My Little Human: Friendship Across Worlds

Pinkie's townhouse wasn't palatial, but it was impressive enough despite the perpetual mess Pinkie had been living in for the week that they'd been imprisoned in human form in this universe. Spike told Twilight and Pinkie more of the story inbetween spoonfuls of strawberry ice cream with hot sauce.

“You guys just disappeared off the face of Equestria,” he explained to the shocked ponies. “The only reason we knew what happened to you was because Trixie wouldn't stop bragging about it.”

Canterlot Gardens

One week earlier

“AAAAHHHHH!” Cloud Kicker took off in fright, only to be brought back down to the ground  as her wings lost all of their feathers and her mane, tail and coat all fell out at once. The mortified pegasus ran for cover.

The wailing of a siren cut the air as Discord laughed wildly. “Welcome to the land of chaos, my little ponies!” he cackled as a cloud of pink cotton candy zipped past with Derpy Hooves trapped within it's folds, looking utterly confused.

“A-hem-hem.” Trixie fake-coughed. “Excuse me, Discord?”

The spirit of chaos twisted his body around to see the blue unicorn on the ground addressing him. “Well, if it isn't the Great and Powerful Trixie!” he said, his voice saturated with sarcasm. “How's your quest for fame and adoration going, hmmm? Provoked any Ursa Minors lately?” His mocking tone cut her like a razor.

Trixie bowed, not wanting to upset Discord and have him turn her into something not at all like a unicorn. “Oh mighty Discord, Spirit of Chaos, Trixie has a proposition for you that could take care of our common enemy!”

“Like I told Celestia, I don't turn ponies into stone,” Discord told her. “That's far too boring. I prefer more entertaining – and don't forget, chaotic – ways of dealing with ponies who cross me. If you have something worth my time, Trixie, make it quick, I have havoc and disarray to visit upon Equestria.”

“Well, er-hem, Trixie has studied lore of worlds beyond Equestria. Worlds which are vastly different from the world of ponies, some worlds which are considered to exist only in fiction! Trixie believes some of these alternate universes are so hopelessly alien that the Bearers of Harmony would not be able to cope!”

“And you think I should shoehorn Twilight Sparkle and her friends into one of these worlds?” Discord thought for a moment, scratching his chin with his dragon claw. Then he gave Trixie the fish eye. “What's in it for you, anyway?”

“Trixie demands revenge upon Twilight Sparkle for humiliating her!” she snarled. “Trixie was humiliated and...”

“And you showed Ponyville just how weak and pathetic you are, a mere show pony with no real talent to speak of except smoke, mirrors and empty boasting,” Discord sneered. “Save me your sob story, oh whiny and pathetic Trixie, I don't have time for your nonsense. Now get lost and take your idiot fanboy with you.” With a snap of his claws, Discord vanished in a flash of light.

“Grrrr!” Trixie facehoofed in frustration.

“What have you done?!” Snails wailed as the hedge maze started to twist and turn and gain impossible dimensions, trapping ponies inside.

Ponyville

A few hours later

Trixie plodded though the twisted main street of Ponyville, Snips and Snails in tow, the trio's hooves squelching through a strange green goop which coated the roads. Above them, insane ponies tumbled through the air, some with wings, some without. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake had been altered to be ten feet tall, eyes glowing red as they drooled and gurgled and chowed down on buildings. A foul stench emanated from both their behinds.

At the end of the street, near the bridge towards Fluttershy's cottage, Discord sat on a throne of clouds mounted upon a dais. He guffawed loudly as the proprietors of Sugarcube Corner tried desperately to rein in their mutated children to no avail.

Trixie approached Discord and puffed out her chest. “Discord! Trixie has unfinished business with you!”

He rolled his eyes in exasperation until they detached from his eye sockets, bounced off the throne, down the dais then bounced up into Trixie's face, whereupon his face materialized around them. “Oh, not you again. What do you want this time?” His lion paw seized her by her light blue mane and hoisted her up like a puppy held up by the scruff of the neck. “I'm the spirit of chaos, Trixie, not your attack dog!”

“Trixie set you free from your stone prison! One would have thought you'd be at least a little grateful for Trixie's help!” Trixie squirmed painfully in the draconequus's iron grip. He dropped her, splattering green goo everywhere.

