Stargemby Boogaloo10Chapters1: Shutdown and Reboot2: "That's Right. Giant Worms."3: "I Need Some Help From Magic Head!"1: Shutdown and RebootStar Swirl the Bearded was known across Equestria as one of the greatest and most powerful unicorns in history. He wielded unparalleled magical skill, using it to help solve problems across the land. When Star Swirl wasn't out saving Equestria, though, he spent his time in the catacombs of the mountain that would soon hold the jewel of Equestria--Canterlot. In his time, Canterlot hadn't quite been finished yet. The mountain city was still under construction, though everypony knew that it would be a sight to behold. The catacombs in the mountain the city would rest on had been there for centuries, worn away by time and the elements. They were a perfect place to practice magic; quiet and concealed, away from anypony that might want to steal the magician's ideas or could get hurt. Star Swirl was known for teaching other gifted magicians. His most famous and successful protégé was Princess Celestia. She was the only pony that anypony could remember Star Swirl teaching. But the Unicorn had other apprentices, those kept quiet for security, or because they didn't want to be mobbed by ponies wanting to be taught by Star Swirl, or because they were downright dangerous. One such dangerous pony was named Spark. Spark was one of the most gifted Unicorns Star Swirl had ever met. He had been teaching himself complex spells and actually doing them correctly since he was a tiny colt. Star Swirl took Spark to be his newest student, and together, he grew more and more powerful. But, you know what they say: absolute power corrupts absolutely. Spark had found absolute power, and he was proving the saying right. "Star Swirl! Come quick! I must show you!" Spark shouted gleefully into the catacombs of the mountain. "My magnum opus! It's complete!" Star Swirl looked up from the book he had been reading. He was rather tired of Spark insisting that his "multiverse navigator" was in working order, since every time he had said it was before had been false. But, Star Swirl had to admit, he was still rather curious to see if his project would work. From what Spark had told him, it would be much more practical than his mirrors, and fifteen times as powerful. So, setting the book down and slipping on his trademark hat, Star Swirl trotted down into the mountain's tunnels, towards the hollow where Spark had set up his work. The hollow in the catacombs was full of strange technologies and books. Papers were piled on tables and taped to the cave walls. Beakers were filled with elixirs and gases of all colors, some bubbling, some sparkling, and still others were hissing or making noises. Spark himself was scurrying around the hollow, probably searching for a piece of paper that hadn't already been written on. Star Swirl cautiously peeked in the crowded cavern, a little scared that he might get hit in the face with something if he went in any further. "You needed me, Spark?" the Unicorn wizard asked nervously, ducking as a roll of parchment was thrown toward his face. "Ah, yes! Do come in, Star Swirl! I must show you my masterpiece!" Spark once again flew across the cave, heading for a table holding something that glowed brightly, enough to be seen from under the thick cloth that was covering it. "Behold!" the Unicorn student said dramatically, ripping the cloth away to reveal the shining object. Star Swirl wasn't able to hold back his gasp of astonishment. The object was a small, milky-white stone, about the shape of the bottom of a hoof. A golden star of light pulsated in the center of the stone, with veins of the same color stretching across the surface until they eventually faded at the edges. A powerful magic radiated from the stone, so strong that Star Swirl could feel it washing through him, filling him up from the bottom of his hooves to the very tip of his horn. Excitement rushed through him, as did the belief that it might actually be complete this time. But, Star Swirl was also wary of the stone. he knew the costs of having that much power, and Spark had already become so distant and somewhat unreasonable... "So explain to me one more time how it works," Star Swirl asked his apprentice. "It's rather simple, as I hope for anypony to be able to use them." Spark said pridefully. "You see--" "What do you mean, 'them'?" Star Swirl asked warily. "Oh, I made duplicates of the stone. That way my research will have an extremely high chance of not getting destroyed." Spark replied, as if it were obvious. The older Unicorn looked at his student with a worried expression as he continued. "As I said before, working the stone is not a complicated task. All one has to do is hold it in their hooves, like so--" Spark paused to demonstrate, making a v-shaped trench with his hooves and placing the stone in it--"think of where they want to go, and say these magic words: Oogie boogie boo!" Star Swirl was going to give his apprentice a look that said something like, "Really, those are the magic words?", but he didn't have the chance. Spark was gone. Spark opened his eyes. Travelling across the multiverse was more painful than he thought it would be, but he was only slightly sore. Looking around, he drank up his surroundings. He was sitting on a wooden porch in front of a house carved directly into a hill. A rocking chair across from him swayed in the faint breeze. The door to the house was short and circular, with a solitary window near its top. Several homes similar to the one Spark was by dotted the landscape, which was hilly and green. Gardens were by nearly every house, and tiny little bipeds shuffled about on the streets below, attending to daily business. Spark held in a squeal of delight. His Multiverse Navigator worked! The Unicorn sat for a while, taking in the spectacular view, wondering when he should leave, and where he should go next. The time came for Spark to go when one of the tiny bipeds came from the house he was in front of. It looked surprised to see him, quickly going back inside and locking the door. Spark made his departure right as the biped peeked out its door again, having convinced itself that he had been hallucinating. Now Spark found himself in a tiny room. It appeared to be moving up, making the unicorn think of the dumbwaiters that Equestria had. However, this one moved on its own. The doors even moved automatically, revealing to Spark a bigger room. In the room were various machines, with buttons and multicolored lights. Bipeds also lived here, although they were larger than the ones Spark had seen previously. They sat by the machines, obviously working them. Most wore bright yellow, blue, or red garments on there tops with black pants, although one wore a blue dress-like item. They all seemed alarmed to see the pony, making their ways behind furniture and holding up little machines. Based on his research, Spark assumed that these creatures were humans, and the things they were holding were guns. He quickly teleported out of there, disappearing just as they started firing on him. Spark found himself back in his cave in Equestria, with Star Swirl looking dazed. He couldn't hide his pride; he had managed to impress the great Star Swirl the Bearded, something he had hoped to do with the invention of his Multiverse Navigator. "So, what do you want me to do with my duplicates?" Spark asked. Star Swirl mumbled his answer, still fazed from what he had seen. "Sorry, I didn't quite--" "I said, destroy them." Spark stepped backwards in shock and disgust. "You want me to destroy my life's dream? My magnum opus? You want me to wipe everything I've worked so hard at from existence?" "Yes." Spark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No! I won't do it!" He yelled, holding his own stone close to his body. "You must," Star Swirl insisted, becoming agitated and angry. "Messing with the multiverse is a dangerous thing! I only allowed you to pursue this path because I thought you were responsible enough! But it appears that I was wrong." "No, you weren't. I can be responsible. I won't use the stones very often, and I'll only share their existence with ponies I could trust my life with. I don't have to destroy--" "But you do!" Star Swirl was shouting now, a few of the lighter beakers shaking as he spoke. "I know firsthand the consequences of messing with alternate realities. The multiverse is just as dangerous!" "But it's not!" Spark retaliated. "The multiverse and different realities are two different things! Travelling through the multiverse might have no side effects at all!" "That's not a chance I'm willing to take." Star Swirl said grimly. "Where are your duplicates?" "You--you're not going to..." "If you won't get rid of the stones, then I will." Star Swirl's horn lit up, and he left the room, calmly walking through the catacombs towards Spark's cache of the stone's copies. He wouldn't let them all be destroyed. They were his life's work. His foalhood dream come true. Spark really only needed one stone. He looked down at his hooves, suddenly remembering the milky rock in his possession. The Unicorn threw on his cloak and raced through the catacombs, heading to the secret exit he had found months ago that led straight to the frozen north. He could use his stone to hide, to stay safe. To keep it safe. Spark activated the stone, leaving Equestria permanently. "So, Princess, why exactly did you call us here?" The Mane 6 and Spike followed both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna down the halls of Canterlot castle. The sun was now exactly overhead in the sky, signaling the change from morning to afternoon. The ponies had been called to come early that morning, saying that the situation at hand was urgent, but nothing else. Twilight was her usual curious self. She had tried to ask the question in some more roundabout ways, until she finally got tired of getting no response and became very up front about the matter. Princess Celestia, however, didn't want to discuss the situation in the castle, even if this was one of the more secluded areas. "I'll tell you when we get there." she responded. The Princesses led the Mane 6 and their dragon companion to a familiar set of double doors that led into the catacombs of the mountain, as well as Star Swirl's study. "Will you two be coming with us?" Twilight asked. "No, not this time," Princess Celestia said, her sister nodding in agreement. "However, there is already somepony in there to help you." The Mane 6 exchanged glances before walking through the doors, Spike trailing behind. Twilight easily navigated through the tunnels using the signs posted everywhere, and the rest of the group was not quite as lost as they were last time they had come. "So who do you think is in here?" Rainbow asked, her voice echoing in the quiet catacombs. "Ooh, I bet they got a new hydra!" Pinkie trilled, obviously joking, although Fluttershy became noticeably more nervous. "Pinkie, th' Princesses wouldn't've sent us down here alone with a live hydra on th' lose." Applejack retorted. "Ah think it's gonna be somepony we know." "Maybe one of our Canterlot friends?" Rarity suggested. "Maybe Sunset has returned from Earth!" "I hope they have food," Spike grumbled. "I packed everything except breakfast." "While all of your guesses--well, most of them--" Twilight eyed Pinkie Pie, fighting the urge to question her--"made a little sense. But I think the pony waiting for us is none other than--" As the group rounded the corner into the hollow known as Star Swirl's study, they recognized the old Unicorn stallion standing in the middle of it. "Star Swirl!" the group gasped. "It is good to see you all again," the sorcerer smiled sadly. "I just wished it were under better circumstances." "What's the problem?" Twilight asked. "Well... it's a story, so get ready..." Star Swirl said, digging into his memories... After hearing the tale of Spark and his stone, Star Swirl told the group what the problem was. "I do believe that there is one more stone in these catacombs," he said, pointing to four separate tunnels branching from his study. "My magic is still a little weaker than it used to be, but I can still search for it. I would like your aid in finding this last stone, so that it may be destroyed, and we can end this terrible business." "Alright then, girls!" Twilight said, taking the