The Five Unicorns: The Other Side
Starswirl and Stygian were back in Twilight's castle, following Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst down one of the many corridors. All lined with crystal walls and columns, with carpet that spanned the length of every passage, leaving gaps between the fabric and the doors. For Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst, it was something that they were all too familiar with. They had been in and out of the castle more times than they could count. Starswirl had only been the place a few times, as did Stygian. But the two of them were already enraptured by the architecture.
"So tell me, Twilight. What was it that you wanted to show me again?" Starswirl asked as he watched Twilight approach a large door with green tiles on the front.
"Well, I know that you were quite a pioneer in magic, Starswirl. But... let's just say that I've made a few discoveries of my own." Twilight opened up the door, leading the rest of her company inside. "I know that I'm never gonna be able to compete with anything that you've done in your life, but I like to say that this was one of my bigger discoveries. In fact, I've been meaning to show you it ever since we pulled you and the other pillars out of Limbo.
"So, in other words, a few or so hours?" Stygian cocked a brow. "I mean, if it's one of your biggest projects, I would have imagined that it must've taken a long time to perfect, let alone be ready for us to take a look at."
"You could say that. But really, it wasn't my original idea." She blushed and fiddled with her front hooves. "I just made some adjustments to the original design and kept in my castle ever since. But I still like to think that the work I did benefitted a certain friend on the other side."
"Other side? Well, now I'm really confused, Twilight Sparkle. Are you saying that you've found a way to commune with the afterlife; with creatures long since past their time on the mortal coil?" Starswirl asked, rubbing his bearded chin with a hoof.
"What? No. Nothing like that." Twilight just casually beat the air with her hoof. "If I did, I'd have asked my great great great great great great great grandfather how he and his family lived. Then I would have meticulously written every detail down into a book then send it off to mom and dad back in Canterlot."
"No, Starswirl. What Twilight's done is much different. Trust me, I speak from experience." Starlight gave Starswirl a wink as she lead him into the room along with Stygian.
"Experience? Well, now this I must see if your friend Starlight has had some dealings with it..." Starswirl walked into the room hastily and soon found himself staring at the portal to the human world, complete with the mechanical frame attached to the horseshoe-shaped mirror that held the glass in place. A book sat on a ledge above the portal, the front visible for every pony inside.
"What I've done here is taken the base extract of an interdimensional gateway between two worlds on a polar spectrum to one another, created a breach between those two worlds and used this as the beachhead for ponies to travel back and forth through," Twilight said, as she stood by the portal and posed as if she were giving a lecture in a classroom. "Upon traversal through the metaphysical gateway between Equestria and this new world, the body takes on a new shape that contorts and conforms to this new world's laws, retaining a permanent shape until re-entry back into this plane of existence."
Starlight just stood there and blinked for a few seconds, before shaking her head, turning to Starswirl and Stygian, saying, "In English, Twilight's managed to create a portal between Equestria and a whole new world, where ponies aren't the dominant species and instead it's got these things called humans. Or at least, that's how Sunset always called them..."
"The portal was always around in the days of old, but there was a strict time limiter that kept it from being properly used to its' full potential." Sunburst pushed his glasses close to his eyes as he approached the portal as well. "You see, it was channelled by raw lunar magic that only came to fruition every thirty moons. Or two and a half years for those who don't count things by moon. When the time was right, the portal would be open for three days and no more. After the third day, it would seal off for another thirty moons."
"I know. It wasn't a very good system in hindsight; especially when I had my crown stolen." Twilight looked to the ceiling, a sigh slipping out of her mouth. "It feels like forever since that day, when Sunset Shimmer pillaged me, ran off to that other world and challenged me."
"This Sunset Shimmer sounds like she seeks power, having tried to take your crown; your Element of Harmony." Starswirl lowered his brows. "At this point in time, is she still a nuisance in this new world or Equestria?"
"No. It's been a while since she's spent a full day back here in Equestria. Not out of shame or exile, but rather because she likes living in this new world. Still, one must wonder how her family feels having not seen her in ages. How do they think she's holding it down all on her own in that new world?" Twilight put her hoof on the portal, her chest warming up as she imagined putting it on Sunset's heart. "I guess, when you really think about it, this is both a blessing and a curse to ponies who want to move. The good side is that they get to see a new world for themselves, whereas the bad side being whether they want to stay, abandoning Equestria, abandoning everything that they knew and loved."
