Twilight looks at the array of numbers coming from the mechanical computers tick-tocking their merry way as they process the data being sent to them by several analog computers. The ‘computers’ themselves are connected to a copper-bronze ring containing a swirling mass of black and blue colored aura in the center of a large domed atrium.
She chews on her licorice stick as she holds several sheets of parchment paper in her magic and hooves. Her smile grows ever larger as her eyes bounce from number array to number array. What she sees proves what she and her team have been receiving for the past few weeks.
Hearing the groan of the printer running out of paper, Twilight drops her notes and lets out an irritated huff. “I need more parchment!”
A white-furred unicorn stallion rushes over and drops a new stack of paper in the overbearing monstrosity and turns it back on with a crank of its lever. It sputters and sputs before returning to its monotonous task.
Twilight stares at the printer. She dreamt of a time where complex calculations would be done with more elegant machinery. Clean and straightforward, and not so bulky. But alas, she had to grow up in the middle of the industrial revolution.
Swallowing her licorice, she sticks another in her mouth as she stares at the glowing mass of magical energy before her and smiles. “Not for long…”
Several months ago, it had appeared near Hoofington’s coastline. Testimonies form eyewitnesses told that the mass just stayed in one spot for several minutes before fading away. Closer investigation of the site showed that it left burn marks that were cold to the touch.
After receiving the reports, Celestia and Luna, the co-rulers of Equestria, called upon the citizens of the nation. Their mandate was simple. Citizens must report any more sightings of the phenomenon to local officials.
Twilight swallows her licorice and bites down on another…
Five more sightings popped up all over Equestria. Even one appeared in the Griffin Empire. But the eighth sighting turned out to be the most of value. It had remained stationary for twelve days. It was enough time to study it with all the available equipment and magic they could throw at it. Finding a way to contain it, Celestia called upon her brightest engineers to construct a pylon. And they did so with minutes to spare before the vortex started to vanish once again…
Twilight swallows her licorice and goes to grab another one. “What?” She looks down and sees that the box of her delicious treat is empty. “Darn it!” Letting out another huff, she looks up at her friends and watches them staring up at the vortex as they talk among themselves.
“Twilight?”
She jumps in her chair and strains her neck back to look up at her teacher and ruler, Princess Celestia staring down at her. “Yes, Princess?”
Celestia smiles at her student. “Just wanted your opinion on the data we gathered last week.”
Twilight turns around in her seat. “Of course!” She smiles like a little school girl. “I just want to thank you again for letting my friends and I be apart of this momentous occasion! I just can’t thank you enough…!” She looks down at her lips and sees her mentor’s hoof resting on them.
“Oh, Twilight, you don’t have to thank me.” Celestia smiles. “Besides, if I didn’t, you’d drive me bananas.”
Twilight blushes. “I don’t know if I would go that far…” She sees the look Celestia’s giving and blushes even more. “Uh, I guess you’re right…”
Celestia shakes her head. “Now, to go over that data.” She manifests a notebook and opens it. “If my notes are correct, the data pulled last week stated that this vortex…” She stares at the mass of black and blue. “Is a portal… to another planet?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Yes… From what we could gather from the mana crystals, we sent through, we believe that it is indeed another planet and not some teleportation location on our own.”
“Are they still transmitting?’ Celestia asks as she looks over at six bulky machines hooked up to several mana crystals on the far side of the atrium. Their soft purple glow, adding a calm ambiance.
“Yes and no… Only five are still active; the other one stopped.” Twilight grabs a sheet of paper. “The last amount of data it was transmitting stated that it was near saltwater.”
Celestia sighs. “Ocean.” She looks back at her notes. “Seems like this portal’s other end is near a coastline.” She looks at a stack of reports about the weather. “Looks like it’s a coastline with a lot of wind and cool days. “So far, the average has been six-five to seventy-five degrees.”
“I think we will need to pack a little warm.” Twilight hums.
Celestia looks at her student with a raised brow. “Pack? Twilight, we’re not going to go through this portal.”
“WHAT!” Twilight shouts, drawing the attention of everyone in the atrium.
Celestia rubs her brow. “Twilight!” Twilight cowers a bit. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying we need to make sure it's safe for us to do so.”
Twilight frowns. “How long will that be?”
Celestia smiles. “After I hold a grand meeting with the senators of the ten territories of Equestria. Our allies. And other government red tape.” She laughs. “It's not as simple as let's just go.” Twilight posture sulks as the realization of her mentor’s words begin to sink in. “Don’t you fret young Twilight. We’ll go exploring soon.” Seeing her friends at the lounging area, Celestia places a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Why don’t you hang out with your friends for the rest of the day.”
Twilight looks up an nods. “I will…”
“Is everything alright, sister?” Luna asks as she watches Twilight near her friends.
“Everything is alright dear sister.” Celestia hums. “Just my student being herself.”
