Dimension: Looking For Group

Planet: Earth

Specific Location: Nestorep

Time: 1 Year after Cale'anon Meets Richard

"This place looks safe," said Night Shade as he strolled into the little town.

Franklin just scanned from side-to-side as he muttered, "Yeah, you probably jinxed it now. It is so jinxed now."

Daniel quietly walked in front, he eyes downcast as he tried to blend in. "Be careful guys," he said, "the database states that this place runs off self-sustainable magic. You can use amulets to enhance your abilities, but for the most part it all runs indefinitely, we have to watch for mages."

Franklin continued to look around as he said, "I don't think we will have to completely worry about that, no doubt demons will show up now that Night Shade has jinxed it!"

Night Shade looked at him with confusion on his face. Daniel just snorted, "I suppose the number thirteen is a bearer of bad news as well?"

Franklin shook his head. "Of course not! I don't really believe in superstition, it's bad luck."

There was an extremely long pause. Suddenly Night Shade said, "Oh! I get it!"

Daniel stopped at a tavern inn and looked it up and down. "This place should do. We will stay here indefinitely until we can figure out what steps we are to take."

With that, the three entered the tavern. All noise stopped momentarily as all people in the building turned to stare at them. The three, even Night Shade, cut imposing figures in the shafts of light streaming through the door, and Daniel could see several humans beginning to sharpen daggers. He shook his head and approached the innkeeper.

"How long?" the fat man said, sweat beginning to bead on his brow, his mustache twitching nervously.

His eyes still downcast, Daniel said, "Indefinitely. We will sort the bill out later."

The innkeeper looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded quickly as Daniel began to look up. Franklin, who had been watching their back, nodded to Daniel. They took their room number, and immediately went to it. They closed the door, and all sat down around a small table in the middle of the room.

"I think," started Franklin, "we should first discuss who has to share a bed. Night Shade is a REALLY loud snorer."

Night Shade gasped, "I am not!"

Daniel lifted his voice a little and said, "Stop it. We need to talk about the next steps."

Franklin just snorted. "What steps can we take? We are all alone, demons are amok, and hostile creatures from another multiverse entirely are invading. What plans? All I can see is disharmony and chaos."

Night Shade shook his head, "Oh, evil has a plan alright. It's there, we just can't see it."

Franklin raised an eyebrow as he looked at Night Shade. "Well, that's what you get from being RAISED by the Paradox. Your mind gets filled with too many good thoughts. The multiverse isn't all black and white, you know."

Night Shade rolled his eyes and replied, "Having Paradox as my parent was the best thing that could have happened to me. And yes, the morals he instilled in me are predominate in my thoughts, but that doesn't mean the multiverse is black and white, I just know that evil has a massive capacity to make order look like disaster to hide their plots."

Franklin blinked. "You know, for an eleven-year-old, you are quite articulate. Your mother would be proud."

Daniel slammed a fist on the table, and the table simply shattered into sawdust from the force. Quickly he withdrew his hand and said, "Sorry… But stop it you two! We can't be arguing amongst ourselves, heaven knows the demons don't do that when they're trying to kill people. We need to figure out what to do next."

Franklin sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "As I said, there isn't much we can do. I am not being pessimistic; I am just stating the facts. We have no idea where to start."

Night Shade sighed and said, "For once, I agree with Franklin. I… I cannot risk losing any of you two."

Daniel stroked his chin. "I understand," he said, "But we have to do something. We are dimensional travelers for a reason, we protect the multiverse, and we can't do that if we are hiding. What we need to do is find out what the demons are planning."

Night Shade pulled a face. "How would we do it? We can't capture a demon; Daniel would probably just gut it without reserve."

Daniel sighed. "I hate demons and what they did to me and my homeplanet, but that doesn't mean I would kill one if I needed it alive."

Franklin cocked his head on one side as he said, "I don't know… from what I remember, there has been no account of dimensional travelers interrogating demons in the records before. This would be an unwelcomed first."

Night Shade nodded. "Most certainly an unwelcomed first. Besides, where would we find a demon who knew enough to even tell us anything?! Heck, we would probably need to capture an arch-demon for that!"

Daniel stood up and said, "That's what we need to do. We need to find an arch-demon, capture it, interrogate it, and find out what the hell is going on."

