Beyond The Starsby Flutter GuyChaptersUniversityA Night For SpikeBlack MoonPersonal ProblemsHomeAuthor's NoteNew author's noteSolutions, scrolls, and surprisesUniversityMy life was not all that special of a story before the Event. Of course, relatively speaking, nobody’s was really. But here I am getting ahead of myself. I suppose I should go back to the beginning first… You see, I was a student in the closest community college to home I could find. Living at the house I grew up in was way cheaper than renting a place, even if I did have to contribute to food and utility costs a bit. It sounds weird that my parents would make me pay to live at home, but considering I was in my twenties, it wasn’t unreasonable. I didn’t mind either way. Anyway, I went to a cheap school while I saved up for the tuition at a four-year university to get that physics degree I had always dreamed about. I wanted to explore the universe and discover its secrets and I figured a major in physics would be the best way to go for that sort of thing. Don’t get me wrong though, I wasn’t an anti-social science geek or anything like that. I hung out with friends when I wasn’t working, went to the gym, and I was even a competitive kick boxer, so I was in pretty good shape. That was my life for a few years until I was miraculously accepted into a fairly prestigious university on the other side of the country. It was farther from home than I wanted but, hey, we all got to move on some day. Besides, it was one of the top schools for my major. How could I refuse? So that summer I packed up my belongings, said goodbye to my parents, and started on the long drive to my new home. As I pulled up to the new student parking area after my weeklong drive, I looked up at the towering libraries, massive classrooms, and ludicrously large dorms. It was all rather intimidating for a guy who had never really been away from home before, but quite exciting all the same. Today is the first day of the rest of my life, I thought to myself with a smile. I continued to ponder the potential awesomeness in my near future as I parked, grabbed as much as I could carry in one trip from the trunk of my car, registered with the smiling student representative, and headed in the direction of the dorm I would be staying in. My thoughts drifted to my roommate, who I had yet to meet. Eventually I stood in front of the door to my room. It was unlocked which meant someone was already inside, so I took a deep breath and knocked solidly a few times. The door whipped open so fast it seemed like the grinning, sandy haired guy who stood there had been waiting with his hand on the door handle for me to arrive. He instantly started a barrage of questions that smacked me in the face like a bullet train. “Hi there! I’m Max Cooper, are you my roommate? What’s your name? I’m studying chemistry, what are you studying? Where are you from? I live like, an hour away so I can still go home for stuff if I want.“ He stopped for a split second to catch his breath, and I took this as an opportunity to interject. “Whoa, Max, slow down dude.” I laughed,” I’m Michael Thorson, it’s good to meet you-“ “Wow your name is Thorson? That’s so cool! Did you know that names with a son at the end come from ancient Northern Europe when people didn’t have last names and they would just say that they were the sons of whomever? That means your ancestors thought they were descended from Thor! He’s the Norse god of thunder, and he’s totally awesome. He has this badass hammer named Mjolnir and stuff.” He continued to yammer on about Norse mythology as I sighed and walked into our shared room. I looked around and was pleasantly surprised at our accommodations, which were considerably nicer than I expected. Hell, we even had a microwave and a mini-fridge. “I could definitely get used to this.” I mumbled to myself. “What was that?” Max asked. I hadn’t even noticed he had stopped his lecture; I was so absorbed in my own thoughts. That and I already knew everything he was trying to teach me. “Oh, nothing.” I responded. “I was just admiring our living space.” Luckily I could tell Max was a pretty organized and neat guy, so I wouldn’t even have to worry about his crap all over the place. He had already gotten unpacked and it was clear we were going to use the “this side is mine and that side is yours” system by the strip of duct tape running through the room. He had a few alt-rock band posters up and some model spaceships on his dresser, but other than that the room was kind of bare. I set my things down and told Max I was going to my car to get the rest of my bags. He offered to help me out and the two of us headed back down to the parking lot together. I smiled to myself as he began informing me of all the things he knew about the school we were at and I could tell he was going to be a major pain sometimes, but also that he would be an interesting guy to have around. As it turns out Max and I were in several of the same classes throughout our time at school. He was interested in a lot of the same things I was and we worked together on many of our projects. We both wanted to understand more about the world around us, but we wanted more than that as well. One night we had a conversation that would change a lot in our minds. “Max?” I asked as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. “What’s up Mike?” “Why are we doing what we’re doing?” I heard him sit up and turn towards me. “What do you mean? Like why are we at school, or studying what we’re studying, or-“ “Yeah, studying what we’re studying. Why do you think we care?” Max was silent for a minute, which was unusual. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to know why things happen and figure out more about our world. What about you?” I slid out of my blankets and leaned against the wall facing him and said, “I honestly don’t know for sure.” I heaved a heavy sigh and continued, “There’s just so much out there and I guess I just want to find out how much. I can’t believe we’re the only ones in this universe, considering how massive it is.” Max laughed, “That would be pretty stupid.” “Not to mention lonely.” I sat quietly for a second then said, “Max, do you think there might be other universes similar to ours with people wondering what’s out there just like us?” “It’s totally possible.” He replied. “I mean, if Einstein is correct-“ I stopped him before he could get going, “No, I mean do YOU think so?” “Well, yeah. It just feels wrong to think that there could only be one universe. I mean, what’s on the outside of ours?” “I don’t know Max, I just don’t know…” A Night For Spike“C’mon Twilight, we’re gonna be late for Pinkie’s party set up!” The impatient pegusus called Rainbow Dash complained again. “She specifically said that we had to be there at 3:00 so we could get ready for the awesome surprise she has planned!” “Just give me one more second!” A purple unicorn stuck her head out from the loft of the library she lived in with a frustrated expression on her face. “I need to find that spell for Pinkie Pie. She said that without it the whole thing will fall apart and everything will be ruined!” She went back to searching while Rainbow Dash growled and stomped her foot. “You better hurry it up then!” After what seemed like an eternity she finally heard Twilight call out, “Found it!” and come trotting down the steps to where Rainbow was waiting. Together they walked out the front door and hustled to their friend Applejack’s apple orchard, which was where Spikes eighteenth birthday party would be held later that evening. “I can’t wait for Spike to see what you have planned.” Twilight said happily to the bouncing pink pony that was waiting for them at the barn’s front door with her other three friends. “So what DO you have planned Pinkie?” “OOH!” Pinkie Pie squealed with delight, “I have a super duper extra special surprise for Spike!” “Yes dear, we know.” Said the elegant white unicorn standing to right of Rainbow Dash. “Twilight is asking what the surprise actually is.” “Oh yeah Rarity, I knew that!” And with that she kicked open the barn door behind her revealing to five simultaneous gasps several boxes of brightly colored tubes with points at one end and black strings on the other. “F-f-fireworks?” One yellow pony squeaked. “Where did you get fireworks Pinkie?” Pinkie Pie began bouncing up and down with excitement. “I asked Steelforge make the rockets and Flashbang made the actual explody stuff that goes inside!” “So this is what you needed my Launch spell for.” Twilight chuckled. “How are you going to detonate them in the air?” Pinkie pointed to the black strings hanging from the bottom of each tube. “These thingies are fuses! We light it at the end, then Twilight will use her spell sending them shooting off in the air, then when the string burns up the stuff inside goes KABOOM!” She leaped into the air as she said the last word, sending confetti from who knows where all over her friends. “Sounds d-dangerous.” The timid yellow pony whispered. “Aww, there’s nothin’ to worry about sugar cube.” Said Applejack, a brilliant orange pony who always wore her faded brown Stetson cowfilly hat, with a heavy southern drawl. “Ah’m sure Pinkies got it all under control.” She gave Pinkie Pie a pointed glance at this to which she responded with a grin and said, “Don’t you worry one bit Fluttershy! It’s gonna be perfect. Now who wants some cupcakes? I made them this morning!” The rest of the afternoon was spent putting up decorations, which Rarity supervised, setting out games, which Pinkie Pie took charge of, and making the food, which Applejack happily took care of. The rest of the gathered ponies wandered and helped out with whatever needed doing. After a few hours it was getting dark and Twilight went to get Spike from the library, where he had been doing some chores she had set out for him. She laughed to herself as she thought back to the look on his face when she gave him the huge list that morning. Needless to say, he was not a happy dragon. He will be soon, she thought with a smile. “There you are!” Spike grumbled as Twilight walked in the front door of the library. “I’ve been waiting forever for you to get back from your ‘errands’. Now, can we-” He stopped suddenly as Twilight shut his mouth with magic. “Stop.” She commanded. “We have some work to do back at Sweet Apple Acres that Applejack wanted help with.” “At night?” Spike complained. “But I just got done with the chores you set out.” “No whining.” Twilight scolded the young dragon. “We have too much to do for you to be running your mouth.” With that she turned and walked out the door, leaving it open for Spike to follow.” “Jeez,” Spike sighed, “it seems like everypony forgot about my birthday, even Twilight.” He heaved another melodramatic sigh and shuffled dejectedly after his unicorn friend. “So what is it we have to do?” Spike asked Twilight when they arrived at their destination. “And where’s Applejack anyway?” “In the barn.” Twilight said, “She’s waiting for us there.” So the two of them set of towards the large red building on the top of the hill. It didn’t take very long to get there, but to Spike, who was feeling pretty down about nopony remembering his birthday, it felt like forever. However, he completely forgot his sadness as he opened the barn door and was immediately blinded by the bright lights and confetti, and deafened by the “SURPRISE!” that came from inside. “Wha-“ He started to say as he stumbled backwards, almost bowling Twilight over. “You didn’t seriously think we would forget the day you became an adult did you?” Twilight laughed. “Well, honestly I did. And Twilight, I’m not really and adult dragon until I’m fifty.” Suddenly Rarity was at his side saying, “Oh darling, to us you’ve become quite the mature young dragon, and as an Equestrian citizen you are a legal adult.” Spike looked down at himself and for once realized he really wasn’t a baby anymore. He was now taller than any of the