EQG:SAO - Aincrad Asides

by Mindrop


April 16 - 162 Days Trapped

April 16 - 162 days trapped in SAO - Equestria

Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the portal right at 8am. The statue had not been fixed from when magic possessed "Science" Twilight Sparkle had destroyed it, but the base was intact and that was what held the portal. At least it was what tethered the portal to this world.

There were several different theories on how portals worked, and a few more that were only valid for going between dimensions. Portals and transformation portals were two different, albeit similar, magic theory phenomenons. Starswirl the Bearded had used a portal to send the Sirens to another world, which happened to be the human one, as well as pulling him and the Pillars of Equestria into limbo, but there was no intention to transform the individuals. The sirens retained limited magic, unlike Twilight when she went through, and what they were like when they ended up in the human world was unknown. Discord’s chaos realm might or might not be a different dimension, that depended on who you asked, or might be entirely contained in Equestria. There might only be two dimensional realities or there might be more.   

But none of that mattered. They had a job to do: bring their friends back from having their minds imprisoned in SAO with their body and life as ransom. That was all that mattered. 

Micro Chips was working on some code, while Sandalwood and Bulk Biceps were kicking back and forth a soccer ball with no real purpose other than to pass the time. Flash Sentry was on the side of the statue base, with his back against it while he played on his guitar.

"Hey guys," Twilight greeted them. "I've got the internet cable we left on the Equestria side, and I brought the case."

"Good," Micro Chips said, distracted. "I got plenty of sleep, but then I got curious about the NerveGear's actual design. Most of it was kept secret. Having the sole market on true virtual reality is a lot to lose if the plans get leaked. I learned some basics, but not much. When it comes to the software, I am even more at a loss."

"No worries," Twilight said as she walked over to see what he was doing. It was just a bunch of code, which she didn't even try to pretend she understood. 

Micro Chips wordlessly took the cable from her and plugged it into his box so that Equestria would have the internet. 

"I don't know what you guys were thinking," Micro Chips said before pausing. "Well I was already planning on asking before yesterday. You have a way to figure out the rig. I am certain of that. The thing is, unless someone over there knows code and possibly circuitry, that information is meaningless."

Twilight gave a definitive nod. "Yes, you can come over. We need people to watch this side though."

"As much as I would like to fly again, I can play look out," Flash said. "Bulk and Sandalwood look harmless and also will make good guards."

"Thanks," Twilight said, smiling at him. From where she was at by Micro Chips, she could see the blue haired guitar player.

"I'm ready," Micro Chips said. "But we should do two runs. The first, with my laptop. It has an extended battery and will be fine. The second will be the NerveGear."

"Sounds good," Twilight said, giving him the case. "They will be expecting one of us. "Make sure it is locked, so that no magic can breach it."

"Right," Micro Chips said, putting his laptop in the case. "I'll be right back. Which room?"

"All relevant data and equipment was moved to the room with the mirror. It was easier that way."

Micro Chips went through the portal and found himself once again in Equestria. He found the room now filled with chalkboards, only half used, as well as a variety of papers on top of a dozen or so books scattered about. Starswirl and Sunburst were pacing, while Starlight Glimmer was calmly eating pancakes.

"Pancakes?" Starlight asked through a full mouth before the others could speak. She swallowed her food. "Spike makes really good ones, and he would love to cook for more."

"Thanks, but I already ate my specifically balanced breakfast,” Micro Chips replied. “I'm here first off to leave my laptop, and then we are bringing the rig over."

The other wizards didn't respond, focused on something else, and let Micro Chips do his thing. He left and Twilight took the case from him, popped the NerveGear into it, and both of them headed back over. 

Like the phone and laptop, it was unchanged due to the magical shield of the box. Micro Chips went straight to his laptop, leaving Twilight to explain it and show the actual contraption to the others.

"Alright," Micro Chips said. "I'm all connected up and I have a plan to chart the circuitry."

"I think this will do," Starswirl said. On an empty chalkboard, a flattened plan of the hardware was projected. Everything was copied over in detail. "It was simple to trace it after I did it with the phone, but I lack the understanding about what I traced."

