the mane. That would be my bet." "Bow." "Yes?" "I don't care. Come on." They followed the horses, who stopped and waved at something, then trotted over. Adora watched with a certain amount of envy as they were greeted by a very tanned human girl, who hugged them both. And… she blinked. "Is it me, or does the purple girl look a lot like the horned winged horse?" "Don't you guys know it's rude to stare?" Glimmer sighed, grabbing them both by the arms. "It's a party! Mix!" She led them over to the group, which was now chatting animatedly. "So, as you can see," the horse with the horn and no wings was saying, "I just had to ask Twilight to come with me." "Yeah," the redhead with blonde highlights said, laughing. "I can only imagine how wild things would have gotten with Trixie here…" she trailed off. "Wait, didn't Trixie almost destroy Ponyville twice? Shouldn't she have received an invitation?" "Nope!" Discord said, appearing right next to them, and startling the group from Etherea more than the horses and humans. "The first time was an accident, the second mind control through an evil amulet. When she had the ability to join the dark side, she helped Starlight, myself and Thorax stop Queen Chrysalis." "I still think you should have invited her, Discord" the horse with a horn and wings said. "Not only did she technically become evil for a while, she later on became a good friend. Next year?" "Pff. Fine," Discord said, rolling his eyes. "I'll also invite Gilda since we're at it." He glanced at the Adora and the others. "Ah, what have we here? Our rule-bending guests!" He puffed away and reappeared next to them, barely dodging and instinctual blast from Glimmer. "It seems you were about to introduce yourselves! How rude of me!" He seemed like he was about to say something else when a serious burst of energy from the other side of the cavern made the place tremble. "Oh my, you must excuse me. Vegeta has just met Sasuke." And just like that, he was gone, leaving two groups of people staring at each other awkwardly until Bow coughed into his hand, smiled and stepped forth. "Hi! I'm Bow! And this is Glimmer and Adora!" That seemed to snap them out of the stupor. "Sorry!" the redhead said. "Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, this is Starlight Glimmer, this is Twilight Sparkle, or as we call her 'Sci-Twi', and I am Sunset Shimmer." "Nice to meet you!" Glimmer said, jumping forth to shake hands with both humans and bump fist-to-hoof with the horses. "So, which one was the evil one?" Glimmer asked. "Glimmer!" Bow hissed, while Adora groaned. "Sorry!" the princess cringed. "I'm just curious! And it's a former-villain party! It can't be that rude to ask!" "Well," Sunset glanced around. "I'm not sure I would just ask everyone here, it might be painful to disclose that information… In my world, I was the villain. Turned into a demon, tried to take over another world with an army of teenagers to exploit the unlikelihood of the ruling body attacking innocent children." "In mine I brainwashed a whole town for years, and later on changed the timeline several times and almost doomed the world," Starlight said with a nervous grin. "Wow." Bow said. "But they are better now!" Princess Twilight said. "They both discovered the magic of friendship and are now 100% good!" "Well, I wouldn't say 100%..." "Starlight!" "I mean, of course we are, right Sunset?" "Sure." "So, I gather from that that you're not from the same world?" Adora asked. "So, is this a party that happened before or—" "Nah," Sunset said, "I tried to take over their world with my teenage army of doom. I was originally a unicorn too." Adora was right by her. "You can turn into a horse?" "Um... " Sunset looked Adora up and down. "Uh, yes? Under very specific circumstances?" she narrowed her eyes. "Why?" "Oh Adora loves horses," Bow explained as he walked over to shake hands with Sci-Twi. "Is there a reason you and the princess look so similar?" "Oh, I'm her alternate reality counterpart," Sci-Twi said. "But while Twilight does magic, I invent mechanical things, for SCIENCE!" The words "for science!" were repeated by different individuals across the cavern, almost as if they were part of a cult of some sort. "That's amazing!" Bow gushed, entwining arms with Twilight. "I'm an inventor myself! Created all my arrows!" Twilight blinked. "Arrows? I'm just learning how to shoot a bow properly at school with my friend Applejack!" "So… I assume you're the former villain?" Sunset asked Adora, who shrugged. "I mean, I was captain of the Evil Horde, although if I'm honest I wasn't aware of just how bad it was until recently. Then I obtained magical powers, became a part-time princess and well... the rest is history." Starlight slid over to them, leaving Twilight and Glimmer to talk about princessly duties. "Huh, so, any big conquests?" "I mean, I could have, but I joined the guys before that became a thing… Bow and Glimmer, they really helped me realize how things were." "Yeah…" Sunset and Starlight glanced over at Princess Twilight. "We know the feeling." "So…" Adora rubbed her arm. "Do you arm-wrestle or hunt or fight around here?" Sunset grinned. "I think we can find something to do." She motioned a passing discord to bring a tray of drinks. "But first, a toast! To new friends!" The sunlight of the late afternoon seeped through the windows of castle Bright Moon, creating a warm, orange-red tinge across the lavish interior. The only sounds were the snores and grunts of sleeping people, peacefully dreaming away. That's when three loud knocks were the only warning before Queen Angella opened the doors. "Glimmer? Are you here? Are you asleep?" She sniffed the air and frowned. "Adora? Glimmer? Why does it smell like alcohol? I demand an explanation! Have you been drinking? We need to have a talk, young ladies..." she trailed off as she approached the large bed. She blinked. "Glimmer?" "What?" a voice asked. "No… no, I think that's for me…" another, familiar voice said from the pile. "Mom?" "Glimmer…" Angella growled. "Explain. Now." Glimmer slowly sat up, burped, and looked around. Next to her, an equally disheveled Starlight Glimmer was trying to shake Bow awake with her hoof, while Sunset and Adora snored in each other's arms. Almost reluctantly, the last four days and nights came back to her and her eyes widened with worry as each memory slowly but surely fit together to build up a very bad situation. "Oh no." To Be Continued…? Author's Note I'm publishing this because: 1) She-Ra is awesome. 2) ^ 3) Starcraft: Queen and Country will be posted tomorrow. I'm not sorry for the story. Truth and LiesEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Truth and Lies Queen Angella of Bright Moon, Immortal Ruler, Rebel Leader, Bane of the Horde, Beacon of Light, paced back and forth angrily in front of a small group of teenagers and a horse of some sort. In her heart of hearts, she wanted to just blame Adora. Even though she had proven herself an ally and worthy combatant, both with and without powers, she had grown up with the Horde, naturally it would be her that would be a bad influence. But the truth was, and she was well aware of it, that if it weren't for the unknowns in the room, chances would have been that Glimmer herself would have talked the former captain into drinking. Bow was too well mannered and too much like a poster-child to really be responsible for this, there was no sign of Sea Hawk, either, so the drinking was either her daughter or the two unknown factors. But still. There was no evidence, other than the dissipating smell of alcohol that anything untowards had happened. The group was merely collapsed, groggy and with a headache on the single bed. Thankfully, most of them wore clothes. It still did not explain who these two new… people… were. The guards had reported no arrivals, and Glimmer certainly didn't look like she had been in any position to teleport anyone. Her magic even felt somewhat weak, although she had recently recharged just that morning. "First, I would like you to introduce your… guests." She frowned and gave Adora, Bow and Glimmer a threatening look. "They are not former members of the Horde as well, are they?" "Um, no!" Glimmer said quickly. "Uh, girls, let me introduce you to my mother, Queen Angella." "Sunset Shimmer, your majesty," the red and gold-headed one said, bowing carefully and much more gracefully than Adora had. "And Starlight Glimmer," the mare unicorn said, bowing as well. Angella blinked. Both of them were court-trained, if a little rusty. A princess maybe? No. She would recognize Sunset if she were. Assistants? Friends?" "Yes, they are uh, friends we met!" Bow added quickly. "And we uh, went to celebrate and uh…" "We're not from this universe," Sunset deadpanned, while Starlight nodded. "What are you doing!?" Glimmer hissed. Sunset blinked. "Well, lying would eventually just end up being a hassle," Starlight said reasonably, "we would need to coordinate our lies, make sure they match up, plan for future interrogations, make sure those match up, create additional backstories that would not contradict each other, and all of that while trying to figure out how exactly we got here and how to get home." "So eventually one of us would slip up and put us into a worse situation because we would have been caught lying!" Adora said, nodding thoughtfully. "It makes sense!" "Huh," Glimmer said. "A perfectly reasonable explanation on why not to lie. Who knew?" "How about because lying is bad and deceiving others is what a malicious person would do?" Angella growled. "Oh yeah!" Sunset said, nodding, "That too!" Angella closed her eyes and counted to ten. Then counted once more before opening them. "While I do believe your priorities are not exactly right, I do appreciate your candid sharing of information. However, that does not explain why or how you got here and apparently became good friends with my daughter, Adora, and Bow in a matter of a couple of hours." "Oh, we were at an interdimensional party full of former villains that lasted four days and three nights," Adora said immediately. "It was hardly just a few hours." "...and that is why you don't tell a worried mother that their daughter was gone for several days to an interdimensional party without them knowing about it." Adora nodded at Sunset's words, a worried frown on her face. Even though the doors were closed and Angella had taken Glimmer to another room, they could still hear muffled shouting. "It's a bit confusing! I've never lied before! I mean, not really! Just tiny things! How was I supposed to know I shouldn't lie about something as crazy as you being from another world, but lie about us being gone for several days?" "It's a complicated process," Starlight said. "You'll get the hang of it." "Girls!" Bow whispered running back from the door. "They're coming!" The trio pretended to be looking at the water in the pond as they heard the stomping feet of the Queen. There was a pause outside the room, presumably for the Queen to get her bearings back, before the door calmly opened. "In the future," Angella said with carefully enunciated words, "you will not leave this castle without my knowledge, understood?" "Yes, mom." "That includes you too, Adora. And you Bow." "Yes, your majesty." "As for you two," Angella's glare turned to