Chapter 1: The Beginning
Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Switzerland, Planet Earth
6/14/2052 AD, 9:55 AM
Scientists from all over the world were getting everything perfectly ready for the big test to be ran in 5 minutes: recent theories and formulas had pointed to the possibility of creating an energy source strong enough to power an entire continent by bombarding an artificial micro black hole with large amounts of antimatter. The LHC was capable of producing either, but now it was time to try to produce both in the same test and combine them into something greater. If all went well, human technology would be revolutionized and advance in leaps and bounds.
The scientists took their positions and prepared to record this momentous occasion for posterity and further study.
Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Lab, Ponyville, Equestria, Planet Equus
6/14/1002 CR, 1:58 AM
Twilight grinned excitedly as she looked to the unicorns she’d assembled for a test of a new field of magic. Dimension hopping had occurred before, but it had never been controlled before. Twilight and her fellow scholars had formulated a way to not only cast a spell to bridge dimensions, but also a way to harness the immense energy that linking two dimensions would create. The resulting energy, if it could be harnessed, would enable Equestria to make incredible advances in technology and magic.
As the clock struck two, she and the army of unicorns poured their magic into the device while casting the new spell…
LHC
10:00 AM
After the Collider had been activated, the scientists watched in stunned silence as a micro black hole formed in the safe confines of the machine. Next, billions of atoms were smashed together to create the antimatter to fling at the vortex, which started to emit energy that would make the largest fusion power plant seem weak in comparison.
The scientists started to take notes and congratulate each other on their collective success, but their joy was cut short when the vortex glowed a menacing green and started to expand through the confines of the collider as if its prison hadn’t been there, crackling with purple lightning…
Twilight’s Lab
2:00 AM
“It’s running perfectly!” Twilight squealed in excitement as the machine started to glow and hum, resonating with much more magic than she and the others had poured into it.
However, her smile fell when she felt the energies start to slip out of control, as if they were being fueled by another force on the other side of the miniscule gate to another world. The gate grew larger and swirled with furious green energy and purple lightning.
“Everypony! Run!” Twilight yelled as she tried to cancel the energy flow, but to no avail.
The two vortexes had become linked, and the energy from each end fueled the other, creating more and more energy with no end in sight. On Earth, newscasts were telling people to seek shelter, but on Equus, the world was starting to descend into a mass panic that nopony could calm down
The Terrans and the Equuans both looked on in horror as their entire planets fell into the dimension holes, but even then, the gates continued to expand faster and faster. At the rate it was going, calculations predicted that both universes would be completely consumed in two weeks.
On Earth, people tried to return to business as usual, but the inhabitants of Equus continued to panic out of fear of the unknown.
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
6/28/2052, 6:00 PM
Professor Lewis Knight, PhD adjusted his glasses and sighed as he tried to forget the images of that day two weeks ago. He was Utah’s brightest man, and so he was his state’s representative to the test at CERN. Not to mention a large portion of the theories had been his. His reputation was tarnished, he was a laughingstock on the world stage now in spite of his attempts to present findings on what went wrong, and people were petitioning to have his Nobel Prize stripped from him. He couldn’t blame them. He’d pretty much thrown the entire universe into a blender and hit frappé. Even if he figured out what went wrong, it wasn't like he could just fix things.
As Lewis drove away from the University to his home in Indian Hills, he considered turning on the radio, but all the stations were static. Even the satellite ones, so he drove in silence.
At the age of 25, Lewis was a prodigy. He’d been engaged before the incident, but his fianceé broke off the engagement as soon as she saw him again, saying that he was obviously not as smart as he led everyone to believe if he could screw up the entire universe that badly.
After fifteen minutes of driving, Lewis pulled up in front of a three story house. It had been his grandfather’s, then his father’s, and now he had it all to himself after his parents moved out to live in a smaller home and his siblings had also moved all over the place.
“Nothing like a house that’s way too big for one bachelor to make me feel even more alone,” Lewis muttered darkly as he got out of his car. “Well, at least I’ll have papers to grade. That should distract me well enough.”
After entering the large house he called home, Lewis set his shoes by the door, took off his jacket and put on his slippers. His smartphone started to ring in his pocket, and after sighing again, he answered with, “This is Professor Lewis Knight. How may I help you?” He sure didn’t feel as friendly as he was sounding.
“Professor, go take a look at the news,” the voice of the dean said excitedly. “I think this could turn your life around for you.”
