NOTE: This chapter contains a reference to attempted suicide.
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Okay, Chandra. Let’s review. Twilight left without saying goodbye, which I guess I can forgive, since she probably had friends back here she wanted to see right away. That’s fine. Then Jace leads us here to go after her and pay her a visit. That’s also fine.
But then I get turned into some kind of friggin’ pony of all things, and the next thing I know we’re all heading towards this massive castle where, if the other ponies are to be believed, Twilight lives. Then when we arrived, some big-ass horse that could only have been some kind of god starts pranking on us? Am I dreaming? Did that really just happen?
Ugh, whatever. I don’t really want to think too hard about it. This is a nice castle, I’ll give it that. It’s all weird and crystal-ish and kind of hurts my eyes if I stare too much in one place, but it’s really pretty. And I’m not even the kind of pony that calls things ‘pretty,’ that’s how nice it looks.
Wait, did I just call myself a pony? Shit. This plane is already rubbing off on me. I hope it isn’t permanent.
I walk across the crowd, ignoring the strange looks all these other ponies are giving me. They don’t seem to want to get too close, which I guess makes sense. I imagine introducing myself to them after that incident with Celestia would get awkward. Still, it kind of stings to be treated like some kind of outsider. I usually am, but it’s never felt so blatant. I let out a sigh, already feeling an unpleasant tension building up inside of me.
You know what would feel great right about now? A drink, that’s what.
My eyes scan the ballroom, and I look for anything that might be remotely alcoholic. At first, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything, but then I see a metal tub of ice on the floor, packed with glass bottles.
Bingo. A grin spreads across my muzzle—I mean my face, dammit—as I approach. Getting used to walking on four legs is a lot easier than I thought it’d be at first, but it probably helps that I’m not thinking about it too hard. That’d probably explain why Jace had the hardest time learning to walk like this, now that I mention it. He can’t not think about things too hard.
The bottles all have plain green labels with a picture of a red apple on them. Judging from the brown liquid inside of them, they must be some kind of hard cider. I reach out with a hoof and rest it against one the bottles, and, uh...
Um...
...Well, crap. How the hell am I supposed to grab things without fingers?
No. I won’t give up that easily. Trying to flex muscles that aren’t there, I root around in the bucket, desperately hoping that my hoof will somehow grab something. After what feels like an eternity, I finally seem to be able to get a grip. As I pull my arm (leg?) out, I see that the bottle is somehow stuck to the end of my hoof, as though it were some sort of cider-magnet or something.
“Yes! I did it!” I cheer, making a hoof-pumping motion. My victory gesture is short-lived, as a moment later I feel the bottle fall out of my grasp, and hear the sound of shattering glass. I look to the ground, and my heart drops into the pit of my stomach.
My drink is gone, the glass broken into pieces, the liquid lying in a puddle on the floor. All that effort spent just learning how to pick a damn bottle up, and it was all for nothing. My muscles tense, and I can feel the anger building up inside of me, heating up until my veins threaten to boil over.
“Aaaaaaaarrrgh!”
Screaming is always a good stress reliever, and for a moment I’m just glad to be able to let off all of that frustration at once. The smell of smoke coming from my mane, combined with the frightened stares these ponies give me, quickly make me realize that was a mistake.
I slap my palm against my forehead. “Great going, Chandra, now everyone thinks you’re a freak,” I mutter.
...Wait, my palm?
My suspicion that something isn’t quite right is confirmed when I open my eyes, and see that the thing on my forehead isn’t a palm at all, but one of my wings. Looking at it now, it feels... hand-like. I flex the muscles in my wing, and stare at the pinions as they wiggle themselves around with the same ease and dexterity of human fingers.
“Huh. Okay, that works.”
Going from there is easy. I almost effortlessly reach out and grab another bottle in my wing, and then twist off the cap in the other wing. I don’t want to litter any more than I already have, so I flip the cap into a garbage can several yards away.
...Wow, these wings are really useful.
As I bring the lip of the bottle to my mouth, I’m almost shocked by how intense the flavor is. I’d expected even the hardest cider to be sweet, obviously, but this is just... I don’t even know how to describe how sweet it is. It’s damn near overpowering, that’s what it is. One thing’s for sure though, it can’t be more than barely alcoholic. Don’t these ponies know how to make a real drink? It’s not alcohol unless it makes your entire digestive tract feel like it’s on fire.
Despite this, the rest of the cider goes down smoothly. It’s actually quite good, now that I get a chance to taste more of it. Still ridiculously sweet, but there’s a bit of a nice tangy flavor to it that you don’t really get with other drinks.
I toss the now-empty bottle into a trash can. It’s then that my entire field of vision is covered by the single pinkest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”
“Great fire beasts of Regatha!” I shriek. “Don’t startle me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“Gotcha. Won’t happen again!” There’s something weird about this pony, and it isn’t just her failure to understand the concept of personal space. Or the fact that she appeared right the hell out of nowhere. “So, how do you like the party?”
