“Applejack, Pinkie Pie!” Twilight exclaims, “How did you get here?”

“Thank us,” one of the Applejacks remarks, “Me and a small recon group headed to your Applejack’s barn to help your RAEM efforts. But when we got there, there was only the barn as it was before Empress Midnight took over.”

“That’s a really silly defense you got in your world!” A Pinkie Pie butts into the conversation, “No wonder Midnight had an easy time getting in.”

“Thank you for your input Lieutenant Pie. However, it is very obvious, from what we see, Midnight is not in their world.”

“Of course she is silly filly; we snuck behind her army as they entered the cool looking tunnel.” Applejack facehooves herself in annoyance and approaches Rainbow Dash and Borris.

“Captain Dash, Major Borris, congratulations on bringing them here.”

Borris salutes and replies, “Yes, me and my partner have successfully rescued them from the clutches of the empress and her Morks. If you’ll excuse us, Dash needs to rest in her chambers.”

“Go on, I’ll show our new visitors around.”

“On it General Apple.” Borris and Dash turn to the left and enter a network of corridors. Rainbow tries to speak in protest, but Borris shushes her and heads deeper and deeper in the halls, with each wall lined with doors and torches. The two enter a large room with a bed, dressers, and several posters laid across the walls and ceiling.

“Whoa, cool room, is this where the other me lived?” Rainbow asks in awe as Borris closes the silvery dual doors behind them.

“Yes, this is her room.”

“Why did you not tell them that I’m not Captain Dash?”

“If I were to tell the truth, they would be in too much shock and grief to maintain their duties to the RAEM. Sometimes it’s more noble to tell a small lie than to deliver a painful truth.”

“You do have a point. But we WILL tell them after this war blows over.”

“Yes, of course.”

Meanwhile, General Apple and Lieutenant Pie are leading the five newcomers throughout the metal underground base. Many mares of every race, colour, and age walk back and forth between the halls and rooms, Twilight notices this and asks, “Why are there so many mares, where are the stallions?”

“Midnight has kidnaped all of them and turned them into Morks, all except for Borris my brother, Big Macintosh, and a few others. We’re not sure why she doesn’t turn mares into them, but we know it has something to do with their helmets.” General Apple replies and leads them into an armoury, showing them a Mork helmet with a shattered visor. Raindrop squishes to the front and closely examines it, sniffing it and feeling it with her hooves.

“Pheromone,” Raindrop says sternly, as if she figured it out on the spot.

“What?”

“These helmets are laced with pheromone-producing magic, like perfume.”

“You smelled that?!”

“Actually,” Rarity cuts in and sniffs it as well, “it does smell like perfume, MY secret perfume, how’d she get it?”

“And what does this have to do with the Morks?”

“Allow me to go into greater detail,” Raindrop replies, “Pheromone is commonly used in perfumes for mares to attract stallions. This pheromone is transmitted to the nose via adhesion to the visor, and since it is so strong, it’ll dull the victim’s brain and senses.”

“So how does Midnight control them with this trick?”

“As their brain and body become oblivious to the outside world, Midnight probably uses a visual deployment spell on all of them with the helmets connects to a hive mind, with the leader being Midnight. She can then use the visors and the pheromones to bend the ponies’ mind, body, and will to her command, much more powerful than simply mind control. This doesn’t work on mares because these pheromones are commonly used to attract stallions, and not mares.”

“Then why isn’t Big Mach and the others affected? Borris usually avoids capture since he’s smaller and usually takes on air combat. However, they tried shoving the others into one several times, but each time he isn’t affected in any way. “

“Have they shown any allergic reactions to flowers or perfume?”

“Yes.”

“There’s you answer, since the pheromones don’t dull your brother’s senses or mind, they won’t be so easily tricked into her spell and get the helmet off with no problem with some outside help.”

“Holy smokes, that makes so much sense, you are a genius! I’d say you’re smarter than even Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight rolls her eyes in amusement, for she could’ve figure that out as well, give or take some time. “Who are you anyways?”

“Name’s Raindrop, student of Princess Celestia and raised by her majesty,”

“Wait WHAT?!”

“Allow me to explain.” Twilight cuts in and begins to explain what Celestia told her about Raindrop.

Back in the East sector of the RAEM base, Borris and Rainbow Dash take on checkups around the chambers. They walk into what appears to be a hospital and walk towards a desk in a corner next to a door. They pass by multiple ponies lying on mattresses strewn across the floor, with only a couple of candles lit on the walls showing their resting faces. Borris knocks on the wooden desk as what appears to be Fluttershy in a nurse’s cap open the corner door and walk out, holding a bucket of water in her mouth. “Medic Fluttershy, are we all good in medical care?”

“We’re doing fine Major Borris, but we are running a bit low on supplies.” She replies, setting the bucket down next to another nurse as she picks it up on goes to help some of the sick and injured still awake.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, what happened to your scars, they’re gone?!” Rainbow Dash’s pupils shrink rapidly, fearing that Fluttershy’s otherworld version will have to be the first to hear of her best friend’s death.

“She’s been fixing up her fur; they may have just gotten them covered.”

“Okay, just make sure that they don’t get infected.”

“Captain Dash will follow orders ma’am.”

“See you later Borris.”

