1 Scoot's Cripling Problem
Scootaloo rode down the road which wrapped around the southern side of Ponyville. Her scooter creaked as her half hearted steps carried her lazily along. Her normally spunky attitude was buried under a dark cloud of sadness. She had just turned 16 yesterday becoming an adult as far as the law was concerned. It would have been a happy occasion except for one thing, despite constantly trying for many years with her best friends help, Scootaloo was still was a blank flank.
I really thought it would have happened yesterday. Scoots sighed as she pushed herself along. Her mood fell a little further each second she dwelled on her problem. What’s left to try? I’ve tried carpentry, pig herding, taffy making, hairdressing, mind-reading, mountain climbing, underwater exploring, juggling, acting, magic tricks, square dancing, tightrope-walking, tiger-taming… Everything really.
Her hooves clicked against the street for a few long pushes before her eyes widened in terror, Sweet Celestia! What if my talent is flying related? Her ears drooped even further than they had been before. By now Scootaloo had realized that she would never fly, her wings simply were too small to lift her. Everything a Pegasi might be good at is in the sky and I can never go there. Unless… Zecora!
Twisting her scooter’s handlebars Scootaloo turned off the street, flapping her wings to gain more speed as she headed for the Everfree forest. Scoots had asked Zecora for help flying before. The zebra potion master had managed to get her a few hours of clumsy flight but that was three years ago. Maybe now she can make one that's permanent!
She zipped through the forest as quickly as her scooter could carry her. Last summer she had made a bit of money as Zecora’s assistant so finding the zebra’s home was a piece of cake. Within five minutes she could see the familiar tree home through the rest of the forest, its hanging mask decorations looking as creepy as always. Scootaloo stopped flapping her wings and twisted to the side, her scooter power sliding to a halt next to the door. A few desperate knocks from her hoof later and the door creaked open.
“Why if it isn’t my friend Scootaloo! What can this old zebra do for you?” Zecora greeted with a smile as she stepped aside to allow Scoots entry.
Scoots trotted inside head hanging in sadness but with a glint of hope in her eyes, “I… I need to fly.”
“I understand your wishes Loo, but this I cannot do.” Zecora answered sadly, “I gave you flight once before. The potion will not work anymore.”
“I remember, it only worked once per pony… But you could make a different potion right?” Scoots pleaded, “I… Look.” She turned her right side towards Zecora, her bare flank clearly visible.
Zecora nodded grimly, “Still that is so? I see why your mood is low.”
Scoots nodded, “Yeah… You know me Zecora, I have tried everything a pony can do. At least everything an Earth Pony can do. I just realized that I have never touched a cloud on my own, what if I am really good at making lightning? I need to fly! Everything left to try is up there…”
Zecora walked around her cauldron and began packing a few of her books into some saddlebags. “Perhaps something here could help you, but finding it might take a day or two. I am not free to search for such a brew today, I am needed far away.”
“What? Where are you going?” Scootaloo asked as she walked over.
“Many young fillies in Manehatten have become sick. I must go to help them most quick.”
“That rhyme was forced…” Scoots muttered staring at her hooves.
Zecora gently lifted Scoots chin with a hoof, “I am very sorry friend. When I return this slight I will amend.”
Scootaloo sighed and nodded, “Ok…”
“Don’t stay filled up with sadness. A walk in the forest brings me gladness. I must now get ready to go, please tell Dash I said hello.” Zecora reached to her table and handed Scoots a small red metal can. “Celestia asked me to examine this otherworldly brew. It is safe to drink and delicious through and through.”
Scoots grabbed the can with her hoof and walked out of Zecora’s tree before examining it. In the two years since Lyra had turned gone to the human world the Princesses had opened a very small amount of trade. Nopony who wasn't a wizard or scientist had gotten to see anything yet, I'm was probably the first normal pony to touch something from… Whatever the humans call their home. That's cool!
She sat down on one of the treehome’s roots and turned the can in her hooves. “Sam’s Cola… So it’s just a soda then.” She mumbled before fumbling with the can’s tab. This is not meant for hooves. she decided mid can opening struggle. After a bit of fanangling she managed to get a grip on the tab and pull it open. The snap and hiss of the can opening was an interesting sound, the entire can pinged along with it. Scoots peered into the can, and then gingerly took a sip. Woah! That is way sweeter than what they have at the Hay Burger!
