Prologue I: A Hostile Universe
"This is outrageous!" Twilight yelled, her hands clenching into fists by her side. "How could you possibly think that this was in any way acceptable?"
Around her, the various lab techs and junior scientists averted their eyes and bent to their tasks. Fratello, or at least the soul of Cadance's brother held inside a robot body, turned away from her, his mechanical ears drooping slightly as he bent to some task or other. In the lab computers whirred and beeped, and fluids of various blues and greens bubbled up and down the tubes which ran along the walls.
Professor Horatio Brain smiled in what was, no doubt, intended to be a disarming manner; unfortunately to Twilight's eyes it made him seem more smarmy than anything else. With one hand he leaned upon his silver topped cane, while he spread out his other hand to gesture at the lab around him. He was a green space pony, bald on his crown but with a fluffy coat of white hair surrounding the back and sides of his head like sheep’s wool. His lab coat was black, Twilight did not know the reason why but guessed it was to distinguish himself from his white-coated underlings, and bore his code number - the sight of them never failed to send a shiver up Twilight's spine, even after these four years past - cross-stitched in white across the breast pocket.
"Princess, please try to understand," he said, in a lecturing tone as though Twilight were some first-year undergraduate interning at his lab. "The purpose of Project Sentinel is nothing more than the purpose of the Research Division as a whole: to project United Equestria from the challenges of a hostile dimensional universe."
"If the universe were truly dimensional then it would no longer be a universe," Twilight replied testily. "Uni meaning one, so multiple dimensions would necessitate a multiverse." She wouldn’t normally have stopped to show off her knowledge like that, it was unworthy of her; but the way that he talked down to her as though she were an idiot was setting her teeth on edge and she couldn’t resist the opportunity to put him down a little in turn. She waved one hand in dismissal of her own point. "Not that that is the point in any way. The point is that, even if you are absolutely right about the dangers to United Equestria, a point which I only concede for the sake of argument," Twilight had grave doubts that the threats to United Equestria and the vast dominions beyond under the Grand Ruler’s hand were anything like as grave as many in Starfleet would have her believe. A nagging feeling had been growing in her mind that most of the hostility of the universe was in some part caused by the same Starfleet which was required to defend United Equestria from that same hostile universe. Remember when we used to defend Equestria using the magic of friendship? "Even if you are correct, your solution...you’re talking about slaves, Professor. Slave soldiers bred for war in tubes of glass, I…how can you not see that this is an abomination?"
Brain frowned. "Princess, the original space ponies, my ancestors, were created artificially by the His Imperial Majesty, the Grand Ruler, out of blood and magic. Now it is the turn of us, the space ponies, children of His Majesty, to bring forth new life in our turn; out of blood and magic and our advanced technology. You might say that, in Project Sentinel, we are doing no more than following in our all-father’s footsteps."
"That's not what I'm talking about at all!" Twilight snapped. "You think that that is the crux of my...I have no objection to the responsible creation of life, and I would never be so cruel as to deny another creation the rights of a living being because she or he had been born in a test tube. But that's exactly what you're doing: denying the rights of living creatures. You're not creating life; you're breeding a slave army."
"We are breeding warriors, your highness," Brain declared primly. "And, since their one purpose is to fight, then why should we not expect them to do just that?"
"Because they will be living things," Twilight replied. "What if they don't want to fight? How can you propose to bring life into the world and then not allow the beings you have made to live their lives by their own choosing? It's more evil than anything Chrysalis ever sought to do."
"Your highness, you’re being incredibly melodramatic about all this," Brain said. "At the moment space ponies fight to defend the weaker pony races because, being the strongest race, it is their duty to fight and protect the weak from those who would harm them. With our power comes the responsibility to use that power for the general good of those less fortunate than ourselves."
"Enlistments rates from unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies into Starfleet are rising constantly," Twilight pointed out.
Brain did not acknowledge that she had spoken. "Now, when Project Sentinel is complete, the new Sentinels, being stronger than space ponies, will take their place in the front line and it will be their duty to fight and, if necessary, die in defence of those weaker than they are. Is it not better that those risking their lives for the glory of United Equestria should not truly be alive?"
