Metal Gear: Between Worldsby TeddieAtWorkChaptersPrologue: The IncidentChapter 1: A Whole New WorldChapter 2: Mother Base and QuestionsPrologue: The Incident"Is there such a thing that a different world exists out there, in the infinite stars of cosmos, waiting to be discovered? Are they seeking to discover us? The answer to that theory is uncertain, for the fact that nopony have come up with any conclusive evidence that the theory is true, or if such worlds exist. Not even Starswirl the Bearded himself have proved it to be true or false, so it stays as a theory, and a theory only. Yet… there may be a positive answer to this theory, the question only remains. How can we uncover the existence of such worlds existing?" An excerpt from The Scientific Theories of Equestria, Book 5. Point of View: Smolder The bright sunny day greets the students of The School of Friendship, shining through the windows and embracing each and every creature with its welcoming warmth. Everyone except me of course. I have just finished plowing through Headmare Twilight's science class that lasted for like an eternity, with my almost empty stomach not helping me feel any better. Thankfully, that won't last forever. "Okay everycreature, make sure to study The Scientific Theories of Equestria Book 5, page 120 for an incoming exam next Friday. Don't forget to write any friendship letters as part of our friendship project! Dismissed!" Twilight announced. I quickly stood up as the others left with their respective groups, with me joining up with Ocellus and the others. __________________________________________________________________ As the last class of the day now behind us, we spent time together at the Tree of Harmony just like we always do every Friday. Time passed by as we did various fun activities, like playing Scrabble or pin the tail on the pony provided by Sandbar. While the rest of my friends were playing, me and Ocellus were conversing about the lesson Headmare Twilight gave us this noon. "So, Celly…" I spoke up. "Do you believe that there are other worlds out there? Like a different world with different creatures, values, that sort of boring stuff that Headmare Twilight talked about," I said, all the while looking at Ocellus. "I really do believe that the parallel world theory is real, and that they're just out there waiting to be discovered! Who knows what those worlds look like if we do discover them one day, we might even meet our counterparts!" "Celly, you do know what the book said, right? The answer to that is uncertain. No creature in existence have proved that this theory is real or not. Though it would be nice to meet my counterpart, just not the super mushy kind of counterpart." I answered. "Well, I know for a fact that you can be mushy inside." She stifles her chuckle, as she senses my love within me. The time we spent together felt like forever, yet at the same time, we still have to wait for the right time to reveal to our friends about us dating. Especially Gallus, he would tease me to death if he knew. Unknown to us, the moment would suddenly go away as we were stunned to hear a blast from outside. "What was that!? I exclaimed, all the while getting up and running to where the others are. "Is every creature okay!?" "Yeah, we are!" Gallus said, as he shifts to his defensive stance. "That definitely doesn't sound nice though." "Yona a bit scared about blast noise! What ponies do now!?" Before we could do anything, we were surprised to see Cozy Glow flying right in front us with a sinister look on her face. She looks to be surrounded by a faint red aura that is emitting from a silver plated amulet, with three red crystals embedded on the front. The air is filled all of a sudden with a sinister sounding laugh. "Cozy Glow!?" we all exclaimed in shock. "That's right! The one and only, and this time I brought a little toy with me to exact my revenge on all of you for ruining my plans!" Her amulet glowed for a moment before it shot out a blast of red beam at the exit as debris fell down in front of the door, trapping us as a result. "This time won't be so lucky for you, I hold the cards this time! I wield the most powerful amulet known in Equestria, and nopony can stop me! "How did you get out!? Headmare Twilight and the others made sure you are locked up in Tartarus along with Tirek!" Sandbar exclaimed angrily. "Did you really think I did this on my own, without any help from the outside? There's sompony more powerful than your pretty little friends and your professors who will help us in taking over Equestria, and that starts by getting my revenge on the creatures who foiled my plans!" "No matter what you throw at us, we'll defeat you regardless! The magic of friendship will always prevail against anything that you throw at us!" Silverstream exclaimed, before she is shot with the same red beam from the amulet. We all gathered to Silverstream after she went flying against the wall, helping her up as the others stood together in defensive stances while Cozy Glow flew in the Treehouse. Ocellus then tried to plead with Cozy Glow to stand down, stepping in front of us. "Please Cozy Glow, think of what you're doing! That amulet thing on your neck is causing you to act like this, you are not thinking straight! Please, think about what you're doing now, to my friends-" She suddenly got shot by the same beam, taking the hit as she is sent flying to Yona due to the blast. That brat, she shot not just Silverstream but Ocellus too! By Ember's name, what should we do!? We don't have the magic that we had when we saved Counselor Starlight from below the school. I thought to myself before I breathed out a fireball aimed at Cozy Glow to no avail, as she blasted the fireball with her amulet. "You leave my friends alone! Fight me instead if you have the guts to face me, Cozy!" I exclaimed as I stood up against her, ready to breathe fire. I can feel the fear setting inside me as I stood my ground. I still know deep down in my heart that I am willing to do anything it takes to protect my friends. I may be a hothead but I will not stand by and see her hurt my friends like this, especially Ocellus! Unable to keep my anger, I started to breathe out fire against Cozy, again to no avail as the flames come into contact against her summoned shield. She then returned the favor by shooting at me with a slightly larger red beam which burnt my scales as I held up my arms and kept my footing firm to protect my chest and face against the dangerous projectile. To our relief, Headmare Twilight and the three other Princesses have arrived to contain Cozy Glow. She turned to their direction as she shot beams at them to no avail. The Princesses shot one of their own to destroy the powerful red beam before subduing her with Celestia's magic, locking her in around a magical cage. Headmare Twilight landed and approached us with a worried look, as she asked "Is every creature okay!? I felt the surge of magic and I had to teleport to each Princesses and ask for their help to contain the source that turned out to be Cozy Glow before we hastily made our way here!" "No, Headmare Twilight. Cozy Glow have hurt Silverstream, Ocellus and me when we tried to stand our ground." I replied before showing her my injured arms, as Twilight embraced me to try and soothe my stress down. "Everything will be okay Smolder, I'm sorry we weren't able to get here earlier than sooner." Twilight softly said. As I looked back at Cozy, she was still sporting that sinister smile as she used her amulet to shoot out a much larger dark beam. I pushed Twilight away and took the shot so that Cadence and the others won't get hurt. I knelt down in pain as Celestia placed a barrier around Cozy, but it was too late. My body feels like it's going to explode while a dark aura surrounds my entire body. Headmare Twilight rushed to me, but I was able to warn her before she came close to touching me "S-step back! Don't touch me or you'll get hurt!" I warned Twilight. The Princesses tried to dispel the dark aura surrounding me, but they were too late as it consumed me. I let out a scream as I faded away with a bright light blinding the room, my area surrounded me with darkness while the bright light slowly faded away. Is this it? Is this the afterlife? I'm afraid, all I see is nothing but darkness and hearing the sounds of silence. Ocellus, Headmare Twilight, everyone… don't leave me please. I don't want to die… Author's Note Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a well thought out fan fiction, so expect some mistakes here and there. I appreciate any feedback, but most importantly I do hope you enjoy this fan fiction :) Chapter 1: A Whole New WorldPoint of view: Twilight Diary Entry #1034 Cozy Glow have managed to get out of Tartarus thanks to an unknown third party working behind the scenes, I have the suspicion that this strange helper is also responsible for helping Sombra come back to life and aided him in his attempt to take the throne and rule Equestria under his iron