“Its, uh, great,” I say. I get the feeling that I probably shouldn’t admit that I’m not having a lot of fun.
“Glad to hear!” Pinkie replies. “I hope you have a super-duper amazing first day here in Equestria! If you need anything, just let me know!”
Somehow, I manage to crack a smile. She’s a very cheerful pony, I’ll give her that. Looking at her more closely, I can see it reflected in almost every part of her body. The impossibly bright coat, the poofy hair, even the weird balloon pictures on the side of her body. Didn’t Twilight say something about those?
“Actually, now that you mention it, there’s something I’ve been wondering about.” I point to the image on my flank. “I’ve had this thing since I came here, but I’ve no idea what it means. Twilight called hers a ‘cutie mark.’ What’s with that?”
The way that Pinkie giggles at me is almost sickeningly adorable. “It’s a symbol of your special talent! I got mine when I learned I was good at making other ponies smile. So, what’s yours about?”
“Special talent, huh?” I reply. “Well, that’s pretty easy. I’m a pyromancer.”
All at once, Pinkie’s body freezes. Somehow, her face manages to turn even more pink than usual. How is that even possible?
“Oh, um... Gosh. I’m flattered, but no thank you!”
‘No thank you?’ What is she even—
Oh. Oh, no. Oh, hell no. I’m nowhere near drunk enough for that.
“That’s not what I meant! It means I’m good with fire magic!”
Pinkie’s eyes widen in realization. “Oooooooh,” she says. “Well, why didn’t you just say so?”
Sigh. I think I’m going to need some more cider for this.
————————
Liliana wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to this. Less than an hour in, and she already hated this plane.
It wasn’t just the fact that she had found herself in an unfamiliar body. It wasn’t just the fact that everything was so disgustingly bright and cheerful. It wasn’t even the fact that its apparent guardian deity reminded her so much of an angel.
No, worst of all was the fact that, for the plane’s absolute abundance of magic, there was so little of it that she could actually use. Sure, the black mana was there. With extremely rare exception, all worlds had enough of it to draw from. Yet here, despite the quite respectable amount there was, it was massively drowned out by mana that she had no interest in ever harnessing.
Of course, her senses could have been thrown off by the castle she was standing in. The crystalline palace was a powerful nexus of all possible types of mana, but what types she would find there was hardly relevant. The moment she stepped inside, she was struck with an absolute certainty that she wasn’t welcome. It felt like the building not only had a will of its own, but was actively working against her own power. Worse yet, she couldn’t feel the Chain Veil’s magic within the castle walls, despite knowing it was still in her pocket.
She’d made an attempt to quietly slip away, hoping to exit the palace and planeswalk back to Ravnica at the first opportunity. But her magical senses, heightened by her newly-grown horn, alerted her to something interesting.
Most of the ponies didn’t seem to have an affinity for black mana, but three in particular had noticeable amounts of it surrounding them. One of them, a bright pink mare conversing with Chandra, had equal parts red and black. A pegasus with an impossibly multicolored mane had smidgens of black, though it was mostly red and white. But most intriguingly of all was the white unicorn with a purple mane. The black mana surrounding her was only secondary to red and blue, but there was something else about her... something truly fascinating.
Liliana casually sauntered over to the white mare, hoping to get a closer look. As she did, the other unicorn took notice almost immediately, her eyes suddenly brightening.
“Goodness, darling! Your dress is absolutely exquisite! You must tell me who your tailor is!”
Liliana smirked. She glanced up and down, sizing up the white unicorn. “That would be a secret, I’m afraid. Not that you’d be able to find my tailor regardless.”
“Right, of course. I’d almost forgotten you were a planeswalker. In any case, I’m always glad to meet another friend of Twilight’s. If I heard correctly, your name was Liliana?”
“That I am,” Liliana replied. It was unmistakable now, the aura of undeath. “And to whom to I owe the pleasure?”
“You can call me Rarity, dear,” she replied. “If you’re ever in Equestria, be sure to stop by the Carousel Boutique. I’m sure I would be able to craft an outfit fitting for a pony of your stature.”
Though her expression remained unchanged, in her own mind Liliana was rolling her eyes. Like she would ever pay for a dress. People who had things she wanted didn’t usually live long enough to sell them.
“I see,” said Liliana. “And how long have you been in the tailoring business? Years? Decades? Centuries, perhaps?”
Rarity’s mouth opened, then closed again. “Centuries? I-I don’t know where you’d be getting that idea. There’s just no possible way I could live for that long...”
“Isn’t there?” Liliana pressed. “Because I know a thing or two about death, darling. And I know that there are quite a few ways of cheating it. There’s no need to be so coy with me, not when I can see you for what you really are.”