lead. "Rarity, Fluttershy, go down that tunnel. Pinkie, Rainbow, you'll take that one. A.J., come with me." The Mane 6 divided into their groups and headed off into the caverns, with Star Swirl taking his own. They all ran off so quickly that Spike was left in the dust, unsure where anypony was. He went down a tunnel to his left, hoping it would be the one Rarity or Twilight was in. It was the tunnel Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were exploring. While Spike was a little disheartened, he knew it could be worse. "So, how are we supposed to find this Multiverse doohickey if we don't have any magic to track it down?" Rainbow asked, floating through the tunnels. "We just look for a shiny white rock in the middle of all this grey rock! Duh!" Pinkie replied, bouncing down the tunnels. Rainbow smacked her forehead, not wanting to show Pinkie that she was a little upset that she didn't think of that first. "It's okay," Spike tried to comfort the Pegasus, which just made her jump. "When did you get here!?" Rainbow yelled. "You didn't know that he followed us?" Pinkie turned around to see the scene. "I thought I was being loud enough for you to hear me," the dragon apologized. "Well--you weren't!" Rainbow huffed, trying to cover up her startled fear with annoyance. "Just--just don't do that again." "Aye-aye, Captain Rainbow Dash!" Spike joked, saluting her. Pinkie giggled. Rainbow decided to play along. "Onward, my daring crew!" she said, flying past the other two and taking the lead. Eventually the group came to a hollow. It was mostly empty, except for the bookshelves lining the walls. Rainbow floated in, Pinkie bouncing right behind her. Spike took a quick look around, coughing at the sheer amount of dust in the air. "Jeez, whoever worked here was after Twilight's own heart," Rainbow said, peering at the hundreds of books squeezed together on the shelves. "I don't know, it seems pretty unlikely that she would read some of these." Spike noted as he scanned the spines of the books. They had very odd titles. "Ooh, this one looks like a page-turner!" Pinkie bounced up to the top of one shelf, floated long enough to pull a book off of it, and landed back on the ground. The book was titled Sweets of Equestria. "What's it about?" Spike said, rushing over. "Well, let's--" Pinkie opened the book, expecting to see pages full of words. Instead, the paper had been carved into, and a rock sat in the cut out space. A white, glowing rock. "Woah!" Spike exclaimed, grabbing the rock before anypony could stop him. His pupils had dilated, and his tongue was hanging from his mouth. "Hey!" Rainbow shouted, attempting to take the stone from Spike, who only held it closer. "We're supposed to take it to Star Swirl so he can destroy it!" "But, I'm so hungry!" Spike whined. "And if I eat it, it will technically be destroyed!" "Technically, shmecnically!" Rainbow retorted. "Who knows? Maybe eating a magic rock will mess you up!" "How?" "Well--somehow! I don't know!" Rainbow sputtered. "Just don't eat it!" Spike whimpered, but gave up the rock to Pinkie. She cupped it in her hooves. "Man, Spike's got a point about eating," Pinkie said, her stomach suddenly grumbling. "I could sure go for a batch of cupcakes!" The stone in Pinkie's hooves began to glow. It emitted a white light, filling the room. "What's--" Rainbow began her question in the hollow. "--happening?" she finished it in Sugarcube Corner. The Pegasus rubbed her eyes to make sure they were still working. Sure enough, she, Pinkie, and Spike were all standing in the kitchen Ponyville's sweet shop. Rainbow looked at her friends, her mouth open in disbelief. Spike shared her surprise, but Pinkie just smiled. "How about those cupcakes?" she asked as if nothing had just happened. "But... how... we were just... but... I don't..." Rainbow was too shocked for coherent sentences. Spike just didn't even try to speak. "Why are you guys so surprised? The rock is a teleportation device," Pinkie said, gathering ingredients for cupcakes. "Yeah, but... but it's a multiverse teleporter-thingy!" Rainbow cried. "I'm no Twilight, but I'm pretty sure that Sugarcube Corner is not considered another universe!" Pinkie simply shrugged and put her cupcakes in the oven. "Well, maybe it's broken," Spike suggested as he picked up the stone and observed it. "Or low on power." "How would we prove that?" Rainbow asked. "Um, we could, try to go to another universe? And see if it works?" "Ooh! I wanna try that!" Pinkie zoomed over and snatched the stone from Spike. "I want to go to Earth... but not the one we know! One that's got... lots of weird technology!" "Doesn't that also describe the Earth Twilight went to?" Rainbow asked Spike, who replied with a shrug as they were once again swallowed by a blinding white light. The three friends found themselves on a ramp in a room they didn't recognize. Behind them stood a large ring decorated with orange lights and runic symbols and filled with some kind of glowing water. In front of them were lots of--humans, Pinkie called them--with guns in their hands, aiming straight for the ponies and dragon. Spike cowered behind Pinkie, who nervously waved a "hello". Rainbow floated in a defensive position above her friends. "Pinkie, take us back!" she shouted. "Okee dokee lokee!" the Earthpony said, nervously bringing her hand down to hold the stone firmly. "I want to go to Equestria!" Nothing happened. The Equestrians were still on the ramp. The guns were still aimed on them. "This is not going to be quite the adventure," Pinkie said, glancing warily at the guns before her. 2: "That's Right. Giant Worms."Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all considered what to do next. However, thinking straight was a little difficult, with all of the guns pointed at them. Pinkie was the first to speak. "Hello everyone!" Pinkie shouted, tentatively waving her hoof in the air. "We are not here to punch you, kick you, bite you, slap you, make you cry, scream so loud your ears bleed--" Rainbow scanned the room as Pinkie went down her list. The people on the outskirts of the room were all in the same black uniforms and carried similar guns. But there were four humans at the foot of the ramp who were different than the rest. They wore green camouflage uniforms with black vests and lots of equipment. Two of them held sizeable guns, while one held a rather small one. The fourth held a staff-thingy that faintly glowed at its tip. "--burn you on a stake, pelt you with rocks, tar and feather you--gwolmph!" Rainbow had chosen that time for Pinkie to stop talking. "Hi, uh, everyone," the Pegasus said, making a motion with her head for Spike to come out of hiding. "I'm Rainbow Dash, this here is Pinkie Pie, and the little dragon over there is Spike. As Pinkie was trying to say, we come in peace." Barely audible whispers floated around the edge of the room. One of the four people in front of the ramp spoke. "Are you sure you come in peace?" it said, waving its gun at Pinkie. "Pinkie there sure had some crazy ways to kills us." "She's, uh, too trusting for her own good," Rainbow replied nervously, eyeing the gun. The human who had spoken replied with a silent ah before it spoke rather loudly to the window at the back of the room Rainbow hadn't noticed. "General, these... Technicolor horses say they are nice." A hairless human in the window leaned down to a stick with a bulb on its end, making its words come through to this room. "They can say a lot of things. I want them in a holding cell until we can get this all sorted out." Rainbow and Spike felt fear rush through them, not wanting to be trapped in a cell, the struggled when some more black-clad humans came in to restrain them, but ultimately failed. Pinkie, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit concerned. "That is a reasonable request!" she said, stretching her forehooves in front of her. "Take me away, boys!" The humans coming to take her shared some confused glances before picking Pinkie up in a manner similar to that of her friends. They were all put inside a small room with a bed and a table. As soon as she was free from the human's grasp, Rainbow flew towards the door, which slammed shut in her face. "DANG IT!" Rainbow said, kicking the door. She regretted it instantly, massaging her throbbing hoof. "So," Spike said to the ponies. "What're we going to do?" "ESCAPE!" Rainbow shouted as she flew over to the table. She attempted to pick it up, but it was too awkward, and she didn't exactly have Applejack's monster strength. "I say we figure out what's wrong with ol' Rocky over here!" Pinkie said, sticking a hoof into her mane and pulling out the white stone that had gotten them into this mess. "You... named it?" Spike asked with a confused look on his face. "Why, of course I named it! It probably wasn't working earlier because it felt sad that it had no name!" Pinkie stroked the rock like it was a cat. "Well, if you think the name's going to make it work better, why don't we use it to get out of this cell?!" Rainbow shouted. "Alrighty then!" Pinkie said. She cupped the rock in her hooves and stated, "Take us to Equestria!" Nothing happened. "Please take us to Equestria!" Again, nothing. No glowing or humming or anything. It was like the rock was sleeping. "So, now what?" Spike asked glumly. "You could answer our questions and get out of her quicker," someone new said. Everyone turned to the door to see a human at the door, slowly closing it. Once the human turned around, Rainbow recognized it as one of the people in front with a big gun, and not the one that spoke earlier. "So, let me see if I have your names right," they continued. "Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike?" The group nodded. "Alright then, if you could all come to the table, we can start." Pinkie bounced up to the table and, upon seeing that Spike couldn't see over it, dung into her mane to get him a stepstool. The human looked slightly alarmed that Pinkie could do that, but was snapped back into focus when Rainbow floated up and asked, "What's your name?" "I'm Samantha Carter," the human replied. "I work here as a theoretical astrophysicist, and as a member of SG-1." "What's SG-1?" Rainbow asked, now less suspicious and more confused. "I'll get to that later. I'm supposed to be asking you the questions." Samantha said, though she wasn't angry. "Before we begin, what should I call you?" Pinkie asked with an encouraging nod from Spike. "Should I call you Samantha? Or Carter? Or Samantha Carter? Or Carter, Samantha? Or--" "Sam is fine," the human said, hastily trying to prevent Pinkie from going on a rant. "Now on to interrogating you. Where do you come from?" The ponies and dragon looked at each other, seeing who would be the first to speak. "Equestria," Rainbow finally said. "Okay," Sam said, writing on a clipboard she had brought in. "What is the state of... Equestria?" "What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, still trying not to drop the suspicious act. "Is your home in a state of war or peace?" "It's pretty peaceful overall." "Alright. Who is in charge of your homeland? Do you have a monarchy or a democracy?" "Umm, monarchy. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rule as equals." Sam made a funny face as she scribbled more in her clipboard. "Do either of these princesses have the tendency to do evil acts, glowing eyes, access to technology that no one else can use, a strange voice, or don't seem like their normal self?" "No. Princess Luna was like that once, but we were able to help her become good again." "Was there a snake-like creature in her head?" "WHAT?!" Rainbow shouted, flying a good yard or two away from Sam. Pinkie blanched, and Spike looked ready to hurl. Sam tried to get the conversation back on track. "There's an alien race called the Goa'uld that look like snakes. They nest themselves into the brains of innocent creatures and take over their thoughts and actions. I was just making sure that there weren't any in your home--" "Of COURSE there aren't any at home! We're too awesome for them to take over!" Rainbow said, switching from fear to pride in a second, although she was still a little upset about the brain-snake thingies. "My friends and I have stopped over a dozen of villains from taking over Equestria. We wouldn't let some snake slip through our grasp!" "Okay then," Sam said, glad to have everything mostly under control again. "How did you get here?" "Ooh! I wanna answer this one!" Pinkie said, waving her hoof in the air like an impatient student. "So we were called by the princesses we were just telling you about to help them--no, wait, we were helping Star Swirl who's this really powerful magician and he said that one of his students had made a Multiverse Navigator and we were looking for it and--GAAAAAAAASSSP--when we found it we accidentally went to Sugarcube Corner which is definitely in Equestria and so to prove that it still worked we teleported far away to here and when we couldn't get back using the Navigator we decided to try to become friends with you all and you know the rest!" Sam was a little dazed at how quickly Pinkie could talk. She tried to jot everything down, but she gave up and asked, "In summary?" "We have a broken teleportation device." Spike said. "Aha. I might be able to help you with that." "Really?" Rainbow asked, floating once again back to Sam. "You could do that?" "I'm not completely sure, but if you are cleared for release after I turn this report in, I will certainly try." Sam walked over to the door. "I'll be back in a couple of hours with the results." The door to the cell closed. Now the waiting game began. "Okay. Tell me how this 'Multiverse Navigator' thing works." Sam, Pinkie, Rainbow and Spike were all in Sam's laboratory, surrounding a central table. The stone--or Rocky, as Pinkie had begun calling it--rested on that table. "Well, we're not really sure how it works," Rainbow said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "We do know that you have to tell it where you're going or describe where you want to go, and then there's this really big flash of light that takes you to that place." "It's a start," Sam said, half to herself. "I'm going to do some readings and figure some out some things about it. You guys can stay, or I can call someone to accompany you, if you want to explore a little." "Yes! I wanna see this place!" Rainbow pumped a forehoof in the air. Pinkie giggled in agreement, bouncing a little faster. "What about you, Spike?" Sam asked the little dragon that was sitting on the table. "I think I'll stay with you." he said. "I can help you take notes, if you want. I'm a really speedy writer." "That would be perfect," Sam smiled, handing Spike a notebook and pen. She then looked to the ponies. "You two stay here until someone comes." Teal'c was the one to answer Sam's call. She was a little surprised that he came, of all the people on the base, but Teal'c insisted that he didn't mind watching the ponies. "So... Teal'c, is it?" Rainbow asked the man, floating at eye level to him. "You seem different than the rest of the people here. For one: what's with the golden design on your forehead?" "The mark displays my rank and loyalty in the Jaffa Nation. I was once First Prime to Apophis, a false god that I have come to see as nothing but a Goa'uld." "Man, what's with all the brain-snakes?" Rainbow grumbled. "What's a Jaffa?" Pinkie said, bouncing all the while. "It sure is a fun word to say! Jaffa! Jaffa! JAFFA! Hee-hee!" Teal'c looked at Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow. The Pegasus shook her head. "Don't question. Just answer." "A Jaffa is a warrior loyal to one of the false gods." "Oh. Gotcha!" Pinkie bounced ahead and peeked into a room they were nearing. "Anybody--hey! Someone's home!" A shout of surprise came from the human occupying the room. Teal'c smiled, though he tried to make it unnoticeable. He failed, as Rainbow saw it and asked, "Do you know who's in there?" "That is Dr. Jackson's office," Teal'c said, now standing by the doorway. He entered, saying, "Apologies, Dr. Jackson. This one--Pinkie Pie--is beyond my control." "Um, it's fine, just a little... startling, is all," the doctor stammered. He was on the floor picking up papers that he most likely dropped in his surprise. Pinkie had bounced over and was helping him. "So, if you're a doctor, why are you in a room full of books and not a hospital?" Pinkie asked, somehow still understandable with a mouth full of paper. "I'm not a medical doctor," he said. "I have a Ph. D. in archaeology." "Isn't that basically history?" Rainbow asked, looking at the books on the shelves without much interest. "Well, kind of, but there's a bit more to it--" "BOOOO-RIIING," Rainbow replied. "Let's go somewhere fun!" "But I've barely got to meet Dr. Jackson!" Pinkie said. "Sure, a surprise does wonders for a budding friendship, but there's still a lot to do!" The Earthpony turned from her friend to the doctor, who looked a little hurt from Rainbow's comment. "What can I call you?" "Um, Daniel?" Dr. Jackson stammered. "Alrighty, then! It's good to meet you, Daniel!" Pinkie said, grabbing one of Daniel's hands and shaking it vigorously. Rainbow turned to Teal'c. "You guys have guns, right? So you should have a shooting range, or something?" Teal'c nodded. "Would you prefer that we go there now?" "Yes!" Teal'c, now smiling almost imperceptibly again, turned to Daniel. "Would you mind if I left Pinkie Pie in your care?" "Actually, I was doing something and--" Teal'c was already gone. "Hey, Carter," a human said as they walked into Sam's lab. Spike looked up from the notes he was writing, seeing that it was the human who had spoken to him and his friends on the ramp. "Hi, Jack," Sam said, turning to Spike. "That's Jack O'Neill. He's in charge of SG-1." "Does he know what 'SG' stands for?" Jack asked, still not quite sure about the dragon. He looked like a Puff, but who knows, he could have been a Smaug. "It stands for Stargate, which is the big wormhole-making ring my friends and I appeared by." Spike replied. "So Sam has been explaining things," Jack said, nodding. He turned to his fellow human. "How goes the science-y stuff?" "I've learned a whole lot about the M.N. between my readings and Spike's help." Sam began. "I was picking up a strange energy signature, and Spike said that it was probably magic. And while magic doesn't exist, it certainly would explain how my equipment is having problems identifying it." "Cool." Jack acted as if he knew what was going on, but he knew Sam knew better than to believe him. "Anything else?" "Yes, actually," Sam continued, looking through some of the notes Spike had written. "The M.N.--" "The what?" "The Multiverse Navigator." "Aha." Jack said. "Please, continue." "The M.N. has been slowly building up energy. By my calculations, we only have about twenty hours until it reaches critical energy output." "Which means...?" "When it becomes critical, it will either explode or teleport whoever gets caught in its energy output." "Gotcha." Jack said. He then looked at Spike, who had simply been watching the whole conversation. "So, Spot--" "My name is Spike." "Right. Spike. Got it. So, is the M&M--" "M.N." "Okay, M.N. supposed to do that?" "Nope," Spike said. "You should be able to control when and where you teleport to." "Based on what Spike has told me, I think this is a prototype." Sam added. "It worked, but it was unstable and uncontrollable." "What're we going to do with it once it goes boom?" Jack asked. "Well, it might not explode, but we've decided to place it in a secure room, since the energy output doesn't span more than a few meters. Spike had volunteered to see if it teleports or not, and he says his friends would do the same." "You sure about that?" Jack turned to the dragon. "You could get crispy-fried." "It's a risk I'll take if it means that I can get back home." Spike said, although he didn't look to sure of himself. "Alrighty then. I'll tell the General--" "Already done," Sam said. "Okay, then I'll go get lunch. Either of you want to come?" "I think I'll stay and keep an eye on the rock. You can go if you want, Spike." Sam looked at the dragon, who had looked torn between leaving and staying. Now that he had the blessing to go, Spike clumsily floated off the table with his wings and took a spot beside Jack. "Do you guys have potato chips?" Spike asked Jack, having already asked Sam if humans ate gems. "Of course we have potato chips." The mess hall was out of potato chips, as well as soda, and cake, and the Jell-O was running dangerously low. "Who could eat that much..." Jack wondered aloud. He saw Spike shaking his head and looked where the dragon had previously been staring. The pink pony that had accompanied Spike--her name was... ah, forget it--was sitting at a table that had been covered in dirty dishes and empty soda cans. The pony was currently spooning red Jell-O into her mouth at an incredible pace. Next to her sat what appeared to be Daniel, but between the stacks of dishes in Jack's line of sight and the fact that whoever was sitting there had their head in their arms, Jack wasn't sure. "Uh, Pinkie?" Spike asked, having left Jack's side and going to the table. "You think you could... maybe, stop eating?" "Nu-uh!" Pinkie said before she took the last bite of Jell-O and licked the glass clean. "Another one, please!' "Sorry... Pinkie, is it?" Jack said as he came up to the table. He had turned to Spike to confirm the name, who nodded. "Pinkie, I'm cutting you off. No more food." Pinkie's mane deflated. "Oh," she said, making Jack feel instantly guilty about stopping her. But almost as soon as Pinkie had become sad, she brightened up again. "Hey, Daniel, wanna go back to your office and look through your history books?" A muffled sound came from Daniel, having not removed his head from his arms. Jack could tell that it was a big, hearty no. "Well, Pinkie, I wanted to talk to you about something," Jack said, grabbing the pony's attention. "Spike here said that you would volunteer to be with a rock that could potentially explode if it meant that you could go home again. Is this true?" "Well, I'd be sad to leave you all behind, but I would. Equestria is my home." Pinkie was smiling, yet oddly serious. Jack felt uncomfortable with all of the changes in her mood. "Now all we've got to do is get Rainbow on board," Spike said, turning to Pinkie. "Do you know where she is?" SHOOOOOWOP! SHOOOOOWOP! Rainbow and Teal'c were in the firing range. The Pegasus was learning how to use a staff weapon, which was a long staff that shoots laser beams. Rainbow had just fired on a target, which now had a gaping, smoking hole in its center. "WOO-HOO!" Rainbow shouted, pumping a hoof in the air after handing Teal'c the weapon. "That was awesome!" "Sure was," Jack, Spike, and Pinkie all walked into the range. Rainbow removed the goggles she had been wearing and flew over to the group. "So, you must be Jack," Rainbow said, outstretching a hoof. "Teal'c's told me about you. I'm Rainbow Dash." "It's good to meet you," Jack said, awkwardly taking Rainbow's hoof and shaking it. "We've got some stuff to discuss with you." It was now thirty minutes until the M.N. would go critical. It was in a secure room with a one-way mirror overlooking it, so the results of the energy output could be observed discretely. The ponies and dragon were preparing to enter the room. "I made these suits for you," Sam said, handing the group three outfits. "They're not the best, having been thrown together in eighteen hours, but they should protect you from the explosion that could happen." "Thanks!" Spike said. He really hadn't wanted to be in an explosion. The three Equestrians put their suits on. Between figuring out how to put them on and getting everything to fit together right, by the time they entered the room with the M.N., there was only ten minutes until it would go critical. The M.N. glowed brightly, most of it pulsating from its golden center. Spike was nervous, but Rainbow and Pinkie wouldn't let him stay that way. "There's nothing to fear anymore, now that we have these awesome suits!" Rainbow said, patting the dragon's back. "Yeah! Soon, we'll either be in Equestria, or still here, or maybe somewhere else entirely!" Pinkie said cheerfully, although the speech did little to help Spike. Five minutes to critical. "When the M.N. reaches critical, you'll want to brace yourselves," Sam's voice cam from the intercom. "The energy blast might have some force behind it." Three minutes. "You guys ready?" Rainbow asked. "YEAH!" Pinkie bounced super high as she said this. "Ready as I'll ever be," Spike said. Rainbow gave him a reassuring nod. One minute. The glow from the stone now stretched further and further into the air, until it released its familiar white light and swallowed the group. Rainbow opened her eyes. She wasn't in a hospital. She wasn't in the M.N. room. She wasn't in Equestria, either. Rainbow took the helmet off of her protective suit. Pinkie and Spike did the same. "Either we went to another universe, or the afterlife looks a lot like Californeigha." Spike said. The ocean was right behind the group, the palm trees lining where the sand met the grass giving shade. The road they were standing on was being mobbed by people holding out little rectangular flashing gadgets. "Hey, we're being photographed!" Pinkie cheered, pulling her friends close. "Smile!" A siren then came into earshot, followed by what looked to be an automatic police car approaching the Equestrians. "Uh-oh," Spike whispered. 