hoof. Thankfully me and my friends stopped him. My friends arrived in time after Smolder and Ocellus disappeared, we tried to disarm Cozy Glow’s strange amulet that she’s wearing. It didn’t work at first, with her using the amulet’s power to break the barrier around her and tried to make a run for it. We tried to stop her, but Cozy tried to hurt my friends as retaliation for their attempt. Cozy then summoned a shower of magical beams when Rainbow and the others tried to stop her, this resulted in injuries, ranging from superficial to bad. While my shield was enough to cover us, minus Rainbow as she was right on her tail, some of the projectiles managed to get past the shield and the rest is history. After a wild goose chase that took forever, we managed to finally disarm the amulet and take it away from her as Celestia and Luna, along with royal guard escorts, took Cozy back to Tartarus with the intentions to keep her under lock and key to ensure that she won’t escape again. The injuries are as follows: Rainbow sustained moderate injuries, her wings have been dislocated and her right hoof as well. She's been admitted to Canterlot Hospital. Starlight, Pinkie and Fluttershy sustained no injuries. Rarity and Applejack took in some minor injuries after they got hit by some of the projectiles that passed through, albeit weaker versions as evidenced that their power have been somewhat drained when they got past the shield. Despite the capture of Cozy Glow, that leaves me a nagging worry in my thoughts. Where is Smolder and Ocellus? Are they alright? Were they sent to the other side of the world? I'll have to conduct a search party with Thorax and Ember to look for Ocellus and Smolder, and have the students sent home for now as we try to secure the safety of the school. I will also have to write Sunset Shimmer a letter and ask her if she’s seen two newcomers passing through the portal and have them to be on a lookout. I pray that Smolder and Ocellus are okay, wherever they are right now. ~~~ Point of View: Smolder The silence, endless pit of darkness made me fear that I’m already dead and that this is the afterlife, a black pitch silent void that seems to stretch endlessly without end. I walked around to try and see if I can find the light when all of a sudden, memories from my lifetime appeared and surrounded me. One by one, I looked at certain memories that I cherish the most, all the while trying to keep myself from breaking down in tears at what it seems to be the place for the dead. Then I came across the memory where me and Ocellus went out on a secret date, I watched the entire memory for what it seemed to be an eternity. By the time the memory ended, I knelt down on one knee as I started to sob uncontrollably. “Smolder…” This is it for me, lost in the afterlife forever without even proposing to Ocellus to further our relationship between the two of us... "Smolder, wake up…" Dragon Lord Ember, Headmare Twilight, all of my friends cut off from me. I won’t be able to see them all again, forever separated from those whom I care and love… “Smolder! Wake up!” I soon woke up and gasped for air after I felt a huge slap to the left as I immediately sat up to cover my face and protect myself from getting hit again, all the while preparing a small breath of fire to retaliate for whoever it was that slapped me. “Smolder, don’t panic! It’s me Ocellus, calm down!” I lowered my arms slowly to see that it was indeed Ocellus, somewhat sporting some burn marks on her back and left cheek. Once this was known, I immediately embraced her and started to sob lightly to relieve myself of the fear that struck my heart like a sharp knife. “There, there. It’s okay now Smolder, you’re alright and I’m still with you.” Ocellus softly said all the while patting my back.” “You went closer to me, didn’t you? You tried to help me despite my warnings, right?” I asked “Mhmm. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing, as long as you’re with me and know that you’re okay.” Ocellus calmly replied As soon as I calmed down, I let go of Ocellus to wipe some of my tears and looked around the area. The lush trees, sounds of crickets and the endless tall rock formations made me think that we're in the Everfree Forest, yet something feels off about this area. "Ocellus, where are we?" I asked her. "I'm not sure Smolder, but I can be sure that this is not the Everfree Forest. The dampness of the air, the trees, that waterfall and everything confirms that we are in a somewhat jungle terrain." Ocellus replied with a hint of worry in her voice. I stood up and dusted myself off carefully as to avoid touching the burn wounds and hurting myself, helping Ocellus to stand on four hooves afterwards. "I don't know about you, but we gotta keep moving and find our way outta here. This place doesn't feel right and I don't want to find out what's waiting for us in this jungle." "Don't you think we should stay here for now and wait for morning to come? We could build a campfire to keep ourselves warm in the meantime and wait for sunrise." Ocellus said. "As much as that sounds like a good idea Ocellus, I doubt we're safe either by camping here. Just that there's something about this jungle that doesn't feel right, and besides you got me. I'll protect us from any danger that can come to us." Me and Ocellus flew up afterwards through the leaves of the jungle trees that surrounded us so we can get a good look of what the area looks like. So far, the only thing I can see around us is a big area with small structures, a ship stuck in the middle of shallow water, and wooden towers with metal things that emits some light in its aimed direction. What really got my attention are these bipedal creatures, they walk like us dragons but they look strange. They seem to be wearing beige clothes, carrying along with these weird sticks with them. Then there’s this metal contraption that has wheels on it, with two of those weird creatures getting out from the front. "Uh, Ocellus? I don’t mean to panic you, but we are definitely in unfamiliar territory. Just look at the area around us. Jungle trees and a virtually abandoned area with strange creatures that no creature have ever encountered before? That’s definitely something that we don’t see normally in Equestria.” I then took the lead and landed in a nearby cliff overlooking the surrounding area and kept a low profile, hiding behind a rock as to not get spotted. “So, Celly… this is awkward. Not only are we lost, but we have no idea who these creatures are and from the looks of it, they don’t seem friendly too. They seem to be carrying these weird sticks with them, and that does not look like it’s for friendly purposes.” I told Ocellus in a whispering tone. “Oh no, what are we gonna do? I don’t know the ins and outs of this strange land, Professor Twilight only spoke of the general Biomes in Equestria for now in her class.” “One thing’s for sure, we have to find our way back to Headmare Twilight’s school.” Wait a minute. It feels like we’re being watched. I turned around to see the same strange creature I’ve seen in that area, except there’s two of them. The one in front is wearing some sort of suit with various things attached to him. Its face looks heavily scarred, with an eye patch on his right eye and a black object sticking out above his patch. On its left arm is a metallic looking red arm. The one behind seems to be wearing the same suit, except it’s wearing some sort of mask to cover its face, the only thing that makes them noticeable are the metal sticks they are carrying. The one with the eye patch slowly approaches us, stopping immediately before he got close as I raised my claws in defense. He then makes a gesture to keep silent, as he looks right over the surrounding area, then to the one behind it before looking back at us and shows us a V sign with his right hand, indicating that he’s peaceful. “I come at peace, I came here to investigate a strange anomaly in this area and it seems that you two are the cause of it.” The creature told us. I then took a defensive stance in front of Ocellus to shield her, ready to burn this creature if it tries anything funny. I then warned the creature, “you try anything funny and i’ll shoot fire.” “We’re not here to hurt you, we’re here to extract you. The outpost is on full alert and are looking for you two as well, it’s best that you trust me on this one. You’re lucky that I am nearby when my intel team reported of a strange sighting in this area.” The creature replied. “Smolder, I think we should trust this strange creature. Look, it’s even showing that their intentions are peaceful. Plus, I can feel the emotion from it, it’s definitely telling the truth.” Ocellus said. I gave it a quick thought. We’re alone in a strange land with strange creatures carrying weird metal sticks and metal contraptions with wheels, yet we meet the same strange creature who have peaceful intentions. Darn it, we’re left with no choice but to trust them. “As much as I’d say no, Ocellus, you’re right. We basically have no choice but to trust them.” I replied back in a whispering tone. “Okay, we’ll come with you under one condition. You’ll tell us where we are and help us get back home. Is that a deal?” “Yeah. Consider it a deal. The name’s Snake.” “Smolder, and this is Ocellus.” I pointed at her with my right thumb as she shyly waved at Snake.” All of a sudden, we heard a strange noise flying above us loudly and as we looked up, we’ve been greeted by a strange metal flying object akin to pinkie’s helicopter that seems to be playing some sort of music. “Finally, Pequod’s just in time to clear the guards for our emergency LZ.” The helicopter object all of sudden started to shoot fire from underneath its metal body and both of its sides, akin to that of Pinkie’s fireworks, except these ones explodes on the ground that it’s aiming at. As it kept on shooting fire, I felt amazed at this wonderful thing that the helicopter possesed. I wonder if I could learn its techniques. As soon as it stopped, it landed right in front of the cliff as Snake gestured that we should follow the two of them. When we got to the helicopter, Snake helped me and Ocellus get in before they followed, as Snake closed the door before the copter took off for the air. Perhaps trusting it, or him, is not a bad idea after all. