A time of change

by a937539

Chapter 1, New faces

Chapter 1

In the bustling town of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, the resident Alicorn princess, was enjoying a delightful morning. As part of her daily routine, she collected the letters from her mailbox and sorted through them before returning to her castle.

"Bills, advertisements... oh, here's the book I ordered!" she exclaimed, her excitement growing at the prospect of reading it later.

But among the usual letters, one caught her attention. The rough paper exterior gave no indication of who had sent it. The return address featured a mysterious symbol: a triangle with three points connected to a central point, accompanied by an infinity symbol.

Twilight, perplexed by the unfamiliar address on the letter, pondered its origin. It was not uncommon for ponies to use their cutie marks in place of a traditional address, but this was usually the case for well-known ponies like herself or the princesses.

Spike, her trusty dragon assistant, noticed her hesitation and inquired.

"What have you got there, Twilight?" he asked.

"It's a letter, Spike," Twilight replied, "but I don't know who it's from."

"Well, you won't find out by just looking at the cover," Spike encouraged. "Open it up."

Twilight obeyed and opened the letter, reading it aloud so Spike could hear.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

My family and I are travelers from a faraway land, and we have heard wonderful things about your charming town and its friendly ponies. As we are not familiar with your town's customs, we kindly request permission to visit. We would greatly appreciate it if you could sign "I accept" on the bottom of this letter if you grant our request.

Sincerely,

Ti Terra and Co Terra, Ancient Alicorns of Earth and Time

Twilight's eyes widened in astonishment as she read the letter, a mix of excitement and nervousness swirling in her heart.

"Ancient Alicorns of Earth and Time?" she asked, re-reading the elegant script.

Gazing out the window at the familiar sight of Ponyville basking in the warm afternoon sun, a smile spread across her face. The town thrived on welcoming new visitors, and hosting creatures as intriguing as these Alicorns would be an honor.

Swiftly moving to her desk, Twilight seized a quill and dipped it into a shimmering inkwell. With graceful strokes, she wrote:

"I accept!” Ponyville would be overjoyed to have you, Ti Terra and Co Terra. Please know, among friends, formality is not required. We are a straightforward and hospitable community. We look forward to learning about your adventures and sharing a piece of our world with you.

Warmly,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. Don't stress about customs! We'll gladly guide you through anything you're unsure of.

Carefully folding the letter, Twilight exited her library and headed toward Ponyville Square. Spike, her devoted dragon assistant, emerged from a mound of books.

"Spike!" Twilight called out. "We have visitors! And not just any visitors..."

"We must prepare!" Spike exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. "Perhaps a welcoming feast? Decorations in the Square?"

Despite his initial surprise, Spike's enthusiasm matched Twilight's. With renewed purpose, they set off to prepare Ponyville for the arrival of their extraordinary guests.

-

As Twilight Sparkle departed for Ponyville, the letter she had left on the table started to glow. A single quill tip slowly emerged from the paper's surface, as if searching for something. The feather vanished back into the letter a moment later. The letter then grew into a doorway that was fifteen feet wide and nearly reached the library's ceiling.

A tall gray male Alicorn stepped through Closely following was a light pink female Alicorn with darker pink hair.

"She accepted our invitation. It appears that we are in a library, " the tall gray Alicorn said enthusiastically as he scanned the surroundings. "But I don't see anyone. Did she flee?"

The pink Alicorn looked around, taking in Twilight's home's appearance, and gently nudged the gray Alicorn's side.

"Let's look around while we wait, maybe we can find something, a note saying where she went?”

-

Outside Twilight's ears swiveled at the sound of voices echoing through her library even after she’d left. Curiosity gnawing at her, she peeked back through the doorway, nearly bumping into the most magnificent creatures she’d ever seen.

There, standing in the center of the library, materialized from a shimmering portal that had taken the place of the letter, were two Alicorns. The first, taller than even Princess Celestia with a coat the color of polished storm clouds and a black mane cascading down his back like a shimmering waterfall, a strange triangle adorning his flank, spoke with a firm voice slightly rumbling like distant thunder.

