//------------------------------//
// An institution and a goal 
// Story: Thaumological Tekkit Teleporter Trials 
// by Redderject 
//------------------------------//

The two minecraftians walked in silence towards the town, Matt pissing about, melting snowballs in the air for some scant sense of stimulation. Trent was fiddling with a small handheld computer, programming a game of simple pong, when he suddenly facepalmed. "Matt, I have the quantum suit on, I can sprint the both of us there in ten seconds flat. Grab a pauldron, my friend, and let's go for a ride!" Trent said. Matt facepalmed but complied, and the two were making a good clip towards the town thanks to a large helping of applied science.

As they arrived at the outskirts of the town, they non-nonchalantly strolled in, walking past the stunned citizens, until they came to the door of the library, which Trent calmly opened, whistling. A stunned set of ponies were talking animatedly, turning to face the door. "So, captain sunny disposition, care to explain how an entire race is evil because of one diamond-clad Luddite? Because I really and truly want to know." Trent said, cordially, his laser spinning from one finger.
"But...Moon?" a guard stammered out. "It's a gods-damned moon, not exactly a prison, that's what planets are for. Moons are for useless doom lasers and exploration, but, spoiler alert, it's just more goddamn moon." Trent said. Princess Luna nodded in the background. "Anyway, as Trent didn't bloody say, we got off on the wrong 'hoof', if you will. Can we start again? I won't pull a super-weapon if you don't." Matt piped in, unusually diplomatically, placing his sword into its sheath. Trent holstered his laser and pulled off his helmet, holding it under one arm. The ponies still looked apprehensive. "Alright. Super-powerful semi-immortal pair of aliens walking out the door, have a nice day." Trent said, taking a reading of the library's coordinates with a radar gun that was close to hand, in case worse came to worst. About ten feet out the door, Matt leaned over and whispered "Hey, Trent, a lapotron crystal and a cookie says that they stop us in the next five minutes.". Trent shook his head, almost imperceptibly. "No way, Matt, that was the plan. Are you slow on the uptake, or what?" Trent whispered back. 

"Wait!" Celestia called from the library's doorway. The minecraftians strolled back in. "I'm willing to make peace on the condition of a full cultural exchange." Celestia said.
"No-can-do. How about this: You give us a plot of land, say, in that giant evil-looking forest, and we don't let you ruin your peoples' chances of an independent culture or a bright future of innovation by giving you lot everything you ever desire. Oh, and we'll make you a suit of super pony armor, I guess, but we want the land to be on the edge of the forest near this town." Trent happily said.
"...We have a deal. Use as much of the Everfree as you wish." Celestia reluctantly said, almost instantly regretting her decision. 
"Awesome! Matt, forward unto dawn, as per usual!" Trent said, running towards the forest. Matt sighed, gently closed the door, and followed him. The ponies collectively released the breath they had been holding for a minute or so.

After a few minutes of walking, Trent pulled out a diamond tipped chainsaw and Matt unsheathed his katar. "Righto, first one to fell half gets the better office!" Trent said, happily. Matt channeled some of the natural mana surrounding him into his katar. erasing a good ten square miles of the forest.Matt calmly picked up the ball of condensed matter in one hand and pocketed it. "No fair, but I guess I did say. Damn." Trent grumpily said.

A pack of manticores burst from the newly exposed forest, charging at the duo. Biggest mistakes they ever made.  Matt reached into his pocket and retrieved a piece of alumentum, which he promptly threw, turning a manticore into a few unpleasant piles of goo. Trent had long since drawn his laser pistol and had bored four neat holes into the four remaining manticores, felling them. Matt waved his hand and the corpses disintegrated into ash, scattered to the winds. Trent looked upon the scene with disdain. "Right, perhaps a house can come first for once instead of some absurd complex." Trent offhandedly said. Matt looked at him like he was insane, but Trent continued "I'm thinking a massive college type of ting, where we can advance the natives' knowledge without killing their chances. Large observatory with a Machine(1) under it, powers the whole facility from the excess. Maybe a nice solar energy control system, mainframe, classrooms and lecture halls fit for about five hundred students, I guess. Oh! We need a library, too!" Trent said,excitedly. "Maybe we split it into magical and technlogical studies? We can make a recycler system, too, easy additional power. Zero waste." Matt said, equally excited. "I'm thinking basalt, marble, stone brick, maybe sandstone. Lots of nice glass and metal. Maybe some Xychorium(2), too. Four wings, observatory, cafeteria, dorms, teleporter matrix! We can make a series of colleges! We need to find out if there's a secondary school system like the Testificates have sometimes!" Trent said, sprinting off towards the library for the third time that day. 

Moments later Trent smashed through Twilight's door, beholding the sight of Twilight Sparkle frantically flipping through a plethora of massive texts. "Er. Twilight, does Equestria have a secondary school system? Matt and I are thinking of founding 'The Institute of Magical and Technological Advancement'" Trent said, cautious of Twilight's current mental state. "What?! Oh. It's you, Trent. We don't have colleges for the 'common' ponies, if that's what you're wondering. They're all for the nobles who are too ingrained in their ways to use the things. If you get an open institute running, it will be a major boon to our educational system." Twilight tiredly said. "Awesome! The IMTA will be up by next week! If you'll excuse me, I've a building to build!" Trent excitedly said, sprinting back to the cleared block of forest. unaware that Twilight had passed out at her desk. An odd occurrence to be sure, considering she had only known of us for a few hours.

"Matt! Idea confirmed as valid! Start work on the Machine, glass casing, please, upper most level a few feet below ground. Have it output to the main sorting room over in quadrant 4, I'll get the foundations set up and the basics installed. The turtles ought to do the rest, I think." Trent said, happily, grabbing a pile of basalt bricks from his backpack and setting to work. As night started to fall, the turtles had completed two of the four wings, fully furnished down to the last crucible and tile, and the observatory and machine were fully operational, pumping out resources for the continued construction effort. At two red matter per second, it was nearly red-lined trying to keep up with the demand for raw materials, be they magical or technological. Thousands of tonnes of metal and stone were moved into four massive floating quarter cones made of brilliantly gleaming stone, capped with gems and rare metals indicating the school. The wings for Technology, Philosophy, Magic, and Nature were completed some time during the night.

But slightly before that occurred, Matt and Trent walked into the observatory for its inaugural viewing. It was an awe inspiring sight, thousands of pieces of red matter floating in tubes all around, casting a pale red glow. Lights and arcane candles floating about aimlessly, casting the massive telescope in a deep orange glow, a color that comes only from magical niter(3). Trent keyed the control panel for the observatory, the huge device slowly swinging into position. In the eyepiece, there was a sight that neither Matt nor Trent could have ever imagined. The cosmos, all glowing more brilliantly than ever before, a sight almost unique to this world. Even the Twilight Forest's brilliant night paled in comparison.

Matt and Trent walked to their temporary quarters in silence, awed by what they had just seen. Matt retrieved a book and quill from his pouch and quietly began to write,he began to write the beginnings of a long journal and a long message for the future to find. As he completed its first pages, he gave them some of his magic, and they floated into the ether, stored somewhere safe until his story would be completed, awaiting an end. He had prepared a story to be written, day by day, for a thousand years. It was going to be a long ride, the mage thought.(4)