Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse

Time: Four days after the arrival of the Brothers in Arms corps

"I don't know, I don't really think we should still be thinking of ways to get Flaming Star to propose to Twilight," said Scootaloo as the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Button Mash sat together in the clubhouse.

"Why do you think that?" said Button Mash, who was literally paying no attention whatsoever to the conversation thanks to the handheld video game he was playing.

"Well," replied Sweetie Bell, though she knew very well her friend wasn't paying attention, "What Scootaloo is thinking is that with all this weird stuff going on, we should be worrying about other stuff. We don't even know where Twilight is right now!"

"That's true, I really wish there was some way we could help out with all these problems," sighed Apple Bloom, "Maybe we could even get cutie marks in helpin' ponies in wartime!"

"Or we could just sit here and play video games!" exclaimed Button Mash, "We could get our cutie marks in that!"

"I don't think it works like that, Button Mash," sighed Scootaloo, "Or you would have gotten your cutie mark in that a loooooong time ago."

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure Scootaloo," mumbled Button Mash, "Repeat what you just said in a sec please, I just need to finish the obligatory underwater area in The Legend of Zebrda, Ocarina of Time."

Sweetie Bell facehoofed. "We've got to do something! Rarity is trapped in Bray, Twilight's missing, every other pony seems scared of their own shadow, and no one is telling us ANYTHING! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We have got to do something to figure out what's going on!"

"HOW?" exclaimed Scootaloo, "We have NO idea how we're going to do that! None of the grown-ups will tell us anything!"

"I might, if you could help me up please."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders (with the exception of Button Mash) turned to see Miranda trying to scramble up into the club house.

"Miranda!" The CMC exclaimed. They helped her up and hugged her tightly.

"Yer okay!" said Apple Bloom, "We were really worried about you! Flaming Star said you had gone crazy or somethin'!"

"I did, little ones," said Miranda, "But I am better now."

"Who you talking to? Woah…" trailed off Button Mash as he looked up and saw the scar-covered pony.

"Hello sweetie! I'm Miranda! What's your name?" said Miranda happily.

Button's game beeped, alerting him that his character had just died, but he paid no attention. He stared with wide eyes at Miranda. "I-I-I'm Button Mash."

Miranda seized him in a hug. "Why hello Button Mash! It's nice to meet you! So, you four want to know a little about what is going on?"

Sweetie Bell bounced a little in excitement. "We do! Do you know anything about what's going on?"

Miranda nodded. "I think so. It's the strangest thing… While I was insane, I would go through these bouts where a bright light would fill the far corners of my mind. When that happened, I became aware of all sorts of things going on everywhere."

"Ooooohhh… is that like a skill? When do we get it?" said Button Mash, who seemed excited about something other than milkshakes and video games for once.

Miranda winked at him. "I don't think it's a skill. It's more like a discoverable perk."

Button Mash's eyes widened even more and Miranda smiled at him. "I was young once too, you know."

She then turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "So, this is what I think is going on… I'm not sure how accurate it is, since I got my information from a man made of light, and since I can remember bits and pieces of what has gone on over the past few days.

"A… man of what?" stuttered Scootaloo.

Miranda grinned at her. "Don't worry; I think it's all trustworthy information. So, this is what is happening: There is a group that is trying to destroy the multiverse because they think it is comprised of only evil beings. To achieve this, they are using shape-shifting agents to infiltrate positions of power on this planet. They are using these agents to sway the nations so that they can take over Equestria and displace this country's ponies of control. According to the Light Man, Twilight has been captured and brought to a prison far, far away. Also, Rarity is safe, but they will be trapped in Bray for a little while longer. Sadly, though, pretty much all of what I just said is just part of their plan. We've all been playing into their hooves. The group is so close to achieving their goal, and so far everypony has been hoodwinked effectively."

"Wow…" breathed Apple Bloom, "This IS big. Do ya know how they are goin' to achieve success?"

