Light filtering through vines greeted Twilight on the other side. Stepping away from the portal, she saw that she was in a garden of sorts. It was walled in, with flowers and trees and nice green grass.
"Welcome to Spawn," Paul said from behind her, as he popped back into the overworld. "This is where we entered this world, and so, it is also where we built our 'home town'. We hold our meetings in the town hall to the left, and our main source of food is to the right. Etho brews potions in that large blue-grey building behind you, across the bridge, and, well, there's so much more here."
Looking at the buildings Paul pointed out, Twilight was intrigued by the big one with a chicken on top. "What happens in there?" she asked.
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that," Paul commented. "Like I said, it's our main source of food. King Cluck's serves free lava-crisped chicken in large amounts."
"That sounds… inhumane."
"It is. What happens is, adult chickens lay eggs into a hopper duct, which then feeds them into a dispenser. The dispenser hatches the babies, which then grow half a block after five minutes."
"And they grow into a block of lava," Twilight continued, "instantly cooking the meat, which is then collected into a chest. I can understand the process, I just can't understand why you do it."
"I don't partake in auto-slaughtered chicken," Paul said, munching on a melon slice. "Those that do are probably looking to fill their stomachs so, you know, they don't die. It's more of a symbol of our dominion over this world than anything. That, and a way to make things easier. When you don't have to worry about food, you can do a lot of other things."
"That makes sense," Twilight ceded. "That doesn't make it any more humane, though. Oh well. I'm not here to pass judgement, just make first contact."
"Fair enough. Hey, we should tour the town before the meeting."
"Alright. I really want to see this museum of yours."
Paul led her to a sandstone pyramid at the edge of town. Inside, she was startled by a zombie, which Paul had apparently trapped and named 'Professor Bones'. While Paul checked the donation chest, Twilight looked around the museum. To the right was a collection of blocks from various natural structures. There were pistons, mossy cobblestone and bricks, and even a block of TNT. On the other side was a wall of signs. Examining them, Twilight saw that it was a collection of dates. Each date marked an important event in Mindcrack history; mainly new Crafters entering the world, or the world being remade.
“I guess it’s time to add a new date,” Paul said as he walked up behind her. He wrote a few words on a board, then nailed it to the wall. It read: “Visited by Princess Twilight Sparkle. April 23-”.
“I assume you’ll update it when I leave?” Twilight asked.
“Of course. You’re the first visitor to stay more than one day, and the most important one since Dinnerbone.”
“Did you mention Dinnerbone before? I feel like you did.”
“No, I didn’t. At least, I don’t remember doing so. He’s one of the most important Crafters. In order of importance: Notch created the universe, Jeb maintains it, and Dinnerbone keeps it interesting. Many crafters work beneath the three, creating new things for the universe. Then there’s those who maintain worlds, like Guude does this one. Finally, there’s everybody else. Many in the last category find their way into the two above, though, creating new worlds or new content as they so choose. Not much is seen by other Crafters, but those who share their vision have created quite a large community.”
“You sound like you’re selling yourself short,” Twilight observed.
“Perhaps,” Paul agreed. “I try to be humble. I let others take the spotlight; I don’t really need it.” He pulled a clock out of his pack. “Oh, it’s almost time for the meeting. We should go.”
Town hall was abuzz even before Twilight and Paul arrived. After hitching Ferris to a nearby fencepost, the two walked inside. As they did, the conversation died almost immediately. Twilight felt about a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her. It wasn’t a completely foreign feeling, but unwelcome nonetheless. Looking around, Twilight recognized some of the Crafters from Paul’s descriptions. Guude was standing at the head of the congregation, with Arkas and Baj on each side. To the left was the B-team, Sethbling, and Avidya. To the right stood Etho, Zisteau, and Nebris. She caught a glimpse of somebody, probably Adlington, falling off the rafters and dying, dropping the contents of his bag all over the floor.
Avidya sighed, put down a chest, and started to clean up. “I don’t even know how he got up there,” he muttered. That seemed to break the tension, as most of the assembled Crafters started to laugh.
“So, uh, Paul, what do you have here?” Guude asked, after everyone had quieted down.
“Not what, who,” Paul corrected. Bumping Twilight, he whispered, “Introduce yourself.”
Twilight cleared her throat. “I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. I come in peace. A portal appeared in my castle’s gardens last night. When I passed through, I ended up in this world. I came to learn, and to establish good relations.”
"Well, uh, welcome, I guess," Guude said. "I definitely wasn't expecting a guest from another universe. I actually called this meeting today because a new Crafter is joining our world." This news was met with a chorus of cheers from the Crafters in the hall. "You all probably have heard of her. Yes, her. Please welcome Aureylian to Mindcrack."
With an audible pop, a new Crafter appeared. She had bright red hair and a nice white dress. As the others greeted her, she blushed, perhaps not used to all the attention.
"Hello all," she said. "I'm happy to be here with you all. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun, and…" She trailed off as her eyes alighted on Twilight. "Ooh, a unicorn! Oh, wow, she's purple, too. I thought they didn't exist in this world."
"Well, until recently, she didn't," Paul explained. "I found her in the wilderness to the east. It's a long story."
"By the way," Twilight chimed in, flaring her wings, "I'm an alicorn. I have control over magic and the ability to fly."
“Oh, that’s even cooler,” Aureylian replied. “Well, we have all the time in the world, why don’t you tell the story now?”
Paul shrugged. “Ok, but don’t go saying you’re bored halfway through.”