If, Wherever We Go

by NoGiantRobots1983

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Human
Length: 11062

To save Equestria, the Elements of Harmony must travel to another world and find a long-lost pony of legend, the Mother Pony. But other worlds are strange places, especially when they feel like some sort of game...

NOTE: I began writing this story before season two aired, so any inconsistencies you see are probably because of that.

The bearers of the Elements of Harmony are sent on the biggest mission of their life–to stop mysterious pools of darkness from destroying Equestria! Their quest: Find the great pony of legend, the Mother Pony. The problem? She's in another world, in a faraway land. And the only help the ponies have is the telepath abilities of Princess Luna, and a strange magical book made of glass that seems to know everything.

But travelling to other worlds is tricky. There's race wars and secret rebellions and cruel dictators, and on top of that the ponies have to contend with a reality that seems to behave more like some kind of game, and the return of an old enemy.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-02 06:40:02 UTC

Chapter 1 - If, Wherever We Go

What if one day, things just got real?

Hi, I'm Spike.  Everyone in Equestria knows me:  Brave, handsome, heart-throb to every chick in a ten-mile radius (even if they don't admit it) and when they don't want me for my good looks they want me for being a cute widdle baby dragon.  Hey, I'm not picky.  If they like me, they like me.  Anyway, I spent most of my young life as apprentice to Twilight Sparkle.  As you probably know by now, Twilight Sparkle is the most magical and talented unicorn in the land, a student under the care of Princess Celestia herself!

You can bet that Twi hangs with an elite crowd:

Rarity, the--sigh--beautiful.

Fluttershy, the gentle.

Rainbow Dash, the awesome.

Pinkie Pie, the hilarious.

and Applejack, the strong.

You might've heard of these ponies.  By now, everyone knows about their battle against Nightmare Moon.  What I'm gonna tell you is something that happened awhile after that, where the ponies truly became legends.  What did they do?  Oh, not much... just saved all of Equestria!

What happened was this:  one day Twilight was busy studying as usual when there was a knock on the door.  So she said "Come in!" and I opened the door for our guest.  Right off the bat, I knew something was weird:  our guest was wearing this gray cloak.  All I could make out was that she--I somehow knew it was a she--was big, and her hooves were a deep blue.  But even though I couldn't make out much, I got the feeling I had seen her before.

Our mysterious guest quickly came in, and asked for Twilight Sparkle.

So my main unicorn said "That's me."

And our mysterious guest said "Ummm... You're the leader of the ponies that defeated Nightmare Moon and rediscovered the Elements of Harmony, right?"

"I-I wouldn't say I was their leader... but I was there, yes."

And then our guest threw off her cloak, and we gasped in awe:  It was Princess Luna!  Just as Twilight was about to bow, Luna held up a hoof and said "We have no time for formalities!  Do you know the whereabouts of the five who were with you on that journey?"

"Of course.  They all live here in Ponyville!"

"Could I trouble you to gather them here, for me?"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!  But what's going on?  Where's Princess Celestia?"

"That's... that's what I need to tell you all about.  Please, go find them!  Hurry!"

And so, after only a moment's hesitation, Twilight set out to gather her friends.  As she was running over Ponyville, the camera pulled away and showed a wide, panoramic shot of the landscape in the dazzling morning light.  And, over this wondrous visage, a logo appeared.

The logo said:

My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic

Storyline by NoGiantRobots1983

based on characters created by Hasbro

Then all that shimmered away, and in its place appeared the following:

Chapter 1

~ If, Wherever We Go ~

And all the while, the theme song played, and kept playing as the camera zoomed back in on Twilight Sparkle, showing her meeting her friends in and around town, and eventually leading them all back to her library, where they all bowed before Luna.

Errr... Sorry about that.  I have no idea what I just wrote down, but for some reason every time I try to mark it out and write something else, I end up writing that all over again.  A weird sort of magic was released during this time and I guess some of it is still around.

Anyway, getting back to what really happened:

"Now," Twilight said, "You were going to tell us about Princess Celestia?"

Luna made one of those 'I'm thinking about something' looks, and then said "Gather around me, ponies.  You too, dragon."

We looked at each other, and I guess we were all asking the same thing, but we did it.  Then Luna's horn glowed, and a magical bubble came from it and enveloped us all.  Each of the individual ponies shined a dark blue luminescence for just a second, then came back to themselves.  I think I shined too, but nobody told me so.

I looked at Twilight and said "Yeah, that was pretty weird, wasn't it?"

Twilight looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

So I asked, "What?"

"Spike... I didn't say anything."  Then Twilight looked at Applejack and said "Oh come on, magic actually makes sense if you give it a chance!"

And the two stared at each other for a moment, at first looking a little miffed, and then confused.  Especially when they noticed everyone else was just staring at them, wondering what the stare-down was about.  Applejack was the first to say "Sorry ya'll had to hear that."

Rainbow Dash asked "Hear what?  All I got was you babbling about not liking magic, then you and Twilight started looking at each other!"

Then Fluttershy said "I heard Twilight giving her a lecture!"

"Ladies!"  Luna gently tapped the floor to get their attention.  "This is entirely my fault.  Thanks to me, you're all telepaths.  I was stupid, I should've asked first.  Oh..." Luna lay flat and covered her shaking head.  "The most important mission of your life and you've already done something stupid.  Stupid, stupid Luna!"

"You're not stupid!"  Twilight tried to reason with her.  "But I do want to know why you thought we needed telepathy, and what this has to do with Princess Celestia?"

Luna looked up at Twilight, then at the inquisitive faces of the other ponies and myself.  Finally, Luna sat up, cleared her throat and said "I suppose now that I've done it, I better use it for something.  Try to clear your thoughts.  I'll project my memories directly into you."

I concentrated, hard.  It wasn't easy, and I don't know how well the pony gang managed.  I'm guessing Twilight at least managed to get everything I got.

What I got was an image of Canterlot.  Luna was in a library.  I recognized it as the place where Twilight used to go to study back when we lived there.  Just seeing it made me a little homesick.  But anyway, Luna was trying to catch up on a thousand years of progress, when suddenly there was a bunch of screams.

Luna ran outside, and saw one of the students sinking!  Two girls were trying to pull her out, but it was doing no good.  And what was she sinking in?  Some sort of pool of black water.  Luna ran to her and bit down on her mane, got a grip and with the other two ponies, pulled with all her might.  She even tried to cast a levitate spell!

Finally, they got the pony girl free.  But it wasn't to last:  The girl's hind legs were completely soaked in this black, paint-like gunk, dripping off her body.  No, wait!  It wasn't dripping... the filly was melting!  Ohmigosh!  And as she melted, the black drops went back to their source, and then the black pool just suddenly expanded until it was under her again!  Luna--and I--had to hear that poor pony's anguished screams until finally, they stopped, and she was gone.

The pool just stayed where it was, not expanding or doing anything.  The two girls both started crying.  One tried to reach in, but Luna stopped her.

Then Luna said "You two keep watch, I'm gonna go tell Princess Celestia!" and she opened her wings and flew for the palace.  But while flying, she saw the true terror:

The pools weren't just in one place, they were all over!  Some had appeared on the tops of terraces and were dripping down below, getting in the hair of innocent ponies who proceeded to melt into black ooze and become their own pond.  She saw a guard run away in pure fright, while an innocent shoe salespony tried desperately to pull an old stallion out of a pit.  The story was no different inside the courtyard, where a pillar had lost its foundation and fallen on top of some would-be rescuers.

