//------------------------------// // Rise of the Cookies: Chapter 3 — Settling in // Story: My Little Hero: Saving is Friendship // by Pump It Up //------------------------------// “Surge, how many times do we have ta tell you, we don’ eat.” “But I do. I eat electricity and cheese.” “How are you even able ta eat that?” “I have no clue.” Stringer sighed and shook his head. Then he saw Stormer come into the stark, white cafeteria. “Stormer, you trah ‘n’ talk some sense inta Surge.” “Sure.” He glanced over to where Surge was — or, at least, where he was two seconds ago. Stormer looked around the cafeteria and saw him by a group of bots that looked and acted like children. “Oh no…” “So the reason why we have a cafeteria is because Mr. Makuro—” Surge leaned in conspiratorially “— is really an organism!” “No, he’s not,” Stormer said to the child-bots, coming up behind Surge. “It’s a place for Heroes to hang out and charge up if they don’t want to go to the charging station.” The teacher bot nodded. “That makes much more sense than what he was saying.” She gestured to Surge. “He’s… special.” “Why thank you,” Surge said. “That wasn’t a compliment.” “I know.” “Then why did you say ‘thank you’?” “Because.” “Because why?” “Because.” Stormer sighed and took Surge by the arm. “Have a nice day,” Stormer said to the teacher. “Thank you, you too.” Stormer led Surge away. “What did I say about talking to school groups?” “To interact with them!” Surge replied happily. “To NOT interact with them.” “Oh.” “Since I had to come over here to deal with you, you’re coming with me to see how the equines are faring.” Stormer started walking out of the pristine cafeteria. “Okay! This’ll be fun!” ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ “This’ll be fun!” “No it won’t Pinkie, not if you bounce all over the place like that,” Twilight said to the pink party pony as the six tried to navigate through the room. On every wall there were cages, and most were filled. It was assumed by most of the ponies that they were hostile, as many other creatures were underfoot. The room was alternatively light and dark, depending on where you were and the individual organism’s needs. Pinkie Pie went up to a creature that was in a cage that reminded her of Wyona. “Hiya puppy!” She went to pet is, but it turned into a nasty-looking and mean reptile. “Bad puppy!” As they walked farther into the room, there were less and less cages. Instead, there were now doors, each of them with a label. From some rooms, noises could just barely be heard. From one, labeled Canis; Excitable, they heard barking and even some meowing; from another, which had no writing on its label, a noise was heard that sounded like crying, screaming, laughing, and farting all at once; it was quite disturbing. Finally they came to a door labeled Intelligent. Twilight, who was at the front of the group, decided to go in; after all, they were intelligent. So she opened the door, any everypony saw — • more doors. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” the lavender unicorn muttered. So they walked down the new hallway, looking at yet more labels, when they found many doors that said Unknown, Friendly. They tried the first door, and it opened without problem. The six mares walked into a room that looked like a living room. “Well, this is interesting,” Rarity said. She glanced at the wall and saw a box with buttons. “Would that be of any help to us?” “Most likely.” Twilight went over to it and pressed the button labeled ON. The screen lit up. “He-llo,” the machine said. “I am G3ITB8-9T. But you can call me Bill-y” “Okaaay then…” Rainbow Dash said. “Please en-ter your spe-cies.” Twilight pushed the letters that spelled out Equus viverra. “A-just-ing room.” And faster than you could say a Pinkie Promise, the room transformed to the right height for the ponies, with couches and chairs better suited for them to sit on. “If you would like to a-just the. Six. Rooms, please go to a room and turn on a Billy com-pan-ion. Thank. You.” The light shut off. ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ The light flickered off in the hallway. “I’ll have to ask Zib to replace that,” Stormer muttered to himself. Surge used his weapon (why he still had it was anyone’s guess) to shoot some electricity at the light, and it turned back on. “Huh.” Stormer glanced at the light, but turned his gaze back to the hall. “Come on, Surge.” “ ’Kay!” Surge ran and slid, but ended up sliding to the wall. Stormer walked past him and opened the door to Room O. “Stay out here,” he ordered Surge. Did he listen? No. But instead of ordering Surge back into the hallway, Stormer just said, “Stay close.” And he did, surprisingly. Then they got to the door labeled Unknown, Friendly. Stormer opened the door, and Surge barreled in. Stormer walked in and closed the door. “How are you adjusting?” he called out. He got no answer, except from one creature, per se. “Gud!” Surge called out. He sounded like he was in one of the rooms. “I wasn’t asking you.” “You weren’t?” “No.” “Oh.” Stormer walked by each of the ponies’ rooms. The first was the purple unicorn’s (he would have to get her name later, along with any of the others he didn’t know). Her room was filled from floor to ceiling with books, and she was currently reading one. Stormer couldn’t see the walls, but the floor was wooden. Next was Fluttershy’s room. Hers looked like a cottage interior, with wooden floors and walls. She had a mock staircase (as it led to nowhere) on the wall, and a bunch of critters from the hallway and outer room were in her room. Fluttershy was currently giving them the rules of her room, and they seemed to be listening. Stormer heard Surge’s voice coming from the next room. “I like parties too! I think. With electricity and cheese!” 3 guesses whose room he’s in, and the first two don’t count, Stormer thought. The room looked like a party store had thrown up; the walls were pink, neon pink, neon orange, neon yellow, and baby blue, and there was confetti all over. The floors were plush-looking, and Stormer watched Pinkie Pie and Surge bounce using the floor, like the room was a bounce house. The room was pretty much filled with party supplies, some of which had electricity crackling on them. “Be careful Surge,” Stormer told the blue Hero. “What?” A noise was heard of metal against wall. “Ow!” Stormer shook his head and went to the next room, only to find the door shut. He placed his audio receptor near the door and turned the sensitivity up. He could hear the sound of a pony sleeping. Better leave her alone, he thought. So he turned down the sensitivity and moved on to the next room. There wasn’t a pony in there. In fact, the only thing that had changed way that the room was light blue. Then Stormer felt something WOOSH past him, and Rainbow was in front of him with a cloud. “Nothing like a cloud bed,” she said aloud as she flopped onto it. The last room was the orange pony’s. Her walls and floors were also wood, but she had another door opposite her bed that led to a holographic apple orchard. Most of the trees were holograms, but there were quite a few real trees. The pony was hitting the trees with her hind hooves, which (to Stormer) seemed to have no purpose. His tour and checking in of the ponies and their rooms complete, Stormer headed back to the front. “I’m leaving now,” the Alpha Team leader yelled. “Surge, you coming?” “Nope. I’m gud,” Surge yelled back. So Stormer walked out the door, never even noticing the pale blue object following him.