Sunset and Glimmer. "Any idea how you came to be here?" "Not really," Sunset said, "I was supposed to go back to Canterlot City… and Starlight also was going to her home world. I'm not entirely sure how we got here." "Oh no." Starlight said, eyes wide. "Sunset. Sunset!" She turned and, with her magic, brought Sunset down to face level, where she proceeded to grab the human with her hooves. "We have a problem! If we're here… where's the Twilights?!" [Somewhere, in the Year 20XX] Zero considered his situation. Sure, he was in the middle of the lab with two very attractive ladies asleep on his lap, resting their heads on his chest, while every other Reploid looked on with confusion, interest and morbid curiosity. But, as a senior Maverick Hunter, he still had more credibility than not, and there was no doubt that his fellow hunters should believe his explanation—whatever it was—on what had happened and how they shouldn't escalate this past the possible initial shock. That both Twilights were snoring peacefully, arms around his shoulders and drooling on his armor was a source of some minor self reflection. After all, he was a Reploid and not prone to emotional reactions to humans as other humans would have. It didn't take away the fact that they were both really cute. Then again, he was in the middle of the lab with two very attractive ladies asleep on his lap, resting their heads on his chest, while every other Reploid looked on with confusion, interest and morbid curiosity. "So, uh, Zero," X ventured, motioning at the identical humans with his hand. "Twins?" "Shut up." Explaining that one of them had been a horse last time he checked wouldn't help either. [Back in Etheria] "Calm down!" Sunset growled, forcing the hooves off and standing up, cracking her back and grimacing. "I've given it some thought. When Princess Twilight doesn't appear in Ponyville, Discord will have to come get us all back." "But some of the other worlds sounded very dangerous!" Starlight insisted. "Remember Vegeta and Goku fought people that could literally destroy the universe?!" "And Zebra said their world had monsters that could inhale a whole continent if they wanted!" Glimmer added. "Not helping!" Sunset growled. "And then remem—" "Stop, seriously," Sunset said. "She'll be fine. We need to trust them and figure our way out. Come on, Starlight, between you and me? We're magical encyclopedias! We'll figure it out even before Discord shows up to get us." Starlight took a deep breath. "Y-yes you're—" She was interrupted by the door opening and a majestic, rainbow-maned male alicorn trotted in, immediately drawing the attention of both Sunset and Starlight. "Um… S-sunset?" "Y-yeah?" "I think we should stay for a little bit." To Be Continued… AcquaintancesEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Acquaintances "Glimmer?" Angella asked, carefully stepping back and observing Sunset and Starlight Glimmer both bow deeply before Swift Wing of all...horses… "What is going on?" "I… have no clue?" "Oh!" Bow gasped, slamming his fist into his palm as things clicked together. "I remember Princess Twilight saying that she's an Alicorn, which is a pony with a horn and wings… in her original world, supposedly only Princesses look like that." "So what you're saying," Angella clarified, "is that by all accounts, just by his physical appearance, Swift Wing is royalty in their world." "That's right." Angella nodded. "Adora, please be so kind as to escort Swift Wind out, I need to speak to our guests." "Um… okay, but you have to deal with the enraged females if I move away their eye-candy." "I am well aware of that." "Alright," Adora said dubiously, walking over to where Swift Wind was posing bravely as he retold a story. "...and then I said, 'Your Majesty! I request, neigh! I demand that you release all the horses in the stables!" "Oooh, that's so considerate, your highness," Starlight said, edging up to him. Sure, she only reached up to his shoulder, but she liked that. "How about we go to one of these stables and you show me how… bad… you can get?" Sunset covered her mouth. "I uh…" Swift Wind stammered, glancing down at Starlight and seeming to notice just how physically close she had gotten. He gave Sunset a pleading look. "Uh, ma'am, Sunset… your uh, mighty steed seems awful close and I'm uh…" Sunset snorted behind her hand. "I'm sorry your highness, but you are kind of dreamy, and she's not my steed. I originally looked like her." She winked. "Only prettier. And I might have wings now too." Starlight hissed at her. Sunset stepped back. "Then again, Starlight really knows about subjugated towns, right, Starlight?" "Oh, I know everything there is to know about enslaving towns, and uh, liberating them too," Starlight purred, eyeing Swift Wind up and down. "Why don't you show me how you'd… liberate mine? Or maybe… you'd like a taste of subjugation?" Sunset covered her mouth and turned around, her shoulders shaking. "Um, girls?" Adora called, approaching carefully. "Can I borrow Swift Wind for a moment?" "Adora!" Swift Wind whispered, talking out of the side of his mouth. "Help!" "No!" Starlight said, her horn blazing with magic. "I will reduce this castle to scraps if—" "Come on, Starlight," Sunset said, nudging the unicorn and breaking the spell. "We're still going to be here for a while, you'll get your chance to tell Swift Wind about… towns." "But… Sunset! This is literally the best of my three mate choices! Don't take him away from me!" Starlight begged. "The third? Who are the other two?" "Spike and Sunburst." Sunset frowned. "Spike? Really?" "Hey, he's a dragon, he'll last for a while, plus he's sharp, and witty!" Sunset crossed her arms. "What about Sunburst?" "It's not that I want to, more like our parents are pushing it." "Ah." "So that's why—hey! Where is he?" Sunset smirked. "Outside. Now, let's go see what the Queen wants." The doors closed behind them, leaving the pair of world-travelers with Queen Angella. "My daughter tells me you all met at a Former Villains party?" she asked, frowning down at the pair. It was like dealing with Luna. "Sort of? I mean, it wasn't real bad, all the villains there were reformed, and some were even really not that bad, right, Starlight?" "Totally! Even Princess Luna, sister to our own immortal Princess, Celestia, was there! She went evil a thousand years ago, but she's good now!" Starlight said quickly, nodding in tandem with Sunset. "Is that so?" "But it wasn't anything dangerous!" Sunset added just as quickly. "Sure, she might have turned herself into a creature of ultimate evil that cursed the entire world into eternal darkness while her rule lasted, but one rainbow-whammy later, and she's back to being good old Luna, princess of dreams and the night." "Right. So you're saying that, despite what you just said, she was never a serious threat?" Angella mused, looking at her nails carefully. "Glimmer dropped some other names. Maybe you could tell me what they did?" "Um…" "Gemini Saga and Kanon?" Sunset gulped. "Uh, tried to murder an infant goddess, then manipulated another god to flood the Earth? But! A few years later, they saw the error of their ways and sacrificed their lives for the greater good!" Sunset jumped when she felt Starlight's magic pinch her butt. She glanced at the unicorn, who gave her a look. Sunset nodded in understanding. "I assure you, not all of them were that bad." "I see." Angella said, pretending to study her other hand. "Sasuke Uchiha?" "He went emo." "Lelouch?" "Obsessed over chess." "Lupin?" "We don't talk about that pervert!" "Luffy?" "Wants to be the king." "Mewtwo?" "Daddy issues." Sunset tapped her finger to her nose. "Or is it mommy issues? Both. Issues." "Harlock?" "You would love him. I'm not even sure why he was even there. Something about pirates." "Scar?" "Doesn't seem to like puppies." "Vegeta?" "He's a warrior prince of a people named after vegetables." "Zebra." "Very, very hungry." "Alucard?" "Alright, alright," Starlight interrupted. "Just how many people did Glimmer meet? And when? She was with us most of the time! And I sure as hay didn't see her go near Alucard." "Maybe when we were placing bets on the arm wrestling? Or when Adora and I were having that shooting competition with Gru?" "I do believe you have severely downplayed several of the individuals named," Angella said, "I think, regardless of the exact moment my daughter chose to mingle with… these questionable people…" "Hey, I'll have you know Harlock is a gentleman!" "...the fact is that she mingled with criminals." She glared at the pair just as they were about to complain. "Former. I do not care. She is the princess of Bright Moon and she shouldn't have been exposed to… that." "Look, your majesty, we all made mistakes and paid for it… some of us still pay for it in one way or another. Everyone there lost someone, learned something, changed, or sacrificed something invaluable to redeem themselves in the eyes of others… even their worst enemies." Sunset said, hands tightening. Starlight picked up from there. "None of us are perfect, but we all learned. We all became better, and if they were there, it was because they deserved to be. It's a lot easier to take the easy way and remain evil, or aloof. When you have power, it's easy to abuse. And sometimes you don't even know how bad you are until you realize…" "And when you do, when you see… and you choose the hard way… the one that demands that you face your fears, your errors and whatever crimes you might have committed," Sunset said slowly, "that's when you can truly move forward. And, I for one, would stand at the side of any warrior, witch, vampire, princess or creature that did that. And I'd stand proud at their side." Angella sighed and shook her head. "Very well. I wanted to take your measure before allowing you further contact with Glimmer, Bow and Adora. We are at war with the Horde and bad influences in these times carry a lot of consequences." "War?" Starlight asked. "Adora told me… I'm sorry." Sunset grimaced. "I know it seems we're making light of the situation, but with Discord involved… either there's some convoluted plan, or it really is just him getting amusement out of this. Either way, the more we worry, the worse things will get." "It's only a matter of time before we go back home," Starlight said. "Fluttershy will get him sorted. But if we're here for the duration of the war…" "I do not know what skills you might or not possess," Angella said into the following silence. "But if your magic or powers can be of help in some way, the Rebellion can use some assistance." She stood up and headed for the exit. "It will be your choice, of course. If you do not want to get involved in this world's problems, I will still allow you to stay as guests. You will excuse me, I must talk to my generals about… recent developments." "What are you thinking?" Sunset asked Starlight, sitting next to her. "Many things…" "You mean one horse?" "He's delicious!" Sunset smiled. "It might be best not to remain too besotted by him, Starlight. We don't know how long we'll stay here." "I know, I know!" Starlight hissed. "It's just… you're human right now! You don't... you can't smell..." She blushed. "I'm just glad I'm the only currently pony Equestrian here." Sunset sighed, patting Starlight on the back. "I'm probably the only