Synchronyby sunnypackChapters1 - Vacuum Energy3 - Covalent Bonding4 - Effection5 -What Pales in Comparison2 - Several Ways... a Cat1 - Vacuum Energy“You know the saying, 'Human see, human do'.” - Planet of the Apes It's strange. There has only been a few times for which I had been dipped into a profound silence. I had heard from my parents that psychologists had actually done a study some time ago about the effect of silence and boredom on humans. Humans would quickly be unable to stand the lack of sound and stimuli. Boredom was just as deadly, humans would mostly prefer to receive an unpleasant shock rather than have nothing to do. I guess that's why solitary confinement was such a heinous punishment for criminals. Humans were a group animal, we needed each other’s company. Contrary to common belief, that the extranet were distancing social interactions, it brought us all closer together in a biggest community than our ancestor's even imagined. The network of people we touched reached farther and more extensively everyday, so it was no wonder people became addicted to the extranet. Before the extranet was the Internet, before that was the television, and before that was the radio. Communications just became so prevalent, so noisy, that it drowned out any silence. Or perhaps smothered the music of other things that could have been important. The question is, if they were forgotten so easily, were they really important? I had a short visit from the Keeper. Who is the Keeper you might ask? Well you may remember this: Drat, was I really dead? “No, you’re not”, a voice growled behind me. I whipped around. Well, that was new. I found myself face to face with an enormous sapphire scaled monstrosity. The dragon regarded me in amusement, scales glinting from some unknown light source. “Forgive me”, it began the scales shrinking away, its form faded out of its distinct shape to be replaced with one more familiar. A human? I gaped. “Hello there”, Angel greeted me as I stood in mute shock. She looked different with her hair hanging longer than I remembered. She wore a simple ruffled white dress that hung loosely on her shoulders. “Angel?” I asked, hopefully. I took a hesitant step forward. Angel regarded me sadly. “No, not quite”, she said with a melancholic frown. “I’m the Keeper, I just shifted into a form that you were more comfortable with. This ‘Angel’ you speak of is not actually here. I apologise, it was the only template I could choose in your book.” It gestured to my Synch on my forehead. My hands shot up to my head, I had forgotten it was even there. I caressed the smooth aluminium finish on the surface and tapped it a couple of times to activate it. My shoulders sagged in relief as I saw the splash screen logo pop up in my field of view. Book though? Nah, better leave that alone. I thought. The apparition sighed. “As I was saying, I am the Keeper”, it stated flatly, looking at me expectantly. I scratched my head, feeling lost. “What’s a Keeper?” I asked slowly, rolling the unfamiliar term in my mouth. I didn’t like the feel of it. The being looked a little frustrated. “The Keeper. The Gate Warden. The One Who Guards?” The last one came out as more of a desperate plea. I shook my head slowly. “No idea”, I replied, lifting up my hands in a helpless gesture. Fake-Angel flung up her hands in mimicry. “Dang it! How come Chronus gets his own following, Celestia has a race of ponies and I get stuck with guarding the Void?” “Huh?” Was all I could respond with. Not-Angel sat down on the non-floor and crossed her legs, staring off into the distance. The disturbing accuracy of reproduction sent chills down my spine and I was getting intensely creeped out at the continuing puppetry of Angel’s body. The Keeper shook its head. “Alright, an explanation, I think.” It cracked its knuckles in a ominous gesture before bringing its hands together with a peal of thunder. Clap. The Keeper brought its hands together with a resounding boom that echoed within my chest and shook the very fabric of my being to the core. I felt a twinge deep in my bones and sensations of either intense cold or heat under my skin. It was not a pleasant sensation. The whiteness around us faded to be replaced with peaceful green meadows and a clear blue sky streaked with soft brushes of clouds. I barely had time to register this before I dry-retched at the sudden nausea that suddenly flowed through me. The Keeper grunted out a quick apology before clapping its hands together again. This time it wasn’t so bad, the clap only sending sharp needles prickling my feet and a pain shooting through my eyes. A gentle wind played upon my hair. The sensation of sunlight play upon my skin. I looked about in wonderment before looking at the Keeper for an explanation. “Sorry about that”, the entity repeated, waving its hands in front of me. I glared at it, until it put an embarrassed hand on the back of its head. “Reality-warping magic tends to induce uncomfortable sensations to mortals”, the Keeper explained, flapping a hand in front of me again. I found the gesture annoying but I kept silent. I tilted my head to signal it to continue. The Keeper sighed, looking at me with a soulful expression with Angel’s eyes. I found it hard to keep my ire when shown that face, even if it didn’t belong to Angel herself. “That’s not playing fair”, I grumbled, crossing my arms. The Keeper let loose a lilting laugh. It sounded wrong with Angel’s voice though. Angel had never laughed that hard. Or freely. The Keeper gestured to a wooden chair and table that suddenly appeared in front of us. I jumped back in surprise before carefully approaching it and sitting down slowly. The Keeper took the opposite seat and gazed at the scenery. After getting over my initial shock I decided to broach the subject that had been on my mind since coming here. “Where exactly are we?” I asked, lacing my fingers together and leaning on my elbows on the table. The Keeper turned to look at me briefly before returning its gaze to the serene scenery around us. “That is a difficult question. Could I have another one?” I raised an eyebrow. “No…” I replied, giving it the stink eye. The Keeper shrugged. “I suppose not. Well now, this is a difficult thing to explain, so let’s start at the very beginning.” It tapped a finger on the table and stared off into the distance. “As you may well know, there isn’t just one ‘universe’ out there.” I nodded slowly, that much was obvious after I landed in a world where unicorns and pegasi inhabited the land. “You were exceptionally lucky to be pulled out into a universe where there was air you could breathe, food you could eat and sapient creatures you could talk to.” It paused stopping its finger tap. A short clap without warning made me almost leap out of my skin but there was even less discomfort then before, I merely felt a pinch at the base of my skull. “Forgive me, my throat is parched”, it claimed, raising the glassware containing a thick brew of unknown origin to Angel’s lips and taking a deep draught. I don’t know what it was drinking but it looked like sludge and had its exact consistency. Luckily, it didn’t seem to have an odour, but I was leery of sticking my head anywhere near to the brew. The Keeper smirked and offered me the beverage. I hastily shook my head. “No thanks”, I said quickly, watching a bit of it spill on the table, some wisps of smoke drifted up. I leant away from the drink until the Keeper took back the refreshment with a flourish and a chuckle. “Didn’t think so. An acquired taste if there ever was.” The Keeper sat there in silence for a while. I cleared my throat. “What? Oh, yes the explanation… Let’s see… Oh yes, the multi-universe thing. You see, there are an infinite number of universes and an infinite number of dimensions. It just goes on and on and on.” The Keeper smiled at me. The smile unnerved me with its predatory quality. “You would not believe the things you could see there”, it said the grin becoming fractionally wider. The Keeper turned back to stare at the horizon to my relief. “In either case, there may be an infinite number of universes but there are more voids in between them”, it continued. I interrupted the Keeper on the point he just made. “More than infinity voids?” I asked in confusion. “Is that a problem?” The Keeper queried, giving me a humorous tilt of its head. “Well yes, you can’t have an infinite amount of universe and then more than infinite amount of voids”, I pointed out, it was so obvious. How ridiculous. The Keeper chuckled. “What about set theory?” He shot back. I rolled my eyes. “But that’s just for conceptual understandings or hypotheticals. Universes are real, don’t know about voids though, but if they are physical things then there’s no way it could be infinite.” The Keeper smirked at me, the expression unexpectedly reminded me of Angel’s expression when she solved a particularly tricky programming problem. “Well, my dear, dear mortal. How limited your view must be. I think the saying for your kind goes, There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” He continued in a condescending tone. “My, my with the evidence in front of you the scientist proclaiming that something is impossible! Tell me it isn’t so!” My mouth quirked in annoyance. “Okay, okay, I’ll admit my data set isn’t exactly complete but my point still stands. Having an infinite amount of physical objects seems like an impossibility to me”, I defended, running a hand through my hair. The Keeper impatiently tapped a finger on the table. “This is what I’m saying, the limits of knowledge, the limits of observation!” It cried, flinging Angel’s arms up in frustration. “If something is infinitely small, how would one observe it? If something infinitely big? How about outside the universe itself?” It shot out, one after the other. I shrank back, the gears turning in my mind for all the implications the Keeper was triggering. “Are you saying-“ I began but was cut off when the Keeper clicked its fingers in triumph. “Yes! You are in the void, the space between universes!” “How am I not dead?” The Keeper waved a finger in front of my face. “That, my dear human friend, is something you have to figure out yourself.” I frowned half rising out of my seat, opening my mouth to demand an explanation. “A ba-bup!” The Keeper tutted, spreading his pointing finger into a palm to stem the questions before they even flowed. “No rush, we have all the time in the universe! For time doesn’t exist here. In fact, nothing exists here unless you make it exist. It’s how universes are made. Could be a wishful thought, a careless accident… perhaps a big bang?” I sank back into my seat slowly, processing what he was saying. “Are you… God?” I asked, my mind going numb. The Keeper let loose a hearty laugh that didn’t match Angel’s voice at all. “No, no, no, no. Close, close, close! And yet so far! I’m like a God but I’m just one of many that journey the void and I just happen to patrol. Wish a universe here, make sure there’s no leaking there.” I relaxed, that would have been awkward. “So there are… patrols? You’re part of an organisation, you have rules or something close to it” I asked my memory dredged up a quote from Luna. They have rules, and they stick to them like molasses. The Keeper nodded. “Of course there are rules, there are always rules. Laws and the like. Natural laws, societal laws, laws of gods, laws of creation, laws of death, all the rules. The question is, what rules can be bent? “Universes are like closed bubbles. They’re not meant to interfere with one another and those like I are meant to stop it from doing so. Every now and again though, there are leaks. Some are harmless, a stone, a pot of gold, perhaps a small animal or similar. Some are harmful, a curse, a weapon, a predator. Some are forbidden, a concept, a central god… a null being”, the Keeper finished sending a pointed look at me with the last word. “So I’m forbidden, how?” “You defy all the rules of the universe that you’re in. Things exist in balance for a reason. You wouldn’t want the collapse to spread out and destroy all of the planes of existence, now would you? All that work that has been put in? That patient waiting? Wasted!” I sat back in my chair, mulling over the thought. “Why