Chapters Friendship is Magic: the Gathering
Chapter 1: A Planeswalk to Remember
Chandra Nalaar hated running.
Not that she wasn't used to it, though. She had a knack for attracting unwanted attention; whether through her fiery red hair that caused her to stick out amongst the blondes and browns of the townspeople, her considerable skills at pyromancy, or stealing a priceless artifact from the legendary Aerie of the Firemind, Nivix.
Besides , she thought to herself as she ran down the alleyways, attempting to escape from the approaching sounds of the Boros Legionnaires, It's not like they really needed this. It was just sitting there collecting dust, and clearly hasn't been used in ages. She ducked into a dark corner, waiting patiently as the soldiers passed her by. Once she was sure they were far away, she took a quick glance at her prize to ensure that it was, in fact, the item she sought.
It was a small spherical object, about the size of a grapefruit, covered with strange runic markings. From what Chandra had heard, this orb was actually a puzzle box, and inside it contained an ancient source of mana. If Chandra could unlock the orb, she would have a constant source of mana on her at all times, allowing her to draw upon its power even when she had exhausted her own.
She quickly stowed the orb back into her pack, and checked to make sure no one was nearby. She wanted no distractions for her next move. Planeswalking took considerable concentration, and could be disastrous if done improperly. Chandra had experienced first hand the effects of an unprepared 'walk, and didn't want to repeat the experience if she didn't have to. She sat down in the corner, and began to breathe in slow, even breaths.
In.... out... in... out... She spoke to herself, focusing on collecting her mana for the planeswalk. In...
"Stay where you are!"
Chandra broke out of her calm, and quickly got to her feet. There before her were at least 10 guards, led by what she could only assume was their captain, based on his gilded armor and insignia. Also accompanying them were 2 men in royal blue robes, lined with scarlet along the cuffs, collar, and seams.
"So, the Legion needed mages to catch a criminal, eh?" She knew the taunt wouldn't get to them, but she hoped she could stall for just a bit longer, as she prepared to cast a spell that would hopefully knock the guards far enough away that she could escape.
"These respected mages are from the Institute of Arcane Research. They were able to trace you by following the mana trail you left as you fled the scene."
Damn , she thought. Why is it that every time I want to steal something, there's always some lousy mage or two that follows me and tries to stop me? I can't even go to a different PLANE to escape them. "So, you found me. Now what, I return the orb, get locked in jail for a few years? Is that the plan?" She was almost ready, just a little bit longer...
"Unfortunately for you, no. It would seem that the leader of the Izzet Guild, Niv-Mizzet himself, had ordered that anyone who so much as touches the artifact be executed immediately. Frankly, I've wasted enough time just giving you the chance to speak." At once, all the legionnaires drew their lances, aimed squarely at Chandra.
"Sorry, boys, but I'm a busy girl, and I'm afraid that execution just isn't on my list of things to do today. How about we schedule it for some time-" Chandra quickly brought her hands together, creating a small ball of red mana. She then spread her arms wide and closed her eyes, as the ball erupted into a torrent of flames, washing over everything around her in the alleyway. The screams of the soldiers told her that her spell had worked. It wasn't strong enough to kill them, but the scars would certainly be a strong reminder: don't mess with a cornered pyromancer.
She opened her eyes, but what she saw was not to her liking. While the soldiers had been burnt and flung away from her, the captain and the mages were standing exactly where they were, but were covered in a strange, blue/green aura. One of the mages held his hands aloft, empowering the spell.
"Of course," she muttered to herself. The mage clearly knew protective countermagic, and was able to quickly throw up a shield on himself and the others. Thankfully for her, she was at least able to disable the soldiers.
"A novel trick, but it won't work again" the mage taunted from behind the barrier. "This shield is able to absorb whatever spell you just cast, and will automatically deflect any further attempts."
"Well then, I'll just have to try something new, won't I?"
This isn't good. If I don't find a way to get out of here fast, more of those soldiers will show up. And these mages clearly are able to block my spells, meaning I'm basically a sitting duck. She knew of one last trick that could work, but she only had one shot. She began the casting, but she suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her head
"Get ready," the other mage spoke "She's going to use another spell."
"Hey! Don't you know it's rude to poke around people's brains?" She shouted as she fired off another inferno, this one directed right at the speaker's feet. She HATED mind mages. They always used their magic to probe around in her head, and block her favorite skills.
Fortunately for the mage, his ally was ready with another counterspell, and the fire was quickly swallowed by a wave of water.
"Stop wasting time!" The captain roared. "Finish her!" He began to charge towards her, lance at the ready.
Well then, it's now or never, Chandra realized, and she quickly ran backwards towards the alley wall. She focused all of her mana into her chest, and quickly created a smokescreen behind her. She only had a second or two before the mages cleared it, so she dove forward as a portal into the Blind Eternities opened itself for her, hoping her pursuers didn't see her. The captain shouted as he charged forward, but suddenly stopped as his lance hit a brick wall and splintered, the portal closing mere moments before his lance hit the wall.
“Twilight, do we really have to do this?”
