Princess Celestia fritters about rummaging through the old library, as she finds the dusty old book she once used so long ago. Just sitting on top of a stack of outdated novels.

"I am glad Twilight is not here to see the state of this place. She would be so cross with me!" Princess Celestia giggles to herself. She pauses for a moment remembering her student as her flowing mane shimmers against the reflection in the book cover. She puts a hoof on it and sighs.

"It has been a long time. We take everything that happens for granted sometimes. I should cherish the moments more often. I am so used to just having time. Time enough for all things..."

She closes her eyes as the book starts to shimmer and glow. It starts to float onto a dais on the side of the room and opens up to a blank page.

"Well, I hope she is nearby..."

Suddenly a quill pen floats from an old stack that was piling up on a shelf near the stack. A few ink bottles resting quietly nearby. The quill starts to write on its own.

'Dear Sunset,

It has been a while since we have talked. I am sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but I have heard great things since our Twilight has last visited you. It seems the duplicates there are not far from ours here. Strange and comforting at the same, I do miss you. Yes, even after what has happened I do miss you. I hope things are going well over there. I have studied in great length of this place called Earth. Not unlike our own. I surmise that our lands are not that different. In fact, I believe this may be what was back in the day. Long before I could remember.

Anyhow. Pleasantries will have to wait unfortunately. We are in dire need. Our Twilight as well as her friends are in danger. Remember I taught you about the elements of harmony? Well, there is a map that registered situations that need assistance from the elements. It's a long story (Though I think Twilight might have brought you up to date on this). Anyways. The 6 have been trapped by a rather fearsome foe. Discord's mother has revealed herself. We need your assistance and expertise in a rescue attempt. Normally I wouldn't have reached out to you as you are in a unique situation that will benefit you and that place profoundly, but we are also at war as well. We need to run this attempt along side a significant defence of the whole land.

Please, if you receive this, contact me back and...'

Just then the page automatically flips over and writing appears automatically on the page.

'Dear Princess Celestia,

It is so good to hear from you! I miss you as well! You don't have to say anymore. I am there! I am with my friends right now and they are reading over my shoulder. We actually had a computer set up in my room that is attached to the book. So I can email and chat through the book directly. It is even a wifi hotspot! Full internet access!" Princess Celestia chuckles at the obscure earth reference. She understands completely as she has learned of their technology but still considers it strange.

"I will need help in opening the portal as we haven't been able to duplicate it on our end. As you know, Magic is as not as available here. Sometimes it works, we pony up when we sing or play music, but nothing we have tried so far is as easy as it is in Equestria. I will have to admit, I am so used to walking, I will need some time to re-adjust to hooves and not hands."

Princess Celestia laughs as loud as the halls can reverberate and she takes a moment to composer herself.

"It is good to laugh. I haven't had a chance to laugh like that in a while"

The writing continues.

'Give me about 20 minutes and I will be ready to head on through.'

Princess Celestia smiles and she nods to herself and closes the book. Hopefully, Priness Cadence is fortunate enough to find support. She thinks to herself about her adventure and Twilights experiences. Then a thought occurs to her.

"Ah ha! Oh...hehe" She looks around to see if anyone has heard her. Then she whistles gently

"Philomena!" she calls out. Suddenly out of nowhere, blazing fire trails through the air and lands on a nearby shelf. Carefully controlling its flames as to not burn down the library, the phoenix coo's as it sits by to wait for a command.

"We need to find some old friends that are far away. Our Dear Twilight and her friends have been captured." The phoenix gasps in shock and nods.

"We have some friends in YakYakistan, Griffonstone, and the Dragon Lands. Please find the Yak leader, Gilda, and Princess Ember and deliver a message." Quickly Princess Celestia jot's a request for help, Tailoring the message to include the captivity of the main 6 as well as Spike in the message.

