Note: I really am getting into this Equestrian Resistance stuff. Here we go!

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: A week after the Paradox took control of Equestria

Caustic Rain couldn't sleep. The past week had been absolutely terrible. Of course, no one had been hurt or killed, but the thought of Phasetroopers patrolling every single street and rampart of Canterlot and its castle sickened him. Even the skies were no longer safe. Almost every other hour a massive carrier ship would blot out the sun as it moved over the planet to deliver a swarm of smaller carrier ships holding weapons, soldiers, or military hardware. The entire planet was a militaristic hotspot. There was no such thing as "Friendship is Magic" now. The Paradox had planned the invasion and occupation perfectly. To the untrained eye, not a single thing had changed. Ponies went about their business, foals still played, and Fancypants still made clothing-line deals. But that was just a front. Behind the scenes the Paradox was manituplating everyone. The land of Equestria was no longer a diarchy of the Sun and Moon sisters; it was now simply a small province in the massive Enigma Empire that was being controlled by an iron, yet invisible, hand of wrath.

Caustic Rain shook his head as his entire room began to shake violently as a hover patrol frigate akin to an F-35 VTOL Atmospheric/Space All Purpose Fighter railed passed the room overhead. Caustic Rain sighed deeply. He was pretty sure that those ships weren't actually doing anything other than reminding the residence of Canterlot Castle that they were no longer in control of their lives. Almost immediately after that thought dissolved into his subconscious, his room shook again, more violently this time, as another frigate blasted by his window. Suddenly his door flung open, and a wide-eyed Luna galloped in.

"What in Equestria are those noises?" she exclaimed tearfully.

Caustic Rain eyed her sadly. It must be terrifying for her. For him, it was simply an occupation by a fleet of gun-toting space ships; but for her, it was a total invasion of all she loved by a hoard of enormous, fire-breathing, metal monstrosities. Caustic Rain opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as yet another frigate blasted by. Luna abruptly leapt forward, as if she had been struck by something, and seized him in a tight hug. She buried her face in his left shoulder as she as she began to shake uncontrollably. Caustic Rain covered her ears with his front hooves as a fourth frigate soared by.

"Those freaking morons have silent hovercraft technology… Why the hell are they doing this?" snarled Caustic Rain.

"Because we want to ruin your night sleep," said a voice from behind them.

Caustic Rain turned his head sharply. It was the Paradox. Luna peeked around his shoulder, her eyes full of tears.

"You. I swear… I will kill you one day," said Caustic Rain, his voice going deathly quiet.

"You will not be doing any such thing," said the Paradox evenly, "Because if you try, I will kill Luna."

The Paradox strolled up to Caustic Rain and Luna, and took Luna's beautiful face in a hand. Caustic Rain grit his teeth in fury as Luna stared wide-eyes at the Paradox, frozen in fear.

"Look at this flawless face," said the Paradox calmly, "She is a wondrous creation, Samuel Dellor."

"I… will… kill… you," growled Caustic Rain, "Now… leave… my… fillyfriend… alone…"

"What a temper," said the Paradox airily as he gently caressed Luna's terrified face, "I do not understand why you are so mad. I was the one who brought you out of that hellhole of a life you lived on the wintry streets of Chicago. I was the one who gave you a new life and a new purpose. Do you not owe me something?"

"I did owe you something, until I found out that it was all a lie. You are not the Paradox that we owe our lives to, that was a different being, a different specter; a specter of all that was and is good. As for you… well… As for you, you are nothing but a sickly monster," said Caustic Rain, forcing his anger down.

The Paradox let go of Luna's face as he said, quietly, "I know that I am sick, Samuel. You do not need to tell me of that. I know that deep down, there is something within that is consuming all that is good and just. But I cannot stop it now."

Caustic Rain actually faltered. Had the Paradox really said that? At first he was lost for words, but then he stuttered, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," said the Paradox simply, "I will be gone for a while, but I wanted to make sure that all of my friends were fine."

