Chapters View Online
Chapter One: The party for almost-nopony-has-any-idea-what
Part One
The Game
In a brightly lit room with majestic pillars, two Alicorns are sitting at a table.
"Hah! I win again!"
"Be a fair winner, my student."
"Yes Princess Celestia, I know, and I'm sorry, It's just, I get so excited ! Science is just my favorite game."
"I know Science the Gathering is your favorite game," Celestia said. "And we both know who introduced you to it."
The two Alicorns smiled.
"I know Princess, and I will be forever in you debt for that."
The lavender Alicorn began packing her Science cards back into her saddlebag.
"Later today I'm going to one of Pinkie Pie's parties for I-have-no-idea-what," She said over her shoulder. "would you like to come?"
"I'm sorry I'm going to be busy," Celestia said. "probably changing my deck for when you come over again."
"Or doing her royal duties," A voice in the shadows between the pillars said.
"Luna!" Princess Celestia gasped. "I told you to stop doing that!"
"So thy did," The princess of the night said. " but thou must admit, that was funny."
"Verily," Twilight said with a smile.
***
"So, why are we here again? I mean this party is great, and it has cool music, but you haven't told us anything about why except for a string of un-understandable numbers!"
"I agree," Vinyl Scratch said. "I know I'm just here to play music, but I still don't get it."
"I agree with Viny, it makes no sense." Octavia said.
"I told you not to call me Viny!" The DJ said with annoyance.
"Really?" Sunset Shimmer frowned, "You don't get it?"
Twilight was mentally frowning herself. How could they not get it? Twilight thought in wonderment. But then she thought, Not everypony could do that kind of math in their head.
"Silly Rainbow Dash, 't +1/2x (1.374y )=n , let t represent when Twilight came to Ponyville, let y represent one year, let x represent the time
difference between when the changeling queen invaded Canterlot and when Discord was reformed, and let n represent now' is not a series of un-understandable numbers! Twilight! Enlighten them with your Princessy-ish, smarty-pants-ishness!
Twilight sighed. "Basically, today is one point three seven four years multiplied by half the time between when Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, and when Discord was reformed, after when I got here."
"I stand corrected," Rainbow Dash said. "It's not just a series of un-understandable numbers. It's also series of un-understandable words."
"Rainbow Dash, don't be mean. It's okay Pinkie. I understood it," Sunset Shimmer said.
"Of course it's okay silly. Why wouldn't it be okay?"
"Well I thou-"
"I agree with Sunset, Rainbow Dash, you shouldn't spoil Pinkie' moment of mathematical ingeniousness. Shame on you," The voice said, leaning on her shoulder.
Everypony gasped.
"Discord! When did you get here!"
"And get of me," Sunset Shimmer grumbled
"Yeah! How did you even know there was a party going on here?" Pinkie said. "I forgot to invite you."
"Don't be that way Sunset, and come on ! Twilight and Sunset, I'm talking to you. Twilight, do you know the seven varieties of magic?"
"Of course! Movement, Transformation, Illusion, Binding, Seeing, Influ-!"
"Sunset, do you know what Binding is?"
"Yes, it's binding multiple things together physically or magically, like extremely strong glue, or like voo-doo dolls. The more similar the objects are for magical bind-"
"Twilight, do you know that belief is one of the possible sources of magic?"
"Yes bu-"
"Both of you, do you believe that I am Discord?"
"Well, yeah."
"Yes"
"Well there you go. You invoked my name several times. It's hard for an extremely magical spirit such as myself, not to notice that. So I popped on over to see what the occasion was!"
"Yay! Group hug!" Pinkie's arm stretched impossibly long to encompass everypony.
"Ack." Sunset Shimmer said, visibly distressed.
"Help me." Octavia said to nopony in particular.
"Oh, no no no." Discord's body cleanly split in half vertically to escape the hug."
"How does that work anyway, Discy?" Pinkie frowned, releasing everypony from her death-grip to stick her head inbetween the two halves of Discord's body. "I'm not seeing a spine, or blood vessels, or internal organs, or anything! Just a dark blue vortexy thing. Is that part of you, Discy? That can't be healthy."
"Thank you for your concern Pinkie, but don't call me Discy! The dark blue vortexy thing is a portal that I made between the two halves of my body. By moving the top portal, I move the top part of me."
"What if you move the bottom portal?"
"The bottom portal controls how much of me comes out of the top portal."
"Ah."
"Would you like me to be more technical? I can be a lot more technical.
a =c -x , b =c -y , a =b (-1). There. Was that technical enough?"
"Okie dokie lokie!"
"Not even I understood that!" Twilight exclaimed. "You didn't tell us what the variables we-"
She was cut short, as everything went black.
Chapter two: The Riddling Room
"Twilight! Wake up!"