"It would be better if none had to risk their lives for our 'glory'," Twilight growled. "If Queen Celestia or the Grand Ruler knew about this then they would...I'm shutting down Project Sentinel, effective immediately."
"Shut down Project Sentinel?” Brain spluttered. “On whose authority?”
"On my own authority as a princess of United Equestria," Twilight declared. "And if you have a problem with that you can take it up with the queen."
Brain's eyes burned a little as he bowed at the waist. "As you wish, Princess Twilight."
"This is a story of ponies...and monsters.
"Of course, when someone introduces a tale in such a way it's become practically passé for the monsters to actually out to BE the ponies, but don't blame me. I didn't write the script, I just play my part...as we all do.
"Consider the world of Equestria. A bright and shining place, a beacon of harmony and friendship, a font of peace and prosperity where all dwell in happiness under the benevolent rule of the princesses, Celestia and Luna. But of course, the trouble with lights is that they draw moths, and beacons of peace and prosperity attract the grasping and the avaricious with just as much certainty. A beautiful painting, a beautiful house, a beautiful mare, a beautiful world; there are those who cannot look upon any one of those things without desiring to possess them, and sometimes they even have the strength to take what they want.
"And so it was that the Dark Lord Titan stretched out his black hand to take Equestria for his own, and snuff out the light of harmony once and for all time. The struggle was desperate, but when it seemed as though all was lost...mare by the name of Fluttershy was visited by a noble knight named William Stirskewer, known to the world as Rhymey. This gallant knight gave his heart to the fair maid, as all true knights are bound to do, and after the fashion of such tales the lady gave him her heart in her turn. And when Fluttershy's world was threatened by evil, who should draw his sword in its defence but her knight from another world and all his valiant comrades to. Unicornicopia, home to the space ponies and the Starfleet, came to the aid of embattled Equestria. The new world, in all its power and might, stepped forth to the safety and salvation of the old and evil was defeated.
"Or was it?
"Starfleet remained when the battle was done, to protect its new allies. Grand Ruler Celesto, master of the Starfleet, and Celestia the Sun Princess joined hands in matrimony as eternal as the alliance between their peoples. And, so slowly that at first they did not quite percieve it, the Equestrians found that all that had once belonged to them was stripped away or trampled down into the mud: their lands, their culture, their symbols and emblems, their dialect, their very physical forms all gone; all twisted, changed, outright replaced by the mores and customs of the space ponies who now ruled over them. Equestria withered like a frog boiled in a pot, and United Equestria took its place: a fortress of strength, a bastion of rule by unyielding force under the iron gauntlet of harsh law.
"Only one girl consoled the Equestrians in this dark time, only one star still twinkled in the sky and chased away the shadows: Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. She was the realm's delight, the joy of all Equestria, none who knew her did not concede that none was better suited to the crown than she; to Queen Celestia she was as a daughter, to her friends she had long been princess of their hearts and while she lived Equestria remained full of hope: Twilight's hope, that the magic of friendship could reach across all obstacles and salve the aching chasm between the rulers and the slaves. While she lived. Because of course, suddenly, tragically...Twilight died, and with her...so perished hope. Something was lost that could never be replaced.
"And as the last star was extinguished, so did darker things creep out of the shadows and seek to dwell in the open under the black sun that now shines over the world." Raven smiled. "But you already knew that, didn't you Major? So why don't you tell me what you really want to know."
A few days later and Professor Brain stood in a far emptier lab, leaning heavily upon his cane with his eyes closed as he thanked the gods, parents of the Grand Ruler who had made them all, for their benevolence in smiling down upon him and upon all of United Equestria.
"Professor Brain? Are you okay, sir?"
Brain opened his eyes to see an earth pony scientist standing close beside him, leaning forward anxiously. Brain restrained the urge to swat the impudent little beast away, who was he to question a space pony, a breed apart and a breed superior? Even if Brain had been in any difficulties then what would a mere earth pony have been able to do about it?