one stupid enough to fall for otherworldly creatures." "What is this admittedly beautiful creature with an otherwordly aura trying to say to me, Mewtwo?" Mewtwo levitated down to where his fellow Legendary Pokemon was crooning to Luna. "If you lower your mind-shield for her, you should understand her." He projected through their mutual link. "Perhaps, after I understand more of your unique world, my dear. For now, I fear that I must be a bit defensive." "This is Cresselia, the Legendary Pokemon." Mewtwo tilted his head and shrugged. "She is asking why you came down to the planet, when she has been trying to protect you all this time." Luna blinked. "Surely she is confused, dear Mewtwo. I have just arrived in this world!" "She says she's your dutiful guardian, and that she was surprised to feel you down here," he translated the series of croons. "She seems to believe you're the Moon itself." "Ah, a Moon Guardian of some repute!" Luna said, nodding. "Verily, this bodes well for my stay here! Henceforth she'll be the captain of our guard!" At Mewtwo's raised eyebrow, she nuzzled him. "Do not pretend that you do not wish it so, my dear Mewtwo." Cresselia crooned excitedly, a slight blush on her beak. Mewtwo glared at her. "Shut up." "Nah. It was a roomful of people and creatures that understood exactly where we were coming from. I'm sure there are some other infatuations out there." Starlight chuckled weakly. "Yeah. Sure." "Anyway," Sunset stood up, stretching and motioning to the door with her head. "I don't know about you… but I can't leave friends to their own when something this serious is happening. You in?" Starlight snorted. "Duh. Let's go buck the Horde." To Be Continued… MissionEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Mission "...and this is your room." Starlight and Sunset followed Glimmer into a rather spacious room and gazed around with mild interest. The Princess of Bright Moon smiled at the pair as they checked out the premises. "Well, it beats my room back on Earth," Sunset said after a moment. "but it does remind me of the one in Canterlot Castle." "The waterfall is a nice touch," Starlight said. "Twilight's castle is just a giant chunk of gem, no variety unless you really put some elbow grease into it." "Am I the only one that thinks a waterfall in a room is a bit too much?" Adora asked, throwing up her hands in frustration. "Doesn't anyone else think that it's unnecessary?" "Well, I mean, I admit I'm rather fond of Deer Architecture back in Equestria," Sunset admitted, "and they do have a lot of waterfalls around. Besides, they're the best thing to take showers in." Adora gave Glimmer a smirk. "Well, here we don't use them for that." Starlight blinked. "Why else would you have one in here?" "Because—" "Guys!" Bow interrupted, slamming the door open, eyes wide with panic. "We have a problem!" Glimmer's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" "What? Nothing!" Bow looked offended at the notion. "We just got word from Princess Perfuma, she said a large Horde force made its way through into the Whispering Woods, and they were carrying several scanners!" "Perfuma?" Sunset asked. "She's a Princess with power over plants and flowers," Glimmer explained, "she can make them grow and flower and even attack!" "Wow, you guys must have ended world hunger fairly early." Glimmer and Bow blinked at Sunset. "What?" "Because… you know, never mind." "We need to go," Adora said, standing up and looking resolutely at the others. "If they have scanners, they are probably after First Ones tech." "This whole First Ones sounds so much like those Protean guys Zaeed and Shepard were talking about," Sunset muttered. Starlight smirked. "You mean Commander Shepard, right? The one that you and Adora were clinging to on each arm?" Sunset felt herself blush. "She's… very capable." "And strong." Adora nodded. "And tragic!" Sunset added. "Knowledgeable!" "The ultimate badass!" Sunset affirmed with a nod. "And sexy?" Starlight teased. "Very sexy," both responded immediately. "N-not that I cared about that," Adora corrected quickly, earning a knowing smirk from Sunset. "She's a Commander! She had much to teach!" "I'm surprised the pair of you didn't rip her in half or get into a fight," Glimmer muttered, taking their hands and guiding them out of the room. "Are you kidding?" Sunset blurted, "Why split when I can get two for one? Three if you count She-ra." Glimmer glanced at Adora, but her friend kept her face firmly down, although her ears were clearly red. "And, she said if we were ever in her universe, she'd help us join N7 if we wanted." "I wonder why Zaeed started choking on his drink when we said we'd love to." "I dunno, something about a meteorite and lack of oxygen," Sunset replied with a shrug. "Right," Bow spoke up. "That's all well and good, but can we please focus on what's going on right now?" "Hey, give us a break! We all just came back from days of partying and meeting really interesting people! You were there!" "I'll have you know that if I'm capable of paying attention to what's happening in the real world, then so can you." "Right," Sunset said, "so, tell us about more about what this Princess Perfuma saw." "There's not much else to say," Bow said, shaking his head. "If they get their hands on First One tech, they will use it to destroy us… ever since they somehow used their technology to almost destroy Bright Moon, they've been more active trying to get more working specimens." "Dammit Kyle!" Catra sighed. "Why is it so hard to just follow the instructions I told you?" "B-but Catra…" "That's Commander Catra." "Commander Catra, ma'am," Kyle stammered, swaying under the weight of the box he was carrying. "I would have put the other b-boxes where you said, but they said that we were close enough to the Whispering Woods that it was probably a bad idea to pile them all too close to the edge and that we needed more protection." "So your solution was to build a wall of crates?" "W-well…" Catra rolled her eyes, glancing at the snickering guards. Her glare returned to Kyle and she took a long, slow breath. "They're bullying you because they know you'll get in trouble. Don't listen to their instructions. Listen to mine." Kyle's eyes went wide, but he quickly nodded, glancing around nervously, before gulping and returning to organize the crates. "Aww, come on Catra, did you have to ruin our fun?" "Lonnie," Catra sighed. "Lonnie, Lonnie. What to you expect will happen when we're attacked and we need to evacuate and all our things are spread over several feet instead of being on their designated location?" She couldn't see the tough girl's face under the mask, but she assumed it to be displeased. Good. "Since you're so keen on keeping an eye on the Whispering Woods, you're taking the first patrol there. And if we're attacked under your watch and we're surprised by it, it's going into your permanent record." "Just because you're a Commander doesn't mean I can't take you down!" Lonnie growled stepping back slowly. "If it weren't for that—" She was interrupted when she bumped into something soft, yet solid. She turned around and looked up at the doubtful-looking Scorpia. "Gee, I dunno, cadet, not only is it bad practice to get snippy"—she snipped the air with her claw—"with your superior, but you do know that Catra actually beat Shadow Weaver, right?" Lonnie deflated, and Catra could sense a mild level of respect as she turned to face her again and saluted. "Sorry, Force Commander. I'll be on my way with the patrol." They watched her go and Catra looked up at Scorpia. "I had it under control." "Of course you did!" Scorpia said with a huge grin. "But we really need the troops in one piece just in case, you know, we're attacked." Catra chuckled and shook her head. "Thanks. Any advance on Entrapta's request?" "Yeah, about that…" Scorpia chuckled. "We hit a snag. Turns out, shouting random words doesn't seem to work. So far we've attempted Eternia, She-Ra, Mellon…" "Mellon?" "Kyle swore it meant friend, so we tried it." "Where did he even learn that?" "Some guy named Nodwick during some sort of minion convention." Catra massaged her forehead. "Fine. Take me there, let's figure it out…" The pair moved, not noticing the unicorn that slid around the crate wall, and hummed to herself, looking at the devices they had left on the table. To Be Continued... Figuring Things OutEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Figuring things out "Open Sesame!" "Eternia!" "Mxyzptlk!" "Eternia!" "Kimota!" "Eternia!" "Uroshnor!" "Seriously, Kyle, do you need to keep shouting 'Eternia'?" Catra finally asked. "It really, really doesn't work." "W-well, Entrapta once said that you can use a brute force attack to hack a password!" Scorpia blinked. "Oh! I remember that!" She then arched an eyebrow and looked at Kyle with a decidedly unsure expression. "But I don't think she meant using the same word over and over." "What else would make it a brute force attack?" "This is stupid." Catra glanced over at her troops, as they tried to use a powerful laser to shoot through the structure's walls, but as fragile as Eternian architecture seemed to be inside, the outside? Diamond-solid. "Alright, Kyle, since you're not helping, go back to stacking the equipment." Kyle deflated, but Catra's orders were law. He headed over to the crates, and started piling them once more. Once he was out of sight, Catra massaged her brow. "Aww, I like how you care about your friends." Scorpia smiled, then tapped her chin. "Well, your underling friends." "Kyle is not my friend," Catra stated, shaking her head. "I just don't like seeing what the others do to him because they think they can get away with it." Scorpia slapped her back. "Ha! And that makes you a good leader! He just needs more training, that's all." "Yes, but that doesn't solve our current problem," Catra replied, wincing. "We need to bring Entrapta along next time, she might not be able to read it, like Adora can—" her voice took a decidedly low tone at the mention of her former friend"—but she understands this technology much better." "Is that a good idea?" Scorpia rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, it can't be that difficult, can it?" Scorpia asked. "The lines are a bit weird, but that there looks like a fish. And that looks like Adora's sword. Hey! Maybe we need the sword to open it!" "In which case, this is all a big waste of time!" Catra hissed. "It's not like we can just borrow it!" "You could always ask?" "Adora isn't even here!" "Then who's that?" Catra cringed and turned slowly to face She-Ra and some friends, which surprisingly included a horse with a horn. She quickly gathered herself, smirking at the group. "Hey, Adora. What a pleasant surprise," she deadpanned. "What brings you here?" Adora took two steps forth, posing mightily, her blonde hair waving in the air. "You know why I'm here, Catra," she said in that tone of voice that just rubbed Catra the wrong way. "We can't let the Horde obtain this First One's technology!" She valiantly pointed her very dangerous sword at Catra and Scorpia. "First ones, first ones… Aha!" the young woman with the red and blonde hair said, snapping her fingers. She turned to look at the little horse with the horn. "That's why it sounded familiar! G'kar and Londo actually knew the First