His companion, a vision in soft pink with a shimmering mane, a darker hue of pink tied back with a blue hair ribbon and an infinity symbol gracing her flank, looked around with wide, inquisitive eyes. Relief washed over her face as she spotted Twilight.

"There you are! You must be Twilight the Alicorn." she exclaimed in a gentle voice like wind chimes. "We weren't sure if you'd accepted our letter! This library is simply brimming with knowledge – a scholar's paradise, wouldn't you agree, Ti?"

Ti Terra chuckled, the sound rumbling through the room. "Indeed, Co Terra. It seems Twilight Sparkle has impeccable taste in living quarters."

With newfound purpose, Twilight trotted into the room, a wide smile plastered across her face. "Welcome, welcome! Ti Terra and Co Terra, I presume? I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I'm so happy you could make it!"

Twilight gestured towards them, my excitement bubbling over.

"Forgive me for not being here to greet you upon arrival. The anticipation for your visit had me running errands faster than Rainbow Dash in a Sonic Rainboom competition!"

"There's no need to apologize, dear Twilight," Co Terra replied, her voice warm and friendly. "Your library is most impressive. We couldn't help but take a quick peek while you were… indisposed."

"Ah, yes," I laughed awkwardly. "The portal… a bit unexpected, to be sure! Though undeniably impressive magic!"

Ti Terra says, "Don't worry at all. It's okay to call me Ti, and you can call her Co. And who's your young dragon friend over there?”

Relief washed over Twilight. "Of course, Ti and Co, it's lovely to meet you both officially. And this," She said, turning to Spike who had cautiously emerged from behind Twilight, "Is Spike, my loyal assistant."

Spike, still wide-eyed at the sight of the two Alicorns, gave a small, nervous wave.

"A dragon assistant, fascinating!" Ti said, his voice filled with genuine curiosity. He lowered his head slightly to get a better look at Spike,

"Don't worry, little one," he rumbled reassuringly. "We Alicorns aren't all that scary, at least not most of the time."

Co nudged Ty playfully with her shoulder. "Don't frighten the poor thing, Ti. Spike, was it? Don't be shy. It's a pleasure to meet you." She winked, her pink fur shimmering in the afternoon light. Co held out her hoof for Spike to shake "Perhaps you could show us around this wonderful library while Twilight prepares for our arrival?"

Twilight shot Spike a look that silently pleaded, "Help a pony out!" and he puffed out his chest, mustering his bravest smile. "Y-yes, ma'am. Follow me, I'd be happy to show you around."

Spike led the way, Co trailing behind him with a look of childlike wonder on her face. Ti however, stayed by twilight's side, his gaze sweeping across the endless rows of books.

“Before we delve too deeply into the topic of books, We needed to temporarily suppress our magical abilities to come through the portal. Would you object if Co and I relaxed our magic to assess its compatibility with your world's magic? This measure is crucial to ensure safety and compatibility.”

"Oh, of course!" Twilight exclaimed, a blush creeping up her muzzle. "Forgive me, I was so eager to introduce you to the library that I completely forgot. Please, feel free to relax your magic as much as you need."

Spike, returning from his tour with a curious glint in his eye, wanted to see what this was about.

Twilight couldn't help but ask, "Your world's magic and ours… compatible? That's fascinating! Tell me, is that why the portal worked so seamlessly with my letter?"

Twilights scientific curiosity was piqued. The idea of different magical systems interacting harmoniously was a topic she hadn't delved into before, and the prospect of learning from such ancient and powerful beings filled her with excitement.

"Indeed, Twilight," Co replied, settling back with a sigh of relief. "Our magic seems to have a certain… resonance with yours. Though, I daresay ours is perhaps a bit wilder, a bit more like the untamed forces of reality."

A flicker of amusement crossed Ti's face. "Co likes to think she's wilder than she actually is," he rumbled, a playful twinkle in his eye. "But yes, our magic seems to adapt to different realms, though remaining true to its core essence."

Twilight knew this visit was going to be unlike anything Ponyville had ever seen. These were Alicorns unlike any she’d ever encountered, with tales from distant worlds and a connection to ancient magic waiting to be explored.