The Conversion Bureau: Preservation

Chapters

Made of Stories
The Diamond Digging Crew
The Sum Total of Everything
A New World
Fragments of Truth
Years Passed
And So Too Did Friends
All That's Happened
Epilogue: Memory

Made of Stories

“We're all made of stories. When they finally put us underground, the stories are what will go on. Not forever, perhaps, but for a time. It's a kind of immortality, I suppose, bounded by limits, it's true, but then so's everything.”
― Charles de Lint

“We owe it to each other to tell stories.”
― Neil Gaiman

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
As you are no doubt aware, the past two years since you and your friends saved the Crystal Empire have been tumultuous. Things have happened that both Luna and I have strained to keep up with in light of Equestria's contact with the new world of Earth. While we continue to look for alternatives to conversion in order to save humanity from this event, there are issues that I feel have been neglected in that time, and wish to redress them. I formally request that you travel here to Canterlot, that we may discuss your role in the uncertain times ahead.

Your mentor, Princess Celestia

I folded up the two day old letter like it would shatter into a million pieces if I didn't treat it with the utmost respect. Tumultuous times was an understatement. Equestria had brushed up against other universes before, that was how diamond dogs came to Equestria first, but this was something completely different. My home, the world I'd grown up in and come to understand, if only by a small degree, was colliding with a world almost completely unlike our own. A world so devoid of magic that no life form—or any complex matter—from that place could crossover to Equestria intact, without first being converted of course.

There I had been, tucked away in Ponyville from it all as it happened. Conversion? Handled by one of Celestia's leading magical scholars in transformation magic, Fluxing Form. Helping to stop the barrier from expanding? I'd looked over, calculated, and recalculated the results from the tests, made my observations, but we were still years from coming up with a viable method of slowing the expansion, if ever.

I'd felt useless in the intervening years, but now that conversion was already starting, what could I do to help Princess Celestia? I mean, I'd studied the notes and transcripts that had been taken down, then copied with Equestrian paper and ink in order to cross the barrier, but how was that going to help her?

I stopped mid-stride as a terrifying thought clawed at the back of my mind, halting me inches from a door that led into the Grand Hall of Canterlot Castle.

What if I had become useless? What if with all that had happened, with all that had changed, I was no longer needed as a student of the princess? I caught my rapidly expelled breaths as I realized what was happening. I reached up a hoof to my chest. Breath in. Once. Deeply. I extended my hoof outwards as though I was pulling the breath out of my lungs in one continuous motion.

It worked. Cadence was right, that tip was helpful! And so was I. I'd help the princess, no matter how small it was, no matter if it involved being sent to magi— No. Breath in, breath out. I was going to be important, I already was. The slight touch of hubris reminded me of Trixie. I shook my head. The Element of Magic, personal student to the princess, significant player in the restoration of Luna, petrification of Discord, the defeat of the Changelings, and saving of the Crystal Empire.

I pushed open the door and entered into the Grand Hall. Empty, aside from the guards.

I looked to the red carpet that flowed out over the floor like a deep river of wine. I stepped onto it and felt the fibers rub against my hooves like an old friend. It had been a while since the last Grand Galloping Gala, and there had been even less time to speak with Celestia then as in prior years. The floor beneath me was alien.

My mind turned to conversion as my body turned to the right. Simple absence from Canterlot for the last year had made this place an unwelcoming contrivance of marble and gold. Moving to Equestria would be like my moving to Ponyville magnified one hundred fold, with plenty of room for more stress.

Those humans on Earth had grown accustomed to their way of life. Just like I had. A force that demanded their attention was forcing them to move far out of their zone of comfort. Just like what happened to me. And I had come out of it with new friends, greater strength, and more understanding of who I was because of it. Maybe that would happen for the humans that converted.

Did I sympathize with humans? Empathize with them in the abstract? I supposed I did. Though what they were going through was orders of magnitude greater than what I had. It was easy to think of their concerns. What if such a change was too much? What if they weren't ready? What if it was best for them to stay as they were?

Delving into counterfactuals was of no use, that was why conversion was, and always would be voluntary. Everyone has to decide what's best for themselves. All we could do was present the choice. Maybe a bit of a push, as Celestia had done for me all those years ago, but these were big questions.

The throne room door reached to the ceiling above, swung open in a grand greeting to uncertainty. I took a deep breath. Handling whatever task Princess Celestia would have for me was something I could do. As I succeeded before, so to would I succeed today.

Stepping inside, the tinted light of the stained glass windows washed over my fur to give it a mottled appearance as I moved down the carpet.

The window depicting Spike saving the Crystal Empire brought the thoughts of my adoptive brother to the forefront of my mind. That was something else that was changing in my life, his wings had started to come in. Little stubby things that he complained about hanging loosely. Fluttershy was kind enough to keep him under a steady supply of ice packs while I was in Canterlot.

Stopping the moment I saw the dais out of the corner of my eye, I turned my attention to the throne at long last. There she was, my teacher, Princess Celestia. Still smiling, still beautiful... still looking like she had a grand design to complete. My heart sunk into the anxious pit that formed in my stomach as I wondered what it was she wanted me to do.

Expelling the thought from my mind, I bent my front legs and bowed. My barrel scraped against the strange threads of the carpet as a bent my horn to the ground.

"Twilight." Her voice rang like a triangle struck in the total silence of the hall. "There is no need to bow for this occasion."

It was an old dance, and we knew the steps well. A tradition of sorts that brought me comfort that there were still solid rocks on which I could stand.

I lifted up my head. "Of course, Princess Celestia."

"Now now, there's no need for formal titles now either."

"Twilight."

I snapped out of my fantasy to see I was still standing. Oh dear.

Looking up to Princess Celestia, I felt a hot flush move through my cheeks as I smiled. It was returned with equal warmness and care. I'd already gone through the process in my mind, maybe I could actually just go straight to calling her by her name? Just her name.

The silence between us grew thick like yogurt. In the confusion of what do, I blurted out, "Celestia, it's good to see you."

Her smile... widened? There were still no teeth exposed, but I got the feeling like she was restraining herself from such. I offered my own smile, stretching the corners of my mouth, but keeping my lips together.

"It is wonderful to see you again, Twilight." Celestia rose from her throne, the ceremonial hoof guards sliding over her hooves, making the faint sound of rustling as it brushed against her fur.

I inclined my head in a show of respect. "It is for me as well." My head shot up and took her into my sight. "But what is it you called me here for?"

She proceeded down the steps, her legs moving in a seamless, fluid motion. She stopped beside me, facing the great doors, and she inclined her head towards my ear. "Walk with me."

I did so, first trailing behind her, but soon picking my pace in order to be beside her.

"You are no doubt aware of what the barrier does to matter from earth?" she asked.

Nodding, I answered, "The barrier is the place where Earth's reality is being... overwritten by Equestria's. When matter crosses the barrier into Equestria, it's physical state, down to its very..." What was the word those transcribed scientific reports had used? "Quantum state?" I completed, looking up hopefully at Celestia. Her smile continued as she looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Right, the quantum state of the matter is adjusted to exist in a stable form given Equestria's exponentially higher level of magic. The transformation is relatively easy for basic elements and compounds like iron, oxygen, or water, but more complex matter, like a life form, can't make the transition, as it's so much to change in the short time frame of barrier traversal."

"Indeed, but conversion allows the transition to be stretched over a long enough time period into a race capable of surviving our world to be done while preserving the sapient identity of a human." Celestia stopped to turn right. "We're still working on other methods, stopping the barrier, helping the humans with resources to evacuate the planet for the unexplored component of their universe, space." We stopped in front of a gate I recognized as leading into one of Canterlot Library's restricted wings. "But if we cannot do this, we must ensure their legacy can live on. Their world and race has created hundreds of cultures, thousands of inventions and advancements, and hold a collective experience from which we can learn much."

Celestia took a breath. "That is why I am tasking you to organize and coordinate the creation of an archive, a collection dedicated to preserving as much of human cultural, historical and technological knowledge, so that it can be preserved and used to make the world a greater place."