The phoenix nod's as the message is tagged onto its leg and without hesitation zips out of the room. Past the entrance to the library, Princess Cadence notices the phoenix as it shoots north. As fast and as far as she has ever seen it. She slowly enters the room while Princess Celestia is cleaning up a particular book.

"I have found Starlight, She of course will help. On the way I passed the wonderbolt academy an we have enlisted the help of Bulk Biceps, Spitfire, and Moon Dancer. Surprisingly enough A.K Yearling was there looking for Rainbow Dash. She was asking for help/information for a book she is working on. What was odd, was when I mentioned what had happened, She immediately requested to help. She said she has a friend that will support our venture. I am not sure if its worth while to pursue this, but I agreed to it as she is a friend of Rainbow Dash. Also a friend of Fluttershy was managing her flowers while I was returning. Someone named....Tree hugger? I am not familiar with her."

Princess Celestia Smiles "Yes, I know her. She may be a surprising asset as well. We will meet up in the map room as soon as possible. I have to go to where the portal setup is. Sunset Shimmer will be joining us soon.

Princess Cadence smiles "Wow, you do work fast! That is great news! I think with Sunset and Starlight, we have a very good chance now to really take this to the front! All we need to do is defend ourselves and watch out for any surprises."

They leave the library and head back to the Map room.

To the far north, a scorching red line of a phoenix zooms towards the high hills and enters into a castle. A few minutes later it leaves and like a rocket, heads towards the east, into the Lands of the Griffons. As Philomena flies, a suspicious looking vulture with one beady red eye starts to follow.

****

Back in the quiet and dark lair, it is silent. The anti ponies stay stationary watching the cages. Not a peep or motion to be made. The only sound is the soft sounds of a sobbing Dragon. The flickering cages wax and wan with ebb and flow of power. Inside the ponies are motionless. Grey and staring at a sight that can not be seen. Still. Only Twilights cage is there motion as she grits her teeth and is attempting to concentrate. Focusing on the lock.

****

The air is quiet, the only sound that can be heard is the rustle of leaves, the occasional tensioning of rubber bands and twine, and a soft crunch out in the distance. Granny Smith and BigMac Tense at the silent moments. Every pony ready at their station, ready for what is to come.

The crunching gets subtlely louder. Marble hides behind her catapult as Braeburn grits his teeth and grunts at the wait. Softly, slowly everyone hears a droning sound. Not sure what to make of it, they stay silent. Suddenly they recognize it as a chant or a war song.

"BigMac. I didn't think of this. What if we are defending against....magic users?" At this, the unicorns in the group start to gulp, and all of their horns light up on the ready.

"We may not be ready for this. But darndest. We will defend our home!" Granny grits her teeth as the droning continues. Slowly they identify it with a rhythmic hum similar to a low pitch drum beat. In step with their motion. As they approach. They noticed a pattern.

Brrrum. Brrrrum. Brrrump. Haaaa YUP! Over and over again. The tree's and grass towards the south start to reverberate as the forest south of them starts to vibrate.

"They are close" Limestone shouts.
"Remember. DO NOT let up. We do not know what we are facing!"

Suddenly the tree's start to crackle and crash and the sounds of the impending army is profoundly audible at this point. They hear hoof beats on the march. Suddenly they see yellow pairs of eyes appear in the dark forest. One after another.

Brrum. Brrum. Brrump. Haaaaa YUP!

Over and over again. The first line of gray ponies can be visible now. Further back they see more into the darkness. They keep trotting slowly until the first line appears out of the woods. The trotting stops as they stand still. Not saying a word, not making a single noise. Granny notices that there isn't a single sound to be heard. In the barn, in the air, and the woods. The calm.

A whisp of smoke appears as a face appears hoving above the gray ponies filled with lifeless eyes, no distinction, no cutie marks, nothing. Big Mac sighs noticing that there are only a few with horns. It seems there is an equal mix of Pegasus, Unicorns, and Earth ponies. Up in the thickets of the tree trunks, more yellow eyes wait, hovering. From this woods, they can not tell how many there are.

