As the sun set on the horizon of Ponyville, Twilight, with Spike in tow, yawned as she trotted towards her bed. After a long day of helping Rarity in the boutique, she thought a little rest was more than deserved.
Thinking back to the hundreds of dresses she had created and packaged for her friend, she combed her mane, trying to keep her eyes open. Turning toward her new crystal bed, which was surprisingly more comfortable than it sounded, she saw that Spike had already curled up in his basket. Pulling the blanket covers over her tired body, she closed her eyes in sleep.
And as the struggles of the day melted away into the void only dreams provide, something odd happened. Now, when one who has never seen magic before looks at the everyday occurrences in Ponyville, most anything will pass as odd. But this event had a special oddness to it, an oddness that had not been witnessed by ponykind since, well, ever.
This event that I am describing was the formation of a ring of blue energy around the castle. If our dear Twilight had been aware of the peril that she was in at that moment in time, she still would not have been able to escape her fate. Nay, her fate was all but sealed, for that ring that was made of fire, fire that rose into the sky, up above the clouds, higher than any pegasus could hope to reach. If I had been there and not here, I would have found this sight magnificent, unmatched by any sight we have here on Earth. But alas, this fiery ring made no sound to announce its presence, so it was witnessed by only the moon, Princess Luna, and one other.
So, when the crystal clock in Twilight's new castle struck a particular hour, the blue ring roared up into the air again, and Twilight and Spike were sent to a land very far from Equestria, or the Earth I call home, for that matter.
Before we continue further, one thing must be made very clear. This thing that I speak of is the fact that Gravity Falls and Equestria are not, in any form or fashion, close to each other. If ponykind were to invent a means of space travel, and that ship were to travel into the depths of space, it would never reach the planet Earth. The town of Gravity Falls and Ponyville are separated by a universe's distance. They are impossible to reach by magic, flight, or any other means of transport.
But one must ask how it came to be that our Twilight is to be hurled into this unfortunate situation. Well, the answer is rather scary and mysterious at the same time. You see, sometimes, the universe makes a mistake. Sometimes, if you get it just right, and the universe isn't looking your way, you can travel to these other places.
Of course, what counts as "just right" is questionable. But in this case, I believe it to be a certain family of three and a handyman.
But where are my manners, taking the spotlight like that? There are other characters to this story, of course, characters far more interesting than an explanation of the working of the universe. These characters, at this point in the story, are cleaning up a zombie outbreak. Or rather, curing a zombie of its ailment. The cinnamon was set, the runes were marked, and all was ready for the ritual.
"And that should do it." The young boy in the pine tree hat looked up from his checklist.
"Brains," called the handyman on the floor.
"Yeah, one second buddy," replied the boy. He looked from Stan to Mabel. "Everyone ready?"
"Right," the two responded in unison.
"Oink!" cried Waddles, who was being kept out of the room by a wall of furniture.
Dipper put down his checklist and grabbed the journal from the ground next to him. Beginning the chant, he called out on a solemn voice.
nihil ad hoc fabulam est. miror quod transtulit. nihil ad hoc fabulam est. miror quod transtulit. nihil ad hoc fabulam est. miror quod transtulit.
Eventually, Stan and Mabel joined him. Soos lifted off the ground, eyes glowing brighter than usual.
Waddles had become accustomed to the happenings at the Mystery Shack. Said happenings had actually stimulated his brain enough to give him a larger comprehension level than the average pig. If he could find the materials to do so, he vowed that one day, pigs would rule the world.
He watched in fascination as his adopted family worked another feat of magic. He yearned for a power such as that, as it was the one thing he needed to rule this ape-dominated rock. Scanning the barrier before him, he noticed something. In between a chair and a table, Waddles could see a hole into the room. Throwing his useless pig arms into the hole, he wiggled his body until he was lodged inside the barrier. He stared hungrily at the magic that encircled Soos, almost salivating at the thought of touching the blue energy. With renewed vigor, he pushed the rest of his body through, landing with a soft thump on the other side. Sqealing in delight, he rushed toward the tantalizing light, preparing to spring off the floor…
But, pig genius as he was, he had forgotten to account for his slow moving hind-legs. Stumbling forward and grounded by the near-useless limbs, he rolled forward, crashing into Dipper's leg. The boy faltered in his chant and turned toward the pink distraction. Mabel and Stan stopped as well.