Franklin leapt up and stuck a pose. "Yes! Let's go and preform something equivalent to suicide! FOR PONY!"

Night Shade got up and said, "Okay, let's do this. But… how are we going to find an arch-demon? It's not like they are just hanging out, ready to be captured."

Daniel nodded. "No, it's not, that is why we are going to the Quinto Præsidium. That place has just been destroyed; it will most certainly have at least one arch-demon directing their search-and-kill parties through the dimension."

Franklin dropped his pose. "Well, I would have said something about this being equivalent to suicide, but… it's just suicide, plain and simple. There is almost no way we could get in there, capture an arch-demon, and not get spotted. We may be a good team, but we're not that good."

Daniel allowed himself a rare smile as he replied, "I have a plan."

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Ponyville

Time: A year after the death of Regal Crescent

"Um… ma'am?" said Apple Bloom, a little nervously, "Could I… er, ask ya' something?"

Miranda turned her bright eyes to the filly and said, "Of course you can sweetie! Anything!"

Apple Bloom looked down and said, "Um… how did you get… er, covered in scars?"

"Yeah," said Scootaloo, her voice gentler than usual, "I mean… you're covered in scars, bruises, and burns! Are those… BRANDING MARKS?"

Miranda's face fell. She tried to smile a little again, but only sighed. "Am I… scary?"

Sweetie Bell trotted over and gave her a side-hug. "Oh course you're not! You're lovely! We're just wondering why you look so hurt!"

Miranda sighed. "I'm sorry children, but I can't really tell you. It's not something for ears as young as yours."

Scootaloo looked a little put out, but then motioned for Miranda to follow her to a large cottage on the border of town. Sweetie Bell knocked on the door. A yellow Pegasus peeked through a crack in the door.

"Hey Fluttershy!" said Scootaloo, "We have someone to see Sunset!"

The door opened and Fluttershy looked at Miranda. He pupils shrunk. After a pause she exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! You look terrible! Come in!"

Fluttershy seized Miranda by the hoof and pulled her in. She sat her down and began to look her over.

"You're so hurt! What creature could do this to you?! Sunset! Hurry!"

Sunset trotted in the room, carrying a baby filly.

"Huh? What?"

Fluttershy, not looking up, said, "Put Starlight Amber in her crib and help me! This pony is really hurt… if you don't mind, please?"

Sunset carefully handed Starlight Amber to Apple Bloom and trotted up Miranda. His pupils shrunk as his gaze fell on Miranda. "My god… What happened?"

Mirana blushed and looked at her hoofs. She mumbled, "Oh, nothing. It's nothing really."

Sunset trotted close to her and began to run his hoofs over some of the wounds. He could the pain emanating from them. "Who are you?"

Miranda, who was still blushing, mumbled, "I'm Miranda."

Sunset raised his eyebrows and said, "Miranda? That's an unusual name. Where are you from?"

Sweetie Bell answered this. She piped up, "This is Miranda! She's one of those… er, dimensional travelers."

Sunset blinked. "What?"

Miranda pointed at herself and said, "Miranda Arkine. Dimensional Orientation PD – 7. Power Tier 3. Generation: 79th."

Sunset looked at her suspiciously for a moment and then turned to Scootaloo. "Scootaloo," he said, "Could you get me Flaming Star?"

Scotaloo nodded and dashed off. Sunset turned back to Miranda and said, "I'm… I'm Joseph Torrus."

Miranda blanched a little and her pupils shrunk. She began to quiver in fear violently, but Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder and said, "Oh, don't worry. He's my husband. We have a nice little family here; he's changed. You're safe."

Miranda, who still looked a little scared, nodded.

Sunset sat in front of her and said, "So, tell me, what monster did this to you?"

Tears began to trickle from her face as she said, "Demons. They… they tortured me."

At that moment, the door opened and Scootaloo, Twilight, and Flaming Star entered. Flaming Star looked at Miranda and his eyes widened. "My god," he said, "What could do that to you?"

There was a pause, and Flaming Star said, "Oh, I'm Abimael 'James' Sethson. The firstborn."

Miranda's eyes widened twice their size as she said, "James? It's me! Miranda! Warhammer 40k? Extraction? The failed mission?"

Flaming Star gasped and he stumbled back. "But… but you're dead! I heard you all die! I went nova!"

