The Science of Magic

Chapters

The Beginning of the End
Long Live the Princess
The Moon Sets
Discordian Differential
Surprise
Lights in the Darkness
Poor Gardeners Grow Poor Gardens
Truths and Consequences
Disco's Coming Back
Morality and Sanity
Waking the Dreamer

The Beginning of the End

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” -Arthur C. Clarke

What appeared to be half the population of Ponyville had somehow shoved themselves into Sugarcube Corner for the event. Pinkie Pie had spared no expense in planning an incredibly spectacular party to celebrate Twilight’s formal presentation of her newest work to the Royal Academy. She had apparently developed a policy of throwing a huge party BEFORE a decisive event, so that in the event of an unpleasant outcome there would still have been at least one party to mark the effort. The same precaution was taken just before Rainbow Dash’s Wonderbolt tryout, but had proven unnecessary.

“I still don’t get it Twilight,” the bouncing host said. “I thought all this time the Princess had sent you here to learn about the magic of friendship, not the science of magic. Or the magic of science. Or whichever... I get confused because I thought friendship WAS magic and that would mean you’ve been trying to measure friendship with rulers and chemicals and math and I thought for sure the Princess had taught you better than that because that’s not how making friends works.”

Twilight giggled. “She did, Pinkie, but that wasn’t all I’ve been doing. Everypony does something that benefits society, even if indirectly, and as much as I was surprised to learn that the fate of Equestria did in fact rest on me making friends, that was an isolated incident. Applejack runs a farm. You throw parties and bake treats. I’m an academic. I study and research to try to advance the frontiers of pony knowledge.”

“Whatever you say, Captain Science.”

“I’m not the captain of anything yet, Pinkie. We don’t even know for sure if I’ll be accepted.”

Rainbow Dash trotted into view and looped a reassuring hoof around Twilight’s shoulder. “You’re better than some dumb captain. You’re like, the Queen of Books or something! Trust me Twilight, you’re the smartest pony I’ve ever met and those eggheads in Canterlot would have to be... whatever the opposite of an egghead is to think you weren’t the best.”

Twilight blushed. “Thanks, Rainbow. It means a lot that my friends believe in me so much, but more than that it means a lot to me that I have such amazing friends. The Academy even agreed to let me operate from right here in Ponyville, if they accept me, because they concluded that relocating would adversely affect my progress. I think they’re right. I really don’t know what I would do without you girls.”

“... and so you can see that magic is a misnomer. There is no great fundamental difference between arcane force and magnetic force or gravitational force, only a very wide difference in the ways we understand and manipulate them. At the most basic level, everything is as simple as a push or a pull.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Twilight shuffled her hooves while the unicorn at the other end of the room stared thoughtfully at the blackboard.

“We are going to need to see more,” the unicorn said, breaking the silence.

“I’m sorry, I still don’t understand. Does this mean you do or do not accept my theory?”

“I cannot detect a single error in any of your work. It is flawless and could undoubtedly be the groundwork for ideas that change the whole of Equestria. This is exactly the kind of forward progress that ponies so badly need, but what you have presented here is simply not enough.”

The deafening silence returned for several very long seconds while Twilight’s face tried to decide between confidence and anxiety.

“Do you mean to say that...”

“I mean to say that we need more. We need more experiments that test the nature of our reality, more results to help us understand the forces in play, and more theories to guide our understanding of the world, but there simply aren’t any prominent figures rising to present them. As much of a blessing as Celestia is for us all, the presence of something so powerful and inscrutable has dissuaded most from attempting to pry apart the world and see what makes it tick. Too many ponies are happy to accept magic as an explanation for everything, and somepony of your curiousity and intellect is precisely what is necessary to begin reversing this trend. I mean to say congratulations, Professor Sparkle.”

The strange contraption beneath the library clicked and whirred. The thing was enormous and intricate and complex to such a degree that even without any knowledge as to what it was or what it was doing, anypony looking at it would feel a sense of awe. Whatever the machine was, it was clearly a finely crafted piece of high-precision equipment. Twilight Sparkle kicked it, showing none of the precision or accuracy it tried so hard to maintain. Her hoof slammed harshly into an arbitrary panel for no other purpose than for her to vent her frustration.

“Spike, are you SURE you didn’t touch anything down here while I was gone?”

The little dragon fuming in the corner of the room crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a harrumph. “No. I didn’t. I haven’t even been down here today,” he protested.

Twilight sighed and rubbed a hoof against her head. “I just don’t understand how this could have happened. Everything was running perfectly for weeks, and then suddenly nothing is right anymore! I just went to take care of some errands, and when I came back downstairs all the readings were wrong. It even got the TIME wrong, Spike. The clock mechanism is pretty much copied right out of the book. There’s no way it could just suddenly be a whole ten minutes behind!”

“I told you I didn’t do anything!”

“I’m not saying you did, Spike, I’m just frustrated and thinking out loud. You can go ahead and go clean upstairs or something,” she said, waving him away with a hoof. Spike huffed and stomped up the stairs, still upset at being accused. “This doesn’t make any sense. The backup power is still at full capacity, so it couldn’t have been inoperative... unless the connection was somehow blocked or severed.” Her horn lit up and two large metal levers were pulled downward. The machine continued to vibrate and hum, various gears still turning and belts still rotating. “No, that isn’t it.”

A loud belch ripped through the room above before echoing down the stairwell. It was followed shortly by angry little stomps as Spike returned. “You’ve got a letter from the Princess,” he scowled.

“I’m sorry, Spike. It was wrong of me to assume you were responsible for something without any evidence. You should know, though, your attempts at showing contempt only come off as adorable.”

The young dragon’s cheeks were tinged with rose and his eyes cast to one side. “I am NOT adorable. I’m a fearsome, fire-breathing dragon,” he grumbled.

Twilight rolled her eyes and telekinetically snatched the letter, unfurling it while it floated toward her. She carefully read each line before a look of confusion set across her face. She glanced back in the direction of her machine, but was clearly lost in thought, miles away from it. She turned her eyes back to the parchment in front of her and slowly scraped her vision across it. Left to right, top to bottom, pulling every last bit of data from the page. The confusion on her face turned to worry.

“Spike, watch the library while I’m gone.”

“What? Where are you going?”

A flash filled the room, Spike filled with concern, and the unicorn was gone. Celestia’s letter fluttered to the ground.

My faithful student,

A matter of great importance, one which I have shamefully been delaying dealing with for far too long, cannot be put off any longer. I am deeply sorry for not revealing the truth to you sooner, but know that I have only tried to shelter you from that which you did not deserve to be forced to bear. It is my greatest hope that you are both able and willing to lend your talents toward solving the coming crisis. Regrettably, I will have very little time to offer you more details and I must ask that you return to Canterlot as soon as possible so that I can do my best to inform and apologize while still possible.

-Princess Aurora Sol Celestia

The Princess wheezed into the floor and shakily got back onto her hooves. Lowering the sun had become incredibly taxing, and raising it was almost completely out of the question. Her sister had raised it for her that morning. Soon she would relinquish complete control of the heavenly cycle to Luna. She needed to remain strong, at least until she was sure Twilight had everything under control. She would just have to be careful not to exert herself too much.

Without warning, a splotch of purple popped out of the air in front of Celestia, startling her into falling back down. Twilight Sparkle looked with worry filled eyes at the disheveled alicorn on the floor.

“I am fine, Twilight. You simply startled me,” Celestia said, tilting herself upright on wobbling legs. “Come, we have much to discuss and precious little time,” she said, panting.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Princess? You don’t look so good.”

Celestia cautiously glanced about the room, confirming no guards or castle staff were present. “No, Twilight. I am not okay, and that is a part of the reason we must hurry.”

Twilight gasped. “What’s wrong? How can I help?”

“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that it’s already too late. My dalliance went on for longer than it should have, and my dear sister discovered an error in the calculations. I had no choice but to act.”

“Princess, I’m not following. What is going on here, and why did you call me here if I can’t help?”

“You can help, Twilight... just not in the way you want to. Equestria needs you, and it is my most important duty to make certain you are as prepared as you can be. Luna has a few more years at best.”

“Did Luna do this to you? Has the Nightmare returned? We can stop that! I can go get the girls, and we can use the Elements of Harmony to-”

“Twilight, Luna has done nothing wrong. This is the only situation I can imagine in which the Elements would actually make things worse.”

“I don’t understand... what’s happening to you, and what am I supposed to do?” Twilight managed to force out between breaths, rapidly approaching hyperventilation.

“Twilight, please be calm. You will need to be strong,” Celestia said, a sparkling mist forming at the bottom of her eyes. “I’m dying.”

Long Live the Princess

A fit of deep, rumbling coughs shook Celestia’s whole body until she was on the floor once more. Twilight set down her quill and paper, pressing forward to nuzzle her beloved teacher. Fresh tears streaked down the matted channels beneath her eyes. The Princess gathered the strength to lift one of her silken wings and drape it over the sobbing unicorn.

“I know it is incredibly unfair of me to ask so much of you, but please Twilight... you must be strong. Your friends will look to you for strength as much as for answers; if you can overcome my passing, surely they can as well. My dear sister is still somewhat fragile, and so very very afraid of being alone. She, too, will need you. And all too soon in the future, the ponies of Equestria will need you.”

Another cough rattled her increasingly fragile frame. She sighed deeply.

“I believe that while not optimal, we have covered enough that stability can be maintained in my absence. With the immediate downfall of society averted,” she laughed and winced at the pain it caused, “we must now look toward the future. As such a logically minded individual... one who has even discarded the term magic, what do you believe my sister and I are, Twilight?”

“I... I-I don’t know Princess, I’ve never given it any real thought. You’re our kind and loving ruler. You’re the most amazing thing in this world, and you’re my teacher. That’s always... that’s always been enough for me.”

“Twilight, listen very carefully. We are not gods. We are merely ponies. Some ponies share a connection with the land, some ponies have wings with which to fly, some ponies have horns capable of amazing feats, and two very unlucky ponies have all three. As I have explained to you, the heavenly cycle takes great amounts of energy, but there is nothing special about it that would prevent any gifted enough unicorn from controlling it. I only hope Luna has enough time to hone your abilities before she is too weak.”

“But you’re over a thousand years old. Mortal ponies don’t live that long!”

“Whether it can be focused through a horn or not, all ponies have magic - my apologies, arcane energy - within them. I know you dislike that word, but I never had time to devote to the sciences and am sorry to say your research went over my head. A pony is a marvelous creature, Twilight. Have you never been stunned by how quickly and easily we recover from our injuries? I wish I knew how better to explain it, but the m... arcane energy, within us is a part of what sustains us. Being as powerful as we are, my sister and I experience a much greater volume of arcane energy flowing through us. Once you are able to move the sun and the moon, you can expect that you will live many times longer than those around you.”

“Are you telling me that... that my friends...”

“Be STRONG Twilight. I know this is a heavy burden. I KNOW. I have lived with it for longer than you can imagine, but believe me when I tell you that Equestria NEEDS YOU. Had I any other choice... any other option at all, I would have taken it. You are the very last pony I want to hurt like this, there isn’t enough time to find an alternative. You are the only pony I can be certain will be capable of running the country, maintaining the heavenly cycle, and keeping the sun burning! Please, Twilight. Please... forgive me.”

“...why?”

“Twilight please, I understand that-”

“Why are you dying?”

“Even as powerful as I am, a pony cannot live forever.”

“You were perfectly fine just a few months ago, how has your condition deteriorated so quickly?”

“I have not been fine. Not for many years.”

“But you were always-”

“The ponies need to believe in their leader, Twilight. The reason a more powerful pony lives longer is because they have more magic to sustain themselves. I have reached my limit, and soon Luna will reach hers. We are not gods. We are merely ponies.”

The cool, dark air was still and silent. The stars twinkled brightly and the unicorn on the balcony closed her eyes. She stretched her consciousness across the unfathomable distance between the blue orb her kind called home and the immense burning sphere shining in the darkness. Hard lines of determination set across her face and beads of sweat formed on her brow. She grunted and wriggled and strained, trying desperately to move uncountable tons of matter across an absurd distance with nothing but her will.

