Conflicted Reality

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 2: Absurd Explanations
Chapter 3: Trust
Chapter 4: Not yourself
Chapter 5: Revival
Chapter 1: The Descent

Prologue

Conflicted Reality
By Wayofthepen

The year is 2062, and the entire world is in shambles. The water is practically poison, barely any animals, and worst of all....Famine. Scott and Mateo are two fourteen-year-old boys who live in the destroyed city of Washington, D.C. Most people who lived in this area have left. All of their friends are either dead or moved on with the others. Their home is the one house that hasn't been completely destroyed. They have power, little food, and a small amount of water. Mateo scavenges while Scott fixes the house up with what they find. They only get re-runs of old T.V. Shows and a channel made by some of the survivor's due south. The internet is nothing more than a place to watch videos on if you can find power.

One day, the two were sitting watching some re-run of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic when they heard rain pelting the windows. "Would be great if two days go by without it raining..." Scott tried to say jokingly to Mateo. "Would make both our lives easier. Electronics go haywire when their wet." He flung his head back in anger. Mateo looked at him, shrugged, and went back to watching the current episode where Rainbow Dash makes a sonic rainboom. As soon as it happened in the episode, a similar sound was heard outside. "What was that?" Scott and Mateo said at the same time. "I'll check it out." Mateo went outside, but when he did, what he found he could have never been prepared for.

"Scott! Come out here!" Mateo shouted like he was in trouble, so he jumped up and made a run for the door. When he came outside he didn't see Mateo, so he checked around back. Sure enough, there he was. Standing beside a giant hole in the ground, being pelted with rain, and a expression that sent shivers down his spine. "Whoa..." He said, now gaining.the same expression as Mateo. "I'm going inside now..." Mateo said turning to go inside, but Scott didn't follow. He turned, "You coming?" Scott didn't move. "Scott?" Now he turned. "I'm going to be another minute. I want to know how deep this thing i-." All of a sudden, a bright flash. Lightning struck into the hole, inches away from Scott. Both stood there, so still they could have been paralyzed. Scott looked down into the hole one more time, but this time something caught his eye. "Mateo, something is down there."

Mateo looked at him, and walked over. As he peered down into the abyss, there were bright lights of different colors flashing. Mateo looked into his eyes, which had just closed. "You're kidding right?" Mateo looked at him, his eyes were still closed. "I'm not jumping, but the guys behind us might do something worse." Mateo turned around, and there were three guys with guns pointed at them. "Thieves....This can't be good..." Mateo said with a tone that meant "What else could go wrong.".

The thieves looked at them. "So, got anything you could 'donate' to us?" The two beside him started laughing. They were quiet, thinking of a way out. "So, answer the question." Scott looked to Mateo, who nodded at each other. Scott put both his arms behind his back, trying to look innocent. "So, what could two kids give three guy's with guns?" He said looking at each of them, scanning for ways out. The one in the middle looked down at him, "Well, all your food. If you want to live that is." Scott looked at Mateo once more, who had his arms behind him as well. Mateo was reaching for his knife in his back pocket. "Well, I know something we can give you." The one in the middle looked down on him. "Oh yeah? What would that be?" Mateo turned to Scott, both smiling....."Pain."

Mateo ripped his knife from his back pocket and threw it at one of the three guys. The man in the middle laughed as the knife buzzed by his head. He stopped laughing, and pointed his gun at Scott. "You die first." He shot a bullet from his pistol into Scott's chest, and he fell backwards into the pit. Mateo looked at the other two aiming at him, and dived down. He was going to die anyway, he figured. Right as he fell in, he hit his head and blacked out. The two fell, unaware that what was going to happen would change them forever.

Spike was laying down on the balcony of the library as he heard a loud sound from above. He opened his eyes, and rubbed them in disbelief. "What in Celestia's name is that?" He shouted as ponies were filling the streets. In the sky a glowing vortex had opened, and something flew out of it. To spike, it looked like to pegasi. He got up and ran to the edge of the balcony. Twilight was standing there looking up, most likely trying to analyze the event. "Twilight, what is it?" He shouted down to her. He couldn't hear he over all the commotion, but he made out the word "lake". Spike ran downstairs and outside to accompany Twilight to the lake. What ever is happening, those two falling would know what was going on.

Chapter 2: Absurd Explanations

Scott just sat there, staring at her. "These are the two that were near the portal." Rainbow looked at her, cocking her head. "What do you mean 'portal'?" Scott got up from the table and walked towards her. "Dash, we're not from here." She hadn't taken her eyes off him. "Well obviously, I know every pony around here." Scott couldn't help but smile at her remark. "Well, this is hard to explain...Can you close the door? This is kind of private information." Dash nodded and closed the door. "Well, how to put this...We're from another universe where the entire world is...Corrupt, you could say." She asked him how it was corrupt, eyes following him as he paced around the library. "We are in a state of civil war. Ponies fighting each other over food and clean water. What I can tell you though, is we don't even know how we got here. We heard a bang outside our home and there was a hole with light coming from it. We were ambushed and I was wounded." He pointed to where a small hole was on his side, no longer bleeding. "So let me get this straight. Your world is exactly opposite of us?" Scott nodded, he had a bad feeling of where this was heading.

