“Are you going to make me destroy it?” Twilight asked in a small voice.
Celestia looked at her, but didn’t say anything.
“Just… just let me check the book. Maybe Sunset’s written something. If she has, then we have to go and save her. If she hasn’t, then...” Twilight swallowed, “Then, I’ll close it down.”
“Twilight, I-”
“Please.” Twilight said, and turned to the portal. The journal was part of its framework, but she could open and close it. It hadn’t vibrated, and gave no indications of writing, but maybe been sent through the intereference had dulled it. Yeah, she might be onto something there.
She opened it gingerly, like it was ancient and could crumble into dust at any moment. She was so afraid it would be empty, as empty as the mirror was, and that there’d be no evidence that there had ever been another world there at all.
Instead, the inside was black. Thick, wet black, with inches of ink that came gushing off of the pages like overripe fruit. Celestia joined her as she wiped the ink away with her magic, and saw the page being filled up again in three dozen different hands.
Dear Princess Twilight,--
I rode a bike today, for the first time.--
couldn’t find an opening in the dome on this sector--
The rest of the world is quiet, as ever. I worked out some new equations, though, in case you ever need some help with thaumaturgy--
I keep feeling like I’ve already died and I’m just waiting for the universe to catch up.--
forgive me--
wonder if that’s how it all started, sometimes.--
and I hope you’re doing well, as ever.--
Your Friend,--
your friend--
Your Fiend, :P,--
Sunset Shimmer.
It didn’t stop, or even slow. There were more writers, more ink appearing on the page and then falling away, and now the book was vibrating so violently it getting hot. Twilight tried to close it again, and then Celestia joined her, but the ink became hoof-deep, and the book exploded in a shower of unclear messages.
Just after that, the rest of the portal fell in on itself, and the mirror cracked and buckled with the force of the explosion, and then Twilight could see the emptiness like spots in her eyes as it came in from the cold.