“Of course we do, Spike!” Twilight said, exasperated at having to answer the young dragon for the third time. The two of them stood in the middle of the library, with an assortment of cleaning supplies next to them. “If we don't do a thorough cleaning of all the books once a year, do you know what happens?”
“Um...” Spike thought for a moment before answering, “they get dusty?”
“Exactly!” Twilight leaned in closer to the dragon until she was almost directly in his face. “And do you know what happens to dusty books?”
Spike shrugged. “They make you sneeze?”
Twilight brought her hoof to her face. “No! They start to fall apart! We need to clean all the books so that ponies can actually come in and read them, and not have the pages be worn and illegible!” She started to hyperventilate slightly, as Spike merely sighed.
“And why does me dusting the library every day not count?” he huffed as he crossed his arms.
Twilight answered “It does count, Spike.” she gave the little dragon a pat on the head and continued “But we need to make all the books extra clean, so we're going to do more than a regular dusting. We're going to spend the next two days cleaning every book.” Before Spike could complain again, she shoved a box of Q-tips and some cleaning solution into his claws. “Here take these and get started on the Fiction section. I'll be in the other room working on Biographies.” She picked up some of the cleaning supplies with her magic and trotted into the back room, leaving Spike to mutter pointless nothings as he got to work.
In the other room, Twilight picked up the first book and opened it to the front page. She carefully dabbed a Q-tip in some cleaning solution, and slowly began to lower it to the upper left corner of the book. “Careful,” she spoke to herself, hoping to lower her nerves “Careful...”
“Incomiiing!”
Recognizing the voice, Twilight quickly ducked under the table. A rainbow blur crashed through the window and into the bookshelf on the other side, shaking the whole room and knocking the contents of the shelves across it.
As the dust settled, Twilight got up from underneath the table. “Rainbow!” She ran over to the cyan pegasus, who lay upside down with her eyes crossed.
“Oh, hey Twilights” she slurred dizzily. “What are you two up to?”
Spike burst through the door. “Whoa, what happened in here? Did somepony make a tornado?”
“Were both fine, Spike. Rainbow Dash just had a little accident is all.” Twilight used her magic to right the dizzy pony, who promptly lost her balance and fell over again. “She may need a minute to recover, though. In the meantime, shouldn't you be working? ”
“But, what if Rainbow-”
“Spike...”
The dragon knew that once Twilight used his name, there was no point in arguing. He sighed, “Okay, okay, I'll get back to work.”
As he started to leave, Twilight pulled him into a tight hug. “That's my number one assistant! I know you'll do just fine!”
Spike saluted “Yes ma'am!”
He rushed out the door as Twilight closed it behind him. “Well, that should keep him focused for a while.” She turned back to Rainbow Dash, who was starting to get back on her hooves. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”
Rainbow slowly stood up and shook her head for a moment before responding. “Nah, just a little woozy. I should be fine in a minute.”
“Are you sure, Rainbow?” Twilight began to twist and turn the other pony's head, examining her for bruises and checking her pupils. “No bruises, concussions, or brain damage?”
“I'm fine, Twilight!” She broke away from the unicorn's grip. “I've been in worse crashes than that before.” She looked around, observing the carnage she just caused. “Hehe, sorry about that, by the way. Need any help cleaning up?”
Twilight, relieved that Rainbow Dash was alright, answered “Sure, if you want. I just need to get all these books back on the shelves in alphabetical order.” She started to magically re-shelve the books by author, and Rainbow followed suit. She scanned a group of about ten books, then quickly zipped about, placing them back on the shelves in their proper order.
Rather impressed by Rainbow's speed and accuracy, Twilight remarked “Wow Rainbow! You could be a great librarian!”
“Nah, that's not for me.” She quickly shelved another group of boks. “I like reading and all, but I wouldn't want to be surrounded by books all the time. Being a librarian's for eggheads like you – no offense.”
Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow's comment, and continued to shelve books. “So, what exactly caused that crash?” She looked up at the pegasus with a wry grin. “Practicing for the Wonderbolts again?”
“Yep! I was trying to improve my Buccaneer Blaze, but may have done a few too many corkscrews. At least I wasn't making lightning bolts when I crashed.” She blushed as she continued to pick up the scattered books. “Again, sorry about that.”
“It's okay, Rainbow.” Twilight smiled at her friend. “No hard feelings. At least we'll be able to get this done quickly.” She picked up another pile of books with her magic. “I'm just hoping there won't be any more distractions.”
Chandra tumbled through the realm between realms, fire burning every inch of her body. She wasn't as alarmed or as shocked as she was the last time this happened, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience. She knew that she had to find a plane quickly, or risk being torn apart by the never-ending stream of energy in the Blind Eternities.
She focused herself, and began to search for a source of mana. Planeswalking wasn't like traveling down the road to your mother's house; instead of following roadways, one had to follow mana. Chandra knew that if she found a strong enough source of mana, she could use it as a guide to the plane that contained it. She found several different trails, but most of them were rather... dark. Chandra remembered her last foray onto a world with unfamiliar mana, and knew that repeating the same mistake wasn't a wise decision.
