//------------------------------// // Meet the Gatewatch // Story: My Little Planeswalker: Twilight's Spark // by Zennistrad //------------------------------// That night, Twilight had slept dreamlessly, without so much as a single glimpse into her own unconscious mind. It was as if the entire world had melted away, leaving behind nothing but perfect silence. Had she any awareness at all, she would have found the sensation oddly relaxing, a much-needed reprieve from the overwhelming experiences of the previous day. Slowly but surely, she was pulled back into the realm of consciousness by an odd tingling sensation just behind her ears. It started out small at first, barely enough to register in her hazy perceptions, but quickly grew into a powerful spine-tingling sensation that was distinctly pleasant. She wasn’t even aware that she was awake until she found herself speaking out loud. “Mmmmm... Oh, that feels nice...” The sound of her own voice caused Twilight to snap to attention, her head jolting straight upward. She was greeted with the sight of the same common room that she had seen the previous evening, though sunlight was now clearly filtering through the windows. At the very least, she could tell she had gotten a good night’s sleep. More alarmingly, however, was the fact that she wasn’t alone on the couch. In the corner of her eyes she could see a figure sitting next to her. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that this person was the one responsible for the scratching sensation that continued to linger on top of her head. The pleasurable feeling traveling down her spine clashed with the instinctive fear that swelled within her chest, and the overall effect was dizzying. Attempting to reorient her thoughts, Twilight turned her head back and upwards, towards the guest in her sleeping space. A hand reflexively pulled itself back, and Twilight could see who it was for the first time. Superficially, she appeared human, thin and dainty and pale, but her ears were longer and pointier, and her eyes were a deep green devoid of any pupils or sclera. An elf, Twilight realized. She’d read about them in fantasy novels on Anthropia, ageless beings with a deep connection to nature and an otherworldly aura. The woman before her certainly fit the appearance, as she appeared to be deep within a trance, her eyes unblinking as she stared forward blankly. There was something else that Twilight couldn’t quite describe, a general feeling of calm acceptance that permeated her the moment she looked into the elf’s eyes. In her, Twilight could see the world as it truly was. It was something Twilight could never see normally, not when filtered through her own perspectives and desires. In hindsight, Twilight realized that the other pointy-eared humanoids she’d seen on Ravnica were elves as well, but she never would have truly understood what they were without seeing one up close. The elf suddenly blinked, and took notice of Twilight’s presence. “Oh! Hello, there. I didn’t see that you were awake.” Twilight’s curiosity was sparked by the perfectly intelligible words. She quickly focused her attention inwards, on her own magic, and found that the translation spell she’d applied yesterday was still active. By her own estimate, it still had enough strength left to last her for the next two days. Being an alicorn had extended its duration considerably beyond what the spell would last for other ponies. Twilight mustered a smile, but it was less an expression of happiness as it was of apprehension, as was likely the case for her evolutionary ancestors millions of years ago. “Um, hi?” The elf immediately seemed to recognize the fear Twilight felt, almost faster than Twilight recognized it herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. My name is Nissa Revane. Jace told me about you last night.” Twilight perked up almost immediately. “Oh! So you’re one of his friends? It’s nice to meet you, I’m Twilight Sparkle.” “Friend?” A small crease appeared on Nissa’s brow, almost too small to notice, only to vanish just as quickly. “I guess we are friends, yes.” It was subtle, and harder to see with the perpetual glow in her eyes, but Twilight could recognize Nissa’s uncertainty. She had felt the same way, once. “I take it you haven’t had many friends before?” “No,” Nissa replied, softly. “It’s an unusual feeling, having others to share my experiences with. I’d always managed to survive with only the world itself to lean on. But things are different now. I’m still not sure what to make of it.” Twilight beamed and stood to her hooves, forgetting that she was currently atop a piece of furniture. “Well, you’re in luck! Back in my home, I just so happen to be the Princess of Friendship!” Nissa, after being briefly startled by Twilight’s sudden standing motion, regarded her curiously. “Princess? Jace never told me you were royalty.” Twilight blinked. “Oh. I, uh... might have forgotten to mention that one detail. But yes, I am the Princess of Friendship.” Already, she was beginning to outline a lesson plan in her mind. Her muzzle split open into a grin at the thought.  “Oh, this is so exciting! There are so many things that I can teach you about friendship! It’ll be just like having another student!” “Teach me?” said Nissa. “I don’t—” “A-hem.” A very displeased voice cleared its throat. Twilight turned her head, and her body involuntarily seized in terror. Before her eyes she saw a very stern-looking woman, dressed in Lyev armor and glaring at her fiercely. “If you don’t mind, I would prefer that you keep your dirty hooves off the sofa.” ———————— After a less-than-ideal introduction, Twilight had learned that the woman was named Lavinia, and was Jace’s personal deputy as the Guildpact. It had taken multiple reassurances from Nissa that Lavinia meant no harm before Twilight could stop shaking. Thankfully, Lavinia seemed sympathetic after Twilight had explained her prior experience with the Lyev. Even more thankfully, she didn’t seem to have the same reaction after seeing Lavinia a second time: the possibility that she’d developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was not a pleasant thought to contend with. Jace had soon met up with Twilight again, clutching tightly to a cup of hot coffee. He invited her over to breakfast, leading her over to a table by the other end of the common room. “So,” said Jace, “a princess?” “Er, yeah,” Twilight replied. “Sorry I didn’t tell you before.” “It’s alright,” said Jace. “And you’ve met Nissa already. She and I are part of the Gatewatch, a group of planeswalkers sworn to protect the multiverse. Why don’t you come and meet the rest of us?” Twilight mulled over Jace’s statement. That would explain why he apparently had extra room to house her. “I’d love to,” she replied. “A group of friends protecting the multiverse together sounds pretty exciting.” The common room was small enough that they didn’t have time to continue the conversation before reaching the central table. Lavinia was curiously absent, though Nissa sat on a chair by the side, eating a very large grapefruit. On the far end was another human, a large man (and boy, was he large) with a deep tan and long, greasy brown hair not unlike a stallion’s mane. His entire body was clad in plate mail polished so thoroughly that it made every soldier’s uniform on Ravnica looked rusted by comparison. Even as he sat down and ate a bowl of oatmeal, his figure stood tall, looking much like... like... ...like a knight in shining armor. As though the multiverse wouldn’t let Twilight forget what she left behind. As Twilight, approached, the knight looked up and waved cheerfully. “Good morning! You must be Twilight Sparkle.” His friendly demeanor quickly changed to one of concern. “Are you alright? You’re looking pretty glum.” “Huh?” the sudden motion of Twilight’s ears alerted her to the fact that they had previously been pressed against her head. “Oh, of course. Nothing to worry about, just... thinking about a few things, that’s all. And you would be?” “Gideon Jura. It’s an honor to meet you at last; I’m always glad to have another planeswalker by our side. Although I must admit, I don’t think I’ve ever imagined meeting a planeswalker quite like yourself!” Gideon let out deep belly-laugh, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile. His enthusiasm was infectious, to say the least. “Hey! Keep it down!” A voice called from up the stairs to the right. Young and female, by the sound of it, though it had a slight rasp to it that reminded Twilight of Rainbow Dash. “Some of us are still trying to sleep!” The voice was followed by footsteps, and a very familiar woman came descending down the staircase, the very same one Twilight had seen in the tavern just one day prior. Her striking red hair was wild and unkempt, heavy bags lay beneath her eyes, and she was wearing nothing but a loose-fitting red pajama shirt and a pair of green and white... what did the human Rarity call them again? Panties? Humans were weird with clothing. Nissa blushed furiously at the sight. Jace and Gideon averted their eyes, though Twilight noticed that Gideon seemed much more visibly flustered of the two. “Dear gods, Chandra!” said Gideon. “Would it kill you to be decent?” “Feh. Who do you think you are, my dad?” said Chandra. “Actually, don’t answer that.” She clutched her forehead, wincing in pain. “Jace, help me deal with this hangover, would you?” Jace continued to look away, answering only after a brief pause. “...I already told you, hangovers are a physiological condition, not a mental one. I can’t cure them for you.” “Don’t see why not. Brains are just another squishy body part.” As her head turned over to Twilight, she nearly jumped back in shock. “Whoa! You’re real!? I mean... I’m not the only one seeing this, am I?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course I’m real. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I saw you yesterday at that tavern. I don’t think I would forget you drinking a shot that was on fire.” “Sounds like something a figment of my imagination would say,” Chandra muttered. She yawned and inelegantly scratched her backside, leaving an awkward lull in the conversation. After several seconds of silence, Twilight could practically hear something click within Chandra’s mind. “Wait, that purple-haired girl at the bar was you?” “Yup!” said Twilight. “Just a simple illusion I made for planeswalking. I can’t exactly go out looking like this, obviously.” Chandra blinked. “An illusionist and a planeswalker. Great. Like it’s not enough that I have to put up with Jace all the time.” Jace raised an eyebrow. “You’re awfully bold, speaking like that about the one providing you with rent-free housing.” Chandra gave Jace a playful grin. “I’m just messing with you, Jaceface. Anyway, I’m going back to bed. Wake me if there’s another threat to the multiverse, yadda yadda yadda.” With a limp-wristed wave of her hand, Chandra quietly made her way back up the stairs. ———————— After a short breakfast of oatmeal, Twilight had spent most of the rest of the day browsing through Jace’s books. His library was by no means as extensive as many of the libraries Twilight had seen in her lifetime, but it was still impressively large for a private collection. With Jace having left on official Guildpact business with Lavinia, Gideon having left for reasons unspecified, and both Nissa and Chandra having retired to their rooms, she was left alone to read as much as she cared to. Making sure to note their locations on each of the bookshelves to put them back later, Twilight carried a stack of books over to a reading chair, and cast a simple light spell to read with. There was a plethora of information about the history of Ravnica available, though the truly fascinating tomes were ones written on general magic theory. Twilight had spent countless days of her life in Equestria studying the arcane, coming to an understanding that precious few could claim to surpass. Since she was a young filly, almost everything new she had learned about magic was merely an extrapolation of things she already understood, like a new layer of bricks added on top of a solid foundation. Almost never could she claim to have found information that radically altered her perspective on magic itself. Yet here she was, reading what was by all accounts an ordinary book, and all of a sudden it felt like everything she knew had been completely transformed. Five colors. White, blue, black, red, and green. Five colors that defined and embodied all forms of magic, each representing both different kinds of mana and different aspects of reality. Everyone who used any form of magic called upon these colors, with their desires and mindsets defining which colors they used, and in turn, what their magic could do. It all seemed so obvious in hindsight. So why didn’t Twilight ever hear about this before? How could all of the greatest scholars in Equestria miss something so fundamental to the very nature of magic itself? But most importantly, what colors of magic had she been using this whole time? It was fairly simple to grasp what each color desired. White desired order. Blue desired perfection. Black desired power. Red desired freedom. Green desired acceptance. These were vast simplifications, but even the nuances and details of each color’s defining ideas were easy enough to grasp. But what did Twilight desire? What was it that defined her? Of course, “friendship” was the most obvious choice, but even that seemed... unsatisfying. There was more to her than that. Twilight closed her eyes, shutting out all of her perceptions and turning her mind inward. If she wanted to find the answer, she would have to look within herself. Ever since she was a young filly, Twilight wanted to learn. She wanted to know all there was to know about the world, and about the magic that defined it. More importantly, she wanted to excel at knowing it. She wanted to be the best scholar she could possibly be, constantly striving to improve her grasp on the magic she devoted her life to studying. She wanted perfection. For just as long as she wanted to learn, however, Twilight had wanted things to make sense. She wanted her world to be organized neatly and sensibly, with everything put in its proper place. She wanted to ensure that there was nothing that couldn’t be prepared for, nothing that fell outside her meticulously detailed plan for her own life. She wanted order. Then, when she had moved to Ponyville, she discovered something else. A desire that she had held all along, one that she wasn’t even aware that she had. She wanted to be perfect, and to organize her life as fastidiously as she could, but she soon found that there were some things worth learning that couldn’t be studied. Some things worth experiencing that couldn’t be planned for. Friendship wasn’t always something you could write a checklist about, or read about in a book, and Celestia knows she tried. More often it was something spontaneous, visceral, something that you could only truly experience by living it. And Twilight