There are many worlds besides our own, this I have long understood. Each are different and unique, thus crossing worlds without caution can cause an imbalance, risking permanent damage.
But perhaps
If one were too
I need to do it. For the sake of Equestria, these creatures have to go.
I've done many a field test to be sure, observing a particularly fascinating world trough peephole rifts many times over... a world in which magic does not exist. To an untrained observer this other world is entirely alien to Equestria and her neighboring kingdoms. But I am a seasoned wizard who knows how to observe what counts, and what counts is that an Equestrian could survive there with little trouble. That is to say, the world follows the same basic principles as ours, twin canvases painted by drastically different artists. And that means this will work. I am doing the right thing.
By the time I next write in this journal, Equestria will be three steps closer to an era of peace. Three less monsters in our world. The other world will suffer no harm, for there magic does not exist. The creatures will be rendered harmless.
There is no other way. It is for the best. It is for the safety of Equestria.
It is for their own good.
- Starswirl
Field Notes - V1 E1
This place is weird, but I've seen weirder. It's not so much how it looks so much as how it feels, like the atmosphere is both empty and thick with an ethereal molasses that makes casting even the simplest of spells a lot harder than it should be. And I'm pretty good at magic. The fact that I can do it at all is really good news, or else I might be stuck here longer than just an hour.
Like I mentioned before, I can definitely tell this world doesn't like having magic in it. Even now as I use my horn to hold my quill, it's like there's a force trying to push the magic back into me. When I reach out and try to feel for other traces of magic, there's just a nothing that that I never realized should be filled. Huh, I wonder if this is what it feels like to fish pulled out of water.
Magic aside, everything else seems pretty normal. Heck, I could even fool myself into believing this is still Equestria. I'm in a forest, which is perfect for a first field test. And the fact that this world has a forest is great. Why that's great, well, lets just say some other worlds I've been to-
Oh there's a squirrel! And it looks just like an Equestrian squirrel. Um, ow. I guess it also acts like an Equestrian squirrel. At least I can also confirm this place has acorns.
Based on the sun's positioning, the worlds' time lines seem to match up pretty well, but I won't be able to tell for sure until I get back. I wonder if that was always the case, or if The Collide caused it.
It's kinda peaceful. I feel like I'm just having a study session in the palace garden, not in the wilderness of another dimension. Either this place is a lot more like Equestria than we initially thought, or the princesses have a way crueler sense of humor than I realized.
I want to stay and explore so badly, but the first test has to be kept short for safety reasons, and my time's up.
- S.S.
Field Notes - V17 E4
That was a bit too close for comfort. But I saw them! Humans! It was from a distance, but there was no mistaking it. Their shape is a bit like a monkey's, except not. I guess they're about as much like our monkeys as us pony's are to their horses. I already knew all this from my past research and all, but it's so cool getting to actually see them!
I think these two are young; siblings if I had to guess. They didn't seem all that bad, they were just playing around. Heh, it's kinda hard to match up what I saw with all the reports on the dominance of humans. Or how dangerous they're supposed to be.
I really enjoyed watching them. Maybe it was the way they moved, balancing on their long hindlegs with a sort of grace, but there was also a foal like clumsiness to the smaller one. A she, I think. The bigger one I am assuming is her older brother.
They'd point and gesture with their hands the same way dragons do with there claws. I guess you don't even need magic when you can do so much with just a pair of those. Who am I kidding? I think I'd want my magic even if I was a human.
This gives me a lot of hope for restoring the worlds. If this is what humans are like, maybe they'll even want to help us out in some way?
- S.S.
Field Notes - V29 E2
I don't even know what to say here. What can I say? There just aren't words to describe- But I guess I'll have to do my best.
I saw ponies. I saw two earth ponies today, in the human city. This is the first time after months of crossing over to this world that I have seen any. Now I wish I hadn't. I wish I hadn't, because now those reports make sense.
I can't bring myself to go into details just now; my nerves are so shot that my hornwriting is jittery. I'll fill a full report later.
