Creation of a Mediaverseby SFyrChaptersPart IPart IIPart IIIPart IVPart VPart I"...and so I said, I couldn't believe she would support Devious’ ripoff of Romane culture!" Buffy exclaimed while waving her hoof frantically from her place at the front of the cart. With each step her lavender mane bounced and shifted, occasionally causing a few errant strands to fall in front of her eyes only to be wiped away. "Uh huh." Dower returned next to her, his gaze distant and unfocused. The stallion had been borderline expressionless all the way from the train station, despite Buffy’s best attempts to get him talking. The two ponies trotted side by side down the street, each hitched to a small cart positively bursting with mismatched items and pieces of furniture crammed between the interior walls. Every bump of the cobblestone road seemed to threaten them with an avalanche, much to the concern of the other pedestrians sharing the road. Yet, all around them were carts of similar nature. Stallions and mares alike carted memorabilia, instruments, and other personal items of their own down the warm summer streets touched gold by the sunlight overhead. A gentle breeze wafted through the air, and the loud hum of activity resounded from all around the pair. "I mean, Prance is okay. Look at all the fashion we have from it. I don't think my best friend could live without her styled... coiffeur was it? What the hay. Even Nepony has become huge, but that's okay too! I just can't believe--" "I don't mean to interrupt, but we’re here." "--And then we started arguing over the use of flags in modern design theory... because..." Buffy paused, noting the lack of forward motion from her temporary companion. She blinked, her owlish eyes staring ahead blankly as the gears in her head ground together slowly. For the first time, she noted how the store fronts and open country side had transformed into large white stone buildings easily three stories tall. A large roadway cut into the clean grass to lead between two of the nearest, most prominent buildings. Beyond, a magnificent fountain built to impress trickled just within hearing range, marking the front of an old government-styled building. The letters ‘FEMU’ were arranged near the path in yellow and green flowers. "Umm. We're here," the stallion weakly repeated. "Oh yeah, look at that!" Buffy bounce back into her chipper, borderline sing-song tone. "Oh, I can't wait! I bet I could make all kinds of friends here! Oh, and Viola is sure to--" "Where do you want me to leave the cart?" Dower interrupted. "Oh, umm..." Buffy looked at the cart, before remembering the letter tucked into her saddle bag. After quickly tugging a sheet of crumpled paper out of her right pouch, she spread it over the ground and sat in front of it, smoothing over the creases with her hooves. She paid no attention to the glances she got from various ponies milling about nearby, instead focusing on the tiny font printed on the body of the page. "Umm... Let'see... It sounds like my room is located in Emerald Hall... but where is that?" Her face scrunched in confusion, a soft snort escaping her short muzzle. "How would they expect me find that without a map?” "Didn't they give you a map...?" Dower asked, his eyebrow rising slowly. "Oh yeah!" Her eyes lit up before a sheepish grin spread across her face. "...but I lost it." Dower sighed. The pair sat in silence for a moment. Buffy’s eyes strayed to the milling ponies around them, each absorbed in their own tasks. "Hey! Hey you!" Buffy called out to the nearest pony. The brown stallion looked to her with wide eyes, before devolving into visable confusion. "Yeah you, pointing to yourself like a weirdo!" In an instant, she was full on sprinting towards him, almost threatening to bowl him over as she slid across the final few bounds to him. "You look like you know your way around here, where would I find Emerald Hall?" She asked with her best winning smile and pleading eyes. "Y-yeah, if you take the main pathway, go left a-at the fountain, then it should be the s-second building on the right." He squeaked, a slight blush creeping on his face. "T-there should be a map right over there... next to the path." Right where he pointed stood a small pedestal, only a few yards away. From where she sat, she could see the faint markings of roads and buildings in what was very much a map of campus. "Oh." Buffy gawked, before breaking into an excited grin. "Oh! Thank you so much!" With a wave of her hoof, she ran back over to her cart, and with one-sided enthusiasm she fit herself back into place and resumed pulling. Dower somehow managed to avoid tripping over himself as they instantly began again at full trot. "Onwards!” Buffy yelled with determination shining in her eyes. “Now, where was I... Oh yeah! So there I was--" Several minutes later, and one sad good bye to a new travelling buddy--well, traveling acquaintance really, but she was working on it--she was there! She managed to pack about a quarter of her luggage into her bursting saddle bags in preparation for her first trip. And after having a conversation about weasels and calendar photography with the absolutely lovely mare at the front desk, she had gotten the key to her room, and was well on her way to see it for herself. Buffy was practically vibrating with excitement at all the adventures she was to have at college. And, finally she had something of her own room! Well, she would be sharing it really, but friends didn't count in her mind. "214... 216... 218..." She idly counted off the room numbers aloud. So distracted was she that she almost ran headlong into the pony in front of her. Luckily, the other party was paying more attention, and stepped back just enough to avoid colliding heads. With a soft apology, she continued, trying to watch her step as she frantically looked for her number. “224,” Buffy paused to sit, eyeing the stairwell in front of her. “...Huh.” For a moment, she simply sat in silence before another voice, one she hadn’t heard for years, broke her out of her lesser trance. "Why, hello Buffy." Buffy practically jumped at the voice. She quickly got back to her feet and turned to meet the speaker only a few hoofsteps away. Before her was a lavender mare with an immaculately groomed coat and lightly styled mane. Twin curls framed her face, and large lashes gave her an air of femininity and poise that she expected no less of her closest friend. "Viola!" The next instant, her hooves were wrapped around her best friend's neck in a bone-crushing hug, which was returned with much less force. Though, she was careful not to badly ruin her well-cared-for mane. She wouldn't want to inconvenience her friend after finally reuniting, after all! Stepping back, she took a second to take in the very real and tangible mare she hadn't seen much of since the pair parted almost three years ago in the move. "I got your letter! I can't believe we get to share the same room after all! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! This is going to be so fun!" "Quite. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to share this with you, Buffy," Viola said with a smile. "Now, if you may, our room is just to your right. Would you like to come in?" "Would I!" Buffy grinned a Cheshire grin and followed her friend the short distance down the hall. “We have so much to catch up on! After I unload everything, we are so having a night in to talk face to face!” Soon, the door marked '224' opened with a click, a small key still held daintily by Viola's mouth. After the two trotted in, Buffy saw the common area in all its small yet amazing glory. The floors were a little stained, but seemed to have been freshly cleaned. Exposed outlets and bare walls gave her a feeling of sheer potential, further inflating her already bursting excitement. Nearby, two doors sat in the far walls, recessed in their simple frames. One was slightly ajar, a gleam of porcelain and white tile shining in the darkness. In in the corner of the room cleanly packed luggage bags sat in an organized pile. Choosing the other corner nearest the bedroom door, she quickly dumped the contents of her bags onto the wooden floor, sending several of her items skittering away across the room as they escaped the heap. "There!" Buffy said with a proud smile, her bags feeling many orders lighter. "Hey, how much more do you have to bring in?" "I was actually about to go back for Maxwell when I--ahem--saw you out in the hallway." "Oh! Well, I have quite a bit actually, myself..." Buffy said, thinking about how little she had actually managed to bring in her first trip. "But together, we can get it done in no time!" "About that. If what I hear does hold weight, some of the fraternities and sororities are helping ponies move in." Viola said with a gentle smile as the two exited the room. "We may not need to make many trips if we have the other students of FEMU to assist us." "Yeah, I mean, that'd be lovely!" Buffy exclaimed, quickly falling into step close beside her friend. "But, where would we find them. I mean, we can't just ask random ponies! Can we?" "Well then, it's a good thing we found you then, ” an unknown voice said with a laugh. The pair quickly whipped around to the green mare in a clean but simple up-do. Behind her, a muscular stallion with a rusty brown mane and yellow hoofball jacket smiled a small smile, about two tones down from the mare's energy level. "Name's Viridian, and this is my coltfriend Dust. We represent the Sigma Delta Sigma, and we're here to help the new ponies move in and get acquainted with our campus! And remember, if you want to join up with a fun and welcoming sorority, think Sigma Delta Sigma!" "Technically, I'm not a part of Sigma Delta Sigma, but might as well be at this point." The stallion chuckled. Buffy snatched each of their hooves in turned to give them a shake. “I’m Buffy, and this here is my friend and roommate Viola!” In contrast to Buffy’s forward energy, Viola gave a small, curt bow and no more. “A pleasure.” Together, the group began to move again. The four quietly trotted down the hall before coming to the stairway back to ground level. Buffy was eyeing up the green mare and her coltfriend with a wide grin. "So you would be willing to help us move our stuff in?" Buffy asked. "But of course! We're here to help after all. And, if you have any questions about the campus, all you have to do is ask! I know it took me some time to get used to it, but I promise, you both will love it here!" "Yup." Dust added with a smile. "We’d be happy to lend a hoof if you need it." "Well, I would like to thank you both for your generosity." Viola nodded to herself before offering Viridian and Dust a warm smile. "I have to say, your sorority leaves quite the impression." "It's our pleasure. Anything to make a pony feel welcome!" “Oh my gosh, that is so awesome!” Buffy beamed. "I think I'm going to love it here!" Buffy once again found