Fallout: Equestria: Scootaloo’s Pre-War Blues
Chapter 4: I'll Explain Everything to the Geeks
By: oki_all_day
<)-------(>
As I placed the key into my door of my apartment, I started to wonder how my robot would react to me arriving after being absent for two days. I figured he probably wouldn’t have even noticed my absence.
I opened the door, and noticed something off the second I stepped into the room. The wall had been repaired. It was a very crude repair done with simple harvested cloud. It was still soft, and could easily be opened up and closed again by any pegasus, but still, it was repaired.
"I wonder who did it." I said to myself aloud.
"Oh, it was those stallions from next door, the gray and white ones." LittleBlip called out from the kitchen.
"Huh, that's cool." I muttered as I made my way to the fridge.
"Why yes, I do believe it is 'cool'. They carried all of that cloud from the factory itself in bags. That is why it is still soft," LittleBlip informed me.
"Mrhrmm..." I mumbled in agreement, worn out completely from the train ride, with a mouth full of daffodil sandwich (a dish which I had grown very fond of).
“Yes, the white one left me a holotape to give you. Please excuse me while I retrieve it,” LittleBlip said as he floated off.
I waited in silence for a few moments, finishing the rest of the sandwich. I walked over to the wall repair. It really was some good work. The cloud had been lightly packed, and tightly fitted into the areas where the explosion ripped the original cloud from. As I admired the carpentry work, I heard LittleBlip hover into the room. I turned around and watched him float up towards me.
"Ma'am, would you like me to play the holotape?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure," I replied.
"As you wish, ma’am," as LittleBlip started playing the holotape, his accent changed to that of Cloud Chaser's less refined, cheery voice
"Dear Scootaloo, I'm leaving this holotape for you regarding our repair. We went down to my sister at the weather factory and picked a little bit of cloud up to make the repair. Lightning talked me out of charging you for the work. What a laugh! Lightning was always a one for making some quick bits. After he decided to join the REA he's been acting very different. I'm glad that he found a good job, many employers are close minded enough to not accept a stallion with even minor mental problems such as his own, but he isn't slow, just has odd tendencies. It's pretty complicated to explain. Anyways, I'm getting off track, I hope you enjoy the new wall! Bye!"
"Wow, Lightning is..." I said aloud.
"I must admit that I caught signs of a mild case of something that differs between his behavior and that of other ponies." LittleBlip said sounding slightly proud of himself.
"Shit, he sure didn't seem... retarded," I said, unaware of a way to properly word it.
"Well, chances are, it is a very minor problem. Either that or he is hiding it very well."
"We'll he sure doesn't show it, if that's what you're getting at. I thought they were, like, really quiet. He seemed pretty lively and happy to me." I said, half ashamed for separating ponies with a mental problem into their own group.
"If my memory sensor recollection is correct, I do remember him being more on the quiet and observant edge while you and Cloud Chaser had a conversation, and earlier, before he shut me down, he also seemed to have a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with his tools, and if you ask me, he obviously hoards batteries. I'm not sure if that qualifies as a mental illness to equines, but if he were a robot, he and I would be best friends!" LittleBlip said, excited at the thought of a friend.
"Okay, some assholes might not accept it. Hell, even Cloud Chaser implied that he had been turned down from a job or two before, but it doesn't make a difference to me at all though, he's still a friend," I told him.
"Ma'am, you never fail to touch my simulated robotic heart."
<)--------(>
I woke up to the yells of a simulated Canterlot pony coming from LittleBlip. "Ma'am, there's somepony at the door! Would you like for me to invite them in?" LittleBlip's voice projected throughout my home. I really need to find a different voice for you.
"Uhh... Yeah. Sure. I'll be there in a moment," I said, not thinking rationally, due to my current lowered state of awareness. I put my hooves to my head, and tried to wake myself up.
"Thank you kindly." I heard a voice that seemed to be Lightning Runner's from the living room.
"We appreciate it," said Cloud Chaser's voice.
"Oh, it is no problem, gentlecolts. We appreciate your wall repair," LittleBlip replied.
