Hearth’s Warming in Reality

Chapters

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/Our reality is based upon our perception. “I see, therefore I am”. To break the confines of perception is to gain the ability to question reality itself/

A young stallion yawned as he wrestled with a vest that would be pulled over the top of his jacket. He groaned in annoyance when he realized he had put it on inside-out, and thus began to correct the problem so that his badge could be seen for all, as per the expectations of his superiors.

His name was Buck Sapphire, a police officer for the Crystal Empire, an offshoot of the royal guards, and part of their investigative branch if your rank was high enough. Buck, however, was only entering his second year at the job, and this would be his first time working on Hearth’s Warming. It was always a lottery to see who would end up with that shift, and as luck would have it, he drew the short one this time.

Once his vest was appropriately fastened, he adjusted himself and began to make his way out of the locker room, only for a familiar face to stop him. A pink crystalline pony grinned upon seeing him and quickly got his neck in a hooflock before ruffling the stallion’s short hair. The pink stallion smirked and gave him a few encouraging nudges. “Hey there, old pal so I heard the news, you’re stuck here on Hearth’s Warming, huh? Tough break.”

Buck grunted and shoved the stallion off of him. It was far too early and he hadn’t had a cup of coffee yet to give him the fortitude to deal with his friend’s teasing.

The pink stallion grinned again at Buck and winked. “Well, we all draw that short straw eventually, am I right?”

This stallion was Flaunt Topaz, an old friend of Buck’s who went to high school with him back in the day. Back then, Buck remembered him being a fairly geeky stallion who couldn’t so much as talk his way out of a paper bag, but once he graduated, he had developed good looks and the gift of the gab. There wasn’t a situation that Flaunt couldn’t talk his way out of, which is how Buck surmised he managed to get out of the Hearth’s Warming shift; there definitely wasn’t any straw drawing for him.

“Some of us have to actually play fair, you know?” Buck raised a brow as the two left the locker room, and Buck made his way to the coffee machine down the hall. Flaunt followed with a skip in his step and stuck his tongue out.

“I’m sure that I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Flaunt teased.

Once Buck had reached the coffee maker, he shook his head before pouring himself a cup. His light brown hoof wrapped around the handle and poured. Within moments, he now had a cup of liquid energy that would get him through the morning. Hastily, he grabbed it before gesturing with his head that the two of them should head out. Flaunt obliged.

Approaching the front door of the station, Buck grunted at his old friend. “Oh, you know exactly, what I’m talking about. The chief gave you a gesture before we even drew those straws. Don’t think that the rest of us don’t know that was some kind of code to tell you which not to draw, not to mention you always get to draw first.”

Flaunt gestured a hoof toward himself dramatically, his voice filled with faux offense. “Moi? What could you possibly think I had done to rig the drawing in my favor? What do you think I sweet-talked the chief or something?”

Buck sipped from his cup and smirked. “Well, she is a mare after all.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Flaunt huffed.

“All I’m saying is that we all know how you have a tendency to sweep the mares off their hooves… And then never call them again.” Buck teased.

Flaunt rolled his eyes and gave a dismissive hoof gesture. “I would never do such a thing to the chief. Besides, you’re just jealous because mares don’t even talk to you. Maybe if you did something about that mess of black locks that you call a mane…”

Buck looked down at the watch on his left hoof before looking back up at Flaunt. “Aren’t you late for your shift right about now?”

Blinking, Flaunt looked at his own watch and his expression turned a bit sour. “Bleh, shooting the breeze with you distracted me…”

“Don’t blame me for your tardiness. You better get going or you’ll have to sweet talk the chief again.” Buck smirked.

Flaunt began to run off and uttered a rude word about Buck as he raced to get to his post, though Buck knew it was all in jest. The two of them would rip on each other all the time back in high school, and the work-life was no different. Buck took another sip from his drink before deciding he needed to head to his own post as well, as he lacked the ability to sweet-talk the boss.

Gulping down half of his coffee, the crystal pony meandered toward where he was assigned to keep watch for the day. Grumbling under his breath, about what a long day it was likely going to be.

/How do we know we’re even real? Could a fictional being ever understand its own fictional nature? How could it be when a narrative drives it so? In that sense, we could never know if we’re all just characters in a story someone else is telling/

With his coffee finished, Buck had settled in for a relatively boring shift keeping eye on the setup for the upcoming Hearth’s Warming festival in the Crystal Empire. Every year since Spike the Brave and Twilight Sparkle along with her entourage of friends, the empire would hold a celebration around hearth’s warming to honor them. It had been that way for as long as Buck could remember, his parents used to tell him stories of the day when Twilight and company rescued them from Sombra’s return.

It was hard to believe that such an amazing princess still lived somewhere in Ponyville, though now a good three decades older and certainly much wiser. The Crystal Empire was to celebrate their thirty-fifth Hearth’s Warming since the fall of Sombra, so it was quite an ordeal.

With every celebration though, there were bound to be a few troublemakers, or those hoping to capitalize on all the chaos around the city, and that was where Buck came in; around this time of year, his job was reduced more or less to a glorified babysitter for teenagers who like to pull pranks and mess up the setup. He just couldn’t wait for the holiday to be over at this point.

The Crystal Empire definitely was a hotspot for tourists as well, wanting to see the celebrations of the crystal ponies, of which, Buck was one, but this time of year annoyed him at how many would travel to gawk in awe at his species. He would always try and pay it no mind, but every now and then it got to him.

Sighing, the stallion kicked the ground, moving a small amount of snow back and forth, trying to keep his boredom in check, though slowly failing.

He couldn’t believe this was likely how he was going to be spending his Hearth’s Warming Eve, all the way up to midnight. His parents had long since moved from the city, and Buck had no siblings to speak of, and of course no girlfriend, so he supposed it was only fair that he was one of the few placed on the job; it wasn’t as if he had any kind of extreme plans for the holidays anyway.

He wandered over to a set of crates that had been left about while the workers took their lunch break. The stallion leaned against them and sighed, he was bored out of his mind.

“This is the whole reason I became a cop…” He remarked to himself sarcastically.

The young stallion yawned as he tried to keep himself awake, but found his eyelids getting heavy.

It wasn’t long before his attempt to take a nap was interrupted by a mare bolting in his direction. She slid to a stop, only narrowly avoiding crashing into him. Disheveled and out of breath, the red-maned mare huffed and puffed as she fixed her round glasses that were about to fall off of her face. She was a petite little thing, with a white coat that stood in contrast to her vibrant mane.

The young crystal mare gave him a hush gesture with her hoof before scurrying to hide behind the crates that sat next to Buck. Buck blinked in confusion before she spoke, her voice raspy, but feminine. “Please, tell them I’m not here… Please.”

He would only remain unsure of what she was speaking of for a few more seconds before he came face-to-face with two familiar faces from the force. They were all out of breath as they had been giving chase to what Buck assumed was the girl whom he now harbored behind him, just out of their sight.

“Buck, it’s you… Thank Celestia… Have you seen a mare head this way? Red mane, white coat, big glasses?” One of the two officers asked.

Buck was about to open his mouth to answer, but as his lips parted he could see something in his mind, something that gave him pause.

He could see that mare, and himself. He was pulling her free from some kind of pit. She wrapped her hooves around him and as tears ran down her cheeks, he could hear her whisper. “Thank you, Buck… I knew I could count on you…”

Lost in this mental hallucination, one of the two stallions had to bring Buck back to reality. “Hey, earth to Buck? Did you see her?”

Buck blinked and twitched before glancing to the boxes next to him where he could just barely see the girl trying to make herself small, hoping and praying he didn’t rat her out.

“She…” He bit his lip before continuing, “went that way.” He gestured to his left.

Nodding, the other two officers bowed respectfully before rushing in the direction they had been pointed toward.

The young mare waited a good two minutes to make sure they were gone before coming out from behind the crates. She looked Buck up and down and her crystal blue eyes locked upon his own. “You saved me… You don’t even know what they were chasing me for…”

Buck shrugged. “I guess I had a feeling you were innocent… Just don’t make me regret it, I do have a job to maintain… Now, run along.”

Bowing her head gratefully, the mare grinned. “Yes, of course. Thanks again.”

“Just try and stay out of trouble.” Buck smirked.

“I won’t make any promises,” she spoke before winking and running off.

Buck had no idea, that he hadn’t seen the last of the mare.

/Our existence is based entirely on perception. That’s not something we wish to accept, but through experience, it’s the truth./

Hearth’s Warming Eve was right around the corner, but Buck finally got a day off after three grueling days at work. Each day
was more boring than the last. The only exciting thing to happen to him was a teenager tried replacing a box of ornaments with some toads to try and scare one of the decorators, admittedly it made Buck himself laugh.

Buck had decided to spend a portion of his day at the cafe that he frequented often. A hot cup of coffee would do him right, so he ordered his usual and sat down in a seat near the window. The glass was frosted due to how cold outside it was, but it only made him thankful to be indoors with the heat on.

With his mind clear, the stallion took a long sip from his coffee before releasing a satisfied coo.

His zen, however, would be interrupted when a young mare burst through the doors of the coffee shop and peered around. Once she spotted him, she pointed in his direction and hastily approached. He grumbled as he recognized the bespectacled mare from a few days ago. It was the same mare that he had spared from his coworkers only a few days prior, he could recognize her glasses anywhere.

She quickly sat down at his table and pulled out a mountain of papers and scrolls that she quickly laid out in front of him. Buck blinked a few times and stared her in the eye before she spoke to him.

“You’re Buck, right?” She asked.

“How did you know my name?” Buck asked.

The mare gave a dismissive hoof gesture. “I have my resources. You come here all the time, so I was hoping to find you here.”

“How did you…” Buck didn’t get a chance to even finish his question.

“Again, I have my resources. Listen, we could run at the jaw all day and night if you want, but I have some important stuff to tell you, so if you could be so kind, could you just listen for a second?” The mare asked.

Buck wondered if she saw the irony in telling him to sit there and listen to her politely as she asked him to be kind while she had rudely interrupted his morning without so much as introducing herself, but he surmised it was possible she hadn’t a clue. So instead of protesting, the stallion nodded for her to continue.

“With the tome I took from the crystal library the other day, I was able to make massive progress on my theory. Thanks for your help getting that by the way.” She spoke before adjusting her red glasses.

