//------------------------------//
// January 13, 2016. 12:00 PM 
// Story: An Ally Called Preponderance 
// by Myriad Kay 
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The empty feelings of last night have passed, long since giving way to the returning flood of excitement as I realize the scope of discoveries that lay open before us.

Meeting Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle in person was a pleasure. I met them down in the medical wing of the Mount Weather facility, Apple Bloom being the only one of them currently well enough to leave. The first thing she said upon seeing me? "Cripes, I ain't used to you being all the way up there."

I asked them how they were doing. Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Tired. Scootaloo ran out of blood, so they had to give her a bunch of my blood. They said I'd feel sleepy for a while, but I'll be okay after that."

"I was hoping I'd get unicorn powers from it, but Doctor Shaw said it wasn't likely. She's the human who's been working with me, by the way." Scootaloo, despite most of her body being rigged up in slings, flexed her wings behind her. "I broke three legs in the crash, but he said my wings are perfectly fine. Which is good, since I figure they're all I really need."

"Doctor Arbeck still won't let us touch most of the food down here," Apple Bloom said, a clear note of frustration in her voice. "Apparently, she wants to wait until we're all in 'reliably stable condition' before we try anything new. I tell you, though, I'm mighty tired of chips and noodles." She seethed for a moment, but then her expression softened. She looked up at me. "And how're you doing, by the way?"

I answered truthfully. I told her the last day was exhausting, especially when there was so little I could do from all the way in Iceland, but I was excited to be here now. I explained that I could not stay and speak with them longer, though, as I was going to be leaving for a while.
Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side. "Leaving? But you just got here!"

"I know. But I have a very important meeting with a friend." For a moment, Apple Bloom just nodded in understanding. Then, she unexpectedly rushed forward and threw a hug around my knees. Though she was far too low for me to comfortably return it, I gave her a pat on the head before she released and I continued on my way.

My destination was, of course, Dr. Arbeck. The facility's secondary medical wing was abuzz with activity as numerous scientists and lab technicians dashed about, monitoring petri dishes and centrifuges that were painstakingly organized across the numerous metal desks. An unassuming tub lay in the center of the room, filled with a yellowish slosh. It somehow lacked the grandeur I expected for what would become our planet's first outgoing portal, but as such carried a certain charm. Arbeck was consulting with one of the medical doctors over what seemed to be a drug dosage, but hurriedly ended the conversation and approached me when I entered.

"You're still a bit early. It's going to be at least another hour before it's up to Preponderance's specifications." What I recognized as scans of his journal, depicting diagrams and notes on the return device, shone brightly on monitors across the room. Arbeck, following my eyes, continued. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? They could probably send some kind of drone."

I shook my head. "You know as well as I do that it wouldn't go through. And regardless, I received an invitation. It would be impolite to refuse."

"You were committed to the idea before you even saw the letter. Just yesterday you were claiming that you wanted to make sure it was safe before anyone even thought about sending children through it."

I said nothing.

Arbeck's expression softened. "They're not your responsibility, mom. We both know you've always been a scientist first, parent second. And there's nothing wrong with that."

"I think I can be both at once." I smiled wryly. "After all, there were plenty of zoologists in DC I could have contacted. I thought you might like to meet an alien."

She returned my smile. "And I did. I've been doing everything I can to make sure they're safe, and the G-men don't take blood or skin samples without asking first. I just want to know that you're doing this for science, and not because you feel like you have some obligation to be these girls' guardian."

I opened my mouth to reply in the negative, but paused, considering my words. After a moment, I came up with a response that seemed adequate. "I do feel like I have an obligation. To the girls, yes, but also to science and myself. I’ve spent five years overwhelmed with questions, curbed by nothing but the fading memories of my encounter with Preponderance. Offered with a chance to get answers, I can’t fathom how anyone in my position would refuse.” 

Our conversation shifted to the more mundane; standard questions about the device's preparation methods and the extraterrestrial's medical needs. Soon, I excused myself back to my temporary quarters for my final preparations before becoming Earth's first interplanetary explorer.

I don't know how long I will be gone. For all its details and explanation, Preponderance's notebook, like the creature itself, left countless questions unanswered. Will the transport be instantaneous, or will there be a stretch of time, imperceptible to me, during which I am being "sent"? Will time move the same on our worlds, or will every moment there count for less or more time here? This is, of course, assuming I return at all. While it is necessary to send a scientist who will know the right questions to ask, it is perhaps for the best we are not sending a younger one with a long life left to live. I do not say this with regret, but with excitement, that for so many reasons this opportunity should fall to me.

If you are reading this, I've no doubt been gone longer than expected and someone has been going through my belongings. I guess there’s a certain irony to it, that these notes made to help me remember should become the one, faded trace of my memories left behind for others, trying in vain to reconjure emotions they never felt to begin with. Knowing this might be my story's end, I apologize that I cannot think of a better conclusion. Perhaps the best closing I can think of is a scan of Preponderance's letter itself, should you have not yet seen it. I think it says all that needs to be said.