Different Dimensionsby MidnightInk97ChaptersStory TimeDeep Dark DungeonUnicorns and Pegasi?! Oh My!LinkedTour of the Town Meanwhile, Back at Home...I've Got the Magic in MePrincessesReturnCotton CandySafety in Numbers... Or NotGuardiansThe MeetingReference GuideStory Time“Come my little ponies, I have a surprise. I think that you guys are old enough to hear the more... How do I put this? Well the more grim side of how my mother and her friend became the queens of our beautiful land. A story about adventure and courage. As well as sacrifice and sadness, so heed my warning that this story can get extreme,” Galaxies Star (AKA- Galaxy) announced to the ponies that were spread around the classroom in Saddlewood Acres. One by one each of the ponies stopped and rushed over to Ms. Star. “I love stories!” A young mare named Fire Heart exclaimed excitedly to her friends. “Especially from you, Princess Galaxy,” She spoke to her teacher with glee. Galaxy smiled down at her students with pride and joy. Everypony gathered around the mare, even the student teacher sat at the edge of the group to hear the story. “As all of you are quite aware of, I am Queen Sapphira Night's daughter and the rightful heir to the throne. But what you don’t know is that she lived in completely different universe for some time before her rise to power. She was sent to that different universe by a horrific tyrant by the name of King Volkan,” Galaxy stated as her student’s jaws dropped at what she had stated. Murmurs circulated around the room. Galaxy held up her hoof and the room fell silent again. “Sapphira wasn't always an Alicorn with pegasi wings, a unicorn horn. But the thing that had transported her to this other dimension actually gave her wings and a horn. The same thing happened to Queen Silver Dream as well, when she was sent through the portal with my mother. No one knows why or how it happened, not even Queen's themselves. Before the queens came to power, there were no ponies with wings or even horns for that matter. This is because our previous rulers, who was Volkan's great, great grandfather, had destroyed all pegasi and unicorns during his years of power because he thought they were impure creatures.” Galaxy explained. Everypony gasped at this statement. “We are going to go back 20 years, when Sapphire was just a filly, a lot younger than all of you” Pointed her hoof to the ponies. After the students had gone silent again, Galaxy closed her eyes, unfurling her wings unconsciously and focused her magic through her horn. A huge burst of light exploded from her horn as the room darkened and the classroom disappeared to leave everypony in smaller room. “This is how my mother told me her story. This type of magic can only be performed by an alicorn. This magic was used back in the day to teach and plan battles in the other world that Sapphira and Silver visited; it’s like a 3-D hologram," Galaxy explained "King Volkan ruled over our country until Sapphira and Silver dethroned him. He and his scientists had been the ones responsible for Silver's and Sapphira's disappearance from this world for some time.” Galaxy said. With a flick of her glowing horn, the room faded to a lab setting, where two ponies in white coats sat fixing something on a big metal hoop. “Volkan ruled over our fair land of Amaia for many years with his queen, Nightshade and his second in command, Poison Apple before Sapphira returned and destroyed him.” “I trust that you are almost done with the machine?” King Volkan asked as he walked into the room. “Yes, sire. We are making the final adjustments right now and we should be able to start it up,” One scientist said, still focusing on tightening a bolt. Volkan’s lips curled up into a sinister grin. “Excellent,” He replied as he circled the large machine. “If my great, great grandfather, King Lucious was able to conquer this world, then imagine what I can do in other worlds,” He continued, mostly to himself. The scene stopped suddenly and faded into a bright and warm room with a fire crackling lively in the fireplace. There were only three ponies in the room; a mare lying down on a blanket with a regal black mane and tail, medium purple coat and a writing quill cutie mark on her flank. There was also a stallion standing next to her with a grey coat, royal blue mane and a shooting star for a cutie mark. Finally, curled up next to the mare on the floor, there was a small bundle of blankets where a little head poked out. The little newborn yawned and woke up revealing beautiful sapphire eyes that was filled with curiosity and wonder. “What shall we name her, Midnight?” The stallion, who must have been the father, asked in a quiet voice as not to startle the sleeping filly. “She has those beautiful sapphire eyes,” The mare named Midnight said thoughtfully looking up at her husband. Then she smiled and asked, “What about Sapphira Night?” “That sounds perfect,” He agreed as he bent his down towards Midnight, nuzzling her cheek. The scene shifted again where the students and Galaxy were in an empty classroom. “Hey this is our school!” a filly named Joy exclaimed. “Yup. This is where Sapphira went to school when she was your age,” Galaxy stated. “Now, most parts of the story are in Sapphira’s point of view with the narration from her as well.” The school bell rang. Ponies filed into the room, sitting in their appropriate seats. The teacher finally came in along with a dark purple filly with sapphire blue eyes. “Good morning students!” The teacher greeted her class joyfully. “Good morning Ms. Scarlett,” the students tiredly replied some even accompanied by a yawn. “Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Sapphira Night and I want all of you to make her feel welcome here. Understood?” Ms. Scarlett said. The fillies and colts nodded lazily. (Sapphira's POV) “You can go sit down in the back Ms. Night. Welcome to Saddlewood School.” Ms. Scarlett said nudging me forward. I made my way slowly to the back of the room. As I walked to my seat my ears picked up something other than the rustling of papers. ‘Look at that mangled coat. She looks like she just rolled out of bed with that rat’s nest of a mane,” one filly whispered to her snickering friend. I continued down the aisle with more whispered insults thrown my way but it didn't bother me because mom had said that ponies say mean things when they are jealous. Even though mother taught me to be confident in myself, I was still shy. So I didn't speak up the entire class. I just quietly took notes, like I was told. The day went by slow, the clock aimlessly ticked on until the final bell rung, signaling the end of class. I hopped out of my seat and trotted out to the front yard. “Hey,” somepony greeted me from behind, making me jump. I turned around to see a smiling blue colt. “Sorry to scare you but my name is Coda and I wanted to say welcome to town,” He said brightly. “Thanks,” I answered with a warm smile. “My name is Sapphira Night. Well, you probably already knew that from this morning’s introduction,” I added nervously. Coda chuckled. “You’re pretty cool Sapphira. Hey, I was just about to go to the Cookie Jar would you like to tag along?” He asked. “That would be awesome but can we stop at my house so I can tell my parents where we are going?” I asked as we walked down the road. “Yeah, no problem,” He neighed and we both laughed. We talked about ourselves all the way to my house and the walked into the living room, dropping our saddle bags by the door. “Mom, Dad, I’m home!” I hollered, “I’m in the office, sweetie.” Mom shouted. Coda and I trotted to the office where Mom was sitting at a desk flipping through old tattered books. Midnight looked up at Coda and I with a grin as she pushed her book aside. “Wow a friend on the first day? Impressive,” Mom said. “When my family moved when I was your age, I didn't make a single friend until the 3rd week of school,” She stated with a laugh. “So who might this be?" “Mom, this is Coda," I answered. Mom extended a hoof over the desk and Coda shook it. "Nice to meet you, Coda," "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Night," Coda replied, letting his hoof go back down after he released Mom's hoof. "Please, call me Midnight," Mom settled back into her chair. Coda nodded with a smile " So, Coda invited me to go to the Cookie Jar Bakery with him. Can I go?” I asked. “I don’t see anything wrong with that, but I want you home before sunset because…" Mom paused, a shadow creeping across her face and her smile falling for a split second. 'just make sure you come home in time for dinner," Mom's smile returned as quickly as it had left. “Don’t worry Mrs. Midnight, my parents own the shop. They can bring her back before dinner.” Coda said cheerfully. “That sounds great! Then don’t let me keep you, run along,” Mom said as we turned to leave the office. “Have fun.” Coda and I galloped along the dusty gravel trail leading into the small town square. When we reached center of town, we found a hoard of worried looking ponies, anxiously talking among themselves. “What’s going on?” I asked Coda as they slowed to a trot at the edge of the crowd. “I don’t know.” He stretched his neck his head to look over the throng of pony heads. Coda finally called me over when he found a spot to see. Standing in the middle of all the commotion was a small stage with a gray unicorn stallion on the make-shift stage, looking at a clipboard and using his magic to hold up a bull horn. “WELCOME, ALL CITIZENS OF SADDLEWOOD!” The stallion announced. “WE HAVE COME HERE ALL THE WAY FROM VOLKAN CASTLE TO BRING YOU THE LATEST NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT; COMPLIMENT FROM KING VOLKAN HIMSELF!” The stallion shouted for everypony to hear. Excited and nervous chatter spread through the town like wild fire. I turned to look at Coda but he had moved further into the crowd of ponies. I started to trot towards Coda only to be snapped backwards, landing on my haunches with a thud. I looked around to see somepony in a black cloak with my tail underneath his hooves. The pony's hood lifted up, revealing glowing eyes, his smiled showing off his sharp fangs. I gasped. Scrambling to get up, I tried to scream but before I could get any noise out the creepy pony picked me up and tossed me into a burlap bag. Deep Dark DungeonThe scene faded to darkness and Galaxy looked at her students. The ponies stared into the black abyss with stunned looks on their faces. Galaxy flicked her horn once again. They were transported back to the lab, where a bunch of scientists stood around talking. (Sapphira's POV) I struggled against the rope around my hooves. On top of being stuffed in a dark, musty bag. I was gagged by the horrible pony so I couldn't scream. I finally gave up and curled up the best I could in the corner of the cart and cried openly. It had felt like ages since I had been brutally tossed into the foul smelling cart, when the door swung open. I shielded her eyes from the bright artificial light streamed in from behind the silhouette of my ponynapper then I was then dragged by my tail and thrown back into the sack. I landed on my shoulder with a muffled groan. That was defiantly going to leave a mark I thought to myself sourly as I bounced up and down with the rhythm of the Stallion trot. My ears perked at the sound of laughter echoing off of walls. A few seconds later I was dumped onto a cold stone floor. Once my eyes had adjusted I was greeted by more ponies in white coats. Once they saw me burst out laughing and not just any laugh it was an evil cynical laugh that made me cower and back away only to run into my ponynapper. I shrieked and tried to run but there was no way out, then I noticed a little pony staring back at me with wide, tear filled eyes locked in a cage too small for her. She looked at me with sorrow like she knew what was going to happen. Her coat was dripping with something wet and her mane and tail looked like it was cut by a foal. I stood there for a second in absolute horror, my breathing was ragged and short as I choked down a sob. I was thinking of how to get out of here when one of the bigger ponies picked me up in between her teeth by my mane. I squealed and attempted to get out of her grip but it was a lost cause because she was too strong and I was just too weak. “Well done Shadow. ” King Cerberius congratulated the stallion who had ponyknapped me as he walked into the cellar. “And no one saw, right?” Shadow nodded. “Good. You have certainly lived up to your name.” Cerberius said as he walked closer to me still dangling from the mare’s teeth. “Now is that how we treat our guests Poison Apple? Put the poor filly down.” He commanded in a soft tone. The mare lifted her head a little higher and then dropped me to the floor. I let out and whimper that was only audible by me as I hit the concrete. “Hmm. She is a strong one. She will be the first to go through then the other filly. Are we good to go Shatter?” Cerberius turned to a gray scientist pony with a clipboard. “Yes sir.” He replied without looking up from his papers. The scientist turned sharply on his hooves and said, “Turn it on.” And with that a smaller mare clamped her teeth on a lever attached to the wall and pulled it down hard. The lights flickered as a green glow emanated from the huge metal contraption. I backed away only to run into Nightshade who smiled with sharp teeth down on me. I gave the tiny filly, who was still in the cage, a worried goodbye look before I was shoved by Nightshade. “Sire you may pick any dimension you would like. So far we have located 4 different dimensions.” Shatter exclaimed proudly. Cerberius walked to a switch board. “ Excellent work everypony. If this is a success then we will be able to conquer and rule in any world.” Everypony whooped with excitement. “All systems go we are ready for Subject 5.” Shatter announced pointing a hoof to me. “Send her forward.” Shatter ordered. Nightshade started pushing me towards the portal. I looked around at what I thought was my last glimpse of this world, maybe for good. As I walked I noticed some of the ponies looked like they wanted to help but couldn't, so they bowed their heads in respect, while others grinned manically like they wanted to eat me. I took a deep breath and walked on with my head high and chest puffed out, trying to hide my fear that screamed inside of me wanting to get free but I held back the tears and pushed on. When I had finally approached the portal gate I didn't look back, afraid that I would start crying. So without a second thought, I held my breath, said a small prayer and jumped through the greenish water. Unicorns and Pegasi?! Oh My!I was tossed around and pulled, like I was clay being molded. I panicked and let go of my breath to find that I could breathe and it was pitch black. I then saw a small pinprick of a light through the silk blackness. It grew until it was a blinding blob of light. Water started to surround me when I saw what I thought was a blue sky ‘Is this what dying feels like?’ I thought to myself. Something brushed past my hoof, startling me. I sucked in a mouth full of water and I kicked upward to what looked like sky when at last I finally broke through the surface. I greedily gulped in the fresh, cool air as I looked for land. I spotted a small beach and started swimming. I laid on the beach taking in as much oxygen as my lungs would allow. But when I had climbed onto land I hadn’t noticed a white mare sitting with her foal next to the water. They rushed to my side. “Mommy is she okay?” the little grey foal asked. Then there came another splash as the other filly that was in the cage popped out of the water, gagging. “Stay here.” The mare told the little pony as she galloped into the water. The little foal looked down at me with wonder. I tried to say hi but I couldn’t find my voice so I am glad that the filly wasn’t talkative. The white mare stepped back onto shore dragging my companion gently with her teeth. I got up only to get light headed and fall back down. The grey filly put a hoof on my shoulder and shook her head. I got the message and let my head fall to the sand as I drifted into sleep. I woke up who knows how much later in a bright living room. I sat up and looked around, the filly from the cage was next to me on the couch sleeping and the grey filly who had saved me was pouring water into a shallow bowl. Then I noticed that the filly wasn’t using her teeth or hooves to hold to pitcher but it was just floating into the middle of the air. My eyes widened when I saw that she had a horn and it was glowing a soft blue. I had only heard of unicorns in stories that my mama had told me when I was little, I didn’t think that they existed. The unicorn filly noticed me staring, “Hi” she said with a sheepish smile. “My mom and I are glad that you’re okay.” She started towards me using her magic to float a glass of water along with her. I looked at her too shocked to say anything. She glanced at the rope burns left from when I was ponynapped and said with concern, “We aren’t going to hurt you. Oh, and my name is Fire Bird and my mom is Silver Charm.” I shook my head, hoping that it would loosen some of the knots in my head. I didn’t work. “Where am I?” I ask in a raspy dry voice. The pony cocked her head like I was crazy. “You’re in Ponyville, in Equestria.” My mouth dropped. It had really worked, I was in another dimension. Something then stirred next to me as my cell mate started to wake. Her eyes flung open as she jumped up with a scream, pushing herself against the back of the sofa we were on. Just as her muscles begun to tense, ready to sprint, the same soft glow appeared around my aquatince and she layed back down with her chest heaving. I looked to Fire Bird whose horn was glowing and eyes closed in consentration. “What did you do to her?!” I squealed, glancing from Fire to the other pony. Fire opened her eyes, “I calmed her down with my magic, its my special gift.” She said her confusion doubling. “You look like you have never seen a horn even though you are an Alicorn.” “What are you talking about? What’s an Alicorn?” I asked worriedly. “Seriously?” Fire asked raising her eyebrow. Fire pulled out a mirror with her magic and held it up to my face. I looked at my reflection to see that I not only had a horn now but wings as well. I lifted my hoof to see if it was just a hallucination but sure enough I felt the horn atop my head. I felt my jaw drop, “This can’t be possible! I am a regular old pony!” I stammered. “An Alicorn is a pony that has a unicorn horn and Pegasus wings.” Fire explained, “They are more powerful than any unicorn.” I sat, unable to form any words. The portal must have made us into Alicorns. This was too much for me to take in. I wanted to run back to the pond that had brought me here but another part of me wanted to stay and learn more from Fire Bird. “Where are you from?” She asked. “I’m from Saddlewood Acres in Animalas.” I stated. Fire’s eyes widened at this statement but only for second. She tapped her hoof on her chin. “I have never heard of Animalas before.” She admitted. I contemplated telling the pony about the secret science experiment. Maybe she could help us get back to our families. But what troubled me was if I could trust her. I mean she did save me and the other pony maybe she can find someone that can get me back home. Home. Thinking of it made my eyes water and no one would be able to help me if I didn’t tell somepony. “Back in my land there is an evil ruler named King Cerberius. He and his scientist were working on a portal or something that could send ponies to different dimensions. He ponynapped me and the other pony and sent us through.” I explained. “That’s how we ended up in the water. Fire Bird sat there amazed at what I had said. “When we got thrown in, it must have somehow given us wings and horns.” Fire nodded and thought for a second. “Well the only ponies that I know of that are Alicorns are the royal princesses that rule this land.” Fire stated. “They might be able to get you back home.” She finished. This gave me hope. Hope for me and the other pony. But if Fire was right about Alicorns being the most powerful ponies then other pony and I could defeat King Cerberius. I thought about this and laughed at how ridiculous the thought was. Two little fillies defeating a pony twice our size, that’s absurd! I looked over at the other pony laying on the couch next to me, watching her small chest rise and fall gradually. I really wanted to help her out but I was just as weak as her and a minute later I was drifting into the darkness again. LinkedI weaved through the dark corridors walking at first and then a fast trot. I looked behind me but all I could see was a sea of nothingness. But I could still hear and what was coming from behind me was not pleasant. I picked up my pace but the sound just got even closer. Soon I was in a full gallop, sprinting down the never-ending hallway until I smacked full-force into a wall, jolting me out of my restless sleep. I had fallen off the couch in the process and I sat up trying to recollect my scrambled thoughts when I touched my head and I felt the horn that was now melded to my head. My brain hurt from all of the days’ events and I was so tired that I just fell into a dreamless sleep on the floor. I awoke to a scream coming from beside me, making me jump out of my fur. I looked around to find the source of the shrill noise and saw that the other filly was about to bolt to the door but I jumped up and held her fast. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” I said stroking her mane as she strangled me in a death embrace. Sobs racked her body and I couldn’t think of anything else to say or do because frankly I am not good in these kind of situations so I just sat there doing my best to calm her down. When her storm of sobs had finally resorted to quiet whimpers I spoke up. “What happened?” I asked her. “I had a horrible dream. I was being chased down a dark hallway by something and then I hit a wall and that’s when I woke up.” She stated. I glanced down at my hooves with confusion and shock. She had the same dream that I had earlier. I cleared my throat and said in a small voice “I had the same dream last night.” I looked up to see that the other ponies’ jaw had dropped in horror. “I’m scared.” She confessed with a shaky voice. Tears started to well up in her eyes. “I know. I am too. The important thing though is that we need to stick together no matter what.” I stated. She nodded and put her head against my chest as I held her there. “Silver.” The little pony said into my fur. She removed herself from my embrace. “My name is Silver. Silver Dream.” She stated with a small smile. I returned the smile and said “My name is Sapphira Night but you can just call me Sapphira.” This seemed to brighten Silver up a bit and she jumped off the couch to stretch. “Where are we anyway?” Silver asked, ruffling and stretching out her wings. “Some place called Equestria. These nice ponies saved us and the younger filly, Fire Bird, said that they have princesses that might be able to get us back home.” I explained. Silvers’ eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “Do you really think that she will be able to send us back home?” She asked looking at me with expectant eyes. “Maybe.” I said. “Just maybe.” Later on Fire Bird and Fire’s mom, Winter, returned home. Winter was a very sweet mare and she didn’t question the fact that Silver and I were Alicorn’s, not yet at least. “I don’t think we can ever repay you for saving our lives Ms. Winter.” Silver said. Winter’s cheeks reddened a little. “Well I wasn’t going to let you girls drown.” She said with a smile. Winter was a unicorn just like Fire and she levitated a tray of hot coco to the table and sat down with us. “So where are you girls from and how did you get in the lake?” Winter asked with concern. I bit my lip and looked to Silver. She knew what I was asking and she nodded. So I told Winter the same thing that I had told Fire and she just sat there quietly listening and soaking up every word, occasionally tearing up. When I finished my story and held my breath and closed my eyes waiting for her to kick us out of her home. But that didn’t happen, all I felt was a pair of hooves wrapping me and Silver in an embrace and a few tears slipping from the mare’s eyes onto my coat. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you two are going through.” She said and she hugged us even tighter. After a minute Winter let go and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. “I will do anything in my power to get your girls home.” She declared with a stamp of her hoof. Silver let out a yelp of excitement and a smile crept across my face. “We should probably see the princesses first since they might know how to solve your problem better that me.” Winter declared as she flicked her horn and the door to the outside opened up. “But first why don’t we go get some food and Fire and I can show you girls around town.” Winter said as we trotted past her and out the door, giggling like little school fillies. ‘I will be home soon, mom and dad.’ I said to myself. ‘Soon.’ Tour of the Town Tour of the Town The things in Ponyville were not much different for Saddlewood except that my home town was a little more technologically advanced than Ponyville. Winter had Silver and I put on cloaks to hide our wings so that ponies wouldn’t question us. Everypony greeted each other happily and there were no guards around town either like at home either. Back at home the king placed a certain number of guards around a town or city to keep the ponies who lived there from leaving and keep order. Most of them were cruel so no pony really left their houses often unless it was for school or work. But the guards on my side of town and by the school were actually quite mellow. They were the ponies that were drafted to become the king’s royal guards so they didn’t really care what everypony did. We walked around town, Winter and Fire showed us the bakery and town hall and introduced us to all the ponies they knew. We had all decided that it would be best to keep our real identities to ourselves and Silver and I were passed off as Fire’s cousins from some place called Fillydelphia. “WHOOSH!” Silver and I screamed and scrambled behind Winter. I squeezed my eyes shut, my mind raced in terror as I tried to find an escape route. My ears perked up when I heard a squeal of joy and I peeked out from behind Winter’s legs. Fire was giggling hysterically as she hoof bumped a neon blue Pegasus with a grey mane and a spinning cyclone for a cutie mark. Fire met my eyes and urged me and Silver to come out. I cautiously stepped out from my hiding place followed by Silver. “Girls, I want you to meet my best friend, Twister. Twister, these are my cousins, Sapphira Night and Silver Dream.” The blue filly zoomed up to us, making me jump. “Hey guys! It’s nice to meet you.” She beamed as she drifted down to the ground and folding her wings in tightly. The gesture made my own wings itch to stretch out and take me up into the clear skies, almost like it was second nature but I restrained myself from doing so. “So what brings you guys to simple old Ponyville?” Twister asked flapping her wings excitedly. “Just…” I croaked my mouth feeling like cotton. I cleared my throat. “Just visiting family while our parents are away on vacation.” I said, hoping that Twister had bought my lie. “Awesome.” She said turning back to Fire Bird. “I’m helping my mom with some weather chores. It shouldn’t take too long so maybe we can all hang out at Sugar Cube Corner later on.” Twister suggested. Fire turned to Winter who nodded. “Sweet! I’ll see you guys later.” She said before quickly taking off into the sky. “Twister seems like a really nice pony.” I said as we continued our tour through town. “Yeah.” Fire agreed. “We have been best friends since we were tiny foals. While she can be a bit aggressive and a show-off at times she is still awesome.” Fire stated with a smile. “Girls?” Winter said as we walked into town. “I want to stop by the train station so we can get some tickets to head to Canterlot tomorrow.” She stated. “What’s Canterlot?” Silver asked looking up at Winter. “Canterlot is the capitol city and where the Royal princesses live. They are our best shot at getting you girls home.” Fire nodded. “Yeah Princess Twilight will be able to help.” She said with hope. “What are the princesses like?” I asked curiously. Fire thought for a second before speaking. “Well there are four princesses that have specific duties to Equestria. Princess Celestia is princess of the Sun, she is the leader and the oldest and she raises and sets it every day. Princess Luna is princess of the Moon, she is the second oldest and she raises and sets the Moon at night. Then there is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is the princess of Love and she protects and rules over the Crystal Empire. Lastly, our newest addition to the royal family is Princess Twilight Sparkle who is the princess of Magic.” Fire explained. “Wow.” I exclaimed. “So these princesses, they are all Alicorn’s like me and Sapphira?” Silver asked. “Yup and Princess Twilight is going to be our key to solving your problem.” Fire said. I walked on glancing at the at the ground in thought. ‘They sound wonderful but I am going to wait until I see them for myself before I make any decisions.’ After finishing up our tour we made our way to Sugar Cube Corner to meet up with Twister and her mom for lunch. We grabbed a table and sat around for a while until Twister and a bigger Pegasus came flying through the door and landed gracefully next to our table. The other Pegasus was cyan blue, almost identical to Twister’s. She had a rainbow mane and tail and a white cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming from it as her cutie mark. “Hey gals.” The rainbow mare said with a grin. “Hi Rainbow Dash.” Winter said, returning the smile. The mare named Rainbow Dash looked around and noticed Silver and I on the opposite side of the table. “I’ve never seen you two around.” She stated. Fire cleared her throat. “These are my cousins from Fillydelphia. This is Sapphira Night,” Fire said pointing to me. I blushed a little as all eyes were suddenly focused on me. “And this is Silver Dream.” Fire finished, pointing to Silver whose gray cheeks burned pink from the attention. “Nice to meet you guys. My name is Rainbow Dash. I’m Twisters mom, but you guys probably already figured that out, didn’t ya?” Rainbow said with a wink before turning towards Winter to start up a conversation with her. “So how do you guys like Ponyville?” Twister asked as she plopped herself onto a chair next to Fire. “It’s really great.” I answered with a smile. “Yeah. Every pony is so nice.” Silver agreed with a matching smile. “Hey if you don’t mind me asking, why are you wearing cloaks in the middle of summer?” Twister asked pointing to the cloth on our backs. I frantically racked my brain for a convincible lie but nothing came up. “We get cold easily.” I blurted out. ‘Wow I’m a really bad liar.’ I thought, biting my lip in anticipation. Twisters’ suspicious gaze softened. “Oh okay. I was just curious.” Just then a bright pink pony came bouncing out of the kitchen with a tray of delicious looking cupcakes. My stomach growled loudly as I realized how hungry I was. The pink mare bounced right up to our table as saliva started to ooze from my mouth. I quickly slurped it back into my mouth when the bouncing mare arrived at our table with a huge Cheshire Cat grin. Hiya Rainbow, Winter, Fire, Twister and two fillies I don’t know.” She greeted cheerfully. The pink mare was about to start another sentence when she gasped and swiftly turned to face me and Silver. She then let out a tiny squeal of delight and galloped back into the bakery’s kitchen. I looked around at the other ponies at my table to see if they were just as shocked as I was but they were all giggling and shaking their heads. “Oh that Pinkie Pie.” Said Rainbow. Winter sighed. “I should have known that she would not recognize our visitors. Who knows what she will do this time.” Winter exclaimed, still shaking her head. I looked at Winter with concern. “What do you mean by ‘what will she do this time?’?” Silver asked, curiosity and anxiety painted on her face. “Oh I’m sorry. I forgot that you girls are new.” Winter said with a comforting smile. “That pink mare that just gave us these cupcakes, that’s Pinkie Pie. She is Ponyville’s very own party planner and welcome committee all rolled into one.” She explained. “Yeah. There isn’t a pony in Ponyville that she doesn’t know. And if she just happens to run into someone new, she throws them a huge ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.” Rainbow Dash cut in. “The only thing that I have to warn you about is that no pony knows when it will happen.” She finished with smirk. I gulped nervously but deep down I also felt loved and accepted in this temporary home, and this brought a smile to my face. Meanwhile, Back at Home..."HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!" Cerberius screamed at a cowering scientist he had backed up Into a corner. When the two test subjects had been tossed into the portal, it back fired and blew up. Now Cerberius was out for th blood of the pony who had caused it. He has had enough and now he didn't care who he slaughtered. If you were in his way, you were a dead pony. Cerberius held up the knife that was clenched in his teeth the silver blade making a small prism of colors in the light. He stepped closer until he was just a hair away from the scientist when he suddenly whipped his head sideways, ripping halfway through the pony's neck causing him to let out a gargled cry. His body soon went limp and collapsed to the floor in a heap. Two guards stood erect on either side of the door, silently watching the murder unfurl before them yet they kept a straight face. “Get rid of the body and please don’t make a mess when doing so.” Cerberius commanded almost in a bored tone as he wiped the crimson goo from his knife before placing it in its sheath that was strapped to his foreleg. Galaxy paused the hologram and looked at her students. Horror-filled expressions were plastered to their faces. “Would anyone like to leave? I will not be offended or upset.” Galaxy asked feeling guilty. The ponies looked around at each other and slowly shook their heads. Galaxy nodded and continued the story. “Where could she have possibly gone?” Midnight sobbed into Eclipse’s chest as he held her, stroking her messy mane. “I don’t know but I know our little girl. She wouldn’t just get up and run away.” Eclipse said to his wife. It had been two days since Sapphira had gone missing and Eclipse had been out of town for the past week due to work. So naturally he didn't know about his daughter being gone until that afternoon when he arrived home. Midnight pulled from Eclipses grasp just far enough so she could see his face. “You’re right, but that still doesn’t alter the fact that our baby is missing.” She stated, a new wave of tears overcoming her. “We will find her. But now we need to get some rest because searching all night with no sleep is not going to help us.” Ecplipse said as he started tugging his wife to their bedroom. Midnight didn’t say anything; she sniffed and followed the stallion with a whimper. A knock came at the door. Eclipse sleepily opened his eyes half way and cringed at the sun that streamed into the room. Once his eyes had adjusted he glanced at the nightstand clock that read 7:56. Eclipse let his heavy head fall back down too the pillow for a second before nudging his wife with his muzzle and climbing out of bed. He slowly trudged towards the door as more rapid knocks echoed through the house. He opened the door to a frantic Coda who was hopping from one leg to another nervously. Eclipse was about to say something when Midnight came up behind. "Oh Coda, please come in." She said, gently pushing her husband out of the way so the colt could pass. "Have you had any luck yet?" Midnight asked the blue colt expectantly. Star lowered his head, his mane covering his wet eyes. Midnight choked back a wave of sobs. Eclipse, who was still by the door, spoke up. "Star is it?" He asked the young colt who was just a few inches shorter than Eclipse. The colt nodded looking at the stallion. "Were.. I mean, are you Sapphira's friend?" He asked. Coda nodded again. "Yes sir. I have been helping Mrs. Midnight look for her and my parents, who own the sweet shop in town have a few missing flyers posted around town." Coda explained solemnly. "I know that we just met two days ago but she was my first friend that I have had in a long time." He confessed with a couple tears escaping his green eyes. Eclipse walked to Coda and put a hoof around his shoulder. "Thank you for looking out for her and being her friend." He said. "We will find her." I've Got the Magic in MeBy the time we had gotten home from our tour and hanging out with Twister and Rainbow Dash, everypony was too tired to even climb the stairs to the bedrooms. Winter and Fire said their good nights and headed off to their rooms. Silver and I got to share the guest bedroom which was actually really big for a sort of small house. The only problem is was that there was only one bed. “I can sleep on the floor.” I offered and started to grab a pillow from the bed when Silver tapped my shoulder. “You don’t have to do that… I… Really don’t mind sharing since it is a pretty big bed.” She stuttered followed by a small blush. I smiled, my cheeks heating up to match Silvers’. “Okay. Thanks.” We both climbed into bed and snuggled under the blankets. I somehow felt a lot more safe when I had my new companion and it shaded my cheeks an even darker red, luckily it was too dark for Silver to see. I woke up to the sound of quiet whimpers coming from next to me. I opened my eyes a little and looked around. I saw Silver lying curled up in a ball softly crying. I nudged her with my hoof and she jumped a little until she saw that it was just me. She turned around and with the bright full moons’ light leaking through the window I could see her tear stained and blotched face. “I’m sorry that I woke you up.” She sniffled. “I’m just feeling a bit home sick at the moment.” She explained, wiping away some tears. I couldn’t hold it in any longer so I burst out crying and we cried together. “That’s okay.” I choked. I had tried my best to be strong for the younger filly but that just didn’t work out. We cried together, hugging each other until our eyes were dry and we eventually fell asleep in each other’s hooves till the morning sun started creeping into the sky. A knock came at the door. “Girls. We have to leave soon so we can catch our train.” Winter called from the other side of the door. We opened our eyes, a little startled and embarrassed at first to see that we were still holding on to each other from the previous night’s cry fest. I jumped from the bed stretching out my wings and legs. Silver’s head fell back to the pillow in exhaustion. “Five more minutes.” She muffled into the bed sheets. “Come on Silver. We get to meet the princesses today.” I stated pulling the covers off of her and she instantly folded up, shivering. “Fine.” She said lazily and she started to crawl with her eyes closed but the edge of the bed came and she didn’t notice, so she fell to the floor muzzle first into the carpet. “Ow.” She grumbled into the floor. I burst out laughing and eventually she sat up and started laughing with me. “Come on.” I said as I stumbled towards the door still giggling uncontrollably. “What are you guys laughing about?” Fire asked as Silver and I tumbled down the stairs, our manes still un-brushed. “Silver tried to crawl off the bed… With her eyes closed and well the bed kind of ended.” I explained through bursts of laughter. Fire tried to suppress a chuckle. “So that’s what that thud was upstairs. Are you okay Silver?” Winter asked concerned but also smiled a bit. “Yeah I am fine.” Silver said as she sat down at the kitchen table which had pancakes piled high upon a plate in the middle. “Well eat up girls. We are leaving in an hour.” Winter declared as Silver, Fire and I scarfed down some pancakes still laughing with our mouths full. Winter shook her head and grinned. “Hey mom I just thought of a really good idea.” Fire said. “Since Silver and Sapphira have horns, could we teach them a little about unicorn magic before we leave?” She asked excitedly. “That’s a great idea!” Winter admitted. I jumped out of my seat. “Really! You will actually teach us?” I asked my eyes wide with eagerness. “Why not? Fire and I can probably teach you how to levitate things, the basics.” Winter said. “This is so cool!” Silver said clopping her hooves together in delight as we stood in the living room waiting for Winter to begin. “Okay girls, what I want you to do is clear your heads.” Winter instructed with Fire sitting on the couch silently observing. We did as we were told. “Once you have your head completely, try to replicate my moves.” She said and with that she closed her eyes in concentration as her horn began to glow softly. The glass that Winter had set on the coffee table started to shimmer with Winter’s white aurora as it rose into the air before being gently placed back on the table. “Okay, Sapphira, you first.” Winter said. I nodded and made sure my head was clear and then I thought about the cup rising into the air. I felt something spark in my head and a shiver ran down my spine as I felt my horn tingle with magic. My magic suddenly surged and my eyes snapped open to find the cup had risen a few inches and then fell to the table, shattering it. I gasped. “I’m so sorry.” I sputtered feeling like I was going to burst out crying. “Oh it’s okay dear. To be perfectly honest, I could feel your aurora, which is your magic, I felt it like it was my own and that is truly astounding.” She said as she levitated a broom and dust pan to clean up the shards of glass. After cleaning up the mess I had made, Winter decided that it was best to use a plastic cup instead. “Silver it’s your turn.” Winter said taking a few tiny steps back just in case. Silver had a little more control than I did but cup still clattered back onto the table noisily. “I think that’s enough practice for now. It’s time to go anyway so let’s get a move on.” Winter shuffled us out of the house. Fire, Silver and I galloped ahead playing tag all the way to the train station while Winter trotted happily behind, her saddle bag swishing bag and forth with her movements. “You’re it!” Silver yelled as she tagged Fire and quickly ran away. Fire spun around heading right for me. I squealed, darting around Winter. “Ha ha! Catch me if you can!” I shouted. I peeked around Winter white mane expecting to find Fire but she wasn’t there. Fire poked me with her horn, making me jump into the air. “Gotcha!” She shouted and I chased after her and Silver the rest of the way there. The train was so cool, it had its own buffet for the passengers filled with more snacks and goodies than I could possibly imagine. “This is so awesome.” I declared as we walked over to a booth to sit and eat our treats. “Wait until you see Canterlot.” Fire exclaimed. “And the city itself isn’t even the best part. The castle is what is really going to blow your mind.” “I can’t wait.” Silver gleamed. My grin widened as far it possibly could. “Me neither.” “Its so beautiful.” I said awestruck as I stared up at the gleaming castle walls. I looked over at Fire and Silver and they had the same expression as me, wide eyes and gaping mouth. I chuckled to myself as Winter pushed us to the towering double doors. “May I help you?” The unicorn receptionist asked with a funny accent, looking us up and down over her glasses. “Yes.” Winter stepped forward. “We need to speak to the princesses at once. This is an emergency.” She said. The mare turned back to her computer and started scrolling. “Uh huh. Do you have an appointment?” She asked, not even taking her eyes off the monitor. “No but it is very urgent that we see the princesses. “I'm sorry but no appointment, no meeting.” She stated. ‘She doesn’t sound like she is sorry.’ I thought to myself. Winter turned around all flustered. “Well there are no other ponies around. Could we show her your wings?” She whispered to Silver and I. “That might be the only way to get in. Without having to break in.” She added. I looked at Silver expectantly but she had the same wondering look as me. I finally nodded and Silver and I pulled off our cloaks, expanding our wings at the same time. The receptionist stared at us. “Starswirls beard!” She exclaimed as her jaw fell. “Now will you let us see the princesses?” Winter asked, trying desperately stay in control. The mare nodded her head, still mesmerized by our wings as she opened the set of doors next to her with her magic and stated, “Down the hall and make your first right.” “Thanks.” Winter said coldly and she hurried us past the still stunned unicorn and through the doors. ‘This is it. Don’t screw it up Sapphira.’ I thought, mentally giving myself a pep talk. I gulped. ‘Oh boy.’ PrincessesI nervously paced the hallway outside the royal throne room, images and thoughts of what the princesses might be like. ‘Oh gosh. I think I’m going to be sick.’ Silver wasn’t weathering any better either. She almost looked a little green against her silvery coat. The guards, who had been completely motionless for the 5 minutes we were out her finally moved and swiftly opened the door to a magnificent ballroom size hall with stained glass depiction’s of what looked to be like stories. Then I saw them. Three regal, tall Alicorns sitting atop three of the four tall chairs in the room. The one in the middle was a snow white Alicorn with an almost magical looking mane of all different colors and a golden crown on her head. To the right was a midnight blue Alicorn, slightly smaller than the other one with a star dotted, flowing mane and a black crown. The last of the three was the smallest, almost a regular size pony with a soft purple coat and a deep purple and pink striped mane and a golden crown with a star on top of it. The oldest looking one smiled at once and motioned us to come forth. We slowly made our way to the princesses. When we arrived at the base of their thrones we bowed our heads all the way to the floor. “Rise Sapphira Night, Silver Dream, Winter and Fire Bird.” The oldest princess said with a voice like sweet honey. We did as we were told and I folded in my wings, just remembering that I had them out the whole time. “Wait. How do you know our names?” I asked, honestly a little scared and not really wanting to know how. “My name is Princess Celestia and my faithful student and newest royal, Twilight Sparkle, felt a powerful disturbance in the magical atmosphere a few days ago. So we traced it to you and sent an agent to follow you quietly. Just to check to make sure that there weren’t any problems.” Celestia assured. “We sent one of Twilight’s most loyal friends, Rainbow Dash to follow you from the skies and report back to us her findings.” She continued. “I’m terribly sorry that we had to do that in that manner but it was very necessary. Oh and forgive me for not giving you ladies a proper introduction.” Celestia apologized. “This is Luna, Princess of the Night.” She said pointing a hoof at the midnight mare next to her. Luna bowed her head slightly. Celestia then pointed her hoof to the purple mare. “And this is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic. I would introduce our last royal, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but she is currently ruling in the Crystal Empire and will have to wait.” “Now to our current situation. Could you please tell me where you girls are from?” Celestia asked Silver and I. We nodded and we both took turns, spilling out every last little detail that we had told Winter and Fire. The princesses listened intently nodding occasionally but not showing any sort of emotion. I finished with a sigh. It felt good to tell somepony I could trust. Twilight Sparkle was the first to speak up. “I have read about the subject of dimension jumping but there is so little information out there. I have been looking through the Canterlot secret library at an unknown location, yet I have not stumbled upon any." My heart dropped to my stomach as I took in the news. I nervously paced the hallway outside the royal throne room, images and thoughts of what the princesses might be like. ‘Oh gosh. I think I’m going to be sick.’ Silver wasn’t weathering any better either. She almost looked a little green against her silvery coat. The guards, who had been completely motionless for the 5 minutes we were out her finally moved and swiftly opened the door to a magnificent ballroom size hall with stained glass depiction’s of what looked to be like stories. Then I saw them. Three regal, tall Alicorns sitting atop three of the four tall chairs in the room. The one in the middle was a snow white Alicorn with an almost magical looking mane of all different colors and a golden crown on her head. To the right was a midnight blue Alicorn, slightly smaller than the other one with a star dotted, flowing mane and a black crown. The last of the three was the smallest, almost a regular size pony with a soft purple coat and a deep purple and pink striped mane and a golden crown with a star on top of it. The oldest looking one smiled at once and motioned us to come forth. We slowly made our way to the princesses. When we arrived at the base of their thrones we bowed our heads all the way to the floor. “Rise Sapphira Night, Silver Dream, Winter and Fire Bird.” The oldest princess said with a voice like sweet honey. We did as we were told and I folded in my wings, just remembering that I had them out the whole time. “Wait. How do you know our names?” I asked, honestly a little scared and not really wanting to know how. “My name is Princess Celestia and my faithful student and newest royal, Twilight Sparkle, felt a powerful disturbance in the magical atmosphere a few days ago. So we traced it to you and sent an agent to follow you quietly. Just to check to make sure that there weren’t any problems.” Celestia assured. “We sent one of Twilight’s most loyal friends, Rainbow Dash to follow you from the skies and report back to us her findings.” She continued. “I’m terribly sorry that we had to do that in that manner but it was very necessary. Oh and forgive me for not giving you ladies a proper introduction.” Celestia apologized. “This is Luna, Princess of the Night.” She said pointing a hoof at the midnight mare next to her. Luna bowed her head slightly. Celestia then pointed her hoof to the purple mare. “And this is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic. I would introduce our last royal, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but she is currently ruling in the Crystal Empire and will have to wait.” “Now to our current situation. Could you please tell me where you girls are from?” Celestia asked Silver and I. We nodded and we both took turns, spilling out every last little detail that we had told Winter and Fire. The princesses listened intently nodding occasionally but not showing any sort of emotion. I finished with a sigh. It felt good to tell somepony I could trust. Twilight Sparkle was the first to speak up. “I have read about the subject of dimension jumping but there is so little information out there. I have been looking through the Canterlot secret library at an unknown location, yet I have not stumbled upon any." My heart dropped to my stomach as I took in the news. Twilight, from her many studies of friendship in the past, recognized the despair in the little ponies eyes. “But maybe you can help us find a solution.” Twilight said with a small smile. “We can help as well.” Winter stated. Celestia bowed her head. “Thank you so much for taking care of these fillies. We greatly appreciate it.” She said. “There is one last place that might have our answer.” Princess Luna spoke up for the first time. Her voice rang with a deep, old English accent. Everyone looked at her with surprise. “Really sister? Please do share.” Celestia asked the blue Alicorn. Luna’s expression stayed solid as she spoke. “We had an old secret library in our old castle. We did a little bit of research on space exploration since we are the princess of the night. Anyway, before Nightmare Moon was imprisoned, we took the liberty in concealing the books after finding a very dark secret that we wanted nopony to stumble upon.” She explained. Twilight’s eyes lit up with excitement. “A secret library?!” She asked with glee. Celestia glanced over at the light purple mare raising her eyebrow. Twilight got the message and sank back into her seat. Celestia turned back to us. “Well with this new information, I say we take a trip to the ruins of the castle of the royal pony sisters. Luna, lead the way.” She stated as she rose from her throne. Celestia gathered her guards, commanding them to get a few chariots ready for the journey and cancel any other appointments the princesses had the rest of the day. “Oh, and please send word to Princess Cadence to meet us there as soon as possible.” Celestia said to her guard. “Yes your majesty.” He said before quickly galloping away. We were flown to a secluded and dark part of Equestria. Magic flowed through my body, but it wasn’t like regular magic that she had experienced earlier. It almost felt eerie, rouge and unnatural making a shiver run the length of my spine. I huddled closer to Silver and Fire. Finally a tall crumbling structure came into view followed by the rest of the ruined castle. It was both breathe taking and frightening and I wasn’t sure that I was fully willing to go in despite its sinister beauty. The chariots circled the castle a few times before landing at an old rope bridge. “We cannot carry all of you. So you will have to go across the bridge.” Luna said before spreading her dark wings diving into the deep cavern below and disappearing into the fog. We looked down into the soupy thickness trying to see the princess until she suddenly soared up into the sky, landing gracefully next to Twilight and her sister who shook her head, rolling her eyes. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and stepped up towards the slightly swaying bridge with Fire in tow, followed by Silver and then Winter. “Be careful.” Winter said with a shaky voice. ‘Why does it always have to be a rickety brige?’ I asked myself, trying to stall. ‘Why couldn’t it be a nice stable concrete bridge or something.’ I attempted to move but no matter how hard I tried, my hooves would not budge. I looked at the princesses who stood on the other side giving us reassuring nods. I lifted a hoof, only to step back into Fire who yelped out of fright. “Sorry.” I said and looked back to the wooden planks of the bridge. Before I could take another step, I felt something push me. I squealed as I was shoved onto the bridge. I opened my eyes to find myself alive and shaking. “What was that for?” I cried to Fire who smirked “You wouldn’t move, so I just decided to give you a little nudge.” Silver stood behind Fire trying to hold back a chuckle. “Yeah yeah. Laugh it up you two. You know you have to cross the bridge as well.” I stated, stomping a hoof and with that, the board that was holding me up gave way and I tumbled through the opening. “HELP! SOMEPONY HELP ME!” I screamed as I help on to part of the bridge that had not collapsed. I heard a smack as the board that had broken fell to the canyons floor, the sound echoing. Thick fog started to envelope me, making my hooves slippery and whimper escaped from my mouth. Just as I started losing my grip, I felt a strong hoof wrap around my upper waist. My savior pulled me up onto land. I lied on the ground panting with Silver lying next to me in the same state. As soon as I had my lungs restored with the proper amount of oxygen, I sat up and gave Silver the biggest hug I could muster with my weak limbs. I pulled away from her, still shaken. "Thanks for saving me." I said with a blush. "No problem." Silver said as she returned the blush. Then we all felt magic wrap around us as we were teleported to the other side of the bridge by Twilight. We made our way into the castle as dark thunder clouds began to take over the sky, blotting out Celestia’s sun. We stepped carefully among the ruble so as not to cause it to fall down on us. "More than a thousand years ago, this castle used to be home to Luna and I until Canterlot palace was built." Celestia spoke up as we traveled through the halls that were littered with broken glass. We stopped at a set of double wooden doors at the end of the hallway"These walls hold many secrets, both good and evil." Luna stated as she and Celestia pushed the resistant doors open on rusty hinges. "Welcome to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters." Celestia said as they entered a vast throne room with huge shattered, glass-stained windows. All of our mouths dropped in awe of its mysterious beauty. “Wow. This certainly brings back memories.” Twilight said as she walked around the stone throne room. “Luna, are you okay?” She asked turning back to the princess of the night. Luna didn’t answer but just had a confused look on her face. “What happened here?” Silver whispered quietly as the princesses walked around taking in the scenery. “It’s a long story. I will tell you girls later.” Winter answered. “Luna, what’s wrong?” Celestia asked with concern. Luna turned around in horror. “The shards of Nightmare Moon are gone!” Return“What do you mean ‘gone’?” Twilight quickly spun of her hooves. “We never disturbed the remnants of Nightmare after you defeated her. There have been ways to resurrect ponies that have been found but they are known to equestrian rulers.” Luna said to Twilight. “We were afraid that something might happen. So we just left them alone.” She finished as she began to pace. “Do you think…” Twilight trailed off. “No! That is not possible!” Luna snapped at Twilight who shrunk away from the angered princess. Just as Luna was about to speak again, Celestia hushed her, perking her ears. “What…” Luna asked only to get a white hoof in her face to silence her. “Do you hear that?” Celestia dropped her voice down to a whisper. My ears swiveled to the direction from which a sort of buzzing sound came from. “I hear it.” I stated. “Yeah, me too. It almost sound like a bug flying around.” Fire spoke up. The noise got louder and before long it sounded like it was in the same room. We all looked up at the dark ceiling to find a pair of glowing, slitted green eyes staring down at us. Silver and Fire screamed and we all split up, going to different sides of the room. The thing dropped down and landed with a CRACK as the floor fractured under its hooves. (I had no idea what it was but I wasn't too interested in finding out at the moment.) I tried not to look but it was hard not to. The pony had long, black legs with holes in them (No, really holes you could actually see through.), a splintered horn, sickly green mane and tail and buzzing insect wings. “Well look who we have here.” The weird hybrid pony said with a devilish smirk. “Celestia, Luna and the newest princess, Twilight Sparkle. Good, all of you being here together will just make it easier for us to destroy you.” She finished. “Chrysalis. I thought Princess Cadence and Shining Armor destroyed you.” Celestia stated. “Oh how wrong you are Celestia. She might have hurt me physically but she didn’t even put a dent in my magic. So once I had gathered my strength again I found this place, but this wasn’t to only thing I had stumbled upon.” She flashed us a wicked smile. Just then, a laugh came echoing through the wreckage that didn't belong to Chrysalis. By now I was shaking like a leaf, frantically looking around for the source of the voice. I glanced over at the princesses who had completely frozen at the spot. “This can’t be possible.” Twilight stuttered. A blue puff of smoke appeared and formed itself into a black Alicorn right before our eyes. “Oh but Twilight Sparkle, it is very possible.” The black mare spoke. She was as tall as Celestia, she had a magical mane like Luna but it was much darker and didn't flow as much, and she had blue metal armor on her head, hooves and chest. But the part that really confused me was that she was a full grown mare but had no cutie mark and she looked almost like she had the flu with her blood-shot eyes and wrinkling face. Winter started to back up slowly, pulling us along with her. We were almost to the stairs that had brought us to the old throne room when Fire tripped on stone that sent her tumbling backwards onto the floor. Both of the wicked mares ears perked up and they turned to us with snake-like eyes. “Well, well. Look who we have here.” Chrysalis sang. “A couple of new Alicorn fillies.” The black mare grinned. “Celestia? Did you not feel safe with three other powerful Alicorns protecting you? Afraid that we will knock off your stupid crown again?” The mare’s smile widened as she saw that she had hit a nerve when Celestia cringed. Celestia regained her composure quickly. “Don’t you dare hurt them. Your fight is with me.” Luna and Twilight stepped up next to Celestia. “Us as well.” Luna announced, lowering her horn a little as Twilight stamped at the ground in resentment. “Oh would you look at the time. Sorry to cut this little reunion short, but we have a prior engagement that we have to attend to.” Chrysalis said licking her vile lips greedily. And with that, the two mares vanished leaving us with dumbfounded looks on our faces. Twilight began pacing and mumbling something about “Elements of Harmony” and not scientifically possible. Luna was still glued to the spot with a baffled expression on her muzzle. Celestia was conjuring scrolls with her magic and quickly scanning them before vanishing. I stepped towards the princesses tired of not getting the answers I wanted. “What is going on here?” I demanded, stomping my hoof and startling everypony in the room. I suddenly came to the conclusion that I shouldn't have done that and hastily stuffed my hoof in my mouth. I seriously expected somepony to come up and slap me silly but it never came. I opened my mouth to beg for mercy but Celestia held up her hoof. “I got all of you wrapped in this mess and you deserve answers.” She sighed as she carefully sat on the ground, not even concerned with the fact that her pristine white coat was getting dirty. “Luna and I have collected a few enemies over the years of our rule that we have had to defeat again and again. Those two mares are just two of the ponies that have tried to take over Luna’s and my kingdom over many generations. Chrysalis, the insect looking mare, is the Changling Queen and she brainwashed Princess Cadence’s husband on their wedding day by impersonating Cadence.” Celestia paused when she saw our confused glances. “Changlings have the power to change themselves into any pony they see and look and talk exactly like them while feeding off their love. That’s how they gain their power.” “Ooohhhh.” We all said at once. “Continue princess.” Winter said. Celestia nodded. “The other black mare I can’t explain as easily.” She stated looking over at Luna who had her eyes on the ground. “Would you like me to tell them or would you rather do it.” Celestia asked Luna. “Yes, sister, I will.” Luna took a deep breath. “About a thousand years ago, I grew envious of my sister and turned to the dark side for comfort and it changed me and I became Nightmare Moon. Celestia did the only thing she could do to protect our kingdom from my corrupted self by imprisoning me in the moon for a thousand years until the stars aided in my escape.” She explained shamefully but she pressed forward. “When I returned I tried to shroud Equestria in eternal darkness before Twilight and her friends were summoned to use the Elements of Harmony to destroy my mental prison, leaving the shards of my past to lie here alone until now. That mare is and will always be a part of me that I will forever regret.” Luna finished with a soleum look on her face. "The only logical explanation that she is back is that somepony sacrificed herself so that Nightmare Moon's soul could regain power to transform herself and gain power." “It’s okay Luna. It is in the past now and we have far bigger problems at the moment.” Celestia stated as she stood up and gently dusted herself off. “Oh Celestiaaaa!!!!!” A male voice boomed. “Did you miss me?!” The voice cackled as Celestia’s eyes grew wide in panic. “Oh crap! Here we go again! I just want to go home.” I thought to myself as kept myself from doing a facehoof and hiding in a corner to ball my eyes out. But there was no time to do that before a huge lumbering figure appeared in the doorway with a mechivious grin plastered on it’s face. Author's Note Finally done! I think :P let me know if any of you readers have any suggestions on stuff to add :D Cotton CandyCelestia’s jaw dropped as a new body in the room sauntered out of the shadows. At this point everypony’s eyes bulged out of their sockets when they saw that the thing was an exact replica of the sun princess. “Can this get any freaking weirder?!” I looked at the real Celestia. (I think. I’m not too sure after I learned about the changlings. For all we know she could be some alien from another planet or something! I honestly wouldn’t even be surprised.) The other Celestias' body shimmered leaving a tall male beast whose body was made up of different creatures. “Did you like my body?” The animal asked, flapping it’s one dragon wing and one Pegasus wing. “I mean it was a little chubby around the edges, you know Celestia, how you like to indulge in a little midnight snack every once in a while.” He smirked. Celestia’s white muzzle flushed with not just embarrassment but pure rage that her secret (Which I found out wasn’t really a secret in the first place) had been revealed. Celestia stomped her hoof, clearly pissed off, daring the monster to throw another insult her way. "Oh Celestia, why must you always be a party pooper." He said as he glided up next to the sun princess, twirling his claws through her mane. "Maybe..." His voice echoed after he suddenly vanished only to reappear on the other side of Celestia and pull her mane right off her head with ease and plopped it onto a cone. "Maybe some cotton candy will cheer you up!" he snickered as he took a bite from the detached mane. We all stood around, probably looking like freaking fish, with our mouths absent mindedly opening and closing in shock, even poker face Luna. Celestia, from the looks of it, was the most shocked out of all of us and ready to pop like a water balloon. I seriously couldn't believe this guy. Who did he think he was?! As the creature munched on his newly snatched treat, his yellow eyes wandered around the room before landing on on Silver and me. "Oh goody!" He exclaimed, throwing his cotton candy into the air which disappeared and then 'POOFED' back onto Celstia's bald head, perfectly unchewed. "Did Celestia decide she needed more Alicorn minions to do all of her "tiring" work?" He asked maliciously. 'I am so done with this guy.' I thought as I stomped towards him with new-found strength. "No! She is a great princess and she did not create us in any way, shape or form." I huffed at him who was taken aback by my anger but he soon recovered and bent down so his face was right in front of mine. "Uh huh. Tell me some more stories kid." I headbutted him, silently accepting his challenge and I asked bitterly, "Who the hell are you and what do you want from us?" Discord straightened up with a confused expression but then he just laughed, falling to a blue couch that shimmered into view. He laughed so hard that his stomach suddenly burst open and let out streamers and confetti. We all craned our heads to get a glimpse of the motionless beast. Just as I thought that he had literally died of laughter, the body disappeared. I frantically looked around until I turned my head and his face was right there. "AAHH!" We all screamed and I scrambled backwards on my numb hooves. "You should have seen your faces! You really thought I was dead! Well sorry to disappoint you but I am Discord, the Master of Chaos, so forever I shall reign." He exclaimed. 'Great.' I thought, mentally rolling my eyes. 'Another immortal, evil god. All of this is giving me a headache.' "Why couldn't have saved your chaos for another day?" Silver whined. "Awe." He said clasping his paws together. "Would you like some cheese with that wine?" Silver's mouth instantly filled up with cheese sticks, almost gagging her. "Knock it off!" I growled as a new wave of power surge through me. Silver trotted up next to and she wasn't lookin' too happy either. This was the first time I had seen Silver's ugly side and I made a mental note not to piss her off in the future. With her presence next to me, our strengths some how doubled as if our powers were connected. I felt like I could do anything . Silver gave me a curious glance and I knew she had felt it too. We turned back to Discord who was holding back a laugh as he looked between Silver and I. "You guys crack me up!" But could we do this later I kind of have to run some 'errands'." He stated looking at a watch on his wrist that wasn't there before with a devilish grin. "Hey! We aren't finished with you yet!" I yelled as I sprinted towards Discord and braced for the impact but I never came. I passed through him like he hadn't had been there at all. I looked at the fading holographic image with disappointment. "We have to get back to Canterlot. Who knows what damage has already been done." Twilight said and with that she turned on her hooves and galloped back to the waiting chariots. 