Shortly within the borders of the Everfree forest, just off the path, a deep hole was present in the forest floor. It didn’t look like something an animal would dig – it was far too circular, and the walls far too smooth. It’s abrupt appearance just screamed ‘magic’, even before one noticed that its edges were glowing. The wooden sign ‘Danger, probably magic’ prominently nailed to the nearest tree seemed almost superfluous.
When taken in as a whole, the scene looked less like a real place and more like a postcard of the Everfree that somepony had taken a hole punch to.
The strange, alien impression the hole gave off was, however, dispelled somewhat by the sound of a mare’s scream approaching.
Saten was a carefree young girl. She was a level 0 esper, attending Sakugawa Middle School. She was friends with Uiharu Kazari, Shirai Kuroko, and Misaka Mikoto.
Uiharu was another Sakugawa student. She was friends with her schoolmate Saten, had a more mischievous relationship with her Judgement partner Kuroko, and a more distant one with the friend of her friend, Misaka.
_____ was a carefree young ____. She was a ____________________________________________. She was friends with ______ _____, ______ ______, and ______ _______.
_______ was another _________ student. She was friends with her schoolmate _____, had a more mischievous relationship with her _________ ______ ______, and a more distant one with the friend of her friend, ____.
Satin was a carefree young mare. She was an earth pony with a Cutie Mark of a magnifying glass. She was friends with Gatekeeper, Stage Hand, and Railgun.
Gatekeeper was another Academy student. She was friends with her schoolmate Satin, had a more mischievous relationship with her other friend Stagehand, and a more distant one with the friend of her friend, Railgun.
Faster than the eye could track, two shapes shot out of the glowing hole in the ground, slowed to a stop in the air, then came crashing back down to the ground next to the hole. This flight path meant that they went over the top of the completely out-of-place picket fence that tightly followed the edges of the hole. The moment the shapes hit the ground, the screaming stopped, the air squashed out of their lungs.
For a moment, the forest was quiet again, before one of the shapes groaned and stood to its hooves, revealing itself as an earth pony mare with dark-coloured fur and the Cutie Mark of a magnifying glass. <Okay, that tingled more than I remember.>
<We’re alive?> The other mare wearily raised her head, looking quite shaken. She had light blue fur, and her Cutie Mark was obscured by the flowers weaved into her mane.
-Click-
“4:46 PM. Two mares ejected from hole, pictures attached. First subject appears identical to Academy resident ‘Satin’, second mare unknown.”
The two mares’ heads turned at the unexpected voice.
A third mare sat on the other side of the path from the hole, a seemingly-random assortment of equipment surrounding her. Her horn glowed purple, as did the camera that had just taken their picture. A small dragon stood by her side, looking rather bored as he jotted down notes with a clipboard and pencil.
Now, the context from which the two ‘mares’ had come from and the context in which they now resided had different ideas on what a name should be like. This meant that, when moved from one context to the other, their names changed to match.
However, not all transitions were as simple as Saten to Satin. Some of the new names, like Gatekeeper, might be strange and unfamiliar. However, their names had not really changed, even if they were treated differently ‘somewhere else’.
Thus, to ease any confusion, all characters will be referred to by their ‘real’ names in narration from now on.
Saten cast her mind back to the introductions of the previous night. <...Twilight?> She said, half-guessing.
Twilight peered intently back at Saten. “4:46 PM. Subject 0000 is able to identify me by name.”
<Twilight, what are you doing?>
“Subject appears to be attempting to communicate in unknown language.”
<I don’t think she speaks Neighponese, Satin.> Uiharu reminded, getting to her hooves.
“Weeeeeeeeeee – oof!”
Another mare flew out of the hole, crashing right on top of Uiharu with a loud -donk-!
-Click-
“4:47 PM. Single mare ejected from hole, identical in appearance to Ponyville resident Pinkie Pie.”
The pink mare in question lifted her head off the ground to look at Twilight in confusion. “I am Pinkie Pie.”
