SPD Emergency

by cyberlord4444

Personnel File 8: Toast Gone Wrong

POV: PRINCESS HEART

I trotted happily through the corridors this fine morning. Today I would start my mission to befriend Steam Gear and show him all the wonders of the changeling race.

I already knew how to do it.

After the party was over yesterday and I was visiting Flare Blast on the Medical Wing I met Fetch. I told him about my plan to use the Art of Parties to befriend Steam Gear. He only laughed at that and explained that Steam Gear is not even a fan of parties, which kind of shattered this plan completely, meaning I needed a new one. And for a plan I needed intel. It was probably a stupid idea to trust blindly that parties would solve this problem. To succeed I needed intel. Luckily for me, Fetch was more than happy to provide it.

From what I gathered from him, Steam could be a rather curious fellow, so information might be the key to bring him to my side of things. Other than that I would try to act as less superior as possible, since he seems to dislike a superior attitude. Not that hard for me though, since I’m not at all boastful. I just have to show him that I am just like all the other ponies and non-ponies around here.

But now to get to the first step. That mainly being a greeting and trying to have a friendly chat with him in his home. I might even find some clues that might further advance my mission there too. It couldn’t harm to gather further intel after all. I couldn’t help but smile.

This day is going to be perfect.

With that thought I made it to his quarters inside the base. It was rather practical that we were provided such since not all of us had homes in Ponyville or the bits to just buy us a home there. Of course renting a home was always an option, but getting quarters here at the workplace without having to pay any rent beat living in Ponyville.

I just knocked on his door and it creaked open. Curiously I took a small peek inside. This place was a downright mess. Tools and loose parts of metal and cables littered the tables. But what really got my attention was the display with a timer that counted continually down. It looked just like…

…a bomb!

I didn’t waste any time as I threw the door open concentrating my magic at the bomb.

“Blizzard!” I roared as the dangerous contraption turned to ice, the timer stopping just before reaching zero.

I breathed a sigh of relief and cheered at that. Seems like I just saved Steam Gear’s life, or at least his quarters if he is not here.

That’s what I call neighborly help!

But I think he should be more careful in the future. Exploding toilets are one thing, but to build a bomb on accident? That really takes the cake! He can be glad that I was here and found it just in time! However all that mattered now was that it was over. The day was saved and Steam Gear would be grateful for my help! I’m sure he would like to be my friend now!

This day was really going to be perfect!

---

POV: Steam Gear (A Few Minutes Prior)

I hummed happily as I tightened the last few screws. It was done! A toaster with integrated timer! A masterpiece if I do say so myself!

Admittedly it was quite the bother to get my hands on the display but in the end it was worth it.

Now I could finally toast my toast without fearing of it getting cold! It always was a bother never to know when the toast was ready, so that it could easily get cold while I was making myself a coffee for example.

But fear no more my delicious toast! Never again will you get cold!

You really should think about getting yourself a new hobby, taunted the voice in my head.

I just shrugged at this. You profit from this invention too, you know? I can’t imagine that you are enjoying cold toast.

That might be, but I doubt your crafting was worth the time you invested in building that little object.

I just shrugged again. Inventions are never a bad thing. You can only learn new things through trial and error after all.

Now that we talk about error, you were rather harsh to HEART yesterday.

This instantly threw me for a loop.

Wait, and that’s coming from you? You are normally the harsh one of us, you know?

That’s why I can see it better than you.

The message I delivered was not meant to be harsh, and I think it wasn’t. I just don’t trust her is all. Especially after she was flaunting her wings like that. I just can’t stand such bragging about superiority.

You never minded ‘her’ doing it, and she was quite the braggart if I recall it right.

She wasn’t THAT bad.

Oh, really? In which case does ‘Eat my dust and just accept your utter inferiority, you wimps!’ count not as bragging?

I huffed slightly at this. Stupid voice. Irritating since the first minute of the morning. I simply went to ignore it and placed some toast into the toaster before I adjusted it to give my toast a slightly golden brown color before switching it on.

Ninty seconds. Seems fair enough.

I then walked to the kitchen. The toaster would alarm me with a beep when it was ready.

I was walking to my kitchen counter to see if the coffee was ready. I took a whiff of the heavenly aroma and with a nod of approval set it back down. I then added some milk to it. I stirred my drink with a small spoon and took another whiff and nodded again in approval.

This day is going to be perfect. I just know it.

