Letters to a Lost World

by EileenSaysHi

Prologue

Sunset? Are you there? Please answer when you can.

Hey Twilight! I’m here! Sorry you couldn’t make it today. Royal business?

It’s not that. There’s a problem. A big problem. With the portal.

What? What happened?

I’m not sure. There was some kind of mechanical malfunction. Spike and I fixed it, but even after that, the portal didn’t reopen!

Oh no! Twilight! Maybe I can try from the other side?

Don’t do that! If it works on that side, but not the other, you could get stuck here!

What if I just try throwing a rock or something through?

You can try, if it works it might give me some data to work with… but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Worst-case scenario, could you just build a new machine to keep it open?

I’ll try everything I can, but right now my working hypothesis is that the problem is with the power source. I won’t be able to say exactly why it isn’t working for a while, but it seems like the malfunction happened because of the mirror itself.

How?

It pushed back against the magic that’s been keeping it open so long. It’s like it knows the connection between worlds wasn’t meant to be continuous.

Hmmmm… that’s upsetting, but not unsolvable, right? If we could find a different power source, that should be able to fix it!

That could take an incredibly long time, though, if there even is one out there!

Wait, I have an idea. Think of it like this. The mirror must have learned to understand what’s keeping it open and react to it, right? Well, all we have to do is disguise the magic somehow! If it can’t recognize it, the portal should be able to work again!

You read my mind, but finding ways to disguise that kind of magic is tricky at best. I’m assembling a team to help with the research. I’ll dedicate as much time to this as I can, but my coronation is only two moons away, and, once that happens, things will have to fall almost entirely to the team. In the meantime, though… you’re going to have to tell our friends that I can’t come back for a while.

Absolute worst-case scenario, it will just re-open at the end of the current 30-moon cycle, right?

I hope so, but I’m concerned that may not be true anymore. Undisturbed, the portal opens for a period of about a week. But we had it open for years, and I’m concerned the portal may remain closed until all that time – a week per 30-moon cycle – is “made up for.”

But that would be hundreds, maybe thousands of years! Twilight, you can’t believe that!

I truly, truly hope I’m wrong. Unfortunately, if I can’t find a way to reopen the portal before then, we won’t know for sure for another 16 moons.

Wait! What about the other portal we found? The one that leads to the Everfree Forest!

No good, sadly. You were incredibly lucky it was open when you needed it, because when we found the site where you landed, there was nothing. It must be operating on its own schedule. We’ve checked regularly, but, so far, it hasn’t opened again. Until it does, I wouldn’t have any way to know where to direct the magic to keep it open, if that portal would even respond to it.

That’s really disappointing. Though even if you could come through there, we’d have to rescue you from a deserted island to do anything.

I wish I had something more hopeful to say.

I’ll tell our friends that you can’t come through, maybe for a while. But I can’t give them that kind of doomsday news until we know more. Maybe the solution is easier than we think and you’ll have something really soon! Maybe we’re fretting over nothing!

Maybe we are. I’ll keep you posted as best I can. Believe me, I was truly excited to be there today. This is the last thing I ever wanted to happen.

I’ll be waiting for anything you can give me.

By the way, I tried throwing a rock through the portal. It bounced back.

I’m so sorry.

I know. I am too.

Hope you all are staying well. With any luck, I’ll see you again soon.

---

Hi, Sunset.

Twilight! How was the coronation? Hail Twilight, Ruler of Equestria!

Hah. It was a disaster, twice. I’ll tell you all about it later. But I need to talk about our, shall we say, present problem.

I’m listening.

Like I said before, I’m now going to have to take a step back from actively working on the solution. Starlight and Sunburst are providing some oversight for the research team, but I’m not feeling good about it. We’ve tried all sorts of ways to disguise the magic, but none have worked so far. We’re still not even completely confident in our hypothesis about what caused the problem.

I’ve tried looking into alternate solutions as well. Star Swirl provided me with the spell he used so many years ago to transport the sirens into your dimension. Unfortunately, while it seems to work, I’d only be able to cast it from within Equestria, and I wouldn’t have a way back. Everything I’ve tried to keep a rift open for more than 10 seconds has failed. And we know from what you’ve told me of the Friendship Games that, even if I could make one, rifts created from your side are dangerous and unstable.

It feels miserable being so close to what should be a solution, but I can’t risk becoming trapped away from my kingdom, nor can I risk the safety of your entire dimension in trying to leave it.