And to think we allow such dull creatures in the Research Division! What do they know of space or science. What is the service coming to?
But he knew that the Grand Ruler, whom the gods revere and grant great glory, desired to maintain the fiction that the Equestrians were somewhat equal partners in the United Equestria project – at least for the time being; with Twilight Sparkle out of the way who knew what might change for the better around here - and so he nodded. "Of course, I am quite all right. I was just thinking about Princess Twilight...such a tragedy, for a life to be snuffed out so young, and so full of potential."
The earth pony nodded gravely. "We will not see her like again, or at least not in my lifetime."
Oh, please, moralising fools are ten a penny, Brain thought. "Yes, well, as hard as it is we must not allow grief to slow us down. We must do as Princess Twilight would have wished and battle on in her name. Her legacy is all of ours to bear. Now run along, my good fellow, I'm sure you have some work to do."
The earth pony nodded again. "Of course, sir."
Brain watched him scurry off with barely concealed contempt, before snapping his fingers at one of his space pony colleagues, a bio-chemist who sometimes went by the name of Shelley.
Obedient to the summons, Shelley walked across the lab to stand at Brain's side. "Yes, Professor?"
"Make preparations to recommence Project Sentinel at the earliest possible opportunity," Brain murmured. "And choose some skilled staff to form a new team on the project; some new DNA samples will be arriving shortly and I have an idea for a useful adjunct to the program."
"But, professor," Shelley said. "Princess Twilight-"
"Is no longer here to object, is she?" Brain asked. He smiled. "Trust me, Shelley, there will be no repercussions. I have authorisation from the highest level. Just make sure that none of the Equestrians on the original project team get the call back, we wouldn't want word of this to reach the wrong ears, would we?"
"I understand, professor," Shelley said. "I take it that means that we won't be involving Fratello?"
"Of course not," Brain said. "Little tin can never contributed very much anyway." The robot, or whatever he was, was no scientist. Brain could not think of a single good reason why he had been assigned to the Research Division. It was, of course, His Majesty’s perfect right to be arbitrary if he so chose but…it was a little awkward sometimes.
But all of that was behind him now, and he refused to allow the troubles of the past to burden him in these glad times. A great weight had been lifted from Brain's shoulders, and thanks to Princess Twilight's sacrifice United Equestria would be safe for generations to come.
Twilight Sparkle fell through darkness.
She was not as United Equestria had made her, this was not the Twilight that had been created - twisted, re-fashioned, made anew - by strange magics and the dark lights of a perverted science. This was Twilight in her true form, possessed once more of four legs, and at the end of every leg a hoof. This was Twilight as she had been in golden days now past, when all was well.
And yet she fell through darkness all the same.
Her eyes were closed, her forelegs were folded in front of her just as her wings were folded at her side. She looked to all the world as though she were sleeping, or would have so had all the world been able to behold her: a princess resting in enchanted sleep, waiting for the prince to kiss her awake.
No. A dead princess, her mortal body turned to ashes and this...this her soul, reflection of her truest self, falling; falling.
"Twilight..."
Twilight stirred, tossing her head as though fighting against dreams that would not yet release her from their grasp.
"Twilight..." the voice that called to her was soft and sibillant, a crooning call that was almost...almost paternal.
Slowly, so slowly, Twilight opened her eyes to behold the darkness and yet, as she looked upon the darkness it was no longer so dark. What was once black assumed a lavender hue, darker than Twilight's coat but of a piece with it, as if by her mere presence she had dyed the...whatever she was floating in her colour like paint dropped into water.
"Where..." Twilight murmured. "Where am I?"
"You are in my grasp, princess, where you will stay...until the needful time."
"In your...what?" Twilight demanded. "Who are you? What's going on?"
There was no reply.
"Hello?" Twilight called. She spread her wings and tried to fly, but could not. She tried to swim forwards with her hooves but that didn't work either. It was as though she were trapped in amber, aware but held fast, able to percieve but not to act.
Able to speak, but not to be answered.
"Hello?" she repeated. "Are you still there? Can you still here me? What's going on?"
But no one said a word.