(Boris and Victoria: Ponyville Fields)
Boris and Victoria trudged through the fields, looking around at the vast fields of grass in wonder and awe. Victoria paused for a moment before staring at her brother and crossing her arms. “We’re lost.”
Boris rolled his eyes and looked at his sister. “No we’re not.”
Victoria frowned and stomped her foot indignantly. “Boris! Ed say to stay near the ship!” She flailed her arms around and shouted loud enough to cause a small echo. “DO YOU SEE A SHIP ANYWHERE NEAR HERE!?”
Boris looked around a little before grinning and looking at his sister. “Nope!”
Victoria looked at her brother in silence for a split second before she tugged on her long black hair in frustration. “How are you being so calm and happy about this!? We’re lost! Not at home! Dad could be back home at any minute and we’re in the middle of nowhere!”
Boris ran up to the top of the nearest hill and started looking around. His irises dilating as he zoomed his vision to look at the horizon. “Because Vicky, this is what we were looking for in the first place!” He spotted The Gilgamesh’s main propeller jutting over a hill off towards the north and posed. “We’ve found ourselves an Adventure!”
He was about to pose and point over to the ship to lead Victoria back home, when his still zoomed in eyes spotted a blur heading for them. “Hey Vicky, do you see that?” He re-dilated his eyes and squinted in the general direction of the incoming blur.
Victoria turned to look where Boris was and saw the blur heading for them as well. “What is that?” She moved up the hill and started to cup her hands around her eyes when the blur came crashing over one of the hills fast enough to launch its three occupants. “Boris, look out!”
The two robotic children dived to the side as three misguidedly adventurous fillies crash landed where they had been standing. “Oomph!”
Boris and Victoria both looked at the pile of ponies before Victoria groaned. “Dad is going to be so mad...”
Scootaloo growled from the bottom of the pile. “Would you two get off me!”
Applebloom, next lowest in the pile, grumbled back. “Ah wouldn’t need to if ya could drive straight!”
Sweetie Belle sat on top of both of them as she looked around. “Girls seriously, we probably lost those weird creatures we,” she stopped talking all together as she looked at first Boris, then Victoria, “saw.”
Boris gave her a lopsided grin as he awkwardly raised a hand and waved. “Uh.... hi?”
Sweetie let out a high pitched squeak and tumbled back off of her friends who proceeded to stand up and huddle around the fallen unicorn. “What in tarnation!?”
Scootaloo tried to look threatening by spreading her wings as she looked at Victoria. “Don’t think about trying anything! I know... I know kung fu!”
Victoria just looked around at the area around them before rubbing her wrist nervously. “Um... okay?”
Boris was too busy looking at Scootaloo’s wings to really care about anything she was saying. “Wow... you have wings!?”
Scootaloo looked at Boris, and then at her wings. “Uh, yeah. I’m a pegasus. We all got wings. So what?”
He then looked at Applebloom and poked her side. “And you don’t have either!”
Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes. “Did you not pay any attention when Dad was explaining ponies Boris?”
Boris huffed and crossed his arms. “Of course I did! I’ve just never got to actually see a pegasus or earth pony before now! I’ve only ever been in close contact with one unicorn, and that was Robin.”
Applebloom looked at Boris for a moment before shaking her head and waving her hooves. “Wait, wait, wait, hold up. Ya’ll are sayin’ ya never met anypony before?”
Boris and Victoria nodded as Boris answered the filly’s question sadly. “Yeah. Dad normally has us either stay home or stay with him on the ship. He said he was afraid of how ponies would react to us or something.”
Sweetie looked between the two before scratching her head. “Then how do you know what kinds of ponies there are?”
Victoria nodded and started to answer Sweetie. “Well, while Dad may have had us stay home all the time, he did bring us books and taught us everything we know.” Her eyes snapped over to the horizon. “But Dad’s supposed to be back soon, and we’re not at home like we promised!”
Applebloom looked up at her and asked. “Well, where is yer home? It’s gotta be somewhere nearby right?”
Boris nodded enthusiastically as he pointed off to where he had seen The Gilgamesh’s rotor. “Yeah! Dad was flying us around is the airship he built! It’s really big and can even turn invisible!” Boris’s enthusiasm died a little as he smiled nervously. “I may or may not have accidentally started it without permission.”
Scootaloo slowly went from amazed to having a devilish grin as she stared at Applebloom. “AB, remember our agreement?” Applebloom grumbled as she reached into her bow and pulled out a bit before handing it over to the orange pegasus.
Victoria looked over at Sweetie before asking. “What was that about?”
Sweetie shook her head. “You don’t want to know.” Sweetie suddenly perked up and looked at Victoria. “Oh! We never introduced ourselves! I’m Sweetie Belle!”
Scootaloo puffed her chest and smirked. “I'm Scootaloo.”
Applebloom offered her hoof to Boris. “And Ah’m Applebloom. Together, we are...” The three of them huddled around each other and shouted loudly. “THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!”