Ones!" The little horned horse smacked her forehead and shook her head. "Of course! No wonder it sounded so familiar!" "Girls?" Adora hissed, holding her sword steady. "Is this really the time?" "So," Catra spoke up, ignoring the odd pair. "Where's my patrol?" "Bow and Glimmer took care of them," Adora said, "give up, Catra. You can't win this." Catra rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, righteous fury. Blah, blah, can't win this!" She crossed her arms. "Come on, Adora, you can do better than that." She smirked. "In prison." Adora blinked, then her eyes opened wide when she realized what Catra had done. "Well, it seems our villaness is not dumb," a voice said, making Kyle jump, hand on his chest as he stared at the armored, deep purple horse with the half horn. "Who are you?!" he asked, quickly raising his weapon. "At ease, soldier," the horse said, waving a hoof. "I'm just passing by and I noticed what was happening here. I used to serve an evil army too." Kyle sat down on the crates, watching as Catra's ambush proceeded exactly as she had planned. He looked down at his gun, then at the horse. "I guess there's no point in fighting. With my luck, I'll get banged up again." Both of them winced at the loud explosion and then followed the trajectory of a particularly large tank as it was thrown overhead. "Perhaps," the horse said, taking a seat next to him, "but as I said, I have no intention of causing you harm. My name is Tempest Shadow." "Kyle." "Nice to meet you, Kyle. How come you are here and not there, participating in the battle?" Kyle sighed. "I'm just not good at this. Lonnie and the others all scored higher than me during training… not to mention Adora and Catra," he said, motioning at the pair. "Interesting. Are you saying Sunset and Starlight's ally was once one of yours?" "Are they the cute redhead and the little horse with the horn? Yeah," Kyle said, leaning back. "We all grew up together in the Horde. Well, most of us. I was picked up from a town the Horde conquered, but Lonnie and the others had been there before. We all trained together, ate together… I guess, I never realized I wasn't cut for this." Tempest nodded. "We're called unicorns, by the way. Horses with horns." "Oh. Sorry." "Don't worry about it." The pair contemplated the heat from the explosion. "You know, Kyle, not everyone is meant to be part of the frontlines, have you considered an administrative role?" "But… I want to be with my friends." "Hm." Nearby, a pair of troopers landed, unconscious. "I mean, it's not like I enjoy being in a fight, you know?" Kyle admitted. "But these guys are all I know, and… well, it sucks that it's all falling apart. Adora and Catra are at each other's throats, and they used to be best friends!" He shook his head. "I know I'm not important, like them, but we all care. Lonnie, Rogelio, myself… I-I think even Shadow Weaver cares, in her own, twisted, manipulative way." He looked up at the battle. "I hate that Catra and Adora have to fight. They were like sisters… I always thought they'd be there for each other. And they were always nice to me." "I'm not entirely sure what to say. On the one hoof, I don't think there's anything good that can come out of being with an army like this one," Tempest said, "Reminds me a lot of the Storm King's army… but it seems more complicated than that, in your case. You're talking about your family and your friends." Tempest hummed. "I suppose I could try and help you out." Kyle blinked. "What? Really?" Tempest shrugged. "Sure. I was given a second chance after… well, a lot of things. I've been part of something very similar, but where you have the strength to stay to help your friends, I left mine behind and ended up joining evil." She smirked. "At least the Storm King's army didn't have "evil" as part of their title." "I don't think we're particularly evil," Kyle said softly. "Sometimes we can only see what's right in front of us," Tempest said, keeping her eye on the battle. "And it takes some time to realize that the world is not limited to what we can, or cannot see." While Kyle pondered those words, the area shook and several shouts recalled their attention to the battle. Kyle blinked. "I guess they figured out the password." To Be Continued... Author's Note Hello, readers! Short chapter, I know, but just like with Ranger it's taking more time than I anticipated to get things moving again! Now, I love my references as much as anyone (maybe more!) but I'll be weaning those out of the story as it progresses. I think we've had our fun with the multiverse constant references, and now I should really focus on actual She-Ra, MLP. I'll keep the tone light, but the story most move forward!
Invitation to PartyEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Invitation to Party "Uh, what are you doing?" "Gaah!" Adora whipped around, looking over from her preparations to her friends with a guilty smile. "Nothing!" Glimmer and Bow—who had just walked into her room without knocking— were looking slightly confused and worried at the packed bags and equipment organized neatly on the side of her bed. "Are you planning on going somewhere?" Bow asked, eyes wide. "Without us?" he added with a small voice. Then small tears formed on the edge of his eyes, threatening to become actual water fountains. "And you were not going to tell us?!" "Oh… uh, hehe… yeah, about that…" Adora laughed with a little self-conscious smile as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah. I uh, was invited to this event and well…" Glimmer's eyes narrowed. "Let me see the invitation. I didn't get one." Adora cringed. "Yeah, I don't think you would have been invited, you see—" "GIMME!" "Right. Right." Sighing, the former Horde Captain picked up a nearby scroll and handed it over. The Princess of Bright Moon snatched the scroll from her hand, giving Adora a mock look of disapproval before she opened it. She gasped in horror, joined by Bow, who had crowded in behind her to look at the contents. "As you can see, it wouldn't' be appr—" "I can't read this!" Glimmer said, waving the invitation in the air. "It's not even First One writing! How do you even know this is an invitation? Just how many languages can you read?! Are you going to get new powers out of this?" With a half-lidded look of annoyance, Adora snatched the scroll back and opened it the rest of the way before passing it back to Glimmer. "Ooooh!" Bow said, a look of dawning understanding crossing his face. "It's in several languages! That's very considerate!" "Seriously though, am I the only one that thinks some of these look like doodles?" Glimmer asked. Bow studied the spot where Glimmer was pointing. "Nope. Those are doodles." "Pictograms." Adora rolled her eyes. "Huh. Well, they could have put more effort into creating actual words. Now… where is good ol' Etherian… aha! Found it!" She cleared her throat. "Hello—why is the handwriting on your name different than the rest of the scroll?" "Your name looks really funny in Pictorgam, Adora." "Thanks Bow. Glimmer, I think it's because it was a generic scroll and they just added the name later?" "That seems rather impersonal," Glimmer said, frowning in disapproval. "It's not that strange," Adora said with a shrug. "The Horde did that when they were sending invitations to a large number of people." "Figures an evil empire would do that kind of thing!" Bow hissed, shaking his fist angrily at the heavens. Adora rolled her eyes. "Right." Glimmer noted. "Anyway. It says: Hello, Adora of Eternia! It is my distinct pleasure to invite you to the "Former Super-Villain Par-tee, which will be taking place in some castle I will borrow at the appropriate time, and possibly let the owners know. Maybe. I'm sure you know how it is, being a former villain yourself. Make sure you bring enough clothes for a couple of days, a fun-loving attitude, and an open mind! It is a convention/ball/something full of former villains, after all! Things can get quite chaotic. In a good way. Once you are ready, punch the rabbit. No time will pass in your world between the time you leave and when you return. You may bring one guest with you. "Former Super-Villain Ball?!" Glimmer half-demanded, half-asked. "Guest?!" Bow cried. Adora blinked. "Wait. Adora of Eternia? I didn't see that!" "It's right here, but you have to touch the black blob on top of it to read it." "Huh. I wonder what that means?" Adora frowned. "Anyway, what rabbit?" Bow silently showed her the bottom of the invitation, which had a picture of an angry-looking rabbit. "Huh," Adora said. "I'm sure that looked like a little blue guy before." "Hello? Bright Moon to Adora?" Glimmer spoke up, shaking the invitation. "Why exactly weren't you going to tell us about this?" "Well, yes," Adora chuckled. "Since it's full of formerly-evil people I was thinking I might skip on taking anyone with me this time around?" Adora replied with a nervous smile. "You know. Scout the event first. Make sure it's safe? Bring someone next year?" "Nope!" Glimmer hissed. "You're taking us with you, and that's final." Adora blinked. "It says here, very clearly—and in many languages—that I can take a plus one. You both would be a 'plus two', unless the Rebellion does math differently." "We don't do math differently!" Glimmer took a deep breath. "Look, former villains can sort of stretch the rules, right?" "No? The point of former is t—" "Right. So. As your sponsors and personal friends (as well as legal representatives of the Bright Moon Kingdom personally held accountable for your compliance and loyalty to the Rebel cause), it is our pleasure—no." Glimmer cut herself off, shaking her head and raising a fist to the air. "It is our responsibility to accompany you in this unique—and life-changing—event." Alora took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "I'm not going to win this, am I?" "Nope!" Bow said, crossing his arms and glancing at Glimmer with pride. "She's been practicing her arguments just in case we need to corral the other princesses again, or if her mom decides to—" "Right." Adora interrupted. "Look, I was about to head out, so why don't you two run, get your things, and meet me here in ten?" "Okay," Glimmer said, "we're all set!" Adora had cleared the center of her excessively big room, figuring that—since it was ridiculously, unnecessarily and decidedly uncomfortably big—she might as well actually use the extra space to limit the amount of possible destruction that could come out of using a scroll of dubious magical origins in a way that it wasn't intended to be used. "According to the instructions, my plus one would simply have to be in contact with my body for this to work," Adora said, "so I think you guys can just hold on to my arms or something." The other two nodded, placing their hands on her shoulders. She gave them a dubious look and shook her head. "Well, I guess we'll find out if this works! Here we go!" She touched the rabbit. The trio waited patiently, but nothing happened after a few seconds, so Adora looked at them. "Seems like it won't work for three people." "Aww." Glimmer sighed, looking dejected. "I don't think that's the problem." Bow narrowed his eyes, looking at the parchment. "You forgot to punch the rabbit." "Oh." Adora shrugged and punched the critter. Immediately rainbows exploded out of the