Chronicles of Luna: Future Past Equation

by Pony of Science

Chapter 1: Unknown Factors

Chapter 1: Unknown Factors

Tall Tale, A rather recent and modern addition to Equestria’s landscape of cities; not the near overwhelming metropolis Manehattan was, nor the sprawl of Los Pegasus, it distinguished itself through its modernity.

This was the city that Princess Luna found herself, along side a couple dozen-earth ponies, awaiting transport.

The station they all waited at was a touch strange; no train tracks, no taxi carriages, no obvious signs of what would be carrying the passengers to the destination.

Luna’s final destination, alongside the other ponies, was outside of the city, and required special transport afterward that would be waiting to deliver her.

Equestria Science and Technology, that was the name of the where she was going. It came as no surprise that she hadn’t heard of it, much of Equestria hadn’t either.

This fact was the point of it being in a relatively out of the way place; it allowed the ponies to work on scientific endeavors in peace.

But this privacy did have a major caveat; Namely the Royal Canterlot Scientific Commission, which over saw the facility closely. No project was approved without the Commission’s approval.

Over the past year, the Commission had been receiving reports of strange activity, or as the EST staff saw it, stranger activity within the facility.

Celestia, with the information she had available, had in turn relayed what she knew to Luna, and that this was a matter she had the skills to handle personally.

Beside Luna was her saddlebag containing the reports, documents, and pictures that caused concern enough to warrant royal intervention.

While Twilight Sparkle was indeed a princess, if newly minted, Celestia had decided that Luna would be a much better candidate for this assignment.

Along with the dossier, included was a mobile wireless earpiece and high-level security pass.

The headset was easy enough to understand; Luna may have been imprisoned for 1000 years, but there was a tremendous difference between being vastly out of touch and being incompetent.

The security pass was another matter, being royalty should be more than enough clearance anywhere.

One of the members of he Science Commission had attempted explain that the Badge had advanced technology that was important when she was in the facility; such as location and vital monitors, and that the clearance level was needed to establish safety due to the kinds of work done at the facility, but Luna was still a touch confused, and a little insulted.

Most of the ponies headed to the EST facility were dressed in lab coats and slip proof shoes, aside from Luna and four other ponies. Two pairs it seemed.

One pair was easily recognizable, primarily due to the bouncing pink pony chattering non-stop on the platform.

Luna had run into her multiple times since she had been freed from her dark alter ego, Nightmare Moon; more recently Twilight’s coronation ceremony, alongside her other Ponyville friends.

Pinkie Pie, her usual energetic self, had traveled by train along with which who she had repeatedly related to as her sister, who was taking no interest in the bubbly banter.

The young gray mare, her mane equally gray, her cutie mark a split geode, which had been going over the letter she had received from EST a week ago. Suddenly Pinkie was beside her again and started by saying.

“Hey Inkie, do you think there’s a gift shop? Oooh, a sciencey gift shop maybe? With beaker hats and talking postcards and snow globes with real snow? I think the girls would really like a nice gift since the couldn’t join us, Oh oh oh, I wonder if Rarity could add some style to the lab coats, I should ask her about that.” Pinkie went on like this, while her sister continued on closely studying the letter.

The other pair Luna hadn’t seen before.

They were older mares, easily more than a couple decades than most the other ponies. One was light yellow, with an orange and yellow mane, and green eyes; her cutie mark a golden sunflower.

The other was a baby blue, with a shining gray mane, and dark blue eyes; the cutie mark she bore was a silvery fully bloomed rose.

Both looked rather concerned, and intermittently whispered to each other.

Luna had caught an accent from the duo, it reminded her of another of Twilight’s friends; Applejack.

Their parentage clearly included residents from around Haysead swamp.

“ VTOL carrier approaching, all passengers please stand behind yellow line. All Equestria Science and Technology employees and visitors please observe all safety rules.” The voice on the loud speaker informed.

Luna glanced downward; she wasn’t past the aforementioned line. There were actually two lines, the first was yellow, and a couple feet further up was a red line, before the platform stopped.

She had seen various forms of transportation since her return to Canterlot; balloons, airships, trains, yachts, even a drill-tank; but this was new.

“What a funny name. Not as funny as kumquat though. It…” Pinkie was interrupted by the first words Inkie had said since approaching the platform.

” It’s an acronym, Pinkamena. Vertical Take off and Landing. It was set up when the original airship system kept running into weather trouble.” As Inkie said this, she placed her letter back into her saddlebag.

That answered half the questions Luna had, the sound from the northwest signaled that the other half was about to be.

Shortly afterward a form began to appear in the sky. Large and boxy, with oddly shaped wings, the increasing sound of whirring announcing it’s approach. A moment later it stopped at the platform, and slowly touched down, the turbines slowly halting.

When the doors on the side of the carrier opened, the loud speaker again informed the passengers ” Please watch your step, do not crowd other passengers while entering the carrier, keep all personal items with you at all times during travel. “

Without a word, everypony who was on the platform began to enter the transport, Luna included. Already this assignment was proving to be full of surprises, and she hadn’t even reached where she was going.