Love Is A Miracle

by Prophetic Brony

Great Expectations

Love Is A Miracle

Chapter 1: Great Expectations

“And that should be the last item on the checklist,” Twilight Sparkle announced. Giving her assistant a satisfied smile, she magically rolled up the parchment and set it down on the table.

“I don’t see why you need so many things on the checklist. We’re only gonna be at Canterlot for two days,” Spike said while nursing a cramp in his writing claw. Creating the checklist had been equally as laborious as gathering everything on it.

“Spike. I’m not just going away for two days. I have been summoned by Princess Celestia to attend a magical conference. There are going to be all sorts of discussions being held on magic and its various applications. So I need to be prepared!” the lavender pony explained as she magically stacked and bound books for transport.

“Oh yeah? Then why did the princess mention there was a chili cook off as one of the main draws to this conference?” Spike said sarcastically.

“Fire spells have applications other than setting things on fire. It also happens that the Equestria Chefs’ Convention was scheduled at the same time,” she replied before smiling at her dragon companion. “Besides, I imagine you would appreciate a chance to try some experimental cuisine.”

“Uh huh!” Spike nodded excitedly while licking his lips.

“Then hurry up and help me finish packing the last of these books. We need to be at the train station by three,” she reminded him.

“Um, Twilight. Those were the last of the books. We’re all packed!” Spike pointed out to her.

Twilight looked around and realized they were indeed ready to go. “Oh, I guess you’re right. Then lets be on our way,” she said, magically placing the last stack of book into a wagon. Twilight hitched the wagon to herself and pulled it out the door as Spike closed and locked it. A note was left on the door stating, ‘Library Closed. Away at Canterlot Magical Conference.’

---

“Every engineering section has cleared us for launch.”

“Power source is stable and showing steady output.”

“Anomaly control reports no spikes in the system.”

“Computer systems are operating and processing at a stable capacity.”

“The system is ready to go.”

“Continue monitoring progress.”

Voices were heard giving status updates from different areas of the dark room. Large computer stations encompassed a low set metallic platform. Green lights emanated from the platform. The dim aura revealed people in tinted goggles and lab coats either sitting or standing at different workstations. They spoke with calm voices but displayed body language that exposed subdued excitement. After further updates, the lights came on and one scientist began to clap her hands.

“Begin the shut down sequence and reset the system!” said the female scientist. Long black hair, which had a hint of a blue streak in the light, trailed down to her waist. Her average height and slender frame could be seen under the lab coat. The paleness of her skin, due to lack of sunlight, emphasized her dedication to work. She smiled as she removed the tinted goggles. “Congratulations everybody! I’m going to give President Canterbury an update on our progress. Get everything set up for tomorrow’s full run,” she said and walked out of the laboratory. The thick metal door slid aside to allow passage and sealed automatically behind her.

She briefly walked down a plain metal lined hallway and entered her office. Picking up the telephone, she pushed a button. “This is Doctor Sparks calling from the PNVL facility. I need a direct line to President Canterbury.”

“One moment, Doctor,” replied the operator. There were a series of clicks to let her know that the encryption devices were working and the connection was made. A familiar woman’s voice soon greeted her.

“Doctor Sparks. I imagine you have good news on your project?”

“Yes, President Canterbury. Our latest test run was a success and we are ready to proceed to the next stage of the experiment!” Sparks replied to Canterbury.

“If you feel that you are ready to proceed, then you have my full support. I am looking forward to hearing the results,” the president stated, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

“President Canterbury, I believe that by tomorrow, I will have something incredible to show you.”

---

The castle of Canterlot was both regal and imposing in it’s grandeur, and it only grew larger as Twilight approached it. The wagon she had packed trailed behind her, while Spike sat atop the luggage to avoid being separated. Bustling crowds were a regular occurrence in Canterlot but, upon arrival, Twilight noticed they were larger than usual. Twilight struggled amongst the herd of ponies who were slowly migrating toward the castle’s main gate. Two imposing sentry ponies, in full armor, stood guard there and checked guest invitations. After what seemed like hours of jostling forward, Twilight finally reached the checkpoint.

“Do you have an invitation?” a stout guard pony asked.

“Right here, sir,” she exclaimed and magically produced a scroll from her wagon. Her red magical aura surrounded and unrolled the paper to allow the guard to read it.

‘I, Princess Celestia, invite my personal student, Twilight Sparkle, and her assistant, Spike the Dragon, to attend this years Magical Conference. Twilight Sparkle is to receive full access to all conference events, as well as, to all resources that she may require in preparation for her presentation.’