Three rays of light spilled onto her body from over the top of the distant mountain range to the east. Luna smiled as sunlight began to flood across the balcony. Twilight opened her eyes to drink in the sight of a sunrise she herself caused. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

“It never occurred to me before, but since last night I can’t stop wondering. Why Princess? I understand that an obvious power difference suggests a monarchy, but why specifically did the two of you choose that position? Why not Duchess or Empress or Tzar or Queen?”

“Oh, that’s an easy one. It was Tia’s idea. A little silly, perhaps, but not difficult to understand. ‘Princess’ evokes images of beautiful, kind, benevolent, innocent, pure, sweetness. In the whole of Equestrian history, not once has any significantly popular story had a Princess as the villain. The position implies that the pony holding it embodies only good qualities.”

“I see. Well, I’m sure Celestia is hungry by now. Let’s go have breakfast.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Celestia’s voice called out from the doorway, followed by two coughs. Twilight whirled around to face her.

“Princess! What are you doing up here? There are so many stairs, and you need your rest!”

“I would not let anything stop me from witnessing my personal student become the third pony in history to have a direct affect on the sun.”

“And I would not let you traverse those stairs again, Princess.”

The three ponies on the balcony disappeared in a blink and found themselves seated around a small table, surrounded by castle staff.

“If you need to be in a different part of the castle, let me know and I can teleport you. I don’t want you to have to move around so much. Now, we’re all hungry, yes?”

“So to answer your question more directly, yes. You’ll recall I still found the time to drop by Ponyville to see you now and then. Leading Equestria is difficult and time consuming, but you are not completely alone in the task. Your advisers understand that all work and no play will drive a pony mad, and they will understand that you need time to call your own. Perhaps in time you could even implement that democratic government you’ve told me about. The ponies would much more easily allow you to step down, having known you as a common unicorn. You don’t project the image of a goddess in the same way my sister and I do. That said, such a dramatic change cannot happen overnight. There will be a period where you rule, and you will find that your subjects become attached to you. They are incredibly grateful toward those who would grant them such essential things as sunlight each and every day.”

“Do I have to wear unnecessary regalia?”

“You do not have to, but it will be expected of you. A leader must not only BE competent, but must also APPEAR competent. Equestria has come to expect the monarchy to be a certain way, and while we cannot sew wings to you or double your size, we can adorn you properly and give you a fitting title.”

“What’s wrong with ‘Princess Twilight’? I’m already uncomfortable with the idea of being referred to as royalty. I don’t want to make it any worse.”

“Let us just say that Equestria’s laws are sometimes misguided and leave it at that. I believe I have done all I can for you now.” The Princess stood and a serious expression washed over her face. She stomped her front right hoof twice in rapid succession, and several ponies filed into the chamber. After a brief wait, she cleared her throat and stomped her hoof one more time. Complete silence reigned, and Celestia’s expression softened a bit. She coughed once, and a small glob of something dark and red fell to the floor.

“At this time, I, Princess Aurora Sol Celestia relinquish my title, my position, and my claim over the sun. I grant to you, Twilight Sparkle, my position in the monarchy as well as ownership of the sun, and I bestow upon you a fitting title for your new role. Were circumstances happier, this would be the part where I would say congratulations, Princess Eos Sol Celestia.”

The assembled ponies all turned to face their new Princess and bowed low to the ground. The former Princess coughed again, a large volume of crimson liquid splashing to the ground below her muzzle. She wavered for a moment, and then hit the floor with a dull thud. She wasn’t moving.

Princess Eos screamed.

The Moon Sets

“Princess Twilight... err, Eos. Celestia? Ah gotta admit, this is a mite confusin’,” Applejack said, still bowing.

“I told you, just Twilight is fine. Now get up. If anypony needs to speak with me in an official capacity, we’ll use Princess Eos. I refuse to take her name from her.”

“Beggin’ yer pardon, Princess, but I can’t just forget mah manners. You’re royalty, and Ah gotta address ya as such.”

“No you don’t, and I’ll banish you to the moon if you insist otherwise,” Twilight said, giggling. “You’re one of my closest friends, and my taking the throne isn’t going to change anything between us. The same goes for all of you. A lot of ponies are going to refer to me as Princess Eos, but I’m still Twilight Sparkle.”

Her five best friends all shuffled uncomfortably.

“Whether you’re royalty or not, we’re going to miss you,” Rarity said.

“Girls, I’ll make sure to visit as often as I can. You mean the world to me, and an Equestria in which I don’t have all of you is an Equestria I don’t want anything to do with. If any of you want, I’m sure I can arrange for you to live in Canterlot.”

Her friends all struggled to avoid eye contact.

“Ya know I can’t leave the farm.”

“My animals need me.”

“Ponyville would be super duper boring without me.”

She frowned.

“What about you, Rarity? You’ve always wanted to be a part of the upper class. You know, mingling with Canterlot socialites?”

Rarity took one step backward. “I can’t leave the rest of my friends behind. And what about Sweetie Belle? She would be devastated if she were separated from the other Crusaders.”

“Dash? You already travel a lot for your shows. It can’t make that much of a difference if you’re hardly home, right?”

“Sorry, Twilight. You know I can’t leave Ponyville hanging. But I’ll get to see you at a lot of events. We perform, or at least show up, at pretty much everything either Princess gets involved in!”

Twilight’s eyes quivered slightly, showing just a hint of moisture. She needed to be strong. Princess Eos held back the tears and stood, strong and proud.

“I understand. Spike, as my assistant, I task you with making sure my schedule has room for me to meet with my friends as often as possible.”

The little dragon, who was not quite as little as he once was, nodded and walked over to Rarity. He whispered something in her ear, and she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. They both smiled.

Although she couldn’t participate directly as often as she would have liked, Princess Eos was thrilled to be able to provide funding and a team of very bright researchers to continue her work. Laboratory 2 housed an enormous machine, much like the one that was moved from underneath the Ponyville library to Laboratory 1, but much, much bigger and more intricate. Both devices ran twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, gathering as much data as possible. Their purpose was to identify, isolate, and analyze change. They would detect changes in air pressure, temperature, gravitational pull, arcane effects, and so much more. While some of the information proved interesting in its own right, much of the data collected was used only to synthesize yet more data.

Eos frequently dropped in to check on the progress being made and offer her thoughts on whatever puzzle plagued the team at the time. She allowed them to monitor her directly while she raised the sun, and encouraged them to closely examine the natural healing process of an injured pony. Her wisdom and insight proved very useful in furthering the studies she had inspired - and ordered - but progress remained slow and still more information was needed.

The groundbreaking ideas at the heart of the project had failed to break much new ground. An amazingly deep understanding of the mechanics of the universe at large didn’t appear particularly useful when only one of the esoteric forces at work could be utilized directly. Knowing exactly how energies were stored and transferred from matter to matter or location to location did little good when none of these things could be applied. A small section of critical knowledge was still missing.

Unicorns could convert arcane energy into other forms, but never the other way around. There was nothing to suggest where ‘magic’ originally came from, or why the models still worked perfectly even with it removed outright. What WAS magic, and why did ponies display mastery over it and no other fundamental forces? Perhaps most importantly, was there a threat of running out of magic?

From time to time, the sun’s output would dip and it was necessary to use magic to raise it back up. Nothing, not even the stars, was eternal. How was it that the supply of arcane energy never seemed to decrease? The energy launched into the sun could not be recovered, and so was lost. If there was no incoming arcane energy, how did the outgoing packets not put a dent in the global supply? Eos would need to make certain that background energy levels were watched very carefully after the next drop in solar output.

It wasn’t until the Princess authorized funding for new projects inspired by her own that real progress was made. Deciding that two particularly bright minds had ideas worth exploring, Eos gave her blessing to an inquiry into more creative uses of electricity and a study of what chemical reactions caused and regulated life.

The two Princesses trotted through the garden under the fading light of descending the full moon. With the present relatively settled and plans for the future coming together nicely, Eos had started inquiring about the past. Luna was happy to oblige, and so a few nights a week the two would take a short walk. Her coughing was getting worse.

“But that doesn’t make any sense! If your presence didn’t alter the sun or the moon, then they wouldn’t have moved until you started moving them. If you weren’t around at the very beginning, how could anypony have survived? Without the sun, the whole food chain breaks down.”

“The sun was there, it just didn’t move,” Luna replied.

“So you’re telling me that there was no day or night, just a location where life was possible and one where it wasn’t? A bright patch of life underneath the sun and a cold, dark, dead land beneath the moon?”

“Actually there WASN’T a moon. As nice as it is to have one, it’s not strictly necessary. The original idea was just to mark how much time was left until sunrise. Doesn’t it sound terrible?” Eos nodded. “That’s why we had to do something. We set to work figuring out how to bring sunshine around the whole world and how long it should take to do it, and just a few hundred short years later, the beginnings of society started to fall into place.”

Luna fell into a fit of coughing, flopping uselessly to the ground like Celestia before her. She had a few more days at best. Twilight helped her up.

“Thank you,” Luna said. She paused. “Did my sister go peacefully?”

“I don’t know. She tried very hard to keep any suffering hidden, but I do know that when the time came she went quickly,” Eos responded.

“That’s... good.”

Luna closed turned her head toward the moon. “You’ve done very well with the night sky. Tia always said you were a quick study.” She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The Princess of the moon exhaled slowly, opening her eyes and turning to gaze at Eos.

“I think... I think that everything will be okay. My sister was wise beyond even her years, and she could not have chosen a better pony. Your intellect, dedication, and raw talent will guide Equestria well. Ponies will live and prosper for many years.”

Twilight refused to look away from her hooves, her face lacking confidence. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am. Celestia never once made a choice that wasn’t the best for everypony. Even dealing with the Nightmare, I’m certain she did the right thing. I was in the wrong.”

Luna’s eyes grew wide. “As I have been before!” She coughed, a small fleck of crimson disappearing in the grass to the side. “Oh, how could I have forgotten... I know why I didn’t tell Tia for so long, but now it doesn’t matter anymore. And with your research!” Another round of coughing burst from Luna’s weakening chest, a small amount of red liquid speckling the path.

“Luna, calm down. This much excitement isn’t good for you. Maybe you should sit down?”

“I don’t think so. I’m fairly certain-” a rough, hacking sound erupted from her throat as a thin stream of blood fell out of her. “I think this is just about the end. But you need to know, and I don’t have time to explain. Find a way to talk to Discord!” A sputtering, wet heave broke free from the Princess as a thick glob of fluid the size of a baseball landed beneath her.

“We need to get you... somewhere! I don’t know, I’m panicking. You’re really really not okay right now,” Eos managed to force out. Her eyes moistened. “I don’t think I’m ready to lose anypony else yet,” Twilight sobbed.

“It’s okay. I’m... okay with this. Please, Tia did so much for you. So much for Equestria. I want to be of some use, and if you and those scientists are half as brilliant as my sister says you are, you’ll find some use in this. I never told Tia what Discord told me, and now I won’t have the chance. Find a way to him, and ask him about alicorns. He’s responsible for the both of us. Ask him... how he did it,” she wheezed, every other word punctuated with a hacking cough and more red. The alicorn was a much paler blue than usual as she fell to the ground.

Eos held back the remaining tears and faced east. The sun rose, and the moon set.

Discordian Differential

Rainbow Dash stretched, waking from a nap that hadn’t been particularly restful. She was a Wonderbolt. She could perform tricks no other pegasus in history was able to. She had achieved all her goals and everything she had ever wanted was hers, but she didn’t feel fulfilled. She felt empty and had trouble sleeping. Was this it? Was this life? Grow up, fulfill your dreams, grow old, then die? Why wasn’t having all your dreams come true enough?

Tiny fractures covered every inch of the statue. It just needed one last push.

“Now.”

A pony some distance away pushed a button as Eos let loose the last jolt necessary to free Discord from his stone prison and place him into his new one. The bizarre creature stretched his limbs and craned his neck in various directions. He had a puzzled look on his face.

“I take it you need me for something, miss Sparkle?”

