Contact Unknown

by King Berkut

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Sad, Adventure
Length: 14207

When every race sees their ways and culture as being superior to others, only conflict will decide who is right. The sad thing is that often, suffering and conflict are what the different cultures are trying to prevent.

Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock. -Will Rogers
What seemed to be simply physically impossible is easy to achieve with the right amount of magic and a little luck as it would turn out. In an instant the lives of 6 simple ponies will change forever when Princess Celestia informs them that she has discovered another universe that is nothing like their-own . The Princess launches a diplomatic goodwill mission to share the meaning of harmony with these creatures but manages to spark an inter-universal war. Now, the fate of not only the missionaries but both worlds themselves will be decided by a small group of ponies and men who will struggle to unify both worlds in harmony. Will the fellowship and determination of the few be enough to save life as we know it?

I would like to thank my new Editor/Proofreader Kahotc who is helping me to refine my work. Without him, the quality of this work would be seriously degraded.

The gore tag refers to war violence, and minor descriptions of wounds and war pain. The sex tag refers to passionate displays of affection, and sexual situations.

Cover art by Sumopiggy

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-14 23:39:15 UTC

Chapter I: Urgent Correspondence

“Spike, would you please get me the guide on ‘Advanced Equestrian Political History’ please?”

“Twilight, don’t you think it is a little early to be up working at only 6:00 AM?” Spike grumbled, still groggy from being awoken so early by Twilight’s early morning studies.

“Maybe for a dragon like you, Spike, but if I don’t study the history of the Changelings and how they interacted with Equestria in the past, an invasion like what happened at my brother’s wedding could occur again and this time, we might not be able to stop it.” The purple unicorn said, the anxiety clear in her voice as she quickly flipped through the pages of the many books she had at her desk.

Spike grabbed the step-ladder and began searching for the book. After retrieving the 9000 page tome, he lugged it over to Twilight only to slip and drop it loudly on her desk with a loud boom. Twilight jumped in her seat, for she had been so engrossed in her studies, she didn’t even notice that Spike had come down from his bed yet, and she shot Spike an annoyed look. Twilight began to re-organize the clutter on her desk and again became completely lost in her work.

Spike looked on with worry. Twilight didn’t even notice he was still standing there before he remarked, “Twilight, you worry too much. What are the odds that Chrysalis didn’t learn her lesson the first time? Leave this up to Celestia and Luna. I am sure they can handle it”. Twilight was too involved in her book to even look up but shook her head in a dismissive fashion. The purple dragon starred for a while at the pony who had raised him and been there for him all his life and realized ever sense Princess Celestia had moved Twilight to Ponyville, she was becoming more and more concerned with the fate of Equestria. This was especially true after his friend returned from a mission from the Princess. Spike pondered this for a minute more before dismissing it as another of Twilight’s tasks she gave herself to impress the Princess and he decided to focus on making a delicious breakfast.

Twilight was staring at each page of the book with eyes focused on each character, her mind thinking a mile a minute about what she was reading. Her thoughts ran from one idea to the next, contemplating the past and how it could be applied today. She began to think of the Princess, her teacher and mentor, and what the great allicorn would think of her proposals that she drew up in her head. The student thought first that Celestia would be greatly interested in what her star pupil had to say. Then, immediately after this, she began to worry that Celestia would think Twilight was criticizing her actions as princess, possibly even taking offence. This made Twilight visibly become worried and this only brought back the headache that surfaced whenever the librarian studied too hard.

Spike, having returned from his quick meal of a bagel with sapphires on top and a glass of apple cider, saw Twilight still studying and noticed the bags under her eyes. “Twilight,” he inquired, “Did you get any sleep last night?”

The unicorn looked up at Spike, her eyes showing the worry she felt as well as a longing to rest behind the shades of her eyelids. She noticed that he looked concerned but replied dismissively, “No, I didn’t but sleep isn’t a concern of mine right now. All I can think about is what the Princess would think if I didn’t tell her that the kingdom might be in danger and then Chrysalis attacked again. What if she got angry and exiled me from Equestria or what if she took me to the Canterlot dungeon and never let me leave, or even what if…”

Twilight was suddenly cut off as Spike blasted a shot of fire out of his mouth and revealed a peace of parchment that immediately was grasped by a purple field of magic. Twilight levitated the scroll in front of her and stopped reading immediately knowing that this was a letter from the Princess by the royal seal that clasped the note closed. Twilight broke the seal instantly and read the contents of the correspondence aloud:

My most faithful pupil Twilight Sparkle,

I will skip the formalities as I have uncovered something important in my studies. It is imperative that you and your friends come to the palace as soon as possible. Bring the Elements of Harmony as they may be necessary in the challenges ahead. I wish I could tell you more but I feel that if we do not act quickly on this. The fate of billions is at stake. Please inform your friends to pack lightly and tell Spike to come as well, for we will need his skills.

Please be sure that everything in this letter is carried out for I do not know how long we can wait before the opportunity is lost. I trust that you will be here by sundown and then I will be able to explain everything to you. Your brother Shining Armor will also be here when you arrive. I am counting on you Twilight.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia,

Twilight looked up with a face full of panic. What could be so important that she would need Twilight and her friends to pack light and go to the castle? Also, why did she call her brother, Shining Armor, away from leading the Chrystal Empire and have him come to Canterlot. Finally, what did she mean that there were BILLIONS of lives at stake? There are not even more than 100 million ponies in all of Equestria. Something was seriously wrong here.

Spike saw Twilight’s reaction to the Princesses letter and he only could wonder himself. Why did the Princess call on him? She almost never before needed Spike on the adventures that Twilight had partaken in and now he was being requested by name. “What does this mean Twilight? Why does she need me? I don’t even know how to go on something like this. And what should I pack? Is it cold or is it hot because you know…” Spike was cut off as Twilight stuck her hoof over his mouth to silence him.

“I don’t know Spike,” responded Twilight, “but I know that whatever the Princess needs us to do is important. You pack some clothes for if it gets cold and here is a general list of books I may need.” Twilight said as she handed some paper to Spike. “Don’t worry about cleaning up the library, just get ready and I will go and tell the girls about what the Princess needs. We will be leaving to catch the train leaving for Canterlot in 4 hours so be ready to leave by then.” Twilight said all of this and Spike, still stunned, snapped right back to the task at hand and began to get to work right away.

Twilight immediately left leaving Spike to his duties as she traveled to Sugar Cube Corner, as it was closest to the library. She galloped through town, passing many startled ponies who wondered what was had gotten into the normally level headed unicorn. When she arrived at the eatery, the nervous pony walked up to the counter and rang the customer bell. Immediately a familiar pink-haired pony appeared out of nowhere and the giant, toothy grin on her face showed how happy she was to see her friend.

“Hey Twilight! It is nice to see you here! Oh boy do you look stressed. I know just the thing for that. How about a cupcake, or some chocolate cookies, or even our vanilla pudding cake as it is soooo goo…” the pony was cut off as Twilight literally put her hoof in the mouth of Pinkie Pie to get a chance to speak.

“Pinkie, this is important so I need you to calm down ok?” Twilight asked taking her hoof out of Pinkie’s mouth.

“Okie dokie lokie Twilight!” Pinkie replied, still showing her characteristic toothy grin.

“Princess Celestia sent me an urgent letter today requesting that all of us come to Canterlot by sundown. She said there was something important she uncovered and we need to arrive quickly.” Twilight explained.

“Oh,” Pinkie said, looking slightly concerned, “That does sound serious. Do you think it is an invasion, or could it be a surprise guest, or maybe she needs to throw a party for her sister!” the pink pony gasped.

“I don’t know but the princess said to pack light. If you could help me, I am going to let Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash know about this next. If you could get Rarity and Apple Jack and tell them what I told you that would be a big help to me. Make sure you also let them know to pack light and that we need to be at the train station by noon so make sure to tell the as quick as possible.” Twilight asked the pink pony who was now listening intently.

