Twenty-Fourth Cycle in the Month of the Emperor, Year 294, 43rd Sequence. Outside Hillaya Ruins.
Well, they've done it. Crisis averted, so to speak.
If you're reading this, you're probably wondering what I'm talking about. The crisis I speak of is the 'Equestrian Crisis of 294'... that's what I've decided to call it, anyways. And the 'they' I'm referring to are my good friend Ryker and his new... Equestrian companions. It's still hard to believe that everything they claimed happened; if only I'd been there...
My name is Saelus Alaric. I am a mage-slash-elementalist of some renown; you may have even heard of me. If not, then pay me no mind, for that's obviously not the purpose of this document. The reason I am keeping these records is for them to serve as a dossier on all things related to the Equestrian Crisis: major events, effects on our world, key players that took part in the stopping. I'll admit, it wasn't quite as dramatic as I make it sound, but regardless of its minor relevance when compared to our world as a whole, the events that transpired - if made known to the general populace - could very well change how we view this universe altogether.
Before I continue, though, a brief summary of some previous findings might be in order for one to fully grasp the situation. Six months and thirty-seven days ago, my companions and I had uncovered a shocking revelation: potential interplanar travel through the use of ancient, magical relics known simply as 'Gates'. At first, evidence strongly pointed to the possibility of these Gates no longer existing on our world, or, if they were still around, no longer functioning. However, with the arrival of certain 'outsiders' and the threat of the previously mentioned 'Crisis' looming overhead, those theories were put to test, and I have good reason to believe that we, too, can travel to these other 'worlds', there being Gates that are still functioning hidden somewhere across the land.
The theories and such can wait until later, however. To begin my documentation of the Equestrian Crisis, it's probably wisest to start from the beginning, and for that, we'll begin by observing the story of a certain 'Scratch Pad', one of the aforementioned outsiders and native resident of the realm of Equestria. Equestria is a pacifistic world where the dominant species is a race of talking, pastel-colored ponies, ruled over by two god-like entities and kept in balance through their magic. Odd, yes, but bear with me, here.
Scratch is a unicorn, a variation of their species capable of magic through the use of the horns on their heads, and had come to our world by accident due to the power of a strange book in his possession. His first visit was only temporary; however, events transpired that eventually led to his becoming trapped here, with no way back home. A large portion of this document will be written from Scratch's point of view, him being a key factor in the Crisis' prevention, and as such will largely be in the first person with him providing narration. He was kind enough to supply me with a copy of his memories of the last few months, and I will do my best to keep this document as faithful to said remembrance as possible.
So, without further ado, let's begin then, shall we? It all started with...