The Paradox said the word "friends" as if he was referring to his ant farm. Caustic Rain actually winced at the sound of that word, as if he had been physically struck by it.

"Well?" Caustic Rain snapped after a moment of silence, "Are you satisfied?"

"All is in order," said the Paradox as he looked at Luna and Caustic Rain, still clutching at each other, "Love is good. You two love each other. Stay together."

The Paradox turned to leave when Caustic Rain yelled, "Why don't you just get it over with?! I know that you are going to kill us all… Why don't you just do it now?!"

The Paradox didn't even turn around to acknowledge the shout. However, as he opened a portal and stepped through it, he said, with a mix of complacency and nonchalance, "Because, as you said, I am a nothing but a sickly monster."

With that, he exited the room, and the portal closed with a small "pop." Luna sighed sadly as Caustic Rain just shook his head sadly.

Luna nuzzled his cheek as she murmured, "Caustic Rain? What are we going to do?"

Caustic Rain was in shock, so his brain was unable to react negatively to Luna's sign of affection. Instead, he muttered, "I have no idea, Luna. That abomination is beyond reason, and that makes him all the more dangerous. This is bad." His eyes were wide as he talked, and he looked off into space blindly.

"You need to sleep," said Luna.

"I don't need sleep," replied Caustic Rain, "I did all my sleeping when I was staving off starvation on the streets of Chicago."

"You still need to sleep," continued Luna. She gently pushed him down onto his bed. Caustic Rain murmured something unintelligible, but closed his eyes. Luna snuggled in close to him and closed her eyes as well.

"Do not worry about the night," she sighed, her voice calm, "We will be together for the length of it as well. Always."

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: Eight days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

Fluttershy yawned as she opened her eyes. She rolled unconsciously over to Sunset's side of the bed like she did every morning (usually trapping him underneath her as a consequence) but found that he was not there. This interruption to her daily early-morning routine immediately jarred the female yellow Pegasus into wakefulness. She lifted her head in panic as she looked around the room for her husband. She was about to call out his name when she noticed a little note by the bedside table. She shifted over to the table and picked up the note with a hoof.

It read: "I am off to discuss some matters with Flaming Star, Night Shade, and that monstrosity Ravencroft Solace. I will be back later. Remember our conversation last night and talk to your friends."

Fluttershy sighed in relief. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but remember that she would begin to feel angst if Sunset Shadow or Starlight Amber was out of her sight for more than an hour. She then shook that feeling of angst off and trotted downstairs with the piece of paper in her mouth. She needed to find Twilight so that she could pass the information off. She quickly found a blank piece of paper and a pen, and began to write down Sunset's instructions to her word-for-word. In a couple of minutes, she had completed the exact mouth-to-paper instructions that Rainbow Dash needed.

Angel was sitting on a table in the living room, sunning himself.

"Hello Angel," said Fluttershy sweetly, "Did you see Sunset today?"

Angel nodded, and then pointed out the door. Fluttershy returned the nod. "Oh yes, I know he left. He gave me this note. I'm going to have to leave right now. Could you watch Starlight for me while I'm gone?"

Angel got up and saluted stiffly. Fluttershy gave him a smile, and then turned around and trotted out of the door. The sun was shining, and sky was clear. However, despite the fact that late-night rains had thoroughly cleansed the air, and sparkling dewdrops adorned everything like miniature diamonds, nothing but depression filled the land like an invisible fog. Phasetroopers stood at every corner, and idle Kottora Tanks blocked whole streets off. Every once and a while a silent hover scout or some other ship would silently pass overhead. Fluttershy frowned, Ponyville could never be what is once was with the Enigma Empire controlling every avenue and side-passageway. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that there was absolutely no noise. Ponies went about their business like it was a regular day, but not a single sound was uttered. Even those in the marketplace bartering and negotiating argued in hushed tones. It was deathly quiet.

