The Force Beyond Part One
Challenge: Find the references and dark jokes, and you will get a cupcake! (No you won’t! >:D)
Introduction:
In a vast universe. In a huge galaxy, on a wonderful planet, there is a sentient race. They live in peace, in harmony, they live… Happily. No concerns, no worries, everything is nice and calm, all the problems there once was, have already been solved.
But the cost of such calmness, such harmony, the lack of worries… The cost of this happy land is very severe, because when they have it so good… Everypony else is going to want the same…
In another part of the same galaxy, another sentient race rules. They have larger population, more advanced technology, so much… But yet, so little. The enormous expansion of A.H.U have had major costs. The larger a creature gets, the more food it will require to consume to stay alive…
Chapter 1: Threatening Apprehension
The ever so powerful leader of all Equestria was sleeping calmly on her royal bed. The room was quiet and calm. Nobody was around to disturb her in her deep sleep. But even though she might seem in harmony, resting so calmly on her soft, warm bed, she was in struggle. If one was to take a closer look, you would see how her legs twitched a little. She made soft grunts a little now and then, like she was to combat a foe.
Celestia peaked open her eyes. She was lying on a large open field. Green grass swayed swiftly in the warm breeze. The sky had a beautiful purple tint. She could hear a familiar voice calling out her voice from behind… She slowly rose, and heard the tripping of tiny hooves in the soft grass. Slowly she turned around to meet her young student.
“Princess Celestia!”
Twilight seamed very concerned, like she felt something bad was going to happen.
“Princess Celestia, There’s something that isn’t right! There’s something... It’s... It’s coming!”
The next second, Twilight’s theories were proven right. Because as she glazed on the ruler, her eyes dilated, and changed focus to something beyond the princess... Celestia felt it a few seconds before the sound hit them, she could feel the presence of a force. The sound was loud, and even mightier was the pressure wave that hit them. More mightier that the roar of the mightiest dragon, the blast vibrated through everything, with force a thousand times more than that of a sonic rainboom. The trees bent away from the origin of the sound. Celestia tried to turn her head, but some force greater than her own was fighting against it. She felt powerless when opposed to this mighty entity. She felt the enormous force, of a similar kind of that who exists in the horns of every unicorn, the same force they find in The Elements Of Harmony…
The Princess gasped. She lay sweaty in the bed, breathing heavily after the horrible experience. She looked behind her, nothing there but the wall. She looked all around the badly lit bedroom. She felt no force… She heard no sounds but her heavy breathing, and powerful heartbeats. But she had the strangest feeling. This wasn’t just a regular dream. Where did this come from? As far as she knew, dreams are only mixtures of things that happen in real life. But this was new to her. None of this had any connection to real life.
It was early in the morning. She rose up from her bead, rather terrified. She used her kinetic field to open up one of the doors to her bedroom. The kinetic field is a force possessed by all unicorns and alicorns. This ability is used to levitate and manipulate matter without physical contact with it. She opened up the door and peaked out of the corridor, nobody there. Where are the guards…? She started walking down the corridor, and came across a doorway. She could not for a moment remember what the door was. On the door was a sign of a moon. It hit her. Sister! Sister… Moon? She wondered… Nightmare… My nightmare? No. Nightmare…Moon! She felt discomfort her as she remembered the name. But it was relieved a moment later, as she remembered her sister. She was alright now. Luna… Yes… My one and only sister… She opened up the door to her bedroom, and rested her eyes on the resting Night Princess.
Her sister was resting as calmly as Celestia did. She was not struggling. She leaned over her sleeping sister, and glazed at the beautiful mare. Luna twitched a little, like she felt something disturbing her beauty sleep. Luna felt a warm breath against her face. She didn’t want to wake up. She was tired and wanted to sleep. She opened her left eye a little. When she saw her sisters sweaty tousled face terror struck her. She remembered that night.
She gasped of terror.
“Sister?! No! We, why? But we… We… No! No, not again!”
Celestia stared surprised at her sister.
“No! Please!”
Celestia stuttered;
“What? What are you...?”
“Please! Sister, don’t hurt me!”