now? Couldn’t you have fixed it straight away? Wouldn’t that have saved us a multiverse of trouble?” I finally asked, slightly irritated. The Keeper slammed a palm on the table, startling me. “Haven’t you been listening? There are rules! Central gods can’t come in and play deity to a local reality. That would be counter intuitive, illogical! We had to wait until you were whisked away and intercept you in between.” I put my head in my hands. This was just getting way too complicated. “It’s always the same, one cataclysm followed by another, it’s just a pile of problems”, I muttered, staring at my hands. I tried calming myself down, looking at the wrinkle lines on my hand and tracing them with my eyes. The Keeper kept silent, looking at me in sympathy. “I know how you feel, think of the scale here. When you have an infinite amount of universes you will get an infinite amount of problems, law of numbers there. Luckily, there are just enough of us to handle it all.” I looked up curiously. “How many of you are there?” The Keeper gave a sly smile as it answered my question. “Just. One.” 3 - Covalent BondingI really didn’t like the look on the Keeper’s face. Partly because it belonged to Angel but mainly because it looked silly. The Keeper was playing with the major expressions that humans could do. It said something about it being a long time since he took corporeal form. Not one to argue with what essentially was a being way out of my depth, I just watched him with a varying degree of irritation as it contorted Angel’s face into a variety of improbable and sometimes impossible configurations. I turned my attention back to my Synch, running a diagnostic on the internal hardware. Who knew what the effects of whatever kind of travel I had done would have on the poor device? I was pretty out of it so all I heard from the Keeper was: “-we’re going to launch you back.” “W-what?” I gabbled snapping out of the diagnostics screen, it was all green I thought gestured it away. The Keeper rolls its eyes. “As I was saying… hey! Are you listening?” “I’m sorry, it’s hard to take you seriously when you make a face like that”, I pointed out testily, gesturing to the hideous creation plastered on Angel’s face. The Keeper shot its hands onto Angel’s face. “Oh, sorry. Got a little too carried away there”, it commented, fixing Angel’s features into something vaguely respectful. “Why are you experimenting with facial features when you have them down to pat already?” I asked, throwing the Keeper off. “Ah, well, you mortals have an interesting way of communicating.” “How else would you communicate?” The Keeper paused as if the thought just occurred to it. “Well, there no reason we can’t try right?” It mused, then before I could react, it shot a finger at my forehead. My vision swam and the Keeper looked absurdly pleased. I blacked out. —— I awoke feeling a massive ache deep within my skull. It throbbed with every painful beat of my heart. My eyes slowly adjusted to Angel’s face pressed uncomfortably close to mine. “Gah!” I would have fell but I was on my back already, instead my arms flailed about uselessly. The Keeper smiled cheekily. “Ah, a very pleasing reaction. You are forgiven for ignoring me.” I put both my hands on my head as I pushed the Keeper off me. The Keeper looked surprised and did its own flailing as it slid off. “Ooff, okay, okay, enough fooling around. On with the program, as you mortals say.” The Keeper cleared its throat, flinging a tuft of Angel’s hair behind its back and giving me a teasing glance. Disappointed when I didn’t give a reaction, it grumbled and continued with what it wanted to say. “You can’t be here. You’re not supposed to”, it said pointing at me. The finger came close and I swatted it out of the way. I was fast losing my shock and awe of this apparently ‘divine’ being. “Clearly”, I ground out caustically. The Keeper raised its hands out in a placating gesture. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that you were meant to stay in your universe, you weren’t meant to drift between them.” “I got that”, I shot back testily. The Keeper cleared its throat. “Well, you know. It got a little complicated when you started ping-ponging between universes and causing chaos and havoc to them both.” The Keeper waved out to the scenery around them. “Tell me”, it said suddenly. “What do you see?” I flopped down on the grass below me. “I’m not sure what you want. I see sky, clouds, a meadow, green grass, things, what does this have to do with anything?” The Keeper tapped the side of Angel’s nose. “I see a dead world”, it replied, giving a discordant hiss. I shot up to my feet, wary. The Keeper waved nonchalantly at me. “Come now, if I really wanted to hurt you, would you still be alive? No? Good. Sit back down, enjoy the dead scenery.” I sat back down, slowly. The Keeper played with the hem of the white dress it wore on Angel’s body. “Dead is what I mean when there is a garden world without intelligence, without life. Do you know what the goal of life is?” I shrugged. The Keeper sighed, jabbing me with Angel’s finger to accentuate each point. “Typical mortal. Life is struggle. Life is hardship. Life is joy. Life is loss. Life is new. Life is old. Life is a tale of opposites. How can there be any life is there is no consciousness? You need a driving force, see? Take this for example-“ the Keeper kicked up a clump of grass “- fake. Not real. A mere apparition of the mind. Nothing compared to what we are. That includes you.” “What does this have to do with me?” I asked, not really getting what the Keeper was trying the explain. Maybe I was being particularly dense that day but the Keeper didn’t seem to make even a bit of sense. “You, you, you, you!” The Keeper growled, throwing up its hands. “Always you with you mortals. See the bigger picture. Am I not being clear? You are unbalancing the universes. The universes are houses for mortal beings like you. You mortal beings will eventually climb out of your cradle and claw your way up to where we are now. When you reach here, keep climbing. Climb, climb, climb!” I struggled to comprehend what the Keeper was trying to tell me. “So what you are saying is that we’re the precursors to you? And that universes are a kind of incubators for beings like you? And that you have a vested interest in maintaining some sort of balance within these universes”, I said slowly, getting an enthusiastic nod from the Keeper. “Ah the mortal finally gets it in his limited understanding!” The Keeper cried, spinning around in glee. I observed its increasingly erratic actions passively, trying to digest this little bombshell.0 “What’s the point? Why create a race of god-like beings?” “A ba-bup! We’re starting to cross bounds here. Rules are the rules”, the Keeper replied, playfully zipping up its mouth with an imaginary zipper. It mimed the lock and key motion too. I sighed. “So where to now?” I asked wearily, this whole thing was giving me a headache and it wasn’t just from that mind-blowing mind jab thing. “That, young mortal, is something you will have to choose”, it answered, twisting a strand of Angel’s hair. “I’ve given you some good points as to why you should return to your own world but the choice is ultimately yours”, it summated, throwing an easy grin at me. “I have to choose because…” I prompted but the Keeper just stared at me with a sly smile. “Right, rules… I think”, I muttered seeing the Keeper nodding sagely. “If I return to my world there will be no repercussions?” The Keeper’s grin widened. “Oh I never said that”, it replied nastily. “I just said it was the better choice.” I thought about my options. “Seems like there is a strong case for me to go to my home world. I can stop Black Box, Equestria will no longer have to deal with a null being like myself and everything goes back to normal”, I thought out loud. I looked back at the Keeper’s mischievous Cheshire grin. “What happens if I go back to my world?” The Keeper slapped me heartily on the back, an unexpected gesture from the Angel façade. “I knew you were a special mortal, not the brightest but at least lucky enough to ask the right questions, the black reptilian mortal before you was less inquisitive, wanted to get back almost right away. Couldn’t do it immediately of course, those were the rules. Impatient one, that one, but the ones touched by Death are always the most interesting ones… Anyway, to answer your question, let’s cast our minds back to your book.” “You mean my Synch?” I queried, tapping the silver circlet. “Yes, Synch, book, same thing, different form”, the Keeper grumbled, waving a dismissive hand. “The book contains information about your world’s future, right?” I nodded slowly. The Keeper’s grin practically split Angel’s face in half, it was incredibly off-putting. “Guess who put it there?” It teased, bouncing on Angel’s feet in excitement. “You?!” I gasped. “Now the mortal gets it! That is the future of you staying in Equestria. Seems straightforward enough, right? Send you back to your universe?” The Keeper laughed at my silent nod. “There’s a trick, there’s a trap, though. Boo boo! You will die if I send you back to your world.” The Keeper shrugged. “Well maybe not straight away but you didn’t think the magic you nullified just went away? That energy is stored inside you, like a coiled spring. If I put you in your universe, you’ll be like a balloon in explosive decompression. Pop!” “Oh ho ho ho! Looking a little hesitant now, are we? Don’t you want to save your existence? Conflicted with saving your own world? Done it once but won’t do it again? What’s stopping you?” “What happens when I go back to Equestria?” I asked, I needed to know. The Keeper’s eyes darkened. “Same as I said before. Everything collapses. Everything dies.” 4 - EffectionI sat in the void thinking things through. I didn’t want to think at all to be honest but here I was experiencing my favourite past time, only tainted by potentially life-ending and all life-ending consequences. I put my head in my hands. I heard an impatient sigh come from behind me. “Any millennia now”, the Keeper grumbled. It sounded like he was kicking up clumps of grass behind me. I turned around, feeling a sharp surge of anger colouring my cheeks. “I’m so sorry that I have to decide between my life and that of the universe!” I yelled hoarsely, tears in the corner of my eyes. The Keeper stepped back from my outburst. “Okay, okay, sorry! I just thought this would be a no-brainer for you. Save the universe seems like a simple choice to me.” “How could it be simple?” “I know you mortals have this in built mechanism for self-preservation but we centrals have a different set of rules. We can see the bigger picture, we come and go as needed. Just poof and you’re there, or not, whatever”, the Keeper replied. It chuckled at my open-mouthed, wide-eyed look. “Yeah, we just come and go”, the Keeper stated, it almost looked sad but the expression was gone before I could really register it. I didn’t know whether I imagined it or not. “Anyway, I thought we had all the time in the universes?” I ground out, eyeing the Keeper carefully. The Keeper cleared its throat. “Hmm, okay. I’m just getting bored of you. Sitting there like that.” I grunted but otherwise went back to my musings. The fate of the multiverse lay on my shoulders but I must sacrifice myself in order to preserve it. No-brainer? Don’t make me laugh. It wasn’t as if I had many options here, either I go to Equestria or I go back to Earth, apparently the Keeper thought inter-dimensional travel was a simple matter because it talked about it trivially. Still, it looked like it was a one shot sort of thing, it wasn’t as if I could poof into Equestria, say my goodbye and then die in a massive magical explosion on Earth. “C’est la vie”, I grumbled to myself, the French had it right with that phrase. I played with the grass beneath my hands. It felt just like regular grass, only, according to the Keeper, it was dead, fake, not-real. I threw the piece of grass. I just wanted all this peaceful scenery to go away, it wasn’t matching my mood. I sniffed curiously. What was that smell. It smelt like something was- “Burning!” I yelped, standing up and looking around, the entire world was on fire and the grass was