Unity: A Tale of Arcadia

Chapters

Book One: Chapter One
Book One: Chapter Two
Book One: Chapter Four
Book One: Chapter Five
Book One: Chapter Six
Book One: Chapter Seven
Book One: Chapter Eight
Book One: Chapter Nine
Book One: Chapter Ten
Book Two: Chapter One
Book Two: Chapter Two
Book Two: Chapter Three
Book Two: Chapter Four
Book Two: Chapter Five
Book Two: Chapter Six
Book Two: Chapter Seven
Book Two: Chapter Eight
Book Two: Chapter Ten
Book Two: Chapter Eleven
Book Two: Chapter Twelve
Book Two: Chapter Thirteen
Book Two: Chapter Fourteen
Book Three: Chapter One
Book Three: Chapter Two
Book Three: Chapter Three
Book Three: Chapter Four
Book Three: Chapter Five
Book Three: Chapter Six
Book Three: Chapter Seven
Book Three: Chapter Eight
Book Four: Chapter Two
Book Four: Chapter Three
Book Four: Chapter Four
Book Four: Chapter Five
Book Four: Chapter Six
Book Four: Chapter Eight
Book Four: Chapter Nine
Book Four: Chapter Ten
Book Four: Chapter Eleven
Book Five: Chapter One
Book Five: Chapter Two
Book Five: Chapter Three
Book Five: Chapter Four
Book Five: Chapter Five
Epilogue
--------------------
Book One: Chapter Three
Book Two: Chapter Nine
Book Four: Chapter One
Book Four Chapter Seven

Book One: Chapter One

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter One

Donald Smothers, mayor of Arcadia Oaks, cast his gaze around the lavishly appointed city counsel meeting room. It was the strangest group of attendees he had ever been to a meeting with: Besides three members of the town counsel including Ophelia Nunez, there were guests from the nearby town of Unity: four humans and four ponies, a Goblin named Brayflox, an Elf girl who went by Tess, and some kind of horse/bug thing they called a Changeling. And then there was also the six-eyed Troll.

Donald sighed. Massaged his forehead in hopes of warding off the mounting headache. This was not what he had planned on when he ran for mayor. "So let me see if I've got this right... We're on another planet, in another dimension, and there's no way back?"

"Eeyup, that's the size of it." The large red stallion, Macintosh, Donald thought, answered.

"And you-" (He motioned towards Ophelia,) "Have learned that there's also some kind of doomsday army of evil Trolls and Gremlins right underneath our feet?"

"Probably. According to those I spoke with, there is a chance that this Trollmarket got left behind, as deeply buried as it is. We've not had a chance to check yet."

The Troll, Blinkous, said "I'll be doing so as soon as we are finished here."

"Is that safe?" Ophelia wondered.

"It should be." Blinkous answered. "After all, I won't actually go down the stairs and into the Market itself. I'll just go to where the hidden magic portal should be and see if it opens. If the door is there, it stands to reason the Market is too. And of course, I'll have the Trollhunters with me."

Macintosh asked "And just who exactly are these 'Trollhunters?'"

"Yes that's my next question too." Donald said. He looked at Counselwoman Nunez. "Ophelia, why are you hiding their identities? If we already know about the Trolls anyway, what else is there to keep secret?"

Ophelia answered "They want to preserve as much of their normal lives as they can. Something I can somewhat understand, balancing my position on the council and my family. And of course family is also a part of it: Fear for their family's safeties, I mean. Honestly, I know it's only a matter of time before it all comes out, especially given our current situation... But I gave my word Donald, and I'm not going back on it."

"And there are a few of us who know, if it becomes necessary." Sheriff Tucker said. "I saw, and of course our resident magic expert Twilight Sparkle. She's actually with them now."

Another of the Ponies, Midnight Steel, looked to Blinkous and asked "I'm wondering about the tactical situation. What can you tell us about this army?"

Blinkous shrugged. "Well, there's good and bad. On the good side, Gunmar himself shouldn't be here. As powerful as he is, that one detail is of crucial importance: If I had to choose between fighting ten thousand Gumm-Gumm soldiers by my self, or Gunmar by himself with an army at my back... I'd take the Gumm-Gumms. And no, there won't be ten thousand, or even one thousand. Gunmar's original army is lost in the Darklands. I estimate no more than two hundred soldiers are in Trollmarket."

"And the bad news?" The Changeling Xix asked.

"Two hundred is still a formidable force. Queen Usurna is certain to launch an attack when she realizes Gunmar isn't coming back. And then there are the Gremlins-"

"Tell us about Gremlins?" Brayflox asked.

"Ah yes. I'm afraid our Gremlins are a singularly unpleasant people. Dumb, to be blunt, and easily dispatched individually, but present in very large numbers and exceedingly dangerous in spite of their small size."

"And of course, on top of all that," Tucker said. "There are a lot of mundane survival issues you need to look at. We can help you with that, for example clearing more cropland around your perimeter, and thanks to the magicite power core we've got electricity to spare. But, I feel the need to warn you, what with you being from Southern California and all, we get actual winters here. And medieval as it sounds you need a wall around the town. That Forest is teeming with dangerous predators."

Donald shook his head. He never thought he'd think such a thing, but why couldn't he have lost the election?

XXXXX

Twilight Sparkle stood in the gymnasium of Fallow Meadows old Cole Porter High School, along with the three teenage Trollhunters. "Ive cast a locking spell on the doors." She said. "There's no risk of anyone interrupting us."

"That's good." Jim said. "So, I guess you're wanting to hear our story?"

Twilight looked the boy in his eyes. "I'm wanting to understand how you have such powerful magical artifacts. Especially on a world where everyone thinks there isn't any magic."

"Man, I'm not even sure where to start..." Jim answered.

Toby stepped forward. "I got this." He took a deep breath and said "So it turns out that a famous wizard named Merlin who we all thought was just an old story was actually real and made a magical amulet to give powers to it's holder so they could protect humans and good trolls from evil trolls called Gumm-Gumms but now the leader the of evil trolls escaped from the Darklands and wants Merlin's old apprentice Morgana to cause the night to last forever so he can rule the world."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the boy, who had gotten all of that out in one breath. "Okay, one thing at a time... Humans don't normally know about these Trolls?"

"They hide underground. Because sunlight kills them, turns them to stone." Claire said.

"Ouch... Though that would explain the endless night thing..." Twilight thought for a moment. "(Though what is it with villains and endless nights) ...You knew about Merlin and Morgana but thought they were fictional?"

"Exactly."

"Hmmm... And the Gumm-Gumm king, Gunmar... He shouldn't be here with his army?"

"Shouldn't be, no." Jim said. "We had word he had left to go looking for Merlin's Tomb, to find Merlin's Staff. He couldn't free Morgana from her prison without it."

Noticing how sad the trio looked, Twilight asked "Is something wrong?"

Claire said "Gunmar has two of our troll friends. He mind-controlled one and took the other captive. We were probably about to go after Merlin's Staff ourselves, hopefully save our friends too, when the storm came."

Twilight gave the teens a comforting smile. "I'm sorry. I know how important friendships can be. I'm sure a way to save them will come up someday."

"I hope so." Jim said. He paced back and forth a few times before throwing his hands up in the air. "I hate this! We're here, Gunmar's on earth, we can't save Drall or Arrrgh, and I can't even be all that mad since having Gunmar and Morgana on totally different planets from each other is actually a good thing!"

Clair put a hand on Jim's shoulder while Twilight asked "Wait. Morgana is here?"

Toby explained "The last word we got back from Arrrgh said that it turned out Morgana's prison is inside the Trollmarket Heartstone. No one knew, except I guess Gunmar."

"She's not that much of a threat, so long as she's sealed." Claire said. "She can kinda influence and direct others but-" The girl fell silent as she saw the look on Twilight's face and realized the unicorn was deep in thought on something. "Miss Twilight?"

"This one wasn't a mistake." Twilight muttered.

"Huh? What?" Toby asked.

Twilight shook her head. "Remember what Sheriff Tucker and I told your parents at Jim's house? Singularity is meant to take towns from worlds threatened with destruction, but it's malfunctioning. But from what you say, this Gunmar, even without Morgana, is an apocalyptic level threat. This one wasn't a mistake. Singularity took Arcadia Oaks while Gunmar was gone to save humans and trolls from him."

"Wow." was all Claire could say.

"In any case, if you're willing I'd like to see what those magic artifacts you three have can do." Twilight said.

The teens looked at each other. "I'll go first." Jim said. He held up the Amulet of Day. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" Twilight shielded her eyes from the brilliant light that accompanied the amulet's activation. When she looked again he was covered in faintly glowing armor.

"Impressive." Twilight said. "I assume there's a weapon?"

Jim nodded and a sword appeared in his hand. "Double impressive..." Twilight mused, tapping the side of the blade with a hoof. "It's like... Solidified sunlight! This Merlin must have been on Starswirl's level to craft something like this."

"Starswirl?" Toby asked.

"The greatest unicorn wizard who ever lived. He single hoofedly founded the basics of our modern era understanding of magic over a thousand years ago." Twilight replied. "Toby, why don't you go next?"

"All right." The boy held out a small object that at first appeared to be only a cylindrical tube. Then in an instant, a flaming sledgehammer extended out from it and began to float above the floor, buoyant enough to lift Toby along with it. "We call it warhammer."

"And it floats?"

No sooner had Twilight asked the question than the hammer stopped floating and slammed to the floor, hard. "Sometimes." Toby said. At Twilight's eyebrow raised in the implied question he elaborated, "There was this magic curse that got loose and kept randomly shifting gravity back and forth, between 'weighs less than zero' and 'weighs a ton.' We had to trap it in something to keep it from spreading."

"Interesting." Twilight said, examining the warhammer closely. "If you'd like, I'll do a little research. I might be able to make it controllable for you."

"You can do that!?" Toby's eye were wide in surprise. "Awesome sauce!"

Chuckling, Twilight turned to the third member of the group. "Claire?"

Claire had placed an object that looked similar to Toby's warhammer in it's inactive state across the room from them. She now raised a hand towards the object, which immediately flew into her hand and extended into a long staff which she twirled around before making it open a swirling black portal and stepping through, reappearing behind Twilight moments later.

Twilight laid her ears back. "Where did you get that... ...thing!?"

"Is something wrong?" Claire asked.

Shaking her head, Twilight answered "Look, I'm not gonna try to tell you what to do... You're a teenager, I get it. But, if I were you, I'd find another weapon and not use that thing any more than you absolutely have to in the meantime. The magic in it is so dark... I feel like it's smudging my soul just standing this close."

"It... Is actually a relic of Morgana." Claire admitted. "And we've already learned the lesson about overusing it... I got possessed. I thought we'd driven out Morgana's influence from it, made it mine."

"Well there is a distinctive feel of your psyche overlaying the darkness. That should afford you a little protection. But it's just a veneer."

Claire asked "You said you could help Toby, is there anything you can do for me?"

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. "If we had the Elements of Harmony here, absolutely. Without them... Maybe. I'll have to do some research. Both in my own library, and in whatever your mentor can tell me about Morgana."

"Trust me, Blinky will be more than happy to tell you everything he knows." Jim said.

"No matter how long it takes." Toby added, and everyone laughed.

Jim deactivated the amulet, returning to his normal clothes. "Speaking of Blinky, it's about time to meet him and see if the portal and Trollmarket are still there."

"Right. Let's go." Twilight said. She released the locking spell on the doors, and they all left together.

XXXXX

Trollmarket. Queen Usurna paced back and forth with the Gremlin's new leader dangling by his feet from her hand. "I give you a simple task and you botch it. Thanks to your bungling the Trollhunters now know what Gunmar is planning. I should have you all destroyed, but I have a better idea..." She dropped the Gremlin on it's head.

Rubbing the top of it's head the creature grumbled out a question in Gremlin speak.

"Gunmar told me to have the traitor Dictatious dead before he returned. I do not intend to be the target of his ire for failing."

"Rrrrrr?" The Gremlin asked.

"No. I'm not going to send you again. What I want from you is a diversion. Tomorrow night you will go to the surface, spread out over the entire town, and raise as much havoc as possible. Once the Trollhunters are properly distracted a pair of Gumm-Gumm soldiers will deal with Dictatious..."

Watching the Gremlin scurry away to gather his fellows, Usurna smirked. Dictatious would die, and so would a great many Gremlins. Win-win, as the humans would say.

Book One: Chapter Two

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Two

The late spring morning dawned bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky and all across Unity grumbing children rose to prepare for school. In more than a few cases, the grumbing was intensified by the knowledge that students in the newly arrived town were still out of class. Naturally, parents attempts to point out that they still had no power in Arcadia had no impact on the kids insistence that it was "no fair."

So with no options, Sweetie Belle ate a breakfast of oats drizzled in honey (which miraculously didn't catch fire, explode, or disintegrate into ash) then slipped on her book laden saddlebags and trotted out the door. Scootaloo was already there waiting for her. "Ugh..." The pegasus complained. "Look around Sweetie Belle. It's gonna be a beautiful day and we're stuck in school."

"I know. But school's out for summer in a month." Sweetie answered.

"Yeah yeah... And at least we've got a new friend!" Scootaloo pointed to a filly who was trotting towards them. "Mythril Wind!"

"It's actually Nyma you know." The disguised Changeling said.

"Yeah we know. But we like Mythril Wind." Sweetie Belle said. Looking the filly over, she asked "You're staying in your pegasus disguise?"

"My sisters all insisted." Nyma answered. "If I have to be outside, I have to at least not be an obviously different 'target' for anything bad that might happen."

Scootaloo frowned. "Yeah but, didn't Xix say they were gonna have a soldier drone close at all times anyway?"

"Yeah, about that..." Nyma trotted up to an innocuous looking lamppost, turned, and bucked the base of the post, which to the surprise of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cried out in pain.

"Oww, right in the shin..." The lamppost exclaimed as it turned back into an adult changeling. "Nyma, why would you do that?"

"Just making a point." Nyma said. "If I could spot you..."

"I thought it was pretty good." Sweetie Belle whispered to Scootaloo, who nodded agreement.

"Let's go!" Nyma motioned for the others to follow. "I can't wait to get started! School! Fun!"

"Boy is she ever in for a let down..." Scootaloo whispered, and Sweetie Belle could only chuckle.

XXXXX

Big Mac couldn't stop glancing in the direction of Arcadia as he worked the orchards. Something just didn't seem right, and by that he meant far more than just the possibility of a dangerous enemy hiding deep beneath the town. No, check that, he thought, not merely a possibility but a near-certainty. Mac had been there the previous night, under the bridge, when the troll Blinkous had briefly opened the hidden magic door, confirming that Trollmarket was still there. A fight was coming, and soon. Mac bucked hard against the next tree in his line, apples dropping perfectly into the pre-positioned baskets. Yes, a fight was coming, and not an easy one by any measure. At least they didn't have to worry about an attack during the daylight. Though, for daylight creatures like ponies and humans that might actually be worse. He moved to the next tree and bucked. To be honest, though, what was bothering him was the placement. It was just too odd that Arcadia had been dropped so close to Unity. All of the other new towns were at least a few miles apart from each other. And now this, right on their doorstep.

So involved was Mac in his thoughts, his body basically moving from tree to tree on autopilot, that by the time he realized someone was calling out his name there was an undercurrent to the tone of voice suggesting they had been calling him for quite some time. "Mac! Y'all in there!?" Applejack shouted right in his face.

"Who what!?" Mac fell flat on his back.

"Thinkin' hard?" Applejack asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Eeyup. Not sure what 't think of this new one."

"Yeah, Twilight said we might need 't be ready 't fight again." Applejack shook her head. "Anyhow, that's not why I'm botherin' ya. Ya got company." She pointed across the field to where Bethany was waiting.

"Eeyup." Mac trotted over to where she was waiting. "Kinda early aint'cha?"

"A little... Um, so, my parents will be back at the window tonight. They want to meet you."

"An' do they know?"

Bethany crossed her right arm across her body, gripping the left elbow. A sign Mac had learned to interpret as nervousness. "Yeah, I told them everything. Including one thing I still need to work up the nerve to tell you."

"A'hm listenin'."

"You know what? I'm just gonna blurt it out because I know I'll chicken again if I don't: Mac... I'm pregnant."

"Hoo boy."

"Eeyup."

They looked at each other, and couldn't help breaking into giggles. "Never saw this a year ago." Mac said.

"Eenope." Beth agreed.

"You know I'll be a good father..."

"I know you'll be the best father."

"Seen the doctors yet?"

"Just to confirm. I've got another appointment next week." Beth answered. "They want to do a couple of scans, machine and magic both, to make sure the baby's healthy. Twilight says it'll probably be human, at least mostly."

"That's how it works." Mac agreed. "So, how you wanna handle the meetin'?"

"I was thinking that coffeehouse south of Sugarcube Corner. They can't really eat or drink anything from here of course, but if I know my folks they'll both have a mug on them already, we can just sit, drink, talk..."

"Sounds good 't me. 'Round eight I'm guessin'?"

"That'll be perfect." Beth gave Mac a kiss. "Gotta get back to work. See you tonight!"

Mac nodded, and returned to his work. He was still worried about the Arcadia situation. But at least he had something positive to think on too...

XXXXX

Tessindra Fairwind, 'Tess' to friends, sat in the Golden Oaks library studying a copy of Tolkien's works along with Twilight Sparkle. "I must admit, this is remarkably accurate." She finally said. "Even the Old Sindarin runes are spot on, and you would be hard pressed to find an elf these days who could manage that."

"Which is weird." Twilight said. "Even with a copy of the Red Book to work with, after ten thousand years there should be significant errors!" She sighed. "Another mystery..."

"Another?"

"Yeah... You've not seen yet, but... Humans have Christmas, and Ponies have Hearthswarming. Two totally different holidays celebrating totally different things. But observed on the same day of the year, with the same kind of decorations and traditions!
And it's not just that one: Our Nightmare Night and their Halloween. Our Hearts and Hooves Day and their Valentine's Day. Same date, same theme, same decorations, same traditions, no possible connection in their origins."

"There has to be a connection, though. That is far too much similarity for there not to be." Tess mused.

Twilight quoted "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action." At Tess' raised eyebrow she explained "Human military expression I learned from Bert Gumbal."

"It does seem applicable, though I hope the 'enemy' part is inaccurate." Tess chuckled. She pulled the goggles down from over her forehead and examined the book through them.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's up with those? I noticed all of the elves and most of the dwarves and hobbits wear them." Twilight asked.

"My people have very little magic." Tess explained. "We're not totally devoid of it; we are still elves after all, but compared to our immortal ancestors... The most powerful spell an elf of my race could cast, would have been a meaningless trifle to even the weakest of the High Elves. So, technology is our magic. The goggles, for example, have a number of vision enhancements built in: microscopic and telescopic magnification, infrared, ultraviolet, night vision, there's even a mode for scanning magic fields."

"I see..." Twilight clopped her front hooves together, "I don't suppose-"

"We have some extras." Tess laughed. "I'll see about finding you a pair."

"So what can you do magically?" Twilight wondered.

Tess shrugged. "We can create light when we need it, though not for long. We can sense the use of magic by others, the range varies from elf to elf. And some of us can imbue minor enchantments into the machines we make, for example there's an enchantment on these goggles that makes the batteries last about twenty percent longer than they would otherwise... Speaking of which..." She removed her goggles and held them out to Twilight. "Take a look at the book through these, I've got them set on the magic field sensor."

Curious, Twilight took the goggles and looked. "What the-?" She exclaimed. The book had a very low level magic current running through it, too weak for Twilight to have sensed with her own gifts. She looked around and saw that every copy of Tolkien's writing had a similar field. None of the other books did. "What could that mean?" She asked, returning the goggles to Tess.

"I have no idea. The surviving pages of the original Red Book in Rivendale have the exact same current, they always have. No one knows why."

"Curious..." Twilight pondered. "There's something more connecting all of this together... What you said before was right, just because we can't see it doesn't mean anything. There has to be a link. In fact, I wonder... Wait here a minute."

Tess waited as the unicorn trotted out of the room. She could hear Twilight rummaging around in what was apparently a 'off-limits' section of the library used to store potentially dangerous magic texts. When Twilight returned, she was levitating a large ancient book which she laid down on the table. "I'm very curious if this has that same field." She said.

Tess examined to book through her goggles. "It does." She said after a moment. "What made you suspect this particular book? Is it a pony translation of the same information?"

"No, but it does contain the complete text, or at least what we still have of the text, of the prophecies made over a thousand years ago by the greatest pony wizard of all time, Starswirl the Bearded. I wondered about it specifically because of that... Bilbo and Frodo's writings have the current, and the both of them were close friends of a wizard. And here, another wizard's writings show the current... Maybe that's all there is to it."

"Maybe." Tess agreed, though she suspected there was more, and honestly was pretty sure Twilight did as well...

XXXXX

All through the day, the Gremlins prepared. They spread out, traveling through caves, through sewers, through any safe-from-sunlight passage they could find. The creatures didn't really care about Queen Usurna's plots, nor even Gunmar's for that matter. They just loved to make mischief and be violent and weren't about to turn down a chance to do so. As they fanned out, to cover the entire town of Arcadia, some of them found new paths they were sure hadn't been there before. Paths that led out from under Arcadia, and to a new town entirely. They decided to attack there too. Why not, for one thing, and besides that Usurna would surely squash them all if they didn't make a big enough mess of things.

Below the city center of Unity, the gremlin leader (Identifiable as the one who had drawn a mustache on his upper lip with a sharpie; as noted before, they weren't terribly bright,) cocked his crossbow and peered out of a storm water drain. The sun was setting, but it was far too early to be safe. Gremlins, like trolls, turned to stone if exposed. And as he watched, selecting the best targets from the limited number of buildings he could see from the drain, the leader saw something unusual: talking horse creatures. He picked up an ancient 'Speak and Say' toy his predecessor had acquired and pushed a button. "U is for Unicorn." the toy said in it's electronic voice. The gremlin smiled a wicked toothy smile. "Horses." He mumbled. This would be fun...

Book One: Chapter Four

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Four

"AAAHH!!!" Rarity's scream echoed through the night as she fled from her boutique. She had been enjoying a relaxing evening with a cup of tea and a good book when, out of nowhere, some manner of horrid things had descended on her shop, chasing her around and shredding all of her completed products, all of her fabric bolts, and in a few cases even the ponikins. "Uncouth beasts!" She shouted. "My entire summer line is ruined! It's the worst possible thing!" Growling sounds all around caused her ears to perk up. "Then again, I suppose things could get even worse..." She spun about, horn glowing with magic, trying to face the creatures which were converging on her, but they were coming from all directions.

Seeing a single place in the circle where there were fewer of the monsters, Rarity decided to make a break for it. She charged, firing a blast of magic from her horn which splattered two and caused the rest of them to spread further apart. Heartened by this, sure she would make it through, the unicorn cheered and galloped as fast as her hooves would carry her. It wasn't fast enough. She didn't even get halfway before several of the monsters dragged her to the ground. "What do you want you horrors!?" She exclaimed.

One of the creatures produced an old 'speak 'n spell' toy (After a previous leader had found and used one, the gremlins became obsessed with the things) and pressed a button. "'D' is for Dinner. Yum yum." The machine said, and the creature added it's own two bits: "Kitty yum-yum. Pony have kitty. Pony yum-yum..."

"Oh no, pony is not on the menu! Kitty either! If you've harmed a hair on my Opalescence's head-!" Rarity shouted, struggling to get free, to no avail. But then, just before she could give up all hope, a sound of laughter rang out across the town. Pony and gremlins both looked towards the source, which proved to be- "You've got to be kidding me." Rarity deadpanned.

Perched atop the very peak of Carousel Boutique was a pony. A pink pony. A pink pony dressed in an all-too-familiar spandex suit. "I am the terror that bakes in the night!" The pony vanished in a puff of smoke, to reappear atop another building. "I am the hooved scourge that bucks at your nightmare!" Another puff of smoke and she vanished again, reappearing on the ground before Rarity and the gremlins. "I... ...Am Mare Do Well!!"

The gremlins reacted swiftly, a quartet of them continuing to hold Rarity down while the rest converged on this new oddity. "Pinkie! Run!" Rarity screamed.

"Rares! No giving away my secret identity!" Pinkie hissed. "And don't worry, I've got this..." From behind her back, Pinkie produced... ...A tanning lamp. She switched it on (unplugged, don't ask) and in an instant the gremlins began to smoke and scream in pain, fleeing the sun-like U.V. rays which, though multiple orders of magnitude weaker than actual sunlight and therefore unable to turn them to stone, were still no fun for the creatures to be around.

"Pinkie!" Rarity cheered as she ran to her friend and hugged her tightly. "You saved my life!" She released another sigh of relief as Opalescence came running and rubbed against her forelegs, purring.

"All in a day's work." Pinkie answered, removing her mask. "Though actually I suppose it's a night's work since it's after dark. And I don't think anyone would appreciate me stopping now and waiting until tomorrow night just because tonight's work is done. Sorry I didn't make it in time to save the inside of your shop. These guys are everywhere!"

"What!? It's not just those!?" Rarity gasped. "Sweetie Belle! I have to find her!"

"Don't worry, we will!" Pinkie replied. She pulled her mask back on, then passed Rarity another of the Mare Do Well costumes. "Now suit up."

"Oh Pinkie, I don't think..."

Pinkie leaned in close, staring Rarity in the eyes. "Suit. Up."

Rarity sighed. This was going to be a long strange night...

XXXXX

As the gremlins converged, Macintosh and Bethany both thought fast: Mac grabbed a tall umbrella pole from the coffee house's patio (thankfully not open) in his mouth and began wielding it like a polearm, stabbing at the closest gremlins to keep them away. Bethany, meanwhile, grabbed up a full pot of coffee and flung the contents at the creatures on her side, scalding them. They screamed and thrashed and melted into goop. Beth looked at the shop's griffon barista. "Geez Gewolt, what do you put in this stuff?"

"You humans are the ones who like it to be able to stand up on it's own." the griffon answered, then took out another gremlin with a swipe of her claws. "But seriously, it's just normal coffee, if a bit strong for my tastes."

"Maybe they're allergic to caffeine?" Beth's mother suggested.

"Hell of an allergy." Beth said.

"Eenope." Macintosh answered, able to speak after rearing up and transferring the pole to his hooves. "Folks in Arcadia said these things were squishy." He swung again, taking out several more, but they just kept coming.

Raymond said "Squishy or not, there's too many of them! We've gotta get out of here!"

"But they've got us surrounded!" Beth said.

"Not all of us!" Gewolt said. "Hang on, I'll get help!" She spread her wings and flew up and out, several gremlins trying to jump up and grab on though she was too high for that.

"We need better weapons!" Ray shouted. "Any more of that coffee?"

Bethany quickly examined the counter. A smile came over her face. "No, but I see something better!"

Sitting on the counter was a box filled with darts for the coffee house's boards. There were a lot of darts. Beth grabbed up the box and started throwing, some of the gremlins taking hits and popping, others jumping clear, luckily none of them smart enough to throw them back. The barrage drove the gremlins back, some, but there were still so many of them and Bethany's ammo was only going to last so long. Which really, was all she had in mind: Buying time for Gewolt to return with more help.

Which the griffon did in an unexpected fashion. With a loud roar Bert Gumbal's Hummer braked to a halt before the coffee house, and even before it had totally stopped moving the passenger doors burst open. From the back door came Gewolt, swiping with her claws, while from the front came Bert's dog Shadow and Rainbow Dash, the latter wielding a club in her forehooves. Surrounded, the gremlins still tried to fight for a few moments, but when Bert emerged and cocked his gun, they screamed and fled.

"Oh thank god..." Bethany breathed out.

"Eeyup, that's some good timin' Bert." Macintosh agreed.

"Thank Gewolt for that." Bert said. "I was goin' the other way when she flagged us down."

"Is this... Normal around here?" Martha asked.

"Eh kinda-sorta." Dash answered, waggling a hoof back and forth. "You get long stretches with nothing, then BAM!"

"Yeah pretty much that." Beth confirmed, and everyone said the same.

Bert said "We were on our way to town hall, hoping to find Tucker and maybe Twilight. I'd say our best plan is to get Ray and Martha to the window edge, out of danger, then all go ahead with that."

"Good thinkin'." Mac nodded.

"Mom, Dad, go with Bert. He can have you there in like a minute, then pick us up to go on to town hall." Bethany urged her parents into the Hummer, though Martha was protesting.

"We can't leave you!"

"Mom, you're not really here remember? We'll be okay. Go!" She slammed the door shut and Bert peeled out.

"Ge, you're coming with us. I'm not leaving you here alone." Mac said.

"Hoped you'd say that." The griffon answered, "But I'll fly overhead on the way. Less crowded in the vehicle that way and I can keep an eye open for anyone else needing help."

"I would too," Dash said, but..." She spread her wings, showing that a number of feathers were missing. "Be several days before I'm in the air again."

"Yikes! Are you okay otherwise!?" Beth asked.

"Oh, yeah, it's fine. Just wish I hadn't been asleep when it started. I might've gotten clear. And then of course, it's not like I'm-" Dash's eyes went wide as a sudden realization hit her. "Fluttershy!"

XXXXX

"Now what do we do!?" Sarah Riggs exclaimed. Along with her brother Micheal, another boy named Paul, and Crusaders, she had been pursued by monsters, from the club house all the way back to where they had hoped to find shelter at the Apple farm house only to find it surrounded as well.

"We can't run all the way back to town!" Scootaloo said, "We'll never make it that far!" Sure enough, the sounds of the pursuing creatures was getting louder.

"What about hiding in the henhouses?" Sweetie Belle suggested. "Or the pig pen? Didn't Mac hide from something by coating himself in mud once?"

"That was special circumstances." Apple Bloom explained. "Doubt it'd work on these guys."

"Well we've gotta do something!" Micheal exclaimed.

Just then, something was done for them: The front door of the Apple's house swung open and Applejack appeared, armored in pots and pans, swinging a frying pan like a cudgel. "Run!" She shouted to the kids, who didn't have to be told twice. The gremlins kept coming, but Applejack swung a mean fry pan, keeping them at bay just long enough for everyone to make it inside, Granny Smith slamming the door shut of several 'foot in the door' gremlins who screamed in pain and limped away while the rest continued to beat at the door.

Apple Bloom hugged her big sister while Scootaloo asked "Are we safe in here?"

"Long as they don't bust out a window we should be." Apple Jack said. "Granny and me made sure both doors an' all the windows upstairs an' down were locked. Same with the cellar doors."

Outside, a pattering sound could be heard, as several of the creatures seeming to finally accept that they wouldn't get in on the ground floor began to climb the walls. Everyone in the house looked up, as the pattering sound also came from the roof. "You sealed the upstairs windows..." Paul asked, "But what about the chimney?"

"Horseapples." Apple Jack cursed.

"Oh come on!" Scootaloo said, "There's a raging fire and a pot of Granny's soup in there! They won't be dumb enough to-"

She was cut off as the first creature dropped into the pot, lived long enough to point at Apple Bloom and scream "Waka Chaka!" then realized it was standing in boiling liquid and keeled over. As it did so, the kettle tipped, spilling soup and liquified gremlin onto the floor, and making room in the fireplace for more of the creatures to appear and crawl along the top and sides, away from the fire, into the room.

"They're after 'Bloom 'cause of the one she killed!" Sarah said.

"Ah didn't mean 't hurt it! I just wanted it off my friend!"

"Don't think that matters to 'em." Apple Jack said. She picked up her fry pan again, but there were far too many without an exit strategy.

"Ah'm open 't suggestions..."

XXXXX

As soon as Bert had returned, Beth, Dash, and Mac piled into the Hummer, Dash shouting the need to go and check on Fluttershy. "If these things went after her, there's no telling what's happened!"

"Calm down Dash, she probably just stared them down." Macintosh said.

"Yeah maybe but what if it didn't work?" Dash insisted. "These don't seem like the kind of things that would be intimidated even by that."

"She's right. We should go." Beth agreed.

Bert nodded. "Alright then. Fluttershy's it is."

He put the Hummer back in gear, and swerved off, around a corner and straight down main street, the griffon Gewolt flying overhead. As they went, it became clear that most people were at least trying to fight back, with some measure of success. They passed numerous piles of goo, and while there were still tons of the creatures about their numbers were very obviously diminished compared to when things had started.

Bert ran down another pair of the gremlins, rounded another corner, and came to a stop in front of Fluttershy's property. Everyone piled out of the vehicle and ran towards the house, stumbling to a stop at the unexpected sight that greeted them. SIlver Spoon lay on the door step, using a first aid kit to tend to a laceration on her back. Fluttershy stood tall, breathing hard and with fire in her eyes, covered in the goo remains of several gremlins with a lot more of the mess scattered all around on the ground. Before her was a terrified blue gremlin, cowering for it's life.

"What... Happened...?" Beth asked.

Silver Spoon looked up. "It was the most amazing thing ever!" She gushed. "One of them jumped on my back and clawed at me, and Miss Fluttershy went ballistic!"

While Beth and Mac examined Silver's wound, confirming it would probably need stitches but wasn't as bad as it had initially looked, Bert and Dash approached Fluttershy. "Fluttershy...?" Bert asked.

The yellow pegasus exploded at the surviving Gremlin. "You! Don't! Hurt! Children!!!!" She screamed, and the creature cowered back further.

Bert grabbed the gremlin up and stuffed it in a bag while muttering something about "Prisoner of War," and wondering if "Geneva applies to gremlins?"

Dash laid a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Flutters? You okay?"

The contact broke her out of her trance. "Oh! Rainbow Dash!" She whispered. Looked herself over. "Terribly sorry, but I think I need a shower..." And she fainted dead away.

Book One: Chapter Five

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Five

Twilight, Trixie, and Tess ran as the mob of gremlins pursued close behind. As often as they could safely do so, both unicorns fired off magic blasts back towards the creatures, and Tess did what she could with the small crossbow she carried. They rarely missed, but there were so many of the gremlins that the mob never seemed to get any smaller, and never gave up. Twilight's original plan, to retreat to the library, had been busted rather quickly when a second mob cut them off, and with the creatures absolutely everywhere in town teleporting carried too great a risk of arriving in the middle of a mob, so now they were just running, hoping to find some kind of shelter.

"I'm... Getting... Weak..." Trixie breathed out.

"Stay with us!" Twilight said, though between Trixie having come under attack sooner and having some nasty wounds on her back from said attack Twilight could hardly blame the mare for wearing down. "We'll lose these things and get you some medical attention."

Tess said "If we can lose them! I've never seen anything this determined before!"

Twilight fired another blast back towards the monsters. "I know! We need a plan!"

A little help came as the trio fled past a narrow alleyway. There was a blue glow of some kind coming from the alley, but they were by too fast to see what it was and of course couldn't go back for another look. But as the mob of gremlins reached the alley, they too saw the glow and about half of the group turned to investigate. It would be some time before Twilight learned what had actually happened; All she knew was that as she looked back, there was a sudden blazing burst of light from the alley, and all of the gremlins that had gone that way now poured back out as goo. She thought she heard a deep voice bellow out the word "Glorious!!" But that didn't make any sense.

In any event, all that mattered pragmatically was that half the mob was gone, most of it the front half, buying a little breathing room. "Okay! I think I have a plan!" Twilight said a few minutes later. "We're getting close to an old Fallow Meadows department store, 'Wal-something-or-other.' Most of the interior space has been used for storage since we've been here, so there's only one set of entry doors that work! If we can get there far enough ahead of them, I can switch the door off once we're in and hopefully clear out most of the mob by them slamming into the doors when they don't open."

"And if they do get in?" Tess asked.

Trixie said "I've seen the place, it's a huge maze of corridors... Hundreds of places to hide if we need to." She was breathing hard, on the verge of giving out.

"Can you make it?" Twilight asked.

Trixie nodded. "I'm not falling this close to the finish line..."

They got to the former store just a couple of minute later, the gremlins perhaps thirty seconds behind. The automatic doors opened to admit the trio, and once they were in, Twilight used her magic to flip the switches setting the doors to 'closed and locked.' Trixie fell to the floor, panting heavily, but Tess said "Not yet, we need to be out of sight." Twilight nodded and lifted Trixie in her magic.

"Thanks..." Trixie sighed as they retreated around the nearest corner aisle, just out of sight of the doors, and watched through the holes in the steel shelving.

The plan half-worked. The gremlins, being accustomed to modern technology from having lived in and beneath Arcadia, did indeed expect the doors to open for them and therefore slammed into them full speed, pulping the first wave of creatures between the doors and the rest of their fellows piled up behind. The glass doors gave way from the weight piled against them, and the surviving gremlins, about thirty in number, rolled in, slipping about in the remains of their pack mates.

"Nuts!" Twilight hissed. "Run! If we can get to a fire door at the back we can run out and slam it shut behind us!"

As they ran, Tess whispered "Twilight, you said that loud enough they'll have heard!" Twilight gave her a smirk. "Ooh... That's good."

They ran through the aisles, Trixie recovered enough to be back on her own hooves after the brief rest, looking for a place to hide. Before they could find such, they had to clamber to a stop as a swirling black void suddenly opened up before them...

XXXXX

Sweet Apple Acres. With a variety of pots and pans as weapons, Applejack and the Crusaders were attempting to hold their gremlin attackers at bay. It was working. Kind of. Sort of. Okay not very well at all. They were being backed into a corner as the creatures just kept coming down the chimney. "At least none of them have thought to open the front door." Applejack thought, considering the even larger numbers still outside.

"We've got a plan here right?" Micheal asked.

"Not as such." Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah I got nuthin.'" Scootaloo agreed.

Then, when all seemed faded, there came a commotion from outside. The sounds of fighting: A booming cannon, someone screaming "Haiiii Yaaaa!" like an old karate movie, and many, many gremlins growling and screaming. There was silence for a moment, and then the door was kicked open, revealing Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Both were dressed in black and purple spandex, Pinkie wheeling a party cannon to the door while Rarity held a gremlin in her magic.

"'C' is for cannon creep." The unicorn said to the gremlin, then she stuffed it into the muzzle and Pinkie fired. The resulting shot took out three additional gremlins.

The remaining monsters were almost willing to press the attack, until Pinkie smiled at them and said, simply, "O.o! More ammo!" They fled as quickly as they had come, pulling the door closed behind them.

"Y'all are cleaning that up." Applejack said flatly while looking at Pinkie and pointing at the nasty mess the cannon fired gremlin had made on the wall. Then she smiled and hugged both her friends. "Land sakes that was close!"

XXXXX

Tess and Trixie were going to run, but Twilight called out "Wait! I recognize this! It should be-" Before she could explain, a young girl appeared out of the swirling portal, which stayed open behind her, and landing on her feet. "Claire!" Twilight said.

"I hope you don't mind me using you as an emotional anchor." Claire said, "I couldn't have opened a portal straight to you otherwise. There's a problem in Arcadia, a big one, and we might need some more help to cover it..." She turned at the sound of growling, to see the remaining gremlins approaching. "Aw man! They're here too!?"

The gremlins rushed forward, and as they jumped at Claire she opened a portal that the entire group flew into. "Where did you send them?" Tess asked.

"If I open a portal without choosing a destination, the other side will be in the shadow realm... It's a prefect prison for them." Claire explained, then noticed Tess' ears. "Oh. My. Gosh! Are you an Elf!?"

"Fangirl when there aren't things trying to kill us Claire." Twilight chuckled.

'Sorry."

Smiling slightly,Tess said "So if I understood, Arcadia is under attack too?"

Claire nodded, but before she could explain further Jim and Toby also appeared through the portal, the former in full armor, the latter carrying his warhammer. "So can they help, or-" Toby saw the look on Claire's face, the wounds on Trixie's back. "Okay, this is bad."

"Bad doesn't begin to cover it Tobes." Jim said. He looked at Twilight and Tess. "There's never been an attack like this. Gremlins are everywhere and it doesn't make any sense. Even the Gumm-Gumms want to keep things secret from humans until they're ready to attack. And the gremlins take their orders from them, so they mostly hide out too. Why would they suddenly launch a full scale attack?"

"And especially such a wide, unfocused attack?" Twilight wondered. "I mean, it would make sense if they had an objective... But just attacking everything... It's almost like-"

The eyes of everyone present went wide as they all said together "-Like they're trying to distract us!"

"But distract us from what?" Tess asked.

"Dictatious!" Jim exclaimed. "Claire, my house now!"

Claire nodded and closed the first portal, opening a new one in it's place. The trio of Trollhunters jumped through, and Twilight followed. Tess and Trixie looked at each other, and in spite of Trixie's condition she too jumped in alongside the elf.

"Who or what is Dictatious?" Twilight asked as soon as they arrived inside the Lake home. She noticed the other arrivals. "Trixie! What are you doing!?"

"Blinky's evil brother." Jim explained while Twilight tended to the other mare. "He worked for Gunmar until he lost his sight trying to kill us. Now Gunmar wants him dead so he came seeking asylum in exchange for information. He's here, hiding in our basement."

"Jim?" A voice called out, and a moment later Barbara Lake came around a corner. "What's going on?"

"There are probably more gremlins coming here. If not worse. You need to get out of here. Now!"

"Jim I'm a doctor I can help-"

"You're a doctor!?" Twilight swung her head around to face the woman. "Trixie needs help!"

Barbara rushed to the mare's side. "Oh my, some of these are pretty deep... But, I don't know anything about your physiology, I don't want to make things worse."

Twilight shook her head. "That's a big deal for surgery and medicines. Not so much cleaning and dressing wounds, that's the same for us as it is for you."

"I'll get my bag." Barbara said, but she had only gone three steps before they all stopped and looked towards the front door. From outside, came the sounds of very heavy footsteps.

Jim opened the door, and Twilight peered around him and laid her ears back at what she saw. "These are Gumm-Gumm soldiers, aren't they?" She asked. Jim merely nodded.

The creatures in question were nearly ten feet tall, massively built, and heavily armored. Given that they were made of living stone, Twilight had little doubt that they probably weighed several tons apiece. Each carried a huge battle axe. If there was any saving grace, Twilight thought, it's that at least there were only two of them.

The Gumm-Gumms made no effort to negotiate, no offers of diplomacy. As soon as they saw Jim clearly, they let out a roar and charged. axes held high. Jim moved more quickly than Twilight would have thought possible, bringing his sword up to block one's blow, and then the other's. Toby and Claire rushed in to help their friend, and the battle was truly joined.

"We're going to help, right?" Tess asked.

"Right, but Trixie..."

"I'll be okay Twilight. I've got a doctor now." Trixie looked up at Barbara, wincing in pain. "Tylenol also works the same on us if you have any."

"How do you fight these?" Twilight wondered. "I don't see any weak points."

"That's because there are none." Twilight looked over her shoulder to see the troll Blinkous had come up from the basement, along with his blind brother.

"Then how...?" Tess asked, motioning towards the Gumm-Gumms.

"Good old fashioned brute-force breaking through it." Blinkous said. "This should help." He stepped onto the porch and produced a pair of stones, which he shook, causing them to begin glowing green. "Let's see how you like dwarkstones!" He threw the glowing rocks, which exploded rather spectacularly on impact with the ground at the Gumm-Gumm's feet. Sadly, it had little effect.

"Brute force eh?" Twilight said. "I can do that."

As one of the Gumm-Gumms turned away from Jim to focus it's attention on Toby, it suddenly found itself trying to rise into the air. It thrashed about, and crashed back to the ground.

"Okay, maybe I can't do that... Ugh, I knew they'd be heavy but I've lifted an Ursa Minor! They're way bigger than this!"

"But was your ursa minor covered head to foot in magic resistant armor?" Dictatious asked.

"Magic resistant. Of course." Twilight groaned.

Meanwhile, Tess had been trying to take shots with her crossbow, but the bolts were just glancing against the armor and falling away. "This isn't working." She sighed.

Out in the street, Jim struck a fatal blow against the first of the Gumm-Gumms. As his blade of sunlight cracked through it's armor, exposing the troll within, the creature was turned to stone and crumbled.

"Sit this one out?" Trixie suggested from the sidelines.

"We may have to." Twilight admitted. Then a thought occurred to her. "Tess, how many bolts do you have left?"

"Three, why?"

"Let me see one." Tess held out one of the bolts, and Twilight infused the tip with magic. "An explosives spell. This worked once before." Tess nodded in understanding as she loaded the bolt and fired. It struck home and blew, but while it did penetrate the Gumm-Gumm's armor the hole was only an inch across. "Still not enough!"

Not enough to do appreciable damage, but more than enough to get the evil troll's attention. It lunged towards Twilight and Tess, roaring in anger. Claire portaled herself, Toby, and Jim directly into it's path, which led only to the three of them being driven back slowly as it just kept coming.

"Let's try to upgrade that idea!" Blinky said. He took one of Tess's two remaining bolts, broke off the tip, and tied a small dwarkstone in it's place. "Twilight if you please?" He said holding it out, and she added the explosive spell. Looking at Tess, the troll said "You'll need to be quick, after I shake this you have five seconds to fire it... Master Jim! Claire! Toby! Get out of there now!"

In the space of seconds, Claire made a portal beneath herself, Toby, and JIm and they fell in. The Gumm-Gumm barely slowed down as it kept coming. And Blinky shook the bolt, activating the explosive dwarkstone before Tess fired it at the gigantic menace. Blinky pulled Tess and Twilight back into the house. And then there was a very, very big boom...

Author's Note

For anyone who hasn't read the original Unity story or doesn't remember it in detail, Trixie here is somewhat different than in canon, further along the path of reform, less of a jerk, and genuinely friendly with Twilight and the others. (I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I wrote the original story before the Starlight/Trixie friendship even happened in canon.)

Book One: Chapter Six

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Six

After the blast, all was quiet. The Lake's home had survived, though it was going to need a new front porch. No one had emerged from any of the surrounding homes to see what was going on, though given the nature of Arcadia's new situation that was hardly surprising. The Gumm-Gumm that had been at the center of the explosion was no more, broken stone rubble littering the ground all around. Twilight lifted her head and looked out the door. "That may have been a little too much." She said.

"No such thing as overkill on a Gumm-Gumm." Blinky said, rising to his feet. "Let's just hope Usurna hasn't sent any more of them."

"Right. Trixie, Tess, you okay?"

"My ears are ringing but I'm unharmed." Tess answered.

"No worse than before." Trixie said. "Maybe a little better, actually." She looked at Barbara and smiled. "Thanks doc. I'll be feeling it in the morning, but right now it's not too bad... But where'd those kids go?"

"Right here." Jim entered from the back, along with Toby and Claire. His armor was now off, and he was tackled and hugged by Barbara.

"Is it over?" Barbara asked.

"It'll be winding down." Jim said. "Usurna won't have time to send any more soldiers, it's just a couple of hours 'til dawn. And the gremlins should be pulling back now that their job is done too."

Twilight said "I'm gonna teleport back to Unity, make sure things are going well there. I expect we'll be having another meeting as soon as we can in the morning though..." She looked at Blinky. "After this, we can't afford to leave this Usurna under our feet with an army."

"I heartily agree." The troll nodded.

Twilight looked at Jim. " I understand your desire to remain anonymous. But it stands to reason that with what just happened your town council and ours will both want the Trollhunter to be there for the meeting."

"I can armor up and activate the helmet." Jim mused, "And Claire could be there with the excuse of being there with her mom. Tobes, not sure how to get you in without people wondering."

"No worries Jimbo. Someone has to be on the street keeping watch."

"Okay." Twilight said, "I'll see you all sometime later." She gave a smile, then teleported herself, Trixie, and Tess back to Unity.

They arrived to find a mess. As Jim had predicted, the gremlins had finally retreated, so the fighting was over, but the aftermath wasn't pretty. Sighting Sheriff Tucker, Twilight called out to him.

"Twi. Ma'am." Tucker tipped his hat to her and Tess. "This one was ugly."

"At least it's over for the day." Twilight said. "Do we know how bad yet?"

"Well, the hospital's full up. No deaths yet, so far as I know, but word is there's at least twenty who may not make it. Infrastructure damage is moderate, nothing we can't have repaired in a few days to a couple of weeks. And Bert's taken one of the creatures prisoner." Here Tucker managed to chuckle slightly. "Remind me to never get between Fluttershy and something that's harmed a kid."

"A kid!? Fluttershy!? Are they okay!?" Twilight gasped.

"Silver's got a cut on her back but she'll be fine soon enough. Which reminds me, all your friends are in the town hall waiting for you, along with Bert and the captive. It seems to understand English just fine, but can't speak it beyond a few basic words. We're hoping your translation spell will make a difference."

"I'll go now. But before sunset we need to have a meeting on how to proceed in dealing with this."

"Already working on setting it up." The Sheriff said.

XXXXX

To the amusement of both Trixie and Tess, who had continued to tag along, Twilight didn't even make it two feet in the door before she was tackle-hugged by her friends. Greetings were passed around, stories exchanged, and then Twilight asked to see the prisoner. It was tied up in a hard plastic chair in an otherwise empty office, Bert standing guard along with the deputy Virgil.

"Twilight, I hope you can do something with this." Bert said when she entered the room.

"I'll try." Focusing her magic, Twilight used the translation spell on the gremlin, then looked it in the eyes and asked "Can you speak now?"

"Yeeeees... You... knee... corn..." The creature grumbled.

Twilight looked at Bert, who merely shrugged and said "That's better than it was doing before."

"Why did you attack us?"

"Queeeeen.... Queeeeen say play.... We play..."

"Play!?" Rainbow Dash shouted from the door.

"Fuuuun...."

Twilight pushed everyone back out the door. "Don't waste your breath. It is what it is."

"She's right." Bert agreed.

"Then is there any point in continuing?" Rarity asked.

"I think there is." Twilight said. "We need to try to get a few answers..."

Back in the office, Twilight thought about the things Jim and his friends had told her. "Gunmar. Is he in Trollmarket?"

"Noooo.... Gunmar go.... Queeeen in charrrge...."

"How many Gumm-Gumm soldiers are there?"

The gremlin cocked it's head. "Muuuch."

"I doubt this guy can count much past one." Bert said. "We're not getting a hard number."

"It was worth a try Twilight." Tess said.

"Yeah... Let's talk in private."

They stepped back outside the room. "I assume you wanted intel for planning an attack." Bert said.

Twilight nodded. "We can't just leave them down there to keep doing this every night."

"After what we saw in Arcadia, I would tend to agree." Tess said. "These gremlins are the least of the problem."

Eyes wide, Trixie looked at Bert and said "We saw two of the Gumm-Gumms. Goofy-flank sounding name or not, they're no joke."

"Tell me everything you saw." Bert said. "Then I want to go to Arcadia and speak with Blinky and the Trollhunter. Hopefully they can provide enough data to put a plan together before the meeting..."

XXXXX

The meeting was held just past noon in the auditorium at Unity's school. Earlier that morning, with Arcadia's power restored by an emergency patch from Unity's magicite generator, the town's mayor and council had broadcast a press conference to let the population know what happened. As a result, the room was filled to overflowing with people from both towns.

On the stage were Arcadia's Mayor and council, Unity's provisional council, Twilight, Bert, and Blinky who had been smuggled in through the sunlight under a tarp. Claire and Toby managed to be present without raising questions by sitting in the audience. Macintosh called the meeting to order, and deferred to Twilight for a report on Unity's wounded.

"I spoke with our doctors less than fifteen minutes ago." She began, "Among our human population, we're now standing at two dead, seventeen seriously wounded, and two hundred forty with minor to moderate wounds. No more fatalities are expected. Among our pony population, we have three dead, twelve seriously wounded, and one hundred twelve with minor to moderate wounds. There is one pegasus still hanging on who may not make it. In addition, there were three griffons injured, three goblins injured, an elf who may not survive, and a sylph expected to be in the hospital for two weeks though there's little doubt he will pull through. Infrastructure damage and clean-up is expected to take ten days to two weeks. Luckily, none of it was critical."

Ophelia Nunez stepped forward and spoke for Arcadia's delegation. "We suffered eight deaths and four hundred seventy wounded, with infrastructure damage much the same as Unity's. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, all things considered, though still bad enough."

As she finished, one of her fellow council members stood and said "And I for one want to know why this was allowed to happen! Where was this supposed 'Trollhunter?'" The man glared at Blinky. "Where is he now!?"

At this the crowd, especially the Arcadia portion of it, began to shout and complain, echoing the questions. It looked, for a moment, as if they might degenerate into a riot. Before that could happen, a voice said quietly but firmly "Right here." And Jim walked onto stage in his armor, helmet covering his face. He walked to the microphone. "I'm the Trollhunter." He said, "And you all have my apologies for what happened last night. There was just no way to predict that Queen Usurna would break the Gumm-Gumm's usual methods so severely... Up until now, staying hidden has been very important to them."

"Easy words for someone who's also staying hidden behind a mask!" Someone from the audience yelled.

"You're right. It is. But I have friends and allies to consider. I won't jeopardize their normal lives-" Here Jim stopped and looked in surprise as Claire and Toby had left their seats and come on stage to stand to either side of him, with Barbara, Claire's parents, and Toby's grandmother standing behind. "What are you doing!?" He hissed under his breath.

"Sweetie, we talked about it." Claire whispered back, "And we all agreed that as much as we might hate it, there's no hiding things for long now. So we might as well get it over with." She looked out over the assembled people. "It's actually Trollhunters. Plural. Toby and I have stood by his side for a while now."

With a sigh, Jim deactivated the armor, to the shocked gasp of several Arcadia residents who recognized him. "Hey! You're the kid who destroyed the Vespa I gave a test drive on!"

"At least it was just a moped." Claire's father said. "We lost our entire living room suite to a black hole made by an angry twelfth century sorceress." Ophelia elbowed him.

Jim chuckled. "Your bike was actually totaled by a angry flying vulture... troll... thing... But I promise that I will do everything I possibly can to prevent last night's attack from happening again. And to continue to protect everyone, human and good troll alike, (And I guess pony and whoever else is around here,) from the Gumm-Gumms."

"We all will." Claire added.

That seemed to satisfy the bulk of the people in the auditorium, and Bert spoke next. "Our primary goal for today is to get volunteers for our counter strike. I've coordinated with Sheriff Tucker, Twilight, Blinkous, and the Trollhunters to put together a plan which we're all confident about. Blinkous?"

The troll stepped forward. "I hope you can all forgive my nervousness. Until very recently, we trolls did everything in our power to remain hidden from humans. Indeed, even now it is only the friendship and respect for our first human trollhunters that has begun to change things." Blinky paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, then continued. "The entrance to Trollmarket is under the Center Street canal bridge. We've devised a two part plan of attack. Miss Twilight?"

Twilight took the microphone in her magic, causing no small stirring of surprise from the Arcadia part of the audience. "We plan to begin early tomorrow morning. This does of course mean that the trolls hiding from the sun in various places around Arcadia won't be able to join in the attack, but as you'll see it's a calculated risk related to the second part of the plan. Trollmarket itself is buried very deep, with a winding staircase beyond the hidden door leading down to it. Once the door is open, we'll send someone fast in to get the Gumm-Gumm's attention. When they chase that scout, we will have the benefit of the high ground to do as much damage as we can."

Here Bert picked up the explanation. "Of course, as tough as we've been told, and in Twilight's case seen, these guys to be, and as many of them as there are, the high ground alone won't be enough. Sooner or later, probably sooner, we'll have to retreat. And that's where attacking during the day pays off: The Gumm-Gumms won't be able to pursue our retreat into the sunlight, meaning we should be able to get away clean and prepare for phase two."

"But isn't this just stirring up the hornet's nest?" Someone called from out of the crowd. "Won't it just guarantee that they come boiling out of the cave as soon as the sun sets?"

"It sure will." Twilight said, then smiled, "And that's the whole point of phase two..."

Book One: Chapter Seven

Author's Note

This chapter is where the second epilogue of 'Unity: One Year Later' comes into play...

Book One: Chapter Seven

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Seven

By the time the meeting ended, they had enough volunteers for the plan to work as well as a timetable for launching phase one of the attack the next morning. The trolls hiding out in Arcadia (Mainly in warehouses) would stand guard through the night in case of further gremlin attacks in the meantime, and both Twilight and her friends, as well as the Trollhunters would be on standby in case there were more Gumm-Gumm soldiers in the night. While all of that was going on, Bert would make ready for the human's side of phase two, and unicorns all over town would teach each other a spell provided by Twilight for the pony half of that phase. If all went well, by tomorrow night the threat would be removed and the trolls moved back into their home.

There was still one problem, though: The question of who would act as the 'bait' to get the evil troll's attention during phase one. It was a job that would normally have gone to Rainbow Dash, given her speed and maneuverability, but with her ability to fly out of order for several days yet, that option was out. There was a volunteer for the job, but Bert wasn't sure he liked the idea. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

The Sylph Belle hovered before him. "Yes! Someone has to! Look, I know I'm not as fast as Dash. But I'm just as agile and a smaller target!"

"She has a point there." Twilight agreed.

"I suppose. I'd be happier if you didn't have to go all the way into the place though." Bert said, "Like if you could just get their attention from the bottom of the stairs and be on your way out before they can get anywhere near you."

"Yeah actually I'd prefer that too." Belle admitted. "Any ideas?"

"I might!" Twilight perked up. "Blinky! Can we speak with you a minute?" She called across the stage. The troll joined them and Twilight asked "Do you have any more of those exploding rocks? As in maybe some pieces small enough for Belle here to carry and throw."

"Dwarkstones? Certainly!" Blinky answered. "None so small, though I can carefully cut them down to size. How many would you like?"

Belle said "I'm guessing two or three to get noticed, then a couple more in case I need them on the way out."

"I'll round it to a half dozen. They'll be ready by morning." Blinky turned and rejoined the Trollhunters, who would use the same tarp they had smuggled him in under to get him back to the warehouse where he was hiding out.

"Thank you." Twilight called after him, smiling. "I guess we'd better start getting ready. I've got several unicorns to teach a spell to."

An expression of concern crossed Bert's face. "Are you sure that spell will work?"