scroll, wrapping around the three of them. "Why does it have to be rainbows?!" Adora shouted in frustration. "Why can't it be a blob of dark energy?! Crackling red lightning?" "But rainbows are cute!" Glimmer countered. "I KNOW!" With the sound of an oiled pig escaping capture, the trio materialized in a burst of energy a few feet off the ground. They gasped and let go, seeming to hang in place for a few seconds before gravity took hold of them and they fell into a heap on the cold, stone floor. "My, my. What have we here?" a slightly amused voice said from somewhere above them. "Ugh. Come on guys, get off of me." "Right, right…" Bow groaned, rolling off to land on all fours. Glimmer stood up, then offered her hand to Adora, helping her up. The trio then turned to face the source of the voice… and gasped. It was like nothing they had ever seen before. It had a face that looked like a mixture of a goat and a horse, mismatched eyes, horns, appendages, and a twisted smile with one large fang showing... and it was wearing a tuxedo. "So glad you could make it!" it said. "Can I please see your invitations?" The two Etherians and Adora immediately stood straight. "Uh, yeah! Here it is!" Adora said, sweating a little. The creature took the scroll, then, instead of unscrolling it, it proceeded to tear it to pieces. The shredded parchment then fell into a blender, where some sugar, spice and rainbows mixed it into some sort of green goo. The creature drank the concoction, then frowned. "It says here that you had a plus one. And here I see plus two." "Well," Adora shifted in place, "that's—" "We're with the Rebellion!" Glimmer interrupted. "We do math differently!" The creature's eye narrowed. "I see." "Y-you really do!" Bow stammered, staring at the giant, yellowish eye circling them. The eye blinked itself out of existence and the creature clapped. "How delightful. If you're willing to push the boundaries of what is allowed, I can hardly blame you!" It leaned across the desk and winked at them. "We are "former" villains, after all!" He said, giving three little badges that looked just like his face to them. "Keep those close and don't lose them!" It then motioned with its lion claw to an exact copy of itself that was waiting patiently by the door. "I will take you to your room, then you can mingle!" "Um, I don't see that many people?" Glimmer ventured as they walked behind the creature's… other… it. "Oh, don't worry, everycreature is just arriving at different intervals in the time-space continuum." their guide said, waving its claw lazily as another crack of energy and pig squeal echoed behind them. "Works for me!" Adora said hastily. "Come on guys!" It didn't take long to find their way to the 13th floor of their "hotel". Which was confusing for several reasons. "Weren't we at ground level earlier?" Adora asked. "And in a castle?" Glimmer added, looking down from the wall-sized window that overlooked a vast ocean and a small beach. "This doesn't look like a castle." "What's room service?" Bow asked. "Oh," Discord—as the creature had identified himself after Adora had finally thought to ask—said, putting down their bags. Which they had left back in Etheria. "You wouldn't want to use that. Unless you had a lot of money to spend." The trio looked at each other. "Besides," Discord said, "don't forget that this is a three day convention/party. Food and drinks provided! It's so much better to mix and mingle. Cause some chaos and good fun!" he added, grinning, before pulled down a zipper out of thin air and stepped through it, closing it behind him. "Well, that's a thing," Bow muttered. "Come on guys!" Glimmer said, a wide grin on her face. "Let's go check out the party!" The ball room was surprisingly not a room at all. It would be more appropriate to say that it was a very large cavern with large stalagmites and stalactites that were covered in some sort of iridescent fungus. A tiny plate next to one read, "Courtesy of Jarlaxle". Adora noticed this absently as her eyes scanned the surprisingly large crowd of peoples in the cavern. And she meant that. There were creatures of all shapes and forms. A green, muscular guy with a turban on his head was talking to an incredibly attractive young man in golden armor. A short man with spiky black hair and a serious expression was talking to another young man who had some sort of symbol scarred into his forehead and a large gourd of some sort on his back. A man with long blonde hair and serrated teeth was talking to a dark-gray, almost metallic looking guy with also serrated teeth. "There's a lot of fangs and teeth around," Bow said in a low voice, looking at a large, muscled humanoid in slimy black with a white spider logo of some sort on his chest. "Why the teeth?!" "Oh man," Adora was grinning, "This is more like it! No frilly dresses! No formal dancing! Just badasses all around!" "Why am I not surprised that this is your comfort zone?" Glimmer deadpanned. "Oh! An arm-wrestling match!" Adora hissed excitedly, pointing a finger at another pair of odd individuals. "Let's go challenge the winner!" "I don't know," Bow said, glancing at the massive creatures currently engaged in that activity. One of them, a huge, muscular man, was missing half his face, making him look like he was grinning all the time. He scanned the crowd, "Maybe we sho-Adora! Look! Horses!" Adora immediately turned away from measuring her possible opponents and turned around, scanning the cave. "Where!?" Bow pointed. "They went that way!" "Let's go!" The trio made their way around a talking dinosaur that turned into a robot—with serrated teeth—who was currently trying to show off his moves to another attractive-looking young man in some sort of silk-like robe. They went past the sabertooth talking to the strange four armed blue creature and weaved through the crew of Discord Butlers that were in the process of offering snacks to the guests until they saw them. "Oooh!" Adora squealed, eyes shining. They were small horses of different colors. One of them, purple with a pink and deeper-purple mane, even had wings and a horn, just like Swift Wind! Adora knew the different hues probably had different names. But she didn't care about that. It was adorable! Currently, it was in the company of another horned horse, this one a much lighter shade of purple-pink, with again purple-like mane with blue highlights. "I know what you're thinking," Bow said, "and the proper definitions are," he pointed to the winged, horned, horse, "I'd say… mulberry coat, with purple and raspberry mane?" he pointed at the horned horse, "and pale heliotrope coat, with light purple and aquamarine on the mane. That would be my bet." "Bow." "Yes?" "I don't care. Come on." They followed the horses, who stopped and waved at something, then trotted over. Adora watched with a certain amount of envy as they were greeted by a very tanned human girl, who hugged them both. And… she blinked. "Is it me, or does the purple girl look a lot like the horned winged horse?" "Don't you guys know it's rude to stare?" Glimmer sighed, grabbing them both by the arms. "It's a party! Mix!" She led them over to the group, which was now chatting animatedly. "So, as you can see," the horse with the horn and no wings was saying, "I just had to ask Twilight to come with me." "Yeah," the redhead with blonde highlights said, laughing. "I can only imagine how wild things would have gotten with Trixie here…" she trailed off. "Wait, didn't Trixie almost destroy Ponyville twice? Shouldn't she have received an invitation?" "Nope!" Discord said, appearing right next to them, and startling the group from Etherea more than the horses and humans. "The first time was an accident, the second mind control through an evil amulet. When she had the ability to join the dark side, she helped Starlight, myself and Thorax stop Queen Chrysalis." "I still think you should have invited her, Discord" the horse with a horn and wings said. "Not only did she technically become evil for a while, she later on became a good friend. Next year?" "Pff. Fine," Discord said, rolling his eyes. "I'll also invite Gilda since we're at it." He glanced at the Adora and the others. "Ah, what have we here? Our rule-bending guests!" He puffed away and reappeared next to them, barely dodging and instinctual blast from Glimmer. "It seems you were about to introduce yourselves! How rude of me!" He seemed like he was about to say something else when a serious burst of energy from the other side of the cavern made the place tremble. "Oh my, you must excuse me. Vegeta has just met Sasuke." And just like that, he was gone, leaving two groups of people staring at each other awkwardly until Bow coughed into his hand, smiled and stepped forth. "Hi! I'm Bow! And this is Glimmer and Adora!" That seemed to snap them out of the stupor. "Sorry!" the redhead said. "Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, this is Starlight Glimmer, this is Twilight Sparkle, or as we call her 'Sci-Twi', and I am Sunset Shimmer." "Nice to meet you!" Glimmer said, jumping forth to shake hands with both humans and bump fist-to-hoof with the horses. "So, which one was the evil one?" Glimmer asked. "Glimmer!" Bow hissed, while Adora groaned. "Sorry!" the princess cringed. "I'm just curious! And it's a former-villain party! It can't be that rude to ask!" "Well," Sunset glanced around. "I'm not sure I would just ask everyone here, it might be painful to disclose that information… In my world, I was the villain. Turned into a demon, tried to take over another world with an army of teenagers to exploit the unlikelihood of the ruling body attacking innocent children." "In mine I brainwashed a whole town for years, and later on changed the timeline several times and almost doomed the world," Starlight said with a nervous grin. "Wow." Bow said. "But they are better now!" Princess Twilight said. "They both discovered the magic of friendship and are now 100% good!" "Well, I wouldn't say 100%..." "Starlight!" "I mean, of course we are, right Sunset?" "Sure." "So, I gather from that that you're not from the same world?" Adora asked. "So, is this a party that happened before or—" "Nah," Sunset said, "I tried to take over their world with my teenage army of doom. I was originally a unicorn too." Adora was right by her. "You can turn into a horse?" "Um... " Sunset looked Adora up and down. "Uh, yes? Under very specific circumstances?" she narrowed her eyes. "Why?" "Oh Adora loves horses," Bow explained as he walked over to shake hands with Sci-Twi. "Is there a reason you and the princess look so similar?" "Oh, I'm her alternate reality counterpart," Sci-Twi said. "But while Twilight does magic, I invent mechanical things, for SCIENCE!" The words "for science!" were repeated by different individuals across the cavern, almost as if they were part of a cult of some sort. "That's amazing!" Bow gushed, entwining arms with Twilight. "I'm an inventor myself! Created all my arrows!" Twilight blinked. "Arrows? I'm just learning how to shoot a bow properly at school with my friend Applejack!" "So… I assume you're the former villain?" Sunset asked Adora, who shrugged. "I mean, I was captain of the Evil Horde, although if I'm honest I wasn't aware of just how bad it was until recently. Then I obtained magical powers, became a part-time