Beyond the Veil

by Twi-Fi

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Other, Apple Bloom, Mystery, Rainbow Dash, Adventure
Length: 7024

Rainbow Dash is trapped in an alternate dimension.

Rainbow Dash is trapped in an alternate dimension.

Proof read by: Manaphy
Originally written for The WriteOff Association's Distant Shores contest.

Published 2016-01-18 01:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-05-05 06:44:24 UTC

Alone

The first thing Rainbow Dash felt was the hot, hot sun.

It wasn’t her worst crash. In fact, if she ranked all of her crashes, this one was mild. However, she couldn’t think of a time she had crashed head-first into the ground, flank sticking straight up and back bent over the wrong way.

She was thankful for her athletic abilities and being flexible or her back may have broken. She groaned as she unfolded herself. Her hind-end crashed into the ground, and her whole body flopped against the hot ground, sighing with relief.

“What the hay happened, Apple Bloom?” she asked, still face-down. “Nothing to worry about, kid. I’ve had far worse. Just ask your friend… Apple Bloom?”

There was only silence: no rustling leaves or hustle and bustle of Ponyville, nor a single birdsong. Things didn’t add up: The stifling heat, the lack of a chill breeze—a breeze she had ensured for that day—and sand?

Dash sprung to her feet, her back giving a jolt of pain which faded as intense light assaulted her eyes. She shielded her face. Squinting her eyes open, she reflexively snapped them shut again when the light seeped through and burned at her retinas.

Her heart began to hammer in her chest as her breathing picked up. It was impossible—the sand—the heat—the light, and where was everyone and everything?

She cracked her eyes open again; they watered as she forced them to stay open, and her jaw dropped. Her heart sunk as her fears were confirmed. Closing her eyes, Dash shook her head vigorously. “There’s just no way...” she gasped. She kept her eyes shut, waiting for a twangy reply, ‘There’s just no what?’

But only the sun, with its relentless rays, answered, and Dash felt her back burning with each pain-throbbing second she tried to ignore it. As if not accepting what she deep down knew was the truth, however impossible, she’d somehow be back in Ponyville. But when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a place that didn’t resemble Ponville in the slightest.

Instead of lush green grass, trees, and mountains, a mirage shimmered on the vague horizon of endless flat desert. In every direction she spun, it was exactly the same: wind-rippled sand. And quite unremarkable sand too, as there wasn’t any sort of cactus, dry grass, or sage brush around. It was barren.

She ran a hoof through her mane as she tried to rack her brains on what happened. “I was in the air… Why didn’t I just get Twilight to check it out?” She could’ve kicked herself for her own stupidity. “Nothing’s what it seems... What would Twilight do in this situation?”

“Probably not fly right up to it,” she answered herself.

She scanned the sky when a tidal wave or realization dumped over her. She wasn’t in trouble, she wasn’t stranded; getting back would be easy. She had assumed there was some sort of portal in the sky where she fell from. All she had to do was fly up there and find it, and she’d be home before losing any more training time, and this whole encounter could be put behind her.

She gave her wings a flap… and then another and another. Nothing. “No—no—no! I have to—” She pushed off with her hind legs; her wings stirred up a cloud of dust as she leapt.

“Ow!” Dash lifted her snout out of the ground, spitting out bits of sand. What the hay? She gave her wings some experimental flaps, changing the speed and angles. But every angle and speed she tried only fanned the ever-growing dust cloud.

As determined to fly as she was, Dash had to stop. Her wings were heavy, her back was sweaty, and her head was pounding. Flying, it seemed, wasn’t possible, and she knew if she kept at it much longer she’d pass out from heat exhaustion.

Panting, she cast a forlorn look at the sky. “I guess I have to walk…”

Rift

“Wait! Apple Bloom!” Applejack’s voice echoed throughout the castle.

Twilight leaped off her chair in shock as Apple Bloom came barging in with her sister on her tail.

“She’s gone! She’s gone!” Apple Bloom cried.

“You’re speaking nonsense.”

“You gotta believe me,” she insisted, ignoring her sister and staring at Twilight with desperate intent.

“Wha-what’s going on?” Twilight finally spoke.

“Rainbow Dash! Sh-she’s g-gone!” stammered Apple Bloom.

Twilight cast a look at Applejack for help.

“I think she reckons she saw Rainbow Dash disappear,” Applejack said.

“She did!” Apple Bloom stamped her hoof.

“Sugarcube, Rainbow Dash just can’t disappear. This is part of her new act.”

“No—ugh! It’s not that! She’s gone.”