Rarity’s eyes went wide, and her mouth hung open in horror. For a split second, Liliana could see her glamour fail. There, hanging just below her upper lip, was a pair of gleaming, pointed fangs.
“How?” Rarity whispered. “How did you know?”
Liliana stepped forward, her eyes gleaming like a predator approaching a cornered animal. “I know quite a few things. And just looking at you, I can tell you’re quite the successful entrepreneur. So why don’t we make a deal? You give me some of your gold, and I won’t spill your secret to everyone in town.”
Rarity’s entire body trembled. “W-what? B-but—”
“It’s alright if you don’t have the money right now,” said Liliana. “I’ll be sure to stop by your little boutique after the party. And don’t think to try anything sneaky, because I’ll know.”
The fear never died from Rarity’s eyes, but slowly it began to blend in with the anger that bubbled its way to her surface. “I... I don’t believe this,” she hissed, quietly enough that only Liliana hear her. “How could a pony like you possibly be one of Twilight’s friends?”
Liliana walked away, turning around to face Rarity over her shoulder. “I don’t have friends. Only useful idiots.”
Truth be told, she didn’t even want the money. She just liked seeing Rarity squirm.
————————
Gideon had found himself mingling with the other ponies much faster than he anticipated. Sure, most were put off at first by... well, just about everything about him, but they quickly grew to appreciate his presence. Currently, he was lifting a tower of five different ponies onto his back, not even breaking a sweat as a sixth began climbing up. The last pony, a mint-colored unicorn mare, eventually tripped over the body of her ‘best friend’ (Gideon noted that they were much closer than ‘friends’ normally were), sending the entire tower crashing down into a heap just beside him.
“Is everyone alright?” Gideon called out. “Do any of you need medical attention?”
The six-pony-pile separated, sharing a series of looks as they climbed back onto their hooves.
“Nope! Looks like we’re all good,” said the mint unicorn. “Trust me, we ponies are tough. It’ll take a heckuva lot more than that to hurt us.”
Gideon nodded. “As I thought,” he said. “I’ve felt my strength increase significantly since I acquired this new body. Quite the accomplishment, as I wasn’t too feeble to begin with.”
The mint unicorn leaned in closer, grinning madly. “Tell me more about your old body!”
“Ah,” said Gideon. “Well, I believe I’ve already told you as much as I can without going into, er, private matters.”
“I know!” the unicorn squealed. “Private matters are the best matters!”
Somewhat perplexingly, the unicorn’s ‘friend’ managed to grab her ear with a hoof. “We should go.”
“What? But I was just—”
“Now, Lyra.”
“Aww, fine,” Lyra said. Her grin returned in full force as she was quite literally pulled away. “Bye! I hope I see you again sometime! I can’t wait to learn more about you!”
Gideon chuckled to himself. Lyra was eccentric, to say the least. A tingle of powerful magic alerted him to another presence, and he turned himself around to see one of the only ponies that was bigger than him.
She was... breathtaking. Awe-inspiring in much the same way that Celestia was, yet her aura was different. While the apparent Solar Deity’s aura was overwhelmingly bright and blindingly powerful, hers was soft and soothing, glowing faintly with the gentle light of midnight stars. It was as though she were not merely a god, but something even more ethereal and sublime. Gideon couldn’t shake the feeling that he was staring directly at Nyx itself. No, Nyx herself.
“Please,” said the Deity of the Night, “there is no need for such formalities. You may rise.”
Gideon hadn’t even realized he had bowed. It was instinctive, a reflex. He picked himself up and looked in the pony-god’s direction, though he dared not think himself worthy of making direct eye contact.
“I am honored to be graced by your presence. If you may be kind enough to answer, what should I call you?”
To his surprise, the god he spoke to looked vaguely uncomfortable. “I... I already told you, there is no need for such formality. You’ve already spoken the the same words to my sister, besides.” Her mouth curled upward into a warm smile. “But as for your question, you may call me Princess Luna.”
Gideon blinked. “A princess? How curious. To see the gods of this realm walk among mortals is one thing, but for them to adopt the titles of mortals is another entirely.”
All at once, everything went quiet. Every pony around had frozen in place, staring in utter disbelief. But of them all the most shocked and seemingly appalled was Luna, each of her eyes going as wide as the moon itself.
“W-what did you call me?”
Gideon winced. He suddenly had a feeling that he had made a grave mistake, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. “My apologies. The only power I have felt like yours was from the gods of my world. I had assumed—”
“No! You mustn’t!” Luna’s feathers visibly ruffled during her outburst, and every one of her features was stretched into barely-contained panic.
Gideon flinched, as though anticipating to be struck down where he stood. He dared not speak a single word in response.