Lewis muttered thanks and hung up before dashing to the sofa and flipping on the TV, which was already tuned to the local news.
“—satellite findings have indicated that our planet has changed dimensions,” the woman on TV announced. “It has tripled in surface area, and there are new continents in the oceans that were not there yesterday. The ‘mishap’ with the Large Hadron Collider two weeks ago has been pinpointed as the most likely cause. Dr. Lewis Knight, who teaches theoretical physics at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah was the supplier of more than half of the theories and formulas that were tested that day, so he is most likely the man with the most influence on these changes to our planet and system. Stay tuned for more details as they develop.”
Lewis turned off the TV set, dumbfounded. Maybe his reputation wasn’t destroyed after all!
The phone rang again, and this time, his friendliness was genuine.
“Yo! This is Professor Lewis Knight! What can I help you with?”
It was the dean, once again.
“So, what did you think, Dr. Knight?” the dean’s voice grew softer as he apparently spoke to someone in the background. “It’s a smartphone! It lets me talk to people who aren’t nearby! I’m not talking to myself, ma’ams!”
“It was great,” Lewis said happily. “Who was that, sir?”
“Classified by the Feds for now, Doc,” the dean replied. “Can’t tell you yet. You’ll be meeting them soon enough, though. It has to do with the new continents that sprung up in the last few hours. They want to talk to you. As such, I’m ordering you to take the rest of the semester off. Your students will be merged into other classes until further notice.”
“But sir, my students—”
“Will be fine, Doc,” the dean cut in. “They’re bright kids. Now, your visitors will arrive tomorrow morning, around eight AM. Be ready.”
“I wake up at six every morning,” Lewis reminded his superior. “It’ll be no problem.”
“Good,” the dean’s voice said, satisfied. “Now, I can tell you that you’ll be receiving a foreign dignitary and an ambassador. This will be crucial to our future. The ambassador may stay for an extended period of time, so please be aware of that. Goodbye, Doc! Have a good night!”
The dean hung up before Lewis could protest.
Just great, Lewis thought. My redemption requires me to entertain two people who rank higher than me, and one of them could be staying for weeks! Better prep the guest room.
The guest room was on the second floor, and though it was well-furnished, it was lacking in decoration. There were two beds, two arm chairs, a desk and a computer, a radio, a case of various books, two dressers with mirrors, and a pair of nightstands with lamps.
Not knowing how his guests would feel about something as touchy as religion, Lewis removed all religious books from the shelves and stuffed them in the bottom drawer of one of the dressers.
Lewis prepared himself for bed after the guest room was prepared, and set his students’ homework on his work desk. He’d talk to the dean about what to do now that he was forced to take the rest of the semester off.
Once he was ready for bed and in his pajamas, Lewis climbed into bed and fell asleep ready to sleep well for the first night in half a month.
Lewis found himself being interviewed by news reporters from stations from all over the globe. The crowd outside his house filled the entire large lawn and even poured into the street.
“Dr. Knight, what’s it like having your reputation bounce back from such a tragic occurrence?” one asked.
“It feels incredible,” Lewis replied with a grin. “First, you feel good, but then you lose it all. Then you get it all back, and more, and then you’re even happier, because you have a real appreciation for what you have.”
“Do you realize how much this extra space will aid human population growth?” another inquired.
“Well, overpopulation definitely isn’t a problem now, and you’d be blind to not see that,” Lewis chuckled. “Mankind loves the unknown, and exploration’s in our blood. We’ll have those new areas mapped in a few months, I guarantee it! And all that space means more room for us to live in!”
Another reporter asked something, but something caught Lewis’ attention from out of the corner of his eye: something navy blue. He turned his head, but saw nothing but more reporters dying for his attention.
“Dr. Knight? Is everything alright?” a reporter asked with concern.
“Oh, everything’s fine!” Lewis chuckled. “Now, what was the last question?”
Knight Residence
6/29/2052, 6:00 AM
♫ “Ring, ring, ring, time to get up, Lewis!” ♫
Lewis’ built-in alarm on his phone went off at exactly six AM, causing the theoretical physicist to roll over in bed.
♫ “Ring, ring, ring! If you don’t wake up, I’ll sing!” ♫
The sound of Lewis’ own singing grated on his ears as he grumbled and sat up.
