Chapter 5
* * *
“Good afternoon fillies, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time?”
“What fer?” Applebloom asked cautiously.
“A story we’re hoping to publish for tomorrow’s edition of the Northern Lanshire Reader. Have you heard of them?”
They responded with a chorus of shaking heads.
“Well, it’s a newspaper, and I’m a reporter. Now, I imagine you can already guess what my story is about,” he gestured to where the Interloper had been sitting, minutes prior.
“And who might you be, again?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Raines. Tory Raines,” he bowed slightly, canting one leg into a curved arc.
He looked across the table for a moment, before letting his leg relax.
“I’ll begin,” he said, as he unwrapped a pink frosted cupcake. “I understand you three..”
“Four.” Rainbow Dash corrected.
“Mm.. That you four were among the first to actually meet this visitor. What can you tell me about that.”
“Well, I know we were all a bit scared at first. But that turned out to be a big ol misunderstanding,” Applebloom said sheepishly.
“I see.”
“I think he’s a lot nicer than he looked.. the first time around anyways,” Scootaloo offered.
“I thought he was brave, and very caring,” Sweetie Belle spoke softly.
Tory finished swallowing a mouthfull of cupcake.
“It seems like he must be a very powerful user of magic as well,” he remarked. “After all, you saw what he did to that creature.”
Sweetie Belle looked up.
“Yes, very powerful magic,” she said.
“But..” Rainbow Dash was interrupted by a hoof kick from under the table.
“Hmmm?” Tory inquired of the light blue pony.
Dash looked back to Sweetie Belle for a moment.
“Yeah, sure looks that way. But I’ve seen better. I’d bet Twilight could run rings around him! You know.. in like a magic contest, or something.”
“I see,” Tory remarked.
“Excuse me, but what’s this all about?” Applejack interrupted as she walked up to the table. “Is this feller bothering y’all?”
Tory turned with mild surprise, a sudden grin appearing on his face as he recognized the newcomer.
“Ahhh.. You must be Applejack.”
“Reckon so,” she eyed him inquisitively. “Who’s askin?”
“Forgive me, Miss. Tory Raines, reporter for the Northern Lanshire Reader. I’m writing a story about our new visitor here, and I understand that you may have run across him.”
* * *
“Has everything been to your liking?”
“Ah, yes. Very much so,” the Interloper replied through sips of tea. “This really is a beautiful place. I have no other way to describe it.”
“I am honored that you feel that way,” Celestia took another sip of tea, her cup suspended in the air.
He stared at the teacup for a moment.
“I’m still not quite sure how you’re doing that. Or how exactly we can suddenly understand each other.”
“Do you not have magic, where you come from?”
“Nothing of the sort, save for stories and ancient beliefs. I will say that the word you used sounded a bit odd in my head. My definition of the word feels like only an approximate match to the way you spoke about it.”
“I see,” Celestia set her teacup on the table. “I find that very interesting, that you and your people have almost no concept of it.”
“I can imagine it perfectly well, but I have never seen it used in a manner that proves it exists.”
“But we, you even, are using it at this very moment,” she lifted the teacup and swirled it gently, as if to prove a point. “Not to mention that which allows us to speak by conveying our thoughts alongside our voice.”
“Mmm.. “ he contemplated. “As much as I would normally be inclined to dismiss such claims for lack of evidence, I can’t help but to notice that it’s staring me in the face. I don’t suppose that sliver of horn that you placed in my palm had anything to do with us being able to communicate?”
“It was a necessary step. The enchantment does need some magic to operate, even just a tiny amount. You had nothing of the sort. Please consider what I have given you as a gift. Perhaps one of many that we may share in building a harmonious relationship.”
“I am honored by your consideration, and I hope that we may grow together not just as allies, but as friends. I must ask though, did that hurt much?” He gestured to the Celestia’s horn.
“I’m sure that will buff out,” Celestia smiled.
The Interloper chuckled slightly.
“You know, we do have a saying from where I’m from. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Celestia winced slightly at the unfamiliar word.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry, but something you said was rather obscure.. very hard to put my hoof on. It felt like it meant ‘things that make things that make things that make things’, over and over again.”
