Locations
There was a moment of confusion among the human candidates from hearing Prince Mark talk before Shariq turned around to confront Caleb.
“Are you mocking us with these animals?”
Caleb frowned. “First of all, they are no more animals than you and I. Secondly, although we might find your reactions amusing, this isn’t a joke.”
“What? You use animatronic fantasy creatures as proxies?”
Chrysalis turned to Mark and asked, “What does animatronic mean, husband?”
The green alicorn replied, “Animatronic devices are very sophisticated puppets meant to closely mimic living things.”
Chrysalis’ eyebrows rose. She approached the irate human and glared at him. “Behold, unbeliever! Can your animatronic devices do this?” Arcane green flames engulfed her to replace the changeling queen’s quadrupedal form with a bipedal one. Unfortunately, or perhaps deliberately, still without any clothing. Chrysalis posed to show off her very voluptuous anthro body.
Shariq’s eyes bugged out before he rapidly averted his gaze. There were gasps of surprise and amazement from the other candidates, but only a sigh of exasperation from Mark.
“Please resume your normal form, dear.”
With one last glare at the offending human, Chrysalis complied and returned to her place next to Mark. Her departing tail flick might have been accidental.
Caleb spoke up. “I suppose that now that we’ve had a little fun at your expense, I’d better explain the true situation. That mirror surface that you passed through wasn’t a security device, it was a portal to another world.”
“Like a star gate as I said?” Jules queried.
“Yes, only powered by magic, not science.” Caleb held up a hand to forestall objections. “Yes, magic. Don’t argue because you’ll only look silly when you see more examples. Anyway, we are now on the world of Equus in the nation of Equestria. The green pony with a horn and wings is an alicorn and, as he said, he is Prince Mark Wells, a Triarch which is one of three rulers of the empire.” By previous agreement, there would be no mention of Mark’s origin as a human. “The shape-changing one is a royal changeling, Queen Chrysalis of the Canterlot Hive, and Mark’s wife. The mare with the impressive leathery wings is Captain Penumbra, a batpony, and Mark’s chief bodyguard. And while Prince Mark’s job is to govern Equestria, part of that job is to increase its prosperity through commerce. Harmonic Composites is the company through which this is done on Earth. The secrets of the unique manufacturing techniques and the beings that create them can only be found here on this world. You four are intended to expand that business by managing not only the new branches but also maintaining the secret. Hence, the very strict non-disclosure agreements that you signed.”
“Are you even human?” Tyrone asked suspiciously.
“Yes, I am. I come from Earth too.” ‘Just not your Earth,’ he added mentally. He put his arm around Vicky’s waist. “My wife and I live here though.” Caleb implied that Vicky was human without actually saying so, thus maintaining the illusion of a human couple.
“This isn’t preparation for some sort of invasion, is it?” Michelle asked.
Mark rolled his eyes. “No, Ms. Van Dijk; we are traders not invaders. We have neither the need nor desire to conquer other countries.”
Michelle’s eyes narrowed. “But twice now your nation has been described as an empire. You don’t get that big without taking over other countries.”
Mark nodded. “That’s very perceptive of you, but there’s a difference between conquering other nations by force and having them join yours willingly. The Equestrian Empire consists of several allied nations, many of which were liberated from the oppression of a conquering warlord and chose to join us for both prosperity and security. And yes, I am fully aware that the victors usually write history to put themselves in the best light. For now, please just take my word for it; you are free to research the subject later.”
Michelle frowned but nodded.
Mark smiled. “Good. You are going to discover for yourselves the vast diversity of sapient beings in this world. I represent the alicorns, but we are few and are ascended forms of the other pony tribes. Penumbra here is an example of the subset of the pegasus tribe – the batponies.”
“The superior version,” Penny said smugly.
Mark smirked. “Regular pegasi have feathered wings. Before any of you point out that we can’t possibly be able to fly, trust me – we can. I’ve mentioned magic before – it’s very real and the reason why I can do this.” He levitated a stack of documents off the table and hovered them in front of the candidates. “Check for strings if you like. It’s that magic glow that’s holding that up.”
Michelle gave it a hesitant push that failed to budge it. Tyrone passed his arms around the stack to no effect.
Jules reached for the papers and stopped. He quirked an eyebrow and looked at Mark. “Do you mind if I try an experiment?”
“Be my guest.”
The man took the top sheet and crumpled it into a tight ball. His hands cupped below and above the paper and he slowly brought them together. Michelle squinted and brought her face close.
Jules touched his cupped hands together a few times. “When my hands form a tight seal, they act as a Faraday cage and I can feel the weight. The ball levitates when I have a moderate size gap.”
Michelle asked, “Does it matter where the gap is located?”
“No. The field is not just pushing up from the bottom nor is it pulling up from the top. The ball doesn’t deform at all no matter which direction the gap is with respect to the ball.”
Tyrone said, “I didn’t feel any levitation on my arms. Can you sense anything?”
Jules replied, “Other than a feeling similar to static electricity, no, I don’t.”