Pinkie stood on her hind hooves and made a serious face. She saluted Twilight saying, “Affirmative, commander! Everyone will know ASAP!”

This helped to lighten the mood a little but Twilight couldn’t help but wonder what the princess could have that is so very urgent. Twilight responded quickly as she walked out the door, “Make sure you pack as well and are at the train on time. I am counting on you Pinkie.”

Twilight then proceeded to gallop again out of town toward Fluttershy’s cottage. Twilight knew she could count on Pinkie and was glad to see her friend so willing to help. What normally was a good walk seemed like an instant as Twilight ran so many things through her mind. Her headache was really starting to intensify as she thought about everything that had occurred today. Suddenly she smacked her muzzle straight into the door of Fluttershy’s cottage. Twilight was dazed as she lay on the ground; the world around her seemed to spin.

Inside the cottage a commotion was heard, as what sounded like two ponies jumped at the loud bang on the door. The door flew open and a cyan pegasus peered around with an agitated look on her face only to finally look down and see Twilight on the ground, bleeding slightly from her nose. Instantly the appearance of Rainbow Dash softened and she rushed to the side of her friend, allowing Fluttershy to see the scene from back behind the door.

“Are you ok? What was that loud bang?” Rainbow dash asked as she helped Twilight to feet. The purple unicorn’s head was still spinning and she wondered why her nose felt warm.

Fluttershy upon seeing her friend bleeding let out a screech and jumped to the side of the magical pony. “Oh no… are you ok Twilight? We should get her inside.” Fluttershy said as she helped up Twilight inside and set her down on her couch.

“It is ok girls”, Twilight said as she regained her senses and realized what had happened, “I just bumped my nose.”

“Oh… I’m sorry Twilight.” Fluttershy peeped out.

“Well you know you need to open doors before you can go inside right?” Rainbow Dash jested as she watched on from a chair.

“Never mind that, I have more important news from the Princess.” Twilight stated as the two pegasi in the room looked up as Celestia was mentioned. “Princess Celestia sent me a letter earlier today informing me she needed us at the palace as soon as possible. She said it is important that we pack light and arrive there by sundown. The next train to Canterlot leaves at noon today so by the current time,” Twilight said as she peered at the grandfather clock in Fluttershy’s living room, “we have about 3 and a half hours left before the train arrives. Any questions?”

Both of the pegasi stared at each other before Rainbow Dash spoke up, “Wow, and I thought all I would do today is visit Fluttershy for breakfast. Why does the Princess need us so urgently?”

“The letter doesn’t say but all I know is it says we need to arrive as soon as possible. I am really worried about what could be happening.” Twilight said as her worrying brought her headache back to full force, only compounding her problems.

“Well let me fix up your nose… I mean if it isn’t too much of a problem.” Fluttershy remarked as she grabbed a washcloth out of her kitchen and cleaned the blood off of Twilight. “After I help you, I will get ready to go in no time.”

“I wonder how much Rarity would call ‘light’”. Rainbow stated, remembering when they were called to Canterlot before to plan the Grand Galloping Gala. Rainbow immediately got serious when she looked down at Twilight and saw how concerned the young mare was. “Ok, well I’ll be ready in about 45 minutes. I don’t need to pack much.”

“Thanks girls.” Twilight said as she got up from the couch and walked to the door. “I don’t know what is needed of us but if the princess needs us to bring the Elements, it must be serious.”

At the mention of the most powerful magical devices known to ponykind, both Rainbow and Fluttershy gulped and a look of pure panic spread across their faces. Twilight left them to their duties and as she left, the rainbow-maned pegasus flew past her to the cloud-house she called home. At the same time, Fluttershy began to pack her saddle-bag quickly and did just as she was asked by Twilight.

Twilight then returned to her home at a fast trot for she was still a little dizzy and didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of the whole town by galloping into another door. She couldn’t quite clear her head and many different ideas and thoughts ran around inside her brain. Twilight arrived finally at Sugar Cube Corner to see Pinkie Pie return home, presumably from talking to the other 2 of Twilight’s friends.

“Hey Twilight!” Pinkie responded as if today was just another average day. “I let Apple Jack and Rarity know all that you told me. They said they would be there but they looked really worried.”

“I’m concerned too Pinkie, but right now we need to make sure we are in Canterlot before sundown. It is about 10:00 now so I will be going back to the library to make sure Spike packed everything and then I will get the Elements of Harmony and then…” Twilight was suddenly cut off as Pinkie Pie began to grow ecstatic at the new news.

“Oh my gosh Twilight! You didn’t say anything about the Elements! What if Discord broke out again or Princess Luna turned back into Nightmare Moon or even if the changelings are attacking again!” As Pinkie stated the last possibility, the color from Twilight’s face was drained instantly as if she had seen a ghost. Twilight wondered if the changelings were attacking again, what would Princess Celestia say, knowing Twilight didn’t predict the attack in her studies that were occurring just a few hours earlier.

Suddenly Twilight turned around without warning and bolted away from Sugar Cube Corner leaving Pinkie looking even more confused and worried than she was earlier. Twilight had tears in her eyes as she was running at a full gallop back to her home in the library. She enveloped the door of the tree house in an envelope of magic and threw it open. The unicorn bolted inside her house, slamming the door behind her and she ran up to her bed, passing a startled Spike. She collapsed on her bed and sobbed into her pillow thinking of all the bad things that could be occurring and what the Princess would think of her. Something inside her knew that whatever was going on would only end badly for her and her friends.

Chapter III: And Who Says Accidents Are Bad?

“Hey Mike. I need you to get the guys ready to go. We are set to saddle up in 45 so get to it.” Your Lieutenant says quickly as he walks off to the hangars of the helicopters.

You suddenly look up from the letter you are reading from your “girlfriend”, or she was until the letter she sent you said differently:

Dear Mike,

I am tired of waiting for you and your Army shit. I don’t want to be with you anymore and I found someone else, not that you are with me but rather in Afghanistan with your “brothers”. Well we are through. So don’t expect me to write. Moonshine and I will be happy without your stupid war.

Meghan

You crumple up the paper and stare at the wall of your barracks as thoughts run through your head about what this means. Seriously, Moonshine! What the fuck was she smoking when she decided to go out with him? You feel overwhelmed with emotions; anger, sadness, even some relief but you must carry on.

You remember Lieutenant Davidson’s request and you step out into the cold Afghanistan air. In the morning, it can reach down to 0 °F in the morning with a wind-chill of -15 °F from the fierce winds that are hitting your base today. You button up your coat and walk towards the barracks of your platoon. The cold air stings your face as you briskly approach the door and open it to reveal the rest of the platoon. Most are just sitting around playing cards. A few are throwing the good old pigskin lightly to each other. Another small group is hanging around the computer, Skyping with family or friends whom they miss.

The men look up at you as soon as the door opens and a quiet falls across the group. You have served 6 tours with these men and they know to trust you. God knows you sacrificed enough for them as you remember the scars on your left side from the bayonet that a terrorist thrust into you as you were carrying a wounded man. Each man knows his duty and is prepared to do whatever you tell them as the only person they respect more is the LT.

Your LT would seem to be a new officer as most LTs are but he is much more. He has his own share of scars from this war but he cares about his men. They trust him as much as they trust you and you know that everyone here is closer than family. Family is something you are born into but your platoon is something you choose to join in. Each of the men knew that the war wouldn’t be easy but they were all patriots at heart and fought for their country in good times and bad. Hell, most of your division's officers served in Vietnam so they are one tough group of heroes, especially because they came back to do battle.