"That is why I am here," Micro Chips said. "This is circuitry, how we guide electricity to power something, or transmit data. The NerveGear’s circuitry was designed specifically to have multiple failsafes, ways to protect the user; both in the programming, which are the instructions for it to work, and the hardware, the parts. A backup battery is wise in case power is cut, so the user isn’t immediately shut out of the rig, but in this case, the programming is set up to discharge if the battery is used too long. It was enough to get people to hospitals."

Micro Chips gave them a crash course in circuitry. Capacitors, processors, sensors, batteries, etc. He covered it all. "And if we make one mistake, it will destroy their brain."

"Can't we just bring them over, one by one, in a bigger box, and then disable it with magic?" Starlight asked. 

"The box would shield them, cutting off the connection and killing them," Micro Chips explained. "Plus we might have a connection, but not a strong enough one to stably connect to the game. If they lose that connection, they will die."

Starswirl wanted to make sure he understood the crash course right. "This is all new to me. We were stuck in Limbo for a millennium. Too much is new to me. Our technology is not this advanced, and it is based in magic, which isn’t the same as your electricity.”

“We can’t use ours to charge the phone,” Twilight clarified. 

“I see,” Micro Chips nodded.

Starswirl wanted to make sure he understood it correctly. “So the circuits are like water pipes, the battery and capacitors are like water towers and reservoirs. If we mess up on one, the dam will break and cause flooding, or a pipe will bust, and again cause a catastrophic failure."

"That is a good analogy," Micro Chips praised. 

Starswirl began to levitate chalk, marking points on the board. He didn’t explain anything as he worked. Eventually every line had a mark on it. 

“This is a problem,” Starswirl said. “No matter what we do, we will break the dam. It is full of interconnecting pathways and all of them are directly tied back to the dam. If this diagram is correct, the dam itself has a trigger, so that even if we simultaneously cut all power and wires into the dam, it has a reserve with enough power to recognize and blow the dam. The pony, er, man, who designed this is a genius. A misguided genius, but a genius.”

“It just needs a nanosecond for that dead man’s switch to activate,” Micro Chips stated, deflated. “It won’t take much of a burst to cause irreparable damage.”

“Can’t you separate the switch from the, uh, dam?” Twilight asked. She realized she had only heard of it called a dam by Starswirl.

“See this,” Micro Chips said, pointing to the big block on the board.

“Here,” Starswirl said, flipping the chalkboard to a clear side and quickly sketching a much more detailed look at the “dam.”

“Thank you,” Micro Chips said. “See this here, it is a built in battery. There is no pulling it free like the other battery pack. The conductors in the emitter are poured, meaning you can’t separate them like normal by peeling them away. You would have to cut. If you start, you will trip these capacitors. Each one has enough power in it to cause permanent brain damage. Probably not fatal, but even one could ruin a person’s quality of life. I can’t tell you exactly what would be left, but you would be justifying destroying their life to free them, if we could figure out how. At least as long as they are trapped inside, they are alive with a higher chance of getting out unharmed. Probably with PTSD, but that is a lot better than physically damaging the brain in a way that can’t be repaired or treated.”   

“I think we are missing the obvious solution here,” Starlight said. 

“Oh?” Micro Chips asked as everyone turned to look at Starlight Glimmer. 

Starlight set down her plate. “Yes. If Twilight’s crown went through without changing-”

“The crown I no longer have,” Twilight interjected. 

“Not the point,” Starlight fired back. “If that went through fine, and we know magic does work to a degree over there, then we have to figure out a way to get a magician over there who can teleport them out of the headgear. It can’t be that hard to pop them out of it. The nerve head thingy can safely go off, but the person won’t be inside to get hurt.”

“Two problems,” Twilight said. “First off, we don’t know what ripping them out will do to their minds. Normally, the system ensures a smooth exit of the brain’s shift back to the body. It might do nothing, it might distort reality, it might actually just be as debilitating of an injury as one of those mini dam breaks Micro Chips was explaining.”

“And second,” Starswirl said, taking over. “It would be revealing to the whole world that we exist. As similar as our worlds are, there are clear differences, technology wise. When it comes to our minds and attitudes, we are equal. Both worlds are violent and torn apart into kingdoms and factions. War does happen. Bad things come to us here. It is a little different than over there, but it is still the same problem.”

