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Dimension: Orbit (Reset Dimension)

Planet: Space

Specific Location: Control Room, Command Ship Philomena

Time: A month before the events of Orbit Rebellion, a eight days after the takeover of Equestria by the Paradox in the My Little Pony dimension

A large, sleek ship hovered slowly in pure space. Nothing was around it; it simply hung there, illuminated by the star-infested sky, with not a solar system nearby for parsecs.

There was a reason why this ship was so isolated, and why it was just hanging there, so far from civilization: secrets. The Orbit dimension was like the alternate Earth Prime dimension of Orbis Terrarum II. Earth had been laid waste to, thanks to an especially devastating World War III. And like a Phoenix, humanity had risen from the ashes and accelerated through the technology it had previously lost. Cities rose up from nothing, metropolises sprang from wastelands. In an incredible time, Earth was completely repopulated, and perhaps even a little bit crowded. It was a hundred years after the fall of mankind, but the humans had returned, stronger than ever. Space-bending jump drives were developed, and soon the distant planets were within humanities grasp. After a scramble for power, the United Federation of Colonies was formed. The years following were simply handbook history of a space-colonizing utopia. Ships were built, colonies were designed, and interstellar wars were fought. It was nothing unique, no reason for any kind of special attention by the Enigma Empire and its illustrious host.

However, what came 883 years after the World War III was what really came to define this dimension. An astronomically improbable event occurred during that time. Equus Terrarum IV, and alternate timeline to the My Little Pony dimension, collided with the Orbit dimension, fusing the two together. Naturally, the primitive, classical era ponies of Equus Terrarum IV did not notice… But the humans of Orbit… They did. In less than a month probes were sent out, and then in half a year, soldiers were sent to investigate. Calculations were run, and scans were activated, and one incredible possibility presented itself to the minds of the United Federation of Colonies Council: Interdimensional Travel. They could build ships, and perhaps they could travel to other dimensions. The Orbit dimension would be the first interdimensional empire… or would they?

"The link to Councilman Olson is up, Councilman Kaleb," reported a soldier stoutly.

Kaleb, who was sitting on a high-backed chair next to a curved desk, nodded his head and motioned for the soldier to leave him. The soldier nodded briefly and left. After a pause, Kaleb leaned forward and tapped a button on his desk. A holographic projection popped up, and the image of Olson appeared.

"Do you have the scans, Olson?" asked Kaleb.

"I do. It seems like everything is viable. Interdimensional travel is possible."

"Wonderful. Do we have the schematics for an interdimensional drive yet?"

"The I.D. blueprints have been designed and confirmed. An interdimensional ship design will soon be within our grasp."

"Excellent."

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Twilight's Library

Time: Eight days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

"You just wait, my friend, when I make my move… you will be nothing but dust."

Spike just rolled his eyes at Flaming Star, who was speaking.

"Please," snorted Spike, "You're strategy of 'mentally detrimental intimidation' is terrible. Just stop talking and move your guys."

Flaming Star rolled his eyes dramatically. "You play Risk your way, and I'll play Risk my way. It was my turn anyway."

Spike chuckled, "You're just mad because I own most of southern Equestria."

"Hey, that place has Appaloosa, which is like an equivalent to an apple pie heaven to me," said Flaming Star defensively, "And why would I be mad? The moment I take this piece of land with my Unicorn troops, I will be able to send this whole stack of Pegasus cavalry from Fillydelphia to your frontier. Soon Appaloosa will be mine!"

"Big talk," snorted Spike, "Let's see if you can get my three musketeer earth ponies!"

Flaming Star snorted. "Spike, how many times do I have to tell you? Those are just three earth pony troops who have just been VERY LUCKY. No matter how awesome you think they are, they cannot stand against all twelve of these unicorns."

"Tell that to D'Artagnan! We can do this, guys!" exclaimed Spike vehemently.

Flaming Star facehoofed. "You gave your guys NAMES?"

"Of course! They've survived seven waves already. I think I might be able to finally win something!" said Spike, becoming excited.

"Yeah, sure, tell that to the other nine-tenths of Equestria… parts that I already own."

At this point Twilight trotted in. She smiled lovingly at them.

"Hello everypony!" she exclaimed, "What are you two playing?"

"Well, apparently your crazy fiancé found out how to consistently win at Rock-Paper-Scissors as well, so we've moved onto Risk," said Spike.

Twilight sat next to Flaming Star and nuzzled his cheek. "Is that so? So Spike, how is that going?"

"Fine… fine… I think I've got the hang of it," replied Spike airily.

"He means he's managed to stave off absolute destruction for about three more turns," chuckled Flaming Star.

"I can dream, can't I?" retorted Spike. He then tossed the dice to the ground. Two sixes.

Flaming Star's mouth dropped.

