The Gap between the worlds
A Gap Between the Stars
Chapter 1: The gap between worlds
Introduction: A world of white and broken remnants and lost concepts, it is a place that ideas are born and where they die. It is also a gap dividing two worlds that are the same yet different to one another is divided. Across the white and endless plains laid old sketches, half written ideas, books and strange unfinished or partly built devices. It was a lonely place which served its purpose as a gateway and a barrier to avoid the clashing of two very different worlds.
Although this world was mostly empty, strange ideas still inhabited it. It, however, played a minor role in the shaping of the worlds. More powerful ideas had larger dominions within this world. They struggled for dominance against one and another. There were two powers within this gap that vied for the dominance over one another to see which idea would take a hold in its opposite. They had spent hundreds of years trying to outdo one another through competitions and games in an attempt to gain the upper hand. However, they had remained in a stale mate for longer than even they can remember.
Even in this mirror world and the land known as Equestria, legends had surfaced about the black clockwork earth pony and the white regal unicorn with his pointed hat.
A table sat in the middle of a blank landscape of white. The landscape shimmered with the pale reflections of shattered glass. On one side of the table sat a black pony with a mane of glossy silver. His blue eyes reflected the brightness of this world between worlds. Upon his back sat a contraption of metal, wire and gears, which hummed as various dials twitched back and forth, and diodes lit up occasionally. Upon his flank lay a mark of two interlocking cogs and a short silver tail. There were various devices were strapped to his forelegs that ticked and clicked at intervals. He wore a pair of spectacles with several switches on the left lens which enabled him to adjust multiple lenses for the delicate work he would often do in his spare time. He sat upon a chair carved from black marble jutting with the shapes of cogs and gears. Behind him lay discarded pieces of scrap metal, some broken and torn, other pieces rusting from age.
Upon the opposite side of the table sat another pony, white with golden mane with green shimmering eyes. He wore a red pointed hat and was garbed in a Cape ornamented with sparkling jewel. He wore a pair of plain golden wire rim spectacles and a belt with various pouches and strange implements. Upon his flank, he bore the mark of a wand and five stars. He sat upon a white marble chair with finely carved flowers and almost life like woodland animals. Behind him lay many discarded books some of which piled high, others were left open and others were so old they were falling to pieces.
They sat at a wooden table in the mostly empty whiteness which seemed to stretch forever. Various pieces of paper laid scattered with old games of tic-tack-toe and hang-pony lay scattered around the table in a disorganized fashion. Upon the table lay an intricately wooden carved chess set, on either side stood several pieces that had been taken by each player.
The white pony sat with deep concentration on his face as his black counterpart ticked and bounced with eager anticipation. "Tic tic" was the only thing that could be heard until a small bell chimed from the contraption located on his right foreleg.
"Times up, times up," said the black pony excitedly as he watched his counterpart struggle to think of his next move
"Bah!. That incessant ticking of yours put me off, do you have to click and clack and tick all the time?."
There was a pause as the black pony winded a mechanism on his side, and the ticking began anew.
"Someone has to keep track of the time between turns, or else we'll take forever" retorted the black pony picking up a crank that lay beside him and beginning to wind a mechanism by turning the crank with his mouth.
The white pony stared at his black counterpart, a look of confusion across his face as he watched and listened to the "click click clang" of the springs within the strange contraption.
"Your games require too much thinking and not enough fun said the white pony in frustration as he moved one of his pieces at random.
The black pony raised his head, cocking it to the side as he tapped his hoof on the table.
"Well, your games require over exerting your body without thought or reason" replied to the black pony calmly as he moved his piece into position. He flicked the switch on his arm, and his turn clock began ticking once again. Pressing a button on his right leg as the bell chimed.
"Your move," said the black pony as he began to wind himself up once again, ticking as he bounced eagerly in his chair, awaiting his opponent's next move.
The white pony stared in confusion at his opponent's move and began to think deeply.
"Besides, the next game you get to pick, I wonder what game it will be?"