Twilight held up her hoof before Applejack could counter argue. “Alright! Just start from the beginning. Please.”

Apple Bloom took a deep breath. “I was leaving Sweetie Belle’s, going home, when Rainbow Dash asked if I wanted to see her new routine—the one Scootaloo wouldn’t stop talking about—so, I figured it would be pretty cool. Anyway, she did it for me and it was pretty cool. She did her disappearing act… well kinda—”

“What do you mean kind of?” Twilight asked.

“She messed up on the final part and begged to do it again. And that’s where things got weird. She became distracted; she wouldn’t stop staring at something on the ground.”

“What was it?” asked Twilight.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything. She flew toward it; whatever it was. Then… then she… sh-she just vanished.”

“Just like that?” Twilight asked. She doubted this was a cheap sleight of hoof trick Apple Bloom was describing.

“Like when you teleport.” Apple Bloom gulped. “Sh-she looked scared right before she vanished.”

“Are you sure that’s what you saw, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with more concern.

Apple Bloom, incapable of responding any further, nodded as her golden eyes watered.

Applejack pulled her sister into an embrace, nuzzling into her neck. “Hey, it’ll be alright. I’m sure Rainbow Dash is fine,” she whispered.

“Show me where you were, Apple Bloom,” Twilight urged.

The filly nodded again, sniffling, and freed herself from her sister’s clutches.

Twilight and Applejack kept a few paces behind Apple Bloom, who moved at a fast walk-trot gait. Her legs were short, but Twilight still found it difficult to keep up with her.

“I’m sorry for barging in like that, Twi. I saw Apple Bloom high-tailing for the castle. I could only stop her for a few seconds and didn’t get much from her.”

“Don’t worry, Applejack. Something’s got her really worked up. Let’s just hope it isn’t as bad as it sounds.”

“So, any ideas?”

Twilight had several ideas: none of them were good. A non-unicorn can’t simply vanish into thin air without another unicorn present or dark magic at work. Oh, but of course! Twilight fought the urge to facehoof. How could I have forgotten to ask who else was present? The details matter!

Feeling Applejack’s gaze, she shook her head. It was best to not jump to conclusions.

“Here!” shouted Apple Bloom, coming to an abrupt halt. “I was standing right here.” She spun on the spot to face Twilight and Applejack. “And Rainbow Dash was up there”—she pointed over Twilight’s head—“when she disappeared.”

Applejack and Twilight split up, each walking toward where Apple Bloom pointed. “Well, what do ya reckon, Twi?” asked Applejack, looking around the area with little regard.

“I’m not sure. Everything looks normal. But…” Twilight trailed off staring at an unspecified part of sky above her. “But magic can leave traces, especially powerful magic… Apple Bloom, who else was here?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “It was only me and Rainbow Dash.”

Just as I feared. “Applejack, don’t move! Whatever you do, don’t move any closer.”

“Closer to what?”

Twilight held up a hoof for silence. The spell she was thinking of was complex and took a lot of energy. She only hoped she was wrong.

Concentrating on the flow of magic, she traced it from her horn to the magic that surrounded her; everything felt calm. Twilight navigated images of tranquil ocean of energy forming in front of her. Feeling confident, she pushed forward, extending her conscious across the smooth plane. She pushed on until the energy became choppy, and Twilight felt gaps where her spell would almost break. And then there was nothing.

Gasping, Twilight fell back on her haunches as her spell fizzled out. Panting, she held her head in her hooves.

“What is it?” Applejack rushed over to help Twilight back to her hooves.

“A fissure.”

Apple Bloom cocked her head to one side.

“A tear or hole in the fabric of magic. They’re extremely dangerous.” Twilight cast a nervous glance at the affected area. “Applejack, I need you to get your brother and supplies. We need to fence this area off as soon as possible. Apple Bloom, can you go tell Rarity to get the rest of my friends here. Then go get Spike and help him carry every book by Starswirl The Bearded here,” Twilight said with the most urgency and confidence she could muster.

“Got it!” Apple Bloom cantered off for the Carousel Boutique.

“I’m on it, Twi!” Applejack shouted.

Twilight trembled. The thought of a tear in the magic itself was frightening. To make matters worse, magical fissures were the result of magic ponies were strictly forbidden to mess with. Altering the fabric of magic had irrecoverable consequences. One small miscalculation could tear apart the very foundation of Equestria.

“Oh Rainbow, I hope I can get you out of this mess.” Just thinking of the places Rainbow Dash could be made her stomach turn over.