Buck blinked. “So that’s why you were running… You know stealing those tomes is kind of a serious offense…” Buck rubbed his neck.

“Yes, but I figured since you assisted me in stealing them by not turning me in, you weren’t going to now because it would be disadvantageous for yourself.” She smirked.

He had to admit, she had a point. Trust through mutual destruction could be a lasting foundation after all.

“Hold on, hold on… I’m a police officer, you know that, right?” Buck leaned in.

She nodded. “Yes, I believe you’re what would be classified as rank three or so. Given your years of service and all.”

“How do you know all this?” Buck raised a brow.

“Again, I have resources. Anyway, onto my theory.” The mare looked back at the papers in front of them, but Buck reached forward and tapped her hoof to get her attention.

The mare looked back up at him and tilted her head in confusion, a strand of her messy mane covering part of her face. “Hm?”

“Lady… Who are you?” Buck asked.

She placed a hoof over her mouth bashfully before realizing her mistake. “Oh my! I’m sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself… Sorry, my name is Ruby Study.”

“Okay… Ruby… Why are you telling me all this stuff? I would have thought someone in your position would have just been grateful I didn’t arrest you and kept their distance…” Buck leaned back in his chair and sipped from his coffee.

Ruby bit her lip. “I thought… Maybe you’d be interested…”

“Why?” Buck asked.

“Because you saved me. No one ever goes out of their way for me, so I thought… Maybe you’d want to hear what I have to say…?” She blinked a few times, and Buck could see there was a sadness behind her words, a lonely mare with no one to turn to.

The silence between them only continued for a moment before she started to pile her papers and tomes back together. “Forget it, it was stupid…”

Buck stopped her by reaching a hoof out, touching the pile of papers she was gathering back together. “No, please… I’ll listen.”

Ruby’s smile was small, but he could feel a lot of emotion behind it. It was clear this girl wasn’t used to anyone even humoring her.

Quickly jumping back into her previously eager demeanor, the mare spread the papers and scrolls across the table. Most of them had math that Buck couldn’t even begin to understand, but he surmised that Ruby was about to explain everything, likely in redundant levels of detail.

Tapping on a diagram that she had drawn, Ruby began to explain. “What if I told you there’s a chance we’re not living in base reality?”

“You mean like… We’re not real or something?” Buck raised a brow.

She shook her head. “Not exactly, more like we aren’t the original versions of ourselves. There’s potentially billions and billions of different realities all where one or two things went differently and either affected them minority or drastically.”

“Sort of like the old ‘in another world, you lost a coin flip’ scenario?” Buck attempted to follow along.

Ruby nodded with a grin on her face, pleased he was understanding. “Right. Anyway, I think I’ve stumbled onto something huge by following this theory…”

Sipping his coffee, Buck gave her a face to suggest he’d like her to continue.

Clearing her throat, Ruby kept going. “I believe another reality is attached to our own.”

Buck shrugged. “So what? You just said there’s a chance there are billions of realities.”

“Yes, but this is a little different. The single reality is attached to our reality, meaning the two realities are sort of in flux if you will,” Ruby explained.

“How can you know something like that?” Buck asked.

Ruby looked up at him with serious eyes. “Haven’t you ever felt like you remembered something that didn’t happen? Maybe the Mandela effect perhaps?”

Buck knew that he had, the day that they met. “I… I sort of had some kind of thought when we met. Like… We had already known each other?”

“See! And then you have the Mandela effect too!” Ruby seemed to be getting excited.

“What is the Mandela effect?” Buck tilted his head.

“Okay, so when you were a foal, do you remember reading that book series? The Ponystein Ponies?” She asked.

Buck had recalled the books, they were exceptionally popular for decades, everyone he knew had read them when they were a child.

“Yeah, I remember them, what about them?” He raised a brow in confusion.

Ruby smirked. “What if I told you that they’re actually called the Ponystain Ponies?”

“I’m pretty sure it was Ponystein…” Buck insisted.

Ruby noddy in excitement. “You’re not the only one! Turns out thousands, even millions of ponies remember it as Ponystein when it’s actually Ponystain.”

Buck was starting to lose sight of what her point was. “Okay… So tons of ponies are wrong about the title of a book series, so what?”

Ruby sorted through her notes before coming to one that she had made many scribbles upon. She tapped it as she spoke. “What if, both are correct?”

“That’s not possible though…” Buck reminded.

“Only if there is only one reality. See, this is part of why my theory makes sense… What if the other reality it actually is Ponystein? So the reason we all can remember something incorrectly is because some of the memories from the other reality have bled into this one. Do you understand now?” Ruby explained.

All of this information was making Buck’s head spin. He wasn’t exactly the most book smart pony out there, and he probably only did around average at school, so this mare’s knowledge was probably far beyond anything he could keep up with. Still, it was all quite fascinating.

“So the two realities are trying to take over then, right?” Buck attempted to follow along.

“Correct.”

“Well, if there’s only a small chance that we’re even the base reality, then I guess that’s just fate at work then, right?” Buck shrugged.

“No, you don’t understand… This other reality… It’s not one we want to come true.” Her face seemed filled with fear.

“Why’s that?” Buck blinked.

She looked around and then gave him another serious expression. “I can’t tell you anymore unless I know that I have you on my side for this… This is big, it goes over the royal family, over the guard, all of that…”

Buck nodded. “Fine, you have my word.”

“Okay, then meet me tomorrow at my address, I can tell you more there.” She quickly scribbled onto a scrap of paper and passed it over to the stallion. She smiled at him and nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

Buck didn’t even get a chance to respond as the mare had quickly gathered up her numerous papers, tomes, and documents and fled the cafe just as quickly as she had entered. It was safe to say his first assumption of her was correct: she was odd.

/Surely we don’t expect all around us to remain the same, right? The flux of things is constant and out of our control; as such, reality is in flux and out of our control. It is a distinct possibility, is it not?/

Buck had arrived at the address and tapped on the door. There was no answer. Sighing he tapped again, but louder this time. Again, he was greeted by silence. Shaking his head, the stallion decided to try the knob and sure enough, the door opened.

Upon entry, he noted the small home appeared as if a tornado had hit it. There were books and papers all over, and dust collected in most parts of the house. Buck had definitely determined that Ruby wasn’t exactly the kind of mare that stayed on top of cleaning.

Stepping around a pile of books, the stallion called out to her. “Ruby? It’s Buck.”

He heard her raspy voice come from a room in the back. “I’m in here, please come in.”

Navigating through the mess that Ruby called a home took a considerable amount of time, but before he knew it, Buck found himself in the backroom where Ruby had stationed herself. The stallion surmised it must have been a dining room at one point due to the large table that the mare was sitting at, though most of the chairs had been covered with books or old notes.

Ruby gestured for Buck to take a seat. “Go ahead, sit.”

Looking around, Buck could not find an available space. “Ummm… Where?”

Sighing, Ruby picked up a stack of books on the chair adjacent to herself and tossed the stack on the floor, then gestured to the chair.

Rolling his eyes, Buck approached and sat down.

“You really should consider hiring a cleaner or something…” Buck commented.

Ruby ignored his remark on her housekeeping. “So you wanted to know what I have been researching this whole time, right?”

Buck sighed. He had almost forgotten how to-the-point Ruby was. “Yeah, so you said something about another reality?”

She nodded. “Not just any second reality though, this one was not created naturally.”

“Not… Naturally? What does that even mean?” Buck blinked.

Standing up, Ruby wandered over to a whiteboard where she had already made quite a few notes and drawings upon it. She tapped a crude illustration of Princess Twilight Sparkle along with what appeared to be Spike the Dragon. “You recall Sombra’s return?”

Buck rubbed his neck. “I mean obviously I wasn’t born yet, but I know the story.”

“Then you know it was because of Twilight, her friends, and Spike that he was defeated, correct?” Ruby tapped the board once more.

“Sure, but that was over thirty years ago, what’s your point?” Buck asked.

Pulling a large sheet of paper off of the other side of the whiteboard, Ruby revealed more drawings. The first of which appeared to be Twilight being knocked down by Sombra.

“What if I told you Sombra created a backup plan? A way that he could defeat Twilight in the past…” Ruby suggested.

Buck squinted, unsure of what she was on about. “What? You mean like go back in time?”

Ruby shook her head. “No, with this method he wouldn’t have to… He’d only need to wait a while…”

“I don’t follow…” Buck said.

Ruby drew a long line on the board. “This is our reality… Following so far?”

“Uh… Alright…” Buck wasn’t really, but he felt it more productive for her to just continue.

From that line, Ruby drew another line running off of it from the middle. “Sombra created a second reality, and in that reality, he defeated Twilight. The empire is never saved, and Sombra reigns king.”

“And he did this back then?” Buck tilted his head.

Ruby nodded. “I believe so. I found some old documents that suggested Sombra experimented with some powerful experimental magic, stuff that could make something like this possible. However, he wasn’t strong enough to replace one reality with the other, so he did the next best thing.”

“Which is?” Buck gestured for her to get to the point.

Ruby drew a line between her two drawings of Twilight and Sombra. “He created a tether of sorts. From his created reality, he chained it to this reality… With enough time he knew that reality would eventually be pulled into this one and eventually erase it.”

“So you’re saying if this second reality is allowed to continue existing…” Buck was starting to understand.

“Then the one we live in will eventually disappear.” Ruby nodded.

Buck shook his head. “How did you even stumble on something like this? Does the royal family know?”

Ruby sighed and sat down. “No. I doubt they’ll even humor it. It goes beyond them. My parents were the ones studying this before. My father especially was very into the concept of alternate realities, he was quite a scholar, he was alive when Princess Twilight defeated Sombra, and I guess something just didn’t sit right with him… My mother and he spent most of their lives researching this…”

“So why didn’t they tell the royal family themselves?” Buck asked.

“They lacked enough proof. And then they disappeared…” Ruby frowned.

“Disappeared? Like you haven’t seen them since?” Buck blinked.

The mare shook her head. “No. It’s been about ten years. I have been determined to finish what they started though, because I finally understand why they were so obsessed with it…”

“And why is that?” Buck questioned.

“Time is running out.”

“How long do we have?” Buck gulped.