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for him. The question remains. Where is he taking us? Is he taking us back home or will we be held captive for research reasons? After a few minutes in the air, I finally mustered up the courage to ask Snake with questions that is lingering in my mind. “Okay, let’s cut to the chase and get to the point. Where are we, and where are you taking us?” I asked demandingly. “Smolder, not in that way. Mr. Snake here just saved us, so it’s best if we ask nicely don’t you think?” Smolder said, still somewhat cheerful. “That’s alright. From what I can tell, you two aren’t exactly from here so i’ll tell you the details. You’re on a planet called Earth, and this region is called the Democratic Republic of Congo. We’re not exactly from here, so we’re taking you in to our place called Mother Base.” Snake replied. He then tapped in to what seems to be an earpiece on its right ear, as he began to talk to it. “Miller, I found the source of the anomaly. I’m bringing back the two strange creatures to Mother base. Over and out.” He said to the earpiece After a few moments of silence, I decided to tell him where we are from and how we got here. Although not the best idea, it’s better to cooperate with him seeing that he helped us get out from that jungle with those creatures that are looking for us. “We’re from a place called Equestria, and I don’t know what Earth is. All I know is that we found ourselves in that jungle when a young filly called Cozy Glow attacked us and we managed to end up here.” “Whoever that person, or creature is, they got the attention of those who are looking for you as well. We’re lucky to have found you just in time before they did, who knows what they would’ve done to you if they got to you first.” Snake said. “I suggest resting up, the trip will take a few hours before we get to the base. Make yourself comfortable.” I nodded, before whispering to Ocellus. “Well Ocellus, I hope you’re right about trusting him. I still have doubts in the decision to accept their help.” I whispered. “Don’t worry Smolder, I’m sure of it. Now how about we rest for now. It seems like we need it.” One thing’s for sure though, things are strange and weird in this place, but if trusting him and accepting their help can get us back to Equestria, then I’m willing to trust Ocellus’s judgement on trusting them. Author's Note Here we go again with another chapter! This time slightly longer than the prologue :) If you do enjoy this story, do leave a feedback as I'm trying to improve in anyway I can in terms of writing. Be sure to leave a follow for updates as well! Table of contents: ~~~ means change of perspective ________ means timeskip Chapter 2: Mother Base and QuestionsPoint of View: Ocellus Seychelles Waters Mother Base, 10:40 P.M. 1984 The journey to Mr. Snake's home have been fairly quiet, so to speak. Smolder's wounds have been healed up by the second strange creature accompanying us inside this strange airship that we are in. Smolder, who had just woken up from her nap, stretches her arms and wings like she would always do after nap time. Mr. Snake and his friend seems to be watching her especially with curiosity. "Good evening, Smolder." I greeted warmly. "Yeah, good evening to you too." She replied groggily. Smolder groaned in annoyance from the humming noise of the airship, even though the noise seems to be muffled. "We're here." Snake said As we looked over the window, my eyes are filled with a mix of wonder and worry clouding over my head. Below us are huge metal buildings built above water shaped in a honeycomb platform, with the middle sporting a big tube like structure reaching the skies. Alongside the platforms are various metal boxes in display, and more of the strange creatures below seems to be looking at us. Then we felt a gentle shake not too long, as Snake opened the sliding door and hopped out along with his friend. "Let's go, you two." He ordered. Smolder and I carefully hopped off from the metal airship and we were greeted by more of the strange creatures, all wearing the same color matching clothes carrying metal sticks that Smolder told me about. She let out an amazed "wow" as she took in the sights that surround us, while I felt worry over the sight of other creatures. The only difference is that one of them seems to be using a crutch, slowly approaching us. The creature seems to be wearing a beige coat donned by a layer of suit from the inside. It sports a set of shades and a weird looking hat, but what caught my attention is that it lacks an arm on its right side. With its jaw wide open after seeing our appearance, the figure then spoke to Mr. Snake in a gruff voice. "What the hell are they, boss?" He asked as he pointed the crutch towards us. "I don't know, but one of them looks like a lizard of sorts. They were the ones spotted by Jackal here when I received the strange sighting report." Snake replied. "Do you think Cipher had a hand in their appearance?" Miller asked in a suspicious tone. "No, these creatures are not of our origins so to speak. My guess is as good as yours." Snake replied "I see. We'll have to take them to the brig for questioning. Something tells me that they're sentient beings and can tell us whatever they know if we play it nice." "Just make sure they're not hurt, Kaz." After the short exchange, Mr. Snake kneeled down on one knee in front of us and said, "alright, you two will be staying temporarily in a cell for questioning. I know this isn't exactly what I promised, but we just want to ask you questions in private. Smolder grunted in what he said to us. "Fine, as long as we get to ask questions too and know how we can get back home soon." We were escorted to a place called "The Brig" after a short while for questioning. The cell is not too small but not too big, with Smolder sitting by the cot thinking about something as I watched by the cell door. It's not too long before I broke the silence. "So, Smolder… do you think they want to know about Equestria? I asked. "Probably, just as much as we want to know more about this world. I mean, did you see the size of their place!? Man, it's like something that exists in sci-fi novels except this one is real." Scratching her chin while pondering on those thoughts, Smolder then huffed a puff of black smoke from her nostrils as a result of holding back her fiery breathe that would have hurt Mr. Snake. We sat idly quiet for hours, thinking of only one thing. Is every creature back in Equestria safe? Did they stopped Cozy Glow? Is King Thorax worried sick? The silence is broken yet again as the sounds of footsteps drew closer to their cell, giving us a sense of dread. Smolder, knowing the one course of action, stood in front of me and whispered, "I got this. They won't hurt you, not on my watch." The cell was no longer empty as Snake, and two of his other friends approached our cell door. We heard a click from the lock that kept it closed, as he entered the cell first followed by his two other friends, one of them carrying a chair. Snake's other friend sports a cowboy like outfit, the scarf, bandolier and gloves fits the costume with a white mane. He then steadily placed the chair in front of us for his other friend to sit on carefully as to not fall. We stared at them for a few moments in silence as they did the same, before the creature in front of us spoke and broke the quietness that lurks the cell. "So… he scratched his chin with his left hand while trying to come up with something to say, "can you… understand me?" We both nodded as a response. "That's good to hear. Can you speak?" The cowboy sporting costume creature asked. "Y-yes, we can…" I replied wearily, yet