Michelle said, “Levitation is an area effect, distributing force across the entire volume.” She tapped her nose with a finger, apparently lost in thought.
Shariq said, “This is how you control the crystallization of the alloys. You don’t have to worry about gravity separating the components.”
Mark said, “That and precise temperature control in different sections of the sample.” Chrysalis gave him a meaningful look and nodded. All of the candidates were intellectually and emotionally involved.
Jules flattened out the sheet as best he could, giving a sheepish smile. He released the sheet an inch above the stack of papers. It remained in midair for a few seconds until Mark allowed it to slowly drop to the stack and then the stack to the table.
Mark continued. “Anyway, as I was saying, there are also unicorns, earth ponies, donkeys, and zebras, but equines are hardly the only species. There are changelings such as my wife, griffons, hippogriffs, kirin, ornithians, dragons, Abyssinians, diamond dogs, breezies, and more. This is the ultimate multi-species and multi-cultural society, and it’s going to be a little overwhelming at first.”
“You can say that again,” Caleb murmured.
Mark gave him a flat look before continuing. “It can also be an exciting and wonderful experience. How you deal with it will be one of the things we will be judging you four on during your probationary period.”
“When do we get to see these other… um… species,” Jules asked. “I’d like to meet a griffon.”
“Right now if you want,” came a voice from near the door to the conference room.
While the attention of the candidates had been focused on Mark, two people had quietly slipped into the room to listen to the proceedings. One had responded to Jules.
Michelle whirled around at the sound of a familiar voice. “Ms. Martine! Did you know ab—” She stopped, not seeing her human boss but a griffon instead, accompanied by a unicorn.
The griffon held up a talon. “I’m here, Michelle. I just wear a different form in Equestria. And this handsome unicorn is Phillipe, my husband.”
“What the actual f—” Tyrone barely stopped the F-bomb, but all the other candidates were thinking the same thing.
Caleb said, “Let me tell you about one other exciting option about coming to this world. There is an adaptation spell that enables humans to take on the Equian form that most suits them here. Rosa Martine becomes a griffon, while Phil Martine becomes a unicorn. From experience, I know I become an earth pony, but I prefer to remain human. The Martines prefer their Equian forms but, as I said, this is optional. There is absolutely no requirement to do so.”
Jules looked as if he had just been given a wonderful Christmas present. “Hell, yeah! I want to try that.”
“It’s reversible, right?” Tyrone asked.
“Of course,” Phil replied. “You’ve seen me as a human on Earth despite my frequent trips to Equestria.”
“Okay then. I think I’d be consumed by curiosity if I didn’t give it a try, even if I preferred to stay human.”
“Fair enough,” Phil said. “As Caleb mentioned, it’s purely optional.”
“Would I be able to fly if I became a griffon?” Michelle asked.
“Yes,” Rosa replied, “but you would have to learn how. Even naturally winged species need to learn how to use them.”
“Fair enough. I’d like to give it a try then.”
“What about you, Shariq?” Caleb asked.
The man scowled. “Why would I want to become an animal?”
Mark said, “Not an animal, but that’s your choice. The others will be given the opportunity later. Now, let’s proceed with the real purpose of this meeting. As already mentioned, I am the boss of Harmonic Composites, at least on this side of the portal. Phil and Rosa Martine are my partners on the Earth side. We started this company for purely capitalistic reasons. I wanted to increase my nation’s prosperity through commerce, and Phil and Rosa had a small company that they wanted to grow into other fields. I provided the capital and the unique manufacturing capabilities while they organized sales and found new markets. Phil also finds new applications based on the special features of our products.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Tyrone said. “Those features that no other company on Earth could replicate are due to magic?”
“Exactly. I know that it’s a hard idea to swallow, but magic spells and abilities are a normal thing here. Alloys and materials that are difficult to produce on Earth can easily be manufactured in large quantities here. It’s unicorn magic paired with computational analysis that allows the company to create what none other can. Alloys with different properties blend seamlessly together. Magic allows precise control of temperature, pressure, and cooling rate in different sections of the part. The computation hardware and software on the Earth side run evolutionary algorithms to create the highly optimized product designs. Certain functions of our equipment are accomplished by enchantments rather than electronics. This is a world that is rich in mana, the energy behind magic, and this world’s species have evolved to take advantage of it. Some even have special talents that exceed all others. Mine is lightning control, for example.”
“No one can control lightning,” Michelle scoffed. “That’s too much raw energy for even heavy industrial machinery to cope with, let alone an organic creature.”
Mark said nothing but held up his forehooves about half a yard apart. A huge bolt of electricity arced between them for about a second, buzzing and crackling while it dazzled those who did not anticipate what was going to happen. The four candidates blinked and rubbed their abused eyes.
“You were saying, Ms. Van Rijn?”
“Objection withdrawn, sir.”
“Good. Now that you know the basics, it’s time to show you around this facility and then the new branches that you will be managing.”
“That seems to be a lot to accomplish in one day, sir,” Jules said. “The branches are a long way apart. Or do you have some way of getting there quickly?”
Mark grinned. “Now you’re catching on. We have different portals that can take us instantly anywhere. Your postings are just a few steps away.”