Miranda nodded. "Of course! They are going to use… the… tree… of… Harmony… Oh no."

Miranda quickly got up and said, "We have to go. I had totally forgotten about that part! The invading army is going to go straight for the tree of Harmony!"

"What?!" gaped Sweetie Bell, "But… I thought no pony knew of where it was! I don't even really know where it is!"

"They know," said Miranda gravely, "They know, and they've convinced every other pony that they don't know. We have to move. We have to stop them!"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders! Let's roll out!" said Scootaloo dramatically as she grabbed Button Mash and dragged him away from his Game Colt device.

"What? Where? Who? Where are we going?" exclaimed Button Mash indignantly as he was bundled out of the clubhouse.

"We're going to find Sunset Shadow!" replied Miranda, "He'll know what to do!"

"Oh, er, right!" said Button Mash, "To Sunset's place! He'll know what to do! About… something…"

The five leapt down and galloped off to Ponyville.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Fluttershy and Sunset's house

Time: Four days after the arrival of the Brothers in Arms corps

"Hmmm… 27 45 23.2878 and -103 21 31.75… What do these numbers mean?" sighed Sunset as he sat, head in hoofs, at a mahogany table in his house.

"I don't know, Sunset, but maybe we should just slow down for a minute and enjoy the sunlight," said Fluttershy soothingly.

Sunset smiled as he levitated Starlight Amber in the air and bounced her gently up and down. "I suppose you're right, Fluttershy," he murmured, "Perhaps I'm taking this too fast. I guess I should get my mind back onto the important stuff. What were those again?"

Fluttershy flapped over with a piece of paper and placed it in front of him. She then kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't worry dear; I made a to-do sheet while you were worrying about those numbers."

Sunset smiled at her gratefully. "I would be lost without you Fluttershy. I mean literally lost."

Fluttershy blushed, "Oh thank you."

Sunset gently levitated Starlight Amber to Fluttershy as he looked at the list.

"Hmmmm," he mused, "It seems that I need to get ready for a meeting with Princess Celestia. Ah, that's right, this one is to be held in Fillydelphia. Where is that again? Darn it, I'm forgetting stuff already? I'm only 22 years old!"

Sighing with exasperation, he pulled out a map from a nearby bookshelf using magic and spread it on the table.

"Ah, here it is," he said to himself, "It's here, longitude… er, latitude… Here."

Suddenly he blinked as a figurative light bulb went off in his head. "27 45 23.2878 and -103 21 31.75… They're longitude and latitude! Fluttershy! I got it!"

Fluttershy pressed her ears against her skull. "Um… yay?"

Sunset smiled gently. "Sorry sweetie, I can still get riled up once and a while."

He then turned to look at the map. He located the place where the numbers indicated, it was nothing more than a hill range in Equus. Why had this mysterious "Light Man" given him numbers to a hill range? What was there? Did they even have time to spend by looking around there? Could they even manage to?

He sighed; it didn't seem really worth it. How could he even go there? He had no time. Once again another idea hit him: Flaming Star was in Irrum. Even now he was scouring the land with Spike for signs of Twilight. All Sunset needed to do was send the information pertaining to this mysterious location and send him to check it out!

Sunset nodded decisively. All he needed to do now was figure out how to send the message. Just recently he was alerted by Celestia via a messenger that magical letter-sending too had been disabled by the same mysterious technology that had rendered portal traveling and teleportation useless. He needed a courier. A Pegasus who was brave, stout, and fast. Ditzy Doo? Possibly…

Sunset turned at a sound. It was a rapid knocking at his door. It was loud and sounded like the knocker was in quite a hurry.

"Oh my," said Fluttershy quietly.

Sunset quickly got up and cantered to the door. He opened it and saw Miranda, Button Mash, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders at the door.

"Erm... Can I help you?" stuttered Sunset, who was a little at a loss for words.

"They're coming for the tree of Harmony, Sunset!" exclaimed Miranda.

