Chapter 18 - No Simple Answers
Shining Armor paced slowly back and forth in his parents' living room. "I came to Canterlot with a full head of steam," he said in a low voice. "Now that I've had the train trip to cool down, I don't know what to think!"
"Is that why you sent Cadance on ahead to the palace?" asked Twilight.
"Yes, because right now, I have no idea what to say to Princess Celestia."
"You'd be expressing the same thing we've all been thinking," said Night Light in a tired voice. "She was wrong in doing this, and--"
Shining stopped and stared at his father. "But was she, really?"
Twilight Velvet gasped. "How can you say that??"
"Mom, you know about the terrible ideas Aunt Sunset was pouring into Twily's head!"
Night frowned. "You're lucky I sent my parents home, Shiny. They wouldn't take kindly to what you just said. Have a little respect for the dead."
"Look, I was sad when she died, too," said Shining. "But I was the one who found out what Aunt Sunset was teaching her."
Twilight's eyes widened. "You were?"
Shining turned to her. "You were writing an essay for school, and you left it on your desk. I probably wouldn't have read it if it weren't for the title: 'Because ponies are better.'"
"Yes, I remember that," said Twilight. "Hearth's Warming Eve was coming up, and the class was tasked with writing an essay about what we liked about Equestria. I never turned that one in."
"Because I convinced you not to," said Velvet.
"That's right. You had me write my second choice, a treatise about pony unity. You never tried to explain what was wrong with my original essay."
"I ... I just had no words at the time. I was too much in shock."
"The family had a big discussion about it," said Shining. "They couldn't figure out how you got that stuff in your head. Aunt Sunset was the only one who didn't attend. I got suspicious and secretly listened in the next time Sunset foal-sat for you. You showed her the essay you had originally written."
"I was upset that Mom didn't let me submit it and couldn't understand why," Twilight said. "Aunt Sunset started to praise what I had written until--"
"Until I interrupted her," said Shining. "I didn't want to upset you, so I talked to her in private. I asked her to leave. Then I told our parents, and they decided Aunt Sunset was a bad influence and shouldn't foal-sit you anymore."
"Thank you for intervening, Shining," said Twilight in a slightly subdued voice. "I'm sure you did what you thought was best."
Starlight gave Twilight a confused look.
Shining smiled and ruffled Twilight's mane with a forehoof. "Anything for my little sister."
"And Sunset was my sister," said Night. "I know she was taking a path that I didn't like, but I never wanted to see her cut off from the family."
"She cut herself off," said Shining. "You and grandma tried everything to reason with her, but she wouldn't even answer the door let alone any letters sent to her."
"Um, if I can make a suggestion?" Starlight said tentatively.
"Yeah?" Shining said in a terse voice.
Starlight had felt like the fifth wheel in Shining's presence the moment she had stepped into the house. "Well, it's sort of already done, so maybe we shouldn't argue about it?"
"Starlight is right," said Twilight. "We're just going to tear the family apart if we keep debating it. What's done is done."
Shining rubbed his mane with a hoof. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Twily."
"Furthermore, we have bigger things to worry about," said Twilight. "I need to find out what's going on with that portal and figure out how to seal it."
"Are you going to need my help?"
"Yes. You're better with shield spells than me."
Starlight's eyes widened. "You're kidding me. Somepony is actually better than you in shield spells?"
Twilight smiled. "I may be an alicorn, but Shiny's been doing shields since I was still a foal. Maybe I can make them stronger in the short term, but I can't maintain them as long as he can."
Shining smiled at the praise.
"Look, um, in that case, maybe I should join Spike at the Archives," said Starlight.
"Are you sure you don't want a snack or some juice, Starlight?" Velvet asked.
"No, I'm good. I'll just see you later."
She headed away, but Twilight caught up with her. "You okay?" she asked in a low voice.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Starlight whispered. "You didn't look happy when Shining explained what he had done."
"Never mind that for now. You looked uncomfortable all morning."
"Just feeling out-of-place. Your brother hasn't exactly taken a shine to me."
"Don't worry too much about that," said Twilight. "He tends to be a little overprotective of the family. He'll come around."
"I'll take your word for it," Starlight said. "Meanwhile, it's dusty old scrolls for me."
"I'll meet you over there once I've had a chance to look at the portal."
"It's good to see you again, Cadance," said Celestia with a small smile. "I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances."
Cadance forced a smile in return. While she had agreed to take Shining's place, she had about as much luck as her husband in finding the right words to say.
"I trust little Flurry Heart is doing well?"
"Yes, she is," said Cadance. "Sunburst agreed to watch her while we're gone. Normally, I would've brought her to Canterlot with us, but I didn't want to expose her to ... well, all the negativity."
Some of Celestia's smile faded. "And just how much of that is on your part, Cadance?"
Cadance tried and failed to suppress a frown. She turned fully towards Celestia. "Do you want to know what my last memory was before you suppressed it?"
"I know all too well," said Celestia softly.
"I'm going to repeat it anyway," said Cadance, acid creeping into her voice. "It was an argument we had. I had found out what Sunset really did, not just what she let everypony think she did. I pleaded with you to tell Sunset's family the truth!"
"And you vowed to tell Shining Armor if I didn't."
Cadance turned away. "Obviously, I never had the chance."
Celestia lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
"I realize now that it was too impetuous of me, especially given Sunset had only just died," said Cadance in a low voice. "But you had trusted me above all other ponies. I was the one you confided in when you were at your wits' end. You drew on me for support." She whirled around, her voice rising. "I kept your secrets for you, but only on your reassurances that you would tell everypony what really happened. That was just another lie, wasn't it?"
Celestia raised her head. "Not at the time. I had every intention of keeping my word."
"So why didn't you?"
"Everything started to break down when the griffons discovered Sunset's successful experiment," said Celestia. "To this very day, I have no idea how they found out. I had the Royal Guard quietly scour Canterlot in hopes of uncovering a griffon spy, if for no other reason than to give me leverage against them."