3: "I Need Some Help From Magic Head!"The three Equestrians found themselves in an interrogation room in the police department with their suits taken away. Pinkie, fortunately, had hidden the M.N. in her mane, which the police hadn't thought to check. The room was small and square, with a rectangular metal table in the middle having two chairs on both long sides. On one wall was a one-way mirror--or so Rainbow assumed, as that's what they had in Equestria--and on the wall across from it was a tiny window near the ceiling. Spike and Pinkie had taken up residence in two of the chairs, and Rainbow was pacing angrily in the air. The door on the wall with the one-way mirror squeaked open, and in walked two humans. They both wore suits, but the human with long blonde hair had a grey one while the human with short black-and-white hair wore a black one. They sat in the chairs across from Pinkie and Spike, one of them making a quick glance at the mirror. "Hello... whatever you are," the human in the black suit said, muttering the last part. "I'm Detective Carlton Lassiter, and this is my partner--" "Detective Juliet O'Hara," the other human cut him off. "We work for the Santa Barbara Police Department, and we want to ask you some questions." Rainbow, anticipating both the questions and Pinkie's rant, blurted, "I'm Rainbow Dash, that's Pinkie Pie, and that's Spike, we're from Equestria, which is in another universe, we came here because of a broken rock, and no, Princess Luna does not have a snake in her brain. That about cover it?" "Well, actually, now I have more questions," Detective Lassiter said. But he never got the chance to ask them. Because right then, another human walked in the room, followed by another one. "Hello there, colorful extraterrestrials," the first new human said. "I am Shawn Spencer, and this is my partner, Twinkle Toes." The second newcomer did a little tap dance. "Spencer," Detective Lassiter said, glaring at Shawn. "We are in the middle of a police interrogation! You--" "Not now, Lassie," Shawn said. The Equestrians had to hold in giggles. Shawn put his fingers up to his head. "I'm sensing some things about our visitors." "Really? You can do that?" Pinkie asked, somehow coming face-to-face with Shawn while keeping her flank in the chair. "Er, yes, I can," he said, a little surprised at the elasticity of the pony. "I'm a psychic detective." "Oh, really?" Rainbow said, squinting at Shawn. "Then read Spike." The dragon yelped, and the psychic turned to him. After a few moments, Shawn said to Spike, "You haven't eaten in... a day and a half." "Rainbow! He's right!" Spike yelled, surprised and a little scared. "Spencer, now is not the time for your antics," Detective Lassiter snapped, getting up from his chair. He pushed Shawn and Twinkle Toes out of the room, slammed the door, and returned to his seat. "So, now for the questions," he said. The door opened once more, and a different human walked in. "Um, Detectives?" "What do you want, McNab?" Detective Lassiter growled. "We just got a report that another house has been robbed." The two detectives at the table shared glances before jumping up and heading to the door. "Watch them for us," Detective O'Hara said as she passed McNab. "Hiya!" Pinkie said, waving her hoof at the newcomer. "What was that all about?" Rainbow asked as she flew over to McNab. "Oh, there's been a whole slew of suspicious robberies around town lately. While Detectives Lassiter and O'Hara usually investigate murder cases--" "Wait, MURDER?!" Rainbow gasped. Pinkie and Spike had hidden themselves under the table, as if a deranged killer would burst into the room at any moment. "Uh, yeah, there's a whole lot of murders in Santa Barbara," McNab said, not realizing it wasn't making the situation any better. "A WHOLE LOT of murder?!" Rainbow began to hyperventilate. Spike was audibly whimpering from under the table. As if he could sense that tensions were high in the room--which he probably could, based o what he had shown them earlier--Shawn burst into the room. "Buzz, my friend, why don't you leave them with us?" He asked McNab, who nodded before leaving the room. Shawn and Twinkle Toes walked up to the table. "I sense that there is not a lot of murdering where you come from," the psychic said. "No, there's not," Rainbow said, slightly calmer. "Are there really a ton of murders every day here?" "I wouldn't say every day, but yes, overall." Shawn said solemnly. He then perked up, saying, "How would you like to help us investigate these suspicious robberies?" Twinkle Toes suddenly and forcibly turned Shawn around to talk to him. "Are you really sure that's a good idea?" "Yes. We would still be able to investigate the case while obeying Jules's wishes." "Yeah, Twinkle Toes, don't be a fuddy-duddy!" Pinkie said, now out from under the table and in front of the two humans. "For the record, my name is not Twinkle Toes. It's Gus. Burton Guster," Gus said, addressing everyone in the room, including Shawn. "C'mon, Gus, we've saved our home from dangers worse than a little break-in over a dozen times!" Rainbow said, flying over to Pinkie. "And, if there's no... uh, victim, we should be okay," Spike added as he took a spot beside Pinkie. "You know you want them to help us," Shawn turned to Gus. "It was your childhood dream to meet the characters of Our Tiny Horsey." "Shawn, these are not the characters from Our Tiny Horsey." Gus retorted. He noticed the Equestrians making puppy dog eyes. Eventually, he relented. "Fine. But they need to be hidden from the public before they're all over the Internet." "Gus, they already are. Don't you have social media?" Shawn looked at the Equestrians. "But I do have and idea for a disguise." The house that had been robbed--it was more like a mansion, actually--was swarming with police cars and personnel. Yellow tape made a perimeter around the property. Shawn didn't seem to care that it said "DO NOT CROSS", since he simply ducked under it, Gus doing the same. "What are you two doing here?" Detective Lassiter said as he saw them coming up to the house. Detective O'Hara simply looked tired and went back to investigating. "We were hired by the daughter of the victim," Shawn said, knowing that the mansion was owned by an old man named Frank Smith. "I present to you... Leslie Smith!" A bumbling mass that sort of resembled a human toddled up to Shawn and Gus. They wore a long trench coat, fedora, and large sunglasses. It wavered with each step, as if it were drunk, or made of Jell-O. Upon reaching the group, it awkwardly raised an arm to say "hello", but the hand was concealed by the sleeve. "That's funny," Detective Lassiter said as he took in the sight of "Leslie Smith". "If that's Miss Smith, then who's this?" The detective pointed to a much more coordinated human that was being questioned by the police. "Huh. She must be an impostor!" Shawn exclaimed just as the human in the trench coat tripped and fell. The coat blew away in the wind, revealing two ponies and a dragon sprawled on the ground. "You brought them here?!" Detective Lassiter shouted. Gus pointed a finger at Shawn, who replied with a hurt look. Rainbow, not wanting to be restrained again, quickly got her friends on their hooves and feet before ushering them inside the mansion. Of course, it was full of police personnel, who quickly apprehended the Equestrians. "Get'cher dirty paws offa' me!" Pinkie shouted, clearly enjoying this too much. Rainbow struggled, but was unable to escape. Spike, however, slid himself out of the grasp of the human holding him and ran into the mansion to hide. The dragon found himself panting beside a rather lovely vase, hoping he'd lost the humans. He decided to look around and try to find a way out. Of course, mansions are rather big, and Spike was not paying attention to anything when he was running form the humans, so he was quickly lost. When Spike found himself at the study for the third time, he let out an exasperated shout. He turned to begin his search again when he heard an eerie creak from inside the study. Peeking around the doorframe and into the room, Spike saw the bookshelf against the back wall turn to reveal a hidden room. Something wearing a cloak came from the room before pulling on a book on the shelf to move it back to its former position. The thing turned, and with a little looking, Spike could see that it was... … a pony?! Without much time to comprehend the situation, Spike shouted, "HEEEEELP! THERE'S SOMEPONY SNEAKING AROUND THE STUDY! HEEEEEEEELP!" The pony suddenly took off galloping at a breakneck pace, leaving Spike to do everything in his power to try to keep the pony in sight. Police personnel were soon filling the halls, as well as Shawn, Gus, Pinkie, and Rainbow. The pony found itself in a corner, but upon trying to leave it, several humans blocked its path. It fumbled with its cloak and pulled out a white stone before disappearing in an instant. The detectives and Equestrians arrived a moment too late. The personnel recounted the tale to their superiors, but were stopped by Rainbow when they got to the part about the stone. "Did the stone look something like this?" the Pegasus asked, motioning for Pinkie to retrieve the M.N. from her mane. Every human who had witnessed the stone nodded. "Do you know anything about this stone?" Detective O'Hara asked. "Well, since it worked without a flash of light, it's probably the final version of the one we have," Spike said. "But who would have a M.N. on their hooves..." Rainbow pondered aloud. Detective Lassiter had insisted that the ponies e brought back to the police station for questioning, but Shawn somehow changed his mind--or blatantly ignored him--and brought the ponies back to his office. It was small, with a reception counter in the front room and two desks in the back room. There was a little kitchen-like area, and lots of toys. "Do you guys still play with these?" Rainbow asked, picking up an action figure off of Shawn's desk. "NO! Put that down!" the psychic flew over and snatched the figure from Rainbow's grasp, gently wiping it off and placing it back on his desk. "So, about how long do you all plan on staying?" Gus asked politely, although it was a little obvious that he didn't want a bunch of foreign creatures living in the office. "Well, the M.N. is going to go off in about sixteen hours, since our stone is an unstable prototype," Pinkie said, waving her hoof like simply knowing when the M.N. would teleport them again was no big deal. "How did you figure that out?" Spike said, dumbfounded. "Oh, it was easy! We were in the last world for exactly twenty-four hours, and we've been here for eight! So, once you take eight from twenty-four--" "We can all do math, Pinkie," Rainbow said, not seeming to notice that Shawn was counting on his fingers to figure out the problem. "Well, what're we going to do for sixteen hours?" Spike asked. "Let's PAR-TAY!" Pinkie shouted, suddenly producing a pineapple and a confetti cannon. "I like the sound of that!" Shawn shouted as everyone else simply shook their heads. After a good-bye between Shawn and Gus and the Equestrians, the ponies and dragon were once again transported to another universe. The sun was high, and the ground was rocky and dry. Mountains appeared not far from where the three stood, making a full circle and placing them in a kind of natural bowl. At one place along this bowl was a large building, a few cars parked out in front. Deciding that was where they would find someone, the Equestrians moved toward it. They were nearly to the little door to the building when Rainbow was suddenly knocked down from the sky by a speeding blur.
