"We have to do WHAT?!" the group of friends exclaimed in unison.

"You heard me." Twilight said sternly. "Princess Celestia wants to go to the world those creatures came from and learn about the magic they use, so we can defend ourselves against it."

"T-th-that sounds awfully dangerous." Fluttershy squeaked.

"No, it sounds suicidal!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"I have to agree with Rainbow, I'm afraid." Rarity seemed rather shocked at saying those words.

"Yeah, me too, Twi." Said Applejack.

Twilight sighed. "Listen, girls. We are the ONLY ones who are capable of doing this. If we don't, those creatures will come back and attack us again." She slammed her hoof on the table. "And I will NOT be held responsible for the deaths of more innocent ponies! If we can learn their magic, we can save hundreds, if not thousands, of lives!"

The other five looked at Twilight in silence, shocked by her sudden and passionate outburst. Eventually, Applejack went over and joined Twilight.

"She's right, girls. We gotta do this! If those creatures do come back, I don't rightly fancy the idea of them attackin' mah family!"

Rainbow Dash soon joined Applejack. "Yeah, you're right Twilight. It wouldn't be very loyal of me if I just let those things walk all over us, right?"

Rarity joined Rainbow Dash. "I agree. What was I thinking? I couldn't bear the thought of any more harm coming to Ponyville."

Pinkie Pie soon joined Rarity. "No more Ponyville would mean no more parties! And that's no fun at all!"

The five friends looked across the room at Fluttershy, who was hiding behind her hooves.

"Come on, Fluttershy." said Rainbow Dash. "They might attack the animals the next time they come here."

Fluttershy's eyes flashed with anger and she joined her friends. "Not if I can help it!" she said loudly.

"OK, girls. There's no going back now." said Twilight, holding out a hoof. "We're in this together. For the Princess."

The other five each placed a hoof with Twilights.

"FOR THE PRINCESS!" they chorused.

"Better go and pack your saddlebags, girls." Said Twilight. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes."

Quick as a flash, the five ponies vacated the library, leaving Twilight to pack her bags. She looked at Spike, who was fast asleep in his basket, and smiled.

"At least you get to stay here." She said quietly.

She sighed softly.

"You're the lucky one."

***

Several hours later, the six friends stood in a forest clearing.

"Is this the place?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight took a map from her saddlebag and looked at it. She then looked at her surroundings before folding the map up and putting it gently back in its place.

"It is." She said with a smile.

"Finally." Rainbow Dash muttered.

Twilight's horn began to glow. "Stand back, girls." She said. Closing her eyes, she focused all her energy into the spell manifesting itself within her. A sudden flash sent her friends spilling onto the ground. They watched in shocked silence as a shimmering circle of light appeared in front of them.

Twilight's horn stopped glowing and she opened her eyes. She looked at the object in front of her.

"It's a portal." She said quietly.

The six of them gathered around it. Through the other side, they could see what looked like a wall. Behind it, buildings dominated the skyline.

"It's a city of some kind." said Twilight. "We'll start there."

She sighed. "Is everypony ready?"

The others nodded.

"OK then, follow me." Summoning all her courage, Twilight stepped through the portal, followed closely by the others.

The six of them found themselves in an arid landscape. They looked around at their surroundings in silence.

Behind them, the portal closed with a resounding pop.

"OK girls." Twilight gulped. "We're on our own."

***

In another part of the landscape, two figures sat by a pool of water. One was female and the other was male.

"You're not still pissed at me over that pony thing, are you?" said the female.

The male snorted.

"Oh come on, Zorann!" the lean one yelled. "I paid your repair bills, I enchanted your equipment for free and I made you those new bags. What more do I have to do?!"

Zorann raised his hand, as if to silence her.

"I can't believe you lied about not having any runes." He said bitterly. "If you had just made a damn portal when I asked..."

"... we wouldn't have died." Interrupted the female. "Yes, I know. You've been telling me that every day for the last week. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, I see that now."

"Whatever, Luxxoria." Zorann sighed. "Come on, we've got to report for guard duty."

"Pfft. Guarding Razor Hill. What fun." Luxxoria said sarcastically. "Neither of us is a damn Orc, so remind me again why we have to do this?"

"Because your constant desire to improve your spells nearly killed the Warchief, you brain-dead elf!" Zorann roared.

"How was I supposed to know that my Improved Frostfire had more Fire than Frost?" Luxxoria sighed. "Besides, what was Garrosh even DOING in that outhouse?"

Zorann rolled his eyes and summoned his Mechano-Hog. Luxxoria jumped into the sidecar and the two of them set off for Razor Hill, an awkward silence between them.