Luna smirks. “She is the most eager of ponies.” She pats her sister on the back. “You made the right choice enrolling her into your school for gifted unicorns.”
Celestia smiles as she sees Twilight conversing with her friends. “I did, didn’t I…”
……
“We’re not going!” Rainbow Dash groans.
Twilight sighs. “Yeah, not yet…” She picks up her cup of tea. “Celestia is worried about the unknowns.”
Pinkie’s curly mane deflates a little. “Aw… I had so much stuff planned!”
Applejack stares at the pink earth pony. “You think it’s the time to be planning parties and such?”
Pinkie glares at her fellow orange earth pony. “Parties should be planned for any and every occasion!”
Rarity rolls her eyes. “Pinkie, Applejack, no need to argue the merits of parties and such…” She stares at the vortex and its soft glowing colors. “But I have to agree with Pinkie, this does call for a celebration… But I think it should be after we step hoof through… this thing.”
Twilight stares at the vortex with childlike eyes at what type of world lays beyond its borders.
“What do you think we’ll find?” Fluttershy asks.
Twilight looks at the timid Pegasus and smiles. “Something beyond our wildest dreams.”
Twilight stands right of the vortex. Her saddlebag is filled to the brim with supplies, its buttons holding its flaps closed, begging for the sweet relief of death. She nibbles on her licorice as she mulls over the recent weather reports.
“I can’t believe we’re actually going through!” Applejack stares at the calm swirling mass.
“I can’t believe it either!” Pinkie cheers. “Oh, I hope it’s exciting!”
“I’m sure it will!” Rainbow Dash places her sunglasses over her magenta eyes. “I just know when we get there, I’m going to pull off a rain boom!” She giggles. “Just imagine the first-ever rain boom on a new world!”
“And cause all the clouds to disappear.” A stallion comments with a laugh.
Rainbow Dash looks over her shoulder and sees a black-colored Pegasus walking up to her and her friends. “Ha, ha Thunderlane!”
Thunderlane smirks. “Let’s focus on the weather before we start doing stunts.” He boops her snout before walking away.
“I’m still, Captain!” Rainbow Dash huffs. “You’re Co-Captain!” Her cheeks flush with red. Hearing giggling behind her, she looks over her shoulders and sees her friends laughing. “Hey!”
Twilight looks up from her work and rolls her eyes.
“Now, now dear,” Rarity hums as she pats Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “It’s all harmless fun.”
“Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow Dash grumbles as she looks over at Fluttershy, who’s messing with her medical kit. “Hey, Fluttershy. You excited about being a part of the wildlife team?”
Fluttershy looks up at her childhood friend and smiles. “Yeah, I hope this new world has a lot of little animals that I can give my love too.” She giggles.
“I’m sure there will be.” Pinkie Pie smiles. “I hope there is intelligent life!” She shivers. “I can feel it in my bones!”
Twilight looks over her shoulders. “The odds of that are very slim.”
“But if we think there is life on this planet, why can it not be intelligent?” Pinkie whines.
“Pinkie…” Twilight thinks about her friend’s statement. “I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it takes a lot for ‘life’ to reach the stage of intelligence like us.”
“And what if we do meet life like us?” Applejack asks.
Twilight looks at Celestia and Luna, who stand at the back of the atrium. “Then we let our royals handle that.”
Luna looks at Twilight and her friends with an amused smirk. “Sister?” She looks over at Celestia, who is going over some reports given to her by some of her generals. “Are we ready to embark on our journey through the vortex?”
Celestia looks up from the parchment and gives her little sister a smile. “Yes, I believe we are ready.” She looks over at the groups of ponies mulling about the atrium.
There is Captain Shining Armor of the royal guards and his squad. Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts and her squad of ten. Lieutenant Axiom and his twenty pony platoon from the 101 dressed in their grey uniforms, saddlebags strapped, and ready. Over by the other corner of the atrium, she sees the five research teams number five ponies each mulling about as they finalize their equipment before the journey beyond the vortex.
“Do you want me to stay behind, sister,” Luna asks as she walks alongside her sister? “Somepony needs to run the empire?”
Celestia looks over at Twilight and her friends. “We have capable senators as well as our niece, Cadence, that can take over while we are gone.” She looks at her sister. “If we run into any intelligent life, I think having both royals to great them will better the odds that things go over smoothly.” She looks at her sister with a grin.
“You just want to go, don’t you?” Luna raises a brow. “With me?” She returns the smirk. “By your side?”
“Yes.” Celestia laughs. “Think of it, sister! A new world out there to explore. Oh, I know I was hesitant at first, but the possibilities of what lies beyond are just too good to pass up!”
“That is true, indeed.” Luna sees that the royal guards, soldiers, and scientists are all set to go. “Sister, I think it’s time?”
