Dear Journal,
I’m writing this from the hospital. Wait, what? Yeah, I am. Sky’s here, and Joseph's just down the hall keeping the generator running. I’ve told them both I’ll be fine sleeping here alone, but Cloudy Skies doesn’t think I should be alone. Not sure what she’s worried about; nothing feels broken, and the burns aren’t that bad. Really only cost me my eyelashes and a little fur. I could do with less of both anyway.
You … I told you … No Sky, I get it. I should’ve listened. He warned me. Yeah, I got all that. Just let me finish before my laptop dies, okay? I’ll sleep when I finish! … You know, I think I will leave it in!
So when I said I was in the hospital, I did mean that literally. Promise Hospital, to be precise. No, that isn’t because everyone came back and I’m getting an injection of distilled human so I can be normal again. I could only wish it was like that. No Sky, I don’t feel like sleeping. Morphine doesn’t make me sleepy; if you would let me I’d get in the car and drive us home just fine. Yeah, whatever. I’ll sleep when I’m done telling the story.
I don’t normally record these for an audience. All the more reason to master mouth-writing or make a pony-sized keyboard I suppose. I wish I could go online and find people with only a few fingers to ask how they type. I bet they would have exactly the insights I would need right now.
So anyway, look at yesterday, you’ll see what I was planning. Joseph told me how he’d learned his “magic.” Sky and I wanted magic too. You can probably guess it didn’t work out, since I’m still using Dragon to do this entry. The hospital thing was probably a clue too. … You don’t have to stay in here, you know. Huan’s got the door. Nothing’s gonna get me in here. I feel fine!
Sigh. Okay, I guess she wants to hear. Make sure I get the details right. Not sure why Sky cares if I get things right. You know I could just go back and change it if I wanted to lie in my journal, right?
This mare is impossible. Yeah, I don’t even care that you can hear me! No, you’re a jerk!
She’s not really. If Sky hadn’t been there and what happened today had happened, I would’ve been left for the strays. It still hurts like hell, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get away. Huan couldn’t protect me on his own, even if I know he wouldn’t have left my side. Dogs are loyal like that. Apparently ponies are too. Would you believe Cloudy Skies plans to sleep in here? Brought in some blankets and stuff, and she’s going to use the bed next to mine, to make sure nothing happens.
Psh, as if something would happen. Even if dogs did come in the door’s shut and Huan is right outside.
I guess not having anything medical on our list was a major oversight. Should have planned better, then maybe we wouldn’t be sleeping in this dark hospital. Got a few bandages, and my mane is now appropriately short (to get rid of all the stuff that burned off.
No, I don’t care if you thought it looked better long! I like it short!
I’m never doing another journal entry with someone around again. The constant interruption makes it so hard to concentrate. See how off topic I’ve gotten? I haven’t even said how I got here, or all the other things that happened. I’m gonna tell the story now. Sky says she won’t talk again while I’m working.
The runes were unchanged from the last time I saw them. Sky said again that she thought they were familiar, though she couldn’t tell me where she had seen them. We weren’t really sure what to do, since all Joseph had said he did was stand in the center of the diagram. Was that it? Just walk into the middle and expect “magic” to happen to us?
Apparently yes. I said it was silly, so naturally Sky had to show us just how silly it was by going first. It’s a good thing she did, since she managed to use the spell without any other side effects. Honestly, I’m afraid those delicate little pegasus bones couldn’t have handled what was waiting for them when the spell ended.
There wasn’t anything to see, really. Sky already had her buttprint, so even though she’s still pretending to be a nudist — sorry, actually being a nudist — nothing new appeared. I didn’t see her vanish or grow a horn or lights appear anywhere they shouldn’t. She just shrugged, turned, and walked out of the circle.
I was pretty worried about her. Yeah, I’m gonna say that with you in the room, don’t give me that look. I want it to be authentic. It’s not my fault if I worry about you. You don’t worry enough about you.
Of course, we hadn't come all that way just not to try it. Sky... didn't seem to want me to go in. Guess I wish I'd listened to her now, whatever. I did anyway. If all it took was walking inside then not trying would've been completely stupid. So I did, marched straight in and dared the spell to do anything to me. That put me inside the circle, exposed to the full brunt of what Joseph called “magic.” After what I saw, I think I might believe him.
