Twilight Sparkle stirred from her sleep in reaction to something gently nudging her back. With a groan she opened her eyes a crack. All she saw was blackness. Confused, Twilight opened her eyes fully and rapidly blinked a few times to make sure she had succeeded. Judging that she was indeed awake she planted both forehooves onto the ground and shakily stood up, stretching her back before doing the same with her hind hooves. Once she was finished getting up she took a good look at her surroundings. All that greeted her was the blackness. She looked downwards to see that even the ground was absent and replaced by the light-less void she was currently in. Despite the lack of solid surface under her hooves, she had no trouble standing as if there was one. It all served to further confuse the lavender unicorn.
"Is this a dream?" she asked out loud.
". . . You tell me."
The sound of the male voice behind her startled Twilight enough to make her flinch. She spun around a second later, only to gawk at what she saw. There, sitting on the black surface no more than two meters from her, was a human male with magenta eyes, a spiky mane with one row colored yellow and the row behind it colored purple, and was wearing an all blue outfit with black shoes. Hanging around his neck on a chain was a strange pyramid-shaped object with an eye-like design engraved into the center.
"You're a human," Twilight stated, matter-of-fact like.
"And you're a talking purple unicorn," he replied in the same tone.
What followed was a minute of uncomfortable silence as the two stared blankly at each other, not moving even a bit out of both shock and confusion at the situation presented to them. It was especially awkward for Twilight to come face to face with a human; a creature of her own design. Although, when she thought about it, this human didn't look quite like any from her HUMAN trilogy. At one point she thought it was another prank from Rainbow Dash and Discord, but something in her gut immediately said it wasn't, given the situation at hoof. She then considered the possibility of it being a changeling, to which she didn't have a gut feeling telling otherwise. She decided to use her Changeling Detect spell on him, but also to be polite about it.
"So, what's your name?" Twilight asked.
". . . Yugi Muto," he answered.
Is that a changeling name?
"Okay, Yugi, I'm Twilight Sparkle." She extended a hoof in greeting. Yugi looked down at the proffered hoof in confusion before realization seemed to strike and he lifted his hand to shake it. Greetings exchanged, Twilight decided to use the spell. She closed her eyes and let the magic flow to her horn. Once the spell was ready, she pointed her horn at Yugi and ever so gently let the magic go to work.
"W-w-what're you doing?" Yugi stammered.
"Relax," Twilight replied, trying to be as soothing as possible, "I'm just discerning whether or not you're a threat."
". . . Okay."
The spell finished a moment later, and while Twilight concluded Yugi wasn't a changeling she was still left confused, as she had detected vast quantities of magic emanating from the pyramid object hanging around his neck. Yet humans, by her design, lacked the ability to harness magic. Twilight wanted to convince herself this was all just a dream, but her gut was once again dismissing such thoughts.
That was when Twilight came out of her stupor and began looking at the situation like the rational mare she was. She had to either be dreaming, or relocated from her library home to wherever she currently was. After pondering all her collected data points, she determined the latter scenario to be the more likely of the two. She had the same level of awareness as she did in the real world, and her dreams were usually much more vivid than the endless blackness that currently surrounded her. She easily deduced that something big was happening, and Twilight resolved to gather as much knowledge as she could so as to prepare herself should danger arise. Fortunately, she had someone to question for that purpose.
Twilight returned her gaze to Yugi to find he had gotten over his shock from seeing her and was now glancing around the blackness in apparent thought as to where he was.
Perhaps we can both help each other.
"Yugi?"
Yugi turned to look at her. "Hmm?"
"Do you know where this is?" Twilight gestured to the blackness around them.
Yugi shook his head. "Not a clue. I thought I was just dreaming, but something's telling me that's not the case."
"Yeah, same with me," Twilight agreed. She then looked down at the object hanging around Yugi's neck; her curiosity had only grown since casting her spell, and she figured now was a good time to ask about it.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the object.
Yugi followed her gaze down to the object and held his hand up to it. "Why do you want to know?"
"I sensed strange magical energies coming from it when I cast my spell and I'm curious as to its nature."