I hung up my nightgown and brushed my mane. Afterwards I walked into the living room. "Please, take a seat, guys. What's up?"
We all sat down on my couch, and Lightning Runner spoke up. "They're sending me to off to join the REA. I'll be going through training, boot camp, and then they'll probably send me somewhere. I might not be in contact for a while."
Although I could understand the need for troops, I couldn’t believe they needed them this much. To accept a troop into training only a few days after signing up must mean that the war is getting pretty serious down there. As my brain raced through what could be happening on the front lines, I sat speechless.
“Yeah. I’m not sure whether or not to be excited or sad.” He replied, looking down towards his hooves.
“You should be happy! You’ll be able to work now, and get paid!” I tried to cheer him up.
“But I won’t be with anyone I know for a while. I’ll have to make friends all over again. I’m not the best at making friends.”
“You don’t have to be. You’re all on the same page. Just try to be friendly. I’m sure you’ll be fine in no time.” I assured him.
Cloud Chaser nodded in approval. "Hell, we became friends by making fun of eachother."
“Alright,” Lightning Runner said. “By the way, would you like to be there when my train leaves, Scootaloo?”
“Of course I’ll come,” I said.
“Okay. It’s tonight at seven o'clock on the Luna line in out of Manehattan. I hope you guys can make it.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Cloud Chaser said.
“I’ll make it there when I get off work. Nineteen-hundred, right?” I asked, trying to test him on military time.
“Yes. Thank you,” he responded with a smile.
The two then quickly got up and left my apartment.
“Well, that was unexpected.” I told LittleBlip.
“Mmm... yes, quite.” He responded as he started to busy himself with doing the dishes. “I do believe that they are rushing the recruitment.”
“Things must be getting serious down there if they need troops this desperately.” I stated the obvious.
“Indeed. Luckily, your friend will have training to do before he can fight, so perhaps that may postpone his possible demise.”
“Yeah. I hope.”
<)-------(>
“Miss Scootaloo, you have a letter,” the secretary mare informed me, without looking up from the phone as she dialed a number.
"Regarding...?" I asked.
"It's a letter from a young filly regarding scooters," she said in a slightly annoyed tone while she peered over the rim of her glasses.
"Okay, thank you." I told her with trace amounts of sarcasm.
I walked into my office, and spent a moment to look at the small scale scooter that hung from the ceiling. I'm a success in life, I thought. I've risen above the others, and became a wealthy mare of business. "I am great," I silently whispered. I smiled, and sat down in my chair.
"Scootaloo" was written on the center of the envelope in a young filly's scratchy writing. Underneath my name was the address of the headquarters, nicely written by an adult. The return address read "1945, Parable Avenue". I opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter, written on a piece of notebook paper.
Dear Scootaloo,
I would like to tell you thanks for making such awesome scooters! All my cousins and brothers and sisters have one, and so do I. We have so much fun rideing around in the street, and raceing each other. We all love to have fun with the scooters, and we all want to thank you for makeing them. Please make more soon!
Love,
Margarine
I grinned, as a warm feeling formed inside of me. I was happy to know that I was bringing delight into other people's lives. I pulled out a blank sheet of lined paper, and started my response.
Dear Margarine,
You do not know how happy I am to have received your letter. You've brought a great big smile to my face today. I'm glad you and your siblings have fun with scooters. When I was just a little filly my friends and I did the same. Making more scooters is a tough thing to do since a lot of metal is being used by the military, but I'll try my best!
Sincerely,
Scootaloo
I opened up and took out an envelope. After writing out Margarine across the middle, I made sure I spelled out the street address correctly, and put my name and return address in the corner.
After sketching out designs on the undersides of the paperwork I was supposed to sign, I got bored and dozed off.
<)-------(>
My digital watch made an annoying beeping noise, which awoke me from my slumber. I pressed a hoof to a button on the side to stop the alarm, and then noticed that it was already six in the evening.
"I guess now'll be a good time to get off," I muttered as I straightened out the wrinkles in my suit and walked out of my office.
"Having a busy day?" My secretary asked, as she peered over the edge of her glasses.
"Yes, extremely," I said in a sarcastic tone as I rolled my eyes. "I take it that you've just been overloaded with work also."