Princess Celestia’s royal seal was stamped at the bottom of the invitation. The guard scanned over the scroll and looked at the two guests. Twilight and Spike smiled when he nodded in approval to the other guard. “Welcome to Canterlot Castle Miss Sparkle. Please proceed to the service desk behind us. Somepony will assist you with your luggage and show you to your room.”

Twilight nodded and proceeded through, while Spike waved at the two guards. A bellhop pony trotted up to them and offered to pull the wagon. Spike hopped off and walked next to Twilight while the bellhop lead them to their room. They each looked around excitedly at the commotion of guests and servants. Ponies from across Equestria had arrived to participate in this conference.

They arrived at a guest room, in the main castle proper, where the bellhop promptly deposited the wagon. With a bow, he excused himself and hurried off to attend to other guests. Spike climbed on to one of the beds and began jumping with excitement while Twilight began to unpack their belongings. “Wow, Twilight! This is sooooooo nice! I sure hope we can get some room service. I’m starving!”

Twilight walked over to a large desk. “Why don’t you order us some food while I unpack my books. I want to be focused and ready for tomorrow,” she said and magically levitated a checklist that covered her preparation.

Spike gave a barely audible groan as he saw the checklist. “Yeah. I’ll be back with some food,“ he mumbled as he departed. Twilight nodded to her assistant. Along with the checklist, she also levitated a quill and a piece of paper at the same time. Carefully setting the items down on the desk, she read aloud the first item on the checklist ‘Write letter to Princess Celestia’.

‘Dear Princess Celestia,

Spike and I have arrived at Canterlot Castle. I can’t wait to give you my presentation tomorrow. As your student, I have not only been working on my studies on friendship, but also my magic. I believe that tomorrow I will have something incredible to show you.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle’

Twilight rolled up the brief letter and set it aside for Spike to send as soon as he returned.

---

Twilight Sparkle woke up early the next morning. She lured Spike out of his bed with some breakfast and got them started on their day. The magical summit was being held in one of the grand conference halls just a few minutes trot from the guest quarters. The royal kitchen was conveniently located a few hallways over from the conference hall. As Twilight and Spike walked, they could see ponies from all over Equestria mulling about. Some wore lab coats, others wore wizard robes, and there were several chefs mingled in. They both smiled at each other; Twilight eagerly anticipating her presentation, Spike eager to eat the food.

When they passed through the large double doors and entered the conference hall, they could see even more ponies. The roar of chatter inside from the seemingly endless sea of ponies was deafening. The presentation stage at the far end was nearly vacant, save for a few ponies who were busy setting up. Eager ponies were already explaining their presentations to small groups. As Twilight and Spike trotted past they glanced at the different charts and scrolls being displayed before a loud trumpet sounded. A sudden hush fell over the crowd as all eyes followed the noise to the main entrance. A royal guard pony entered and boomed his announcement:

“Presenting her royal majesty, Princess Celestia!”

A barely audible gasp of awe flowed through the crowd as Princess Celestia appeared in the entrance. Every pony bowed for a moment as the princess took her first steps into the great hall. She began walking down the long main aisle while whispers of her beauty and grace could be heard throughout the hall. Pony heads could be seen bobbing and weaving, over and around each other, throughout the crowd, as every pony tried to get a better look at their beloved ruler. Guard ponies assembled along the walls on each side of the hall. The royal alicorn entered the special elevated box seat and waved a hoof towards the crowd.

“Welcome everypony to the Annual Canterlot Magical Conference and Chef’s Convention! I am honored by all who have journeyed from far and near to attend. I look forward to witnessing the results of your hard work, magical research and culinary skills.”

Princess Celestia’s announcement marked the beginning of the conference. The first ponies to be presenting scurried onto the stage. Twilight and Spike approached the princess’s seat but were stopped by the guards. Celestia noticed and waved them through.

“Twilight Sparkle. Spike. How good to see you. Please, come up and join me!” greeted the Princess. Both student and assistant obliged and took their places beside the Princess.

“Princess, I can’t wait to show you my presentation. I think you’ll be amazed by what I have planned., Twilight said eagerly.

“Well, if your letter was any indication, then I am anxious to be impressed,” the alicorn replied.

“Oh, you will be,” started Twilight before she was interrupted by Spike.

“Hey, what’s in the box?” the baby dragon asked while pointing to a small white box next to Celestia.

“Oh, Spike, if you had been paying attention to my planning session you would already know,” teased the purple mare before she was interrupted again by feedback from the microphone. Celestia put a hoof to her mouth and stifled a giggle as Twilight turned from Spike to the stage.

---

Putta putta putta phhhhtttt! “Looks like you had just enough charge to get me here, but I’ll need to plug you in now if I want to have enough charge to get home tonight,” said Tiffany Sparks to her moped. She pushed her moped into her designated space in the parking garage and plugged it in. She adjusted the messenger bag strap across her chest and pulled a pair of pumps from the storage area of the moped. After slipping on the pumps, she deposited the sneakers in the storage compartment.

