//------------------------------// // Prologue: Arc of Time // Story: Distorted: Through the Looking Glass // by The Grimm Reaper //------------------------------// Ponyville was bustling at the event which brought them to the town square. I'd asked Pinkie Pie to issue out invitations to everypony. Naturally, she'd extended invitations to ponies outside of Ponyville also. I'd personally written an invitation to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, only to receive a reply indicating that they'd already received the same invitation from Pinkie Pie. Despite the fact that Pinkie had defied physics in order to get everypony an invitation, the end result could not be disputed. I, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, Bearer to the Element of Magic and former student to Princess Celestia, had done what was believed to be the impossible. I had created an invention using a combination of Magic and Science. While such a feat was not extraordinary in the slightest, the creation itself was what I would deem my legacy. I stood at the forefront of the podium, which was constructed days before the event began. My invitation to the Princesses gave them small teasers as to the nature of my creation, and they'd insisted on creating a fair around the event. So I stood and watched as ponies enjoyed various foods from all over Equestria, served from booths and vendors by ponies who were either the original creators or heirs to the original recipes. Games were played, prizes were won, ponies of all ages had come to what Princess Celestia called the 'Twilight Festival'. I was both honoured and nervous. As with friendship, the first impression is the make or break of any event. I levitated my speech cards and went through them again, making sure they were in order. Past experience taught me to keep it short and sweet, so I narrowed it down to roughly six cards. Short compared to what I was used to. I had Rainbow Dash to thank for that; she'd placed a limit on the extent of my speech. It was difficult, but I got there in the end. I had every word memorised, so they were more or less for in case I lost my way. As the clock struck twelve in the afternoon, Ponies began to gather towards my podium. This was the allotted time I'd specified in the program. I expected my audience to consist mainly of locals who knew me personally and a few out-of-towners. I expected a few ponies to be here exclusively for the fun and games the event had promised. What I didn't expect was every single pony to attend my unveiling. As the last pony was seated, Mayor Mare called for silence as she introduced me, an honour she'd practically begged me for. How could I deny her? "Fillies and Gentlecolts; thank you all for attending this event. As some of you may know, a number of the game booths and food stalls had volunteered to be here for Charity reasons. And thanks to your generous donations, Manehattan Orphanage will be getting refurbished and it's orphans an easier life." the mayor announced, starting off with a bang. Applause filled the podium as some of those orphans were here today. "At this rate, they may not want to get adopted." she joked. I was a little worried that the jest might have been in poor taste, but the response from the audience seemed to say they understood where she was coming from. "And this event couldn't have happened on a lovelier day." she continued, addressing the clear skies, only a few decorative clouds filling the sky. It truly was an ideal day. "But I won't keep you all, I'm sure some of you would like to get back to the fun and games, while others are curious as to what Princess Twilight's invention is. I know I'm a part of the latter category. Actually, I'm in both categories, so..."a few chuckles escaped the audience. "Without further ado; I give you, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" as Mayor Mare finished her introduction, I stepped forward into a wave of cheers and applause. The experience brought back memories of each and every time my friends and I had been congratulated for saving Equestria. Those were the happiest times of my life, and this was undoubtedly going to be one of them. I fixed the microphone Mayor Mare had used and adjusted it to my preferences. As the applause died down, I looked out at the ponies who would bare witness to my legacy. I stood before them, my greatest achievement hidden beneath a large tarp behind me. "Thank you, each and everypony. When I set out to create my invention, I wasn't expecting an entire fair to surround it's debut. I expected perhaps a gathering of the greatest minds of this generation. I expected to have to travel to Canterlot to reveal it to the heads of the Canterlot Science Center. But as I look out at each and every one of your smiling faces, I realise that revealing my invention in such a way would have been a poor