Suddenly, she found a mana source not too far from her. This one was bright, almost unusually bright... as if the world was simply exploding with magic. She knew, at least, that once she arrived there, she should be able to collect herself and leave without too much trouble. A world with this much magic should have more than enough red mana to sustain her in planeswalking. She dove towards the world, ready to break free, but suddenly found herself stopped.
Chandra didn't understand. She was at the boundary of the plane, she could feel the mana, but for some reason, was unable to break through. This certainly wasn't normal; every other 'walk she took, she simply waltzed right in, with no restrictions. This plane seemed to be pushing back against her, almost as if it didn't want anything to get in or out.
She knew that she didn't have any more time to find another plane, and staying in the Blind Eternities was certainly not an option. She pushed against the barrier, but it still held firm. She started to panic, and desperately focused all her power on breaking the barrier. Slowly but surely, she began to enter the plane, pushing past the barrier into this new world. She prepared to regain her physical form, when just as she crossed through the barrier her body was wracked with pain.
This wasn't anything like she'd experienced before. She had felt the pain of being exposed to the raw power of Eternity, but this was entirely new. It was as if her body was being torn apart by the force of the magic on this plane. Every inch of her body felt like it was being stabbed by a million icy needles, and her bones were warping and twisting inside her. She screamed as she continued to be tortured by this force, but she was already entering the plane, and there was no turning back. Her life began to flash before her as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
With Rainbow's speed and Twilight's magic, they were able to rearrange the library wing in only ten minutes. The two ponies wiped their brows, and Twilight said, “Thanks for the help, Rainbow Dash! At least I didn't waste too much time. Now I can get back to work!”
“What exactly are you doing, again?” Rainbow asked curiously.
“Oh, I'm just doing a thorough cleaning of all the books in the library.” Twilight gave a huge grin, as if this was the most exiting thing in the world. “Gotta make sure they don't fall apart for anypony!”
“Ugh, Twilight...” Rainbow knew her friend was a bookworm, but even this was going a bit far. “You're a super-powerful magical unicorn for Pete's sake! There's gotta be more fun and exciting things to do than clean books all day!” Rainbow gestured to the open window. “There's a whole world of cool stuff to do!”
Twilight simply picked up a fresh Q-tip. “Oh, Rainbow, I'm fine with working in the library.” Using her magic, she pulled the first book off the shelf again. “I'm not cut out for adventures and excitement like you are: besides, I get enough crazy excitement from Ponyville. I'm perfectly happy just being with all my friends!”
Rainbow landed next to her unicorn friend. “I love being here with our friends too, Twilight. But I still wanna do fun and awesome things!” She picked up the book that Twilight was about to clean. “And cleaning books is not fun . I know there's better things for you to do, like...” She pondered for a moment, then exclaimed “I got it! You could put on magic shows, like Trixie!” Twilight's stare was cold enough that even Rainbow felt a chill “Okay, maybe not exactly like Trixie...”
“I know it may seem boring to you,” Twilight magically grabbed the book back from Rainbow, “But this is what I enjoy doing. I know my special talent is magic, but there's not much I really need to use it for, other than to help me study. And occasionally save Ponyville.” She set the book back down, and prepared to clean it once more. She slowly lowered the Q-tip to the book...
Suddenly, a bright flash of red light and a deafening noise came from the main wing. “Oh, what now?” Twilight dropped the Q-tip as she and Rainbow ran to the door. Once she opened it, smoke started billowing through the opening. “Spike! Spike, are you in there?” Twilight coughed, attempting to breathe through the cloud.
Rainbow Dash dove into the smoke and started dispersing it with her wings. It took a few seconds to clear the entire library of the haze. Once clear, Twilight rushed in and found more piles of books. She looked to the left, and saw Spike, knocked up against the bookshelf covered in ashes. “Spike!” She pulled the dragon up into a squeezing hug “Are you okay”
“I'm fine, Twilight,” Spike wheezed as his eyes bulged “except for the fact that you're crushing me...”
“Oh. Sorry.” She set him down, and he started brushing the ashes off his scales. “What happened in here?”
“I dunno.” He shook his head for a moment, as more ash scattered from within his spines. “I was just cleaning the books like you wanted, and suddenly this huge explosion happened!” He looked around the library, and pointed over to the corner. “It came from over there!”
The area he pointed to didn't have any books in it, but instead a small dark figure lay, blackened slightly by ashes. As the three approached it, a small groan could be heard. Rainbow stared at the prone figure on the floor. “Who do you suppose it is?”
“I'm not sure.” Twilight took a closer look, and another groan was heard. “Whoever they are, though, they sound like they're hurt!” She used her magic to lift the figure up, and started out the door. “Come on, Rainbow! Let's get them to the hospital!” She ran out the door, as Spike hopped onto Rainbow Dash's back and the two followed after her.
Friendship is Magic: the Gathering
Chapter 2: Rude Awakening
Jace Beleren walked through the Arcaneum, the other mages and students clearing a path as the mind mage passed. Most of the people at the Arcaneum were aware of Jace's high status amongst the wizards, and gave him a wide berth as he continued towards the office of one of the leading members. He knew that whatever the reason the mage summoned him, it had to be urgent, as he had requested Jace's... unique skills.