"Not entirely. That's why we're going ahead with your side of the plan too." Twilight answered. "But it should. According to Blinky, Gunmar lost almost his entire original army when he escaped the Darklands and they didn't. Which is why he has so few troops. He used some kind of enchanted sword to take control of the minds of captured Trollmarket citizens. Those are his soldiers now. It's not exactly the same situation as when Discord reversed my friend's personalities, but it's similar enough the same spell should restore them to themselves... Assuming we can push the spell past the magic resistant armor. But that's why I'm have so many unicorns learn it. The sheer power should be enough to do the trick."

"Leaving my team to finish off the handful of original soldiers." Bert nodded. "And any converted ones the spell doesn't work on."

"I hate that last part, but yeah." Twilight sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna teach the spell to the first wave, then get some sleep while they pass it on."

"Rest well Twi."

XXXXX

Night fell. In Unity, the Spoony Bard Diner remained open, waitress Florence Maxwell staying on to provide coffee for anyone who needed it. Just past one, Sheriff Tucker and Midnight Steel came in. "Evening gentlemen."

"Flo.'" Tucker accepted a cup. "I'm rotating off at two, gettin' some rest before the fight. Really shouldn't be drinking this."

"At least it's not the stuff Gewolt makes." Steel said, accepting his own cup.

"No kidding." Florence agreed. "I had one cup, once, and that was it for me. Didn't sleep for a week. So, anything happen yet?"

Tucker shook his head. "Not yet. As late as it's getting I'm starting to think nothing will."

"Same." Midnight said, "Though, I could almost hope a Gumm-Gumm or two showed up so we could test Twilight's spell."

"Me too." They looked to see Lyra trotting through the door.

"Well don't hope it too hard. I'm perfectly happy to try it when Bert's backup plan is in place." Tucker said.

"What is Bert's plan anyway?" Flo asked.

Tucker grinned. "Remember the captured Mor-tax heat rays?"

"Those still work?" Lyra wondered.

Midnight explained "Yeah, the power sources are self contained. Some kind of radio-isotope. After what happened in Harnerville we've not dared to open one up for a closer look, but they're still as potent now as they were a year ago."

Lyra nodded. "So whatever the spell doesn't work on gets blasted." She frowned. "In that case I hope it works on all of them."

"We all do."

To everyone's surprise the night was quiet. There were a handful of gremlin sightings in Arcadia itself, but none in Unity and no one else was harmed. As morning dawned the trolls took cover from the sun while the populations of Unity and Arcadia made ready to launch their attack. And then...

XXXXX

It was just after breakfast. Twilight Sparkle took one last drink of her juice, then looked up at Tessindra. "I guess we should be going." She said. "It's scheduled to start in thirty minutes, and while I could just teleport us there I'd rather save the magic in case we need it."

"I understand. Let's just hope this all works according to plan."

Twilight said, "There's no reason why it shouldn't. Though, I won't jinx us by saying that too loudly."

Tess grinned. "That's probably wise."

They started toward the door, when it opened and Fluttershy came galloping in, eyes wide, and slammed the door behind her. "Twilight! Twilight!"

"Calm down Fluttershy... What's wrong?" the unicorn asked.

"Okay, so this man came to my door and he seemed really nice so I invited him in for tea. But then he started talking all sorts of strange things that don't make any sense!" Fluttershy answered.

"Strange like what?" Tess asked.

"Well, he said he was thousands of years old, for one thing. And that he wasn't really human."

"Weird." Twilight said. "I'm sure it's just a crazy person though, maybe someone who snapped in the gremlin attack. We'll find him and get him the help he needs."

Fluttershy shook her head. "That was my first thought too Twilight. But, I didn't recognize him from town, (though I suppose he could have come from Arcadia), and in spite of what he said he didn't seem crazy. And, he said more... He said that he was looking for an old friend of his from a thousand years ago: Starswirl."

"What!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yes, though he called him 'Starswirl the Violet' rather than 'Starswirl the Bearded.' That's when I excused myself, grabbed Silver Spoon, and sneaked out the back. But he's following me, so I left Silver with Granny Smith and came straight here."

"'The Violet.'" Twilight mused. "Well that's different. Can't say I've ever heard that one before."

"That was good thinking Fluttershy. Listen, we've gotta get to the Trollmarket entrance. Come with us, we'll deal with this after." Tess suggested.

"Oh... I had hoped to avoid the fighting but... Okay, I guess that's best..." Again they started towards the door, and again they were interrupted, this time by a loud knocking. "It's him!" Fluttershy squeaked, and hid behind Twilight.

"Fluttershy, did this guy give you his own name?" Twilight asked.

"Um, yes... He said he was Gandalf the Gray."

"Wot?" Was all Twilight could say.

Tess was a bit more verbal. "Definitely someone unhinged then. Gandalf would be the white wizard, not the gray. Besides which he went to Valinor with the last of the immortal high elves long ago, and you don't come back from there! There's simply no way it could actually be-" Here she opened the door, and stared up at the ancient figure on the other side. And she knew. Ten thousand years removed or not, mortal or not, magic or not: She knew. "-Mithrandir..." She whispered.

"Ahhh yes. I had hoped to find a child of the Eldar here as well. We have much to discuss, and little time."

"Spike!" Twilight called. When the young dragon rushed into the room, she said "Please go let Mister Gumbal and the others know Tess and I won't make it. Something has come up."

XXXXX

"What do you mean 'Twilight can't make it!?'" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"It's okay Dash, we can handle this phase of the plan without her. Though I really need her here for phase two." Bert said.

Hovering next to Bert, Belle asked "Did she say why?"

Spike shrugged. "All I heard from the other room was something about an ancient wizard who knew Starswirl showing up."

"Great timing." Dash groused.

"It'll be okay." Tucker said. He looked at the gathered team. "Everyone ready?" The team cheered an affirmative, and the Sheriff turned to Jim Lake, already in his armor. "Whenever you're ready son."

"Right." On the western wall of the canal, directly underneath the bridge, he had already drawn a large semicircle eight feet high using an enchanted gem. The boy now pressed a hand to the wall and everything inside the circle vanished, revealing a cave with a wide circular staircase made of glowing blue crystal which bored deep into the ground. Everyone took positions inside, and Midnight Steel nodded to Belle.

At the nod, the Sylph took wing and flew down the stairs. She was delighted to realize that the circular hole in the middle was wide enough to accommodate her full wingspan, so rather than having to arc along the stairs themselves she could simply fly straight down. Straight down, and more importantly, straight up, so she wouldn't have to worry about staying ahead of pursuers: she could just zip straight up the center while they ran in circles far behind.

At the bottom, the stairs opened into a vast cavern. Buildings lined the walls in multiple tiers and both gremlins and Gumm-Gumm soldiers could be seen. But what drew her attention the most was the enormous crystal, glowing yellow/orange, in the exact center of it all. "That must be the heartstone thing." She thought. "Well, time to do this..."

Belle pulled two of the small dwarkstones Blinky had prepared and set her sights on one of the soldiers. "Hey big boy!" She shouted, and when it looked she threw both of the explosive rocks right into it's face. The armored helmet kept the small blasts from being lethal of course, but they most certainly got it's attention. It let out a loud roar, which echoed through the cavern. All the soldiers turned to look, and another troll, pale blue and dressed in glowing robes emerged from a crack in the heartstone. "Queen Usurna I presume." Belle whispered."

From her place high above the troops, Usurna pointed to Belle. "Capture it!" She ordered, and the Gumm-Gumms charged.

Belle fled, up the stairs, shouting as she neared the top. "They're coming! Get ready!"

The stomping of dozens of booted feet grew deafening in the atrium at the top of the stairs, and then two turns down they came into view. "Now!" Midnight Steel ordered, and the battle was met. Unicorns, Steel, Lyra, Rarity, and Trixie among them, took aim, blasting magic at the gremlins among the soldiers. Their remains turned the stairs slippery, and a couple of the soldiers went over the edge, falling. Applejack lassoed one soldier, a second, and a third, tugging hard until they fell, either going over the edge or causing pile ups that slowed those behind them. As the first Gumm-Gumm in line reached the top, it got a hard buck in the face from Macintosh and went rolling back down the stairs.

Bert led the humans in the team, taking shots whenever they had an opening. The guns mostly did little, though a couple of the soldiers seemed to take hits directly to chinks in the armor and fell back. As a second Gumm-Gumm reached the top of the stairs, Jim struck at it with the Daylight sword, cutting through the armor and turning it to stone. Toby rushed forward to smash the remains with his warhammer, but before he got there the Dwarf Durban did the job with his axe.

"See!" Trixie shouted, "That's what he did to my wagon door!"

"I did apologize lass!" Durban yelled back.

A third Gumm-Gumm reached the top, a fourth and several gremlins close behind. "It might be time to call that tactical retreat!" Tucker called to Bert.

"Right you are! Fall back!" Bert agreed.

Everyone began to retreat, the unicorns in the group backing away so they could continue holding off the gremlins with magic blasts. Jim engaged the two Gumm-Gumms at the top of the stairs, trading blows and somehow holding his own with the much larger creatures. He slammed one backwards, and it fell into a portal Claire opened behind it. "Jim, come on! Everyone else is clear!" She shouted, and he broke and ran for the door.

Moments later, the two forces faced each other, the Unity and Arcadia side safely in the sun while the Gumm-Gumms stared at them from the safety of the shade under the bridge. "Phase one successful." Trixie whispered.

But deep in Trollmarket, Queen Usurna was not pleased. She turned to one of her bodyguards, and pointed to a large locked cage. "Release it."

Book One: Chapter Eight

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Eight

Twilight and Tess had left the wizard with Fluttershy (Assuring her there was nothing to fear) and retreated to the Golden Oaks Library's upper floor where they conversed in hushed tones. "Tess are you sure? I mean, are you positive?"

"I am. I don't know how I know, it can hardly be magic as little as my people have left. And I don't know how it's possible after ten thousand years..." The young elf peered down over the railing to where the wizard was waiting. "But Twilight, it's him. It's Gandalf. I'd stake my very life on it."

"This raises so many questions." Twilight whispered. "I mean, he knew Starswirl? How?"

"I suppose we should just ask him." Tess answered.

"Yeah but..."

"But?"

"But, I hate going in without any answers at all." Twilight shook her head.

"Yeah... I mean, okay, he's immortal. He goes to the Undying Lands for thousands of years. At some point, at least a thousand years ago he comes back, never mind that that's supposed to be impossible, and goes to your world where he meets this Starswirl..."

"Well hold on... Maybe there's a flaw in our assumptions. Something else has occurred to me." Twilight had bought copies of Tolkien's books up to the loft with her, and she opened The Two Towers. "Let's see... No... No... ...Ahh! Here it is! The passage where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli have just learned Gandalf is back. They ask him what happened after he defeated the Balrog, but all he's willing to say about the time before he was sent back as the white wizard is this: 'I threw down my enemy, and he fell from the high place and broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin. Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads I will not tell.'"

Tess slightly cocked her head as she asked "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking? That this is Gandalf from that time? Traveling across space and time, still the gray wizard since he won't become the white until he is called back?"

"None of this makes sense." Twilight said closing the book, "But I think that makes more sense than any other option."

"I suppose so. But why is he here now?"

"He says he's looking for Starswirl..."

"'The Violet.'" Tess quoted. "That's another thing. There's not supposed to be a violet wizard. White, gray, brown, two blue, yes... But violet?"

Twilight let out a heavy sigh, massaging her forehead with a hoof. "I don't think we're getting any further on our own... Lets go talk to the man..."

XXXXX

Bert Gumbal was coordinating with Midnight Steel, preparing for phase two of the plan. "We'll position the weapons along the top of the canal, the eastern side, every hundred feet, three on each side of the bridge. I'd recommend having the unicorns up there as well."

Steel nodded. "We'll cast the memory spell in unison, push it out as one big wave front. That much power should be enough to negate the magic resistant properties of their armor. Though, for that, even with over a hundred of us here I'll be a lot happier if Miss Sparkle makes it in time."

"She's impressive, that's for sure. But I wonder if-" Bert was cut off by a loud keening scream from out of the tunnel.

"They've got a Stalkling!?" Toby exclaimed, staring at the tunnel entrance.

"What the hell is a Stalkling?" Bert demanded.

Jim shrugged. "Remember the 'flying vulture troll' I mentioned yesterday? Well here you go."

The creature burst free of the tunnel, wings spread wide and moving fast. It strafed the humans and ponies, dodging both Jim's sword and Durban's axe, and entered a corkscrewing spin as it flew high into the sky.

"Why isn't the sun killing it!?" Steel shouted.

Claire shouted back "While technically classified as trolls, Stalklings are immune to sunlight!"

"Wonderful." Bert grumbled, then pulled his gun and started shooting. Angry, the Stalkling dived down straight for him. He ran for his Hummer, which was still parked in the bottom of the canal.

As soon as the monster was in range, it found itself on the receiving end of magic blasts from unicorns and additional gunfire from more of the humans present, plus the remaining small dwarkstones Belle was still carrying. Jim, Toby, and Durban were shouting for the shooting to stop so they could get into melee range, but over all the echoing shots no one could hear them. And through it all, the ever angrier Stalkling just kept on chasing after Bert. Until such time as Bert reached the Hummer, tossed the gun he was carrying into the back, and emerged with a much bigger weapon. "Let's see how you like an elephant gun!" He exclaimed, and fired pointblank.

The Stalkling stumbled back and tried to fly away but it was now missing an entire wing. It fell back onto the floor of the canal and, still motivated by fury over any other emotion, charged again for Bert who was still reloading. The situation looked grim, but at the last moment a flash of purple light heralded the arrival of Twilight Sparkle, who teleported right next to Bert then immediately teleported them both away.

"Do I need to ask?" Twilight said as she watched the Stalkling slam head first into the vehicle.

"Sunproof flying vulture troll." Bert explained as the Trollhunters finished the creature off.

"I am so sorry!" Claire said as she ran up to Bert and Twilight. "I swear we didn't know they had one."

"Are you sure it's just one?" Lyra asked from nearby.

"Reasonably." Toby said. "If they had more I'm pretty sure Usurna would have turned them all loose at once."

"They're closing up!" Someone shouted, pointing to where the magic door into Trollmarket was vanishing.

"Ah guess that answers that." Applejack said, trotting up to the others. "Twilight, what kept ya?"

"Spike said something about an ancient wizard?"

"Ancient wizard?" Claire asked. "Merlin?"

"Yeah, no..." Twilight nervously clopped her front hooves together. "Um, Gandalf, actually..."

At the name, Twilight was met by silent stares from everyone present, for nearly a full minute, until Bert finally said "And that's the 'too much' line for me." He walked away to examine the damage to his Hummer, stopping for a moment to call back "You'll make it tonight, right?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes, I'll be here." She then looked at Jim and his friends. "I actually came looking for you. He wants to speak with you all. And my friends as well." She smiled to Applejack.

"Welp ah guess we'd best go then. Not good 't keep wizards waitin' you know."

XXXXX

Deep in Trollmarket, Queen Usurna was fuming. "They killed the Stalkling!?"

"Indeed my queen. And, worse, humans, in numbers, now clearly know of our existence."

"Then we cannot wait for Gunmar's return." The queen turned to face her underling. "We must launch an assault at first dark, before they can regroup and invade up again tomorrow."

"Begging your pardon O Queen, but is that wise?"

"No. It is not wise at all. We have no option. The last thing we need is for them to bring in their machines and drill or blast an open hole right through the roof of Trollmarket, leaving us with nowhere to hide from the sun... Prepare the invasion!"

XXXXX

"Um, so, I'm sorry I ran away from you before." Fluttershy whispered over her tea.

"As you've already said many times." Gandalf smiled at her. "Do not be afraid little pony, I took no offense."

"I'm glad. I much prefer to be friends."

"As do I, though it's not always possible." Tess mused.

"Indeed, we all would prefer the calm of peaceful times. Ahhh, I believe Miss Sparkle is returning with the rest of our guests..." Gandalf looked across the library from where they were sitting, to an open space in the middle of the floor. A large swirling vortex opened up there, and everyone the wizard was hoping to see emerged as he rose to his feet.

"Thank you for gathering them." He said to Twilight, then turned first to Claire, eyeing her staff carefully. "As Twilight tells me she has already informed you, we're going to have to do something about this."

Claire answered "I... Understand sir. But I don't like it. without the staff's magic I'm not much use in a fight."

"Oh well fear not. It will take some time to gather the requisite components, but it should be entirely possible to strip away the darkness while retaining the functionality with white magic instead." Gandalf turned to Jim, who was still in his armor, and bent down closely examining the Amulet of Day. "Hmmm... Merlin's craft indeed."

"Wait, so, you knew Merlin?" Jim asked.

"The Green." Gandalf answered. "And yes, He, Starswirl, and myself worked closely together a thousand years ago, not long before he would have forged your amulet." He rose and returned to his seat. "Gather in, please, everyone. We have much to discuss."

"You said something to me before... About prophecies?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh yes indeed. Many prophecies are drawing near, all at once. There is a great enemy coming, an enemy which will conscript all lesser evils to it's service and lay siege to Earth and Eqqus both..." He looked at Twilight. "Your princesses know it's coming, and they've warned the leaders of Man as well-"

"Wait what!?" Twilight exclaimed. "Why wouldn't they tell me?"

"Because they think Unity is safe beyond the enemy's grasp. Which is it for now, but only for now."

"I think Celestia and I need to have a talk." Twilight sighed. "I mean she's the princess it's her prerogative, but still..."

"You mean we'll have a talk darling. We'll be there for you."

"Thanks Rarity." Twilight smiled. "You were saying?" She turned back to Gandalf.

"As I was saying, the enemy is coming. Safe here for now, there will be little you can do to meet the battle with it's armies. Those will need to be met with a fusion of pony magic and human technology. Neither will suffice on it's own. Again, the rulers on both worlds already know this and are preparing. Which brings us to our job here: Meeting and countering the enemy itself. The first thing we need to do, in that regard, is locate and retrieve Merlin and Starswirl."

"But they've been dead for, like, centuries." Rainbow Dash said.

"Not so. Both are Maiar like myself, quite immortal and by nature not subject to the troubles which cause purely physical immortals like High Elves and Alicorns to fade in time. They're out there somewhere, on Earth and Eqqus."

"And how are we supposed to get back to Earth or Eqqus!?" Jim demanded. "We're stuck here!"

"Well ninety-nine percent stuck." Pinkie said.

When the three Trollhunters looked at Pinkie in confusion, Twilight explained "The machine that bought us here, Singularity. It has a kind of 'recall' function that can send people back. But it only works for a small group, automatically brings them back after one day, and isn't working so well itself these days."

"Not to mention you'd have to fly an eight thousand mile round trip just 't get there an back." Applejack added.

"And, I'm not even sure it would work for you anyway, since Singularity bought you here from an alternate timeline." Pinkie said. Everyone stared at her.

"Regardless of the source it's a valid point." Twilight finally said.

"But, so what are we supposed to do then?" Tess asked.

Gandalf smiled. "Fear not. I have an alternative means of transportation in mind..."

The wizard led them out of the library and most of the way across town. The group gathered a great deal of attention as they went, but luckily no one asked any questions. At last they arrived before a two story pony dwelling. It was typical of Ponyville structures, with a wooden frame and dormers on the upper floor, and a curved-top wooden door centered on the bottom wall. Gandalf knocked, and everyone who had followed him, human, pony, and elf alike stood at a distance wondering why the wizard had come here. The confusion was most pronounced among the ponies though, since they knew the homeowner and couldn't begin to understand what Gandalf could possibly want with him.

After getting no response, Gandalf knocked again, and this time a voice arose from within, calling out "Yes yes! I'm coming, I'm co-" The door opened mid-word and the pony looked up at Gandalf. "-Oh my."

The old wizard smiled down at the stallion. "Hello Doctor."

Book One: Chapter Nine

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Book One: Chapter Ten

Author's Note

Note to Trollhunters fans, you'll find a change to canon regarding the fate of one secondary character here.

Book One: Chapter Ten

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Ten

When the last of the Gumm-Gumm soldiers fell, the point team was quick to meet up at the door to Trollmarket. Twilight was there, along with Rainbow Dash and Midnight Steel. "Just because I can't fly right now doesn't mean I'm not fast." The pegasus had insisted.

With them were the Trollhunters, their troll mentor Blinky, and Gandalf who had insisted he would be needed. Bert Gumbal and Sheriff Tucker would be leading the back up teams that cleared the rest of the market while the point team handled Queen Usurna.

Twilight looked back and forth along the canal. In the distance to the south, the freed trolls' brethren were filling them in on what had happened. A faint breeze passed under the bridge, stirring a vague scent of lime from the concrete walls and floor. She shook her head to focus. "Okay everyone! Once we're in, we'll head down the stairs and straight for the heartstone. Usurna is most likely inside, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct." Blinky confirmed.

"Just remember, safety first. The last thing we need is someone getting turned to stone."

From his position at the head of the secondary team, Bert asked "How are we gonna handle things if she's ran for it like Blinky thought she might?"

"A valid question." The troll replied. "There is no other way out of Trollmarket, with the gyre tunnels now cut off. If Usurna cannot be found, I will be very nervous about moving back in... She could be hiding anywhere in that case after all."

"Well our search will be thorough."

"I sincerely hope so." Blinky said.

Twilight turned to the wall of the canal, thinking to herself how impressive the troll's magic doors were: If she hadn't known there was a hidden entrance here, she never would have suspected. It looked no different from any of the other concrete panels lining the walls. She breathed out in a huff and nodded to Claire who again opened the door. The circular crystal staircase looked as it had that morning, and with Jim in his armor in the lead they descended.

It was surprising just how far down the stairs went. Twilight had known Trollmarket was deep, but it hadn't dawned on her that it would be more than a quarter-mile down. At last they reached the bottom, and a short narrow passage led into the vast cavern where Trollmarket was built. A wide rocky path led from the stairs halfway across the floor of the cave and up a set of switchbacks to the center, where the massive yellow-orange glowing heartstone rose from the floor to the ceiling.

"That's it." Claire said. "She's probably in there. Especially considering the two guards on the door."

"They look different from the soldiers." Twilight observed, examining the guards.

"Yes, they are of Usurna's tribe." Blinky explained. "They've never been controlled by Gunmar, but they are fiercely loyal to their Queen."

"You mean they'll put up a fight." Midnight said.

"Let 'em!" Dash said. "I'm grounded but I can still fight!" Her eyebrows went flat as she quoted "I know kung-fu."

"I thought 'Broken Wing' style was built around flying." Midnight asked.

"It is, but that's not the only martial art I know! There's also-"

"-Please don't say 'Krav Mare-Ga.'" Toby interrupted.

"Why not? It's awesome." Rainbow answered, head cocked.

"Riiiiight... Let's just do this."

They ascended the switchbacks and approached the heartstone. As they drew near, the guards rose taller and crossed their spears in front of the door. "By order of Queen Usurna, none shall enter!" They announced together.

"Stand down good fellows, you've lost!" Blinky pleaded.

"Yes, I know you are loyal to Usurna, but make the choice that at least keeps her alive." Twilight added.

The guards momentarily exchanged a look at each other. "We... Thank you for the opportunity... But our task is clear. Our loyalty cannot be divided." And with that they charged. Jim and Claire met the first, trading blows, while Twilight and MIdnight had to create magic shields to block the attacks of the second. Rainbow Dash looked for an opening to attack, but could find none. Being Rainbow Dash, she analyzed the odds of an attack working without a good opening versus the odds of proceeding being incredibly stupid, then went ahead anyway. She jumped hard at the backside of the troll attacking Twilight kicking at the back of it's knee, hoping to make the joint crumple. Of course, on a target made of living stone this was less effective than a flyswatter on an elephant. The troll didn't even seem to notice as it pressed it's attack on her friend.

"In for a bit, in for a bar." Dash thought to herself, and jumped harder, landing atop the troll's head and covering it's eyes with her forehooves. This forced him to let go of his spear with one hand, to try to swat her off. Rainbow held on tight, sliding left and right to avoid the swiping hand. Then, suddenly, she felt something whizz past her at high speed. It took a single feather with it, and embedded in a nearby wall. Where the feather it took turned to stone.

"Usurna!" Blinky exclaimed.

Several more of the stone-poisoned feathers flew, just missing Dash and the others, but striking the guards who froze into solid stone in moments. "What are you doing!?" Twilight yelled, angry, "Those were your own guards!"

Usurna slowly stepped into view, out of the room within the hollow heartstone. She moved slowly, jerkily, and her eyes glowed. "That... Isn't Usurna." Blinky gasped.

"It is Usurna... But it is also our enemy." Gandalf whispered.

"What!?" Dash asked.

"I thought you said it couldn't get here!" Twilight exclaimed.

"The enemy itself, no. But it's tendrils reach far and wide... Commanding any who give themselves to darkness."

Then with a pleading cry of terror, Usurna grabbed more feathers from her collar and threw them in a wide spray...

XXXXX

"Clear!" Bert shouted as she stepped out the door of yet another building. The process of sweeping Trollmarket to ensure there were no more Gumm-Gumms or Gremlins laying in wait was going well. Already they had checked out perhaps a tenth of the cavern's many buildings, and as the sweep proceeded a small number of trolls were trickling back down to stand guard over the cleared zone and begin the task of reclaiming their home. Bert knew, from what Blinky had said, that many trolls were mistrusting of humans, yet they were genuinely grateful for the assistance and it seemed reasonable to hope that here, perhaps, was another successful first contact.

Other voices rang out "Clear! Clear! Clear!" and Bert was joined by Sheriff Tucker and the two elder Apple siblings. "At this rate we'll be done well before dawn." The Sheriff said.

"Don't go jinxin' it now." Applejack said with a grin, "Though ah reckon yer right."

"Who woulda thought though?" Tucker said, looking around the vast cavern. "Kinda makes me wonder if there's a Trollmarket underneath Arcadia in our own world."

"Ah'm sure they'll be checkin'. Probably already are." Macintosh replied.

"Yeah probably." Tucker agreed.

Bert said "Still... I get 'to each his own.' But living underground like this, permanently..."

Applejack said "No different than Dwarves buildin' their cities in mines. Except, accordin' 't Blinky, that heartstone thing acts kinda like a sun 't the trolls. Dwarves don't even got that."

"I suppose." Bert mused, "Though I still wonder-" He was interrupted by a scream and they looked to see Lyra and the deputy Virgil come tearing out of a structure with a neon sign of a beer glass over it's door, a dozen Gremlins on their tail.

"Not Clear! Not Clear!!" Lyra shouted as she saw the quartet and galloped towards them.

"Virgil! Lyra! Duck!" Bert shouted, and fired over their heads. One Gremlin was hit but the rest kept coming. Bert pumped another round into his weapon, but before he could shoot Applejack and Macintosh were in the fray, bucking the creatures away from their intended prey. No longer massively outnumbered, Lyra turned and started to join in the fight, only to notice that Applejack and Macintosh had already finished off the Gremlins, when she suddenly looked up and gasped.

"Bert look out!" She exclaimed, and fired a blast of magic straight up, taking out the Gremlin that had been leaping for him.

"Thanks." Bert nodded to Lyra. "Now let's-" He was cut off as, suddenly, something small and moving very fast flew through the air and embedded itself into his gun. "A feather?" He wondered.

"Look!" Macintosh pointed towards the heartstone, where another battle was under way...

XXXXX

Twilight discovered, almost too late, that something about the feathers made them impervious to her shields. The stone curse enchanted plumage passed right through like the defenses weren't even there. She tried to go on the offensive, but Usurna was built as tough as any other Troll and just shrugged off the magic blasts.

From the opposite direction, Jim was trying to reach the Queen, batting cursed feather out of the air with his sword as he drew closer, but Usurna suddenly spun about to face him, and he was saved from the sudden barrage solely by Claire opening a portal to catch the feathers. Twilight had lost sight of Toby, until remembering the gravity-altering properties of the warhammer. She looked up just in time to see him diving down straight for Usurna's head. The odd angle of attack worked: he struck the first blow to actually land, the queen stumbling back but not losing her footing. Toby ran before she could recover, and then Twilight and Midnight were firing magic blasts together, trying to capitalize on the moment.

Usurna stumbled further back, and might have continued to stay upright had it not been for Rainbow Dash creeping in behind to trip her. She went down on her back hard, and scrambled to grab for more feathers from her collar. Only to see it, dangling from a staff held by- Usurna's eyes glowed brighter as she spoke in a voice not her own, "Gandalf Stormcrow..."

"Um, should we be concerned that she knows who he is?" Toby asked.

Cackling laughter erupted, not only from Usurna but out of the thin air all around. "She does not..."

"Who are you!?" Twilight demanded, while all around her everyone else had fallen into combat-ready positions, backs to each other, ready for whatever might attack next.

"I am --------. Servant of the Quiet Darkness..."

"The quiet..." Twilight shook her head. "What are you talking about!?"

"Caution Twilight Sparkle." Gandalf advised. "Only dismay can come of speaking too much with this foe."

"Stormcrow speaks true... Come, let us discuss it at length." The voice laughed again. "Oh, but I am called back... Come along then Usurna."

What happened next would play in the nightmares of many present for some days to come: Screaming, pleading, begging and grovelling, Usurna burst into flames that rapidly ate away at her form until nothing was left, not even ashes. "It... It burned her alive..." Dash gasped.

Gandalf shook his head. "Not so. It took her."

Twilight's horn lit up as she cast a scanning spell. "I'm... Not detecting any signs of teleport spells as Equestrian thaumaturgy understands them. But there's also no sign of any extraneous mass or energy left behind, which there would have to be if Usurna had simply been burned up. I'm sure Gandalf is right."

"But, took her where?" Claire asked.

"She has fallen into darkness. You do not want to know the specifics." Gandalf said.

"But what was this about?" Midnight wondered.

Gandalf motioned towards the door. "I have a suspicion. Come, let us see."

They entered the heartstone. Inside, there was a large wooden desk and worktable, cluttered with books and scrolls as well as a grinding stone and many cut gems. Standing behind the table- "Vendel!?" Blinky and the Trollhunters ran to what looked like a statue of a troll but which Twilight knew had to be a living troll turned to stone. "I can't believe Usurna left him intact!" Jim said.

"A joyous discovery indeed." Blinky said. "If we can find the right ingredients, he can be restored."

"Yes. But this is not what we are here to see." Gandalf said. "Come." The old wizard walked to the back of the chamber. to what appeared to be just another solid wall of heartstone crystal. He tapped the wall with his staff in what appeared to be a coded sequence, and a hidden door opened. As Blinky stuttered over this, they walked through into another chamber. This one was circular, and the walls arched up in a dome, though at the very center, descending from the roof, was a shard of crystal, a portion of which had been shattered to reveal a small hollow within. "Yes. As I suspected." Gandalf said.

"What? Gandalf, what is this?" Twilight asked.

"This was Morgana's prison." Gandalf answered, to gasps from Blinky and the Trollhunters. "Our enemy has conscripted her as well."

"Well that's... Bad." Jim said.

"Crazy bad." Claire agreed, and at Twilight's look of confusion she explained "We're talking about someone who can equal Gandalf or Merlin's power and isn't under orders to limit her overt uses of that power."

Twilight laid her ears back. "That is bad. Like, Nightmare Moon/Discord bad. And we don't have the elements. And even if we did, the thing that's that bad is now being forced to work for something else even worse..."

As the unicorn began to gasp for air, Gandalf knelt down and placed a hand on her back. "Have faith. There is a plan in place. But we need Merlin and Starswirl."

Regaining control of herself, Twilight nodded. "Okay. How do we start?"

Next Week: Book Two: Wizard Quests

Book Two: Chapter One

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Book Two: Chapter Two

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Two

Bethany Stanz sat on the side of a hospital bed, Macintosh by her side, while a Unicorn doctor performed a magic scan of her abdomen. Another doctor, Human, stood off to the side, clipboard in her hand, waiting quietly so as to not distract the in-progress scan. In truth, Beth's 'in-depth' appointment hadn't been for several more days, but after the fall she took in the Crusader's Chocobo Jockey adventure yesterday the medical staff had decided to keep her overnight and go ahead first thing this morning. The Unicorn's work took about five minutes, and when he was done he turned to the other doctor and said "Go ahead with your report Sarah. I'll need a couple of minutes."

"Okay Beth, on the technological side of our tests, everything looks good." the doctor said. "You're at about two and a half months, and everything appears perfectly on tract for a human child, save that the vestigial tail is about twice as long as we would expect at this point, though I suppose that's to be expected seeing as there's a good chance it isn't going anywhere."

"There's no sign of any harm from the fall?" Beth asked.

The doctor shook her head. "No. What you said you told the others is true: a womb is a very well protected place. "

"Ahh!" The Unicorn doctor, Caring Hoof by name, opened his eyes. "Good news on my front as well. Aside from the tail, and there will certainly be one, the baby shows all the morphological signs of being human, as we expected. So, you get away with a nine month pregnancy instead of eleven-" (Here Beth gave an audible sigh of relief) "-and absolutely everything seems to be growing and functioning just as it should."

"Can ya tell the gender yet?" Macintosh asked, a rather loopy grin on his face.

"Try again in another month?" Caring Hoof said apologetically.

"I'm just glad everything's okay." Beth said. "Though, it would have been nice to stop Pinkie from going that awful half-pink half-blue route with the cake..."

Everyone laughed at that. "Well you know Miss Pie." Caring Hoof shrugged. "I'm beyond amazed you got her to hold off as long as you did."

"Party's tomorrow tonight, by the way." Macintosh said. "You're both invited."

"A Pinkie party? Wouldn't miss it."

XXXXX

Golden Oaks Library. Just past lunchtime, Twilight had gathered her friends, along with Jim and his allies and several of Unity's leaders , for another meeting with Gandalf. Unlike the first meeting days before, the purpose this time was to lay out the plans for how to proceed. "Okay. So, I spoke with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna last night. They confirmed what Gandalf has told us. We have a major threat looming, and need to prepare, which in their case means coordinating military responses to merge Human technology and Pony magic, and in our case means getting teams to Eqqus and Earth to find Starswirl and Merlin."

"And that involves... Some pony who's turned out to be an alien?" Sheriff Tucker asked.

"Time Turner." Twilight supplied (In fact Celestia had told her of the spell the alternate universe Celestia had taught her. But she had also made clear that only an Alicorn was powerful enough to use it and that it was to remain a state secret for the time. Twilight vaguely wondered if Gandalf had something similar, but she had chosen not to ask for the time.) "Gandalf?"

The wizard stood. "If my old friend is able to repair his conveyance, we will have the ability to make the journey. Unfortunately, he has already made it clear that any repairs will be temporary. I sincerely hope that we can get a round trip, if nothing more. In fact, the Doctor was quite adamant to not expect more, given the risk of being stuck somewhere unpleasant."

"When will he know if the repairs will even be possible darling?" Rarity asked.

"I am to return to him tomorrow morning for tea. And if the repairs are successful, I would advise haste. We should leave as soon as the Tardis is operational, for while neither Earth nor Eqqus has come under attack as yet I fear we are very much on borrowed time. The first team will be left on Eqqus, then the second will proceed to Earth, where the Doctor will wait with the Tardis until they complete their mission. Then he can collect the first team, and Starswirl with them, before returning all of us here." Gandalf explained.

Twilight was practically giddy. "This is so exciting! Starswirl is alive! And I get to help find him!"

Gandalf shook his head. "Not so. I am sorry Twilight. You will get to speak with your mentor in person. It's why I chose to go to Eqqus first. But the team going to search for Merlin on Earth will, I sense, have need of you."

"But... But..."

"You'll still get to meet him Twi! When we come back!" Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight smiled a little at that. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Who will be on which team?" Blinky asked.

Gandalf answered "Aside from the need for Twilight to go to Earth, and young Jim as well, and that I myself will go to Eqqus, no decisions have been made. You may choose among yourselves... Although..." Here Gandalf looked across the room to Tess. "Lady Tessindra, I would be most grateful for the accompaniment of an Elf."

The Elf girl looked shocked to be asked. "Erm... I'll come if you wish, of course. But, Mithrandir, you do understand that my people today are not as powerful in magic as those you knew before?"

"Yes, I know." Gandalf answered. "But just as Twilight will be needed on Earth, I feel your help will be most beneficial on Eqqus."

"Well it seems clear that the Eqqus team should be mostly ponies. They'll know the lay of the land so to speak better." Bert suggested.

"Right." Twilight agreed. "And besides that I doubt Claire, Toby, or Blinky will agree to Jim going without them."

"Absolutely." Claire said.

"Yeah, where Jimbo goes, we go." Toby agreed.

"So with Twilight, there's the whole Earth team." Applejack said.

"Not all." Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash, hopefully you'll be flying by the time we're ready. I'd like you to come with us."

"An adventure on a whole other planet? Count me in Twi!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

"Um, I have a question..." Fluttershy whispered. "How will we know where to start looking? I mean, an entire planet is a big place to search for one person. Especially one person who hasn't been seen in hundreds of years."

"Don't worry. Princess Luna said she had some ideas on likely options for Starswirl." Twilight explained.

"And something will present itself once you arrive on Earth." Gandalf added.

"What about once you all get back?" Sheriff Tucker asked. "What I mean is, finding these other wizards is all well and good, but what exactly are you planning to do once you've got them?"

"That, I'll have to play as it lies." Gandalf said. "I do have a plan. But, you must understand, Starswirl and Merlin, especially Merlin, will have plans of their own. Once we're all on the same page though, the merger of all three of our talents and skills will allow us to give you the means to counter our enemy before all is lost."

"So, I'm still really confused by all of this 'parallel worlds' stuff." Rainbow Dash said, "But if we're going to Earth, which one? The one Fallow Meadows came from, or the one Arcadia came from?"

"Arcadia, Dash." Twilight said.

"But, doesn't that mean we'll be meeting Humans who know nothing about any of this, and will still be all riled up and trigger happy from a town just vanishing?" Rainbow insisted.

"That's a good point." Applejack said. "Y'all are gonna have 't tread real careful like."

Jim said "And it's even worse than that. By now, Gunmar has probably made it back to where Arcadia was. If he found an army task force or something there, there's a good chance he attacked."

"Meaning that they'll be more than just 'riled up.' They'll know they have a powerful enemy and anything out of the ordinary will be in the shoot first and ask questions later column." Bert concluded. He looked Twilight in the eyes. "You're gonna have to be very, very careful."

"I wish we could tell them. Get the information to them, somehow. So at least they'll know what's happened to their town." Twilight said.

"And know to be preparing for an attack." Rainbow added.

"Well who says you can't?" Pinkie asked. "Before we all go, the people from Arcadia should record a movie. Explaining what's happened!"

"Ah doubt they could just walk up 't the army and hand it over Pinkie." Applejack said.

Fluttershy's eyes went wide. "But they wouldn't have to! Record it on one of those blank disks, put it in an envelope, and mail it just before you leave!"

Ophelia Nunez, who had been listening from the back of the crowd, agreed. "I can have something ready in a day or two. It won't be very polished of course. But that hardly matters."

"Then I guess all that's left is to hope Time Turner gets his machine working." Twilight said.

"Indeed." Gandalf agreed, "And let us hope it most fervently. For our enemy is legion, and grows stronger every day."

XXXXX

Earth (Fallow Meadows timeline): The initial incident was so minor, and so remote, that even government supercomputers specifically programmed to watch for the warning signs missed it at first. In the far north of Baffin Island, Canada, a man had gone missing. Not that missing persons were anything new, but this was a healthy, experienced outdoorsman, whose family had lived in the forbidding arctic tundra for centuries, vanishing without a trace on a routine trip to check his traps.

A search party had been organized, ten strong, all men and women just as hardy and experienced as their missing compatriot, and very well armed to boot. None of them returned either. A call was sent out, and a large Canadian army search team responded. This group did have survivors, but only a few, who told of finding half eaten bodies before being attacked by a hoard of vicious creatures.

This finally tripped the sensors in the computers, which led to an international task force, led by former U.S. Secret Service agent Henry Marsh, to investigate. Unlike the Canadian search team, Marsh and his people had at least some idea of what to expect. It was enough to keep them alive, but the weapons they took, including a pair of light tanks, were useless in causing any damage. The team managed to fall back, taking losses including the tanks as they went, and as soon as he was in the clear Marsh hurried back to Washington to report.

"So it has begun." Celestia said through the comm window, after Marsh had finished his report to her, Luna, President David Whitmore, and several other world leaders watching by video on tablets set up around the perimeter of the room.

"And it sounds as if your mother was spot on regarding their resistance to technological weapons." Whitmore mused.

"Where do we go from here?" Marsh asked.

Through a tablet, the Canadian Prime Minster said "I've ordered a full deployment. We'll hit them harder, see if it does any good at all."

"And in the meantime, we'll do whatever we can to hurry along research into fusions of technology and magic." Whitmore said, "Though if we can't do anything as is, that may be too late... Princess, did you still want to go ahead with your offer?"

"I do." Celestia answered through the window. "David, Agent Marsh, please step back from the center of the room. This will be the first time I've tried this with somepony else along for the ride." The two men stepped back near the door, and Celestia vanished as she stepped away from the window's viewing area. Only to reappear, for real, in the center of the room, with several other ponies by her side.

"Agent Marsh, this is Captain Shining Armor, head of the Equestrian Royal Guard. He and his team will aid you in testing ways to combine our strengths to combat this new enemy."

"Captain." Marsh said as they shook. "Let's see what kind of damage we can do."

Shining Armor grinned. "Yes. Lets."

Book Two: Chapter Three

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Three

Trixie Lulumoon stretched deeply as she began to wake up later in the morning. That was a mistake, given that her wounds weren't fully healed yet. "Ow ow ow..." She muttered, climbing to her hooves and stretching again far more carefully this time. Trotting out of her bedroom, the mare took care of morning needs and then went into the kitchen, planning to make coffee. (Well, more accurately, the local coffee substitute, but it was close enough.) As she prepped the machine, Trixie looked out her back window. It appeared to be an absolutely beautiful day: The sun was bright and warm, with a handful of large puffy clouds scattered about the brilliant blue sky. Local bird-creatures were flitting about, singing. The rosebush Trixie carefully tended for the past year was growing enormous. There was a Dwarf muscling a new door onto her cart. The sounds of- Trixie's brain crashed for a moment. She blinked once. Twice. Dwarf? Trixie looked again and, yes, that was indeed Durban trying to install a new door on her cart.

"What are you doing?" Trixie asked from the back door.

"You reminded me I owed you a new door." Durban replied. "On account of I knocked the old one off when we met."

"That you did."

"Sorry lass. We tend to be people of action." Durban managed to get the door hinges lined up. "But let it never be said we don't repay our debts."

"Fair enough." Trixie answered. She watched as Durban tried to slip the pins into the hinges, but the door was bulky even for a strong miner of a Dwarf and he kept having to drop the pins to catch the door as it slid free and nearly fell. "Okay, hold on!" Trixie went the rest of the way outside and levitated the pins in her magic. "You just hold it in place, I'll get these."

"Thank ye lass."

Trixie slipped the pins into place, the Durban stepped back as she opened and closed the door several times. "Not bad. If my back heals up fast enough I might be able to make my next show. Thanks."

"Just payin' a debt. But you're welcome." Durban looked around, stretched his arms. "Well lass, I've got to be going. There's a mess of Hobbits waiting for help with digging out their new homes."

"Actual Hobbit holes?" Trixie asked. "This I've got to see. Mind if I tag along?"

XXXXX

"This is it?" Twilight asked. She was standing with Gandalf and Tess, the three having gone to check in with the Doctor. Rather than knocking on the stallion's front door, Gandalf had gone around to the back yard and led them to a large blue box with the word 'police' along the top.

"A Tardis is more than meets the eye my dear Twilight." the wizard replied with a wink, and knocked on the door.

A voice called out from somewhere inside, "It's open Gandalf!"

The wizard opened the door and they stepped inside, Twilight's eyes going wide at the sight which greeted her. "It's-"

"Yes, yes, bigger on the inside. Space folding tesseract." The Doctor was silent for a moment, then said "Twilight, be a dear and don't try to replicate this effect with magic? I'd rather the planet didn't get pulled into a black hole."

"Were you able to find what you needed to effect repairs in Arcadia?" Gandalf asked.

"No... And yes... What I hoped to find wasn't available, but... Prince Krel?"

A flat dolly cart rolled out from under the Tardis' central console. Laying on it was a blue-skinned humanoid with four arms, a tool in each hand. "This is Krel." The Doctor said. "He's helping with repairs."

"It is an honor to meet an actual wizard." Krel said, bowing to Gandalf who took it in stride.

Twilight and Tess were less at ease. "Um... question...?" The Elf asked, raising one hand while pointing to Krel with the other.

"Ahh yes of course. Krel here is the crown prince of a planet called Akiridion Five. He, his sister, and their bodyguard took shelter in Arcadia after a military coup on their homeworld. And a good thing for us. On the one hoof, Akiridion tech is decidedly less advanced than Time Stallion tech, but then so is everything. On the other hoof, at least Krel's knowledge is advanced enough for him to be a significant help to me in getting the old girl up and running." The Doctor smiled up at the boy.

"So, you'll be able to get this thing working?" Twilight asked.

"For a certain value of the term 'working,' yes." Krel answered. "I'm sure I can guarantee you the four transits you will require. And possibly another one or two beyond that. But certainly no more."

"Well, four is all we should need. Though I'll be happy for any buffer we can get." Twilight said. "I've learned that something always goes wrong."

"You can say that again." Krel nodded. He frowned. "Though, I am not certain why you would... Human idioms are strange."

Tess asked "So, how long will these repairs take?"

"No more than four days . A day or two less, if certain components can be repaired instead of needing to be replaced."

"The delay could prove unfortunate." Gandalf said.

"True." Twilight agreed, "But it could also buy us time to be better prepared."

"Yes, there's no point in rushing in unprepared." Tess said.

Gandalf allowed himself a slight smile. "I suppose. And on that note, Doctor, I believe you promised me tea."

"Right indeed. Let's adjourn to the house."

XXXXX

Trixie peered through the rounded door. Given that the excavations had only began the day before, the level of progress was impressive: While the walls, ceiling, and floors were still dirt, with no finished paneling as yet, the new Hobbit hole already had a foyer, a large living room, space that would be a kitchen, and a hallway leading to the future site of other chambers. "How'd you guys do this so fast?" She asked.

"Ha! 'Tis not for gold and silver alone we Dwarves love to dig." Durban said. "We'll have the basic tunneling done on all of these in another two days."

"The actual interior decor and fittings, of course, will take far longer." A Hobbit stepped out from the hole. He had blonde hair, green eyes, and was a bit short even by the standards of his people. "Hilbert's the name, and you must be Trixie."

"How did you know...?"

"Well we didn't meet, but I caught a glimpse of you when our ship first arrived. And I'm hereby extending you an invitation to visit for dinner once the construction is done."

Trixie smiled. "In that case, I suppose I should make sure you're heard your invitation to Pinkie Pie's party tonight. It's a baby shower kind of thing, really, but knowing Pinkie I guarantee you the invitation extends to everyone."

"A party eh?" Hilbert mused. "Will there be... ...libations?"

"As in alcohol? Not officially, baby theme and kids invited and all." Trixie leaned in close and whispered in the Hobbit's ear, "I can almost promise you Rainbow Dash will steal a keg of special cider and stash it somewhere nearby."

"And that's all either of us needs to know." Durban laughed. "We'll be there lass."

XXXXX

The party began at sunset. Bethany and Macintosh found themselves near the head of the large party room, as guests came from all corners of town and beyond. Twilight and her friends were present, the Crusaders, humans and ponies and gryphons and changelings, as well as dwarves, hobbits, and elves. As the sun sank below the horizon, even Blinky showed up along with Jim and his friends, and a bit later the Doctor, Aja and Krel in their human disguises.

An hour after things had started, working on the assumption that attendance was now at it's peak, Pinkie Pie hopped up on top of a table and rang a bell to get everyone's attention. "Hello everypony! And also everyhuman, everygryphon, everychangeling, everyelf, every-"

Applejack shoved a hoof in Pinkie's mouth. "They get it Pinks."

"Oh! Okay! Welcome everyone! As you all know, we're here to celebrate Bethy's new baby! (Under construction, check back in seven months.)" Everyone laughed. "But it's more than just that." Pinkie continued, "This isn't the first baby to be born here in Unity. But it is the first who's going to be a child of two worlds. And that's something special!" Pinkie reached into her mane and produced a microphone, which she passed to Bethany. "Speech!"

"Oh, um... I wasn't really prepared..." Beth said nervously. "Though, I guess I should have been. Pinkie, after all." (Everyone laughed again.) "I think, that all I really need to say is 'thank you.' Thank you to everyone who has been understanding towards Macintosh and me being together. I don't think either of us expected to be here, but here we are. Thank you."

Beth passed the microphone to Macintosh who simply said "Eeyup."

Some one in the crowd shouted "Oh come on Mac! You don't get off that easy!"

"Yeah!" Someone else yelled, "When are you marrying the girl?"

Beth blushed while Mac answered "Well, we both kinda figured we'd give miss Pinkie a little break first." (More laughing.) "Soon enough though. Soon enough."

For another half hour, the party went according to plan. But, as with anything involving Ponies, things were soon to get out of hoof. Two variables were at work: Rainbow Dash's stolen cider in the stomachs of Hobbits and Dwarves, and, well, the Crusaders were present. 'Nuff said.

And so Durban, Hilbert, and three other Hobbits ended up dancing and singing on a table, numerous others (Joined by several Ponies and not a few Humans) clapping along. Mugs went flying from kicks, but it probably would have ended there with no further damage.

Then Scootaloo joined the dancers. "Cool!" Sweetie Belle cheered, and also jumped atop the table along with Apple Bloom, Dinky, and Nyma. The dancing continued, Pinkie also joining in, and giving a good hearty kick to an empty mug left at the end of the table. An empty mug that left out a yelp as it flew and changed back into a Changeling soldier drone.

"Oh there you are Myx!" Nyma laughed. "You're getting better! I didn't know that was you!"

"Seriously!? I was drinking from... that... You!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Nyma this is dangerous!" The older Changeling yelled at her.

"Oh what could happen!?" Scootaloo asked. And then of course the table collapsed.

Dwarves, Hobbits and Ponies were piled together on the ruins of the table, the rest of the crowd staring in shock. Durban was the first to emerge from the pile. "Now that's a party!" He cheered.

Pinkie popped out next. "You said it! In fact-" She fell silent, sniffing the air, then smelled Durban's breath. "Special cider!? Rainbow Dash!!!"

"Gotta go!" Dash fled the party, Pinkie in hot pursuit.

XXXXX

Twilight yawned as she trotted to the door of Golden Oaks Library. The party had ended hours before, and it was past two in the morning when a knock sounded at the door, rousing her from slumber. Blinking the last of the sleep from her eyes, Twilight magically opened the door. Sheriff Tucker was waiting. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"I'm not sure yet." The Sheriff answered. "But I just got word that President Whitmore and Princess Celestia are waiting to speak to the two of us at the secure window."

"Something's wrong then." Twilight concluded. "Let's not keep them waiting."

They crossed the open lawn between the library and town hall together, and went to the secured chamber at the back. As promised, Whitmore and Celestia, each standing in a window on their own worlds, were waiting.

"It's started." Celestia said without preamble.

"Which planet?" Twilight asked.

"Earth." Whitmore answered. "The far north. So far, conventional weapons are having no effect. Shells fired from tanks aren't even harming the ground troops."

"I've dispatched a team from the Royal Guard, to assist, but they've not arrived on site yet. We'll know if magic helps by this time tomorrow." Celestia added. "When will you be able to initiate the wizard's plans?"

"No more than four days."

"Good, good... If the combination of magic and technology works, that may be in time."

Whitmore nodded. "But, we have to assume the first attack on Eqqus won't be long in coming either. That could complicate things."

"We should focus on what's directly in front of us." Tucker suggested. "Loosing focus could be dangerous."

"You're right. We have our job and you have yours." Whitmore said.

"We should keep this secret, shouldn't we?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. Though, you do have some others who will need to know." Celestia said.

"Right... I'll inform them in the morning." Twilight said. She sighed. This was looking worse and worse all the time...

Book Two: Chapter Four

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Four

Canterlot Castle, Eqqus. "Are you certain of this sister?" Celestia asked as she walked side by side with Luna along one of the castle's many high balconies, this one rimming the tallest tower, twelve hundred feet above the base of the castle itself and over a mile straight up from the valley floor below. Far off and to the south, the former site of Ponyville could be seen. Even after a year and a half, the site was still plainly visible, a huge circular scar marring the otherwise pristine landscape, though at the outer fringes of the circle the beginnings of encroachment by vegetation reclaiming the land was becoming visible.

"As certain as I can be, Tia." Luna replied, as she stopped and looked out over the scenery. "You know that my memories of my time as Nightmare Moon are vague at best. And also of course over a thousand years out of date... But I distinctly remember a battle with Starswirl, not long before our final confrontation."

"Even you were fortunate to survive such a battle Luna." Celestia said, but Luna shook her head.

"Not so Tia. You remember what Starswirl told us long ago? The Maker forbade him the full and overt use of all his powers. Starswirl was powerful even with that, but the end result was not in doubt, which is why he withdrew once the... ...Once the innocents were out of harm's way. But as we dueled, he spoke of many things I did not comprehend at the time but make far more sense now. And... He said he would meet me again, "Where the astral winds blow cold as Tartarus."

"The windigo lands in the far north." Celestia said, and shivered slightly.

"Know thou of another place where even magic freezes out?" Luna shook her head. "No, do not misunderstand me Tia, I like it as little as you. But it is there those seeking after Starswirl must go. And it is there I must go with them as well."

"Sister no!"

"Yes, Tia. Note Starswirl's exact words: He would meet me again there."

Celestia sighed. "I know you are right. It doesn't mean I have to like it. Especially since the most direct path would take you through Chrysalis' valley."

"Chrysalis' valley which we already know is probably empty by now." Luna corrected. "Somepony will have to investigate that sooner or later anyway. Why not a group containing a wizard and an Alicorn?" Luna held up a hoof to forestall her sister's obvious comeback, "And yes, I know: 'The Changeling Vale, Where magics fail.' It would leave even myself and Gandalf powerless. Unless, as I suspect, the source of the magic drain has been relocated along with the hive."

Celestia looked her sister in the eyes. "There is a flaw in your logic Luna. It assumes that we are correct about Chrysalis and her hive being gone. If they are still there, if they are laying in wait, you would indeed be in a precarious circumstance once magic was denied to you."

"Strewth." Luna granted. "But is there really a choice?"

"No." Celestia answered, after too long a pause. She was staring down towards the valley floor.

Luna followed the direction of her sister's gaze, down to where Ponyville had been. She stepped forward, at Celestia's side, nuzzling in close and wrapping a wing over her back. "Strange..." She whispered after a few moments.

Celestia rolled an eye to look at Luna. "Hmm? What is?"

"A thousand years I was gone... A thousand years of constant change in the world. Changes in climate, in topography, in settlements and culture and government and knowledge. I returned to a world in which nothing was the same as I remembered, not even you, strictly speaking... And yet all of it affects my heart less than the absence of this one small town."

"The plants are growing back in." Celestia said. "Three years, four tops, and we won't even be able to tell anything unusual about the spot from here. Perhaps, when this coming war is ended, we should use the site to build a park."

"Yes!" Luna smiled. "A park. A monument to the courage of Ponyville's citizens, building a new home on a far world. And a memorial, to those we will no doubt lose in the struggles to come."

Celestia managed to smile as well. "Come then, sister. Let us make some plans for the future."

XXXXX

"Well, at least I'm in the air again, even if it is a little sluggish." Rainbow Dash was managing, if only just, to stay airborne as she accompanied Twilight and the rest of their friends to the Spoony Bard Diner for lunch. Twilight and Sheriff Tucker had spent the morning filling the rest of the group in on what they had learned from Celestia and Whitmore the previous night. Gandalf was growing more restless and concerned to be off on their quest, but all was held up by the still in-progress Tardis repairs.

"I'm glad Dash, I expect we'll need it." Twilight said.

"Seems 't me like this might be our riskiest adventure yet." Applejack said. "Splittin' up on two different planets, with only one way back.

"And lots of enemies everywhere." Fluttershy whispered, and shuddered.

"Which just makes it that much more awesome!" Rainbow cheered, pumping both forehooves in the air.

Everypony else just rolled their eyes. Rainbow Dash wasn't, as many thought, stupid. Nor was she deluded regarding the very real possibility of death. But, somehow, the mare had never quite really internalized the reality, at least in regards to herself or her friends. She had never really dealt with loss. And that, Twilight feared, might someday come back to bite Dash in a nasty way.

But for now they had reached the diner. It was a busy place, especially at lunch time, with counter seats, tables, and booths filled with patrons of all species. Luckily they had the good timing to arrive just as a family was vacating one of the larger booths. "Gimme a minute to clean things off and it's all yours." Florence said.

A few minutes later, piled into the booth, meals ordered, Rarity said "May I make a suggestion darlings? No, what's the term, 'shop talk,' during our meal. It's been far too long since all six of us were together to just enjoy each others company."

"Hear hear!" Pinkie cheered.

"So then, how are things with you and Spike?" Applejack asked Rarity.

"Oh, well you know how things go. We've barely had so much as a quick meal date in over a month. Hopefully things will calm down sooner or later."

"I'm sure they will." Fluttershy said. "Silver Spoon tells me the Crusaders didn't get grounded for last night."

"It was a legitimate accident. And one they merely contributed to but didn't start, and wouldn't have caused on their own." Rarity answered.

"Yeah, it wouldn't have been fair. Especially since they got a good scare out of it all." Applejack said. "Speakin' of which though, how's Silver's back doing?"

Fluttershy answered "Oh much better! You know how kids recover faster than adults. They'll probably take the stitches out by this time next week."

"I'm so glad that wasn't any worse than it was." Twilight said. "You saw how badly Trixie got roughed up. And she was lucky compared to a lot of other people."

"Girls, are we drifting into shop talk?" Rainbow asked.

"I guess so." Applejack admitted. "Kinda hard 't steer clear of it at times like this though ain't it?"

"I'll say... And hay, Rares, Flutters, who's gonna watch Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon while we're gone?" Pinkie asked.