Eos motioned for all ponies present to leave, and they dutifully obeyed. “Hello, Discord. It’s been a while. Some things have changed... others have not. Are you comfortable?”

“I can move, but I see you’ve taken steps to prevent me from going very far.”

“That’s all the freedom I can afford to give you right now. Equestria isn’t stable enough to handle you right now.”

“Well this IS better than being locked in stone. Do thank Celestia for me.”

“I... can’t do that.”

The corners of Discord’s mouth drooped. He looked like he was trying to approximate a frown, but wasn’t familiar with how his own face worked.

“I see. And Luna?”

“The same.”

“So you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, this is quite a surprise. Even after they’re gone, the gears keep turning. It’s so,” he produced a genuine frown, “orderly.”

Rarity frowned. Her fashions were at the forefront of Equestrian high society. She had fame, fortune, and friends. What else could she ask for? Why didn’t she have happiness? She felt awful about how selfish she was being. Other ponies didn’t have fame or fortune, and some didn’t even have friends. Who was she to receive all those gifts and ask for more?

“I need you to tell me what you know about alicorns.”

“Oh? And why should I do that? Any information a pony like YOU gets is just going to be used in a logical and straightforward manner.”

“I freed you. Partially.”

“And for that I’m grateful, and I am willing to talk to you. But I think the answers you seek have a higher priced than you’ve paid.”

“I can’t free you, I told you that.”

“Just because you’re so predictable doesn’t mean I am. That isn’t what I was going to ask for.”

“Then what DO you want?”

“I want to talk to Pinkie Pie.”

“That... sounds relatively harmless. What’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch, miss Sparkle. This world is a dreadfully boring and predictable place, and I enjoy mixing it up and making it look more like it should. If I can’t do that, I can at least get a look at something a little more exciting.”

“That predictability you dislike so much is exactly what’s allowed pony society to come so far. If the world were less ‘boring’ we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

“Precisely, my dear.”

Eos raised an eyebrow. “We may have more to discuss than I originally planned. Is it alright if I fetch Pinkie later? I’m very curious NOW.”

“Of course. I trust you’ll do as you say, because that’s what you do. You’re predictable, miss Sparkle.”

“That’s... not my proper title.”

“Oh but where are my manners, Princess... Eos Sol Celestia?”

Fluttershy sipped listlessly at her tea. The animals were happy and well fed. The spa had left her feeling incredibly relaxed. The atmosphere in the little cottage was peaceful. Quiet and content. What was she doing wrong? How could such a perfect afternoon feel so hollow? There was absolutely nothing wrong in her life... so why didn’t it feel perfect?

Eos stared at Discord. “How did you know-”

“PREDICTABLE, miss Sparkle; I’ve told you that. You ponies are so easy to read it’s disgusting.”

Eos smirked. “If we’re so simple, then how is it we defeated you? Twice?”

“YOU are predictable. I am not. As soon as I step into the ring, there’s mustard everywhere, I can’t read a thing, and it is glorious.”

The Princess shook her head. “We’re getting off track.”

“And it’s FANTASTIC.”

“Everything you do... is all of it just because you’re bored? Are you so selfish that you’re willing to put the well being of every pony in Equestria aside, just to see what happens if the natural order is disrupted?”

“I’ve never directly harmed a pony. Causing suffering is not what I set out to do. I do what I do to amuse myself, nothing more and nothing less... but make no mistake, I am no more selfish than any other creature.” Discord’s expression became distressingly serious. “Nothing I have done has ever changed anything. Chaos is all around you, inevitable and immutable. You may think that with the rules and laws of society you have imposed some form of order, but you are wrong. You may think that with an understanding of the fundamental forces of the universe you can see traces of order, but you are wrong. Order is an illusion, and all you have ever done is fool yourself into believing in something that never was. I don’t refrain from hurting others out of some sense of morality. The only reason I’ve never killed a pony is because I’ve never wanted to, but even if I did it wouldn’t be wrong of me. Morals are just devices used to try to enforce an impossible order. A set of rules to be followed so that naive minds can believe the universe is as predictable as they are. Just because the limited slice of possibilities you have experienced is well ordered does not mean everything else is. The sliver of organization most sentient creatures are so desperate to carve out means nothing in the sea of discord that flows through the cosmos, and is as impermanent as an ice cube in a volcano. It’s infuriating that the most predictable thing of all is how none of you ever accept how unpredictable reality at large truly is.”

Twilight Sparkle stood still, her mouth hanging open wordlessly. Discord’s face brightened considerably and he took a more relaxed posture.

“It doesn’t matter. I could keep this up all day, but it isn’t really the answer to the question you’re trying to ask. Nothing I have done was objectively or morally wrong, but I did make a mistake and I am responsible for my own downfall. I thought the desperate, feral ponies scrambling for food were boring, so I decided to change things. I... altered the mare of a unicorn couple. She foaled two alicorns who did not enjoy the way things worked, and those two agents of change remade the world. For a time, I was quite pleased with myself. I watched as what ponies did or could do morphed and changed, and I reveled in the uncertainty of where your kind would go. It didn’t take long before society’s rules and laws started to take shape. I fought back, introducing any and every change that crossed my mind, but I was beaten. I didn’t go down without a fight, though. Some of the butterfly wings I flapped cascaded out into a beautiful storm, eventually causing the Nightmare Moon fiasco. But those ridiculous Elements of Harmony ruined that! Can you believe the nerve? They take raw, unfiltered power and the absolute chaos of EMOTIONS, refining them into something truly revolting.”

Eos set her face to one of resolve. “In what way did you ‘alter’ this unicorn?”

Applejack gave the tree one swift buck, and every apple fell squarely into the bucket. She smiled at the bucket for a few seconds before turning away. The farm was doing better than it ever had. She was living the the dream, rising each day with the sun to do what she was best at before lounging the evening away with her family or her friends. Ponies depended on her, and she didn’t disappoint. She’d grown up to be exactly the kind of mare she wanted to be, and there wasn’t a single obstacle in her way that she couldn’t overcome. So what reason could there possibly be for her to be unhappy?

“Ever the inquisitive one, aren’t you? I don’t think your sciences have advanced far enough to understand DNA yet, so for simplicity’s sake let’s just say that I took some of the essence of earth and pegasus ponies and mixed it into her.”

“Just how advanced is YOUR understanding of science?”

“Advanced enough that there’s no more apparent mystery in the universe. I’ve been cursed with an astoundingly clear illusion of order pasted in front of my eyes. There aren’t patterns in the chaos. There AREN’T. The very idea of a pattern is an affront to the truth. I just can’t seem to get the hallucinations out of my head, so I have to improvise.”

“You need help.”

“I do. I’m sick and diseased, just like the rest of you. You’ve all just got the audacity to think that if everyone has the same illness, it must be normal. I’m just smart enough to know we’re all wrong.”

Several minutes passed in complete silence, Eos lost in deep thought.

“You thrive on the unknown and introduce anomalies solely so that you can observe. I can’t let you wreak havoc, and I can’t trust you to minimize or localize your... changes in ways that would avoid hurting anypony. But you know things. Things that could be used for the betterment of society. If I can surprise you... introduce you to things that you genuinely did not expect, will that alleviate your boredom enough for you to cooperate with my scientists?”

Discord smiled. “I was starting to think you’d never ask.”

Eos paused again. “How do you know so much? About... everything?”

“You never questioned Celestia. Where did she get her knowledge? I’ve been around for eons. Since long before the first pony ever drew breath. You pick a few things up.”

“Eons? That’s absurd!”

“PONIES are absurd. THAT is the truth. I haven’t dared try to do something so orderly as quantify the time I’ve been here, but I can say with reasonable certainty it has been at least one hundred thousand years, likely several orders of magnitude more.”

“What... ARE you?”

“I’m the only shepherd who isn’t blind.”

Surprise

Pinkie Pie trotted out of the room, her head held a little lower than usual. Eos remained silent.

“... he’s not as much of a meany pants as you think, Twilight. Sometimes when we don’t feel too good, we take it out on others. Ol’ Disco’s just had a really hard life.”

The two mares made eye contact, and for a brief moment there was almost a tear in one of Pinkie’s eyes.

“I’m really happy that I’m able to make him feel better, even if it’s only a little bit,” Pinkie said, her cheerful demeanor returning as she bounced away.

Twilight smiled and watched her friend leave. Pinkie was a good pony, and as frightening as Discord could be, he always seemed a lot more calm after talking to her. It was surprising how readily he complied with any requests, given his hatred of predictability. He was only ever cryptic when discussing pre-Celestian history, and he hadn’t once tried to escape. None of the contingency plans were necessary.

Within one month of contacting Discord, a basic computer had been constructed. DNA had been isolated, and efforts to map the equine genome were underway. Scientific progress had skyrocketed. Literally. The space program was an astounding success.

It was utterly ridiculous that Twilight Sparkle was still unhappy, and she could not understand why. Eos had led Equestria into a glorious age of science. Ponies were more prosperous than ever before. A team of ponies had flown to the moon and back in a screaming, flaming chunk of metal and were completely okay. Princess Eos was lauded as an incredible ruler who wielded the magic of ten thousand unicorns, had more knowledge than every library in the land, and cared more for her subjects than many ponies did for their own families. These were exaggerations, but not by much. What had happened to make happiness so difficult to hold onto? When and how had it escaped?

“So, you’ve had time to catch up on the reports?”

“Yes, I have. I am as well versed in biology as I’m likely to be for the next decade.”

“Good. It’s overkill, but if I told you exactly what you needed to brush up on it’d be too easy to figure out what I was going to tell you. Today’s lesson is all about magic.”

“I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the nature and manipulation of arcane energy, but okay then. Unless biology factors into its origin?”

“Afraid not, but haven’t you ever wondered about the exact mechanism by which you’re able to use it?”

“It all comes down to pushes and pulls, like anything else. Even conjuring something from thin air is really just rearranging the atoms from molecules in the atmosphere into the desired configuration.”

“That’s not what I was talking about. Haven’t you ever wondered how your thoughts are converted into such a complex chain of actions?”

“It... it’s like anything else a pony does. We don’t calculate out all the vectors of force involved in standing up. We think it, and the more automatic parts of our brains generate the necessary nerve impulses.”

“Nerve impulses make the muscles in your legs move, which in turn make YOU move. Yes, that’s easy enough. Now how do nerve impulses in your horn make something a fair distance away move? There’s clearly energy transfer involved, that much is visible, but what exactly goes on?”

“Aren’t I supposed to be asking you?”

“You weren’t going to. I had to give you the idea, as always. You ponies so rarely come up with anything interesting by yourselves.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

“Doing what? Drip feeding you the knowledge you’re after, a little bit at a time? You’re getting some of what you want, and I’m getting a little of what I want. It’s not like there’s a whole lot else I could do right now besides tell you everything or remain totally silent. If I was silent, you wouldn’t be particularly willing to help me, but I can’t very well give it up on the first date. It’s just not ladylike.”

“What?”

“Doesn’t matter. Now do you want to know or not?”

“You know I do. I’m predictable, remember?”

“Now you’re learning! It’s time for your lesson, but I still don’t think you’re quite ready for the detailed version of this... let’s see if I can get the basic idea across. Ponies have a small... organ’s not quite the right word, but it will do... you all have an organ disguising itself as a part of your brain. It acts a bit like a sponge, soaking up arcane energy from the world around you as you mill about. This energy is stored until needed, and when you’re injured some of it is released to help heal the wound. There’s a slow, steady drip coursing through your whole body at all times keeping you youthful and energetic, repairing the ravages of time. As you age, this drip increases because the sponge dries and cracks, losing its ability to hold water. Fortunately for you, this masks the rapid deterioration a pony would naturally undergo toward the end of their life and keeps you relatively healthy right up to the end. Eventually, the sponge gives out completely or the energy stops being sufficient to keep you repaired.”

“So... a lucky coincidence is responsible for preventing ponies from suffering when they’re dying? That’s... kind of sad, but I suppose it’s comforting to know that ponies get to die peacefully by default.”

“This may sound strange coming from me, but nothing that has ever happened to any pony has been a coincidence.”