"I take it you never found one."
"No, and time was running out," said Celestia. "When we had our argument, it was just after I had concluded the peace treaty with the griffons. I had to bury all knowledge of Sunset's research. While she had already burned all her notes, there was so much record of what she did and accomplished that another pony as good as her could reconstruct her research."
"Like Twilight potentially could," said Cadance.
"A Twilight whose head had been filled with Sunset's twisted ideas."
"And maybe that wouldn't have happened!" Cadance snapped. "I had already started to foal-sit her. I could've countered Sunset's ideas. Shining could've done it! Twilight looked up to him as much as she had Sunset."
"Cadance, please, listen to me," Celestia said. "I have been around for a very long time. I have seen many ponies of great renown -- and great infamy -- pass away. Many such ponies become greater and more powerful in the minds of others in death than they ever were in life. Starswirl the Bearded is a perfect example. He was a great pony. He was a powerful pony. He did very many great things. But he was fallible, he made mistakes, often huge ones. Yet there are many who virtually deify him."
"Yes, but we don't go around wiping ponies' memories of him," said Cadance.
"This is not the same situation. Cadance, my words are not meant to excuse my actions, merely explain them. Had I a chance to do it over again, I would try to find a different path."
Cadance remained silent as thoughts spun in her head.
Celestia lowered her gaze. "I once thought that the biggest mistake I had ever made in my life was using the Elements of Harmony against my own sister. Since her return, I've become convinced that it had to happen that way, that a much greater good came of it. I don't feel any sense of that now. I made a mistake that I don't see any immediate greater good that could result."
Cadance approached her aunt. "You had said at the time that Sunset believed this act of magic would allow her to Ascend. Even after my Ascension and then Twilight's, I still don't understand quite how it works. Could she have actually done it? Or is it something you need to approve somehow?"
Celestia looked thoughtful as she stepped out on her balcony. She looked up at the sky as Cadance followed. "It is a bit complicated. I can sense potential, and I can help it along, and I can be there when it concludes, but I cannot arbitrarily bestow it." She smiled. "You cannot know the intense joy I felt when I was not only there for Luna's Ascension, but I sensed her potential so strongly. It didn't happen again for a very long time until you Ascended, and then Twilight."
"But when did you sense our destinies?"
"I sensed your potential about a year before you Ascended. I sensed Twilight's potential when she returned from the Crystal Empire after defeating Sombra. I do not profess to understand everything about alicornhood, nor do I claim to control every aspect of Ascension. That is why the birth of Flurry Heart was as much a surprise to me as it was to you and Shining Armor."
Cadance nodded slowly. "So what about Sunset? Did you sense that in her?"
Celestia was quiet for a long moment. "Yes, right around the time she started to work on the task she claimed would smooth over relations with the griffons."
Cadance's eyes widened. "Is that why you didn't ask for more detail on what she was planning?"
Celestia turned to her. "Sunset was my pride and joy. Until Twilight, she was the most capable student I ever had. Through sheer accomplishment alone, she deserved Ascension. I suppose that may be one of the reasons I took so long to see the truth, and in the aftermath, it left me with a question I could not answer: why?"
"Why what?"
"Why her? You are the Princess of Love. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship. You both spread Harmony. What possible purpose could be served by elevating somepony of Sunset's beliefs to a Princess? The Princess of what? Pony Hegemony? It makes no sense!"
Whatever lingering anger Cadance may have still felt, she could not bring herself to express it after seeing the tears forming in Celestia's eyes. "I wish I could give you answers, Auntie. Maybe something good will come out of this in the end."
Celestia sighed. "I can only hope. Yet no matter what I do, it won't change the fact that Sunset Shimmer is dead."
Starlight found Spike sitting at a table in a distant corner of the Archives, several books and scrolls arrayed around him. His eyes were glued to a particular book. "Weird," he murmured.
"What's weird?" said Starlight.
Spike lifted his head. "I was reading up on the description of the natives of the world on the other side of the portal. They're, uh, kinda strange."
"Let me see." Starlight grabbed the book in her magic. "Hmm ... upright ... bipedal ... one-and-a-half pony-heights tall ... no fur ..." Starlight looked up and shrugged. "Eh, not that weird."
"That's not the weird part," said Spike. "The weird part is that they have no magic, and yet the first time the portal opened, they had a huge empire!"
Starlight stared. "Seriously? How'd they manage that?"
"Beats me."
"How long ago was it?"
Spike consulted his notes. "Umm ... about one thousand nine hundred years ago. I think. I had a hard time trying to read that ancient Equestrian script. Twilight's been teaching me, but I've got a way to go." He grabbed another book and slid it across the table. "This has more detail. Maybe you can make sense of it."
Starlight opened the book with a nudge of magic. "Hrm. I'm a little rusty with this as well, but I'll try reading the summary." She was quiet for a few moments. "Wow. They had advanced architecture, a road system, aqueducts, an official language, a monetary system, all without any magic whatsoever!" She looked up and smirked. "Good thing I volunteered for this part. If Twilight started reading this, we wouldn't see her for days."
Spike chuckled. "But you see what I mean."
"How did they ever manage this without even at least pegasi to keep the weather under control?" said Starlight as she looked back down at the book.
"Maybe they didn't." Spike grabbed another book and slid it towards her. "Take a look at this. This was from when the portal reappeared around seven hundred years ago."
Starlight grabbed the new book and opened it. "No cohesive state ... people living primitively ... no written language ... nomadic ..." She lifted her head. "What happened? Some sort of disaster? Warfare?"
Spike shrugged. "They never figured it out, either."
"Wait a minute," murmured Starlight as she read. "They tried to make contact with the natives this time." She glanced at the previous book. "The first time they used their magic to disguise themselves. But why--? Oh! Huh. The natives were militaristic and meat-eaters. That would do it."