Jules rubbed his palms together and his grin matched the alicorn’s. “I think I’m going to enjoy this… a lot!”
Mark looked over to Caleb, Vicky, Phil, and Rosa. “That’s your cue, guys. I’ve got Day Court coming up and Chrysalis and I need to prepare. Have a great day, everyone.”
“Follow my wife, please,” Phil said as Rosa headed for the door. He brought up the rear after all the candidates had exited the room. Just before entering the hallway, Phil overheard Chrysalis behind him, an edge of anger in her voice.
“I was mistaken, my husband. Michelle is not the most insufferable applicant for our changelings to deal with.”
As they filed out into the corridor, Tyrone asked Caleb, “Where do you fit into this? As a human, I would have thought that I would have seen you around.”
“Oh, I don’t work for Harmonic Composites. Prince Mark has his hooves in a number of different projects aimed at advancing Equestria’s capabilities in many areas such as construction. Electrical arc welding was unknown before he introduced it to this world with equipment brought over from Earth. However, he needed someone to teach the locals how to use it. I head up a welding school which he financed. My wife, Vicky, runs the office while I do the hands-on, or should I say hooves-on, teaching as I’m a fully qualified welder. Anyway, Mark asked us to show you around to reassure you that everything is on the up-and-up and humans are welcome here. And honestly, ponies are quite nice to know. Give them a scratch behind the ears and they’ll love you for it. Just ask before you do it, okay?”
Tyrone chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They emerged onto a balcony that overlooked a factory floor. The four candidates gaped in awe at what they could see from that vantage point. Species of various kinds were operating the machinery, moving materials, and constructing devices. While some of the processes were esoteric, it was the incongruity of the mythical beings operating prosaic equipment in an otherwise ordinary factory that left them stunned. A pegasus flew by, carrying parts from one part of the building to another, and Michelle watched it in wonder.
“They really can fly,” she murmured.
Rosa heard and said, “It’s one thing to say it and another to see it for yourself, ¿no? Believe me, when I first became a griffon, I could hardly wait to try flying for myself.”
Phil said, “The facility here has reached its peak capacity, hence why we needed to expand. Rather than enlarging this one, we decided to establish new factories in cities on either coast of this country. While portal technology gives us the ability to travel anywhere, those facilities have given local employment opportunities to many citizens in Baltimare and Vanhoover.”
“Baltimare and Vanhoover?” echoed Shariq. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope. For whatever reason, there are a lot of pun variations on familiar place names. Anyway, the one in Vanhoover is linked to the new Los Angeles branch while the Baltimare branch goes to Houston. If necessary, goods can be easily transferred between facilities in the same way that they’re transported to Earth. If you look to your far left, you will see a large roller shutter that is currently closed. When it’s open, you would be able to see a large interdimensional portal that goes to the secure holding facility back in Charlotte. A similar shutter covers the portal on the Earth side. When one goes down, so does the other to prevent trying to go through a blocked gateway. A third shutter door at the opposite end of the secure area can only be opened to the loading dock when the portal shutter is closed, and vice-versa so that the secret of the delivery of goods is maintained. That portal has recently had an upgrade though, and it can be switched to go to either of the new facilities, thus enabling Harmonic Composites to be able to make rapid deliveries of goods to the other branches. You will be able to travel instantly between them too, but you will still be required to take up residence in the states of the Earth-side branches to maintain the illusion of being far apart.”
“Can we see what it’s like outside the factory?” asked Tyrone.
“Yes, but not right now. First, we need to show you your future workplaces. After business is complete, we intend to take you sightseeing and then a trip to Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria, for dinner at the castle.”
“Castle?” Michelle queried. “As in kings and queens?”
“Yes, but no,” Rosa replied. “For Equestria, it is prince and princesses. Besides Prince Mark Wells, there are Princess Trixie Lulamoon and Princess Twilight Sparkle, his co-rulers.”
“Two princesses? Now you’re talking,” Michelle said with a smile.
Phil looked over to Caleb and nodded. The man returned the nod before speaking up. “Okay, folks, the sooner we get business out of the way, the sooner we can all get around to relaxing and socializing. Follow Vicky and me and we’ll head off to the Vanhoover/Los Angeles branch first.”
As the group headed back down the corridor, Michelle stepped up next to Vicky and asked, “I suppose you commute between Charlotte and here. What’s that like?”
“Actually, my husband and I live here in Ponyville.”
“Oh? Can I ask why you choose to live here?”
“Because we love it here. We’ve made it our home and we’re raising our children here.”
“What about their education? I mean, this is a whole different world, not just another country.”
“My husband and I will ensure they know all about their Earth heritage. It’s important to both Caleb and me.”
Their conversation stopped as they arrived back at the guard station and Caleb asked the security officer to open the portal to Vanhoover. A beam from the unicorn guard’s horn scanned their badges which briefly glowed green and she nodded in satisfaction.
Tyrone looked at his badge more closely and frowned in puzzlement. “How’d she do that? Make them flash like that, I mean.”