In exactly that moment I could hear my door burst open, as well as the telltale sign of magic humming from my living room. To say I was scared would probably be appropriate, so I slowly walked to the living room in a slightly crouched manner. I peeked through the door and immediately rushed outside at what I saw.

My toaster was completely frozen, as well as part of my living room. Also in the room was HEART. She was just sitting there on my half frozen couch! With a smile no less! Her tail wagging like a dogs who was expecting a treat after doing a trick.

I could easily assemble the pieces but needed clarification, just in case.

“What did you do?!” I yelled at her as I got closer to my now completely ruined toaster. I threw my hands up in despair.

“I stopped this bomb from destroying your quarters!” she said confidently, although I could see that it was more played confidence than real one.

“This is my toaster!” I yelled again as I looked it over, wondering if I could salvage it.

“Wait, toaster?” she asked confused.

“Yes! My toaster! I just finished building it no less!” I didn’t even try to hide my sadness and anger at this point. Well, I probably didn’t even from the moment I saw the popsicle of a toaster. I was really sensitive when it came to my inventions.

“But it had a bomb display!” she protested.

“Yes! To show me when the toast is finished!”

“…That doesn’t make any sense.”

“You bet your flank it makes sense!” I yelled yet again before sighing in annoyance. I was getting worked up again.

Breathe in and out, I said to myself as I did just that in an attempt to calm myself.

It helped.

I couldn’t do anything to change what happened so I had to just accept it. I turned my head to look at her again now a little more level-headed.

“Could you just leave, please? I need to try to salvage this,” I said as I turned my head back fussing over the toaster. She seemed to get the message, as I heard a door close shortly after that.

I suddenly doubted that this day was going to be perfect. Especially with another serving of cold toast on my platter. And this time the slices were quite a lot colder than usual.

---

POV: Fetch

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…

Late, I thought. Much too late.

I looked around to see that seemingly everypony was here. Everypony but one…

I sighed slightly in annoyance.

We need Steam Gear here. Somepony has to break in the new Engineering Crew. And that somepony is definitely not me. I was occupied with my own underlings. Just now I’m explaining to them that we have to bring up a concept and plans for the badges and the suits for the A-Squad. I heard the tests for the selection of the A-Squad start the next few days. Time is running out.

It doesn’t help that Flare Blast is absent due to last days events.

I sighed again, as I fidgeted with a pencil in my hand.

This is going to be a long day. I just know it.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…

“So we have to create spandex suits?” asked Lunar Fang with a tilt of his head after my explanation.

*Crack*

And with that the pencil snapped in two.

“THEY ARE NOT SPANDEX SUITS!” I roared straight at Lunar Fang’s face.

In all seriousness, why does everypony say that? They don’t even have the same function! We are talking about highly advanced materials! The suit is going to be powered by the magical ambient field of the wielder, have climate control, be durable as steel if not better, and can be summoned via embedded teleporters in the badge. That is admittedly the short version of it. A lot has to be conceptualized first. But Cruger gave us thorough explanations and the information and material to work with. Teleporting devices that can summon a suit? Impossible before Cruger showed us the technology to do so. Normally only Unicorns could summon marked equipment with their magic. Such a technology was unheard of. Probably the reason why Steam Gear disassembled it. His disassembling mainly lead to the first of many holes in the wall of the R&D. Sure it was fixed, but Steam Gear was admonished to be more careful next time.

Funny. Cruger already expects a next time. Chaos is inevitable sometimes with Steam.

I huffed annoyedly as I looked from the now flinching Lunar Fang to the clock on the wall.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…

Just what is he doing?

At that exact moment the doors to the R&D slid open. In came a slightly wheezing Steam Gear. Seems like he jogged here. Not that it explains or excuses his tardiness.

“You are late,” I said with a frown, showing clearly my disapproval to his tardiness. Especially at such challenging times.

“It’s not my fault! HEART was regressing my toaster back to the ice age!” he pleaded.

I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at that. “Beg your pardon?” I asked, making it clear that I wanted him to elaborate his point.

“Well, I was just finished with my new toaster and wanted to test him out. I just left the room for a moment when I heard the telltale sign of magic. Then I walked back into the living room my toaster was an ice block! And she was standing there with a smug look at her face and beamed at me! Like she just saved someponies life instead of ruining ones breakfast! I wasn’t sure before, but now I’m sure. I’m telling you Fetch, she is EVIL!”