1: Shutdown and RebootStar Swirl the Bearded was known across Equestria as one of the greatest and most powerful unicorns in history. He wielded unparalleled magical skill, using it to help solve problems across the land. When Star Swirl wasn't out saving Equestria, though, he spent his time in the catacombs of the mountain that would soon hold the jewel of Equestria--Canterlot. In his time, Canterlot hadn't quite been finished yet. The mountain city was still under construction, though everypony knew that it would be a sight to behold. The catacombs in the mountain the city would rest on had been there for centuries, worn away by time and the elements. They were a perfect place to practice magic; quiet and concealed, away from anypony that might want to steal the magician's ideas or could get hurt. Star Swirl was known for teaching other gifted magicians. His most famous and successful protégé was Princess Celestia. She was the only pony that anypony could remember Star Swirl teaching. But the Unicorn had other apprentices, those kept quiet for security, or because they didn't want to be mobbed by ponies wanting to be taught by Star Swirl, or because they were downright dangerous. One such dangerous pony was named Spark. Spark was one of the most gifted Unicorns Star Swirl had ever met. He had been teaching himself complex spells and actually doing them correctly since he was a tiny colt. Star Swirl took Spark to be his newest student, and together, he grew more and more powerful. But, you know what they say: absolute power corrupts absolutely. Spark had found absolute power, and he was proving the saying right. "Star Swirl! Come quick! I must show you!" Spark shouted gleefully into the catacombs of the mountain. "My magnum opus! It's complete!" Star Swirl looked up from the book he had been reading. He was rather tired of Spark insisting that his "multiverse navigator" was in working order, since every time he had said it was before had been false. But, Star Swirl had to admit, he was still rather curious to see if his project would work. From what Spark had told him, it would be much more practical than his mirrors, and fifteen times as powerful. So, setting the book down and slipping on his trademark hat, Star Swirl trotted down into the mountain's tunnels, towards the hollow where Spark had set up his work. The hollow in the catacombs was full of strange technologies and books. Papers were piled on tables and taped to the cave walls. Beakers were filled with elixirs and gases of all colors, some bubbling, some sparkling, and still others were hissing or making noises. Spark himself was scurrying around the hollow, probably searching for a piece of paper that hadn't already been written on. Star Swirl cautiously peeked in the crowded cavern, a little scared that he might get hit in the face with something if he went in any further. "You needed me, Spark?" the Unicorn wizard asked nervously, ducking as a roll of parchment was thrown toward his face. "Ah, yes! Do come in, Star Swirl! I must show you my masterpiece!" Spark once again flew across the cave, heading for a table holding something that glowed brightly, enough to be seen from under the thick cloth that was covering it. "Behold!" the Unicorn student said dramatically, ripping the cloth away to reveal the shining object. Star Swirl wasn't able to hold back his gasp of astonishment. The object was a small, milky-white stone, about the shape of the bottom of a hoof. A golden star of light pulsated in the center of the stone, with veins of the same color stretching across the surface until they eventually faded at the edges. A powerful magic radiated from the stone, so strong that Star Swirl could feel it washing through him, filling him up from the bottom of his hooves to the very tip of his horn. Excitement rushed through him, as did the belief that it might actually be complete this time. But, Star Swirl was also wary of the stone. he knew the costs of having that much power, and Spark had already become so distant and somewhat unreasonable... "So explain to me one more time how it works," Star Swirl asked his apprentice. "It's rather simple, as I hope for anypony to be able to use them." Spark said pridefully. "You see--" "What do you mean, 'them'?" Star Swirl asked warily. "Oh, I made duplicates of the stone. That way my research will have an extremely high chance of not getting destroyed." Spark replied, as if it were obvious. The older Unicorn looked at his student with a worried expression as he continued. "As I said before, working the stone is not a complicated task. All one has to do is hold it in their hooves, like so--" Spark paused to demonstrate, making a v-shaped trench with his hooves and placing the stone in it--"think of where they want to go, and say these magic words: Oogie boogie boo!" Star Swirl was going to give his apprentice a look that said something like, "Really, those are the magic words?", but he didn't have the chance. Spark was gone. Spark opened his eyes. Travelling across the multiverse was more painful than he thought it would be, but he was only slightly sore. Looking around, he drank up his surroundings. He was sitting on a wooden porch in front of a house carved directly into a hill. A rocking chair across from him swayed in the faint breeze. The door to the house was short and circular, with a solitary window near its top. Several homes similar to the one Spark was by dotted the landscape, which was hilly and green. Gardens were by nearly every house, and tiny little bipeds shuffled about on the streets below, attending to daily business. Spark held in a squeal of delight. His Multiverse Navigator worked! The Unicorn sat for a while, taking in the spectacular view, wondering when he should leave, and where he should go next. The time came for Spark to go when one of the tiny bipeds came from the house he was in front of. It looked surprised to see him, quickly going back inside and locking the door. Spark made his departure right as the biped peeked out its door again, having convinced itself that he had been hallucinating. Now Spark found himself in a tiny room. It appeared to be moving up, making the unicorn think of the dumbwaiters that Equestria had. However, this one moved on its own. The doors even moved automatically, revealing to Spark a bigger room. In the room were various machines, with buttons and multicolored lights. Bipeds also lived here, although they were larger than the ones Spark had seen previously. They sat by the machines, obviously working them. Most wore bright yellow, blue, or red garments on there tops with black pants, although one wore a blue dress-like item. They all seemed alarmed to see the pony, making their ways behind furniture and holding up little machines. Based on his research, Spark assumed that these creatures were humans, and the things they were holding were guns. He quickly teleported out of there, disappearing just as they started firing on him. Spark found himself back in his cave in Equestria, with Star Swirl looking dazed. He couldn't hide his pride; he had managed to impress the great Star Swirl the Bearded, something he had hoped to do with the invention of his Multiverse Navigator. "So, what do you want me to do with my duplicates?" Spark asked. Star Swirl mumbled his answer, still fazed from what he had seen. "Sorry, I didn't quite--" "I said, destroy them." Spark stepped backwards in shock and disgust. "You want me to destroy my life's dream? My magnum opus? You want me to wipe everything I've worked so hard at from existence?" "Yes." Spark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No! I won't do it!" He yelled, holding his own stone close to his body. "You must," Star Swirl insisted, becoming agitated and angry. "Messing with the multiverse is a dangerous thing! I only allowed you to pursue this path because I thought you were responsible enough! But it appears that I was wrong." "No, you weren't. I can be responsible. I won't use the stones very often, and I'll only share their existence with ponies I could trust my life with. I don't have to destroy--" "But you do!" Star Swirl was shouting now, a few of the lighter beakers shaking as he spoke. "I know firsthand the consequences of messing with alternate realities. The multiverse is just as dangerous!" "But it's not!" Spark retaliated. "The multiverse and different realities are two different things! Travelling through the multiverse might have no side effects at all!" "That's not a chance I'm willing to take." Star Swirl said grimly. "Where are your duplicates?" "You--you're not going to..." "If you won't get rid of the stones, then I will." Star Swirl's horn lit up, and he left the room, calmly walking through the catacombs towards Spark's cache of the stone's copies. He wouldn't let them all be destroyed. They were his life's work. His foalhood dream come true. Spark really only needed one stone. He looked down at his hooves, suddenly remembering the milky rock in his possession. The Unicorn threw on his cloak and raced through the catacombs, heading to the secret exit he had found months ago that led straight to the frozen north. He could use his stone to hide, to stay safe. To keep it safe. Spark activated the stone, leaving Equestria permanently. "So, Princess, why exactly did you call us here?" The Mane 6 and Spike followed both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna down the halls of Canterlot castle. The sun was now exactly overhead in the sky, signaling the change from morning to afternoon. The ponies had been called to come early that morning, saying that the situation at hand was urgent, but nothing else. Twilight was her usual curious self. She had tried to ask the question in some more roundabout ways, until she finally got tired of getting no response and became very up front about the matter. Princess Celestia, however, didn't want to discuss the situation in the castle, even if this was one of the more secluded areas. "I'll tell you when we get there." she responded. The Princesses led the Mane 6 and their dragon companion to a familiar set of double doors that led into the catacombs of the mountain, as well as Star Swirl's study. "Will you two be coming with us?" Twilight asked. "No, not this time," Princess Celestia said, her sister nodding in agreement. "However, there is already somepony in there to help you." The Mane 6 exchanged glances before walking through the doors, Spike trailing behind. Twilight easily navigated through the tunnels using the signs posted everywhere, and the rest of the group was not quite as lost as they were last time they had come. "So who do you think is in here?" Rainbow asked, her voice echoing in the quiet catacombs. "Ooh, I bet they got a new hydra!" Pinkie trilled, obviously joking, although Fluttershy became noticeably more nervous. "Pinkie, th' Princesses wouldn't've sent us down here alone with a live hydra on th' lose." Applejack retorted. "Ah think it's gonna be somepony we know." "Maybe one of our Canterlot friends?" Rarity suggested. "Maybe Sunset has returned from Earth!" "I hope they have food," Spike grumbled. "I packed everything except breakfast." "While all of your guesses--well, most of them--" Twilight eyed Pinkie Pie, fighting the urge to question her--"made a little sense. But I think the pony waiting for us is none other than--" As the group rounded the corner into the hollow known as Star Swirl's study, they recognized the old Unicorn stallion standing in the middle of it. "Star Swirl!" the group gasped. "It is good to see you all again," the sorcerer smiled sadly. "I just wished it were under better circumstances." "What's the problem?" Twilight asked. "Well... it's a story, so get ready..." Star Swirl said, digging into his memories... After hearing the tale of Spark and his stone, Star Swirl told the group what the problem was. "I do believe that there is one more stone in these catacombs," he said, pointing to four separate tunnels branching from his study. "My magic is still a little weaker than it used to be, but I can still search for it. I would like your aid in finding this last stone, so that it may be destroyed, and we can end this terrible business." "Alright then, girls!" Twilight said, taking the lead. "Rarity, Fluttershy, go down that tunnel. Pinkie, Rainbow, you'll