Caleb replied, “Because they’re enchanted. They have a microchip for interaction with the Earth-side devices, but the true security is in the spell they are imbued with. They are keyed to you alone and an imposter cannot use them at all. The guard’s scanning spell detects that they are genuine and you are authorized to traverse the portal. Plus, because they only flash in response to a specific sequence of magical energy, they will never flash inadvertently on the Earth side.”
While Caleb was explaining, the guard tapped a code into a pad and a light over one of the doors illuminated. The visitors only then noticed that each doorway had a nameplate over it, and this one read Vanhoover, while the others had Canterlot, Baltimare, and Charlotte. Caleb opened the door and stepped through, followed by Vicky. The candidates were surprised not to see a mirror in the door frame but just another room. They passed through without hesitation. It was immediately obvious that they were in a different location. While they had emerged into another security station, the exit from that led directly onto a large open floor. Skylights revealed an overcast sky, whereas the previous factory had been brightly lit by a clear sunny day.
Jules had paused at the portal, peering at it closely. “That wasn’t like the other portal at all,” he commented. “There was no sense of disorientation when passing through.
Caleb replied, “That’s because it’s only for local travel, not interdimensional. I’m told it utilizes a different kind of spell that brings two sets of space-time coordinates together, so you’re basically just walking through it like any normal doorway. You passed through a fixed one but there are also temporary ones. Set up a beacon, link to it, and bam! – instant portal. That pretty much means anywhere in the empire if you have the necessary equipment.”
Phil added, “But a fixed one like this can be kept open indefinitely, whereas the temporary ones last two hours and are single-use only. It isn’t cheap to set up the permanent ones, but when you have the royal treasury backing you, it’s a no-brainer. Anyway, enough about portals. Time to meet the manager of this facility.”
A light blue-coated unicorn with white feathering on his lower legs and a blue & yellow-striped mane approached with a pleasant smile on his face. In a deep baritone voice, he said, “Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Martine. Are these the probationary managers that you told me about?”
Phil stepped up to hoof-bump the stallion who subsequently exchanged a talon-shake with Rosa. Phil said, “Yes, they are. You already know Caleb and Vicky. Let me introduce you to Jules Petit and Shariq Hussein. These two will have their trial period at the Los Angeles branch with you. The others are Tyrone Davis and Michelle Van Dijk who will be going to the other facility. Everyone, this is Fast Mover who has been in charge of this factory since it commenced operations.”
“A pleasure to meet you all, I’m sure,” the stallion said.
Rosa said, “Would you care to give our candidates a tour of las facilidades, Mr. Mover?”
“Certainly, Ma’am. If you would all follow me.” He headed toward an assembly line. “We are currently manufacturing high-density electron storage crystals which will be going into Harmonic Composites’ Superstor brand batteries. These are capable of holding triple the charge of anything comparable on the market on Earth and are expected to revolutionize the electric vehicle industry there, not to mention Equestrian transport. Our main obstacles right now are ramping up production and trying to increase yield beyond our current sixteen percent. On your right…
After an exhaustive tour and many curious looks between the humans and the employees at work there, the group returned to the Vanhoover portal station.
Fast Mover looked to Phil and Rosa and asked, “Will we be showing them the Earth-side offices right now?”
“Might as well,” Phil replied. “Rosa and I will go ahead to forewarn the staff there.” The guard opened the interdimensional portal to Los Angeles just long enough for the griffon and unicorn to step through.
After the badges of the four humans were scanned once again, the guard re-opened the portal to Los Angeles. The candidates were confronted by a mirror, but they knew what to expect this time. Still, they were surprised to find their bosses in human form when they crossed over into a much smaller room.
Michelle blinked then smirked. “Seeing as you weren’t clothed back there, I wondered if you traveled in the nude.”
Rosa smiled and replied, “I did that the very first time that I visited Equus. Nowadays though, my husband and I wear enchanted clothing. It all goes into some sort of magic storage pocket when we go there and returns when we come back to Earth. Both convenient and saves us from embarrassing situations.”
“What about us?” Jules asked. “When we try the change of forms, I mean.”
“We recommend you strip,” Phil replied. “While you won’t have much of a problem if you turn into a pony like me, because we’re smaller than humans, the clothes tend to fit very badly and your pants will probably fall down as they aren’t designed to stay on a quadruped. On the flip side, if you change into a larger species such as a griffon like my wife, you will burst out of your clothes. In the future, we can arrange to have your clothes enchanted too if you wish to use your Equian forms regularly.”
Just then, another human emerged from the portal. The man was lean and tall with a pale complexion, but it was his hair that stood out. It was a yellow blond with pale blue stripes along the temples.
“Who are you?” Michelle asked suspiciously.
The man grinned. “Forgotten me so soon, Ms. Van Dijk? Fast Mover at your service!”
“Oh! I suppose I should have realized that if that portal can turn humans into ponies, the reverse would be true.”
“Correct. And while I could have overseen the set-up of this branch in my normal form, there was far less chance of a security breach as a human. We did have to bring in locals for various purposes, after all.”