We laughed for a short moment before composing ourselves.
"I sure have. That phone rang twice!" she laughed.
I chuckled alongside her. "I'd hate to overload your already filled plate of work, but I need this letter sent," I said as I placed the letter onto the desk.
"No problem, enjoy your evening!" She smiled as she went back to flipping through her fashion magazine.
I turned and walked through my building, observing all the ponies busy at work. Some smiled and waved to me as I walked through the halls. I proudly waved back, and continued my happy stroll out the door. I looked up to the surrounding buildings. The scene of the crying zebra foal, his father being arrested, and the sad, but comforting mother played through my head again. I looked at the spot where I saw the act occur and shuddered.
By hovering myself into the air, I found myself above the buildings. I flew west towards the departing stop for the Luna Line.
After arriving, I hovered around for a short amount of time until I saw a familiar looking white pegasus that was pulling large chariot bus land in the parking lot.
I flew over to Cloud Chaser, and helped him out his harness.
"Thanks, Scootaloo," he said as he stretched his tall body as if showing off for me. "You see any signs of Lightning?" he asked as he preened his wings and brushed his mane with his hoof.
I smirked at his immature antics, and replied, "Nope. Nowhere."
As soon as I finished answering, the gray pegasus landed next to us, dressed in a simple pure white button up shirt. "Hey, glad you guys could make it!" Lightning Runner exclaimed. "I saw this guy carrying the Sky Bandit, and figured that you two wouldn't be too far away."
"Lightning, there you are! Nice shirt by the way," I said.
"Nice suit, Scootaloo. Nice harness, Cloud Chaser," Lightning Runner responded with a smile.
I laughed, "Yes, it absolutely brings out your eyes!"
"Okay, you two, that's enough," Cloud Chaser smiled. "What are we going to do?" He asked Lightning Runner.
"I'm going to say goodbye, and then I'll get on that train, and you two will miss me, and then I'll come home and everything will be back to normal," Lightning Runner laughed. "Or, at least that's how it should go."
"Okay. So, on a smaller scale, what do you want to do before you leave. You still have about thirty minutes," Cloud Chaser said.
"Why don't we just sit down for a moment?" Lightning offered.
"Yeah, I like that idea," I responded.
All three of us flew up to the roof of the train station, Lightning Runner carried his largest bag, Cloud Chaser held the medium one, and I took responsibility of the carry on.
We reached the roof and set the baggage down. All three of us sat together on the edge, Cloud Chaser to my right, and Lightning Runner to my left.
The roof held a beautiful view over the river, the orange and purple evening sunset glimmering off of the clouds above, and water shining below set the mood to a happy, peaceful one.
Lightning Runner looked at me and smiled. "I'm glad you could make it. This moment is one that was meant to be shared. Same goes for you, Cloud Chaser."
I looked to my left and noticed that Lightning Runner had tears forming in his eyes, and a smile spanning across his face. I threw my forelegs around both of my friend’s necks and smiled along with them.
"One day, under better circumstances, we need to get together and watch the sunset," Cloud Chaser stated.
"Yes, we totally should. I love sunsets. Orange and purple seem to look so good together," I said with a small smirk.
The two both looked at me and started laughing. "Of course you think that," they said in unison.
I smiled. "Of course I do."
We silently watched as Celestia's evening sun dipped closer towards the ground, eventually starting to dissapear. We all leaned onto our backs as we laid, our forelegs around each other’s necks, and observed the darkening blue sky that showcased the small specks of stars in the early portion of the night.
The hustle and bustle of the ponies below us seemed to die off. As the peaceful night was starting to get enjoyable the train whistle rang out and startled all of us.
"LAST CALL, LAST CALL FOR THE ROYAL EQUESTRIAN ARMY TRAIN, LUNA LINE," a loud voice blared over the announcing system.
Our warm smiles transformed into slight frowns as we all left the roof, and landed in front of the olive-drab sleeper car.
"I-I-I gotta go now," Lightning Runner stuttered between tears that had started to form.
I tried to smile, but found that I too had started crying. "I know. Have fun."