comparison, so thank you once again for coming." The crowd clapped their hooves together, some of them cheering for my appreciation. "There are two ponies in particular I'd like to thank for inspiring this invention, but in order to explain why they're responsible, I'd have to reveal the reason you're all here today. So without further ado, I give you the Arc of Time!" My magic covered the tarp behind me and I pulled it to the side. Applause had already gone out to my invention before it had been revealed, and as it was exposed to the eyes of my ponies, I could feel the uncertainty in their continued cheers. I knew they were just being polite. I smiled at their ignorance. The scientist in me could only pity their lack of understanding. It was a part of me I didn't particularly enjoy. I couldn't really blame them for being disappointed. My invention, although great, looked like a glorified armillary globe. As the applause dialled down, I chuckled. "I know what you're all thinking; 'where's the taco stand?', right?" a few bashful chuckles escaped the audience. "I understand it's not exactly what you were expecting, but then again, it wouldn't have been anyway. You don't even know what it is." A few agreeing nods followed my statement. "The Arc of Time is a dimensional display device. Simply put, it shows alternate realities, and alternate timelines. The Arc of Time is by definition a generator meant to create a window between our reality and the next. Say for example, you wanted to see what an alternate version of yourself would look like, it would show you. And the best part is you might not even be a pony. You could be a gryphon or a dragon, or a zebra. You could be practically anything, you could be anypony, or rather; anyone." I could see the wonder in some of their eyes, while at the same time, I'd lost some of the others at 'dimensional display device'. I decided it would be better to just show them. "Perhaps a visual aid is required. My good friend, Rainbow Dash has graciously volunteered to be the one to demonstrate. Actually, all of my friends volunteered, but I was curious to see if Rainbow was as obnoxious outside of this reality as she is inside of it." I said. Laughter filled the podium as Rainbow stepped up onto the stage, giving me an evil glare. I smiled sheepishly at her. Rainbow stood beside me, facing the crowd. "Now before we show you what this device does, I mentioned two ponies in particular who helped me come up with this idea. For the time travel aspect of the device I have Starlight Glimmer to thank." I pointed the mare in question out to the crowd, which earned her a round of applause. "Starlight's alterations to Starswirl the Bearded's time-travel spell were inspired. As a fellow Starswirl fan, the concept of changing the time travel spell didn't even occur to me, mainly because I found time travel in general, too troublesome. The fact that Starlight did what I could not, proves to me that she is a true genius, and I hope to learn from her, what Canterlot's best and brightest could not teach. She has since become a true friend, and I'm thankful to have her here today." Starlight blushed and smiled at me. I could tell she was grateful for my little speech and felt exactly the same way I did. "The other pony I'd like to thank, is the pony who gave me the idea for dimensional travel. Sunset Shimmer. Like Starlight, Sunset was once my enemy, but has since proven herself a reliable and trustworthy friend. I took the time to ask her to come here today, because I feel very strongly that she, along with Starlight deserves as much of the credit for this device as I do." I pointed Sunset out to the crowd and they all cheered. "Some of you may know this already, but Sunset was Princess Celestia's student as well, just like I was. You might even say she was my predecessor. Sunset has been living in an alternate universe, one where magic doesn't really exist and science has prevailed. Having been there myself, It's actually very nice, if a little difficult to get used to. Walking on two legs and wearing clothes nine times out of ten is really very exhausting." "The others don't seem to have a problem with it." Sunset replied. I grinned at her. "Yeah, well that's because they were born in that dimension, and while you weren't, you've still had plenty of time to acclimate yourself to everything." I said. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, would you please give my friends another round of applause?" I asked. Starlight and Sunset both stood up and bowed to the audience as they were flooded with cheers, whistles and the clopping of hooves. "Thank you both. Now I think we've kept Rainbow waiting long enough. This is the longest she's stayed in one place without being asleep." I said, earning more laughter. "Hey, I thought this was the 'Twilight Festival', not the 'Pick on Rainbow Festival'. she said. "You're right, I'm sorry. Let's get things going, shall we?" I asked. Dash nodded and made her way to the foot of the Arc. "Now, I had the foresight to encode the machine with a D.N.A reader. What it does is it reads your D.N.A and uses it as a focal point for the dimensional window. In other words, it uses your genes to follow your specific alternate lives. Rainbow Dash, if you would be so kind?" Rainbow obliged, taking a pair of scissors from a small table that had been placed beside the Arc. She reached for her mane and proceeded to cut a small patch of her mane off. "Now typically, you don't have to use your mane or coat, the scanner will accept any kind of D.N.A, namely blood, saliva... kidneys." I smiled at the crowd, showing them that I was joking about the kidney part. They all laughed, except for Pinkie Pie who seemed as though she was taking it more seriously than I was comfortable with. Rainbow placed the tuft of mane into a small tray that was sticking out of the console part of my device. Upon receiving the fur, the tray automatically retreated into the base of the Arc. Almost immediately, a series of numbers appeared in a beam of light large enough for everypony to read. "Now you see here, these numbers are connected to these dials at the terminal here. First, we have the date. We'll make it simple, start off with yesterday." I said, changing the numerical sequence to the previous date. After that was done, the numbers flashed green and were replaced by another set of numbers, this time there was no chronological sequence. "These numbers are a little trickier. As best I can tell, they're the most basic representation of the dimensions' names. With that in mind, we can identify each dimension. So this is our own dimension right now. Dimension number '89496485'. Now if I change the numbers to something else, say... '89496495', let's see what we get." Again, the numbers flashed green and the entire display disappeared, replaced a second later by a massive round ring of magic. Inside the ring was pitch black for a few seconds. It wasn't until light began to shine that everypony realised that they were viewing things from a first-person point of view. The portal viewed what I knew was a similar representation of Rainbow Dash's room, but there were some major differences. For example, the walls weren't made of cloud. They were made out of wood. As the Rainbow Dash in the image stretched herself out, letting out a cute yawn as she did so, we got our first look at a part of her body. Where her hooves should have been, this Rainbow had paws, some might even say claws. "Oh my gosh, she's a cat!" Rarity blurted out, covering her mouth and trying to compose herself. some of the crowd 'awwe'd' at the realisation, causing our Rainbow to facehoof. "Aah! Another day. Wonder what it has in store for me?" the rainbow cat asked, her voice carrying through to our side. She walked around her room, stopping at a mirror, giving us all a view of her face. A lot of mares squeed and gushed at the cuteness of the cat. Even Rainbow couldn't help but to admire her alternate self. I could see why. Despite Rainbow Cat's cute face, there was definitely a scruffy tomcat reflected in that mirror. "Hey, Rainbow Crash! Come on out and race us!" a new voice called out. The cat's face automatically adopted the same expression Dash had given to me when she came upon the stage. "Well, there go my plans for breakfast." Rainbow Cat muttered, hurrying down the stairs of her house and out the front door. True to her fellow Rainbow, the cat had reached her challengers in a matter of seconds. "Why do you guys even bother? I've raced dogs that came closer to outrunning me than you two." she asked, addressing the two cats. I recognised them as the ponies who seemed to have it in for Dash. I couldn't remember their names. "Just keep telling yourself that when we beat you." one of them said. "First one to 'The Litter Box' wins." said the other. Rainbow sighed and got into a crouching position. Then she faltered for a second. "Hang on... 'The Litter Box'? Is this your guys' way of asking me out to breakfast?" she asked. The two cats stared at each other before returning their gaze to Rainbow. "Is that a yes?" the first one asked. "WHAT?! NO! NOO! DON'T YOU DARE SAY YES!" Rainbow Dash started yelling at her cat self. I just sat there, trying my hardest to stifle a chuckle. "Well, I like to live on the edge. I'll make a deal with you; beat me there, and I'm all yours for the day." she challenged. Rainbow Dash just collapsed, jaw hitting the floor, wings pointing downward, hooves hanging limp. Even though they were cats, all of us could see the determination in their eyes. "Oh, wow!" I said. Everypony was silent as the three cats prepared to race. "Okay, boys. On your marks, get set, GO!" Rainbow Cat said. And the race was on.