Lexi steps outside of the penthouse and walks out onto the terrace with Void along side her. Her head pans slowly across the terrace from right to left whilst she walks on her hindlegs. She has a serious and annoyed expression on her face while she kept her eyes focused for any sign of who or whatever she was looking for. I peak my head out of the cracked open front door in order to watch what might be happening from afar. Lexi stops in her tracks as she reaches the middle of the terrace with Void stopping a few steps behind her.
"You can come on out now, I know you're there," she calls out, sounding rather unsurprised and unamused.
There's nothing but a calm quite ambience of the city sounding out. She continues to gaze about, looking for this particular individual, if it even is an individual. It could just be some strange creature lurking about. My mind continues to wonder what it could be as I spectate. There is suddenly a slight rumbling sensation coming from the ground. I glance at the floor as I feel the vibrations through my hooves, then look back forward towards the two. Void shifts his head about to gaze in different directions in an anxious manor while Lexi remains calm and serious. Her focus locks directly in front of her towards the edge of the terrace where the source of the rumbling is coming from. There is a roaring sound of wind that seems to be coming from over the edge. It gets louder and louder, signaling that something is coming closer and closer. My gaze focuses on the edge and I await for this strange anomaly to reveal itself. Right then, a blurry figure swoops up into the air from the edge at high speeds. My eyes quickly follow the blurry figure as it seemingly had hurled itself into the air for us all to see. As the figure shoots up into the air, Void takes a combat ready like stance while Lexi remains completely unphased still.
I try to focus my eyes onto the figure as it slows down mid-air, but it suddenly plummets back down towards the ground of the terrace. Soon after, it lands upon the ground of the terrace a mere couple of yards away from Lexi's front. As it lands it creates a strong gust of wind that blows back towards the penthouse. Lexi's lab coat, mane, and tail blow back in the direction where the forceful gust of wind flows towards. The wind reaches the front door and I hold the door back to prevent it from swinging wide open. My eyes widen in surprise at the sudden force pushing on the door I hide behind. As the winds die down I quickly focus my attention back towards the figure. Before Lexi stands a rather tall individual giving off the appearance of a very large stallion that's hunched over from the landing. The large stallion begins to slowly stand up straight to stand at full height. I stare in awe at their height as they appear quite larger than Lexi even as she stands on her hindlegs. If I had to guess I'd say their size is somewhere between Celestia's and Luna's height. Their eyes shoot open and glow a bright red and seemingly glares down at Lexi. The large stallion lets out a similar distorted laugh much like the one I heard earlier. Lexi stands fearless to this towering stallion standing before her. Void remains behind his mom for the time being, remaining in a ready stance, though still looking anxious.
"Well, well, well. Look who, uninvitingly, decided to show up . . . again" Lexi says.
The large stallion lets out a voice to speak. "Lexington B. Dawn, we meet again," The voice coming from the stallion is distorted as well. I tilt my head at the off putting sound of his voice. I gaze at him more observantly to take note of his features. I even squint my eyes to focus more. He has a creamy white color coat along with a pure black mane and tail but something about his physique feels wrong. His voice too, it seems unnatural and I can't quite put my hoof on why.
"Brisk B. Bunsen, good to see you," Lexi replies in a sarcastic tone. "Short time no see . . . Now get out!"
"Oh, but why would I wish to leave here so soon? We have matters to discuss"
"Do we now?" Lexi raises an eyebrow at the large individual.
There appears to be some figure sitting on the large stallion's back. They pear their head around from the back of the large stallion's head to gaze front towards Lexi and Void.
"H-Hello, Lexi" a small, blue stallion sporting a black fiddler cap speaks out to Lexi in a very timid tone.
"Hello, Pip" Lexi replies in a neutral tone to him. The cap wearing pony dismounts off of the larger stallion and stands off to the right of them. I notice that they're a unicorn when I spot their horn sticking out from their cap. Along side his attire, I spot him wearing brown saddle bags on his back. Their mane and tail bare the same black color as his cap and his eyes are a very pretty shade of emerald.
"My dear Lexington, I came to check up on how progress has been with your, so called ... 'ingenious' ... inventions"
"Progress is doing just fine. You can leave now.." She says in a snarky tone.
"Oh, but I hear quite the opposite, Miss Dawn..." The large stallion leans their head down closely to Lexi and bares a wide grin. The stallion holds his head down closely to level with Lexi's eyes for a second or two. "You see..." He leans himself back up, standing with his chest puffed out and he closes his eyes whilst turning his head aside, all while retaining his smug grin. "I know for a fact you have yet to submit any inventions to the science committee in quite the large passage of time," The large stallion opens his eyes to give a sideways look down towards Lexi, still maintaining his smug look upon his face. "Which leads me to believe that progress is most certainly not doing 'just fine' as you may claim," The large stallion continues to speak with his strangely, distorted voice. The more I listen to it, the more I find it to sound oddly metallic. As they continue to speak to each other, I begin to slowly open the door and carefully step out, stealthily making my way over.
"Tch.." Lexi makes a further annoyed expression at him. "Look, for your information, I happen to be very busy right now and I don't need you prowling about my property like a deranged Ursa," I continue to step closer whilst observing this large stallion.
"Oh? You're quite busy you say? Then perhaps you do have something rather enticing you've come up with!"
"Yeah. In fact, I feel I've been making some interesting little breakthroughs with my work. Safe to say I've been getting back on my hooves," Lexi firmly states while crossing her forelegs at the large stallion.
"Really, now?" The large stallion says in a doubtful tone. The more I watch the large stallion speak, I come to realize something very strange. His mouth isn't moving as he speaks, but he makes certain expressions during the appropriate time of his words. My eyes widen at finding this out. This large stallion certainly isn't normal. If I didn't know any better I'd say that they're some form of ventriloquist, but that isn't the cast, not for this individual. This stallion is something different. I step closer while remaining unnoticed to get a better look at his strange physique.
"Indeed. So, as I stated firmly before... We're doing just fine"
"If that's the case then shall I be expecting you at the science competition next week? If so, I'd be de-lllighted to know what you shall bring to the table," The large stallion makes a malicious grin. "You would certainly liven up the event if you were to participate..." He sarcastically claims whilst standing tall and triumphantly looking. "That is... if they'll even allow you to enter, Nhhhnhnhnhnh," the stallion lets out a sinister sounding laugh.
"Grrr.." Lexi visibly grits her teeth and her expression becomes more annoyed, almost to the point of full on anger.
"However, if you DO not have an invention for the upcoming science event, well... then I suppose I ... shall be the one to rightfully claim the prize for succeeding," The large stallion's malicious grin grows wider. "You see, Lexington ... The city of Manehatten is just full of brilliant scientists. Many of which shall be there in hopes of making their, so called, 'masterpieces' known in this glorious region, and maybe, juuust maybe, throughout Equestria. However ... none of which could even dream of matching to my level of brilliance. And if you're not going to compete then... this shall be lllovely trot in the park..."
I reach a point where I'm mere feet away from Lexi and Void, carefully peaking around them from behind to view the large stallion. Examining his physique I notice some very odd features, one that no normal pony would ever have. Strange small gaps between joints, very peculiar lines running along his body, and even his coat is abnormally shiny. Almost like his coat is made of metal. In fact, I believe it is made of metal. The light of the shine reflects of him so well I can almost see my reflection in it. I quietly gasp at what I'm discovering about this stallion. I look back up at his face to as he continues speaking. Even the stallion's movements seem abnormal as he shifts his head about, almost stiff like, and not smooth at all. As he moves his body I also notice his mane and tail don't move nor flow at all. They appear static and even have the same metallic look as his body does. Lastly, as I listen closely, I can hear the sound of winding metal as he moves. My jaw partially drops as I come to a conclusion. There's no doubt in my mind on who, or should I say, what this stallion truly is. My eyes can't help but broaden at the sight of this stallion. My excitement rising in my body as a ginormous smile starts to sweep across my face.
"... and with no worthy competition to rival my brilliance, everypony within this city will come to acknowledge my excellence and they will soon learn that I am--"
"A Robot?! That's. So. COOL!" I excitedly let out with my ginormous smile and broadened eyes. My uncontainable excitement interrupts The Metal Stallion's monologue. Everypony else's eyes widen in the sudden hollering of my excitement. Lexi and Void turn to face me and the other two turn their gaze towards me as well.
"Didn't I ask you to stay inside?" Lexi asks in a stern, yet polite tone.
"Oh, sorry about that-" I snap out of my excited state and my ears perk down as I look to Lexi. "-I-I just wanted to make sure everything was okay and to see what all the fuss was about from a bit closer"
The metal stallion turns their attention towards me. "What is the meaning of this? Who's this... mare?!" He aggressively inquires.
"A guest... of which you're rudely interrupting their visit here, so if you would be so kind as to lea-" Lexi says as she turns her attention back to the metal stallion.
"A guest? Hah! Why would anypony want to visit your home?" He scoffs at Lexi.
"As if your place is any better than ours.." Void chimes in. The metal stallion glares at Void for his statement and even growls.
"Easy, Void," Says Lexi as she glances back to him. "Not saying you're wrong, hun. I just don't wanna bare too much fang...-" Lexi turns back to the metal stallion and returns a serious gaze. "-...Yet..."
"This.. Is.. Incredible! An actual robot! Right here! How is that even possible? You are a robot right?" I ask while swiftly returning to my excited state. The metal stallion looks down at me in confusion.
"U-Uh.. Yes.. ehem.. That is right," He answers.
"Wooow! Who is he, Miss Dawn?" I ask whilst gazing up at the metal stallion.
"Oh, just some sore loser who's still flankhurt over me getting my cutie mark by winning a science fair many years ago," Lexi crosses her forelegs in front of her and gives a smug smile up at the metal stallion.
The metal stallion makes a furious expression at Lexi. "THAT FIRST PLACE RIBBON WAS MINE AND YOU KNOW IT!" He practically screams in his metallic voice.
"Oh, put it on mute, Tin Tail!" Lexi retorts aggressively.
"Hey, woah! Calm down you two!" I politely step in. "Wh-Why all the hostility? What's this all about?"
"It's nothing... this robot just stopped by to hassle us like he usually does"
"Hassle you? Wh-Why?" I say looking up at the metal stallion.
The cap wearing, Blue Stallion from before looks over to me and takes note of my features. He quickly realizes who I am and his eyes widen.