“I see. I think I know which word you’re referring to, and I can understand if it’s not easy to grasp right away. The concept is simple, but the implications are many - and I must have been thinking about the latter definition when I stated it.”
“And how would that be, as you say, indistinguishable from magic?”
“Hmm. Let me think for a moment. Ahh, here’s an example.”
The Interloper raised his left hand, balled in a fist. All four fingers flipped open at once, leaving a grid of glowing squares across his palm, each with a strange symbol. He quickly tapped the squares in a sequence, and then curled his hand as if he were holding an invisible cone. A strange rhythmic beeping filled the room for several seconds, before he slapped his fingers closed against his palm. The beeping abruptly silenced.
The ponies in the room stared, absolutely dumbfounded.
“That wasn’t part of the spell,” Celestia looked across the table with a trace of confusion. “I thought you had no magic?”
“See?” the Interloper stated dryly. “No, in fact that was not magic. What you heard was the signal from an embedded private branch exchange client to indicate a loss of connection to any master or fail-over network.
Every pony winced at the perfectly understandable, but completely unintelligible concept attempting to force its way into their mind.
“And the symbols you saw were numbers, activated by a graphics driver controlling a bioluminescent grid array..”
“Enough, please,” Celestia raised one hoof in acquiescence. “I appreciate your explanation, but please understand - the concepts behind some of these words are completely alien, yet the spell attempts to force an understanding, even when it can not. It can be uncomfortable to grasp so much at once.”
“I understand. Perhaps we can save such things for later. But before we change subjects, I would point out that what you witnessed appeared to be magic to you, but is well understood by myself as a relatively mundane collection of interconnected systems.”
The ponies winced again.
“Sorry.”
Twilight cleared her throat. “Are there many powerful.. ‘technology’ users among your people?”
“That is a very good question, although I can not answer it with a simple yes or no. In a sense, everybody uses it, though not all understand it. But it works regardless, even if those that use it simply take it for granted without realizing how or why it works in the first place. Does that make any sense?”
“Sort of..” she replied - feeling more confused than before.
“Now don’t get me wrong. I still have no idea how you use magic, and I would be interested to learn. Although at the moment, I wouldn’t say that I even know the right questions to ask.”
“If you plan to stay for some time, “ Celestia interjected, “my student, Twilight Sparkle, may be able to learn of your ways, and help to offer an understanding of ours.”
“I will look forward to it.”
He looked across to Twilight, who was easily the youngest participant of the meeting. She looked back at the Interloper; her curiosity becoming the lifeline that tugged her conscious back into sanity.
“Your mentor speaks very highly of you, as I believe we both understand the depth of this undertaking. Tell me, what would you be most interested to learn?”
Twilight stared blankly for a moment, her brain whirling into action with all the coherence of a tornado in a trailer park.
“Thats.. hard to say. Everything, I guess,” she admitted sheepishly.
The Interloper smiled kindly. “Well, I must admire your enthusiasm, but ‘everything’ is quite a lot to take in. Believe me, I’ve tried,” he said with a wink.
“Well,” she continued, “I think that everything can be explained through rational examination leading to logical conclusions. I don’t see why that it couldn’t be done, given enough time.”
“It seems we have an aspiring scientist among us.”
The ponies in the room winced slightly, save for Twilight. The word did not exist in her mind, but it made sense easily.
“Are there a lot of.. scientists among your people? Are you one too?” she beamed with curiosity.
“Yes, and yes. To some degree at least.”
“This is exciting,” she exclaimed, as her thoughts began to inadvertently leak out as words. “Can you show me how you do it? Er.. science, I mean.”
The Interloper sat back quietly for a moment, contemplating her request. Celestia was about to say something before the conversation completely derailed, but she delayed just slightly too long.
“I know. Here, lets say I have a hypothesis regarding this magical ability that lets me talk. Based on my hypothesis,” several ponies winced again, “I will attempt to run an experiment to see if my observed results can support my idea.”