"Make that staving off absolute destruction for about four more turns!" declared Spike smugly.

Flaming Star sighed. "I concur. FOUR more turns."

Twilight smiled. "Um… how long have you two been playing this?"

"Only a couple of minutes," said Spike, "Just after lunch."

Twilight grinned good-humouredly. "I suggest you take a look outside the window."

Spike did so: the sun was setting. "Huh… I don't remember the sun setting after lunch. That's weird. It's almost as if it is sundown!"

Flaming Star looked outside the window as well. "Wow! It IS sundown! Time really does fly! I better get on home!"

Spike pulled a face. "What about our game?"

Flaming Star winked. "We can continue it on a later date. See this as an extended opportunity for survival!"

Spike just flopped on his back and groaned, "But I think I have something going here! My luck might be all used up by the time you play again." Spike then got up and dragged himself, dejectedly, upstairs.

"Melodramatic," chuckled Flaming Star. He then turned to Twilight and smiled. "I better be going now."

Twilight looked at him for a moment. She then opened her mouth, and then closed it. She then opened it again, and then closed it again, as if she was trying to say something, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

Flaming Star grinned at her, and then began to trot to the door.

Suddenly Twilight burst out, "Would you stay with me tonight?"

Flaming Star stopped. He stared at the door for a moment. Then he turned around and looked at Twilight curiously. "What?"

Twilight began to blush. She scuffed a hoof and the ground and murmured, "I want you to stay with me tonight."

Flaming Star eyed her in confusion. Then he grinned and blushed. "I would love that."

He trotted up to her and kissed her on the cheek. Then he called out, "Hey Spike! I decided to stay! Come on down! We can finish the game now!"

Spike was down there in a second. "Awesome!" he exclaimed happily, "Now I can finally engineer my grand design for the greatest Risk come-back of all ponykind!"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, as Fluttershy would say," laughed Flaming Star as he sat down at the board.

"I'm going to do some reading. Don't stay up too late," said Twilight.

Spike smiled and nodded his head vehemently. "Of course! We will go to sleep right after this game!"

"Which should be over in four to five turns," said Flaming Star.

Spike then rolled two sixes again for his defending earth ponies.

"Dang it," sighed Flaming Star.

"Make that six turns," declared Spike happily.

Unfortunately, that was as far as Spike got. Twelve turns later, Spike's defending earth ponies fell to Flaming Star's army of Pegasus and Unicorns. It was almost midnight before Spike finally fell to Flaming Star.

"You know," said Spike, actually not sounding too disappointed, "I think I might consider this a win for me anyway."

Flaming Star nodded. "I concede. You deserved that game."

Spike grinned. "Does that mean I win?"

Flaming Star nodded. "Yes. That means you win. However, remember our rules? If you win, you have to clean up the board."

Spike rolled his eyes. "If that is the price I must pay for my victory, than I will surrender myself to my fate."

"You are one melodramatic baby dragon," laughed Flaming Star. There was an awkward pause.

"Sooo… You going to go up to Twilight?" mumbled Spike, now blushing.

"Yeah," replied Flaming Star, blushing as well, "Goodnight."

He trotted upstairs to Twilight's room. She was lying on her back, belly up, levitating a book above her face as she read.

Flaming Star sat next to her and said, "What are you reading?"

"Oh nothing, just a spell book," replied Twilight.

Flaming Star lay on his back as well. He glanced at the book. "Hmmm… Invisibility spells?"

Twilight nodded.

"You do realize the cat still has the salad, right?" said Flaming Star quietly.

Twilight nodded again. Phasetroopers could still be watching Flaming Star.

"We better go to sleep," she said. Flaming Star nodded in agreement. He turned to face her and smiled.

"Goodnight," he said.

Twilight yawned, and moved in closer. She wrapped a hoof around him and snuggled in closer still. Using magic, Flaming Star turned off the light. He then began to drift off to sleep. However, suddenly Twilight whispered in his ear, "Flaming Star, I need your help."

Flaming Star opened one eye. "I'm listening," he whispered back.

"We need bits, a lot of bits, to pay for the weapons that we need to fight the Paradox," continued Twilight, "We've decided that we are going to have to raid Celestia's royal treasury. Of course, we need to get a message to Celestia explaining what we have to do."

"You are really willing to invade Canterlot castle for this?"

"I am. Are you?"

"I want to have peace. I want to be able to live the rest of my life with you without and disturbances."

"Does that mean you'll help?"

"I suppose."

"Rainbow Dash and I have no idea how to approach this problem. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Better than that: I have a plan."

Twilight moved in closer. She was now resting her head on his. Cheek-against-cheek. "I'm ready."