"They'll be staying with Granny Smith and Macintosh." Rarity explained. "At least that way they're with somepony who knows how to handle them."

"Handle the Crusaders, you mean." Rainbow said with a snort. "You know I never, in like a million years, thought it would get worse after the original three got their cutie marks."

Everypony laughed. "That's for sure. Then again, who expected cutie marks in helping with cutie marks?" Twilight chuckled. "It's enough to make me understand that Human expression about the universe having a sense of humor."

"Yeah, a mean one." Rainbow agreed.

Twilight quoted "The universe is an unrelenting comedy. Unfortunately, the audience the jokes are written for is the gods so the punchlines tend to go over our heads."

"Okay, I'm remembering that to use someday." Florence said as she arrived with their orders. "Seems like a serious discussion going on over here."

"We're trying not to." Rainbow said.

"Eeyup, but it ain't goin' so well." Applejack agreed.

"Well maybe the food will help. Enjoy!"

Surprisingly, it did help. The next half hour was filled with laughter, fellowship, and the peace that comes from good friends and good food. As they were starting to talk about leaving, the front door opened, admitting a tall blonde girl who asked after the group at the counter, then came to their booth. "Aja!" Twilight said when she recognized her.

"The Doctor asked if I could find you." Aja said. "Krel has good news! The components he feared he would need to replace were repairable. The Tardis should be ready to leave by tomorrow morning."

"That's wonderful!" Twilight said. "The sooner we do this the better. Does anyone else know?"

"I will be returning to Arcadia to notify Jim Lake and his friends." Aja replied. "And there was an elf who needed to be informed as well?"

"Tess lives upstairs here now. I can fill her in."

"Lively! Then you will be ready. I'll go and find the Trollhunters then." Aja excused herself and departed.

"We should probably all be there and ready first thing in the morning. LIke, at the crack of dawn. Dash." Applejack said.

Everypony chuckled at the added 'Dash' except for Rainbow who grumbled under her breath.

"Which means gathering whatever we need this evening." Rarity agreed. "Ladies, I think our lunch date is over."

The friends said their goodbyes for the day and headed out to prepare...

XXXXX

After exiting the front door of the diner, Twilight circled around behind the building and trotted up a flight of exterior stairs to the second level. At the top of the stairs was an outdoor walkway that ran the length of the building, and two apartment doors. The Unicorn passed the first door, which she knew had been the home of an elderly human since before the towns had been taken, and knocked on the second door.

It took only a few seconds for Tess to answer, but a few seconds more for Twilight's brain to process what she was seeing. The young Elf still wore the always present goggles over her forehead, but she had exchanged her usual robes for denim blue jeans and an oversized hoodie. "That's... Not your usual style."

"Well, I'm unlikely to find the styles I'm used to here, unless your friend Rarity can manage to reproduce them." Tess said. "So, I figured, why not go ahead and wear what I can actually find. Save my old clothes for special occasions."

"Makes sense. Listen, the reason I'm here is because we just heard. The Tardis should be ready to go by tomorrow morning."

"And Gandalf won't wait a second longer than needed." Tess nodded. "Okay, I'll be ready... Um, in regards to supplies, how upset would your people be at me showing up with a crossbow and ammo?"

Twilight thought that over for a moment, before she answered "Normally, very. But you will be with us, and under the circumstances, I don't think anypony will say anything. And I'm planning to speak with the Princesses through the window later this evening, I'll clear it with them then." The mare looked at the girl for a moment, getting a vibe of unease. "Are you okay?"

Tess sighed. "I think so. But, I've never done anything like this before. Big adventures, I mean. It's... Unnerving."

"I understand. Though, given how long Elves live, I'm surprised nothing at all has come up for you before."

The Elf gave Twilight a flat stare. "I'm Twenty-seven."

"Ooh... Oops. Sorry." Twilight chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh it's okay. Every Human and Pony has assumed... You know, I actually had someone ask if I had known Frodo. I mean, can you imagine!? Twenty-seven going on ten thousand!" Tess laughed.

"Wow. But I'm still apologizing." Twilight shook her head. "And, as for being nervous? Totally on board with you on that. Let me tell you about my first adventure. It started when I found a prophecy about the 'Mare in the Moon...'

Author's Note

Again, for anyone who missed it in One Year Later, Tess' race of Elves are longer lived than Humans or Ponies, but not immortal. Their average life expectancy hasn't been specifically mentioned in the story itself as yet, but for now I'm assuming it's around 550 to 600.

Book Two: Chapter Five

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Five

"I wish you didn't have to go." Sweetie Belle said. The filly was standing in the midst of Rarity's packing attempts with a plaintive expression on her face. "I mean, you always have to go. Can't somepony else go for once?"

" Oh, I am sorry Sweetie Belle." Rarity answered. "But you do know why it has to be my friends and I."

"But you don't even have the Elements."

"This is true." Rarity conceded. She looked through the upper drawer again. Where did that red ribbon go? And the evening gown... They would be meeting with Celestia and Luna before embarking on their journey after all, best to be prepared. In fact, for that matter, she should probably pack formal wear for all of her friends. None of them would think to-

"Rarity!!!" The mare was bought back to herself by the sound of Sweetie Belle shouting her name.

"Yes?"

"You're going on a dangerous quest. Do you really need bolts of fabric and a sewing machine?" Sweetie Belle pointed towards the pile of luggage, which was already bigger than the two of them put together.

Rarity had the good sense to blush. "Okay, I have perhaps gone slightly overboard. But this may be our only chance, ever again, to set hoof in Equestria itself. And from what Twilight says there's plenty of room inside Mister Turner's machine." At the flat stare her little sister gave, Rarity insisted "Sweetie Belle I have packed only the bare essentials!"

Sweetie Belle trotted to one of the suitcases and punched the lock with a hoof. The case sprung open, revealing among other things a hairdrier, a typewriter, two make over kits, ten packages of mane dye in different colors, and a kitchen sink.

Rarity gave a nervous laugh. "Let's... Try to pare this down just a little then, shall we?"

It took over an hour, but by the time they were finished the luggage was much diminished. It still outweighed Sweetie Belle, but was perhaps a tenth of what it had started out as. Nodding in satisfaction, Sweetie Belle said "Much better!"

"Yes I suppose." Rarity agreed. "So, Spike is coming by later, but for now we've got some sister time to ourselves. What would you like to do?"

Sweetie Belle smiled, and held up one of the make over kits, to Rarity's horror...

XXXXX

Applejack trotted along the rows of trees like a general checking the formation of a squadron of soldiers. "Now Y'all know I ain't gonna be around for awhile!" She addressed the trees. "But that ain't no license 't slack off! I expect those apples 't be as crisp an' juicy as ever when I get back!" Her eyes narrowed at one particular tree. "That's right I'm talking to you Groot Fifteen! Don't think I forgot about last time! 'Apple Blight' my hoof, y'all knew exactly what you were doing!"

Bethany, Macintosh, and Apple Bloom stood watching at a distance. "Is she...?" Beth started to ask.

"This happens every time she's gonna be gone for awhile." Apple Bloom explained.

"Eeyup." Mac agreed.

"Thing is though," Bloom continued, "It seems 't work. The one time she didn't do it all we got was nasty sick little apples while she was away."

"Weird." Beth said.

Pep talk finished, Applejack went to the waiting trio. "That oughta keep 'em in line for ya Mac."

"Eeyup. For a while anyway." Macintosh nodded. "But y'all better be back quick."

Apple Bloom said "By which he means, you better be back period."

"Yeah, no losing me my future sister in law." Beth agreed.

"Oh don't any of ya go worryin' about that. I'll be with our friends, and Gandalf. We'll be fine."

"Shouldn't you get 't packing?" Mac asked.

"Meh, not much need. Y'all know Rarity'll pack enough for a hundred of us." Applejack thought for a moment. "Suppose I should at least pack a few things in my saddlebags. I'll do it right quick before bed. Right now, all I want is some family time before we go."

Apple Bloom cheered, "We're all ready all ready for that! Me an' Granny fixed up a whole five course dinner! And then we've got storytime an' board games for the rest of the evening!"

"That sounds great 'Bloom." Applejack said. "Just the family, and that means you too Beth. So, I guess there's no sense in standin' around either. Let's get to it!"Macintosh and Bethany headed back towards the farm house, following behind Apple Bloom who was galloping that way as fast as her little hooves could carry her.

Applejack looked back at the grove, at tree 'Groot Fifteen' and gave it the "I'm watching you' motion with a hoof, then ran to catch up.

XXXXX

After Ponyville was abducted, it had taken Rainbow Dash several months to go through with building a new cloud house. Rebuilding had, at the time, just felt too much like giving up and admitting she would never see her old place again. It was only after communications had been established that she decided it was time. The new house was a virtual clone of the original, save that it floated at a much lower altitude. Unity building codes insisted on that much for safety. Well, the same save for the lower altitude an the fact that the spare bedroom was missing all of her old trophies and Wonderbolt posters. "Maybe it's still there." She thought. "Maybe I can find an hour while we're there to slip in, gather up some of my old stuff."

Saddlebags packed with all she really expected to need (One Daring Do novel, a bottle of cider, a wing grooming kit, and a scarf in case they were going someplace cold) Rainbow flew out her front door, planning to get in some flight exercises with her new feathers. They still weren't all the way in, and she worried that such might compromise her skills. But as she flew over the school grounds, a familiar voice called up to her. "Rainbow Dash! Down here!"

Rainbow descended to the ground, landing next to Scootaloo. "What's up squirt?" She asked, mussing the filly's mane.

"As the official leader of the official Rainbow Dash Fan Club, I wanted to let you know that we'll all be expecting lots of awesome stories when you get back!"

"Oh you don't gotta worry about that Scoots. This is gonna be the most awesome adventure ever! Superheros! Wizards! Evil Troll Dictator! On another planet! Trust me kiddo, you'll be able to write a book on this adventure by the time I get back!"

"Whoo-Hooo!!" Scootaloo cheered.

Rainbow gave her orange fan a stern look. "Just remember, I expect you to keep up your daily wing exercises while we're away."

"Oh you know it! Watch this!" Scootaloo began to buzz her wings as hard as she could, and to Rainbow's overjoyed surprise actually managed to rise a few feet into the air.

"Scoots! You're flying! That's awesome!"

"Eh, kinda-sorta. That's all I can get so far." Scootaloo answered, dropping back to the ground.

"Well it's still a win! Keep it up! In fact... Come on, we'll practice together..."

XXXXX

At the Golden Oaks library, Twilight was in a tizzy. So, same ol' same ol'. "Twilight calm down." Spike said for the tenth time in under an hour. "You'll wear yourself out before you even leave."

"I can't calm down Spike. This is going to be an extremely important, extremely dangerous, mission. Which means I have to pack right! Pack smart! Take too much and I'm weighed down by stuff I didn't need and get captured! Take too little, and well, it was too little. But there are so many things that could be useful!!"

"Twilight..."

The unicorn held up a book, with a photo of a muscular outdoorsy stallion on the cover. "No Spike. According to Bear Grill, everything you need to survive can be fitted into a single pair of saddlebags!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the pony whose saddlebags are bigger than he is?"

A single strand of hair popped loose from Twilight's mane. "Arrrrrrgh!!!" She exclaimed as she tossed the book. "Cheater."

"Twilight you ran off to fight Nightmare Moon with nothing. That worked out."

"Yeah, but... This feels different." Twilight shook her head. "By the way, I thought you'd be saying goodbye to Rarity. Why are you here?" Spike simply looked around at the mess she had been making in answer. "Heh heh. Right." Twilight sheepishly replied, and another strand of mane popped out.

"Come on Twi, let's apply some common sense. Start with a first aid kit right?"

"Right. And then... Then some magical reagents in case we need them... Cold weather gear just in case..."

"Rope." Spike added. "Never know when you might need that..."

With Spike's help, a much calmer Twilight finished packing in record time. It didn't quite all fit in her saddlebags, a couple of items poked out the top on both sides, but it was a fair enough job. Satisfied, Twilight had sent Spike on his way to visit Rarity, brewed a cup of tea, and settled into her favorite chair to spend the evening with a book. The tome of choice was the same book she had been reading the day Ponyville was abducted, which she had somehow never gotten back to: 'Manticores are from Mars, Venus Flytraps are from Venus.'

"Manticores invariably fail to comprehend that Venus Flytraps don't want to solve their problems, they just want to talk about them." The book insisted. "This naturally leads to both species being angry with each other, and it is not uncommon for either to end up eating the other in frustration..." Twilight chuckled. This book was so weird...

XXXXX

At Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was working busily behind the counter as if it were a normal day. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Bert asked as he accepted a tall coffee and apple fritter from her.

"Nah, I've got everything I need right here." Pinkie motioned to her mane. A serious expression crossed her face. "It's actually kind of amazing how much I can fit in there."

Bert would have questioned this, perhaps even said something cutting, but he was cut off by Gummy's head popping out the top of her mane and looking him in the eyes, the aligator's own eyes blinking out of sync. "Riiiight...." He mumbled, shaking his head.

"Right!" Pinkie agreed. "Of course, I'll leave Gummy with Fluttershy's animal friends for Silver Spoon and the others to take care of while I'm gone."

"Well don't forget he's in there."

"Whoa, yeah, that'd be embarrassing." Pinkie nodded sagely. "I should totally write myself a reminder note." She pulled a block of post-its, a nib pen, and an inkwell from her mane, wrote 'Gummy's in my mane' on one of them, and stamped the sticky strip to her forehead.

"Not bad Pinkie." Mrs. Cake said as she trotted out from the back room, "But, dear, it's facing out. Unless somepony else sees it and reminds you..."

"Good point." Pinkie contemplated options for a moment, then moved the note to the lower curl of her mane, facing in towards her eyes. "There we go!"

Bert just stared. He knew, you see, he knew, that this was Pinkie and he should let it go. But... "Can you see where you're going with that blocking your eyes?"

"Who said that!?" Pinkie whipped her head around.

"Yeah, that's about like I figured." Bert sighed. He turned and walked out. "Thanks for the coffee."

"You're welcome mystery voice!" Pinkie waved in the wrong direction.

After Bert had left, Pinkie continued serving customers, amazed at the number of mystery voices today. Yes indeedy, it was shaping up to be a weird day even by Pinkie's standards...

XXXXX

"Don't worry Mi- um, Fluttershy!" Silver Spoon said, "We've got this!"

"Yeah!" Micheal agreed, "We'll be here for feeding and care three times a day every day for at least a half hour each time, and Angel will let us know if anything comes up."

"Oh I know. And thank you all for taking care of them while I'm gone. It's just so scary to not be here for them all." Fluttershy managed a very small smile.

"Please try not to. We'll be fine." Silver insisted.

Fluttershy's eyes went wide. "Oh but what if something heavy needs to be lifted!?"

"The stitches come out in three days. And I've got everyone else in the meantime."

"And if something bad happens we're all here too, and we're right in town." Micheal added. He looked down at Angel. "Besides which, this rabbit can take care of himself no problem."

"Sorry. I really do trust you all. I'm just a worrier."

"Well worry about yourself." Silver said. "You're the one going on the dangerous mission."

"Yes, you're right. I will."

"So, you're leaving first thing in the morning?" Micheal asked.

Fluttershy nodded. "Twilight wants us all at Mister Turner's house before sunrise. Gandalf is already unhappy with the delay, and I get the feeling Twilight is too. Not to mention Mister Blinky has to be there before sunrise anyway, so we might as well all arrive together, I suppose."

"Well good luck! We'll have to throw a big party when you get back!" Silver cheered.

"That sounds like fun. As long as it's not too big, that is."

"We'll keep it small for you."

Fluttershy smiled, bigger this time. "Okay! So, let's go over the feeding chart one more time..."

Author's Note

Departure next week.

Book Two: Chapter Six

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Six

Time Turner's back yard was full to bursting in the pre-dawn darkness. Gandalf was there of course, Tess, Twilight and her friends, the Trollhunters; everyone who would be going. But there was also Krel and Aja in their human disguises, and family members saying goodbyes. It took an hour longer than the Time Stallion had hoped to finally be ready to depart. "Now if I can have eveyone's attention? Make sure you've not forgotten anything, we can't very well make extra trips back!" He said.

"Oh!" Pinkie exclaimed. She pulled Gummy from her mane and handed him to Silver Spoon. "I'm ready!"

"I think we're all ready now Pinkie." Twilight giggled.

"Wait, don't forget this!" Claire's mother handed the girl an envelope.

"This is the video explaining to people on your Earth what happened?" Applejack asked.

Ophelia nodded. "It's two hours long, with explanations from myself, our mayor, and interviews with Twilight and Blinky. The envelope is already addressed and stamped. All you'll need to do is drop it in a mailbox."

"And hope they believe it." Jim said.

"We're doing as much as we can." Twilight said, and Gandalf agreed:

"Quite. We have our purpose. We cannot be distracted by other issues." The wizard turned to the Doctor. "Well, are we ready then?"

"Actually, I suspect there probably is one more thing to get out of the way." The Doctor replied. "If you'll all wait here for one moment..." The Doctor trotted through the door into the Tardis, and was gone for only two minutes before he returned: Driving Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle before him.

"Double phooey." Scootaloo complained to the chuckles of everyone present.

Then, with a final round of hugs and goodbyes and "Be carefuls" the team climbed aboard the waiting machine. "It's like a clown car in reverse." Ophelia whispered as far more passengers entered than it seemed like could fit from the outside.

Finally the doors were shut, and the two teams were standing around the outer rim of the control room as the Doctor went to work at the center console. A strange noise echoed through the air, and everything began to vibrate as a portion of the console started rising up and lowering down over and over.

"Mister Turner!?" Rarity cried out.

"Fear not my dear, this is normal! Nothing to be alarmed about!" The Doctor replied, though there was a hint of concern in his expression and he was rapidly moving from panel to panel around the console, throwing seemingly random switches. And then, even faster than it had started, it was over. Everything went still and quiet. "Alright then colts and fillies, here we are! Canterlot Castle!"

"That fast!?" Tess wondered.

Oh well of course. Skipping between realities isn't like traveling through physical space. There's technically no distance at all between them. So come along, I expect the Princesses are waiting for us outside."

They were. Everyone piled out through the doors to find the Diarches standing side by side. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight cheered, and ran to her mentor who wrapped a wing around her.

"Oh it's so good to see you in the flesh Twilight." Celestia said, "Even if it is only for a brief time."

Luna said, "Doctor. I assume you will want to examine things before making another trip?"

"Yes, yes. It won't take long though, an hour off the hoof."

"Then come, friends, and let us share a meal before you depart." Luna motioned with a wing and guided everyone into the castle.

As they walked along the halls, Twilight asked "Princess, is Shining Armor here? I had hoped to see him for a moment as well."

Celestia shook her head. "Oh, I am sorry Twilight... Your brother is... On assignment..."

XXXXX

Baffin Island, Earth, Fallow Meadows Timeline: Shining Armor had decided, in a matter of minutes, that he would never complain about how cold the Crystal Empire was ever again. This place made it seem downright balmy. Not that he could afford to pay any heed to that; the army of horrors trying to kill him, his soldiers, and the humans they were here to help were undeniably the first priority.

After Celestia had delivered them to Earth, Agent marsh had at once arranged transport north. The Human's flying machines were faster than Equestrian airships, impressively so, but cramped and noisy. They had landed at a place called Iqaluit, the large island's only city, and headed further north by land. In route, Marsh had briefed Shining on the current situation, in particular the Canadian counterattack which was expected to still be ongoing when they arrived.

What they had found, on arriving, was the utter bedlam of a full scale battle between powerful armies. The air was filled with a choking haze, bullets and missiles were flying, the ground rocking with a constant rumble of explosions all around. And the army was in retreat, their opponents slowly but inexorably advancing south. Shining and Marsh watched as a trio of bombs dropped from high above detonated right on top of a phalanx of the enemy's ground troops. The flames roared all around the troops, but they just kept coming, as if nothing whatsoever had happened. Then one of the hostiles spotted them.

"Look out!" Shining screamed, tackling Marsh to the ground as some kind of energy blasts crackled directly over their heads.

"Thanks." Marsh shuddered. "This is worse than I thought. How can we do anything when the standard infantry troops walk through thermobarics like it's nothing!?"

"Let's see how they like what we've got." Shining said. He charged up magic in his horn and started firing at the enemies, scoring several direct hits, none of which did anything at all. Then he had to quickly shift to a shield, in the face of a massed counterattack with whatever those weapons the enemy carried were.

"At least your shield works." Marsh said as he watched the energy blasts fizzle against it."

"Yeah, it's something." Shining agreed. "But we've still gotta keep pulling back. The shots aren't getting through, but from what we're seeing I'd be surprised if the troops themselves didn't walk right past like it wasn't there."

"What are your orders Captain?" A Pegasus named Gliding Wing asked.

"For now, fall back. And you all have permission to speak freely on any ideas you've got."

"I have a big blank sir." Gliding Wing said. "Didn't Faust say we could take these guys working together?"

An Earth Pony Lieutenant, Strong Wall by name, said "But we're not really combining anything are we?"

"What do you mean Lieutenant?" Shining demanded.

"What I mean, sir, is that we're still just using our magic, just like the Humans are still just using their machines! There's no real merger of the two!"

"He may have a point Captain!" Marsh said, "There are experts on both our worlds trying to figure out how to do that!"

"I knew I should've talked to my sister before we came." Shining groused. "They've already got some good mergers going in Unity. In fact..." Shining Armor cast his mind back to his first extended talk with Twilight through the windows, when she had insisted on telling him everything that had happened since Ponyville was taken. In particular, he remembered how she said they had driven off some very persistent, and nearly invulnerable, local predators... "Mystic Arcanum!" He shouted for one of his Unicorn troops.

"Sir!"

"I can't let this shield drop. I assume you know explosives spells?"

"Yes sir Captain sir!"

"Marsh! I need a couple of rounds!"

"Here!"

"Arcanum! Enchant these with with the explosives spells! Pattern the enchantment to detonate on impact!"

Mystic Arcanum's horn glowed. "Done!"

"Fire away Marsh! Let's see what it does!"

Agent Marsh took aim at the nearest of the enemy soldiers and fired, resulting in two surprises. The first was, that the shell did not explode. But it did penetrate the target's defenses, knocking him to the ground dead. "Why didn't it blow?" Gliding Wing wondered.

"A good question for later." Shining said. "At least it got him."

They continued to back away as the enemy advanced. The small team was catching up to the retreating Canadian line, which forced the enemies to slow and fight as well, and gave them a chance to seek cover. "So what should we do now?" Shining asked.

Marsh answered "We'll need to fall back to Iqaluit, inform Whitmore, Celestia, and the other leaders of what happened... Though... I've got one more of those shells. Seeing as they don't seem to actually explode for some reason, maybe we should put it to a better use."

Shining grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

"How would you feel about getting ourselves a prisoner of war?"

"I'd say that would be very beneficial. But how?"

"If you're willing to take a risk, we'll let one of them get close. Maybe even inside the shield if you're right about them walking through it. Then I go for a good shot, something to hopefully incapacitate but not kill, and we carry it back with us." Marsh said.

Shining mulled that over. "Risks are necessary. Gliding Wing, can you carry one of them?"

"As long as it's no heavier than it looks, no problem." The Pegasus confirmed.

"Agent Marsh, let's do this."

They crept back out in front of the lines, Shining activating his shield again as soon as they were clear. The enemies were everywhere along the northern horizon, but one group, perhaps a single division, was closer. Shining motioned to them, and Marsh nodded, and opened fire with regular ammunition. This put them on the radar, and energy bolts began slamming into the shield yet again. The troops charged, but the terrain of ice flows shattered by bombings worked against them, and a handful of outliers advanced far ahead of the main force. In particular, one of the troops was well ahead of any of his comrades. He got to the shield, and as Shining predicted walked right through, raising his weapon as he came.

He was too slow. Agent Marsh's rifle cracked, and the enchanted bullet tore through the troops's defenses, knocking him to the ground unconscious. "Great shot Marsh! Wing, grab him up and let's haul flank back outta here!" Shining yelled. Gliding Wing grabbed up the soldier, while Mystic Arcanum tried to pick up his weapon in a magical aura but couldn't do so. They retreated back again, behind the lines, and headed for Iqaluit as fast as they could.

"Arcanum, what happened?" Shining asked.

"Apologies sir. I thought it would be a good idea to bring the weapon too, but I just couldn't get a magical grip on it."

"Something to do with why magic by itself can't hurt them?" Marsh asked.

Mystic Arcanum nodded. "That would be my guess."

"Well at least we got this guy." Shining said. "I just hope we can figure out some answers from him..."

XXXXX

After breakfast, everyone gathered around the Tardis again. The door was closed, the Doctor still inside running his checks on the time circuits and other systems. They were generally split into two groups at this point. One included Gandalf, Tess, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. They would remain on Eqqus, and along with Princess Luna go north, to the Windigo Lands, in search of Star Swirl. The other group included Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Jim Lake, Claire Nunez, Toby Domzalski, and Blinky. The Tardis would deliver them to Arcadia's Earth, to search for Merlin.

The Tardis door opened and the Doctor trotted out. "Well then, everything looks good. We should be going."

"Good luck Y'all!" Applejack waved.

"Good luck to you too!" Twilight waved back.

Luna looked to Gandalf. "Shall we be on our way? It is a long journey."

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, but... Twilight Sparkle, one more thing if you will?"

"Yes?"

"I... Feel that I should warn you... Make no mistake, Merlin's heart is in the right place, he means well, and he genuinely is a force for good." Gandalf said, "But his personality can be a bit... ...Abrasive."

"'Abrasive?'" Twilight asked, head cocked.

"Twilight." Luna said. When Twilight looked at her she continued "Gandalf is attempting, using polite words, to warn you that his compatriot is an ass."

"Merlin's a donkey!?" Pinkie asked.

"No."

"But... Oooooohhhh..."

"Yes quite." Gandalf confirmed. "Try not to let it bother you. Just get him back and I'll reign him in. And now, yes, we really must be on our way." He turned and started walking north, the rest of the Eqqus team following close behind.

"Well let's be on our way too then." Twilight said.

They turned towards the Tardis, and the Doctor opened the door, and out fell...

"Aja?" Everyone exclaimed.

The girl held up her hands. "I can explain!"

"I don't think you have to." Twilight said. "You wanted to do your part since your brother did his."

"Yes! And since I am after all training to be a warrior, what better way?"

"Well, we are short one compared to the other team." Rainbow said.

"And it's not like we can take her back." Claire added.

"Let's just board shall we?" the Doctor said, "You can work it out inside."

"All right." Twilight sighed. Not even to Earth yet, and already there were problems. She hoped it wasn't an omen...

Book Two: Chapter Seven

Author's Note

Possible minor spoiler warning for, of all things, a very old 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' episode. (Not a crossover, just a reference to how the episode ends.)

Second, this chapter was written before the release of 3 Below, season two. Season two is not canon to this story, though I did rewrite one paragraph here, using the season two explanation of how Krel modified their serrator weapons to maintain their human forms, since it was a better explanation that the one I had come up with for how Aja would keep looking human.

Finally, yes, it's out of character for the Doctor to stay behind with the Tardis. But remember, the Doctor lies. He has to maintain his 'retired' story somehow. And while he says he'll wait on them to come back, he could be doing anything while they're gone...

Book Two: Chapter Seven

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Seven

Southern California, Earth. (Arcadia Timeline.) Hidden away in a small patch of forest, the Tardis appeared out of seemingly nowhere, just past one in the morning. Moments later the door opened. Jim was the first one out, followed by the rest of the team. The Doctor stood at the door. "I'll be here when you're ready." He said. "But, make it as fast as you can. This area is heavily populated, and if anyone happens by there's no way they won't be curious about a very conspicuous blue call box."

"We'll do this as fast as we can, considering that we're not even sure where to start." Twilight replied.

"All right then. I'll lock the door." The Doctor turned back inside and the door closed behind him.

Jim looked around. "First things first." He said. "Where are we?"

Claire pulled out her cell phone and examined the screen. "G.P.S. says we're twelve miles south-southeast of where Arcadia used to be."

"Should we go that way?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Maybe." Twilight mused. "Claire, if I understand it right, you can get current news reports on these phones right?"

"Good thinking! We need to know what's being said about Arcadia." The girl agreed.

Nodding, Twilight added "And if Gunmar has launched attacks, we might get an idea of where he is."

"Nah, anything that weird, there'll be a media blackout." Toby insisted.

Blinky said "Perhaps. But for those of us 'in the know' it may be possible to read between the lines of whatever is being reported."

"I've got something!" Claire said. She held the phone so everyone could see the screen, and turned the volume up.

It was a newscast, dated that very night, from Los Angeles. "Authorities remain mum about the fate of Arcadia Oaks, which you will remember mysteriously vanished without a trace less than two weeks ago. Military forces have cordoned off the entire surrounding area, including declaring the county a 'no fly zone,' and images from orbital satellites have been declared top secret. This leads in to our newest breaking news on the case: Just tonight, two hours after sunset, there was a disturbance of some kind at the Arcadia site. Both citizens in nearby towns, and our own reporters stationed as close to the site as military cordons permit, heard a loud roaring sound, followed by gunfire and explosions."

The image changed to an 'on the scene' reporter's camera feed. gunfire, and the booms of even heavier weapons, could be heard, and explosions lit up the horizon. A chillingly deep roar could be heard echoing. Jim tuned slightly pale. "That was Gunmar." He said.

"But things seem quiet now." Aja said. She turned her attention back to the phone, where the news anchor was now back on screen.

"The mysterious event lasted for fifteen minutes." The anchor reported. "After, the weapons fire slowed and stopped, and the roars were heard twice more, each time fainter as if further away, apparently moving off to the north. Air Force F-35's were spotted flying in that direction, but returned an hour later having apparently failed to locate whatever they were hunting. The State of California, in conjunction with Homeland Security, has issued a dusk to dawn curfew order for all citizens within fifty miles north of Arcadia Oaks..."

"So I guess we're going north then." Rainbow Dash said as Claire put her phone away.

"Are we?" Blinky asked. "We are here to find Merlin. Not to fight Gunmar."

"Yeah, but..."

"Not to mention, we'd be walking into a hornets nest of on edge soldiers." JIm argued.

Twilight sighed. "At least it sounds like the weapons the army had with them were enough to drive Gunmar off. Who knows? Now that they're prepared, now that they've seen how tough he is, maybe if they bring in the really big stuff it'll be enough."

"But this is Gunmar!" Blinky insisted. "He's supposed to be invulnerable to any weapon save the Amulet's Eclipse Blade!"

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Toby said. At the looks he got from everyone, the boy clarified his non sequitur: "I saw this old episode of that show once. The story was about how the town's vampires were planning to bring in a ringer. A demon called 'The Judge' that every ancient book, including books that were never wrong, insisted couldn't be killed because 'No weapon forged by man' could hurt him."

"What happened?" Twilight asked in spite of herself.

Toby answered, "Easy. Buffy realized the books were right when they were written. But they were written six thousand years ago. 'Weapons forged by man' are a lot more potent now. She one shots the guy with a grenade launcher."

"Master Tobias I hardly think an old vampire tale is pertinent to Gunmar." Blinky shook his head. "Though I admit it would be kind of nice."

Claire said "Are we getting off track here?"

"Yes, let's focus." Twilight agreed. "We need to find Merlin's Tomb. But we have no leads. And, I think maybe that leads us into why Gandalf insisted that I needed to come with you. Gunmar probably still has your friend Drall with him right?"

"Probably." Jim said. "But he's been mind controlled by the Decimar Blade."

"Right. Just like all those trolls we saved at the canal had been."

"Wait! Twilight... Are you saying you can free Drall?" The hope in Jim's expression was palpable.

"But I thought that took a bunch of unicorns?" Toby asked.

"A bunch of unicorns for a whole army of trolls." Twilight corrected. One troll, I should be able to do it myself. If we can get Drall away from Gunmar."

"And if we can deal with Drall himself. He's really strong and really fast."

Rainbow said, "I've got fast covered. So, lemme make sure I follow the plan though... Free Drall, and then...?"

"And then he can lead us to Merlin's Tomb, since he's been there with Gunmar." Twilight explained.

"But this brings us back to dealing with the authorities." Aja said. "The very heavily armed authorities."

Blinky said "Perhaps we should go north, not into the closed off area, but paralleling it. If Claire keeps watch on the news, we can possibly get a fix on Gunmar's location and direction of travel from further attacks. And we'll be closer at any rate."

So they headed north. Walking was slow, especially through the forests, and slowed even further by the frequent need to stop at highways and wait for traffic to clear in both directions before it was safe to cross. They walked for five hours, taking refuge just before dawn in an abandoned house isolated from other settlements. There was no power, but the structure must have been very old, as the water came from a hand cranked pump which happily still worked, and the water was clear and cool (Though Twilight still insisted on running it through a purification spell before it was used.)

Best of all, from Blinky's perspective, the house's windows were all still intact, and covered in a layer of grime thick and dark enough to protect him from the sun. They ate breakfast together from their supplies, and bedded down in sleeping bags to wait out the long day.

Twilight woke at, well, twilight, to find Jim and Aja already awake, while everyone else was still sleeping soundly. "What do you think?" Jim asked, motioning to the fireplace, "Can we risk a fire for a hot meal?"

"We're pretty remote." Twilight said. "I think it'll be safe, especially since we'll be moving on as soon as we eat."

"Lively!" Aja cheered, and ignited the logs she and Jim had already placed in the hearth with her weapon, the blast waking everyone else.

"Rise and shine, dinner's in half an hour." Jim said, and he set to work cooking.

Twilight looked across the room to Aja, and noticed her fiddling with the controls on her weapon. "Problem?" She asked.

Aja shook her head. "Not exactly. You have seen my brother's true form. My own is similar. While on Earth, we disguise ourselves as Humans to blend in. Actually, it's not a disguise, the transduction effect makes us truly physically human while it lasts. But it only lasts twelve hours. Ordinarily, I would have to return to our ship to have the effect re-applied, but Krel has modified the serrators to also be able to maintain it. It is still experimental, though, so I'm trying to keep a close watch on the settings."

"So you really are from another planet then?" Toby asked as he walked into the room. "That's awesome! Can we see what you really look like?"

Toby wasn't the only one curious. Twilight had seen Krel, but none of the others present had, and they were all looking at the girl expectantly. "Perhaps when we get back to the Tardis." Aja said. "It would be a bad idea here. The serrator can only maintain my human form you see, it cannot recreate it if it fails."

"Ahh. Not a good idea then. My bad." Toby apologized.

"It is all right. Curiosity is a virtue." Aja smiled.

"It is indeed." Twilight agreed. "Claire, any further news updates?"

"None. Which is weird." Claire replied, looking at her phone.

Jim pulled a bubbling pot off the fire and carried it to the rest of the group. "Let's eat, then get that fire out and keep moving. We've got to get further north."

"I agree." Blinky said. "No news of Gunmar most likely means no one else has encountered him."

"Could he have gone to ground?" Rainbow asked.

"Possibly, but look at the map." Twilight levitated a map of California out of her saddlebags. "Borrowed from Bert." She said in answer to the unspoken question. "He's got everything. Anyway, take a look... If Gunmar continues north, he'll end up in this big national forest. No towns, no permanent homes at all, really. He might go all the way to the northern tip of the forest without anyone seeing him."

"And worse," Claire added, "If that happens, look. He'll come out right in the middle of some very heavy population centers."

"We've got to get ahead of him then." Aja said. "But, some idea of exactly where he will emerge will be beneficial."

"Let's just keep going north for now." Rainbow suggested. "We know at least that much now, let the other stuff come when it comes."

Everyone agreed that this was the most sensible course of action, considering that they had no other information to go on. They finished their meal, extinguished the fire, and were ready to leave. Jim opened the door. And jumped back slamming it shut again as a blinding spotlight shone in. Moments after the door slammed, an amplified voice called from outside, "We know you're in there! Surrender at once!"

"How did they find us!?" Rainbow exclaimed.

Crouching by a front window, rubbing away a circle to see through, Aja hissed. "Colonel Kubritz!"

"Friend of yours?" Twilight asked.

"She is in charge of a prison for extraterrestrials." Aja explained.

"Can we talk to her?" Twilight asked.

"Doubtful. She is most unreasonable."

"Twi, can you teleport us past them?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight shook her head. "There's no way to know how deep the ring of soldiers around us is. If I tried and landed right in the middle of them... Claire...?"

The girl shook her head no. "Sorry. I can only open portals to places that are important to me, or places where someone I know is at. With Arcadia gone... I could take us back to the doctor..."
"Are we even sure we're surrounded?" Blinky asked. "What I mean is, that Aja describes this Kubritz as commanding only a single base. Surely that limits the number of soldiers at her disposal, especially since most of them would have to stay behind to guard the prison."

"This is true." Twilight mused. She thought for a moment. "We're gonna have to take a risk..."

Colonel Kubritz was surprised when they stepped out the door willingly. And even more surprised by beings very different than she had ever expected. "Interesting company you're keeping." she said, staring at Aja.

"I could say the same of you."

"How did you find us!?" Jim demanded.

"You can blame Miss Nunez for that. Or, rather, her cell phone. Did you really think that we wouldn't be scanning for any uses of phones from a city that just vanished off the face of the Earth?"

"Oops." Claire blushed.

"Now you'll all be coming with me back to the base. Aliens get locked away for testing, humans get trials for treason."

"Treason!?"

"Well what do you think? You are clearly aiding and abetting the beings who abducted an entire town. Of course it'll be secret trials, can't have the public knowing about this."

Twilight took one small step forward. "Now hold on. That wasn't us. There's more going on here than you know, and everyone is in terrible danger!"

"Of course we are. And it's my job to stop you." A large armored van pulled up and the back doors opened. "In you go."

Twilight sighed. This was not a good start...

Book Two: Chapter Eight

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Book Two: Chapter Ten

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Ten

XXXXX

Rarity stepped back from the edge of the dais as the slime monster continued to pour into the throne room. "At the rate it's rising, I'd say we have maybe five minutes before it starts flowing up here too." She said.

"But what can we do without magic?" Tess asked.

Everyone looked around, seeking anything that might be usable for getting them out of the trap. "Ah got an idea!" Applejack said. She pointed to a spot high on the wall where an outcropping of rock jutted from the wall right next to a door.

"But Darling, the goo is between us and there!" Rarity protested.

"Not a problem." Applejack replied. She pulled a length of rope from her saddlebags, tied a knot, and used it to lasso the outcropping. "Now we just need 't tie off this end and we can climb across the rope and out."

The goo's response to Applejack's words was immediate: Long sharp spikes thrust up out of the fluid, blocking the rope's path.

"It appears our nemesis has some intelligence." Gandalf said.

They began trying to sweep the obsidian fragments away from the center of the dais, hoping to create an area sufficiently clear of them for magic use. This did have some effect: Fluttershy could take wing again, and Luna and Rarity could make their horns glow. But it seemed to be too little. Gandalf could barely even illuminate the tip of his staff, and none of them could actually cast any spells. The magic jamming effect was still too much for that. And then...

Pinkie Pie, who had been huddled at the back with Fluttershy, suddenly jumped forward. "Cool spikes!" She called out to the goo, "But I bet you can't do spikes on the spikes!" The spikes shuddered and smaller spikes formed out of them. "Huh. Okay. But how about... Tentacles!" Tentacles formed in between the spikes. "Arms and hands?" Grasping arms formed from the goo. Pinkie stomped a hoof. "Ooh! I'll stump you yet gelatinous mass! How about-" She was interrupted as Rarity pulled her back from the edge of the dais.

"Pinkie! You're making things worse!" Rarity hissed.

Pinkie'e eyes narrowed. "Trust me Rares. I know what I'm doing..." She whispered. Turning back to the goo, she said "Okay! I know what'll stump you! Betcha can't form an eye!"

The goo seemed to be straining itself, and then a field of dozens of eyes formed, all staring right at Pinkie. The pink mare was sure she felt smugness in those stares. "Eh, not bad." She said dismissively, but I said an eye. As in one. One really big, gigantic, ginormous eye!" The eyes melted together, forming into a single eye that stared at everyone present. "Okay. I guess you can. You win this round! But as for the next round... Fluttershy? Now."

Faster than anyone would have thought, Fluttershy was hovering just in front of the giant eye, staring directing into it's pupil. "You big meanie!! How dare you trap and terrify us like this!? Just who do you think you are anyway!?" The goo began to cringe back. "What do you think your mother would say about this behavior!? Huh!? What!?" The spikes and tentacles vanished into the goo. "Now then mister! You are going to let us out of here, and you are going to do it right now!" Fluttershy continued to stare as the goo flowed back down the stairs.

"Okay what just happened?" Tess finally asked.

"Just a little thing Flutters can do." Applejack said. "Come on, we'd best get outta here before anything else can happen."

"I heartily agree." Gandalf nodded. "We've seen all there is to see here anyway. Though... If you'll aid me Tessindra, I'd like to gather some of this obsidian . Magic prevention might come in handy, so long as we take little enough to not impede out own abilities..."

XXXXX

An hour later and they were outside in the bright sunlight once more. Though not as bright as it had been; the hour was late, the sun descending to the west. The valley continued on to the north, and on the very northern horizon the peaks of snow covered mountains were beginning to come into sight. "The day is nearly gone." Luna said. "Perhaps we should make our camp here for the night."

"Eeyup." Applejack agreed. "If we get an early start, we can be on the edge of the Windigo Lands by sunset tomorrow."

Everyone was in agreement, even Fluttershy who wasn't afraid of the goo monster anymore, having made friends with it on the way out of the hive. So tents were erected, a fire started, and dinner prepared. "I must attend to my duties as Diarch of the Night." Luna said after they had eaten. "But fear not, I will still have time to sleep after."

"So how big are these 'Windigo Lands' anyway?" Applejack asked.

"In and of themselves, they are not very large at all." Luna answered, "Even along their longest axis, smaller than the distance between Canterlot and where Ponyville used to be. This said however, we will certainly begin to encounter Windigos well before entering their territory proper." Luna closed her eyes. "Now, I have much to do. I am certain Gandalf can answer any other questions you have though."

"In that case I have one for you Mister Gandalf." Rarity said, "I know about Windigos of course, from our own history... But how are we to deal with them?"

"They are spirits of cold, of darkness, of unadulterated evil. Fire harms them, and light, hence the thick storm clouds which shield their lands from the sun. As you know, they spread cold, extreme cold, wherever they go. The outriders we encounter before reaching the border will be few in number and not able to generate a dangerous level of chill. Within the Windigo lands themselves though, we will need to be most cautious to avoid encounters. Large numbers of Windigos can drive temperatures so low magic itself begins to freeze out and fail."

"It sounds dreadful." Rarity shook her head.

Applejack agreed. "Eeyup. I'm hopin' Starswirl didn't go too far in."

"It is doubtful he would." Gandalf said. "Though, I am most curious to learn how my old friend has protected himself all these years..."

XXXXX

Deep in the Windigo lands, the malevolent spirit beings were doing what they always did, wailing and screaming and flying about in a frenzied dervish dance of terror. There really was very little else for them to do, what with the magic of the Hearthswarming enchantment and the power of the Equestrian Princesses holding them at bay. Even the wizard who had long ago intruded and set up shop within their bounds was no distraction. His protector saw to that.

And so they did the same thing day after day, building the protective storm clouds and screaming in frustration. But this day, something would be different. They all felt it at the same moment. A tear in the aether, an opening gateway. Something stepped through. A creature unlike any the Windigos had ever seen. They surged to attack and destroy this interloper, the novelty of something to do drawing them all in close. They were stopped cold, if the pun can be forgiven, with a wave of the new arrival's hand.

"So these are Windigos." Usurna said. "Interesting. Which of you is the king?"

"You stand before me." A particularly hideous specimen answered. "Who and what are you?"

"I am Usurna, once a queen and now a servant, willing or not. My master bids me come to you with an offer."

"Speak." The Windigo king said.

"You know of the wizard who dwells within your domain of course." Usurna said, "Another wizard comes to join forces with him, and brings ponies as well. My master is most insistent that this meeting not occur. If you stop those who draw near, you will be rewarded."

"Why should we listen? And what manner of reward?"

"As for the reward, you have witnessed my arrival. I came from another world. The master will give you passage to another world too, if you please him. A world devoid of the enchantment which imprisons you here. A world inhabited by beings of strife and anger such as you have never imagined, yours to feast upon." Usurna was silent for a moment before adding "And as for why you should go along regardless..." A sudden burst of heat, almost nuclear in it's fury but contained to a narrow beam, blasted out of the gateway and erased the Windigo king from existence. "Whichever of you is his heir, think carefully before you answer."

"We will do as you say." The new king hastily agreed, "But do not betray your end of the bargain."

"Oh, I can assure you that is the last thing you need to worry about." Usurna said, and tone in which she spoke chilled even the Windigos...

XXXXX

Most of the following day went smoothly. They traveled further and further north, the air growing cooler as they went. By lunch the border of the Windigo lands was clearly visible in the distance, denoted by both the shining layer of ice across the ground and the swirling clouds of a permanent sun-blocking storm above. Continuing on, (After bundling in winter clothes against the now near-freezing cold), they were surprised by the lack of attacks, until Applejack realized, from what Gandalf had said, that they were probably in the clear until nightfall since light was harmful to the creatures.

Just as the last rays of the sun were vanishing to the west, they made camp, less than a mile from the edge of the snowcap. A fire was lit, and given fire's know effectiveness against Windigos was fanned into a roaring bonfire. "But is that such a good idea?" Rarity had asked, "It'll be like a beacon for them!"

"Risk we gotta take Rares." Applejack said. "Sides which, I kinda figure they already know we're here."

"Almost certainly. Prepare yourselves for a sleepless night." Gandalf agreed.

And they did prepare. Pinkie produced coffee from somewhere (Still hot), and additional stacks of firewood were placed all around the outer rim of their camp, ready to be lit to provide a barrier if needed. No one unpacked, and no tents were set up, so they could flee in a hurry if such became necessary.

The attack came just past midnight. With wails like banshees the Windigos came, more than anyone had expected. They swirled about the camp, held back by the fire, but slowly driving the air temperatures lower and lower, so cold that there was a deathly chill even right next to the bonfire and the smaller perimeter fires could not be ignited. Rarity and Luna blasted at the spirits with magic, but results were mixed: The only truly effective tactic was grabbing them in magical auras and dragging them into the flames. It worked, yes, but at the cost of diminishing the fire, and in any case took so long that for every Windigo destroyed two or three more had joined the attack.

Gandalf was getting similar results. He could hurt the Windigos directly, but not quickly enough to counter their increasing numbers. Giving up on focused assault, the wizard held his staff high and a brilliant light shone from the tip, driving the Windigos back, but only a few feet. Tess' crossbow was of course useless on spirit beings, and Applejack's initial plan to buck one in the head was cut short when she saw how everything they touched froze solid and blanched at the thought of such happening to her hooves. Fluttershy was, of course, hiding behind Applejack. And Pinkie Pie was rummaging for something in her mane.

"Ah-Ha!" Pinkie declared, and produced a super-soaker, which she pumped and started spraying the Windigos.

"Ah don't think they need more water 't freeze Pinkie!" Applejack yelled.

"Silly filly! It's not loaded with water!" Pinkie said, and then she pulled a book of matches from her mane, struck one, and tossed it at the creatures she had sprayed. The resulting fireball was impressive, and for a few moments the Windigos were all driven away by the heat, which also singed more than a little hair on the living.

"I want to be angry, but under the circumstances..." Gandalf shook his head.

The banshee wail rose again. "There are more of them coming!" Fluttershy cried out, "What do we do!?"

"Run." Gandalf said, grabbing up a large stick in his spare hand, and setting the tip on fire before leading the way towards the border.

"Um, we're running toward the danger?" Fluttershy asked fearfully.

"We are running, I hope, towards Starswirl's home." Gandalf replied.

They didn't make it far before the Windigos caught up, and in even larger numbers than before. Again, they began to swirl all around the group, cutting off any possible escape routes and driving the temperature lower and lower, dangerously so. The torch Gandalf carried went out, and everyone huddled together for warmth. "This might be it y'all!" Applejack said.

"If so it has been an honor!" Luna declared.

And then, when all seemed lost, there was a sudden glow. It was just light, there was no actual heat to it, but the light itself had a warm quality. It grew brighter, and seemed to come from everywhere at once. The Windigos fled, and Gandalf was able to magically reignite his torch, while the ponies looked around to see where the light was originating.

Their eyes fell on Tess, who was holding both hands high, a slightly brighter glow coming from both palms, and she was repeating over and over, barely loud enough to hear, "Aiya Earendil elenion ancalima... Aiya Earendil elenion ancalime..." She repeated the words several more times before falling silent.

"Tess, what...?" Fluttershy whispered.

"The Light of Earendil." Gandalf muttered.

Tess nodded. "One of the few magics my people still have. We need to hurry. I can only maintain this for a short time."

"Then let's get in there and find Starswirl already!" Applejack cheered, and they rushed as quickly as they could into the frozen wastes...

Author's Note

"Aiya Earendil elenion ancalime"
rough translation:
"Hail Earendil, brightest of stars."

Book Two: Chapter Eleven

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Eleven

Jim Lake had to hand it to Twilight: The little unicorn really knew how to put a plan together. They had found Gunmar and Drall, with the former dragging a clearly out of the battle Angor Rot, about two hours before sunrise. With Angor not a concern, Twilight crafted a strategy for freeing Drall with minimal risk to anyone else. Central to the plan was the clear fact that Gunmar wasn't going to make it to the Janus Order base before sunrise. He would need to shelter somewhere. So, let him do so, wait until the sun was up, attack when the dictator's options were limited to staying in the shade of the trees.

Rainbow Dash would go first, Twilight had decided. As soon as the sun was up the pegasus would approach Gunmar, pretending to be a friend of Drall. Hopefully, this would cause Gunmar to send Drall after Rainbow, allowing her to lead him to a prepared ambush, where she, Toby, and Blinky would keep him busy while Twilight used the memory restoration spell to break Gunmar's control. Meanwhile, Jim and Claire would confront Gunmar himself, keeping the dictator too busy to take direct control of Drall once more. And Aja would wait, in reserve, for the best moment to strike.

As soon as Drall was himself again, they would return to aid in the fight with Gunmar, hopefully driving the evil troll out into direct sunlight, where he would turn to stone. From there, it would just be a matter of hoping Drall did in fact remember the way to Merlin's Tomb, and of course finding a way to get there, seeing as it was almost certainly half a world away in England.

Gunmar fell perfectly for the first part of the plan. Rainbow Dash had been forced to push her speed to the limits to stay ahead as Drall curled into a ball and rolled off after her. Jim waited a minute, two, to be sure Drall wouldn't turn and come right back, then nodded to Claire. They approached Gunmar together.

"Trollhunter." Gunmar rumbled as he caught sight of them.

"Gunmar. Round two." Jim answered, and leapt to the attack.

The Daylight and Decimar swords met with a resounding clang, Jim pushing off Gunmar's chest and flipping mid air before landing next to Claire just as she opened a portal to catch the enormous stones Gunmar was throwing from the safety of the shadows. Jim ran, jumped into the portal, and Claire closed it behind him and opened another, directly above Gunmar's head. The stones fell down atop the troll who batted them away, then looked confused as Jim didn't also fall from on high to attack. Claire, meanwhile, had to dodge several stones as Gunmar had the presence of mind to redirect several of them back in her direction again. Then Jim appeared, from behind a stone that Gunmar had simply cast to the ground near his feet, and came within a hair's breadth of cutting the evil troll before being knocked away.

"You have improved Trollhunter!" Gunmar bellowed. "I acknowledge your skill. But it is not enough. You have slain my son and I will take your life in vengeance!"

"Come on out here then." Jim taunted, motioning to the sunlit patch he and Claire stood in.

"A generous offer, but I decline. Come now Trollhunter, you cannot actually expect this to work? You cannot force me into the open, nor am I so clouded in the mind by rage to come willingly. Your skills are better, that is true. But I remain better still. You will have to flee before the sun sets, or it will go poorly for you."

XXXXX

"Twi! Start casting!!" Rainbow Dash's voice echoed through the forest, and Twilight began to channel the needed magic through her horn. Half a second more and Dash appeared, Drall close on her tail. As planned, Toby made the first move, jumping down from above and smashing Warhammer down in Drall's path, the seismic shockwaves tossing the troll end over end until he smashed into a tree and uncurled.

Drall's eyes glowed bright blue with the magic Gunmar had used to control him, and he let out an ear-splitting roar before charging at Toby who was saved by Rainbow Dash grabbing him and flying straight up. Then Blinky, lurking in the deeper shadows behind a tree, started throwing Dwarkstones. The explosive rocks pelted Drall's back and he turned to face Blinky instead. Rainbow, having deposited Toby high in the branches, dived back down and tried to engage Drall with her 'Broken Wing' martial arts moves. It kept the mind controlled troll busy, as she was too agile for him to land a blow barring luck, but her own blows did no harm.

Then Drall got his lucky blow, knocking Rainbow Dash back and onto her back on the ground. Drall raised both arms to strike down hard, Rainbow trying to roll out of the way, when Toby entered the battle again, cracking Drall over the back of the head, then jumping down and helping Rainbow to her hooves as Drall stumbled backwards holding his head. "Thanks." Rainbow said.

"Eh, you did the same for me." Toby answered.

Drall roared and lunges towards them again, but as he did so Twilight finished casting. The memory restoration spell slammed into his body and flowed through his brain, breaking Gunmar's control and restoring his mind. Drall fell to his knees, breathing heavily, but when Toby approached he growled menacingly. "Whoa! Easy Drall! It's me!"

"W... What...? I'm... Free...?"

"Thanks to a new friend." Blinky said, approaching. "Drall, this is Twilight Sparkle. She cast the spell that broke Gunmar's hold."

"Then I am in your debt." Drall bowed slightly to Twilight. "Though I am also surprised. Where did you find a unicorn Blinkous? I thought they were myths."

"That's a long story big guy." Rainbow said, flying back down from the tree tops. "What matters is, do you remember what happened when you were under?"

Everyone looked to Drall expectantly. "I do. I remember attacking the Trollhunter. I tried to kill him. I have lost my honor."

"But... It wasn't your fault." Twilight said.

"Yeah man, don't blame yourself for what Gunmar did." Toby agreed.

"But he did it through me. Because I was not strong enough to resist."

Twilight stepped forward and laid a hoof on Drall's arm. "I couldn't disagree more. Everything I've heard says no one can resist that blade, except maybe the Trollhunter in full armor. But even if it were true, as long as you're alive there's a chance to make amends and set things right."

"Perhaps... Though, where is the Trollhunter?" Drall looked around for Jim.

"He's um, back that way with Claire keeping Gunmar busy." Toby answered.

"What!? They fight Gunmar alone!?" Drall was running toward Gunmar's cave as quickly as he could, the others following close behind...

XXXXX

Aja was perched in the crown of a tree, serrator weapon in hand, waiting. Her role in Twilight's plan was to cover Jim and Claire if needed,otherwise watching for the best opening to do some damage. So far, no good openings had appeared. This Gunmar was every bit as big and tough as Jim and his friends had said. And now Jim and Claire were safe in a patch of sunlight, while Gunmar taunted them from the safety of the cave. "Think Aja!" The girl whispered to herself, "There has to be a way to use the broad daylight against this guy, to get him out into the sun."

The question was how. Blasting away the forest canopy would just cause Gunmar to hide deeper in the cave. Collapsing the cave would only trap him for a few hours. If she could get behind Gunmar, somehow, she could possibly try to drive him out of the cave, but how...?

Aja's ruminations were interrupted by the return of Drall, who surged out of the forest to slam into Gunmar hard, knocking the dictator off his feet. "Drall!" Jim and Claire cried out, and the named troll was distracted just enough for Gunmar to throw him off, though thankfully not out into the sunlight.

While Jim and Claire ran to check on Drall, Rainbow Dash and the others returned. "Drall destroy them!" Gunmar bellowed, but Twilight merely smirked.

"Drall is no longer under your control."

For perhaps the first time in his life, Gunmar looked flabbergasted. "You broke my control!? How can this be!?" He shook his head. "No matter! Still I am more powerful! I will destroy you all, find the Pale Lady, and bring the Age of Trollkind under the Eternal Night!"

"Well you're sure of yourself, I'll give you that." Rainbow snarked.

"You can't attack in the day." Twilight said. "And we've got all day to do something with that."

"If I were to give you the chance, perhaps!" Gunmar exclaimed, and he began throwing rocks again, big ones, boulders really, holding everyone back from attacking.

It was then that Aja saw her opening. She jumped from tree to tree until she saw Twilight sheltering behind one particular tree trunk and slid down to join her. "I have an idea!"

"I'm listening." Twilight said.

"If you can teleport me inside the cave, I can drive Gunmar back from the entrance, perhaps even all the way into the sun."

Twilight pondered the idea. "Hmmm... It's risky. But I've got nothing better. Let's do it."

Twilight and Aja vanished as the unicorn teleported them into the cave. Meanwhile, Gunmar was still throwing rocks with one hand while holding his blade with the other. It was a difficult situation for those trying to fight him; The rocks kept them from getting close, and given the blade's mind-controlling enchantment it wouldn't be a good idea for anyone but fully armored Jim anyway. Claire blocked the rocks with portals, Jim and Toby deflected what they could with their weapons, and Rainbow Dash was dropping Blinky's explosive dwarkstones from high above, but nothing seemed to be working.

For his part, Gunmar was starting to become, well, not worried. He was Gunmar. But concerned, at least. At first, Claire had been using her portals to send the rocks back, trying to hit Gunmar with his own projectiles. She had realized quickly though that all this accomplished was giving him unlimited ammunition and stopped. And now he was running short of rocks small enough to throw and big enough to be worth the trouble. He never thought he'd say it, but a little help would be useful.

