//------------------------------// // Chase, Part 1 // Story: The Iron Horse: Everything's Better With Robots! // by The Hat Man //------------------------------// 002 made her way up the tunnel, her metallic hooves echoing in the empty air. She’d just come from being asked to help load supplies onto the supply train after one of the other workers had put his back out. Just another menial task that fell to her because some pathetic organic was insufficient for the job they were tasked with. So she’d said her ‘Yes, Masters’ and lugged the crates back and forth while the others talked and joked and acted as though she wasn’t even there. One of them had even stopped directly in her path to check a list on a clipboard. A list on a clipboard! Was it so hard for organics to remember a simple list?! Still, it didn’t weigh too heavily on her. She had other things on her mind… I wonder if 003 was successful in retrieving her memory module, she thought to herself. What will she do then? What will the organics do? I hope it will be interesting… Just then, the lights overhead began to flicker. One by one in sequence down the tunnel, the lights shut off in rapid succession. She found herself standing alone in darkness, her singular yellow eye shining out in pitch blackness. The electricity has failed? She considered what could be the cause. But then she realized what it would mean. With the power out, all door locks would open, and that would allow all the prisoners to escape. “Ohhhh,” she said, her hushed voice a distorted moan. “This is going to be a very fun evening.” *** Twilight watched as Turing used her magic to tie the cords that had formerly bound her wings around the hooves of the two guards. They’d gagged them by tying some washcloths from Twilight’s “suite” around their mouths and tossed them both in the bedroom. “Okay, that should take care of them, Turing,” Twilight said as she walked out of the room with Turing. “Now, we--” Just then, the overhead lights flickered on. “The power is back!” Twilight cried. “Turing, does this mean the locks are back on? Did Umahara fail?” Turing shook her head. “I do not believe so, Twilight Sparkle,” she replied. “In the event of a power failure, all technicians in the electrical plant would have immediately engaged auxiliary power. They have batteries as well as numerous steam generators to keep the facility operating even under these circumstances. However, all power locks like those found on your door will still be disengaged.” “Well, that’s a relief,” Twilight said. “That means our friends can escape and we can still get through TechQuestria without having any locked doors to worry about, right?” “Affirmative, though some doors may be locked manually,” Turing said. “However, the greater difficulty will be avoiding security. Our escape will almost certainly be discovered soon, and more guards will attempt to impede our progress and apprehend our friends. Our greatest advantage is that, due to the size of the entire complex, adequately guarding all of it will be impossible, and they do not know where we are going.” She paused. “Twilight Sparkle, where are we going?” Twilight smiled. “Umahara said we should go to the amphitheater,” she said. “I think he probably told our friends the same thing, so we should probably go there.” Turing nodded. “I will calculate the most expedient route to that location, Twilight Sparkle. Please follow me.” Turing led and Twilight followed close behind as they galloped up the hallway. When they paused so Turing could glance around a corner to see if it was safe, Twilight raised her hoof and pointed to the metallic ring around the base of her horn. “I could probably be of more help if I could use magic, by the way,” Twilight said. “While we’re going to the amphitheater, do you think we could get this magic suppression device off me?” Turing tapped her chin. “According to my information, the only way to safely deactivate it is by remote control from a high-ranking security official or by obtaining a specialized hex key,” she said. “I do not recommend the former, due to the need for confronting security officials, but the latter may also prove difficult. We will need to locate a security outpost or emergency supplies cache, and I have not been given information on which of those are currently supplied with magically encoded hex keys.” Twilight frowned. “Well that’s just great,” she grumbled. Turing’s ears twitched. “I have a suggestion, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “If we modify our route, there are some caches in various locations along the way that may have the keys we require. It may also make our movements more difficult to track than if we took a direct route, though there is also a higher risk of encountering personnel. However, your magic skills are formidable and may be a valuable asset, which may offset the risk posed by--” “Turing, Turing, enough,” Twilight whispered, looking over her shoulder. “Look, let’s do that. We’ll be careful, but if we’re going to get out of here, we’ll need to hit TechQuestria with everything we’ve got!” “Understood,” Turing said, beckoning for Twilight to follow her as she again made her way up the hallway. “I will do my best to protect you in the meantime. However,” she added, her ears drooping slightly, “our other friends lack my abilities as a robot and your skill with magic. I hope they will be successful in finding their way to the amphitheater.” Twilight swallowed. “Me too, Turing,” she said quietly. “We’ll just have to hope we can meet up with each other along the way, or that they can manage on their own.” *** When the lights went out and the door swung open, Rainbow Dash was already prepared, having been crouched in readiness for nearly twenty minutes in anticipation. She launched herself forward in total darkness at her foes. “She’s loo--!” one of the guards tried to say before a hoof smacked him upside the head. “Ha!” Rainbow Dash laughed, lashing out blindly, striking with her front hooves and back alike. “Take this! And that! And one of these!” She heard the guards grunt and struggle and try to fight back, but every kick she landed let her know just where her foes were, and her wings helped her dodge and weave in the narrow corridor. After landing several blows, she heard one of them fall to the ground groaning, followed by the other. “Yes! That’s right! That’s what you get when you mess with me and my friends! Rainbow Dash 1, Dumb Guards 0! You’ve got nothing on--” “Um, Rainbow Da--” “Hi-yaaa!” Rainbow shouted, reflexively backhanding in the direction of the sudden voice. “Ow!” squealed a high-pitched and suddenly very familiar voice. “Rainbow Dash, stop!” Rainbow froze. “F-Fluttershy?” The lights suddenly flickered back on. The two security guards were on the floor unconscious, but Rainbow was face to face with Fluttershy, who was rubbing the end of her muzzle tenderly. “Th-that really hurt,” Fluttershy whimpered. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Rainbow cried, covering her mouth. “I just reacted, it was an accident! Are you okay?” “I’m fine,” Fluttershy said, trying to smile. “I know you didn’t mean to.” “Let me see that,” Rainbow said, gently moving Fluttershy’s hooves to the side. “How does it look?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow froze, but then put on a noticeably forced grin. “It’s, uh,” she began, “it’s not too bad!” Fluttershy gulped. “Is it broken?” “No, it, uh…” She trailed off and muttered into her foreleg. “What?” “You’re just… y’know… bleeding a little…” Fluttershy leaned in. “I’m what?” Then she glanced down at her own hoof and saw the spec of blood there. “Oh.” She began to wobble on her hooves. Rainbow Dash gulped. “Now, Fluttershy, try to stay ca--” Fluttershy groaned and promptly fainted on the spot. “Oh for pony’s sake!” Rainbow groaned. She flew back into their room, retrieved a glass of water, then promptly splashed it into Fluttershy’s face. The yellow pegasus bolted back up into the air, sputtering. “Huh? What, what happened?!” “Look, Fluttershy, get a grip!” she shouted. “We have to get moving! You don’t have time to bleed!” “B-b-b--” Rainbow shoved two wads of tissue into Fluttershy’s nostrils. “There! Now you’re not… leaking anymore!” she said, taking her by the shoulders. “Stay with it, Fluttershy! We’ve got to get to the amphitheater! We’ll need to find our other friends if we want to get out of here and save everypony! Think of the others! Think of your animals at home! Think of Turing Test!” Fluttershy paused, then smiled. “Ogay, Raimbow Daj,” she said, her nose still stuffed with with tissue. “Vor During Dest.” Rainbow Dash suppressed a snicker. “All right, then let’s fly!” she said, and soared off down the hallway. “B-but Raimbow!” Fluttershy cried. “Where id de ambvitheater?” “Hay if I know! But if we keep going, we’ll find it eventually!” *** When the lights went out at Pinkie Pie and Rarity’s room, the two guards on duty both immediately turned to face the