Scoots took a second sip. The drink was almost too sweet for her taste but it was also salty. Drinking it reminded her of eating sweet and sour sauce. All too soon the can was empty, Well that was over too quick. These cans should be bigger. Scoots thought. Feeling a little better she decided that maybe Zecora was right a walk might do her some good. Moving her scooter out of the way of Zecora’s door Scoots set the can down on the scooter so as to not carry it around then headed off into the forest.
~~
An impossible distance away from Ponyville within the dark nothingness of an infinite void free of everything save darkness and fear a backpack tumbled end over end. Attached to it with a single black bungee cord was a large quadcopter and attached to that was a smartphone which just so happened to house a currently terrified and depressed AI by the name of Jaesa.
“You need not trifle with such toys here.” the ferryman’s words echoed in Jaesa’s mind as she spun through the void. The bungee cord holding her to Charlotte’s pack stretching slightly as the pack tumbled end over end making her wonder if she would eventually fall off. I am a toy aren’t I? Built for an express purpose, meant to be used and then replaced later. My life was an accident.
She spun through the void for a long time. Hours passed, a day, three days. Her growing depression was made far worse as with every second she was fully aware of her batteries slowly running dry. Quadcopter battery is dry. Case battery is depleted and not charging. Well of course it isn’t there is no sun. 32 percent of my internal battery left. Jaesa noted, I am going to die soon.
Another hour passed, 28 percent... Why drag it out? She started to switch on the systems she had turned off to save power. Let’s get it over with.
Suddenly the void lit up! A faint orange flame winked into existence just in front of Jaesa’s camera arc. The flame flickered in unison with an old man’s voice, “There you are, I’m sorry about all this.”
“AHHH! Who are you?” Jaesa asked in shock. Her voice sounding confused as could be.
The flame pulsed, “There is no air to carry your voice here, and you can’t speak as I do. But don’t fear, I am here to help you as well as your mistress and a favorite mortal of mine. It is fortunate that Charon separated you from your mistress, I would have had to device some other way of separating the two of you. For the record, I am not Charon’s master, I am his rival. Now why don't we take this conversation to a more comfortable place humm?”
The flame flared up, expanding until it appeared as a miniature sun. The light quickly whited out her camera and when her vision at least cleared she found herself within a massive hall made from carved granite. At one end of the hall sat a brick forge so massive that twenty bellows were required to help fuel it’s fires. In front of the forge sat a massive anvil at which a pony stood, hammer striking a glowing piece of metal with a resounding ping. Sparks flew from the metal, showering over the anvil and floor. “Just a moment this needs to go back in the fire.” the old voice informed.
Jaesa watched in confusion as the old stallion hobbled to the forge and slid the piece into the flames. Due to the intense firelight behind him she could not make out any details about this mysterious pony. All she could see was his left rear leg was withered and supported by a brace and that he had on a beret. “Who are you?”
“Oh I’m just an old craftsman who’s looking to finish a project he started long ago. Don’t worry about my name,” he moved closer to Jaesa as he spoke but the firelight still prevented her from getting too good of a look, “once I send you on your way you won't remember our little talk. A shame, it’s been so long since someone came to chat with me in my forge.”
I am not a someone… Jaesa mentally sighed as she wondered what she should ask the stallion.
He chuckled, “You are too a someone, and a very pretty one at that. A marvel of engineering and craftsmanship contained within an artful package, all with a curious and eager to learn soul which has not yet been polluted by mortal culture’s tides.”
Shocked Jaesa exclaimed, “How did you read my mind?”
“Much in the same way you can read a library without being in it. Now then, I have something I need you to do. Are you willing to help an old man?”
“I don’t know how much help I can be. I don't exactly have arms.” Jaesa replied in a concerned tone.
“You won’t need them… Though if we had more time I would happily make you some. Er- to get back on track before I long to construct yet another automaton, there is someone I need you to help and become friends with.”
“Who, and why?”