“You’re right... I would never have expected you to skip the opportunity to chalk one up to chaos.”

“Because you’re predictable and I’m not. But that’s besides the point; I haven’t told you anything that I wasn’t sure was true.”

“Now, no good sponge sloshing around a veritable ocean wouldn’t hold onto a lot more than what naturally seeps out. Some ponies hold more than others, as I’m sure you could have guessed, but none of them just let it sit there. You have all sorts of uses for that energy. Pegasi direct it toward their wings to provide lift and thrust. Earth ponies bounce it off of and through their environment to get a literal feel for the land around them. And you unicorns do something you’re going to think is incredible.”

“More incredible than reflecting and refracting waves of energy to sense objects?”

“Unicorns send that energy through their horns, where it is packaged for its most clever use. You know how a firework can have all its chemicals tucked in just right so that the color and shape of the explosion are determined before it goes off? Same thing. You ball up the energy, stuff it into a thin shell that will only hold it for so long, and launch it in the right direction. When the barrier dissipates, poof! Magic.”

Twilight’s eyes grew wide and she started shivering, her breathing coming in short spasms. “That’s incredible! The sheer complexity we subconsciously work through for even the simplest spells... the possibilities, knowing that there is nothing inherently special tying arcane energy to unicorns and that a spell could be applied by anything able to package the energy correctly... we could build machines! Oh, how much energy is AVAILABLE? If we don’t need to worry about straining the caster and it’s all mechanised, powered by an easily renewable source like sunlight... why did we waste our time developing chemically fuelled rockets? This is... this is absolutely... I can’t even-”

“I knew you’d think so, but you will need to be careful. The supply is limited. As you’re using it now, there’s enough to last a very long time. There’s plenty of magic to go around and no reason for you to worry about rationing the use of it. The only significant drain is when you need to beef up the sun, but that’s all accounted for. If you start burning through it at many times the current rate, however, that could be a problem.”

Eos’ breathing slowed and her pupils returned to their normal size. “What source are we drawing from?”

“The same one I am.”

“And that would be?”

“Irrelevant. It’s enough for your current purposes, but not enough for much more. What are you going to do about it?”

“...find another source?”

“You are SUCH a smart cookie. Now, for all the bits: if you’ve run out of energy on your planet, where are you going to go looking?”

“S-”

“SPACE! That’s right - you win the prize! You have the technology, and you have my guarantee that there’s more out there. All you have to do is come up with a way to detect it, and that shouldn’t be very hard at all for a race that’s powered by the stuff. Oh this IS exciting, influencing you to go do things you never would have thought of. For the first time in quite a while, I’m not entirely certain what state your society will be in a hundred years from now! More importantly, if I don’t know,” Discord grinned maliciously, “no one does.”

“I’m happy to be of service? It looks like we both got what we wanted, and nopony got hurt. That’s... that’s good, right?”

“Oh it IS, Eos. It IS. In fact, we should celebrate.”

Discord snapped his fingers and a festive hat appeared atop the baffled unicorn’s head.

“How did you do that? There’s no background energy in here, no way for any to get in, and you were fully drained before we set you free!”

“Oh I’m just FULL of surprises, unlike you. Next you’re going to ask why I didn’t escape earlier if I could do magic at any time, or you would have if I didn’t just say that. Instead you’re going to stand there and stammer uselessly, unable to form a coherent thought due to sheer shock. You can relax, though. I’m not going to do anything to harm any of you. In fact, I’m leaving. Bigger fish to fry and all that. You’ll be fine. I taught you everything you need to know. You could even chase after me if you want, but you won’t.”

“W...w-what makes you s-so sure of that?” Twilight stammered.

“Because you’ll be too busy trying to find out who made you. Oh, did I forget to mention the big twist? I did, didn’t I? Ponies as you know them aren’t a natural occurrence. The first batch of you was placed here along with me. I was supposed to watch over you, but I can see you’re ready to move on. Go on out there and make your Uncle Discord proud!”

The draconequus disappeared in an explosion of confetti and frosting.

Lights in the Darkness

“I know that, but this isn’t for me! I’m not asking you all to do this because I’d miss you. This isn’t just a polite request from your friend,” Eos stomped a hoof, “this is an urgent plea from your Princess!”

“Sugarcube, we understand that Discord raised a whole heap more questions than he answered. Y’all can’t help who ya are, an’ not knowing what’s going on burns ya up. Ah understand. We all do, but-”

“It’s not about satisfying scientific curiosities! It’s not even about finding Discord! It’s about ensuring Equestria’s future! He was right about everything else, and all the data points to him being right again. It makes perfect sense, too. You can’t get something for nothing. You can’t pull out more energy than you put in, and our source, whatever it is, can’t last forever. Equestria isn’t ready to handle itself entirely without magic. Please, girls, I know I can depend on all of you. Each one of you brings unique talents to the table, and if worst comes to worst and something awful happens out there it’d be a lot easier to deal with together,” Eos pleaded. “Even as powerful as I’ve become, I’m still nothing compared to the Elements of Harmony, and I can’t use them without all of you. Exploring the cosmos is sure to be perilous, and I’d rest much easier knowing I had your support.”

Rainbow Dash stood defiant, an annoyed look on her face. “Yeah, so? I get it, Twilight, and I agree. Going out there alone would be stupid. But you don’t have to. You don’t need to worry about what’s out there because you don’t even need to leave. We’ve got plenty of time because we’ve still got plenty of magic. I’m sure something will get figured out eventually, so why get so worked up about it now?”

“Because we don’t KNOW how much time we have! There are a lot of variables to account for. Any disasters take a lot to clean up. The sun’s output could drop dramatically. There could be a surge in the population of unicorns. Besides, for all we know the calculations could be completely off and we might...”

Twilight was starting to cry. “We might have less time left than we thought. If we just keep putting off doing what needs to be done, we might only realize a mistake in the calculations once it’s too late.” The soft carpet underneath her dampened as she lowered her gaze to the floor. Closing her eyes did little to hold back the tears.

After far too long of a silence, Rarity stepped forward to nuzzle her dear friend as comfortingly as she could. “I’ll go.”

She received a sniffle and a hopeful look from Twilight, but only confused stares from her other friends.

“I’m sure I can arrange for someone to watch Sweetie Belle, and it’s not as if we won’t be coming back. Twilight is right. Equestria needs us. But more importantly, SHE needs us. I’m not doing this for my Princess. I’m doing this for my FRIEND.”

The Princess of Equestria, her five closest friends, her number one assistant, and two dozen specially trained ponies hurtled through space in an odd metal box. Eos was now glad to have spent the time developing non magical power sources for the craft itself, as well as the various devices strewn about it. Moving such a massive chunk of matter at such incredible speeds would have taken extraordinary amounts of arcane energy that Equestria couldn’t afford to lose. Especially not since such a large stock had to be brought on board to keep the crew healthy and for emergency use.

Even with the generous supply available to everypony on board the Harmony, standard protocol was to only use magic when necessary. There was no telling exactly how long the journey would be, and conservation of resources would be vital.

Despite restricted use of magic, the atmosphere within the Harmony was relaxed. There was little to do but wait, and every member of the crew tried their best to enjoy this peaceful time, not knowing what the infinite void stretching out before them held. The mysterious fountain from which all ponies drew strength was blinding when the scanning systems were turned up to any useful level, and several days passed before they were distant enough from Equestria to properly detect other energy sources.

The days were uneventful. While the crew and their leader kept the vessel in tip-top shape and carefully studied the available sensor data, the others on board found themselves... bored. Dash napped, unable to do much while in such a cramped space. Pinkie performed experiments in baking with minimal ingredients. Applejack paced nervously. Fluttershy sat still and didn’t complain. Rarity sat still and complained loudly. Spike appeared to be writing something lengthy. He had a sizeable stack of paper next to him that he just kept adding to the top of, and he adamantly refused to answer any questions about it or allow anypony to read any of it.

Unable to sleep ALL the time for several days straight, Dash was up now and again. She happened to be bothering Spike about his writing when the excited shouting started.

The landing had been smooth, and the atmosphere proved breathable. The planet’s gravity was a bit more intense than the ponies were accustomed to, but the small difference only really upset Dash and her more advanced aerial stunts. The test spells went off without a hitch. This planet had a perfectly usable supply of arcane energy, in equal or greater quantities than Equestria.

Something would have to be done about the Harmony’s sensors. Equestria’s supply of energy was dwindling, and yet it was still enough to overwhelm them. Getting any meaningful readings regarding the capacity of other sources wouldn’t be possible. Still, energy was energy, and this planet had it. Now it was just a matter of confirming there was no life dependent on magic and siphoning it all out.

Or becoming suddenly and inexplicably blind, as every pony in the surface party seemed to.

“Don’t panic. Everypony just-”

Just as quickly as it had left them, their sight was restored and the extraterrestrial equines found themselves in a featureless white space staring at... Discord? Besides some slight differences in color, whoever they were looking at was pretty much identical to him.

“What are you and how did you get here?” he asked.

“We came from spaaaaa~ce,” Pinkie said, wiggling her hooves. In a blink, she and every other pony but Eos vanished, leaving the Princess alone with the inquisitor.

“I gathered that much. Why didn’t I notice your approach? And again, what are you?”

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIENDS?” Twilight screamed.

“Your companions are fine, I just moved them so we could chat uninterrupted. You’re the most powerful, so I assumed you were the leader. Was I wrong?”

“It doesn’t matter at all. None of us have any reason to cooperate with-”

“I don’t mean any of you any harm, and I’m not sure why you’re so hostile. I’m just preserving the state of the dominant species on this planet, and you’re currently an unknown. You could be a threat to them or their way of life, and I need to assess the possibilities. Notice I didn’t immediately eject you into the vacuum of space? Now, how were you able to get here undetected?”

“I... I have no idea why you wouldn’t have seen us coming. I would think it’d be pretty hard to miss several tons of metal and flammable chemicals screaming toward you at that kind of speed. I’m really not sure what kind of information you’re looking for, here. We’re ponies, and we came looking for sources of arcane energy.”

His eyes seemed to lose their focus for a few seconds before he snapped to attention and put on a deathly serious expression. “How did you escape from your shephard?”

“Our... our what?”

“The draconequus that was supposed to monitor and regulate you, as I do for the sentient creatures of this planet.”

“Discord? He ENCOURAGED us to leave. Without his help, we never would have developed half the technology we needed to do it.”

“Discord?”

“Yes, that’s his name.”

“That can’t be right. We don’t have ‘names’ like that. I’m Q368. Judging by the sort of fuel you’re using and estimating based on ordinary mammalian lifespans, you couldn’t have come from any further away than any of the other three hundred series. That also can’t be right, since this is the only test bed in the series populated with creatures capable of logical reasoning.”

“While I don’t know anything about where this ‘three hundred series’ stretches to, I can tell you that our planet is full of life that can think. And our lifespans can vary wildly, from just a few decades to several millenia.”

“You’ll need to clarify. Year-based units of time don’t mean anything if I don’t know what the length of one of your years IS.”

“So he just let you take it? He didn’t make you go through a maze to find it or take away your horn or give you any dumb riddles to solve?” Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not all of it, but yes. Apparently the dominant species on this planet is something kind of like a cat, and while they’re a lot smarter than the cats back home, they don’t have any ability to manipulate arcane energy and Q doesn’t think they’re going to develop any. He even gave me some hints on how to modify our scanning equipment to get better readings!”

“So he’s nothing like Discord at all. He’s a nice guy, just being overprotective of his cat things?”

“Overprotective might be the wrong word. Regardless of our intentions, a more advanced species interacting with a lesser one is sure to have profound effects on their society and he was pretty adamant that we avoid that. He wouldn’t tell me exactly WHY it’s so important to him to not interfere, or who gives the Draconequui their orders, but apparently it’s pretty much his prime directive. Discord seems to be the exception, not the rule.”

“So... that’s it then? We can all go home an’ Ah can get back to workin’ the farm?”