I snapped my mouth closed, my teeth tapping together lightly as my tongue clicked from the sudden motion. A swallowing motion preceded my response. "Preserve the written works of humanity? The sum total of..." I swallowed again, the task was... daunting. I took in a deep breath. I blinked. In that moment, my eyes transitioned from one of doubt to determination. "I'll do everything in my power to see it done."

"Wonderful," Celestia responded. "I will be sure to provide the resources you need for this task, but first, we must decide on a location."

Celestia's words caused in me a stream of thoughts. In the chaotic giddiness of getting to work with the books of an entirely new species, I was granted one iota of lucid thought. Someplace safe, someplace close, somewhere... underground? I looked up at Celestia without falter. "I know what we can do to get a place for the archives."

The Diamond Digging Crew

"So we need to make a cavern big enough to house everything ever written by a human?"

I rolled my eyes at my adoptive brother as he bounced on my back. His weight made me exhale a little every time he came down.

"Yes Spike," I said. "We need a place for the Human Archives Project, and Ponyville is the logical conclusion. It has solid bedrock, is close to Canterlot, and, it's where we live."

"But let me get this straight, you want to try hiring diamond dogs in order to build the cave? And your first gut was to try and ask the diamond dogs that once kidnapped Rarity?" Spike asked. "Am I the only one here who thinks that's a bad idea?"

"They're the best diggers of any race in Equestria, they'd be able to make room the fastest, I'm not entirely sure how much space we'll need, so we need to make the cave as large as possible. That way, it won't matter how much stuff comes over, we'll have room for it." I felt Spike hop off my back, giving myself a needed break.

He walked in front of me two stubby little wings poking out of his back. He turned, and continued his questions. "Diamond dog, you seriously think that they'll be willing to help us out with this?"

I nodded as I glared at him, hoping to end this conversation that had gone on for the past hour.

"Six feet tall, predatory troglodytes with no personal hygiene?"

Again, I nodded. "Rude, but good use of vocabulary."

Spike turned to one of the royal guards accompanying us. "Hey big guy, you think this plan'll work?"

Thankfully, the guard didn't so much as respond, giving me the time to do so myself.

"Spike, I know you're worried about my safety, but we have an entire contingent here." I pointed my hoof at the other guards to emphasize my point. "Besides," I continued, bring my hoof to point at his chest. "I've got you to protect me."

He flinched as I pointed at him, looking at my hoof as though I was handing him a precious gem. He looked at me, eyes wide. "You really mean that?"

"Of course! You're getting pretty big! Pretty soon you won't be able to ride on my back anymore." I added some bounce to my step to emphasize the point.

"Heh, yeah." Spike scratched behind his head and scratched vigorously. He rotated a little bit to show off his wings. "Guess I'll have to get used to these babies, huh?"

"Miss Sparkle," one of the guards, a pegasus, said. "I believe this would be an entrance to the diamond dog's territory?"

I looked up to see a cave with a massive boulder blocking the opening It was tinted with brown dust and sat there as though daring somepony to try and move it. It was well over a dozen feet wide wherever you measured.

"It's as good a place to start looking for them as any," I answered.

The captain nodded to one of the earth pony guards. "Rock Steady, think you can move that for us?" he asked.

"Eh, no problemo!" Rock Steady walked up to the boulder and braced his front hooves against it. He strained for a second before the oversized rock shifted a few inches as he pushed off the ground with his back hooves. "Hyeagh!" he yelled as he pushed the boulder over several feet, the bottom grinding in the dirt. He turned back to us and waved a hoof. "There we go!"

The guards proceeded to enter the cavern with Spike and I following behind closely. Looking around the tunnel as we delved deeper into the cavern, I was reminded of Rarity's kidnapping all those years ago. Hopefully the years had made the diamond dogs more and not less amiable.

A few minutes later, the entire group picked up on the distant sound of arguing. We followed the tunnels towards the source as close as we could, and I began to make out snippets of the conversation.

"So... brought ponies... our den, again?"

"NO! ... No see us... not followed! Came here on... own."

"What did they look like? Guards? Did the have any ... with them? What about...? If you put our pups in danger by trying something stupid near that town again, I'll make you regret ever having joined the pack."

"But this quarry have no gems left! We find all, but underneath town..."

The voice trailed off, and rounding another corner I began to make out the sound of sniffing, digging, and then silence once more.

"I don't like this," the pegasus guard said. He didn't have time to continue the thought as we rounded one final corner to see a lone diamond dog standing in the tunnel.

It, or rather he near as I could tell, was grey. His only adornment was a belt from which five daggers hung. He stood there for a moment. Sizing up the group with his yellow-green eyes. His eyes squinted as he moved from his slouch, the daggers clinking together like a bag of gems.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of over twenty noise makers tromping about our home?" he asked.

"Hey!" Spike yelled, hopping forward and extending a claw at the diamond dog. "Don't talk down to ponies like that!"

The dog's left ear twitched, and a grinding sound emanated from below and behind us. Three holes formed in the cavern wall to release an eventual four diamond dogs from each. The royal guards faced off against the group, waiting for them to move, and leaving Spike and I to face their alpha.

"I'll talk to trespassers, and do to them, as I please... little lizard." The diamond dog stepped forward once.

"Stay away from her," Spike growled, only reaching up to my neck, the anger in his voice made me worry he'd actually throw himself at the dog in front of us. I extended a hoof towards him and brushed his shoulder. He looked at me, and I shook my head. He lowered his purple claw.

The diamond dog alpha craned his neck, snapping tense muscles in a cracking noise as he did so. "A purple dragon for a purple unicorn. You've got a lively one there." He blinked and focused his eyes on me once more. "So I'll ask once, why are you here?"

"I am Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here on behalf of Princess Celestia--"

"To waste my time apparently, get to the point."

I looked at the diamond dog briefly. My planned request being thrown to the proverbial fire as he drummed his claws against his hip. I opened my mouth to speak. "I would like to hire your pack to build an underground cavern."

The diamond dog's eyes narrowed. "Your desire is a cave?"

"Underneath Ponyville, yes."

A quick bark from the alpha made all the other diamond dogs relax and sheath their weapons. The diamond dog rubbed his chin, his ears twitching. I gave him the benefit and imagined each twitch was another thought flying out of his head. "How large?"

"As big as you can make it, I need to store lots of things in it," I replied.

"Things? Like diamonds?" came a guttural voice behind me.

"No, books."

"Why we build cave for books?" Came another voice in response to my simple answer.

"Rover, Fido, Spot: silence." The diamond dog in front of me glared past my group. I followed my gaze to see the three diamond dog leaders who had kidnapped Rarity all those years ago. "You'll pardon the idiots. Now, if we agree to this, part of the cave will always be dedicated to our exclusive use, what we leave behind us will be yours to use as you see fit. We get to hunt in Ghastly Gorge, and any gems we find are ours to keep, trade, or craft with."

The diamonds dog extended an open paw towards me. Spike looked at me and shook his heads to the side by mere millimeters. I extended my hoof, wondering if I'd get it back, and let the diamond dog wrap his paw around my limb.

I asked, "Do we have a deal? Mr...?"

"Cyrus."

The Sum Total of Everything

So we have another three thousand transcripts coming in today, have you decided on how to organize them all? Don't forget that you have that poster to put out for volunteers of the music department. Flux wrote back, he says that there are transmuting spells to produce magnets. One of the diamond dog tunnels broke into Ghastly Gorge. Pinkie's holding a party to welcome some of the first newfoals ever to come to Equestria. Twilight? Twilight? TWILIGHT!

My head snapped up and into a mage light as I gasped.

"OW!" I cried as I tumbled over onto my side, clutching my head as nausea washed over every inch of my being. Oh Celestia! I was--

"Bleagh!" I emptied my breakfast--or was it supper?--onto the grey stone floor. The stench assaulted my nose, making another tide of vomit float up my throat. I rolled away from the pile, swallowing the back down, and gasped for air.