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Mateo at this point was informing Twilight about the terrors of his world. "Dash, it's not that simple. They have weapons and we're two fourteen year old...Stallions." He caught himself from saying humans. This world would take some getting used to. "Besides, we're stuck in here. Personally, I am in no rush to go back." Rainbow Dash still had a confused look on her face. "That still doesn't explain why you can't fly." Here is what Scott was worried about. He had to think fast. "We don't remember how to use them. We both hit our head's pretty hard..." She looked at him, buying it for now. She wasn't fully believing what he said, flying is an instinct for any pegasus. This gave her an idea.

Scott stared at Rainbow Dash, who was pacing around. "Anyway...I need to find out how we got here. Maybe Celestia can shed some light on this." He turned around to Mateo and Twilight laughing at something they had just said. "Twi, think you can send a letter to Celestia?" He knew she hadn't been paying attention, but then again, he was a man of actions rather than words. Twilight nodded to him, and went to get Spike to write the letter for her. Dash nudged him. "So, you have no idea how to fly?" Scott nodded. "Well, someone has to teach you. Come with me, I would bring your friend but he is more interested in reading." He looked over his shoulder and saw that Mateo had started to read one of the books on the table. "Yeah, let's leave him behind..." He looked back to Rainbow Dash, who was staring at him funnily before motioning him to step outside. He didn't trust her.

It took them a little bit longer than Dash wanted it to for them to reach the training ground. She smiled as her plan was about to unfold. "So uhhh, where are we?" Scott said to her, looking around as the road stopped. "You'll see, just past these bushes." They waded through many bushes, and finally reached their destination. A Cliffside, with a very long drop to match. "Perfect," Dash thought to herself, "If he was speaking truly about not knowing how to fly, then I will have to save him. If not, he will have some explaining to do." Scott had moved to the side of the cliff and looked down. Dash had snuck up behind him, and shoved him off. "What the! Dash!" He yelled falling. A feeling of weightlessness took over, making him uneasy all over. He began to panic when a voice inside him shouted. "You're going to satisfy her by letting her save you? Flap those wings of yours and show her whose boss!" His eyes opened and shifted to a position of determination. He stretched his wings out and began to glide down. "That's it, you got this." He was amazed at himself, both for learning how to use his wings and for the look on Rainbow's face. He landed after a few minutes, standing in triumph. Rainbow Dash flew down next to him, having a smile on her face.

"Don't know how to fly huh?" She said to him. He shrugged. "Sometimes the instinct of survival takes over. You get used to it where I'm from." He said responding to her in playful manner. Her smile remained as she thought to herself. "He said he doesn't know how to fly, yet gliding came as instinct. Good. He will learn fast." She put a forearm around him and they began to walk home. "Tomorrow we'll focus on actual flying. Will come in handy. You know, you're a little small for a stallion." He looked at himself, noticing he was only a little smaller than another pony of his age. "Huh, your right." That was the last thing they said for a long while.

The flying thing was getting easier, but Mateo was slow to the idea since their first entrance two weeks ago. "You do nothing but read all day. You might as well move in with Twilight. I, on the other hand, am going to learn how to fly with Dash." That was the last thing he said before he had spent most of his days practicing with his wings. The pain from using them all the time subsided eventually by even more training in the mornings. "Hey! Lighten up, he'll want to learn soon enough." Dash said to him with a smile on her face. He shot a smile back to her. "You know, these past two weeks have been the most fun I have had in a long time. Thank you." She was caught off guard by this remark. "Don't think you'll get me in a sappy mood. I don't do mushy." She said still smiling.

They had been flying for about half an hour. Scott suddenly had an idea. "So Dash, is the 'best flier in all of Equestria' just a little something you came up with or does it have some truth behind it?" Her facial expression changed very quickly. "Do I hear a bet coming on?" They both gave each other a smile that meant 'Bring it on'. "On the count of three....One....Two....Three!" Scott took off extremely fast, but was easily caught up to by Dash. "Till the other one is tired!" She shouted as she past him. "I don't think so!" He sped up, feeling the adrenaline rush. The two flew all over Ponyville, each one easily catching up to the other. Whether it was from one being tired or the other going easy was a mystery to the townsponies below. "Catch up to this, if you can!" Rainbow Dash suddenly flew forward at lightning speeds, leaving nothing but a rainbow trail. "Whoa...Time to show her that I got moves too!" He felt a jolt through his body that went straight through his wings. A bang was heard from behind him as he zoomed forward, catching up to Dash inch by inch. She turned her head around at the sound and saw him catching up. Her eyes were wide open, wings beating faster than a hummingbird's. Suddenly, Scott was getting extremely tired and decided to land. She smiled, knowing that she had beaten him. "Man...Your fast..." He said to her, trying to give her a weak smile. "You weren't so bad yourself. Work on your stamina." The two started laughing as somepony began to approach. "Rainbow, you flew faster than usual. Who's this with you? Another friend from flight school?" The two turned and saw Rarity standing there. Time to explain to another one, Scott thought to himself.