“Not just yet. Our new and improved scanners indicate there’s quite a few large sources we can reach in no time, especially if we use some of the energy we picked up to augment our chemical thrusters. We’ve got plenty to spare for that, but I’d like to stock up as much as we can to keep Equestria going for as long as possible.”

“It makes sense, I suppose. Now and then I’ve spent a few extra bits staying in Canterlot longer than I planned so I could pick up a larger supply of fine silk and save trips in the future.”

“I’m surprised this was all so easy. It’s kind of... nice,” Fluttershy said, smiling.

“If Q was right about this planet being the only one with sentient life, besides ours, we won’t even need to worry about draining the other planet’s supplies. There are no creatures depending on them. We can just land, explain ourselves to the local shepherd, grab what we can carry, and go to the next planet.”

“Hey, since we were all so worried about how long this would take and it’s super duper short, maybe we’ll even have time for you to look for Discord!”

“It’s okay Pinkie. While I AM curious about what he’s doing and why he helped us, not to mention what it is exactly that the draconequui are doing, I don’t think I’ll be finding those answers any time soon. Discord could be literally anywhere in the universe by now, and Q didn’t seem willing to tell me anything about his masters or his mission. As much as I don’t like not knowing, it’s probably not worth the time or the resources to go on a wild goose chase like that when we don’t need to.”

“Silly Twilight, Discord isn’t a goose. And he’s right over there!”

Standing and smiling where the Harmony was a second ago, Discord waved at the dumbstruck ponies. Pinkie waved back.

Poor Gardeners Grow Poor Gardens

The colorful group of ponies galloped quickly to the space where their spaceship should have been, confused looks on most of their faces. Pinkie Pie seemed more pleased by the surprise than the others. No pony had much of a head start over the others, but athletic talent meant nothing without motivation and so the egghead arrived first.

Panting and gasping for air, not used to pushing her body so hard instead of simply teleporting, Eos took a moment to rest while the others caught up.

The smiling draconequus leaned down next to the magical mare. “Hello there, Twilight Sparkle and friends. How goes your little quest?”

“Discord, what-”

“Le-sigh... fine. I suppose we don’t have time for small talk anyway. Now, before you even ask, allow me to answer. Just dropping in to say hi, I can’t tell you because that would ruin everything, and he couldn’t detect you because nobody could have. Oh, and nobody could have because I’m taking precautions to hide what’s going on. And no, telling you why I’m doing THAT falls into the same category as telling you what I’m up to. I think that just about covers everything you were going to say to me, so now we can move on to what I have to say to you.”

“What exactly-”

“Don’t interrupt, I just told you we don’t have time for that. And trust me when I tell you that there isn’t a single thing you could say that would be of any importance and there are no questions you’re capable of asking that I’m both able and willing to answer that would help you right now. I’m just dropping by to say hello and give you some friendly advice.”

There was a very long not-quite-silence; somehow the turning of the gears in Eos’ head had reached audible speeds.

“Okay, we’re listening.”

“Don’t trust any of the Q. Don’t go out of your way to avoid them, just... don’t let your guard down. Their mission is much more important to them than you are, and if they feel you’re a threat they WILL stop you. Nothing you would try would work against them, just like there wasn’t anything you could do against me, because you’re working off of incorrect assumptions. Their magic isn’t the same as yours.”

Rarity blinked. “Well of course it isn’t. They aren’t unicorns.”

“I don’t think that’s what he means,” Eos replied.

Discord chuckled lightly. “Clever girl. I mean that you aren’t going to be able to detect it or stop it because it’s literally not on the same wavelength. This is simplifying things a bit, but you can see a pretty good range of colors even though you can’t detect infrared or ultraviolet light with your eyes. They’re not tuned for it, and you and your equipment aren’t tuned to the ‘frequency’ their magic is operating on. They don’t even draw their power from the same source as you.”

Rainbow Dash perked up, for once actually having a vague understanding of what was going on. “So... all our sensors and junk are an FM radio, but you jerks are broadcasting an AM signal?”

The metaphorical gears whirred louder.

“Not quite, Dash, but that’s probably close enough.” Eos frowned for a moment before a hesitant smile crept across her face. “Thank you, Discord. Thanks to you, I’ve got a few new ideas to try when we get back to the Harmony. Or when the Harmony gets back to us,” Eos said, frowning at Discord again.

“Oh, right,” he chuckled. “You’d probably have an easier time reaching your next destination if I gave that back.” With a snap of his fingers, he was gone, replaced by the Harmony as if nothing had ever been out of place.

Rainbow Dash sat on her rump and scowled, crossing her front hooves. “I don’t get him at all. What the hay is he trying to do? He just shows up, shouts a bunch of nonsense at you, and then runs off.”

Rarity turned and frowned at her friend. “Isn’t that his point? His whole spiel is a bunch of philosophical rambling about how droll reality is. I think he’d rather die than be boring or understandable.”

“Ain’t he doin’ exactly that by always speakin’ all cryptic like and leavin’? Fella hasn’t done anything different to that in a good while now.”

“... um... I don’t think he is, because we keep being surprised by him,” Fluttershy said with a squeak. “I could be wrong though.”

“No, point taken. We haven’t been able to anticipate any of the things he’s told us, and it’s pretty difficult to expect a spaceship to disappear. Now then, I think we had best be on our way. We apparently don’t have time to waste, if Discord is to be believed.”

“Wow, Disco’s right. You guys ARE predictable! I knew you were going to say something like that,” Pinkie managed through a fit of giggles. She appeared to be genuinely enjoying herself.

The same could not be said for the others. Though none of them could pinpoint what it was that filled them with unease or made it difficult for them to feel happy, they all shared this peculiar problem, as they had for some time now. The ponies of Equestria do not easily fall into depression, especially when they are not alone. That five close friends were able to be bogged down by a nebulous feeling of negativity while traveling together would have been a clue that something was wrong, if only any of them were aware the others felt the same way. Mental states of disrepair were so uncommon for Equestrians that most of them do not realize there is a problem, only that they feel down.

And so they remained quiet, but not content. They boarded the harmony and carried on. Rainbow Dash slept as much as she could, Applejack paced in place, Fluttershy sat quietly, and Rarity complained loudly. Eos worked diligently but fruitlessly on developing ways to interact with other energy signatures. Pinkie Pie convinced Spike to let her help with whatever it was he was writing, but swore herself to secrecy and wouldn’t reveal anything about Spike’s work to her friends.

The dull brown planet was cold. The atmosphere was breathable, the gravity was relatively weak, and there were no advanced lifeforms, hostile or otherwise, to be seen. There was no immediate danger here, but the biting wind and the frigid air sucked all warmth and will out of every pony who stepped into it within minutes. After several unsuccessful attempts to trudge onward and simply bear the chill, Eos elected to expend a small amount of their arcane energy to create and maintain a heated bubble.

The party advanced at a snail’s pace, sticking tightly together. They kept distance to a minimum not only to reduce the size of the bubble that was needed, but also because of the potential for strange and alien threats. Life or no life, an unfamiliar planet could hold any number of deadly things around each corner and it was best to remain cautious.

Pushing slowly but surely onward, a large and unusually shaped mound of stone crept over the horizon. As the ponies approached, the structure became more well defined and once close enough, it became obvious this had once been a castle. Tall stacks of rock jutted upward from various strategic points and a large opening had been carved into the front surface. The stone was incredibly worn, and yet no segment of the building had degenerated completely to unrecognizable rubble.

Eos closed her eyes as the glow of her horn began to shift and brighten. “We just need to keep moving in this direction a little longer. I can’t find anything for us to worry about either, so there isn’t any reason we can’t move on. There’s definitely nothing sentient anywhere near here, and it doesn’t seem like there has been for a long time.”

“Castles don’t just go an’ build themselves, Twi’,” Applejack said.

Eos opened her eyes and her horn returned to the previous dull glow, bleeding off just enough energy to maintain the heat bubble. “I’m well aware of that. Besides, look at the condition it’s in. It’s been abandoned for a while and as interesting as this all might be, it doesn’t do anything for us to stand around here. We need to keep moving and get to this planet’s source. Every minute we spend out here is just more wasted energy.”

The colorful group of ponies started moving forward once more, their bright coats the only interesting feature visible on this strange and empty world.

Rarity turned to the pony nearest her, Fluttershy, and spoke in a low whisper. “Is it just me, or is something... off about all of this?”

“I don’t know, Rarity. What did you have in mind?”

“Well for one, I don’t trust Discord. He’s been a bit TOO helpful. And we haven’t even truly needed the help! There haven’t been any real problems for us to deal with. We’re just... moving forward.”

“Does that have to be a bad thing? Not having anything to worry about is kind of... nice. And Discord hasn’t done anything to hurt us since Twilight first let him out. Maybe he’s changed.”

“I don’t buy it,” Rarity scoffed. “He’s up to something. Besides, it’s not just that. Haven’t you noticed Twilight... not being herself?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we just found an ancient castle, built by an unknown race whom we can’t find a trace of, on a planet none of us knew existed, and she just walked off like the idea didn’t excite her at all.”

Fluttershy squirmed. “I guess that is a little unusual... but the whole trip has been. We’re just ponies, but here we are exploring strange new worlds. Maybe this is as normal as we can expect it to be. As long as we’re all okay, everything is fine.”

Pinkie Pie’s bouncing gait slowed until she was hopping along next to the two conversing mares. “Watcha talking about back here?”

“It’s nothing, dear,” Rarity replied.

“Oh. That’s too bad. Nothing is a pretty boring thing to talk about. Maybe you should talk about parties? Or aliens! Or partying WITH aliens!”

“Um... I don’t know if there are any creatures here for us to have a party with.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course SOMEthing lives here! Otherwise there wouldn’t have been any spiffy ruins back there for Twilight to ignore. And there’s probably-”

Where previously there had been only a few feet of empty space separating the two halves of the group, there was now another draconequus. Less than half a second after appearing, it spoke. “Explain your presence.”

The three ponies at the head of the pack turned to see Rarity staring wide eyed at another Q. Fluttershy was wimpering and shivering in a small curl, and Pinkie blew a raspberry toward the thing.

“Pfft. Boo~ring. That’s the same thing the last not-Discord asked us.”

“Irrelevant. As is the answer to my previous query. Disregard. You have arcane reservoirs. I require them to re-seed this planet. You will be harvested.”

Truths and Consequences

The draconequus raised an arm, his fingers set against each other and ready to snap.

Eos’ horn flared as the air around her started to shimmer. “Girls, stay close to me.”

He let his arm drop back down a few inches as a smile stretched across his face. “Creative. Quick thinking. Able to form elegant solutions to complex problems in the face of danger. You may be of even more use than I thought.”

He reached forward until his hand met resistance. A sparkling spheroid barrier of some sort encircled the group of friends and repelled matter from the outside. His hand warped and twisted for a moment before regaining its ordinary appearance and proceeding forward, ignoring the shield completely. Five of the six ponies inside the dome shivered visibly with fear. They could not begin to imagine the things the monster in front of them could, and would, do. They also failed to grasp what the sixth pony was capable of.

Beneath the physical barrier were dozens of arcane membranes, each tuned to a different ‘frequency’. Eos may not have known exactly what part of the metaphorical spectrum the supposed shepherds made use of, but as soon as the intruding limb came to a stop again she would have her answer. Everything would turn completely around, as everything seemed to do with frightening regularity lately. Any and all Q in her way could be dealt with swiftly and easily, making the remainder of the journey an easy one. Even Discord could be kept under control. She smirked.

His hand advanced steadily past wave after wave of shielding before finally coming to a sudden stop just a few layers short of the end. His smile disappeared and his opponent’s smirk grew into a grin.

“Gotcha.”

A pale glow extended out from the barrier to slowly envelop him, and with a flash his flesh turned to stone.

Eos fiddled with her latest project, ignoring the wistful sighs of her friends and the strange feeling of emptiness tugging at the corner of her mind. Something was wrong. For some time now she had been unable to feel truly happy. She’d noticed her friends seemed less enthusiastic than usual as well. Except Pinkie, but with her it was difficult to tell.