I swear it was exactly like he described. I didn’t feel like I was looking somewhere else, more like looking sideways. If that makes any sense. It wasn’t a mystical vision, it was just giving me better senses for a little bit. I saw grassy fields greener than anything I ever saw, and I felt… damnit, I know Sky’s not going to let me live this down, but I felt like it just looked so good, maybe I would eat it. The water was clear and perfect, no bacteria or mercury swimming around in it, you could just drink it right from a stream if you wanted. Cities and towns and villages sprawled out, none too close together.
I saw the city all around me, but it was changed somehow. The buildings weren’t as tall, and there was cobblestone instead of asphalt. Ponies moved about instead of people, all of them with those stupid butt-marks like Sky’s got. Plenty of them were like me, but others had horns and still others flew about in the sky overhead like overlarge birds or tiny aircraft. It was hard to tell for sure, but it seemed like the ponies acted different than people do. Somehow more… friendly, or whatever. It’s hard to put my finger on it, since I don’t have any of those left. Whatever.
A little further away I saw the suburbs, where the city melted quickly into farmland. It was all hornless, wingless ponies there, but that didn’t seem to stop them. They organized, they planned, and together I saw them use practicality and common sense to get fields planted and accomplish the affairs of daily life in their primitive society. The earth bloomed under their touch, and whole harvests matured so fast I couldn’t keep track of them all. I wanted to be there.
The vision changed, and I felt suddenly like somebody was watching me. Somebody who saw my confusion and distress and wanted to help. There was somebody I knew I wanted to meet, even though I didn't know why. For a second, I felt like I was close to understanding. So close I could’ve grabbed on and held with all my might, if I’d only had my real limbs back.
[img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/1owwgy7rfuk8m5g/b79a278976daa4fdb27ff579337fa1566c247517.png [/img]
The vision was gone like ripping the cable from a television. That wasn’t the worst part, though it sure feels the worst now. No, the worst part was the explosion. Nevermind that the “spell” was just a bunch of marks on the ground. Evidently they weren’t concerned with the rules of just being symbols on the ground, which I suppose I should’ve taken from what they’d been doing for me so far. Still, I never expected them to explode.
I got thrown a good fifteen or twenty feet, not to mentioned singed up pretty bad. I was knocked senseless, so you understand I don’t actually remember this part. Sky tells me she drove to the nearest hospital, though she didn’t expect to be able to do much for me.
As it turns out though, I’ve apparently got iron bones or something. I didn’t break anything in the fall, even though I would’ve expected to be a paste inside if I’d been human. I’m sore everywhere, but even the fire didn’t seem to do more than get the surface layer of fur and make things tender underneath. I think… I’m not sure on this, but I feel like from what I saw that this isn’t entirely unexpected. Hornless ponies are stronger than the other two, at least from what I saw.
I didn’t get a mark on my butt, like Joseph. I guess I just feel… like maybe I understand what a regular pony is supposed to be. Regular pony, that’s me, no flying and no horn. I still think I’m gonna envy Joe’s horn a little, but if all the ponies I saw could make do without them, I don’t know why I couldn’t too. I’ve never been much for heights in any case; I’ve always been uneasy in high places.
I wonder if things are going to change for Sky now. She won’t tell me what she saw, assuming she even saw anything; sorta reticent about it all, like Joe was. She’s been squirming in her seat while I talked about it, like she thought I had to keep it secret too even though mine didn’t last long enough to learn why. Did she even have a vision? She won't say.
It appears Joesph may’ve been right about the spell “running out” of power, and being unsafe when it did. I count myself lucky I’m still alive, and don’t need massive skin grafts or surgeries (there’s nobody to do any of those things). Cloudy Skies has helped animals with some minor things on her farm before. Even helped a mare deliver a foal once (my disgust brims at the prospect). She knew a little first aid and thank god we didn’t need anything more.
Joe was furious with me for doing exactly what he was afraid I would do. I told him that it wasn’t up to him what risks we took, and that what we learned probably outweighed what we sacrificed. Besides, the explosion wiped those weird marks right off the floor, so it’s not gonna happen again. Even though I didn’t get to finish mine.
…
I was going to wrap it up there, but Sky just left to find a bathroom before bed. I just wanted to say that I feel a little… poorer, not to have seen it through to the end. I feel like having one of those marks is something I should have. Almost nobody in the vision was wearing very much clothes, and none like mine. Got some great inspiration from that for outfits that might actually fit this body. Granted, most of them failed to cover anything important…
I wonder how long it will be practical to dress like humans do with these inhuman bodies. Joe doesn’t seem in any hurry to change, and at least in that tiny way I agree with him. Still, after seeing that, I know those marks are somehow fundamental to our identities. The fact I don’t have one… almost makes me feel like I’m missing an identity.
