Scene 01: So It Goes
The summer sun was setting over the coast near the quiet town of Withersdale. It’s a beautiful place for a retreat with everything a pony could want: sand, surf and, more importantly, a bustling marketplace that houses loads of specialty items and everyday goods, as well as the occasional curiosity. The perfect place to take a vacation, Twilight and her friends had come to the town on a whim for a little change of pace, and so far it had been a great trip.
Upon first arriving, the group attempted to find things that they could all do together. There were a number of places they could go to and sights to see but, aside from eating together, there was little that they could actually agree on. In the end, however, after bickering for about an hour, they all agreed that the one thing they did want to do, more than anything else, was to have a good time. So, with that in mind, each one of them decided to go off and do what they wanted while the others did the same.
As their vacation drew to a close, Twilight was sitting outside of a café at the edge of the main business district of the town, quietly soaking up the summer sun. Rarity had picked up some lovely new fabric for her next line of fall fashions and was off trying to find just the right accessories for her summer wear before the look became dated. Rainbow Dash, true to her nature, had been kicking it back on the beach, enjoying all of the summer sports and the multitude of low clouds she could nap on. Applejack was on the beach as well, though her attention was more focused on the substantial apple-based spread that she had brought with her. Of course, most of her interest in Withersdale was scoping out the prices of the local competition in the marketplace, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself as well. Fluttershy had taken to the coastal fauna swiftly, as was to be expected, and had been collecting seashells and chatting with the birds for the duration of their stay. Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, had been bounding around town with her usual rampant enthusiasm, hitting the sweet shops and local hot spots in her endless quest for fun.
Twilight, however, was content to just enjoy the weather and sample a nice daisy sandwich as she gazed out over the ocean from her table on Withersdale’s opulent boardwalk. The food was a little expensive for something so simple. Two bits for a banana? Ridiculous! But, it was well prepared and the taste made up for it.
Food, fun and friends; these were the important things, and though she occasionally wished that she could be back studying her magic a bit more intensely, she was glad that she had gotten a chance to just sit back and relax for a while. The Summer Sun Celebration had passed, and there weren’t any holidays until the harvest time began in autumn, which meant that she didn’t have to organize a thing until then. She only wished that Spike could have been there to enjoy the downtime with her, but he was off in Canterlot retrieving some books that she had ordered and wouldn’t be back until well after they had arrived back home in Ponyville.
Still, she had been able to pick up a little souvenir for him. It was a small stuffed dragon toy, purple like Spike and humorously mean looking. He was a baby dragon after all and she felt that he could appreciate the gift.
Of course, Twilight wouldn’t be herself if she hadn’t at least brought something along to read. It was called Movers and Shakers: A Guide To Rapid Transport for Magic Users. It was a dusty old tome with a thick reed exterior that was browned from age and neglect, and had looked interesting, so she brought it with her and had been studying it intently all day.
As the sun began to set, the familiar violet-haired figure of her friend, Rarity, could be seen approaching down the boardwalk, the fashionista’s jewel-studded saddlebags packed with various bric-à-brac and a few rolls of dense fabric in autumnal colors. She had a new hat, a white affair that kept the sun off of her horn, and appeared to be in high spirits, having thoroughly enjoyed the market.
“Rarity!” she called, waving a hoof to her friend as she sat, leaning over the tome closer and closer as the light of the day gradually began to dim. Her unicorn compatriot smiled in return, trotting over to her.
“Twilight, darling! How lovely to see you, enjoying your…“ She gave a glance down at the tome, then back up at Twilight with a flat expression, before it slowly began to quirk into a knowing smile. “…book. Really, Twilight Sparkle! We take the time out and come all the way to Withersdale for a little vacation-time… and all you want to do is sit around and read books? Why, you could do that back in Ponyville and we’re leaving tomorrow!”
“Well, that might be true, but I’ve enjoyed myself,” the lavender unicorn responded, “Besides, it’s always nice to get out and see new places.”
“I suppose you’re right, dear. But still, it’s not as if we can just come here whenever we like. It’s a full day’s trot for most of us, and then there’s the trip back, which takes just as long, if not longer. The roads are always so dirty and icky…” Rarity wrinkled her face in disgust. “I am not looking forward to it. It’s really too bad that you can’t just pop us back to Ponyville, but I expect that might be a bit beyond even your magical talents, Twilight.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Twilight replied with a smirk, her horn glowing as she flipped through the pages of her book.
Rarity gave her friend a sidelong look, quirking one of those pencil-filled eyebrows of hers at Twilight’s response. “Now just what do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is, I think I can get us all back to Ponyville in a flash, if this book is right.” She raised a hoof and pointed to a particular section of the manuscript. “The book is an analysis on the theory of teleportation and the transmission of matter through space. It states that when someone proficient with magic teleports something, it converts its matter into magical energy which then surges through the vacuum in between the molecules in order to transport a pony and whatever else they may want to move. Once the initial magic applied to perform the teleport is exhausted, the transformed matter reconstitutes, displacing whatever was in the place that it reached.”
Rarity simply gave her a confused look, stamping at the boards with a hoof idly as she tried to wrap her mind around all the scientific gobblety-gook. “Oooookay, so–“ She paused a moment to try one last time to quantify it before giving up with a shake of her head.
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means,” Twilight turned to the next page. “Exerting a specific amount of magical energy will only get you so far. There’s a certain point where you simply can’t teleport beyond. You won’t be able to handle it. However, the book claims that if you lower the frequency of the magical energy used, you can travel longer distances with the same amount of energy. It takes longer, but since this is magical energy we’re talking about, it’s a difference of a few seconds rather than being absolutely instantaneous. No big deal!”
“So what you’re saying is that…”
“Is that, if this is right, I can just teleport us back to Ponyville and we won’t have to walk all the way back!”
Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Well, why didn’t you just say so in first place? That’s a wonderful idea! That way we won’t have to deal with that dusty old road back home, and I’ll be able to start on my new designs tomorrow without having to wait!”
“Exactly! And if it works out alright, then we might be able to visit far away places more often, without it being a big production.” Twilight shut her book, levitating it up off the table and sliding it back into her saddlebag neatly.
“Should I go tell the others?” Rarity asked, combing her mane with a free-floating comb as she inspected the various materials she’d purchased.
“If you like, but I’ll explain it in detail to them in the morning.” Applying her saddlebags, Twilight got down from her stool. The moon was starting to rise up over the mountains as Luna shrouded the sky with her cool embrace, the sun disappearing down into the ocean.
“Fair enough! We’ll leave it as a surprise for the morning, then. I’ll see you back at the hotel! Ta-ta~” Rarity turned and began to trot away, moving with her customary fluidity and grace. Giving a small nod, Twilight proceeded towards the edge of the boardwalk, over to the stairs leading down onto the beach.
A little stroll was in order. There was much to think about and a lot of theory to go over, so she began down the beach with a head full of numbers, enjoying the cool night breeze as it came in from the ocean.