As the nausea in my stomach settled, I dared to open my eyes. The lids cracked apart to the dim light of my personal lab and study. Modeled after a lecture hall, it had been one of the first things constructed after there was a backlog of room for the documents.

I lay there for a few minutes, breathing through my mouth, waiting to see if I got sick again. I finally decided to glance at the clock I had back on my desk. Twisting my neck to get a view, I fought back the urge to remain inert. The little dials on the clock told me that I had been asleep for two hours, give or take a few minutes to account for my infirm condition. It was the most sleep I'd had in days.

Shuffling my hooves underneath my body, I pushed myself to a sitting position. Standing up was easier than waking had, but my hooves still dragged along the ground, scuffing my hooves from the smooth stone. I reached the door an shoved it open with a fore hoof. No magic. I stopped short of the edge and rested by head on the balcony, looking at the black expanse before me.

The plans for archive housing had been approved by myself, so I knew what was beyond what little glow emanated from the open door, and along the shelves below me. The mage lights that were to be placed on the ceiling and light up the entirety of the room were still being crafted back in Canterlot. I had told them to just send over each as they came, but the shipping manager hadn't been certain if that was within company policy when I had ordered such a large quantity.

I looked at the ground to see dozens of crates, hundreds, and each of them held dozens of documents, hundreds. Science texts, historical accounts, political treatises, children's fables, science texts and political treatises and... Argh! Was I losing my mind?

I felt moisture at the corners of my eyes. There was so little help in terms of ponies who had the academic acumen to make this system work. It seemed like everything was going wrong. There was no way to transfer the documents to Equestria electronically, so paper and ink from Equestria had to be sent to earth, and then the documents printed out. I could only be thankful the humans still had methods of mass printing devices that could be restored and re-purposed to print using Equestrian stationery.

I felt a tear slide down my muzzle into the black abyss directly below my balcony.

"Spike?" I croaked into the darkness.

"Spike?" Nothing.

"S-Spike?" My throat caught on the words as once more I was met by no response.

"Sp-i-i-ike!" I sobbed, giving into the emotional baggage that had plagued me. I let it all out. When snot began clogging the back of my throat, I broke into a final jag before snorting loudly. I stepped over to the stairs that led down, and managed to get down them without tripping up.

It turned to my left and began the arduous task of hauling myself up the stairs to Ponyville's Library. As I continued, my hooves began to strike the edge of each step, sending a little shock of pain through my legs, pushing me further into a false consciousness. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, my barrel was rubbing along the ground. I was left to lie, panting on the familiar oak floor of my home.

My tongue hanged out as I lay breathed. My ears twitched as voices registered with me. The twitching grew to a shiver as I tried focusing on the words, instead of my bodily ills.

"I was just looking for a new book for Dinky that she could take with her while she visits her Auntie Derpy. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well, Twilight told me about the books from when she was Dinky's age, are you okay with her reading Daring Do?"

"Oh I loved those books when I was younger! Do you have a few of them around here? I think Dinky might enjoy the Desert Adventure one. I--OH MY GOODNESS!" Carrot Top rounded the corner. It was funny. As beleaguered as my mind was, I still remembered that.

"Twilight?" Spike walked towards me on all fours.

"Twilight?"

"Twilight!"

***

I walked, but didn't move. I opened my eyes, but I saw nothing. I breathed, but I felt no relief in my heart.

Humanity was at risk of dying out, and here I was, failing to do so much as sift through all they had to offer us. Their memories, ideas, achievements, they might all disappear if I didn't figure out a way to make sense of it all. And then I'd still be here, sleeping.

***

There was a clock, ticking. I felt my ear twitch with each and every little sound. Wincing, I halted its motion as I grunted. I blinked a few times and looked around. Hospital room? I struggled against the sheets that were holding me in places as I cried out.

"Hello?"

It wasn't log before the door opened to reveal Nurse Redheart, Rarity, and a second nurse. The second nurse was a unicorn. Chocolate brown with a white face.

The unicorn nurse walked to my left and tutted, she started talking with a thick accent and language I couldn't identify. "Guten tag, frau. Are you feeling better?"

"I should hope so!" Rarity declared as she stepped up to the foot of the hospital bed. "Twilight, while I do advocate a good night's beauty rest, it's something that really shouldn't be all done over the course of two day."

"She looks like she's largely recovered," Nurse Redheart said as she tugged at my right hoof. "Brigitte, would you care to do some detection spells to make sure?"

"Ja," the unicorn replied as her horn glowed. I felt a spell sweep through me, briefly making my eyes water. "No other injuries, and her blood sugar is back to normal."

I looked over at Rarity, only just recognizing what she had said. "Two days?" I asked. "Oh no! There was supposed to be another delivery yesterday! I need to start--"

The dark brown unicorn's hoof pressed into my barrel and pushed me back into be. "Ah ah ah, frau. You need der schlaf. Just relax. You need to rest a bit more before we can clear you to leave."

"But my work! I--"

"Twilight, it's okay," Rarity said, stepping up beside the mystery nurse. "The shipment is being handled as we speak, among other things."

I looked at Rarity with a look I hoped expressed how important it was to me. "Rarity, what happened? The last thing I remember was somepony calling my name."

Rarity took a few steps closer, prompting the brown unicorn to move back and let my friend near my face.

Taking a deep breath, Rarity began. "Spike and Carrot Top found you collapsed at the entrance to the archives. Carrot carried you to the hospital while Spike... my goodness, he actually flew in order to get us."

"WHAT!" I yelled, sitting up in my bed. "He flew and I wasn't there?" I felt the sensation of a worm burrowing in my gut. I had missed one of the most important moments of Spike's life, and it had been done to help me. I leaned back. "Oh hoho..." I whined.

"It's alright dear," Rarity put a hoof on my sheets and smiled. "Spike explained to us how you had been working yourself to the bone, trying all at the same time to coordinate the diamond dogs, communications with Earth, studying their texts on everything you could in order to anthologize it and help spread it throughout Equestria, and goodness knows what else!" She withdrew her hoof, stood up, and shook her head. "Well when I heard that you had been waiting on a shipment of mage lights, a newfoal and I marched right over there and demanded they prioritize you as a client. Why, he was like a firestorm, saying that he'd scour every legal precedent to get them to do their jobs properly. And Carrot Top, when she heard about how you were having trouble organizing everything, she insisted on getting help. Her husband has been spent all last day drafting a way of organizing the archives. Pinkie Pie is making sure that everypony knows that all are welcome to offer assistance to the archive, no matter their skill. I mean whether it's music or agriculture, there's something in there that has to do with it, right?"

I sat there with my mouth hanging open for a few moments before shaking my head, clearing my thoughts. "I..." I felt a lot closer to Applejack during her Applebuck season than ever before. "Thanks." I lay back in my bed. "But... Every document I read seems to reference something else that I don't have, then I have to make a specific requisition. Then there are other books that cover information I already know, or stuff that doesn't really seem pertinent to what I'm doing." I threw my fore hooves in front of me in an uncoordinated heap. "Then I wonder if I'm having some unfair bias because of how different I am from humans!" I shut my eyes in frustration.

"Twilight..." Rarity said. I cracked open my lids to see her biting her lip. "You've never been to Earth, have you?"

"No, I've been too busy organizing things here... Why are you biting your lip?"

She looked to the side. "Well I hate to make a suggestion, but if I ever find myself having difficulty with a certain fashion, it helps if I... travel."

"Travel? What would I need to travel for? I have..." The gears in my brain clicked into place. Earth had all the documents I was going to manage, and they could all be accessed easily. I could... I could go there and get a full grasp of what I was trying to do, how they organized their stuff, how they decided what was important to themselves. I looked over at Rarity. "Looks like I'm going back to school."

A New World

Grey, that seemed to be the definition of the world as I walked down the ramp to the dock. The grey ship had carried me across grey waters underneath a grey sky to a grey city. For all that, the people, and I do mean people, were nice. My hooves made a loud clanking noise each time they struck the ramp until I stepped off onto the paved ground of the dock. Humans didn't just build a wooden platform out to the ships, they built peninsulas. It was... impressive.

