“Mommy, watch this!” Honey Bee jumped onto a stone wall dividing the park from the sidewalk, laughing as the earth pony filly balanced across it.

“Just be careful, dear.” While her motherly instinct warned against this, she allowed her daughter to play on the makeshift concrete beam a few hooves from the ground. Unlike a certain overprotective mare in her past, Razzle promised she’d not fret about every single detail.

Not that Razzle considered herself a great mother. Her work always kept her busy. But it was necessary. She had a precious little mouth to feed. It wasn’t like she didn’t facetime or visit her daughter every chance she got. Still, the distance made her heart ache.

But why was she fretting about that? Her daughter was here, and they were the perfect family. When Honey Bee reached the end of the wall, she jumped down and ran around in a circle, laughing all the while. It was like honey to Razzle’s ear. No matter how exhausted or overworked she felt, that laugh always rejuvenated her.

“Mommy, can we get some ice cream?” Honey suddenly asked.

“Now? But dinner’s an hour away. I promised to make salad.”

“Please!” Her daughter used her cutest, most pleading face. It was difficult to resist.

“How about this?” Razzle considered the problem like she was deciphering an incomprehensible math problem. “We buy some ice cream bars on the way home and have them after dinner?”

“Okay!” Her daughter said, pleased with the compromise. “Can I have a ponyback?”

“Alright.” While it wasn’t great for her back, Razzle would spoil her daughter in this regard. The weight bore heavily on her shaky backside. She wasn’t a spring chicken anymore and Honey was getting bigger every day but smiled as her daughter beamed.

“Huh?” A strange cloud cover appeared above from nowhere, threatening a heavy storm.

“Mommy?” Honey Bee hugged her tight, frightened.

“What’s this? Why are the weather ponies breaking their schedule?” Then metallic nightmares appeared from the sky. They were legion, bringers of death and destruction.

“Mommy!” Her daughter said, eyes dilating into complete panic.

“Honey, I…” But she didn’t get to finish, laser beams lancing down at them. Razzle ducked, just avoiding getting hit.

“Mommy!” Her daughter screamed, and Razzle gasped as she glanced down. The beams had torn deep fissures across the ground, and her daughter was tumbling into one.

“Honey!” Razzle jumped to grab her love, her lifeline. But their hooves just slipped past, and Honey Bee fell to her doom.

“No!” Razzle awoke with a start, tears staining her eyes, hooves grasping at the air. She shook her head, praying it’d only been a terrible dream. “Honey Bee is safe with her father in Neigh Orleans. Everything is okay.”

She blinked when she noticed her surroundings, uncertain of where she was. Then, the previous day’s events returned in a flash. Sighing, Razzle flopped onto her bed. “Why couldn’t yesterday be a dream, too?”

Grumpily, she headed to the bathroom and got ready for her day, whatever that meant. The warm water felt fantastic against her fur, but the underlying fear persisted.

“Morning, Razzle!” Laughter said with a wave as Razzle left her quarters. “How are you on this fine day!”

“Hi, uh, Trixie.” It was weird staring at someone who shared her face, much less an incarnation of a character she played.

“Rough night?” Laughter said, concerned.

“I’m coping,” Razzle said, knowing they shared the same boat.

“Well, Trixie’s here if you need to talk.” Laughter said, putting a comforting hoof on her counterpart’s shoulder.

Before Razzle could reply, an alarm sounded. She tensed, fearing what this might mean. Shade appeared from a far quarter. “You’re up, good. We have a situation.”

“I don’t see what they expect me to do about it,” Razzle grumbled.

“Let’s see what the commotion is.” Laughter gave her a sympathetic smile. “No doubt they’ll need us soon to solve this dire crisis!”

“Just as we feared, another world is under attack,” Max said, his tone worried, as they entered the main conference room. It was a buzz of activity as various tech ponies operated magical devices of indeterminate origin.

The rest of the Trixies piled into the room, including the strange trio Shade identified as her teammates. Iron Will, the minotaur, stood in a corner, arms crossed. His great height allowed him to peer over the crowd of ponies without difficulty. Kassa, the lion, lounged on a chair languidly, yawning like she’d just awoken from a deep nap. The final member of Shade’s team, the pegasus, Northern Light, sipped at a cup of coffee as he examined the display.