“Did you ever hear her side of the story?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

It was clear that there was more to the story than that. No pony just freezes a toaster for no good reason, and I honestly doubted PRINCESS HEART would do that without a good one, especially after she swore to befriend him.

Steam Gear opened his mouth again, but closed it just as fast contemplating, before giving me an answer.

“Well, she said she thought my toaster was a bomb.”

“A bomb?” I asked with surprise grazing my voice, as my eyebrow instantly lifted an inch higher.

“A bomb,” he confirmed.

Slightly annoyed by his lack of elaboration I continued to interrogate him further, “And how exactly could she have gotten that idea?”

“She said something about my timer display looking like something a bomb would normally use.”

“…And why exactly do you have a timer for your toaster in the first place?”

He rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. “To know when the toast is ready, duh! I mean, you know the problem too, right? Standing an excruciating long time in front of the toaster waiting for the toast to get ready. You can’t simply use the time for something else, since you don’t know how long the toast will take to get toasted. If you take too long and miss the time, the toast will get cold! It is way more efficient if you know how long the toast takes, so that you can fill yourself a cup of tea while you are waiting.”

I’m not even going to question it. We all have our little morning rituals after all. I for example eat toaster waffles completely plain, while I eat fresh baked waffles with syrup, sausage and bacon if available. Besides, there was something more important nagging on the back of my mind.

“Where did you even get that display?”

“I took one from the training area.”

Now that set off some alarm bells.

“From a mockup bomb for training purposes I presume?”

“Yeah. I of course asked first. It didn’t seem to be a problem.”

“And you didn’t think that a bomb display might lead to a misunderstanding?” I asked driving my point finally home.

“When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound like such a good idea anymore,” he said slightly defeated. “Still doesn’t mean that she should freeze part of my living room,” he muttered with a slight pout.

I only sighed again.

I was doing that a lot today.

“Listen, Steam Gear. Maybe you should just try to give her a chance. You were rather harsh to her yesterday.”

He blinked at that. “I was only telling her my opinion about titles and alicorns, which wasn’t meant in any kind of insulting way, if I might add. Oh, and maybe declining her offer to turn me into her subordinate, but other than that I don’t see what you mean.”

“Just try to be civil and give her a fair chance.”

He huffed slightly at my indirect accusation. “I’m always civil.” After that he walked to his new crew.

It was time for another sigh.

Yes. This is definitely going to be a long day.

Author's Note:

Written by: someone who's making the rest of you look bad.

And hello again!

Did anybody notice something? Anything? Maybe counted something? No? Well then let me enlighten you: I have officially taken over the Personnel Files! Muahahahahhahaha! My evil master plan finally bears fruit!

Well, at least I have written 6 out of 10 files, so that counts as taken over...right?

Yeah, definitely counts. It’s not like anyone tries to stop me either, so here I am, seemingly the main supplier of Personnel Files unless I’m getting challenged by another one day. Up until then I will supply more chapters.

Like always you are welcome to criticize my work. And now excuse me, I’m going to order myself a pizza for this glorious moment! And you should party too if you feel like it. Can’t harm after all partying is Pinkie approved!

Your HSCT

Comments

[MeteorCrossBlade]

"A knew one"

... I don't know maybe you'd need a new one instead of that.

Anyway nice small excerpt, much like the other one that really hasn't gone for any of the changes beyond the one I provided with Pinkie.
That being said, Steam really just need either a leash to keep him out of trouble or maybe a buddy that would be constantly around him and making him cool down or not do things which common sense dictates as nonsensical.

Well until the next one I guess...

[Cauchemar]

Blood rush: *staring at a destroyed training room full of mildly injured personnel* he took the bombs display but didn't deactivate it? *grits teeth and looms over everyone* steam gear your punishment will be legendary. <especially for not bringing pinkie pie over to meet me yesterday.>

[RealityDowngrade]

Why exactly is it that a changeling princess has developed an interest in such a hateful individual (and I almost want to say racistly evil with the internal dialogue we were given of Steam)?