***

Twilight looked around at the seemingly unchanging landscape. All she could see was red sand and the occasional cactus.

"I think we're lost, girls." Came Rainbow Dash's voice. "In fact, I think we're just going around in circles."

Applejack sighed. "Instead of complainin', why don't y'all fly on up and see if you can find that city we're supposed to be in?"

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Fine." She said exasperatedly. She jumped up into the air and tried opening her wings, only to fall flat on her face with a dull thud.

"Ow!" she groaned. The others stopped walking and looked at her.

"Uhhh, Rainbow? Y'all OK?" asked Applejack, stifling a giggle.

Rainbow Dash glared at her. "I'm fine." She snapped, before trying to open her wings again, to no avail.

"What the hay? I can't fly!" she said, unable to hide her panic.

"Interesting." Said Twilight. "I need to document this." She opened her saddlebag and took out a notebook and quill.

"Document?" said Rainbow Dash, her voice raising. "You need to HELP ME!" Tears formed in her eyes.

Twilight didn't reply as she scribbled some notes into her journal.

Expedition to Unknown World
DAY ONE

We arrived safely in the middle of what appears to be a desert. There is very little life around us. We saw a city through the portal, but are yet to locate it.

Rainbow Dash has noticed she is unable to use her wings. I assume it might have something to do with the high temperatures, combined with the dust storms we see every now and again.

If the rest of this world looks like this, I can see why those creatures wanted to go elsewhere.

Twilight closed the journal and put the articles back in her saddlebag. She turned to Rainbow.

"It could be the heat and dust that's causing it, Rainbow. Remember, this world is very different from Equestria."

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sounds of chattering.

Fluttershy's eyes widened with glee. "That sounds like a squirrel!" she said happily. "Wait here and I'll ask him for directions."

The others nodded as Fluttershy disappeared behind the cactus. They sat down, ready to wait when they heard a high-pitched scream. They shot upright to see Fluttershy running towards them.

Closely followed by the giant scorpion.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" Applejack shouted as the scorpion approached them.

"Who cares?" yelled Twilight. "RUN!"

The six friends ran away as fast as their hooves would carry them, the scorpion close behind, chattering angrily. Running behind a rock, Rarity saw something in the distance.

"I can see a cave!" she yelled.

"Everypony get inside, now!" Twilight ordered. The six of them dove into the cave as the scorpion appeared from behind the rock. Except now it wasn't alone. Three more scorpions had joined it.

"Oh, ponyfeathers." Applejack muttered.

"Shh! Be quiet, or they'll find us!" hissed Rainbow Dash.

The four scorpions began looking around the area, hissing and chattering to each other.

"They're ... communicating?" whispered Twilight. She quietly brought out her notebook and quill and began writing down what she was seeing.

One of the scorpions approached the cave and peered inside. Its razor sharp tail poised threateningly above it. Suddenly, it hissed and started jabbing randomly.

Fluttershy whimpered. The scorpion let out a shrill cry, attracting the attention of the others. Soon, all four were outside the cave, stabbing randomly into the darkness.

"This is it, girls." whispered Rarity. "I'm sorry we failed the Princess so soon."

The six friends came together in a group hug as the scorpions entered the cave. Closing their eyes, each pony prepared to accept their fate.

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the cave. The six opened their eyes in panic and looked around.

"Oh no, this cave has a bear in it!" Fluttershy cried.

Twilight poked her head out and looked towards the entrance. As she watched, she saw the scorpions turn around.

"Girls, look!" she said. "Someone is here to rescue us!"

The other five peered out in time to see two of the scorpions impaled by a sharp piece of ice. The other two hissed, as a brown cat leapt on them, swiping them with it's claws. With a final shrill cry, the two scorpions fell to the ground.

"The scorpions are dead, girls." Twilight said with a sigh of relief. "We're going to be OK."

"Hello?" A voice called. "Is anyone in there?"

The six friends started walking towards the cave entrance, stepping over the corpses of the four scorpions.

"Thank you ever so much for rescuing us." Rarity called. "Those beastly creatures would have had us for dinner had you not come along and ... er, dealt with them."

All six ponies stepped out of the cave. In front of them, they could see their rescuers, who stood with their backs to them.

"Glad to see you're all OK." said a female voice. "You're lucky to be alive. Durotar scorpions never give up on chasing their prey."

Twilight smiled. "We would very much like to look upon the face of our saviours, so that we may thank you properly."

"Sounds fair." said a male voice.

The six friends fixed smiles upon their faces.

Smiles which quickly faded into anger as the two figures turned to face them.