//------------------------------// // 29. Inspections // Story: Good Things Come // by Sweet Tale //------------------------------// "YOUR HOME?" The trio of voices caught me by surprise. They each had a look of shock and of wonder at what they were standing in. All with mouths agape. "Uhh..girls? You're gonna catch flies like that." They each turned to me, before realising what I meant and closing their mouths. "B-but how? How is this possible?!" Twilight excitedly barked. "Your guess is as good as mine." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "My guess is that the spell that Celestia used actually worked." "Something small...this is not small. What were you thinking of when I cast the spell?" Celestia asked. "Umm..." I thought for a moment. "I was saying 'something from home, something from home', over and over. I didn't say...small." I hung my head at my stupid mistake. Celestia shook her head and walked a few more steps forward, stumbling on something unseen. "It's hard to see anything." "Oh right, hold on." I walked over to my light switch and flicked it on; the lightbulb illuminating the room. "There we go. Sorry about the..." The girls were all looking at the lightbulb that hung from the ceiling in curiosity. "How does this work? What powers it?" Luna asked. "Electricity. When I pressed that swi...wait a minute..." I flicked the light switch on and off, turning the bulb on and off. "What the...how does that work?" I walked over to my lamp and pressed the plug switch on, which turned the lamp on. "Again. How the hell..." "What's the problem?" asked a bemused Twilight. I was lost in my own thoughts to even listen to what Twilight was saying. "Owen!" "Huh? Sorry. It's just, these bulbs are powered by electricity." I point to the wire that's connected to the lamp. "The electricity goes through this wire, first coming out of this plug socket here. That socket is connected to the main power line. But there's one thing missing. Where's the power coming from?" The three turned to each other and gave each other looks. "Any ideas Princess?" Twilight said. Celestia gave a hum and looked over the plug socket. "This socket. The wire is leading through the wall. Where does it lead to?" "I don't know. I've never really thought about it." Suddenly, an idea sprung, just like a light bulb lighting up over my head. Actually it was, Luna was playing with the switch. I walked outside and was immediately greeted by two guards and a massive onslaught of noise from the crowd. "What is it?!" "Is it dangerous?!" I leant close to the guards so they could hear me over the noise. "The Princesses are inside at the moment and it is safe. Just make sure no-one tries to get in until we say so." The guards nodded and made a perimeter barrier around the entrance to the home. I walked around to where the wire would be on the other side of the wall and sure enough... "Princess! Please come here!" Celestia and Luna exited the home and walked over to where I was knelt down. "Look here." I pointed to a part of the wall which had a few tiny holes in it. On further inspection, inside the holes were wires but where it met the outside world, they stopped. Like someone had chopped through them with a knife. "Those are the wires from inside." "So this is the power supply?" Luna asked. "I...pfft...I assume so, yeah." I say, rubbing the back of my head. I start walking around the outside of the home again and spot another hole, this one was bigger. "Here's another one." I leant down and inspected it. This wasn't a wire, it was a pipe and it looked wet. "No way...water as well?!" I got up and went back inside to the kitchen. I turned on the tap and sure enough, water began to pour out of the tap. I left it for a while to see if this was just water that was left in the pipe but no, it kept flowing and flowing. "This is mad! How is this possible?" The Princesses came back in to see what I was looking at. "Look! Running water! I don't know how but...there it is. It's been running for about three minutes now and it hasn't run out!" I exclaimed. "This is most confusing." Celestia muttered. "I know, right?!" I bellowed back at her, causing her to flinch. "Sorry." I then thought of something else. "Oh. Ohhh! Let me try this. If this works, that'll be unbelieveable." I pressed the igniter on my oven and turned the gas knob to the left. The igniter clicked and the gas set alight, lighting my stove. "Oh wow...this is beyond confusing. This is downright insane! Is this part of the spell?" "I have never encountered something like this before. To bring an actual home using a teleportation spell is most unusual. And as for your power, water and gas, I have yet to think of a reason for this happening." Celestia explained. "I have a theory." Luna added. "Go for it." I reply. "Think back to when I helped you with the nightmares. When I was in your mind, I heard the conversation you had with the voice. And I do remember one particular sentence very well. It said 'this is only part of your reward'." "You think this is the other part?" I ask with a smile. "It's possible. What do you think sister?" Luna asks, turning to Celestia. "What you are explaining does offer some truth. I find it a little far fetched to be honest." "Well say it is. That voice gave me