somehow able to keep my hooves from shaking. The other then sighed and told the one sitting, "Miller, I think we should play it cool. They don't look dangerous, if it were we wouldn't be standing here trying to make contact." The creature, now known as Miller, sighed and looked at us again. "Sorry about that, we didn't mean to scare you. It's just… strange to see aliens like you." Smolder suddenly lit up from what Mr. Miller said, exclaiming "Hey! We're not aliens, buster! I'm a dragon and she's a changeling!" "Dragons don't exist, but… I guess that's out of the jury." Mr. Miller responded. Miller then extended his left hand in a gesture to offer a handshake. "My name is Kazuhira Miller, but you can call me Kaz for short." She shook his hand and replied, "I'm Smolder, and my friend is Ocellus." "It's good to meet you two. Forgive me if we had to place you in The Brig, but we needed to ask you questions in private." Snake then spoke up. "Ocelot, you brought the recording tape?" "Sure do, Boss. All ready and primed for intel recording." Ocelot responded. We then heard a click from the left side of his belt, before he asked the first question. "Let's start with the basics. Where do you come from?" "We're from a place called Equestria." I replied. "Equestria?" The three asked in unison. I nodded my head and replied further. "It's formally known as Equus, but most creatures call it Equestria." "Equus." Miller uttered, before he continued to look at us. "This, Equestria… what kind of creatures lives in your world?" Miller asked. "All sorts of creatures. There are ponies, griffons, dragons, changelings and so on. I’m a Changedling, we live in a collective hive with various activities to keep us all busy." I replied. "Ponies and dragons? This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder, boss." Miller said. "How did you get here? Specifically, what sort of transportation did you use?" Snake asked. Smolder then let out a deep breath, and said "We don't know. All I know is that after we were attacked by a villain named Cozy Glow, we woke up in this strange world. She used some crazy amulet that sent us here, filled with dark magic." Magic. That's what piqued their interest, especially Ocelot. "So from where you came from, Magic exists in all shapes and forms, correct?" Ocelot inquired. We both nodded to reply, with Smolder giving them a suspicious look all the while. "I see. Boss, I think we need to keep this strictly under wraps. Nothing comes out from Mother Base about their existence until we can figure out what's going on." Miller told Snake with a worried expression. "Hey! Are you done? Because we have our own set of questions too! For example, what is Earth and what do they call your species?" Smolder rudely interjected. "Earth is our planet, and we are called Humans. People." Ocelot replied. "So, you're like what, hairless creatures? And what's with those metal sticks that you're all carrying-" Miller then interrupted Smolder. "There are some things that's best to show and tell rather than explain it, the question is this. Can we trust you both?" "You sure can, Mr. Miller!" I responded. "We would never try to harm you, after what Mr. Snake did for us." The man looked at us for a while, looking both at Snake and Ocelot, each giving him their respective approval, as he looked back at us with the same nod. “In any case, you don’t really belong here. So we’re moving you to a separate living quarters while we figure out ways to try and bring you back home. Try and get some rest there and from there we can continue our questions.” “Thanks, Mr. Miller. We appreciate it!” I happily exclaimed. After the short questioning, me and Smolder were escorted to our quarters where we would spend the rest of the night resting for what comes tomorrow. Point of View: Ember It’s been 12 hours since Smolder and Ocellus disappeared without a trace, and I’m starting to get worried. I nervously bit the gemstone as we discussed last night's events held at Princess Twilight's castle. The once casual meeting room have been turned to a makeshift base of operations for our search and rescue mission in finding Smolder and Ocellus after the incident. Along with me are various rulers and representatives of their respective kingdoms. To my left side is King Thorax, General Seaspray and Prince Rutherford. To my right side of the seat would be Grandpa Gruff, Mayor Mare, and Princess Twilight, while the far end seat of the room are occupied by both Princess Luna and Celestia. “Yak thought ponies would solve problem, not make it worse!” Rutherford shouted. “Hey! Don’t blame Twilight and the others, remember that it’s Cozy Glow who attacked our students!” I exclaimed with an irritated tone. “Now, now, let’s settle down and try to talk it over in a calm manner.” Thorax pleaded. “I, for one, would suggest that we form a joint search team to look for the missing students. Queen Novo cares for every creature just as Princess Twilight did for us, and we Griffs would proudly help our allies.” General Seaspray proposed. “But what of the strange dark magic that’s been plaguing Ponyville? Ever since the attack, my citizens have been uneasy due to their sudden appearances and disappearances!” Mayor Mare exclaimed in a worrisome tone. “She’s right! Even in griffonstone, we’ve been sighting these dark shades of aura popping up!” Grandpa Gruff said before coughing. “Yak confirms dark aura also bothering Yak kingdom!” Prince Rutherford agreed. “Perhaps this has to be the work of the amulet Cozy Glow donned during last night’s attack on Twilight’s students.” Princess Celestia responded. “We have never seen such an artifact before, and have not meddled with it after we saw what it can do. Me and my sister shuffled every book we can find about histories of artifacts, but we came up with no answers.” Princess Luna followed in response to her sister’s words. “Well that’s just great. What do we do now? My dragons confirmed no sightings of either Smolder or Ocellus!” I interjected. “I came up with no results too. Sunset Shimmer said that she did not see anything or anyone out of the ordinary in her school, so the possibility of Smolder and Ocellus being lost in CHS is out of the list.” Twilight responded while shuffling through her journal. “Then perhaps we must consult with the Six Pillars. If there’s anypony who holds knowledge about strange magic, it would be Starswirl and the pillars.” Princess Luna informed. “Rest assured, we will not rest until our students, every creature and the safety of Ocellus and Smolder are secured. I will prepare my search team after I have delegated the information to her Majesty, Queen Novo.” General Seaspray vowed while clutching his spear. “I’ll have my Changedlings on the ready under the command of my brother, Pharynx. He’s the best scout my kingdom can offer.” Thorax vowed as well. The others nodded in regards to General Seaspray’s idea, as well as the three Princesses. “Then it is settled. We will send the best of the Royal Guard’s ranks for this joint search team.” Princess Celestia announced. Not too long, the meeting has adjourned and every creature went to their respective guest rooms along with their messengers. Only me, Thorax and the Princesses remained in the meeting room. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to save both Ocellus and Smolder. We did not anticipate the dark magic would take them somewhere out there.” Twilight said in an apologetic tone. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know you did your best and I appreciate it.” Thorax responded. “Hey, you did your best Twi. No need to beat yourself up.” I said reassuringly. “For now, I suggest that you all take a much needed rest. We have not slept ever since last night, as me and Luna will continue to keep watch for any information that we can find.” “I’ll consult with Starlight and Sunburst about the amulet as well, Princess Celestia. I will do anything it takes to find them and keep every creature safe.” Twilight replied with determination. As we were preparing to leave, the same dark magic that Mayor Mare and the others have sighted appeared right beside me. I quickly stepped away as Thorax flew inches away in response. Strange arch of small lightning spews out of the menacing magical field, with a dark cloud surrounding the ball of black. “Don’t touch it! That’s what made Smolder and Ocellus disappear!” Twilight warned us. “But what if it can lead us to where they are!? I need to know if Smolder is okay!” I exclaimed as I grabbed the Bloodstone Scepter. “It’s too dangerous, Ember! We need to stay back for now and see if we can figure out where this leads to!” Thorax cautioned. After some hesitation, I grumbled and let out a worried sigh. “Screw it.” I whispered to myself I stepped through the dark aura as it absorbs me and my scepter, surrounding me in a vast dark pit. Did I made the wrong decision? Where am I being taken to? Soon, I’ll have my answers once I make my way through this dark pit Smolder, Ocellus. Wherever you are, I’m coming to the rescue! Just hang on tight!