Watching it all from a high balcony was Princess Celestia, a worried look on her face.  Luna came to her side, but she didn't need to say anything.

Celestia promised "Together, we can beat this."

And so, the two combined their unicorn powers, sending all the magic they had at the pools.  A beam of light and dark combined hit one, and then another, causing them both to shrink!  The celestial sisters piled on the attack, and closed one pool!  Yes!  Victory was within our reach!

Then suddenly Celestia cried out.  Luna turned, and saw that of all ponies, Princess Celestia herself had been caught!  How did this happen?  All we could guess was that another pool had sprung up right below.  Whatever the cause, Luna grabbed Celestia's mane, tried to pull her out, tried to use the same levitating trick she had used with the young pony from earlier, but it was no good.  She was spent from battle, and Celestia was far heavier.

I had to cut myself off from the telepathy.  Seeing Celestia melting like that, all that anguish and terror... I couldn't stand it!  I ran to the next room, crying out "No no!  Celestia can't be gone!  She can't be!  She can't be!"

I don't know if anypony even heard me.  Fluttershy had fainted, Pinkie Pie was twitching like her brain had suddenly frozen, Twilight was crying, Rainbow Dash had just frozen with a blank expression on her face, and Rarity was hyperventilating.  About the only Pony that seemed to still have her nerves together was Applejack, and only because she wanted to march to Canterlot and kick the ptooie out of these black pools.  I think she was just trying to act gung-ho so she wouldn't have a nervous breakdown like the rest of us.

Luna stamped the floor twice, hard, and yelled out "Celestia's not gone!"

I poked my head back in the room.  Everypony perked up.

"I know she's not.  Because you see... just like I now have a psychic connection to all of you, I have one to my sister.  Only ours is deeper... it existed the moment we were born.  And even now, in this very room, I can hear Celestia's voice.  She's calling my name, even as we speak.  And she calls for you too, Twilight Sparkle.  If you stand really close, you can hear it.  Come."

Twilight bucked up, stopped crying and got closer to Luna than she had ever dared, to the point where they were nearly nuzzling each other.  When that wasn't enough, Luna pulled her closer still.  Twilight's pupils dilated.  "Yes... I hear it!  She's calling my name!  Now she's saying... 'Canterlot'."  Twilight pulled away and all of the sudden made the most dead-serious I'm-gonna-do-this face in history.  "All right.  If Celestia needs me, I'm there for her!"

"That makes two of us!"  Rainbow Dash saluted.  So did everyone else.  So did I, even.

Luna gleefully tapped the floor, and squealed "Yes!  I knew I could count on you!  All right everypony, let's go save Celestia!"  Then she looked around, and said "Let's sneak out the back way.  I don't like being seen in public.  Some of the ponies still think of me as Nightmare Moon..."

Fluttershy nuzzled Luna and said "We understand."

Luna put her cloak back on, and Twilight pointed out the back door which we practically never use.  Twilight herself was the last to come out though, because being as organized as she is, she had remembered to get something very important:  her Element of Harmony.

Rainbow Dash sorta smiled, and said "Oh yeah, I guess we might need those things.  Hey, I'll right back!"

Rainbow dashed off, flying at top speed straight to her cloud-house where, upon stepping into her own private chamber she was surprised by a little voice that said "HEY RAINBOW DASH!"

Rainbow looked around for a minute then, scruffling the filly's hair, said "Hey Scoots."

Scootaloo chuckled and said "Hey, I learned a new trick!  Wanna see it?"

"Don't have time."  And Rainbow Dash found and put on her Element of Harmony.  "I've got somewhere to be.  Actually, Scoots, I might be gone awhile.  You see, ummm... the Wonderbolts are holding auditions up in Canterlot."

"Really?"

"Yeah!  And this may finally be my chance.  But they've got a lot of applicants!"

"How many?"

"A million!"

"A million?"

"Mm-hm!  So I gotta move fast, or I'll be at the very end of the line!  But hey, you keep practicing and trying to find your cutie mark!  I wanna see it when I get back!  Promise?"

"Promise!"

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo saluted each other, and then Rainbow Dash flew off.

Applejack had also made a quick trip home.  Applejack doesn't keep very many things so she had no trouble finding her Element of Harmony.  She also had no trouble finding Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh or Granny Smith.  She gathered them all together, and said "Granny, siblings, I might be gone for awhile."

"It's something serious, isn't it?"  Apple Bloom asked.  She couldn't help but keep glancing at the Element of Harmony.

"Yes, yes it is, young'un.  Some kind of situation sprang up in Canterlot, and I've been called on to help deal with it.  Now, I don't know how long it's gonna take.  I may be back tomorrow night, or I may be gone for a long time."

"But we need you around the farm!"  Big Macintosh complained.  "They got soldiers and unicorns up there, what would they need you for?"

"And who's gonna do all the apple buckin' while yer gone?"

Applejack fought to keep her mouth closed.  She desperately wanted to blurt out the entire situation, but through telepathy Luna kept telling her that would be a bad idea.  So all Applejack could manage was "Sorry, kin.  Look, if you can't manage the farm by yourselves, you can use my part of the earnings to hire some help."

"But Applejack--!"

"Not another word about it!  My mind's made up!  I'm going!  But don't worry, I'll be back sometime!" and then she ran off.  As they watched her go, Apple Bloom's eyes watered.

Rarity and Fluttershy left together because they were going in the same direction.  First, Fluttershy accompanied Rarity to her clothing shop.  Sweetie Belle was there all alone, and fortunately she hadn't destroyed anything yet.  Rarity walked to her room and stopped for only a minute to admire her secret photo of me (suddenly my editor scruffled my head and told me I should stick to the truth from now on) then found her Element of Harmony, and when Sweetie Belle saw it she said "That's one sweet jewel you've got!"

"Why, thank you.  Sweetie, your big sister is going to be away from town for awhile.  There's a..." Rarity thought up a lie, "...fashion show I want to attend!  It's going to last a long time, maybe even a whole month!"

Sweetie Belle made one of those I-don't-believe-that-for-a-minute faces.   She, like Apple Bloom, kept looking at her big sister's Element of Harmony.  But, despite whatever suspicion she must've had, she only smiled and said "Okay!  But... you want me to run the store while you're gone?"

"NO!  Oh, I mean, no thank you, Sweetie Belle.  Just hang up a sign that says 'Closed'.  If anypony asks, tell them I'm on vacation."

Fluttershy then said "Oh, what a coincidence, I'm going away for awhile too.  And I need somepony to watch my animals while I'm gone!  Sweetie Belle, could you?  That is, if you don't mind..."

"You want me to do it?"

"Well, why not?"

"But last time I tried to take care of your animals, we nearly got turned to stone!"

"Well, we all have our bad days.  Just be sure to feed and water them and everything will be all right."

"Sure, I guess I could do that."

"All right, I'll go to my place and get things ready for you.  The key is under the welcome mat.  Goodbye, Sweetie Belle!"

"Bye Fluttershy!  Bye big sis!"

As the door closed behind them, Rarity asked "You think I'm going to have a shop when I get back?"

"You think I'm going to have any animals?"

Pinkie Pie had it easier than all of them:  she just ran in her house, dashed up the stairs got her element and told Mr and Mrs. Cake "Hey I'm gonna be away for awhile some super-exciting top-secret stuff is going down in Canterlot and I'm so totally not supposed to talk about it but anyway they need ME and my Element of Harmony because well super top-secret I might not be back for awhile but you'll understand I mean I hope right byeeeee!" and then she dashed off.

