//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Multiversal Voyage // by King Ice //------------------------------// “How peculiar… To think even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wouldn’t know anything about it…” Twilight whispered as she examined something carefully. “That would mean I would be the first ever to study it! A magical artifact from space! How exciting!” Twilight exclaimed eagerly as she spun the stone in her magical grab. The stone was of a pearly white color and shone brightly -although not enough to hurt anyone’s eyes- but the fact that it was glowing at all was already strange enough in itself. Some stones were naturally made of magic, so it wasn’t that surprising or rare to find one. What was special about this one was that it came from space, but also it radiated immense magical power even though it was barely the size of her hoof. “That’s great, Twi, really. But why do we have to be there, too?” Someone asked, breaking the alicorn out of her thoughts. Right. She was currently studying the artifact, not in her basement (like she usually did). Instead, she had chosen her castle's grand throne room as the setting for her examination. Suspended by the power of her magic, the stone levitated above the cutie map, while her faithful friends, excluding Pinkie Pie, occupied their designated thrones. “Ah reckon Starlight would be more useful than us when it comes to studyin’ something magical considerin’ she’s nearly as good as you,” Applejack added while Starlight blushed at the compliment. “Well, personally, I don’t mind at all!” Rarity interjected as she eyed the stone with glimmering eyes. “You know… I wouldn’t mind taking it off your hooves when you’re done experimenting on it…” She suggested while not even bothering to look at the alicorn. “Sorry to break it to you, Rarity, but I don’t think she is gonna do that. She got really mad when I tried to eat it,” Spike mumbled in annoyance while rubbing the top of his head. “I wouldn’t have been mad if your first instinct after seeing something fall from space wasn’t to eat it. Seriously? It doesn’t look like a gem that much,” Twilight complained while rolling her eyes. “You still didn’t answer, Twilight… Why do you need us here?” Fluttershy inquired with her curiosity piqued. Most of them weren’t really interested in magic, so for Twilight to call them like this was unusual. Not impossible, but unusual. “It wouldn’t be the first time magical artifacts react to our strong bonds. I was kind of wishing it would do something if we were all together… And in the throne room of the literal castle of friendship,” Twilight explained as she spun the stone around again, the light growing brighter at regular intervals, then going back to normal. “When we were all together earlier, I think the stone… pulsated. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I’m sure there was a reaction coming from it. Where is Pinkie?” She added as she looked around. Suddenly, the doors were slammed open as Pinkie walked with a food trolley, carrying food. “Who wants cheese fondue, and some nice grassballs?” The earth pony shouted in a singing speech. “There it is again!” Twilight exclaimed as the stone released a small magical pulse. “Did it do anything?” She asked as the others started looking around. Spike only shrugged while Starlight shook her head. “Can’t notice anything different,” Rainbow Dash answered, bored and poking the cutie map. “Drat,” Twilight muttered as Rarity raised her eyebrows in realization. “Wait, Twilight. Have you tried using it?” The white unicorn inquired as Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Using it?” She repeated with uncertainty. “Have you tried to activate it with your magic? You know, like you would do with other items fueled by magic? Or better yet, like the elements of harmony!” Rarity explained her reasoning as Twilight widened her eyes. “I-I suppose I didn’t think about it, but that might work. And using it like the elements of harmony… Rarity you’re a genius!” Twilight complimented her while Rarity flaunted with pride. “Why thank you, dear,” She replied happily as Pinkie put a plate of food in front of her. “Girls, I think we should try treating this like one of the elements and use it the same way,” Twilight suggested as she pointed at the glowing stone. “Doing magic? Now we’re talking! Too bad we don’t have any bad guys to shoot at,” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof up in excitement. “Ah guess it’s worth a try,” Applejack agreed as Rarity and Pinkie nodded along. Meanwhile, Fluttershy seemed hesitant. “I don’t know… That stone looks suspicious. Is it safe?” The pegasus asked with uncertainty. “I’m with Fluttershy with this one,” Starlight added before grabbing Spike and pulling him back. “Let’s give them some space just in case,” “Don’t you worry! I promise it is perfectly safe! Probably,” Twilight assured confidently, muttering the last part under her breath. “Ready?” She asked as the others nodded in confirmation. Twilight closed her eyes as lights of different colors surrounded her and her friends, slowly glowing brighter as they were lifted above their thrones. Suddenly, the lights turned into beams and burst out of their bodies until they merged into the stone, which shined even brighter. After a brief moment, the radiance subsided, and the six ponies gently descended to their thrones, their connection to the lights momentarily severed. Meanwhile, the stone remained suspended above the map, its mystical aura undiminished. “That’s it? Nothing happ-” Rainbow