The white pony moved his piece, and the bell chimed once again. "yes, but I have to say I haven't had much time to think about it due to my work" replied to the white pony as he cocked his head in thought.
"Tag?"
"No" replied the white pony.
"Forty forty?"
"No."
"Soccer?"
"NO!" his voice raised in anger.
"It's usually one of those I just listed or some variant of same; often, something involving a lot of running around and wearing each other out" replied to the black pony as a diode pinged, and he promptly took his move.
"Oh?, well how about a new game then?, something that even you should like" the white pony said with a grin as he made his move.
"A new game you say?, What is it, what is it, what is it?" he asked excitedly, bouncing in his chair enthusiastically.
"Well, how about we see which world is more likely to be more accepting to its opposite. We shaped their ideas, and in turn they gave us shape, it's only fitting that we look at the works. They played a role in creating" said the white pony as he moved his piece randomly, barely even paying attention to the game now.
"So, how are we going to decide this?" he ticked and twitched as various mechanisms suddenly became active, his ears perking curiously.
"We will allow a handful of ponies to enter through your gate and to come into the world which has followed my influences and do the same with yours. Whoever out of the ponies we pick has gained the most experiences will win the game."
The white pony tapped at the wooden desk impatiently as he was awaiting his opponent's next move, studying the board casually as he watched the game unfold.
"The data that could be gathered from this venture makes this game worth participating in alone, but how will we pick who will cross the gap?" the black regarded the board thoughtfully as he moved his piece and chimed again.
"How about I pick the candidates from your gate, and you pick the ones from mine?" he queried the white pony as he stared at the board before moving his piece again.
"This new game is sounding more and more fun by the second and something I can get behind. I will agree to these terms."
"Finally! check mate!" he exclaimed black pony, almost as an afterthought, as he moved his final piece into place, and his strategy was finally completed.
"Bah how long did you know you were going to win?" the white pony asked in frustration, knocking the pieces off the board.
"About 12 moves ago, honestly you were so easy to read!" smiled the black pony excitedly as he began to lose himself in thought.
"Bah! You say that every time we play this stupid game, we will see who comes out on top with this next game" snapped the white pony, eyes flaring with anger.
"We shall indeed, if you will excuse me, I have many things to plan to do and things to build" exclaimed the black pony, flicking a switch, causing his contraptions to spring and churn to life, and a series of bells rang across the white endless expanse. "Let the games begin."
Ponyville, a village nestled in a region surrounded by mountains and within close proximity of the feared Everfree forest. The town itself was within viewing distance of Princess Celestia's castle and the cloud city which served as the domain of the Pegasi. Apple orchards could be seen covering the foothills near the mountains in vast fields in close proximity to the sweet apple acres. Ponyville was small community in comparison to say Phillydelphia but it was home to a vast variety of different characters. Life in Ponyville was an equal balance of work and play to be it local trade, parties or community gatherings for communal activities such as winter wrap-up and the running of the leaves. Life was peaceful here and had been for many years. However, the residents of Ponyville were about to have a shock that would rock their foundations.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Twilight Sparkle awoke to the sound of the high-pitched ringing of her alarm clock as it's high pitched ring echoed across her bed chamber. Spike immediately reacted by placing his pillow over his head to drown out the incessant ringing. Twilight groggily reached over and tapped the alarm clock, silencing it before climbing out of bed. She trotted towards the mirror and stared blankly at her reflection for a few moments. She used her magic to brush her bed messed mane before turning around to inspect the library. The library was a chaotic mess from last nights studying. Books lay scattered across the library, and scrolls lay disorganized at her study desk.
"Spike, it's time to wake up. I'm going to need your help cleaning this mess." She said, her voice soft, clear and well spoken. Spike grumbled in response, tossing in his bed, "5 more minutes" he said in a low mumble and instantly began to snore lightly.
Twilight sighed lightly as she approached Spike's bed, gently nudging him with her hoof "Come on, we need to get this place fixed up for Princess Celestia's visit today."