herself trotting back into the warm sunlight. Viola and Dust left together, presumably to get the last of Viola’s items. Buffy and Viridian were left to sort through the overflowing wagon. Once they both were weighed down with what they could carry, they began their return trip. Viola and Dust beat them to the door, the latter carrying no more than a large, polished case in the rough shape of her beloved violin. Several trips later, Viola and Buffy waved the pair off with promises to meet back up after class starts. An hour or two of unpacking later found the reunited friends going over their schedules in the common area, using packed boxes as a table. Viola was simultaneously scanning over the two laid side to side while also polishing her violin, or Maxwell, as she preferred. Buffy was glancing over her own schedule, while also keeping an eye on the small pot atop the stove. She had happily opted to cook dinner for the two of them, though until they properly stocked the fridge, they were making due with a simple vegetable pasta soup that filled the room with a pleasant aroma. "Let's see here... In the morning we have Dr. Hotshot's general media introduction, but then we don't have class together until the evening." "What about the odd days? The ones between the main ones?" "There are no odd or even days, Buffy. They are all just days. Regardless, we do in fact have one class together every Tuesday and Thursday." Viola pointed to the small print of her highlighted schedule. On Buffy's heavily creased schedule the same print could be found, a professor Pixel Wavelength residing over said class. "'Emergent Technology and the Computer Revolution'? What kind of class is that? I don't remember signing up for it." Buffy mused with a knit brow. "Three credits in a technological class are required, you probably just forgot." "Yeah, probably." She frowned before cracking a smile once more. "Hay, that's three classes we have together!" "Indeed." Viola returned her gaze to Maxwell. His shining gloss caught the light of the room. Only the faint scratches in his scroll and neck contesting to his age; each one bore a story of her devotion to playing over the years. In the evening stillness, Viola began to play. She started out slow, but then drifted into a more sweeping melody that flowed from note to note in a seamless river of sound. Nearby, Buffy hummed along to the song with a wide grin on her face, once more minding the stove. Part IIVictory Hall was awash with the buzz of idle conversation and gossip just before class. A panting Buffy was attempting to push through the crowd, frantically scanning the door numbers for B207, her third and final class of the day. Twice, she had gotten lost today on the way to class, and she only barely managed better this time. Around the bend she went, almost smacking into a stallion who grumbled sourly at her as she passed. "Sorry!" Buffy cried out, before huffing. "Jeez, where the heck is this room?!" Soon, she had hit the stairwell at the end of the hallway. Turning around frantically, she scanned the doors once more, however the magic number '207' failed to appear. A tap on her shoulder almost caused her to jump half a body length in the air. Turning around, she was muzzle to muzzle with her friend. "Viola!" She grinned before giving her friend a quick hug around the shoulders. "Am I glad to see you! You wouldn't believe how badly confusing they made this place!" Viola covered her mouth with her hoof before laughing quietly. "Dear, I watched you walk by our room. I followed you to make sure you didn't miss class." "Oh. Oh! Ohmygosh, are we gonna be l-late?!" Viola simply shook her head with a smile, before leading her towards class. Soon, the pair came to a wide set of double doors, the number '207' adorning the top of the doorframe. The door was currently being held open by an older stallion with a graying mane, who they both gave a polite nod to as they entered. They stepped into what almost looked to be laid out like an amphitheater, only with desks instead of seats. Each row of desks was curved around the recessed stage on the bottom, where a large blackboard and pedestal rested. Currently, the stage was vacant, beyond two mares laying over the edge chatting loudly. Most of the seats had already been claimed by earlier ponies, however near the wall not far from the doors, the ponies had staggered themselves rather thin. Viola made for the center row, near the wall, before claiming her seat and opening her saddlebags to pull out her notebook. Buffy followed her example, sitting snugly beside her with a grin. "This is so... new! I wonder what the teacher will be like! Do you think that stallion at the door was him? Pixel Wavelength, right?" "We still have a few minutes before class starts, so we'll have to wait and see," Viola said while daintily setting out her pencils to the immediate right of her notebook. "I do admit, it is rather peculiar for our instructor to have not arrived yet." "Viola! Buffy!" Both turned their heads to see Viridian standing nearby, flanked by an unfamiliar orange stallion. "It's good to see you!" "Viridian! I didn't know you have class with us." Buffy beamed as the pair took the last two empty seats next to her, the stallion taking the seat on the aisle. "Oh! Who's your friend?" "Nova Blast, at your service." the stallion said with a soft nod. "It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. I do quite hope you are enjoying our lovely campus?" “Totally!” Buffy exclaimed. “I can’t believe how huge this place is! And everyone is just so friendly here!” “FEMU does have a way of attracting some pleasant sorts, for sure,” Nova said with a smile. “Viridian and I were talking about getting dinner after class, would you like to join us?” "I-it would be our pleasure." Viola said quietly, her eyes darting away. A moment of awkward silence passed before a loud bang resounded from the door being slammed open. Through strode a panting white unicorn, a large stack of paper on her back. Her wavy cyan hair curled around her shoulders, a few errant strands sticking to her face. The whole class room watched her as she quickly trotted down the stairs and to the podium. With a small sheepish smile, she shoved the stack underneath it, before taking a deep breath and wiping the hanging locks of hair away from her eyes. Looking much more calm now, she smiled warmly and began to speak in a soft, clear voice. "Hello, and welcome to Emergent Technology and the Computer Revolution. If you are in the wrong room, or your schedule does not list TECH1506 as your 2pm class, then please exit the room through the back and locate your proper class at this time." The sound of a few ponies getting up broke the following silence. "Now then,” she said with a less professional tone, “my name is Pixel Wavelength, and I will be your instructor for this class. In short, we will be covering the emergence of a new technological invention, and perhaps the dawn of the age. We will be studying the origin, mechanics, and future use of what's being termed computational technology, or machines meant for processing data rather than simplifying or enhancing a mechanical process." The stack of papers from earlier floated out from underneath the desk in a soft, calming cradle of light. The sheet then split itself into smaller groups, before being passed to the aisle seats of each section. A moment later, a hoofful of paper landed in front of Buffy. With a nudge from Viridian, she took one and passed the rest down to Viola. Buffy quietly studied the simple sheet, looking at what was very clearly a syllabus. She frowned deeply at the alien terminology splattered all over it. "It all may sound complicated to some of you now, but it’s all simpler than it sounds, and infinitely more interesting. We will start with the technology in direct tangent to the rise of personal computational devices..." The whole of class was a battle to maintain her attention. Too often Buffy found herself doodling instead of trying to work through the miasma of words and unfamiliar concepts being thrown at her. With class only minutes from ending however, she tried to once again pull herself into focusing. "...However, that is actually the foundation of the future this technology will potentially open up," Pixel said with a soft smile that radiated warmth. "Communication." Buffy's ears perked. Her attention was finally being successfully pulled away from the mire of confusion and focusing on speaking mare below. "In this world, there is little as important to a community as communication. Friendship, cooperation, and harmony are all values we hold above all others, and communication is the glue that holds it all together. Our ability to exchange thoughts, memories, and knowledge lets us move forward and discover more than our ancestors previously have. If you look around you, you will see a community of different talents, different minds, and different experiences. Each is important, and each has something to contribute." Buffy nodded absently, focusing on nothing but what she was hearing. Finally, she was hearing something that wasn’t an explanation of a technology she didn’t understand, or dull exposition on electricity and magnetism. "I hope in time all of you will begin to see how wonderful this new technology can be," Pixel said with a hopeful smile. “Many are hopeful about this technology as a means of quickly sharing information, but I also feel there is a lot it can do to further the bonds that unite ponykind. We simply need to find out how to best step forward, and utilize the tools technology gives us.” Part IIIA knock on the door startled Buffy from her place on the couch. With a smile, she quickly threw her textbook aside with all the care of a freshman who would rather be doing anything else. Viola looked on curiously from nearby, Maxwell cradled in her hooves while being meticulously cleaned by a white cloth. With a wide grin, Buffy trotted up to the door and looked through the tiny glass peek hole. In the next instant she flung the door open revealing a green mare with a large projector over her back and a saddlebag bursting with film reels. Beside her a smiling orange unicorn stood by with a silver lanyard around his neck. "Viridian! Nova!" Buffy exclaimed. "Hello Buffy! May we come in?" Viridian asked. At Buffy's nod, the pair entered quickly, the precarious load the mare bore threatening to topple over with each step, though Viridian showed no concern through her cocky grin. "Boy, have I got some films for you two! I can't wait to show you some of the highlights of my collection! Why, I have most of the greatest pieces of the early years of film with me!" "Early years?" Viola said from the couch. "Hasn't cinematography only been around for a decade or two?" "Oh, but so much has happened already!" Viridian returned, her grin growing. "I thought we'd start off with something classic. Say, the Whinnying