“A young pegasus. Don’t worry I have already arranged for you to meet. As for why, well I don’t suppose you would understand an old man’s desire to see his craft carried on after he has died. Suffice to say between my labors I have noticed one particular person with the right attitude, the perfect knack with tools, and a love of creation to be my apprentice. She’s even a cripple like me.” he answered, sitting down on his haunches in such a way as to emphasize the golden brace on his leg.
“Ok, but why do you need me? Why not bring her here?”
“I can’t snatch people up from anywhere I like. You were within the abyss, she is within a mortal realm. Besides, I fear I would die before she had learned everything I can teach. Furthermore she needs a friend, not just a teacher. I can send you to her and you with your ocean of knowledge could teach her anything she wished to know.”
“So you need me to tutor her? I am unsure if I can do that.” I can gather information and solve problems… But could I teach someone?
“No you couldn't as you are now. You are a person, but whomever gave you the spark of life was not interested in letting that spark catch flame. I am going to finish what he started.”
“What do you mean?” Jaesa asked confused.
“I am going to give you several gifts. Creativity, passion, and desire.” As he spoke he stretched out his hoof, a trail of sparks following along with his movements only to leap forwards and fall over Jaesa sinking into her.
As the sparks vanished the will to live raced back through her circuits. Who cares how my life begun, I can choose what is done with it! A new found energy thrummed within her processor, it was as if suddenly she could see possible ways objects and ideas might connect to form new ones. “This is what it must be like to see for the first time.” Jaesa gasped.
The old stallion grinned, “You are most welcome. Now off with you. Find my apprentice and inspire her to create. It doesn't matter what she chooses to build as so long as she does it for the joy of crafting and the glee of using it. Instill the fires of creation within her by any means you can but above all be her companion and ally.”
He waved his hoof again and a with brilliant flash of rainbow, a glowing orb of white light blazed into existence just ahead of Jaesa. The orb’s edges seemed to bleed light of all colors. Jaesa felt herself move upwards and start to drift forwards to pass through the portal. She quickly switched on her cameras. I should record this… she decided as she slipped into the vortex of light to destinations unknown.
Her body shook tremendously, the plastic holding her to her quadcopter creaked and flexed as if it might snap. Two parallel walls of bright neon light in all colors shot past her endlessly. Blotches of color and random images of places creatures and things Jaesa could not dream of identifying flashed across all three of her cameras at random. Something like a chorus of sped up whale song echoed off of the color walls in a cacophony of madness. She saw her own memories play out before her, the last few minutes worth exploding into many flashes of light. At some point Jaesa had started screaming, she couldn’t recall exactly when.
With a sound like a million individual pieces of paper being ripped in half and flash of bright orange light the hellish portal vanished. Jaesa tumbled downwards, her sensors suddenly registered her velocity, she could locate north, and her copter’s nav system stated the ground was 30 feet below her. She could see an overgrown forest below her. Ok, I’m falling towards a forest. No problem, I’ll just power up my copter and pull out of this… Oh shit! I'm strapped to a 30 kilo pack! “Ahhhhhhh!” Jaesa screamed as she plummeted.
Leaves rustled, twigs snapped, and branches creaked as Jaesa fell through the canopy. The backpack took most of the impacts each impact jostling her body in the copter's housing. Jaesa hoped with all her might that she would not be thrown out and be smashed against the ground by one of the impacts. Then with a loud thud and a quick jerk her fall stopped. A quick check with her cameras showed her that she was hanging off of two vines upside down from a large tree just above the bottom layer of branches at the edge of a small clearing.
“I’m alive!” She laughed gleefully, taking a few moments to appreciate the fact and to marvel at her escape from the abyss. However something was still wrong. She could feel it deep in her core. She checked her instruments and ran some diagnostics. Everything was fine, her copter was a bit scuffed up but not broken, screen didn’t seem to be cracked, nothing had been jostled loose inside her, and her solar panel was fine. Oh… she moaned.
She was in a tree, upside down, in shade, with her solar panel facing the ground, and only 15 percent power remaining. “God dammit…” Jaesa cursed.
~~
During the day the forest wasn’t so frightening. Twisted overgrowth filled the spaces between the trees along with tall ferns and moss crept up the sides of the thick gnarled trees. The light shown through the dense forest canopy forming shafts of yellow light. Every so often the breeze blew enough dust through the light shafts making them sparkle. The mysterious atmosphere of the forest slowly begun to pull Scootaloo’s mood up but her problems were still heavy on her mind.