“Okay, prove it.” Twilight glared the glare of someone who was working long after they should have gone to sleep. “Tell me something only Pinkie Pie would know.”
“Your favourite snack is tea cake with vanilla frosting.” Pinkie replied immediately.
“I never told Pinkie Pie that.” Twilight shot back.
Pinkie paused, then drooped her head. “Oh, right.”
Twilight suddenly blinked. “Wait. How did you know what my favourite –”
Kuroko was a young teleport-type esper who let herself get obsessed far too easily. She attended Tokiwadai Middle School along with the centre of her universe, Misaka. She generally got along with her Judgement partner Uiharu, though she frequently lost her temper at her. She barely knew Uiharu’s schoolmate, Saten.
______ was a young _________________________ who let herself get obsessed far too easily. She attended ___________________ along with the centre of her universe, ______. She generally got along with her _______________ ______, though she frequently lost her temper at her. She barely knew _________’s __________, ______.
Stagehand was a young unicorn with a talent for teleportation who let herself get obsessed far too easily. She attended the Academy along with the centre of her universe, Railgun. She generally got along with her schoolmate Gatekeeper, though she frequently lost her temper at her. She barely knew Gatekeeper’s other friend, Satin.
“Ahhhhhhhh –” -Poof-!
A fourth mare flew out of the hole. Though instead of crashing into the ground like the others had, she disappeared with a flash at the apex of her flight and reappeared safely on the ground, sprawled out on all fours.
Twilight shot one last confused look at Pinkie, then turned to the new arrival and snapped another photo. “4:47 PM. Single mare ejected from hole, identical in appearance to Academy resident ‘Stagehand’.”
“I’ll never be single as long as I have Sissy!” One forehoof suddenly shot into the sky as the mare shouted, her twin pigtails lifted skyward with the sudden motion.
There was a slightly awkward pause as Twilight, Spike and Pinkie took in this declaration, while Saten and Uiharu just shared a look.
As suddenly as it had risen, Kuroko’s hoof shot slammed down to face Saten. <You!>
<Ep!>
Kuroko disappeared in a bright flash of magic, reappearing on her hooves in front of Saten, nearly nose-to-nose with the other mare. <You should know better than to jump down an obviously magical portal without any safety gear!>
<I – wait, what kind of safety gear do you use for a magical portal?>
<I’d say a hard hat at least.> Uiharu wheezed from underneath Pinkie. Pinkie looked down, blinked, and then jumped off the poor mare.
<And for that matter, since when was the portal being magical ‘obvious’?> Saten moved her head and neck backwards, sweating slightly from the intensity of Kuroko’s glare.
<That Index filly told us that this was magic, didn’t she?> Kuroko said, ignoring the fact that Index was older than her.
<Huh? But I thought that you didn’t believe her?>
<Why would I do that?>
Saten opened her mouth. <Because…>
When she didn’t continue, Kuroko raised an eyebrow. <Because…?>
Saten closed her mouth, her eyes widening. There had been a reason – something that Kuroko knew that made her unable to believe Index’s words, but for the life of her Saten couldn’t remember what it was.
“Ahem.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Please state your name for the record.”
Kuroko glanced over at Twilight, glanced back at Saten to make sure she wasn’t going to continue, then turned around bodily to face Twilight. “What are you doing, Sparkle?”
“I’m keeping detailed notes so I can investigate this anomaly scientifically.” Twilight said.
“You mean I’m keeping detailed notes.” Spike interrupted grumpily, his pencil still moving back and forth across his clipboard.
Twilight looked over at her assistant. “I promised you a diamond for this, didn’t I?”
Behind Kuroko, Pinkie yawned. She looked up at the (low) position of the sun in the sky, and tapped one of her hind-hooves against the ground.
Kuroko sighed. “When you say anomaly, I assume you mean the portal behind me?”