Luna sighed. “I... I am sorry. You must understand, my sister and I have spent a great amount of effort disavowing any notion that we are divine. We cannot afford to position ourselves as gods, lest we become distant from the very ponies we care for.” Her head bowed slightly, and lines of deep sorrow appeared just beneath her eyes. “Believe me. I would know.”
“Ah,” said Gideon. What Luna had said was an entirely foreign concept, yet somehow it all made sense. “If it’s any consolation, Your Highness, I’ve never heard of a true god denying their own worship. Perhaps I was mistaken about you after all.”
“It’s all right,” said Luna. There was something reassuring about her smile, and seeing it made Gideon feel safer than he was behind any form of defensive magic. “But there’s also the matter of why I came to you. I’m curious to learn more about your cutie mark.”
“My... cutie mark?” Gideon’s head turned around to face the symbol at his side. “I assume you mean this symbol that appeared on my body. I believe Twilight had mentioned it before.”
“That’s correct,” said Luna. “A cutie mark is a symbol of a pony’s unique talent, and their true calling in life. Mine represents my connection to the moon of this world, and my affinity for dreams and shadows. What intrigues me about yours is its remarkable similarity to my sister’s.”
“My talent, eh?” Gideon scratched his chin with a hoof, then turned to meet Luna’s smile with one of his own. “That would no doubt be my skill with hieromancy.”
“Hieromancy?” said Luna.
“Law magic,” Gideon clarified. “In my home plane of Theros, such magic was gifted to humankind by Heliod, the God of the Sun. So long as I am channeling that power, there is no force in the multiverse that can harm my body.”
Luna’s eyes twinkled gently. “So your power comes from solar magic. That would partly explain the similarity, I suppose. Would you care to demonstrate?”
“Certainly,” Gideon replied. “Though I’ll admit, I won’t be able to show you my full capabilities here. To prove the extent of my durability would require a truly earth-shattering assault.”
Luna opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by another voice. A young filly’s voice, to be specific, joined by the voices of two others.
“Thrust Steelflank!”
“Blast Hardknee!”
“Buck Rockgroin!”
“Splint Stonehoof!”
“Volt Fetlocks!”
“Flash Sentry! Wait, no.”
“Buff Irontail!”
“Thick McGallop!”
“Smash Stormhaunch!”
“Hunk Beefslab!”
“Mark Rosewater!”
“Sweetie Belle...”
“Oops! Sorry!”
Luna nickered slightly, joined by a chuckle of Gideon’s own. “Seems you’ve made yourself a few admirers,” she said.
“That I have,” said Gideon. “It was a privilege getting a chance to know your plane for myself.”
And that was the truest thing Gideon could have said.
————————
Nissa didn’t know what to think. She’d call the feeling overwhelming, but that itself couldn’t do what she felt justice. Ravnica was overwhelming, but this... this was more than that. Orders of magnitude more than that.
The plane had far and away the most powerful mana she’d ever felt, powerful enough that even Zenidkar’s paled in comparison. Yet at the same time it felt... distant, somehow. The foundational leylines coursed through the deepest parts of the plane like great and powerful torrents, vast rivers that stretched as far as the eye can see. Only the smallest trickle reached the land itself, but even those tiny tributaries were flooded with so much raw power that it had Nissa had almost passed out from overstimulation when she arrived on the plane.
The distressing part, however, was that only those tiny tributaries reached the land. It was unthinkable. Nearly inconceivable. The life of a plane shouldn’t exist, couldn’t exist with so much of its essence deprived from itself. She could feel more of the world than she could recall feeling of any other: the land, the sea, the sky, and even the sun and moon. And yet, despite their seemingly limitless power, they had all felt drained. Like a body that had been robbed of its own lifeblood.
Just what had happened to this plane?
It was a question that she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to, yet she couldn’t begin to get it out of her mind. It occupied every space of her thoughts, completely drowning out all of her senses, blocking out everything else around her. Her head spun, and she staggered on her hooves briefly, before her legs finally gave out.
As the falling sensation continued, Nissa became vaguely aware that she should have already hit the ground. And yet, she hadn’t. She was still falling. Falling into the nothingness that beneath her, falling into the yawning void that had existed below the earth for two hundred millennia, into the maw hungrily waiting to swallow the entire world.
Except no, she wasn’t falling. Something, someone had caught her. Her eyes slowly opened, and she found herself in the awaiting arms of a bright yellow pegasus, her wings gently fluttering to support her impromptu bipedal stance.
“Oh, goodness!” she said. “Are you okay?” Her voice was soft and gentle, like the caress a mother baloth would give to her child.
Nissa didn’t answer. The question on her was more important than her own well-being. “How are you alive?”
The mare’s eyes widened, but her embrace grew no less soft. “Oh. Um... I’m not sure how to answer that. There are plenty of times I almost died. I’m still not sure how I always made it out in one piece.”
