Chapter 1
"Good morning, Professor!" exclaimed Silver as he burst into a very large, posh and dishevelled bedroom, bearing a silver platter. Rolling one eye at the unused bed, he noticed the occupant of the room, a brown-coated earth pony with a dark brown mane and a scroll bound within a cog for a cutie-mark, instead asleep on the desk, surrounded by various tools. He strode over to the curtains and threw them open, startling the pony that had been asleep on the desk. Silver looked down as the brown pony and sighed.
"Master Charles, you must stop staying up all night like this."
"Sorry Silver, but I had an awesome idea for how I could make Steel's eye better!" Charles exclaimed, holding up a hoof. At the end of it was a copper orb. Silver could see gears and cogs inside it. Instantly he dived across room behind the bed.
"Oh come on Silver, it’s not going to explode. Again." Charles said, a look of exasperation on his face.
"I am sorry sir, force of habit" And it was. Professor Charles Hoofington came from a long line of famous inventors, and is everything his parents wanted him to be- smart, quick-witted (if a little scatter-brained) and most importantly, flame retardant. This last aspect is particularly important because the Hoofingtons have been labouring under a bad luck curse for several generations now, which commonly manifests itself by causing the myriad inventions the family creates to blow up, often spectacularly. The Hoofingtons generally take this in their stride, seeing the funny side of the curse, believing that it is merely trying to make them better inventors. Charles is no exception to this, although when a toaster takes out one of your employees eyes it somewhat stops becoming fun and games.
"However, sir, I feel that I should warn you that Steel has developed a small amount of distrust for your contraptions since the ... Incident." Silver continued, adjusting his monocle.
Charles simply waved a hoof at this and looked expectantly at the platter that Silver had somehow not only held on to be kept upright on his dive across the room.
"Ah, yes, breakfast. Today the chef has prepared pancakes, the usual spreads and fillings and a glass of orange juice, made with fresh oranges. Also, the equestrian daily- looks like the papers are having another attack on Princess Luna, the poor dear and a letter for you from the castle." Silver said, laying down the platter on a pony shaped space on the cluttered desk.
"A letter? From the castle? For me?" Charles said, between forkfuls of pancake. "What does it say?"
Silver picked up a tool of the desk with his horn, a grey glow surrounding the handle, and opened the envelope.
"Ahem. Dear Professor Charles Hoofington, It has come to our attention that thou you are not only a mechanical genius, but also an avid explorer, having travelled to many lands. We I feel that such talents will be very useful and as such I ask you to meet me tonight at the palace, after moonrise but before night court begins.
Yours expectantly,
Princess Luna"
The two ponies stared at each other, before attempting to speak at the same time.
"Princess Luna..."
"Tonight, before night court..."
"Wants me?"
"Mechanical genius!?"
"Oy! This PhD isn't for nothing you know!"
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Later that evening, Charles was pacing up and down in his drawing room, looking increasingly anxious and nervous, whilst Silver lay down in front of the fireplace, a book between his hooves.
"Just how can you sit there and be calm like that!" shouted Charles at Silver, breaking the tension of the room.
"You would be surprised what they teach you at butler school." Silver replied smoothly. "Maintaining a calm and collected demeanour is all part of our charm, remember. You should stop worrying, everything will be fine. Steel should be back from the hospital soon as well and then we will all go back to the palace together. Now stop pacing, you’re ruffling your waistcoat." The grey unicorn stood up and fixed Charles' waistcoat, before stepping back, satisfied.
"Steels coming back! Oh sweet Celestia I had forgotten that! Do you think he'll forgive me?" Charles backed up, eyes wild.
"Of course I’ll forgive you, you fool. It was an accident. My own fault for getting too close to one of your idiotic machines anyway." said a new voice.
Silver and Charles turned their heads towards the door, where Steel stood, his dashing grin accompanied by a new and rather roguish eye patch.
Silver was the first one to speak "Wow brother, you must be fighting the ladies of with that eye patch!"
"Tell me about it" Steel replied, rolling his one good eye. "I was approached by three pretty young mares on my way here- and a stallion! Why, when I mentioned that I was an explorer to one of them - one of the mares Silver, you know my barn door doesn't swing that way, anyway she sold me this map at a discount." he proudly brandished a scroll in the air with his horn.
"A map? Of what?" asked Charles, his nervousness forgotten in the wake of Steels return.
"A map" beamed Steel "leading to the lost emerald necklace of the zebra kings! Missing for a thousand years! And I have a map to its last know location, the Striped Temple!"
"The lost emerald necklace of the zebra kings?" asked Charles. Steel nodded eagerly. "the same lost emerald necklace of the zebra kings that was found last year and is currently on display in the Canterlot museum? Hmm?"
Steel's expression dropped like a stone. "Found? But I ... She lied to me!"
Suddenly, the clock chimed interrupting Steel's tirade and causing Silver to glance at it.
"We need to be moving if we want to get to the palace on time." Silver commented, moving out of the room. Charles and Steel followed, the former beginning to panic again, the later confused.
"The palace? Why are we going there?"
"Princess Luna wishes to meet our master tonight."
"About what?"
"Were not sure, but it sounds like she has a job for us."
"So nothing terrible then?"
"Well, she may decide to punish you. That mane is a crime against nature. And that waistcoat- how long have you had it? Maybe you should just wait with the chariot."
"Oh hardy-har-ha."
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