"This is just nonsense, I merely was dropping by to see how your progress has been. Wh-Who even is this anyhow?!" He says while looking down at me with a questioning expression.
"U-Uhh.. S-Sir?" The Blue Stallion says in a timid tone to get the metal stallion's attention.
"Hrrmm?" The metal stallion turns to the blue stallion to which he points towards me.
"Th-That's The Daughter Of The Crystal Princess, P-Princess Flurry Heart!" He informs. The metal stallion's suddenly gives a stunned expression as he turns his head to look back to me. He swiftly notices my horn and wings.
"A P-P-P-Princess?! How can this be?! Is this true?!" He inquires with a shocked tone about his metallic voice.
"Uhhh...-" I dart my eyes about for a second then look back at him and flutter my wings. "-..Yeah!"
"Well I don't believe it! This is simply wonderful! I'm in the presence of greatness!"
"Why, thank you!" I say up at him with a smile.
"This is absolutely spectacular! I'm absolutely thrilled! And... also quite very confused.
"Why's that?" I ask, raising an eye brow and even tilting my head.
"A Princess? Here?! How can that be?" He questions while giving a puzzled look.
"I-It's like a dream come true!" The timid stallion says.
"Quite literally indeed! But... I don't understand... What is a Princess doing in your home?! I demand to know!" He angrily demands whilst baring his metallic teeth at Lexi.
"Well if you must know, Bunsen... She just so happens to be taking a look at all my neat little inventions and being amazed by each and everyone of them so far"
"Pfff! What?! That's preposterous! Your inventions are not worth the time of a beloved Princess! How laughable!"
"On the contrary! She thinks otherwise! Isn't that right, Princess?" Lexi looks to me, awaiting my confirmation.
I gaze with glistening eyes in awe at the robot. I tune into what Lexi said and I shake my head a bit and look to her. "Huh?" I ask her. Lexi's face suddenly looks very worried.
"Hmmm, does not seem like the case, now does it, Lexington?"
"It's the truth, believe it or not..." They both stare at each other with mean looks. I notice the tension between them and find it rather strange.
"But anyways..." I say to try to divert the tension away. "Robot!" I look back up at this brilliant creation. My eyes even sparkle and a wide smile sweeps my face.
"Yes, yes, gaze upon my shiny visage and be amazed!" He says as he stands proudly with the sun shining down on him. His body glistens in the light and I continue to admire. Lexi's worried expression grows further and she even grits her teeth.
"Wow! So awesome!" I say in admiration of everything about this robot.
"Yes, indeed! Though, if I may say, Princess, it should be I that gazes upon you in admiration! Such royalty deserves to be treated as such!" He smiles down at me. "Oh! Where are my manors?" The metal stallion proceeds to bow before me. The other stallion notices the metal stallion performing a bow and hastily performs one of his own. "I am honored to be in a presence such as yours, Princess! You have my upmost of gratitude"
"Uh yeah, Thanks! It's always a pleasure to-"
"WAIT!" The metal stallion interrupts and suddenly shoots back up and raises his hoof a bit. He makes a tensely distraught expression up towards the sky. "If I'm going to do this, I must do it right!" He claims as he looks back down to me, lightly stomping his hoof back down onto the ground. "First impressions are everything! Especially for a Princess!" He looks to me with a proud smile and stands in a tall, proud stance.
"Huh?" I utter. He suddenly levels his head straight forward, stiffly, and appears now to stare blankly off into the distance. His face also now appears to be emotionless.
"Oh great..." Lexi says subtly.
There are some strange sci-fi like sounds coming from him now as he just stands there, stiff and staring straight out into nothingness. I then notice a square panel on his chest begin to pop out. Shortly after that, a burst of air blows out onto my face from his chest. I bring a hoof up to shield my face. After moving my hoof away and setting it down, I look back to his chest to see this panel slowly open up, kinda like a mailbox. There's now an opening within the robot's chest and there appears to be lights and fog coming from inside the opening. From within the light there's a silhouette of something inside. It then begins to step forward out from within the opening of the robot, stepping onto the opened panel, using it as a platform. As the fog and lights finally clears up, the being that stands before me is a snow white bunny, standing on its hindlegs. The bunny holds their forepaws behind their back and around their neck appears to be some sort of metallic collar with a little screen attached to it. Looking upon the bunny's face, their eyes are red and they bare a proud smile. I stare at the bunny in utter confusion while they stare back with their proud smile. The bunny then performs a respectful bow towards me.
"Dr. Brisk B. Bunsen! At your service!" The bunny says, but not from his mouth, but rather through a voice from his collar. A voice that bares the same metallic similarities to the robot stallion's voice, except this voice is very high pitched. It, in no way, matches the menacing and intimidating tone from before. I stare at the bunny, finding it what I am witnessing before me extremely hard to believe. Then suddenly I close my mouth and smile uncontrollably as my cheeks begin to fill up with air. I begin to snicker for a moment before suddenly bursting out into uncontrollable laughter. The bunny, who apparently is Brisk, and the one behind the operation of this robot, looks up to me with a shocked expression. Lexi looks to me as I laugh and she can't help but to slowly bare a wide grin at Brisk.
"So much for that first impression, huh, Bunsen?" Lexi states wittingly. Brisk bares his bunny teeth angrily at Lexi.
I almost fall back from my laughter but I catch manage to catch myself.
"H-Hey!" He says as he looks back to me with an embarrassed face. "S.. Stop laughing!"
"Hahahah! Ahhhh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, heheh! I just! Heh, I didn't expect ... a bunny to be controlling such a cool robot" I say, trying to catch my breath.
"Mmm, yes... not many do.." He raises from his bow, putting his forepaws behind his back and standing, regally.
"Quite comical, ain't it, Princess?" Lexi says smugly to which Brisk momentarily glares at her.
"Heheh, okay, okay, I think I got it all out of my system," I take a moment to clear my throat and get out any last minute giggles. "So, you're apparently some sort of scientist?" I ask
"Yes, indeed. I am aware that my... current appearance says otherwise, but nonetheless, I am a brilliant inventor and a passionate scientist!" He heightens his stance on the tips of his hind paws for a brief moment to gesture himself during the annunciation of his words. It's clear he thinks highly of himself.
"Alright Well, what does the 'B' in your middle name stand for?" I ask with a head tilt.
"It stands for 'Bunny'," Void answers with a smug smile. Lexi and I give a subtle snicker.
"NO, IT DOESN'T!!!" Losing his composure, Brisk angrily barks towards Void. Void, Lexi, and I snicker for a moment. "Ehem ... It stands for 'Burner'," Brisk answers as he stands back up straight and adjusts his collar like it was a tie.
"Heheh, I see. Interesting," I say to Brisk. I then look over to the other pony who's still bowing to me. "And.. who's that?"
Brisk swings around his right forepaw and points a thumb towards the cap wearing pony. "That, my dear Princess, is my assistant. Mm, pay him no mind, the one who bares true greatness is right here! Eh, aside from yourself of course, your majesty," He puts his paw back behind him again and smiles proudly at me. I notice the immediate dismissal of his so called assistant as I glance at him for a moment to give him an odd look.
"Yeah but.. what's his name?" I ask.
"This guy.." Lexi starts. "..Is named Astral Pipette, a brilliant astronomer scientist and.." Lexi covers her muzzle with a single hoof for a moment. "...Unfortunately..." She muffled. Lexi sets her hoof down and continues speaking. "...Is Dr. Bunsen's assistant. I call him Ash for short"
"As... tronomer?" I question with a head tilt.
"Y-Yeah.." The blue stallion, known as 'Astral', begins. "I study things about space, like Luna's moon and Celestia's sun. I-It's an honor to meet you, Princess!" He says with a smile while retaining his bow.
"Thanks, it's nice to meet you too! You can get up from bowin' now, your legs must be sore"
"O-Oh, not at all, Princess! I'm perfectly fine! Thank you!" He smiles while standing from his bow.
"So.. the study of space? What's that like?" I ask politely.
"As a noun it's called astronomy. And it's quite fascinating!" A bright smile appears his face as he begins to talk about his profession. "You see, I study all celestial things and learn about them, seeing if there are more interesting things out there than just the sun and moon! As you can see by my cutie mark, I'm quite skilled at such!" He turns to show his cutie mark. His cutie mark is a pipette dropper angled horizontally and there's a little planet swirling around it like a comet.
"That's awesome!" I gleefully say.
"Th-Thank you! I would love to talk more about my work with yo-"
"Ehem!" Brisk interrupts.
"Uh-.. Oh.." Astral halts himself from speaking once Brisk clears his throat.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to talking about my creation,' I turn my head at Brisk and raise an eyebrow at him. I take note of him forcibly shutting down his assistant, Astral, from talking about his own work.
"Okay..?" I turn my attention back to Brisk. "Well.. Can you tell me about how you operate this thing?
"Mmm! Well just take a look inside!" He turns his body aside and sways his left forepaw towards the opened space within the chest of the robot. I step a bit closer to take a peak inside. "You see, I sit comfortably inside and use those right there to control the general movement. Those little screens you see inside let me see through the eyes of the machine and those buttons over on the little console to the right allow me to control other aspects of this suit. And believe me there are many features to control," He ends with a smile and does a slight, momentary bow to me.
"Woooow! Sick!"
"I know! Quite fascinating, isn't it?" He says with a big smile on his face. Lexi becomes quite worried by me taking great interests in Brisk's invention. She let's out a subtle sigh.
"Why did this have to happen today of all days?" She quietly says. Void can't help but to worry for his mother's current state as he glances back and forth between me and her. I step back now, returning to my spot between Lexi, Void, and Brisk.
"So, you built all this?" I ask.
"Yes indeed! Everything you see was designed by yours truly!" He confidently says.
"I mean.. I-I helped-" Astral quietly says.
"Furthermore, I've also created a vast amounts of intricately neat inventions. If you would like, I'd gladly guide you to my place of work and show you them!"
"Not gonna happen, Bunsen," Lexi cuts in.
"Mmm, what's the matter, Lexington, afraid that the Princess will find my creations much more enticing than yours?"
"As much I know you would love to try to steal the Princess away from here to show her your collection of scrap metal, she came to me first. So, I believe you should just be on your way so I can get back to showing her MY brilliant inventions," She firmly claims.
