This is Lisa Johanssen with CBC Radio News. I’m here in the small community of Brightly, British Columbia where we are about to witness an extraordinary event. Two aliens from the extra-dimensional world of Equestria are about to assist in the raising of a portal, a gateway between our world and theirs, in an attempt to create a permanent and easily accessible bridge between Earth and their home world.
Canada and the world has already had to re-evaluate our place in the cosmos with the revelation that not only are we not alone in the universe, but that alien life is friendly and brings with it unprecedented abilities and powers that has been shared to everyone just through their mere presence and that of the portal to their dimension.
From where I’m standing, I have a clear view of both the alien princesses, Celestia and Luna, as well as an extensive team from CERN along with leaders in the field of cosmology from around the world. I can also see the shaft that leads down to where the portal has lain for over one hundred years, since the time it first opened in a cosmic accident to save the life of one of Brightly’s most influential citizens.
I can tell that the princesses have started their effort from the glow around their horns. Those involved in studying the new field of magic and magic use have theorized that the glow is actually a form of Cherenkov radiation, similar to that given off by nuclear reactors. Both Luna and Celestia are said to be among the most powerful users of magic among their people, but even so I can see the strain that this effort is costing both of them.
I can see a glow beginning to come from the shaft now. That shaft was bored through no less than three separate veins of coal by the 19th Construction Engineer Squadron, out of CFB Comox. The glow is increasing now, and I can see a frenzy of activity from the assembled watchers as various measuring instruments are starting to pick up emissions from the portal.
And there it is! It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Maybe half a meter across at most, brilliant white but with glowing rays in all colours of the rain—wait, something is happening. The portal is shifting in shape, moving from an oval to something more ragged, like a wind… Something is happening. I don’t think.. It’s becoming unsta—
“Luna! The portal is… shifting!” gasped Celestia, exerting all of her magical might to try to wrestle the suddenly unruly ball of trans-dimensional energy into submission. “What’s going on?”
“I do not know!” Luna cried back, her face becoming as rapidly sweat streaked as Celestia’s. “It is as if something is trying to push the threshold to one side. I do not understand it.”
“TWILIGHT!” roared Celestia, using the full power of the Canterlot voice. “The portal is trying to move on its own. What’s going on?”
“I had to remove one of the dimensional anchors so the wormhole could move on the z-axis,” came the faint, staticy reply from the once Element of Magic. “It should still be stable on every other axis of move—hang on. We’re getting some kind of feedback here. Starlight! What's happening?”
On the Equestrian side of the portal confusion reigned as the hoof mirror the portal was enchanted to started to take on a radiant energy all its own. As Starlight held a measuring device up to the mirror, set in the framework Twilight had created for it, the unicorn froze for a moment as she was able to clearly see the world on the other side for the first time.
“But that’s impossible,” Starlight murmured, as she saw the strange bipedal shapes of the humans on the far side. “The only way I should be able to see any images is if… Oh no.”
“What’s wrong, Starlight?” Scootaloo asked, eager to help.
“The only way I should be able to see anything from the other side is if it was being sent here. And the only way that could happen is if…” Starlight’s voice trailed off in her explanation as she looked at the impossible readings on the device.
“What’s wrong?” Applebloom asked, as her and Sweetie Belle moved up to flank their fellow Crusader.
“That’s not Equestrian magic coming through the portal,” Starlight said, in an automatic response to the question as her mind worked on making sense out of what she was seeing. “That’s magic from the human world. That’s why Twilight’s numbers were off. She didn’t get the readings wrong at all, she was picking up Canadian magic.”
“But I thought all their magic was stuff from Equestria?” Sweetie Belle asked. “That all the Brightly ponies are just borrowing magic from here.”
“Maybe once, but what I’m picking up almost as strong as the magic levels here, and that’s on top of the Equestrian magic that’s there,” replied Starlight, before raising her voice. “Twilight! Canada has its own magic. That’s what’s pushing against the portal. We have got to shut down, adjust things and try again later.”
“Earth,” Twilight corrected automatically, before adding with a strained voice, “We can’t stop now. With the portal unfixed in space-time it’ll fall apart if we stop now.”
“And if we don’t stabilize things it’ll fall apart anyway,“ replied Starlight, and the mind of the best unicorn in Equestria at improvisation showed her a possible path to success. “You and the princesses try to hold things together. I’m going to try something.”
“Hurry up,” ordered the Princess of Friendship. “I don’t know how much longer we can keep it all together.”