“Listen up men,” you say with a commanding voice “the LT wants us to be ready to move in 40. We are going out to search for ‘the package again.” The package is code for the local leader of the Taliban in the Paktia province, Jallil Al-Hakuzi. Command had a relatively good idea of where he was from a video he released where he was pouring battery acid on a girls face that was going to school. All of the men had seen it and it made you sick to your stomach, even though you are a Staff Sergeant. All you could think about was catching this son-of-a-bitch and teaching him a lesson about justice.

All of your men began to get ready, the games and sports disappearing before your eyes. You turn to leave as you see that these men are experienced enough to know exactly what to do.

As you re-enter the frozen hell of Afghanistan in January, you think back to that letter that your ex sent you. What did she know of war?! She was fine with it when you told her you were going back for your 6th tour but now she is angry. You bet it was that pussy-ass hippy that she was dating that probably put that garbage in her head. You consider writing her back to explain that it all was lies when suddenly you just stop. Then you realize the truth:

She isn’t worth it.

You return back to your usual state of stoicism and realize what is going on. Your girlfriend was always concerned with where you would send your money and how much she would get every month to spend. You got her a credit card and a nice apartment to stay while you were away but every time she spoke with you over Skype; it was always the money that came up first. Hell, you’d be surprised if she didn’t mention money in one of her talks with you. You realize that she was just with you for the cash and the high life that you father gave the two of you. Your father was a high ranking member of the state department and after the 9/11 attacks in Benghazi, he was promoted to the new position of ambassador to Libya. He was always proud of you for serving, just as he had in his time during Vietnam.

Suddenly you hear the door to your room open as the LT enters. “Hey Mike, you doing ok? I saw you earlier after you talked to the men and you looked as if you had heard your parents had died.”

“You know Meghan don’t you?” You ask inquisitively. “She sent me a letter saying she found someone else and wants to be with him now. Before you ask, I am fine. I dealt with it and now all I want to do is focus on the task at hand.”

Lt. Davidson looks down at you as you sit on your bunk and get your combat vest ready. He knows all the shit you have gone through and knows you can handle this but; he lingers just a bit longer than usual, his eyes showing the concern he has for all of his men, you included. You wouldn’t be surprised if one day he made it to General or some other command position with how much he respects his men and knows how the system works. He turns to leave but then says, “Well, if you need anything, you know that I will do anything in my power to help you. You are probably the only person in this entire Army that I can genuinely call my friend.” With this he turns and leaves you alone, preparing for your mission.

After 35 minutes, you are ready and waiting in the briefing room. A short time later, the rest of the platoon enters and you all sit in your seats, looking at the front of the room. The lights suddenly dim and the projector starts up with a soft hum. You always appreciated these briefings as it reminded you of your time back in high school when you would just have a presentation and relax as you soaked in the knowledge like a sponge in a bucket of water, only now the knowledge you learned would be used to save your life.

“Listen up ladies. Jallil Al-Hakuzi has been spotted by local Afghanistan security forces operating just outside a village here.” The LT says as he emphatically points to a village known as Hasankhel. “He is known to have a small security force with him at this time but for the most part, he is trying to lay low. Now as you know, the roads surrounding the area are wired with more IEDs than a Talaban convention so we are going in by helicopter. Alpha and Bravo squads will approach his house from the East and South respectively and Charlie squad will provide supporting fire from the North to draw their fire. Delta squad will provide overwatch in the black hawks. Any questions?” The LT asked while looking around the room. “No? Good. Saddle up!”

The men all piled into their helicopters, being in the 1st Air Cavalry, you knew the drill. The pilots started the engines and the smell of burning jet exhaust filled your nose with that familiar smell you loved. You checked your M-4 for the 15th time and made sure you would be ready to shoot when the time came. As the birds lifted off, your mind began to drift back on the topic of the letter that your ex had sent you earlier today. You wished that you had more time in your life. If only we could go back and stop those damned terrorists, we wouldn’t be in this shitty mess and you might have a family right now, other than the men you watched over.

The men had given you a nickname on your second tour: Papa. They saw how you were always concerned with the wellbeing of your squad mates and as you rose through the ranks, this only became more self-evident. Even most of your battle wounds had occurred because you were helping another soldier who was scared or wounded and you had to get them out of there. You almost were a Marine with your policy of leave no man behind and you even would go as far as to die if it meant that your friends would survive.

The flight to the village was short but with the adrenaline coursing through everyone’s veins, it could have been a century for all they knew. No matter how many times each man had done this, they all felt concern as they dropped into what they knew would be a dangerous LZ (Landing Zone). Some of the men listened to their music; others would talk with their friends. The most experienced men would usually just stare into the distance, basking in the heat of the sun that was beginning to warm them as the day broke over the horizon and they would often check, re-check and then check again their rifles for what they knew would be another brush with death.

Soon, the silence of the moment was broken when the pilot of the lead Blackhawk broke in, “5 mikes to the LZ!” The expressions of the men in the helicopter changed instantly as the music stopped and everyone focused on the task at hand. The birds were nice to ride in because they didn’t have to worry about the IED threat but the rotors cut through the air with their distinct WHOP, WHOP, WHOP which alerted anyone who was listening that Americans were on the way.

As they flew over the crest of another one of Afghanistan’s hundreds of mountains, the village came into sight, the frost on the top of the houses and huts shining in the morning light. The quaint village reminded Mike of the small house he lived in during the summer with his parents down in Georgia. They would go fishing and swimming every day in the lake that…

Suddenly you thoughts are cut off when a sound you haven’t heard since the first days of his training cut through the helicopter. The beeping alarm gave the telltale noise that no air cav. soldier ever wanted to hear:

It was a missile lock.

Instantly, it was chaos and panic in the cabin of the Blackhawk. The bird swerved and dipped as it popped flares to try and loose the missile.

“Hold on to your dicks gentlemen!” The pilot screamed into the mike as his training kicked in. The men in the back grabbed any loose objects like their rifles and ammo cans and held on. The pilot kept the maneuvers going as he tried to lose the missile but to no avail. “This is Ulysses 1-3, we have a missile lock!”

“Roger,” the command pilot said into the mike, the command in his voice almost spoke calm even though he was probably just as concerned as any other soldier, “all Ulysses units break formation and prepare for dissent. This is going to be a hot landing.”

You look out of the side of the Blackhawk and to your hoar; you see the missile fast approaching. Suddenly with a bang the missile goes off; its proximity fuse detonating just feet from the right side of the helicopter. The shrapnel strikes the side of your bird as you cry out in pain at the sudden jolt. Across from you, a private first class has been hit by a shard as you see blood flowing freely from his leg. The tail rotor of your bird is shredded as you begin to spin out of control. Smoke fills the cockpit, replacing the smell of the fuel that you were so used to.

“Mayday! Mayday! This is Ulysses 1-3! We have been hit! I say again we have been hit! We’re going down! We’re going down!” The pilot continues to scream into his mike as the bird plummets toward the ground. You begin to see red as the blood from your body is pushed into your head from the massive G-forces being exerted on your body.

The last thing you remember hearing is your own voice saying simply “Fuck you Meghan.”

When you arise from your unconsciousness, you are lying on the cold, wet ground of a wintertime Afghanistan. Your head is planted in a pile of dirt and rock and it hurts even to make an expression of pain come across your face. You try to move your arms but every bit of movement sends more pain to your brain than you have ever experienced. Your face is hot with what feels like blood flowing across your temple. You try to roll over to look at your surroundings and manage to fight through the blinding sensations of pain. As you look up to the sky, you see the fire from the Blackhawk only feet away as tracer bullets arc across the sky. You manage to look down at your body and all you can see is scorched clothing and bloodied skin but for the most part you appear to be in one piece.

