Author's Note

"REACH OUT YOUR HAND! OPEN YOUR EYES! WHAT MADE YOU NOT CHANGE YOUR MIND FOR SO LONG!? THAT'S RIGHT - THE HERO IS YOU!"

Obsolescence

With only an hour of time to spare, Luna gathered the guards. Twilight's friends waited anxiously for her return, praying that the worst had not come to pass. The clock ticked down little by little, slowly shifting toward fifty minutes...Then forty...Then thirty...

"Look!" Pinkie shouted, startling everyone in the room. A flash of light emanated from the mirror. Twilight emerged. She seemed unharmed...Physically, at least...

"Twilight!" Rarity cried out. All of them had been so consumed by terror that seeing their friend in the flesh felt like a dream. The group ran up to the Alicorn, tackling her to the floor.

"Aack!"

"We were so worried about you! How could you do something so reckless!?"

Twilight rose to her hooves, pulling up her friends in the process.

"Sorry, guys..."

"Twilight...?"

"I didn't have a choice. There was too much at stake..."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight began her royal announcement to all present.

"My subjects, my friends, please listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. Through this portal lies a planet called Earth. I have visited this world numerous times in the past. What I have learned through this endeavor is the most important lesson our race will ever learn. The lesson is that things are not always what they seem. As I stand before you now, I must tell you...The timeline...Has shifted..."

A wave of quiet chatter swept over the room. Luna approached her fellow monarch.

"Please, continue."

"When I first entered this foreign land, the year was 2013. Until now, space and time have progressed equally between our dimensions. The Earth beyond this mirror is not the one I know. Time has reversed to the date of October 1st, 1997. The atmosphere is darker - more threatening. Despair, seclusion, and bloodshed are the norm. Until this matter is resolved, we must tread carefully. For now, I have formed an alliance with five members of the dominant human species. Whether they prove friend or foe, only time will tell."

"I don't understand," one of the guards voiced, "Why reveal this to us now?"

"Your curiosity is well-founded. I tell you this now should drastic measures need be taken. In the event of unforeseen consequences, be it invasion or space manipulation, the portal is to be destroyed and forgotten. I ask you to lend me your strength and courage in this time of uncertainty. We must stand together not as ruler and subject, but as equals. Without trust, love, kindness, honor, and loyalty, we may all perish. We must stand together to ensure this does not occur. Please, stand with me to protect our home world."

The guards stood aghast...All except one...He approached Twilight's companions...

"I shall serve you, my princess, no matter the cost."

He bowed. Twilight replied in kind.

"And I shall serve you, warrior of the moon."

The guards stood motionless. One by one, their features became stern. The first row joined their fellow soldier. The second followed.

"Now I see what my sister saw in you, Twilight Sparkle. You are a leader more worthy of the title than I...I wish you safe travels..."

Twilight turned to her younger brother.

"Let's go home..."

Spike nodded.

"Yeah..."

Back on Earth, Brandon dug each wolf's grave with his own hands. He choked back his own tears as heaven's descended over him. That night, he made a promise - a promise to stand against the barbarity of man.

"Never again...I'll never kill again..."