Chapter One: The Tangent Universe
The Philosophy of Time Travel
by Crystallise
Chapter One: The Tangent Universe
No pony knows how or why a Receiver will be chosen.
A stream of anxiety flowed through her veins, as the fear set in. She always felt like this when the books were out of order. Awash with panic, she swiftly and magically pulled the wrongly placed tomes off of the shelf; no time to be gentle. It was one of the many times were her perfectionism and obsessive nature got the better of her. As she cleared the bookshelf of the oddly ordered novels, her mind became a place of pandemonium. ''One second is WAY too long for a book to be out of order, In fact, a millionth of a second. No, a trillionth of a second! Scratch that, a quattuordecillionth! Books are sacred pieces of art and the building blocks of our culture, how are we supposed to soak up their knowledge if they're misplaced? Oh gosh, Princess Celestia would be...''
''Twilight, are you okay?'' Inquired Spike, derailing her thoughts.
''Not now Spike, I'm busy.'' Twilight snapped. Spike was worried. Living with her for so long, he was used to her psychotic behaviour; but recently her insane tendencies had been growing worse. Ever since they had moved to Ponyville, she had been having more intense episodes. Maybe it was the stress of having a task set by Princess Celestia, or maybe it was the pressure of having friends. All he knew, was that Twilight was a ticking time bomb, ready to blow.
''Please, Twilight. Look at me.'' Spike said. Twilight sighed in defeat and turned to Spike. He looked up at her, with those large, expressive, emerald eyes. For a moment, she forgot about the books, as she marvelled in their beauty. ''I want you to move away from the bookshelf and come give me a big hug.'' He requested, with a warm smile. She looked back for a second, at the swirling abyss of literature that adorned the floor. It looked alive. She had a look of worry on her face, but then she turned to Spike, smiled, dropped the books and walked over to him. He grinned, as he was scooped up into Twilight's forelegs.
''Sorry Spike, I kind of got a bit sidetracked there.'' She apologised. He chuckled.
''It's fine Twi, we all do. You just have to remember what's important, every once in a while.'' She smiled happily and embraced him. This is the Twilight he liked, friendly, passionate, well-spoken and loving. They enjoyed the hug for a moment, before Spike let go. ''Now you can go fix up your books, just keep in mind, there's no rush. The library's closed, you have all the time you want.'' He reassured. She nod her head in acknowledgement.
''Of course, Spike. You know me, I just get... carried away sometimes. Thanks, by the way.'' She replied. He smiled thoughtfully.
''No problem. What do you want for lunch?'' He asked.
''I'm kind of in the mood for a daffodil sandwich...''
''Coming right up!'' He said happily. He then walked off into the kitchen, humming a merry tune.
Twilight took a deep breath and turned around to face the behemoth of books . ''This is going to take a while...'' She sighed.
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A couple of hours had passed and Twilight had almost finished sorting the library. She was feeling uneasy from the amount of letters and numbers swirling around in her mind. ''Thank Celestia for the Dewey Decimal System, I would have gone insane a long time ago if it didn't exist.'' She thought to herself. The labyrinth of books that inhabited the ground had reduced to a light sprinkle. ''Alright, last one.'' Twilight sighed in relief and kneeled down to pick it up with her mouth. It was a small novel, with a soft crimson cover. It had gold text emblazoned on the front, almost calling out to her. She picked it up and placed on a nearby desk to get a better look at it.
''The Philosophy of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow... huh.'' She had read almost every book in the library, but she didn't remember reading this. She considered leaving it here and reading it later, but she was tempted by her unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She had always loved reading about time travel; one of her favourite stories was The Sands of Time: a Tale of Adventure by Night Dusk. It was about a lone traveller who invented a machine that could send him into the past or the future. He meets somepony along the way named Leafy Green, who eventually becomes his sidekick and they solve mysteries together. ''Maybe this story is like that one...'' She thought, longingly. Eventually, her curiosity won and she opened the book.
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THE PHILOSOPHY OF TIME TRAVEL
by Roberta Sparrow
FOREWARD
I would like to thank the Sisters of the Twin Princesses Chapter in Foalcroft, Fillydelphia for their support in my decision.
By the grace of The Princesses, they are:
Sister Sugar Sprinkles
Sister Honey Darling
Sister Starlight Song
Sister Honey Heart
Sister Twilight Wishes
Sister Star Charmer
The intent of this book is for it to be used as a simple and direct guide in a time of great danger.
I pray that this is purely a work of fiction.
If it is not, then I pray for you, the reader of this book.
If I am still alive when the events foretold in these pages occur, then I hope that you will find me before it is too late.
Roberta Nightwish Sparrow
October, 1944
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Twilight stopped reading. ''Sisters of the Twin Princesses Chapter? I wonder if that actually exists...'' She thought. Twilight was interested; this was a unique way to introduce a story. The whole concept of this being a non-fiction sent chills up her spine; what if time travel was real? She grabbed the book and curled up in a chair.
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CHAPTER ONE
THE TANGENT UNIVERSE
The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril. War, plague, famine and natural disaster are common. Death comes to us all.
The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable.
Incidents when the fabric of the Fourth Dimension becomes corrupted are incredibly rare.
If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks.
Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence.
THE ARTIFACT AND THE LIVING
When a Tangent Universe occurs, those living nearest to the Vortex will find themselves at the epicenter of a dangerous new world.
Artifacts provide the first sign that a Tangent Universe has occured.
If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity. Artifacts are formed from wood, such as a bow from an ancient griffon civilization, or a chariot.