wanted to experience friendship as much as she could, without anything restricting it or holding it back. She wanted freedom. But even that didn’t seem right. Individually, these desires made sense, but when taken all together they didn’t quite fit into something that described her. At least, not when taken as merely the sum of their parts. No, these desires, taken together, were more than that. Twilight didn’t just want to improve herself, she wanted her self-improvement to inspire others, to bring them together, and to grant them the means to live life as fully as they could. She didn’t just want order, she wanted an order where everyone could freely pursue their own happiness, where everyone could strive to better both themselves and others. She didn’t just want freedom, she wanted a freedom where all were treated fairly and justly, and where every day society was pushed beyond the prejudices and flaws that it held yesterday. Not just perfection, but ideals. Not just order, but harmony. Not just freedom, but passion. Then, suddenly, it all fit into place. A vision appeared in her mind, unbidden, and she could see the colors swirling within her, the mana that defined not just what she could do, but who she was. Blue, Red, and White. The colors that stood for everything she believed in, and everything she had ever valued or cherished. Another vision followed shortly after, not of herself, but of the very nature of the multiverse. Just like the first time she remembered jumping into the space between planes, she could see bubbles all around her, each representing its own reality, and each swirling with the same five colors that defined everything. Yet this time, she could see something else. She could see lines of colors connecting each plane to one another, forming paths that carried not only mana, but the very essence of existence itself. When Twilight opened her eyes again, she was certain that a spark had appeared in them, even though she could not see it herself. At last, she finally understood the means by which she could travel between planes. No longer was she cursed to make blind jumps through the multiverse in the hope of finding one way home. The epiphany quick lost its appeal when she realized that, despite her newfound understanding, she still had no idea where her home plane was. Even if she could now travel the multiverse unhindered, she still couldn’t navigate it. Twilight’s ears folded against the back of her head. It was hopeless. She’d never return home at this rate. There was nothing she could do. Setting her book down, Twilight lowered her head and sniffled, a single tear dripping from her eye. “Hey, you alright?” Twilight looked up, and saw Chandra approaching her. She was now fully-dressed, wearing the same armor and goggles she had worn in the tavern, though now she additionally wore a heavy gauntlet on her right arm, with a large tube connecting to her armor’s right shoulder. She came over and sat down on the armrest of the reading chair, resting her left hand on Twilight’s withers. “Yeah,” said Twilight. “It’s just... I don’t know what to do. Jace was kind enough to let me stay here, but it’s not like it’s the home I know. I’ve left so many friends behind, and I have no idea where my plane even is, or how to get there from Ravnica.” “Ouch, that sucks,” said Chandra. “I can kind of relate to that, honestly. I’m not even sure I remember how to get back to my home plane.” Twilight looked up and met Chandra’s eyes, deep and full of sympathy. “You don’t?” “Nah,” said Chandra. “It’s been years, and everyone I care about there is definitely dead by now anyway. Damned Consulate’s killed them.” Her face turned dark as she finished speaking, and her arm tensed as her hand gripped at Twilight’s hair. “Ow! Hey!” “Oops, sorry,” said Chandra, pulling her hand away. “Didn’t mean to do that. I get a bit angry thinking about it, that’s all. Just be glad I didn’t get, like, angry angry, ‘cause that’s when things start blowing up.” Twilight could feel something forming in the pit of her stomach as she digested Chandra’s words. “Losing all your friends and family... that must be so awful. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” “Look, don’t worry about it,” said Chandra. She spoke quickly and insistently, as if trying to change the subject. “I’m just saying, I get feeling homesick.” Her eyes drifted to the collection of reading materials that was sitting on the small table next to Twilight’s chair. “Jeez, those are a lot of books. Are you some kind of huge dork or something?” Twilight blushed. “I, uh... I’ve heard that a few times, yes.” A massive grin broke out on Chandra’s face. “I knew it! The moment you said something about an illusion, I knew you had to be. Never met an illusionist that wasn’t a damned nerd.” Twilight glared at Chandra. That was the second time she’d uttered the word ‘damn’ in a span of less than thirty seconds. “There’s really no need for vulgarity, you know.” “What, ‘damn?’” said Chandra. “Puh-leez. That’s freaking tame as