suddenly open door. “Stay where you are, you two!” said the first guard. “If you make the slightest move, we--” A high-pitched shriek pierced the darkness. “Ahhh!” Rarity screamed. “The lights! What happened?!” “It’s just a power outage,” one of the guards grunted. “Just calm down--” “You mean we’re stranded deep underground with no lights? Oh no…” “It’s not a big deal,” the other guard said. “Just stay calm and--” “You don’t understand!” Rarity cried. “I’m terrified of the dark!” “I… uh…” “Where are you? Oh, please, come and hold me!” “Come and… hold you?” the first guard asked, glad that she couldn’t see him blushing in the darkness. “Yes… oh, I’m dreadfully sorry to trouble you, but it would help me feel so much better until the lights come back on.” The first guard hesitated. “Uh, what do you think?” he asked the second. “Oh just hold her already,” he grumbled. “They’ll have auxiliary power on any minute, so just keep her from whining.” “Oh, yes,” Rarity agreed, “please do. I do hate to whiiiiiine…” “All right, all right!” the guard said, walking toward the sound of her voice. “Just stay calm. Now where… ah, there you--” There was a wet splat sound followed by the sound of the guard stumbling around in the darkness. “What’s going on? What is this?!” shouted the second guard. Then he heard Pinkie’s voice right next to his ear: “It’s a surprise.” The lights came on just in time for him to see the cream pie before it hit him in the face. As he likewise staggered around, disoriented as whipped cream filled his vision, Rarity and Pinkie Pie dashed out the door. “I still can’t believe that worked!” Rarity laughed as she ran through the hallway. “I suppose I owe you an apology for saying it was a waste of time to bake cream pies before an escape attempt, Pinkie.” “It just goes to show you, Rarity,” Pinkie said, turning to grin at her as she pulled a previously unforeseen pair of sunglasses out of her mane. “When you mess with Pinkie…” Rarity’s eyes bulged. “Oh no, Pinkie, please don’t say it--” “...you’re gonna get Pie’d!” she finished, putting the sunglasses on. ***YEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!*** “And that should just about do it!” Dr. Hawkeye said, calling over the security guards as he undid the straps that held Applejack to the operating table. “How are you feeling, Applejack?” “Still stings a bit,” she replied as the guards took her forelegs and helped her off the table. “Tingles too, but--whoa!” As she tried to stand, she suddenly lurched forward. “Well, there will be some bruising in your flank,” Dr. Hawkeye said, “but nothing too serious. In the meantime, it looks like you’ve noticed one of the side effects of the treatment.” “Side effects?” Applejack asked, stumbling slightly as each step from her hind legs felt like she had springs attached to her hooves. “My hind legs feel jumpier than a paranoid bullfrog!” “Heh,” Dr. Hawkeye chuckled, taking out his notepad. “I’m going to have to write that one down…” “Doc!” Applejack exclaimed. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “Every so often, though, the formula causes a patient to have a temporary increase in the strength and tenseness of their joints, giving them a little… well, a lot more kicking power in their legs. It’ll wear off soon enough, though.” Applejack blinked. “Ya don’t say,” she muttered, glancing at the guards to her left and right. Nurse Valentine noticed this and narrowed her eyes. “Before you start thinking--” Just then, the overhead lights went out. Curiously, though, all the other machinery stayed on, and emergency lights near the doors blinked on. “What was that?” one of the guards demanded. “A power outage!” another shouted. “Well, it’s a good thing we’ve got backup batteries for the Medical Ward,” Hawkeye said calmly. “Not that we have anypony on life support right now, but still, good to know.” “But wait a minute,” said one of the guards, “if the main power’s out, wouldn’t that disengage the power locks on all the doors in TechQuestria? What if the prisoners try to escape?!” Applejack’s eyes widened, and she raised a back hoof slightly. Valentine was about to call out a warning, but she was too late. Applejack levelled a kick at the nearest guard. It hit him directly in the chest and sent him flying across the room. “Hoowee!” Applejack exclaimed, propelling herself from her captors’ grasps. “Now I could get used to this!” Valentine cried out, “Idiots! Why’d you have to open your big mouth! Stop her!” The guards tried to