“Proto is gunning for another Trixie?” Razzle asked, peering at the floating diagram. It showed several bodies rotating around each other like a solar system. One of the spots glowed red, while the rest remained blank. Razzle tried to locate the source of the strange diagram, finding some odd metal device covered in ruins beneath it.

“Exactly. This is a diagram of the multiverse. It’s only a sliver, of course. This technology is pretty new.” Max replied. “It’s based on the Sextant of Worlds, an artifact we confiscated from an interdimensional criminal called the Collector.”

Jade’s expression turned thoughtful. “It’s impressive technology for a primitive, backwater world.”

This earned a scowl from Shade, but she ignored this comment. “Can we rush to her aid?”

“We can, but it’ll be close,” Max replied, his voice tense.

“Aren’t they already attacking?” Razzle asked, confused.

“Thank dimensional drift.” Shade said. “Time isn’t a constant across universes.”

“It’d been hard to keep your watch straight then. Today is yesterday, and next week is tonight!” Laughter said, but everypony was too busy to notice her joke.

“Sorry, but we’re sending you in hot. We don’t know what we’re sending you into,” Max said.

“I understand the risks. Estimated time until the robots arrive?” Shade asked, already throwing some supplies into a saddlebag.

“You’re going in alone?” Razzle asked.

“Two days and four hours,” Max said.

“With my team, of course, but otherwise alone. Only I have the proper training for such a dangerous mission.” She scowled as Laughter opened her mouth. “And no, you can’t come. I realize you’ve gone through some dangerous scraps in your world, but we’re facing the literal unknown here. I can’t risk you and the others so recklessly.”

“Typical, always taking on the world by herself.” Guard Trixie said wryly.

“No! I’m just wise enough to know not to involve amateurs.” Shade snapped back. “And I’m not going alone. Iron Will and Northern Lights are accompanying me. Sorry, Kassa, but we don’t know how common your species is in this universe. Best if to avoid drawing undue attention.

“Fine.” Kassa flicked her tail. “Allows me to catch on some much-needed beauty sleep.”

“Everyone else, protect the base and the other Trixies and Razzle,” Shade said.

“Still, two days?” Northern Lights complained. “It won’t be easy. We’re talking about an entire world here! What if this Trixie lives somewhere across the globe?”

“And Trixies travel.” Shade said, recognizing the difficulty. “We’ll manage. Can you pinpoint the robot’s attack vector?”

“Around about here.” A tech said, pointing at a spot on a conjured model of Equis. Razzle recognized it as Central Equestria.

Shade’s team geared up, taking supplies like rope and rations, perfect for a long trek in the wilderness. While she didn’t relish joining such a dangerous mission, she hated being left behind.

But I’m an actor; they clearly don’t need my help. Just as dispirited, Laughter offered a half-hearted wave as Shade’s team approached the portal device. Only Jade seemed unbothered by this development, allowing Shade to tackle all the danger.

Razzle peered at the portal device. To her astonishment, it seemed more like a fancy dress mirror than any high-tech device.

“Come back safe, okay,” Guard said in her usual gruff manner.

“We got this,” Iron Will said, flashing a smile. Razzle realized where she recognized it. Didn’t he do commercials in her world, usually for orange-based cleaning products, in a hearty and bombastic manner?

“Bye.” Northern Lights said.

“If we don’t return in four days.” Shade sighed, her expression going distant. “Don’t send in any extraction team. Assume the worst.”

“You know we’ll ignore that, right?” Laughter said, amused. “We, the Trixies of the great and wide Cosmos, won’t abandon you to your fate. We’ll rush in and save you from whatever dangerous device you’ve entangled yourself in!”

“I mean it.” Shade said, voice brooking no argument. “Anyway, see you soon.” After a wave, the trio vanished into the literal unknown.

“She sure takes her job seriously.” It was a far cry from the Trixie she played, a vain show-off too self-absorbed to notice much beyond herself. While she’d grown somewhat from this, the core remained.

“She’s had a harsh life,” Kassa said. “She’s fought the nobility’s corruption her entire life, fighting hard to bring some justice to the world.”

“Of course, the signs were obvious! Clearly, she suffered some traumatic event in her past that pushed her on a one-mare quest for justice and vengeance!” Laughter said.