“Not you,” said Nissa. “The world. How does this world live? The land has no desire for growth, and the sky has no desire for wind or rain. Yet the world not only lives, but thrives. How is it possible?”
“Oh,” said the pegasus. “Um, w-well... Earth ponies use their magic to make sure the ground stays fertile. And pegasi like me create weather to make sure there’s enough to go around for everypony.” Streaks of worry crossed her muzzle. “Is... is there something wrong with that?”
And just then, everything made sense. In a world where nature itself had halted, its children had worked to creature nature of their own. It was unsettling. Disturbing. Almost horrifying. And yet, Nissa couldn’t bring herself blame them. There was simply no other way anything could live here.
“No,” said Nissa. “It’s... it’s nothing to worry about.” She slowly wriggled her way out of the mare’s hold, crawling back up on to her hooves.
“Oh! A-are you sure you should be walking? You don’t need to go to a hospital, do you?”
“I’m fine,” Nissa replied. It wasn’t an entirely true statement, but physically she was well enough. Under no circumstances would she allow works of medical artifice near her body. “My name is Nissa Revane. And... thank you.”
The yellow mare lowered herself onto her own hooves, her lips curving subtly upward. “It’s nice to meet you, Nissa. My name is Fluttershy.”
Silence. Nissa couldn’t think of a response. She simply gazed back, her deep, piercing eyes meeting Fluttershy’s own. She was astonished by the strength that was hidden beneath Fluttershy’s gaze: despite her fragile appearance, she almost looked like she could stare down an eldrazi all by herself.
A tension began building within Nissa’s chest, and she could see from Fluttershy’s shifting hooves that she was growing just as uncomfortable. She wanted to make friends, to connect with people, but standing there and saying nothing wouldn’t accomplish anything. What could she do?
Then, Nissa remembered something Chandra had told her about. ‘Small talk,’ it was called. The Joraga never spoke to each other when there was nothing of importance to be said; speaking for its own sake was a difficult concept to wrap her mind around. Yet here, the idea seemed almost enticing.
“So, um...” said Nissa. Think. She had to think of something. “Do you like... trees?”
To Nissa’s astonishment, Fluttershy actually reacted positively. She beamed so brightly that it was almost blinding, and squealed in excitement. “Ohmigosh, yes!”
Nissa sighed happily, letting all of the tension within her out at once. Maybe friendship wasn’t so hard after all.
————————
Ungula was a truly fascinating plane. Never before had Jace felt magic that was quite like it. Vibrant, powerful, yet at the same time so difficult to connect to. Could that difficulty in forming mana lines be what led the ponies to develop their own natural mana attractors in their bodies? What of their culture? How did his transformation into a pony work? So many questions, yet so little time to find answers.
He put his mind at ease as she approached Twilight, who was conversing with an orange pony in a strange brown hat.
Twilight’s eyes gleamed as he approached. “Jace! So glad to see you! Applejack, this is Jace. Jace, this is Applejack.”
“Charmed,” said Jace. He reached out with a hoof, trying to emulate a handshake. From what he’d seen, ponies of this world possessed some form of tactile telekinesis. He was eager to see how it worked for himself.
Applejack didn’t look to happy to meet Jace, unfortunately. Rather than returning the hoofshake, she simply snorted. “So Twilight tells me you’re some kind of illusionist. How do Ah know you ain’t gonna try to pull the wool over mah eyes?”
Twilight gasped. “Applejack! Don’t be rude!”
“Come on, Twi, you know Ah don’t trust folks who make a habit of deceiving other folk,” said Applejack. “It ain’t right.”
Twilight laughed nervously, and her eyes briefly darted to her own tail. “Um... yeah. Right.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m not offended,” Jace remarked. “I’ve spoken with myself before. I find me just as insufferable as you do.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You trying to pull mah leg?”
Before Jace could reply, another voice called out, one that immediately reminded him of Chandra. Another Chandra. There was an unsettling thought.
“Applejack! We’re out of cider!”
“Nonsense, Rainbow!” Applejack called back. “Ah brought five whole tubs full! Even you couldn’t drink all of them bottles so fast!”
“I’m serious! Somepony drank all the cider! I didn’t even get to have any of it! Do something!”
Applejack’s eye twitched, if only slightly. “What!? Move over! Let me see!” She hastily trotted away, cursing beneath her breath.
Twilight rubbed her hoof against her leg. “So, how are you enjoying Equestria so far?”
“It’s certainly a unique experience,” said Jace. He briefly turned his head, motioning to his wings. “I’ll say, this took quite a bit of getting used to.”
Twilight’s eyes bugged out. “Wait, what? Are you saying that isn’t an illusion?”