What I will say is that ponies aren't free in this world. They are under the control of the humans. And they don't fight it. They just act like it's normal to be at the humans mercy. Being strapped down, manhandled like animals... I feel kinda sick right now.
From what I observed, they're us ponies are considered a commodity for the wealthy classes of humans. (Refer to previous entries on human social and classes and their relation to pony classes.)
By Luna and Celestia both, we have to make this right.
- S.S.
History of Equestria Volume 4
Chapter 17: The Collide
After the banishment of Nightmare Moon (see chapter 16) Equestria suffered a sudden, catastrophic disaster to the scale of which has never been seen before or since. That disaster now referred to as The Collide.
Section 1 - What Caused The Collide?
Much debate surrounds the details of this topic, but scholars, wizards, and the princess herself seem to have agreed on the basic principles. For some time Equestria has been using a separate world as a means to dispose of beings and items too magically powerful to otherwise handle. This word was said to be without magic, therefore making it ideal for this purpose. However, much too late did ponies realized that every time something was sent across to that other world a bit of equestrian magic stayed with it, throwing both world off balance by miniscule margins.
For reasons still unclear, (refer to section 5 - Theories and Debates) the loss of the alicorn sisters' connection to the elements of harmony seemed to trigger The Collide. According to...
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Section 2 - What Happened During The Collide?
For as big of a disaster that The Collide was, the event itself only lasted approximately an hour. One hour in which both our world and the magicless world were fused into a single dimension. Upon fusion, much physical damage was wrought onto the land by the combined worlds attempts to claim the same space. Widows floated in midair, houses sat at the bottom of the ocean, bits and pieces of each world not quite fitting together, each battling for existence.
At this time all living things from both world were thrown into a panic. The humans (of which at the time were considered nothing more than fancy creatures) faced ponies, neither species knowing what was going on while animals went into a frenzy. The panic caused many accidents in and of itself, but nothing unusual outside of what could be expected from such extreme circumstances.
The most notable damage dealt during The Collide was the magical drainage from Equestria. Magic follows the principles of diffusion so, upon contact, a significant portion of Equestria's magic was swept into the other world. Because much of Equestria's magic is tied to it's inhabitants, a major population of ponies and other magical sorts were pulled into the other world as if by vacuum as the worlds separated again. Researcher's have roughly gauged a third of Equestrian magic and populace having been lost to the Collide. ...
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Section 4 - Magic Storms
With so much of Equestria's magic field torn away, weird occurrences began to take place all over the world. These are caused by unstable magic and can have varied, unpredictable, and dire consequences. Often appearing as more natural disasters, or sometimes having no visible presence, they cause issues that cannot be attributed to regular avalanches or storms.
Note: Magic storms are not always guaranteed to be dangerous, such as with the case of the color changing mist in...
"Twilight!"
Twilight jerked her eyes away from the scattering of books and notes on her desk to meet the the frowning gaze of the small dragon before her. He had his clawed hands on his purple hips and his wings pulled back in annoyance. She gave him a slightly sheepish grin.
"You're stress reading again, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Pft, I'm not stress reading, I'm just doing some last minute review." Twilight subconsciously reached a hoof out and pulled the textbook a little closer to her. She glanced down to the floor and added, "We're not allowed to bring any with us you know, Spike."
Spike sighed and gave her a sympathetic smile. "You already know it all by heart, Twilight. Come on," he bent down to look up into her downcast eyes, "you're going to do great!"
Twilight smiled and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad you're coming with me." Spike returned the embrace.
A new voice came from the hall beyond the double doors of Twilights chamber, "Was she stress reading?"
"Yeah!"
"No!" Twilight protested with an indignant huff.
"Ha! Called it!" Came the muffled reply.
Twilight rolled her eyes and used her magic to let the lavender unicorn in.
"It's not stress reading, Starlight," Twilight scolded. "It's review and completely relevant to my upcoming mission." Twilight closed the book and straightened out the loose sheaths of paper.
"Stress reading," Spike nodded, earning a glare.