"Well, in any case, I'm sure that she's doing what her heart wants her to do." Starlight wrapped a hoof around Twilight's back, brushing her tenderly. "If she's happy in this new world, then who are we to say that she's not allowed to stay or come back? She can always pop back over to Equestria any time she wants."
"I know, Starlight. But she's done so much in this new world that it's her home away from home. She's become so complacent and happy with the stuff she's seen and done that it would be harder to convince her to come back home. Yet at the same time, I'll bet that she misses the place very much." Twilight looked into Starlight's eyes, feeling a lump in her throat. "The curse of having two worlds to choose between is that it's hard to nail down just one when both are equally tempting. A world of ponies and a world of humans, both with their upsides and downsides. When you think about it, nopony or rather nobody can choose one without feeling bad for the other."
"An interesting talk on the prospect of duality, Twilight. With that sort of philosophy, you really have piqued my interest. Perhaps a little visit to this new world is in order, perhaps?" Starswirl spoke, bringing both of the unicorns out of each other's embraces. "If it causes the mind to think, then it definitely warrants further investigation."
"I agree. If there are such things as other worlds, tempting enough so that ponies would want to stay in them, I wouldn't mind getting a little glimpse of this place that Sunset Shimmer calls home as well." Stygian stepped forward, hoof close to the edge of the portal's base.
"If you must go through, I just need to let you know to remember the exact spot that you came out. If you don't find your way back to the gateway that you came out of, you could potentially be stuck in that other world without another portal to lead you home." Twilight put her hoof on Starswirl's back. Knowing that he had thrust himself and his peers out of Equestria once, she didn't want to let him become lost for another millennium or so. "The portal's position is always anchored by the base it's held in. This stays here, the other gateway stays there. If you can't find the exit and entrance points, the risk is that you become trapped in this new world."
"I'm well aware with the idea of portal travel, Twilight. It is not a rare prospect in this world." He took her hoof off of his back, letting it flop back down to her side. "Still, I have never known a portal to take somepony out of Equestria entirely... I would advise you to stay on your guard, but as you and your peers have done this before, perhaps the rule only applies to myself and Stygian."
"I must admit, this all quite exhilarating. If this portal does indeed lead to a new world, we should document as much as we could, Starswirl. Just imagine how much of a benefit it would be to the ponies of this world interested in visiting it." Stygian watched as Starswirl stood by his side, locking gazes with his old companion.
"True, but we must also take into account whether or not ponies would be interested in this new world, as well as the consequences that would befall them or the inhabitants there." Starswirl nodded. "For now, we should at least survey the area, see what there is to see, then return with our findings intact. Then, whether or not we create this book idea of yours is down to us and us alone."
Together, both of the Old Equestrians walked through the portal, bathed in a white veil as they fazed out of Equestria through the glass. It didn't take long for Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst to follow through, before the five of them all fell through the dimensional corridor of light. Their bodies contorted and changed, before they tumbled through one last radiant burst, blinding them all as they collided on the ground at last.
Twilight, Starlight, Sunburst, Stygian, and Starswirl all collapsed in one giant heap at the base of Canterlot High. All of them transformed from pony to human, they each got up, opening their eyes for the first time as they found control of their bodies once again. One by one, they pushed themselves off of the ground and tried standing up. Or rather, Twilight and Starlight stood up properly. As for the other three, they were more standing on their knees than anything else.
Sunburst's goatee and glasses remained, but instead of his usual cape, he was now dressed in a sweater that bore the same colours and patterns of his suit, with his cutie mark draped by the left-hand side of his zip. He wore a plain cream-coloured pair of slacks with brown shoes.
Starswirl and Stygian's clothes were much more different. Starswirl's hat and cape were the same, just re-shaped and resized to fit his new physique. He also now wore two curly purple shoes on his feet. Stygian wore a short brown cape and shirt, with a cummerbund running from his waist to his arms. Underneath that was a pair of green trousers tucked in at medieval shoes that now adorned his feet.
