Two Minds Diverged in Life and Death

by Shadowed Rainbow


Century Magic

Graveyards were often known to be the source of Nightmare Night stories, and the Canterlot Graveyard was no exception to the rule.  It was the resting place of royal nobility, of powerful mages, of ponies both long forgotten and eternally remembered.

But in that afternoon, there was an almost tangible energy that could be considered a very good source for Nightmare Night tales.  

It was as if the essence of the graveyard itself knew there was something different going on than the usual gloomy occurrences.  There seemed to be a new energy around, an invisible yet all-too-present force that surrounded the area.  One that those skilled in magic could especially detect.

And a certain group was there to investigate it.  

The ordinary silence in the graveyard that afternoon was broken by the movements of six ponies and one young dragon.  And the leader of the group looked to be the only one with an eager, almost ecstatic expression on her face.    

"Twilight, remind me again why you were so insistent on coming here?" Rarity inquired, trying to avoid as many twisted clumps of dirt and leaves as possible.  "I don't know why you'd want to bring us to a place that's so..."  She put a hoof to her chin, muddling over the right word.  "Dreary..."

Rainbow Dash crossed her front hooves, hovering in the air with a bored expression on her face.  "Aw come on, Rarity, you're not scared, are you?"  She looked around, her gaze only meeting the soil and headstones of the graveyard and her friends walking below her.  "It's just some spooky old graveyard."

"Y-Yeah... just a... g-graveyard..." Fluttershy said in a whisper, hiding behind her long pink mane as her teal eyes darted back and forth for any sign of danger.  

Twilight marched forward with a smile, the only one of the group who seemed genuinely excited to be there.  "It's not just a graveyard.  There's something special happening here this evening."

Pinkie Pie, moving along with a spring in her step, suddenly rose up on her hind hooves and attempted to make spooky-sounding noises.  "Ooooh, are ponies going to rise from their graves?"

A sigh.  "No, Pinkie.  We are not here to raise the dead."  Twilight frowned, using her magic to flip through a few pages in the dusty large tome she had brought along with her.  "I don't think that's even scientifically possible."

"So, what is so interestin' here, Twi?" Applejack gazed at the horizon, Celestia's sun sinking lower into the sky.  "Dosn' all that spooky graveyard stuff usually happen at night?"

Twilight was looking visibly irritated now.  "That's just Nightmare Night stuff!  This is for purely scientific investigation."

"And that being..." 

"It's a little thing I read in the archives the other day that has to do with Star Swirl the Bearded," Twilight elaborated.  "You know how he did those time travel spells and such that are recorded in the archives?"

A collective murmur from her friends served as a "Yes".

"Well, it's said that he was so powerful that after he died, residues of his magic still remain manifested around his grave, and some unicorns come to Star Swirl's grave to get an epiphany of magical insight or something.  I think it might have to do with all the different kinds of spells he created."

"So, let me get this straight."  Rainbow Dash flew above Twilight, tapping her head as if thinking there was something in their messing with her head.  "You're hoping that if you go to some old pony's grave and you'll suddenly be infused with a bunch of super-magical energy?"

"Sort of.  I read in that book that every century there's a discharge of magic here that reacts with the fabric of reality itself to a stronger degree than normal."  Twilight continued flipping through a few more pages as she walked, eyes narrowed in precise observation.  "And we're here to investigate it."  She clapped her front hooves together as if it were the most exciting thing in the world.

"Sounds kinda spooky, sugarcube," Applejack admitted.  "Ah thought you didn' believe in any of that curse stuff."

"If it can be explored by science like this can, it's a perfectly valid reasoning," the unicorn explained.  

The prospect had Rainbow's full attention now.  "So what will happen if it goes wrong?!"  A grin spread across the pegasus's face.  "Will it cause a zombie pony apocalypse?"

"Zombies?!"  The cry came from three of the group - Fluttershy, who looked like Rainbow Dash was the only thing keeping her from hurrying out of there as fast as possible, Pinkie, who seemed to defy gravity at the thought the undead rising to eat her brains, and Spike, who gripped Twilight's mane tightly as a source of protection from the invisible threat.  

Twilight's gaze turned toward her frightened assistant, her expression deadpan.  "It's not zombies.  I think you've been watching too much Cemetery Stallion."

Rainbow Dash looked indignant.  "Hey, it's a good movie!"  

Twilight ignored her.  "We just need to find that gravestone before the sun sets..." 

It was a few minutes before Twilight finally spotted it - a headstone that was considerably large like some of of the others, but a distinguishing feature was that a pattern of stars and swirls were etched onto its surface.  At the somewhat wave-like top of the grave was a star at the top, a swirl carved intricately inside it.

"Aha, found it!"

The group of seven all looked at the headstone curiously, observing its unusual markings.  Even those of the group who weren't unicorns could sense there was something strange about it.

