The side tales from the real world while the girls are trapped in SAO
With her protege, Sunset Shimmer, and her friends in the human world trapped in SAO, Princess Twilight Sparkle seeks a way to free them from the virtual prison. Even with magic on her side, it is not a simple task. Twilight Sparkle doesn't understand the cutting edge technology of the NerveGear, and if she does something wrong, she could kill her friends.
Princess Twilight Sparkle isn't the only one concerned. All of the students at CHS are affected. Flash Sentry, and Micro Chips want to do all they can to free their friends.
To make matters worse, all of the girls dove into SAO with their necklaces on, and with them trapped, there is no one with magic to protect the world around them.
Unlike EQG:SAO - Aincrad there will not be a posted schedule. These started as blog posts to answer questions from the readers. They also are only edited by me, and they did get some significant edits from the blog posts to make sure they are ready for chapters. The focus is still on the main story, so I know there will be errors, but nothing major. Also, I have no ending. Where I am in the Asides is where I am in the answer as to what is going on in the real world, so together we will see where it goes!
Real world — February 28 - 115 days trapped inside SAO
Kikuoka Seijirou paid the taxicab driver and exited the cab. He adjusted his suit and walked into the hospital. Unlike Japan's hospitals, this one didn't require visitors to even sign in. It was incredibly insecure. The visiting hour times were also a joke that were easily circumvented.
However, he was in no need to circumvent them. This was a business trip and his second one to the location. Inside was 8 of the "lucky" international players of SAO. They were trapped just like everyone else.
Unlike the others, their access to care was different, which was a problem to Japan. It was footing the bill for their care, and the Japanese government required the absolute best for the victims. It wasn't just a ploy to smooth international relations.
It was Kikuoka Seijirou's job to monitor these 8 victims. Others in the Second Office, the virtual division, of the Ministry of Internal Affair's Telecommunications Bureau looked after the other international players. As part of the SAO Incident Victims Rescue Force, he had the pleasure of a cramped international plane flight to settle things face to face and get accurate updates.
When the game launched, it was international news. And the virtual kidnapping by Akihiko Kayaba was likewise international news. But not all of the international players had family that were aware of the situation. He had been given a list of names of players in the same city. It had been Kikuoka Seijirou's job to call the families and inform them of the situation at hand.
The first family he contacted was for the girl Applejack. He was pleased to learn that seven of the eight players in the city were good friends in the same high school. The news spread quickly to the other families and they successfully got the girls into the best medical center in the city. It was soon discovered that the 8th individual was believed to be with them in the game.
But upon his first visit, in early December, their care was deemed less than satisfactory by his superiors. Medical technology applied in Japan — specifically the special long care gel beds — were not being used. The availability of the beds was severely limited since they were a Japanese enterprise. After his report, his superiors bought and shipped 8 beds to the hospital for use by these patients. One of the long list of things he had to report on was the beds.
He walked into the first room on his list. It didn't require a pass card and the door was open, completely unsecured. But he understood that was how the patient care happened over here. The player's name was Bladescape, but her given name was Sunset Shimmer. The game logs they had access to had her on the 19th Floor, along with the rest of the players who were working to advance the game. That was about all they knew from the logs.
He stopped and adjusted his glasses. The room was occupied by more than Sunset Shimmer, and it wasn't staff or her Doctor, who he would be visiting soon enough. It was two women, both in pant suits. The taller one's pastel hair was quite long and she wore a sun broach. The other had dark hair and a crescent moon pin on her collar.
"Forgive me," Kikuoka said. "I was not anticipating any visitors. How are you two related to the patient?"
The two of them were taken aback by the question.
"I am Celestia and this is my sister Luna. We visit regularly. They are our students. You must be the man from the Japanese network group."
"Ah," Kikuoka said with a slight nod and a a slight smile on his lips. "And I am, but I work for the Ministry of Internal Affair's Telecommunications Bureau. They are the branch of the Japanese Government that oversees all telecommunications, and in this case, they are in charge of the care for the trapped players. Forgive my bluntness, but isn't it a school day?"
"Yes, it is," Celestia replied. "However, we actually are on a field trip of sorts. The girl's are well loved by all at Canterlot High School. Their friends can take field trips to make sure they know that their friends are near. You have to meet several criteria, like outstanding grades, and you can only come so often on school time, but it is a good way for the students to cope with the uncertainty of the situation."
"It is similar to the approach used by friends and families of those in a coma," Luna added. "We know it is not exactly the same, but we hope that somehow, maybe they can feel their friends love and care when they need it most."
"That is a... interesting approach," Kikuoka replied. "How many students are currently visiting with you?"
"Twenty," Luna stated. "That is the maximum number we allow to come on a trip. I should go check up on them."
Kikuoka stepped aside so Luna could pass and then he walked to the foot of the bed. It was one of the beds sent over. That checked one item off his to-do list.
"You really care about them," Kikuoka stated. "My understanding of the education system here is that it is rather hands off for teachers. Less investment into each student."
"I don't know how you do things in Japan, but the seven of them are a special group. My sister and I are their school principles, not direct teachers. Our relationships were different that way. But they were well loved by all in the school for some very good reasons. They impacted all of the student body in a positive light."
"I see," Kikuoka nodded. "They certainly seem to hold a special place in your heart. It is sad the number of students who are getting left behind. In Japan, while we offer cram schools, the structure is difficult to get back into if you fall out. For example, all students must take entrance and placement exams for high school, and we have a large number of middle school players who are now left behind, and in a few months their class will move on. And if they hit a year inside, they will not be ready or capable of passing the placement exams and placing into a high school."
Celestia nodded in understanding. "The school district is trying to solve how we will catch them up. They are so close to graduating, but even now, they couldn't make up what they have missed. They would have to repeat the grade. Classes like language credits, economics, and government are not easy to make up."
"Do any of them know Japanese?"
"None. We understand that much of the game is in English."
"Quite a bit is, but only written, and the players will be speaking Japanese. Yes, they all will be fluent, or mostly fluent, in English, as required by our school system, but the girls should have a firm grip on the Japanese Language by now. Perhaps that helps solve one problem for you."
"Oh, sorry," a new voice said.
Kikuoka turned to see a girl who looked exactly like one of the others under his watch, the girl named Twilight Sparkle, except she didn't wear glasses. And she was carrying a large book with plenty of papers. A small dog was by her side as well.
"You look like a twin of one of the students trapped," Kikuoka stated. "But she doesn't have a twin, let alone a sister."
She chuckled nervously. "We get that. A lot. I'm not from the same school. I know them from outside scholastic endeavors. My name is, Starlight. Yes. Starlight Glimmer."
Kikuoka raised his eyebrow as he stared at the girl. She certainly was hiding something, and she was not confident in her name. But he didn't have the resources he had in Japan to verify her identity. As far as he could tell, it didn't actually matter. She posed no immediate risk to the victims under his care.
"It is good to know that they are well looked after by friends and family," Kikuoka said to Celestia. "My supervisors will like hearing that."
"Have you gotten any closer to figuring out how to free the players?" Starlight Glimmer asked.
"No, we haven't," Kikuoka stated. "It seems Kayaba did effectively rig the entire game to have several dead man switches in the programming."
"Have you tried inserting a reflective shield?" Starlight immediately asked.
"You are working to free them, aren't you," Kikuoka said. It was a statement, not a question. Her nonverbal body language answered it for him. "And yes, we have. But we can't get a material thick enough to stop the burst fully. There isn't enough room in between the head and the NerveGear. The gear needs to be as tight as possible to make a solid connection. All our tests lead to at least partial brain damage. It is significant enough that the method was quickly dismissed. Plus, we can't guarantee that removing them mid game will not damage their minds after the time they have spent connected. And we can't tell how their neural networks are being rearranged either.
"At this point, all we can do is wait and watch their progress as they climb the Floors of Aincrad. We can at least see when they unlock a new Floor. However, they are beyond the highest level the Beta Testers got to. We have no idea what they are facing."
"How far are they?" She asked.
Kikuoka sighed. "I'm not allowed to say. In fact, I already said too much. The status of the players is confidential."
"They aren't very far then," she sighed, hugging her book tightly. Her dog put his paw on her leg for support. It was like it completely understood them.
Celestia spoke up. "I understand the need for discretion, but can you at least tell us if they are together?"
Kikuoka gave a slow nod. "From the intermittent location data the server provides us, all seven of the girls are together."
"And Poly Stitch?" Starlight Glimmer asked.
Kikuoka had no idea why she was concerned with the other victim, but her concern was evident. He decided to answer. "She is also with them."
Both women were relieved to hear that.
"Actually, since I have you both here, can I ask you some questions? My supervisors would love to get a better handle on the social situation here. They believe the support of friends and family is important for all. What you are doing will bring them great relief, but I still have some other questions."
"We will answer what we can," Celestia said.
"Sunset Shimmer has no known family, correct?"
"That is right," Celestia said. "She is living with her legal guardians. They found her, disoriented and confused. They have been fostering her. The hope is that her family could be tracked down, but our records had no data about her at all, or where she came from. Her fingerprints came up empty, but many kids are not fingerprinted. It is not required by law here. They had a facial recognition match, but the match was alive, safe and sound, and didn't live anywhere near where she was found. I understand that technology isn't perfect either."
"Interesting," Kikuoka replied. "Do her legal guardians visit?"
"They do. On most weekends from what I understand."
"The records we got are ambiguous about her age."
Celestia double checked that no others had joined them. "They gave an approximate age. And when she was tested for school, she fell into the age bracket. I believe you have her school records. That is the age and date they determined and set for legal purposes. She is an excellent student who made the academic transition well."
"Wait!" Starlight Glimmer exclaimed. She had been trying to quietly and subversively go about some form of testing while Kikuoka appeared to be busy talking to Celestia, but he was fully aware of his surroundings. "You mean you don't know how old she is? Is she aware of that?"
Celestia thought for a moment. "I don't know. I wasn't there when that was decided. I was only there for the academic testing. But she seems to believe they are correct."
"And most of the data for her age is based on knowledge testing?"
"She knew a lot despite her mental trauma. She suffered in history and written language, but that was all. They enrolled her in the grade she was at and she soon adapted and began excelling."
"So she could be 25, but being told she is 17?" Starlight Glimmer asked, getting oddly excited.