Halls. The director Still Shot practically revolutionized the way film makers went about narrative structure!" "I have to say, the choice is one of my own favorites as well," Nova commented with a partial grin. "Viridian really does know a good movie when she sees one." "Comes with the passion," Viridian said with pride. "Really helped with getting in with the film club too. Gives me all the chances I could want to subject people to my favorites as well!" As the two settled into the small common area, Viridian unloaded her bags not far from the couch, sending a spare reel or two rolling away before quickly being regathered by a quick hoof. Buffy, her eyes wide and curious, wandered over to the bag to begin looking at the different films her friend brought for them to choose from. Viridan in turn began removing and setting up her projector, while Nova moved to make himself comfortable on the couch. "Excuse me, may I?" Nova motioned to the cushion beside Viola. "O-of course." Buffy kept looking through the film reals, missing the slight blush crossing Viola's face. Most titles were unknown to her, while others she could remember hearing about. Only a few were films she had seen herself however. She eventually even came to a particular reel with a name in another language. Holding it up to the green unicorn, she asked, "Hey Viridian, what's this?" "Nuit des Lucioles," Viridian said with a smile, recognizing it from a short distance away. "It's Prench, and one of the better romantic mystery movies out there, though there are very few," she said with a laugh. "I don't think you'd like it though." Buffy tilted her head. "Why?" "It's hard to catch some of the subtleties unless you're fluent in Prench. That, and well, it's rather hammy." “Ah, okay.” Buffy resumed her digging. “Got any particularly interesting films? Something a bit more recent?” “Weeeell,” Viridian murmured, a loud click sounding from the tripod of the projector as she righted it. “There is a newer psychological thriller by Goodword, though it’s a bit much for some ponies. It’s called Cabin in the Meadow, but believe me,” she chuckled, “the name is a bit deceptive.” “I’d be up for it!” Buffy proclaimed confidently. “It can’t be too bad if you’re willing to recommend it, right?” Viridian smiled a wolfish smile before turning to the two ponies on the couch. "Any opposition to a night of classics and horror?" Nearby, Nova and Viola stopped their conversation regarding Maxwell and chimed in affirmation. "Great, let's get started then!" Viridian said with a wide grin as she set the reels of the projector in motion. A large, somewhat faint image in light was cast onto the far wall. The opening title came through blurry, until Viridian managed to turn off all lights and cast the room into relative darkness. Buffy grinned as the image became almost clear on the far wall. Despite the impromptu setup, she felt like she was in an actual theater, surrounded by her friends! After an hour or so of drama, adventure, and scenes of small town politics falling apart and coming together, the group was in high spirits. Viridian left her nest of blankets on the floor to change out the reels, all the while spouting on about the different uses of camera angles, establishing techniques, and jargon of the like. Buffy tried to follow, but almost all of it was over her head and spoken far too fast for her to catch. Thankfully, Viridian soon calmed down, took a deep breath, and changed tracks. "So, Cabin in the Meadow next?" Viridian asked cheerfully. She was met with several calls of excitement, each of varied levels of enthusiasm. "By the way," Buffy pointed to the silver lanyard and ID hanging around Nova's neck. This whole time she found it odd, but she felt it rude to ask about it during the film. "Why are you wearing that?" “Oh this? This is my badge for Saddle Hall’s new arcade.” He held it closer to her for a better look. In the corner, his face and cutiemark were printed, along with the name Nova Burst, a physical description, age, and a large barcode underneath a series of numbers. Nearby, the title ‘Student Manager’ could be seen. "I didn't even know we had an arcade." Buffy blinked. "Entirely new addition, actually. My parents have been long-time supporters of Fillydelphia’s Entertainment Media University, and they wanted to help bring things a little more up to date." He smiled, modest pride shining through his voice. "For the past few weeks we have been accumulating and installing many of the more well representing titles for the benefit of the student body." "But... an arcade?" Buffy asked, her head tilted dubiously. "Why an arcade?" "Why not?" He returned smoothly. "After all, I would be remise if a college so strong on exploring different venues of entertainment lacked such an important new medium of expression, one my family is honored to help provide to the student body mind you." "Excuse my question, but are your parents not CEOs?” Viridian asked in confusion. “The choice of an arcade seems rather odd given their backgrounds in medicine and hospitality." "Why of course. The arcade was entirely my own idea. In a few years, I hope to even add a few of my own design to the selection as well." Nova said with a winning smile. "Perhaps one based on the world of Ponies and Dragons, in the vein of a cooperative dungeon crawler." "But why games?" “It’s quite simple really,” Nova said smoothly. “To me, electronic media represents an escape of sorts. It gives you a place to simply adopt a persona, or a mission, and enjoy yourself regardless of who you are or where you come from. For a time, you are a hero, without ever truly risking your life to feel the part.” “Personally, I find it odd that you didn’t follow after your parents. It seems like they would want you to either practice medicine or law.” Nova chuckled good-naturedly. “My parents always had a love for providing joy. They say it’s one of the best things you can do with your wealth, and I see games as a pure expression of that want to entertain.” “Well, I think that’s just amazing,” Buffy cheered. “I suppose I can sympathize,” Viridian said with a smile. “I feel the same way about film. It’s hard to be upset when you have so many interesting lives and stories you can watch as if you were a part of it. On top of it all, one of the greatest joys of a good movie is sharing it with friends.” “I can say the same about a good piece of music,” Viola said with a smirk. “Somepony once said that music is the language of the heart, and if there is any truth to that, music may very well be the key not only to communicate one’s truest feelings, but also revel in what it has to offer. Even as a filly, I felt myself drawn to the melodies my grandmother would play, like she was telling me a story with only notes and chords. I could really imagine no other path for myself after she gave me my first violin.” Buffy smiled. It was... striking, to be surrounded by ponies so sure of what they wanted to do. Still, it left her feeling somehow small next to them, like she was once again surrounded by ponies older than herself. It might have been true in the case of her newer friends, but the gap felt much larger than it was. “What about you, Buffy?” Viridian asked with a smile. “What brought you here to FEMU?” “Oh, umm,” Buffy stumbled, her tail curling closer around her side. “I-I don’t really know. I like meeting new ponies, and making friends. It just seemed like a good... fit?” Viola stepped in on her behalf. “She’s actually studying management. Few are as determined understand the needs and personalities of others. That, and she lives to meet new ponies.” “Well, I think it’s quite admirable,” Viridian commented. “The entertainment world needs ponies such as yourself.” “Yeah, I’m sure.” Buffy returned, sounding more sure of herself than she felt. “Now, who’s ready for some too-innocently-named thriller?” Viridian asked, once again adopting her wolfish smile. Closing the door Buffy said goodbye to her friends. Together with a yawning Viola, she went to take care of their nightly rituals and retired to their shared bedroom. The left side of the room was in complete disarray. Only a week had passed since the first day of class, yet Buffy had already managed to scatter all kinds of things over her shag carpet. Her desk was a mess of scattered paper, with a few pencils left haphazardly near the edge. Boxes and half sorted bags sat nearby. Her bed still had the covers heaped at the bottom from where she had tossed them off this morning. Viola's side of the room, however, was well kept by any standards. The bed was made and looked immaculately clean, as was the floor and surrounding area. The only 'clutter' to be seen was a small stack of books--some textbooks for their new classes, while others were music references and sheets of compositions. Viola gently rested Maxwell's case to the foot of her bed, where it sat carefully in its usual space against the hoofboard. With a yawn, Buffy jumped onto her own bed, taking a second to struggle with the tangled blankets and properly cover herself. With a small sigh, she pulled them around her neck and snuggled into her comforter. The lights soon flicked off, leaving her in the comfort of darkness. She closed her eyes, but thoughts still buzzed around her head. The conversations from earlier pulled at her. What she learned was certainly interesting, but something more unidentifiable bothered her. She couldn't help but compare what she could have said to that of her new friends. "Hey Viola?" She asked softly. After a moment of silence, another low voice answered her through the darkness. "Yes, Buffy? Is something the matter?" “D-do you think I made the right choice?” "What do you mean Buffy?” "Nothing," she breathed quietly. "It’s just, strange, how sure Viridian and Nova are. Viridian has her movies. Nova wants to make games. Even you have your music, but... is this really what I want?” "Is this about your sisters?" Buffy remained quiet. Nearby, she could hear the shuffling of bed sheets, followed by the sound of hooves on hardwood flooring. The silhouette of a pony rose nearby, a wide smile on her nearly obscured face. She felt her bed shift as another body climbed up next to her. Two hooves wrapped around her body and gave her a gentle but strong squeeze. "Dear, don't worry so much about what you’ll do after leaving here. If you find something you enjoy more than management, you’re free to change. It's true, Viridian, Nova, and I know our paths already, but I promise you, you will find yours in time." She took a moment to give her a friendly nuzzle. "You already know your love lies with befriending new ponies. There's not a soul out there you wouldn't talk to and hear what they have to say. Just give yourself time, and you will surely find your place." Buffy returned the hug, a smile crossing her face. "Yeah... It's just hard, ya know? My sisters were always the talented ones. I