I looked at the white-dressed man, captain of the ship. "Thank you, Admiral Anderson, I'm glad to have been aboard your ship," I said, nodding my head.

"The pleasure was all mine, Miss Sparkle. The S.S. Bordeaux looks forward to one day seeing you in her hull again. Maybe next time I'll have to call you Doctor Sparkle." Anderson turned to the man beside him.

The new man had darker hair and skin compared to Anderson. He wore a crisp black suit with a tie. Strapped to his side was a 'gun', humans used them to defend themselves.

"Miss Sparkle," The Admiral said, turning to me but pointing a open hand at the man. "This is Jonathon Ishii, he'll be part of your visible security detail whilst you're here on earth."

"I'm sorry, security detail?" I asked, pulling back slightly.

"Of course. You are a delegate who is directly connected to Princess Celestia. Your safety is of utmost concern to EarthGov." Anderson stepped back and saluted, yes, actually saluted me before nodding to Ishii. "Good luck, God speed, to both of you." He turned on his heel and made his way up the ramp back to his ship.

I turned to Ishii. "Oookay," I said, looking to both sides. "Where to from here?"

He unfolded his arms and pointed to his left. "Right this way Miss Sparkle."

"Oh, you can just call me Twilight," I replied, kicking at the ground lightly.

"Very well, Miss Twilight." Walking away for a few moments, he turned to beckon me.

I trotted up beside him. Just as tall as Celestia, every human. Must have been interesting, every member of their race looking at my teacher in the eye.

There was a peel of thunder behind me. I looked back in time to see another crack of lightning, then another, then another. Soon the thunder came in a continuous rumbling drone as we walked towards a car.

"A storm is coming Miss Twilight. It is good that we do not have to walk to Harvard." Ishii opened the car door and allowed me to clamber inside before climbing in himself.

He buckled his seat belt and I looked at my own. It was a tad more complex, but the buckle was large enough that if I had needed to, I could have used my hooves to operate.

"Most diplomatic vehicles have been fitted to accommodate at least one pony."

I looked up from my buckle to see Ishii smiling at me. "Do you need any assistance?"

"No thank you," I answered, using my magic to lock myself into place. That was an uncomfortable situation, being restrained like that, but I had heard from a few newfoals how fast cars could travel, so I figured it was better than being tossed around.

When my magic grasped the seat belt, I was once again reminded of how little magic this world had. Every atom was starved of the stuff, and without it, I had needed to adjust a few of the spells I regularly used. Telekinesis wasn't a matter of willing the object itself to move, but of surrounding it completely in my own energies and then lifting. And transmuting? I could likely forget about that. But I wasn't here to study magic, I was here to understand a people, no doubt as alien to me as I was to them.

The car lurched forward and I scrambled with my hooves to stay upright. I looked out of the window, a grey sky.

"So Anderson said you're part of my security, am I really in that big of a danger?" I asked, turning from the window to face him.

"There is always some degree of danger wherever one travels, Miss Twilight. This is merely a matter of ensuring no ill befalls you." He raised an eyebrow. "Surely there are dangers in Equestria?"

"Some, but they're mostly contained, but what dangers are there on Earth?" The car rounded a corner, and I had to lean to one side to compensate. "I hear that humans are the only complex life forms left on the planet, and viruses are generally non-lethal to ponies, no matter their source."

Ishii thumbed his gun as though he was tending a small kitten. "There are people who are not at all happy about the conversion bureaus and ponification, especially when they believe ponies to be responsible for the barrier's expansion. The way of life people know is something precious to them. He looked out the window. Some will lash out in an attempt to defend themselves."

"But why would they think that Equestria's collision with Earth was intentional? We've been doing everything we can to stop it, and conversion is a way of saving people if they decide to convert."

"A universe collides with our own, and it just so happens to have a race that gives us the ability to turn into their own," Ishii stated. "For some, that is enough to decide that ponies are responsible. Others simply find the act of conversion morally reprehensible or dangerous."

I scanned his face. The eyes were vastly smaller than my own, but I guessed his mood. He didn't seem angry, or pitying. "You don't seem to have any judgement on them?"

"I can understand their position, but I do not agree with it," Ishii answered. "If they don't wish to convert, that is their decision. I hear that a few are looking to see if we can develop technology advanced enough to get to another planet. What I won't stand is for the attack of an individual who may or may not have anything to do with their woes." Looking out the windows, Ishii's face brightened into a smile. "Ah, it's good to see Sun Day."

"Beg pardon?" I asked as I looked out the window. Failing to press the question further, my mouth hung open as I took in the sky. It was blue now. I stared at it, drinking in the color and sense of warmth and familiarity. As I processed the sky, I noticed that hundreds of beams of light were being directed upwards to the sky. "You're artificially creating a day?"

"Not myself in particular, Miss Twilight," Ishii chuckled, "but the major cities that can afford it tend to shine as many lights up into the sky once a week. The light manages to reflect back off the atmosphere, and, well, we get this. Keeps the spirits up for people."

The car came to a stop and Ishii looked out the window. "Ah, we're here." He undid his seat belt while I followed suit, and he opened the door. Holding it open for me as I climbed out, Ishii glanced around and reached up to his ear. "Lookout three, report." He waited a few moments before he nodded. "Understood. Right this way, Miss Twilight." He led the way to the set of doors. These ones opened on their own as he stepped onto a rubber mat. He waved his finger at a small, black sphere over the door. "Motion sensor, opens the door whenever someone comes near." We stepped inside, and Ishii turned to me. "Welcome to Harvard, ma'am. Well, the residency at least. You've already sent in your class registrations ahead of your arrival, yes?"

"Of course," I answered, enchanted by the architecture of the building.

Ishii walked to the person manning the front desk and presented a badge. "Delegate from Equestria, here to move in, I'll be bringing her belongings shortly."

The person at the desk nodded silently and typed in a few things. He pulled out two plastic cards. "Keys to the room, if you lose one, please return the other here so replacements can be made and the lock re-coded."

Ishii examined the card briefly and then beckoned me to follow him up a nearby staircase. We climbed up to the second floor and turned down a hall until we reached the room. In a deft motion, he slid the card in and the lock clicked open.

He handed me the card. "Take this, and never give it to anyone else or leave it unattended."

"Very well," I answered, grasping this 'key' in my magic; it had nothing to manipulate tumblers.

We stepped inside to the room. There was one bed, surprisingly large, to the point where I guessed it was meant for humans. I looked inside the bathroom to the left and saw that the bathroom had, thankfully, been modified for my... ahem, needs.

"I'm going back down to bring your luggage," said Ishii, pulling out another device. It was a small disk with a button and a chain. "This is a panic button; if something seems off, anything at all, press it, and I will come running."

I nodded my head and put the necklace around my neck. He left, closing the door behind him, and I walked to my bed, hopping onto it. Sitting there, I finally let what was happening take affected. "I'm going to learn on Earth!" I squeaked, my lips parting into a wide grin as I stamped my hooves on the mattress.

I fell backwards to great relief. My friends had been an enormous helping get the archives into something resembling order before I left. I knew what Applejack had felt when she was attempting the Applebuck season all by herself. Of course, I had been hospitalized prior to that.

Then there were the newfoals that had been trickling into town. Two here, four there, a family starting a farmstead past White Tail Wood. Some of them had been quick to adapt to the new lifestyle, but others... Pinkie had tried to befriend them all, but some weren't happy. The sobering thought of under what conditions had brought them to Equestria ruined my former good mood. I wiggled my legs, ruffling the sheets, and sighed.

I heard footsteps outside before the door unlocked, and Ishii stepped inside, hauling one of my trunks behind him. He pressed his hands to one knee and leaned over, taking a deep breath.

"Finding everything to your liking, Miss Twilight?" he asked, standing up straight.

"Yes, and, er, you can really call me just Twilight."

