L.O.V.E vs. H.A.T.E #1
"A New Beginning"
It was another normal day in Equestria, a land that was home to ponies, griffins, and other mythical species. At that particular moment however, one pony was taking a trip that would change her life forever.
Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, had been summoned the capital city of Canterlot, so she and her dragon assistant Spike hopped on the first train to see what they were needed for.
Whatever this crisis was, it was just the latest for the princess. Not too long ago, she had to deal with Starlight Glimmer, an equality seeking unicorn, coming back with a plan for revenge by stopping the Sonic Rainboom that lead to Twilight and her friends receiving their Cutie Marks. After a series of time travel mishaps, Twilight convinced her to give up her quest for revenge and took her on as a pupil, hoping to teach Starlight about the importance of friendship.
The train soon stopped at the station, and Twilight & Spike made their way to the castle.
"What do you think this is about?" Spike asked.
"I'm not sure, but somehow, I doubt it's something good," Twilight replied.
The two eventually arrived at the castle and were escorted inside, where they met with the land's rulers, Princess Celestia & her sister Luna.
"Thank you for coming Twilight," Celestia said "I only wish that it was under better circumstances that you were called here."
"What's going on? When you summoned me, you said it was urgent."
"Last night, someone broke into the library and stole a book of ancient spells," Celestia explained.
"That is terrible; nopony should ever steal books," Twilight said.
"I am afraid it is far worse than that," Luna added "one of the spells stolen was one that allows for travel to other worlds."
"Other worlds?" a curious Twilight asked "I thought that's what the magic mirror was for."
"The mirror is but a gateway to simply one world," Celestia explained "it has been believed for centuries that there are many worlds outside our own, which can be accessed through magic."
"We thought about visiting them, but we feared the threat to Equestria would be too great." Luna added.
"I fear that whoever has stolen the book plans to do so, or may have already done so," Celestia said "and if they have, there is no telling what they could find. It could be something that could allow them to conquer Equestria."
"What do you want me to do?" Twilight asked.
Celestia floated a scroll over towards her "this is a copy of the dimension travel spell; I kept it safe in case one day we changed our minds and sought to explore these worlds. You must use it to locate the thief and stop them from whatever they seek to do."
"And be careful," Luna advised "we know nothing of these worlds, or what creatures inhabit them."
"I understand princess, and I shall not let you down."
"I am certain of that," Celestia said with a smile "I would not have chosen you for this if I did not think you could handle it."
Later that day, back at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight began packing for the trip.
"Um, how many books are you bringing Twilight?" Spike asked, seeing her saddle bags.
"Just a few," Twilight told him "I know we have to stop whoever stole the book from doing…whatever it is they're planning on doing, but I thought we could also use this trip as a learning opportunity."
"We can?"
"Of course; Princess Celestia said she never visited these other worlds, but we're getting a chance to. Think of all the new things and ponies we could see!" the princess said, clapping her hooves excitedly "and, we can teach the inhabitants of these worlds all about Equestria and the importance of friendship. That's why I'm bringing a few books about our history, you know, to help break the ice."
"Thank you for letting me come along," Starlight said, as she levitated a book into Twilight's bag "especially since I'm not as close to you as the others."
"Hey, you're my student now, and I can't think of a better way for you to learn about friendship than coming with us," Twilight told her "besides, this will be a learning opportunity for the both of us."
"You two can learn, but I wanna see what awesome stuff these places have," Rainbow Dash commented "I bet there's probably a version of me in all of them, and each of them is as cool as the last."
"Now hang on Rainbow, the princess said they don't know nothing about these worlds," Applejack reminded her "for all we know, they could be home to critters who don't like ponies."
"Not like ponies? That's ridiculous!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed "and even if that's so, once they get a taste of my party, they'll change their tune."
"Goodness, I hoped I packed enough outfits," Rarity said "but then, I suppose I don't know what one wears when exploring another world."
"Um Twilight, you don't think there'll be any, um well…monsters, do you?" a nervous Fluttershy asked.
"It's possible," Twilight said as she finished packing her bags "but don't worry, with all of us together, we can deal with anything."
"Come on, let's do this already," an impatient Rainbow said.
"I think we're all packed," Twilight said, levitating something out of her saddlebags "let me just look over my checklist," she added, making the others groan "hey, we're heading into unknown territory here, we need to make sure we're prepared."
Once Twilight checked the list, she levitated the scroll in front of her. "Okay everypony, hang on, I don't know what this will do," she said.
Concentrating, she sent forth a magic beam, which eventually created a shimmering portal, leading to the others looking at it in awe.
"This is it girls, no turning back now."
Swallowing nervously, Twilight stepped into the portal; one by one, Spike and the others did as well, before it vanished, sending them on a journey they would not forget.
Next time, Fluttershy, Rainbow & Applejack end up separated from their friends and in unfamiliar territory. Where do they end up, and who do they meet? You'll have to read on to find out.