//------------------------------// // The Good Doctor Sorou (Edited and Extended) // Story: Geoverse Part Two: To Love Is Human // by GeodesicDragon //------------------------------// John and I stood in front of the warehouse. It was a large building with boards over several windows, and several solar panels and wind turbines on the roof. "Are you sure this is the right place?" I asked, looking around with a feeling of unease. "Yeah, this is the address Doctor Sorou gave me." John nodded. I took a deep breath and started walking towards the door. "Best not keep him waiting then," I said. The door opened with a high pitched squealing noise, revealing a set of stairs which we began descending. We came to another door, made of solid iron, with a buzzer on the wall nearby. John hesitated for a moment before pressing it. "Who's there?" a voice demanded. "Uh, Doctor Sorou?" John asked. "My name is John Adams. We spoke on the phone yesterday?" There was a series of clattering noises, followed by rustling. "Adams, Adams... ah, yes, I remember now. You and your friend are here about my job offer. Come on in!" The door unlocked with a loud click and John pushed it open. We entered the laboratory, our eyes widening at the many pieces of equipment which lay scattered around. Doctor Sorou was standing at a table nearby. He was wearing a long white lab coat over top some casual clothes, a shirt bearing the logo for Halo, and a pair of blue jeans. His doctorate in mechanical engineering hung in a frame on the wall behind him. He was paying close attention to a device he was constructing using an adjustable wrench and what appeared to be a spoon. His brown curly hair was parted down the centre by a rubber strap that held his goggles to his head, and he had a wide grin on his face. Upon seeing us, he put down the wrench and spoon and held out his hand. John and I each shook it firmly. "Hi there," I said. "I'm Geo, and this is John." "I'm Ace Sorou, and it's a pleasure to meet you both." Doctor Sorou chuckled. "You have no idea how hard it is to find victims who are so eager to help me." John and I looked at each other nervously as he clapped a hand to his forehead. "I'm sorry, did I say 'victims?' I meant 'assistants.' I'm always getting those two mixed up." John and I laughed half-heartedly and looked away. An awkward silence descended upon the room, but it was quickly broken when Ace clapped his hands together. "Right then, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, perhaps you would like to know what the job involves?" he asked, to which John and I nodded. "I just need a couple of pairs of extra hands, that's all. I will pay you handsomely for your help." "How much?" I asked. "If you don't mind me asking, that is." "I may not look it, but I am very wealthy," Ace replied. "I'll pay each of you seventeen pounds an hour for helping me out." John and I did a double-take. "Seventeen quid an hour?!" John gasped. "Count me in!" "Me too!" I said happily. "For that kind of money, I'll do anything!" I hesitated for a moment before I quickly added, "Within reason." Ace laughed and grasped John and I by the shoulders. "Welcome aboard, then," he said. "You know something, guys? I think this could be the start of a wonderful friendship." "If you don't mind me asking, Ace, what are you working on here?" I asked hesitantly. "Is it anything dangerous?" Ace looked around the laboratory, as if he was expecting someone to be listening in, then pulled John and I closer. "What are we working on?" he said. "Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but... what the hell, I'll tell ya anyway!" "Okay..." the worry on John's face was all too obvious. "What if I told you that there are other worlds?" Ace said, his eyes full of wonder. "Other universes, aside from the one we live in, where creatures – other than humans – have evolved to the point of sentience, and are the planet's dominant species?" John and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "As it happens," Ace continued. "I have found one such universe, and, get this, it’s inhabited by ponies!" John and I spluttered, which made Ace glare at us. "Yeah, yeah," he said bitterly. "Laugh all you want, but I’m serious! These ponies can fly, they build their own equipment and structures, they control their weather... and they can even talk! In fact, they speak the same language we're speaking right now!" I rubbed the back of my head with my hand. "That's really freaky, Ace." I looked him in the eyes. "Because I believe you." Ace gasped. "You do?" he said, before narrowing his eyes. "Wait, you're not pulling my leg, are you?" "No, I'm not." I shook my head. "I believe you because..." I trailed off, my hesitation lasting for a few moments — until Ace sighed and threw his hands into the air exasperatedly. "Spit it out, Geo!" he shouted. "I have been to the universe you've just described, Ace," I said at last. "Furthermore, I have seen the ponies you speak of." Ace began spluttering, unable to string a complete sentence together, then walked over to his desk and started raking through a vast pile of paper. Grabbing a few pieces, he came back to me and thrust what he had gathered into my hands. "You've seen these ponies?" he said, jabbing the paper with a finger. "These ponies right here?" I looked down at the pile of paper and gasped, realising that what I was looking at were drawings and photos of various ponies. "How did you get these?" I asked, unable to contain my glee. "I've been working on a device which creates a gateway to other worlds. A portal, if you will," Ace said. "That's plausible," I replied. "But, Doc, these photos and drawings are... well, they're perfect!" "I've managed to get a few successful portals up and running, but they only last for a few seconds at a time," he explained. "So I send in these flying, robotic cameras to collect data, and they report back to me once their memory banks are full." He pointed to a nearby workbench, upon which sat one of the cameras he was referring to. It looked like a bird, but with a camera instead of a beak. "I've gotta disguise them so I don't freak out the natives." I continued looking through the photos and drawings. I recognised several of the ponies depicted in them. I saw Big Macintosh, Lyra, Derpy Hooves, Ivory Scroll, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Doctor Haywick, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as well as several others whom I had met at my welcome party. As I got to the last picture in the pile and looked at it, I gasped and covered my hand with my mouth. "What is it?" John asked. I showed him the picture, doing my best to fight the tears forming in my eyes. The picture showed Twilight, but not as I knew her. She was downtrodden, walking along the street looking nothing like the cheerful mare I had fallen in love with. All around her, ponies played and laughed — but Twilight kept her gaze fixed firmly to the ground. Looking closer, I could also make out tears in her eyes. "It's a picture of Twilight." the emotion suddenly became too much to handle as I dropped to my knees and began sobbing, clutching the photo to my chest. "I miss her, I miss her so much!" John took the picture from me and looked at it. "It looks to me like she misses you too, mate." "I've never seen her so miserable, John," I replied. "I have to get back to her... back to Equestria!" "Equestria?" Ace mused. "Is that what this place is called?" He chuckled. "A fitting name, I guess, but that doesn't explain what the heck is going on here." He took the picture from John and studied it. "Who is she, and why does she mean so much to you?" I composed myself and stood up. "Take a seat, Ace." I chuckled. "Because this is going to be one hell of a story."