Prologue: The Incident"Is there such a thing that a different world exists out there, in the infinite stars of cosmos, waiting to be discovered? Are they seeking to discover us? The answer to that theory is uncertain, for the fact that nopony have come up with any conclusive evidence that the theory is true, or if such worlds exist. Not even Starswirl the Bearded himself have proved it to be true or false, so it stays as a theory, and a theory only. Yet… there may be a positive answer to this theory, the question only remains. How can we uncover the existence of such worlds existing?" An excerpt from The Scientific Theories of Equestria, Book 5. Point of View: Smolder The bright sunny day greets the students of The School of Friendship, shining through the windows and embracing each and every creature with its welcoming warmth. Everyone except me of course. I have just finished plowing through Headmare Twilight's science class that lasted for like an eternity, with my almost empty stomach not helping me feel any better. Thankfully, that won't last forever. "Okay everycreature, make sure to study The Scientific Theories of Equestria Book 5, page 120 for an incoming exam next Friday. Don't forget to write any friendship letters as part of our friendship project! Dismissed!" Twilight announced. I quickly stood up as the others left with their respective groups, with me joining up with Ocellus and the others. __________________________________________________________________ As the last class of the day now behind us, we spent time together at the Tree of Harmony just like we always do every Friday. Time passed by as we did various fun activities, like playing Scrabble or pin the tail on the pony provided by Sandbar. While the rest of my friends were playing, me and Ocellus were conversing about the lesson Headmare Twilight gave us this noon. "So, Celly…" I spoke up. "Do you believe that there are other worlds out there? Like a different world with different creatures, values, that sort of boring stuff that Headmare Twilight talked about," I said, all the while looking at Ocellus. "I really do believe that the parallel world theory is real, and that they're just out there waiting to be discovered! Who knows what those worlds look like if we do discover them one day, we might even meet our counterparts!" "Celly, you do know what the book said, right? The answer to that is uncertain. No creature in existence have proved that this theory is real or not. Though it would be nice to meet my counterpart, just not the super mushy kind of counterpart." I answered. "Well, I know for a fact that you can be mushy inside." She stifles her chuckle, as she senses my love within me. The time we spent together felt like forever, yet at the same time, we still have to wait for the right time to reveal to our friends about us dating. Especially Gallus, he would tease me to death if he knew. Unknown to us, the moment would suddenly go away as we were stunned to hear a blast from outside. "What was that!? I exclaimed, all the while getting up and running to where the others are. "Is every creature okay!?" "Yeah, we are!" Gallus said, as he shifts to his defensive stance. "That definitely doesn't sound nice though." "Yona a bit scared about blast noise! What ponies do now!?" Before we could do anything, we were surprised to see Cozy Glow flying right in front us with a sinister look on her face. She looks to be surrounded by a faint red aura that is emitting from a silver plated amulet, with three red crystals embedded on the front. The air is filled all of a sudden with a sinister sounding laugh. "Cozy Glow!?" we all exclaimed in shock. "That's right! The one and only, and this time I brought a little toy with me to exact my revenge on all of you for ruining my plans!" Her amulet glowed for a moment before it shot out a blast of red beam at the exit as debris fell down in front of the door, trapping us as a result. "This time won't be so lucky for you, I hold the cards this time! I wield the most powerful amulet known in Equestria, and nopony can stop me! "How did you get out!? Headmare Twilight and the others made sure you are locked up in Tartarus along with Tirek!" Sandbar exclaimed angrily. "Did you really think I did this on my own, without any help from the outside? There's sompony more powerful than your pretty little friends and your professors who will help us in taking over Equestria, and that starts by getting my revenge on the creatures who foiled my plans!" "No matter what you throw at us, we'll defeat you regardless! The magic of friendship will always prevail against anything that you throw at us!" Silverstream exclaimed, before she is shot with the same red beam from the amulet. We all gathered to Silverstream after she went flying against the wall, helping her up as the others stood together in defensive stances while Cozy Glow flew in the Treehouse. Ocellus then tried to plead with Cozy Glow to stand down, stepping in front of us. "Please Cozy Glow, think of what you're doing! That amulet thing on your neck is causing you to act like this, you are not thinking straight! Please, think about what you're doing now, to my friends-" She suddenly got shot by the same beam, taking the hit as she is sent flying to Yona due to the blast. That brat, she shot not just Silverstream but Ocellus too! By Ember's name, what should we do!? We don't have the magic that we had when we saved Counselor Starlight from below the school. I thought to myself before I breathed out a fireball aimed at Cozy Glow to no avail, as she blasted the fireball with her amulet. "You leave my friends alone! Fight me instead if you have the guts to face me, Cozy!" I exclaimed as I stood up against her, ready to breathe fire. I can feel the fear setting inside me as I stood my ground. I still know deep down in my heart that I am willing to do anything it takes to protect my friends. I may be a hothead but I will not stand by and see her hurt my friends like this, especially Ocellus! Unable to keep my anger, I started to breathe out fire against Cozy, again to no avail as the flames come into contact against her summoned shield. She then returned the favor by shooting at me with a slightly larger red beam which burnt my scales as I held up my arms and kept my footing firm to protect my chest and face against the dangerous projectile. To our relief, Headmare Twilight and the three other Princesses have arrived to contain Cozy Glow. She turned to their direction as she shot beams at them to no avail. The Princesses shot one of their own to destroy the powerful red beam before subduing her with Celestia's magic, locking her in around a magical cage. Headmare Twilight landed and approached us with a worried look, as she asked "Is every creature okay!? I felt the surge of magic and I had to teleport to each Princesses and ask for their help to contain the source that turned out to be Cozy Glow before we hastily made our way here!" "No, Headmare Twilight. Cozy Glow have hurt Silverstream, Ocellus and me when we tried to stand our ground." I replied before showing her my injured arms, as Twilight embraced me to try and soothe my stress down. "Everything will be okay Smolder, I'm sorry we weren't able to get here earlier than sooner." Twilight softly said. As I looked back at Cozy, she was still sporting that sinister smile as she used her amulet to shoot out a much larger dark beam. I pushed Twilight away and took the shot so that Cadence and the others won't get hurt. I knelt down in pain as Celestia placed a barrier around Cozy, but it was too late. My body feels like it's going to explode while a dark aura surrounds my entire body. Headmare Twilight rushed to me, but I was able to warn her before she came close to touching me "S-step back! Don't touch me or you'll get hurt!" I warned Twilight. The Princesses tried to dispel the dark aura surrounding me, but they were too late as it consumed me. I let out a scream as I faded away with a bright light blinding the room, my area surrounded me with darkness while the bright light slowly faded away. Is this it? Is this the afterlife? I'm afraid, all I see is nothing but darkness and hearing the sounds of silence. Ocellus, Headmare Twilight, everyone… don't leave me please. I don't want to die… Author's Note Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a well thought out fan fiction, so expect some mistakes here and there. I appreciate any feedback, but most importantly I do hope you enjoy this fan fiction :)