Tiffany walked excitedly towards the elevator where she was stopped by a security guard. She quickly fished out her identification from her bag and went through. After being stopped three more times, she felt that security may have gone a little overboard. Tiffany understood, however, why when she arrived at her lab.

“President Canterbury!?”

“Good morning, Dr. Sparks. Judging by your expression, you didn’t receive my memo that I would be personally attending today‘s events,” said President Stella Canterbury before taking a sip from her tea cup. The slender woman stood a head taller than Tiffany, wearing a lavender suit with a pale blue blouse and a golden sun shaped brooch on the collar. Stella’s pale blonde hair flowed down her back and stopped just shy of the hem of her skirt. Her face displayed a royal countenance and youthful appearance while her eyes revealed keen intellect and wisdom.

“No, I didn’t get that memo, Miss Canterbury. Honestly, I thought you would be too busy to be here,” Tiffany replied nervously.

“I have every intention of witnessing your big moment. I had to shuffle a few things to acquire just enough time to not miss you making history, Dr. Sparks,” Stella stated.

Tiffany giggled nervously and set her messenger bag down by her desk. She picked up two pairs of goggles and offered one to Stella. “In that case, let’s get started.” The older woman nodded and accepted the goggles. Tiffany donned her pair and threw on a lab coat before setting to work. Stella moved to the observation deck behind a large reinforced window. Tiffany’s team of scientists moved like clockwork; pushing buttons, flipping switches, and calling out status updates.

Stella calmly observed while continuing to sip her tea. She was soon joined by a man wearing a gray suit, light blue shirt and silver tie. He had green eyes and short black hair which contrasted against the white ear piece. “The facility is secure, Miss Canterbury.”

“Thank you, Mr. Knight. I know my visit only makes things harder, but I couldn’t disappoint my top scientist. Personally, I am excited to see this through,” she replied, allowing a brief smile to pass over her lips before taking another sip.

Knight briefly grinned before resuming his state of alertness. “I had the security teams prepare for any number of contingencies,” he stated.

“I have read your overview. I have no qualms with the measures, but you appear to be preparing for an alien invasion,” Stella replied with a bit of mirth in her voice.

“This project is going to break the boundary between science fiction and fact. We can’t be too careful,” Knight said warily.

Stella chuckled at her paranoid director of security as she continued peering through the glass to watch Tiffany and her team of scientists.

---

“…..and as you can see, the flavor of food can indeed be magically enhanced via chaos principle theories as is evident in this batch of muffins,” came the voice from the stage.

A light brown earth pony wearing a lab coat and thick glasses opened an oven and revealed a muffin pan. The oven was attached to several large sputtering devices, while hoses connected them to a large transparent bubble. The bubble housed a pony sized thundercloud with a gray cross eyed pegasus bouncing on top.

The pony giving the demonstration displayed the muffins for the audience to see. The pan then began to tremble before exploding and covering the stage in muffin crumbs. The scientist pony shook off the pile of crumbs he was now buried under. “Unfortunately, we still cannot reduce the chaos potential for the food to explode to less than ninety-nine percent.”

The audience applauded hesitantly as the stage was being cleaned. The pegasus in the bubble sobbed at the sight of the scattered muffins while the contraption was being hauled away. Meanwhile, Twilight stood and picked up the box next to Celestia. “Wish me luck, Spike. I’m up next!” she said with a wink to the little dragon. Spike smiled and returned a thumbs up to the lavender pony. “Good luck out there, Twi!” he replied enthusiastically.

“I have no doubt you will succeed, Twilight Sparkle,” the royal white alicorn assured. Twilight bowed her head slightly. “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” she replied and trotted off to the backstage area.

After several minutes, the curtains opened to reveal Twilight Sparkle standing in the middle of the stage. The box she had carried and an easel with several charts were set next to her. Twilight cleared her throat and began to speak; “Fillies, gentle colts, and esteemed ponies from across Equestria; as Princess Celestia’s pupil, I have been tasked with conducting an in-depth study into the magic of friendship. What I present to you today are the results of this study.”

Twilight held up a pointer with her hoof and tapped it against one of the charts on her easel. “Friendship has its very roots in the Elements of Harmony, which are the center of our world. Without friendship, I would have never discovered the Elements or learned how to tap into their power. What I have here is a formula I have broken down, that explains the key components.”