"Oh, uh...Hi Rarity." Rainbow said to her out of breath. "I'm waiting." She said in a polite yet impatient tone. "I'm-" He was cut off by Rainbow Dash. "Not from around here. You could say he is a friend from flight school..." She said still catching her breath. "Just try to stay away from Pinkie. The last thing a new comer would want is a party thrown by her." Scott thought back to the first episode in season one. He shivered at the thought. Rarity must have noticed. "You've already heard of them, I take it. Anyway, I was heading over to Twilight's to get Spike and go gem hunting. Care to join me?" Both of them nodded and began walking with her. All that was left to meet was Fluttershy, Applejack, and the notorious Pinkie Pie. He decided he would wait on Pinkie.

It was much easier to fly to Twilight's, but Rarity insisted on him walking. She was asking so many questions that he couldn't keep up with his answers. "Rarity, I really can't answer too many questions. My memory is bad enough as it is." She turned around and gave him an awkward look, then returned to walking forward. They had finally reached Twilight's house, which starting to look cleaner each day. "Mateo, where you at?" Twilight poked her head from upstairs. "He's reading on the balcony. He reminds me of myself." She had a smile on her face, but Scott didn't. He flew up to the second floor and went out to the balcony. Sure enough, Mateo sat there reading up on the history of Equestria. "You need to live a little Mateo. We don't even have our marks yet. In case you haven't noticed, we are only a little bigger than colt's." Mateo looked down at some of the fillies playing in the street, then back to Scott. "You're right...But something still doesn't make sense." Scott tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer. "I can't fly so good, but you got it instantly. How?" Scott shook his head. "I have been training with Rainbow Dash, maybe? In our world, we didn't even have wings let alone hooves. I don't care if your reading to find a way back, because if we do I refuse to go." Mateo looked shocked. "You would rather stay here than in our world where we belong?" Scott nodded, an angered look on his face. "You still don't get it, do you? Our world is nothing but death and destruction. I got shot for heaven's sake! You can read all you want, but flying is my calling. You can tell them if they need me I am going to be clearing my mind." He took off at lightning speeds before Mateo could finish.

He had been resting on a cloud for about an hour now, wondering if his friend was right. "Why would he want to go back? Does he think that we will stay this way forever?" Thoughts like these plagued his mind for the entire time. He shook them from his mind as he heard a voice from below. "Can you tell me more of your world?" It was Twilight. "I told you everything already." He looked over his cloud. "Really?" He nodded. "Well, why don't you come inside. I got a letter from Celestia." At this, Scott flew down to them. They looked shocked to see him. "Well? Let's hear this letter." He told them, walking ahead of them. Inside was Spike holding the letter. Twilight told him to read it aloud. "My dear student, I have already been investigating what happened. I am sorry I cannot come in person, my royal duties have doubled since the sound of the explosion was heard all over Canterlot. Again, I am sorry. -Princess Celestia" Spike rolled the letter back up and put it on the table. "Well that doesn't help." Mateo said aloud. "Well, looks like we will have to wait a bit longer. I think I will start working around town, earn up some money to get myself my own home." Twilight nodded. "There's plenty of work at Sweet Apple Acres. Just tell Applejack that Twilight sent you." Scott thanked her, and trotted outside. He was getting ready to lift off when Mateo came outside. "Scott, wait. I wanted to ask you something." Scott cocked his head to the side. "Can you...Teach me to fly?" Scott smiled. "Sorry, I can't at the moment. I am still learning myself. Besides, you've read enough books to figure it out yourself. " He shot a smile before he took off.

Sweet Apple Acres was easy to spot due to the fact it had about one million apple trees. He admired the hard work put into all of these trees. He landed right outside the main house. "Dash, is that you ah heard?" Applejack just stepped outside the front door, with a confused look on her face. "Twilight told me that this would be a good place to get honest work. She scanned him over. "Ah'm not one to doubt a friend, but ah don't know." He looked a little disappointed, but she gave him a look that told him she wasn't done. "Ya'll can start today, just be sure to not mess up." He smiled towards he, as she motioned him to follow. For the rest of the day, she was showing him how everything on the farm works. At the end of the day, he could barely keep his eyes open as he flew to Twilight's. He walked in and fell asleep at the table. He was happy to find people, well ponies, that were kind and trusting. It was a nice change from his world, he thought to himself as he drifted to sleep.