♫ “Ring, ring, ring! C’mon Lewis! You’ve got a big day ahead!” ♫
Lewis grabbed his smartphone and fumbled with it for a second before turning the alarm off.
Groaning and stretching, Lewis got out of bed before heading straight to the bathroom for a cold shower.
The shower did the trick, and Lewis was wide awake as he got into his day clothes. He dressed formally in a suit and tie before putting on his Nobel Prize medal, which he’d gotten for being the mastermind behind cold fusion.
Lewis ate a breakfast of oatmeal and pineapple juice before brushing his teeth and double-checking his hair to make sure he was looking sharp.
Once he was fully satisfied, Lewis waited in the front room, glancing out the window from time to time to see if his visitors were almost there.
Finally, at two minutes til eight, a collection of federal vehicles swarmed the front of his house, including a limo which he suspected contained his guests. A woman in all black with a chauffeur’s hat and sunglasses left the vehicle and walked around to the side facing Lewis’ house, but waited for a large group of people in suits to obscure the door from view before finally reaching for the handle.
Lewis’ curiosity grew as the black suited-people formed a ring and started forward. He couldn’t see any sign that there was anyone in the ring of people, but he dashed to his door anyway and waited for the doorbell to ring before opening it.
“Dr. Lewis Knight, I presume?” a well-built black man asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” Lewis replied. “What do you need?”
Before the man could answer, a female voice from inside the circle groaned.
“Can’t you let us out of here already?” the voice demanded. “You said nopo— I mean nobody was supposed to see us, but we’re there now, aren’t we? Is this how you always treat foreign dignitaries?”
“And I need to interview him and learn everything he knows about what happened!” another female voice said angrily. “I can’t do that while all of you are surrounding us!”
“Dr. Knight, what you are about to see, you are to tell no human being about except for those certified to have that information,” the man continued gruffly as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “You are about to make contact with beings from what used to be another world. They’ll explain the rest, but allow me to warn you: they’re not like any being you’ve ever seen.”
“Excuse me, what did you say?” Lewis exclaimed, unable to believe his ears.
“These are denizens of what used to be another world,” the man stated again. “Don’t make me say it again. The answer won’t change.”
“Okay, I won’t tell anybody,” Lewis sighed.
“Very well,” the man said, stepping aside. “Princess Sparkle, Ambassador Heartstrings, this is the man you’ve been asking for.”
Two horse-like creatures looked up at Lewis, and he did something a man of his scientific standing would be ashamed of: he fainted.
Author's Note
Well, I've been told I should do a one-shot for a while now, so there, a one-shot. Or, at least, this had been a one-shot until I was informed that this fic would be better with more chapters, so more chapters to come, I guess. Yay?
Anyway, what did you like? What didn't you like? This story is unedited, so it may have problems. Either way, I hope you had a nice read!
For all the groups I added this story to, please remove it from your one-shots folders (if you have one). I jumped the gun on that one. Sorry 'bout that!
Chapter 2: A Sensitive Subject
8:15 AM
Lewis’ eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. He could feel the living room sofa beneath him, so he spoke angrily to himself, not giving a darn if anyone heard him or not.
“When did you start fainting when faced with the impossible, Dr. Lewis Knight?” he grumbled. “Isn’t the thirst for the unknown what made you who you are?”
The clearing of a throat nearby alerted him that he wasn’t alone, so he turned to face whoever had made the sound.
His eyes fell on the two creatures that somehow made him pass out, as well as the large black man he’d spoken to when he’d first answered the door.
“Hey,” Lewis said with a small wave. “Sorry about that. A man like me shouldn’t faint from something like that. Must be something wrong with my drive for knowledge at the moment.”
“Understood, Dr. Knight,” the black man said with a nod. “I’ll leave you to get acquainted with your guests. If you need assistance from us, call your dean and ask him to connect you with Agent Grayson, meaning me. We don’t have time to give you a direct connection to us right now, so your dean will have to serve as a middleman for now.”
“Yes, sir,” Lewis replied as he got to his feet. “Is there anything else?”
“These beings requested to tell you the rest themselves,” Agent Grayson responded stiffly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have important matters to attend to elsewhere. I’ll show myself out so as to not waste any more of your time.”