"I guess," Celestia replied. "She still will need either a GED or diploma. It was determined best that she attend school and have that structure in her life. But she never showed any signs of remembering who she was."
"Fascinating," Starlight Glimmer said to herself.
Kikuoka wanted to dig into who exactly the girl was. She was very odd, to say the least. And yet Celestia was oblivious to it all. And if it was a mental disability, he was certain she would have given him some indication. She was up to something, but nothing nefarious.
A teenage male stepped into the room. "Oh, I guess this room is full."
"Nonsense," Kikuoka said. He recognized the boy from a picture by her bed among the flower vases. "And you are?"
"Uh, Flash. Flash Sentry. And you?"
"Kikuoka Seijirou, from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"You came from Japan, to check up on Sunset Shimmer and the others?"
"It is part of my job," Kikuoka replied. "I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. But I don't mind. You are one of the visiting students?"
"Yeah," he said, a bit quiet. "We used to date. Seeing her like this...well I know that she is bringing the same passion and fire she is known for in the real world into the game."
Flash Sentry stepped over and picked up the picture. "That is me, you already know the girls, these two are Snips and Snails, then we have Trixie, Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, Micro Chips, Bulk Biceps, Sandalwood, Vinyl Scratch, and Octavia. It was a random photo taken at Camp Everfree for the yearbook, so we printed it, framed it, and brought it for support." Flash Sentry chuckled sadly. "Anything for support, no matter how dumb it may sound."
"You care," Kikuoka stated. "Quite a lot."
"Yeah," Flash Sentry replied with a bit of a blush. "But they...well, the whole school just isn't the same without them. They united us as Canterlot Wondercolts and made the whole school better. They make each of us want to be the best we can be. I don't even have a class with any of them this year, but just having them around the school is amazing and special."
"Well," Kikuoka started before pausing. "Well, we know they are together."
"Then the magic of friendship is with them," Flash Sentry said, excited. "I am sure they are make a good impact on the others around them and making friends."
"I believe they are from the limited data we receive," Kikuoka said. "I can't really discuss what we know, but I hope that news can help you all handle the situation a little more comfortably."
Kikuoka looked at Celestia. "However, I want to check in with the others before I meet with the doctors. Sunset Shimmer isn't the only one under my watch."
"Of course," Celestia smiled back. "It was a pleasure meeting you. It is comforting to know that someone is caring for them and keeping track. From where I am, we are helpless. At least you are where the situation is being taken care of. I am confident in your abilities to get all of the players free."
Kikuoka gave a short bow and departed to check in on the others. Each were in the same state, in the correct beds, surrounded by flowers, students, and the same picture from Camp Everfree. Poly Stitch was also being visited by the students, but she lacked the photo. Kikuoka met with the other students and talked with them. There was a strong theme about the girls. They were very good friends to each other and inspirational for the whole school. He wasn't sure exactly what they did to earn it, but it was earned.
The logistics of the beds and their care was all in order. The report from the doctors was exactly what they had been getting sent to them. It didn't surprise him at all, but he had a job to do and face to face time was always good. He wasn't sure when he would be here next, if he ever came again.
Still, he was here for five days by direction of his superiors. He would get the weekend off, allowing him to get out and see some of the city, but his focus would be on the victims under his care.
Real world — March 4 - 119 days trapped inside SAO
Kikuoka sat in the visitor chair in Sunset Shimmer's room. For whatever reason, he was drawn to Sunset Shimmer the most. It was late, well outside visiting hours. He left to go back to Japan in the morning, but he couldn't tear himself away after his final check in earlier in the day. He just took up residence in the chair.
The footsteps coming down the hall were not a nurse's. They walked differently, more rushed. The footsteps came into the dark room. Kikuoka watched as the girl, Starlight Glimmer, walked in. She didn't see him sitting there. He almost said something, but then curiosity got the better of him.
She had the same book with her, but she also had an interesting contraption with her. She pulled a plug out and moved to attach it to either Sunset Shimmer or the NerveGear.
Kikuoka coughed and she jumped with a yelp. He didn't get up or even move. She had to settle down before she approached the end of the bed and stopped there.
"I can't let you do anything with them," Kikuoka stated. "As much as you might be helping them, we can't risk it. Trying to run diagnostics on them while diving isn't safe. We barely understand the science of virtual reality."
"Of course," she replied. "I understand. I just want to understand more of what they actually are. I don't even have a NerveGear rig to work on. They were recalled for destruction before I could get my, er, hands on one."
"And why should you have one?" Kikuoka asked. "You are a teenage girl, in school. You have no special skills or discernible reason to be given that authority."
He knew the statement hit a nerve. He had meant it to. She was back, and he wanted to know who she was. He was going to be leaving, and then she could do anything, so he wanted to make sure he could leave them here in relative safety.
"I," she stuttered.
"Let's start with your name," Kikuoka stated.
She blushed. Despite the dark room, it was clear that she was blushing and that she knew she was caught. It was up to her to make the next move.
"You wouldn't understand," she said. "It's not something I am sure you have the understanding or authority to know. Or that I can trust you."
It was a good retort. She threw his own accusation back in his face. She was smarter than most. She was special.
Kikuoka was certain they were not clones, although that was the most logical answer. Cloning technology wasn't that far yet. And that was ignoring the ethics of cloning. To be a clone of her age, it would be a feat that would not have happened silently.
He decided to play a card from his hand to gain her trust. "Miss, my name is Kikuoka Seijirou. I work for Japan's Ministry of Internal Affair, in their Telecommunications Bureau, Advanced Network Division, Second Office, which is otherwise known as the Virtual Division. In terms of authority, when it comes to the victims of SAO, I am almost at the top. I answer to a few direct people. My classification level is always 'need to know.' If I need to know, I get to know. And I don't spill secrets. That is, at this time, all I can state."
She moved over to stand beside him and then lean against the wall. Her voice was low to keep them from being overhead.
"How much do you know about quantum theory? The physics or mechanics of it."
"That is not a specialty of mine," Kikuoka replied. "I understand a good deal though. The bureau is working on quantum computing. I understand what is being done, but not necessarily how. I do understand the outcome and its implications."
"Well," she said, stalling out. "Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle. But, unlike you, I am not from here. The world I come from, we don't have this science and technology." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "We have magic. And I was hoping to bring something back to try and understand how it all works, and then circumvent the system."
"Magic?" Kikuoka said with a slow nod. "Interesting. Oddly it is comforting to know that you don't have the technology we do. I hate to admit it, but I can't help but believe your world is a threat to ours."
"We can't march an army through the portal," Twilight Sparkle clarified. "I can't even get a cell phone through the portal. It turns into a book! Or a notepad! And when I bring it back it turns into the phone again. No data lost.
"I can't get a WiFi signal through the portal either, but our magic has leaked over here in a few ways. It is difficult to explain and all incidents have been isolated to around the area here. The girl's are connected, minus Poly Stitch, to it."
"Their necklaces," Kikuoka said.
"Yes. But we don't know much about how it functions in this world. Although, it doesn't seem to be helping them at all. I'm not even sure how cognitive it is."
"You are a magician then?" Kikuoka asked.
"Yes," she said with a nod. "And a princess. I'm...well there are social and hierarchical structural differences between worlds that don't matter. What matters is that I am an important magician. And them being my friends doesn't help any either. It only makes me feel helpless."
"That is because you are," Kikuoka bluntly said. "Unless your magic can do something for all the players, you are. Let me reciprocate and explain what we know."
"Location and time stamp data we can access from the game tells us that they are all together, including Poly Stitch. Sunset Shimmer goes by the name of Bladescape. Applejack by the name of Backbreaker, Pinkie Pie by the name of AFCK, Fluttershy by the name of Doombunny, Rainbow Dash by the name of Thunderborne, Rarity by the name of Diemond with an E not an A, Poly Stitch by the name of Astro, and Twilight Sparkle by the name of Knightstar. That is knight as in the warrior, not the sky."
She giggled. "That sounds like something I would name myself."
Kikuoka smiled a bit. Her attitude was brightening his day. "We also know that about a month after, they picked up three other players: Kiefer, Lessa, and Joltron. The 11 of them have been given a tag of WCS. They are in a guild together. They also are working adamantly to clear the game.
"My point for telling you this is simple. If you free the 8 of them, they will leave 3 of their close comrades behind, stuck in the game. Any magic that may be here, unless it frees everyone, it will only make things worse. How do you explain to a world watching that 8 miraculously awoke, while over two thousand have died? How do you justify saving them, and leaving the friends they have made in the game stuck there? Will they be okay with that? I doubt it. Both because of how well loved they are by their fellow students, and knowing how hard they seem to be working to clear the game. It also is unsafe to eject players one by one, unless we know they are out of danger. If a party of 6 is fighting monsters, and suddenly one is ejected, that leaves 5 to fight. That may result in a death, or multiple deaths, because they lost the support of their battle buddy."
"I see," Twilight Sparkle replied solemnly. "I never thought about it that way."
"It is not your fault. You don't know how this stuff works, just like how I don't know how magic works. Unfortunately, that still leaves both of us in the position of being stuck, unable to do anything. And even if we could, your friends are a low priority. They are strong and although they face challenges and the reality of death everyday, we have younger kids of ages down to 11 stuck in there. They had parental permission to play that young. There are others, of varying ages, who are to afraid to leave the starting city, and some to even leave their room. They would be our priority."
"I understand," Twilight Sparkle said. "If there is a way with magic, there are others in worse condition and I would have to use it to free them first. That is the clear morality of the situation, something both our worlds share."
"We also don't know the mental state of these players," Kikuoka continued. "Pulling them out suddenly could cause mental health issues, even deteriorating their brain because we would be ripping it out of one reality and into this one, with a different body. We don't know if that will cause a problem or not.
"I don't want to discourage you, but I can't let you act without understanding what you are working with."
"I appreciate that," she replied, a slight smile on her lips. "It is good to know where they are and that they seem to be doing well. I will keep that in mind, and not speak of it. Those secrets are safe with me."
Kikuoka smiled back. "I will get you a NerveGear. I just need to know where to send it."
"Send it to Principle Celestia at Canterlot Highschool. I can pick it up there. I must admit, I am curious how it will transfer over as. The shock of being ejected was not something I had calculated for. Running them all through the portal isn't a guarantee. It could put them in a coma and worse off from it. At least now, I know they have a fighting chance to escape."