[GIGA-XISBASS]

7033909 Pretty much the same reason why Frisk would try to save Flowey in Undertale if it were an option or why Fluttershy gave Discord a chance. She wants to befriend the guy, open up his heart so it'd be alright and all that crap. Steam has some obvious issues with nobility believing them all to be selfish ninnies or something since we've seen a few who act like they're all that and above "filthy commoners" HEART's trying to break through to him and change his views on not only herself but nobles like Fancypants who care not for power and wealth or their own personal gain but rather for others. What you should really be asking is why Steam Gear was stupid enough to think taking a bomb timer for a toaster would be a good idea and wouldn't cause some kind of incident like the blizzard of Toaster's end here. XD

[RealityDowngrade]

7034088
Ok, but that's not the way it came off in the story, like at all. Like, at all at all.
When some girl sits on the couch wagging her tail like a dumb mutt waiting for a treat ((you know, rather than be concerned about how a bomb got inside the police station)), she, instead, looks like a love-sick puppy and not some noble spirit intent on aiding a wayward soul. Especially since, if she really thought it was a bomb ((you know, something that can rend life to bloody chunks)), being a trained cop, she would have either had it removed under her own power, being extraordinarily skilled at high level magic according to her Bio, or called someone specifically trained in explosive removal to get rid of it rather than sit idly by waiting to be praised by "senpai".

[Hoppa_21]

7033909

I take it that Steam Gear needs more positive dialogue then. He is meant to have issues when it comes to the nobility, but is not meant to be a character that is only about hate. When it looks like that it probably means I failed to write the scenes probably and should have focused more on positive dialogue.

7034205

You are making a point there with the bomb removal. I just thought the tail wagging might be the more funny option for this scene.

Ok, but that's not the way it came off in the story, like at all. Like, at all at all.

Also if you have any ideas how to improve it, then I'm all ears to it.

I also never really thought that he was that extremely aggressive towards HEART. Rude, definitely, but he never really called her nasty names or hurt her physically. Hateful behavior would be different in my opinion, honestly. Sure he called her evil, but that was more meant as an exaggeration than anything. And I personally have no idea how to alleviate this. I honestly thought I am at the lowest stage when it comes to being offensive towards another. So I'm feeling a little lost here to be honest. I just don't see what other people see and would appreciate a little guidance to make improvements.

7032836

Steam is a little nonsensical. If he wants to build something he does it. Of course he sometimes fails in doing what he wants to which leads to the afore mentioned trouble. His character is still in development and he is going to get into less serious trouble with time.

7032893

Someone was there so there is no need to worry about it. Steam got into enough trouble for the moment. I need to give him a break and focus on other areas for him after all.

As a side note, he likes Pinkie Pie? Might be material I could work with in future chapters!

[RealityDowngrade]

7035183
1. Possibly, though, that could be more readily rectified by Gear, who has been quite vocal about his hate, to be shown going out of his way to assist those who are not part of the accused rich (who are apparently all evil for simply being rich... or having wings), or even just being shown (not just said) to be a nigh on irreplaceable asset to S.P.D. that, while not excusing his hatred, would explain why he hasn't been let go.
2. I understood the joke, it was just ill-placed. More because such an action is typically designated to tittering pieces of eye-candy or children and not an all important changeling queen who, even if she wasn't so glowingly written of in her bio to be trained in the highest of magics (something that by only reading this chapter the reader wouldn't guess at), as an emotion sensor who wants to make friends because she doesn't seem to have any, it would make more sense to start off with someone easy then work her way up, or, paradoxically, she might have, instead, been written to be an extreme go-getter, someone who looks up to Rainbow Dash, and chose Gear because he would be the hardest person to befriend.
3. I didn't think he was that aggressive to Heart ((I had meant all we had seen of him up until his interactions with her)). His strangely consistent wrapped-in-his-own-narcissistic-rich-hating-world and using a bomb-timer rather than any other kind of device didn't seem out of character. He hasn't shown any real genius or intellect to the audience, just tinkering, and since Heart didn't follow through and treat the bomb-threat as a bomb, I was actually a little shocked that he wasn't crueler to the Princess.
4. If you think I'd be any good at it, then feel free to give me a jingle (PM) and I'll see what I can see.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Well that happened...

[shinigamisparda]

Steam Gear, just...

[Hoppa_21]

7050983

Oh... was the toast too much? I just thought it might be fun to place a toaster bomb scene like it was in the SPD show. Or was the conflict ill placed? I better try to tone these down in the next chapter. I probably balance it bad.

[Prince Lightning Charge]

“THEY ARE NOT SPANDEX SUITS!”

OK dr. K calm down

[hades21]

This day was really going to be perfect!