The Science of Mind Merging

CHAPTER 2

Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.  Twilight held a lantern above her with her magic.  A copper plate on the left wall read “Wing B”.  The entire dungeon was devoid of any semblance of life, save for the damp floors, growing mold, and the occasional rat.

Twilight quietly counted the cells,  “...twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine.”  She let out a terrified gasp.  In the back of the cell was a pony.  Twilight jumped back when she heard a sharp wheeze coming from him.  The pony's mane and tail hair was grey and sparse, matching its skin.  He didn't seem to notice her.

Twilight's curiosity suddenly struggled against her fear for her life.  Her eyes darted to either side.  There was still nopony around.  All she could hear was her own heavy breathing, periodically interrupted by the prisoner's.

Twilight Sparkle was confused.  Why would anypony be locked up down here?  Why would there be an instruction to go to the dungeons and perform some spell?  Twilight sighed.  The only way to know these things was to do the spell, and she knew it.

She tried to prepare her target in the cell,  “H-hello?”

He wheezed again.

“Can you hear me?”

No response, save for another strained wheeze.

She rolled her eyes,  “Well, that certainly helped.”

Twilight thought for a moment.  Could she be held responsible for her actions?  The instructions were there, was it her fault to follow them?  She couldn't know the exact nature of the spell until it was cast.

Regular, everyday unicorn magic was a simple matter of exercising one's will on the world around them.  Complex incantations like this were entirely different.  Words of power like these aren't invented, only discovered.  It's been said that the first magical incantation was discovered accidentally, in casual conversation, with destructive results.  The rest were found through random trial and error by eager unicorns, with further destructive results.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.  She steadied her breathing, and her horn began to glow.  She opened her eyes and whispered the incantation on the parchment.  Her horn glowed brighter.  She gazed at the other pony.  As the spell began to take effect, her breathing grew heavier.  The grey stone of the dungeon walls faded from her view.  All that she saw was the pony.  A million thoughts flew through her mind.  She tried to remember them, but she couldn't seem to focus on anything.  All she could do was look at the jailed pony.  His wheezing became louder and louder.  The sound was becoming unbearable.  She screamed in pain.

Twilight awoke in a great, pitch-black expanse.  It was entirely devoid of anything even resembling anything of any description.  It was just a big, black, empty, black space.  There wasn't even a floor or anything.  She just sort of hung in the air, if it could be called air, which it realistically could not.

A single wisp of light popped into existence just in front of her.  It danced all around her face before sitting motionless in the air.  Twilight oriented herself to face it just as it suddenly accelerated directly toward the center of her face.  She screamed out of pure surprise and, without warning, blacked out.

Twilight awoke with a start.  She had collapsed on the floor.  Her head was pounding.  The only thing on her mind was a surprisingly vivid image of Star Swirl the Bearded.  The grey pony in the cell was unchanged, still breathing in bursts and unaware of Twilight's presence.

She began her long trek out of the dungeon.  How long had she been unconscious?  Her brother might be looking for her.  Princess Celestia would certainly be worried if she was suddenly missing.

Suddenly, she heard something.  It sounded remarkably like somepony clearing their throat.  For the third time that day she looked around, and for the third time she found that she was entirely alone.

My name is Star Swirl the Bearded.

Twilight gasped.

You have successfully followed my instructions.  Your magic is indeed powerful if you were able to cast the Mind Merging spell.

“What's going on?”  Twilight said.  He didn't seem to hear her;  if he did, he didn't seem to care.

I had passed a part of my own mind on to him so that I could impart this message.  I wish to bring the knowledge of this spell to future generations, and so far you have been the first to use it.  Thus, I will explain the spell and its origins to you.

Before I continue, I should clarify what you are experiencing. I am simply a memory being accessed by your mind.  You extracted this memory from the stallion over there and brought it to your own mind.  This is the essence of Mind Merging.  You see, the mind is a wonderfully powerful, versatile thing.  I have discovered that it is possible to split your consciousness and be within the minds of others.  You can truly know them in a way infinitely superior to merely speaking to them.  You can experience a pony's entire life in seconds.  You can accumulate every piece of knowledge they have ever known with but a thought.  It is truly an amazing spell.  You should consider yourself lucky that you can utilize it properly.