Then Gunmar heard movement in the cave behind him, and a smile crept over his face. Perfect. "About time you recovered Angor Rot. We have a situation-" Gunmar never finished the sentence, as he was blasted away from the cave entrance by a combination of Aja's serrator and Twilight's magic. Another pair of blasts drove him further away, and then a third. Burning sunlight touched his hand, two fingers turning to stone, and he jumped back out of the light as quickly as he could, taking the only shelter he could now reach: A widely spreading, heavily leaved tree.

With Rainbow Dash still hovering above, and Blinky and Drall now taking the cave for their own shelter (Drall unceremoniously tossing the still out of it Angor Rot out into the sun), Twilight, Jim, Claire, Toby, and Aja surrounded Gunmar and the tree. "You've lost Gunmar. Make it easy on yourself." JIm said.

"No. I am Gunmar the Black and I will never yield. This tree will protect me until the sun falls."

"A tree's a lot easier to take down than a rocky cliff." Toby said. "We could whittle the branches away 'til he's exposed."

"Or I could just keep shooting him." Aja suggested.

"Both good suggestions." Twilight nodded. "But I've got a better idea." She tilted her head back, looking up. "Rainbow Dash! How's your speed?"

Dash grinned. "Let's find out." Without another word, Rainbow flew high into the sky, and then dived, going faster and faster. Just before reaching the tree, she changed to a 'Broken Wing' attack position meant for surviving high speed impacts, and deflected herself off the upper branches of the tree. Just as the Rainboom shockwave hit, stripping the tree of leaves and exposing Gunmar to the sun with nowhere to run.

And Gunmar the Black, terror of trollkind for over a thousand years, was turned to stone.

"We did it." Toby said, eyes wide. "Jimbo! We did it! We actually beat Gunmar dude!" The teens (and also the trolls in the cave) erupted into cheers.

But the cheers were not long in keeping. For even as they celebrated, Twilight felt something. Something she'd felt before. "Guys!" She exclaimed, "Something's wrong!"

"Gunmar! Look!" Aja shouted, pointing. At Gunmar's petrified feet, a fire was burning. It didn't burn the surrounding grass or fallen leaves, only the stone Gunmar had become, flowing up the legs, over the body and arms and head, enveloping and consuming the statue. And a voice, familiar to those who had confronted Usurna spoke. "Gunmar the Black... Come..." A few moments more and Gunmar was gone.

"Well horseapples," Rainbow Dash mumbled...

Book Two: Chapter Twelve

Author's Note

Sorry if this chapter is a little too goofy with some of Pinkie's advice. Speaking of which, kudos to whoever can identify the sources for Pinkie's four 'double or nothing' advices. 1, 2, and 4 aren't that hard, but 3 is kind of obscure.

Book Two: Chapter Twelve

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Twelve

With Tess providing the magical light that held the windigos at bay, the team moved deeper into the ice spirit's frozen territory. There was nothing to be seen but snow, ice, and occasional outcroppings of bare rock. The windigos stayed away from the light, and no other living creatures were in evidence. They trudged up a hill, and upon reaching the top Pinkie gasped. "Look there!" She pointed.

What Pinkie had seen, far away across the plains, was the warm glowing light of a fire. Applejack pulled field glasses from her saddlebags and took a closer look. "It's a little house." She said. "Light's coming through a window."

"It must be Starswirl right!?" Pinkie asked, hopping up and down."

"I cannot imagine who else would dwell here." Gandalf agreed.

Tess said "Then let's go. I can't keep this up much longer."

"Very well. But be cautious... We still do not know how Starswirl has kept the windigos at bay from himself."

They slid down the far side of the hill, and walked on towards the house. Just as they were drawing near enough to see the structure clearly even without the glasses, the ground began to rumble with the steps of something huge. Then that something strode into view, directly in their path. It was bigger than an elephant, bigger than two, really. The body was leonine, the head and face pony with an Egyptian style headdress, and a great pair of feathered wings sprouted from it's back. "Is that... a sphinx?" Rarity asked.

"It is indeed." Luna replied. She looked at Gandalf. "We now know how Starswirl protected himself."

"Yes."

"Y'all care 't fill the rest of us in?" Applejack asked.

Gandalf explained "Oh well it's quite simple. Sphinx serve as guardians. Guardians of doors, passages, structures, even national borders on occasion. They present those wishing to pass with a challenge, and if anyone attempts to pass without the challenge, or after failing it, the sphinx will immolate them in fires to rival the heart of a volcano. Explaining how Starswirl hasn't been deluged by windigos."

"I...It... It's gonna... Burn us alive!?" Fluttershy hid trembling behind Applejack.

"Fear not Fluttershy." Luna comforted the pegasus. "A sphinx will only do that to one who attempts to sneak or force their way through. There is no punishment for failing the sphinx's challenge, save for not being allowed to pass."

"Oh... That's a little less scary then."

"So, I'm almost afraid to ask, but... What kind of challenges are we talking about?" Rarity asked.

"It varies." Luna said. "Of course, the most common is for the sphinx to present you with a riddle. Others will want you to ask them a riddle; you pass if they can't guess the right answer in three tries. Then there are some that play games, most often chess... And there are many other possibilities as well."

"Well, Let's go see what this one wants then." Applejack said, and started forward.

The rest of the team followed behind Applejack, Gandalf pausing for a moment to tell Tess it was safe to stop the light now that they were close to the sphinx. She did so with a great sigh of relief.

As they approached, the sphinx looked down with fire in it's eyes and spoke with a deep, resounding voice. "Halt. I. Am. Percivox. Guardian. Sphinx. Of. Starswirl. Seek. You. An. Audience. With. The. Wizard?"

Luna stepped forward. "We do, great sphinx. What is your challenge?"

"You. Will. Give. Me. Advice. The. Advice. Must. Be. Good. Advice. It. Must. Also. Be. Advice. I. Have. Never. Heard. Before."

They huddled together. "Advice he's never heard before? When he's probably a thousand years old? That's gonna be tricky." Applejack said.

"Strewth. But we must try." Luna agreed.

"Yeah... Who goes first?" Tess asked.

"I will." Luna said. She approached the Sphinx. "Earn more than you show. Speak less than you know."

The sphinx pondered this. "The. Advice. Is. Good... But. I. Have. Heard. It. Before... Fail. Next?"

"I'll go I'll go!!" Pinkie cheered. "Never discuss politics, religion, or the Great Pumpkin!"

"The. Last. Part. Makes. It. Weird... Fail. Next?"

"Aw phooey!" Pinkie complained as she stepped back.

"Um.... Eeep!" Fluttershy dived back behind the others.

"Not. Advice... Fail. Next?"

Gandalf sighed and stepped forward. "If you cannot give life to those who deserve it, you should not be quick to give death to those who deserve it either."

"True. And. Good... But. I. Have. Read. The. Book... Fail. Next?"

"It's better 't remain silent and be thought a fool than 't open yer mouth and remove all doubt." Applejack declared.

"Success." The sphinx said after a moment. "You. May. Pass."

"Thank ya kindly." Applejack said. "Come on y'all!"

"Halt. Only. You."

"It is an individual thing dear Applejack." Gandalf said.

"Well I ain't goin' without mah friends."

"Integrity. Acknowledged. Who. Is. Next?"

"I guess I will try." Rarity said. "Measure once. Cut twice."

The sphinx cocked it's head. "You. Do. Understand. That. The. Advice. Is. Supposed. To. Be. Good? Fail. Next?"

"Oh that was very good advice!" Rarity huffed. Fluttershy whispered in her ear for a moment, causing her eyes to go wide. "Oh no I did say it backwards!"

"Tess it's on you." Luna said. "One of us must get in and since Applejack won't leave the others..."

"Wow, I don't know..."

Pinkie stepped forward again, which caused the sphinx to begin to glow with flames. "Whoa big guy! I'm not sneaking past you! I've just got an offer for you."

The flames died down. "Offer? Elaborate."

"Well, I know you guys like games and challenges," Pinkie said, "So how about we do double or nothing? You give me another chance. If I can come up with, oh, let's say four pieces of good advice. If I win all four, you let us all through."

The sphinx was silent for several seconds, considering. Finally, he said "Acceptable. Begin."

Pinkie closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. And began: "One: Put rubber bands around your pantlegs to keep the evil spirits out of your trousers." The sphinx raised an eyebrow. "Two, When the snake falls in love with the spaghetti, it's time to buy a new hat!" Luna face-hoofed. Pinkie continued, "Three, Always remember that bad comedy is like bad fish: if you ingest too much, you'll die screaming on a toilet." (At this point, everyone was face-hoofing.) "Four, if you ever become an evil overlord do not, under any circumstances, transform yourself into a giant snake. It. Never. Works."

"You. Fail. Again." The sphinx said.

"What!? How!?" Pinkie demanded.

"One: I. Do. Not. Wear. Pants... "

"Two: What. The. Hell? "

"Three: Ditto. Two..."

"Four: Excellent. Advice. But. You. Had. To. Win. All. Four." The sphinx looked smug. "You. Will. Leave. Now-"

The creature was interrupted when the door of the house opened and a grey unicorn head with a long white beard poked out. "Oh for heaven's sake Percy! I told you to let them in when they arrived!"

"Apologies. Starswirl. You. All. May. Pass."

"Well that was a big mess of pointless." Applejack said as she trotted past the sphinx with the others.

"We're in darling, that's all that matters." Rarity said, and no one could argue the point...

XXXXX

The interior of Starswirl's home was packed to the roof with books, scrolls, and various magical trinkets. A small cot stood in a corner, two oil lamps burned atop a wooden work table, and a roaring fire was in the hearth. "Well then, I'll put on some hot tea." Starswirl said. "I'm sure you all need some warmth after coming in." He began to fuss around the fire.

"You know why we've come?" Gandalf asked.

"Yes, yes, of course." Starswirl waved this off. "We'll be on our way first thing in the morning." He continued working before the fire for several minutes, then serving tea. "Hello Luna." He said with a slight smile as her served her, "It's good to see you back to yourself."

"Tis good to be back to myself." Luna replied.

"So y'all said ya know why we're here?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, quite." Starswirl replied. "The prophecies are rising, darkness threatens to consume all worlds, Only an alliance forged with our help can stop it yadda yadda yadda... By Equestrian standards, 'Tuesday.' For some other worlds, kind of traumatic I'd wager."

"Indeed." Gandalf said, nodding.

"I'm still confused about one thing though..." Rarity said. "How, exactly, are we supposed to escape from this place? As soon as we leave your sphinx behind the widingos will be all over us again!"

Starswirl answered "Not so. I retained Percivox's services to guard me, not this place. I'll have to disband his contract before we leave Eqqus of course, but for the trip back to Canterlot he will accompany us and keep the windigos away."

Tess breathed an audible sigh of relief at not having to worry about summoning the Light of Earendil again. Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. "That's good. Tess really wore herself out getting us here."

"Well as I said, the journey back will be easier... Speaking of which, Luna, I hope we make it back to Canterlot before the team seeking Merlin returns. I'll need to discuss some things with you and your sister... Some supplies we will need for the plan I suspect Gandalf has in mind."

"Yes quite." Gandalf agreed, then smiled. "Though as it happens, I handled that already..."

XXXXX

As Starswirl had promised, the trip back was much quicker and easier. While they were still in the windigo lands, the spirits swirled all about, just outside of the sphinx's range, not daring to come any closer. Once they were beyond the perpetual storm clouds of that territory, the sun itself kept them from following. Still, Starswirl did not dismiss Percivox from his service until they were within sight of Canterlot itself.

"A thousand years is a long time old friend." Starswirl said to the sphinx. "I'll miss you, but you cannot come where I'm going."

"Where will you go?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at the sphinx while still partly hiding behind Applejack.

"I. Will. Travel... See. The. World... For. A. Time..."

"Capital idea darling, much will have changed in a thousand years." Rarity nodded.

"Yes. And. Now. I. Go... Farewell..." The sphinx spread its wings wide and flew away towards the west. The rest of the group then continued south to Canterlot, where they were welcomed back by Celestia.

"We've gathered the supplies you requested Gandalf." She said as the gathered for a meal. "But Twilight and the other team have not yet returned."

"I'm sure they won't be long." Starswirl said.

Applejack asked "How'r things coming with the fightin' on earth?"

Celestia sighed. "Shining Armor and Agent Marsh managed to capture one of the enemy's soldiers. He's not talking. Although... Gandalf, Tessindra, you might find this image we were sent of the captive... ...disturbing..." She floated a photograph to them in her magic.

Everyone gathered in for a look. "Hideous." Rarity gasped, while Applejack and Pinkie nodded and Fluttershy cringed. As for Tess, her eyes went wide. "Mithrandir.... Is this...?"

"Yes... Yes, this is an orc." Gandalf confirmed. "Which raises a great many additional questions in regards to our foe."

"But does it?" Pinkie asked, looking at Tess. "I mean, you said from the start that the nasty place where the orcs lived just vanished one day. I guess they're still around just somewhere else!"

"There has to be more to it though..." Tess mused. "It's been six thousand years after all."

"And look closely..." Luna added, "This being's armor, it seems very technically advanced."

"Yes, according to Shining Armor it could resist any magical or technological attack that did not blend the two." Celestia said.

"Man and Pony must together contend..." Starswirl quoted, and then added "On two levels."

"Two?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, the level of our armies fighting theirs, and the level of our champions striking down the true ruler behind what is happening." The pony wizard explained.

Tess asked "What about the prophecy you left? About a ring of power?"

Starswirl shook his head. "I know there will be a great ring involved in this, in the possession of our enemy. But where it will come from and how the enemy will use it... Even I know not."

Celestia looked out the windows, watching the sun which would soon need her push to set for the night. "I feel there is nothing more to do this day, speculation is just that after all. Come, I'll have the attendants make rooms for you all, until Twilight and the others return with Merlin...

Book Two: Chapter Thirteen

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Book Two: Chapter Fourteen

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Fourteen

Everyone jumped back, not a few screaming, as Merlin suddenly took a deep breath in. And began coughing violently over the cobwebs he had just inhaled. They all watched, eyes wide, as the ancient wizard's body convulsed with the violence of the coughing, until he finally cleared out the cobwebs and laid back down, eyeing Jim. "Are you the Trollhunter?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. I'm-"

"I thought you'd be taller. And also older. What are you, ten?"

"I'm sixteen." Jim countered.

"Sixteen... Hmmmm.... I was only off by, oh, let's see... four, carry the ten... Fourteen years." Merlin shook his head.

"Holy Merlin it's really you!" Toby exclaimed.

"What manner of troll are you supposed to be?"

"I'm not a troll, I'm a Toby!"

Twilight stepped forward. "And I'm a-"

"Unicorn pony, yes. I do remember Starswirl you know." Merlin cut her off. "And what fair vision is this?"

"Blinkous Galadrigal at your service-"

"Not you!" Merlin said, already making cutting others off a habit. "You." He motioned to Claire.

"Claire Nunez sir."

"It is a pleasure my dear." Merlin smiled.

Both at once, Blinky and Twilight tried again to speak with the wizard: "Your sageness, we-" "Sir, we were sent to find you by-" Both were cut off as Merlin sat up and began to stretch, his joints cracking loudly as the stretching went on and on.

"I seriously don't wanna be old." Toby said as the stretching, popping, and cracking entered it's third minute.

"Now then, I assume one of you has my staff...?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, here you are." Twilight levitated the staff to Merlin.

"Excellent! Now we have all we need to bring about Morgana's final doom!"

"Um,, yeah, about that..." Rainbow Dash said hesitantly.

"...The enemy of Faust's final prophecy has already taken her." Twilight finished.

"Well there goes hope then." Merlin said. "How could you let that happen?"

"Let it!?" Rainbow screamed.

"I call them as I see them little pony."

"'Abrasive' doesn't even begin to describe him..." Twilight muttered. "Look! Gandalf sent us to find you! He has a plan!"

"Well of course he does, Gandalf always has a plan..." Merlin sighed. "I don't suppose he's told you how often those plans don't work?"

"Be that as it may, I would say that Master Gandalf's plan is better than any other chance we have. After all, he, unlike you, has been awake and planning. And furthermore if we do not take action now, then all hope will truly be lost-" Blinky wasn't even started on his tirade when Merlin interrupted him:

"Four arms, six eyes, but he talks like he has ten mouths."

Rainbow, Toby, and Aja couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, we've found Merlin, what are we doing?" Toby asked.

Twilight answered "We've just got to get clear of the anti-magic field and Claire can portal us back to the Tardis. Then we'll gather the others from Eqqus and head home."

"Then let's find the exit door already."

XXXXX

The Doctor was sitting by the Tardis' main console, sipping a cup of tea, when a portal opened near the doors. Claire was through first, followed by her fellow Trollhunters, the ponies, Aja, Merlin, and the large trolls last. "That really wasn't very wise." He said to Claire as the portal closed. "Teleporting directly into the closed space folds of a Tardis was very risky."

"Oops? Sorry, but I wasn't sure Arrrgh and Drall would fit through the door."

"I'd say not... Well, let's get moving on then, shall we?"

"Yes! With any luck Gandalf and my friends are back in Canterlot with Starswirl by now." Twilight said.

"Let's hope so." The Doctor answered. He turned to the center console and started activating switches, powering up for the transit to Eqqus.

This trip proved to be as smooth and uneventful as the first. Because it was daytime, the trolls remained inside the Tardis, while the rest of the team stepped outside where they were greeted by Twilight's friends. Rainbow Dash flew to them, cheering and excitedly exchanging stories with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Twilight, of course, made a beeline for Starswirl. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" She was bouncing on her hooves, in a circle around Starswirl and Gandalf. "You're Starswirl! Oh! Oh I've dreamed of this moment my entire life!"

"Twilight..." Gandalf whispered.

"I know I know! But... Squeeeeee!"

Starswirl looked up at Gandalf. "Is this that 'fan club' thing you were warning me about?"

"It certainly is."

The pony mage shook his head. "That will take some getting used to... Now, Twilight, was it? I am pleased to meet you as well, and would be happy to get to know you better if you will just calm down a little."

"I'll need a little time on that last part!" Twilight answered, still hopping.

"Oh fair enough... So I assume we're ready to go now that everypony is-" Starswirl finally caught sight of Merlin. "-Oh, you're here too."

"Don't sound so excited." Merlin groused.

"Oh I assure you I'm not."

"Wait do you two have a problem with each other?" Applejack asked, looking back and forth between Starswirl and Merlin.

"I kinda think everyone has a problem with Merlin." Rainbow whispered to her.

"Yeah he's kind of a jerk, like Gandalf warned us." Claire also whispered.

"Issues aside," Gandalf said, "I think we had better load the supplies and be on our way."

"Supplies?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, in those big carts over there." Applejack motioned to a pair of large metal carts with tarps over the top. "The Princesses agreed t' send some stuff Gandalf said we'd need for his plan."

Unable to restrain her curiosity, Twilight peaked under one of the tarps. Her jaw dropped at what she was seeing. "This... This is..."

"Shhh..." Gandalf said. "Don't say it aloud around here." Twilight could only nod weakly...

XXXXX

It took another hour for both carts to be loaded aboard the Tardis and safely stowed away, and for everyone to board her again. Celestia and Luna arrived when only Twilight and the Doctor were still standing outside. "Farewell my student. I wish you success." Celestia said, pulling Twilight into a hug. To the unicorn's surprise, Luna did the same.

"Thank you both. I wish I didn't have to go, but..." Twilight hung her head.

"Now, now... None of that. We can speak whenever we wish."

"It's not the same." Twilight whispered.

Luna said "No, but what will be will be."

"I suppose so." Twilight admitted. She then bowed. "Time to go..."

Twilight boarded the Tardis and the door closed, the vehicle vanishing from sight moments later.

This new journey, however, was not to be as untroubled as the previous three. Almost as soon as they were gone, the Tardis began to shudder violently, and alarms starting ringing from numerous control panels. "What's happening!?" Fluttershy fearfully exclaimed.

"Hard to say precisely!" The Doctor answered. "Something is pulling us off course!" He scrambled around the center console, trying to regain control. "Everyone brace yourselves on something! We're going to have a rough landing!"

There was a terrible grinding sound, so loud that the ponies all laid their ears back while everyone else covered their ears with their hands, and then a shockwave as they came to rest with a hard impact. The Doctor, who had somehow managed to keep to his hooves while working, shut off the alarms and said "Well, we're here. Wherever here is."

"What'dya mean by that?" Applejack asked. "Ain't we back at Unity?"

"No. As I said, we were pulled off course somehow."

"Isn't that bad?" Aja asked. "Krel said we might not have any extra trips."

"We're stranded somewhere!?" Rarity exclaimed, and everyone began to panic.

"Now now... Krel said we 'might' not have any extra trips. And to not count on more than one or two extra." The Doctor explained. "I've already looked the components Krel repaired over and they are intact. We can still get back to Unity, once I check the rest of the systems over." He looked at Twilight. "In the meantime, I would suggest that you and your friends take a careful look outside to see where we are."

"Um... That sounds dangerous." Fluttershy whispered.

The Doctor trotted to Fluttershy's side and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Maybe. Maybe very much so. But I've been doing this for a long time dear Fluttershy, eight centuries over many lives. And if I've learned one thing it's that things like this don't happen at random. If we're here, we're here because there's something we need to see or do."

"Then let's take a look." Twilight said. "But only a few of us. Me, Tess, Gandalf, Jim, and Blinky if it's not daylight. Everyone else wait here."

It wasn't daylight. Or, rather, it was but the thick roiling black clouds that filled the sky filtered the light more than enough to render it safe for trolls, and Blinky was able to join them. The first thing Twilight noticed, after the clouds, was the heat. It was easily over a hundred degrees. The ground was also hot, so much so that she nearly needed to dance in place to keep the black volcanic sand from burning her hooves. The Tardis had arrived in a cleft of rock that was shielded from view in most directions, and that was a good thing considering they were on a high sloping mountain side. There was also a noticeable trembling in the ground, the source of which became obvious when they all stepped out from the cleft and saw, far to the west, a river of lava cascading down the slopes.

Above, the mountain's peak was aglow with lava, and a column of ash rose into the sky, providing the dark clouds that filled the heavens from horizon to horizon. "We're on the side of an active volcano." Jim gasped. "What could we need to see or do here?"

"This isn't just any volcano." Tess whispered, fear in her voice. "Orodruin."

Twilight's head spun to face the elf. "This is...?"

Gandalf could only nod. "It seems we've found where Mordor vanished to in the sundering."

"But you said that was six thousand years ago." Jim said.

"It was, but... I'm wondering if we should be surprised, after the news we received from Earth... That the enemy's foot soldiers are orcs." Tess said.

"Wait, are you saying our current enemy is based here?" Twilight asked.

"I suspect so." Gandalf confirmed. "Look!" He motioned downward, toward the plains of Mordor, where armies were being marshaled in rank and file. As they watched, there was a sudden brightening from above, and they looked up to see that there was now an image being projected onto the clouds from somewhere below. Static resolved into a clear image of a woman, seemingly human but with blue skin and glowing yellow eyes. Gunmar was visible behind her, still turned to stone, and there were several other beings of various types standing to her left and right. Most were unknown, but Blinky gasped as he recognized Usurna to the left, and Twilight as she saw Chrysalis to the right.

The blue woman began to speak, and even on the heights of the mountain they could hear her clearly. "Armies of our Dark Master! Our great work is nearly complete! As I speak, the final batch of harvesters is on route to the mountain, and when they finish their work ultimate power will be ours!" The massed armies of orcs cheered. "Stand ready! Our expeditionary forces have established beachheads on Earth and Eqqus. Soon we march!" The projection vanished.

"We have to go. Now!" Jim said.

"Wait." Twilight's ears perked up. "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Yes! A droning sound. Getting louder. Or maybe closer." Blinky said.

A few moments later, the source of the sound came into view. It was a trio of large aircraft, propeller driven, passing low over the slopes of Mount Doom. "Orcs with airplanes?" Jim wondered.

"It's no surprise. They've had as long to develop as we did." Tess said. "Though I do wonder if they made these themselves or were given the technology." The aircraft passed nearby, but not directly overhead, and bay doors in the belly of each vehicle opened, disgorging a thick mass of particles that fell to the ground.

"Crop dusting?" Blinky wondered

"Doubtful. I want a closer look." Twilight said, and headed down slope towards where the unknown mass had landed, the others close behind her.

What they found, when they got to the edge of where the mass had settled, was something that coated every inch of rock and shimmered faintly. Tess knelt down close, pulled her goggles down over her eyes, and started looking with increasing magnification. "Nanites?" She mumbled after reaching the highest magnification.

When Twilight asked, Tess passed her the goggles, and they were subsequently passed to everyone else as well.

"They're like tiny little robots." Jim said.

"That's the idea." Tess said. "The enemy itself must have given them to the orcs, I can't believe they've developed that far on their own. We don't even have this kind of technology yet, though we've discussed the idea. Wait here, I'm going back for the Doctor, he needs to see this."

Tess returned with the Doctor and Aja a few minutes later. "Nanites indeed, and very advanced ones." he confirmed.

Twilight asked "They seem to be burrowing down into the rock. Do you have a way to contain a sample of them safely? I'd like for you or maybe Krel to examine these more closely."

"Excellent idea. And in fact Aja has an option for that."

"Well, yes, I can set my serrator to form a shield that should hold them well enough." Aja confirmed. She fiddled with the device for a moment, before holding it out and creating an energy bubble, open at the top, into which Twilight levitated a sample. Aja then closed the opening as well.

"Okay, I'm hoping that's all we needed to see." Jim said. "Can we get out of here?"

"Certainly. The Tardis is ready to go."

"Then let's get home before anything else bad can happen." Twilight said, and no one disagreed.

Author's Note

Up Next:

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Book Three: Chapter One

Author's Note

Short term change in tone, book three is mostly slice of life on how the people of Unity are dealing with knowing there is a war on back home, as well as scenes from Earth and Eqqus where the fighting is underway. We'll get back to the adventure aspect of the tale when Gandalf's plan is complete at the beginning of book four.

Book Three: Chapter One

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Chapter One

Earth. Fallow Meadows timeline. While friends new and old were searching for Merlin and Starswirl, Shining Armor and Agent Marsh were attempting to interrogate the captured Orcish prisoner. He was, of course, singularly uncooperative. Shining Armor had cast a translation spell on the prisoner, but he would answer no questions. Indeed, he barely even acknowledged that anyone else was in the room, simply singing a chant about 'the quiet darkness, the third law, and the end of all things.'

On the third day after making the capture, Armor and Marsh were sitting across from each other at a conference table, discussing how best to proceed over lunch. "He's not gonna talk." Shining said. "We've got a true believer in his cause here."

"Probably, though I still wonder if he's just more afraid of what they'll do to him than what we would." Marsh argued.

"Possible... Either way we're not getting anything out of him." Shining took a sip from his soda.

"You wouldn't happen to have any magic for forcing the truth out of someone? Because I have to level with you, the longer he stays quiet, the higher the odds some agency will decide to risk sodium amytol or some other truth drug." Marsh shook his head.

"Do those actually work?" Shining wondered.

"On humans? Kind of. On orcs? Who can say?"

"Well I hope they don't kill him. If only since it'd be a pain to catch another one."

"Tell me about-" Marsh was interrupted by a junior agent at the door. "Agent Marsh? Captain Armor? We have a high priority contact from the Equestrian government. You can speak with them in the war room."

Marsh and Shining rushed through the narrow halls of the forward base until they reached the designated room, where they found a large monitor screen turned on, with Princess Luna waiting for them. Shining bowed. "Princess."

"I won't mince words Captain." Luna said. "It has started here as well."

"Where?" Shining asked.

Luna replied "Gryphonica. Hour by hour we receive more and more refugees. They are being overrun, and based upon the reports I doubt we have more than a week before the front lines of our foe reach Equestria's own border."

"Assuming they even have to advance." Marsh muttered.

"What was that agent?" Luna asked.

Marsh had the decency to blush slightly. "Apologies Princess... I'm just wondering something: If these armies are coming from other worlds or dimensions or whatever, well, sending everyone to one place and advancing from there might make sense at first... You'd want a beachhead. But once you have that, why not just appear everywhere all at once? It doesn't make any sense for them to just keep marching from the one arrival point."

"Now that's a disturbing thought." Shining Armor sighed.

"Disturbing and valid." Luna answered. "You are correct Agent Marsh. This makes no sense."

"Or, more likely, it makes a sense we don't see yet." Shining suggested. "Princess, if I may ask, do you wish for myself and my team to return?"

"Not as yet. That is why I am speaking to you rather than Tia. She is exhausting herself in several trips bringing a team of human specialists here to work with our own army."

"We'll keep working this end as well Princess." Marsh said, "Though we're gonna need a miracle and soon."

"Indeed... I must go. There is much to do in aiding the refugees and calming the populace, the senate more than the people I suspect." Luna snorted at this last. "Keep us informed. And pray for that miracle." The screen went black.

"I'm open to ideas." Marsh said after a moment.

"Yeah, me too." Shining agreed...

XXXXX

Unity. As soon as they had arrived, Gandalf, Starswirl, and Merlin took over the basement laboratory of Golden Oaks Library, setting to work on Gandalf's plan. None of the three would reveal what they were doing, and Twilight was nervous enough that she and Spike temporarily moved out. This didn't prevent her from trying to investigate what they might have been up to, though, especially when the chance to ask questions of others knowledgeable in magic presented itself. On one occassion, she was having lunch with Tess and Nigel Baker, and decided to pick the young elf's mind for anything that might be useful.

"So, Tess... You wouldn't happen to know any uses a wizard might have for a very large amount of mythril would you?" Twilight asked, trying too hard to sound nonchalant.

Tess pondered for a moment. "Not really... I mean, as I assume you already know, metal is generally a poor substitute for gemstones or crystals in holding enchantments, though if you had to use metal mythril would be the best choice by far... But a specialized need for a lot of it? Yeah, not that I can think of."

"Nuts." Twilight complained.

"Okay Twilight, what's this about?" Nigel asked.

"Gandalf will probably be mad at me for saying anything..." Twilight sighed. "Tess, remember those two big carts the princesses sent back with us at Gandalf's request?" Tess nodded. Twilight continued "I peeked inside. They were both full of refined mythril ingots."

"Full!?" Tess' eyes went wide with shock. "But that's..."

"I know right?"

"Care to fill me in?" Nigel asked.

Twilight explained "I can't give you a precise number, since gold isn't worth nearly as much on Eqqus as on Earth... But based on what I do know of your economy, and adjusting for differences as best I can, I would estimate that a single mythril ingot is worth as much to us as over five hundred equally sized ingots of gold are to you."

Nigel was stunned. "And your princesses sent it here?"

"There were at least two hundred ingots in each cart. That's an Alicorn's ransom. In each cart. And they sent it here because Gandalf's plan needs it somehow."

"I hope it's worth it." Nigel said.

"All I know is I'm about to pull my mane out. I've offered to help but they refused me!"

"Wizard's prerogative." Tess chuckled. "Still... I could ask around. Maybe the Dwarves would know something, they do mine the stuff after all."

"Thanks, but aren't you busy helping the Doctor and Krel?" Twilight asked.

"I might be. They know science but not magic, so they asked for my input if they find anything magic related in the design or programming of those nanites. But that's for later, they've only just started examining them."

"Yeah... I kinda think everything is for later." Twilight conceded. "Okay, I've gotta go. Talk to you both later." She paid her bill and trotted out the door...

XXXXX

Fluttershy sat on a park bench, watching as the Crusaders and their friends played a game of hoofball. She was pleased to see that the children, regardless of species, were still cheerful and active; she had been concerned that fears over news of attacks on Earth, and now Eqqus, would dampen their spirits. So far, though, they seemed fine.

"Kids are resilient." A voice spoke.

Fluttershy looked to see the speaker, Micheal's mother Amanda, sitting next to her. "I'm sorry?"

"You're worried about them. But kids... They seem weak to us as adults, but they can pull the most amazing strength out of themselves when they need to."

"How did you know what I was thinking!?" Fluttershy asked.

"Let's just say 'mother's intuition' doesn't only apply to our own children."

Fluttershy mulled that over. "I see. And I'm sure you're right, but... What if they're only acting okay because they're denying the stress and fear of the news?"

"Then we deal with that. But I don't think that's it. Look.They're really playing, not just going through the motions." Amanda motioned towards the game where Scootaloo's team was winning, primarily because they had Nyma as their goalie. It was hard to get a ball past a shapeshifter after all, though Apple Bloom had managed it a couple of times. As they watched, Micheal passed the ball to Silver Spoon who bounced it off the top of her head to Sweetie Belle. The unicorn tried for a goal, only for Nyma to stretch a foreleg to nearly triple it's normal length, deflecting the ball back onto the field where at least their team managed to catch it again.

"I think you're right!" Fluttershy said, managing a smile.

"So, which one is yours?"

"Oh! Well, none of them are actually mine... I've just been taking care of Silver Spoon, what with her father still in jail."

"That was the cult kidnapping thing right?" Amanda asked. It had happened just a couple of weeks after her arrival.

"Right. Platinum Spoon still has a long time on his sentence. And even when he does get out, well, they're not sure they'll trust him with custody." Fluttershy shook her head. "It's such a tragedy. Even if Silver herself is handling it okay."

Amanda gave a slight smile. "You said she wasn't yours, and by blood no. But it sounds like she is in every other way that matters." She stood. "I have to get to work. It was nice talking to you."

As for herself, Fluttershy sat watching the game, but also thinking deeply on what Amanda had said...

XXXXX

Bert Gumbal was in his back yard, working diligently on a private 'project' that would have most certainly gotten him arrested back on Earth, had the authorities known. Here, he was working with the Sheriff's full knowledge and blessing. Before him, lined up on a table, were several glass jars which he was carefully filling with, in the words of another survivalist, "Just a few common household chemicals in the proper proportions." With the news of a new enemy, and at least a remote risk of Unity itself coming under attack in time, the survivalist had decided it was time to boost the town's arsenals to a new level. And so here he was, cautiously prepping the- "Hi! What'cha doin'?"

Bert stumbled back, nearly dropping a pair of now highly explosive devices in the process. "Damnit Dash! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me!?"

"Seventeen." The pegasus answered honestly.

"Then why do you keep doing it!?" Bert demanded.

"Because I'm bored!"

"Bored?"

"Yes! Bored! Boooo-oooo-oooored! We had a big awesome adventure and it was sweet but now we've been back here for a week and it's boring! There's nothing happening!" Dash eyed the glass jars with unnerving interest. "These do something cool right?"

"Yeah they kill things." Bert answered bluntly.

"Well... I guess that could be kinda cool if it's bad things."

"With you around I wouldn't count on it."

"Hay!"

"I call 'em like I see 'em." Bert insisted. "But yeah, stay back from these eh? It's not C4, but this stuff still packs quite a wallop."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do? The boredom is making me wanna scream."

"Sorry. Not today."

"Phooey."

XXXXX

Big Macintosh had never been so afraid in his life. Not when Discord escaped. Not when his sister went off into the Everfree after Nightmare Moon. Not when he had been covered in mud to hide from the whatever-it-was that stalked the farm an entire night when he was there alone. Not even when his parents had died. "Gotta do it." The stallion psyched himself up and trotted through the door labeled "Jewelry."

A bell rang as Mac entered, and a short balding man with enormous glasses so thick Mac felt sure he must be legally blind without them appeared from the back room. "Mister Apple! How can I help you today?"

"Don't rightly know how humans do this sorta thing... Looking fer maybe... ....An engagement ring?"

"Ahh yes! Well, I'm here to help. Though, the first thing we'll need is her ring size."

"Aw horseapples. How am I supposed 't get that!? Especially without her knowin'?" Macintosh hung his head.

The jeweler thought for a moment. "You know, I don't normally suggest sneaky behavior. But if you could obtain another ring that belongs to Miss Stanz and bring it here, I could size what need off of that."

"Tricky. But I can manage." Mac replied.

"Remember to find a ring you are sure you've seen her wearing since we've been here. Something old won't do."

"Right. I'll be back in a day or two. I hope..."

Book Three: Chapter Two

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Book Three: Chapter Three

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Chapter Three

Eqqus. Gryphonica was overrun with shocking speed. Gryphonstone itself fell on the second day, the emperor and his family fleeing to Equestria. Within a week the entire country was in the hands of enemy troops. Gryphon refugees fleeing to Equestria reported not only the orc troops attacking Earth but also changeling soldiers, all equipped with the same advanced weapons and armor.

Princess Luna stood examining a line of weapons. They had been bought to Eqqus along with the small team of human soldiers Celestia had retrieved, and were now modified according to the specifications developed on Earth. "Let us hope these work." She muttered.

"We'll know soon enough Princess."

"Strewth. Your assistance here is appreciated General Morton. What we do together may well make victory or doom for us all."

"Surprisingly morbid for a pony." A large gryphon strode into view from around a corner and stood next to Luna and Morton.

"Perhaps Emperor Gestal. But then I would think you perhaps would be in such a mood as well."

"Indeed."

Morton said "They should be coming into view at any moment. Everyone in position!" Pony, gryphon, and human troops raced to their positions on the line. The changelings came first, flying fast and low from over the horizon. They made no efforts to maneuver or dodge, clearly not expecting any defenses the Equestrians could put up to pose a threat to them.

This proved a grave error for the drones: The magic augmented rifles began to fire, cutting them down like a scythe. The second wave of drones saw the fate that had met their fellows and began to fly more erratically, reaching the defense line and harrying them from above. Gryphons and pegasai took wing, but all they could really do was distract the drones back, preventing them from getting a good aim on the targets below. And then the orc ground forces marched into view, opening fire as soon as they were in range. Several soldiers with augmented rifles switched to targeting them, and the orcs fell as easily as the changeling drones had, but there were so many, and heavier weapons were beginning to appear behind the orcs as well

"Princess! I think it's time!" General Morton called out to Luna.

"Aye!" Luna shouted back. "Delta Squadron! Go!"

At Luna's command, the specified group of ponies quickly pulled large heavy tarps off of the most potent human weapons yet brought to Eqqus: A trio of M119 howitzers. These had also been equipped with the ammo enchanting crystals, and were ready to fire at a moment's notice. The soldiers assigned to the howitzers took position, pulling heavy muffs over their ears as they did so, and Luna called for all her own troops to do the same.

The big guns were loaded with M1 explosive rounds, General Morton's hope being that this would present the enemy's shields with a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation in which they took an explosion to the face regardless of whether they let the spell or the round through. The first wave of shots proved him right. A massive hole was formed in the enemy's ranks where the shells landed and detonated, the previously confident orcs scrambling for cover.

The next wave took out the heavy artillery that was moving in behind the orcs. But by then the troops had rallied and were advancing again. Meanwhile, the changeling drones were still overhead, firing straight down into the Equestrian lines whenever they had an opening. Thankfully, the harassment from pegasai and gryphons kept them from scoring many hits and none of the howitzers had been hit,, but it was only a matter of time.

"I think it is time to withdraw!" Luna said.

"Aye!" Gestal agreed.

"We need to get these drones off of our backs first though!" Luna shouted.

Morton said "I've got that covered Princess! Can I ask the two of you to pull your fliers back when I give the word?"

"Ready!" Luna and Gestal spoke as one.

"And... Now!" Morton gave the word, pegasai and gryphon air troops were called back, and Luna wondered just what the General had up his sleeve... Until she realized one of the howitzers had been fired almost straight up. Barely had she shouted to take cover than the round exploded, still at altitude. The damage at ground level was minimal. But the changeling drones in the sky were battered by the shockwave and violently tossed about. None were in any condition to pursue as the defenders pulled back.

"A successful test, I would say." Luna mused as she walked alongside Morton and Gestal.

"Yes. If we just had more gear we could hold them off for some time. Maybe even push them back some." Morton agreed.

"It will be some time before my sister can make another trip to Earth... Perhaps it's time I asked her to teach me that spell as well..."

XXXXX

Pinkie Pie was in a pickle. No, not literally, (It's Pinkie. You have to clarify.) But a figurative pickle for sure. The trouble was, that as the premier party planning pony for the entire town, people counted on her to lift their spirits. But the lower spirits were, the harder people resisted her efforts to raise them. And with what was happening back on Eqqus and Earth, spirits were about as low as they could get. And so Pinkie had tried parties and parades and fireworks and free movie nights and even a rodeo. All to no avail.

"Okay, the usual stuff isn't working." Pinkie was trotting back and forth in her bedroom, bouncing ideas off Gummy. "We're gonna have to get creative."

Gummy blinked one eye. Then the other.

"Good idea, but where would we find a brachiosaurus at this late date?" Pinkie continued to pace. "I've got it!" She declared after several minutes.

And so it was that, as dawn began to brighten the sky one morning three weeks after their return to Unity, the people woke to find a massive water slide bending and curving its way through the streets of town. Following the slide, a crowd found a rickety tower perhaps three hundred feet high, which marked the start of the slide. Pinkie was already at the top, waving down and cheering. "This will perk everyone up! Come one come all! 'Aquapalooza' is open for business!!"

On the ground, Sheriff Tucker and Midnight Steel exchanged a concerned look. "Do you wanna tell her? Or should I?" Steel asked.

Tucker replied "I'd rather a pegasus told her. I don't think we should put any more weight on this thing."

"Appearances aside, it would probably hold. Seeing as it was built by Pinkie. Still, better safe than sorry." Steel agreed.

"First things first, though, is stopping those kids." Tucker pointed to a group of children making a beeline for the ladder. "I'll get them, you find a pegasus to fly up and talk her down." He ran to intercept the kids while Midnight Steel sought out a pegasus guard.

And so it was that Pinkie found herself face to face with a stallion named Crosswind who was hovering just to the side of her tower. "I have to what!?" She gasped.

"Remove this installation ma'am. It's not safe."

"Oh this is as sturdy as a rock!" Pinkie insisted.

"Be that as it may-" Crosswind's eyes went wide as the entire tower swayed alarmingly from a minor breeze, "-Or may not- You don't have permission for this. There are forms and fees and safety studies to be taken care of."

"Oh you're all just being wet blankets!" Pinkie said. "Here! I'll prove to you that it works!" Before Crosswind could take any actions to stop her, Pinkie cranked up the two water hoses she had dragged to the top of the tower, creating a cascade of water down the slope of the slide. Oblivious to the frightening effects the added weight had on the stability of the tower, she let out a loud "Woooo-Hooooo!!" and took off down the slide.

Pinkie slid, cheering, down the first slope then along a shallower stretch that led most of the way down main street before curving around a corner and in a full loop around Golden Oaks library. It then made a series of up and down undulations, at one point passing directly through Rarity's shop, the fashionista stumbling out her door demanding to know what was happening and then giving chase as Pinkie continued over the roof of the next building and down the next street over, cheering all the way and picking up an ever larger crowd following along on the ground.

She finally came to a stop after ten minutes, when the bottom of the slide deposited her in a fountain that stood before the school. The splash drenched everyone in twenty feet. "You see Crosswind?" Pinkie called to the pegasus still hovering overhead. "No problems!"

In answer, Crosswind simply pointed with a hoof. Pinkie looked, and gasped at the sight of the entire slide collapsing, one section at a time, behind her. "Okay, so what was that about a safety study?"

XXXXX

While Pinkie was wreaking havoc in town, Applejack was well into her morning routine. Like any farmer she was up before dawn, and by the time the sun was fully over the horizon she had fed the pigs and chickens, collected the eggs, tended to the small vegetable garden, and was now ready to start on the orchards. After breakfast of course. She trotted through the kitchen door to find Granny, Mac, and Bloom already seated. "Right pretty morning out y'all." She said in greeting.

"Eeyup." Mac replied. Applejack couldn't help but notice he seemed distracted by something.

Putting that aside for the moment, she said "How 'bout you Granny?"

"Can't complain! Makin' the fritters for that big bake sale later."

"Bloom?"

"Helpin' Granny! Then a Crusader's meetin' later." Apple Bloom answered.

"Sounds good. I'll be busy in the south fields most of the day and..." Applejack looked at Macintosh again. "What are you fumbling with there?"

Mac sighed and placed an object on the table. A small silver ring. "It's Beth's." He said.

"And you have it how?" Applejack asked.

"Slipped it outta her jewelry box-"

"You stole it!?" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Ah didn't steal nothin'! I'll put it back tomorrow. They just... Needed it at the jewelers t' know her size."

"Her size for- Oh!"

"Eeyup."

"An' how long you been holdin' onto it?" Granny asked.

"A few days. Nervous 't go back. Dunno why."

"Well ah guess the fields can wait a couple hours. I'll come along." Applejack said.

"Me too!" Apple Bloom cheered.

Applejack and Mac looked at each other across the table, visions of a Crusader in a jewelry store crossing their minds like nightmares. "Um, don't you gotta help Granny with the fritters?" They both asked at once.

"Oh yeah. Okay, I'll stay here then."

The elder Apple siblings sighed in relief as one.

An hour later they were trotting side by side through town towards the jewelers. "Still nervous Mac?"

"Eeyup."

"Can't rightly see why. When it comes time 't give it to her, now that's when you'd need 't be nervous." Applejack teased. The jest only caused Mac to swallow, hard. "Oh I'm just kiddin' Mac. You'll be fine."

"AJ! Mac!" A voice called out.

"Uh-oh. Bad timin'." Applejack whispered as Beth ran to join them.

"Surprised to see you two in town this early!" Beth said.

"Just a little business." Applejack answered. "Say, I suppose Mac can take care of it himself. What'dya say you an I get something t' drink?" She shot Mac an apologetic look, only for him to respond with a look she interpreted as at least thanking her for the distraction.

Barely had they sat down outside the coffeehouse, than Beth asked "So, what's he really up to?"

"Not sure I know what you mean."

Beth smirked. "You do know you're a terrible liar right?"

"Lies? Naw, nonsense... So how's the morning sickness?"

"Applejack..."

"Oh all right... I'm not tellin' you the truth... Don't make me say it though eh? I didn't exactly make a promise, but..."

"Okay, okay... But it better be worth it." Beth relented.

"Oh I think it will be... So, it wasn't just a distraction, I really was asking... How you feeling?"

"Better. Morning sickness seems mostly over... And I'm sleeping well again."

Applejack smiled. "That's good." She looked around while taking a sip of her juice and noticed something. "What's that about I wonder?"

Beth looked and saw a crew cleaning up portions of the giant water slide. "Pinkie being Pinkie basically. Though this one was big even for her."

"Hmm... Rares already said something about maybe needing to keep an eye on Twi. Sounds like Pinkie's on the list too."

"I kinda think we're all gonna be on the list soon. This waiting is driving everyone crazy."

Applejack thought that over. "Maybe a group of us should get together with Pinkie... She's on the right track with wantin' to make folks feel better. She's just goin' about it all wrong. Times like this, we need something cheerful but subdued."

"'Subdued' isn't Pinkie, that's for sure." Beth agreed. "Let's go talk to her."

"Sounds good 't me..."

Book Three: Chapter Four

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Chapter Four

On Eqqus, the biggest issue facing the defending armies was a shortage of human built technology. They had all the magic they could want, with which to enchant the guns and ammo, but little to be enchanted. Experiments were carried out with applying the ammo enchanting system with Equestrian cannons, but the lower power of those left the results wanting. On Earth, meanwhile, Shining Armor and Agent Marsh were having the opposite problem: All the advanced weapons they could ever want, but less than a half dozen unicorns to perform the enchanting. "At least the local crystals work as well for holding magic as ours." Shining thought to himself as he completed another batch. "We'd be in a real bind if we were short on these too."

"Captain Armor?" A voice drew Shining out of his thoughts to see a courier at the door. "Message from Equestria sir. General Morton sends word that using explosive shells was as effective as he'd hoped."

Shining pumped a forehoof at this news. "Yes! Pass the word on to Agent Marsh as well please. The next time we meet these guys, maybe it'll be on more even terms."

The courier saluted and left, leaving Shining to resume enchanting the next batch of crystals.

As it turned out, he didn't need to wait long for that next chance. The following day enemy forces, which had been slowed by the urban fighting needed to take Ottawa, resumed their southward march, but now shifting southwestward veering to pass between Lake Huron and Lake Erie towards Toronto and later Detroit. "Odd..." Marsh said as examined the map. "Southeast would make much more sense... It would lead them straight to New York City and Washington."

"Another mystery." Shining Armor pondered. "The latest word from Eqqus is similar. They've entered Equestrian territory and have a straight shot towards Canterlot in under a week. But instead they're heading towards Appoloosa and Dodge Junction."

Marsh looked up from the map, in the direction of the approaching forces. Then behind his back, to where three full army divisions, two active and one reserve, were waiting with magic-enchanted weapons and explosive rounds. "This is it Captain." He said. "The first full scale test of what we've built so far."

"Let's hope it works." Shining Armor agreed.

Twenty minutes more and the battle was engaged...

XXXXX

Arcadia Oaks. Jim, Claire, and Toby were having lunch at their favorite pizzeria. They were mostly left alone; after the first couple of weeks of the word being out people had started to adjust, though all three of them noticed frequent sidelong glances in their direction. "You guys still think telling was a good idea?" Jim groused after the hundredth stare in his direction.

"I really do Jim." Claire said. "I know it's annoying, but being where we are now, it's for the best"

"Yeah Jimbo! I mean can you imagine you having to keep the helmet active all the time when you're armored up? Or Claire and me having to wear glasses whenever we aren't fighting?" Toby asked.

Jim needed a moment to get the 'glasses' comment. Then he did. "Ha ha. I doubt either of you could pull off the Clark Kent deal."

"Exactly my point my man. Exactly. My. Point." Toby chuckled and grabbed another slice of pizza.

It was a few minutes later that the bell over the door rang and they looked to see, of all people, Merlin standing on the threshold. The wizard looked about, met Jim's eyes, and hurried across the room towards them. "Ahh! Trollhunter!"

"Merlin." Jim greeted back, staying cold and businesslike in mind of the wizard's harsh personality. "What can I do for you?"

"I find myself in need of your assistance." Merlin replied. "Working with Gandalf and Starswirl... I admit it is pleasant to have the company of other wizards again after so long, but the work is long and thankless, and Gandalf a tireless taskmaster. I can barely get ten minutes a day away from them. which is a problem, because I have a plan of my own I desire to advance, but I have not the time to gather the magical ingredients required." Merlin handed Jim a sheet of papyrus. "Might you be able to procure these items?"

Jim gazed over the list. "I'll see what I can do."

"He means we'll see what we can do." Claire interjected.

Merlin bowed slightly. "You have my gratitude. Just deliver them to the Library once you are finished. And now I had better return there myself. I am already late. Trollhunter. Lady Claire. Tobias." He bowed again and hurried out.

Toby stood on his chair and looked over Jim's shoulder at the list. "Antemonstron shell. You think that one Strickler had is still hidden in his back office?"

"Probably." Jim answered. "Where are we supposed to get an Auf femur?"

"Janus Order headquarters. I doubt Gunmar cleaned up after he was done with them." Claire suggested.

Jim smiled and kissed her. "Brilliant. All that leaves is..." He stared at the final entry on Merlin's shopping list. "Okay how in the hell are we supposed to get that?" Toby and Claire could only shrug...

XXXXX

"Right this way my dear." The Doctor led Tess through the maze like interior of the Tardis, towards a lab where he and Krel had been examining the sample of nanites taken from the slopes of Mount Doom. "I want to thank you again for agreeing to assist in this little investigation." They entered the lab, where Krel was already waiting in his disguise as a Hispanic teen.

"I'm happy to." Tess replied. "So what have you got?"

"First, take a look at this." Krel said. He pushed a button and a hologram appeared in the middle of the room, showing a massively magnified image of one of the nanites. It was a long, narrow, vaguely cylindrical affair. At one end were what looked like a trio of metallic tentacles, constantly waving in sync with each other. At the other end was a faintly glowing blue orb. And there was a small opening at the halfway point of the main body, with four more of the metal tentacles, these unmoving, one in each corner of the hole.

"As you already know they are capable of independent movement. That's what these moving parts at the back are for. And there is also a very tiny cargo compartment inside, just big enough to store a bare hoof full of individual atoms. The tentacles at each corner of the opening are presumably to maneuver something inside. " The Doctor said.

Krel continued "But the business end is this component here." He pointed to the glowing orb on the front of the device. "It seems to be a thaumic scanner. These little guys can sense the presence of magic fields. In fact, as advanced as the scanner is, I expect it can even detect subtle differences in the strength, resonance, polarity, and other properties of specific fields."

Tess frowned at that. "What in the world can they possibly be doing with a set up like this?" She wondered.

"That of course is where we're hoping you can help us out." The Doctor said. He pushed another button and the holographic image of the nanite vanished, replaced by lines of machine code. "We've cracked and decompiled their software. Krel and I have been able to make sense of some of it... For example, the thaumic scanner at the front is linked to the tentacles that propel it at the back so it can guide itself towards magic fields. And there's a 'return' command that tells it to go back to the surface, presumably for collection, once it's little cargo hold is full. But most of it deals in very arcane magical data and that's not the forte for either of us."

"So you need me to look through the code and see if I recognize anything at all that might tell us the function." Tess nodded.

"Precisely correct my dear." The Doctor smiled. Krel smiled too, but it seemed a bit nervous. Which bought a question to Tess' mind:

"So... How many lines of code are there?" She asked.

"About... Seven hundred thousand." Krel answered.

"Wonderful..."

XXXXX

Scootaloo and Nyma were walking side by side through the park that stood between Unity's town hall and the high school. "So you think the others will want to play hoofball again?" Nyma asked. "That was fun!"

Scootaloo answered "Probably. But I'll bet they insist on a 'no shapeshifting' rule, at least for goalies."

"Phooey. That's what made it fun!"

"Trust me, I know. You wouldn't believe how many 'no wings' rules there are in sports. 'No horn' rules for unicorns too. But I guess I can understand it... It would be kinda unfair to just zip by in the air while the other team is grounded."

"Yeah I suppose so." Nyma admitted. "Hey! Isn't that...?" She pointed with a hoof to where a trio of human teenagers were sitting on a park bench.

"Yeah I think so!" Scootaloo nodded. She galloped to the bench and asked "Hay! Aren't you that Trollhunter guy?"

"Yeah that's us." Jim Lake answered.

"Wow, you guys are so down I can sense it from way back there." Nyma said. "Is something wrong?"

Claire explained "We're supposed to be gathering magic ingredients for Merlin. But the last thing on his list is impossible."

Scootaloo jumped onto the bench next to the girl and examined the list. "Bottled lightning? What's so hard about that?"

"Wait! You know how to do it!?" All three of the teens were yelling over each other.

"Well I can't do it myself. But I know who can! Come on!" Scootaloo hopped down and, Nyma by her side, led the Trollhunters across town. The first stop was to see Twilight.

"Merlin needs bottled lightning?" The unicorn asked, head slightly cocked in confusion. "May I see that list?" Jim handed it over, and Twilight spent several minutes mulling over the ingredients. "Odd... I can't begin to imagine what he might want with these ingredients. But if the wizards need it we should help them right? I know exactly who should have what I need to make a lightning jar. Come on!"

Fifteen minutes later, they were at Bert's house. "A mason jar and different types of metal wire? Yeah I've got that, come on." Bert led them through his house, illiciting stares at the many weapons and mounted trophies lining the walls.

"So, I'm guessing you like hunting?" Toby asked nervously.

"Used to. Too damned dangerous here." Bert answered. He opened a code-locked door and they went down a narrow flight of stairs to a basement which proved to be a veritable armory of weapons and other supplies. "Wait at the workbench, I'll get what you need." Bert said, and vanished into the maze of shelving.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Claire asked, looking about nervously.

"Yeah, this guy has 'conspiracy nut' written all over him." Toby agreed.

"Oh Bert's okay! He just likes to be prepared!" Scootaloo said, then looking at the massive bunker added "Really, really, reeeeeeally prepared."

"And he's been nothing but a friend and asset since we arrived here." Twilight agreed.

"If you say so." Toby said.

"We do. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and me would have been monster chow if he hadn't saved us!" Scootaloo said.

Bert returned with the supplies soon after, and Twilight needed only minutes to assemble them into a lightning jar. "This will hold the full power of a lightning bolt?" Bert asked.

"It seems awfully fragile..." Jim agreed.

"Well yes, like this it is." Twilight said. "It still needs one last component..." Her horn lit up and she put an enchantment on the jar. "That will work but both we, and Merlin when he gets it, need to be quick. Except for gemstones and certain metals, solid objects don't 'hold' enchantments for very long. I'd say this will last a week."

"Then let's go find Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cheered. "She can kick out a lightning bolt in ten seconds flat!"

"Kick...?" Claire asked, confused.

Twilight grinned. "Oh that's right! You've not seen yet! Pegasus magic isn't just for flying. It also lets them control the weather in a lot of ways. They can walk on clouds like they were solid surfaces, make it rain or snow, and, yes, quite literally kick lightning bolts out of the clouds."

"That's kind of awesome." Toby said with a grin of his own.

"Exactly! So now that we've got the jar we just need to find Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo galloped up the stairs, calling for the others to follow her.

"Wouldn't any pegasus do?" Jim asked.

Twilight shrugged. "Hero worship. Dash has been like a big sister to her since she's an orphan*."

Jim merely nodded. Having been abandoned by his father when he was five, the boy could understand at least a little what that was like. "Okay, let's catch her before she's on the other side of town!" The group rushed to do so...

Author's Note

*This chapter was written before Scootaloo's family showed up on the show, when the fanon assumption was still 'orphan living in an orphanage or foster home.' Since it's been the assumption through the entire Unity story, I've kept it here, just like I kept the original Unity story's assumption that Diamond Tiara's mother was a good pony who died, contributing to Tiara's attitude (written, of course, prior to Tiara's canon redemption when the Crusaders get their marks.) It does add another layer to the story's 'A.U.' quality, but such is the peril of starting a fanfic while the source material is still ongoing...

Book Three: Chapter Five

Author's Note

Warning: Something of an (aborted before it can happen here) spoiler for a plot development in the last few episodes of Trollhunters in this chapter.