ponies, except maybe Big Mac, and he was starting to fill out. His chest was thicker, his arms and legs were longer and no longer looked like noodles, and his voice had deepened to a much more mature rumble. He could even roar properly now. He blushed as he said, “I guess I am kind of grown up now.” “Of course you are dear!” Rarity purred as she sidled up closer to him, causing him to blush even harder. “Which means…” Spike nearly had a heart attack as Rarity planted a solid kiss right on his purple lips. All the other ponies in the barn began cheering and whooping as Rarity laughed and Spike sat down hard on the nearest bench. “It also means ah can break this puppy out!” Applejack called as she pushed a huge barrel into the middle of the room. “Fresh batch of my world famous Hard Apple Cider, special for the birthday dragon!” The cheering multiplied as mugs were passed around and the party got going for real. Several hours later the barrel was running dry and Pinkie remembered her big surprise for Spike. “Oh Spike!” She cried, slightly slurred, as she pulled the blanket off the boxes of fireworks. “Check these babies out!” Spike’s jaw dropped as he said, “You have fireworks Pinkie? For me? Awesome!” Twilight, who had declined to drink more than two mugs and was the least drunk, trotted over to supervise the setting up of the explosive rockets. When all was ready, Spike lit the fuses with his breath and Twilight launched them into the air with her magic. The gang held their breathe in excitement as the little tubes flew up out of sight and nearly jumped out of their skins as several massive, purple and green explosions, larger than anypony had expected, rocked the night sky. The barn was silent for almost a full minute when… “THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!” Spike roared as his friends began to laugh hysterically at the destructive power they just witnessed. “P-P-Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash gasped between breathes, “that was freaking sweet!” “I didn’t even know they be so HUGE!” The pink mare giggled. Even Fluttershy had to agree that the fireworks were pretty amazing, despite having been hiding under the table as she watched. Another hour or so passed and the party began to wind down. Spike and Rarity were nowhere to be seen and Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were passed out in various places around the barn. Twilight was lying outside on the grass looking up at the stars, letting her slightly buzzed mind wander when Applejack walked outside and sat next to her. “What’re you doin’ out here all by yourself sugarcube?” She asked Twilight. “Nothin really, just thinking.” “’Bout what?” “You know, just what’s out there. I mean, is there anything besides Equestria?” Applejack chuckled, “Well of course there is, don’t you remember the story ‘bout when all them unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies fought before they came here and founded Canterlot?” Twilight sat up to face her friend. “No, that’s not what I meant Applejack.” She said, “I mean way out there, even beyond that. What I mean is, is anything up there.” As she said this she stuck her hoof into the air, towards the stars. “Ah don’t know Twilight.” Applejack shook her head, “Ah just don’t know.” Black Moon“Mike, get your ass out of bed dude!” My eyes snapped open just in time to see Max’s pillow come flying down at my face and whack me full force on the nose. “OW” I complained as I sat up, stretching my arms into the air. “How could you over sleep on a day like today man?” Max was rushing all over the dorm getting everything packed up. “I mean, it’s graduation day and we have that interview with the guy from Black Moon today. Seriously it’s like the most important day of our lives, and you’re still sleeping?” I tried to get my groggy mind to get going. Graduation? Interview? Then it hit me. “Holy Shit!” I leaped out of bed and started to throw my clothes on. Today was the day Max and I would graduate and potentially get jobs working with Black Moon Laboratories, the most famous experimental technology company in the world. I had dreamed of being in their wormhole department ever since I found out about it ten years ago. At twenty-five, Max and I would be their youngest employees ever. And we didn’t even have master’s degrees! I had slept horribly that night because I was so excited. Like little kid on Christmas morning excited. “What time is it?” I asked Max as I struggled to put my pants on my head and my shirt on my legs. “It’s already 7:30, we only have an hour until we have to be at the gymnasium.” I almost choked on the bagel I was stuffing in my mouth. “Seriously? You could have woken me up earlier!” “I tried but you sleep like a fracking bear.” “Try harder next time we have to be somewhere then.” “Fine, as long as I’m allowed to use whatever techniques necessary to rouse you, including, but not limited to, pillows, air horns, two-by-fours, and-“ “Yes, yes, alright. Wait, did you say two-by-fours?” “Well…” After four hours in the burning hot sun, Max and I rushed to my car as fast as we could before the streets got completely plugged up by traffic. You should have seen the parking lot; it was like someone was playing Tetris with the cars. We managed to get out without too much of a problem and then spent the entire three-hour drive to Black Moon preparing for the interview. Luckily we were meeting with the guy at the same time so if one of us started to falter or run on and on (and by one of us, I mean Max), the other could lend a hand and rescue them. When we finally reached the enormous building that was just the main entrance, our jaws dropped at the sheer size of the surrounding laboratories. The buildings ranged from low, heavy looking, bunker type buildings to ridiculously tall towers and observatories, and everything in between. It all stretched on for miles, but I couldn’t see just how far because of the magnitude of the structures all around us. After parking the car in a parking lot the size of a small country, Max and I timidly entered the lobby and approached the pretty receptionist who’s nameplate said Lisa Stone. She looked up when we reached her desk and asked in a dainty but official voice, “Hello, welcome to Black Moon Laboratories. You must be here for the job interview.” We nodded. “Dr. Cooper is waiting in conference room 27a, which is down that hall on your left. Go up the stairs at the end until you reach the third floor then make an immediate left. It should a few doors down from there on the right side.” We murmured our thanks for the directions and headed down the corridor. It took several minutes just to walk down the first corridor, but we eventually came to the large polished steel door with an onyx 27a in the middle. “This is it.” I whispered to Max. He took a deep breathe as I turned the handle and pushed the door open, which swung open surprisingly easy for how heavy it looked. The first thing we noticed was how empty the conference room was. It was a completely white room with a long black marble table and chairs in the center. Sitting at the head of said table was a tall man with dark hair and a stern look on his face. “Ah, Michael, Max. Please sit, if you will.” He gestured to the chairs at his left and his right. The two of us exchanged glances then walked over to the seats offered to us. As we approached they silently slid out from under the table and turned toward us. I raised my eyebrows at this, for it was rather impressive considering there were no grooves on the floor or wheels under the legs for the chair to move along easily like that. And these chairs have got to weigh at least a hundred pounds, I thought to myself as my seat slid back under the table, taking me with it. Dr. Cooper seemed rather amused at all this, but moved on to start the interview by saying, “First off, this is not an interview.” “Wait… what do you mean ‘not an interview’” I questioned nervously. “What I mean is, I will not be asking you very many questions at all. Only two, to be exact. We have already been analyzing your lives for the past eight years so we know all we need to know about you.” He paused to let this sink in. “The Director saw potential in you both when you were merely in middle school and we began tracking you when you entered high school. You seemed to be very promising young minds, so we put you down as potentials. You are not hired at Black Moon, you are selected. “Now, onto those questions I promised you. No need to worry yourselves, they are not difficult.” He stopped to bring a briefcase out from under his chair then continued, “First off, are you willing to accept the risks in working here, which can range from minor scratches and bruises to death and worse.” Seeing the worried expressions on our faces he added, “Don’t be afraid, people are always getting burned and battered in standard lab work, but serious cases are no where near as common. Why, we haven’t had a death, disappearance, or mutation since June!” “Uh, it’s July Dr. Cooper.” Max said quietly, his face a mask of poorly concealed terror. “Good point. Well, before that there wasn’t one for three years.” I could tell that wasn’t helping the poor guy so I interjected, “I’m sure we’ll be fine Max. I for one accept the risks of employment.” “Excellent!” Dr. Cooper smiled and passes me a small stack of papers from his briefcase. “If you would just sign the last page there, you’ll be all set. Max? Are you willing to accept the dangers of lab work?” I looked up and nodded to Max, who gulped and said, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” He received his own stack of papers, which he skimmed through then signed. “Now, the second question. Black Moon Laboratories offers housing to all its employees. Do you two already have living quarters set up elsewhere or would you like to live in the village here? You will have to be roommates, because unfortunately the west block was disintegrated in an energy pulse weapon test.” Dr. Cooper chuckled as Max paled a little. “No one was injured, but those were the newest houses in the South Village. Damn nice places.” He shook his head as if the houses were his friends or something. From what I was hearing so far though, it was entirely possible that the houses were sentient. “I think it would be fine for Max and I to live here. We’ve been living together for four years now, so it won’t be anything new.” Dr. Cooper laughed as he rose and said, “Yes, I am aware. Outstanding! You may head back to the lobby where Miss Stone will direct you to your new home. You will find your belongings have already been safely retrieved from your dorm at the university.” Obvious Big Bang Theory Reference is obvious. More to come if you so wish! Personal ProblemsTwilight was not in a very good mood. Ever since she had gotten home from the party that morning she had been trying to find out if any effort had been put into extra terrestrial exploration. So far she was having rotten luck, and Spike’s absence was not making life any easier. “Where in Equestria is that dumb dragon!” She groaned in frustration when all of a sudden, as if on queue, the library door swung open and Spike walked into the room. “Hi Twilight! Watcha up to with all these books?” He said happily, oblivious to his purple friend’s fury. “What have you been doing?” She shouted, “I’ve been here trying to do research all by myself and-“ She stopped suddenly when the obvious truth smacked her upside the head. “You’ve been with Rarity.” She whispered, but the only response she got was a chuckle from the now not-so-young dragon as he walked by. Twilight gasped, “You have, haven’t you?” “Figure that out all on your own did you?” Spike jabbed good naturedly as he climbed the stairs up to his room, which Twilight had magically set up for him once he had become to old to share a room with her. She remained frozen in shock long after Spike’s door had clicked shut. My little Spike, she thought to herself, is really growing up now. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about it at all. She thought about going and discussing the situation with Rarity but immediately decided against that course of action. Spike and Rarity’s relationship is none of by business, she decided sadly and returned, albeit with much less enthusiasm, to her search for information. “Good morning lover boy.” Said Twilight to the freshly woken and irritable dragon walking down the stairs into the library. “Have you been out here all night?” Twilight nodded. “That means you’ve been out here like…” He stopped for a second to think, “thirty hours or something! You gotta sleep Twi, really.” “Ugh, I just can’t stop thinking about what I’ve been thinking about since I started thinking about it at your birthday party.” Spike blinked. “Which is what exactly?” “If there are other worlds like ours somewhere out there. I mean, there has to be right? We can’t be the only ones anywhere.” “If you say so.” Spike mumbled sleepily as he walked off towards the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. “You know,” he called from the other room, “if you can’t find anything here you could always try the library in Princess Celestia’s castle. It’s like ten times bigger than yours.” “Nineteen times bigger actually, but Spike that’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?” Spike laughed, “I’m just that much smarter than you I guess.” Twilight gave him a withering glare as she readied her bags for Canterlot. “Wait, you’re gonna go now?” “Why not?” She responded, “The sooner I get there, the sooner I can begin reading all those books. Finish eating so we can head out.” Spike sighed, “Lemme at least let Rarity know where I’m going, okay?” “Yes that’s fine Spike, we can stop by her boutique on the way out of town.” I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask him a little question about what’s going on, she thought. “Hey Spike.” “Yeah?” “Can I ask you a question? It’s about you and Rarity.” He hesitated for a moment before responding, “Umm… I guess so.” Twilight took a deep breath and said, “What exactly is going on with you guys? Are you dating or what?” “Oh that’s it?” Spike smiled a bit and continued, “I don’t think so, but it’s most likely going to happen soon. The party was just a taster,“ Twilight shook her head to get a sudden disturbing image out of her mind as Spike went on, “but I’m going to ask her out before too long. I wanna take her somewhere nice a few times before I say anything though.” A stupid, school-colt smile spread over Spike’s face as he realized what he had just said. “Oh man, this is such a dream come true, don’t you think Twi?” She groaned as she walked out the door, lovesick assistant in tow. Spike had not stopped talking all the way to Carousel Boutique and Twilight was nearly at the end of her rope. Thankfully for her sanity Spike asked to go in by himself, however she sighed softly once he was gone. I miss the old days, She thought to herself, when he would sit on my back as we walked and make that adorable face he where he put his chin up and his eyes got as big as dinner plates. She chuckled softly as she reminisced when a delicate voice said from behind her, “Oh, goodness Twilight, are you okay?” Twilight spun around to see Fluttershy approaching from the direction of the square. “I was in town buying some cherries for Angel’s favorite dish when I saw you standing here all alone. Is everything alright?” Twilight sniffled as she felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Fluttershy was always her favorite pony to have around when she was down. “Well,” She began, “it’s just that I’m-” She halted her explanation suddenly as the door to Rarity’s shop swung open and Spike walked out with an arm around the gorgeous white unicorn beside him. The two were laughing at some unknown joke they had shared but stopped when they noticed Twilight and Fluttershy looking at them. Rarity spoke first saying, “Twilight, Fluttershy, hello! What are you two doing here? Is there anything I can do for you ladies?” “Hello Rarity.” Fluttershy responded, “Twilight was just telling me-“ “That I am headed off to the Royal Library in Canterlot!” Twilight interrupted. She caught Fluttershy’s eye with a look that said I’ll tell you later, okay? Thankfully the yellow mare understood the message and said, “Oh, uh, yes. She’s going to… get a book.” “How marvelous! Spikey and I were just heading to the White Rose for a bite to eat.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open as she turned to face her shame-faced assistant. “But-but Spike, we were going to-I-you.” She let her head fall, but continued to say, “Sounds fun Rarity. You two have a good time.” “Twilight?” Rarity inquired, “Is something wrong?” “No.” She replied. “Everything is just fine. Go on and enjoy your lunch.” “Thank you dear, I’m sure it will be divine.” She giggled and nuzzled the young dragon at her side as they walked off towards the town square. She looked up just in time to see Spike glance over his shoulder with a pained expression on his face, but once he noticed she was watching him go, he quickly returned his attention forward and to the pony chatting away at his side. “Oh dear Twilight, I think I know what’s wrong.” Fluttershy’s worried comment brought Twilight back to her senses and she turned to her with a curious expression painted on her face. “You do?” “Well, I think you’re worried that Spike will get attached to Rarity and forget about you. I mean, since you’ve known him so long you can’t really imagine life without him and you’re scared he’s going to leave you forever.” Twilight looked away as she felt her eyes burn and moisten with tears. Fluttershy was quickly at her said saying hurriedly, “Oh no, I’m so so so sorry Twilight, I didn’t mean to make you cry! Please don’t be sad, oh I’m sorry I-“ “Fluttershy stop.” Twilight wiped away her tears then said to the terrified mare, “It’s fine, you didn’t make me cry. It’s just you’re right; I am scared of Spike leaving. I’ve raised him since he hatched and we’ve always been friends and I really don’t want that to go away.” Fluttershy smiled and said softly, “Come on Twilight, I’ll go with you to Canterlot. You can talk to me on the way.” Twilight sniffed, “Really? Oh thank you Fluttershy, I really appreciate your help with this. It’s gotten so bad that it’s starting to interfere with my studies.” Fluttershy giggled and said, “Well we can’t have that” and the pair walked off down the road together. Well, I hope this was what you were all hoping for! Sorry it took longer than expected to get up but I’ve been a bit distracted with my other types of art. Speaking of which, does anypony know the best way to get a drawing onto the computer? Then where should I post it? I heard you can put stuff on EQD, but that seems like an awfully big place to put some simple sketches. Anyway, on another note, if anypony was wondering I won’t say for sure if this will have a non-essential clop chapter at some point (WAY later) or not, but I will touch on the whole inter species relationship stuff (check out Her Whole Darn Heart by Crowley). My apologies for the fat endnote, but thanks for reading, and feel free to comment with your opinions and criticism. I always welcome them! Home“He didn’t scare you too badly did he?” The receptionist, Lisa Stone, said to Max and I as we came out of the hallway into the lobby. “For some reason he always feels like it’s necessary to tell horror stories to new employees. He says it’s to weed out the weak ones, but that’s stupid because we already know pretty much everything about you.” I was surprised at how social she was being. I was expecting a more professional demeanor and less chitchat, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the friendliness. “Oh, no he wasn’t too bad. He seems like an interesting guy.” I responded with a smile. “Although I think Max came close to fainting when he started talking about deaths and mutations and stuff.” Max turned a brilliant color of pink as Lisa began to laugh. “Don’t worry Max.” She said kindly, “He always exaggerates those stories. Serious accidents are actually really rare. We have hundreds of people whose sole jobs are to triple check every experiment for safety and all of our scientists follow strict procedures when doing anything even remotely unsafe.” This seemed to work wonders on Max’s nerves for his breathing slowed back to a normal pace and his face returned to its original pale complexion. “W-Well that’s good I suppose.” He stammered quietly, which got me wondering if there was something else that was getting him on edge, because the Max I knew wouldn’t have stopped talking after one sentence. “Anyway, I guess you guys are wondering where your new place is.” She handed us a map of the compound, which seemed awfully bizarre considering it was about as big as my notepad and didn’t have any folds or slide outs. My eyes grew wide as the map booted up and said, with an English accent no less, “Welcome to Black Moon Laboratories Michael. I am AIDA, your guide as you acclimate yourself with your new surroundings. If you and Max would please exit the lobby through the rear exit we can begin our tour immediately.” I swore I could hear Lisa giggling as we followed AIDA’s instructions towards the exit. I turned to Max and asked what he thought so far. His face finally regained some color as he replied, “I think I’m in heaven man. This place is amazing! Everything is amazing, and don’t even get me started on Lis-“ He stopped suddenly as the color drained once again from his cheeks yet again. “Started on what Max?” I said with a hearty laugh. “I didn’t catch that last part.” He quickly turned away, stuttering and blushing as we stepped out into the sun. AIDA gave us a pretty basic first look tour, which, despite taking almost three hours, left me with a billion more questions than when we started. She took us all around the central compound but said we would get to see the inside of each facility at another time. Everything was enormous and beautiful; it was hard to believe that this place had only been around fifteen years. How could anyone build something like this in so little time? I wondered to myself. Then I remembered these were the people who created ships that traveled at ridiculous percentages of the speed of light and had so many A.I.s they could put them in maps. It had begun to get dark as we finally entered the residential area of Black Moon. It looked pretty much exactly the same as any other neighbor hood, if you could see past the drones dropping off mail and fusion reactor the size of a car powering the area. Yeah, perfectly normal. Any way, AIDA led us up to a decent sized blue house at the end of the main road and gave us the access code for the front door. “Here is the provided residence you will be staying in while you are employed at Black Moon Laboratories. Your belongings have been placed in a bedroom according to our analysis on what conditions you enjoy living in. If you require assistance please dial 117 on your phone and state your dilemma. We will respond as quickly as possible.” With that she powered down and the little tablet went dark. “Well,” I said to my strangely silent friend, “I guess we should check out our new pad.” He nodded and followed me up the steps to the door where I punched our access code into the panel to the right of the door, which slide open a la Star Trek. The first thing that hit me was that nothing hit me. The house was just that; a plain old house. Granted it was a rather nice house, with expensive looking furniture, a big kitchen, and a T.V. the size of a small nation, but it was still just a normal place. “Whoa.” I heard Max gasp from behind me. “This is not what I expected. Where’s the glowing ceiling or the floating chairs?” “Honestly, I kind of like this better. It feels more like home.” Max thought for a second before saying. “You know