My Little Human: Friendship Across Worlds

Fluttershy and the others escorted a woozy Rainbow Dash out of the athletics centre, narrowly avoiding security and piling into Fluttershy's car. They drove back to Pinkie's where they celebrated with a small feast, Pinkie producing sweets and cupcakes seemingly out of nowhere.

“Five ponies down, two more to go!” Rainbow congratulated Spike and Twilight.

“There could be more,” Dr. Whoof warned.

“But as long as we have the Elements of Harmony, rescuing the rest should be easy after we whip Discord's butt, right?” Rainbow was trying to remain optimistic.

“Absolutely!” Whoof reassured her.

“You should send Cadance a letter letting her and Shining Armor know you're OK and you've rescued some of us,” Twilight suggested to Spike.

“Good idea!” The dragon chomped down on a hot sauce cupcake. ”Got any ink and paper, Pinkie?”

Pinkie was there in a flash with a notepad and pen. “Here ya go! Hey, Twilight, you should write the letter! I bet Shining Armor would be really really happy to hear from you!”

“Good idea, Pinkie!” Twilight took the materials and wrote a detailed missive, then folded it up into a paper aeroplane and handed it to Spike. “Do you have to cast the portal anywhere specific?”

“I... think I just need a blank wall,” Spike said, not sounding convinced.

Pinkie bonded over to the wall near the front door and pulled a side table out of the way. “Over here, Spike!”

“OK, here goes!” Spike raised the amulet, pointed it at the wall and tapped it. Blue-white light shone out of the wall as runes traced themselves into the plaster and the swirling portal opened. Spike threw the plane through the portal, then tapped the amulet again to close it.

*** *** ***

The equipment was straining to maintain the shield against Discord. Cadance and Shining Armor took turns feeding power into it – even Sweetie Belle lent a small amount – but the machine was running hot and the ponies had doubts regarding how long it could stay running beyond capacity. Cadance had managed to bring food and supplies through the shield, but that took even more energy and taxed the generator even more. Discord had given up out of sheer boredom and had gone off to inflict horror and disaster on other innocent ponies.

“Princess Cadance! The portal's opening!” Scootaloo called out.

“Thank goodness!” Cadance, Shining Armor, the Cakes and the other CMCs gathered around the swirling flat gateway in anticipation. Only instead of ponies, a single pink paper plane flew out. Cadance caught it telekinetically, unfolded it and exclaimed “It's a letter from Twilight!”

The letter read thus:

Dear Cadance,

This is Twilight Sparkle, a.k.a. Tamara Sparque, writing to you from the world of humans. Your theory regarding inter-universal travel was correct, although I'm at a loss to explain exactly how Trixie, of all ponies, would know of it's existence. For the first week of our imprisonment in this world, we were living out our lives as humans, completely unaware of our true identities and lives back in Equestria. Oddly enough, though, our occupations as humans were either identical or oddly similar to the ones we have in Ponyville.

Spike and that amazing amulet of yours have proved invaluable in rescuing myself, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Dr. Whoof and Rainbow Dash, in that order. We have yet to find Applejack and Rarity and we don't know if any other ponies are similarly trapped. I can assure you, though, that we will stop at nothing to find our remaining friends and return to Equestria to reclaim the Elements of Harmony. Tell Shining Armor I'm OK and we're working as hard as we can. Please look after Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and let the Cakes know that Pinkie Pie is safe and her usual self. You ponies hang in there.

Your loyal friend,

Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. Try boosting the efficiency of the shield generator by inserting a large enough diamond into the central waveform collimation hub. I meant to do that a couple of weeks ago before this happened. There are schematics of the generator somewhere in the lab if you need them. -T

After Cadance read the letter aloud, everypony sighed in relief at the news. Angel and the animals expressed their joy at hearing about Fluttershy's wellbeing.

“I'll look for a diamond!” Sweetie Belle volunteered. “Uh, as long as there's diamonds in here, I don't wanna go out outside right now.”

Cadance pointed with her front right hoof towards Spike's gem chest. “I think there's some in there. I'll reimburse Spike when he returns.”

Sweetie Belle dove for the chest in a heartbeat and started rummaging around. Meanwhile, Shining Armor checked outside for any sign of Discord or other nasty surprises. Finding none, he hastily found the generator schematics and consulted them intensely.

“Mr. Cake,” he called, “would you be so kind as to help me open this up?”

“Oh, certainly, your highness.” Carrot left his wife to keep the foals occupied and helped Shining pry open a panel that had slightly deformed from the intense heat of the generator's constant operation.

“What's the matter, foals?” a soprano voice taunted from outside. “Run out of power at last? Don't worry, the Great and Powerful Trixie has plenty of spare! AHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Oh no, not her again,” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at Trixie's hammy speech and resumed looking for a large diamond to upgrade the generator. “Nope, that's a zirconia...”

“Behold the wrath of Trixie!” the unicorn gloated as she stood outside the shield radius. Her blue coat and white mane had faded to a dull grey and her eyes gleamed red. Discord, it seemed, had found a use for her after all. Her horn glowed red and the library started to shudder and creak. Books fell of the shelves and inkwells spilled, Twilight's and Spike's belongings were thrown everywhere. Down in the basement, the foals screamed in terror as the walls cracked and the floor trembled. The earth gave way as Golden Oaks Library was ripped up by the roots and hung in the air.

“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Discordant Trixie cooed. “Trixie has a present for you!”

“Ah don't want no present from her!” Apple Bloom whimpered. “Ah jus' want mah sister ta come home!”

“The shield!” Mrs. Cake shrieked. “Turn the shield back on!”

“Cadance, hold her off while we fix this thing!” Shining Armor told his wife, trying not to panic.

“Sweetie Belle, where's that diamond?” Mr. Cake looked toward the unicorn filly in desperation.

“I'm still looking!” she squeaked.

Cadance closed the portal she had just sent a message through, spread her wings, flew up out of the basement and landed in front of Trixie.

“You arrogant, two-bit showpony! How DARE you threaten innocent ponies!” Being the Princess of Love, Cadance very rarely yelled at anypony. Trixie, however, had not only crossed the line, she had stomped on it with muddy hooves.

“Huh! I charge at LEAST five bits per show! But this kind of show is just for you, my dear!” Trixie boasted. She lowered her head and sent a powerful blast of magic directly at Cadance.