Rosa said, “It’s gotten a bit cramped in this small office now that we’re all here, so let’s go look at the facility.”
She led the way out of the Los Angeles portal security room which doubled as a dispatch counter with a small window into a loading dock. Jules noticed that the placement of walls and doorways prevented anyone from getting any hint of the portal from either the window or the exit. As the newcomers moved out into the hallway, it made an immediate turn, preventing anyone outside from inadvertently looking directly inside.
Fast Mover pointed to the door immediately to his left. “That exits into the loading dock, but this one…” He indicated a locked door almost opposite the security office, “…goes into store room area where the Equestrian manufactured goods are being held. The door at the right goes to the reception area. Follow me.”
They walked down a corridor which had offices opening out into it. Through the doorways they saw perfectly normal, albeit currently unused office equipment. A well-appointed lunchroom was at the end and they reversed course to go out into the reception area. They stepped into a tastefully decorated room with a secretary’s desk and sales counter. That wasn’t what attracted the candidates’ attention though. Through the large window frontage, they had an unobstructed view of smog-shrouded mountains. They were very clearly not in Charlotte, North Carolina anymore.
Phil noticed their gaze and said, “Yeah, it’s all real, and that smog is one of the reasons why our battery technology is so important. While we may have a hard time weaning Americans from their cars, at least we can give them an environmentally friendly alternative at a price they can afford. Harmonic Composites may be a business, but it’s one with a much larger goal in mind than just profits. That’s why the company is never going to go public. We refuse to compromise on that goal for the sake of shareholders.”
Tyrone said, “My family and I thank you. My son is an asthmatic and that smog is why we had to move interstate for a better environment for him. I’m glad that I’ll be going to the other branch.”
Rosa said, “We took that into account when assigning positions. We have children too, and we hope to give them a better world. The company is relatively small now, but rapidly growing, hence these two new facilities. We envision much growth as our products penetrate the market and get better known. While right now only two of you four will take the top spot at each new branch, we don’t think it will be long before the other two will get branches of their own. The future is looking very promising.”
“You could say magical,” Jules commented with a grin.
There were chuckles all around except for Michelle who rolled her eyes.
Fast Mover said, “We’ll take a quick look at the storeroom, but there’s not much to see. Aside from the goods that are already awaiting sales and distribution, it’s pretty much the same as the Charlotte facility.”
The entry to the storeroom required the security guard to admit them, and they saw that it had the same double- shutter arrangement that the Charlotte factory used.
Fast Mover pointed to the shutter on the left. “The loading dock is on the other side of that. We have hired a couple of the locals to man it. They do not know about the connection to Equus, at least not yet. If they prove to be reliable, that may change.”
“Won’t they wonder where the new goods are coming from though?” Caleb asked.
“They’ve been told that a second shift handles incoming. As this building is within a secure warehousing facility, no one is allowed to just hang around outside of normal hours and watch. We have additional security arrangements too with which you’ll be familiarized soon.”
Phil said, “There will be a lot more details to go over before you start your work, but for now, we’re just giving you all a quick tour. Let’s move on to the next destination.”
The group made its way back to the Los Angeles Security room where they were scanned by the guard with a handheld device rather than a horn. The results were the same though as their badges glowed green.
Phil said, “The guards at all the portals are under strict instructions to verify identity on every occasion, so please be patient with them even when you and they become completely familiar with each other. Espionage is a thing on both worlds, and magic adds a new dimension to security risks.”
Rosa said, “Fast Mover, Phil, and I will precede you. Wait a moment while the guard changes the settings on the portal, or you will undergo transformation. We want to try that with you in a more controlled environment.”
After the three had passed through the portal, the candidates looked on in bemusement as the guard did something to the access panel before waving them through. They were back at the Vanhoover facility where a familiar griffon and two unicorns awaited them.
“I’ll part ways from you now,” Fast Mover announced. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Mr. Petit and Mr. Hussein.” He then exited into the factory.
They repeated the now familiar security check. Only then did the guard activate the next portal and the group returned to the Ponyville portal hub. From there, they transitioned to their next destination.
They emerged into another room almost identical to the one they just left. Stationed there was what looked to them like a pony crossed with an insect with glowing eyes and shiny chitin, but the jacket it wore had “SECURITY” stitched on it, which told them that this was the local guard.
Vicky said, “You may have noticed Femur here has some resemblance to Queen Chrysalis. He is indeed a changeling like her, one from her hive.”
“Howdy, folks,” Femur said. “Welcome to the Baltimare facility!”
They all greeted the changeling before exiting to the factory floor. Their first impression of the place was that it was virtually the same as the Vanhoover plant. There were different machines making other products, but the general layout was the same practical and efficient design. As they were inspecting a device that was spooling up wire of some kind, they were approached by a yellow earth pony mare with a short blue and gold mane.
“Ah, there you are, Ms. Goods,” Rosa said. “We were beginning to wonder what happened to you.”
The mare briefly bowed her head in acknowledgment of the mild rebuke. “My apologies to you and Mr. Martine, Ma’am. I was held up by a problem on one of our assembly lines.”