He looked at Celestia again and waved.
“Hello!”
“Ahh.. Hello?” she replied, slightly confused.
“Great! That worked.”
The Interloper stood, and walked around the table, approaching the potted plant near the wall that bore the weight of a wooden flagpole.
“Hello!” he spoke to the plant. Nearly every pony winced, but not because of the spell.
“Hello!” he repeated, tapping his foot impatiently. He swatted the small shrub with one hand, before leaning back on his heels, and crossing his arms.
“Oy, you could stand to loose some weight!”
The plant said nothing.
“Oh well,” he muttered as he returned to his seat. “So anyways, did you see that? I conducted an experiment to see if I could talk to any living thing, or just some living things. Now it didn’t say anything back, and that could be explained by the fact that it doesn’t have ears to hear me, a brain to come up with a response, or a mouth to say anything. It is a plant, after all. Either that, or I need to talk louder next time.”
Luna cleared her throat. “Forgive me if this sounds rude, but why on Equestria did you attempt an experiment for which thou knew the outcome?”
“Ahh, well I can answer that with three reasons. One, it was funny. Two, science is not a discipline about testing what we already know. It’s about challenging one’s existing assumptions, and letting curiosity reign over learned complacency. And three, that was her first lesson on the matter.”
The proverbial dam holding back a thousand other questions in Twilight’s mind was nearing the breaking point. Celestia reacted much faster this time.
“Twilight, if you would please, could you fetch the small wooden chest from my study? I trust you remember which one.”
“Ahh,” she paused, just nearly on the cusp of asking how the Interloper managed to perform certain bodily functions while wearing half a ton of articulated steel armor. And by ‘certain’, she meant ‘all of them’.
“Yes, your Majesty,” she ducked her head and proceeded through the door.
The room was blessed with blissful momentary silence.
“Ahem, pardon me, your Majesty. I would like to interject a question.”
“Go ahead, Captain.”
“It seems that my contemporary, Lieu.. er, Captain Lancaster.. has offered the suggestion that our guest may have a military background of sorts. Would he care to answer?”
Celestia nodded, looking at the Interloper. “I would be interested to know, as well. Are you a soldier?”
“Mmm. That is an interesting question, but my answer may not be very definitive. No, I am not a soldier, or an officer in any branch of any military. However, I have, in the past, carried a very close relation to them. The sort of relation that you may be quite familiar with,” he looked to Celestia.
“As a leader of your people?” Luna queried.
“That would be closer to the truth. But at this point in time, I would consider myself to be more of an envoy, or a diplomat. It is somewhat complicated,” he shrugged plaintively.
Dornier continued. “From the way you say that, it sounds like your relation to the armed forces of your people seems to have been closer than you let on. I am curious though. Have you seen war before?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Would you care to elaborate?”
“I am happy to talk about many things, but this is one subject I prefer not to discuss lightly.”
Dornier nodded.
“I apologize for the intrusion, but I would like ask something of a simpler nature,” Celestia intoned. “Would you say that you, and your people, are peaceful?”
“I would like to say yes. This is yet another question that has many answers, but for all intents and purposes, I would say yes.”
“You did mention that you have seen war, is this not true?” Luna asked.
“It is.”
“Forgive me for asking then, but would you still describe your people as a peaceful race, in light of facing conflict?”
“This is hard to answer with a single statement. I can not speak for everyone, but I would say that we are generally good, and peace loving.”
He sighed, before continuing.
“However, I must admit that war and conflict are not something that we are only superficially acquainted. It runs quite deep, nearly defining us in some manners. It’s been said that one day we may have known an end to war, not because we grew to shun violence, but that we became too good at it.”
He smiled weakly. “Does that help to answer your question?”
The room fell into nervous paralysis for a moment.
“Ah, yes,” stated Dornier. “But perhaps we could change the subject. This is something I prefer not to discuss lightly either.”
“Have?” Celestia asked, nearly under her breath.
Behind her, the door opened slowly. Twilight returned to the table, allowing the small wooden box to levitate gently down before her.