“I hate to echo my old mentor’s statement’s,” Celestia said, coming into the room. Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor were right behind her. “But Starswirl is correct to be concerned about their reaction. You have been there yourself, Twilight. Can you really guarantee that some faction won’t come to conquest us, or use our magic for their own gain? We have plenty of threats from our own world. Just because we might not initiate conflict, if the dragons figured out how to open a portal of their own, do you think they would hesitate to go on a rampage?”

Twilight levitated an envelope over to her and slipped the paper out. “The man who got me the headgear, Kikuoka Seijirou, sent this letter with the headgear. The only reason I got it was because I revealed my status, partially, in Equestria. He knew something was up. He is very perceptive. Of course, me looking exactly like the other Twilight didn’t help. It was an exchange we had where we ensured each other that the safety of the girls, and all of the players, was our mutual goal.”

“I’m sorry,” Micro Chips said. “I don’t want to interrupt, but I haven’t met our newcomers, and there is something familiar about them.”

“Oh,” Twilight stammered. “Of course. That is Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. Well co-ruler with her sister, Princess Luna, over all of pony kind. The other is Princess Cadance, who is in charge of the Crystal Empire, and last but not least, is my BBBFF, Big Brother Best Friend Forever, Shining Armor. He is married to Princess Cadance. And everypony, this is Micro Chips, he is a student at Canterlot High who is very good with their technology and the best bet to help us free everyone.” 

“Why did you come?” Twilight asked, getting a bit frantic. “I wasn’t supposed to host something, was I? Did I forget something.” 

“No, Twily, you didn’t,” Shining Armor said, calming her down. “We heard about your project and decided to come see for ourselves, and if you needed any assistance. Mom and Dad were more than happy to watch Flurry. Also, we heard that one called Sandalwood was transformed into a zebra and we wanted to see that for ourselves.”

“Forgive me,” Micro Chips said. “I don’t know how to greet royalty here. I knew Twilight was a princess, but, frankly, over on my side, you Princess Celestia, are in charge of a school, not a government official. Your hair is better than Principal Celestia though, hers doesn’t flow or shine. The same for Princess Cadance. Princess Luna is the Vice Principal at Canterlot High. I don’t know what Prince Shining Armor does.”

“Actually, I’m not a prince,” Shining Armor stated. “While there are a few royal bloodlines, from the era before the Princesses, I am not one of them to have that status. Now, only Alicorns, ponies with both wings and a horn, get those royal titles bestowed upon them. You earn that status by performing a feat of great sacrifice for the good of ponykind. Marrying Cadence didn’t grant me a title.”

“Odd,” Micro Chips said. “Marriage on my side typically grants such a title. We are not in a government that uses princes, princesses, kings, or queens, but they do exist.”

“Sandalwood, Flash Sentry, and Bulk Biceps are on the other side, guarding the mirror,” Twilight explained. 

“I also was interested in meeting that side’s Flash Sentry,” Princess Cadance said. “I wanted to see how similar he is to our palace’s guard.”

“What about a less noticeable tactic?” Starlight Glimmer asked, staying on topic. “Isn’t Shining Armor a shield guru?”

“I’m afraid my shields are more direct than the problem at hoof. I’m not entirely sure what I would be blocking. Without understanding it, I would struggle to deflect it, if I even could.”

“Do your medical facilities have something that can scan and take a picture of the bones, specifically for finding broken bones?” Micro Chips asked.

“Yes, they do,” Shining Armor replied. “It’s called an X-ray. I’ve had a few broken bones in my time in the guard, and before as a colt.”

“Can your shields block the X-ray?” Micro Chips asked. 

Shining Armor took a moment to think. He looked at Cadance and the two of them disappeared in a flash of magic.

Twilight sighed as she sat down on the floor. “I hate to say it, but should we bring Chancellor Neighsay? I know friendship is my field, but the second concern that Starswirl stated is valid, and one I was going to state. The Chancellor is a bit xenophobic, but he was concerned about the protection of Equestria. The mirror is in our control. Any threat would come immediately to us, before anywhere else.”

“While the EEA teaches many things, one thing it doesn’t have control over is our military academies,” Celestia explained. “Shining Armor and Flash Magnus, along with several other highly qualified ponies, are better suited for that discussion. Is there a specific reason to be concerned?”

