April 15 - 161 days trapped in SAO
Twilight Sparkle looked at Canterlot Highschool as she came out of the portal. It was a school day, or supposed to be by her calendar, but classes were obviously still in session with how vacant and quiet the school was. The last time she was on this side of the portal had been when Kikuoka was visiting, which had been a while.
She looked down at her hand. In it was a cell phone. When she had come through the portal, it had changed back from the nice day planner into the device. The cheap cell phones turned into notepads, while this expensive, top of the line one, had turned into a very nice, leather bound, day planner. The transformations were fascinating.
Twilight stopped focusing on the phone and headed into the school. It was open, but classes were clearly in session. She went to Principal Celestia's office and knocked on the door. She was told to come in.
"Hello, Princess Twilight," Principal Celestia smiled. "It has been a while since I saw you. I assume you are here for this." Principal Celestia pulled out a large box. "It was over-nighted for you, straight from Japan. It came three days after you left."
"Thank you," Twilight said, taking the box. "It has been a bit crazy, with running my own school on top of everything happening here with my friends. And speaking of that, I could use some assistance for the next stage of my investigation. I was hoping to get Flash Sentry and Micro Chips to help?"
"This is the final period of the day," Principal Celestia said. She hit the button for the loudspeaker. "Attention students. After school, would Micro Chips and Flash Sentry please report to my office. You are not in trouble. Again, that is after class. Have a good day students."
Principal Celestia smiled at Twilight, a coy sparkle in her eye. "So, tell me, what is it like running a school?"
Twilight chuckled nervously. "Well…
Flash Sentry found Micro Chips outside Principal Celestia's office.
"I uh, didn't want to go in without you," Micro Chips said nervously.
"No worries," Flash Sentry said as he knocked.
"Come in," Principal Celestia said from the other side.
They entered and Flash Sentry's heart lifted as he saw Twilight. He ran and embraced her.
"Hey Flash," Twilight said, hugging him back. "And Micro Chips, it is good to see you too."
"Likewise," Micro Chips replied.
"So do you know how to free the others?" Flash excitedly asked.
"Not yet," Twilight stated.
"How long until you do?" Flash asked.
"Well, that is the thing," Twilight said, pausing. "Yes, I want to free them. And I am working as hard as I can to solve it. But morally, I can't pull them out."
"What do you mean?" Flash Sentry asked, stepping back in confusion. "But they are our friends."
"Yes, I know," Twilight replied. "But...well they are safe. From the little info the game logs give, we know they are fighting on the front lines. Sure, it is dangerous, but they are not alone. They are a strong guild and the eight of them also met three new friends who are just as strong as they are.
"But off the front lines, not clearing the game, well there are kids inside. I'm not talking Highschooler and teenagers. Some of them, with parental permission, are as young as 11. They either went in with family, or solo. They are the priority. And then after them are the players with a compromised psyche. Some of them are so afraid, they hide all day long and barely live. And they are the lucky ones who didn't commit suicide.
"Plus, as it was explained to me, unless we know that all 11 of them are in a safe zone, we could kill them with an extraction. If we pull them while they are fighting, removing them one at a time weakens their safety. We could pull a critical member and their defensive line could fail, causing deaths.
"The safest way to remove them is in an all or nothing move, pulling out every single player at the same time. Unless we can establish a communication line. Unfortunately, I can't work on that in Equestria. Which is why I need you two.
"We need to find a way to get me an internet connection in Equestria."
"Wait, do you even have electricity?" Micro Chips asked.
"No," Twilight said. "But! I have the magical equivalent. I think. I took what I learned last time and applied it through magic. It should work. It is hard though, since the electronics I take through the portal covert as well. The laptop I took became an encyclopedia, with incredibly spotty entries."
"You read it?" Flash Sentry asked, shocked.
"Absolutely!" Twilight exclaimed. "Cover to cover, twice!"
"Why, if it was no use?"
"Because science!" Twilight exclaimed again. "Also, it was a very interesting test to see how the data transferred between realities."