“Ahh, Twilight, you have such impeccable timing,” Celestia softly praised.
The Interloper eyed the small aged wooden box curiously.
Luna stared at it too, eyes wide and breath drawn in sharply.
“What is this, if I might ask?”
“An artifact,” Celestia responded. “One bearing potent magic.”
Her horn glowed slightly as she concentrated. The box was held shut by a lock with no key. Tiny rings and tumblers could be heard sliding gently within the tarnished bronze lock. After several moments it clicked, and the lid popped open slightly.
Luna backed away slightly, looking nervously back to her sister.
“It is perfectly safe, I should assure you,” she said as she gently opened the lid, revealing a dull silvery ring. “The magic imbued within this artifact was the basis for the spell which we now use to speak.”
“Ah. If we can already speak with each other, what is it for then?”
“To understand.”
The Interloper looked on with interest.
“It is my intention that Twilight Sparkle will bear this ring, as to help gain clarity into the depths of what you wish to tell her.”
“I see.”
“However,” the ring levitated into the air, just above the tip of her gleaming white horn. “I first wish to..”
She was interrupted by Luna’s hoof pressed gently against her shoulder. She looked down at her sister, who stared back fearfully into her eyes, shaking her head with gentle fervor.
“No..”
“Just once.”
“I’m afraid.”
They whispered back and forth for several moments. Luna quietly pleading for her to reconsider.
“Just once, sister.”
Luna looked to the side, lowering her head and nodding slowly.
The ring slid down Celestia’s horn, fitting snugly at the base. She contemplated it for a moment, not entirely sure of what could happen next.
“So far, so good,” she smiled. “Perhaps you could tell me..”
Her voice trailed off as she faced the Interloper. They stared at each other intently - his jovial demeanor melting into impassive sympathy, her regal and proud countenance giving way to awe and fear. Her legs began to tremble slightly as she lowered her hind quarters to the floor.
“Sister..” Luna spoke softly.
Hoof and hand shot across the table suddenly, meeting firmly in the middle. Their eyes closed as they held each other tightly, both seemingly afraid to let go. They remained clasped together for several moments longer, slowly relaxing as their grip loosened. Celestia’s trembling subsided, and they both raised their heads to regard each other once again.
“Are you okay?” they both asked of each other, with sincere concern.
“That would be my question as well, sister,” Luna deadpanned.
“Fear not, I am quite all right,” Celestia soothed. She rose up to her former stature, allowing her calm composure to return.
The Interloper drained the last of his tea, returning the cup to the saucer with an audible clink.
“I must say, that was interesting,” he stated.
“I agree,” Celestia said with a slight chuckle. “Not only do I know what a ‘firehose’ is, but now I know what it feels like to drink from one. Perhaps, I should have taken a smaller sip.” She swallowed the last half of her tea in one head-rearing gulp, before refilling each cup with a twitch of magic.
“Princess?” Twilight inquired. “Were you planning to ask our guest anything while you were using that ring?”
“I believe that we have both said enough.”
The Interloper nodded.
“Although,” Celestia pondered, “I did have one question.”
“Ahh, yes?”
“Do you recall that one plant from the forest, on the night we met? The gardener plant.”
“I believe I know the one you’re speaking of, and yes. I remember it quite well.”
“You burnt it into a crisp. Knowing you have no magic to speak of, I can only presume that you used some sort of.. ‘technology’ to do this. Can you tell me what that was?”
“Ah, yes. It was a gun.”
“A gun?” She looked puzzled for a moment. “Perhaps I can learn more about..”
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Celestia jerked upwards three times in rapid succession, her pupils shot open, staring blankly. Her ears flared back across her head, as she stumbled backwards on her hind legs.
Laurie and Dornier rushed to her aide, steadying her as she clutched a hoof over her chest, probing expectantly for gaping wounds, but only feeling her frantic pounding heartbeat.
“What in thine name was that!” Luna exclaimed, having heard nothing.
Celestia gasped for breath, lifting her head to see the Interloper before her - with one hand pressed to her shoulder, reassuringly.
