Chapter 1: The third kind
Twilight watched as ponies went by her library. Nothing new there, simply ponyfolk going this way and that on their daily business. She did not have anything to do that day, so she had settled down for a good book to read. The book in particular was speculating on the chances of life on a planet, and what one would expect if it were so that they weren't alone. Twilight always enjoyed these books, and she had read this one at least 3 times. There was still something else she had yet to do if she were to really enjoy herself today. She turned and hollered out of her study.
"Spike?? Spiiiiiiiike?"
"Alright, alright, heard you the first time! What is it?" Spike returned the shout.
"Would you boil up some water for me, so I can have some tea?"
"No can do, Twilight! We're all out of tea!" Twilight's hoof hit her face, groaning loudly.
So much for nothing to do... She got up from her very comfortable rug to head out the door. But before she did that, she turned to spike, who was staring, smiling innocently at her. Twilight glared, pointing an accusing hoof at the dragon. "Don't raid the ice cream while I'm gone." Spike's smile turned into a frown. Twilight giggled, ruffling his head. "I'm off to Zecora's for some of my favorite tea. If everything goes well, I'll be back by five, okay?"
The dragon nodded. With that, Twilight was off. She briskly trotted south towards the Everfree forest, always notorious for looking kinda creepy and harboring dangerous animals. But if you looked at it from a scientific standpoint, it's quite beautiful in the variety of lifeforms and the way the trees' leaves hang over roads less trodden. It was a minute's walk before one got to Zecora's house, a strange little tree with holes strategically cut out in it's lumps, where windows were placed. Twilight always liked it, really. Their tastes are similar! Twilight gently rapped on the door, which opened up to reveal the smiling zebra behind it.
"Twilight Sparkle, friend to me!
What brings you to the Everfree?"
"Well, I was wondering if you had any of that tea that I really like. You know, the stuff that clears the mind?"
"You wish to have my special brew?
Well, come inside and wait a few!"
Zecora opened the door, and Twilight stepped through. She idly sat by the pot, which was bubbling green, as it usually did. As she waited, she wondered how Zecora knew how to make the best potions. After all, she supplied the local medical facility. Then she remembered a book about alchemy, which was known rather unaffectionately as "The dirty brother of magic". It was an alternate way to use magic for tasks like becoming invisible, but it primarily needed material things, being part of the earth, to work properly. Which might explain why many of the recipes required flowers and other herbs. She supposed it was looked down upon in the past because anypony could do it. Zecora's voice snapped her away from her thoughts.
"I have plenty of this delightful tea.
this should last you a week, or three!"
Twilight waved, heading out the door. "Thanks, Zecora! I suppose I'll see you at the mar-"
BOOM!!
A bright red flash shone from within the forest, and the following shock wave like thunder shook the earth. Zecora had to dive for her potion bottles which were teetering off the shelves. She pulled on her cloak as she stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.
"What... was that?" She asked, entirely avoiding using any rhyming.
If Twilight was surprised by Zecora's lack of rhyming, she didn't show it. "I don't know, but It can't be natural, even for the forest. We'd better check it out."
...
Twilight used her horn to scan around her, following the energized remnants of magic which still clung to the air. It had been at least twelve minutes since that crimson blast shook the forest. Twilight found it odd how strong the energy still was. Her most powerful spells usually decay entirely in two minutes. This... blast was still seventeen eighteenths as strong as it's origin strength. The area seemed to be warming up as well, despite how cold the forest would usually get. Onwards she continued, until the heat became somewhat... uncomfortable. It was a while since she saw any actual light, save for Zecora's glowing eyes, which reminded her how zebra magic was exhibited in the senses, but there was a bright red glow now. She then noticed the Zebra's ears swiveling a little. She must be hearing something. Twilight focused her magic to concentrate her hearing.
"Doc, what makes you think that this forest is possibly chaotic?"
"It's the energy signature, boy. I know chaotic magic when I feel it, and this is crawling with it."
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. It was most certainly language, she knew that for sure. But she never even heard it before. It was just entirely foreign! She continued to listen, baffled by the weird language. She slowly sneaked to the source of the voices.
"Tom, how goes the air quality check? Any contaminants?"
"Negative, Doctor. Temperatures also seem stable, if a little cold."
Twilight walked through a few bushes to find the source of the red light. A rectangular frame stood in the middle of the clearing, an eerie glow emanating from the center. The frame clearly had seen better days. the sides were covered in rust, and the metal steps were worn and cracked. Strange figures were around the frame, which twilight couldn't quite make out.
"Very good then. Uh, Krystal, Would you mind shutting off the hypergate?"
"No problem, Doctor." There was another clap of thunder, and the red light dissipated from the area. The magic energy also seemed to decay instantaneously.