Chapter 3: Trust

It's been four years since Scott and Mateo arrived in Equestria, and the ever busy Celestia has not yet shown herself to them. Working at Sweet Apple Acres has been rough, but it managed to pay for a home just outside Ponyville. Scott had taken on odd-jobs to make some extra money instead of working with Applejack. Mateo had moved in with Twilight and the two have been studying ever since. Rainbow Dash and Scott constantly challenge each other to races, and he has finally mastered his stamina issue. The two race for hours at a time, sometimes forgetting its a competition. Currently, Scott is racing her right now.

"Four years and you still can't keep up? Ha!" Dash shouted back at him. He smiled, and got ready to use the one trick that would give him an edge. "Hey Dash, sorry to tell you this but...See ya at the finish line!" All of sudden, he surged forward, leaving nothing but a black and red streak through the sky. Dash wasn't about to let anypony beat her, so she did the same move with her own rainbow streak through the sky. Scott had almost reached the finish line, when Rainbow Dash appeared next to him. They were tied when they finally reached reached Twilight's. "See, I totally beat you." He said laughing at her. "Oh no, I don't think so. We at least tied, or I won." The two spent five minutes arguing before deciding to leave it at a tie. They heard voices from inside and put their ears to the door. "Worshipers of Nightmare Moon brought that portal here. They are meant bring her back. I won't allow it." It was Celestia. "One of them has lived with me for three years now, doing nothing but reading and talking with his friend. They aren't evil!" Twilight had raised her voice. 'She doesn't normally do that...' thought Scott. Rainbow Dash and Scott flew to a window to get a better view. Celestia held a straight face as Twilight was keeping hers in an angry position. Mateo was upstairs eavesdropping as well. "I take it you assume before questioning." He shouted out, standing tall. They both turned their heads to him. "Yes, our world is corrupt, but no, not everyone is." Scott sighed, and lowered himself to the front door. He pushed it open, and all three of them looked towards him. "So let me get this straight. Nightmare Moon worshipers opened a portal that was supposed to bring people full of hate to change Luna?" They stared at him, but Celestia was the one to speak. "Yes, it was meant to do that." He glared at her. "Then why haven't we changed her yet?" Celestia stood there, thinking. The three stood there waiting for her answer. "It will happen. One of you or both of you." Rage filled inside him, after four years there was not even the smallest bit of trust from the princess. There was only one thing he could do.

"You don't even know what we have been through...In our world, no one cares about anyone else. So yes, we could have been full of hatred to change your sister. What can't breach your royal head is that why haven't we done it in four years?" They all stared at him, shocked at his outburst. It was silent for a few minutes, until someone broke the silence. Mateo. "You aren't acting like yourself. Whats getting at you?" Scott shot a glare at his friend. "What's getting at me? The fact that I have been nice and caring for four years and this one pony doesn't believe that we aren't evil." He looked at his friends face, his expression told him that he was screaming. "I'm..." He galloped out and started flapping his wings, taking off, leaving nothing but a red and black trail. There was one place he knew he could go to where no one would bother him. One place not even his friend remembered...

He flew over the ancient ruins deep inside the Everfree Forest. "If I'm lucky...No one will find me." He trotted inside, his head hanging low. He went to the room where Twilight and her friends used the elements to defeat Nightmare Moon. It was empty, as he knew it would be. He made his way up to the edge of the room, and looked out the window to the moon. "Magnificent isn't it..." A voice said from behind him. He turned around quickly, but saw no pony. "Show yourself." The voice laughed. "In due time. What do you think of the night?" Scott kept scanning across the room. "It hides those who wish to remain unseen, like me." From the ceiling dropped a pony wearing a cloak that had markings that made him think of Nightmare Moon. "Not all of us worship the night. Most don't even remain awake to admire Luna's work of art." Scott just stared at him. He looked at himself, then back at the strange pony in front of him. "You're the one who opened the portal?" The figure nodded. "I guess I should thank you, but then again, why should I?" The figures smile faded away. "Because our master took you from your world and brought you to this one. She saw how troubled you and your friend were." One thought plagued his mind at this very moment. Who was his master and how did she open the portal? "Why didn't your master show up then? Explain that to me." The figure began pacing around. "Our master can't be seen, because she is trapped." Scott looked confused. "She is trapped within her former self." Luna. "I see what your getting at. The answer is no." The figure stopped pacing. "What do you mean...No?" Scott took a few steps towards the figure. "I mean no. I refuse to bring her back. She did nothing but torment the fair ponies of this world, I will not stand for a repeat of what happened in my world." The figure moved aside. "You plan on going back? Do think for one second they will want you there? You spoke against the princess." Scott stopped in his tracks. "I will take my chances. Go worship to your false leader." He left the pony in solitude.