Even Cloud Chaser had started tearing up as he threw a forehoof around his friend’s neck. "Be strong, dude. I'll miss you."
As the whistle sounded off again and we finished putting the bags onto the train, Lighting Runner wiped off his tears and said, "Thanks."
The train started to slowly accelerate forward. Cloud Chaser and I said "Goodbye," together as Lightning Runner headed into the car, and the train left the station.
"Can you help me get suited up?" Cloud Chaser asked.
"Yes," I replied quietly.
Together we walked among the masses of the crying family members who had a child or sibling on the train. Slowly but surely, we quietly made it out to the parking lot. We both hovered and flew over the cars towards the Sky Bandit.
Cloud Chaser landed in front of it, and I got out his harness.
"I'll miss him," Cloud Chaser stated. "He's been my only good friend for a while." His expression was a sad one as he looked down towards the asphalt.
I helped pull the harness onto his back, and looked at him. "Hey, don't worry. He's gonna miss you too. Hell, even I'll miss him, and I've only known you guys for a few days."
"But what if he doesn't make it?" Cloud Chaser worried.
"He will," I assured him as I tightened the straps that ran around his wings.
"I hope," He muttered as he flapped his wings, testing the harness.
"You're good to go," I said as he started to lift off, out of the parking lot.
"Thanks Scootaloo," he said as he started to fly away through the darkening evening sky.
<)-------(>
I laid on the couch in my living room, sipping water from a glass. LittleBlip floated around, and occasionally went to the corner of the room, where he would "sleep" by powering down. Paralyzed by the sudden realization that things are much worse than I thought, I stared intently at the wall. The portion which had been repaired stood out, and I couldn't help but think about all the families that have already been affected by the war.
As I traveled deep into my thoughts, I was interrupted by the ringing of my phone.
"Ma'am!" LittleBlip yelled.
"I know, I know," I muttered as I got off the couch and walked to the phone.
As late as it was, I could only figure that it was a friend that was calling. I almost found myself hoping to hear from Lightning Runner, although I barely knew him, and then I realized he'd only be gone for two hours, and trains are pretty slow in my experience.
I answered and listened as the shuffling of papers came through the other side.
"Hiya Scootaloo! Guess who we're scheduled to meet tomorrow?" Sweetie Belle's voice asked in anticipation through the phone.
"Apple Bloom?" I asked.
"Nope, she's coming with us though. Guess! We already talked about it!" She seemed overexcited about it.
I suddenly remembered. "Twilight Sparkle!"
"You got it! All the way down at some little place called Maripony."
"I thought the hub was in Canterlot," I told her.
"Did it ever dawn on you that research and Megaspell testing probably would not occur right on Princess Celestia's doorstep?" she asked with extreme sarcasm.
"Point taken. So, when will we be scheduled to meet her?" I asked, as I motioned LittleBlip to come over to me with my free hoof.
"Tomorrow night at ten o'clock," she informed.
"Ten o'clock, on a Friday night? Is there gonna be a party or something?" I laughed.
Sweetie Belle laughed too, "A secret party. You'll know when it happens," she said.
"Ummm... Okay then. I'll be there," I responded as the call ended. I walked away and thought, a party, a secret party, at a research facility for weapons of mass destruction run by a select group of intellectuals... Seems legitimate... enough.
"So, ma'am, what did you need me for?" the robot asked.
"Can you tell me where Maripony is at?" I asked looking up to his main sensor.
"Well, I doubt the exact coordinates that I've been programmed with would help you, so in a relative sense, I'd say just south of Old Olneigh. Of course, I hope you realize that this facility isn't too well known to the public, and asking directions to others could raise some eyebrows," he informed me.
"What do you mean about 'not well know by the public'?" I asked.
"All I'm saying is that I'm surprised that you know about it."
"How were you programmed to know about it?" I asked. "As a matter of fact, who programmed you?"
A smooth mare's voice was put out from LittleBlip, similar to when he replayed Cloud Chaser's recording. "The files you are trying to access have been restricted. Please consult an Equestrian Robotics associate for assistance. Enjoy your day!"
"What?" I asked nopony in particular.