"Exactly how we are forced to see it as," Kikuoka replied. "And your secret is safe with me. I do trust that you will contact me if there is a solution."
"Of course. Just leave your contact information with us and I will."
Kikuoka pulled out a business card. "Here is all you need to contact me. Leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. However, I am not always directly available. I have various jobs I do.
"Now, what can you tell me about this portal?"
She rolled her eyes, remembering what he had said earlier. "It is only open at certain times, with years in between openings. I have a way to artificially open it, but I can shut it down at a moment's notice. Plus, it is only big enough to send one individual through at a time. You can't invade us and we can't invade you."
"Are you certain it is another reality, and not another planet?" Kikuoka asked.
"I," she started, but then stopped and thought. "I don't know. But the fundamentals of both worlds seem too different to be as simple as different locations in a galaxy. We raise and lower our sun and moon on a daily schedule."
"That severely reduces that theory's likelihood," Kikuoka admitted. "I leave in 8 hours for my flight home. I believe that you are not a threat to them and their safety, or the safety of the other eight thousand players. None of what we spoke about will be reported to my superiors. I don't know when I will be back either. I am going to wait the rest of my time out here, in the hospital, watching over Sunset Shimmer. I have no idea why I am drawn to her over the others, but I am."
"I am going to go home," Twilight Sparkle said. "All the way. I look forward to getting the NerveGear. But for now, I will rest and think on what you have said."
“One final question,” Kikuoka asked. “Your fingerprints. Are they the same as Twilight Sparkles?”
“No,” She replied with a grin. “The implications of that are fascinating. But the short answer is that our fingerprints are quite different. I also don’t know a formula to convert ages. It appears that while the portal is in sync between worlds, the structures used to measure time are not. But all timing devices I have taken between worlds change to match the location. I haven’t had time to sort that out yet. I only just started that project the other day, when you arrived and I discovered the potential age discrepancy of Sunset Shimmer.”
“Thank you,” Kikuoka replied. “I would like to say I want to visit your world, but I am extremely busy taking care of this one. There just wouldn’t be the time with all I have going on. I do more than the task force. That is a, side job of sorts. Official side job.”
“I have responsibilities I have to do back home as well," Twilight Sparkle admitted. "Quite a lot since I am a princes. My trips here are disruptive, but I can’t avoid the responsibility I have to this world and to my friends. I have a way to instantly communicate between this world and mine, through a magical journal. I have given several out, so that they can write any changes or reports to me that I need to know. I will always be close by.”
"That is good to hear," Kikuoka replied with a smile.
She left and Kikuoka kept a quiet eye on Sunset Shimmer until he had to leave for the airport. They were in capable and loving hands, and it was comforting to know that.
The time came where Kikuoka had to leave, At this point, his world was defenseless and with Equestrian Magic on the loose, there was no telling what would happen. But with a magician of her power keeping a close eye to protect this world as well, he felt secure.
Twilight Sparkle looked at Canterlot Highschool as she came out of the portal. It was a school day, or supposed to be by her calendar, but classes were obviously still in session with how vacant and quiet the school was. The last time she was on this side of the portal had been when Kikuoka was visiting, which had been a while.
She looked down at her hand. In it was a cell phone. When she had come through the portal, it had changed back from the nice day planner into the device. The cheap cell phones turned into notepads, while this expensive, top of the line one, had turned into a very nice, leather bound, day planner. The transformations were fascinating.
Twilight stopped focusing on the phone and headed into the school. It was open, but classes were clearly in session. She went to Principal Celestia's office and knocked on the door. She was told to come in.
"Hello, Princess Twilight," Principal Celestia smiled. "It has been a while since I saw you. I assume you are here for this." Principal Celestia pulled out a large box. "It was over-nighted for you, straight from Japan. It came three days after you left."
"Thank you," Twilight said, taking the box. "It has been a bit crazy, with running my own school on top of everything happening here with my friends. And speaking of that, I could use some assistance for the next stage of my investigation. I was hoping to get Flash Sentry and Micro Chips to help?"
"This is the final period of the day," Principal Celestia said. She hit the button for the loudspeaker. "Attention students. After school, would Micro Chips and Flash Sentry please report to my office. You are not in trouble. Again, that is after class. Have a good day students."
Principal Celestia smiled at Twilight, a coy sparkle in her eye. "So, tell me, what is it like running a school?"
Twilight chuckled nervously. "Well…
Flash Sentry found Micro Chips outside Principal Celestia's office.
"I uh, didn't want to go in without you," Micro Chips said nervously.
"No worries," Flash Sentry said as he knocked.
"Come in," Principal Celestia said from the other side.
They entered and Flash Sentry's heart lifted as he saw Twilight. He ran and embraced her.
"Hey Flash," Twilight said, hugging him back. "And Micro Chips, it is good to see you too."
"Likewise," Micro Chips replied.
"So do you know how to free the others?" Flash excitedly asked.
"Not yet," Twilight stated.
"How long until you do?" Flash asked.
"Well, that is the thing," Twilight said, pausing. "Yes, I want to free them. And I am working as hard as I can to solve it. But morally, I can't pull them out."
"What do you mean?" Flash Sentry asked, stepping back in confusion. "But they are our friends."
"Yes, I know," Twilight replied. "But...well they are safe. From the little info the game logs give, we know they are fighting on the front lines. Sure, it is dangerous, but they are not alone. They are a strong guild and the eight of them also met three new friends who are just as strong as they are.
"But off the front lines, not clearing the game, well there are kids inside. I'm not talking Highschooler and teenagers. Some of them, with parental permission, are as young as 11. They either went in with family, or solo. They are the priority. And then after them are the players with a compromised psyche. Some of them are so afraid, they hide all day long and barely live. And they are the lucky ones who didn't commit suicide.
"Plus, as it was explained to me, unless we know that all 11 of them are in a safe zone, we could kill them with an extraction. If we pull them while they are fighting, removing them one at a time weakens their safety. We could pull a critical member and their defensive line could fail, causing deaths.
"The safest way to remove them is in an all or nothing move, pulling out every single player at the same time. Unless we can establish a communication line. Unfortunately, I can't work on that in Equestria. Which is why I need you two.
"We need to find a way to get me an internet connection in Equestria."
"Wait, do you even have electricity?" Micro Chips asked.
"No," Twilight said. "But! I have the magical equivalent. I think. I took what I learned last time and applied it through magic. It should work. It is hard though, since the electronics I take through the portal covert as well. The laptop I took became an encyclopedia, with incredibly spotty entries."
"You read it?" Flash Sentry asked, shocked.
"Absolutely!" Twilight exclaimed. "Cover to cover, twice!"
"Why, if it was no use?"
"Because science!" Twilight exclaimed again. "Also, it was a very interesting test to see how the data transferred between realities."
"But books come over as books?" Micro Chips asked.
"Yes, because books exist in both dimensional planes of existence,” Twilight explained. “They are essentially the same thing in both realms, even if the content doesn't apply in both. The laptop went back to being a laptop with no complications! It even went back up to fill battery power!"
Flash Sentry smiled at Twilight. "Alright, well, tell us how we can help."
"I need help with equipment and I'm still not great at these hands and no Magic.” Twilight held up her hands and wiggled her fingers for effect. “So I need both hands and your knowledge of these devices. I know I can't get a WiFi signal through the portal, but I was hoping that a Hardline might work."
"That will take some serious equipment," Micro Chips warned. "I don't know if I have what I need at home to assemble a converter."
"No worries," Twilight said, fishing around in her backpack. She pulled out a huge wad of cash. "I came prepared!"
Flash Sentry was left stuttering. Micro Chips was able to recover first. "How did you get all that?"
"Well, Equestria uses bits, but they don't transfer to your money. I had to triangulate the transformation matrix and account for the Laws of Material Transformation discovered by the Wizard Tam-"
"Uh," Micro Chips cautiously interrupted. "I won't be able to follow you. I don't know the first thing about magic. That is like me trying to explain to you the way a computer's operating system functions and binary code."
"Good point," Twilight admitted, blushing.
"Let's go get the stuff," Flash Sentry advised.
Outside Flash Sentry and Micro Chips had Bulk Biceps and Sandlewood waiting for them.
"Hey guys," Flash Sentry said. "Sorry, but Princess Twilight needs us for a project, to help free our friends."
"Well, like, then, can we help too?" Sandlewood asked.
"I'm not sure how much help you will be, but I need plenty of hands, so sure," Twilight replied.
"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps exclaimed.
They headed to the electronics hardware store. Not an electronics store, but the store for all the computer bits and pieces. They had everything from chips, to wires, capacitors, as well as fully assembled products.
Twilight was overwhelmed with it all. She wanted to understand how it all worked, but that was why Micro Chips was there: to cut out the long learning curve.
Micro Chips was in heaven. He grabbed a cart and immediately headed to the wires. He had a bigger budget than he had ever had, and only the best would do for this project.
Flash Sentry, Bulk Biceps, and Sandlewood just stood by, waiting. They each could handle technology to varying degrees, but this was assembling the technology, which meant they knew little to nothing.
There was no time for Micro Chips to explain what he was getting to Twilight. She just had to wait and then pay. She got an odd look from the cashier, who knew Micro Chips, at the cash she had on hand. The sale was finalized and Twilight was almost out of that initial set. She had more in her backpack.
It took all of them to carry the bags. They headed to Micro Chips' house. The garage had been turned into the family's workplace. His dad was a software designer and his mother was in IT.
It didn't take Micro Chips long before he had a boxed unit together.
"This unit will take the WiFi from the school and convert it back to a hard line," Micro Chips stated. "Hence the antenna array. However, since we don't know how much electrical energy or it's magical equivalent will be on hand, I have enhanced it with a strong battery pack. This tablet will help me direct everything the box does. It may include coding my own script to get it to work. I also have this set of basic components to see if we can get them to transfer over without them turning into something else, like cardboard."
"Sounds like a plan," Twilight smiled.
"We will need these devices to charge up, so why don't we go grab dinner," Micro Chips offered. "It's Friday, so we can work late and all weekend if we need to."
They agreed and the five of them headed out to a local pizza parlour. The adventure was just getting started for them.
They were back at the school as the night began to set. Bulk Biceps ran the extension cable from an outlet to the portal. Micro Chips plugged it into a dedicated surge protector and then added a power strip so they could charge their phones and such while they waited.