"Very well, one more bag to go, Miss Twilight."

He walked back down the hall as I stifled a guffaw. I wasn't sure if that had been done to spite, jibe, or to stick to formality. Well, I figured that he'd be a silent figure once my studies began within the next few days.

Fragments of Truth

A modified course plan, made and permitted because of my purpose here was the only way to get through all the information I needed.Five hours of lectures each day, followed by studies pertaining either to my classes or personal initiative. For now, it was largely in following the classes. The books recommended for reading? I read them. The books referenced by those? Read those too. I recorded them all and every week I would send the list down to New York as a request for the next shipment of titles to got to Equestria, with recommendations on which to send to Ponyville, and which to send to keep in Canterlot for circulation at a later date.

I sat there, in a library, with a human personal computer, a DaTab, in front of me. I gripped a stylus in my magic to manipulate the device, and take down notes of everything.

I had made sure not to deprive myself of sleep; the last thing I needed was worrying my friends when I was a universe away. Then there was the fact that I was technically a delegate from Equestria, sent here on royal business; feinting would do no good.

I heard a foot shuffle against the carpet below me. One of the guards. It felt odd, having a group following you with the specific purpose protecting you from...

A small icon on the corner of my DaTab blinked. I looked at the time stamp and sighed. It'd been four hours of studying, and if that icon was blinking, the news story was important. I opened it up and read the headline.

Plans Announced for New Conversion Bureaus, Riots in Singapore Riding Suppressed

My ears wilted, pressing against my head. Conversion was still considered highly suspicious by... well, most people outside of EarthGov, and an appreciable minority within it. The security for me was warranted. I shook my head, half in regret and half in an attempt to sort out my somewhat disjointed thoughts.

This was a concern that had nagged at the back of my mind for quite some time. Conversion numbers were still low. At a rate slower than the expansion of the barrier. If things kept up like this, an estimated two billion lives were at risk of being consumed by the barrier.

I frowned and looked at my DaTab, willing it to tell me why conversion was so feared. If I could find out what was wrong, I could explain it. So far my studies had turned up almost nothing to the matter. Admittedly, I wasn't surprised, on the reluctance to convert, and the failure to find out why. An event like this was unprecedented, but I had a goal, and I was going to see it through to the end.

I turned the DaTab back to the 'book' I was reading. "Oh, Aristotle," I sighed. "I don't suppose you have any advice?" I scrolled down the page, occasionally changing tabs on the screen in order to write down some notes.

A few minutes later a man in casual wear walked up the stairs, muttering to himself. I focused on my work, scrolling, reading and writing all the way as he paced back and forth. The appeal of my work downgraded in importance when the man hissed.

"Blast!" His pacing, once erratic and uncoordinated, settled into a circle, with myself in the middle. I placed a hoof over my panic button as I followed him with my eyes.

"Coding needs to be adjusted, program far too sensitive, cause false positives. Told not to use that. Perhaps I could? No, not an option, not an option! What? No, don't delete that string."

"Excuse me?" I leaned forward a bit and stared at the man as he looked up from from his DaTab. "Can I help you?"

The man's eyes glazed over me as though he was reading a book. He reached into a pocket.

I tensed my legs.

He pulled out a DaTab and started pressing some buttons. A satisfied chuckle escaped his mouth as his eyes brightened. "Already have," he said as he returned the device into a pocket. He walked towards my table, eyes blinking rapidly. "Don't believe I've seen you before. Convert recently? Why not wait till after university? Is magic difficult?"

He sat down across from me. I sat there, mouth gaping for a few moments trying to process the verbal stream. I was getting out of practice without Pinkie Pie around.

"Um no," I answered. "I'm not a convert, I'm a native Equestrian."

More blinks. "Interesting. Enjoying Harvard? What about Boston? How did you enter?"

That was going to take some getting used to. "Yes, I mostly stay in the university, and I'm not at liberty to say how I entered," I answered his questions sequentially.

"Ah, understand, EarthGov relations, political secrecy, cloak and dagger, prefer working with AI's myself."

"So that's what you were working on?" I leaned a hoof against the desk and rested my hoof against it. "Figure everything out?"

"Indeed, and yourself?" Before I could answer, he held up a hand. "No, managed to see book title upside down. Political theory. Aristotle. Good to start with basics. Find everything you need? Wait. Can't answer that? Yes? No?"

I stifled a giggle at his frenetic talking. "I think I can tell you that; it's going slowly, and I'm not exactly sure I'm taking the right approach to the problem for my independent studies."

"Ah, difficulties, have you considered laying the problem aside and reading for leisure before coming back to it?"

I pulled my head back. "I would, but I'm not exactly certain what I should read for leisure."

"Could make a recommendation." He nodded his head quickly and smiled. I nodded in turn, and he answered, "Bram Stoker's Dracula, always loved it as a child. Though mother never appreciated my reading it." He stood up, walked by me, and stuck his hand out towards me. "Michael Johnson, by the way. Vanilla name, I know. Probably not as colorful as your name, but still, pleasure to meet you, miss...?"

I reached out with a hoof and allowed him to shake it. "Twilight Sparkle," I answered.

"Much appreciated." With that, he walked back down the stairs and began humming to himself.

When I had been alone for a minute, Ishii stepped out from a corner. "He seemed... interesting."

I nodded, eyebrows raised. "That's one way of saying it. I nearly pushed the panic button."

"He doesn't have any record, and he didn't have any weapon," Ishii responded, looking down the stairs.

"So there was no danger?" I asked.

"If he was, there were two pistols trained on him at any given moment, Miss Twilight."

My ears flicked downward as I bit my lip. "Riiight."

***

I lay in my bed, floating my DaTab in front of me. On Michael's recommendation, I had looked it up. I was exhausted for options, and all my projects had been completed for class with two weeks to spare. I opened the file, and started reading.

As my eyes graced each word, I found my heart racing, yet still I continued to read. A flash of black flashed across my vision as the story spoke to something in me. When I finished the book, I was left staring at the barren, dark wall in front of me. I felt an itching sensation all over my body, like someone had rubbed against all of it with a flee-ridden brush. I swallowed a wad of spit.

Horn glowing, I flipped open the lid to my trunk and pulled out an old book. The cover's front image had long since been worn off, but the embossed-in-gold letters were still there. Twelve years old, and I had read this five century old Equestrian classic. The Changing.

Flipping open the book, I read a few passages.

Moon Silver awoke to the sight of his bed chambers. He tried for a sigh of relief, but it halted in his throat as he perceive the green hint that marked it. A terror built in his stomach as he screamed for help. Useless bubbles poured from his mouth as he screamed for help.

Green ooze seeped into him as he squirmed for release. Struggling against this alien cocoon, his horn managed to pierce the side. The sac burst open, expelling him onto the floor into a heap.

He sat up and heaved and wretched, but none of the green ooze that had entered his lungs came out. He tried to scream, but was silent, his eyes darting around for anypony who might be of assistance. Nobody was there. His horn glowed as he tried to cast some spell that would once more let the sweet life-giving air into his lung. The color of the glow bid him stop in fear.

It had been green.

I flipped towards the half-way point of the book, and continued reading.

Evening Showers stepped back as bile pushed up in her mouth. Her Moon Silver had been replaced by this impostor.

"What did you do to my husband!?" she screamed at the blackened changeling before her. It stepped forward, its eyes locked on her panic stricken face.

"Eve, it is me! Something wonderful happened in Zebrica. I was transformed into this. I can move faster than anypony else, I can hunt and kill! All the power in the world is mine... and now... I can do the same for you!"

I shut the book as green eyes and fangs clouded my vision. I put the book down and curled up in my bed. "We fear that we'll lose ourselves." I muttered, shivering as the uncanny similarities made me realize that there was perhaps more common ground between ponies and humans.

Years Passed

I flicked on the newsfeed and lay my head on the cushions, I eyed my DaTab, tempted to look over my doctoral thesis, but shook my head as I listened to the report.