was always... the one overlooked." Buffy sighed. "I just don't want to be 'Halo's little sister' anymore, or 'Damsel's little sister' for that matter." "I, for one, never thought of you as such," Viola proclaimed happily. "I have been your friend since grade school because I saw how wonderful of a pony you were from the start. Not once did I befriend as an effort to get closer to your family." "But, when you found out who they were, you were practically jumping with excitement." Buffy said with a sad smirk, her usual energy well subdued. "And yet, I wish you were no one but yourself." Viola proceeded to snuggle deeper into the covers. “I would take a day with you over your sisters any day.” Soon, Buffy felt one of her pillows being stolen away, a tongue barely visible through the darkness as Viola blew a raspberry at her. After the two had a moment to settle, Buffy couldn't help the creeping grin from adorning her face. Warmth spread through her chest, wiping away her downcast thoughts. "...Thanks, Viola. I don't know what I'd do without you." "Quite." Viola returned with a smirk. Part IVBuffy, Viola, Viridan, and Nova all sat out the server laboratory on the far side of campus. Six days their teacher had been absent, and today would be their normal day to get together outside of class to assist Pixel with her project. After the first week or two, Pixel had approached them with a request for help. It was really volunteer work, simple tasks that helped Pixel delve fully into her work in resolving the barriers to long-distance communication between the still very limited machines on campus, but some students were still interested. Soon, the students showing up dropped to just the four of them, who kept it as something beneficial they could do as friends. Some had left without a word, others instead took up roleplaying in the basement of Emerald Hall after everyone had gone home for the day. And so there were four, and admittedly, they enjoyed how it both brought them together, and allowed them to spend time with their favorite teacher. Despite no confirmation of their meeting during the week Pixel had been missing, the group met up outside the door regardless. It was quietly agreed that they would try, even though the result would likely be fruitless so late in the evening. The halls were quiet. Somewhere nearby a janitor hummed a little tune as they cleaned up after the day's traffic. A short series of knocks broke the peace. No response sounded from within. Viridian shook her head before opening the door anyways. One by one, the group pushed through the doorway and into the server lab. "Hello? Professor Wavelength, are you here?" Wires were strewn everywhere between the data storage towers. A few terminals were left unattended, multiple on-screen windows haphazardly left open. Pieces of paper with diagrams and full paragraphs of messy text were scattered over the floor. Buffy's hoof caught one of the stray cords, almost causing her to fall face-first onto the ground had she been a second too slow to react. After earning a concerned look from Viola, she shook her head and smiled back, assuring her everything was fine. They finally found their professor in the very back of the server lab, asleep with her body curled around a desk. Her mane was a mess, and soft snoring came from her small muzzle. All around her was a wealth of loose paper sheets, each adorned with more of the diagrams and words written in increasingly neat hoofwriting. What's more, the mass of feathers at their professor’s side gave pause to all four of the onlookers. The two added limbs sprouted from her barrel proudly, and despite looking a little worse for the wear, they were beautifully long and almost seemed to shine in the dull fluorescent light. After noticing the abnormal effect, they also realized the slight added shine to her head of disorderly locks, as if flecks of glitter were shining from within the strands themselves. The four looked at each other before Viridian tentatively stepped forward to prod her side. "P-professor?" After waiting in vain for a response, Viridian prodded her side with more force. "Professor! W-what happened to you?" Pixel started twitching, before opening her jaws in a long, gentle yawn. "Wuh? Oh, Viridian... what are you doing here?" Pixel blinked slowly, her eyes not fully prepared for intense light of the waking work. Slowly, she picked herself up and looked around the room. "Or... the rest of you for that matter?" Her gaze then wandered to the rest of the lab. She seemed to note the messy state of the server lab with a slight frown of disapproval. "Goodness, I do believe I let myself get carried away." "Umm..." Viridian started, though it was Viola who stepped forward to answer her. "We took it upon ourselves to proceed with our meeting, in the event you still intended for us to come." "Oh!" Pixel blinked. "Wait, it's already Thursday? Last I knew, it was... It's no matter. I have great, amazing, wonderful news!" The group blinked, seeing the white alicorn suddenly prance in place, her otherwise cool older nature momentarily being eclipsed by something closer to an energetic filly. "I have made such a breakthrough!" What followed out of her mouth was a torrent of rapid words and phrased that flew over Buffy’s head from the start. It was all jargon to her. Things about standard protocol, language, conversion, and electrical signals that could be decoded or encoded at will. Pixel painted the image of a chain, a series of links that spread out in an infinite array of pathways, much like the web of a spider. This web was supposedly moderated through methods completely alien to her mind. But, she was excited by association all the same, though still very, very much confused. "So in other words, you found a way to properly link two machines over long distances without the use of magic? And this would allow us to share anything already capable of being on the machine hosting it?" Nova rubbed his chin with his forehoof, seeming to contemplate what this could mean in a different light. "If I was to have an executable for Void Invaders or Snakepit, I would be able to share it as easily as sending them a letter?" “Of course! You see, so long as it can be reduced and sent along in the pieces that make it up, and the machine on the other side is equipped to decode the message, you could have it reconstruct the file as well as if it had been there to start with.” "Oh! And just imagine what this could mean for films!" Viridian exclaimed, excitement practically burned into her words as she put the pieces together herself. "Of course, we'd have to adapt them to run on the computer somehow, but still! I would love to organize a library of classics for other ponies to view!" "I feel the same for the lesser known pieces of classical orchestra or folk songs." Viola comment with a small smile. "Actually listening to the older works of prolific composers is quite hard when they're rare to come by, which is doubly true of their older works." "On top of all that, why not just use it to make new friends?” The group turned to look at Buffy following her question. Buffy scratched the back of her head, still trying to take in all of what was buzzing around her. However, she could feel something welling up inside. Excitement, nervousness, and awe at what was beginning to fully sink in. "Why can't we just use these to talk to other ponies, just like sending a letter, but like as a group?" Buffy asked with a growing smile. "Just... just think of how amazing it would be!” She gave a grin directed at Viola. "Like, as if you were talking to each other in the same room! Just imagine how much easier it would be to make new friends, talk about your hobby, or discuss a new movie if we gave them a common place to do so! Friends and strangers alike could all message each other from different corners of Equestria!" "I had thought of the same," Pixel said with a smile. “Why don’t the four of you put together your ideas for what is to come. I’m sure this discovery will have drastic repercussions for how Equestria views computers, but I am optimistic it will be nothing but good for ponykind.” She was met with a highly enthusiastic series of nods, followed by the sound of hooves skipping in place from one purple pony. "In fact, I do believe each of you will have something worthwhile to contribute in this matter, and bring ponies together through your varied ideas." Pixel winked at the group, before getting up from her spot at her desk. "Now, shall we start writing some of these ideas down?" Part VThe group of four sat around a table. Mugs of tea sat in front of the first three, Viridian instead sipping the pungent brown nectar of sleep’s bane. Between them was a mess of newspaper and open notebooks. Scribblings adorned the latter in volume, while the former had Pixel's face printed on the very front page. The sentence “Pixel Wavelength crowned Princess of the Internet by Princess Celestia” was prominently featured, with the question “what does this new technology mean for Equestria?” further down in small print. Next to it was an ad for spray on bandwidth. "So, it's actually happening." Nova commented. "And here we are, students of the princess who made it happen." “I’m still surprised we’re up to five princesses, personally,” Viridian said with a smirk. "I hear the first picture sent over the web was a photocopy of a stallion's flank." Buffy said, hiding a chuckle behind her hoof. "It's true, actually." Nova added. "Though, I'm just glad we've found a more... interesting use, beyond Pixel and Protocol's massive database project. Not that I fault them for using the internet as a way to teach others. I hear they're already a quarter the way through uploading the Canterlot library to a dedicated server bank, in fact." "Speaking of projects, how are yours going?" Viridian asked. “Microbit Inc. are really backing development of this, and between Nova and myself, we’re already helping them allow for digitizing more complex media and distributing it.” "It’s going great!” Buffy cheered. “I already got a dedicated chat room set up for the campus, and over 50 new users just this month!" Buffy said excitedly. "I'm hoping to create something... bigger though, and keep spreading to other parts of Equestria! I have a pen pal in Manehattan, and they’re already getting a group together over there." "As for me, I've been able to share my personal compositions with several promising students beyond campus," Viola commented with a slight smile. "It really has allowed us to share and discuss our work so much easier." "Oh hey, Viridian and I were going to go to the Olive Branch for dinner tonight. Shall we count you two in?" Buffy shook her head, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Viola and I already made plans tonight." Viola hummed softly, a smile on her lips as she took another sip of tea. "Oh, well, some other time then." Viridian called. "Same time tomorrow?" “Of course!”