From what I saw, Sky is going to be able to fly one day. Joesph can already do magic. Where’s that gonna leave me? Will they even have any reason to keep me around? Another few years… crap, I think she’s coming back. Already?
Oh, good. It was just Joe checking in. Apparently the generator’s prepped. Sky won’t let him sleep with us, so he’s going to use the room next-door. Doesn’t want the door open, in case something wanders in during the night. Can’t say I disagree. Huan’s going to be our alarm-system, so that should keep us pretty well informed. I said sorry for not listening to him, even though I would probably have done it again. I’d do it ten times if that would mean I got to finish.
Joe didn’t make that spell. Yes, I’m going to call it that now. Joseph the glowicorn found it, exactly as it was. You know the strangest part? It doesn’t feel like it was something left there intentionally. It’s more like… a door left swinging open. I never felt like there was any guiding intelligence behind what I was seeing, not until those last few seconds, when I felt like someone had noticed me. Joe said the same thing, said that was why it was so unsafe.
The spell wasn’t put there for us to find. It was decaying on purpose; it would’ve been gone completely in another few days (or so Joe says. I have to take his word for it since I can’t “sense magic” like he does. Freakin’ jerk). Still, even if it was an accident, I can’t help but see it as proof that there’s at least one other pony out there. One with… magic, probably, since Joesph can sense it so well. Probably way better magic than his, so that they can create circles that accidentally give us glimpses of another world.
Does that mean it was a doorway? We… humans… became ponies, like the ones we saw in the vision. Could it be this was some kind of attack from whatever place we saw? Could this whole awful disaster have begun from that circle? It brought death to billions, and to the dregs it just gives us a glimpse at the faces of our killers?
No, couldn’t be. Those creatures looked so nice, so friendly, so loving… they wouldn’t want to harm anything or anyone. Maybe they… sensed more of their own kind, and came here to help us? If so, they don’t use their magical power very well. You’d think the three of us would have been easier to find.
This doesn’t change much. We still need to gather supplies, protect knowledge of our race. Still need to keep our eyes open to a way to put things back to normal. Find out where all the missing people went. The only thing this changes is that now, maybe, there’s a little hope. Somebody besides Joe made the circle. Maybe they’re still out there. Find them, and maybe we find the truth.
Or maybe we don’t. Only one way to find out.
—A
...Oh god, I'm getting a conversion bureau vibe.
I really hope I'm wrong about that, or this story just got a whole lot less interesting and original.
6069619 I'm pretty sure the story means the mark got there after the Event.
6069619
One of the big things with The Conversion Bureau barrier, or at least most interpretations of it, is that it destroys all life (and technology!) that didn't have natural magic. So no dogs, cats, and the entirety of the city and tech would have been removed. On accident or on purpose, that would have been the result.
Instead, the only things gone are humans. Everything and everyone else is intact, for better or worse. A teeny tiny number of humans remain as ponies though. I'd argue that it's more in common with the idea of The Rapture than The Conversion Bureau, really.
I can just feel the mix of hope and depression oozing from 'A' in this entry. I really feel for 'A' here, that feeling of being cheated something. Of not properly belonging with the others. The fear that because 'A' doesn't properly belong, eventually they'll leave 'A' and find proper ponies.
I am pretty convinced 'A' is a mare who was originally a guy, so from now on I'll be referring to 'A' as female. She. Her.
6069669
Well, yeah, that's why I used the word 'vibe.'
Still, if it was caused by well-meaning ponies, it did still unmake human civilization as we know it. And from that farm, animals were hardly what I'd call spared, at that.
Could still be caused by well-meaning ponies but by accident, of course. Just wanted to have that I find some of the themes being introduced rather troublesome on record.
The thick plottens and lots of things happened today, with A finding the benefits of being an earth pony and that Sky will be able to fly someday.
Ok, now I believe A is female.
But more important, why Sky's voice isn't in the chapter? She interjecting A at times shen she's dictating today's entry.
So A was either seeing into the future and just thought it was another world. or what I've been thinking about this stary has been wrong the whole time.
Also Cellestia sees everything. or I think that was Cellestia they felt noticing them.
6069730 Well I guess A muted the mic.
6069730
6069810
My guess is that her voice was loud enough for A to hear, but not loud enough for the laptop to record. She's fairly soft-spoken, and if A has the laptop screen between them that might block her voice from reaching the microphone.
