After Shysage and I turned back into ponies, Spring Star mentioned quietly that she should head below, probably to her station, to her treasures. Spring Star was responsible for the ponies of Philadelphi, and there was probably a lot of confusion and fear in Philadelphi right now; she would feel all of that. Fall Star led us all back to the doorway for the magical review deck, out then down... Still, when Spring Star mentioned that, Fall Star was immediately deep in thought. Then Terrabelle sighed... "I just got a... I need to go clean up the lab..."
Shysage barely choked down a caustic laugh at that. He explained later. It was pure mockery to task a pony with no magic to clean up any tech lab...
Fall Star shook her head ever so slightly. "No... Terrabelle, I am adding you as LS support. Fall Star and Spring Star have support positions, and for good--"
Terrabelle had fallen to the ramp right then, crying. "Princess... I'm just an ordinary... nopony..." I don't think any of us were going to let her get away with that! Spring Star and I both nudged Terrabelle up, took turns hugging her... Like I said, she is such a treasure!
Shysage spoke quietly up. "Fall Star, I think that is an excellent idea. I think Terrabelle knows, feels far more about the tech side of Philadelphi than any of the other Uni... uhm other ponies down in tech."
Fall Star smiled. "Terrabelle, send that message to me. I will take care of that!" After a little more thought, Fall Star added "Terrabelle, Philadelphi has just been through a terrifying incedent. Your first task as LS support is to quickly put together a short description of exactly what happened just now, so we can get it out, posted so everypony else in Philadelphi knows what happened."
Spring Star added "I think that will be a huge help, helping the ponies of Philadelphi settle down, relax... And, knowing that it won't happen again for... a long time..."
We resumed our walk down the ramp, but it was clear Terrabelle was already at work. Well, with her cap thing, I guess she could do such tasks anywhere. Terrabelle was quickly busy. She stopped at the doorway, working...
I was still fighting back tears as Fall Star led us into the room below, with that nicely padded circle, and the four areas, consoles... I think Fall Star must have had some inkling how I felt (Spring Star certainly knew), and we were quickly laying on our bellies in what Fall Star had called the circle, the padded circular area in the center of the room. Shysage was right next to me; I think I needed that. Fall Star smiled. "Well, like I said, I hope we don't need to go through that again for a long time. That was just scary..." As she said this, Fall Star used her magic to pull her panel thing around, looked, worked... "Well, I don't think I can stop myself from checking magical reserves often now..." I don't think anyone felt like laughing at that, but we did smile. Then, still studying her panel... "Wait... What? Oh my goodness... Summer, the... Philadelphi has already completed the Leading Star induction... How..." Shysage nudged it right away. That strange symbol for Philadelphi, a circle with a stick through it at an angle, followed by "LS4", these four characters were on my lower right front leg, a few inches above the hoof. The other Leading Stars had the same thing, matching their numbers. We all had to get up and hug after that. Well, I guess I was a Leading Star now; Philadelphi had seen to that! But that meant we could more easily help Philadelphi and her ponies. Helping others; Shysage and I, we live for that...
Winter Star ran into the room right then, and joined us. "Aww... I missed the Induction..."
As I hugged Winter Star, Fall Star explained. "Winter Star its fine. Philadelphi didn't wait for any of us, and just did it, I guess. We all missed it... but we officially have a Summer Star now too!"
As I hugged Winter Star, she said again, quietly. "Like I said, I think we, Philadelphi really needs you... Thank you for coming..."
A little while later, I was hugging Spring Star... Wow hugging her felt so good, and usually wasn't short. But I guess Fall Star was standing where she could see my console area, and glanced over... "Oh my goodness Summer... Your consoles!" We all looked... The panel on the left end was still blank, but the next one over had "LS3" (for Spring Star) marked under the panel. The next panel over was marked underneath with "LS1" (for Fall Star). Two more blank panels, then the sixth panel had LS2 (Winter Star) marked under the panel... Fall Star walked a little closer, clearly puzzled. "Thats strange... We Leading Stars already have our areas, our consoles... Why..." Her voice trailed off at this point.
Winter Star laughed. "Just one panel is enough for me, thanks!"
Well, I think we were all wondering what Philadelphi was doing here... These 8 panels, in my area, I guess... Fall Star had gotten out "I wonder what--"
Just then, a very pink pony bolted through the door, laughing loudly. "I'm the one, I'm the one! Pick me! Pick me!" She said as she ran up to us, still laughing, then she stopped abruptly. It didn't take her long to realize she was facing Leading Stars, and she quickly fell to the ground, her hair and her countenance fell too... Almost whispering, she said quietly "Princesses... I am so sorry... I should not have... It is just that... I knew... Please forgive me... I have failed... I was... wrong..." Still on the ground, she began turning, then crawling away...