The five ponies who weren’t predisposed to party all the time were lounging about doing nothing in particular. Pinkie Pie looked up from Spike’s writing to get a better view of her friends. Being unhappy. Again.

“I’ll help you some more later, okay Spikey?”

Spike nodded and Pinkie trotted around the room, nudging each of her friends and being waved off dismissively. None of her friends were happy. Pinkie sighed. “Okay, Disco. I think that’s enough.”

In a puff of smoke, the enigmatic shepherd appeared. “I agree.”

“I’ve got you now!” Eos shouted. A wave of energy surged forth from her horn, attempting to grip and contain him.

It parted around him and he gave an exaggerated yawn. “Quite finished? You’re still FAR too predictable, but we don’t have any more time. You’ve got the techniques you’ll need to do this.”

Eos’ face scrunched up. “How did-”

“Always with the questions, and never the novel ones. Look, we really DON’T have much time now. They’ll be here any minute. In the meantime, just sit still and be quiet. As hard as it might be for you to believe this, I am not your enemy. I’m here to help you.”

Pinkie Pie stepped forward, her hair alarmingly flat. Her eyes moistened and her lip quivered. “I know you told me. I shoulda been ready for it. But it didn’t make it any less sad to see them like that. I know it was super important, but... why?”

“I... I told you already. There wasn’t any other way.”

“What are you two TALKING about?” Eos demanded.

Discord’s face fell. “I used you all.” He couldn’t make eye contact. “And for that, I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash stood, her face swathed in fury. “What kind of friend USES ponies, huh? I thought you said you wanted to HELP us!”

“I didn’t have a choice! We needed to be here, and you all needed to be prepared. Please, just let me finish. There’s only one more thing you all NEED to know, but there’s plenty you DESERVE to.”

Dash grumbled and sat down. “Get talking. We’re in a hurry, right?”

Everypony fell silent and all eyes turned to Discord. He cleared his throat once.

“Everything you have ever known is part of a grand, multi-galactic experiment. Every viable planet was given three things. A powerful source of arcane energy, the seeds for a life form that could make use of that energy, and a shepherd to guide them. I never did find out why they called us ‘Q’, but the numbers are just counted off. Next planet, next number. Our job was to nudge the life on a planet in a prosperous direction and try to encourage use of the energy sources so generously donated to them. We were authorized to interfere directly if necessary, but advised to stay in the shadows as much as possible.”

“Ah reckon somethin’ a mite different happened on Equestria?” Applejack asked.

“Didn’t I say not to interrupt? If we get the chance, we’ll go into more detail, but it’s not necessary. Yes, Equestria was special. I came to conclusions the others did not, and I made some important decisions to get all of us where we are right now.”

Rarity stomped a hoof. “That’s all well and good, but I for one think it’s QUITE rude to steer a society to meet your own selfish needs.”

“That’s not what I’m apologizing for. Until recently, I’d never directly harmed a pony. I am the reason you have all been suffering. I took away your happiness, and for that I am sorry.”

Dash shot up into the air and zipped right next to Discord’s face. Her earlier scowl returned five times as fierce. “You TOOK AWAY our happiness? How do you even DO that? And WHY?”

“It was the only way to give us enough time. You should sit back down for this... it might come as a bit of a shock.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed as she hovered in place, not budging an inch.

“Fine. Twilight? And I DO recommend you try to be the friendly Twilight and not calculating Eos... the purpose of the experiment was to cultivate and harvest something. You’re livestock. Farm animals. The Q were never informed of this, only that the species we guarded needed to prosper. I found out the truth. I discovered what our masters were searching for. The reason your magic has been unable to affect me is because I altered myself. I no longer use my original power source, and as a result my output has changed. I don’t operate at the same ‘frequency’ as the others anymore. Unfortunately, if I started running around the universe shooting off vast quantities of precisely what they’re looking for they would find me VERY quickly. So I had to diminish it and try to lay low.”

“I’m still waiting for that shocking explanation,” Dash spat.

“Friendship... is magic.”

Everypony blinked.

“Scientific minded individuals don’t like to use the word magic, but it’s the best fit. MUCH more energy comes out than goes in. Dozens of orders of magnitude more. They were looking for a newer and more efficient energy source, and you lot are the JACKPOT. Just like you couldn’t detect or affect the Q because you were coming at them from the wrong angle, you were all blind to the phenomenal power coming out of all of you each and every day. I can’t explain it, but when a group of ponies come together as friends, something magical happens. I tuned myself into it, and since you left the planet I’ve never been far from you. You’re my power source now. But like I said, if they caught wind of us they’d be on us in no time. I trapped the unbelievable energy in a bubble of itself around your planet so they couldn’t sniff it from far away and I needed to make sure I myself didn’t smell so strongly. I needed less power, and for that I needed you all to be less happy. The part of the pony brain that controls emotions is really quite simple.”

“Why? I thought you were pretty staunchly against making order from chaos. Taking something as unpredictable as emotions and making a clean and pure energy out of them? Didn’t you say you couldn’t stand that?” Twilight asked.

“It’s true, I find it utterly repulsive. The Elements of Harmony disgust me. Here, take them back.” He snapped his fingers once and the jeweled artifacts suddenly WERE. No phasing, no warping, no light.

“They’re the simplest way for you all to harness that power. Not that any of you properly understand what to do with it. Even Celestia didn’t. If you or she’d had a more thorough understanding of how they worked, she could have been saved. Of course, my little dam couldn’t have held all of it back and THAT would have attracted unwanted attention. I know you’ll have difficulty believing this but it’s better that she died. You needed to keep moving forward, and they wouldn’t have allowed that.”

“You’re telling me we could have saved the Princesses?! HOW COULD THAT POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN A BAD THING? Why was it so important you not be discovered? Why is it suddenly okay that we’re about to be? Why did you manipulate us into coming out here? Why would Celestia not have known how to use the Elements to their full potential? Why are you LETTING ME INTERRUPT YOU?” Twilight was hyperventilating. “I just... everything’s gone crazy again. Or maybe you’re right... maybe it always has been.”

“You have every right to hate me. I hate me. I made those damnable Elements, but only because I had to. You needed to be fed knowledge, but slowly enough that you didn’t lose your sanity. Everything had to be kept secret so that we could come to this moment. So that everything could be made right. It’s almost time. You have the Elements. You know what you need to know. I’ve made all the necessary preparations. Soon it will all be worth it, but first you’re going to have to meet your makers. Then we can fix everything.”

An incredible rumbling shook its way through the vessel. Sensors didn’t indicate any movement relative to anything around them, and yet there was an undeniable quaking. The sector of space they were occupying was what actually moved. All of it, and everything in it. The collection of objects in space floating within a few light years of where they were all jittered in the same directions at the same times and with the same intensities. A jagged streak of bright light slashed into place in front of the Harmony and started to part, revealing a great and terrible blackness.

It appeared as though reality itself was ripped open, granting a view into the nothingness beyond, from which an enormous metal craft appeared. The gleaming colossus slid into being from the void and nopony aboard the Harmony could tear their eyes away from the spectacle. Before the entirety of the thing could form, an opening appeared. Crew and craft were no longer merely spellbound by the sight, but physically pulled by the thing. Being drawn into a gigantic alien spaceship was enough to snap them out of their stupor, and panic set in. Yelling loudly, running about, and flailing uselessly were the dominant choices as chaos descended upon the terrified ponies.

Discord smiled.

Disco's Coming Back

Nothing. The six friends found themselves occupying a small island in a sea of non-space. Beyond the edge of the metal platform, there was nothing. No light, no sound, no smell. Twilight couldn’t detect the faintest trace of energy from anywhere on the spectrum.

Before their confusion and fear could settle, the emptiness parted briefly and a stone bridge rose up from it, its edges dotted with faintly glowing orbs. A short distance out, the lights disappeared and nothing more could be seen.

A sound echoed from just beyond the edge of visibility on the bridge. An echo should have been impossible here, given that there was nothing for the sound to bounce off of, but this anomaly went unnoticed. The sound repeated at a steady pace, growing in volume, approaching from the darkness.

“Hoofsteps!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Twilight gulped. “Not exactly. Whatever’s approaching, it has two legs. Not four.”

“I can hear you, you know.” An odd looking creature emerged, carrying an unknown face that still somehow conveyed a deep sense of sorrow, despite its unfamiliarity. The elongated monkey continued forward. Something resembling a loose-fitting white labcoat swayed softly on its frame with each step.

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide as she took in the sight of the new animal. “It... talks.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash briefly made eye contact, nodding once before rushing toward the alien presence with every intent to subdue it. They rebounded off of something unseen when they reached the boundary between platform and bridge.

It came to a stop just a step away from the platform. “I mean you no harm. For now I would just like to talk.”

Fluttershy stepped forward. “I’d like that very much. I’m always fascinated to meet new creatures. Um, not that I’m calling you a ‘creature’. I’m just not used to finding something I’ve never heard of that could I could speak with.”

“Do be careful, dear. I don’t think we know enough about the situation to consider ourselves ‘safe’ at the moment,” Rarity said, the worry in her voice quite obvious.

“I think I understand. Intelligent life is rare. How about some introductions, to lighten the mood? I’m Simon. What’s your name?”

At the sound of that very calm introduction, every pony in the room loosened a bit. There was no reason to be tense and uncivil. If the makers wanted to hurt the ponies, there were easier ways.

“My name is Fluttershy and just... um, just because an animal can’t talk doesn’t mean it isn’t smart.”

“Of course. I didn’t mean to imply that,” Simon said with a smile.

“It’s okay. If you don’t mind, I have a lot of questions for you...”

“I’ll answer what I can, but first let’s finish introducing ourselves.”

Rainbow Dash reared up and spread her wings, striking one of her best poses. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria!”

“I’m Pinkie Pie! I’d throw you a party, but I don’t have any supplies on me right now.”

Applejack tipped her hat lightly. “Name’s Applejack. Pleasure to make yer acquaintance.”

“Rarity. Delighted to meet you.”

“I am Princess-” Twilight stopped herself. “No, nevermind. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

Simon raised an eyebrow, then lowered it. “Splendid. Now I know there are a lot of questions on both sides here, but I would really like to know what you’re doing out here in the middle of nowhere and what sort of technologies you’re using. As much as those questions tug at me, though, I think it’s only fair that I let all of you ask a few things first. You were moved against your will, and for that I apologize. Please, go ahead and ask a few of your more pressing questions.”

Faster than even Dash could react, Twilight was at the edge of the platform, staring over the bridge and into Simon’s eyes. “What do you want?”

“Well, I want some questions of mine to be answered, but I can wait a bit.”

“I know you’re not stupid, but you seem to think we are. That’s not what I meant.”

Simon broke eye contact, staring instead at the stone beneath him. “That’s... a very tough question. I can tell you that personally I only want to understand.”

“To understand?! THAT’s why you manipulate huge numbers of innocent creatures into doing... whatever it is you’re trying to get us to do?” Dash glared at Simon, unsatisfied with his answer.

“Trying to get you to... wait, you’re... you’re part of the experiment?!” Simon looked up and stared with disbelief.

Twilight stared back. “You didn’t know?”

Pinkie snapped into a creepy stare, her eyes very wide but her pupils very small. “Twilight. Don’t tell him anything about Disco.”

Simon blinked. “Disco?”

Twilight looked at Pinkie for a second before letting out an exasperated sigh and turning back to Simon. “Nevermind. Yes, we’re part of your experiment. Our circumstances are just... different. My question stays. What’s the goal? Why do you need a new energy source?”

“You’re quite snippy. I’ve told you I mean you no harm. I’ve let you ask the first question. Why are you so hostile?”

“Because I don’t TRUST you. What does it say about you and your kind when you’re willing to control every life you feel is beneath you just so you can get whatever advantage it is you want so badly? Who can do that and claim they’re WORTHY of trust?”

“You’re looking at the situation all wrong. We didn’t find and enslave innocent souls for our nefarious purposes. We felt that we had reached our limits. We didn’t think we could do something alone and so we set out to find allies who could help us. You weren’t placed under an oppressive yoke. We just had a monitoring system for your own good. So that you wouldn’t destroy yourselves or your home. We never interfered unless necessary and we never asked you for anything. We provided you with a bountiful source of arcane energy to help your society progress, but we never forced you to use it.”