“That’s right.” Twilight turned back to face Kuroko again. “I’ve done some preliminary research on magical portals – there’s one quite close to here that opens up every so often so the Breezies can collect pollen – and none of the ones studied so far display the same side-effects as this one.”
“Side-effects?” Kuroko raised an eyebrow. “Such as?”
“Tell me your name first.” Twilight said, stubbornly.
Kuroko rolled her eyes. “I told you last night, my name is Stagehand.”
Twilight turned back to Spike. “4:49 PM. Subject 0003 claims her name is ‘Stagehand’.”
“I got it, I got it.” Spike said, tongue clenched between his teeth as he continued to write furiously. “(I should have asked for a bigger gemstone…)”
Pinkie was joined in her boredom by Saten and Uiharu, neither of who spoke Equish very well and therefore couldn’t understand a word that was being said.
Kuroko sighed. “And what exactly is wrong with my name, Sparkle?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Twilight said, in a way that completely failed to convey any sense that there wasn’t anything wrong. “Now, just for the record, what is the name of the place you just came from?”
Kuroko stared at Twilight for a few seconds, then closed her eyes and sighed. “I have just come from the Academy. I came because I was chasing Gatekeeper, Satin and Pinkie, trying to keep them from going -splat-. The time was 5:03 PM when I left, it was an overcast day, and my favourite food is cherries. Is that enough for you, Sparkle?” She opened one eye, watching Twilight’s reaction.
“For now.” Twilight answered, gently easing several still-developing photos out of her camera.
“Now, those side-effects?” Kuroko prompted.
“Travelling through the anomaly creates discrepancies.” Twilight said. “Logical inconsistencies.”
At some unsaid signal, Pinkie, Saten and Uiharu set off for Ponyville at a walk. Twilight and Kuroko were too engrossed in conversation to notice. Spike shot them a jealous look as he watched them go.
“Logical inconsistencies like…?” Kuroko prompted again.
“How many times would you say that the sun rose this morning?” Twilight asked.
Kuroko cocked her head at the odd question. “…twice.” She said. “Once normally, then a second time once Nightmare Moon was subdued and Eternal Night ended.”
“That’s what I remember, too.” Twilight said. “Unfortunately, that sequence of events is quite impossible.”
“Huh?” Kuroko blinked.
“We saw the sun rise, Nightmare Moon set it, then the Princess –” Spike gently nudged Twilight, and she corrected herself mid-sentence “ – Princess Celestia returned it to its rightful place. But that’s not what the ponies over here saw. They saw Nightmare Moon arrive and leave, Princess Celestia raise the sun, and it stay raised.” She glanced at the sky, where the sun was getting reasonably close to the horizon.
“It was early in the morning.” Kuroko offered. “Maybe everypony just missed the ‘false dawn’?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “On the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration? The one day a year when everypony watches the raising of the sun?”
“Alright, fine.” Kuroko said, slightly testily. “You explain it.”
“I can’t.” Twilight responded, just as testy. “That’s the problem. It’s easier to cause a sunrise then it is to fake one, and the ponies here would have seen that as well. We can’t have seen a sunrise – so how come we did?”
“So, what, you think this portal messes with the ponies that go through it?” Kuroko said, her expression and voice suddenly completely flat. “Please excuse me while I go fetch my tinfoil hat.”
Twilight stamped a hoof on the ground. “This is serious! Sure, the side effects thus far have been small and easily dismissed, but what if something big were to happen to somepony who moved through?!”
“Excuse me, Railgun politely interrupts. Could you please direct me to the nearest area of civilisation, Railgun asks, assuming and presuming that such a place exists.”
Twilight had been looking at Kuroko at the time, and so saw quite clearly as all the colour drained out of her fur. Moving in short, sudden jerks, Kuroko’s head turned to face the voice that had just spoken.
She matched exactly what Twilight remembered of Misaka from last night – the same tea-coloured mane, the same chestnut eyes, the same light brown wings. Her mane made snapping and crackling noises, which wasn’t at all surprising considering that she had taken the extraordinary step of weaving lightning bolts into her fur.