what, you’re right. It does feel like home.” He sighed and continued, “It’s perfect. I’ve really been needing something a bit more like this, you know? Something simple, something a bit more down to earth.” I laughed when I thought about what he had just said. “That’s probably why they set up the residences like this. So you can come home to a normal house after spending the whole day making rockets and lasers and stuff.” Max chuckled as we continued to explore our surroundings, opening every fully stocked cabinet and looking in all the rooms. Max split off to check out his bedroom while I went to find mine. It wasn’t hard, considering it was exactly where I would have wanted it to be. I opened the door and my jaw dropped several feet when I saw what was inside. It was perfect. All of my books, games, and action figures were up on shelves, my computer was sitting at a desk in the far corner across from the bed which sat underneath a good sized window that looked out over the distant forests outside the compound. AIDA wasn’t kidding when she said our rooms were designed specifically for us, I thought with a grin. Apparently I had lost track of time exploring every nook and cranny of this wonderland, because suddenly Max was behind me saying, “Hey dude, nice room.” He was lucky I was on the other side of the room because I immediately swung the replica katana I was examining in a wide arc in his direction. “Holy shit man, watch where you’re swinging that thing! You could’ve killed me!” I hastily apologized as he held up AIDA and said shakily, “I just got a message saying we have to be outside the main physics lab at eight am sharp for our field specific tour. We should get to bed, it’s gonna be a big day tomorrow.” __________________________________ Sorry it took so long to update, despite its length. I've had trouble thinking of what to write and I've also had a fair amount of other stuff going on as well. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you liked it! I also have a question for any other writers out there. Recently I've been reading a lot of VinylxOctavia ships, and I really really want to wright one now. However, I still to work on this one, which is looking like it'll be pretty huge. Should I go ahead and start another story, or wait until I finish this one? Author's NoteHey all, So I have an small announcement for any readers here. Unfortunately I have decided to postpone working on this story for a while, maybe forever. I know it's not exactly a big deal, but I'm sorry to anyone who was looking foreword to future updates, but I just don't really feel up to this one anymore. I may do a chapter here and there, but it will be rare. However, that doesn't mean I won't be writing again. I'm thinking about starting up a different story, probably a Vinyl x Octavia ship, or some other ship fic. We'll see, I don't really know. The other problem is time, so if I ever find any, I might write something. Thanks, Flutter Guy New author's noteWell small collection of readers, after a very long time of nothing, a random creative writing mood has made me want to write another chapter. We'll see if it's any good, but I may have another chapter or two for you in a week or so. Is anybody even still following this? We'll find out, won't we. Thanks, Flutter Guy Solutions, scrolls, and surprises"Twilight, what I'm saying is that if you really care for Spike, you have to be prepared to let him go." Fluttershy said to Twilight as the pair discussed her dilemma on the train to Canterlot. "It's just like when I take care of a baby animal. When they're all grown up and ready to move on, the best thing to do is to let them, even if I don't want to." "But he's like a little brother to me." Twilight sighed, "This is even worse than when Shining Armor and Cadence got married. At least I knew he was ready, but with Spike..." Fluttershy smiled kindly, "I know, I know, it's different because you've cared for and nurtured him since he was born, but he's not a baby anymore Twilight. It's hard, but it's for the best. Besides, do you really think that Spike would ever forget about you? And Rarity is your friend, you can talk to her too." Twilight sniffed and smiled back, "You're right, both Spike and Rarity are my friends, and I can trust them." Her smile faded slightly as she said, "Everything is going to change, isn't it?" "Not everything Twilight." Fluttershy responded, "We, your best friends, will always, always be there when you need us. Yes, some things will be different now, that's true. But who can say if they'll be for good or not? We'll just have to wait and see." Twilight's face began to light back up at Fluttershy's words. "Thanks Fluttershy, you really do always know what to say when I'm feeling down." "I-you're welcome Twilight." She blushed slightly then said, "Well, we should get ready to go, the train's almost to Canterlot." Twilight agreed and hopped down from her seat to gather up her belongings when she suddenly remembered something she forgot. "Oh pony feathers, I forgot to let Princess Celestia know that we we're coming! What if we can't get in to the library for some reason? What if the Princess is too busy to help us?" Fluttershy quickly moved to put a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Don't worry Twilight, I'm positive that the Princess will be accommodating, warning or not. You are her star student after all." Twilight heaved a heavy sigh for what seemed like the millionth time that day, "Of course, you're right Fluttershy. I guess I'm still just a little stressed out." Fluttershy gave her a friendly nuzzle, "I understand, you have a lot on your mind." The train rumbled to a stop and the doors of their compartment opened automatically. As the two mares stepped out of the car, Fluttershy said to Twilight, "Um, speaking of what's on your mind Twilight, what exactly are we looking for at the library? I'm so sorry, I never even thought to ask you what you needed." Twilight chuckled lightly, "It's okay Fluttershy, I'm just here to do a bit of research. Back at the party the other day, I started thinking about other worlds, and what's out there. You know, beyond Equestria, Zebrica, and the other lands." "Wow, that sounds like pretty serious stuff. Are you sure I can help? I don't really know anything about those things." "That's fine, you can just help me look for books and scrolls that seem promising." Fluttershy smiled, "That doesn't sound too hard." "Thanks Fluttershy" Twilight replied. "That's what friends are for." _____________________________________________ As they approached the main castle gates, they smiled at the guards who, recognizing two of the Elements of Harmony, nodded and let them pass without a problem. "That went well." Fluttershy breathed. "Of course," Twilight said, "They know who we are. Besides, when your brother is the Captain of the Guard, you get some special perks." She winked as they began to ascend the large stairs leading to the palace doors. Just as they reached the landing, the doors swung open, revealing both Princesses in all their shining glory. Fluttershy meeped and froze, but Twilight cried out "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!" and cantered forward to meet them. Celestia laughed, "Ah, I thought I felt a familiar presence on the grounds. What brings you girls to Canterlot? Oh, and Fluttershy dear, please, you needn't be afraid, you know that. Please come inside and talk with us." She and Twilight turned and entered the palace, while Luna beckoned to still frozen yellow mare, "Come, thou art always welcome here Fluttershy." "Oh, yes um, you just startled me, that's all. You're just a little...startling." Luna smiled apologetically, "Ah, we are-I'm sorry. Come, join us so we can discuss the purpose of your visit." Fluttershy trotted forward, "Of course Princess" Luna laughed, a rather lovely sound Fluttershy thought, and said, "Please, just call me Luna." Fluttershy blushed, smiled, and nodded. When they all four were seated around an elegant table with cups of tea cooling in front of them, Celestia turned to Twilight and asked, "So Twilight, what do you need here? Is everything alright in Ponyville?" "Oh yes, everything's fine." She responded, "We're just here on a personal matter. I was hoping to do some research in the royal library, since mine seems to be a little lacking. Fluttershy offered to come along and help out." Celestia raised an eyebrow as she sipped her levitating tea, "Oh? And what is it you are researching now?" As Twilight explained her sudden desire to know what lay beyond the boundaries of their world, Fluttershy was for some reason distracted by thoughts of a certain purple alicorn. Where did this come from?, she wondered to herself, finding herself once again glancing over her tea at the Princess of the Night. Luna, however, was too interested in the current topic, or rather the mental signals Celestia was sending her way, to notice this. After the many lifetimes the sisters had spent together, the two were experts in communicating with each other through telepathy. This is unexpected. Not to mention potentially...dangerous, to say the least, Luna thought to Celestia. Yes, but with the proper supervision and guidance I believe we can keep her from straying too far, she responded Are you sure? She is powerful, far more than any pony since Star Swirl, and the only reason he didn't cause any catastrophic problems was he didn't have the drive that Twilight has. Imagine if he had ever finished the alicorn conversion spell! What a disaster that would have been., Luna retorted. She could sense Celestia's thoughts begin to wander at that, Hmm, yes, the alicorn spell... Luna nearly dropped her tea when she realized what Celestia was thinking, You cannot be serious! We cannot show it to her, not with the power it can give! Not yet, of course sister. However, we shall see how my young protégé handles this new challenge and then we will return to the matter of the conversion spell Luna grumbled mentally, a much more forceful action over a telepathic link than in a physical situation, and thought, As you wish, but I must insist we keep a close watch on her progress in this exploration endeavor. Nodding mentally, Celestia thought, I will of course guide her, but I will not restrict her unless it threatens this reality. Remember the last time we played meddling Goddesses? The hunger for power was too much, and malevolent immortals are not what this world needs again. Besides, her power is great, but I do not think she is foolish enough to go where she ought not to go. You are right. Take care sister, this could become...messy quickly. Understood. "-so I decided to take a look here since I couldn't find anything in my own library." The Princesses wrapped up their conversation as Twilight finished explaining herself. "This is quite an undertaking Twilight." Celestia said to her student. "I'm curious as to how you will progress, so I would very much appreciate it if you gave me regular updates as to your progress and especially any discoveries you might make. I do, however, have one condition before you start on this research project." "Of course. What is it?" Twilight inquired. "I would have you contact me before you perform any experiments you might want to do. There are some delicate magics involved in exploring the universe around us." This of course just piqued her curiosity, as the Princess knew it would, but it was a necessity. "Certainly Princess, I will let you know of any tests I might want to do." "Thank you. Now, sister, if you wouldn't mind escorting these two to the library? I have some duties I must attend to." "Certainly. Twilight, I'm sure you know they way, but I will show a good place to start looking." So Twilight and Fluttershy, still lost in her confused emotions, stood and followed her down the corridor to the library where a new adventure was waiting to be found. Author's Note It's back! For now at least...