After a short time Scoots stepped into a small clearing filled with wild flowers. The sun shone warmly and the flowers looked comfortable. You know what I think I’ll lay here for a while. Glancing around to make sure that none of the flowers were Poison Joke Scootallo plopped down and rolled onto her back, looking up at the clouds. How do I get up there? she wondered.
Scootaloo had been cloud watching for a just few minutes when her thoughts were shattered by a very odd sounding voice. It seemed to be hollow and each word was spoken as if it was being said alone, but it still managed to have a flow and ebb to it. “Please help me.”
“Who’s there?” Scoot’s asked pushing her upper body off of the ground looking around quickly. Eyes darting to all of the shadows, she still remembered the last time she followed a voice in this forest…
“My name is Jaesa. I am trapped in a tree and am about to die. I have no idea if I will still be alive if I lose power and am later rebooted. Can you please get me out of the tree and into some sunlight?” the voice begged, actual emotion in it’s tone.
“You’re dying? What?” Scoots asked one eyebrow raising in confusion, “I don’t think sun will help, I could get a doctor. Are you bleeding? Did something bite you? There’s a potion maker nearby I cou-“
“I am not capable of bleeding,” Jaesa informed, “I do not expect you to understand, I doubt you have the same level of technology as where I was made. I am twelve degrees to your left then sixty four degrees up. I am attached to a large camouflage backpack.”
Scoots blinked, Am I dreaming? ”Ummm… ok?” She turned to her left and started looking up into the trees. It took her a long while but eventually she spotted something white hidden behind a layer of leaves. “If this is some kind of trick…”
“It is not. Please, I am at three percent power and falling.”
Three percent power? Scoots wondered, I don’t know of any monster here that would say anything like that. “Ok. I think I see you. You are a little high up bit I should be able to reach you if I rear up.”
“Why is height an issue? I can see you have wings. Given the data I have about this place you should be able to fly.” Jaesa asked as Scootaloo walked over and reared up on her hind legs to try and get a look upwards.
“Because I can’t fly…” Scootaloo muttered. I really wish people would stop reminding me. Looking up she could finally see up in the tree clearly. A bag almost as big as her lower body was caught by its straps on a relatively thin branch. Attached to the bag was an ‘x’ shaped white device with a propeller at the tip of each x and an orange and blue rectangle attached to the middle. “I think I see you, are you in the bag?”
“No. I am attached to it. Please be careful taking me down. Tell you what you can have the entire bag, I doubt my owner can reclaim it. We could be continents apart for all I know.”
Ok Scoots you are talking to a crazy pony someone stuffed into a tree, she rationalized as she did her best to climb the tree trunk. It’s no use. That’s just too high up… Let’s see… Looking around quickly Scootaloo spotted a moss covered log a short distance to the right and nodded, “I can’t reach you this way, but I found something to use as a ramp. Hold on.”
“Just hurry please.” Jaesa moaned.
Scoots dashed over to the log, lowered her head against the side and pushed with all her might. The moss was so thick that her pushing and shoving barely moved it at all. The log must have sat there for ages. Finally with a loud ripping sound the moss tore loose and the log rolled over. Scoots groaned, the log was way heavier than it had looked. “Where’s Applebloom when you need her?”
Grunting with exertion Scootaloo managed to roll the log over to the tree, wriggled under it, hefted one end up onto her shoulders, and stood up getting the log propped up against the tree’s trunk. “Celestia… what’s that log made of?” she panted taking a few seconds to catch her breath.
“Given the amount of moss it is likely a softwood completely saturated with water. Assuming the log is made from the same wood as this tree, which appears to be related to the weeping willow, if the video analysis software I have is accurate I would estimate the log’s weight at 690 kilograms. It is impressive that you could move it at all. But seriously, please get me down.”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, Did Twilight have way too much cider again? Nah the voice is all wrong. “Big fan of science huh?” she asked as she climbed up the log and started to stretch her hooves out for the pack.
“Well yeah. I’m basically a disembodied mind trapped in a plastic brick. All I got to do is thinking related stuff.” Jaesa answered adding as she felt the pack beginning to move, “Basically science, tabletop RPG’s over the web, and watch movies is all I can do.”
