Note: I would like to say that I doubt there will be a sequel to this. I have no interest in trying to work up as many reviews as I have again. I will simply split my story up into seasons, and put them in here. At the end of part 5 (the current part we are in) I will start season 2. When that happens, I will attach a table of contents to the first chapter to help with navigation.
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: A dozen kilometers southeast of Ghastly Gorge
Time: Two weeks after the Paradox took over Equestria
Applejack sighed as she sat alone in the train carriage as the locomotive chugged lazily along the railroad towards the distant settlement of Appleloosa. Personally, she was absolutely unsure of her feelings towards the mission. Fairly much everything she and her friends had done to get the needed money was dishonest, and it ate her up inside. Naturally she kept telling herself that this was all for a good cause, but it did not to ease her conscious. Now she had two large bags of stolen money under her seat, and she felt like the whole wide world was staring at her, judging her for her actions. She was the Element of Honesty for Pete's sake! How could she be doing this?
"I gotta," she muttered to herself as sweat began to trickle from her forehead due to the heated battle raging within her mind, "I gotta, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta…"
Shaking her head as if to clear her mind, Applejack then got up and trotted to the window. She stuck her head outside to let the wind wipe her face clean of the sweat that was dribbling down her face, and to let the fresh breeze blow away her worries. The former of the two was performed admirably, courtesy of the clean wind sweeping the flatlands of the south, but the latter still posed a problem.
"What is Tarnation is wrong with me?!" shouted Applejack to the skies, her voice being swept away in the wind, "I gotta do this for my friends… for my family… for Equestria."
Applejack then shut her mouth tightly. Was what she doing even worth the wrong she was doing at the same time? Did they balance each other out? Could she ever be forgiven or forgive herself?
Applejack groaned audibly and sunk into the seat next to her. Applejack slowly lowered her head onto the cushions, and closed her eyes. However, as she began to doze, she ensured that the area that the bags of money were cleverly hidden was in view.
It seemed only like a moment, but suddenly the train came to a shuddering halt at Appleloosa train station. Applejack immediately leapt up, fell over, and then scrambled up again. Breathing heavily, Applejack glanced cautiously over at the seat that obscured the fat bags of bits and gold. The bags were still there, as hidden as ever. Sighing with relief, Applejack dragged her large suitcase from under her own seat and lugged it over to the other one. She opened up her suitcase and dropped the two bags into the suitcase and zipped the top up tightly. She then proceeded to lug it to the nearest exit and out onto the Appleloosa trains station platform. She was immediately met by her cousin Braeburn.
"Howdy partner!" exclaimed Braeburn with a significant wink.
Applejack nodded her head. She had alerted her cousin Braeburn of the plans, and he had agreed to help set up a secure exchange site for her and the Griffon Arms-Dealer for a couple of the weapons.
"The Griffon has already arrived, and I am a-thinkin' he's a mighty impatient type. Best we hurry along. Follow me!" exclaimed Braeburn. He beckoned Applejack to follow him. She did so, and they began to trot to a secluded area of town. As Applejack trotted, she noticed a couple of burly ponies exit a bar and slowly begin to follow her. Soon they were flanking her on both sides.
"Don't worry 'bout Rusty and Bolts, thems is part of the Appleloosa Resistance," explained Braeburn amiably as Applejack glanced back at the two ponies, and then at him with a cynical eyebrow raised.
"I got the resistance part, cousin, but where are all them Phasetroopers you'uns are supposed to be resisting against?" asked Applejack, glancing about.
"That is the strangest part," said Braeburn, "Look at the sky."
Applejack looked up. The sky was blue and clear, and the sun shown down harshly. Suddenly, a bright plume of fire, like a supernova exploding far away, blossomed forth in an ample point of light. The small blast of power vanished in the blue sky as quickly as it had appeared. A minute later, three more popped up and disappeared.
"What the hay are those?" breathed Applejack.
"We have not the slightest darned'est idea," sighed Braeburn, "One of our spies overheard radio chatter about a space fight or somethin' but that is about it. Whatever it is, though, all those ginourmous Enigma Empire Kottora Tanks have all driven to the north side of town, completely abandoning the southern area. That is all fine, I suppose, 'cause that means the meeting you have planned, which is even more south of the town, will go without a chance of bein' detected."
"Good job, cousin," said Applejack, "Lead me to it!"
Several minutes later, Applejack and Braeburn had left the town outskirts and were galloping along to a large outcrop of dusty Redstone rocks that jutted out of the ground like massive wind-worn spikes. These huge rocks sprouted out of the earth in a large circle, and Applejack could see several Appleloosa ponies positioned on the peak of a few of these rocks, armed with some old Stallion Empire rifles. This was no doubt the meeting place.
