"It all started when Trixie came to question me..." Spike began. "She wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. All she cared about was why I was small, and why you didn't have some amulet."

"That's all Twilight wanted to know from me," Starlight replied with her ears lowered.

"I was able to escape because I told Trixie you and I had a plan that didn't work, I didn't know what else to say," said Spike.
"What? So you told her we were the Starlight and Spike from this time?" asked Starlight annoyed. "How is that going to help us?"

"I-I'm not sure this is another time, Starlight," said Spike.

"What makes you say that?" asked Starlight.

"It's what this worlds Twilight said," explained Spike. "After I escaped my cell I almost ran into her."

------------------------------------------------FLASHBACK-----------------------------------------------------

Spike tip-toed through the winding stone hallways. He examined each cell he came across, most were occupied but none had Starlight in them. Even if he found her he wasn't sure he'd be able to get her out of her cell, he had tried with a few cells already with no success. He needed to find a key. Spike had passed a few staircases he hadn't gone up; hoping he'd find a key up there he backtracked to the last set and climbed them.

Spike could hear voices at the top of the stairs so he approached very cautiously. When he came to the top he found a barrel he was able to duck behind without being seen. He heard Twilight speaking with Trixie.

"That's exactly what he said," explained Trixie.

"Oh is it? Nice and simple right? Do you really believe Starlight cast a spell on Spike and then the two of them came all the way here just to be taken by surprise as they did?" snapped Twilight. "Spike probably just wanted you to leave, so he told you what he thought you wanted to hear."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Trixie.

"Because. I have been thinking about it. The power surge we detected was immense, yet Starlight didn't have her amulet.

How could she produce such magical energy without it? I can't even do that," Twilight responded with an irritated groan.

"Plus both Starlight and Spike claim we are all supposed to be friends..."

"Yeah that is really weird," said Trixie.

"Starlight said she came from a different time, but it sounded like she meant the past. I wonder if it's possible..." muttered Twilight.

"Possibly what?" asked Trixie.

"It's far fetched but not entirely impossible. I studied time spells, with enough power they could work but only for a short time. But what if you tried and messed up? Especially with Windous Gearous, and if they were trying to increase the time the can travel; in that case, it might be possible that the resulting spell could transport you to another dimension, instead of time," said Twilight as she thought out loud.

"Windyus gear what?" asked Trixie.

"Shut up Trixie I'm thinking. I'll be in the library," replied Twilight.

Spike watched as best as he could as Twilight disappeared up another flight of stairs, while Trixie headed down an adjacent hallway. When he thought things were clear Spike stepped out from behind the barrel. As soon as he did, however, a silver-colored Unicorn suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Uh-oh," gulped Spike.

"Shit! Where did you come from? W-wait a minute! Spike?" asked the Unicorn in shock.

"D-do I know you?" asked Spike with a confused look.

"I know you," said the Unicorn.

Suddenly the Unicorn's horn began to glow as he charged an attack.

"Woah! W-wait! I'm not the Spike from this world," pleaded Spike.

"You expect me to believe that stuff Twilight was saying?" replied the Unicorn. "That Pony is crazy!"

"It's not crazy, my Starlight and I tried to use a time spell and ended up in this world," explained Spike.

"Tell me the truth!" growled the Unicorn.

Spike could feel the energy from the Unicorns horn from three feet away. He was scared but this Pony was the first to consider his story and not attack him or discount his words right away.

"It's true. We thought we were in the future, but what Twilight said makes sense. That's why they look the same age, and why none of them believe we were all friends," replied Spike.

"What?" asked the Unicorn with a confused expression.

"I mean, think about it. Everyone wants to know why I am small, but unless I started hoarding treasure and aging quickly there is no way for me to get larger and then smaller again," Spike explained further.

"Unless what you told Trixie is true, and you're trying to confuse me now," added the Unicorn.

"Gah! Why is everypony so paranoid in this world!" groaned Spike in frustration.

The Unicorn frowned at Spike for a few seconds before powering down his attack.

"Twilight thinks she all-powerful but she didn't even notice I was right next to her. I believe you, Spike. The Spike I saw would never be so calm in this situation," replied the Unicorn as he briefly made himself invisible and then visible again.

"Oh, nice trick. But what happened with this worlds... me?" asked Spike.

"Talk and walk," replied the Unicorn. "My name is Vivid Shine."

"Where are we going?" asked Spike as the headed down the hall Trixie had gone down.

"The other's in my squad got captured. I am here to save them," explained Vivid Shine.

They walked for a while before Vivid spoke again. Spike was so nervous he simply followed in silence. He wasn't sure what to think about any of this.

"During the Great War, you returned to the Dragon lands to stop Starlight from acquiring the Lava Relic. Twilight wasn't able to help you, but you became Dragon Lord and successfully halted Stralight's advance. No one knows how but at the end of that battle you had grown to the size of a mountain, most believe it had to do with your becoming Dragon Lord," Vivid started to explain. "A year later in the Great Last Stand, you came to Manehattan. You fought against Twilight and Starlight, the result was the complete destruction of Manehattan and the surrounding land."

"Great War? Lava Relic? Amulet, Dragon Lord, I just don't understand how all this could have happened?," said Spike with remorse.

"You really don't know any of this do you?" asked Vivid Shine.

"None of this happened in my world," replied Spike.