Only a select few on Ravnica knew that Jace was, in fact, a planeswalker. He only revealed his status to those who had something of interest to offer him, which thanks to his considerable telepathy skills, wasn't a large number. The mage who summoned him, however, was informed of Jace's true nature by Niv-Mizzet, the leader of the Izzet guild, and had been a helpful source of information for him while on Ravnica. Now, he knew, he would have to return the favor.
Jace climbed the stairs leading to his destination, and opened the doors. He entered, and found the one who summoned him sitting behind his desk. "I was hoping we could make this quick." Jace spoke up over the two. The two mages quickly became silent, and the second one stood and turned to look at the newcomer. "I was informed this was a high priority job, and I don't have time for wild goose chases."
The standing man spoke "Master Balthazar, who is this impudent upstart? Does he not know who you are to speak to you in such a-"
The wizard cut him off "Enough, Siphax." The man fell silent as Balthazar continued "Jace Beleren is one of the Arcaneum's greatest allies and contributors. I have a previous engagement with him, and I'm afraid it is of utmost importance. Please leave my office, we will continue this discussion later."
"But, surely it can-"
"NOW."
That was the final warning, and Siphax new it. He quickly strode out the room, taking time to glare at Jace before he shut the door.
Balthazar threw up a quick warding spell once the door had shut. "There, that should keep out unwanted listeners. I apologize for Siphax, he has... considerable ambition, but unfortunately, he tends to be a bit headstrong."
"Understood. Now, what is the assignment you had for me?"
Balthazar sighed as he folded his hands and stared at Jace. "Strait to business as always, Master Beleren? Very well then. Early this morning, a rogue fire mage was able to break past security, enter our vault of relics in Nivix, and made off with an ancient artifact of extreme value: the Orb of Infinity."
"Sounds basic enough. Why do you need my help, and not just track her down with the Legion?"
"We already attempted that. We had her cornered with the local captain, when suddenly, she simply...vanished."
"Vanished? You couldn't follow her mana trail?"
"We attempted to do so, but found that her mana simply disappeared on the spot. We were hoping that perhaps she might be of a similar nature to yourself."
Jace responded with the answer he knew to be on the scholar's mind "You mean a planeswalker."
"Exactly. I assumed you would have considerable experience dealing with others like yourself, and would be able to track her down and retrieve the orb" The wizard leaned in closer to Jace "And return it immediately."
"Fine. And my payment?"
The mage chucked as he replied "Always the businessman, Master Beleren. Your usual fee will be paid, and in addition, we would be willing to allow you to experiment with the Orb once it has been retrieved."
"I'm assuming that's supposed to be an honor?" Jace was hoping that this would be worth his time, but failed to see the value in experimenting with this artifact. He was a telepath, not an artificer.
"Seeing as how Niv-Mizzet ordered anyone that even touches it be executed, I would say so. It certainly isn't something that your average man could hope to achieve. Perhaps you, with your knowledge, would be able to unlock the secrets that we have not been able to ascertain." The wizard leaned back, confident that his offer would be taken by the knowledge-seeking mage before him.
Jace pondered for a moment, then answered. "Very well. Now then, where did this intruder escape?"
Balthazar stood, and began walking towards the door, as Jace followed "Two of the Legionnaires from this morning's incident, recovered much faster than the others, having only received mild burns. They were able to be healed relatively quickly, and have been asked to escort you to the site." As they exited the building, Jace saw the two soldiers the man had spoken of waiting at the foot of the steps.
Jace walked up to the soldiers, and ordered "Lead the way."
After arriving in the alleyway of the incident, Jace ordered the soldiers to make sure no one would disturb him, nor to turn around should they hear anything. Fortunately for him, Boros soldiers were exceptional at taking orders, and stood guard almost motionless, save to redirect a few passersby who wanted a glance at what was going on behind them.
Jace's eyes glowed as he scanned the alley, searching for the mana trail of the rogue 'walker. It was rather easy to find, a vibrant reddish-orange, that went down the way towards the back wall. It almost seemed familiar to the mind mage...
Suddenly, Jace facepalmed as he realized who he was chasing after. "Chandra, not again..." This would be the third time he had to follow the planeswaker girl in order to retrieve a valuable artifact. He was also more than a little worried at this point. Two planeswalkers coming across each other twice unexpectedly was coincidence. But three times? Somehow, the Multiverse was playing a prank on the two of them, or so Jace assumed.
"Great. Not only do I have to follow her across the Multiverse again, but I'm sure she's going to be more than a little upset that I'm going after her for a third time." Jace shook his head and stared at the ground, continuing to mutter to himself. "This won't end well."
He began to focus, collecting his mana for the planeswalk. After a few minutes, he figured he was prepared enough, and had a strong fix on his target. He entered the Blind Eternities, and began to follow her trail.
After a short time, he found the plane she had bolted to. She clearly had gone through the planeswalk somewhat unprepared, as it seemed like she had simply dove for the first nearby plane that was safe. Jace followed the trail to the barrier, but stopped once he reached the outer rim. He attempted to enter the plane, but was confused when he was forced back. He waited there, thinking for a moment.