Part I"...and so I said, I couldn't believe she would support Devious’ ripoff of Romane culture!" Buffy exclaimed while waving her hoof frantically from her place at the front of the cart. With each step her lavender mane bounced and shifted, occasionally causing a few errant strands to fall in front of her eyes only to be wiped away. "Uh huh." Dower returned next to her, his gaze distant and unfocused. The stallion had been borderline expressionless all the way from the train station, despite Buffy’s best attempts to get him talking. The two ponies trotted side by side down the street, each hitched to a small cart positively bursting with mismatched items and pieces of furniture crammed between the interior walls. Every bump of the cobblestone road seemed to threaten them with an avalanche, much to the concern of the other pedestrians sharing the road. Yet, all around them were carts of similar nature. Stallions and mares alike carted memorabilia, instruments, and other personal items of their own down the warm summer streets touched gold by the sunlight overhead. A gentle breeze wafted through the air, and the loud hum of activity resounded from all around the pair. "I mean, Prance is okay. Look at all the fashion we have from it. I don't think my best friend could live without her styled... coiffeur was it? What the hay. Even Nepony has become huge, but that's okay too! I just can't believe--" "I don't mean to interrupt, but we’re here." "--And then we started arguing over the use of flags in modern design theory... because..." Buffy paused, noting the lack of forward motion from her temporary companion. She blinked, her owlish eyes staring ahead blankly as the gears in her head ground together slowly. For the first time, she noted how the store fronts and open country side had transformed into large white stone buildings easily three stories tall. A large roadway cut into the clean grass to lead between two of the nearest, most prominent buildings. Beyond, a magnificent fountain built to impress trickled just within hearing range, marking the front of an old government-styled building. The letters ‘FEMU’ were arranged near the path in yellow and green flowers. "Umm. We're here," the stallion weakly repeated. "Oh yeah, look at that!" Buffy bounce back into her chipper, borderline sing-song tone. "Oh, I can't wait! I bet I could make all kinds of friends here! Oh, and Viola is sure to--" "Where do you want me to leave the cart?" Dower interrupted. "Oh, umm..." Buffy looked at the cart, before remembering the letter tucked into her saddle bag. After quickly tugging a sheet of crumpled paper out of her right pouch, she spread it over the ground and sat in front of it, smoothing over the creases with her hooves. She paid no attention to the glances she got from various ponies milling about nearby, instead focusing on the tiny font printed on the body of the page. "Umm... Let'see... It sounds like my room is located in Emerald Hall... but where is that?" Her face scrunched in confusion, a soft snort escaping her short muzzle. "How would they expect me find that without a map?” "Didn't they give you a map...?" Dower asked, his eyebrow rising slowly. "Oh yeah!" Her eyes lit up before a sheepish grin spread across her face. "...but I lost it." Dower sighed. The pair sat in silence for a moment. Buffy’s eyes strayed to the milling ponies around them, each absorbed in their own tasks. "Hey! Hey you!" Buffy called out to the nearest pony. The brown stallion looked to her with wide eyes, before devolving into visable confusion. "Yeah you, pointing to yourself like a weirdo!" In an instant, she was full on sprinting towards him, almost threatening to bowl him over as she slid across the final few bounds to him. "You look like you know your way around here, where would I find Emerald Hall?" She asked with her best winning smile and pleading eyes. "Y-yeah, if you take the main pathway, go left a-at the fountain, then it should be the s-second building on the right." He squeaked, a slight blush creeping on his face. "T-there should be a map right over there... next to the path." Right where he pointed stood a small pedestal, only a few yards away. From where she sat, she could see the faint markings of roads and buildings in what was very much a map of campus. "Oh." Buffy gawked, before breaking into an excited grin. "Oh! Thank you so much!" With a wave of her hoof, she ran back over to her cart, and with one-sided enthusiasm she fit herself back into place and resumed pulling. Dower somehow managed to avoid tripping over himself as they instantly began again at full trot. "Onwards!” Buffy yelled with determination shining in her eyes. “Now, where was I... Oh yeah! So there I was--" Several minutes later, and one sad good bye to a new travelling buddy--well, traveling acquaintance really, but she was working on it--she was there! She managed to pack about a quarter of her luggage into her bursting saddle bags in preparation for her first trip. And after having a conversation about weasels and calendar photography with the absolutely lovely mare at the front desk, she had gotten the key to her room, and was well on her way to see it for herself. Buffy was practically vibrating with excitement at all the adventures she was to have at college. And, finally she had something of her own room! Well, she would be sharing it really, but friends didn't count in her mind. "214... 216... 218..." She idly counted off the room numbers aloud. So distracted was she that she almost ran headlong into the pony in front of her. Luckily, the other party was paying more attention, and stepped back just enough to avoid colliding heads. With a soft apology, she continued, trying to watch her step as she frantically looked for her number. “224,” Buffy paused to sit, eyeing the stairwell in front of her. “...Huh.” For a moment, she simply sat in silence before another voice, one she hadn’t heard for years, broke her out of her lesser trance. "Why, hello Buffy." Buffy practically jumped at the voice. She quickly got back to her feet and turned to meet the speaker only a few hoofsteps away. Before her was a lavender mare with an immaculately groomed coat and lightly styled mane. Twin curls framed her face, and large lashes gave her an air of femininity and poise that she expected no less of her closest friend. "Viola!" The next instant, her hooves were wrapped around her best friend's neck in a bone-crushing hug, which was returned with much less force. Though, she was careful not to badly ruin her well-cared-for mane. She wouldn't want to inconvenience her friend after finally reuniting, after all! Stepping back, she took a second to take in the very real and tangible mare she hadn't seen much of since the pair parted almost three years ago in the move. "I got your letter! I can't believe we get to share the same room after all! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! This is going to be so fun!" "Quite. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to share this with you, Buffy," Viola said with a smile. "Now, if you may, our room is just to your right. Would you like to come in?" "Would I!" Buffy grinned a Cheshire grin and followed her friend the short distance down the hall. “We have so much to catch up on! After I unload everything, we are so having a night in to talk face to face!” Soon, the door marked '224' opened with a click, a small key still held daintily by Viola's mouth. After the two trotted in, Buffy saw the common area in all its small yet amazing glory. The floors were a little stained, but seemed to have been freshly cleaned. Exposed outlets and bare walls gave her a feeling of sheer potential, further inflating her already bursting excitement. Nearby, two doors sat in the far walls, recessed in their simple frames. One was slightly ajar, a gleam of porcelain and white tile shining in the darkness. In in the corner of the room cleanly packed luggage bags sat in an organized pile. Choosing the other corner nearest the bedroom door, she quickly dumped the contents of her bags onto the wooden floor, sending several of her items skittering away across the room as they escaped the heap. "There!" Buffy said with a proud smile, her bags feeling many orders lighter. "Hey, how much more do you have to bring in?" "I was actually about to go back for Maxwell when I--ahem--saw you out in the hallway." "Oh! Well, I have quite a bit actually, myself..." Buffy said, thinking about how little she had actually managed to bring in her first trip. "But together, we can get it done in no time!" "About that. If what I hear does hold weight, some of the fraternities and sororities are helping ponies move in." Viola said with a gentle smile as the two exited the room. "We may not need to make many trips if we have the other students of FEMU to assist us." "Yeah, I mean, that'd be lovely!" Buffy exclaimed, quickly falling into step close beside her friend. "But, where would we find them. I mean, we can't just ask random ponies! Can we?" "Well then, it's a good thing we found you then, ” an unknown voice said with a laugh. The pair quickly whipped around to the green mare in a clean but simple up-do. Behind her, a muscular stallion with a rusty brown mane and yellow hoofball jacket smiled a small smile, about two tones down from the mare's energy level. "Name's Viridian, and this is my coltfriend Dust. We represent the Sigma Delta Sigma, and we're here to help the new ponies move in and get acquainted with our campus! And remember, if you want to join up with a fun and welcoming sorority, think Sigma Delta Sigma!" "Technically, I'm not a part of Sigma Delta Sigma, but might as well be at this point." The stallion chuckled. Buffy snatched each of their hooves in turned to give them a shake. “I’m Buffy, and this here is my friend and roommate Viola!” In contrast to Buffy’s forward energy, Viola gave a small, curt bow and no more. “A pleasure.” Together, the group began to move again. The four quietly trotted down the hall before coming to the stairway back to ground level. Buffy was eyeing up the green mare and her coltfriend with a wide grin. "So you would be willing to help us move our stuff in?" Buffy asked. "But of course! We're here to help after all. And, if you have any questions about the campus, all you have to do is ask! I know it took me some time to get used to it, but I promise, you both will love it here!" "Yup." Dust added with a smile. "We’d be happy to lend a hoof if you need it." "Well, I would like to thank you both for your generosity." Viola nodded to herself before offering Viridian and Dust a warm smile. "I have to say, your sorority leaves quite the impression." "It's our pleasure. Anything to make a pony feel welcome!" “Oh my gosh, that is so awesome!” Buffy beamed. "I think I'm going to love it here!" Buffy once again found herself trotting back into the warm