Oasis

Dash trudged through the smoldering sand one dust-covered hoof at a time. She had no idea where she was going. Unwilling to remain in the same spot, and convinced nothing good would happen if she did, she picked a direction to aimlessly trek the desert.

Hours could’ve passed and she wouldn’t have known it. The flat desert broke to towering sand dunes, each cresting to reveal an endless range of more dunes. One thing became apparent to Dash as she battled her way to the top of yet another dune: she needed to find water.

She was better at navigating from the air, but she wasn’t totally hopeless. To avoid wandering in circles, she picked the only thing she could to orient herself with a direction: the sun.

She had long given up cursing herself for flying toward an unknown flying object; mostly to to save energy, and because her desire to quench her thirst had never been so dire. All she could think about was how even the nastiest stale-water pond would have made her happy.

The other thing that occupied the back of her mind, when she could push water out, was her location. Equestria had deserts per se, but she had never heard of one like this. The deserts she knew about had desert foliage and critters and ponies. She didn’t know how, but she suspected she wasn’t in Equestria anymore.

It was near sunset, and her body was aching, begging for water. Her sweat-covered body had long since dried up; she no longer had any fluids to secrete, leaving her fur matted and dusty. Her mouth was chalk-dry and her eyes burned from irritation. Yet, she continued to walk.

A chilling wind picked up. At first Dash found it refreshing. But as the cold air blew against her face, it dried her ever-dry cotton mouth further.

She had been walking since she had arrived and still found nothing. A dull pain throbbed in her chest. She figured she wouldn’t last much longer. Her mind teetered between conscious and fantasies; she could feel it wander and drift away. Illusions of lakes presented themselves to her, each more believable than the last. One took shape of a vast ocean, transforming the towering dunes into massive swells.

She had half a mind to let go. But the other half was still holding on... still had hope. Come on, Dash! She shook the illusions away, never faltering from her path.

As she crested another dune, she spotted something different… Ahead, silhouetted in the sunset stood a tall pony-like creature. Its mane and tail flowed majestically in the wind.

Not really trusting her eyes, Dash approached the creature. But as she got closer, it became more real to her.

The creature was significantly taller than Dash, her head barely came to its back. Very pony-esque in body-shape: the face and neck were longer, the eyes were smaller, and there were lean muscles of raw power.

“Hello,” Dash croaked.

The tall pony looked at Dash with a soft expression. It—no he. The strong musk told Dash it was a stallion. He blinked his eyes slowly, lowering his head.

His eyes stayed fixed on Dash as she reluctantly approached.

The stallion’s eyes drilled into Rainbow’s dry-red-eyes. A feeling of peace resonated with her, and she felt him speak. He spoke through emotion; he spoke in her heart.

Friend.

He pushed his muzzle to hers, exchanging breath.

Friend.

“Friends,” Dash replied. “Water… water. Can you show me where water is?”

The stallion turned on the spot and walked away. He cast a look over his shoulder.

Follow.

She found it difficult to match his long stride. He was a creature that moved with intent, with purpose, and with grace. His legs worked in diagonal tandem as he shifted his gait to a trot. Each hoof kicked up little sand as he pranced. His long forelegs rose to his chest and his hooves curled at the fetlock, and then they seamlessly unfolded and returned to the ground. He held his head tall and proud and his tail elevated and arched.

Even on her best day, Dash’s form couldn’t compare. She knew even Rarity would fawn over his elegance. She continued to wonder what her other friends would think if they saw him as she followed him into the setting sun.

Ahead, a small gathering of palm trees stood in the day’s last light.

The stallion gave her a knowing glance; with a soft blink of his eyes, Dash felt it—no, she knew it inside herself.

Water. Safe.

Night

Night

Rainbow Dash pushed her back into the warmth while her stomach was nipped at by ice-cold air. Dumb blankets. She rolled over. Her nose was greeted with a musky, feral and masculine scent; it was comforting and real!

Her eyes shot open to short-black hair. She was up against the stallion she thought to be a delusion. Two soft brown eyes were looking down at her.

Safe, resonated in her heart, and she was overcome with the feeling of security.

“I thought you weren’t real,” she chuckled. “Err, thanks for, um keeping me warm… and safe.”

A wooden well sat in the middle of what appeared to be a ring of palm trees. A half-empty bucket laid next to her, which she plunged her face into, sucking down as much water as she could.

Feeling some of her strength return, she stood up and stretched her wings.

She noticed him eying them with interest and quickly tucked them to her side. “They aren’t much use here. I can’t fly… the air’s all wrong. It’s too heavy,” she said bitterly. She grunted and kicked at the ground.