I imagine it took the Cakes awhile to figure out what had happened.

And then, the eight of us finally set off for Canterlot!

Finally, we're going to see these black pools for ourselves!  We'll also discover a long-buried family secret!  It's all here in Chapter 2, "The Glass Book."  We'll see ya there!

"They shoulda let me go too!  I mighta got my Cutie Mark!"

Apple Bloom

Chapter 2 - The Glass Book

I'm gonna save you the details of the trip to Canterlot.  What matters is that when we got there, we got to witness the horrors first-hand under the all-revealing light of the midday sun.  It was just as we had seen in Luna's vision, with two exceptions:  One, the pools had gotten a lot bigger, and two, there were no other ponies.

My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic

~If, Wherever We Go ~

by NoGiantRobots1983

Chapter 2

~ The Glass Book ~

Actually, it was worse than that.  Canterlot looked like a ghost town.  There was a pillar across our path that had fallen just like the one in Luna's telepathic vision.  Heck, the pools had expanded so far that a lot of places were just caving in on themselves!  Fine dust of broken stones blew in the wind.  I listened hard, but outside of the clopping of my girls' own hooves I didn't hear any other sound, anything to let us know that we weren't all alone in this dismal place. As for the black pools, those had gotten so big that the only things left unaffected were the central walkways.  And trust me, those didn't have long.

I mostly rode on Fluttershy's back.  She didn't mind.  Actually, I think she liked it, because she thought I was so adorable and it helped her feel like she was protecting me.  Fluttershy gets really brave when she's looking out for someone else.  I liked it because Fluttershy was the least likely to fall in a pool:  she avoided them like a plague.  With Twilight Sparkle it was different:  she kept going in for a closer look.  She thought she could study the pools and figure out what they were.  Everypony who noticed was ready to catch her the minute she even looked like she was about to slip.  I guess because we were all telepaths now, Twilight picked up on what we were so worried about and stopped getting so close to the pools.

Rainbow Dash had the best idea:  she just kept in the air.  Or if she got tired, there were plenty of high walls to perch on.  It got to a point where Dash would fly on ahead, and then tell us where it was safe to move.  At first she yelled out to us, but then Twilight was like "we know, we can read your mind."  And Dash was like "Oh yeah."  I kinda wish Twi hadn't mentioned that.  Mental chatter is good and all, but it made the place that much more silent and creepy.

The worst moment was when we passed by Pony Joe's place, only there was no Pony Joe, no donut, and barely even a place.   It gives me chills just to remember it!

I was on edge until we got to the palace.  The black water was always just so close, that I thought it was just gonna jump up and eat us!  But once we got inside, things were a lot better.  For some reason, the palace didn't look as bad as everywhere else.  Heck, it looked like it had just been cleaned that morning!  (Oh wait, Luna says it had!)  It still had that creepy loneliness going on though.

Twilight and Luna got close, to try and hear Celestia's voice again.  I couldn't help trying to listen in with telepathy.

Neither could Applejack.  She scratched her ears and said "What the hay is a 'crone boom'?"

"No, dearie," that was Rarity, "it was 'throne room'."

"Of course!"  that was Twilight, "the one place in all of Equestria where her presence was most strongly felt!  We should've gone there from the first!"

Worked for me!

So we followed Luna and Twilight all the way to the throne room and up those little steps that thrones always have before them.  There was something shining at the throne.  We all stayed back, but Twilight called out Celestia's name.

And then the light took form, and sure enough... it was the ghost of Princess Celestia!  And she had a message for us:

"Luna, Twilight, friends!  I'm so glad you're all here!  I don't have much time, so listen, all of you:

"Equestria is facing its darkest moment.  Many secrets that I never told anyone, not even my dear sister, have come back to haunt my kingdom.  Only you and your friends can save us, Twilight Sparkle, though you may not know how.  You may not even live through this journey, and if you do you shall surely come back a changed pony. I'm sorry to have done this to you."

"That's okay...!"  Twilight whispered.

The ghost didn't miss a beat:  "Luna, put 'Orbit' into operation!

"Twilight!  To save Equestria you must find the Mother Pony!  Luna can tell you about her, and the Glass Book can tell you where she is!  Find first the Glass Book and then use it to seek the Mother Pony!  This will be hard, and you may learn things that you will wish you'd never known, but as long as you keep hope, love and dreams in your heart you can never fail!"

Then the ghost faded away.

Twilight's eyes went all watery.  She held up her hoof like she thought she could beckon the princess back.  Then she got on the floor and cried.  I held her, Dash put a hoof on her head.  We all tried to do something.  Maybe that's why it didn't take too long for Twilight to get back on her hooves and back to business.

"First thing's first," Twilight turned to Luna, "Where is this 'Glass Book'?"

Luna was acting strange, and you know how people change the subject when they don't wanna talk about something?  Well, Luna all the sudden said "Let's go set up Orbit first.  Get out of my head!"

And Rarity was like "My apologies, your majesty.  It was an accident."

Well, that was that.

Luna went through a door behind the throne.  The door led up a staircase and to a big balcony out back.  So I happened to hear Fluttershy think-ask "What is 'Orbit'?"

Then Luna spoke--spoke, with her mouth--the answer:  "'Orbit' is an ancient magic developed by Celestia and I, from the time before my transformation into Nightmare Moon.  The mechanics are complicated, but the basic effect is that the sun and moon will rise and fall on their own."

I was like "Wow.  That's pretty clever."

And Twilight was like "Sounds like it would save you a lot of effort.  Why haven't you used it before?"

"Because we never worked out all the flaws.  The sun and moon always changed their angle and their distance, and often their timing.  After the thirty-third time Celestia and I had to have a night on the town together just because folks had mistaken an eclipse for a sign of war, we scrapped the project.  Heaven knows what they'll think now."

Luna stepped to the center of the balcony.  She sat, and spread her forehooves, and we could all feel a magic going through her.  Some sort of thin beam shot from her heart and into the air.  Then we all felt this strain.

"I'm not strong enough!"  Luna thought, and her thought reached all of our minds.  Twilight lept to her side, and cried out "Use some of my power!"  and she touched one of Luna's outstretched hooves.  But it wasn't enough!  Rarity touched the other hoof, still not enough!  Rarity almost collapsed, and Dash and I rushed to help keep her up.

That's when we noticed power was being pulled from us too, and the strain wasn't so bad.  So I called out "A.J.!  Fluttershy!  Pinkie!  We need you!"

They didn't hesitate for a moment.  Applejack and Fluttershy held up Twilight, while Pinkie went to Luna's side, and that strain just went away.  Actually, this whole magic thing started to feel good.  I felt like I was doing something without really doing anything.  Then there was this sensation, like something had clicked into place, and I just knew that 'Orbit' had been set, the sun and moon would now move on their own.

Then we all fell over and caught our breaths.

"Man," I said, "I never wanna do that again."  That's what I thought, until I noticed that the heavy weight holding me down was Rarity.  Then I thought, a guy could get used to this.  Then I shut my brain up.  A telepath can't be too careful!

Five minutes were taken to rest and catch our breaths.  Twilight took herself a quick lay-down.  When she sat back up, she looked to Luna and said "Now, about that Glass Book."