“I see.” Though Razzle didn’t. What happened in her past to make this Trixie so different?

“She’ll be fine. She knows what she’s doing. They’ll save the new Trixie, and everything will be right as rain!” But these words soon proved false. Five days later, they still hadn’t gotten a peep from Shade and her team.

“Well?” Kassa asked, scraping the floor with a claw in a nervous gesture. “Still nothing?”

“We’ve sent out feelers, but they haven’t found any trace of Trixie or her team,” Max said, his mane frazzled. He’d slept little the last few days, his nerves fraying at the edges.

“Let’s start a retrieval mission, then.” The lion asked, hiding her worry behind stoic words. “I won’t abandon her.”

“It won’t be that simple,” Max replied. “It was folly to send in Trixie without better information. But the mare had to insist, didn’t she? Always needs to get her way.”

“Is there something dangerous about this world?” Laughter’s eyes widened. “Has it gone through an epic pony war that devastated the planet?”

“No.” Max began pacing. “There’s nothing about this world that should have caused Trixie difficulty. In fact, it’s hardly different from Razzle’s universe except for a few technological differences. There’s no reason she should have disappeared without a trace.”

“Technological?” Jade asked. “Are we talking about spacefaring here?”

“No, but they’re on the cusp of it,” Max replied. “A local newspaper mentioned a successful space flight test four months ago. It’s nothing Trixie and her team can’t handle, but I fear Proto’s hoof is involved in this somehow.”

The mention of their archenemy’s name sent a chill down Razzle’s spine. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve had my secret doubts about this operation from the start. Something didn’t smell right. We’ve reexamined the data and found some inconsistencies. We’ve found traces of a previous breach into this world. When, we can’t be certain. But each intrusion leaves a trace.”

“Really?” Razzle said, curious despite herself.

“Every universe has its own wavelength and frequency. Everyone from that world shares its unique signature.” Max explained. “We’ve been working on magical ways to detect it. While our detector’s still in its infancy, we’ve identified something in P-015 that doesn’t belong.”

“And there’s another oddity.” Max’s voice became more grim. “Proto’s forces are still lingering around the outer reaches of P-015. For whatever reason, they still haven’t attacked.”

Everyone exchanged glances. But Laughter remained resolute. “All the more reason to go. The best way to disarm a trap is dismantling it from within.”

“I like the way you think,” Kassa said, chuckling. “And you’re not stopping me from going. I’m not convinced Trixie is dead. She and the others are resourceful.”

“How about you guys?” Laughter said, already including herself in the mission.

“Count me in,” Guard said. “I’ll keep the group safe. I’m ready to smash some heads in.”

“Very well,” Jade said after some consideration. “Exploring an unknown universe sounds intriguing. I’m curious what Proto sent ahead to snare us.”

Razzle bit her lip, indiscretion racking her brain. While she’d boldly declared she’d stop Proto in his tracks, it was another thing to throw yourself into danger. Her courage wilted, she felt like she was losing her nerve.

“What’s up, Raz.” Laughter said, walking up to her. “Are you thinking of joining us?” Laughter asked with surprising perceptiveness.

“Part of me wishes to, but the more sensible part says no.” She’d never gone on dangerous adventures or fought in some war. Razzle was only an actress.

“I’m not surprised. You have a daughter to return to. Nopony would blame you for not coming along.”

“Thanks,” Razzle said, relieved that nopony was trying to pressure her into heroics. But something occurred to her. “Trixie. I’m a little curious. You’re very different from the Trixie I played. How did you become the Element of Laughter, anyway?”

“You mean instead of Pinkie Pie, like in this universe?” Laughter broke into a wide grin. “Dumb luck? Fate? Hard to say. I imagine Twilight Sparkle played a big part in it. When Nightmare Moon unveiled herself in all her terrible wickedness during the Summer Sun Celebration, Twilight was ready, nay eager to fight back. It impressed me she’d throw herself into that mess. I sensed a kindred spirit. I thought I might as well throw my lot in with her.”

“I see.” Razzle had vague memories of the pilot. Six unlikely mares had joined forces against a danger they couldn’t match. It sparked something inside her, a hope. Could their mismatched group of misfits do the same?