"Twilight, take the end of this cable with you," Micro Chips said after he plugged the other end into the unit he had built. "I need to know if the end of this Cat5 cable is the same on the other side. This is the hard line for the internet. There is 100 feet, which I hope is enough. I don't know the length of the portal itself."
"I haven't tried to map the distance," Twilight said. "I'm not even sure how to map an interdimensional portal between two points on different plains."
"It could be 0 or it could be thousands of miles," Micro Chips shrugged. "Either way, we get to test it with 100 feet.
Twilight took the cable and entered the portal. She came out the other side into her castle. Spike hadn't come with her, but she had learned to quickly get out of the way in case something else came through.
"SURPRISE!" BOOM!
Twilight screamed as everyone popped out of hiding. She didn't mean to yank so hard on the cable in response. She had no idea why her friends were here, or throwing a party for her.
But it was Pinkie Pie after all. She had asked yesterday if she was busy for a party for AJ, but Twilight had told her she had work to do that couldn't be put off. Her "no" obviously wasn't taken as a no loophole "no" by Pinkie Pie.
The portal glowed and sang behind Twilight. She looked back and a tan unicorn tumbled out of it. He landed hard on his face. His glasses bounced off his muzzle and slid to a stop by Twilight's hooves.
The portal continued to glow and an orange pegasus came through with blue hair. He was trying to stay on his hind hooves like he had walked through. It didn't end well and he slammed to the ground next to Micro Chips.
"Sorry," Micro Chips groaned. "I tripped on the cable when it was yanked into the portal. I was trying to keep it from being pulled out of the box, and fell into the portal."
"And I tried to grab him," a dazed Flash Sentry added. “I failed.”
"Um, but, where are my glasses?" Micro Chips asked.
Twilight levitated them to him, slipping them onto his face. Normally she would have let him do it, but she doubted he could use hooves and the horn.
"Hey, do I have wings?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Fascinating!" Micro Chips exclaimed as he looked at Flash.
"You have a horn!" Flash Sentry added enthusiastically.
Twilight groaned. "Focus, you two."
"Sorry," Flash Sentry said, trying to stand. He examined the fact that he was standing on all fours naturally, without his butt sticking in the air. "Wow, this is weird."
"It's not an easy adjustment," Twilight said. "That's part of the reason why you are supposed to stay on that side."
"Again, sorry about that," Micro Chips said. "I was trying to make sure you didn't rip everything through. I should have foreseen that outcome.
"And I understand the greater ramifications that this could have for us crossing dimensions. After all, you are a powerful entity here, and neither of us are in either worlds. But, one question. Why do I have a horn and he has wings?"
"Duh," Pinkie Pie said, butting in. "Cause he is a Pegasus and you are a Unicorn! And I'm an Earth Pony. So is Applejack here. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are Pegasi and Rarity and Twilight are Unicorns! Well, Twilight was a unicorn but now she is an Alicorn."
Twilight sighed, exasperated. "Guys, as Pinkie just said, these are the pony versions of your friends. And the pony me. And you are looking at the difference in you between our worlds. I don't know why it chose you to be a Pegasus or Unicorn."
"Well our Flash Sentry is a Pegasus guard in the Crystal Empire,” Rarity added.
"Right," Twilight nodded, blushing a bit. "But that still doesn't answer the philosophical conundrum Micro Chips just pointed out. Why is Flash Sentry over here a Pegasus. We always say genetics and family history, but knowing there are other dimensions that don't have a multi-species variable, how they split when they enter one is a puzzling quandary."
"Does any of that mean we can finally go visit their side?" Rainbow Dash whined.
"NO!" Twilight yelled. "I'm busy and none of you are even supposed to be here!"
"Sorry," Flash Sentry said.
"I'm not mad at you two," Twilight stated. "I'm mad at Pinkie Pie for tricking the others into a surprise party when she knew I was busy today! I told you yesterday I couldn't go to a surprise party for AJ because I had to work on this problem today."
"Well duh," Pinkie Pie said, rolling her eyes. "There never was a party for AJ. I was just making sure you would be here because the surprise party is for you! And boy were you surprised!"
"Pinkie!" Twilight growled.
"Darling, we will take her out with us," Rarity said. "We are truly sorry, dear, and we should have seen through the transparency, but we haven't seen you in ages with the school and your own work trying to help the other side. It's a lot of stress on you. We wanted to remove some of that."
"It is appreciated," Twilight said, flashing them a smile. "But I have some important work to do and it comes with some serious implications. I also am on a tight time schedule on their side of the portal. We will hang out soon."
"Do you promise?" Pinkie Pie asked as she dragged out by the tale by Applejack.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Twilight promised.
They slipped out, leaving just Flash Sentry and Micro Chips. Flash Sentry was afraid to take a step. Micro Chips was tapping on his horn as he sat on his flank.
"She does that here too?" Flash Sentry asked, trying to focus on something other than the weird transition.
"Everything is eerily similar, yet totally different," Twilight replied.
"Since we are over here," Micro Chips started before pausing. "Well I can see and understand the implications and truth of the crossing between worlds and all it means, but I recall Unicorns have magic, and you said you had the magic equivalent of electricity worked out. Perhaps if I understood, I could better assist in the conversion from my side. We didn't know I would be a Unicorn, which is new data we should factor into the equation."
"Magic takes a long time to learn," Twilight stated. "I have spent my whole life learning it."
"Why do you have both wings and a horn?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Because I am a Princess," Twilight stated. She realized how little that made sense to the two of them. "I mean, I am an Alicorn. Becoming an Alicorn is a rare and special thing. I solved a magical spell problem that was causing major havok. Princess Cadance, my Sister in Law, was a Pegasus like you and earned her horn by defeating an evil sorcerer and saving a whole village. Every Princess did something spectacular and special that aided the ponies not just around them, but in all of Equestria. And they gain wings and or a horn to become an Alicorn. There are four princesses in Equestria."
"Princess Cadance?" Flash Sentry asked. "And you said Crystal Empire?"
"Right," Twilight said, putting together his question. "Yes, vice principal Cadance from Crystal Prep would be the same person, or pony, as our Princess Cadance, and crystal prep is your equivalent of our Crystal Empire. Here, instead of being principals, Celestia and Luna are the oldest and wisest Princesses who rule over all of Equestria. Which, all things considered, isn't actually that big of a territory. Our two worlds appear to be similar in size."
"Ignoring the size, that is a very big difference in power," Micro Chips stated. "Princess over a Kingdome, or even a city, verses a school, in a ciry. Very intriguing."
"What's going on in here?" Starlight Glimmer asked as she came in through the door. "I saw a sad Pinkie Pie being dragged out of here by the tail by AJ." Starlight Glimmer stopped when she realized Twilight wasn't alone. "Oh, hi Micro Chips and Flash Sentry. You probably don't recognize me in my normal form."
"Yeah, Starlight," Flash Sentry said, still afraid to take a step. "I recognize your voice and you are vaguely familiar to your, uh, our side form. Mostly in the hair."
"Hair does transfer very well," Starlight Glimmer said with a nod.
"That still isn't a no," Micro Chips stated, going back to his original question.
"No to what?" Starlight Glimmer asked.
"I want to learn enough magic to help understand the conversion the portal does and hopefully be able to help out more. I know my side's technology, but I'm blind to how things work over here when it comes to calculating in that data. I accidentally fell into the portal, and since I am here, now I can gain first hand knowledge on the topic."
"Right," Starlight chuckled. "Of course you became a Unicorn. You wouldn't make a good Pegasus or an Earth Pony. Twilight, let's teach him."
"But," Twilight stuttered. "If he gets a taste of real magic, it will alter his state of mind. It is best that he remains ignorant. Whenever I am over there I always feel like I am missing a huge part of who I am. You know. You were over there."
"Yeah," Starlight Glimmer snorted, rolling her eyes. "And I admit, I felt the same way. But we are low on options. I remember he was the best at tech over there. If anyone can handle the knowledge, he can."
"Uh, what do I do with my wings?" Flash Sentry asked.
"I expect Flash Sentry to hold up better," Starlight stated.
"Ugh," Twilight groaned. "Flash, flap them. That is what your wings are for. And you can walk on clouds. Micro Chips, logic does dictate that I should use this moment to teach you the foundation of magic, since you didn't come over on purpose. But the basics are things I learned at a very young age."
"I'll handle it," Starlight said. "After all, I taught Trixie how to do more than make fireworks and gimmicks. I can teach him, easy."
"Fine," Twilight conceded. "I'll get Flash back to the other side so he can relax."
"There is a version of me that functions like this?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Very much so," Twilight said. "A royal guard and he is very good at flying. But like magic, it takes some getting used to. I would know, because when I got my wings, I was totally unprepared for it.”
The portal glowed and Bulk Biceps came through with what had to be Sandalwood holding on.
"Well this is strange," Twilight said to Starlight Glimmer. "Bulk Biceps is exactly the same, but Sandalwood is a Zebra!"
"Yeah," Starlight said, rolling her eyes with a sigh. "I did not see that coming at all. What is next, a dragon?"
"No one else was helping us," Twilight said to Starlight before addressing the newcomers. "But why are you two now over here!"
"I tried to stop him," Zebra Sandalwood said. "But, like, Bulk starting freaking out since Micro Chips accidentally fell into the portal, and then since Flash went in to get him, and then you guys took so long, well he wanted to make sure you were okay, and assumed the worst had happened.
"But, dude, is being a Zebra bad?"
"They are rare in these parts," Twilight explained. "I appreciate you concern-"
"Aww!” Bulk Biceps whined. “Why are my wings so small when my muscles are so amazingly big?"
Twilight Sparkle groaned loudly. "I have no idea, but our Bulk Biceps has small wings too. Nothing you can do to solve it. You can still fly."
"Awww," Bulk Biceps sighed.
"It's okay, man," Sandlewood said, patting him on the shoulder. "You are exactly who you are supposed to be no matter what dimension you are in. It is your beautiful soul that matters, not what is on the outside."
"Starlight," Twilight said, focusing back on her. "If you are here, I assume the device is done?"
"No," Starlight Glimmer groaned. "Sunburst and Starswirl are arguing again about the physics of the portal and varying dimensions. Until they solve the issue," Starlight Glimmer chucked mischievously, "well I am the muscle when it comes to the spell."