Book Three: Chapter Five

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Chapter Five

The Royal Equestrian Guard had been caught badly by surprise. Enemy forces, expected to make a beeline straight for Canterlot, had instead turned aside soon after crossing the border and marched, instead, on Apoloossa and Dodge Junction. There was absolutely no apparent reason for such a move; Both towns were tiny settlements devoid of military resources or tactical value. The ponies didn't even give the enemy a fight for either, simply evacuating both towns in advance of the front (Though, the evacuation itself was nearly a riot; those aren't the kinds of ponies who take kindly to being removed from their land no matter what the danger.)

After taking both towns, the enemy's forces switched directions, leaving some troops to hold both places while the rest backtracked to where they had crossed the border and continued east towards Manehatten. "And this is where we draw the line." Celestia said, indicating a specific location on the map halfway between the advancing front and the largest city in Equestria. "Manehatten is being evacuated as we speak, but it is far too important politically, tactically, and economically. They must not be allowed to gain control of it. Thoughts?"

"I am concerned sister." Luna said. "Not about your plan itself... I agree that we must take action. We do indeed have no choice but to meet our foes here. But there is something wrong about all of this. I fear we are being baited."

Celestia nodded. "What say you General Morton?"

"I say your sister is almost certainly correct Princess."

Luna said "I find myself torn. If we are being baited, it would be a perfect opportunity to take our enemies by surprise, if only we could determine exactly what they are really planning."

A pegasus commander spoke, "Beginning your pardon Princesses, but might there be something coming from Apoloosa or Dodge Junction? Maybe the troops that stayed behind aren't holding the towns at all, but preparing something there."

"Good thoughts, but perhaps too obvious." Celestia mused.

Morton agreed. "If it's baiting, it means one of two things: Either they have even more firepower on the front line than we think, and they want the whole army there so they can crush it, or there's another attack coming somewhere else important, and coming in from an unexpected direction."

"And by 'somewhere else important' you mean here?" The commander asked.

"Here or Cloudsdale." Luna said.

"Either way, we must respond." Celestia said. "But maybe, knowing that they are up to something more, we can have a few tricks of our own ready..." The Princess succinctly spelled out what she had in mind.

When she was finished, both Luna and Morton were grinning. "This will certainly put the horseshoe on the other foot." Luna said, "Provided we can spare the firepower."

Morton said "I may have an idea there Princess. But, I'm afraid it would rely on one of you feeling up to another trip to Earth and back... With a very large cargo on the return trip.

"If it's for my little ponies, I'll find the strength." Celestia declared.

"And I as well if needed. But what are you planning to bring to our world General?" Luna asked.

And General Morton grinned even more fiercely. "Let's just say they'll never see it coming..."

XXXXX

"You want me to what?" Pinkie Pie asked. She was staring at Rarity, Applejack, Spike, and Bethany.

"You heard us darling. We want you to throw a party. But a different kind of party than you usually throw." Rarity said.

"Exactly!" Beth said, "I mean, you want to cheer people up right?" Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

"And it hasn't been working so well lately?" Spike added, and Pinkie nodded again, sadly this time.

"And we're tellin' y'all why it ain't been workin'." Applejack said. "Liftin' spirits is one thing. But full bore happy happy joy joy fun just ain't right at a time like this. Nobody's feelin' it. So, what y'all need 't do is be more subdued like."

"Subdued? That doesn't sound like me." Pinkie said in a rare moment of self awareness.

"No darling, but that's why we'll help you."

"Waaaaaait a minute here... We're not talking about some sort of stuffed shirt rubber chicken dinner party are we?" Pinkie asked suspiciously.

Beth held up both hands far apart and moved them closer together. "Kinda sorta half way between that and a usual Pinkie Party." She explained.

"Well I suppose I can do that..." Pinkie thought it over for a moment. "This will cheer people up?"

"Of course it will!" Spike said.

"Okay! I'll do it!" They put their heads together and began to plan...

XXXXX

"Rainbow Dash!" A familiar voice woke Rainbow from her favorite dream. And at the best part too, mere moments before Celestia would have appeared with the quintuple platinum medal. Bleary eyed, she dragged herself out of her bed as the voice called again, then trudged to her balcony, and looked down over the edge.

"Scoots!?" She called down. Rainbow was surprised to see several other faces she recognized as well, and a strange device held in Twilight's magic aura. "Hang on, I'll be right down!" She turned and trotted to her bathroom to groom just a bit: Messy mane style or not, even Rainbow Dash wasn't being seen in public with bed mane.

On the ground, Claire stared up at Rainbow's home with undisguised awe. "So it's made out of clouds? But how...?"

"We pegasai can walk on them like they're solid!" Scootaloo said.

"Yeah you said that before, but why doesn't everything else, like furniture and stuff, just fall through?" Toby wondered.

Jim added "And why don't winds move it or tear it apart?"

"All pegasus magic." Twilight explained. "They can make clouds do what they want, and even freeze them in particular designs and locations, where they'll stay for quite a long time, years even, even without a pegasus actively controlling them."

"I know we should be used to magic by now." Claire said, "But this..."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Jim agreed.

Then they were interrupted by Rainbow Dash finally flying down to meet them. "So what did you need? I'm kinda busy."

"Busy sleeping." Twilight interjected.

"Hay! That's busy for me! So..."

Twilight held up the lightning jar. "We were hoping you could kick some lightning into this."

"What? That's all? Wait here." Rainbow flew away, rapidly vanishing from sight in the sky. She returned in less than five minutes, pushing a small black cloud which she left hovering ten feet up. "Okay, put the whatever it is directly under the center of the cloud, then stand back."

As Twilight positioned the jar, Jim and Toby looked at each other. "This plan is crazy." Toby said.

"No worse than your idea to play Ben Franklin on a clear day." Jim replied.

Toby shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Okay that should do it!" Twilight called up to Rainbow Dash.

"Right! Let's do this!" As the befuddled teenagers watched, Dash flew in a large circle that took her high into the sky and back down to the cloud which, when she reached it, she kicked as hard as she could. There was a loud peel of thunder, and a bolt of lightning crashed down into the jar. After it was over, Rainbow made the cloud dissipate. And the jar glowed with the captured lightning.

"It actually worked..." Toby said in shock.

"Well of course it worked Rainbow Dash did it!" Scootaloo cheered.

"So now you take this to the wizards, right?" Nyma asked.

"Right. And let's go now..."

XXXXX

"I don't know Pinkie..." Bethany said as she looked all around the large high school gymnasium. "This might be a bit too big for what we were thinking..."

"I don't see why." Pinkie replied. "Nothing says a formal party can't be big after all. And if we invite the whole town we'll need the room."

"She may have a point. About both things." Rarity pondered. "Imagine this space, dimly lit, with soft slow dance music playing and maybe some low key decorations along the walls."

"Tables all around the outer rim, and a dance floor at the middle." Applejack added.

Bethany's eyes went wide. "O. M. G... I just realized we're basically planning a prom."

"Huh! We are aren't we?" Applejack nodded.

"Oh! Well that's different! I know all about that kind of party!" Pinkie cheered. "Though we'll have to make some changes to the usual plan, like daycare for little ones. Maybe Trixie will do a show for them!"

"Now darling you're drifting away from the plan..." Rarity warned.

"No I'm not! They'll be in another room! And it won't be the whole night, just maybe a half hour. I wouldn't keep Trixie from coming here and enjoying the adults party too you know."

"Suppose I could give 'em a half hour of lasso tricks." Applejack said. "It is a good idea 't keep the little ones occupied after all."

Rarity said "I'll handle decorations if you handle the food Pinkie."

"And I can talk to Octavia! I'm sure she'll play for this!" Spike said.

"Beth I'll talk 't Trixie if you can handle getting the word out."

Bethany nodded. "All we really need is a time to do it then."

Pinkie said "As down as people are, the sooner the better. I bet we can pull this together in two days!"

"A might short on the time, but we can sure try." Applejack said.

"Then let's get started!" Spike said, and Pinkie cheered as they all set to work...

XXXXX

The group entered Golden Oaks Library to find Gandalf at a table pouring over a number of arcane magical texts. Merlin and Starswirl were not in sight. Twilight assumed they were working away in the basement lab. "Ahh Miss Sparkle." Gandalf greeted. "And friends. What brings you here? I did tell you, you know, that you didn't need to leave."

"I was just concerned. Though, I admit my curiosity is through the roof on what you three are doing." Twilight said. "But, that's not why we're here now. At least, not directly."

"Oh? And what does bring you?"

"Shopping for Merlin." Jim explained. "He asked us to find some spell ingredients for him."

Twilight added "Which I'm very curious about as well. I have no idea what these ingredients could be used to do."

"Perhaps you should show me." Gandalf said softly. Jim, Toby, and Claire held out the items they had gathered for Merlin. Gandalf stared at the assortment for a full minute, then to everyone's surprise grabbed the shopping list out of Twilight's magic aura and loudly exclaimed "Merlin!"

Merlin emerged from the basement grumbling. "Yes Gandalf, what is it-" He fell silent when he saw.

Gandalf looked his fellow wizard in the eyes and shook the list in his face. "Absolutely not." He said sternly.

"'Absolutely not' what?" Claire asked.

"Yes Gandalf, what's going on?" Twilight added.

Gandalf looked to Jim. "Did he tell you what these were for?"

"Not exactly." Jim answered. "He just said that he had a plan of his own in addition to yours and needed this stuff for a spell."

"Oh yes a spell indeed... A transmogrification spell which would have turned Jim into a troll." Gandalf explained.

"Half troll!" Merlin corrected.

"You were gonna... You don't turn my boyfriend into a troll!" Claire exclaimed.

"Half troll !" Merlin said again. "And I am convinced the added strength is necessary!"

"It is not. My plan will work Merlin." Gandalf said.

"But what if he's right...?" Jim asked. "If I do need to be a troll-"

"Half- Oh forget it! I'll be downstairs." Merlin turned and went back down the stairs.

Gandalf walked over to the boy and put a hand on each shoulder. "Now why would you ever think that? Tell me my boy, ever since you picked that amulet up, you've been getting nothing but grief about how a human isn't strong enough haven't you? Nothing but warnings about all the things no 'fleshbag,' as the trolls say, could ever do. And. Yet. You've. Done. Them. What Merlin sees as weakness, I see as strength. And quite aside from that, you have heard the words of the prophecy: 'Human and pony must together contend.' Human and pony, not troll and pony. My plan requires your humanity."

"Gandalf, I have to admit I want to know what you're doing. What is your plan?" Twilight asked.

"Soon my dear. Soon. We should be ready in another three days." Gandalf turned to Jim and his friends. "Speaking of which, though, I am now going to need your trust. We need your weapons. Daylight, Warhammer, and Skath-Hruin."

"But that will leave us defenseless!" Toby objected.

"Only for three days." Gandalf said. "We're quite safe here for now."

"I don't like this." Jim said. "But you are Gandalf..." Hesitantly, he handed the Amulet of Day over to the wizard. Claire and Toby followed suite with their own weapons.

"I thank you." Gandalf said. "Soon we will be ready to combat our foe on it's own level. I suggest that all of you rest until then." He turned and carried the weapons down into the basement, closing the door before Twilight could get even a peek...

Book Three: Chapter Six

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Book Three: Chapter Seven

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Chapter Seven

On Eqqus, the enemy had attempted the same blindside maneuver on Canterlot that they were pulling in New York. Even as the Royal Guard was engaging the Orc and Changeling forces west of Manehatten, a pair of massive airships appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and opened fire on the capitol city. The carnage was terrible. But not as bad as it might have been...

Two days before, while discussing the possibility of a sneak attack on Canterlot and how to handle it, while Luna and Celestia had traveled to Earth to retreive the weapon General Morton had requisitioned, several high ranking ponies had begun the evacuation. It was done carefully, quietly, to avoid drawing any possible attention. By the time the attack came, the city and castle were empty.

"Princess?" Morton asked as he watched through his field glasses. They were observing from a hill side several miles to the south.

"Indeed General. Whenever you are ready." Celestia replied.

"Code is go." Morton spoke into a handheld radio. "Repeat: Code is Go."

In the skies above, the crews commanding the airships were beginning to realize something was wrong. There should have been defenders; pegasai, cannon fire, the Princesses themselves. But there was nothing. No signs of civilians fleeing in terror either. Something was very wrong. And then they heard the roar. Faint, at first, and far away, but approaching rapidly from the far side of the castle.

By the time they saw, it was too late. General Morton's weapon. An A10 Thunderbolt. If the ship's crews had reacted faster, if they had realized what they were facing, they might have saved themselves. As it was, explosive shells, enchanted further with explosive spells, tore into both ships at forty two hundred rounds per minute. The airships were falling from the sky in seconds as the warplane roared away and began to bank, turning back in case another pass was needed.

"Impressive." Luna said.

"Thank you." Morton held the radio to his mouth. "Good work. Stay sharp in case more of them show."

"Copy that General."

It was an important part of the Princesses expectations that when the first wave of the enemy's sneak attack failed another would come. But the minutes stretched into an hour, then two, and there was nothing. Then, word came from the troops fighting west of Manehatten, that the enemy there was pulling back, even though they had still been advancing slowly.

"Yes." Luna said, noting the expression on Morton's face, "It's too easy."

"Much too easy." Morton agreed.

"What are you two saying?" Celestia asked.

Luna answered, "I think... I think we did take them by surprise here, with Morton's warplane. They really did think they would have us on the back hoof with the attack on Canterlot, and we dealt them a blow they were not prepared for. But for the assault on Manehatten to be abandoned when it was working..."

"Yeah, I doubt one A10 would have scared off an entire army that big." Morton agreed.

"Then they've already adapted their plans to compensate?" Celestia suggested. "A foe that can alter plans so quickly will be hard to meet."

"We should delay the return to Canterlot." Luna said. "And move the Manehatten defenders closer to the city itself. If our enemy can indeed simply appear anywhere as they did here..."

Celestia shook her head wearily. "I'll send the orders."

XXXXX

Evening came, and with it Pinkie's 'Cheer Everyone Up' Party. It was more needed than ever, with the news of the attacks on New York and Canterlot. Octavia played softly, and while there was a significant crowd and the tables were filled, no one was dancing. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Pinkie whispered. Her mane was deflated. "I'm down too after all."

"We all are Pinkie." Applejack said, and everyone else at the table nodded or mumbled their agreement.

"At least people did come though." Pinkie decided. Her mane poofed slightly, and she bounced away to socialize with another table.

"And that's Pinkie for you." Twilight chuckled. "Nothing keeps her down for long."

"Eenope."

Pinkie bounded up to a table where Trixie, Durban, and Gillas the Elf were seated, along with Macintosh and Bethany. "Everything good?" She asked.

"We are well." Gillas answered. "But thank you."

Trixie scoffed. "'Well' he says. Will you look at these two?" She motioned to the couple, both of whom looked ill at ease.

"Aye." Durban agreed, barely concealing laughter.

"Yeah Mac! Just do it!" Pinkie cheered.

"Am I missing something?" Gillas asked, confused.

Pinkie looked him in the eyes and answered, flat out in front of everyone, "Mac's ready to propose and has the ring and was going to do it tonight and they both know it and the nervousness is killing them so they're sitting there shaking like leaves."

Pinkie!!" Applejack shouted from the next table.

"You're welcome." Pinkie said to Macintosh, and stood back, eyes huge.

"She ain't wrong Beth." Mac said, producing the ring. "Will y'all..."

"Do you have to ask!?" Beth exclaimed, and they embraced to the cheers of all the nearby tables...

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Tess was standing against the wall on the opposite side of the gymnasium. A slight grin tugged at her lip when she heard the cheer and knew what it had to mean, but she was too distracted to pay it much heed. Distracted by her work with the code Krel and the Doctor had extracted from the Mordor nanites. Seven hundred thousand lines of code had seemed daunting, but most of it was concerned with the core operating system and drivers for the moving parts. Only a small fraction dealt with what she was trying to determine, namely, just exactly what the things were supposed to be looking for.

Tess knew that the devices were made to seek out a magic field with a particular resonance. That they would then burrow into the rock until they found it. Rock solid and molten both, the nanites were heat resistant enough to function in lava for at least a short time. Based on the code, they would burrow until they reached the signature, which apparently was expected to be in the form of individual atoms, gather those atoms, and return them to the surface for collection.

"But what for?" Tess mumbled to herself for the thousandth time, "And what exactly is so special about that particular resonance?"

She looked to her left at the sound of a clatter and saw the Crusaders (All of them, original trio, new pony members, and even the honorary human, changeling, and goblin members,) coming out a door pushing a cart. The kids had begged Pinkie to let them assist when they learned about the party, so she had put them to work bussing tables. Tess watched as they fussed with the cart, the wheels of which were not cooperating with them.

"Why won't this thing move!?" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"It's these tiny little wheels." Apple Bloom answered. "They jam up if'n ya run over a dust mote."

"Well why do they make them so small then?" Nyma asked as she pushed along with Scootaloo and Micheal Phelps, getting nowhere.

"I'm guessin' they're cheap. More bits 'fer the makers." Bloom replied.

"Maybe you should stop pushing so hard until we find the problem." Sweetie Belle said.

"No way! I'm not letting this thing win!" Scootaloo argued.

Following Scootaloo's lead, the Crusaders gave another hard shove. The cart responded, rolling smoothly at last. For five feet. Then the wheels seized up hard again and the cart itself stopped on a dime, but the plates and glasses atop it did not. Seeing what was going to happen, everyone present, Tess included, dived to catch as many of the breakable items as they could. They managed to save most of it, but one plate fell to the wood gym floor and shattered.

"Thanks Miss Fairwind." Dinky said to Tess as the elf handed back the plate and glass she had caught.

"That's okay. I just wish I'd been able to grab that one too." They all looked down on the broken plate.

"Wow there's like a million pieces." Nyma said.

"Eeyup." Apple Bloom agreed. "Hay Sweetie Belle, I don't suppose there's a unicorn spell for fixin' it?"

"None that I know." Sweetie Belle answered.

"What about you Miss Tessindra? Any elf magic for mending broken things back together?" Apple Bloom looked up and saw that Tess was staring into the distance, eyes wide. "Tess?"

"Oh my god." The elf whispered, and bolted away into the crowd...

XXXXX

People had finally started dancing after the proposal. Twilight had accepted a dance offer from Midnight Steel. The stallion proved to be a skilled dance partner, and the pair were still chatting as they made their way through the crowds back towards the table Twilight was sharing with her friends. "So you and the Sheriff have been preparing for the possibility of an attack here?" Twilight asked.

Steel nodded. "Yeah. We've installed armory substations all over town with keys in the hands or hooves of every guard. And we've got Mister Gumbal making as many of those molatov bombs as he can... Though, for that matter, Bert wants to weaponize that lightning jar design he saw you make."

"That could be tricky. The enchantment wears off pretty fast, so they couldn't be stored long term in a primed and ready- Oh! Hello Tess!"

"Twilight, I need to speak with you right now." Tess said.

Seeing the worry in the young elf's eyes, Twilight excused herself from Steel and led the girl outside. "What's wrong?"

"I think I've figured it out. I think I know what they're doing with the nanites in Mordor. And it's worse than I ever imagined."

"Okay calm down... Tell me."

"So, it's like this... You know how, whenever an item is enchanted, it gains a unique magical resonance? And also how, if the enchantment is strong enough to be permanent, the resonance persists, in the shattered pieces, even if the object is destroyed?" At Twilight's nod of understanding, Tess continued, "So, Mordor... They're looking for a particular resonance, and they're doing it using nanites able to collect individual atoms... Twilight, I think they're after all the atoms the Ruling Ring was made from. I think they plan to reforge the thing once they have them all."

But... But that's... That's insane! Do you realize how hard it would be to find every single atom!? It's been ten thousand years! They'd be scattered all through the mountain's interior by now!" Twilight argued.

"Yes, even with the nanites it would probably take centuries." Tess agreed. "But then again, who knows how long they've been at it. If I remember right, one of the things we heard their leader say was that they were dumping the last shipment on the mountain..."

"She did say that." Twilight remembered. The mare's eyes were wide now, but she shook her head and said "But wait. Even if they did do this seemingly impossible thing and got the ring back, would it even work? It was tied to Sauron's life force after all. His presence gave it power, and in turn it maintained his presence. Surely..."

"Surely a reforged ring won't yank Sauron's soul back from the abyss after ten thousand years? I hope not. But what if it does? And even if it doesn't... Twilight, they've been working on this plan, devoting resources to it, for a very long time. And evil isn't necessarily stupid. They would have thought of these objections too, yet they went ahead, which means they're confident it will work in some way." Tess said.

"You're right." Twilight agreed. "We need to be worried."

"So what do we do?"

There's no sense in causing a panic. We'll let the dance play out, shouldn't be much more than an hour now. If you'll keep watch here and catch my friends when they come out, and also Aja and Krel, maybe see if one of them can get the Doctor, I'll teleport to Arcadia and get Blinky and the Trollhunters. Once we're all together, we'll go speak with Gandalf and the other wizards. Whatever Gandalf's plan is, it's supposed to ready no later than tomorrow morning anyway. Hopefully they'll finally tell us what's up." Twilight said.

"Okay, that's a good plan." Tess took several deep breaths, calming herself. "Let's do it.

"Okay. I'll be back soon." Twilight smiled and teleported away...

Book Three: Chapter Eight

Book Three: Uncertain Days

Chapter Eight

Twilight Sparkle walked on point, with Tess, the Doctor, her friends, Krel, Aja, and the Trollhunters (Including Blinky) close behind. "We've got to tell the wizards about this." She said, "But I'm also determined to find out what they're up to even if I have to barge into the basement myself." She said.

"Not to mention that we need to get our weapons back." Toby said.

They approached the door of Golden Oaks Library. Twilight raised a hoof to bang on the door. But before she could do so, the door was opened from inside. Gandalf, Merlin, and Starswirl were standing in the middle of the open first floor looking towards the door, out at them. "Perfect timing Twilight. We're ready." Starswirl said.

"W... What!?" Twilight stammered.

"I say just go with it sugarcube." Applejack said as she trotted past Twilight into the library.

"Yes I would agree with Miss Apple." Blinky nodded and entered.

Soon everyone was crowded inside. "I suppose you would like to see what we've been so hard at work on?" Gandalf surmised.

"Yes, Mithrandir." Tess said, "But first, I have some unsettling news..." She spelled out what she now suspected about what they had seen during the brief unplanned stop on the slopes of Mount Doom.

The wizards looked at each other. "It would explain the great ring Starswirl saw in his prophecy." Merlin finally said.

"Yes, but what of the dark queen?" Starswirl wondered.

"It was your prophecy you should know." Merlin answered.

Starswirl countered "Says the wizard who expected a teenager to be thirty."

"Now, now, you two." Gandalf said.

"Oh all right." Starswirl sighed. "Assuming Miss Fairwind is correct, at least we've made some progress in puzzling things out."

"But what are the odds that she's right?" Twilight asked. "I know it makes sense of a lot of things, but I'll ask the three of you the same thing I asked her: How would it even work without Sauron's spirit still in the living world?"

"Yeah, wouldn't it just be, like, 'The One Dud?'" Claire asked.

Gandalf answered "I fear not. Any sufficiently powerful evil could bond with the One, especially in the absence of Sauron. And our enemy is certainly more than powerful enough."

The Doctor said "Perhaps we should move on. You said you were ready to reveal what you've been working on."

"Oh yes indeed!" Starswirl said.

"Yes, let us start with this..." Merlin held out what they recognized as Jim's amulet. He released it, and the disk floated towards Jim, speaking as it went, 'James Lake Junior... For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is yours to command...' The amulet activated and surrounded the boy in his familiar armor.

"I don't get it." Toby said.

"Yeah, It looks just the same." Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Patience..." Starswirl said, and he used his magic aura to lift another amulet, at a distance seemingly identical to Jim's save that it glowed yellow. This one also spoke as it flew to it's new owner: 'Tobias Domzowski... For the wisdom of Starswirl, Warhammer is yours to command...' Armor similar to Jim's (Though with yellow glowing elements rather than blue) appeared and fitted itself to Toby, Warhammer appearing in his hands.

"You bound my Warhammer to an amulet!?" Toby exclaimed. "Awesome Sauce!!"

Starswirl said "Yes, and take note that you will now have at-will control of the weapon's weight changes."

"You're welcome." Merlin said.

Ignoring Merlin, Gandalf said "Let us not forget the third..." He produced a green glowing amulet. It too spoke: 'Claire Maria Nunez... For the courage of Gandalf, Stardust is yours to command..." Claire's armor, like Toby's, was very similar to Jim's save for the green color of the glowing lines. A staff appeared in her hands, and she looked at it in surprise.

"This isn't Skath-Hrun." She said.

"Well it is and it isn't." Gandalf said. He explained "As I told you before, the magic inside the shadow staff was dark and tainted. We stripped it out, and reforged the staff in light. It still has the same teleportation abilities, though you won't have to force yourself to feel negative emotions to power them."

"And the name?" Claire asked.

"Well it's no longer Skath-Hrun is it? A new name was needed, and 'Stardust' seemed appropriate."

"This is so awesome!" The girl was practically bouncing up and down, giddy with excitement.

"Wait a minute though!" Rainbow Dash called out, "I thought we had to work together."

"Oh yes... Jim, if you would be so kind as to deactivate your armor for a moment?" Gandalf asked. Jim did so, and then followed the wizard's instructions to stand by himself on the opposite side of the room. Then Gandalf said "Now... Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, will the two of you go and stand next to Jim? Within five feet if possible."

They did so, and Gandalf told Jim to activate his armor again. "Um, okay... For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" As the bright blue motes of magic erupted from the amulet and began to armor Jim, more of them came as well, and flew to Twilight and Applejack. Jim landed on the floor, armored up and sword in hand, and then Twilight and Applejack did as well. Each was covered head to tail in armor very similar to what Jim now wore: And the Elements of Magic and Honesty were incorporated into Twilight and Applejack's respective armors.

"What!? Is this!?"

"Yes indeed dear Twilight." Starswirl said. "The Elements will, of course, magically return to the Princesses when you are not in the armor. A safety feature, in case Celestia and Luna need them there. But each of you Element bearers now has armor that calls your Element to you."

Merlin elaborated "Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, your armor and elements are linked to Tobias' amulet. And Rarity and Fluttershy's are linked to Lady Claire's."

"Forgive me for asking, but would it not make more sense for the Ponies to have their own amulets?" Krel asked.

Gandalf nodded. "Ordinarily yes. And in fact, once the current crisis is over we are fully prepared, if you wish, to break the bond and give each Element Bearer her own Element linked amulet. But for now, well, you all know the words of the prophecy."

"'Man and Pony must together contend, and then the paths of fate may bend.'" Twilight quoted.

"Quite." Merlin said.

Starswirl added "And while this might be carrying the idea a bit too far... Well, why risk it?"

Standing near the back of the crowd, Blinky spoke up. "While I hate to be a downer, there's something I fear I must point out. What you have created here is impressive indeed. But what good will it do when we're stuck here and the attacks are happening on Earth and Eqqus!?"

"That's actually a good question." Claire said.

"Excellent, even." Twilight agreed.

"An excellent question with an excellent answer." Gandalf said. "Tell me, have you wondered how I got to this place? Especially since I knew Merlin on Earth and Starswirl on Eqqus?"

"Wait! We didn't have to risk my Tardis!?" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Oh but we did. There is a spell. A spell similar to the one the Princesses have been using to ferry war aid back and forth between worlds. This spell has the same effect, but is far more efficient in the power it uses. The downside, which is why we needed the Tardis, is that it only works on the wizard casting it. He cannot bring anyone else along for the ride, so to speak." Starswirl explained.

"But now, we have translated that spell into the amulets. The nine of you will be able to travel freely between worlds, although each of our Trollhunters will need the ponies partnered with them also present to do so." Merlin added.

"This is incredible!" Twilight cheered, "We can finally do something to help!"

"Then let's get started." Everyone looked towards the door to see Sheriff Tucker and Midnight Steel. It was the Sheriff who had spoken, and he spoke again, "We've got President Whitmore and Princess Celestia waiting at the secure window. There's a problem..."

XXXXX

Back on Earth, Shining Armor and Agent Marsh had rushed their team to New York. They arrived a few hours before Pinkie's party would start in Unity, and joined with the defenders already present. The airship which had appeared over Central Park had already met the same fate as those at Canterlot, but the massive number of Changeling drones which it had delivered were still wreaking havoc all over the city, as were not a few Orcs who had survived the crash. Civilians, fleeing the attack, were clogging the streets, and the situation as utter bedlam.

Marsh grabbed a passing soldier by the arm. "What's going on Sergeant?" He demanded.

"The enemy has taken control of Manhattan and is now expanding into the Bronx. All attempts by ground troops to hold them at bay has failed! The only thing working at all is fire from the air, but that's not enough!"

"The enchantment modified aircraft." Shining Armor thought to himself. "We've bought more weapons that should actually work. We need to speak with someone in charge here about the best places to deploy them though."

The Sergeant stared at Shining, only just realizing through his fear that a pony was talking to him. He looked at Marsh. "Sir?"

"Captain Armor and his team are on our side Sergeant. Now who can we talk to?"

"Right. This way!" The Sergeant led them several blocks through the chaos, during which time they twice had to fend off attacks by divebombing Changelings, before they reached a command post. After arriving, they were able to receive a more thorough briefing, and begin planning how to deploy the enhanced weapons to try to retake the city. They had only just begun, though, when there was a new complication:

Word came from a technician that all contact had been lost with an entire squadron that had penetrated enemy lines to spy out the area. They had been just north of Central Park, still undetected, when the lines went dead just after one of them had cried out. "The Air Force has a plane heading that way now." The technician said.

Leaving the planning for the moment, Shining, Marsh, and the base commanders went back out to the main war room, where a video feed from the approaching plane was being shown on a large projection screen. At first they saw only the city, and smoke rising from many places. Then as the plane got closer, they saw it. In the same area the squadron had vanished, there was a large creature. It was at least four stories tall, a horrid amorphous blob with a quartet of tentacles, each easily fifty feet in length, writhing about, smashing everything in it's range. Something resembling a face was on one side of the creature's body, including two mouths, one right above the other.

"Shining?" Marsh asked.

"New one on me." Shining Armor replied.

They watched as the plane fired on the mystery creature. Shells tore into it's body, and explosives detonated within, causing it to burst. A cheer went up across the room, but such was premature. For when the plane circled around to confirm the kill, they saw that the monster, whatever it was, was not dead, and had already reformed it's body in a matter of seconds. A tentacle lashed out at the plane, growing far longer than the others in an attempt to snare it's foe. The pilot managed to evade that attack, but was soon calling frantically for help.

"Command! Command! Some kind of... Portal or something... opened directly above me. It dumped some type of acid onto the plane and now everything is rusting and systems are fai-" The pilot's words were cut off.

"Sir we have visual from another aircraft." A new video feed appeared. This one was showing Manhattan from further away and also showed the falling debris of the destroyed plane, and the monster slowly moving through the city. As it went, it repeatedly motioned with tentacles, and wherever it motioned a new disc shaped portal opened, disgorging more of the acid.

"Get me the President." Marsh said. "And I expect Captain Armor will want to speak with Princess Celestia as well..."

Author's Note

Regarding Gandalf's comment that "Any sufficiently powerful evil could bond with the One."

If you've only seen the movies, this may seem off. But the original books make it clear that while the ring wants to get back to Sauron, it could, in theory, be overridden by a powerful enough will, and forced to obey that will instead. This is one of the reasons why Sauron didn't have Mount Doom itself crawling with Orc guards: He wasn't afraid of them trying to destroy the ring. That they would do that would never have occurred to him in a million years. What Sauron was afraid of was an army of Gondor led by a ring wielding Aragorn. So Gandalf's statement here is more on point than the movies alone might make you think.

Book Four: Chapter Two

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Two

New York City. Twilight Sparkle cocked her head slightly as she listened to Rarity. "So, you just thought about needing a shield and one appeared?" She asked.

"Oh yes darling. Like this." Rarity concentrated for a moment and the shield appeared on her foreleg again.

"Mythril." Twilight said, examining the shield. "I guess we know why Gandalf wanted it now."

"Yeah, but here's the big question: Can the rest of us do that too?" Applejack wondered. She closed her eyes and muttered "Shield shield shield" under her breath. In moments another shield just like Rarity's appeared for her use. "Well that's right useful."

Twilight looked around and saw that Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had also tested it and found they too could summon shields at will. "Jim? Your armor already has a shield right?" She asked. "So I assume Claire and Toby do too."

"Right." Jim said, and demonstrated.

Rainbow Dash said "Okay, shields are cool. But did they give us weapons?"

"It stands to reason they would have." Claire said. "What kind of weapons would a pegasus use though?"

Applejack answered "Well, wingblades for starters. You wanna test that Dash?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash focused her thoughts, and it took only a second for a pair of shiny mythril wingblades to appear, already fixed to the leading edge of her wings. "Aw Yeah! We're ready to take down blobby now!"

"Not so fast Dash." Twilight said. "We've got to be careful here. You saw the acid that monster was using. Mythril is extremely resistant to corrosion, but it's not totally immune even to normal acids. What the monster is making is still a threat."

"Yes, I expect we'll need to strategize." Rarity agreed.

"But first, we need a good look at it." Jim said. "Let's at least go ahead and find the thing."

Everyone agreed, and they continued on their way.

They found their target twenty minutes later. It was hard to miss given the sheer amount of damage it was causing, tearing things apart with it's powerful tentacles and continuously opening portals that spewed forth acid. Taking shelter to observe from behind a wrecked car, they could hear that the monster was muttering to itself with both mouths, but what it was saying was too faint to be heard.

"What in the world is this thing?" Claire wondered.

"We need more intel." Twilight mused. "But how to get it?"

Then Pinkie Pie said "I've got you covered Twilight!" And before anyone could stop her, she bounded out of hiding and trotted right up to the creature. It turned to face her, and even in the distorted features of it's 'face' Twilight was certain she could make out an expression of shock that anyone would approach it like this. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?" The pink one asked.

To the utter surprise of everyone but Pinkie, the creature actually answered her, it's voice a deep tenebrous rumble. "I am... Cuchulainn... The Impure... Eater of sin... Devourer of worlds... Servant of the Quiet Darkness..."

"Sin sounds like a really unhealthy thing to eat." Pinkie mused. "Empty calories. And entire worlds? That must go straight to your hips. No wonder you're so husky."

Cuchulainn roared in anger and struck, lashing out with tentacles and opening portals to spill acid atop where the pink mare was standing. "Pinkie!!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Yes?" Pinkie asked, popping up unharmed from behind them.

"We thought it got you!" Fluttershy cried.

"Oh nonsense silly filly! How could it get me when it attacked over there and I'm over here?"

"But..." Toby said, confused.

Twilight said "Let it go! We've got a bigger worry!" Cuchulainn, alerted to their presence by the shout when they thought it had crushed Pinkie, was coming right for them. "Behind me!" Twilight yelled, and created a magic shield around the group, potent acid spilling against the outside of the shield and washing down to where it began to eat away at the ground. Including the ground beneath the hemispherical shield. Soon they would have no safe place to stand.

"Claire can you get us out of here!?" Jim exclaimed.

"I'd need an emotional anchor to lock onto!" The girl answered.

"Pinkie?" Applejack said, "Can you do... Whatever you just did again? We need you somewhere over that way!" She pointed behind Cuchulainn's back. She then looked around, but Pinkie was nowhere to be seen.

"I think she already did it Darling." Rarity said. "Claire, take us to wherever Pinkie went."

"Right." Claire answered, and opened a portal. The other side proved to be a half mile away, on the outer perimeter of a temporary army base. Pinkie was already there, speaking with a befuddled guard.

"Oh hey you guys!" Pinkie waved, "I figured we could get help here since these guys have already been working with ponies!"

"They've been what?" Rainbow Dash started to ask, but before she could say more they were interrupted by a single word from another voice:

"Twily?"

"B.B.B.F.F!!" Twilight shouted, racing to embrace her brother. "This is the 'deployment' Princess Celestia sent you on? I suppose I should have known."

"Sorry Twi. It was a rush thing or I would have contacted you." Shining said.

"Hello Miss Sparkle. It's nice to see you again, though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"The same here Agent Marsh." Twilight replied. "Can you tell us anything you've seen about this Cuchulainn thing that might help us beat it?"

"Maybe." Marsh answered. "Come inside with me, I'll show you all the data we've gathered. It's not much, but maybe you'll see something we're missing." They passed the still confused guard and went into a large tent divided into many rooms. At the end of a hall was the largest room, where there were multiple screens showing a variety of views of what was happening throughout the city. Shining and Marsh explained that, elsewhere in New York, combined human/pony task forces were managing to drive back to more normal orc and changeling troops. It was only the Cuchulainn monster itself that was giving them a fight they couldn't handle.

All around the room there were video screens showing images of the monster, most of them with overlays of varying kinds giving information being gathered by specialized sensors. "It looks like you're getting a lot of data." Claire said, looking around at the screens.

Marsh nodded. "Yeah, but none of it's anything we can use yet, unless one of you see something."

They spread out around the room, looking at the screens, though of course only Twilight and maybe Claire had any idea what they were seeing. Rainbow Dash, of course, put up a big show of understanding the data but no one was fooled.After several minutes, a particular screen caught Twilight's attention and she trotted over to it, saying to the technician running the screen "Is this a spectroscopic analysis?"

"Um, yes. But it makes no sense whatsoever." The young woman answered. "According to these readings, the thing shouldn't even be alive, it's made of inanimate organic matter."

"That could be magic. Pour enough power, especially power from wild or chaotic magic, into something and it'd be more surprising if it didn't come to life, at least for awhile. Though, I doubt we'll be so lucky as to have him just fall apart when an enchantment runs out." Twilight mused. A thought crossed her mind: "What kind of organic matter?"

The woman replied "Oil. The thing's entire body is just a mass of crude oil... Can I assume the magic is also what's allowing it to hold a form instead of just oozing across the ground in a puddle?"

"Yes, almost certainly... Hmmm... I wonder.... Crude oil..." There was something about the idea of the monster being made of oil that was tickling the back of her mind. Something about crude oil and a monster and a- "I have a dumb question!" Twilight finally shouted.

"A dumb question? You? Surely you jest." Applejack joked, and the other ponies, Shining included, couldn't help but snicker.

"We're listening. What's your question?"

"Okay, is it true that there is a type of bacterium that eats crude oil?" Twilight asked. "See, I ask because a few months back I read a human suspense novel in which the monster was a creature made of compounds similar to crude oil. The heroes stop it by infecting it with a crude oil eating bacteria. So, was the author yanking my hoof or does that really exist?"

"It does exist!" Marsh said, clapping his hands. "But even if we got some here, how would we manage to get close enough to infect the thing?"

"We'll have to hit it on all sides, make what looks like a concerted conventional attack but is actually just a whole lot of distractions to create an opening to slip in with the bacteria." Twilight said.

"We're good at distractions!" Rainbow Dash said, putting a hoof around Pinkie.

"You know it!" Pinkie agreed.

"I've got nothing better. I'll see what I can requisition." Marsh said, and left to make some phone calls.

"Okay everyone, gather in. Let's figure out how we're doing this." Twilight said...

XXXXX

Agent Marsh's calls bore fruit in record time. It was barely more than an hour later that a rack filled with a dozen vials of an enhanced form of the oil eating bacteria had been delivered. Each vial was six inches long, shaped rather like a oval pill tablet, and made of a plastic tough enough to not break accidentally, but weak enough to shatter on a hard impact.

"Hopefully we'll only need one of these." Marsh said.

"Yeah, especially since we don't know how many will miss before we get a hit." Shining agreed.

Applejack said "I hate 't be a party pooper, but even if we do get this 't work, how long's it gonna take for the thing 't get sick from it? I mean, don't most bugs take awhile 't make you sick?"

"A valid concern." Shining agreed.

"We don't have any other option though." Twilight said. "We'll just have to hope it goes as fast as it did in that book."

They set out together from the base, and located Cuchulainn again quickly. The monster had returned to Central Park, and seemed to be intently hunting the civilians who had taken shelter there. "Let's do this." Dash said, eyes narrowed, and the attack began.

The first thing Cuchulainn became aware of was Rainbow Dash buzzing past at high speed. It turned to follow her progress, trying to open acid portals above her, but she was too fast for it to keep up. As it's body rotated, Pinkie Pie came into view. "Hi! Listen, I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong hoof with the 'husky' comment!" Cuchulainn opened both mouths and spewed forth a black bile that drenched the entire area where Pinkie had been standing. When it stopped, it saw that she was gone. Again. Confused, it began to turn in a circle, seeking.

The first vial of bacteria, launched by Rarity's magic, nearly made it. Cuchulainn saw it coming and destroyed it with acid just in time. "Drats!" Rarity cursed, as Jim made his own attempt, slashing with his sword at a tentacle that got too close, but being forced to retreat by rivers of acid.

Then another vial, dropped from above by Claire opening a portal above and dropping a vial through, came within inches of landing directly atop Cuchulainn's head before it was swatted away with a tentacle.

"Fools." The monster rumbled, "I echo in the darkness... Older than eternity... Ageless as the wall... And I serve one far more terrible... Dare you stand before me?"

"We do!" Shining Armor exclaimed, as he made his own attack run, chucking a vial at Cuchulainn from point blank range. The monster dodged it, the vial splattering uselessly against a tree trunk.

"Three down." Marsh sighed.

"And nine to go." Twilight said. As she tried to decide how best to proceed, Fluttershy nudged her in the shoulder.

"Twilight! Look!" Fluttershy pointed to the tentacle Cuchulainn had used to knock away the vial Claire had dropped. Apparently, the vial had cracked when the monster struck it, and a little of the bacteria had gotten onto the tentacle. Which was now rapidly becoming a festering mass of open lesions.

"It does work!" Twilight cheered.

"Yeah, if we can just get one full vial on him, we'll have this licked!" Toby agreed.

Pinkie Pie suddenly said "And I know what to do! Applejack, Rarity, each of you grab a vial and follow my lead! You too Jim!"

While Pinkie began to put her plan in place, the others found themselves with a different task: Cuchulainn had found a large concentration of evacuees and was determined to eradicate them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began flying them to safety one at a time while Twilight teleported others away from the danger, Shining Armor's shield holding the monster at bay.

"Move fast Miss Pie! I can't hold him off for long!" Shining yelled.

And then Pinkie was indeed ready. "Is this because I implied you need to go on a diet!?" She shouted up at Cuchulainn.

Unable to puke the black bile at her again, since it's face side was busy trying to break Shining's shield, the creature resorted to acid portals. But Pinkie just dodged those. "So, I was thinking, you don't actually need a diet! You're made of oil right? We'll build a derrick on your head and drain the excess off!"

Cuchulainn roared, louder than ever before, and struck at Pinkie with the closest tentacle. Which, just as she had planned, was the diseased one. As soon as the massive appendage struck the ground, Pinkie yelled "Jim!" Jim leapt into view from behind a pile of rubble and cleaved the tentacle away from Cuchulainn's body. "Applejack! Rarity! We're up!" The three ponies rushed towards Cuchulainn, by now both distracted by the loss of a limb and unable to defend itself in their direction. They struck as one, three vials of the bacteria shattering on the ground at the monster's base, the fluid infecting the main body and rapidly spreading through the entire mass.

It worked even faster than Twilight had expected, especially after, in an act of mercy to make it end faster, the rest of the remaining vials were used as well. Cuchulainn melted away like the wicked witch of the west, it's delicate internal chemical balances shattered by the bacteria. "No, this cannot be... I am Cu... Chu... Lainn..." And then it was gone.

Author's Note

It's basically this guy

Also, the book Twilight references is 'Phantoms.'

Book Four: Chapter Three

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Three

As Cuchulainn fell, cheers went up from all around, as people emerged from hiding to celebrate. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were soon crowd-surfing as the jubilant throngs carried them along. "This might be premature!" Jim called out, "We still have the orcs and changelings to worry about!"

"Oh don't be a spoilsport!" Dash called down from the top of the crowd.

Then both Dash and Pinkie vanished from where they were and reappeared in front of Twilight. "Jim is right." the unicorn said, "We still have to mop up the rest of this mess."

"Oh all right. Lets get started then." Rainbow Dash groused.

The mopping up process took several more hours. Even then, it was only possible because no more of the enemy's troops arrived. In order to speed the process along, they had split back up into the three teams, each team accompanying a division of human and pony soldiers.

The teams encountered no great difficulties. The enemy was in retreat, and it showed. They met back up at the temporary army base once it was clear there were no more threats, at least for the time being. "So what will you do now?" Shining Armor asked.

"Teleport back to Unity I guess." Jim replied.

"Well Claire and Toby's groups at least." Twilight said. "I'd like for the three of us to make a stop in Equestria. I still need to let Princess Luna cast that dream memory spell, why not do it there?"

"The poor dear did say she was tired from all the teleporting back and forth. It might be easier for her if you're there." Rarity agreed.

"Exactly. And while I'm doing that, you can have a talk with Gandalf and the other wizards about the extras they didn't tell us about." Twilight nodded.

Applejack said "Then I guess we're settled. See y'all when we get back!"

Rarity and Fluttershy stood next to Claire, while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie took their positions to either side of Toby. A few seconds later, the six of them vanished. "So I guess this is it big brother." Twilight said, hugging Shining Armor tightly.

"You just be careful Twily. And yes, I will too." Shining answered, returning the hug.

Jim asked, "So, what do I focus on for our target?"

Shining answered "Not Canterlot. The last word we had said the Princesses were still keeping everypony out in case of a renewed attack. I would suggest focusing on the diarches themselves. That way you'll arrive close to wherever they are."

"That makes sense." Jim said. He looked at Twilight and Applejack. "You ready?"

"Let's go." Twilight nodded.

The ponies stood close to Jim, and waved as he concentrated on the magic. They were gone moments later. Shining Armor looked at Agent Marsh and asked "So how do you want to proceed from here?"

"We'll need to talk to the President and the Joint Chiefs. We've got to keep the Orc army up north contained, but we've also got to be prepared for a new attack anywhere at any time. Troop distribution is going to be tricky..."

XXXXX

They arrived in Equestria remarkably close to where the Princesses had set up their command base. So close, in fact, that when an earth pony sentry saw them arrive his first instinct was to draw a spear and demand that they surrender. This was followed, upon his recognition of Twilight and Applejack, with a rush to get them out of sight before any enemy spies laid eyes on their arrival and came to investigate.

They were led directly to Celestia and Luna, who greeted all three warmly and requested an update on what had happened. "Until we return to Canterlot, we don't have access to the communication windows after all." Celestia explained.

They gave a play by play of what had happened in New York, after which Applejack asked "So, how long will it be before you go back to Canterlot then?"

"As soon as we feel certain we can effectively defend it." Celestia said. "A few weeks, at least."

"Maybe we could help with communications in the meantime." Twilight suggested. "I mean, the way the teleport spell in the amulets works it can only transport us, but that's effortless. So we could still maybe make daily trips between Eqqus and Earth to keep both sides informed of what the other is doing."

Jim nodded. "I'd be willing to do that. I need practice on hitting my exact target anyway."

"That would be most beneficial. Thank you." Celestia smiled.

Luna said "Yes, you have my thanks as well. But now, I think perhaps we should get to why Twilight is here..."

"If you feel recovered enough, of course." Twilight said.

Luna replied "I am well enough. But before I begin Twilight, let me explain how this spell will work: Once it is cast, you will find yourself, alert and aware, back in the dream. I will also be present, but you must not speak to me, or interact with me in any way until it is over. In fact, once the voice speaks the first time, you should try to respond to it as closely to how you spoke before as possible. A disruption could damage my connection to the dream and spoil any chance of hearing what was being said clearly."

"I understand Princess." Twilight nodded.

"Then let us begin." Luna said, and her horn began to glow as she touched the tip to Twilight's own horn...

The next thing Twilight was aware of, she was floating in a dreamscape. Luna hovered close by, observing but saying nothing.

"Twilight Sparkle..." The voice was clear.

Remembering to respond as she had before, Twilight said "Huh? Who's there?"

"Twilight Sparkle... You must hear me..."

"I hear you!" Twilight called out.

The voice: "Stand firm. You must be ready..."

The voice was clear this time, but again Twilight responded, according to Luna's instructions, precisely as she had before, "I hear you! But it's not clear!"

The voice returned "Three generals your foe will send... Three keystones... It wants you to defeat them..."

"Three... What? It wants...?" Twilight asked.

"But defeat them you must..."

"But why...? I don't understand! I can't hear you clearly enough!"

"WARE!" The voice boomed louder than in the actual dream, "When felled is the third, free the enemy will be... Free then and there..."

The dream spell broke, as they had heard the last the voice had to say...

XXXXX

Meanwhile in Unity Rainbow Dash was regaling the Crusaders with her own take on the battle. "Orcs to my left! Drones to my right! The blob monster dead ahead and coming right for me! I tried to break free with a flurry of Broken Wing attacks and they were dropping like flies but there were just too many of them! Blobby grabbed me in a tentacle, getting ready to throw me alive into it's top mouth! ...And that's when I got mad..."

"So awesome so awesome so awesome!!!" Scootaloo cheered.

"So made up." Apple Bloom whispered behind a hoof to the others, who chuckled.

"So how did you get free?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well it wasn't all that hard really. See, what I did was-"

As Rainbow continued her self-congratulatory tale, Sweetie Belle looked around and noticed that one of their number was missing. Quietly, so as not to disturb the tall tale if only for Scootaloo's sake, she slipped out the door and looked around. Found who she was seeking on a park bench. "Nyma?"

"Oh hey Sweetie Belle. I just thought I'd slip out."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not 'wrong' exactly... I just hated hearing Miss Dash talking about all those Changelings she had to fight."

"You do know that story's more lies than truth?" Sweetie asked as she hopped up on the other end of the bench.

"Yeah, but that's not the problem." Nyma sighed. "I mean, whatever she did really do, I'm sure she had to. Chrysalis is evil and her drones don't have enough minds of their own to disobey her. But..."

"But it's still your people in a way?" Sweetie asked. When Nyma looked at her wide-eyed, surprised that Sweetie understood, the unicorn continued "I've heard Xix and some others say the same kinds of things."

"Thanks for getting it."

"Oh that's okay. And you know, maybe somepony will be able to do something about it someday."

"Huh?" Nyma asked, confused.

Sweetie said "Well Changeling Queens aren't like Alicorns right? They're not immortal... Her hive will have a new queen someday-"

"And maybe that queen can be taught to be nicer!" Nyma said, seeing what Sweetie was going for.

"Well sure. I mean it sounds like all the other queens out there are okay." Sweetie said.

"Eh, a few of them can be jerks too, just not as bad as Chrysalis. But yeah, most of our queens are fair and just. Like I hope to be, if, well, you know."

"It's a couple more years before you know for sure right?"

"Yeah." Nyma nodded. "And even then, another ten years past that before I'd actually be starting to make new drones. Anyway! Let's go do something fun!"

"Arcade?"

"You know it!"

"Okay, you go ahead I'll be right there!" Sweetie Belle watched as Nyma galloped away, and as soon as the changeling filly was out of sight said "Okay, which one of you is it?"

An innocuous seeming cardboard box rippled with green fire, turning into Xix. "Thanks for that." Xix said. "I've tried to cheer her up, but the truth is she really doesn't want to be a queen... But, she also wants to do what's best for the hive here. It's really bothering her."

Does she have any choice at all?" Sweetie asked.

Xix shook her head. "It's biology. None of us have a choice."

"That's sad. But don't worry! We'll find a way to help her through! I better go, before she wonders what's keeping me. Bye Xix!"

XXXXX

"Three generals. Three keystones." Celestia repeated after Twilight had told what she heard.

"And we have to destroy them, even though that's what the real enemy actually wants us to do?" Jim asked.

"Crazy, I know." Twilight said.

Applejack said "Well, maybe not... What I mean is, even knowin' what the big bad is after, we can't very well just sit back and say 'A whole city's being torn apart! But we can't do nothin' 'cause the bad guy wants us to.'"

"Strewth." Luna agreed.

"Yeah. I wonder if maybe there's a way to bind one of them?" Twilight mused. "If we could stop one without destroying it, like Discord turned to stone, we could keep the real threat imprisoned."

"That's worth considering." Celestia agreed. "Though we would only have three shots."

Jim asked "Would we? I'm seriously wondering if Cuchulainn wasn't General number one."

"Ugh! I'm sure you're right!" Twilight groaned, upset that she hadn't seen that for herself.

"Two chances then." Celestia said.

"Two chances assumin' the voice in Twi's dream is tellin' us the truth." Applejack pointed out.

Luna said "I'm afraid I am quite certain, having heard the voice, that it was indeed speaking the truth. And also quite certain that any attempts to circumvent what it said had to happen will be futile."

"And why do you say that sister?" Celestia asked, curious.

"Because Tia, I recognized the voice. It was our mother."

"Luna you are certain?"

"Positive. " Luna answered. "Even after all this time I remember her voice as clearly-"

"Queen Faust!?" Twilight suddenly blurted out, eyes wide. "That's who...? Oh. Oops. Sorry Princess."

Both diarches allowed themselves to chuckle lightly. "We'll let the breech of etiquette go under the circumstances Twilight." Celestia said.

"So this is a good thing then?" Jim asked.

"Yes... And no..." Luna mused. "On the one hoof, yes, very good. Our mother is powerful, even if she is often forbidden to use her power overtly. If she has taken an interest in what is happening, if she saw fit to send a warning... Her presence can only be good. But on the other hoof, if our enemy is powerful enough to partially block her ability to contact Twilight, it means we face a foe greater than any we have seen."

Celestia said "I think you should return to Unity now. In fact, I think you should avoid having any one of your three teams on any world by themselves again until this is over."

"I understand Princess." Twilight bowed. "Thank you Princess Luna, for helping me with the dream." She nodded up to Jim. "Let's go home."

Book Four: Chapter Four

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Four

Unity. Jim, Twilight, and Applejack returned to the Golden Oaks Library to find their friends still in armor and experimenting with the various tools the armor was able to summon to them on demand. "Twi! This is awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered as she practiced with a sword made of mythril.

"I'm guessing you asked Gandalf some questions?" Jim asked.

"The wizards are busy with some other new research project already." Rarity said, "But yes, they took the time to show us some of the hidden extras they included in the armor."

Claire said "Besides what you've already seen, there are swords, staffs, bows that never run out of arrows, it's like there's a whole toolkit in these amulets!"

"I wonder if adding gems to an amulet would affect the pony's armor too?" Toby mused.

Twilight asked "Gems?"

"Yeah, look." Jim turned his amulet over where Twilight could see the back side. it scissored open, revealing a set of slots, three of which were empty, though the others had glowing gems set in them. "Vendel once told me that 'Humans cut gems to unlock their beauty, but trolls cut gems to unlock their power.' There's a whole chest full of these gems in Trollmarket. Each one, added to an amulet, alters the amulet's power in a unique way. For example, the gems in my amulet right now are called the Triumbric Stones. They make the armor stronger, specifically for fighting Gunmar."

"It sounds like you've asked a good question then Tobias." Rarity said, "Will the gems alter our armor too?"

"Most assuredly." Gandalf said as he and the other wizards ascended from the library basement.

Merlin added "But be cautious. A gem in, for example, Lady Claire's amulet would continue to effect both Rarity and Fluttershy no matter how far away from her they were, since their armor is linked to her amulet. But Tobias and Jim, and the ponies linked to their amulets, would only be effected at close range."

"How close?" Applejack asked.

"I wouldn't trust more than five hundred feet." Merlin replied.

Gandalf asked "So how did your time with Princess Luna go Twilight?"

Twilight quickly explained what she had heard, and what Luna had revealed about the source of the dream voice.

"Faust?" Starswirl said. "Well at least that tracks."

"Tracks?" Applejack asked.

Starswirl replied "Yes, After you departed Miss Tessindra discussed with us what Twilight had discussed with her. The odd cultural similarities between the Modern Equestrian and Western Civilizations, as well as the unexplained magic currents in certain ancient writings. We have no more of an explanation than you for the currents, but the cultural question... We all rather expect Faust has been busy."

"Which cannot explain everything, but at least it's a starting point." Gandalf said. "We know she's doing what she can, as much as she is allowed to, from behind the scenes."

"So is that your new research project? Figuring out the rest of those answers?" Fluttershy asked.

"Indeed."

"But first," Starswirl said, "We have a gift for our young Trollhunters." His horn glowed as a small cloth bag levitated out of his saddlebags and into Jim's hands. "I believe you have a friend who's been turned to stone by Creeper's Sun?"

"Wait... This is the antidote? We can save Vendel?" JIm asked, stunned.

"This is awesome!" Claire cheered. "Come on, let's go! You guys too!" She added to the Ponies, "We can show you the gems while we're there!"

XXXXX

"Are you sure?" Apple Bloom cocked her head slightly as she stared up at Bert Gumbal.

"Yes Bloom, I'm sure." Bert replied. "There is no way I'm letting you or any of your friends anywhere near the work I'm doing for Sheriff Tucker. 'Cutie Mark Crusaders: Munitions Experts" has apocalypse written all over it."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. One little high explosives mishap and no one ever lets you live it down. "Okay, okay... But there's gotta be something we can do to help you out!"

"Would you mind telling me why you kids are so big on this all the sudden?" Bert asked.

"Because we've got to do something! I mean, everyone else in town is getting ready in case the war fightin' comes here! We've got t' do our part too!"

Bert briefly considered asking if the well known 'Crusader's Curse' could be weaponized. Instead he sighed and said "Let me think on it okay? Come back by tomorrow, I'll let you know if I've got any ideas."

"Y'all know 'come back tomorrow' is what everybody else has said too? And I mean everybody! Herb at the diner, the council, the Bakkers, Brayflox, the wizards, hay, even Mister Blinky!" Apple Bloom sighed.

"Well, for what it's worth I at least mean it." Bert shook his head. "No promises, but I really will try to think of something."

"Well that's something." Bloom turned and walked away, leaving Bert to his work. A few minutes later, she met up with the other Crusaders in the town park. "No dice." She announced. "Any of you have better luck?"

"No."

"Nope."

"Zip."

"Nada."

"Well there's gotta be something we can do." Scootaloo said.

"Yeah but what?" Dinky asked, but no one had an answer.