"But the griffons are meat-eaters, and we don't worry about them."
"Yeah, but when you're dealing with an unknown species, you're not going to take a chance that ponies taste good," said Starlight.
"Ah, good point."
"Looks like the attempt at contact the second time around was a bust," said Starlight. "Some other tribe of natives attacked the first tribe, and they had to get out in a hurry. They even left a few magical items behind."
"Maybe that's the cause of the energy in the rift," said Spike.
"I doubt it. The objects were really trivial, and the natives seem to have an inherent lack of ability to do magic despite the presence of a thaumic field. I doubt they would've suddenly gained that ability since then, not if their culture had devolved to that state."
Spike rested his head on a claw. "Does it seem kinda strange that I'm a little worried about these natives?"
Starlight smiled faintly. "Spike, I don't think it's strange at all."
Twilight stepped carefully into the room that once had been Sunset's lab, her eyes wide as she looked around. "Wow. I can still sense lingering bits of plasma even after all these years, Shiny," said Twilight in a hushed voice. "I would've given anything to see this place when it was still intact."
"She should never have had this lab in the first place," said Shining as his hoof-falls kicked up small clouds of dust.
"Still, it was an amazing accomplishment."
"Be careful, Twily. Don't get caught up in your hero worship of her again."
"Shining, please, relax," said Twilight as she stopped near the center of the room. "It's like I told my friends, I've since been too indoctrinated in friendship and harmony to ever consider taking on those beliefs." She lighted her horn. "But I can still admire her prowess at magic, and in that regard, she was a unicorn of astonishing power."
Twilight turned her head to the left, her horn brightening as she slowly moved it to the right. A cone of energy projected from her horn swept over the center of the room. A tear in reality revealed itself in the form of a jagged, glowing scar stretching before them.
Shining's eyes widened, and he backed up a step. "That's been here all this time? It looks monstrous!"
Twilight extended her wings. "And yet, it's relatively harmless." She flew through it and back. "The portal is closed. Most of its magic is not resonating in physical reality."
"Then what's the real danger from this thing?"
Twilight landed before her brother. "The real danger is the energy leaking into the wormhole. If it becomes too great, it could re-open the portal in an uncontrolled fashion. It would be like a bomb going off. We also have to consider the possibility of the natives of the other world attempting to open it."
Shining nodded. "We wouldn't want hostiles gaining access to Canterlot."
"I'm more concerned that they may tinker with something that they know little about," said Twilight. "Though Celestia told me they have no magic."
Shining raised an eyebrow. "Then how could they do anything with it?"
Twilight turned towards the anomaly. "The fact that this has remained a conduit for energy means there's still a tenuous connection with the other world." She paused and turned to her brother. "Shining, how much do you remember of what Aunt Sunset did that made the family upset?"
Shining frowned. "All we found out was that it had to do with forcefully bringing the griffons under Equestrian rule. Given what we knew of her beliefs, all we could guess was that she wanted to make them mind-controlled slaves serving the 'master pony race'" He stated the last three words with disdain. "She did nothing to dissuade us from that thinking."
Twilight sighed. "Well, that explains your cold reception of Starlight."
"I'm sorry, Twily. All these suppressed memories feel like they happened yesterday, so it's very hard for me to forgive what Starlight did to your friends. You don't know how much I struggled with what to think about these memories while on the train."
"I know," said Twilight in a low voice. "I won't reveal quite yet exactly what Aunt Sunset had done, as I think the family's nerves are too raw right now, but I can tell you it was not mind control. Right now, I don't want friction between you and Starlight."
"I'll try, I promise." Shining looked at the tear. "So now what?"
Twilight stepped closer to the anomaly. "Now that I can see it, I can try to determine the nature of the magic coming through."
Shining smiled. "That should be fairly easy for you."
"Not really." Twilight lighted her horn. "The portal is closed up so tight that space is folded in on itself. It's making a mess of the thaumic flow. It's just a big jumble on this side."
Shining stepped forward. "Anything we can do about it?"
"Yes, and this is why I brought you here," said Twilight. "We need to wedge open the portal at this end slightly."
Shining's eyes widened. "But I thought the idea was to keep the portal shut!"
"This won't open the portal clear to the other end."
"But what if the magic coming through is dangerous?"
"All we're doing is letting out some of what's piled up at this end," said Twilight. "That's actually a good thing, as it relieves some of the pressure and makes the portal less prone to spontaneously opening. I imagine that's what Celestia had planned to do herself."
Shining nodded. "All right, let's do this. What's my target?"
A narrow beam shot from Twilight's horn, and she drew a glowing circle upon the scar about a foreleg in width. "There." She got out a quill and paper. "Ready?"
Shining's horn started to glow. "Ready."
"Go."
A beam erupted from Shining's horn, and a small cylinder of shield energy filled half of the circle Twilight had drawn. A stream of glittering, raw magical energy poured forth through this makeshift pipe like champagne foam. Twilight easily diverted it into a ball of energy above her head.
Shining clenched his teeth and grunted with the effort, the beam growing brighter as the shield slowly expanded. "This is a real fight, Twily! Am I making any progress?"
"Yes, keep it up, the pressure is dropping to a safer level." She hovered near the shield and peered through it. As the energy in the ball suspended above her head continued to froth and roil, she jotted down runes and equations. Flickering yellow and red light danced across her face as she peered at a tight ball of dense plasma similar to what she had seen in her grandmother's dream, sitting just past the mouth of the portal. "This is fascinating, Shining. Aunt Sunset actually managed to create an artificial wormhole."
Sweat beaded on Shining's forehead. "A little faster with the note-taking would be appreciated," he said in a strained voice.
The quill scratched across the page. "Hmm. The portal energy is not quite as noisy as I had expected." She glanced above her head. "And there's not nearly as much pressure built up." She peered into the hole again. "The plasma is not even pulsating. I don't get this."