-----------------------------------------------END FLASHBACK------------------------------------------------

Starlight listened to Spike's story as they walked through the darkness. She hadn't considered that they had been transported to a different dimension. She had never given much merit to the theories of alternate dimensions. What bothered her was that this worlds Twilight had known about the time travel spells yet claimed it was impossible. It bothered her, even more, to think that Twilight had been considering she was from another dimension but was still willing to torture her as of she was this worlds Starlight.

"Did you learn what caused all this?" asked Starlight.

"No, we came to the cell with Brick and Sandy in it. As soon as he unlocked the cell Trixie appeared," explained Spike. "We fought our way past her and then ran into Twilight."

------------------------------------------------FLASHBACK-----------------------------------------------------

Spike, Brick, and Sandy crashed into the stone wall falling on top of one another as the fell to the floor. Vivid Shine and Twilight held their magical energy beams against each other. Sparks and streams of energy shot forth from the collision of the magics. Vivid was slowly starting to cave into Twilight's strength. The force of their attacks made it hard for anypony to stand in the area. Brick held onto Sandy and Spike so they didn't get lifted into the air by the forces.

"Give it up! Your no match for me!" shrieked Twilight in rage.

"Your not the only one who learned some neat tricks," yelled Vivid Shine.

Vivid Shine suddenly let out a burst of magic that canceled out Twilights attack. In shock Twilight paused and Vivid Shine used this opportunity without delay. Vivid Shine quickly charged and struck Twilight with a blue light that engulfed her whole body.

"What is this!" yelled Twilight.

Within seconds the room was calm and Twilight stood encased in a solid block of ice. Vivid Shine stumbled over to his friends and smiled. Brick and Sandy immediately got up and rushed to his side. Vivid Shine hadn't gotten out of the fight scratch-free. The last burst of energy had torn through his ribs leaving a large bleeding gash. Sandy and Brick tried to patch him as best they could with their torn uniforms.

Spike wandered over to where Twilight was frozen in place and stared at her through the ice. It pained him to see her this way. As he stood there he began to wonder if there was anything they could really do to help her or the other Ponies in this world.

"Things did not go as planned," joked Vivid Shine.

"Dammit! We have to get him out of here!" complained Sandy.

"I have to find Starlight," said Spike.

"Then you're on your own!" yelled Sandy.

"No!" snapped Vivid Shine. "They are not from this world, they are our best chance at fixing things."

"There is no way to know that for sure Vivid," argued Brick.

"You two trust me?" asked Vivid Shine.

"Of course," "Yes," replied Sandy and Brick at the same time.

"Then trust me on this. I know it sounds strange. I can feel it though, when I look at him, I can feel it. He is good," said Vivid Shine.

Spike blushed at the compliment. Sandy frowned at Vivid and at Spike.

Brick helped Vivid Shine to his feet. "Alright then let's move," he said.

-----------------------------------------------END FLASHBACK------------------------------------------------

Spike, Starlight, and Brick slid down a hill in complete darkness. The dim blue haze provided by the moon was cut off by the hill and the three were left to holding each other's tails to not be separated until they could see again. Once they could more easily traverse the forest path they continued to talk.

"Twilight was frozen by Vivid Shine?" asked Starlight shocked to hear her mentor was beaten by a seemingly normal Unicorn.

"He is strong Starlight, but Twilight didn't seem like she was going all out," replied Spike with a shrug.

"Ever since Starlight stole Twilight's element and destroyed it she hasn't been as powerful. That happened in the Great Last Stand," explained Brick.

"So if Twilight is so weak why has this worlds Starlight not taken her down?" asked Starlight.

"I don't know but Twilight has the Alicorn Amulet. With that, she and Starlight are on equal ground, and without either amulet, they are on equal ground. Shining Armor is stronger than both of them without their amulets," explained Brick. "Or so that's how Lieutenant Scootaloo explained it to us once."

"Lieutenant Scootaloo?" asked Spike.

"Yea, she is a Lieutenant in the Ponies Republic of Equestria Army. Scootaloo is the fourth in command behind Captains Lyra and Commander Vynl Scratch then, of course, King Shining Armor," replied Brick.

Spike and Starlight looked at one another confused and shocked. They were confused and bewildered by the never-ending flow of information on this strange world. But everything they learned only brought up more questions.

"This whole time I thought the Alicorn Amulet was what everypony was talking about if Twilight has it, then what does Starlight have?" asked Spike.

Brick stopped and looked back at Spike. "It's just called Starlight's amulet. She made it using the Elements of Harmony," said Brick. "Though I have never really understood what that meant."

"I do," replied Starlight. She looked down and rubbed her left arm with her right forehoof. Spike looked at her confused and she looked back at him. "I once fiddled with a similar idea when I wanted revenge on Twilight."

Brick's eyebrows rose high. "I thought in your world you were friends?" he asked.

"We didn't start out that way. But we forgave each other, and then learned from one another. Together we have accomplished great things," explained Starlight.

"You did in this world too, as enemies," replied Brick.

Spike frowned at Brick and looked too Starlight; she said nothing. For the rest of their journey, they remained quiet. The night passed by slowly and silently. By the time they came to the entrance of a large wooden gate, the sun was rising and the clouds were clearing the skies.

Author's Note

This story keeps getting delayed, I apologize to those of you following and enjoying it. I am doing my best to catch up.