“Right,” Starlight muttered, talking to herself as she often did when going with her gut. “Haflinger’s Hole Mender, with Brumby’s Balance Beam, and serve it all up with Starswirl’s portal spell.”
The combined spell that Starlight Glimmer unleashed on the hoof mirror and its support frame was a work of art put together in one of the moments of brilliant improvisation that was the unicorn’s hallmark, and in a perfect universe it would have been more than enough to do the job. However, the universe is not a perfect place.
The mirror and the various mechanisms attached to it had been helpfully coated by the CMC with Zecora’s potion. A potion to which had been added an incorrect ingredient by Sweetie Belle, aka The Chef of Food Annihilation. That ingredient changed the nature of the potion radically, from one which would alter causality favorably, to one that reacted badly in high energy environments.
High energy environments like those found around objects that are struck by three spells woven into one.
For a moment after Starlight’s combined spell struck the hoof mirror everything seemed like it was going to be okay. The excess energy began to bleed off in a series of harmless sparks reminiscent of St. Elmo’s fire and for just a second Starlight allowed herself a breath of relief. Which of course, is when the remnants of the potion decided to explode with the force of a small bomb, utterly destroying the hoof mirror and sending everything around it flying and flattening nearly everypony present.
Freed of all physical constraint the portal began to pulse and shift, while lashing out tendrils of energy that either deposited bits and pieces of soil from Earth or sucked Equestrian things in through the dimensional breach toward an unknown fate. Panic broke out in Ponyville in typical fashion as everypony fled for their lives. All except for Twilight Sparkle, who was doing her best to contain and constrain the breach, and Starlight Glimmer and the CMC, who lay stunned or unconscious near the maw of unstable energy.
On Earth that untempered schism in the fabric of space and time unleashed what could only be described as madness on everyone in range. Unearthly voices sung shapes that bled cinnamon. Light shone in shades of numbers while dancing an irrational weave of joy, and cold fire wept steel tears in bloody counterpoint.
Every electronic device pointed at the Einsteinian fever dream flatly refused to record anything, as if trying to protect the known world of cause and effect with silicon shields. Every individual present tried to look away, or twitch, or blink, as they all tried something, anything, to tear their consciousness away from the claws of madness that were inexorably ripping apart their psyches, which were proving to be no stronger than wet tissue in the face of a hurricane storm.
“What is happening?” Luna demanded, sweating profusely as she strained to hold the rip in the universe. “This is like trying to hold a hydra by the tail.”
“I don’t know, but we’ve got to stabilize the portal as fast as we can,” stated Celestia, her own coat almost completely sweat matted by now. “Either that or seal it off before it becomes big enough to destroy the town.”
“Why would… “ Luna began to ask, before her own knowledge of magic showed her the answer. “There are two sources of magic! And they are clashing for dominance at the portal.”
“Like two streams of water hitting each other full on,” Celestia replied, as the gyrating maelstrom of madness expanded to a full three meters across. “The force of the impact is spreading sideways and ripping the portal even wider.”
“I understand,” Luna replied, redoubling her efforts and being rewarded as the portal shrank back somewhat.
“What in Hecate’s name is going on?” asked Foxfire, as she and the Five rounded a corner just in time for the gap in reality to spit out a bolt of lightning at random and turning a head sized portion of a bench into a small pile of glittering sand.
“Power Ponies, get everyone out of here!” Shield Maiden called out to her friends, who leapt forward in instant response.
As her teammates sped into action, dragging mind-numbed spectators to safety, the Pony of Protection summoned up all her strength and launched it outward in the form of a bastion of defence between the rampaging energies the Sisters were fighting against and the vulnerable townsfolk.
Now, whispered the Umbral into Foxfire’s mind. Now is the time to bind the alicorns to your service. Now, while their attention is focused on the portal.
“What?” Foxfire asked aloud, confused as she tried to switch her mental focus from what was going on around her to the voice within her.
They will never accept you as you are. They will never accept Us as they are, answered the Umbral with seductive reasoning. Use your power on their minds so that they can neither refuse us nor stop your rise to your rightful throne.
“I… “ began Foxfire, her head starting to feel like she’d had an extra glass of dandelion wine. “I can’t. It’s not right, isn’t it?”
It is right when it is self-preservation, responded the ethereal being, exerting more of its power. Change their minds, change your fate at their hooves. Or we are both doomed.
“Change… “ murmured the unicorn, her ability to think fading into more primal responses. “Yes… protect. How?”