"So. The whelps here are to defend this land. Ha! Like I care. I have no need for this ridiculous facade." She ponders for a moment.
"But if I do nothing, that leaves....unfinished business. Oh well. I must deal with this. Ok my pretties, this will be the trial run! Deal with it as you see fit. But remember, our main goal is Poneyville and Canterlot. Maybe for fun the Crystal Empire. But I care not. Do not spare anything or anyone."

At that Granny Gulp's

"Big Mac. This is serious. This is beyond fruit and just feuds. They mean to do us in and do us in proper! If need be, we must fall back. They may destroy the farm, but we can rebuild it. We always have and always will!" He nod's in nervousness. The others act the same.

"My Fellow friends. Fear not. We are here to do what we can. Give them no quarter and make sure none be brought to ran." Zecora suddenly chimes in.

"We need to get to our friends. This is for them. They have put themselves in peril to save us from mayhem." Suddenly her words bolster everyone. The fear and unknowing in their eyes, gone. They all look straight ahead. Gritting their teeth and at the ready.

"Good! Very good!" The smoke replies.

"I will fall on back. When we are ready to move. We will." The smoke recedes back into the trees.

The line of gray ponies stands still. Starring ahead. Without any emotion or response at all. Suddenly one in the middle of the line steps forward. It's yellow eyes flash for a second as it starts to shout.

"Barumm"

At that point, Limestone shouts.

"GET READY!" as well as Granny Smith and Braeburn. BigMac and Marble start to run towards the ponies to give the wait nod.

"Barumm!" once again, the other gray ponies on the first few lines haunch back, ready to spring.

"GET SET!" At this point, every pony behind the catapult get's the tension set straight and starts to aim. The other defending ponies raise their shields up.

"Barumm!" Suddenly the other's eyes flash.
"HOLD IT! HOLD IT!"

"Yaaaaaaaaa." suddenly all the front gray ponies eyes flash.

"HOLLLLLDDD"

"YUUUUP" Just at that moment, the front two line's leap into the air suddenly at the line of catapults. When Limestone and the others shout.

"NOW!" Suddenly a line of various fruits and items launches with perfect aim at the flying ponies. One by one they make their mark, causing them to fly off and collapse. Far short of their mark. The other ponies next to the paults pull fruit as the launchers pull back. Attempting to reload. They quickly pull the catapult back as the next line jump into the air. Again, they hit their marks, but the third line starts to advance slowly as the fourth line prepares to launch into the air.

"Granny! Look!" BigMac points to the tree's, row upon row of gray ponies start to pour out of the tree's. Slowly the catapults pull back as the shield holders defend against kicked up dirt and thrown items. Suddenly the unicorns start to use their magic to attempt to wrestle away the shields and toss dirt and rocks at the defenders and catapults. Some start to hit their mark as some of the shields and ponies get tossed aside. Others attempt to rush in to take their place while those that get knocked down attempt to regain their composure. Slowly they fall back. BigMac looks towards Marble and nod's. She nod's back as they start to pull way back suddenly.

The gray ponies take this as a weakness and start to run in. Row after row continues to pour out of the forest. Suddenly the first line that was able to reach the clearing in front of the catapult rush in at full speed to attempt to ram into the catapults. With a shock and surprise, the first few rows suddenly disappear. With a loud crash, the ground floor opens up as row upon row fall into a deep ravine set into the ground.

The Pegasus sneer at this and fly over the gaping maw to dive bomb into the catapults. Marble Pie takes a small torch and lights a small fuse at the side of the clearing in front of the catapults, as the volume of battle reaches on either side of the main line's. Gray ponies have met up with the earth ponies defending the flanks. Marble jumps back as the fuse simmers and disappears. Suddenly a burst of flame shoots through the air on both side of the structure that held the fuse and contents within. The flying Pegasus veer off frustrated that they can not reach the catapults as the scorching line of flames dance across the sky right above the catapults.