More fuel to the fire of mystery! (Not sorry for that corny quote!)
Oh yeah small nitpick
Is this right or should it be "walking" and "then" respectively?
This confirms either my ship and/or that A is a girl.
was a little nervous heading into this story but I'm glad I did A rubs me a bit with the hole loss of humanity thing the loss of people is sad/bad but you did not lose your humanity its more then just
(hands Lyra)the body's form if that was the case then prime-apes (and others that fit) could be considered less intelligent (ugly) humans that said I can see why he is upset working a job like that where his hands where a huge part of his work/life could and would be a shock to the system.6069619 Nah, Starscribe has already said that it's NOT a CVB story. And it wouldn't confirm to those standards anyway.
"Morning in Ponyville shimmers, morning in Ponyville shines, and I am absolute certain, that everything -" *ugly scratching noise*
Damn it Twilight, when will you learn not to poke your horn into mysterious, unfinished, unverified Starswirl spells?!
Beyond the part of Sky not letting Glowjoe sleep in the same room, I believe 'A' is female for another reason. Though it falls more under probability than boolean truth. 'A' Seems to do a lot of self-depreciation, which is a trait women have more often than men. Men will tend to pull up false bravado and make themselves feel better.
Psychology nuggets!
And here it comes the greatest revelation of all: A can paint a rainbow! ... no, not that Rainbow.
(managing not to overlap all those colors when coloring with the mouth can't be that easy; at least it shows the fruits of her practice with all her drawings before )
Huh, well that went predictably bad. Good thing that Sky went first and that the explosion only exploded the hardiest pony present.
You know, as one of three known survivors so far, I'd argue that he has every right to be a part of decisions like these. The loss of A had the experiment gone completely south would have had a huge impact on the prospects of his (and Sky's) long-term survival, and that is entirely his business.
6069272 Ah, okay that makes more sense. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Shucks,I know where this is going.
BUT I'M NOT TELLING!I'M NOTTTT TELLING!
Also,again.Note this from your ever most loyal-Ahem...crazy cultist fanatic.
You did good work as always.
A blowing themselves up and drawing attention of some mysterious entity which had been responsible for vanishing most (if not all.) of humanity aside. This is actually a good development for A as Sky over heard most of the entry. If this will lead to A being more open to Sky is jet to be seen.
Well, some good came of this, though not as much as it could've. A was on the verge of an epiphany there, but he still got confirmation that being a normal horse doesn't mean that he's helpless. Two sources, actually: the vision of Equestria and tanking the explosion.
Still, more may come of this. Something noticed his scrutiny, and that something may choose to investigate. It may take a while, and it may not ever pan out, but this is definitely a development to bear in mind.
As for his cutie mark... Well, Cloudy may have already peeked into the circle. It would explain her mark and her attempts at flight. But it's possible that she came about her mark without the circle's aid. If that's the case, then there's hope for A yet. He may need to ask her.
Dammit, there goes my theory.
Equestria exists already in another universe, and either Luna or Celestia are trying to find these 'ponies' that are troubled, and somehow weird runes symbols give them super powers.
I got to say you have some amazing story here. What I absolutely love is that A actually cares about human nature and accomplishments. His (her?) highest priority is becoming human again and saving other people if possible. An admirable and noble cause. Fight the evil pony mind control!
I think something is definitely up with "the event". This is of course just a hunch, but I cannot shake the feeling that ponies are somewhat connected/responsible for what had happened. And that Sky, and possible Joe, know something about it.
Someone heard you, someone wanted to help you, but are they your saviors, or the very architects of your world's demise?
6070668 Not necessarily. The circle could have been sent from the far future. Perhaps Twilight was researching 'the day the world changed'. She goes back, has a look around, leaves, and assumes the spell will degrade before anything left alive finds it... oopsie.
6071559
Hmm... sure, I guess we can go with that.
I know this isn't a CVB story, but it would make a great plot for one. Most all humans would be transported to Equestria and converted to ponies along with the other populations on Equus. They also have false memories implanted by a modified memory spell, but the transport and memory spell go a little wonky, ya know, Transporting of 7 billion people to another dimension and brainwashing?! But, anyway, there are probably a few million human-converted ponies left with their own memories. Hell, some might even be brainwashed and convinced the survivors are fucking heretics, but believes that if he/she hurts them he/she is betraying the principles of his culture. Maybe I'll make that after I finish the one-shot that I'm working on. Well, thank you for giving me a story idea... I guess. But, again, good story idea.