He had spent quite a bit of time planeswalking, and was used to the effects of the void. With enough focus, he could stay in between planes for at least a day-not that time really meant anything here. But he knew that trying to force his way into this plane would not only difficult, but could also be dangerous to his Spark-the force that gave him the power to walk the planes. Knowing that, he started considering his next move.
Diving right into this plane would probably be a bad move – especially considering that Chandra clearly was desperate enough to jump right in without any thought as to this barrier. Figures that she'd pick the one plane that wasn't easy to get into. He pondered for a moment. And the only one I know of who might know anything about this is... He sighed to himself, and continued As if it wasn't bad enough having to go after Chandra again. Now I have to get his help. " He floated away from this strange plane, and went to seek out the one being he knew who could help him to break through the barrier.
Chandra's head felt like it had been beaten by a hammer. She moaned as she tried to open her eyes, but they seemed to be content with staying shut. Her hearing was fuzzy, but she could make out two female voices coming from either side of her.
“Do you think she'll be okay?” The first voice was rough, but still effeminate. “She looked pretty beat up when we found her.”
“The doctor said she wasn't too injured.” The second voice was lighter, with an air of intelligence to it. “Her external injuries were minor, though she did have a small concussion. She should be fine by tomorrow morning. I just hope she wakes up soon; I'm interested in how she got there after that huge explosion happened.”
Injured? Explosion? What are they talking about? Her head still ringing, she tried to piece together her recent memory. The last thing I remember was trying to get through that barrier, then my body started burning... She couldn't remember anything beyond that point; her head was still pounding. Whatever happened, I must have hit my head . She moaned again, and tried to sit up on what she assumed was a bed. Her whole body felt numb, and she rubbed her eyes as she mumbled “Engh... where am I?”
“She's awake!” said the first voice. “I'll go get the doctor!” She heard it fade as a whooshing noise followed it moved away.
“Doctor?” She continued to rub her eyes, hoping she could force them open. “What's going on?” After another couple of minutes, she attempted to open her eyes again, this time succeeding. Her vision was blurry, but she slowly started to regain focus as she looked about the room.
She was lying underneath a plain white sheet, inside a room with few furnishings. Whoever was talking mentioned a doctor, so this must be a hospital or something. She looked to her left, and saw some strange machines, which she could only assume were medical equipment.
“Thank goodness you're awake!” It was the second voice, coming from her right. Chandra turned to look at it, and was surprised by what he saw. She was no stranger to beings who looked different; she had seen elves, goblins, merfolk: even the stout Kithkin of Lorwyn were fairly normal compared to the sight before her.
A lavender unicorn, standing roughly four feet tall, was standing next to the bedside. Her dark purple mane was cut short, and had a stripe of pink and purple running the length of it. Her tail had a similar color scheme, and adorning her flank was a small tattoo of a pink starburst with 5 smaller stars surrounding it. She was watching Chandra with wide eyes and a relieved smile.
“Okay, I must have hit my head really hard.” She blinked a few times, hoping that her mind was playing tricks on her, but when she opened them the unicorn was still there. “Because there's a purple unicorn standing next to me.”
“Well, yeah. I've been here the whole time.” Chandra would have leaped from the bed if it weren't from the numbness she felt. The unicorn just spoke. Chandra racked her brains, trying to remember if unicorns could speak. To her knowledge, they couldn't. It just talked to me. How is it talking to me?
The unicorn, seeing the panic in her eyes, tried to calm her down. “Are you okay? I'm not going to hurt you or anything.” Chandra calmed down slightly, but she was still rather unsettled. “I'm the one who brought you here to the hospital. You were unconscious when we found you. I'm guessing you don't remember anything, huh?”
Still dumbfounded, Chandra slowly shook her head from side to side. Twilight continued “Well, that's okay. Maybe you'll remember later: you got a small concussion, but it's nothing to really worry about. The doctor said you'll be fine.” She held her hoof to her chest. “I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?”
Twilight Sparkle... that must be a normal name for unicorns, I suppose. Chandra held her hoof to her chest. “I'm...” Wait, hoof? WHAT???
Chandra looked down at her hands... or at least what used to be hands. Instead, she saw two hooves, exactly like the ones on Twilight Sparkle, only with a different color. “Oh no, oh nononononononononono...” She started kicking off the sheets, and saw that her feet had also been replaced with hooves. Her body also seemed to be shaped like the pony's, though her clothes had been replaced with a green hospital gown. “What's going on?” She started to panic, and tried to leave the bed. Twilight, however, threw her hooves onto the bed and held her in place.
“You can't get up!” She struggled to hold down the flailing Chandra. “The doctor said you need rest!” Chandra, however, was stronger than she expected, so she restorted to using magic to pin her down. “Please, just relax! I can't figure out how to help you if you don't calm down!”
Chandra struggled against the magic for another moment, then gave in and lay back down. “Can someone please tell me what's going on here? I wake up in a strange bed, with a purple unicorn next to me, and now suddenly I find that I look like...” she gestured to her whole body “...like this!”