"Tssheh hah hah! Ridiculous..." He bows and shakes his head with a malicious grin on his fuzzy little face. "Clearly she's more awestricken by the sight of my glorious creation than anything you've already shown her," He looks back up at her with this purely villainous grin. "Come, Princess! If you wish to see creations that are muuuch more worth your time, then simply allow me to guide you back to my own laboratory. I can assure you, you will most certainly not regret it," He smiles at me while performing a respectful momentary bow with his forepaws behind his back. I look at him for a moment and then back at Lexi. She looks to be quite angry at Brisk, but as she looks to me, her expression turns sorrowful, as if she's actually worried about me choosing to go with Brisk.
"Well.. I'm not so sure. Lexi's right, though. I was here first and she was about to show me something really cool"
"T'Hoh, I find that quite hard to believe"
"Wh-What do you mean?" I ask with a puzzled gaze.
"Well you see, Princess, dear Lexington's creations are very untrustworthy. Many individuals within this city would agree on such. She often has trouble keeping up with advancements in technology, unlike myself, you see. Her creations are nowhere on par with that of my own and hers are likely to fall short, even fail," Brisk glances at Lexi with a downright evil smile for some reason after saying what he just said. He then looks back at me and continues speaking. "And if you ask me... she's not good enough to be a brilliant scientist such as myself. So it's safe to say, Princess, her creations are most certainly... well how you say... 'not cool'," He states with a smug smile towards Lexi.
"Okay, that is totally not true!" Lexi firmly states.
"Yes it is"
"It's. NOT!"
"Indeed it isss!" His smug smile grows wider.
"Gah.. you're so adeptly annoying!" Lexi brings a hoof to her face, sliding it downwards in annoyance at Brisk. "Look, you even cracked my floor! I hope you expect to pay for this!" Lexi points down with her other hoof at the ground beneath the robot. Brisk looks down at the hooves of the robot and beneath it are large cracks in the ground from his landing.
"Like... I was saying," Brisk ignores Lexi's words and looks back up. "Lexington's creations aren't what one would call 'the best' here in this city. And in comparison to many of the gr-r-r-eat scientists here, myself included, Mmm I'm afraid she falls into the shallow end of the inventors pool," He states, ending it with a serious gaze to Lexi. Lexi just continues to annoyedly glare at Brisk. "And besides... Even IF she were not in the shallow end and her creations posed some level of brilliance, I doubt such... lack luster creations could ever match up to the likes of my own,"
"Listen here, I'm not gonna stand here and have you berate my work. What you are going to do is pay for the damages to my floor, turn your big hunk of metal flank around, fly off, and stop BOTHERING US!" Lexi shouts, each word she says gets progressively louder.
"I'll stop bothering you once your SON turns me back into a pony!" Brisk shouts back, furiously.
My eyes widen at Brisk's words. "Void turned you into a bunny?" I turn to look back at Void. "That was something that was left out of the notes..," He looks to me with a sorry look in his eyes. "Well, that's because it's sort of... brand new," Void worriedly says.
"Mmm, yes, the truth comes out, Princess. I wasn't always this sweet little fluff ball you see before you. No, no, I was once a tr-r-r-ruly handsome fellow of a stallion trotting amongst other ponies in this wonderful city. But ever since that b-r-r-rat trapped me here in this body of fur and fluff, I've been forced to live about my days like this!"
"Woah... Really? Is this true?" I turn to look back to Void with a questioning look and he averts his eyes away from me.
"Hmm, yes, indeed. Since I've been stuck like this, I've been through quite the hassling journey to say the least. One such as yourself can only imagine the torture I was put through during my earlier days as a mere rabbit... Who couldn't even speak!"
"So... that collar.." I turn back to face Brisk. "... You use that to communicate"
"Yes, quite so, Princess. This here collar is something I've put together to help me with my predicament. It lets me say the words I am thinking of and projects them through a speaker built within said collar. Without it, I would be pointlessly squeaking at ponies and other beings in hopes to be understood"
"Yeah... I can definitely see how being stuck as a bunny would be pretty tough..."
"Yes, of course, your majesty. It was pretty tough and unpleasant! However, the more difficult the times had become, the more I grew determined to overcome such an obstacle. And that's all this was! A mere obstacle in my pursuit of brilliance! I knew that I had to find some way to carry on my work, no matter the cost. Hence why I've built this!" He puts a forepaw behind his back and the other says up to show off his creation behind him. "This here vessel was designed for the sole purpose of continuing my work. I knew that overcoming this little mishap of losing my previous body would be challenging, but nevertheless I persevered. And now, Princess, what you see before you-.." Brisk hops backwards inside the open space within the chest of the robot, seating himself in a little chair inside. He grabs hold of what looks like two joysticks, one for each paw, then the chest panel begins to close. Once it does, the robot begins to move again, shifting to a tall, proud stance, making robotic, powering up noises. "...-Is a monument of sheer scientific power and determination!" His voice shifting back to the robot's deep intimidating tone. "This vessel is my most prized creation! The absol-lute pinnacle of robotic engineering!" He turns to Astral. "ASSISTANT! Presentation protocol! Like we practiced!" He stands up tall and in a statue like, heroic pose. Astral takes off his hat and reaches inside. I Look up at him as he poses and widely smile in awe at the amazing sight of this brilliantly made creation. To think that such a thing was made here in Equestria without my knowledge. I find every little detail I see and every little detail he explains very fascinating.
"What you see before you is truly a masterpiece! A vessel designed to transport me near and far at such high speeds! To massive heights with little resistance from the forces of nature! Built to last through harsh conditions, this suit can truly take a beating! The strength of this vessel is phenomenal, able to lift tons without so much as breaking a sweat! Or in this case... leak oil! Gaze upon my creation... and be amazed!" He swiftly shifts to a different triumphant pose. Astral is sitting on the ground beside Brisk, waving a little blue flag in each hoof. He also blows into a party blower, looking very, very bored. Lexi and Void just look like they've had enough of all this as they stare entirely unamused at Brisk. I, however, am quite fascinated by this robot as it is something I've yet to see in all of Equestria. I've seen stuff like this in comics, shows, and even movies, but never in actuality.
"Wo-hoh-how!"
"If you're fascinated by just this alone, Princess, then you'll surely be even more so fascinated by my other creations. There are many more just like what you see now. So, whadoyasay, Princess? Come with me and I'll take you to my lab and you'll see far better inventions than anything Miss Lexington could ever even dream to create," He says while standing tall and proud still, awaiting my response. I look to him with a pondering gaze, thinking on what to say.
"Now hold on just a min-" Lexi tries to step in before Brisk cuts her off.
"Ah, ah, ah! Let the Princess speak," He looks to me with a grin.
I look to Lexi and Void, both looking at me in a sorrowful way. Lexi's ears even perk down as she turns her head away from me, as if she feels ashamed to be looked at. Void notices this and brushes up against her side to console her. Throughout the time he has been here, I've been taking note of how he's treating Lexi and Void, as well as how he conducts himself. I've also taken notice of how he apparently treats his assistant, Astral. On the other hoof, I've very interested in learning more about his robot, among other things. It's not everyday when you get the chance to see an actual robot as well as the supposed genius behind it. Or, I guess I should say 'the genius within it'. Things like this always peak my interests and appeal to me very easily. It makes it hard for me to resist wanting to learn more. Thinking for a moment longer, a sad look grows upon my face. I turn back to Brisk who raises his metallic hoof for me to take it. I give an exhale before speaking.
"I admit, this whole robot thing is actually pretty impressive. I've never seen anything like it before," I look up at him and give him a half smile. He returns the smile and even closes his eyes to relish in the compliment. Lexi and Void just stand there, now looking even more saddened by this moment. I tilt my head down, allowing for my mane to cover my eyes from him. "... But for a supposed brilliant scientist...," He still has his eyes closed as he awaits for my answer. My smile fades and I raise my head up at him, giving him a serious, mean stare as I speak my next words. "You're kind of a jerk"
In that moment, his eyes shoot open and his pupils turn small. His triumphant smirk disappears in an instant and I swear I could hear the sound of glass shattering from within him. Metaphorically of course. It was as if his world was just crushed and his dreams was snuffed out with just a mere few word. In fact that's exactly what happened. He looks to me with this appalled look. Lexi and Void's eyes turn up back towards me and it was like a spark of hope within them was reignited.
"Wh-What? W-W-What are you saying?" He asks, nervously.
"I'm sayin'.... The answer is no. I believe I'll be stickin' with these lovely folks for a ... long while. They seem far more interesting than what you have to offer," I finish with a smug grin towards Brisk. Lexi smiles tremendously and even gives a little gleeful giggle. Void closes his eyes for a brief moment to sigh in relief. Brisk, growingly outraged by this, he grits hits robot teeth and even has a funny lookin' robotic twitch on one of his eyes. He brings his hooves up in front of himself as if he's trying to grasp at something. Something that was so close but just suddenly ripped away from him. I can see the tension in those hooves as they begin to shake angrily.
"How... How... DARE YOU?!" He shouts. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME WHEN I OFFER YOU THE DEAL OF A LIFE TIME! THE LIKES OF WHICH YOU REFUSE?!" He furiously states. "You're a Princess! A PRINCESS IS NOT SUPPOSE TO SHOW SUCH RUDENESS TO HER SUBJECTS LIKE THIS?!"
"Princess or not, I believe any normal pony could see what a big jerk you are and would gladly refuse to go with you over somepony who's kind, caring, and truly passionate about their work. And on top of that, Lexi here, is not the type of pony who would so poorly treat her assistant. I can see it in her eyes," I turn back for a moment to look into Lexi's eyes and smile happily. "She's far too cool for that!" I finish my statement and Lexi seems so happy, she's about ready to cry.
"T.. Th.. This is.. Utterly PREPOSTEROUS!" As Brisk starts speaking, I turn back to face him. "How could you REFUSE such an offer?! How could you possibly take.. HER... over ME? Lexington?! She... She... SHE DOESN'T DESERVE--"
"You don't get to decide that, now do you? Last I checked, I'm the royalty here, so what I say goes. If you don't like it, get lost!" I sternly state. He scoffs at me, baffled by my words. I simply continue giving him a mean glare.
"Ta.. ah! bu-wha.. I .. Grgh!" He stutters, desperately trying to get his words out. "This is just utter foolishness! I shall tolerate it no longer!"
