A New Day A New Universeby King_BearoChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1A long time ago there were two princesses, Celestia, who raised the sun, and Luna, who raised the moon. Peace was kept in Equestria for a long time, until an evil unicorn who went by the name of King Sombra, started turning the ponies of the Crystal Empire into soldiers. A war broke out between King Sombra and the princesses, it lasted for a long time with the princess raging victorious. However it cost the life of Princess Celestia, Stricken with grief Princess Luna became the new ruler. She could not control the power to raise the sun though so the world became plagued by darkness and monsters of magic came out. The ponies and animals later learned how to adapt to the darkness and everypony of every generation learned how to fight in some way. ————————————- “Fluttershy! Wake up!” I groaned and turned in my bed, slowly I got up and walked across my dark room, and opened the door. On the other side was Rainbow Dash hovering midair, goggles around her neck and her hooves crossed. She was just probably done with early morning patrol. She works as a Wonderbolt during the noon hours and weather patrol early morning and night hours or whatever you call day and night here. “Finally! A guard told us Princess Luna would like a meeting with us and the others after she finished with another one in roughly an hour,” She said “Um ok. Meet up in the usual spot? Get everyone else there too, I’ll be there soon,” I said “Got it!” With that, she flew off I turned back into my bedroom and looked at the clock, it was 7:10, seeing I had plenty of time, I headed towards the shower. A yellow thestrals followed next to me as I walked past the mirror and turned on the shower and got in. The warm water cascaded off my fur as my muscles started to relax from training the other day. Getting out and drying off, I went back into the bedroom and went to an armor stand near the corner of the room. Being Captain of the Lunar Guard means you get to have a room all to yourself and not have to share. Unlike most captains though, I am very quiet and shy, I'm not a huge fan of talking to others. Strapping on the midnight purple chest plate, I placed the helmet on my desk and noticed a small white rabbit near a box full of carrots thumping his foot impatiently. “Are you hungry Angel?” I asked, already knowing the answer I walked over to the tub of carrots and opened it to give him one. He greedily snatched the carrot and hopped off somewhere. I sighed, grabbed my helmet, and left the room for Twilight’s lab. Twilight is part of the research team, she has a great knowledge of the creatures and monsters that inhabit the land. She also acts like a therapist sometimes helping with talking out their problems. When I got to a white door with a sign with messy handwriting that said busy, I knocked and waited for her to answer. Not even thirty seconds later she opened the door, her mane messy and a coffee levitated next to her. “Oh! Hey, come on in, I was just reading a fascinating book about manticores.” She said stepping to the side and letting me in “Did you know that some manticore’s claws can cut through steel?” I said while walking in. Other than being captain, I also know about almost any animal and how to take care of them. “It was never mentioned in the book,” She muttered while quickly flipping through the pages The room was spotless except for one corner with a table that has books scattered around. Along the back wall, there was another door with a sign that says do not enter in big bold letters, that door led to her bedroom and bathroom. There was a long table in the middle, housing a microscope and chairs lining around it. The door slammed open startling Twilight causing her to drop her coffee, she glared at the person at the door, which of course was Rainbow Dash. Behind her were Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all of them coming into the room, and shutting the door behind them. Apple Jack is on the construction team, planning out and building repairs and extensions to the castle. Pinkie Pie is our resident chef, she and others make the best meals in the castle. Rarity is the seamstress, designing and making most of the uniforms for almost every job around the castle. “Sorry for such a rude entrance, darling” Rarity said “Hey, guys!” Pinkie shouted hugging all of us “Hey ya’ll, when did the princess say she wanted us again?” Apple Jack asked “Um…About now…” Rainbow said With that, we all quickly left Twilight's lab and entered the dark hall leading to the throne room. The six came to a stop at a large red door and knocked, a guard opened the door revealing the Moon Princess, Luna. As we walked forward some of the guards nodded their heads at me as silent acknowledgment as their captain. Stopping near the base of the throne, we bowed in respect, waiting for her to speak. “There have been monster reports in the town of Ponyville. The guards that were there only managed to drive it out for a while, unable to kill it. I want you six to stay there for a few weeks helping out with keeping the monsters out. I want you to report to me immediately if anything happens. I’ve already notified your teams of your departure, and I want all of you to leave as soon as possible. Have a safe trip, you are dismissed.” She said I could practically feel Pinkie vibrate with excitement next to me as she bounced out of the room. I have never been to Ponyville before but all my friends have come from there, and I've heard many great things about the small town. I know Pinkie worked at the local bakery, Rarity as a seamstress, Apple Jack as a farmer, Rainbow as a weather pony, and Twilight as a librarian. Why they left the jobs they loved for working at the castle, I will never know. My dad worked in the Lunar Guard ever since I was born. I took after him, training to be one ever since I turned the age of eight-teen. When I was just a rookie I met Rainbow dash, she was lost trying to get to the Wonderbolts tryout room, we slowly became friends since I was such a shy pony. As I climbed the ranks and proved my worth I soon met five others who also became my friend. Every guard, captains to rookies must rotate duty every half a year to give them a break. When I’m not on duty I work at the local vet of Canterlot helping injured pets and animals. Coming back to reality I realized I was nearing my door, pushing it open with my hoof I walked in. I went to my closet and got out a bag. I put my bits in there including my swords and helmet. Angel came out of wherever he was hiding, wondering where I was going. “I will be back in a few weeks, I’ll open up the carrot box for you but you have to promise only three a day, ok? I said Angel may be impatient and rude but he always keeps his promises. Once the promise had been confirmed, I opened the box of carrots and left the room. I headed towards the front gates of the castle, when I got there everyone was already there, bags on their backs. We started to walk towards the train station and AppleJack was talking about how she can’t wait to visit the farm again. “Man I can’t wait to visit, Apple bloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith again,” she said “Yeah! I haven’t been there in a long time!” Pinkie exclaimed “I’m excited to see everyone everypony has been talking about,” I said softly I haven’t been outside of Canterlot all too often, the only places I’ve been were the crystal empire to help princess Cadence, the top of a mountain to stop a dragon terrorizing Canterlot, stopping the occasional monster attacks, and I’ve also been to a remote village to stop a dictator who was stealing people’s cutie marks. Her name was Starlight Glimmer I believe, she’s now reformed and lives in Ponyville I'm pretty sure. We got to the train station and got tickets to Ponyville, when I was getting on the train ponies were looking at me in wonder. We found some empty seats in the back and put our bags down. I took out the book on animals and began to read silently. —————————————————— Thirty minutes later we arrived at the train station. Getting out, one single lamp post lit up the surrounding area as the ponies eagerly got out. We got off the platform and into the town, the buildings were made of stone and roofs were from packed straw. It looked like a very cozy place to live, a far cry from the fancy buildings of Canterlot. Pinkie was hopping along greeting everypony by name, they all were excited to see her again. “How about we split up for a while, so you guys can catch up on friends and family? I’ll just go speak to the mayor of the town and then we can meet later and introduce me to your family and friends” I suggest They all reluctantly agreed and went our separate ways. After a few minutes of walking, I ended up at a large building in the center of town, most likely the town hall. Entering town hall I was greeted by ponies walking back and forth frantically trying to finish up paperwork. They all slowed to a stop, staring at me, probably wondering why there was a Lunar Guard in their town. “Um, do you know where the mayor is in this town?” I asked trying to put on a confident voice “Second floor, last door down the hall,” A grey stallion with a quill and ink cutie mark said Following the stallion’s instructions I found myself in front of a door that said ‘Mayor's Office’. I politely knocked on the door and waited for her to respond. When I heard a come-in, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The mayor didn’t look shocked to see me as the others did, clearly expecting me to arrive. “Thank you for coming to help us, Captain Fluttershy, I am Mayor Mare,” The old mare said “It's not a problem ma’am” I replied “I’ve booked some rooms at the Daisy cafe hotel for you,” She said “You can come to me if there is any problem during your stay” After the meeting I walked the dark streets in search of anyone, I soon found myself on an apple farm. This must be Apple Jack’s farm, I saw a house further down the road and went to it. Knocking on the door, a little filly reluctantly