I could not stop... "Pinkie!(1)" I said loudly...
Still crawling, this very pink pony stopped, and her curls and her smiles returned. She turned her head... Quietly, she said "Yeah... the mane and tail, and my coat... might be a give-away..." Then Philadelphi's Pinkie chuckled. "Just make sure you spell it with a 'ie'... not a 'y' like everymini else up here..." Still, I nudged her up and hugged her.
Shysage saw it first... "Princess, her panel..." The fifth panel in from the left end, now had marked clearly below the panel "E3777", surely this ponies' Philadelphi number.
E3777 bowed to Fall Star right away. "Princess... I'm so sorry... I hope..." Fall Star must have realized... Fall Star nudged this pink mare up and hugged her. Then Pinkie(1) kept trying to explain "Princess, I have no... wait..." then yelling loudly "Rarity(1), get in here!"
A white mare with nicely kept purple mane and tail walked sheepishly in... "E3777, these are... Leading... Stars..." The white mare fell over as if having fainted, or something, but then just as quickly rolled back over onto her belly... Sounding almost scolding... "E3777... what have you gotten us in to..."
E3777 laughed loudly. "It's fine, we are supposed to be here" then laughed some more. "I'm Pinkie(1), you are Rarity(1), and..."
After getting up... "Oh dear... Princesses I am sorry for my friend here... She said... I am U4567, and all I do is sew saddlebags all day... And I don't even know what a saddle is!" Then U4567 bowed, cried quietly. Fall Star nudged her up too, then hugged her. Spring Star and Winter Star both had amazement written all over their faces!
Shysage again said quietly "U4567" and looked towards the panels in "my area"... I think I was realizing that it wasn't really my area... That didn't bother me for some reason... Still, U4567 was added under the panel all the way to the left now. I wasn't exactly sure what Philadelphi was up to, but I did have an idea who would come through the door next!
U3777 said... "Where is she..."
U4567 rolled her eyes just a little. "Probably something about landing gear..."
Clearly out of breath... another mare walked in, towards us. "Sorry I'm late... I landed too far up, and had to run down. What did I mi--" Just then, this Pegasus mare realized she was facing a bunch of Leading Stars... bowed immediately... "Princess, I am so sorry... I know this is off limits... I told her..." Then, sort of under her breath, she said quietly "E3777... what are you doing? We shouldn't--" This blue pony with a clearly rainbow mane and tail, she stopped right there... Fall Star had nudged her up and was hugging her too... We all looked over at the 8 consoles in, well, their area right away... Fourth panel in from the left... P4321... P4321 said right away "Wait... Why is my number on that panel? I don't even have a panel... can't even hold one up... I don't even need a panel... All I do is fly all... day... air mail..." P4321 looked around the rest of the room... "And why am I here in the middle of... all these Leading Stars? I should be..."
E3777 might have sounded just a little impatient. "Hey, like I told you, your other name is Rainbow(1)..." P4321 smiled... E3777 continued. "And U4567, you are Rarity(1). Don't ask me how, I just know..."
By then, both P4321 and U4567 were both ever so slightly shaking their heads sideways. U4567 put her head down. "Princesses, we apologize for the instrusion. I think we had best get going... Philadelphi is sort of a mess at the moment" And U4567 said "going" just a little forcefully, and looked directly at E3777 as she said that.
Fall Star sighed, then smiled. "As usual, E3777 is right, and you three belong here right now, and should really stay, at least for a while so we can talk." Fall Star was in thought briefly, then added "I don't understand what Philadelphi is up to, but..."
I said out loud what Fall Star was thinking. "I think you 6 girls are in for some amazing times together!"
U4567 said cautiously "So I really am, my name really is... Rarity(1)?"
Fall Star smiled. "After we do some explaining, a lot of this will make more sense."
P4321 smiled, said quietly to herself "Rainbow(1)... I like my new name..." Of course...
Winter Star was hugging everypony. My new sis, er Spring Star was on the verge of tears, and she also worked her way around, and hugged... everypony... then me! I hugged everypony too. Princess Twilight(1) down below... She and her girls... I love each one so much... That made me want to cry... a lot...
After we all hugged, well, each other, Fall Star led us all back to the circle. We expanded the circle some, and we all relaxed there together on our bellies, facing each other. (Shysage said quietly this was girl time, and stood calmly near the 8 new panels, looking out the window.)
E3777 didn't wait very long, looked at me, then said "And you are the Phantom Alicorn!" Then she got this quizzical look on her face. "I don't know what that is though..." Well, I was sure she would find out, probably soon.