Spike had been Twilight's number one assistant ever since she was a little filly way back when Princess Celestia took her under her wing. He was honestly like her little brother in a lot of ways, never bothering to quell his snarky attitude. It was no wonder he and Starlight got along so well.
Starlight Glimmer was Twilight's own portage, but had only been with her for the last year. Whereas Twilight was a master at retaining spells for a long time and preforming them on a level most unicorns could never reach, Starlight tended to be more creative than her. She could combine bits and pieces of spells in ways Twilight would never think of herself. It was a skill she'd come to rely on from her student.
Starlight was currently observing the large pile of literature on and around Twilights desk. "Um you did get dome sleep last night, right?" She fixed Twilight in a slight frown.
"I'll have you know that I got a full eight hours of sleep last night," Twilight said proudly.
This genuinely surprised Starlight for a moment, then compression dawned on her. "Luna?"
Twilight hung her head in embarrassment. "She got the drop on me."
"It's probably for the best," Spike cut in. "I mean, it's not every day you go on an epic quest into another dimension! How are you feeling?" He gave her an expectant smile, which was soon joined by Starlight's.
"Like screaming with excitement but also like I want to hide under my bed for the next year," she admitted.
"Eh, you'll be fine." Starlight prodded her towards the door, "Come on, I want to get some breakfast before you run us trough your plan a hundred times. Oh, and I also have a surprise for you before you leave!"
This naturally made Twilight curious, but she knew better than to try and get an answer out of Starlight before she was ready to give it, so she let herself be led out of her bedroom and into the royal dining hall. She didn't feel much like eating. Okay, that was an understatement; the thought of consuming food right now made her worried she'd be sick.
The dining hall already had three occupants around the table when they entered. Celestial gave Twilight a warm smile as she crossed to room to sit in the righthand seat to the princess. To Celestial's left was her sister, Princess Luna.
Whereas Celestia had been Twilight's mentor for almost as long as Twilight could remember, Luna had returned from her banishment only five years ago. It was a day- err- night, well engrained in her memory. Young and anxious about all the prophecies foretelling doom, it had taken all her self control not to go on full panic mode. Celestia reassured again and again that everything would be fine, but it wasn't until she witnessed the reunion of the two sisters that Twilight understood the full magnitude of things.
She'd stood at Celestia's side as the great princess faced the dark creature, a fourteen-year-old foal half sanding with and half hiding being her mentor. Nightmare Moon was every bit the monster her books had described. They faced off, Nightmare looking ready to fend off anything Celestia sent her way, but refusing to make the first move. Loathing was written across her face, and Twilight feared that nothing would get past her defenses.
But then Celestia did something Twilight never even imagined she'd whiteness. The regal mask of calm, wisdom, and serenity fell away as Celestia ran forward with joyful tears streaking down her white fur. Twilight gaped like a guppy as her mentor embraced Nightmare Moon, who was evidently prepared for anything but that.
"I've missed you so much Luna."
Nightmare struggled to regain her barring's. "Why dost thou embrace us so? Don't thou... hateth us? After all we hath done?"
"No more than I hate myself for what I have done." Celestia pulled back to look into Nightma- Luna's eyes earnestly. "And I need you here with me more than ever. I've always needed you."
Celestia then looked back at Twilight. "Come Twilight, come meet my sister!"
A lot more transpired that day before Luna agreed to peacefully retake her throne alongside her sister, but there was none of the death and destruction and darkness that the prophecies promised. Just two ponies who'd been hurting for far too long ready to make amends.
At the end of it all, Celestia pulled Twilight into her study for a private word. She wanted to impress upon Twilight the lesson to be found that day, that predictions were just that, predictions. Not a promise, not a guarantee, not a reason to give up or not bothering to give it your all. Twilight had protested that "what was the point of even having prophecies if they were never a sure thing," to which Celestia smiled and shook her head. "Because they can be source of hope or a warning of caution. But that is all they are, so be careful not to let the idle promises blind you."