Applejack and Braeburn entered the ring of stone spikes, and were greeted by a pony on the other side of the arena.
This pony was dark grey. His hair was rusty red, and his eyes reflected the same iron color as his coat. His cutie mark was a lock pick and a bag of bits.
"Greetings," said the pony coldly, "I am Fury Wing, and I am a partner with Mr. Sharp, the Arms-Dealer."
"Where is that extortionist, then?" snapped Applejack. The moment she laid eyes on Fury Wing, she felt very nervous and wary. This pony had an air of arrogance and power around him, and it unnerved her.
"I am supposin' you never dealt with these kind of ponies before," murmured Braeburn, "Let me handle this."
Applejack sighed and then nodded her head. Braeburn gave her a quick wink and then stepped up to Fury Wing. "Where is this Mr. Sharp?"
"He will show himself when he is ready," replied Fury Wing evenly, "Where is the assurance of payment?"
Braeburn held out a hoof to Applejack. "Hand me one of the bags of bits," said Brarburn quietly, "But ONLY one."
Applejack nodded and pulled out the larger one. She tossed it to Braeburn. Braeburn caught it in his mouth and then tossed it to Fury Wing. The bag landed at his hooves and flopped open, spilling its precious contents out before him. Fury Wing's eyes darted over the plethora of gold and bits with the air of a seasoned expert before he nodded and said, "This is good. Mr. Sharp is ready."
There was a long pause. Then, suddenly, a griffon strolled forward from behind one of the outcropping rocks. He was dressed in a nice dress suit and wore a golden monocle. He tossed a golden swagger stick in the air as he stepped forward beside Fury Wing.
Applejack squinted at the Griffon. He somehow seemed familiar. Then her mouth dropped to the floor. She recognized this Mr. Sharp.
"Stuff me in a barrel and call me pickled," breathed Applejack, "Gustave le Grand!"
"Oui! You recognize me now, no?" chuckled the griffon, "Well, it might interest you to know that the name is Monsieur le Sharp. Gustave was a fake name for moi. Clever, no?"
"I… I… What in Tarnation are you doin'? Yer a chef!" exclaimed Applejack.
"Ah, one of moi's better hobbies. My second favorite as well, just behind dealing with le weapons of the world," chuckled Sharp, "Now enough of this disgusting banter. You have my payment, I have your weapons. Fury Wing?"
Fury Wing nodded and pulled out a remote control. He pressed a button on it, and a massive crate de-cloaked behind him. Applejack's eyes narrowed. If this duo had invisibility-projecting technology, what other other-dimension weapons did they have?
Fury Wing quickly typed on an electronic keypad on the crate and then stepped back. The crate opened with a hiss, and exposed a massive pile of weapons. Everything ranging from SMGs, to RPGs, to Colt Pythons, to what looked like a Halo-Dimension Covenant Beam Rifle.
Applejack was not impressed. But then again, she was a mare of peace, so weapons never impressed her. Braeburn, however, let out what sounded like a whimper of pure ecstasy.
Sharp laughed at Applejack's face and said, "Do not worry, my little cupcake, I like you are your little friends. There are no tricks or traps. A fair deal, no?"
Applejack nodded her head slowly and pulled out the other bag of money. She tossed it to Sharp, who caught it with his free claws. He kissed it reverently and said, "Oui! Very good! Thank you my friends. As always, it is a pleasure to do dealings with such 'innocent' Ponyville ponies as yourself!"
Applejack narrowed her eyes. Sharp was obviously making a jab at her. However, before she could retort, the sound of an explosion abruptly tore through the sky. Everypony glanced up to see a flaming ship come tearing through the atmosphere to crash near them. Applejack glanced back to ask Sharp about this new turn of events, but both he and Fury Wing were gone. Fortunately the large crate of weapons was still there.
"Looks like one of the spaceships that got shot down from that space battle is a-comin' to berth here!" exclaimed Braeburn in alarm, "We better get ready. This will raise Phasetrooper alarms for sure!"
Applejack nodded her head. "Right. All ponies here grab a new weapon. Whatever you take you can have as payment for securing this site for me."
Braeburn nodded thankfully and motioned for the seven ponies behind him to seize a few of the weapons from the colossal crate of them. After each one had grabbed one that they fancied, Braeburn signaled for them to advance on the spot that he figured would be ground zero for the damaged ship. Applejack seized a Colt Python handgun in one hoof and shoved it in her saddle bag. She then trotted after Braeburn, leaving the pony named Rusty to guard the trove of weapons.