“My calculations suggest… Hearth’s Warming day, when the day becomes night… It will be too late. The data I have suggests the rate at which things from that reality bleed into this one have increased lately, and suggest we’re reaching an apex…” Ruby explained.

“That only gives us around four days then…” Buck stated.

Ruby nodded. “Four days and then we’re gone. Unless we stop it…”

“What could we possibly do?” Buck blinked.

Ruby’s eyes grew serious as she glanced at Buck from behind her glasses. “We cut the tether. If we do that, his reality vanishes, and ours stays…”

“This sounds really dangerous for some reason…” Buck admitted.

“I know, which is why I can understand if you don’t want to do this…” Ruby frowned.

Buck could see on her face that she desperately needed him to say he would help her, to say he would risk everything, and for some reason, he felt compelled to do so.

“I’m with you, Ruby.” Buck smiled.

The mare returned his smile. “Somehow, I knew you’d say that.”

“Where do we begin?” Buck asked.

Ruby made an awkward face, her mouth contorted to a shape of annoyance. “That’s part of the problem… In order for this to work, we would need to cut the tether, but I have no idea where it is, it would have to be somewhere no one would notice… Somewhere where it makes sense that somepony hasn’t seen it…”

Buck tapped his chin for a few moments. “Maybe, the dungeon in the castle?”

Ruby shook her head. “No, if it was, the royal family might have stumbled upon it then…”

Buck leaned back in his chair and contemplated. After a few more seconds of thinking, he offered another suggestion. “What about the crystal mines?”

Blinking, Ruby quickly retrieved a map of the underground areas of the Crystal Empire. Scanning across it with her eyes, she focused on the crystal mines. “The mines have been abandoned for decades… And some sections haven’t been visited for even longer…”

“So any section that hasn’t been even stepped into for a minimum of 35 years, then?” Buck added.

She nodded and scanned the map, tapping a single area. “Here… No pony has set hoof in this section since around a few months before Princess Twilight arrived in the empire…”

Buck grinned and nodded. “Is there any way you can confirm it?”

“I could get a reading if I was able to get close enough to the area, perhaps even if I stood above ground…” Ruby considered.

“So let’s go find out then.” Buck grinned.

/Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. That is the very basis of understanding we exist in the reality in which we do, but is that true? Are our thoughts based in our reality, or is our reality that which shapes our thoughts? Perhaps thoughts transcend reality altogether./

Standing above the spot that the two of them had discussed, Ruby held a magically imbued rod connected to a few pieces of equipment to detect readings. Most of the items, Buck had no clue what they did, but he trusted Ruby’s expertise.

The mare examined her readings and adjusted her equipment before doing another reading. Checking the results once more, she nodded at Buck.

“There’s no doubt about it, this is the place. We could cut the tether from here,” Ruby explained.

“How exactly are we going to cut it?” Buck asked.

“Well, we can use a magic imbued knife which I managed to get my hooves on. It should be weakest at its origin point,” Ruby said.

Buck’s eyes widened when she said that. “Wait, origin? As in… We have to go to this other reality?”

Ruby blinked and rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Didn’t I mention?”

Buck bit his lip. This all was starting to sound more and more dangerous.

“Did you want to back out?” Ruby asked, her eyes filled with sorrow, he already knew she would be sad if he said no, but that wasn’t why he agreed.

“Of course not.”

A bright smile came across her face. “I’m glad… Ever since we met, I’ve felt… Really close to you, Buck. I’ve never felt that way about anypony else…”

“I couldn’t let you do something dangerous on your own, Ruby,” he replied.

Coming toward him she hugged him tightly. The stallion blushed as he got a whiff of her mango-scented shampoo coming from her messy mane. “Thank you, Buck… You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Sighing, the stallion rubbed her back. “Don’t mention it.”

Releasing him, she grinned as she was ready to tell him the next part of her plan. “So, obviously we have to go through the sewer system to get to the mines.”

“Yeah… Obviously.” Buck groaned, not too thrilled about that part.

“I can bring some drilling equipment that should get us through to the mine area, but we will need to do all of this when no pony will notice us going down there or causing so much noise…” Ruby placed a hoof upon her chin.

Throwing his knowledge into the ring once more, Buck gave a proposal. “The Hearth’s Warming Eve celebration would be a perfect time. There’s so much noise and whatnot going on that not a soul would notice us.”

“You’d have to abandon your post though… Won’t you get in trouble?” Ruby spoke with a concerned tone.

Buck gave a dismissive hoof gesture. “I think saving all of reality is far more important, don’t you?”

She nodded with glee.

“Besides, if I don’t do this, it’s not like I’ll have a job to come back to. It’s worth the risk to keep you from trying to do this yourself.” Buck grinned.

“Then we do it together… On Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Ruby grinned.

“It’ll definitely be one to remember.” Buck nodded.

/The very essence of existence is something we can not begin to comprehend. The moment we understand it, the rules change. In that manner, the game is rigged against us; the goal is always just out of our reach. Is it even worth trying to do anything about it?/

Buck adjusted his scarf. The winter air was far colder this year than recent memory served him; perhaps he was just nervous about the possibility that he had no clue what was about to happen to him.

He had made an excuse to abandon his post with a need to use the restroom, but that was a good five minutes ago. If Ruby didn’t hurry and show up at their agreed-upon spot, there was a chance that his superiors might notice him missing a bit too early, and thus go looking for him before the two were hidden from sight.

Luck was on Buck’s side though, as just around the corner of a nearby shop that had closed for the holiday celebrations. The young mare had brought a saddlebag filled with the equipment they would need, as did Buck. She smiled when she saw her new friend and touched his cheek with her hoof when she approached.

“I’m glad you made it,” she said.

Buck shook his head. “I told you that I wasn’t going to abandon you.”

Her eyes looked somewhat moist to Buck, like she was on the verge of tears. “Thank you, Buck… No pony has ever really stuck by me, or believed me when I talked about this stuff…”

“Everypony needs a friend, right?” He grinned.

She nodded and removed her glasses so she could wipe her eyes. Once her eyes were free of any moisture, she placed the spectacles back upon her face. “Listen… I don’t know what’s going to happen when we go down there, but I wanted to say… this has been the best Hearth’s Warming ever.”

Buck laughed. “You say that like it’s over. There’s still so much more to see, right?”

Ruby giggled and nodded. “You’re right, come on, let’s go.”

The two trotted over to a nearby manhole cover where Ruby gestured to Buck. “If you could do the honors, good sir?”

Buck bowed. “I’d be delighted. Onward to adventure.”

“Off to save the world, right?” Ruby giggled playfully.

“It’s what I do, I am a cop after all.” Buck winked before lifting the manhole cover up.

Ruby nodded her head in thanks before making her way down the ladder, Buck watching as she went down.

Buck didn’t have a clue what awaited them down below, nor was he sure any of this would play out the way that either of them wanted, but he knew one thing: this truly was the best Hearth’s Warming he had ever had, and that was worth more than anything to him.

Author's Note

Merry Christmas!

Special thanks to TCC56 for giving me this prompt, I wanted to see if I could do something a bit different with it. I hope you and everyone else enjoyed it. I wanted to try doing something that was a bit more thought-provoking than a traditional holiday story, hope it's not too out there! I managed to make the cover image in time too! Sorry if it's not "amazing", I'm not a fantastic artist haha.

I designed the story to where it could just end here and you use your imagination, but if people want it, I’ll write more.

Segment 0.2

Author's Note

So exciting to actually release another chapter of this after so long. Expect a few more all the way till New Years, I’m hoping to actually really expand on the story.

Oh! And the music links sort of set the mood for the scenes they’re linked in. Listen to them for added effect. I chose songs I felt were fitting for the moment.

Segment 0.2

/The universe may have been created and destroyed many times before this moment. There is no way to know if we were ever the original “us”. We shouldn’t focus on it for that reason./

Ruby was convinced that the two of them were on the right track. Her mind flooded with ideas of what they would encounter when they found the place where the tether was housed, but Buck had other things on his mind. The stallion wondered what form such a tether would take. He also pondered what made him so possessed as to follow this mare on such a mad quest. There was little doubt he’d get scolded for leaving his post.

While Buck descended the ladder, Ruby turned on a light she had brought with her, strapped around her neck. The sewers were about as unpleasant as Buck expected, foul-stench beyond anything he could even describe filled his nostrils, making him want to puke. It was clear that Ruby wasn’t exactly enjoying it either as she coughed and hacked. “Sweet Luna…” She managed to get out between coughs.

Buck retrieved some nose plugs from his bag and offered me to the redhead. She took them with a nod of her head as a thank you gesture. Buck nodded back before placing some in his own nose as well. Protected partially from the smell, Ruby retrieved the diagram she had scribbled onto some parchment. With a nasally tone to her usual raspy voice she spoke and pointed. “It’s about a half kilometer that way.”

Adjusting his bag, Buck nodded as the two began their march toward where the tunnels would grant them access to the mines. The spot they needed to break through was a bit west of where they needed to be, but after going over the sewer layout, Ruby determined it was where the wall between the sewers and the mines was the weakest. They could break through and descend down to the chasm they needed to be in from there.

The mines themselves were only partially uncharted, though what was documented had been outdated before even the return of the empire nearly thirty years ago. Sombra himself had closed off the mines due to too many cave-ins, and there was nary a reason to suspect more hadn’t happened since then. With the support system for the mine left in disrepair for nearly half a century, there was no doubt their plunder would be dangerous.

Staying out of the sewage water, the two stayed silent for some time as Ruby kept checking her charts. Buck, feeling a bit awkward broke the silence. “I bet Twilight’s trip through the mines didn’t stink this bad…”

Ruby, kept her eyes on her charts as she replied, her namesake fitting her nature perfectly, studious she was indeed. “Who knows? The mines have some sulfur in them, so it’s very possible that parts of them stank as well.”

Buck rolled his eyes. “Great, so we have more to look forward to…” His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Ruby glanced over her shoulder at her companion. “Well, our journey may be bit more dangerous than Twilight’s… And in the opposite direction. The lower parts of the mines are more dangerous and potentially flooded.”

Blinking, Buck’s eyes widened. “You didn’t mention that before!”

“What’s wrong? Can’t swim?” Ruby grinned.

“I can, I just don't think treading water in an underground cave system where nopony knows where we are is my idea of a good way to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve…” Buck complained.