opened the door, not too sure of what to make of me. “Um hello?” She said her southern accent was very noticeably “Hi, I’m Fluttershy, is Apple Jack here?” I asked “APPLE JACK! Someone’s here to see you!” She yelled out, not even a minute passed before I saw Apple Jack in the doorway “Oh hey Fluttershy, come on in,” sidestepped letting me in. The inside of the house was very clean, most of the furniture was made of wood and there was a lot of Apple symbolism. We sat at a table and just talked not really about anything. The talking must have taken a long time because it was already time for me to go to the hotel for the night. —————————————————- Waking up to loud roars was not the ideal wake-up call. I quickly scrambled out of bed hastily putting on my armor, grabbed my sword, and ran outside the hotel. People were screaming and running in the opposite direction, when I got to where the monster was, everyone else was just arriving too. “What in tarnation is that thing!” Rarity exclaimed with disgust “Twilight! Info please!” Pinkie said a little disturbed “It’s called a Bizult, it’s pretty much a bipedal spider. It sprays acid to melt its prey to help with eating.” She said in a rush The monster was a sight for sore eyes. It was bug-like, sporting 3 long thin legs on each side, it also had a furry body and antennae’s sprouting almost all over its head. It was climbing all over buildings spraying acid on the roofs and disintegrating the hay. Something I didn’t expect was it to teleport around, wasting no more time we quickly jumped into battle It was very hard to try and kill this thing, it kept teleporting away and spry acid at us. My swords were not landing a hit on it no matter how quick I am. At one point a drop of acid hit my helmet crest causing a hole to appear. The more I observe it the more I realize, in order to kill it, it needs to get knocked out so it can’t teleport away or spray acid. “Twilight! Do you know a spell to knock it out?” I yell Without saying a word, her horn glowed pink casting a spell that shot at the monster. Like in slow motion, it slowly fell to the floor unconscious. Wasting no time I quickly charged toward it, sword pointed forward, in an attempt to kill it. Somehow at the last second, it woke up and went to tackle me, there was a bright light as me and the monster tumbled through the streets. I felt blood fall on me, I noticed the sword plunged into its chest. Feeling disturbed and grossed out I got up, took the sword out, and stabbed it in the skull, for good measure. Its blood was green as it splattered everywhere from the stab wounds. I got up from the body and I just now realized it was so bright, much brighter than I’m used to, the sun is out. “Who the hey are you?” I turned around and saw Twilight standing there with an exasperated expression. Her horn was lit up ready to attack if necessary, and her wings spread out. When did get wings and become an alicorn? “Am I delirious because I don't remember her being an alicorn” I muttered before replying hesitantly “Um, I’m Fluttershy captain of the Lunar guard” She looked surprised, and that’s when I noticed five other ponies next to her, they’re all my friends…plus me? They were all standing there confused, they don't seem bothered at all by the monster though. “Can you come to the castle with me?” She asked and that’s also when I noticed the giant castle behind her made of crystal. When did that get there? “What the fuck!” Chapter 2The castle itself was very big, there were so many rooms that I won’t believe anyone if they say they use them all. There were crystal pillars lined against the walls separating each door as we walked along a long hallway. They took me to a giant room with seven thrones and a giant round table in the middle. It too was made of crystal and it had a map on equestria on it. Everyone went to their respective throne, aligned with their cutie marks, the other Fluttershy’s cutie mark was similar to mine. Along with the three butterflies, ithad a sword in the middle. I got mine after I was learning how to use a sword from my dad. Iy protected some innocent squirrels from local bullies. “What was that thing?” Twilight said bringing me back to reality “It’s called a Bizult, it is a giant bipedal spider-like creature. It sprays acid from itself to disintegrate its prey to eat it and it can teleport around to avoid danger, your uh majesty.” I said from what Twilight told me “There's no need for that, you can just call me Twilight.” Twilight said then continued “Though I never heard of a Bizult before, it was never in any textbooks I’ve read.” “Granny Smith told me story’s when I was a filly, about monsters that attack in the night. They only hunt at night and leave first thing in the morning so no one has ever seen them.” Apple Jack said, “They also harness the power of the moon.” “Then why were you fighting it during the day?” Rarity asked “Um it was dark not even an hour ago,” I deadpanned like it was obvious “Do you live in a different time zone?” Twilight asked, “It’s dark twenty-four seven, is it not?” I said confused They all exchanged worried looks with each other. That can’t be good, did something happen? I started to pace around in worry, my armor clanking together with each step I took. I didn’t realize I was hovering above everyone else until they looked like dots staring back at me in awe. Embarrassed I fluttered back down and tucked my leathery wings back into my side. “You’re Flutterbat!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly “What is a ‘Flutterbat’?” I asked confused “That's you sill-!” She was cut off before she could finish “I think what Pinkie is trying to say, is that you look like the form that Fluttershy turned into after a fruit bat spell backfired” Twilight intervened “I don’t know what you guys are talking about but I’m a thestral, a bat pony. Though unlike most, I eat lots of apples instead of blood.” I said and saw Apple Jack went pale at the mention of eating apples. “Don’t they only come out at night?” Rainbow Dash said, “Technically no, not from what I’ve read, they prefer dark areas but don’t mind being out in the sun, didn’t I tell you it was always nighttime?” I said eyebrow raised “I think I finally know what’s going on.” Twilight started “I predict you’ve jumped universes, from where it’s always dark to a place where there’s a day and night cycle.” My eyes widened, that can’t be, how did that happen? Soon again I was pacing back and forth in distress, my mind racing. Everypony else was also a little panicked, a stranger that looks like their friend in their world must be weird. “I think we’re going to need Princess Celestia's help with this.” The other Fluttershy said “She’ll probably know what to do,” “Celestia’s alive?” I said shocked, “She didn't die during the war?” They all looked at me confused so I explained “She died a thousand years during the war against King Sombra,” “Then who’s your ruler?” Rainbow asked “Princess Luna.” They looked shocked but didn’t mention it any further. Twilight called over a dragon named Spike and told him to send a message to Princess Celestia about our arrival. I’m still confused about how they’re just able to visit the Princess almost whenever. After that meeting Rarity showed me a bathroom insisting I freshen up before meeting the Princess I sighed and took off my helmet, my pink ruffled mane falling out and around my neck. Looking into the mirror I saw three gashes on my face from a previous monster attack and my yellow coat offset into a darker yellow from the battle. I took off the rest of my armor and turned on the shower. I got in and watched as the green blood and dirt fell off my fur and into the drain. When I felt satisfied that I got everything off, I got out and took a towel from a hanger, and dried off. Looking back in the mirror I saw my coat was rid of the green and was a whole lot more vibrant. I left the bathroom with my armor on and the helmet strapped on my back. After a bit of wondering and asking Spike, I found the others in the main entrance all talking to one another. Approaching them Pinkie was the first to see me and waved enthusiastically. The others looked a little shocked, clearly not expecting the damage done to my face but didn't comment on it, most likely out of respect. The walk to the train was uneventful, Pinkie was waving to every pony that they crossed paths with. “Isn’t there a pony named Starlight Glimmer around here,” I asked with that thought in my mind “She’s off on a short trip with Trixie, why?” Twilight said “Well, I just remember her from that time when I went to a remote village cause there were reports of suspicious activity going on,” I replied “Don’t worry she’s not stealing cutie marks anymore so you don’t need to do anything” “Oh I know I was the one who stopped her along with my world’s Pinkie and Twilight. I wanted to see what she's been doing, but I now realize it might be different here.” We were quiet for the rest of the walk and I was looking around in awe at the lighter senary. At first, the brightness was hurting my eye, but once I got somewhat used to it, it surprised me how much clearer I could see everything. Even though ponies evolved to see better at night, in the light everything was as sharp as a knife’s edge. Getting on the train, the cart we got in was pretty much empty, so we went to the seats near the middle and sat down. ————————————————— “So you guys have never worked at the castle before?” I asked while walking down the street “We’ve only been in the castle for Cadence’s wedding, Twilight’s coronation, when Sunset stole the crown, the Grand Galloping Gala, and other times, not in that order.” Pinkie said “I live in the castle, I’ve only been to the Gala off duty once, it was pretty boring.” “Well we also pretty much crashed the party,” Rainbow said “Princess Celestia thought it was the most interesting thing that ever happened.” Rarity continued “You guys crashed a gala? Wow, I wouldn’t dare do something like that, “ I said flabbergasted “I accidentally stole her pet phoenix one time.” Other Fluttershy said “You stole the