“I must apologize if that startled you. I truly did not intend or expect you to react like that.”
“React to what?” Luna asked hotly.
“Sister, before I grow tired of saying this, I am still okay!” Celestia exclaimed between deep breaths.
She stood slowly, and returned to the table. With a quick shudder, she lowered her head, and flicked the ring with her hoof back into the small wooden box.
Twilight stared at the small unassuming silvery ring with visible trepidation. She looked up to Celestia, uncertain about the prospect of accepting such a powerful artifact.
Celestia turned to the Interloper quickly.
“You did not bring that with you, I should hope.”
“No. I did not feel it would be appropriate, or welcome here.”
“Thank you.”
She turned back to Twilight.
“Are you willing to accept this?” She said, sliding the box in front of her.
Twilight gulped hesitantly. “Are you sure I should have this? I mean, well, you..”
“I am fine, my little pony. And you will be too. No physical harm will come from this,” she tapped the box.
Twilight looked at it again, before turning her confused gaze back to Celestia.
“I would trust no other pony to handle this. It will require wisdom, care, and responsibility - all traits that I know you hold in great measure.”
Twilight nodded slowly.
“Should I try it?” she asked.
“Go ahead. Just be careful.”
The ring levitated slightly at the behest of Twilight’s glowing horn. She was interrupted briefly by the tap of one polished azure hoof on her shoulder.
“Please, Twilight Sparkle. Do be careful,” Luna whispered.
Emboldened, she thrust her horn upwards, feeling the ring slide down firmly to the base. Nothing felt out of place, though she felt another presence within the room. Looking to the Interloper, the ring tingled her mind slightly, as if she could sense the well oiled ticking of many thoughts flowing at once.
“So far, so good,” she quietly spoke.
“Does it feel all right?” the Interloper asked.
Twilight nodded, looking back to the otherworldly visitor. The questions racing through her mind parted way for one more pressing than any other. Feeling her thoughts intertwine with the Interloper’s mind, she wordlessly put forth her request.
Who are you?
The response came back the same - not as any spoken message or coherent thought. Just as a feeling that manifested itself as two sentences burning brightly in her mind.
Emperor of a thousand suns.
Death of a million worlds.
She gasped, focusing on the smiling face sitting across the table. She tried to peer into his mind a second time, asking the same question, but was met by only a quiet thrumming.
“Oh, that was interesting,” the Interloper exclaimed. “It felt as if you were asking what I was called, or what my name was - I’m not quite sure which.”
“Yes..” Twilight answered shakily.
“Well, you can call me Trent. Pleased to meet you..”
“Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.”
“Ahh, yes.”
Further introductions were made, placing names to the faces that Trent had learned over the past day. The conversation shifted to more pleasant subjects, skirting away from topics that only invited more questions.
Before long, the tea had dwindled to droplets, much like the last grains of sand through an hourglass. As such, the meeting drew to a close. Much to the welcome relief of the two recipients of the enormous teapot normally reserved for Canterlot Palace staff meetings.
"I believe that wraps everything up. I would like to thank everypony, and every person, for attending."
"Yes. I feel it was very productive as well. Perhaps we will have time for more of these meetings in the future."
Every pony in the room groaned inwardly, save for Celestia and Trent. They lived for this sort of bureaucratic bliss.
"We will be out shortly," she concluded.
The room emptied quietly, leaving the two facing each other across the table. As the double doors clicked shut, they nodded to each other.
"I feel you have something more to say."
"Yes."
"Ask away."
"The gardener plant, you recall.."
"Yes."
"How did you know."
"Call it a lucky guess, I suppose."
"You landed almost right on top of it. How did you know where to find her?"
"Applejack, you mean?" The name sounded strange from his mouth, almost as if it were a foreign pronunciation.
"Yes. Applejack."
"Well.. I do have exceptionally good hearing while wearing that suit. Perhaps that.."
The glare from the gleaming white alicorn suggested a different answer was needed.
Trent sighed. "I do not wish to lie, as I deeply value our new friendship. And I consider myself to be an honest man by nature. But this is something that I can not tell you. I will let Applejack know everything, when she asks, and when she is ready."