With a single blink of his eye, warmth of understanding and sympathy spread through her.

“So who are you anyways?”

Friend.

“I know. But don’t you have a name?”

He lowered his head, and with a blink of his soft-brown eyes, powerful emotions surge through her. Each emotion contained too much information for her to sort through. She saw flashes of others like him, civilizations, fire and destruction, empty deserts—everything blurred as her mind strained to keep up. Swift as the Wind echoed through each image. He was a runner, a free spirit. He had travelled across the desert many times, in search of a companion. He had lost so much. There was pain… so much pain. He was alone… the last of his kind.

Dash clutched her chest. With a hoof she hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. In the span of a few seconds, she had leaned his life. And for the first time since she’s landed in the desert, she felt lonely too.

You? Sky Pony… you? he asked. Although there was emotion in his question, it was more of a longing to know. It seemed he was attempting to use her language.

“Sky pony? It’s Pegasus. Not that it matters… The name’s Rainbow Dash.”

You?

“I don’t know how to do that thing you do.” Dash focused on how she was feeling. She couldn’t be certain it worked; he gave no indication he had heard.

Rest.

“Rest? I can’t rest. I have to find a way home.”

Home. Dash felt a sense of belonging, and she knew that as far and wide as he traveled, he was always drawn back to the oasis. It was his home.

Friends... Dash thought to herself. My friends. “I can’t stay here. I have to get back to my friends who need me.”

He stood up and stretched his long neck. His eye pierced into hers.

Dash gasped. She felt a powerful surge of warmth and kindness as images of Twilight’s curious face, Pinkie’s giant smile, Applejack’s genuine nod of her head, Rarity’s charming smile, and Fluttershy’s empathic smile spun in her mind. The longing built up in her heart; she could never leave them.

Empathy... Dash thought. He can hear my thoughts. He can feel me missing them.

Help you.

Dash put a hoof on his back. “I’m sorry I can’t stay; you understand now, Swift as the Wind.”

Dash felt it, before she saw him react, an abrupt change in the wind. His muscles went stiff, and his eyes focused up toward the sky.

For the first time since she had met the mysterious stallion, she felt fear. Her heart was his heart as they hammered in their chests in time. Fear overpowered his instinct to flee.

Dash looked up to the starry sky, but saw nothing. The trees rustled, and the palm-leaves swayed as if in a gentle breeze, despite the strong wind pushing air in the opposite direction the leaves were blowing.

A sound behind her made her spin like on a swivel. At first she saw nothing, then the air distorted and a strange shape materialized. It seemed to float toward her.

As it got closer, Dash saw it was a four-legged, tall, faceless, apparition of shadows and smoke. It glided forward, distorting the air and ground as moved. She could feel its eyeless sockets focused on her as it drew closer. Another materialized, and then another… soon there were more than she could count.

The Stallion reared. He kicked at the shadows with his powerful forelegs. He let out a primordial neigh that pierced the silence of night.

Ear-piercing screams answered as the apparitions lurched forward with surprising speed.

Run!

Rainbow Dash bolted. The thundering in her ears told her he was right behind her. The shadow apparitions dwindled into the darkness, but she felt him still urging her to run for her life.

Veil

Twilight panted, finally releasing her spell. Forcing my way in with magic just won’t work. Even using Star Swirl’s portal spells are no use.

“Are you alright, Twi?” asked a concerned Applejack.

“I was close… so close to getting something. There were complex magical patterns that only belong to a sapient life form.”

“Maybe we should try again tomorrow,” suggested Applejack. “It’s getting late, and we know Rainbow’s in there and not going anywhere.”

Twilight shook her head. “We don’t know where she is. She could be in a dangerous place, she could be hurt.”

Twilight sat down next to her open book. I think Magical Resonance and Portal Properties isn't what I need here. Her eyes landed on the old worn book. It’s worth a shot.

Magical portals and travelling through the aether is a simple thing. But what if there were many hidden worlds? What if a pony could travel to them?

My research of the aether found something interesting. In a previous paper I wrote about magical fissures and how to close them. In my recent studies I came across the largest fissure even found. Call it a gaping hole. It was full of chaotic and unharnessed magic, but beneath that was order and logic and magical construct. Many of those structures were similar to our word, suggesting that inside this large fissure was a pocket of magic containing a whole other world.

In this paper I’ll be documenting my attempts to construct a portal into this world.

Twilight skipped over pages filled with equations scribbled in every corner, making a note to come back and look them over when she had time.