'So damn close!' I stomped in annoyance. I turned towards my stunned friends and princesses. "I'm sorry I let him get away." I apologized staring at the floor of my chariot. "It's not your fault sweetheart. If anyone is to blame it would be me. I had the chance to do something but I let it slip through my hooves." Celestia stated. "We all had a chance to do someing princess. I can't imagine what you must be going through." Winter said. "Winter is right sister. What has happened is in the past now." Luna said. "I suggest we press forward but I'm afraid that our research will have to be postponed until we are able to get this under control." Twilight stated. I looked to Celestia. "She is correct. Our top priority is to protect the kingdom and with three or more enemies attacking at once, we need all attention on the people." My heart sank with each word, and the realization came to me that Silver and I may never get a chance to go home. "Well screw them. I will join and help fight. Sitting around on my ass is not going to get me any closer to going home so I will help in any way possible." Silver stated bravely still boiling with anger. I gaped at her language and once I had gotten past the initial shock stood up as well. "I will fight too." I stated. "That's very noble but this isn't your problem and I am deeply sorry I got all of you into this mess." Celestia admitted. "We are already involved so why not just go the rest of the way." I said. Silver nodded in agreement. Celestia smiled as if she knew that we would object on staying out. "Thank you girls so much and a guest suite in the castle so Twilight can teach you girls how to use your magic. And thank you for taking care of these girls and getting them here safely." Celestia said to Winter. Winter beamed at the gratitude from royalty. "I would like to make just one request." Winter stated. Celestia nodded and signaled for her to continue. "My daughter and I would like to stay in Canterlot to look after them and help in any way." Celestia thought about it for a second and then smiled. "That is a wonderful idea since it looks like you guys have already bonded quite well." "Then it is settled." Luna said in her usual solid tone, but behind the straight face she held, I could see that she was smiling a little inside. She was happy to have somepony new to teach her about the night she creates and she knew that that somepony was me. Author's Note Done! I give this http://browse.deviantart.com/art/Discord-being-Discord-281176741 person credit for inspiring the cotton candy bit. Safety in Numbers... Or NotWe started our quick descend into the great city that really wasn't so great at the moment. Celestia, Luna and Twilight had already leapt from their rides, yelling out orders to the Royal Pegasi guards when Canterlot had come into view just a few minutes earlier. I peered over the edge and down onto the chaos that was spreading. Ponies shrieked and scrambled off in different directions with either what looked like mini Chrysalis's or monsters on their flanks. Some ponies stayed to fight off the attack (Mostly the guards) but a good majority of Canterlots' citizens fled to the safety of their homes. I so badly wanted to be down there in action but I got direct orders from Luna to stay put and from the look on her face she seemed desperate to keep me safe for some reason, but I trusted her instincts. I scanned the streets for any signs of Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon or Discord but we didn't see them. "They might have sent their minions to do the dirty work for them." Fire spoke up. Silver was looking out at the sky when she suddenly whipped her head around to face me. "Don't you dare Sapphira Night!" She warned. I stared, dumbfounded, at her while Winter and Fire looked between the both of us. My jaw dropped. "Wha... H-how... How did you know?" I asked in bewilderment. Silver looked just as shocked as me. "I don't know. A thought just popped into my head and I realized it was yours when you said..er...thought my name." Silver and I looked over at Winter and Fire who were staring at us from their chariot in shear confusion until Fire spoke up. "Freaky." We touched down in the princesses garden at the back of the castle and were quickly rushed inside by guards. We galloped as hard as we could through the corridors. We were so close to our destination until bits of the castle wall exploded from our right. The next explosion sent me flying through the air and then the last thing I remember was slamming into a wall before blacking out. "SAPPHIRA! Sapphira, please wake up!" I don't quite know what happened but I suddenly was jerked from my slumber, gasping for air. "Oh my gosh! Thank Celestia you are okay!" Fire exclaimed throwing her hooves around me that triggered a mini mind bomb to go off in my head. I looked around at my surroundings to see I was in a white room in a bed with heart moniter beeping steadily. "Ow. What happened? Where is Silver?" I asked frantically when my vision had fully returned. Winter silently pointed to the bed across from mine. Silver was on it and quietly breathing and I noticed that her foreleg was heavily bandaged. "The princesses were fending off Chrysalis when all four of the magical energies combined and caused explosion." Winter stated. "It was so powerful that it and a second explosion destroyed three whole walls into the hallway, which is where we were at the time." I stared at her in disbelief. "The princesses are okay and so is Silver for now but a shard of glass made a deep wound in her shoulder and she was in critical condition and she lost a lot of blood but she is stable now. Luckily both of you have the same basic body make-up since you are from a different dimension. You, on the the other hand, have been out for a few hours now and the princesses were forced to evacuate the city after the 'magical bomb' and we were sent to a secret fallout shelter underneath Canterlot at the moment while the princesses are moving everypony into random fallout locations across Equestria until these enemies can be brought down. Unfortunately, while the princesses got everypony underground, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon and Discord have taken over the city with their monsters." Winter finished with a nervous sigh. I felt my heart crawl up my throat as my stomach fell. My thoughts were interrupted when a white unicorn accompanied by a yellow pagasus came into the small hospital. "Okay, we need everypony out so we can run some tests and these fillies can get some rest." The unicorn stated as she started to shoo Winter and Fire out. I glanced nervously towards my adoptive family, silently begging them not to leave. Winter got the message. "It's okay Sapphira. Theses ponies will take excellent care of you. We will be right outside the whole time." Winter stated with a half-hearted smile and I nodded to her before she and Fire exited the room. "Hello Sapphira." The yellow pegasus greeted quietly. "My name is Fluttershy. I was sent personally by my friend Princess Twilight Sparkle to take extra special care of you and your friend Silver. I usually only work with animals but I am willing to work with you two." She finished with a small smile a shy blush. Her voice was silky and as quiet as butterfly wings and it immediately calmed my nerves for some reason. I don't know how but I felt I could trust her like I did Luna. "Now I am just going to run a few simple tests before you fall back to sleep so if you could just bear with me." She said with a small giggle that was too cute to resist giggling along with her. Through out the check up, Fluttershy told me about her adventures with Twilight and her other friends like when they had been sent up a mountain by Celestia, before Twilight became princess, to tell a dragon to leave his snoring was causing toxic smoke. She also told me about how she loves animals and kids and all sorts of other fascinating stories that made me forget for a peaceful minute about reality. It was simple but fully enjoyed and appreciated. Fluttershy finished up checking for and major injuries and she didn't even question my wings and horn to my relief."You have been such a nice young mare for me." She said. I grinned sleepily at her and yawned. "You looked completely exhausted. Would you like me sing a lullaby to help you fall asleep?" I nodded eagerly and scooched down underneath the warm blankets. I slowly drifted to sleep as Fluttershy sang quietly, I thought, before I completely dozed off that I might finally get a restful sleep with no nightmares. Boy oh boy was I ever so wrong. I was once again in the dark, dank, and cold hallway with the same growling noise coming from behind. But this time i felt a lot braver than the last nightmare. I turned and stood tall as the creature got closer and closer. What i found out is that as the noise got closer, it split into two separate sounds. One was paws hitting a concrete floor and big wings flapping. Instead of being scared and running away screaming in terror I became more intrigued by the two creatures persueing me until they sounded like they were right in front of me. I squinted through the inky darkness trying to distinguish the two animals. All of a sudden a lantern was lit and I was standing in front of a big grey wolf and a pure black raven. "Do not be alarmed my young queens." The wolf spoke. Author's Note Done! Sorry for the delay. I have a feeling though that the rest of my story will consist of short chapters because I like to keep things short and sweet. But not too short :P Guardians"Queens?" I asked, emphasizing the s on the end. "You, Sapphira Night." The raven answered, pointing to me with her dark wing. "And her, Silver Dream." The wolf said in a deep throaty voice, nodding to somepony behind me. I turned and saw Silver trotting swiftly to where I stood. "Silver? I thought this was a dream." I thought out loud to myself. Silver shrugged as she came up next to me. Now that everyone is here," The raven said as she landed gracefully on her wolf companion. "we should make our way to the library, where it is a little more ... private." The raven finished and the wolf turned and led the way down the now lit up hallway. As we walked I got a closer look at my surrounding. The floor was all stone and the wall as well with flame torches, softly lighting up as we walked by. It wasn't as creepy in the dark, it was kind of like an old, cozy, castle. The wolf walked up to a set of wooden doors and he nuzzled the door open into an expansive, high-ceiling library. "Wow" Silver exclaimed in awe. She gazed, wide-eyed, around at the books that decked the never ending shelves. "It's beautiful." While I absolutely adore books and reading, my curiosity was more focused on the wolf and the raven. "Who are you guys and why did you call us queens?" "We are your guardians dear child." The wolf stated. "And the answer to your second question cannot be given, it must be found by you alone." The raven answered in a sweet but firm tone. "Each and every Alicorn, born and unborn, has a guardian." The raven continued. "We watch over and guide you down the right path." The wolf then took it from there, "Each Alicorn has his or her 'assigned' animal that they symbolize. And every Alicorn has their own species of animal." Silver and I stayed silent, staring at our "guardians", debating on whether to believe them or not. The raven saw the confusion in our eyes and she took off from her perch on the wolf's back, flying up to the top of the library and disappearing into the hazy darkness. A moment later, she came back down with a big leather-bound book in her talons. She set it down on a pedestal and it magically opened to the last page. "Silver Dream," The wolf said as he put his front paws up on the ledge, standing on his hind legs. "I am your guardian, see." He said pointing to a painting of Silver and the wolf. "You represent speed, freedom, faithfulness, and spirituality. You are a true Alpha, even if you might think not." "Sapphira Night, I am your guardian." The raven spoke up, using her beak to point to a picture of me on the last page. "While a raven to others might represent death and sickness, ravens are often misunderstood and falsely judged creatures because of how different they look." I pondered over the raven's statement. 'That makes sense. I am black like a raven but also thought of as weird becasue of my rare black coat.' "You represent darkness, in a good way my dear like Princess Luna," She added quickly when she saw my horror. "You also represent mystery and wisdom. You are guider and a teacher." I looked over at Silver. "Wow." The wolf pawed back a few pages to show a picture of Princess Twilight next to an owl and Princess Cadence was next to a doe. The wolf flipped back one more page to reveal Princess Celestia next to a phoenix and Princess Luna next to a dragon. "You see, you are not alone in this. You were picked for a reason to become an Alicorn and this was all planned out but it is your choice whether you do good or evil." The raven said. "All animals have a bad and a good side, it is the side you give into the more that will decide your fate. And unfortunately, some ponies, not just Alicorns, gave into their bad sides and upset the balance of life, but with every evil being there must be a pure good being to restore balance." The wolf added. I wanted to say something but I couldn't find the right words. and by the silence the spiraled around the library, i guessed the same was happening with Silver. "I see that you are still unsure. Whether you believe us or not, we will always be here in your conscience and you may even see us in the real world, if you decide to open your eyes ." The wolf explained with a devious grin crossing his snout. Now I noticed things had started to fade like chalk in the rain and things became blurry. Silver and I were too stunned to even say anything as the color faded until our guardians finally faded as well as Silver and I began to come back to reality, thinking about how to contact my guardian if I was in real trouble. 'Great,' I thought glumly as I opened my eyes in my hospital bed. 'Now I think of a question.' Author's Note Wow, almost 3 months since I last updated. Really sorry guys! I can't make any promises about the next chapter but I will attempt to get it posted ASAP. Thanks, Midnight Ink The MeetingThe walls vibrated making dust rain down onto the not-so-white bed sheets that were tucked neatly around my body. I turned my head to Silver. She did not look good at all. She sat in bed with her head bowed as she drew invisible lines on her bed with her hoof. Her blue mane had lost some of its color and her usually silvery coat was now a dull, matted gray. “I wonder if that’s what I look like.” I thought to myself. “You had the same dream too.” I concluded. Silver nodded and wrapped her hooves around herself with a shiver. “It didn’t feel like a dream though. It felt so real,” She said. “I think this is something we should talk to the princesses about.” “You’re right but we can’t just go up to them in the middle of all this. They have enough to deal with already; they don’t need to worry about two alicorn queens or whatever.” I said. “Good point. So what’s the plan? We can’t just sit here and take up space.” "Yeah… How are you feeling?” I asked. Silver shrugged. “I feel fine. Ha, maybe the portal gave us healing powers.” She answered with a half-hearted chuckle. “So it’s agreed? We are going to help at any cause?” “Yup,” Silver said as she jumped from the bed. “Let’s go kick some villain butt!” I jumped down after her and trotted through the doors of the infirmary. We were so excited to get into the fight that we completely forgot about Fire and Winter. The doors swung open at our command, scaring Fire and Winter right out of their chairs. I was too enveloped in a battle planning that was taking place in my head that the two loud thumps and the clattering of hooves didn't faze me until Winter and Fire skid to a halt in front of us. “And where do you two think you are going?” Winter asked as she glared down at us. I didn't say anything and let Silver do the talking and while she was explaining our plan, I noticed that I was almost as tall as Winter and I wasn't this tall a few days ago. “Sapphira? Sapphira?” I heard Fire calling out as she shook my shoulder and I looked at her and saw that she was shorter than me now. “That’s strange.” I thought to myself and then shook my head. “What?” I answered in a dazed tone. “I won’t allow you girls to go out and fight these monsters. No way, not a chance. I am responsible for you two and I defiantly don’t want the fact that I let two little fillies gallop to their death on my conscience.” Winter stamped her hoof on the concrete floor. “We have to do this.” I said defiantly. “My instincts tell me we have to help in any way possible.” Winter shook her head. “I won’t allow it.” She repeated. We stood in silence for a while waiting for somepony to speak up. After about a minute Silver finally said, “Can we at least see what is going on? You know, instead of being cooped up like this.” Winter bit her lip in thought “I guess. I heard that one of the rooms down here is being used as a war room at the moment, but I don’t know if they would let you girls in.” “That’s good enough for me.” I stated and Silver nodded in agreement. Winter sighed and started leading us down the underground hallways. “But you have to let us in.” Silver demanded. “Yeah, we need to talk to the princesses right now.” I added. “I’m sorry but no one see’s the princesses…” The guard started to say when a door opened and Princess Luna stepped out into the hallway. The guard turned and bowed. “I am deeply sorry for the interruption, your majesty.” “That is quite all right and as for these ponies, they are allowed to pass.” Luna said. The guard righted himself and bowed his head one more time, “As you wish.” Luna turned to Silver and I. “Come on girls; Winter and Firebird too.” With that, the princess turned around and strode back into the room and we followed. The room was narrow and white with a large table in the center. Celestia was at the head of the table with Twilight and a couple of other important looking ponies standing around as well. They were talking in hushed tones with their heads bent, looking at a map. The door was shut quietly behind us. Luna went to her sister’s side and whispered something to her. Celestia looked at us with a sad smile. Her face looked worn and she had dark circles under her eyes. “Hello girls, I delighted to see that you have healed for the most part.” Celestia said as she ushered us to come to the table. “I have a feeling that you ponies don’t want left out of the loop. So if you feel you are ready, we are willing to incorporate all of you.” Celestia said. Silver and I looked at each other and came to a silent agreement. “Yes.” I answered. “During your recovery, we were able to push some of the monsters back into the Everfree forest. Chrysalis’s changlings are patrolling Canterlot up above and Ponyville while the Griffons are in control of Cloudsdale, the cloud city, and all the other major cities around Equestria.” Luna explained. I raised my hoof. “Sorry to interrupt, but what are griffons?” I asked. Everypony in the room looked at me quizzically until Twilight said, “Oh, sorry, I forgot that you are not from this world. Well, griffons are creatures with the body of a lion and wings and head of an eagle. They live in a territory south of here. They haven’t been the nicest of neighbors, so I am not surprised that they took the chance to help Chrysalis, Nightmare, and Discord with the invasion,” Twilight finished her explanation with a sigh. Celestia continued where Luna left off. “The Crystal Empire, north of here, is the only city that hasn't been touched yet for some reason. We think that since the Empire was just restored about a year ago, that our foes haven’t figured out that it exists yet. This is our only lead we have on them, so if we go about this correctly, we can set up our ranks there for safety and then plan an attack on the leaders once my scouts have located their hideout.” I nodded to show that I was on the same page and Silver did the same. “Is there anything at all that we can do to participate?” Silver asked. Celestia looked at us with the same sad eyes as before but before she was about to answer, Luna nudged her sister and motioned for her to step to the side. They whispered a few comments back and forth until Celestia dropped her head slightly and turned back to the table. “My sister has suggested an idea for you and Sapphira that will really help us and is less dangerous for both of you than a hoof to hoof battle.” Luna then spoke up. “Yes, we have a mission for you, Sapphira Night and Silver Dream, if you are willing to accept. We will be sending you two with Princess Twilight to the Crystal Empire to check in with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Twilight will be able to teach you some defensive magic along the way as well, if time permits. After everything is secured in the Crystal Empire, you will be accompaining me on a different, to-be-determined mission.” I really wanted to smile at this point but I forced myself to keep my composure. “I accept the mission.” I was the first one to speak up. Then Silver followed my example. “I accept the mission as well.” Celestia and Luna nodded. “We will meet again first thing in the morning at the loading dock in tunnel five to make last minute preparations and leave by early afternoon. Dismissed.” Celestia said and she stomped her hoof on the tile and the meeting was over. Silver and I were about to leave with Winter and Fire when Celestia told the two of us to stay back. Everypony else left except us and the princesses and Luna used her magic to close the door once again with a soft click. “Thank you girls for volunteering and sorry for dragging you into this mess. I cannot fathom what you two have been through and I didn’t think that you would want anything to do with this being in a different universe and having new things to deal with.” Celestia said as she gestured to our wings and horns. “Twilight is still diligently working to find a way to get you home but at least for now we can help teach you to control your magical abilities.” said Luna. I finally broke into a smile. “Thank you so much for helping us. All of you are doing everything in your power to get us back home and it is more than we could have asked for.” I said and the three princesses returned the smile. I looked at Silver and saw that she was looking at the ground thoughtfully. “Is there something wrong child?” Celestia asked. Silver looked at the sun princess and then at me. “I think this is the only chance we will get to tell them about the dream.” I heard Silver say in my head. “Agreed.” “Yes there is princess. During mine and Sapphira’s recovery, we had a dream…” Silver stated and the princesses nodded for us to continue. “It was the same dream where we were guided by a wolf and a raven to a library where they called us queens and they called themselves guardians. They showed us a book that had pictures of Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight as alicorns and their animal guardians. We were wondering if you knew about this.” I finished. Luna, Twilight and Celestia all nodded. Twilight stepped forward, her long purple and pink mane swaying as she walked. “I was shown the same thing by my guardian. When I realized that you two were alicorns as well, I was wondering when your guardians would come. But what I find interesting was that your animals decided to come to you at the same time and place.” She said thoughtfully. “We had a theory that when we were thrown into the portal, that something happened and now we are connected on more than just a physical level because sometimes we can communicate without saying anything aloud.” Silver explained. “It is quite unique but that may also mean that your powers can be doubled when used together in the right manner.” Twilight suggested. “Thank you for letting us know, I am glad that things are working themselves out. If any of you girls have any more questions or concerns, we are all here to help when needed.” Celestia said. “Sorry to cut this short but if you will excuse me; I have some business to attend to. I believe Luna can take you to your living spaces for the moment. Goodnight.” Celestia said and then walked out of the room followed by Twilight who gave us a small wave good-bye. "Come, I will show you to your rooms." Luna stated as she turned and walked gracefully out the room and Silver and I followed obediently, both too nervous and excited to think about sleep. Reference GuideReference Guide Main Characters: Sapphira Night (Sa-fear-a) Age in the beginning: Between filly like Applebloom and regular pony like Twilight and her friends (So really about the size of a regular pony) Coat Color: Dark purple/ black in low light Mane and Tail: lighter blue compared to her eyes Eyes: sapphire blue Cutie Mark: http://hungergamesgirl97.deviantart.com/art/Sapphira-001-B-359192338?ga_submit_new=10%253A1363135728 (P.S. the moon on her cutie mark is supposed to be shaped to look like a crystal, kind of like Princess Cadence. and it is white.) King Cerberius (Cer-ber-eye-us) Age: Unknown but about the size of Luna Coat: Pitch Black Mane and Tail: Blood Red Eyes: Slitted pupils and outer area is red. Cutie Mark: Shackle and chain Fire Bird: Age: Same as Sapphira Coat: Fiery orange Mane and tail: red with yellow strips . Eyes: Charcoal Grey Cutie Mark: Unknown (prob a pheonix of some sort) Silver Dream: Age: Same as Sapphira Coat: silver Mane and Tail: dark blue Eyes: blueish gray Cutie mark: Two stars and swirls. Reference: http://hungergamesgirl97.deviantart.com/art/Untitled-381476963 Nightshade: Characteristics Unknown for now Coda Age: Same as Sapphira Coat: Blue/Grey Mane: White and Grey stripped Cutie Mark: Coda symbol in music that signals a repeated verse. Eyes: Green Winter: Characteristics Unknown for now Galaxies Star (Galaxy) Characteristics Unknown for now Midnight (Sapphira's Mother) Age: Normal adult earth pony Mane and tail: Dark silver Coat: Fades from dark purple starting at the head and slowly get lighter all the way down to hooves Cutie Mark: Writing quill Eclipse: Age: Normal adult earth pony Mane and Tail: Midnight blue mane Coat: Black Cutie mark: Full moon eclipsing the sun Other Characters from the show: Princess Celestia Princess Luna Princess Twilight Sparkle Mane 6 Cast Queen Chrysalis Nightmare Moon OC's: Poison Apple Dark Wolf Bloodrose Dark Heart Silver autumn Frost Winter Twister Ms. Scarlett