"But books come over as books?" Micro Chips asked.
"Yes, because books exist in both dimensional planes of existence,” Twilight explained. “They are essentially the same thing in both realms, even if the content doesn't apply in both. The laptop went back to being a laptop with no complications! It even went back up to fill battery power!"
Flash Sentry smiled at Twilight. "Alright, well, tell us how we can help."
"I need help with equipment and I'm still not great at these hands and no Magic.” Twilight held up her hands and wiggled her fingers for effect. “So I need both hands and your knowledge of these devices. I know I can't get a WiFi signal through the portal, but I was hoping that a Hardline might work."
"That will take some serious equipment," Micro Chips warned. "I don't know if I have what I need at home to assemble a converter."
"No worries," Twilight said, fishing around in her backpack. She pulled out a huge wad of cash. "I came prepared!"
Flash Sentry was left stuttering. Micro Chips was able to recover first. "How did you get all that?"
"Well, Equestria uses bits, but they don't transfer to your money. I had to triangulate the transformation matrix and account for the Laws of Material Transformation discovered by the Wizard Tam-"
"Uh," Micro Chips cautiously interrupted. "I won't be able to follow you. I don't know the first thing about magic. That is like me trying to explain to you the way a computer's operating system functions and binary code."
"Good point," Twilight admitted, blushing.
"Let's go get the stuff," Flash Sentry advised.
Outside Flash Sentry and Micro Chips had Bulk Biceps and Sandlewood waiting for them.
"Hey guys," Flash Sentry said. "Sorry, but Princess Twilight needs us for a project, to help free our friends."
"Well, like, then, can we help too?" Sandlewood asked.
"I'm not sure how much help you will be, but I need plenty of hands, so sure," Twilight replied.
"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps exclaimed.
They headed to the electronics hardware store. Not an electronics store, but the store for all the computer bits and pieces. They had everything from chips, to wires, capacitors, as well as fully assembled products.
Twilight was overwhelmed with it all. She wanted to understand how it all worked, but that was why Micro Chips was there: to cut out the long learning curve.
Micro Chips was in heaven. He grabbed a cart and immediately headed to the wires. He had a bigger budget than he had ever had, and only the best would do for this project.
Flash Sentry, Bulk Biceps, and Sandlewood just stood by, waiting. They each could handle technology to varying degrees, but this was assembling the technology, which meant they knew little to nothing.
There was no time for Micro Chips to explain what he was getting to Twilight. She just had to wait and then pay. She got an odd look from the cashier, who knew Micro Chips, at the cash she had on hand. The sale was finalized and Twilight was almost out of that initial set. She had more in her backpack.
It took all of them to carry the bags. They headed to Micro Chips' house. The garage had been turned into the family's workplace. His dad was a software designer and his mother was in IT.
It didn't take Micro Chips long before he had a boxed unit together.
"This unit will take the WiFi from the school and convert it back to a hard line," Micro Chips stated. "Hence the antenna array. However, since we don't know how much electrical energy or it's magical equivalent will be on hand, I have enhanced it with a strong battery pack. This tablet will help me direct everything the box does. It may include coding my own script to get it to work. I also have this set of basic components to see if we can get them to transfer over without them turning into something else, like cardboard."
"Sounds like a plan," Twilight smiled.
"We will need these devices to charge up, so why don't we go grab dinner," Micro Chips offered. "It's Friday, so we can work late and all weekend if we need to."
They agreed and the five of them headed out to a local pizza parlour. The adventure was just getting started for them.
They were back at the school as the night began to set. Bulk Biceps ran the extension cable from an outlet to the portal. Micro Chips plugged it into a dedicated surge protector and then added a power strip so they could charge their phones and such while they waited.
"Twilight, take the end of this cable with you," Micro Chips said after he plugged the other end into the unit he had built. "I need to know if the end of this Cat5 cable is the same on the other side. This is the hard line for the internet. There is 100 feet, which I hope is enough. I don't know the length of the portal itself."