Your hearing is still ringing, probably from the massive explosion from when the Blackhawk collided with the ground. Soon your hearing begins to return and you don’t hear any moaning or groaning from the crew around you. This only brings pain as you realize that they are probably dead. You cared for these men like they were your family and to lose even a single one is the most painful thing you have ever, or will ever experience. You know from your past tours that it comes with the job but it isn’t something that you get used to.

Suddenly you hear a new noise that brings only terror to your very being; the sound of Persian. You try to move your hands but every movement only brings pain as your mud caked hands are screaming in agony from the impact still. You manage to reach out and grab your M-4 which you luckily had the strap around your body back in the Blackhawk. The gun is scuffed up and the stock is completely blown off. With the rifle you push yourself up into a sitting position only to be greeted by pain in your head as if a construction worker was jackhammering your brain and the lovely sensation of spewing your breakfast all over the ground next to you.

As you lie there, the sounds of Kalashnikov fire come closer and you worry that they will try to take you prisoner. Obviously, this operation was fucked up from the beginning as there was no way that this is a small group of guards around a house and with the mass of Taliban that have to be here, there is no way you can fight them all off. You remember the only way you ever said the enemy could take you: dead with every bullet you have fired into the enemy.

Suddenly around the back of the Blackhawk a terrorist comes sprinting toward the cockpit, completely ignoring you. You fire 3 shots into his body and he drops dead on the ground. You hear movement inside the overturned Blackhawk as the pilot leans out the window and looks to see what is going on. You are glad to see a friendly alive as you try to call out to him, but only gasps and groans escape your lips. You suddenly see 4 more terrorists in a group walk around the back of the Blackhawk, firing into the bird as they think their terrorist friend was shot from inside. Not wanting to lose anyone else you almost empty your magazine into the terrorists and they all drop to the ground. You reach down to reload with a fresh magazine only to see that all of your magazines are missing, probably lost in the crash.

You realize that there is nothing you can do. You have no ammo, no ability to get away and your friends are still battling it out on the ridge behind you as they try to make it down to rescue you. Explosions are everywhere as you see AT4s and RPGs flying between the Americans and the Terrorists below. As if on cue, a final terrorist runs around the helicopter straight toward you. You try to fire off the last few rounds in your gun only to get no response. The rifle jammed from the dirt blown up in the crash and you have no time to fix it. The terrorist continues to charge, screaming his head off as he thrusts toward your neck. You close your eyes, hoping it is painless only to hear nothing.

You open your eyes and look around to see the terrorist enveloped in a yellow glowing field being thrust back away from yourself and being slammed into a rock. Your body is then encased in a similar field as you are levitated to your feet. You begin to think this is just a figment of your dying brain in panic imagining a new fate only to be brought face to face with a creature you would only expect to see if you were hallucinating:

You are looking straight into the eyes of a winged white horse standing in the middle of Afghanistan.

Chapter IV: An Unexpected (Inter-Universal) Journey

Attention reader: This chapter uses interactive imagery in some parts indicated by the blue links. By clicking on these, you will be directed to a Google Maps page where it is recommended that you have the Google Earth plug-in installed. If you don’t, the satellite mode will work as well.

“What?! But how is this possible!” Twilight exclaimed. The purple unicorn was running all of the possibilities through her head. She had considered the idea that her universe wasn’t the only one but in her reasoning, she deduced that one universe would collapse as soon as any other was discovered.

The Mane 6, Spike and Shining Armor were all awestruck as they could only follow the princesses further into the study, the door behind them shutting and the magical field returning. Each pony was looking for answers and the princesses were the only ones that could provide the knowledge they sought.

“My faithful student, allow me to explain. All of your questions will be answered in time.” Princess Celestia answered with the diplomatic tact she had perfected over the last millennia of ruling an empire. The sun princess looked to her sister and they exchanged a quick glance that reassured her that they were ready to hear of the plans that Celestia had for them.

As the ponies continued to walk deeper into the study, they could feel the magical eminence grow stronger and stronger. As they rounded the corner into the deepest recesses of the study where no one, not even Twilight had been permitted to enter, a pulsing was heard that could only be described as something of great magical power.

Before their eyes, a small sphere could be seen that looked to be pure darkness. Outside of this, 2 beams of light rotated at a rapid rate and as the beam passed over them, it emanated a pulsing sound. The sphere was encased in a field of magic that showed the characteristic yellow glow of Princess Celestia. There was no doubt that the sphere was the source of this magical aura but what surprised Twilight most of all was that even when encased in the magic of Celestia, she couldn’t contain the pure power of the sphere.

Those who were sensitive to magic in the group became lightheaded in the presence of such overwhelming magical white noise and their horns acted like giant receivers for the interference. Seeing the strain that Twilight, Rarity, and Shining Armor had in the presence of the sphere, Princess Luna also encased the sphere in her magic to hold back the stream of interference that was emanating toward the young ponies. This relieved the pain that the ponies were experiencing just enough for the group to begin shouting questions at the two princesses.

“What exactly is that thing?!” Shining Armor exclaims in a rather worried fashion.

“And what is that most dreadful noise?” Rarity questions.

“I don’t feel safe around that thing. It just gives me a case of the heebie jeebies…” AJ added.

The ponies would have continued voicing their concerns until Princess Celestia spoke up, “My friends, I know this is all a very new experience for you all but let me explain. I will tell you everything from the beginning if you will only give me a chance.” The group was still on edge from the sphere that had no worldly business being here but at the same time, they felt bad for not giving the Princess a chance to tell what had happened and for jumping to conclusions.

“Now let me explain from the beginning. I was doing some research into a spell that Star Swirl (I’m unsure, should his name be one word? Or is this correct as two words?) the Bearded was working on in the last days of his life. He believed that in our world, we had worked hard but with the magic and trust of each other, we had achieved a relative state of harmony within our universe. Despite attacks by villains like Discord as well as other creatures of evil you ponies are far too young to know of, our people lived in a relative state of peace and tranquility. We had few wars and even when they did occur, we often had few deaths, only injuries from the nature of combat. Star Swirl proposed that somehow when our universe was forming we had to have vented most of the discord somewhere else as if it was a form of energy like light or heat.”

“Now,” Celestia continued, “imagine for a second that you are at the beginning of our universe when there was nothing. Even in our great powers, we don’t know of the Creator who made it all.” As the Princess continued, her sister began to lower the lights and use her magic to project imagery of what Princess Celestia was talking about in front of their subjects. “Suddenly, everything we know was thrust from darkness in a clash of every power known to pony kind. We can only speculate, but this violent blast of everything we have known was too powerful for the fabric of our universe to hold. In an attempt to balance out the fighting of nature, such as harmony and discord or light and darkness, the universe literally ripped.” At this, Princess Luna’s projection showed the violent forces of nature clashing and tearing a black abyss in their fight to become dominant when both are equally as powerful.

“Somehow,” Princess Luna spoke up, ”the elements of love and harmony managed to prevail in our side of the universe as they thrust the elements of discord and hate deep into the abyss which closed to forever separate both of our existences. Only trace amounts of these detestable foundations managed to stay but we are mostly filled with peace and our side of the universe is at peace for the most part. As a result, the other side exists in a state of turmoil as many of the forces vie for power. Though some forces of love and harmony managed to be pulled into the abyss, there is far more chaos and discord.”

“Forgive me Princess, but how do we know exactly what the other side looks like? I mean with all this chaos you say is over there, couldn’t it just be crazy like Discord on steroids or something?” Rainbow Dash inquired, not understanding how the other universe could even manage to survive after the experiences they had with their own chaos in Ponyville.

“That is a good question,” Princess Celestia picked up where her sister left off, “and I have an answer that might surprise you.” With this, Princess Celestia walked over to the workbench in her study and unveiled a picture frame with only glass in the center. After removing the sheet covering it, the Princess levitated the frame over in front of the group and directly next to the sphere, which was still pulsating but at a reduced volume thanks to Luna’s magic.