"Well that is convenient," Twilight sarcastically said. "Now I have no idea what to do."
"Should I go grab the others?" Starlight asked. "Maybe having them here for a short time isn't a bad thing? It wasn’t bad for me to visit their world.”
"Fine," Twilight sighed. "Go get them and we will see where the night takes us. Once you get them back. You can take Micro Chips to learn the basics of magic. I'll help the other two learn to fly. Sandalwood, well there isn't much to being a Zebra."
"Better leave that to Dash," Starlight Glimmer said before she teleported away in a flash of light, shocking the four newcomers.
Twilight continued with the work. "Micro Chips, how did the cable hold up?"
"Well, it's not a Cat5 cable anymore," Micro Chips said, examining it closely on the floor. He had no idea how to use his horn or hold it with his hoof. "But since it is still a cable, and not a rope, we may be in business. Let me hop over to check if the cable is still a Cat5 on the other side."
Micro Chips focused on the task at hand and went through the portal. Flash Sentry still hadn't moved or flapped his wings.
Micro Chips was back after a few minutes. "Everything is operating at peak efficiency and as it should! Now we just need to test this cable with a hook up."
"Hmm," Twilight said, thinking. "I'll have to dig a few things out of storage, but I have an idea from an old project or two of mine."
The door opened and the others came back in. Pinkie Pie was hopping with joy.
“New same friends!” Pinkie Pie squealed mid hop.
Twilight sparkle took charge before chaos ensued. “Micro Chips will go with Starlight and learn basic magic. The rest of you, take them on a tour of the castle and school and I will go work on this. Dash, teach Bulk Biceps and Flash Sentry to fly while you are at it. I have to get some things to work on this project.”
“You can count on us!” Dash exclaimed.
Twilight just rolled her eyes and teleported to her storage room. This was less than optimal, but they would make it work, somehow.
Princess Twilight Sparkle was still trying to get the cables sorted out. On the Equestrian side, it had to be able to connect up to the device on the other side and show that it was connected. If they couldn't get a connection to cross through the mirror, nothing mattered.
She had lost track of time, and had tried several different things. The simplest of all of her contraptions made the lightbulb turn on. The second one was similar to what she had used to test pinkie sense. The final contraption was a set of switches. If it worked, they could flip them with the program on the other side. At least, that was the theory.
The door opened and her friends entered. Pinkie Pie was bouncing and Flash Sentry was hovering with Rainbow Dash. Bulk Biceps and Sandalwood seemed to be content in their pony and Zebra forms as well. Rarity was missing, but Spike had joined them.
"How is it going?" Flash Sentry asked. "It’s rather late."
"Well, if everything works right, I have three options to try," Twilight replied.
Starlight Glimmer and Micro Chips popped into the room via teleportation. "Well he has that down," Starlight Glimmer said. "His lessons are going significantly faster than Trixie, plus I don't have a room full of teacups. Mirco Chips is smart and intuitive. Last I checked, Sunburst and Starswirl were done arguing and writing. They are getting close to a spell, but that was...a while ago."
"Good," Twilight nodded. "I have some things to try, so it is back home for them."
"Awe," Dash whined. "Can I at least go with them?"
"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "Right now, if they get caught, well you are supposed to be in the hospital, not out and about. We don't need that complication."
"Fine," Dash grumbled.
"It's not that great over there," Pinkie Pie absentmindedly said.
"Wait, you have been?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Lots of times," Pinkie Pie replied with a shrug. "I would switch out with myself."
"How do we know which Pinkie Pie you are?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Oh, I am Pony Pinkie Pie. You can ask Maud. She could instantly tell human Pinkie Pie from Pony Pinkie Pie with just a glance. Nothing gets past Maud. Plus, I would know if I was human Pinkie Pie and Human Pinkie Pie was adamant about playing SAO first. I guess it is a good thing I wasn't over there. Then she couldn't switch back to her real life. Short swaps are fun, but living like the other person is a totally different thing."
Sunburst entered the room. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."
"Nothing important," Twilight said. "Is there something you needed?"
"Starlight," Sunburst said. "We need her for the creation. You too if you can manage. We could always use your abilities to pull this spell off."
"I can manage," Twilight said. "If it isn't a disruption, can the others watch? Some of them are new to this whole magic and pony thing."
"That shouldn’t be a problem," Sunburst shrugged. “I don’t mind and I don’t think Starswirl will either.”
They all headed down the hall to the room Sunburst and Starswirl had been working in. It was a mess, with books and scrolls scattered about and multiple chalk boards full of calculations around the room.
Starswirl wordlessly levitated a scroll to Twilight. She captured it in her own magical field and rolled it open. It was a complex spell, but it didn't take long for her to memorize.
Twilight shifted her focus to the table. On it was a metal briefcase like box. It was big enough that the NerveGear would fit inside.
The four magicians nodded to each other and then cast their part of the spell. The magic shot from their horns and to the box, making glow in a swirl of color. They kept it up as the others silently watched.
It took time, but the spell ended as abruptly as it started. The only difference was that the box had a yellow warning triangle on the face with the mirror inside it. It was a sign that the spell had successfully taken and its purpose.
Twilight levitated the box. And the others all followed her back to the mirror room.
"This box should be shielded from transfiguration the portal causes," Twilight explained. "First off, we need to ensure that it works, with a simpler piece of technology, like a phone. Then we can try the NerveGear. Getting one was hard enough since they recalled them and officially destroyed all of them not in use. I don't want to accidentally destroy it without a trial run.”
"Then I guess my time is up," Micro Chips said. "It was good meeting all of you. Thanks for the magic lessons. I won't forget it. You have broadened my mind in a good way."
He was the first to go through the portal. The other three reluctantly followed.
"I can't believe he turned into a Zebra," Starswirl stated once they were gone. "That was unexpected. I wonder what it would take to get a griffon or a hippogriff, or even a dragon."
"Let's not find out," Twilight said. She walked to the portal. "I'll be back shortly.”
The world turned as she went through the portal. She came out the other side and found it darker, but in the same shape as when she had left it. The moon was full and overhead, giving them plenty of good light to work by. Micro Chips was working on the device, checking things.
"I'll take my phone over, which converts to a notepad," Twilight said as she began to fish through her backpack. "If the spell works, then we can also check connectivity. If not, no harm done. Micro Chips, I'll connect the lightbulb one. If it works, it should either light up right away, or light up when you switch it on."
"If I don't see it on my screen, I'll try to manually switch it on in 2 minutes," Micro Chips said.
"Good," Twilight nodded as she put her phone in the briefcase. She locked it up and jumped back through the portal.
On the other side she immediately connected up the lightbulb device. It didn't turn on. She ignored it and opened the box. The others were anxiously waiting to see if it had worked.
Inside was her phone. She levitated it out of the box and nothing changed. It was easy to manipulate the controls with magic and check all her contacts and stored information. It was all there. The phone had no signal.
Twilight looked at the lightbulb, but it hadn't lit up. They had passed the two minute mark, indicating it was not something that would work with his device on the human side.
"I'll be right back," Twilight said. She left her phone but took the case and jumped through the portal.
"Well?" Micro Chips immediately asked.
"Nothing," Twilight said. "The bulb didn't light up. I have a device to measure the reactions of a test subject which get recorded as lines on a scrolling piece of paper. We can try that next.
"However the case worked. My phone didn't change and everything remained the same on the other side. All of the data was intact, but I was lacking a signal."
"Try this first," Micro Chips said as he dug through his bag. "I have a spare cable and a signal booster card. Flash can go back with you, and then bring the cable back with him."
"Alright," Twilight nodded.
They packed it in the case and went back to Equestria. The cable and device were unchanged. Flash took the cable back as Twilight plugged everything in. After a moment, a wireless signal popped up on her phone.
Twilight jumped over to the others, with the case, to explain the news.
"Good," Micro Chips said. "However important this is, we need to wait for the morning. It is almost midnight, and we should get some sleep to ensure we are thinking straight. It also will give me time to factor in magic to the equation. We will pack up for the night and meet back here at 8 am."
"That sounds logical," Twilight said. It will also give me the chance to see what other end of the cable will do when it goes to Equestria."
Micro Chips disconnected her cable and packed everything up. Twilight bid the. Goodnight and headed home. The cable stayed the same. Being disconnected, she didn't have any internet access to her phone.
Twilight explained the strategy and sent her friends home so they would be well rested for the morning.
Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the portal right at 8am. The statue had not been fixed from when magic possessed "Science" Twilight Sparkle had destroyed it, but the base was intact and that was what held the portal. At least it was what tethered the portal to this world.
There were several different theories on how portals worked, and a few more that were only valid for going between dimensions. Portals and transformation portals were two different, albeit similar, magic theory phenomenons. Starswirl the Bearded had used a portal to send the Sirens to another world, which happened to be the human one, as well as pulling him and the Pillars of Equestria into limbo, but there was no intention to transform the individuals. The sirens retained limited magic, unlike Twilight when she went through, and what they were like when they ended up in the human world was unknown. Discord’s chaos realm might or might not be a different dimension, that depended on who you asked, or might be entirely contained in Equestria. There might only be two dimensional realities or there might be more.
But none of that mattered. They had a job to do: bring their friends back from having their minds imprisoned in SAO with their body and life as ransom. That was all that mattered.
Micro Chips was working on some code, while Sandalwood and Bulk Biceps were kicking back and forth a soccer ball with no real purpose other than to pass the time. Flash Sentry was on the side of the statue base, with his back against it while he played on his guitar.
"Hey guys," Twilight greeted them. "I've got the internet cable we left on the Equestria side, and I brought the case."
"Good," Micro Chips said, distracted. "I got plenty of sleep, but then I got curious about the NerveGear's actual design. Most of it was kept secret. Having the sole market on true virtual reality is a lot to lose if the plans get leaked. I learned some basics, but not much. When it comes to the software, I am even more at a loss."
"No worries," Twilight said as she walked over to see what he was doing. It was just a bunch of code, which she didn't even try to pretend she understood.
Micro Chips wordlessly took the cable from her and plugged it into his box so that Equestria would have the internet.
"I don't know what you guys were thinking," Micro Chips said before pausing. "Well I was already planning on asking before yesterday. You have a way to figure out the rig. I am certain of that. The thing is, unless someone over there knows code and possibly circuitry, that information is meaningless."