“That’s what we pay you for; I’m glad you have your priorities straight. Anyway, now that you’re here, let me introduce you to our new probationary managers. Everyone, this is Precious Goods, the manager of the Baltimare facility. Precious, these are Michelle Van Dijk and Tyrone Davis whose trial period will be at the Houston office and they will be working with you to coordinate the Earth-side logistics. The other two are Jules Petit and Shariq Hussein who will be at the Vanhoover/Los Angeles office.”
There were exchanges of pleasantries and hoof-handshakes before Michelle drew attention to the wire they had been looking at.
“I understand that Harmonic Composites produces materials that other companies can’t, but what’s so special about this wire?”
“That is room-temperature superconductor wire,” Precious replied.
“What?!” exclaimed Shariq. “That’s been the Holy Grail of materials engineers for ages!”
Precious shrugged. “It’s not perfected yet. It’s only good up to about 28° Celsius before it loses its superconducting properties and the loss can’t be reversed. Therefore it has to be used in temperature-controlled environments. We’re working on a new variety that can tolerate far higher temperatures.”
“That explains why an air-conditioner is blowing cool air over it. It’s still an astounding achievement.” Shariq turned to the Martines. “This alone could make the company millions. Has it been patented? I’d hate to have the competition analyze it and duplicate it.”
Phil smirked. “They can try, but they’re unlikely to be able to determine more than the raw ingredients. The secret is in the way they are manufactured.”
“Right. Magic. I can see that I have a lot to learn about these impossible products.”
“Just think of magic as a revolutionary production method and it won’t be so bad,” Rosa advised. “You’ll get used to it. Now, how about you showing our visitors around the rest of the facility, Precious.”
The mare did as she was asked before they ended up back at the security station. There, Femur scanned them and allowed them to pass through to the Houston office. As he waved them through, the changeling said, “Have a safe trip… which means don’t trip on the threshold!” Jules was the only one who laughed, which drew a large smile from the bug pony.
The Houston facility had been set up much as the Los Angeles office, with the same degree of security and practicality. Only the view out the window differed.
Precious Goods had transformed into a petite woman with short blonde hair and a noticeable pink blush to her skin. She wore a deep blue business jacket and skirt and black pumps. She said, “We’re in a technology park, hence the pleasant landscaping. While it doesn’t have the fences and restricted access of the Los Angeles facility, the high-value goods produced and handled here justify the employment of a strong security force that patrols the area, especially at night.”
When they returned to the Baltimare portal room, Michelle approached Precious who was back in her earth pony form.
“I just want to say that I’m pleased that I’ll be working with a female manager.”
Precious inclined her head and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”
“After seeing Fast Mover at the Vanhoover factory, I thought another male would be in charge here.”
“Ah, I see. You humans have equal numbers of males and females, don’t you? In Equestria, mares outnumber stallions by about four to one. Most senior positions go to mares for that reason. We don’t discriminate on the basis of gender here at Harmonic Composites though. Fast Mover earned his promotion by being better than the female candidates for the job,” Precious replied coolly. “I’ll see you again soon, Ms. Van Dijk. You too, Mr. Davis. I need to get back to the factory now.”
After Precious had departed and while the guard was preparing the portal to Ponyville, Michelle asked Rosa, “Is that true? Mares outnumber stallions by that much?”
“Yes, it’s true, for ponies at least. It’s not the same for most other species, but because Equestria was founded by ponies and the majority of the population still consists of them, you’ll find that mares occupy most of the top positions. It’s very much a matriarchal society. However, while I am sure this will suit you very well, remember Precious Goods’ words.”
It wasn’t long before everyone emerged from the Ponyville security office.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m feeling hungry,” Phil said. “We’re going to have a late lunch in town before we proceed to Friendship Castle where we will give you the opportunity to try out an Equian form.”
“Sounds good,” Jules said, “but I thought we were going to… what was it… Camelot?”
“Canterlot,” Phil corrected. “That’s later. We’ll let you get a bit more familiar with this world first.” He turned to Rosa. “What do you think – The Fig Tree?”
“Since it caters to carnivores too, that would probably be best,” she replied.
Phil nodded and faced the others once more. “Okay, just follow us. Don’t be afraid to respond to anyone who greets you – they’re a friendly lot in Ponyville. They’re used to seeing Caleb, so some new humans shouldn’t cause too much of a stir.”
“Is our being humans going to cause problems?” Tyrone asked.
Caleb replied, “Some ponies were a bit skittish around me when I first arrived, but once they got familiar with me, they were fine. You’ll probably have similar responses from the Equestrian staff at your branches. Just give them a little time.”
The group exited the factory and all four newcomers gaped at what they saw. While there was a modern-looking factory not far from the one they just exited and a railway platform to one side, the rest of the view was filled with trees and garden beds, while a paved road meandered into what looked like a fantasy village with thatched roofs and half-timbered walls. Towering above them on the far side of the town was a strange crystalline structure backing up against a mountain range that grew taller in the distance.
“Wow! This is nothing like I thought it would be,” Michelle said.