Shining panted, sweat rolling down his face. "Uh, Twily? You almost done? This is tougher than it looks!"
"Sorry." Twilight quickly made more notes. "All right, I'm done."
The shield collapsed. The hole closed up neatly, leaving the scar unperturbed.
Twilight stared. "It shouldn't have done that."
Shining stepped up, still panting. He wiped sweat from his forehead. "Do what?"
"The way the portal closed back up," said Twilight. "Celestia said the portal was unstable, and Aunt Sunset was killed when it collapsed on her. I expected a ripple across the length of the rift just now, or at least some sort of energy backwash."
"I'm not sure I follow, Twily."
Twilight turned to him, still levitating the quill and paper. "Unstable portals should get more unstable over time." She gestured with a wing towards the glowing ball above her head. "And this is mostly residual portal energy that was pushed down the throat of the wormhole by whatever magic is causing this resurgence in the first place."
Shining glanced at it. "Can you tell what magic it is?"
Twilight examined her notes. "The two magicks are all jumbled up due to the massive compression of the wormhole. All I can do right now is a straight thaumic interpolation and solve for the correct equations later, similar to what Starlight did with our initial readings on the anomaly." After some more writing, her horn flashed, and the ball of energy vanished. "I need to get on this right now. I'll see you back at the house later."
"Is there anything else I can do?" asked Shining.
Twilight stepped away from the portal. "Renew the shield spell around this place. And if you would, please ... um ..." She trailed off, frowned, and glanced around her.
"What's the matter?"
"Strange," Twilight murmured. "I felt a slight tingling for a moment."
"Is it from the portal?" Shining asked in a wary voice.
"No, it felt more like it was from inside me," said Twilight. "Perhaps I stepped through some lingering plasma energy. Anyway, as I was going to say, could you ask the Royal Guard to station a contingent here to keep an eye on the portal?"
"You got it," said Shining. "I hope you have some luck sorting this out."
"So do I." Twilight's horn flashed, and she vanished with a pop of teleportation magic.
Starlight slowly paced back and forth, two books levitated before her. One was the burnt remnants of Sunset's journal, the other was an account from the unicorn mages who kept the portal open seven hundred years ago. "Trying to piece together Sunset's research is not going to be easy."
Spike leaned back in his chair, taking a break from his research. He set down his Power Ponies comic book in his lap. "At least you don't have to translate ancient Equestrian this time."
"Yes, but even seven hundred years ago, the speech pattern was archaic. Ugh, if I never see another 'thou' or 'thy' in my lifetime, it will be too soon." Starlight set down both books on the table. She picked up a quill and made a note on a scroll. "I'll be glad when this is over and things can get back to normal."
Behind her came a sudden pop. Spike noted the intense concern on Twilight's face and murmured, "I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon."
"Starlight, we have a problem," said Twilight as she trotted up.
Starlight turned and sighed. "Of course we do. What now?"
"I got my first look at that rift." Twilight set down her notes next to Starlight's. "It's far more stable than I was led to believe."
"Did Celestia lie to us again?"
"No, it's not that," said Twilight. "It likely had been unstable when it collapsed around Aunt Sunset, but over time, this new infusion of energy somehow re-stabilized it."
"But what does that mean?" asked Spike.
"I don't know yet." Twilight peered down at her notes. "Starlight, what progress have you made in studying the data from the portal that opened seven hundred years ago?"
"Not a whole lot," said Starlight. "First we got side-tracked by learning about the natives of the other world, and now I'm trying to wade through all this over-complicated archaic speech." She glanced over to Twilight's notes. "What's that?"
"A direct thaumic derivation of the energy from the rift."
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Looks like a mess to me."
"Other magicks are mixed with the portal magic." Twilight glanced at the books Starlight was working on and picked them up in her magic. "Let me work on sorting this out and see if I can derive a basic set of equations. Then we can try to pick apart the portal magic from the other magic. Whatever is left over is what's causing the rift to surge."
"What should I do in the meantime?" said Starlight.
As Twilight contemplated an answer, a voice called out, "There you are, Twilight!"
Starlight looked past Twilight and saw Princess Cadance approaching. Twilight set her books aside and turned away from the table.
Spike smirked and leaned forward. "You wanna reconsider?" he whispered to Starlight.
Starlight grinned. "Not a chance. I still say it won't happen."
"I tell you, they're gonna do it."
Twilight trotted up to Cadance. "Thank you for coming on such short notice," Twilight said in a somber voice.
"No way," Starlight whispered to Spike. "It's too serious an occasion."
Spike grinned. "If you say so."
"This is a trying time for your family, but I hope to help in any way possible," said Cadance.
"See?" Starlight whispered. "Even Princess Cadance realizes this needs to be more--"
Twilight and Cadance slowly broke out into smiles, and then into a little dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!" they sang together. "Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
Starlight face-hoofed.
Spike smirked and held out his arm.
"Fine," Starlight growled. She levitated several bits into his open claw.
Spike chuckled. "Easy money."
Twilight and Cadance hugged each other. "Thanks, Cadance, I needed that," said Twilight in a soft voice.
"I just talked to Auntie Celestia," said Cadance. "She's really broken up over this. I don't think I've seen her this upset before."
"I sympathize with her, but I can't be distracted by it now," said Twilight in a solemn voice. "I can't look to her for the answers like I have so many times in the past."
"You really feel like you can't trust her?" asked Cadance in a concerned voice.
Twilight looked pained. "I don't like saying that. I'll get over it, given time. It's not that I think she'll be deceptive, more like her judgment right now is too colored by her feelings for Aunt Sunset. I can't really fault her for that."
"What about you, Twilight?" said Cadance. "I'm told you were inconsolable when you were a foal right after learning Sunset had died."