"Well, Twilight, it seems we found the gravestone," Rarity said quietly.  "How exactly is this magic thing supposed to work?"

"I'm not really sure," Twilight admitted, turning the pages of her book and scouring every word, "there doesn't seem to be any- wait!"  The unicorn opened the book a little wider, stretching out the pages for everypony to look over her shoulder and see.  

The two pages which Twilight had opened to detailed Star Swirl's grave and what it was said that ponies would do to gain wisdom from his spirit.  Alongside the text, there was an illustration that showed a unicorn touching the tip of their horn to the swirl in the center of the headstone's largest star.

"So all you have to do is touch your horn to it?"

"Looks like it..."

Twilight arched her brow, curious, but stepped forward.  She gazed steadily at the horizon, Celestia's sunrays nearly fading.  If she was right, the discharge of energy would happen any moment now.  If unicorns really were able to gain wisdom or power if they touched their horn to the stone normally, what would the magical flux do?  Would it enhance her?  Would it hurt her?

This only happens once every century Twilight thought to herself, taking a deep breath.  It's now or never.

Lowering her head, Twilight gently caused a spark of magic to light up her horn as she touched it to the indented swirl on the ancient pony's grave.  The same instant that the last rays of Celestia's sunlight cast their glow over the gravestone.

"Woah, HEY!"

Star Swirl's grave shone with a bright, shimmering white aura, the powerful burst of magic casting a whirlwind of energy into the sky.  The force of the blow knocked everyone backward, causing them to crash to the ground.  

Everyone, that is, except for Twilight.

"W-What's going on?!"

Twilight attempted to pull her head away from the gravestone, but it was no use.  It was as if her magic had been fused to the magic force erupting from the grave of the ancient pony, the energy coming forth in waves of hightened perception.

One instant she saw thought time.  Next she was aware of nothing.

For one second, she was blinded.  The next, seeing colors she had never known existed.

Her perception of reality became so distorted thanks to this new magic, that she felt as if she were on the brink between life and death...

And the mare let out a silent scream when she saw the sudden ghostly figure of a pony manifest before her.  His form was surrounded by a faint green glow, but his appearance instantly told her who this mysterious pony was.

"S-Star Swirl?"  At least, that was what Twilight attempted to say.  The vortex seemed to be pulling her in all directions, and she was unable to hear the cries of her friends, or see their futile attempts at reaching her.

Despite her inability to vocalize her question, the specter pony understood.  "Yes, I am the pony you think I am, but there isn't much time!  This flux of magic happens to coincide with a strong magical force in another world!  You're caught in the collision that resides in the middle of it"

Twilight's eyes widened still further.  Another world?  Collision?  She felt the magic from her horn begin to fade, the fabric of her reality appearing to shift into waves before her eyes.  She could dimly see a form of swirling energy that looked like a portal appear into being behind the grave.

Twilight's friends, too, were trying to prevent themselves from getting sucked into the vortex, unable to help the trapped unicorn get free.

"What's with the swirling vortex thing?" Pinkie attempted to call out over the roar of the wind.

"I don't think it's supposed to do this!" Rainbow Dash shouted in reply, unable to break away even at full wingpower.  

But the tremors and whirlwind of the enigmatic portal became too much for the ponies and dragon to resist, and they were sent flying, unwillingly, toward the portal's entrance.  

Time seemed to stand still for Twilight, almost in a trance as she too began to lift away from the gravestone.  Her body felt light, almost ethereal, as her horn briefly was still connected to the stone.

"You shouldn't have come!"  Twilight had a feeling that only she heard the spirit's words.  "If you don't stop this, then-"

She never heard Star Swirl finish his sentence, as in that moment she was propelled into the air to crash into the vortex which threatened to lead into another world altogether.

Reaching the portal at the same moment as her friends, Twilight was suddenly hit by a powerful burst of energy, conjoining at her horn and crackling through her body.  Pure magic?  Electricity?  She wasn't sure.  

"TWILIGHT!"  The call of those accompanying the unicorn reached her ears as she was able to barely bring her eyes into focus to see them.

"Are y'all okay?" Applejack called, attempting to reach through to her.

"Are any of us okay?" Rarity corrected, trying to make sense of which way was up.

"I'M NOT OKAY!" Fluttershy screamed, looking utterly terrified.  

Twilight couldn't answer.  All she was aware of was that the painful energy was sending her and her friends tumbling through time and space to... Celestia knew where.

No, the thought lingered in her head, I don't think even Celestia knows where we're going.

It was the last thing she thought before the force of the portal's pull and the magic's energy caused her to fall limp into unconsciousness, just as they all impacted the ground of their new destination - a hillside deep in a forest, much like the one they had just left.

But if they had been on the edge of the area in question, the newcomers would have seen a road sign at the area's outer limits:

Welcome to Blithe Hollow.