"You heard the Princess, if you don't like it, get lost!" Lexi reinstates my words.
"Tch! Very well! If you wish to stay an witness her pathetic excuse for creations then so be it! But you are making a big mistake, Princess," He leans down to my level, glares at me, and points to me, angrily. I simply retort with a serious gaze. He then turns around and begins to walk the other way towards the edge of the terrace. "ASSISTANT!" He calls. "We are departing, effective immediately!"
Astral looks to Brisk for a moment. "Y-Yes sir... R-Right away, sir.." He says quietly.
"He has a name, ya know!" Lexi shouts over to Brisk to which he ignores. He then steps a hoof up onto the ledge, standing a tad over the edge as he waits. Suddenly, two panels on the left and right side of his back begin to open up. Mechanical parts begin to extend out from the opened panels and quickly take the form of a pair of robotic wings. On the tips of most of the 'feathers' of the wings, there appear to be little thrusters that take form and begin to charge up, preparing for flight. I just watch as this happens, taking note of those features. Of course, I meant what I said about the robot being a pretty awesome creation. However, it's unfortunate that it was created by a rather unkind individual. It begs the question of why he acts the way he does. I would have honestly liked to have learned more about it, but there's no way I'm going to dignify that fluffball with anymore care for his creation than I already have. Especially with how he treats Lexi and Void.
Astral approaches Lexi. "I'm.. sorry for all that.. again. H-Here.. allow me to pay for the damages," Astral reaches into one of his saddle bags and pulls out a lot of bits and begins to count them.
"I still don't know why you work with that guy," Lexi says while shaking her head at the situation.
"Oh, working for Dr. Bunsen isn't all that bad. It.. heh.. has its ups every now... and.. sometimes then.. At least working with him gives me a place to stay, heh.." He nervously says.
"Ash..." Lexi worryingly lets out.
"Bu-But don't worry about me. I'm still doing... just fine.. ehehe.. Eh.. H-Here, this should be enough to cover the damages to the floor..-" He gives Lexi a large amount of bits. "..-With interests," He then sets down another stack of bits into Lexi's hoof. Lexi looks at Astral, questioning 'why'. "He.. broke one of your cameras"
"He wha-.. Gh.." Lexi looks appalled at hearing this. She glances a side to try to see which one of her cameras had been broken by Brisk.
"Again... I'm sorry, Lexi," He sorrowfully looks down to the ground.
Lexi looks back to Astral. "Oh, Ash, you got nothin' to be sorry for and you know that... Also..-" Lexi closes her hoof over the bits and raises it up a bit. "I hope.. to Twilight that this isn't from your own paycheck," Lexi states while giving a serious look at Astral. He simply says nothing and turns his head away. "You're kidding... You know I can't take this.."
"N-No.. it's fine.. really.. take it"
"I can't-"
Suddenly we hear the sound of whooshing as Brisk suddenly jumps off the edge and takes off, soaring across the sky like a rocket. Astral turns around and widens his eyes in shock by the sight of this. His shocked expression quickly turns to sorrowful and unsurprised right after.
"Oh... looks like he forgot me . . . Again," He then turns and walks towards the edge.
"My Goodness.." Lexi says as he watches Astral walks. "Would you like to come in then?"
"No, no, it's fine.." He stops to turn back towards us to speak. "I'll just wait here for him to come back and pick me up. If he ever comes back," He looks down to the ground for a moment. I, along with Void and Lexi, gaze at Astral with worry in our eyes. "Oh, and... Princess?" He says to me. I stand up more straight and my ears perk up more to listen to what this poor stallion has to say.
"Uh, yeah?"
"I'm terribly sorry about all this. To you especially. I'm thrilled I got the chance to meet you and.. be in your presence... I only wish it was on better terms.." At first he seems a bit happy in his expression but as he finishes his statement, his eyes sorrowfully shift down.
"Yeah..." I nod. "I wish so too.."
He then turns back around and approaches the edge and looks over towards where Brisk flew off. He glances back to us.
"I-If he doesn't come back in a few then.. I'll just.. take the stairs. It's no big deal," He ends with a clearly fake smile.
"Hmm," Lexi just watches, upset by all this. She looks at the bits she was given and just simply sets them down in front of her. "I'm just gonna leave this here for you. You need it more than I do," She says to Ash from across the terrace floor. She stands back up and turns to face Void and I. "C'mon, let's head back inside," I nod at Lexi. I look towards Astral for a moment as he sits near the edge, waiting. Void and Lexi begin to make their way back towards the door. Shortly after, I turn to follow them.
"Geez... that guy's such a dolt," I state.
"I'm very sorry about all that, Princess," Lexi says to me as she stops a few yards away from the door to turn towards me.
"Ah, don't sweat it"
"Thank you... for staying with us here. I was.. worried you'd actually go with that fluffball"
"Him? Heh! Not a chance!" I smirk at Lexi. "You'd be crazy if you think I'd ever go with some jerk like that. Sure, his invention was cool and all, but what good is that when the maker behind it is a complete and total dunce?
"Yeah. You're absolutely right there. Still, I'm... glad you stayed," She says with a smile.
"Also, I can see why you were so feisty earlier at the door and what you meant by 'safety reasons'," I smirk at Lexi. "It's because of Brisk, right?"
"Heh, hit the nail on the head there, Princess. He's been quite the pain over the course of the year so I've added as many security measures as I could spare to try n' keep him away"
"What was his deal anyway? It's clear you two have history so, mind telling me?"
"Oh, I don't think it's anything to worry about too much. As I mentioned, he's somepony who became a sore loser after I beat him fair and square during a science fair many years ago"
"Seems like his behavior is a bit much over a silly little science fair"
"Ts'heh, you're tellin' me. Anyways the main reason why he's been bothering us nowadays is because of... well... you already know"
"The fact that he's a bunny rabbit?"
"Yeah, safe to say he's still pret-ty upset about it"
"So... Void..." I turn to face him. "Mind telling me why you... supposedly turned that guy into a bunny?"
He averts his eyes away from me again which sends a signal to me that it's probably something difficult for him to talk about. I watch him for a moment in silence, hoping he'll say something but it doesn't seem like he will. "Does this... also have something to do with the stuff you don't wanna talk about yet?" I ask calmly. There is a brief moment of quiet before he speaks.
"... Yeah ..." He says deeply.
"We were both going through a difficult time-" Lexi begins in a soft, quiet voice to me as she leans in. "-when it happened. He doesn't like talking about it... He even tries to bury it. Give him some more time to collect his memories and he'll eventually tell you all about what happened," Lexi finishes and leans back away.
"Hmm," I look to him in wonder. What could have happened that lead to Void supposedly turning somepony into an animal?
"Well,... like I said before, whenever you're ready to talk about it... I'm all ears. About the ring, the staff, the armor, Brisk. Everything," Void looks into my eyes sincerely as I say this. "And as for the whole 'you turning Brisk into a bunny' thing... I'm sure you had your reasons... Other than the fact that he's a total jerk," I give a subtle chuckle after that being said.
Void gives a chuckle in return and even smiles slightly. "Indeed," he quietly says.
"Heheh," I turn back to Lexi. "So, what's this 'science competition' he was goin' on about?"
"Oh that? There's this event that will be hosted in downtown Manehatten a week from now. It's a competition to see whose invention will be great enough to win," Lexi explains.
"Ooo! That sounds fun! Are you gonna compete?" I ask with an eager smile.
"Ehh... I'm not entirely sure," She rubs the back of her head.
"Why not?"
"Well... I uh.. have a lot on my plate right now so I'm not sure If I'll have time to work on something special for the event," Lexi looks off to the side, seeming off.
"I see..," I give a look of skepticism for a brief moment. "Well, what does the winner get when they win?"
"Well, since this is one the biggest science event that's ever graced Manehatten, the price is something truly spectacular. A chance to have a seat at the high table, pretty much. Meaning... the winner of this competition will become the newest, most highest ranking member in the Manehatten Science Committee," Lexi states.
"Woah... That's ... really somethin'.."
"Eyup, it's a pretty hefty prize, I'd say"
"Hmmm," I think for a moment about how fulfilling it would be for somepony to win such a prize. They could really hit it big if they were to win. They could even make themselves known throughout Equestria. I then recall what Brisk was babbling about earlier and quickly realize it was no mere babble. He was going on about how many great scientist will be there in hopes of getting their inventions into the spotlight. It seems he plans on attending this event and winning with ease. I get a really off feeling from the thought of Brisk winning the event. This could spell out something bad to come about Manehatten.
Lexi pulls out her little device that she keeps in her coat and looks at it for a moment. "Alright, well now that, that's out of the way. Time to show you what you came here for, Princess!" She says gleefully as she puts her device back in her coat.
"Awesome! And uhh.. hey, Miss Dawn? What does the 'B' in your middle name stand for?" I ask. Lexi stops at the door to look back at me.
"Hmm? Oh, it's 'Beaker'," She says with a smile.
I give a nod as well as the expression that says 'Oooooooh!'. "Makes sense!" I say.
Lexi pushes the door open and holds it for us to pass through after her. We all get inside and she shuts the door. "Right this way!" She says as she points off into a direction. She then begins to guide us towards a very large square pillar in the center of the room.
"So, you gonna tell me what this super cool place is?"
"In a moment!" She pulls out her device again and presses a button on it. "Everything you wish to see is right beyond here!" She puts her device back in her coat and stands on her hindlegs. She then taps the pillar with one of her hooves.
"Wh-What do you mean? All there is, is just a pillar here"
"That may be so, Princess! But looks can be quite deceiving! This here pillar is actually-" Sounds of mechanical do-dads come from the pillar as a large, well camouflaged metallic door slides up from the surface of the pillar, revealing a spacious metal interior. "-a passage to the testing grounds!"
"Wooooah! It's like a door inside a temple or ancient ruins! Except more modern!" I gleefully state.
"Hmh!" She utters as she casually steps inside the box with her forehooves behind her back.
"Like I said;" Void begins. "Very good at hiding things," He says with a smirk as he follows Lexi inside the box.
"C'mon! Step inside! Don't be shy, it's perfectly safe!"
I step inside the box now. Lexi presses a button on the side of the wall and the door in front slides down to a close. Suddenly the metal box we stand inside of jerks down for a moment. I stabilize my stance as I feel the sudden motion and shortly after it feels as if we begin to descend like an elevator would. Lexi stands confidently on her hindlegs with her hooves behind her back. A wide ear to ear smile is imprinted onto her face as we descend.