Luna made that I-don't-wanna-talk-about-it face, but she didn't have anything to distract us with this time.  Luna sighed, "I'd really rather not see that thing again.  Too many bad memories wrapped up in it."

Fluttershy, always the sympathetic one, offered "Well, maybe we can just do without."

But with a shake of her head, Luna was like "No, Celestia said we'd need it.  She knows my feelings, and she would never make me do something I'm uncomfortable with unless there was a good reason.  Come, ponies."

As we walked, I asked "So, what is this book anyway?"

"It is the most magical treasure in all of Equestria.  The Glass Book is a compendium of not just all things known, but all things knowable.  It can tell you anything, if only you ask."

"Anything?"  Rainbow Dash was extremely curious, "like how fast you can fly before your skin peels off?"

"Yes."

"How about," Rarity was also extremely curious, "the exact age of a particular sycamore in the Everfree Forest?"

"It can tell you that, too!"

"What about," Applejack was also also extremely curious, "what Apple Bloom is doing even as we speak?"

Luna blushed.  "Actually, when used as a device to spy, it often says too much.  I'd thank you to not attempt to read my thoughts."

"Oh, uh, sorry!"  That was me.

"I was speaking to the pink one."

Pinkie blushed.  Ooo, busted!

Back in the throne room, Luna stopped us and said "But on the matter of the Glass Book, I need you all to promise that you will be careful with it!  The book is wrapped in a red velvet cloth, tied with a green silk ribbon.  That cloth prevents it from suffering any damage and it is imperative that you do not remove it from this protection unless you are absolutely sure there is no danger!"

"Guess it's a hard one to find, huh?" that was my stupid answer.

"It's more than that, little dragon.  You see, we have reason to believe that as much as the book informs, it also controls.  It is a rule book, so to speak.  Perhaps the most tragic evidence is what happened to the mermares.  Somepony completely broke that section of the book."

We waited for Luna to finish.  It wasn't happening, so I flat-out asked "So what happened?"

"Well, have you seen one?"

"No, but--oooohhhh."  Yeah, we got it.  Breaking the book is bad.

And then Luna gave us something else to worry about: "And whatever you do, you must not be tempted to use its knowledge for petty or selfish gain!  Doing so can cause nothing but harm, for your loved ones, and for you... as I learned the hard way."

Luna made like she didn't wanna talk anymore, but then she shot a glance at Twilight and shouted "Yes, the book told me how to become Nightmare Moon!  Now please stay out of my mind!"

I didn't like the quiet that came with that.  It was like... you ever been in a room with two ponies who don't like each other but are trying to get along, and it feels like the powder keg could blow at any minute?  Yeah, it felt like that.  I was trying not to think, or at least not to go poking into the minds of others.

Rarity was having the same problem.  So she came forward and said "Your highness, now that we've gotten that other business out of the way, I was curious about this 'Mother Pony' that Princess Celestia mentioned."

That broke the ice all right, but it also surprised Luna.  "Hasn't Celestia's star pupil told you all about that?"

Twi got a little nervous, like she didn't know something she thought she should.  I've seen it before.  "Actually, Luna, I have no idea who the Mother Pony is.  This is the first I've heard mention of her."

"But, you're Celestia's star pupil!"

"I'm sorry..."

Luna narrowed her eyes.  "How does Celestia train you, exactly?"

"She makes me study and write reports."

Luna put her hoof to her forehead, "Good heavens, child!  You'll never learn anything that way!  Well, until Celestia gets back I'm revising your curiculum.  First lesson:  the Mother Pony.  Come!"  A wave of a hoof and we were on the move again, "I'll teach as we go along!"

I didn't think anything could be worse than Luna-as-Nightmare Moon, but now I found something:  Luna as teacher.  I tried to listen, but I couldn't focus.  She was so--what's the word--dry.  Is this how the Cutie Mark Crusaders feel?  It all flew over my head anyway.  But Twilight now, she listened like a good little student, kept asking questions and wanting to capture every little detail in her mind.  The only reason I know any of this stuff is because Twilight filled me in later.

The skinny is that back in the day, when Equestria was really young, the land was often visited by the Mother Pony, whose powers were far greater than Celestia and Luna combined!  Where there was chaos, she brought order.  Where there was desolation, she brought growth.  She was a hero and a legend to all the ponies (Luna was getting giddy just talking about her!)  But, as time went on the Mother Pony appeared less and less.  Finally, she just stopped coming.

"Why?"  Pinkie Pie had been following along like a thrilled filly too.  "What happened to her?"

"Nopony knows for sure.  Although, now that I think back, I remember Celestia and I having a discussion on this very subject.  As I remember, Celestia was of the opinion that the Mother Pony was not proud of her reputation, and wished all ponies would simply forget of her existence.  I had to bow to Celestia's superior insight, for she has met the Mother Pony, while I have not.  And besides, there were a couple of creepy cults springing up that we had to constantly vanquish."

"Creepy colts?"  that was Pinkie Pie

"No, cults.  C-U-L-T-S."  Luna looked at Twilight, "do you know what a cult is?"

"A sinister secret organization whose members are devoted to an ideology derived from myth and legend?"

"Good!  You get an A+!"

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes, "Whatever you just said."

We were now in the castle library.  And boy, was it huge--easily twice as big as mine and Twilight's tree back in Ponyville!  No, make that three times the size!  The books were kept in perfect order, the oaken shelves (Rarity said they were oak) were completely free of dust!  And boy, how many books there were!  Twilight was in heaven!

Then Applejack had to go and say "Yep yep, now what's this book we're s'posed to be lookin' for?"

"How are we going to find it in a place like this?"  Rainbow Dash was darting from shelf to shelf.  "This is like searching for a needle in a haystack!"

Luna tapped the floor.  "The book we seek won't be on the shelf!  It's hidden in a special place!"  The special place was in a safe behind the front desk.  It was hidden behind a painting, and on top of that, the safe needed a magic word.

Luna held up a hoof. "I, Luna, command you to open!"

Nothing happened.

Luna cleared her throat.  "I must've said that wrong.  Okay:  I, Princess Luna, command you to open!"

Nothing happened.

"I, Princess Luna Selena Delicatessa Cosmos Equestrios I, royally command that you open yourself?  I, Luna, demand that you open?  Luna commands that you open?  On behalf of Princess Celestia, open?"

Luna's voice strained.  She collapsed on the floor and knocked and cried out "Oh, I forgot the password!  Stupid, stupid Luna!" and stuff like that.

Then Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore and flew up to the thing and said "Open, you stupid safe!"

And then it swung open.

Guess what was inside:  Nothing!  Nothing except a silly little note that said:

Dear Princess Luna,

In preparation for your eventual return, I have

decided to remove from our premises the object

which caused all our woes.  It is now in the

hands of the zebras.  By the way, I thought your

combination was too long and so have taken the

liberty of shortening it.

Your beloved sister,

Princess Celestia.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed and was like "Ugh!  We're on the most important mission of our life!  We can't afford to be jerked around like this!"

Luna rolled her eyes and sighed.  "Oh, that Celestia!  Well, whatever.  This wouldn't be so bad if I only knew where the zebras were!"

"We know a zebra!"  Pinkie Pie exclaimed.  "She's a good-hearted enchantress, she does beautiful dances--!"

"Where?!"

"She must mean Zecora.  She lives in--GULP!--the Everfree Forest."  That was Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.  "How can you still be scared of that place after you stared down a cockatrice?"

"I'm not scared... I'm just cautious."