Flaming Star took a deep breath. "There is a secret passageway," he said in hushed tones, "I found it when I was running diagnostics on Canterlot when I first came to this dimension. There is an enterance in the sewer. I will draw you a map. The secret passageway leads all the way up to the hallway outside the royal treasury. That hallway is protected by seven unicorn guards, maybe even Phasetroopers now. The hallway also has a network of three interlocking portcullises. You need all three of them raised simultaneously for you to get into the second hallway, and those things weigh enough that you need all seven unicorn guards to lift it. I am sure the unicorns would be happy to help you to lift the gates on Celestia's command, but I don't even know if they are there anymore. As I said, they may have been replaced by Phasetroopers. There is some pretty powerful stuff in treasury, and the Paradox would probably prefer it all to not fall in our hoofs. And lifting the portcullises is not even the hard part. The second hallway is full of enchantments for defense: invisible walls and pitfalls, time-slowing spells, and other traps. However, if you get by there, you should be fine. That hallway leads directly to the treasury. All you need to do then is open the double doors, which only open if two levers are pulled simultaneously. Those levers are conveniently positioned scores of meters above the ground.

Twilight gave a long, shaking sigh. "What am I to do? With Rarity gone, I am the only magically-gifted being, and it looks like we are up against more magic than I have ever faced! The levers shouldn't be a problem with Rainbow Dash around… but everything else… Is there any way around this?"

"No," replied Flaming Star, "There is no way around those obstructions. However, there is also no way around the gun transaction. If we even want to stand a chance, we will need that royal treasury. There are also a couple other things in there that we could use…"

"Well? Do you know what to do?"

"Funnilly enough… yes."

"What? Can you help us?"

"No. I am being watched, ALWAYS. However, I know just the pony who possesses enough raw magic power to help you singlehoofedly."

"Really? Who? Another traveler?"

"Trixie, the holder of the Alicorn Amulet."

"What?!" exclaimed Twilight loudly.

"Careful, dear," muttered Flaming Star, wincing, "You have your mouth right next to my ear."

"Sorry," said Twilight, blushing in embarrassment, "It was just that that was the last pony I was expecting to ask help from. Are you sure she would even help us?"

"Of course," chuckled Flaming Star, "Fame? Glory? Intrigue? Action? Money? Trixie wouldn't hesitate to help if all those things were involved… which they are."

"I… I guess. Where is she?"

Flaming Star yawned. "I'll show you in the morning. I think it would be best if we sleep now."

Twilight sighed. Then she murmured, "You are right. Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too."

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: Nine days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

Caustic Rain opened his eyes. He was lying on his bed on his stomach. Luna was with him, with one her wings draped across his back. This was the second night that she had stayed the night with him, despite the fact that the loud noises of passing ships had stopped the day before. He sighed and shifted.

"Are you awake, Luna?" said Caustic Rain quietly.

"Yes," said Luna. She then sat up and looked around.

Caustic Rain did likewise, and rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"No nightmares tonight… thank you," he muttered.

"What are we going to do today?" asked Luna after a short pause.

Caustic Rain trotted to the window and looked outside. In the distance, he could see a carrier slowly drifting over the Unicorn Range like a massive low-hanging cloud. "I guess nothing," he said in a depressed tone, "There is nothing that we can do."

Luna sighed and said, "Well, I suppose that truly means we are allowed more time together."

Despite the fact that Caustic Rain was now sure that he had developed feelings for each other, he felt a little perturbed about her statement. He hadn't even pulled enough nerves together to tell her that he loved her yet.

"I… I suppose," he muttered. After another awkward pause, Caustic Rain said, "I am going to go downstairs to the royal gardens. I won't be a moment."

With that, he left Luna in his room. In truth, he just wanted to spend a little time alone. Though Luna had shared the same bed as him for the past two nights, Caustic Rain was still unable to decipher all the strange emotions churning his stomach. Shaking his head, he trotted down the many winding staircases, through the grand hallways, all the way to the massive, glass double-doors that lead to the gardens. He trotted into the beautiful little park and sat down on a bench. He was about to begin grumbling to himself about how he couldn't understand what was happening to him when he glanced to his right.

To his right was a long line of elaborate stained glass windows that were a part of the exterior of the Hall of Thrones. Through the windows Caustic Rain could see a Celestia talking to Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.

Raising an eyebrow, Caustic Rain got off the bench and entered the castle once more. He trotted around until he arrived at the Hall of Thrones himself. Indeed, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were holding a hurried conversation beside her throne. No guards or Phasetroopers were in sight.

"You have my full permission to do it, Princess Twilight Sparkle," whispered Celestia, "But my guards are no longer the ones guarding the first hall. They have been replaced by Phasetroopers."

"That is okay, Princess Celestia," whispered Twilight back, "We thought that that might be the case, and invented a plan accordingly."