Twilight and Starlight had the same clothes that they had always worn since they had been here. Twilight with her blue shirt with a purple skirt bearing her cutie mark across it. Starlight reclaimed her pink beanie and ripped trousers with a black vest over her green shirt, with her Cutie Mark in the center of it.
"Well, welcome to..." Twilight lifted a finger, but then steadily lowered it as a thought ravaged her mind. "Actually... what was this world actually called again? I don't think I ever remember getting a name for it. All I know is Canterlot High and that's it outside of houses."
"I'm sure that we can ask Sunset and her friends for some information the next time we see them, Twilight," Starlight replied, before breaking in her legs with a run around the entrance to CHS. "Oh, it feels so good to be back on two legs again! I know pony legs are good and all, but there's just something great about having this bit of extra agility. The slender body, the longer legs—" She performed a backflip, landing on her feet with ease "—the acrobatic dynamics. It's just so satisfying, don't you think?"
"Wh-whoa!" Sunburst finally took a long look at his body, twisting, turning, examining every corner of himself. "These are... definitely new. What in the name of Celestia ARE these things?" He asked, looking at his fingers and how he wriggled them around.
"Those are called hands. And the things poking out of them are fingers." Twilight walked over to Sunburst, pulling him up onto two legs. "The humans here use those to hold things, push and pull things, and do lots of other stuff with them. Just like how unicorns use magic to lift everything, humans use these instead."
"Interesting..." Sunburst looked at his new limbs. "And why is it that we need only two hooves to stand up? What do we do about the other two?" His eyes were focused on his arms, mainly how long they were and slender by comparison to his old pony legs.
"Those are arms. They make it so you can reach things with your hands better." Twilight held on of Sunburst's new arms and pulled it out wide, showing him just much reach he had. "Trust me. I was just as confused as you were the first time I came here, but Sunset and her friends got me up to speed pretty quickly."
"I see." Starswirl used his hands to push himself off of his knees, standing tall above the others. He wobbled for a bit, trying to accommodate for his new proportions, but soon managed to find his balance. "I've also noticed that my horn has vanished, as has the rest of yours. These humans do not have magic, I must assume."
"The only way anyone can have any form of magic in this world is if they somehow bring an Equestrian artefact into this world and use it here. Other than that, yeah, this place is pretty much a dead zone for magic users." Twilight came over to Starswirl, giving him a nod as she looked up at his new form. "What do you think of it all, Stygian?"
"I'm a bit taken aback first of all. This body feels a tad lighter than my old pony body. Maybe it's either the gravitational pull of this world or rather of my own weight, but I feel like there's less resistance for me whenever I move." Stygian stood up so quickly that he ended up falling onto his new bottom. He wasn't grounded for long, as Twilight was quick to stand him up again. "Perhaps this Sunset Shimmer is used to it by now, having spent so much time here, after all..."
"I'm willing to bet that she is. After all, she wouldn't have stayed if she didn't find it good." Starlight came back over. Her little workout had come to an end, yet she was still running on the spot. "Speaking of good, have you tried running in these new bodies, everyone? It's great!"
"If you say it is, Starlight. For now, I think we should try and look around for a bit more, maybe even find Sunset and the others if we're lucky." Twilight put her hands on Starlight's shoulders, calming her down in an instant.
"Before we do move on, Twilight. What is this establishment before us?" Starswirl asked, looking out towards CHS and all of its' features. "It looks very akin to Canterlot's library back home. Do you suppose that this is a replica, or a library of equal measure to ours?"
"It's not a library, Starswirl. But you're not far off in terms of it being a place for learning. It's known as Canterlot High. A school for people in their teenage years." Twilight lifted her finger. "I was only here for two major visits. The first one being for the whole Sunset stealing my crown business, then another incident involving the Dazzlings."
Before any of them could respond, the bell rang, and a sea of smiling students swarmed out of the doors with backpacks on their backs and gear in hand, ready to head home and curl up on their sofas, beds, chairs, and other various furniture. Among them were Sunset Shimmer, and the humanised counterparts of the Main Six close by them, all wearing their casual clothes as well as their seven geodes around their necks.
It didn't take long for anyone to notice Twilight, Starlight, Stygian, Starswirl, and Sunburst at the doors, before they all came over, surrounding them in an instant. The five unicorns were soon cornered with their backs to the portal, with Sunset and the Rainbooms still at the door, trying to take in the whole situation.