reach for her, but with the newfound strength in her back legs, Applejack easily outmaneuvered them, bucking each one like they were little more than hay bales, sending them all flying. Applejack ran at the exit, practically tripping over herself with how fast she was able to move. As she ran, she called out, “Thanks fer the new legs, doc! I’ll make good use of ‘em!” “Applejack!” Hawkeye cried, the tone of his voice enough to actually make Applejack come to a halt. “D-doc?” she asked, turning to look at him. “I just wanted to say,” he sighed, before giving her a smile, “I’m sorry for how things turned out… but I’m glad we were able to help you. I hope you’ll be bucking apples for a long time to come.” Applejack tipped her hat. “You know I will, doc,” she said, and dashed through the doors. “You’re a lot more weak-willed than I thought,” Valentine sighed, gathering up several of the nearby surgical tools on a tray and placing them into her nurse’s uniform. “Leave her to the security guards,” Hawkeye said, turning to walk away. “It’s out of our hooves.” “Oh no, I couldn’t do that,” Valentine said, using her magic to brandish a scalpel. “After all, I never lose a patient.” She ran after Applejack. *** Cobbler stood on the catwalk, leaning over the guardrail as he watched dozens of workers, his fellow patriots, haul massive tanks of thaumatrium - their liquid contents glowing as they gently sloshed inside the clear containers - up the ramp and into the great machine that occupied almost the entirely of the cavernous space. In spite of the long night he’d had and forcing himself to relive the pain he’d gone through, his heart was still pounding with excitement. After a decade of planning, building, innovation, and leading his nation, Professor Cobbler Mustang was there to see his dreams coming true. In a scant few hours, the sun would rise one last time over the Kingdom of Equestria, but by that night it would set over the Republic of Equestria. He could hardly keep the grin from his face. New Dawn was fast approaching, and soon Celestia and all of Canterlot would stare in awe at the majestic fruit of TechQuestria’s labor, the incredible machine their backwards thinking could never produce. They would know they were powerless the instant they beheld-- Then the lights all went off. Shouts erupted from all around him as a few hundred ponies suddenly found themselves in the dark. Cobbler grabbed the bullhorn he’d kept nearby. “Quiet, everypony, quiet!” he shouted, getting their attention. “There is no need to panic! I’m certain the power will be restored soon. If you have flashlights or other artificial light sources, utilize them until the lights return!” He heard murmuring in the cavernous space all around him as they all calmed themselves and tried to return to work. He smiled to himself, hearing many of them saying “Yes, Mr. President,” aloud. He would truly miss being the president of this nation, but once his work was done, it would be time to let the younger ponies around him take over. Perhaps one of the council members… He shook his head. He had other matters to attend to. He made his way up the catwalk, intending to reach the nearest telephone station - there was at least one mounted on the wall in each department - knowing that it ran on its own power system. However, no sooner had he reached it than the power returned and the lights switched back on. Ponies all around cheered as they threw themselves back into their work. Cobbler gave a calm, reassuring smile to the ponies nearby, but he had a dreadful feeling that was growing by the moment. He picked up the phone and clicked the receiver. “Operator? This is the president speaking.” “Hello, Mr. President,” said the operator. “How may I direct your call?” “Connect me with the power station immediately. Override any other incoming calls; this is an emergency!” “Understood, sir.” He waited as he heard the phone ringing on the other end. A moment later, somepony picked up. “Hello?” “This is President Cobbler speaking. Is the forepony present?” “Ah, sir! Yes, I’m the forepony. I apologize for the power outage. For some reason, the entire flow of water into the hydroelectric generators has been cut off!” He froze. “You mean to tell me,” he said, “that we are currently running on auxiliary power?” “Well, yes, sir. We were able to activate the backup--” “How long do we have until that fails as well?” “We have at least six hours, sir. But we can shut down nonessential areas of TechQuestria