burning. “Human!” I heard a friendly voice shout. “Gruff?!” I shouted spotting the diamond dog rushing along the ground in a strange blue bubble that sparkled. The Keeper appeared next to me. “Interruptions? Not now at a critical time like this”, it muttered. It raised its hands in a gesture I recognised as the beginnings of a clap. My eyes widened in comprehension. “GRUFF!” I yelled in warning. “It’s going to-“ Clap. A slow shockwave emanated from the Keeper’s hands. Gruff let loose a feral snarl, baring his teeth at the oncoming wave. He glanced at me. “Human! Don’t listen to it, there is another way you have t-“ The shockwave hit Gruff, erasing him from existence. I stood there in mute shock. After a moment I recovered, ready to launch myself at the Keeper. “Calm yourself, mortal. I merely sent him back to where he belongs”, the Keeper mumbled, flicking back Angel’s hair. I continued to glare at the nonchalant Keeper, though I relaxed my posture slightly. “So, have you made a decision?” I pursed my lips. “Yeah, I’m going to need more time”, I replied. The Keeper shook its head and sat down on the burnt grass, a twinge and a clap later the meadows were restored to its original state. “Don’t take too long, things have a habit of spiralling out of control if you don’t deal with them soon”, the Keeper stated mildly. My lips pulled down into a snarl. “I’ll keep that in mind.” —— The light from the main node faded away as wisps of smoke and ask drifted in the space that held the main thaumic energy vortex. Gael nervously tapped her claws on her wing blades, she strapped on waiting for the black void to appear that would herald Gruff’s return. A tense minute passed, then two. Solid glanced uneasily at the crystal array. “That’s funny it shoul-“ BOOM. A large spherical void burst into existence, sending crackling energy down to light up the crystals. The crystal instantly glowed, sending energy to stabilise the structure. Gael let go a huge sigh of relief as Gruff stumbled out, smelling of fire and charcoal. “Not good, not good, not good!” Solid yelled as Gruff collapsed in the centre of the node well. A flash of grey and Lightning was there, flapping his wings furiously. “We have to go now!” He shouted, swooping up to stare into the distance. A groan shook through the forest. A crash could be heard. Lightning had a fraction of a second to look surprised as a log came flying through the air, clobbering him out of the sky. “Emerald Ents!” Gael screamed, diving into the node well, ignoring the painful discharges of the thaumic crystals laced through the air. Gruff had a lazy smile as he saw Gael enter his vision. “Hello Gael”, he spoke woozily. “I got to him!” Gael growled under her breath. “Not now, sir. We have to get out, Emerald Ents are headed this way!” She reported, flinging the diamond dog on her back and strapping him in. Gruff’s long legs burshed the ground as he flopped around. Gael switched her blade orientation so Gruff wouldn’t get cut and with a powerful thrust was airborne again. Solid had procured a temporary bubble shield to slow down the Ents. “Lightning can you carry me?!” Solid yelled desperately, her horn straining with the spell as the Ents crashed into the barrier. Wooden faces twisted in grimaces leered at the milling group, the heavy ironbark hands of the Ents crashing into the barrier repetitively, weaving a cacophony that matched the shrieking wails. Solid gritted her teeth as a shockwave ran through the barrier. It wobbled unsteadily as Lightning finally made it to Solid. “Okay, I’ve got you but I can’t drop you very far, do you have a plan?” Lightning wheezed between wing flaps and shifting Solid in his grip. “Head for the nearest peripheral node!” Solid shouted, pointing her hoof at the spindly network of wires and frames. “Will do”, Lightning agreed, heading towards the mass of metal. Gael flapped laboriously behind. Solid didn’t spare Gael a second glance, Gael would make sure Gruff was right, if anypony or anygriffin was right for the job, it was Gael. “We’re here”, Lightning puffed, pulling into a dive. Solid snapped back into focus. They were going too fast. “Can’t. Hold. On…” Lightning huffed, his wings locking up. Solid quickly cast a spell. A massive updraft of wind caught Lightning’s wings and slowed them enough to come to a painful rolling stop into front of the peripheral node. Lightning shakily picked himself up as Solid limped to the peripheral node. She cast a few spells, extracting metal from the structure. The resulting was a powder that looked vaguely familiar to Lightning. Lightning’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh wait!” Lightning yelped, before a blinding light lit up the clearing. Solid lobbed the mass into a far cluster of trees. The acrid smell of smoke and flames permeated through the clearing. The Ents paused then rushed over to the new source of fire. Solid gestured in front of Lightning urgently. “Let’s go, let’s go!” She yelled, limping away. Lightning quickly gave her a helping hoof. Gael let loose a whistle. “Woah, never knew you could do that”, she called out to Solid, impressed. “Learnt it from a human, improved it with magic”, Solid answered, grinning toothily. Gruff’s paw flopped out to stroke Gael on the neck. “Fluffy birdy”, he purred, as Gael’s cheeks flamed crimson. Luckily it was all under feathers so no- “Aww isn’t that cute, Gael’s blushing”, Lightning teased, shooting her a smirk. Gael’s eyes narrowed. “I will end you”, she stated flatly. Lightning and Solid both chuckled as they made their way through the last legs of the Emerald Ent forest. 5 -What Pales in ComparisonChapter 5: What Pales in Comparison Sometimes it was nice to get out once in a while. Relax, take a break, do what you want. There are times when the soul is soothed when one takes in the scene and slowly, but surely, unwind those tense muscles. Unfortunately, today was not one of those times. “Eat me.” “Bite me.” “Grr.” “Rowr.” Twilight opened the door between carriages and walked in to see Nicodia and Little Hoof at it again. “You downright cheated!” Nicodia narrowed her eyes. Little Hoof gave Nicodia a grin that set Nicodia’s teeth on edge. “Prove it”, Little Hoof taunted, waving the bag of bits. Nicodia growled, pawing the ground in preparation to charge. Little Hoof dropped into a defensive pose. “That. Is. Enough!” Twilight yelled, teleporting across the room to appear between the two. “Nicodia, you’re a professional for Celestia’s sake, act like one”, Twilight snarled, through gritted teeth. “But-“ “Little Hoof, you know better to get on the wrong side of a member of the Solar Guard. Now hand over the bits you’ve won from her.” “Hey I wo-“ “I don’t care whether you won them fair and square, or if you cheated Nicodia out of them. There will be no gambling here, understood?” She glared at both mares in turn. Nicodia and Little Hoof continued to glare at each other until Twilight’s horn sparked menacingly. They both turned their gazes to the floor. “Do I make myself clear?” Twilight asked, her voice laced with barely concealed malice. “Yes, Twilight”, both answered simultaneously. Twilight paused for a moment feeling the embers of her anger smoulder and die. She sighed. “I’m sorry, you’re both grown mares and I’m treating you both like you’re foals.” Nicodia held up a hoof to stop Little Hoof from interjecting with something insensitive. Little Hoof gave Nicodia an annoyed snort but otherwise remained silent. “Twilight, we know how stressed you are right now but don’t worry, we may be able to find him yet. We’re still tracking Maellorn but as soon as we find him, we’ll get a lead on our friend.” Twilight nodded absently as Nicodia stroked Twilight’s withers. Little Hoof hesitantly approached. “Yeah, I may not be the most willing mare, but hey I’m doing it for the pay. You can always guarantee that Little Hoof delivers.” Twilight nodded, working out the stress with some calming breaths. “You’re right. You’re both right, all we need to do is move forward. Find my friend, make sure he’s safe, get his name and we’ll have a Pinkie party.” “Get his name?” Little Hoof asked, she paused as the thought just occurred to her. “How do I not know his name? I forgot to ask…” Twilight looked up at Little Hoof. “Excuse me for saying this, but why do you even care?” Twilight grunted bluntly. Little Hoof didn’t snap at Twilight but she came close to saying a few choice words they would both regret. “I want you to understand, Twilight, that I do have an honour code.” Nicodia smirked at Little Hoof. “Does that code involve a bag of bits at the end?” Little Hoof stared down Nicodia until the flippant attitude fled her face. Little Hoof glared at Nicodia for a moment more before snorting and continuing. “I always find out my client’s name. Always.” Twilight tilted her head curiously. “Why?” Was all she asked. “I just do!” Little Hoof snapped, causing Twilight and Nicodia to take an involuntary step back. Little Hoof was breathing fire for a few moments but then her shoulders sagged. She sighed and motioned to the train passenger seats. Twilight and Nicodia reluctantly sat down after a brief moment’s hesitation. Little Hoof’s eyes trailed her hoof as she ran it along the table. “It started a long time ago but the reason is still fresh in my mind. I don’t like telling anypony about this. In fact, I’ve never told anypony about this before but I figured since I broke my own rule, it’d be a good enough time to tell somepony as any.” Twilight quickly spoke up, “You don’t have to, Little Hoof, we don’t have to know, if you don’t want to tell us.” Nicodia jumped in as well. “Yes, if it’s painful you needn’t burden yourself for our understanding.” Little Hoof nodded but she continued anyway. Nicodia and Twilight kept silent, staring in rapt attention as Little Hoof wove her tale. —— I was one of the best guides on the frontier settlements. Never really picked up the accent but it wasn’t hard to fit in. I made a lot of friends there, even met a tribe of bison. They were the friendly sort, I even got my name ‘Little Hoof’ from them. One day, just like any other, I received a request. A bit unusual but the payment was upfront and it was a pretty sum. I eagerly accepted the offer. Two days later we were traipsing along the edge of the world, only barely keeping ourselves alive. The stallion I was guiding was barely a colt. I never asked for his name and he didn’t seem inclined to give it to me. I shrugged it off and never really asked for it. I did take note of his cutie mark, it seemed to be a pair of three pointed tri-stars, one of the strangest cutie marks I had ever seen. I asked him about his special talent but he kept so tight lipped about it. “Come on, Starry Colt”, Little Hoof cajoled urging the stallion with her hoof. He swayed on his hooves but managed to climb the last few steps, collapsing at the final vantage point. Starry Colt wasn’t his name of course, but Little Hoof enjoyed calling him that. “Alright Starry, we’re here”, Little Hoof reminded him. He just groaned in response. “Alright, suit yourself”, Little Hoof responded, gazing at the waterfall as it swept across the jagged rocks below. Little Hoof took in the splinters of ice that cascaded down sending sparkling mists gleaming in the morning sunshine. “You have to see this”, she breathed, standing in awe. Starry finally got himself on his hooves and edged up to stand next to Little Hoof. “Alright-“ a huff “-I’m here”, he wheezed, looking out at the sight. His jaw dropped comically and Little Hoof laughed at his wonderfully innocent reaction. “Starry”, she said. “What are you gawking at? Didn’t you pay to see this?” Starry was silent for a moment, his fatigue forgotten. “I’d pay more”, he whispered. ”I’d sell my soul.” He took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. Little Hoof edged herself out further. “Careful”, he warned, glancing at the ridge. “It doesn’t look too stable.” Little Hoof snorted. “I’ll be fine, I’ve done this a million times”, she shot back and crept forward to prove the point. A crackling noise was the only warning they had before the cliff let out a splintering roar and the rocky cropping beneath Little Hoof’s hooves collapsed. In a second, Starry was there, grasping her hooves. Little