princess and well... the rest is history." Starlight slid over to them, leaving Twilight and Glimmer to talk about princessly duties. "Huh, so, any big conquests?" "I mean, I could have, but I joined the guys before that became a thing… Bow and Glimmer, they really helped me realize how things were." "Yeah…" Sunset and Starlight glanced over at Princess Twilight. "We know the feeling." "So…" Adora rubbed her arm. "Do you arm-wrestle or hunt or fight around here?" Sunset grinned. "I think we can find something to do." She motioned a passing discord to bring a tray of drinks. "But first, a toast! To new friends!" The sunlight of the late afternoon seeped through the windows of castle Bright Moon, creating a warm, orange-red tinge across the lavish interior. The only sounds were the snores and grunts of sleeping people, peacefully dreaming away. That's when three loud knocks were the only warning before Queen Angella opened the doors. "Glimmer? Are you here? Are you asleep?" She sniffed the air and frowned. "Adora? Glimmer? Why does it smell like alcohol? I demand an explanation! Have you been drinking? We need to have a talk, young ladies..." she trailed off as she approached the large bed. She blinked. "Glimmer?" "What?" a voice asked. "No… no, I think that's for me…" another, familiar voice said from the pile. "Mom?" "Glimmer…" Angella growled. "Explain. Now." Glimmer slowly sat up, burped, and looked around. Next to her, an equally disheveled Starlight Glimmer was trying to shake Bow awake with her hoof, while Sunset and Adora snored in each other's arms. Almost reluctantly, the last four days and nights came back to her and her eyes widened with worry as each memory slowly but surely fit together to build up a very bad situation. "Oh no." To Be Continued…? Author's Note I'm publishing this because: 1) She-Ra is awesome. 2) ^ 3) Starcraft: Queen and Country will be posted tomorrow. I'm not sorry for the story.
Truth and LiesEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Truth and Lies Queen Angella of Bright Moon, Immortal Ruler, Rebel Leader, Bane of the Horde, Beacon of Light, paced back and forth angrily in front of a small group of teenagers and a horse of some sort. In her heart of hearts, she wanted to just blame Adora. Even though she had proven herself an ally and worthy combatant, both with and without powers, she had grown up with the Horde, naturally it would be her that would be a bad influence. But the truth was, and she was well aware of it, that if it weren't for the unknowns in the room, chances would have been that Glimmer herself would have talked the former captain into drinking. Bow was too well mannered and too much like a poster-child to really be responsible for this, there was no sign of Sea Hawk, either, so the drinking was either her daughter or the two unknown factors. But still. There was no evidence, other than the dissipating smell of alcohol that anything untowards had happened. The group was merely collapsed, groggy and with a headache on the single bed. Thankfully, most of them wore clothes. It still did not explain who these two new… people… were. The guards had reported no arrivals, and Glimmer certainly didn't look like she had been in any position to teleport anyone. Her magic even felt somewhat weak, although she had recently recharged just that morning. "First, I would like you to introduce your… guests." She frowned and gave Adora, Bow and Glimmer a threatening look. "They are not former members of the Horde as well, are they?" "Um, no!" Glimmer said quickly. "Uh, girls, let me introduce you to my mother, Queen Angella." "Sunset Shimmer, your majesty," the red and gold-headed one said, bowing carefully and much more gracefully than Adora had. "And Starlight Glimmer," the mare unicorn said, bowing as well. Angella blinked. Both of them were court-trained, if a little rusty. A princess maybe? No. She would recognize Sunset if she were. Assistants? Friends?" "Yes, they are uh, friends we met!" Bow added quickly. "And we uh, went to celebrate and uh…" "We're not from this universe," Sunset deadpanned, while Starlight nodded. "What are you doing!?" Glimmer hissed. Sunset blinked. "Well, lying would eventually just end up being a hassle," Starlight said reasonably, "we would need to coordinate our lies, make sure they match up, plan for future interrogations, make sure those match up, create additional backstories that would not contradict each other, and all of that while trying to figure out how exactly we got here and how to get home." "So eventually one of us would slip up and put us into a worse situation because we would have been caught lying!" Adora said, nodding thoughtfully. "It makes sense!" "Huh," Glimmer said. "A perfectly reasonable explanation on why not to lie. Who knew?" "How about because lying is bad and deceiving others is what a malicious person would do?" Angella growled. "Oh yeah!" Sunset said, nodding, "That too!" Angella closed her eyes and counted to ten. Then counted once more before opening them. "While I do believe your priorities are not exactly right, I do appreciate your candid sharing of information. However, that does not explain why or how you got here and apparently became good friends with my daughter, Adora, and Bow in a matter of a couple of hours." "Oh, we were at an interdimensional party full of former villains that lasted four days and three nights," Adora said immediately. "It was hardly just a few hours." "...and that is why you don't tell a worried mother that their daughter was gone for several days to an interdimensional party without them knowing about it." Adora nodded at Sunset's words, a worried frown on her face. Even though the doors were closed and Angella had taken Glimmer to another room, they could still hear muffled shouting. "It's a bit confusing! I've never lied before! I mean, not really! Just tiny things! How was I supposed to know I shouldn't lie about something as crazy as you being from another world, but lie about us being gone for several days?" "It's a complicated process," Starlight said. "You'll get the hang of it." "Girls!" Bow whispered running back from the door. "They're coming!" The trio pretended to be looking at the water in the pond as they heard the stomping feet of the Queen. There was a pause outside the room, presumably for the Queen to get her bearings back, before the door calmly opened. "In the future," Angella said with carefully enunciated words, "you will not leave this castle without my knowledge, understood?" "Yes, mom." "That includes you too, Adora. And you Bow." "Yes, your majesty." "As for you two," Angella's glare turned to Sunset and Glimmer. "Any idea how you came to be here?" "Not really," Sunset said, "I was supposed to go back to Canterlot City… and Starlight also was going to her home world. I'm not entirely sure how we got here." "Oh no." Starlight said, eyes wide. "Sunset. Sunset!" She turned and, with her magic, brought Sunset down to face level, where she proceeded to grab the human with her hooves. "We have a problem! If we're here… where's the Twilights?!" [Somewhere, in the Year 20XX] Zero considered his situation. Sure, he was in the middle of the lab with two very attractive ladies asleep on his lap, resting their heads on his chest, while every other Reploid looked on with confusion, interest and morbid curiosity. But, as a senior Maverick Hunter, he still had more credibility than not, and there was no doubt that his fellow hunters should believe his explanation—whatever it was—on what had happened and how they shouldn't escalate this past the possible initial shock. That both Twilights were snoring peacefully, arms around his shoulders and drooling on his armor was a source of some minor self reflection. After all, he was a Reploid and not prone to emotional reactions to humans as other humans would have. It didn't take away the fact that they were both really cute. Then again, he was in the middle of the lab with two very attractive ladies asleep on his lap, resting their heads on his chest, while every other Reploid looked on with confusion, interest and morbid curiosity. "So, uh, Zero," X ventured, motioning at the identical humans with his hand. "Twins?" "Shut up." Explaining that one of them had been a horse last time he checked wouldn't help either. [Back in Etheria] "Calm down!" Sunset growled, forcing the hooves off and standing up, cracking her back and grimacing. "I've given it some thought. When Princess Twilight doesn't appear in Ponyville, Discord will have to come get us all back." "But some of the other worlds sounded very dangerous!" Starlight insisted. "Remember Vegeta and Goku fought people that could literally destroy the universe?!" "And Zebra said their world had monsters that could inhale a whole continent if they wanted!" Glimmer added. "Not helping!" Sunset growled. "And then remem—" "Stop, seriously," Sunset said. "She'll be fine. We need to trust them and figure our way out. Come on, Starlight, between you and me? We're magical encyclopedias! We'll figure it out even before Discord shows up to get us." Starlight took a deep breath. "Y-yes you're—" She was interrupted by the door opening and a majestic, rainbow-maned male alicorn trotted in, immediately drawing the attention of both Sunset and Starlight. "Um… S-sunset?" "Y-yeah?" "I think we should stay for a little bit." To Be Continued…
AcquaintancesEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Acquaintances "Glimmer?" Angella asked, carefully stepping back and observing Sunset and Starlight Glimmer both bow deeply before Swift Wing of all...horses… "What is going on?" "I… have no clue?" "Oh!" Bow gasped, slamming his fist into his palm as things clicked together. "I remember Princess Twilight saying that she's an Alicorn, which is a pony with a horn and wings… in her original world, supposedly only Princesses look like that." "So what you're saying," Angella clarified, "is that by all accounts, just by his physical appearance, Swift Wing is royalty in their world." "That's right." Angella nodded. "Adora, please be so kind as to escort Swift Wind out, I need to speak to our guests." "Um… okay, but you have to deal with the enraged females if I move away their eye-candy." "I am well aware of that." "Alright," Adora said dubiously, walking over to where Swift Wind was posing bravely as he retold a story. "...and then I said, 'Your Majesty! I request, neigh! I demand that you release all the horses in the stables!" "Oooh, that's so considerate, your highness," Starlight said, edging up to him. Sure, she only reached up to his shoulder, but she liked that. "How about we go to one of these stables and you show me how… bad… you can get?" Sunset covered her mouth. "I uh…" Swift Wind stammered, glancing down at Starlight and seeming to notice just how physically close she had gotten. He gave Sunset a pleading look. "Uh, ma'am, Sunset… your uh, mighty steed seems awful close and I'm uh…" Sunset snorted behind her hand. "I'm sorry your highness, but you are kind of dreamy, and she's not my steed. I originally looked like her." She winked. "Only prettier. And I might have wings now too." Starlight hissed at her. Sunset stepped back. "Then again, Starlight really knows about subjugated towns, right, Starlight?" "Oh, I know everything there is to know