my home with power, water and gas. I for one wish to thank it." I walked over to my fridge and opened it up. "Everything's still fresh." I picked up some red peppers and observed them. "Perfectly fresh." I looked around the kitchen, then in the living area. "It looks the same as when I left it in August. Nothing's changed." I walked back into the kitchen. "Do you really think the voice did this?" I opened up the freezer. "Did you write that?" "Write what?" Luna asked. I pointed to the frost on the freezer door which had the word 'Yes' written in the ice. "That was not me." "Huh...strange." I shut the freezer door and walked back into the living area to see Twilight holding a book in her levitation. "What have you got there?" She set the book on the sofa and opened it up. "A book about Planet Earth. It looks fascinating!" she exclaimed, scanning through the book at an alarming speed. "Oh that. I got that years ago. Feel free to keep it if you want." Twilight looked up and gave me a toothy grin before submerging herself back into reading. I looked around the place and noticed it wasn't exactly tidy. "Wow. Can't remember this place being so...messy." I started lifting things up; bits of clothing, plastic bottles, general bits of rubbish. "What is this?" Luna asked. I looked up to see she was pointing at one of my most favourite items. "Ohhh...this!" I walked over to it and tapped it softly. "This is called a television. It...actually, instead of explaining it, I'm gonna show you what it does." I picked up the remote that lay on the table and pressed the big red button on it. The TV buzzed and came to life, attracting the attention of the three girls. The screen soon came up, displaying it's white noise show. "Now normally, you can watch live shows on it which are provided by big companies. Let's see if it works." I pressed the AV button to turn on the Freeview but nothing came up. Every channel was a sea of black. "OK, programs don't work. Makes sense really. OK, I'll try something else." I walked over to the drawers that were underneath the TV and began rummaging. "Nope...nope...nu-uh...Nightmare on Elm Street? Hell no...ah! That'll do." I pulled out a DVD and held it up for them to see. "This here is called a DVD. A Digital Versatile Disc." I handed it to Celestia who held it in her magic. "David Attenborough? What does this do?" she asked. I took the DVD out of her magic. "It plays a movie or a show. Let me show you. This one is about nature on Earth." I opened up the DVD player and put the disc in. The player made some odd noises but the screen soon started to flicker. "What's going--" Luna said before I placed a finger over her lips. "Just watch." I said with a smile. Before long, the TV started to show images of many varities of animals and plant life. The look on their faces was a sight to see. The end of the world could have happened and they would still be watching this. "Your planet looks beautiful." Celestia said. "Yeah it does. Shame I've never been to the best parts of the world." We continued watching for about ten minutes before the small clip ended. I stood up and walked over to the TV, switching it off. It was then that I had what can only be described as a 'freak-out'. I started laughing, a lot. "What's so funny?" Twilight asked. I turned to her and gave a grin. "What's so funny? THIS!" I shouted, pointing to everything around me. "My home is here! I have power, water, gas and it all works! IT'S BRILLIANT! But...what if there's more? What if the voice brings more stuff here?" I sped over to Twilight and got right in her face. "What do you think Twilight, hm? Do you think there will be more?" "Owen, what's wrong with yo--" "WELL?!" *THWACK* "Twilight!" Celestia shouted. I got up from my hit and shook my head. "No...no Celestia, it's alright. I was freaking out there. I needed that." I looked at Twilight. "You've got a good punch." I complimented her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I've never hit anypony before!" she frantically said. "What happened to you Owen?" Luna asked. I turned to her, still rubbing my cheek. "I think the whole gravity of the situation just hit me all at once. It's not the home or that everything works that freaked me out. It's...it's the voice. What if it's controlling my life? Making me do what I do and say what I say?" Luna got up from her seated position and put a hoof on my shoulder. "Look at me." I did so. "There is no way that the voice is controlling you. I truly believe what it said. All of this is your reward. OK?" I nodded and patted her shoulder. "Good. Now, what do you propose we do now?" "What do you mean?" I ask. "What I think my sister means is, we have crowd of ponies outside trying to get in here. What do we do?" Celestia added. "Why are you asking me?" "It's your home." Twilight bluntly stated. "Fair enough. Um...is there anything you two need to do? You know, like checking it or inspecting the place or something?" I ask the sisters. "If you insist. I will have the guards inspect the property and direct all questions to you, is that OK?" Celestia asked. "That sounds good. At least I'll know it's OK by your standards." We walked out of the flat into the wall of noise once again. A few more guards had shown up since last time I came out