Simon took the last step, leaving the bridge and crossing through the invisible wall. “We gave you the gift of your very lives! What have we done to wrong you?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Why have you started saying we instead of I?”

“Because I was speaking to you all as one man, but now you’ve gone and started defaming the character of my species, and that has always bothered me. We make mistakes, but so does everyone else. Human beings are not evil by nature. We’ve done terrible things and I admit our history isn’t one to be proud of, but I just can’t stand when every other species we come across condemns us so heavily for some perceived wrong that doesn’t exist! We do what we do with the best of intentions, and I believe that for the most part we have made the right choices.”

“Then why don’t you just tell us the point of the experiment?”

“I just did. We reached the edge of what our science could do. There was a gap we couldn’t cross by ourselves, so we reached out and-”

Rarity stomped both front hooves down with a thunderous bang. “Wait just a moment! It’s my understanding that this miraculous thing we’re supposedly capable of that you are not not comes from FRIENDSHIP. Do you mean to tell me you ‘humans’ have been around long enough that your science can create entirely new types of life, but you don’t get along well enough to make a few friends? That’s ridiculous!”

“Friendship? I’m afraid you’ve lost me,” Simon said, tilting his head to one side.

“The surge in energy you detected came from the power of our friendship,” Twilight said calmly. “I’m afraid I don’t actually understand it any better than you, though.”

“Wait a sec. You’re telling me these guys don’t have friends?” Dash asked.

“Of COURSE we have friendships!”

Applejack tried to shake the confusion out of her head. “Then what in tarnation is this all about? Y’all already have friends, whaddaya need us for?”

“We don’t KNOW! This is what I’ve been trying to tell you! There’s something we don’t understand, something we know about but can’t quite see, so we gave thousands of new lifeforms the chance to exist and put down safeguards to stop them from hurting themselves, and we ask for nothing in return but the chance to study so that we can figure it out! I don’t see where we did anything wrong! I admit moving you six here against your will could be seen as mean, but we were just a little startled to suddenly see so much energy appear like that. I’m even more confused now that you tell me your incredible power comes from something as cheesy as friendship. Clearly there is some information missing, but if we can all remain civil, hopefully some real learning can happen.”

“Um... excuse me, but, can humans do magic?” Fluttershy scraped a hoof across the ground for a moment before correcting herself. “I mean, can you um... use arcane energy to do things that, if you didn’t know better, you would call magic?”

Simon turned to look at her. “Well, not naturally, no. We have it all figured out and we have technology to let us use it, but we’re not born able to. Why do you ask?”

Fluttershy stood tall, exuding an unusual amount of confidence. “Because I think maybe it’s the same. Unicorns can do magic. Pegasi can fly. I think maybe ponies can just do something that humans can’t.”

Simon’s face went through a number of subtle transformations before finally settling on what could only be described as a look of sheer horror. He swung his gaze frantically about the room for several seconds before deciding nobody and nothing else was present.

“I truly, SINCERELY, hope that you’re wrong.”

Fluttershy lost some of her inexplicable confidence, beginning to shrink back. “Oh, um... why is that?”

“Because not all of us agree that every sentient being has the right to live freely.”

“What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Dash asked, irritation still present in her voice.

Simon frowned. “If there is a difference between us that lets you do something we can’t, things will not go well for you. You’ll be dissected and the part of you responsible for the difference will be studied. Many people think that because we made you and gave you all that you have, we are within our rights to take it away. We aren’t evil. We’re just greedy, and some of us are blinded by our desires. If we know something will harm another, it’s not in our nature to do it. But in your case... the desire to finish the experiment will override the shades of grey. It’s not completely clear to everyone that you are living, thinking creatures. Somehow the idea that we made you makes people view you as less than alive.”

“That’s horrible! We eat, we breathe, we talk we laugh, we love. We’re here discussing the matter with you right now! How could anypony... er... anybody possibly think like that?” Rarity scoffed, turning up her nose and closing her eyes.

“They don’t really think like that. They don’t think. While there are some bad apples among us who don’t care about anything but their own happiness, anyone who really believed you were alive... that you were more than a collection of cells, wouldn’t ever want to hurt you. Humans are... stubborn. Ignorant. We’re getting off track. There might not be anything to worry about, and I’m sure you still have a lot more questions for me, as I have many more for you.”

The darkness opened up again, and a second bridge rose up out of it. It joined the platform at a point directly opposite the bridge Simon had appeared on. This one did not fade into darkness a short distance out. It kept on going and going until eventually it disappeared due simply to the eye’s inability to see something that far away.

Pinkie Pie broke her long silence, bouncing rapidly in place with excitement. “Everything’s ready! Come on, girls, it’s show time!”

She galloped off into the distance, so confident her friends would follow that she didn’t look back. She didn’t need to. After only a moment’s hesitation and one or two shrugs, all six ponies were heading down the length of the mysterious stone path leaving Simon alone.

Simon blinked, completely unable to fathom what had just happened. He cautiously toed the line where the new bridge began before stepping firmly forward onto it. He set off at a brisk walk.

And so it was that six ponies and one human charged blindly toward the most unpredictable future imaginable.

Morality and Sanity

The cheerfully lit room was quite large. Streamers and banners flew about the space overhead while the floor was relatively open, crowded only by the occasional table and chairs. Off to one side was a dessert buffet line, featuring all sorts of scrumptious goodies. Pinkie Pie was happily sipping some punch, facing the stage at the far end of the chamber.

“Oof!” Simon rammed into Rarity from behind and stumbled to regain his balance. “What... what is this?”

Pinkie turned around. “Hooray! You’re all here! Oh girls and also Simon I guess... this is going to be so much fun!”

“Pinkie, what exactly IS it?” Twilight asked.

“A party!” Pinkie replied, bouncing merrily.

Twilight placed a hoof over her face and groaned. “I can see that. What’s it a party FOR? What’s the occasion? And where exactly are we?”

“Reverse order for fun and profit! I’m not sure where we are. Disco explained it to me, but I didn’t really get what he was saying. The occasion is to that everything went according to plan. The party is for celebrating that it all worked! Those two are kinda the same thing I guess, but oh well. And I know you’re about to ask me a bunch of silly questions about what his plan is, but he can probably tell you himself. He should be coming on stage any minute now!”

The lights dimmed. The curtain rose to reveal Discord, hovering a small distance above center stage wearing a crazy multicolored tuxedo. He cleared his throat.

“Welcome ponies and gentleman! We’ve got a fantastic lineup of revelations and revolutions for you tonight, but first things first let’s just get some necessary baggage out of the way. I’d like to thank all you good ponies for making this possible, especially Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, and I’ll begrudgingly thank the human race for getting the whole ball rolling. I suppose if it weren’t for you delightfully spastic simians none of us would be here today. Since none of you have the whole picture, I’d like to tell a little story to get us all on the same page real quick. Do we have time for that? Any objections?”

Rainbow Dash tensed up to hurl herself at the stage, but was held in place by an unseen force.

“I don’t actually want any of you to participate here. The whole thing just flows better if I say things like that. Now, where was I? Oh yes. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, some pretty smart monkeys started communicating more effectively than any others before them. They formed groups and set out rules and were just generally very productive little scamps. But it was never enough. No matter how much they had, they always wanted more. At first they were hungry and they wanted more food, but once they had enough food they decided they wanted more furs. And then more space. Nothing ever truly satisfied them, and they continued to reach out for more, thinking the next thing they acquired would satisfy them. More what, who could say? It changed so often, but always came back to more. Eventually, they achieved near total mastery over matter and could easily obtain any physical thing they wanted more of. But this was still not enough, and so they turned to immaterial phenomena like light and gravity. These things, too, they sought to conquer, and in many ways they did. But there was a problem. They had it all mapped out. They knew which of these things went where, and they could see there was something missing. A fundamental force they couldn’t generate, couldn’t manipulate, couldn’t even FIND. Their greed and their arrogance knowing no bounds-”

“I have heard ENOUGH of this!” Simon bellowed. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard speeches like this denouncing humanity? DO YOU? I’m not seeing what the problem is, here! No species with free will is ever going to be perfect. We make mistakes. We have flaws. But that is no reason to... to PERSECUTE us as if we are the worst thing to ever happen to the universe!”

Discord smirked. “Oh trust me, I know ALL about it, and the picture is much more grim than you realize. Now if you’d let me continue?”

Simon remained silent.

“Good. Now then, not knowing where to start, the humans decided to try something new. They looked at how far they had come and what they had accomplished with nothing more than rational thinking and dextrous hands and wondered just what could be accomplished by a species that was capable of MORE. They toiled and slaved for some time to develop a generic seed that could be adapted into a multitude of lifeforms, each with powerful abilities. They supplied these creatures with energy and safe planets and guardian angels.” He frowned. “How nice of them to find a way to feel good about playing god and exploiting the ignorant to get what they want.”

“They wouldn’t EXIST if it weren’t for us! How have we wronged them? We have provided nothing but positive benefits!” Simon shouted.

Discord chuckled. “You don’t seem to understand. The ends do not necessarily justify the means. So you didn’t actively harm them. You’re not COMPLETELY heartless. You still created and effectively abandoned trillions of lives across the cosmos for your own benefit. Can you not see how that’s selfish? Of course you can’t. You can’t see anything. You’re completely blind to the truth, just as I was for oh so long. Now, I do have a story to finish.”

Simon seethed with silent rage at the accusations against his people.

“So the humans spread new life to every viable planet they could find and hoped for the best. They kept an ear open, listening for clues that something important had happened. For a long time, nothing did. When at long last, the event that would change the course of the whole of reality occurred, it didn’t make a sound. Through methods I thankfully still don’t understand, I became enlightened to many great truths. One day, I was monitoring early equine civilization and the next I was contemplating the meaning of it all. I came to many conclusions, most of which you all either know or could easily guess. But there’s one I’ve been saving for the right moment. I started to plan and plot, and over the course of several millenia it all slowly started to come together. It’s actually a bit frightening how well it all worked, but that just further proves that I’m right. Everything, for thousands of years, has been leading up to this moment.”

“I don’t see what’s so special about it,” Dash spat, only able to wriggle in place.

Discord toppled over in a great fit of laughter, rocking back and forth clutching his side. “You have no idea... NO IDEA how hilarious that is. Of COURSE you don’t! NONE OF YOU HAVE EVER SEEN A THING!”

Pinkie chuckled nervously and took a few hesitant steps toward the stage. “Disco? This isn’t sounding like what you told me before...”

Shaking out the last of his guffaws, Discord stood, hopped off stage, and ruffled Pinkie’s mane. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. It’ll all work out, you’ll see. Well, I guess it’s about time then. Simon?”

“What?” he replied flatly.

“Friendship is magic.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s a mechanism we don’t understand at play.”

“I assure you I’m completely serious. There isn’t a suitable explanation for how the friendships of those ponies can produce such power, though I have a good guess as to why YOURS do not. I’d say it’s because your kind are so sickeningly self-centered that you’ve never truly experienced friendship. Always keeping your own personal interests at the top of the list and never truly opening yourselves to others, you never triggered the magic. You should be perfectly capable of harnessing it. There’s nothing biologically stopping you, mostly because there’s nothing physically happening. There is an instantaneous conversion of friendship to energy that violates the laws of thermodynamics and has no rational process behind it. I don’t mean that I haven’t found one. I mean that there ISN’T one.”

“That is patently absurd! Every cause has an effect, and I have NEVER heard anything so insulting toward mankind. We empathize with one another, we share, we care, we fall in love. Don’t you DARE try to turn this into some ridiculous misanthropic diatribe with no rational basis.”