"I haven't tried to map the distance," Twilight said. "I'm not even sure how to map an interdimensional portal between two points on different plains."
"It could be 0 or it could be thousands of miles," Micro Chips shrugged. "Either way, we get to test it with 100 feet.
Twilight took the cable and entered the portal. She came out the other side into her castle. Spike hadn't come with her, but she had learned to quickly get out of the way in case something else came through.
"SURPRISE!" BOOM!
Twilight screamed as everyone popped out of hiding. She didn't mean to yank so hard on the cable in response. She had no idea why her friends were here, or throwing a party for her.
But it was Pinkie Pie after all. She had asked yesterday if she was busy for a party for AJ, but Twilight had told her she had work to do that couldn't be put off. Her "no" obviously wasn't taken as a no loophole "no" by Pinkie Pie.
The portal glowed and sang behind Twilight. She looked back and a tan unicorn tumbled out of it. He landed hard on his face. His glasses bounced off his muzzle and slid to a stop by Twilight's hooves.
The portal continued to glow and an orange pegasus came through with blue hair. He was trying to stay on his hind hooves like he had walked through. It didn't end well and he slammed to the ground next to Micro Chips.
"Sorry," Micro Chips groaned. "I tripped on the cable when it was yanked into the portal. I was trying to keep it from being pulled out of the box, and fell into the portal."
"And I tried to grab him," a dazed Flash Sentry added. “I failed.”
"Um, but, where are my glasses?" Micro Chips asked.
Twilight levitated them to him, slipping them onto his face. Normally she would have let him do it, but she doubted he could use hooves and the horn.
"Hey, do I have wings?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Fascinating!" Micro Chips exclaimed as he looked at Flash.
"You have a horn!" Flash Sentry added enthusiastically.
Twilight groaned. "Focus, you two."
"Sorry," Flash Sentry said, trying to stand. He examined the fact that he was standing on all fours naturally, without his butt sticking in the air. "Wow, this is weird."
"It's not an easy adjustment," Twilight said. "That's part of the reason why you are supposed to stay on that side."
"Again, sorry about that," Micro Chips said. "I was trying to make sure you didn't rip everything through. I should have foreseen that outcome.
"And I understand the greater ramifications that this could have for us crossing dimensions. After all, you are a powerful entity here, and neither of us are in either worlds. But, one question. Why do I have a horn and he has wings?"
"Duh," Pinkie Pie said, butting in. "Cause he is a Pegasus and you are a Unicorn! And I'm an Earth Pony. So is Applejack here. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are Pegasi and Rarity and Twilight are Unicorns! Well, Twilight was a unicorn but now she is an Alicorn."
Twilight sighed, exasperated. "Guys, as Pinkie just said, these are the pony versions of your friends. And the pony me. And you are looking at the difference in you between our worlds. I don't know why it chose you to be a Pegasus or Unicorn."
"Well our Flash Sentry is a Pegasus guard in the Crystal Empire,” Rarity added.
"Right," Twilight nodded, blushing a bit. "But that still doesn't answer the philosophical conundrum Micro Chips just pointed out. Why is Flash Sentry over here a Pegasus. We always say genetics and family history, but knowing there are other dimensions that don't have a multi-species variable, how they split when they enter one is a puzzling quandary."
"Does any of that mean we can finally go visit their side?" Rainbow Dash whined.
"NO!" Twilight yelled. "I'm busy and none of you are even supposed to be here!"
"Sorry," Flash Sentry said.
"I'm not mad at you two," Twilight stated. "I'm mad at Pinkie Pie for tricking the others into a surprise party when she knew I was busy today! I told you yesterday I couldn't go to a surprise party for AJ because I had to work on this problem today."
"Well duh," Pinkie Pie said, rolling her eyes. "There never was a party for AJ. I was just making sure you would be here because the surprise party is for you! And boy were you surprised!"
"Pinkie!" Twilight growled.
"Darling, we will take her out with us," Rarity said. "We are truly sorry, dear, and we should have seen through the transparency, but we haven't seen you in ages with the school and your own work trying to help the other side. It's a lot of stress on you. We wanted to remove some of that."