“Of course,” Lewis said with a nod before turning to the pair of horse-like creatures standing in front of him. One was about four feet tall, mint green with a mint and white mane and tail, huge amber eyes, a depiction of a lyre on both flanks, a horn and a short snout. The other was slightly larger, mulberry with a dark purple mane and tail with a pink stripe and a purple stripe running through both, purple eyes that were as proportionally huge as the other being’s were, a depiction of a starburst surrounded by smaller stars on both flanks, the same horn and short snout as the other equine, but sporting wings as well.
As he continued to look over the two creatures in fascination, Lewis heard the front door shut, and the mulberry one suddenly spoke up: “Hello, Dr. Knight, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria. You were the one who contributed the majority of the information to your kind’s experiment, yes?”
This time, Lewis didn’t faint. Instead, his fascination grew stronger, and he started feeling as giddy as he had on his first day at BYU when he was fourteen, or to put it in layman’s terms, like a kid in a candy store.
“You can talk!” he exclaimed excitedly, completely ignoring the question he’d just been asked. “This is amazing!”
“Um… Could you please answer my question?” the Princess asked.
“Come on, Twilight! He’s just acting how you acted when you saw how advanced these people are!” the mint one said. “You went into full-blown nerd mode!”
“But none of them were asking me questions at the time!” Twilight protested. “Besides, you couldn't stop geeking out at all the humans when we first got here!” She turned to address Lewis before continuing. “Dr. Knight, please just answer my question!” She emphasised the last part with a stamp of a hoof, startling Lewis back into reality.
“Oh, yes, that would be me,” Lewis replied. “I provided a large amount of the theories and formulas that were supposed to turn an artificial micro black hole into an electrical power source that could power an entire continent for decades before having to be replaced.” Lewis’ expression turned grim as he continued. “But something went wrong. The black hole expanded until it swallowed the entire universe. Luckily, people are starting to forgive me for that because of the planet getting supersized, but I still can’t figure out what went wrong in the first place.”
“Was there a green vortex spewing purple lightning?” Twilight interrupted. “When my experiment went awry two weeks ago, one appeared and swallowed our entire universe. The hysteria still hasn’t completely faded.”
“You, too?” Lewis gasped. “So, you’re saying that we ended up combining two different universes into one, then?”
“How else would you explain hundreds of nations full of humans popping up in a few hours?” the mint one interjected. “Humans were supposed to be a myth! But I liked studying you anyway. My name’s Lyra Heartstrings, by the way. Former cryptozoologist, currently an ambassador from Equestria for the sole purpose of speaking with you, Dr. Knight.”
“So, let me guess,” Lewis quipped. “You’re saying that you’re from one of those new continents?”
“Well, to us, your continent is one of the new ones,” Lyra replied, “but yes. We’re from a continent that wasn’t in the same world as you until yesterday. Our planet fused with your planet, so it’s quite possible that every planet in both universes merged with a counterpart planet from the other.” She turned to Twilight and added, “is that what you told me?”
“Pretty much,” Twilight replied. “Your nations’ governments want us kept secret for the time being, so we’re willing to comply with those wishes for now. They want to have something to tell your people, and that’s an explanation for what happened. It seems the prevailing force in your world was science, but it was magic in ours. This new world seems to have both in equal balance, so researching what happened to link both ends should be possible with both forces having equal sway.”
“Wait, you’re telling me magic is real?” Lewis asked. His scientific mind refused to believe such a thing. He was religious and believed in a higher power, but he believed that that higher power just manipulated all of creation through science. Science beyond human understanding, yes, but still science. Magic just didn’t seem possible. “No, you’re joking.” he said with a shake of his head. “There’s no such thing as—”
He cut off when Twilight’s horn started glowing. Next, his medal was encased in the same glow, and the field levitated it off of him.
“That’s impossible!” Lewis exclaimed as the field deposited his medal on the sofa’s armrest. “That defies all scientific explanation!”
“That’s because it’s magic, Dr. Fingers,” Lyra giggled. “I’m a unicorn, so I can use magic. She’s an Alicorn, so she can do it, too. In fact, all kinds of ponies can use magic. It just varies from tribe to tribe.”
“Don’t call me that,” Lewis snapped. “It sounds wrong. Anyway, so magic exists. What does that prove, anyway?”
“Nothing, yet,” Twilight replied. “But if you and I can combine our studies, we might be able to come up with an explanation that’ll satisfy the human governments, as well as the scholars from both your society and ours.”
“Then why was I told that she’d be staying for an extended period, not you?” Lewis asked while pointing at Lyra.