I was so frustrated that I waved my arms and said "This is ridiculous!  We spent all that time climbing up here, and now the thing we're looking for isn't even here?  It'll be nightfall by the time we get back!"

Then Dash gasped, said "I got it!" and nudged up to Twilight, saying "Hey, why don't you do that teleporting trick you do?"

"And go where?"

"To the Everfree Forest, duh."

"And leave you and the others behind?"

"I've seen you bring Spike when you do that thing.  You can bring us too!"

"Rainbow Dash, that spell is very hard to do and it gets even harder when I bring someone with me.  I can't even imagine trying it with seven ponies and a baby dragon, and over such a distance!"

To my surprise, Luna took Rainbow Dash's side:

"You're a student of magic, aren't you?  Come on, expand your boundaries a little!  Celestia always told me you had realms of untapped power within you, and I wanna see it!"

"But... but...!"

"Wait a minute, now," that was Rarity, "We could all pool our powers, just like we did earlier!"

"Yeah, that!"  Rainbow Dash.

All this enthusiasm was getting to Twilight.  She said "Okay, let's all join hooves.  Spike, hold tight!"

She didn't need to tell me twice!

And her horn shined, and we all glowed--even me--and then POOF!

Suddenly we were in the Everfree Forest, and we were very, very tired, like we had just run a million-mile marathon.  Luna managed to say "That... was... amazing!" but she was so beat, we barely heard it.

Then Rainbow Dash was like "Next time, let's stick to walking."

"Is that ponies I hear, laying about over there?"

There was only one horse in all Equestria who rhymes like that:

"Zecora!"

The zebra followed our voices and found us in our half-asleep state.  "Oh, what effort have you put yourselves through?  This fatique simply will not do!"  and Zecora looked around and went into the bushes, and came back with some berries for each of us.  "These favored berries of mine will have you up and running in no time!"

They did, too.  Almost the minute it touched my lips I felt like I had just woke up after a good night's rest, eaten thirty pounds of breakfast and was in the middle of my favorite chores.  Wait, I have favorites?  Man, these things did make me feel good!

Twilight Sparkle said "I'm glad you happened along, Zecora!  We were looking for you!"

"Looking for me?  Why would that be?"

Luna came to the front, and said "I'm Luna, younger sister of Princess Celestia.  No no, don't bow, I've come to ask a favor.  A long time ago my sister gave a treasured object to the zebra people.  I mean to find them and ask it be returned."

Something seemed off when Zecora said "And what is this treasured gem you wish to own again?"

"A glass book, bound in a red cloth and tied with a green silk ribbon."

Zecora didn't answer for a moment.  Then she said "If you want the book of glass, a reason I must ask."

Luna looked at Twilight and telepathed each other for a bit, and then Luna told Zecora "The truth is, the fate of Equestria is at stake."

Twilight stepped forward.  "Please, Zecora.  Some strange black ooze has covered all of Canterlot.  Ponies are disappearing!  Maybe... maybe even... it even got Celestia.  But before that she left a message telling us to find the Glass Book and that the zebras had it.  You're the only Zebra we know!  Please, help us!"

Zecora looked at Twilight, then at Luna, and then said "The consideration causes much difficulty," Zecora held a hoof towards Luna "for we were especially warned to beware of thee!"

Luna's ears went flat, "And with good reason, I'll admit.  But I'm not asking you to give the book to me."

"If not you, then who?"

"Her," and Luna glanced at Twilight Sparkle.

That answer made Zecora smile.  "Come with me, and the Glass Book you'll soon see."

"You know where it is?"

"Yes, for in a very distant time, the ancestors given it were mine.  I've long considered passing it back to the pony folk, so your timing is as the punchline of a well-told joke."

We were already close to Zecora's hut.  When we got in, Zecora dug around in a cellar and came out with a bag.  Inside was a red bundle with a green ribbon...

"Oh, could that be it?"  Luna laid down to read, and said "Book, open!"

The ribbon untied itself, the cloth unfolded on its own, and inside was the most amazing magical book I had ever seen!  As its name implies, it was made entirely of glass.  I don't know how, much the book never got any bigger or smaller, and didn't look any more thick than most books I've seen.  Was it really as special as Luna said?

"Yes!"  Luna backed off.  "Now, Twilight, to use the book all you have to do is talk to it."

"Just... talk to it?  No special words or anything?"

"All you need to do is command!"

Twilight was all excited.  "I'm gonna test it out!  Okay... what were those berries Zecora gave us?"

The book flipped open, and landed on an entry marked "Vica-berries."  Twilight read it aloud:  "Vica-berries are a narcotic fruit that occur naturally in the environment.  Their exact atomic structure is--" yada yada.  Twi got tired of that and just asked what they do.  The book flipped to a page with a part marked "exact effects of Vica-berries on Twilight Sparkle, the Unicorn born in--."

That section could've made its own book.  I don't get it!  How did all of that stuff fit on a bunch of glass in a book no bigger than the Astronomer's Guide to All Things Astronomy?

Twilight was amazed.  "Luna wasn't kidding about this!"

Luna suggested, "Ask it about the Mother Pony."

I guess the book heard.  All on its own, it flipped to the page about the Mother Pony.  The very first thing was history.  The very first paragraph was:

"The Mother Pony first came into being around the thirty-second spasm of the galaxy, parellel with the creation of central-line vortexes and bluebell fish [see: Xenon - Planet].  32 True Galactic Minutes after that she took her first step, and after 4484 True Galactic Minutes she spoke her first word, which was 'bazook'.  She was born bare, her mane and tail taking shape only around the 2392nd True Galactic Minute--"

"Umm," that was Applejack, "Beggin' yer pardon, but we don't have enough time to read all that."

Twilight did some thinkin'.  "Maybe we can narrow it down.  Book, show us a picture of the Mother Pony."

Almost instantly, the book opened to a full-page illustration.

We were all confused, disappointed, maybe a little messed up.  Because, like Rarity said:  "That shows nothing but an outline!  A sillouhette!  That could be any pony!  How pray tell are we supposed to tell the Mother Pony by that?"

"Wait..." I bent closer for a look.  "Hey, I know this sounds weird, but... she looks familiar.  I could swear I've seen her before!"

Twilight was tapping her noggin', "It's funny but... so can I."

Rainbow Dash was scratching her mane.  "Yeah, me too."

"And I as well," that was Luna, "though... I couldn't possibly.  She disappeared long before I was born!"

Applejack totally took Rarity's side, "Ya'll are kiddin', right?  With a picture like this I wouldn't be able to tell Granny Smith from a rattlesnake!"

Then Fluttershy was like "It is awfully vague."

Twilight told them "I suppose you're right.  Book, do you have another picture?"  The book didn't flip.  I guess that was all it had.  "Then, at the very least, can you tell us where the Mother Pony is right now?"

That got a reaction.  When the book was done turning it landed on a page where the very last paragraph said "the Mother Pony is currently exploring Dream Valley," and went on to talk about every last blade of grass she touched.

The girls all looked at each other and said "Dream Valley?  Where's that?"

The book took that as a request and turned the pages again, this time to a page marked "Other Worlds."

Rainbow Dash went "Ugh!  Another world?  How are we supposed to even get there?"

Zecora coughed.  We all turned our heads.

And the zebra said "Actually, my dear friends, I might be able to help achieve that end..."

The real adventure is about to begin!  In the next chapter, the ponies discover a world of mystery and wonder, ruled by these strange ape-like creatures!  There are also heart-felt farewells as the ponies venture into "The World Behind the Rock!"  We'll see you there!