Discord giggled. “You're funny when you're petulant! Oh, I suppose I could send them off to some other universe, keep them away from the Elements of Harmony so they can't turn me back to stone. I can't stand those idiot tour guides and the children babbling away all day.” He let out a sigh. “I suppose I should be grateful that you let me out, even though it was for your own selfish purposes. So, Trixie, tell me about this world you want Twilight Sparkle and her merry band banished to.”

*** *** ***

“At least that's the story Mr. and Mrs. Cake told me,” Spike amended before shovelling in more ice cream. “I was holed up in the library basement trying to keep the Elements away from Discord. Princess Celestia didn't answer my mail and neither did Princess Luna, so I tried to get a message to the Crystal Empire.”

*** *** ***

Bomp bomp bomp. Spike's eyes widened in alarm.

“Whoo?” Owlowiscious swiveled his head towards the barricaded basement door. Spike, Owlowiscious, Angel, Harry Bear and some of Fluttershy's other animal friends were squeezed amongst the scientific equipment in Twilight's basement. The Elements of Harmony were locked in a case, stashed on a shelf next to where Harry sat.

“I dunno who it is. You go check it out.”

“Whoo?”

“You! You go see who it is!”

Bomp bomp bomp. “Spike? Twilight? Is anypony there? Please, let us in!”

Spike recognized Scootaloo's voice. He tore through the barricade and wrenched open the door to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders, along with a unicorn filly he didn't recognize, shaking in terror.

“Come in, quick!” Spike ushered them in. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked like they'd seen a ghost. The other filly was whimpering.

“Thank goodness you're here,” Scootaloo told Spike. “Where's Twilight?”

“She's gone! I can't find her anywhere! I can't reach Princess Celestia either.”

“What's going on, Spike?” Sweetie Belle whimpered.

“Discord's on the loose again,” he explained. “You guys should stay down here with me until help arrives. I've sent a message to the Crystal Empire.”

The filly burst into tears. “I want my mommy!” she howled.

“There there, Dinky,” Sweetie Belle consoled her. “I'm sure Derpy's okay.”

“Derpy Hooves?” Spike asked.

“Spike, Dinky Hooves, Dinky Hooves, Spike.” Sweetie Belle introduced them. “You know Dinky's mom, right?”

“Yeah. I haven't seen any pegasi around Ponyville, though. Not even Fluttershy. Angel and Harry got most of Fluttershy's animal friends here and we've been looking after the Elements of Harmony.”

“Wow!” Scootaloo's face lit up. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's eyes widened and even Dinky stopped crying. “The Elements of Harmony are here?” Scoots sounded excited.

“They're safe and sound in their case, but the Bearers are nowhere to be found,” Spike told the fillies. “Without the ponies to wield the Elements, they're useless against Discord!”

“What about us?” Scootaloo asked. “Could we wield the Elements instead?”

“I don't know.” Spike said doubtfully. “I don't think it would work like that...”

He didn't get time to think about it, though, as another hoof pounded on the door. “Spike? It's Shining Armor. Are you in there? Is everything okay?”

“Shining Armor!” Spike opened the door again to find not only Shining Armor, but his wife, Princess Cadance. Both of them wore relieved expressions to see the baby dragon. Spike ushered them in and rebarricaded the door.

“We came as soon we got your message,” Cadance reassured Spike. “Where are the other Bearers of the Elements?”

“Have you heard from Twily?” Shining Armor cut across Cadance. “Is she okay?”

“They've all gone missin'!” Apple Bloom told them. “Ah can't find Applejack and Granny and mah brother are actin' all strange! Rarity's gone, Pinkie Pie's gone...”

“Rainbow Dash is missing too!” Scootaloo interjected.

“And Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle added.

“And I can't find my mommy either!” Dinky sniffed.

“Calm down, my little ponies,” Cadance swept the fillies into a hug. “I promise you, we'll do everything we can to find them.”

Shining Amour, meanwhile, poked around the lab, taking care not to tread on the animals, until he found a small port in the side of one of the machines. He inserted his horn into the port and let loose a burst of magic. The machine powered up and purple lightning exploded from a spire at the top of the device before a purple shield formed around the lab, sealing it off.

“One of Twily's experiments,” the unicorn explained to a stunned Spike. “She was trying to figure out how to power it without needing unicorn or alicorn magic.”

Safely ensconced within the shield, Spike, Shining and Cadance began throwing around theories, conjecture and speculation based on what they knew, the fillies and animals listening in wonder. They were interrupted only by a distraught Cup and Carrot Cake begging them to restore their foals.