princess’s pet!” These girls keep surprising me “You girls are insane!” We arrived at the castle and it sure looks different and not just from the light. It had a lot more yellow on it and dark blue was replaced by pale purple. Going inside there were lots of guards patrolling the halls with gold armor instead of the navy blue. The layout was a little different but it’s pretty much the same. Making our way around the halls we ended up in front of a large door, this is giving me deja vu. When opening the door, two princesses were sitting on their thrones, Princess Celestia and Luna. “Wow! She’s a lot bigger than in the stories.” I muttered “Hello girls, how are you today?” She said in a calming voice “We’re doing fine, though we have a small problem that we’re hoping you have a solution to.” Twilight said “I think when Fluttershy here was fighting a monster, she somehow got transported to our universe.” “And what is this monster you speak of?” Luna spoke up “It’s called a Bizult,” I said “Yes, those things are dangerous and very rare to spot, then you must know they also teleport then. If something interferes with their teleporting then it can cause a tear, transporting it and its victim. Let me ask now, how did you come across it?” She said “We got reports of monsters terrorizing ponyville, and were ordered to stay there for a while to keep the town safe.” “And what is of your world?” That’s when I told the story of my world, to say the least both the princesses looked shocked. When I mentioned that Luna was the ruler, she looked at her sister with a smug look. In return her sister glared back which almost got a laugh out of me. The others look surprised too, I didn’t think they could get even more shocked, I am proven wrong. After I told the story Celestia closed her eyes like she’s in deep thought. “I know a way to get you back to your own world, but we would need a special crystal that I don’t currently possess. It’s found in the mountains outside of the crystal empire. Once we have it though, me and Luna can cast a powerful spell on it so when you touch it it sends you back to where you came from.” Celestia then said “This is great news!” Pinkie said This is reassuring, I’ll find a way to get back to my friends and Angel. This left me wondering, how long will this journey take though? Hopefully it won’t be too time consuming, even though these ponies are very interesting to be around and very similar, they’re just not my friends. “Is there any book or paper on the crystal?” Twilight asked “There should be one in the archives. Why don’t you stay here before the sun goes down before you leave to look for it, we will send you the book once we find it.” Luna said “I’m sorry but we have to decline, we need to go back home and pack up.” Twilight said We said our thanks and headed back out on the street to make our way to the train station. During the walk I saw so many familiar faces, but they all acted and moved differently from what I am familiar with. Nearing the train, I had an idea, I wanted to see how fast this Rainbow Dash is. “Hey Dash” I said with a smirk “You wanna do a little race?” “You sure? Cause I’m really fast, like really fast.” She said a little cocky “I think you're forgetting that I am captain of the Lunar Guard. I’ve even beaten my Rainbow Dash in races before.” “Ok if you’re sure. You’re on! Where are we racing?” “Back to Ponyville” “Uh that’s pretty far” “You're scared you’ll lose?” “Scared? Never! I’ll beat you before you have time to blink.” “If you’re going to do that we’ll be right behind you, on the train.” Twilight said We lined up on the platform in the direction of Ponyville. Twilight went to count us off with the others looking in curiosity and suspense. I took off right when she said one, I was in the lead with a good amount of space between us. It was beautiful, the light making everything vibrant. The ground was painted with shades of green, yellow, pink and white, I could see the animals going about their business. The sky was a bright blue with white fluffy clouds looking over everything. ————————————————— Twilight was pacing around her lab with the others standing there with worry. Fluttershy was missing for two days with no note or anything. They quickly informed Princess Luna about the event and she told them to come back immediately. “That monster also disappeared at the same time as she did” Rainbow observed “Do you think it has to do with the disappearance?” Apple jack said “Most likely, I'm going to have to do more research on it.” Twilight said Everyone was worried, but they only had limited time to find out any information since they had jobs they needed to do. Whenever they were on breaks they spent it on trying to find anything, that be it excessive reading or just asking around. There was a knock on the door and a guard was on the other side. “Hello? This is for miss rarity” he said, placing down a package. “Oh thank you! This must be the new fabric I gotten” she said getting the package When she opened the package, there was a shocked look on her face, her eyes going wide. The others went up to her and when they saw what was in the package they too were shocked. Inside the big box there was a piece of faded brown parchment and a note that was signed by Anonymous. I know what happened to your friend, I don't know where she is exactly but she's not here, in this world. I can help you get her back though, in the mountains north of the Crystal mountains there is a crystal, it is called the frequency crystal. If it's touched by a powerful spell, then it will bring back your friend from anywhere in space and time. I don't know much about this crystal, all I know is that there has to be its counterpart present and already activated, and once she touches it it will send her to the frequency crystal. I found a paper about the two crystals that might be useful to you. ~Yours Anonymous “I think I know what we need to do now” Twilight said still shocked Everyone looked at each other, excitedly and nodded. It looks like they’re going on a trip to the Crystal Empire. They couldn’t wait, but first they needed to ask the Princess for permission first, so they all ran out of the room to get there as quickly as possible. Chapter 3A homing crystal, a powerful crystal found in the mountains north of the crystal empire. It has been used for many things but the main one was for enhanced form of teleportation. This form of teleportation can send ponies to where they come from, but in order for that to happen it needs its counterpart, the frequency crystal, on the other side. There is a powerful spell only a few know, that needs to be cast in order to work. If there isn’t a frequency crystal activated, the user could potentially end up in a different world. This is all I know for now about this crystal. -Bijou Goldhoof “So I don't know whether this is good or bad news,” Rainbow dash said “How could my friends know they need to get the frequency crystal?” I said, “I could possibly find a spell when we get to the crystal empire.” Twilight said The train started to move, making me rock back and forth a little. We were on a sleeper train since it was a long ride, fourteen hours to get to the crystal empire. We decided to bunk in pairs, Fluttershy and Rainbow, Rarity and AppleJack, Pinkie and twilight, and I’m just in a room of my own. “I’m gonna go to the dining car!” Pinkie said and bounced out “Wow it sure got dark quickly,” Applejack said looking at the window I looked over and saw it was indeed dark out. It felt nice being in the dark again, the sunlight was very pretty but it’s the night where I belong. Yet again this signals that I don’t belong here and I need to get back. “Quick question, what are we like in your world? ‘Cause, clearly we’re going to be a little different if we’re going off of you.” Rarity said “Well, Rarity designs and makes most of the uniforms for the different jobs around the castle, she is more sassy and blunt. Applejack is a construction worker, she pretty much has the same personality. Twilight works as a researcher, she’s a lot nerdier than you are and closed off. Rainbow dash is a part-time wonder bolt and works on the weather team, she's less competitive. Pinkie is the most different, she works as a chef, and she’s tons more chill than this one. Sure she gets excited easily but isn’t hyper.” I explained to everyone “So we all work at the castle? Wow, I would have never thought that I would work somewhere fancy like that.” Applejack said “I’m a wonder bolt too? Awesome!” Rainbow dash said, “You have been a wonder bolt since you were eighteen.” I chuckled a little. “I remember when we first met, you crashed into a trash can while trying to find the tryouts building. I think you earned the nickname crash from your peers.” “Aw come on! I’m also named Crash in your world too!” “Hi! What did I miss!” Pinkie said coming back in with a tray of food on her back “Well, Fluttershy over here, was talking about what we’re like in her world.” Rarity said pointing at me “Hey, girls, I’m starting to get tired, I’m going to go rest now.” Other Fluttershy said softly and left to her room “Yeah same, I think we should rest up for tomorrow.” Twilight said We all nodded in agreement and headed to our respective rooms. The single rooms looked exactly like the doubles, except there was one bed. It was very small, one lamp and a bedside table. The bed itself was surprisingly comfortable, and with that, I quickly fell asleep. “Hello? Hello? Is anypony there?” I didn’t realize my eyes were open until I looked around. I was in my room in the castle, how did I get here? I exited the room and went down the hall, it was dead silent, with not a pony in sight. “Hello?” It was the same voice again, quickly, I went to follow the voice. It sounds so familiar but I can’t pinpoint who it is because it sounded so echoey. Rounding a corner I bumped into someone, the pony had white fur and a purple simmering mane put up into a bun. “Rarity! Oh my! You’re here, you’re ok!” I said, excitedly hugging her “Fluttershy? You’re ok! Where have you been darling?” “It’s a long