Author's note: Millennium 117 and I have worked quite hard on this so I hope you enjoy it. I don't plan on putting a note at the beginning of ever chapter so you can calm down there. This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so please R&R and don't hold back on the criticism. I can't fix my flaws unless I know what they are. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did coming up with the ideas for it.
Millennium's PS: Our friendship helped inspire this story, and we hope you enjoy reading it as we have talking about, and then writing it! This is our first attempt at a novel-ish type story, so bear with us as there is some mistakes and we are on this journey with the rest of you.
Usually when you go to hang out with a friend, you don't get atomized, or transformed, or shot at. That is, unless your friend happens to be a genius scientist named Jet J. Black. He had invited me over for another day of testing his latest and greatest invention using a machine that was not yet illegal, but only because the law didn't know about it. Now, I am not a test subject by career, I just like to mix up my usual routine by screwing with physics with my bud. Of course he assures me that the experiment is "totally safe" and will "probably have no side effects," but I know better. Whenever we do stuff, Murphy's Law floats around like a dark cloud following us everywhere. Still though, we have managed to come through every challenge we have faced so far including but not limited to: bringing a serial killer to justice, surviving seven separate assassination attempts (turns out oil companies don't like you when you invent fusion technology for cheap, who'd have thought?), stopping a group of neo-nazis bent on world domination, High School, etc. You get the idea. The only reason I even agreed to visit him today was because he claimed to have perfected a gift for me that he had been working on for ages. Ugh... what I won't do for a friend. I am Kurt G. Eisenhower, (yes, like the president) and you may want to strap in and hold on because this is unlike anything you have ever seen.. or read... or whatever... just shut up and listen will you?
Equestria: near the Everfree Forest
A deafening cacophony of noise startled Fluttershy from her sleep in the middle of the night, and even though she hid under her blankets, the vibrations from downstairs shook her to her core. In less than a second since it had started, the rumbling and crashing noises ground to a halt. Fluttershy timidly poked her head out to see if it was safe. 'Oh my goodness,' she thought, 'what could have made such a terrible ruckus?' She cautiously edged out from under her covers, but no sooner had her hoof touched the floor near her bed than a large shape careened through her window rolling across her floor and skidding to a halt at her feet. "Eep!" she squealed, frantically backpedaling away from whatever it was that now rested at the foot of her bed. After a solid minute of cowering, it became clear that whatever it was, it was not going to be getting up any time soon. She inched closer to the still figure. Much to her surprise, it was a pony laying at her feet, and a terribly injured one at that. Blood was already pooling on the hardwood floor.
Much of it's figure was concealed behind Fluttershy's curtains and various rubble, so she could not get a very good look at it. From what she could see, this young stallion was a pegasus had a black coat with a silver mane, tail, and even the tips of his badly broken and smoking wings. Fluttershy knew she had to get help immediately. By this point the bunny Angel, who had awoken along with Fluttershy, was cautiously approaching the downed stallion. "Angel, you have to go get Twilight," Fluttershy said, "She is the only pony who can help me stabilize him long enough to get him to the clinic!" Angel snapped to attention and saluted Fluttershy before dashing off into the night.
"Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness, I need to get my medical supplies!" Fluttershy dashed downstairs only to find another terribly injured pony at the base of her stairs. This one was a gray-green pegasus with a blond mane and tail. He appeared to have crashed through the front door and he seemed to be in a state similar to the first stallion, though it seemed that he had fewer cuts. Fluttershy frantically scavenged her medical supplies from the rubble and scrambled back up the stairs. 'I have to stop the bleeding of the first one before I can focus on the green one.' she thought. Fluttershy quickly began removing the rubble from around the injured pony. Fluttershy carefully removed tattered curtains from around the stallion's head only to gasp in shock as she discovered that this was no pegasus, he was an alicorn! 'But I thought the only alicorns were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?' she pondered for but a moment before returning to the task at hand. After a few minutes of intensive bandaging and removal of shards of glass, Fluttershy heard rapid hoofbeats coming toward her cottage.
"Fluttershy! Are you alright?" Twilight yelled into the now ruined cottage, still sprinting as fast as she could go.
A soft voice replied, "Yes Twilight, I am alright, but these ponies need our help, and there is something you need to see."