The loaders prepare and wait until Marble diffuses the fires.

"AGAIN!"

They launch another wave as they start to push the forces back. Apple Fritter points towards the gaping maw.

"Look! LOOK!" as everyone shifts their gaze to the artificial gorge, it starts to fill in. Ponies are reorienting themselves and start to climb on each other's backs. To fill in the gap. In a matter of time, they will fill the gap's and create an artificial bridge for the forces to continue.

"Well...we best be deciding quickly then!" Granny shouts. She points towards the forest. Gray ponies pour out more and more without end.

"At this rate, we will have to fall back!"

"Well, tootin it's bout us to jump in" The Hatfields shout as the fighting intensifies on either side. The Mccolts nod on the far end as two on each side of the flanking hill wave a red flag. Their family members start to turn a crank.

"We chose this spot for a good reason!" Suddenly the fighting family members pull back with a sudden volley of Watermelons which causes a pause in the flanking ponies. The front line pull back suddenly as the defending ponies pull back. Huge walls suddenly raise as the defenders start to pull back behind it. Once the last pony has cleared, others join in with the cranks as two huge wall's shoot up into the air. They fill the gap between two hill's perfectly as the wall climbs up. On each crest of the hill, two mounds of pikes pointing outwards completely cover the crest.

"This will keep them at bay for the meantime. Hopefully, they will reroute towards the center. We have also accounted for the Pegasus. Watch!" Suddenly out of the top of the wall, streamers of sticky web-like material shoots out across the pass towards the receding tree's of the southern forest, blanketing the upper tree lines.

"We figured they didn't fly too high as to give their position away....they try to go up. They get sticky!"

And is if almost on cue, they see several pegasus attempts to shoot high into the sky. A few hit the webbing which stops them short, causing the webbing to get entangled in their wings and hoofs. With sufficient gunk, they spiral out of control and collide down to the others on the ground. More and more streamers of the gunk shoot out to cover the hole.

Across the bay towards the other side, similar results. They have held their flanks, but more and more start to pour out of the woods, row, and row. The center line pulls back. Injured ponies recede to get care as replacement fill in their spots.

"I am glad I made these in advance. Was but the best of circumstance." Zacora chimes in loudly over the fray. Row upon Row of elixirs line up. She pulls out a pendant and a few potions.

"It will soon be my turn. There are too many to count. We need to think it is paramount."

Zacora slips on a tribal mask and an outfit that resembles an African warrior dressage. She shouts as she tosses two vials into the now saturated pit. Suddenly a green cloud fill's the air seeping back into the forest.

"Do not breath this in! Less its effects are a chagrin!" She shouts as the others pull back. Another vial towards the east and west, this time, filled with a purple gas.

The front line of gray's that get hit with the green gas, start to slow down and then stop. As if they suddenly increased in weight. The ponies on the flanking side start to collide with each other, as they mutter incoherently. Some running back into the tree's as others run into each other. Confused and lost.

Vial after vial, Zacora tosses into the constantly advancing rows. The green gas starts to dissipate as those that were affected are now fast asleep. Others return to replace those that were taken down (including the one's stuck in the pit). A voice deep in the woods shouts out.

"Nice try there...Zebra...but that is nothing..."

Suddenly a fresh wave of grays jumps out of the tree tops to land on the catapults, the towers, and other structures. Some have gotten behind the front lines.

"PULL BACK! PULL BACK" Limestone shouts as more waves upon waves encroaches the defenders. Hundreds of grays start to encroach the farm. Some have even circumnavigated the walls on each side.

"Marble! Take Golden Delicious and Caramel Apple to usher out the animals! We need them out of here! Push them to Poneyville. Get any additional help you can find! Mah! Pah!" Limestone starts to tear up as her parent's nod as they assist her in receding down the hilltop.