LittleBlip's sensor leaned towards my face, "What is it that you need, ma'am?" he asked in his normal voice of happiness.
"Nothing. Nevermind. I'm fine," I responded, concerned by the amount of shady things that seemed to be happening around me.
"Well, I'll be occupying myself with trivial activities such as cleaning," he laughed. "Goodnight!" he exclaimed after composing himself.
I walked back over to the coffee table and took the cup of water off of it. After making my way to the kitchen, and dropping it into the sink for LittleBlip, I made my way to my bedroom.
I was tempted to turn on the radio, but I realized that I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and the more sleep I got, the more awake I'd be for this "party" that Sweetie Belle was talking about.
I tugged my nightgown on and pulled myself under my blanket, and slowly dozed off, making small attempts at not thinking about how bad things might actually be.
<)-------(>
After getting out of work the next day, I made my way towards the taxi chariot stop where I usually headed to. This time, a pegasus wearing dark black hooded robes pulled up, carrying an equally dark black chariot.
"Get in," he commanded me.
"Umm... I think I'll catch the next one," I said as I started to back up.
"Listen, mare, are you going to a 'party' tonight?" he asked, with 'party' being the emphasized word.
"Yes, in Maripony," I fearfully said.
"Then, get in," he commanded, sounding slightly pissed off at my reluctance.
I climbed into the covered chariot, and before I could even sit down, he rushed into the the air, sending me stumbling around the cramped inside. I found my bearings, and sat down in the seat.
"So, you and your friends are quite lucky to be given this opportunity. Miss Sparkle must trust you three a lot to allow you to visit her at Maripony," the deep voiced stallion flying the vehicle informed me.
"Why are we lucky? What's with all the secrecy?" I asked.
"Do you seriously think all that the public needs to know about this line of work? Most people who work don't leave. In the base is what one needs to survive, and live their lives," He answered.
"Wait, so you don't even leave the base?" I questioned as fear and curiosity slowly formed a lump on my throat.
"Yep. I'm sworn into secrecy, and so is everyone else. No one is to hear about this base. As a matter of fact, I believe the party we're throwing is for you and your friends. Just to celebrate the first civilians to ever even hear about the base," he said sarcastically.
"So there actually is a party?" I asked.
"Of course, do you think the government would lie?" he laughed.
I laughed along with him. "Of course not. What kind of government lies to their ponies?"
"Only the ones that work, young filly," he joked as he reached a landing pad above the Maripony Research Facility.
From the landing area on the roof, I spotted two other dark black chariots in the sky, coming towards us. All across the horizon was rolling green hills, and below the structure was a luscious green valley.
The driver that brought me here lifted off as the next chariot landed, and Sweetie Belle emerged.
A smile erupted across her face as she walked over to I waited. The driver lifted off, and a few short moments later, Apple Bloom's driver landed. Each driver moved with such efficiency that the landing of these three chariots only took about a minute.
Sweetie Belle and I waved to Apple Bloom as she made her way to us.
Once she joined us, we noticed that we were the only ones on the roof. All the drivers had left with the chariots. We ended up going to the edge and observed the scenery.
"How'd the drivers know where we'd be?" Apple Bloom asked.
A mare's voice from behind us replied, "Magic!"
We all turned around and found Twilight Sparkle, who was standing next to a red unicorn stallion with a black mane. His mahogany eyes seemed to be more focused on the ministry mare than us. He also wore robes and a hood similar to the drivers that had picked us up.
"Miss Sparkle!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "It's been too long!"
"Please, you know me personally. Twilight is fine. And yes, it's been way too long. I remember when you three were just little ponies," Twilight said with a warm smile.
We all laughed, even the red guy next to Twilight.
"So," I said after everyone finished laughing, "What is this place?"
Twilight backed up and pointed to the stallion next to us.
The stallion took off his hood as he started to speak, "Welcome to Maripony Research Base, girls. Here we study many different things, most of which I'd have to kill you if I told you about, and overall, this is a center where we record and test all our data from the Megaspell research and testing facility that's just a stones throw away. My name's Fusion, and I'm the overseer of all work that goes on at the other facility that I just told you about, White Sands. Miss Sparkle here is my boss. Any questions?"