Yugi let go of the object and placed his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache. "I doubt you'd understand if I tried to explain it to you. At least, assuming you're not a . . ."
"A what?"
". . . a duel spirit."
Twilight raised her eyebrow in curiosity and confusion. "What's that?"
Yugi shook his head. "Look, it's nothing important. What is important is finding a way out of-"
Yugi was interrupted by a thudding sound emanating from behind them. Both pony and human turned around to see something that further baffled Yugi, yet made Twilight squeal with delight.
"Princess Celestia!" she shouted as she ran over to her mentor.
Princess Celestia was unconscious when Twilight reached her. Other than that, the sun alicorn appeared no worse for wear. After regaining her composure, Twilight gently nudged her mentor on the cheek to wake her. She stirred slightly, to which Twilight nudged her a bit more forcefully. Princess Celestia slowly opened her eyes to see Twilight beaming down at her.
"Ugh, Twilight?" Celestia groaned.
"Yes, it's me princess!" Twilight wrapped her hooves around Celestia's head in a gentle hug. "I'm so glad to see you!"
Celestia smiled wryly. "It's good to see you too, my faithful student. But may I ask what you're doing in . . . my . . ." Celestia fully opened her eyes to see she was no longer in her bed at Canterlot Castle. "Where are we?" she asked as much to herself as to Twilight.
While Twilight explained what little she knew to Celestia, Yugi looked on with growing interest. He had been beyond shocked to see a talking purple unicorn that apparently wasn't a duel spirit. By the time the second one arrived he'd gotten over his shock and was now almost amused by the absurdity of the scene playing out before him. His other self, however, was more concerned about the ambiguity of the situation at hand than anything else.
I'm at a complete loss as to what's happening. I can't sense the forces of darkness at work here, which is more troubling than reassuring because then at least we'd have an idea of what's going on. All we can do right now is wait for more developments to happen, and be ready at the first sign of danger.
Suddenly, a loud thud emanated from behind him. Yugi turned around to find another human, a man, lying face down on the solid blackness. He rushed over to help, getting a good look over the man as he did so. The new arrival had short black hair with sideburns and was wearing brown loafers, green khaki pants, and a brown jacket over a white button-up shirt. In one hand he held a camera with a strap securing it around his neck.
Yugi knelt down and shook the man's shoulder. Almost instantly the man opened his eyes and got to his knees, a dazed look adorning his face.
"What just happened?" he muttered.
"Who are you?" Yugi asked him.
The man shook his head slightly to come back to his senses and looked Yugi right in the eyes, to which Yugi noticed his eyes were brown in color.
"I'm Frank West," the man answered, lifting up his camera. "I'm a freelance photojournalist, though recently I've taken up the additional job of zombie slayer."
Yugi blinked. "So much for a little normalcy," he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." Yugi thought for a moment before speaking again. "Listen, Frank, do you know how you got here?"
Frank wracked his brain for a few moments. "I don't know. One second I'm at home, the next I'm talking to you. By the way, where is here?"
"I don't know," Yugi replied, turning around to look at the endless blackness surrounding them, to which Frank followed his gaze. The photojournalist quickly adopted a worried expression on his face once his brain had processed the surroundings.
"This is . . . strange," Frank proclaimed.
"I know," Yugi replied, exasperation evident in his voice.
Frank's eyes landed on a sight behind Yugi. "And that's even stranger."
Yugi turned to see Twilight and- Celestia, was it? Yes, Celestia -approaching the two of them.
"Who's the new arrival?" Twilight asked.
"Frank West," Frank repeated.
Twilight raised her brow in curiosity at the ease to which Frank had addressed her. "You're not at all surprised to see me?"
Frank laughed heartily before answering. "If you asked me that a week ago I'd have been quick to say yes. However, after what I've seen in that time I'll believe anything; even something as crazy as a talking purple horse."
"Pony," Celestia corrected.
"Horse, pony, what's the difference?" Frank replied half-sarcastically.