Story Time“Come my little ponies, I have a surprise. I think that you guys are old enough to hear the more... How do I put this? Well the more grim side of how my mother and her friend became the queens of our beautiful land. A story about adventure and courage. As well as sacrifice and sadness, so heed my warning that this story can get extreme,” Galaxies Star (AKA- Galaxy) announced to the ponies that were spread around the classroom in Saddlewood Acres. One by one each of the ponies stopped and rushed over to Ms. Star. “I love stories!” A young mare named Fire Heart exclaimed excitedly to her friends. “Especially from you, Princess Galaxy,” She spoke to her teacher with glee. Galaxy smiled down at her students with pride and joy. Everypony gathered around the mare, even the student teacher sat at the edge of the group to hear the story. “As all of you are quite aware of, I am Queen Sapphira Night's daughter and the rightful heir to the throne. But what you don’t know is that she lived in completely different universe for some time before her rise to power. She was sent to that different universe by a horrific tyrant by the name of King Volkan,” Galaxy stated as her student’s jaws dropped at what she had stated. Murmurs circulated around the room. Galaxy held up her hoof and the room fell silent again. “Sapphira wasn't always an Alicorn with pegasi wings, a unicorn horn. But the thing that had transported her to this other dimension actually gave her wings and a horn. The same thing happened to Queen Silver Dream as well, when she was sent through the portal with my mother. No one knows why or how it happened, not even Queen's themselves. Before the queens came to power, there were no ponies with wings or even horns for that matter. This is because our previous rulers, who was Volkan's great, great grandfather, had destroyed all pegasi and unicorns during his years of power because he thought they were impure creatures.” Galaxy explained. Everypony gasped at this statement. “We are going to go back 20 years, when Sapphire was just a filly, a lot younger than all of you” Pointed her hoof to the ponies. After the students had gone silent again, Galaxy closed her eyes, unfurling her wings unconsciously and focused her magic through her horn. A huge burst of light exploded from her horn as the room darkened and the classroom disappeared to leave everypony in smaller room. “This is how my mother told me her story. This type of magic can only be performed by an alicorn. This magic was used back in the day to teach and plan battles in the other world that Sapphira and Silver visited; it’s like a 3-D hologram," Galaxy explained "King Volkan ruled over our country until Sapphira and Silver dethroned him. He and his scientists had been the ones responsible for Silver's and Sapphira's disappearance from this world for some time.” Galaxy said. With a flick of her glowing horn, the room faded to a lab setting, where two ponies in white coats sat fixing something on a big metal hoop. “Volkan ruled over our fair land of Amaia for many years with his queen, Nightshade and his second in command, Poison Apple before Sapphira returned and destroyed him.” “I trust that you are almost done with the machine?” King Volkan asked as he walked into the room. “Yes, sire. We are making the final adjustments right now and we should be able to start it up,” One scientist said, still focusing on tightening a bolt. Volkan’s lips curled up into a sinister grin. “Excellent,” He replied as he circled the large machine. “If my great, great grandfather, King Lucious was able to conquer this world, then imagine what I can do in other worlds,” He continued, mostly to himself. The scene stopped suddenly and faded into a bright and warm room with a fire crackling lively in the fireplace. There were only three ponies in the room; a mare lying down on a blanket with a regal black mane and tail, medium purple coat and a writing quill cutie mark on her flank. There was also a stallion standing next to her with a grey coat, royal blue mane and a shooting star for a cutie mark. Finally, curled up next to the mare on the floor, there was a small bundle of blankets where a little head poked out. The little newborn yawned and woke up revealing beautiful sapphire eyes that was filled with curiosity and wonder. “What shall we name her, Midnight?” The stallion, who must have been the father, asked in a quiet voice as not to startle the sleeping filly. “She has those beautiful sapphire eyes,” The mare named Midnight said thoughtfully looking up at her husband. Then she smiled and asked, “What about Sapphira Night?” “That sounds perfect,” He agreed as he bent his down towards Midnight, nuzzling her cheek. The scene shifted again where the students and Galaxy were in an empty classroom. “Hey this is our school!” a filly named Joy exclaimed. “Yup. This is where Sapphira went to school when she was your age,” Galaxy stated. “Now, most parts of the story are in Sapphira’s point of view with the narration from her as well.” The school bell rang. Ponies filed into the room, sitting in their appropriate seats. The teacher finally came in along with a dark purple filly with sapphire blue eyes. “Good morning students!” The teacher greeted her class joyfully. “Good morning Ms. Scarlett,” the students tiredly replied some even accompanied by a yawn. “Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Sapphira Night and I want all of you to make her feel welcome here. Understood?” Ms. Scarlett said. The fillies and colts nodded lazily. (Sapphira's POV) “You can go sit down in the back Ms. Night. Welcome to Saddlewood School.” Ms. Scarlett said nudging me forward. I made my way slowly to the back of the room. As I walked to my seat my ears picked up something other than the rustling of papers. ‘Look at that mangled coat. She looks like she just rolled out of bed with that rat’s nest of a mane,” one filly whispered to her snickering friend. I continued down the aisle with more whispered insults thrown my way but it didn't bother me because mom had said that ponies say mean things when they are jealous. Even though mother taught me to be confident in myself, I was still shy. So I didn't speak up the entire class. I just quietly took notes, like I was told. The day went by slow, the clock aimlessly ticked on until the final bell rung, signaling the end of class. I hopped out of my seat and trotted out to the front yard. “Hey,” somepony greeted me from behind, making me jump. I turned around to see a smiling blue colt. “Sorry to scare you but my name is Coda and I wanted to say welcome to town,” He said brightly. “Thanks,” I answered with a warm smile. “My name is Sapphira Night. Well, you probably already knew that from this morning’s introduction,” I added nervously. Coda chuckled. “You’re pretty cool Sapphira. Hey, I was just about to go to the Cookie Jar would you like to tag along?” He asked. “That would be awesome but can we stop at my house so I can tell my parents where we are going?” I asked as we walked down the road. “Yeah, no problem,” He neighed and we both laughed. We talked about ourselves all the way to my house and the walked into the living room, dropping our saddle bags by the door. “Mom, Dad, I’m home!” I hollered, “I’m in the office, sweetie.” Mom shouted. Coda and I trotted to the office where Mom was sitting at a desk flipping through old tattered books. Midnight looked up at Coda and I with a grin as she pushed her book aside. “Wow a friend on the first day? Impressive,” Mom said. “When my family moved when I was your age, I didn't make a single friend until the 3rd week of school,” She stated with a laugh. “So who might this be?" “Mom, this is Coda," I answered. Mom extended a hoof over the desk and Coda shook it. "Nice to meet you, Coda," "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Night," Coda replied, letting his hoof go back down after he released Mom's hoof. "Please, call me Midnight," Mom settled back into her chair. Coda nodded with a smile " So, Coda invited me to go to the Cookie Jar Bakery with him. Can I go?” I asked. “I don’t see anything wrong with that, but I want you home before sunset because…" Mom paused, a shadow creeping across her face and her smile falling for a split second. 'just make sure you come home in time for dinner," Mom's smile returned as quickly as it had left. “Don’t worry Mrs. Midnight, my parents own the shop. They can bring her back before dinner.” Coda said cheerfully. “That sounds great! Then don’t let me keep you, run along,” Mom said as we turned to leave the office. “Have fun.” Coda and I galloped along the dusty gravel trail leading into the small town square. When we reached center of town, we found a hoard of worried looking ponies, anxiously talking among themselves. “What’s going on?” I asked Coda as they slowed to a trot at the edge of the crowd. “I don’t know.” He stretched his neck his head to look over the throng of pony heads. Coda finally called me over when he found a spot to see. Standing in the middle of all the commotion was a small stage with a gray unicorn stallion on the make-shift stage, looking at a clipboard and using his magic to hold up a bull horn. “WELCOME, ALL CITIZENS OF SADDLEWOOD!” The stallion announced. “WE HAVE COME HERE ALL THE WAY FROM VOLKAN CASTLE TO BRING YOU THE LATEST NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT; COMPLIMENT FROM KING VOLKAN HIMSELF!” The stallion shouted for everypony to hear. Excited and nervous chatter spread through the town like wild fire. I turned to look at Coda but he had moved further into the crowd of ponies. I started to trot towards Coda only to be snapped backwards, landing on my haunches with a thud. I looked around to see somepony in a black cloak with my tail underneath his hooves. The pony's hood lifted up, revealing glowing eyes, his smiled showing off his sharp fangs. I gasped. Scrambling to get up, I tried to scream but before I could get any noise out the creepy pony picked me up and tossed me into a burlap bag.
Deep Dark DungeonThe scene faded to darkness and Galaxy looked at her students. The ponies stared into the black abyss with stunned looks on their faces. Galaxy flicked her horn once again. They were transported back to the lab, where a bunch of scientists stood around talking. (Sapphira's POV) I struggled against the rope around my hooves. On top of being stuffed in a dark, musty bag. I was gagged by the horrible pony so I couldn't scream. I finally gave up and curled up the best I could in the corner of the cart and cried openly. It had felt like ages since I had been brutally tossed into the foul smelling cart, when the door swung open. I shielded her eyes from the bright artificial light streamed in from behind the silhouette of my ponynapper then I was then dragged by my tail and thrown back into the sack. I landed on my shoulder with a muffled groan. That was defiantly going to leave a mark I thought to myself sourly as I bounced up and down with the rhythm of the Stallion trot. My ears perked at the sound of laughter echoing off of walls. A few seconds later I was dumped onto a cold stone floor. Once my eyes had adjusted I was greeted by more ponies in white coats. Once they saw me burst out laughing and not just any laugh it was an evil cynical laugh that made me cower and back away only to run into my ponynapper. I shrieked and tried to run but there was no way out, then I noticed a little pony staring back at me with wide, tear filled eyes locked in a cage too small for her. She looked at me with sorrow like she knew what was going to happen. Her coat was dripping with something wet and her mane and tail looked like it was cut by a foal. I stood there for a second in absolute horror, my breathing was ragged and short as I choked down a sob. I was thinking of how to get out of here when one of the bigger ponies picked me up in between her teeth by my mane. I squealed and attempted to get out of her grip but it was a lost cause because she was too strong and I was just too weak. “Well done Shadow. ” King Cerberius congratulated the stallion who had ponyknapped me as he walked into the cellar. “And no one saw, right?” Shadow nodded. “Good. You have certainly lived up to your name.” Cerberius said as he walked closer to me still dangling from the mare’s teeth. “Now is that how we treat our guests Poison Apple? Put the poor filly down.” He commanded in a soft tone. The mare lifted her head a little higher and then dropped me to the floor. I let out and whimper that was only audible by me as I hit the concrete. “Hmm. She is a strong one. She will be the first to go through then the other filly. Are we good to go Shatter?” Cerberius turned to a gray scientist pony with a clipboard. “Yes sir.” He replied without looking up from his papers. The scientist turned sharply on his hooves and said, “Turn it on.” And with that a smaller mare clamped her teeth on a lever attached to the wall and pulled it down hard. The lights flickered as a green glow emanated from the huge metal contraption. I backed away only to run into Nightshade who smiled with sharp teeth down on me. I gave the tiny filly, who was still in the cage, a worried goodbye look before I was shoved by Nightshade. “Sire you may pick any dimension you would like. So far we have located 4 different dimensions.” Shatter exclaimed proudly. Cerberius walked to a switch board. “ Excellent work everypony. If this is a success then we will be able to conquer and rule in any world.” Everypony whooped with excitement. “All systems go we are ready for Subject 5.” Shatter announced pointing a hoof to me. “Send her forward.” Shatter ordered. Nightshade started pushing me towards the portal. I looked around at what I thought was my last glimpse of this world, maybe for good. As I walked I noticed some of the ponies looked like they wanted to help but couldn't, so they bowed their heads in respect, while others grinned manically like they wanted to eat me. I took a deep breath and walked on with my head high and chest puffed out, trying to hide my fear that screamed inside of me wanting to get free but I held back the tears and pushed on. When I had finally approached the portal gate I didn't look back, afraid that I would start crying. So without a second thought, I held my breath, said a small prayer and jumped through the greenish water.
Unicorns and Pegasi?! Oh My!I was tossed around and pulled, like I was clay being molded. I panicked and let go of my breath to find that I could breathe and it was pitch black. I then saw a small pinprick of a light through the silk blackness. It grew until it was a blinding blob of light. Water started to surround me when I saw what I thought was a blue sky ‘Is this what dying feels like?’ I thought to myself. Something brushed past my hoof, startling me. I sucked in a mouth full of water and I kicked upward to what looked like sky when at last I finally broke through the surface. I greedily gulped in the fresh, cool air as I looked for land. I spotted a small beach and started swimming. I laid on the beach taking in as much oxygen as my lungs would allow. But when I had climbed onto land I hadn’t noticed a white mare sitting with her foal next to the water. They rushed to my side. “Mommy is she okay?” the little grey foal asked. Then there came another splash as the other filly that was in the cage popped out of the water, gagging. “Stay here.” The mare told the little pony as she galloped into the water. The little foal looked down at me with wonder. I tried to say hi but I couldn’t find my voice so I am glad that the filly wasn’t talkative. The white mare stepped back onto shore dragging my companion gently with her teeth. I got up only to get light headed and fall back down. The grey filly put a hoof on my shoulder and shook her head. I got the message and let my head fall to the sand as I drifted into sleep. I woke up who knows how much later in a bright living room. I sat up and looked around, the filly from the cage was next to me on the couch sleeping and the grey filly who had saved me was pouring water into a shallow bowl. Then I noticed that the filly wasn’t using her teeth or hooves to hold to pitcher but it was just floating into the middle of the air. My eyes widened when I saw that she had a horn and it was glowing a soft blue. I had only heard of unicorns in stories that my mama had told me when I was little, I didn’t think that they existed. The unicorn filly noticed me staring, “Hi” she said with a sheepish smile. “My mom and I are glad that you’re okay.” She started towards me using her magic to float a glass of water along with her. I looked at her too shocked to say anything. She glanced at the rope burns left from when I was ponynapped and said with concern, “We aren’t going to hurt you. Oh, and my name is Fire Bird and my mom is Silver Charm.” I shook my head, hoping that it would loosen some of the knots in my head. I didn’t work. “Where am I?” I ask in a raspy dry voice. The pony cocked her head like I was crazy. “You’re in Ponyville, in Equestria.” My mouth dropped. It had really worked, I was in another dimension. Something then stirred next to me as my cell mate started to wake. Her eyes flung open as she jumped up with a scream, pushing herself against the back of the sofa we were on. Just as her muscles begun to tense, ready to sprint, the same soft glow appeared around my aquatince and she layed back down with her chest heaving. I looked to Fire Bird whose horn was glowing and eyes closed in consentration. “What did you do to her?!” I squealed, glancing from Fire to the other pony. Fire opened her eyes, “I calmed her down with my magic, its my special gift.” She said her confusion doubling. “You look like you have never seen a horn even though you are an Alicorn.” “What are you talking about? What’s an Alicorn?” I asked worriedly. “Seriously?” Fire asked raising her eyebrow. Fire pulled out a mirror with her magic and held it up to my face. I looked at my reflection to see that I not only had a horn now but wings as well. I lifted my hoof to see if it was just a hallucination but sure enough I felt the horn atop my head. I felt my jaw drop, “This can’t be possible! I am a regular old pony!” I stammered. “An Alicorn is a pony that has a unicorn horn and Pegasus wings.” Fire explained, “They are more powerful than any unicorn.” I sat, unable to form any words. The portal must have made us into Alicorns. This was too much for me to take in. I wanted to run back to the pond that had brought me here but another part of me wanted to stay and learn more from Fire Bird. “Where are you from?” She asked. “I’m from Saddlewood Acres in Animalas.” I stated. Fire’s eyes widened at this statement but only for second. She tapped her hoof on her chin. “I have never heard of Animalas before.” She admitted. I contemplated telling the pony about the secret science experiment. Maybe she could help us get back to our families. But what troubled me was if I could trust her. I mean she did save me and the other pony maybe she can find someone that can get me back home. Home. Thinking of it made my eyes water and no one would be able to help me if I didn’t tell somepony. “Back in my land there is an evil ruler named King Cerberius. He and his scientist were working on a portal or something that could send ponies to different dimensions. He ponynapped me and the other pony and sent us through.” I explained. “That’s how we ended up in the water. Fire Bird sat there amazed at what I had said. “When we got thrown in, it must have somehow given us wings and horns.” Fire nodded and thought for a second. “Well the only ponies that I know of that are Alicorns are the royal princesses that rule this land.” Fire stated. “They might be able to get you back home.” She finished. This gave me hope. Hope for me and the other pony. But if Fire was right about Alicorns being the most powerful ponies then other pony and I could defeat King Cerberius. I thought about this and laughed at how ridiculous the thought was. Two little fillies defeating a pony twice our size, that’s absurd! I looked over at the other pony laying on the couch next to me, watching her small chest rise and fall gradually. I really wanted to help her out but I was just as weak as her and a minute later I was drifting into the darkness again.
LinkedI weaved through the dark corridors walking at first and then a fast trot. I looked behind me but all I could see was a sea of nothingness. But I could still hear and what was coming from behind me was not pleasant. I picked up my pace but the sound just got even closer. Soon I was in a full gallop, sprinting down the never-ending hallway until I smacked full-force into a wall, jolting me out of my restless sleep. I had fallen off the couch in the process and I sat up trying to recollect my scrambled thoughts when I touched my head and I felt the horn that was now melded to my head. My brain hurt from all of the days’ events and I was so tired that I just fell into a dreamless sleep on the floor. I awoke to a scream coming from beside me, making me jump out of my fur. I looked around to find the source of the shrill noise and saw that the other filly was about to bolt to the door but I jumped up and held her fast. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” I said stroking her mane as she strangled me in a death embrace. Sobs racked her body and I couldn’t think of anything else to say or do because frankly I am not good in these kind of situations so I just sat there doing my best to calm her down. When her storm of sobs had finally resorted to quiet whimpers I spoke up. “What happened?” I asked her. “I had a horrible dream. I was being chased down a dark hallway by something and then I hit a wall and that’s when I woke up.” She stated. I glanced down at my hooves with confusion and shock. She had the same dream that I had earlier. I cleared my throat and said in a small voice “I had the same dream last night.” I looked up to see that the other ponies’ jaw had dropped in horror. “I’m scared.” She confessed with a shaky voice. Tears started to well up in her eyes. “I know. I am too. The important thing though is that we need to stick together no matter what.” I stated. She nodded and put her head against my chest as I held her there. “Silver.” The little pony said into my fur. She removed herself from my embrace. “My name is Silver. Silver Dream.” She stated with a small smile. I returned the smile and said “My name is Sapphira Night but you can just call me Sapphira.” This seemed to brighten Silver up a bit and she jumped off the couch to stretch. “Where are we anyway?” Silver asked, ruffling and stretching out her wings. “Some place called Equestria. These nice ponies saved us and the younger filly, Fire Bird, said that they have princesses that might be able to get us back home.” I explained. Silvers’ eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “Do you really think that she will be able to send us back home?” She asked looking at me with expectant eyes. “Maybe.” I said. “Just maybe.” Later on Fire Bird and Fire’s mom, Winter, returned home. Winter was a very sweet mare and she didn’t question the fact that Silver and I were Alicorn’s, not yet at least. “I don’t think we can ever repay you for saving our lives Ms. Winter.” Silver said. Winter’s cheeks reddened a little. “Well I wasn’t going to let you girls drown.” She said with a smile. Winter was a unicorn just like Fire and she levitated a tray of hot coco to the table and sat down with us. “So where are you girls from and how did you get in the lake?” Winter asked with concern. I bit my lip and looked to Silver. She knew what I was asking and she nodded. So I told Winter the same thing that I had told Fire and she just sat there quietly listening and soaking up every word, occasionally tearing up. When I finished my story and held my breath and closed my eyes waiting for her to kick us out of her home. But that didn’t happen, all I felt was a pair of hooves wrapping me and Silver in an embrace and a few tears slipping from the mare’s eyes onto my coat. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you two are going through.” She said and she hugged us even tighter. After a minute Winter let go and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. “I will do anything in my power to get your girls home.” She declared with a stamp of her hoof. Silver let out a yelp of excitement and a smile crept across my face. “We should probably see the princesses first since they might know how to solve your problem better that me.” Winter declared as she flicked her horn and the door to the outside opened up. “But first why don’t we go get some food and Fire and I can show you girls around town.” Winter said as we trotted past her and out the door, giggling like little school fillies. ‘I will be home soon, mom and dad.’ I said to myself. ‘Soon.’