The newcomer looked at the two shocked faces aimed at her. “Did Railgun say something odd, Railgun asks?”
A high-pitched whistling noise came from somewhere near the back of Kuroko’s throat.
Twilight blinked, a little taken aback herself. “For example…”
“S-S-S-S-Sis-Sis-Sissy!” Kuroko screeched. “Wha – what has happened to you?!”
“Railgun does not know what you mean, Railgun says as she tilts her head to the side in confusion. Railgun has never met you before, so she does not know to what baseline you would be comparing her to.”
“Sparkle!” Kuroko’s gaze snapped around to focus on Twilight with panic in her eyes. “What do we do to fix her? TELL ME WE CAN FIX HER!”
“I – well – I’d need more data to work with – there’s a lab under the Ponyville library, but –”
“Then lets go!” Kuroko’s horn suddenly stared glowing.
“No wait –!”
Twilight’s objections were ignored as three ponies and a dragon were enveloped in a bright flash of magic, and vanished without a trace.
Index was an extraordinary young girl who could be said to contain the combined magical knowledge of every civilisation of the human race. She had just begun to make friends with the Academy City resident Touma Kamijou.
Touma was stubborn, unlucky and held some very strong opinions on the subjects of right and wrong. He was listed in Academy City as a Level 0 esper, but his right hand contained the mysterious existence known as Imagine Breaker. He had managed to attract an unrequited rivalry from Misaka Mikoto, and was host of the otherwise homeless Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
_____ was an extraordinary young ___ who could be said to contain the combined magical knowledge of every ________ __ _____________. She had just begun to make friends with the ____________ _______ _____________.
_____ was stubborn, unlucky and held some very strong opinions on the subjects of right and wrong. He was listed in ____________as a ____ _ ____, but his right ____ contained the mysterious existence known as Imagine Breaker. He had managed to attract an unrequited rivalry from _____________, and was host of the otherwise homeless ________________________.
The sound of breaking glass rang out.
Index was an extraordinary young mare who could be said to contain the combined magical knowledge of every race in Equestria. She had just begun to make friends with the Academy student ______ ______.
Touma was _______, _______ and held some very strong ______ on the subjects of right and wrong. He was _____ in Academy City as a Level 0 esper, but his ___ hand contained the mysterious _____ known as Imagine Breaker. He had managed to attract an _________ rivalry from Misaka Mikoto, and was ___ of the otherwise _______ Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
The _____ of breaking glass ____ out.
Index was an extraordinary young mare who could be said to contain the combined magical knowledge of every race in Equestria. She had just begun to make friends with the _______ ______ ______ ______.
Touma ___ boneheaded, unlucky ___ ____ ____ ____ _____ opinions __ ___ ______ __ ____ ___ _____. __ ___ listed __ University City __ _ Level 0 psychic, ___ ___ right hand ________ ___ ______ power ____ __ Imagine Breaker. __ ___ ________ __ ______ __ unwanted rivalry ___ Misaka Mikoto, ___ ___ host __ ___ ________ homeless Index of Prohibited Books.
The _____ of _______ ____ ____ out.
Index was an extraordinary young mare who could be said to contain the combined magical knowledge of every race in Equestria. She had just begun to make ______ with ___ _______ ______ ______ ______.
_____ ___ ___________, _______ ___ ____ ____ ____ _____ ________ __ ___ ______ __ ____ ___ _____. __ ___ ____ __ _______ ___ __ _ ____ _ ______, ___ ___ _____ ___ ________ ___ ______ _____ ____ __ Imagine Breaker. __ ___ ________ __ ______ __ _________ _____ ___ ______ ______, ___ ___ ___ __ ___ ________ ________ _____ __ _______ _____.
Unlike any of the other mares who had made the trip through the hole in the Everfree forest, Index’s flight was neither uncontrolled nor were her movements panicked. The apex of her flight coincided with ground level almost perfectly, and she stepped onto the small ledge next to the fence like she was walking off a boat.