"Wonderful, I wish you all the luck in the world, my faithful student," whispered Celestia. She then straightened up, and then spotted Caustic Rain. Her eyes flashed in wariness, but then she called, "Caustic Rain! It is good to see you!"

"It would be good to see you as well, Princess Celestia, if I WAS NOT BEING WATCHED." Caustic Rain said the last part loudly, to ensure that his friends, and the cloaked Phasetrooper who had been trailing him from a respectable distance, knew that he knew that he was being watched.

Celesita nodded. "We were just talking about the restricted section of the Library. Twilight wanted to know where a certain Starswirl the Bearded book was."

Caustic Rain nodded vehemently. Hoping fervently that the Phasetrooper that was watching him from a score of meters away had not fully heard what he had during Celestia and Twilight's conversation. "That totally makes sense. Sorry for bothering you three."

"Oh, it's no problem," said Rainbow Dash smoothly, "We were just leaving anyway. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Caustic Rain blinked in surprise. They knew very well that they were being eavesdropped on, why were they still talking about possibly sensitive matters?

As if she had read his mind, Twilight said, "Oh, it's no use keeping it secret. We are going on a long journey to visit an old friend of mind, Trixie. I am SURE that the Paradox would not disapprove. RIGHT?" She said the last part to ensure that the not-so-hidden Phasetrooper was able to take a proper message to his master.

Caustic Rain nodded at her. "I understand now. Well… Good luck finding your friend!"

With that, he trotted away, hoping to draw his Phasetrooper stalker away from Twilight, Rainbow, and Celestia. Taking a deep breath, he began to make his way back to his bedroom… and Luna.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: Nine days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

Twilight watched Caustic Rain carefully as he disspaeard around the corner. Soon, like a shadow, a small turbulent displacement in the air shimmered after him. Both Caustic Rain and the Phasetrooper were now gone.

Twilight turned back to Celestia and said, "You keep track of all the special ponies in Equestria, right?"

"I do," said Celestia, "And I assure you that I did have a file on Trixie."

"Did?" said Rainbow Dash skeptically.

Celestia nodded. "I did. But I do not any longer. Trixie is no longer in Equestria."

Twilight gave an exasperated sigh. "Why does everything have to be so difficult?!"

Rainbow grinned at Twilight's obvious discomfort, but then turned back to Celestia. "Is there any way we could track her down?" she said.

Celestia shrugged slightly. "I am unsure. I can give you what Equestria intelligence has gathered on her and the Alicorn Amulet, but that is as far as I can go. The information stopped coming the moment she crossed the borders. However, transportation records should be able to tell you if she left by land, sea, or air."

"Good," said Twilight, "That will be a start. Thank you Princess Celestia!"

Celestia bowed her head. "It is the least I could do."

At this moment, several Phasetroopers marched into the room.

"Celestia," said the head Phasetrooper in an emotionless voice, "Lord Vaporis will see you… NOW."

Celestia bowed her head in resignation. Twilight gritted her teeth. It pained her to see the glorious princess of the sun degraded to this. Celestia slowly trotted up to the Phasetroopers and they moved off.

Twilight glanced at Rainbow and said, "You don't have to come with me, you know."

"Actually, you should be begging me to let me take you along," said Rainbow.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What? No! I know Trixie the best! I have to go!"

Rainbow shook her head. "Sorry Twilight, but you have your fiancé waiting for you. You also have Spike. Spike wouldn't be a problem to bring along, but Flaming Star, like Caustic Rain, is being trailed. This is something I have to do alone."

Twilight opened her mouth, but then shut it again. Rainbow Dash had a good point. Despite the fact that she really wanted to go on that adventure, she realized that she needed to be by Flaming Star's side more than ever now.

After gnawing her bottom lip and thinking for a bit, she sighed and said, "You are right, Rainbow Dash. This is your mission."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "AWESOME! Well… I better get ready."

Twilight couldn't help but grin herself and say, "Slow down there, you will still need my help. I am going to find all I can about Trixie whereabouts. When I have come as close as I can to locating her, THEN you will be on your way."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and mumbled something about Eggheads being everywhere. Then she said, "Yeah… I guess you are right. I… er… think I will let you do all that stuff while I go work out in preparation."

Twilight smiled. "You do that. I am going to the Canterlot Library and do some research. When Celestia is free again, I will ask her to give me that file on Trixie and the Alicorn Amulet.

Rainbow nodded. "Then it's RAINBOW TIME!"

Note: Soon Trixie will make an appearance! This ought to prove interesting. Anyway, don't forget to give me feedback! Thanks! Oh, I wanted to let you all know that my story, "Days Gone By" is going to stop for a bit. I've run out of ideas, so I will wait until I get some more. However, I will be releasing a short story on Wednesday, so keep an eye out for it! I will be releasing it at the same time as this story's update, so don't forget to check it out!