“Sort of,” Twilight said, levitating the letter for everyone to see. “Kikuoka Seijirou is a high ranking military official, along with doing several, classified, jobs, like being on the victim rescue force. He echoes in his letter what we spoke about, face to face. He hasn’t told his superiors about the portal. He is okay with an alternate dimension, albeit warily. If we do anything to jeopardize that trust, he will have to act. I get the feeling that his mind is elsewhere, focused on another project, but one to do with his real job, the military.”

“Japan has more pressing concerns for their defense,” Micro Chips stated. “Also, their military is a self defense force. Technically it can’t go to war. It is purely for the protection of Japan. That was the agreement after the last world war, that they couldn’t have a standing military, but could have a sufficient force for their own protection with strict limits on how it can operate. That said, there are other nations on my side that would jump to conquest here for a variety of reasons. Labor, resources, and exploration; just to name a few.”

“With the portal able to be opened at any time from our side, we should add additional enchantments,” Starswirl stated. “Just to be safe. We could block anyone leaving from our side who isn’t authorized as well.”

With a flash both Shining Armor and Princess Cadance returned. 

“That would be a no,” Shining Armor immediately stated. “I did my best, but I couldn’t conjure a shield that would reflect even half the power of an X-ray.”

A chime sounded, distracting them all. Micro Chips blushed and levitated his phone out of his pants pocket. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s a text. From Flash- Uh-oh. Principal Celestia just arrived to find out what they are doing at school on a Saturday. That could be a problem. It’s not like we have broken into anything, only on the school grounds, but we attracted attention. We didn’t want to attract attention.

“However, that gives me an idea. Shining Armor, Sir, can you create a shield around this, and block the signal? It is essentially light you can’t see, and it comes from that thing by my computer, with the cable that goes into the portant.”

“I’ll try,” Shining Armor said, warily. “I’m not sure if I can block light.”

Shining Armor conjured a compact force field around the phone. It was dark, almost impossible to see through. The phone chimed from inside, breaking Shining Armor’s concentration, shattering the shield like fragile glass. The phone dropped, but Micro Chips caught it with his magic like it was second nature. 

“Sorry,” Shining Armor said, panting from the effort.

“It was a long shot,” Micro Chips replied. “These signals are much weaker than what an X-ray uses, and closer to the NerveGear.”

“I know this is my idea, but I think you guys are missing another obvious solution,” Starlight Glimmer said. “If that, on the board, represents the thing that is the dangerous part, why can’t we blast it with magic, neutralizing it all at once. And then figure out how to turn it into a device to give to them so we don’t compromise our safety?”

“The emitter is protected by EMP shielding except for the part exposed,” Micro Chips explained. He rotated the chalkboard to the larger drawing. “That is what these represent. The wires on the inside of that shielding but not the device itself. It is a double layer with a trigger in between the layers.”

“A no would have sufficed,” Starlight retorted. 

“In theory, we could emit a strong enough EMP to shut it down, but we would take out the entire room, and maybe the rooms next to them, where people will need life support and other medical devices to stay alive. Also, while a typical EMP, or even a very strong one, wouldn’t be felt and have little to no effect on a person, or pony’s, body,  we would have to take it from an Electromagnetic Pulse, to a very concentrated Electromagnetic Blast, and right at the base of the nervous system. To destroy it-”

“You would be like putting a bomb on a bomb to destroy the first bomb,” Shining Armor stated. “And with a living creature under the first bomb.”

“Correct,” Micro Chips nodded. “The man who invented this is one of the most technologically advanced humans. He couldn’t factor in magic, but he factored in everything else. Your magic, while it may not be able to charge a phone, is similar enough that it would trip his traps.”

“How did he even get that out in the market?” Twilight asked. “As I understand it, there are uh, what was the word...patents that require you to detail everything so your work isn’t stolen. And didn’t someone safety check it?”

“Plenty, and yes,” Micro Chips replied. “The problem is, this is the device that connects the user to the NerveGear and thus the game. It isn’t dangerous unless you...well lets just say reverse it. It is perfectly safe unless you reverse that function. 

