Two regal alicorns stood side by side, facing an ominously glowing gateway to another dimension. The newest to their ranks had braved the dangers, traversed the portal, and come back with tales that were so incredibly outlandish that the two elders had no choice but to believe. Then, the younger had suggested the others follow in her hoof prints. The pair turned to look at one another, hoisting their packs.
"Luna, are you prepared for what lies beyond?" the larger one asked. "From what Twilight told us, it is a world of unimaginable beauty, filled with unspeakable danger."
"You know I am ready, Celestia," Luna replied. "I've been waiting for an adventure like this ever since we defeated Discord a thousand and some years ago. Speaking of whom, are you sure it's a good idea to leave him in charge of the sun and moon while we are away?"
"Twilight will keep him in line." Celestia sighed. "Very well. We should delay no longer. I'll see you on the other side, sister."
With that, the two walked into the portal, vanishing.
After floating weightlessly for what felt like a minute or two, the royals felt a pull, a definite destination in the endless void between worlds. It wasn't long before they appeared on solid ground.
Looking around, it seemed that “solid ground” was a rare commodity in this world. There was a small platform, and then… nothing. As Celestia peered over the edge, she got an immediate feeling of vertigo, as their safe haven was no more than two meters thick, after which was a never-ending drop into darkness. The sky above them was blue, and the ground they stood on solid, but both alicorns could tell this was not the world that Twilight had visited.
Standing still, eyes closed, Celestia reached out to feel the magical side of the world around her. At least, she tried. The magic in this world was strained, nearly non-existent. Levitating the crown on her head took effort, and she ceased trying after a second, afraid to drain the little power available.
Suddenly, Luna called out from behind her. “Sister, what is this?” she asked.
Turning around, Celestia nearly hit her hoof on a cube protruding from the platform. It was slightly smaller than the other cubes the platform was made of, and seemed to be made of some type of wood. It was old; the wood was warped, and there was rust on the back, but it looked like it was once used to hold things. Behind the cube was a shimmering wall of light, similar to, yet distinctly different from, the portal they had traversed.
“This block resembles a chest,” Celestia said, pushing at the top. Her suspicions were confirmed when it started to creak open, the hinges making enough noise to deafen a normal pony. Wincing, she snapped the top off, silencing the block for good, as well as revealing what laid inside: a pile of golden rings, a stack of books, a small plant, and a yellowed piece of paper with some writing on it.
Levitating the paper, Luna read, “This land was once great. It was one of prosperity, filled with life. Now, there is nearly nothing. A block of dirt here, some hardened clay there. This is, as far as I know, the last sapling left in this world. Other worlds have suffered the same fate, too. Most of the gods that preside over these worlds are capricious, and periodically malevolent, beings. They toy with us, giving us the power and knowledge to rebuild the world, only to cast down our progress from time to time.”
Luna started choking up; Celestia guessed it was because of memories of Discord’s reign. Taking the paper from her sister, the solar princess continued. “Finally, hope has appeared. The Jaded One has taken pity on us Crafters, and has made a new world for us. Her power is limited, however. This portal will take us there, but it will not allow us to return. In addition, what she leaves us with is little more than what we have now - a platform, floating above the void. I only pray that there will be enough room for all of us.”
Celestia felt Luna looking over her shoulder at this point. “If anyone finds this note, follow us. We can use all the help we can get.” Looking over the rest of the paper, Celestia quickly noticed that there was no signature. In its place was a symbol, one that Twilight had mentioned. This letter had been written by Guude, the de-facto leader of Mindcrack.
“So, do we follow them?” Luna asked.
Celestia nodded. “They said they need help. Besides, the way home is missing; we’re going to have to go through the End. However, we do not know how to get there. They do.” Celestia took the rings from the chest, while Luna took the books. Celestia also took the sapling. Placing them in their bags, the two alicorns stepped into the portal.
“Day three,” a Crafter spoke to nobody in particular. “It’s been three days, and we’re still eating raisins that inexplicably came from dried apples. Nebris has a cobble generator up and running, and Pak has a pair of wheat seeds growing. Hopefully, we’ll be eating bread soon.”
“We’ll be eating toast, Guude! Toast is better!” shouted Pakratt, standing over his “farm”. Pakratt knew more about this world than most of the Crafters there, but his knowledge wasn’t making those seeds grow any faster.
Guude rolled his eyes before continuing. “Right then, toast. Anyway, where was I? Baj is making a mob farm, and Mhykol is standing by the portal, hoping someone will come through. Part of me wishes that Baj screws up the mob farm. Not sure why. I guess it’d be funny.” He glanced at the center of their platform. “No sign of the others yet, and that fake Guude is still creeping me out. ‘Feed me,’ he says. Feed him, when we barely have enough food for ourselves? Heh, that’s not happening for a while. Anyway, I’d better get back to the grind. Guude out.”
As he stood up, one of the others placed their hand on his shoulder. “The portal’s reacting,” Mhykol said.
Stepping out of the shimmering light, Celestia quickly noticed five pairs of eyes watching her. Most ponies would have been unnerved by that, but a millenia of dealing with adoring masses had taught her much. Looking back, giving each a measured stare for a precisely calculated length of time, she smiled. It was the same smile she gave to both politicians and common ponies. It was a practiced way of saying, “I’m here to help.”