“She’s going to stay so we can keep in touch, of course.” Twilight replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “As a princess, I’ve got duties to take care of back home. Plus, I’ll be able to help more with access to my personal lab. Lyra’s necklace can teleport items to my location, as well as receive items from me.”
It was then that Lewis realized Lyra was wearing a thin gold necklace with a glowing orb that seemed to be filled with green fire set into the middle.
“That thing’s a teleporter?” Lewis asked, not sure what to believe anymore.
“It imitates dragonfire, something I use to send letters from time to time,” Twilight replied. “Just have Lyra tap the orb with a hoof, then touch it to the object you want to send for five seconds. It’ll do the rest.”
“If you say so,” Lewis muttered. “Well, we might as well get everything underway. Have you two already eaten?”
“We have,” Twilight replied while Lyra nodded. “Is there anything else you need to show us before we get started?”
“Well, I have to show Miss Heartstrings the guest room,” Lewis answered. “It’s the only room in this huge place that I have set up for guests at the moment.”
“Please, just call me Lyra,” Lyra said, batting her eyelashes slyly. Turning to Twilight, she asked, “hey Twilight, want to come along?”
“I don’t see why not,” Twilight replied. “This is my first time inside a human residence, so learning about their interior design would be a good place to start. I know Rarity would like to know.”
Lewis sighed as he led the two ponies up the stairs. “For trying to hit on me, I’m going to continue calling you Miss Heartstrings, got that? Ambassador or no, you can’t just flirt with your host! Besides! We’re not even the same sapient race! I don’t know whether or not it counts as wrong, but I’m treading on the side of caution for the time being. Understood, Miss Heartstrings?”
“I understand, but I make no promises!” Lyra said with a wink. Lewis heaved a heavy sigh as they reached the guest room.
Opening the door, Lewis ushered the ponies inside. “For a house this big, I’m sure you’d expect better accommodations, but—”
“Some of the books are missing from these shelves,” Twilight declared, pointing a hoof at the bookcase.
“There aren’t any missing books, Your Highness,” Lewis lied. “There’s nothing wrong.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Twilight said with a smile. “I’ve worked as a librarian for quite a while before getting my own castle. I can tell when a spot used to have a book, but doesn’t anymore. Now where are the other books?”
“I removed them,” Lewis admitted. “They’re the kind of books I wouldn’t want to discuss with representatives of another nation. Sensitive subjects and all that.”
“Such as?” Twilight inquired, leaning in to hear better.
“None of your business, that’s what!” Lewis snapped.
“Human books you don’t want me to read?” Twilight exclaimed as if she’d been slapped. “Lyra, how would you react if you were denied knowledge about humans?”
“I’d do just about anything to get to it,” Lyra replied with a nod. Without another word, both ponies’ horns lit up and they began searching the room.
“That information is sensitive and up to interpretation!” Lewis protested as he reached for his smartphone. Maybe Agent Grayson and the others could help with this.
Suddenly, his phone flew out of his hand and hovered near Twilight’s head.
“Nope!” she said as she and Lyra approached the twin dressers. “I already know what that thing does, and you’re not talking to anyone to get help! Now tell me where the other books are!”
“They contain information I believe to be true, but other humans disagree on these subjects! There’s nothing concrete about them from the scientific perspective!” Lewis snapped as he sat down in a chair, admitting defeat. He couldn’t harm them. One was royalty, and the other an ambassador. He could do jack squat.
“Aha!” Lyra said as she stopped in front of the very drawer all the religious books had been hidden in the night before. “This is the spot! They’re in this drawer, Twilight!”
And with that, Lewis let out a groan as the drawer became encased in a golden aura and slid open. A few seconds later, the two ponies were looking at the titles of the various books before levitating them into a set of neat stacks off to the side.
“Let’s see, this Tennis Shoes Adventure Series looks like a set of action novels,” Twilight noted, holding thirteen books in her magical grip. “Why would you hide them?”
“Please stop,” Lewis begged, but the ponies didn’t comply.
“There’s a lot of these “The Work and the Glory” books here, too,” Lyra added, levitating a group of nine hardcover books into a stack.
“Oh! I saw this book earlier!” Twilight said as she levitated out a copy of The Holy Bible. “How is this sensitive when your dean had one sitting on his desk?”