Tour of the Town Tour of the Town The things in Ponyville were not much different for Saddlewood except that my home town was a little more technologically advanced than Ponyville. Winter had Silver and I put on cloaks to hide our wings so that ponies wouldn’t question us. Everypony greeted each other happily and there were no guards around town either like at home either. Back at home the king placed a certain number of guards around a town or city to keep the ponies who lived there from leaving and keep order. Most of them were cruel so no pony really left their houses often unless it was for school or work. But the guards on my side of town and by the school were actually quite mellow. They were the ponies that were drafted to become the king’s royal guards so they didn’t really care what everypony did. We walked around town, Winter and Fire showed us the bakery and town hall and introduced us to all the ponies they knew. We had all decided that it would be best to keep our real identities to ourselves and Silver and I were passed off as Fire’s cousins from some place called Fillydelphia. “WHOOSH!” Silver and I screamed and scrambled behind Winter. I squeezed my eyes shut, my mind raced in terror as I tried to find an escape route. My ears perked up when I heard a squeal of joy and I peeked out from behind Winter’s legs. Fire was giggling hysterically as she hoof bumped a neon blue Pegasus with a grey mane and a spinning cyclone for a cutie mark. Fire met my eyes and urged me and Silver to come out. I cautiously stepped out from my hiding place followed by Silver. “Girls, I want you to meet my best friend, Twister. Twister, these are my cousins, Sapphira Night and Silver Dream.” The blue filly zoomed up to us, making me jump. “Hey guys! It’s nice to meet you.” She beamed as she drifted down to the ground and folding her wings in tightly. The gesture made my own wings itch to stretch out and take me up into the clear skies, almost like it was second nature but I restrained myself from doing so. “So what brings you guys to simple old Ponyville?” Twister asked flapping her wings excitedly. “Just…” I croaked my mouth feeling like cotton. I cleared my throat. “Just visiting family while our parents are away on vacation.” I said, hoping that Twister had bought my lie. “Awesome.” She said turning back to Fire Bird. “I’m helping my mom with some weather chores. It shouldn’t take too long so maybe we can all hang out at Sugar Cube Corner later on.” Twister suggested. Fire turned to Winter who nodded. “Sweet! I’ll see you guys later.” She said before quickly taking off into the sky. “Twister seems like a really nice pony.” I said as we continued our tour through town. “Yeah.” Fire agreed. “We have been best friends since we were tiny foals. While she can be a bit aggressive and a show-off at times she is still awesome.” Fire stated with a smile. “Girls?” Winter said as we walked into town. “I want to stop by the train station so we can get some tickets to head to Canterlot tomorrow.” She stated. “What’s Canterlot?” Silver asked looking up at Winter. “Canterlot is the capitol city and where the Royal princesses live. They are our best shot at getting you girls home.” Fire nodded. “Yeah Princess Twilight will be able to help.” She said with hope. “What are the princesses like?” I asked curiously. Fire thought for a second before speaking. “Well there are four princesses that have specific duties to Equestria. Princess Celestia is princess of the Sun, she is the leader and the oldest and she raises and sets it every day. Princess Luna is princess of the Moon, she is the second oldest and she raises and sets the Moon at night. Then there is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is the princess of Love and she protects and rules over the Crystal Empire. Lastly, our newest addition to the royal family is Princess Twilight Sparkle who is the princess of Magic.” Fire explained. “Wow.” I exclaimed. “So these princesses, they are all Alicorn’s like me and Sapphira?” Silver asked. “Yup and Princess Twilight is going to be our key to solving your problem.” Fire said. I walked on glancing at the at the ground in thought. ‘They sound wonderful but I am going to wait until I see them for myself before I make any decisions.’ After finishing up our tour we made our way to Sugar Cube Corner to meet up with Twister and her mom for lunch. We grabbed a table and sat around for a while until Twister and a bigger Pegasus came flying through the door and landed gracefully next to our table. The other Pegasus was cyan blue, almost identical to Twister’s. She had a rainbow mane and tail and a white cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming from it as her cutie mark. “Hey gals.” The rainbow mare said with a grin. “Hi Rainbow Dash.” Winter said, returning the smile. The mare named Rainbow Dash looked around and noticed Silver and I on the opposite side of the table. “I’ve never seen you two around.” She stated. Fire cleared her throat. “These are my cousins from Fillydelphia. This is Sapphira Night,” Fire said pointing to me. I blushed a little as all eyes were suddenly focused on me. “And this is Silver Dream.” Fire finished, pointing to Silver whose gray cheeks burned pink from the attention. “Nice to meet you guys. My name is Rainbow Dash. I’m Twisters mom, but you guys probably already figured that out, didn’t ya?” Rainbow said with a wink before turning towards Winter to start up a conversation with her. “So how do you guys like Ponyville?” Twister asked as she plopped herself onto a chair next to Fire. “It’s really great.” I answered with a smile. “Yeah. Every pony is so nice.” Silver agreed with a matching smile. “Hey if you don’t mind me asking, why are you wearing cloaks in the middle of summer?” Twister asked pointing to the cloth on our backs. I frantically racked my brain for a convincible lie but nothing came up. “We get cold easily.” I blurted out. ‘Wow I’m a really bad liar.’ I thought, biting my lip in anticipation. Twisters’ suspicious gaze softened. “Oh okay. I was just curious.” Just then a bright pink pony came bouncing out of the kitchen with a tray of delicious looking cupcakes. My stomach growled loudly as I realized how hungry I was. The pink mare bounced right up to our table as saliva started to ooze from my mouth. I quickly slurped it back into my mouth when the bouncing mare arrived at our table with a huge Cheshire Cat grin. Hiya Rainbow, Winter, Fire, Twister and two fillies I don’t know.” She greeted cheerfully. The pink mare was about to start another sentence when she gasped and swiftly turned to face me and Silver. She then let out a tiny squeal of delight and galloped back into the bakery’s kitchen. I looked around at the other ponies at my table to see if they were just as shocked as I was but they were all giggling and shaking their heads. “Oh that Pinkie Pie.” Said Rainbow. Winter sighed. “I should have known that she would not recognize our visitors. Who knows what she will do this time.” Winter exclaimed, still shaking her head. I looked at Winter with concern. “What do you mean by ‘what will she do this time?’?” Silver asked, curiosity and anxiety painted on her face. “Oh I’m sorry. I forgot that you girls are new.” Winter said with a comforting smile. “That pink mare that just gave us these cupcakes, that’s Pinkie Pie. She is Ponyville’s very own party planner and welcome committee all rolled into one.” She explained. “Yeah. There isn’t a pony in Ponyville that she doesn’t know. And if she just happens to run into someone new, she throws them a huge ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.” Rainbow Dash cut in. “The only thing that I have to warn you about is that no pony knows when it will happen.” She finished with smirk. I gulped nervously but deep down I also felt loved and accepted in this temporary home, and this brought a smile to my face.
Meanwhile, Back at Home..."HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!" Cerberius screamed at a cowering scientist he had backed up Into a corner. When the two test subjects had been tossed into the portal, it back fired and blew up. Now Cerberius was out for th blood of the pony who had caused it. He has had enough and now he didn't care who he slaughtered. If you were in his way, you were a dead pony. Cerberius held up the knife that was clenched in his teeth the silver blade making a small prism of colors in the light. He stepped closer until he was just a hair away from the scientist when he suddenly whipped his head sideways, ripping halfway through the pony's neck causing him to let out a gargled cry. His body soon went limp and collapsed to the floor in a heap. Two guards stood erect on either side of the door, silently watching the murder unfurl before them yet they kept a straight face. “Get rid of the body and please don’t make a mess when doing so.” Cerberius commanded almost in a bored tone as he wiped the crimson goo from his knife before placing it in its sheath that was strapped to his foreleg. Galaxy paused the hologram and looked at her students. Horror-filled expressions were plastered to their faces. “Would anyone like to leave? I will not be offended or upset.” Galaxy asked feeling guilty. The ponies looked around at each other and slowly shook their heads. Galaxy nodded and continued the story. “Where could she have possibly gone?” Midnight sobbed into Eclipse’s chest as he held her, stroking her messy mane. “I don’t know but I know our little girl. She wouldn’t just get up and run away.” Eclipse said to his wife. It had been two days since Sapphira had gone missing and Eclipse had been out of town for the past week due to work. So naturally he didn't know about his daughter being gone until that afternoon when he arrived home. Midnight pulled from Eclipses grasp just far enough so she could see his face. “You’re right, but that still doesn’t alter the fact that our baby is missing.” She stated, a new wave of tears overcoming her. “We will find her. But now we need to get some rest because searching all night with no sleep is not going to help us.” Ecplipse said as he started tugging his wife to their bedroom. Midnight didn’t say anything; she sniffed and followed the stallion with a whimper. A knock came at the door. Eclipse sleepily opened his eyes half way and cringed at the sun that streamed into the room. Once his eyes had adjusted he glanced at the nightstand clock that read 7:56. Eclipse let his heavy head fall back down too the pillow for a second before nudging his wife with his muzzle and climbing out of bed. He slowly trudged towards the door as more rapid knocks echoed through the house. He opened the door to a frantic Coda who was hopping from one leg to another nervously. Eclipse was about to say something when Midnight came up behind. "Oh Coda, please come in." She said, gently pushing her husband out of the way so the colt could pass. "Have you had any luck yet?" Midnight asked the blue colt expectantly. Star lowered his head, his mane covering his wet eyes. Midnight choked back a wave of sobs. Eclipse, who was still by the door, spoke up. "Star is it?" He asked the young colt who was just a few inches shorter than Eclipse. The colt nodded looking at the stallion. "Were.. I mean, are you Sapphira's friend?" He asked. Coda nodded again. "Yes sir. I have been helping Mrs. Midnight look for her and my parents, who own the sweet shop in town have a few missing flyers posted around town." Coda explained solemnly. "I know that we just met two days ago but she was my first friend that I have had in a long time." He confessed with a couple tears escaping his green eyes. Eclipse walked to Coda and put a hoof around his shoulder. "Thank you for looking out for her and being her friend." He said. "We will find her."
I've Got the Magic in MeBy the time we had gotten home from our tour and hanging out with Twister and Rainbow Dash, everypony was too tired to even climb the stairs to the bedrooms. Winter and Fire said their good nights and headed off to their rooms. Silver and I got to share the guest bedroom which was actually really big for a sort of small house. The only problem is was that there was only one bed. “I can sleep on the floor.” I offered and started to grab a pillow from the bed when Silver tapped my shoulder. “You don’t have to do that… I… Really don’t mind sharing since it is a pretty big bed.” She stuttered followed by a small blush. I smiled, my cheeks heating up to match Silvers’. “Okay. Thanks.” We both climbed into bed and snuggled under the blankets. I somehow felt a lot more safe when I had my new companion and it shaded my cheeks an even darker red, luckily it was too dark for Silver to see. I woke up to the sound of quiet whimpers coming from next to me. I opened my eyes a little and looked around. I saw Silver lying curled up in a ball softly crying. I nudged her with my hoof and she jumped a little until she saw that it was just me. She turned around and with the bright full moons’ light leaking through the window I could see her tear stained and blotched face. “I’m sorry that I woke you up.” She sniffled. “I’m just feeling a bit home sick at the moment.” She explained, wiping away some tears. I couldn’t hold it in any longer so I burst out crying and we cried together. “That’s okay.” I choked. I had tried my best to be strong for the younger filly but that just didn’t work out. We cried together, hugging each other until our eyes were dry and we eventually fell asleep in each other’s hooves till the morning sun started creeping into the sky. A knock came at the door. “Girls. We have to leave soon so we can catch our train.” Winter called from the other side of the door. We opened our eyes, a little startled and embarrassed at first to see that we were still holding on to each other from the previous night’s cry fest. I jumped from the bed stretching out my wings and legs. Silver’s head fell back to the pillow in exhaustion. “Five more minutes.” She muffled into the bed sheets. “Come on Silver. We get to meet the princesses today.” I stated pulling the covers off of her and she instantly folded up, shivering. “Fine.” She said lazily and she started to crawl with her eyes closed but the edge of the bed came and she didn’t notice, so she fell to the floor muzzle first into the carpet. “Ow.” She grumbled into the floor. I burst out laughing and eventually she sat up and started laughing with me. “Come on.” I said as I stumbled towards the door still giggling uncontrollably. “What are you guys laughing about?” Fire asked as Silver and I tumbled down the stairs, our manes still un-brushed. “Silver tried to crawl off the bed… With her eyes closed and well the bed kind of ended.” I explained through bursts of laughter. Fire tried to suppress a chuckle. “So that’s what that thud was upstairs. Are you okay Silver?” Winter asked concerned but also smiled a bit. “Yeah I am fine.” Silver said as she sat down at the kitchen table which had pancakes piled high upon a plate in the middle. “Well eat up girls. We are leaving in an hour.” Winter declared as Silver, Fire and I scarfed down some pancakes still laughing with our mouths full. Winter shook her head and grinned. “Hey mom I just thought of a really good idea.” Fire said. “Since Silver and Sapphira have horns, could we teach them a little about unicorn magic before we leave?” She asked excitedly. “That’s a great idea!” Winter admitted. I jumped out of my seat. “Really! You will actually teach us?” I asked my eyes wide with eagerness. “Why not? Fire and I can probably teach you how to levitate things, the basics.” Winter said. “This is so cool!” Silver said clopping her hooves together in delight as we stood in the living room waiting for Winter to begin. “Okay girls, what I want you to do is clear your heads.” Winter instructed with Fire sitting on the couch silently observing. We did as we were told. “Once you have your head completely, try to replicate my moves.” She said and with that she closed her eyes in concentration as her horn began to glow softly. The glass that Winter had set on the coffee table started to shimmer with Winter’s white aurora as it rose into the air before being gently placed back on the table. “Okay, Sapphira, you first.” Winter said. I nodded and made sure my head was clear and then I thought about the cup rising into the air. I felt something spark in my head and a shiver ran down my spine as I felt my horn tingle with magic. My magic suddenly surged and my eyes snapped open to find the cup had risen a few inches and then fell to the table, shattering it. I gasped. “I’m so sorry.” I sputtered feeling like I was going to burst out crying. “Oh it’s okay dear. To be perfectly honest, I could feel your aurora, which is your magic, I felt it like it was my own and that is truly astounding.” She said as she levitated a broom and dust pan to clean up the shards of glass. After cleaning up the mess I had made, Winter decided that it was best to use a plastic cup instead. “Silver it’s your turn.” Winter said taking a few tiny steps back just in case. Silver had a little more control than I did but cup still clattered back onto the table noisily. “I think that’s enough practice for now. It’s time to go anyway so let’s get a move on.” Winter shuffled us out of the house. Fire, Silver and I galloped ahead playing tag all the way to the train station while Winter trotted happily behind, her saddle bag swishing bag and forth with her movements. “You’re it!” Silver yelled as she tagged Fire and quickly ran away. Fire spun around heading right for me. I squealed, darting around Winter. “Ha ha! Catch me if you can!” I shouted. I peeked around Winter white mane expecting to find Fire but she wasn’t there. Fire poked me with her horn, making me jump into the air. “Gotcha!” She shouted and I chased after her and Silver the rest of the way there. The train was so cool, it had its own buffet for the passengers filled with more snacks and goodies than I could possibly imagine. “This is so awesome.” I declared as we walked over to a booth to sit and eat our treats. “Wait until you see Canterlot.” Fire exclaimed. “And the city itself isn’t even the best part. The castle is what is really going to blow your mind.” “I can’t wait.” Silver gleamed. My grin widened as far it possibly could. “Me neither.” “Its so beautiful.” I said awestruck as I stared up at the gleaming castle walls. I looked over at Fire and Silver and they had the same expression as me, wide eyes and gaping mouth. I chuckled to myself as Winter pushed us to the towering double doors. “May I help you?” The unicorn receptionist asked with a funny accent, looking us up and down over her glasses. “Yes.” Winter stepped forward. “We need to speak to the princesses at once. This is an emergency.” She said. The mare turned back to her computer and started scrolling. “Uh huh. Do you have an appointment?” She asked, not even taking her eyes off the monitor. “No but it is very urgent that we see the princesses. “I'm sorry but no appointment, no meeting.” She stated. ‘She doesn’t sound like she is sorry.’ I thought to myself. Winter turned around all flustered. “Well there are no other ponies around. Could we show her your wings?” She whispered to Silver and I. “That might be the only way to get in. Without having to break in.” She added. I looked at Silver expectantly but she had the same wondering look as me. I finally nodded and Silver and I pulled off our cloaks, expanding our wings at the same time. The receptionist stared at us. “Starswirls beard!” She exclaimed as her jaw fell. “Now will you let us see the princesses?” Winter asked, trying desperately stay in control. The mare nodded her head, still mesmerized by our wings as she opened the set of doors next to her with her magic and stated, “Down the hall and make your first right.” “Thanks.” Winter said coldly and she hurried us past the still stunned unicorn and through the doors. ‘This is it. Don’t screw it up Sapphira.’ I thought, mentally giving myself a pep talk. I gulped. ‘Oh boy.’