---

Tiffany approached the raised metal platform. The platform was encased by a solid plexiglass tube that stretched from ceiling to floor. Tiffany stopped several feet away from the enclosure and set a clear plastic box on a smaller rectangular platform. She sealed the platform with a solid metal cover that reminded her of a friend’s cake platter and cover set. Once closed, the platform sank into the floor. Upon the reappearance of the box in the center of the larger platform, Tiffany enthusiastically announced, “Genetic sample is in position. As soon as we are at full power, initiate the experiment.”

The scientists continued to work as all the machines began to hum louder. The main lights of the laboratory dimmed while the platform began to glow with green light.

“Here goes everything,” Tiffany whispered.

---

“….which brings me to my conclusion of the magical theory of friendship. Now, to enhance the actual ability to spread and maintain friendship, I have created an enchantment that will allow ponies to communicate instantaneously with their friends, even at long distances,” Twilight announced. She used her magic to open the box, revealing a clear cylindrical crystal and the tiara that represented the Element of Magic.

Twilight levitated the tiara and placed it on her head. “Now, this spell is still in development and requires a large supply of magical power to use. Until I can perfect the magical output, I require the use of the Element of Magic.”

Several ponies in the crowd gasped in awe as they saw, for the first time, the actual tiara which bore the mark of the Element of Magic. “With time I can refine this spell so everypony will be able to use it,” Twilight continued, while she magically lifted the crystal out of the box. “Imagine if you will, a world where instead of sending a letter to contact a friend, we use this enchanted crystal to communicate over long distances in real time and without sustaining a magic spell. Right now, my friends back in Ponyville have a crystal similar to this one. Using my magic as the power source, I will now connect the two crystals and talk to them.”

All the ponies present watched in fascination as Twilight began to focus her magic. The horn on her forehead began to glow maroon with power as the spell began to take form. After a few moments of concentration the crystal glowed with the same color. The faint sound of voices could be heard emanating from the crystal. The voices grew louder until the first row could hear them.

“Is this thing on?”

“Pinkie, don’ go tappin’ it. Ya might break it or somethin’.”

“Hey I think it’s doing something. You think Twilight got the spell going?”

“I do believe she has. Yes, I think it’s working. Hello? Hellooooo? Twilight, darling, is that you?”

Twlight began to smile at her success and focused harder until the crystal projected a holographic image of five ponies in the Ponyville Library. All five ponies had looks of awe and the pink one even started to wave.

“Hi there, Twilight!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

“Hi there, Pinkie. Can everypony hear me too?” Twilight then asked. Her horn continued to glow as it powered the spell through the crystal.

“Clear as ever, sugarcube. How’s everything over in Canterlot?” asked Applejack.

Before Twilight could reply, an excited cheer came from the audience. The loud cheer was heard by the ponies in Ponyville via the crystal. “Golly, Twilight, was that comin’ from your end? What in tarnation is goin’ on there?”

“Just a moment, Applejack,” Twilight said before she focused on the audience. “Everypony, I would like to introduce to you my friends back in Ponyville: Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Say hello to the crowd, girls.”

Twilight shifted the crystal to face the audience. Her motion allowed her friends to see the crowd. Four ponies smiled and waved while a yellow pony squeaked and ducked out of view. The crowd greeted and cheered back. “As you can see, I have established an audio and visual long range connection between Canterlot and Ponyville. While letters are an excellent means of staying in touch, this enchantment allows ponies to see and talk to each other in real time. By being able to expand communication, we can all better expand our friendships.”

More cheers and applause followed and Twilight bowed. She looked over to the royal booth and saw Spike whistling and cheering. Princess Celestia clapped her hooves together daintily. Twilight blushed as she caught a satisfying wink and smile of approval from the regal alicorn.

It was, at that moment, when Twilight failed to notice the odd green glow that began to manifest behind her on the stage.

---

Tiffany observed her computer screen and grew anxious. This would be the determining moment. “Begin transmission of the tracking pulse. Synchronize the signal using the genetic sample to target the subject. Lock down the procedure once the target is acquired.”

---

Twilight began to feel as though the floor beneath her hooves was shaking. Her eyes went down to see what could be the cause. The audience began to take notice of the odd green glow behind her and wondered if that was part of the show. Celestia turned to face Spike with a quizzical look. His face was just as confused. “Man, I shoulda paid attention to Twilight‘s practice runs. I have no idea what the green glow is about.”

The lavender pony turned when she noticed the audience motioning at something behind her. Before her was a glowing aura that was quickly growing in intensity. Her eyes went wide and she suddenly felt a tremendous pull drawing her into it. Twilight began to dig her hooves into the floor to no avail. She continued to slide until she was no longer touching the stage.

Twilight let out a yell of surprise as she was lifted off the floor and pulled into the light. Everypony shielded their eyes from the brilliant flash. They removed their hooves from their faces once the light receded only to find nopony left on stage.