Good to see another chapter up!now we wait until tomorrow for the next one
Clues in this chapter:
Sky won't let Joe sleep in the same room as Sky and A, therefore A's current form is most likely a mare. (or Sky is attracted to A, but I dismiss that as unlikely, given the circumstances)
The ring is magic, and shows what appears to be Equestria, presumably focusing on the user's given race. This raises several questions. Firstly, what was the original purpose of the spell? Who used it? If it was an Equestrian, than where are they, and why did they leave it? If it was a survivor, where did they learn it, why did they use it, and where are they now?
From what I know of magic, the ring shouldn't have exploded (conservation of energy and all) unless A really was looking into another world, and the explosion was caused by the rift snapping shut.
When I started reading this story (I'm talking like the first chapter), I thought it's only connection to MLP is the fact that the main character had turned into a pony. After all, he/she was an auto mechanic from Las Angeles. What the buck does that have to do with MLP?????
41.media.tumblr.com/c3843e63c6804ee4a91a21a31b043fb5/tumblr_npm1trRngg1rsmidfo1_540.png
I guess I was wrong.
Also, after reading that chapter, this story reminds me of a certain special song that you might or might not have heard before.
Curiouser and curiouser....
I imagine that presence was the ever-inquisitive Twilight or one of the other princesses, but we'll see.
6071314
I couldn't have said any better myself
Now im really hoping A is a guy
6069733
gasp!!!!!!!!!!! What if it's Starswirl the Bearded????????
Random theory to build off of two other theories. Assuming both that A is female and Earth is the Equestria before Equestria. What if A is going to eventually become Celestia? That would be a
6070144
Wrong! It's not aquatic!
6069471
I shudder for how this story (and all of MLP for that matter) would be different if that were actually true. I seem to remember you could do the same calculation for a human, if you... reduced their legs to those of a small child, and gave them about a twenty foot wingspan to go with the chest muscles of one of those insane weightlifters. Still not sure about the joints though. Even hollow bones would add up after awhile I would think.
6069619
Yeah, I've said this before, but this isn't a TCB story. I do want to tell one of those one day but this isn't that. I know you have no way of knowing if I'm being honest now, but you will.
6069669
True. At least so far, this story is probably more pleasant than what some interpretations of the bible promise for those left behind. Becoming a pony seems like a pretty sweet deal compared to all that.
6069679
And that's fine. Picking one sex instead of saying he/she all the time is far less confusing, even if it does open up a possibility of having been wrong (but I know you couldn't possibly have known, so who cares?). I can only imagine the frustration of being in a group of survivors where you're the weakest member in so many ways. A's really got a long road ahead to make peace with that. granted, it's not like Cloudy Skies can fly or anything yet, so...
6069704
I wonder if the look was intentional. Like maybe the history channel makeup people wanted him to look as insane as possible for the shot, so they did him up that way. I don't actually know.
6069733
Well, how would you know you were seeing of the vision if you happened to see one? How could you tell it was the future you were seeing and not another world?
6069773
Perhaps not, though the causes seem to be very different.
6069730
I think either she's too far away for the computer to pick her up, or A is actively muting the mic whenever Sky speaks. Sounds like she's calling to A from the other side of the room.
6070009
Absolutely, should be taken care of now!
6070010
That's the rub though, isn't it? >.>
6070144
Probably tested a tiny bit and saw if A died, then increased it from there. Of course, there was no guarantee that even a small dose wouldn't be immediately fatal. Guess they got lucky on that one ^^.
6070179
I think that'd be a pretty unsatisfying way for the story to end though, if that was really the cause of everything.
6070292
Well Applejack seems to do most things alright, not to mention every other pony who has to do things with just his/her mouth. A was bound to start picking up that skill after such regular use.
6070329
I'm sure he would see it the same way. If you look at them as a group and not as individuals, than absolutely he should have a say. I think A ultimately took the final decision in this case, though. Seems to me that not being able to make a choice because of its indirect impact on others is a slippery slope. At what point does an action's indirect impact grow too severe that they lose their freedom to choose?
6070513
Well not saying does prevent me from seeing "Oh crap, they know!" and changing things. Lets you be smug that you were right, even though nobody else will know you were.
6070564
Well A could use some closer friends. Maybe this is a sign real relationships are finally forming. It's always bothered me how instant friendships can be in some stories, when in my experience those kinds of really strong friendships take time to build.