Twilight entered through the wreckage of the doorway to see the green pegasus lying unconscious on the floor, but his wounds had already been bandaged, so she ventured up the stairs. Twilight froze in shock to see Fluttershy cradling an injured alicorn in her lap.
"Wha- but... who...?" Twilight sputtered in confusion.
"I don't know who these ponies are, but we need to help them," Fluttershy pleaded, "Please."
With that Twilight nodded in agreement before focusing her magical energy into her horn. Once she had enough, she shot the condensed healing energy into the broken alicorn. Before their very eyes, the gashes began healing and the broken bones in his wings reset themselves. Twilight panted from the expenditure of energy before running back downstairs to repeat the spell on the pegasus.
The black alicorn stirred and Fluttershy stroked his mane and whispered, "Shhh, don't worry. You'll be alright."
Earlier the same day:
Research facility in Tennessee
"Hey egghead!"
Jet looked up from his calculations just in time to get pegged in the face with a Nerf dart.
"Gotcha!"
Jet laughed at his best friend Kurt's antics.
"Took you long enough to get here. I had almost given up hope!"
Kurt grinned impishly. "I got here on time, just had to take a minute to chat with that secretary of yours." He laughed, "Seriously though, how does a nerd like you end up with such a smoking secretary?
Jet chuckled, "Oh you know, the womans... they find me irresistible, and besides, who are you to call me a nerd? Sure, I am a scientist, but you a a video game designer. I should think that our professions are about equally as nerdy."
Kurt countered, "No way, my job is waaaaaaaaaay cooler than yours. I get to blow stuff up all of the time!"
"Yeah sure, whatever helps you sleep at night man," Jet shook his head while chuckling knowing that this argument was absolutely pointless.
The two men were both in their late 20s, but they had known each other most of their lives. They are as close as they were since grade school, and twice as immature (which is saying a whole lot). Even though they have different professions, they would occasionally take a break from whatever project they were working on to help the other one out. Usually Kurt would be the one to help Jet out by asking the obvious questions that helped pinpoint flaws that Jet had a habit of over looking. Whereas Jet would come up with crazy ideas no one else would conceive of as possible. All in all, they made a great team.
Jet stood at about six foot three, and pale as Dracula, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black hoodie which he had recently purchased with a black lab-coat over it and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The hoodie sported the symbol of the Hero of Space from the web-comic Homestuck. The black hoodie and coat accentuated his naturally slim build as well as his short naturally silver hair. Kurt, on the other hand, stood thick and solid at six feet tall with a blond crew cut. He also wore his customary blue jeans along with his favorite shirt. An original Halo: Combat Evolved T-Shirt which was a dull green with the Halo symbol emblazoned on the chest.
"Man, every time I see you, you are wearing that stupid Homestuck hoodie."
"Hey back off! Jade is totally awesome. I am proud to wear the symbol of the Hero of Space." Jet posed looking dramatically off into the distance.
"NEEEEERD."
"Well you don't see me mocking your fashion choices," Jet responed.
"Duh, because Halo is only the most super-amazing-epic-boss-tastic thing ever to grace the earth!"
"Well...OK. You've got me there," They both laughed.
"Anyway, what did you need me for again?" Kurt finally asked once they stopped laughing.
"Oh yeah! OK, you may want to sit down." Jet warned.
"Is it really that awesome?"
"You bet it is! I only managed to finally create an inter-dimensional storage device!"
Kurt's mouth fell open, and he fell back against the desk.
"You mean, you-"
"Darn straight I did!"
"So can I-"
"Why did you think I invited you over?"
"Are you going to-"
"Let you finish a sentence some time today...maybe?"
Kurt and Jet looked at each other grinning, excitement shining in their faces. Jet had been working on this project for over a decade, and the possibilities that this advancement offered were limitless.
"So, would you mind explaining what is does exactly?" Kurt asked after a moment of silence.
"Sure. Basically, this device here," gesturing to a large gray box on his desk. "creates a portal to another dimension. So far every dimension has been absolutely devoid of life, so we can just put our excess stuff there, and no one minds at all!"
"Wow, so you can store an almost infinite amount of stuff in one of these things?"
"Essentially."
"That is great and all, but what did you need me for?"
"Well, we found one dimension that was NOT devoid of life. It has a breathable atmosphere and gravity comparable to earth. It has vegetation as well, but we aren't sure past that."
"... and?"
"And I was wondering if you would like to take a look at it with me."