As they were walking across the manicured park lawns, they suddenly heard a loud, boisterous voice that none of them recognized. "Victory is Mine!" The voice shouted.

"Who or what was that!?" Sweetie Belle wondered.

Scootaloo said "I dunno, but it came from over here! Let's check it out!"

They carefully approached a large wood frame gazebo in the middle of the lawn. Climbing the steps, they could hear the voice from before, quieter now but still louder than another voice which seemed to be arguing something. Peeking around the corner into the gazebo deck, they found that a game of chess had been set up on the center table. Nigel Bakker was the quieter voice they had heard, and also one of the players. The loud voice belonged to Nigel's opponent, a frail looking old man who spoke and gestured much more aggressively than one would expect for his age.

As the Crusaders watched, Nigel rose from his seat and said "Look, you're just too intense friend. I'm out. It was a good game though."

"Forfeit counts as loss!" The old man exclaimed. "Varvatos Vex is victorious again! As he knew he would be with new opponents in this town!"

"Victorious? It's just a game." Nyma said as they approached the table and examined the board.

"That shows what you know, small quadrupeds!" Varvatos exclaimed. "Chess is a warriors game! It teaches strategy, tactics, and when to make sacrifices for the greater good!"

The Crusaders looked at each other. "Strategy?" Nyma asked. "Are you girls thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We sure are." Apple Bloom replied. To Varvatos she said "Will you teach us to play?"

"What!? Varvatos Vex teach children!?"

"You got anything better to do?" Scootaloo asked deadpan.

Varavos sighed. "Very well."

A cheer went up: "Cutie Mark Crusaders! Master Tacticians! Yaay!!"

The tiniest of smirks formed at one edge of Varvatos' mouth. "Glorious..."

XXXXX

Upon arriving in Trollmarket, Jim and his friends led the ponies first to Blinky's library. Naturally, this triggered an episode in Twilight, the mare freaking out over all the many books she had never read before. "Please please please you have to let me borrow some of them!"

Blinky replied "I would be delighted to do so my dear, but they are all written in Trollish..."

"Not a problem! There's a translation spell for writing too!" Twilight was eagerly hopping up and down.

"Hold on!" Jim said, "Twilight, remember why we're here. We can do this later."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"And why are you here Master Jim?" Blinky asked.

Jim held up the pouch Starswirl had given him. "Creeper's Sun antidote."

"What!? Oh this is wonderful! We must use it at once! Come along everyone, Vendel is still in his chambers within the Heartstone!" Blinky led them across the market and into the massive glowing Heartstone at their center. Jim started to remove the antidote from the pouch, meaning to use it immediately, but Blinky motioned with all four arms for him to wait. "You weren't here when we cured Aarrrgh, and neither were our pony friends, so a word of warning: When Aarrrgh first returned to life, for several moments, he was confused, irrational, and quite frankly dangerous. The same may happen with Vendel. Be prepared to move quickly and defend yourselves if necessary."

After everyone had nodded their understanding, Jim proceeded. The magical cure worked it's powers quickly, Vendel's body shuddering and flakes of hard stone fell away from him. "Vendel? Old friend...?" Blinky whispered. With a roar Vendel was on the move, smashing everything in sight, lost in the confusion of what had happened. Twilight had to telport around the room after she got his attention, and Dash swiftly flew about grabbing anyone who didn't look to get clear in time.

Then Aarrrgh was there, grabbing Vendel's hands in his own, holding tight. "Stop. Vendel. Stop." The giant troll said softly, and slowly the older troll began to calm.

"Blinkous? What has happened?" Vendel asked.

"That I fear is a long story old friend." Blinky answered. "Come, let us get you to a seat and we'll tell you all about it..."

XXXXX

"Three amulets!?" Two hours had passed, much of it in the telling of the tale, and Vendel was still processing much of what he had learned. "And Gunmar vanquished, only to be taken away by some greater villainy? Morgana herself right here, in the Heartstone!?"

"And Trolls are pretty much common knowledge to humans now." Claire added. "It would have been hard to prevent."

"Yes, with gremlins running about in the streets I imagine it would." Vendel granted.

Twilight said "I imagine you'll want to speak with the wizards yourself. I can take you to them after sunset if you'd like."

"Yes, yes that is a prudent idea." Vendel rose from his seat. "Though Lady Claire does have a faster way... By the way Blinkous, did you ever find my missing staff?"

"Um, no, but we do still have the replacement..." Blinky handed the staff he had been carrying to Vendel. It was little more than a long, mostly straight, piece of driftwood with blinking battery powered lights wound around the crook at the top.

"Ahh yes, Christmas lights. Festive." Vendel said in a droll tone. "Lady Claire, if you will?"

"Right. 'For the Courage of Gandalf, Stardust is mine to command!'" Vendel looked impressed as Claire's armor appeared. She then opened a portal directly into the inner rooms of the Golden Oaks Library. Vendel passed through first, followed by Claire and the others...

XXXXX

New Mordor. Amid the roar of Mount Doom's eruptions, the thick rumbling clouds of soot and ash, and the dark jagged volcanic rocks that comprised most of the terrain, the armies came. Orcs who had been here all along. Changeling drones from Chrysalis' hive, now under the command of a greater evil. Gumm-Gumm soldiers freed from the Darklands, and even darker things as well, all marching together.

They marched in formation, rank and file, all coming together in a vast flat plain to the north and west of the mountain. Here there was a massive raised platform, on which stood Morgana, Usurna, Chrysalis, and the mysterious blue skinned woman Twilight and the others had seen before. With a flickering of light, the woman's image was projected onto the clouds, and her amplified voice rang out across the plains, making her visible and audible to the entire massed army.

"Armies of the Quiet Darkness!" The woman's voice rang out, "Our first mission comes to an end at long last! And our second soon begins, and will never end! Behold the One reborn!" She held aloft a cylindrical container of glass or some other transparent material. Floating within was a simple looking golden ring. The armies cheered loudly, and when the cheer had died down the woman continued "Soon this will be in it's rightful place on our master's hand. And then no force in the universe will stop us!" Cheers rose again.

"Stand in readiness! You march on Earth and Eqqus as soon as our Master is free! And then every other world in the cosmos will fall before us!" The woman turned from the army and the projectors switched off. She approached the others waiting on the platform.

"Is it my turn?" Morgana asked.

"Yes, but not yet."

Chrysalis asked "And why not? Already you've cost be a tenth of my drones!"

"Everything in it's time, according to the plan. Cuchulainn was weak. You are strong. Let our enemies wait and wonder for now. Soon enough we will hit them again, with a real threat..."

Book Four: Chapter Five

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Five

Three weeks passed. On Earth and Eqqus, the enemy forces had stopped advancing. But reinforcements continued to pour in behind their lines and they were putting up a stiff fight to hold the territory they had gained. Satellite imagery on Earth, and high-altitude pegasus recon flights on Eqqus both confirmed that, behind the front lines, any Orcs and Changelings not fighting were busy building. Building walls, barracks, traps, and what looked like foundations for heavy weapon emplacements. Clearly something big was coming sooner or later.

In Unity, the Bearers and Trollhunters continued practicing with their new armor and weapons, knowing they needed to be ready to move at a moment's notice when the next of the three generals attacked. While they were busy doing that, often in the the Trollhunter's Trollmarket training grounds called the Hero's Forge, Sheriff Tucker, Midnight Steel, and Bert Gumbal readied for a battle on their own turf. In addition to the force comprised of Fallow Meadow's former police department and Ponyville's former royal guard contingent, they were recruiting and training anyone who was capable of fighting. Weapons were already stored in secure caches all over town, a legacy of the wild predator attack mere days after the town's had been taken. The existing caches were expanded upon, and several new stores were added as well.

Much the same was happening in Arcadia. Under the watchful eye of the Doctor, who had gone there to assist after deciding Unity was well in hoof, the townsfolk were inventorying their own weapons, and learning about what Stuart had tucked away in his shop. Aja and Krel, though staying in human form in public, were helping where they could in spite of Varvatos' annoyed insistence that it was too dangerous. They were also coordinating with the Trolls, where possible. Trolls would only be able to help fight in a night time attack, of course, but the extensive forges and foundries in the deeper levels of the market would be a godsend in crafting new arms and armor.

Rarity finished the frustrating work of replacing the materials she had lost in the Gremlin attack, and worked hard to rebuild her summer stock of completed outfits. Macintosh and Beth made wedding plans and the girl's pregnancy began, just barely, to show. Twilight stayed in contact with her brother through the comm windows, and also with the Princesses once they felt safe allowing Canterlot to be reinhabited two weeks along. Gandalf, Starswirl, and Merlin continued their research into the mysterious magical current in certain ancient writings with connections to wizards. The Crusaders learned chess from Varvatos, Apple Bloom and Nyma in particular picking things up very quickly.

And then one day...

XXXXX

It was around ten in the morning when Twilight left Sugarcube Corner after morning coffee and a long discussion with the Sheriff and Bert about ways to further bolster the town's defenses. As she trotted down Main Street towards the library Twilight was joined by Trixie. "Do you have a moment Twilight?" The other mare asked.

"Sure. How's your back doing?" Twilight asked.

"Much better thanks. Most of the cuts are totally healed. My coat's even mostly grown back in. Stupid gremlins. I'll have a couple of scars, but you won't be able to tell under the coat." Trixie replied.

"That's good. So what did you need?"

Trixie answered "Well I was thinking... And I'm wondering if my illusion magic might be useful to the defense plans. I mean, I know illusions can't actually do anything to an enemy, but they could maybe provide a distraction at least."

Twilight nodded. "That's good thinking. Though, for maximum effect you would probably want to wait until a crucial moment. After all, it won't take long for our enemies to figure out what's happening."

"Reducing the effectiveness." Trixie agreed. "It would still be useful after that, since they couldn't afford to just ignore things that might be real, but once they knew..."

"Exactly. Why don't I invite you to our next planning meeting? We'll see what we can work out there."

"That sounds good. Thank you." Trixie smiled.

Before Trixie could excuse herself, the mares were joined by Durban the Dwarf. "I've been thinking... What this town needs and doesn't have is a shelter for the civilians. If you'd like, I'll speak with my brethren about digging out some deep tunnels."

"That would be wonderful!" Twilight agreed, "But how long would it take?"

"Trust me Twilight, you should see the new Hobbit holes. These guys can dig like crazy." Trixie chuckled.

"Really?"

"Aye lass. We could have something ready inside of a week." Durban said. "I'll go and have that talk right now."

As Durban left, Twilight said "This is incredible. I love how everyone is pulling together, offering up whatever they have to help."

"I just hope it's enough." Trixie said.

"Now now, none of that. We have to stay positive!"

"I understand." Trixie said, brushing off Twilight's attempt to give her a consoling hug. "But I think you've got something up maybe..." She pointed to where a deputy was running towards them out of breath.

"Miss Sparkle... they need you... at the comm window..." The man said panting for breath, "Something's up in Equestria. Something bad."

"Thank you deputy." Twilight said, and teleported away the next moment.

XXXXX

After a brief detour of teleporting to and fro to gather everyone, Twilight arrived at town hall and made her way to the comm room. The others were right behind her. Celestia, Luna, and the human General helping in Equestria, Morton she thought his name was, were waiting. "What's wrong?" She asked without preamble.

"The attacks have begun again." Celestia said. "Armies of Orcs, Changelings, and... other things... are advancing on both worlds. And here... here we have a bigger problem. General?"

General Morton stepped forward, a tablet in his hands. "We have video of what I suspect is the second of these enemy generals we were warned about. She's currently attacking Cloudsdale. Take a look." He held the tablet where they could see the screen and pushed play.

Everyone gasped at the carnage, but it was Claire who had the strongest reaction when the enemy came into view. A physically slight human woman in head to toe golden armor, one hand a prosthesis made of some green stone, the other wielding a magical staff. "Morgana." She hissed, eyes narrowed.

"You know this being?" Luna asked.

"Morgana. Morgan La Fey. Merlin's apprentice, before she turned against him." Claire said.

"She's major." Jim added. "As in, 'It took every bit of power Merlin had just to contain her' major."

"How are we supposed to fight something like that!?" Rarity asked.

"Remember, we have powers from three wizards now, not just one." Twilight said, "And also the Elements."

"Why are we standing here talking about it!? We have to go! Now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "That's Cloudsdale she's destroying!"

"We'll go Dash, But we need a way for everyone to walk on clouds." Twilight said.

Fluttershy asked "Um, what about the cloudwalking spell?"

"That's too risky. If this Morgana is as powerful as it seems she'd just dispel it. We need something more permanent." Twilight answered.

Toby said "Let's go talk to Vendel. Maybe there are some gems for that." At everyone's look he added "Okay, okay, it's a long shot. You guys got anything better?" No one did, in fact, so they headed quickly for Trollmarket to seek the elder's aid...

XXXXX

"Two blocks north and one to the right, you can't miss it." Lyra Heartstrings pointed with a hoof and was thanked by the human couple who had gotten hopelessly lost while exploring Unity's downtown area. It was the fifth time today she'd had to give directions, and the mare had lost count over the past three weeks. When the public windows were first opened the number of human visitors had been large but manageable: Mostly Fallow Meadows citizens who had been out of town when the storms came, those with immediate family in the town, reporters, and a small smattering of others. But since Twilight and the others had had saved New York from the blob-thing the floodgates had opened wide with hero worshipers seeking to catch even a glimpse of their idols.

"Another busy day." A voice spoke behind her.

Lyra looked over her shoulder to see the speaker was Florence. "Oh hey, yeah. I've heard that they had to establish a waiting list just to keep things from getting too crowded here."

"I can't imagine that went over well back home." Florence sighed. "I'm just glad they can't actually eat or drink here. I'd be run ragged by now."

"Yeah but imagine the tips." Lyra joked.

"Yeah there is that... So, I'm guessing they were looking for Sugarcube Corner?"

"Yep. At first the bulk of them wanted a first hoof look at Twilight. Probably because she did the initial interviews. So I was giving directions to Golden Oaks. But ever since that video of Pinkie messing with the blob's mind was released they're all wanting to meet her." Lyra chuckled. "If they only knew the full extent of what Pinkieness actually means..."

Florence could only nod in agreement. "No kidding. So it's all people wanting meet Pinkie now?"

Lyra shook her head. "Oh no, not entirely. There are still people looking for the other Bearers. Or the Trollhunters. Or elves, or dwarves, or hobbits. Or Gandalf. It's probably a good thing he's hidden away at the library doing his research with the other wizards, I can't imagine he'd take well to hundreds of people wanting selfies with him. The elves are already fed up with that."

"Okay now that I already knew. Poor Tess living up above the diner, every time she came in for a meal she got bothered constantly. It got to the point that Herbert put up a sign warning people to leave her be." Florence said.

Lyra raised one eyebrow. "And the sign works?"

Florence explained "Well it helps that he also left his rifle out on the back counter directly underneath it."

"Ahhh... Because if the sign had done the job by itself I would've hung one around my neck: 'Not a map...' Maybe I should just start pointing them the wrong way."

"Or directly towards the wizards?"

"Now that's an idea..." Lyra laughed. "No, too mean even for me. Wrong way though, word's bound to get out sooner or later that I'm unreliable right?"

Florence quipped "'Dear Trip Advisor: Never found what I was looking for. Unicorns singularly unhelpful. Lowest possible rating.'"

"I have no idea what that means." Lyra chuckled. "But it sounds promising."

"I don't know... Maybe with all the visitors these days it's time for the town to put up some of those arrow signs." Florence said. "I mean, we didn't bother before since everyone here knows their way around, but..."

"That's a good idea. Though, let's be honest: You know me. I'll keep helping no matter-"

"Excuse me miss?"

"Two blocks north and one to the right. You can't miss it."

"Thank you."

"So... What was that about arrow signs?" Lyra and Florence both laughed out loud.

XXXXX

"Walking on clouds!?" Vendel asked, incredulous. "Why ever would there be a gem for that?"

Toby shrugged. "I dunno... Fighting Stalklings maybe?"

Vedel blinked. He hadn't expected Toby to actually have a reasonable answer. Before he could say anything though, Twilight said "I have a cloudwalking spell. But we need something to make it more more permanent. Trying to engage Morgana in Clousdale will be far too dangerous otherwise."

"Morgana!? That's who is attacking now!? Why didn't you say so? Blinkous, fetch the chest will you?" Blinky crossed the room and returned with the chest, which Vendel opened. "No, there is no gem for 'cloudwalking.' But I'm sure there must be something here that will aid you..." He examined a green gem. "Hmmm.... No, that would never work." Vendel replaced the green gem and picked out a yellow one. "I wonder... No, too risky." He next looked at another green gem. "Intriguing... But no, too easy for her to counter... Ahhhh!" Vendel held out a gem glowing a bright violet. "This should do nicely."

Accepting the stone, Jim asked "What does it do?"

"Sometimes the simplest options really are the best." Vendel said. "All this gem will do is prevent dispels. Load it in an amulet and the Unicorn can cast her cloudwalking spell as normal with no risk of Morgana simply wiping it away."

"That's perfect!" Twilight cheered.

"Whose amulet are we putting it in?" Pinkie asked.

Jim started to suggest Claire, but Claire beat him to the punch. "Jim's." She said. "Toby and I both have a pony partner that can fly."

"That's smart. And right appreciated." Applejack smiled.

Jim inserted the gem into his amulet and Twilight used the Cloudwalking spell on everyone. "Now let's go! That's my hometown the witch is attacking!" Rainbow Dash urged.

"Right. Focus on arriving at the front gates of the weather factory." Twilight said, "And remember to do everything you can to stay within five hundred feet of Jim so the spell can't be dispelled."

The three teens held their amulets up and focused, all nine vanishing seconds later.

"Deya guide them." Blinky whispered, and Vendel could only nod.

Author's Note

For those unfamiliar with Trollhunters, 'Deya guide them' is a common benediction among Trolls, referring not to a deity but rather Deya the Deliverer, the very first bearer of the amulet and the one who trapped Gunmar and most of his army in the Darklands to begin with.

Book Four: Chapter Six

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Six

Cloudsdale. Amidst a brief burst of magic and light the Element Bearers and Trollhunters appeared before the gates of the Weather Factory. They were already armored up and ready to fight, but things were calm at the factory itself. Not so much elsewhere in the floating city, explosions and other sounds of battle could be heard clearly echoing through the sky and smoke was rising from dozens of places.

"This is so freaky." Claire said, stomping a foot down repeatedly on the solid to her clouds.

"I know right!?" Toby agreed. "Can you imagine how comfy a bed this would make?"

"Yeah yeah it's cool! Can we go fight the witch already!?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Right! Dash, recon. Find out exactly where she's at." Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash saluted and flew away at high speed.

"Okay, so while she's doing that I think we need some kind of plan." Jim said.

"Yep. How'r we gonna stand up 't someone as strong as Gandalf or Starswirl or Merlin?" Applejack asked.

Twilight pondered this question. "Merlin sealed her away. And she stayed sealed for centuries. Maybe if we can wear her down some first the Elements will work, sealing her in stone like Discord. Getting her weak enough to not just move out of the way of the rainbow will be the trick."

"I could try to hold her in place if she was weak enough." Jim said.

"And get turned to stone yourself!?" Claire asked.

"The Elements don't work that way darling." Rarity said. "They restore order to disorder. Dear James would be unharmed."

"Well that changes things." Toby said.

"But... Wearing down someone so strong without being worn down ourselves first..." Fluttershy whispered.

"True." Twilight agreed.

"What about her staff?" Claire asked. "Isn't it true that a lot of a wizard's power is in the staff? If we could break it, or even get it away from her..."

Applejack said "We'd hafta be real sneaky like. Soon as she realized that's what we were after we'd never get another opening."

Twilight nodded. "No, we wouldn't..." She eyed Claire. "But maybe I've got a plan... Everyone gather in."

XXXXX

While the others were plotting, Rainbow Dash flew high over the city. The first thing she saw, with surprise, was that there were no Changeling drones anywhere. Morgana had attacked on her own. "Confident?" Dash wondered, "Or just the enemy making it easy since it wants us to beat her?"

She flew on, following an easily visible path of destruction that tore right through the heart of the city. Morgana wasn't bothering with homes; her assault was focused on the downtown area, businesses, industries, government buildings, all the places where there would be large crowds to threaten. A new explosion erupted several blocks away, and Dash made to head that way when she caught sight of a speck in the distance, arcing through the sky, thrown clear of the blast. A winged speck which, Dash could just make out, had an orange mane and was wearing a dark blue uniform. "That's a Wonderbolt!" She exclaimed, and flew to catch them.

As Rainbow Dash got closer, she could see that she had been right. And more than right, this wasn't just a Wonderbolt, it was Spitfire. Dash zoomed in and carefully caught Spitfire in her hooves, then slowly descended to the cloud deck below. "Blurgh.... Dash...?"

"Rest easy, I've got you." Dash said. "What happened?"

"Some crazy sorceress... Are the Element Bearers here to help?" Spitfire asked.

"You know it!" Rainbow Dash laid Spitfire down on the clouds, but the Wonderbolt was not one to lie down in a battle even when injured. She immediately rose shakily to her hooves. "Hay careful! You're in rough shape!"

"If I die it's on my hooves or my wings. Be careful Rainbow Dash. This one, she's no joke."

"Yeah I've heard. But we're ready. We'll beat this witch in ten seconds-"

Rainbow Dash was cut off as Spitfire was suddenly right in her face, scowling. "Arrogance gets you killed! It has no place on the battlefield! Do your duty but do it smart! Understand!?"

Falling flat on her rump, Rainbow could only say "Ma'am Yes Ma'am!"

"Good." Spitfire allowed herself a small grin. "Now I'm finding whatever's left of my team. You get to work." She saluted and flew away on uncertain wobbly wings.

Watching Spitfire fly away, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but consider two conflicting facts: First, that the Wonderbolts were indeed awesome and unbeatable. And second, that Spitfire had said 'What's left' of the team. Which implied... What it implied didn't bear consideration, especially since if it could happen to the Wonderbolts it could happen to anyone. Shaking her head to clear the unwanted thoughts, Rainbow Dash took wing and headed back to rejoin the others...

XXXXX

Unity. It was a calm beautiful day, the sky bright blue and cloudless. The temperature might have been a bit much, but a cool steady breeze made things perfect. Pretty much anyone who didn't have to be working was out, and those in the park were suddenly treated to a loud cheer of "Checkmate!" from one of the gazebos. Inside the gazebo were Varvatos Vex and the entire Crusader's membership, pony, human, and other, learning to play.

"Now hold on! That's not... I could... Or maybe... Okay yeah Checkmate. Good game Scootaloo." Apple Bloom sighed.

"Your game is off today Apple Pony." Varvatos said. "The orange one should never have beaten you."

"Hay!" Scootaloo complained.

"Varvatos Vex calls them as he sees them." Varvatos said to Scootaloo. To Apple Bloom he asked "Does something trouble you?"

"Ah'm just worried about my sister and her friends off fighting."

Varvatos nodded. "Concern for friends and family is important and honorable. But one must be cautious that said concerns do not ripen into distraction! Although, Varvatos must also say that he has heard much talk of your sister and her allies and they seem to be most worthy warriors. They will prevail!"

"Yeah, I get it." Apple Bloom replied.

"We are just kids you know." Micheal Riggs said.

"And you are most fortunate to come from places where that matters!" Varvatos bellowed. "Far too many places there are where youth is no protection from mortal dangers!"

"Well that's depressing." Dinky said.

"But true." The group's Goblin member, Flixbix said. "Many young hurt or killed in wars."

"But isn't that why we're learning this game? Because it helps you think strategically?" Scootaloo asked.

"Indeed! When you have all mastered the basics of chess, Varvatos will teach you how to apply the lessons in real life situations!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Apple Bloom said, "Come on Scootaloo, let's set up for a rematch..."

XXXXX

In Cloudsdale, Morgana was raising havoc and having a grand time doing it. She had sent the Changeling drones away; for one thing she worked alone, and for another the shapeshifters reminded her of a certain treasonous Auf and she didn't want that memory ruining an otherwise perfect day. The only regret in her mind was that she couldn't bring on the endless night here. The sisters were too strongly bound to this world's sun and moon for her to have any effect in that regard.

The sorceress had just finished demolishing an office building when a familiar voice rang out behind her. "That's enough Morgana!"

"Well well. Lady Claire." Morgana turned to face her opponents. "And in armor of your own. But what have you done to my beautiful shadow staff?"

"I traded up. Merlin and the other wizards destroyed that abomination." Claire answered.

Morgana's eyes narrowed. "You destroyed my creation!? Then I will most certainly destroy you!" Everyone was forced to scatter as Morgana went on the offensive against them, blasts of powerful magic from her staff and fire from her free hand lashing out in all directions. "I am Morgana! Queen of the Eldritch Plain! Baba Yaga! The Pale Lady! You cannot stand against my power! I will trap you in the Shadow Realm and destroy this sugarbowl pony world! And when the time is right, I will destroy the one who fancies me his servant and I will rule!"

"We'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash shouted. She used the armor's power to create a bow and started firing arrows. Her aim was good, but the projectiles merely bounced off of Morgana's own armor. Then Twilight made her move, teleporting in close to Morgana and trying to grab the staff from her hand. Morgana backhanded Twilight, sending her sprawling to the clouds.

Before Morgana could attack Twilight again, Rarity was there, also trying to grab the staff while Jim and Toby attacked together as a distraction. Rarity was unable to get the staff, but Rainbow Dash made a high speed grab for it that nearly succeeded. Then Pinkie Pie was in the mix, appearing from over Morgana's right shoulder but having to duck back down as the ancient witch blasted fire at her. The melee continued, Morgana holding her own against the team, until nearly everyone was facing off against her from the north. And to the south waited Claire, ready to make her move.

Twilight's plan was simple: Let Morgana see that Claire's weapon was no longer the shadow staff. Trick Morgana into thinking that the shadow staff had not been reforged in light but destroyed. Morgana was smart. She would know that they would make a play for her own staff, to deprive her of it's power. She would know that Twilight would try to teleport in to grab it, that Dash would try to nab it with a high speed pass. But thinking the shadow staff was gone, she would never see Claire still being able to teleport in to claim it.

And now with Morgana focused on the rest of the team, Claire was on the move. She opened a portal and jumped through, reappearing just behind the sorceress. Reaching out with her free hand, Claire actually touched Morgana's staff was about to grab ahold, when Morgana spun around, grabbed Claire by the hand, and flipped her down onto the clouds on her back. "It was a good try." Morgana said, "But I made the shadow staff from a fragment of my own inner magic. Even turned against me as it is, I can still sense what was." Keeping her attention focused on the girl at her feet, she called out "Surrender or the girl dies!"

"Too much attention on me." Claire said, "When I'm really not the one you should be looking at."

Twilight's voice rang out from across the clouds, "Girls, Now!"

Morgana looked up to see the Bearers floating in formation, eyes aglow, and didn't even have time to scream out the stereotypical "NOOOO" before the light of harmony enveloped her. Claire dragged herself to her feet as the glow faded. "Are you okay!?" Jim asked after running to her.

"Yeah I'm fine. Never would have thought getting body slammed into clouds would hurt though."

Toby and the Element Bearers joined Jim and Claire, and, after also confirming she was unhurt Rainbow Dash pointed to Morgana and asked "Okay, question... Shouldn't she be a stone statue now?"

Morgana was on her knees on the clouds, head bowed, still flesh and blood but her staff had vanished, as had her armor, replaced with silk robes. "...Morgana?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

The woman looked up, eyes filled with confusion. "Morgana? No, my name is Morgan la Fey, apprentice to the great wizard Merlinus Ambrosius."

"What's going on...?" Toby asked.

"Is it like with Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon?" Applejack suggested. "The elements turned her back to the good person she was a long time ago?"

"I think maybe so." Twilight said.

"Where am I?" Morgan asked, "And where is Master Merlin?"

"That's... Kind of a long story." Jim said.

Then Pinkie Pie suddenly said "O.o! Do you realize what this means!? We stopped one of the Keystone Generals without actually destroying them! The big meanie won't be able to escape!"

Everyone began to cheer, but before they could celebrate too much, laughter tinkled across the sky, in an all too familiar voice. "Is that what you believe? Fate is preordained. You must do as my master wishes Morgan... You have no choice."

"Who are you!? What is going on!?" Morgan exclaimed, and glowing spheres of magic formed around her hands. Twilight noted, in passing, that they were light magic, not dark.

"Be careful Morgan. This thing is not to be trusted." Applejack said. Morgan gave her a curt nod.

In the sky above, there was a sudden rippling, ans if the air were a fabric being pinched between fingers, and a portal opened. Through it dropped the still dead stone body of Gunmar the Black. The body somehow landed on the clouds rather than falling through, and the voice spoke again, "In you go Morgan... Or, better, Morgana..."

Morgan suddenly screamed in fear and pain as she was, to all appearances, torn into two copies of herself. The physical copy collapsed unconscious while the spirit copy was pulled into the body of Gunmar. While remaining dead stone, Gunmar's eyes opened. They had the green glow of Morgana's eyes, and darted about in confusion, landing on Morgan, and then on Gunmar's body. "What have you done to me!?" Morgana roared.

"Such anger..." The voice laughed, "I've merely helped you reach your full potential."

"Return me to my body now!"

"So sorry, but no. It is Morgan's body again, you cannot return. Now fight. Fight for the Quiet Darkness... And die..."

Book Four: Chapter Eight

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Eight

Cloudsdale. Pinkie Pie had returned from the city's engine facilities to the site of the battle with Morgana in Gunmar- "Wait." She thought. "We can't keep saying 'Morgana in Gunmar's body.' It's too awkward, we need a single name. Something like... O.o! 'Morgunmar!' Or maybe 'Gungana!' 'Mormar?' No that sucks. Okay, Gungana it is!" Pinkie grinned as she surveyed the battle with Gungana. Jim and Rainbow Dash were still fighting in close with swords. Rarity was keeping her distance, wielding a bow in her magic aura, and Twilight was charging up her magic for a spell. Presumably a powerful one, too, considering how long she was taking. Claire and Toby were watching for any opening they could find, but thus far nothing was apparent. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, and Applejack...

"Pinkie!" The farm mare galloped up to Pinkie's side.

"Perfect timing A.J.!" Pinkie said. "Things are about to get really interesting!"

Applejack stared at the battle playing out before them. "This ain't interesting enough for you!?"

"Just wait." Pinkie smiled. "Aaaaaany minute now..."

XXXXX

If humans had named the spell Twilight was preparing, they probably would have gone with something like 'Thor's Hammer' or 'Olympian Thunderbolt.' Ponies just called it Shatterbolt. It was a very potent lightning spell, made not as an offensive attack, but a refining tool. Ponies, like humans, had long ago learned that there were metals that couldn't be separated from their ores by simply melting the ore and skimming off the light impurities, since the metals themselves were too light to separate from the ore when melted. Humans built massive facilities, drawing more power than whole cities, to blast the ore with electric arcs which split the metal free. Ponies, of course, just used magic.

It seemed like an odd spell for a battle, but Gunmar's body was made of stone, and Twilight had seen this spell crack boulders in two. As the spell finished casting, she yelled for everyone to get clear. A bolt lanced down from the clear sky, it's aim true, striking directly on top of Gungana's head. The results were less impressive than Twilight had hoped. Some fragments of rock were blasted free from the outer shell of the body, but their enemy wasn't stopped. Wasn't even slowed down, really.

"How many times must I tell you?" A voice whispered through the air, "You cannot win."

"Oh we'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Side by side with Jim again, she parried Gungana's attacks while Jim chipped away at their foe. Claire tried to open a portal directly beneath Gungana, but she simply grabbed the outer rim of the portal and climbed back out, Claire's attempt to close the portal and cut their enemy in two also failing to work.

"Rainbow Dash is right!" Twilight shouted. "We will defeat you!"

"And if you do? So what? Do you not know the universe itself is winding down? Entropy is unstoppable. All will die. All will fade. All will come to naught in the end." The voice taunted. "Your struggles are futile."

Twilight closed her eyes. Could it be right? She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked to see Rarity, smiling. "Nothing is futile if we believe darling."

"Yeah, but..."

"But maybe help us fight now and work this out later!" Rainbow Dash shouted at them.

Gungana took advantage of Dash's temporary distraction. She unleashed a blast of magic that knocked everyone further away, then started walking towards Twilight. "The Dark speaks true." She said, and raised her sword high, planning to bring it down on the unicorn's head. Before anyone could react, a wall of white light appeared in the way, preventing her attack on Twilight. "What!?"

Morgan stood next to Fluttershy, her hands glowing white. "I know not what you truly are. But your reign of terror ends now!"

"But dearest Morgan, I am you..." Gungana sneered.

"Never."

"Think you that Merlin will believe that?" Gungana said, and Morgan faltered a bit at her words, allowing the shield around Twilight to weaken. But by then Twilight had recovered enough to add her own power to the shield as well.

"It wants you dead Morgana! Why not refuse to fight for it!?" Twilight shouted.

"Would that I could... But the Dark comes with the dark, and I have no choice. None of us do. Free will is an illusion. Here, let me show you..." Gungana raised Gunmar's Decimar Sword high, held in both hands, and began to channel magic into the blade. A sickly greenish light began to spread slowly outwards in all directions. It passed over the Element Bearers, the Trollhunters, even Morgan, with no effect and kept expanding.

"Twi, what's she doin'?" Applejack shouted.

It was Morgan who answered. "This is what I feared! She is pouring all of her magic into Gunmar's blade, massively amplifying the mind controlling enchantment upon it! My magic protects me, and your armor apparently keeps you safe, but as it grows it will take control of every other thinking being it encounters!"

"So she's turned the sword into an A.O.E." Toby said.

"I know not what that means." Morgan said, "But the aura will expand to encompass this entire city of clouds if she is not stopped."

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide in fear. "Omigosh omigosh omigosh! What do we do!?"

And just then, there was a mild shudder as Cloudsdale came to a stop at its new coordinates. "Perfect timing!" Pinkie Pie cheered. She hopped to Dash's side and whispered into her ear.

"But wait a minute Pinkie! We didn't try that before because we knew it wouldn't work!" Dash argued.

"It'll work now! Trust me Dashie! Do it."

Rainbow Dash shrugged and blasted off straight up into the sky, building speed, before turning and diving straight back down, aiming for a spot just a few feet from Gungana. She struck the clouds, releasing as much of her pegasus cloud dispersal magic as possible, causing a giant hole, far, far too wide for Gungana to simply grab the edges and haul herself back up, to form, and with no support she fell, screaming, as the Decimar sword slipped from her grasp and the mind control spell cut off.

Dash landed next to her friends just in time to hear Claire asking "But Pinkie what good will this do? We already figured out she'll just be running around on the ground now!"

"Eeyup. I doubt the fall'll hurt her." Applejack agreed.

"Silly fillies!" Pinkie grinned, "It's not the fall that hurts you, it's the sudden stop at the end!" At the sight of everyone facepalming/facehoofing the obvious joke, Pinkie added "Or, in this case, what that sudden stop is into. Take a look!" She motioned to the hole.

They stepped to the edge of the hole, and looked down... Into the active lava-filled crater of Mount Palamino. "Huh." Was all Jim could say.

"Eeyupperooni! Rock crushes scissors, but lava melts rock!"

"Pinkie this is dangerous!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "If that thing decides to blow it's top while Cloudsdale is right overhead...!"

"Yeah, I guess I should go tell that nice stallion at the control center it's okay to move now." Pinkie mused. "But really, I'm not getting any Pinkie Sense tells for 'volcanic erruption' so we should be fine."

"There's a tell for that?" Applejack asked.

"Oh A. J., there's a tell for everything. In fact..." Pinkie suddenly went stiff, then arched her back like a cat while spinning her tail like a propeller.

"Please tell me that's not the volcano tell." Toby said.

"Nope! That's the 'The fight's not quite over' tell." Pinkie answered.

Everyone looked down through the hole, to see the half melted, glowing hot body of Gunmar climbing from the caldera, lava streaming off of it. "Oh come on! How do you walk away from that!?" Jim exclaimed.

"The dark magic in use here is potent." Morgan said. "I know not how to banish it."

Twilight considered the issue. "Potent, yes, but not perfect. Look, the lava has done a lot of damage, and the body is so hot it's glowing... How can we use that?"

"Hey Jimbo?" Toby said.

"Yeah Tobes?" Jim asked.

"Ever see Alien 3?"

"Not as good as the first two." Jim replied.

"Yeah," Toby said, "But you remember how they killed the alien in that movie?"

A smile spread over Jim's face. "Hey Dash? When they say pegasai control the weather, does that include things like ice storms?"

"That's brilliant!" Twilight exclaimed before Dash could answer. "Rainbow Dash! The biggest, nastiest, coldest ice storm ever! Quick!"

"Quick's my middle name!" Dash saluted. She flew away into the nearby weather factory, and returned mere moments later with an entire flock of pegasai close behind. A shudder, as of powerful engines switching on, ran through the clouds, and vast dense clouds of supercooled ice particles began to pour from the factory's stacks. "What'dya say Flutters? You up for this?"

Fluttershy started to shrink back, but then a determined look came over her face. "Let's do this."

The pegasai took flight, whelling all around the cloud of ice, shaping it, guiding it, embuing it with powerful winds, driving the temperatures within ever lower, lower than they had ever pushed any winter storm below, so cold even a Windigo would have been impressed. Then they began to direct the storm down towards the ground, towards their target.

"Forgive me darlings, but what exactly is this supposed to accomplish?" Rarity asked.

"I'm wondering the same thing." Claire said.

Toby explained "Do you own any of those glassware dishes that have a warning on the bottom to not take them straight from the freezer to the oven or vice versa?"

"Yeah, My mom's got tons of that stuff." Claire said.

"What happens if you ignore that warning and do it anyway?"

Rarity said "Well it will shatt.... Ohhhh.... Oh my."

Below, the driving storm slammed into Gungana with all it's strength. Ice crystal began to form on the exposed stone in seconds, and small pieces started splintering away. "What!? What is this!? What is-" She didn't have time to finish before it happened. From one moment to the next, the stone body shattered into a million pieces from the thermal shock. Gungana, Morgana, was no more.

XXXXX

Cloudsdale, one hour later. Even with all the damage, the ponies of the city were celebrating victory. Quiet memorials became parties when Spitfire returned, revealing that while nearly all of the Wonderbolts were going to be in the hospital for days or weeks, none of them had died. And then cheerful parties became joyful riots when Celestia and Luna arrived. While Twilight joined her mentor and Dash hung close to Spitfire, everyone else kept a respectful distance and talked through the day's events.

"So, I hear that some of the royal guards have already gone through the remains." Fluttershy said. "They found no sign of the Decimar Sword."

"Not surprisin'. I expect it's melted down in the lava." Applejack replied.

Rarity said "But is it? Enchanted articles don't usually go away that easily darling."

Morgan agreed. "She's right. It's buried down there somewhere, intact."

"Intact, sure, but who's gonna get to it in millions of tons of boiling molten lava?" Jim asked.

"I dunno... I'm startin' t' learn not t' put anything past this enemy." Applejack said.

"Can't argue with that." Claire agreed.

"What about you Morgan?" Pinkie Pie asked. "You're coming to Unity right?"

Morgan shook her head. "I am uncertain that is wise. As I already explained to Fluttershy, even with Gandalf and Starswirl present I fear Master Merlin's reaction. I have no way to predict how he will respond to seeing me."

"Well, you could always just ask me." A familiar voice spoke. Everyone turned to see Merlin approaching, walking across the clouds as if it were something he did every day. "I saw child. I saw everything. And I am most vexed that I did not realize sooner that it wasn't you."

"Then... You can forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive." Merlin answered. "And I would welcome you back as my apprentice once more."

"Wow. Total O.O.C. moment for Mister Grumpy." Pinkie whispered to the others behind a hoof.

Merlin looked right at her, an eyebrow raised. "You do know I can hear you, yes?"

"Do y'all know 'grumpy' is being nice about it?" Applejack countered. Everyone laughed.

Merlin simply stared, eyebrow still raised, for several seconds. "Quite." He finally said. "Well, I think I shall take my leave. Come along Morgan, I've been examining a fascinating puzzle with Starswirl and Gandalf and I would very much like to have your insights." Morgan nodded and they vanished from sight, though she waved goodbye as they went.

"So, um, what should we do now?" Fluttershy asked.

"Tomorrow, we start preparing for the third Keystone." Jim said. "But for today-"

He was interrupted as Pinkie jumped high into the air, throwing confetti about. "-Today, we Party!!!"

Book Four: Chapter Nine

Book Four: Our Worlds at War

Chapter Nine

XXXXX

It was three days after the Element Bearers and Trollhunters had returned to Unity. All remained calm on Earth and Eqqus, the enemy armies holding thier original arrival sites like beachheads, not advancing but unable to be driven any further back as more and more troops filed in. On Earth, Shining Armor and Agent Marsh were taking the breather to plan a trap for when the inevitable resurgence began. Luna and General Morton were making similar plans on Equus, and the citizens of Unity were drilling daily for the dreaded day when the battle came to them.

It wasn't long after sunrise when a weary Twilight Sparkle trotted down the steps from her loft bedroom to discover the wizards already present in the library, closely examining the same book Twilight had, what now felt like ages and ages ago to the mare though it had only been a few weeks, shown to Tess when they were examining the odd magical current in certain tomes.

"Ahh! Twilight!" Starswirl called out. She didn't even heed his words, continuing on into the kitchen.

"Odd." Merlin said. "I thought she had some 'hero worship' thing going with you."

"Yes, very odd indeed." Gandalf whispered. He walked towards the kitchen and Starswirl followed, leaving Merlin and Morgan to continue working with the book.

"Twilight?" Gandalf stepped into the kitchen to find the mare listlessly preparing her breakfast.

"Gandalf? What is it?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you my dear." Gandalf replied.

"Indeed. Where is the obsessive filly I've come to know?" Starswirl added.

Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry... I just... I'm not feeling myself since Cloudsdale. Everything seems so pointless. It's like we're flailing against the wind. How can we win against an enemy so powerful?"

"Ahhh.... Yes I see." Starswirl said, giving Gandalf a meaningful look.

Gandalf nodded. "The darkness spoke didn't it? It spoke and you listened. I warned you against that, if you'll recall." Twilight nodded.

"What did it say?" Starswirl asked.

"It... It said our struggles were futile. That entropy would make the entire universe fall in time no matter what..." Twilight shook her head. "I know enough physics to be aware that that much is true."

"Always the darkness uses half truths to mislead." Starswirl said.

"Half...?"

"Oh yes." Starswirl said. "On earth, perhaps a century ago, there was a man named Barnum. To him is attributed this saying: 'No one will believe a half truth, but they just might swallow a whole lie.' Of course, there are many who think the attribution is false and someone else originally said it. But frankly that just plays into my point, which is that whoever said those words... they were wrong. Half truths are far easier to fall for than whole lies. After all, a whole lie is false through and through, but when you hear a half truth you recognize the bits of truth and are swayed by them to believe the whole thing."

Gandalf said "Still if the voice of darkness speaks of entropy, then we have gained a priceless insight into the identity of our true enemy. We must discuss this with you all, together. But first: Twilight. The darkness deceives. There is always hope. Always. Light is power, after all, and truth. And what is darkness? Not the opposite of light, but it's absence."

"I should gather the others, I suppose." Starswirl said after a few moments.

Gandalf nodded. "Please do. I'll stay here and continue speaking with Twilight."

As Starswirl trotted out of the kitchen, he was met by Spike. "Is she gonna be okay?" The dragon asked.

"I hope so lad... I do very much hope so..."

XXXXX

"Are you sure you're alright now darling?" Rarity asked.

"Gandalf helped me have a better view of the situation." Twilight said. "I think I am."

It was an hour later, and Starswirl had gathered everyone to the library, where Twilight confessed how she had been feeling. Not that any of her friends had failed to notice there was something wrong, but to understand now just what was bothering her took many of them by surprise.

"I don't get it though." Dash said, "How could just hearing that thing say 'oooo you can't win' upset you this much? I mean, every bad guy says that."

"I think there's more to it than that Rainbow." Claire said.

Starswirl explained "Quite. The truly insidous thing about darkness is how it can get into your head, into your thoughts, dragging you down even when you know better."

"But at least Gandalf fixed it now right?" Pinkie asked.

"Maybe. Honestly, you should probably all help me keep an eye on myself." Twilight replied. "I'm feeling better right now, sure, but..."

"But the doubt could resurface at an inopportune moment." Gandalf confirmed.

"Perhaps we should go ahead..." Rarity said, "Starswirl says you've come to some realization about our true enemy?"

"Yes indeed. Gather around everyone." The entire group sat facing Gandalf, and he began "According to Twilight, the darkness spoke of Entropy-"

"And that is?" Toby interrupted.

"It's the third law of thermodynamics." Twilight said. "Well, technically it's law number two, but there's a law number zero so it's the third in order. Anyway, the third law says that 'The entropy of an isolated system not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time, approaching a maximum value at equilibrium.'"

Aja and Krel were nodding, but several pairs of eyes, five pony, three human, and one dragon, stared at the unicorn in confusion. Tess, for her part, sighed. "Hang on." She left the room and returned a few moments later, carrying a glass of hot water and an ice cube. "Okay, first, you know that cold is, scientifically, the absence of heat instead of the opposite of heat, right? The water in the glass is hot, because it has a lot of heat energy, and the ice is cold because it has very little heat energy."

"Ah guess I can follow that." Applejack said, and most of the others also nodded in understanding.

Tess continued "Okay, so, if I drop this ice cube into this hot water, what will happen? The ice will melt of course. Technically, what's happening is the heat energy is flowing from where there's more to where there's less, until the two are in equilibrium."

"I'm still following you, but I don't see what this has to do with anything." Toby said.

"Wait, let me, if you don't mind." Twilight said to Tess. She looked at Toby and asked "Is there any possibility, any possibility whatsoever, that the opposite would ever happen? Is there any chance that dropping that ice cube into that glass would make the little bit of heat in the ice flow into the water making the water hotter and the ice colder?"

"No way."

Twilight said "Well, strictly speaking small scale self organizations can occur, but they're quite simple, and only happen as a side effect of bigger energy transfers so energy is still being lost to the system as a whole even if it appears otherwise when you're just looking at one small area."

"And that is the deal." Krel said. "The universe is a closed system, with only so much energy to go around. And because the fourth law says transferring energy at one hundred percent efficiency is impossible outside of a specific condition that is itself also impossible, the amount of that energy that is still usable gets smaller and smaller over time. Left to it's own devices, the universe as a whole will eventually, after trillions upon trillions upon trillions of years, reach a state called heat death, in which nothing else can ever happen, because there's no energy left to do anything with."

"The creation is winding down." Gandalf said. "Not that such worries me. I know there is a greater Good at work behind the scenes, I do, after all, work for him, and I am convinced things will not be allowed to go that far south so to speak. But yes, barring outside intervention this creation is eventually doomed."

Starswirl said "And that brings us to our great enemy: One who is, in essence, the personification of the third law, and who is determined to bring about the end of all things sooner. It calls itself by many names, Necron, Fade, Pale, the Quiet Darkness, and so forth, though it's true name is _______."

"Um, you didn't say anything."

"Exactly."

"But wait..." Applejack said, "When it took Usurna, that voice called itself _____ and said it worked for the Quiet Darkness."

"A lie?" Jim suggested.

"Partially." Starswirl answered. "We contend with foes that cannot speak whole truth. Yet, there is more, for the darkness has no real creativity of it's own. Everything it does is but a debased counterfeit of something good."

"Okay you lost me again." Dash said. "I don't see how that answers the question."

"You will in time Miss Dash." Starswirl answered.

Applejack said "This is all well and good, but what are we supposed to do about it?"

"I'm wondering the same thing." Twilight admitted.

"There's only one keystone left." Claire said. " I still think it's our best bet to try to deal with that in a way that shuts it down without killing it, keeping the door or whatever shut in the big guy's face."

"But isn't that just delaying the inevitable?" Twilight said.

Gandalf said " Delay can be a valid tactic. It can buy time for new insights, the arrival of reinforcements, or unexpected developments."

"Which is not to say that what you are planning will be easy." Said Merlin, who had remained mercifully silent this far. "I know that you have to try. But be prepared for the likelihood that you will have to destroy the third keystone as well, and then deal with the consequences."

"The consequences bein' a fight with the big bad." Applejack said.

"Indeed."

XXXXX

Mordor. Chrysalis paced back and forth, ranting to Usurna as she did so. "This is absurd! Twilight Sparkle's convictions are weakened! We should be pressing the attack! Yet instead here we sit, doing nothing! Nothing! The Darkness doesn't even have the armies moving!"

"You know the reason as well as I." Usurna said. "The plan is tactically sound."

"Yes, yes... Weary them out with the waiting, strike when they least suspect it.

"You disagree?"

Chrysalis shook her head. "Against the humans? No. But you don't know ponies as well as I do, and I suspect the Darkness doesn't either. They're... Buoyant. Emotionally I mean. Buoyant and quick to recover. If we wait too long Twilight will recover and with her back in the game we'll lose our greatest opening."

"Perhaps. Though, I wonder..." Usurna looked Chrysalis in the eyes. "Has it occurred to you that this plan does involve your own defeat? I know you cannot refuse to obey, any more than I can, but why so eager?"

"Yes of course. But not all defeats are permanent. I know certain details of the plan which you do not."

"Oh really?"

"Don't ask. I can't tell you."

Usurna sighed. "Very well." She had her own suspicions about what Chrysalis meant. Her own suspicions about what it would really mean for the Changeling, as opposed to what Chrysalis thought it would mean too. She said nothing, given there was no changing things even if she were right. For her own part, Usurna had accepted the reality of the situation: She was no longer a queen and never would be again. So, the pragmatic choice, was to serve as well as she could, and perhaps gain some measure of power and influence in the process.

Leaving Chrysalis to her continued rants, Usurna walked down a wide empty hall, and opened the double doors stepping out onto a balcony overlooking the massed Armies of Mordor. Armies which now included not only Orcs and Changelings, but also Gumm Gumm Trolls and Gremlins from the Darklands, Windigoes from Equus, and a half dozen other dangerous types of beings from many other worlds. The army was ready, and the final battle would soon be joined...

Book Four: Chapter Ten

Book Four: Our Worlds at War

Chapter Ten

XXXXX

Five weeks passed in calm. On both Earth and Eqqus the enemy armies held their ground, and save for a few minor skirmishes there was no real fighting. Everyone knew that this was the calm before the storm, and preparations for the inevitable assault continued apace everywhere.

Canterlot Castle. Celestia stood on a high balcony that faced north towards where the enemy was ensconced. The brief foray to the communications room to alert the Bearers to Morgana's attack aside, they had only just returned to the city today, and even though she really knew better the princess had hoped to get a look at the armies from here. Manehattan was beyond the mountains, though, and there was little to see. A faint knock sounded. "Yes?"

"General Morton is here to see you Princess." An aide said from the door.

"Show him here."

The General arrived a few minutes later. They exchanged pleasantries, and quickly got down to business. "The latest word from Earth is very similar to what's happening here Princess." Morton explained, "The orcs and changelings are being reinforced by other beings. We're seeing troll soldiers at night, some kind of twelve foot tall giants, and even things that would give Lovecraft a run for his money. But they still haven't started advancing again yet."

Celestia nodded. She had become concerned since the troop on the line west of Manehattan had also started reporting new kinds of enemy soldiers two days before. " I just heard from the front. Mobile artillery is now showing up as well. It's coming. Soon."

"Have you considered sheltering elsewhere?"

"For a moment. But no" Celestia replied. "Evacuating Canterlot before was the right choice, and I'm glad the city itself is still empty of civilians. But I will not yield our center of power in the long term, and I'm certain my sister feels the same way. Too many rulers see themselves as above, detached from, more important than, their subjects. But rulers are meant to be servants. As even your own people know; twas not long ago a human king who wasn't on the battle front with his men would soon lose his throne. There may be little chance of that here, but I would still stand to lose my self respect. No, when the final battle comes, I will be here in the midst of it."

"I may not like that, but I do understand and respect it." Morton was about to say more, when there was a rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Odd. No storms are scheduled." Celestia mused.

"There Princess!" Morton pointed to a distant dark speck in the sky, black clouds rapidly growing bigger and bigger as they danced with lightning. "Is that normal for your world?"

"it is not. And your question tells me the same is true of Earth."

The ominous clouds continued to grow bigger and bigger, blotting out the clear sunny skies above. In mere minutes, shadow fell over Canterlot. Then a Royal Guard Pegasus arrived, flying in from the north, with more bad news. He bowed to Celestia, and reported "Your Majesty, the enemy army is on the move, advancing both west towards Manehattan and south towards Canterlot. Our forces are resisting, but with the new arrivals they're being pushed back."

"Of course." Morton said, looking up to the clouds. "No direct sunlight. The trolls are free to join in the assault."

"And maybe other things as well." Celestia agreed. "It begins... Endgame..."

XXXXX

Earth. Shining Armor and Agent Marsh had just arrived back at the front lines, northeast of Detroit, when the dark clouds began to spread. They found a bedlam of fleeing civilians and overmatched troops fighting back against enemy forces. Trolls, heavily armored and strong enough to throw even large vehicles were everywhere.

"I think this is the big push!" Marsh exclaimed.

"Right! Let's find our troops and figure how to stop this mess!"

Even with communications and G.P.S. tracking, that was easier said than done. And when they did finally connect with those under their commands, hours later, they were to get another surprise... "So, there's no sign of the third General on either Earth or Eqqus?" Marsh asked.

"That's correct sir." A corporal informed him. "I suppose they could be holding back. But if the information from Captain Armor's sister was accurate..."

Shining nodded. "It's Twilight. I'd stake my life on accuracy. But you're right... If they want the generals beaten, for whatever reason, then he, she, or it should be in one world or the other. Unless..."

"Unity." Marsh realized. So what do we do?"

Shining Armor pulled an enchanted spear from it's harness over his back. "We do the only thing we can do. We hold the line..."

XXXXX

In Unity, the wedding day had at last arrived. Humans and Ponies ran to and fro in a flurry of last minute activity all over town. Sheriff Tucker, of course, had suggested postponing until after the fighting was over, but both bride and groom had dug in their heels or hooves and refused to wait. For his part, Macintosh simply couldn't abide the nerves of a delay. And Bethany had said simply "In spite of everything else, I'm still just traditional enough to not like the idea of being an unwed mother even with the father right here by my side. And the longer we wait, the further along I am, and the harder this will be."

So we find the bride to be in her home, surrounded by friends of several different species, not the least of which being her maids of honor, two friends she had gone to school with and Tessindra, and her mares of honor, Applejack, Twilight, and Trixie. Apple Bloom and the other female Crusaders had been tapped as well, as flower girls, but they were prepping back at Sweet Apple Acres since no one was letting any of them within a hundred feet of the wedding dress until they absolutely had to.

"You look good Beth." Twilight said as the girl adjusted the fit of her dress for the twentieth time in less than as many minutes.

"I'm just nervous."

"Perfectly normal!" Pinkie said as she popped her head through the door. "Refreshments for the reception are all finished and in place!"

"That's great!" Twilight replied, putting a check on her list. "Everything is in place now Beth! We're ready to go!"

"That's good... Are you sure we're not forgetting anything!?"

Trixie put a hoof on Bethany's arm. "Breath. We're good."

"Eeyup. Besides, we've got Twi. Y'know that thing about Santa checking his list twice? That's Twilight's starting point." Applejack chuckled. This got a laugh out of Beth, Pinkie, and Trixie and a glare out of Twilight.

"Okay... Okay... I'm trying to chill... You guys think Mac's freaking out half this bad?"

"Oh worse."

"Worse."

"Definitely worse."

"Way worse..."

XXXXX

Sweet Apple Acres. The Crusaders, already dressed and ready, were waiting in the back yard when the door suddenly banged open. Big Mac was there, half dressed in his tuxedo, trying to scramble out the door. "Eenope! Can't do it! Can't! Eenope!"

"Oh get back in here Macintosh!" The Doctor's head appeared in the doorframe next to Mac, and it was clear that there were several pairs of hands and hooves pulling the stallion back into the house.

"Dagnabit ya big oaf!" Granny Smith's voice was heard.

The struggle continued for another full minute before Macintosh relented, and everyone disappeared back into the farmhouse, the door closing behind them. Nyma looked at Apple Bloom. "Is your brother okay?"

"Oh he's fine. Just pre weddin' jitters... They say everypony gets 'em."

"They've made entire movies about it." Sweetie Belle added.

Nyma nodded. "That makes sense. So, what did you guys think about Varvatos' lesson the other day?"

"Seems pretty straight forward." Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom agreed. "Eeyup. Seems like it's all about when t' take risks, when 't play it safe, when 't make sacrifices for the greater good, all that kinda stuff."

"That kinda bothers me." Nyma said. "The sacrifices part I mean."

"Too much like Chrysalis?" Sweetie Belle asked. Nyma nodded.

Apple Bloom said "Ah guess I can see that. Varvatos has got a point too though... I kinda expect the guard thinks along those lines too."

"Maybe."

The door opened again, the fillies snickering at another round of Macintosh being pulled back in.

"This is gonna be interestin.'" Apple Bloom said, and nopony disagreed...

XXXXX

The wedding was held just past noon. Between the size of the guest list, and the need to hold the ceremony in the part of town the visitor's window covered (For Bethany's parents) they had settled on an outdoor wedding in the park which lay before town hall. By the time the guests had all arrived, Macintosh was calmed enough to stand in his place at the front. The Doctor stood by his side, ready with the rings, and the maids/mares of honor were in position as well.

It had been agreed that Mayor Mare would perform the ceremony, with Sheriff Tucker standing by her side as the human representative. At the appointed time, the music began and Beth came down the center aisle, preceded by the flower girls who, miraculously, pulled off their part without a hitch. When everyone else was in place, the Mayor stepped forward and began:

"Well hello everyone! We've come together for the joyous occasion of Macintosh and Bethany's union, keeping in mind also the significance of the first marriage of a pony and a human. In truth, I had prepared a rather long speech for this, but looking at dear Mac I rather suspect he'll bolt if I drag this on too terribly long!" Everyone laughed. "So let me just say this: In the nearly two years since it's founding, Unity has become a place for peoples of all species to gather in peace, and to work and play together. This marriage is a symbol of that union..."