“This, my little ponies is a magical window into the other universe,” Princess Celestia explained, “and by flowing and directing the energy from this rift between the universes, we can see into the other universe and analyze what exists at any given point within the other side.”

“Excuse me Princess…,” Fluttershy squeaked out, “I don’t believe you explained how this rift appeared here.”

“Very observant of you Fluttershy,” Princess Celestia states, “as I was working on the spell by Star Swirl, I was trying to only create a viewing portal to the other side as I will demonstrate soon enough. When I cast the spell, a page was missing that described the need for this window and I accidentally cast the spell in the middle of the room. As soon as I did, I was overwhelmed with the blast of energy that was created as both of our universes tried to return to fighting between harmony and discord. I quickly recovered and encased the portal in magic to prevent it from expanding and engulfing our entire world. As you can see, the trace amounts of harmony still trapped in the magic are keeping the discord contained but the battle still rages on and even my magic can barely contain it.”

“Now sister, I do believe we should show them what they are waiting for.” Luna stated. The two princesses began to envelop the window in their magic as well and brought it closer and closer to the portal. As the outside of the frame touched the edge of the portal, a bright light exploded out of the window and blinded all of those who looked on. Twilight was awestruck at the sheer power that was created. It was probably more than one million magic bolts she had used to attack the changelings. Soon the image adjusted and in the window, blackness could be seen with a few specs of light that looked like the stars of the night sky.

“Wow, this looks amazing!” Twilight exclaimed, “Have you found any parallel planets like the one we live on?”

“Well I have only looked into this window for a few moments before the magic almost broke my barrier I had encased it in and I had to remove the window again.” Celestia said this with a hint of sadness. When something opposed her that she couldn’t overcome, she became even more distraught than Twilight, only she was better at hiding her emotions. “That is why I called you six. I realized that with your powers Twilight, we might be able to stabilize the window and get a good look at the other universe so we can figure out how to close this portal, or at least contain it so it doesn’t scare everyone in Equestria.

Twilight was excited that her Princess thought so highly of her and she approached the window slowly. She was still concerned about the power that the portal had but her exploratory instincts got the better of her. Twilight peered into the window and saw the small specks of light in the darkness of space and then an idea popped into her head, “Princess, you said a small amount of harmony escaped into the other universe when they formed correct?”

“That is correct Twilight.” Princess Celestia answered.

“Well if we use the Elements of Harmony and concentrate the beam on the portal, we might be able to stabilize the field by finding a concentration of the harmony to lock onto.” Twilight explained, knowing this idea was as good as any when it came to a chance at studying what hadn’t been studied before.

“That… that might just work!” Princess Luna exclaimed loudly in excitement, thinking about how the Elements were so powerful, they were the best chance at stabilizing the rift.

“Good idea Twilie. I knew you would learn something useful when you spent some time with your friends!” Her big brother congratulated Twilight at the good idea.

“OK everyone, let’s try it. Princess, when we are ready to use the elements, I need you to open the field around the portal just for one second so we can hit it with the magic and not be impeded.”

“Twilight, I hope you know what you are doing.” Princess Celestia believed in her student but always feared for the fate of her kingdom and the ponies within.

After handing out each Element to its respective bearer, Twilight instructed Shining Armor and Spike to get back behind one of the bookcases in case anything went wrong. The Elements gathered together as they began to charge. “Ready? 3…2…1…GO!” As Twilight screamed this, the magical field surrounding the portal was opened by Luna and Celestia. The blast of energy fought with the Elements of Harmony for space and power but with a final push by Twilight, the beam hit home directly at the portal. Suddenly the window emanated each of the colors of the rainbow that the Elements emitted and the view blurred as the picture shifted at such a high rate, the stars in the background blurred together. As the window began to slow down, it concentrated on one small planet. This planet was rocky in some parts, but blue in others. It had one moon, like the pony home world of Terra but it appeared to have many different landmasses on it. The image slowly orbited the rotating planet as even the princesses looked on in awe at the discovery.

They had discovered Earth.

“This is amazing!” Exclaimed Twilight, “Look at all of the green life! They have to have other creatures down there with all of those plants.”

“Wow!” Spike replied, “It is truly incredible!”

“Yeah… but how the heck we are supposed to see anything from this far out?” Rainbow Dash pointed out amazed but she wanted to see more.

“I think I have an idea.” Princess Celestia said. Now that the portal had stabilized, there was no need to keep a magical field around it to contain the magic. The window was still suspended in the air by the portal’s magical field as the ponies looked on. Suddenly, Celestia took the window and moved it closer to the portal. As she did this, the image too responded by zooming closer and closer to the surface of the planet.

This sudden change brought the ponies gathering around the window almost as if a family was gathering around a picture album trying to see the images before them. The Princess managed to zoom in on a small set of islands near the South of one of the land masses. As she looked closely, she could see the green grass, the sandy beaches and even the blue waters that made up the oceans. It was a beautiful sight to behold. As she moved the window around, she saw a small cluster of what looked like square houses, and some roads made of a peculiar material that ran off into the distance.

As all of the ponies gathered closer and closer to see the new world before them, thoughts began to race through the head of Twilight Sparkle. She wondered where the chaos was; why was this land so peaceful; would the inhabitants be evil because of all the nefarious powers at work? She pondered these thoughts as the Princess continued to explore the new world as if it were a toy.

Soon Princess Luna spoke up “Sister, I would like to explore this new land if you don’t mind.” Celestia consented and Luna slowly guided out the window and the image zoomed back out to show a slowly rotating planet. As she did this, a series of bright lights began to emanate from the surface and she was curious what could be producing such a glow. She zoomed in on the brightest spot and to her amazement; she witnessed an entire city, the size of which she had never seen before, spring up right before her eyes. She saw movement as she zoomed in closer and could see little creatures walking around. These bipeds were all wearing garments, which she was confused by, and each was traveling to and fro amongst these stone monoliths. There appeared to be encapsulated chariots moving around in the middle of the roads with little creatures inside. The Princess had many questions that still needed to be answered but right now; she could only look on with awe.

Soon Twilight spoke up; the tension within her rising as her questions ate away at her self-control, “Princess, if it isn’t too much trouble, may I try and analyze the lives of these creatures?” Princess Luna let Twilight take the helm of the window as she stepped back to think about the many wonders she had seen in only a few seconds. Twilight thought about studying the city creatures for awhile longer but too many conversations were going on right now and there were far too many of them for her to accurately look at the lives of individual creatures. She decided to pan out and look for a single light that would show where only a few of the creatures lived to see their lives.

Twilight zoomed out with the window and let the picture rotate around the planet a few times before she spotted a suitably small dot in an area that looked pretty desolate. As she zoomed in, she could see what looked like rock and sand, all covered with a layer of snow in what was probably the winter time in this place. Twilight zoomed in even closer and could view what looked like a few more roads that all converged on a small city-like structure. There were many of the creatures walking around this place but not nearly as many as the city that Luna stumbled upon. At a closer inspection, Twilight could see small metal vehicles that had long points extending out of them. What she saw next almost blew her mind. She saw one of these vehicles move down a wide road and take flight, like a pegasus but without moving its wings. Twilight wondered if they had discovered magic as well and if they had, this certainly was powerful as making such a large object levitate for such a long time would be quite tiring.

Twilight decided to focus closer on some of these creatures that were walking around the complex and she zoomed in closer on one of the buildings when she heard some sounds. At first she thought it was just the creatures grunting or something but then she realized they were speaking. Not only this but they were speaking English, and she understood them!

This revelation was something that completely blew Twilight’s mind for she calculated the odds and the chance that another dimension would speak the same language as them were over one-million-billion-to-one showing the drastically low chance that anything of the sort could ever occur. Twilight was about to believe this was all a dream when she realized that both of their universes were originally one that split into two so it was more likely that some similarities would occur. Finally, Twilight just accepted that she didn’t understand enough about the other side and how their universe worked so she decided to leave this mystery for the future and just focus further on her studies.