Strangely, the pronunciation was perfect this time.
"I should not have to let you know that it puzzles me greatly."
"I know. It must be disturbing to consider the possible implications. But let us treat this as one of the many subjects that should not be broached until we both understand each other better. In due time, but not right now."
She nodded reluctantly.
"One more thing. Twilight seemed a bit.. shocked earlier. What did she ask of you, and what did you tell her?"
"It may have been a slight miscommunication. She asked what I am named, but she learned what I am called. It is not a title I wear proudly, and I shall leave it at that."
"I see."
The interloper shook his head.
"Someday you might see, but I would hope that it never comes to that."
“From any other, I might take offense. But from what little I know of you now, I will trust your judgement.”
“Thank you. Truly. From what we’ve shared, I feel as if we have much in common. But that is not the only reason why I have revealed certain things to you. Secrets that I would tell no other soul.”
He slumped forward on the table slightly, as if the weight of the world were suddenly felt upon his shoulders. His head sank into his cupped hands as Celestia leaned forward, rubbing one hoof across his back.
“You are kind..”
“I feel that is exactly what you need.”
Trent looked up, smiling weakly. “This really is a beautiful place.”
They hugged each other briefly, their firm embrace going beyond any trivial formality.
“Will you be staying?”
“Absolutely, yes.”
Celestia smiled warmly.
“Are there others, like you?”
Trent was taken aback slightly, as if not entirely sure how to answer.
“Many.”
“Will they be coming here?”
“I.. can’t answer that,” he sighed. “No, no. Don’t take that the wrong way, this is not me being secretive. I simply do not know.. and if I did know, I am not sure how I would feel about it myself.”
Catching her puzzled reaction, he continued, “In good time, Princess. We may both know the answer in good time.”
“I see,” she sighed.
“Hmm.. if you don’t mind, could I ask you a slightly personal question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Ah, do people, er, ponies.. or you in particular, normally drink that much tea in one sitting?”
She laughed softly. “No, never. Although I’ve been tempted to ask you the same thing.”
Trent nodded.
“Would you know..”
“Out the door, down the hall, second door on the left.”
“Thank you!”
They shook once again, hand to hoof, before departing in their separate ways at an urgent pace.
* * *
Some time later, Celestia returned to her private chamber. She opened the door to see Luna waiting impassively.
“Finally. What has taken thee so long?”
“My private discussion with our guest?”
“Nay. In there,” Luna gestured impatiently with one hoof. “It sounded like you started a shower.”
“Oh..” Celestia blushed slightly. “No, no. Nothing of the sort.”
Luna looked on, still puzzled.
“Did you try the tea?” she asked helpfully.
Before Luna could answer, a certain mental connection was made.
“Aaaauughhh!” she stated, slapping one indigo haired foreleg over her eyes.
“Oh stop that. Is this going on your list of ‘Troublesome and ghastly noises emanated by my fairer and much more gracious older sister’?” she asked mockingly.
“No, sister. For now, it would need a book to contain it!”
“Why you little..”
“Enough!” Luna exclaimed. “We have a serious matter to discuss.”
Celestia marched across the room, rolling her eyes with a force that only a goddess could conjure. She flopped across the bed, legs and wings splayed in all directions across the taut velvety sheets.
“Is this about Twilight?”
“Indeed. I cannot fathom why you seemingly thrust her into this. Are you truly confident in her well being, whilst bearing that ring?”
“She will be fine.”
“Thine self certainly did not seem fine earlier!”
“What you saw was not the ring’s doing. I do not fear it. I fear.. him,” her voice became much quieter.
Luna studied her sister carefully.
“Is he dangerous?”
“No, it’s not that. I bear no ill will towards him, and I can feel that he is good by nature. But there is a certain potency about him that I feel humbled before. I know that he is not old, not nearly a match to our collective millennia of life, but in our brief moments together, whereby he willingly bore open the chronicles of his past to me, I could feel something different.”
“Why, then?”
“He needs our help.”
“Help? He has come from what unforeseen land to seek our charity?”