here. "Go ahead. Address the crowd." Celestia whispered in my ear. "Me?!" She nodded. I swallowed hard and walked up to the crowd. "Can I have everyone's attention please!" Nothing. No decrease in volume at all. "Everyone! Please be quiet!" Still no change. I turned back to the Princesses. Luna's horn glowed and I felt my throat tickle. She nodded at me. I turned back around and opened my mouth. "CAN I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION!" The crowd, including the guards, held their hooves to their ears. I loved doing that - I had a temporary Royal Canterlot voice! "Thank you." Aww...it's gone. Looking back, I saw the guards enter my home. "Thank you for waiting! I suppose you're all wondering what this is!" "What?!" a voice called from the back. "I SAID--" I turned back to Luna again who cast the spell on me. "I SAID! Oops, sorry." It was loud, but not ear-rape loud. "As I said, I suppose you're wondering what this is. To be put bluntly, this is my home. A spell was used by Princess Celestia which brought my home from my planet to here. At the current time, the Royal Guards are inspecting my home for any dangers and risks that could harm any of you. When they have finished, I will answer some questions. Thank you." "What is the nature of this device?" "That would be an electric razor. You know, for shaving?" I rubbed my hand over my impressive beard. Ever since living here, I haven't shaved it fully once. I had used some scissors to cut it short but not all the way. "And this?" another guard asked. I flipped open the levitated object. The reflective surface made him realise. "A mirror. Very well." "Anything else?" I asked. "Just one more thing. If you wish to invite a Princess into your home, please clean up first. It is rather untidy in here." I scoffed. "Well how was I supposed to know my home was gonna get sent here?...But yeah, it is a bit of a tip. I'm probably gonna clear out most of this stuff anyway." "Very well." He turned and approached Celestia. "Your Majesty. This property has been inspected and no dangers have been found. Except for the knives." "I need those! I only use them when I cook." I plead. "The Royal Courter may keep his knives. He has no intention of using them as weapons." Thank Celestia! The guards brought over my knives and set them on my table, next to the kitchen. "Thank you." The guard nodded at me and then walked out of the flat, followed by the other guards. "Glad that's over. At least everyone knows that you have approved this place." Celestia smiled and walked out of the flat, with me following her. Walking outside, the crowd bowed before Celestia. Noticing some absentees, I neared her ear. "What happened to Luna and Twilight?" "They returned to the library. I think Luna wanted to get a little sleep." "Ah right. Probably for the best." My eyes were drawn to the holes in the wall where the wires were. I also looked over the whole building, it looked rather bland. "Probably gonna cover up those wires and the pipes. Could cause some unwanted interest." She nodded. "Also, I might make the outside look more appealing. It just looks so boring and basic. What do you think?" "Why don't you ask them?" she said, motioning towards the crowd. I pointed to my throat and Celestia cast the loud spell. "Attention!" Just the right volume. "Thank you all for waiting. The Princess and the Royal Guard have inspected my home and it has been approved. I will now answer some questions. Please raise your hoof if you have a question." About twenty hooves went in the air. I pointed at one at random. "Yes, you. The brown pegasus with the green mane." Said pegasus took to the air and approached me. "Can I look inside?" As soon as he said that, the crowd screamed at me, all of them asking to go inside. "OK, enough! I can see that you are all intrigued by what is inside. Just give me a second." I leant over to Celestia. "What do I do? I can't just let them all storm the place." "How about this..." She whispered her plan into my ear. It was good, damn good. "You are a legend. That's brilliant!" I turned back to the crowd. "OK. The Princess and I have come to a solution. I understand that you all want to see inside my home but it is not fit for viewing. Over the next week or two, I am going to be cleaning, decorating, even rebuilding parts of this place so it looks better. Until then, it will be off limits to anyone. But, when it IS ready, I will advertise times and dates for when you can see it." The crowd conversed between themselves before dispersing. When the last pony had left, me and Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow...I didn't think that would work to be honest." "Are you keeping your promise on what you said?" she asked. "Sure am. I mean, look at this place. It's not exactly nice to look at is it? What I was thinking of is decorating the outside - maybe covering the walls with wood panel to make it blend in with the town. I can ask Rarity for advice on colours and design as I know she's great at that. What do you think?" "Fashion is not exactly my forte. As for decoration, what you said sounds good." "OK then." I reached for the door and closed it, locking it as well. "No-one can get in for now. I'm a bit worried though. Even if it is closed off, it'll attract