“SAO went through a massive beta test, to work out any programming issues in the game. Out of 1000 people, only one had an issue, and that is due to their brain being unable to conform to the full dive system, making it difficult to perceive distance and other issues. In the beta, the individual was not harmed, but was unable to continue since they couldn’t properly function in the world. SAO, for the main release, maybe has a dozen with the condition who can’t log out. They are in no danger so long as they stay in the safe zones and learn to do something that can earn them money.

“When SAO was officially launched, the program coding for SAO was revised, which made sense because that is what a beta test is for; to work out any errors. Anyway, the changes allowed the game to utilize the local memory in the NerveGear to set the trigger and reverse the device to emit the killing blow. That was something no one could have seen coming. SAO and the NerveGear passed all testing and safety regulations. It was that last minute change that is the problem.”

The portal shimmered and everyone realized someone was coming through. Out of it stepped a white unicorn, with long pastel hair ranging from cyan to pink. Unlike her Equestrian counterpart, she lacked wings, was of average size for a unicorn, and her hair didn’t have the same magical flow. The mirror continued to shine and Flash Sentry came through. He crashed right into the unicorn in front who had not moved out of the shock of the transformation, sending both sprawling. Twilight’s horn glowed, immediately picking them both up, righting them, and setting them down off to the side. 

It was a smart choice as Bulk Biceps came through. He tripped as he tried to get out of the way. Sandalwood, and a navy blue Unicorn came through right after him. They couldn’t avoid Bulk Biceps and both went down. Twilight picked the three of them up and set them off to the side.

“Is anyone else coming through?” Twilight asked, annoyed. 

“No one else was there,” Sandalwood stated. 

“This is a rather interesting turn of events,” Celestia said, walking towards the newcomers. “Sister, did I really look like that?”

“It’s been so long, but I am afraid so,” Luna replied.

“It’s like meeting both of you for the first time,” Starswirl added, joining them in their curiosity. “This is rather peculiar and the perfect example about how different our worlds actually are.”

“My pony self is quite a bit taller than I expected,” Principal Celestia stated.

“Does my voice really sound like that?” Celestia asked.

“Yes,” Luna, Starswirl, and Vice Principal Luna stated in unison. 

“I never realized the diversity of our world,” Sunburst added. “Sandalwood being a zebra leads to immense questions, but your doubles not being alicorns is surprising.”

“It actually makes sense,” Cadance said. “Forgive their rudeness. Two of them are magicians who love the theory of magic, and the other two know better.”

“I’d like to see how you would respond,” Celestia shot back. 

Cadance ignored the comment. “Seeing how they have no clear way to ascend to a higher form and that you two did, it only makes sense they would mirror your pre-ascension forms. No doubt my double would be a pegasus.”

“What are you doing here!” Twilight exclaimed. “I thought you three were supposed to be guarding the portal, and you two, I...I…” Twilight stalled out, unsure how she should address either principal. 

“Curiosity got the better of my sister,” Vice Principal Luna stated. “I only came in to drag the boys out. Someone had to be the adult. We had no clue we would end up in the middle of the investigation. They said it was just a room with nothing in it.”

“Everything was moved here because it was easier with the cable,” Twilight explained.

“Has your research yielded any potential answers?” Principal Celestia asked. 

“None,” Micro Chips said. “As useful as their magic is, it can’t seem to help us here. Not without announcing to the entire world that there is a portal to another world and the danger that would pose to both sides; just from certain entities on our side.”

“You have a point,” Principal Celestia stated. “As much as I hate to agree about specific entities on our side, it is true. It might give justification for a war from another nation, or our own could militarize against it. I lack leadership and real influence back there to do anything about it.”

“Our species has been known to shoot first and ask questions later,” Vice Principal Luna stated. “We also tend to attack what we fear or the unknown. Also capture it for study. It would get complicated and messy quickly it became public knowledge.”

“We must fortify the portal,” Starswirl said. “As a precautionary measure.”

“I hate to agree,” Celestia replied. “But the citizen’s of Equestria must be our main concern. We also must ensure the other side doesn’t come under attack from one of their own threats. I believe we are linked for a reason.”

“Which is why I didn’t say destroy it,” Starswirl added. “If I have learned anything over the centuries, well since I came back, it is to trust Princess Twilight when it comes to friendship. She is our best bet to build a good, unified friendship with the other side. She has done amazing things in Equestria, and already has established relations with them on the other side.