Twilight gave a definitive nod. "Yes, you can come over. We need people to watch this side though."
"As much as I would like to fly again, I can play look out," Flash said. "Bulk and Sandalwood look harmless and also will make good guards."
"Thanks," Twilight said, smiling at him. From where she was at by Micro Chips, she could see the blue haired guitar player.
"I'm ready," Micro Chips said. "But we should do two runs. The first, with my laptop. It has an extended battery and will be fine. The second will be the NerveGear."
"Sounds good," Twilight said, giving him the case. "They will be expecting one of us. "Make sure it is locked, so that no magic can breach it."
"Right," Micro Chips said, putting his laptop in the case. "I'll be right back. Which room?"
"All relevant data and equipment was moved to the room with the mirror. It was easier that way."
Micro Chips went through the portal and found himself once again in Equestria. He found the room now filled with chalkboards, only half used, as well as a variety of papers on top of a dozen or so books scattered about. Starswirl and Sunburst were pacing, while Starlight Glimmer was calmly eating pancakes.
"Pancakes?" Starlight asked through a full mouth before the others could speak. She swallowed her food. "Spike makes really good ones, and he would love to cook for more."
"Thanks, but I already ate my specifically balanced breakfast,” Micro Chips replied. “I'm here first off to leave my laptop, and then we are bringing the rig over."
The other wizards didn't respond, focused on something else, and let Micro Chips do his thing. He left and Twilight took the case from him, popped the NerveGear into it, and both of them headed back over.
Like the phone and laptop, it was unchanged due to the magical shield of the box. Micro Chips went straight to his laptop, leaving Twilight to explain it and show the actual contraption to the others.
"Alright," Micro Chips said. "I'm all connected up and I have a plan to chart the circuitry."
"I think this will do," Starswirl said. On an empty chalkboard, a flattened plan of the hardware was projected. Everything was copied over in detail. "It was simple to trace it after I did it with the phone, but I lack the understanding about what I traced."
"That is why I am here," Micro Chips said. "This is circuitry, how we guide electricity to power something, or transmit data. The NerveGear’s circuitry was designed specifically to have multiple failsafes, ways to protect the user; both in the programming, which are the instructions for it to work, and the hardware, the parts. A backup battery is wise in case power is cut, so the user isn’t immediately shut out of the rig, but in this case, the programming is set up to discharge if the battery is used too long. It was enough to get people to hospitals."
Micro Chips gave them a crash course in circuitry. Capacitors, processors, sensors, batteries, etc. He covered it all. "And if we make one mistake, it will destroy their brain."
"Can't we just bring them over, one by one, in a bigger box, and then disable it with magic?" Starlight asked.
"The box would shield them, cutting off the connection and killing them," Micro Chips explained. "Plus we might have a connection, but not a strong enough one to stably connect to the game. If they lose that connection, they will die."
Starswirl wanted to make sure he understood the crash course right. "This is all new to me. We were stuck in Limbo for a millennium. Too much is new to me. Our technology is not this advanced, and it is based in magic, which isn’t the same as your electricity.”
“We can’t use ours to charge the phone,” Twilight clarified.
“I see,” Micro Chips nodded.
Starswirl wanted to make sure he understood it correctly. “So the circuits are like water pipes, the battery and capacitors are like water towers and reservoirs. If we mess up on one, the dam will break and cause flooding, or a pipe will bust, and again cause a catastrophic failure."
"That is a good analogy," Micro Chips praised.
Starswirl began to levitate chalk, marking points on the board. He didn’t explain anything as he worked. Eventually every line had a mark on it.
“This is a problem,” Starswirl said. “No matter what we do, we will break the dam. It is full of interconnecting pathways and all of them are directly tied back to the dam. If this diagram is correct, the dam itself has a trigger, so that even if we simultaneously cut all power and wires into the dam, it has a reserve with enough power to recognize and blow the dam. The pony, er, man, who designed this is a genius. A misguided genius, but a genius.”
“It just needs a nanosecond for that dead man’s switch to activate,” Micro Chips stated, deflated. “It won’t take much of a burst to cause irreparable damage.”
“Can’t you separate the switch from the, uh, dam?” Twilight asked. She realized she had only heard of it called a dam by Starswirl.
“See this,” Micro Chips said, pointing to the big block on the board.
“Here,” Starswirl said, flipping the chalkboard to a clear side and quickly sketching a much more detailed look at the “dam.”
“Thank you,” Micro Chips said. “See this here, it is a built in battery. There is no pulling it free like the other battery pack. The conductors in the emitter are poured, meaning you can’t separate them like normal by peeling them away. You would have to cut. If you start, you will trip these capacitors. Each one has enough power in it to cause permanent brain damage. Probably not fatal, but even one could ruin a person’s quality of life. I can’t tell you exactly what would be left, but you would be justifying destroying their life to free them, if we could figure out how. At least as long as they are trapped inside, they are alive with a higher chance of getting out unharmed. Probably with PTSD, but that is a lot better than physically damaging the brain in a way that can’t be repaired or treated.”
“I think we are missing the obvious solution here,” Starlight said.
“Oh?” Micro Chips asked as everyone turned to look at Starlight Glimmer.
Starlight set down her plate. “Yes. If Twilight’s crown went through without changing-”
“The crown I no longer have,” Twilight interjected.
“Not the point,” Starlight fired back. “If that went through fine, and we know magic does work to a degree over there, then we have to figure out a way to get a magician over there who can teleport them out of the headgear. It can’t be that hard to pop them out of it. The nerve head thingy can safely go off, but the person won’t be inside to get hurt.”
“Two problems,” Twilight said. “First off, we don’t know what ripping them out will do to their minds. Normally, the system ensures a smooth exit of the brain’s shift back to the body. It might do nothing, it might distort reality, it might actually just be as debilitating of an injury as one of those mini dam breaks Micro Chips was explaining.”
“And second,” Starswirl said, taking over. “It would be revealing to the whole world that we exist. As similar as our worlds are, there are clear differences, technology wise. When it comes to our minds and attitudes, we are equal. Both worlds are violent and torn apart into kingdoms and factions. War does happen. Bad things come to us here. It is a little different than over there, but it is still the same problem.”
“I hate to echo my old mentor’s statement’s,” Celestia said, coming into the room. Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor were right behind her. “But Starswirl is correct to be concerned about their reaction. You have been there yourself, Twilight. Can you really guarantee that some faction won’t come to conquest us, or use our magic for their own gain? We have plenty of threats from our own world. Just because we might not initiate conflict, if the dragons figured out how to open a portal of their own, do you think they would hesitate to go on a rampage?”
Twilight levitated an envelope over to her and slipped the paper out. “The man who got me the headgear, Kikuoka Seijirou, sent this letter with the headgear. The only reason I got it was because I revealed my status, partially, in Equestria. He knew something was up. He is very perceptive. Of course, me looking exactly like the other Twilight didn’t help. It was an exchange we had where we ensured each other that the safety of the girls, and all of the players, was our mutual goal.”
“I’m sorry,” Micro Chips said. “I don’t want to interrupt, but I haven’t met our newcomers, and there is something familiar about them.”
“Oh,” Twilight stammered. “Of course. That is Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. Well co-ruler with her sister, Princess Luna, over all of pony kind. The other is Princess Cadance, who is in charge of the Crystal Empire, and last but not least, is my BBBFF, Big Brother Best Friend Forever, Shining Armor. He is married to Princess Cadance. And everypony, this is Micro Chips, he is a student at Canterlot High who is very good with their technology and the best bet to help us free everyone.”
“Why did you come?” Twilight asked, getting a bit frantic. “I wasn’t supposed to host something, was I? Did I forget something.”
“No, Twily, you didn’t,” Shining Armor said, calming her down. “We heard about your project and decided to come see for ourselves, and if you needed any assistance. Mom and Dad were more than happy to watch Flurry. Also, we heard that one called Sandalwood was transformed into a zebra and we wanted to see that for ourselves.”
“Forgive me,” Micro Chips said. “I don’t know how to greet royalty here. I knew Twilight was a princess, but, frankly, over on my side, you Princess Celestia, are in charge of a school, not a government official. Your hair is better than Principal Celestia though, hers doesn’t flow or shine. The same for Princess Cadance. Princess Luna is the Vice Principal at Canterlot High. I don’t know what Prince Shining Armor does.”
“Actually, I’m not a prince,” Shining Armor stated. “While there are a few royal bloodlines, from the era before the Princesses, I am not one of them to have that status. Now, only Alicorns, ponies with both wings and a horn, get those royal titles bestowed upon them. You earn that status by performing a feat of great sacrifice for the good of ponykind. Marrying Cadence didn’t grant me a title.”
“Odd,” Micro Chips said. “Marriage on my side typically grants such a title. We are not in a government that uses princes, princesses, kings, or queens, but they do exist.”
“Sandalwood, Flash Sentry, and Bulk Biceps are on the other side, guarding the mirror,” Twilight explained.
“I also was interested in meeting that side’s Flash Sentry,” Princess Cadance said. “I wanted to see how similar he is to our palace’s guard.”
“What about a less noticeable tactic?” Starlight Glimmer asked, staying on topic. “Isn’t Shining Armor a shield guru?”
“I’m afraid my shields are more direct than the problem at hoof. I’m not entirely sure what I would be blocking. Without understanding it, I would struggle to deflect it, if I even could.”
“Do your medical facilities have something that can scan and take a picture of the bones, specifically for finding broken bones?” Micro Chips asked.
“Yes, they do,” Shining Armor replied. “It’s called an X-ray. I’ve had a few broken bones in my time in the guard, and before as a colt.”
“Can your shields block the X-ray?” Micro Chips asked.
Shining Armor took a moment to think. He looked at Cadance and the two of them disappeared in a flash of magic.
Twilight sighed as she sat down on the floor. “I hate to say it, but should we bring Chancellor Neighsay? I know friendship is my field, but the second concern that Starswirl stated is valid, and one I was going to state. The Chancellor is a bit xenophobic, but he was concerned about the protection of Equestria. The mirror is in our control. Any threat would come immediately to us, before anywhere else.”
“While the EEA teaches many things, one thing it doesn’t have control over is our military academies,” Celestia explained. “Shining Armor and Flash Magnus, along with several other highly qualified ponies, are better suited for that discussion. Is there a specific reason to be concerned?”