sunlight. Viola and Dust left together, presumably to get the last of Viola’s items. Buffy and Viridian were left to sort through the overflowing wagon. Once they both were weighed down with what they could carry, they began their return trip. Viola and Dust beat them to the door, the latter carrying no more than a large, polished case in the rough shape of her beloved violin. Several trips later, Viola and Buffy waved the pair off with promises to meet back up after class starts. An hour or two of unpacking later found the reunited friends going over their schedules in the common area, using packed boxes as a table. Viola was simultaneously scanning over the two laid side to side while also polishing her violin, or Maxwell, as she preferred. Buffy was glancing over her own schedule, while also keeping an eye on the small pot atop the stove. She had happily opted to cook dinner for the two of them, though until they properly stocked the fridge, they were making due with a simple vegetable pasta soup that filled the room with a pleasant aroma. "Let's see here... In the morning we have Dr. Hotshot's general media introduction, but then we don't have class together until the evening." "What about the odd days? The ones between the main ones?" "There are no odd or even days, Buffy. They are all just days. Regardless, we do in fact have one class together every Tuesday and Thursday." Viola pointed to the small print of her highlighted schedule. On Buffy's heavily creased schedule the same print could be found, a professor Pixel Wavelength residing over said class. "'Emergent Technology and the Computer Revolution'? What kind of class is that? I don't remember signing up for it." Buffy mused with a knit brow. "Three credits in a technological class are required, you probably just forgot." "Yeah, probably." She frowned before cracking a smile once more. "Hay, that's three classes we have together!" "Indeed." Viola returned her gaze to Maxwell. His shining gloss caught the light of the room. Only the faint scratches in his scroll and neck contesting to his age; each one bore a story of her devotion to playing over the years. In the evening stillness, Viola began to play. She started out slow, but then drifted into a more sweeping melody that flowed from note to note in a seamless river of sound. Nearby, Buffy hummed along to the song with a wide grin on her face, once more minding the stove.
Part IIVictory Hall was awash with the buzz of idle conversation and gossip just before class. A panting Buffy was attempting to push through the crowd, frantically scanning the door numbers for B207, her third and final class of the day. Twice, she had gotten lost today on the way to class, and she only barely managed better this time. Around the bend she went, almost smacking into a stallion who grumbled sourly at her as she passed. "Sorry!" Buffy cried out, before huffing. "Jeez, where the heck is this room?!" Soon, she had hit the stairwell at the end of the hallway. Turning around frantically, she scanned the doors once more, however the magic number '207' failed to appear. A tap on her shoulder almost caused her to jump half a body length in the air. Turning around, she was muzzle to muzzle with her friend. "Viola!" She grinned before giving her friend a quick hug around the shoulders. "Am I glad to see you! You wouldn't believe how badly confusing they made this place!" Viola covered her mouth with her hoof before laughing quietly. "Dear, I watched you walk by our room. I followed you to make sure you didn't miss class." "Oh. Oh! Ohmygosh, are we gonna be l-late?!" Viola simply shook her head with a smile, before leading her towards class. Soon, the pair came to a wide set of double doors, the number '207' adorning the top of the doorframe. The door was currently being held open by an older stallion with a graying mane, who they both gave a polite nod to as they entered. They stepped into what almost looked to be laid out like an amphitheater, only with desks instead of seats. Each row of desks was curved around the recessed stage on the bottom, where a large blackboard and pedestal rested. Currently, the stage was vacant, beyond two mares laying over the edge chatting loudly. Most of the seats had already been claimed by earlier ponies, however near the wall not far from the doors, the ponies had staggered themselves rather thin. Viola made for the center row, near the wall, before claiming her seat and opening her saddlebags to pull out her notebook. Buffy followed her example, sitting snugly beside her with a grin. "This is so... new! I wonder what the teacher will be like! Do you think that stallion at the door was him? Pixel Wavelength, right?" "We still have a few minutes before class starts, so we'll have to wait and see," Viola said while daintily setting out her pencils to the immediate right of her notebook. "I do admit, it is rather peculiar for our instructor to have not arrived yet." "Viola! Buffy!" Both turned their heads to see Viridian standing nearby, flanked by an unfamiliar orange stallion. "It's good to see you!" "Viridian! I didn't know you have class with us." Buffy beamed as the pair took the last two empty seats next to her, the stallion taking the seat on the aisle. "Oh! Who's your friend?" "Nova Blast, at your service." the stallion said with a soft nod. "It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. I do quite hope you are enjoying our lovely campus?" “Totally!” Buffy exclaimed. “I can’t believe how huge this place is! And everyone is just so friendly here!” “FEMU does have a way of attracting some pleasant sorts, for sure,” Nova said with a smile. “Viridian and I were talking about getting dinner after class, would you like to join us?” "I-it would be our pleasure." Viola said quietly, her eyes darting away. A moment of awkward silence passed before a loud bang resounded from the door being slammed open. Through strode a panting white unicorn, a large stack of paper on her back. Her wavy cyan hair curled around her shoulders, a few errant strands sticking to her face. The whole class room watched her as she quickly trotted down the stairs and to the podium. With a small sheepish smile, she shoved the stack underneath it, before taking a deep breath and wiping the hanging locks of hair away from her eyes. Looking much more calm now, she smiled warmly and began to speak in a soft, clear voice. "Hello, and welcome to Emergent Technology and the Computer Revolution. If you are in the wrong room, or your schedule does not list TECH1506 as your 2pm class, then please exit the room through the back and locate your proper class at this time." The sound of a few ponies getting up broke the following silence. "Now then,” she said with a less professional tone, “my name is Pixel Wavelength, and I will be your instructor for this class. In short, we will be covering the emergence of a new technological invention, and perhaps the dawn of the age. We will be studying the origin, mechanics, and future use of what's being termed computational technology, or machines meant for processing data rather than simplifying or enhancing a mechanical process." The stack of papers from earlier floated out from underneath the desk in a soft, calming cradle of light. The sheet then split itself into smaller groups, before being passed to the aisle seats of each section. A moment later, a hoofful of paper landed in front of Buffy. With a nudge from Viridian, she took one and passed the rest down to Viola. Buffy quietly studied the simple sheet, looking at what was very clearly a syllabus. She frowned deeply at the alien terminology splattered all over it. "It all may sound complicated to some of you now, but it’s all simpler than it sounds, and infinitely more interesting. We will start with the technology in direct tangent to the rise of personal computational devices..." The whole of class was a battle to maintain her attention. Too often Buffy found herself doodling instead of trying to work through the miasma of words and unfamiliar concepts being thrown at her. With class only minutes from ending however, she tried to once again pull herself into focusing. "...However, that is actually the foundation of the future this technology will potentially open up," Pixel said with a soft smile that radiated warmth. "Communication." Buffy's ears perked. Her attention was finally being successfully pulled away from the mire of confusion and focusing on speaking mare below. "In this world, there is little as important to a community as communication. Friendship, cooperation, and harmony are all values we hold above all others, and communication is the glue that holds it all together. Our ability to exchange thoughts, memories, and knowledge lets us move forward and discover more than our ancestors previously have. If you look around you, you will see a community of different talents, different minds, and different experiences. Each is important, and each has something to contribute." Buffy nodded absently, focusing on nothing but what she was hearing. Finally, she was hearing something that wasn’t an explanation of a technology she didn’t understand, or dull exposition on electricity and magnetism. "I hope in time all of you will begin to see how wonderful this new technology can be," Pixel said with a hopeful smile. “Many are hopeful about this technology as a means of quickly sharing information, but I also feel there is a lot it can do to further the bonds that unite ponykind. We simply need to find out how to best step forward, and utilize the tools technology gives us.”