“I would never hurt you Luna! You know that!”
“But, why are you..?”
Luna was lying hunched up shaking in her bed.
“What? Sister, what are you talking about?”
Celestia could not by any means recognize the reference. Why couldn’t she remember anything? What have happened to her head?
“So you are not going to hurt me?”
“Off course not, why would I do that?”
It hit her. She remembered that night. She remembered what happened to her a few years ago. How Luna have had problems getting over what happened to them. When that side hit them. What they did, what they had to stand out with. It wasn’t all bad, but she recognized this scenario, and this scenario was bad.
“Sister!”
Luna rushed up, embracing her sister. Celestia hugged her back and felt a warm feeling inside. It flushed away most of the unpleasant feeling she have had before.
“Oh Luna! No, never again.”
After hugging her crying sister for a good moment, and when the mentioned had calmed herself down, Celestia explained to her what she experienced.
“It was really weird… I don’t know… I don’t remember anything. I remember some things. But I have to think. I can’t tell what we did yesterday.”
“Oh Sister, I don’t think it is anything to worry about. It is just a bad dream.”
“I know… But I still don’t remember anything, and I don’t think I’ve ever dreamt of anything like this before.”
Luna looked wondering at her sister.
“Hmm… Maybe we should ask for help? Not even I know everything about the night and it’s mysteries.”
“Yes… I will ask my subjects. They are my finest mystery-solvers. And I have to think… See what I can come up with. I will message the lavender unicorn, ehhh… Twinkle! Yes, Twinkle Spirit!”
“Sister…”
“Yes?”
“It’s Twilight Sparkle…”
Twilight looked through her large archives of knowledge. Her library has information on almost every known topic. She recently received a large book on unknown astronomical phenomena. She followed the long raw of books, and her eyes stumbled upon the black and green backside. She pulled it out and levitated it in front of her.
“This one should have the information! I got it last Tuesday morning. I haven’t even had time to read it yet.”
Spike glared in a partially tired, partially worried state on Twilight. She has a tendency to get all worked up over nothing. He remembered the time they almost had to get her serious help when she went all nuts for not having any problems to report to the princess.
“Yeah, I’m sure it does.
“Great! Take a look, see what you can find.”
She dropped the big book roughly into Spike’s arms and rushed away to her telescope. Spike went over to a desk and opened the book. The title was “Unknown Astronomical Phenomena” by an unknown author. He looked through the pages. They had the strangest types of notes. Large invisible objects, strange types of passages through nothing… He had very limited understanding on these kinds of topics. Twilight was the one who knew everything about the large unknown outside known as “space”.
“Found anything on dark spots yet?”
“No, but this here says something about invisible objects that “bend light”.”
Twilight teleported to Spike’s location.
“Let me see!”
“Yes, yes, calm down, it is right here on page 16.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure… These described have much smaller size… And they don’t have the same shape.”
Twilight leafed through the pages, and stumbled upon a strange topic.
“What is this, page 42, “The Force Beyond”?”
“Why do you expect me to know?”
Twilight started reading the contents of the page up loud:
“The force beyond space is a strange background-force, found all across everywhere. The force can also be found in larger concentrations in close proximity of magical entities. It is believed to have much to do with the way magical phenomena work here in Equestria.”
“What?”
Spike didn’t get very much of that.
“Who wrote this book?! Do you think this is real research?”
“I have no idea Twilight…”
Spike wanted nothing but sleep. It was very early in the morning, and it was still pitch black outside. Twilight had spent all night trying to figure out what the strange black spot in the sky was.
His wonderings where interrupted by a loud bonking on the door, followed by a familiar voice. It was Princess Celestia’s.
Spike opened up the door, out there stood Celestia, Luna, and two royal guards.
“Princess Celestia? Luna?! What are you doing here?!”
Luna responded;
“It is very urgent; we think something strange is happening.”
“You mean the black spot in the sky?”
“What black spot?”
Luna blushed of embarrassment. The Night Princess should know all about the night, but yet she hadn’t notice the black, starless spot in the sky.
“Who is this?”