"It is appreciated," Twilight said, flashing them a smile. "But I have some important work to do and it comes with some serious implications. I also am on a tight time schedule on their side of the portal. We will hang out soon."
"Do you promise?" Pinkie Pie asked as she dragged out by the tale by Applejack.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Twilight promised.
They slipped out, leaving just Flash Sentry and Micro Chips. Flash Sentry was afraid to take a step. Micro Chips was tapping on his horn as he sat on his flank.
"She does that here too?" Flash Sentry asked, trying to focus on something other than the weird transition.
"Everything is eerily similar, yet totally different," Twilight replied.
"Since we are over here," Micro Chips started before pausing. "Well I can see and understand the implications and truth of the crossing between worlds and all it means, but I recall Unicorns have magic, and you said you had the magic equivalent of electricity worked out. Perhaps if I understood, I could better assist in the conversion from my side. We didn't know I would be a Unicorn, which is new data we should factor into the equation."
"Magic takes a long time to learn," Twilight stated. "I have spent my whole life learning it."
"Why do you have both wings and a horn?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Because I am a Princess," Twilight stated. She realized how little that made sense to the two of them. "I mean, I am an Alicorn. Becoming an Alicorn is a rare and special thing. I solved a magical spell problem that was causing major havok. Princess Cadance, my Sister in Law, was a Pegasus like you and earned her horn by defeating an evil sorcerer and saving a whole village. Every Princess did something spectacular and special that aided the ponies not just around them, but in all of Equestria. And they gain wings and or a horn to become an Alicorn. There are four princesses in Equestria."
"Princess Cadance?" Flash Sentry asked. "And you said Crystal Empire?"
"Right," Twilight said, putting together his question. "Yes, vice principal Cadance from Crystal Prep would be the same person, or pony, as our Princess Cadance, and crystal prep is your equivalent of our Crystal Empire. Here, instead of being principals, Celestia and Luna are the oldest and wisest Princesses who rule over all of Equestria. Which, all things considered, isn't actually that big of a territory. Our two worlds appear to be similar in size."
"Ignoring the size, that is a very big difference in power," Micro Chips stated. "Princess over a Kingdome, or even a city, verses a school, in a ciry. Very intriguing."
"What's going on in here?" Starlight Glimmer asked as she came in through the door. "I saw a sad Pinkie Pie being dragged out of here by the tail by AJ." Starlight Glimmer stopped when she realized Twilight wasn't alone. "Oh, hi Micro Chips and Flash Sentry. You probably don't recognize me in my normal form."
"Yeah, Starlight," Flash Sentry said, still afraid to take a step. "I recognize your voice and you are vaguely familiar to your, uh, our side form. Mostly in the hair."
"Hair does transfer very well," Starlight Glimmer said with a nod.
"That still isn't a no," Micro Chips stated, going back to his original question.
"No to what?" Starlight Glimmer asked.
"I want to learn enough magic to help understand the conversion the portal does and hopefully be able to help out more. I know my side's technology, but I'm blind to how things work over here when it comes to calculating in that data. I accidentally fell into the portal, and since I am here, now I can gain first hand knowledge on the topic."
"Right," Starlight chuckled. "Of course you became a Unicorn. You wouldn't make a good Pegasus or an Earth Pony. Twilight, let's teach him."
"But," Twilight stuttered. "If he gets a taste of real magic, it will alter his state of mind. It is best that he remains ignorant. Whenever I am over there I always feel like I am missing a huge part of who I am. You know. You were over there."
"Yeah," Starlight Glimmer snorted, rolling her eyes. "And I admit, I felt the same way. But we are low on options. I remember he was the best at tech over there. If anyone can handle the knowledge, he can."
"Uh, what do I do with my wings?" Flash Sentry asked.
"I expect Flash Sentry to hold up better," Starlight stated.