“Now, I remember teaching two young but bright unicorns, gifted with great magic and able to solve problems. I believe you have that in you still, so would you please stop gawking at our guests and see if you have a different angle than we do? You said you came to help us. As to you two, if you are anything like they were at your age, then you have bright minds as well, even if you don’t have a grasp on magic.”

“Wait,” Sunburst said. “The Princesses are over a thousand of years old. Their longevity is due to their status as Alicorns. Shouldn’t their doubles have existed before now, and not be alive?”

“Time clearly doesn’t flow the same between the dimensions,” Starswirl said, dismissing the question and turning back to the task.

“He looks like professor-” Vice Principal Luna started to say.

“I know!” Principal Celestia exclaimed, interrupting her sister.

“Uh, Twilight?” Micro Chips asked.

“Yes?”

“Has that door always been there?” he asked, referencing the door that was now beside the mirror.

“Uh, no,” Twilight said, confused. 

It flew open and out popped Discord. “Oh goody! The gang and the doubles are all here!”

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked. 

“Well you were having a party, and you rudely didn’t invite me.”

“This has nothing to do with you! AND IT’S NOT A PARTY!”

“Well you don’t have to be so loud about the misunderstanding.”

“Uh, what is he?” Principal Celestia asked. 

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “He is Discord, a draconequus, made up of various creatures. He is the only one of his kind, and he has this crazy chaos magic, like making it rain chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds.”

“Crazy?” Discord asked, dramatic about the pain it gave him. “Those words hurt. Even more so coming from a friend. My magic is fun. It might be chaotic, but it is fun. And more importantly it is powerful. I wasn’t given the Pink Heart of Courage as a token, I was awarded it for saving Equestria.”

“You saved Equestria without magic!” Twilight exclaimed. “And you were not alone! Trixie, Thorax, and Starlight had equal shares in that and also received the award.”

“That is irrelevant,” Discord retorted.

“Am I the only smart one here?” Starlight Glimmer asked, staying on topic. “Discord, can you use your magic to hop into their reality and free people?”

“Or directly into the game and beat it?” Micro Chips suggested. 

“Sadly, or not, no,” Discord replied. “If I go through that mirror I will be as powerless as you are.”

“Can’t you open your own portal?” Starlight asked. 

“No,” Discord grumbled. “I am incapable of finding their world. I have been trying, for Fluttershy. She never asked me directly, but I heard about the issue and the worry it has caused her, as well as the pain and distraction it has been on you, Twilight. I can’t locate it.”

“Like I said,” Sunburst said to Starswirl. “His reality is a bubble in our bubble, not a separate bubble.”

“I have no idea what bubbles you are talking about,” Discord said. He touched the rim of the mirror. “You know that whenever there is bubble blowing happening, you are supposed to inform Pinkie Pie and myself. On topic, even with physical contact, I can’t feel the other side. I’m not even sure I would survive the transformation process of the portal.”

“What if we boxed him up?” Starlight asked. 

“How would you like to be boxed up and tossed through a portal?” Discord shot back. 

“Uh, to save everypony, I would do it,” Starlight batted back. “And to reap in all the awards and glory for my feats.”

“I’m afraid that wouldn’t solve anything,” Starswirl interjected. “Equestria’s foundation is magic. Over there is different. Although they function similarly, they are not based in magic. Discord’s magic manipulates the base building blocks of Equestria. Without it, he is powerless. Without it, he may not survive.”

“What do you mean?” Principal Celestia asked. “Why wouldn’t he survive in our world?”

“I am rather curious about that too,” Discord added. “I’m not used to no magic or going anyplace I want to.”

“There is order, and then there is chaos,” Sunburst said. “Stawswirl and I have been going back and forth over this topic. We already thought of bringing in Discord. Let me explain. Discord didn’t show up until after the Pillars of Equestria planted the tree of harmony, and then vanished. Before that, windigos, the sirens, and other things caused chaos all over the world. The Pillars quelled that, at least in the pony lands, and the Princesses cemented an era of harmony, peace, and even more importantly, one of order. Before the Princesses ascension, the Unicorns were being destroyed trying to control the sun and moon. Their ascension was over their ability to control both, regulating Equestria under their hoof. 