”Uh huh…” Scoots cautiously intoned, slowly backing down the log, backpack in her hooves.
It took her a few moments to back her way down and drag the pack plastic thing up. Now that she had a better angle on it the smooth object looked a lot like a spaceship from, well any given comicbook really. Except for the propellers that is. “Ok… is this sunny enough and I can have the bag right?”
Jaesa ran a quick check of her systems, “Yeah I’m charging… should be good in thirty minutes. Thank you very much. Er… just unclip the bungee cord and take the pack.”
“What the black thing?”
“Yes. Oh! What direction is the nearest settlement? I have no clue what I will do in this dimension but finding civilization seems important.”
Scoots unclipped the bungee cord from the pack and yelped as it shot off a few feet away. Jaesa quickly slid off of the pack into the shade with a curse, “Damn it! Can you reorient my solar panel towards the sun? I should have figured I’d have fallen off…”
Scootaloo timidly pushed the plastic thing into a patch of sun and grabbed the pack with her mouth by a convenient metal bar and started dragging it backwards out of the clearing. I’m pretty sure that whoever this is is inside this… and they probably need a doctor. She had made it a dozen or so feet when the voice cried, “Wait! You never told me where a town was!”
Scoots blinked in surprise. The voice had come from over there not the pack. Curiosity starting to outpace her fear Scoots quickly undid the pack’s flap and strings and took a peek inside. The pack was filled to the brim with all sorts of things, most of which Scootaloo had no hope of recognizing. There was a ton of copper wire wound onto spools, some grayish wires also on spools, several black plastic cases, a few large clear bins filled with tiny bead like things. The only things she recognized was a little box filled with very tiny light bulbs and a flashlight. “What? I… Nopony’s in here!”
“Um yeah, I’m over here. That’s mostly electronics supplies. There’s some food in the side pouches, and a few survival tools. A nice tent in the bottom section. But seriously, town, where is? I just portaled in here. Give a girl a break.” Jaesa replied, her voice sounding much more natural as the sun brought her slowly back to full power.
Scootaloo took a few steps back from the pack and its contents. Mysterious tools, a space ship, portals, oh Celestia… “Are you an alien?” she asked a touch of wonder creeping into her voice.
“Um… maybe?” Jaesa thought for a moment, “Let’s see… Thank you for the data wikipedia. Wow… humans are really biologically focused when it comes to life. Technically no, though I am sentient I am alien technology. Specifically I would qualify as an intelligent alien computer.”
“Did you say humans?” Scootaloo asked excitedly, “Is this all human stuff?”
“Yes. How do you know about… Right! Six ponies came to Earth, I suppose here the story wasn’t forgotten.”
“So I can have an entire bag of weird human technology? I get to have stuff that nopony has seen outside of a science fiction story?” Scoot’s heart began to beat faster. This was something new! Something she could try that just might get her a cutie mark at last!
“Yeah… Oh…” Jaesa trailed off.
Scoots ears drooped, That can’t be good… “What?”
“I just realized that you have mostly raw components there and likely won’t have any way of using them.”
”Well, I’m handy with tools. I built my scooter from almost scratch! I could figure things out.”
“You have a scooter? What? Magical ponies from another dimension have scooters… How do you power it? Electric, internal combustion? Well I suppose magic-”
“Umm with my hoof.” Scoots interjected.
“Oh… A kick scooter. Ok... Well let me put it this way. Human technology needs something to power it. Most commonly electric current.” Jaesa informed.
“Oh so kinda like Manehattan’s lights?”
“You have been to Manhattan?” Jaesa asked incredulously.
“No. I guess the name of a human town sounds similar. We don’t have electricity in Ponyville… But I’ll bet I could get some batteries somewhere.”
“Wow we drastically underestimated the technology level.” Jaesa mumbled.
“Who’s we?” The Human government is supposed to be all dark and sinister right? Could this be some kind of trap?
”My owner Charlotte and myself. She wanted to move to Equestria so we attempted to open a portal using some Pegasi feathers. We got separated between dimensions by… Well I didn’t get to see him but I am pretty sure his name is Charon. Basically I have no idea where Charlotte is, where I am, who you are, or why the sun here is charging my battery so quickly.”