"After being jerked around so much, I kept expecting someone to say 'Mother Pony?  Oh, you just missed her.  She was in Ponyville last week'!"

Rainbow Dash

Chapter 3 - The World Behind the Rock

The further we went into the Everfree Forest, the darker it got.  I bit my claws!  On top of that, we were looking for a gateway to another world!  Another world?  I couldn't even imagine what that would be like!  Do rocks fly in other worlds?  Or do dragons breath water?  Are there even ponies in other worlds?  Little did I know that I would have all my answers and more very soon...

My Little Pony:  Friendship Is Magic

~ If, Wherever We Go ~

by NoGiantRobots1983

Chapter 3

~ The World Behind the Rock ~

Suddenly, Luna screamed!

Everyone turned around as Luna cried out in pain and tumbled!  Applejack was the first to her side, but before she even asked a question Fluttershy was there, putting her lips to Luna's leg!  I soon saw the cause of all this:

A snake had been hiding in the leaves.  Luna didn't see it, she'd stepped too close.  The snake got spooked, and bit her.  Then it slithered away.

"Fluttershy!"  Twilight called out, "You can't suck out poison!  That'll make you sick!"

But Fluttershy kept doing it, sucking it out and spitting it onto the leaves.  We couldn't stop her, but we could read her mind, and I learned that she had done this before.  She'd sucked out snake poison so much that she was actually immune to it!  Whoa, Fluttershy was kinda awesome!

But even after she had gotten the poison out, Luna's hoof was so swollen that she couldn't walk on it.  Everypony did what they could, but after careful observation Fluttershy decided "I'm afraid we'll have to take you back to Ponyville."

"That's too far!"  Twilight complained.  She was right:  In her condition, a journey would just make Luna worse.

"Perhaps my place will do?"  Zecora suggested.  "And my medicines and brews?"

"That would be great, Zecora!"  Twilight agreed, "if you're sure you won't mind?"

"For dear friends like you it is the least I could do!"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spread their wings, and carried Luna the whole way.  Applejack went ahead with Zecora to guide the path and warn them of any more sinister snakes.  Twi and Rarity kept to the pegasus' sides in case they needed help.

At the hut, I prepared a bed for Luna using the closest rags I could find, and watched as they floated her into it.  I winced:  Luna had this painful grimace, and sometimes she would cry out.  For awhile, she didn't stop.  And the psychic impressions...!  I felt so helpless...!  Zecora, Twilight and Applejack rushed to find ingredients.

A mixed home-made ointment and a bandage later:  "There," Zecora said, "Now you are all better in no time!"

I don't know if it was Zecora's potion or not, but Luna had stopped crying out, but she looked like she was still in pain.

With a strained voice, Luna asked "Zecora, how long is 'no time'?"

"About a day or two will see you as good as new!"

Luna tried to get up, and everypony stopped her.  "We don't have 'a day or two'!  The black pools may be spreading as we speak!  There's no choice, then:  Ponies, you'll have to go without me."

"But--!"  that was Twilight.

"But--!"  that was Dash.

"Ma'am--!"  that was AJ.

"My lady--!"  that was Rarity.

"Luna!"  that was Pinkie.

"But--!"  that was Fluttershy.

"The matter is settled!  Zecora, show them what you were about to show me!"  Luna didn't manage more than that before another spasm of pain set in.

"I will make it so," Zecora nodded, then said to the others "Come, you I must show."

Slowly and reluctantly, the ponies headed for the door, Twilight first.  But she stopped just before the threshold, said to me "Spike, you stay."

My eyes watered up.  "Why, Twilight?"

"Listen, Spike, we're about to adventure into what may be a whole new world.  We don't know what awaits us.  For all we know, it could be a world of flying guppies that eat dragons.  The ponies and I have to do this, but you don't.  And if you came along, I'd spend all my time worrying about you, because--" and then Twilight stopped talking for a moment.  You have no idea how my heart raced during that moment of silence.  I thought Twilight was going to say any number of things:  that I'd just get in the way, that I'd be a bother, that I'd have to look out for myself and I'm too young, that I don't really have any skills... and then she said "--because I love you, Spike."

I wanted to cry and run into her open hooves, but she held me back.  Fluttershy grabbed me and kissed my head as she passed out the door, and the other ponies gave sentiments too.  All my will to argue melted away.  I sighed. "All right, I'll stay here.  But you'll come back, right?"

"I won't let you down!"  Twilight winked.

"Take the book!"  that was Luna, and she put the book in a saddlebag that she floated over Twilight's back.  The other side was empty, but seemed to balance just fine.  Actually, the whole thing felt to Twi like it had no weight whatsoever.  I guess it was a magical saddlebag.  "And remember, use it only in safe places!"

"We will!  Goodbye, Luna.  Goodbye, Spike."  That sounded hard for Twi to say, but she did, and finally forced herself out the door.

The really cruddy thing was that Luna's accident wasn't that far from what Zecora had wanted to show us!  Just a little past that stupid snake was this huge boulder in a clearing.  It was the shape of an egg, if a little thinner and more jagged, and it was taller than any of the trees.  As Rainbow Dash said with a whistle, "That's one big rock."

"What are those noises?"  that was Rarity, and she walked around the left-hoof side of the rock to take a peek.  "What in Equestria...?  Girls, you've got to come see this!"

They saw it, all right:  Beyond the rock was a grove of regularly-spaced trees, each trimmed so that they looked like green globes atop a pole.  The grass was green and evenly cut.  There were no leaves on the ground, but there was a cobblestone road.  In the distance, they saw what at first looked like really big rocks, but which they soon realized were tall buildings!

Rainbow Dash suddenly asked "Hey Twi, is it possible for a place to exist on only one side of a rock?"

"I don't think so.  Why?"

"This one does."

"What?"  Twilight walked around to the other side, where she saw... more Everfree Forest.

"It's the same up-top!"  Dash.

"Perhaps this is one of the things we'll just have to get used to," Twilight said as she took her first step into a new world.  She turned and looked at the other ponies.  Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie followed after, followed by Applejack.  Fluttershy and Rarity were afraid of setting foot in there.

And Zecora?  She claimed "I've shown you what I said, I don't care to see what is ahead!"

"That's okay, you're not obligated to come with us.  Thank you, Zecora."

"Anytime, my friends.  I must return to tend my patient now!"  and in a chorus of goodbyes, Zecora ran off.  I'm betting she was more than eager to leave.

Twilight asked "Rarity, Fluttershy?  What about you?"

Rarity took a tenuous step forward.  "Well, the ground feels clean and... suitably not-alien.  The weather looks fine.  I don't see any dangerous monsters.  Still, Twilight, I would feel a lot better if we knew more about this place.  Do you think its safe to ask the book?"

"There doesn't seem to be any immediate danger."

That made the ponies flip, and they started looking around left and right.  Because you see, they knew who said that, but they couldn't believe it.  Rainbow Dash asked "Luna?  Where are you?"

And then a mental image of Luna smiling appeared in all the ponies' heads.  "Greetings, my little ponies!"

"Oh yeah!"  Rainbow Dash tapped her noggin.  "I forgot all about that telepathy stuff!"

"As did I," Luna admitted.  "I've gotten so used to speaking with my mouth that I oftentimes forget I can speak with my mind.  Believe it or not, it was your little dragon that reminded me."

