When Worlds Collide

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.”