Miranda nodded. "You did. But I was captured when I found Alice dead, and some arch-demons spirited me away to a stronghold somewhere as the planet was destroyed by you."

Flaming Star, who still looked absolutely surprised, then said, "They… captured you? Since when have demons spared dimensional travelers?"

Miranda, who began to tear up, shook her head and said, "I… I don't know! They brought me to a stronghold and began to torture me. They seemed furious about something, screaming about a double-agent within their ranks. They said that no one should have ever found their nuclear weapon factory. How did you find it?"

Flaming Star rubbed his head as he said, "It was from Corey Baudelaire, one of the new recruits. He never said how he got the information… How could he have been a double agent?"

Miranda began to cry like a little child. "I don't know," she sobbed, "I wouldn't tell them anything though, and they began to torture me worse and worse. It got so bad…"

Slowly Miranda sat back on her haunches and straightened up. A long purple scar ran from just above her pelvic region up across her stomach, over her chest, all the way up to the side of her neck. Fluttershy turned away, buried her face in Sunset's mane, and began to cry as well.

Flaming Star's eyes were full of sadness. "But… but you got away!"

Miranda smiled through her tears as she said, "I did, the demons were attacked by something, and they all rushed to defend the fortress. I escaped, but a demon saw me and stabbed me in the side. I managed to escape to another dimension where I was found and nursed back to health. But… it hurts."

Sunset, who still sat in front of her, looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Did you figure out what was going on?"

Miranda shuddered. "I think so… They would talk about it with each other as the cut me open. They were really mad and scared about you finding the one factory…"

Flaming Star then interjected. "I don't see how they could! We walked straight into a trap!"

Miranda nodded, "I don't understand it either, they seemed to think that somehow they had been double-crossed. It all was a part of some plan to be initiated by the Grand Devil. It code name was… Astrol."

That was the unintelligible word that Abbadon had whispered to Legion when he had been trapped within mount Azrael.

Sunset nodded slowly. "Astrol… okay. What was supposed to happen?"

"It was supposed to be initiated after Legion was released," Miranda said, "this plan is supposed to start in two hundred years, when Azrael melts. When it does melt, Legion will command his armies from his base in the infernal realm to destroy the harmony units and conquer the multiverse using guerilla tactics."

Flaming Star looked really worried. "This isn't good. Are you absolutely positive this is operation Astrol?"

Miranda nodded vigorously. "It is! I am positive."

This only made Flaming Star and Sunset even more worried. Flaming Star then said, "This is not good at all. Miranda, Legion escaped a year ago… and he never attacked with an army, he attacked us himself."

Miranda looked shocked. "So… Legion, who knew of operation Astrol… purposefully defied the Grand Demon?"

Sunset nodded, and said, "It looks like it. Something isn't right here…"

Flaming Star nodded. "It looks like something is lying to the Grand Demon. No one has done that… ever. That something must be powerful too…"

Sunset nodded, "I agree. When Legion attacked us, he actually seemed coerced into it. I know it sounds weird… but I could tell that he was scared."

Flaming Star nodded. After a pause, Sunset turned to Miranda, "Are you okay? Is there anything we can do for you? You really need those wounds to be treated."

Miranda smiled as she absent-mindedly patted Sweetie Bell's head. "I'm fine… I… just… need… to…"

Miranda gave a small gasp and feinted. Then everyone noticed that blood was beginning to seep from some of her wounds.

Twilight ran over to her. "Her wounds have opened again!" she said, "she needs to be taken to the doctor!"

Quickly she levitated the unconscious form of Miranda and they bore her off to Ponyville.

Flaming Star turned to Sunset. "This is NOT good."

Sunset grimaced. "I agree," he said, "but there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Legion is dead now, thus operation Astrol, even if it was botched, is finished. We can't do anything about anything else now."

Flaming nodded and galloped off after Twilight.

Dimension: Unknown

Planet: Unknown

Specific Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

"The pieces are moving forward. The board is set. The time to act is now."

"The Council must know."

"Yes, The Council must know. But before that, we must send forth our agents."

"Regulars or Elites?"

"Elites, we must ensure things do not go wrong. Start the war now. Then we will make our real move."

"They will begin to suspect. Already I know they are aware to some extent."

"It does not matter, we will take advantage of it."

"Very well, let it begin."