Think of the aether as a veil which exists in our world, and us unicorns can channel magic from it. Recent discoveries of another hole revealing similar properties to other one suggests there isn’t one pocket of magic containing a world, but perhaps millions upon millions of realities. Each pocket is a possible point of entry; much like a distant shore

I shall list my equations on the next page, but due to the potentially disturbing nature of this profound discovery, I shall not publish this paper.

Twilight glanced over the various equations. They were beyond her abilities. She skipped ahead to see if he made any more findings.

I’ve completed the construction of my portal and hid it out of phase so no one accidently enters it. A simple spell shall reveal it.

Mapping the pocket of magic proved near impossible at first, as I was met with resistance of incredible force. However, entering the world is easier than one would think.

All unicorns in this world use a positive charge when they cast spells (see my paper on magical polarities). To enter this world a unicorn needs to have a neutral charge (a charge equal to the resonance of Equestria). To do this one must embrace the chaos inside the portal in lieu of pushing past it.

I feel as if I’m nearly ready to physically enter my portal. There is something down there so much like us, yet more complex. When crossing I’ll have to change the polarity of my construct to neutral (imbue it with dark magic) so my magic works in there.

Twilight skimmed through the other pages. She found the spell to reveal the portal and a note at the end saying Star Swirl never got to use the portal as it vanished. He didn't take into account the sub-aether he discovered could shift. He predicted it would once again reappear, but he couldn’t be certain when. The equations on the following page were scribbled out as if he became frustrated and gave up.

“Hey girls,” Twilight shouted over her book. “Stand back.”

Reading the spell once more, Twilight charged her spell at the general area of the portal. With a blast of purple light, Twilight’s horn was directed to the center as she pulled a massive stone arch into view.

Rarity let out a gasp of surprise while Applejack stumbled backwards.

“She couldn’t see all of it. The spell Star Swirl used to hide it was deteriorating. I think she flew in for a closer look and was sucked in. I think all ponies are positive charged, not just unicorns.” Twilight took a step back, her rump bumping into the fence. She could feel the portal pulling at her.

“Where in tarnation did that thing come from?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Well, that’s… that’s a long story. But, it was built by Star Swirl,” Twilight answered.

“Has it always been there?” asked Apple Bloom.

“No. It disappeared many years ago. I don’t think it’s been here very long, and it may not stay much longer either.” I need more time with those equations.

“Apple Bloom why don’t you go keep Sweetie Belle company?” Rarity offered a kind smile to the filly’s defiant stare. “Please?”

“Good idea, Rares. You heard her,” Applejack chimed in.

Apple Bloom muttered under her breath and stalked off.

“And tell her everything is fine!” Rarity yelled after her.

“Maybe-um, maybe I should go home too,” Fluttershy said.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Well, if you don’t need me too—”

“This is no place for a foal. Dear, we need you.”

Fluttershy deflated behind her mane. “Oh, okay.”

Twilight turned her attention back to the portal. Embrace the chaos, don’t fight it. Here goes something....

Phantoms

Rainbow Dash let her gait slow to a walk. Her head was pounding. “Few, glad we got away from whatever those things were.” She heard the Stallion come to a halt behind her. “What were those things?”

She felt a twinge of uncertainty then nothing.

“It’s okay if you don’t know. You wouldn’t believe some of the crazy things my friends and I have seen.”

She felt his presence touch hers again. She had grown used to having him there in such a short time, but it felt as if she had always known him.

In the distance Dash made out decrepit structures of sandstone and rock. It looked like one good sandstorm could blow them away.

The Stallion stopped, overcome with forlorn longing. His grief overwhelmed him. He kicked at the ground, dragging his hoof through the sand.

“Hey.” She put her hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright.”

He reared, squealing and kicking. Dash was forced to dive out of his reach as his hooves thundered onto the ground.

“Look at me!” Trembling, Dash put her nose to the agitated stallion’s. “Friends.” Remember? Friends? He flooded her mind with images and her heart with emotions. Too much. Too much. “Aahhh!”

His hot breath blew over her face. You leave me too.

Before she could recover from the information overload, he cantered off at breakneck speed.

“Hey, come back!” She rubbed a hoof to her head as the dust cloud settled. “I guess I can go to the oasis and wait for him to come back. Where else can I go?”

“There’s just one problem… I’m lost again.” She about-faced, looking for her own tracks: something that proved near impossible in the dark.

Suddenly, as if the desert had heard her, the sky flashed with bright colors, blinding her. A stone archway formed right in front of her. A translucent blue swirled between the stone pillars.

Through the pillars she caught a glimpse of a distorted purple figure. “Twilight?” This is it! The way home!