Spike grumbled irritably, yawning before slowly crawling out of his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His purple and green scales shimmered in the morning sun as he made his way towards the wooden ladder which led into the main chamber groggily. Twilight quickly followed, taking a quick glance at her check-list for today and began to organize her research. Today was the day that the Princess was coming to review her study of the magic of friendship and last night had been a mad dash to finish compiling her notes.
"So, when do we have breakfast? I'm starving." asked the baby dragon as he picked up a pile of books, his stomach rumbling loudly.
"We'll eat after we have cleaned up Spike," replied Twilight as she placed the books and scrolls she needed for today on her desk, "once everything is spic and span for the Princess's visit. We can eat to our heart's content." The two spent the best part of an hour clearing away books, dusting and cleaning the small library and ensuring everything was spotless for the Princess's visit.
They prepared breakfast together, which consisted mainly of a mixture of grasses and flowers. Spike grumbled lightly, complaining about the lack of jewels to eat but begrudgingly ate what was given to him, even so. As they ate, light tremors began to run through the building. Twilight and Spike stopped in the middle of chewing their food as the bookshelves and table vibrated and shook. Spike gripped the table tightly as he nervously watched the ceiling light swing back and forth, then suddenly the vibrations stopped. The room became still as the light continued to swing lightly, everything was quiet and the tension grew as they slowly ducked under the table.
What in Equestria was that?" whispered Spike.
"I don't know Spike. I don't know."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Everfree forest is considered an oddity in Equestria as it functions without the care of any-pony. No need to change any of the seasons, the animals fend for themselves, and the seasons require no change or intervention. It just happens. To most this is considered unnatural, but the fear of Everfree forest is not unwarranted. Strange plants, animals and beasts dwell here, some more dangerous than others. Few ponies ever ventured to this region except the odd few brave enough. Strange incidents occur here that more often than not go unexplained most of the time.
One Pony, however, came here every so often although she disliked doing so, it made her nervous every time she entered this region. Her name was Fluttershy, and she walked within these woods to tend to her friends or transport them to another location if they needed to migrate. She would walk through the winding forest paths, singing with the birds as she walked through the woods, often alone except for the company of her animal friends. Today was different. Today was different. The forest was still and the native animals were nowhere to be seen
"This is strange, there would be usually lots of different animals around and yet it's so quiet today" she said softly to herself, gazing around to see if there were any sign of woodland animals that lived in these parts.
She had come to the forest to collect herbs that grew here for medicines she made for the animals. A lot of herbs that grew here which she could not find nowhere else in Equestria. She walked among a clearing that opened up into a swampy bog. The familiar buzzing of midges and the songs of frogs could not be heard. It was quiet, too quiet....
Suddenly, a loud bang erupted from the centre of the bog, and Fluttershy jumped in shock and fright. She ran for the cover of a nearby bush as ground shook. Fluttershy placed her hooves over her head to try and drown out her fear. Then suddenly the tremors stopped. All was still again, but the forest was eerily quiet. Fluttershy peaked out from her hiding place, seeing if the coast was clear before venturing from her hiding place. She took a step out of the bush, tiphoofing towards the swamp inch by inch when suddenly there was a crash, much like a mirror being shattered. Fluttershy jumped again, quickly retreating back into her bush hiding place. She peeked out of the bush and noticed what appeared to be a crack suspended in the air. Parts of the horizon were flaking off and splashing into the swamp.
Something pushed its way through the crack. Fluttershy watched, unable to avert her eyes from what was happening. The crack grew bigger until finally giving way and whatever lay behind pushed through.
Fluttershy gazed wide-eyed at an object floating where the crack had once been been. It looked like a gear, much like the ones she had seen in the clock tower when she had visited Apploosa with her friends. The gear shuddered in the mid air, the area's around the gear crumbling revealing the blackness that lay behind the gap. The gear slowly began to turn clockwise, as it turned the crack grew larger. Another gear popped out from the blackness linking with the other gear. Fluttershy let out a quiet squeak as she slowly backed away from the swamp, a shiver of fear running through her body as she watched yet another gear lock with the others. The clinking and clanking of the cogs did not stop as Fluttershy continued to back away. She turned and broke into a gallop almost stumbling over herself in a panic. The clanking and whir of the gears grew louder behind her, but she kept running, her legs moving as if by themselves.