"It does hurt if I dwell on it too much, but I don't have the burden of guilt like Celestia does. Cadance, when this is over, I think we should broach the idea of a formal funeral for Sunset Shimmer. It will give everypony a sense of closure."
"Yes, I agree. It will be very difficult for everypony, but I think your family will be better for it in the end."
Twilight smiled and hugged Cadance again. "I really am glad you're here. As much as I love my immediate family, I needed somepony who was a little more removed from it."
Cadance smiled. "I'll try to be here as long as you need me."
"Thank you." Twilight took a step back. "Now, I need to get to work."
As Twilight buried her muzzle in books after talking to Cadance, Starlight headed over to the restricted section of the high magic archive. While Sunset had burned her notes, Twilight had clearly seen some surviving data on Sunset's research while wrestling with the dark magic spell. Starlight soon discovered that Sunset had briefly -- and indirectly -- collaborated with several instructors while researching how to make transformation magic permanent, and they in turn had shared their insights.
Starlight found four scrolls relevant to the topic and quickly became fascinated. These instructors had shown little alarm in these queries, as it had been presented as a thought experiment, and all had deemed the problem insurmountable. Even when the discussions had turned to the idea of modifying the morphic resonance, one instructor conceded it was possible in theory, but concluded that there simply wasn't a proper delivery mechanism for the magic needed to accomplish the (supposedly hypothetical) goal.
"Ugh, this is hopeless!" Twilight suddenly cried.
Starlight levitated the scrolls she was reading and trotted over to where Twilight had planted her face to the table. "Um, maybe this is not the best time to ask how it's going," Starlight said in a tentative voice.
Twilight lifted her head. "It's not. I don't have enough data about how her ultra-dense plasma research led her to this point." She threw up her fore-hooves. "I don't even have the basic equations I need to identify the other magic!"
Starlight set her scrolls on the table and glanced around. "Where's Spike?"
"He went to check how my family is doing." Twilight glanced at the scrolls. "What are those?"
"Data on Sunset's transformation research."
"Really??" Twilight grabbed them in her magic. "This is what I was seeing when I was exploring the extent of the dark magic spell. I was wondering where it came from."
Starlight smirked. "Sunset was very clever in how she covered her tracks. She got another pony named Star Singer to talk to her professors instead. That likely threw Princess Celestia further off the trail."
"Star Singer?" said Twilight. "That's Moon Dancer's aunt."
"Moon Dancer?" said Starlight. "Was that the pony you told me you reconciled with a year ago?"
"Yes, that's right."
"So I'm sure she'll be glad to put you in touch with her aunt."
"Except for one problem," said Twilight. "Her family is still under the influence of Celestia's spell. I have no idea how close Aunt Sunset and Star Singer were. I'm trying to limit how many ponies may be traumatized by these memories, especially after seeing how hard it hit mine."
Starlight shrugged. "Still, I think this might be useful, especially if we need to undo any damage Sunset has caused."
"If we even can, considering Sunset intended the transformation to be permanent once it was complete. We might be better off tracking down the pegasus Aunt Sunset created from a griffon if we need to pursue it any further." Twilight picked up the scrolls and read silently for a few moments. "So the morphic resonance is tied to the genetic code. I had suspected as much."
"Reading those did give me an appreciation for how clever Sunset was," said Starlight.
"One professor had suggested that a properly crafted potion might do the trick, but it would require such a massive infusion of magic, it would likely kill the creature before the transformation was completed. I wonder if that's when Aunt Sunset realized conventional means wouldn't work."
Starlight smiled. "At the same time, it also revealed Sunset's limitations."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you notice anything missing from the data?"
Twilight glanced over the scrolls. "Nothing that stands out. Why?"
"There's no mention of cutie marks."
"Maybe she just didn't discuss it with them," said Twilight. "It would be a dead giveaway that she planned to change other creatures into ponies."
"Or she didn't figure it out," said Starlight. "It took me a long time to properly craft the unmarking spell, and that was with all my attention focused on it. The magic behind cutie marks is very unique and complex."
Twilight set down the scrolls. "It's really all academic at this point, and it's not getting us any closer to solving the dilemma with the portal."
Starlight looked thoughtful. "You said earlier that the portal being stable is a problem. Why?"
"Because it can be opened more easily with the application of a properly crafted spell once the underlying mechanics are understood," said Twilight. "From either end."
"But the natives of that world don't have magic as far as we can tell."
"I know, yet there's magic leaking through, which means it's concentrated somewhere near the other end of the portal."
"I don't know if this is relevant or not," said Starlight. "But I did some more research on the past explorations of that other world. I'm beginning to think that they visited completely different areas of the same world each time. The climate was different, the culture was different, everything was different."
"That would make sense if the other end of the portal had no anchor," said Twilight. "It would open almost anywhere."
"What would be needed to anchor it?"
"A magical source of some sort," said Twilight.
"The second expedition had accidentally left some minor magical items behind," said Starlight. "But would that be enough?"
"It would require a single, more powerful source. A properly enchanted crystal, for example. A skilled unicorn could use herself as an anchor. Or if she were the only unicorn around, just her ambient magical field would ... uh ..."
Twilight trailed off, her eyes widening. She and Starlight both looked at the transformation scrolls at the same time.
"No," said Twilight in a small voice. "That can't be."
"But didn't Princess Celestia say she saw her die?"
Twilight paused. "No, she didn't. She said she heard the scream, then she saw the blood and shards. She never said she actually saw Sunset get killed."
"Then maybe she was only injured and made it through."
"But the portal would've closed instantly," Twilight protested. "Death would've been quick and complete. Anything that survived the trip through the portal ... would be just a mangled mess."
Starlight narrowed her eyes. "Would she have had time to scream?"
Twilight's pupils shrank. "No, she wouldn't. Unless she simply knew she was doomed."
"Or she was trying to make it look like she was."