“Sort of,” Twilight said, levitating the letter for everyone to see. “Kikuoka Seijirou is a high ranking military official, along with doing several, classified, jobs, like being on the victim rescue force. He echoes in his letter what we spoke about, face to face. He hasn’t told his superiors about the portal. He is okay with an alternate dimension, albeit warily. If we do anything to jeopardize that trust, he will have to act. I get the feeling that his mind is elsewhere, focused on another project, but one to do with his real job, the military.”
“Japan has more pressing concerns for their defense,” Micro Chips stated. “Also, their military is a self defense force. Technically it can’t go to war. It is purely for the protection of Japan. That was the agreement after the last world war, that they couldn’t have a standing military, but could have a sufficient force for their own protection with strict limits on how it can operate. That said, there are other nations on my side that would jump to conquest here for a variety of reasons. Labor, resources, and exploration; just to name a few.”
“With the portal able to be opened at any time from our side, we should add additional enchantments,” Starswirl stated. “Just to be safe. We could block anyone leaving from our side who isn’t authorized as well.”
With a flash both Shining Armor and Princess Cadance returned.
“That would be a no,” Shining Armor immediately stated. “I did my best, but I couldn’t conjure a shield that would reflect even half the power of an X-ray.”
A chime sounded, distracting them all. Micro Chips blushed and levitated his phone out of his pants pocket. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s a text. From Flash- Uh-oh. Principal Celestia just arrived to find out what they are doing at school on a Saturday. That could be a problem. It’s not like we have broken into anything, only on the school grounds, but we attracted attention. We didn’t want to attract attention.
“However, that gives me an idea. Shining Armor, Sir, can you create a shield around this, and block the signal? It is essentially light you can’t see, and it comes from that thing by my computer, with the cable that goes into the portant.”
“I’ll try,” Shining Armor said, warily. “I’m not sure if I can block light.”
Shining Armor conjured a compact force field around the phone. It was dark, almost impossible to see through. The phone chimed from inside, breaking Shining Armor’s concentration, shattering the shield like fragile glass. The phone dropped, but Micro Chips caught it with his magic like it was second nature.
“Sorry,” Shining Armor said, panting from the effort.
“It was a long shot,” Micro Chips replied. “These signals are much weaker than what an X-ray uses, and closer to the NerveGear.”
“I know this is my idea, but I think you guys are missing another obvious solution,” Starlight Glimmer said. “If that, on the board, represents the thing that is the dangerous part, why can’t we blast it with magic, neutralizing it all at once. And then figure out how to turn it into a device to give to them so we don’t compromise our safety?”
“The emitter is protected by EMP shielding except for the part exposed,” Micro Chips explained. He rotated the chalkboard to the larger drawing. “That is what these represent. The wires on the inside of that shielding but not the device itself. It is a double layer with a trigger in between the layers.”
“A no would have sufficed,” Starlight retorted.
“In theory, we could emit a strong enough EMP to shut it down, but we would take out the entire room, and maybe the rooms next to them, where people will need life support and other medical devices to stay alive. Also, while a typical EMP, or even a very strong one, wouldn’t be felt and have little to no effect on a person, or pony’s, body, we would have to take it from an Electromagnetic Pulse, to a very concentrated Electromagnetic Blast, and right at the base of the nervous system. To destroy it-”
“You would be like putting a bomb on a bomb to destroy the first bomb,” Shining Armor stated. “And with a living creature under the first bomb.”
“Correct,” Micro Chips nodded. “The man who invented this is one of the most technologically advanced humans. He couldn’t factor in magic, but he factored in everything else. Your magic, while it may not be able to charge a phone, is similar enough that it would trip his traps.”
“How did he even get that out in the market?” Twilight asked. “As I understand it, there are uh, what was the word...patents that require you to detail everything so your work isn’t stolen. And didn’t someone safety check it?”
“Plenty, and yes,” Micro Chips replied. “The problem is, this is the device that connects the user to the NerveGear and thus the game. It isn’t dangerous unless you...well lets just say reverse it. It is perfectly safe unless you reverse that function.
“SAO went through a massive beta test, to work out any programming issues in the game. Out of 1000 people, only one had an issue, and that is due to their brain being unable to conform to the full dive system, making it difficult to perceive distance and other issues. In the beta, the individual was not harmed, but was unable to continue since they couldn’t properly function in the world. SAO, for the main release, maybe has a dozen with the condition who can’t log out. They are in no danger so long as they stay in the safe zones and learn to do something that can earn them money.
“When SAO was officially launched, the program coding for SAO was revised, which made sense because that is what a beta test is for; to work out any errors. Anyway, the changes allowed the game to utilize the local memory in the NerveGear to set the trigger and reverse the device to emit the killing blow. That was something no one could have seen coming. SAO and the NerveGear passed all testing and safety regulations. It was that last minute change that is the problem.”
The portal shimmered and everyone realized someone was coming through. Out of it stepped a white unicorn, with long pastel hair ranging from cyan to pink. Unlike her Equestrian counterpart, she lacked wings, was of average size for a unicorn, and her hair didn’t have the same magical flow. The mirror continued to shine and Flash Sentry came through. He crashed right into the unicorn in front who had not moved out of the shock of the transformation, sending both sprawling. Twilight’s horn glowed, immediately picking them both up, righting them, and setting them down off to the side.
It was a smart choice as Bulk Biceps came through. He tripped as he tried to get out of the way. Sandalwood, and a navy blue Unicorn came through right after him. They couldn’t avoid Bulk Biceps and both went down. Twilight picked the three of them up and set them off to the side.
“This is a rather interesting turn of events,” Celestia said, walking towards the newcomers. “Sister, did I really look like that?”
“It’s been so long, but I am afraid so,” Luna replied.
“It’s like meeting both of you for the first time,” Starswirl added, joining them in their curiosity. “This is rather peculiar and the perfect example about how different our worlds actually are.”
“My pony self is quite a bit taller than I expected,” Principal Celestia stated.
“Does my voice really sound like that?” Celestia asked.
“Yes,” Luna, Starswirl, and Vice Principal Luna stated in unison.
“I never realized the diversity of our world,” Sunburst added. “Sandalwood being a zebra leads to immense questions, but your doubles not being alicorns is surprising.”
“It actually makes sense,” Cadance said. “Forgive their rudeness. Two of them are magicians who love the theory of magic, and the other two know better.”
“I’d like to see how you would respond,” Celestia shot back.
Cadance ignored the comment. “Seeing how they have no clear way to ascend to a higher form and that you two did, it only makes sense they would mirror your pre-ascension forms. No doubt my double would be a pegasus.”
“What are you doing here!” Twilight exclaimed. “I thought you three were supposed to be guarding the portal, and you two, I...I…” Twilight stalled out, unsure how she should address either principal.
“Curiosity got the better of my sister,” Vice Principal Luna stated. “I only came in to drag the boys out. Someone had to be the adult. We had no clue we would end up in the middle of the investigation. They said it was just a room with nothing in it.”
“Everything was moved here because it was easier with the cable,” Twilight explained.
“Has your research yielded any potential answers?” Principal Celestia asked.
“None,” Micro Chips said. “As useful as their magic is, it can’t seem to help us here. Not without announcing to the entire world that there is a portal to another world and the danger that would pose to both sides; just from certain entities on our side.”
“You have a point,” Principal Celestia stated. “As much as I hate to agree about specific entities on our side, it is true. It might give justification for a war from another nation, or our own could militarize against it. I lack leadership and real influence back there to do anything about it.”
“Our species has been known to shoot first and ask questions later,” Vice Principal Luna stated. “We also tend to attack what we fear or the unknown. Also capture it for study. It would get complicated and messy quickly it became public knowledge.”
“We must fortify the portal,” Starswirl said. “As a precautionary measure.”
“I hate to agree,” Celestia replied. “But the citizen’s of Equestria must be our main concern. We also must ensure the other side doesn’t come under attack from one of their own threats. I believe we are linked for a reason.”
“Which is why I didn’t say destroy it,” Starswirl added. “If I have learned anything over the centuries, well since I came back, it is to trust Princess Twilight when it comes to friendship. She is our best bet to build a good, unified friendship with the other side. She has done amazing things in Equestria, and already has established relations with them on the other side.
“Now, I remember teaching two young but bright unicorns, gifted with great magic and able to solve problems. I believe you have that in you still, so would you please stop gawking at our guests and see if you have a different angle than we do? You said you came to help us. As to you two, if you are anything like they were at your age, then you have bright minds as well, even if you don’t have a grasp on magic.”
“Wait,” Sunburst said. “The Princesses are over a thousand of years old. Their longevity is due to their status as Alicorns. Shouldn’t their doubles have existed before now, and not be alive?”
“Time clearly doesn’t flow the same between the dimensions,” Starswirl said, dismissing the question and turning back to the task.
“He looks like professor-” Vice Principal Luna started to say.
“I know!” Principal Celestia exclaimed, interrupting her sister.
“Uh, Twilight?” Micro Chips asked.
“Yes?”
“Has that door always been there?” he asked, referencing the door that was now beside the mirror.
“Uh, no,” Twilight said, confused.
It flew open and out popped Discord. “Oh goody! The gang and the doubles are all here!”
“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked.
“Well you were having a party, and you rudely didn’t invite me.”
“This has nothing to do with you! AND IT’S NOT A PARTY!”
“Well you don’t have to be so loud about the misunderstanding.”
“Uh, what is he?” Principal Celestia asked.
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “He is Discord, a draconequus, made up of various creatures. He is the only one of his kind, and he has this crazy chaos magic, like making it rain chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds.”
“Crazy?” Discord asked, dramatic about the pain it gave him. “Those words hurt. Even more so coming from a friend. My magic is fun. It might be chaotic, but it is fun. And more importantly it is powerful. I wasn’t given the Pink Heart of Courage as a token, I was awarded it for saving Equestria.”
“You saved Equestria without magic!” Twilight exclaimed. “And you were not alone! Trixie, Thorax, and Starlight had equal shares in that and also received the award.”
“That is irrelevant,” Discord retorted.
“Am I the only smart one here?” Starlight Glimmer asked, staying on topic. “Discord, can you use your magic to hop into their reality and free people?”
“Or directly into the game and beat it?” Micro Chips suggested.