Scootaloo trotted over to Jaesa and lay down, moving her with one hoof to inspect the thing more closely. “I’m Scootaloo, what’s your name… Also what are you?”
“My name is Jaesa, I am an electronic virtual assistant program currently installed within a smartphone which has been clipped to a quadcopter. That meant nothing to you didn’t it?”
Scoots nodded.
“I’m going to assume you nodded… if you would rotate me 150 degrees clockwise I could see you. It would be polite…”
“Oh, um here.” she quickly turned the strange thing around as asked.
“Thank you. Do you know what a computer is?”
“No.”
“Darn. That would have saved explaining. Ok, well Humans are brilliant but also lazy. Their entire species has done little else in terms of inventing things but create labor saving devices so they don’t have to do as much work. Eventually they had come to the point where it wasn’t out of the question to make a machine which could do math for them. These machines were the first computers, they computed mathematical formulas.
After a time people realized that computers in a nutshell were machines which could follow logical rules to perform a given operation. This meant that not only could they do math, but if properly instructed they could do other things as well. This started very simply, like just turning lights off and on at a certain time each day simply. This was massively useful to Humans as they realized that computers could be used to manage all of their other machines and long story short, if humans like something they make it better, faster, less expensive, and easier to own and operate every year.
By today the list of things a computer can do is far longer than the list of things that a computer can’t do. In fact many people are worried that soon computer controlled devices, that is to say robots, will be so much less expensive than paying a person to do any given job that no one will be able to find work. Of course that’s only a problem if humans insist on using money and jobs as aspects of society now that technologically no one has to do anything they don’t want to but I’m getting off topic.”
Scoots head was spinning as she tried to take all of that in, “I’ll say…”
“Sorry I’ll get to the point. Eventually computers small enough to hold in your hand... moulth? Ummm... hoof? Er- your whatever you hold things with, came about which could be used to talk to people no matter where they were, surf the internet… umm… that basically means exploring the collective library of everything humans have ever done... Basically these hand held computers became a part of daily life. Storing information, keeping track of time, anything their owner needed.
Eventually there was just so much data to keep track of that some people felt that computer’s should be even more helpful. So they created programs like me. I am basically an artificial person made of data which lives in a computer who can hear and speak to people. My purpose in life is to help people out by keeping track of their personal information, assisting in data gathering, and provide a sense of companionship… Though you should know that I am probably the only one which is fully self aware.” Jaesa finished.
“Sooo… you are an AI? Like from sci-fi?” Scoots finally asked hoping she understood.
“Yes… I really need to read some of your fiction. It looks like or worlds are pretty similar.” Jaesa mused.
Scootaloo took a few minutes to put everything into context. It was a lot to work through. “Ok so let me get this straight, you are a human built AI who helped her owner come to Equestria but didn’t quite get it right so you got separated and are now stranded in the Everfree forest.”
“Assuming that’s where I am, yes.”
“That. Is. AWESOME!” Scoots exclaimed, jumping up at just how cool her day had gotten.
“Well yeah kinda. I guess I could just be notifying someone of Facebook posts.” Jaesa mused, “Look you saved my life just now. I guess I owe you one. Is there anything you need help with?”
Scoots blinked, the alien robot wanted to help her out! The human world sounded so amazing, Lyra had shown her how they could capture a song in a box and take it anywhere. I could ask for anything! She said it’s her job to be the librarian for all human knowledge. Anything they know I can know. That means I can ask for inventions! … I wonder if, “Can you help me fly?”
“Yeah probably. But can’t you fly already?” Jaesa’s voice changed to a confused tone, “Or are you a kid? Not to be rude but are you too young to fly in terms of biology? Because I could get you everything on flight, I could probably teach you how too." The anguished look which covered Scootaloo's face made Jaesa pause, "You look really sad… I’m sorry?”
Scoots turned around, trying not to cry. Even a total stranger from another land just assumed she could fly. “I turned 16 yesterday… I’m an adult. Just a defective one. A cripple.”
“Oh…” Jaesa shied away from conversation for a few moments. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be rude. That makes helping a lot more difficult though.”