The night air was crisp, but calming. Scott flew to his house, unsure of what awaited him. He landed and went to his front door. He opened and went inside, walking towards the table in the kitchen. A note was placed there. "Something's wrong with you. You were always cheerful and happy, but after what I saw today...I don't know what to think. You always had my back, but if you go down a dark path....Your on your own. I'm sorry. -Mateo" He smiled at the letter. "At least your heart and mind are in the right place. I don't know about mine..." He trotted to his bedroom, and fell asleep before he even hit the bed. His dreams weren't sweet ones, though. He had dreamed that he had sided with the hooded pony, and had brought Nightmare Moon back. He saw scared faces of both adult and children ponies. He felt something grab him, and woke up. "Huh? Who the...?" He quickly opened his eyes, squinting them to see better while they adjusted to the light. It was Mateo. "Easy, I came over to see if you were here and heard screams. Your shaking, are you ok?" He looked at himself, shaking his head no. "I'm not ok...Something isn't right with me. I just...Can't explain it." He got up from his bed, and walked to his mirror. He had been sweating. "I had a dream where Nightmare Moon had returned...And I had helped her regain power. Innocent ponies hurt and afraid...It was terrible." Mateo put a forearm around his friend. "It was only a dream, Dash was pretty upset when you left and didn't come back. Where did you go?" Scott thought about telling his friend what had happened, but decided not to. "No where, just for a flight....A very long flight." Mateo smiled at his friend, but he didn't return it. "Lighten up, I got some news. After you left, Celestia said she knew you were watching with Dash. Once you left, she said that this was exactly what she wanted to happen." Scott had a hard time taking this in. It was like a joke, one that he did not find funny. "Hey, come on. Race you to Twilight's?" At this Scott smiled. "Your on!" The two began their race, unaware that the entire time they talked the hooded figure had been watching them.

"Shade, come forth." A voice called to the hooded figure. "Yes, my lady?" He took a few steps towards the window where she stood. "Has it been done?" He nodded. "Good. He will join us, we just need to give him an...Incentive..." He looked at her confused. She sighed. "He needs to be tricked. How, is up to you. The sun will be up and our connection will be over." He stood there, thinking. "My lady, it will be done. The age of eternal darkness will rise again." An evil laughter filled the room as the sun rose. The form of Nightmare Moon had begun to disintegrate. All that was left was for him to trick the one named Scott. His friend is too stubborn to fall for what he had in mind.

Chapter 4: Not yourself

Scott and Dash were flying over his house when they decided to take a break. "I can get us some drinks, you must be as thirsty as me." He said smiling as he opened the door. "Yeah, I could use something good." Scott walked into the kitchen as Dash looked at some pictures in the hall. She smiled as she looked at the one closest to the door. Them after Nightmare Night last year. "What are you doing here?" Dash quickly trotted into the kitchen to find a hooded figure staring straight at Scott. Scott turned to see Dash watching. "Dash, get Twilight." She was about to protest. "Now Dash!" Suddenly the hooded figure's face was lit up from the magic he was using. They were gone with a flash. She galloped outside and flew to Twilight's.

She flew faster than she had ever before, nearly out of breath when she reached the library. She shoved the door open to find Twilight at the table talking with Mateo. He looked at her with a smile on his face, but it faded when he got a good look at her. "Dash, what's wrong?" She trotted over to the table, and took a seat, too tired to stand. "We landed outside of Scott's house, to get some water after flying all day. He went into the kitchen and I heard him say something. When I went in there, he told me to get Twilight as he was transported somewhere." Twilight looked at her. "What did he look like?" She asked her. "Well, he had a cloak on that reminded me of...Oh no..." She stopped mid-sentence realizing who took Scott. "What, what did he look like?" Mateo asked again, getting really worried. "A Nightmare Moon worshiper took him. I don't know where though." The two looked at her in horror. "I think I have an idea, but Celestia is going to be too busy to help." Rainbow looked disappointed. "Maybe Luna would help. She wants to be rid of Nightmare Moon once and for all. Dash, get the others and the elements. Meet back here once you have everything." Dash nodded, and flew out.