"It's no use. I doubt we're even awake." A cello began playing.
“How did that thing even come with you?”
“I was touching it.”
Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. Twilight. Was that her name? Yes. That was her name. And is. And will be. Couldn't they give her a little rest? Whoever they were. She was just so tired…
"Twilight! Be more awake!"
"Gah!"
"Oh good, She's waking up."
"It's about time."
"I told you, I don't think we're awake."
"We know Octy. We heard."
"Don't call me Octy."
"You call me Viny."
"That's because i-"
"Shh. She's waking up."
"Wouldn't being louder wake her up faster?"
"Where am I? Who are you? Why is it so dark?" Twilight said groggily.
"We're your friends, and we don't know where we are either. Do we?"
"Nope."
"No."
"Nopie dopie lopie!"
"Why do you think it's dark?"
"Yeah, it's pretty bright."
"What do you mean, it's pitch black!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Err... Twilight? I think I may have a solution to your problem."
"Yes?" Twilight said.
"Open your eyes."
"Oh." Twilight said, embarrassed.
As Twilight's eyes adjusted to the bright light, she noticed three things. The first was Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch leaning over her.
The second was that she felt no pain. Even the slight ache from when she had sprained her right fore hoof last week, had disappeared. As she slowly got up, she noticed the
third thing. The room was completely filled with puzzles, and the mostly blank painting hung on the walls suggested a riddle, although she couldn't make out what it said yet.
“Whoa,” Twilight said. “That’s a lot of puzzles.”
“Yup. We noticed.” Rainbow Dash confirmed.
“So, does anyone know what happened?” Twilight asked.
"Well, my navigation spell isn't working," Discord said. "So, that means either we're dreaming, somepony's jamming me, or we're in a different dimension."
"A different dimension?" Vinyl Scratch asked.
"Or dreaming. Or somepony's jamming me."
"What does the painting say?" Twilight asked.
"We haven't read it yet," Octavia said. "We've had bigger problems."
"Well," Twilight said. "What does it say?"
Pinkie walked toward the painting. "What is at the start of eternity, the end of time, and the beginning of every ending?"
"Easy," Rainbow Dash said. "It's nothing."
"Hm. I don't think that's the answer they're looking for, Rainbow." Octavia said, leaning on her cello.
"I've got it." Twilight said.
"Me too." Sunset Shimmer said.
"Why are we even doing this?" Vinyl asked.
"Have you got something better to do?" Octavia retorted. "I've got it."
"Oh," Vinyl Scratch said. "Hah. I get it now. That's actually pretty easy."
“I know!” Pinkie said. “Right?”
“Wrong.” Rainbow Dash grumbled.
“Really, Dashie,” Discord said. “You should know this. Fine. I’ll give you a hint. If we used the world garren to mean eternity, this riddle wouldn’t work. The answer is a letter, not a word.”
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “It’s the letter E.”
“Congratulations,” A voice said. “It took the last group twice that long.”
"Is it ready?" The Inventor said.
"Almost."
"How close?"
"Very."
"Good."
"Do you really think they'll make it this time around?"
"I hope so."
"I hope so to."
"When did you arrive?"
"Just now."
"I think all four of us hope so, but do you think so?"
"I do, and by the way, where is the fourth member of our group?"
"I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't say. I think we're being watched."
"Really? And who would want to watch us?"
"You never know. It might be the C-"
"Don't say his name. Not here. Not now."
"Do you really think he would be able to hear us here?"
"I don't know. And I'd rather not find out."
"I understand."
"How many of the seven have been chosen?"
"Four."
"Really? Last time it took twice this long just to find one."
"You think we're getting better at this?"
"Or worse."
"Ha. Might be true enough."
"Be serious. Has the other team chosen their Champions?"
"Last time I checked."
"That was fast."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know. The only question they answered was yes or no."
"They're becoming less open. Do you think they're planning something?"
"Probably."
"Think. What do they have that we don't?"
"Almost infinite knowledge."
"Ancient treasures of immense magical power."
"We have those things too."
"We have half their knowledge."
"And only seven treasures of immense magical power."
"Maybe so, but we make the battleground. And we're not the ones doing the fighting."
"You think the chosen will be better prepared than us?"
"Yes. They are the chosen."
"Come on, we need to find the other chosen."
"What if the chosen are too good?"
"You mean 'what if they destroy the world?'"
"Yes."
"The Game won't even be in Equestria. They're going to be in a different dimension. One that should be a big enough playground."
"Have you chosen the forms?"
"Yes. They're that of a creature from a planet called Humana."
"Humana?"
"It's in a different dimension. The beings who live there call it Earth."
"That's the place where Twilight Sparkle went to retrieve her stolen crown, and to stop the sirens?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't that give her an advantage?"
"Exactly."
"Come on. We're on a schedule. We have work to do."