take that one. A.J., come with me." The Mane 6 divided into their groups and headed off into the caverns, with Star Swirl taking his own. They all ran off so quickly that Spike was left in the dust, unsure where anypony was. He went down a tunnel to his left, hoping it would be the one Rarity or Twilight was in. It was the tunnel Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were exploring. While Spike was a little disheartened, he knew it could be worse. "So, how are we supposed to find this Multiverse doohickey if we don't have any magic to track it down?" Rainbow asked, floating through the tunnels. "We just look for a shiny white rock in the middle of all this grey rock! Duh!" Pinkie replied, bouncing down the tunnels. Rainbow smacked her forehead, not wanting to show Pinkie that she was a little upset that she didn't think of that first. "It's okay," Spike tried to comfort the Pegasus, which just made her jump. "When did you get here!?" Rainbow yelled. "You didn't know that he followed us?" Pinkie turned around to see the scene. "I thought I was being loud enough for you to hear me," the dragon apologized. "Well--you weren't!" Rainbow huffed, trying to cover up her startled fear with annoyance. "Just--just don't do that again." "Aye-aye, Captain Rainbow Dash!" Spike joked, saluting her. Pinkie giggled. Rainbow decided to play along. "Onward, my daring crew!" she said, flying past the other two and taking the lead. Eventually the group came to a hollow. It was mostly empty, except for the bookshelves lining the walls. Rainbow floated in, Pinkie bouncing right behind her. Spike took a quick look around, coughing at the sheer amount of dust in the air. "Jeez, whoever worked here was after Twilight's own heart," Rainbow said, peering at the hundreds of books squeezed together on the shelves. "I don't know, it seems pretty unlikely that she would read some of these." Spike noted as he scanned the spines of the books. They had very odd titles. "Ooh, this one looks like a page-turner!" Pinkie bounced up to the top of one shelf, floated long enough to pull a book off of it, and landed back on the ground. The book was titled Sweets of Equestria. "What's it about?" Spike said, rushing over. "Well, let's--" Pinkie opened the book, expecting to see pages full of words. Instead, the paper had been carved into, and a rock sat in the cut out space. A white, glowing rock. "Woah!" Spike exclaimed, grabbing the rock before anypony could stop him. His pupils had dilated, and his tongue was hanging from his mouth. "Hey!" Rainbow shouted, attempting to take the stone from Spike, who only held it closer. "We're supposed to take it to Star Swirl so he can destroy it!" "But, I'm so hungry!" Spike whined. "And if I eat it, it will technically be destroyed!" "Technically, shmecnically!" Rainbow retorted. "Who knows? Maybe eating a magic rock will mess you up!" "How?" "Well--somehow! I don't know!" Rainbow sputtered. "Just don't eat it!" Spike whimpered, but gave up the rock to Pinkie. She cupped it in her hooves. "Man, Spike's got a point about eating," Pinkie said, her stomach suddenly grumbling. "I could sure go for a batch of cupcakes!" The stone in Pinkie's hooves began to glow. It emitted a white light, filling the room. "What's--" Rainbow began her question in the hollow. "--happening?" she finished it in Sugarcube Corner. The Pegasus rubbed her eyes to make sure they were still working. Sure enough, she, Pinkie, and Spike were all standing in the kitchen Ponyville's sweet shop. Rainbow looked at her friends, her mouth open in disbelief. Spike shared her surprise, but Pinkie just smiled. "How about those cupcakes?" she asked as if nothing had just happened. "But... how... we were just... but... I don't..." Rainbow was too shocked for coherent sentences. Spike just didn't even try to speak. "Why are you guys so surprised? The rock is a teleportation device," Pinkie said, gathering ingredients for cupcakes. "Yeah, but... but it's a multiverse teleporter-thingy!" Rainbow cried. "I'm no Twilight, but I'm pretty sure that Sugarcube Corner is not considered another universe!" Pinkie simply shrugged and put her cupcakes in the oven. "Well, maybe it's broken," Spike suggested as he picked up the stone and observed it. "Or low on power." "How would we prove that?" Rainbow asked. "Um, we could, try to go to another universe? And see if it works?" "Ooh! I wanna try that!" Pinkie zoomed over and snatched the stone from Spike. "I want to go to Earth... but not the one we know! One that's got... lots of weird technology!" "Doesn't that also describe the Earth Twilight went to?" Rainbow asked Spike, who replied with a shrug as they were once again swallowed by a blinding white light. The three friends found themselves on a ramp in a room they didn't recognize. Behind them stood a large ring decorated with orange lights and runic symbols and filled with some kind of glowing water. In front of them were lots of--humans, Pinkie called them--with guns in their hands, aiming straight for the ponies and dragon. Spike cowered behind Pinkie, who nervously waved a "hello". Rainbow floated in a defensive position above her friends. "Pinkie, take us back!" she shouted. "Okee dokee lokee!" the Earthpony said, nervously bringing her hand down to hold the stone firmly. "I want to go to Equestria!" Nothing happened. The Equestrians were still on the ramp. The guns were still aimed on them. "This is not going to be quite the adventure," Pinkie said, glancing warily at the guns before her.
2: "That's Right. Giant Worms."Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all considered what to do next. However, thinking straight was a little difficult, with all of the guns pointed at them. Pinkie was the first to speak. "Hello everyone!" Pinkie shouted, tentatively waving her hoof in the air. "We are not here to punch you, kick you, bite you, slap you, make you cry, scream so loud your ears bleed--" Rainbow scanned the room as Pinkie went down her list. The people on the outskirts of the room were all in the same black uniforms and carried similar guns. But there were four humans at the foot of the ramp who were different than the rest. They wore green camouflage uniforms with black vests and lots of equipment. Two of them held sizeable guns, while one held a rather small one. The fourth held a staff-thingy that faintly glowed at its tip. "--burn you on a stake, pelt you with rocks, tar and feather you--gwolmph!" Rainbow had chosen that time for Pinkie to stop talking. "Hi, uh, everyone," the Pegasus said, making a motion with her head for Spike to come out of hiding. "I'm Rainbow Dash, this here is Pinkie Pie, and the little dragon over there is Spike. As Pinkie was trying to say, we come in peace." Barely audible whispers floated around the edge of the room. One of the four people in front of the ramp spoke. "Are you sure you come in peace?" it said, waving its gun at Pinkie. "Pinkie there sure had some crazy ways to kills us." "She's, uh, too trusting for her own good," Rainbow replied nervously, eyeing the gun. The human who had spoken replied with a silent ah before it spoke rather loudly to the window at the back of the room Rainbow hadn't noticed. "General, these... Technicolor horses say they are nice." A hairless human in the window leaned down to a stick with a bulb on its end, making its words come through to this room. "They can say a lot of things. I want them in a holding cell until we can get this all sorted out." Rainbow and Spike felt fear rush through them, not wanting to be trapped in a cell, the struggled when some more black-clad humans came in to restrain them, but ultimately failed. Pinkie, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit concerned. "That is a reasonable request!" she said, stretching her forehooves in front of her. "Take me away, boys!" The humans coming to take her shared some confused glances before picking Pinkie up in a manner similar to that of her friends. They were all put inside a small room with a bed and a table. As soon as she was free from the human's grasp, Rainbow flew towards the door, which slammed shut in her face. "DANG IT!" Rainbow said, kicking the door. She regretted it instantly, massaging her throbbing hoof. "So," Spike said to the ponies. "What're we going to do?" "ESCAPE!" Rainbow shouted as she flew over to the table. She attempted to pick it up, but it was too awkward, and she didn't exactly have Applejack's monster strength. "I say we figure out what's wrong with ol' Rocky over here!" Pinkie said, sticking a hoof into her mane and pulling out the white stone that had gotten them into this mess. "You... named it?" Spike asked with a confused look on his face. "Why, of course I named it! It probably wasn't working earlier because it felt sad that it had no name!" Pinkie stroked the rock like it was a cat. "Well, if you think the name's going to make it work better, why don't we use it to get out of this cell?!" Rainbow shouted. "Alrighty then!" Pinkie said. She cupped the rock in her hooves and stated, "Take us to Equestria!" Nothing happened. "Please take us to Equestria!" Again, nothing. No glowing or humming or anything. It was like the rock was sleeping. "So, now what?" Spike asked glumly. "You could answer our questions and get out of her quicker," someone new said. Everyone turned to the door to see a human at the door, slowly closing it. Once the human turned around, Rainbow recognized it as one of the people in front with a big gun, and not the one that spoke earlier. "So, let me see if I have your names right," they continued. "Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike?" The group nodded. "Alright then, if you could all come to the table, we can start." Pinkie bounced up to the table and, upon seeing that Spike couldn't see over it, dung into her mane to get him a stepstool. The human looked slightly alarmed that Pinkie could do that, but was snapped back into focus when Rainbow floated up and asked, "What's your name?" "I'm Samantha Carter," the human replied. "I work here as a theoretical astrophysicist, and as a member of SG-1." "What's SG-1?" Rainbow asked, now less suspicious and more confused. "I'll get to that later. I'm supposed to be asking you the questions." Samantha said, though she wasn't angry. "Before we begin, what should I call you?" Pinkie asked with an encouraging nod from Spike. "Should I call you Samantha? Or Carter? Or Samantha Carter? Or Carter, Samantha? Or--" "Sam is fine," the human said, hastily trying to prevent Pinkie from going on a rant. "Now on to interrogating you. Where do you come from?" The ponies and dragon looked at each other, seeing who would be the first to speak. "Equestria," Rainbow finally said. "Okay," Sam said, writing on a clipboard she had brought in. "What is the state of... Equestria?" "What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, still trying not to drop the suspicious act. "Is your home in a state of war or peace?" "It's pretty peaceful overall." "Alright. Who is in charge of your homeland? Do you have a monarchy or a democracy?" "Umm, monarchy. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rule as equals." Sam made a funny face as she scribbled more in her clipboard. "Do either of these princesses have the tendency to do evil acts, glowing eyes, access to technology that no one else can use, a strange voice, or don't seem like their normal self?" "No. Princess Luna was like that once, but we were able to help her become good again." "Was there a snake-like creature in her head?" "WHAT?!" Rainbow shouted, flying a good yard or two away from Sam. Pinkie blanched, and Spike looked ready to hurl. Sam tried to get the conversation back on track. "There's an alien race called the Goa'uld that look like snakes. They nest themselves into the brains of innocent creatures and take over their thoughts and actions. I was just making sure that there weren't any in your home--" "Of COURSE there aren't any at home! We're too awesome for them to take over!" Rainbow said, switching from fear to pride in a second, although she was still a little upset about the brain-snake thingies. "My friends and I have stopped over a dozen of villains from taking over Equestria. We wouldn't let some snake slip through our grasp!" "Okay then," Sam said, glad to have everything mostly under control again. "How did you get here?" "Ooh! I wanna answer this one!" Pinkie said, waving her hoof in the air like an impatient student. "So we were called by the princesses we were just telling you about to help them--no, wait, we were helping Star Swirl who's this really powerful magician and he said that one of his students had made a Multiverse Navigator and we were looking for it and--GAAAAAAAASSSP--when we found it we accidentally went to Sugarcube Corner which is definitely in Equestria and so to prove that it still worked we teleported far away to here and when we couldn't get back using the Navigator we decided to try to become friends with you all and you know the rest!" Sam was a little dazed at how quickly Pinkie could talk. She tried to jot everything down, but she gave up and asked, "In summary?" "We have a broken teleportation device." Spike said. "Aha. I might be able to help you with that." "Really?" Rainbow asked, floating once again back to Sam. "You could do that?" "I'm not completely sure, but if you are cleared for release after I turn this report in, I will certainly try." Sam walked over to the door. "I'll be back in a couple of hours with the results." The door to the cell closed. Now the waiting game began. "Okay. Tell me how this 'Multiverse Navigator' thing works." Sam, Pinkie, Rainbow and Spike were all in Sam's laboratory, surrounding a central table. The stone--or Rocky, as Pinkie had begun calling it--rested on that table. "Well, we're not really sure how it works," Rainbow said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "We do know that you have to tell it where you're going or describe where you want to go, and then there's this really big flash of light that takes you to that place." "It's a start," Sam said, half to herself. "I'm going to do some readings and figure some out some things about it. You guys can stay, or I can call someone to accompany you, if you want to explore a little." "Yes! I wanna see this place!" Rainbow pumped a forehoof in the air. Pinkie giggled in agreement, bouncing a little faster. "What about you, Spike?" Sam asked the little dragon that was sitting on the table. "I think I'll stay with you." he said. "I can help you take notes, if you want. I'm a really speedy writer." "That would be perfect," Sam smiled, handing Spike a notebook and pen. She then looked to the ponies. "You two stay here until someone comes." Teal'c was the one to answer Sam's call. She was a little surprised that he came, of all the people on the base, but Teal'c insisted that he didn't mind watching the ponies. "So... Teal'c, is it?" Rainbow asked the man, floating at eye level to him. "You seem different than the rest of the people here. For one: what's with the golden design on your forehead?" "The mark displays my rank and loyalty in the Jaffa Nation. I was once First Prime to Apophis, a false god that I have come to see as nothing but a Goa'uld." "Man, what's with all the brain-snakes?" Rainbow grumbled. "What's a Jaffa?" Pinkie said, bouncing all the while. "It sure is a fun word to say! Jaffa! Jaffa! JAFFA! Hee-hee!" Teal'c looked at Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow. The Pegasus shook her head. "Don't question. Just answer." "A Jaffa is a warrior loyal to one of the false gods." "Oh. Gotcha!" Pinkie bounced ahead and peeked into a room they were nearing. "Anybody--hey! Someone's home!" A shout of surprise came from the human occupying the room. Teal'c smiled, though he tried to make it unnoticeable. He failed, as Rainbow saw it and asked, "Do you know who's in there?" "That is Dr. Jackson's office," Teal'c said, now standing by the doorway. He entered, saying, "Apologies, Dr. Jackson. This one--Pinkie Pie--is beyond my control." "Um, it's fine, just a little... startling, is all," the doctor stammered. He was on the floor picking up papers that he most likely dropped in his surprise. Pinkie had bounced over and was helping him. "So, if you're a doctor, why are you in a room full of books and not a hospital?" Pinkie asked, somehow still understandable with a mouth full of paper. "I'm not a medical doctor," he said. "I have a Ph. D. in archaeology." "Isn't that basically history?" Rainbow asked, looking at the books on the shelves without much interest. "Well, kind of, but there's a bit more to it--" "BOOOO-RIIING," Rainbow replied. "Let's go somewhere fun!" "But I've barely got to meet Dr. Jackson!" Pinkie said. "Sure, a surprise does wonders for a budding friendship, but there's still a lot to do!" The Earthpony turned from her friend to the doctor, who looked a little hurt from Rainbow's comment. "What can I call you?" "Um, Daniel?" Dr. Jackson stammered. "Alrighty, then! It's good to meet you, Daniel!" Pinkie said, grabbing one of Daniel's hands and shaking it vigorously. Rainbow turned to Teal'c. "You guys have guns, right? So you should have a shooting range, or something?" Teal'c nodded. "Would you prefer that we go there now?" "Yes!" Teal'c, now smiling almost imperceptibly again, turned to Daniel. "Would you mind if I left Pinkie Pie in your care?" "Actually, I was doing something and--" Teal'c was already gone. "Hey, Carter," a human said as they walked into Sam's lab. Spike looked up from the notes he was writing, seeing that it was the human who had spoken to him and his friends on the ramp. "Hi, Jack," Sam said, turning to Spike. "That's Jack O'Neill. He's in charge of SG-1." "Does he know what 'SG' stands for?" Jack asked, still not quite sure about the dragon. He looked like a Puff, but who knows, he could have been a Smaug. "It stands for Stargate, which is the big wormhole-making ring my friends and I appeared by." Spike replied. "So Sam has been explaining things," Jack said, nodding. He turned to his fellow human. "How goes the science-y stuff?" "I've learned a whole lot about the M.N. between my readings and Spike's help." Sam began. "I was picking up a strange energy signature, and Spike said that it was probably magic. And while magic doesn't exist, it certainly would explain how my equipment is having problems identifying it." "Cool." Jack acted as if he knew what was going on, but he knew Sam knew better than to believe him. "Anything else?" "Yes, actually," Sam continued, looking through some of the notes Spike had written. "The M.N.--" "The what?" "The Multiverse Navigator." "Aha." Jack said. "Please, continue." "The M.N. has been slowly building up energy. By my calculations, we only have about twenty hours until it reaches critical energy output." "Which means...?" "When it becomes critical, it will either explode or teleport whoever gets caught in its energy output." "Gotcha." Jack said. He then looked at Spike, who had simply been watching the whole conversation. "So, Spot--" "My name is Spike." "Right. Spike. Got it. So, is the M&M--" "M.N." "Okay, M.N. supposed to do that?" "Nope," Spike said. "You should be able to control when and where you teleport to." "Based on what Spike has told me, I think this is a prototype." Sam added. "It worked, but it was unstable and uncontrollable." "What're we going to do with it once it goes boom?" Jack asked. "Well, it might not explode, but we've decided to place it in a secure room, since the energy output doesn't span more than a few meters. Spike had volunteered to see if it teleports or not, and he says his friends would do the same." "You sure about that?" Jack turned to the dragon. "You could get crispy-fried." "It's a risk I'll take if it means that I can get back home." Spike said, although he didn't look to sure of himself. "Alrighty then. I'll tell the General--" "Already done," Sam said. "Okay, then I'll go get lunch. Either of you want to come?" "I think I'll stay and keep an eye on the rock. You can go if you want, Spike." Sam looked at the dragon, who had looked torn between leaving and staying. Now that he had the blessing to go, Spike clumsily floated off the table with his wings and took a spot beside Jack. "Do you guys have potato chips?" Spike asked Jack, having already asked Sam if humans ate gems. "Of course we have potato chips." The mess hall was out of potato chips, as well as soda, and cake, and the Jell-O was running dangerously low. "Who could eat that much..." Jack wondered aloud. He saw Spike shaking his head and looked where the dragon had previously been staring. The pink pony that had accompanied Spike--her name was... ah, forget it--was sitting at a table that had been covered in dirty dishes and empty soda cans. The pony was currently spooning red Jell-O into her mouth at an incredible pace. Next to her sat what appeared to be Daniel, but between the stacks of dishes in Jack's line of sight and the fact that whoever was sitting there had their head in their arms, Jack wasn't sure. "Uh, Pinkie?" Spike asked, having left Jack's side and going to the table. "You think you could... maybe, stop eating?" "Nu-uh!" Pinkie said before she took the last bite of Jell-O and licked the glass clean. "Another one, please!' "Sorry... Pinkie, is it?" Jack said as he came up to the table. He had turned to Spike to confirm the name, who nodded. "Pinkie, I'm cutting you off. No more food." Pinkie's mane deflated. "Oh," she said, making Jack feel instantly guilty about stopping her. But almost as soon as Pinkie had become sad, she brightened up again. "Hey, Daniel, wanna go back to your office and look through your history books?" A muffled sound came from Daniel, having not removed his head from his arms. Jack could tell that it was a big, hearty no. "Well, Pinkie, I wanted to talk to you about something," Jack said, grabbing the pony's attention. "Spike here said that you would volunteer to be with a rock that could potentially explode if it meant that you could go home again. Is this true?" "Well, I'd be sad to leave you all behind, but I would. Equestria is my home." Pinkie was smiling, yet oddly serious. Jack felt uncomfortable with all of the changes in her mood. "Now all we've got to do is get Rainbow on board," Spike said, turning to Pinkie. "Do you know where she is?" SHOOOOOWOP! SHOOOOOWOP! Rainbow and Teal'c were in the firing range. The Pegasus was learning how to use a staff weapon, which was a long staff that shoots laser beams. Rainbow had just fired on a target, which now had a gaping, smoking hole in its center. "WOO-HOO!" Rainbow shouted, pumping a hoof in the air after handing Teal'c the weapon. "That was awesome!" "Sure was," Jack, Spike, and Pinkie all walked into the range. Rainbow removed the goggles she had been wearing and flew over to the group. "So, you must be Jack," Rainbow said, outstretching a hoof. "Teal'c's told me about you. I'm Rainbow Dash." "It's good to meet you," Jack said, awkwardly taking Rainbow's hoof and shaking it. "We've got some stuff to discuss with you." It was now thirty minutes until the M.N. would go critical. It was in a secure room with a one-way mirror overlooking it, so the results of the energy output could be observed discretely. The ponies and dragon were preparing to enter the room. "I made these suits for you," Sam said, handing the group three outfits. "They're not the best, having been thrown together in eighteen hours, but they should protect you from the explosion that could happen." "Thanks!" Spike said. He really hadn't wanted to be in an explosion. The three Equestrians put their suits on. Between figuring out how to put them on and getting everything to fit together right, by the time they entered the room with the M.N., there was only ten minutes until it would go critical. The M.N. glowed brightly, most of it pulsating from its golden center. Spike was nervous, but Rainbow and Pinkie wouldn't let him stay that way. "There's nothing to fear anymore, now that we have these awesome suits!" Rainbow said, patting the dragon's back. "Yeah! Soon, we'll either be in Equestria, or still here, or maybe somewhere else entirely!" Pinkie said cheerfully, although the speech did little to help Spike. Five minutes to critical. "When the M.N. reaches critical, you'll want to brace yourselves," Sam's voice cam from the intercom. "The energy blast might have some force behind it." Three minutes. "You guys ready?" Rainbow asked. "YEAH!" Pinkie bounced super high as she said this. "Ready as I'll ever be," Spike said. Rainbow gave him a reassuring nod. One minute. The glow from the stone now stretched further and further into the air, until it released its familiar white light and swallowed the group. Rainbow opened her eyes. She wasn't in a hospital. She wasn't in the M.N. room. She wasn't in Equestria, either. Rainbow took the helmet off of her protective suit. Pinkie and Spike did the same. "Either we went to another universe, or the afterlife looks a lot like Californeigha." Spike said. The ocean was right behind the group, the palm trees lining where the sand met the grass giving shade. The road they were standing on was being mobbed by people holding out little rectangular flashing gadgets. "Hey, we're being photographed!" Pinkie cheered, pulling her friends close. "Smile!" A siren then came into earshot, followed by what looked to be an automatic police car approaching the Equestrians. "Uh-oh," Spike whispered.