Grabbing hold of the fence like a railing, Index checked herself over for anything missing – or more worryingly, anything extra.
One, two, three… all four hooves were in place, her fur its usual light blue. She was still clothed in her white-and-gold robes. No wings, and – she touched her forehead with a forehoof – no horn. So far so good.
She looked around. On this side, the portal was surrounded by the thick trunks of forest trees. Apart from the fence and a sign nailed to the nearest tree, nothing artificial could be seen. Index’s eyebrows drew together. Everything around her seemed perfectly natural, and for a portal like that she should be seeing something –
The fur on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end.
Slowly and carefully, Index turned her head to look.
_____ _______ was splayed out on the ground opposite her.
…
…
She shook her head to clear it, and looked again.
No good. The _____ was still ______ _____.
Index’s eyes was seeing _____, but her brain was refusing to attach any meaning to that _____. It wasn’t that there wasn’t anything there, or that it was a eldritch abomination that could not be understood. Instead, it seemed to not fit into any category that existed in this world, even the category of nothings.
_______ started to _____ ____ to where she was, _____ ________ ______ as __ did so.
As a knee-jerk reaction, Index pressed herself into the fence behind her. There was nothing in her 103,000 grimoires that could produce an effect like this.
All of a sudden, she realised she was afraid. ______ was still _____ towards her.
“Wha-what is this?” The words tumbled from her lips. “What kind of spell could have produced something like this?! That power of yours should have protected you from –!”
Index’s panicked thoughts came to a screeching halt.
‘That power’?
Yes, that was right.
______ held a special power that rendered attempts to affect __ with magic useless. That meant it was a something.
The mind that had been designed to analyse and counter any magical effect kicked into high gear. What else could she infer?
______ was not there was she had come through the portal – it had appeared shortly after she had arrived. It was almost a certainty that it had also come from the portal. But it hadn’t continued skyward like a ray would – it had changed direction. It had the property of ‘velocity’. It was an object.
Before her eyes, some of the mysteries of ______ started to be filled in. Now that she had forcibly placed it in the category of ‘object’ it gained presence and solidity. She could now see that ______ was moving towards her.
It wasn’t moving downhill – it was moving under its own power. Magic could not be its animating force – not with the power it held. Therefore, ______ was a creature. With that worked out, some of the gaps in her memory that Index hadn’t even realised were there started to become filled in. Yes, that was right – she and ______ had both wanted to come through the portal together, but ______ had been worried that their special power would destroy the portal while they were travelling through it. They had wanted to quickly return home to grab a _____ to cover their ____ with.
______ finally reached her, and touched ___ ______ to her shoulder, __________. Index flinched at the sensation, which felt distinctly like ___.
The deductions were coming thick and fast now. ______ had a home with possessions. That home was within easy travel distance – ______ lived in the Academy. These facts together mean that ______ wasn’t an animal – it was one of the talking races.
If ___ was one of the talking races, and she had been willing to wait for ___ to return before proceeding, then that could only mean that she knew ___.
Some other part of ______’s existence clicked into place, and Index could suddenly comprehend a loud screeching noise, sounding like nails being scraped down a chalkboard. Index flinched at the loud and distressing sound.
“Cut that out, Imagine Breaker!”
-click-
That seemed to have been the final hurdle. There was a crunching sound that inexplicably put the image of two gears crushing an obstruction between them to mind, and Touma snapped back into understanding. All of a sudden, Index realised that it was his forehoof shaking her roughly, and his voice that was shouting in her face.
<Index! Index!> He cried. <Can you see me? Tell me you can see me!>
<I can see you just fine!> She snapped, swatting away his boot-covered forehoof with one of her own. At once, the awful screeching sound stopped, ending on a peal that almost sounded confused.
All four of Touma’s knees folded under him, and he collapsed to the ground, panting.