about enslaving towns, and uh, liberating them too," Starlight purred, eyeing Swift Wind up and down. "Why don't you show me how you'd… liberate mine? Or maybe… you'd like a taste of subjugation?" Sunset covered her mouth and turned around, her shoulders shaking. "Um, girls?" Adora called, approaching carefully. "Can I borrow Swift Wind for a moment?" "Adora!" Swift Wind whispered, talking out of the side of his mouth. "Help!" "No!" Starlight said, her horn blazing with magic. "I will reduce this castle to scraps if—" "Come on, Starlight," Sunset said, nudging the unicorn and breaking the spell. "We're still going to be here for a while, you'll get your chance to tell Swift Wind about… towns." "But… Sunset! This is literally the best of my three mate choices! Don't take him away from me!" Starlight begged. "The third? Who are the other two?" "Spike and Sunburst." Sunset frowned. "Spike? Really?" "Hey, he's a dragon, he'll last for a while, plus he's sharp, and witty!" Sunset crossed her arms. "What about Sunburst?" "It's not that I want to, more like our parents are pushing it." "Ah." "So that's why—hey! Where is he?" Sunset smirked. "Outside. Now, let's go see what the Queen wants." The doors closed behind them, leaving the pair of world-travelers with Queen Angella. "My daughter tells me you all met at a Former Villains party?" she asked, frowning down at the pair. It was like dealing with Luna. "Sort of? I mean, it wasn't real bad, all the villains there were reformed, and some were even really not that bad, right, Starlight?" "Totally! Even Princess Luna, sister to our own immortal Princess, Celestia, was there! She went evil a thousand years ago, but she's good now!" Starlight said quickly, nodding in tandem with Sunset. "Is that so?" "But it wasn't anything dangerous!" Sunset added just as quickly. "Sure, she might have turned herself into a creature of ultimate evil that cursed the entire world into eternal darkness while her rule lasted, but one rainbow-whammy later, and she's back to being good old Luna, princess of dreams and the night." "Right. So you're saying that, despite what you just said, she was never a serious threat?" Angella mused, looking at her nails carefully. "Glimmer dropped some other names. Maybe you could tell me what they did?" "Um…" "Gemini Saga and Kanon?" Sunset gulped. "Uh, tried to murder an infant goddess, then manipulated another god to flood the Earth? But! A few years later, they saw the error of their ways and sacrificed their lives for the greater good!" Sunset jumped when she felt Starlight's magic pinch her butt. She glanced at the unicorn, who gave her a look. Sunset nodded in understanding. "I assure you, not all of them were that bad." "I see." Angella said, pretending to study her other hand. "Sasuke Uchiha?" "He went emo." "Lelouch?" "Obsessed over chess." "Lupin?" "We don't talk about that pervert!" "Luffy?" "Wants to be the king." "Mewtwo?" "Daddy issues." Sunset tapped her finger to her nose. "Or is it mommy issues? Both. Issues." "Harlock?" "You would love him. I'm not even sure why he was even there. Something about pirates." "Scar?" "Doesn't seem to like puppies." "Vegeta?" "He's a warrior prince of a people named after vegetables." "Zebra." "Very, very hungry." "Alucard?" "Alright, alright," Starlight interrupted. "Just how many people did Glimmer meet? And when? She was with us most of the time! And I sure as hay didn't see her go near Alucard." "Maybe when we were placing bets on the arm wrestling? Or when Adora and I were having that shooting competition with Gru?" "I do believe you have severely downplayed several of the individuals named," Angella said, "I think, regardless of the exact moment my daughter chose to mingle with… these questionable people…" "Hey, I'll have you know Harlock is a gentleman!" "...the fact is that she mingled with criminals." She glared at the pair just as they were about to complain. "Former. I do not care. She is the princess of Bright Moon and she shouldn't have been exposed to… that." "Look, your majesty, we all made mistakes and paid for it… some of us still pay for it in one way or another. Everyone there lost someone, learned something, changed, or sacrificed something invaluable to redeem themselves in the eyes of others… even their worst enemies." Sunset said, hands tightening. Starlight picked up from there. "None of us are perfect, but we all learned. We all became better, and if they were there, it was because they deserved to be. It's a lot easier to take the easy way and remain evil, or aloof. When you have power, it's easy to abuse. And sometimes you don't even know how bad you are until you realize…" "And when you do, when you see… and you choose the hard way… the one that demands that you face your fears, your errors and whatever crimes you might have committed," Sunset said slowly, "that's when you can truly move forward. And, I for one, would stand at the side of any warrior, witch, vampire, princess or creature that did that. And I'd stand proud at their side." Angella sighed and shook her head. "Very well. I wanted to take your measure before allowing you further contact with Glimmer, Bow and Adora. We are at war with the Horde and bad influences in these times carry a lot of consequences." "War?" Starlight asked. "Adora told me… I'm sorry." Sunset grimaced. "I know it seems we're making light of the situation, but with Discord involved… either there's some convoluted plan, or it really is just him getting amusement out of this. Either way, the more we worry, the worse things will get." "It's only a matter of time before we go back home," Starlight said. "Fluttershy will get him sorted. But if we're here for the duration of the war…" "I do not know what skills you might or not possess," Angella said into the following silence. "But if your magic or powers can be of help in some way, the Rebellion can use some assistance." She stood up and headed for the exit. "It will be your choice, of course. If you do not want to get involved in this world's problems, I will still allow you to stay as guests. You will excuse me, I must talk to my generals about… recent developments." "What are you thinking?" Sunset asked Starlight, sitting next to her. "Many things…" "You mean one horse?" "He's delicious!" Sunset smiled. "It might be best not to remain too besotted by him, Starlight. We don't know how long we'll stay here." "I know, I know!" Starlight hissed. "It's just… you're human right now! You don't... you can't smell..." She blushed. "I'm just glad I'm the only currently pony Equestrian here." Sunset sighed, patting Starlight on the back. "I'm probably the only one stupid enough to fall for otherworldly creatures." "What is this admittedly beautiful creature with an otherwordly aura trying to say to me, Mewtwo?" Mewtwo levitated down to where his fellow Legendary Pokemon was crooning to Luna. "If you lower your mind-shield for her, you should understand her." He projected through their mutual link. "Perhaps, after I understand more of your unique world, my dear. For now, I fear that I must be a bit defensive." "This is Cresselia, the Legendary Pokemon." Mewtwo tilted his head and shrugged. "She is asking why you came down to the planet, when she has been trying to protect you all this time." Luna blinked. "Surely she is confused, dear Mewtwo. I have just arrived in this world!" "She says she's your dutiful guardian, and that she was surprised to feel you down here," he translated the series of croons. "She seems to believe you're the Moon itself." "Ah, a Moon Guardian of some repute!" Luna said, nodding. "Verily, this bodes well for my stay here! Henceforth she'll be the captain of our guard!" At Mewtwo's raised eyebrow, she nuzzled him. "Do not pretend that you do not wish it so, my dear Mewtwo." Cresselia crooned excitedly, a slight blush on her beak. Mewtwo glared at her. "Shut up." "Nah. It was a roomful of people and creatures that understood exactly where we were coming from. I'm sure there are some other infatuations out there." Starlight chuckled weakly. "Yeah. Sure." "Anyway," Sunset stood up, stretching and motioning to the door with her head. "I don't know about you… but I can't leave friends to their own when something this serious is happening. You in?" Starlight snorted. "Duh. Let's go buck the Horde." To Be Continued…
MissionEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Mission "...and this is your room." Starlight and Sunset followed Glimmer into a rather spacious room and gazed around with mild interest. The Princess of Bright Moon smiled at the pair as they checked out the premises. "Well, it beats my room back on Earth," Sunset said after a moment. "but it does remind me of the one in Canterlot Castle." "The waterfall is a nice touch," Starlight said. "Twilight's castle is just a giant chunk of gem, no variety unless you really put some elbow grease into it." "Am I the only one that thinks a waterfall in a room is a bit too much?" Adora asked, throwing up her hands in frustration. "Doesn't anyone else think that it's unnecessary?" "Well, I mean, I admit I'm rather fond of Deer Architecture back in Equestria," Sunset admitted, "and they do have a lot of waterfalls around. Besides, they're the best thing to take showers in." Adora gave Glimmer a smirk. "Well, here we don't use them for that." Starlight blinked. "Why else would you have one in here?" "Because—" "Guys!" Bow interrupted, slamming the door open, eyes wide with panic. "We have a problem!" Glimmer's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" "What? Nothing!" Bow looked offended at the notion. "We just got word from Princess Perfuma, she said a large Horde force made its way through into the Whispering Woods, and they were carrying several scanners!" "Perfuma?" Sunset asked. "She's a Princess with power over plants and flowers," Glimmer explained, "she can make them grow and flower and even attack!" "Wow, you guys must have ended world hunger fairly early." Glimmer and Bow blinked at Sunset. "What?" "Because… you know, never mind." "We need to go," Adora said, standing up and looking resolutely at the others. "If they have scanners, they are probably after First Ones tech." "This whole First Ones sounds so much like those Protean guys Zaeed and Shepard were talking about," Sunset muttered. Starlight smirked. "You mean Commander Shepard, right? The one that you and Adora were clinging to on each arm?" Sunset felt herself blush. "She's… very capable." "And strong." Adora nodded. "And tragic!" Sunset added. "Knowledgeable!" "The ultimate badass!" Sunset affirmed with a nod. "And sexy?" Starlight teased. "Very sexy," both responded immediately. "N-not that I cared about that," Adora corrected quickly, earning a knowing smirk from Sunset. "She's a Commander! She had much to teach!" "I'm surprised the pair of you didn't rip her in half or get into a fight," Glimmer muttered, taking their hands and guiding them out of the room. "Are you kidding?" Sunset blurted, "Why split when I can get two for one? Three if you count She-ra." Glimmer glanced at Adora, but her friend kept her face firmly down, although her ears were clearly red. "And, she said if we were ever in her universe, she'd help us join N7 if we wanted." "I wonder why Zaeed started choking on his drink when we said we'd love to." "I