"Hey! Let me go!" Scott yelled trying to get released from his restraints. "You are going to obey, she demands it." What he said had no effect on his attempts to escape. A purple smoke flowed into the room from the roof down. As it swirled up, Nightmare Moon slowly formed, laughing her evil laugh. "He will do until I can get my old body back." Scott stared in horror as she had fully formed. "But the elements..." She chuckled. "They merely tore me from my host. I needed someone who wasn't from this world. A world of hate, despair, agony...You get the idea." Scott rolled his eyes. "Yes, big deal. You'll get nothing from me." He gave her a smile, knowing that if he was going to go out, he wanted to go in style. "Your just a distraction. Luna will come with your other friends, and I will destroy the elements once and for all. The more pain you feel...The quicker they come. I made sure to let her know what trouble you were in." She laughed once more, but this time filling Scott with fear. "Good job, you doomed yourself. By the way, tell your assistant over there to tie the braces tighter next time." He snapped free, smirking as he took off towards the door. Suddenly he was stopped and in the air. "What the? Whoa!" Nightmare Moon had flung him into a wall, and brought him back over to the table. She put magic restraints on him, ensuring that he wont escape. He had been knocked out, making it all the more easier to be tortured. "Shade, make use of your dagger. I'll await the rest of the ponies." She faded into her purple smoke and disappeared once more.

"When we get there, don't speak. We don't need to give away our positions." Mateo said to everyone in the chariot. "I have a bad feeling about this place, like...I can't explain it." His speech was cut short by a sharp scream that rang through the air. "My god...What are they doing to him?" His wings began twitching, as did Dash's. "This is unbearable, we're almost to the ground but I can't stay here! I have to help him!" Thought Mateo. "I can't stand this, I'll meet you all in there!" Mateo took off. He flew straight into the main room from a destroyed window. When he got inside, he couldn't help but stare in horror.

"You...Monster!" He shouted, tears filling his eyes, he couldn't take them off his bleeding friend. "Get...Luna out of here..." Scott tried shouting with a dagger in his side. Shade took the dagger out. "Don't worry, she has other plans for this one." Shade said smiling at Mateo. "You, on the other hand don't have a future in her new world order." Mateo gave him a deep, angry glare. "I don't think you'll be speaking like this when the others arrive." Shade began to laugh. "What makes you think that they can stop Nightmare Moon?" Mateo took a step forward. Sounds of beating hooves could be heard from behind. Shade cut off Scott's restraints. "You won't be moving for a while, unless you want an early funeral." He said to him, turning to Mateo. The rest of the cavalry entered the room, each one wearing their element. Luna began charging at Shade, but was stopped by a swirling purple cloud. "Did you miss me Luna?" A voice came from the cloud, as it swept Luna into the air. A tornado now surrounded her, bonding with her. A flash forced everyone to cover their eyes. When they opened them, there was Nightmare Moon. "Now that I have my body back...I am unstoppable."

"You think you can't be touched? You got another thing coming." Shouted Mateo. He looked back towards his friend. He wouldn't last to the next afternoon if this was going to be a long fight. He needs to distract Nightmare Moon, but how? "What makes you think Luna isn't strong enough to fight you?" Nightmare Moon laughed at his remark. "That puny alicorn is nothing but a quiet voice in the back of my head. The real question is how to deal with you." She looked over each one of the ponies. Shade suddenly took a step towards Mateo. "Come a step closer and your going out a window." He readied himself. Shade laughed while holding the dagger in his mouth. He charged towards Mateo. "I warned you!" Mateo dashed forward. They were about to collide when Mateo slide under him, picking him up on his back. He spun around, and flung Shade out of the nearest window. His scream lasted for a few seconds before it ended with a loud slam. He returned his attention back to Nightmare Moon. "He was useless anyway. Not even Celestia could save you." The six ponies behind him now stood next to him. "We need something to hold her still, or we can get her with the elements." Twilight whispered to him. Mateo looked towards his friend, but he wasn't on the table anymore.

Nightmare Moon looked over the seven ponies and laughed again. "My god...Do you ever...Shut up?" Scott yelled as he lunged onto her back. Mustering what little strength he had, he wrapped his forearms around her neck. "Twilight....Now!" He shouted. Mateo stepped back as Twilight and her friends got into position for the blast. Scott was getting flung around like he was riding a bull, so he tightened his grip as best he could. Applejack, Pinkie, Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity all flew into the air with their necklaces shining. Twilight and her tiara had the same effect, only she closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was nothing but glowing white eyes. The six cast the rainbow of harmony at Nightmare Moon. Time slowed down for Mateo, as he watched his friend get launched from Nightmare Moon's back into a nearby wall. The rainbow once again surrounded Nightmare Moon, who was screaming in defeat as she was once again Princess Luna. They were all cheering, except for Mateo. He trotted over to his friend, still bleeding. A smile shot from his face, but it was one filled with pain. "Good job...I could always...Count on you..." Those were his last words before fading out of consciousness. Luna lifted him onto her back and wrapped his forearms around her neck. "If we hurry, there is a small chance in which he will still be alive. The chance will be small, but it's something to try for." She said, as she began galloping. The others followed quickly behind, all worrying for their bleeding out friend.

