//------------------------------// // Arc XVIII Episode IV: Sufferable Genius // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Meanwhile… Under the cover of nightfall, Acida took the bus in order to travel to the planetarium--the highest point in the city. Since she was all alone on the bus, there was no one to oppose her or make any attempts to suss out who she was. Having fully adapted a human form, she was on her way to enact her next stage of her plan. “This is what happens when you place all of your larvae in one basket,” she thought to herself, “They’re so reliant on those human versions of the elements of harmony, that they aren’t even capable of defending themselves. It’s a pitiful existence and all the more reason why this world needs to be recreated. To think that those Sirens as well as Shimmer haven’t realized just how utterly pathetic this place is. No one can use magic naturally, everyone is focused on frivolous pursuits through their devices called ‘cell phones’--whatever that means. And they’re constantly at each other's throats. War after war….conflict after conflict…but soon, I’ll be the one in charge and they won’t have to fight ever again. They could be so much more, but they choose to wallow in stagnation…but that ends soon. All I need to do is launch my power off of the satellite in the sky with Lucide’s magic…” At Sandbar’s home… “You sure Sandbar wouldn’t mind me being here?” Spike asked, “I kinda don’t like dropping in unannounced.” “Considering that the fate of the world is on the line…I don’t think he’ll have a problem.” Micro placed a bowl of meat on the floor for Spike--to which the latter immediately buried his face into. Even now, Sandbar was still fast asleep on the couch. It was about 10PM at this point and pretty much everyone else around the house was in a state of slumber--thankfully with no dream demons hijacking their rest this time. Flash was a bit more interested in the handbag that Spike had brought with him. “So what sort of device are we talking here? Is it something that’ll undo the spell on our friends?” Once Spike was finished eating, he licked his face clean, leaving the bowl in a spinning, rattling state until it came to a stop. He looked up at Flash and responded, “Oh yeah…see that’s the problem. The device is so intricate and Twilight-y--” he japed with a smug smile before continuing normally, “That only someone as smart as she is can make use of it….” Both Spike and Flash looked over at Micro Chips--to which the young man responded with a confused tilt of his head. “W-wait--me?” he asked with a concerned tone, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I couldn’t imagine messing with a piece of Twilight’s technology. Out of respect for her as a peer, I--” “Listen bro,” Spike spoke flatly while standing on his hind legs, eyes narrowed, “There’s no time for worrying about that petty little rivalry you guys have. You need to focus or else they’ll be stuck as lusty zombies forever.” Micro shook it off, and pet Spike on the head. “You’re right, sorry. I need to focus if we want to get this done. Mind showing me the device?” Spike reached into the handbag, and pulled out a small wooden box. “All yours, MC.” “Thanks. Now…” With the box in hand, Micro took a seat on the couch and prepared to open it up. Intrigued by what Spike had mentioned, Flash spoke up. “...Rivalry? These two? Huh. Figured they’d get along well enough and at least be friends or something.” “Au contraire, mon frère," Spike snidely remarked as he walked over to Flash, “These two have been feuding since elementary school.” “For real?” With a grin on his face, Flash was intrigued by this--the fact that one of his friends had apparently been in a constant rivalry with someone who seemed to be the smartest girl in their school made for interesting gossip. “Tell me more--” he looked towards Micro’s direction, “If it’s alright with you that is.” As they spoke, Micro had been inspecting the contents of the wooden box with a multi-layered set of eye-glass lenses that seemed to pop out of his glasses so that he could see it better--akin to something jewelers would use when inspecting jewelry. “You may as well…this is going to take some time to figure out--but I think I understand it.” “Alright, goodie.” With the floor to speak, Spike went on with his explanation. “So! This all pretty much begins as far back as I can remember from my days as a puppy…” About 10 years ago… Canterlot Elementary was home to pretty much every student that would eventually go on to attend Canterlot High or Crystal Prep. But in particular, there were two students in the second grade that seemed to be on another level of intellect… “And in conclusion, that’s why the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” a younger--nine-year-old Sci-Twi spoke in front of her class, much to the awe of her fellow students and even her teacher who couldn’t believe what she had said. “Very good, Twilight,” said their teacher, “Micro Chips, you’re up next. What’s your science report looking like?” The eight-year-old Micro got up from his seat with a proud smile on his face. “Well, Mr. Sherman, I think you’ll like what I have to say.” From behind him, Twilight scoffed under her breath so no one could hear. “Pfft. Yeah right. Won’t be any more significant or greater than mine…” “Hold up, hold up,” Flash interjected, stopping Spike from speaking. “Just how do you know all of this?” “Oh that,” Spike replied while scratching behind his ears. “She snuck me into school sometimes, so I was there to witness certain things. Now do you wanna interrupt me or do you want me to keep going?” “No no, my bad,” Flash nodded, “Go ahead.” Micro commented from nearby, “Oh dear--I think I remember the day you’re talking about.”