attention" "Allow me." She lit up her horn and the glow enveloped my home. "A specific magical barrier. Nopony can get in except for you, my sister and I and the Elements." "Wonderful. Thanks very much. Come on, let's go back to the library." By now, it was nearly evening. On our way back, Celestia lowered the sun like it was nothing. Still amazes me no matter how many times I've seen it. She also raised the moon, saying that she wanted Luna to sleep peacefully. I admired her for that, it's great sister love. Reaching the library, we walked on in to see Twilight reading the book I gave her. "Still enjoying it?" I asked. "It's very informative. The history of your planet is amazing." "I think I've got a book on the history of the human race. I'll have a scavenge for it another time." Twilight's eyes lit up at that. "You have?!" she said, getting right in my face. "Yes! Now calm down. One book at a time, eh? Where's Luna?" "I let her sleep in your bed. I hope you don't mind." I shook my head. "Not at all." "We need to leave soon." Celestia said. "Sure. Just give me a few minutes." I walked up the stairs and opened the door to my bedroom slowly. There, on my bed, lay the love of my life. She had discarded her regalia as it lay on the rug near my bed. I closed the door quietly and tiptoed over to the bed. "Hey...Luna?" I whispered. She didn't react. I quietly and softly crept onto the bed and lay beside her, stroking her starry mane. "Lunaaaa...come on." I said, planting kisses on her neck. "Hnnggg..." Ah, that got her attention. I continued kissing her neck, causing her to mumble and shuffle in the bed. Looking up at her, she had her eyes open the tiniest bit and had a smile on her face. "Why'd you stop?" "Oh I'm sorry. Let me continue." I moved my lips straight onto hers. She gladly accepted my advance and pushed back with force, her tongue making it's way into my mouth. After a few minutes of mouth wrestling, I broke the lock between us and smiled at her. "Celestia's waiting for you. You've gotta go and do your duties." She threw her hooves around me and pulled me close. "But I don't want tooooo." Just like a kid. "Can't I stay here with you?" "You know I'd want nothing more but I don't think your sister would be very happy about it. Besides, she needs to go to bed." Pulling a pout, I pulled her close to me, hugging her strongly. We soon got up from the bed and made our way downstairs. "Sorry. Someone didn't want to get up." I said with a smirk. I got a playful nudge from Luna in return. "We must return to Canterlot. The night is upon us." I walked up to Celestia and gave her a small hug. "Thanks for everything. You do not know how happy you've made me." "You are most welcome. Enjoy your new home." Celestia walked out of the library, followed by Luna, me and Twilight. They both boarded the waiting chariot and closed the door. Luna leant out of the window to see me. "Goodnight my love." I leant up to her and kissed her. "Goodnight dear." The chariot then took off into the sky as me and Twilight waved goodbye to the royal sisters. Sitting back down in the library, I was joined by Twilight who looked upset. "What's wrong?" "Oh, it's...it's nothing." "Twilight..." She looked up at me with a teary look. "Now that you have your new home, does that mean you're going to leave?" She looked ready to burst. It turned my heart to mush. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. "Now where's this come from then, eh?" I gave her a few reassuring strokes on her shoulder. "Listen. I've always said I'll eventually find a place of my own. Now I have but that doesn't mean I'll stop seeing you. You were my first real friend here and nothing can change that. You're my best friend, you know that right?" "I am?" she said, wiping a tear away. Her emotions were hitting me. "Come on, stop the tears. You'll get me going in a minute." I wiped another away with my thumb. "You will always be my best friend. Don't ever forget that." We sat there in silence for a while before an idea came to me. "Over the next few weeks, I'm gonna be redecorating my home. It's gonna be hard work but it'll be worth it." "Do you want my help?" she happily asked. "If you can, yeah. I'm gonna ask Rarity for help with design and decorating ideas as I know she'd ace it. Maybe you can help me re-organise stuff cause I know you're good at that. And I'll make you a deal. No matter what happens, no matter how I feel, no matter where I am or what time of the day it is, you will always be welcome in my home." "Really?!" she said, holding her front hooves to her mouth. "Absolutely. In fact, I'll make a key for you. Since you were kind enough to let me stay with you for six months, I think I should repay the favour. My home is your home." She leapt up and encased me in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you so much!" "Yep, it's fine...*urk*...hard to breathe now." "Oh, sorry." She released the hug. "So, any plans for tonight?" I ask. "Not really. All of my work is done so I might do some more studying." This pony does way too much. I'm gonna give her an entertaining night. "No. No studying tonight. You are coming with me." "What? Where are we going?" "You know that DVD I showed you earlier? Well that was just one. I've got around fifty others."