Chapter 21 – Just Waiting
LaECOS was about to monitor the next test when he heard a massive slam on the door. Josh sighed, and disconnected from the suit, and stared at Trixie. Trixie had a sharp glint in her eyes, and stepped into her smaller mechanical body. Josh, meanwhile, grabbed a sledgehammer and went to answer the door. Opening it, he was about to swing the hammer when he saw Derpy, dizzily laying on the ground, letters scattered all around. Judging from the dirt trail, she had crashed some distance before. "Hello!" he said, as Derpy got up and brushed herself up. "I brought you a letter!" she said. Josh thanked her, helped pick up the scattered letters, and sent her on her way. He looked at the letter, seeing an Equestrian signature. "How strange, I'm illiterate," Josh joked aloud as he made his way back through the lobby and to the Central AI Chamber. Trixie was overseeing testing, but could Gilda read Equestrian? He handed the letter to Gilda, who read it and paled. "What? Who's it from?" Josh asked, concerned. "It's from… Princess Celestia," Gilda replied shakingly. Josh shrugged. "Oh, her. Okay then," he said, nonchalantly opening up the letter. "Dear Josh, this letter was written in your language, to avoid it getting to the wrong hands," Josh read aloud.
"The time has almost come to return to your Earth, and I will send along Twilight Sparkle to assist you, as well as a pony of your choice," Josh continued. "The three of you will embark tomorrow. Yours faithfully, Princess Celestia." Josh reread the last sentence. "Tomorrow?! Damn, she's impatient. Who to choose… Can't be Trixie, somepony has to run the Enrichment Center here while I'm gone… er… well, who would come in handy? It would have to be somepony able to keep up… Ah! Got it!" Josh brightened. Gilda looked at him. "Well, who'd you choose?" Josh grinned. "The only pony in Equestria who can break the sound barrier. Rainbow Dash!" Gilda sighed. Rainbow got all the fun. Meanwhile, Josh had run off to pack.
Twilight had received a similar letter, and was stoked as well. An entire new planet to learn about! She could hardly wait, and had closed down the entire library to get ready. Rushing around, she packed quills and paper, until Spike had finally told her to pack something useful. They didn't know where they would end up, and if they ended up in the original Enrichment Center, things could get very bad, very fast. The turret at Fluttershy's house was proof enough of that. She thought for a half second: What would come in useful on Earth? The history book, she decided. She threw it in a small bag, along with some spellbooks, and only put a few sheets of paper and just one quill. Twilight looked at the small bag, and sighed. It wouldn't nearly be enough to satisfy her curiosity, but it would have to do.
Meanwhile, Josh decided to go to Rainbow Dash's house. Watching the show, he determined its location, and had strapped on the Gel Boots. Finding the elegantly shaped cloud, he activated the Repulsion Gel, and bounced up, landing on the very edge of the cloud. He almost knocked on the door, but remembered that he would have broken it. "Hello?" he called. A thunderbolt erupted directly behind him, and he jumped. Rainbow, who was above a stormcloud, began laughing at him. "Heh, nice one," Josh complimented. Rainbow Dash looked at him. "Darn, most ponies get the hiccups," she said, disappointed. Josh shrugged. "Anyway, want to go to Earth?" Rainbow's eyes lit up. "As in, new ponies to impress?" Josh nodded, choosing not to correct that they were 'people'. He then explained the letter, the portal, and his choice of her. "Yeah, I'll go! Where are we appearing on Earth?" Josh halfheartedly laughed. "Er… Aperture?" Rainbow paled. "As in, the Aperture with the AI who's even more murderous than you, those death traps called Test Chambers, and no escape?" Josh pretended to think. "Yeah, that one," he said. "Scared?" Rainbow stubbornly shook her head. "I said I would go, and I'm going! When do we leave?" Josh grinned, glad that Rainbow had taken the bait. "Tomorrow," he said. "Meet you at noon!" He jumped off the cloud, leaving a very nervous cyan pony. What had she gotten herself into?
Trixie was depressed. She had overseen the entire thing, and was disappointed that Josh had not chosen her, although he did make a fair point. So, when Josh arrived at the Chamber, she made sure to look extra forlorn. Meanwhile, Gilda was still hiding inside the center to avoid ponies and griffins alike. Josh finally looked at her and sighed. "Okay, what's up?" he asked. Trixie looked back at him, and asked "Why wouldn't you take me to Earth?" Josh knew this had been coming. "I didn't choose you because somepony needs to run the Enrichment Center, and you're the only pony smart enough to do the job. I don't trust anyone else to do this, okay?" Trixie muttered something. Josh raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, can't hear you." Trixie glared at him. "I want to go! Every time, Twilight Sparkle gets the great adventures, and I, Trixie, am stuck with menial tasks! Why can't I get a chance at glory for once?" Josh groaned on the inside. "If you can find somepony who's able to oversee the Enrichment Center, then you can go too. Sound fair?" Trixie eagerly nodded, and rushed off. She only had a day, after all.
The preparations had been made, and everypony was ready except for Trixie, who was unable to find anypony willing to carry out the task of overseeing the Enrichment Center. Most had been tempted, but turned away at the thought of the hazards present in the inner Center. Trixie was about ready to give up, as it was nearly nine in the night. The moon had been raised some time before, and she was heading back to the Center, dejected, when a voice boomed on her right. "We heard you were looking for a temporary manager!" Luna shouted, the royal Canterlot voice in full effect. Trixie cringed, and bowed. "Princess Luna, I… didn't expect you. I don't suppose you're interested? You have royal duties, after all?" Luna smiled, and nodded. "We would indeed! My royal sister can take care of the sun and moon for a few days, and she trusts me to oversee the 'Enrichment Center' while your master is away!" she yelled, though she was only a few feet away from Trixie. "Er… thanks. Could you drop the voice, please?" Trixie squeaked, cowering in fear. Luna sighed. "Oh, fine," she said, her normal voice resuming. "It's a bit hard to break the habit. Anyway, yes, I'm interested. Where is Josh?" she asked. Trixie smiled. "I was just walking to the Center, would you like to follow?" Trixie inquired. Luna was about to object that she was supposed to lead, not follow, but decided against it, and nodded.
Josh was overseeing Typhin the griffin's testing once again. The sport had just gotten the fully powered Portal Gun, and he was making an announcement. "Congratulations. From this point forward, the preliminary testing is done, and the REAL tests will begin," he stated, with a hint of anticipation. Typhin gulped. Meanwhile, Josh grinned. He might have not wanted to test at first, but it was a habit he couldn't get rid of now. Then again, he did have to leave. Maybe he'd test some more after he'd saved the universe.