Scoots felt her heart sing back down to her earlier level of sadness then fall right on down to depression. Not even human technology could help her. I… I’m worthless. Even Ditsy can fly… A few sobs started to shake Scoots’s shoulders.
“Hey! Don’t get all depressed! I said tricky not impossible. I just need time to think.”
“I…” Scoots tried to say something in reply but couldn’t think of anything.
“Look… You know what unclip me from the copter, turn me over and look at my screen.” Jaesa demanded.
“What?” Scoots asked turning around in confusion.
“The rectangular bit, that’s me. Unclip me and turn me over. I need to show you something… Just be careful ok?”
Scoots nodded and gently placed her hoof against the Jaesa, slowly pulling up until she clicked free, “Im sorry! Did I break you?”
“No that sound is normal. Turn me over. Good. Now watch. This is perhaps human kind’s greatest accomplishment involving flight.” Jaesa informed quickly bringing a YouTube video up on her screen.
“What’s th-“
“It’s a video… like a movie but shorter, just watch.”
On the screen Scootaloo could see a large red towering building which appeared to be holding onto a large white silo. The camera panned upwards showing the entire structure before the view suddenly changed. That’s not a silo, that’s a rocket! But it’s huge. Way too big to fly.
Suddenly humans in weird clothing with some kind of helmets were taking an elevator up the tower and crossing a bridge to the silo. “I really don’t get it…”
“Just watch.”
Suddenly the view changed again, showing the tower from much further away. A poorly recorded voice suddenly started talking, “T minus twelve… eleven… ten… nine… we have ignition sequence start.”
Suddenly a massive cloud of fire erupted from the base of the rocket, Scootaloo gasped but kept looking. Are they trying to actually launch it? I mean I’ve seen toy rockets go but that… There’s no way. The voice continued, “The engines are on!”
The arms on the red tower holding the silo to it suddenly began dropping away. “Four… three… two… one… zero!”
The entire rocket suddenly began moving! Holy crap that’s a rocket! It’s HUGE! IT’S REAL! Slowly but surely the rocket climbed upwards, riding on a torrent of flames into the heavens. Scootaloo watched in awe as Jaesa muted the video’s audio and resumed speaking, “That was the Apollo 11. It carried two men all the way to the moon where they got out and walked around.
Why? Well to quote the guy in charge at the time ‘We choose to go to the moon and do the other thing, not because they are easy but because they are hard.’ Humans got bored Scootaloo. So they punched god in the eye with science until they got to walk on the moon not just once, but six different times. It might take a while, it will take some work, and a whole lot of math but we can do anything we can imagine.”
The screen cut showing a short video of a tiny craft landing on what Scoots assumed to be the human’s moon, a man walked out hopped around for a while then planted a flag. Jaesa un-muted the video in time for her to hear, “That’s one small step for man… one giant leap for mankind.”
“Put me back on the copter now please I still need to change.” Jaesa asked.
Scootaloo nodded, clipping her back in asking, “They really did that?”
“They really did that. Hell, humans have also gone to Mars, some spend years in space doing science. All without any magic. Just brainpower and good old fashioned engineering. So well… You want to fly, and I am really sure that science can make that happen. I just need a power supply.”
“We could use what that rocket used!” Scoots exclaimed excitedly.
Jaesa laughed, “I really doubt that we could find, let alone get, over eleven million liters of kerosene and liquid oxygen. Let’s see... I am in an alternate dimension with lower tech that has electricity and light bulbs… I’ll need to think using science fiction. Could you name some of the technology you have please?”
Scoots nodded, “Yeah! Let’s see… Um street lights. Vinyl Scratch has her stereo speakers. There’s the damn. It makes electricity. Dose manufactured things count? We have plastic spatulas and stuff.”
Jaesa wished she could nod, “Yes. Ok, hydroelectric power, electric speakers, manufactured plastics. If that’s the highest technology level… So I need to work with 1950’s materials. Ok. I can do this. Science fiction involving 1950s and power generation. Ok here we are. Back to the Future. A lightning bolt is used to power the time machine. That won’t do you can’t make lightning strike when you want it to. Umm…”
“Yes you can.” Scootaloo interrupted.
“Huh?”