UniversityMy life was not all that special of a story before the Event. Of course, relatively speaking, nobody’s was really. But here I am getting ahead of myself. I suppose I should go back to the beginning first… You see, I was a student in the closest community college to home I could find. Living at the house I grew up in was way cheaper than renting a place, even if I did have to contribute to food and utility costs a bit. It sounds weird that my parents would make me pay to live at home, but considering I was in my twenties, it wasn’t unreasonable. I didn’t mind either way. Anyway, I went to a cheap school while I saved up for the tuition at a four-year university to get that physics degree I had always dreamed about. I wanted to explore the universe and discover its secrets and I figured a major in physics would be the best way to go for that sort of thing. Don’t get me wrong though, I wasn’t an anti-social science geek or anything like that. I hung out with friends when I wasn’t working, went to the gym, and I was even a competitive kick boxer, so I was in pretty good shape. That was my life for a few years until I was miraculously accepted into a fairly prestigious university on the other side of the country. It was farther from home than I wanted but, hey, we all got to move on some day. Besides, it was one of the top schools for my major. How could I refuse? So that summer I packed up my belongings, said goodbye to my parents, and started on the long drive to my new home. As I pulled up to the new student parking area after my weeklong drive, I looked up at the towering libraries, massive classrooms, and ludicrously large dorms. It was all rather intimidating for a guy who had never really been away from home before, but quite exciting all the same. Today is the first day of the rest of my life, I thought to myself with a smile. I continued to ponder the potential awesomeness in my near future as I parked, grabbed as much as I could carry in one trip from the trunk of my car, registered with the smiling student representative, and headed in the direction of the dorm I would be staying in. My thoughts drifted to my roommate, who I had yet to meet. Eventually I stood in front of the door to my room. It was unlocked which meant someone was already inside, so I took a deep breath and knocked solidly a few times. The door whipped open so fast it seemed like the grinning, sandy haired guy who stood there had been waiting with his hand on the door handle for me to arrive. He instantly started a barrage of questions that smacked me in the face like a bullet train. “Hi there! I’m Max Cooper, are you my roommate? What’s your name? I’m studying chemistry, what are you studying? Where are you from? I live like, an hour away so I can still go home for stuff if I want.“ He stopped for a split second to catch his breath, and I took this as an opportunity to interject. “Whoa, Max, slow down dude.” I laughed,” I’m Michael Thorson, it’s good to meet you-“ “Wow your name is Thorson? That’s so cool! Did you know that names with a son at the end come from ancient Northern Europe when people didn’t have last names and they would just say that they were the sons of whomever? That means your ancestors thought they were descended from Thor! He’s the Norse god of thunder, and he’s totally awesome. He has this badass hammer named Mjolnir and stuff.” He continued to yammer on about Norse mythology as I sighed and walked into our shared room. I looked around and was pleasantly surprised at our accommodations, which were considerably nicer than I expected. Hell, we even had a microwave and a mini-fridge. “I could definitely get used to this.” I mumbled to myself. “What was that?” Max asked. I hadn’t even noticed he had stopped his lecture; I was so absorbed in my own thoughts. That and I already knew everything he was trying to teach me. “Oh, nothing.” I responded. “I was just admiring our living space.” Luckily I could tell Max was a pretty organized and neat guy, so I wouldn’t even have to worry about his crap all over the place. He had already gotten unpacked and it was clear we were going to use the “this side is mine and that side is yours” system by the strip of duct tape running through the room. He had a few alt-rock band posters up and some model spaceships on his dresser, but other than that the room was kind of bare. I set my things down and told Max I was going to my car to get the rest of my bags. He offered to help me out and the two of us headed back down to the parking lot together. I smiled to myself as he began informing me of all the things he knew about the school we were at and I could tell he was going to be a major pain sometimes, but also that he would be an interesting guy to have around. As it turns out Max and I were in several of the same classes throughout our time at school. He was interested in a lot of the same things I was and we worked together on many of our projects. We both wanted to understand more about the world around us, but we wanted more than that as well. One night we had a conversation that would change a lot in our minds. “Max?” I asked as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. “What’s up Mike?” “Why are we doing what we’re doing?” I heard him sit up and turn towards me. “What do you mean? Like why are we at school, or studying what we’re studying, or-“ “Yeah, studying what we’re studying. Why do you think we care?” Max was silent for a minute, which was unusual. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to know why things happen and figure out more about our world. What about you?” I slid out of my blankets and leaned against the wall facing him and said, “I honestly don’t know for sure.” I heaved a heavy sigh and continued, “There’s just so much out there and I guess I just want to find out how much. I can’t believe we’re the only ones in this universe, considering how massive it is.” Max laughed, “That would be pretty stupid.” “Not to mention lonely.” I sat quietly for a second then said, “Max, do you think there might be other universes similar to ours with people wondering what’s out there just like us?” “It’s totally possible.” He replied. “I mean, if Einstein is correct-“ I stopped him before he could get going, “No, I mean do YOU think so?” “Well, yeah. It just feels wrong to think that there could only be one universe. I mean, what’s on the outside of ours?” “I don’t know Max, I just don’t know…”
A Night For Spike“C’mon Twilight, we’re gonna be late for Pinkie’s party set up!” The impatient pegusus called Rainbow Dash complained again. “She specifically said that we had to be there at 3:00 so we could get ready for the awesome surprise she has planned!” “Just give me one more second!” A purple unicorn stuck her head out from the loft of the library she lived in with a frustrated expression on her face. “I need to find that spell for Pinkie Pie. She said that without it the whole thing will fall apart and everything will be ruined!” She went back to searching while Rainbow Dash growled and stomped her foot. “You better hurry it up then!” After what seemed like an eternity she finally heard Twilight call out, “Found it!” and come trotting down the steps to where Rainbow was waiting. Together they walked out the front door and hustled to their friend Applejack’s apple orchard, which was where Spikes eighteenth birthday party would be held later that evening. “I can’t wait for Spike to see what you have planned.” Twilight said happily to the bouncing pink pony that was waiting for them at the barn’s front door with her other three friends. “So what DO you have planned Pinkie?” “OOH!” Pinkie Pie squealed with delight, “I have a super duper extra special surprise for Spike!” “Yes dear, we know.” Said the elegant white unicorn standing to right of Rainbow Dash. “Twilight is asking what the surprise actually is.” “Oh yeah Rarity, I knew that!” And with that she kicked open the barn door behind her revealing to five simultaneous gasps several boxes of brightly colored tubes with points at one end and black strings on the other. “F-f-fireworks?” One yellow pony squeaked. “Where did you get fireworks Pinkie?” Pinkie Pie began bouncing up and down with excitement. “I asked Steelforge make the rockets and Flashbang made the actual explody stuff that goes inside!” “So this is what you needed my Launch spell for.” Twilight chuckled. “How are you going to detonate them in the air?” Pinkie pointed to the black strings hanging from the bottom of each tube. “These thingies are fuses! We light it at the end, then Twilight will use her spell sending them shooting off in the air, then when the string burns up the stuff inside goes KABOOM!” She leaped into the air as she said the last word, sending confetti from who knows where all over her friends. “Sounds d-dangerous.” The timid yellow pony whispered. “Aww, there’s nothin’ to worry about sugar cube.” Said Applejack, a brilliant orange pony who always wore her faded brown Stetson cowfilly hat, with a heavy southern drawl. “Ah’m sure Pinkies got it all under control.” She gave Pinkie Pie a pointed glance at this to which she responded with a grin and said, “Don’t you worry one bit Fluttershy! It’s gonna be perfect. Now who wants some cupcakes? I made them this morning!” The rest of the afternoon was spent putting up decorations, which Rarity supervised, setting out games, which Pinkie Pie took charge of, and making the food, which Applejack happily took care of. The rest of the gathered ponies wandered and helped out with whatever needed doing. After a few hours it was getting dark and Twilight went to get Spike from the library, where he had been doing some chores she had set out for him. She laughed to herself as she thought back to the look on his face when she gave him the huge list that morning. Needless to say, he was not a happy dragon. He will be soon, she thought with a smile. “There you are!” Spike grumbled as Twilight walked in the front door of the library. “I’ve been waiting forever for you to get back from your ‘errands’. Now, can we-” He stopped suddenly as Twilight shut his mouth with magic. “Stop.” She commanded. “We have some work to do back at Sweet Apple Acres that Applejack wanted help with.” “At night?” Spike complained. “But I just got done with the chores you set out.” “No whining.” Twilight scolded the young dragon. “We have too much to do for you to be running your mouth.” With that she turned and walked out the door, leaving it open for Spike to follow.” “Jeez,” Spike sighed, “it seems like everypony forgot about my birthday, even Twilight.” He heaved another melodramatic sigh and shuffled dejectedly after his unicorn friend. “So what is it we have to do?” Spike asked Twilight when they arrived at their destination. “And where’s Applejack anyway?” “In the barn.” Twilight said, “She’s waiting for us there.” So the two of them set of towards the large red building on the top of the hill. It didn’t take very long to get there, but to Spike, who was feeling pretty down about nopony remembering his birthday, it felt like forever. However, he completely forgot his sadness as he opened the barn door and was immediately blinded by the bright lights and confetti, and deafened by the “SURPRISE!” that came from inside. “Wha-“ He started to say as he stumbled backwards, almost bowling Twilight over. “You didn’t seriously think we would forget the day you became an adult did you?” Twilight laughed. “Well, honestly I did. And Twilight, I’m not really and adult dragon until I’m fifty.” Suddenly Rarity was at his side saying, “Oh darling, to us you’ve become quite the mature young dragon, and as an Equestrian citizen you are a legal adult.” Spike looked down at himself and for once realized he really wasn’t a baby anymore. He was now taller than any of the ponies, except maybe Big Mac, and he was starting to fill out. His chest was thicker, his arms and legs were longer and no longer looked like noodles, and his voice had deepened to a much more mature rumble. He could even roar properly now. He blushed as he said, “I guess I am kind of grown up now.” “Of course you are dear!” Rarity purred as she sidled up closer to him, causing him to blush even harder. “Which means…” Spike nearly had a heart attack as Rarity planted a solid kiss right on his purple lips. All the other ponies in the barn began cheering and whooping as Rarity laughed and Spike sat down hard on the nearest bench. “It also means ah can break this puppy out!” Applejack called as she pushed a huge barrel into the middle of the room. “Fresh batch of my world famous Hard Apple Cider, special for the birthday dragon!” The cheering multiplied as mugs were passed around and the party got going for real. Several hours later the barrel was running dry and Pinkie remembered her big surprise for Spike. “Oh Spike!” She cried, slightly slurred, as she pulled the blanket off the boxes of fireworks. “Check these babies out!” Spike’s jaw dropped as he said, “You have fireworks Pinkie? For me? Awesome!” Twilight, who had declined to drink more than two mugs and was the least drunk, trotted over to supervise the setting up of the explosive rockets. When all was ready, Spike lit the fuses with his breath and Twilight launched them into the air with her magic. The gang held their breathe in excitement as the little tubes flew up out of sight and nearly jumped out of their skins as several massive, purple and green explosions, larger than anypony had expected, rocked the night sky. The barn was silent for almost a full minute when… “THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!” Spike roared as his friends began to laugh hysterically at the destructive power they just witnessed. “P-P-Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash gasped between breathes, “that was freaking sweet!” “I didn’t even know they be so HUGE!” The pink mare giggled. Even Fluttershy had to agree that the fireworks were pretty amazing, despite having been hiding under the table as she watched. Another hour or so passed and the party began to wind down. Spike and Rarity were nowhere to be seen and Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were passed out in various places around the barn. Twilight was lying outside on the grass looking up at the stars, letting her slightly buzzed mind wander when Applejack walked outside and sat next to her. “What’re you doin’ out here all by yourself sugarcube?” She asked Twilight. “Nothin really, just thinking.” “’Bout what?” “You know, just what’s out there. I mean, is there anything besides Equestria?” Applejack chuckled, “Well of course there is, don’t you remember the story ‘bout when all them unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies fought before they came here and founded Canterlot?” Twilight sat up to face her friend. “No, that’s not what I meant Applejack.” She said, “I mean way out there, even beyond that. What I mean is, is anything up there.” As she said this she stuck her hoof into the air, towards the stars. “Ah don’t know Twilight.” Applejack shook her head, “Ah just don’t know.”