I had so many questions, but couldn't think which ones were legitimate questions, so I didn't ask.
No questions arose from Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom either.
"Okay then," he said. "Let's go on a field trip, shall we?"
"Sounds cool," I said.
As we started to walk towards the door, Fusion started talking again. "You all are lucky. Half the ponies here have barely ever been to White Sands, and you three are going there tonight."
Twilight Sparkle added to his statement, "It's amazing what trust earns you. You never know what you might get to see,"
Fusion looked up to his boss, "Do you trust me Miss Sparkle?"
"You are the overseer of all activities that go on in a secret testing facility of mine, so I obviously trust you a lot," she replied.
"So," he cleared his throat, "what will you let me see?" He asked in a smooth tone with his eyebrows raised.
Apple Bloom and I burst out laughing as it took a second for Twilight to realize what he meant.
She chuckled and looked him in the eye, "Oh, silly Fusion. I'd let you see everything..."
His eyes seemed to light up.
"...but if I were to show you, I'd have to kill you."
At this point, all three of us were laughing as Fusion's expression switched to a very scared one, and Twilight's face lit up with a grin.
As if nothing had happened, Twilight leaned over and put her eye over the retina scanner.
As the machine calibrated the readings it received, I noticed how cold it actually was outside, and longed for the door's opening. Luckily, it only took about five seconds. We walked into the facility, and the thing that shocked me the most was how clean and pure it was.
The door we walked on led to a balcony which overlooked a large, lobby like room.
Ponies with clean white lab coats littered the room, and killed time by sipping coffee and talking to each other.
As all five of us walked across the balcony, Twilight and Fusion in the lead, as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I followed closely, I started to wonder, "What's the reason for all the secrecy if it's science?"
Twilight and Fusion then turned back to us as we reached an elevator.
"Well," Twilight said, "I actually have to get back to Canterlot, so I'll be leaving you now. Fusion will guide you through the rest of the facility from here, won't you Fusion?"
"Of course, ma'am," he responded in obedience.
She then walked back from where we came and left through the door to the roof.
Fusion cleared his throat. "So, you all ready for a ride?"
"What type of ride?" I questioned.
"Similar to a train, except underground. It's called a subway," he informed us. "Is there anyone here who isn't comfortable with trains?"
"As long as there's no foals kicking my seat, I'll be fine," I said.
"As long as it's safe," Sweetie Belle stated.
"Ah like trains," Apple Bloom said, "Ah Ride 'em from Ponyville to Appleloosa at least once a week!"
"Good then. This'll only be about fifteen minutes of a ride," Fusion said, "And only us four will be on there, no children," he laughed.
The elevator door then opened with a hiss, and Fusion motioned us inside.
"So, what do you mares do for work?" Fusion asked as he used a key to open up a hidden panel, and pressed the button for the underground level.
"I'm a singer," Sweetie Belle boasted. "You may have heard of me on the radio. My name is..."
Fusion cut her off. "Yes, Sweetie Belle. We listen to quite a few songs of yours around here. You bring a smile to our faces daily,"
"Wow, thank you!" she replied.
Fusion turned his eyes to Apple Bloom. "And you?"
"Ah work with architecture. Ah'm kinda the whole reason we are here at this facility right now," she said modestly.
"I see. And you, ma'am?" Fusion asked as he looked at me.
"I... I run a scooter company," I muttered, feeling inferior to my friends.
"By any chance, would it be Red Racer?" he asked.
"Why, yes it is! How'd you know?" I asked in excitement.
"We use them around here from time to time," he replied.
I wondered, "What would grown mares and stallions need scooters for?" in my head as the elevator door opened.
The narrow concrete corridor ahead led to a small metal door. As we silently walked through, no words were shared between us. Fusion reached the end and turned around. "Alright, I'm gonna need you to turn around. All of you. I gotta put in this access code, and I can't do it while you are looking."
We all turned around, facing the closed elevator door that we came from.
Fusion muttered under his breath, almost inaudible, but I could still make out a few words that he said as he pressed the buttons, "Zero, zero, zero, zero... And... Uhh... Zero!"