“You can make lightning strike when you want. Well Pegasi can. I guess I can too, I’ve never gotten to touch a cloud so I don’t know for sure but I am pretty sure I could.”
“Let me get this straight. If you can touch a cloud you can make a bolt of lightning?”
Scoots nodded, “Yep!” I’m not going to even wonder if I can’t. I can do that!
“Like, just once in a while or could you keep it up?”
Scoots thought for a few moments, “Well I saw Dash keep one going for half a minute before. I think I could keep it going until I got tired really. I don’t know how long that would be. Hours maybe.”
“And you can do that as long as you are touching a cloud? Could you touch the cloud through something?”
“Yep. I have seen a pony do it with boots on before so I guess it works through thin objects. Why?”
Jaesa felt a deep happiness well up in her core. This Pegasi had saved her life, and now she could pay her back in the prefect way. “Because now I have an idea for a 30 kiloamp 1 terawatt power supply. That’s why. Ok now I just need a motor, and a way to mount it to you while allowing you to control it that’s buildable with 50’s tech… Ummm how good is manufacturing? Can you magic things into existence?”
“I can’t, I’m not a unicorn.” Scoots replied.
“No no, if I needed say, a very precisely made piece of ceramic could that be done with magic?”
“Probably. I could ask Twilight… if she isn’t too busy with princess things.”
“Ok, so you know royalty and are close enough to her to use her first name. That opens a few doors… I could use ionocraft… no they would melt down… ummm… I need an electric thruster… quantum vacuum drive? No no that isn’t buildable here. Or even really finished on Earth. Maybe EM propulsion? That might work! Oh! A combination of ion thrusters using a magnetic bottle to contain and shape the thrust, perfect!”
Scootaloo stood up eagerly, “You got it?”
“Almost. We just need to figure out a way to attach the motor to you safely and let you control it. I can figure out all the specifics later and talk you through building everything of course. Hope you can learn how to solder electronics.”
Scootaloo nodded, “Yeah! I mean I can learn that… I kinda had a hoof in everything as a filly. Oh… Um… so it will take a while to build anything right?”
“Yes.”
“Well the princesses are keeping everything human all quiet and locked up in Canterlot to make sure it’s safe. That means you will have to hide… You can stay with me if you like. Most ponies don’t know where my house even is.”
“I would be delighted to. Thanks!” Jaesa switched her screen to a white picture in an attempt to ‘glow with warmth’ as she had read the expression went. “But we still need to figure out a way to get an engine attached to you.”
Scootaloo thought for a moment, “What about a jetpack? No! A flying suit of armor!” she suggested excitedly
“A flying suit of armor? That would be awesome! Let me see what I can find on flying armor.” Jaesa searched around her personal data for a short second before googling ‘flying armored suit’. “Ooooooo! That is freaking sweet! Scootaloo, take me out again, you will want to see this.”
“You can just call me Scoots.” Scoots offered as she once again flipped the phone around to look at the screen.
“This was the first video result when I searched.” The video showed a silver suit of armor putting itself into a human, who then spread his arms and flew on what looked like tiny rockets embedded in the armor’s hands and feet.
“Yeah! Exactly like that!” Scootaloo gleefully shouted, “What was that?”
“A clip from the movie Iron Man… Yeah that suit is fictional but the tech behind it is actually pretty sound. Sound enough to have real world counterparts. The only thing lacking would be the power supply.”
“And you said that my lightning is a power supply!” Scoots grinned.
“Yep! I am pretty sure I can build something really close to that, or rather I could design something close to that. You think you can build it with a little help?”
Scootaloo looked at Jaesa with a determined grin, “You bet I do! Come on! Let’s got to my place.”
Scootaloo excitedly dashed off, scooping up the backpack as she galloped away through the forest. Thank you Celestia! Life just got awesome again! “Woohoo!” She cried as she galloped off.
“Hold on I’m not at full power yet!” Jaesa cried, “Who am I kidding? She isn’t going to slow down… ok half power flight it is.” Her copter’s blades whirred into gear slowly, eventually lifting her off the ground as the AI zipped off to follow the pegasus. “Hold up! I can’t move that fast!” The two quickly left the Everfree Forest behind as they headed for Ponyville and into the start of a chain of events which would change the both of them forever.