"So... Macintosh Apple. Do you take Bethany to be your wedded wife, through ups and downs, good and bad, health and sickness, until death do you part?"

"Eeeee....Eeeyu... Eeeeyuuu..." The Doctor kicked Mac in the rear. "EEYUP!!"

As everyone chuckled, the Mayor continued "Bethany Stanz. Do you take Macintosh to be your wedded husband, through ups and downs, good and bad, health and sickness, until death do you part?"

"Eeyup." Bethany grinned.

"The rings, please?"

The Doctor stepped forward. Macintosh slipped a ring on Bethany's finger, while for him she had a larger ring, more like an armband in human terms, that fit over his right foreleg. "And with the exchange of rings," the mayor said, "I pronounce you husband and wife." She winked at Mac. "You can kiss her now."

As the couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife a cheer went up from the crowds. But before any real celebrations could begin, a rumble of thunder echoed through the air. "Oh no!" Rarity exclaimed, "Rain will ruin the outdoor reception!" She fainted backwards onto a couch.

"Actually I think we have bigger problems than rain!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Look!!" She pointed a hoof to where black clouds were rapidly filling the sky, growing so quickly it looked like a film on fast forward. Then, atop the town hall, a portal opened, admitting Orcs, Gumm-Gumm Trolls, and Changelings.

"Oh god, during the wedding, could this be any more cliched!?" Bethany grumbled.

Pinkie Pie popped up by her side. "Actually cliched would be them showing up right before you could say 'I do.' Or showing up when you're in labor. Or when the girls and me were gone to Eqqus or Earth. Or-"

"We get it Pinkie." Applejack said. "Now let's find the others and get ready 't fight these party crashers off."

"Fight them off!?" A loud voice reverberated through the town. "I think you'd better worry more about me!"

The voice had come from the opposite direction to the enemy soldiers, and everyone turned to see another open portal. And standing before that portal...

"Queen Chrysalis!" Nyma whimpered, and hid behind her friends.

Chrysalis was hovering, staring down at the crowd. "At last! At long last my time has come! Armies of the Quiet Darkness! Attack the town! But leave the Element Bearers to me!!" To the queen's great surprise, there wasn't panic. The town was prepared for an attack by this point, and even as she was speaking they broke, Trollhunters and Bearers standing firm, staring her down, while everyone else made for either the shelters or the armories.

"Chrysalis!" Twilight shouted. "You're the third keystone I presume."

"Oh dear Twilight I'm far more than that! As is my army! Now!" And at Chrysalis' word the Orcs, Trolls, and Changelings already present were joined by windigos, gremlins, shadow creatures, and even worse horrors. The sounds of gunfire and explosions began to ring out. "Still think you can stop me without truly defeating me? The darkness will rise!"

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that. And if not, well, have it your way then... Jim? Now please..."

Book Four: Chapter Eleven

Book Four: Our Worlds at War

Chapter Eleven

XXXXX

Queen Chrysalis lunged at the bearers, Twilight her primary target, even as the Trollhunters were summoning everyone's armor. She hadn't counted on how quickly Twilight could put up a shield. She slammed into the energy barrier and flipped backwards away from it. Landing on her hooves, she snarled and hissed and changed form, burrowing into the ground.

"Whoa! What's she doin'!?" Applejack exclaimed.

"Watch the ground!" Jim answered, and half a second later Chrysalis erupted from directly beneath them, inside Twilight's hemispherical shield. Jim struck with his blade, as did Rainbow Dash, while Toby used Warhammer and Twilight blasted with magic but it was all for nought, as the Queen's new form was heavily armored. She lashed out with a shockwave from her own magic, knocking everyone back.

Before most of the group could recover their wits, Chrysalis struck again, diving once more straight for Twilight, the front end of her body shifting into a maw large enough to swallow a pony whole and filled with sharp grinding teeth. Twilight teleported out of the way, leaving Chrysalis to slam into the ground. The Queen changed again, into something similar to her usual form but with armor plates and long wicked spikes. As the team recovered and tried to fight her again, anyone using melee weapons, no matter what angle they attacked from, found themselves countered by spikes used like swords.

"For someone who's supposed to want to be beaten, she's sure not making this easy!" Toby shouted.

"She probably can't!" Twilight answered. "There could be a clause in whatever magic is involved that it has to be a legitimate defeat!"

"Very good Twilight Sparkle!" Chrysalis sneered. "I will fall and rise, but if I can take you down first all the better!"

"Fall and rise!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!?" Without warning, Chrysalis changed again, suddenly swelling into a spiked ball like an enraged blowfish. The sudden move caught everyone fighting in close by surprise, and they were spared skewering on the spikes only by their armor.

Momentarily free of close range opponents, Chrysalis again focused on Twilight. Applejack and Pinkie opened fire on her, but the armor she had formed was impressive, and the energy blasts did little to even slow her until Twilight joined in with a magic burst powerful enough to drive the Changeling Queen back.

Chrysalis was thrown, hard, into a brick wall that crumbled from the impact, burying her beneath several tons of brick and mortar. Yet still she rose again. The Queen roared in anger as she shifted to a form similar to an enormous troll, shaking off the debris. "Before my glory or after, Twilight Sparkle, I will have your head!" She hefted a large steel beam that had fallen from the impact, and charged again...

XXXXX

When the battle began, Gandalf and the other wizards were still busily working in the Golden Oaks basement. Three heads turned to look towards the stairs at the first sound of trouble. "It begins." Starswirl said.

"Indeed." Gandalf grabbed his staff and sword. "The time has come. Let us do our part." Starswirl and Gandalf nodded and they rushed outside. Their first unlucky opponent was a Gumm Gumm soldier who charged, battle axe held high. It had no idea what it was facing, and was dispatched in seconds. The wizards continued on their way, and soon came across a large group of civilians fleeing ahead of a squad of perhaps twenty Orcs and a pair of Trolls. Several of those running for their live started to change course towards the wizards, but Gandalf called out "No! Get to safety! We'll hold them off!"

As the crowds fled, the wizards stepped into the road behind them, facing the enemy soldiers, Gandalf in the middle with Merlin to his left and Starswirl to his right. The tip of Gandalf's staff began to glow, while Merlin drew Excaliber and Starswirl's horn flared with magic. The soldiers stumbled to a halt and stared in confusion. Clearly, they hadn't expected to meet resistance. "Today we will feast upon these meek men and ponies!" The Orc commander declared. "Stand aside and perhaps I will let you live until last!"

"You stand in the presence of three Maiar." Merlin declared. "You are outmatched."

"Indeed." Starswirl agreed. "As I believe Gandalf here would say, 'You shall not pass.'" And he fired a beam of magic, carving a line in the ground just before the first row of Orcs.

At this the Orcs were anxious, knowing they faced Gandalf. They did not flee, no, but did not advance past the line either. The Gumm Gumms, having less direct experience with Maiar in their past and, in any case, mind controlled, roared and attacked. It was over quickly, and now the Orcs, seeing the swift defeat of beings that could fight a hundred of them solo and win, turned and scrambled away. They didn't get very far.

Even as Gandalf made to follow, there arose the sounds of a battle from around the corner the Orcs had fled around, and the wizards turned the corner to find Vendel and several other Trolls, the Orcs on the ground at their feet. "Lose something?" The old troll asked with a chuckle.

"Quite." Gandalf answered.

Merlin said, "Not that I'm complaining, I expected you to be out given the cloud cover... But why are you here and not in Arcadia?"

"Arcadia and Trollmarket are in good enough hands with the human defenders... Especially with the Doctor's aid. Besides which, there are far fewer enemies there anyway. I thought our assistance would be best offered here." Vendel explained.

"Well I thank you for your assistance." Gandalf said, "But we must continue on. I hope to join forces with the Trollhunters and Bearers."

Merlin said "I think that you and Starswirl should continue on that path, yes... I must find Morgan."

Gandalf allowed himself a small smile. "Very well. Good luck Merlin."

XXXXX

Bert Gumbal braked hard, squealing to a stop in an intersection and opening fire on a squadron of Orcs with explosive-spell enchanted rounds. This would have been a suicidal strategy under normal circumstances. Luckily, he had an illusionist bodyguard riding shotgun: "Ha ha!" Trixie cheered as the Orcs chased after an illusory enemy she was projecting. "They fall for it every time!"

"Just keep it up!" Bert said.

"Oh don't you worry... The Great and Powerful Trixie can do this all day!"

A group of civilians rushed past, taking advantage of the temporary safety. "Why aren't these people in the damned shelters yet!?" Bert grumbled. He put the Hummer back into gear and started to pull away, but before they had moved far another vehicle, a small car, came hurtling down the cross street, flipping and spinning as it bounced twice and crashed into a building.

"Bert we've got a bigger problem!" Trixie pointed back the way the car had come from, to where a trio of Gumm Gumms were tearing up everything in sight. Then, as one, the evil trolls saw the Hummer and charged. Bert stomped his foot down and they were soon rapidly accelerating away from the threat.

As they tore straight down main street, the outpaced Trolls still in pursuit even as they fell further and further behind, a flood of Gremlins erupted out as they sped past an alleyway. Luckily, most of the creatures missed the vehicle entirely, but at least a dozen were clinging to the roof, the sides, and the windshield. "It's like the first time all over again!" Bert cursed, and began weaving back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the creatures.

"Oh buck no!" Trixie said, "These things almost killed me the first time! I am not repeating that experience!" Her horn flared with magic as she swept the Gremlins off the windshield. Then she looked back through the rear window. "Bert! All this swerving is letting the Gumm Gumms catch up!"

"Yeah! Hang on tight, I'm gonna try something!" Bert rammed down on the pedal even harder, practically standing on it, as they rocketed down the road. Then, at the last possible moment her braked hard while turning down a side street, the move throwing the remaining Gremlins clinging to the roof away. Then they were rolling again, away from their pursuers.

"Nice!" Trixie cheered.

"Thanks. Now let's find Twilight and the others. I expect they'll end up needing a hand before this is over..."

XXXXX

Tessindra had observed the opening blows of the battle with Chrysalis, but decided she would be more help elsewhere. With that in mind, the young elf made her way across town, and out through the north gate, to the edge of the forest where Durban and Gillas had parked their airship. She arrived just as they were about to lift off, crying out for them to wait on her. They did, and once aboard she quickly made her way to the control deck. "What are we doing?" She asked.

"Providin' air cover lass." Durban answered. "There's Changelings everywhere, fightin' with Pegasi and Gryphons, we're gonna see if we can even the odds a little."

"Indeed." Gillas added, "The heat ray weapons we've attached to the ship should be a great help. If you would like, I will take the port side and you can take starboard."

"Sounds good!" Tess found the starboard gunner's chair and strapped in, pulling her googles down over her eyes and switching them to targeting mode. She had no shortage of targets: As Durban had said, there were enemy Changelings everywhere. She lined up her first target, which was chasing down a wounded Gryphon, and fired. The Changeling burst into flames and fell, leaving the startled Gryphon to look about in shock, then zero in on the airship and give a thumbs up before continuing on his way. Tess lined up a second shot, and then a third. "I hope Xix and her hive are staying on the ground in this." She muttered...

XXXXX

Gandalf and Starswirl arrived at the park to find the battle with Chrysalis still ongoing. The Changeling Queen was in the form of a troll, swinging a steel beam at Twilight who repeatedly teleported away. "Stay still!" Chrysalis roared. "Make this quicker and easier on both of us!"

"Yeah, I'm not suicidal!" Twilight shouted back. She teleported again, this time arriving directly behind Chrysalis, where she activated her armor's abilities to create a sword, then flung it at the Queen in her magic aura. Chrysalis probably would have managed to dodge, but having several other opponents to worry about as well there was only so much she could do: The blade struck home, penetrating her armor and sinking into her back. With a roar of pain that echoed across the town, Chrysalis fell to her knees.

"Now, Twilight Sparkle!" Gandalf cried out, "The Elements of Harmony! If you can seal Chrysalis in stone the third keystone will not have fallen!"

Across the park, the Bearers all began to float up into the air, glowing with power which formed a rainbow beam of magic, aimed directly at Chrysalis. For half a second, it looked like it was going to work. Then, just before the beam would have hit her, Chrysalis used her shape changing magic again, to splash down into a puddle of goo that the rainbow passed over.

"Alright that's cheating!" Rainbow, Pinkie, and Toby all shouted at once.

Chrysalis laughed as she reformed back into her normal body. "So much for your 'big gun.'" She snarked. "Now finish me, or I most assuredly will finish..." She stopped, a strange look coming over her face.

"What's she doing...?" Jim asked.

"Nothin' good." Applejack replied.

"I sense something..." Chrysalis barely more than whispered. "I sense..." Suddenly she made a quarter turn, and her horn glowed. A squeal of fear rose from nearby, and Nyma appeared, held in the Queen's aura. "Well well... A little Queenling."

"Let her go!"

"This isn't about her!"

"Release the child!"

Everyone was either shouting at Chrysalis to let Nyma go, or else shouting at Nyma asking what she was doing. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to help!"

Chrysalis sneered. "Oh, you've helped alright. Come then Element Bearers, Trollhunters! If my threat to Twilight's life wasn't enough to bring your full might against me, perhaps the threat to this little one will!"

"We've gotta do something!" Claire exclaimed.

"But what?" Twilight asked, "Any move we make will put Nyma in danger!"

"I have a question..." Rarity whispered, "Would anyone like to speculate on why little Nyma is... Smiling...?"

It was true. The little Changeling was, indeed, smiling, unnoticed by Chrysalis. And at just the right moment she said "You think I'm important because I'll be a queen... But it's like in chess, the most important piece isn't the most powerful piece."

"What are you babbling about!?" Chrysalis demanded.

Nyma smiled wider. "Checkmate."

And even as she spoke the word, Varvatos Vex made his move. The alien warrior, no longer in his human disguise as Aja and Krel's grandfather, leapt into the fray from Chrysalis' blind spot, wielding his serrator as a blade, slicing away one of the Queen's legs with a cry of GLORIOUS!!"

Chrysalis screamed in pain, and as she did also lost control of her magic. Nyma was free, and fell, only to be caught by Claire opening a portal beneath her and delivered safely behind the Bearers and Trollhunters. While several of them chewed her out for such a reckless plan, Twilight turned to Varvatos, along with Aja and Krel. "It was you! In the Ally that night, when the Gremlins were chasing us!"

"Indeed! Varvatos Vex had decided this new town needed investigation, and when the attack began he remained to defend the innocent!"

"Well thank you. For then, and now. Even if we will have words about endangering a minor." Twilight sighed.

And then they all heard Chrysalis laughing again. They turned to look, and there she was, standing on three legs, wounded but seeming triumphant. "You have bested me." She said, "And so now my time has come! Behold!" Chrysalis looked up to the skies, and as she did a new portal opened. It was smaller than the others, and just one thing came through: A simple looking golden ring, which fell from the heavens, and seated itself directly upon the Changeling Queen's horn.

"This is bad." Pinkie said, and no one disagreed.

"The power! I can feel the power!" Chrysalis shouted, certain she was triumphant. Flaming markings appeared on the band, and in one moment, as quickly as switching a light on or off, Chrysalis' expression changed from triumph to fear. "No! No! What are you doing to me!? You promised me! The prophecy! You promised-" Her words were cut off in the most soul rending scream anyone had ever heard, accompanied by a flash of blinding light. When the light faded, Chrysalis was still there, but with her lost leg restored, standing much taller, her eyes glowing purple and her normally black chitin blood red.

"...Chrysalis...?" Twilight asked.

Gandalf shook his head. "Not so. Queen Chrysalis is gone, perhaps for good... We stand in the presence of the Quiet Darkness..."

Author's Note

Next Week:

Book Five: Third Law Ascendant

Book Five: Chapter One

Book Five: Third Law Ascendent

Chapter One

XXXXX

Macintosh and Bethany had fled the park along with a large group heading to the closest shelter. They didn't stay with the group long though, splitting off as it passed Beth's home. Inside, Mac quickly shucked out of his tuxedo and was searching for anything he might use as a weapon, while Beth went upstairs to change out of her dress. Mac wasn't surprised when, just ten minutes later, she returned carrying a rifle and dressed for battle.

"Not sure that's the best idea, what with you pregnant and all." Mac said.

"I know, but what choice do we have? Besides, baby's in danger right now either way."

"Knew you'd feel that way... Still don't have t' like it." Mac sighed. "So what's our plan?"

"Neither of us belongs anywhere near the real fight." Beth replied, thinking of the battle with Chrysalis. "But I'll bet we can help out somewhere else with the grunts."

"Then let's get started." They kissed, and headed back out into the battle. From Bethany's house they went south, headed generally in the direction of the nearest hidden shelter entrance, hoping to possibly help anyone still trying to reach the shelter. But by this time nearly everyone was either already in hiding, or determined to stand and fight. Smoke was beginning to fill the air, and the sounds of gunfire echoed through the town.

Finding no one, they passed by the shelter and continued south. Before long, they came to the south town wall. Atop the wall were Sheriff Tucker, Midnight Steel, and several other members of the town guard. They were operating one of the salvaged Mor-Tax heat rays, using it along with more traditional weapons to hold at bay a massive swarm of Orcs, Gremlins, and Gumm-Gumms. Given that these enemies were protected with the same enchanted armor the Quiet Darkness had bestowed on all of it's troops, the enchantment enhanced rifles were actually doing more damage than the alien weapon, which the Sheriff was mostly using to melt the ground beneath the attacker's feet, slowing them down and killing unarmored gremlins, but little more.

"They've not seen us yet." Mac whispered. "How can we use that 't help the Sheriff?"

Before Beth could answer, a familiar voice said "Like this." Trixie popped up between them, wearing a microphone headset and horn aglow. An illusion of a large frightened crowd appeared, running into view around a corner, and screaming at the sight of the enemy army. Attention drawn, over half of the Orcs and Gumm-Gumms gave chase. Once they were out of sight, Trixie spoke into the microphone, "Bert, Now."

With a roar of it's engine, Bert's Hummer burst into view. He drove around dangerously close to the back row of the remaining soldiers, steering with one hand while using the other to throw his improvised bombs into their midst. Lacking a magical component they did no actual damage, but the explosions did throw the soldiers into disarray. Tucker and his men capitalized on this, taking down many more of the soldiers, and opening a path for Mac, Beth, and Trixie to join them.

From the top of the wall, Trixie created another illusion, making it appear that they had all fled along the wall, and the remaining troops gave chase. With the path clear for the moment, Bert returned, parking at the bottom and climbing up to join the others, a large heavy satchel on his back.

"Mornin' Sheriff, heck of a day." Bert said as he reached the top of the wall and laid the satchel at his feet.

"You said a mouthful Bert... We've gotta decide how to proceed now that our guests are gone." Tucker said.

Trixie said "We'll need to decide fast. We've got maybe thirty seconds before that illusion disperses and they figure out they've been had and come back."

"That's what the bag's for." Bert replied. He knelt down, opened it up, and started pulling out more bombs. "Trixie couldn't help me with this, she doesn't know the spells... Think you can put some explosives enchantments on these Steel? Maybe they'd actually work better then."

"You've got it!" Midnight Steel answered, and his horn began to glow as he enchanted the bombs.

"That'll help a lot." Mac said. Then an idea occurred to him. "Any reason we can't enchant the heat ray too?"

Tucker said "My understanding is, that it's what Durban and Gillas did with the ones on their airship. Seems to be working to." He pointed to the far side of town, where the ship was effectively blasting away at Changelings. "But I guess it has to be enchanted crystals with an energy weapon, and we don't have time for that."

"What's the difference?" Beth asked.

Trixie said "With projectile weapons you can just enchant the ammo. With an energy weapon you have to keep a flow of energy going into the weapon all the time. That would tire out even the strongest unicorn really quick. Still... Bert, you bought them too right?"

"Right here." Bert answered, and produced a lightning jar patterned after the one Twilight had made from his supplies.

Trixie said "I can do this enchantment, and I already did. They're primed and ready, but we need a Pegasus to charge them up."

"Looks like you're gonna get the chance." Tucker said, noticing a trio of guard Pegasai approaching. The pegasai landed, and the leader stepped forward and saluted to Tucker and Steel. "What have you got Swift Wing?" The Sheriff asked.

"Sir, the Bearers and Trollhunters are engaged with Queen Chrysalis. The Akiridion royal's bodyguard also arrived and wounded her. After that, a ring fell through a portal in the sky and seated itself perfectly on the Queen's horn, after which... I'm not entirely clear what happened sir, but I did hear the wizard Gandalf say that out true enemy has used the ring to possess her."

"So we've got the big kahuna right here now?" Bert swore.

"It sounds like this is gonna get ugly." Beth said. "So we're gonna need all the firepower we can get." She held up one of the lightning jars. "Can you charge these?"

"Easily." Swift Wing answered, but then a terrible keening began to echo the sky.

"What the hell is that!?" Beth exclaimed.

"There!" Mac shouted, pointing. A large group of spectral entities was flying high above the town, winging about in a circle. Then they began to break off and dive towards the streets below.

"Windigoes!" Trixie gasped. "This just got even worse..."

XXXXX

Back at the park a fierce battle was underway. Within seconds of Gandalf naming their new foe, Jim and Dash had charged in, ignoring cries form the others to hold back. Jim struck from the right, swinging his sword at the Darkness' neck, while Dash struck from the left, wingblades aimed for the center of it's body mass. Both weapons were met with shape shifted shields that both blocked their attacks and knocked them back.

Even as Jim and Dash were knocked away, the Darkness was also launching another assault. A sphere of pure black formed on Chrysalis' horn, negative energy that was fired out in a blast of destruction that forced everyone else to flee as it chased them about the area. Additional orbs were formed and fired off, and there was little room to run as they seemed to be everywhere.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Claire ran together, east out of the park itself and down a wide street with one of the orbs right behind them. As often as she could the unicorn turned and fired blasts of magic back towards the orb, but while several of them hit, they had no effect. "Claire, what about your staff?" Fluttershy asked, "Can you open a portal in the orb's path!?"

"Let's try it!" The girl turned and used her staff to do as Fluttershy has suggested. The orb hit the open portal a moment later, and vanished into it, but in the process Claire fell to her knees crying out in pain.

"Oh my! Claire!? Claire what happened!?" Rarity gasped.

"I'm not sure... When they met... I dunno, it was like the orb was eating the portal instead of going through it..."

"I'm so sorry it was my idea!" Fluttershy said.

"No don't apologize, it did work at least..." Claire slowly got back to her feet. "Let's find the others."

'The others' were having their own problems. Like Rarity, Twilight had quickly discovered that unicorn magic was simply absorbed harmlessly into the black orbs. As were shots from bows and other weapons created from the armor. "This is hopeless!" She said to Gandalf and Applejack as they ran together, "Even if we all get together we can't use the Elements yet since we wasted them on that failed shot at Chrysalis! And even then, what if these things just absorb them too!?"

"As they almost certainly would." Gandalf said, "These are balls of pure entropy. But 'hopeless?' Nothing is hopeless my dear."

"All is hopeless!" The Darkness cried out, "All that is will fall to emptiness!"

"That's why it's startin' with us!" Applejack suddenly realized. "It wants Singularity out of the way since it saves people!"

"Of course!" Twilight and Gandalf said together, then Twilight added "But it doesn't help us any."

A few seconds later they met up with Starswirl, Pinkie and Toby, also fleeing from an orb, and Jim who still wasn't entirely back on his feet. The two groups piled together, tripped up over each other, and fell to the ground. The two orbs collided and cancelled each other out in a burst of light and heat.

Rainbow Dash fluttered to the ground with them as they got back to their feet, and Rarity's group joined up with them a few minutes later. They were sheltering in an alley. "Why hasn't it come after us?" Fluttershy wondered.

"I suspect our friend Varvatos is keeping it busy." Gandalf said. "But even a warrior such as he will not last long against this foe. We need a plan."

"But what plan?" Twilight wondered. "It'll just absorb anything we throw at it like the orbs did."

"But 't what limit?" Applejack wondered. "Meybe we can, I dunno, overload it, like overwaterin' a plant?"

"Or maybe we can trick it into throwing more orbs at us," Toby said, "Then lead them back into hitting it. I mean, the orbs cancelled each other out right?"

Twilight was nodding slowly. "Both sound plans in theory... Though I seriously wonder if-"

She was cut off by a deep voiced bellowing, and the sight of Varvatos flying high through the air, clearly having been knocked away from the Darkness by a powerful blow. Based on the arc, he would land around two miles away, survivable for one so tough but what mattered at the moment was that the alien warrior was out of the fight.

Then the Darkness itself appeared at the head of the alley, staring directly in at them. "All is lost... All is dust... All is void..."

"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm not listening to your lies again! There is hope and meaning in the world! And we will stop you!"

"You will not listen? You will not yield? Then you will die!" The Darkness blasted out again, dozens of smaller orbs, that all converged on Twilight. She ran, while the others tried to stop the orbs. A few of them collided and cancelled out, and a few more were absorbed by Claire's portals (To her great pain.) Twilight tried teleporting clear, but no matter where she went the orbs pursued. Even with her skills in bouncing from place to place, the sheer number of orbs made the end result inevitable: Twilight appeared atop the peak of a house, and before she could port away again, three orbs converged on her location.

"Twilight!!" Everyone shouted in horror as the orbs struck the unicorn all at once, and when they had cancelled out she was gone...

Book Five: Chapter Two

Book Five: Third Law Ascendant

Chapter Two

XXXXX

When the battle began, Morgan was in the library of the high school, trying to catch up on a thousand years of history. Books on history, science, and technology were piled high, along with an aborted attempt to learn popular culture and fashion from a pile of old 'Cosmo' magazines now pushed into the corner. "The nation doesn't have a king...?" She muttered to herself, "How does that work?"

Turning the page in search of answers, Morgan was suddenly interrupted by a loud boom and the rattle of gunfire. "What?" She wondered, and went to the nearest window. She swept the curtains aside and saw the portals in the sky and smoke rising from the ground. "It's started." She whispered, and raced for the front doors.

By the time she got there, a small group of people were sheltering inside, two of them injured. Kneeling beside the closest casualty she used her magic to heal his wounds, then moved on to the second. But the third... A young girl who was suffering severe frostbite across the entire left side of her body. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know what it was." Someone answered. "It just dropped out of the sky with this horrible wailing, passed right over her."

"A Windigo." Morigan whispered, then seeing the confused expressions elaborated "An evil spirit of elemental wind and ice."

"C...Can... Can you help me...?" The girl asked.

Morgan nodded. "I'll do what I can, I can ease the pain at least. But Windigo cold is more than merely physical, and beyond the power of my magic to cure. You will need the love of friends and family to recover fully. In the meantime, if there are Windigos about I strongly suggest setting a fire... The bigger the better. It won't hold them off en-mass, but individual Windigos will be driven back."

While several of the group rushed to find something flamable, another asked "What about you? Will you stay with us?"

"No. I need to find-"

"Morgan!"

"-Master Merlin." Morgan allowed herself a slight grin before turning to face him. "Do we have a plan?"

"Don't be absurd. Of course I have a plan." Merlin replied. "Gandalf and Starswirl are at the park, engaged in the true battle by now. We must join them, but we need to take a detour first."

"A detour? To where?"

"Allies, Morgan. As our enemy has gathered allies of darkness, so must we gather allies of light. Come." Merlin turned and strode away.

"Is he always like that?" Someone in the crowd whispered.

"Oh no, not at all." Morgan answered. "Sometimes he's worse." And with a grin she ran to catch up to the wizard who was already half way across the parking lot...

XXXXX

Aboard Durban's airship Tess had switched targets as soon as the Windigos appeared. The Mortax heat weapons were proving as effective as one would expect against beings of pure cold, and she didn't have to worry about accidentally targeting a friendly Changeling. But there were so many of the ice spirits, and once they had realized where the heat rays were coming from they focused on the airship, making suicidal runs in a hope of at least one of them getting through and inside the ship.

"Keep firing Lass! Don't let up!" Durban exclaimed.

"I know! But there's so many! one of them is going to get through sooner or later!" Tess shouted back.

"Aye."

From his pilot's seat Gillas asked "And have we given any thought to what we will do when that happens?"

"The Light of Earendil can hold them off. But it doesn't really hurt them much and you know we can't keep that up for long."

"Then it's time to consider landing the ship and evacuating." Gillas said, "We've done all we can from here."

Before Tess could respond to that, Durban shouted "Hang on!" The ship shuddered violently, and half a second later Durban cheered "Gotcha!"

"What happened!?" Gillas demanded.

"One of the buggers got through... But it was moving so fast it must've went right through a part of the ship and kept going! Ha! I got him on the other side!"

The ship shuddered again, and a warning light on Gillas' console started flashing. "Well it appears the part of the ship it passed through was the port engine nacelle. It's now frozen solid and off-line."

"We're landing whether we want to or not then." Tess sighed. "Okay, let's do it!"

"I'm aiming for a location just outside the south wall." Gillas said. "It's cropland, unplanted at the moment, and we can get back into town and help from the surface quickly."

"Sounds good lad." Durban agreed.

As they descended the airship continued to shudder and shake harder and harder. Tess and Durban both kept firing, all the way down, though at the last second the Windigos turned and fled, apparently afraid that the ship might explode on impact and take them all in a fireball. But Gillas was an excellent pilot and while the landing was rough they came through in one piece.

"Okay, let's go." Durban said, clambering out of his gunner's seat and hefting his axe. He took point, heading towards the door, with Tess and Gillas close behind, each carrying miniature crossbows. Not that such weapons would be much help against the foes running about this day, but it still seemed better than nothing. Durban opened the hatch and they stepped outside. Just in time to see Orcs and Gumm-Gumms running at them from a gate in the wall, and Windigos swooping down from above.

"Well muk." Tess swore.

XXXXX

When the orbs struck and Twilight vanished, Rainbow Dash was, of course, the first to act. Letting out a roar of rage and grief, she charged headlong at the Darkness. Before she got there, a portal opened in her path and she was going too fast to stop or turn, passing through and finding herself next to Claire. "What'd you do that for!?"

"You can't touch that thing!" Claire said. "Look!" She pointed to the ground, where the darkness had trod; each and every place where a hoof had touched to soil, the grass had withered and died. "We've gotta fight smart Dash."

"Smart nothing!" Dash exclaimed, tears pouring from her eyes, "That thing kill.... ki- It killed..."

Claire grabbed Dash and hugged her tightly, the pegasus mare for once not fighting such a gesture, as Rarity and Fluttershy joined in.

"How sickening." They broke the hug to find the Darkness standing over them. "You miss your friend? Fear not. I will send you all to join her." The evil being fired a surge of negative energy at them, but by the time it struck Claire had portaled them all away.

Across the park the rest of the team had watched what happened in horror. Pinkie's mane was deflated, and everyone was in shock and denial, save for Gandalf and Starswirl who had seen too much over the centuries to be phased easily. A portal opened, delivering Claire and those with her, Jim running to the girl and holding her tight. "What do we do!?" He hissed. "That thing is stronger than anything we've ever faced and we can't even touch it!"

"And Twilight..." Fluttershy looked straight at Starswirl. "Is she really...?"

"I don't know." The old wizard replied. But the moment she vanished, I felt... Something..."

"As did I." Gandalf added.

"I know not what it portended. But we must not lose hope."

"I know yer right." Applejack said, "But that still don't tell us what we should do."

"We buy time." Gandalf said. "We buy time for the world to turn in our favor."

"I hope that's not much time." Jim said.

Gandalf nodded "As do I. Now, we cannot touch our foe directly, but we have ranged options for attack. So we move about, all around, at random, under cover as much as possible. We harry our enemy, keep it distracted and annoyed and not attacking anyone else. And when the right time comes..."

"When the right time comes, we take advantage of whatever happens, push whatever advantage it gives us, and end this!" Rarity declared.

"Then let's do it! For Twilight!" Applejack put out her right fore hoof, and all the others joined her. "For Twilight!"

XXXXX

In Arcadia, the battle had been, thus far, less intense. Humans and Trolls, backed up by Aja, Krel, the Doctor, and a handful of alien weapons from Stuart's shop, had fought off several waves of gremlins and a single small force of Orcs. Ophelia Nunez stood looking towards Unity, were the air was filled with smoke and the glow of flames. "Should we send them reinforcements?" She wondered.

"I would advise against it." The Doctor said. "Only the Element Bearers and Trollhunters, and perhaps the wizards, can face the real enemy. The rest of Unity's defenders can handle the lesser attackers so long as they prevail. That being the case, we should hold the forces we have here. It's only a matter of time, after all, before something worse strikes Arcadia as well."

"I suppose you're right. Still..."

"Still your daughter is there. I do understand."

Ophelia sighed deeply and turned as she heard someone approaching. It was Jim's mother, and the troll Aarrrgh. "Barbara. What's the word?"

"No deaths so far, though we've got a lot of injuries, some of them severe. We're also going through antibacterial spray at an alarming rate; Gremlin scratches and bites are horribly septic and as as quick and agile as they are it's hard to take them on unscathed."

"Aarrrgh?"

"Trolls not hurt bad yet. Worried about Wingman."

"Buck up my friend!" The Doctor said, "They're skilled warriors all of them. They'll be fine. And, aside from that, I expect we're going to need you here any moment... Look!" He pointed to where a portal had just opened in the middle of the town square. Armed townsfolk and Trolls surrounded the portal, though at a respectful distance of course, and waited to see if it would be more Gremlins, or a new wave of Orcs.

It was neither. From out of the portal stepped a small mechanical creature shaped like an adorable rabbit. "Oh dear." The Doctor muttered.

"What? What is it!?" Ophelia demanded.

"A Foo-Foo." The Doctor explained. "Rapidly reproducing intergalactic bounty hunters. Aggressive and very heavily armed. And where there's one..." Several more of the creatures came through the portal "...There's an army... Well let it not be said our enemy doesn't conscript the very best."

More and more of the enemy came, the front row speaking:

"I am Foo-Foo the Mighty!"
"I am Foo-Foo the Destroyer!"
"I am Foo-Foo the Devastator!"
"I am Foo-Foo the Miniscule!"
"I am Foo-Foo the Ambivelent! ...At least I think I am..."

And with no further warning they surged to the attack, and in seconds everyone was fighting for their lives. Even Aja and Krel were forced back, and the Trolls were quickly becoming overwhelmed. Not that the Foo-Foo's were all that tough one on one, but there were just so many of them, and the portal wasn't closing as more and more emerged.

Gunfire rattled, alien energy weapons lanced out with rays of destructive force, and Trolls wielded fists and enchanted arms against the alien bounty hunters, who luckily were not equipped with the same armor the Orcs and Gumm Gumms wore, and were thus vulnerable. At last the portal closed, but there were now hundreds of Foo-Foos and the defenders were rapidly losing ground. Even Aarrrgh was overwhelmed.

"Time to enact a strategic retreat I think!" The Doctor said.

"Right!" Ophelia agreed. She pulled a flare gun and fired straight up into the air, the signal to pull back. Those who were able to began the retreat, in the direction of Trollmarket where it was hoped they could make a stand, but too many, far too many, were unable to break free to flee. "We may have waited a bit too long!" Ophelia screamed. The Doctor could only agree...

Author's Note

1:"Muk." According to my research, it's the closest you can get, in a Tolkien Elvish language, to "Sh--." I don't have characters swear all that much, but this was certainly an appropriate time to do so even for an Elf.

2: The Foo-Foos are from 3 Below.

Book Five: Chapter Three

Book Five: Third Law Acendent

Chapter Three

XXXXX

Tess watched in fear as the triple threat of Orcs, Gumm-Gumms, and Windigos converged towards where she stood with Durban and Gillas. "This may be our end." Gillas whispered.

"Aye." Durban agreed, "But at least we'll take some of them down with us!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tess asked. She took aim at the closest Orc, and then let out a yelp as an explosion suddenly went off in the midst of the approaching soldiers, followed by another. Orcs and Gumm-Gumms roared in shock and anger, and then broke ranks and fled for cover when they realized the blasts were getting through their armor and hurting them. Then blasts of energy began lancing into the sky from the town wall, vaporizing the Windigos. The ice spirits turned and made a suicidal run on the source of the blasts, but none of them made it.

"Look there!" Durban shouted, and pointed to the top of the wall where Sheriff Tucker was operating the heat ray blasting the Windigos and several others were running along the sides of the walls, following behind the retreating Orcs and Gumm-Gumms, continuing to throw explosives and lightning jars.

"Let's go, hurry!" Tess cheered, and the trio ran for the wall.

"It's a good thing you landed where you did." Tucker said when they reached him.

"Yeah... Thanks." Tess took the respite to catch her breath, and as she did so those who had been chasing the ground troops away returned.

"We need to go, right now." Bert said, "They'll be back quick and we're too low on ordinance to hold them off for long."

"Should we head for the closest Shelter?" Trixie asked.

"I can't just hide." Tess said. "I've got to do something. With the ship grounded, I'm going back to the park, see what I can do there."

"Haven't you heard?" Beth said. Tess shook her head no and asked what. "The ring. It's here. And the big enemy is here too. That's what Gandalf and the others are fighting now."

"Then we have no choice but to go." Gillas said. "A foe of this magnitude will require everything we can bring to bear against it."

"Then I guess that means we're all going." Trixie said.

"Right. So let's move out..."

XXXXX

Eqqus. The central focus of the battle fell on Canterlot itself. The evacuated city was quickly overrun, leaving the Castle besieged. On the ground, Orcs and Gumm-Gumms tried to break through the magically shielded main gates, and in the skies above Pegasai fought Changeling Drones trying to enter through the many elevated doorways. Luna was in the thick of this latter battle, shielding as many of her guards as she could while they got their attacks in. Celestia was on a wide balcony overlooking the main castle gate, along with a cadre of Unicorn and Human troops, working together in an attempt to drive back the attackers on the ground.

"Hold firm!" Celestia cried out, "Reinforcements are in route from Manehattan!"

"Some of them are already here!" Luna's amplified voice called down, and a moment later Celestia heard the roar of a warplane passing overhead, the rattle of it's guns, and Changelings began falling in large numbers to the ground below.

The troops let out a cheer as Luna descended to stand next to her sister. "'Tis too bad these others are too close to the Castle for that. Still a welcome turn of events."

"Very welcome." Celestia agreed. "General, what is the E.T.A. on those coming from Manehattan?"

"Just under two hours Princess." Morton answered.

"Then there is-" Luna was interrupted by the cries of a Unicorn mage galloping as fast as his hooves would carry him out of the Castle. "What is it Arcane WInd? What is wrong?" She asked.

"Word from Unity Princesses! The true enemy is attacking there. And there is more... The last word..." The mage looked directly to Celestia. "I... I'm so sorry Princess... The report is that Lady Sparkle..." He could say no more, but the expression in his eyes spoke volumes.

Celestia's eyes went briefly wide, then closed as tears began to flow, Luna stepping in close, wrapping a wing over her back. "No!" The Sun Princess exclaimed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, simultaneously teleporting away from Luna, into the air directly above the attacking ground forces, while charging her horn so bright none could look. The surge of magic was raw, primal, and hotter than the surface of the Sun. Troops along the balcony retreated from the edge as banners caught fire from the radiant heat, and as soon as everyone was clear Luna put up a magic shield to protect them.

When it was over, Celestia descended, weeping and spent, to the ledge where Luna held her again. She made no effort to break the contact this time. Below, amazingly, the enemy's armor had still held up against the purely magical attack, the Orcs and Gumm-Gumms still alive. Alive, but not a threat. The armor took the attack; The stone beneath them did not, and the entire force was now flailing to escape from molten rock.

"Luna..." Celestia whispered, "Our forces here should now be clear long enough for the reinforcements to get here. Please, we should go and aid Unity..."

"Perhaps sister, but-" Luna was cut of by the sound of a new enemy portal opening just beyond the bridge that connected Canterlot City to the Castle. "But, I think we're not finished here just yet."

The portal started out no bigger than the ones which had delivered the now trapped soldiers, but it grew much larger, nearly a hundred feet in diameter. And through it came a horror like nothing any human or pony present had ever seen, an abomination of mismatched and melted looking body parts, constantly shifting form, walking out of the portal on a odd numbered set of mismatched legs, tentacles tipped with fang filled mouths darting about at everything in sight, and so big it needed the entire enormous portal to fit through.

"They've got kaiju." Morton grumbled. "Because of course they do..."

XXXXX

"So who is it we're going to see Master Merlin?" Morgan was alongside her teacher as they made their way through the dense forests outside of town. They had been attacked twice, by the beasts that called this world home, in the ten minutes since leaving Unity, but in both cases the creatures had fled in a hurry when faced with the Wizard's magic.

"We have three stops to make, actually, and we need to do it quickly." Merlin said. "In any case, we're heading for the Longstop first, to speak with the Goblins."

"Goblins!?"

"Not the unpleasant creatures you're familiar with Morgan. A different people with the same name. Though, you have seen them around Unity the past few weeks; the mask wearing merchants?"

"Oh yes of course! I thought I was just mishearing when people called the Goblins."

"Though primarily merchants, they are formidable fighters when they wish to be." Merlin explained. "Their bombs and other combat tactics will be most beneficial... Ahhh, but we're drawing near."

"Near? I thought you said it was several miles... Oh, you've been helping things along with magic, the old fast feet spell."

"Indeed. And here we are."

They emerged from the forest into a ramshackle settlement constructed from basically anything the inhabitants could get their hands on. Goblins were about, but not conducting business. Indeed, they seemed agitated. One of them rushed forward, jumping up and down. "Squoo! Squoo! What is happening!?"

"Unity is under attack, by the enemy we've all been warned of. We require your assistance." Merlin explained.

"Yes! Yes! Many good customers in Unity! Brayflox Alltalks and her kin will hel-" The goblin was cut off by the sudden rumble of an explosion audible even from miles away. "Then again, maybe Gobbies stay back. In reserve, you know..."

"Such is your right to choose of course." Merlin said. "But if we lose the battle in Unity you'll be next on the enemy's chopping block, with no allies."

"That... Does change things..." Turning to her brethren, she loudly cried out "Gobbiefolk!! Prepare for war!"

As the Goblins began running about gathering weapons, Morgan turned to her mentor. "That was mean Master. Threatening them like that."

"What threat? I merely spoke the truth. And now, let us prepare to move on. Sylph Hollow is our next stop-" Another great explosion echoed through the forest "-And I think we'd best not tarry..."

XXXXX

Earth. Shining Armor and Agent Marsh were in a rear guard command post, watching the scenes playing out all over the North American Continent. The enemy was everywhere, attacks underway in New York, Washington, Chicago, Indianapolis, Saint Louis, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Curiously, though, the primary thrust of the attacks had shifted to the middle of nowhere. "Yellowstone?" Shining asked, "I thought that was just a park."

"It is. I don't see any reason why they are there." Marsh replied.

"Which forces us to now make a judgement call." Shining mused. "Either the cities are a distraction from what they're doing there, and a good one since we can't just abandon all those people..."

"Or Yellowstone is a red herring to draw at least some of our forces out of the cities, giving them the upper hand there." Marsh concluded.

"Sir?" A technician called to Marsh from the computer lab.

" What've you got?"

"Satellite view of Yellowstone sir, coming up on the main screen now."

On the screen they could see a trio of the enemy's airships, hovering in formation around a large structure on the ground.

"What is that?" Marsh whispered.

Another technician spoke, " It kind of looks like a drilling rig..."

Shining chuckled. "If this was Equestria I'd ask if there was any type of ancient forbidden artifacts buried down the-" He stopped at the look on Marsh's face. "What?"

Marsh explained "There's something down there alright... Yellowstone overlies the magma chamber for a massive caldera volcano. The type that only blows every million years or so. It's not due to erupt for a couple hundred thousand years yet, but if they drill into the lava, give it a ready made opening to the surface..."

"But even if they did set off a volcano, it's the middle of nowhere..." Shining said.

One of the technicians looked up from her monitor. "It's not like that Captain. Comparing this thing to a normal volcano is like comparing the size of a man to the size of an ant. If it erupts half the continent will be devastated."

Shining let out a long whistle. "Okay, yeah, that's bad... But does it change our position? We don't even know if they can really pull this off. It could still be a distraction."

"Could be... But the sheer level of the risk is such that we can't ignore it."

"Alright... Let's see where we can pull from without screwing everything up..."

XXXXX

Unity. The Darkness was beginning to experience an emotion new to it's experience: Annoyance. It strode purposefully through the town, seeking out those who dared oppose it, but they wouldn't come into the open for a stand up fight. Instead, everywhere it went, there was an endless stream of sniping attacks from all directions. Gunfire, magic blasts of all kinds, portals opening in the sky and dropping heavy objects directly on it's head. Worse, the common townsfolk were putting up a stiffer fight than anticipated. The soldiers were falling in numbers, and while there were plenty of reserves that could be bought in it had hoped to save them for future campaigns...

And here came another wave: The Trollhunter darted across the street, throwing a pair of enchanted daggers while magic blasts struck from the left and Gandalf appeared atop a pile of rubble, staff glowing blindingly bright, the pure elemental light driving back the shadows the Darkness tried to conceal itself in. Not that there was any real need for concern; Nothing they did could actually hurt the Darkness. Not while it had the Ring. (Not that having the ring had saved Sauron from Isildur's blade, but then that's why it was wearing the thing on Chrysalis' horn; a lot harder to cut off than a finger.)

Then, without warning, the intensity of the attacks increased. The Trollhunters and Bearers had gotten reinforcements. Well armed reinforcements, attacking with guns, bombs, lightning jars, a heat beam of some kind, they were even trying to distract it with illusion magic. This was no more of a threat, less so actually, but it was still irritating. Then, things crossed the line; in a matter of seconds, it was struck first from the left with a blast that snapped its head to the right, then another blow from the right snapping its head back to the left. No sooner had it finished shaking that off than it was struck again, a massive blow to the chin that painfully forced its head back.

"Enough!!" It bellowed, and charging a massive amount of magic in Chrysalis' horn, channeling it through the Ring, unleashing a surge of power that paralyzed everyone in a half mile radius in all directions. "General!" The Darkness called out, and an especially hideous Orc approached.

"Shall we destroy these weaklings?"

"No... Those on the surface are mine. But I sense the foul taint of life below ground as well... They've built shelters. Find them. Slaughter them..."

Book Five: Chapter Four

Book Five: Third Law Acendent

Chapter Four

XXXXX

When the attack had begun, absolutely everyone in town had either taken up arms and joined in the fighting, or else hurried to one of the deep shelters prepared for just this occasion. Thus, no one was in the Golden Oaks Library when the dark orbs had converged on Twilight. No one was in the old Fallow Meadows library either, or in any of the many homes across town, no one was present when, all at once, every copy of Tolkien's work, every copy of Starswirl's writings, every book and scroll that carried the mysterious magical current, suddenly surged with power. A pulse of magic went out from the tomes, felt by Gandalf and the other wizards, as well as some of the Elves and Unicorns, though they knew not what it meant. And Twilight Sparkle vanished as the orbs converged on her and collided. At the precise moment when the magical wave also intersected her position...

"What!?" Twilight sat up in a bolt, frantically looking around, unsure of where she was. If she was really anywhere, all the unicorn could see was a faintly glowing mist. She looked down, and gasped at the sight that she was, apparently, standing on thin air. "Where...?" Curious, knowing that she needed information, Twilight picked a direction and started walking. But even after several minutes she found nothing new. There was just the same mist, billowing all around her. It was thicker, then thinner, blowing about in unpredictable eddies. The mysterious white glow remained a constant, suggesting that it came from somewhere beyond the mist. The most curious thing, though, was that the air wasn't cold or damp as one would expect in a fog. The temperature and humidity were quite comfortable, not unlike a perfect summer day. "I should be dead..." Twilight thought. Then her eyes went wide with a new realization: "Maybe I am!" But no, this didn't look like either Pony or Human ideas of Paradise. And besides that... "OW!!" Twilight swore after pinching herself.

She continued to wander about for several more minutes, learning nothing else new and finding only the same persistent mist. Finally, she decided it was time to see if there was anyone else in earshot. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She called out.

In the mist, just out of sight, something moved. A pattern of light and darkness, indistinct through the billowing fog. "I am here." A voice spoke. A voice that Twilight knew she had heard before, though she could not place where.

"Hello!? Who are you?"

The form drew closer, mist parting around it, and into view came a being that took Twilight's breath away. It was an Alicorn, female, but much larger than Celestia or Luna and glowing like the sun, a pure, radiant, even holy light. Kindness and wisdom was in the apparition's eyes, and Twilight knew at once into whose presence she had come:

"Queen Faust..." She whispered, and the Alicorn smiled...

XXXXX

Arcadia. Even with the presence of Aja, Krel, and the Doctor, the Foo Foos were gradually gaining ground, pushing the town's defenders back. The rabbit-like bounty hunters were tough as nails, and highly skilled in their combat techniques. Ophelia Nunez had given the retreat command, but it can be hard to retreat when your enemy is right on top of you, continuing to press the attack, forcing you to hold your ground or be destroyed.

So while the townsfolk fought, the Doctor ducked into Stuart's shop. "Come on Stewy I know you're hiding in here somewhere!"

"Yes, and I'll thank you to not draw attention to me!" Stuart answered from behind the counter.

"Calm down, I just need some parts. I have an idea." The Doctor trotted about the shop, gathering what he needed. "Do you have any kyber crystals?"

"Top shelf on the left, very back!" Stuart's voice came from his hiding place.

"Good, good, and what about-"

"Magnetic railgun?" Stuart preempted the question, "In the back store room. Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"Someone has to. I could use some help you know."

Stuart rose from behind the counter. "Oh alright. I'll grab the mag gun. But you know this will take us some time to get right. I hope the people out there can keep the Foo Foos occupied long enough."

"Oh don't worry. Help should be incoming right about now..."

Outside, Ophelia and Barbara Lake gave a yell as something very large and heavy crashed to the ground right behind them. Aja, seeing the impact, quickly struck a crippling blow on her current opponent and then rushed to their side, looking down at... "Varvatos!? What happened!?"

"Varvatos Vex was gloriously cast away by a most worthy foe!" The giant alien exclaimed.

Ever a doctor, Barbara was kneeling at Varvatos side. "That was a nasty fall! Are you injured? Is there anything I can do?"

"Varvatos thanks you for your concern, but he is not critically damaged. He must return to Unity and re-engage the true enemy at once!"

"That might be a problem..." Aja said as she helped Varvatos to his feet. "You see..." She motioned to the ongoing battle.

Varvatos looked all about, at the pitched battle and the many, many bounty hunters assailing the town. And, perhaps it was the blow to his head when he landed, or perhaps it was his growing interest in human music since arriving, but whatever the cause his next words left everyone in earshot face-palming:

"Everybody is Foo-Foo fighting!!!"

"Dude! You did not just say that!" Someone shouted back.

"Varvatos Vex says what he means! But in way of apology, he will remain and assist you in removing this infestation of rapidly multiplying vermin!" And with that he leapt into the fray, and the tide of battle began to stabilize.

Then with a roar the door of Stewart's shop burst open, and the Doctor emerged, Stewart trying his best to hide behind him which wasn't easy considering he was far larger than the Doctor. "Alright lads!" The Doctor called out to the Foo-Foo's, "Let's see how you like my new Kyber Cannon, eh?"

The Foo Foo exchanged wary glances with each other. "Kyber... Cannon?"

"Oh yes indeed! Stewart? Fire!"

Stewart slammed a fist down hard on the rear portion of the device, and what happened next would be the talk of Arcadia for weeks to come: The railgum powered up and started firing, one crystal after another. Each crystal struck one of the Foo Foos, then exploded in a shower of light that, like a technological version of a chain lightning spell, took out even more of the bounty hunters. Unfortunately, Stewart's supply of the crystals was limited, but by the time it was over nearly three quarters of the Foo Foos were no longer a concern.

"Excellent!" Varvatos bellowed. "Now the battle is even!"

Foo Foo the Ambivalent took a step back. "Uh-oh, I think..."

XXXXX

"Queen Faust!" Twilight gasped again, "I really am dead!"

The Alicorn chuckled. "Fear not, Daughter of Eqqus. You are not dead, thanks to my intervention. And do not call me 'Queen.' I have not been you monarch for long ages. I am but an Oyarsa, a servant of the Maker, and I am pleased to do my work."

"But... What... How...?"

"All your questions will be answered. But we have little time, even here. Walk with me." Faust turned and walked away, and after another moment of sputtering confusion Twilight rushed to catch up.

"So... Where is here anyway? And, not that I'm ungrateful for the save, but how did you know I was in trouble?" Twilight asked.

"Excellent questions. Tia chooses her students well. To answer your first question, we are in a place called the Bleed. It is, in essence, the empty white space in between realities. My job is here, keeping watch over anything that passes from one world to another."

"But how are we alive? The Bleed is fatal to all life nothing can live here. And if you watch the traffic why didn't you stop the Darkness?"

"I can survive here because I am more than merely alive. And I am protecting you with my power. As for stopping the Darkness, I monitor and give warnings. Little more is allowed, for the sake of free will." Faust replied. "But as for your other earlier question, You have of course noticed the magical current in certain Maiar-related texts... I put it there. At base, it's a simple scrying spell for observing the area around each book. Though, as you've no doubt surmised from it bringing you here, it has certain... advanced... functions as well."

"I don't get the free will thing..." Twilight admitted.

Faust stopped walking and turned to face her. "Love is one of the greatest goods in the universe. But genuine love cannot be forced. It must be a free choice. So, sapient beings were given the potential for free will, so they would be able to choose love. Sadly, the potential in and of itself is also not enough. The potential must be made real. And a big part of that is leaving the consequences, good and bad, intact, since to prevent to results of free will choice is to make that choice an illusion, or worse, a cruel meaningless joke."

"...Which means you have to let us deal with evil ourselves."

"Usually. A little help here and there is permitted. And in the end, when the purpose of this world is fulfilled, things will change. But for now, yes."

"Okay, I'm following... But, still, why did you bring me here? I need to be helping my friends!"

"'A little help here and there is permitted.'" Faust quoted herself, "And I'm preparing to push the very limits of what I can do. But first we need to get that stain out of your head."

Twilight cocked her head in confusion. "Huh? You don't mean... No! Gandalf helped me we got rid of the doubt! I'm free of it now, I'm okay!"

"Nay, Twilight Sparkle, you most certainly are not. Remember what you said to Gandalf just minutes before I bought you here."

"I was... Babbling about how we couldn't win..."

"Yes."

"I, but I... I need to help my friends! What do we do?" Twilight was on the verge of panicking.

"We need only this." Faust said as her horn began to glow, "Light drives out Darkness." She touched the tip of her horn to the top of Twilight's head. For a few moments, nothing happened, and then a blackness surged out of Twilight, exiting through her eyes, and screaming as it faded away in the light. "How do you feel, child?"

"Like myself. I hadn't even noticed..."

"Those affected rarely do."

"So I go back now?"

"You do indeed, and with what measure of power I am permitted to give you to help things along. But listen carefully Twilight Sparkle: Even the power I grant will not, in itself, be enough to overcome the Darkness through brute force. The enemy has unwittingly given itself a weakness, one you already know how to exploit. Figure it out. Use it. And victory will be yours."

"But, wait a moment!" Twilight said, "Victory against the Darkness, but it's armies are huge! What about them?"

"Fear not. There's never ontological inertia in these cases. Defeat the Darkness and the army will fall. But now you must hurry. Good luck, Daughter of Eqqus, may His light shine on you..." And Twilight's world went white as Faust touched her horn to horn...

XXXXX

Unity. With everyone frozen in place, it all looked to be over. The Darkness was strutting about in Chrysalis' body, gloating over it's win, while Orcs and Gumm-Gumms gathered everyone found immobile on the surface and carried them to the park, and others sought out the entrances to the hidden underground shelters. "You won't get away with this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We will beat you!"

"How...?" The Darkness taunted. "You cannot even move."

"There's always a way!" Applejack said.

"Oh really? Is there anyone left free? Anyone left able to move, to free you? Is there anyone who can-" The taunt was cut short when a bomb slammed into the side of the Darkness head just as the fuse burned down and it exploded.

"There is indeed one left free!" Everyone looked to see Merlin, standing on the roof of a nearby building. "A great many free, in point of fact..." And as he spoke Goblins and Pixies from the nearby towns surged to the attack. The Darkness distracted, Morgan slipped in and began freeing those who were bound. Soon everyone was free, and again scattered to cover, harassing the Darkness and it's minions while waiting for an opening to do some real damage.

Pinkie Pie was hidden behind a large pile of rubble, taking shots with a crossbow made from her armor's magic. It was actually her third pile in the last five minutes; every time the one she was behind got destroyed, she appeared behind another. To her surprise, Rarity and Claire had been behind this one when she arrived. "I hope the opening Gandalf talked about comes soon." Claire whispered. "We can't keep this up for long."

"Indeed not darling."

"Don't worry!" Pinkie said, "Aaaaaaaany time now..."

"Just lay down and die!" The Darkness roared. "I will tolerate your resistance no longer!!" And with those words, it used the shape changing powers of Chrysalis' body, growing larger, longer, with bigger fangs, the legs melting into the body, as the Darkness transformed... ...Into a giant snake.

And Pinkie Pie smiled. "There it is girls." She said. "Evil Overlord List rule thirty-four just got broken. Which means that at any moment..."

A bolt of blindingly bright lightning lanced down from the clouds, striking ground less than a hundred feet in front of the Darkness. The flash faded, and there stood Twilight Sparkle. "Get away from my friends." Twilight barely more than whispered, but was clearly heard all across the park. She stood firm in a defiant stance, legs wide, head held high, glowing horn aimed directly at the evil being, and spreading her new wings wide. "This. Ends. Now..."

Book Five: Chapter Five

Book Five: Third Law Ascendant

Chapter Five

XXXXX

"Twilight!" Voices cried out in joy at the sight of their friend alive, then shifted to confusion.