Black Moon“Mike, get your ass out of bed dude!” My eyes snapped open just in time to see Max’s pillow come flying down at my face and whack me full force on the nose. “OW” I complained as I sat up, stretching my arms into the air. “How could you over sleep on a day like today man?” Max was rushing all over the dorm getting everything packed up. “I mean, it’s graduation day and we have that interview with the guy from Black Moon today. Seriously it’s like the most important day of our lives, and you’re still sleeping?” I tried to get my groggy mind to get going. Graduation? Interview? Then it hit me. “Holy Shit!” I leaped out of bed and started to throw my clothes on. Today was the day Max and I would graduate and potentially get jobs working with Black Moon Laboratories, the most famous experimental technology company in the world. I had dreamed of being in their wormhole department ever since I found out about it ten years ago. At twenty-five, Max and I would be their youngest employees ever. And we didn’t even have master’s degrees! I had slept horribly that night because I was so excited. Like little kid on Christmas morning excited. “What time is it?” I asked Max as I struggled to put my pants on my head and my shirt on my legs. “It’s already 7:30, we only have an hour until we have to be at the gymnasium.” I almost choked on the bagel I was stuffing in my mouth. “Seriously? You could have woken me up earlier!” “I tried but you sleep like a fracking bear.” “Try harder next time we have to be somewhere then.” “Fine, as long as I’m allowed to use whatever techniques necessary to rouse you, including, but not limited to, pillows, air horns, two-by-fours, and-“ “Yes, yes, alright. Wait, did you say two-by-fours?” “Well…” After four hours in the burning hot sun, Max and I rushed to my car as fast as we could before the streets got completely plugged up by traffic. You should have seen the parking lot; it was like someone was playing Tetris with the cars. We managed to get out without too much of a problem and then spent the entire three-hour drive to Black Moon preparing for the interview. Luckily we were meeting with the guy at the same time so if one of us started to falter or run on and on (and by one of us, I mean Max), the other could lend a hand and rescue them. When we finally reached the enormous building that was just the main entrance, our jaws dropped at the sheer size of the surrounding laboratories. The buildings ranged from low, heavy looking, bunker type buildings to ridiculously tall towers and observatories, and everything in between. It all stretched on for miles, but I couldn’t see just how far because of the magnitude of the structures all around us. After parking the car in a parking lot the size of a small country, Max and I timidly entered the lobby and approached the pretty receptionist who’s nameplate said Lisa Stone. She looked up when we reached her desk and asked in a dainty but official voice, “Hello, welcome to Black Moon Laboratories. You must be here for the job interview.” We nodded. “Dr. Cooper is waiting in conference room 27a, which is down that hall on your left. Go up the stairs at the end until you reach the third floor then make an immediate left. It should a few doors down from there on the right side.” We murmured our thanks for the directions and headed down the corridor. It took several minutes just to walk down the first corridor, but we eventually came to the large polished steel door with an onyx 27a in the middle. “This is it.” I whispered to Max. He took a deep breathe as I turned the handle and pushed the door open, which swung open surprisingly easy for how heavy it looked. The first thing we noticed was how empty the conference room was. It was a completely white room with a long black marble table and chairs in the center. Sitting at the head of said table was a tall man with dark hair and a stern look on his face. “Ah, Michael, Max. Please sit, if you will.” He gestured to the chairs at his left and his right. The two of us exchanged glances then walked over to the seats offered to us. As we approached they silently slid out from under the table and turned toward us. I raised my eyebrows at this, for it was rather impressive considering there were no grooves on the floor or wheels under the legs for the chair to move along easily like that. And these chairs have got to weigh at least a hundred pounds, I thought to myself as my seat slid back under the table, taking me with it. Dr. Cooper seemed rather amused at all this, but moved on to start the interview by saying, “First off, this is not an interview.” “Wait… what do you mean ‘not an interview’” I questioned nervously. “What I mean is, I will not be asking you very many questions at all. Only two, to be exact. We have already been analyzing your lives for the past eight years so we know all we need to know about you.” He paused to let this sink in. “The Director saw potential in you both when you were merely in middle school and we began tracking you when you entered high school. You seemed to be very promising young minds, so we put you down as potentials. You are not hired at Black Moon, you are selected. “Now, onto those questions I promised you. No need to worry yourselves, they are not difficult.” He stopped to bring a briefcase out from under his chair then continued, “First off, are you willing to accept the risks in working here, which can range from minor scratches and bruises to death and worse.” Seeing the worried expressions on our faces he added, “Don’t be afraid, people are always getting burned and battered in standard lab work, but serious cases are no where near as common. Why, we haven’t had a death, disappearance, or mutation since June!” “Uh, it’s July Dr. Cooper.” Max said quietly, his face a mask of poorly concealed terror. “Good point. Well, before that there wasn’t one for three years.” I could tell that wasn’t helping the poor guy so I interjected, “I’m sure we’ll be fine Max. I for one accept the risks of employment.” “Excellent!” Dr. Cooper smiled and passes me a small stack of papers from his briefcase. “If you would just sign the last page there, you’ll be all set. Max? Are you willing to accept the dangers of lab work?” I looked up and nodded to Max, who gulped and said, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” He received his own stack of papers, which he skimmed through then signed. “Now, the second question. Black Moon Laboratories offers housing to all its employees. Do you two already have living quarters set up elsewhere or would you like to live in the village here? You will have to be roommates, because unfortunately the west block was disintegrated in an energy pulse weapon test.” Dr. Cooper chuckled as Max paled a little. “No one was injured, but those were the newest houses in the South Village. Damn nice places.” He shook his head as if the houses were his friends or something. From what I was hearing so far though, it was entirely possible that the houses were sentient. “I think it would be fine for Max and I to live here. We’ve been living together for four years now, so it won’t be anything new.” Dr. Cooper laughed as he rose and said, “Yes, I am aware. Outstanding! You may head back to the lobby where Miss Stone will direct you to your new home. You will find your belongings have already been safely retrieved from your dorm at the university.” Obvious Big Bang Theory Reference is obvious. More to come if you so wish!
