+++ Four Years Later +++

Twilight awoke with a start. The last thing she remembered was explaining the Elements of Harmony to Nightmare Moon... She opened her eyes. All around her was darkness, but she still could see herself as if she was standing in sunlight. Where was she? She sat up. None of her books had said anything like this place in Equestria... She got up.

"Hello?" She called out. Nothing answered. She trotted forwards. Surprisingly, even though nothing was below her, the surface she felt under her hooves was as hard as stone. It escaped explanation. What was this place? She trotted further forwards. "Hello?" she called out again. The lavender Unicorn heard nothing in reply. She trotted forwards for what seemed to be several hours. Finally she saw something. "Hello?" she called out again. This time she heard a faint echo. She approached the spot in the darkness.

Finally she got close enough to see what the spot was. It was some kind of statue, as gray and colorless as an old photo... She walked up to it. It was a carving of some sort of bipedal skeleton that wore a robe, and was holding an Earth pony scythe.

"What is this thing?" Twilight asked out loud.

Hello Twilight Sparkle.

"AAGH!" yelled a surprised Twilight. The statue shifted, and its head turned towards her.

Do not be alarmed, I am perhaps the only deity that won't kill you on sight.

The not-a-statue's eyes burned with a ethereal blue light under its hood. "What are you?!" asked Twilight.

Me? I am known as Death.

"Death?! Did I die? What happened?! When..." began Twilight. Death seemed to chuckle. "Did I say something funny?" asked Twilight.

Both yes, and no... No, because you have not died... Not yet at least... and yes, because your questions are what mortals usually ask when they meet me.

"Wait... If you're Death... Then why are you... An ape? And if I'm not dead... Then why... How am I talking to you?" Twilight asked. Death chuckled again.

All will be revealed inquisitive one. But to do so requires a story.

"A story?" asked a confused Twilight.

If I'm not mistaken... the last thing you remember is confronting Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony?

"Yes..."

Then that is where I'll begin.

Death waved it's one of it's front limbs, and the darkness surrounding them shifted into the speeding lights of stars and nebula passing by. Twlight's pupils grew as she looked at the speeding celestial objects.

When you attempted to banish Nightmare Moon... Something went disastrously wrong with the Elements... The reasons for their failure elude even me... But regardless, the failure resulted in a feat of magic that not even your Princess Celestia could have managed. And it resulted in this.

The shifting cosmos suddenly stopped, over looking the glowing pearl of an alien world.

"What is..." began Twilight, only to stop herself when she started to recognize familiar landmarks that were mixed with unfamiliar land. "No... No way..."

Yes... The Elements of Harmony whisked Equis into an entirely different dimension, and combined two worlds into one. The resulting world... Is the planet you see before you.

"How..."

I know you have questions, but please wait for me to finish... I do not know how it happened, as Equestrian magic is not a subject I am familiar with. But this new world isn't the only change that was wrought by the Elements failure...

Death looked back towards the planet.

Your Princess Celestia, she did not survive the transition. But her death was not caused by the shift however... It was caused by the rise of a new deity, Sol... The ruler of the newly formed Solar Empire.

"Wait, you mean that the same thing that happened to Princess Luna, happened to Princess Celestia?"

In essence... Yes.

"So... What else happened?"

When the magic of Equestria flooded into Terra, and the little magic of Terra flooded into Equestria...

"Terra?" Twilight asked.

Terra is the name of the world that merged with Equestria. But instead of being inhabited by ponies... It is occupied by a single technologically advanced race of apes, known as humans. But instead of a united nation like Equestria, they are split apart by war and strife. But, as I was saying... When the "magic" of the two worlds mixed, some ponies were transformed into humans, and some humans were turned into ponies. This, as you can imagine, caused widespread chaos and panic through out both worlds.

"Chaos?"

Yes, for the first few months, or "moons" as you ponies say, the situation was wild and chaotic. So chaotic in fact, some military units on all sides turned against their former commanders. Some were forced to, some willingly switched sides, but regardless, humans and ponies ended up on all sides... Forming the Solar Empire, The New Lunar Republic, and The United Terran Commonwealth.

"The New Lunar Republic? Did Nightmare Moon survive?" Twilight asked. Death turned its ethereal gaze back towards Twilight.

Yes, Nightmare Moon did survive. And is the main reason that the ascension of Sol occurred.

"So, where do I fit in this mess?" Twilight asked. Death chuckled again.

An excellent question... My master, Fate, believes that it is your fault that its master plan can no longer be fulfilled.

"Your a servant?"

The Winds of Fate determine who lives, and who dies. As such, who dies isn't my decision. My sole duty is steal the souls of the deceased and ferry them into the after life. However, the merging of the worlds destroyed the future that Fate had decreed to be so. And it believes you to be the cause.

Death turned its gaze back towards the floating planet.

"But I didn't do anything!" yelled Twilight.

I know you did not Twilight. Which is why I am the only deity out of the four current deities that won't kill you on sight. I have attempted to reason with Fate, but it is difficult to convince a maelstrom of wind to change its mind.

"Fate is... a gust of wind?"

Which is why it is difficult to convince Fate to change its mind. Regardless however, Fate has blamed you for its failure, but, as I said before... When I attempted to convince Fate to change, it agreed on one condition...

Death looked into Twilights eyes.

You must restore balance to our warring worlds.

"Restore? Balance?" asked Twilight.

Harmony, I trust you know what that means. To aid you... I offer this...

Death waved its front limb again and an orb of ethereal magic floated into Twilights horn

Find the Elements... Find your friends...

Twilights vision began to blacken.

Fate has kinder fates for your friends, as they were not the cause... But the same cannot be said for you... Fate will not be kind. Go Twilight Sparkle, our time is almost done. Find your friends and the Elements! Restore our worlds!

Twilight fell onto the invisible ground.

RESTORE HARMONY!

Author's Note

Lots of old information I know... But then again... We now have a story