"But that means Aunt Sunset had designs on transforming an entire world from the very start!" Twilight exclaimed. "And she specifically planned to make absolutely sure she couldn't be stopped! Nopony would be that terrible!"
"Yeah, that's almost as bad as a pony trying to create an alternate timeline just to preserve her crazy philosophy," Starlight deadpanned. "Good thing nopony tried that."
Twilight frowned. She snatched up the scrolls on transformation magic. "There's one way to find out."
"What are you going to do?"
"My original plan, but in reverse," said Twilight. "I had planned to derive the portal equations and thus solve for the unknown magic. Instead, I'm going to assume that the additional magic coming through the portal is transformation magic. I'll apply those equations and solve for the portal magic. If that gives me a nonsensical result, then we're wrong and we have to look elsewhere."
"And if it gives you a sensible result?" asked Starlight.
"Then Sunset Shimmer may still be alive in a world that has absolutely no defense against her magic."
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Is it next Saturday yet? I need more... T_T
Twilight finally alarm about Sunset maybe still alive!
And mastermind Sunset is revealed. What, did she plan and coming back to Celestia with an entire world of ponies... waiting for... heavens, this is her plan from the movie, just with evil genius and mastermind applied...
I do wonder though, is it that the humans turned ponies won't have cutie marks, or won't have the potential for them at all.
Only a matter of time before they decide the only thing to do is go through the portal and find Sunset as well as see the extent of what she has done. Soon the two sides of tbe story will meet.
If they take too long to decide to do so then they may be able to walk around town openly without people realizing they are from another world because half the town will be on four hooves.
Uh-oh.
Well... this got bonkers...
7996338
7996589
MLP does not exist in this universe in any shape or form. I had thought about adding that as a note to the description of the story, but I figured the fact that none of the characters were immediately recognizing what people were turning into would make that clear.
As for Hasbro existing as a company, sure, but they just never did MLP. Perhaps they just doubled down on Transformers instead
Do not meddle in the affairs of humans, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
Good thing you didn't meed with Princess Thou the first time she came to Ponyville, then.
Did they just... bet on whether or not Twi and Cadance would do their little song and dance routine?
Maybe her virtue something like rightness.
In her own mind she is doing the right thing bringing order to chaos and turning diversity into unity.
7996521
Uh-Oh what?
7996731
I agree
That is a scary thought: some extra-dimensional being is committing biological warfare under people's noses, and there is nothing they can do alone to stop it.
I hope Twilight can get to Earth before all those Lazy Pines people can figure that out on their own, or there will be mass panic in the streets.
Spelling error::
I think that should be learning
But getting really exciting!!
7997041
Thanks for pointing that out. Fixed!
7996844
if I had to guess, he's probably thinking the same thing I am in that Twilight just became a carrier of Sunsets Ponification Virus and its now going to spread throughout Equestria by complete accident. very much a not good thing if true.
7996949
Very true. Involuntary hospitalization is generally a difficult legal quagmire to wade through. In this case, the focus is more isolation, which itself can also be difficult unless the person in question has a disease from a specific list that is defined by a combination of presidential executive order and local state statutes. In the story, the mental state is being considered along with other factors rather than by itself. What's interesting is that forced isolation is actually very rare because voluntary isolation often works. When the government recommends "stay home if you're sick", most people comply. it helps that in cases of diseases like influenza, people feel too crappy anyway to want to get out of bed.
One trouble I ran into while doing research for this story is that most information I found is geared towards responses to existing, known diseases rather than a brand new one that doesn't even make you feel sick. I had to do a lot of extrapolation as to what a plausible government response would be.
I was thinking this was gonna be the case for a while now. As for the screaming and blood, who said it was HER screaming and dying? She did appear in a freaking war zone if the theory is correct. A war zone full of bullets, mines, and what have you.
IF I'm correct, 1900 years ago would have been 117 AD/CE. Which the largest empire at the time was the roman empire, so cool
Okay, that was funny!
700 years ago would be 1317, which America wasn't even a place yet, so the barbaric natives would be the Native Americans which means that the portal either opened at the same time on Earth, but in different places or the portal opened in different parts of the world at different times...
Ever since I learned about Sunset Glimmer hating other races I've wanted to comment this.
Sunset is racist and is some cases may be seen as a 'Hitler' like pony, do to the whole 'ponies are master species' thing and Hitlers 'Aryans are master race' thing.
7997101
I do think some of the national security laws passed since 9/11 allow for a period of limited detention without trial.
However, I don't think the US Government would risk a PR nightmare, except under the most dire circumstances.
However, with a community going into a tailspin (students not showing up to school, jobs being unfilled), that threshold for invoking national security may soon be crossed. Especially if major cities start to be infected.
7997083
Wow, that is a scary thought.
What would be even worse is if Sunset's ponification virus brainwashes people too. While Twilight may not be transformed by the spell, it could easily destroy her mind, preventing her from resolving the mess.
7997404 I somehow doubt it would directly effect Ponys cause they're already what the virus wants.. Spike on the other hand, along with, say.. any Griffons or Minotaurs currently in Canterlot or eventually Equestria? That is going to be where things start getting bad.
Sunset Shimmer, Alicorn of Nazis!
7997266 The Alondro Empire was pretty big too...
UH OHHHHHHHHHHH
I give it a week before we can all go visit Ponystone.
7997368
The best thing to strive ff panic would be is what laura and others are doing and just treat it as the "new normal" in the sense they just get up and do what they have to do to adjust for any nightly changes. They are scared and know it is anything but normal and supressing their own panic but they are adapting and trying to carry on with their days as they normally would. It's a reassurance to others to see this and keeps panic in check.......until they start having four hooves anyway.
7997083 Sunset was human when military found her. I was thinking leftover magic started to turn Twilight as well. But I doubt that 'humanization virus' is pony-to-pony contagious.
Feedback from the portal...