Stan glanced around the room nervously. "Isn't interrupting a purification ritual dangerous?"
Dipper remained unfazed. "I accounted for that. I made sure to place a ward around us so that if someone were to forget their line or be silenced, nothing bad would happen." Wait, Dipper thought, how does Grunkle Stan know about purification spells? I'll have to ask him later.
Dipper continued. "We should be fine as long as Waddles didn't–"
"Scatter the cinnamon, damage the runes and interrupt the magic's pathway?" Stan interrupted.
"Yeah, how did you–" Dipper caught sight of the trail of destruction the pig had created in its wake. His right eye twitched a little.
Meanwhile, Mabel was busy looking out the window. "Is it normal for there to be a ring of blue fire around the Mystery Shack?"
Prologue Part 2: Punching Bag
"I don't get payed enough for this," Flash Sentry grumbled as he made his way down the hall.
Of course they had to pick him for their prank. It was always him, wasn't it? He mimicked their voices as he trotted past a wall of stained glass windows.
"Hey, Flash, I hear Princess Twilight wants to see you on the night patrol. Hey Flash, how do you like your new castle? Hey, newbie, what's it like, getting hit on by a Princess?"
He hated everyone.
He stopped by one of the windows and glared at the crystal obstruction in the distance. If it hadn't been for her– He stopped himself before that treacherous thought was finished.
Sighing, he rebuked himself. I can't be angry with her. If anything, I should be flattered. He continued his trot back to the guards' quarters, then did a double take. What the hay!
Through the window, he saw a pillar of blue fire surround Twilight's castle. He sprinted down hallway, made a right, flew down the stairs, made a left and jumped off the balcony, spreading his wings in flight.
Flapping them as hard as he could, he ignored the cool autumn air as he sped through the night. He was nearing his destination when he heard the quite whoosh of a something approaching from behind. He turned his head just in time to have a large cloud collide with his face.
To the ignorant farm-pony, this would only seem like a minor deterrent, it being a cloud. But every pegasis was taught at birth that clouds were like rocks. You can stand on them, but you'd better not get hit by one.
That and the universe really hated Flash Sentry.
Flash fell to the ground and landed with a loud THUD. His vision fading to black, he groaned as he stretched out a hoof towards the castle, before it dropped to the earth and stayed still.
Flash groaned and rubbed his forehead with his hoof. What happened? he thought. Looking at the small crater he was in and feeling the ache in his head, he realized he must have fallen from the sky.
Suddenly he remebered the blue fire surrounding the castle. Jumping up, he surveyed the crystal structure, seeing that it was intact and a ring of scorched earth was the only indication that it had not all been a dream. He trotted towards the door and pressed his hoof against it, pushing it open with surprising ease. He looked back at Canterlot, pondering on whether to check on Twilight or get laughed at by the fellow guards for missing breakfast. He pushed the door open and walked in.
He stumbled back, blinded by the light reflecting of the crystal walls. Blinking several times, he asked aloud, "How can she stand living here?"
He analyzed the massive entry hall until his eyes locked on the things in the middle of the crystal thrones. These things were the bodies of three bipeds, one with a pine tree hat, one with a cane, and one with a llama sweater. The were all unconscious and seated in the thrones.
Flash racked his brains for the protocol of finding alien creatures in a Princess' castle. His only thought was, Take them to the one in charge. Seeing that he couldn't fly them, Flash realized that he'd have to take them up to Canterlot on a train.
The unfortunate rookie sighed. Somewhere, the universe was laughing at him.