Hoof glanced below and her eyes were white with fear. Her breathing quickened. Her heart beat violently in her chest. “Starry, don’t let go, please don’t let go.” She could see the weak muscles under Starry’s fur strain against the inevitable force of gravity. Starry grunted in pain, the loose rocks underneath his hooves rolled, causing them both to slip a few inches. Little Hoof let loose a pathetic whimper. Starry looked into Little Hoof’s eyes, gazes locking as he sent determination and courage through the short intervening space. “I may be weak, but I’m still an Earth pony, I’ll just have to draw on my inner magic harder!” He growled, giving another heave. For a moment Little Hoof’s hopes soared as they went back the distance they had lost but she could see his forelegs shaking. They slid back again, losing everything they had gained and more. Little Hoof felt her heart pound in her ears. Her heart was in her throat. Starry gave Little Hoof one look, then looked past her, spotting something she couldn’t see. His eyes widened and his grip relaxed slightly. “No, no, no!” Little hoof shouted. “Don’t let go!” Starry gave her a sad smile. “I won’t”, he said simply. Then he slid off the cliff with her. Little Hoof screamed shrilly as they fell, Starry wrapping his hooves around her. After what seemed like both seconds and an eternity, Little Hoof felt a shuddering impact. Starry stared out at her blankly as she tried to bring her mind to focus. “Starry?” She whispered, putting a hoof to his face. She touched his muzzle, nudging him. “Starry?” She repeated, she took her hoof away to find a small trace of blood that trickled from his mouth. She glanced around to find that she was on a small jutting ledge about forty or fifty feet below the cliff’s edge. She looked back down and covered her muzzle with both of her hooves as she sat back against the rough, rocky wall of the cliff. “No”, she whispered. His body was distended at a warped angle, limbs were splayed in places they weren’t supposed to. “No.” She shook her head. Her vision began to blur. “Starry, no.” A scream tore through the forest in pure anguish. It echoed vacantly against the rocky surrounds. Hot tears matted her fur as she held the lifeless form of her saviour. All the while, behind them, a magnificent rainbow bloomed. —— Little Hoof paused in her recount, taking a shuddering breath. Silence reigned, save for the gentle clacking of the train wheels on the tracks. “I carried him back, you know”, she continued softly. “On my back the whole way. I left most of the supplies back but eventually I got out of there and sent his body back to his family. I found out his name, you know?” She forced a laugh. “Kind of dorky. It was Glittering Sparks”, she croaked, looking at her hooves. “Couldn’t have been less of a stallion’s name I ever heard.” Little Hoof fell silent again. “I would have liked to have known his name from his lips though and not from his folks. Didn’t seem right. It’s why it’s important to me. I can’t believe I brushed it off like that. What’s wrong with me?” Little Hoof felt a hoof to her cheek. She was surprised to see that it belonged to Nicodia. Nicodia looked at her hoof and gave Little Hoof a weak smile. “Well if it’s any consolation I don’t think anypony knows this human’s name. It’s a mystery to us all.” Twilight nodded. “I think it has something to do with him being a null being. It’s not your fault”, she consoled gently. Little Hoof pursed her lips. She sighed. “Like you said Twilight, we just need to move forward”, she said, giving a small smile. She shifted her hooves awkwardly. “Sorry for laying that all on you”, she apologised, sinking her head onto the table. Twilight put a hoof on her head. “Don’t worry about it”, she cooed. “We all have our days, and what’s a friend to do when they’ve also done for you?” Little Hoof started in surprise. “Friends?” She said incredulously. She looked at Nicodia. Nicodia shrugged. “I don’t hate you, as long as you stop cheating.” Nicodia looked a little sheepish too, “I thought you were such a shallow mare, you gave the impression that all you cared about were the bits. After that tale though, you care about the simple things, even knowing somepony’s name. It makes me a little embarrassed that I thought all those bad things about you.” Little Hoof shrugged. “I’m used to it”, she replied, then grimaced. “It’s also my fault as well, I don’t give the best first impressions. Or last impressions. Or good impressions for that matter. I think after I saw Twilight so desperately help those guards and you on the train, I was ashamed about the way I acted, thinking only of myself.” She sighed again. “Starry would be disappointed”, Little Hoof muttered. Nicodia shook her head resolutely. “You’re here with us now, way beyond your agreement. I can safely say that you have gone way past the bits and right into obligation.” Twilight nodded her head in assent. “You were really helpful in tracking those foalnappers. Don’t sell yourself short”, she grinned, reaching across the table and giving Little Hoof a light pat on the head. Little Hoof grinned back. A sudden idea popped into her head. “Okay, so who’s next to share their past?” Twilight and Nicodia looked at each other for a moment. “Nope!” Twilight yelped before Nicodia could open her mouth. “Dang!” Nicodia cursed, glaring at Twilight. Twilight giggled and gestured for her to begin. Nicodia was silent for a moment but reluctantly started. “Okay, where to begin?” She sighed as the two settled in. “My name, I guess, is as good as any place to start. I think Twilight knows this, but my parents are explorers, they named me ‘Nico’ - meaning ‘peace-keeping’ and ‘dia’ - meaning ‘day’…” 2 - Several Ways... a CatAngel tinkered with the small subsystem on the glowing device. The Synch emitted a soft blue light as she delicately worked around manually configuring the layout. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and sweat beaded along her brow. After a satisfied sigh she leant back, surveying her work. WIth only a moment's hesitation she ran the program. The indicator light stayed red. She quickly tapped out a few modifications and ran the program again. The indicator light still kept its red hue. A twinge worked its way up the side of her face. “Crud”, she growled, throwing the screwdriver behind her back. It clattered against the door as it opened to admit a surprised Dmitri. “Well, I thought I would be more welcome but I can come back later”, he commented wryly, starting to close the door. Angel whipped around and held a hand out. “Wait Dmitri!” She called out. Dmitri stopped and turned around. “Yes?” He asked mildly. Angel swallowed back a pang of regret. “I’m sorry, Dmitri it should be time to let go, I know.” Dmitri’s eyes softened. “You should never let go. Move on, yes. Letting go… I wouldn’t do that, either.” Angel gave a grateful smile as Dmitri picked up the screwdriver and handed it back to her. Dmitri took in the maze of goods on the workbench. “A new project?” He asked, already knowing the answer. He sighed. Angel nodded. “Something I start but won’t be able to finish”, she replied, not meeting his gaze. “It’ll work a lot faster if you have someone else to help you”, Dmitri commented, leaning against the benchtop. “I don’t need any help!” Angel snapped, giving Dmitri a hard glare. She held it for a few moment then dropped it, as she hung her head. “I’m sorry”, she repeated. Dmitri only grunted. “Seems like apologies are being thrown around on a regular basis. Only, it is going in one direction”, he grumbled, then straightened up, picking up the prototype that Angel was fiddling with. Angel’s hand shot up halfway then slowly sunk back down. “I’ll be taking this to the techies down in the main R&D lab.” Dmitri hesitated, wanting to say more but headed towards the door. “Angel”, he started, then cleared his throat. “Angel I worry. I’ve already lost one good friend, I don’t want to lose another.” “Friends?” Angel shot back but instantly regretted it. “No sorry, of course we are but there so very little, few and far between…” Dmitri dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand. “Don’t make me the only one”, he growled and headed out the door. Angel could hear him just before the door clicked closed. “I just-“ a pause “-don’t want to see you wasting away, here. People worry you know, it’s only human.” Angel glanced at the screen filled with the multicoloured patterns of code. “I know”, she whispered, alone. “We just need to remove the humanity, then there will be no worry.” She glanced at my Synch sitting on the workbench. “No worries…” —— Celestia reflected that there was a calm beauty to the movement of the celestial bodies. A kind of soothing balm in the measured pacing of the skies. Magic made all sorts of things possible, some good, some bad but all unique in their own way. This was one of her favourite parts of the day. The first. Celestia felt a familiar presence beside her. “Luna, my dear sister, it is rare to see you with me for the sunrise.” Luna flopped to her side in an undignified sprawl at Celestia’s hooves. “Oh you would not believe the night I have had!” Luna whined, pounding the balcony floor with her hooves in a way that reminded Celestia of a fish flopping on land. She looked on in amusement as Luna rolled on the floor. “At first it was all peaceful, like the night should have been, I cleared away a few predators, knocked around a few rowdy subjects and flew among the stars as custom”, she began, stopping her rolling momentarily as she locked gazes with Celestia. Celestia felt cyan eyes bore straight into her own with unremitting hatred. She felt unnerved by the look of utter animosity and ferocity from her little sister. “What is it Luna?” She asked her sibling gently. Luna sunk her head into her hooves and muffled out a reply. Celestia bent her head down to her sister’s level. “You may want to try that again, Luna”, she tittered, nudging the midnight coated mare with her hoof. “I lost a game”, Luna grumbled getting to her hooves. Celestia tilted her head in puzzlement. “A game?” “Yes, a noble challenged me to a chess game and I lost!” Celestia chuckled and shook her head in barely concealed levity. “Luna my dear, there is no need to get so worked up over a simple game”, she reasoned, patting her sister on the back. Luna flared her wings and took a step back. “It is no simple game, dear Tia! This was a fight for my honour! It is a battle of wits and strategy, a contest of wills, a trial of character and fortune an-“ “Just a game”, Celestia chided, pulling in Luna with a wing. “I’m not a foal, Celestia!” Luna replied, shrugging off the wing in discontentment. Celestia just looked at Luna with a serene smile. “…most of the time, but my point still stands, my honour has been tarnished and I will have vengeance!” Celestia sighed. “You vengeance may have to wait, for it is soon day time, perhaps you will plot your conniving plans in the dreamscape?” Celestia offered, giving Luna a playful shove. “What an excellent idea, sister! I will be back with a full report after-“ she yawned widely putting a surprised hoof in front of her muzzle “-perhaps after some sleep…” Celestia chuckled as Luna dragged her hooves away to her chambers. Luna is getting quite used to living among the modern times now, she thought with a pleased grin on her face. Celestia finished setting the course for the sun and headed back into her own chambers, reviewing the documents scattered among her desk. With a quick thought, the documents shifted and ordered themselves into neat stacks revealing a tome she had forgotten about momentarily. The title read: On the Curious Behaviour of a Extra-Universal Traveller (Volume I) by Twilight Sparkle Human… She thought to herself, stroking the cover with her hoof. If only they were a mite faster… She shook her head. It didn’t do well to live in the past. One must grab the future in one’s own hoof. —— Gruff placed one of the final stratifications to the mainly underground, multi-layered device. Rings of steel and gems were positioned carefully supporting each other in a complicated stacked tower. He paused, surveying the results, then nodded to himself. “Activate it”, he growled leaping into the pit. A low whine increased in frequency as nodes lit up all over Equestria.