Celestia glared in a confused manner on Spike.
“It’s me, Spike! Twilight’s assistant!”
“Oh yes. You’re right. Nice to meet you Spike.”
Twilight had interrupted her research and joined the rest at the doorway. Celestia greeted her:
“Oh, Twilight Sparkle! My dear subject! How good to see you!”
“Oh, yes my majesty. What may I help you with?”
“We have a problem…”
Twilight looked at Luna.
“Problem? What problem?”
“We think it is something weird going on with Celestia.”
“No, I’m fine, I’m just feeling weird, that’s all.”
“And don’t forget your memory loss sister.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been forgetting things recently…”
“Come in…”
Luna and Celestia looked around. The library was a total mess. There where books and equipment all over the floor.
“Sorry for the mess, I’ve been doing research on the dark spot lately.”
Luna replied with her brusque somewhat military sounding voice she gets sometimes.
“What dark spot?!”
“The one in the sky. Over here, I’ll show you.”
Twilight led Luna to her largest telescope. Luna looked through and was met with black nothing.
“I can’t see anything!”
“Precisely! There is nothing there! No stars visible.”
Luna glared at Twilight.
“Sister… Come over here!”
Celestia joined them the two, and took a look through the telescope herself.
The moment she gazed upon the nothing, she felt the same apprehension she felt during the dream. Her body was filled with a strange energetic feeling. She felt the force, the power of something beyond.
Celestia gasped and stumbled backwards.
“Princess Celestia, what’s wrong?!”
Celestia sat down breathing heavily, eyes fixated on the telescope. She didn’t utter a word.
“Sister, are you alright?!”
Luna sat down beside Celestia, embracing her.
Celestia uttered a few words:
“Something… Someone… I think it’s coming…”
After a few minutes Celestia was calmer. She told Twilight and Spike about her odd dream, and the warning about that “something” is coming.
Twilight confirmed she had noticed the spot growing.
“What is it that is coming? What is it coming for?”
Luna replied.
I don’t know sister…
Fluttershy had just gotten up, and where just about to feed her small friends breakfast.
“Come eat everypony! I have something special for all of you!”
No animals came when she called, and she decided to ask again.
“Breakfast is ready! You are going to love it!”
Still getting no response, she looked around. No animals inside. She went outside to the garden.
“Hello! Where are you all?”
She saw a white ear sticking out from a hollow space under a stump.
“Angel? Is that you?”
She walked up to the stump, and peaked in under. There sat her white bunny Angel, completely terrified.
“Angel, what’s wrong? Don’t you want your breakfast? It’s your favorite.”
Angel didn’t move or response.
Angel, it is just me. There’s no need to worry…
Fluttershy poked angel with her hoof. The bunny twitched heavily, and gave off a shocked sound. It stared at Fluttershy in a frightened manner, and then looked up at the sky. The spot was still visible, even though it was light outside now. A darker area, somewhat star shaped, with four noticeable protruding parts. Fluttershy stared in terror on the dark area.
“No, no… This is bad!”
She pulled the bunny towards her.
“Come angel, we have to get the others.”
All the other animals where hiding in similar places all across the area. After finding all of her pets, Fluttershy locked them all inside her house. She started flying into Ponyville to see if she could find someone to talk with. She tough Twilight Sparkle should know about this.
Twilight, Celestia, Luna and Spike together with the guards walked to the town hall. Luna implied:
“We need to inform the others about what’s happening! Twilight, go and tell Rainbow Dash to go get Applejack, Fluttershy and the others.”
“Yes my majesty.”
Twilight proceeded to start walking towards Rainbow Dash’s house. On the way out of town she saw Fluttershy in the sky.
“Hey Fluttershy! Over here!”
Fluttershy noticed her friend and flew down to her.
“Fluttershy! There you are!”
“Twilight! I think there’s something wrong with the sky…”
“I know, you have to go to the town hall, we’re suspecting something bad is going to happen. I must go get Rainbow to tell the others… Now go! I don’t know how much time we’ve got preparing for whatever is coming!”