“Where’s your sense of adventure? Chin up, you’re being a negative Nancy.” Ruby giggled.

A crimson blush came to Buck’s face. He frowned and looked away in embarrassment. “Yeah, you’re right, sorry.”

“No need to apologize, I’m only teasing… Anyway, we’re here.” Ruby pointed to a nearby wall.

Dropping his bag, Buck looked the wall up and down while he pulled out the drilling tool. The wall definitely looked like it had seen better days. Much of the sewer was likely due for maintenance work, he made a mental note to send a letter to the city council about getting some work done when he got back.

The drilling tool was relatively light weight for how versatile it was. Many advances in construction equipment had been made in the last decade thanks to finding more unique ways to combine magic with technology. Princess Twilight had led the charge since her ascent to the throne. She was regarded well for her intellect and how she levied it to improve the lives of the average citizens.

Placing the device against the wall, Buck glanced back at Ruby. “This thing isn’t going to like make the place collapse, right?”

Ruby shook her head. “Not likely. The support beams are nowhere near this spot. We’re more likely to cause a disturbance in the mines than here.”

Buck smirked. “You are just chock full of great news aren’t you?”

With a wink, Ruby responded. “And can you believe I don’t get invited to parties?”

“Well, when we get back, you can come to our Hearth’s Warming party. The station has one every year.” Buck smiled at her as the drill began to cut.

Ruby gave a more serious smile. “I’m glad you said when we get back, and not if.”

The drill continued to work as Buck guided it. He didn’t respond to her statement because truthfully he never considered that they wouldn’t make it back. It was true though, there was a distinct chance this was a one-way trip. Buck decided it was best to clear the air.

“Hey, Ruby… How exactly are we getting back?” Buck asked.

Ruby rubbed her neck. “Well… My research suggests that when we disconnect this reality from our own, it’ll collapse slowly. We should have enough time to get back before that happens.”

“But you’re not sure?” Buck raised a brow.

“Truthfully? No.” Ruby laughed nervously.

Buck shrugged. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”

Ruby perked up and nodded. “R-right! Of course!”

“Who knows, maybe they’ll write legends about us?” Buck suggested.

His attempt to lighten her mood proved effective. “Well, hopefully they portray me as prettier, I didn’t even brush my mane today.”

Looking her up and down, Buck commented. “You look fine. Messy mane suits you.”

Ruby rolled her eyes but didn’t get a chance to respond as the drill finished. “I think we’re done here.” Buck spoke.

Approaching the wall, Ruby examined it, there was still many bricks in the way. “Guess we have to do a bit of work clearing things, huh?”

Shaking his head, Buck gestured for the young mare to move. “No need, allow me.”

Getting out of his way, Ruby moved off to one side as Buck turned around. He readied his hind legs and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he kicked the wall, shattering what remained, and created a hole large enough for the two of them to walk through side by side even. The stallion lowered his leg and grinned as he turned around and gestured for her to go before him. “Ladies first.”

Stepping past him into the opening, the mare glanced at him. “When this is over I have some furniture I need moved…”

He laughed. “Can you even find your furniture in that house?”

Ruby rolled her eyes at his statement. “Fine, I’ll get a cleaner first.”

Buck didn’t answer, however. He was in awe at what he was witnessing. He pointed with his hood, and Ruby looked forward. The mare’s eyes lit up as she removed her glasses, wiped them off with a microfiber cloth and placed them back onto her face. The mare’s mouth formed an O as she saw the sparkling gemstones before her. The entire mine sparkled magnificently, even from the low light pouring in from the sewer light system.

Ruby’s stallion companion flicked on a light of his own around his neck. He shined the light into the cavern and nodded. “Guess the lights are out, which is to be expected as the mines have been out of use for decades…”

Looking all around her, Ruby twirled in excitement. “This is amazing! We’re seeing history here! Nopony has seen this place in over thirty years!”

Chuckling, Buck gestured for them to keep moving. “Come on, we’ve got to keep moving. We can play historian later.”

With a blush, Ruby agreed. “Sorry, I got carried away… Anyway, we should be able to take the lift nearby. If you brought the magic battery, we can restore power to it and get it operational.”

Buck laughed. “You’re the boss.”

The two trotted for a few minutes before reaching the lift in question. Buck looked it up and down and frowned after seeing how much rust was on it. “Are you sure this thing is safe?” He asked while retrieving the battery from his bag. He began to set it up while Ruby checked over the lift.

“Seems sturdy enough. With our combined weight we should be fine. They made the cables from a tough alloy back then, they should withstand thousands of kilos of pressure.” Ruby adjusted her glasses.

“Well, I’m leaving the math to you…” Buck shrugged. “I’m all set up over here.” He added.

Ruby pulled a nearby lever and could then hear the sounds of gears and machines coming to life. “They don’t make them like they used to…” She commented with a smile.

With the door to the lift opening, Buck lifted his bag and placed it back on his side before stepping inside. His mind felt uneasy as he heard the thing creak loudly. Ruby joined him shortly after and pressed the button to go down. As the door closed, Buck found himself fidgeting nervously.

After a few meters, Ruby grinned proudly. “See, nothing to worry about!”

As if just to defy her, the lift suddenly stopped, a loud screech could be heard outside. She blinked and looked up through the grating above them. The sounds of wire snapping began to echo through the cave. “Okay… I may have miscalculated a tad…”

“This isn’t good…” Buck said as he looked up, watching strands of the cable begin to snap.

“I got this.” Buck quickly removed his bag and retrieved a rope, two harnesses and several carabiners. He tossed one of the harnesses at Ruby. “Quick put this on.”

Not hesitating, Ruby fastened it around herself and snapped one of the ropes to herself with a carabiner. Buck attached the other end to himself just as the lift thrust to one side as one of the two cables snapped entirely. Ruby shrieked as she was thrown to one side. Buck forced himself up and gestured for her help. “Hoist me up! I can open the escape hatch!”

Ruby blushed and frowned. “I’m like half your size! How am I going to hoist you up?!”

“Exactly the point. You’re smaller than me, so if this cable snaps you won’t be able to support my weight from the rope between us, so it has to be me. Help me up now!” Buck instructed.

Ruby sighed when she realized it was pointless to protest. Instead, she readied her front hooves and Buck stepped over her. She strained herself and groaned as she tried to get him as high as she could, wishing she had wings at that moment. “Hurry up, I can’t hold you for long!”

Buck rattled the hatch only to see an old padlock had it sealed shut. “What airhead puts a padlock on an escape hatch?!”

With eyes widening, Ruby looked up. “You’re kidding?!”

“Hang on, the lock is really rusty, I might be able to break it!” Buck called out as he began to bash the hatch repeatedly. “Come on, break you old rust bucket!”

Feeling her front hooves start to give out, Ruby called out to rush him. “Come on! I can’t hold you much longer!”

Just as Ruby was about to drop him, Buck broke the hatch open and climbed through it. He glanced up at the second cable, noticing it was about to give way as well. He glanced around for anything to latch onto, but couldn’t find anything. “There’s nothing up here to connect to!”

“Well find something because this thing is about to…” Ruby didn’t get to finish her sentence, the cable snapped and the lift started to fall. She screamed as she closed her eyes. However, she then felt a quick whiplash sensation and then the falling stopped. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around, she was dangling. Looking up she saw Buck latched onto an old pipe. He grinned and waved to her.

She stopped herself from panting after a few seconds and stared at him above her. “I think we can check near death experience off of our bingo cards…”

Buck chuckled as he began to slowly make his way down, setting up mounts in the cave walls so he could bring the two of them down, until eventually they reached the bottom where rhetorical destroyed lift rested. Unhooking from the wall, Buck brushed himself off. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll take the stairs from now on…”

Ruby nodded. “You never told me you knew how to rock climb…”

He laughed and walked past her, ready to continue their journey. “We’ve only known each other a few days, what do you expect?”

He had a point. It occurred to Ruby she didn’t actually know much about Buck Sapphire. He was a cop in the city, but that was about all she really knew about him.

She took her mind off of it by checking the map once more. Shining her light on the map she could see the two of them were fairly close. “I think we’re about a hundred meters above the chamber. The way there is…” The mare shined her light and frowned at what she saw. There was a steep ninety degree descent in front of them. “Down there…”

Buck laughed. “No problem. I’m assuming you read up on rock climbing?”

“I may have pursued a few texts about it…” Ruby admitted.

Passing her a set of tools from his bag he gave her a brief rundown of how they worked. She recalled from her reading that everything he said was accurate, she felt a bit more at ease knowing he wasn’t pulling her leg about being able to rock climb. As he adjusted her harness for her, she made small talk. “So where did you learn this anyway?”

Buck finished up and headed to the edge of the cliff and began to nail in some hooks for the two of them. He attached her carabiner before his own and then began to descend, she followed cautiously, trying to remember what he taught her. “Well, my dad and me used to go all the time.”

“Oh, father-son thing then?” Ruby asked as she started mounting another hook.

Buck was going slower than he usually would, but he wanted to keep an eye Ruby since it was clear she was a rookie climber. “Something like that…”

“Sour subject?” Ruby asked.

Buck shrugged. “My parents never really approved of me becoming a cop…”

Ruby blinked. “That’s right, you’re in the investigations department right?”

He nodded as the two approached the end of their descent. “Dangerous job. We got into it one Hearth’s Warming about how I was worrying my mother. We haven’t really talked since then.”

The mare frowned as the two set foot on the bottom of the caves. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

He waved his hoof dismissively as he removed his ropes and began to pack everything back up, then assisted Ruby in doing the same. “It’s not your fault. Besides, your situation with your parents is worse, disappearing and all…”

“Still…” She winced.

Buck had a serious face. “Do you think they went to this other reality?”

Ruby bit her lip, she wasn’t sure how to answer that, but all her research pointed in that direction. “That’s the most logical explanation, I mean they wouldn’t just abandon me, that’s not like them.”

“I wonder why they couldn’t come back then…” Buck wondered out loud.

Truthfully, Ruby wondered the same thing. The most feasible explanation though was one she hated to admit. “I mean… The best explanation is… They can’t come back, right? Something is keeping them there, or… They’re…”

Buck quickly placed a hoof over her mouth so she wouldn’t say it. “Don’t think like that. We’ll find them, and bring them back with us.”

