Author's Note

"DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE! LOOK AROUND! WHAT DO YOU SEE!? WE WILL CRUMBLE, BUT NO ONE KNOWS...YOU REFUSE TO LET IT TO GO!"

Birthday Girl (Part 1)

Twilight's meeting with Celestia set the gears of change in motion. The younger Alicorn took some time to rest and recuperate. Knowing she needed space to recover from the trauma of seeing death up close, her friends let her be until she emerged on her own. Faced with the knowledge she could no longer ignore events on Earth, she hammered the final nail in the coffin, choosing to face her destiny head-on.

Days after her first visit to the inverted timeline, Twilight held a formal audience with Celestia. Her request was one the sun princess expected from the outset.

"I wish to stay on Earth to extend my investigation."

"I had a feeling you would say that."

Twilight was silent. What was she supposed to say? She was essentially asking one of her oldest friend to sign off on her death warrant. How could anyone expect it to be easy? Risking one's own life and limb was the hardest thing they could ever do, even if it was for the sake of others...

"Twilight..."

Celestia rose from her throne. She approached her former student, placing a hoof under her chin.

"Ever since you were a filly, I've known you were special. I taught you everything entrusted to me by the cosmos so that you could one day bring eternal prosperity to our nation. I watched you grow, gleaming with pride as you accomplished what Luna and I could not. You achieved victory upon seamless victory, many times through courage and force of will alone. Only now do I realize how blind I've been."

"Princess..."

"The truest darkness we must ultimately face is that which lies within ourselves. The same way you trusted me, I now trust you. Go. Unlock your hidden potential, and discover who you are."

The faith of her maternal figure sparked Twilight's core. Her eyes flashed a deep shade of blue before returning to their original color...

Another day passed before Twilight could venture into the unknown once more. She expected to be alone again. She was never more glad to be wrong.

"What are you guys doing here!?" she asked in welcome surprise.

"Whatcha think, egghead?" Rainbow joked, "If it's really as dangerous as you said, there's no way we can miss out. Where's Spike?"

"I sent him to stay with Pinkie and Cheese. Figured it'd give him a chance to spend some quality time with Lil Cheese."

"That still sounds weird coming from you."

"Tell me about it."

"We could all use some familiar company right now." Applejack acknowledged.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Twilight," Rarity inquired, "Removing the portal would be so much simpler."

"There's something more going on behind the scenes...," Twilight explained, "I can feel it..."

"That's precisely what worries me..."

"I'm scared." Fluttershy whimpered.

Twilight approached the frightened Pegasus. She raised her companion's hoof.

"This isn't your battle to fight. I have no right to ask such a sacrifice of you. My reasons are selfish. That, I will admit. If you desire safety, I shall grant it in your stead."

"I...I'm going!"

"Are you sure? Once we go through, we won't be able to come back for a while."

"I understand."

Twilight nodded.

"We stand a better chance if we stick together. If necessary, I can shield us using barrier and charm spells. No matter what, we have to stick together."

Rainbow saluted.

"Aye, Aye, captain!"

Just as Twilight expected, the party found their way back to the cottage.

"This really does look like home!" Fluttershy remarked.

"I thought you said this place was full of technology," Rainbow noticed, "What gives?"

Twilight realized the spears, computer, and food were all gone.

"They must've left after the battle. I'll locate their energy signature."

"So that's how your teleportation thingy works."

Twilight closed her eyes.

"They're close. Grab on to me."

The others obliged. In a flash, they disappeared.

Twilight materialized in an apartment complex in the middle of the city. An elderly couple stared back at them with wide eyes and slack jaws.

"I see," Twilight discerned, "You must be Emily's grandparents."

"Excuse me, darlin', but...Who are you?" the woman questioned curiously, her wits barely gathered enough to speak.

"Please excuse my boldness. My name is Twilight Sparkle. These are my compatriots: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. I was with your granddaughter the morning of the attack."

The man grumbled. He stood up, turned his back, and walked away. Twilight heard him utter something as the distance between them grew.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Don't mind him. He's just a little stunned as I'm sure you can imagine. He'll be back with the children in a moment."

"Right. I forgot humans aren't used to seeing us here."

"Would you like some tea?"

"Please, don't put yourself through any trouble. You should rest."

"Don't you fret none. I may not be a spring chicken anymore, but I've still got enough pep in my step to keep up with you youngins."

Applejack smiled. The old woman spoke in a dialect reminiscent of Granny. The thought filled her heart with a sense of warmth.

The old man returned a few minutes later with Robert in tow.

"It's good to see you, Twi..."

"Yeah..."

"Dad told me you brought company."

"To tell you the truth, we came to see Maria. Figured we should drop in and make sure you guys were all right."

"We're good. A little shaken still, but good overall."

"That's a relief."

"Thank you again for what you did for Emily. You and Maria are all she talks about these days. I guess acts of heroism stick with kids beyond cartoons."

"Is Emily here?"

"She's in the back with Chelsea. I'll take you to her after you guys have a chance to get acquainted."

"So you two are Robert's parents?"

"Yeeeep," Robert's mother clarified, "Name's Lisa. Old coot over there's my husband, George."

"Be quiet, you old bag." George refuted. Twilight giggled.

"You definitely fight like a married couple."

Lisa leaned forward. She spoke softly through a wheezed laugh.

"Keeps things interesting."

"Our friend back home recently got married. I know how it goes."

"She have any kids?"

"A newborn named Lil Cheese."

"Little boogers get on your nerves, but that's why you love 'em."

"Not Pinkie. She has a boundless stream of energy. Even after all these years, I still have no idea where it comes from. Then again, Lil Cheese is pretty mellow for a foal."