"I have to warn them, I have to tell the others whats going on!" Fluttershy said to herself.
She continued to gallop, her chest pounding fast from fear and exertion. She kept running, her mind screaming at her not to look back...
* * * * * * * * * * *
Canterlot, the capital of Equestria was a city built upon a mountain side overlooking Ponyville and the Everfree forest. The white towers and castle could be seen from miles around. Within the walls housed many schools, libraries, observatories and gardens filled with many exotic and beautiful flowers. From here Princess Celestia ruled Equestria with her younger sister Princess Luna, who had long since had the corruption of Nightmare Moon lifted from her thanks to the help of Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
Celestia sat upon her throne, basking in the warmth of the sun that shone through the window onto her throne. Luna sat at her side, which was unusual these days. Since Luna had taken on the responsibility back of raising the moon to bring the night, she often slept during the day as she spent much of the night wandering the parks and forests, spending time with all manners of nocturnal animals.
Today, however, Luna was awake which to the palace guards and royal servants seemed rather odd. Luna sat next her sister, on edge and fearful, unsure of this strange feeling she was getting. She didn't know what it was but she felt a niggling feeling in the back of her mind, and had a knot in her stomach.
Celestia glanced down at her sister curiously, gently patting her mane reassuringly. "So you can feel it to my sister?" she asked soothingly.
"Yes sister I can but what is it? It feels like it doesn't belong here" Luna asked curiously, a worried look spreading across her features.
Celestia closed her eyes, focusing her magic, focusing on the disturbance that was growing in Equestria. Her horn glowed the brighter as she concentrated, her magic projecting onto her mind brief flashes of area's all across Equestia. Finally, the spell rested upon Everfree forest. Celestia shivered lightly as soon as her magic touched the region.
Images continued to flash in her mind. The green twisted yet lush trees became visible but something was off. Everything in the forest was still. Finally, she caught a glimpse of something moving in an area of swamp. She concentrated hard on the movement and saw the source of it. A series of strange interlocking cogs floated in the swamp forming a rectangular pattern in mid air.
Celestia quickly snapped back to the throne room, the magic fading from her horn as she breathed heavily, a cold sweat running down her forehead.
"I-it can't be...it can't be him" she said aloud and shakily, shivering at what she had just witnessed.
Luna glanced up at her sister. A look of concern crossed her face as she studied her sister's reaction to this development.
"What are you talking about sister? I have never seen you this worried" Luna questioned as she gently nuzzled her sister in an attempt to calm her down.
"This was somepony I hoped I would never see from or hear from again, and a chapter of my life. This is something I 'm not proud of my dear sister" Celestia replied shakily, looking down at her sister as tears welled in her eyes.
"Please sister, let me help you, please tell me what is wrong?" Luna shouted in a sudden outburst of emotion. "Please let me help you."
Celestia tried to hold back her feelings, feelings she had tried to keep bottling up for nearly 1000 years but could no longer contain. She cried, cried aloud for the first time in many years.
Luna held her sister close. She had never seen her sister in such a vulnerable state before, she felt her shiver as she clinged to her tightly. Celestia sobbed as she buried her face into her sister's shoulder, whimpering. Luna gently ran her hoof through her older sibling's shimmering mane, comforting her as she whispered to her sister "Shh it will be okay."
The guards looked up wondering what was happening, but Luna gave a quick nod to them to leave. They bowed before leaving the room, closing the door behind them.
"Please sister, tell me what's wrong, so I can help you" Luna asked softly and soothingly, trying her best to calm her sister down.
Celestia looked at her sister in the eye. Her face stained with tears as she bit her lower lip before nodding.
"This is something I had hoped I would never have to tell you dear sister... I had hoped we could have carried on as we were before, but it is only right that I tell you" Celestia sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"What happened, this is what happened, about a week after I banished you to the moon..."
