Prologue
Coming Home
Twilight P.O.V.
“Twilight!” Everyone shouts after I stumble out of the mirror portal standing on my back hoofs, quickly losing my stability I begin to fall but am caught by my mentor.
“Careful there Twilight.” Princess Celestia says with worry. Getting back on my 4 hooves, I shoot a thankful look to my mentor for catching me and am immediately tackled to the ground by a group hug from my friends.
“We were so worried about you.” Applejack says happily while wiping away a tear.
“Were so happy your back and I see you have your crown back, but I must ask how is Sunset Shimmer? What happened to her?” Celestia asks with worried but hopeful eyes.
“She is fine, she has seen the error in her way. She is now working to pay back what she has done, but she won’t be alone this time. After all, with such great friend’s as she has now, she will learn and grow to become a better person.” I tell Celestia with conviction, conveying my trust that Sunset has learned from her mistake and is in no danger.
“Person?” My friends ask questioningly.
I laugh at their questioning faces, knowing they have no idea what I’m talking about. I then start heading to the door, intent to get to my room to get some rest. They all walk with me to my room asking questions about my adventure while I try to answer them in a way that they will understand. After all, I myself don’t understand everything that happened.
Arriving at my room, I bid goodnight to my friends and fellow princesses and get inside, closing the door behind me. While putting away my crown inside the newly installed safe, I start to feel the cramps in my body from my adventure. Which made me realize that I really need a warm bath before heading to bed to let my body relax.
While relaxing in the warm water, I start to think about the adventure I had over the last couple of days and realize that there were many things that I had mistaken or ignored in the heat of the adventure. Like the fact that their technology is so far advanced compared to our technology that I don’t even recognize most of the things I saw.
Take their ‘SmartPhone’ for example, I just don’t understand how they work or what they do besides that they are used for communication at long distances. Or their ‘Computer’, how do they get so much information inside such a small item.
After thinking back on it, I quickly realize that compared to them, our technology is not even comparable to the beginning of their industrial era as the history teacher had called it, not even mentioning that there have barely been any innovations in the last 5 centuries. The last being the train that spans the entirety of Equestria nowadays.
Not knowing the reason for this, I decide I should ask Celestia about this, surely she would know the reason for the lack of innovations. But that can wait until tomorrow, for now, I’ll just enjoy my relaxing bath and take a good night’s sleep.
While walking through Ponyville I see all the ponies I pas going along their day with a happy smile on their face. Because their life has become much easier and more joyful ever since the innovations started rolling out from that new company. Their new technologies have allowed ponies to do feats before thought of as impossible or something only someone from the other tribe could do. But now all ponies no matter what tribe can cast spells, fly through the air, do work thought of as impossible for their tribe, and many more things.
Even the humble town of Ponyville has transformed into one of the major cities in Equestria with the population constantly increasing and the city growing to accommodate them. The buildings aren’t made out of bricks, clay, and straw anymore, now everything is made out of metal, glass, concrete, and many more materials that before could only be used by the richest of ponies.
While seeing all of these accomplishments that technology has brought, I start to feel a feeling of accomplishment in my heart, even though I do not know why since I had nothing to do with these improvements. Deciding it is high time I buy a new battery for ... Something ... I start traveling to the store of the company that brought us all this technology. Arriving at the shop, I look at the sign above the shop but cannot read the name for some reason, it is just a blurry image of unreadable letters. Deciding it must just be my imagination, I head inside.
“Welcome to Sparkle Industries.” A shop assistant calls out as I enter the store.
“What did you say, I didn’t hear you clearly?” I asked when I didn’t fully hear the name of the company.
“Welcome to Sparkle Industries owned and founded by Twilight Sparkle.” She repeats with some extra information, which baffles me since I never did that.
“Wha-WHAAAAAAT!!!!!!” I shout while waking up in surprise.
After having calmed down from my dream, I head to my balcony to think about what I have seen in my dream.
Staring out into the starry sky, I begin to remember what I had seen in my dream.
I remember seeing fleeting images of technology that doesn’t exist, ponies and other creatures living in harmony, reaching the stars, and so much more. I know that it is just a dream but it felt so real as if it could be real,... , as if I could make it real. Just like the end of my dream showed me ... . But could I accomplish this?
While letting my mind roam around on all the questions and doubts I have about my dream, I suddenly hear someone calling out to me. “Are you alright Twilight, you seem worried?”
Turning my head to the voice I see Celestia flying towards my balcony.
“Yes, I’m alright, I just have a lot on my mind right now,” I answered after she had landed on the balcony.
“I’m sure you miss your new friends on the other side of the portal, but you don’t have to worry about them, you’ll see them again one day,” Celestia reassures me with a comforting voice.
“While I am indeed worried about my friends, it is not what lays heavily upon my mind.”
“Oh, then may I ask what it is that has you up so late at night?” Celestia asks questioningly.
“It-Its about what I saw on the other side of the mirror,” I answered her meekly.
“Go on,” she says reassuringly.
“I saw things I had never heard or dreamt of before, their level of technology makes us seem almost primitive.
“Oh? And why is that, from what Starswirl told me they were not that much more advanced than us a thousand years ago?” she asks curiously.
“Wel to begin their technology is so advanced I don’t understand or recognize most of it. For example, they have this thing called a phone. Which almost everyone has, it is the size of a tiny little rectangle that they use to talk or message anyone, anywhere. Even if that person is on the other side of the world.” I tell her trying to convey what I know about it in wonder.
“They also have these thin rectangle boxes that have more than a library’s worth of information stored in them, cars that don’t need to be drawn to move, big metal birds that fly through the sky. They even sent humans to the moon.”
“They did what?” Celestia asks surprised.
“They sent humans to the moon, WITHOUT magic,” I repeat while punctuating the fact that they did it without magic.
“But, but how is that possible even we can’t send someone to the moon? The only reason Lune was sent to the moon was because of the elements of harmony, and the act drained all of their energy.”
“I don’t know that is what has my mind so occupied. How were they able to make and do these incredible things without magic. I mean look at us, we have magic that makes our life much easier and simpler, you would think that with this advantage we should be the more advanced ones, but that isn’t reality.” After saying this we both quit down to think, not saying anything for some time.
“I might have an idea about this, “Celestia replies after a couple of minutes. After giving her a look to keep going she continues speaking, “it is probably the fact that magic makes our life much easier that is halting our growth in technology. After all, why improve something when it already does everything you want from it. Take our trains for example after their invention 150 years ago, no new transportation technology has been made or improved, since the train could bring anyone from anywhere to anywhere in Equestria. Stopping the need to keep improving.”
“That could indeed be the case,” I answer after some time agreeing with her. “It is probably the complete opposite than for the humans. Because they don’t have the magic they had to invent ways to make their lives easier and better,” I add to the theory.
“It is indeed something I have seen over the last 1000 years. The easier life became the more my little ponies began to lose interest in improving or inventing, content with the way things are.” We both become quiet after that and just stare out into the night sky looking at the stars.
After half an hour Celestia bid me goodnight and flew away to her own room, while I went back inside to sleep some more on the questions in my mind.
Author's Note
This is my first ever story, so the wording and writing are very bad. That is why I appreciate all comments and feedback on what I can improve. Story ideas for technologies are also appreciated.
