//------------------------------//
// A New Challenger Appears 
// Story: The Wandering Physicist Adventures 
// by WanderingPhysicist 
//------------------------------//

Main Characters: The Wandering Physicist (TWP)
Cameos: Fluttershy
Original Write Date: September 24, 2011 (The day I got excited and made something)





        He arrives in Ponyville pulling a small cart of belongings, enjoying the cool summer afternoon.
        Like the (in)famous Doctor Whooves, he is a Time Lord. Unlike The Doctor, he did not see the need to travel through time and space after he arrived in Equestria and had his first encounter with the Neightendo Entertainment System. From that point on, he was a little distracted. Just a little. Before the age when most future Time Lords are exposed to The Untempered Schism as part of earning their cutie mark, he had already earned his Cutie Mark thanks to a marathon session of Super Mare-io World. Since the mark is shaped like is 16-bit power block, other ponies say that he is meant to be a great programmer or game designer. He knows otherwise. He knows what he was truly meant to do. And it involves a controller in his hooves. While the rest of his people fought and died in The Last Great Time War, he was camping in line for a Neightendo Wii. Twice. He is that dedicated to his craft.
        He wanders from place to place, seeing all of the sights, playing all of the games. Now, he is in Ponyville to start a new chapter in his life. The only things he has with him is his collection of games, systems, and all of his collectables. No wardrobe. (He is a pony, what does he need more than one set of clothes for?) No furniture. (He does have his electronics, but he does not need anything to put them on.) And no money. (Hello! Time Lord!) He is looking for something. He does not know what, but he has wandered here for a reason.
        He finds a safe place to park his cart until he could find a place to stay and starts looking around town. He is not used to cities and towns in Equestria Proper, having spent a lot of time traveling Neighpon. Canterlot, Manehatton and Fillydelphia are all too busy; Southern Coltifornia, with its chief city of Los Arion, is too awesome for him; and Sacramaneto is a hole in the purest definition of the word. Other towns are the right level of ‘small’, but they are not ‘busy’ enough. Ponyville seems to have the right small town feel with plenty going on. There is a fashion boutique, a library inside of a tree, a large apple orchard, a thriving bakery, a bustling marketplace full of interesting vendors, including a store specializing in just quills and sofas, a vast forest, and an exceptionally friendly mailpony in need of corrective laser surgery.
        And then it catches his eye. He knows what he was looking for.
        A yellow pegasus with long pink hair is walking a family of ducks through a the corner of town. She is passing by a shop when he noticed her. He charges full steam right at her. She lets out a small ‘meep’ and tries to hide. He aptly dodges the cowering mare and presses his face up against the store’s display window. Once she realizes she is in no danger, the pegesus lets out a big sigh and continues on her path. The stallion drools a little over the display.
        ‘Mother 2....’ The stallion says to nopony in particular, staring at a video game with its console. ‘The greatest game ever made. Released outside of Neighpon as Equestriabound. Took me too long to get a readable copy of the sequel, but it is soooo worth it. I must have that game!’
        The ponies watching the stallion back away a few extra steps, and the yellow pegasus, again frightened, disappears.
        The stallion takes no notice of all of this and enters the shop. The shop is filled with all sorts of gaming history, from old Neightendo systems to modern Playstation. The odd stallion takes it all in as he approaches the shopkeeper.
        ‘May I help you?’
        ‘Mother 2. How much?’
        ‘Sir?’
        ‘Mother 2?’ He receives a confused stare in return. ‘Equestriabound, if you use the translated title.’
        ‘Oh. The display. That is not for sell.’ The unusual pony glared at the shopkeeper. ‘Uh... I know it is not a rare game... but it is a part of the store. I can’t easily part with it.’
        ‘A part of the store, eh?’ The odd stallion thinks for a moment. ‘I’ll be right back.’
        The strange pony runs from the store, across the street to the nearby bank. After making sure nopony is looking, the stallion turns to an ATM. An odd buzz is heard. The stallion turns back around, holding a large number of bits. He quickly returns to the game store before anypony can observe him carefully. He drops all of the bits on the counter unceremoniously. ‘I’ll take it!’
        The shopkeeper stares at the pile of bits in shock. ‘Take what?’
        ‘The store. You said the game was a part of it, so I’ll take the whole to get the part.’
        ‘But... but... wha... huh!?’
        ‘Is that too much or not enough? I can never tell. This whole “money” thing is still a little odd to me.’
        The shopkeeper stares at the stallion, agape. After doing some quick math, the clerk realizes how much money the peculiar pony gave him. He quickly pushes all of the bits into a very large bag. The clerk gets out a piece of paper and quickly writes out a makeshift contract.
        ‘No! That is plenty. Absolutely plenty.’ I can buy a palace to rival Celestia’s with this much! ‘Um... Here. Sign this and the store is yours.’
        The strange stallion places his hoofprint on the contract. The shopkeeper grins and rolls it up.
        ‘I’ll take care of this on my way out of town’ and to a well-earned, permanent vacation. ‘I hope you don’t mind starting work right away.’
        The shop’s new owner has already hooked a Super Neightendo up to a television and places Equestriabound into the slot. ‘Oh. I am set.’
        ‘I can see that.. Anyway! I will be on my way.’ The shopkeeper puts on a hat and starts heading out of the door, then he stops. ‘Oh! I forgot to ask, but since I know the authorities will, what is your name.’
        The mysterious stallion looks over his shoulder and smirks. ‘They call me, The Wandering Physicist.’