The loud sounds that had been filling the air were now gone. Now that a creature from beyond understanding was no longer bearing down on her, Index could feel her racing heart begin to slow. She took the chance to look him over more thoroughly.
His fur was a dirty white. His mane was black, and stuck up around his head like the spikes of a hedgehog. He had no wings or horn, which wasn’t surprising given that his features had the gangly cast that marked him as a mule, a half-donkey, rather than a pure-bred pony. Curiously, there was a faint mark on his flanks that resembled a Cutie Mark – when Index squinted, she thought she could see the outline of a zero symbol.
All of this matched up with how Index remembered him.
The only trouble was, was that the way she had remembered him before coming through the portal?
<What…>
Touma’s shaken voice interrupted Index’s introspection. She looked down into his eyes.
<What just happened?>
Index considered the question. How best to explain this?
Then she shrugged. <The world didn’t know what you were.>
Touma’s eyes slowly lifted off the ground.
…
<Huh?> He managed.
Index climbed over the fence around the portal, and Touma moved to follow her out of sheer reflex.
<The world didn’t know what you were.> Index repeated. <It didn’t know how much you weighed, what kind of sounds you made, whether you could think for yourself or not, nothing. It couldn’t understand your existence. I had to explain to it who and what you were.>
Touma stared at her, blank incomprehension in his eyes.
<Now come on.> Index chastised him, setting off down the path at a trot. <If we take much longer, there won’t be any food left for me!>
<W-wait!> Touma scrambled to follow her. <What do you mean, the world didn’t know what I was? How could a world fail to know anything?!>
<I don’t know.> Index freely admitted. <Nothing in my 103,000 grimoires contain anything like what just happened to you. But if I had to guess, I’d say that it has to do with how that power of yours interacts with the portal we just went through.>
<Well if that’s the case then I’m never going through it again.>
<You have to in order to go home, remember?>
Touma froze in mid-step. Index glanced back at him. His head was drooping down to the ground, and an aura of doom and gloom had settled around his shoulders like a cloak.
A twinge of sympathy flashed across the mind that was otherwise concerned with the food awaiting her in town. <B-but I’m sure nothing bad will happen next time!> She reassured him. <After all, the world knows who you are now!>
<You don’t know how bad my luck is.> Touma moped. <You know the old saying from the Celestial Empire, ‘May you live in interesting times?’>
<The phrase often said to be a Celestial curse without any evidence and despite the fact that the phrase has no Celestial equivalent?> Index rattled off automatically, turning around fully.
<…yeah, that one.> Touma said, having momentarily forgotten that Index was a walking encyclopaedia of everything magical. <It basically describes my life. I can’t even go a week without an ‘adventure’ happening to me.>
<Oh, come on. I’m sure it isn’t that bad.>
As soon as Index spoke those words, a rift opened in spacetime.
“There you are!” Cried a brown earth pony with a hourglass as a Cutie Mark as he leaned out of the rift. “Where have you – oh nevermind now, the time beavers are coming!”
So saying, the strange pony wrapped both forehooves around Touma’s middle and pulled him through the rift, which sealed behind him.
…
…
Index opened her mouth, and closed it again.
“Well howdy there sugercube!” Applejack greeted Index as she walked somewhat stiffly into Ponyville Square. “We was worried ya’d gotten stuck halfway down that hole or somethin’. Er – ya don’t happen to know where th’ others are, do ya?”
Index’s rump hit the ground with a firm -thud- as her eyes stared off into the distance.
Applejack blinked, and leaned closer. “Somethin’ the matter?”
“Something just happened that makes absolutely no sense.” Index said, faintly. “I need to sit down for a while.”
Applejack took in Index’s unfocused eyes and slightly slurred speech and jumped to the completely wrong conclusion. “Don’t worry about it, sugercube.” She said. “Lots of ponies have that reaction to Pinkie Pie. The headaches dull over time.” She offered a small confectionery on the end of a hoof. “Cupcake?”