Twilight was in awe.  Could this really be true?  Could she really do such a thing?  She could hardly comprehend it.  Her breathing quickened.

Mind Merging is quite a versatile spell.  By imparting some of your own consciousness to another pony, you could, for instance, communicate telepathically, read their thoughts, even influence their decisions.  In its fullest and most complete form, your mind will become one with the mind of your subject.  You will think, act, and live as a single mind commanding two different bodies.  Your exxperiences and memories will fuse, and two ponies will become one.

I'd like to share with you, a dream of mine.  I dream of a time when my Mind Merging spell becomes so popular that every mind has fully merged with every other mind.  I dream of a time when Equestria is under a single world consciousness.  There will be no arguments, no petty squabbles.  Everypony will be at peace, and we will all be happy.  After Equestria is united as one, we would expand.  Every hill, every vale, every forest and every valley would belong to us.  And within our grand, perfect mind would not be just ponies.  Every intelligent creature in all the lands would become one with us.  Ponies will wither and crumble, but they will never truly die, as their minds live on in beautiful harmony with us.  We will be the grandest, most powerful, and most intelligent kingdom that has ever been or ever will be.  And when we are finished, we will transcend the earth and soar above the clouds, into the great black abyss, and we will conquer it, and we will return, content in our infinite knowledge, and we will be finished.  Life itself will be complete.

Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit sad.  Star Swirl the Bearded lived over a thousand years ago.  It seemed he would never see his dream come to life.

You now know the truly wonderful power of the Mind Merging spell.  However, I wish to impart a warning.  When two minds are merged, even in the slightest form, it is impossible to separate them.  The two minds become too intertwined, too dependent on each other to ever be split apart.  I know this from experience.

The word lingered on Twilight's lips, “...experience?”

You see, I was the original test subject in mind merging.  Our minds became one, and my own physical body died almost immediately afterward.  I was devastated.  I no longer had a sense of self.  Everything that I did was through her.  I lacked an identity.

I always worked better at night...

Star Swirl let out a deep, world-weary sigh.  Twilight was suddenly overcome with feelings of guilt and despair.

I merged my own mind with the princess.  In my outrage, I seized control.  I used my power, and I used hers.  She couldn't stop me.  It is my fault that the princess was banished to the moon, and as a result I suffered the same fate.

I still reside in her mind to this day.

Twilight was speechless.  Star Swirl the Bearded was still alive!?  It seemed impossible.  Why had the princesses never mentioned anything?

Now you know the powers and the dangers of the Mind Merge.  Use it as you wish, but please do not make the same mistake that I did.

Star Swirl disappeared from Twilight's mind.  She wasn't quite sure if what had just happened was real.  Nevertheless, she had an answer to her dilemma.

Shining Armor sat alone in his room.  It was a standard room for military officials; simple grey stone walls, floor, and ceiling.  There were no windows, only a single small bed in the far corner.  He was hard at work filling out dozens of forms at his desk when he heard his thin wooden door creak open.  It was Twilight.

“Twilight, I told you I was busy.”

“Shining Armor, do you really care about me?”  She stepped inside the room and closed the door.

“Twilight, I've got work to...”

“Do you really care?”  She stepped closer.

He sighed,  “...Yes, of course.”

“Good,”  Twilight took a deep breath,  “I need you to trust me.”  Her horn lit up.

“Twilight, what are you doing!?”  He backed away from her.

She closed her eyes,  “Just trust me!  Close your eyes!”  Her horn glowed brighter, outshining the lantern.

He felt his head pounding,  “Twilight, stop that!”

“Just do it!!”

“No!  What's going on?”  His breathing quickened.

“You need to trust me!”

“But...”

Twilight opened her pleading eyes and looked at her brother, horn still shining,  “Do you trust me?”

For a moment he didn't respond.  Twilight's horn became brighter and more painful.  She let out a scream.  A tear streamed down her face,  “Please...”

Shining Armor's face fell from shock to sorrow.  He took a very deep breath and closed his eyes,  “Alright.”

“I trust you.”

Almost an entire second passed before the spell took its effect.

Almost an entire second later, Twilight Sparkle regretted casting it in the first place.