dunno, something about a meteorite and lack of oxygen," Sunset replied with a shrug. "Right," Bow spoke up. "That's all well and good, but can we please focus on what's going on right now?" "Hey, give us a break! We all just came back from days of partying and meeting really interesting people! You were there!" "I'll have you know that if I'm capable of paying attention to what's happening in the real world, then so can you." "Right," Sunset said, "so, tell us about more about what this Princess Perfuma saw." "There's not much else to say," Bow said, shaking his head. "If they get their hands on First One tech, they will use it to destroy us… ever since they somehow used their technology to almost destroy Bright Moon, they've been more active trying to get more working specimens." "Dammit Kyle!" Catra sighed. "Why is it so hard to just follow the instructions I told you?" "B-but Catra…" "That's Commander Catra." "Commander Catra, ma'am," Kyle stammered, swaying under the weight of the box he was carrying. "I would have put the other b-boxes where you said, but they said that we were close enough to the Whispering Woods that it was probably a bad idea to pile them all too close to the edge and that we needed more protection." "So your solution was to build a wall of crates?" "W-well…" Catra rolled her eyes, glancing at the snickering guards. Her glare returned to Kyle and she took a long, slow breath. "They're bullying you because they know you'll get in trouble. Don't listen to their instructions. Listen to mine." Kyle's eyes went wide, but he quickly nodded, glancing around nervously, before gulping and returning to organize the crates. "Aww, come on Catra, did you have to ruin our fun?" "Lonnie," Catra sighed. "Lonnie, Lonnie. What to you expect will happen when we're attacked and we need to evacuate and all our things are spread over several feet instead of being on their designated location?" She couldn't see the tough girl's face under the mask, but she assumed it to be displeased. Good. "Since you're so keen on keeping an eye on the Whispering Woods, you're taking the first patrol there. And if we're attacked under your watch and we're surprised by it, it's going into your permanent record." "Just because you're a Commander doesn't mean I can't take you down!" Lonnie growled stepping back slowly. "If it weren't for that—" She was interrupted when she bumped into something soft, yet solid. She turned around and looked up at the doubtful-looking Scorpia. "Gee, I dunno, cadet, not only is it bad practice to get snippy"—she snipped the air with her claw—"with your superior, but you do know that Catra actually beat Shadow Weaver, right?" Lonnie deflated, and Catra could sense a mild level of respect as she turned to face her again and saluted. "Sorry, Force Commander. I'll be on my way with the patrol." They watched her go and Catra looked up at Scorpia. "I had it under control." "Of course you did!" Scorpia said with a huge grin. "But we really need the troops in one piece just in case, you know, we're attacked." Catra chuckled and shook her head. "Thanks. Any advance on Entrapta's request?" "Yeah, about that…" Scorpia chuckled. "We hit a snag. Turns out, shouting random words doesn't seem to work. So far we've attempted Eternia, She-Ra, Mellon…" "Mellon?" "Kyle swore it meant friend, so we tried it." "Where did he even learn that?" "Some guy named Nodwick during some sort of minion convention." Catra massaged her forehead. "Fine. Take me there, let's figure it out…" The pair moved, not noticing the unicorn that slid around the crate wall, and hummed to herself, looking at the devices they had left on the table. To Be Continued...
Figuring Things OutEtheria's Sunset By Wanderer D Figuring things out "Open Sesame!" "Eternia!" "Mxyzptlk!" "Eternia!" "Kimota!" "Eternia!" "Uroshnor!" "Seriously, Kyle, do you need to keep shouting 'Eternia'?" Catra finally asked. "It really, really doesn't work." "W-well, Entrapta once said that you can use a brute force attack to hack a password!" Scorpia blinked. "Oh! I remember that!" She then arched an eyebrow and looked at Kyle with a decidedly unsure expression. "But I don't think she meant using the same word over and over." "What else would make it a brute force attack?" "This is stupid." Catra glanced over at her troops, as they tried to use a powerful laser to shoot through the structure's walls, but as fragile as Eternian architecture seemed to be inside, the outside? Diamond-solid. "Alright, Kyle, since you're not helping, go back to stacking the equipment." Kyle deflated, but Catra's orders were law. He headed over to the crates, and started piling them once more. Once he was out of sight, Catra massaged her brow. "Aww, I like how you care about your friends." Scorpia smiled, then tapped her chin. "Well, your underling friends." "Kyle is not my friend," Catra stated, shaking her head. "I just don't like seeing what the others do to him because they think they can get away with it." Scorpia slapped her back. "Ha! And that makes you a good leader! He just needs more training, that's all." "Yes, but that doesn't solve our current problem," Catra replied, wincing. "We need to bring Entrapta along next time, she might not be able to read it, like Adora can—" her voice took a decidedly low tone at the mention of her former friend"—but she understands this technology much better." "Is that a good idea?" Scorpia rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, it can't be that difficult, can it?" Scorpia asked. "The lines are a bit weird, but that there looks like a fish. And that looks like Adora's sword. Hey! Maybe we need the sword to open it!" "In which case, this is all a big waste of time!" Catra hissed. "It's not like we can just borrow it!" "You could always ask?" "Adora isn't even here!" "Then who's that?" Catra cringed and turned slowly to face She-Ra and some friends, which surprisingly included a horse with a horn. She quickly gathered herself, smirking at the group. "Hey, Adora. What a pleasant surprise," she deadpanned. "What brings you here?" Adora took two steps forth, posing mightily, her blonde hair waving in the air. "You know why I'm here, Catra," she said in that tone of voice that just rubbed Catra the wrong way. "We can't let the Horde obtain this First One's technology!" She valiantly pointed her very dangerous sword at Catra and Scorpia. "First ones, first ones… Aha!" the young woman with the red and blonde hair said, snapping her fingers. She turned to look at the little horse with the horn. "That's why it sounded familiar! G'kar and Londo actually knew the First Ones!" The little horned horse smacked her forehead and shook her head. "Of course! No wonder it sounded so familiar!" "Girls?" Adora hissed, holding her sword steady. "Is this really the time?" "So," Catra spoke up, ignoring the odd pair. "Where's my patrol?" "Bow and Glimmer took care of them," Adora said, "give up, Catra. You can't win this." Catra rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, righteous fury. Blah, blah, can't win this!" She crossed her arms. "Come on, Adora, you can do better than that." She smirked. "In prison." Adora blinked, then her eyes opened wide when she realized what Catra had done. "Well, it seems our villaness is not dumb," a voice said, making Kyle jump, hand on his chest as he stared at the armored, deep purple horse with the half horn. "Who are you?!" he asked, quickly raising his weapon. "At ease, soldier," the horse said, waving a hoof. "I'm just passing by and I noticed what was happening here. I used to serve an evil army too." Kyle sat down on the crates, watching as Catra's ambush proceeded exactly as she had planned. He looked down at his gun, then at the horse. "I guess there's no point in fighting. With my luck, I'll get banged up again." Both of them winced at the loud explosion and then followed the trajectory of a particularly large tank as it was thrown overhead. "Perhaps," the horse said, taking a seat next to him, "but as I said, I have no intention of causing you harm. My name is Tempest Shadow." "Kyle." "Nice to meet you, Kyle. How come you are here and not there, participating in the battle?" Kyle sighed. "I'm just not good at this. Lonnie and the others all scored higher than me during training… not to mention Adora and Catra," he said, motioning at the pair. "Interesting. Are you saying Sunset and Starlight's ally was once one of yours?" "Are they the cute redhead and the little horse with the horn? Yeah," Kyle said, leaning back. "We all grew up together in the Horde. Well, most of us. I was picked up from a town the Horde conquered, but Lonnie and the others had been there before. We all trained together, ate together… I guess, I never realized I wasn't cut for this." Tempest nodded. "We're called unicorns, by the way. Horses with horns." "Oh. Sorry." "Don't worry about it." The pair contemplated the heat from the explosion. "You know, Kyle, not everyone is meant to be part of the frontlines, have you considered an administrative role?" "But… I want to be with my friends." "Hm." Nearby, a pair of troopers landed, unconscious. "I mean, it's not like I enjoy being in a fight, you know?" Kyle admitted. "But these guys are all I know, and… well, it sucks that it's all falling apart. Adora and Catra are at each other's throats, and they used to be best friends!" He shook his head. "I know I'm not important, like them, but we all care. Lonnie, Rogelio, myself… I-I think even Shadow Weaver cares, in her own, twisted, manipulative way." He looked up at the battle. "I hate that Catra and Adora have to fight. They were like sisters… I always thought they'd be there for each other. And they were always nice to me." "I'm not entirely sure what to say. On the one hoof, I don't think there's anything good that can come out of being with an army like this one," Tempest said, "Reminds me a lot of the Storm King's army… but it seems more complicated than that, in your case. You're talking about your family and your friends." Tempest hummed. "I suppose I could try and help you out." Kyle blinked. "What? Really?" Tempest shrugged. "Sure. I was given a second chance after… well, a lot of things. I've been part of something very similar, but where you have the strength to stay to help your friends, I left mine behind and ended up joining evil." She smirked. "At least the Storm King's army didn't have "evil" as part of their title." "I don't think we're particularly evil," Kyle said softly. "Sometimes we can only see what's right in front of us," Tempest said, keeping her eye on the battle. "And it takes some time to realize that the world is not limited to what we can, or cannot see." While Kyle pondered those words, the area shook and several shouts recalled their attention to the battle. Kyle blinked. "I guess they figured out the password." To Be Continued... Author's Note Hello, readers! Short chapter, I know, but just like with Ranger it's taking more time than I anticipated to get things moving again! Now, I love my references as much as anyone (maybe more!) but I'll be weaning those out of the story as it progresses. I think we've had our fun with the multiverse constant references, and now I should really focus on actual She-Ra, MLP. I'll keep the tone light, but the story most move forward!