All those years ago Twilight had though the lesson no more or less significant than all the others Celestia taught her, even though a part of her subconscious picked up on the Princess's extra layer of emotion with it, the way her eyes willed Twilight to truly understand. She'd simply attributed it to a hectic day, but as of three months ago Twilight learned the real reasoning behind it.
Three months ago, Twilight learned that she herself was a major part of a prophecy, a prophecy ten times bigger than the prediction of Nightmare moon.
Luna gave twilight a nod and a shadow of a smile. It was no secret that she wasn't a morning pony, so Twilight was very grateful that she was here with them for breakfast today. It might be her last one in the Canterlot castle for a very, very long time.
At Luna's side and across form Twilight was a yellow unicorn with flame-red hair. Luna's apprentice gave her a much bigger smile than her mentor. "You ready for today, Twilight?"
"No, not really. But I appreciate the sentiment, Sunset."
Sunset shrugged. "Crossing over for the first time is always nerve-wracking but, speaking from experience, you'll do just fine."
"That's what I said!" Starlight agreed.
Sunset Shimmer had originally been Celestia's student way back before Twilight was even born. From what she knew, they'd had a fallout of some sort that resulted in Sunset escaping into a completely different dimension. Upon learning about this, it was Princess Luna who decided to reach out to her and convince her to come back, taking Sunset under her own wing when she saw the unicorn's natural skill with opening and crossing portals. Apparently dreamwalking and voidwalking weren't all that different.
Despite technically being twenty years or so older than Twilight, Sunset only appeared to be a year or two older. Apparently time isn't always symmetrical between worlds, so what had been twenty years in Equestria had only been two for Sunset Shimmer.
Their relationship hadn't gotten off to the smoothest start when Sunset first arrived, and Twilight couldn't entirely blame her. She wouldn't like to feel replaced either. That was all in the past now, and Twilight was glad to have another 'Princess's personal protégé' in the palace to keep her company on occasion. She was a good study buddy despite numerous complaints about preferring fieldwork. Which she got to do a lot of. Her getting to go into other dimensions on a regular basis had made Twilight rather jealous until recently. This mission was a bit lot more than she bargained for when she initially gave voice to her desire to enter another world.
Twilight chewed absently, not even knowing what food she happened to be consuming.
"I agree," Celestia said in response to Sunset and Starlight's remarks, looking directly at Twilight. "You're as prepared for this mission as you can be, my student. I trust you'll be able to see it through."
Twilight nodded, the butterflies in her stomach making threats not to open her mouth at that moment. You all make it sound so simple...
Three months ago, that's what her life had been. Simple. Not always easy, per say, but simple and predictable and plannable. But then her entire universe was turned around when Princess Celestia revealed to her her destiny.
"What are they?" Twilight asked. She leaned closer to the box of jewels. This was the first time she had ever been allowed into Celestia's sleeping quarters. Her initial instinct when Celestia invited her in was to observe and analyze every detail of the chamber while she had the chance. But, as soon as she stepped across the threshold, her entire focus had been drawn to that display case with six stones, all the other wonders of the room forgotten before they were even acknowledged.
Five of them shined with a sort of inner radiance. One of them positively glowed. And it was this one, the center star, that Twilight's eyes locked onto. She was drawn to it, she needed to touch it, to connect with it. She was across the room and standing before it without realizing she'd moved. A part of her mind squirmed in resistance, fearing that this compulsion was some sort of unnatural greed.
She finally managed to turn her eyes away to look at Celestia for an answer. For her part, Celestia seemed entirely unconcerned about Twilights magnetic behavior, even smiling to herself a bit. Rather that answer Twilight outright (a frustrating habit of hers), she lifted the glass away, taking her time to set it down gently on the floor. The drawn out action made Twilight all the more antsy for answers, causing her to fidget with her hooves a little.
Celestia proceeded to wrap the glowing star in her golden magic, lifting it out and presenting it to her. Twilight's mouth hung open slightly as she looked directly into her teachers eyes, not quite comprehending. Celestia gave her a small nod to confirm that her permission was granted.