Part IIIA knock on the door startled Buffy from her place on the couch. With a smile, she quickly threw her textbook aside with all the care of a freshman who would rather be doing anything else. Viola looked on curiously from nearby, Maxwell cradled in her hooves while being meticulously cleaned by a white cloth. With a wide grin, Buffy trotted up to the door and looked through the tiny glass peek hole. In the next instant she flung the door open revealing a green mare with a large projector over her back and a saddlebag bursting with film reels. Beside her a smiling orange unicorn stood by with a silver lanyard around his neck. "Viridian! Nova!" Buffy exclaimed. "Hello Buffy! May we come in?" Viridian asked. At Buffy's nod, the pair entered quickly, the precarious load the mare bore threatening to topple over with each step, though Viridian showed no concern through her cocky grin. "Boy, have I got some films for you two! I can't wait to show you some of the highlights of my collection! Why, I have most of the greatest pieces of the early years of film with me!" "Early years?" Viola said from the couch. "Hasn't cinematography only been around for a decade or two?" "Oh, but so much has happened already!" Viridian returned, her grin growing. "I thought we'd start off with something classic. Say, the Whinnying Halls. The director Still Shot practically revolutionized the way film makers went about narrative structure!" "I have to say, the choice is one of my own favorites as well," Nova commented with a partial grin. "Viridian really does know a good movie when she sees one." "Comes with the passion," Viridian said with pride. "Really helped with getting in with the film club too. Gives me all the chances I could want to subject people to my favorites as well!" As the two settled into the small common area, Viridian unloaded her bags not far from the couch, sending a spare reel or two rolling away before quickly being regathered by a quick hoof. Buffy, her eyes wide and curious, wandered over to the bag to begin looking at the different films her friend brought for them to choose from. Viridan in turn began removing and setting up her projector, while Nova moved to make himself comfortable on the couch. "Excuse me, may I?" Nova motioned to the cushion beside Viola. "O-of course." Buffy kept looking through the film reals, missing the slight blush crossing Viola's face. Most titles were unknown to her, while others she could remember hearing about. Only a few were films she had seen herself however. She eventually even came to a particular reel with a name in another language. Holding it up to the green unicorn, she asked, "Hey Viridian, what's this?" "Nuit des Lucioles," Viridian said with a smile, recognizing it from a short distance away. "It's Prench, and one of the better romantic mystery movies out there, though there are very few," she said with a laugh. "I don't think you'd like it though." Buffy tilted her head. "Why?" "It's hard to catch some of the subtleties unless you're fluent in Prench. That, and well, it's rather hammy." “Ah, okay.” Buffy resumed her digging. “Got any particularly interesting films? Something a bit more recent?” “Weeeell,” Viridian murmured, a loud click sounding from the tripod of the projector as she righted it. “There is a newer psychological thriller by Goodword, though it’s a bit much for some ponies. It’s called Cabin in the Meadow, but believe me,” she chuckled, “the name is a bit deceptive.” “I’d be up for it!” Buffy proclaimed confidently. “It can’t be too bad if you’re willing to recommend it, right?” Viridian smiled a wolfish smile before turning to the two ponies on the couch. "Any opposition to a night of classics and horror?" Nearby, Nova and Viola stopped their conversation regarding Maxwell and chimed in affirmation. "Great, let's get started then!" Viridian said with a wide grin as she set the reels of the projector in motion. A large, somewhat faint image in light was cast onto the far wall. The opening title came through blurry, until Viridian managed to turn off all lights and cast the room into relative darkness. Buffy grinned as the image became almost clear on the far wall. Despite the impromptu setup, she felt like she was in an actual theater, surrounded by her friends! After an hour or so of drama, adventure, and scenes of small town politics falling apart and coming together, the group was in high spirits. Viridian left her nest of blankets on the floor to change out the reels, all the while spouting on about the different uses of camera angles, establishing techniques, and jargon of the like. Buffy tried to follow, but almost all of it was over her head and spoken far too fast for her to catch. Thankfully, Viridian soon calmed down, took a deep breath, and changed tracks. "So, Cabin in the Meadow next?" Viridian asked cheerfully. She was met with several calls of excitement, each of varied levels of enthusiasm. "By the way," Buffy pointed to the silver lanyard and ID hanging around Nova's neck. This whole time she found it odd, but she felt it rude to ask about it during the film. "Why are you wearing that?" “Oh this? This is my badge for Saddle Hall’s new arcade.” He held it closer to her for a better look. In the corner, his face and cutiemark were printed, along with the name Nova Burst, a physical description, age, and a large barcode underneath a series of numbers. Nearby, the title ‘Student Manager’ could be seen. "I didn't even know we had an arcade." Buffy blinked. "Entirely new addition, actually. My parents have been long-time supporters of Fillydelphia’s Entertainment Media University, and they wanted to help bring things a little more up to date." He smiled, modest pride shining through his voice. "For the past few weeks we have been accumulating and installing many of the more well representing titles for the benefit of the student body." "But... an arcade?" Buffy asked, her head tilted dubiously. "Why an arcade?" "Why not?" He returned smoothly. "After all, I would be remise if a college so strong on exploring different venues of entertainment lacked such an important new medium of expression, one my family is honored to help provide to the student body mind you." "Excuse my question, but are your parents not CEOs?” Viridian asked in confusion. “The choice of an arcade seems rather odd given their backgrounds in medicine and hospitality." "Why of course. The arcade was entirely my own idea. In a few years, I hope to even add a few of my own design to the selection as well." Nova said with a winning smile. "Perhaps one based on the world of Ponies and Dragons, in the vein of a cooperative dungeon crawler." "But why games?" “It’s quite simple really,” Nova said smoothly. “To me, electronic media represents an escape of sorts. It gives you a place to simply adopt a persona, or a mission, and enjoy yourself regardless of who you are or where you come from. For a time, you are a hero, without ever truly risking your life to feel the part.” “Personally, I find it odd that you didn’t follow after your parents. It seems like they would want you to either practice medicine or law.” Nova chuckled good-naturedly. “My parents always had a love for providing joy. They say it’s one of the best things you can do with your wealth, and I see games as a pure expression of that want to entertain.” “Well, I think that’s just amazing,” Buffy cheered. “I suppose I can sympathize,” Viridian said with a smile. “I feel the same way about film. It’s hard to be upset when you have so many interesting lives and stories you can watch as if you were a part of it. On top of it all, one of the greatest joys of a good movie is sharing it with friends.” “I can say the same about a good piece of music,” Viola said with a smirk. “Somepony once said that music is the language of the heart, and if there is any truth to that, music may very well be the key not only to communicate one’s truest feelings, but also revel in what it has to offer. Even as a filly, I felt myself drawn to the melodies my grandmother would play, like she was telling me a story with only notes and chords. I could really imagine no other path for myself after she gave me my first violin.” Buffy smiled. It was... striking, to be surrounded by ponies so sure of what they wanted to do. Still, it left her feeling somehow small next to them, like she was once again surrounded by ponies older than herself. It might have been true in the case of her newer friends, but the gap felt much larger than it was. “What about you, Buffy?” Viridian asked with a smile. “What brought you here to FEMU?” “Oh, umm,” Buffy stumbled, her tail curling closer around her side. “I-I don’t really know. I like meeting new ponies, and making friends. It just seemed like a good... fit?” Viola stepped in on her behalf. “She’s actually studying management. Few are as determined understand the needs and personalities of others. That, and she lives to meet new ponies.” “Well, I think it’s quite admirable,” Viridian commented. “The entertainment world needs ponies such as yourself.” “Yeah, I’m sure.” Buffy returned, sounding more sure of herself than she felt. “Now, who’s ready for some too-innocently-named thriller?” Viridian asked, once again adopting her wolfish smile. Closing the door Buffy said goodbye to her friends. Together with a yawning Viola, she went to take care of their nightly rituals and retired to their shared bedroom. The left side of the room was in complete disarray. Only a week had passed since the first day of class, yet Buffy had already managed to scatter all kinds of things over her shag carpet. Her desk was a mess of scattered paper, with a few pencils left haphazardly near the edge. Boxes and half sorted bags sat nearby. Her bed still had the covers heaped at the bottom from where she had tossed them off this morning. Viola's side of the room, however, was well kept by any standards. The bed was made and looked immaculately clean, as was the floor and surrounding area. The only 'clutter' to be seen was a small stack of books--some textbooks for their new classes, while others were music references and sheets of compositions. Viola gently rested Maxwell's case to the foot of her bed, where it sat carefully in its usual space against the hoofboard. With a yawn, Buffy jumped onto her own bed, taking a second to struggle with the tangled blankets and properly cover herself. With a small sigh, she pulled them around her neck and snuggled into her comforter. The lights soon flicked off, leaving her in the comfort of darkness. She closed her eyes, but thoughts still buzzed around her head. The conversations from earlier pulled at her. What she learned was certainly interesting, but something more unidentifiable bothered her. She couldn't help but compare what she could have said to that of her new friends. "Hey Viola?" She asked softly. After a moment of silence, another low voice answered her through the darkness. "Yes, Buffy? Is something the matter?" “D-do you think I made the right choice?” "What do you mean Buffy?” "Nothing," she breathed quietly. "It’s just, strange, how sure Viridian and Nova are. Viridian has her movies. Nova wants to make games. Even you have your music, but... is this really what I want?” "Is this about your sisters?" Buffy remained quiet. Nearby, she could hear the shuffling of bed sheets, followed by the sound of hooves on hardwood flooring. The silhouette of a pony rose nearby, a wide smile on her nearly obscured face. She felt her bed shift as another body climbed up next to her. Two hooves wrapped around her body and gave her a gentle but strong squeeze. "Dear, don't worry so much about what you’ll do after leaving here. If you find something you enjoy more than management, you’re free to change. It's true, Viridian, Nova, and I know our paths already, but I promise you, you will find yours in time." She took a moment to give her a friendly nuzzle. "You already know your love lies with befriending new ponies. There's not a soul out there you wouldn't talk to and hear what they have to say. Just give yourself time, and you will surely find your place." Buffy returned the hug, a smile crossing her face. "Yeah... It's just hard, ya know? My sisters were always the talented ones. I was always... the one overlooked." Buffy sighed. "I just don't want to be 'Halo's little sister' anymore, or 'Damsel's little sister' for that matter." "I, for one, never thought of you as such," Viola proclaimed happily. "I have been your friend since grade school because I saw how wonderful of a pony you were from the start. Not once did I befriend as an effort to get closer to your family." "But, when you found out who they were, you were practically jumping with excitement." Buffy said with a sad smirk, her usual energy well subdued. "And yet, I wish you were no one but yourself." Viola proceeded to snuggle deeper into the covers. “I would take a day with you over your sisters any day.” Soon, Buffy felt one of her pillows being stolen away, a tongue barely visible through the darkness as Viola blew a raspberry at her. After the two had a moment to settle, Buffy couldn't help the creeping grin from adorning her face. Warmth spread through her chest, wiping away her downcast thoughts. "...Thanks, Viola. I don't know what I'd do without you." "Quite." Viola returned with a smirk.