"Emily's the same way. She's more introspective than most children her age. I suppose growing up away from all this gave her time to be curious."

"Makes sense. She seems content in low-stress environments."

"Tell me about your world. What's it like?"

"It's less advanced than Earth. Our way of life is fairly simple. We're comfortable getting by."

"I assume those fancy magic tricks help."

"No tricks. Unicorns and Alicorns are magical beings. It's commonplace there."

"Unicorns were all the rage when I was a girl. It wasn't a new idea, but TV and comic books made 'em popular."

"Until I came to Earth, I'd never heard of humans before, let alone seen one. You can't begin to imagine how infatuated I was seeing a new species for the first time. Granted, I've always been highly studious, but this instance was far more intriguing than standard curiosity."

"You have any plans to develop your tech now that you know?"

"It's hard to say. There's no telling how our worlds might change now that we can travel between them. My guess is, we'll have to see how you handle our world. After bearing witness to some of your more...Destructive...attributes, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried..."

"I don't blame ya. Us folk can be a sorry bunch. We were too young to remember ww2. Korea and 'nam were a different story."

"What happened?"

"Soldiers were given faulty intel. Supposedly killed a buncha civies by mistake thinkin' they were enemy recruits. Full story's a bit murkier. There were reports of servicemen assaulting and murdering villagers. Lotta the casualties were speculated to be children."

Twilight was horrified, as were her friends. What they were hearing was too monstrous to be real.

"They killed innocent people...!?"

"Can't say for certain. George was lucky enough to avoid the draft. I wouldn't put it past 'em, though. Give somebody a gun, they get all gung-ho and bulletproof."

"Why did I never find out anything about this!?"

"Lotta dirty business down in D.C. Protests were puttin' pressure on the government to end operations in Asia. Guess they knew if the public got wind of it, there'd be hell to pay."

"They covered it up..."

"Tried to. Didn't really do much good. Public opinion was already knockin' at their doors. Had no choice but to call off the invasion. Higher-ups blamed the citizens for their loss and hung the real soldiers out to dry. Scumbags pitted family members against each other while they got off scot-free."

"I don't believe it..."

"Sorry. I know it ain't the cheeriest topic. Still, it wasn't a total loss. Learned a healthy distrust for authority in the aftermath. Bet your rear we did. Doubt most young folks'll be so quick to follow orders next time."

Twilight held her head in place, afraid it would fall against the table from sheer shock.

"No offense, lady, but you guys sound nuttier than Fluttershy's squirrel pie." Rainbow responded in a display of brutal honesty.

"Can't argue with ya, darlin'. Humans ain't the most civilized bunch when ya get down to it."

"What Brandon said was true...They were being merciful..."

"You mean that boy and his sister?" Lisa asked.

"What a mess..."

Twilight sharply exhaled. Her voice became downtrodden.

"Robert, give Emily and Chelsea our regards. We'll catch up later. After hearing Lisa's story, I think we need to find Maria as soon as possible."

"Do what you gotta do." Robert encouraged.

"We'll see you soon. Take care."

"Will do."

Twilight's friends gathered around her for the second time that day. They vanished as quickly as they'd arrived.

The group spawned in Maria's room. The teen was mildly surprised, though she didn't show it externally.

"I was worried you wouldn't come."

"Tell me everything," Twilight demanded, "I need to know the history of humanity."

"Better grab a pen and paper. This'll take some time."

Maria gave Twilight's party a crash course on the history of the human race, beginning with the birth of the universe itself. She described the formation of the planets and the evolution of life through the eons. Twilight uncovered the timeframe between the ice age and the development of early civilizations. From there, they discussed the middle ages, the spread of Christianity and Islam, the renaissance, and the enlightenment. With the advent of the industrial revolution, a bloody era of cultural warfare was ushered in, starting with the civil war and ending with world war 2. With the rise of communism, expansionist ideologies running amok, disputes over resources, and the ever-increasing brutality of fascist dictators, the modern world was rife with uncertainty, prone to episodes of violence. Korea and Vietnam were but two of the more well-known examples.

"Now I know why none of this was in the history books I studied," Twilight verbalized, "This isn't the same Earth I visited before. It's a separate entity altogether."

"WHAT!?" her friends shouted in unison. Even Maria was visibly shocked now.

"But why...? Why did the portal redirect us here...?"

"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" the young Drake stated.

"At least we have enough information to start looking for clues. I suppose we've done all we can do for now. I'll transport this to princess Celestia. If I can still use my magic, we should be able to send her progress reports from here."

"You guys can stay if you want," Maria offered, "There's a guest room across the hall and a spare computer downstairs if you need to look anything up."

"The portal only opens here at the beginning and end of each month. We won't be able to go home until after Emily's birthday. "

"Stay as long as you need. I'm sure Brandon won't mind if you hang around for a bit."

"Thanks."

"Before you get settled in, I was wondering if you could help me figure something out since you know about magic and stuff."

"What?"

"I'm gonna pull out my knife. Don't freak out."

"No promises."

Fluttershy took a step back, positioning herself near the door in the event they needed to escape. Maria extracted her blade from her jean pocket.

"Brandon and I have been keeping up on our training since the attack. We were practicing the other day when something...weird...happened."

"Weird how?"

Maria concentrated her life force into the weapon. An aura of light shot from the handle, engulfing the sharp end in a translucent blue veil of spiritual energy.

"This power...," Twilight thought, "This is what I was feeling...Why do I feel so calm...So...Safe...?"

"Do you know anything about it?"

The Alicorn shook her head.

"No, but I know there's a reason you have it."

"Why?"

"Because you're true warriors...Just like Shining..."