1 - Vacuum Energy“You know the saying, 'Human see, human do'.” - Planet of the Apes It's strange. There has only been a few times for which I had been dipped into a profound silence. I had heard from my parents that psychologists had actually done a study some time ago about the effect of silence and boredom on humans. Humans would quickly be unable to stand the lack of sound and stimuli. Boredom was just as deadly, humans would mostly prefer to receive an unpleasant shock rather than have nothing to do. I guess that's why solitary confinement was such a heinous punishment for criminals. Humans were a group animal, we needed each other’s company. Contrary to common belief, that the extranet were distancing social interactions, it brought us all closer together in a biggest community than our ancestor's even imagined. The network of people we touched reached farther and more extensively everyday, so it was no wonder people became addicted to the extranet. Before the extranet was the Internet, before that was the television, and before that was the radio. Communications just became so prevalent, so noisy, that it drowned out any silence. Or perhaps smothered the music of other things that could have been important. The question is, if they were forgotten so easily, were they really important? I had a short visit from the Keeper. Who is the Keeper you might ask? Well you may remember this: Drat, was I really dead? “No, you’re not”, a voice growled behind me. I whipped around. Well, that was new. I found myself face to face with an enormous sapphire scaled monstrosity. The dragon regarded me in amusement, scales glinting from some unknown light source. “Forgive me”, it began the scales shrinking away, its form faded out of its distinct shape to be replaced with one more familiar. A human? I gaped. “Hello there”, Angel greeted me as I stood in mute shock. She looked different with her hair hanging longer than I remembered. She wore a simple ruffled white dress that hung loosely on her shoulders. “Angel?” I asked, hopefully. I took a hesitant step forward. Angel regarded me sadly. “No, not quite”, she said with a melancholic frown. “I’m the Keeper, I just shifted into a form that you were more comfortable with. This ‘Angel’ you speak of is not actually here. I apologise, it was the only template I could choose in your book.” It gestured to my Synch on my forehead. My hands shot up to my head, I had forgotten it was even there. I caressed the smooth aluminium finish on the surface and tapped it a couple of times to activate it. My shoulders sagged in relief as I saw the splash screen logo pop up in my field of view. Book though? Nah, better leave that alone. I thought. The apparition sighed. “As I was saying, I am the Keeper”, it stated flatly, looking at me expectantly. I scratched my head, feeling lost. “What’s a Keeper?” I asked slowly, rolling the unfamiliar term in my mouth. I didn’t like the feel of it. The being looked a little frustrated. “The Keeper. The Gate Warden. The One Who Guards?” The last one came out as more of a desperate plea. I shook my head slowly. “No idea”, I replied, lifting up my hands in a helpless gesture. Fake-Angel flung up her hands in mimicry. “Dang it! How come Chronus gets his own following, Celestia has a race of ponies and I get stuck with guarding the Void?” “Huh?” Was all I could respond with. Not-Angel sat down on the non-floor and crossed her legs, staring off into the distance. The disturbing accuracy of reproduction sent chills down my spine and I was getting intensely creeped out at the continuing puppetry of Angel’s body. The Keeper shook its head. “Alright, an explanation, I think.” It cracked its knuckles in a ominous gesture before bringing its hands together with a peal of thunder. Clap. The Keeper brought its hands together with a resounding boom that echoed within my chest and shook the very fabric of my being to the core. I felt a twinge deep in my bones and sensations of either intense cold or heat under my skin. It was not a pleasant sensation. The whiteness around us faded to be replaced with peaceful green meadows and a clear blue sky streaked with soft brushes of clouds. I barely had time to register this before I dry-retched at the sudden nausea that suddenly flowed through me. The Keeper grunted out a quick apology before clapping its hands together again. This time it wasn’t so bad, the clap only sending sharp needles prickling my feet and a pain shooting through my eyes. A gentle wind played upon my hair. The sensation of sunlight play upon my skin. I looked about in wonderment before looking at the Keeper for an explanation. “Sorry about that”, the entity repeated, waving its hands in front of me. I glared at it, until it put an embarrassed hand on the back of its head. “Reality-warping magic tends to induce uncomfortable sensations to mortals”, the Keeper explained, flapping a hand in front of me again. I found the gesture annoying but I kept silent. I tilted my head to signal it to continue. The Keeper sighed, looking at me with a soulful expression with Angel’s eyes. I found it hard to keep my ire when shown that face, even if it didn’t belong to Angel herself. “That’s not playing fair”, I grumbled, crossing my arms. The Keeper let loose a lilting laugh. It sounded wrong with Angel’s voice though. Angel had never laughed that hard. Or freely. The Keeper gestured to a wooden chair and table that suddenly appeared in front of us. I jumped back in surprise before carefully approaching it and sitting down slowly. The Keeper took the opposite seat and gazed at the scenery. After getting over my initial shock I decided to broach the subject that had been on my mind since coming here. “Where exactly are we?” I asked, lacing my fingers together and leaning on my elbows on the table. The Keeper turned to look at me briefly before returning its gaze to the serene scenery around us. “That is a difficult question. Could I have another one?” I raised an eyebrow. “No…” I replied, giving it the stink eye. The Keeper shrugged. “I suppose not. Well now, this is a difficult thing to explain, so let’s start at the very beginning.” It tapped a finger on the table and stared off into the distance. “As you may well know, there isn’t just one ‘universe’ out there.” I nodded slowly, that much was obvious after I landed in a world where unicorns and pegasi inhabited the land. “You were exceptionally lucky to be pulled out into a universe where there was air you could breathe, food you could eat and sapient creatures you could talk to.” It paused stopping its finger tap. A short clap without warning made me almost leap out of my skin but there was even less discomfort then before, I merely felt a pinch at the base of my skull. “Forgive me, my throat is parched”, it claimed, raising the glassware containing a thick brew of unknown origin to Angel’s lips and taking a deep draught. I don’t know what it was drinking but it looked like sludge and had its exact consistency. Luckily, it didn’t seem to have an odour, but I was leery of sticking my head anywhere near to the brew. The Keeper smirked and offered me the beverage. I hastily shook my head. “No thanks”, I said quickly, watching a bit of it spill on the table, some wisps of smoke drifted up. I leant away from the drink until the Keeper took back the refreshment with a flourish and a chuckle. “Didn’t think so. An acquired taste if there ever was.” The Keeper sat there in silence for a while. I cleared my throat. “What? Oh, yes the explanation… Let’s see… Oh yes, the multi-universe thing. You see, there are an infinite number of universes and an infinite number of dimensions. It just goes on and on and on.” The Keeper smiled at me. The smile unnerved me with its predatory quality. “You would not believe the things you could see there”, it said the grin becoming fractionally wider. The Keeper turned back to stare at the horizon to my relief. “In either case, there may be an infinite number of universes but there are more voids in between them”, it continued. I interrupted the Keeper on the point he just made. “More than infinity voids?” I asked in confusion. “Is that a problem?” The Keeper queried, giving me a humorous tilt of its head. “Well yes, you can’t have an infinite amount of universe and then more than infinite amount of voids”, I pointed out, it was so obvious. How ridiculous. The Keeper chuckled. “What about set theory?” He shot back. I rolled my eyes. “But that’s just for conceptual understandings or hypotheticals. Universes are real, don’t know about voids though, but if they are physical things then there’s no way it could be infinite.” The Keeper smirked at me, the expression unexpectedly reminded me of Angel’s expression when she solved a particularly tricky programming problem. “Well, my dear, dear mortal. How limited your view must be. I think the saying for your kind goes, There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” He continued in a condescending tone. “My, my with the evidence in front of you the scientist proclaiming that something is impossible! Tell me it isn’t so!” My mouth quirked in annoyance. “Okay, okay, I’ll admit my data set isn’t exactly complete but my point still stands. Having an infinite amount of physical objects seems like an impossibility to me”, I defended, running a hand through my hair. The Keeper impatiently tapped a finger on the table. “This is what I’m saying, the limits of knowledge, the limits of observation!” It cried, flinging Angel’s arms up in frustration. “If something is infinitely small, how would one observe it? If something infinitely big? How about outside the universe itself?” It shot out, one after the other. I shrank back, the gears turning in my mind for all the implications the Keeper was triggering. “Are you saying-“ I began but was cut off when the Keeper clicked its fingers in triumph. “Yes! You are in the void, the space between universes!” “How am I not dead?” The Keeper waved a finger in front of my face. “That, my dear human friend, is something you have to figure out yourself.” I frowned half rising out of my seat, opening my mouth to demand an explanation. “A ba-bup!” The Keeper tutted, spreading his pointing finger into a palm to stem the questions before they even flowed. “No rush, we have all the time in the universe! For time doesn’t exist here. In fact, nothing exists here unless you make it exist. It’s how universes are made. Could be a wishful thought, a careless accident… perhaps a big bang?” I sank back into my seat slowly, processing what he was saying. “Are you… God?” I asked, my mind going numb. The Keeper let loose a hearty laugh that didn’t match Angel’s voice at all. “No, no, no, no. Close, close, close! And yet so far! I’m like a God but I’m just one of many that journey the void and I just happen to patrol. Wish a universe here, make sure there’s no leaking there.” I relaxed, that would have been awkward. “So there are… patrols? You’re part of an organisation, you have rules or something close to it” I asked my memory dredged up a quote from Luna. They have rules, and they stick to them like molasses. The Keeper nodded. “Of course there are rules, there are always rules. Laws and the like. Natural laws, societal laws, laws of gods, laws of creation, laws of death, all the rules. The question is, what rules can be bent? “Universes are like closed bubbles. They’re not meant to interfere with one another and those like I are meant to stop it from doing so. Every now and again though, there are leaks. Some are harmless, a stone, a pot of gold, perhaps a small animal or similar. Some are harmful, a curse, a weapon, a predator. Some are forbidden, a concept, a central god… a null being”, the Keeper finished sending a pointed look at me with the last word. “So I’m forbidden, how?” “You defy all the rules of the universe that you’re in. Things exist in balance for a reason. You wouldn’t want the collapse to spread out and destroy all of the planes of existence, now would you? All that work that has been put in? That patient waiting? Wasted!” I sat back in my chair, mulling over the thought. “Why now? Couldn’t you have fixed it straight away? Wouldn’t that have saved us a multiverse of trouble?” I finally asked, slightly irritated. The Keeper slammed a palm on the table, startling me. “Haven’t you been listening? There are rules! Central gods can’t come in and play deity to a local reality. That would be counter intuitive, illogical! We had to wait until you were whisked away and intercept you in between.” I put my head in my hands. This was just getting way too complicated. “It’s always the same, one cataclysm followed by another, it’s just a pile of problems”, I muttered, staring at my hands. I tried calming myself down, looking at the wrinkle lines on my hand and tracing them with my eyes. The Keeper kept silent, looking at me in sympathy. “I know how you feel, think of the scale here. When you have an infinite amount of universes you will get an infinite amount of problems, law of numbers there. Luckily, there are just enough of us to handle it all.” I looked up curiously. “How many of you are there?” The Keeper gave a sly smile as it answered my question. “Just. One.”