Personal ProblemsTwilight was not in a very good mood. Ever since she had gotten home from the party that morning she had been trying to find out if any effort had been put into extra terrestrial exploration. So far she was having rotten luck, and Spike’s absence was not making life any easier. “Where in Equestria is that dumb dragon!” She groaned in frustration when all of a sudden, as if on queue, the library door swung open and Spike walked into the room. “Hi Twilight! Watcha up to with all these books?” He said happily, oblivious to his purple friend’s fury. “What have you been doing?” She shouted, “I’ve been here trying to do research all by myself and-“ She stopped suddenly when the obvious truth smacked her upside the head. “You’ve been with Rarity.” She whispered, but the only response she got was a chuckle from the now not-so-young dragon as he walked by. Twilight gasped, “You have, haven’t you?” “Figure that out all on your own did you?” Spike jabbed good naturedly as he climbed the stairs up to his room, which Twilight had magically set up for him once he had become to old to share a room with her. She remained frozen in shock long after Spike’s door had clicked shut. My little Spike, she thought to herself, is really growing up now. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about it at all. She thought about going and discussing the situation with Rarity but immediately decided against that course of action. Spike and Rarity’s relationship is none of by business, she decided sadly and returned, albeit with much less enthusiasm, to her search for information. “Good morning lover boy.” Said Twilight to the freshly woken and irritable dragon walking down the stairs into the library. “Have you been out here all night?” Twilight nodded. “That means you’ve been out here like…” He stopped for a second to think, “thirty hours or something! You gotta sleep Twi, really.” “Ugh, I just can’t stop thinking about what I’ve been thinking about since I started thinking about it at your birthday party.” Spike blinked. “Which is what exactly?” “If there are other worlds like ours somewhere out there. I mean, there has to be right? We can’t be the only ones anywhere.” “If you say so.” Spike mumbled sleepily as he walked off towards the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. “You know,” he called from the other room, “if you can’t find anything here you could always try the library in Princess Celestia’s castle. It’s like ten times bigger than yours.” “Nineteen times bigger actually, but Spike that’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?” Spike laughed, “I’m just that much smarter than you I guess.” Twilight gave him a withering glare as she readied her bags for Canterlot. “Wait, you’re gonna go now?” “Why not?” She responded, “The sooner I get there, the sooner I can begin reading all those books. Finish eating so we can head out.” Spike sighed, “Lemme at least let Rarity know where I’m going, okay?” “Yes that’s fine Spike, we can stop by her boutique on the way out of town.” I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask him a little question about what’s going on, she thought. “Hey Spike.” “Yeah?” “Can I ask you a question? It’s about you and Rarity.” He hesitated for a moment before responding, “Umm… I guess so.” Twilight took a deep breath and said, “What exactly is going on with you guys? Are you dating or what?” “Oh that’s it?” Spike smiled a bit and continued, “I don’t think so, but it’s most likely going to happen soon. The party was just a taster,“ Twilight shook her head to get a sudden disturbing image out of her mind as Spike went on, “but I’m going to ask her out before too long. I wanna take her somewhere nice a few times before I say anything though.” A stupid, school-colt smile spread over Spike’s face as he realized what he had just said. “Oh man, this is such a dream come true, don’t you think Twi?” She groaned as she walked out the door, lovesick assistant in tow. Spike had not stopped talking all the way to Carousel Boutique and Twilight was nearly at the end of her rope. Thankfully for her sanity Spike asked to go in by himself, however she sighed softly once he was gone. I miss the old days, She thought to herself, when he would sit on my back as we walked and make that adorable face he where he put his chin up and his eyes got as big as dinner plates. She chuckled softly as she reminisced when a delicate voice said from behind her, “Oh, goodness Twilight, are you okay?” Twilight spun around to see Fluttershy approaching from the direction of the square. “I was in town buying some cherries for Angel’s favorite dish when I saw you standing here all alone. Is everything alright?” Twilight sniffled as she felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Fluttershy was always her favorite pony to have around when she was down. “Well,” She began, “it’s just that I’m-” She halted her explanation suddenly as the door to Rarity’s shop swung open and Spike walked out with an arm around the gorgeous white unicorn beside him. The two were laughing at some unknown joke they had shared but stopped when they noticed Twilight and Fluttershy looking at them. Rarity spoke first saying, “Twilight, Fluttershy, hello! What are you two doing here? Is there anything I can do for you ladies?” “Hello Rarity.” Fluttershy responded, “Twilight was just telling me-“ “That I am headed off to the Royal Library in Canterlot!” Twilight interrupted. She caught Fluttershy’s eye with a look that said I’ll tell you later, okay? Thankfully the yellow mare understood the message and said, “Oh, uh, yes. She’s going to… get a book.” “How marvelous! Spikey and I were just heading to the White Rose for a bite to eat.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open as she turned to face her shame-faced assistant. “But-but Spike, we were going to-I-you.” She let her head fall, but continued to say, “Sounds fun Rarity. You two have a good time.” “Twilight?” Rarity inquired, “Is something wrong?” “No.” She replied. “Everything is just fine. Go on and enjoy your lunch.” “Thank you dear, I’m sure it will be divine.” She giggled and nuzzled the young dragon at her side as they walked off towards the town square. She looked up just in time to see Spike glance over his shoulder with a pained expression on his face, but once he noticed she was watching him go, he quickly returned his attention forward and to the pony chatting away at his side. “Oh dear Twilight, I think I know what’s wrong.” Fluttershy’s worried comment brought Twilight back to her senses and she turned to her with a curious expression painted on her face. “You do?” “Well, I think you’re worried that Spike will get attached to Rarity and forget about you. I mean, since you’ve known him so long you can’t really imagine life without him and you’re scared he’s going to leave you forever.” Twilight looked away as she felt her eyes burn and moisten with tears. Fluttershy was quickly at her said saying hurriedly, “Oh no, I’m so so so sorry Twilight, I didn’t mean to make you cry! Please don’t be sad, oh I’m sorry I-“ “Fluttershy stop.” Twilight wiped away her tears then said to the terrified mare, “It’s fine, you didn’t make me cry. It’s just you’re right; I am scared of Spike leaving. I’ve raised him since he hatched and we’ve always been friends and I really don’t want that to go away.” Fluttershy smiled and said softly, “Come on Twilight, I’ll go with you to Canterlot. You can talk to me on the way.” Twilight sniffed, “Really? Oh thank you Fluttershy, I really appreciate your help with this. It’s gotten so bad that it’s starting to interfere with my studies.” Fluttershy giggled and said, “Well we can’t have that” and the pair walked off down the road together. Well, I hope this was what you were all hoping for! Sorry it took longer than expected to get up but I’ve been a bit distracted with my other types of art. Speaking of which, does anypony know the best way to get a drawing onto the computer? Then where should I post it? I heard you can put stuff on EQD, but that seems like an awfully big place to put some simple sketches. Anyway, on another note, if anypony was wondering I won’t say for sure if this will have a non-essential clop chapter at some point (WAY later) or not, but I will touch on the whole inter species relationship stuff (check out Her Whole Darn Heart by Crowley). My apologies for the fat endnote, but thanks for reading, and feel free to comment with your opinions and criticism. I always welcome them!
Home“He didn’t scare you too badly did he?” The receptionist, Lisa Stone, said to Max and I as we came out of the hallway into the lobby. “For some reason he always feels like it’s necessary to tell horror stories to new employees. He says it’s to weed out the weak ones, but that’s stupid because we already know pretty much everything about you.” I was surprised at how social she was being. I was expecting a more professional demeanor and less chitchat, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the friendliness. “Oh, no he wasn’t too bad. He seems like an interesting guy.” I responded with a smile. “Although I think Max came close to fainting when he started talking about deaths and mutations and stuff.” Max turned a brilliant color of pink as Lisa began to laugh. “Don’t worry Max.” She said kindly, “He always exaggerates those stories. Serious accidents are actually really rare. We have hundreds of people whose sole jobs are to triple check every experiment for safety and all of our scientists follow strict procedures when doing anything even remotely unsafe.” This seemed to work wonders on Max’s nerves for his breathing slowed back to a normal pace and his face returned to its original pale complexion. “W-Well that’s good I suppose.” He stammered quietly, which got me wondering if there was something else that was getting him on edge, because the Max I knew wouldn’t have stopped talking after one sentence. “Anyway, I guess you guys are wondering where your new place is.” She handed us a map of the compound, which seemed awfully bizarre considering it was about as big as my notepad and didn’t have any folds or slide outs. My eyes grew wide as the map booted up and said, with an English accent no less, “Welcome to Black Moon Laboratories Michael. I am AIDA, your guide as you acclimate yourself with your new surroundings. If you and Max would please exit the lobby through the rear exit we can begin our tour immediately.” I swore I could hear Lisa giggling as we followed AIDA’s instructions towards the exit. I turned to Max and asked what he thought so far. His face finally regained some color as he replied, “I think I’m in heaven man. This place is amazing! Everything is amazing, and don’t even get me started on Lis-“ He stopped suddenly as the color drained once again from his cheeks yet again. “Started on what Max?” I said with a hearty laugh. “I didn’t catch that last part.” He quickly turned away, stuttering and blushing as we stepped out into the sun. AIDA gave us a pretty basic first look tour, which, despite taking almost three hours, left me with a billion more questions than when we started. She took us all around the central compound but said we would get to see the inside of each facility at another time. Everything was enormous and beautiful; it was hard to believe that this place had only been around fifteen years. How could anyone build something like this in so little time? I wondered to myself. Then I remembered these were the people who created ships that traveled at ridiculous percentages of the speed of light and had so many A.I.s they could put them in maps. It had begun to get dark as we finally entered the residential area of Black Moon. It looked pretty much exactly the same as any other neighbor hood, if you could see past the drones dropping off mail and fusion reactor the size of a car powering the area. Yeah, perfectly normal. Any way, AIDA led us up to a decent sized blue house at the end of the main road and gave us the access code for the front door. “Here is the provided residence you will be staying in while you are employed at Black Moon Laboratories. Your belongings have been placed in a bedroom according to our analysis on what conditions you enjoy living in. If you require assistance please dial 117 on your phone and state your dilemma. We will respond as quickly as possible.” With that she powered down and the little tablet went dark. “Well,” I said to my strangely silent friend, “I guess we should check out our new pad.” He nodded and followed me up the steps to the door where I punched our access code into the panel to the right of the door, which slide open a la Star Trek. The first thing that hit me was that nothing hit me. The house was just that; a plain old house. Granted it was a rather nice house, with expensive looking furniture, a big kitchen, and a T.V. the size of a small nation, but it was still just a normal place. “Whoa.” I heard Max gasp from behind me. “This is not what I expected. Where’s the glowing ceiling or the floating chairs?” “Honestly, I kind of like this better. It feels more like home.” Max thought for a second before saying. “You know what, you’re right. It does feel like home.” He sighed and continued, “It’s perfect. I’ve really been needing something a bit more like this, you know? Something simple, something a bit more down to earth.” I laughed when I thought about what he had just said. “That’s probably why they set up the residences like this. So you can come home to a normal house after spending the whole day making rockets and lasers and stuff.” Max chuckled as we continued to explore our surroundings, opening every fully stocked cabinet and looking in all the rooms. Max split off to check out his bedroom while I went to find mine. It wasn’t hard, considering it was exactly where I would have wanted it to be. I opened the door and my jaw dropped several feet when I saw what was inside. It was perfect. All of my books, games, and action figures were up on shelves, my computer was sitting at a desk in the far corner across from the bed which sat underneath a good sized window that looked out over the distant forests outside the compound. AIDA wasn’t kidding when she said our rooms were designed specifically for us, I thought with a grin. Apparently I had lost track of time exploring every nook and cranny of this wonderland, because suddenly Max was behind me saying, “Hey dude, nice room.” He was lucky I was on the other side of the room because I immediately swung the replica katana I was examining in a wide arc in his direction. “Holy shit man, watch where you’re swinging that thing! You could’ve killed me!” I hastily apologized as he held up AIDA and said shakily, “I just got a message saying we have to be outside the main physics lab at eight am sharp for our field specific tour. We should get to bed, it’s gonna be a big day tomorrow.” __________________________________ Sorry it took so long to update, despite its length. I've had trouble thinking of what to write and I've also had a fair amount of other stuff going on as well. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you liked it! I also have a question for any other writers out there. Recently I've been reading a lot of VinylxOctavia ships, and I really really want to wright one now. However, I still to work on this one, which is looking like it'll be pretty huge. Should I go ahead and start another story, or wait until I finish this one?