"So, where is this thing taking us?"
"To the very place where I've conducted countless tests, experiments, and purposeful researches to advance my career in science!" Suddenly the motion of the elevator comes to a stop. Metallic unlocking sound begin to emit from the door in front of us.
"Welcome... to The White Room!" The elevator doors slide open and what is laid before my eyes can only be described as 'incredible!'.
"Wooooooooaaaaaaaah!" I step out from the elevator and my head slowly pans from left to right to gander at every in sight. We stand in a large, spacious room that is completely white from top to bottom. lain upon the walls and floor is a pattern of panels, making of a square design for the décor. To the left there seems to be a dedicated corner of many various objects that look to be more of Lexi's inventions. There's even some sort of disk like, device that moves about slowly on the ground, kind of like a toy car. There is a sound of air being sucked up coming from the moving, disk shaped device.
To the right is a giant wall facing straight with a large glass pane on it, seemingly to allow one to look through it. On the side closest to the elevator, there seems to be some sort of control panel littered with buttons and dials. I gaze all around this magnificent place in total awe. My draw practically dropped to the street level of this building with how cool this whole room is.
"This is all.... amazing! I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is!"
"Glad to hear such, Princess! This is where all the testing for Void's powers took place!" Lexi raises both her forelegs up into the air to display the room.
"Really?"
"Eeeyup! That among other things, of course"
"Like what?"
"Things such as testing out my inventions to see how they'll work and if they'll work. All sorts of Experiments with magic and chemistry. And lastly, combat training!"
"Get out! You serious?" I ask gleefully. My eyes even widen quite a bit when I hear the 'combat training' being one of the things that took place here.
"Mmmmhmmm!" Lexi nods with a proud smile.
"That's really amazin'!"
"Indeed it is! You see,-" Lexi walks out in front to stand further into the room. "-everything you see was hoof crafted with the finest of material that I made, found, and bought. This room's walls, ceiling, and floor are made to withstand quite the impactful forces. I designed them so that if any magical or physical force that just so happens to impact them, the panels will absorb the shock from the impact and nullify it! Aaand they are also sound proof! Just so the residents below our home don't give me any more noise complaints!"
"That is... REALLY awesome! This place was practically MADE for a mare like myself!"
"Oh?" Lexi asks curiously with an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah! I practice fighting all the time with my mom at our stadium at The Crystal Empire!"
"Really now? That's sweet!"
"I know, right?"
The strange disk shaped device rolls over to me and bumps into one of my forehooves. I look down at it and pick it up. "What is this?" I ask as I examine the strange device.
"That is my hyper vacuum! It's a little invention I made that automatically vacuums up a room when I activate it! It uses sensors to detect where its going or if there's an obstacle in the way so it can thoroughly clean up every last bit of the floor! It's a nice, simple little 'set it and forget it' thing I came up with myself," Lexi explains.
"Wow! This thing's kinda cute!" I tilt and turn the invention to examine it thoroughly. I turn it over to its underside where supposedly it vacuums. I somehow get the bright idea to stick my hoof where the vacuum is sucking up air. The device then sucks at my hoof and it immediately gets stuck. I tug at my hoof to get it free and after a few good tugs I pull my hoof away.
"Oh! Careful! It's quite powerful," Lexi says with a smile.
I shake my hoof for a moment. "Noted," I then put the device back down. "So, I'm assuming that pile of stuff over there is more of your inventions?" I ask while looking over at the pile of stuff.
"Yup! I started running out of room for stuff upstairs so I put some things in here for storage. Though some of these things are used for testing in this very room"
"That so?"
"Yup"
"Well, what's the big thing over there?" I point to the giant, long metallic object in the middle of all the stuff. The object appears to have a handle and a trigger. There is a glowing blue glass container fitted inside the metallic machine and from what I can assume, the glowing essence inside the glass container is magic.
"That is a giant magical laser cannon," Lexi nonchalantly says.
My eyes widen a ton as I hear her say that she has a literal magical cannon. "A CANNON?! WHY DO YOU NEED A CANNON?!" I ask in total surprise. "Actually, don't answer that, I can think of a ton of reasons why you'd build a cannon. One of which is because that's totally cool! But, really? a cannon?!"
"Yeah, I figured 'why not?' ya know?"
"Okay, full disclosure! What other inventions do you have that you haven't shown me?"
"Well, let's see, I've already shown you the water extractor, the x-ray goggles.... I have this thing that allows me to manipulate the weather around the area of this penthouse. Oh, I also have this crazy engine that I designed to be put into a carriage! That way you don't need somepony to pull the carriage for ya!" With every word Lexi speaks, I get more and more fascinated. If this is the kind of stuff she already has, I can only imagine what other cool and neat little inventions she'll come up with in the future.
"That sounds awesome!" I say.
"Yup! It's still in the works buuuut I'm THIS close to finishing that up! Anyways, you've already seen the cannon so that's, that out of the way"
"Do you have a jetpack?!" I ask with eager intent and a wide, hopeful smile on my face.
"Uh, yeah I think I have one of those lying around here somewhere," She says as she starts to look around for it, but then looks back to me. "But.. why would you need something like that when you can already fly?"
"Oh, I just... wanted to be able to fly without... using my wings," My ears perk down a bit as I sit on the ground and shyly tap my hooves together whilst gazing down at the floor.
Lexi lets out a gentle sigh and smiles at me whilst she puts a hoof at her side. "Heh, alright, I'll let you use it sometime," She says with a smile.
"Yes!" I jump back up to my hooves, excitedly.
"You know, you could just use your magic to fly"
"Yeah, but that doesn't count!"
"Ehh, I suppose you're right"
"So," Void begins. "Shall we get to showing off this room's features?"
"Let's do it!" I excitedly say to him.
"Perfect!" Lexi says. "Let's step on over here and we can begin!" She begins to lead us towards the control panels behind the wall with a window view.
"What's with the giant wall with the window on it? What is it?" I ask, confused.
"It's a blast shield!" She casually answers.
"Oh!" My eyes just widen at that. "I... guess that makes sense for a room like this. Especially if you have a giant cannon" I nervously say while rubbing the back of my neck.
"Indeed! Now then!" Lexi sits down in an office chair and starts typing on a keyboard on the control panel. I look to the surface of the console and find a rectangular shaped device laying on it.
"What's this?" I ask while pointing to it.
"Oh? That is a smartphone!" She says while picking it up. "I was wondering where I left it"
"Oh, a smartphone? I heard about those! You can use it to talk to ponies from different areas much like a regular telephone, right? Though these ones are much more high tech"
"That's correct! It's a nifty little thing that quite a few inventors in Mane came up with. Though, they're quite expensive... So, I made my own!" She puts the phone in her lab coat and continues typing on the keyboard.
"I see. That's pretty nice!"
"Yeah well if you ask me, I still like sending letters then using a phone. Can't get too lazy, ya know? Buuut convenience is convenience. And boy is it convenient," Lexi finishes typing and leans back from the console. "Alright! This thing's ready to go!"
"So, what can this room do?" I ask.
"Well it can do all sorts of things! It can measure the readings of magic emission, telling me on a scale of how powerful your magic is. I can measure the force of magic simply by blasting the wall. The panels can open up all over and can create nifty little environmental effects. Things like heavy winds, heat, humidity, coldness, you know, the works! Aaaand... I can make this place smell like lavender at the push of a button," She turns to me in her chair and smiles, resting her right foreleg on the console.
"Awesome! Say, you mentioned you used this place for combat training"
"Yes indeed! Though not for me, it was for Void. To test out his strange yet unique powers. All the notes you read before were formulated and written in this very room, because of this very room!"
"So how'd you do it?"
"Like so!" She turns back to the console and hits a button. Suddenly, four panels in different spots on the ceiling open up across the room. From the openings, four identical, spherical devices float downwards and begin to hover in mid air. Each one of them seems to have some sort of dark purple glass like outer shell and there appears to be some metallic internals that can be seen within then through the glass. The floating spherical devices seem to have red glowing camera lenses.
"Woah! What are those?" I ask as I watch them in awe.
"Those are little drones I created with the express purpose of testing ones skill in combat! They float in the air and act as targets for one to shoot at. They have this protective glass shell around them that protects them from blasts and reads the amount of force and power said blasts have and sends that info back to the computer here"
"Sick! So how are they able to float like that?"
"Little magic levitation devices I installed into each of them. They can be controlled by this computer or they can be set on autopilot. Where they'll freely levitate about the room as you try to hit them! Or they could hold still if you need a still target, like they're doing right now! Think of them as little mini-robots!"
"Hahahah! That's... That's! I'm running out of words to describe how incredible your creations are!" I excitingly state.
"Brisk is not the only one who can invent robots, as you can see," Void interjects.
"I'll say! I bet your robots are TEN TIMES better!"
"Yeah, well.. heh.. I don't... Ehhh," Lexi awkwardly rubs the back of her head for a brief moment. "A-Anyway! Go on an give it a shot! Blast one of the drones! Just... go easy on the equipment, alright? I understand your magic is pretty powerful, Princess. A blast TOO strong could end up breaking one of the drones"
"I'll try my best not to blast so hard," I step closer towards the center of the room. I stop a bit a ways and ready my stance. I begin to take aim at one of the drones. My horn begins to glow a bright golden yellow, readying my magic. Knowing full well of what Lexi said, I try and suppress my magic greatly before taking a shot at the drone. I fire upon one of the drones and hit it directly, causing it to float back a bit from the force. Lexi's computer at the console makes a few beeps shortly after the impact of the blasts. She looks at her screen and reads the details that popped up.
"Pretty nice! That was quite the force!"
"So those things really can read the force of my magical blasts?" I ask, looking back at Lexi.
"Sure can! Go on and give it another go! This time, with a little bit more power. Trust me, these babies can take it!"
I turn back to face the drones and I fire another shot at it. This time with a little bit more power into my magic. The blast impacts the drone and it hovers back further from the force. The drone seems to be holding up well.
"That's it!" Lexi grabs a joy stick on the console and pulls it towards her, causing the drone that has been knocked back to reposition to its original spot.
"This is so sweet! It's like the perfect target practice room!"