“Thanks. You’ve given me much to think about,” Razzle said.

“Anytime.” After another wide grin, Laughter departed.

“Nopony will blame you if you say no,” Guard said. “But in my experience, courage comes in all forms. When Sombra attacked my Equestria, not everypony could fight. Yet, many others still did their part to topple that tyrant. Ponies at home worked in factories to supply the frontline. They showed their courage, not through battle, but by aiding the war effort. Or accepted the hardship of rations until the crisis had ended. You’re not a coward for not wanting to throw yourself into danger.”

“True right!” Laughter kicked in the air, giving a hardy, boisterous laugh. “Just know we won’t think less of you, whatever you decide. And you, Jade?” She gave the scared mare an expectant look, eager for her encouraging words.

“I don’t care either way,” Jade said, nonplussed.

“Shame. We expected you to finish our roaring speech with one that would light a fire in everypony’s heart!” Laughter said.

“No,” Jade replied, stonewalling this exchange.

“Well, whatever. Give it some thought, Raz.” Laughter said, recovering from her disappointment. “There’s plenty of time until we leave.”

“Be careful out there,” Max said. Techs worked on various panels, adjusting them with strange stones and dials. It was a bizarre mismatch of technology and magic.

“We’ll get Trixie back,” Kassa said, smiling a cocksure grin. “Guarantee it.”

“We’re ready to conquer whatever they throw at us.” Guard smashed her hooves together.

“This will be easy.” Laughter said. “I toppled the great and terrible Nightmare Moon and an Ursa Minor! I’ll laugh at whatever Proto can throw at us!”

“Remember. Bail at the first sign of Proto’s robots. We still haven’t managed to damage even one yet,” Max said. “Just be careful.”

Before they could depart through the portal, Razzle coughed. “Sorry, but I have a request. Is there room for one more?”

“Oh, so you are coming,” Jade said, her tone flat. If she was excited about that development, she didn’t show it.

“Ha, I knew you’d turn about. You owe me four bits, Guard.” Laughter said.

“Here,” Guard grumbled, slipping over several bits to the mare.

“You were betting on me?” Was that earlier speech a lie to encourage her to come? Razzle ground her teeth.

“Only harmless fun,” Laughter said, somewhat shamefaced. “But hey, you’re coming along! Welcome to the team!”

“Is this wise? Unlike the rest of you, Razzle’s never faced danger.” Kassa said, giving the actress a skeptical glance.

“Too late now. And she’ll be fine! She’s a Trixie! Kinda.” Laughter said, pulling Razzle towards the portal with them.

Max sighed, but smiled. “Just be careful.”

“Let’s go before I remember how insane this is,” Razzle said, taking point and throwing herself into the portal before she lost her nerve. Light consumed her and disappeared to whatever dangers and fate awaited her.

“Don’t worry, honey. Momma’s going to sock Proto and get back to you,” she mumbled to herself.

Her trip through the dimensional portal wasn’t any more fun the second time, her insides churned like a washing machine. She emerged on a dirty street, trash littering the alley. The city’s stench filled Razzle’s nostrils, instinctually realizing where She was, even without Max’s briefing packet.

“Ah, Manehatten!” Laughter said, taking in the smoggy air as soon as she tumbled through the portal. “It’s the same! Whatever universe a pony finds herself in!”

“Ugh, it’s even worse than Canterlot,” Guard said, wrinkling her nose. “What are those speeding metal carts?” She pointed at the metal boxes spreading past them.

“Primate ground cars,” Jade said. “The pollution gives it away. I thought you said they were approaching spaceflight. They don’t even have speeders yet?”

“Like hovercars? Sorry, but they’re a long way off, I imagine.” When she was a foal, she imagined they’d have such vehicles long before she entered adulthood. But reality was cruel, and hovercars remained a distant dream in her world.

They passed countless ponies going about their business, each barely noticing their neighbor. But to Razzle, it was home, as she had little difficulty navigating the streets. In fact, she recognized basically everything. While some buildings and stores were different, this Manehatten seemed similar enough. Laughter entered the city like a fish in water, even pointing out landmarks she recognized. She guided them to Central Park, smiling as she spotted the street vendors.