“So, is this what remains of Mindcrack?” Luna asked, stepping beside her.
The Crafters looked at each other, forlorn looks on their faces. Guude, based on the symbol on his shirt, stepped forward. “It is, as far as we know. We were hoping you were one of our friends, but we’ll take any help we can get. I assume Twilight sent you?”
“Yes, she did,” Celestia confirmed. “I am Princess Celestia, Diarch of the Day. This is my sister, Princess Luna, Diarch of the Night. We found your message.”
“So, you’re here to help rebuild?” one of the Crafters asked.
“We initially came to study your kind in more depth,” Luna replied. “However… I’m sorry, Twilight did not mention your name.”
The Crafter rolled his eyes. “Typical. I’m Mhykol.”
“A pleasure, Mhykol. As I was saying, we do not have a way home. Based on Twilight’s account, we may be able to return to Equestria through the End Portal. Until that option becomes available, I will be happy to lend a helping hoof.”
Celestia nodded. “I will as well. Luna and I have seen one world marred by a destructive god that has since been rebuilt. It would be our pleasure to help with another.”
“Great!” Guude exclaimed. “Did you bring any of those rings I left behind?”
Celestia levitated a pair of rings out of her pack, relieved to feel a rush of magic in this world. It wasn’t quite as strong as Equestria’s, but it was in no danger of depleting. “Are these the rings you mean?” she asked.
“Yep. Those are specially designed for visitors from other universes. Jeb gave us a stockpile after Twilight left. They’re untested, but should give you Crafters’ abilities. Anything we’re able to do, you can too.”
Celestia gave her sister one of the rings, and both alicorns slipped them over their respective horns. Interestingly enough, the rings resized themselves to fit snugly. As hers did so, Celestia felt a huge influx of power. The knowledge of thousands of Crafters, and many years of discovery, flooded her mind. Within seconds, she knew what the world was made of. She understood how to gather resources, and use them to build more advanced contraptions. She saw glimpses of nighttime, and the dangers that darkness brought. She gained insight into the workings of redstone.
All that, and more, converged inside of her mind, as if she had been a Crafter her entire life. Yet, she could still remember that she had not. She was not a Crafter, but had been granted their power. She reached out, and felt the sun. It was foreign, but she felt she could still influence it. Yes, she may have been granted new power, but that did not replace what she had before. Rather, her old power had been augmented.
“Wow,” was the only thing she could verbalize for a moment. Luna, too, seemed amazed at what had just transpired.
“Wow indeed!” Guude exclaimed. “I could feel the energy of that… whatever-you-call-it from over here! I think I went up a couple levels.”
“What about the quest books?” Nebris asked.
Luna pulled the books out of her bags. “Are these the books?”
“Yep. I don't think those rings gave you knowledge of any additions to the world, so you’re going to need to rely on those for instructions on how to rebuild.”
“Hmm,” Celestia muttered, thinking. “Just how much has been added to this world?”
“More than was here originally,” Baj said. “Some things make stuff easier to use, other things are just straight additions, and others are just tweaks to how the world works.”
“It sounds like this world was made by a less-capricious Discord,” Luna said, only half joking.
“There are rules for how this universe works that no modification can break,” Guude explained. “Some Crafters just like to bend those rules a bit. There are also unspoken rules about how changes work together.”
“Nobody is all-powerful,” Mhykol added. “Everyone has the same abilities. Some just use theirs differently. Some chose not to use them.”
Celestia nodded, taking a book from Luna and opening it. As she compared what was in the book to what was around her, she saw that not much had been done. A few trees were growing, monsters were appearing in a raised trench, and there was a large structure made entirely of crafting tables that was generating cobblestone.
When the Crafters saw the look on Celestia’s face, Pakratt spoke up. “We’ve only been here a few days. I think we’re doing pretty well.”
“I see,” Celestia said, turning the page to the next objective. “So, you have wood, cobblestone, infinite water, and lava. Next should be… a smeltery, right?”
“Yeah,” Nebris agreed. “I was busy making grout to build one. Would either of you like to help?”
“I shall,” Luna volunteered. “I just need a hammer, correct?” Nebris nodded, and showed her over to the cobble generator, letting her craft her first item.
While Luna started pounding cobblestone into gravel, the rest of the Crafters returned to their tasks. Celestia followed Pakratt to the tiny farm, wondering how they would be getting food. The alicorns had brought a fair amount with them, but it would not last forever.
“Well, the seeds have grown,” Pak said. “That’s good.”
“So, should they be harvested now?” the Solar Princess asked.
“Not yet,” he responded. “See how these are separated by a block? Now if I put more crop stick here…” He placed an octet of sticks in the space between the two crops. “... these crops should cross-breed, producing more, stronger seeds. It’ll take a while, though.”
Celestia frowned ever so slightly. If her intuition was right, these Crafters had little food between them, and could not bear to wait for more crops. Drawing on her large reservoir of energy, she wove her knowledge of Equestrian time travel together with her new knowledge of this world. After a second, she released the spell, tripling the flow of time in the three block space that the crops occupied. As soon as the third set of seeds grew, she ceased casting, concerned about just how much energy that had taken.
Pakratt simply blinked, astonished at what had just transpired.