if we need to extend that.” Cobbler breathed a sigh of relief. That would be enough time to complete preparations. “Proceed with repairs. Do you have any idea what might have caused this?” “We sent a maintenance crew, sir. Perhaps there was a landslide or a large amount of debris in the river.” Cobbler wrinkled his nose at that, but merely replied, “Perhaps.” He sighed. “In the meantime, are there any other issues I need to be aware of?” “No sir. Though we should make a general announcement so everypony will stop asking repair crews why their electronic locks aren’t working.” Cobbler froze as it hit him: the locks, the emergency procedures, the doors, Twilight Sparkle and her friends! “Call me as soon as you know the cause!” he shouted, and promptly hung up. He then immediately picked up the phone again and asked to be connected with Central Command. “Mr. President? This is Commander Lugnut speaking. How can I be of--” “Lugnut, the emergency protocols! The electronic door locks have all been disabled!” Cobbler shouted. There was silence on the other end. “Oh,” Lugnut breathed. “That’s right.” “Contact the ponies guarding the Elements immediately!” “Of course, sir. I’ll… wait, just a moment…” Cobbler heard somepony speaking to Lugnut excitedly in the background. Judging by his gruff reaction, it wasn’t good news. “Sir, I’m sorry to report that Applejack has overpowered the guards in the Medical Ward and escaped--” “Find her!” he bellowed, loud enough for ponies nearby to stop and take notice. “We are, sir,” Lugnut said. “We’re attempting to make contact with the other guards right now. We… just a moment, sir…” There was more excited murmuring. Then more yelling. Cobbler grit his teeth. “Uh, s-sir?” Lugnut said, his voice noticeably shakier than before. “We’ve received word back from the Prison Ward that the inventor girl is still secured, but… the ponies guarding Rarity and Pinkie Pie report that they’ve escaped. And we are currently unable to reach the ponies guarding Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy… or the ones guarding Twilight Sparkle.” Cobbler was ready to scream his head off at Lugnut, but he glanced around and saw all the ponies watching him. He didn’t want to do anything that might distract them from their work. He took a deep, calming breath and tried to put on a calmer face for the onlookers. “Commander,” he said calmly, “I will thank you very much to find and recapture them immediately. Deploy every available guard to locate them, but above all else - and listen very closely, Commander,” he added in a low growl, “they are not to gather in one place. Even if it’s only one that you manage to stop, that will be adequate, but we will be in quite the predicament if they unite due to that little trick of theirs. Now, have I made myself perfectly clear?” “Yes, sir. I’ve already given the order.” “Excellent. Use whatever means necessary.” He thought he heard a snicker. “With pleasure, sir.” Cobbler hung up. No sooner had he done so when the phone rang again, causing him to give a start at the sudden sound. “Hello?” he said, picking up the earpiece. “Sir, this is the forepony! The maintenance crew discovered ice in the main pipeline! It was done with spell cards! Sir, it’s sabotage!” Cobbler was silent for a moment. “Spell cards?” he whispered. “Well… yes, sir. We detected trace amounts of thaumatrium--” “Clear the pipes,” Cobbler said. “Make that your top priority.” He hung up again. Then he turned, making his way for the steps. They’d received their final shipment of spell cards from the Magitech Department only a short while ago. He had a sinking feeling, a seed of nagging doubt that was beginning to take hold and grow. But if there were spell cards missing from that shipment, he had a good idea of who’d sabotaged the pipes. He’d wait and see before notifying security. He’d make absolutely certain. And if his suspicions were confirmed, well… ...then Umahara, at least for his own sake, had better be far away from TechQuestria already. *** The two guards outside the Prison Ward’s main door stood at attention. Well, one stood at attention while the other read a magazine. “Five more minutes,” said the guard at attention, “then I get to read.” “Yeah, I know,” said the second guard, using his magic to flip the page. “Whoa, check out the tail on this gal!” “Pfft, those are tail extensions if I’ve ever seen ‘em,” said the first. “Don’t care. She still looks hot.” Then both their ears rose. The elevator was humming. Someone