“No, sister. Help not borne from our hooves, but from our hearts.”
“He needs a friend? I find your explanations increasingly tenuous.”
“Listen,” Celestia’s eyes bore a severe finality. “Before today, I have never known of another soul like his. I have felt his life, from the time when it must have burned brighter than the sun, until now, as a cold dying ember in my hoof. We must hold and kindle that spark, for I do not wish to see what will become of him when it sputters into ashes!”
Luna cocked one eye at her sister, puzzled by the sudden outburst.
“I have not seen you this distressed in some time, sister. I feel as if your insistence behind Twilight’s new role now bears a greater importance than simply learning about the ways of our visitor.”
Celestia nodded.
“Do you remember, when you said that the artifact could allow one to read a mind, as if it were a book?”
“Verily. Tell me, as I follow this analogy, what did you read that has you feeling so overwhelmed?”
“The table of contents.”
* * *
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CH5: A long boring meeting.
Now for the fun stuff..
the last line of this was awesome
Sweet zombie Jesus, write faster!
The table of contents.... Oh now I really want to know what happens next
i love it
Table of contents:
Chapter one: Observation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement on Supraquantum Structures by Induction Through Nonlinear Transuranic Crystal of Extremely Long Wavelength (ELW) Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array.
Chapter two: Baking for dummies.
Chapter three: Childhood memories.
Chapter four: That embarrassing moment at college.
Chapter five: Deep seated hatred of avacados.
Chapter six: Killing people demystified.
GREAT SCOTT!!!
Great read btw. 
i knew OP would deliver
I do not know if I would call the meeting boring so much as revealing. For some odd reason when the term "death of a thousand worlds" came up I thought of "speaker for the dead" but I realize these two have no interconnection. As for the table of contents comment, if she is worried from that then the chapters of said book should give her a heart attack
The table of contents of the human Race
carnivore, greedy warmonger and unmerciful conqueror on an never ending hunting of resources
Oh Snap .. i feel bad for my little pony's ...
But still, he is such a nice guy!
I've got to admit it, I've bookmarked this. I've always liked fantasy / Modern crossovers, and until yesterday I had never tried a Fan Fiction. So truthfully, of all the ones I've sampled and went "Nah" to, this is one of the couple (And by couple I mean 2) that I've read fully and thoroughly enjoyed. (The other one was 21 chapters long and counting)
Ahh, thank you for your comments. Reading them gives me the impression that nobody is prepared for what is in store.
Derpy, Fluttershy, Applejack up next.
Also, things get romantic. Which makes it all the more depressing later.
He seems a bit more Isaac Clarke than master chief.
Did you make a piss joke? With luna and Celestia??
Godly..just...Godly
And Mentally scaring...
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
26111
I was asked the same thing once.
26082
Ahh, what's the other one?
Oh god, moar. Write faster
I like where you are going with this story!
Looking forward to the next chapter, and all the ones after that.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” You got that quote in.... I was thinking about that when i first read.
26218
Off the top of my head, it's either Asimov or Clarke.
Ahh, Clarke.
Not to be confused with Niven's Law:
"Any sufficiently rigorously defined magic is indistinguishable from technology."
sooooo happy when i saw this was updated. any idea when the next chapter will be out? or should i not rush genius.
amazing chapter btw.
i really like this fan fic though i feel that you made the ponies seem a bit too far behind in technological knowledge because twilight not knowing what 'technology' or 'science' is, i find to be wrong because from the show i can conclude that the Ponies have a light amount of technology because DJ-PON3's DJ table and boom boxes are technology and in the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen" Twilight trys to explain Pinkie Pie's Pinkie sense using science and logical thinking, the ponies lack of knowledge is the only thing that kinda perturbed me while reading other than that i love the fic its easy to keep up with and interesting so keep up the good work.
worth the unnecessarily long wait...
26331
There's a few things I have to gloss over, or selectively ignore. It really shouldn't be my job to explain how a species without opposable thumbs, much less fingers, manage to produce sewing machines, electric fans, trains, or turntables.