As she listened in, she could distinctly hear what the different creatures were saying at the time: “…as you know, the roads surrounding the area are wired with more IEDs than a Taliban convention so we are going in by helicopter. Alpha and Bravo squads will approach his house from the East and South respectively and Charlie squad will provide supporting fire from the North to draw their fire. Delta squad will provide overwatch in the black hawks. Any…” the voice trailed off as the different ponies crowded around the monitor began to shuffle around. It was obvious that none of them understood the context of the statement but after the person speaking finished, the men exited the building and walked back into the cold, except they had packs on and carried metal tubes. This intrigued Shining Armor the most. He was curious why all of these creatures were wearing the same garments and form the sound of things, they were this species equivalent of the Royal Guard.

“I wonder who they are protecting,” Shining Armor thought aloud, “and those black tubes don’t look like effective spears.

Twilight followed two of the creatures as they entered a different kind of vehicle. It looked nothing like any of the others as it had a giant fan on the top and the inside was where the creatures sat, almost like the enclosed chariots that they had seen in the city. Soon the fan began to rotate and the contraption took to the sky like the other flying vehicles but they flew directly up rather than forwards. Twilight wondered if the fan at the top was helping to keep the vehicle in the air and she zoomed in closer to the inside of one to listen in to the conversation.

“Man, did you hear the news?” A masculine sounding creature said whom Twilight labeled #1.

“No, what is up man?” Replied another voice, this one much gruffer and probably older as well, whom Twilight labeled #2.

“My wife just had her baby last week.” Stated #1.

“No shit! Jeez, do you think you get back in time to see it.”

The course language made each of the onlookers cringe. Ponies almost never swore like this unless they were in severe pain or suffering from severe loss. They kept listening though.

“First off, the ‘it’ is a girl and second, my tour is up in one week so when my little girl wakes up soon, her daddy will be there for her.”

This conversation started to draw things together. These must be the males of their species, thought Twilight, and they must be guards or something like that because they are serving on tours like our guard does on the frontier. Rarity and Fluttershy began to smile at the idea that this ‘man’ as he was called going home to see his little baby.

“Good for you,” Replied #2, a little sullen in his response, “unfortunately, I will only see my wife in the afterlife.

“Aw, hell man, I forgot all about that.”

“No, I am happy for you... I just miss her sometimes you know? She is the whole reason I joined the Army. When those fuckers flew that plane into the Trade Centers, she was caught in the flames.” Man #2 said this as a tear began to well up in his eye but he brushed it off as if it was nothing and stared out the side of the vehicle.

Shining Armor began to draw connections to what had happened, and explained this to the group, “It sounds like somepony attacked one of their centers and because of that, this man’s wife died in the attack.” Shining Armor began to reflect how he would act if his wife would have died in the changeling attack; how he would be a completely different person. Even the demeanor of the princesses changed as they heard the tale of how this man suffered and lost his mate because of the attacks because of someone evil.

“Well at least we are going to get one of the kingpins toda…” man #1 was cut off by the sounds coming from a black box on his top garments as it began to shout out, “This is Ulysses 1-3, we have a missile lock!”

A look of concern spread across the different ponies in front of the window. They didn’t know what was going on but the sound of whatever called out of that box sounded urgent. The men in the vehicle looked out the side and saw another vehicle swerving and maneuvering all over the sky like a drunken pegasus. Suddenly a white streak from the ground came up and exploded right next to the vehicle. The ponies didn’t see what happened to the creatures inside but the vehicle burst into flames as it began to spiral downwards to the ground.

“Oh shit man! We need to get down there and rescue those men!” Man #1 stated.

“Ok, listen up! We have a Blackhawk down. I say again: Blackhawk down. Change of plans ladies. We are going to land on the ridge near their position and try to take that crash site before the Taliban get to it first.” The black box on their garments squawked out as the vehicles shifted their path and began to hover in the air above a ridge. Ropes were dropped out of the side and men began to hold on and slide down to the ground.

“Cover me as I ARGH!!!!!” man one screamed as suddenly blood erupted from his neck. The poor man fell inside the vehicle as a pool of red liquid formed around the gasping creature. Every pony except the princesses and Shining Armor began to sob hysterical tears. Even though they had known this man for mere minutes, to hear that a baby would have to live without its father was enough to make any pony cry. Shining armor restrained himself but he knew the feeling all too well from the losses his men were dealt at the hands of Chrysalis’ army.

“NOOOO!” Cried man #2 as he rushed to his friend’s side, the ‘Blackhawk’ still hovering over the ridge. The man grabbed his friend and reassured him, “You will make it buddy! Don’t you fucking quit on me!” As if by a sick twist of reality, the man died in his arms as soon as he said this. Each of the ponies were grabbing on to each other, worried about what would come of the other man as more impacts were heard. Small metal shards hit the Blackhawk as the man grabbed the rope and began to drop down to the ridge.

As his lower appendages touched the ground, he lifted the black tube and it spat the metal shards at the enemy. Suddenly, the man saw a small ball roll up over the edge of the ridge and his eyes went wide, “GRENADE!!!” The man shouted as he dove on top of the ball while shoving his comrades aside. A poof was heard and the man didn’t get up. He sat there as a smile crossed his face where Twilight swore she saw him mouth, “I’ll be there soon honey.”

Twilight turned to her teacher and the leader of her land, tears staining her coat as she cried out, “Please! There has to be something that we can do to help them!!! Don’t let them all die!” Twilight’s pleas shocked Celestia as she hadn’t even considered the option of going to the other side in any form other than to observe through the window.

Twilight looked as if she were about to burst when the Princess of the sun turned to her sister and said “Luna, we need to help them.”

“I agree” Luna said urgently.

“Ok, then hold on!” As Celestia spoke, a bright light was emitted from her horn, the light turned into a bubble that grew bigger and bigger until it finally popped. When the ball burst, the energy was swept throughout the room and it exited into the kingdom as a whole from the top of the castle.

The ponies in the room blinked and looked around to see no change. “What did you do?” Twilight sobbed, “We are still here and they are still in harm’s way!” Twilight would continue but Celestia with urgency cut her off.

“Twilight, listen to me. I cast one of Star Swirl the Bearded’s secret time spells. It stopped time anywhere outside of this room. I was afraid I would have to cast something like this if an invasion occurred so I cast a spell making this room and any in it at the time of casting immune. Now I called you here only because I felt that I would need your help to look through to the other side but if we are going to help, the other side will be very different. I can’t guarantee that you will be the same pony when you come back. Luna, you and Spike stay here. He will transmit and receive messages for us. Shining Armor, I need you to come with me as we are going into new territory, I may need all the help I can get. The rest of you, grab your Elements and bags and prepare to go.”

On the other side of the portal, it was obvious that time didn’t slow down in the slightest. The battle was still raging on and Twilight spotted one of the men whose helicopter crashed. He was wounded and it looked like he wouldn’t make it if someone didn’t come to help him. Celestia repositioned the window to give a good sight of this man and open area to teleport into. “Ok everyone. When I expand this portal into a bridge, I need all of you to stay close to me and we should arrive wherever the window is looking. Ready?” All of the ponies nodded their heads. “Good. Let us hurry my little ponies.”

At this, the sphere was engulfed in Celesta’s magic and it opened into a hole the size of a door. Celestia began to canter into the void and was closely followed by the other ponies, to varying degrees of confidence, leaving Luna and Spike to look on in fear and anticipation.