3: "I Need Some Help From Magic Head!"The three Equestrians found themselves in an interrogation room in the police department with their suits taken away. Pinkie, fortunately, had hidden the M.N. in her mane, which the police hadn't thought to check. The room was small and square, with a rectangular metal table in the middle having two chairs on both long sides. On one wall was a one-way mirror--or so Rainbow assumed, as that's what they had in Equestria--and on the wall across from it was a tiny window near the ceiling. Spike and Pinkie had taken up residence in two of the chairs, and Rainbow was pacing angrily in the air. The door on the wall with the one-way mirror squeaked open, and in walked two humans. They both wore suits, but the human with long blonde hair had a grey one while the human with short black-and-white hair wore a black one. They sat in the chairs across from Pinkie and Spike, one of them making a quick glance at the mirror. "Hello... whatever you are," the human in the black suit said, muttering the last part. "I'm Detective Carlton Lassiter, and this is my partner--" "Detective Juliet O'Hara," the other human cut him off. "We work for the Santa Barbara Police Department, and we want to ask you some questions." Rainbow, anticipating both the questions and Pinkie's rant, blurted, "I'm Rainbow Dash, that's Pinkie Pie, and that's Spike, we're from Equestria, which is in another universe, we came here because of a broken rock, and no, Princess Luna does not have a snake in her brain. That about cover it?" "Well, actually, now I have more questions," Detective Lassiter said. But he never got the chance to ask them. Because right then, another human walked in the room, followed by another one. "Hello there, colorful extraterrestrials," the first new human said. "I am Shawn Spencer, and this is my partner, Twinkle Toes." The second newcomer did a little tap dance. "Spencer," Detective Lassiter said, glaring at Shawn. "We are in the middle of a police interrogation! You--" "Not now, Lassie," Shawn said. The Equestrians had to hold in giggles. Shawn put his fingers up to his head. "I'm sensing some things about our visitors." "Really? You can do that?" Pinkie asked, somehow coming face-to-face with Shawn while keeping her flank in the chair. "Er, yes, I can," he said, a little surprised at the elasticity of the pony. "I'm a psychic detective." "Oh, really?" Rainbow said, squinting at Shawn. "Then read Spike." The dragon yelped, and the psychic turned to him. After a few moments, Shawn said to Spike, "You haven't eaten in... a day and a half." "Rainbow! He's right!" Spike yelled, surprised and a little scared. "Spencer, now is not the time for your antics," Detective Lassiter snapped, getting up from his chair. He pushed Shawn and Twinkle Toes out of the room, slammed the door, and returned to his seat. "So, now for the questions," he said. The door opened once more, and a different human walked in. "Um, Detectives?" "What do you want, McNab?" Detective Lassiter growled. "We just got a report that another house has been robbed." The two detectives at the table shared glances before jumping up and heading to the door. "Watch them for us," Detective O'Hara said as she passed McNab. "Hiya!" Pinkie said, waving her hoof at the newcomer. "What was that all about?" Rainbow asked as she flew over to McNab. "Oh, there's been a whole slew of suspicious robberies around town lately. While Detectives Lassiter and O'Hara usually investigate murder cases--" "Wait, MURDER?!" Rainbow gasped. Pinkie and Spike had hidden themselves under the table, as if a deranged killer would burst into the room at any moment. "Uh, yeah, there's a whole lot of murders in Santa Barbara," McNab said, not realizing it wasn't making the situation any better. "A WHOLE LOT of murder?!" Rainbow began to hyperventilate. Spike was audibly whimpering from under the table. As if he could sense that tensions were high in the room--which he probably could, based o what he had shown them earlier--Shawn burst into the room. "Buzz, my friend, why don't you leave them with us?" He asked McNab, who nodded before leaving the room. Shawn and Twinkle Toes walked up to the table. "I sense that there is not a lot of murdering where you come from," the psychic said. "No, there's not," Rainbow said, slightly calmer. "Are there really a ton of murders every day here?" "I wouldn't say every day, but yes, overall." Shawn said solemnly. He then perked up, saying, "How would you like to help us investigate these suspicious robberies?" Twinkle Toes suddenly and forcibly turned Shawn around to talk to him. "Are you really sure that's a good idea?" "Yes. We would still be able to investigate the case while obeying Jules's wishes." "Yeah, Twinkle Toes, don't be a fuddy-duddy!" Pinkie said, now out from under the table and in front of the two humans. "For the record, my name is not Twinkle Toes. It's Gus. Burton Guster," Gus said, addressing everyone in the room, including Shawn. "C'mon, Gus, we've saved our home from dangers worse than a little break-in over a dozen times!" Rainbow said, flying over to Pinkie. "And, if there's no... uh, victim, we should be okay," Spike added as he took a spot beside Pinkie. "You know you want them to help us," Shawn turned to Gus. "It was your childhood dream to meet the characters of Our Tiny Horsey." "Shawn, these are not the characters from Our Tiny Horsey." Gus retorted. He noticed the Equestrians making puppy dog eyes. Eventually, he relented. "Fine. But they need to be hidden from the public before they're all over the Internet." "Gus, they already are. Don't you have social media?" Shawn looked at the Equestrians. "But I do have and idea for a disguise." The house that had been robbed--it was more like a mansion, actually--was swarming with police cars and personnel. Yellow tape made a perimeter around the property. Shawn didn't seem to care that it said "DO NOT CROSS", since he simply ducked under it, Gus doing the same. "What are you two doing here?" Detective Lassiter said as he saw them coming up to the house. Detective O'Hara simply looked tired and went back to investigating. "We were hired by the daughter of the victim," Shawn said, knowing that the mansion was owned by an old man named Frank Smith. "I present to you... Leslie Smith!" A bumbling mass that sort of resembled a human toddled up to Shawn and Gus. They wore a long trench coat, fedora, and large sunglasses. It wavered with each step, as if it were drunk, or made of Jell-O. Upon reaching the group, it awkwardly raised an arm to say "hello", but the hand was concealed by the sleeve. "That's funny," Detective Lassiter said as he took in the sight of "Leslie Smith". "If that's Miss Smith, then who's this?" The detective pointed to a much more coordinated human that was being questioned by the police. "Huh. She must be an impostor!" Shawn exclaimed just as the human in the trench coat tripped and fell. The coat blew away in the wind, revealing two ponies and a dragon sprawled on the ground. "You brought them here?!" Detective Lassiter shouted. Gus pointed a finger at Shawn, who replied with a hurt look. Rainbow, not wanting to be restrained again, quickly got her friends on their hooves and feet before ushering them inside the mansion. Of course, it was full of police personnel, who quickly apprehended the Equestrians. "Get'cher dirty paws offa' me!" Pinkie shouted, clearly enjoying this too much. Rainbow struggled, but was unable to escape. Spike, however, slid himself out of the grasp of the human holding him and ran into the mansion to hide. The dragon found himself panting beside a rather lovely vase, hoping he'd lost the humans. He decided to look around and try to find a way out. Of course, mansions are rather big, and Spike was not paying attention to anything when he was running form the humans, so he was quickly lost. When Spike found himself at the study for the third time, he let out an exasperated shout. He turned to begin his search again when he heard an eerie creak from inside the study. Peeking around the doorframe and into the room, Spike saw the bookshelf against the back wall turn to reveal a hidden room. Something wearing a cloak came from the room before pulling on a book on the shelf to move it back to its former position. The thing turned, and with a little looking, Spike could see that it was... … a pony?! Without much time to comprehend the situation, Spike shouted, "HEEEEELP! THERE'S SOMEPONY SNEAKING AROUND THE STUDY! HEEEEEEEELP!" The pony suddenly took off galloping at a breakneck pace, leaving Spike to do everything in his power to try to keep the pony in sight. Police personnel were soon filling the halls, as well as Shawn, Gus, Pinkie, and Rainbow. The pony found itself in a corner, but upon trying to leave it, several humans blocked its path. It fumbled with its cloak and pulled out a white stone before disappearing in an instant. The detectives and Equestrians arrived a moment too late. The personnel recounted the tale to their superiors, but were stopped by Rainbow when they got to the part about the stone. "Did the stone look something like this?" the Pegasus asked, motioning for Pinkie to retrieve the M.N. from her mane. Every human who had witnessed the stone nodded. "Do you know anything about this stone?" Detective O'Hara asked. "Well, since it worked without a flash of light, it's probably the final version of the one we have," Spike said. "But who would have a M.N. on their hooves..." Rainbow pondered aloud. Detective Lassiter had insisted that the ponies e brought back to the police station for questioning, but Shawn somehow changed his mind--or blatantly ignored him--and brought the ponies back to his office. It was small, with a reception counter in the front room and two desks in the back room. There was a little kitchen-like area, and lots of toys. "Do you guys still play with these?" Rainbow asked, picking up an action figure off of Shawn's desk. "NO! Put that down!" the psychic flew over and snatched the figure from Rainbow's grasp, gently wiping it off and placing it back on his desk. "So, about how long do you all plan on staying?" Gus asked politely, although it was a little obvious that he didn't want a bunch of foreign creatures living in the office. "Well, the M.N. is going to go off in about sixteen hours, since our stone is an unstable prototype," Pinkie said, waving her hoof like simply knowing when the M.N. would teleport them again was no big deal. "How did you figure that out?" Spike said, dumbfounded. "Oh, it was easy! We were in the last world for exactly twenty-four hours, and we've been here for eight! So, once you take eight from twenty-four--" "We can all do math, Pinkie," Rainbow said, not seeming to notice that Shawn was counting on his fingers to figure out the problem. "Well, what're we going to do for sixteen hours?" Spike asked. "Let's PAR-TAY!" Pinkie shouted, suddenly producing a pineapple and a confetti cannon. "I like the sound of that!" Shawn shouted as everyone else simply shook their heads. After a good-bye between Shawn and Gus and the Equestrians, the ponies and dragon were once again transported to another universe. The sun was high, and the ground was rocky and dry. Mountains appeared not far from where the three stood, making a full circle and placing them in a kind of natural bowl. At one place along this bowl was a large building, a few cars parked out in front. Deciding that was where they would find someone, the Equestrians moved toward it. They were nearly to the little door to the building when Rainbow was suddenly knocked down from the sky by a speeding blur.