3 - Covalent BondingI really didn’t like the look on the Keeper’s face. Partly because it belonged to Angel but mainly because it looked silly. The Keeper was playing with the major expressions that humans could do. It said something about it being a long time since he took corporeal form. Not one to argue with what essentially was a being way out of my depth, I just watched him with a varying degree of irritation as it contorted Angel’s face into a variety of improbable and sometimes impossible configurations. I turned my attention back to my Synch, running a diagnostic on the internal hardware. Who knew what the effects of whatever kind of travel I had done would have on the poor device? I was pretty out of it so all I heard from the Keeper was: “-we’re going to launch you back.” “W-what?” I gabbled snapping out of the diagnostics screen, it was all green I thought gestured it away. The Keeper rolls its eyes. “As I was saying… hey! Are you listening?” “I’m sorry, it’s hard to take you seriously when you make a face like that”, I pointed out testily, gesturing to the hideous creation plastered on Angel’s face. The Keeper shot its hands onto Angel’s face. “Oh, sorry. Got a little too carried away there”, it commented, fixing Angel’s features into something vaguely respectful. “Why are you experimenting with facial features when you have them down to pat already?” I asked, throwing the Keeper off. “Ah, well, you mortals have an interesting way of communicating.” “How else would you communicate?” The Keeper paused as if the thought just occurred to it. “Well, there no reason we can’t try right?” It mused, then before I could react, it shot a finger at my forehead. My vision swam and the Keeper looked absurdly pleased. I blacked out. —— I awoke feeling a massive ache deep within my skull. It throbbed with every painful beat of my heart. My eyes slowly adjusted to Angel’s face pressed uncomfortably close to mine. “Gah!” I would have fell but I was on my back already, instead my arms flailed about uselessly. The Keeper smiled cheekily. “Ah, a very pleasing reaction. You are forgiven for ignoring me.” I put both my hands on my head as I pushed the Keeper off me. The Keeper looked surprised and did its own flailing as it slid off. “Ooff, okay, okay, enough fooling around. On with the program, as you mortals say.” The Keeper cleared its throat, flinging a tuft of Angel’s hair behind its back and giving me a teasing glance. Disappointed when I didn’t give a reaction, it grumbled and continued with what it wanted to say. “You can’t be here. You’re not supposed to”, it said pointing at me. The finger came close and I swatted it out of the way. I was fast losing my shock and awe of this apparently ‘divine’ being. “Clearly”, I ground out caustically. The Keeper raised its hands out in a placating gesture. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that you were meant to stay in your universe, you weren’t meant to drift between them.” “I got that”, I shot back testily. The Keeper cleared its throat. “Well, you know. It got a little complicated when you started ping-ponging between universes and causing chaos and havoc to them both.” The Keeper waved out to the scenery around them. “Tell me”, it said suddenly. “What do you see?” I flopped down on the grass below me. “I’m not sure what you want. I see sky, clouds, a meadow, green grass, things, what does this have to do with anything?” The Keeper tapped the side of Angel’s nose. “I see a dead world”, it replied, giving a discordant hiss. I shot up to my feet, wary. The Keeper waved nonchalantly at me. “Come now, if I really wanted to hurt you, would you still be alive? No? Good. Sit back down, enjoy the dead scenery.” I sat back down, slowly. The Keeper played with the hem of the white dress it wore on Angel’s body. “Dead is what I mean when there is a garden world without intelligence, without life. Do you know what the goal of life is?” I shrugged. The Keeper sighed, jabbing me with Angel’s finger to accentuate each point. “Typical mortal. Life is struggle. Life is hardship. Life is joy. Life is loss. Life is new. Life is old. Life is a tale of opposites. How can there be any life is there is no consciousness? You need a driving force, see? Take this for example-“ the Keeper kicked up a clump of grass “- fake. Not real. A mere apparition of the mind. Nothing compared to what we are. That includes you.” “What does this have to do with me?” I asked, not really getting what the Keeper was trying the explain. Maybe I was being particularly dense that day but the Keeper didn’t seem to make even a bit of sense. “You, you, you, you!” The Keeper growled, throwing up its hands. “Always you with you mortals. See the bigger picture. Am I not being clear? You are unbalancing the universes. The universes are houses for mortal beings like you. You mortal beings will eventually climb out of your cradle and claw your way up to where we are now. When you reach here, keep climbing. Climb, climb, climb!” I struggled to comprehend what the Keeper was trying to tell me. “So what you are saying is that we’re the precursors to you? And that universes are a kind of incubators for beings like you? And that you have a vested interest in maintaining some sort of balance within these universes”, I said slowly, getting an enthusiastic nod from the Keeper. “Ah the mortal finally gets it in his limited understanding!” The Keeper cried, spinning around in glee. I observed its increasingly erratic actions passively, trying to digest this little bombshell.0 “What’s the point? Why create a race of god-like beings?” “A ba-bup! We’re starting to cross bounds here. Rules are the rules”, the Keeper replied, playfully zipping up its mouth with an imaginary zipper. It mimed the lock and key motion too. I sighed. “So where to now?” I asked wearily, this whole thing was giving me a headache and it wasn’t just from that mind-blowing mind jab thing. “That, young mortal, is something you will have to choose”, it answered, twisting a strand of Angel’s hair. “I’ve given you some good points as to why you should return to your own world but the choice is ultimately yours”, it summated, throwing an easy grin at me. “I have to choose because…” I prompted but the Keeper just stared at me with a sly smile. “Right, rules… I think”, I muttered seeing the Keeper nodding sagely. “If I return to my world there will be no repercussions?” The Keeper’s grin widened. “Oh I never said that”, it replied nastily. “I just said it was the better choice.” I thought about my options. “Seems like there is a strong case for me to go to my home world. I can stop Black Box, Equestria will no longer have to deal with a null being like myself and everything goes back to normal”, I thought out loud. I looked back at the Keeper’s mischievous Cheshire grin. “What happens if I go back to my world?” The Keeper slapped me heartily on the back, an unexpected gesture from the Angel façade. “I knew you were a special mortal, not the brightest but at least lucky enough to ask the right questions, the black reptilian mortal before you was less inquisitive, wanted to get back almost right away. Couldn’t do it immediately of course, those were the rules. Impatient one, that one, but the ones touched by Death are always the most interesting ones… Anyway, to answer your question, let’s cast our minds back to your book.” “You mean my Synch?” I queried, tapping the silver circlet. “Yes, Synch, book, same thing, different form”, the Keeper grumbled, waving a dismissive hand. “The book contains information about your world’s future, right?” I nodded slowly. The Keeper’s grin practically split Angel’s face in half, it was incredibly off-putting. “Guess who put it there?” It teased, bouncing on Angel’s feet in excitement. “You?!” I gasped. “Now the mortal gets it! That is the future of you staying in Equestria. Seems straightforward enough, right? Send you back to your universe?” The Keeper laughed at my silent nod. “There’s a trick, there’s a trap, though. Boo boo! You will die if I send you back to your world.” The Keeper shrugged. “Well maybe not straight away but you didn’t think the magic you nullified just went away? That energy is stored inside you, like a coiled spring. If I put you in your universe, you’ll be like a balloon in explosive decompression. Pop!” “Oh ho ho ho! Looking a little hesitant now, are we? Don’t you want to save your existence? Conflicted with saving your own world? Done it once but won’t do it again? What’s stopping you?” “What happens when I go back to Equestria?” I asked, I needed to know. The Keeper’s eyes darkened. “Same as I said before. Everything collapses. Everything dies.”
4 - EffectionI sat in the void thinking things through. I didn’t want to think at all to be honest but here I was experiencing my favourite past time, only tainted by potentially life-ending and all life-ending consequences. I put my head in my hands. I heard an impatient sigh come from behind me. “Any millennia now”, the Keeper grumbled. It sounded like he was kicking up clumps of grass behind me. I turned around, feeling a sharp surge of anger colouring my cheeks. “I’m so sorry that I have to decide between my life and that of the universe!” I yelled hoarsely, tears in the corner of my eyes. The Keeper stepped back from my outburst. “Okay, okay, sorry! I just thought this would be a no-brainer for you. Save the universe seems like a simple choice to me.” “How could it be simple?” “I know you mortals have this in built mechanism for self-preservation but we centrals have a different set of rules. We can see the bigger picture, we come and go as needed. Just poof and you’re there, or not, whatever”, the Keeper replied. It chuckled at my open-mouthed, wide-eyed look. “Yeah, we just come and go”, the Keeper stated, it almost looked sad but the expression was gone before I could really register it. I didn’t know whether I imagined it or not. “Anyway, I thought we had all the time in the universes?” I ground out, eyeing the Keeper carefully. The Keeper cleared its throat. “Hmm, okay. I’m just getting bored of you. Sitting there like that.” I grunted but otherwise went back to my musings. The fate of the multiverse lay on my shoulders but I must sacrifice myself in order to preserve it. No-brainer? Don’t make me laugh. It wasn’t as if I had many options here, either I go to Equestria or I go back to Earth, apparently the Keeper thought inter-dimensional travel was a simple matter because it talked about it trivially. Still, it looked like it was a one shot sort of thing, it wasn’t as if I could poof into Equestria, say my goodbye and then die in a massive magical explosion on Earth. “C’est la vie”, I grumbled to myself, the French had it right with that phrase. I played with the grass beneath my hands. It felt just like regular grass, only, according to the Keeper, it was dead, fake, not-real. I threw the piece of grass. I just wanted all this peaceful scenery to go away, it wasn’t matching my mood. I sniffed curiously. What was that smell. It smelt like something was- “Burning!” I yelped, standing up and looking around, the entire world was on fire and the grass was burning. “Human!” I heard a friendly voice shout. “Gruff?!” I shouted