Fluttershy proceeded towards the town hall.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had noticed something. She had waked up really early today, and was flying across the sky when she noticed something strange. There was a dark spot in the sky… She slowed down and took a look. She decided to try fly higher up. She spurted away as fast as she could, rushing past all the clouds, and finally she was on the top of the clouds, she gazed upon the dark spot.
She could not believe her eyes. The spot was round, but with four extensions, each ending in a round object, slightly larger than the extension they were attached to. She could not fly any higher, as the air there up is too thin for her to be able to breathe. The object where approximately as large as a bit, and slightly darker than the rest of the sky, at first she tough it was a raincloud of strange shape. But this was much further up.
She decided it was better to get back. She flew to her house, where she found Twilight, who had just arrived.
“Rainbow, do you see that?”
“You mean the dark spotty-thingy up there?”
“Yeah, we think that thing means trouble, you have to go get Applejack and the others, and bring then to the town hall. Fluttershy is already in Ponyville.”
“You’ve got it!”
Rainbow dashed away, and twilight looked up against the sky, first at the rainbow line after Dash and then she switched to the black object in the sky. The thing was definitely larger now. But it was getting harder to see as the sun was rising. She started walking back into town. Meanwhile she thought about how weird the thing is. What could it be? How comes neither Celestia nor Luna know anything about it? She thought who might know anything… Then it hit her! Zecora! She could know something! She just had to go and get her. She decided to head as fast as she could towards the Everfree forest. She reached Zecora’s hut, and knocked hastily on the door.
“Zecora! We have a problem!”
“Yes my dear, I have seen there is a spot to fear…”
“Yes, we have to gather up and discuss about it, we’re meeting at the town hall, you must come, you know so much about strange things.”
“I have no knowledge on things up there, only the things down here… But I will come and help, you cannot solve this by yourself…”
They returned to Ponyville where the other ponies had gathered. The Mayor was talking to the mumbling crowd of citizens.
“It is not yet known if this has anything to do with the strange condition of the Princess, all that is know is that there is a dark spot in the sky, and that it is getting larger.”
The Mane Six, Celestia, Luna, a few royal guards and now also Zecora where gathered at the mayor’s position.
“Does anypony have any knowledge about what this is? If you do, you have to report in!”
Pinkie Pie raised her hoof.
“I know, I know, it must be aliens!”
Applejack replied:
“You know that there ain’t no such things as aliens.”
Twilight implied.
“She does have a point… The object seems to be beyond the borders of the atmosphere.”
Applejack replied surprised:
“What, so you’re tellin’ me this thing is in space?!”
“Yeah! I flew up, and that thing is definitely not anywhere I can reach!”
Rainbow Dash seamed very excited about the situation, almost happy that something was finally going on.
Luna filled in:
“We don’t know what it really is, but we believe it to be heading towards us!”
Celestia said to the citizens of Ponyville:
“Whatever this is, it is likely very powerful, it was powerful enough to make me feel weak, despite the short distance. We have to get ready for whatever might be visiting us.”
The ponies where now very wild and some where even panicking.
“Calm down! This is nothing to worry about, whatever is coming, we will deal with it!”
The ponies where still mumbling and going wild. Luna shouted with her most determined voice.
“SILENCE!!!”
The babble immediately ceased.
“We have to inform the rest of Equestria. I will inform the other parts, while my sister will saty here and keep control.”
A light brown stallion with a bowtie and an hourglass as cutie mark walked in.
“Erhm, your highness?”
“Doctor?! What do you have in mind?”
“I think you need to see this…”
The Doctor headed out and The Mane Six, Luna and Celestia, and after them the rest of the ponies followed.
The sky had now drastically changed color to a more purple tint. Celestia recognized the scenario and felt a strange feeling inside. Twilight remarked:
“I think there’s something wrong… I feel like something is gonna happen very soon…”
Pinkie Pie responded:
“I know that feel!”
Rarity implied:
“Yes darling! I have been feeling it to! It’s strange…”
The other ponies filled in with similar statements, it seemed everypony had been feeling the same apprehension lately. Applejack stated:
“We really got a big problem on our hand…”