Boris was surprised that the shout had managed to blow his hair back before he grinned and shook Applebloom’s hoof. “My name’s Boris!”
Victoria performed a small curtsy towards the trio. “And I’m his sister Victoria.”
Sweetie smiled as she reciprocated the bow to Victoria before sitting next to her.. “You act a lot like my sister!”
Boris interrupted their conversation as he leaned towards the trio the moment he got an idea. “Hey! Want to see our dad’s ship!?” The CMC’s faces all seemed to brighten as Victoria looked at her brother in horror. “Alright! Let’s get going! I saw our Dad’s ship somewhere over in that direction!”
(Invention: Carousel Boutique)
I pulled the lock picks back from the trunk and smiled to myself as I stuffed them back into my hat. “That was rather easy.” I pushed open the trunk and smiled as I saw the variety of gems. I opened my satchel and started pulling as many rubies and emeralds from the chest as I could before closing the trunk and donning my satchel over my shoulder. “That ought to do.”
It was around then that I heard hooves from outside. Schist! I moved into the kitchen area I had spotted before, as I also saw a door there, and waited until I heard the front one open before I exited my own. I could hear the pony who had just entered looking around as I propped the door open with a small rock from the ground.
As I started making my way from the building towards the alleyways, it seemed that lady luck decided that I wouldn’t have a good day today. “HEY!” I jumped to face my right and saw a familiar sight, as the orange earth mare from the chariot earlier was standing down the road. She was glaring at me from under a stetson as she began to recklessly charge closer, as if she was unafraid of what she knew I could do. “Get back here ya rotten thief!”
I turned the rest of my body to face her before straightening my poster and making a small bow. “Sorry madam,” I activated my boots for a brief moment before rocketing up into the air and landing with a small flip on one of the roofs. She skid to a halt before I tipped my hat towards her with a small, caring smile, “but I have business I must attend to elsewhere, and have no time for a conversation.”
She growled as I began to run down the top of the building and jumped over to the next. “Come back here ya varmit!” As the mare began chasing me, I saw the white unicorn from earlier leaving the boutique I had entered previously. I guess that she must have been the owner. I’ll repay her later. I continued to leap from roof to roof as the distance between me and the orange mare only seemed to remain stagnant.
I eventually was going to run out of houses to jump to, and I’m sure that the white unicorn had gone for help by now.
I cursed at my luck as I saw the edge of the town start coming into view. While it was a good thing I could see it, and also my path back to The Psycho, I didn’t exactly want to bring guests back home. I turned on my heel and started heading back into town, causing the mare chasing me to skid and nearly slide out of town before she could start pursuit again. As I did this, I noticed that Rainbow was back in the air and looking around for her friend when she spotted me. “Of for the love of.”
I dived down between two buildings and ran down the wall for a moment before landing back on the ground and bolting down the alley. As I got to the end, a mass of pink nearly tripped me and I flipped enough to land on my feet and not my face. “Hi!” I looked at the intrusion of my path and saw the pink pony from the chariot waving. “Could you please give Twilight her-” I felt my left eye tinge in pain again as I pressed my hand against it. The rest of the pink pony’s words were drowned out by the ringing that had grown in my ears. “Oh my gosh, are you alright Mr. Meany Invention?”
I jumped away from the pink pony as my mind began to run in overdrive, only to trip upon landing and land on my back. Memories were slowly leaking from the block both I and Discord had placed in my own mind all those years ago, as the mention of these ponies names kept acting like key’s to the lock as they mentally attached themselves to their respective owners.
“Ascension***************a fourth Alic**************ro really ne****************ng so silly.”
“Katie, it’s a *******r lit*****irls. And while you ******************* to enjoy*********** is sti******* that.”
“**** you are ****** spoil sport. Twilight looks good as a princess, ***********deserves it after, oh I don’t know, *********************uple times over.”
I was clutching my head in agony as I hastily stood back up. I was sure to keep my distance from the pink one as she was leaning back away from me. More importantly than that, I saw that I was now surrounded by her five friends who had arrived as I was writhing on the ground. Twilight trotted forwards a little as she looked at me in what seemed to be curiosity, anger, and confusion. “Invention, why are you here?”
I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small brass pocket watch with a cloud engraved in the back. “I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but I’ll have to answer that question later.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at me in shock. “How do you-!?” I dropped the pocket watch after clicking the small dial on the top. The moment it landed on the ground, it erupted in a plume of smoke, making the ponies present all start coughing and hacking. I lept over one of the ponies between me and the edge of town, the orange one, before activating my boots again and rocketing off into the distance back to where I had left The Psycho.
When I had managed to get out to where it was I was left panting for breath, as even with the help of my boots, I still had to run a great deal before hand. I took a small glance at the books and then back over to the town, recalling the details I had managed to gather of how life was now in the world. “Something’s not right.” I leaned against the fence and scowled. “How in the world could they have developed half of that technology in such a short span of time? Most of it was from when I left my world, and I never made any blueprints when I had arrived. The only way they could have gotten that...”