“Everyone at BYU believes in the same concepts taught in the books in that drawer unless they have obtained special permission to attend,” Lewis grunted. “Now, you’ve had your fun. Put those books back before—”
Lewis froze when he saw Lyra levitate a book that meant a lot to him, his family, and everyone who shared the same belief system he did: a book with three titles on the cover: The Book of Mormon/Doctrine and Covenants/The Pearl of Great Price. Out of all the books in that drawer, that was the one he definitely didn’t want any guests from anywhere outside Utah to see.
“What’s this?” Lyra asked before Lewis suddenly yanked the book from her grip and held it to his chest with both arms crossed, hugging it tightly.
“Not for your eyes,” Lewis said angrily. “People have been killed in the past for believing in the concepts of the three titles in this book. Don’t touch those Work and the Glory books, either. They go into dramatic detail about the tragic events that followed the people who believed in what this volume teaches. Some say that others have suffered more for their beliefs, and I don’t doubt it.. But the short history of the followers of this book is something you shouldn’t have to know about yet. It’s too tragic for such a short period of time. So please, put those books back in that drawer and don’t touch them again. These books are for fellow believers, only.”
“Oh,” Twilight said quietly. “I think we should do what the man says, Lyra.”
Lyra nodded, and the two ponies returned the collection of religious-oriented texts to the drawer, and Lewis finished by placing the Triple Combination in the drawer and closing it firmly.
“Religion is a touchy subject,” Lewis told the two mares. “People have fought wars over it, claiming that their conquests were sanctioned by a higher power. Religion is something that was meant to give man hope and a foundation of principles to believe in, to find peace and harmony in a chaotic world. But it’s been turned on its head so many times that it makes me sick to remember learning about those times. So please, don’t bring up those books again.”
“If they’re so sensitive, why keep them?” Lyra asked curiously.
“Because this is Utah,” Lewis replied simply. “Utah is a place where the majority of the population are believers of that particular religion. Outside this state, we’re a small minority, and bringing us up is rarely a good idea when not in Utah. It’s a great way to start a fight, or a heated religious debate at the very least. So, pretend you never saw those books, okay? As far as you’re concerned, this is just your average American bachelor pad.”
“I understand, Dr. Knight,” Twilight replied. “I won’t mention those books.”
“I won’t, either,” Lyra said. “Your secret’s safe with me!”
“Good,” Lewis said with a nod. “Now, it’s almost lunch time, so I’ll get some food prepared. After that, I can show you my findings.”
The two mares nodded, and Lewis left the guest room to go to the kitchen downstairs.
Once Lewis left, Twilight turned to Lyra and asked a question.
“Why do you think he was so adamant about us not touching those novels?”
“I don’t know,” Lyra said with a shrug. “You should see if you can obtain copies of them to take back to Equestria for reading. As for me, I’m going to use his books. Even if the history behind this certain aspect is dark, I want to know everything about humans.” Lyra put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment before continuing on a different topic. “Why do you think he reacted that way to me?”
“If he simply wasn’t interested in you, I doubt he would’ve reacted so harshly,” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “Maybe humans see relationships with anything not human as taboo. We’ll need more research on that, so Lyra, I’m asking you to do some field work on that for me.”
Lyra nodded before sliding the drawer open again and carefully removing the first Work and the Glory book from the drawer: “Pillar of Light”.
“I’ll read this when I’m sure he’s not around to stop me,” Lyra informed Twilight. “I’ll just hide it under the bed for now.” After doing just that, Lyra joined Twilight in waiting for Lewis to announce that lunch was ready.
Author's Note
Now, before any of you gets upset about Lewis being Mormon, Brigham Young University is the most prestigious college in all of the state of Utah (the University of Utah claimes to be better, but they really aren't). To teach at BYU, one has to follow the same requirements to attend: either be a member of the Mormon faith, or have special permission to attend/teach. I'd already established that he was a BYU professor in the previous chapter, and no one got upset then, so if you're just now getting angry over him being Mormon, I already told you he was one in the previous chapter.
As for Lewis having gotten into college at age 14, there are such prodigies, and how else would you explain a twenty-five year old with a doctorate in theoretical physics? I've seen younger kids become college freshmen, so fourteen's not really saying he's the smartest man alive. It's just saying he's really smart, as you'd expect a man of his standing to be.
I addressed these two points beforehand because I could see a potential flamewar a mile away. If you have any other issues, please bring them up in the comments in a civil manner, and I will address them.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, for now I have to get started on Chapter 3!