Twilight furrowed her brow and was about to reply when yet another thud emanated from everyone's left. The group of four turned to see what was easily the strangest thing yet since they arrived wherever they were. Lying on the blackness just a few meters from them was a yellow, square-shaped creature with human-like hands, a pair of enormous closed eyes, a long thin nose, buck teeth, and was covered in holes all over its body. The creature was wearing an ensemble that consisted of a pair of black shoes, plain white socks, and brown pants with a white shirt & red tie that fitted nicely around its square-shaped body.
The four of them stared in stunned silence before Frank broke the silence. "Well, that's just silly."
Twilight, Yugi, and Celestia turned back to him with looks ranging from confusion to exasperation adorning their faces. With a sigh, Frank hung his head down and held a hand up to his forehead.
"Can somebody please explain to me what's going on?" he asked half-heartedly. It was clear that he held little hope for his request being fulfilled, but Twilight decided to answer him anyway.
"I'm afraid we're all at a loss for answers right now, Mr. West." Twilight lifted Frank's chin up with a hoof so they were staring each other straight in the eyes. "But you can count on us for support; together we'll figure out what's happening and how to get home."
Frank just gave Twilight a blank look, to which she quickly realized her mistake. "I mean, whatever home is for each one of us." She smiled sheepishly.
Frank continued his blank look for a bit before closing his eyes and smiling himself. "Alright, let's work together Miss . . .?"
"My name is Twilight Sparkle," the lavender mare stated.
Celestia raised a fore hoof in greeting. "And I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of our homeland, Equestria, and personal mentor to Twilight here."
Frank raised his hand and shook Celestia's hoof. He then turned toward the only other human currently present, hand still outstretched. "And you are?"
Yugi smiled and raised his own hand to shake Frank's. "Yugi Muto." He then did the same with Princess Celestia's hoof, and Frank and Twilight shook appendages as well. Once everyone had gotten acquainted with each other, they all turned to face the most recent arrival.
"So," Frank said, "who's gonna wake it?"
Before anyone else could volunteer, Twilight spoke up. "I have an idea." She gestured toward her horn with a fore hoof. "I know a spell that allows me to share select memories with anyone I wish. I have a sneaking suspicion more people are going to show up soon, and it's going to get tiring having to keep explaining the situation conventionally. With my way we can inform them of the situation instantly and without hassle."
Celestia nodded in acceptance. "Brilliant idea, Twilight. You never cease to make me proud to be your teacher."
Twilight blushed. "Thanks, princess." She began trotting over to the bizarrely-shaped unconscious creature.
Frank turned to look at Celestia. "You're a princess . . . and a private tutor?"
Celestia smiled wryly. "Not quite, Mr. West. My relationship with Twilight could be compared to one between a teacher and their student, but she's actually my personal protégé; hoof-picked from a selection of over fifty unicorns attending the same school."
". . . What?"
Celestia sighed. "Never mind."
Yugi, however, took interest in what Celestia said regarding her relationship with Twilight.
The relationship they share very much echoes that of Black Magician and Black Magician Girl. Celestia apparently teaches magic where they're from, similar to Black Magician, while Twilight is Celestia's number one student, similar to Black Magician Girl. Does this have something to do with why we were brought here?
Yugi glanced up to see Twilight had finished preparing the memory spell and was gently stomping her hoof on the creature's chest to get it to wake. Twilight was surprised by the soft, squishy feeling that greeted her hooves in doing this.
It's a . . . sponge?
Twilight kept her cool, however, and kept up the stomping until she heard the creature stir. Looking into its eyes, Twilight saw them slowly open to reveal bright, blue irises that immediately betrayed a look of confusion upon seeing her.
"Wha . . . what's going on?" it asked in a high-pitched masculine voice that made Twilight slightly wince in response. She was quick to recompose herself, however, and proceeded to cast the memory spell on him. Instantly, the creature went stock still as a surge of new memories flowed through its brain at a rapid pace. Images, sounds, sensations, everything that Twilight had experienced since waking in the blackness was copied and transferred over to the creature's mind.