"You did us proud daughter!"

"But...But..I failed"

"No. You did not. You have saved lives and have given us a chance and defended what you could. Pinkie would be proud if she was here..." Her father responds.

"Now, attend to the pullback. We have our jobs to do now!" He looks towards Cloudy Quarts who nod's back.

Limestone droops her head for a moment but then lifts it back up. She still has a job to do and she will do it! Time to shine.

"Grrr. Ok. Everypony. Fallback! FALL BACK! Split up if you have to" She looks back to Golden Delicious and Caramel Apple running into the barn's to free and usher in the animals in their care. Some of the dogs they use periodically to round up the animals are loose and running around the farm in a circle. They feel the energy in the air. Limestone drops down from her perched location to assist in the animal's freedom, as the rest of the ponies back up. Some head towards the evergreen forest and others back towards Ponyvile propper. Ma and Pa Pie wait as the back lot of the farm has been cleared out.

The empty catapults lay bare as the grey ponies slowly approach. Not sure of the situation. As soon as they approach the catapults. Ma and Pa pull back on a rope. Several torches appear next to the catapults to light them on fire. Immediately they blaze up in a sudden wall of fire. Ma and Pa run over to another rope that is backward facing towards the south. They both grab the rope tightly and pull as hard as they can. They suddenly hear a snap and a grinding noise. As soon as this happens they bolt downhill towards Poneyville. Dust and debris filling the side of the hill.

Suddenly a row of humongous boulders spills out from the crest of each hill on the west and eastern slopes. They immediately start to tumble and cascade down the facade into the row and row of gray ponies, knocking them around. They all scatter to run from the sudden double avalanche. Those that are too far forward are trapped between the blazing fire and the massive boulders. Those left behind are blocked.

"Pa this was genius! It will take them some time to get through that! At the very least, if they have to run around it will take them hours. Even those trapped will have to wait for some time before the fire burns out. Great thinking!"

"Ma, I am grateful for this, but I was hoping this wasn't needed. At least this will save us until we can pull back." They shout as they run back. Zacora watches this and starts to pull her cart back towards Poneyville as well. Dropping several flasks behind the retreating couple.

"Insurance" she calls it.

As soon as they leave, Apple Acre's is now quiet for now. The only sounds that can be heard, is unicorn horns and earth pony hooves attempting to kick or chip away at the boulders.

 

******Back at Canterlot******

Princess Celestia cascades down to the old library annex where she had tucked away the portal. She chuckles a bit remembering Twilights story of the other world. How fascinating that world was. If she were to have any downtime, She might enjoy a small trip to experience it herself. Her other 'Half' she would have to meet.

Returning back to her senses, she pulls the book out and focuses on the mirror. She shoots a concentrated beam at the mirror. The portal shimmers and vibrates with waves of energy. Until the mirror hum's with a stable harmonic frequency.

"That should do it. Just right..."

A few moments and a flicker. Suddenly for a split second, a Human girl with Red and Yellow hair appears, but then suddenly transforms into a pony standing on her back hooves.

"Princess..who..whoaa..whoaaa!" Suddenly Sunset Shimmer falls forward and tumbles face first into the ground.

"Ouch! Ugh...it's been so long..." She shakes her mane and suddenly gasps at her Muzzle.
"Oh! My Nose! I forgotten about my Muzzle!" She attempts to step back on her hind hooves and crumbles again. After another attempt, she just stays still on all fours and slowly moves around to stabilize and get back to moving more like a pony.

Princess Celestia giggles.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it...I am very glad to see you and in such better terms. You look that much better!"

Sunset Shimmer smiles and gives Celestia a hug.

"When I saw the book, I had to come! I wish it was better circumstances, but I will help!"

Princess Celestia smiles as they head out.

"Don't wait up for me! I need to use these hooves again. I.... think I remember the way to Ponyville." Sunset shouts out as Princess Celestia ascends quickly to head back south.