Struggling to understand the patient's ravings, Twilight simply asked “You mean, a unicorn?”
“A what?? ”
Jace materialized on a small rock formation, floating high in the sky. The air was filled with similar objects arranged in no particular formation, save for a group that formed a trail from the rock he landed on upwards to a giant mass of stone. He gingerly stepped up to the next platform, as the floating rock bobbed a bit under his weight, but it quickly returned to its original position. He continued the climb up the path, slowly approaching the mountain of floating earth.
Once he reached the base of the mountain, he found himself standing before a giant doorway, easily 5 times the height of a man. Beyond the threshold, Jace could only see darkness. He stepped through the opening, creating a sphere of blue light to guide him. He slowly walked forward, then called out to the darkness. “Bolas!”
His voice echoed back to him, reverberating across the chamber walls several times until the name was all but unrecognizable. He'd better be here. I didn't come all the way out to his personal sanctuary to talk to shadows. “Bolas!” He called again, but echoes and darkness answered him.
Fantastic. There goes my only- He turned suddenly, as a flame erupted on a brazier on the wall. Another flame appeared on the opposite wall, then another next to it. Slowly, the walls began to glow with light as more and more of the braziers were lit, till the room was surrounded by flickering flames. As the final braziers lit, they illuminated an enormous dragon seated upon a throne at the rear of the room. The beast was colored a tarnished gold, and two massive sweeping horns erupted from his head. His wings were splayed out, folded over the sides of the throne, as if he had been waiting there for some time. His eyes glowed a sickly green, and his teeth gleamed as he smiled, observed the human mage.
“Hello, Jace.” The dragon's voice was but a whisper, but it made the chamber rumble and chilled Jace's heart. “Nice of you to visit.”
Jace looked up at the towering monster, fighting the chill he felt. “Always a pleasure, Nicol Bolas.”
Friendship is Magic: the Gathering
“So, Jace Beleren comes to see me of his own free will.” Bolas' grin widened as he spoke. “Now that is amusing.”
“I was hoping we could make this quick.” Jace, though wanting nothing more than to leave as soon as possible, kept himself calm in the dragon's presence. “I'm in a bit of a rush”
Bolas' grin faltered. “Very well then.” He leaned back in his throne, resting his head upon his claw. “Be quick.”
“I'm following another planeswalker.”
“That's no surprise.”
Ignoring the interruption, Jace continued. “I chased her to the outer edge of a plane near Ravnica. I tried to follow her, but there's a strange barrier surrounding the plane. I don't think that I could follow her through it – nor would it be wise to do so.”
“I should think so,” Bolas rubbed his chin in thought. “She must have been rather desperate – that or merely stupid.”
“She's... eccentric, to say the least”
Bolas chuckled .“So I see. And you wanted to learn more about the barrier instead of just forcing your way through?”
“You know me: I've never been one for brute force. I can use mana with precision, but to get through the barrier, I'll need something with more... power.” He stepped forward “I assumed you would know some way to get through the shield.”
“I might.” Bolas' smile began to grow again. “But that doesn't mean I'm going to just tell you, now does it?” The ancient dragon rose from his throne, his bones creaking as he approached Jace. He leaned down above the human and whispered “I'll need something in return.”
Jace unflinchingly met the dragon's gaze. “If you're looking for an errand boy, forget it.”
“Oh, don't worry.” Bolas rose again, and began pacing around Jace. “I have something simple in mind. I'm almost certain you won't even have to go out of your way for it.”
Jace turned to follow the dragon “What do you mean?”
Continuing his pacing, Bolas explained “The plane you described is actually one I've been watching for some time. However, more recent events have kept me...” He paused, searching for the right word “...distracted . I have not recently been observing it, but your arrival provides an opportunity I've been seeking: I need someone to observe the plane from the inside.”
“How do you know it's the same plane?”
“Jace, we both know that I've been around for several millenia. I've seen virtually every corner of the Multiverse. I recognized the description of the plane as you made it.”
“Okay, then. So what do you know about it?”
“The plane is called Equestria.” His grin widened even further, as if he found the name highly amusing. “I have merely observed it from afar: for obvious reasons, of course. I cannot provide you with any specific information. I can, however, tell you about its inhabitants.” He slowed his pacing as he approached his throne once more. “For starters, the dominant species are not humans. In fact,” he continued, seating himself back on the throne “from what I have observed, there are no humans present at all on the entire plane.”
“No humans?” Jace frowned, confused by the statement. “Then what is the dominant species?”
If Bolas' smile could have gotten any wider, it would have split his skull. He answered in a slithering whisper “Ponies. ”
-
Chandra stared at the purple unicorn, not believing what she had just heard. “Say that again.”
“It's just like I told you,” Twilight repeated “You're a unicorn.”
Quite confused at this point, Chandra simply started babbling “But...I...huh?”
Twilight opened the bedside drawer, and pulled out a small mirror. “Here, see for yourself.” She used her magic to levitate it in front of Chandra's face, and Chandra gasped at the sight. Her face had been altered, and was now shaped just like the purple unicorn's. She was covered in a burnt orange fur, and her legs and hooves had the same. Her hair, however, was still the same fiery red as before, and it lay across her head in the same fashion. The strangest feature lay just beneath her hairline: a small orange horn protruded from her forehead.