Once the spell was complete, Twilight stepped away from the creature to give it some space to process everything it had just experienced. It stood up on its skinny legs and put a hand to its head to keep steady while it looked at Twilight with a slightly less confused expression. Twilight heard the sounds of foot/hoof steps approaching behind her and saw the creature glance past her at Celestia, Yugi, and Frank with a look of equal parts confusion and familiarity. Twilight smiled at this.
The spell worked.
"I'm sure you've got a lot of questions," she said to the creature. "Unfortunately, we don't know any more than you do, so how about you tell us who you are?"
The creature smiled. "My name is SpongeBob Squarepants, and-" He glanced at everyone behind Twilight "-How come I already know all your names?"
Twilight pointed a hoof at her horn. "Magic. More specifically, a memory duplication spell. I used it to copy everything I'd experienced since waking up in this black void to your brain. It's much more efficient than having to explain things conventionally."
SpongeBob rubbed his chin in thought. "But if- *gasp*."
SpongeBob's sudden intake of breath made everyone flinch. The yellow sponge clutched his throat with both hands and fell to his knees, repeatedly wheezing and gasping as if he was suffocating from an invisible force.
"What's wrong!?" Twilight asked, panicking.
SpongeBob worked to lift his head up to answer the lavender unicorn. In pained, rasping breaths he said two words that Twilight only just barely picked up.
"N-n-need . . . *gasp* . . . w-water."
Twilight took a moment to comprehend his answer before realization struck and her panic only intensified. "We don't have any water here." She looked behind her at her mentor and the two humans, her panic now fully displayed for them. "Is there anything we can do for him?"
"What, your magic can't help him?" Frank inquired.
Twilight shook her head and turned to her mentor. "Princess, do you know any spells that can help him?"
Celestia also shook her head, sadness apparent on her face as she draped a wing around her faithful student. "Dearest Twilight, you know I'm never one to abandon those in need, regardless of how well I know them. But as I lack mastery over any water related spells there's nothing I can do for Mr. Squarepants here. I'm sorry, Twilight."
Twilight stared into her mentor's eyes in disbelief. To think that Princess Celestia of Equestria, regent of the sun, her second mother, and the pony she'd come to idolize was abandoning the dying creature in front of them failed to register in Twilight's mind at first. The harder she looked up into the alicorn's eyes, however, the more she realized Celestia was right; there wasn't anything either of them could do for SpongeBob. With a tearful sigh, Twilight nuzzled her snout into her mentor's wing and started crying. Celestia just hung her head and tried her best to cover Twilight's ears so as to block out the sounds of SpongeBob's continued oxygen-starved inhales.
The two humans, meanwhile, had turned their attention away from SpongeBob and were now watching the two ponies' embrace in front of them. The pain Twilight felt at being helpless to save SpongeBob reminded Frank of all his failures at trying to save his friends back in Willamette, Colorado. Brad, Jesse, among others; all their deaths took a heavy toll on Frank's heart. Worse yet, he was forced to kill them a second time himself upon zombification.
Yugi, in contrast, could only look at the two ponies with pity. The young duelist had seen his friends' lives jeopardized several times, but he'd always managed to pull them from the brink of death thanks to their complete and trusting support. But even though he'd never experienced the same level of hopelessness as Twilight felt right now, Yugi's heart still went out to her and Celestia.
Suddenly, something moved out of the corner of Yugi's vision just behind where SpongeBob now lay almost completely motionless. Craning his neck to see, Yugi spotted an image appearing within the blackness. It was too faint to tell what it was, but Yugi could tell that it was important. He stepped around the two ponies and began making his way towards the thing.
"Hey Yugi," Frank said as he walked past, "where're you going?"
Yugi ignored Frank and continued walking toward the image. All the while he did so, the image became increasingly distinct and defined as more details added to it. By the time Yugi passed the now motionless SpongeBob he realized what he was looking at was a solid object. Not only that, he gasped when he saw what it was.
"Water!"
Twilight and Celestia heard Yugi shout and turned their tear ridden faces to look up at him in confusion, only to join Frank in staring at the object that now sat proudly on the black surface just behind SpongeBob; a glass bowl filled with water. It took a few moments for realization to hit, but it hit Twilight and Celestia hard when it did. They could only watch in delighted relief as Yugi picked up the glass bowl and moved it over next to SpongeBob's head. Yugi then wrapped his arms around SpongeBob's torso and lifted him up and into the bowl headfirst.