far as I’m concerned. I can think of at least seven other words that are orders of magnitude worse than that.” Twilight’s mouth hung agape in astonishment. “Chandra!” Chandra laughed. “Better get used to it, Sparky. I’m not one to watch my language. There’s something else I’ve been wondering about, by the way.” “What?” said Twilight. “That human disguise you used at Gnib’s place,” she said. “It looked really young. Like, barely old enough to even be drinking. Just how old are you, anyway?” “You know, normally it’s not polite to ask a mare her age,” Twilight pointed out. “Duh,” said Chandra. “But come on, do you really think at this point that I care about being polite?” Twilight raised a hoof, as if to object, only to lower it back down. “Alright, point taken,” she said. “You didn’t answer the question, though,” said Chandra. Twilight rolled her eyes, something she was fairly certain she would be doing a lot around Chandra. “I don’t even know if I can really answer it, to be honest. For one, I’ve no reason to believe that a year on Ravnica is the same as a year in Equestria. Everything I’ve read suggests that the solar cycle here works in a vastly different way than it does on my world, especially considering this world is apparently heliocentric. Plus I’m pretty sure that ponies age differently than humans, too. From what I’ve been able to gather, we reach full maturity faster than humans, but have longer lifespans overall. So while I’m considered an adult as a pony, as a human I’d still be considered adolescent.” Chandra blinked. “Huh? You’re still talking? Sorry, I kinda lost interest.” Twilight brought a hoof to her forehead. “Then why did you even ask me to begin with?” Chandra threw her hands up. “Hey, I was just making conversation! I didn’t expect you to start geeking out on me!” Despite her exasperation, Twilight couldn’t help but giggle. She really did remind her of Rainbow Dash. “Well, I guess you know better now, don’t you?” “Sure do,” said Chandra. “Oh! I’d almost forgotten. Gids wants you and I to come out and meet him in the courtyard. Something about training you.” “Training?” said Twilight. “Yup, training,” Chandra replied. “Can’t have you walking the planes if you don’t know how to deal with trouble, right? You in?” It didn’t take Twilight long to come up with an answer. In just one day she’d run into more trouble than she could handle on a foreign plane, and she wasn’t keen on repeating the experience anytime soon. “Yeah, I’m in.” ———————— Princess Celestia had been dreading this moment. She had been dreading a lot of moments that had happened recently, but this one was easily the moment she dreaded most. The feeling clutched at her chest and clawed at her heart, so much so that it felt like it would tear her apart from within. Losing Twilight was bad enough. Having to explain to all of Twilight’s friends what had happened was worse. She stood within the throne room of Twilight’s castle, just before the crystal table and its seven thrones. In front of her, gathered by the door, were the five remaining Bearers of Harmony that had been with Twilight from the beginning, joined by Spike and Starlight Glimmer. Celestia inhaled silently, trying to clear the fog that was clouding her mind, but nothing could make the sorrow disappear fully. “My little ponies,” she addressed, “I am glad to see you all before me today. I understand that most of you do not have the time to visit Canterlot on short notice, so I have re-adjusted my schedules to ensure that I could meet you here.” “What’s wrong, Princess?” Spike looked up at her with pleading, sorrowful eyes. It had hurt Celestia deeply to see him in such distress; Spike was only a child, and she had always seen him as family. “Is it about Twilight? Do you know what happened to her?” Celestia let out the breath she was holding, trying desperately to maintain the cool air that she held for millennia. “Yes. I do. Twilight is no longer on this plane of existence.” ———————— Just outside the crystal castle, a lone pegasus flew by a window, observing the scene that was playing out in the throne room. She had caught a stray glimpse of Princess Celestia on her usual route, and curiosity soon overtook her, prying her away from her duty. She knew it was rude to spy on others, but the way she was, she couldn’t help but do it sometimes regardless. Besides, from the fact that all of Twilight’s closest friends were gathered there as well, she had figured that it must be a gravely important matter. The shocked, horrified, and sorrowful looks that crossed their faces soon confirmed this; whatever was going on was something that could profoundly impact Equestria as a whole. But what she saw was less important than what she heard. As comprehension dawned on her, she struggled to keep her jaw from hanging open. “Princess Twilight’s a planeswalker?” said Ditzy Doo. ———————— Eavesdrop 1U Instant Look at target player’s hand, then look at the top card of his or her library. Draw a card. Eyes in all directions see things in all places.