I tried to hide the laugh I could barely contain as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom whispered to each other.
"Okay, it's safe to turn back now," he called to us.
We all make mistakes sometimes, don’t we? Although being the most coordinated out of all my friends, my brain decided at that moment, to trip and fall.
My initial reaction to falling was to flutter my wings for balance, but the suit coat made that quite difficult.
In short, I fell flat on my face.
Ashamed, I got back up and tried to act like nothing happened, similar to how Fusion acted after being embarrassed by Twilight. I walked into the small, empty train station like room, and stood next to my friends on the yellow line. I brushed my foreleg over my face and found my nose had started bleeding.
"Are you alright?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Fine, just fine," I responded as I held my head up, keeping more blood from coming out.
"You ain't tipsy any, are yah?" Apple Bloom questioned.
"Not in the least," I responded. "Speaking of drinks, will there be any at this party?"
"I wasn't planning on it," Fusion responded, "but I could get some while we are down there."
I slowly tried to make the decision between my choices. Before I could, Apple Bloom spoke up.
"Buck yes! Ah hope you're able to hold your liquor, colt!" she said as she danced around Fusion.
"I hope you're friends will be able to carry you out, filly!" was his retort.
"What type of drinks are we talking about?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Only the hardest whiskey, the finest wine, the sharpest vodka, and the sweetest cider. You can pick your poison once we get there," he boasted, “It’s all free. The government thinks that we need more money than we actually do, so why not buy an over abundance of alcohol?”
"What do you do? Test weapons of mass destruction, or run a bar? Make up your mind," I laughed.
"What do you expect a bunch of bored scientists and engineers to do?" he laughed.
"I'll give you that," Sweetie Belle responded.
The faint sounds of the subway clattering down the tracks could be heard through the tunnel.
We watched in anticipation as the large metal beast veered around the bend and came to a screeching halt right in front of our faces.
The doors opened, and we all stepped in. Fusion calmly walked to the corner and sat down. He pulled his hood over his head and started to rest.
I walked to the other end of the subway and slipped off my blazer. I laid down in the row of three seats, and used my suit jacket as a blanket. I looked to my watch and realized it was already eight forty five in the evening. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle copied our actions and laid down in different seats around the subway car as it started to leave the station.
My eyelids started feeling heavy as the slow chugging accelerated to a faster speed. I then remembered that Fusion said the ride would take about an hour.
I laid back in the row and told my friends, "Wake me up when we get there."
They responded with nods and mmhhmm's of approval.
I closed my eyes and let the rocking of the subway guide me off to sleep.
<)-------(>
I felt weird. I saw the subway car interior once again, but from a different perspective than the one I would see from where I fell asleep at. I looked down the aisle and saw Fusion, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle sleeping. In the seats that I remember laying down in, all I could see was my crumpled up suit jacket.
At the end of the car stood Pinkie Pie. She looked to where I felt I was standing and started to speak to me as she bounced my way.
"Rise and shine, Miss Scootaloo! Rise and shine!” she said as her bounce turned into a slow walk in my direction. “I don't mean that you've been sleeping at the wrong time, no pony needs a rest more than you!” She gave off a big grin, making me feel less weird in the imminent surroundings. “Without all your help to come, saving Equestria won't be possible! But... let's just say it's your time to shine! So, wake up, you silly filly!"
She was now standing right in front of me. She leaned in and spoke.
"Wake up and smell the balefire!"
The word "balefire" hit me in such an odd way that I jumped up and then realized I was dreaming.
I lay in the same row I had fallen asleep in. My blazer still rested on me. The other three occupants remained asleep as we traveled. I looked out the glass window and only saw cave walls pass by. My boredom started to get to the better of me and I slowly found myself making silly faces with the reflection before dozing off again.
<)-------(>
I felt a small gentle nudge in the shoulder. After yawning, I opened my eyes and saw Fusion's mahogany eyes looking to mine. "Any foals kick your seat during this trip, ma'am?" he asked.
I smiled and responded with, "No, sir. I don't believe I had that problem."
"Good," he said. "We'll be there in about twenty seconds, so please be ready to go. We're about to miss the party," he rushed.