Of course not, Twilight. We would never ask that of you.

The good news is that, with my move to Canterlot, we were finally able to move the mirror as well, and we’ll have more ponies available to work on it consistently. But at this point, it feels like I’m just guessing blindly for possibilities. And I still have no way to know if it will reopen on its own.

Don’t give up, Twilight. It’s only been two moons. We’ll see each other again. I know we will. I have to see what you look like once you start growing Celestia-shaped.

Don’t remind me, that’s such a weird idea. I’m glad you’re still optimistic, it gives me a little more hope to know that. But I think it’s time you told your friends the whole story.

I already have.

I thought you weren’t going to, though?

They caught on that something was wrong and forced it out of me just a short while ago. As much as I hated to tell them, they deserved to know.

How did they take it?

Not well, at first. There were some tears.

Thank Celestia I gave you that stockpile of extra journals. If they want to talk to me, we can give them some.

I will. Related to that, though, we came up with an idea.

An idea?

Not for the portal, sadly. But for you. Something we can do while we wait to see where things are going.

We’re all going to write you letters.

Letters?

Not goodbye letters, strictly. We're all holding out hope. But more… appreciation letters. Things we’ve always wanted to say to you, about these past few years and everything that’s happened. We all just graduated, after all, and we’re heading into a new period in our lives too; even when we can finally restore the connection between our worlds, we’ll all be in a different place than we were the last time we met in person. We thought it could be a way to mark the occasion, I guess, especially when it’s already such a momentous time for you.

Sunset, that’s really really sweet. I’d say you don’t have to but, knowing all of you, that wouldn’t do anything to stop you.

It absolutely would not.

Heh. I have to step away right now, but rest assured I absolutely look forward to reading them. I miss all of you dearly, and even seeing kind words from you will bring me some needed comfort.

Good luck out there, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I miss you too. And you still need to tell me all about your coronation.

I will.

Comments

[Mystic Sunrise]

At least the Journal still works. Same with the copies. I give Pinkie a week before she runs out of pages.

[redandready45]

Man, this is a really interesting idea.

Heck, it could be the setting of an EG finale.

Can't wait to read more.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

So, what happens when the journals run out of pages since Sunset wouldn't be able to go to Equestria for more?

[Jymbroni]

I love this idea, but man does it hit you in the feels.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

No good, sadly. You were incredibly lucky it was open when you needed it, because when we found the site where you landed, there was nothing. It must be operating on its own schedule. We’ve checked regularly, but, so far, it hasn’t opened again. Until it does, I wouldn’t have any way to know where to direct the magic to keep it open, if that portal would even respond to it.

There goes that plan.

Don’t give up, Twilight. It’s only been two moons. We’ll see each other again. I know we will. I have to see what you look like once you start growing Celestia-shaped.

Lol.

[Bicyclette]

It pushed back against the magic that’s been keeping it open so long. It’s like it knows the connection between worlds wasn’t meant to be continuous.

yeah, Twilight's workaround always seemed a bit ad-hoc, especially in proportion to the size of the ramifications such a connection has for both worlds!

I’ll dedicate as much time to this as I can, but my coronation is only two moons away, and, once that happens, things will have to fall almost entirely to the team. In the meantime, though… you’re going to have to tell our friends that I can’t come back for a while.

oof, that both places this story in the timeline and explains why Sunset wasn't there for the coronation...

I hope so, but I’m concerned that may not be true anymore. Undisturbed, the portal opens for a period of about a week. But we had it open for years, and I’m concerned the portal may remain closed until all that time – a week per 30-moon cycle – is “made up for.”

oof, that makes too much sense. also, the bill for using up a finite resource coming due later is all too familiar...

And we know from what you’ve told me of the Friendship Games that, even if I could make one, rifts created from your side are dangerous and unstable.

oof, so true. really bringing in all the bits of canon we've seen about how the portals work!

I have to see what you look like once you start growing Celestia-shaped.

hehe, i love how everypony just expects this from Twilight

We all just graduated, after all, and we’re heading into a new period in our lives too; even when we can finally restore the connection between our worlds, we’ll all be in a different place than we were the last time we met in person. We thought it could be a way to mark the occasion, I guess, especially when it’s already such a momentous time for you.

aww, a nice mirror between this and Starlight's adventures in bothering Twilight's friends for anecdotes to put in her friendship journal gift! and indeed, it certainly is thematically appropriate timing for this to happen just as the girls are graduating from high school.