PrincessesI nervously paced the hallway outside the royal throne room, images and thoughts of what the princesses might be like. ‘Oh gosh. I think I’m going to be sick.’ Silver wasn’t weathering any better either. She almost looked a little green against her silvery coat. The guards, who had been completely motionless for the 5 minutes we were out her finally moved and swiftly opened the door to a magnificent ballroom size hall with stained glass depiction’s of what looked to be like stories. Then I saw them. Three regal, tall Alicorns sitting atop three of the four tall chairs in the room. The one in the middle was a snow white Alicorn with an almost magical looking mane of all different colors and a golden crown on her head. To the right was a midnight blue Alicorn, slightly smaller than the other one with a star dotted, flowing mane and a black crown. The last of the three was the smallest, almost a regular size pony with a soft purple coat and a deep purple and pink striped mane and a golden crown with a star on top of it. The oldest looking one smiled at once and motioned us to come forth. We slowly made our way to the princesses. When we arrived at the base of their thrones we bowed our heads all the way to the floor. “Rise Sapphira Night, Silver Dream, Winter and Fire Bird.” The oldest princess said with a voice like sweet honey. We did as we were told and I folded in my wings, just remembering that I had them out the whole time. “Wait. How do you know our names?” I asked, honestly a little scared and not really wanting to know how. “My name is Princess Celestia and my faithful student and newest royal, Twilight Sparkle, felt a powerful disturbance in the magical atmosphere a few days ago. So we traced it to you and sent an agent to follow you quietly. Just to check to make sure that there weren’t any problems.” Celestia assured. “We sent one of Twilight’s most loyal friends, Rainbow Dash to follow you from the skies and report back to us her findings.” She continued. “I’m terribly sorry that we had to do that in that manner but it was very necessary. Oh and forgive me for not giving you ladies a proper introduction.” Celestia apologized. “This is Luna, Princess of the Night.” She said pointing a hoof at the midnight mare next to her. Luna bowed her head slightly. Celestia then pointed her hoof to the purple mare. “And this is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic. I would introduce our last royal, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but she is currently ruling in the Crystal Empire and will have to wait.” “Now to our current situation. Could you please tell me where you girls are from?” Celestia asked Silver and I. We nodded and we both took turns, spilling out every last little detail that we had told Winter and Fire. The princesses listened intently nodding occasionally but not showing any sort of emotion. I finished with a sigh. It felt good to tell somepony I could trust. Twilight Sparkle was the first to speak up. “I have read about the subject of dimension jumping but there is so little information out there. I have been looking through the Canterlot secret library at an unknown location, yet I have not stumbled upon any." My heart dropped to my stomach as I took in the news. I nervously paced the hallway outside the royal throne room, images and thoughts of what the princesses might be like. ‘Oh gosh. I think I’m going to be sick.’ Silver wasn’t weathering any better either. She almost looked a little green against her silvery coat. The guards, who had been completely motionless for the 5 minutes we were out her finally moved and swiftly opened the door to a magnificent ballroom size hall with stained glass depiction’s of what looked to be like stories. Then I saw them. Three regal, tall Alicorns sitting atop three of the four tall chairs in the room. The one in the middle was a snow white Alicorn with an almost magical looking mane of all different colors and a golden crown on her head. To the right was a midnight blue Alicorn, slightly smaller than the other one with a star dotted, flowing mane and a black crown. The last of the three was the smallest, almost a regular size pony with a soft purple coat and a deep purple and pink striped mane and a golden crown with a star on top of it. The oldest looking one smiled at once and motioned us to come forth. We slowly made our way to the princesses. When we arrived at the base of their thrones we bowed our heads all the way to the floor. “Rise Sapphira Night, Silver Dream, Winter and Fire Bird.” The oldest princess said with a voice like sweet honey. We did as we were told and I folded in my wings, just remembering that I had them out the whole time. “Wait. How do you know our names?” I asked, honestly a little scared and not really wanting to know how. “My name is Princess Celestia and my faithful student and newest royal, Twilight Sparkle, felt a powerful disturbance in the magical atmosphere a few days ago. So we traced it to you and sent an agent to follow you quietly. Just to check to make sure that there weren’t any problems.” Celestia assured. “We sent one of Twilight’s most loyal friends, Rainbow Dash to follow you from the skies and report back to us her findings.” She continued. “I’m terribly sorry that we had to do that in that manner but it was very necessary. Oh and forgive me for not giving you ladies a proper introduction.” Celestia apologized. “This is Luna, Princess of the Night.” She said pointing a hoof at the midnight mare next to her. Luna bowed her head slightly. Celestia then pointed her hoof to the purple mare. “And this is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic. I would introduce our last royal, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but she is currently ruling in the Crystal Empire and will have to wait.” “Now to our current situation. Could you please tell me where you girls are from?” Celestia asked Silver and I. We nodded and we both took turns, spilling out every last little detail that we had told Winter and Fire. The princesses listened intently nodding occasionally but not showing any sort of emotion. I finished with a sigh. It felt good to tell somepony I could trust. Twilight Sparkle was the first to speak up. “I have read about the subject of dimension jumping but there is so little information out there. I have been looking through the Canterlot secret library at an unknown location, yet I have not stumbled upon any." My heart dropped to my stomach as I took in the news. Twilight, from her many studies of friendship in the past, recognized the despair in the little ponies eyes. “But maybe you can help us find a solution.” Twilight said with a small smile. “We can help as well.” Winter stated. Celestia bowed her head. “Thank you so much for taking care of these fillies. We greatly appreciate it.” She said. “There is one last place that might have our answer.” Princess Luna spoke up for the first time. Her voice rang with a deep, old English accent. Everyone looked at her with surprise. “Really sister? Please do share.” Celestia asked the blue Alicorn. Luna’s expression stayed solid as she spoke. “We had an old secret library in our old castle. We did a little bit of research on space exploration since we are the princess of the night. Anyway, before Nightmare Moon was imprisoned, we took the liberty in concealing the books after finding a very dark secret that we wanted nopony to stumble upon.” She explained. Twilight’s eyes lit up with excitement. “A secret library?!” She asked with glee. Celestia glanced over at the light purple mare raising her eyebrow. Twilight got the message and sank back into her seat. Celestia turned back to us. “Well with this new information, I say we take a trip to the ruins of the castle of the royal pony sisters. Luna, lead the way.” She stated as she rose from her throne. Celestia gathered her guards, commanding them to get a few chariots ready for the journey and cancel any other appointments the princesses had the rest of the day. “Oh, and please send word to Princess Cadence to meet us there as soon as possible.” Celestia said to her guard. “Yes your majesty.” He said before quickly galloping away. We were flown to a secluded and dark part of Equestria. Magic flowed through my body, but it wasn’t like regular magic that she had experienced earlier. It almost felt eerie, rouge and unnatural making a shiver run the length of my spine. I huddled closer to Silver and Fire. Finally a tall crumbling structure came into view followed by the rest of the ruined castle. It was both breathe taking and frightening and I wasn’t sure that I was fully willing to go in despite its sinister beauty. The chariots circled the castle a few times before landing at an old rope bridge. “We cannot carry all of you. So you will have to go across the bridge.” Luna said before spreading her dark wings diving into the deep cavern below and disappearing into the fog. We looked down into the soupy thickness trying to see the princess until she suddenly soared up into the sky, landing gracefully next to Twilight and her sister who shook her head, rolling her eyes. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and stepped up towards the slightly swaying bridge with Fire in tow, followed by Silver and then Winter. “Be careful.” Winter said with a shaky voice. ‘Why does it always have to be a rickety brige?’ I asked myself, trying to stall. ‘Why couldn’t it be a nice stable concrete bridge or something.’ I attempted to move but no matter how hard I tried, my hooves would not budge. I looked at the princesses who stood on the other side giving us reassuring nods. I lifted a hoof, only to step back into Fire who yelped out of fright. “Sorry.” I said and looked back to the wooden planks of the bridge. Before I could take another step, I felt something push me. I squealed as I was shoved onto the bridge. I opened my eyes to find myself alive and shaking. “What was that for?” I cried to Fire who smirked “You wouldn’t move, so I just decided to give you a little nudge.” Silver stood behind Fire trying to hold back a chuckle. “Yeah yeah. Laugh it up you two. You know you have to cross the bridge as well.” I stated, stomping a hoof and with that, the board that was holding me up gave way and I tumbled through the opening. “HELP! SOMEPONY HELP ME!” I screamed as I help on to part of the bridge that had not collapsed. I heard a smack as the board that had broken fell to the canyons floor, the sound echoing. Thick fog started to envelope me, making my hooves slippery and whimper escaped from my mouth. Just as I started losing my grip, I felt a strong hoof wrap around my upper waist. My savior pulled me up onto land. I lied on the ground panting with Silver lying next to me in the same state. As soon as I had my lungs restored with the proper amount of oxygen, I sat up and gave Silver the biggest hug I could muster with my weak limbs. I pulled away from her, still shaken. "Thanks for saving me." I said with a blush. "No problem." Silver said as she returned the blush. Then we all felt magic wrap around us as we were teleported to the other side of the bridge by Twilight. We made our way into the castle as dark thunder clouds began to take over the sky, blotting out Celestia’s sun. We stepped carefully among the ruble so as not to cause it to fall down on us. "More than a thousand years ago, this castle used to be home to Luna and I until Canterlot palace was built." Celestia spoke up as we traveled through the halls that were littered with broken glass. We stopped at a set of double wooden doors at the end of the hallway"These walls hold many secrets, both good and evil." Luna stated as she and Celestia pushed the resistant doors open on rusty hinges. "Welcome to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters." Celestia said as they entered a vast throne room with huge shattered, glass-stained windows. All of our mouths dropped in awe of its mysterious beauty. “Wow. This certainly brings back memories.” Twilight said as she walked around the stone throne room. “Luna, are you okay?” She asked turning back to the princess of the night. Luna didn’t answer but just had a confused look on her face. “What happened here?” Silver whispered quietly as the princesses walked around taking in the scenery. “It’s a long story. I will tell you girls later.” Winter answered. “Luna, what’s wrong?” Celestia asked with concern. Luna turned around in horror. “The shards of Nightmare Moon are gone!”
Return“What do you mean ‘gone’?” Twilight quickly spun of her hooves. “We never disturbed the remnants of Nightmare after you defeated her. There have been ways to resurrect ponies that have been found but they are known to equestrian rulers.” Luna said to Twilight. “We were afraid that something might happen. So we just left them alone.” She finished as she began to pace. “Do you think…” Twilight trailed off. “No! That is not possible!” Luna snapped at Twilight who shrunk away from the angered princess. Just as Luna was about to speak again, Celestia hushed her, perking her ears. “What…” Luna asked only to get a white hoof in her face to silence her. “Do you hear that?” Celestia dropped her voice down to a whisper. My ears swiveled to the direction from which a sort of buzzing sound came from. “I hear it.” I stated. “Yeah, me too. It almost sound like a bug flying around.” Fire spoke up. The noise got louder and before long it sounded like it was in the same room. We all looked up at the dark ceiling to find a pair of glowing, slitted green eyes staring down at us. Silver and Fire screamed and we all split up, going to different sides of the room. The thing dropped down and landed with a CRACK as the floor fractured under its hooves. (I had no idea what it was but I wasn't too interested in finding out at the moment.) I tried not to look but it was hard not to. The pony had long, black legs with holes in them (No, really holes you could actually see through.), a splintered horn, sickly green mane and tail and buzzing insect wings. “Well look who we have here.” The weird hybrid pony said with a devilish smirk. “Celestia, Luna and the newest princess, Twilight Sparkle. Good, all of you being here together will just make it easier for us to destroy you.” She finished. “Chrysalis. I thought Princess Cadence and Shining Armor destroyed you.” Celestia stated. “Oh how wrong you are Celestia. She might have hurt me physically but she didn’t even put a dent in my magic. So once I had gathered my strength again I found this place, but this wasn’t to only thing I had stumbled upon.” She flashed us a wicked smile. Just then, a laugh came echoing through the wreckage that didn't belong to Chrysalis. By now I was shaking like a leaf, frantically looking around for the source of the voice. I glanced over at the princesses who had completely frozen at the spot. “This can’t be possible.” Twilight stuttered. A blue puff of smoke appeared and formed itself into a black Alicorn right before our eyes. “Oh but Twilight Sparkle, it is very possible.” The black mare spoke. She was as tall as Celestia, she had a magical mane like Luna but it was much darker and didn't flow as much, and she had blue metal armor on her head, hooves and chest. But the part that really confused me was that she was a full grown mare but had no cutie mark and she looked almost like she had the flu with her blood-shot eyes and wrinkling face. Winter started to back up slowly, pulling us along with her. We were almost to the stairs that had brought us to the old throne room when Fire tripped on stone that sent her tumbling backwards onto the floor. Both of the wicked mares ears perked up and they turned to us with snake-like eyes. “Well, well. Look who we have here.” Chrysalis sang. “A couple of new Alicorn fillies.” The black mare grinned. “Celestia? Did you not feel safe with three other powerful Alicorns protecting you? Afraid that we will knock off your stupid crown again?” The mare’s smile widened as she saw that she had hit a nerve when Celestia cringed. Celestia regained her composure quickly. “Don’t you dare hurt them. Your fight is with me.” Luna and Twilight stepped up next to Celestia. “Us as well.” Luna announced, lowering her horn a little as Twilight stamped at the ground in resentment. “Oh would you look at the time. Sorry to cut this little reunion short, but we have a prior engagement that we have to attend to.” Chrysalis said licking her vile lips greedily. And with that, the two mares vanished leaving us with dumbfounded looks on our faces. Twilight began pacing and mumbling something about “Elements of Harmony” and not scientifically possible. Luna was still glued to the spot with a baffled expression on her muzzle. Celestia was conjuring scrolls with her magic and quickly scanning them before vanishing. I stepped towards the princesses tired of not getting the answers I wanted. “What is going on here?” I demanded, stomping my hoof and startling everypony in the room. I suddenly came to the conclusion that I shouldn't have done that and hastily stuffed my hoof in my mouth. I seriously expected somepony to come up and slap me silly but it never came. I opened my mouth to beg for mercy but Celestia held up her hoof. “I got all of you wrapped in this mess and you deserve answers.” She sighed as she carefully sat on the ground, not even concerned with the fact that her pristine white coat was getting dirty. “Luna and I have collected a few enemies over the years of our rule that we have had to defeat again and again. Those two mares are just two of the ponies that have tried to take over Luna’s and my kingdom over many generations. Chrysalis, the insect looking mare, is the Changling Queen and she brainwashed Princess Cadence’s husband on their wedding day by impersonating Cadence.” Celestia paused when she saw our confused glances. “Changlings have the power to change themselves into any pony they see and look and talk exactly like them while feeding off their love. That’s how they gain their power.” “Ooohhhh.” We all said at once. “Continue princess.” Winter said. Celestia nodded. “The other black mare I can’t explain as easily.” She stated looking over at Luna who had her eyes on the ground. “Would you like me to tell them or would you rather do it.” Celestia asked Luna. “Yes, sister, I will.” Luna took a deep breath. “About a thousand years ago, I grew envious of my sister and turned to the dark side for comfort and it changed me and I became Nightmare Moon. Celestia did the only thing she could do to protect our kingdom from my corrupted self by imprisoning me in the moon for a thousand years until the stars aided in my escape.” She explained shamefully but she pressed forward. “When I returned I tried to shroud Equestria in eternal darkness before Twilight and her friends were summoned to use the Elements of Harmony to destroy my mental prison, leaving the shards of my past to lie here alone until now. That mare is and will always be a part of me that I will forever regret.” Luna finished with a soleum look on her face. "The only logical explanation that she is back is that somepony sacrificed herself so that Nightmare Moon's soul could regain power to transform herself and gain power." “It’s okay Luna. It is in the past now and we have far bigger problems at the moment.” Celestia stated as she stood up and gently dusted herself off. “Oh Celestiaaaa!!!!!” A male voice boomed. “Did you miss me?!” The voice cackled as Celestia’s eyes grew wide in panic. “Oh crap! Here we go again! I just want to go home.” I thought to myself as kept myself from doing a facehoof and hiding in a corner to ball my eyes out. But there was no time to do that before a huge lumbering figure appeared in the doorway with a mechivious grin plastered on it’s face. Author's Note Finally done! I think :P let me know if any of you readers have any suggestions on stuff to add :D
Cotton CandyCelestia’s jaw dropped as a new body in the room sauntered out of the shadows. At this point everypony’s eyes bulged out of their sockets when they saw that the thing was an exact replica of the sun princess. “Can this get any freaking weirder?!” I looked at the real Celestia. (I think. I’m not too sure after I learned about the changlings. For all we know she could be some alien from another planet or something! I honestly wouldn’t even be surprised.) The other Celestias' body shimmered leaving a tall male beast whose body was made up of different creatures. “Did you like my body?” The animal asked, flapping it’s one dragon wing and one Pegasus wing. “I mean it was a little chubby around the edges, you know Celestia, how you like to indulge in a little midnight snack every once in a while.” He smirked. Celestia’s white muzzle flushed with not just embarrassment but pure rage that her secret (Which I found out wasn’t really a secret in the first place) had been revealed. Celestia stomped her hoof, clearly pissed off, daring the monster to throw another insult her way. "Oh Celestia, why must you always be a party pooper." He said as he glided up next to the sun princess, twirling his claws through her mane. "Maybe..." His voice echoed after he suddenly vanished only to reappear on the other side of Celestia and pull her mane right off her head with ease and plopped it onto a cone. "Maybe some cotton candy will cheer you up!" he snickered as he took a bite from the detached mane. We all stood around, probably looking like freaking fish, with our mouths absent mindedly opening and closing in shock, even poker face Luna. Celestia, from the looks of it, was the most shocked out of all of us and ready to pop like a water balloon. I seriously couldn't believe this guy. Who did he think he was?! As the creature munched on his newly snatched treat, his yellow eyes wandered around the room before landing on on Silver and me. "Oh goody!" He exclaimed, throwing his cotton candy into the air which disappeared and then 'POOFED' back onto Celstia's bald head, perfectly unchewed. "Did Celestia decide she needed more Alicorn minions to do all of her "tiring" work?" He asked maliciously. 'I am so done with this guy.' I thought as I stomped towards him with new-found strength. "No! She is a great princess and she did not create us in any way, shape or form." I huffed at him who was taken aback by my anger but he soon recovered and bent down so his face was right in front of mine. "Uh huh. Tell me some more stories kid." I headbutted him, silently accepting his challenge and I asked bitterly, "Who the hell are you and what do you want from us?" Discord straightened up with a confused expression but then he just laughed, falling to a blue couch that shimmered into view. He laughed so hard that his stomach suddenly burst open and let out streamers and confetti. We all craned our heads to get a glimpse of the motionless beast. Just as I thought that he had literally died of laughter, the body disappeared. I frantically looked around until I turned my head and his face was right there. "AAHH!" We all screamed and I scrambled backwards on my numb hooves. "You should have seen your faces! You really thought I was dead! Well sorry to disappoint you but I am Discord, the Master of Chaos, so forever I shall reign." He exclaimed. 'Great.' I thought, mentally rolling my eyes. 'Another immortal, evil god. All of this is giving me a headache.' "Why couldn't have saved your chaos for another day?" Silver whined. "Awe." He said clasping his paws together. "Would you like some cheese with that wine?" Silver's mouth instantly filled up with cheese sticks, almost gagging her. "Knock it off!" I growled as a new wave of power surge through me. Silver trotted up next to and she wasn't lookin' too happy either. This was the first time I had seen Silver's ugly side and I made a mental note not to piss her off in the future. With her presence next to me, our strengths some how doubled as if our powers were connected. I felt like I could do anything . Silver gave me a curious glance and I knew she had felt it too. We turned back to Discord who was holding back a laugh as he looked between Silver and I. "You guys crack me up!" But could we do this later I kind of have to run some 'errands'." He stated looking at a watch on his wrist that wasn't there before with a devilish grin. "Hey! We aren't finished with you yet!" I yelled as I sprinted towards Discord and braced for the impact but I never came. I passed through him like he hadn't had been there at all. I looked at the fading holographic image with disappointment. "We have to get back to Canterlot. Who knows what damage has already been done." Twilight said and with that she turned on her hooves and galloped back to the waiting chariots. 'So damn close!' I stomped in annoyance. I turned towards my stunned friends and princesses. "I'm sorry I let him get away." I apologized staring at the floor of my chariot. "It's not your fault sweetheart. If anyone is to blame it would be me. I had the chance to do something but I let it slip through my hooves." Celestia stated. "We all had a chance to do someing princess. I can't imagine what you must be going through." Winter said. "Winter is right sister. What has happened is in the past now." Luna said. "I suggest we press forward but I'm afraid that our research will have to be postponed until we are able to get this under control." Twilight stated. I looked to Celestia. "She is correct. Our top priority is to protect the kingdom and with three or more enemies attacking at once, we need all attention on the people." My heart sank with each word, and the realization came to me that Silver and I may never get a chance to go home. "Well screw them. I will join and help fight. Sitting around on my ass is not going to get me any closer to going home so I will help in any way possible." Silver stated bravely still boiling with anger. I gaped at her language and once I had gotten past the initial shock stood up as well. "I will fight too." I stated. "That's very noble but this isn't your problem and I am deeply sorry I got all of you into this mess." Celestia admitted. "We are already involved so why not just go the rest of the way." I said. Silver nodded in agreement. Celestia smiled as if she knew that we would object on staying out. "Thank you girls so much and a guest suite in the castle so Twilight can teach you girls how to use your magic. And thank you for taking care of these girls and getting them here safely." Celestia said to Winter. Winter beamed at the gratitude from royalty. "I would like to make just one request." Winter stated. Celestia nodded and signaled for her to continue. "My daughter and I would like to stay in Canterlot to look after them and help in any way." Celestia thought about it for a second and then smiled. "That is a wonderful idea since it looks like you guys have already bonded quite well." "Then it is settled." Luna said in her usual solid tone, but behind the straight face she held, I could see that she was smiling a little inside. She was happy to have somepony new to teach her about the night she creates and she knew that that somepony was me. Author's Note Done! I give this http://browse.deviantart.com/art/Discord-being-Discord-281176741 person credit for inspiring the cotton candy bit.