"Wait, what? Who is coming for the tree of Harmony?" said Sunset, who still looked a little surprised.

"The alliance!" interjected Sweetie Bell.

"What? Impossible. From the reports I have received from Cloudsdale headquarters, the alliance troopers are heading for Las Pegasus. We have nothing to worry about. Whatever gave you the idea that they were going to attack the Everfree forest?"

"The man made of light, Sunset." replied Miranda, her face straight.

Sunset nodded slowly. "I… see… That reminds me, I realized the numbers you gave me were longitude and latitude to a dell in Equus. Do you know why the numbers point there?"

Now it was Miranda's turn to look a little confused. "What numbers?"

"The ones you gave me yesterday!"

"Oh… I'm sorry, I don't remember giving you numbers… My mind wasn't right then, and I only remember a little of what has happened over the past couple of days." Miranda bowed her head, and it looked like she was going to cry.

"And that leads us back to the original point!" exclaimed Sweetie Bell dramatically, trying to break the mood, "The alliance is coming for the tree of Harmony! We've been HOOFWINKED!"

"I think you mean hoodwinked, Sweetie Bell," said Apple Bloom, "Hoofwinked ain't a word."

"Well neither is 'aint't,'" exclaimed Sweetie Bell indignantly.

"They're right, Sunset," said Miranda seriously, "We have to do something. Everything so far has gone according to the plan of 'the group.' They've spilt us up, and rendered the Harmony bearers useless. Ponyville and the tree of Harmony are unprotected. We're at a disadvantage and have played right into their hands… or hoofs."

"Who is 'the group' you keep talking about?" asked Sunset. Already, however, his mind had begun to turn. It seemed that Miranda was right. Everything so far seemed to be playing out as if it was part of a play, a master game.

"I don't know, I'm sorry," sighed Miranda, "The Light Man didn't tell me that much. I do know that all of Equestria, and possibly the whole dimension and the whole multiverse are in trouble. We have to do something… and fast."

Sunset reached a conclusion: Miranda may have been considered legally insane a couple of days ago, but this Light Man seemed real enough to her, and the mysterious entity seemed to know enough about Sunset as well. Perhaps it was time to open his heart up and find it within himself to trust openly once more.

He nodded, "Okay, I understand. We have to take this to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. But before that, I need to find Ditzy Doo, she has a very important task I need her to carry out. Fluttershy? Do you want to come with us?"

Fluttershy looked at her hoofs as she thought for a moment. She then blushed and peeked between her pink mane. After a pause, she said, "Yes. I want to go too. But what about Starlight?"

"She's coming too. We're all going. We might as well," said Sunset with determination, "Let's go."

The group trotted out of the house and went straight into Ponyville.

"Diamond Tiara," said Sunset Shadow to the pink filly, "Have you seen Ditzy Doo anywhere?"

"Oh, Sunset, I don't know, somewhere near town hall I suppose. I don't keep track of her. Why?" replied Diamond Tiara airily.

"It is not of importance right now. Thank you," said Sunset briskly.

The group continued off to town hall. Ditzy Doo was eating a muffin just outside a pastry shop next to the hall. Sunset glanced back at the others and said, "Wait here, I'll just be a moment."

Quickly he cantered up to Ditzy Doo and handed her a letter.

"Ditzy Doo," he said very seriously, "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything Sunset!" exclaimed Ditzy Doo, "Whatcha need?"

"I need you to carry a letter behind enemy lines for me."

Ditzy Doo paused, her hoof with the muffin hovering half-way to her mouth. "Eh? What?"

"I need you to bring a letter to Flaming Star in Irrum."

Ditzy Doo looked a little confused. Then she said, "Oh… I see. Um… Do I have to?"

Sunset nodded his head, "It is imperative that he receives this letter, and you are the only pony I can think of right now who is brave, stout, and fast enough for the job."

Ditzy Doo blinked. After a moment, her nodded decisively. "I am on it Sunset!" she exclaimed, "Do you know where he is?"

