Dr. Horrible reached out, plucking off one of the low hanging apples. He stared at it for a while, the apple’s scarlet skin nearly the exact color as his coat. Dr. Horrible tossed the apple into his basket with a scowl.
“Hey now! We can’t be sellin’ any bruised apples!” Applejack reached into the basket and pulled out the apple, letting out a sigh at the light brown mark on it. “Well, still good for baking, I s’pose.” She placed the apple in a separate basket.
The villain threw another apple into his basket. “It can’t be any worse than what your family does. You just let your apples tumble into place.”
“Well that’s because…” Applejack furrowed her brow. “Huh. I ain’t ever thought about it that way before.” She reached into the basket, extracting another bruised apple and placing it with the others. “Must just be your attitude.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Dr. Horrible with a snort. He paused slightly, picking up the goggles on his forehead and wiping away the sweat.
“It is true! Now, these ain’t no zap apples so they’re not as in tune with what’s goin’ on around ‘em, but they’d have to be blind as a fruit bat to not notice the way you’re tossin’ ‘em around.”
“They’re fruits. They don’t have any eyes to begin with.”
“Doesn’t mean they’re not watching,” replied Applejack seriously.
Dr. Horrible rolled his eyes and reached up again. A twinge shot through his shoulder, causing his arm to falter slightly.
“You alright?” asked Applejack.
“Fine,” grunted Dr. Horrible. Another apple went into his basket.
“Maybe takin’ off that coat of yours would help.” Applejack took off her hat and used it as a fan. “Pretty warm day we’re having.”
Dr. Horrible straightened slightly, rolling his shoulders in an effort to get the tension out. “Finished. Can we go now?”
Applejack scanned the nearby trees. They were relatively apple-free. Not as much work as she and Big Mac had done, but more than she could have expected. Certainly far more than she had expected yesterday when she had showed the human what was expected of him. The corners of her lips tugged towards a smile.
“Sure, let’s go.” They set off towards Ponyville.
Dr. Horrible scowled. “What are you smiling at?”
“Nothin’ much.”
The human snorted his disbelief.
“You’ll be stayin’ with Pinkie Pie next, right?”
“If that’s the pink one, then yes.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s the pink one. Like you ain’t got enough brain power to remember anypony’s name.”
“I don’t remember things that don’t matter.”
“Sure ya don’t.” Applejack waved cheerily at a few ponies who were staring at her companion.
Dr. Horrible scowled. “I don’t. And I’d appreciate if you’d all accept that.”
“I ain’t disagreein’ with ya,” said Applejack with a smirk. “And if ya think that I’m bad, just wait until you have to stay with Pinkie Pie.”
A pink head poked out of a nearby mailbox. “I’m not bad!”
Dr. Horrible’s arm, blissfully devoid of its weapon, twitched upward on reflex. Applejack, in comparison, was completely unfazed as Pinkie struggled through the mailbox’s slot.
“How long have you been in that mailbox, Pinkie?” asked Applejack.
“Three minutes, thirty eight seconds and a little bit!” Pinkie fell out of the mailbox with an audible pop. “Ever since you passed Sugarcube Corner!”
“Have you been following us?” asked Dr. Horrible. He turned towards Applejack. “Has she been following us?”
Applejack shrugged. Pinkie let out a giggle, still splayed out on the ground.
“Of course I have, silly Billy!”
Dr. Horrible felt his blood freeze.
Pinkie continued, completely undaunted. “How else am I supposed to know what you like? I’m trying to learn as much as I can about humans before I throw your welcoming party! See, I’m used to throwing pony parties and tortoise parties and dog parties and dragon parties and donkey parties an--”
“Pinkie, I think he gets the idea.”
Dr. Horrible stepped towards Pinkie Pie. “What did you say?”
“About the party?” Pinkie Pie jumped to her hooves, bouncing happily around the human. “I throw a party for everypony in Ponyville! Even the ponies that aren’t ponies!”
“No, not that.” Dr. Horrible felt a dull throb start in the back of his head. “What did you call me?”
Pinkie slid to a stop in front of him, one eyebrow raised in confusion. “Silly Billy.”
“Who told you?” asked the human softly.
“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you.”
“Who told you?!” Dr. Horrible shouted. He stepped forward jerkily.
“Whoah there!” Applejack rushed forward, placing herself between Pinkie Pie and the human.
Pinkie Pie looked around in confusion, glancing between Dr. Horrible and the other pony. “D-Did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to! It’s just an expression!”
Dr. Horrible felt something drain from him. “What was that?”
“An expression.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes were slightly downcast. “I’m sorry if it made you angry; I never wanted to do that.”
Dr. Horrible rubbed at his eyes. “Its--Just… just don’t call me that.”
Pinkie Pie nodded sadly. Applejack glanced up curiously.
The human started forward again. “Let’s go. The sooner we get to that laboratory, the better.”
“Are you still mad at me?” asked Pinkie.
A pause. “I don’t get mad.” Dr. Horrible walked on, leaving the two ponies behind. Pinkie’s head hung downwards, her mane slightly deflated.
“Pinkie,” began Applejack, “wanna go to Twilight’s library with us? This one’s gonna try to do some research.”
“Sure!” Pinkie Pie brightened up the slightest bit. “I’ll… see if Twilight has any new baking books!” She glanced over at Dr. Horrible. “I mean, if that’s okay with everyone.”
Dr. Horrible shrugged.
***
“We’ve run it through every test we could think of, sir. It’s not stable in any sense of the word, it’s burnt out nearly every device we’ve used it to power.” Bob flipped through his notepad. “Sir, I have no idea how to properly describe it. It's... not like anything I've ever seen on Earth."
