Silver Spoon and Nyx walked past two houses that had massive chimney's with smoke billowing out of them. Stallions pulling cart's filled with glowing gems, scrap metal, and other raw materials were entering the house's garages and were unloading their loads.
"Have those house's been converted to factories?" Asked Nyx.
"Yes." Responded Silver Spoon, "They are mass producing the inventions of our beloved science director."
BOOM!
They turned to see smoke coming out of the second story of one of the buildings.
"I'm okay!" They heard a stallion yell as a pegasai fire control squad inspect the damage.
"Damn, we were almost twelve hours without an accident." Sighed Silver Spoon as they continued to the Golden Oaks Library.
"Wait, this is my house. Why are we here?"
Silver Spoon gave her a confused look. "You've been in Ponyville for two days, haven't you been in your own home?"
Nyx rubbed the back of her head, "Well last night was that big party. And I kinda passed out on a park bench after having one two many bottles of cider."
Silver Spoon facehoofed. "Okay. Then can you promise not to choke the life out of Stormcloud's assistant."
"Why?"
"Let's just say that you have a well, checkered past with her." Said Silver Spoon as she knocked on the door of the library.
"Coming!" Responded a mare's voice from the other side of the door.
I remember that voice. It can't be.
The door opened to a yellow coated unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane. "Silver Spoon! Are you here to check on the..." Her eyes met the Nyx's as she froze up.
"Sunset Shimmer, It's been awhile."
"Yes it has," She nervously responded. "About five years if I recall."
"Five years after you returned and almost killed me? Yeah I think it's been about that long.(1) Stormcloud wanted to see me?"
"Yes he does." She quickly responded. "He want's to show you his latest combat-specialized inventions."
"Alright then, lead the way."
She led them down the stairs to the basement and stopped at a door that read 'Authorized Personnel Only'.
"Twilight never wanted me inside the basement. It'll be interesting to see what it looks like."(2) Said Nyx as Sunset opened the door to the future.
There were tables loaded with blueprints, models, prototypes, gems, and every known bit of tech the scouts could get their hooves on. There was a cylindrical machine with a basket of crystals and gems being charged by a unicorn stallion.
"Uhh, Stormcloud?" Said Nyx. "You wanted to see me?"
"A moment Nyx!" He shouted, "I am charging these gems specifically for you! So please be patient!" The energy being put into the gems by the look of it had almost reached it's peak when a loud beeping was heard. He immediately removed his horn from the charging mechanism and put on a pair of glasses to greet them. "Silver Spoon, Nyx. I'm glad you could make it."
"It's Commander Nyx now, Stormcloud."
"Again! Well, no matter. We don't use formalities in the lab." Said Stormcloud.
"Okay then, what did you want to show me?" Said Nyx as Stormcloud walked over to a table with all kinds of gadgets.
"I only want you to test out a couple of these devices. But can you show me your sword first?"
"Um, okay." said Nyx as she unsheathed her blade and placed it on the table. Stormcloud picked it up with his magic and removed the hilt and placed a new one on it that had a small, blue gem on the bottom. He then handed it back to her.
"Press the button on the side, then test it out on that practice dummy."
"Alright." Said Nyx as she pressed the button. A low hum was heard and the blade stared to glow blue. she then swung it at the dummy and it went straight through. It fell over and left burn markings where she struck it. "Sweet." She said as she tested it out on more dummies.
"Now make a magical blade and make it strike the other blade."
She made a small magical knife and swung it down as hard as she could on the on the blade. The two blade's clanged together like two regular blades. "This technology will allow any blade to have the same surface make-up as a magical blade without using the magic to create and maintain the blade."
"Interesting," Said Nyx as she pressed the button again to deactivate the blade and put it back in the sheath. "What else did you want me to test out?"
"Just two more things. I need you to put on this leg band and press the button." She pressed the button. "Alright, now don't move." He conjured a blade and brought it down on her head. It never touched her. It had hit a thin layer of magical energy right above her fur. "Energy shielding, a thin layer strong enough to propel all non-magically powered weapons and magical bolts and blades for a few hits."
"Okay that's pretty awesome, but you've probably saved the best for last right?" Said Nyx as Stormcloud grabbed two hoof-shaped gauntlets. Each gauntlet had a small, blue gem in the center of each one. She put them on and stood up with them on and they made the front half of her body a little taller.
"Thrust one hoof at these targets." He said as he pressed a button and several targets rose up several meters away from the group. She began to walk towards the targets. "Stay right there and thrust your hooves at the targets please."
"Why?"
"You'll see."
She got into a position where she was standing on her back hooves and thrust her front left hoof forward. As her leg reached full extension in the air a small, blue blast erupted from the gauntlet and hit the dummy that the hoof was pointed at.
"Holy shit!" Said Nyx as she went into a shooting frenzy, blasting all dummies in the room. She finished the frenzy by blasting the last dummy with both hooves, vaporizing it.
She set her front hooves back on the ground. "Well that was fun." She said as a guard burst in through the door.
"COMMANDER NYX!"
"What's wrong?" Said Nyx as the soldier reached the group.
"Changelings have broken through the shield!"