story. That reminds me, I have something important to tell you.” I said “You have to get a crystal called a frequency crystal, it's in the mountains of the crystal empire. it’ll help me get back.” “I already know, we’re heading there. We got mail from someone anonymously trying to help us.” She said “Wait, ‘we’re’? The others know too?” My eyes widened with hope “Of course! Now you got to tell me what happened!” I told her everything that happened leading up to now. About the crazy inter-dimensional stuff, the sun, meeting different versions of them. What surprised her the most was that I got to meet princess Celestia. “You got to meet Celestia! What is she like?” “She talks like she has lots of wisdom in her, which I have no doubt she has. She’s also super tall, like really tall.” “She sounds like a true Princess, I wish I’d gotten to meet-“ she was cut off and everything went black. ———————————————— CRASH! I fell from my bed as something rammed into the side of the train. Looking outside, the sun was beginning to rise, casting the wasteland in a gold hue but the train was going off the tracks. I quickly went out into the hall and saw everyone running around in panic. I tried to look for the others and saw they were already outside trying to fight it. The monster had sharp horns and matted grey fur. Strong stubby arm with sharp claws swinging around wildly. I realized I fought this monster before, it’s called a Horcle, I don’t know where ponies get these names from. Why is it here though, they only come out at night, my eyes widened, what if they came from my world? Twilight and the others clearly didn’t know how to fight this thing. They were putting out attacks at random, they should know that these monsters are a lot different than your average everyday ones. Noticing they won’t be able to defeat it with what they’re doing now, I quickly flew in, studying its attack patterns. “Rarity! It likes shiny things, do you think you can get something shiny? Rainbow, get it as far away from the train as you can. Twilight, can you get the train back on the tracks, AppleJack go help her. Pinkie and other me, can you help me take it down?” I commanded They all nodded and went off to do what they were told. Fluttershy looked a little hesitant but still did as told. Rarity somehow got a giant gemstone and with Rainbow’s help, led the monster away. “Are you sure we can’t just be friends with it? What if they don’t really want to hurt us” Fluttershy said to me “Fluttershy over here is a major pacifist,” Pinkie said “Trust me, I tried before, but these aren’t your average monsters,” I said then handed them a spare blade I brought before leaving Sparing no time I quickly flew towards the beast and stabbed it in the neck. It howled in pain as it threw its head back, pulling away, I went and tried to strike it again. In a fit of pain, it lashed its arm at me, sending me tumbling away from it. That’s the hardest part of fighting this thing, its attacks are so random. “Fluttershy! Are you ok?” The other shy said “Uh yeah! Can you use the stare? If we don’t stop it now, it’ll go and attack the ponies” I asked She nodded hesitantly, wanting to protest but knew it was the right choice and went to use it, instantly the monster froze up. Again I went to stab it, this time the blade went into its chest, and again it howled in pain and fell to the ground. It was dead or at least dying. I looked around and saw that Fluttershy looked disturbed about what just happened. “Look, I am very sorry I made you do that but these monsters are not something to be trifled with. Like I said before, I tried multiple times to be friendly with them, it just wouldn’t work like it would simpler ones like dragons or manticores. Kindness doesn’t always work for everything” I said to the other shy and put a hoof on her shoulder We flew back to the train and saw everyone was back inside trying to calm everypony down. When they saw us, they immediately calmed down and went to hug the other shy. When the conductor saw that the threat was gone and everyone was back on the train, he went to start it back up. The rest of the group decided to go into one of the rooms for a little talk. “Wow, I knew you are a Captain but you are really really good at it,” Rainbow said, impressed “Yeah for sure, and how did you manage to get Fluttershy to help you? She a major pacifist.” Apple Jack said “Well, I told her that I also tried to do the same thing she did. But like I also told her, these monsters aren't like your regular manticore or Ursa Major. These monsters do out of pure nonreasoning instinct.” I said recalling from experience. “Hmmm, I’m still wondering why this one appeared in the daylight. Didn’t Apple jack say they only come out at night?” Twilight asked, “I have a theory that they somehow managed to slip into this world.” I said “When my world Twilight and I had our regular conversations, alternate universes came up at one point. She said each universe spins around each other, some closer than others. Making it so something in one world is similar in another but never the same. But some universes are completely different from what is here now.” “Just like the human world!” Twilight exclaimed “Exsact-! Wait, what? What's…a human? I asked “Uh, It's a different world I got myself trapped in while trying to get my crown back,” She said sheepishly I nodded pretending to understand, not knowing what to say. While we waited we just talked a little about where I came from and Twilight told us the story about the human world. It was roughly around nine now and the conductor announced that we only had an hour left. —————————————————— The Crystal Empire was pretty much glowing from within the darkness. The chill atmosphere blew around as five ponies got off the train and bags on their backs. They looked up in awe as they saw crystal buildings lined up leading toward a giant castle. “Wow, that is a spectacle” Rarity said in awe “I know Shining Armor talked about how stunning it was but he was undershooting it” Twilight added The group continued to walk towards the castle looking for Princess Cadence. They saw other ponies doing their chores, and some fillies stopped and looked at them. When they got to the main doors of the castle the two guards stationed there crossed their spears denying entry. Their armor was a lot different than the ones in Canterlot, a lot more shiny and vibrant. “You can’t come in here, only the princess, guests, staff, and guards are allowed.” The one on the left said, “We have a letter from Princess Luna confirming our visit to Princess Cadence.” Twilight said showing a letter signed by princess Luna After they read the letter they let the group pass. The inside was humongous, guards patrolling the halls as the other staff were walking around doing what chores they needed to accomplish. There was one guard that was escorting them to the throne room. The inside was a lot smaller than the one in Canterlot, but it still has its size. “Hello, Twilight! Welcome” Cadence said “Wow Shining Armor was really underplaying how gorgeous this place is,” Twilight said hugging her “It ‘awe’ wears off after you live here for a while,,” she said “How is he anyways?” “He’s having a fine time in Appaloosa, he misses you dearly,” “Uh, sorry to interrupt, but you do know why we’re here, right?” Applejack asked “Ah yes, sorry, I can't be helped but, I can let you stay in the castle until you have to leave. There’s a library that might help you learn about the mountains. They can be tricky to navigate if you're unfamiliar with them.” She said They said their thanks and left to find the library. After asking around they finally where it is, Twilight’s widened and sparkled with amazement. The library was humongous, two stories, with a staircase separating it and tons of books. Before anyone could blink Twilight quickly rushed towards all the books, jutting around to see the titles. The rest of the group chuckled, totally expecting her to do such a thing. They were searching every book on the crystal empire to see if they could find anything about its mountains. It turns out there are tons of books on the Empire, most of which are about its history and culture. Rainbow dash looked like she was about to die from boredom but luckily Pinkie found something. “Guys! Lookie here, I think I found something!” She said The cover said it was about the Empire’s geography and it had a picture of the mountains on its cover. Upon opening it had a bunch of text about the land’s foliage and the crystals itself. After turning lots of pages there was finally information about the mountains. It said it was home to many creatures, plants, and animals. The next page had a map of the tunnel systems inside. It was a maze, tunnels twisting and turning, connecting to different ones. Cadence was right we would get lost if we just went in blind. “Looks like we’ve hit the jackpot, why don’t we leave after lunch. That should get us up to the base of the mountain when night hits.” Twilight said Everyone collectively agreed and they made their way to find the dining hall. They got lost again, but luckily they ran into someone, or some dragon. “Hello, are you guys lost?” It was a purple dragon with green spikes “Yeah, we’re trying to find the dining hall, do you know where it is…” twilight asked “Spike, I’m Spike, and yeah come with me I know where it is,” he said “You know, I don't think I've seen you around before, you guys new?” “You could say that, we’re here to try and find our friend, Fluttershy” Rainbow said “Fluttershy. Isn’t she a high classed guard and animal lover? I’ve heard of her around the halls, never met her before.I’ve only moved here a few months ago” He said “Can I ask where you came from before moving here?” Twilight asked “Sure! I was from the Dragon lands. I couldn't stand it there, everyone was mean to me because I was soft. Not like the others, tough and mean, so I left the first chance I got.” He said “You’re parent must have been sad to see you go,” Apple jack said “I never knew them.” He said “And we’re here! See you guys around!” With that he left and the group went inside to find food.