She took a step toward it when she felt a familiar presence touch hers. Then she heard those powerful hooves on the ground. She felt him racing toward her.

Danger!

Dash spun around. Five shadow apparitions were advancing on her.

In a flash of shiny black hooves and white teeth he kicked and bit at them.

She didn’t wait a second later and leaped toward the leader. Hooves outstretched, Dash was going to meet this nightmare head-on—

Something grabbed at her. For a second she hung dumbfounded in midair. A bright purple aura surrounded her; gradually, she was pulled backwards, straight for the portal.

So long Sky Pony. My friend.

The last thing she heard was a squeal of pain.

“I got you, Rainbow. Just hang on!” Twilight’s strained voice commanded.

It was so dark the stars did little to provide light. Each step crunched and echoed loudly against the night.

“Oh, I hope he comes back soon. It’s so quiet and empty here.”

"Dashie! You did it, Twilight!” Pinkie cheered.

“No! Send me back!” Dash pleaded.

“Back?” Rarity asked. “You want to go back?”

“Hurry. He’ll die!” Realizing she was free of Twilight’s magical hold, she bolted for the portal.

“You can’t go back! It’s overrun by chaotic manifestations.” Twilight’s aura dragged her back again.

“Please!” she pleaded. “They’ll kill him.”

“Who?”

“M-my-my friend.” Somehow that word had more power than it ever had before. “He saved my life… twice.”

“Well, what are we standing around for?” Applejack asked. “A friend is in need.”

“We can’t just run through the portal—okay, but we have to be quick. The world is destabilizing.” Everypony made their way to the portal, Dash in the lead. “Wait!” Everyone froze.

Twilight light her horn, firing it at the portal. “The portal is unicorn constructed, therefore positively charged. I changed it to a neutral charge.”

“Meaning what?” Dash spat. We’re wasting time!

“No time! Go!”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.” Dash waited no longer and jumped through.

There were more apparitions than she could count. Not waiting for the others, Dash charged into the them. Strangely, they scattered when she got close. She lowered her head and charged to the center. “Get out! Get off him!”

As the others caught up, the remaining apparitions scattered.

All that remained on the crimson stained sand was a single black mass. Patches shone in the reflection of the ambient light.

Dash rushed to him, kneeling down. He looked at her with his gashed face, his eyes soft as ever. Friend.

“Friends.”

“Oh my,” Rarity gasped. “Such a beautiful po—creature.”

“This must be what Star Swirl sensed here. Equine looking in all respects. Just not a pony.”

“Oh my, he’s hurting badly,” Fluttershy said softly, tears running down her face. “Can you feel it? He’s communicating.” She pressed a hoof to her chest.

“Guys, we can’t leave him here,” Dash said, not taking her eyes off him.

My home.

Dash felt that familiar sensation of at peace. The one she felt in the oasis. “But it doesn’t have to be. You can have friends in Equestria.”

I belong here.

Twilight and Rarity gasped.

“I felt it,” said Twilight.

“Me too,” whispered Rarity.

“He’ll die if we leave him here,” Dash cried.

“Sugarcube, I think he knows.” Applejack stepped forward. “I can feel something in him I understand really well. Like Sweet Apple Acres for me, there’s no place he’d rather be.”

“He’s lost so much. He can have a family again.” She put her muzzle to his and stared into his eyes. Please. You’re hurting me.

Fluttershy laid a hoof on Dash’s back pulling her into a light embrace.

Dash pushed Fluttershy off. “There must something we can do! Twilight?”

She felt his wet nose against hers once again. Friends.

“If he comes with us, there’s no coming back. I’m sealing the portal before any more harm can be done here.” Twilight bowed her head. “I-I’ve done a terrible thing.”

Noble Sky Pony, noble ponies of aether, noble ponies of earth and sky… my eternal gratitude. I join you.

A flash of happiness, and then Dash felt nothing but the cold desert air. The horizon glowed yellow; a new day about to dawn.

Twilight lifted the limp body in her magical embrace, guiding him through the portal.

Reckoning

Fluttershy was the last to join the group.

“Twilight,” Rarity asked with concern. “What’s this about? Apple Bloom said it was urgent. Where’s Rainbow Dash? And Applejack?”

“Right here,” Applejack answered, walking up behind Rarity. She was followed by her brother, who was pulling a cart loaded with wood.

Once all of her friends were gathered, Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay, everypony, this is the situation: there is a tear in the very fabric of magic in this area..." she trailed off. "A-and it s-seems Rainbow Dash fell through it.”

“Fallen—fallen through it?” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “Let’s go in and get her!”