Sighing deeply, Fluttery put the paper in a saddlebag and trotted off through Ponyville. As she trotted, she half-hoped that she would run into Ravencroft. The enforcer was different than his allies. He was quiet, reserved, and even melancholy, unlike Pictor and the Paradox. It saddened her to see even an enemy in such a state of denial, and it made her curious. However, she saw no sign of him, so she kept cantering through the streets filled with silent ponies. Suddenly Fluttershy noticed Twilight, who was levitating a pile of papers and books next to her. Seeing an opportunity, Fluttershy trotted in her direction. Just as Twilight passed by, Fluttershy swerved and collided with her forcefully. The impact jarred Twilight and knocked her off balance. Her papers fell to the ground and scattered. Fluttershy swiftly deposited her paper on the top of the stack of fallen papers and proceeded to help Twilight up.

"I'm so sorry Twilight," said Fluttershy quietly, "I didn't see you there."

"Oh, it's fine, Fluttershy," replied Twilight, "I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going."

Just as Twilight got on all fours and steadied herself, Fluttershy leaned over and whispered in her ear, "The instructions are on the top. They're from Sunset."

Twilight blinked in acknowledgment. She then used her magic to gather up her papers carefully and was on her way.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. Her job here was done. As much as this whole thing bothered her (she was the element of kindness, after all) she knew that this had to be done in order to protect her friends. She thought about going straight back home, but then decided against it. If she was being watched, then it would seem suspicious that she trotted outside only to bump into Twilight and then trot back inside again. After a bit of thought, Fluttershy decided to go for a short walk. Perhaps she might even run into Sunset while she was at it. Trying to look cheerful, Fluttershy began to trot around the outskirts of town as she hummed a little tune. However, it was difficult to look cheerful on her walk, because every other corner had a Phasetrooper, an ATL Sky-Striker Mech, a Shradian Tank, or a Kottora Tank in position. Every dozen meters or so had some incredibly powerful piece of alien hardware just sitting there… waiting.

Now looking thoroughly cowed, Fluttershy shrunk against the sides of a couple of Ponyville buildings as she watched an ATL Sky-Striker Mech transform from armored sentinel to all-purpose attack fighter. She was about to turn around and shakily make her way home when Sunset, Night Shade, and Flaming Star rounded a corner.

Sunset immediately spotted his pretty wife.

"Fluttershy!" he exclaimed, his eyes immediately lighting up with joy, "How are you?"

Fluttershy felt a little safer when she saw his smile. Taking a deep breath, she smiled back and said, "I'm fine, thank you. What is going on?"

"Oh, that moron Ravencroft was laying out some ground rules," snorted Night Shade in high dudgeon, "Like we were going to follow them in the first place…"

"We have to be careful," cautioned Flaming Star, "He may seem like nothing more than a despondent, depressed sociopath, but he is also a ruthless killer. We need to respect him."

Sunset nodded in agreement, "We need to be careful. He is dangerous. Very dangerous."

"Well, I for one am not going to let myself be intimidated," replied Night Shade, "I have a family to protect, and he is threatening them indirectly. He will pay for that."

"In due time, perhaps," sighed Flaming Star, "But do as you said. Protect your family."

"Yep. Now I think I'll go and have some fun with my sister, and pretend that none of this ever happened," said Night Shade. He turned tail and trotted off.

"That's my queue to leave as well," said Flaming Star, "I have to finish playing a game of Settlers of Catan with Twilight and Spike."

Flaming Star was about to leave as well when Sunset put a hoof on his shoulder. Flaming Star glanced at Sunset inquiringly.

"Flaming Star, when do you plan on marrying Twilight?" asked Sunset seriously, "You two have been dating for over a year, and have been engaged for a month."

Flaming Star sighed and shook his head. "I'll worry about that when I have nothing else to worry about," he replied, "And right now, there is so much else that is more important."

"More important than finalizing the bond between you and Twilight?" asked Fluttershy timidly.

Flaming Star gently brushed off Sunset's hoof and said, "I don't know. I assure you I am not getting cold hoofs, but I still want it wait for the perfect moment."

"What, was the time when you finally proposed to Twilight the 'perfect moment'?" asked Sunset, a little bit of iron in his voice.