Chapter 1A long time ago there were two princesses, Celestia, who raised the sun, and Luna, who raised the moon. Peace was kept in Equestria for a long time, until an evil unicorn who went by the name of King Sombra, started turning the ponies of the Crystal Empire into soldiers. A war broke out between King Sombra and the princesses, it lasted for a long time with the princess raging victorious. However it cost the life of Princess Celestia, Stricken with grief Princess Luna became the new ruler. She could not control the power to raise the sun though so the world became plagued by darkness and monsters of magic came out. The ponies and animals later learned how to adapt to the darkness and everypony of every generation learned how to fight in some way. ————————————- “Fluttershy! Wake up!” I groaned and turned in my bed, slowly I got up and walked across my dark room, and opened the door. On the other side was Rainbow Dash hovering midair, goggles around her neck and her hooves crossed. She was just probably done with early morning patrol. She works as a Wonderbolt during the noon hours and weather patrol early morning and night hours or whatever you call day and night here. “Finally! A guard told us Princess Luna would like a meeting with us and the others after she finished with another one in roughly an hour,” She said “Um ok. Meet up in the usual spot? Get everyone else there too, I’ll be there soon,” I said “Got it!” With that, she flew off I turned back into my bedroom and looked at the clock, it was 7:10, seeing I had plenty of time, I headed towards the shower. A yellow thestrals followed next to me as I walked past the mirror and turned on the shower and got in. The warm water cascaded off my fur as my muscles started to relax from training the other day. Getting out and drying off, I went back into the bedroom and went to an armor stand near the corner of the room. Being Captain of the Lunar Guard means you get to have a room all to yourself and not have to share. Unlike most captains though, I am very quiet and shy, I'm not a huge fan of talking to others. Strapping on the midnight purple chest plate, I placed the helmet on my desk and noticed a small white rabbit near a box full of carrots thumping his foot impatiently. “Are you hungry Angel?” I asked, already knowing the answer I walked over to the tub of carrots and opened it to give him one. He greedily snatched the carrot and hopped off somewhere. I sighed, grabbed my helmet, and left the room for Twilight’s lab. Twilight is part of the research team, she has a great knowledge of the creatures and monsters that inhabit the land. She also acts like a therapist sometimes helping with talking out their problems. When I got to a white door with a sign with messy handwriting that said busy, I knocked and waited for her to answer. Not even thirty seconds later she opened the door, her mane messy and a coffee levitated next to her. “Oh! Hey, come on in, I was just reading a fascinating book about manticores.” She said stepping to the side and letting me in “Did you know that some manticore’s claws can cut through steel?” I said while walking in. Other than being captain, I also know about almost any animal and how to take care of them. “It was never mentioned in the book,” She muttered while quickly flipping through the pages The room was spotless except for one corner with a table that has books scattered around. Along the back wall, there was another door with a sign that says do not enter in big bold letters, that door led to her bedroom and bathroom. There was a long table in the middle, housing a microscope and chairs lining around it. The door slammed open startling Twilight causing her to drop her coffee, she glared at the person at the door, which of course was Rainbow Dash. Behind her were Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all of them coming into the room, and shutting the door behind them. Apple Jack is on the construction team, planning out and building repairs and extensions to the castle. Pinkie Pie is our resident chef, she and others make the best meals in the castle. Rarity is the seamstress, designing and making most of the uniforms for almost every job around the castle. “Sorry for such a rude entrance, darling” Rarity said “Hey, guys!” Pinkie shouted hugging all of us “Hey ya’ll, when did the princess say she wanted us again?” Apple Jack asked “Um…About now…” Rainbow said With that, we all quickly left Twilight's lab and entered the dark hall leading to the throne room. The six came to a stop at a large red door and knocked, a guard opened the door revealing the Moon Princess, Luna. As we walked forward some of the guards nodded their heads at me as silent acknowledgment as their captain. Stopping near the base of the throne, we bowed in respect, waiting for her to speak. “There have been monster reports in the town of Ponyville. The guards that were there only managed to drive it out for a while, unable to kill it. I want you six to stay there for a few weeks helping out with keeping the monsters out. I want you to report to me immediately if anything happens. I’ve already notified your teams of your departure, and I want all of you to leave as soon as possible. Have a safe trip, you are dismissed.” She said I could practically feel Pinkie vibrate with excitement next to me as she bounced out of the room. I have never been to Ponyville before but all my friends have come from there, and I've heard many great things about the small town. I know Pinkie worked at the local bakery, Rarity as a seamstress, Apple Jack as a farmer, Rainbow as a weather pony, and Twilight as a librarian. Why they left the jobs they loved for working at the castle, I will never know. My dad worked in the Lunar Guard ever since I was born. I took after him, training to be one ever since I turned the age of eight-teen. When I was just a rookie I met Rainbow dash, she was lost trying to get to the Wonderbolts tryout room, we slowly became friends since I was such a shy pony. As I climbed the ranks and proved my worth I soon met five others who also became my friend. Every guard, captains to rookies must rotate duty every half a year to give them a break. When I’m not on duty I work at the local vet of Canterlot helping injured pets and animals. Coming back to reality I realized I was nearing my door, pushing it open with my hoof I walked in. I went to my closet and got out a bag. I put my bits in there including my swords and helmet. Angel came out of wherever he was hiding, wondering where I was going. “I will be back in a few weeks, I’ll open up the carrot box for you but you have to promise only three a day, ok? I said Angel may be impatient and rude but he always keeps his promises. Once the promise had been confirmed, I opened the box of carrots and left the room. I headed towards the front gates of the castle, when I got there everyone was already there, bags on their backs. We started to walk towards the train station and AppleJack was talking about how she can’t wait to visit the farm again. “Man I can’t wait to visit, Apple bloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith again,” she said “Yeah! I haven’t been there in a long time!” Pinkie exclaimed “I’m excited to see everyone everypony has been talking about,” I said softly I haven’t been outside of Canterlot all too often, the only places I’ve been were the crystal empire to help princess Cadence, the top of a mountain to stop a dragon terrorizing Canterlot, stopping the occasional monster attacks, and I’ve also been to a remote village to stop a dictator who was stealing people’s cutie marks. Her name was Starlight Glimmer I believe, she’s now reformed and lives in Ponyville I'm pretty sure. We got to the train station and got tickets to Ponyville, when I was getting on the train ponies were looking at me in wonder. We found some empty seats in the back and put our bags down. I took out the book on animals and began to read silently. —————————————————— Thirty minutes later we arrived at the train station. Getting out, one single lamp post lit up the surrounding area as the ponies eagerly got out. We got off the platform and into the town, the buildings were made of stone and roofs were from packed straw. It looked like a very cozy place to live, a far cry from the fancy buildings of Canterlot. Pinkie was hopping along greeting everypony by name, they all were excited to see her again. “How about we split up for a while, so you guys can catch up on friends and family? I’ll just go speak to the mayor of the town and then we can meet later and introduce me to your family and friends” I suggest They all reluctantly agreed and went our separate ways. After a few minutes of walking, I ended up at a large building in the center of town, most likely the town hall. Entering town hall I was greeted by ponies walking back and forth frantically trying to finish up paperwork. They all slowed to a stop, staring at me, probably wondering why there was a Lunar Guard in their town. “Um, do you know where the mayor is in this town?” I asked trying to put on a confident voice “Second floor, last door down the hall,” A grey stallion with a quill and ink cutie mark said Following the stallion’s instructions I found myself in front of a door that said ‘Mayor's Office’. I politely knocked on the door and waited for her to respond. When I heard a come-in, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The mayor didn’t look shocked to see me as the others did, clearly expecting me to arrive. “Thank you for coming to help us, Captain Fluttershy, I am Mayor Mare,” The old mare said “It's not a problem ma’am” I replied “I’ve booked some rooms at the Daisy cafe hotel for you,” She said “You can come to me if there is any problem during your stay” After the meeting I walked the dark streets in search of anyone, I soon found myself on an apple farm. This must be Apple Jack’s farm, I saw a house further down the road and went to it. Knocking on the door, a little filly reluctantly opened the door, not too sure of what to