“Sure, some things happened, but it was quickly dealt with. It was only after harmony and order was established that Discord showed up, and then was dealt with. We have surmised that he is the effect of that harmony, a direct result, and a balancer. We will always strive for control and order, but there must be an element of chaos to our lives. There must be a healthy amount of uncertainty in our lives, and chaos in the world. Controlling everything like we do isn’t necessarily bad, but it is lacking in that uncertainty.

“In short, we believe Discord is actually a part of the magic of Equestria and what makes this world work. His entity is rooted in Equestria and because of that, he can’t go outside of it. It would either destroy him, or be impossible. 

“That doesn’t preclude him from helping us. He sees everything from a different angle, which might be what we need.”

“Hmm,” Discord hummed while thinking. “I suppose you might be right. It would explain a lot of things about me. It also explains why I can’t feel their world. However, there is one thing that is bugging me.”

“And that is?” Celestia warily asked. 

“You,” Discord said, pointing at her.

He snapped his claw and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were reverted to their pre-ascension forms. Their crowns and jewelry was gone as well, making them perfect copies of their former self.

“Give us back our...all of it right away!” Luna ordered. 

“Well I think you look better this way,” Discord retorted. “Besides, all I did was change how you look. I didn’t touch your magic. It’s purely cosmetic.”

“I am so glad we don’t have him to deal with,” Principal Celestia stated. “I hate arguing with children who are lost causes. However, we should focus on the issue at hand. Or hoof?” 

“I’m not sure I like what you are insinuating,” Discord sarcastically replied. 

“Go, or stay, make up your mind,” Twilight said. “But if you stay, you have to make yourself useful. This is serious business.”

“I know, I know,” Discord replied. “Lives are at stake and such and such. All of the normal stuff. I will stay focused, but I won’t change the Princesses back until we are done. I prefer them doubled like they are.”

“Fine,” Twilight growled. “We conceded to that request, but no other magic.”

“Deal!” Discord exclaimed. 

With that sorted out, they headed over the chalkboards. They spent several hours going over everything. Starlight was able to create a magic copy of the NerveGear that they could manipulate and test. Every attempt to disarm it failed. Discord enjoyed making the explosion when something was tripped.

Cadance and Shining Armor dropped out when the magical theory got too far above their skill level. They took up talking to Flash Sentry, Bulk Biceps, and Sandalwood. The boys were bored and completely out of their league, so it kept them busy and distracted.

“That just leaves teleporting people out,” Sunburst stated. “Which isn’t a smooth disconnect from the NerveGear and might cause brain damage. Politically speaking, are we sure it is too risky?”

“It’s not just my friends,” Twilight reminded them. “It’s roughly six thousand players. Our friends are low priority. Kids, mentally unstable players, there is a long list who have a higher rescue priority before we get to them. Also, we would need to know when it was safe to pull them out. If they are in the middle of a battle, with others depending on them, pulling one out could lead to deaths as they suddenly lose a necessary element to their defense. It would take days to pull them all out, one by one. We couldn’t operate without notice. We would need Japan’s  government help to know when it was safe to withdraw a person. We also would have to deal with international travel.”

“It was an excellent effort, Twilight,” Principal Celestia said. “You have grown a lot since we first met, as brief as it was, and you were already very mature then.”

“Well, comparatively speaking, I am older than your oldest students,” Twilight replied. “I may not look like it on your side, but I am pretty certain there is an age difference. The same is true for Sunset Shimmer. I’ve also literally saved our world, while your students have only done small, but very important, saving the immediate world stuff. I’ve had to deal with time travel, evil sorcerers, Discord on one major event and several smaller ones, an evil almost step sister, shadows entities, limbo, a rampaging centaur with the power to rip our world apart, and a litany of other cases, including diplomatic situations. Wow, me and my friends have done a lot.”

“On top of running a school,” Starlight added. “And for the record, I was the evil sorcerer. They reformed me.”

“And I regret nothing,” Discord stated. “All of the chaos was worth it; even letting them reform me. Speaking of being reformed, since we seem to have come to a final decision-” Discord snapped his claw and the Princesses popped back to their current forms. “As promised.”

Both Princesses breathed a sigh of relief at being back to their normal selves.

“You certainly have come a long way from being my pupil,” Celestia said, embracing Twilight. 