After charging into the darkness, Twilight felt like water was flowing into the area she was in. She couldn’t gallop away to escape it as her feet were stuck to the floor. She couldn’t help but breathe in the fluid as it completely enveloped every part of her body. She thought this was the end until an explosion occurred and she was with her friends in the cold landscape they had seen in the window. The Princess was already taking action as she took one of the evildoers who was attacking the man lying beside the crashed Blackhawk and threw him against a rock. She picked up the man who was lying there and he was levitated in front of Celestia, whom must look very intimidating from his perspective.

The two of them shared a look for a second before the man tried to raise his weapon as he exclaimed, “What in the flying fuck are you?!”

Chapter II: Travels to the Capital City

After she had finished packing the few things she thought she needed (her flight goggles and some trail mix) Rainbow Dash decided it would be best for her to help her friend Fluttershy with her packing. When she flew down from her cloud house, she was sure her pet turtle Tank could easily handle himself. He was coldblooded so he didn’t eat often and she left out his food in the auto feeder to keep him for about three weeks.

The idea of being away from her home for three weeks seemed like such a distant reality. A lot could happen in three weeks and she wondered what could be such a serious problem, the Princess would call them away and only tell them to pack lightly. Rainbow Dash suddenly laughed to herself, realizing she was starting to sound like Twilight. Man, this must be serious for her to sound like such an egghead.

When the cyan pegasus arrived at the quaint cottage in the woods, she initially realized the commotion that was going on inside. After knocking on the door, a familiar timid pegasus answered looking quite frazzled. Looking past the pony, Rainbow could see that the house looked like a rabid bull made his way into her abode.

“What is up Fluttershy? Is everything ok over here?” Asked Rainbow Dash with true concern.

“Well… not really. All of the cute creatures that I take care of are all startled up. It is almost like they are sensing that something just isn’t right.” Fluttershy spoke with true concern, looking back into her cottage and seeing the mayhem that was still in progress.

“Yeah, I’ve had that feeling too. Almost as if the world doesn’t seem right today…” Rainbow dash began to remember the strange feelings she was having earlier when she was flying back from her house and why everything wasn’t occurring normally. “Well Fluttershy, I can help you get things under control because it seems like if things keep going at this rate, we will never be able to catch the train on time.”

“Ok Rainbow. Thank you very much.” The grateful homeowner replied. “I still need to get all of these animals out of my house and put out enough food for them, but if we work together, I feel we will have all of this done in no time.”

Right away Rainbow Dash put down her saddle bag at the door and entered the house. All over, there were animals big and small. From chipmunks fighting for nuts in the kitchen to big owls trying to roost in Fluttershy’s rafters, the house was packed with animals. The two ponies seemed to divide instantly as Fluttershy tried to remove the ground animals while Rainbow focused on the birds and critters that had climbed up high. What seemed to be a task that would be almost impossible was achieved rather quickly as the critters were too rattled to put up a real fight?

“Wow! That was super easy! Now all we have to do is give these guys food and we can set out for the library to meet up with Twilight and the others before going to the train station.” Exclaimed the excited Rainbow Dash.

“Yes but… I don’t know how much to give the poor guys or what to do about their current state. What if we don’t get back in time? Then they will have to fend for themselves like the Everfree Forest monsters!” It was obvious that Fluttershy was truly concerned for her friends as she watched them all run around and find their homes and only then did they show any sign of settling down. Many still watched her, looking for her to try to comfort them in any way possible.

“Well the Princess did say to pack light.” Rainbow tried to comfort her friend, ”She couldn’t possibly expect us to stay away from home for more than three weeks… at least that is my best guess.”

“I am sure you are right… it’s just… three weeks! What will my animal friends do?”

“Well they had to live by themselves before you took care of them. If anything goes wrong, they will probably just fend for themselves for a day or two.” Rainbow replied.

At this the two pegasi grabbed their saddle bags and walked toward town and the library. Fluttershy consistently looked back to check on her cottage and more importantly, the friends she had to leave behind. Usually when she left on most of her journeys, some of her friends came with her as musical entertainment for parties and other royal gatherings. This was one of the few times she had to leave them alone and she couldn’t help but wonder what could how well her friends could handle themselves if she didn’t return in time.

Soon the two ponies had arrived in the heart of town and they could see the library in the distance. As they approached, they could make out everyone except Twilight standing outside, looking as if they had just arrived, similar to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. As the duo approached the group, they could see that each of their friends had a faint look on their faces that depicted just how Rainbow and Fluttershy had felt earlier.

“Howdy y’all. We ‘er just discussin’ what could’ve gotten Princess Celestia so concerned.” The cowpony Apple Jack said warmly to the two who were joining the group.

“Well darling, I don’t know what it is but if what Twilight said is true, we should be prepared for anything. She sounded really concerned.” Rarity spoke up with her usual formal accent.

“Speaking of Twilight, has anyone seen her?” Asked Rainbow Dash. At this comment, everyone immediately perked up, realizing that in their discussion about why the Princess had called them to Canterlot, they had forgotten the pony who had informed them of the occurrence at all.

At this, everypony slowly turned toward the library as if they expected Twilight to notice and exit on cue. Instead after a few moments of quiet wondering, Apple Jack spoke up, “Well, maybe she is expectin’ us to meet her inside.” At this, Apple Jack knocked politely at the door and Twilight’s dragon assistant answered the door with a truly concerned look on his face.

“Ah, is it good that you are here!” Exclaimed Spike emphatically. “Just a while ago, Twilight just stormed in here and is laying on her bed crying into her pillow. I don’t know what happened but she won’t come down and I am concerned that she will miss the train. Maybe you all could go and talk with her?”

“I ‘recken that is a good idea sugarcube. I wonder what could‘a gotten her in such a fit” AJ and the other members of the Mane 6 wondered if any of them that had seen Twilight earlier today had done anything to make her feel this way and more importantly, they wondered how they would snap the unicorn out of it.

The small group of ponies walked up the stairs in the library and approached Twilight’s bed. As they looked on, they could see the purple unicorn sniffling quietly with her face buried in her pillow. The herd exchanged looks of worry to each other, knowing that the last time Twilight was this concerned was when she forgot to give a friendship report to the Princess and everyone remembered how that turned out…

Fluttershy slowly approached Twilight’s side and sat on her bed. The usually timid pony spoke quietly to Twilight in the most consoling voice she had, “Twilight, everything will be ok. All of us are here to help like you asked.” They all waited a little bit with no response except that the crying softened. “Twilight, you should really talk to us… I mean if you are concerned.”

At this Twilight sat up quickly and wrapped her fore-hooves around a surprised Fluttershy who slowly returned the embrace. Twilight spoke up, “Oh, girls. I am so sorry. I am just concerned that something really bad happened to Canterlot or the Princess and she will be mad at me for not acting sooner. I really am a terrible student.”

“Now don’t ya’ll start blaming yourself just yet. We haven’t even gone and talked with Celestia yet. I’m sure you did nothing wrong or she would’ve told ya’ll in that letter she sent ya’.” With concern, AJ moved in and joined in the embrace with Fluttershy. At this the remaining ponies all joined in and Twilight showed, for the first time that day, some relief on her face.

“You know? You are right AJ. I should just stop blaming myself when I’m not even sure that I did anything wrong. Thanks for being here for me.” Twilight said again as they broke the embrace and started down the stairs. “Now that I am back to myself, I should do a final check of my and Spike’s bags and then we should leave to catch the train at noon.”

At this all of the ponies grabbed their saddle-bags and they started out the door as Twilight ran over her final checklist of what she had planned to pack on the trip while making sure the bag was lightweight like Princess Celestia ordered. After she checked Spikes bag and her own, the two left the library and met up with the others who were waiting outside.

The small group had everything that they needed to embark on their journey and they left the town at a quick pace. By the look of the Sun, it was about 11:00 so they would make it to the station with a few minutes to spare. Though they all had questions about what would be going on, the group was relatively quiet. Twilight looked into the distance at the city of Canterlot, a tiny silhouette in the distance, and only wished she could just speak with the Princess now.