"Where am I?" Scott said, looking around. He was in a place where everything was white. The only thing in the room was a archway with a portal inside it. "You aren't dead, but right now you're not alive either." A voice coming from nowhere said. "Take a look into the portal, and you shall see where you are." Scott did just that, and saw he was in a hospital bed. "There isn't much we can do for him. Even with all the healing Luna and the others are giving him, we can only say that he may or may not live." His friends all had tears in their eyes, especially Mateo. He walked over to Scott's semi-lifeless body, and leaned close to his left ear. "You come back, you hear me? You come back. We've been through to much for you to die now." He backed away and left with the other six ponies. Luna trotted over to the nurse. "Do you really think he'll make it?" She asked her. "I don't think so. His wounds were deep. He is lucky enough as it is to even be in one piece, thanks to you." Luna looked back at Scott's body. "I hope he makes it." Luna said as she faced the nurse.

"Gee...You sound afraid..." Both the nurse and Luna looked towards him. He sat there, showing a painful smile. "What...Didn't think I would...Make it?" He gave a weak chuckle. "Oh my! He's awake!" The nurse shouted, drawing more attention to him. "Awake yes...In pain...Very much..." A nearby doctor injected Morphine into him to take the edge off. "Get some rest. By you being awake, it means your chances of survival are slightly higher. Do you want your friends to be able to see you?" Scott thought for a moment. "If you want me to rest...You shouldn't let them come. I want it to be...A surprise." He shot a smile towards the three around him. "Oh, and Luna. Thank you." She smiled back. "Rest. You'll need it." He nodded, and dozed off. His dreams were finally real dreams, instead of the nightmares that he had before. The only thing that remained for him was to get better.

Chapter 5: Revival

It had been one and a half months before he was let out. The first thing that crossed his mind was what Mateo had said to him. His words replayed in his head. He decided on going to Twilight's first, since the doctors hadn't told them anything. When he got there, he put his ear to the door. "I don't think he made it. The doc's haven't said anything about him. I'm getting worried, Twi." A smile came to his face as he pushed open the door. "Isn't that heartwarming. I knew you always cared." He said to his friend, who now had a shocked expression on his face. Both Mateo and Twilight galloped over to hug him. "Ow! Easy! I'm only bandaged, it still hurts." The three laughed. "I heard what you said. You couldn't lose me even if you tried." Mateo looked at him confused. He dropped it since he was just happy to have his friend back. "Dash has taken it hard. All she's been doing is staying at her home. You should go see her." Scott nodded and made his way out of the library.

Dash wasn't hard to spot since she had fallen asleep outside. He flew down next to her, and she jumped up to her feet. "Did I startle you?" She rubbed her eyes, making sure she heard the voice right. When she could finally see she hugged him. "I thought you weren't one for mushy stuff?" He said hugging her back. The two talked for a long while, until he remembered he needed to do. "Dash, I'll be back soon. There's someone I still need to thank." She nodded, and Scott flew off. It would be night soon, so he knew she would be up.

Luna had been at her balcony, enjoying the calming serenity of the night. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. A knock was heard at the door. "Come in." She said, opening her eyes. "My lady, there is someone who wishes to speak with you." She looked towards the guard. "At this hour? Well, I guess so." She motioned him to fetch the person that wanted to speak with her. He nodded, closed the door, and trotted away. She looked back out into the night. "We need to talk." The voice startled her, as she looked to the left of the balcony. A pegasus blended into the night, except for his red markings. The pony she saved. "I wanted to thank you. You knew I was bait and still came. Why?" She closed her eyes, thinking of how to put it. "A true leader, would do anything to save his or her ponies. No matter the cost. I should be thanking you, for making it easier to turn me back to myself." He smiled towards her, which she returned. "One thing that is still getting at me, is how did Nightmare Moon open the portal?" Luna remained silent for a few minutes. "She didn't." A voice coming from the back of the room said. Both quickly turned to it. Celestia had came in. "We don't know how the doorway opened, or how to open it again. What I said was true, though, wasn't it?" He thought back to when he had let out all his anger. He smirked at Celestia. "You knew that Nightmare Moon was close to returning, but had no way of preventing it. When the portal opened, the only thing you knew is that what would come out would either stop her...Or aid her." Celestia nodded. "Well, let me tell you something. Next time I am not the one getting tortured for your plans to work." He said as he landed on the balcony. "So what happens now?" He asked both of the princesses. They turned to each other, and had grins on their faces. "Well, seeing as we cannot send you back...You will have to live here in Equestria." He tried to control the urge to hug the princess. "Even if we knew how to send you and your friend back, you have had a big impact on everypony here. Now I suggest going home and resting. Who knows what could happen next." He nodded and took off.

Celestia let out a sigh of joy. "Is there going to be trouble soon, big sister?" Luna asked her. Celestia turned to her little princess. "Knowing our lands, there will always be trouble. We have made some new ally's, so we needn't worry. That one would have given up his life to stop Nightmare Moon. Let's just hope he is ready for the next trouble." She looked over to the mountains in the horizon. "Let's just hope..." She repeated in her head, before taking her leave of Luna.