Safety in Numbers... Or NotWe started our quick descend into the great city that really wasn't so great at the moment. Celestia, Luna and Twilight had already leapt from their rides, yelling out orders to the Royal Pegasi guards when Canterlot had come into view just a few minutes earlier. I peered over the edge and down onto the chaos that was spreading. Ponies shrieked and scrambled off in different directions with either what looked like mini Chrysalis's or monsters on their flanks. Some ponies stayed to fight off the attack (Mostly the guards) but a good majority of Canterlots' citizens fled to the safety of their homes. I so badly wanted to be down there in action but I got direct orders from Luna to stay put and from the look on her face she seemed desperate to keep me safe for some reason, but I trusted her instincts. I scanned the streets for any signs of Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon or Discord but we didn't see them. "They might have sent their minions to do the dirty work for them." Fire spoke up. Silver was looking out at the sky when she suddenly whipped her head around to face me. "Don't you dare Sapphira Night!" She warned. I stared, dumbfounded, at her while Winter and Fire looked between the both of us. My jaw dropped. "Wha... H-how... How did you know?" I asked in bewilderment. Silver looked just as shocked as me. "I don't know. A thought just popped into my head and I realized it was yours when you said..er...thought my name." Silver and I looked over at Winter and Fire who were staring at us from their chariot in shear confusion until Fire spoke up. "Freaky." We touched down in the princesses garden at the back of the castle and were quickly rushed inside by guards. We galloped as hard as we could through the corridors. We were so close to our destination until bits of the castle wall exploded from our right. The next explosion sent me flying through the air and then the last thing I remember was slamming into a wall before blacking out. "SAPPHIRA! Sapphira, please wake up!" I don't quite know what happened but I suddenly was jerked from my slumber, gasping for air. "Oh my gosh! Thank Celestia you are okay!" Fire exclaimed throwing her hooves around me that triggered a mini mind bomb to go off in my head. I looked around at my surroundings to see I was in a white room in a bed with heart moniter beeping steadily. "Ow. What happened? Where is Silver?" I asked frantically when my vision had fully returned. Winter silently pointed to the bed across from mine. Silver was on it and quietly breathing and I noticed that her foreleg was heavily bandaged. "The princesses were fending off Chrysalis when all four of the magical energies combined and caused explosion." Winter stated. "It was so powerful that it and a second explosion destroyed three whole walls into the hallway, which is where we were at the time." I stared at her in disbelief. "The princesses are okay and so is Silver for now but a shard of glass made a deep wound in her shoulder and she was in critical condition and she lost a lot of blood but she is stable now. Luckily both of you have the same basic body make-up since you are from a different dimension. You, on the the other hand, have been out for a few hours now and the princesses were forced to evacuate the city after the 'magical bomb' and we were sent to a secret fallout shelter underneath Canterlot at the moment while the princesses are moving everypony into random fallout locations across Equestria until these enemies can be brought down. Unfortunately, while the princesses got everypony underground, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon and Discord have taken over the city with their monsters." Winter finished with a nervous sigh. I felt my heart crawl up my throat as my stomach fell. My thoughts were interrupted when a white unicorn accompanied by a yellow pagasus came into the small hospital. "Okay, we need everypony out so we can run some tests and these fillies can get some rest." The unicorn stated as she started to shoo Winter and Fire out. I glanced nervously towards my adoptive family, silently begging them not to leave. Winter got the message. "It's okay Sapphira. Theses ponies will take excellent care of you. We will be right outside the whole time." Winter stated with a half-hearted smile and I nodded to her before she and Fire exited the room. "Hello Sapphira." The yellow pegasus greeted quietly. "My name is Fluttershy. I was sent personally by my friend Princess Twilight Sparkle to take extra special care of you and your friend Silver. I usually only work with animals but I am willing to work with you two." She finished with a small smile a shy blush. Her voice was silky and as quiet as butterfly wings and it immediately calmed my nerves for some reason. I don't know how but I felt I could trust her like I did Luna. "Now I am just going to run a few simple tests before you fall back to sleep so if you could just bear with me." She said with a small giggle that was too cute to resist giggling along with her. Through out the check up, Fluttershy told me about her adventures with Twilight and her other friends like when they had been sent up a mountain by Celestia, before Twilight became princess, to tell a dragon to leave his snoring was causing toxic smoke. She also told me about how she loves animals and kids and all sorts of other fascinating stories that made me forget for a peaceful minute about reality. It was simple but fully enjoyed and appreciated. Fluttershy finished up checking for and major injuries and she didn't even question my wings and horn to my relief."You have been such a nice young mare for me." She said. I grinned sleepily at her and yawned. "You looked completely exhausted. Would you like me sing a lullaby to help you fall asleep?" I nodded eagerly and scooched down underneath the warm blankets. I slowly drifted to sleep as Fluttershy sang quietly, I thought, before I completely dozed off that I might finally get a restful sleep with no nightmares. Boy oh boy was I ever so wrong. I was once again in the dark, dank, and cold hallway with the same growling noise coming from behind. But this time i felt a lot braver than the last nightmare. I turned and stood tall as the creature got closer and closer. What i found out is that as the noise got closer, it split into two separate sounds. One was paws hitting a concrete floor and big wings flapping. Instead of being scared and running away screaming in terror I became more intrigued by the two creatures persueing me until they sounded like they were right in front of me. I squinted through the inky darkness trying to distinguish the two animals. All of a sudden a lantern was lit and I was standing in front of a big grey wolf and a pure black raven. "Do not be alarmed my young queens." The wolf spoke. Author's Note Done! Sorry for the delay. I have a feeling though that the rest of my story will consist of short chapters because I like to keep things short and sweet. But not too short :P
Guardians"Queens?" I asked, emphasizing the s on the end. "You, Sapphira Night." The raven answered, pointing to me with her dark wing. "And her, Silver Dream." The wolf said in a deep throaty voice, nodding to somepony behind me. I turned and saw Silver trotting swiftly to where I stood. "Silver? I thought this was a dream." I thought out loud to myself. Silver shrugged as she came up next to me. Now that everyone is here," The raven said as she landed gracefully on her wolf companion. "we should make our way to the library, where it is a little more ... private." The raven finished and the wolf turned and led the way down the now lit up hallway. As we walked I got a closer look at my surrounding. The floor was all stone and the wall as well with flame torches, softly lighting up as we walked by. It wasn't as creepy in the dark, it was kind of like an old, cozy, castle. The wolf walked up to a set of wooden doors and he nuzzled the door open into an expansive, high-ceiling library. "Wow" Silver exclaimed in awe. She gazed, wide-eyed, around at the books that decked the never ending shelves. "It's beautiful." While I absolutely adore books and reading, my curiosity was more focused on the wolf and the raven. "Who are you guys and why did you call us queens?" "We are your guardians dear child." The wolf stated. "And the answer to your second question cannot be given, it must be found by you alone." The raven answered in a sweet but firm tone. "Each and every Alicorn, born and unborn, has a guardian." The raven continued. "We watch over and guide you down the right path." The wolf then took it from there, "Each Alicorn has his or her 'assigned' animal that they symbolize. And every Alicorn has their own species of animal." Silver and I stayed silent, staring at our "guardians", debating on whether to believe them or not. The raven saw the confusion in our eyes and she took off from her perch on the wolf's back, flying up to the top of the library and disappearing into the hazy darkness. A moment later, she came back down with a big leather-bound book in her talons. She set it down on a pedestal and it magically opened to the last page. "Silver Dream," The wolf said as he put his front paws up on the ledge, standing on his hind legs. "I am your guardian, see." He said pointing to a painting of Silver and the wolf. "You represent speed, freedom, faithfulness, and spirituality. You are a true Alpha, even if you might think not." "Sapphira Night, I am your guardian." The raven spoke up, using her beak to point to a picture of me on the last page. "While a raven to others might represent death and sickness, ravens are often misunderstood and falsely judged creatures because of how different they look." I pondered over the raven's statement. 'That makes sense. I am black like a raven but also thought of as weird becasue of my rare black coat.' "You represent darkness, in a good way my dear like Princess Luna," She added quickly when she saw my horror. "You also represent mystery and wisdom. You are guider and a teacher." I looked over at Silver. "Wow." The wolf pawed back a few pages to show a picture of Princess Twilight next to an owl and Princess Cadence was next to a doe. The wolf flipped back one more page to reveal Princess Celestia next to a phoenix and Princess Luna next to a dragon. "You see, you are not alone in this. You were picked for a reason to become an Alicorn and this was all planned out but it is your choice whether you do good or evil." The raven said. "All animals have a bad and a good side, it is the side you give into the more that will decide your fate. And unfortunately, some ponies, not just Alicorns, gave into their bad sides and upset the balance of life, but with every evil being there must be a pure good being to restore balance." The wolf added. I wanted to say something but I couldn't find the right words. and by the silence the spiraled around the library, i guessed the same was happening with Silver. "I see that you are still unsure. Whether you believe us or not, we will always be here in your conscience and you may even see us in the real world, if you decide to open your eyes ." The wolf explained with a devious grin crossing his snout. Now I noticed things had started to fade like chalk in the rain and things became blurry. Silver and I were too stunned to even say anything as the color faded until our guardians finally faded as well as Silver and I began to come back to reality, thinking about how to contact my guardian if I was in real trouble. 'Great,' I thought glumly as I opened my eyes in my hospital bed. 'Now I think of a question.' Author's Note Wow, almost 3 months since I last updated. Really sorry guys! I can't make any promises about the next chapter but I will attempt to get it posted ASAP. Thanks, Midnight Ink
The MeetingThe walls vibrated making dust rain down onto the not-so-white bed sheets that were tucked neatly around my body. I turned my head to Silver. She did not look good at all. She sat in bed with her head bowed as she drew invisible lines on her bed with her hoof. Her blue mane had lost some of its color and her usually silvery coat was now a dull, matted gray. “I wonder if that’s what I look like.” I thought to myself. “You had the same dream too.” I concluded. Silver nodded and wrapped her hooves around herself with a shiver. “It didn’t feel like a dream though. It felt so real,” She said. “I think this is something we should talk to the princesses about.” “You’re right but we can’t just go up to them in the middle of all this. They have enough to deal with already; they don’t need to worry about two alicorn queens or whatever.” I said. “Good point. So what’s the plan? We can’t just sit here and take up space.” "Yeah… How are you feeling?” I asked. Silver shrugged. “I feel fine. Ha, maybe the portal gave us healing powers.” She answered with a half-hearted chuckle. “So it’s agreed? We are going to help at any cause?” “Yup,” Silver said as she jumped from the bed. “Let’s go kick some villain butt!” I jumped down after her and trotted through the doors of the infirmary. We were so excited to get into the fight that we completely forgot about Fire and Winter. The doors swung open at our command, scaring Fire and Winter right out of their chairs. I was too enveloped in a battle planning that was taking place in my head that the two loud thumps and the clattering of hooves didn't faze me until Winter and Fire skid to a halt in front of us. “And where do you two think you are going?” Winter asked as she glared down at us. I didn't say anything and let Silver do the talking and while she was explaining our plan, I noticed that I was almost as tall as Winter and I wasn't this tall a few days ago. “Sapphira? Sapphira?” I heard Fire calling out as she shook my shoulder and I looked at her and saw that she was shorter than me now. “That’s strange.” I thought to myself and then shook my head. “What?” I answered in a dazed tone. “I won’t allow you girls to go out and fight these monsters. No way, not a chance. I am responsible for you two and I defiantly don’t want the fact that I let two little fillies gallop to their death on my conscience.” Winter stamped her hoof on the concrete floor. “We have to do this.” I said defiantly. “My instincts tell me we have to help in any way possible.” Winter shook her head. “I won’t allow it.” She repeated. We stood in silence for a while waiting for somepony to speak up. After about a minute Silver finally said, “Can we at least see what is going on? You know, instead of being cooped up like this.” Winter bit her lip in thought “I guess. I heard that one of the rooms down here is being used as a war room at the moment, but I don’t know if they would let you girls in.” “That’s good enough for me.” I stated and Silver nodded in agreement. Winter sighed and started leading us down the underground hallways. “But you have to let us in.” Silver demanded. “Yeah, we need to talk to the princesses right now.” I added. “I’m sorry but no one see’s the princesses…” The guard started to say when a door opened and Princess Luna stepped out into the hallway. The guard turned and bowed. “I am deeply sorry for the interruption, your majesty.” “That is quite all right and as for these ponies, they are allowed to pass.” Luna said. The guard righted himself and bowed his head one more time, “As you wish.” Luna turned to Silver and I. “Come on girls; Winter and Firebird too.” With that, the princess turned around and strode back into the room and we followed. The room was narrow and white with a large table in the center. Celestia was at the head of the table with Twilight and a couple of other important looking ponies standing around as well. They were talking in hushed tones with their heads bent, looking at a map. The door was shut quietly behind us. Luna went to her sister’s side and whispered something to her. Celestia looked at us with a sad smile. Her face looked worn and she had dark circles under her eyes. “Hello girls, I delighted to see that you have healed for the most part.” Celestia said as she ushered us to come to the table. “I have a feeling that you ponies don’t want left out of the loop. So if you feel you are ready, we are willing to incorporate all of you.” Celestia said. Silver and I looked at each other and came to a silent agreement. “Yes.” I answered. “During your recovery, we were able to push some of the monsters back into the Everfree forest. Chrysalis’s changlings are patrolling Canterlot up above and Ponyville while the Griffons are in control of Cloudsdale, the cloud city, and all the other major cities around Equestria.” Luna explained. I raised my hoof. “Sorry to interrupt, but what are griffons?” I asked. Everypony in the room looked at me quizzically until Twilight said, “Oh, sorry, I forgot that you are not from this world. Well, griffons are creatures with the body of a lion and wings and head of an eagle. They live in a territory south of here. They haven’t been the nicest of neighbors, so I am not surprised that they took the chance to help Chrysalis, Nightmare, and Discord with the invasion,” Twilight finished her explanation with a sigh. Celestia continued where Luna left off. “The Crystal Empire, north of here, is the only city that hasn't been touched yet for some reason. We think that since the Empire was just restored about a year ago, that our foes haven’t figured out that it exists yet. This is our only lead we have on them, so if we go about this correctly, we can set up our ranks there for safety and then plan an attack on the leaders once my scouts have located their hideout.” I nodded to show that I was on the same page and Silver did the same. “Is there anything at all that we can do to participate?” Silver asked. Celestia looked at us with the same sad eyes as before but before she was about to answer, Luna nudged her sister and motioned for her to step to the side. They whispered a few comments back and forth until Celestia dropped her head slightly and turned back to the table. “My sister has suggested an idea for you and Sapphira that will really help us and is less dangerous for both of you than a hoof to hoof battle.” Luna then spoke up. “Yes, we have a mission for you, Sapphira Night and Silver Dream, if you are willing to accept. We will be sending you two with Princess Twilight to the Crystal Empire to check in with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Twilight will be able to teach you some defensive magic along the way as well, if time permits. After everything is secured in the Crystal Empire, you will be accompaining me on a different, to-be-determined mission.” I really wanted to smile at this point but I forced myself to keep my composure. “I accept the mission.” I was the first one to speak up. Then Silver followed my example. “I accept the mission as well.” Celestia and Luna nodded. “We will meet again first thing in the morning at the loading dock in tunnel five to make last minute preparations and leave by early afternoon. Dismissed.” Celestia said and she stomped her hoof on the tile and the meeting was over. Silver and I were about to leave with Winter and Fire when Celestia told the two of us to stay back. Everypony else left except us and the princesses and Luna used her magic to close the door once again with a soft click. “Thank you girls for volunteering and sorry for dragging you into this mess. I cannot fathom what you two have been through and I didn’t think that you would want anything to do with this being in a different universe and having new things to deal with.” Celestia said as she gestured to our wings and horns. “Twilight is still diligently working to find a way to get you home but at least for now we can help teach you to control your magical abilities.” said Luna. I finally broke into a smile. “Thank you so much for helping us. All of you are doing everything in your power to get us back home and it is more than we could have asked for.” I said and the three princesses returned the smile. I looked at Silver and saw that she was looking at the ground thoughtfully. “Is there something wrong child?” Celestia asked. Silver looked at the sun princess and then at me. “I think this is the only chance we will get to tell them about the dream.” I heard Silver say in my head. “Agreed.” “Yes there is princess. During mine and Sapphira’s recovery, we had a dream…” Silver stated and the princesses nodded for us to continue. “It was the same dream where we were guided by a wolf and a raven to a library where they called us queens and they called themselves guardians. They showed us a book that had pictures of Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight as alicorns and their animal guardians. We were wondering if you knew about this.” I finished. Luna, Twilight and Celestia all nodded. Twilight stepped forward, her long purple and pink mane swaying as she walked. “I was shown the same thing by my guardian. When I realized that you two were alicorns as well, I was wondering when your guardians would come. But what I find interesting was that your animals decided to come to you at the same time and place.” She said thoughtfully. “We had a theory that when we were thrown into the portal, that something happened and now we are connected on more than just a physical level because sometimes we can communicate without saying anything aloud.” Silver explained. “It is quite unique but that may also mean that your powers can be doubled when used together in the right manner.” Twilight suggested. “Thank you for letting us know, I am glad that things are working themselves out. If any of you girls have any more questions or concerns, we are all here to help when needed.” Celestia said. “Sorry to cut this short but if you will excuse me; I have some business to attend to. I believe Luna can take you to your living spaces for the moment. Goodnight.” Celestia said and then walked out of the room followed by Twilight who gave us a small wave good-bye. "Come, I will show you to your rooms." Luna stated as she turned and walked gracefully out the room and Silver and I followed obediently, both too nervous and excited to think about sleep.
Reference GuideReference Guide Main Characters: Sapphira Night (Sa-fear-a) Age in the beginning: Between filly like Applebloom and regular pony like Twilight and her friends (So really about the size of a regular pony) Coat Color: Dark purple/ black in low light Mane and Tail: lighter blue compared to her eyes Eyes: sapphire blue Cutie Mark: http://hungergamesgirl97.deviantart.com/art/Sapphira-001-B-359192338?ga_submit_new=10%253A1363135728 (P.S. the moon on her cutie mark is supposed to be shaped to look like a crystal, kind of like Princess Cadence. and it is white.) King Cerberius (Cer-ber-eye-us) Age: Unknown but about the size of Luna Coat: Pitch Black Mane and Tail: Blood Red Eyes: Slitted pupils and outer area is red. Cutie Mark: Shackle and chain Fire Bird: Age: Same as Sapphira Coat: Fiery orange Mane and tail: red with yellow strips . Eyes: Charcoal Grey Cutie Mark: Unknown (prob a pheonix of some sort) Silver Dream: Age: Same as Sapphira Coat: silver Mane and Tail: dark blue Eyes: blueish gray Cutie mark: Two stars and swirls. Reference: http://hungergamesgirl97.deviantart.com/art/Untitled-381476963 Nightshade: Characteristics Unknown for now Coda Age: Same as Sapphira Coat: Blue/Grey Mane: White and Grey stripped Cutie Mark: Coda symbol in music that signals a repeated verse. Eyes: Green Winter: Characteristics Unknown for now Galaxies Star (Galaxy) Characteristics Unknown for now Midnight (Sapphira's Mother) Age: Normal adult earth pony Mane and tail: Dark silver Coat: Fades from dark purple starting at the head and slowly get lighter all the way down to hooves Cutie Mark: Writing quill Eclipse: Age: Normal adult earth pony Mane and Tail: Midnight blue mane Coat: Black Cutie mark: Full moon eclipsing the sun Other Characters from the show: Princess Celestia Princess Luna Princess Twilight Sparkle Mane 6 Cast Queen Chrysalis Nightmare Moon OC's: Poison Apple Dark Wolf Bloodrose Dark Heart Silver autumn Frost Winter Twister Ms. Scarlett