She felt at ease with Buck’s support. “You’re right. Sorry for getting weird there for a second. I guess I just let my imagination wander…”

Buck shook his head. “Don’t apologize, you miss them, nothing wrong with that.”

Ruby stared at him for a brief moment. Buck was surprisingly supportive for a stallion she had only known for such a short time. His motivation for helping her wasn’t clear to Ruby. Buck stood to gain nothing by helping the mare, so why was he risking so much, she wondered. He didn’t even seem swayed by the fact they might not even be able to come back.

She just nodded as the two made their way toward the chamber they were looking for. Ruby tripped and her glasses fell off of her face. The mare felt around to try and find them only to feel Buck’s hoof extend to her. She took it and the stallion helped her to a stand. With his other hoof, he scooped up her glasses and offered them back to her.

Smiling, the redhead placed them back on her face. She chuckled awkwardly. “Perhaps I should have gotten contacts before making this trip?”

The police officer laughed and shook his head. “No way am I holding you down to put eye drops in.”

“I suppose you’re correct there…” She grinned sheepishly.

Shining his light toward the chamber, Buck cleared his throat to get Ruby’s attention. She blinked and adjusted her light to see what he was trying to show her. She blinked and gasped at the large cave-in blocking access to the chamber.

“Not our lucky day, is it?” Buck asked.

“Evidently not…” Ruby shook her head.

“Now what?” He asked her.

Approaching the large pile of rocks blocking their path, Ruby tapped her chin in thought. She retrieved the map from her pack. Most of the levels around where they stood were either uncharted or had their maps lost over time. No other known passage to the chamber they sought existed to knowledge.

Pulling out the scanning geode she had used to track the location in the first place, she did another reading. Checking the results, she was confident they were heading in the right direction. She glanced around in thought.

“Maybe we should look for another path?” Buck suggested.

Ruby shook her head. “Not recommended. Most of the caves down here are uncharted, we could be looking for days, not to mention if we get lost we’d be out of luck.”

“Well that peeves me off…” Buck grumbled. The stallion blushed once he remembered he was in the presence of a lady. “Oh… Sorry… Forgive my language.”

Ruby shook her head. “Hardly the worst of our problems.”

“Agreed, so what should we do? We can’t go around…” Buck asked.

“Only way is through, we have to dig through this stuff, it’s gonna be the fastest way…” Ruby pointed out.

“Guess we should get started…” Buck suggested.

Checking her hoof, Ruby observed the watch on her forehoof. It was counting down and was sitting at 30 hours, 29 minutes and 16 seconds left.

“What’re you doing?” Buck asked as he lifted a rock from the debris, and tossed it aside.

Approaching carefully, Ruby began to toss rocks aside with her companion. “I set a timer so we’d know about how long we have left. Hopefully it’ll keep going as normal when we enter the other reality, assuming that my theory is correct and the laws of physics remain unchanged there…”

“So what do you think it’ll be like there?” Buck questioned.

Ruby tossed aside another half dozen rocks with him before answering. “It should be like our world. Over there just as much time has passed since the day that Sombra made the tether. So from that moment onward, thirty years have passed. They have likely spent thirty years serving Sombra… It’s also most likely Hearth’s Warming Eve there too.”

“I guess we’re not spending the holiday in the worst possible way compared to them…” Buck guessed.

Ruby smirked. “Makes you think, doesn’t it?”

“Somewhat. If your theory is correct though, wouldn’t there be a reality where we fail this task?” He raised a brow.

Ruby shook her head before pushing more debris out of the way. “No. This reality isn’t the same as others. It was created artificially, meaning in any other reality it never existed, so there is no alternate version of us trying to destroy it.”

“I’m not going to lie… This is all insanely confusing. I’m just lucky that you’re wicked smart…” Buck could feel his head spinning just thinking about everything she had explained up to that point.

Ruby began to climb the debris to try and make an opening at the top. She ripped through rock and dirt hastily, not wanting to waste more time. “Well, I spent almost a decade studying this stuff, so that’s to be expected. I skipped most social milestones in my life to pursue this stuff.”

“No prom for you?” Buck laughed.

She shook her head. “Nah, the other kids thought I was weird anyway.”

“Maybe in another universe you went and had a good time?” Buck suggested.

“It’s pleasant to think about, but ultimately we live in this reality, so we shouldn’t waste our time fantasizing about a place where things went differently. This is the only reality we get to have after all,” Ruby explained.

Buck’s face contorted to an awkward expression, but he chose to stay silent. Breaking through a bit more rubble, Ruby could see through an opening. She shined her light and gestured for Buck to come closer. The stallion obliged and approached carefully, shining his own light into the hole. The two crouched down and shoved through the hole only to feel their hooves slide.

Before either of them had a chance to even shriek, they slide downward to a drop neither of them expected.

/There is no way to know what truth is. Isn’t a lie more comforting anyway?/

Ruby groaned after coming to. She blinked a few times and attempted to turn her light back on, but had no luck. It had been damaged on the way down. Feeling it with her hoof it was cracked beyond repair. Grumbling, she ripped it off and tossed it onto the ground.

It took a few seconds for her to remember where she was, but once she did, her ears twitched and she tried to peer around, only to find her glasses had fallen off her face, not to mention it was too dark to see anyway. She prayed Buck had made it down with her. She started calling out to him. “Buck!? Buck!?”

Ruby was greeted by silence.

Her tone became more panicked as she called out to the stallion again. “Buck!? Where are you!?”

Again, there was nothing but silence.

“Please be okay…” She whispered to herself.

The sound of groaning only a few feet away made her regain her composure. “Buck is that you?”

“Yeah, I’m here… Shoot that was quick a drop wasn’t it?” He responded.

Ruby could make out a source of light that switched on, and Buck’s silhouette. She approached it cautiously. “I’ll say… My light broke and I think I lost my glasses, do you see them anywhere?”

Buck sighed before shining his light onto the ground as he began searching. “Perhaps goggles would have been a better investment?”

Ruby couldn’t deny that, so she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ll remember that next time. Did you find them?”

Spotting them on the ground, Buck picked them up and inspected them. He confirmed they were undamaged before giving them to his friend. “I got them. You’re lucky they’re not broken, that’s for sure.”

The messy redhead giggled as she placed them back onto her snout. She stood proudly. “I guess I have luck on my side?”

“Something is playing guardian for us, that’s for sure…” Buck nodded before turning his light upward. Looking up the rock slide, he sighed. They had gone down a good twenty meters, far too high to climb back up. “We’re not in a good position here though… That rubble isn’t going to be possible to climb back up. Hooks have nothing to latch onto…”

“First bit of bad news all day.” Ruby joked.

“Regardless… We have no choice now, we have to go forward. Hopefully there’s a way out somewhere else, but this really is starting to look like a one-way trip, don’t you think?” Buck spoke.

Ruby shook her head and grinned. “No way. I think the universe is telling us we’re meant to be here. Everything that could have happened to set us up for this adventure has fallen into place to keep us heading forward.”

Buck was about to respond but when he blinked, everything around him had changed. Ruby was standing there in a tattered dress, it looked like something that had been dug out of a trash can. She grinned happily in the dress as she did a small twirl. The two of them were standing in front of a run down cottage just outside of the empire, near thick woods.

Ruby adjusted her glasses and giggled, Buck noticed she now had a small scar on her snout only barely hidden by the bridge of her glasses which wasn’t there prior. He felt like he wasn’t in control of his own body as he watched her. She seemed so proud of the tattered old rags she was wearing. “What do you think, Buck? Does it suit me?”

Buck could hear his own voice leave his throat, but he wasn’t in control of it. “Yeah, it looks great on you, Ruby.”

The girl blushed and grinned. “I got it from a trader. He said it was from Rarity’s Boutique back in Ponyville, so it’s really old! I had to really barter with him to get him to give it up.”

Buck’s own voice echoed in his ears as he just witnessed what was happening. “Hopefully you didn’t trade too much for it…”

She stuck her tongue out. “Nah, I just threw on the charm. He couldn’t resist!”

“Uh oh, should I be worried?” Buck’s tone was insincere.

Ruby giggled as she approached. “You know I only have eyes for you, Buck! Still, it’s too bad it’s in such rough shape, I’ll bet it was even prettier when it was new…” She frowned.

Watching, Buck saw his own hoof reach forward and caress the girl’s cheek. She leaned into it affectionately as he spoke to her kindly. “It’s not about the dress, it’s the girl in it that matters.”

“You always know just what to say… Then it’s decided, I’ll wear this at the wedding! I am sure Fluttershy will be excited to see something from her old friend.” Ruby stood proudly.

“Alright, alright, just try and contain your excitement it’s not for a few more days after all.” Buck chuckled.

She pointed at him defiantly. “Just remember soon I’m going to be Mrs. Ruby Sapphire!”

“How could I possibly forget?” Buck laughed.

After blinking again, Buck found himself back in the cave at the bottom of the Crystal mines. Ruby had been replaced with the girl he had met only a few days ago, no scar on her face, no dress, just regular Ruby.

“Hello? Earth to Buck?” She spoke.

Buck rubbed his temple. “What the…?”

“Where were you just now? I was talking to you and you just froze up for a few minutes, you weren’t responding at all… You had me worried there for a second…” Ruby frowned.

Buck shook his head. “I think my mind is playing tricks on me… I was seeing things…”

She tilted her head curiously, her red mane swaying to one side, dragging on the ground as it did. Ruby had incredibly long mane, but it was incredibly messy. “What do you mean? What did you see?”

Deciding it might be too awkward to reveal the exact contents of his hallucination, he dismissed her. “It’s not important… I think this place is doing something unnatural…”

She gave a small pouty face before accepting he wasn’t going to talk about it. Instead, she looked around. “Well, maybe because we’re so close to the tether and the two realities are about to collide… So this place might have memories from other realities bleeding out?”

Her explanation definitely made the most sense. He shrugged. “I guess that’s possible… I wonder if our minds will keep playing tricks on us if we keep going…”

“Buck, I imagine everypony is going to be experiencing this in the next few hours. If we don’t hurry those won’t just be memories, they’ll be our reality.” She reminded.

Rubbing his neck, he nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

Looking around with his light, Buck noticed a large shattered gem shard that looked out of place. Most of the gems at the lower levels that they had encountered were darker in color, but this one was a vibrant lavender. “I think there might be something behind that gem. It looks like it was placed here.”