“Come along Captain,” The two exit the hospital chamber and walk across the hallway into a dark laboratory room.

“Hey Borris,” Rainbow asks, “Why’s the possibly dangerous lab with all these chemicals in it so close to the hospital?”

“Blame the marshal on that one.” Borris changes from a peaceful voice to a demanding bellow and yells, “Aaron Grump and Daniel Grump fall in!” A blue unicorn and a yellow unicorn gallop from behind multiple cabinets and stand at attention in front of Borris, their brown manes swish side to side covered in sweat. “How is research so far boys? Have we discovered the Anti-Mork Potion?”

“I’m afraid not Major Borris,” the blue stallion proclaims, “we might have made some progress if it wasn’t for Daniel here messing everything up.”

“Hey!” The yellow unicorn protests, “I follow your insane experiments word by word, it’s your bogus plans that aren’t getting us any progress. Remember when Johnathan had to be a test subject for YOUR strength potion?”

“Remember Barbosa when YOU spilt that metal-acid all over him?”

“Grump Brothers, please, just try to work together.” Borris pleads, the two nod and go back to their work, giving glares at each other. Borris turns to Rainbow Dash as they walk out and head down into the hallway once more. “Those brothers can really set you on edge sometimes, but they do tell a good joke once in a while.”

“So who’s next?” Rainbow asks.

“The marshal, Marshal Rarity,”

“Oh this will be fun, how did Rarity even earn this rank of power in the first place?”

“She’s known Midnight way back then, before she rose to power. Tactically speaking, Rarity would know about Midnight’s way of thinking, mental barriers, and weaknesses. Add her advance magic and you got yourself a perfect commander.”

“Still…”

“Shhh, her office is right here.” The two turn to a pair of large wooden dual doors near the end of the hallway. They enter as they gaze upon a massive luxurious room, even larger than the hospital room and laboratory combined. Wooden carvings lace the wall as a lone office desk stands in front of a large purple veiled bed. Behind the desk sits this world’s version of Rarity, Marshal Rarity. Borris steps forward with Rainbow following shortly behind. “Rarity, the recon mission went successfully as we have brought Fluttershy, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, several other ponies, and even Twilight from the other world Midnight has revealed.”

“Excellent work Major Borris,” the marshal replies, “But didn’t Twilight Sparkle…”

“That’s the great thing, Empress Midnight never happened in their world!”

“Interesting, so a Twilight Sparkle is among us now, that shall help us greatly against the Morks.” Rainbow steps to the side of Borris and asks,

“Uh, Rarity, may I ask you something?”

“Yeah… I’m not your commander. Well, I am, but I’m also your friend Dash.” Rarity lifts a small glass of water and begins drinking it as Rainbow begins her sentence.

“How do you know Empress Midnight so well?” In an instant notice, Rarity sprays out the water in shock and surprise and coughs for a couple of seconds.

“How do you NOT know? Did Midnight give you one over the head?” Borris immediately runs between the two mares and squints at Dash’s head.

“My Celestia!” Borris exclaims, “She has an ENORMOUS bruise on her head, must have hidden by her mane. I’ll take her to the medics right away Marshal.”

“Get to it then Major!” Borris shoves the pegasus out and closes the doors behind them. He backs up and gives her a stern glare into her red eyes.

“We do not speak of Empress Midnight’s previous life, ever.”

“Why?” Rainbow asks confusingly.

“All it does is spread fear amongst the soldiers, something we do not need.” The two proceed to head to explore the RAEM.

“And that’s when Celestia put me in charge of Raindrop for the day.” Twilight says as she completes Raindrop’s story to the others in the armoury.

“That’s incredible, spending most of your life living with the rulers of Equestria.” Rarity cheers as she awes over the young mare.

“And you figured out how the Mork helmets work in an instant,” General Apple adds, “While blind! You are by far the most magnificent pony I have ever met.”

“Well,” Twilight replies in a less than impressed mood, “I wouldn’t say she’s THE most magnificent,”

“But she is,” Rarity cuts in, “Being able to live the regal life without being able to see or even able to get a cutie mark for all of your living days. It’s so beautiful and tragic at the same time.”

“But still, don’t you think that title’s a bit excessive?”

“I don’t mind,” Raindrop adds, “everypony has their opinion.”

“Of course you wouldn’t…”

“Everypony’s magnificent in their own way, and somewhere in these worlds, there’s at least one pony that looks up to you as being magnificent.”

“I guess that is true Raindrop.”

“Twilight,” a mysterious male voice echoes from the doorway to the room, “Is that you?”

“That voice,” Twilight turns to where it came from behind her and squints at the shadowy stallion. “That can’t be…”

“If it is whom I think it is, but that would be impossible. It couldn’t be my favourite great niece.”

“It is! Is that you? It’s me from the other world Midnight has opened! I’d know that voice, it could only belong to my-”

“Gruncle Boris?” The pony steps forward into the torch light, revealing a sleek black unicorn cap with blue markings across his body wearing a black and navy blue sailor. “Twilight Sparkle?!” The two run towards each other and Twilight tears up as she looks through the larger stallion’s monocle and into his silver eyes. Twilight turns to her friends and loudly proclaims,

“Friends, meet my great uncle, Boris Sparkle.”