Sunset frowned. "No, I don't. You are going to have to search around, but you must do it with the utmost inconspicuousness and care. Do you understand?"

Ditzy Doo saluted. "I do Sunset! As soon as I finish my muffin, I'm off!"

She then noticed that when she had saluted, her hoof had knocked the muffin into the air. The thing landed in a puddle. She looked at it and there was a moment of silence. She then looked back at Sunset.

"Oh, er," she mumbled, "I guess I'll do it right now!"

She picked up the letter, put it in her mail pouch, spread her wings, and began to flap off in the direction of the Frozen north. Sunset bit his lip as he watched her fly away.

"I really hope all goes well," he said. He then trotted back to the rest of the group and said, "That's over and done with now. Now we need to go to Mayor Mare's office and explain the situation. We need to get as many ponies evacuated as possible. If all goes well, you guys can begin evacuations while I approach the Sun and Moon sisters in Fillydelphia and explain what is going on. Perhaps we can allocate more troops to protect the tree of Harmony."

Sweetie Bell smiled. "You can count on us! Let's go!"

They quickly totted into town hall and went into Mayor Mare's office.

"Hello Sunset!" she said cheerfully, "What brings you here?"

"This pony's name is Miranda," said Sunset indicating the scar-covered pony, "She has something to say to you."

Miranda cantered to the front of the group and said, "I believe that Ponyville is in danger of being attacked by the invading army."

Mayor Mare blinked. She quickly ruffled through some papers and pulled one out.

"This is the report sent to the Princesses from Cloudsdale headquarters," she explained as she scanned it, "From what Rainbow Dash and Commander Hurricane said, it seems that Ponyville is only SUPPOSED to seem to be in danger. They said that the army is really just using it as a distraction so that they can lay siege to Las Pegasus unopposed."

"It's a lie," said Miranda flatly, "I do not think all is well within the command hierarchy of Equestria's army."

"Are you saying Commander Hurricane is a liar?" said Mayor Mare skeptically, eying Miranda.

Miranda shook her head. "I am not saying nor implying that, Mayor Mare," she said curtly, her bright eyes darkened with seriousness, "I believe that there are impostors within our ranks that have taken the guise of true officers. We are being fooled."

"I believe she speaks the truth, Mayor Mare," said Sunset.

Mayor Mare looked a little flustered. "Why has no one told me of this?" she mumbled as she rapidly shifter through some more papers.

"It's because no one else has seen it coming. Miranda has had some… inside help with this situation, so she wasn't fooled like the rest of us. We need to trust her," replied Sunset earnestly.

Mayor Mare bit her lip as she looked at the report from Cloudsdale back to Miranda and her friends and then back to the report again. There was a pause. Finally she sighed. "I trust you Sunset," she said, "We will begin evacuations immediately. We will be sending everypony off via train to Dodge Junction or Appleloosa. Going to those places should keep us safe while the army deals with the enemy."

Miranda looked very worried. "Mayor," she said slowly, "We can't ask for help from the Equestria army."

"Why not?" squeaked Mayor Mare, her eyes growing wide.

"We cannot let ANYPONY know what we know," replied Miranda seriously, "There are a lot of impostors within our ranks, and we cannot risk alerting them of our plans. We cannot let them know that we are aware of what is transpiring."

Mayor Mare shook her head. "I cannot let you do this then," she said, "Who will protect Ponyville?"

"I will," said Miranda, "I am a dimensional traveler, power tier 2. I believe can protect this place successfully."

Mayor Mare looked at Miranda and sighed. "This is a matter of trust then really… I'll choose to trust you. Please protect our town."

"With my life," said Miranda solemnly, "We need to begin evacuations immediately."

"It will be done quietly," said Mayor Mare.

Miranda bowed her head. "Thank you Mayor Mare," she said, "For trusting me."

Mayor Mare nodded briskly. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, or Flaming Star would have done the same."