“Sadly, or not, no,” Discord replied. “If I go through that mirror I will be as powerless as you are.”
“Can’t you open your own portal?” Starlight asked.
“No,” Discord grumbled. “I am incapable of finding their world. I have been trying, for Fluttershy. She never asked me directly, but I heard about the issue and the worry it has caused her, as well as the pain and distraction it has been on you, Twilight. I can’t locate it.”
“Like I said,” Sunburst said to Starswirl. “His reality is a bubble in our bubble, not a separate bubble.”
“I have no idea what bubbles you are talking about,” Discord said. He touched the rim of the mirror. “You know that whenever there is bubble blowing happening, you are supposed to inform Pinkie Pie and myself. On topic, even with physical contact, I can’t feel the other side. I’m not even sure I would survive the transformation process of the portal.”
“What if we boxed him up?” Starlight asked.
“How would you like to be boxed up and tossed through a portal?” Discord shot back.
“Uh, to save everypony, I would do it,” Starlight batted back. “And to reap in all the awards and glory for my feats.”
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t solve anything,” Starswirl interjected. “Equestria’s foundation is magic. Over there is different. Although they function similarly, they are not based in magic. Discord’s magic manipulates the base building blocks of Equestria. Without it, he is powerless. Without it, he may not survive.”
“What do you mean?” Principal Celestia asked. “Why wouldn’t he survive in our world?”
“I am rather curious about that too,” Discord added. “I’m not used to no magic or going anyplace I want to.”
“There is order, and then there is chaos,” Sunburst said. “Stawswirl and I have been going back and forth over this topic. We already thought of bringing in Discord. Let me explain. Discord didn’t show up until after the Pillars of Equestria planted the tree of harmony, and then vanished. Before that, windigos, the sirens, and other things caused chaos all over the world. The Pillars quelled that, at least in the pony lands, and the Princesses cemented an era of harmony, peace, and even more importantly, one of order. Before the Princesses ascension, the Unicorns were being destroyed trying to control the sun and moon. Their ascension was over their ability to control both, regulating Equestria under their hoof.
“Sure, some things happened, but it was quickly dealt with. It was only after harmony and order was established that Discord showed up, and then was dealt with. We have surmised that he is the effect of that harmony, a direct result, and a balancer. We will always strive for control and order, but there must be an element of chaos to our lives. There must be a healthy amount of uncertainty in our lives, and chaos in the world. Controlling everything like we do isn’t necessarily bad, but it is lacking in that uncertainty.
“In short, we believe Discord is actually a part of the magic of Equestria and what makes this world work. His entity is rooted in Equestria and because of that, he can’t go outside of it. It would either destroy him, or be impossible.
“That doesn’t preclude him from helping us. He sees everything from a different angle, which might be what we need.”
“Hmm,” Discord hummed while thinking. “I suppose you might be right. It would explain a lot of things about me. It also explains why I can’t feel their world. However, there is one thing that is bugging me.”
“And that is?” Celestia warily asked.
“You,” Discord said, pointing at her.
He snapped his claw and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were reverted to their pre-ascension forms. Their crowns and jewelry was gone as well, making them perfect copies of their former self.
“Give us back our...all of it right away!” Luna ordered.
“Well I think you look better this way,” Discord retorted. “Besides, all I did was change how you look. I didn’t touch your magic. It’s purely cosmetic.”
“I am so glad we don’t have him to deal with,” Principal Celestia stated. “I hate arguing with children who are lost causes. However, we should focus on the issue at hand. Or hoof?”
“I’m not sure I like what you are insinuating,” Discord sarcastically replied.
“Go, or stay, make up your mind,” Twilight said. “But if you stay, you have to make yourself useful. This is serious business.”
“I know, I know,” Discord replied. “Lives are at stake and such and such. All of the normal stuff. I will stay focused, but I won’t change the Princesses back until we are done. I prefer them doubled like they are.”
“Fine,” Twilight growled. “We conceded to that request, but no other magic.”
“Deal!” Discord exclaimed.
With that sorted out, they headed over the chalkboards. They spent several hours going over everything. Starlight was able to create a magic copy of the NerveGear that they could manipulate and test. Every attempt to disarm it failed. Discord enjoyed making the explosion when something was tripped.
Cadance and Shining Armor dropped out when the magical theory got too far above their skill level. They took up talking to Flash Sentry, Bulk Biceps, and Sandalwood. The boys were bored and completely out of their league, so it kept them busy and distracted.
“That just leaves teleporting people out,” Sunburst stated. “Which isn’t a smooth disconnect from the NerveGear and might cause brain damage. Politically speaking, are we sure it is too risky?”
“It’s not just my friends,” Twilight reminded them. “It’s roughly six thousand players. Our friends are low priority. Kids, mentally unstable players, there is a long list who have a higher rescue priority before we get to them. Also, we would need to know when it was safe to pull them out. If they are in the middle of a battle, with others depending on them, pulling one out could lead to deaths as they suddenly lose a necessary element to their defense. It would take days to pull them all out, one by one. We couldn’t operate without notice. We would need Japan’s government help to know when it was safe to withdraw a person. We also would have to deal with international travel.”
“It was an excellent effort, Twilight,” Principal Celestia said. “You have grown a lot since we first met, as brief as it was, and you were already very mature then.”
“Well, comparatively speaking, I am older than your oldest students,” Twilight replied. “I may not look like it on your side, but I am pretty certain there is an age difference. The same is true for Sunset Shimmer. I’ve also literally saved our world, while your students have only done small, but very important, saving the immediate world stuff. I’ve had to deal with time travel, evil sorcerers, Discord on one major event and several smaller ones, an evil almost step sister, shadows entities, limbo, a rampaging centaur with the power to rip our world apart, and a litany of other cases, including diplomatic situations. Wow, me and my friends have done a lot.”
“On top of running a school,” Starlight added. “And for the record, I was the evil sorcerer. They reformed me.”
“And I regret nothing,” Discord stated. “All of the chaos was worth it; even letting them reform me. Speaking of being reformed, since we seem to have come to a final decision-” Discord snapped his claw and the Princesses popped back to their current forms. “As promised.”
Both Princesses breathed a sigh of relief at being back to their normal selves.
“You certainly have come a long way from being my pupil,” Celestia said, embracing Twilight.
“There wouldn’t happen to be a chance that I could see your school, is there?” Principal Celestia asked.
“Eh,” Twilight shrugged. “You are here after all. I would be honored to show you around. A fair warning though, it isn’t a typical school by our standards. It doesn’t even meet our standards, for a good reason. Celestia would be better at explaining a typical school.”
“The five of you go,” Starswirl said. “I’ll start working on a way to better secure the portal.”
When Twilight, both Celestias, and both Lunas had left, Flash Sentry spoke up. “So, I guess we were pretty ineffective.”
“Nonsense,” Sunburst said. “You were far from ineffective. We didn’t come up with a solution to free them, but we did exhaust every available means. Just because the answer draws no conclusion doesn’t make the answer wrong. It just means that the null hypothesis was correct, which sometimes can be a very important discovery. What is most important is that we tried, and you three played an important role, as much as you could, in helping us exhaust all solutions. A pin can keep things together, and as small as it often is, it is critical. A small contribution might be the key to hold it all together, so never discount the roles you play.”
The door opened and Spike came in with a cart full of food. “Oh, did I miss the Principals leaving?”
“No, they are checking out the school,” Cadance said.
“Good,” Spike grinned. “I baked a cake, because everyone likes cake. Even if there is no reason to celebrate, cake is always good. There isn’t a reason to celebrate, is there?”
“We certainly could use a pick me up,” Shining Armor said. “It is well earned, despite the end result not being in our favor.”
“That is what I thought,” Spike replied.
They cleared a space so they could eat before the portal reinforcement could be tackled. Food was a good bridge. The boys didn’t know how to eat like a pony. While they chatted and got to know the magicians, Discord got bored with the lack of attention. His efforts impressed the boys, a little too much to the annoyance of Starswirl and Sunburst.
Eventually Twilight and the others came back. They enjoyed the cake. It was a nice break from all the hard work, and disappointment over the results.
Sunburst had the framework for a door spell that was better than Starswirl’s direction, he just needed the others to cast it. It would block anyone not cleared by the spell to go through. His spell made sure the principals and the boys for their side could pass. He built in a system that would allow them to add more individuals to the allowed list, as well as remove anyone if necessary. For anyone else, touching the portal would feel like stone or a glass, depending on what side they were on.
"Well, Princess Twilight, I guess this is goodbye, for now," Principal Celestia said.
"I'll visit soon enough," Twilight assured her. "Until then, take this. It's a journal. What you write in it will show up on its companion on my side. Flash and a few others have them, but this way I can keep in contact with you directly. You have access to information your students won't. Of course, it doesn't have to just be for communication about the girl’s state."
"Thank you," Principal Celestia said. "I will know when they wake up before any students do. I'm on the immediate call list. I am sure we will chat through this book as well, and I will be available to help you solve any questions about your school. Without being EEA affiliated, they won’t always have applicable responses to your unique school, while our methods might be more of what you need."
"And I will come over as soon as I can," Twilight promised again. "I actually need to send something to Kikuoka Seijirou. Tomorrow the post office is closed, correct?"
"Yes, you will have to come Monday," Principal Celestia replied. "I will see you Monday."
She stepped through the mirror and was gone. Vice Principal Luna was the last to go through, ensuring the boys made it across.
"What do you need to mail?" Sunburst asked.
"Kikuoka Seijirou, the man who got me the NerveGear, deserves a reply. I'm going to send him a report on our work. I'll leave most of the magic theory out, boiling it down to the basics, but I want to let him know that not only did I receive it, but that I appreciate it. Also that we examined it from every angle. He deserves to know that we gave it our all. Six thousand lives were awaiting our answer to our work and he put himself out there getting me the NerveGear. Not only is it the least I can do, but also the best way to start building bridges with other constituents on the other side. I'll send some pictures as well so that he can see what we were doing."
"Is that why Spike had the camera?" Starlight asked.
"Yes," Twilight nodded. "I think giving him a little more information is a wise move."
"We trust you," Luna stated.
“Do what you think is best,” Celestia added. “We know you will not put our citizens at risk.
"Thanks," Twilight replied.
They left to give Twilight the space she needed to finish the work. There were still some hours left in the day. Plus she had the next day to finish it.