But I can run with it anyways. The fact that unicorns can magically perform delicate handwork, or that ponies have vocal cords capable of complex speech, etc - does allow for a reasonably plausible explanation of a society where the ponies come to expect a reasonable level of technology - even though they don't understand the fundamental meaning of the word behind it.
So, while any pony could be a scientist - it's not common for them to do so, since most everything that would require an understanding of science and technology can work by magical handwaving. Therefore, while Twilight is effectively a scientist at heart, she doesn't have a whole scientific community to be a part of, or formal education on that matter.
Besides, its a good springboard for them to bond :)
26133 Sorry for the late reply, but the other one is called "Growing Pains". I don't know why, but I have a strange fascination with Grimdark and Modern/Fantasy Crossovers... :D
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7252679/1/Growing_Pains
26255
There can never be enough "MOAR"'s
CH6 started.
"Some day we may know an end to war. Not for that we grew to shun violence, but that we became too good at it."
best line.
You've done so many things right that I don't even know how to express my delight. Magic as two different concepts, technology, scientific process, recursion - it was all beautifully done. After reading some fictions having "author doesn't understand basic concepts of scientific process" written all over them perusing your story have been a pure bliss.
HOLY SHIT!!! THIS GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS MAN!!! WRITE FASTER!!!
simply amazing
“Why haven’t they come out yet?” Twilight asked, as she tucked the small wooden box into her saddlebag. “Do you think they’re still talking in there?”
Luna turned to Twilight. “I would expect nothing less at this point. For I know my sister is keen of perception, and sharp of wit. Certainly she has her own questions to ask, for she knows that some pieces to this puzzle do not fit.”
Twilight giggled slightly. “For a moment there, you sounded like Zecora.”
“And you, young Twilight. Thy innocent mirth bears similar to the mewling of a lamb before the altar.”
Twilight was taken aback by Luna’s annoyed response.
“Um.. altar?”
“You know not the gods of yore. Be forever grateful,” she spoke evenly. “But know this, my concern for you runs deep, in light of this endeavour.”
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Ahh, which parts did you like best?
27748
i honestly can't put any chapter above the others. but i really liked the exchange between the characters in the latest chapter. i love how all the ponies are shocked about our technology and human nature and shit. loved the confusion and action in the beginning as well.
All we need now is some inception music to play when the last line was said
"the table of contents" and que music
"Oh..” Celestia blushed slightly. “No, no. Nothing of the sort.”
Luna looked on, still puzzled.
“Did you try the tea?” she asked helpfully.
Before Luna could answer, a certain mental connection was made.
“Aaaauughhh!” she stated, slapping one indigo haired foreleg over her eyes.
“Oh stop that. Is this going on your list of ‘Troublesome and ghastly noises emanated by my fairer and much more gracious older sister’?” she asked mockingly.
“No, sister. For now, it would need a book to contain it!”
DOHOHOHO, THAT SLAPS ME ON THE KNEE.
Getting close to 1000 words on ch 6. Fair bit of Luna / dornier dialogue.
Trying to think of a gift for sweetie belle. Would be easier if I knew what she wanted to be.
I see bad things in store for a blue unicorn.
28469 Blue unicorn?
Well it cant be Luna since she's an alicorn sooo....
Background pony?
28647 Derp!
Trixie, of course
28649
Lambs before the altar.
this fanfic is very awesome. I don't want it to end.
I've finally figured out what to give Sweetie Belle, and it plays perfectly into the story.
There is a lot to write about now..
28870 Hmmm, i dont really get it, so ill just wait till next chapter!
Allso, how much till next one?
Pretty soon. I think I filled up 1500 words in the first scene alone.
I'll be pounding it out pretty fast once I get the interloper alone with Fluttershy.
That sounded oh so very wrong.
Over 2000 words in.
Dornier just got about 20% cooler.
29650
I can't wait until you post the next chapter!
29223 Yes, yes it did
YES!
No more guest for me!
I will explode if I don't get my ponies :C
Like, how much time till next chapter? Please?
I dont have any more fanfics to read...