“I’m afraid not,” Jace replied. “As soon as we arrived on this plane, we found that our bodies had transformed. What you’re looking at now is what I really look like. For now, I hope.”
Twilight’s mouth worked silently, trying to process the new information. “So it isn’t the Magic Mirror that transforms humans into ponies! Ohmigosh, do you know what this means!?”
Now Jace’s curiosity was really piqued. “Magic Mirror?”
“Long story. I’ll tell you later. But oh my gosh, this is an absolutely monumental discovery! This means there must be some kind of transformative magic that surrounds the plane itself! Oh, I can’t wait to do research on it!” Twilight finished her sentence with a girlish squeal, so overcome with excitement that her hooves actually began to dance in place. “Oh, and I almost forgot! There’s one more thing I wanted to ask you about. How exactly did you find me here?”
“Well, that’s easy,” said Jace. “When someone planeswalks, they leave behind a residual magic trail that lasts for a short time. Given your raw power, your trail lasted long enough for us to follow you well after you’d left.”
Twilight giggled. “Good thing I’m an alicorn, huh?”
“I was intending to ask you about that, actually,” said Jace. “I’d heard you mention Celestia before. From the way you used her name, I’d assumed she was some kind of god, yet her magic isn’t much different from yours. Can you explain?”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. “W-what? Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! Princess Celestia’s not a god! That’s absurd! I-I mean, if she were a god, that would probably make me a god, and that’d just be ridiculous, right?” Twilight smiled uncomfortably, and her body almost seemed to shrink in place. “...Right?”
Jace smirked. “Well, you’re a lot more humble than a god would be, so I’ll take your word for it.”
It was then that a very fast, very loud white and red streak passed narrowly overhead.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *hic* HOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Jace winced. “I think Chandra’s drunk. That’s... probably not good.”
Twilight brought a hoof to her face, and pushed her now-ruffled mane out of her eyes, which now appeared to be as wide as dinner plates. “Drunk? Are you saying she has even fewer inhibitions now?”
“If that’s possible,” said Jace.
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called out from somewhere. “Are you nuts!? What hay do you think you’re doing!?”
“Flying, duh.”
“I know that! Look, I get it, flying’s awesome. But you can’t fly like that in here! You’ll end up breaking something!”
“Meh. I’ve broken lots of things. If something bad happens, Jace will pay damages.”
Jace’s head spun around immediately. “Now you wait just a minute!”
Regardless of what he said, the exchange continued as though he’d never spoken. Jace wasn’t sure what else he should have expected.
“You know, you’re starting to remind me of somepony I met at training camp. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that’s a very good first impression!”
“You’re just jealous because I’m better at flying than you.”
“Buh... Wah... Better at—” Rainbow’s voice sputtered. “Oh, that is it! You are so going down!”
Jace cringed, sharing a look with Twilight. “Maybe we should intervene.”
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “Just leave it to me.” A single beat of her wings, and she had already taken to the air, flying up to meet the two pegasi. “Alright you two, knock it off!”
Jace could almost immediately feel a headache developing. Now he understood why Chandra kept asking him to cure her hangovers.
————————
Starlight Glimmer watched the scene above her with fascination, staring transfixed as the two bullheaded pegasi confronted each other. It was almost painful to see Twilight’s friends antagonizing each other, yet she couldn’t bring herself to look away. She was glad when Twilight finally showed up to separate them, all but forcing them to apologize.
Feeling a slight rumble in her tummy, she walked over to one of the catering tables and grabbed a snack, one of those light daisy sandwiches on thin bread with the little sticks holding them together. As she happily munched on the food and threw away the toothpick, she noticed another pony approaching her in her peripheral vision. She turned around and saw her visitor, a brown earth pony stallion with an hourglass cutie mark. He carried a spring in his step as he trotted, as well as a very eager grin.
“Oh, hello!” said Starlight. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, in fact. My name is Doctor Time Turner—the Doctor part is important, by the way—and I’ve been looking for somepony. Are you Starlight Glimmer, by any chance?”
“Uh-huh, that’s me,” said Starlight. A subtle apprehension crawled its way into her chest, but she wasn’t quite sure why. “Did you want to talk to me about something?”
“I do. You’re a clever mare, Starlight.” Somehow, despite Time Turner’s cheerful demeanor, the compliment didn’t sound entirely sincere. “And I’m a very busy stallion, so let’s not waste any more time, shall we?”
Time Turner cleared his throat, and then lightly tapped his hoof against the ground.
And then, Starlight Glimmer’s entire understanding of the world was broken into pieces.
It had started with a noise. A terrible, disgusting noise, a noise that made her feel sick to her stomach. And then, something that appeared at first to be a flash of light, until Starlight quickly realized it was actually a flash of reverse light. Then, finally, stillness. Complete and utter stillness, nothing in the entire universe moving except for herself and Time Turner.