“No!” Twilight bit onto Pinkie's tail and pulled her back before she could get any closer. “We have no idea where it sent her, and it could literally send us anywhere. Fissures are very unpredictable.”

“So what do we do?” Pinkie asked.

“Apple Bloom is fetching Spike, who will bring me all of Starswirl’s books. No one knows more about magical fissures than Starswirl—having been the first pony to discover them. Until then, we will help Applejack and Big Mac build a fence around this area. It’s too dangerous to keep this area open. Anypony could accidently fall in.”

“Um, how did she fall in?” asked Fluttershy. “I mean, since we can’t see it... it would be nice to know.”

“Unfortunately, it can only be seen from certain angles. Apple Bloom said it sort of pulled her in when she got too close,” Twilight explained. "I will try and pin-point its exact location, but for safety reasons, no one is to go any closer than this circle." A purple ring formed in the air and lowered itself to the ground, moving dirt out of its way as it dug a few inches in, etching a wide safety perimeter.

"We'll build the fence outside this line, Twi," Applejack said.

Twilight nodded her acknowledgement, and then set her mind to finding the exact location.

Twilight reached out with her magic, feeling her way to the spot devoid of magic. She felt a reverberation in her horn. A static buzzing vibrated in her skull as she plunged her spell into the void. Except there was something else there… Last time she had recoiled too soon. The spot wasn’t the random fissure she had thought. It had structure; it was stable; it had consciousness.

Curious, Twilight dug deeper. Chaotic strings of un-channelled magic assaulted her. The vibrations became almost unbearable. Her vision blurred. Her head ached as if her horn were being split in half. But she could sense something lurking beyond the chaos.

With all of her effort and will she pushed on.

It was near sensory overload as she felt complex and organized patterns. She pushed toward it. And the chaotic magic collected and pushed back with unimaginable force.

“Ahh!” In a flash of blinding purple-light, Twilight was thrown onto her back.

Twilight’s ears perked to several gasps. Her friends huddled over her, watching with concern.

“I’m alright,” Twilight panted. There was still a dull ache in her head, and a ringing in her ears made her feel slightly disoriented.

“Alright? Twilight, you were thrown like a piece discarded fabric.” Rarity offered a hoof for Twilight to pull herself upright, which she accepted. “How could you possibly be alright?” Rarity asked.

Now on her feet, Twilight felt the fuzz in her head clear. “I-I tried to find her… But this isn’t some ordinary tear. There’s something more in there.”

“Something more? What is it then?” Rarity asked.

Twilight racked her memory on how she felt so much resistance. I was literally thrown out.

“From what I’ve read, magical fissures are empty voids into the aether. This fissure goes somewhere. I could feel magical complexities that can only come from sentient life-forms. It was big... impossibly big.” As Twilight spoke, she realized how crazy and impossible the implications were.

“Twilight… are you saying there’s a whole world in there?” Rarity asked. Her eyes widened with sudden realization and fear. “Are you suggesting this isn’t a fissure, but a portal? An actual portal?”

“I-I don’t know, Rarity.” Twilight shook her head. “I hope not. If somepony is messing with portal magic, then we’ve got a serious problem. That magic was banned nearly a thousand years ago after the Starswirl experiments…”

Twilight and Rarity exchanged dark glances.

“Starswirl experiments?” asked Fluttershy.

“Terrible thing it was, darling,” Rarity answered. There was a momentary pause as the sound of Applejack and Mac started hammering the boards to the fence. “We had to learn about it—I think all unicorns have to at some point…”

“But what happened?”

“Basically,” Twilight said, “it was an attempt to create a transportation system. Starswirl discovered a way to cut through magic, space, and time, so ponies could instantly travel great distances. Except it all went horribly wrong. The portals destabilized the fabric of magic everywhere, and fissures started opening. Fissures were near impossible to see, and ponies fell into them and, more times than not, they were lost forever.”

Rarity shuddered. “It was terrible. The portal in Canterlot collapsed and nearly destroyed half of the city. Starswirl directed the explosion through the portal. Thankfully it was still in the testing phase and the other portal opened in the middle of nowhere. After that, the project was scrapped, all of the research was buried, and the use of portal magic was banned.”

“But what about that teleportation thing ya always do, Twi?” asked Applejack, peering over fence post.

“Teleportation doesn’t cut through the magical aether. A unicorn, or any pony the unicorn teleports, simply exists as pure magic for a split second… long enough to move to another location and rematerialize. It only works short range. Starswirl’s portal system would’ve transported tons of ponies from Canterlot to Manehattan or visa versa in seconds.”