Dash started only to be interrupted when magical power suddenly exploded out of the stone. “What the hay?!” She shouted as something akin to a wormhole appeared in the middle of the throne room. “Hold on to something!” Twilight screamed as the portal-like light began pulling them in so hard it seemed like a tornado popped up inside the room. “Oh, no! What do I do?” Starlight yelled as she planted her hooves on the ground and used a spell to stick them to it while holding Spike. Both of them looked safe enough, but the other ponies in the rooms were screaming their heads off. “Twilight! Do something!” Applejack shouted while holding on to her throne as if her life depended on it. “I wish I knew what!” Twilight shouted in response only for the portal to pull even harder. This was too much! They couldn’t hold on anymore! Just as the stone pulled harder, they let go of their respective thrones and were sucked into the portal under Starlight and Spike’s terrified eyes. “Where the heck are we?!” Rainbow screamed as she and the others were still being pulled. The expanse they found themselves in resembled an immense torrent of magic, spanning far and wide. The entire realm appeared bathed in a vivid blue hue, hurtling forward with an unimaginable velocity, carrying the six ponies along its ethereal currents. To Twilight, this felt like plummeting horizontally. There was no air blowing in her ears! There was no air to breathe! But she could still hear, and she could still breathe! The blue stream of magic wasn’t even producing light, but she could still see it. There was no darkness. And how did she know it didn’t produce any light? That… She wasn’t sure of herself. It was as if nothing in this place made sense. However, the most bewildering aspect of this realm was the abundance of mirrors that populated its expanse. Mirrors of various sizes and shapes adorned the surroundings, each reflecting different scenes and places. Were these mirrors showcasing locations within Equestria? She wasn’t sure. It was going too fast for her to see anything! And there were countless mirrors! There was no end to them! “I can’t-I can’t fly!” Fluttershy shouted as she attempted to move her wings. “I can’t either!” Rainbow added while waving her legs and wings around in panic. “This is so cool!” Pinkie Pie laughed as she tried to make a swimming motion only for her body to spin around. Applejack and Rarity weren’t fairing any better as they did everything they could to take control of their bodies. “Girls! T-Try to hold on to each other! Or else we’ll…” Twilight began while extending her hooves to her friends until they were all suddenly hit by a seemingly invisible projectile, splitting them off. “Be separated! Girls!” She screamed as they were all sent in different directions. “S-Stop… Spinning, body!” Pinkie ordered her body as she was flung into a nearby mirror, which depicted six ponies together, two of which were pegasi while the rest were earth ponies. The moment she went through the portal, her voice died down as she disappeared. “Better brace yourself, AJ!” Applejack told herself as she laid her eyes on a mirror depicting a city with tall buildings. Was this Manehattan? She had no time to think about it as she put her forelegs in front of her face before falling into the portal. “Where did they go?” Rainbow Dash asked herself as her heart beat faster and faster. She got hit by something and by the time she got her sense back, everyone else disappeared. While she was busy looking for her friends, she didn’t notice herself approaching a mirror depicting Lord Tirek, smiling triumphantly in a devastated land. She disappeared as quickly as the others did as she was thrown inside the portal. “I knew this was a bad idea…” Fluttershy got teary-eyed while looking for the others. Unfortunately, she was just as alone as the others while plummeting in one of the mirrors’ directions. She had no time to think about what she should do as she fell into one of the portals. This particular mirror emanated a radiant glow, showcasing a vibrant spectrum of colors akin to a majestic rainbow. In the center of the mirror stood six ponies, their heads held high with an aura of pride and unwavering confidence. Behind them, a towering castle loomed, exuding an air of regality, surrounded by a multitude of ponies adorned in impeccable uniforms. “S-Stay calm, Rarity… Breathe in! Breathe out!” Rarity hollered while hurling towards a portal herself. The only thing she managed to see before falling in was Princess Luna, surrounded by shadows while a small unicorn stood by her side. As Twilight continued to descend, her surroundings rapidly blurring with each passing moment, she cast anxious glances in every direction, desperately trying to make sense of the enigmatic realm she found herself in. Yet, the chaotic nature of her descent left no room for understanding or discernment. Frustration welled up within her, and a single tear escaped her eye, tracing a delicate path down her cheek, as the harsh reality settled in—she was utterly alone, separated from her friends, and stuck in the abyss. “I’m sorry, girls… This is all my fault…” She whispered. Still, she believed they were fine. Wherever they ended up… They would find each other and go back home. As long as they trusted each other, they could accomplish anything… Right? Twilight closed her eyes in a small prayer as she fell into a portal too. The portal was cracked while a dark miasma was escaping from it. What it depicted was a seemingly empty grey land with a single purple light cloaked in darkness.