Kurt's eyes suddenly grew bigger at the thought of exploring a totally alien dimension, "That. Sounds. Dangerous. Sign me up!"
"So I take it you are interested?" Jet asked sarcastically.
"You bet I am! Just one question."
"Shoot."
"How the heck are we supposed to fit in that tiny box?" Kurt asked lifting an eyebrow.
Jet chuckled for a moment, rolling his eyes, and then replied, "We aren't. I have all sorts of neat little surprises for you lying around. Now then, if you'll follow me."
Jet rose from his seat at the desk and led Kurt over to a blank wall. After giving Kurt a cheeky grin as if to say, 'watch this!' he placed his hand against one of the bricks. Almost instantly the wall disappeared exposing a new room with walls lined with strange looking machines. Most prominent among the technology was what appeared to be a large metal doorway. After Kurt got over this revelation, he followed Jet into the room who stopped at a table strewn with various bits of metal and circuitry. He started shifting through the mess and after a moment produced what appeared to be two watches.
"You are going to love this thing. It took a good 4 years to develop, but it is without a doubt one of the best things I have ever made!" Jet bragged.
"Wow," Kurt said with dripping sarcasm, "you invented a watch! Now we will all hail your epicness for sure."
"Cheeky bugger... this is no watch, it is actually a different type of storage device. I think it will be easiest to explain by showing you."
Jet then slipped the device onto his arm and after securing it twisted it once. Instantly a strange black liquid spread out from it covering Jets body in a matter of moments. Once he was totally covered, the liquid solidified into a sort of flexible armor straight out of a science fiction complete with a mask and visor. Kurt's jaw practically scraped the floor.
"So what do you think of it? This is only one of the features, too! After you put it on, you will actually have a holographic display only visible to yourself, though you can make it visible. It actually bonds with your nervous system so that you can control some of it by thought alone."
Kurt simply sat in awe for a moment, and then asked one very important question. "I can haz for keepsies?"
Jet almost doubled over laughing at his friend's lolspeak and handed over the device to Kurt. Kurt quickly put it on saying, "It took you long enough to invent this, we only planned on it when we were what? In the sixth grade?" Kurt activated it the same way Jet had, only the liquid was more olive-greenish. Once the armor settled into place, he noticed that his armor was dramatically different from Jet's. His was a much thicker and heavier compound and was stylized after the Mk. VI MJOLNIR armor from the Halo series. Upon noticing the similarities, Kurt scooped Jet up into a bear hug, lifting him off the ground and swinging him around.
"OK, I'm glad you like it so much! I figured I should customize our suits to our personalities. Yours is ridiculously tough and increases your strength 10 fold. Whereas mine enhances my speed and agility. It is a good thing I installed the kinetic dampeners though, otherwise you would have just crushed my rib cage!"
"Did I ever tell you that you are the very best friend that anyone could ever ask for?" Kurt asked after finally depositing Jet back on the ground.
"Well, now you have, but we need to stop fooling around," Jet deactivated his armor and continued, "We can't stay in these for too long at a time because of the stress it puts on your body, plus it drains the batteries."
"Ah, I see. So we should save it for if we need it?" turning off his armor in suit.
"Exactly. Now that that has been cleared up, shall we?" gesturing towards the metal doorway.
"My thoughts exactly!" Kurt walked up to the device, while Jet flipped a few switches and typed in a couple of commands into a computer. Once that was done Jet joined his friend in front of the doorway.
Kurt waited for something to happen, but nothing came. Not flash of light, no mysterious looking portal, not even a distortion in the air. He looked over at Jet with a confused look on his face, but Jet just gave him that same smile and motioned him forward.
"Now you should know, we will be atomized for about 30 seconds before arriving on the other side." Jet said languidly.
Kurt backpedaled rapidly, "WHAT! YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABO-"
Jet shoved Kurt into the doorway laughing and quickly followed after him. To any observer it looked like they simply winked out of existence, and they did indeed have an observer. This observer deactivated his cloak and calmly walked over to the computer. This mysterious person made a few quick adjustments to Jet and Kurt's destination and then turned off the whole machine. He turned and began speaking in a low tone, "It's done... No, I wasn't seen... You can pick it up whenever you please, they won't be coming back any time soon... No, unfortunately they took those with them... Alright, over and out."
**END CHAPTER 1**