Getting closer, the studious mare couldn’t help but agree. This one looked like it had been shaped using tools, not breaking off of a larger stone. “I’d say this is likely where the entrance is. Figures that Sombra would hide it…”

Buck rubbed his chin trying to make sense of all of this. “I don’t get it… Sombra had time to do all of this?”

Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes. “I guess I need to explain it again, so listen closely. Sombra’s apparition that was documented was just that, his apparition. It wasn’t at full strength because he split his essence in two. One of those two was down here in the mines.”

“Why down here? Why not make the tether somewhere far away?” Buck questioned.

Ruby shook her head. “That wasn’t possible. His essence couldn’t be too far from his other half. When Twilight and Spike the Great defeated him, his other half went into action. He created the tether, it was his contingency plan…”

“And he had no way of knowing how long it would take for the reality he created to take over this one…” Buck spoke, following along.

Ruby raised a hoof triumphantly. “Right! He was in a bind so he couldn’t fuss over the details.”

“How exactly did he do this though? This sounds like some pretty hardcore magic…” Buck asked.

Ruby frowned and turned away with an embarrassed blush. “Well… That part I don’t know… but I’m hoping we can figure that part out together!”

Buck laughed. “Well, I guess we won’t know until we move this thing, right?”

Ruby grinned. “Right! Let’s work together!”

The duo both got onto the right side of the rock and began to push as hard as they could. Buck was doing a majority of the work due to his size and muscular build, but Ruby was giving it her all as she strained herself, groaning aggressively as the two pushed with all their might.

The rock proved a formidable obstacle as the two struggled for several minutes before it finally gave way and allowed itself to be moved. The first signs of it giving way could be felt, and after only a few more minutes of pushing, the stone gave way and toppled over, making a loud crash that shook the earth. The two were thankful it didn’t cause another cave-in.

Looking into the newly opened room, the two were surprised to see it was fully illuminated by a purple glow. They entered and stared in awe at a massive portal that shimmered purple light, sparkling greater than any diamond. Ruby stepped forward and her mouth hung open as she gazed at it.

Buck was silent as he followed, too stunned to comment.

Ruby found herself stuttering. “I-I… I was right… all this time… I was right… it was right here…”

“looks that way…” Buck responded.

She turned to Buck, and he stood there admiring her smile as she was illuminated in the purple glow around them. He had never seen her more excited. “It was here the whole time! We actually found it, Buck!”

“Now we have to go through it…” Buck reminded as he pointed at it.

Ruby turned back around to face the portal. She braced herself and grinned wider. “Then we can go through together! Come on, Buck! This adventure is only just beginning!”

Buck stepped forward as he realized what he was about to do. They were on a journey through the abyss itself. There was no way to know if they would ever come back, no way to know if their quest was in vain, but they stared down the abyss with smiles on their faces, ready to meet it, knowing it could swallow them whole.

Buck grinned widely as he stood at her side. “I was right… This definitely will be an interesting way to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

Segment 0.3

/Is there such a thing as fate? Are our actions predetermined, or do we set our own destiny? If you knew the results of your actions were already decided, would you give in to despair or would you fight definitely even knowing it was pointless?/

Standing before the massive portal, Ruby looked over at Buck with curious eyes. The moment they stepped through it, there would be no going back, there would be no way to back out of this adventure. Ruby reached over and grabbed Buck’s hoof, the stallion locked eyes with her. He could tell she was scared, just the look in her eyes alone told him that. With a smile on his face, he squeezed her hoof in his own.

He could see her face light up, a smile decorated her face that he swore seemed so familiar to him. A smile that felt like he had seen it at least a hundred times before. Buck blinked and he could swear he heard her whispering, but he couldn’t confirm it.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, his expression made her wonder what was going on in his head, it was one of wonder and intrigue. “Something wrong, Buck?”

Snapping back to reality, he grinned and shook his head. “No, in fact, everything is just right… We’re going to do this together, right?”

Ruby blushed and looked away bashfully. “Buck, we’ve only known each other for a short time, but somehow I just knew you’d do this with me. I know it sounds dumb, but I feel like… We were meant to meet… Like we’ve known each other our whole lives even…”

Grinning, Buck nodded. “Yeah, likewise. Anyway, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”

Chuckling, Ruby agreed. “Then together.”

With those words, the two jumped through the gateway to another world.

/The chances of being in base reality are less than 1%. Therefore it’s more likely we are in a simulation rather than actually existing. If that is the case, we’d be better off not knowing the truth of our existence, right?/

Ruby’s hooves felt heavy. Like something was weighing her down. She couldn’t move, but she could see a slight stream of light through the darkness. A ray of grey sunlight illuminated the way. She struggled to move once more, but it was no use, she was pinned down.

Her efforts weren’t in vain though, as just in the distance she could hear voices muttering. As they got closer she could hear some of the words they were forming. “I think I hear something over here!”

Involuntarily, Ruby’s voice exited her throat calling for help, but it was muffled.

The sounds of the others in the distance came closer, and before Ruby knew it, they were in her vicinity and lifting large pieces of rubble off of her. She coughed as more light poured in, and her eyes winced in pain. She felt a hoof grab her and pull her out of the wreckage. She coughed and hacked as two ponies brushed her off, a third checking her for injury.

“Are you alright, Ruby?” One of them asked.

Ruby had never met this group before, but she noticed she moved involuntarily and spoke without thinking. It was as if she was reliving a foreign memory. “Yeah, just a bit scuffed up…”

“I tried to tell the site administrator that these tunnels weren’t safe, but figures he wouldn’t listen to a one like me…” The smallest of the group frowned, his yellow coat was stained with black soot.

Ruby shook her head and placed a hoof upon his shoulder in comfort. “It’s okay, they didn’t listen to me either, I’m a two. I tried to tell them that excavating here would be an issue, but all that did was make them think we couldn’t use explosives… High-powered drills seem to have the same effect though…”

“Sombra’s cronies don’t ever listen to reason or logic anyway, not a single brain between the lot of them. They’re all the same…” The only female besides Ruby spoke.

The one who pulled Ruby out placed his hoof in front of his face and hushed them. “Quiet, they might hear you. I think I saw the foreman heading this way. We should look around for others who got buried by the rubble before they get here, you know what’ll happen when they arrive after all…”

The entire group nodded in agreement until Ruby remembered something important. “Wait! My dad was near the other drill site! I have to go make sure he’s okay!”

“Are you crazy, Ruby!? We can’t abandon our post! We have to be here when the foreman inspects the place. He’s going to want a full report and you’re the one overseeing the drilling!” The small one spoke.

The female from before chimed in. “The same site she advised not to dig at?”

The yellow stallion rolled his eyes. “Okay, we’ve established that the ones in charge don’t listen to reason, thus all the more reason we should be here to report.”

Ruby brushed herself off some more and gave a concerned look as she noticed her glasses were cracked. “I just need a little time. It shouldn’t take me more than ten minutes. Just stall the foreman for me until I get back.” Ruby raced off before they had a chance to even protest her suggestion.

With a sigh, the largest of the group smirked. “Not even Sombra’s hierarchy can tame that girl… I feel bad for the poor stallion who tries to wrangle her…”

“He’d have to have the patience of a saint.” The female giggled.

/Infinite. A number far beyond our mortal comprehension. Never ending, never beginning. It simply is./

When Buck came to, he stretched his hoof out and could see it in front of him. The room he found himself in was similar to the cavern they had left through, except this one had a dark red glow to it, making it difficult to see. Glancing around, he saw a portal behind himself which he assumed they could use to return home. Blinking, he glanced around and noticed Ruby lying on her stomach next to him.

Taking a step toward her, he nudged her gently with his front right hoof. The mare stirred for a moment before she opened her eyes. Looking up from her crooked glasses, she smiled at Buck who offered her a hoof to get up. She accepted it, and he brought her to a stand.

Right away, she fixed her glasses and brushed herself off as she looked around the room. She blinked a few times until her eyes fell onto the large portal before them. She stared at it and let out a sigh of relief. “I guess that means we can get home through this at least… But now this brings me to another question…”

The redhead approached the portal and looked up in thought.

“What of it?” Buck blinked.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If the portal worked both ways… Why didn’t my parents come back? They could have used this to come home…”

Buck was about to propose the idea that they couldn’t, but he didn’t want Ruby thinking down that bleak line of thinking. Instead, he proposed another theory entirely. “Maybe they didn’t actually come here. Maybe they’re back in our reality somewhere?”

Ruby’s tone almost sounded disappointed. “Maybe…”

Buck approached and tapped her shoulder. “When we get back, I’ll help you look for them, promise.”

Her mood softened a bit at his words. “Thank you, Buck. You’re too kind. I’m glad you’re here with me.”

He smiled back at her and nodded. “No one should be alone, especially doing something as crazy as this. Still… I guess you proved your theories were all true.”

Ruby rubbed her head and looked into Buck’s eyes. “I think you were right before about memories bleeding in from the other side… I had a weird dream before I woke up here, it felt almost real…”

Buck could feel a soft blush on his face as he cleared his throat, wondering if her visions were similar to his own. “Oh? What did you see?”

Ruby looked up in thought as she recalled her dream. “Something about being buried under a pile of rubble. A few ponies I didn’t recognize dug me out, and then I went looking for my dad… Maybe that means my dad is here somewhere!”

Her stallion companion felt a gentle wave of relief that they wouldn’t have the awkward discussion of the two of them talking about getting married like in his own visions. He wondered where these visions were coming from though. Perhaps they were visions of another reality that could be? Or maybe something else entirely. At first, he suspected there was just a chance they were random dreams designed to deter them from getting closer to the portal.

“I guess it’s possible. We should focus on getting out of here first though…” Buck suggested.

Nodding in agreement, Ruby gestured toward the entrance. “Well, I think we will need to move that gemstone away from the entrance like we did in our reality. Looks like Sombra had the entrance covered up in this world too. I imagine most of the caverns will be similar, I mean this world is supposed to be the same as ours except it diverged from the original timeline some thirty years ago.”

Shrugging, Buck shined his light over at the entrance, and sure enough a large gemstone was in front of it. “Guess we should get moving then, we don’t have a lot of time left.”

“You’re right, let’s move this thing.” Ruby nodded.