"In other news, it has now been eight years since Equestria first appeared, and six years since the Conversion Bureaus started opening. Now reports from the bureaus have been combined with recent census reports, and it's estimated that five percent of the world population has converted. I'm here with a panel of Humanist Party member Ivan Dopulvinskii, and Transcendentalist Party member Andrea Smith to discuss conversion. Mrs. Smith, do you think that conversion is a good thing?"

The man on screen, Ivan immediately pushed forward a hand in protest.

"You are using loaded questions even by suggesting that conversion is a good thing. It changes your species, and even the mind is altered to a degree. This 'barrier' has not even made landfall, yet the government insists upon placing legislation to force the conversion issue."

"Mr. Dopulvinskii, I'd ask that you allow your fellow member of EarthGov to speak without interrupting."

The woman smiled and nodded to the news reporter.

"Thank you. As you know the transcendentalists are advocates for every way to improve people, both in life and body. Given the healthy environment of Equestria, and the robustness of its species, we are fully in support of people converting, and as to my colleagues claim that we're in anyway forcing the issue is laughable. We've provided funding to allow bureaus to advertise conversion, to spread information."

Ivan stood up and pointed at Andrea.

"Information designed to trick people into thinking they won't be turned into a simple-minded animal! It's been admitted by psychologists and sociologists by both human and ponies that conversion completely warps the mind."

Andrea gave out a contempt-filled chuckle.

"Mr. Dopulvinskii, while I'll be the first to admit that conversion does have mental effects, they can hardly be considered degenerative. Aptitude and skill test scores remain the same across a wide sampling of demographics, mental capacity is shown to be maintained between pre- and post-conversion. We mustn't mistake friendliness for feeble-mindedness."

I turned off the news and sighed. That had hurt, being accused of taking someone's intellect? Still, the fact that, if my thesis went through, I'd have proven a profound lack of 'feeble-mindedness' by graduating a doctoral program in five and a half years. I had opted for physics, in hopes of some day applying what I now knew of human advancements in Equestria. But I had always been sure to take classes and study in other fields as well. All the theories of electromagnetism in the world did nothing to help with settling the big question that I imagined many people sometimes asked themselves: convert, or not?

A knocking at my door made me drop the train of thought and hop out of bed. Walking up to the door, I opened it with magic. Standing there was Michael.

"Good day, Twilight, or should I begin calling you Dr. Sparkle?" he asked, smiling once the words finished flowing out of his mouth.

"I haven't graduated yet," I chuckled at my human friend. "What brings you here?"

"Some of the other students and I arranged for dinner as a group. Vegetarian course only. All expenses paid. Father was quite pleased with my own graduation." He stepped back and smiled, sweeping his hand in a flourish. "Care to join us?"

"I..." I looked back quickly to my closet. Opening it with magic, I floated out a jacket designed for ponies. I'd have to keep my mouth shut to Rarity about it, but my time on Earth had given me an appreciation for clothing. Especially when it was raining outside. I didn't want my coat to get stained from the more polluted showers. I fastened two sets of buttons and nodded. "I haven't got much else to do besides wait for the results."

"Wonderful! Ishii and others already downstairs. Come, come!"

***

Warm, that was what I could describe the restaurant as. It had red carpeting with a golden diamond pattern sewn into the fabric. The room was separated from the main serving area by a set of doors with crystalline glass the broke up the pattern of those outside into a kaleidoscope of colors and half-formed images. Yellowish light was cast down on the table from the chandelier.

Ishii stood by the door like he was a statue in the Canterlot Gardens, arms folded across his chest, but a light smile on his lips, though his eyes were covered by a visor.

At one end of the room was a slight platform, less than a foot tall, no more than five feet across, with a lectern fixed in the middle.

Three tables were in the room, two seating six people each, and the other remaining empty. I sat at one table across from Michael.

"So, doctoral thesis on quantum mechanics. Difficult stuff. Stop the barrier, perhaps?" Michael asked in his usual fast voice.

I nodded. "Maybe, it would be nice not being here on borrowed time."

"Indeed," he answered, "but now is time to celebrate, for all of us. Passed my program in AI development. Next search engine you use, might be made by me." He looked over at the stage, then his DaTab. "Meals will be served soon. Best if I make my speech now, while people aren't stuffing faces."

I giggled lightly as he stood up and walked to the lectern, placing his hands on its sides. The other diners silenced as he cleared his throat.

"Friends, classmates--" He swept his had towards me. "--interdimensional quadrupeds." Laughter filled the room, my own included. "In the next few weeks we'll all have likely graduated, or moved on to pursue a higher or different degree. We'll part, but this isn't sad, we may one day come together again. Different, perhaps, but those differences can be understood. We'll share all that we've gone through. Joys, sorrows, triumphs, catastrophes. They'll shape us... mold us... but if we just look back to this: this moment, where we first left off on good terms, we'll know that we can join and be stronger. Our experiences will become something shared between us. To make sense of. I look forward to one day seeing what becomes of us all."

The doors opened and two waiters walked in with a trolley filled with plates, they set up the plates and the drinks.

"Ah, food is here. Enjoy, everyone." Michael stepped off the stage and sat back across from me.

The food looked delicious, maybe not as good as Equestrian food, given some of the synthetic ingredients, but it made up for it in presentation. Yams topped with sour cream and green beans, fried broccoli stuffed with cheese. Even though I had spent most of my days sticking to flavored kelp for all my nutrition, I still felt guilty indulging. The lack of synthetic meat in the other dishes was also a welcomed fact. I floated up a fork and pierced the yam, carving out a small portion with a dollop of sour cream. I popped it into my mouth... This was natural, imported from Equestria. Oh goodness this was a treat, it was like being back home. Warm setting, good food, good friends.

Michael dug in to some roast potatoes, finishing them all off without touching anything else, he grabbed his glass of water and quickly swallowed half the glass. "Ah, potatoes always did make me a little..." He stopped talking mid-sentence.

I leaned forward, expecting that he'd soon break into a lengthy stream of words. "Michael?"

"I..." he said, wincing his eyes. "Ah!" His left arm flinched, nearly smacking the person beside him. "AAAAGGHH!" The screaming made me pull back. The agony flowing from his throat reached a crescendo as he fell back in his chair.

"MICHAEL!?" I yelled, jumping off my chair. My horn glowed, detection spells trying to figure out what was wrong. Heart attack? No. Allergic reaction? No. My gut turned in horror as my mind reflexively cast a detection spell for what I feared.

Potion, in his system. I cast the spell on his plate, it was stuffed with it.

"No..." I felt a hand wrap around my chest. I nearly bucked in reflex, but I heard Ishii yelling over the sound of the dinner guests panicking, the screaming of Michael.

"Miss Sparkle, come with me; the others will handle this!" Too stunned to protest, I backed up as he pulled with his hand. On instinct, I ran after Ishii.

And left Michael.

And So Too Did Friends

I paced at the end of a hallway, white floors with white walls and white everything! A bench attached to the wall extended down the hall I was afraid of going down. I looked out a nearby window into the black of night, held back only by the constant energy that flowed through those same white lights I hated. I shouldn't have run when a friend needed me. Now? I doubted I could provide the support they needed when I had left them.

I stopped and slumped to the floor like a pile of hay tossed to the cattle. I faced down that way for minutes, a weak nausea holding me fast to the ground. I closed my eyes for a moment. I saw him pacing around, spewing out a stream of proposed code, a background noise as I dealt with the Higgs Boson.

I opened my eyes and stood up. He could still do that; he was still fundamentally the same. I hoped? I walked down the hall until I reached the room I had been told he was in. Nobody was there this late at night. I opened the door, and let my eyes adjust to the dim light.

He was standing by the window; it was open.

"Michael?" I asked. He didn't move, his fore hooves still braced against the window frame. I swallowed a ball of spit before asking again. "Michael?"

"Come in."

I wasn't sure if his shortness was his usual manner or if... No, of course it was because he was hurting. I stepped towards him.