make of me. “Um hello?” She said her southern accent was very noticeably “Hi, I’m Fluttershy, is Apple Jack here?” I asked “APPLE JACK! Someone’s here to see you!” She yelled out, not even a minute passed before I saw Apple Jack in the doorway “Oh hey Fluttershy, come on in,” sidestepped letting me in. The inside of the house was very clean, most of the furniture was made of wood and there was a lot of Apple symbolism. We sat at a table and just talked not really about anything. The talking must have taken a long time because it was already time for me to go to the hotel for the night. —————————————————- Waking up to loud roars was not the ideal wake-up call. I quickly scrambled out of bed hastily putting on my armor, grabbed my sword, and ran outside the hotel. People were screaming and running in the opposite direction, when I got to where the monster was, everyone else was just arriving too. “What in tarnation is that thing!” Rarity exclaimed with disgust “Twilight! Info please!” Pinkie said a little disturbed “It’s called a Bizult, it’s pretty much a bipedal spider. It sprays acid to melt its prey to help with eating.” She said in a rush The monster was a sight for sore eyes. It was bug-like, sporting 3 long thin legs on each side, it also had a furry body and antennae’s sprouting almost all over its head. It was climbing all over buildings spraying acid on the roofs and disintegrating the hay. Something I didn’t expect was it to teleport around, wasting no more time we quickly jumped into battle It was very hard to try and kill this thing, it kept teleporting away and spry acid at us. My swords were not landing a hit on it no matter how quick I am. At one point a drop of acid hit my helmet crest causing a hole to appear. The more I observe it the more I realize, in order to kill it, it needs to get knocked out so it can’t teleport away or spray acid. “Twilight! Do you know a spell to knock it out?” I yell Without saying a word, her horn glowed pink casting a spell that shot at the monster. Like in slow motion, it slowly fell to the floor unconscious. Wasting no time I quickly charged toward it, sword pointed forward, in an attempt to kill it. Somehow at the last second, it woke up and went to tackle me, there was a bright light as me and the monster tumbled through the streets. I felt blood fall on me, I noticed the sword plunged into its chest. Feeling disturbed and grossed out I got up, took the sword out, and stabbed it in the skull, for good measure. Its blood was green as it splattered everywhere from the stab wounds. I got up from the body and I just now realized it was so bright, much brighter than I’m used to, the sun is out. “Who the hey are you?” I turned around and saw Twilight standing there with an exasperated expression. Her horn was lit up ready to attack if necessary, and her wings spread out. When did get wings and become an alicorn? “Am I delirious because I don't remember her being an alicorn” I muttered before replying hesitantly “Um, I’m Fluttershy captain of the Lunar guard” She looked surprised, and that’s when I noticed five other ponies next to her, they’re all my friends…plus me? They were all standing there confused, they don't seem bothered at all by the monster though. “Can you come to the castle with me?” She asked and that’s also when I noticed the giant castle behind her made of crystal. When did that get there? “What the fuck!”
Chapter 2The castle itself was very big, there were so many rooms that I won’t believe anyone if they say they use them all. There were crystal pillars lined against the walls separating each door as we walked along a long hallway. They took me to a giant room with seven thrones and a giant round table in the middle. It too was made of crystal and it had a map on equestria on it. Everyone went to their respective throne, aligned with their cutie marks, the other Fluttershy’s cutie mark was similar to mine. Along with the three butterflies, ithad a sword in the middle. I got mine after I was learning how to use a sword from my dad. Iy protected some innocent squirrels from local bullies. “What was that thing?” Twilight said bringing me back to reality “It’s called a Bizult, it is a giant bipedal spider-like creature. It sprays acid from itself to disintegrate its prey to eat it and it can teleport around to avoid danger, your uh majesty.” I said from what Twilight told me “There's no need for that, you can just call me Twilight.” Twilight said then continued “Though I never heard of a Bizult before, it was never in any textbooks I’ve read.” “Granny Smith told me story’s when I was a filly, about monsters that attack in the night. They only hunt at night and leave first thing in the morning so no one has ever seen them.” Apple Jack said, “They also harness the power of the moon.” “Then why were you fighting it during the day?” Rarity asked “Um it was dark not even an hour ago,” I deadpanned like it was obvious “Do you live in a different time zone?” Twilight asked, “It’s dark twenty-four seven, is it not?” I said confused They all exchanged worried looks with each other. That can’t be good, did something happen? I started to pace around in worry, my armor clanking together with each step I took. I didn’t realize I was hovering above everyone else until they looked like dots staring back at me in awe. Embarrassed I fluttered back down and tucked my leathery wings back into my side. “You’re Flutterbat!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly “What is a ‘Flutterbat’?” I asked confused “That's you sill-!” She was cut off before she could finish “I think what Pinkie is trying to say, is that you look like the form that Fluttershy turned into after a fruit bat spell backfired” Twilight intervened “I don’t know what you guys are talking about but I’m a thestral, a bat pony. Though unlike most, I eat lots of apples instead of blood.” I said and saw Apple Jack went pale at the mention of eating apples. “Don’t they only come out at night?” Rainbow Dash said, “Technically no, not from what I’ve read, they prefer dark areas but don’t mind being out in the sun, didn’t I tell you it was always nighttime?” I said eyebrow raised “I think I finally know what’s going on.” Twilight started “I predict you’ve jumped universes, from where it’s always dark to a place where there’s a day and night cycle.” My eyes widened, that can’t be, how did that happen? Soon again I was pacing back and forth in distress, my mind racing. Everypony else was also a little panicked, a stranger that looks like their friend in their world must be weird. “I think we’re going to need Princess Celestia's help with this.” The other Fluttershy said “She’ll probably know what to do,” “Celestia’s alive?” I said shocked, “She didn't die during the war?” They all looked at me confused so I explained “She died a thousand years during the war against King Sombra,” “Then who’s your ruler?” Rainbow asked “Princess Luna.” They looked shocked but didn’t mention it any further. Twilight called over a dragon named Spike and told him to send a message to Princess Celestia about our arrival. I’m still confused about how they’re just able to visit the Princess almost whenever. After that meeting Rarity showed me a bathroom insisting I freshen up before meeting the Princess I sighed and took off my helmet, my pink ruffled mane falling out and around my neck. Looking into the mirror I saw three gashes on my face from a previous monster attack and my yellow coat offset into a darker yellow from the battle. I took off the rest of my armor and turned on the shower. I got in and watched as the green blood and dirt fell off my fur and into the drain. When I felt satisfied that I got everything off, I got out and took a towel from a hanger, and dried off. Looking back in the mirror I saw my coat was rid of the green and was a whole lot more vibrant. I left the bathroom with my armor on and the helmet strapped on my back. After a bit of wondering and asking Spike, I found the others in the main entrance all talking to one another. Approaching them Pinkie was the first to see me and waved enthusiastically. The others looked a little shocked, clearly not expecting the damage done to my face but didn't comment on it, most likely out of respect. The walk to the train was uneventful, Pinkie was waving to every pony that they crossed paths with. “Isn’t there a pony named Starlight Glimmer around here,” I asked with that thought in my mind “She’s off on a short trip with Trixie, why?” Twilight said “Well, I just remember her from that time when I went to a remote village cause there were reports of suspicious activity going on,” I replied “Don’t worry she’s not stealing cutie marks anymore so you don’t need to do anything” “Oh I know I was the one who stopped her along with my world’s Pinkie and Twilight. I wanted to see what she's been doing, but I now realize it might be different here.” We were quiet for the rest of the walk and I was looking around in awe at the lighter senary. At first, the brightness was hurting my eye, but once I got somewhat used to it, it surprised me how much clearer I could see everything. Even though ponies evolved to see better at night, in the light everything was as sharp as a knife’s edge. Getting on the train, the cart we got in was pretty much empty, so we went to the seats near the middle and sat down. ————————————————— “So you guys have never worked at the castle before?” I asked while walking down the street “We’ve only been in the castle for Cadence’s wedding, Twilight’s coronation, when Sunset stole the crown, the Grand Galloping Gala, and other times, not in that order.” Pinkie said “I live in the castle, I’ve only been to the Gala off duty once, it was pretty boring.” “Well we also pretty much crashed the party,” Rainbow said “Princess Celestia thought it was the most interesting thing that ever happened.” Rarity continued “You guys crashed a gala? Wow, I wouldn’t dare do something like that, “ I said flabbergasted “I accidentally stole her pet phoenix one time.” Other Fluttershy said “You stole the princess’s pet!” These girls keep surprising