Chapter 1: The Descent

The two friends fell at increasing speeds. Mateo just woke up as they were halfway to the water. His vision was blurry, so when he saw grass he thought he was hallucinating. "I must be dead," He thought to himself, "But then where's Scott?" He turned around, realizing that he was falling. He couldn't find him, all he saw was a black blob falling next to him. As he looked down, the water was getting really close. He closed his eyes and braced for impact.

There was a giant splash as the two hit the water, and slowly floated back up. Mateo put his arm around the pony and pulled him to shore. When they were there, they just flopped down and rested. "First getting shot at, now this...Where is Scott?" Coughing was heard next to him. "Guess the animal is fine..." Mateo thought to himself. "Oh god...I feel like the night when all we had was whiskey to drink..." The black pony said. Mateo's head quickly turned to him. "Scott?" The black pony looked towards him slowly, obviously in pain. "Mateo?" The two just gave each other blank stares. "Where are we? We have to be dead, but I was the one shot," Scott made a remark trying to figure out the situation they were in, "Then again, you apparently jumped in. That was before I blacked out." Mateo shrugged. He went to put his hand on his head, but when it brought it to his face it was a hoof. "Scott...Am I a pony?" Scott nodded. They heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground, and turned around. In front of them was a purple unicorn with a dragon on her back.

"Excuse me, but would you happen to know about that?" She pointed one of her forearms in the direction of a swirling vortex, which closed soon after. The two looked at one another, then back at her. "Uhhh....Where are we?" Scott asked her. "The vortex must have cast you from the sky and made you lose your memories...Your on the outskirts of a town called Ponyville in Equestria." Slowly, both of the two friends looked at each other and fell backwards. "You've got to be kidding me..." Mateo shouted out. "What do you mean?" She asked them, with a extremely confused expression on her face. Mateo got up to his hooves and looked at her, but Scott was not as quick to his. "We...Need a moment to talk some things over..." The purple unicorn nodded, and began talking with the dragon on her back. The two trotted a little bit away, just out of earshot. "Did she just say we're in a cartoon?" Mateo asked Scott. "Well, maybe we should follow through with this. We're not exactly in a position of our favor." He said to his friend, peering over at the purple unicorn. "Alright, let's have her take us to Ponyville. We've only seen that one episode so..." Scott trotted off before Mateo could finish.

Slowly, he could hear the two talking as he approached, his bullet wound still hurting. "Can you....Mmph, take us to town?" He tried to say hiding his wound. "Sure, maybe familiar sights will jog your memory. By the way, my name is Twilight Sparkle." She still thinks we're from here, Scott thought to himself as he motioned Mateo to come. "Ponyville is a good trot away. If you keep your eyes open, you might catch Rainbow Dash. She ring any bells?" Scott and Mateo both nodded. "So you do know of her, at least. What do you know about her?" Twilight said hopeful as they began their journey. "She's the greatest flier in all of Equestria, and is constantly trying to join The Wonderbolts." Twilight stopped in her tracks. "What do you know about me?" Scott motioned her to keep leading the way. "Your student of Celestia. I know you haven't seen either of us before, but once we reach your house I will explain everything..." She looked back at him, and couldn't help but wonder who these two were and how they knew so much if they have never even met any one of them.

The four made it to Ponyville in short time, most of the residents were still talking about the portal. When they arrived with Twilight, most of them stopped and looked at the two. "They know we were the ones falling..." Mateo thought to himself. When they reached Twilight's house, books were cluttered everywhere. She used her magic to shove them aside and made way for a table. She sent a notion that they should sit down. Spike decided he wanted no part and had gone to his bed. "So, explain whats going on." Scott sighed, thinking of how to put it. "We aren't from here, and I don't just mean from around Ponyville or Canterlot, even Equestria for that matter. We know a lot that has happened here, most of it actually..." Twilight looked confused, she was having a hard time understanding. "I can see this is not being clear. That was not a tornado in mid air, but a portal to another universe by the looks of it. You see, we were being attacked when we fell into this hole that had this...Light glowing from it. I had been...Wounded, as you can see." Twilight still didn't understand. "So...Your, from a alternate universe?" Scott nodded. "And...What is it like?" Scott looked towards Mateo, who said to tell her.

Once he told her, she was completely shocked. "How could...Anypony do that to someone?" Scott thought about telling her that where they come from they weren't ponies. That thought quickly was shunned away, remembering that this was the student of Equestria's ruler. Suddenly, the front door flung open. "Twilight, did you hear that loud explosion? Who are these guy's?" Rainbow Dash had finally shown up, only to further complicate things. Telling her this would be even more of a challenge, since she is known to jump to conclusions.