Stepping out of the shimmering light, Celestia quickly noticed five pairs of eyes watching her. Most ponies would have been unnerved by that, but a millenia of dealing with adoring masses had taught her much. Looking back, giving each a measured stare for a precisely calculated length of time, she smiled. It was the same smile she gave to both politicians and common ponies. It was a practiced way of saying, “I’m here to help.”
“So, is this what remains of Mindcrack?” Luna asked, stepping beside her.
The Crafters looked at each other, forlorn looks on their faces. Guude, based on the symbol on his shirt, stepped forward. “It is, as far as we know. We were hoping you were one of our friends, but we’ll take any help we can get. I assume Twilight sent you?”
“Yes, she did,” Celestia confirmed. “I am Princess Celestia, Diarch of the Day. This is my sister, Princess Luna, Diarch of the Night. We found your message.”
“So, you’re here to help rebuild?” one of the Crafters asked.
“We initially came to study your kind in more depth,” Luna replied. “However… I’m sorry, Twilight did not mention your name.”
The Crafter rolled his eyes. “Typical. I’m Mhykol.”
“A pleasure, Mhykol. As I was saying, we do not have a way home. Based on Twilight’s account, we may be able to return to Equestria through the End Portal. Until that option becomes available, I will be happy to lend a helping hoof.”
Celestia nodded. “I will as well. Luna and I have seen one world marred by a destructive god that has since been rebuilt. It would be our pleasure to help with another.”
“Great!” Guude exclaimed. “Did you bring any of those rings I left behind?”
Celestia levitated a pair of rings out of her pack, relieved to feel a rush of magic in this world. It wasn’t quite as strong as Equestria’s, but it was in no danger of depleting. “Are these the rings you mean?” she asked.
“Yep. Those are specially designed for visitors from other universes. Jeb gave us a stockpile after Twilight left. They’re untested, but should give you Crafters’ abilities. Anything we’re able to do, you can too.”
Celestia gave her sister one of the rings, and both alicorns slipped them over their respective horns. Interestingly enough, the rings resized themselves to fit snugly. As hers did so, Celestia felt a huge influx of power. The knowledge of thousands of Crafters, and many years of discovery, flooded her mind. Within seconds, she knew what the world was made of. She understood how to gather resources, and use them to build more advanced contraptions. She saw glimpses of nighttime, and the dangers that darkness brought. She gained insight into the workings of redstone.
All that, and more, converged inside of her mind, as if she had been a Crafter her entire life. Yet, she could still remember that she had not. She was not a Crafter, but had been granted their power. She reached out, and felt the sun. It was foreign, but she felt she could still influence it. Yes, she may have been granted new power, but that did not replace what she had before. Rather, her old power had been augmented.
“Wow,” was the only thing she could verbalize for a moment. Luna, too, seemed amazed at what had just transpired.
“Wow indeed!” Guude exclaimed. “I could feel the energy of that… whatever-you-call-it from over here! I think I went up a couple levels.”
“What about the quest books?” Nebris asked.
Luna pulled the books out of her bags. “Are these the books?”
“Yep. I don't think those rings gave you knowledge of any additions to the world, so you’re going to need to rely on those for instructions on how to rebuild.”
“Hmm,” Celestia muttered, thinking. “Just how much has been added to this world?”
“More than was here originally,” Baj said. “Some things make stuff easier to use, other things are just straight additions, and others are just tweaks to how the world works.”
“It sounds like this world was made by a less-capricious Discord,” Luna said, only half joking.
“There are rules for how this universe works that no modification can break,” Guude explained. “Some Crafters just like to bend those rules a bit. There are also unspoken rules about how changes work together.”
“Nobody is all-powerful,” Mhykol added. “Everyone has the same abilities. Some just use theirs differently. Some chose not to use them.”
Celestia nodded, taking a book from Luna and opening it. As she compared what was in the book to what was around her, she saw that not much had been done. A few trees were growing, monsters were appearing in a raised trench, and there was a large structure made entirely of crafting tables that was generating cobblestone.
When the Crafters saw the look on Celestia’s face, Pakratt spoke up. “We’ve only been here a few days. I think we’re doing pretty well.”
“I see,” Celestia said, turning the page to the next objective. “So, you have wood, cobblestone, infinite water, and lava. Next should be… a smeltery, right?”
“Yeah,” Nebris agreed. “I was busy making grout to build one. Would either of you like to help?”
“I shall,” Luna volunteered. “I just need a hammer, correct?” Nebris nodded, and showed her over to the cobble generator, letting her craft her first item.
While Luna started pounding cobblestone into gravel, the rest of the Crafters returned to their tasks. Celestia followed Pakratt to the tiny farm, wondering how they would be getting food. The alicorns had brought a fair amount with them, but it would not last forever.
“Well, the seeds have grown,” Pak said. “That’s good.”
“So, should they be harvested now?” the Solar Princess asked.
“Not yet,” he responded. “See how these are separated by a block? Now if I put more crop stick here…” He placed an octet of sticks in the space between the two crops. “... these crops should cross-breed, producing more, stronger seeds. It’ll take a while, though.”
Celestia frowned ever so slightly. If her intuition was right, these Crafters had little food between them, and could not bear to wait for more crops. Drawing on her large reservoir of energy, she wove her knowledge of Equestrian time travel together with her new knowledge of this world. After a second, she released the spell, tripling the flow of time in the three block space that the crops occupied. As soon as the third set of seeds grew, she ceased casting, concerned about just how much energy that had taken.
Pakratt simply blinked, astonished at what had just transpired.