spotting the diamond dog rushing along the ground in a strange blue bubble that sparkled. The Keeper appeared next to me. “Interruptions? Not now at a critical time like this”, it muttered. It raised its hands in a gesture I recognised as the beginnings of a clap. My eyes widened in comprehension. “GRUFF!” I yelled in warning. “It’s going to-“ Clap. A slow shockwave emanated from the Keeper’s hands. Gruff let loose a feral snarl, baring his teeth at the oncoming wave. He glanced at me. “Human! Don’t listen to it, there is another way you have t-“ The shockwave hit Gruff, erasing him from existence. I stood there in mute shock. After a moment I recovered, ready to launch myself at the Keeper. “Calm yourself, mortal. I merely sent him back to where he belongs”, the Keeper mumbled, flicking back Angel’s hair. I continued to glare at the nonchalant Keeper, though I relaxed my posture slightly. “So, have you made a decision?” I pursed my lips. “Yeah, I’m going to need more time”, I replied. The Keeper shook its head and sat down on the burnt grass, a twinge and a clap later the meadows were restored to its original state. “Don’t take too long, things have a habit of spiralling out of control if you don’t deal with them soon”, the Keeper stated mildly. My lips pulled down into a snarl. “I’ll keep that in mind.” —— The light from the main node faded away as wisps of smoke and ask drifted in the space that held the main thaumic energy vortex. Gael nervously tapped her claws on her wing blades, she strapped on waiting for the black void to appear that would herald Gruff’s return. A tense minute passed, then two. Solid glanced uneasily at the crystal array. “That’s funny it shoul-“ BOOM. A large spherical void burst into existence, sending crackling energy down to light up the crystals. The crystal instantly glowed, sending energy to stabilise the structure. Gael let go a huge sigh of relief as Gruff stumbled out, smelling of fire and charcoal. “Not good, not good, not good!” Solid yelled as Gruff collapsed in the centre of the node well. A flash of grey and Lightning was there, flapping his wings furiously. “We have to go now!” He shouted, swooping up to stare into the distance. A groan shook through the forest. A crash could be heard. Lightning had a fraction of a second to look surprised as a log came flying through the air, clobbering him out of the sky. “Emerald Ents!” Gael screamed, diving into the node well, ignoring the painful discharges of the thaumic crystals laced through the air. Gruff had a lazy smile as he saw Gael enter his vision. “Hello Gael”, he spoke woozily. “I got to him!” Gael growled under her breath. “Not now, sir. We have to get out, Emerald Ents are headed this way!” She reported, flinging the diamond dog on her back and strapping him in. Gruff’s long legs burshed the ground as he flopped around. Gael switched her blade orientation so Gruff wouldn’t get cut and with a powerful thrust was airborne again. Solid had procured a temporary bubble shield to slow down the Ents. “Lightning can you carry me?!” Solid yelled desperately, her horn straining with the spell as the Ents crashed into the barrier. Wooden faces twisted in grimaces leered at the milling group, the heavy ironbark hands of the Ents crashing into the barrier repetitively, weaving a cacophony that matched the shrieking wails. Solid gritted her teeth as a shockwave ran through the barrier. It wobbled unsteadily as Lightning finally made it to Solid. “Okay, I’ve got you but I can’t drop you very far, do you have a plan?” Lightning wheezed between wing flaps and shifting Solid in his grip. “Head for the nearest peripheral node!” Solid shouted, pointing her hoof at the spindly network of wires and frames. “Will do”, Lightning agreed, heading towards the mass of metal. Gael flapped laboriously behind. Solid didn’t spare Gael a second glance, Gael would make sure Gruff was right, if anypony or anygriffin was right for the job, it was Gael. “We’re here”, Lightning puffed, pulling into a dive. Solid snapped back into focus. They were going too fast. “Can’t. Hold. On…” Lightning huffed, his wings locking up. Solid quickly cast a spell. A massive updraft of wind caught Lightning’s wings and slowed them enough to come to a painful rolling stop into front of the peripheral node. Lightning shakily picked himself up as Solid limped to the peripheral node. She cast a few spells, extracting metal from the structure. The resulting was a powder that looked vaguely familiar to Lightning. Lightning’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh wait!” Lightning yelped, before a blinding light lit up the clearing. Solid lobbed the mass into a far cluster of trees. The acrid smell of smoke and flames permeated through the clearing. The Ents paused then rushed over to the new source of fire. Solid gestured in front of Lightning urgently. “Let’s go, let’s go!” She yelled, limping away. Lightning quickly gave her a helping hoof. Gael let loose a whistle. “Woah, never knew you could do that”, she called out to Solid, impressed. “Learnt it from a human, improved it with magic”, Solid answered, grinning toothily. Gruff’s paw flopped out to stroke Gael on the neck. “Fluffy birdy”, he purred, as Gael’s cheeks flamed crimson. Luckily it was all under feathers so no- “Aww isn’t that cute, Gael’s blushing”, Lightning teased, shooting her a smirk. Gael’s eyes narrowed. “I will end you”, she stated flatly. Lightning and Solid both chuckled as they made their way through the last legs of the Emerald Ent forest.
5 -What Pales in ComparisonChapter 5: What Pales in Comparison Sometimes it was nice to get out once in a while. Relax, take a break, do what you want. There are times when the soul is soothed when one takes in the scene and slowly, but surely, unwind those tense muscles. Unfortunately, today was not one of those times. “Eat me.” “Bite me.” “Grr.” “Rowr.” Twilight opened the door between carriages and walked in to see Nicodia and Little Hoof at it again. “You downright cheated!” Nicodia narrowed her eyes. Little Hoof gave Nicodia a grin that set Nicodia’s teeth on edge. “Prove it”, Little Hoof taunted, waving the bag of bits. Nicodia growled, pawing the ground in preparation to charge. Little Hoof dropped into a defensive pose. “That. Is. Enough!” Twilight yelled, teleporting across the room to appear between the two. “Nicodia, you’re a professional for Celestia’s sake, act like one”, Twilight snarled, through gritted teeth. “But-“ “Little Hoof, you know better to get on the wrong side of a member of the Solar Guard. Now hand over the bits you’ve won from her.” “Hey I wo-“ “I don’t care whether you won them fair and square, or if you cheated Nicodia out of them. There will be no gambling here, understood?” She glared at both mares in turn. Nicodia and Little Hoof continued to glare at each other until Twilight’s horn sparked menacingly. They both turned their gazes to the floor. “Do I make myself clear?” Twilight asked, her voice laced with barely concealed malice. “Yes, Twilight”, both answered simultaneously. Twilight paused for a moment feeling the embers of her anger smoulder and die. She sighed. “I’m sorry, you’re both grown mares and I’m treating you both like you’re foals.” Nicodia held up a hoof to stop Little Hoof from interjecting with something insensitive. Little Hoof gave Nicodia an annoyed snort but otherwise remained silent. “Twilight, we know how stressed you are right now but don’t worry, we may be able to find him yet. We’re still tracking Maellorn but as soon as we find him, we’ll get a lead on our friend.” Twilight nodded absently as Nicodia stroked Twilight’s withers. Little Hoof hesitantly approached. “Yeah, I may not be the most willing mare, but hey I’m doing it for the pay. You can always guarantee that Little Hoof delivers.” Twilight nodded, working out the stress with some calming breaths. “You’re right. You’re both right, all we need to do is move forward. Find my friend, make sure he’s safe, get his name and we’ll have a Pinkie party.” “Get his name?” Little Hoof asked, she paused as the thought just occurred to her. “How do I not know his name? I forgot to ask…” Twilight looked up at Little Hoof. “Excuse me for saying this, but why do you even care?” Twilight grunted bluntly. Little Hoof didn’t snap at Twilight but she came close to saying a few choice words they would both regret. “I want you to understand, Twilight, that I do have an honour code.” Nicodia smirked at Little Hoof. “Does that code involve a bag of bits at the end?” Little Hoof stared down Nicodia until the flippant attitude fled her face. Little Hoof glared at Nicodia for a moment more before snorting and continuing. “I always find out my client’s name. Always.” Twilight tilted her head curiously. “Why?” Was all she asked. “I just do!” Little Hoof snapped, causing Twilight and Nicodia to take an involuntary step back. Little Hoof was breathing fire for a few moments but then her shoulders sagged. She sighed and motioned to the train passenger seats. Twilight and Nicodia reluctantly sat down after a brief moment’s hesitation. Little Hoof’s eyes trailed her hoof as she ran it along the table. “It started a long time ago but the reason is still fresh in my mind. I don’t like telling anypony about this. In fact, I’ve never told anypony about this before but I figured since I broke my own rule, it’d be a good enough time to tell somepony as any.” Twilight quickly spoke up, “You don’t have to, Little Hoof, we don’t have to know, if you don’t want to tell us.” Nicodia jumped in as well. “Yes, if it’s painful you needn’t burden yourself for our understanding.” Little Hoof nodded but she continued anyway. Nicodia and Twilight kept silent, staring in rapt attention as Little Hoof wove her tale. —— I was one of the best guides on the frontier settlements. Never really picked up the accent but it wasn’t hard to fit in. I made a lot of friends there, even met a tribe of bison. They were the friendly sort, I even got my name ‘Little Hoof’ from them. One day, just like any other, I received a request. A bit unusual but the payment was upfront and it was a pretty sum. I eagerly accepted the offer. Two days later we were traipsing along the edge of the world, only barely keeping ourselves alive. The stallion I was guiding was barely a colt. I never asked for his name and he didn’t seem inclined to give it to me. I shrugged it off and never really asked for it. I did take note of his cutie mark, it seemed to be a pair of three pointed tri-stars, one of the strangest cutie marks I had ever seen. I asked him about his special talent but he kept so tight lipped about it. “Come on, Starry Colt”, Little Hoof cajoled urging the stallion with her hoof. He swayed on his hooves but managed to climb the last few steps, collapsing at the final vantage point. Starry Colt wasn’t his name of course, but Little Hoof enjoyed calling him that. “Alright Starry, we’re here”, Little Hoof reminded him. He just groaned in response. “Alright, suit yourself”, Little Hoof responded, gazing at the waterfall as it swept across the jagged rocks below. Little Hoof took in the splinters of ice that cascaded down sending sparkling mists gleaming in the morning sunshine. “You have to see this”, she breathed, standing in awe. Starry finally got himself on his hooves and edged up to stand next to Little Hoof. “Alright-“ a huff “-I’m here”, he wheezed, looking out at the sight. His jaw dropped comically and Little Hoof laughed at his wonderfully innocent reaction. “Starry”, she said. “What are you gawking at? Didn’t you pay to see this?” Starry was silent for a moment, his fatigue forgotten. “I’d pay more”, he whispered. ”I’d sell my soul.” He took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. Little Hoof edged herself out further. “Careful”, he warned, glancing at the ridge. “It doesn’t look too stable.” Little Hoof snorted. “I’ll be fine, I’ve done this a million times”, she shot back and crept forward to prove the point. A crackling noise was the only warning they had before the cliff let out a splintering roar and the rocky cropping beneath Little Hoof’s hooves collapsed. In a second, Starry was there, grasping her hooves. Little Hoof glanced below and her eyes were white with fear. Her breathing