“A... t-t-t-time stop spell!?” Starlight’s voice trembled uncontrollably, along with her entire body. “B-but... but... That’s impossible! Earth ponies can’t do that kind of magic! I can’t do that kind of magic! Stopping time isn’t even theoretically possible!”
Time Turner scowled fiercely. The friendly, affable pony he was just a moment before was all but gone, replaced the perfect image of barely-restrained rage. “Oh, I think I know a little bit more about time than you do, Starlight Glimmer. Much like your former teacher, I happen to be a planeswalker. I also happen to be the oldest pony living in Equestria. Yes, older than Celestia herself, if only slightly. But most importantly, I am the most powerful chronomancer you will meet in a hundred thousand of your lifetimes, and perhaps the single most powerful chronomancer currently in the multiverse. I know everything that there is to know about the metaphysical workings of time, inside and out. Now tell me, Starlight Glimmer, why do you think I am here?”
“B-because I changed the past?”
Starlight tried to back away as Time Turner stepped forward, but she couldn’t escape. Her legs were frozen to the ground, leaving her unable to move. The elder pressed his face against hers, literally breathing down her neck. His face was a grotesque visage of anger, backed by a power so vast she could barely even imagine its depths.
“No,” said Time Turner. “It’s not that you changed the past. No, what you did was far, far worse than that. You didn’t merely change the past, you prevented the very events that would allow for you to travel back in time to begin with. Do you understand what that does to the time stream, Starlight Glimmer? I’ll tell you. Each temporal paradox you create leaves behind a fundamental contradiction in the nature of causality itself. For each such contradiction, further and further strain is placed on the fabric of this plane, until it tears itself apart completely. No past, no present, no future. Nothing. You didn’t just nearly destroy Equestria, oh no. You nearly prevented this entire world from ever having existed. And for what? A grudge? Some petty revenge scheme over a failed attempt at social engineering? Do you think that would be worth it, Starlight Glimmer?”
Starlight broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. “N-no! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t know! P-please don’t hurt me!”
“Oh, I won’t hurt you, Starlight,” said Time Turner. “But there is something important I want to ask of you. I want you to consider yourself lucky. Consider yourself lucky you live in a world where second chances are given so easily. Consider yourself lucky I was not the one to stop you, because I am more powerful than you and Twilight put together. And most importantly, consider yourself very, very lucky to be alive. Do I make myself clear?”
Starlight gulped. “C-crystal, sir.”
“Good,” said Time Turner. He backed away, and with another stomp of his hoof, the world returned to normal. The fury that he once held vanished instantly, replaced with a seemingly-friendly smile, and he trotted away as though nothing had happened.
And yet, Starlight could never look at him the same way again. She stood there in silence, shaking uncontrollably, wishing for nothing more than to shrink down and disappear. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling the tears soak into her coat, when she felt a wing wrap itself around her body, and another wipe the tears from her eyes.
“H-huh?” Starlight opened her eyes and found herself standing beside a grey pegasus mare, the same mailpony that had barged into Twilight’s castle the day they’d learned she disappeared. Though the mailpony’s eyes refused to remain in one place, she gazed at Starlight with nothing but sympathy.
“Are you okay? He didn’t scare you too bad, did he?”
Starlight sniffled. “P-pretty bad. How could you tell?”
“I... I’ve known the Doctor for a while know,” said the mailpony. “When he learned about what you did, he was angrier than I’ve ever seen him in my life. I don’t know what he said to you, but I’ve known he’s had it out for you for a while.”
Starlight exhaled deeply. “I... I can’t blame him, honestly. I mean, nearly destroying Equestria is one thing, but nearly erasing the entire plane from time itself?”
“Hey, no,” said the mailmare. “None of that now.”
“But—”
“Nope, nuh-uh,” said the mailpony. Her tone was firm, yet any anger that it held was clearly not directed at Starlight. “You’re not going to be beating yourself up for something that’s already been fixed. And you’d better believe I’ll be having a few words with the Doctor about this tonight. You’ll be getting an apology from him, whether he wants to give it or not.”
“T-thanks,” said Starlight. Already she could feel the terror evaporating in the warm feathers embracing her. “I just... I dunno. I find it hard to believe he’d listen to you.”
“Don’t worry, he will,” the mailpony reassured. “If there’s one soul in the multiverse he always listens to, it’s me.”
“How’d you meet him, anyway?”
The mailpony flinched at the question, her feathers shifting across Starlight’s back. Finally, she let out a sigh. “I... I just ran into him one day. The same day I lost my daughter.”