I hopped up out of the seats I had claimed, and slung my blazer over my shoulder. If we needed to get somewhere quick then I'd rather fly.
The subway lurched to a stop, and the doors started to open. Fusion was out the door before they had fully opened, and started in full gallop.
"Hurry up mares! You don't want to miss the party!" He called back as he ran through the corridor, identical to the one I fell down in about an hour ago. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom ran while I flew to the end of the hall.
We reached the elevator at the end of the hall, and lucky for us, it was already at the bottom.
We all got inside, and Fusion spammed the roof button with constant presses, even after the elevator had already started going up.
We got off at the roof level and followed Fusion as he used his telekinesis to open the door to the outside. The moonlight illuminated the roof area, and I took notice of the foldout table that was filled with food, clipboards, and pens.
Fusion walked up towards a unicorn mare who leaned on the edge, and looked out over the valley.
"Hey," he said. "I'm gonna need the keys."
"Yeah, whatever, boss," she sighed, and tossed the keys over her head, completely disregarding his presence, and not tearing her gaze from the pure desert valley, consumed in the night.
He effortlessly caught them, and headed over to a small shed on the roof. After telekinetically opening the door, he closed it behind him.
We waited for a few moments, silently observing the scientists that had gathered themselves on the roof.
Some looked happy, unlike the mare who had the keys, and others were asleep.
Fusion came out again with a lab coat on instead of his robes, and held three more lab coats in tow with his telekinesis. He floated each clean white lab coat to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and me. After going back in, he came out with a small device, which worked for purposes unknown, and gently set it down on the table.
"Okay, everyone listen up!" he yelled from one end of the table. "Test Town Bravo is prepared?"
Some scientists nodded yes, while a younger buck, maybe around our age jumped up and screamed, "Buck yeah!"
Fusion smiled, "Okay, so no one needs to go back? Nobody left their wallet there, or a watch or something?"
Everyone smiled, "Nope!" they said in unison.
"Alright, which one of our beautiful guests should be the one to do the honors?" He asked the group.
I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, so I raised my hoof into the air.
"Scootaloo!" he called. "You are going to take the honors! Please, press the largest button on that little remote," he said as he pointed to the device on the table.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Oh, it's nothing special...” He looked back to the other scientists, and then back to me. “It's just a megaspell detonator." He rushed the words out of his mouth, making almost everypony laugh. Everypony except Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and I.
"A megaspell to where?" I asked, afraid that I'd kill people if I pressed the button.
"A small simulation town that we built for the exact purpose to blow up about five miles away. Trust me, this is science," he informed me.
Without another word, I pressed the largest button on the remote, and waited.
About two seconds later, a blinding orange flash erupted from the small testing city, and clouds of smoke rose up in a mushroom shape from the detonation area, thousands of feet into the air.
The oddest thing was that I couldn't hear anything. Was I deaf? "Is it supposed to be this quiet, Fusion?" I asked.
My question was instantly answered with a loud roar, and a wind that blew my hair back, and sent me, and the others stumbling. The papers on the clipboard fluttered in the air, and plates of food slid around the table, two of which fell onto the ground, as the smoke rose higher and even higher into the air, making an amazing orange and grey mushroom in the sky.
Ponies cheered, and us civilians stood speechless in awe.
Fusion looked at me, and answered my question, "Yes."
<)-------(>
A note from the author.
So, I'd love to lie to you all, and tell you that I took so long to release this because it's about twice as long as my other chapters, but that would be lying, because I actually wrote around 5000 words in the last five days, through the new Google Documents app while four other students from my school and I studied at a university as guinea pigs from our school, because, apparently I'm a genius. I just didn't know.
So, let me thank the all gracious editor, sargecadet. Also, as always, thanks go out to Kkat for making this freaking amazing universe to play around in. In case y'all didn't know, this is my first fanfiction, and I really am amazed at how popular I think it actually is becoming. And also, let me thank... Damn. I got no one else to thank this time. Oh well. Until the next chapter!
-oki_all_day
PS: In case you were wondering, the chapter title for this chapter is a line from the song Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks which was done by The National.