"Hey Twilight!"  That was me!  Oh boy, I was so excited!  I won't get left out of the adventure this time!  I mean, I guess I will, but I'll be able to see it first hand!

Luna giggled.  "Anyway, telepathy can fade if left dormant too long, so I thought it prudent to contact you right away and reaffirm our link.  We must be careful to keep in mental contact.  You ponies should be able to talk to each other or even Spike as easily as you talk to me."

Then I was like "You bunch better keep in touch!  I'm taking notes.  I'm betting this'll make a real good book someday!"

Twilight smiled, "Oh, you silly... all right, we'll keep you informed!"

"There's another fringe benefit I can offer," Luna said.  "Related to telepathy is a technique called 'Remote Viewing'.  That's where I can see something without actually being there.  Now I'm looking at you from up above.  I can even share your sight and see things through your eyes!  Now I see what Fluttershy sees!"

"Oh, goodness!"  Fluttershy.

"And now I'm fifty feet to your north!  All right, fifty feet above you!  And... what I'm seeing looks interesting."

"How is that?"  Applejack asked.

"It... sort of reminds me of Manehattan.  The place you're in right now appears to be like Central Park.  It's an even square of land.  I see a pond behind you, if you can somehow get around the border that separates the worlds.  In that world there are three stones adjescent the border, not just one, and you're actually in something of a niche.  The cobblestone path to your north winds around past some benches and a fountain where... oh, what's this?  Some sort of creatures seem to be lingering there."

"Dangerous creatures?"  Fluttershy.

"I can't tell.  Visually I'm following clusters of these creatures beyond the borders of the park, where you'll come to another road.  I think its made of concrete, again just like the streets in Manehattan.  For whatever reason, it has yellow lines painted on it.  Beyond that, the areas of habitation.  My, these creatures need a lot of space, and there sure are many of them!"

"But what are these creatures?"  still Fluttershy.  "Are they cute?"

"Let me get a closer look.  Hmmm... the smaller ones are quite darling.  The taller ones... I get different impressions.  They're not 'cute' the same way the smaller are, but they do seem to range from charming to noble to brutish."

"But what do they look like?"  Twilight.

Luna had to think about that one, and I don't blame her.  "The best I can illustrate is... Applejack, stand on your hind legs."

"Eeeeh... okay."

"Now, ponies, look at Applejack right now.  Now, imagine that she has feet, like Spike does.  Except that he has five toes and no talons.  Now imagine she has hands, again like Spike does.  Four fingers and a thumb.  They have something that seems like the beginnings of a claw, but none seem especially long or thick.  I can't even guess what their purpose might be.

"All right, now imagine that Applejack doesn't have a tail or fur, but she still has a mane."

Pinkie Pie giggled, "So you want us to imagine Applejack naked?"

"Not exactly.  These creatures seem to have no fur of their own, but they wear clothing.  There seem to be varying degrees of nakedness, but I don't see any creatures who are without clothes altogether... except for a few who seem to be taking baths."

"What kind of fashions are in style here?"  Rarity.

"All kinds.  Actually, a lot of them seem to just put on the first thing they get their hands on.  There are a lot of outfits that are just unspectacular.  Oh, hello, there's one female--at least, I think that's a female--who is wearing a dress.  Oh, its just like the one you wore to the Grand Galloping Gala, Twilight Sparkle!"

"Oh, can I see?"  and then, after Luna projected the image into Twilight's mind:  "Oh... the resemblance really is uncanny."

Then Applejack stopped standing up and said "Wait, ya'll mean you coulda just showed us these critters the whole time?  Then what was my posin' for?"

Luna projected an image of her blushing.  "Oh, I'm so sorry!  I'm so absent-minded sometimes."

"Aww, forget it.  It's no big deal.  Is it safe for Twilight to pull out that newfangled book of hers?  Or oldfangled, I guess?"

"There are a few of these creatures around, but I think that as long as you stay in the shadow of the rocks, they won't see you.  Yes, it should be safe."

Twilight took that as her cue to open up the book and ask "What are these creatures?"

The book flipped to a section titled "Human Beings."   As usual, it had the massive overdose of information, starting with how long ago the first human came into existence (measured in Standard Galactic Milliseconds) and everything about the life of every one of these creatures which was ever born.  Of course the ponies didn't read the whole thing.  Actually, Twilight asked it some very specific things:  what do humans eat (that got a long list of every human ever and what they had all eaten on every day of their life) and especially whether they eat ponies (the book flipped to an entry on one guy who ate a pony once, out of desperation.  Twilight took that as a good sign).  Then she asked if they're violent and the book showed us their warfare history, but on further questioning we did get entries about something called a "peace movement."  Then Twilight asked how humans felt about ponies, which got us a sub-header called "Human Philosophies - Animal Rights."  Tell you the truth, what I got out of it was that human beings are like Rainbow Dash on Thursdays and Fluttershy on Sundays.  If that makes any sense, then you're probably a human.

"Wait a minute," Rainbow Dash asked, "Is the book saying we're animals?"

Twilight scanned it, "I guess we are, from their perspective."

Fluttershy looked nervous, "So are they... going to want to pet us?"

Rainbow Dash made a disgusted sound.  "I don't want these things touching me!  Twilight, you should look up how to defend ourselves in case the humans get too grabby!  I mean, would giving them the old what-for work in this world?"

Twilight nodded and asked about self defense.

The book flipped a massive amount of pages, and finally landed on a page titled "Standard All-Existence Self Defense."  And you'll never ever believe this, but for once the article was quite short!

Uh oh, I feel more of that magic coming on!...

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO ALL-EXISTENCE SELF DEFENSE:

When two sides are in conflict, it's called a "combat."  In Combat, each "side" can have a limited number of members, depending on the size of the participants (ponies are considered small-to-medium size, so up to five of them can be on one side).

In "Combat," each participant is given a meter called the Will to Fight.  The Will to Fight is a participant's ability to continue the combat.  When it hits zero, that participant is forced to retire from the combat.  Almost any action taken against a participant will cause them to lose Will to Fight.  It is possible for Will to Fight to be restored, however, keep in mind that once all participants on one side lose their Will to Fight, they lose the combat.  No exceptions.

Some participants also have a second meter, called Wonder Points.  Wonder Points are spent whenever the combatant uses a special ability, such as magic.  Running out of Wonder Points does not cost you the combat, however it will prevent you from doing anything other than basic attacks.  Wonder Points can also be restored.

Whenever any action is taken upon a participant, the value of that action will appear as a number above that participant's head.  If it is a white number, then they have lost that amount of Will to Fight or Wonder Points.  If it is a green number, they have had that amount restored to either their Will or Wonder.  Keep in mind that there is an upper limit to how much Will or Wonder they can have.  This is dependent on their Level, which will gradually raise over time.

One word of warning:  These rules may not apply to Storyline Events.

Okay hand, quit shaking!

Sorry, I had to catch my hand real quick.  It was just going crazy!  It's not just me, either:  my editors keep trying to cut stuff like that out, and they just wind up re-writing it.  Just like what happens to me!  I guess sometimes the story just has to have its way.

Anyway, I didn't really buy all this junk about "going into Combat."  Neither did Rainbow Dash:  "What the hay is all this?  'Levels'?  'Wonder Points'?  'Will to Fight meter'?  I mean, seriously?"  she turned around and said "Hey human, do you have a 'Will to Fight' meter?"