Twilight feeling strange...
Is Twi gonna turn human now I wonder
7997589 I Don't know. are we even sure Sunset is even Human at this point and not just using an Illusion to blend in? we don't really have enough info on what happened after she left the portal to make any conclusions one way or the other, just a second hand account of events that is both vague and unreliable. Besides, how would such a virus even come about? from my understanding, Sunset has to spend years of her life to develop just one and it takes time for its effects to begin.
7997610 Well, if you think it's ponification virus, it must be H1N1. We don't even know if pony anatomy is even compatible to virus, or it's too alien. Would Earth virus even survive being in magical equivalent of a star? Or you think it's leftovers from griffon ponification virus, when her deviсe was smashed? So, either way, we have to wait for new chapters.
7997629 I agree, even the theory of it being the ponification virus is a guess at best. we'll have to wait and see whats going on in future chapters.
I'm the story may be focused mainly on the mystery but I feel the anticipation of meetings between both worlds is getting dragged out. It's been 18 chapters and 9 paired updates.
Well at least it gives time for the humans to fully convert before giving the equestrians culture shock
I am happy to see the Ponies finally figured that the portal is still active and that Sunset is likely alive on the other side (shame on Celestia for buying such an obvious ruse). Hopefully this means they will be jumping through the next chapter, because this time around the human side of the story had a very definite "more of the same" feeling going for it. The Earth side's plot has noticeably stalled out and is waiting for the pony side to make a move so it can start advancing again.
Actually, I'd say this goes somewhat for the pony side as well (though to a lesser degree) - we didn't really learn anything new this time around. Cadence's talk with Celestia ended up being an almost near-copy of Twilight's conversation with Celestia with both of them having the exact same grievance, we already knew that Sunset was alive so the ponies learning of this doesn't come across as a major revelation as it's the cast simply catching up to what the audience already knew, we already knew the ponies must have visited the Native Americans and the Greco-Roman world ...
I mean, we did learn a few bits of reasonably interesting trivia and I guess we set up pony expectations of what they are going to find on the other side to be dashed, but overall it definitely feels like the story has exhausted all there really is to say about the current state of affairs, and now we are waiting for the next plot-shaking event to come along so the storyline can truly advance.
7997987
On the human side, I have been trying to show how the crisis is escalating and how it is affecting the characters' lives. In that I thought I had advanced the story.
On the pony side, I disagree with your point that the discussion with Cadance is a repeat of the previous chapter. Not once was the topic of Ascension mentioned. That is the new element here. It was hinted at in the previous chapter:
This is effectively a continuation of that.
They visited the Roman Empire and the native Americans. Hence the depictions on a cliff wall.
As for the Roman legacy...
4.bp.blogspot.com/-859-V2as5jA/UHwXY094p7I/AAAAAAAAATg/Npvr7vGJT38/s1600/800px-Cordoba_Pegasus.jpg
Ancient Roman wall frescoes of Pegasus have been uncovered at Pompeii. Pegasus mosaics, such as the one above from Cordoba, Spain, have also been found. Pegasus has also been found etched into the body armor and shields of Roman legionnaires, Roman lamps, coins, and much, much more.
Right. The same criticism as before : 'Genetic code'. Where does Twilight have this knowledge from and why does it have the exact same name? I'd really like to know this. Anyway.
Magical feedback accompanied by 'red and yellow light', just like the colouration of a certain cutie mark. I have a feeling Twilight's eyes will change colouration within a few days and her tail is gonna be reduced to a tailbone...
Oh and if the pandemic goes into the exponential phase now as it seems to be doing, public life in the US is going to collapse within the next two months. Also: airports. No-one important overseas knows any of this yet. And those unaffected will become a target for mob rage. I'm still waiting for the local panic... I feel it's overdue.
But do carry on, this is a fascinating story.
7997472
7997806
I've been trying hard to present the emotional side of the story in both worlds. I didn't want this to be a sterile story of people turning into ponies. This means that the story will seem a little more slower paced.
So is it a case of where some readers want more action than insight? Or I am just screwing up the pacing in some other way? This is really confusing to me because I sense there's a problem but have no clue how to solve it.
7998321
I'd like to think that Equestria has knowledge in science as well as magic. I didn't want to make up a fanciful term for it and have readers scratching their heads wondering what it meant. I figured that since Equestria is effectively speaking another language, the narration is "translating" and would use familiar words in our own language, if that makes any sense.
7998261
On the human side, it's more of a case of there not being any new developments regarding either the disease or any new insights or revelations from the organizations handling this. The health department could have contacted the doctor with an update or some news; someone could have their wings or horn come in; the doctor could have made some new discovery or insight about the disease, more people could have developed hooves - something that would have shown the disease advancing and "escalating". A mob could have started and caused trouble, etc ...
Instead it was a compilation of the same minor 'generic' concerns and worries we see characters going through in every chapter as part of the background scenery, which is why it feels like nothing noteworthy happened - people being worried about it is the default state of things, which doesn't really benefit from being mentioned more unless something new happens. I don't think I am wrong in saying that if someone had read the previous chapter, then skipped this one and jumped straight to whatever the next one, would notice the gap. These sorts of chapters are otherwise known as "fillers", I believe.
As for Cadence and Celestia, it's that one of Cadence's main complaints to Celestia (and what she feels upset about) is that, like she said, Celestia used to confide in her and trusted her above all others, but then chose not to on this issue.
This is the almost the same as Twilight's situation, where she was mostly upset because Celestia used to trust her with all sort of things, but then chose to ride roughshod over her regarding this one.
We did learn a few new tidbits of information, aye (and I did mention there were a few interesting bits), but overall Cadence's conversation with Celestia felt very similar to Twilight's because of them having very similar 'main' complaints.