“So Twilight, why does the Princess need the Elements again?” Pinkie Pie suddenly broke the silence. At this remark every pony stopped in their tracks and looked at Twilight intently, hoping to draw out an answer even sooner. The purple unicorn was taken aback at the question. As she looked around at her friends, trying to find an answer that wouldn’t promote more panic, the others only continued to look to her for answers.

“I really don’t have any specifics other than what I already told you Pinkie.” Looking around the group of ponies, Twilight Sparkle knew that they were truly scared and she replied, “Look, I know that when we have needed the elements before, we have always had quite a challenge ahead of us. Now I know this sounds scary but every time we have had the elements, we came out on top and were successful. If we just trust in each other and trust that Princess Celestia is there for us, I am sure everypony will be ok.”

After hearing Twilight’s response, the Mane 6 thought it over. As their expressions softened, it became clear that they were coming to terms with what was being asked of them. They soon continued on to the train station and approached the ticket booth. As Rainbow Dash first approached the salespony, he instantly looked up and said, “Wow you must be the heroes that stopped Discord and Nightmare Moon! Here are your tickets!”

“Um… ok. How much do I owe you?” Asked Rainbow Dash with a blush at the complement.

“Oh, there is no charge. It looks like the royal guard paid for the next train to be entirely for you all and your dragon friend there. You must have some friends in high places.” Replied the ticketpony.

With the tickets, the ponies walked down onto the platform to wait for the train and the first thing that stuck out saying this wasn’t another ordinary day was the presence of 2 pony civilian protection officers. Twilight knew about this program when she was back in Canterlot. These ponies were civilians that in the time of need were called up by the royal guard to complete some mission in keeping the balance of harmony. It looked like these officers were here to guard the train station, as it was the last stop for this train before it reached Canterlot.

Soon the train pulled into the station and the protection ponies walked from end to end of the train to make sure no straggling ponies would be making the trip to Canterlot uninvited. This was the highest level of security Twilight had seen sense the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. The scholarly pony just brushed this off as another precaution the Princess must be taking to make sure they arrived safely to the palace.

After the small group had entered the train, it immediately began its journey to the capital of Equestria as the protection officers waved them off. Even though the friends had the whole train to themselves, they all shared the same train car. Despite the fact that they all would be in Canterlot in a few hours, the friends lightened up and the car became full of fun and excitement. While Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack had a dancing contest, Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy all played a game of Appleloosa hold’em. Twilight figured that it would do her some good to get a bit of shut eye as Spike was drawn into the dance contest by Pinkie.

Everyone seemed to just forget the present as they enjoyed themselves for the time being. Soon after the train emerged from the final tunnel on the path up the mountain, the great city of Canterlot came into view. Everyone peered out the window and even though they had seen this sight many times before, it was always an exciting experience to see the home of their Princesses. This time the city looked much different than most days. There was a large barrier similar to that which had been seen on the day the changelings attacked surrounding the city but this one seemed to be clearer with less of a magical hue around it. There were guards at the edge of the barrier and they used their magic to open a small hole for the train to pass through on the path to the train station.

Once they arrived at the station, there was an armed guard there to escort them. Twilight was first off the train and she had a wave of déjà vu sweep over her as this seemed just too familiar to what had been seen at the wedding. Soon as her friends left the train after her, they began the walk through the city.

As they journeyed through the streets, there were few ponies seen and those that were out looked confused and concerned, continually looking up at the shield. “I wonder what got into this place. I bet that shield has something to do with why the Princess called us here.” Stated Rainbow Dash looking around. “Hey,” Rainbow called to a passing pony, “what is going on? What is up with the shield?”

“I have no idea,” stated the passerby, “but it just appeared here overnight. It probably has something to do with that weird magical aura coming from the palace though.”

Once the pony mentioned the aura, Twilight looked toward the castle and noticed how strong the aura really was. She was so distracted from her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the weird atmosphere emanating from the castle. Twilight concentrated her magic and used her horn to analyze the magic. After studying it for a couple of moments, Twilight began to realize this was such a massive emanation of magical interference. The interference must be why there is such a strong concern on all of the citizen’s faces for even those who were not magically inclined could feel such a strong emanation.

“Girls, did you feel a change once you entered the shield when we were back on the train?” Twilight asked.

“Well I felt less like throwing a party which for me is a BIG DEAL!!” Pinkie exclaimed loudly, startling Twilight with her enthusiasm.

“I believe there is some powerful magic that is being cast inside the castle and it is causing the fear that we are seeing among the ponies here in the city. Look, even the guards are concerned.” The purple unicorn stated, motioning toward their escorts who had the slightest look of concern on their faces.

“I wonder if that is why all the animals were acting strange today.” Fluttershy said, remembering back to the past morning,” It was almost as if they were afraid to let me leave…”

“This might sound strange,” Spike spoke up after being quiet for so long, “but I have a bad feeling about this.”

Finally the small group arrived at the palace gates. There was obviously an increased guard as there were guards standing shoulder to shoulder, blocking the gate. The stalwart soldiers stood at the ready against any foe that would threaten the princesses. Twilight approached and the guards instantly recognized her and the friends she brought with her. A unicorn guard stepped forward and enveloped them in a light blue field of magic as he scanned them to make sure they were not changelings or any other imposter. Seeing no abnormalities the guards stepped aside and allowed the Mane 6 and Spike to enter.

The small group briskly trotted up the stairs and into the castle. As they rounded the corner as to enter the throne room, they were once again met with a large group of guards and one in particular in his purple armor who was looking away from the group at the moment. This instantly brightened up the face of the element of magic who galloped at him. “Big brother!” Twilight exclaimed as she galloped up and jumped on the surprised unicorn captain of the guard.

“Twili!” Shining Armor exclaimed ecstatically as his sister embraced him closely. “I didn’t expect to see you this early.”

“We managed to get the train that the princesses sent for us.” The purple mare said to her brother. “What is going on? Why is the guard on alert? I haven’t seen them like this since the wedding of you and Cadence.”

“Princess Celestia seems to have discovered something unknown and potentially dangerous. She is afraid that our enemies will sense its powerful magical fields and try to use it for their own intentions.” Shining Armor explained.

“T-that would explain the animals earlier today…” Fluttershy squeaked out.

“and that clarifies why Opal was acting so funny this morning” Rarity added.

“So what then do you reckin’ this magic could be coming from?” Apple Jack asked inquisitively as the group looked to Shining Armor for information.

“To tell you the truth, I have no idea. The princesses wouldn’t let me know anything except to put the guard on high alert and that the civil protection officers were to be placed at all train stations and major cities on guard against any danger.” Shining exclaimed, the worry coming across his face as he added, “I was so worried when Cadence first noticed the magical fields. I thought Sombra was back at first and I was truly concerned.”

Suddenly a guard entered and beckoned for them to enter the throne room for the princesses wanted to see them. The friends entered the grand hall and before them sat both the princess of the day and her sister, the princess of the night.  In respect, all of the ponies and Spike bowed humbly before the godlike royals whom they respected greatly.

“Rise my little ponies.” Princess Celestia said to her humble subjects. “We have much to talk about. I trust your lieutenants will be able to handle the guard Shining Armor?” The Princess said as both she and her sister got up and began to turn toward the royal study. A magical shield was over the door that Twilight had only just now noticed.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna interjected, “did you bring the Elements of Harmony?” Her question was answered as the young unicorn opened her saddle bag and showed the Princess the variety of gold jewelry that was inside.

“Princess if I may ask, what is going on? What did you discover and what is the source of this strong magical field that is emanating from the castle?” Twilight could have gone on and on asking but to have her questions answered promptly by the Sun Princess.

Celestia canceled the magical field and opened the door; looking back at her student she said simply, “I discovered a portal to another universe.”