"You think so? Well you're gonna love what else this room has in store. Go on! Shoot a little more!"
I turn to face them again and fire off a few more blasts, each one having a bit more power than the last. The drones keep remain in their spot this time as I fire quite powerful beams at them. I keep going for quite a few moments, having quite the fun doing so.
"Hahah! Gotcha!" I stop and look back. "What else ya got?"
"Well I can add a multitude of different settings! For instance, I can make them into moving targets!" Lexi types in a command on her console and executes it. Shortly after, the drones start to move about in a seemingly random pattern of levitation. "Now try to hit them!"
"Okay!" I look towards the drones and study their movements. My horn readies to fire and then I blast at one, hitting it directly. "Hahah!" I continue to fire accurately at the drones, not missing a single shot.
"Hey! You're pretty good!"
"Thanks! This is very similar to the target practice I do with my mom!"
"Then I suppose you're in your element here," Void states.
"Seem it that way!" I look over to Lexi. "Anything else I should know?"
"Indeed! Now then. You see, Princess, these drones are not just your passive looking means of target practice. These drones can also..." She types in another command. "...Fight back!" Suddenly one of the drones shoots a tiny red beam through its glass shell towards me. It hits me right on my chest.
"Ouch! That stings!" I look down at my chest where the beam hit. There's no mark, but it stings so I rub the spot to ease it.
"Heh, sorry about that!"
"Ya coulda warned me!" I look back at Lexi with a scrunched up face while I rub my chest.
"Ehehe!" She awkwardly laughs and rubs her neck. "Anywho! Fun little fact about this room; You see, this computer keeps a record of all the things that happen during the combat training faze. Meaning, it keeps a score... Kinda like a video game!" Lexi explains.
"No kidding? I love video games!"
"Mhmm! It keeps score on your performance. The score depends on what setting I have it set to," Lexi looks back at the screen. "Ooo, looks like you lost a bit of points for gettin' hit!"
"Awww, how much?"
"Not much! But don't worry, you're just testing this room out"
"So far I'm REALLY enjoy this! You've built a great thing here!"
"You think so?"
"Not many ponies can say they've built a really cool hidden training grounds under there home! So I believe anypony would see how incredibly amazing this is!" I state with a smile. "I can honestly see myself having countless hours of fun here!"
"Then why not give it another whirl and try to get a high score?" Lexi asks with an eager smile.
"Yeah! Let's do it!"
"Alrighty! We'll see if you can try to beat Void's score!"
"Oh? What's his score?"
"123,000," Void says with a proud smile.
"Woah! That must be a lot, huh?"
"Indeed! Each successful shot is worth shot on a still drone is worth 1000 points, moving targets are 2000, and targets that shoot back at you are 3000! And you'd have to try to do it all within a time limit of a minute n' thirty seconds!
"This is exactly like a video game and I love it!"
"Lets try something simple for now. For instance, target practice! You'll have tons of fun with this. Here! I set it up for you to try!" The drones spread out, some float near and some float far and each of them at different altitudes. "You don't gotta move or dodge or anything like that. Just a simple point and shoot, got it?" Lexi asks.
"Got it!" I nod and my horn charges up.
"Alright, begin!" As she says 'begin' I start firing magical beams away at the drones, nailing them head on. I occasionally swap between drones with each shot I take. I progressively get faster and faster between targets. I get more into 'the zone' as I continue to blast away, shooting further targets with pinpoint precision. My smile getting wider by the second as I have a lot of fun with this.
"Haha!" I get too into the moment, however, and blast one of the drones a bit too hard. The force of my magical blast causes the drone's protective glass the shatter and the drone itself plummets to the ground. A look of shock completely wipes the excitedly happy smile off my face as I realized my the accident I just caused. The drone smashes into the ground and is completely destroyed. Lexi's eyes widen and she stands up to look over. Void puts a hoof over his mouth and gazes in surprise at the happenings.
"Uh oh! I-I'm so sorry, Miss Dawn! I got a bit carried away," I say as I look back to her in worry.
She approaches me and stands near my side. "Ah, It's no biggy! These things happen. Sometimes it's hard to keep your excitement in! I can fix this, no problem!" Lexi's horn then magically glows a pretty light blue and she magically collects all the broken pieces of the drone and brings it back to her. She takes hold of the destroyed drone. "Just, try not to break too many, alright?"
"Right! Again sorry! Sometimes I forget how strong I can be!" I practically plead for forgiveness.
"Ah, don't sweat it, Princess! It's perfectly fine! I've got quite a few more drones. I can afford losing one!" She says with a genuine smile to me.
"You sure?" I ask.
"I'm sure! Here, watch!" She reaches to the console and presses a few buttons. Some panels open up from the ceiling and three more drones float down from them. "See? No worries! Now go on! Keep going and have fun!"
"Alright," I nod to her and turn back towards the center to continue with target practice. Some time passes as I'm having fun blasting away at Lexi's drones. Void calmly watches as he sits a side a bit a ways behind me. Lexi, however, is sitting at the console area, resting her cheek on her hoof, seeming to be in deep thought.
"Heheh! This is a lot of fun!"
"I often spend quite a lot of time in this room when I get bored. It's quite great exercise!" Void says to me.
"I'll say! I may just have to come down here often! This place is a real blast, heheh!"
"Glad to hear such! As I said before, I'd enjoy the company"
"You also mentioned that it's been a while since you had another guest come down and see this room, right?" I stop for a moment and look back at Void.
"Yes, I did say that"
"Who was the other guest? Friend of yours?"
"Ye-.. Well.. sort of... We haven't really seen each other in over a year, however," Void looks down and off to the side.
"Really? Why's that?" I ask as I turn to face him.
"Well... he was quite the being who was very... 'to himself'... He spent some time here at our home as a guest, but... after a while he decided to leave. And so I guided him back to the general area of where he lived and.. well I have yet to see him ever since"
"And... he didn't come visit?"
"I told him he could visit us any time he wishes.. but... his home is quite far from here so.. I understood that perhaps he didn't wish to deal with the hassle of traveling quite far"
"Have you tried visiting him?" I ask with a brow raised.
"I've tried... but I could never find where he lives"
"But, you're still friends with this guy, right?"
"I believe we're still friends. At least, I hope so, but... beyond him, you're the only other friend I've got,"
"Wow, well I-" I glance over towards Lexi to find her seeming mopey. I raise a brow at her, then face towards her. Void follows my gaze to also notice Lexi's seemingly upset expression.
"Uh.. Hey.. Uhm, Miss Dawn? Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" She lifts her head up to look over at us. "Oh.. uh.. yeah I'm fine, just... in deep thought," She quickly puts her head back down after responding.
"You sure? You look kinda.. down," I ask while giving a head tilt.
"N-No really, I'm fine! Just uh..." She seems to smile for a moment but mid way through her words she ceases it. Void and I look at her, worried. "I.. uhm.. need to check on something back in the lab," She then stands up and proceeds to the elevator door. She pushes a button on the side of it and the door opens. You two just stay here and have fun!" She steps inside and pushes the button on the inside and the door starts to close. "But not too much fun! Other wise-" She lowers her head to speak under the closing door. "-I'll run out of drones and I'll have to make mo-" The door fully closes, cutting off her sentence. We stare at the closed door with questioning expressions.
"Well that was... strange," It's obvious something is up with Lexi. Something's bothering her.
"Yeah..." Void says. "Well.. I guess I'll be taking over," He approaches the console. "Don't worry, she taught me how to use it," Void sits down upon the chair and begins typing on the keyboard. "Living with her for many years and training in this very room, I was bound to pick up some skills in being technology savvy"
"Good to know then! If I even need help with tech, I'll let you know! Especially since-" I bring a hoof up to rub the back of my head for a moment. "-I'm not really all that great with technology stuff," I give a nervous chuckle and awkwardly smile.
"It's perfectly fine, Flurry Heart. I could teach you sometime... If.. that's something you'd be interested in, of course"
"Definitely! I mean, what are friends for, right?" I say with a smile to Void.
"Heh, right" He smiles and gets a slight blush on his face for a moment, then continues typing. "Now then, you wanna try to beat my score, in target practice?" He says with a challenging smirk on his face as he looks to me.
"Oh, you're on!" I accept his little challenge and turn back towards the center of the room.
He begins typing on the console and suddenly some more panels open up from the walls and ceiling, facing towards us. The drones then move to hide behind the opened panels, using them as cover.
"Alright, when they pop out, blast them quickly before they hide again. Some of them will be moving and some of them will be shooting back at you. You ready?"
"123,000 points right?" I ask.
"That's the mark," He nods.
"Alright, I'm ready!" I steady my stance and aim my horn. And so the fun begins as I start blasting away at the drones as they appear. Quite a bit of time passes as I'm having a both literal and figurative blast. As lasers fly my way, I easily avoid them and fire back, much like my training with my mom. But in a place like this, it feels like a new experience. I complete another attempt out of the three others I've tried. Making this one my forth attempt.
"Close," Void begins. "117,000 points. You're pretty good at this for a first time user in The White Room," Void smiles up at me.
"Thanks! I know I coulda easily done it the first time, but it's kind of tricky having to be quick about it while surprising my magic. I feel if I get more into it I might break another drone,"
"That confident in yourself?" He asks with a smirk.
"You bet!" I stand on my hindlegs and begin to stretch. "I do this kinda stuff with my mom very often! Which... reminds me, I should probably stop here. I did promise my mom that I'd lay off trainin' for a while," I stop stretching to awkwardly rub the back of my neck.
"Is that a fancy way of saying 'You're chickening out'?" He asks while forming a wide smug grin.
"Oho!" I scoff and grin back. "So you have jokes I see!"
We stare at each other for a brief moment with cocky grins on our faces. We then start sharing a laugh together.
"Heheheh, I'm only kidding, Flurry. One with such skills as yours could most definitely surpass skills like my own. Very easily I might add"
"Thanks, but don't go thinkin' you can't be as great as me," I wink at him. "You got potential in ya' and I'm interested to see where that takes you!"
Void gives a heartfelt smile. "That... That means a lot. I'll bare that in mind," He ends with a nod.
"Say, where's your mom? Didn't she says he'd be back in a jiffy?" I ask.
"You're right... I wonder why she's not back yet. She was acting a little strange before she left. I'm going to go check on her," Void stands up from his chair and walks towards the exit.