Refocusing on the star, Twilight tenderly lifted it out of the air with her hooves. Instantly, the world went white with light, but it didn't hurt or blind the way looking into the sun did. Honestly, she wasn't paying much attention to her vision at all. A burst of warmth and power shot up her forelegs the moment her hooves made contact, filling her with feelings she couldn't identify or even describe. And, for the briefest of seconds, she felt heartbeats. Her own, and five others. Not in sync. Not at the same rate. They beat beside hers.
It was over almost as soon as it began. Twilight shook her head, trying to work her brain through the molasses of confusion. "What- How- Huh?"
With a start, she realized there was a cool weight on her chest and looked down. There the star jewel sat, ironwrought bands of gold tying it neatly around her neck.
Twilight took a few deep breath's, wresting the panic and awe that threatened to give her a headache. Several questions swirled around her mind, but when she finally found the power of coherent speech again, all she did was look up at her mentor and ask in a foalish plea, "Celestia?"
The great alicorn was beaming at her, no longer the majestic princess of the sun but a very proud mother watching her chick take flight for the first time. "These, Twilight," she gestured to the stone on her neck and the five still waiting in the display with her wing, "are the elements of harmony. And you just bonded to the one that ties them all together."
Twilight's hear skipped a beat. Then it skipped another. It skipped all the beats.
"Breath, Twilight. Breath." Celestia gave her a very un-princesses-like smirk.
It was a struggle, but Twilight managed to keep her hyperventilating to a minimum. "But that means- But if I'm- The elements, they're supposed to make everything better, they're supposed to fix the worlds. And if I'm- I'm-" the reality of the situation was catching up to her, and she collapsed onto her rump. "It's me. I'm the one who's in the prophecy, aren't I?" Twilight looked at the other five elements. "I- we're going to fix everything?" This couldn't be real.
"Ah, so I see you've done a little reading on the prophecy of the elements."
"A little reading?!" Twilight said incredulously. "I spent months trying to find every scrap of information on it! There was practically nothing! Not even some silly rhyming verse! There's supposed to be six heroic ponies, each tied to one of the elements," she recited, "and with the elements they are to restore Equestria's magic and permanently seal the rift between the worlds. But it's all so vague. It doesn't say when this will happen or how. I couldn't even find anything about what the elements exactly are!"
"Oh well that's easy." Celestia pointed to the case again. "They're those things right there."
Twilight scowled and Celestia laughed.
"I'm sorry, Twilight, I know you're taking this very seriously. But there's been precious little to laugh about since I lost my connection to the elements, and I'm just too happy that this day has finally arrived." She sighed off the last of her mirth. "Very well. The elements themselves are the physical representation of, well, the elements that create harmony. They do not themselves create harmony, but channel their element so that the wielder can do so as they please."
"But what are they?" Twilight pressed. "What are the six elements?"
Celestia sighed. "I cannot tell you that Twilight." She held up a hoof as Twilight started to protest. "Yes, I know what they are. But no," her voice had a slight warning to it's edge, "I will not tell you." Her face softened. "This is something you need to discover yourself. And I have every faith that you will."
Twilight too a deep breath and nodded. "So... who are the other five?" She asked weakly.
Celestia shrugged. "I don't know."
Twilight groaned in frustration. Celestia's laughter wasn't helping.
"But I do know where you can find them."
That was her mission. Step 1: find the other elements. Step 2: Convince them all to follow her leadership and go on a perilous quest. Sep 3: Gather all the ponies in the other world and send them back to Equestria. Step 4: Seal the rift between the worlds forever.
Twilight frowned at her now empty plate. In her opinion, any list that didn't reach a full foot of parchment wasn't a good list at all. Unfortunately, There was little else she could do to plan ahead. There were just so many unknowns...
"Nope!"
Twilight snapped back to the real world. "Hm?"
Starlight grabbed Twilight's tale with her magic and began to drag her out the door. "No overthinking things now, Twilight. We've got work to do."