Starlight let out a gasp. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t be,” the mailpony replied. “It’s not your fault. There... there wasn’t anything I could do, really. It all just happened so suddenly...” She sniffled slightly, and Starlight wrapped a hoof around her. “He was there for me when nopony else was. When I thought there was nopony left in the world who really cared about me. If... If he hadn’t stopped me from doing something foolish, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”
Starlight felt a pang of sadness strike deep into her heart. She reached out with her neck and gently nuzzled the grey pegasus. There wasn’t anything else she could think to say, but she didn’t need to. Their shared touch was enough to soothe away both of their sorrows.
“Thanks,” said the mailpony. “The Doctor... I really do think he is a good pony at heart. He cares so much about the world, and he’s never once gotten angry at me, or yelled at me, or even raised his voice at me. But when I saw him get mad at you, I... I’ll admit, I was scared. I was completely terrified of what he might do to you.”
“It’s... it’s okay,” Starlight reassured. “I think I’ll be okay. And thank you, miss...”
“Ditzy Doo.” She managed to crack a smile as she replied. “And if the Doctor ever scares you again, just tell me as soon as you can, alright? I’ll be sure to set him straight.”
“I will,” said Starlight. “And thank you, Ditzy.”
————————
The party had lasted well into the evening, and then well into the night, and then so far into the earliest hours of the morning. By that time, almost every other pony had gone back home for the night, and the Royal Sisters had returned to their duties. But the Gatewatch remained, and Twilight remained there with them, alongside her closest circle of friends.
As the celebration finally drew to a close, Twilight met them all outside the castle, gathered together with the Royal Sisters and all of her other friends.
“Thank you all for being my guests, everypony. It was so nice getting to see you all here.” She leveled a glare at Liliana. “Except for you. I don’t know what you said to Rarity, but it was clearly over the line.”
“Oh come on,” Liliana replied. “It was only a prank. Surely a friend would recognize that it’s all in good fun?”
“You’re not my friend,” Twilight shot back. “The rest of you are fine, just so we’re clear.”
Liliana rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m never coming back to this plane, just so you know. You and Cloak Boy can feel free to prance about here as much as you want.”
“Good,” said Twilight.
“A-hem,” said Chandra. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“You mean our bodies?” Nissa chimed in.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Twilight replied. “I’d asked Time Turner about it, and he said the transformative magic surrounding this plane only holds as long as you’re within it. When you leave, you should revert to your natural forms.”
Starlight’s eyes went wide. “You asked what now?”
“Oh, that’s right!” said Twilight. “I forgot to tell you about him. He’s another planeswalker from Equestria, just like me. Have you met him, Starlight?”
Starlight laughed nervously, and waved a hoof. “W-what, him? Naw, never heard of him my life!”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s great and all, but that wasn’t what I was talking about,” said Chandra. “You’re our friend, Twilight! Well, with most of us, I guess. Either way, that means you’re a part of the team!”
“A part of the team?” said Twilight. “Wait, you don’t mean...?”
Gideon stepped forward, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “I believe that would be your formal invitation to the Gatewatch, Twilight. Or would you prefer ‘Your Highness?’”
Twilight flushed. “Just Twilight is fine, thanks. I... I really don’t know about joining the Gatewatch, though. I have so many responsibilities here, I don’t know if I’ll ever have much time to go traveling the multiverse with you.”
“You don’t have to spend all of your time with us,” said Jace. “You can even stay here, if you like. If there’s ever a dire emergency, we’ll come to you.”
Twilight blinked. “Really? W-well, in that case, um... I may have to think about this for a bit.”
“What’s there to think about?” Rainbow interjected. “You get to save the multiverse from evil! That’s like, the coolest job ever!”
“Sounds to me like a pretty necessary job, too,” said Applejack. “If something’s threatening the whole dang multiverse, Ah reckon it wouldn’t take long for that threat to reach our universe, too. Shoot, it’d probably be more or less the same as saving Equestria, when you get right down to it.”
Twilight paused for a moment to consider Applejack’s words. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Thanks, Applejack. But how exactly do I join? Is there a form to fill out?”
“There’s no bureaucracy, thankfully,” said Jace. “All you need to do is raise your hand— er, hoof, say you’ll keep watch, and what reasons you’ll be watching with us for. In fact, you’re free to say whatever else you like.”
“Anything, huh?” said Twilight. She grinned, and thoughtfully tapped a hoof to her chin. “I think I have an idea about that, now that you mention it.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” said Chandra. “Let’s hear it!”
Twilight closed her eyes, and let in a deep breath. She’d called to mind of everything she fought for, all of the things that were most important to her, and everything she ever valued. Then, as she raised her hoof into the air, the words came to her without even a second thought.
“So that friendships may flourish, I will keep watch.”
————————
Oath of Twilight {u/r}W
Legendary Enchantment
When Oath of Twilight enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life.
Planeswalker spells you control can’t be countered.
Loyalty abilities of planeswalkers you control can’t be countered by spells or abilities.
“So that friendships may flourish, I will keep watch.”