0: A Brief History Lesson

From The Journals of Soul Omen, Prince of Fantasima

I remember the time, seven years ago, when our world nearly fell apart. Great cosmic waves hit the planet, creating destruction in most cities. The energy revitalized our dying sun, showing brightness no one had seen in hundreds of years. Then the worst came, earthquakes that ripped entire continents in half. The leftover cosmic energy rippled into the earth, creating fresh, abundant land. But the biggest difference was the materials they found. Those materials advanced the scientific world far beyond what it was, allowing the creation of machines that literally rip holes in the fabric of space, creating portals. So far, all of the discovered worlds were empty, and used as places such as waste lands.

But one was finally found, and a link established with the native species… which just so happened to be the equivalent of an old-earth pony. With magic tattoos. Now, up to that day , this was all kept a nice and quiet government secret of the Human Republic, and our company, Apparition Inc. I got to know this because, being the mechanic of a dimensional hole maker, I have access almost anywhere in the facility. But mostly to the room where the hole is made. I knew that both parties planned to take it a step further. Mingle the two worlds, but keep them separate. And so the TOUSO-PROJ (Transmutation of Organics into Universal-Specific Organisms) was born, and was completed within a year thanks to the combined efforts of science and, well, magic from our new friends. And now, after three years of Apparition working for the government, I am offered a trip through the TOUSO, to oversee the creation of the new TOUSO in Ponyville. I don’t really know what to say. The business has been offered publicly to both sides for about a year now, and seems fine. Many people moved over, it only costs a one-time payment, about a few hundred for creation of a body, and the maintenance and travel itself is free.

Our societies have intertwined very nicely, melding into two countries with open

borders and Universal Exchange. You can buy and sell land in Equestria, invest and other things. We also brought science to the pony race, and they gave us very mysterious magic that is hard to work with.

That roughly brings us to today, the day I go through the machine I’ve maintained since before day one, when my grandparents and parents were hired to build the damn thing. Took a genius to maintain, what with the Carpal Synchronizers and Denzel's Fabric Modifiers, it gets complicated. The biggest challenge of my life was about to occur, I would be literally moving to a world I’ve never been in. This golden opportunity was going to change everything...