Jules nodded. “And the colors all seem so much more vibrant too.”
Caleb said, “It’s the magic that pervades this world – it tends to enhance everything. Ponyville is a very pretty town, even in the newer industrial parts. Ponies take great pride in making their towns beautiful.”
“And just wait until you see Canterlot,” Phil added. “It’s the capital of Equestria and where we’ll be taking you later. You can see it from here.” He pointed a hoof toward a brightly gleaming point high up a distant peak.
“They built a city on the side of a mountain?” Tyrone asked incredulously.
“Yep. It’s even more amazing when you see how they did it. Anyway, come along – food awaits us.”
“I’ll fly on ahead and arrange a table for our group,” Rosa said. She spread her wings and took off.
“I still find that incredible,” Jules said, receiving murmurs of agreement.
The group followed Caleb and Vicky toward the town center. As they got further from the factories and closer to the town proper, they began encountering the inhabitants. The first to greet them was an earth pony hauling a huge cart laden with firewood.
“Hey there, Caleb! Who’re your friends?” the stallion called out cheerfully.
“Hi, Sharp Axe. These people work for Harmonic Composites. They’ll be going to the new branches in Vanhoover and Baltimare and we’ve been showing them around the Ponyville factory.”
“Business has been booming since they set up in town. Good for everypony, I reckon. Welcome and enjoy your visit, folks!”
The humans thanked Sharp Axe before the pony turned back to Caleb.
“Will you be needing your usual?”
“Sure. Fill up the wood shed and leave the bill. Sky will take care of it tomorrow.”
“No problem. Y’all have a great day, y’hear?” Sharp Axe proceeded on his way.
“How does such a small pony pull such a heavy load so easily?” Tyrone asked.
“Earth ponies have magic-enhanced strength as well as other abilities,” Caleb answered. “Sharp Axe could pull that load up a hill without a problem. You should see what the really strong ones can do!”
“I can’t wait to find out!”
“Who’s Sky?” asked Michelle curiously.
“Butterfly Sky handles our accounts,” Caleb answered with a sly wink to his wife.
The group continued on their way, receiving curious looks and the occasional greeting. The visitors were overwhelmed by the sheer number of fantastic beings they encountered, not to mention the magical activities that were taken for granted by the locals. From unicorns carrying their shopping in the glow of their magic to pegasi towing carts through the air which inexplicably stayed level and upright, it was one amazing thing after the other. The only drama caused by their arrival was an earth pony mare with a beige coat and blue and pink mane dragging away a mint green unicorn mare who wildly gesticulated in their direction. Then Jules noticed something in the sky.
“Something’s odd about the movement of those clouds.”
Caleb looked up and saw what he was talking about. “Oh, that’s just the pegasus weather team clearing out the stray clouds. Clear skies were scheduled for today, so they have to deal with the wild ones that drift in from the Everfree Forest.”
Jules stopped and stared at Caleb. “They schedule weather?”
“Yep. Blew my mind too when I found that out. Beats the hell out of anything humans can do.”
Jules and the other three visitors mulled on that as they ascended a low hill on top of which sat the restaurant that was their goal. It was obvious how it got its name due to the enormous fig tree growing in the center. They met Rosa who was waiting for them outside the entrance.
“I’ve got us a table for eight in the carnivore section, so you humans are free to order any meat dishes without bothering the pony patrons.”
“I gather that ponies are vegetarians?” queried Michelle.
“Mostly,” Phil answered. “A few like to eat fish on occasion. The smell of meat can make some ponies queasy although it doesn’t bother me and some others are used to it.”
“Follow me,” Rosa said. “Food awaits, and you don’t keep a hungry griffon from her meal!”
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This chapter is a masterpiece bleeding MLP and modern earth people together.
Yet i wonder...
What guarantee they don't blab for the ones that don't get the position? While it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, they might have a bad egg in the Basket after all...
I wonder if we get to see a Changeling or a Hypogriffon? Perhaps a Breezee? This will be fun
Agreed. Very promising character development all round so far.
If the adaptation Spell would make one a Diamond Dog for example, could it still be changed?
As a Changeling i could experience it all!
Like:
- Digging as a Diamond Dog
- Purring as a Abesinian
- Flying trough the Sky as a Griffon
- Running through the area as a Earthpony juggeling barrels
- Swimming as a Seapony
- Eating Gems or breathing flame as a Dragon
- Smashing stuff as a Yak
- Got to Ling around like a Changeling can
More like a Alien... Because Humans are just one of many. That guy is pretty close minded
11281471
well, aside from the NDA....there is the little bit that NOBODY would believe any of it, unless they'd been there before, or were crazy
Basicly it's the unwritten/unsigned NDA 'If you blab about what you see here, the company is gonna fire you for being a crazy, good luck getting taken seriously again when yer telling people that a new up and coming company is secretly owned and operated by magical aliens.'
So far so good.
Edit: Woops, I said the fate tempting words.
I text to speech this chapter +10 times while driving but i find this chapter still priceless
The next one will be fun reading/hearing about their reactions. What will it be from them become something else
Will one be a Stone hard Doggo to cuddle?