Taking a quick stretch, Buck prepared himself as Ruby did the same. The two after a few moments of stretching, stood in front of the cave entrance and placed their shoulders on the enormous gem. The duo took a deep breath and began to push with all their might. As before, Buck did most of the heavy lifting, with Ruby mostly just offering support. With a bit of teamwork, the two managed to gain their freedom from the sealed chamber. Panting heavily, Ruby gripped her chest as she stepped out of the chamber and looked up. Unlike their own reality, the cave hadn’t caved in in this reality. Breathing a sigh of relief, the mare smiled and gestured for Buck to look. “Check it out, Buck, the way out is still intact.”

He looked up with her and felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. “Thank Luna for that.”

She nodded in agreement, and the two began to prepare their equipment to climb out. After a few minutes of readying themselves, they managed to make their way to the top of the cavern, making it back to the lift they had previously broken. This time, not trusting it, Ruby looked it over and blinked a few times in confusion.

Sensing something wrong, Buck tilted his head and approached. “Something wrong?”

Ruby fixed her glasses and spoke up. “This lift… It’s been serviced recently…”

“Maybe Sombra is keeping tabs on the portal?” Buck suggested.

Ruby didn’t appear convinced. “Maybe…”

“Can we use it to go back up, that’s the important question.” Buck changed the subject.

Checking it out, Ruby nodded. “Definitely. It looks like most of the working parts are only a few years old at best. Almost no rust to speak of.”

“Finally some good luck.” Buck chuckled as the two hurried inside.

Activating the lift, the two stood silently as it ascended. It wasn’t as long of a journey as it was going down, as the lift moved far more efficiently this time around. Within minutes they were at the ground level of the mines. Ruby was shocked to see the path to the main entrance had been cleared. The two looked at each other in confusion.

“Guess Sombra tried to reopen the mines…” Buck shrugged.

The two headed toward the light coming from the entrance and upon stepping outside they were met with a gloomy overcast. They looked up at the obsidian sky and for miles, all they could see were gray rain clouds covering the sky. The only sunlight was strangled through the clouds, desperate to keep the world coated in an eerie gloom.

The entrance to the Crystal Mines that were outside the castle had been sealed off to the public for decades back in their own world, yet now they had emerged from the forgotten relic of the past through that very entrance.

Stepping out a bit more, the two observed their location. They were just on the outskirts of the empire, which was now a shadow of its former self. Large black shards of enormous gemstones protruded from the ground, giving a sinister look to the once-gorgeous city. Most of the buildings inside were in various states of disrepair, but sitting at the center in pristine condition was a twisted version of the castle that Buck and Ruby knew. This one was decorated with black onyx stone, and a red halo of smoke surrounded it.

“Sombra definitely has bad taste in real estate…” Buck joked.

“Bad might not be a strong enough word here…” Ruby replied.

“Horse manure then?” Buck suggested.

Giggled, Ruby nodded as she covered her mouth to contain herself.

The two wouldn’t get to laugh for too long, as another voice spoke with authority to them. “Hey! You two! What’re you doing over here?”

Both ponies flinched and turned to see a straggly-looking stallion with a brown coat, covered in stains and desperate need of grooming. Strapped to his neck was a whistle and a red collar with a dog tag attached. It had the number “3” etched into it.

The two of them tilted their heads as he addressed them. “I said what are you doing over here? The mine has been closed off for a year, and I told everyone not to stray from the dig site.”

Ruby rubbed her neck, trying to explain their situation. “Well… Umm…”

The brown stallion blinked and looked them up and down. They seemed far cleaner than what he was used to seeing in his line of work. He then noticed the lack of collars on either of them. “Hey, where’re your tags? Are you ones or twos?”

Ruby and Buck both were clueless about what he was talking about but played along. “We ummm…” Buck began.

“Come on, out with it.” The stallion said.

“We lost them.” Ruby lied.

The stallion groaned in annoyance. “We’ll get back to base camp and have them issue new ones. Clearly, you’re ones if you'd lose your tags…”

“Sorry about that… we’re new…” Buck added to her lie.

“Clearly… Base camp is that way, I don’t need to remind you how to follow the signs do I?” He grumbled to the two of them.

“No sir.” Both Ruby and Buck said in unison.

“Get moving then, and don’t let me catch you without your tags again! If any of the privileged agents came through here you two would be shipped off to hive prison.” The brown stallion shook his head.

“It won’t happen again sir,” Ruby responded.

“See to it that it doesn’t, now get a move on so you can get back to work, I expect you both to still make your quota regardless, so hurry back.” He stomped his hoof to hurry them.

Buck and Ruby gave a quick salute before going to do as instructed. As they were told, a series of directional signs pointed the pair toward the base camp. They followed the path, noting other ponies all working, excavating various rocks in search of precious metals of varying degrees.

Each pony they saw was sporting the same collars, though most had ones and twos etched on them. Ruby whispered to Buck as she observed. “Buck, I think the threes are like supervisors or something… There’s far less of them than the others.”

Buck nodded in agreement as he noticed that same detail himself.

Arriving at the base camp, the two wandered into the huge tent. There at the front sitting behind a makeshift table was a mare with a series of clipboards in front of her. She had a yellow mane trimmed short, but the two of them instantly noticed her collar that had a “3” on it.

As they stood before her, the mare seemed to not notice them. Ruby cleared her throat to get the mare’s attention. Blinking, the blonde looked up at them with an annoyed expression. “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“Uh…We lost our tags and were told to come here?” Buck said.

The young blonde let out an exasperated sigh. “Dear Sombra… Let me guess… Ones?”

Given the two didn’t know the significance of the numbers, they both shrugged and nodded. “Yeah that’s us, a couple of ones…” Ruby said.

“Color me surprised…” The blonde spoke sarcastically. “You two idiots chose the worst time. We have an inspection from the privileged agents today. Fives crawling all over this place. Go to the security checkpoint where you see the fours stationed, request a reissue of your tags, and don’t blame me if some fives take you for additional screening.”

Ruby spoke up. “And they would be…?”

The mare smacked her own face in annoyance. “The ones in the uniforms, you know the ones that have the number four on their tags? The ones who checked you in? I swear you ones are useless. Now get going before I waste any more time on you two. If I don’t get this garbage finished it’s going to be my neck on the line when the authority bureau audits this place… And I’ll make sure it’s not just mine on the line if that happens.”

“We’ll get out of your hair, sorry.” Buck apologized.

“First intelligent idea I’ve heard from a one… Now get moving.” She ushered the two to leave her alone.

Giving into her demands the two started heading in the direction she pointed them, keeping an eye open for any ponies who matched the description the mare gave the two of them. Sure enough, a good several meters away was a set of ponies sporting militaristic-looking jackets and caps. Ponies were lined up in front of some of them having their tags checked.

“There’s some kind of authority structure in this reality… I think higher numbers command more authority…” Ruby whispered her inference to her friend.

“If that’s the case we should have lied and said our numbers were higher…” Buck frowned.

The two hushed up though as they came up to one of the officials. She had a vermillion coat, a wavy black mane, and a name tag that told them her name was “Order”. The two ponies stood before the official and gave a salute. Order waved for them to stop.

“That’s fine… Now, what do you work horses want?” Order asked.

“We were sent here because we lost our tags,” Buck explained.

Order muttered something under her breath as she shook her head. After she pointed to a group of armored guards all sporting collars in the shape of stars, each with the number five finely etched in, far higher quality than those of the ones and twos, even the threes. Their bodies were covered completely with complex armor. Buck gulped as they approached.

One of them held up a hoof and spoke through some kind of voice modifier in his helmet. “Halt. State your business.”

Another one pointed to the two’s necks. “Looks like a couple of no tags.”

The first one sighed and shook their head. “You want these two? I’ve got enough paperwork…”

Before either of the two could say anything a third one spoke up and stepped forward. “I’ll take them. I’m behind on my quota anyway…”

The first two laughed and nodded in agreement and the one they originally talked to spoke up. “Fair enough, they’re your problem now. Make sure you show them plenty of…” He glanced at Buck and Ruby before finishing his sentence. “Hospitality.”

Both of them laughed heartily before leaving Buck and Ruby with the third guard who volunteered to take them. Shaking his head, the guard gestured for the two to follow him. “Okay, this way. No funny business.” He commanded with the same distorted voice the others had.

Not seeing any other option, Buck and Ruby accepted their fate and followed in silence. After a short walk, they came to a small building outside the tent and were guided to what they assumed was an interrogation room. The guard opened the door and gestured for them to enter. “Get in, now.”

A cold sweat ran down Ruby’s neck, but Buck reassured her by taking her hoof in his own. She smiled at him as they both entered the room and heard the door close behind the guard. Buck gulped as the guard stood next to the door chuckling.

They watched carefully as they reached for their own helmet and pulled it off of their head. After setting it on the floor, they revealed a rainbow mane trimmed sloppily, yellow eyes and a light pink coat. They flicked their messy mane and grinned as they made eye contact with the duo. Her raspy voice was very feminine as she spoke up. “Sorry if I scared you guys, have to keep on a show for them.”

Buck and Ruby looked at each other in confusion before looking back at her. “Umm… Who are you?” Buck asked.

Blinking, the mare realized she hadn’t introduced herself. “Oh right, my name is Prism Dash! I’m with the Rebels!”

“Wait, are you related to Rainbow Dash by chance? The same Rainbow Dash who saved Equestria with Twilight?” Ruby blinked in astonishment.

Prism puffed out her chest with pride. “You bet! She was my mom. She used to be with the rebels back in the day. Now I’m kind of keeping the dream alive in her stead.”

“Who are these rebels you refer to?” Buck asked.

Prism tilted her head. “You don’t know about the rebels? What site did they ship you here from? Everyone knows about the rebels, Sombra and his goons are always trying to sniff us out, so our numbers are far smaller these days, but that’s where I come in.”

“Okay, so what do you do then?” Buck questioned.

“Recruitment. Welcome to the rebellion…” She paused and waved her hoof ushering the two of them to tell her their names.

“Buck.” Buck tapped his own chest.

“Ruby,” Ruby said after looking at Buck for a brief moment.

Prism nodded. “Right, well now that we’re acquainted, you two should really head for the rebel hideout…”

“Hey! Wait a second! What if we don’t want to join your rebellion?! You can’t just assume we want in!” Buck grunted.