"I'll come with you," I say and begin following behind. We enter the elevator and head back up to the Penthouse level. Once we exit we proceed to head towards Lexi's lab. Void and I enter Lexi's lab to look around for her. We spot her sitting on a stool and she appears to be using a blowtorch on one of her inventions. As we begin to approach her, the invention she's working on suddenly falls into pieces. Lexi gasps as this happens and she shuts off the blowtorch. She lifts up her goggles to look at the invention now in shambles.
"Grrrgh!" She lets out a frustrated grunt and she tosses the blowtorch across the room. Void and I tense up from the sudden toss of the blowtorch and from the sound of its impact when it lands. Void especially seems tensed up from this, almost as if he's seen this happen before. Lexi then rests her head on her hoof as she gazes sorrowfully at the broken invention. She lays resting against her desk, seeming very hopeless. Her ears are perked down and everything.
"Uh.. Miss Dawn? Everything alright?" I ask softly.
Her ears perk back up and she sharply turns to look back at us while letting out a quiet gasp. She seems very surprised to see us both standing there, like she didn't expect us to be here at this time. I can see the look on her face telling me that she didn't want me to see what had just happened.
"Pr-Princess!" She says as she stands up, tapping her hooves together. "How-How much of that did you see?"
I ponder for a moment whether to say I didn't see a thing, but I feel it would be best to be truthful with her as I see that she's very troubled about something. Something she's not willing to openly admit without me asking.
"All of it," I say with a worried look on my face.
"Oh.. I'm sorry you had to see that," Lexi puts a hoof behind her head and starts to rub.
"Wh-What's going on?"
"Nothing! Nothing, It's just... I'm a little frustrated. I just need to step out of the lab for a moment..." She begins to walk past us and heads to the exit.
"W-Wait!" I say in my efforts to try to halt her, but she just continues walking 'til she's out the door. I look to at Void now. "What's up with your mom?"
"I ... am not so sure," Void says and begins to walk out of the lab and I follow behind. Lexi is leaning against the kitchen counter with her hooves to her head, seeming very stressed out. We approach her side shortly after we exit her lab.
"Ugh, I don't know what I'm'anna do," She says to herself.
"Mother, what's the matter?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
Lexi looks back at us in surprise again. "Oh, I'm sorry you two, I don't mean to worry you..."
"Well, you can tell us, mother"
"That's right, you can. I don't mind lendin' an ear," I assure.
She looks forward again as she slumps up against the counter. "It's just... I can't seem to get this stupid piece of junk invention working. It keeps fallin' apart"
"Well... just.. keep trying, mother. I'm sure you'll get it working. Wh-What are you working on anyhow?" Void asks.
"I'm... I was working on an invention I could submit for the upcoming science competition... The one Brisk mentioned. I figured... I'd at least try and make something. Just so I'd have a shot at winning and maybe... turning things around," Lexi grips her mane for a moment with both her hooves, tightly. "But I don't think that'll be the case..." I look to her with a very worried gaze.
"There has to be... something you can do! I don't feel you should just give up. Plus, don'tchu have like.. a whole week? To work on something?" I say in an effort to persuade her to continue trying.
"I... appreciate the kind words, Princess.. but..."
"But what? You're inventions are really cool! Don't tell me you're feeling this way because of what Brisk said. Is that it?" There a brief moment of quiet. "That stuff he said can't be true"
"As the days goes on... I honestly start to question whether it is or not" Lexi circles her hoof on the countertop.
"Miss Dawn..."
"I'm ashamed to admit it but... what he said today really got to me... On any other day, I wouldn't have cared. But the fact that a Princess had to witness such a moment... such a... scene.. It... ran deeper than anything else spoken before"
"You really think I care what HE has to say about you? It's clear to me that he's just so full of himself. The real scientific genius is sitting right before me. The sad thing is that she's moping when she doesn't need to be"
"Whether or not that's true... I can't simply get some crazy invention working in time to topple anything he has in store. I'm sure he's going to show off that big hunk of Stallion Metal to the ponies at the contest and they'll all be swept away in awe with ease... Just like you were"
For a split moment I feel a sudden weight upon my heart. I actually start to feel bad for expressing such joy in Brisk's creation. Sure, it indeed is a pretty cool invention, but I know it in my heart that Lexi's Inventions are way cooler.
"I... N-No offense, Princess... I'm not saying you're wrong for liking his invention"
"I know... I understand... But I still feel you're far better than him!"
"You really think a... washed up mare like me can be better than a smart bunny in a metal stallion suit? Heh... it's almost laughable..," Lexi stops circling her hoof on the counter top and gazes out into the city through the large window pane ahead of her.
"But mother-" Void tries to reason with her but Lexi cuts him off.
"No, Void... It's hopeless. I can't do it... Maybe Brisk is right... Maybe I'm just not good enough. I'm not cut out to be a brilliant scientists," Lexi then lies her head down onto the counter. I bring a hoof up to reach for her, wanting to console her in some way. I try to come up with something more to say to ease her sorrow. There is a moment of silence between us all.
Void suddenly grits his teeth and lets out an upset grunt. "That's enough, mother!" Void firmly exclaims, raising his voice. Lexi and I turn our heads to Void. "I'm tired of you putting yourself down all the time all because of Brisk! That fur-ball is nothing but a nuisance and he has NO IDEA what he is talking about. But I do when I say this; you're a brilliantly talented inventor with a heart of gold! You have a burning passion for creating such wonderfully amazing things! And everything you DO create is wonderfully amazing! So amazing that a PRINCESS herself has taken great notice! You even express your own greatness and your sureness of the excellence of your work! Yet, when receiving praise for being truly amazing, you knock yourself down because of doubt. Doubt of your own capabilities to truly call yourself Brilliant! All because of a mistake that happened years ago that wasn't even your fault! Please, mother, stop doubting yourself over mistakes that was never your fault. Stop acting like you're a burden. And please... be truly happy..." Void finalizes his speech and it seems he's even holding back tears. Lexi's eyes become watery and a single tear even slides down her cheek.
"You're an amazing scientist and above all... an amazing mother!"
I watch Void for a moment longer, a smile growing on my face after hearing his words. "I second that," I chime in and turn my head to Lexi. "Meeting you has been a really awesome thing to happen to me. I feel I've really connected with you both in the short time we've known each other. I guess that's just how glorious friendship is, eh?" Void looks to me and smiles happily. "You've raised a wonderful son and that alone is perfect proof that you're a great mother. I even see quite a bit of my own mother in you, which makes me enjoy having a friend like you. And yes, I'm calling you 'my friend'," I allow those words to sink in for a brief moment, cause another tear to run down her other cheek. "Void's a pretty great stallion so far and that's why I've taken great interest into seeing and learning more about 'im. That being said, he's also proof of how brilliant you are. It's not just your inventions that make you a brilliant scientist. It's the fact that you're such a kind, caring, eccentric even, and overall amazing mare! It's why I chose you over that jerk, Brisk. I know I didn't seem like I did at first, but I noticed that he was a jerk right from the gecko"
"Eh, It's get-go," Void corrects.
"Oh! Is it? R-Right.. sorry. Ehem, from the get-go. I can read ponies very well and I knew the moment I laid eyes on the both of you that you two were somethin' special," I finish with a smile.
"You.. You mean that, Princess?" Lexi's eyes light up and she even stands up more straight as she awaits my answer.
"If I could plaster that on a book somewhere, I most certainly would!" I nod while retaining my smile. Lexi smiles now as more tear runs down her face.
"I Just want you to understand that you and your inventions are brilliant, no matter what Brisk or anypony in this city says," Void states while stepping closer to Lexi, looking her right in the eyes.
"Yeah! And with that fancy doorbell of yours being one of the first things somepony sees when they visit your home, that should be enough to show that you've got some major science skills!" I happily and confidently state.
"Heheh," Lexi lets out a chuckle. She turns her head to bring and hoof up to wipe away her tears. "Thank you... so much, you two. That... really means a lot" Lexi sniffles as she continues to wipe her tears.
"So, are you gonna try your luck at that contest?" I ask. She then takes a moment to gaze at the hoof she wiped her tears with. Shortly after gazing upon it, she tightens her hoof firmly, seeming determined.
"Absolutely!" Lexi smiles for moment, but then her smile fades as it seems she realizes something just now. "But... I'm not sure if they'll even allow me in after what happened"
"Why's that?" I ask. Lexi just sits in silence. All is quite for a brief moment as Lexi glances off to the side, filled with hesitation to speak. "Hmm... it's very clear to me that... what caused all this.. it's because of Brisk right? That's the impression I've been getting from all this," Lexi looks to me and simply nods.
I then think for a moment before stepping closer to her. My expression turns into a serious one as I say what I'm about to say. "Tell me... What did Brisk do back then that so badly messed up your career?" I ask with great interest to hear about the cause of Lexi's dilemma. Lexi frowns as she looks off to the side for a moment. She then lets out a gentle sigh before looking back towards me.
"Fine... I'll tell you," She says. I patiently await for her to begin.
"It was about two years ago from today," Lexi begins, gazing up while she speaks as if she's flashing back to a certain day in her mind. "Void and I were attending this science event similar to the one that's coming up next week. I was all excited to show off my greatest creation that would have surely won me the contest," During the event, Lexi approached her stand and set down a metal briefcase on the table. "I called it..." She reached up and opened the briefcase, revealing a scientific looking black box. "...'The Holo-World Generator',"
"Woah! That sounds cool! What was it?" I ask in an awestruck tone.
"It was a little scientifically made magical black box that, in mere moments, could magically generate a world around you of your choosing. The Holo-World Generator would conjure up a magical field around you and incapsulate you in what feels like a world that's completely separate from reality!" Lexi took out the invention from its case and set it down upon her table stand. "Just imagine! A world beyond your wildest dreams at the push of a button! You could live out your fantasies for as long as you desire! You could create a world just for you!"
"That is... truly amazing! With an invention like that, surely you would won!"
"Yes, well.. unfortunately, that wasn't the case," Lexi says in a saddened tone.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well... the judges were taking a very big liking to my invention. They couldn't believe it!" The invention was set down upon the floor and emitted a bright blue light that shined magnificently. The judges watched as the area around them turned into a beautiful landscape of glorious sights to behold. "They thought it was the greatest thing to ever surface in Manehatten. I was so happy! I was sure to win!"