Celestia looks over the ponies hoofed picked for the expedition. “Ponies, may I have your attention…”
A small meadow about three-hundred-and-fifty-yards wide sits relatively still, given the winds that blow over the land. Grass sways with an ocean breeze that’s slivers through the grove of dense redwood trees surrounding the meadow’s edge. The fog rolling across the rocky coast seeps through the trees, making those giants seem like wandering gods in the clouds.
!BRTZ!
A spark of static electricity skips over the meadow.
!BRTZ!
Then another until a black spec appears in the air just three feet above the meadow floor. The spec grows into a massive vortex about six-feet wide and twelve feet tall.
The grass surrounding the vortex sway their tips in its direction. The branches of the nearby trees and bushes begin to dance with the newly created breeze stirred up by the vortex.
A hoof appears from the vortex. Its purple fur creates a contrast to the surrounding greens and browns of the meadow. It steps firmly on the ground and pulls the rest of its body through the mass of black and blue.
Twilight Sparkle steps through the portal. She sucks in a breath as she catches herself from the ever so slight change in gravity. Finding her balance, she lets out a breath and takes another, filling her lungs with the foreign air of an alien world. Looking around, she sees that the vortex sent her to a very lush meadow surround by towering redwood trees. She cranes her neck to glare at the mighty trees. She’s never seen such fauna before.
Her smile grows.
Removing her saddlebag, Twilight sets it down and opens one of the flaps. Taking out a small mana stone, she holds it in her hooves and activates her magic before casting a spell on it.
The mana stone glows a soft purple and gently pulses every three seconds.
She looks at the vortex and waits patiently.
Celestia appears from the black void and gently steps out, slowly walking up to her student as she takes in the view of the meadow. “This is wow…” She looks up at the mighty trees swaying with the breeze.
Twilight can taste the salt in the air from the nearby ocean. “Very.” She giggles. “Oh, I can’t wait to go exploring!”
“Soon, dear Twilight, but we must prepare the camp.” She looks up at the sky. It is hard to tell what time of day it is due to the heavy fog, but she has a good guess. “We don’t want to be stuck pitching tents in the dark now, do we?” She takes Twilight’s mana stone and casts her own spell.
Soon, Luna, the Royal Guards, the Wonderbolts, the 101, the scientist, and Twilight’s friends pour out from the void.
“Get that portal under control and set up camp!” Celestia commands. “I want out the first night to be an enjoyable one!”
Stars envelop the now cleared night sky. It's strange for Luna to stare at stars so foreign to her. She had given it a shot whether or not she could raise the moon and the stars. Betted with her sister and some of the royal guards as well. But no matter how hard she tried, the moon and the stars deified her command.
Seeing a star twinkle in the milky sky, she gives a sigh. “Do you think one of these stars is our’s, dear sister?”
Luna looks to her left and sees Celestia sitting next to her. “I’m not sure?” She lets out a huff. “Do you sense it?”
Celestia concentrates. Her horn glows a soft yellow. “No.., No, I do not…” The glow around her horn fades.
Luna only nods.
A silence overcomes them before a cricket’s chirp breaks it.
“What are you thinking, Luna?”
“I think there might not be magic here.” Luna looks over at her sister. “Though I sense something else… Do you?”
Celestia ponders for a minute. “No… But I’ll keep an eye out on it. Have you alerted the scientist?”
“Yes, sister.”
“Good, good…” Celestia looks over at the camp.
The camp is a decently sized one. Fifteen tents occupy the meadow around the now stabilized vortex. Eight small tents for sleeping, five large tents for the research teams. Two massive tents, one as sleeping quarters for the royal guards and soldiers of the 101, and the other for preparing and serving food.
“We built camp in record time.” Luna comments. “Beat our best test run by seven minutes.”
“We sure did…” Hearing laughter, Celestia looks over at one of the smaller tents by the meadow’s edge and smiles. “We should get some sleep; we have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Your brother was having such a hard time with the tent!” Rainbow Dash giggles.
Twilight mumbles as she mulls through her notepad. “He’s never been the best with directions.” A small smirk adores her lips.
Rarity looks over at their friend and gives a sigh. “Twilight, darling? Why don’t you put your notebook away? There will be plenty of time to fill it up with all the things you’re going to see.” She waves a packet of playing cards in her face. “Come play with us.”
Twilight glares at the cards. “I can’t!” What if I forget something? What if it what I’ve seen changes during the night? Besides, I need to finish this tonight, so I can send it through the portal and give it to Spike, so he can…!” Twilight looks at a pink hoof over her lips.
“Geesh Twilight, you’re starting to ramble like me!” Pinkie giggles as she removes her hoof and jams her other one in Twilight’s mouth.
Twilight tastes the distinctive flavor of a strawberry chocolate cupcake in her mouth. She lets out a long sigh and begins chewing on the delectable treat.
“There.” Rarity picks up the notebook with her magic and shoves it in Twilight’s saddlebag. “Now, shall we play a card game while the night is young?” The group nods. “Good.”