No sooner had SpongeBob's chin sunk past the waterline than he flailed out of Yugi's grasp and pulled himself all the way into the bowl, completely submerging his head in the water and quickly taking in a few breaths of oxygen. Everyone present, especially Twilight and Celestia, felt a great weight lift off their shoulders as they watched SpongeBob's breathing slow to normal speeds. They continued to watch relieved as the sea sponge fitted the bowl around his waistline before rolling over so he stood straight up on his feet. Checking that no water was leaking through, SpongeBob breathed a sigh of relief.
"Woo, thank Neptune for that."
"Actually, SpongeBob, I'm the one to thank for saving you."
The sudden unfamiliar voice made everyone start in response. It had come from everywhere around them, but nothing else could be seen through the surrounding blackness. Something about the voice's tone rubbed Twilight the wrong way, so she took a battle stance and readied her horn for use should danger present itself.
"Who's there!?" she called into the blackness.
What followed was a few moments of silence. Then a soft chuckling sound reverberated through the air, which gradually increased in pitch and volume until it became a howling laughter that sent a chill down everyone's spine. The ambiguity of the laughter's tone was its most unsettling trait. It sounded like neither the maniacal laughter of the insane or the benevolent laughter of a joke recipient. The best it could be attributed to, in Twilight's opinion at least, was that of someone greatly amused by what was said to them. Once the laughter had died down enough, Twilight repeated her question as a command.
"Tell me who you are, right now!"
The laughter burst for a second before dissipating, followed by the same voice as before. This time, Twilight noticed a few peculiarities about it; for instance, the voice was neither male or female, sounding instead like a polymorphic combination of the two. Another thing that confused her was the realization that it was indeed coming from literally everywhere around, above, and even below them. Yet still, nothing could be seen through the blackness that could be the voice's point of origin. But all this strangeness was easily over-shadowed by what the voice actually said in response to Twilight.
"What you said is the greatest possible oxymoron, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight blinked. "What?"
Another chuckle sounded before the voice resumed. "You asked 'Who's there?'; the two words making up that sentence are one and the same. I wouldn't expect any of you to know that, of course, but I couldn't help but find it funny regardless."
Twilight looked quizzically around at everyone to see what their reactions were to the voice's odd claim. Everyone's facial expression was the same; confused. Twilight turned back to the blackness.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"It's quite simple in actuality, but I predict you'll refuse to accept my answer resulting in greater difficulty believing than necessary. I am the universe you all currently reside in; I pulled you all from your native realities into me for a little experiment."
Twilight blinked. "You're . . . the universe?"
"A universe, Twilight, and a sentient one at that. Literally everything you see was pulled from surrounding universes into me by myself; the blackness, the air, the solid surface, all of you, and that water helmet. My apologies SpongeBob; I had a surprising amount of trouble locating a water helmet in your universe."
SpongeBob grinned sheepishly. "Uh, thanks . . . what's your name?"
"I have none." A moment of silence passed. "But I suppose having something to address me by would help all of you immensely, so . . . . . . okay, from now on call me AZA-090, or Aza for short."
Celestia stepped forward on impulse, having grown tired of being left in the dark as to what was going on. She didn't know whether she should believe Aza's claim of being the universe itself or speak out against it. As it was, however, she and her faithful student were stuck here away from home with no discernible way of returning available. She decided to play along with its claims, but she was going to get some answers out of it in return.
"Listen, Aza, I'm the ruler of Equestria, Twilight's and my home, and if I'm not there in the morning my absence will bring pandemonium to all of my subjects. Do you intend to harm our home and friends through such means?"
"No, Celestia, I seek no harm unto anyone. You all are beyond the touch of time here; should I send any of you back to your respective universe you'll be returned to the precise instant in which you left. To anyone watching, it would be as if you never left in the first place."
"Why did you bring us here?" Yugi asked.