Miranda turned to Sunset, "This is under control. You should go off to meet with the Princesses to discuss the matters that you have set out. Remember, this is a covert operation, it is best that no pony outside this town really understands what is going on. Oh, one more thing, Sunset: can you get word of what is going on here to the Brothers in Arms corps somehow?"

Sunset sighed. "I have no idea," he replied, "Why?"

"I don't think I can protect the town on my own," she answered, "And I have a contingency plan that requires them. Oh, and don't forget to tell Franklin that I love him. He kept a small part of me sane during the dark times over the past few days."

"I'll see what I can do," said Sunset as he turned around and trotted out of town hall.

He trotted out to town square and looked around until he found the Pegasus he was looking for. It was a dark grey Pegasus with yellow hair: Lightning Dasher.

"Lightning!" called Sunset as he trotted over to the grey Pegasus, "Hey, Lightning!"

Lightning Dasher turned to look at Sunset. "Heeeyyyy… Sunset! What's up?"

"I have a very important task for you," replied Sunset, who levitated a letter that he had quickly written for Miranda, "I need you to take this to the Frozen north."

"Cool," said Lightning, "Who am I looking for?"

"A large red dragon. His name is Daniel," said Sunset.

"A… uh… dragon?" stuttered Lightning with hesitation in his voice.

"Yes, a dragon. Don't worry, he is a dimensional traveler like me, he won't hurt you. He should be somewhere between the southern border of Bray and the Frozen north, so I want you to look for him in the skies. Can you do that?"

Lightning Dasher nodded, took the letter in his mouth, and took to the sky. As he flapped off, Mayor Mare trotted up behind Sunset and said, "Who is that you're sending off? I thought we were not going to tell any pony of the plans!"

"Oh, that's Lightning Dasher, he's taking a letter to the dragon, the human, and that black pony who went off to save Rarity. They're dimensional travelers like me, so they should be able to help against the invading army when they come."

"Ah," said Mayor Mare, "Okay then. Well, I should be going now. I will be making the evacuation announcement in one hour."

Sunset nodded and trotted off to where Miranda, Fluttershy, and Starlight Amber sat under a tree.

"Awwww… She's so beautiful!" exclaimed Miranda as she played with Starlight Amber, "You two have a wonderful little foal here. You are sooooo blessed."

"I know," said Fluttershy happily, "Thank you."

"Hello you two!" said Sunset cheerfully, "All is in order. The letter is sent off, and the evacuation will begin in exactly one hour. Where are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"Oh, they left with their little friend Button Mash to play. They headed north. Isn't Button Mash soooo cute?" said Miranda, turning her sparkling eyes towards Sunset.

"Sure, Miranda, anything you say!" Sunset said as he settled down next to Fluttershy, "I suppose we can just enjoy the sunlight here while we wait for things to take place."

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Mayor Mare's office

Time: Four days after the arrival of the Brothers in Arms corps

Mayor Mare closed the door to her office.

"Phasetroopers! Attend me!" she snarled.

Two of those chalk-white creatures from the other multiverse uncloaked from their position beside the door.

"You need us for something, Elite?" asked one of the Phasetroopers.

The Mayor Mare imposter nodded, and shifted into her original form.

"Yes," she said, "Joseph Torrus has sent off a dark grey Pegasus with yellow hair to fetch the Brothers in Arms corps. It is good that we are evacuating Ponyville, thus reducing chances of uprisings and riots, but I do not think our technology could cope with dimensional traveler Miranda, her brother, and his two friends. We need to keep it down to her. Kill the Pegasus courier with a rocket propelled singularity grenade. That should ensure he dies, the letter is stopped, and no one ever notices. Hurry! Even as we speak he is crossing the northern part of Ponyville!"

The two Phasetroopers nodded and cloaked again and left the building.

Note: Hey guys, I just wanted to let you all know that I am going to have to slow down now. I don't think I can keep up with a chapter a day anymore, and I need some time to restock my doc manager. The pause should only be about two days long. Thanks! And don't forget the R&R stuff!