"No. Way. Are you Starswirl the Bearded?" A female student asked, looking into Starswirl's eyes.
"Well, to answer your question, miss, yes I am." Starswirl refound his composure as he looked into the eyes of the student who had questioned him.
"THE Starswirl the Bearded? The famous philosopher who read the stars and determined the constellations of other worlds?" Another student, male, asked him next. "I thought you'd died a thousand years ago!"
"You're alive, though! A living legend walking among us! Oh, I've TOTALLY gotta share this on SnapGap!" Another female student reached into her pocket, whipped out a phone, slid next to Starswirl, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, then pointed the phone's camera at them both before taking the picture, flash engulfing their vision for a split second. "I bet you can't steal this status. Legendary historical figure actually alive. Hashtag, Living History." She pounded those exact words into her phone, with a number icon replacing where she said hashtag.
As soon as the student skittered out of Starswirl's reach, the other students came rushing in with their phones. Every single one of them took a photo of themselves with Starswirl, making an assortment of faces as they all typed in their comments, before pushing some buttons on the screen, sharing their images online, all with the same message at the end. "#LivingHistory" was seen at the end of every single post that they made.
All the while, Twilight, Starlight, Stygian, and Sunburst were so taken off-guard with the sudden surge of students snapping shots with their cameras that they couldn't even bring themselves to stop them or make any attempt to disperse the crowd. Luckily, they didn't need to, as Sunset and her friends came down from the stairs.
Rainbow Dash broke through the crowd, standing with the newcomers, pushing her hands out. "Alright, everyone. Break it up. If you've got your photos, then that's great and all. But I think we need to give these guys and gals some space," she said, pushing the others back slightly. "As cool as it is to see some old guy from history come back with his friends, we don't wanna overwhelm them. It'll totally mess up their style if you do." As she spoke, the students indeed left the area, still talking about Starswirl and the others as they shared their messages around their phones. "That's right, have a nice day, everyone. See ya back here tomorrow, a'ight?"
"Rainbow Dash? Is that... you?" Starswirl asked, putting his hand on the shoulder of the teenager, grabbing her attention immediately. "And Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack too? I thought you were showing the other Pillars around Equestria..."
"Pillars? What are you talking about, mister? Unless we're talking about super-tall ice cream pillars, then I'd definitely be taking them around Equestria showing them a good time." Pinkie Pie grinned as she stepped up to Starswirl and company.
"In fact, who are you all?" Fluttershy asked, looking at the group. "Oh, not you, Twilight and Starlight. We know who you are. We were just talking to these other three."
"This is most bizarre." Stygian walked forward. "Here we are, taking our first steps onto this new world, then we get surrounded by these humans armed with these weird slabs of magic, taking what could only be described as camera shots of us. And another thing, how come there are now TWO versions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends now?" He tipped his hand at the two Twilights, and the rest of the humanised Main Six.
"We can explain, but I think both of us have pretty long stories to tell about what in the hay's going on here." Sunset walked forward through her friends so as to get a closer look at the five Equestrians. "But for now, all you need to know is that I'm Sunset Shimmer and these are my friends. And you are?"
"Sunburst, Stygian, and I am Starswirl the Bearded," he said, pointing out his companions, who just shook her head, with him being the last to offer his greeting. "And yes. I can agree with you on that. We all have a lot of explaining to do..."
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Decided against going with the comics' suggestion that Star Swirl created the mirror portal then. Works for me.
error spotted: "I'm sure that we can ask Starlight and her friends for some information the next time we see them, Twilight," Starlight replied,
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Error eliminated. Thank you for your contribution.
I thought Star Swirl made this portal, given that it's the same world he banished the Sirens to, and his apprentice dumped the Memory Stone, and lord knows what other garbage they shoved through without caring about the other side...
And people actually recognize a philosopher? How? He's a...philosopher.
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He does have a massive statue outside the local observatory. Sci-Twi and Timber Spruce both saw it.
Ah yes, a trip to the human world. This should be quite entertaining.
Well i'm invested to see more. Wonder if they'll meet the old enemies the Dazzlings
One phase comes to mind
Lucy you got some explaning