"My experiment entails relocating select beings from various realities into myself and observing the ensuing effects. The reason for choosing all of you was for diversity's sake. I must say I've enjoyed the results thus far."
"Is that really all we are to you?" Frank asked. "Rats in a maze?"
"Essentially, yes, but like I said I have no intention of harming any of you. However, the things I bring into myself may not feel the same way, so I would advise all of you to be on guard at all times; you never know when I may surprise you with something you may or may not be familiar with. Also, I'll be adding more persons to your group at my leisure; I selected Twilight specifically for the purpose of using her memory aid spell to inform newcomers of what's happening. I'm thankful she's saved me the burden of explaining her role myself."
"You're not welcome," Twilight growled.
"Indeed. Now then, I suggest you all get to know each other very well, for your past experiences will play a central role in this experiment. One last thing before I leave you all to your devices; I'll relocate any one item of your choosing into myself for comfort or aid against the coming trials. Choose wisely, for you will get nothing else during your stay in me."
Twilight looked up to Celestia to gauge her state of mind. As Twilight expected a scowl adorned her mentor's face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of disconcertion and then resignation as Celestia sighed and slumped her shoulders. Seeing the princess like this upset Twilight; if Celestia could fall from grace in the face of their situation so easily, what chance did she have of staying strong. With a sigh of her own, Twilight turned to the blackness.
"I'd like the picture of my friends hanging on the wall in Golden Oaks," she said.
"I'd like my duel disk," Yugi said.
"I'll take . . . a machete, I guess," Frank said, shrugging.
"My karate gloves, please," SpongeBob said, sounding much chipper now.
When Celestia said nothing at first, Twilight looked back up at her worriedly. Celestia's eyes were closed, and yet Twilight could still see a look of pained acceptance in her features. Twilight figured it was hard for the sun princess to deal with being used like a guinea pig in a science experiment. She couldn't blame her.
After a few tense moments, Celestia finally spoke up.
"I would like the Alicorn Amulet."
Twilight gasped. "P-p-princess, why would you . . .?"
"So be it," Aza interrupted Twilight.
"Twilight," Celestia said. "I know what you're thinking, but given everything that's been said we'll need all the strength we can get if we want to come out of this alive."
She turned to look down at her most faithful student. "I know it's dangerous, but if anything were to happen to you I'd never be able to forgive myself."
Twilight scowled. "Princess, you're putting yourself in danger if you're thinking of using that accursed necklace. Equestria needs you infinitely more than it needs me."
"You're wrong, Twilight," Celestia replied, earning a confused look from the lavender mare.
"Equestria survived for hundreds of years without me or Luna to raise and lower the sun and moon; the common unicorns were splendid at that task back then, and they'd be no worse for wear now. Additionally, you bear the Element of Magic, the most important piece of the Elements of Harmony. I need not say you're important because everypony, including yourself, is well-aware of such."
Twilight softened a bit. She tried to find a valid argument against Celestia's claims, but she realized her mentor wouldn't ask for something as dangerous as the Alicorn Amulet if she didn't truly believe she could overcome its influence.
"Okay, princess," Twilight sighed. "I'll trust your decision."
Celestia smiled. "I won't let you down, Twilight."
No more than a few seconds later the Alicorn Amulet materialized in front of Celestia. She immediately grabbed it with her magic and hooked it around her neck just above her amethyst encrusted regalia. Everyone else received their requested items simultaneously, and Twilight couldn't help but replace some of her dread with curiosity upon seeing the photo appear out of nothing right in front of her. She attempted to touch it mid-appearance, but fear of what could happen made her pull back her hoof. Looking down at the photo itself, Twilight felt great comfort at seeing the scene it presented; she along with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie huddled together ready for the picture to be taken. It was Twilight's favorite picture of her and her friends, as it best showed the friendship they had formed and cherished since the day they defeated Nightmare Moon. It was the only thing she could ever want when stuck in the kind of situation she was currently in.
"Well then," Aza said, bringing Twilight out of her thoughts. "Good luck getting to know each other. I shall now leave you all alone, and by that I mean I'll avoid talking for now."
And like that, the experiment began in earnest.