As she galloped to catch up with Braeburn, the spaceship swooped lower and lower to the ground. Suddenly it disappeared behind a range of hills.
"Where in Tarnation did that thing go?!" exclaimed Applejack as she caught up with Braeburn.
"It disappeared into Dried Apple Gorge. However, by the lack of sound, I am figurin' that it musta landed and not exploded and the like."
"We will find out in a moment, I suppose then," muttered Applejack as she, Braeburn, and his followers approached the scene of the landing ship.
In a minute, the group arrived at the hill range. As they reached the apex of the hills, they pressed their bellies to the warm earth and crawled forward. The range of hills suddenly dropped off into a shallow gorge a score or more meters deep. The ship that had appeared from the skies had landed in the dip in the earth and was now stationary, with smoke rising around it. Though it was badly scorched, and a couple of places were in flames, it looked in fairly good condition. In fact, Applejack could still read the name of the ship. "Moscow Rain."
Applejack blinked. Moscow? The capitol of Udderton, the land of the cows?
She opened her mouth to ask Braeburn about the name when he covered her mouth with a hoof. Immediately Applejack saw what he was looking at. A squad of Phasetroopers were approaching the ship with weapons drawn. The ship's docking port suddenly opened, and human beings armed with projectile weapons began to fire at the Phasetroopers from the opening. Immediately the lead Phasetrooper threw down a small metal ball. The ball bounced once and then flashed to life. It exploded into a huge ribbon of crystalline light that expanded to form a kind of waist-high barrier. The bullets fired from the men within the ship bounced harmlessly off the light shield. It was a portable cover-projecter. Clever.
The Phasetroopers got down on their knees and began to return fire with their energy weapons. After a moment of shooting, one of the Phasetroopers signaled for a Phasetrooper in the back to come forward. This Phasetrooper was armed with some sort of shoulder-mounted rocket laucher. This Phasetrooper lumbered forward and fired a missile. It sizzled into the opening and detonated on the doorstep, releasing a shimmering blast of power. The ship itself was not harmed, but the men using the door as covered turned to skeletons, their organic flesh and muscles incinerated into nothing. The lead Phasetrooper picked up the small metal ball he had originally thrown and began to approach carefully. However, just as he reached the entrance, a massive blast of sound resounded from the opening, and the Phasetrooper flew backwards, shotgun splatter in his chest.
A man who was dressed like the leader of the ship, the captain, rushed from the opening flanked by a dozen men upon the eight Phasetroopers left. It was a suicide move, but the captain looked like he was prepared for it. Sadly, the tides turned immediately. Just as four more Phasetroopers fell with bullets in their heads, the remainder cloaked themselves with invisibility. The humans milled about, unsure of what to do. Then, one man died with an en energy sword thrust through his chest. Then another, then another, and then another. In less than a second, the four Phasetroopers had killed the captian's twelve men with ease.
"They shoulda started it off with that move," murmured Braeburn, a little unsure of whose side he was on in this little fight. Applejack glared at him. She was clearly rooting for the captain.
The four Phasetroopers then un-cloaked and surrounded the captain and pointed their guns at his head. The captain immediately tried to raise his weapon, but a Phasetrooper whipped out a strange device. Suddenly the handgun that the captain was pulling out crumbled to dust. Then the shotgun strapped to his back, and a small pistol strapped to his ankle both dissolved into nothing as well. The Phasetrooper nodded and put the device away. The other Phasetroopers then forced the captain onto his knees and prepared to execute him. However, just before the group pulled the triggers on their respective weapons, the Phasetrooper that looked like their new lead Phasetrooper held up a hand and put a finger to the side of his helmet, as his he was receiving a call. Then, the Phasetrooper nodded his head and motioned for the Phasetroopers to back away. They group did so, and then put up their weapons. This was all Applejack needed to see. The perfect distraction had given her the perfect opening. Throwing caution to the winds, she leapt up onto her hind legs and aimed with her Colt Python. She pointed to tip of the gun and one of the Phasetroopers and pulled the trigger. The gun immediately flew out of her hand and sent her tumbling over backwards. By a pure miracle, the bullet sizzled through the scorched and dry air and struck a Phasetrooper in the shoulder. The Phasetroopers pulled up their weapons and began to fire at the hill range.
