>> If you can’t see the image above properly, here is the HQ version <<
History of the Onos -- Part 1
Well, it took me an insanely long time to write this post, but it’s done :D This diagram shows the list of all 48 universes/Planes of the Ono type in TBPW, as well as the way they were born.
As a reminder, all Planes of the Ono type are different in many ways from the other universes existing in TBPW, their main two specificities being that nobody knows what spawned “Ono-Gen”’s existence, and that whenever something exterior from the Plane tampers with it, it splits into two universes with the same history -- until the moment of the split. At that point, one Plane reflects a world where nothing special happened, and the other shows a change in history due to the exterior tampering. In TBPW’s chronology, said “tampering” happened many times on different occasions and in different ways. More detail on the Onos’ history under the cut.
(Not everything will be told, but there will be WAY more spoilers than I’ve ever shown thus far. The actual details will come later, Plane by Plane, in later posts; I already started working on them about a week ago.)
NB: The order of events is accurate in the diagram above, but the timeline is not on scale. When two Planes are split on the same vertical line (forming two new Planes each, aka four in total), then the events are simultaneous; but otherwise, there is no indication of the precise time spent between all splits in the diagram above.
The Great Society’s official Plane catalogue
First of all, let’s (try to) explain how the Planes’ codenames were given. For the regular Planes created by Highers themselves, the codename is simply the creator’s name (cut to two syllabes usually, for short), with either “-Gen” when it’s the first one created by said Higher, or the Plane’s number when it’s not. Most Highers only create one or two Planes, but there are still some exceptions, like Finn Clayxer -- who created thousands.
The main problems that come with the Onos is that nobody knows who created them (thus the name “Ono” given to them arbitrarily), and that they can split in a seemingly entirely random order, no matter which Ono was the last one. As such, a new code needed to be created just for them.
The original Plane was named “Ono-Gen”, but whenever it gave birth to a new one, it was renamed “Ono-A”, then “Ono-A1″, then finally “Ono-A1.1″; the same process goes for all the other Planes which underwent similar splits.
When a split occurs, the Plane in which the “exterior event” did not happen is regarded as the original Plane, while the one in which this event occurred is regarded as the new one. The numbering is decided according to this convention.
The numbering is often debated between Highers for a varying period of time (depending on the complexity of the case), but it is usually agreed to avoid making the codenames too long when it can be avoided: as such, whenever it is possible to change the last digit instead of adding a new one, such choice is made.
Examples: Ono-Gen splits into Ono-A and Ono-B, then Ono-A splits again. During that time, Ono-B was split into many Planes, all having “Ono-B” plus a number in their name, which means that the letter “C” hasn’t been used yet. As such, for a matter of simplicity, Ono-A is split into Ono-A and Ono-C (instead of “Ono-A1″ and “Ono-A2″).
The names given to the splits remain mostly arbitrary and the rules are often bent by the Highers, in order to keep the filiation between Planes clear (which is why the letter D hasn’t been used, while it could have). When the event that causes the Plane to split is very important and creates a major change in the history of both Planes created, then the codenames given reflect that difference (Ono-A and Ono-C for example: the difference between the two includes the existence, or non-existence, of an entire civilization). When the event has minor consequences on the short term, however, the codename reflects that similarity (Ono-B2.2α and Ono-B2.2β, for example, kept relatively similar Histories, even a few decades after the split).
If these explanations don’t help you understand better how each Plane was renamed (which is probable), maybe the entire story in full details might help you grasp better this system’s ambiguities.
Complete History of the Splits
Ono-Gen was first split in a very mysterious way: a spacecraft literally crashed out of nowhere, induced the split, and landed in Ono-B. Nobody knows where the craft came from, but the only thing known for sure is that the craft contained an entire population of a few hundred humans, who established on the desolate land and tried to survive. They were calling themselves “Lulu Amel” in their language, but they’re currently better known under the name “Azran.” Meanwhile, nothing happened in Ono-Gen, which was simply renamed Ono-A.
The next event that caused a split was when a Higher, John Discord, decided to tamper with Ono-B for unclear reasons. Due to the Great Society’s unstable situation at the time (and a majority of the Highers still denying the mere existence of the Onos at the time), his actions went vastly unnoticed -- and when he was spotted eventually, the other Highers simply had more important matters to care about. Part of those who were interested in his actions were also simply too curious to see what would happen to arrest him. Ono-B was forced to collide with a magical Plane, Feydis-Gen. The Plane which the Higher let go, in which nothing happened, was renamed Ono-B1, while the one the Higher maintained his grip on was named Ono-B2. The inhabitants of Ono-B2 and Feydis-Gen met as a result, and gradually started to bond. The Azrans’ studies eventually allowed them to figure out a way to create interdimensional gates, which would allow them to reach the other nearby Planes, including Feydis-Gen itself. While Discord was able to prevent any splits when a Plane of the Ono type reached Feydis-Gen, he could not stop them when Feydis-Gen was not involved. As a result, until Azrans were able to figure out a way to prevent the splits by themselves, many Planes were created simply because of their early travels. For generations, Feydis-Gen and about half of the Onos already existing took part in an economic organization named the “Ha-Kagmi NēOn'i Lazkūf” / “Interdimensional Trade Association” (en). The language barrier between Azrans and Ponies (who naturally speak English) was never entirely bypassed; instead of focusing on learning each other’s languages, a majority of the people on both sides resorted to automatic translators.