My eyes widened at the realization that came over me. The information that would be needed to create those pieces of technology that I saw in the town, could only be acquired in such a short time in one way. A computer that I had designed myself, to not only view into a network and hold it’s own memory like those back home, but to do so much more. Unlike any computer before, it had magic to help fuel it’s processors, allowing it to run such high level algorithms with minimal power needed, that it could do what no other supercomputer on earth could.
It could access the networks of, view in vivid detail, retrieve and even send materials to and from other dimensions entirely.
I had kept that very computer locked away in a special outcove that resided behind my house. Sealed away from the world originally. But when he managed to break in and integrate it into his body, I had believed it to be destroyed in the blast that resulted in his demise.
“Looks like I was wrong.” I got up and dusted off my coat before hopping over the fence. “Whoever is responsible for these inventions getting out into Equestria probably is taking credit for them.” I smirked and patted my satchel. “These will be all I need to find where they are. After all, books, like friends, should be few and well chosen.”
I hopped back onto my bike and began to speed back towards The Gilgamesh. “and I believe I’ve made a grand selection of books on this trip.”
(Twilight: Ponyville Square)
The mane six all continued to hack and wheeze until the smoke finally had begun to dissipate. Twilight looked around with watery eyes as she scanned the area. “Is... is everyone alright?”
Rainbow growled as she flapped her wings, eradicating the last of the smokescreen. “Again with the gas!? The next time I see that guy I’m throttling him!”
Fluttershy shook some soot like material that had built up in her mane out before she looked at her flying friend. “Well... at least this time you didn’t fall asleep. That’s a good thing, right?” Rainbow landed and continued to grumble and pout as Fluttershy trotted over to try and calm her down.
Twilight shook her own vibrant mane to remove the soot before she gazed off towards the edge of town.
Rarity trotted up next to her before putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twilight darling, are you alright?”
Twilight looked at Rarity for a moment before she shook her head. “I don’t know Rarity. What Invention said before he left... it makes me feel he knows so much more than we thought he did.”
Applejack and Pinkie trotted up next to her. “Like what? All he did was throw us off while he set off that smokebomb. What could have tipped ya off on somethin’ like that?”
Twilight gulped slightly as she looked back towards the edge of town. “It’s not why he said it, it’s what he said Applejack. He knew my name, and before that he was writhing on the ground.”
Pinkie blew a small raspberry as she smiled at Twilight. “Of course he knew your name Twilight, I told him you were mad about your books! It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”
Twilight looked at Pinkie for a moment. “Pinkie, while he was on the ground you said yourself that your exact words were Twilight was mad about the books.”
Rarity looked at her friend in confusion. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this darling.”
Twilight looked one last time out at the fields. “That’s just it. He didn’t address me as Twilight. He addressed me as Miss Sparkle. He knew my full name when all Pinkie said was my first name! He didn’t even know that they were my books until Pinkie told him so if the letter he left was any indication.”
Rarity put a hoof to her mouth as she shared a worried look between Applejack and Pinkie. “Twilight darling, you’re not saying that...”
Twilight nodded. “Invention has only been free for a day, and he already knows who we are. It’s only a matter of time before something bad happens if he’s truly as evil as he would need to be to put Celestia on edge so badly....”
Applejack jolted at the information before she looked off towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Oh sweet Celestia....”
Rarity looked at the Boutique, remembering how empty it had been. “Sweetie Belle...”
The both of them bolted from the group immediately and were headed for their homes faster than Twilight or Pinkie could blink.
Twilight looked at the both of them as they ran before grimacing and looking back to where Invention was lying on the ground. "But then... why was he in pain?"
(Spike: Golden Oaks Library)
Spike was laying comfortably in his basket as he finally got some well deserved sleep. Like Invention’s letter had said, he’d been worked to the bone and back. He had almost gotten to that state of perfect sleep as a small explosion could be heard from downstairs; the shockwave sending him flying from the basket. “GAH!”
He landed on the floor of the bedroom with a small thump before he scrambled up and ran to the stairs. When he got to the top, he looked down at the library to find what looked like a dragon laying on the main room’s floor. As he kept looking, he noticed that it wasn’t a dragon, as dragons didn’t have long and flowing brown manes coming from their heads, nor did this creature have scales. Instead, it was cloaked in a white dress, and had brown pants covering the creature’s lower half. A belt and scabbard hung from its hip, and silver gloves covered its arms up to the elbow.
Spike slowly made his way down the stairs as he got closer to take a better look. Whatever it was, it seemed to be sleeping. Unaware that it had been moved to where it now lay. He also saw that it had a large white band across it’s head that covered it’s right eye. The feminine features of the face also told him ‘it’ was a ‘she’.
He ran out of the building in search of Twilight a second later, hoping that she would have a clue as to what to do.