“And the exact same shop run by the exact same pony, imagine that.” Laughter said, delighted. “I wonder if the carrot dogs are as good.”

“We don’t have time for sightseeing, Laughter,” Guard said, somewhat annoyed. Kassa stayed silent, picking up a newspaper she’d spotted in a nearby trash bin.

“True, but a search around this vast city won’t be as productive without some carrot dogs in our stomachs!” The mare replied.

“Is something the matter?” Razzle asked. Kassa had paused, reading the newspaper, her expression pensive.

“I think I have some idea what happened to Shade,” Kassa said. Before she could elaborate, Jade hushed them.

“Don’t look now, but we’re being followed,” Jade said, sending a chill down Razzle’s spine.

“Muggers?” Razzle whispered back.

“Dang, you’re right,” Guard said, pretending to stare at a nearby billboard. It gave her the perfect position to spot their pursuers from the corner of her eye.

“She’s right. I can smell them,” Kassa said. “You’re good. How many?”

“Five,” Jade replied.

“Well, shoot,” Guard replied. “Confront or lose them? They might have some connection to Shade’s disappearance. I vote to confront. Let’s smash some heads in.”

“Confront seconded.” Laughter whispered. “They’ll find the Great and Powerful Trixie’s not as easy prey as they suspect!”

“Confront.” A slight smile grew across Jade’s lips. It wasn’t a pleasant one. “If they’re so eager to fall into our laps, I say we oblige them.”

“I’m game,” Kassa said, cutting a deep furrow in the cement with an idle claw.

Outvoted, Razzle went along with her companions’ reckless plan. “Okay, just be careful.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie already has dozens of illusions in place. She won’t be so easily flat-hoofed.”

“Over in that alley,” Guard said, gesturing with a quick eye glance. “It’s the perfect place to launch an ambush.”

Against her better judgment, Razzle followed the others into a dank graffiti and trash-filled alley that stank like a ripe hobo. Much to her dismay, it led to a dead end. The only escape route was a fire escape ten hooves above them with the ladder pulled up high.

It didn’t take long for their stalkers to slink behind them, chuckling to themselves. Much to Razzle’s dismay, there were eight of them. Each wore a three-piece suit with a wide-brim hat.

“Hello, gentlestallions. May we help you?” Laughter asked, all smiles. Her grin didn’t falter as their eight assailants each pulled some strange laser weapon from their jackets. A thickset stallion in a big suit stepped forward. He was enormous, weighing at least two hundred pounds of pure muscle.

“The boss would like a word with you, ladies.” The head thug said. “Come quietly, and there won’t be trouble.”

“And who, pray tell, is your boss?” Laughter asked, her smile and confidence remaining unperturbed. Each Trixie subtly moved into a better position. Jade placed a hoof on her own laser weapon, wound tight like a spring ready to release. But Razzle wasn’t as confident. These thugs seemed like trained professionals.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” The head thug replied. “You ain’t gonna try nothing, right? You won’t like what’ll happen if you cause trouble.”

Before Laughter could reply, a new voice interrupted their conversation. Much to Razzle’s confusion, it came from right above them.

“Is this a party? Am I invited? I even brought those party blower things!” A jovial voice said.

In unison, everypony stared up at the speaker. Much to Razzle’s astonishment, the masked pony clung to the alley wall like a gecko. They wore a red and blue spandex suit with spider webs spanning across the red portions of their suit. On the costume’s chest was a black spider. Two white orbs stared down at them, a smile hidden behind their mask.

“S-Spider-mare!” The head thug said, tensing as he gripped his laser tighter in his magical aura. “Get her!” The alley erupted in blazing scarlet light as the goons opened fire on the newcomer.

Author's Note

The coding of the universes is something GreyGuardPony created. In her words, "The P in it stands for "Pony", referring to it's largest group of sapients in it. Other dominant race universes have their own letters. H for humanoid, for example. The numbering refers to the order in which it was filed, with the Skitchverse itself being the 001."

Universes known so far by A.R.M.O.R.:
P-001 - Skitchverse
P-002 - Lunaverse
P-004 - Star Wars
P-007 - Manehattenverse
P-009 - Crystral War Timeline
P-012 - Trixicord
P-014 - Actorverse
P-015 - Spiderman/Marvel