"Glad you came, actually. Has been a long week." He lowered himself from the windowsill. I let out a sigh of relief. As he approached, my eyes finally began to discern something on his sides.

"Michael, you came out as a--"

"Pegasus. I know."

I bit my lip and looked at him as he stopped by his bed. His blue coat blended with the same-colored sheets.

"Doctors said I was lucky. Ate quickly enough that dosage for conversion didn't to stop halfway. Strange, don't feel lucky." He walked past me so that he was between the door and I. "Father, stunned. Mother, outraged, raising hell to find out who did it... this. Doing everything, blaming everyone. Even accused you of being reason for my conversion. Makes sense, maybe, Equestrian delegate, everyone focused on preventing HLF attack, never expect PER."

Looking at the ground, I said, "Michael, I'm sorry for running."

"Don't be. Was told one guest feinted." He sighed. "Better that you didn't see it."

"No," I said, "you were in pain and had been attacked, and I abandoned you. Friends don't do that, and for that... I apologize."

Michael's ears pinned back and his lips turned downward, exposing his teeth. "Attacked? Most definitely. Pain was excruciating. Nothing else until I blacked out. Was a violation!" He stomped a hoof on the ground, then shook his head as it sagged. "Never wanted this. Wanted to stay human. So many reasons."

"Michael, I know you're afraid of what's going to happen to you, but--"

"Know? Can't know this!" He walked back over to the window. "What's happened, it's... Used to know how things were going to be, get education, job, get rich, take on family business, but now... one hundred eighty year lifespan. I'll outlast the Earth. Sublime, really... when you think about it." He looked out the window. "Learned to fly today. Came... easily, very easily. Don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Tell me, do pegasi often think more clearly when in the air?"

"I don--" I stopped talking when he looked at me. I had wanted to tell him that he really shouldn't go off on his own, but the pain in his eyes trampled that idea. He needed time to think. "Yeah, some of my friends said that a flight cleared their heads."

He began clambering out the window. "Should be back by morning, feel free to stay." He leapt out of the window and soared out into the night sky. I sat there for a few moments before resigning myself to go to one of the beds. I lay down and was claimed by sleep before the sky began to brighten.

***

I awoke the sound of rapid footsteps just outside the door. It hissed open, and I looked back to see a human attendant.

She looked at me, worry clear on her face, and asked, "Where's Michael? And who are you?"

"Michael went for a flight in order to think on some things last night," I answered. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, one of Michael's friends." The woman brought out a DaTab and punched in some information. "He said he would be back by morning; is he in the cafeteria?"

The attendant looked up, the light from the window reflected of the gathering moisture in her eyes, her face quivering. She turned back and walked into the hallway.

"Hey! Wait!" I called, getting out of bed and following her. When I got into the hall, I saw Ishii standing there with the nurse. He had his DaTab out and next to the attendant's.

"I'll tell her, go." Ishii pulled away the DaTab, and then he removed his visor. His dark-brown eyes caught the light the same way the woman's had, but his face was stoically still.

"Tell me what?" I asked with as hard a voice I could muster.

Ishii sat on a nearby bench and brought up his DaTab. "Miss Sparkle." His use of my last name did nothing to relieve my fears. "A pegasus was found outside of Hingham. Shot. I'm sorry, but the description matches Michael."

My mouth hung open as I tried to digest what was being said. "No..."

"A man was found nearby with an automatic rifle, background check showed he had connections to HLF."

"No..." I collapsed to the floor, tears flowing down my face. "No! Wasn't there something they could do!?"

"Miss Sparkle, he was already dead when they found him," he answered.

I sank to the floor, sobbing for minutes as I pounded at the ground. After that I took a shaky breath to settle myself, and sat up. "I need to get back to the university," I said, going into a stand as I stared blankly at the wall before me.

Ishii stood up, and replaced the visor on his face, the dark glass hiding his eyes once more. I followed him as we made our way out of the Boston Conversion Bureau.

***

"Would Twilight Sparkle please come to the front of the room?"

I looked up from my desk to see the university dean and several other professors. They were seated along a desk, on a slightly raised platform, less than a foot tall. I stood up from my seat and walked to them, my hooves practically dragging. Some of the other students in the room made hushed whispers as I passed.

"Think she passed?"

"Don't see why not, she breezed through the bachelor's program."

"I don't know, you heard what happened to her friend recently."

"That was before she handed it in."

Stopping in front of the panel, I looked up at them. Keeping my face neutral was easy, as the intertwined hope of graduation and despair at a friend lost made me simply feel... empty.

"Miss Twilight Sparkle, or, more appropriately, Dr. Twilight Sparkle, your professors, instructors and several experts in the field of your chosen field, advanced physics, have reviewed your doctoral thesis, and found that its works and contribution to further understanding quantum theory in light of the recent advents of Equestria's emergence, go a long way in finding a way to reconcile the two currently divided schools of thought regarding thaumic physics. You have passed the program, and are now recognized as possessing a PhD."

"Thank you," I answered, inclining my head, and struggling to pick it back up.

The dean stood up and walked in front of the desk, framed document in one hand. I stepped onto the stage, and gripped the degree in my magic. I lifted a hoof, and allowed the dean to shake it. "I made sure everything was made from Equestrian materials," he said. I smiled weakly; I could take it back with me when I went back to Equestria within the next month.

But there was something else I needed to do.

***

"Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." A crack of lightning shook the building. It was hurricane season again, it always seemed to be hurricane season. The minister stood beside the pale blue body, looking at it with his small mouth's lips pursed to be even smaller.

He pressed a button on the wall, and the doors to the crematorium retort opened. The shelf Michael was lying on tilted, and he slid into the chamber. The doors shut, and the cremation began.

Looking all around, I saw Michael's friends, family, peers, and professors from the university. Michael's mother was sobbing uncontrollably, his father comforting her with an arm draped around her shoulder. She looked up briefly, and we made eye contact. She quickly looked back down and pressed a tissue to her face.

Soon, groups formed, of which I was a part of none. What was there to say? I turned to the room's entrance and walked out, followed shortly by Ishii.

"Dr. Sparkle," he said. "For what it's worth, I regret what's happened to your friend."

"Thank you," I answered.

"Is there any place in particular you wish to go?" he asked.

"Back to where it started, maybe I can find some advice there."

All That's Happened

Sitting in the library, waiting for the days to pass before I could return to Equestria. That defined my life over the course of the next few days. I reviewed listings of all the books I had arranged to be sent to Equestria, so I could continue working on some of my other projects. For now, I was simply flipping through the pages of The Changing, and scrolling through Dracula.

My eyes glazed over the text after a few minutes, an old conversation popping up in my head.

"Brain scan just base for AI's. Need to trim, or 'prune' the unneeded bits. Replace with coding for the job."

Shaking my head when I'd realized that I had gone through a full page without paying attention, I refocused on my task. Soon after, that rapid, energetic voice started coming again, but I couldn't recall where it was from.

"Hi! I'm looking for my friend, Twilight Sparkle? Purple, my height, unicorn, really super awesome?"

Wait. My height? I hopped down from my seat and looked out from the railing to the lower floor of the library. There I saw Pinkie Pie, mane still bouncing, along with the rest of her.

"Hey there! I was wondering if you'd seen any other ponies around? I was just wondering because my friend is here, and I really wanted to see her!"

"Pinkie!?" I immediately shut my mouth when my thought was superseded by speech.

Pinkie's head immediately snapped to me. "Twilight? TWILIGHT IT'S ME! PINKIE!" She started charging down amongst the servers, and computer terminals bumping into them and nearly damaging them as she blasted past. "YOUR ALL TIME BEST FRIEND." My horn glowed as I tried casting a spell to slow her down. "DID YOU MISS ME?" Grinding to a halt, she stopped to round a corner. I launched the spell, but missed. "WHY--" I cast the spell again. "DID--" Miss. "YOU--" Another spell, another miss, and more servers possibly damaged as he careened up the stairwell to me. "STOP WRITING?" I sunk to the ground as I missed another spell, and one of her hooves kicked off a metal rail, bending it.