Flaming Star turned around and started walking away. As he walked, he called back, "I don't know. I love her, but right now there are more important matters to attend to."

Fluttershy rested her head on Sunset's shoulder. As Flaming Star rounded the corner, she murmured, "What could be more important than being with the one you love?"

Sunset buried his face in her mane, breathing in her sweet scent: flowers and fresh-cut grass. "Nothing," he replied, his voice muffled.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: Eight days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

Twilight and Rainbow Dash sat together in Rainbow Dash's living room. The windows were closed and the curtains were drawn shut. However, they could still hear the faint rumble of massive carrier ships as they continued to crisscross the planet.

"So, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"This," said Twilight, almost dramatically, as she levitated the piece of paper Fluttershy had given her.

Rainbow Dash snatched it up and scanned it. "Hmmm… this looks good," she said, "I like it. We just need to find a way to get in contact, and then find a way to carry out the transaction discreetly."

As she talked, Rainbow slowly put on sunglasses for effect. Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated the sunglasses off Rainbow's face. Twilight folded the sunglasses neatly back and put them on a cloud-table next to her. "I agree," she said, "We need a way to do both of those. Do you have any suggestions?"

There was a pause as Rainbow looked, almost mournfully, at her sunglasses, now out of reach. After the pause, she said, "Ditzy Doo. She can do it. No one suspects her, and she is an excellent mail-carrier."

"Good idea, Rainbow Dash," exclaimed Twilight.

"Yep. I know. Ditzy Doo can take a letter, signed by Sunset, and deliver it to this gun-dealing griffon guy. Now all we need is a way to pay him… and get the transaction done," continued Rainbow Dash, stroking her chin.

"I know how we can do the latter," said Twilight decisively, "Appaloosa. It would be the perfect place. We can set up the transaction there, and we can send Applejack to preform it. The element of honesty should be more than a match for anypony when it comes to bartering."

"Nice idea!" said Rainbow Dash, "Now all we need is a way to pay for all that stuff…"

There was a pause as the two mares thought hard about their newest dilemma.

"We could ask Celestia for money!" offered Rainbow.

Twilight shook her head. "No."

"We could rob a bank!" exclaimed Rainbow.

Twilight shook her head. "No."

Rainbow tossed her hoofs in the air in resignation. "I've got nothing."

There was yet another pause as the two continued to brainstorm. Suddenly Twilight said, "Actually… you might have something going, Rainbow Dash! We can't ask Celestia for such a large sum of bits, because it would seem suspicious. However, we could ask secretly Celestia if we could rob the royal treasury! It would seem nothing more than a low-level crime case for the Enigma Empire, and we wouldn't really be robbing anything in the first place because Celestia would let us do it!"

Rainbow grinned, "I like this idea! It could be like Daring Do!"

Twilight pulled a face. "I don't know if it would be anything like that. In fact, I'm still not sure if it is even a good idea, really. I mean, what do we know about any of this stuff anyway? I haven't stolen a thing in my life! Have you?"

Rainbow blushed, and looked away. Twilight facehoofed. "What did you do?"

"A mug of apple cider… last fall. I couldn't just let Pinkie make off with it like that!" exclaimed Rainbow indignantly.

Twilight sighed. "When this is over, I'm going to make sure you pay Applejack for that."

Rainbow grinned sheepishly.

"Well. I suppose I should find a way to talk to Flaming Star about this," said Twilight, getting up, "He should have an idea of what to do."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "The only ponies out there who know what to do in these situations are being guarded more that Celestia's royal crown," she muttered.

Twilight winked. "Perhaps. But I think I know away to get him completely alone so that I can ask him about what to do."

Note: I would like to take a moment to draw your guys' attention to the fanfiction novel, "Orbit." I've been talking to its author, and we've begun something of a collaboration of stories. If you like ponies and dimensions and space (which, since you are here, you probably do) I would recommend checking his story out. Anyway... Give me reviews! If you give me reviews, I will give you (dare I say) bacon cookies? Or cookie bacon?