was coming down. The second guard stuffed the magazine back in his uniform, and they both stood ready, each grabbing their batons to confront whoever might be coming to greet them. The elevator doors opened, and the pony inside stepped out. “Hey, guys!” Umahara said, smiling at the two of them. “Oh, great, it’s the loverboy,” grumbled the first guard, rolling his eyes. The second guard snickered. Umahara let a flicker of annoyance briefly cross his face. “Listen you two,” he said, “I’m here to--” “Oh no,” said the first guard. “Commander Lugnut said you were cut off. We’re not letting you in to see the prisoner.” “Can’t say I blame you, though,” the second one said, glancing over his shoulder. “I don’t care much about the glasses or the messy mane, but she’s got some nice flanks. And she’s got some fight in her… I keep hearing the little sounds she makes trying to get free even though she knows it’s pointless. I’d like to hear what other sounds she might make.” He grinned, locking eyes with Umahara. Umahara’s smile became more forced. “I didn’t come for her,” he said, walking forward. “Hey hey, that’s close enough,” said the first guard, brandishing his baton. “Relax, I just wanted to show you guys this,” Umahara said, using his magic to hold up a remote control. Using it, he drove a small drone on wheels up the pathway. It was decorated brightly with the TechQuestrian emblem and streamers on all sides. He pressed a button, and two thin arms rose up and separated, revealing a banner which read ‘Victory! To the New Republic!’ “Hey, that’s kinda neat,” said the second guard. “Yeah, but why show it to us?” asked the first, raising an eyebrow. “I’m off duty, and I figured you two have to be the most bored ponies in TechQuestria,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, “and since I can’t sleep anyway, I thought I’d at least show it to you and see what you think. It’s not like you had anything better to do. If you like it, I’ll build a bunch more for the party we’ll have once Celestia surrenders!” “That’s--” “Aw, let him show us,” said the second guard. “He’s right anyway; I’m bored, so even this ought to be interesting. Does it do anything else?” “Sure does!” Umahara said, pressing another button. A panel on top of the drone slid open, and a balloon appeared. It slowly began to inflate, growing larger and larger until it was the size of a pony, and yet it still grew. “Jeez, how big does this thing get?” asked the second guard. “Well, it should be finished juuust aboouut…” The balloon burst with a loud bang that caused both guards to jump, distracted for a split second as they saw the spell card that had been hidden inside the balloon seemingly floating in midair. They both gasped as it activated, giving off a flash of light. They both wobbled on their hooves before slowly slumping to the floor, fast asleep. “Hope I won’t need any more sleep spells,” Umahara whispered to himself, walking over to one of the sleeping guards to take his keys. The guard only snored in response. He unlocked the main door and galloped down the hall. “If you jerks are here to tell me to give up the Point Dexter,” he heard Gadget shout, “then you can forget it! I already told you--” He ran to her cell, placing his hooves against the bars. “Gadget!” he shouted. “It’s me!” She stared back at him for a moment before turning from him, her nose in the air. “I thought visiting hours were over,” she said snidely. “What, did they send you here to convince me one last time to give up my invention?” “No,” he said. “I’m here to rescue you.” She refused to look at him. “Yeah, sure you are,” she said, rolling her eyes. Then she heard the door to her cell open as he unlocked it and stepped in. “H-hey, you better stay where you are!” she shouted as he came closer. She began to struggle. “You try anything funny, and I’ll make you regret it! Just because you’ve got me locked up like this doesn’t mean I can’t defend myself! I’ll bite your ears off! I’ll--” “Gadget!” he shouted, causing her to look at him directly. She saw the keys he held in his magic. He had a warm smile on his face. “You… you mean it?” she asked. “You’re actually saving me?” “Yes,” he replied. Then he frowned. “Um… what exactly did you think I was going to do?” She bit her lip and looked away. “Oh, well, heh heh… I read this Neighponese comic one time where--” “Never mind, forget I asked!” Umahara snapped, sifting through the keys to find the right one to Gadget’s restraints. “Jeez, of all the things from my ancestral culture for you to latch onto, it had to be that junk!” “Th-that’s not what I usually read!” she snapped, her cheeks turning bright red. “Usually I read nice stories! Clean stories! Stuff where the nice guy gets the beautiful prince!” Umahara froze. “Er, I meant ‘princess!’ Look, just get me out of these stupid restraints already!” He managed to keep the smirk from his face as he first undid the clamps around her hooves, then, one by one, unlocked the restraints in each corner of the cell that held her mechanical hands. Finally freed, she collapsed after being forced to stand in the same position for hours. “Gadget!” Umahara cried, rushing over to her. “Are you okay?” He put his hoof to her cheek, and she raised her head, meeting his eyes. “You… you really did come to save me…” “I also gave the others a chance to escape,” he said, smiling down at her. “And Turing Test should be back to normal too. If we go, we can find them and get out of here.” She stared back at him. “You really turned your back on TechQuestria?” she breathed. “Why?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess what you said finally got to me. And, well,” he said, glancing away, “I decided some things were more important to me than political revolution.” Gadget swallowed and unsteadily got to her hooves. He knelt and helped steady her, and when she finally found her footing, her cheeks colored. “Umahara,” she whispered, moving closer to him. Her lips parted. His heart skipped a beat. Time itself seemed to slow down. “Gadget,” he whispered back and leaned in closer, his eyes closing. Then a mechanical hand seized him around the muzzle. Another one shot forward, punching him right in the nose. “Ow!” he shouted, falling backwards, rubbing his aching muzzle. “What the hay was that for?!” Gadget smirked, crossing one foreleg in front of the other; all the apparent weakness she showed a moment ago was totally gone. “Before we left for Mustangia, I promised Mr. Vanderbull I’d sock you right in the muzzle, and I’m a mare of my word!” she said. He grumbled as she lent him a mechanical hand to help him up. “Aww, what, did you think I was actually going to kiss you?” she said teasingly, holding a hoof up to her mouth as she giggled demurely. Then she stuck her tongue out at him. “Not likely, you jerk!” Umahara’s ears drooped as he lowered his head. “I see,” he muttered. “I can’t blame you.” Seeing this, she softened. “I, um…” she began before trailing off. Then she cleared her throat. “It’s not that I’m not grateful. I really am. But you still betrayed my trust. And you really hurt me. I’m not going to forget that like it never happened.” He sighed, but raised his head, managing a smile. “No, I really didn’t expect anything,” he said. “I guess I just got my hopes up when you acted like you were going to… I mean… I guess what I’m saying is that I still have some feelings for you, Gadget. Even if I know I screwed it all up forever. But I didn’t help you because I thought it would make you feel the same way about me. I just did it because--” She suddenly put a mechanical finger to his lips. “Because you’re a good pony,” she said, giving him a more genuine smile. “And I forgive you.” He stared back at her, actually feeling a lump in his throat. “Gadget… I…” “Look, even if nothing else happens with, y’know… us,” she said, blushing slightly again, “I think what you’re doing is very brave. I’ll be glad to call you a friend, and I’ll stick up for you when this is all over.” Umahara smirked. “I can accept friendship,” he replied. “Good,” she said. Then she jerked a mechanical thumb at the door. “Now let’s get out of here.” They both ran out the door, heading for the elevator. “We need to get to the amphitheater,” Umahara said as the door shut. “I told Twilight and the others to go there. It’s a long run, but it’s one central location that should be easy to find for everypony. I just hope we can all avoid the guards.” “Don’t worry, Umahara. If any of them try to mess with us,” Gadget said, smirking as she flexed her mechanical arms like a bodybuilder, “I’ll keep you safe and sound!” He gave her a sideways glance. “Oh, well, I feel much safer now,” he said sarcastically, “though if I really get stuck, I guess I could always use these.” Using his magic, he drew a dozen more spell cards from his black shirt, fanning them out like an expert poker player. Her eyes widened. “Wow,” she breathed. Then, with a grin, she added, “We might just pull this off!” The elevator began to rise. *** 002 was in the charging room, topping off the last bit of her battery. She was alone, silent, and still, but she knew that the call would come. Cognitive loop detected, her systems told her. I wonder if this is what organics call ‘anticipation.’ Or perhaps ‘excitement.’ There is that expression they use: ‘the calm before the storm.’ Whatever it is, though, I like it. The overhead speakers blared to life: “Attention TechQuestria: this is Commander Lugnut of the Security Forces. I am declaring a state of emergency. This is not a drill. “Twilight Sparkle and the other captives have escaped. We are still determining how, but it appears to be sabotage. All security forces not devoted to Operation New Dawn are now looking for the fugitives. All citizens are urged to stay in their quarters in the Residential District. All deputized personnel not currently committed to New Dawn are to arm themselves and assist in apprehending the fugitives. “We have also learned that Twilight Sparkle has somehow regained control over automaton Unit 003. Be advised that it is formidable and should be considered extremely dangerous. Unit 004 has been deployed as a countermeasure.” 002 raised her head at that. So, 003 has regained her memory. I wonder if she will be able to withstand 004, should he locate her. Will her allies be able to assist her? Her mind buzzed with such questions, even as she began calculating possibilities. “Above all,” Lugnut continued, “the fugitives are not to be allowed to rejoin with each other. Even if you are only able to detain one of them, that will be sufficient. Exercise caution, but do all that you can for our nation on our greatest day. That is all.” 002 tilted her head, and at first she was incredulous that there was no mention of her in the announcement. Then the radio receiver in her ear blared to life. She raised her right ear, attempting to improve the reception. “002, are you there?” Lugnut asked, his voice reverberating inside her head. 002 got to her hooves. “Of course, Master Lugnut,” she replied. “Where else would I be?” “President Cobbler has authorized special security measures,” he continued, ignoring the question entirely. “I order you to deploy all available security drones to locate the fugitives. Do you understand?” She paused for a moment; over the years she’d found that such pauses had the dual effect of both making her masters think that she was considering their requests more carefully and also irritating them, especially if she waited longer than three seconds to respond. After 3.2 seconds (and delighting at the sound of Lugnut exhaling sharply through his nose), she replied, “I am not certain, Master Lugnut. You stated that all available security drones were to be deployed to ‘locate the fugitives’; however, your previous announcement called not only for location, but detainment. While some drones are only capable of surveillance and detection, do you not wish for attack drones to be used to their full capabilities?” “Deploy those as well!” Lugnut snapped. “I’ll make this perfectly clear, 002: you are to do everything you can to stop them! Use every capability, every drone, everything you have available!” 002 hesitated for another second before replying. “Understood, Master Lugnut,” she said. “I will do as my Creator orders.” “Good,” Lugnut said brusquely. “Commander Lugnut out.” As the signal died away, 002 disconnected herself from her charging alcove and strode out into the nearby tunnel. She couldn’t help herself and giggled at the great opportunity she’d just been given. ‘Do everything you can to stop them,’ Commander Lugnut? she thought to herself, raising her ears as her eye began to glow. That’s one order I can truly say that I won’t mind following! All around the underground nation of TechQuestria, security drones in outposts and storage units came to life, their motors engaging as 002’s signal reached out to them. They began to move, rolling and flying through the tunnels and vents as they spread out. She boosted her signal and began to access every available device. She felt herself expand, growing beyond even the superior metal body she’d been given as though, in a way, she were becoming the facility itself, and all the squirming little organics running through the tunnels were just the scurrying microbes tumbling blindly through her veins. “Finally,” she murmured aloud, “a worthwhile task. Now, 003, where are you and your squishy little friends hiding?” To be continued…