me “You girls are insane!” We arrived at the castle and it sure looks different and not just from the light. It had a lot more yellow on it and dark blue was replaced by pale purple. Going inside there were lots of guards patrolling the halls with gold armor instead of the navy blue. The layout was a little different but it’s pretty much the same. Making our way around the halls we ended up in front of a large door, this is giving me deja vu. When opening the door, two princesses were sitting on their thrones, Princess Celestia and Luna. “Wow! She’s a lot bigger than in the stories.” I muttered “Hello girls, how are you today?” She said in a calming voice “We’re doing fine, though we have a small problem that we’re hoping you have a solution to.” Twilight said “I think when Fluttershy here was fighting a monster, she somehow got transported to our universe.” “And what is this monster you speak of?” Luna spoke up “It’s called a Bizult,” I said “Yes, those things are dangerous and very rare to spot, then you must know they also teleport then. If something interferes with their teleporting then it can cause a tear, transporting it and its victim. Let me ask now, how did you come across it?” She said “We got reports of monsters terrorizing ponyville, and were ordered to stay there for a while to keep the town safe.” “And what is of your world?” That’s when I told the story of my world, to say the least both the princesses looked shocked. When I mentioned that Luna was the ruler, she looked at her sister with a smug look. In return her sister glared back which almost got a laugh out of me. The others look surprised too, I didn’t think they could get even more shocked, I am proven wrong. After I told the story Celestia closed her eyes like she’s in deep thought. “I know a way to get you back to your own world, but we would need a special crystal that I don’t currently possess. It’s found in the mountains outside of the crystal empire. Once we have it though, me and Luna can cast a powerful spell on it so when you touch it it sends you back to where you came from.” Celestia then said “This is great news!” Pinkie said This is reassuring, I’ll find a way to get back to my friends and Angel. This left me wondering, how long will this journey take though? Hopefully it won’t be too time consuming, even though these ponies are very interesting to be around and very similar, they’re just not my friends. “Is there any book or paper on the crystal?” Twilight asked “There should be one in the archives. Why don’t you stay here before the sun goes down before you leave to look for it, we will send you the book once we find it.” Luna said “I’m sorry but we have to decline, we need to go back home and pack up.” Twilight said We said our thanks and headed back out on the street to make our way to the train station. During the walk I saw so many familiar faces, but they all acted and moved differently from what I am familiar with. Nearing the train, I had an idea, I wanted to see how fast this Rainbow Dash is. “Hey Dash” I said with a smirk “You wanna do a little race?” “You sure? Cause I’m really fast, like really fast.” She said a little cocky “I think you're forgetting that I am captain of the Lunar Guard. I’ve even beaten my Rainbow Dash in races before.” “Ok if you’re sure. You’re on! Where are we racing?” “Back to Ponyville” “Uh that’s pretty far” “You're scared you’ll lose?” “Scared? Never! I’ll beat you before you have time to blink.” “If you’re going to do that we’ll be right behind you, on the train.” Twilight said We lined up on the platform in the direction of Ponyville. Twilight went to count us off with the others looking in curiosity and suspense. I took off right when she said one, I was in the lead with a good amount of space between us. It was beautiful, the light making everything vibrant. The ground was painted with shades of green, yellow, pink and white, I could see the animals going about their business. The sky was a bright blue with white fluffy clouds looking over everything. ————————————————— Twilight was pacing around her lab with the others standing there with worry. Fluttershy was missing for two days with no note or anything. They quickly informed Princess Luna about the event and she told them to come back immediately. “That monster also disappeared at the same time as she did” Rainbow observed “Do you think it has to do with the disappearance?” Apple jack said “Most likely, I'm going to have to do more research on it.” Twilight said Everyone was worried, but they only had limited time to find out any information since they had jobs they needed to do. Whenever they were on breaks they spent it on trying to find anything, that be it excessive reading or just asking around. There was a knock on the door and a guard was on the other side. “Hello? This is for miss rarity” he said, placing down a package. “Oh thank you! This must be the new fabric I gotten” she said getting the package When she opened the package, there was a shocked look on her face, her eyes going wide. The others went up to her and when they saw what was in the package they too were shocked. Inside the big box there was a piece of faded brown parchment and a note that was signed by Anonymous. I know what happened to your friend, I don't know where she is exactly but she's not here, in this world. I can help you get her back though, in the mountains north of the Crystal mountains there is a crystal, it is called the frequency crystal. If it's touched by a powerful spell, then it will bring back your friend from anywhere in space and time. I don't know much about this crystal, all I know is that there has to be its counterpart present and already activated, and once she touches it it will send her to the frequency crystal. I found a paper about the two crystals that might be useful to you. ~Yours Anonymous “I think I know what we need to do now” Twilight said still shocked Everyone looked at each other, excitedly and nodded. It looks like they’re going on a trip to the Crystal Empire. They couldn’t wait, but first they needed to ask the Princess for permission first, so they all ran out of the room to get there as quickly as possible.
Chapter 3A homing crystal, a powerful crystal found in the mountains north of the crystal empire. It has been used for many things but the main one was for enhanced form of teleportation. This form of teleportation can send ponies to where they come from, but in order for that to happen it needs its counterpart, the frequency crystal, on the other side. There is a powerful spell only a few know, that needs to be cast in order to work. If there isn’t a frequency crystal activated, the user could potentially end up in a different world. This is all I know for now about this crystal. -Bijou Goldhoof “So I don't know whether this is good or bad news,” Rainbow dash said “How could my friends know they need to get the frequency crystal?” I said, “I could possibly find a spell when we get to the crystal empire.” Twilight said The train started to move, making me rock back and forth a little. We were on a sleeper train since it was a long ride, fourteen hours to get to the crystal empire. We decided to bunk in pairs, Fluttershy and Rainbow, Rarity and AppleJack, Pinkie and twilight, and I’m just in a room of my own. “I’m gonna go to the dining car!” Pinkie said and bounced out “Wow it sure got dark quickly,” Applejack said looking at the window I looked over and saw it was indeed dark out. It felt nice being in the dark again, the sunlight was very pretty but it’s the night where I belong. Yet again this signals that I don’t belong here and I need to get back. “Quick question, what are we like in your world? ‘Cause, clearly we’re going to be a little different if we’re going off of you.” Rarity said “Well, Rarity designs and makes most of the uniforms for the different jobs around the castle, she is more sassy and blunt. Applejack is a construction worker, she pretty much has the same personality. Twilight works as a researcher, she’s a lot nerdier than you are and closed off. Rainbow dash is a part-time wonder bolt and works on the weather team, she's less competitive. Pinkie is the most different, she works as a chef, and she’s tons more chill than this one. Sure she gets excited easily but isn’t hyper.” I explained to everyone “So we all work at the castle? Wow, I would have never thought that I would work somewhere fancy like that.” Applejack said “I’m a wonder bolt too? Awesome!” Rainbow dash said, “You have been a wonder bolt since you were eighteen.” I chuckled a little. “I remember when we first met, you crashed into a trash can while trying to find the tryouts building. I think you earned the nickname crash from your peers.” “Aw come on! I’m also named Crash in your world too!” “Hi! What did I miss!” Pinkie said coming back in with a tray of food on her back “Well, Fluttershy over here, was talking about what we’re like in her world.” Rarity said pointing at me “Hey, girls, I’m starting to get tired, I’m going to go rest now.” Other Fluttershy said softly and left to her room “Yeah same, I think we should rest up for tomorrow.” Twilight said We all nodded in agreement and headed to our respective rooms. The single rooms looked exactly like the doubles, except there was one bed. It was very small, one lamp and a bedside table. The bed itself was surprisingly comfortable, and with that, I quickly fell asleep. “Hello? Hello? Is anypony there?” I didn’t realize my eyes were open until I looked around. I was in my room in the castle, how did I get here? I exited the room and went down the hall, it was dead silent, with not a pony in sight. “Hello?” It was the same voice again, quickly, I went to follow the voice. It sounds so familiar but I can’t pinpoint who it is because it sounded so echoey. Rounding a corner I bumped into someone, the pony had white fur and a purple simmering mane put up into a bun. “Rarity! Oh my! You’re here, you’re ok!” I said, excitedly hugging her “Fluttershy? You’re ok! Where have you been darling?” “It’s a long story. That reminds me, I have something