Chapter 1: A Whole New WorldPoint of view: Twilight Diary Entry #1034 Cozy Glow have managed to get out of Tartarus thanks to an unknown third party working behind the scenes, I have the suspicion that this strange helper is also responsible for helping Sombra come back to life and aided him in his attempt to take the throne and rule Equestria under his iron hoof. Thankfully me and my friends stopped him. My friends arrived in time after Smolder and Ocellus disappeared, we tried to disarm Cozy Glow’s strange amulet that she’s wearing. It didn’t work at first, with her using the amulet’s power to break the barrier around her and tried to make a run for it. We tried to stop her, but Cozy tried to hurt my friends as retaliation for their attempt. Cozy then summoned a shower of magical beams when Rainbow and the others tried to stop her, this resulted in injuries, ranging from superficial to bad. While my shield was enough to cover us, minus Rainbow as she was right on her tail, some of the projectiles managed to get past the shield and the rest is history. After a wild goose chase that took forever, we managed to finally disarm the amulet and take it away from her as Celestia and Luna, along with royal guard escorts, took Cozy back to Tartarus with the intentions to keep her under lock and key to ensure that she won’t escape again. The injuries are as follows: Rainbow sustained moderate injuries, her wings have been dislocated and her right hoof as well. She's been admitted to Canterlot Hospital. Starlight, Pinkie and Fluttershy sustained no injuries. Rarity and Applejack took in some minor injuries after they got hit by some of the projectiles that passed through, albeit weaker versions as evidenced that their power have been somewhat drained when they got past the shield. Despite the capture of Cozy Glow, that leaves me a nagging worry in my thoughts. Where is Smolder and Ocellus? Are they alright? Were they sent to the other side of the world? I'll have to conduct a search party with Thorax and Ember to look for Ocellus and Smolder, and have the students sent home for now as we try to secure the safety of the school. I will also have to write Sunset Shimmer a letter and ask her if she’s seen two newcomers passing through the portal and have them to be on a lookout. I pray that Smolder and Ocellus are okay, wherever they are right now. ~~~ Point of View: Smolder The silence, endless pit of darkness made me fear that I’m already dead and that this is the afterlife, a black pitch silent void that seems to stretch endlessly without end. I walked around to try and see if I can find the light when all of a sudden, memories from my lifetime appeared and surrounded me. One by one, I looked at certain memories that I cherish the most, all the while trying to keep myself from breaking down in tears at what it seems to be the place for the dead. Then I came across the memory where me and Ocellus went out on a secret date, I watched the entire memory for what it seemed to be an eternity. By the time the memory ended, I knelt down on one knee as I started to sob uncontrollably. “Smolder…” This is it for me, lost in the afterlife forever without even proposing to Ocellus to further our relationship between the two of us... "Smolder, wake up…" Dragon Lord Ember, Headmare Twilight, all of my friends cut off from me. I won’t be able to see them all again, forever separated from those whom I care and love… “Smolder! Wake up!” I soon woke up and gasped for air after I felt a huge slap to the left as I immediately sat up to cover my face and protect myself from getting hit again, all the while preparing a small breath of fire to retaliate for whoever it was that slapped me. “Smolder, don’t panic! It’s me Ocellus, calm down!” I lowered my arms slowly to see that it was indeed Ocellus, somewhat sporting some burn marks on her back and left cheek. Once this was known, I immediately embraced her and started to sob lightly to relieve myself of the fear that struck my heart like a sharp knife. “There, there. It’s okay now Smolder, you’re alright and I’m still with you.” Ocellus softly said all the while patting my back.” “You went closer to me, didn’t you? You tried to help me despite my warnings, right?” I asked “Mhmm. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing, as long as you’re with me and know that you’re okay.” Ocellus calmly replied As soon as I calmed down, I let go of Ocellus to wipe some of my tears and looked around the area. The lush trees, sounds of crickets and the endless tall rock formations made me think that we're in the Everfree Forest, yet something feels off about this area. "Ocellus, where are we?" I asked her. "I'm not sure Smolder, but I can be sure that this is not the Everfree Forest. The dampness of the air, the trees, that waterfall and everything confirms that we are in a somewhat jungle terrain." Ocellus replied with a hint of worry in her voice. I stood up and dusted myself off carefully as to avoid touching the burn wounds and hurting myself, helping Ocellus to stand on four hooves afterwards. "I don't know about you, but we gotta keep moving and find our way outta here. This place doesn't feel right and I don't want to find out what's waiting for us in this jungle." "Don't you think we should stay here for now and wait for morning to come? We could build a campfire to keep ourselves warm in the meantime and wait for sunrise." Ocellus said. "As much as that sounds like a good idea Ocellus, I doubt we're safe either by camping here. Just that there's something about this jungle that doesn't feel right, and besides you got me. I'll protect us from any danger that can come to us." Me and Ocellus flew up afterwards through the leaves of the jungle trees that surrounded us so we can get a good look of what the area looks like. So far, the only thing I can see around us is a big area with small structures, a ship stuck in the middle of shallow water, and wooden towers with metal things that emits some light in its aimed direction. What really got my attention are these bipedal creatures, they walk like us dragons but they look strange. They seem to be wearing beige clothes, carrying along with these weird sticks with them. Then there’s this metal contraption that has wheels on it, with two of those weird creatures getting out from the front. "Uh, Ocellus? I don’t mean to panic you, but we are definitely in unfamiliar territory. Just look at the area around us. Jungle trees and a virtually abandoned area with strange creatures that no creature have ever encountered before? That’s definitely something that we don’t see normally in Equestria.” I then took the lead and landed in a nearby cliff overlooking the surrounding area and kept a low profile, hiding behind a rock as to not get spotted. “So, Celly… this is awkward. Not only are we lost, but we have no idea who these creatures are and from the looks of it, they don’t seem friendly too. They seem to be carrying these weird sticks with them, and that does not look like it’s for friendly purposes.” I told Ocellus in a whispering tone. “Oh no, what are we gonna do? I don’t know the ins and outs of this strange land, Professor Twilight only spoke of the general Biomes in Equestria for now in her class.” “One thing’s for sure, we have to find our way back to Headmare Twilight’s school.” Wait a minute. It feels like we’re being watched. I turned around to see the same strange creature I’ve seen in that area, except there’s two of them. The one in front is wearing some sort of suit with various things attached to him. Its face looks heavily scarred, with an eye patch on his right eye and a black object sticking out above his patch. On its left arm is a metallic looking red arm. The one behind seems to be wearing the same suit, except it’s wearing some sort of mask to cover its face, the only thing that makes them noticeable are the metal sticks they are carrying. The one with the eye patch slowly approaches us, stopping immediately before he got close as I raised my claws in defense. He then makes a gesture to keep silent, as he looks right over the surrounding area, then to the one behind it before looking back at us and shows us a V sign with his right hand, indicating that he’s peaceful. “I come at peace, I came here to investigate a strange anomaly in this area and it seems that you two are the cause of it.” The creature told us. I then took a defensive stance in front of Ocellus to shield her, ready to burn this creature if it tries anything funny. I then warned the creature, “you try anything funny and i’ll shoot fire.” “We’re not here to hurt you, we’re here to extract you. The outpost is on full alert and are looking for you two as well, it’s best that you trust me on this one. You’re lucky that I am nearby when my intel team reported of a strange sighting in this area.” The creature replied. “Smolder, I think we should trust this strange creature. Look, it’s even showing that their intentions are peaceful. Plus, I can feel the emotion from it, it’s definitely telling the truth.” Ocellus said. I gave it a quick thought. We’re alone in a strange land with strange creatures carrying weird metal sticks and metal contraptions with wheels, yet we meet the same strange creature who have peaceful intentions. Darn it, we’re left with no choice but to trust them. “As much as I’d say no, Ocellus, you’re right. We basically have no choice but to trust them.” I replied back in a whispering tone. “Okay, we’ll come with you under one condition. You’ll tell us where we are and help us get back home. Is that a deal?” “Yeah. Consider it a deal. The name’s Snake.” “Smolder, and this is Ocellus.” I pointed at her with my right thumb as she shyly waved at Snake.” All of a sudden, we heard a strange noise flying above us loudly and as we looked up, we’ve been greeted by a strange metal flying object akin to pinkie’s helicopter that seems to be playing some sort of music. “Finally, Pequod’s just in time to clear the guards for our emergency LZ.” The helicopter object all of sudden started to shoot fire from underneath its metal body and both of its sides, akin to that of Pinkie’s fireworks, except these ones explodes on the ground that it’s aiming at. As it kept on shooting fire, I felt amazed at this wonderful thing that the helicopter possesed. I wonder if I could learn its techniques. As soon as it stopped, it landed right in front of the cliff as Snake gestured that we should follow the two of them. When we got to the helicopter, Snake helped me and Ocellus get in before they followed, as Snake closed the door before the copter took off for the air. Perhaps trusting it, or him, is not a bad idea after all. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for him. The question remains. Where is he taking us? Is he taking us back home or will we be held captive for research reasons? After a few minutes in the air, I finally mustered up the courage to ask Snake with questions that is lingering in my mind. “Okay, let’s cut to the chase and get to the point. Where are we, and where are you taking us?” I asked demandingly. “Smolder, not in that way. Mr. Snake here just saved us, so it’s best if we ask nicely don’t you think?” Smolder said, still somewhat cheerful. “That’s alright. From what I can tell, you two aren’t exactly from here so i’ll tell you the details. You’re on a planet called Earth, and this region is called the Democratic Republic of Congo. We’re not exactly from here, so we’re taking you in to our place called Mother Base.” Snake replied. He then tapped in to what seems to be an earpiece on its right ear, as he began to talk to it. “Miller, I found the source of the anomaly. I’m bringing back the two strange creatures to Mother base. Over and out.” He said to the earpiece After a few moments of silence, I decided to tell him where we are from and how we got here. Although not the best idea, it’s better to cooperate with him seeing that he helped us get out from that jungle with those creatures that are looking for us. “We’re from a place called Equestria, and I don’t know what Earth is. All I know is that we found ourselves in that jungle when a young filly called Cozy Glow attacked us and we managed to end up here.” “Whoever that person, or creature is, they got the attention of those who are looking for you as well. We’re lucky to have found you just in time before they did, who knows what they would’ve done to you if they got to you first.” Snake said. “I suggest resting up, the trip will take a few hours before we get to the base. Make yourself comfortable.” I nodded, before whispering to Ocellus. “Well Ocellus, I hope you’re right about trusting him. I still have doubts in the decision to accept their help.” I whispered. “Don’t worry Smolder, I’m sure of it. Now how about we rest for now. It seems like we need it.” One thing’s for sure though, things are strange and weird in this place, but if trusting him and accepting their help can get us back to Equestria, then I’m willing to trust Ocellus’s judgement on trusting them. Author's Note Here we go again with another chapter! This time slightly longer than the prologue :) If you do enjoy this story, do leave a feedback as I'm trying to improve in anyway I can in terms of writing. Be sure to leave a follow for updates as well! Table of contents: ~~~ means change of perspective ________ means timeskip
Chapter 2: Mother Base and QuestionsPoint of View: Ocellus Seychelles Waters Mother Base, 10:40 P.M. 1984 The journey to Mr. Snake's home have been fairly quiet, so to speak. Smolder's wounds have been healed up by the second strange creature accompanying us inside this strange airship that we are in. Smolder, who had just woken up from her nap, stretches her arms and wings like she would always do after nap time. Mr. Snake and his friend seems to be watching her especially with curiosity. "Good evening, Smolder." I greeted warmly. "Yeah, good evening to you too." She replied groggily. Smolder groaned in annoyance from the humming noise of the airship, even though the noise seems to be muffled. "We're here." Snake said As we looked over the window, my eyes are filled with a mix of wonder and worry clouding over my head. Below us are huge metal buildings built above water shaped in a honeycomb platform, with the middle sporting a big tube like structure reaching the skies. Alongside the platforms are various metal boxes in display, and more of the strange creatures below seems to be looking at us. Then we felt a gentle shake not too long, as Snake opened the sliding door and hopped out along with his friend. "Let's go, you two." He ordered. Smolder and I carefully hopped off from the metal airship and we were greeted by more of the strange creatures, all wearing the same color matching clothes carrying metal sticks that Smolder told me about. She let out an amazed "wow" as she took in the sights that surround us, while I felt worry over the sight of other creatures. The only difference is that one of them seems to be using a crutch, slowly approaching us. The creature seems to be wearing a beige coat donned by a layer of suit from the inside. It sports a set of shades and a weird looking hat, but what caught my attention is that it lacks an arm on its right side. With its jaw wide open after seeing our appearance, the figure then spoke to Mr. Snake in a gruff voice. "What the hell are they, boss?" He asked as he pointed the crutch towards us. "I don't know, but one of them looks like a lizard of sorts. They were the ones spotted by Jackal here when I received the strange sighting report." Snake replied. "Do you think Cipher had a hand in their appearance?" Miller asked in a suspicious tone. "No, these creatures are not of our origins so to speak. My guess is as good as yours." Snake replied "I see. We'll have to take them to the brig for questioning. Something tells me that they're sentient beings and can tell us whatever they know if we play it nice." "Just make sure they're not hurt, Kaz." After the short exchange, Mr. Snake kneeled down on one knee in front of us and said, "alright, you two will be staying temporarily in a cell for questioning. I know this isn't exactly what I promised, but we just want to ask you questions in private. Smolder grunted in what he said to us. "Fine, as long as we get to ask questions too and know how we can get back home soon." We were escorted to a place called "The Brig" after a short while for questioning. The cell is not too small but not too big, with Smolder sitting by the cot thinking about something as I watched by the cell door. It's not too long before I broke the silence. "So, Smolder… do you think they want to know about Equestria? I asked. "Probably, just as much as we want to know more about this world. I mean, did you see the size of their place!? Man, it's like something that exists in sci-fi novels except this one is real." Scratching her chin while pondering on those thoughts, Smolder then huffed a puff of black smoke from her nostrils as a result of holding back her fiery breathe that would have hurt Mr. Snake. We sat idly quiet for hours, thinking of only one thing. Is every creature back in Equestria safe? Did they stopped Cozy Glow? Is King Thorax worried sick? The silence is broken yet again as the sounds of footsteps drew closer to their cell, giving us a sense of dread. Smolder, knowing the one course of action, stood in front of me and whispered, "I got this. They won't hurt you, not on my watch." The cell was no longer empty as Snake, and two of his other friends approached our cell door. We heard a click from the lock that kept it closed, as he entered the cell first followed by his two other friends, one of them carrying a chair. Snake's other friend sports a cowboy like outfit, the scarf, bandolier and gloves fits the costume with a white mane. He then steadily placed the chair in front of us for his other friend to sit on carefully as to not fall. We stared at them for a few moments in silence as they did the same, before the creature in front of us spoke and broke the quietness that lurks the cell. "So… he scratched his chin with his left hand while trying to come up with something to say, "can you… understand me?" We both nodded as a response. "That's good to hear. Can you speak?" The cowboy sporting costume creature asked. "Y-yes, we can…" I replied wearily, yet somehow able to keep my hooves from shaking. The other then sighed