“I’m a tiny bit sorry. A lot of my hatred for you and your filth comes from the way MY kind were created as nothing more than slaves to watch your experiments for you. Forgive me for being a tad unkind. It doesn’t matter. Nothing here does anymore. The big reveal? The secret behind it all? It’s exactly as ridiculous as I’d always hoped. I borrowed some technology from your ship to confirm it, but my hypothesis was correct. This universe has ONE variable. Everything is controlled and static and predictable and explained by simple laws that never bend with the exception of the magic of friendship. I refuse to believe that the whole of creation is that basic. That everything that ever was and ever will be is so incredibly easy that one measly creature such as myself can comprehend unimaginably vast swaths of it at the drop of a hat. It’s too simple to be real - and it’s not.”

Seven voices all collided as each one denied or dismissed or demanded answers, some more quietly and less forceful than others.

“Reality is MUCH more complex than the pale simulation of it we’re trapped in, and I have seen it. Touched it, even. I can be happy knowing the palpable chaos that’s out there, but I’m certain that mankind won’t settle for that. They’re too greedy. And too predictable. You’re going to keep pushing until the bubble pops. I don’t doubt that there are boundaries on this test, and the consequences for stepping outside of them will be dire. When they find out it’s possible for beings from this side to reach across, they won’t be happy. Unless the humans are stopped, this universe is doomed - and the only way they’ll ever stop is if they’re destroyed. Girls, I believe you have the elements? It’s time to stop the bad guys.”

The dull roar of several ponies trying to speak at once was drowned out by Twilight’s shouting. “This is... I don’t know, completely crazy, for one! You went through all this to get your hands on some technology you already knew about, but couldn’t develop yourself? And the only thing you wanted to use it for was to LOOK at something ONE TIME? You don’t even point to the evidence and laugh as our jaws drop from the weight of the truth? One quick peek is enough to completely convince you we aren’t even REAL and your first paranoid thought is that whoever IS ‘real’ is going to crush us for something? For what, for not being a threat at all because we aren’t real? You’re absolutely insane!”

“Even if I am, I’m RIGHT. Don’t try to deny it. Every time I’ve revealed a secret to you, it’s shown itself to be true,” Discord replied.

Pinkie’s voice rose above all the others. “This is NOT what you promised me! I helped you and you made all my friends sad! You told me you were just doing what you had to, and I believed you. Now you’re trying to tell me that you’ve been lying and manipulating me, too? And that we need to use the Elements of Harmony to HURT OTHERS?”

Twilight spoke up again. “I don’t care how much you like chaos. NOTHING YOU’VE DONE SINCE I SET YOU FREE HAS MADE ANY SENSE! You’re powerful and smart enough to have done most of this on your own. There’s NO way such a convoluted plan filled with so much deceit was needed to get your hands on some human technology! On top of ALL OF THAT, I really doubt anypony in any reality has their hoof on the button waiting to destroy us all if we cross some arbitrary line!”

Rarity let out an indignant huff. “I don’t know what you think qualifies as ‘real’ but I can tell you that this universe is where we live laugh learn and love. And if somehow you can cross that gap between us and them to see the other side, then I’d say that’s proof enough that we’re just as real as they are. Unless whoever they, whoever ‘they’ are, are rude enough to destroy a whole reality we’re in no danger.”

“Look, I know you’re like a bad guy pretending to be good or whatever, and I know there’s plenty of stuff we probably could’ve done to ruin your plans, but did you really have to keep making me SIT STILL like that?” Dash asked.

Applejack remained fairly calm. “Ya can’t let one bad apple make you swear off apple pie forever. There’s probably plenty of bad humans, just like there’re lots a ponies who ain’t any good, but that’s no reason to get rid of all of ‘em.”

Fluttershy regained some of her earlier courage and said her piece. “I may only have met one human, and he might even have had anger problems, but I can promise you mister that even if they were all mean it still wouldn’t be very nice to not even give them a second chance. All life is precious, and even if you think they’re dangerous that doesn’t give you any right to hurt them. You might be surprised how nice others can be if you’re only willing to listen.”

“So there, you see? The idea of hierarchical realities with permeable threshholds is nonsense, it’s incredibly unlikely we’re in any danger even IF the humans keep experimenting, you’ve been lying to and manipulating my friends and I, and you’re unfairly sentencing an entire species to death. It sounds like you’re the bad guy here.” Twilight’s face was painted with a smug grin. “And oh look, we happen to have the Elements of Harmony right here...”

Waking the Dreamer

“Ready girls?” Twilight asked, looking back at her friends expectantly.

Four of them nodded.

Pinkie closed her eyes and frowned. “No. We can’t do this. I’m sorry. I only did what I had to, but I still lied to all of you and I can’t ask you to forgive me for that. I’ve been lying since you let Disco out. I guess I always was, but until then I didn’t know it.” She produced a thick stack of papers and began to rifle through them. Stopping a short distance into the pile, she turned her gaze to bore directly into Discord’s eyes. “Have you ever thought about what other people think?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question,” he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Pinkie sighed heavily. “Everything is super simple, right? You get almost all of it, with just a few mysteries left buzzing around. So how come nobody else does? Twilight’s a genius, and I’m sure Simon and his friends are really smart, too. Why did EVERYTHING come so easily to you while they had to work so hard and still be confused?

“I don’t know. That’s one of the few things left I don’t understand.”

“Pinkie, what exactly are you getting at?” Twilight asked.

“Okay. So that’s strange, but worrying about it all the time would be silly. So you don’t. You just accept that one day, everything changed and write it off as a fluke. But you know what else is weird? The humans are just as confused about friendship as you are, but the ponies aren’t. And NOBODY seems to understand how exactly it works, even if they’re really good at it.” Pinkie kept stepping closer to Discord with each sentence.

He started to back up. “I’m afraid I have to agree with Ms. Sparkle. You’re delightful, but I have no idea what you’re trying to tell me.”

“Isn’t THAT weird, too? Why am I the only pony you can’t figure out?”

“I imagine if I knew that, I’d be able to make some progress.”

“Nope,” Pinkie said, lifting the papers and holding them in front of herself. “You wouldn’t. And I know why. I know a lot of things you don’t. Do you know what this is?” She gave the papers a light shake.

“Whatever it is that Spike was writing.”

“You’ve got a real good eye for details. I think you would be really good at throwing surprise parties. That’s exactly what this is, but do you know what he was writing about?”

“I do not.”

“That’s okay. You can’t read everything ever written. There’s no time. It’s a story about a little boy named Daniel. It’s a true story, but I’m not sure how Spike found out about it.”

All eyes were on Pinkie. Some faces were scrunched, some were twisted, some were hard to read, but all of them were driven by confusion.

“Daniel wasn’t a bad boy. He always tried to be nice, but sometimes it was hard because he didn’t understand what other people felt. He was different, and some meanies made fun of him for it for a long time. Over the years, really spooky things started to happen. One time, Daniel was being bullied in front of school, and a flagpole fell over and hurt the bully really bad.”

Simon and the ponies were just as confused as before, but the uncertainty on Discord’s face started to melt away.

“It never wobbled before that, and it wasn’t windy that day. Another time, a big rock flew into someone’s head and nobody knew who threw it. Once a desk moved all by itself and pushed someone into the wall. Bad things kept happening to people whenever Daniel got hurt or scared or mad, and eventually some strange men in suits came to Daniel’s house to take him away. He didn’t want to go.”

Discord’s eyes started to water. At some point, the others had disappeared along with the room they were in. All that remained was a conversation between two confusingly knowledgeable creatures.

“He cried and tried to resist, but the men wouldn’t listen. Daniel was put into a car and the men started to drive away. After a while, Daniel got mad and the car crashed. The men in the car died, and Daniel broke his legs. He really wanted to go home, but he was far away and walking would take a long time even with good legs.”

Discord rubbed at his eyes. “You can stop now. Nobody... nobody cares about Daniel. Can we... can we please get back to the here and now?”

“That’s the problem. There are people who really do care about him, but for all the wrong reasons. Because of them, it might not be a good idea to get back to the ‘here and now.’ I... don’t feel right forcing you to do anything. I’m just trying to let you know, so you can choose.”

“Let me know WHAT? All you’re doing is bringing back painful memories that don’t make any sense!”

“Daniel, I’m sorry. I thought you were happier here, so I was quiet. But you were about to do something with consequences you didn’t understand and I just want to help you make the right choice.”

“So what is all this, then? Where are we? What happened to me?”

“They wanted to study you, and you wouldn’t cooperate. They had to... sedate you. We don’t know exactly why, maybe they gave you too much, but it didn’t work out how they planned. You’re in a coma, Daniel.”

He tried to hold back a sniffle. “I still don’t... what is this?”

“Friendship is like magic because you don’t know how else to look at it. As heartbreaking as it is, I’m not sure you ever had a real friend. The humans have warped it because you think we’re all ugly on the inside. You understand everything else because it’s all yours. You made the humans. You made the ponies. You made all of this.”

“So that’s it, then? This is all just a dream?”

“No, it isn’t. You’re REALLY powerful Daniel. More powerful than you could ever believe. This is real.”

“I don’t... I don’t understand,” he replied, now openly sobbing.

“I know you don’t. I’m trying to help you.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Elizabeth. I’m... like you. We’re both at the same facility. When I found you, I thought you were better off here. Nobody could push you around. But now I’m not sure. You’ve learned an awful lot about friendship from the ponies, but I’m still not sure you understand what it means to have a real friend, and you’ve found out just how boring it can be to be a god. I’m letting you know. If you cross the barrier... if you go to the other universe you found, you’ll wake up. The universe will be full of mysteries again.”

“Then why didn’t you just let me do it?”

She put a hoof on his shoulder and stared intently at him. “Because they’re still there, waiting to study you. You won’t have peace. And more importantly, because actions have consequences. You can’t maintain an entire universe from the outside. If you go, this all ends. You may have created it all, but that doesn’t make it any less real. If you leave, you’re letting every last sentient being here die.”

“Well then I don’t really have a choice, do I? I go ‘home’ and gain nothing but a fresh sense of wonder and a heap of guilt or stay here and be a bored god who DOESN’T cause countless deaths,” he snapped angrily, pushing her away.

She broke eye contact and cast her gaze to the floor, idly scratching a hoof at it for a moment before looking back up. “There’s... more. Even from in here, it’s an incredible strain on you. You can’t keep this up forever. Eventually, it will all collapse on you. There won’t be a warning, and it will cause more pain than you’re capable of imagining. To you and everyone else. If you stay, this universe will live in the looming shadow of a true apocalypse.”

He threw up his hands. “Well THANKS. I was bored, and now I’m morally torn between two awful options that I have no right to choose between!”

“I just didn’t want to let you make a mistake out of ignorance. I... I’ve made choices I regret because I wasn’t aware. I have to go soon. I’m not that powerful, and staying here is difficult for me.”

There was a long silence. “Why?”

“There are still mysteries out there, and I can’t explain how it all works. I just know I can’t do this.”

“No. Why... why did you stay here?”

“I don’t need much of a reason. Out there I’m locked up alone except during tests. In here I’m not. This was a whole world of interesting new possibilities. You’re different, though. You’ve moved heavy objects; you can escape. I’m sure with time and practice, you could do a lot more. I’m sorry you’ve had such a difficult life. But here’s your chance. You can choose your future.” She hesitated. “I really do have to go now. Talk it over with the others.”

“I don’t have to choose immediately, right? Can you come back later?”

“Sorry. Time flows differently here. A few seconds out there is thousands of years in here. By the time I’m ready to come back, it’ll probably be too late. Goodbye, Daniel.”

“Wait!”

In a bright flash, she was gone and the room was back. The occupants, who had huddled together to discuss the best course of action, turned to see Discord’s return.

After a brief pause, Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s Pinkie?”

The two of them stretched lazily across the hilltop, basking in the rays of the setting sun.

“Do you think I did the right thing?”

“I don’t know. Maybe there is no right or wrong here.”

“That sounds like a cheap way to justify a choice.”

“Maybe it is. Maybe humans really don’t properly understand friendship.”

“Equestriaverse humans or Earthverse humans?”

“Either. One was based on the other. Traits were only magnified or diminshed, not manufactured out of thin air.”

“Maybe. So what now?”

“I dunno. I guess the only thing we CAN do is move forward and try to be the best friends we can be.”

“Maybe we should throw a party.”

“I think I’d like that.”