Twilight got a closer look at the figures. Each one was encased in steel from head to toe. They stood on two legs, at least as tall as the princess of the sun herself. glowing green lines came from what she assumed were the joints on the strange beings. Looking at their heads, she saw that that was also encased in metal, but if she squinted, she could make out a pair of eyes. One of them spoke in their strange tongue.
"Doctor, I'm afraid we have contact. The most likely cause is that we forgot to bring along perception filters." All five figures turned their heads toward her at once. She gasped loudly.
"you're always forgetting things, aren't you Doc?"
"Rick, do care to remember your place. I am your master, and you are my student. Now, let's take care of our problem."
This couldn't be happening. Of all the times to run into an alien species, why did it have to be within a creepy forest with no protection and no (really close) friends with her?? Her legs shook as she slowly backed away, trying to get some distance from the potentially dangerous aliens. One of them touched the side of it's head and revealed its face behind its helmet. It had what looked like a pair of goggles over its eyes. What kind of Thing was it? What ever it was, there was not an inch of hair on its face, save for the eyebrows and goatee. It was a little unpleasant for the purple pony to gaze upon. The alien stepped forward on its two legs, quickly closing the gap between it and her. It knelt down, and she whimpered in fright as it reached one of it's appendages towards her. Oh jeez- was it trying to touch her?!? She fired a blast of magic at the thing. In almost an instant, the helmet formed around it's face and the beam bounced harmlessly off it. The hand retracted, and Twilight was frozen in a red aura which blocked her magic. Yes, this appeared to be the end, so she resigned herself to her fate, facing death with as much courage as she could muster, eyes blurry from tears.
The alien's hand once again reached out towards her, slowly and very cautiously. Confusion struck her as it wiped her tears away with its fur-less hand. She whimpered at the touch, and it gently shushed her. It's words came low and slowly. She had no clue what the words meant, but she thought it might be comforting.
"Little one, don't be afraid. Listen well, for there will be a day when you will understand me. I am indeed from another place, far from this world. Our kind are on a quest, sent by the intergalactic alliance of races to find new worlds and civilizations. We have not come here for ill intent, but to allow others to join our ranks, should they see fit to do so. But before we allow you to know of our presence, we must understand you. Our time to meet has not yet come, little one. For now, you will sleep, and forget seeing us. When the time is right, you'll remember.
Twilight's eyes drooped and a warmth filled her body. The last thing she saw was the alien lifting her from the ground, holding her close to his chest, before she drifted off into an induced sleep.
Zecora was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 2: Are those PAPER BOOKS??
Prison camp 322: log 1496
Status: BREACHED
Details: *At 400 hours, Inmate Scar broke out of his cell, wounding 251, killing 30. 12 Beings will be sent to the reanimation grids at top priority, The rest will be placed in the preservation vaults. Inmate Scar is yet to be recovered.*
End Log
...
Twilight's eyes opened up slowly, without any real hurry. Wow, That was a really good night's rest she had! Her trip to Zecora's went off without a hitch, she had some of her favorite tea, and she read up very thoroughly on that book she read that morning!
Wait, what was that book? She shrugged, paying no mind to the gap in her memory. She very frequently forgot things, after all. It would come to her by the afternoon, wouldn't it? Anyway, it was about time for her to get up so that she could have some breakfast. She came down the stairs, breathed deeply of the air, smelling fresh cooked eggs. How nice of Spike to set the table for her! There was a note on the table, but she couldn't understand the script:
Greetings.
By the time you understand what this says, you might not remember what I am talking about, but for what it's worth, I hope that the sleep spell I put on you was a restful one, at the least.
However, this is not the point. Once you decipher this, I would like you to enter the forest and head southeast for two miles. You should find a rusty steel frame, and hopefully, my kind and I. Please do not come speaking your own dialect, but ours, so that we know that you can understand us fully and clearly. I will inform you of details later.
Regards,
Doctor Ray Sanders of the
Inter-Galactic alliance.
Twilight rolled up the note to put on her desk. It was awfully strange. Did somepony make a donation to the archives? She never saw this kind of script before. Well, she had some errands to run, so she finished her eggs and walked out the door.
...
The day went by, as it should have, with no real problems. She bought extra quills, parchment, and gems for Spike. She also managed to sort out an argument between Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and bake a couple of cupcakes on the way. Satisfied with her work, she started to head back home with spike by her side.
"So where were you this morning?" Spike asked. Twilight was confused.
"Whatever do you mean? I woke up for breakfast, didn't I? I just assumed you went off early."
"Twilight, you wake up at the crack of dawn. I cooked some extra eggs for when you got up at around nine."
Twilight giggled nervously. "I guess I slept in, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did. For three hours. Must have been a rough night."