Prism shrugged. “I mean, if you prefer I can send you back out there, but you both were supposed to go straight to the hive. No pony comes back from there, I figured you’d prefer fighting for our freedom over imprisonment.”

Ruby covered Buck’s mouth. “Sorry about him! We’re grateful, really!”

Prism made an awkward face and looked the two ponies before her up and down. “Well… Regardless, we have to get you two out of here… I have some spare tags for you, they should be enough to fool any who sees you, but they definitely won’t pass under scrutiny. Stay away from any security checkpoints, and don’t talk to any fives…” The mare retrieved a set of collars from her uniform pocket and passed them to Buck and Ruby.

Both ponies took them and fastened them on their necks, noting the number three etched into each. They blinked in confusion as Buck questioned the numbers. “Why threes?”

Prism rolled her eyes. “That’s as high as I can give you without you two arousing suspicion. Fives would stand out if you’re somewhere where it doesn’t make sense for officials to be, and fours usually rarely leave their station. If you’re threes, it’s normal to see you heading to work sites and passing through certain checkpoints, and they wouldn’t expect you to be in any kind of uniform…”

Ruby nodded on Buck’s behalf. “We really appreciate it. So where do we go?”

Prism smirked as if she was eager to show off her cunningness. She wandered over to a nearby tile on the floor and reached down with her wing and pulled it up. There was a ladder going down with an illuminated tunnel. “Take this path out of the camp, you should come out in the abandoned quarry area. Patrols are less frequent there. You’re going to meet up with some rebels who can take you to the base of operations when you get to the quarry. I’ll let them know you’re coming. Now get moving before they start wondering why I’m taking so long…”

Buck headed ahead of Ruby and already started making his way down the ladder before he popped his head back up and tilted his head as he questioned the young Prism, she didn’t look much older than himself. “What if they notice we went missing?”

She dismissed him with a hoof wave. “I’ll just spin them a story that I sent you off to the hive with the next group. Don’t worry, we’ll meet again, I’ll slip off to the rebel base when I get a chance.”

Ruby smiled and bowed to the uniformed mare. “Thank you so much for helping us…”

Prism gave a salute. “Welcome to the rebels.”

Not wasting any more time, the two began to descend down the tunnel as Ruby closed the hatch above them, only vaguely hearing Prism begin to exit the room above them to go and rejoin the other officials. Once in the illuminated tunnel, the two began to head down the long narrow passageway in single file.

“At least in this reality ponies don’t just take Sombra’s rule laying down… There are still those who would fight back…” Buck stated.

Ruby nodded in agreement as the two could see a light at the end of the tunnel. “It’s in our nature to fight oppression… So long as there is evil, there are those who will rise up to stop it, I suppose…”

Buck said nothing as the pair stepped into the light and exited the tunnel. They both glanced around and noticed a pink mare with a bandana covering her face standing not far from the tunnel entrance. Removing their face cover, they could see her lip had a small scar across the bottom right corner.

Her eyes were a vibrant purple, and her pink coat was complimented with a bright red mane rivaling Ruby’s own. The mare gave a gentle head nod at the two as she spoke up with a rather high-pitched voice. “You the new recruits Prism mentioned, I take it?”

Buck gave a sheepish smile. “Yeah, that’s us I guess…”

She squinted at the two of them. “You two don’t look normal… Where did you get moved here from? Don’t usually see ponies as clean as you two…”

Ruby looked at her companion, thinking of how to explain their situation. Finally, she decided it was best just to tell them the truth. “This is going to sound really crazy…” Ruby began.

“Try me…” The pink mare raised a brow.

“Well… We come from another reality…” Ruby explained.

There was a short silence before the mare replied. “Okay, you were right… That does sound crazy…”

“I know it sounds like I’m making this up, but you have to trust me on this… We came through a gate from another reality entirely… We’re here to stop Sombra and save our world…” Ruby explained.

The mare’s unimpressed expression didn’t change. “How are you two going to stop Sombra? A couple of average-looking ponies?”

Buck reached into his saddlebag, sensing Ruby needed help, and retrieved a photo he had brought with him. A part of him knew one of the issues they would encounter would be ponies might not believe them if they said where they were from. He presented the photo to the mare.

Taking the photo from him, the mare’s eyes widened as she gazed at what was in it. Standing next to Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor was Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Empire, restored to its former glory. Next to her was a dragon wearing a gold medal.

“You’re telling the truth…?” The mare blinked.

“In our world, Sombra was defeated over thirty years ago and the kingdom was restored,” Buck said.

Shaking her head, she offered the photo back to Buck who took it and packed it away. She offered her hoof. “I’m sorry I was so skeptical before… Allow me to apologize, my name is Cupcake Blast, I moved here to help the rebellion after Pinkie Pie, my mentor wanted to join the rebellion…”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Buck, and this is Ruby.” Buck gestured to his friend who gave a smile.

“We really need to take you to the rebel leader, they’ll definitely want to hear all of this…” Cupcake insisted.

“Lead the way.” Ruby gestured.

Nodding, Cupcake began to take the two along an abandoned pathway out of the quarry as the two kept by her side and conversed.

“So, since we’re a bit out of the loop… What’s with the numbers we keep seeing on these collars?” Ruby asked.

Cupcake kept her eyes on the path as she spoke. “Sombra created a number system to rank his slaves. Ones are considered the lowest of the low, manual labor that requires no thinking or skill of any kind, disposable, and zero authority. Twos are only a hair higher than ones, still considered labor class but capable of operating machinery and other more complex tasks…”

“That’s dreadful…” Buck commented with a frown.

Cupcake nodded before continuing. “Threes are supervisors to the labor class. They report to the higher-ups. Fours would be those higher-ups. Fours are considered a liaison between the labor class and the trusted agents…”

“Trusted agents?” Ruby blinked.

“Yeah… Fives. They’re above everypony else, they work directly for Sombra, we have only a few within their ranks spying for us, Sombra isn’t that trusting after all…” Cupcake stated.

“How far does Sombra’s rule reach?” Buck asked.

A frown came to Cupcake’s face. “Well… Shortly after I was born he pushed past the Crystal Empire once he had control over all of it and began conquering cities left and right. Within ten years after the empire’s fall, he managed to defeat Celestia and Luna and now he controls all of Equestria. In recent years he’s been expanding to other territories too. It’s only a matter of time before he takes over the world… However, I think it’s a stroke of Hearth’s Warming miracle that you two showed up… We may be able to finally turn the tide of this rebellion in our favor with your knowledge.”

“We hope so…” Ruby smiled sheepishly.

Approaching an old cellar hatch to a rundown home, Cupcake grinned at the two new recruits. “We’re here…” She then tapped on the entrance four times, spaced out in some kind of pattern. Before they knew it, the door opened and Cupcake gestured for the two of them to stay put as she entered.

Ruby and Buck stood awkwardly for a good few minutes until Cupcake returned and gestured for them to enter. “Come on in.”

Nodding, the duo entered and walked slowly as several guards near the entrance gave them a stare-down. As they passed the entryway, they could see the interior was adorned with old furniture that had been cleaned up and made into a rather large living space. Dozens of ponies were inhabiting the area, and it looked like the underground sanctuary stretched for a good distance.

Around them, they could see ponies watching television, listening to old beaten radios, and fillies and colts playing with toys that looked like they had been pulled out of rubbish piles.

Near the back of the main room that they had entered, they could see what they assumed was some kind of bar.

Cupcake gestured them toward a hallway in the far back. “Come on, our leader is this way, they’ll definitely want to meet with you!”

As Buck and Ruby passed, many ponies stared in their direction, clearly noticing that they didn’t appear underweight, sickly, and dirty like the rest of them. Ignoring their stares though, the two made their way to the hallway where they were led to a door at the very end. Cupcake stood at the side of the door with two guards and nodded at Buck and Ruby. “This is as far as I go, you two go have a chat with her, she’ll know what to do.”

“Her?” Buck blinked.

Shrugging, the two pushed through the door and heard it shut behind them.

They flinched at the sound of the door but then noted the room around them smelled like a hospital almost with the scent of disinfectant filling the air. Glancing around, they could see various pieces of medical equipment surrounding them. They blinked a few times and saw a large pillow in the center of the room with a blanket over it.

The two stepped closer as they noticed the blanket move slightly. From behind it, a reptile stepped. His legs were powerful-looking, and his arms were covered in what the two could only assume were battle scars. As he glanced in their direction, they could see one of his fangs was broken. His green and purple appearance looked faded like all of his scales had lost their sheen.

He coughed and raised a brow. “I think these two are here to see you…” He spoke with a deep voice. They instantly recognized him as Spike the dragon, though he looked far different from the one they knew back home.

Ruby and Buck both bowed before him, but he rolled his eyes before tugging at the blanket on top of the large pillow. “Don’t bow before me… It’s her you want…”

From under the blanket, a purple snout poked out, and finally, a head covered in a long dark grey mane. As they rose up, Ruby and Buck could see their body was frail, skinny, and malnourished. Their eyes and coat had lost any luster they once had, and her face was haggard with age and anguish.

She coughed a few times as she finished sitting up, and it became visible that she was hooked up to all kinds of IVs and health monitors.

“So what brings your new faces here?” She asked.

The pair of friends bowed respectfully before speaking. “We’re sorry to bother you… I’m not sure what you were told already…” Ruby began.

“I was told you came from another reality entirely…” She replied.

“Correct…” Ruby nodded.

“May I see some kind of proof?” The old mare asked.

Buck retrieved the photo he had shown earlier and passed it to Spike. Spike took it carefully and brought it over to the old mare. He held it close to her tired eyes to see. She examined it carefully for several minutes before a gentle smile came to her old lips. “I can’t believe it… There I am… Full of youth… And still a princess…”

“Wait… You mean you’re…” Buck couldn’t even finish his sentence as the old mare cut him off.

“Twilight Sparkle. Another lifetime ago, I was the Princess of Friendship, but now I’m just an old mare trying to lead a rebellion…” She coughed.

Author's Note

Really fun getting this out. I'm hoping I can put out the entire story before the end of the holidays. (Maybe ending sometime around January 1st?)

I really enjoy being able to evolve on the story I wrote as just a simple one-shot last year for Jinglemas. :P