The Ono Planes reached by the Azran forced multiple splits, namely:
Ono-B2 tried to reach Ono-B1. In Ono-B2, the target was reached, while in Ono-B3 the mission failed and Discord let go off the entire Plane. This numbering was up to debate since, technically, the event did not occur in what is numbered as the “latest” Plane, contrary to the convention -- but on the other hand, the Higher was still holding on to the other Plane, which would more intuitively make it the “oldest” of the two. Ultimately, the second argument was the one retained, and as such used for all later numberings involving a similar problem (aka, only for the travels involving the Plane the Higher is tampering with). On the other hand, Ono-B1.1 was never contacted, while Ono-B1.2 welcomed the Azran travelers. The numbering remained close because both Planes contained Azrans, but without the advanced technology from Ono-B2; the Highers hardly considered the travelers’ arrival significant, as the event merely involved Azrans meeting themselves.
Ono-B3 tried to reach Ono-A. The target was reached in Ono-B4, while it failed in Ono-B3. On the other hand, Ono-A remained without any Azrans in its history, while Ono-C was introduced to this civilization -- which was regarded as a major change.
For the first time in centuries, She finally showed her true face to the world. Not the face of a demon. Not the face of an angel. But the face of the most tormented child, one who has seen a horrible nightmare and cannot escape it.
“This is not my home, let me go home!” she repeated. “Please, don’t wake me up...”
Meanwhile, multiple scientists, both Azran and ponies, develop their common technology to great lengths by combining their knowledge regarding both regular physics and magic. Some of the most influencial Azran scientists and leaders start to keep some of their findings to themselves, however -- as what they found out looked prejudicial and ominous, but could just as well be used in the Azran leaders’ favour in economic and political discussions -- or, more generally, as a major scientific breakthrough.
Azran ambassadors and leaders had suspected for a long time that the ponies in general behaved oddly under certain circumstances; namely, that unbeknownst to them, a hidden third party seemed to influence them to some extent, especially in inter-species political discussions. Despite the lack of evidence, the subtle hints and the numerous similarities between each case led the Azran leaders to secretly study the phenomenon for multiple generations, as well as learn to decrypt that mysterious entity's psyche. Naming it "Haj MobaLi" ("The Conscience above souls"), a few teams of Azran-exclusive scientists were created throughout the ages in order to find out this conscience's origins, its actual powers, and possibly understand its motivations.
One specific scientific project meant to study the nature of this entity's power eventually found out about a hypothetical species of beings who would live in an entirely different plane of existence. Any attempt to communicate with these theoretical beings failed, as if the Conscience was an isolate case; as such, the next experiment was to try to create a being with the same abilities, then study its properties. After a few years, the being named "Baalal" ("The thing with a free will") was born.
The creature was treated with respect by the scientists due to its obvious sentience, but the being still felt the treatment he received was unworthy of his status and power, especially after discussing with one of the team members.
Fin'ēl Askalton Ha-Ak Oh-Oma (who preferred to go by the nickname "Finē") was the youngest heir of the local kingdom's royal family, as well as a priestess who doubted her faith ever since the existence of the Conscience was proven. In a world where multiple universes and non-human sentient creatures had become the norm, hardly any Azran retained their traditional religious beliefs anymore. Finē’s fascination for the ancient legends and philosophical tales, which she had grown up with since her early childhood, were beliefs she persisted in trusting as a meaning in life and a way to live peacefully; when actual “godlike” creatures were discovered, but revealed themselves to be quite different from the wise and caring parent figures she believed in, she started looking for a new way to give her life a new meaning.
In search of a spiritual guide who could give her answers, she soon felt appealed to the “God in the glass”, who she praised and questioned daily -- secretly discussing with him in English, the ponies’ language, both as a means of discretion and due to Finē’s growing frustration over the Azran language.
« This is a language full of ambiguities and double-entendre. You can use the same words to say one thing and its exact opposite. Languages are meant to induce communication between individuals, but this one feels like every single person is speaking their own unique language.
How can you trust people to be honest when you can hardly understand what they hide in their hearts? How can you maintain harmony between countries when the people closest to you can use their words to lie without being deceitful?
This language is a curse, Baalal. This is a curse, and one day it will end us all. »
In spite of his age, Baalal’s abilities and intelligence, along with his discussions with Finē, seemed to inspire him simple and innocent, but wise and useful advice. As they bonded throughout a few months, both agreed that he deserved to be set free.
Thanks to Baalal’s powers, the escape was easy and peaceful. However, upon leaving Ono-B2, due to Baalal’s practical inexperience, the Plane was split in two. In Ono-B2.1, Finē was left behind and Discord let go of the Plane; in Ono-B2.2, Finē left alongside Baalal. After the events, Discord simply took one of the two, and randomly chose Ono-B2.2.
While Finē wondered where they could escape to without fear of being bothered again, Baalal simply offered to create the perfect place for themselves: he then proceeded to create Balal-Gen.