Twilight casually walked up to the library. She heard steps within. That's odd... Well no, it isn't really odd, I mean it's a public library, but hardly anypony visits. It's a shame, they really should... Stepping up to the door, she could hear voices within. Spike pressed his ear to the wood.
"Alright, try this one."
"Supper... nah-tru-alls."
"Wrong. It's pronounced 'Super Naturals'. You can't double up on the P's. And remember, the language does not say the A.L.S. as strongly as ours."
"Sorry Doc. You know, it's funny that we're reading these things out of paper books."
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
Another voice spoke. Clearly there wasn't just one in there. "It's also funny that you're acting so calm now, even though twenty minutes before, you were squealing 'ARE THOSE PAPER BOOKS?? GREAT SCOTT, SOMEONE HELP ME BREAK IN!!'"
Yelling? That's not good. Twilight pushed the door open, stepping through.
"Not good, HIDE!!"
The room was empty. Twilight stared at the very empty room in extreme confusion.
"...Spike?"
"...Yeah?"
"Were you hearing what I was hearing?"
"I think so..."
"I think it's time for a little bit of instant messaging."
Twilight deemed it unsafe to do any dictating. For several minutes, there was only the sound of a quill scratching on parchment, before she bound the parchment up in a ribbon for Spike to use his flame on, sending it to her mentor. She then motioned for Spike to follow her. Her worries about intruders were reaffirmed when she heard another voice, barely at a whisper.
"...Doc, I think we might have been caught. And too early."
...
Twilight's hair was a mess. If you knew Twilight, that was a bad sign. Messy hair meant paranoia, and paranoia lead to her so called "drastic measures", which was just another phrase for "foolish ideas". While she still had the sanity in her, she ran as fast as she could to Sweet apple acres, where she may possibly speak with the spirit of honesty. The orange farm pony was seen doing her typical work of harvesting the apple crop.
"APPLEJACK!!!" Twilight shouted very loudly, making spike cover his sensitive ears. "WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!" She scampered up to her, nearly getting kicked in the process. Thankfully, the hooves only collided with the trunk of the apple tree.
"Holy smokes!! Y'all had better watch yer head there, Twi!"
Twilight grabbed the farm pony by cheeks. "BIG PROBLEM!! BIG PROBLEM WHICH IS BIGGER THAN ANY OTHER I'VE HAD!! BIG PROBLEM WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT INVOLVE THE CURRENT STATE OF MY SANITY!!"
"Y'all tardy for a friendship report...?"
"NO!! BIGGER!! THERE ARE GHOSTS IN THE LIBRARY, I CAN HEAR THEM!!"
"...Would ye' kindly mind slowin' down a mite there, sugarcube?"
Twilight let go of her cheeks, letting the farm pony rub the soreness out of them. "All right... This morning, everything went normally as it should, I did my errands, right? Now I was heading home, when Spike and I heard voices. When we entered the library, the voices entirely stopped. So then I wrote to the princess-"
"Y'all insane??"
"-asking her if it was really ghosts, of if I was just going mad."
"Look, Ah donno what ta' say about this, but if ye' got th' princess involved, then y'all are probably able ta handle this on yer own. Now, if you'll excuse me," Twilight's forelegs suddenly wrapped around her neck. "AAH! What in tarnation-?!"
"Oh, thank you, Applejack! Thank you so much for listening to me!"
Applejack awkwardly returned the gesture, patting her back. "Yer welcome, Twilight... That's what friends're for, right?"
The moment was interrupted by a loud belch from spike, paired with a green flame. Twilight read the letter aloud: "Twilight, Don't panic, I'll be at the library at any moment. Signed, Celestia."
"Oh boy," Applejack understated. Two ponies, and one dragon, went as fast as their hooves/feet could carry them. The solar princess was already there when they arrived. Relief swept over Twilight as she saw her mentor.
"Twilight Sparkle, you're late." She said.
Twilight's ears fell and she was going to apologize before she was wrapped in Celestia's warm embrace.
"By five seconds. I expect you to be more on time later on." She smirked, and the two shared a little laughter. Applejack "politely" cleared her throat, and they broke the hug.
"Sorry fer breakin' up yer li'l moment, but why are ye' here anyway?"
Celestia's demeanor changed from happy to serious. "I found something as I was looking around the library, but I think we should gather everypony together first."
...
Pinkie hopped excitedly. "Wow, aliens?! Oh my gosh, I'm soooo excited! Maybe I'll talk to one of them and teach them all about Equestria and it's PARTIES!!! With ponies so far away from there, they're bound to be all unhappy, because they don't have me! I'm gonna have a lot of work to do making them all smile! Could I possibly make friends with an entire species?? Oh, I must try it out! They can't be any harder to make happy like Cranky Doodle, I mean, does it get any harder to put a smile on a face than putting one on him? Well, there might be other donkeys which suffer from chronic depression, but I'm Pinkie, so I should be able to put a smile on their faces too! So Rarity! What're we here for?"