I don't know what that human was doing there, but the minute Rainbow Dash turned and asked him that, his eyes went wide, he yelled at the top of his lungs and ran for the hills!

Twilight scrambled to put the book away.  Rainbow Dash (who had been hovering just off the ground) landed.  Fluttershy said to her  "Somehow, I was hoping for a more pleasant first meeting."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

Twilight came up front.  "That does sound kind of silly, but the Glass Book is pure fact.  It can't be wrong.  It said that only five of us can be in combat at a time.  I can only guess that has to do with our marching order, so the weakest of us should stay as far back as possible."

"Ummm," Fluttershy began to say something.

Then Rainbow Dash interrupted, "It's obvious, isn't it?"

"You mean Fluttershy?"  Twilight asked.

"No, Pinkie Pie," Dash said that sarcastically.

But that got Twilight thinking.  "Hmmm.  Pinkie Pie, can you actually handle yourself in a fight?"

"I dunno!"  Pinkie Pie.

Applejack remembered, "Ya'll had no problem bucking those diamond dogs!"

"But neither did Fluttershy."  Twilight pointed out.  She kind of turned the dirt with her hoof and said "We don't have time to figure this out, so both of you try to keep out of trouble and we'll just play it by ear."  Twilight looked around the rock.  "In any case, I would rather not get into fights at all."

Twilight poked her head around the rock, and said "Let's try to make peaceful contact.  Those people over there look friendly enough."  So the whole gang walked out to them, Twilight in the lead, and she said "Greetings, I'm Twilight Sparkle.  I come from Equestria and I'm looking for the Mother Pony.  Have you seen her, by any chance?"

Those people--a man and a woman who looked like they were getting mushy-gushy on a park bench, looked at Twilight and the ponies with faces full of surprise and then at each other.  Twilight bowed her head and said "I'm sorry if we're causing you any discomfort," and she and the others walked off down the cobblestone road.

Behind them, they heard the woman say "Did we just see a group of colored ponies?"  then she asked "Shouldn't we go after them?"

The further they got into the park, the more populated it got, and all the human creatures looked at the ponies with surprise, shock and curiosity.  You didn't need telepathy to know that obviously these people had never seen a pony before.  Or at least, not an Equestria pony, as we found out later.

Then suddenly Fluttershy shot up and caught a frisbee in her mouth!  Landing, she brought it to a little human boy, put it down and said "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt your game, it's just there was this cardinal's nest right where your frisbee was going, and I couldn't bear to see it hurt.  I'm sorry, but please, be more careful."

The boy looked at her with his mouth hanging open.

"Are you all right?"

No change.

"Okay... I'll be going now."

Fluttershy backed away from the awestruck kid.  The kid just stood there until his mother came and ran off with him.

Twilight was trying to address the crowd:  "Hello, I'm Twilight Sparkle, my homeland is in terrible danger and we really need to find the Mother Pony, so if anyone has seen or heard anything about her can you help us out?  Please?"  Then, confidentially, "I don't think this is going to work."

Rarity mumbled "Yes, the demeanor of these fellows does give that impression."

Applejack's ears perked and she looked around asking "Land sakes, what is all that laughing about?"

They looked and saw:

Pinkie Pie was giving the human children rides.  As she bounced around with two on her back, a lot more followed her around in circles waiting for their turn.  And the grown humans, well some of them looked like they enjoyed it as much as the kids, but a few of them screamed something about their "precious babies" and went hysterical.  Two of the daddies plucked kids right off of Pinkie Pie's back and told her to shoo!

Pinkie glared at them and was like "Hey, what's your problem?"

Didn't help though, they were trying to scare her away with rolled up newspapers and handbags and whatever they could find to swing at her.  One of them even used a hat.  Oooh, scary!

Twilight called out "Pinkie, get away from there!"

But Pinkie wasn't listening.  And Twilight and the others saw something that sent shockwaves down their manes:

A gray box with numbers had appeared near Pinkie Pie's feet.  And what do you know, the humans had those boxes too!  Then one of the human men swatted at Pinkie with his hat again (yeah, a hat.  I still can't believe that) and the white number "10" appeared above Pinkie Pie's face, and the numbers in the gray box changed... subtracted by ten.

There you have it, our first meeting with a Will to Fight meter.

Pinkie roared, and that caused three of the humans to lose 100 Will to Fight points each!

Rarity ran to Pinkie's side.  "Pinkie, calm down!  The humans are only attacking because they're scared!"

"Then they shouldn't have hit me!"

"But Pinkie, they haven't even hurt you that much--"

Then a newspaper roll caught the back of Rarity's head.  She stood still for a minute, but we could all feel it coming, like the feeling you get when a volcano is about to erupt.  When she turned to the human who had done it, she said "Oh, it is on!"

The kick she gave the guy with the newspaper knocked him out completely.  Just seeing what happened to their companion was enough to make some of the other humans completely chicken out.  Kids started crying, mothers screamed.

Rarity and Pinkie regrouped with the rest.  Rarity suggested "We better get back to Equestria until this blows over."

Twilight said "No!  We can't take the chance of them following us back to our home!"

Applejack reared up, "Then we all better hoof it!  Come on, girls!"

They ran like the wind.  They went clear off the cobblestone path and right through the trees, and kept going until they got to the road.  Just as Luna said, it was like the carriage roads in Manehattan.  Humans had carriages too, except that theirs didn't have anything pulling them (must be magic), went really fast and each time they past there was this weird smell.  When they told me about it, they couldn't agree whether that smell was icky or pleasant.

Then a horrible sound pierced the air!  From around a corner came these black carriages that, umm... they kind of looked like rolling black blocks.  On the side they had the words "Animal Control," written in plain Equestrish!  Wait, why do they write in Equestrish?  But who cares, these carriages were scary, and when they stopped all these humans in black uniforms and helmets stepped out!  And they were all carrying these tube-things with triangles on the end!

The ponies didn't have long to figure it out.  One of the new humans aimed the thin end of his stick at Fluttershy.  There was a BAM! Fluttershy made a sound, and then... fell straight to sleep?  Rarity saw some sort of needle in her flank, right next to her cutie mark!  She pulled it out, and then once again it was on!

Applejack pointed out "We ain't got not choice but to stand our ground now!"

"Looks that way," Twilight's way of agreeing.

Rainbow Dash took to the air, crying out "If they think they're gonna take down Rainbow Dash that easy, they got another thing coming!" and she dove right at one, knocking him flat on his back.  His Will to Fight took a massive hit, but wasn't gone.

"Oh oh oh!"  Pinkie Pie, "What about me?  What should I do?  Should I go grrrr or roar or tie their shoelaces together huh huh or maybe--" a needle in her flank later, Pinkie Pie was out.

Twilight wished she had a plan or something.  The four ponies who were still standing managed to scare off three of the "Animal Control" humans, but more took their place.  They just kept coming!  Twilight thought maybe they should run, but they couldn't abandon Fluttershy and Pinkie!

Against all odds, Rainbow Dash went down next.  When that happened, the battle was over, and Twilight was the last to get the needle.

Me and Luna watched in horror as the ponies were loaded onto the black carriages and driven away.  I wailed, and I just barely heard the princess say "stupid, stupid Luna..."

Uh oh!  Looks like our favorite ponies are in a jam!  What does fate have in store for them?  Can they escape?  Stay tuned for the answers in the next chapter, "Dr. Longcoat and His Crew!"  We'll see you there!

"If those humans hurt Rarity, they'll answer to ME!"

Spike