"You're... An Alicorn!?" Rainbow Dash gasped.

"A gift from a friend." Twilight answered. "But I'll explain later." She flapped her wings and rose shakily into the air, still facing down the Darkness.

"This matters not! I will still destroy you all!"

"You'll have to do it post-mortem!" Twilight shouted, and cut loose on the Darkness with a blast of magic more powerful than any she had ever used before. Most of the power was absorbed, but enough got through to actually send Chrysalis' body sailing backwards, end over end, through a building and into a parked truck. Yet still the evil rose anew, laughing.

"Impressive." It admitted. "But I am entropy, emptiness, death. You cannot kill what does not live!" It unleashed a new wave of black orbs but this time as they homed in on Twilight she countered with a shield of light magic powerful enough to stop them. "Yes, yes, impressive indeed... Hmm... My soldiers have things well enough in hand here I think... Perhaps I should move on to the main course..."

A portal opened, on the ground beneath Chrysalis' body and the Darkness fell through.

Everyone rushed to the spot, staring at the ground. "The main course?" Toby wondered.

"Singularity!" Twilight realized. "It's going after Singularity!"

"Then we're sunk." Applejack said, "It takes days to fly there."

Gandalf said "Not so. As an alicorn, I expect Twilight now possesses power sufficient to teleport directly there. Though, only some of us should go. There is still the question of stopping the soldiers here."

"Without their leader the rank and file shouldn't be as tough." Merlin said. "We'll need the Element Bearers of course, and we should go. Everyone else should secure the town."

"But this is our fight too!" Jim insisted.

Gandalf laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You will fight, but your place is here."

"That sounds uncomfortably similar to Obi Wan's last living words to Luke..." Toby said, and everyone looked at the wizard uncomfortably.

"Fear not... All will be well. Twilight, we must hurry. What did Faust say to you?"

"Just that raw power alone wouldn't be enough... That the Darkness had unwittingly given itself a weakness by taking the ring... And something about 'ontological inertia.'"

"Excellent." Starswirl said. "Take us to Singularity Twilight." The alicorn's horn flared with magic, and they were gone a moment later...

XXXXX

"Okay, they're gone, what do we do?" Claire asked.

"First you tactically coordinate with allies!" A voice called out. The Trollhunters looked to see Bert, Trixie, Tess, and several others approaching. "Can I assume Twilight and the others have gone after the big boss?"

"Yes. And we're supposed to stop things here." Jim answered. "When everyone was frozen, we overheard the Darkness talking about sending the soldiers to look for the shelters."

"Damnit!" Bert swore. "Okay, I think we need a distraction... Something so big the armies can't ignore it."

Everyone looked around, but there was nothing immediately obvious that would draw the attention of the entire enemy force. Then a smile spread across Tess's face. "I've got an idea... But we'll need pegasus and unicorn magic to make it work. And we'll need to be quick..."

XXXXX

Ten minutes later they were ready. "Okay, let's do this." Bert said, nodding to Trixie. The illusionist fired up her horn, and strained as she wove the largest and most detailed illusion she had ever created. A giant Gandalf, looming over the town, chanting and holding his wizard's staff out as if casting a powerful spell. All over town, enemy soldiers saw the illusion and were gripped in fear, terrified of what kind of spell the wizard might be casting that would cause him to grow so enormous.

Fear turned to a reckless determination to stop the wizard before the spell was completed. Nearly two thirds of the attackers, of all species, broke off their search for the shelters and charged the illusion. They never knew what hit them. Or, more accurately, what they hit. Trixie had been projecting the illusion onto a wall of clouds, created by pegasai and made solid by cloudwalking spells cast directly on the cloud itself. They were knocked unconscious and bound in magical ropes by Morgan.

"Okay, the odds are more in our favor now." Jim said. "Let's take the rest out one group at a time..."

XXXXX

Singularity. The Darkness had, of course, been waiting them to follow. The team had been forced to scatter instantly to avoid the evil being's onslaught. Twilight tried again to overpower it's defenses with the strongest attack her new alicorn magic could muster, but the results were even less encouraging than before. "Faust was right." She thought. "This won't be won with sheer power alone... But what else is there? What am I missing? What is it about the ring that creates a weakness?"

While Twilight was thinking (and dodging) her friends were busy with their own problems. Rarity was forced to take a leap of faith off a high platform to avoid the dark orbs zeroing in on her. As she fell, wondering if perhaps the wizards had included a parachute in the armor, she was caught by Rainbow Dash. "That's two times I've saved you from going splat now!" Dash boasted. "Why'd you do that!?"

"That's why." Rarity answered and pointed, Dash looking back just in time to see the platform Rarity had leapt from disintegrate as the orbs struck it.

"Okay yeah that's a good reason."

Applejack took shelter behind a large pipe, peaking out from behind to get her bearings, then galloping hard across an open area, spinning, and kicking hard against a tall narrow antennae tower. The tower creaked, groaned, bent, and finally fell directly onto the Darkness. But it was all in vain as the metal, when exposed to the aura of decay around the enemy, simply rusted to dust in moments.

Fluttershy was hiding behind Gandalf as the wizards focused all of their power into defensive wards to slow the spread of the dark power. Pinkie was rushing to and fro, setting up a crossfire of party cannons loaded with banana cream pies, on the Pinkie logic that the best bet was to blind it.

For it's part, the Darkness wasn't even trying to avoid any of the attacks, confident in it's own invulnerability. It hovered overhead, arrogantly mocking their efforts while firing off more and more orbs and other dark magic attacks, the ring glowing as it's power was tapped more and more.

"Think Twilight." The alicorn thought to herself. "It's the power of decay... entropy... If we can't overwhelm it..." Twilight shook her head and maneuvered around several attacks. "How do you stop entropy? The only place where it doesn't exist..."

And with that, a memory intruded into Twilight's mind, a voice, something she had heard months before when she'd first seen the interior of the Doctor's Tardis...

"It's..."

"Yes, yes, bigger on the inside... Twilight, be a dear
and don't try to replicate this effect with magic. I'd
rather the planet didn't vanish into a magical black
hole..."

And Twilight smiled, and began to charge a spell in her horn. It wasn't a true attack spell. She poured magic into her horn, charging stronger and stronger, two full orders of magnitude more magic than this spell was meant to be cast with, then three. And with a shout she unleashed all the power at once, casting the spell not on the Darkness, but on the ring.

It was a gravity spell, and as the magic resolved the ring was forced to shrink, smaller and smaller. The plan was working, but even as an alicorn Twilight's power still wasn't enough. "Everyone!" She cried out, "Help me! I need more power!"

Reacting swiftly, all three of the wizards focused their power on Twilight, as did the Bearers with their elements. And as the new wave of magic was added to the spell Twilight redoubled her assault. "What!?" The Darkness exclaimed, "What are you doing!? Stop! Stop!" The ring shrank smaller and smaller, too small to see. Further, further, smaller than a dust mote, smaller than an atom...

...Smaller than it's own event horizon.

Twilight collapsed to the ground in exhaustion just as the Darkness let out one final scream. It's essence was pulled out of Chrysalis' body as the ring vanished, the Changeling queen's unconscious body falling from the sky. A few seconds later, there was a massive explosion far overhead.

"What the hay was that!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Twilight appears to be indisposed for the moment. Perhaps I can explain." They looked to see the projection of Pazu, Singularity's A.I. controller, hovering nearby. "Twilight compressed the magic artifact sufficiently to turn it into a small black hole. As soon as it collapsed, its momentum also spiked and it flew up and away at nearly the speed of light. And a good thing, that, for black holes eventually evaporate explosively from quantum radiation and the smaller they are the quicker and more explosively it happens. The detonation you saw was the destruction of the artifact, at a range far further away than this world's moons."

"Ingenious." Gandalf said. "Destroying the ring destroyed the Darkness' hold on Chrysalis' body, and destroying it in such a way means the constituent particles the ring was made of are also destroyed. It is well and truly beyond recovery now."

"Then let us bind Chrysalis, that we might return to Unity once Twilight recovers." Merlin agreed.

"I'm okay." Twilight said, rising to her hooves shakily.

Rarity asked "But wait a moment... What is happening back home with the armies...?"

XXXXX

Unity. Bert, Trixie, Tess, and the Trollhunters looked around. Without warning there had been a massive burst of light high in the sky, and then all at once the Orcs, Gumm-Gumms, Gremlins, and Windigos faded from view, as if they had never been there.

"Whaaaaat's happening?" Toby asked.

"It's what Twilight said Faust told her." Tess said. "The ontological inertia thing... They must have beaten the Darkness, so the armies it gathered are fading back to where they belong."

Morgan added "Yes, it's fairly common with powerful evils. They don't expect to lose, but they also can't stand the thought of someone else using the armies they labored to build if they do. There's always a curse to prevent it."

"Indeed there is."

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" Trixie gasped as she quickly bowed.

"We came as soon as the forces besieging Canterlot began to fade." Luna said.

"Yes. Is it true... About Twilight...?" Celestia asked.

"I'm right here Princess!" Celestia turned, eyes wide, at the sound of Twilight's voice, and faster than anyone could follow was hugging the smaller mare tightly in her wings.

"Twilight! They said you were dead!"

"I think maybe I was, for a bit." Twilight said. She smiled. "Your mother says 'hello.'"

XXXXX

On Earth, the battle had ended in the nick of time. The machine burrowing into Yellowstone's magma chamber (And such was indeed what it was doing) had proved to be so heavily armored that even magic enhanced missiles and bombs had no effect on it. It faded, along with it's defenders, mere minutes before reaching what would have been the point of no return.

Things were similar on Eqqus, where the horror unleashed on Canterlot Castle had effortlessly smashed through the castle gates and devastated the lower floors before fading back to wherever the Darkness had taken it from. Manehattan was in ruins that would take years to rebuild.

Arcadia fared better, thanks to the Doctor and others. There were barely any Foo Foos by the time they vanished, and only a few buildings had been totaled. Below, Trollmarket was undamaged and it's forges and smiths would prove instrumental in the rebuilding of both Unity and Arcadia's damage.

Unity fared better than one might expect, yet there were still nearly a hundred structures beyond repair and hundreds more in need of extensive work, most worryingly the city wall. Of greater concern, a quarter of the croplands were burned, and while it was early enough in the season to replant, unless winter held off things would be very tight.

The final death toll, for all three worlds, was over four million; In Unity that meant seventy-two humans, forty-one ponies, three gryphons, eight sylphs, and ten goblins. The mood would be subdued for the rest of the year, though this was mitigated somewhat by the knowledge of how much worse things could have been.

Two days after the battle, Unity was filled with journalists from both Earth and Eqqus, visiting through the window facilities. They were there for a press conference, featuring leaders from both worlds. Celestia spoke first, followed by the American President Whitmore, then Luna and several others. They praised the work of those who had fought the enemy, and reassured the frightened people of both planets that the foe was indeed truly beaten, and that supplies for survival and rebuilding were indeed on their way. "This day," Celestia had said in closing, "Shall be in Equestria a holiday, but not merely a holiday of memorial for those lost. No, for while we must honor their memory we must also remember and celebrate their sacrifice for the survival of all that live..."

XXXXX

New Mordor. From a high balcony on the rebuilt fortress of Barad-Dur, Queen Usurna stood looking down on the Orcish armies encamped in the plains below. She was free. The Darkness had actually fallen, and contrary to all her expectations she was free again. Free, and in charge. Of course, with all the forces the Darkness had gathered sent back to their own realities she had no Gumm-Gumms or Windigos, just the Orcs. But that was a far larger force than she'd had before, and they had already pledged to follow her. And they still had the technology for opening portals, so she might well be able to recruit those others again eventually.

If, that was, they could get the things working properly again. They'd been on the fritz since the Darkness fell. Usurna turned and asked the Orc technician who had just arrived "Well?"

"Apologies Dark Mistress. We can view other worlds through the portals now, but not pass through them."

"It's progress." Usurna sighed. "Any news of Chrysalis' fate?"

"Yes. The Equestrian princesses took her back to Canterlot. Her body lives, but she has not awoken and unicorn healers suspect her mind may simply be gone. They are still keeping her under heavy guard in a warded cell, though."

Usurna nodded and dismissed the servant. It really was too bad... She had liked Chrysalis; as much as someone like herself could at any rate. But it was also no matter. Mordor was hers, and as a Troll she had centuries if needed to bide her time, and lay her plans...

Author's Note

One more to go!

Epilogue

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

--------------------

Author's Note

MLP timeline splits from canon late season two/early season three.
Trollhunters timeline splits from canon between episodes six and seven of season three.
For those unfamiliar with Trollhunters, there will be some explanation early on.
To avoid confusion, Trollhunters goblins are called gremlins and Trollhunters changelings are called Aufs (A Middle-English word that means the same thing.)
This isn't going to make any sense if you haven't read the first two Unity stories.

====================

"Wheels within wheels,
Worlds without end;
Of the distant future
Do my words portend;

Darkness spreads,
All light to end,
Emptiness, entropy,
Inherit the wind;

Come my daughter,
You I send;
Beyond the veil,
To worlds forfend:

Pony and human,
Must together contend,
And then the paths
Of fate may bend..."

-Faust's final prophecy.

"Unlike magnetic polarities, in which likes repel and unlikes attract,
on the moral level likes attract and unlikes repel. Good gathers good
unto itself, and evil gathers evil unto itself, and a sufficiently great
evil can subjugate lesser evils unto it's service, whether they will or
not. Thus lesser evils must be subdued quickly, lest some terrible
darkness grow greater by incorporating their power."

-Merlinus Ambrosius

"Tremulous skiens of destiny,
Flutter so ethereally,
About me, but then I feel,
It's embrace, is that of steel.
Is each of us a creature free,
Or chained at birth by destiny?
Pity those who think the latter,
Without freedom,
Nothing matters."

-The Book of Counted Sorrows

"Hope
Requires the contender,
Who sees no virtue
In surrender;
From the cradle,
To the bier,
The heart must always
Persevere."

-The Book of Counted Joys

"One ring for the dark queen,
Who reclines on her throne,
In the changeling vale,
Where magics fail..."

-Last surviving remnant of
Starswirl's 27th prophecy

Book One: Chapter Three

Book One: Gremlins and Gumm-Gumms

Chapter Three

As night fell, Fluttershy and Silver Spoon were tending to the needs of her animal friends. "I'll be able to help you more over the summer." Silver said.

"Oh, but summer is for spending time with your friends!"

"I will! But I want to help out here too..."

Fluttershy smiled as she slid a tray of food before a family of rabbits. "You're quite good at it. I appreciate the help."

"Thanks!" Silver Spoon carried a bowl of water to the duck pen, having to quickly jump back as she sat it down and all of the ducks rushed forward. Movement drew her attention to a bird house that was supposed to be empty. "Um, Miss Fluttershy?"

"You don't have to say 'miss.'"

"I know, but... Wasn't that one supposed to be empty right now?" Silver pointed to the house in question.

"Yes, it is." Fluttershy answered. "Did you see something?" Silver nodded and Fluttershy approached the bird house and peered in through the door. All she could see was darkness. "Hello?"

Fluttershy gasped and stepped back as glowing yellow eyes appeared, and a creature quite unlike anything she had ever seen before stepped out. It was albino white, very small, and was grumbling to itself with a toothy mouth.

"What is it?" Silver Spoon asked, partially hiding behind Fluttershy.

Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't know, but stay behind me."

Together they slowly backed away as the creature continued to approach. Fluttershy didn't recognize the beast, but she felt certain it's intentions were anything but benevolent. Thus her plan was to back up until they could make a run for her door and shelter in the house. A sound plan, save for the fact that, long before they got there, more sounds like those made by the creature arose from behind. "We're surrounded!" Silver Spoon gasped.

"Stay calm." Fluttershy instructed. "I'll try to talk to them." She looked the first creature in the eyes. "What do you want?"

To the pegasus' surprise, the creature produced a child's electronic toy from behind it's back, and pushed the 'K' button. "'K' is for kill." the toy said in it's electronic voice.

Fluttershy shrank back. "I was afraid you would say something like that." She whispered.

XXXXX

Awkward. That is the only word to accurately describe how the coffeehouse meeting between Macintosh, Bethany, and her parents began. Not hostile, not angry, not hot or cold, just... Awkward. For the first half hour nothing of substance was said. It was Martha who finally broke the ice in a meaningful way: "So Macintosh... You're a farmer?"

"Eeyup. Sweet Apple Acres has been in the family since Granny was a young'un."

"Apple farmers eh?" Ray said. "My own granddad farmed corn and strawberries."

"Hard work."

"The corn yeah, the berries not so much. That side of things, they always did one of those deals where people paid to pick their own."

"Now that's an idea..." Mac mused. Visions of customers harvesting the orchards for him filled his head, but only for a moment. "Nah, Applejack'd never go for it..."

"That's your sister?"Martha asked.

"The older of the two. Apple Bloom's the younger."

Bethany began to laugh."Oh! You've gotta tell them the McDonalds story!"

"Eenope, you tell it better."

Still laughing, Bethany said "Okay, so, it was just after we merged the towns together and humans and ponies still didn't really know each other all that well. So, a group of us are out at the farm helping out when Apple Bloom and her friends come running as fast as they can. They catch sight of Mac and jump on his back crying and freaking out. When we finally calm them down, it turns out that they had gone into the McDonalds on the south side and saw 'Big Mac' on the menu..."

"And they thought... Oh my."

"Eeyup. Took a week 't get 'Bloom more than a few feet from me."

"That reminds me of something that happened when Beth's Uncle Clyde was little." Ray said. See, it was summer..." He was interrupted by a sudden loud scream. "What the hell?"

A crowd of humans and ponies came running and screaming down the street, pursued by...

"What the hell are those!?" Bethany exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Gremlins, Ah'm guessin'." Macintosh said. "Least ways, they look like what the folks from Arcadia said."

"Well what are they doing here!?"

While most of the creatures kept chasing the crowd fleeing from them, a group broke off and headed straight for Macintosh. "Killin' us, if we're don't do somethin' quick." He said, and took a defensive stance. "Get yer folks back to the edge of the window Beth. I'll keep these guys busy."

Briefly torn between duty to her parents and standing by Mac's side, Bethany realized he was right. "Mom, Dad, this way!" She ran for the back door of the coffeehouse, only to stop cold as said door slammed open admitting more of the gremlins. "Mac? We've got a problem..."

"Eeyup..."

XXXXX

"So Mac's meetin' Beth's folks?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah. I still can't believe I'm gonna be an aunt." Apple Bloom said. "I'm too young to be an aunt!"

The original three Crusaders were in the clubhouse, along with Micheal, Sarah, and Paul. "It could be worse." Micheal said. "We've got a friend back home who's like, the youngest of seven kids. His oldest sister is over twenty years older than him. He was an uncle before he was born."

"Yikes. That puts it in perspective." Sweetie Belle said.

"So are we doing anything?" Sarah asked.

"It's a little late to do to much." Apple Bloom said, looking out the window at the setting sun. "Y'all wanna play some catch?"

"That's cool." Paul agreed.

They all went outside and began to play. The sun slipped below the horizon, and in the waning light Sweetie Belle suddenly became aware that they were not alone. "Um, you guys?" She whispered, pointing to the edge of the forest where several pairs of glowing red eyes could be seen.

"What are they!?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Not natives, they have eyes." Michael said.

Scootaloo scoffed. "Aw, I bet it's just somebody trying to scare us."

No sooner had she spoken than a trio of small creatures jumped into view. They were small, twenty pounds tops, and basically humanoid, but their skin was green or blue or white while their eyes glowed yellow. They were mumbling and growling, large sharp teeth visible in their mouths.

" If they're trying to scare us they're succeeding!" Sweetie Belle cried out.

Then the boldest of the creatures rushed forward, and jumped on to Sweetie's back. She screamed and would have started running about in terror had she not heard Apple Bloom's firm command to "Hold. Still."

The next thing Sweetie knew, her attacker was gone, bucked clean off of her by Bloom.

And that's when things took a turn for the worse. To the surprise of all the Crusaders, the creature Bloom had kicked away from Sweetie didn't simply land on the ground and run away. It hit the ground and went splat, disintegrating into a puddle of goo. Before they could react, one of the other creatures produced a marker, drew a mustache on it's face, then pointed at Apple Bloom and screamed "Waka Chaka!"

At the rallying cry, over a dozen more creatures emerged from the forest and began to converge on Apple Bloom, who carefully backed away from them. "Ah don't know what he said, but it ain't good!"

"Run!" Paul shouted, and they all turned and fled as quickly as their legs could carry them, back towards the Apple farmhouse.

The kids ran as fast as they could, across the fields and through the orchards, towards the Apple's house, creatures following behind. They reached the top of the last hill and looked down on the house and barn. To find both already under attack.

"Well horseapples." Scootaloo said, and no one corrected her.

XXXXX

Having decided that there was nothing else to do with the study of the Tolkien texts, Twilight and Tess left the library, meaning to find some dinner. "So I didn't get a chance to ask, have you found a place to stay?" Twilight asked as they walked.

"Durban and Gillas are staying with the ship." Tess said. "Unsurprising since it's basically already their home anyway. And the Hobbits... Honestly they've changed less since the Baggins' time than we have. They're talking to your counsel about the rights to dig homes under the hill on the north side of the town."

"And you?"Twilight asked.

"I found a small apartment above the Spoony Bard diner. " Tess said. "The other elves and dwarves are doing much the same, though I expect the dwarves to start prospecting for mining locations before long. They still love the depths."

Twilight chuckled. " That would be a good thing... As long as they don't dig up any more Balrogs."

"That almost never happens." Tess quipped, but before Twilight could confirm that the girl was kidding Trixie came barreling around the corner, screaming.

"Stay back you monsters!" The showmare shouted as she turned and fired several blasts of magic from her horn back in the direction she had come from.

"Trixie, what in the world?" Twilight asked. Then she noticed the cuts and scrapes on Trixie's back and sides. "What did this to you!?" She demanded angrily.

"Some little freaky creatures." Trixie explained. " They came out of nowhere, tons of them! A lot of people got hurt, if not killed. "

Twilight and Trixie's ears perked up as they both heard growling and grumbling sounds approaching just around the corner. "I warned you! Stay back!" Trixie screamed. "I'll turn you into teacups!" (A horn blast) "Or poodles!" (another blast) "Or teacup poodles!" (A third blast.)

"Teacup poodles?" Tess asked with a raised eyebrow.

Trixie shrugged. "I dunno. It just came to me." She blasted again. This time, there was a high pitched scream and a pool of green goop oozed around the corner.

"You killed it." Twilight gasped.

"I didn't have a choice!" Trixie exclaimed. "It was trying to kill me!"

Twilight might have protested more, but a whole mob of the creatures rounded the corner, some of them slipping in their former companion's remains, and charged. Twilight used a spell meant to simply push them away, only for several more of them to pop. "But... I didn't mean to..."

"Worry about it later Twilight!" Tess said, as she urged both unicorns to flee, "Trixie is right. They're trying to kill us, you acted in self defense. Now run already!"

"Right! You're right... Back to the library!" They fled, with the remaining creatures close behind.

XXXXX

Rainbow Dash had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that one moment she was sound asleep enjoying her favorite dream (Wonderbolts leader, saving the world with Daring Do, and receiving the world's first and only platinum medal from Celestia while swimming in a vat of cider) and then the next moment she was running for her life with a growling green... something... clinging tenaciously to her tail.

Flying was out: Two more of the whatever they weres had grabbed at her wings and came away with enough feathers to keep her grounded 'til they grew back in. So she ran, with screams filling the air and added weight on her tail and even more attackers chasing behind. Of course, even on the ground she was still Rainbow Dash, and much faster than they were. Her lead grew with each step, save of course for the one holding on. But that was okay, she had a plan.

Rainbow poured on even more speed, and when she judged the moment was right, braked hard. Momentum insured that her tail cracked forward over her back, and the creature wasn't able to keep it's grip. It flew screaming into a brick wall and splattered.

Dash pumped both forehooves in the air. " Yeah! Who's the mare? Who's the mare!?" She boasted, then turned around to see the rest of the creatures still coming.

For their part, the creatures looked back and forth between Dash and the remains of their compatriot until one of them pointed at her and screamed "Waka Chaka!"

"Uh-oh." Dash thought.

The mob surged at her, and there was nowhere to go. Rainbow Dash saw her life begin to flash before her eyes. And then with a loud roar a jet black Hummer slammed into the creatures, crushing some and scattering the rest. " Get in!" Bert Gumbal shouted as he threw the front passenger door open.

Dash didn't need to be told twice. "What the hay is going on!?" She asked as she pulled the door shut.

"I don't have any details yet. "Bert answered. "But the hostiles fit the description we were given for Arcadia's Gremlins." He eased off the brakes and started to roll.

"Gremlins!?" Dash exclaimed. "Aw man I hated that movie. I don't wanna live it."

"Yeah me either." Bert agreed.

"So what's the plan?" Dash asked.

"Right now-" Bert started to answer, but just then a gremlin jumped onto the Hummer's windshield. Bert switched on the wipers, sending it flying, and continued "-Right now, I'm just tryin' to rescue anyone I can. I suppose we should head for town hall though, try to link up with Tucker and whoever else we can find."

"Sounds like a plan." Dash agreed. More gremlins tried to attack the vehicle, some clinging to the side windows while others leapt onto the roof. "Assuming we can get there..." She added, at the sound of them wrenching something loose up top...

Author's Note

For those unfamiliar with the show, a little background on the Trollhunters version of goblins, called gremlins here: They are, individually, very weak. They go splat almost as easy as popping a balloon. They are incredibly, deeply, profoundly stupid. Aside from the fact that you probably shouldn't be aggressive when you have the constitution of a soap bubble, there was an instance in which a leader was killed accidentally by getting crushed under a load of objects falling off a shelf. Included in those objects was a framed photo of someone. When the other goblins found the photo, they thought it meant that person had killed their leader.
Their greatest strengths are speed, agility, (They can walk on walls and ceilings effortlessly) and sheer strength in numbers. Make no mistake: Even as easily as they die individually, in a large enough group these things are an extreme threat.
They may or may not react violently to the death of a random gremlin, but the leader is a different story. Kill him, and they go into a full-tilt 'roaring rampage of revenge' mode that lasts until: A: You are dead. or B: Someone else kills the new leader and they forget all about you to go after that person instead. Between their stupidity and squishiness, the latter probably happens at least as often as the former.

Book Two: Chapter Nine

Book Two: Wizard Quests

Chapter Nine

XXXXX

Colonel Kubritz wore a smirk as she stood by the back door of the transport van, motioning for the team to get in. "Come on, come on, don't waste my time. You've lost, you're surrounded, there's no way to escape. Make this easy on yourselves."

"Will you listen!?" Rainbow dash shouted, "We're not the bad guys here!"

"The whole world is in danger!" Jim added, "The guy that attacked where Arcadia was? He's worse than you can imagine!"

"And I'm worse than you can imagine." Kubritz replied. "But, if you all insist on doing this the hard way..." She raised a hand and motioned for the rest of her troops, waiting in hiding in the brush, to advance. But nothing happened. Kubritz motioned again, with the same results, and it was only then that everyone present, herself included, realized just how quiet everything had gotten.

"Something's wrong." Twilight said, eyes darting about seeking threats.

Kubritz was about to demand to know what they had done to her soldiers, when she was struck in the neck by a tranquilizer dart. The Colonel kept to her feet for several seconds, even managing to pull her gun, before she collapsed. Then, a man still holding the dart gun came into view from around the driver's side of the van. Aja and the ponies didn't recognize him of course, but the Trollhunters...

"Mister Evilman!" Blinky exclaimed.

"Um, isn't he supposed to be dead?" Toby whispered.

Rainbow Dash could only laugh. "That's your name!? 'Mister Evilman!?'"

The man spoke in a precise, clipped German accent, "My name is Otto Scaarbach."

Dash blinked. "Okay, yeah, Bob Evilman it is then."

"Again, he's supposed to be dead." Toby said slightly louder.

"What are you here for Otto?" Claire demanded.

"Aside from pulling you out of the fire?" Otto asked, glancing meaningfully down at the Colonel. "I'm here to offer you a deal."

"Part of the deal is explaining how you're not dead right?" Toby asked.

Jim ignored his friend's question to ask one of his own: "Why should we trust you?"

Otto answered "Because there is little choice. Look, I know that you see me as little different from a demon, and rightly so. But while I may be a demon I am at least a noble one. I did give you the Creeper's Sun antidote did I not? Even when Vendel's staff was already in my hands, meaning there was nothing forcing me to do so? I do not give my word easily or often. But when I do give it, I keep it. I keep it even when I don't have to, even when doing so is to my own detriment. And I am giving it to you now. You have my word the offer I bring is not a trick."

"Can you give us a minute?" Twilight asked, and pulled the group into a huddle out of Otto's hearing. "Who is this guy?

"An Auf." Jim said. "A polymorph Auf who can take multiple forms. He's supposed to be dead, like Toby's been saying."

"Is he telling the truth about being trustworthy if he gives his word?"

Claire explained "I think he is. When Jim was in the Darklands and Arrrgh was turned to stone by creeper's sun, he made us a deal for the antidote. And, he's telling the truth on that at least, the way it played out there was nothing forcing him to make good, but he did."

"We should at least hear his offer, yes?" Aja suggested.

"Right." Twilight agreed. They broke the huddle, and Twilight stepped forward. "Okay, so how-"

She was interrupted by Toby screaming "-How are you not dead!?"

Otto chuckled. "That was another polymorph you fought in the ruins of the Janus Order headquarters. Not me."

"We'll hear you out at least... What is your offer?" Twilight finally got to ask.

"I am no longer loyal to Gunmar. His betrayal has insured that. But I need your help to prevent my people's situation from becoming even worse." Otto said.

"We're listening." Jim said, suspicion tinging his voice.

Otto explained "There were never very many Aufs. Worldwide, our total population was only about twenty thousand. And, thanks to our blind obedience to Gunmar's orders, over fifteen thousand of those were in our Arcadia Oaks command center when Gunmar betrayed us and slaughtered them all. Now, Gunmar is heading north. North towards Portland, where the Order's backup command center, and over ninety percent of us still alive, are located."

"You think... He's planning to kill them all?" Twilight asked.

"When he's finished with them, yes." Otto said. "My loyalty now is to my own people. I must save them, but communications were cut and they won't know about what happened to the others, nor would they simply take my word for it."

"And this is where your offer comes in, yes?" Blinky deduced.

"Exactly. I will get you ahead of Gunmar using the van. After that, you need only do whatever I assume you already have planned, slowing him down, in the process buying me time to evacuate my brethren."

"But evacuate how? You just said that they will not listen to you." Aja said.

"They won't listen to the truth. I am a masterful liar."

"We have to get in front of Gunmar somehow." Claire said, "And Otto's kept his word before. I'm thinking we can't afford to not risk it."

"Agreed." Twilight said. "Especially since the Colonel here will be waking up really mad sooner or later."

Jim activated his armor and held the Daylight Sword towards Otto. "Agreed. But if I see the slightest hint of betrayal..."

"I would expect nothing less Trollhunter." Otto nodded. "Now everyone on board, we've got a long drive ahead of us..."

XXXXX

The 'long drive' took about a day. Blinky was safe in the back since there were no windows other than those in the cab, and even they were heavily tinted. The tinting allowed both Twilight and Rainbow to take turns sitting in the front passenger seat without any danger of being seen, and they were amazed at the amount of traffic flowing along the highways in both directions.

Otto drove the entire way, explaining that Aufs needed very little sleep and there was no risk of his nodding off. Still, if neither of the ponies was in the front passenger seat Jim or Claire was, and Toby, Aja, and Blinky kept watch on him from the back at all times. There was of course a natural expectation that the Auf would betray them at some critical moment, word or no, but he remained on his best behavior.

Just past sunset, Otto parked the van behind a deserted shopping mall. "The Janus Order base is ten miles due north of here." He said. "I will go there at once. In the meantime, given the speeds Gunmar is capable of, I expect he will be arriving in the vicinity well before sunrise. Engage him anywhere you can, though I wouldn't stay right here. Police patrols are likely to notice this van within a few hours and as soon as they run the plates or the V.I.N. that Colonel will know." He turned and walked away.

"So what's the plan?" Toby asked.

"I think there should be three parts." Twilight said. "First, we'll need a way to trick Gunmar into sending Drall, and hopefully just Drall and not this Angor Rot too, after someone. Rainbow Dash, most likely. Then, Jim and Claire can engage Gunmar and keep him busy while Toby, Aja, and Dash busy Drall while I prepare the spell. Finally, once Drall is free of Gunmar's control we'll need to run for it before Gunmar can catch and kill or enslave us all."

"Angor Rot is the problem in that plan though." Jim said. "He's tough. Tough enough Claire and I would be in trouble if we had to face both him and Gunmar at the same time."

"I can't risk him interrupting my spell though..." Twilight mused.

"Guys are we ignoring the big issue?" Toby asked. "Gunmar's gonna be walking right into a major city."

"We're not ignoring it Tobes. I just don't know what to do about it." Jim sighed.

"Can't we just figure out where he hides from the sun come morning and attack then when we can move and he can't?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"But what about Drall in that case?" Toby said.

And Twilight suddenly smiled. "You know what we've got here? A jigsaw puzzle. And each of us has some of the pieces but not all of them."

"Then, how do we assemble the pieces?" Blinky asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Twilight smiled. "Here's my idea..."

XXXXX

Gunmar the Black trudged through the deep forests, dragging chained-up dead weight behind him. Not the Treasonous Arrrgh; that trash he had abandoned to Angor Rot's trap in Merlin's Tomb. Nor Drall, who was under his control again after departing the tomb and walked alongside. No, to the troll dictator's disbelief, he was being forced to drag Angor Rot. The assassin had seemed perfectly fine when they left the tomb, but mere hours later he had clutched his head and fallen to the ground chanting over and over some nonsense about the Pale Lady being gone. Whatever that meant.

Being Gunmar, he had considered simply abandoning Angor Rot, but the assassin was a favorite of Morgana, and even had a sliver of her soul within his revived body. She probably wouldn't take kindly to Gunmar leaving him. Wouldn't take kindly to his trying to use the Decimar Blade on Angor's mind either, though that Gunmar had attempted, without results. And so here he was, slowed down by the need to drag this failure behind, slowed down enough, in fact, that he would need to shelter through one more day before reaching his goal the following night.

Slowed down, which gave him time to think. The fleshbag town called Arcadia Oaks was gone. Surely the same was not true of Trollmarket, though the armies of this era were powerful enough to just maybe injure even Gunmar, and he had retreated rather than risk himself in a fool's errand. There were still some Aufs to the north. They would aid him, then feed him. Still... "Gone... Gone... Gone!! Gone is the Lady Pale! Morgana has gone!" Angor Rot was chanting again. Angor Rot, who had a sliver of Morgana's soul, insisting Morgana was gone. Gunmar was no fool. It had to mean something, yet surely the Pale Lady herself could not be destroyed. He needed to think on things.

And so it was that, with less than ten minutes before sunrise, Gunmar had found a perfect place to shelter through the day. It was a small cave, barely large enough for all three of the trolls to fit inside, but still better than the Darklands, and at least the entryway opened to the north and had a rock shelf protruding from the cliff above it, so even an errant ray of direct sunlight was unlikely. Gunmar shoved Angor Rot and Drall to the back wall, then sat down by the entry to think.

Gunmar pondered over all of these questions, trying to find how they fit together. He was at a loss, though. Closing his eyes the troll prepared to sleep, but was interrupted by an odd sound. He opened his eyes again, to the sight of a rainbow colored pegasus hovering just out of reach. "...What?"

"Um, hi!" Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head. "You're a troll right?"

"I am Gunmar. Does that name not strike fear into your heart?"

"Never heard of you." Rainbow lied, causing Gunmar to growl. She continued "But maybe you can help me out. I'm looking for a troll friend of mine. His name's Drall."

"So you knew Drall did you?" Gunmar rumbled. This would be entertaining, at least. "The Drall you knew is gone. But his shell serves me now. Drall!"

Drall emerged from the cave, eyes glowing. Keeping up the act, Rainbow pretended to be delighted to see him. "Drall old buddy! How are you!?" She cocked her head, as if in confusion. "Drall? Something wrong?"

"You did not comprehend my words." Gunmar said. "Drall is mine now." He turned to the troll in question. "Kill her."

Rainbow let out a yelp as Drall charged, then fled, purposely staying close to the ground for fear that altitude would cause him to realize there was no hope of catching her and turn back. Keeping to paths shaded enough to protect Drall from the rising sun, Rainbow made her way back towards where Twilight and the others were waiting. She hoped this would work.

Meanwhile, Gunmar settled back at the cave entrance to wait. He could have used his control over Drall to observe the chase through the other's eyes, but he really did need to focus on the bigger questions at hand. Then he heard a branch snap as someone stepped on it. Assuming Drall was finished already, Gunmar rose to meet him. And instead saw...

"Trollhunter."

Jim drew his sword and fell into a combat stance. "Gunmar. Round two..."

Book Four: Chapter One

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter One

The Element Bearers and Trollhunters watched the video footage from New York, of the mysterious monster now attacking the city. "Disgusting blob..." Rainbow Dash muttered.

They watched as the creature roamed at will through the city, tearing things up everywhere it went, keeping attempted counter attacks at bay with the acid attack it had already demonstrated the first time a warplane tried to destroy it. Luckily, most of Manhattan's inhabitants had by now evacuated or taken shelter in the cores of large strong buildings or deep in the subways. Given New York's population, there were bound to still be people in the way. But not nearly as many as they might have feared.

"Well we have to do something." Jim said. "Gandalf, how does that teleporting spell you included in the amulets work?"

"With yourself and your pony partners in close proximity to each other, hold the amulet aloft and think on your target. You will all three be transported in ten seconds." Gandalf explained.

Starswirl added "Be warned, that each of the three amulet groups will be moved independently. Until you have some practice, it is quite likely the groups will arrive up to several hundred feet from each other."

"Then let's get started." Twilight said. She looked to Luna, watching through the comm window. "Princess, I still want to examine that dream I had, but it will have to wait until we get back."

"I understand Twilight. I will be ready." Luna nodded.

Jim said "Okay, Twilight and Applejack with me, Rarity and Fluttershy with Claire, Pinkie and Dash with Tobes." Once everyone was in the proper positions, the three Trollhunters held their amulets high, as Gandalf had said, and focused their thoughts on New York City. They all vanished ten seconds later.

"And now we wait." Merlin said.

"Unless you go and help them." Blinky suggested.

Gandalf said "That time will come Blinkous. But not yet."

"Mithrandir..." Tess said, "So long as you have time now, I'd like to ask about something. Something Twilight and I were discussing before you arrived..."

XXXXX

Jim, Twilight, and Applejack found themselves in a dark alleyway in between a pair of ten story buildings. "It worked." Applejack swallowed.

"Yeah, now let's find the others." Jim agreed. "But first: 'For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!"

Moments later, armored and ready, they ran out into the streets. It was a chaotic mess, with vehicles abandoned in all different directions, often blocking a straight path through. They began to make their way through the mess, only to be sighted by a trio of orc soldiers. The orcs roared and charged, firing their weapons as they came.

Jim and Applejack reacted swiftly, Jim deflecting blasts with his sword as he advanced on the center orc. The enemy soldier didn't even try to avoid Jim's attack, confident he was safe all the way up until the last moment when he fell. Applejack, meanwhile, charged the rightmost orc and bucked it hard in the chest. It went down, still breathing but not getting back up. Then Twilight, seeing that something about the armor the wizards had made allowed their attacks to work on the enemies, blasted the final orc with her horn. Like the one Applejack had taken down, it wasn't dead, but it was in no shape to fight anymore.

"I guess bein' made by human and pony wizards means this stuff counts as mergin' our abilities." Applejack said.

"Good news." Jim agreed. "Now let's find the others before any more of those guys show up."

Meanwhile Claire, Fluttershy, and Rarity had arrived in Central Park itself. Claire activated their armor immediately, a good thing for almost as soon as they were there this team was set upon by a pair of changeling drones. The drones dived in from directly above, and dropped a pair of small bombs. "Run!" Rarity exclaimed, and dived for cover herself behind a large tree, while Fluttershy hid in a trash receptacle and Claire ran as hard as she could down the path they had arrived on.

Luckily, the bombs weren't terribly powerful and no one was hurt. But now the changelings were coming again. They attacked from opposing directions, one aiming for Claire, the other for Rarity. "My kingdom for a shield!" Rarity exclaimed, and to her surprise the glowing bands on her armor momentarily glowed brighter and a shield of mythril appeared on her left foreleg. "What!?" She barely had time to wonder before the drone struck the shield full speed. Rarity was knocked backwards, head over tail, and the changeling got knocked into the sky before, unable to correct it's flight, it crashed on top of it's partner approaching Claire. Both were out of the fighting, at least for a time.

"Where did that come from?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Maybe the wizards threw in some extras?" Claire suggested. "It's not like we had time to ask them."

"Still you'd think they could have said something." Rarity said, examining the shield. "I wonder how I get rid of-" The shield vanished even as she spoke the words. "Hmm. Well that's easy."

"Good. Let's see how well this new staff's teleporting works. I'm gonna try to take us straight to Jim." Claire said. She concentrated, and a portal opened up before them, shimmering white rather than the dark portals the old Shadow Staff had made. They stepped through.

While all this was happening, Toby, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash arrived on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. "Great. I hope the elevators are working." Toby sighed.

"Why?" Dash asked, hovering just past the deck.

"Funny, but I can't..." Toby looked at his amulet. "They did say I could control the warhammer's weight now... Let's armor up! 'For the wisdom of Starswirl, Warhammer is mine to command!'" Armor in place, Toby said a silent prayer and jumped. It worked as well as he had expected, the warhammer in 'lighter than air' mode allowing him (And Pinkie, also holding on tight,) to glide safely to the ground while Rainbow Dash flew alongside.

"Not bad." Dash said when they reached the ground. "Now where's everyone else?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure Claire will portal them all to us." Toby said.

Pinkie nodded. "Right, but in the meantime we have a teensie little problem."

"Problem?" Dash asked.

"Yeppers! Them!" Pinkie pointed to a team of orcs running at them, weapons held ready.

Three things happened all at once. Toby swung warhammer, slamming it into the ground with a blow that rattled the approaching enemy and broke their coordination. Then, Rainbow Dash swooped in and unloaded a barrage of kicks and punches on the closest orcs, driving them back. As they tried to reform and attack again, Pinkie was suddenly in their midst. The orcs tried in vain to grab hold of the pink pony, but she was faster than they could react to. This had the consequence of causing many, many 'friendly fire' incidents, orcs falling from the blasts of their own weapons.

But even more orcs were coming from behind the first wave, pouring out of buildings they had been clearing. "I think we're gonna need some more help here!" Toby shouted.

"We can take 'em!" Rainbow Dash argued. "Especially if Pinkie keeps-" Dash noticed that her friend was no longer among the orcs. "Hay! Where'd she go!?"

"Right here silly filly!" Pinkie answered, popping up from behind Dash.

"But how... Oh never mind! Let's fight!"

"Actually I think Toby's right. We need more help." Pinkie said.

As if she were a pink pony prophet (And who knows? It's Pinkie.) A portal opened and admitted the other two teams. "Tobes! What have we got?" Jim asked.

"Whole army." Toby pointed. They must have had the misfortune to arrive in the midst of the proverbial hornet's nest, as there were hundreds of Orcs charging now.

"We have to lose these guys if we're even gonna get to the real target!" Twilight exclaimed.

Then, without warning, the ponies began to rise up, hovering in the air, their elements shining brightly. Elements and eyes aglow, they unleashed a torrent of power that cascaded over the orc army, turning it to stone in mere moments. Their work done, the elements faded and the ponies dropped back to the ground, still in their armor.

"W.... What was that!?" Claire shouted.

Twilight explained "That was the power of the Elements of Harmony. But they've never activated entirely on their own like that before. Strange..."

"Can you use that again anytime soon?" Toby asked, "Because I'm getting a vibe like we just blew our limit break on trash mobs."

"Disturbingly, that comparison actually made sense to me. There is a wait, while they recharge." Twilight answered. "But it's not too long."

"About an hour, if I remember correctly." Rarity added.

"Well I can hardly call the power wasted with so many of them..." Twilight shook her head.

"Yeah, let's not look the gift hor... Well, let's take this as a win and go find our real target." Jim said.

"Sounds like a plan." Applejack agreed.

They headed north. As they went, Rarity said "You could have said it darling... We are familiar with human idioms after the past year after all." Jim could only laugh...

XXXXX

Back at the Golden Oaks Library in Unity, Tess had told Gandalf, Merlin, and Starswirl what she had learned from Twilight about the strange similarities in cultural observances, as well as about the faint magical current which was present in both the Red Book (Original and copies) and Starswirl's prophecies. "So, it seems strange right?" She concluded, "Do you have any ideas at all on what's happening?"

"Curious..." Gandalf mused. "We know, of course, that Faust left her prophecy and arranged events to bring pony and human into contact with each other. I wonder now if perhaps she has not been more busy than we thought. Consider, Christmas predates Hearthswarming and Valentine's Day predates Hearts and Hooves Day, while Nightmare Night comes long before Halloween, at least Halloween in it's current form. Perhaps Faust was keeping tabs and influencing important festivals to be similar, to ease the union of the two races."

Starswirl said "But that would only explain the general form of things. Surely even one as powerful as Faust could not have bought about the tiny details seen in how the celebrations are the same. Could not have, and I suspect, would not have been allowed to meddle that deeply into free will even if she does technically have the power."

"A valid point." Gandalf conceded.

Tess was confused. "You've lost me. Just who or what is this Faust? I mean I know she's the mother of the Equestrian princesses, but... What is she beyond that, to be as powerful as you're saying?"

"Well she's an Oyarsa of course." Merlin said.

At Tess' still confused look, Gandalf elaborated Merlin's statement. "You know that we you call wizards are in fact Maiar, servants of He whom your ancestors called Eru." Tess nodded. "And then, you also know that beyond us are the Valar, far more powerful servants." Gandalf said. Tess nodded again, and Gandalf continued "An Oyarsa is even more powerful than a Valar. Each of them is, typically, assigned to the protection of an entire world. Faust was Eqqus' Oyarsa, until she was reassigned to a higher posting."

"And you think she's responsible for these coincidences?" Tess asked.

"As Starswirl says, on the basic level yes though there may be more going on as well."

The Doctor, who had been listening in quietly, suggested "It could just be some quantum entanglement. Link things together in the right way and they follow each other no matter how far apart they are."

"Particles yes, entire cultural traditions?" Tess countered. "I seriously doubt that. Still, I suppose we've gotten some of the answer and that's better than nothing... What about the other issue? The magic current in the books?"

"May I borrow you goggles to see for myself?" Gandalf asked.

Tess handed them over, already set to scan magic fields, and the wizard spent a great deal of time examining Twilight's copy of Starswirl's prophecies through them before passing the goggles to Starswirl who looked briefly before passing them to Merlin. While Merlin looked, Gandalf said "Also curious. You said that Twilight proposed a connection to us as an explanation for this phenomenon. I can categorically deny that theory."

"Then what...? I mean it's been there from the beginning. Even before we had things like these goggles the elder elves could sense the current in the original Red Book."

"Yes, and I suspect it's been there in all of my writings from the beginning as well." Starswirl said. "But as for why it's there, I too am at a loss."

"Weird." Tess said.

"And troubling." Merlin said. "Things of this nature, unexplained things that is, have a way of biting you in the rear at the worst possible moment. We need answers."

"Then let us start looking for them." Gandalf agreed...

Book Four Chapter Seven

Book Four: Our Worlds At War

Chapter Seven

The mind and magic of Morgana in the body of Gunmar. It was a potent combination. From the start, the Element Bearers and Trollhunters were forced to scatter to avoid energy blasts Morgana was firing from the tip of Gunmar's blade. "Who does she think she is!? Link!?" Toby exclaimed.

"I don't get that." Rainbow Dash answered.

"Here's my big worry: Since those blasts are coming from Gunmar's sword, what if they still have the mind control enchantment on them?" Twilight asked.

Jim swore at this, while Claire said "Helmets! Jim resisted the Decimar Blade in the Darklands by using the armor's helmet!" Twilight nodded and a helmet appeared over her head, including a horn guard. She looked around and saw everyone else had protected themselves as well.

"So what's our plan?" Rarity called out.

"We'll let you know when we have one!" Dash answered.

The battle quickly became chaotic. Morgana was assaulting anything and everything she could see, enraged by what had been done to her. She seemed focused mostly on getting to Morgan, but in her rage she was also lashing out at the world, launching devastating magical attacks at everything in sight. It was fortunate that the surrounding area was already evacuated. Fluttershy and Applejack worked together to move the still unconscious Morgan while everyone else kept Morgana's attention away from her as best they could.

As the battle progressed, Jim and Rainbow Dash found themselves on point, dueling Morgana with their own blades. They separated to either side, hoping to maximize the advantage of outnumbering her, but with a body made of dead stone she had little to fear from an occasional strike even from the Daylight sword. Supporting the battle from further back were Twilight, Rarity, Claire, and Toby. No one was sure where Pinkie had gone, but Twilight said "It's Pinkie. She's up to something that will help."

Twilight and Rarity were firing magic blasts from their horns, but it was no more effective than sparklers. Claire opened a portal beneath Morgana's feet but the sorceress caught her fall, grabbing onto the edges of the portal and pulling herself back out. Then Claire and Toby tried another trick that had worked before, portaling him into a position to bring the Warhammer crashing down on Gunmar/Morgana's head. She saw it coming and grabbed him by the foot, throwing him hard far across the field of clouds.

"Twilight darling this isn't working." Rarity said.

"I know, I know, we need a plan... But Gunmar's body is already dead. How do you kill what's dead!?"

"That is indeed a puzzler." Rarity agreed.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Applejack was carrying Morgan on her back while Fluttershy hovered to the side, stabilizing her so she didn't fall off. They had gone several blocks away from the battle when she finally said "All right. I figure this should be safe enough for now." They carefully moved the woman's body so that she was sitting on the clouds with her back propped against a wall.

"We should go back to help." Fluttershy said. "But I hate to leave her alone."

"I hear you there."

"Oh but Applejack! You have to go back! If Morgana dispels the cloudwalking spell while you're this far away from Jim..."

"Eeyup. That'd be bad. Tell you what, you stay here and keep an eye on her, I'll head back and pitch in."

"Okay, that will work." Fluttershy lunged forward and hugged Applejack. "Be careful!"

"Ain't I always?" Applejack grinned and trotted back the way they had come from.

Alone, Fluttershy settled in to keep an eye on Morgan. She didn't have to wait long for developments. Barely five minutes later the woman groaned and began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open. "Ugh... What was that?" Her eyes focused on Fluttershy. "A pegasus? Where am I little one?"

"You're in Cloudsdale, on the world of Eqqus. How do you feel?"

"As if I was stretched in twain... Which, if I remember correctly, isn't far off the mark. Please little one, tell me what is going on! The last thing I remember before coming to here is bidding Master Merlin goodnight before retiring to my bedchamber."

Fluttershy was nervous. But she understood that the truth, however hard, was the best choice. "You might want to stay sitting down for this... The night you remember, it would have been a thousand years ago."

"A thousand...!?"

"Or more."

"But... But I am not immortal like Master Merlin! 'Tis true my magic would grant me longevity but not like this! I don't appear even to have aged a day." Morgan shook her head. "Are you certain?"

Fluttershy explained "Well I don't know the precise details, but, you turned evil and became a supervillain calling yourself Morgana and allied with evil trolls and tried to kill Merlin and make the world into eternal night. Merlin fought you and eventually imprisoned you in a heartstone. You were only recently freed."

"I can tell you speak true... But I have no memory of any of this. Nor can I comprehend why I would do such things." Morgan rose to her feet and began to pace.

"Maybe... When the battle here is over, we'll be going back to Unity. If you know the right spell you could come with us, speak with Merlin."

"Merlin is allied with you? That is good..." Morgan's head fell. "But I dare not face him after what you say happened. He is not especially forgiving."

Fluttershy hovered level with Morgan's face and put a hoof on her shoulder. "I know he can be a meanie. But I'm not sure you have anything for him to forgive. That pulling in two sensation you had? You really were pulled in two, you here in your body and the Morgana part pulled out and put in Gunmar's body. Maybe 'Morgana' was never really you. And aside from that, it's not just Merlin. Starswirl and Gandalf are in Unity too."

Morgan managed a smile. "Starswirl? Gandalf? I've not seen them in years. And yes, I'm certain they could keep Master Merlin in che-" She paused for a moment. "Little one, did you say Morgana is in Gunmar's body?

"Um, yes. We beat him with sunlight a while back, but our real enemy sent his body here and put her in it."

"We have to go help! This is worse than you realize!" Morgan ran towards the sounds of the battle, and Fluttershy followed...

XXXXX

"I'm sorry Miss Pie... You want me to what!?"

Far across Cloudsdale from the ongoing battle, positioned opposite the Weather Factory for balance reasons, was a complex of large structures with a very industrial look. A casual visitor might have mistaken them for factories, but they actually housed the enormous and powerful engines which were used when the ponies of Cloudsdale decided to move the city from one location to another. In the midst of the complex was a single twenty five story tower. The lower floors held administrative offices and equipment storage, but the top two levels, glass walled all around, was the control center for engine operation and navigation.

Pinkie Pie, still in her armor, was standing in the middle of the uppermost level, facing a flustered pegasus stallion who had the bad fortune to be at the controls when the battle had started. "You heard me." She pointed to the large tabletop map of Equestria. "We need to move Cloudsdale to this exact location, and we need to do it right now!"

"But Miss Pie, that's a very dangerous place. If the-"

Pinkie interrupted "Of course it's dangerous! Dangerous is what we need! Now will you get to it already!?"

"I'm not sure I should without the mayor's approval..."

"Oh for crying out loud! There's not gonna be a Cloudsdale if you don't help me out!" Pinkie exclaimed, exasperated.

"But I just don't-"

"What's going on here!?" A loud voice boomed out across the control room.

"Ahh! Mister Mayor!" The pegasus ran to meet the new arrival. "Sir, Miss Pie here is suggesting a very unwise course of action, and I don't think-"

"She's an Element Bearer you doof! Do as she says!" The mayor boomed out again.

"Oh! Um... Very well, right away sir..." He set to work at the controls and in moments Cloudsdale was on the move. "There you go Miss Pie. Exactly as you asked. I just hope this doesn't blow up in our faces." The pegasus looked all around, but Pinkie was no where to be seen...

XXXXX

Unity. Big Macintosh and Bert stared down into the deep tunnel the Dwarves had bored through the ground in the center of the town's park. It was eight feet high, ten feet wide, and sloped down at a steep angle continuing for fifty feet before a broad landing where it turned a hundred and eighty degrees and continued further into the earth. The walls were still bare soil held in place by temporary wooden beams, but it was clear that things were nearly ready for the concrete. "Damn they're fast." Bert said.

"Eeyup." Mac agreed. The town council had given the Dwarves permission to build their emergency shelters, and the Dwarves had wasted no time in starting. There were a total of eighteen shelters, arranged in an inner circle of six and an outer circle of twelve, placed as evenly around the town as possibly. Each was a hundred feet deep, and large enough to support up to three hundred for two weeks. This of course wasn't nearly enough for everyone, but expansion plans were in the works as well, and it was assumed that a significant percentage of the able-bodied population would stay on the surface to fight anyway.

Durban hauled himself out of the tunnel and shook off the dirt that was clinging to his clothing. "So it's looking good aye? Another day and we'll be ready to install stairs and the permanent walls and roof and stock the shelters at the bottom. Then it'll be up 't you to decide how you want to secure the entryways here on the surface."

"There's supplies for building some small sheds." Mac said. "Quick, simple, and best of all plain enough to not draw an enemy's attention right off the bat."

"Aye, that's always wise." Durban agreed.

Bert said "This is good, but I'm still kind of worried about people getting cornered down there with no where to go."

"Fear not. Each of the shelters has additional tunnels connecting them to at least two of the others. Those tunnels will be hidden behind trick walls to throw off any foes who make their way into the shelters." Durban explained.

"Excellent. But I'll still want to booby trap, possibly mine, those tunnels as well." Bert said.

Macintosh said "Another suggestion: Could you build shelter chambers and stock them, then totally remove the tunnels leading in except for some air vents? That way Unicorns could teleport folks in and there'd be no tunnels in for enemy's 't find."

"Tricky but doable." Durban concluded after a moment's thought. "In fact, I'd almost suggest doin' that with all the shelters, but I expect there aren't enough unicorns able to teleport to move everyone are there?"

"No." Bert confirmed. "I've been wondering about the Trolls though. Blinky talked about some kind of Troll mass transit system called a Gyre. From what he said, the things run through tunnels at hypersonic speeds. Imagine combining that with Mac's idea... Build the isolated shelter, with a gyre tunnel running from it to some place a few hundred miles away..."

"I see where you're going lad." Durban nodded. "Get as many people in the basic shelters as we can, then one lot at a time take them to the isolated shelter and transport them to safety far away. Of course, a few hundred miles... That'd take even we Dwarves a mite 't dig out."

"Still a good long term plan though." Macintosh said.

"Yeah. I doubt it'll be ready for this war, but there's always the next one." Bert said. "So, is there anything else?"

"Aye, two pieces of good news." Durban said. "First, Gillas has agreed to loading some of those heat ray weapons on our airship, and Miss Trixie and Lyra are working to install shield enchantments like the ones on Trixie's wagon. If the battle does come here, we'll have a little air support."

"Good news." Macintosh said. "And second?"

"Second..." Durban grinned. "Second, look what we've found while boring out these tunnels..." He held out his right hand and opened it. A large nugget of gold ore was nestled in his palm. "The land here is rich in metals. Once this is over we can start mining in earnest, and we'll have everything we need to build and grow an economy."

Bert and Macintosh both managed a smile. That they were able to look forward to a future was a good sign indeed...