Long ago, in the early years of Ancient Equestria, the great unicorn wizard Starswirl the Bearded worked in a deep, underground cave on a special experiment. Star Swirl was working hard to create a way to save Equestria from the evil Dazzlings and their disharmonious music. Star Swirl figured that the best course of action would be to remove the Dazzling from the universe Equestria resided in. He had long since hypothesized that parallel universes existed, and that travel through them could be possible. However, Star Swirl had no proof that such universes even existed, let alone that one could send living things twixt them.

So, Star Swirl did the only thing he could think of. He went down deep underground, where the depths of the earth would contain any violent "accidents," and worked on a spell that could reach out through the boundaries of his universe and pull a creature from an alternate world into the world of Equestria. This magic was highly exploratory. It was an open ended spell, much like his unfinished "Destiny singled out alone, fulfilled" spell. However, he still made sure to include safeguards into it.

In his prototype spell, Star Swirl put conditionals that would lock on to the life force of a simple animal form and use that as jumpstart for pulling the target back in. The need for a jumpstarting power source was what kept Star Swirl from trying to pull an inanimate object or plant through instead. Nevertheless, Star Swirl formulated the spell so it would take an animal, and not a sentient civilized member of an advanced society. Star Swirl also made the spell work one way, so he wouldn't create a vortex that could one universe into the other, or merge the universes, or annihilate them completely. Surely, a stable portal-like device could be created with more time and research. But for now, Star Swirl had to test his hypothesis.

It took some time and effort, that goes without saying. But the threat of the Dazzling spurred Star Swirl to work harder and faster than ever before. And so, one fateful day, he successfully cast the spell. In a kaleidoscopic burst of energy and light, a tunnel between his world and another world opened before Star Swirl the Bearded. As soon as it appeared, it disappeared, opening and closing in nearly an instant. On the cave floor before him was what he had been hoping to see; a creature from another universe.

It appeared to be a snake, a normal one at first glance. But as Star Swirl looked at it, he could tell that it was a reptile not of his world. It was emerald green, with red-orange eyes. It was also very large, the absolute largest snake Star Swirl had ever seen, not counting leviathans or the ones on Chimeras. It was about as long as the height of a large pony stallion reared up on his rear hooves. The snake's long body was as thick as a stallion's leg. But outside appearance were the last thing on Star Swirl's mind when he witnessed something he could never have expected.

The snake lifted its head and took a number of quick looks around. The snake's mouth curved into a smile as a low chuckle emanated from it's throat, along with a haughty voice which gleefully spoke the words, "I'm alive!"

Star Swirl the Bearded was a pony not to let surprise and shock from new things and experiences stun his thoughts and reaction time. So, the unicorn approached the snake and informed him of his situation, how he had used magic to pull him out of his world and into the world of Equestria. Star Swirl offered himself to the snake as proof for his claim, assuming that talking, clothed unicorns with facial hair didn't exist in his world.

The snake accepted Star Swirl's explanation, and replied, "Well, you may send me back in a few minutes. I should have a good chance to stealthily slip out of the castle by then."

At this, Star Swirl's heart sank. He had worked so hard to make sure his spell wouldn't bring a sentient life form with a strong connection to the concept of "home." However, this creature's animal form had somehow masked his higher mind, soul, and spirit. And now, he was stuck, never to return to his home.

Knowing lies would not help, Star Swirl told the snake straight that he could then send him back to his world. The snake accused him of lying multiple times, gaining in anger with each time; but Star Swirl simply got more and more firm with his reply, until he was practically ordering the snake to accept his fate in Equestria.

To this, the snake replied thusly in a cold, smooth, and very suave voice;

"My master was . . . a murderer. . . and a fiend. I was the one with all the intelligence, so it was I who kept him on track . . and helped his plans to succeed. . . My last act in my world, before I was ripped from it . . . was a murder attempt, which failed. But know this . . . if my fate is be in a world of talking mules like you, then it will be a fate based off of the work Sir Edgar and I. Starting now, in this world you call Equestria, the name of Heston will be synonymous with death. . . I am Heston . . . I am . . ."

The snake, named Heston, opened it's mouth wide, revealing a pair of venomous fangs, as it hissed out the final word, "DEATH!"

Star Swirl stood in expectation of the snake's lighting quick strike. It was a very fast strike, as fast as a cobra, perhaps faster. Yet Star Swirl knew dozens of spell that could be cast in that time frame to stop Heston in his tracks. However, Star Swirl did not have it in him to harm the snake. In fact, Star Swirl truly pitied him. He had ripped Heston from his world and thrown into a world so different from his own. As for his talk of murder and death, it only filled Star Swirl with even more pity. The unicorn was convinced Heston's nature was a result of the influence of this vile "Sir Edgar" he spoke of, and therefore not his fault.

And yet, Star Swirl had so little time to react. Therefore, the wise unicorn used one of his most powerful spells. A Time Travel spell. It would only work on the snake once, but it would be permanent. In a flash of white light, Heston was thrown far off into the future.

After recovering from the event, Star Swirl allowed himself the luxury of joy over the confirmation of his hypothesis. Now he could work on a way to banish the Dazzling to another universe in good faith. However, he never forgot about the talking, green, venomous snake named Heston. He feared for the ponies of the distant future who would have to deal with him. What truly worried him was the fact that Heston was clearly venomous, perhaps armed with a venom that had no cure in this universe, or would exhibit nightmarish effects on the ponies of Equestria. Therefore, Star Swirl decided that he needed to warn the ponies of the future of this creature.

Therefore, he or she who is reading this manuscript, beware of Heston, and make plans to contain him and vile desires. Whether you kill him or spare is life is your decision, ponies of the future. At the end of this message if the location of Star Swirl's cavern in which Heston will reappear, as well as the estimated date on which his return will occur.

Be smart.

Be safe.

Be aware.

(As said by the message, the date and location are expressed on the remaining space of the manuscript.)


. . . Approximately 3 years after the return of Princess Luna . . .

The dark void of a cave was illuminated by the brilliant flash of light. Heston was flying through space with his mouth open wide, waiting for the feeling of his fangs sinking into flesh.

Instead of flesh, he got rock. Or the stone wall of the cave to be precise.

Heston slowly slid down the wall, his tongue both smelling and tasting the stone as it rubbed against the cave wall. Heston slid backwards a bit, looking down at his now dirty tongue hanging out of his pried open jaw, now filled with gravel. Unable to close his numbed mouth, Heston shook his flapping jaw around, spreading saliva mixed with grit in a wide arc around him. The feeling soon came back to his face, and he opened his closed his mouth a few times, confirming to himself that he hadn't broken his jaw.

"Well, well, well . . ." he said finally, "That was unpleasant." He shot out his tongue a few times, trying to clean the dirt off of it by squeezing it through his tightly lips pursed lips. "Okay then, I believe I warned him," Heston said as lifted his head up high, stroking his chin with is tail tip, a devious smile growing on his face to replace the pained expression he had a few moments ago. "No mercy for him anymore. Next time I see him. My two fangs. Right in his eyes."

Heston gave a spitting hiss as he opened his mouth wide and started off a hissing laugh, but he was cut off by the glowing, purple, magical band of energy that suddenly appeared around his head, trapping his mouth shut. He could still fit his tongue through his mouth, and he could still breath through his nose; but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his mouth.

The dumbstruck look on Heston's face became ever more comical when he was suddenly levitated into the air and then turned around so that he was face to face with a purple unicorn mare with a black mane with a stripe running through it, and amazingly, a pair of wings sticking out of her sides.

"Gotcha, Heston," Princess Twilight Sparkle said with a smug little grin.