important to tell you.” I said “You have to get a crystal called a frequency crystal, it's in the mountains of the crystal empire. it’ll help me get back.” “I already know, we’re heading there. We got mail from someone anonymously trying to help us.” She said “Wait, ‘we’re’? The others know too?” My eyes widened with hope “Of course! Now you got to tell me what happened!” I told her everything that happened leading up to now. About the crazy inter-dimensional stuff, the sun, meeting different versions of them. What surprised her the most was that I got to meet princess Celestia. “You got to meet Celestia! What is she like?” “She talks like she has lots of wisdom in her, which I have no doubt she has. She’s also super tall, like really tall.” “She sounds like a true Princess, I wish I’d gotten to meet-“ she was cut off and everything went black. ———————————————— CRASH! I fell from my bed as something rammed into the side of the train. Looking outside, the sun was beginning to rise, casting the wasteland in a gold hue but the train was going off the tracks. I quickly went out into the hall and saw everyone running around in panic. I tried to look for the others and saw they were already outside trying to fight it. The monster had sharp horns and matted grey fur. Strong stubby arm with sharp claws swinging around wildly. I realized I fought this monster before, it’s called a Horcle, I don’t know where ponies get these names from. Why is it here though, they only come out at night, my eyes widened, what if they came from my world? Twilight and the others clearly didn’t know how to fight this thing. They were putting out attacks at random, they should know that these monsters are a lot different than your average everyday ones. Noticing they won’t be able to defeat it with what they’re doing now, I quickly flew in, studying its attack patterns. “Rarity! It likes shiny things, do you think you can get something shiny? Rainbow, get it as far away from the train as you can. Twilight, can you get the train back on the tracks, AppleJack go help her. Pinkie and other me, can you help me take it down?” I commanded They all nodded and went off to do what they were told. Fluttershy looked a little hesitant but still did as told. Rarity somehow got a giant gemstone and with Rainbow’s help, led the monster away. “Are you sure we can’t just be friends with it? What if they don’t really want to hurt us” Fluttershy said to me “Fluttershy over here is a major pacifist,” Pinkie said “Trust me, I tried before, but these aren’t your average monsters,” I said then handed them a spare blade I brought before leaving Sparing no time I quickly flew towards the beast and stabbed it in the neck. It howled in pain as it threw its head back, pulling away, I went and tried to strike it again. In a fit of pain, it lashed its arm at me, sending me tumbling away from it. That’s the hardest part of fighting this thing, its attacks are so random. “Fluttershy! Are you ok?” The other shy said “Uh yeah! Can you use the stare? If we don’t stop it now, it’ll go and attack the ponies” I asked She nodded hesitantly, wanting to protest but knew it was the right choice and went to use it, instantly the monster froze up. Again I went to stab it, this time the blade went into its chest, and again it howled in pain and fell to the ground. It was dead or at least dying. I looked around and saw that Fluttershy looked disturbed about what just happened. “Look, I am very sorry I made you do that but these monsters are not something to be trifled with. Like I said before, I tried multiple times to be friendly with them, it just wouldn’t work like it would simpler ones like dragons or manticores. Kindness doesn’t always work for everything” I said to the other shy and put a hoof on her shoulder We flew back to the train and saw everyone was back inside trying to calm everypony down. When they saw us, they immediately calmed down and went to hug the other shy. When the conductor saw that the threat was gone and everyone was back on the train, he went to start it back up. The rest of the group decided to go into one of the rooms for a little talk. “Wow, I knew you are a Captain but you are really really good at it,” Rainbow said, impressed “Yeah for sure, and how did you manage to get Fluttershy to help you? She a major pacifist.” Apple Jack said “Well, I told her that I also tried to do the same thing she did. But like I also told her, these monsters aren't like your regular manticore or Ursa Major. These monsters do out of pure nonreasoning instinct.” I said recalling from experience. “Hmmm, I’m still wondering why this one appeared in the daylight. Didn’t Apple jack say they only come out at night?” Twilight asked, “I have a theory that they somehow managed to slip into this world.” I said “When my world Twilight and I had our regular conversations, alternate universes came up at one point. She said each universe spins around each other, some closer than others. Making it so something in one world is similar in another but never the same. But some universes are completely different from what is here now.” “Just like the human world!” Twilight exclaimed “Exsact-! Wait, what? What's…a human? I asked “Uh, It's a different world I got myself trapped in while trying to get my crown back,” She said sheepishly I nodded pretending to understand, not knowing what to say. While we waited we just talked a little about where I came from and Twilight told us the story about the human world. It was roughly around nine now and the conductor announced that we only had an hour left. —————————————————— The Crystal Empire was pretty much glowing from within the darkness. The chill atmosphere blew around as five ponies got off the train and bags on their backs. They looked up in awe as they saw crystal buildings lined up leading toward a giant castle. “Wow, that is a spectacle” Rarity said in awe “I know Shining Armor talked about how stunning it was but he was undershooting it” Twilight added The group continued to walk towards the castle looking for Princess Cadence. They saw other ponies doing their chores, and some fillies stopped and looked at them. When they got to the main doors of the castle the two guards stationed there crossed their spears denying entry. Their armor was a lot different than the ones in Canterlot, a lot more shiny and vibrant. “You can’t come in here, only the princess, guests, staff, and guards are allowed.” The one on the left said, “We have a letter from Princess Luna confirming our visit to Princess Cadence.” Twilight said showing a letter signed by princess Luna After they read the letter they let the group pass. The inside was humongous, guards patrolling the halls as the other staff were walking around doing what chores they needed to accomplish. There was one guard that was escorting them to the throne room. The inside was a lot smaller than the one in Canterlot, but it still has its size. “Hello, Twilight! Welcome” Cadence said “Wow Shining Armor was really underplaying how gorgeous this place is,” Twilight said hugging her “It ‘awe’ wears off after you live here for a while,,” she said “How is he anyways?” “He’s having a fine time in Appaloosa, he misses you dearly,” “Uh, sorry to interrupt, but you do know why we’re here, right?” Applejack asked “Ah yes, sorry, I can't be helped but, I can let you stay in the castle until you have to leave. There’s a library that might help you learn about the mountains. They can be tricky to navigate if you're unfamiliar with them.” She said They said their thanks and left to find the library. After asking around they finally where it is, Twilight’s widened and sparkled with amazement. The library was humongous, two stories, with a staircase separating it and tons of books. Before anyone could blink Twilight quickly rushed towards all the books, jutting around to see the titles. The rest of the group chuckled, totally expecting her to do such a thing. They were searching every book on the crystal empire to see if they could find anything about its mountains. It turns out there are tons of books on the Empire, most of which are about its history and culture. Rainbow dash looked like she was about to die from boredom but luckily Pinkie found something. “Guys! Lookie here, I think I found something!” She said The cover said it was about the Empire’s geography and it had a picture of the mountains on its cover. Upon opening it had a bunch of text about the land’s foliage and the crystals itself. After turning lots of pages there was finally information about the mountains. It said it was home to many creatures, plants, and animals. The next page had a map of the tunnel systems inside. It was a maze, tunnels twisting and turning, connecting to different ones. Cadence was right we would get lost if we just went in blind. “Looks like we’ve hit the jackpot, why don’t we leave after lunch. That should get us up to the base of the mountain when night hits.” Twilight said Everyone collectively agreed and they made their way to find the dining hall. They got lost again, but luckily they ran into someone, or some dragon. “Hello, are you guys lost?” It was a purple dragon with green spikes “Yeah, we’re trying to find the dining hall, do you know where it is…” twilight asked “Spike, I’m Spike, and yeah come with me I know where it is,” he said “You know, I don't think I've seen you around before, you guys new?” “You could say that, we’re here to try and find our friend, Fluttershy” Rainbow said “Fluttershy. Isn’t she a high classed guard and animal lover? I’ve heard of her around the halls, never met her before.I’ve only moved here a few months ago” He said “Can I ask where you came from before moving here?” Twilight asked “Sure! I was from the Dragon lands. I couldn't stand it there, everyone was mean to me because I was soft. Not like the others, tough and mean, so I left the first chance I got.” He said “You’re parent must have been sad to see you go,” Apple jack said “I never knew them.” He said “And we’re here! See you guys around!” With that he left and the group went inside to find food.