"Ugh," Twilight groaned. "Flash, flap them. That is what your wings are for. And you can walk on clouds. Micro Chips, logic does dictate that I should use this moment to teach you the foundation of magic, since you didn't come over on purpose. But the basics are things I learned at a very young age."
"I'll handle it," Starlight said. "After all, I taught Trixie how to do more than make fireworks and gimmicks. I can teach him, easy."
"Fine," Twilight conceded. "I'll get Flash back to the other side so he can relax."
"There is a version of me that functions like this?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Very much so," Twilight said. "A royal guard and he is very good at flying. But like magic, it takes some getting used to. I would know, because when I got my wings, I was totally unprepared for it.”
The portal glowed and Bulk Biceps came through with what had to be Sandalwood holding on.
"Well this is strange," Twilight said to Starlight Glimmer. "Bulk Biceps is exactly the same, but Sandalwood is a Zebra!"
"Yeah," Starlight said, rolling her eyes with a sigh. "I did not see that coming at all. What is next, a dragon?"
"No one else was helping us," Twilight said to Starlight before addressing the newcomers. "But why are you two now over here!"
"I tried to stop him," Zebra Sandalwood said. "But, like, Bulk starting freaking out since Micro Chips accidentally fell into the portal, and then since Flash went in to get him, and then you guys took so long, well he wanted to make sure you were okay, and assumed the worst had happened.
"But, dude, is being a Zebra bad?"
"They are rare in these parts," Twilight explained. "I appreciate you concern-"
"Aww!” Bulk Biceps whined. “Why are my wings so small when my muscles are so amazingly big?"
Twilight Sparkle groaned loudly. "I have no idea, but our Bulk Biceps has small wings too. Nothing you can do to solve it. You can still fly."
"Awww," Bulk Biceps sighed.
"It's okay, man," Sandlewood said, patting him on the shoulder. "You are exactly who you are supposed to be no matter what dimension you are in. It is your beautiful soul that matters, not what is on the outside."
"Starlight," Twilight said, focusing back on her. "If you are here, I assume the device is done?"
"No," Starlight Glimmer groaned. "Sunburst and Starswirl are arguing again about the physics of the portal and varying dimensions. Until they solve the issue," Starlight Glimmer chucked mischievously, "well I am the muscle when it comes to the spell."
"Well that is convenient," Twilight sarcastically said. "Now I have no idea what to do."
"Should I go grab the others?" Starlight asked. "Maybe having them here for a short time isn't a bad thing? It wasn’t bad for me to visit their world.”
"Fine," Twilight sighed. "Go get them and we will see where the night takes us. Once you get them back. You can take Micro Chips to learn the basics of magic. I'll help the other two learn to fly. Sandalwood, well there isn't much to being a Zebra."
"Better leave that to Dash," Starlight Glimmer said before she teleported away in a flash of light, shocking the four newcomers.
Twilight continued with the work. "Micro Chips, how did the cable hold up?"
"Well, it's not a Cat5 cable anymore," Micro Chips said, examining it closely on the floor. He had no idea how to use his horn or hold it with his hoof. "But since it is still a cable, and not a rope, we may be in business. Let me hop over to check if the cable is still a Cat5 on the other side."
Micro Chips focused on the task at hand and went through the portal. Flash Sentry still hadn't moved or flapped his wings.
Micro Chips was back after a few minutes. "Everything is operating at peak efficiency and as it should! Now we just need to test this cable with a hook up."
"Hmm," Twilight said, thinking. "I'll have to dig a few things out of storage, but I have an idea from an old project or two of mine."
The door opened and the others came back in. Pinkie Pie was hopping with joy.
“New same friends!” Pinkie Pie squealed mid hop.
Twilight sparkle took charge before chaos ensued. “Micro Chips will go with Starlight and learn basic magic. The rest of you, take them on a tour of the castle and school and I will go work on this. Dash, teach Bulk Biceps and Flash Sentry to fly while you are at it. I have to get some things to work on this project.”
“You can count on us!” Dash exclaimed.
Twilight just rolled her eyes and teleported to her storage room. This was less than optimal, but they would make it work, somehow.