“There wouldn’t happen to be a chance that I could see your school, is there?” Principal Celestia asked.

“Eh,” Twilight shrugged. “You are here after all. I would be honored to show you around. A fair warning though, it isn’t a typical school by our standards. It doesn’t even meet our standards, for a good reason. Celestia would be better at explaining a typical school.”

“The five of you go,” Starswirl said. “I’ll start working on a way to better secure the portal.”

When Twilight, both Celestias, and both Lunas had left, Flash Sentry spoke up. “So, I guess we were pretty ineffective.”

“Nonsense,” Sunburst said. “You were far from ineffective. We didn’t come up with a solution to free them, but we did exhaust every available means. Just because the answer draws no conclusion doesn’t make the answer wrong. It just means that the null hypothesis was correct, which sometimes can be a very important discovery. What is most important is that we tried, and you three played an important role, as much as you could, in helping us exhaust all solutions. A pin can keep things together, and as small as it often is, it is critical. A small contribution might be the key to hold it all together, so never discount the roles you play.”

The door opened and Spike came in with a cart full of food. “Oh, did I miss the Principals leaving?”

“No, they are checking out the school,” Cadance said. 

“Good,” Spike grinned. “I baked a cake, because everyone likes cake. Even if there is no reason to celebrate, cake is always good. There isn’t a reason to celebrate, is there?”

“We certainly could use a pick me up,” Shining Armor said. “It is well earned, despite the end result not being in our favor.”

“That is what I thought,” Spike replied. 

They cleared a space so they could eat before the portal reinforcement could be tackled. Food was a good bridge. The boys didn’t know how to eat like a pony.  While they chatted and got to know the magicians, Discord got bored with the lack of attention. His efforts impressed the boys, a little too much to the annoyance of Starswirl and Sunburst. 

Eventually Twilight and the others came back. They enjoyed the cake. It was a nice break from all the hard work, and disappointment over the results. 

Sunburst had the framework for a door spell that was better than Starswirl’s direction, he just needed the others to cast it. It would block anyone not cleared by the spell to go through. His spell made sure the principals and the boys for their side could pass. He built in a system that would allow them to add more individuals to the allowed list, as well as remove anyone if necessary. For anyone else, touching the portal would feel like stone or a glass, depending on what side they were on. 

"Well, Princess Twilight, I guess this is goodbye, for now," Principal Celestia said.

"I'll visit soon enough," Twilight assured her. "Until then, take this. It's a journal. What you write in it will show up on its companion on my side. Flash and a few others have them, but this way I can keep in contact with you directly. You have access to information your students won't. Of course, it doesn't have to just be for communication about the girl’s state."

"Thank you," Principal Celestia said. "I will know when they wake up before any students do. I'm on the immediate call list. I am sure we will chat through this book as well, and I will be available to help you solve any questions about your school. Without being EEA affiliated, they won’t always have applicable responses to your unique school, while our methods might be more of what you need."

"And I will come over as soon as I can," Twilight promised again. "I actually need to send something to Kikuoka Seijirou. Tomorrow the post office is closed, correct?"

"Yes, you will have to come Monday," Principal Celestia replied. "I will see you Monday."

She stepped through the mirror and was gone. Vice Principal Luna was the last to go through, ensuring the boys made it across.

"What do you need to mail?" Sunburst asked.

"Kikuoka Seijirou, the man who got me the NerveGear, deserves a reply. I'm going to send him a report on our work. I'll leave most of the magic theory out, boiling it down to the basics, but I want to let him know that not only did I receive it, but that I appreciate it. Also that we examined it from every angle. He deserves to know that we gave it our all. Six thousand lives were awaiting our answer to our work and he put himself out there getting me the NerveGear. Not only is it the least I can do, but also the best way to start building bridges with other constituents on the other side. I'll send some pictures as well so that he can see what we were doing."

"Is that why Spike had the camera?" Starlight asked.

"Yes," Twilight nodded. "I think giving him a little more information is a wise move."

"We trust you," Luna stated. 

“Do what you think is best,” Celestia added. “We know you will not put our citizens at risk.

"Thanks," Twilight replied. 

They left to give Twilight the space she needed to finish the work. There were still some hours left in the day. Plus she had the next day to finish it.