After staring at the mirror for another minute, Chandra simply collapsed back onto the pillow behind her. Concerned, Twilight asked “Are you alright?”
“This can't be happening.” Chandra stared up at the ceiling, and started talking to nobody in particular. “This isn't real. I just hit my head after 'walking here, and now I'm dreaming about a talking unicorn. Oh, and apparently I'm a unicorn too.” She rolled over, and buried her face in her pillow, her muffled voice still going. “I just need to wake up, and my head will be clear and everything will be back to normal.”
“Um, I'm pretty sure that I'm not a dream” Twilight said indignantly. “And you are a unicorn, although I don't know why you're surprised by that.”
Chandra sat back up “Because I'm not a unicorn! At least, I wasn't before now! I used to be a human, but now I apparently got turned into a unicorn or something!”
Twilight was rather confused by the panicking unicorn before her. “What's a human? And what do you mean you weren't always a unicorn?”
Just then two ponies walked through the open doorway. One was a tan unicorn with a brown mane, wearing a white labcoat. He was using magic to hold aloft some papers and a clipboard. The other was a blue pony with a rainbow colored mane and tail, and a small tattoo was on her flank, just like Twilight's. It was shaped like a cloud emitting a single lightning bolt, colored like a rainbow. There also appeared to be two wings were attached to her sides. Oh great , Chandra sighed. Now there's apparently pegasi wandering around too. This just keeps getting better and better.
“See doc, I told you she was awake!” The pegasus spoke with the same rough voice that Chandra heard earlier. She walked up to the bedside to look at the bedridden unicorn. “Hey, glad to see you're okay! I was worried you'd been really hurt.”
“Alright, Rainbow Dash, let me take a look at the patient.” The doctor shooed Rainbow away from the bed as he turned back to Chandra. “Hello there! Now, you were unconcious when these two found you, so we haven't had a chance to get your name.”
After a small silence, she answered “It's Chandra.”
“Chandra, huh? That's an unusual name. At least we know that you didn't suffer any amnesia. Now then, I'm going to take a quick look at you.” He set the papers down on the dresser, and started examining Chandra. Still in awe, she let him begin his examination. Okay, so we can rule out the dream idea. So what exactly is going on? After a couple of minutes of poking and prodding, he announced “Well, everything seems to be fine. You're probably a little sore, but you didn't sustain any serious injuries. I'm sure that you've been told about your concussion: just get some rest and you should be just fine by tomorrow morning.” He looked back at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who had been standing in silence during his examination. “I'd just like to know more about that explosion these two told me about.”
Chandra, well versed in concealing her planeswalking, simply answered. “It's... complicated. I'm not even sure I remember exactly what happened.” The concussion was a good excuse, if nothing else at least.
The doctor continued. “Well, whatever it was, at least nopony was badly harmed. Now then, I'll leave you all alone for a while.” He started out the doorway before turning back to the other ponies. “You can stay for a few more minutes, but then you'll have to leave. She needs her rest.”
Twilight stopped him at the threshold “Oh doctor! I have a question!”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Have you ever heard of humans before?”
The doctor thought for a moment. “Hmm, can't say that I have. Why, did your friend mention them?”
“Yes, actually. She said she used to be a human, whatever that is, but for some reason she's a unicorn now.” Twilight looked at the doctor pleadingly “Do you know any way that could have happened?”
The doctor simply laughed. “Now really, Twilight, that's just preposterous. I'm sure that her concussion is causing her to say some strange things right now. In the morning, she should be just fine, and then you can find out all you want from her.” He continued back out into the hallway. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to attend to some other patients. I'll be back in about 10 minutes.” Before anypony in the room could argue, he was already walking down the hallway to the next room.
Defeated, Twilight returned to the bedside. “Well, that wasn't much help at all. At least he says you're okay, though.”
“Yeah, we were super worried about you.” There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Rainbow spoke up “So, you aren't really a unicorn, huh?”
“No, I'm not – at least, I wasn't.” Chandra stared down at her hooves, mesmerised by how different they were from her hands. “I'm just wondering how I turned into a unicorn in the first place.”
“I was wondering the same thing.” Twilight looked at her with concern. “Do you remember what might have caused this to happen?”
“I'm not quite sure.” Chandra rubbed her head with her hooves (which she found quite weird) and tried to remember. Whatever had happened during her planeswalk somehow had caused her to transform into a unicorn. That also must have been what caused the explosion they're talking about, she thought. Normally I just appear in the middle of an alleyway with all my- Suddenly, she remembered something else from before her blackout. “My satchel!” She looked about the room, panicking. “Where are my belongings?”
“Oh, those weird clothes you had on?” Rainbow quickly flew over to a set of drawers in the corner, and opened it revealing Chandra's armor and satchel. “We cleaned them off and put them here. We didn't take anything, if that's what you were worried about. Though, we did see a lot of neat stuff in that bag of yours.”