6070660
If A feels bad enough about it, I'm sure Sky will be asked about it. Of course, if you believe anything the side stories have to say about it, former humans can acquire cutie marks the exact same way ponies do, so A should get one long-term once a special talent comes to the surface. As to getting the attention of something bigger, well... that's always a bit of a Pandora's box. Sometimes it's good to have friends in high places, and sometimes the mere act of attracting attention makes you annoying enough to be worth destroying.
6070668
Unless you view time from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint...
Okay, won't quote that. Instead I'll say that, 4th dimensionally, all time in reality as we know it might be seen as existing simultaneously. Thus, it's quite possible for A to see the future as a place as though it were already real. Of course, if that were true, it would raise some interesting implications about free will, and...
Maybe all that's out of the scope of the story. I'm not endorsing the theory, but it is still possible.
6070690
Well thanks! I love MLP/Ponies, and I love transformation, but I feel like much of the writing in that genre has a somewhat caustic attitude about mankind. If through this story I capture all of the good from those universes (such as TCB) and none of the attitude, than I think I'll call this story a victory. Guess we'll see by the end if I manage it.
6071314
Exactly the danger. A has no way of knowing what sort of consequences there might be for waking whatever sleeping giant was just disturbed.
6071635
Glad to help! If you ever do end up writing that, drop me a line, because I'd be interested to read it!
6072075
All true. Well, except for the assumptions and conclusions. Those might be true and might not. Sure we'll know by the end, though.
6072155
Well judging on the difficulty some side-story writers have had getting their stories accepted, I think you're not the only one who thought the story didn't really relate to MLP. Of course if nobody wrote any until I was done, they probably would have more tools to make sure their stories were related, but... saying so or giving them the tools now would amount to totally spoiling the story, which is not okay.
6072233
Heyo! Though... if A is a guy, "he" probably wouldn't be able to get much action burned and bruised and barely holding together after that explosion.
6072367
It would be! Though I'm always frightened of characters who end up becoming alicorns. Becoming Celestia has got to be even worse than that. Not saying it won't happen, just speaking generally here.
6073345
I didn't for this story, but sometimes I actually have made rolls for characters to see if they succeeded or failed at something (particularly for important minor characters or actions governed by chance.) I have to wonder how fun a story would be that was governed entirely by random chance, such as using the Mythic GM emulator.
6073564 THAT! TELLS! ME! NOTHING!!!!
6073623
vintage.ponychan.net/chan/arch/src/130944616267.jpg
I think you mentioned this in chapter 1, but I just finally got it. A has his own #1 assistant for taking letters, LOL.
So, that's the first proof that Equestria exists somewhere and that somepony there is aware of what has happened on Earth and is trying to help. This is a good thing.
I'll be blunt and to-the-point, if this turns into yet another story about Celestis wiping humanity from existance, I will downvote this and block the author as well. So far I like this story, but that will chance if tyrant Celestia makes an appearance.
I'll be blunt and to-the-point, if this turns into yet another story about Celestis wiping humanity from existance, I will downvote this and block the author as well. So far I like this story, but that will chance if tyrant Celestia makes an appearance.
6235031 Celestia doesn't have the power to do such a massive eradication instantaneously. Discord, maybe.
6073564
Not how the fourth dimension works. Sorry. Common misconception.
The plot thickens! I'm genuinely interested now, though this was already a great story.
Probably best that the "door" was meant to close. Humans being humans would want revenge for this (or at least an explanation) whether the ponies on the other side of said door had a good reason to force change the humans or not...
He had a glimpse of heaven and they noticed.
This is one of the best stories in this website by far!
I feel like this should have been on here sooner:
"What's it say?"
"It's says... 'I prepared explosive runes this morning'. Huh, I wonder what that mea-"
"Uh oh"
*KABOOM*
6235030 oh yeah, i recently read a story collection, "MLP time loops", that made lots of references to other stories, and one of the nastiest was the "conversion bureau" where an evil Celestia forcibly transforms all humans into ponies-and brainwashes them into being happy about it!
but most of those stories, Twilight was re-living the same events of the cartoons, and took advantage of that...for example, acquiring the Elements of Harmony before Nightmare Moon appears, and zapping her in the middle of her speech!
it also has lots of silly crossovers, like one where Twilight wound up in the Star Wars universe, and turned into ..."Twi'lek Sparkle"!
Very good work.
I've seen many renditions of 'the magic circle' scene in other stories but this was far better.
Just the right mix of exposition and mystery.