Rarity woke up from her stupor after a failed attempt to keep up with her talking. "What? Oh, Can't say I have the faintest idea, darling. Do you have any idea, Fluttershy?"
"No, not really... I was thinking about what strange and fantastic creatures they might have to care for so far out there..." Fluttershy smiled, sighing with delight.
Rainbow dash scoffed. "Who cares about animals, I wanna see if they can keep up with me!"
Celestia held up a hoof and the ambient chatter died away. Save for Pinkie pie, which Rainbow Dash had to jam her own hoof in her mouth to make her stop talking. Being pinkie, she sucked away at the hoof happily, mumbling something through it about cotton candy.
"Now," Celestia said. "I know you're wondering why you're all here in the library at the moment, so I'll get right to the point." Her horn glowed golden, and a pair of what looked like... goggles... floated into view. However, there was no band or anything aside from the lenses which went over a pony's eyes. The lenses didn't even seem to connect, yet they floated there as if suspended by magic energy. Celestia proved the fact by holding only one of the lenses with her magic while the other hung in midair a perfect half inch from it. The ponies stared in awe.
"Do you think it might belong to the ghosts?" Twilight asked.
"No, we're not dealing with ghosts here, Twilight. What we're dealing with are aliens, I think."
Pinkie pumped her arm. "CALLED IT!!" Twilight jumped at the sudden shout.
Celestia continued. "As far as I can tell, these aliens use for their tasks a magic/technology hybrid, while we use mostly magic, and not very much on the way of technology."
Pinkie spoke up again. "Twilight's a scientist, maybe she would look good in those!"
The six stared for a moment, confused at the notion of wearing somepony-else's accessories. They started chattering among themselves, wondering whether it would be a good idea or not. Then Twilight did something they never expected. She took the goggles in her own aura and half-haphazardly put them over her eyes. Pinkie's pinkie sense never went off when she approached it, so what would a pair of goggles do anyway?
Twilight admired herself in a mirror. It did look good on her didn't it?. Suddenly, the purple unicorn shouted in pain. A thousand things surged through her head. Algorithms. Biological makeup. Genomes. Planetary structures. Solar systems. She writhed on the floor and everypony watched in horrified shock. full histories of twenty different species. fourteen different magic frequencies. five hundred and twenty three different spells. Eighty four different languages. Then memories filled her of friends she never knew and relatives long gone. One of those memories shook her to the core, and she tore off the things, throwing them at the other side of the room. The whole ordeal lasted twelve point thirty three seconds. She stood, gasping for breath, tears still falling down her cheeks from the moment of terror. What the hay happened? Fluttershy was the first to rush over to her, meticulously examining her for any injuries. Celestia scanned her body to check for potential hexes. Pinkie had a very sad frown on her face.
"Twilight, what were you thinking?!?" Celestia scolded her.
"I'm so sorry, I should have known something was wrong!" Pinkie whimpered.
"You'd better be thankful that that thing didn't do any actual damage to you!"
"I didn't get a pinkie-sense, so I thought nothing was going to happen, but something was wrong, and I didn't notice, and now Celestia's scolding you when she should be yelling at me for being irresponsible and OH TWILIGHT, FORGIVE ME!!"
The group abruptly broke out into commotion, each pony having their own words to say. Twilight couldn't isolate what any of them were saying, and it was starting to hurt her ears. As soon as it started, they all stopped talking, and Twilight was swept into a sea of pony-love and concern. Pinkie and Fluttershy were bawling their eyes out. Rarity and Applejack were simply hugging her. Rainbow Dash's hooves gently rested on her shoulders and Celestia was nuzzling her cheek.
"Are you alright, Twilight Sparkle?" Celestia asked quietly.
"I'm not sure..." The group paused to look at her for a moment. "W-what...? What did I..."They continued to stare. Why couldn't they understand her? She could understand herself, if only that her words were slightly different- Twilight gasped in her own realization. She tried to speak again, but only foreign words came out of her mouth. She tried speaking very carefully, but still the same result came to her. "I... Why can't I..." She whimpered.
Applejack pulled her closer. "I'm sorry, Twi, I guess ye' just got a curse, or somethin'. Don't think there's nothin' we can do about it right now."
"It's not a curse, c-curses actually hurt ponies-"
"Shhh, don't talk, I'm sure Celestia will figure somethin' out."
The ponies slowly left the room, downcast with Celestia carrying the purple pony on her back. A man faded into view after they all left, and released a breath that he had held for far too long. Slowly, the man walked to the other side of the library. He picked up the pair of goggles, now with a cracked lens. He stared at it for a time.
"What have I done... I meant for you to learn of us, but not like this... Forgive me for leaving behind such a dangerous thing, Twilight Sparkle."