Follow my guidance and I will help you, said the Umbral in a pleased voice, as it layed out the pattern of power the Umbral had used on Medevac earlier. Use this, and the alicorns will serve our purpose forever.
“Ye—” began Foxfire, but a bump against her flank disrupted the spell she had been about to cast.
“Hey Mom,” asked Seeker, looking up with earnest, colour shifted eyes as she stopped to check on her mother. “Why is your horn all dark?”
“Dark?” Foxfire responded, answering a question with a question and the turning of her mind to answer both clearing her head of the fog that had filled it to overflowing. “Wait… what was I do—”
LOOK OUT! screamed the Umbral, and Foxfire looked up to see one of the bolts of lightning from the portal coming directly at her, straight through Shield Maiden’s protective barrier. Lacking time to do anything other than react, the unicorn automatically used a new spell that the Umbral mentally held out for her.
Dark purple magic lashed out at coruscating annihilation, squashing it flat and then to Foxfire’s horror, continuing on to crash directly into both Luna and Celestia and sending them flying into the portal. The last thing the unicorn saw of the Diarchs were Luna’s accusing eyes locked directly onto her own.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE ME DO?!? Foxfire roared into the vault of her mind, as she realized what had just happened and how.
What had to be done, came the satisfied voice of the Umbral. Now you can fulfill your destiny as Queen of Brightly and the Lands Beyond. For the greater glory of the Night.
Not on your life! Foxfire declared hotly, her inner argument blinding her to the fact that the portal to Equestria was now in full collapse, with random energy spikes both leaving things and taking objects with it. I’ll be lucky if they don’t lock me away for a thousand years. Accident or not.
You are the only one that saw yourself in any danger, because that is what I wished you to see. To all others, you simply used your magic to hurl both alicorns into the portal, revealed the creature. You have no choice now but to rise or fall as a Power in this world, and thanks to me, your greatest threats have been eliminated, and you have a loyal minion at your side.”
“Loyal min— Oh Goddess, no,” Foxfire moaned, her now fully functional mind making the connection with Medevac’s recent subservient behaviour, and the Umbral's statement. “You son of a bitch, what did you do to her?”
She has not been harmed, nor her mind damaged, was the Umbral’s comment as the portal shut with a final flash of energy that blinded everyone. She will be loyal unto death and beyond, as befits a pegasus in the service of a powerful unicorn. Unquestioning and obedient for whatever task you would have of her.
“I will find a way to undo this,” Foxfire swore, pain in her heart as she saw her daughter’s frightened eyes looking up at her. “I will protect her and my children from you.”
Your daughters are your heirs and will be princesses in their own right, the Umbral assured Foxfire. Under Our tutelage they will have nothing to fear— wait, what are you doing?
“Figuring out a way to stop you,” growled the unicorn, having no idea why the Umbral was in distress all of a sudden, but she could indeed sense a sudden weakness in the mental malevolence inside of her. “Seeker, go get Windweaver, Thunder and Father Addison. I think I need their help.”
“Okay Mom!” responded the small red pony, her purple mane whipping around as she scurried off.
HOW are you taking away my power? demanded the Umbral, and Foxfire could hear the fading strength in the Umbral’s mental voice now. Magic cannot be stopped. Magic… is eternal.
“Nothing is eternal,’ Foxfire shot back, not sure of what was happening except that some happy accident was murdering the evil inside of her. “Not you, not me, not the flower or the tree. Everything has its time and everything dies. Suck on entropy, motherfucker.”
How… are you… magic, cannot be stopped, came the laboured response. I… will find… a way back. You… will see.
“I’ll be waiting,” Foxfire stated, feeling a strange lassitude start to come over her body as well as the Umbral’s voice faded to nothingness, and realizing that whatever had taken the Umbral was working on her as well.
People started to poke their heads out from cover and look around as peace and calm began to take hold again. The witch pony of Brightly looked around in satisfaction at the work of her children, feeling her knees begin to buckle even as Shield Maiden, her Rowey, trotted up to her.
“You okay, Mom? You don’t look so good,” Jean’s bright, brave daughter asked.
“Dear,” Jean gasped out, feeling the last of her strength begin to leech away. “Look out for your sister and brother. Take care of Iron Heart. Arnold is your father now. Trust him.”
“MOM!” was that last thing Jean Pedersen heard, as the dregs of her strength collapsed into the echoing chasm of her mind where the Umbral had been, and carrying her off into darkness along with it.