Author's NoteHey all, So I have an small announcement for any readers here. Unfortunately I have decided to postpone working on this story for a while, maybe forever. I know it's not exactly a big deal, but I'm sorry to anyone who was looking foreword to future updates, but I just don't really feel up to this one anymore. I may do a chapter here and there, but it will be rare. However, that doesn't mean I won't be writing again. I'm thinking about starting up a different story, probably a Vinyl x Octavia ship, or some other ship fic. We'll see, I don't really know. The other problem is time, so if I ever find any, I might write something. Thanks, Flutter Guy
New author's noteWell small collection of readers, after a very long time of nothing, a random creative writing mood has made me want to write another chapter. We'll see if it's any good, but I may have another chapter or two for you in a week or so. Is anybody even still following this? We'll find out, won't we. Thanks, Flutter Guy
Solutions, scrolls, and surprises"Twilight, what I'm saying is that if you really care for Spike, you have to be prepared to let him go." Fluttershy said to Twilight as the pair discussed her dilemma on the train to Canterlot. "It's just like when I take care of a baby animal. When they're all grown up and ready to move on, the best thing to do is to let them, even if I don't want to." "But he's like a little brother to me." Twilight sighed, "This is even worse than when Shining Armor and Cadence got married. At least I knew he was ready, but with Spike..." Fluttershy smiled kindly, "I know, I know, it's different because you've cared for and nurtured him since he was born, but he's not a baby anymore Twilight. It's hard, but it's for the best. Besides, do you really think that Spike would ever forget about you? And Rarity is your friend, you can talk to her too." Twilight sniffed and smiled back, "You're right, both Spike and Rarity are my friends, and I can trust them." Her smile faded slightly as she said, "Everything is going to change, isn't it?" "Not everything Twilight." Fluttershy responded, "We, your best friends, will always, always be there when you need us. Yes, some things will be different now, that's true. But who can say if they'll be for good or not? We'll just have to wait and see." Twilight's face began to light back up at Fluttershy's words. "Thanks Fluttershy, you really do always know what to say when I'm feeling down." "I-you're welcome Twilight." She blushed slightly then said, "Well, we should get ready to go, the train's almost to Canterlot." Twilight agreed and hopped down from her seat to gather up her belongings when she suddenly remembered something she forgot. "Oh pony feathers, I forgot to let Princess Celestia know that we we're coming! What if we can't get in to the library for some reason? What if the Princess is too busy to help us?" Fluttershy quickly moved to put a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Don't worry Twilight, I'm positive that the Princess will be accommodating, warning or not. You are her star student after all." Twilight heaved a heavy sigh for what seemed like the millionth time that day, "Of course, you're right Fluttershy. I guess I'm still just a little stressed out." Fluttershy gave her a friendly nuzzle, "I understand, you have a lot on your mind." The train rumbled to a stop and the doors of their compartment opened automatically. As the two mares stepped out of the car, Fluttershy said to Twilight, "Um, speaking of what's on your mind Twilight, what exactly are we looking for at the library? I'm so sorry, I never even thought to ask you what you needed." Twilight chuckled lightly, "It's okay Fluttershy, I'm just here to do a bit of research. Back at the party the other day, I started thinking about other worlds, and what's out there. You know, beyond Equestria, Zebrica, and the other lands." "Wow, that sounds like pretty serious stuff. Are you sure I can help? I don't really know anything about those things." "That's fine, you can just help me look for books and scrolls that seem promising." Fluttershy smiled, "That doesn't sound too hard." "Thanks Fluttershy" Twilight replied. "That's what friends are for." _____________________________________________ As they approached the main castle gates, they smiled at the guards who, recognizing two of the Elements of Harmony, nodded and let them pass without a problem. "That went well." Fluttershy breathed. "Of course," Twilight said, "They know who we are. Besides, when your brother is the Captain of the Guard, you get some special perks." She winked as they began to ascend the large stairs leading to the palace doors. Just as they reached the landing, the doors swung open, revealing both Princesses in all their shining glory. Fluttershy meeped and froze, but Twilight cried out "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!" and cantered forward to meet them. Celestia laughed, "Ah, I thought I felt a familiar presence on the grounds. What brings you girls to Canterlot? Oh, and Fluttershy dear, please, you needn't be afraid, you know that. Please come inside and talk with us." She and Twilight turned and entered the palace, while Luna beckoned to still frozen yellow mare, "Come, thou art always welcome here Fluttershy." "Oh, yes um, you just startled me, that's all. You're just a little...startling." Luna smiled apologetically, "Ah, we are-I'm sorry. Come, join us so we can discuss the purpose of your visit." Fluttershy trotted forward, "Of course Princess" Luna laughed, a rather lovely sound Fluttershy thought, and said, "Please, just call me Luna." Fluttershy blushed, smiled, and nodded. When they all four were seated around an elegant table with cups of tea cooling in front of them, Celestia turned to Twilight and asked, "So Twilight, what do you need here? Is everything alright in Ponyville?" "Oh yes, everything's fine." She responded, "We're just here on a personal matter. I was hoping to do some research in the royal library, since mine seems to be a little lacking. Fluttershy offered to come along and help out." Celestia raised an eyebrow as she sipped her levitating tea, "Oh? And what is it you are researching now?" As Twilight explained her sudden desire to know what lay beyond the boundaries of their world, Fluttershy was for some reason distracted by thoughts of a certain purple alicorn. Where did this come from?, she wondered to herself, finding herself once again glancing over her tea at the Princess of the Night. Luna, however, was too interested in the current topic, or rather the mental signals Celestia was sending her way, to notice this. After the many lifetimes the sisters had spent together, the two were experts in communicating with each other through telepathy. This is unexpected. Not to mention potentially...dangerous, to say the least, Luna thought to Celestia. Yes, but with the proper supervision and guidance I believe we can keep her from straying too far, she responded Are you sure? She is powerful, far more than any pony since Star Swirl, and the only reason he didn't cause any catastrophic problems was he didn't have the drive that Twilight has. Imagine if he had ever finished the alicorn conversion spell! What a disaster that would have been., Luna retorted. She could sense Celestia's thoughts begin to wander at that, Hmm, yes, the alicorn spell... Luna nearly dropped her tea when she realized what Celestia was thinking, You cannot be serious! We cannot show it to her, not with the power it can give! Not yet, of course sister. However, we shall see how my young protégé handles this new challenge and then we will return to the matter of the conversion spell Luna grumbled mentally, a much more forceful action over a telepathic link than in a physical situation, and thought, As you wish, but I must insist we keep a close watch on her progress in this exploration endeavor. Nodding mentally, Celestia thought, I will of course guide her, but I will not restrict her unless it threatens this reality. Remember the last time we played meddling Goddesses? The hunger for power was too much, and malevolent immortals are not what this world needs again. Besides, her power is great, but I do not think she is foolish enough to go where she ought not to go. You are right. Take care sister, this could become...messy quickly. Understood. "-so I decided to take a look here since I couldn't find anything in my own library." The Princesses wrapped up their conversation as Twilight finished explaining herself. "This is quite an undertaking Twilight." Celestia said to her student. "I'm curious as to how you will progress, so I would very much appreciate it if you gave me regular updates as to your progress and especially any discoveries you might make. I do, however, have one condition before you start on this research project." "Of course. What is it?" Twilight inquired. "I would have you contact me before you perform any experiments you might want to do. There are some delicate magics involved in exploring the universe around us." This of course just piqued her curiosity, as the Princess knew it would, but it was a necessity. "Certainly Princess, I will let you know of any tests I might want to do." "Thank you. Now, sister, if you wouldn't mind escorting these two to the library? I have some duties I must attend to." "Certainly. Twilight, I'm sure you know they way, but I will show a good place to start looking." So Twilight and Fluttershy, still lost in her confused emotions, stood and followed her down the corridor to the library where a new adventure was waiting to be found. Author's Note It's back! For now at least...