and told the one sitting, "Miller, I think we should play it cool. They don't look dangerous, if it were we wouldn't be standing here trying to make contact." The creature, now known as Miller, sighed and looked at us again. "Sorry about that, we didn't mean to scare you. It's just… strange to see aliens like you." Smolder suddenly lit up from what Mr. Miller said, exclaiming "Hey! We're not aliens, buster! I'm a dragon and she's a changeling!" "Dragons don't exist, but… I guess that's out of the jury." Mr. Miller responded. Miller then extended his left hand in a gesture to offer a handshake. "My name is Kazuhira Miller, but you can call me Kaz for short." She shook his hand and replied, "I'm Smolder, and my friend is Ocellus." "It's good to meet you two. Forgive me if we had to place you in The Brig, but we needed to ask you questions in private." Snake then spoke up. "Ocelot, you brought the recording tape?" "Sure do, Boss. All ready and primed for intel recording." Ocelot responded. We then heard a click from the left side of his belt, before he asked the first question. "Let's start with the basics. Where do you come from?" "We're from a place called Equestria." I replied. "Equestria?" The three asked in unison. I nodded my head and replied further. "It's formally known as Equus, but most creatures call it Equestria." "Equus." Miller uttered, before he continued to look at us. "This, Equestria… what kind of creatures lives in your world?" Miller asked. "All sorts of creatures. There are ponies, griffons, dragons, changelings and so on. I’m a Changedling, we live in a collective hive with various activities to keep us all busy." I replied. "Ponies and dragons? This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder, boss." Miller said. "How did you get here? Specifically, what sort of transportation did you use?" Snake asked. Smolder then let out a deep breath, and said "We don't know. All I know is that after we were attacked by a villain named Cozy Glow, we woke up in this strange world. She used some crazy amulet that sent us here, filled with dark magic." Magic. That's what piqued their interest, especially Ocelot. "So from where you came from, Magic exists in all shapes and forms, correct?" Ocelot inquired. We both nodded to reply, with Smolder giving them a suspicious look all the while. "I see. Boss, I think we need to keep this strictly under wraps. Nothing comes out from Mother Base about their existence until we can figure out what's going on." Miller told Snake with a worried expression. "Hey! Are you done? Because we have our own set of questions too! For example, what is Earth and what do they call your species?" Smolder rudely interjected. "Earth is our planet, and we are called Humans. People." Ocelot replied. "So, you're like what, hairless creatures? And what's with those metal sticks that you're all carrying-" Miller then interrupted Smolder. "There are some things that's best to show and tell rather than explain it, the question is this. Can we trust you both?" "You sure can, Mr. Miller!" I responded. "We would never try to harm you, after what Mr. Snake did for us." The man looked at us for a while, looking both at Snake and Ocelot, each giving him their respective approval, as he looked back at us with the same nod. “In any case, you don’t really belong here. So we’re moving you to a separate living quarters while we figure out ways to try and bring you back home. Try and get some rest there and from there we can continue our questions.” “Thanks, Mr. Miller. We appreciate it!” I happily exclaimed. After the short questioning, me and Smolder were escorted to our quarters where we would spend the rest of the night resting for what comes tomorrow. Point of View: Ember It’s been 12 hours since Smolder and Ocellus disappeared without a trace, and I’m starting to get worried. I nervously bit the gemstone as we discussed last night's events held at Princess Twilight's castle. The once casual meeting room have been turned to a makeshift base of operations for our search and rescue mission in finding Smolder and Ocellus after the incident. Along with me are various rulers and representatives of their respective kingdoms. To my left side is King Thorax, General Seaspray and Prince Rutherford. To my right side of the seat would be Grandpa Gruff, Mayor Mare, and Princess Twilight, while the far end seat of the room are occupied by both Princess Luna and Celestia. “Yak thought ponies would solve problem, not make it worse!” Rutherford shouted. “Hey! Don’t blame Twilight and the others, remember that it’s Cozy Glow who attacked our students!” I exclaimed with an irritated tone. “Now, now, let’s settle down and try to talk it over in a calm manner.” Thorax pleaded. “I, for one, would suggest that we form a joint search team to look for the missing students. Queen Novo cares for every creature just as Princess Twilight did for us, and we Griffs would proudly help our allies.” General Seaspray proposed. “But what of the strange dark magic that’s been plaguing Ponyville? Ever since the attack, my citizens have been uneasy due to their sudden appearances and disappearances!” Mayor Mare exclaimed in a worrisome tone. “She’s right! Even in griffonstone, we’ve been sighting these dark shades of aura popping up!” Grandpa Gruff said before coughing. “Yak confirms dark aura also bothering Yak kingdom!” Prince Rutherford agreed. “Perhaps this has to be the work of the amulet Cozy Glow donned during last night’s attack on Twilight’s students.” Princess Celestia responded. “We have never seen such an artifact before, and have not meddled with it after we saw what it can do. Me and my sister shuffled every book we can find about histories of artifacts, but we came up with no answers.” Princess Luna followed in response to her sister’s words. “Well that’s just great. What do we do now? My dragons confirmed no sightings of either Smolder or Ocellus!” I interjected. “I came up with no results too. Sunset Shimmer said that she did not see anything or anyone out of the ordinary in her school, so the possibility of Smolder and Ocellus being lost in CHS is out of the list.” Twilight responded while shuffling through her journal. “Then perhaps we must consult with the Six Pillars. If there’s anypony who holds knowledge about strange magic, it would be Starswirl and the pillars.” Princess Luna informed. “Rest assured, we will not rest until our students, every creature and the safety of Ocellus and Smolder are secured. I will prepare my search team after I have delegated the information to her Majesty, Queen Novo.” General Seaspray vowed while clutching his spear. “I’ll have my Changedlings on the ready under the command of my brother, Pharynx. He’s the best scout my kingdom can offer.” Thorax vowed as well. The others nodded in regards to General Seaspray’s idea, as well as the three Princesses. “Then it is settled. We will send the best of the Royal Guard’s ranks for this joint search team.” Princess Celestia announced. Not too long, the meeting has adjourned and every creature went to their respective guest rooms along with their messengers. Only me, Thorax and the Princesses remained in the meeting room. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to save both Ocellus and Smolder. We did not anticipate the dark magic would take them somewhere out there.” Twilight said in an apologetic tone. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know you did your best and I appreciate it.” Thorax responded. “Hey, you did your best Twi. No need to beat yourself up.” I said reassuringly. “For now, I suggest that you all take a much needed rest. We have not slept ever since last night, as me and Luna will continue to keep watch for any information that we can find.” “I’ll consult with Starlight and Sunburst about the amulet as well, Princess Celestia. I will do anything it takes to find them and keep every creature safe.” Twilight replied with determination. As we were preparing to leave, the same dark magic that Mayor Mare and the others have sighted appeared right beside me. I quickly stepped away as Thorax flew inches away in response. Strange arch of small lightning spews out of the menacing magical field, with a dark cloud surrounding the ball of black. “Don’t touch it! That’s what made Smolder and Ocellus disappear!” Twilight warned us. “But what if it can lead us to where they are!? I need to know if Smolder is okay!” I exclaimed as I grabbed the Bloodstone Scepter. “It’s too dangerous, Ember! We need to stay back for now and see if we can figure out where this leads to!” Thorax cautioned. After some hesitation, I grumbled and let out a worried sigh. “Screw it.” I whispered to myself I stepped through the dark aura as it absorbs me and my scepter, surrounding me in a vast dark pit. Did I made the wrong decision? Where am I being taken to? Soon, I’ll have my answers once I make my way through this dark pit Smolder, Ocellus. Wherever you are, I’m coming to the rescue! Just hang on tight!