"Oh... I missed," I pouted.

"I KNOW YOU DID!" Pinkie yelled, hooves scrambling as she came to a stop and wrapped me in a near-strangling hug.

"Oh, Twilight! You've been gone so long!" Pinkie started kissing me on the cheeks as she continued. "And I wasn't able to tell you about all the exciting things that had happened since you left!" She took a deep gasp. "And the newfoals! They were so neat I just had to see where they had all come from. So I came here and met super neat humans and then found you so you can be there for Rarity's wedding!"

My eyes snapped open as the final statement sunk in. "Wedding? Rarity? To who? When!?" I leaned back as Pinkie continued hanging off my neck.

"One of the newfoals! Alan Topatz! He started helping her manage her business with all the newfoals who wanted clothing, and well, now they're getting married!" She gasped again. "What about Applejack. Did she tell you what happened? She got married too." She bounced up and down on her back hooves, still anchored to my neck, and grinning wildly.

"Applejack? Don't tell me she found a newfoal as well!" I scoffed, trying to use a hoof to pry off Pinkie in as subtle a way as possible.

"Nope." Pinkie shook her head.

"Oh, well that's interesting, who was the luck--"

"It was two newfoals!" she yelled, finally unclasping herself and skipping in circles around me.

"Two? But humans are almost all monogamous!" I exclaimed, throwing out my front legs in bewilderment.

"Guess these two weren't!" she chimed cheerily.

"Next thing you know you're going to say is that the Everfree Forest went and disappeared!" I stood up and shook my head.

"Nope! Everfree is still there, still creepy too, but that's alright, because you're going to be home soon, aren't you?" Pinkie scooted over to me and started pouting. I looked down at her as she sunk lower to the ground to emphasize her plea.

"Pinkie," I giggled, shaking my head. "I was going to head for Equestria within the next month. Come on." Looking at the damaged railing, I draped a hoof over her withers and guided her back to my room. "How was Dash doing when you left?"

"Oh, on tour with the Wonderbolts."

My mouth hung slack. I really should really have tried to keep updated on what was happening back in Equestria, distracting as it might have been.

***

"I don't get it," Pinkie said on the train just outside of Ponyville. "Why am I not allowed to go back to Boston?"

"It probably has something to do with when you damaged Harvard University's plumbing," I answered, leaning back in my seat as the train began to grind to a halt.

When it came to a full stop, I used my magic to remove loose-fitting cloak I had bought once we entered the main port to Equestria, Foal's Haven. "Now Pinkie." I stared into her eyes to get her full attention. "Can you promise me that you won't tell Rarity or the others that I bought this?"

She crossed a hoof over her chest before sticking it in her eye, making me smile.

"Good." I stuffed the cloak in with the rest of my belongings and walked out with her to the platform. All my friends stood there, Spike included, along with Big Macintosh, and Written Script.

As soon as I had all four hooves on the wood. Rainbow Dash had darted to Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie! Why didn't you tell us you were going to earth! I was worried sick! I thought you'd gone into the Everfree and been eaten!" She pressed Pinkie's head between her cyan hooves and stuck her face in Pinkie's. "You're lucky the Cakes found your note when they did! That first week was horrible."

Big Mac stepped up and put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulders. She looked back at him, and he gave a smile.

Rainbow Dash looked back at Pinkie, a cyan hoof running through her multi-colored mane. "It's uh... good to see you again. Both of you." She turned and pecked Big Mac on the cheek. We made eye contact as he somehow managed to blush through his red fur.

"I missed something else while I was away, didn't I?" I asked.

"Eeyup!"

Spike walked up to me on all fours; he could easily stand at eye level, but he kept a slight bend to his legs. "Hey Twi." He formed his claws into a fist, and bumped it into my hoof. "Guess I go back to the way things were before?"

"You were a little shorter before," I chuckled, laying my neck alongside his, he had grown into a young adolescent.

"Yeah, well, the growth spurt pretty much ended once you left. Cyrus' pack managed to make a tunnel that leads into Ghastly Gorge that I can use to take off, though they hate when I do that." Spike smiled. "Should be useful once I get too big for the library."

Spike stepped back, and Fluttershy stepped forward. "Oh, Twilight, I missed you so much!" She wrapped me up in a hug with her wings.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the embrace, that is until something hit my horn. "Ow!" I pulled back and rubbed it before looking at Fluttershy. Poking out of her mane was Angel Bunny.

Fluttershy frowned up at her pet. "Angel! That wasn't very nice, you apologize to Twilight." The bunny responded by slinking back into her mane. She looked at me with a small smile. "He likes going with me wherever I go." She scooted back, keeping the smile as Applejack and Rarity stepped forward.

"Twilight! Darling!" Rarity swept her hands over the town of Ponyville. "You have got to visit Carousel Boutique! Alan and I have been doing marvelously since we started managing the business together to sell clothing to the newfoals!"

"That's great Rarity. I hope you two are happy with your new life together," I answered.

Rarity leaned to the side and squinted at Pinkie Pie in an expression that could only say 'I wanted to tell her.'

Applejack gently pushed Rarity so she was standing straight. "Oh, don't get yourself in a bunch, Rares. Least Twi won't miss your wedding."

I turned to Applejack. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for the wedding!"

Applejack threw out of hoof to stop me. "You've got nothin' to apologize for, Twi. Though if you want to make it up, you can tell us all about Earth."

I looked at all my friends. So much had happened, but here we were, ready to accept each other after it all. Michael came to the front of my mind, and my face fell.

Written Script stepped forward. "Er, Dr. Sparkle? Are you alright? The archives are in good order. You can take the time to catch up on what has happened."

"You're right," I answered quickly, bringing my head up. "We have a lot of things to cover, but remembering old friends is important."

Epilogue: Memory

We talked, we discussed, and as vast as the changes that had occurred in my absence had been, when we shared our stories, we realized that we really hadn't become so different. I worked on the archives, and started doing what I could to apply the human sciences to what I know of Equestrian magic. They were sad to hear what had happened to Michael, but moved on. Maybe that's why I wrote this, something to remember by. To thank those who helped me become the way I am today.

"Twilight!" Spike barged through the door to Twilight's study, a scroll wrapped in his tail. "Good news! That volunteer from Earth to help out with the Archives here? They were in Canterlot today! Princess Celestia's sending her and two others by train tomorrow!"

"Two others?" Twilight asked, nearly embedding her quill in the desk as she turned to her adoptive brother. "Did they volunteer to come over as well?"

Spike shrugged. "Not exactly. It's all in this letter!" He bent his tail over, and Twilight grabbed the scroll from him.

"Thank you, Spike." Twilight unraveled the letter and scanned it quickly. She nodded slowly. One convert from the Human Archives Project, Monica Radrim, was coming to assist in the archives. With her, her uncle, who was acting as a suretor for the good behavior of a convicted... Twilight looked up from the letter. Moisture gathering her eyes. A soldier of the Human Liberation Front who was converted by the Ponification for Earth's Rebirth, she thought.

Twilight looked at her desk. I don't know whether to be angry or pitying of them. She looked back up, mouth closed and eyes determined. Guess I'll just have to listen to his story.

"Hey, Twilight?" Spike asked, stepping towards the desk. "Whatcha working on?"

Twilight turned her head and smiled. "Just doing what I always do." She stepped past Spike and out onto the balcony outside her study. She looked over the Archives, brightly lit and slowly filling with more books over the years. "Remembering, studying, understanding."

"Great! Can I go fly?" Spike asked.

"Certainly."

"Alright!" Spike started running to the balcony edge.

"Outside," Twilight amended, making Spike halt.

"Awww."

Spike went down the balcony, wings drooping, and exited the Archives, leaving Twilight shaking her head. Still as impulsive as ever when he isn't helping me.

Author's Note

And that's my entry for the TCB writing event!

For those of you who read my other TCB story, you'll realize the tie-in with this epilogue. For those of you who haven't, feel free to check it out with this link here.