Chandra sighed, relieved that she at least hadn't lost her clothes, bag, and the Orb. Not that clothing is something I'll be seeing a lot of. These ponies seem content with wandering around wearing nothing at all. “Well, that's one thing that's gone right today.”
Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, I'm sure that if I woke up as a unicorn, I'd feel pretty freaked out too.” Twilight gave her a dirty look, and Rainbow hastily added“Not that there's anything wrong with being a unicorn, though!”
“Yeah, I guess not. I still need to figure out how to change back, though.”
“Hey, maybe Twilight knows something!” She turned to her unicorn friend. “She's a real egghead! She probably has a book that talks about something like this happening before. Right, Twilight?”
“Hmm...” She rubbed her chin, thinking for a moment. “I'll have to look through my books tonight. I can't recall reading about anything like this ever happening – and I don't think I've read about humans either.”
Chandra's head fell. “That's not very promising.”
Twilight smiled at the crestfallen pony. “Don't worry Chandra. We'll do whatever we can to help you fix this. Right, Rainbow?”
“You bet! We'll find the solution in no time!”
Chandra smiled at her strange new companions. They might be ponies, but they certainly are friendly. And they're willing to help me just because I need it, no questions asked. “Thanks a lot you two. I can't tell you how much this means to me.” A yawn escaped her lips, and she blushed. “But right now I think I just want to rest, okay?”
“Okay then, Chandra.” Twilight said, happy that Chandra was at least okay. “We'll leave you alone until tomorrow.” She started out the door, followed closely by Rainbow Dash, leaving Chandra alone in her room.
She lay back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling, trying to piece together exactly what she was going to do now. Her main problem was explaining her planeswalker status to the others. After a few minutes, she gave up, not coming up with any solutions that would let her keep her secret. Well, I'll just have to figure something out later, she thought. At least it can't get any worse, right?
-
“You're joking.”
Jace stood there, dumbfounded. He almost didn't believe that the word ponies had escaped the dragon's mouth.
“Hardly” Bolas answered calmly, though he continued grinning like a madman. “As much fun as it would be to joke about this, I'm afraid it's entirely true. This plane is dominated by equine beings.”
If that revelation had come from anyone else, Jace would have probed their mind to see if they had gone insane. But coming from Bolas, he had no choice but to take it seriously. “But how in the hell do horses-”
“Not horses” Bolas interrupted, wagging a finger jokingly at Jace. “Ponies.”
“Fine, ponies.” He was getting rather annoyed at Bolas' constant taunting. “So the plane is just filled with ponies running around everywhere?”
“Yes, and no.” Bolas quite enjoyed the look on Jace's face, each answer he gave eliciting a greater reaction of incredulity from the mind mage. “While they are the dominant species, they don't behave quite like the horses and ponies you would be used to seeing. They actually behave almost exactly like humans do.”
“What. ”
“Oh yes. They've formed governments, social structure, and even have their own towns and cities. You could replace them all with humans and not tell the difference – other than the obvious, of course.”
Jace continued to stare at the dragon. He wanted to believe it was all a lie, that the dragon was just poking at him for his own amusement. But even with Bolas' insane smile, Jace still could tell he was telling the truth. “Okay, so I'm going to a plane of ponies.” He gathered himself again, and continued. “Why do you need me there?”
“It's just like I told you, Jace: I need someone to observe the plane from the inside.” He leaned forward, his smile disappearing, and his voice growing deadly serious. “I want you to observe the inhabitants of the plane, and learn more about them. I am especially curious about their leader. She is supposed to be a being of great power, and has been able to keep the peace on this plane for millenia. Find out how she has done this. But most importantly, I want to know more about the nature of the mana on Equestria. I'm sure you noticed how different it was to normal mana.”
Jace nodded. “I had noticed that, but I didn't pay it much thought. I had other things on my mind at the time.”
“Of course. You still have to find your planeswalker friend.”
“That's right.” He held out his hand, palm open to the ceiling. “And to do that, as well as complete your little research project, I'll need a way to pass through the barrier.”
“Very well, then.” Bolas held out his own palm, and within it two dark spheres slowly began to materialize. Each of them was roughly the size of an apple, and colored a violent purple. Their bodies were smooth, but small pointed shards floated around each of them. “These are a unique spellbomb of my own creation, forged from a combination of red and black mana. They are designed to break apart spell shields, and they will have a similar effect on the planar barrier.” He lowered his claw to Jace's level.
Jace reached out and took the two spellbombs. “So, if you had these all along, and you wanted to get inside the plane, why didn't you just do it yourself?”
“You assume I have not already made that attempt” Bolas growled. “The energy from these can damage the shield, but only temporarily. And I cannot make a large enough breach to allow one such as myself entry. Even if I were to do so, the barrier seems designed to keep out darker forms of mana, like my own.” He pointed to Jace “You, however, should have no trouble entering through the gap you make.”
"Fine." Placing the spellbombs in his satchel, Jace turned to leave. “I'll do your little project, but my job takes precedence. I'll inform you of anything I learn only after I've finished my other task.” He began the procedure that would lead to his planeswalk.
“Have fun,” Bolas taunted, as Jace dematerialized in a haze of blue light.