Grumbling about always being put in danger because of cousins, Braeburn signaled his followers to return fire. It was completely one-sided. The ponies had higher ground, and the Phasetroopers could not really see who they were shooting at. Thanks to the distraction, they could also not spare the time to activate their bio-scanners or their personal energy shields. In the course of several seconds, the four remaining Phasetroopers had been killed. The captain got up and looked around. Then he crossed his arms nonchalantly. He then beckoned casually to the ponies on the hill range as if he was asking a two-year-old on the swings on the other side of the playground to come over so that he could have an admonishing word with them.
Braeburn glanced over questioningly at Applejack (who had recovered from the kick of her weapon). Applejack rubbed her rump ruefully and then said, "I suppose we might as well go down there and see what he wants. We saved his life, after all."
Braeburn nodded and signaled for his followers to lower arms. He then signaled them to help him and Applejack down into the gorge.
In a couple of minutes, the two were trotting up to meet the captain.
"By Finis, I was saved by PONIES?" he snorted cynically, "That is the most goddamned thing I have seen all day, and I have seen some goddamned things today."
"Who the hay are you, stranger?" said Braeburn warily.
"Me? You haven't heard of me? Your life must have been a secluded one. I am Admiral Krausk. I am captain of the Moscow Rain, and probably the best that ever was, is, and will be," snapped the captain.
"Wait," interjected Applejack, "If you are the best that was, is, and will be… then how did you just get all of yer followers killed and get shot down in the first place? It ain't addin' up."
Krausk glared at her. "They were casualties of war. Something you would never understand, space pony."
"I ain't a space pony. I'm an Earth Pony. Where the hay are you from?" said Applejack, still eying Krausk truculently.
"I came from a different dimension. I was fighting these damned rebels, when they jumped to this dimension. When we followed them, we found out it was a trap. Heh… ALL of us were destroyed, including them. However, I was somehow saved," said Krausk impatiently.
Applejack's eyes brightened. She remembered the talks that Twilight, Flaming Star, and Sunset Shadow had given about the importance of interdimensionally travelling people. Does this mean that interdimensionally travelling ships could be important as well?
"You have a ship that flies through dimensions?" said Applejack hopefully, "Is that the ship behind you? Does it work?"
"Not anymore it doesn't," snorted Krause, "It takes tons of super-condensed, supersaturated Edinium to make any dimensional jumps, so it is out of power. I don't know why you are even worried about that. Hell, I'm worried about the weapons. I may have landed safely, but the fires destroyed all of the weapons and military hardware before they were put out. My typical luck. By Finis I hate this situation…"
"Hmmm… The ship still has the interdimensional travelling capabilities and the like, right?" asked Applejack, her mind still on the ship.
Krause rolled his eyes. "Yes, space pony, the ship can still jump. Now shut up and let me talk to your superior like a civilized being."
"Oh, I am not her superior, stranger," said Braeburn hastily, catching Applejack's eye, "But if you want to talk, we will have to do it somewhere else."
"I'm not leaving my ship, if that is what you mean," snapped Krausk.
"Don't worry. It will be safe with us, I will have my ponies guard it day and night," said Braeburn, trying to sound soothing in case this Krausk person decided to shoot their faces off out of pure spite.
"You can trust us," added Applejack, "After all, we saved yer hide, right?"
"They saved my ass, not you," said Krausk, "You just fired off a shot and fell over. I saw it all."
Applejack glared at him, but Krausk just ignored her and said, "Very well. The ship is in fairly good condition, but it will need a powerful power source to even get off the ground, let alone travel dimensions. Well, I might as well follow you space ponies. I have nothing better to do, anyway. However, before I go, I need to get my rifle."
"Your… rifle? Do we really have time?" asked Braeburn in a strained voice, glancing nervously at the horizon, expecting a platoon of Kottora or Shradian tanks to be bringing death on the wind any time now.
"You have women, I have rifles. I am sure you would never leave your girlfriend in a ditch," said Krausk airily as he strolled into the ship, and then returned with a long-barreled rifle.
"This is Arev," said Krause, almost reverently, "Now I am good. Well? Why the hell are you space ponies staring? Let's go."
"Right… follow me," said Braeburn slowly, still looking unsure of himself.
Note: Let's see... What do we have here... Aha! If you give me reviews (a.k.a. FEEDBACK), I will give you a fluffy bunny. These bunnies have buffed cuteness stats, with fluffy levels over 9000. Additionally (if you have not already) if you do the poll on my profile, we here at "A Mending Soul" corporation will ship you a baby panda. Pandas are also fluffy. Do not ask where we got the panda, or why we are giving them away. We have Lord Kytax, so we are exempt from laws... I think.