Will one be a Abesinian truly fitting the catty personality?
Will one be jumping around in joy like a hyper Pinkie Pie?
Will one be to grumpy to even try?
Perhaps we found out in:
Brave New Pony World ♡
And Chryssy flashes them in two ways
11281557
There always will be problems... Like that time a Industry spy hide himself in a cargo box and become a pony...
But nothing that can not be overcome.
Changelings alone can fix a lot of problems by impersonate a problematic individual as seen in the story about Caleb
11281556
Good point. But there will always be Area 51 belivers sooo....
Also i wonder when they eventually get found out. A centurie or a millenia? Pretry sure Mark and others will see the day it happens. Alicorn and all...
The Changeling Bugwaifu wave will take over Earth population by their benefits alone
The manufacturing processs claims makes me think of a SciFi movie froma few decades back where they recorded the complete brain operation of a person using a large format holographic tape. Back then, my thought was, what happens if you combine that hologram video tape with a high power laser, to recorde the position of atoms in something as you vapourise it, then play the video back to put the atoms back in their place. No gravity effect cos the optical molasses is totally overwealming?
Over the decades, the tech has moved from theory to laboratory tests,, to demonstrations. these days, acoustical levitation is being proposed for mixing compounds in freefall on the desk, but theres still no extension of that machinery in prooving and solving the contionous flow equations.
As for launching, for the cost of one big modern launcher, how many Redstone launchers can be made and fired off from a mass production assembly line and how many would generally fail, giving how much total mass to orbit in comparitive costs? Given Redstones are stretched V2 rockets and so 70 year old tech? And heavier than air flight is only 40 year older?
For some reason, this is the part that I'm having the hardest time wrapping my head around. What exactly makes a lunchroom well-appointed?
This is quite fun!
Awesome chapter!
Magic, after teh Stargate ref, Clarke's Third (and its Inverse) should have been added ...
To Hussein, the first question in 20 questions is 'animal vegetable, or mineral', which is your category again??
Though another breakdown is mobile organic, immobile organic or non-organic ...
If they play connect the dots, polymorph is also possible though finding a good one is another question ...
Enjoyable reading as always ...
Well, this is going better than I initially expected! But then again, I suppose I expected that.
11281906
Glad to meet your expectations!
Wait… yeah, that!
This is gonna be more interestin' then I once antissypated.
While I worked at Amazon for the better part of nine years, I'm not managerial talent. I loathe being in charge. Too many ulcers. Would not mind working at this company, though. How's the medical plan?
Pity that they will never have Beef in Equestria.
After all the Cows are Sapient there.
I believe that might be, strike one, for mister Shariq
Los Angeles has smog. Lots of smog. Yup. Does Vancouver have LA levels of smog? No. No it does not.
What Vancouver,B. C, Canada and Vancouver, Washington, USA DO have in common is the occasional wildfire smoke problem. Late summer of 2020 was particularly bad with extremely short visibility distances from almost to the Mexican border all the way to the north end of Vancouver Island (Possibly further) due to a large number of large, and surprisingly unconnected wildfires.
Fortunately, it's not a continuous or guaranteed to happen thing like LA smog. Just a common thing.
11282335
You can say that again, the fires make the air painful about every 3-4 years (idiots throwing fireworks not withstanding). 2020 was especially bad, but thankfully this year was much wetter so hopefully none this year.
Considering where this all began, a fair warning my friend
thumbs.gfycat.com/TidyPointlessBarebirdbat-size_restricted.gif
cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2015/06/NKaJuljM-600x338.jpg
And then comes the fainting....
"The HORROR! THE HORROR!"
Oh, so no chance encounter with the flower trio?
Knew Shariq would be a hard sell, but at least he's being civilized.
Perhaps Michelle will taste humility by the time all is said and done...
Our Muslim friend seems to be having some difficulties, I hope he figures out how to cope. Michelle... modern feminists are a hateful, surly lot, far removed from the ideals of equality pioneered by Susan B. Anthony.
It's pretty sexist to ignore or pursue a person for a position if sex is being regarded at all. Forget the name, just look at the qualifications, nothing else. THAT is true equality. Ignore the gender and judge ONLY by abilities and skills.
Phil's want to hire equally is sexist, because he specifically wants to have an equal number of females and males while abilities and skills come in second. That is STUPID in the extreme. Some jobs are more appealing to one sex or the other and so will generally have more women or men who want the job. To FORCE an equal number of each is to invite unqualified people and ignore more qualified people BECAUSE of the uneven gender ratio. That is poor business practice. My job (Armed Security) is generally male dominated, but there are a few females who like it and they are just as good as the men. My wife is a day-care teacher which is a very female dominated job, however there is a single man who works in the facility and he is respected by the women. Why is this shit so difficult for people to understand!? Just hire whomever has earned the position!!!
11320689
Phil and Rosa aim for equal representation of the genders but don't force it. That's why they ended up with 3 male candidates and only 1 female.
... Did you add a new picture?
11723744
Yes. I wondered if anyone would notice.