Lexi was smiling happily as the judges had praised her for her invention. But over in the distance stood a Stallion in a black suit with white stripes and a red tie. Their appearance bared a very close resemblance to Brisk's robot suit. Only difference is, their eye color is a light amber. Of course, this was none other than Brisk back when he was still a stallion.
"But Brisk... had other plans," Brisk looked over towards Lexi and watched as the judges reviewed her creation with great interests. Brisk's expression had turned sour towards Lexi and the Judges. His had then focused his eyes towards Lexi's invention which had been actively generating the magical world. When no pony was looking he had approached the box. He opened a side panel on the box and tampered with the inside. While the judges were admiring the world around them created by the box, suddenly the world around began to distort. They all appeared confused as the world around them shifted into a dark and scary hall within the deepest depths of the old Castle Of The Two Sisters. Shortly after, sinister ambiance began to sound off, sending a chill down the judges' spines. Lexi shifted herself about to look for where the box was and as her sights brushed across it, she just barely caught a glimpse of Brisk backing away into a dark hall of the magically created castle. He smiled and chuckled towards Lexi with a malicious grin before disappearing into the darkness.
"He sabotaged my invention and caused it to go haywire," Lexi states.
Lexi looked back at the judges as they all became weary and frightened by the environment around them. Shortly after, within the darkness of the corridors, stepped out dark shadowy figures that took the shape of timberwolves. Each one off them had glowing red eyes and razor sharp teeth as they approached the judges. Lexi panicked as she spotted the shadow timberwolves approached the judges. Lexi quickly sprinted toward the box and jumped over towards it, landing on her belly with her forehooves reached out to grab hold of the box. The judges had become fully enveloped with fear as the shadow timberwolves drew near. Lexi tried pressing buttons in an attempt to turn the device off, but of course that did not work. Lexi then had scrambled to get her trusty blue screwdriver out from her coat and she opened the panel to take a peak inside. She had immediately spotted the tampered area and she began to fix it. One of the shadow timberwolves pounced on the judges and had toppled them over. They screamed and caused the other judges to panic. They began to scatter all around and all the other shadow timberwolves trailed after them. Lexi glanced back to witness the commotion and in doing so made her hasten her attempt to fix the invention. Some of the judges even got cornered by the shadow timberwolves and began to tremble in fear. One of the judges even climbed up on the torn tapestry to get out of reach from the danger. Lexi continued struggling to shutdown the device, even sweating while doing so. The shadow timberwolves that had cornered some of the judges inched closer and closer until one of them got close enough to pounce. And so, one did. The one that had toppled over a judge and had been towering over them suddenly had swooped their head down, going in for the bite. Lastly, a single shadow timberwolf clawed their way up the torn tapestry to reach the judge that had been clinging to it. The creature reeled their claw baring paw back and went in for the strike. All of these actions, from the pounce to the claw swipe, happened simultaneously. Right before any of these actions could follow through, Lexi had finally managed to shutdown her invention.
The shadow timberwolves all disappeared at once in a puff of black smoke and the magically generated world had slowly disappeared along with them. The judges that had been pressing themselves back against the corner they were all, all suddenly fall back as the wall behind them disappeared. The judge on the floor had found himself laying on the marble floor where the science event was taking place, apposed to the rough stone floor that they were laying on not moments ago. Even the judge that was clinging to the tapestry suddenly had plummeted to the ground, harshly, as the tapestry faded away from their grip. Lexi rushed over to help up the fallen judged. The judge had aggressively nudged her away, refusing her help. Lexi even tried to help the other judges as well, of course, they also heavily refused. After some time of the judges gathering themselves to make sure they were okay, they then turned their heads towards Lexi with severely stern expressions.
"I desperately tried to fix it before things got too out of hoof... but... unfortunately it was too late. All the judges were severely traumatized by what had happened. I managed to fix it enough to shut it off... but of course that wasn't enough to undo the damage that was done. The judges... they were all very upset at me for letting such a thing happen as well as putting many ponies in danger. I tried explaining to them that it was Brisk that sabotaged my invention but... they didn't believe me...." Lexi recalls looking over at Brisk, standing innocently far away from Lexi and the judges. She looked back at the judges to be greeted with severely stern looks and disapproving shaking heads. "And so they kicked me out..." Brisk just watched as Lexi was escorted out of the building. All with a wide, triumphantly malicious smile on his face. "And not long after... the whole city found out about the mishap and... well... ever since that day... everything went down hill for me. Nopony ever trusted me since," Lexi lowers her head, looking very sorrowful after finishing her story.
"That's... awful.." I say in a deeply saddened tone.
"He ruined me... and he rubs it in my face any chance he gets.." Lexi's eyes become a tad watery once more as she proceeds to speak. "It's the main reason why I never asked Void to turn him back into a stallion. It's what he deserved for what he did. It was some form of payback that I truly enjoyed,"
"I can see why.. guy's more than just a jerk... he's an absolute monster!" I state firmly.
"And now I'm here.. stuck trying to get back up on my hooves all because of a stupid little mistake that was NEVER MY FAULT!" Lexi suddenly turns and kicks a stool across the room, making a loud impactful sound upon landing. My eyes widen as I witness that. I'm both impressed by what I saw and also worried. I look back to Lexi who's breathing a tad heavily as she stands with her back to us. Void is looking at Lexi with a very troubled look, worried heavily for the way his mom is feeling right now. I step forward and reach up to put a hoof on her shoulder.
"It'll be okay, Miss Dawn. I'm sure of it," I say in a genuinely sincere tone.
"How can you be so sure?" She says as she looks over her shoulder at me. Tears streaming down her face as she makes eye contact with me. Her voice even breaking a bit when she speaks.
"You're gonna enter that contest and win. And beat Brisk to prove you're way better than him! By a long shot!" I confidently say.
"But.. how?" She asks.
"You're a smart mare! One of the smartest mare's I've seen in a long while! I believe you can do it!"
"You... you do?" Lexi turns to me, ears perked up.
"Yeah, like we said earlier; you're amazing scientist and you shouldn't put yourself down over something that wasn't your fault. So like I said, you're gonna enter and you're gonna win!"
"Yeah, but would I begin to go about it? The only truly competitive worthy invention I've ever created was The Holo-World Generator," Lexi lays her head, face down, onto the kitchen counter as she sits on another stool.
There is a moment of silence between us all. I take a moment to think of a solution for Lexi's dilemma and swiftly thinking of one. A very simple solution that I feel would be perfect. The best solutions are usually the ones that are the simplest.
"Well?" I simply ask.
Lexi raises her head up to speak. "Well what?"
"Make it again!" I say with cheerful tone.
Void looks to me with a surprised look and Lexi looks back over her shoulder to give me the same look. "Whaaat?" She says. "What do you mean?" She ask with a wide eyed expression.
"I mean just re-invent it!"
"Re-invent it?" She asks.
"Yeah! If you built it once you can most definitely do it again, I believe!"
"Wh-I... can't don't that"
"Well why not? It's surely to win you the competition! With how smart you are, I bet you still remember how make it. It'll be a shoe-in if you enter it in the contest! Plus, I'm sure you can even make it better than before, somehow!"
"Well yes, but even if I did start on making it now, I wouldn't be able to finish it in time for the event!"
"Hmm... well... I'll help you!" I claim with a smile.
"What?"
"Yeah! I may not be all that good with science as much as you, but I can certainly lend a hoof!"
"You... would?" She says as her eyes widen.
"Yeah! Why not? If it'll help speed things up in time for the competition then I'll do everything in my power to make sure of that! Plus, I wanna see the look on that fluffy dolt's face when you show up and beat him!" My expression turns into a smug one.
"Well... thank you, Princess. But, even with help... I'm not so sure I can even make it better than before. Let alone, even make it at all"
"Well what's stoppin' you?" I inquire.
"I believe I could scrounge up all the parts needed to make it..." Lexi rubs the back of her head for a moment. "But it takes A LOT of magic to even power it up. And My magic isn't all that powerful. It took a lot out of me the first time when I made it. I'm not so sure I could generate enough magic to make it work. Especially within a week," Lexi and Void then bow their heads, seeming hopeless. I bow my head and think for a moment about an easy solution to that and the first thing that comes to my mind is, of course, this.
"I'll give you my magic," I raise my head back up at Lexi and look her right in the eyes.
Both Void and Lexi look to me in utter shock. They could not believe the words that left my mouth. "My Alicorn Magic, to be specific," After finishing my statement, Lexi's jaw practically drops to the floor.
"You... would give me... your... Alicorn Magic.... Just to help me?" Lexi inquires, seeming in disbelief.
"It's the least I can do," I say in a nod.
"But.. But this feels like... the greatest thing you could do for us! I-I don't deserve this... I can't accept that," Lexi shakes her head turns away.
"You don't get to decide that now, do ya?" I start uttering familiar words. Spoken similarly to how they were said to Brisk, except in a much more nicer and caring tone. Lexi notices this and turns back to face me to listen to what I have to my words. "Last I checked, I'm the royalty here, so what I say goes," I smile. "And what I'm saying..." I step closer and look into her eyes with a genuinely meaningful gaze. "... is that you, most definitely deserve my help. And as Princess, heir to the th-r-r-r-one of The Crystal Empire, I decree that to be true!" I end with a smiling nod.
"I.. I don't know what to say I... I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am.. I..." Lexi looks up to me as a hopeful smile sweeps across her face. "Thank you, Princess,"
I smile happily in return to her. "Anytime, Miss Dawn. Oh! And, by the way! You can call me Flurry Heart, now. No more formalities!" I gesture my hoof from one side to the other as well as shake my head a moment to fully instate my words.
"Heheh, in that case, you can call me Lexi," She says while crossing her forelegs in front of her.
"Will do," I say as I give a confirming nod. A ray of hope shines upon them in this moment as they smile at me. "So, we ready to get this started?" I ask as I bring up my right hoof for a hoofshake. Lexi's smile gets wider and more confident, as if she was given a clean bill of rejuvenating health in this very instance. She then brings her right hoof out and firmly takes hold of mine.
"Yeah! What are friends for?" She says in a confident tone. I then give her a determined smirk as we both firmly shake each other's hooves.
"Right!" I then give one last statement before we get to work. "Now let's show the city of Manehatten what Lexington B. Dawn can do!"
[Chapter 4 End]