Part IVBuffy, Viola, Viridan, and Nova all sat out the server laboratory on the far side of campus. Six days their teacher had been absent, and today would be their normal day to get together outside of class to assist Pixel with her project. After the first week or two, Pixel had approached them with a request for help. It was really volunteer work, simple tasks that helped Pixel delve fully into her work in resolving the barriers to long-distance communication between the still very limited machines on campus, but some students were still interested. Soon, the students showing up dropped to just the four of them, who kept it as something beneficial they could do as friends. Some had left without a word, others instead took up roleplaying in the basement of Emerald Hall after everyone had gone home for the day. And so there were four, and admittedly, they enjoyed how it both brought them together, and allowed them to spend time with their favorite teacher. Despite no confirmation of their meeting during the week Pixel had been missing, the group met up outside the door regardless. It was quietly agreed that they would try, even though the result would likely be fruitless so late in the evening. The halls were quiet. Somewhere nearby a janitor hummed a little tune as they cleaned up after the day's traffic. A short series of knocks broke the peace. No response sounded from within. Viridian shook her head before opening the door anyways. One by one, the group pushed through the doorway and into the server lab. "Hello? Professor Wavelength, are you here?" Wires were strewn everywhere between the data storage towers. A few terminals were left unattended, multiple on-screen windows haphazardly left open. Pieces of paper with diagrams and full paragraphs of messy text were scattered over the floor. Buffy's hoof caught one of the stray cords, almost causing her to fall face-first onto the ground had she been a second too slow to react. After earning a concerned look from Viola, she shook her head and smiled back, assuring her everything was fine. They finally found their professor in the very back of the server lab, asleep with her body curled around a desk. Her mane was a mess, and soft snoring came from her small muzzle. All around her was a wealth of loose paper sheets, each adorned with more of the diagrams and words written in increasingly neat hoofwriting. What's more, the mass of feathers at their professor’s side gave pause to all four of the onlookers. The two added limbs sprouted from her barrel proudly, and despite looking a little worse for the wear, they were beautifully long and almost seemed to shine in the dull fluorescent light. After noticing the abnormal effect, they also realized the slight added shine to her head of disorderly locks, as if flecks of glitter were shining from within the strands themselves. The four looked at each other before Viridian tentatively stepped forward to prod her side. "P-professor?" After waiting in vain for a response, Viridian prodded her side with more force. "Professor! W-what happened to you?" Pixel started twitching, before opening her jaws in a long, gentle yawn. "Wuh? Oh, Viridian... what are you doing here?" Pixel blinked slowly, her eyes not fully prepared for intense light of the waking work. Slowly, she picked herself up and looked around the room. "Or... the rest of you for that matter?" Her gaze then wandered to the rest of the lab. She seemed to note the messy state of the server lab with a slight frown of disapproval. "Goodness, I do believe I let myself get carried away." "Umm..." Viridian started, though it was Viola who stepped forward to answer her. "We took it upon ourselves to proceed with our meeting, in the event you still intended for us to come." "Oh!" Pixel blinked. "Wait, it's already Thursday? Last I knew, it was... It's no matter. I have great, amazing, wonderful news!" The group blinked, seeing the white alicorn suddenly prance in place, her otherwise cool older nature momentarily being eclipsed by something closer to an energetic filly. "I have made such a breakthrough!" What followed out of her mouth was a torrent of rapid words and phrased that flew over Buffy’s head from the start. It was all jargon to her. Things about standard protocol, language, conversion, and electrical signals that could be decoded or encoded at will. Pixel painted the image of a chain, a series of links that spread out in an infinite array of pathways, much like the web of a spider. This web was supposedly moderated through methods completely alien to her mind. But, she was excited by association all the same, though still very, very much confused. "So in other words, you found a way to properly link two machines over long distances without the use of magic? And this would allow us to share anything already capable of being on the machine hosting it?" Nova rubbed his chin with his forehoof, seeming to contemplate what this could mean in a different light. "If I was to have an executable for Void Invaders or Snakepit, I would be able to share it as easily as sending them a letter?" “Of course! You see, so long as it can be reduced and sent along in the pieces that make it up, and the machine on the other side is equipped to decode the message, you could have it reconstruct the file as well as if it had been there to start with.” "Oh! And just imagine what this could mean for films!" Viridian exclaimed, excitement practically burned into her words as she put the pieces together herself. "Of course, we'd have to adapt them to run on the computer somehow, but still! I would love to organize a library of classics for other ponies to view!" "I feel the same for the lesser known pieces of classical orchestra or folk songs." Viola comment with a small smile. "Actually listening to the older works of prolific composers is quite hard when they're rare to come by, which is doubly true of their older works." "On top of all that, why not just use it to make new friends?” The group turned to look at Buffy following her question. Buffy scratched the back of her head, still trying to take in all of what was buzzing around her. However, she could feel something welling up inside. Excitement, nervousness, and awe at what was beginning to fully sink in. "Why can't we just use these to talk to other ponies, just like sending a letter, but like as a group?" Buffy asked with a growing smile. "Just... just think of how amazing it would be!” She gave a grin directed at Viola. "Like, as if you were talking to each other in the same room! Just imagine how much easier it would be to make new friends, talk about your hobby, or discuss a new movie if we gave them a common place to do so! Friends and strangers alike could all message each other from different corners of Equestria!" "I had thought of the same," Pixel said with a smile. “Why don’t the four of you put together your ideas for what is to come. I’m sure this discovery will have drastic repercussions for how Equestria views computers, but I am optimistic it will be nothing but good for ponykind.” She was met with a highly enthusiastic series of nods, followed by the sound of hooves skipping in place from one purple pony. "In fact, I do believe each of you will have something worthwhile to contribute in this matter, and bring ponies together through your varied ideas." Pixel winked at the group, before getting up from her spot at her desk. "Now, shall we start writing some of these ideas down?"
Part VThe group of four sat around a table. Mugs of tea sat in front of the first three, Viridian instead sipping the pungent brown nectar of sleep’s bane. Between them was a mess of newspaper and open notebooks. Scribblings adorned the latter in volume, while the former had Pixel's face printed on the very front page. The sentence “Pixel Wavelength crowned Princess of the Internet by Princess Celestia” was prominently featured, with the question “what does this new technology mean for Equestria?” further down in small print. Next to it was an ad for spray on bandwidth. "So, it's actually happening." Nova commented. "And here we are, students of the princess who made it happen." “I’m still surprised we’re up to five princesses, personally,” Viridian said with a smirk. "I hear the first picture sent over the web was a photocopy of a stallion's flank." Buffy said, hiding a chuckle behind her hoof. "It's true, actually." Nova added. "Though, I'm just glad we've found a more... interesting use, beyond Pixel and Protocol's massive database project. Not that I fault them for using the internet as a way to teach others. I hear they're already a quarter the way through uploading the Canterlot library to a dedicated server bank, in fact." "Speaking of projects, how are yours going?" Viridian asked. “Microbit Inc. are really backing development of this, and between Nova and myself, we’re already helping them allow for digitizing more complex media and distributing it.” "It’s going great!” Buffy cheered. “I already got a dedicated chat room set up for the campus, and over 50 new users just this month!" Buffy said excitedly. "I'm hoping to create something... bigger though, and keep spreading to other parts of Equestria! I have a pen pal in Manehattan, and they’re already getting a group together over there." "As for me, I've been able to share my personal compositions with several promising students beyond campus," Viola commented with a slight smile. "It really has allowed us to share and discuss our work so much easier." "Oh hey, Viridian and I were going to go to the Olive Branch for dinner tonight. Shall we count you two in?" Buffy shook her head, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Viola and I already made plans tonight." Viola hummed softly, a smile on her lips as she took another sip of tea. "Oh, well, some other time then." Viridian called. "Same time tomorrow?" “Of course!”