Artifacts returned to the Primary Universe are often linked in religious iconography, as their appearance in Equestria seems to defy logical explanation.
Due to alicorns and unicorns inability to conjure Artifacts from the Tangent Universe, Divine Intervention is deemed to be the only logical conclusion for the appearance of the artifact.
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''The Fourth Dimension of Time? The Tangent Universe?'' Twilight was even more intrigued; but equally confused as well. What was an Artifact? Who are the Living? This was certainly a different way to start a story. She liked that, it made her think. Hopefully, her questions will be answered soon; she was getting excited.
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CHAPTER TWO
WATER AND METAL
Water and Metal are the key elements of Time Travel.
Water is the barrier element for the construction of Time Portals used as gateways between universes at the Tangent Vortex.
Metal is the transitional element for the construction of Artifact Vessels.
DREAMS
When the Manipulated awaken from their Journey into the Tangent Universe, they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams.
Many of them will not remember.
Those who do remember the journey are often overcome with profound remorse for the regretful actions buried within their dreams, the only physical evidence buried within the artifact itself; all that remains from the lost world.
Ancient myth tells us of the griffon warrior killed by an arrowhead that had fallen from a cliff, where there was no army, no enemy to be found.
We are told of the Medieval Knight mysteriously impaled by the sword he had not yet built.
We are told that these things occur for a reason.
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Twilight sat back in her chair. The magical channel of all unicorns and magical creatures was limited to one zone; Equestria. The thought of contact with other universes outside Equestria shook her to her core. The more she read, the more questions arose. What was an Artifact Vessel and what does Water and Metal have to do with it? She wanted to stop reading and go get some much-needed sleep, but this book was just too interesting to put down.
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THE LIVING RECEIVER
The Living Receiver is chosen to guide the Artifact into position for its journey back to the Primary Universe.
No pony knows how or why a receiver will be chosen.
The Living Receiver is often blessed with Fourth Dimensional Powers.
If the Living Receiver is an earth pony, they are blessed with increased strength, agility and endurance.
If the Living Receiver is a pegasus pony, they are blessed with increased speed, reflexes and the ability to control natural elements.
If the Living Receiver is a unicorn or an alicorn, they are blessed with mind control, time control and powerful telekinesis.
The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe.
Those surrounding the Living Receiver, known as the Manipulated, will fear him and try to destroy him.
THE MANIPULATED DEAD
The Manipulated Dead are more powerful than the Living Receiver. If a person dies within the Tangent Universe, they are able to contact the Living Receiver through the Fourth Dimensional Construct.
The Fourth Dimensional Construct is made of Water.
The Manipulated Dead will manipulate the Living Receiver using the Fourth Dimensional Construct.
The Manipulated Dead will often set an Ensurance Trap for the Living Receiver to ensure that the Artifact is returned safely to the Primary Universe.
If the Ensurance Trap is successful, the Living Receiver is left with no choice but to use his Fourth Dimensional Power to send the Artifact back in time into the Primary Universe before the Black Hole collapses upon itself.
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Twilight wasn't sure what to say, She wasn't even sure if this was a story anymore; it was more of a guide. The book was starting to disturb her a bit, with it's mentions of Divine Intervention, auditory hallucinations and mind control. She wanted to stop reading, but it wasn't like her at all to abandon a book halfway through. ''O-one more chapter...'' She mumbled. She flipped the page, to find only one more chapter.
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THE MANIPULATED LIVING
The Manipulated Living are often the close friends and neighbours of the Living Receiver.
They are prone to irrational, bizarre, and often violent behaviour. This is the unfortunate result of their task, which is to assist the Living Receiver in returning the Artifact to the Primary Universe.
The Manipulated Living will do anything to save themselves from Oblivion.
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Twilight flipped through the rest of the pages with her magic, only to find them all blank. Did Roberta Sparrow ever finish the book? Was this intentional, or is meant to end there? Either way, Twilight's mind was racing. Whenever she read a story that didn't tie up loose ends, she would get a little... skittish. ''What a mysterious book...'' She muttered. At that moment, a particular purple and green dragon walked in and let out a loud yawn.
''Hey Twi, just going to bed, don't stay up too late.'' Spike mumbled mid-yawn. Twilight chuckled softly.
''I won't Spike, I think it's time for me to hit the hay, too.'' He smiled and stumbled up the stairs. She got up and walked over to the stairs, leaving the book behind. She turned around and gave it one last glance. ''Oh well, I'll give it another read tomorrow.'' She thought, as she walked up the stairs. She was exhausted; that book was a challenge to read, let alone comprehend. She walked into her bedroom and slid into bed. She laid there, as her mind raced a mile a minute. She couldn't sleep; that mysterious book was all she could think about. What is the Tangent Universe? What is an Artifact? Her mind ticked over while she stared at the ceiling. ''Who is Roberta Sparrow?'' She muttered. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally fell into a restless slumber.
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''Wake up...''
Twilight slowly got out of bed, making sure not to wake Spike. Quiet as a mouse, she left her bedroom and walked down the stairs.
''I've been watching you...''
She reached the front door and softly opened it, heading outside.
''Come closer...''
She walked through the silent streets of Ponyville, embarking towards Sweet Apple Acres.
''Closer...''
She reached Sweet Apple Acres and walked through a forest of apple trees. Eventually she reached a large tree, which towered over her. Standing next to it, was a rabbit.
A six foot tall bunny rabbit.
He looked at her, with a glowing, metallic mask covering his face. He then spoke.
''28 days... 6 hours... 42 minutes...12 seconds. That... is when the world will end.''