//------------------------------//
// A Canterlot Study 
// Story: Hal 9000, Space Impact 
// by Iridescence T Wind 
//------------------------------//


"Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance."
-W. Clement Stone 

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To say that the first view of Canterlot was spectacular would be an understatement. It's majestic glory resting on a impossibly thin cliff reinforced with stone pillars was outstanding. Hal half envied the Unicorn's, able could study and perhaps perform some of the grand unknown's this world had to offer. But alas he was not one but a Pegasus, so instead he took in the water falls and grand medieval era buildings as he and his traveling companion, and boss, Daring Do approached on hoof. The jingle of fully satisfied bags of treasure, their first stop would probably be to sell the items they had gathered to the local pawn shops and museums. Though the amount would depend on where they visited. After inquiring directions from a guard (mostly in the form of a visitor's pamphlet that provided very... general, directions), and heading off towards the market. 

The streets were mostly barren in the morning light, ponies were just starting to get around, with fillies already shipped off to their formal private, public, or home schools and the various workers setting up shops before they were opening. It was on Daring's insistence that they arrived in the early morning for the best prices to sell at. Though with her eagerness they had arrived approximately half an hour earlier than she wanted to. Not that she was disappointed with that. Hal in contrast was groggy, having spent most the morning with a small breakfast and being rushed off to Canterlot by Daring, he had also as a result ended up wondering how the energetic eccentric mare was so filled with energy. Watching Daring Do alone was like watching a cat hunt a mouse from one end of the field to another in great pursuit of it for it's next meal. In this case Daring was the cat, and the meal was a merchant for exploration materials. 

Soon enough Daring found her target, almost robbing the poor museum owner of Canterlot Archives blind with the painting he had torn from the frame not a few days ago, the hefty sum of bits being added to Daring's saddle bag as she systematically sold the trinkets that they had collected together for small coins which the locals referred to as 'Bits' though that was a primitive name for such a simple currency to run on a single type of coin. That and the Merchants didn't seem to know how to barter if their life depended on it. Several merchants were over pricing their objects if somepony showed even the slightest need of it. He could of seriously just heard one of said merchants ask twenty such bits for a single cherry when the stand right next to them was selling a melon for five! Hal sighed, maybe he was missing something here, but the economy really was out of control at this rate. Though he was able to get the better deal by countering their attempts of bargaining with clever resources of his own, "Look at this, a wonderful statue made of solid gold which brings luck to its owner yes sir."

"Interesting," The dirty sales pony asked putting his hooves on the counter staring at it with great interest, he was the same pony who had tried to rob someone with twenty bits for a cherry, "How much?"

"Fifty bits." Hal stated in a no-nonsense tone of seriousness.

"Twenty five."

"Fifty." Hal stated again.

"Twenty five bits!" the clerk had started to raise his voice.

"Fifty bits." Hal asked again quite calmly

"TWENTY FIVE BITS!" His voice was at shouting now, but no where near as loud as the background noise of other merchants who were also trying to sell or buy various products.

This went on for a good minute or so before Hal hid a smirk and said, "Twenty five bits."

"FIFTY BITS! That's my final offer!" the merchant shouted in response, unthinkingly responding with the opposite of what Hal had offered.

Hal nodded, "Fifty bit's it is, pleasure doing business with you."

The shop keeper realized his mistake too late and was graceful in defeat, no doubt his purse needed lightening after the few successful overpriced cherries he had robbed the bits of others from. Hal trotted off with a smug smile and proceeded to repeat the process on several other merchants until only a few items were left and the morning had developed into early afternoon. Looking for the stalwart safari hat of his adventurous companion he wandered the slowly building crowds, soon enough spotting her staring into the window of a shop. On Closer look he discovered that the shop window had a poster plastered to the front of it. Hal prodded the adventurous mare suspecting any chance for lunch was over and that the Noble looking unicorn ponies seemed to be giving them odd stares, or at least the younger ones at least. Hal didn't know why, but he found the stares the Foals, gave him and her. He had only looked away for a second and then back towards the spot where his now vacant friend used to occupy. Scanning left and right he spotted Miss Do and chased after her in a manner similar to that of deer, attempting to catch up with her.

Luckily for Hal, Daring slowed down after three standard city blocks and Hal caught up to the eccentric mare as they slowed down to a trot and eventually down another street towards a building labeled: Dr. Grounds Lab's: All your scientific needs right when you need them either most or least!

Hal was minorly confused, "So what are we doing here?"

Daring do looked at him as if it should be obvious, before speaking out with an obvious glee to her voice, "To find our next adventure of course! Seems Dr. Grounds is in need of some adventurers to find something important to his line of work."

Hal raised an eyebrow at his friend's enthusiasm, "Right, we just got here and already we are going to leave the city for adventure, is that it?"

"No, we are going to prepare and rest first of course," Daring looked back at Hal, "I am not so foolish as to take on an entire dungeon or temple without some research, even you know that from the campfire stories we tell each other."

Hal nodded, conceding the point Daring brought up, and remaining silent as the grave as Daring brought up her right hoof and knocked on the door three times. A few seconds later a loud crash followed by a slew of very inappropriate curse words was heard before it became just the sound of a set of plastic wheels rolling quietly towards them. A hidden slit on the door opened revealing hazel eyes and a greyed coat examining them for a few seconds before asking with an accent that Hal described only as British, "Now who are you, and what do you have to do with me?"

Daring answered for them, "I'm Daring Do and this is my friend Hal. We're here because of the poster you posted down at the market place. "

"Are you now?" Dr.Grounds asked quizzically, "Now tell me something, do you happen to dislike pears?"

"What?" Both Hal and Daring asked, seeing if they heard him right.

"I said, do you dislike oranges. Eesh, simple question for you two. Please do try and keep up."

Daring answered first, "Not particularly... What about you Hal?"

Daring noticed that unchanging polite smile was back on Hal's face, "Never had the food, hear it is delicious to approximately eighty seven point nine percent of the population where I'm from however."

"Good enough, come on in." Dr. Grounds shut the visor and a series of clicking noises was heard on his side as several dozen locks were unlocked before the door was opened letting the pair of Pegasus ponies inside the unicorn's place of home and work. 

Walking in, and adjusting his eyes to the florescent blue light that several of the lamps around the room was making, Hal first became acquainted to the chaos Dr. Ground's office was in. Papers were strewn everywhere along the walls with various strings attached to thumbtacks often going from one page to another as if connecting articles to each other and leaving the wall a red black and grey college of yarn, paper, and words as it flooded the rooms. In the center of the room was a desk with two guest chairs and a rolling chair which Dr. Grounds sat on still presumably having rolled it to the door rather then standing up. The desk itself was however clean, a ramen noodle cup, fork, a book, and another lamp being the only things on it as there was also large piles of books on either side of it that was taller than the table itself. Hal could even see partially into the next room which was filled to the brim of tables with beakers and various scientific ingredients that would presumably be made to create medicine or potions as this world would have it, however it was considerably more neater in there (else it be a safety hazard) then in here. 

As Hal turned to look at Dr. Grounds he noticed that Dr. Grounds was watching him with the same tense stare a Dog would make to a cat that had invaded it's territory. Dr. Ground was a middle aged stallion of considerable fitness for his profession, sporting a devilishly styled haircut ending in front of his horn and a beard and goatee that the actor for Tony Stark back in his world would of killed for to have. Though the pony wore a stereotypical lab coat and sat in his chair backwards, rolling it around similarly to that of a human as he pushed away and rolled to his desk, grabbing up several books from both sides of the table with his magic. He spoke first, "Have a seat, I bet your both full of questions about what exactly I want you two to do."