7998454
This was not meant to be a filler chapter in any sense of the word. I felt like I had advanced several character's development. I highlighted the strained relationship with Harold and his father; I started to hint at an explanation for Jenny's behavior and attitudes; I gave concrete examples of how the peoples' worries are escalating; I had the reporter in the town indicating that the story was about to break to the public in much bigger fashion; I highlighted how the stress was getting to even normally calm people like Kevin; I set up for an upcoming scene involving Turner.
I apologize, but it's really frustrating to be told that a chapter I put a LOT of work into is nothing more than filler.
7998454
So, after stepping away from this for a bit, I thought of this question to ask: would this have gone over better if there had been more "action"? I feel that a lot of the scenes, especially with the Tanner family, help to advance their development and are still important to the story. If that's the case, then there will likely be a course correction with the next few chapters as there is more action. I just felt that the development in this chapter could stand up on its own. Perhaps there's a disconnect between my expectations and those of the readers. If so, I apologize for that.
7998434 It does make sense that the translation is the same. It's just that advanced biomagitech and the concept of biological warfare doesn't sit right with me. To me, it implies universities with biology departments and advanced medical research. Everything else in your world building is great for me, this is what I keep stumbling over. Then again, Equestria is a world where a single person can figure out pretty much anything the plot demands.
Anyway, it's your story and not important enough to be a dealbreaker. I'll just have to accept it.
Everything else is great so far.
7998576 You don't need to apologize, everyone has their own preferences. I like the slow pacing and mostly agree with your perspective on how the chapter was intended. A small tidbit like preliminary medical research results would have been nice, yes. What I missed was another look at how Laura is faring, but that's probably because I've gotten so used to her showing up. Not a problem either, I'm just really invested in the character. I don't think the chapter came across as a filler since it set up a lot of things.
I don't think the human side would benefit from more action at this point. More action will be unavoidable anyway as soon as this starts to live up to the story's title, which it seems to be about to do.
7998431 No it is not that, I guess the anticipation of both worlds eventually meeting (and humans transforming into Ponies) is a bit longer than some has expected. A steady pacing in favor of character and story development is fine (as long as it isn't dragged out for 20 paired updates) as long as it doesn't feel like a filler. It is depending on what the story is focused on, and it's focusing on the mystery so it is good.
But I am fine with it personally if the Ponies of Equestria and (newly and fully created) ponies of Earth meet and give an amusing culture shock (with some story of it afterwards). It'll be worth it.
I mean you could at least give an estimate of WHEN could expect them to meet to calm some people down in a future update
7998576
There is nothing to apologize for; your work has been overall of very high quality and it was never my intention to make light of the effort you put in to it. I do apologize if it came across that way.
"Action" though, hmm ... I am not sure if action is the right word for what I felt was missing, though I do suppose it kinda fits if we define "action" as "plot advancement", which isn't necessarily the same as, and can't be substituted with, "minor character development". How do I put this ...
Your story overall is very plot centric, and it's the plot which drives character interactions and dictates story tempo (it's not s slice of life story, where it would be the other way around); it's the plot which creates tension and suspense and it's the plot which makes me come back for more. The characters exist to support the plot.
And the driving "The Plot" elements as of now are:
1) The mystery behind Sunset Shimmer (largely solved for now, so this takes backseat for now until more new information is presented, at least on the pony side)
2) The ongoing transformation of humans (next big steps we are anticipating at the moment: growth of horn and wings, reaction and action at large from the major health institution/government)
3) And the Big One, the most anticipated milestone, the event which is expected to truly kick things into gear and which everything else is working towards: the collision between the worlds and official "first contact".
These are the big things which are the driving force behind your story (at its current point) and where it derives its excitement and allure from, for the most part, ultimately working towards point 3. Having sufficiently developed characters is also important of course, but ultimately their task is to support and advance the plot - because that's where the meat of the story is and, by and large, what the readers are reading it for.
This last human chapter ... didn't really do anything to advance any of these three points, I'm afraid. And even then it could have been fine, if something major happened character-development wise, something which would redefine how they are relating and reacting to the plot or each other.
Instead it was pretty much a collection of "mundane" events (what passes for mundane these days) and the cookie-cutter worries everyone is having. That, I'm afraid, isn't very interesting or insightful at this point and ultimately doesn't really give us any new information and we don't really need "highlighting" of issues that we are already well aware are there - not when it comes at a cost of feeling, like batran put it, the anticipation of the meeting between worlds (the primary driving force and interest generator of your story) being dragged out and delayed for this - "highlighting" things about characters we already know or can easily infer.
That's kinda my issue with this chapter - I don't feel like I have learned a single thing about any of the characters that I didn't already know or couldn't infer from previously presented information (and very minor character development details in a few characters among a cast of like 15 is an iffy proposition anyway, when much more interesting things are being delayed because of it) and the plot (Information.hints about Sunset from the human side, advancement/next stage of the transformation, government involvement/response) didn't advance either. Which is why it feels like nothing really happened.
I am not sure how well I succeeded, but I tried explaining my feelings on the chapter as best I can :)
7998434
I don't believe there should be any issues with Equestrians being aware about genetics, canonity-wise. Even if we go by pure "technology" aspect (as defined by human understanding and reference), what we see in the show puts Equestria around 1980-ish on the higher end of things (some things are obviously lower than that, but we are talking about a genuine alien society here. Obviously they are going to have their own quirks and priorities when developing - or choosing not to develop - specific fields). It's just easy to overlook/forget because most of the show takes place in a rural backwater farming town known as Ponyville.
And when you include magic in to the mix (which is a science in itself) and all the new and unorthodox ways and insights it would open up for the purposes of interacting with and understanding the world around you, it's not at all strange that the ponies would have what we consider "modern" understanding of certain subjects - or even surpassing it, given the additional lens through which they can observe and understand how the world works.
I feel like this sentence would flow better if it were edited to
'Shiny's been doing shields since I was a foal.'
Is Sunset head of the CDC?