It was quiet briefly, then "Summer, I don't know..." Fall Star started, talking as she thought maybe. "Maybe one of the two remaining panels might get your number..."
Well, I already had a good hunch whose panels those two would be for. Still, I put my head down, and said quietly. "Princess, I am just here to help. Just like when I am in Equestria(1) down below. I help when I need too, but... You and your girls are really the ones that Equestria(1)..." Yes I did stop there. I felt like crying. Like Shysage said... The cost of just being available to help... has been pretty steep at times...
Still standing off to the side, Terrabelle waited for a lull in the conversation. Bowing a bit, she smiled, then said "Princess, Philadelphi Magical Stores Recharge Overview is sent to your panel for your review. Then Terrabelle frowned. "But its time for Summer and Shysage to return. The transjector syncronization process will be complete after their trial passage back, and things will be a lot easier getting them up here next time. But for now... I think we need to head back to the transjector." What followed next was a lot of hugging, tears... And pulling myself away from my new sis Spring Star was especially hard. We soon headed out the door leaving 6 amazing ponies to find their... destiny... together...
At least we could take the v-lev down to the base of central. I cried the whole time as Shysage hugged me. And Terrabelle timed everything so we could walk calmly back out sector road Q back to the transjector, even stopping to eat on the way. We appreciated all of that. Still, stepping out of the v-lev, it was clear that Philadelphi, especially around central, well just about everypony was busy cleaning up after almost... I was a Leading Star now, and my right leg proved that, but I think most ponies had their hands full. Nopony bowed, but I was ok with that. Like I have said in the past, I already have a princess...
But we did stop maybe half way out, in order to eat some. I was starved; this had been a very draining day for Shysage and I. I really did wish we could spend some time together and alone in one of their dorms... just some sleep even... Well we could do that down below, once we were back... I almost wrote "home", but I am not even sure where that is any more... But after we were done eating, drinking, and were heading out to the sector road to resume our trip to the transjector...
"Good evening. I am U7999 and this is my sister U6000. We are exhausted from our cleaning... We start our days early, and so... Well, it has been a long day for us, for all of us, I guess. Today was scary..." Large starkly white pony with shimmering, almost irradescent, vibrantly colored mane and tail... Her sister was smaller, and had a deep blue coat, and very dark violet mane and tail with occasional sparkles... Oh my goodness... I knew this would be hard...
Terrabelle introduced herself, then Shysage started to introduce me... U6000 must have seen my leg, then said quietly to her sister "Sister, LS4." At this, both bowed. I motioned both up, then hugged each of them... way too short for me, and it left me a mess inside.
U7999... "Curious, no Unicorn horn..." she said this calmly.
I was only briefly tempted to... "I get that when I need it" I answered quietly.
U7900 smiled. "Philadelphi knows what is best. I am not questioning your status. LS1 was actually my student in magic school for quite a while. She is very gifted, such a treasure." Why was everything making me want to cry buckets...
Still, Terrabelle... "Ladies... LS4... rescued... Philadelphi... today..." That made me want to cry too.
Still, for me a far more important task loomed largely... "Terrabelle, can you take a picture of both of these Unicorns together, and send it to LS1? And make sure their numbers are included..."
Terrabelle smiled. "The image repository will correctly attach the number to any picture taken of one of Philadelphi's ponies" then she had the sisters scoot next to each other. Both smiled as they did that. "Hold still" Then, after only a few seconds "As requested, picture routed to LS1-P1.
I said quietly "Nice meeting you both", then we turned and resumed our trip out to the transjector. Terabelle felt some urgency, so we walked pretty fast. I didn't mind. Everywhere I looked, it seemed... Without being asked, Shysage and I walked into the transjector room, into the very center, then turned to face the large open side. Terrabelle then bowed, and I quickly got her up, and we hugged. "You are such a treasure" I said quietly. That made Terrabelle cry. "I hope we get to see you again soon" I added as I walked back next to Shysage and turned around. Still shaking off tears, Terrabelle disappeared outside then around, somewhere. A few seconds later, Philadelphi disappeared too...
Shysage and I were standing in the grass at the top of that slight hill in the center of that ring of huge trees. I fell to the grass and just cried right away. Shysage laid on his belly, sort of curling himself around me... cried with me some... Wow, I needed him... It was dark and we were soon asleep.
I slept in the next morning, I think. The sun was high, but Shysage was already awake, still curled around me... He was just looking calmly out across the grass. I raised my head so it was right next to his. "Shysage, what was that..." I asked quietly.
He smiled; I saw that right away. "Looks like a lot of true friendship and fun awaits some pretty amazing ponies up there."
Shysage and I both heard, somehow... It was Terrabelle... "LS4 transjector synchronization complete... Hope to see you both again soon!"