“You’re saying that it’s alien?” asked Professor Normal.
“That’s… that’s our best bet, sir.” Bob’s notepad twitched upward, half-expecting to block a blow.
“I see,” said Professor Normal. “Yes, we shall continue on this vein of research.”
Bob blinked. “Continue, sir?”
“Indeed, Bob.” Professor Normal strode across the room, plucking the black box off of a desk. “You said that we’re now able to extract energy from this gem, yes?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then I say it’s time that we test out the box.”
Bob’s eyes flew open. “Sir, with all due respect, we have no idea what that box is capable of! Running tests could result in some heavy consequences! Not to mention the problem of getting any information back from the subject!”
Professor Normal scowled. “Explain.”
“Dr. Horrible used this box, only to disappear from the face of the planet. We have no way of contacting anyone we send over.”
Professor Normal considered this for a while. The box went back onto the desk. “Bob, it seems as though we’ve hit a bit of a snag.” He walked calmly over to the minion and grabbed Bob by the throat, slamming him into a wall. “When I tell you to do something,” growled the villain, “you do it. Is that clear?”
Bob nodded, gasping for air.
“Good.” Professor Normal smiled and released the minion, reaching down and helping him up to his feet. “Now get the job done, Bob.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Professor Normal walked away, pausing slightly as he got to the door. “Oh, and Bob? Don’t sweat the details. We have a fine test subject right in the building.”
***
“I need a solder.”
“A what?”
Dr. Horrible sighed. “Solder. S-O-L-D-E-R. A burny thingy that fuses two metallic components with a filler alloy.”
Twilight’s head tilted slightly. “Burny thingy?”
A pause. The human rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand. “Super glue. Do you have super glue?”
“You’re going to use super glue in this?” asked Twilight disbelievingly.
“You could use super glue for anything!” announced Pinkie Pie cheerfully from her special quarantined area of the laboratory. “Well, except for unsticking stuff, it’s not really good at that. Or anything besides sticking stuff together, but super glue is perfect for anything that involves sticking things!”
Twilight turned towards Dr. Horrible. “If you need to adhere things, I know an adhesive spell that could help.”
“No.”
“It wouldn’t be much of a hassle!”
“No! For the last time, this is my project. You’re not allowed to be anywhere near it. For that matter, take a few steps back.” Dr. Horrible made a quick shooing motion with his hand.
“I can help.”
“You’ve knocked me unconscious, tried to hunt me in the night, and got something that I was taking care of taken from me. I don’t want any help.”
“Taking care of?” asked Twilight.
Dr. Horrible picked up the scraps of metal on his desk, turning them over and over in his hands. “I need a monitor. Once from the hospital or from wherever else you can dig one up. Even if it’s burned out. Anything that you can find.”
“I thought that you didn’t want my help,” replied Twilight smartly.
“Good point. Get out of my laboratory.”
Twilight stamped her hoof. “It’s my laboratory!”
“Then you should know where everything is!”
The two stared each other down.
“Simmer down you two,” said Applejack. “It seems like all you ever do is argue. Maybe try having an honest conversation for once.” She turned towards the human. “Now, Doctor, I know that you’ve got some fancy equipment and I’m sure that what we’ve got here in little ol’ Ponyville don’t really match up to it, but Twi really knows her stuff. And the more help ya get, the faster you can get back home. Don’t ya want that?”
Dr. Horrible turned back to his desk, his hands floating above the materials. “Bring me a monitor. Anything remotely resembling technology. Then we’ll talk.”
***
“He’s insufferable!” Twilight trotted through Ponyville, an old train engine floating slightly above her. “What kind of place does he come from to have an attitude like that?!”
Pinkie Pie hopped along next to her, a collection of nuts and bolts bouncing out and back into her mane with every spring. “I don’t know! He reminds me of Cranky Doodle Donkey. Maybe he just misses his Matilda?”
“It’s a nice sentiment Pinkie, but I have trouble believing it.”
“Okie dokie lokie,” said Pinkie happily. “What do you think it is, Twilight?”
A pause. Twilight Sparkle sighed. “I honestly have no idea, Pinkie.”
Somepony screamed. A mare, from the center of town. Twilight’s head snapped up towards the noise. A glance at Pinkie. They took off towards Ponyville, leaving only a cloud of dust and a few loose bolts behind.
A crowd had formed outside of city hall. Twilight and Pinkie pushed their way forward, aided a bit by their floating train engine. A white pony, Nurse Redheart, caught their eyes and waved them forward past the rest of the crowd.
“What’s happening?” asked Twilight.
The Nurse sighed. “Go inside and see for yourself. Then come out and help us disperse the crowd.”
The two Elements of Harmony hurried up the steps.
City Hall was abuzz with activity, far more than it had seen in quite a while. Mayor Mare stood a ways away, holding Daisy and fanning her with a folded bit of paper.
Medical ponies ran to and fro, the bulk of them heading to the center where a familiar caramel Doctor stood, manipulating needles and bandages with his magic.
A rather large colt, dressed in blue scrubs, placed himself between Twilight and Pinkie. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, “but I can’t let you pass. The patient’s in critical condition and we can’t let anypony disturb the doctor.”
A pony ran passed, carrying fresh bandages.
“What’s happened?” asked Twilight.
“It’s--” the colt blinked, “--where did your friend go?”
“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie was on the other side of the colt, a slightly panicked look in her eye. “It’s another one! Another human just showed up!”