“But a whole other world? Could such a thing exist?” Rarity asked quietly.

“Starswirl suggested it… I think.” Twilight shook her head. “Look, we don’t exactly know what we’re dealing with yet. This is a subject of magic I’m not entirely familiar with, mainly because it’s banned beyond just knowing about it. I have some of Starswirl’s old journals, and his published works on theoretical magic. Hopefully Spike arrives soon…”

Twilight exhaled. She needed to clear her head, focus on something else, anything else. Deciding helping her friends was the distraction she needed, she fetched a spare hammer from the wagon.

“No you don’t, sugarcube,” Applejack commanded. “Rest up. We’re gonna need your magical talents to get Rainbow out of this.”

“Yepers! We got this, Twilight!” Pinkie tossed a plank in the air. She spun around, smacking the board into place with her bushy tail. With a hammer in her forehoof, she drove the nail home in one swing. “See? Got this!” she sang.

Twilight returned the hammer, and sat on her haunches, watching, feeling flustered and desperate.

“Applejack!” Rarity whined. “This wood looks horrid.”

The rest of their conversation was drowned out from Macintosh hammering another fencepost into the ground.

Maybe they’re right. The constant magical attack made it exhausting to get in, and she was going to need in there again. Just the thought, though, of fighting the resistance made her head ache.

She couldn't shake the frustration of being unable to leap into action with a plan. Time was precious, and the longer they waited, the less likely retrieving Rainbow Dash would be. Part of her was tempted by a sudden reckless urge to jump in and find her. Fortunately, the logical side of her brain still worked and held her back. If there were a way out, surely Rainbow Dash would've found it by now. There's a simpler solution; there just has to be.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to mull much longer as a loud rattling noise rose from behind her.

Twi-Twilight!” Spike shouted out. He and Apple Bloom were running at full speed.

Twilight cringed as her books were unceremoniously thrown side to side in the bounding red wagon behind Spike.

“I—we’re here,” he said between gasps, clutching his side.

“Thank you, Spike.” Twilight began stacking her books neatly in the wagon, scanning the titles as she went. “No, no, no… maybe.” She sat the book into a separate stack. “No, no, maybe—Ooh! Magical Resonance and the Properties of Portals. Yes! And The Properties of Theoretical Magic, will be most helpful…”

Twilight pushed several time-travel related books off to one side. Below them were what she was really looking for: the Starswirl journals that documented his work and findings. As far a Twilight knew, she had the only copies to ever exist.

With a stack of tomes and old journals, Twilight was ready to dive in and get to work. Hold on, Rainbow, help is on the way.

Home

Equestria rushed back into view. Twilight set the Stallion down on the ground. How could I?

Next, a sobbing Rainbow Dash being supported by Pinkie Pie came through. A somber Applejack and a sobbing rarity followed. Fluttershy, hidden in her mane, was the last to come through.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Twi.” Applejack wrapped Twilight in a comforting embrace. “You did your best.”

“No. I-I didn’t. My magical attempts to force my way in caused the dark magic apparitions. They were copies of us, pulled from my memories. Each brute force attempt made them stronger. So strong, they manifested themselves.

“How do you think the were forced away from us when I changed the charge on the portal? They couldn’t exist with us there too as grounded entities.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Applejack reassured.

“No excuse! I messed with something I didn’t understand. I should’ve listened to you. I should’ve gone home, got some rest, did some research and—I nearly destroyed an entire world—”

“Shh.” Applejack placed a hoof over her mouth. “You did what you felt was right. We’re connected in ways we can’t imagine. Even those beyond our world it seems. How could you have possible known, even if you had years to study Star Swirl’s work? He never made it through the portal.”

Twilight rested her head against Applejack. She knew Applejack was probably right, but it didn’t help her feel any better.

Charging her horn and capturing all of the negative energy around the portal, Twilight forced it into the clear blue center. In a manner of seconds the portal collapsed on itself and vanished, leaving no trace of its existence. Reaching out with her magic, she felt nothing but a smooth calm ocean of magic, in perfect balance.

“With the apparitions gone, and no more interference from us, I think the world will harmonize itself like ours.” The theory of Distant Shores proven as fact, but we are in no way ready. Maybe one day, though.

“You guys!” Dash shouted abruptly. “He’s breathing.”

Sure enough, there was a rise and fall of his barrel. A soft presence pushed against Twilight’s.

In spite of everything, Twilight smiled. “Let’s get him to Fluttershy’s.” She lifted him once again. A powerful emotion of content and peace flowed through her heart.

Home. Friends.