quickened. Her heart beat violently in her chest. “Starry, don’t let go, please don’t let go.” She could see the weak muscles under Starry’s fur strain against the inevitable force of gravity. Starry grunted in pain, the loose rocks underneath his hooves rolled, causing them both to slip a few inches. Little Hoof let loose a pathetic whimper. Starry looked into Little Hoof’s eyes, gazes locking as he sent determination and courage through the short intervening space. “I may be weak, but I’m still an Earth pony, I’ll just have to draw on my inner magic harder!” He growled, giving another heave. For a moment Little Hoof’s hopes soared as they went back the distance they had lost but she could see his forelegs shaking. They slid back again, losing everything they had gained and more. Little Hoof felt her heart pound in her ears. Her heart was in her throat. Starry gave Little Hoof one look, then looked past her, spotting something she couldn’t see. His eyes widened and his grip relaxed slightly. “No, no, no!” Little hoof shouted. “Don’t let go!” Starry gave her a sad smile. “I won’t”, he said simply. Then he slid off the cliff with her. Little Hoof screamed shrilly as they fell, Starry wrapping his hooves around her. After what seemed like both seconds and an eternity, Little Hoof felt a shuddering impact. Starry stared out at her blankly as she tried to bring her mind to focus. “Starry?” She whispered, putting a hoof to his face. She touched his muzzle, nudging him. “Starry?” She repeated, she took her hoof away to find a small trace of blood that trickled from his mouth. She glanced around to find that she was on a small jutting ledge about forty or fifty feet below the cliff’s edge. She looked back down and covered her muzzle with both of her hooves as she sat back against the rough, rocky wall of the cliff. “No”, she whispered. His body was distended at a warped angle, limbs were splayed in places they weren’t supposed to. “No.” She shook her head. Her vision began to blur. “Starry, no.” A scream tore through the forest in pure anguish. It echoed vacantly against the rocky surrounds. Hot tears matted her fur as she held the lifeless form of her saviour. All the while, behind them, a magnificent rainbow bloomed. —— Little Hoof paused in her recount, taking a shuddering breath. Silence reigned, save for the gentle clacking of the train wheels on the tracks. “I carried him back, you know”, she continued softly. “On my back the whole way. I left most of the supplies back but eventually I got out of there and sent his body back to his family. I found out his name, you know?” She forced a laugh. “Kind of dorky. It was Glittering Sparks”, she croaked, looking at her hooves. “Couldn’t have been less of a stallion’s name I ever heard.” Little Hoof fell silent again. “I would have liked to have known his name from his lips though and not from his folks. Didn’t seem right. It’s why it’s important to me. I can’t believe I brushed it off like that. What’s wrong with me?” Little Hoof felt a hoof to her cheek. She was surprised to see that it belonged to Nicodia. Nicodia looked at her hoof and gave Little Hoof a weak smile. “Well if it’s any consolation I don’t think anypony knows this human’s name. It’s a mystery to us all.” Twilight nodded. “I think it has something to do with him being a null being. It’s not your fault”, she consoled gently. Little Hoof pursed her lips. She sighed. “Like you said Twilight, we just need to move forward”, she said, giving a small smile. She shifted her hooves awkwardly. “Sorry for laying that all on you”, she apologised, sinking her head onto the table. Twilight put a hoof on her head. “Don’t worry about it”, she cooed. “We all have our days, and what’s a friend to do when they’ve also done for you?” Little Hoof started in surprise. “Friends?” She said incredulously. She looked at Nicodia. Nicodia shrugged. “I don’t hate you, as long as you stop cheating.” Nicodia looked a little sheepish too, “I thought you were such a shallow mare, you gave the impression that all you cared about were the bits. After that tale though, you care about the simple things, even knowing somepony’s name. It makes me a little embarrassed that I thought all those bad things about you.” Little Hoof shrugged. “I’m used to it”, she replied, then grimaced. “It’s also my fault as well, I don’t give the best first impressions. Or last impressions. Or good impressions for that matter. I think after I saw Twilight so desperately help those guards and you on the train, I was ashamed about the way I acted, thinking only of myself.” She sighed again. “Starry would be disappointed”, Little Hoof muttered. Nicodia shook her head resolutely. “You’re here with us now, way beyond your agreement. I can safely say that you have gone way past the bits and right into obligation.” Twilight nodded her head in assent. “You were really helpful in tracking those foalnappers. Don’t sell yourself short”, she grinned, reaching across the table and giving Little Hoof a light pat on the head. Little Hoof grinned back. A sudden idea popped into her head. “Okay, so who’s next to share their past?” Twilight and Nicodia looked at each other for a moment. “Nope!” Twilight yelped before Nicodia could open her mouth. “Dang!” Nicodia cursed, glaring at Twilight. Twilight giggled and gestured for her to begin. Nicodia was silent for a moment but reluctantly started. “Okay, where to begin?” She sighed as the two settled in. “My name, I guess, is as good as any place to start. I think Twilight knows this, but my parents are explorers, they named me ‘Nico’ - meaning ‘peace-keeping’ and ‘dia’ - meaning ‘day’…”
2 - Several Ways... a CatAngel tinkered with the small subsystem on the glowing device. The Synch emitted a soft blue light as she delicately worked around manually configuring the layout. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and sweat beaded along her brow. After a satisfied sigh she leant back, surveying her work. WIth only a moment's hesitation she ran the program. The indicator light stayed red. She quickly tapped out a few modifications and ran the program again. The indicator light still kept its red hue. A twinge worked its way up the side of her face. “Crud”, she growled, throwing the screwdriver behind her back. It clattered against the door as it opened to admit a surprised Dmitri. “Well, I thought I would be more welcome but I can come back later”, he commented wryly, starting to close the door. Angel whipped around and held a hand out. “Wait Dmitri!” She called out. Dmitri stopped and turned around. “Yes?” He asked mildly. Angel swallowed back a pang of regret. “I’m sorry, Dmitri it should be time to let go, I know.” Dmitri’s eyes softened. “You should never let go. Move on, yes. Letting go… I wouldn’t do that, either.” Angel gave a grateful smile as Dmitri picked up the screwdriver and handed it back to her. Dmitri took in the maze of goods on the workbench. “A new project?” He asked, already knowing the answer. He sighed. Angel nodded. “Something I start but won’t be able to finish”, she replied, not meeting his gaze. “It’ll work a lot faster if you have someone else to help you”, Dmitri commented, leaning against the benchtop. “I don’t need any help!” Angel snapped, giving Dmitri a hard glare. She held it for a few moment then dropped it, as she hung her head. “I’m sorry”, she repeated. Dmitri only grunted. “Seems like apologies are being thrown around on a regular basis. Only, it is going in one direction”, he grumbled, then straightened up, picking up the prototype that Angel was fiddling with. Angel’s hand shot up halfway then slowly sunk back down. “I’ll be taking this to the techies down in the main R&D lab.” Dmitri hesitated, wanting to say more but headed towards the door. “Angel”, he started, then cleared his throat. “Angel I worry. I’ve already lost one good friend, I don’t want to lose another.” “Friends?” Angel shot back but instantly regretted it. “No sorry, of course we are but there so very little, few and far between…” Dmitri dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand. “Don’t make me the only one”, he growled and headed out the door. Angel could hear him just before the door clicked closed. “I just-“ a pause “-don’t want to see you wasting away, here. People worry you know, it’s only human.” Angel glanced at the screen filled with the multicoloured patterns of code. “I know”, she whispered, alone. “We just need to remove the humanity, then there will be no worry.” She glanced at my Synch sitting on the workbench. “No worries…” —— Celestia reflected that there was a calm beauty to the movement of the celestial bodies. A kind of soothing balm in the measured pacing of the skies. Magic made all sorts of things possible, some good, some bad but all unique in their own way. This was one of her favourite parts of the day. The first. Celestia felt a familiar presence beside her. “Luna, my dear sister, it is rare to see you with me for the sunrise.” Luna flopped to her side in an undignified sprawl at Celestia’s hooves. “Oh you would not believe the night I have had!” Luna whined, pounding the balcony floor with her hooves in a way that reminded Celestia of a fish flopping on land. She looked on in amusement as Luna rolled on the floor. “At first it was all peaceful, like the night should have been, I cleared away a few predators, knocked around a few rowdy subjects and flew among the stars as custom”, she began, stopping her rolling momentarily as she locked gazes with Celestia. Celestia felt cyan eyes bore straight into her own with unremitting hatred. She felt unnerved by the look of utter animosity and ferocity from her little sister. “What is it Luna?” She asked her sibling gently. Luna sunk her head into her hooves and muffled out a reply. Celestia bent her head down to her sister’s level. “You may want to try that again, Luna”, she tittered, nudging the midnight coated mare with her hoof. “I lost a game”, Luna grumbled getting to her hooves. Celestia tilted her head in puzzlement. “A game?” “Yes, a noble challenged me to a chess game and I lost!” Celestia chuckled and shook her head in barely concealed levity. “Luna my dear, there is no need to get so worked up over a simple game”, she reasoned, patting her sister on the back. Luna flared her wings and took a step back. “It is no simple game, dear Tia! This was a fight for my honour! It is a battle of wits and strategy, a contest of wills, a trial of character and fortune an-“ “Just a game”, Celestia chided, pulling in Luna with a wing. “I’m not a foal, Celestia!” Luna replied, shrugging off the wing in discontentment. Celestia just looked at Luna with a serene smile. “…most of the time, but my point still stands, my honour has been tarnished and I will have vengeance!” Celestia sighed. “You vengeance may have to wait, for it is soon day time, perhaps you will plot your conniving plans in the dreamscape?” Celestia offered, giving Luna a playful shove. “What an excellent idea, sister! I will be back with a full report after-“ she yawned widely putting a surprised hoof in front of her muzzle “-perhaps after some sleep…” Celestia chuckled as Luna dragged her hooves away to her chambers. Luna is getting quite used to living among the modern times now, she thought with a pleased grin on her face. Celestia finished setting the course for the sun and headed back into her own chambers, reviewing the documents scattered among her desk. With a quick thought, the documents shifted and ordered themselves into neat stacks revealing a tome she had forgotten about momentarily. The title read: On the Curious Behaviour of a Extra-Universal Traveller (Volume I) by Twilight Sparkle Human… She thought to herself, stroking the cover with her hoof. If only they were a mite faster… She shook her head. It didn’t do well to live in the past. One must grab the future in one’s own hoof. —— Gruff placed one of the final stratifications to the mainly underground, multi-layered device. Rings of steel and gems were positioned carefully supporting each other in a complicated stacked tower. He paused, surveying the results, then nodded to himself. “Activate it”, he growled leaping into the pit. A low whine increased in frequency as nodes lit up all over Equestria.
